One-way traffic

However, it looks more like the kind of dress that Western rich ladies would wear.

The blonde girl walked calmly, and that was all, her expression remaining unchanged throughout.

Although the surrounding scenery was beautiful, it didn't hold much appeal for her; it was just the same kind of beauty she saw almost every day.

The blonde girl was holding a book that wasn't too thick, and it seemed to have some kind of unique lock on it. At first glance, it might look like some kind of decoration, but it really was a lock.

"The performance will be at 7 p.m. tomorrow, and we have one day to prepare... The only material we need to prepare is the silk thread that we've been using extensively lately."

"Uh-huh--!"

As the girl murmured to herself, several tiny figures flew out from around her.

It was some kind of humanoid being.

However, its size is only about the size of a girl's palm, and it can be described as a real doll.

However, the girl ignored the tiny dolls flying around her and continued walking slowly toward her destination.

"We're about to enter the village, Orléans, France."

"If you keep flying around me, it will only cause panic among the villagers."

"Alas—!"

The two little dolls became dejected upon hearing this, but eventually they obediently crawled back into the girl's body.

So, what's next...?

It's definitely necessary to make a trip to purchase the necessary materials.

I don't know when I stopped walking.

What appears before you is this village.

The blonde girl looked calmly ahead of the village, her gaze sweeping across the area before finally settling on a wooden sign.

The name of the village is inscribed on it.

—The Village of Humanity.

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"Oh! Welcome, miss!"

The village itself is actually quite large.

This village, named Human Village, is pronounced that way, but in reality, it simply uses the Japanese pronunciation as the name of the village; it is merely a 'village of humans' in essence.

The village is quite large, comparable to a small town.

However, the buildings generally don't seem to be very tall.

At least for the people here, it's not considered very high.

The warm and cheerful shopkeeper greeted me with a deep voice, and although his smile was rather rugged, it was definitely friendly.

"Most people rarely come to my scrap metal shop, let alone a delicate young girl like you!"

"It's okay, I only came here because I need to acquire something I want."

Without any hesitation, the girl directly told the shop owner what she needed.

But, how to say it.

"Um, little girl..."

Even the burly shop owner couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

The reason is the items the girl chose to buy.

"Iron wire, iron bars, and forging hammers... are you sure you need these things?"

"Um, is there anything wrong with this?"

"No, no, that's not true..."

Although she felt very confused, she was, after all, a customer who had already paid, and it was her freedom to want whatever she wanted.

But I still care a lot...

What could such a delicate little girl possibly be doing with that hammer? For self-defense?

Looking at it this way, she is indeed very cute, so using her for self-defense is plausible, but could she really lift such a heavy hammer...?

"Please hurry, I still need to go to other stores to buy some things."

"Oh, sorry... here are the things you wanted, and as for the money... all set."

The shopkeeper stuffed all the copper coins he had received into a drawer under the table.

"Um, if you can't carry those things, I can help you... Huh?"

But when I came to my senses, the situation was completely different.

The shop owner stared wide-eyed at the scene before him, his face filled with astonishment.

"...Where are they?"

——————————————————————————————————————————

It must be said that this is truly a world brimming with natural beauty.

Even walking on such a bustling street, you would never feel any sense of chaos or disorder.

On the contrary, the residents here only bring people a sense of harmony and tranquility.

It's like a secluded paradise.

The blonde girl paid no attention to any of this, simply selecting what she had bought and leaving.

However, strangely enough, she didn't end up with any of the things she had purchased.

It was clearly that heavy, so where did she put it?

Soon, the girl left the village called Human Village.

It is indeed a very prosperous and bustling town, and the residents here are full of friendliness, and they are very accepting of both human and non-human beings.

Unfortunately, I'm not a very outgoing person.

After purchasing what you need, there's no need to linger; just return to your dwelling in the forest as soon as possible.

Without hesitation, the blonde girl walked deeper into the forest.

However, behind that.

The voices of other people caught her attention.

"Hey, are you sure this guy isn't human...?"

"It's obvious at a glance! It looks so strange, it's completely different from any village!"

"But, but I think it's a bit too much to define someone as a monster based solely on this..."

"It's not necessarily a monster, it's more like... a doll?"

Four children, all only twelve years old, hid in the nearby bushes.

It sounds like a group of three men and one woman.

It's probably because I just bought some things in the village that attracted them.

...This is truly a frustrating and troublesome situation.

"I heard there's going to be a puppet show tomorrow night. Do you think it could be her?"

"That older sister from earlier...?"

"If you ask me, whether it's the doll or the doll maker, that woman is really beautiful!"

"so what?"

"So... I've decided, well... how should I put it... anyway, I just really like her! No matter what, I really like her!"

The boy unconsciously raised his voice, causing the other three to look at him.

"You idiot! We'll be found out...!"

"No... I, I just shouted it once, nothing's wrong!"

"Oh, is that so?"

For an instant.

The voice came from behind.

All four children turned around stiffly, looking back with expressions of unbearable disapproval.

A blonde Western girl stood behind him.

He stared at them with a blank, emotionless expression, and then laughed.

"So, the person you're looking for is right here."

"Waaaaaahh ...

Was discovered.

Several teenagers immediately scattered in all directions as if they were flying, looking genuinely frightened.

It's really hard to know what to say.

The blonde girl shook her head and turned away with a calm expression.

Let's think about the puppet show content for tomorrow in the village as soon as possible.

"I'm a little hungry, let's go back and make some mushroom stew..."

Having made this decision, the girl touched her lower abdomen slightly and then prepared to leave completely.

then.

The instant he took that first step.

"Ah ah ah ah ah----!!!"

The shouts rang out again.

But, it's different.

The blonde girl immediately sensed something was wrong.

"This is…?"

That was clearly a scream.

Those are the four little kids from earlier.

The blonde girl frowned, hugged the book in her arms tighter, and turned around.

Did something happen to those four children?

"Shanghai, Orleans".

Two kinds of dolls immediately appeared around her.

Although I don't like interacting with people.

However, if it's just something I can access, I'll still go and take a look.

Even she didn't want human children to face a crisis in this forest.

"Let's go and see what's going on over there."

"Uh-huh--!"

The two puppets responded cheerfully.

The blonde girl, carrying two small and adorable dolls, rushed forward at a speed that was unmatched by ordinary people.

——————————————————————————————————————————

No one noticed.

An overwhelming fear descended upon this place.

That was a crack that was invisible to the naked eye.