Episode3：RAS SHAMRA

【A Certain Time, A Certain Place】

An endless blue sky covers the girl's surroundings. The stars twinkling in the distance, emitting a vague glow, bring a faint light of peace to this realm of darkness.

One of those twinkling stars spreads out below the girl's eyes. But it was no mere star. It is no exaggeration to say that it is "The World" itself.

The Earthly Realm where composed of vast space encompassing various stars, The Heavenly Realm where The Angels reside, and The Magical Realm where The Devils reside, The Dragonic Vein is an indefinite world where encompasses these three realms and retains its shape as a single sphere. All together called "The World," it sits in a hawk-like attitude.

The Azure Sky where she is located is a place where countless such "The world" exist. In other words, it is a space that can be called the universe of universes. In this place closest to The Divine Realm where The God lives, she gazes at a single "The World" spread out below her. More precisely, she was staring at one of the stars that make up The Earthly Realm, one of the "The World," and at The Human who lives there.

Her eyes were as large as a cat's and shone as blue as the ocean in the light of The World. Her long, knee-length coat and the hem of her skirt beneath it swayed slightly in the windless The Azure Sky.

“I see, there you are. But 10,000 years have passed since then. A lot has changed.”

But still," says the girl, placing one hand on her waist. Her mouth is slightly smiling, creating an atmosphere that seems both dainty and cool-headed.

“The Earthly Realm is prospering, while The Heavenly Realm and The Magical Realm have not changed that much. Should I try to find them and talk to them?”

With these words, the girl descends into the "The World. She dives through the membrane that separates The Azure Sky and The Dragonic Vein, and flies through The Dragonic Vein. She continues to fly through the white space that is the opposite of The Azure Sky enveloped in the evening darkness, and stops at a certain spot.

Looks like it's somewhere around here.

At first glance, it is an ordinary space. The Dragonic Vein, however, is a blank space. The space, which encompasses The Triple Realms, is so vast that it disorientates the senses of up, down, left, right, front, and back, so it is impossible to tell from the inside whether it is truly a blank space or not. Even so, she recognizes that this is the right place to be and acts accordingly.

The power within her overflows from her entire body. When she blinks, her blue eyes glow gold. When she holds out her right hand, the overflowing power is concentrated there.

The power is called magical power. Or what she calls it. It is a power she was born with that gives her paranormal powers.

She poured the magical power concentrated in her right hand into the white space. As if in response to the magical power, a crack is created in the middle of the blank space. When the fissure gradually expands to a certain size, it collapses. When it collapses, a space reminiscent of dusk spreads like a whirlpool in the blank space. She opened a pathway to the space called The Magical Realm and stepped into the depths of it without hesitation.

A girl with black clothes and black hair flies through twilight colored realms. The entire space is dyed in the same color, and the floating islands scattered about are each as big as the stars of The Earthly Realm.

After all, it seems that The Magical Realm has not changed that much as seen from the outside. But it's odd. They should be able to sense that I'm here. Despite this, there is no sign of them being here or approaching. What the hell happened over the last 10,000 years?

While flying around The Magical Realm for a while, searching for any suspicious clues, she detected a voice.

““The Angels, The Devils, whatever. If it really exists, help me. ......””

The voice, clearly audible, comes from far away. It is not from The Heavenly Realm or The Magical Realm, but from The Earthly Realm, a pleading cry that wanders between life and death. The girl is delighted by this posture of wondering about the existence of the paranormal. Her eyes, large like a cat's, widen and her ocean-blue pupils shine sharply like serpents. Then she answers the voice with a hawkish tone. She answers boldly and quickly, so as not to be outwitted by other The Devils or outmaneuvered by other The Angels. The tone of her voice could be either clear and lively or arrogant and irreverent, and it was the voice that made the lovely girl The Devil she was.

““I'll do what you wish for.””

Well," the girl opens the way to The Earthly Realm. Beyond the whirlpool that opens in the air, she sees The Earthly Realm in the grip of disaster and a young man caught in the middle of it.

Then, she spins a soliloquy, as if she is talking to someone else.

“What do I should get in return? But it is a chance encounter. I must cherish it. That was the promise, wasn't it, Zirnia?”

【near Ras Shamra, The Kingdom of Prerahar, June 8, E.C. 1657.】

A carriage drives across the plains as far as the eye can see under a clear sky. Pulled by a single horse, it gallops along a rough, unpaved road. A quiet calm wind blows through the air, shaking the trees, grass, and flowers. Swans of all shapes and sizes soar in the cloudless clear sky, and the brilliant heat of the sun's glare stimulates Quon's head as he sits on the dais.

“It's hot indeed. Let's see, ...... It's about time I arrived in town.”

Checking the map, Quon wipes the sweat from his forehead. Quon tightened his grip on the reins once again, determined to hold on until the break.

A few hours later, Quon enters Ras Shamra. Located in a corner of the plains, this town is so peaceful that it ranks among the best in this kingdom. It is not an exaggeration to say that the town has never been affected by Hexenbiests, and the annual number of such beasts is said to be less than one-hundredth that of The Royal Capital.

Stopping in such a peaceful town, Quon stops the carriage and strolls down the main street to have lunch at a nearby restaurant.

“...... Well, let's do it here.”

After a few minutes of walking, Quon spots a reasonably priced store and decides to go there. He leaves his dagger for self-defense in the carriage. He walked here with only a leather bag because he knows that this is a peaceful town. A town that is peaceful externally is likely to be peaceful internally as well. The town's ability to afford to deal with external enemies is a matter of mentality, and this is directly connected to the improvement of the town's standard of living.

He sat down at a suitable seat that was available by the window, and a modest dish was placed on the table.

Running a carriage for several hours is exhausting, even if you are not the one running. Quon, who had experienced this firsthand, let out a sigh and looked out the window. Across the street, the horse drawn by the carriage in which he was riding is being fed by the stationed stable keeper, who is stationed in many towns because carriages are the main means of transportation. The children in the town, although familiar with the horses, were curious to see them, and their pure and innocent eyes met the horses'.

Quon, who was taking in the peaceful moment with all his might, stopped to notice that the people around him, especially those who were assigned to guard the town, were very busy running around. In addition, they were all wearing weapons and protective gear and generally had serious expressions on their faces, as if they were on high alert. Quon, curious as to why, asks the men seated nearby.

“They seem to be very busy. What's going on?”

“Yeah, I heard that there is a Hexenbiests nearby. I've heard that there are more and more of them these days, but I didn't expect to see one in Ras Shamra. You seem to be a merchant, but how did you get here?”

“Yeah. Luckily, I didn't run into any Hexenbiests. But will they be okay?　There are no defenses here like in The Royal Capital or other major cities. ......”

The city walls stand as a symbol of security, but they are also a sign of danger. In other words, in Ras Shamra, a town that is all about peace, the walls and it are like oil and water.

“Yeah, that's why we need the soldiers to do their best. You're not armed by the looks of it, are you? Then, just stay back in the middle of the city.”

With that, the men leave the restaurant with weapons in their hands.

Are they also town guards or simply equipped for self-defense? Or are they civilian Hexenbiests exterminators?

Wondering what kind of people they were, Quon finished his meal and walked down to the center of town.