“Ch-Chris unnie?”
“Uh…?”
My sword had stopped just an inch from her body.
Chris still hadn’t turned around. She must have felt the sharp edge of my sword that had approached so close.
“E-eek…!”
Rain, swing your sword.
This unnie tried to attack me.
A frog could die from a stone thrown playfully by a person.
Of course, I’m a frog blinded by the daily quest reward, but?
Of course, of course, Chris unnie is a kind unnie who gave me a 1 gold costume, but?
Anyway, she attacked first, right?
Rozelia Forest is a PVP field, a place where yesterday’s companion could become today’s enemy.
But in the end, I couldn’t swing my sword.
Pitter-patter!
Instead, I quickly ran behind a tree 20 meters away.
Hiding my body there, I cried out weakly.
“D-don’t come close…!”
“R-Rain? Is that Rain?”
Chris’s body flinched as she tried to take a step towards me.
“I said don’t come! I’ll run away…!”
“There’s no way I would attack you!”
“Liar! You just bound me first!”
I shouted with my eyes tightly closed. Somehow, I felt like I was going to cry.
I thought she might be a good person, but it was my misunderstanding.
She must have known it was me and still attacked! Because she’s a heartless carnivore user!
In this field, if you PK, you can take the other person’s magic stones, so she must have tried to steal my magic stones for additional rewards!
Chris unnie is a bad carnivore user!
“S-sorry! The tree shadow was thick, so I didn’t know it was Rain. I’m really sorry! You came to do the magic stone quest, right? How many more do you need? I’ll give you my magic stones.”
Chris made a gesture of putting her hand into the air and then took out a few magic stones.
“Here, take these! Good, right? Come here? Or should I come to you?”
“Wah…!”
I stared blankly at the magic stones in her hand.
If I take those magic stones, I can complete the daily quest and have some left over. I can even get a little extra reward.
“Ah!”
I suddenly came to my senses and shook my head vigorously.
Rain, don’t be fooled. You’ve only met twice.
Carnivore users say that there are no friends or anything in PVP battlefields.
She might lure me with those magic stones and stab me in the back.
She might be planning to steal the eighteen magic stones I’ve collected with difficulty.
I don’t know what Chris is thinking, but somehow I didn’t feel like attacking her.
To avoid fighting with her, I had no choice but to run away.
I turned my body while Chris was trying to approach slowly.
Thud!
“Okay! I’ll drop them here! I’ll stay far away, so Rain, come and take them!”
Seeing me turn my back, Chris shouted urgently. Then she carefully dropped five magic stones on the spot.
Chris immediately moved far away from that place.
“Huh!”
Can I really take them?
Tiptoe tiptoe.
I cautiously approached the magic stones while keeping an eye on Chris, who was far away.
Glare.
Rustle rustle.
I quickly picked up the magic stones while sending a sharp gaze towards her.
“Heh.”
An awkward smile flowed from my lips after I had picked up all the magic stones.
Ah, I almost let my guard down for a moment.
I glared sharply at Chris again.
She looked at me with a somewhat pleased expression and smiled. She didn’t seem to have any intention of attacking.
She must have really attacked earlier without knowing it was me.
I cautiously spoke to her.
“…Don’t you have any more extra magic stones?”
* * *
Thump thump.
I walked through the green plains, feeling the pleasant wind.
I felt good.
Today, I got as many as thirty magic stones.
I’ll be able to receive plenty of additional daily quest rewards.
Crunch crunch.
Different footsteps were heard beside me.
I’m on my way back to report the daily quest in the city of the ‘Alpharion Empire’ near Rozelia Plains.
Why is Chris, who belongs to the ‘Betarion Empire,’ following me?
But I couldn’t express my dissatisfaction.
Because I had received a lot of magic stones from her.
“…”
I timidly looked at Chris walking beside me.
Receiving my gaze, she smiled brightly.
“Hm? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Unnie, aren’t you a pawn of the Betarion Empire? This is the way to the Alpharion Empire’s city.”
“…Pawn?”
“Th-thank you for the magic stones.”
“Hehe, it’s nothing. Don’t mention it.”
I still felt reluctant to have conversations with people.
Even someone like me wasn’t a beast who didn’t know how to express gratitude.
If someone else had shown such kindness, I wouldn’t have accepted it in the first place, but I felt a little less reluctant towards Chris.
