Chapter 47: The Town of Soraval

“I can see it—the town of Soraval.”

After hearing Rain’s report about the Abystortas, we spent a day preparing, then traveled from Berlia to Soraval in a fast carriage. It was not as swift as a Sleipnir-drawn carriage, but it still moved quickly. The monster had not reached the town yet, which was a relief.

Soraval was quite small compared with Berlia and the royal capital—a frontier town without any particularly large settlements nearby. For me, however, it was the first town I had visited after arriving in this world, and the month I had spent there had left me with many memories.

“Before I knew it, I was just standing alone in that grassland over there. But it was a relief that I was reincarnated within sight of the town.”

“I was reincarnated near a spring in a forest, with a village close by. My body had suddenly become that of a child, and when I saw my reflection in the water and realized I was an elf, I thought I might be dreaming. The villagers were kind to me, but I was so consumed by memories of my previous life that I may not have treated them very well… Once this is over, I would like to go back and thank them too.”

“Aoi had a hard time at first too, huh. I also transferred near a town. Perhaps we transfer or reincarnate near villages or towns.”

Apparently, all three of us had been transferred or reincarnated near a settlement. However, we had arrived in different regions, and it was apparently possible to appear in an entirely different country.

As we spoke, the carriage approached Soraval. The area around the gate bustled with people, most of whom were leaving by carriage. An evacuation advisory had already been issued, and residents were being moved to nearby villages and towns.

“Hey, you folks. A huge-ass monster is approaching this town right now. You should evacuate quickly too… wait, isn’t that Kakeru!”

“Bruno-san, it’s been a while.”

We stopped in front of Soraval’s gate, climbed out of the carriage, and headed toward the entrance.

A light-brown-haired soldier in his forties approached us, his face covered with stubble. It was Bruno-san. He had remembered me even though I had left Soraval more than a month earlier.

I had worried that he might have forgotten me, so I was quietly pleased. Naturally, I remembered my benefactor perfectly. He looked much as he had before, though the commotion had left his hair disheveled and his stubble thicker.

“It’s been a while. I’m glad you seem well! Hey hey, bringing two cute girlfriends with you—you’ve really come back in style.”

“Ah, no, they’re not my girlfriends, but two people who are taking very good care of me right now.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“N-nice to meet you.”

When I introduced them, Yuuka and Aoi greeted Bruno-san with smiles. Aoi was shy around strangers, and Bruno-san had a rather intimidating face, but perhaps because he was my acquaintance, she did not seem too frightened.

Both women wore hoods that concealed their black hair and Aoi’s long elven ears. We wanted to avoid attention, so they were keeping their identities hidden.

“I’m Bruno. I’m happy Kakeru and you two ladies came all the way to the town of Soraval, but right now a terrible monster is heading toward this town. The other day, the knights and adventurers of this town launched an all-out attack, but that thing didn’t even flinch and kept coming this way. Right now everyone in town is evacuating. You folks should evacuate quickly too!”

Before our arrival, the town’s knights and adventurers had apparently launched an all-out attack. They had retreated safely, but they had failed to defeat the Abystortas or divert its course.

“Understood. Please evacuate quickly too, Bruno-san. I know your pride as a gatekeeper is very important, but please take care of yourself too.”

Bruno-san had once told me that guarding Soraval’s gate for thirty years was his pride.

That pride mattered, but his life mattered far more. I believed he would be sensible, yet I wanted to warn him just in case.

“Yeah, we soldiers will clear out too once everyone else has evacuated. My puny pride doesn’t matter right now. On the honor of every soldier here, we’ll get everyone out—including the injured, the sick, the children, and the elderly!”

“…Yes.”

It seemed I had not needed to worry. Of course Bruno-san would put the townspeople first.

I had considered helping with the evacuation, but Bruno-san and the other soldiers had matters under control. We needed to do what only we could do, so we headed for the rendezvous point we had arranged with Rain.

“Bruno-san seems like a really good person.”

“He was quite a dashing older gentleman. I can see why Kakeru-sama cares about him.”

“Yeah. No matter the situation, he puts the townspeople first. He’s my benefactor who was kind to me even though I looked suspicious and had nothing.”

He was exactly as I remembered.

I deeply respected his ability to dismiss his own pride as “puny.” I hoped there was some way to protect that pride…