Pushing through the primordial forest where even the weeds were taller than a person, a massive boulder hidden by the woods revealed itself. A rock so majestic that it would have been given a monumental name on a plain was nothing more than terrain for vines and moss to grow on amidst the waves of trees. Beneath the boulder, where grass and moss grew like a wall, lay Piwoo Village.
"This is Piwoo Village. The village of those who die easily. Because they die easily to beasts and pests, we built a village deep within the forest to protect them."
Piwoo Village was quite different from the Undying's village. It had a proper fence, watchtowers, and guards. In terms of facilities alone, it was several times better equipped than the Undying's village.
However, the gravestones and the tattered clothes of the dead visible outside the fence showed just how familiar this village was with the pain of loss.
"Since she is a Piwoo, she is staying in Piwoo Village. However, she is a very stubborn person."
Rash pounded on the door with his fist. The guard, recognizing Rash's face, quickly ran down from the guard post and opened the gate.
"Mr. Rash! You have come!"
"I am here. Nothing out of the ordinary?"
"Out of the ordinary happens all the time in this village. With Ms. Callis here, how could it be otherwise."
"Is she doing well?"
"If by 'doing well' you mean no different from usual, then yes. Otherwise... I suppose you could say she is the same as ever. Please, come in first."
The gatekeeper guided us inside. Into a village full of Piwoo, who lived in a space given up by the Undying, well-acquainted with loss and sorrow...
"Move, move! We're falling behind schedule!"
"It's almost lunchtime! We need to finish the work before then!"
Creaking steel. Smoke rising from a large chimney. Square houses made of relatively modern alchemical cement. When the large wall clock sounded its alarm, people stopped their work and headed to the smoking cafeteria.
The barbarian tribe encountered in the distant wilderness bore a strangely familiar appearance.
"...What is this place?"
The Regressor looked around with a displeased expression.
What we encountered in this unfamiliar place was the sight of the Military State we had left long ago. A village of iron and stone, ill-suited to the lush greenery and thick foliage, operated with creaking friction. Barbarians, who looked like they belonged in a primordial forest, were awkwardly imitating military drills while wearing makeshift uniforms of the Military State.
It looked as if an artificial civilization had been planted right in the middle of peaceful nature. And in the center of it all, a relatively slender red-haired woman was commanding the people.
"You there. Halt where you are."
Lieutenant Callis, a Magic Officer of the Military State, who had left with Rash when the Bottomless Pit collapsed. Once a uniformed officer, she was now incongruously dressed in everyday clothes as she pointed at someone.
When Callis pointed, a woman dressed in clothes made of leaves startled and curled up. Callis spoke in an overbearing manner.
"If you want to eat, line up. There is no point in making rules if you break the order."
"Me, hungry!"
"Wait a little. Line up, and rations are distributed in that order; that is the most rational way to distribute meals to everyone."
The woman was a full hand span taller than Callis, with a thicker neck and arms. She glared, ready to solve things with force if necessary.
However, when Callis pulled up her mana and sparked flames at her fingertips, the frightened woman screamed and ran away.
"A demon!"
"It is magic."
"Demon magic!"
"I must have told you time and again that magic is a technology."
Even putting a person in the wilderness, they can't shake off their officer habits.
Callis, who had driven the people with a cold and hard attitude, scattered fire to ignite the furnace. The workers prepared the food as if nothing had happened.
The Magic Officer of the Military State was continuing her role as an officer even in this barbarian village. The Regressor clicked her tongue in displeasure.
"She's exactly the same even here. People don't change just because their environment changes."
"That's not true, boy. You'd be surprised if you knew how much she's changed."
Rash strode toward Callis. With his large frame, he was immediately noticeable. Callis spotted him right away and her sharp gaze softened.
"Rash!"
Where had the demeanor of the Magic Officer from just a moment ago gone? Callis ran over with a bright smile. Hugged in Rash's arms, Callis wrapped her arms behind his head and immediately kissed him.
The Regressor staggered in fluster at the unexpected situation.
"W-what?"
The two entangled with each other, sharing breath without caring about anyone's gaze. It was a kiss so intense it was almost embarrassing to watch. Enough to make one wonder if this was a barbarian's courtship ritual.
The Regressor stepped back with a sickened expression.
"What are they suddenly doing?"
"What do you mean? They're getting married, so this much is just playful affection."
