Chapter 27: Emerald Grove.
On the grassy trail, under the gentle caress of the newly risen sun, the soft, ambient melody of travel played in their minds. The air was calm, and a light breeze whispered through the grass, making it sway in lazy waves. Hikari, still clad in his brown beginner adventurer's outfit, walked side-by-side with Rentarou, whose black attire was starkly contrasted by the silver cuirass gleaming on his chest.
Hikari wasn't carrying his weapon openly, and Rentarou's gauntlets were nowhere to be seen, a clear sign that the immediate fight was over. However, Rentarou now held a battered sword in his hand – Arujo's.
As they walked, Rentarou broke the comfortable silence, his voice tinged with a mix of disbelief and lingering excitement. "Man, that was something else! But… was all that fighting and panic for nothing in the end? I can't believe those guys didn't have any money on them, not even a single elixir left behind! All we got was this rusty old sword." He grimaced, looking down at the weapon in his hand, its metal marred with visible cracks and patches of corrosion. With a sigh, he tossed it disdainfully onto the grass. "Useless. This won't do me any good."
He then glanced at Hikari, a hopeful glint in his silver eyes. "At least your level shot up to 12, and your HP is full at 1200/1200 because of it. But mine… I'm still level 10, and the worst part is my HP is stuck at a miserable 1/1000! I swear, if I trip and fall, I'm dead, buddy! Let's form a party again, huh? I really need to level up too."
Hikari let out a sigh. "Stop your whining for a bit, Rentarou. If we party up again, my head's going to split from your AI companion's chatter and its bickering with mine. Besides, it's your fault we're still out here. I wanted to log out right after that battle ended."
"Huh?!" Rentarou exclaimed, aghast. "You'd want me to just leave a little girl all alone in the forest?"
"And what about it? It's just a game—" Hikari started to say, but before the words could fully form, a vivid memory flashed through his mind: the tear-streaked face of the young boy he'd failed to protect, the one who had begged for his help before being overwhelmed by wolves. Hikari's blue eyes, usually so calm, flickered with a shadow of that past failure. He cut his sentence short. "...Never mind. Let's just get this over with quickly and then log out for the day."
They soon reached the edge of the forest. As they stepped under the canopy, a notification shimmered into view for both of them:
[Emerald Grove]
The name faded as they took a few more steps into the verdant depths. The beauty of the place was undeniable. Sunlight filtered down in dappled rays through the dense leaves overhead, painting shifting patterns on the forest floor. The rich, loamy scent of damp earth and growing things filled the air, mingled with the distant, soothing murmur of a river and the cheerful chirping of unseen birds.
They walked, the forest unfolding around them like a living tapestry. Hikari's golden hair seemed to catch the filtered sunlight, and his blue eyes scanned their surroundings. He glanced at Rentarou, who was walking beside him. "So, where is this girl?"
Rentarou was already consulting the digital map hovering before him, his finger tracing the path of a small, pulsing blue dot. "Looks like she's about 200 meters in that direction," he announced, pointing deeper into the trees.
Their journey through the Emerald Grove was a series of fleeting, picturesque moments. Birds with vibrant plumage flitted through the branches above them, their songs echoing through the trees. They passed ancient, gnarled trees, their roots like grasping claws, and occasionally, a squirrel would dart across their path, its bushy tail held high, before scrambling up a nearby trunk. A lone pigeon watched them with curious, unblinking eyes from a high branch. Soon, they came upon a shallow river, its clear waters gurgling over a bed of smooth, grey pebbles. They crossed it easily and continued on their way.
Finally, they arrived at the location indicated by the blue dot. Rentarou looked around, his brow furrowed. "This is strange," he muttered, looking straight ahead. "The girl is supposed to be right here…"
Hikari's blue eyes scanned the clearing. The air was alive with the sounds of nature – the rustling of leaves, the distant hum of insects, the occasional bird call. Then, nestled amongst a grove of slender trees, he saw her: a young girl, dressed in a simple white dress, walking alone. Her long brown hair flowed down her back, adorned with a delicate, butterfly-shaped clasp. She looked to be about eight or nine years old. In her right hand, she clutched a small bouquet of beautiful, vibrant blue flowers.
