One Step Forward (1)
Mysterious insects held a steady formation as they guided Hans onward. He followed them as if entranced.
The Lord wished to lead him, and so he simply obeyed.
— Rustle, rustle.
Relying on the faint moonlight, he pushed through the dark forest while nameless insects chirped at intervals along the way.
The bugs guiding Hans led him deeper into denser undergrowth, into places where people rarely set foot—terrain so rough and steep that even wild beasts avoided it.
"Hah—"
The grass grew tougher, and thick branches crowded in to block his view. Hans swung his longsword to clear a path as he pressed forward.
Where were these insects taking him? He had no idea, but he had no better plan either.
He walked for a long time behind the green-glowing swarm. The bugs that had flown without pause suddenly began circling a single spot, then scattered into the air in every direction.
"This place..."
Hans approached the spot where they had circled.
It was a fairly steep slope. Not especially high for someone like him, yet high enough that a misstep and fall would leave a person badly hurt.
Hans carefully descended the incline. The mysterious insects had brought him here for a reason.
He slid down with a soft scrape and landed steadily, then quickly scanned the surroundings.
Beneath a tree he spotted a small human silhouette. Silencing his footsteps, Hans approached with care.
"...! Daisy! Daisy, are you all right?"
Daisy was there. She must have lost her footing and tumbled; her face was deathly pale, and she was wheezing for breath.
"Ah... Lord Hans. How did you find this place...?"
"Daisy! Are you okay? What happened?! No—wait, just hold on a moment."
Hans carefully examined her body. Her ankle was swollen purple, and one arm twisted at a grotesque angle as if broken.
Cold sweat poured down Daisy's face from the pain.
She had clearly fallen from the slope.
When he gently touched her ankle, her brows knotted.
"Augh!"
"Did you fall from up there?"
"Yes. It was so dark I couldn't see ahead..."
"Just wait a second. Can you put any weight on it?"
"Ugh... nngh! It hurts..."
Hans hurriedly rummaged through his pack and pulled out clean cloth and straight wooden stakes he had whittled earlier. His father's teachings rose in his mind.
The purple swelling on the ankle looks like a sprain... and it's pretty bad.
He had to stay calm.
Hans forced his trembling hands steady and moved slowly. First he unrolled a long strip of cloth and immobilized the ankle so it could not shift.
He was extremely careful with the pressure, terrified of causing her more pain.
And the arm...
The arm twisted at that unnatural angle. He carefully fashioned a temporary splint from two wooden stakes and wrapped it tightly with cloth. When he finished, the emergency treatment looked surprisingly serviceable.
While Hans worked intently with his hands, Daisy simply watched him.
"Lord Hans."
"What is it?"
"How did you know I was here?"
"...The Lord helped me."
"The Lord?"
Daisy tilted her head. How would the Lord know about her and choose to help?
But Hans said so, so she simply nodded.
"I understand."
"You don't believe me, do you?"
"I do. Because you're the one who said it, Lord Hans."
"Huh."
He had noticed it before—this child was remarkably open about her feelings for someone so young. Almost enough to make him wonder if she was really a little girl.
Having finished every treatment he could manage, Hans carefully gathered Daisy into his arms.
"Daisy, just a moment."
"L-Lord Hans?!"
"If you move you'll fall. Stay still."
Suddenly held against his chest, Daisy's face flushed bright red. She gave a half-hearted squirm, then went quiet.
"I-I've been sweating so much... I must smell..."
"Hm? No, not at all."
Hans pressed his nose to her hair and sniffed. Daisy yelped in shock.
"Eek! Wh-what are you doing?!"
"I'm serious—there's no smell. Don't worry."
"That's not the point...!! Haa—"
Daisy let out a long sigh and surrendered herself to his arms without another word. Hans shifted her position this way and that, then finally swung his pack around to his front and hoisted her onto his back. He used the cloth to bind them together securely.
From behind him, Daisy spoke.
"...Lord Hans. Your back is soaked."
"Ah, sorry. I worked up a sweat on the way here. Must feel pretty clammy. Want me to switch you to the front?"
"Mm. No. It's fine. I actually like it."
As she said it, Daisy buried her face against his back. The breath he felt there grew a little heavier, but Hans deliberately pretended not to notice.
Daisy is a child. Get a grip, Hans! She hasn't even gone through her coming-of-age ceremony yet!
Repeating the words to himself, he managed to clear his head. He had found Daisy; now they needed to get down the mountain quickly.
"Daisy, let's head back to the village."
"Ah..."
There was a note of reluctance in her voice. Hans could guess why—the lost flower bracelet.
"Daisy. This place is too dangerous. Do you know what's happening in the village right now?"
"The village?"
"Demonic beasts have overrun it. There are so many of them. Even this mountain isn't safe."
"That..."
Daisy's voice went hollow. Convinced she understood the situation well enough, Hans started to move—only for Daisy to stop him.
"Lord Hans, wait! If demonic beasts attacked the village... I think I know why."