"Affection, my foot! Doing something so embarrassing out of nowhere with everyone watching!"
"It's a bit much to call a kiss embarrassing. It's not like they're showing us them sleeping together."
"Hey! Why are you bringing up sleeping together now?!"
"Why are you suddenly getting mad? I'm just saying!"
While we bickered for a bit, Callis and Rash, having sufficiently reunited, separated with slightly regretful expressions. Callis examined his body and asked with concern.
"Are you okay? The Blood Monastery is a place where strategic-class vampires stay. Didn't you do something too reckless?"
"No. As the rumors say, that nun treats those who visit barehanded well. I received her word allowing the marriage ceremony, and she gave me this as proof."
"This is?"
"The wool of the King of Sheep. It is a precious item that, if made into clothes, will not be pierced by any fang or claw. I received the nun's definite answer and the wool of the King of Sheep as proof, so the elders won't be able to easily refuse."
"Rash. But, to be acknowledged as one of them, we have to pass the ritual."
"You don't need to pass that, my mate. As you said, it's our tribe's custom, so why should an outsider like you have to follow it? Especially if you're not one of the Undying, it's difficult and grueling to pass. You could die."
"But..."
"My mate. I cannot stand seeing even the smallest scratch on your body. Humans who are not of the undying race can easily die from even a small wound. When I think that I might lose you..."
"Rash..."
"My mate...!"
Embrace. The two hugged each other again and continued their kiss. The Regressor and I were suddenly reduced to background props, left standing awkwardly. The Regressor, uncomfortable with just watching, grumbled.
"What happened between them that they became a couple who can't live without each other?"
"You were grumbling earlier that she hadn't changed, and now you're complaining about why she's changed. Quite a bit of time has passed, so that can happen. Shei and I have changed a lot since the Bottomless Pit too."
"What! I can live perfectly well without you!"
"No, who said anything about that kind of relationship?! A relationship doesn't just mean one thing! You're not a teenage girl, why does your mind keep going there!"
"I've already passed puberty!"
Not that! Refute the part about being a girl! You're cross-dressing! Please, I wish you'd consider that as much as I consider your cross-dressing!
While the kissing continued on one side, the bickering continued on the other. The kiss between Callis and Rash, which seemed like it would never end, finally ended. Only then did they have a moment to look this way, and they noticed our presence.
"...You guys. From the Bottomless Pit."
"Hello? First time since the Bottomless Pit, right?"
In the past, in the Bottomless Pit, Callis, who was a member of a secret organization, infiltrated to obtain Aji, the King of Dogs. She ultimately failed, barely clinging to life and surviving in the Bottomless Pit, until she left for the south with Rash when the pit collapsed. I wasn't particularly curious about her news, but seeing her face, she seems to be living well.
Callis finished her brief recollection and spoke.
"I didn't expect to meet you like this."
"It wasn't a good meeting, but since you're both alive and well, isn't that enough?"
"It might have been before you all came here. What business do the heroes saving the world have here?"
Callis spoke with a slightly guarded attitude. She seemed more afraid of the aftermath we would bring than us ourselves.
"I heard you were adventuring to overcome the impending doom. Coming here... is something about to happen, or are you about to cause something?"
"Don't worry. We came to take care of something. If anything, it'll end up helping you."
"What kind of thing?"
"To purify an ancient evil that's supposed to be somewhere around here. I don't know what it is, though."
"Ancient evil...?"
Callis's complexion darkened as if something clicked. She looked around with an anxious expression for a moment before opening her mouth.
"Are you really here to purify the ancient evil?"
Seeing Callis's attitude, the Regressor crossed her arms and pressed.
"Do you have a clue?"
"...A clue, well."
Callis looked over the faces of the people with a dark expression. As is typical for wanderers who have taken refuge in other villages, most of the people in Piwoo Village harbored deep wounds and sorrow.
And their numbers were far too many to be called mere refugees. Even roughly estimating, the number of refugees in Piwoo Village seemed greater than the number of the Undying.
"Recently, the number of people coming to Piwoo Village has increased. And among them, a few brought up strange stories."
"Like what?"
Because she was the lover of the 'Right Arm' and a mage, Callis had unintentionally become no different from the village chief of Piwoo Village, and she relayed the story she heard from the Piwoo.
"That an evil god crawled out from beneath the ground."