I am a mindless machine.

However, in order to become a sacrifice and bring peace to the village, and to fulfill her duty, daily practice is necessary. That's why the girl is constantly repeating this cycle of rest and sword practice.

After a short ten-minute rest, she prepared to practice again. But just as she placed her fingers on the hilt of the sword, she suddenly heard a sound and her ear twitched.

That sounded like something rubbing or moving in the grass.

"Is it a kitten?" the girl wondered curiously, tilting her head slightly. But then she turned back to continue practicing. Although a child's curiosity made her want to go and find out, the responsibilities and obligations she had accumulated over the years were deeply ingrained in her mind.

We must first complete the tasks assigned by the elders...

However, at this time...

"Please...save me..."

A weak voice came from the place where the rustling sound in the grass had come from.

It sounds like a girl's voice.

Chapter Three Help

"Please...save me..."

The sound coming from the grass was like the helpless, faint whimper of an abandoned kitten in a cardboard box during a storm—fragile and ethereal, as if it could be extinguished and disappear at any moment.

A young girl who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old crawled out of the grass. She had messy, dark blue short hair covered with leaves and dust. Her simple dress was tattered and torn, with cuts from branches that revealed her fair skin with streaks of red blood underneath.

What is particularly striking is that her left eye is a lighter pale blue, while her right eye is a vivid bright red, like blood—she has a pair of beautiful heterochromatic eyes.

She struggled, crawling on her hands and feet towards the clearing, finally managing to escape the dangerous thicket filled with sharp branches. Looking at the blonde girl who had paused her sword practice, she weakly cried out for help again.

"Please...help...me..."

However, before she could receive a response from the sword witch, she collapsed into a coma due to exhaustion.

The sword-wielding girl frowned, glancing hesitantly at the longsword in her hand. Then, she shook her head vigorously, sheathed the sword, and, a worried expression on her face, hurried off towards the direction from which the sound had come.

"Are you...are you alright?"

Although she is blind, she has lived here for fifteen years and has memorized the area around the shrine. It is a map she created as a child, living alone here and figuring it out after repeatedly falling over obstacles.

Since the other person was not responding, perhaps they had fallen into a coma, she decided to take them indoors first.

Because she couldn't see, she could only try to feel around with her hands to find where things might be. The sword witch girl didn't consider that it might be a trap; she simply wanted to help the person who was crying for help.

After groping around in the mud for a long time, she finally managed to touch something that resembled a person.

It felt like the fabric of clothing... soft like skin. This must be a leg, right? ...Based on her own experience, the girl guessed in her mind.

Huh? ...What is this raised, soft, cotton-like part...?

Just as the sword-wielding girl was about to explore under the other person's armpits to make it easier to drag them (because she knew she wasn't strong enough to lift them), her small hand touched an unknown place. Having absolutely no experience with this while bathing, she was utterly confused.

Driven by curiosity, she gently squeezed that unknown area a few more times, trying to understand what it was.

Just as the inexplicable exclamation of "So soft..." popped into her mind, the unconscious girl suddenly let out a soft moan: "Mmm..."

"Oops, sorry! Did I hurt you?!"

The sword-wielding girl hurriedly let go and took a few steps back. But then she remembered that the other person was unconscious, so she walked back and lifted the other person's upper body, trying not to hurt the other person as much as possible, and walked towards the main hall of the Sword Mystic Shrine.

Since this Kengen Shrine is not a traditional shrine for worship, but rather a place for enshrining sword shamans, it does not have traditional main halls, prayer halls, or kagura halls. It only has simple structures such as torii gates and main halls, which are symbolic.

"I still don't know what that soft, squishy part on my chest is all about..."

The sword witch girl, who was also only fourteen years old, murmured to herself, while touching her chest.

—A flat plain.

...

...

"Huff...huff...so tired..."

