High - quality meat! High - quality Disaster!

On the dining table, different dishes of wolf meat are prepared.

There is also this coffee with a very alluring aroma.

Aaaah... Having people prepare food for you is really the best. It is a very good feeling.

We then eat.

While I enjoy the food in my mouth, I suddenly remember what Niriyir said.

What does she mean about the government being done in?

Thus, I ask,

"Uhm, what are you talking about, the government of this kingdom?"

Niriyir, while eating her food, where you can't even tell if she enjoys it or not due to her constant smile and narrow, concentrated eyes, pays attention to me as she is about to eat the food that is already in front of her mouth being fed by the spoon that is in her right hand.

"Uhm, I mean that the kingdom gets defeated."

Huh? Gets defeated? Isn't it a little impossible?

Well, as far as I can tell, this kingdom is not that strong, but...

"The kingdom has been defeated by these beasts?"

I ask to confirm whether it is really the beasts or if there are only other sources of their defeat. Come to think of it, there really was no single army that was confronting the beasts when we got here.

"Ah, that, I don't know. But I think it's possible."

Niriyir went deep into her thoughts as she sipped her coffee, then continued.

"The hordes of beasts will destroy the town easily despite being fortified by power stones, so the army immediately responded; however, things go worse. Every single one of them is being killed without being able to fight back. You've witnessed how strong those beasts are, haven't you?"

"Well... Yeah."

"If it were not for you, this town could've been done in already."

She smiled with traces of weariness all over her face. A weariness both physical and emotional.

Just what exactly happened? If it's true that the army has no match for those monsters, then will it not be very surprising that they still survived until now?

I pick up the fork and look at the meat that is in it.

I keep twisting it slowly while I observe the meat.

Doesn't this meat taste like it was hunted just yesterday?

Niriyir might have penetrated through me, so she said.

"That meat is a high-quality meat that my father had brought. You see, we are hunters after all."

"Eh?! If so, isn't this pretty stale then?

Ahh... High quality, huh? So this is what high-quality meat is... I'm surprised it doesn't taste preserved at all."

Niriyir's weary smile completely fades away, and she finally frowns.

"No, it's not that."

Huh?

Niriyir then settled herself and readied herself as if she were going to tell a pretty long story. She then let out a breath.

"sigh"

"For us, the catch of the meat is really befitting for a simple celebration. My parents are very happy for the big catch, so they ordered us, I and Ayrimir, to go to town to invite our relatives and precious friends. It's not that they visit us once a year, really. Our grandparents are always here almost everyday after all (chuckles). It's just that my father really loves to hangout. You see, our house is even designated as a pavilion, or of that, what you can call a rest house. "

" Huh... "

Seriously, her face is filled with sadness; I can't even feel what I am eating. She probably thinks she is hiding it, but her look is really messed up.

Her eyes are contracted, as if she can't bear what she is saying. Her lips look wavy because they tremble as she speaks the words.

That day probably meant a lot for her.

"In the town, the surroundings are lively just like it always was. It is lively, yet peaceful. The large buildings in sight are all widely separated from each other. It is to prevent having a suffocating view due to a tight environment. As you've already known from what you've seen, the roads here in this kingdom are really wide. You can say, it is about 60m. With it, though a pretty populated town, the place doesn't feel messy because the wind is able to enter the roads to deliver fresh air in the whole area.

At the time, we were at our uncle's place. In the living room, we are happily conversing as we wait for them.

Their glowing wooden floor and walls are very comfortable to the eyes.

I then take a look outside through the totally large window.

Out there, you can see too many groups of people that are talking to each other with their own matters, other huddling people are on the other side, and other on the different side, but the place are quite at all. The great distances between them are the reason why. The place can't be filled by the numerous people that are talking in the street.

Uncle and his family are done; thus, we are about to head home for some simple family bonding.

Uncle, with a big smile, excitedly said,

let's go! ...

When a loud voice of people's screams echoed in our every direction.

Yaaargh...! Aaargkh...! Kraaarygh...!