Hikari began to walk towards her. Rentarou, noticing his movement, followed, and then his gaze too fell upon the solitary child. As they drew closer, Rentarou inadvertently stepped on a dry twig, the sharp snap echoing through the quiet clearing and instantly drawing the girl's attention.
She whirled around, her posture suddenly tense with alarm. Her brown eyes, though lovely, were wide with fear as she clutched the flowers to her chest. "Who… who are you?" she stammered, her voice barely a whisper.
Hikari stopped about two meters away from her, not wanting to frighten her further. He didn't speak, instead glancing at Rentarou. "This is your quest, right?" he said, his tone neutral.
Rentarou approached the girl with a calm, gentle expression, despite her evident anxiety. He slowly knelt down on one knee, his short silver hair catching the light, his own silver eyes soft and reassuring. "Well now, little one, there's no need to worry," he said, his voice warm and friendly, a soft smile on his lips. "I'm not a suspicious person at all."
The girl's wide brown eyes flickered from Rentarou to Hikari, and then back again. "That person's name," she said, her voice trembling slightly as she pointed a small finger towards Hikari, "Rising Star… it's written in red. My mother told me that people whose names are red are bad and dangerous."
Rentarou glanced back at Hikari, who met his gaze with an expression that clearly said, 'Not my problem, this isn't my quest.'
Turning back to the girl, Rentarou's smile widened. "He's actually a good person, despite how he might seem. Anyway, my name is Rentarou, as you can see. And what's your name, little one?"
She hesitated for a moment, then replied in a quiet, still nervous tone, "Samantha."
"Samantha," Rentarou repeated, his voice warm and encouraging. "What a beautiful name! So, Samantha, what are you doing out here all by yourself?"
Samantha's eyes slowly welled up, a shimmering layer of tears trembling on her lower lashes. "Yesterday was my father's birthday," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I… I snuck out to find some flowers for him because I don't have any money to buy them in town. But here… the flowers are so pretty and free. I swear I didn't mean to go so deep into the forest, but I got lost… I don't know the way back. Please, mister, can you help me? Can you take me back to my father?"
Rentarou listened to her story, his own eyes softening with empathy. In the background, Hikari watched, his blue eyes calm, his expression unreadable. What a cliché story, he thought, perfectly suited for someone at Rentarou's level, really. But… He focused on the scene before him: Rentarou gently patting the crying girl's head, the raw emotion in her tear-filled eyes. These moments… they aren't devoid of feeling. And Rentarou is someone who gives in to his emotions easily. I wonder what would happen to him if he failed to help this girl, or saw her die in front of him, for example.
Rentarou gently took Samantha's small left hand in his right. The blue flowers in her other hand seemed to glow with an inner light. He stood up, looking at Hikari. "It seems this quest is about finding her father. The system hasn't given me any information that could help, like his location or anything."
Hikari's expression remained calm. "Since it's such a peaceful quest, there's no harm in me logging out now. You won't need me."
"Hey, hey, wait a minute!" Rentarou exclaimed. "What if some monster shows up in this forest? What do you expect me to do with this pitifully low HP of mine?"
Hikari sighed, clearly annoyed, already mentally preparing the logout sequence. "Seriously, this forest looks perfectly safe. Well, see you later—"
His words were cut short by a new voice, deep and resonant, echoing through the trees. "Your friend is right. You shouldn't log out now and leave him alone."
Hikari's blue eyes snapped towards the sound, his body instantly tensing. About thirty meters away, a man was approaching. He wore the gleaming silver armor of a knight, though he was without a helmet. A neatly trimmed white beard framed a strong jaw, his hair was also white, and his dark eyes held a stern, assessing gaze. His skin was a light tan. A silver-hilted sword hung at his waist, its scabbard matching the polished sheen of his armor.