"What?"
Hans's steps halted. Daisy spoke in a strangely heavy tone.
"This is only my guess, but... those beasts might have been summoned by the people of our village."
"Summoned?"
"Yes..."
For a moment Hans's mind seemed to freeze. The villagers had called the monsters? Did that mean the entire village was heretical? Had Daisy been involved? What would happen to Daisy and her mother?
A flood of thoughts raced through his head, but Daisy, unaware, continued slowly.
"At first... the crops started dying. Everything from the planted fields to the trees withered. Then the mountain animals grew scarce, the wells dried up... and the whole village turned restless."
"..."
"When food began to run out, that man appeared."
Daisy trembled as she spoke—not from cold or fever, but from a creeping sense of revulsion.
"A foul man who kept his whole body wrapped so you couldn't see him... he demanded blood from us."
"Blood?"
"Yes. Just one drop from each of us, he said. In return he would give food, water, and money."
Suspicious. Far too suspicious. A man who appeared in a starving mountain village offering food in exchange for a single drop of blood?
They should have reported him to the nearest church at once.
"...And they accepted."
"Yes. Everyone except me and my mother gave him a drop of blood."
Daisy's voice was bleak.
"My mother said it was far too suspicious and wanted to report it to the church nearby. But the villagers accused us of insulting the benefactor who had given them food and money... they cursed us and openly tormented us."
"Insane."
"After that the man came back several more times to collect blood. Always just one drop each. Then not long ago he handed out jewels as 'gifts' to everyone who had given blood, and never returned."
"...And then we arrived."
"Yes."
Hans's expression grew grave. If everything Daisy said was true, the entire village was entangled with heresy.
Whether they had intended it or not would be for an Inquisitor to decide, but as far as Hans could see, the villagers' guilt was heavy.
"And that man is in a cave at the summit of the mountain."
"A cave?"
"Yes. Once I got curious about what he did with the blood, so I secretly followed him. I saw him go into a cave near here."
The admission that she had tailed the man stunned Hans.
"Daisy! Why would you do something so dangerous?!"
"...Are you worried about me?"
"Of course I am! It's a miracle you weren't caught—do you have any idea what could have happened if he found you?!"
"I'm happy."
He was scolding her, yet Daisy only seemed more pleased. She nuzzled her cheek against his back. Hans started to lecture further, then stopped.
Fortunately nothing had happened.
More important than anything was Daisy's safety.
"All right, I understand. But your safety comes first to me. The treatment I gave you is only temporary—if we don't get proper care soon it could get worse. We're going to the village."
"Nnh..."
At his earnest concern Daisy's cheeks flushed again. She buried her face against his back and said nothing more.
Taking the silence as wordless agreement, Hans was about to hurry toward the village when—
— Bzzzzz
Pale green insects appeared from somewhere. The same mysterious bugs that had led him to Daisy had returned.
Once more they formed ranks and began to guide him.
"Th-this..."
Hans's face went blank. The green insects were not leading them to the village.
They were heading the opposite way.
Toward the mountain summit—toward the cave Daisy had mentioned.
"Lord Hans. It seems the Lord still has something He wants you to do."
Daisy whispered into his ear as she stared blankly at the swarm. Hans wrestled with himself.
He had a duty.
The mission and obligation the Lord had placed upon him.
And he also had his own desire.
The desire to keep the small girl on his back safe.
His steps wavered. Just as he steeled himself to head down the mountain—
Daisy whispered to him.
"Go to the cave, Lord Hans."
"Daisy?"
"There's still something you have to do, isn't there? I'll only be a burden."
"A burden?! How can you say—"
"If you're carrying me, you won't be able to fight properly. Leave me here and go."
Daisy stretched an arm forward, rummaged in the pack, and pulled out several sharp wooden stakes.
"I'll be fine, really. Put me up in that tree over there."
"Daisy..."
"I was lying here for hours already and nothing happened. While you're gone I'll wait quietly. Nothing will go wrong."
At the girl's firm words, Hans's trembling hands began to untie the cloth binding them together. Slowly. Very slowly.
Then he carefully lifted her and set her in the highest tree he could find, making sure to secure her body tightly so she would not fall.
Hans looked up at her with worried eyes.
"Daisy, are you sure you'll be all right?"
"Yes. So hurry and go."
"Even so..."
Daisy gave a small laugh. Was it amusing to see a man so much larger than herself fretting like this?
"My, I can't stand a man who can't even finish what he has to do. You're not like that, are you, Lord Hans?"
The exaggerated, theatrical tone made the corner of Hans's mouth twist upward. Was she trying to reassure him?
Small as she was, she was a remarkably mature child.
"Hah... I'll be back very soon. Wait for me."
Hans leapt lightly down from the tree. Then he ran up the mountain after the mysterious insects waiting for him.
He did not look back. He would return soon enough.
Daisy watched his retreating figure in a daze.
"Please come back quickly..."
The pale moonlight settled on the girl's cheek like a gentle caress.