The time is like it is in slow motion.

We stop at our place and look around to see what is happening.

The screams didn't low down, nor did they show signs of doing so.

It keeps getting louder instead.

Wha...?

Is what I heard from Uncle while his big smile is still intact at the moment.

The sound of his voice when he uttered the word still sounds happy.

Wha..."

As Niriyir was about to say the word, she stuttered.

I sipped my coffee.

While I did, I glanced at her finger as it twitched.

Remembering it is probably that disturbing to her.

I think to myself.

Ayrimir's reaction is no different. He was just eating cheerfully recently, but now his head is totally inclined.

Well... Not that I can't feel what they feel.

Niriyir continue.

"What we experienced is really humiliating. I feel like my body is being crushed when I see uncle's big smile crumble into nothingness. Our refreshing excitement has been changed by cold fear. The focus of our eyes becomes unsteady. The bright, cool giant buildings that illuminate the town at night become a maze of horror in our joyful day. These giant buildings are shattering the focus of our eyesights as they sway drastically in every moment the ground shakes due to consecutive impacts we are hearing from every direction."

Run...

Uncle commanded us in a forceless tone.

After all, where are we even going to run?

We then run to the wide road, but when we do, it almost drains us of our courage. We feel drowsy and want to sleep, hoping everything turns back to normal after waking up.

When we set foot on the concreted road, the wideness of the road that we are praising for its being plainly vacant, the wide distance between the giant buildings that we love for allowing the air to enter the town, and the great distances alone that we are so proud of because of their way of comforting the mind, only give us great dizziness!

The dizziness it leaves us with at every turn is very great. If you turn in one direction, you will only see great distances, which will only make you lose your courage to run.

It feels like walking on a narrow bridge that has no hedge. It feels like you have been left floating in the air and are meant to fall the very moment you breathe.

The supposed beautiful distant view of the town turns out to be a wide open field that is filled with man-eaters.

The town planning that we completely believe is beautiful and totally excellent only gives us a place that has nowhere to hide!

The wideness of the town has become a complete maze! These giant buildings are the walls that are blocking our sights, leaving us in great confusion and, at the same time, giving us this dizziness and lack of strength.

At that time, I only realised that places with beautiful and calming views are only for beautiful and calm situations. If trouble comes, it has no contribution at all.

At the place where we stand, different sounds are being heard. The crumbling of buildings, the growls of beasts, and especially the screams of people

I can't believe that the echoing voices that I really love will feel like this. It didn't change even a bit, but it sounds too messy, as if it is stirring our minds enough to make us kneel to the ground.

The echoing sounds when people have conversations on the wide road are really pleasing to me.

The echoing voices of children as they play their last play of the day are lifting up my heavy day. The childish voice that is obviously unique only to a child is being carried and is flying away all over the wide road, enhancing the beauty of the setting sun!

I know there is no way that such sounds will weaken me. But now, I feel like I am being invited to the grave!

I bet fear makes me feel that way.

The screaming voices that were echoing in the peaceful area have finally died down. But it is not because the nightmare has ended, but because there are no more traces of life in the said area. "

Niriyir sipped her coffee.

I can feel that the scenery in this town she is talking about is somehow beautiful. Too bad she is rejecting it... Saying it has no contribution.

Well, I can understand her.

She's weak, after all.

It's just, why reject the things that give you delight? We enjoy it at the time but reject it when trouble come? This is not good.

"sigh..."

After sipping her coffee, she continues.

"At this place, there is no presence of life to be heard anymore.

It makes us the only ones left alive in the vicinity!

We still have no idea what is happening.

Uncle goes back to the house to get weapons for us.

We wait outside as Uncle picks up any usable weapons he can get inside the house.

After giving out the weapons,

He then said in a slightly relieved tone,

Luckily, we are not caught up in the trouble yet.

Uncle looks around the wide road and to the streets besides the gigantic buildings, then says, while letting out a breath.

Sigh, I wonder which way is safe.