As the man advanced with calm, measured steps, the metallic clinking of his armor accompanying each footfall, Seniora's voice urgently sounded in Hikari's mind: "Rising Star, this is a warning! I repeat, this is a warning! This individual… you must not engage with him under any circumstances!"
The atmosphere grew taut with unspoken tension. Samantha's eyes widened further, while Rentarou looked on with growing unease. The old knight placed a hand on the hilt of his sword and, with a smooth motion, drew the blade as he continued his steady advance across the short grass, his armored boots making little sound. "I came looking for a lost girl at her father's request," he announced, his voice carrying easily through the clearing. "But it seems I arrived a little late."
He stopped, his dark, serious eyes, framed by white eyebrows, fixing on Hikari. "Rising Star," he said, his voice resonating with authority. "You are a Player Killer. By the sacred code of the Knights' Justice, I, Reinhardt Rogen, Knight of the B-Rank, pledge to cleanse this world of your blight."
Before Hikari could react, Rentarou thrust his hand forward. With a shower of blue digital sparks and swirling squares of code, the Water Fox Fang materialized in his right fist, its azure blade catching the dappled sunlight. Simultaneously, the system interface displaying Reinhardt Rogen's information appeared before him.
[Reinhardt Rogen]
[Job: Knight]
[Rank: B]
The knight approached, his gaze falling upon the blade in Hikari's hand. "Well, well… the Water Fox Fang in the hands of a mere level 12 player. I wonder where you stole it from. But no matter, this gives me yet another reason to purify the world of your presence."
Hikari's blue eyes narrowed, his mind racing. This is strange. I've never heard Seniora warn me this strongly before. I have a B-rank weapon, but no potions left. I can win this.
The knight raised his sword high. "That look in your eyes, boy… it does not please me. Do you expect me to be your next victim?"
SLASH!
He brought his sword down in a swift, vertical arc through the air in front of him. An invisible, cutting wave of pure wind erupted from the blade, screaming towards Hikari.
Instinctively, Hikari moved his own blade, the Water Fox Fang, in a sharp upward slash from low to high, unleashing his own fantastical, arcing wave of cutting water.
The two elemental forces collided mid-air. The wind met the water, and for a spectacular instant, Hikari thought it was an even match as the water wave fantastically dispersed into a shower of shimmering droplets. But then, to his utter shock, the knight's invisible wind attack continued, unabated, slicing through the dissipating mist.
It struck Hikari with brutal force, a diagonal slash of pain from his left shoulder down towards his right kidney. No blood appeared, only a bright blue, shimmering line of damage that briefly seared across his vision before vanishing, leaving him reeling from the impact.
[ Damage Received: 600 ]
[ Remaining HP: 600/1200 ]
Hikari staggered back, stunned. The knight's attack, having passed through him, continued its deadly trajectory and slammed into a thick tree directly behind where Hikari had stood. There was a sickening crack, and the massive tree, its trunk nearly bisected by the invisible force, groaned, tilted, and then with a great tearing sound, it slid slightly and crashed to the forest floor, sending birds scattering in terror. The impact shook the ground, and a cloud of dust and leaves billowed upwards, making Samantha scream and causing both Hikari's and Rentarou's hair to whip around their faces.
Rentarou stared at the fallen tree, then at the knight, his face a mask of horror. "Where did this monster even come from…?" he whispered, his voice trembling.
Hikari, still reeling from the force and the unexpected damage, looked at the knight who was now advancing confidently towards them. "There's no need to resist," Reinhardt said, his voice calm but firm. "Just hand over the girl and die peacefully. I hope you will reflect on your mistakes when you restart the game and choose a path of goodness and light in this world."
Hikari clenched his jaw, his grip tightening on the Water Fox Fang. Without elixirs, and without an overwhelmingly powerful weapon, this man inflicted that much damage on me with a single strike… And worse, the Water Fox Fang's attack had no significant effect against him… The situation is becoming more complicated. This is why Petra warned me to be wary of Knights and others…
[A/N]
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