Long, pale golden hair cascaded down her sides, settling onto the tatami floor. The sword-wielding shrine maiden lay sprawled on the ground, her thin chest, clad in a shrine maiden's robes, heaving as she gasped for breath in exhaustion.

She had already reached her physical limit after practicing swordsmanship for more than four hours—and that was in relatively good condition; when her physical condition was slightly worse, she would have fallen into a coma after about three hours—and now she had carefully dragged someone larger than herself for more than fifty meters. It was already incredible that she could remain conscious at all.

Every cell in her body was protesting loudly against overwork. A heavy drowsiness was eroding her consciousness. The young girl who had been dragged back was slumped against the wall not far from her, showing no signs of waking up. She remained unconscious.

"Let me... take a nap... I should be fine..."

This is Kengen Shrine, the place where I can feel most at ease—it's my home.

She murmured to herself, then slowly closed her eyes. She turned to her side, placing her hands together beside her cheeks as a pillow, her breathing gradually calming, revealing a lovely, peaceful sleeping face.

The main hall of the shrine has returned to tranquility.

However, at this moment, the girl who had been unconscious and sitting slumped against the wall suddenly opened her right eyelid slightly, while her left eye remained closed.

Those jewel-like, crystal-clear crimson eyes gazed at the sleeping swordswoman on her side, a strange light flashing within them.

Then, those eyes slowly lowered again, just as silently as when they opened.

The girl herself seemed completely unaware of what was happening, as if nothing had occurred.

...

...

The swordswoman slowly awoke from her slumber, her dark eyelashes trembling slightly. A tear glistened in the corner of her eye as she opened her pale blue eyes, her vision blurred.

"Is it already morning...? -- Huh...?"

She was still drowsy and tried to get up, her mind not yet fully awake. She thought it was just like any other day, that she would wake up to morning. But then she realized something was wrong.

The place she was lying on now didn't seem to be the old, worn-out bed with the sparsely padded pillow she always slept on. Instead, it was a slightly warm, comfortable pillow.

"Are you awake?"

A somewhat familiar voice sounded from above her head.

"Thank you for bringing me here."

The girl with short, dark blue hair expressed her sincere gratitude.

Funa – "Lotus Emerging from Water"

The snow, emitting a soft, white glow, rendered the world pure and flawless.

Although it is quite beautiful, it inevitably appears somewhat lonely.

Because this snow is quiet; though beautiful, it hardly fosters vibrant life. In this beautiful scenery, you will never see delicate flowers in full bloom, lush trees, children looking on incredulously at the sight of flowers and trees, or adults weeping with joy at being able to breathe the pure air freely.

That brutal war, more merciless than hell itself, is over, and a new era has begun.

This is a good era.

The adults worked hard so that their families would no longer have to live in cramped caves where even stretching was difficult, but could live in towns bathed in sunlight. They could grow crops in open spaces without worrying that they would be destroyed because they were conspicuous.

The children grew up happily, without having to worry every day that their parents, who were out exploring, would suddenly leave, and without having to feel honored by their contributions to the tribe. They could snuggle in their parents' arms and sing praises to the beauty of life in their still-childish voices.

They are no longer dust that is not even allowed to leave proof of their existence; they are the human race (Imanity).

Yes, that war is over, and this will be a good time.

After achieving a peace that seemed more unreal than a dream, a peace so dazzling and beautiful, people instinctively began to hate snow. They had seen enough of it during the war; the pure white of snow, which radiated the same light as the black ash (spirits) that symbolized monsters ravaging the world, was something they loathed and feared.

But Funa really likes snow.

Because it always reminds her of that white-clad girl.

Funa removed the plush gloves covering her hands, raised her arms above her head, and caught the snowflakes that were gently falling from the sky. The delicate and beautiful shapes of the snowflakes were reflected in the girl's clear purple eyes. Holding the thin snow crystals in her hands, it was like pure white flowers blooming in her hands, light and graceful, yet carrying a proud and aloof air.

