[You have left the castle.]
[To prevent the lord of the territory from changing their mind, you decide not to linger and leave the town immediately.]
[Of course, before departing, you make a special trip to the blacksmith's forge to pick up the weapon you ordered yesterday.]
[Although in terms of both feel and quality, you sense this new sword is inferior to the one your foster father gave you.]
[But under the limited circumstances, you can only take this new weapon with you.]
[And so, you embark on your journey once more, heading toward the next town.]
[Day 7: The journey is uneventful. You continue on your way.]
[Day 8: You pass through a small village. It seems the harvest there this year was not very good, and the villagers' lives are very difficult. You can sense a wave of melancholy from your sister, Artoria.]
[Day 10: You arrive at a new town and replenish your supplies.]
[To prevent a repeat of the incident in the last town, the moment you enter the town this time, your sister Artoria and your brother Kay watch Merlin like a hawk, absolutely refusing to let him act alone.]
[But Merlin does not resist and agrees surprisingly readily, acting very obedient. However, you feel that it's unlikely for a man of his character to be so compliant, and a trace of doubt rises in your heart.]
[Sure enough, late that night, you hear the sound of a window being gently pushed open in your inn room and wake up just in time. You catch Merlin just as he is about to climb out the window, on his way to do who-knows-what.]
[After being discovered by you, Merlin panics for a few seconds, then immediately covers your mouth to prevent you from making a sound and waking Kay, who is sleeping in the same room. He whispers in your ear:]
["I'm not going to do anything bad, I'm just going to 'help others,' En." ]
[Help others?]
[You blink, not understanding what Merlin means. After all, it seems that helping others doesn't require waiting until the middle of the night, nor does it require being so secretive.]
[Sensing that you don't quite believe him, Merlin seems to think of something and suddenly says in a sly voice:]
["Well, if you don't believe me, you can come along. Besides, it's about time you learned some adult knowledge." ]
[However, before you can react, a voice like that of a demon suddenly rings out. Merlin seems to be sent flying by a kick, crying out in pain.]
["Adult knowledge? How about I teach you what an adult's duty is, you bastard!"]
["Stop! Kay! Not the face! I was wrong, I shouldn't have been a bad influence on En!"]
[Listening to the sound of your brother Kay's angry fists and Merlin's pleas for mercy, you still can't quite figure out what Merlin meant by "adult knowledge." ]
[You only know that on that night, Merlin was beaten up by your brother Kay for the entire night. So much so that when you set out the next day, you could hear that Merlin's voice was still somewhat muffled, and he would occasionally gasp, as if enduring pain.]
[And at Merlin's repeated private pleading, you do not tell Artoria about your conversation with him the previous night.]
[Day 11: You continue on your way.]
[Day 13: You pass through a wilderness and happen upon several travelers who have been robbed by bandits.]
[Your sister Artoria very generously gives a portion of your rations to these penniless people and points them in the direction of the nearest town.]
[However, that night, a heavy downpour begins, and you find yourselves trapped in the wilderness.]
A vast sheet of white rain connected the sky and the earth, playing a dense drumbeat on the ground.
Inside a damp cave, a campfire flickered in the wind, casting the shadows of four people onto the cave wall.
"Looks like this rain won't be stopping tonight. Let's hope things are a little better tomorrow."
Glancing at the relentless downpour outside the cave, Merlin casually tossed a few dry branches into the fire, cradling his staff and shrugging his shoulders.
"There's nothing to be done when you run into weather like this. Speaking of which, can't you use your magic to drive away the rain clouds?"
"Magic isn't omnipotent, and my specialty is illusion magic. I'm afraid I'm powerless in this regard."
"Tsk, useless."
Merlin paid little mind to Kay's eye-roll and disdain. Ever since the incident where he'd used Kay's name to stir up trouble, Kay's attitude toward him had been like this, and he had grown used to it.
Listening to the bickering between Merlin and Kay, Aozaki Rin couldn't help but smile silently. In his opinion, this was the kind of atmosphere a journey in a story was supposed to have.
What he found a little strange, however, was that his sister had become somewhat quiet after dinner, when the storm had rolled in.
"Sister, are you okay? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
After all, the portion the girl had eaten for dinner tonight was noticeably smaller than yesterday's. For someone who lived by the creed "you can't win a battle on an empty stomach," this was far too unusual.
Sure enough, after Aozaki Rin's words left his mouth, the other two by the campfire immediately looked over at Artoria.
"It's nothing. I'm just a little worried... about those people we met during the day."
Realizing that the other three had probably misunderstood her, Artoria felt a little helpless.
Although she had always eaten a lot, she was aware that giving away some of their rations meant their own food supply would decrease. That was why she had deliberately eaten a little less during dinner, but it had instead led the boy to believe she was unwell.
"Don't overthink it. You know that what we did is all we can do. As for those people's situation now, it has nothing to do with us. Or do you think you're a god? That you need to worry about taking care of every single person?"
Knowing that his sister was likely getting stuck in a rut, Kay said irritably.
Based on the pace of the travelers they had met, they were probably still trapped in this wilderness by the rain, just like them. But giving them a portion of their rations was already the extent of their kindness. If he had to start worrying about their situation now, Kay felt he'd need to start charging a fee for his troubles.
"I'm not being that arrogant, I was just a little worried is all..." Artoria muttered in rebuttal, somewhat displeased with Kay's words.
"And I'm just reminding you. After all, you've always had a bad habit of hiding things and dealing with them by yourself."
"I do not... Right, En?"
Faced with her brother's lecture, Artoria looked to the boy beside her as if seeking validation.
To her surprise, however, Aozaki Rin shook his head and said seriously.
"No, I think Sir Kay is right. You do tend to shoulder everything yourself, Sister. If you keep doing that, you'll burn yourself out easily."
"...Damn it. Are you two ganging up on me? Merlin, whose side are you on?"
"Er, well... this is a family matter. It wouldn't be right for me to interfere, so I'll abstain."
Seeing the glare the girl shot his way, Merlin held up his hands in surrender to avoid drawing fire.
Looking at Merlin's "none-of-my-business" expression and Kay's "I've won" look, Artoria felt a little indignant and decided to take her frustration out on the boy.
"Why aren't you on my side, En? Didn't you say you'd always support me?"
She reached out and gently pinched the boy's fair, supple cheeks. She had intended to complain a little, but she was unexpectedly captivated by the wonderful texture, and for a moment, she couldn't stop her hands.
"Because... correcting... Sister's... mistakes... is also necessary..."
Aozaki Rin said indistinctly. His muffled words made the girl chuckle, and she released his cheeks.
Just then, Artoria realized she was acting like a spoiled child and felt a little embarrassed. She reached out again and gently massaged the boy's face, apologizing.
"Sorry, I was being impulsive just now. I didn't hurt you, did I, En?"
"...No."
Aozaki Rin shook his head, not particularly bothered by such a small thing.
But before he could speak again, his ears twitched slightly, and he subconsciously turned his head toward the mouth of the cave.
The boy's strange action naturally caught the attention of the other three.
"What is it, En?"
Artoria asked, puzzled. But Aozaki Rin didn't answer immediately. After listening carefully for a moment, he said with some confusion.
"Do you guys hear a strange sound? It's like..."
—Just then, out in the rainy night.
The sound, like more than forty hounds howling at once, echoed faintly from the distance.