Shelter

"By the way, Kimishima, how are things going?"

"How... do you mean?"

"Well, after climbing the ladder, did anything change?"

"Hmm. I'm not entirely sure, but it seems like the magical capacity has increased."

"What kind of guardian spirit does Kimishima have?"

"Mine is..."

Kimishima's guardian spirit was named Dolce. According to the temple records, it was described as a spirit that uses the same plant magic as Kimishima. I hadn't had much time to ask for explanations, considering I had been asleep for three days.

In this world, spirits were classified into twelve ranks. This ranking was established by the Child of God, Fehlraben, who had obtained the guardianship of the past "GS".

Domoto had obtained a spirit known as "Tengen," ranking first, while Ikeda and Sakuragi had spirits called "Tentai," ranking second. Following that, spirits from third to fifth rank were considered upper-level spirits, sixth to eighth were middle-level, ninth to eleventh were lower-level, and twelfth were considered lesser spirits. This category included spirits that Fehlraben couldn't organize during his lifetime and those discovered later.

"Fourth rank... that's impressive."

"But it's different from guardian spirits that enhance combat abilities, so when compared to Domoto-kun or Ikeda-kun..."

"Well, there's no end to aiming higher. But for now, we're surviving thanks to that plant magic. I think we can have confidence in that."

"...Yes, you're right."

I honestly didn't know the rank of my guardian spirit. Based on what was said, it was probably around the twelfth rank, as it seemed to govern the mind. Well, that was fine with me.

I occasionally climbed a slope and checked the walls around the farm. The farm turned out to be larger than I had anticipated. If it had to provide food for the town, it made sense, but there were walls stretching several kilometers, and when they ended, a road extended from one corner of the farm into the forest.

There had been talk of a separation between human and monster territories, but based on the walls outside the farm, it seemed like this land had not been completely cleared of monsters. I had initially thought that, similar to Japan, wild animals like bears did not reside within the town, and animals lived in the mountains, creating a clear distinction between human and animal habitats. However, it seemed different here. It felt as if they had forcibly carved out human living spaces within the territory of monsters.

The parts with farmland were probably cleared from the forest, and while erosion had occurred over the fifty years, you could still see the boundary. We quietly made our way through the underbrush along the slope and reached the forested area. From there, we decided to head towards a location where there was a clear path.

Walking on the path would likely be faster than making our way through the underbrush, but as we walked towards the path, we noticed something moving ahead.

"Sensei."

"Yeah... I see it... Should we go around?"

We needed to start thinking about where we would spend the night soon. As we walked cautiously, distancing ourselves from the monsters, I also checked my remaining magical power. Had my capacity increased a bit? Kimishima had been resting, so I had managed to recover quite a bit. Once I could draw multiple times, I started thinking about conserving my magic for when it was truly needed.

We finally reached a road after avoiding the shadows of monsters and making some progress. The road was quite cracked and uneven, but it was paved with a material similar to asphalt. As a result, there were many weeds, but the traces of the road were still clear.

At intervals along the sides of the road, there were structures that looked like stone pillars. They resembled the entrance posts you might find at the entrance of a park to prevent vehicles from entering. It seemed like a design meant to stop monsters charging in from the forest.

In any case, there were no signs of footprints or disturbances on the road. Perhaps, for monsters, living on the ground might be more viable than on artificial structures. We decided to continue straight along the road.

By the way, I wonder if various things have improved since I ascended the Ladder. I feel like my vision has gotten better. When I was in Japan, my vision was barely 0.7 in both eyes, just enough to qualify for a driver's license without glasses, so I couldn't see that well. But now, I can see fairly well, even the shapes of leaves in the distance.

"I seem to have better eyesight now. Maybe it's the effect of ascending the Ladder after all."

"Hmm, I already had good eyesight, so I can't say for sure... but I guess that's a possibility."

"Yeah, maybe... By the way, did anyone wear contact lenses back then?"

"What about contact lenses? Sato-kun wears glasses."

"If Sato-kun also ascends the Ladder, maybe he won't need glasses anymore."

"It's a mystery."

Despite that, we made quite a bit of progress. The sun was gradually setting. When Kimishima and I began looking for a place to set up camp, we stumbled upon a peculiar structure by the road. It had the shape of a small cabin, surrounded by thick stone pillars arranged in a circular pattern.

"What is this... some kind of magic?"

I carefully observed the interior, but there didn't seem to be anything inside. The cabin was completely covered in ivy, and weeds had grown inside, but it didn't look too deteriorated.

"Could it be... a shelter?"

"It seems that way. The arrangement of the stone pillars suggests that humans can pass through, but large monsters cannot."

"Shall we rest here for the night?"

"Yes, I think so. Even if we get attacked while sleeping, it might be a good idea to stay here."

“Kya!”

“What happened!”

Suddenly, as I was circling around the cabin to check the surroundings, I heard Kimishima scream from inside. I rushed into the cabin, and Kimishima was standing there, staring at one side of the wall.

"Sensei..."

Kimishima's gaze was fixed on two sets of decayed human bones leaning against the wall.

"They must have fled... and got trapped here."

I didn't know the details of the situation, but they might have been injured. In any case, they seemed to have died while surrounded by monsters, unable to move. Kimishima was clearly shocked by the sight of human remains and stood there speechless.

"Should we... leave this place?"

"No... I think they died here because this place was safe, right?"

"Hmm? ...That's right."

She's a strong one... Well, she doesn't have much of a choice but to become strong. Even with human remains and monsters around, she chose the option that offered safety. She probably understood that such resolve was necessary to survive.

While Kimishima prepared the area, I examined the bodies a bit. If they were normal corpses, it would have been impossible, but these bones were quite well-preserved. Looking at the size, they might have been a parent and child, or perhaps a male and female.

The smaller set of bones had a necklace with a large gemstone resembling a ruby attached near the chest. Out of curiosity, I checked beneath both of them. I found rings with gemstones and plain metal rings, as well as something resembling earrings. The larger set of bones also had what looked like a silver-worked bracelet. These were probably decorations that had fallen off after the flesh decayed.

It seemed like the smaller skeleton might have belonged to a noblewoman, and the larger one could have been her bodyguard or something like that. As for the spear leaning against the wall, its wooden shaft had already rotted away.

I hesitated for a moment but decided to take the spear. Its blade was similar to a naginata, and if the item was in good condition, Kimishima might be able to attach a handle and use it. With that in mind, I picked it up, and the worn-out handle came off easily.

"Are you taking that with us?"

"Yeah, it might be a good find. It could be useful for Kimishima, who uses naginatas... Oh, you don't mind, right?"

"Huh? No, I'm fine with it. What about these decorations?"

"I'm not sure, but they might be valuable."

"That's true... In a world of magic, they could be rare magic items."

"Magic items? Right, that's another possibility. I initially thought of them as something to sell, at best."

"Hehehe."

Kimishima was surprised when she first saw the corpses, but she's becoming quite resilient. We cleared the area around the cabin and decided to spend the night there, across from the remains.

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