“Ah~ Unnie is going to change affiliation to the Alpharion Empire this time.”
“What about the merit points you’ve accumulated in the Betarion Empire?”
“Hehe, I just like this side better.”
I tilted my head.
I thought changing factions reset the merit points accumulated in the existing faction.
Thump thump.
Crunch crunch.
We continued walking across the plains in silence for a while.
Chris just kept looking at me with a pleasant smile, not approaching with questions like when we first met or making sudden touches like during our second meeting.
Unable to find a reason to run away, I could only walk while glancing at her from the corner of my eye.
Gurgle gurgle.
A gentle sound of water was heard.
Soon after, a clear and transparent stream appeared.
The surface of the stream reflected the sparkling sunlight, slightly disturbed by the wind.
“Wow!”
I smiled brightly.
The streamside was beautiful like a painting with various flowers blooming.
A small stream branching off from the large river that crosses Rozelia Plains.
It was always new and beautiful every time I passed by here.
Splash splash.
I took off my shoes and dipped my bare feet in the stream.
The sensation of cool water touching bare skin felt very good.
This sensation that can only be felt in the Astria continent.
Contrary to the slightly cold water temperature, warmth filled my heart.
Splash splash.
And today, there was one more splash.
“Wow~! So cool! Even though there’s a sense of discomfort due to the synchronization rate, it’s wonderfully implemented?”
Chris, who had approached without me noticing, had also removed her shoes and dipped her bare feet in the stream like me.
I smiled slightly as I watched Chris laughing like a child.
Unnie doesn’t know, right? That I can only feel this sensation here.
But it’s not bad.
The feeling that there’s someone who shares the same sensation as me.
“Whoa!?”
Slip.
Chris, who had momentarily lost her balance, opened her eyes wide in surprise.
She tried to straighten her body by waving her arms, but it was already too late.
Splash!
It seems Chris, who was walking carelessly, had stepped on a mossy stone.
She fell spectacularly, flailing her arms.
Along with her landing on her bottom, water splashed and droplets scattered in all directions.
The water droplets that had splashed up sparkled in the sunlight between her bright red hair.
“Hehehe.”
I chuckled softly, finding that sight amusing.
Chris, who had become like a drowned rat, looked at me dumbfoundedly.
Then, perhaps finding her own appearance funny too, she started laughing out loud.
Chris was a funny unnie!
* * *
I arrived at the city of the Alpharion Empire with Chris.
She had escorted me from Rozelia Forest to this location and helped keep watch over the surroundings inside the forest.
It seems Chris changed her supporting faction through the city’s NPC. From now on, I don’t need to be wary of her even if I meet her inside Rozelia Forest.
As I was grinning while checking the number of ‘refined magic stones’ I had obtained from completing the daily quest, Chris spoke to me.
“Come to think of it, it’s almost time for it to open, right?”
“Ah.”
I remembered at her words.
The level 30 elite dungeon, ‘Demon King’s Army Outpost’.
A castle with a setting of being discovered inside a basin area of an invisible rocky mountain on the outskirts of Rozelia Plains.
Although it couldn’t be entered until now due to the sealing magic circle installed at the castle entrance, the seal was gradually being released each time users defeated the Divine Beast dungeons.
Finally, the time for that castle to open was approaching.
“It seems Rain has reached level 30 too, and since you’ve been farming elite dungeons so far, you must have a party?”
“…”
Would it be strange if I said I only solo?
Well, it seems party play for elite dungeons is common among users.
But I’m a former hero of the Astria continent; it would be strange if I couldn’t do this much.
Even if I said ‘I was a hero living here’, it’s obvious they wouldn’t believe me.
“Hehe, if it’s difficult to tell me, you don’t have to. It seems you don’t use messenger much either? Talk to me when you feel like it, Rain.”
“Yes.”
I looked up at Chris and nodded.
She looked at me with an expression full of regret.
“Unnie has to go because of an appointment. I want to stay with Rain a little longer.”
Shake shake.
I shook my head slightly. It means it’s okay.
My wariness towards Chris greatly diminished, but I still felt more comfortable alone.
Chris kept looking back as she moved her reluctant feet.
And when her figure had become small, she turned around completely and waved her hand while shouting loudly.
“Let’s meet again next time! For sure!”
I also waved my hand slightly towards her.