Chapter 4: Pioneer Village(4)

“You’re Avalli, then.”
“Yes, sir.”

Upon seeing Kyle for the first time, Avalli instinctively flinched.

‘…Is he a football player?’

Kyle’s physique resembled the American football players she occasionally saw in videos.
In other words, sitting in the chair, he looked like a bear.
Even in the modern world, encountering such a superhuman being in person wasn’t a common occurrence.

“Uh… I apologize, Paladin.”

However, being overly wary upon first meeting someone was impolite.
Especially if the other person was of high status.
So, Avalli quickly bowed her head in apology—

“Why are you apologizing?”

Kyle asked, trying to maintain as gentle an expression as possible.
As someone frequently encountered with this situation, Kyle was doing his best to put the child at ease.
However, his sincerity didn’t quite reach Avalli, who still saw him as a ferocious beast.

“…Because I’m so disgusted?”
“I’m used to it. Don’t worry. There have been cases where other girls your age wet themselves just from making eye contact with me.”
‘…Well, that’s understandable.’

Avalli inwardly offered condolences to the unknown girl who had been humiliated, then cautiously approached Kyle.

“Sit. I have a few questions.”
“Understood.”

Nodding, Avalli sat down on the chair opposite Kyle.
For a moment, Avalli wondered how this ordinary chair could support Kyle’s bulk.
Especially with that heavy-looking breastplate on his upper body.

“I heard you came from the Great Forest. Do you remember what happened?”
“…I don’t remember well.”

At the mention of the Great Forest, Avalli’s expression darkened instantly.

It wasn’t an act to deceive Kyle.
The emotions from that time, being suddenly thrown into a forest full of wild beasts just after becoming a young girl, came creeping back, consuming Avalli.
So, to be precise, she had the memories, but they were memories she never wanted to recall.

Seeing Avalli’s sudden unease, Kyle clicked his tongue inwardly.

Kyle still considered Avalli an ordinary girl.
That such a girl had survived the Great Forest was certainly something worthy of being called a miracle.
But even with a miracle, shaking off the fear of death wouldn’t be easy.

‘…This won’t be easy.’

He felt sympathy, but he couldn’t forget his duty as an Insight Knight.
Kyle skillfully suppressed his compassion and continued his questioning.

“Why were you in the Great Forest?”
“I don’t know. When I opened my eyes, I was there.”
“Before that?”
“…I don’t remember.”

Avalli answered nervously, worried Kyle might shout at her.
No matter what he asked, her answers would probably be limited to ‘I don’t remember’ and ‘I don’t know’.

‘It can’t be helped. You are beings from a computer game in the world I used to live in.’
‘What’s a computer?’
‘ I can’t really explain it, but it has all sorts of programs—’
‘Programs?’
‘Um… like programs for calculations or experiments…
So, simply put, I came from another world, I was originally an adult man, but somehow I ended up in this girl’s body—’
‘No, that won’t do.’

No one would believe her.
If anyone did, Avalli would be wary of them.

They would undoubtedly be crazy.

“…Hmm.”

He had asked various questions, but the same answers kept coming back.
Kyle frowned slightly, stroking his thick beard.
He was engaged in a rather kind consideration of ‘How should I phrase my questions so I can get answers without triggering this child’s trauma?’—

‘Should I just make up a suitable lie?’

But to Avalli, he looked like a deranged Paladin contemplating whether or not to begin torture.

If Avalli had ever played the ‘Sword and Magic’ series, she would have known that Paladins were mostly good.
Unfortunately, Avalli was someone who had been abruptly dropped into this world the moment she started the game for the first time.
So, Avalli came to the conclusion that she needed to answer something before the human weapon in front of her decided to do something bad.

“…Excuse me, Paladin.”

As the girl hesitantly spoke up, Kyle stopped his contemplation and looked at Avalli.

“Yes. Did something come to mind?”
“Can I… tell you what I do remember?”
“…Would you be alright?”
“Yes! Of course, I’m alright!”

The girl’s voice, forced to sound brave, was pitiful.
Kyle’s eyes reddened slightly at her courageous appearance, but to Avalli, he merely looked like a monster with bloodshot eyes, enraged.

Not wanting to be beaten to death by a monster, Avalli hurriedly continued.

That when she opened her eyes, she was in the forest.
That she had no memories before that.
That while wandering the forest in search of food, she had been chased by countless beasts.
That she had managed to drive most of them away somehow, but quickly reached her limit.
That she had collapsed from exhaustion, and Arsene, the village chief, had found and rescued her.

And that she had been indebted to Asha Village ever since.

Mixed in were a few lies for self-preservation, but overall, it was a testimony that accurately reflected Avalli’s experience.
And listening to Avalli’s desperate story, Kyle—

‘Poor thing.’

Felt an unbearable pity in his heart.
The girl in front of him seemed to have gone quite mad, unable to endure the fear of death.

