A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

Even after reincarnation, I have never been able to completely forget the most radiant smile I saw before I went blind.

Time can change many things, but it cannot change certain things.

"Even though you are weak, so weak that I can't see any hope in you, so weak that I can't have much expectation of you," Whiteface said ruthlessly, describing Bray's weakness.

This adventurer, capable of slaying a demigod, was still a pathetic and weak being to him.

"But at least you did a better job than me with Naruko."

"They're much better than me."

"Chirp!" Hibari patted his helmet as if comforting Shiro.

"I know." The white-faced man seemed to be talking to himself before leaving amidst the clanking of his armor.

Time stops, then resumes after one second.

As time began to flow again, the white-faced figure disappeared from Bray's sight.

With a creak, the wooden door was quietly pushed open.

Nia peeked out and looked at her father with curiosity.

There is no one else in the open space in front of the house except for Bray.

"Dad, has that uncle left?" Nia tried to ask.

Actually, Nia had a rather good impression of the uncle who claimed to be her father's enemy.

How should I put it? There's a subtle sense of familiarity about it.

Nia felt a little regretful that she didn't even know her uncle's name until he passed away.

"Let's go." Bray nodded.

Bai Mian left, leaving decisively and cleanly.

By the time Bray realized what was happening, the guy had already left the safe zone.

This was probably the only Aragami that Bray had encountered who remained so calm even in the safe zone.

Although very few Aragami have ever entered the safe zone...

"Really?" After hearing her uncle in white armor leave, Nia pushed the door open completely and skipped over to Bray's side.

"Dad, what's that uncle's name?"

“His name is Whiteface,” Bray replied.

"Then, is Uncle Baimian really Dad's enemy?"

“I am his enemy, but he is not my enemy,” Bray said to Nia after thinking for a few seconds.

"Ugh..." Nia covered her head, unable to understand this extremely convoluted sentence.

Aren't enemies always the same for both sides? Why is it that Dad is Uncle Whiteface's enemy, but Uncle Whiteface isn't Dad's enemy?

"Don't overthink it, he's not scary," Bray said softly, ruffling Nia's hair.

"He said he was scary, but he was lying to you."

"Not only are you not scary, you're just as handsome as your dad," Bray said, subtly praising himself.

However, only Bray understood that he was bragging.

"Really?" Nia was slightly surprised.

But the person who was actually surprised was Bray himself.

His daughter actually thought he was handsome, which was incredibly gratifying. It was even more gratifying for Bray than seeing her diligently practicing her sword skills.

“Yes, really,” Bray said earnestly.

"Then next time, Nia, can you not hide?" Nia asked, seemingly aware that Bray had Levy bring her into the house to hide from the drug dealer.

"Next time? There might not be a next time." Bray said, as if to Nia that she wouldn't have to hide next time.

Unfortunately, there probably won't be a next time; the next time I meet Bai Mian will be in battle.

Such casual conversations will no longer occur.

"There won't be a next time?"

"White Face and I are enemies, so next time, we'll fight."

"Huh?"

"So Nia won't be able to chat with Whiteface next time."

"Eh... how did this happen?" Nia made a QAQ face, even though she really wanted to talk to that mysterious white-faced uncle.

“Oh, right, we’re leaving here in a month,” Bray suddenly remembered something and said to Nia beside him.

Nia wiped away the two tears from the corners of her eyes and stared at Bray with her small, puzzled eyes.

"We're leaving? Where are we going?" To Nia, the world wasn't that big; it seemed to consist only of the Imperial Capital Safe Zone.

Therefore, she still didn't understand what Bray meant by leaving this place.

Perhaps she thought it was just a place not too far from the safe zone.

"Go to the Eastern Continent, your mother's hometown."

"The Eastern Continent?" For the first time, Nia felt like a curious child, with a constant stream of questions popping into her head.

She wasn't unfamiliar with the Eastern Continent; her mother would tell all sorts of stories about it.

For example, this world is called Kapras, and Kapras is very, very big.

It has also been mentioned that there are various continents.

However, Nia was unable to gain a clear understanding of these contents; such knowledge was too abstract for her.

