I've Been Looking for You
The protagonists of misery novels are extraordinary from childhood, but the protagonist of Endless Fantasia, Eres, was simply an ordinary girl from the countryside. Her worthless father had gotten drunk, killed his wife, and buried her. He forced his children to earn money while he did nothing but drink himself senseless. If only he hadn't also been the insane bastard who tried to lay his hands on her and her siblings.
For the record, Eres was the eldest of three—one son and two daughters.
“Those fucking developers. They should have known when to stop with the misery porn. Sure, it's adults-only, but is there a single setting that isn't deliberately provocative?”
But that ended today.
“So this is Respia. Seeing it in person, it's not as small as it looked in the game.”
Beneath the stale smell of earth lay blood, tears, and the legend of the sunken witch. It had taken me longer than planned to establish a proper training method, but I had finally arrived in Eres's hometown of Respia.
“In the game, this area drained your energy the moment you entered. The background music really makes a huge difference.”
Respia was where Eres's misfortune began. Maybe they wanted to emphasize her bleak childhood, because the low, drawn-out BGM was so depressing you'd nod off while doing quests. Of course, that was only in the early stages. The further you got, the content became so horrific that sleep was impossible. Turning the music off was even worse—the cozy, lively farmhouse setting every other game used felt utterly disgusting here. After all, this place had only been hell for Eres and her siblings.
“First, I need to take Eres and her siblings with me. They have no relatives and terrible relations with the neighbors, so there shouldn't be any problems if I simply take them away.”
Originally I hadn't wanted to interfere with the established narrative. But Eres and her siblings were completely isolated. The younger sister had been kidnapped in the original story, but its effect on the world was negligible. So the right choice was to ensure they suffered as little as possible, wasn't it?
To that end, I had dressed in the friendliest manner I could manage—worn, dirty clothes and battered shoes. I'd even smeared mud on my face on purpose. No one would realize I was Luke Colwen, eldest son of the Count of Colwen.
Preparations complete. Time to—
“Eat first.”
“What? You’re saying a human trafficker is targeting us?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying! I saw this scary-looking man muttering to himself in the street, so I listened in, and he was talking about taking you siblings away!”
In a closed-off rural community, outsiders inevitably drew attention. Especially a man dressed unnaturally like a beggar, grumbling to himself on the roadside. Though his clothes were filthy and torn, his solid physique and straight posture created a jarring sense of dissonance even for simple farmers.
“Why us…?”
“He said since you have no relatives, no one would notice or care?”
I naturally left out the part about their bad relationship with the neighbors. In Respia, the reputation of Eres’s family—or more precisely, the head of the household, Pog—was the absolute worst. A man too lazy to work who drank away the precious money his young children earned could hardly expect good standing. Still, the neighbors who knew the situation and chose not to help weren’t exactly praiseworthy either.
“Maybe your father sent for him? Shouldn’t you go back with your siblings and see?”
“Auntie…”
The reason she was saying this wasn’t out of genuine worry for Eres and her siblings. She was afraid they might come to her workplace and cause trouble. She thought she was being clever, but her emotions were plain on her face. Eres swallowed a sigh.
“I understand. Could you call Melina and Pih for me, then?”
“I already told them. Go home for now, and if nothing happens, come back later.”
“……Understood.”
It would have been kinder if she had simply snapped at them to get lost. Hiding her frustration, anxiety, and fear deep inside, Eres gathered her siblings.
No matter how pathetic Father is, there’s no way he would sell us.
Eres had never seen her father in a positive light. Not now, and not when she was even younger. Even when their mother was alive, he had done nothing but fight and drink. In the end he had an affair with an outsider, and Mother left the house. At least, that was what Eres believed. Still, he was her father, so she tried to trust him.
“Why are we going home so early today? There’s still so much work left…”
“Um… there’s something going on at home…”
“Why? Did Dad pass out again?”
“……”
Eres felt a wave of self-loathing that her sister, who had only just turned ten, could say such things.
What am I even doing right now…?
If they returned like this, what would be waiting? It would be like delivering her siblings straight to the person who had come for her. How long would she have to live this way? If only she could run away with them. But with no money and still so young, there was nothing Eres could do even if she fled. At least becoming a slave would mean getting food.
“Um…”
“What is it, Melina?”
Seeing the sky and the horizon didn’t mean you were free. To Eres, the entire village—even the path home—felt like a prison. The worst part was that while you couldn’t leave, you also couldn’t stop anyone from entering.
“There’s a strange man watching us…”
“Yeah. I saw him.”
Ever since they left their workplace, a man she had never seen before had been observing them from a short distance. With that sloppy disguise that practically screamed he was treating the villagers like idiots.
So it’s him.
When Eres stopped her younger siblings, the man who had been wandering around with dirt stupidly smeared on his face didn’t simply watch. He approached.
A sinister grin more terrifying than any bandit she had ever imagined. Clear, defined muscles visible through his torn clothes—why is he wearing something like that? Eres was tall for her age despite eating little, yet he matched her in stature.
“Good. You’re quick-witted. I have something to tell you.”
“It’s not that I’m quick-witted. You’re just being incredibly obvious—”
“Anyway.”
And then—
“I’ve been looking for you—for a child like you—for a very long time!”
His face was flushed bright red for some reason. Eres thought, This man is definitely an idiot.
“Sister, he has the same face Dad makes when he looks at you.”
“Yeah. Sister will talk to him, so can you two stay back a little?”
“I’m scared…”
“It’s okay. It’ll probably be fine.”
It was an expression she had seen on her father more often lately. If that was the case, it should be all right. When he wore that look, even if it felt unpleasant, he wouldn’t hit or scold them.
“What do you want?”
