"Earth! What are you doing here?"
She was a truly persistent girl. I had been intentionally trying to avoid her, but Yelena kept following me around, chattering away.
If the guards caught me doing what I was doing now, it would mean summary execution. In a situation like this, the last thing I wanted was to increase the number of witnesses.
"This isn't something kids should know about, so go away."
"Hmph. You're a kid too. Don't be like that, let's play."
"It's time to sleep. If you wake up late because of this, the guards might give you a hard time."
"But you're not sleeping either."
Well... she had a point. Judging by my current physical state, I was probably around ten years old at most.
"I have things to do for tomorrow's work. I'll play with you all you want tomorrow, so go to sleep first."
"Hehe. You promised, okay? Bye then!"
Only after forcing a promise out of me did Yelena finally leave. To think that such an innocent child would grow up into that cold, sharp woman... then again, considering the tragedy she was about to experience here, it was an inevitable transformation.
"Now that the distraction is gone, shall I get to work?"
In my hand was a piece of Originium I had smuggled away from the guards while working. Originium was the cause of the incurable disease known as Oripathy, but before that, it was an excellent source of energy.
If a massacre were to break out in this cave, I needed a means to protect myself. That was why I had to use this mineral to craft a usable weapon.
In this world, one could cast magic—Arts—through weapons made of Originium. However, having just dropped here from Earth, there was no way I could create something as grand as an Arts Unit.
Creating modern firearms was also out of the question. I had no gunpowder, and even if I did, I didn't know how to make them.
In the end, the conclusion I reached was a blade. The greatest merit was that even without specialized knowledge, there were no issues with the basic construction.
Tack—. Tack—.
I struck the Originium with the blade of a pickaxe designed for labor. I had to be careful with the angle to make the edge as sharp as possible.
"Ouch!"
I was occasionally scratched by flying fragments. It would have been much better if I had protective gear like gloves. Damn it, the guards here didn't even provide the bare minimum of safety equipment.
"If I've been wounded by Originium, I guess I'm officially a terminal patient now."
But what did it matter? If I didn't do this, I was going to die right now anyway. The sword of a guard standing before my eyes was far more terrifying than Oripathy, which might kill me at some unknown time in the future.
After a long time, I managed to create several Originium blades. Far from being sharp, they were mostly crude. If I had to compare them, they were at the level of Paleolithic stone tools.
"Still, it's better than nothing."
I tucked one into my clothes and buried the rest by digging into the ground. If I were caught carrying a large amount, I'd be sent straight to the abyss, so concealment was necessary.
And the day to dig these up came sooner than expected.
-----
"Grandmother... Papa... Mama..."
Yelena was crying. Ten days had passed since the terrifying soldiers threw her into this place.
Her family had left her side. The soldiers treated their lives like insects, killing them without a second thought.
"That little brat is quite the looker."
"Forget it. If she's working in a mine like this, she's probably Infected."
"Who cares about her being Infected? She's just a kid who's going to be a corpse soon anyway!"
They guffawed loudly, their laughter echoing through the cave. Yelena could do nothing but huddle in the corner of the cavern.
"Look at this? Hey! You think we're going to let you go just because you're acting like that?"
With the rough grip of an adult male, she was thrown back out in front of them.
"It's useless to try and run. All the laborers here are going to die anyway. We've decided to close this mine as of today. We can't let pests like you loose in society, can we?"
As she listened, screams erupted from all around. They were familiar voices—the voices of the elderly laborers who had looked after her.
"No...!"
"It's too late. And it's your turn to meet the same fate soon."
A soldier drew his sword. It was a weapon more than sufficient to kill a young girl. Yelena trembled in helplessness.
"Whoa, whoa. Put the sword away, friend."
"You crazy bastard... you're actually going to do it?"
"Of course. She's just the right age. No reason not to."
"Sigh... don't come crying to me if you catch Oripathy. I'll be busy dealing with the others."
""Me too.""
The group of soldiers scattered to find other prey. There were many other laborers to catch besides this young girl.
Besides, they had no loyalty to stay and watch the disgusting sight of him preying on a child.
For Yelena, this wasn't exactly lucky. The number of soldiers had decreased, but it was clear that her opponent was far stronger.
Moreover, his gaze was somehow sinister. An ominous feeling crept up her spine.
"Now then, let's see how you tas—Gack?!"
However, his vile desires did not last long. It was because of a stone that flew from somewhere. The stone had a slight edge, and as a result, it tore through his uniform and wounded him.
"Damn it! Who is it! Which bastard dares to strike a soldier like me!"
"A soldier is only called a soldier when they act like one. Fuck. Do you call a bastard trying to assault a minor a soldier?"
It was a very familiar voice. It was unmistakably the voice of the boy her age who had helped her when she couldn't do anything on her first day of labor.
"Earth?"
"Dammit... this wasn't the plan. I was originally going to just run away. It's your fault."
The look Earth gave her seemed somewhat resentful, yet at the same time, relieved.
"What are you just standing there for? Instead of watching, hurry up and run!"
"No... but what about you?"
"What about me? It's do or die."
"You're spouting nonsense. Pretty arrogant for a brat."
Having tended to his wound in the meantime, the Ursus soldier drew his sword from the scabbard at his waist. The bluish blade boasted a sharpness that looked like it would cut at the slightest touch.
In contrast, Earth held only a small stone in his hand, not even the size of a dagger. It had an edge of its own, but it was pathetic compared to the soldier's sword.
And Yelena... she couldn't run. Overwhelming terror held her legs in place.
The death of her family, the crisis of nearly losing her life and virtue, and now the boy's sacrifice. It was a burden too heavy for an ordinary girl to bear.
She could only watch blankly as the fight between the boy and the soldier began.
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