The first time Nia felt that the world was really, really big was when she entered the Favarona Forest.

"Is the Eastern Continent very, very far away from here?" Nia asked nervously.

"What will happen to our home?"

“Our home will always be here,” Bray reassured Nia.

He will try his best to preserve this simple wooden house.

"We should come back after we've traveled around the world for a long time."

"Would you like to travel, Nia?"

Bray didn't necessarily want to take Nia with him, after all, his journey probably wouldn't be very safe.

Of course, even after you leave, the safe zone may not remain safe forever.

“…” Nia grabbed Bray’s clothes.

"Did Mom travel around with Dad before?"

Your mother loves to travel.

“Nanya also wants to travel everywhere. I want to be like my mother.”

“You already look very much like it,” Bray said softly.

"Nia is going to become stronger!" Nia's childlike face showed a hint of seriousness.

"So Daddy, quickly tell Sister Levy to return the sword to Nia." But the next second, Nia looked dejected.

After entering the house, the wooden sword was suddenly hidden away by Levy.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find it.

"Don't be too hasty, being hasty won't help." Bree gave Nia a sharp rap on the head.

"Um..." Even though it didn't hurt at all, Conya still covered her head and looked at her father pitifully.

"There is no way to become stronger instantly in this world. Even if there were, they would all be methods that people would regret later."

"Take it slow." Bray didn't want Nia to be so anxious.

He didn't know how effective his advice would be, but it was better than saying nothing.

“Nia doesn’t care, Nia wants the wooden sword. I want to see my mother before I leave.”

"..." Bray scratched his head in slight exasperation, blaming himself for making such a fancy agreement.

Nia lay down on the ground, spread out in a starfish shape, looking like she was about to cheat.

"Levy, come help Nia!" Levy quietly crouched down next to Nia and said cutely.

“Sister Levy—” Nia dragged out the last syllable.

“But we can’t just give the wooden sword back to Nia like that.” Levy wagged her tail.

“Here, Levy, give Nia the camera.” She placed the camera in Nia’s hands.

"If Nia takes a picture of Levy, Levy will return the sword on the roof to Nia!"

“Okay, pinky promise!” Nia said, getting up from the ground, all dirty.

"Mmm, pinky promise." Levy even made a promise with Nia using her pinky finger.

Even if Nia's photo is blurry and only captures an afterimage, Levy will still return the wooden sword to Nia.

However, there was a strange feeling in nearby Bray.

He always felt that Levy was up to no good... Was it just his imagination?

---

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

"Crack! Crack!"

Nia stood still, taking pictures of Levy continuously.

But all the photos that came out were landscape photos, without a single person in them.

"Want to continue?" Levy asked, a "=V=" expression on her face, as she ran around Nia, leaving a trail of afterimages in her wake.

“Continue!” Nia gritted her teeth and responded heavily.

Levy wanted to hear Nia say that; it was so nice to have someone to play with. In the abandoned underworld, there were the groans of remnant souls.

It is cold and damp; that is the current state of the Yellow Springs.

However, the dampness is a psychological feeling; there is not much water in this place, nor is there a lot of moisture in the air.

The only source of water is the ever-flowing River Styx.

Previously, the underworld was filled with a vast procession of the dead, but now only a few lonely souls remain.

The bright moon in the sky had a large piece torn off because of a certain battle.

The full moon was forcibly shattered into crescent moons.

Kong Meng remained lying on the riverbed as always, ignoring whether the Yellow Springs had become "lively" or "desolate".

He is only responsible for preventing the dead from going backwards; whether there are any dead is not His responsibility.

When Kong Meng was bored, he would occasionally glance at the entrance to the Yellow Springs in the distance.

Or rather, it was the entrance to the Underworld in the past.

After a battle, the entrance to the Underworld was destroyed and shattered, and fragments of the huge round gate still float in mid-air not far away.

After that, there were no more dead or living people entering the Underworld through this entrance—

This remains true to this day.

"Under the bridge in front of the gate~"

"A group of ghosts swam by~"

"2, 4, 6, 7, 8~"

"There are so many!"

A tuneless, off-key song echoed above the Yellow Springs, a place that should have been silent.