Chapter 4

I want to meet someone, I want to talk with somebody.
I advance on the road with such thoughts.
Although I have thought that the city converted into debris wasn’t that significant, I have quickly arrived at castle walls.
Although I say castle walls, it’s a fence twice as high as human made from wood.
The fence is broken here and there, it’s able to break in from anywhere.
After I timidly pass through what seems to be the main gate, I immediately hide behind a big rock.
To be frank, I don’t think there’s a need to be so afraid.
But, to be honest, coming across someone all of sudden scares me.
It’s an unfamiliar land.
I don’t know who is who.
Anyway, if I find someone, I will hide in the shade.
Then, speaking with them slowly from there is the current plan.
I quietly lay in wait behind a rock outside of a town.
Although it looks like a gentle, hilly area, it’s gritty with rocks without much vegetation.
It’s a typical wasteland.
I take my previous comment back.
There seems to be hardly a person.
Although the land is reasonably open, I don’t see any lights in the houses.
This, I should probably start walking……
My worry was right.
After that, I wandered for three days.
I remember the frightening first daybreak.
I was moving while hiding when I noticed the surroundings brightening.
The sun began to rise.
For some reason, I started shaking at the sight of the sunrise while hiding behind a rock.
Does something happen when an existence like me basks in the sunlight?
The light of the day belongs to living things.
I wonder if it’s something like a poison to an undead like me?
Such thought suddenly crossed my mind and I hid in the shadow at once.
After a while, I started moving along the movement of the shadows.
And then, after the sun ascended completely, I timidly presented my fingertip to the sun, but……
Ah, I’m glad, nothing has happened.
Finger, hand, arm, shoulder, when I confirm all those are alright, I finally bath in the sun with my whole body.
Un, the sunlight is quite strong.
But, I can’t tan anymore.
Are, will my bones turn yellow if get burned I wonder?
It’s fortunate that I am able to confirm by walking all day.
I proceed nervously.
Little by little, the scenery starts changing.
The rocky scenery started showing signs of vegetation first and then, finally, the surroundings become everything, but trees.
I’m inside a forest.
I discover a suitable hole in the tree and curled myself up in there.
I have become aware of something from the several days of travelling.
Although this body doesn’t need to eat or sleep, a「rest」seems to be still necessary.
The body certainly doesn’t get tired, but because of the vigilance during the travel, my mind feels tired.
The body does not move at all and I don’t sleep, but my mental fatigue heals when I do nothing, but stay motionless.
Naturally, I have to lower my vigilance of the surroundings and relax.
However, when I enter the tree hole and curl up like this, I certainly look just like remains.
Before long, a centipede coils around my rib cage and other bugs roll around my skull.
A big earthworm is constantly going back and forth through my eye socket.
I feel like crying (It goes without saying that I can’t do it well. Of course, tears don’t come out), but I already gave up.
And then, after resting my body for a while, I stand up, shake off insects from by body and start walking again.
7th day in the evening.
I found a small human village from a top of a hill.
I can tell that there are people moving. I can see smoke coming from chimneys of few houses.
I finally found it……
I walk down the hill while feeling nervous.