“…That’s enough, Avalli.”
“Okay.”
“Go back to your room and call Arsene.”

Avalli, finally free from Kyle, returned to her room, her legs trembling.
Arsene, who came out as if taking her place, saw Kyle’s face, which looked complicated for various reasons.

“Did you gain anything?”
“No. That girl knows nothing. She seems to have fabricated lies in her mind to protect herself.”
“Then, the demonic beasts in the Great Forest—.”
“Some other miracle must have occurred. That girl probably just luckily survived thanks to the Goddess’s mercy.”

This was the conclusion Kyle had reached.

But the truth always surpasses human imagination.
The girl he had just met, Avalli, had, just as she testified, pulverized and crushed the surrounding demonic beasts.

No miracle had occurred in the Eastern Great Forest.
An irregular monster had simply appeared out of nowhere and shattered the ecosystem.

It was closer to a disaster than a miracle—

“It’s never easy, dredging up a child’s trauma.”
“…The path of faith is always accompanied by trials.”

The two, unaware of the truth, simply felt sorry for Avalli.

“What are your plans going forward?”
“I’ll stay for a few days. I need to investigate further to formally request an investigation team from the Holy Kingdom.”
“It’s an honor to host you, even briefly, Paladin.”
“I look forward to your hospitality, Arsene.”

Kyle rose from his chair and extended his hand to Arsene.
After a brief handshake, Arsene glanced outside.

Night would fall soon.
A couple of months ago, they would have extinguished all lights and trembled in fear of being spotted by demonic beasts—
“We’ve prepared a small welcome gathering.”

Seeing the recent state of the Great Forest, such an unfortunate event was unlikely to happen.
Moreover, a mid-rank Paladin was currently staying in the village, so any ordinary monster would be felled instantly.

“Is there alcohol?”
“Of course.”
“…I’ll have to pray that the Goddess turns a blind eye for a while.”

Kyle grinned and took off his armor for the first time in a while.

“What did he talk about, noona?”
“I heard all Paladins are monstrously strong, is it true?”
“Unnie, I’m scared! The Paladin looked like a total bear!”
“Will he take you as his servant? Or a s*x s*ave?”
“…Where did you hear such things, Camelia?”

Camelia replied to Avalli with a bright smile.

“I eavesdropped on Dad talking with his friends at home the other day!”
“Hmm… Those aren’t very nice words, so forget about them. I’ll have a word with your mom.”
“Okay, Avalli unnie.”

Darkness had fallen on the forest, but Asha Village was brightly lit.
In the center of the village square, a large bonfire, fueled by a pile of firewood, crackled.

Various meats were roasting near the bonfire, emitting a delicious aroma.
The village adults gathered around Kyle, sharing drinks and catching up on recent events.
On the opposite side, children naturally gathered around Avalli.

“Unnie, I’ve never seen such a bright fire!”

Camelia held Avalli’s arm and smiled brightly.

“You’re right. It’s my first time seeing it here too.”

Avalli replied softly, gazing at the blazing bonfire.
It was the first large fire she had seen since the campfire during her middle school retreat.

‘This is nice.’

She had often played the sound of a crackling fire as ASMR to fall asleep, but it couldn’t compare to the impact of seeing it in person.
The heat of the bonfire, pushing back the cool night air, reminded her of a mother’s embrace, a feeling she couldn’t quite remember.

Lost in thought as she stared at the fire and enjoyed the well-cooked barbecue—

“…Hmm.”

—Avalli noticed something amiss.

‘Where did that Hans brat go?’

Hans was nowhere to be seen.
She went to Karls’s house and knocked, but there was no response.
She subtly asked Karls’s wife, who was thoroughly drunk, but it seemed she hadn’t given Hans any specific tasks.

A strange sense of unease washed over her.

“…Such a bother.”

Avalli sighed deeply and went to find Arsene.
Like the other adults, Arsene’s face was flushed with alcohol.

“Oh, Avalli. Did you eat plenty of meat?”
“I ate a lot. But Chief, I’m going outside the village for a bit.”
“…Is something the matter?”
“I can’t find Hans.”

Arsene’s brow furrowed at Avalli’s answer.

“…You stay here. I’ll go look for him myself.”

Arsene said so and started walking, but soon stumbled, his steps unsteady.

“I’ll just go look for him.”

“…The Great Forest is dangerous. Even if demonic beasts are rare now, if even a wild animal appears—”

Just then, someone interrupted Arsene.

“I’ll go.”

It was Kyle, who seemed relatively sober.

“It’s alright, Paladin. I can’t ask a guest to do such a bothersome task—”
“This is also a paladin’s duty.”

Kyle said this in a serious tone, then turned his head to look at Avalli.

“Guide me, Avalli.”
“…Understood.”

Avalli wasn’t keen, but lacked the courage to refuse Kyle’s offer, so she nodded.