She stared blankly at the snowflake in her hand. A look of bewilderment flashed across her fair face. If the higher-ups in Elchia had seen this, they would have been astonished and incredulous, perhaps even pinching their own cheeks to think it was an illusion.

Moreover, any intelligent life form that had played games with her would never believe that such a bewildered expression, like that of an innocent young girl, would appear on that Funa.

This girl, now twenty-five years old but looking like she was only sixteen or seventeen, with long, light purple hair, is an invading queen who, relying solely on her innate intuition and talent, seized the territory of other races with lightning speed right after the war ended.

If Chronie Dora, the wise and capable woman who led humanity to build its first nation, Elchia, and who never shed a tear, was the embodiment of intellect and domestic affairs, and the backbone of maintaining stability for humanity, then...

So, upon hearing the "Ten Articles of the Covenant," she loudly declared: "The game (war) is not over; a new game has begun! And this time, we hold a clear advantage!" With her powerful leadership charisma, she led a commando team to the monsters' (other races') lands before the situation was even clear, seizing resources like a whirlwind. This young woman, Fune Miesmetan, is humanity's strongest spearhead.

The reason why the human race can establish nations so quickly, acquire so much technology and food, and have various other races that are regulated by the covenant and forced to assist humanity is all thanks to her.

Of course, this matter was not publicized; only a very small number of people knew about it. Other races who had played games with her also used the power of the [Covenant] to command her not to tell anyone. After all, the appearance of such an extraordinary sage among the weak human race would trigger a chain reaction detrimental to humanity. On the surface, she was merely an advisor to Queen Chronie Dora, whose position was second only to the Queen.

In fact, given the number of settlements that Funa led at the time and her own abilities, she was fully qualified to compete with Kron for the position of royalty, or to establish her own independent kingdom.

But she gave up easily, with a cheerful smile, readily relinquishing the power she deserved, allowing the tribe she led to assimilate into Elchia, her eyes gleaming as she said that instead of competing, everyone should unite, be friendly, and love each other!

Moreover, among the assault team that went to plunder various resources, she was the only one who could smile brightly at those races who looked down on humans. And after the game ended, she even said, "Let's play together again next time!"

This is not normal for the human species.

Faced with those monsters, she should have hated them, loathed them, and considered them to be things that deserved to die. However, the girl genuinely regarded everyone as equals and tried to make sure that everyone could enjoy the game.

Regarding the reasons for this, various speculations circulated among the higher-ups, some saying that she had gone insane due to the war, others saying that it was precisely because of her unconventional way of thinking that she was able to do such an incredible thing. There were many different opinions.

Even if you ask her directly, you'll only get a mischievous, cute smile in response.

Only she knows the real reason.

"...Yu-chan."

Funa murmured softly in the silent snow. The answer to that unsolved mystery was simple for her—it was simply because she had interacted with people of other races and learned that there wasn't such a great difference between races.

Fighting for land and plundering resources are things to think about and worry about after the game is over. As players, all they need to do is enjoy the game and have fun.

"Back then... should I have done everything I could to keep you here...?"

She is no longer some invading king with miraculous gaming skills, nor a genius advisor leading tens of thousands of people in city building and diplomacy; she is just an ordinary girl who misses a certain old friend.

Funa already knows Yunyou's ultimate fate.

This was information conveyed to her by Riku and Shubi. The day Riku and Shubi returned from the final battlefield, Riku's wounds still fully healed, only the leaders of two large tribes, Kron and Funa, who were discussing plans, saw them. At the time, no one knew the two were still alive; everyone assumed they had died on the final battlefield.

She only learned about Yunyou's situation that day, and was shocked to find out.

That day, as Kron forced a smile through her tears and told Riku that she had already tried her best and that she should go on her honeymoon with Xiaoxiu and let her sister handle everything, Funa forced a smile, watched the heartwarming scene before her, and quietly made her exit.