“I’ve come to offer you a good opportunity. One not easily obtained.”
“An opportunity…?”
“Don’t you want to escape from here?”
“Where are you planning to sell us?”
“What the f— I mean, where on earth did you learn to talk like that?!”
Wasn’t that the natural assumption? He would coax them with words, lead them out of the village, tie them up, and sell them.
“Uh… huh? Why—you’re only twelve right now… surely not already…?”
“Already?”
She had intended to step forward boldly and land a verbal blow. But she hadn’t expected him to panic this badly.
The man, desperately trying to appear composed, was sweating buckets. He clenched and unclenched his fists while muttering to himself.
“A t-twelve-year-old kid shouldn’t know about things like that!! The fifteen-year-old adult setting already got us called pedo bastards, but this is seriously not okay!!”
“Ped…o…?”
Somehow, he didn’t seem like a bad person. The oppressive feeling that had been crushing her eased slightly.
“Haa… haa… I’ve shown you an ugly side. Once I relaxed, my emotions started matching my apparent age.”
“I have no idea what you’ve been talking about this entire time.”
“There are reasons. That’s not what matters. The important part is that I want to take you as my disciple.”
“……Disciple?”
Disciple of what? No matter how she looked at him, he clearly wasn’t ordinary. He was far too sloppy to be infiltrating for human trafficking. But if that wasn’t it, then what did he want from her? She couldn’t even read, and the only thing she knew how to do was chores.
“Watch carefully.”
He grinned, turned his back to them, and looked behind him. Then he spread his hand and thrust it straight up.
Ground Splitting Strike
BOOM!
“…………Huh?”
It shattered. No—it split. From right in front of him all the way to their house. Just like the legendary hero cleaving the earth with a holy sword, he had struck down with the edge of his hand and split the path to either side.
“I will make you strong. Strong enough that no one would dare lay a hand on you. Strong enough to protect what you want to protect—with a smile.”
“Bare-handed… how…?”
“This is nothing. If you learn from me, you’ll be able to do it too.”
Could I really do something like this? She thought it was impossible, but if she could become even half as strong, maybe she could leave the village with her siblings and live more comfortably. Join the security forces, register with the adventurers’ guild and hunt monsters. Couldn’t they have a better, more stable life than this?
“……Why?”
“Huh?”
“Why… why me of all people?”
If she had power, she wouldn’t have to see her father who only ever yelled and stared at her with those strange eyes. She wouldn’t have to see the adults who pretended to help, pretended to be on her side, but piled on the work and cut her wages. She wouldn’t have to see the village children who mocked her for not having a mother and bullied her siblings.
“W-well… ahem! You seemed to have talent.”
“Talent…?”
“Yes, talent. Now that I’ve come closer, I can tell for certain. You will definitely become stronger than me.”
It was a lie. Obviously just empty flattery he had thrown out at random. Sure, she was tall, but she had no stamina and was physically weak. There was no way she possessed any talent. The reason he had chosen her was probably exactly what the aunt had said—she was someone who wouldn’t be missed if she disappeared.
But.
“……I’ll do it.”
“Excellent choice! No, it’s only natural! Then let’s head to the place I’ve prepared! I’ll train you there.”
“Will my siblings come too?”
“Of course. I’ll cover living expenses. Consider it an investment.”
She didn’t want to miss this opportunity.
“Sister… I’m scared. Is it really okay to follow him?”
“The ground suddenly split apart. What did you do to her?”
“It’s not like that. Melina, Pih, this person is a good man.”
He was definitely a good person. A strong, good person who would save their siblings. Even if he intended to make her a slave rather than a disciple, anywhere would be better than here.
“Starting today, we’re leaving the village and living somewhere more comfortable. Is that all right?”
“A different place?”
“Is Dad coming with us?”
“……No. Father is—”
“You’re saying you can’t take me?”
The smell of alcohol. At some point the horrible stench had never left the house. It made her stomach churn when she was near it, but being far away or outside only made it worse because she still had to smell it. It was a smell she could only escape through work. A smell she had to endure work to avoid. Now that same stench of strong liquor, which had become a symbol of what little rest she had, wafted from behind them.
“Father…?”
“Goddammit… I came out because I heard a loud noise, and what the hell is this? Why is the road split like this!”
“You were home? What about work—”
“Hic, I quit that crap ages ago. What about you brats? Why are you here at this hour!”
He hadn’t quit. He had been kicked out. This had been going on for years. There was no land for him to farm, so he worked other people’s fields or did odd jobs for daily wages. But he was weak and slow, so even the village adults hesitated to hire him. With his short temper, he got into fights constantly and was driven off soon after getting any work. Without us, this man would…
“So you’re Pog. Seeing you in person, you’re even more disgusting. How could a man like you have produced children like these?”
“What?! Who the hell are you to start shit with me! And what? Take my kids? They’re mine! How dare you try to touch them first!”
“……First, you say.”
As she stood there panicking, he stepped between them and their father. The smell of alcohol seemed to fade slightly. But… how did he know her father’s name?
“You trash who tried to lay your hands on my daughter.”
“What? Hic, where does this beggar bastard get the nerve! Hic, do I look like an easy target just because I’m a little drunk? Do you even know who I am!”
“I know perfectly well. It seems the things buried in this land aren’t limited to the legend of the witch. Shall I make you a little more human?”
Her father approached in a rage, but she felt no worry at all. There was no way he could win. If he hadn’t been drunk, he wouldn’t have shouted even after seeing the split road. But what else was buried besides the witch’s legend—
“You.”
Ah.
“Will never be able to indulge in lust again.”
She didn’t fully understand what had happened. From what she saw, the man with the monstrous strength that had split the earth had simply kicked her father between the legs.
“Urgh… aaack…!”