act7mini

(Is it the guards again? No, I can't let them catch me...)

Phew...

Looks like things have calmed down.

It should be okay now that I've come this far outside the city...

Oh? Is that right?

Hm...

Did you find them?

No, they didn't come this way!

Keep looking! Those Infected runaways can't be far. Come, this way!

T-That was close...

I didn't expect them to actually catch up...

They are the nobles' guards. Hm, there are some traces of Arts too. Perhaps they have a Caster or two.

Um, I'm not sure who you are, but...

Thank you.

No need to thank me. It was nothing.

But it's still too early for you to lower your guard just yet. Those guys aren't that easy to shake. They will still be following you.

Going by your looks, I guess you're not from the city?

I...

Relax. Right, it's not a bad thing to be wary of others, especially given your circumstances.

I guess... they have been chasing after you for a while?

How long have you been Infected?

H-How did you know?!

N-No, I'm not infected. You're mistaken.

I can see the crystals under your collar.

Okay, fasten up. This will do it.

Be more careful next time.

Who are you, and what do you want?

Don't worry, I'm not here to take you away or anything.

Look, if I actually wanted to do anything to you, I could get the job done with much less trouble than the men who are chasing you, and I certainly wouldn't need to stand here and talk to you.

(That's a good point...)

Pardon me...

Oh, do you finally believe me? You're starting to sound so formal again.

Uh, I-I'm sorry!

No need to apologize. I'm not someone who you need to be so respectful toward, either.

I've never been a fan of how the Leithanian nobles do things.

My lady, are you—

Drop the 'my lady' business.

But—

No buts.

Uh... O-Okay.

Are you not from around here...?

I'm from Sargon. Have you heard of Sargon?

No...

What is it like?

It's very, very far away. And it's a place of freedom.

There are deserts there, as well as rainforests. Lords ameer big and small lead their own territories, and everyone there gets to live a peaceful life as long as they can pay their tribute. There are also places so remote that you can't find them on maps.

In those places, we take care of ourselves.

I've never heard of a place like that.

That's to be expected.

When I first came to Leithanien, I even doubted this country existed in the same world as my homeland.

That sounds so mysterious...

Do you find that hard to believe?

No, it's just a little hard to imagine.

Haha, I guess it'd be hard to visualize a place when you haven't seen a it with your own eyes.

(Come to think of it... I said something similar not too long ago.)

(I have to admit. The phony noble attendant might just be right.)

Hmm? Oh... I spaced out again.

No matter the case, this isn't a safe place to be. The guards will likely be back. We should go somewhere else before I tell you more about Sargon.

Eh? O-Okay!

Eh?! Is everything you said actually real?

Are there really rivers that flow from the sky and trees larger than whole villages?!

Of course. There's also a desert that's as tall as the mountains. Walk its golden sands, and you'll find a large hole with countless treasures buried inside...

Wow!

I'm pulling your leg.

Eh?!

Okay, okay, don't give me that face. I wasn't really pulling your leg. It's a story I heard once. No one knows whether there's any truth to it.

Perhaps they actually have a cave full of jewels and other treasures.

I hope so...

Ah, this makes me want to go home.

Why don't you go home, then? Is it too far away?

Hm, how should I put it? I hadn't planned on staying, but I ran into some problems, and I got myself tangled up with a troublesome fellow...

I could've run off, but he definitely wouldn't be able to take care of himself, so I stayed to help him out.

I thought you said it was a troublesome person? Why are you taking care of him? Have you two become friends?

Hm, I wonder if we're friends. It's a little more complicated than that.

I'm not sure I get it...

Okay, that's for another time. Looks like the guards didn't come this way. You should be safe here for the moment, but I suggest you leave soon, just to be sure.

Umm, is it okay if I ask you another question?

Of course.

Are there any Infected in Sargon?

Yes.

So they are there too...

But they don't see the sick people as a scourge to be feared. At least not where I used to live.

They're just sick, that's all. The beasts in the rainforest kill humans as well, and if you're out gathering fruits and ends up falling from a tree, you could hit your head and die, if you're unlucky. So what makes diseases so terrible?

That's wonderful...

It's not all smiles and sugar cubes. Life there is tough in most places. It's because of how tough it is that we don't worry about it so much.

What about you? Does the lord here send guards after anyone who's infected?

We didn't used to be like this...

My parents worked the mines, and we lived in the area closest to the mining district. A lot of people there have gotten sick.

All the older folks who work the mines get this disease in the end. Rocks begin to grow on their bodies, but they still have to keep working.

Anyone who has just a bit more money wouldn't ever set foot on our street. Anyone who's not sick yet tries to move out of the area...

It sounds almost like a quarantine zone.

A little, but I heard you have to pay to move into the better quarantine zones. They even hand out bread there. That's something that we can only dream of.

But at least we can live there.

Live how? A mine worker, like your parents, would never step outside your district?

That isn't so bad... We have a roof over our heads, and we make a small living. That's more than enough to me.

At least that's what I used to think.

But then the mines collapsed. My parents didn't come back. The guards sealed off the streets and started rounding up everyone they saw.

And then no one dared to go outside anymore. Everyone stayed inside, but the guards would also go door to door and force their way in... What have we done wrong?

(So this is them dealing with it 'accordingly'...)

A few kids and I sneaked out of a back alley behind an abandoned building while the guards were distracted. I know the men outside think that anyone who's sick has to die, but I don't want to die!