The Lost Letter.

Sleep? Not at all... My body was still tense, and my mind was restless. I woke up several times during the night until I finally remained there with my eyes open, staring at the ceiling of that cabin. I tried to think about what had happened; otherwise, I felt like I would somehow collapse. No! I started thinking about the letter again, got up suddenly, and felt a ray of morning sunlight pass through the window and illuminate my face.

“Eh? How many hours did I sleep?” I said, my voice trembling.

Probably less than three hours. I went to the dining room and drank some water from a pitcher; the cold liquid ran down my throat, slightly relieving the dryness in my mouth. I returned to the room without much enthusiasm and saw Itsuki looking restless. Is he having nightmares? He isn't usually this restless.

“Itsuki...” I grabbed him by the shoulder. “Wake up. We have to go.”

“Where?” He turned around. “Back to our home?”

His words caused a cold sensation to appear in my heart for an instant.

“We'll see. First, we have to do what we need to do.”

“Hmm, i-if you say so. Wait!” He suddenly sat up. “How are our horses here?! We... We escaped over a wall, right?”

“Oh, I hadn't thought about that. You're right. Hmm... You should sleep a little longer, okay?”

“Whatever you say...” He lay back down.

I sat on my bed and took my bag... One of my two bags. I took out my belongings: my notebook, where I recorded routes and events; the two books Leif had given me, and my notes. Nothing else. It's not here.

Tears began to fall. What am I doing here if I don't have the letter? Just thinking about it was enough to fill my eyes with tears.

Still, if the child really remembered the person he had seen with the black case, then at least that gave me some hope. But how could I be certain that we'd find her?

I wiped away my tears and took a long breath. I have to be strong.

I stood up and adjusted my belt, securing the other strap where I always kept my bag. Back in the Forest of Disconnection, with a few adjustments, I had managed to make it fit securely against me. I checked that it didn't move too much and pulled lightly on the strap to make sure it was firmly in place.

“All set... Much better.”

Someone knocked on the door. When I opened it, the boy was standing there with a smile, his ears slightly raised as he waited for my response.

“Sir Guikyume, how did you sleep?”

“Very well, actually.”

“I'm glad to hear that. Uh...” He looked inside. “Sir Itsuki?”

“Calm down. I'll wake him up. By the way, what's your name? I don't remember... or did you never mention it?”

“Actually...” He lowered his head. “We receive a name when we complete a great... mission. When we accomplish something worthy enough to earn one.”

“I understand. No problem. I'll go wake Itsuki. I'll be back in a few seconds.”

“All right, Sir Guikyume.”

I entered the room and looked at Itsuki, who was still deeply asleep... How could I wake him up?

“Hey, wake up. Come on, we have to go. Hmm.”

I grabbed the bed and flipped it over.

“What the hell?!” He jumped up. “Guikyume, what the hell is wrong with you?!”

“Ahh... Good morning?”

“...Good morning.”

“We have to go to the guild. Get changed.”

“Fine... Next time, wake me up properly!”

“Ha-ha, all right. I'll wait outside.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

...

We headed toward the stables, but when I saw our horses resting peacefully, I decided to let them rest a little longer. Even though I had a feeling of uneasiness in my chest, I would try to stay alert to everything around me. Try to stay calm.

A gust of wind roared through the trees, and the cold morning air struck my face, making my clothes flutter slightly.

“Can I ask you something, kid, before we enter the guild?”

“Go ahead.”

“How did the horses get here?” I asked.

“...It's simple. The same day you were arrested, Sir Guikyume, my friend and I searched for your horses and... borrowed them, haha. Their horse armor was quite distinctive, so we were able to recognize them easily.”

“Hmm, interesting,” Itsuki said.

“Yeah. Shall we go in?” the boy asked.

“All right, let's go.”

Everyone's eyes were on us. Lately, that didn't bother me at all. This time, the village leader was looking over the requests on the large board, her hands behind her back, while several adventurers examined the missions or chatted among themselves. I signaled to the others, and we went straight to her.

“Village Leader. We're here,” I said.

“I'm not blind,” she replied, turning her gaze toward us. “You'll have to show me your skills before you can enter the guild.”

“How are we supposed to do that?”

“Hmm, simple. Bring out the giant!”

We turned our heads, and about three Dorsphienn quickly nodded before leaving the establishment. The boy seemed to grow nervous, lowering his ears slightly.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Sir... Hmm, Mother, is this necessary?”

“Huh?” She frowned. “Of course! Hey, you three, follow me. We're going outside.”

Without really understanding what was happening, we followed them outside. A large circle began to form around us amid whispers, laughter, and fists raised into the air. The adventurers seemed excited about the fight that was about to begin.

“Here is the human!” the leader announced. “Pay attention. You'll have to duel that giant over there.”

“Seriously?” I said.

“You have to fight him.”

“Why Guikyume?!” Itsuki protested.

“Because you didn't fight the Royal Cavalry,” she replied.

“Hmm, all right. Guikyume, defeat the big guy.”

“Whatever you say,” I replied.

“Do you accept, human? Otherwise, you'll leave this place.”

“...I accept.”

“Bravo! The human accepted!”

“Duel! Duel! Duel!” the others began chanting in unison.

I walked through the crowd until I stood in front of the giant. He was pure muscle, carrying a rather large axe and bearing the appearance of a feline. His body was enormous, and every step he took made the weight of his presence felt. I swallowed hard. He's big, but he might not move very effectively... Still, one hit...

“Whoever knocks their opponent down first wins! One, two, three... Now!”

I bent my knees slightly, holding my daggers at shoulder height. I took a deep breath. The noise of the crowd became distant for a moment as I fixed my eyes on my opponent. Let's go!

The feline, standing approximately two and a half meters tall, charged toward me. A strike while moving. I took several steps backward and felt his fist pass within a few millimeters of my face; the wind created by the impact brushed against my skin. I ducked and moved toward his side. Weak point: his rear knees! I kicked him, but before the blow could land, he turned. With his right hand, he shifted his axe to the other side and slammed it into the ground. I reacted quickly... my feet dragged slightly across the dirt.

“Come on, human!”

My breathing became ragged. I took another deep breath. I can't knock him down with one hit. How the hell am I supposed to do this?

The giant put his axe away. Is he underestimating me?

A dull whistle. He threw a right punch. I jumped, placed my hands against his forearm, pushed off, and moved backward, putting distance between us.

I moved toward him and threw a direct punch, but he dodged it with a simple step backward. He grabbed his axe again, drove it into the ground, and sent dirt flying, creating a cloud of dust that surrounded us and prevented me from seeing him clearly. I heard the metallic sound of his weapon. I moved toward him and...

“What are you going to do now?” he said coldly.

He grabbed me by the arm. That cruel smile won't last. I moved again and again, trying to keep my balance so I could strike him in the head. He's playing with me!

Boom! He slammed me into the ground. Boom! Again. I felt my bones crack, and pain shot through my entire body.

“Come on, Guikyume! Don't give up!” Itsuki shouted.

I spat blood. My heart began pounding rapidly. He was laughing as if this were fun. What the hell is so funny?!

He looked at me again. My body began to move. Now! I rushed toward him with a short movement; his forearm released me, and while I was in the air, I spun and kicked him in the face. I hit the ground hard and watched him stagger. I got back up and moved toward him, but he grabbed me again and smiled.

He threw me into the air... What the hell? I landed several meters away, kicking up dust around me.

“Guikyume!”

“Sir Guikyume!”

“You can't interrupt a duel!” the leader shouted.

I searched for air—air that I didn't have. My body hurt with every movement, but I still got back up. My legs felt heavy, and a sharp pain ran through my back.

“This human has guts!” someone shouted.

“Guikyume, remember why we're here!” Itsuki said.

I shook my head. I stretched...

“I'm here because... A damn knight gave me a letter, and I decided to embark on a journey,” I said to myself.

I climbed onto a cabin with a series of jumps. I took a running start and leaped toward the next one. Let's see who's going to laugh now! I jumped toward the giant, and he threw a punch. I spun on my axis and kicked him in the face. I landed on the ground and quickly rolled to regain my balance...

He fell.

“Guikyume is the winner!” the leader shouted.

“Sir Guikyume, I knew you could do it!”

I collapsed onto the ground, feeling the exhaustion finally take over my body.

“Guikyume!” Itsuki rushed over. “Come on, man. Get up.”

“Eh... Itsuki?”

“Yeah, my friend. Come on.” He helped me up and placed my arm over his shoulder. “You defeated him.”

“Really? Haha. Incredible... Hey, giant, good fight!”

Amid the murmurs and chants of victory, the leader stepped in front of me.

“Hmm, all right. I welcome you to our guild.”

“Thanks... It was interesting, actually.”

“All right, all right. However, I have a question...”

“Go ahead?”

“In a few of your movements, your technique... That style... You're from Zure, from the north, aren't you?”

“Yes, although...”

“Einer. I know him. He was a companion of mine. How is he?”

“Hmmm... Incredible. Very interesting. He's in charge of my village. I think he's doing fine, actually.”

“Majestic.”

Our horse appeared out of nowhere, approaching with a neigh.

“Hey, they don't always call for you!” Itsuki shouted.

The leader observed Majestic for several seconds.

“All right. You have a very interesting horse.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. Now, let's go to the guild. I need to talk to you. Let's go.”