Episode 6 In a Distant World

So, where the hell are we and which way do we go to find the people?

　Setsuna asked Azumaria, who was probably in the back, in a loud voice after she had screamed a lot.

　The tears must have been shed. The reservoir of tears must have dried up. That's how much I cried, how much I wept. I screamed and shouted. By doing so, he thought he had made a break with his former world. He decided not to cry over his hometown anymore. There was no time to dwell on the past forever.

　The reality of another world was spreading in front of him. Crying and screaming will not change anything. If I can't go home, I have to go on. She's right.

　Go forward.

　We have to move forward, even if it's just one step.

　As Setsuna waited for Azumaria's response, she slowly inhaled the air. Under the clear sky, the air was light. There was a sense of freedom that she could not have imagined in the dense forest. My heart also felt light, perhaps because I had shed the burden of tears.

"...?

　Setsuna suddenly realized that Azmaria's reply was slow, and looked back behind where she was supposed to be. She was shocked.

There's nothing there!

　In front of him, the beautiful woman who was supposed to be there just a moment ago was gone, and all he could see were the traces of destruction caused by the explosion. The crimson woman was nowhere to be seen in the huge crater-shaped explosion. A conspicuous woman. She should have been recognizable even from a distance. But she was nowhere to be found.

　Setsuna was dismayed, but then she immediately thought back. It was not that she had been abandoned. She must have her own ideas. It didn't necessarily help Setsuna, and she might have really abandoned him.

'You really are a selfish woman.

　I'm not sure why I summoned her and then left her there.

　He knew there was no point in complaining, but he had no choice but to complain about this treatment. In his own defense, he sighed.

　Let's just say it's okay that I was summoned to an unknown forest in an unknown world. It's also not good, but it's the worst, but it's okay. As Azmaria had said, it must have been my own will that I agreed to the summoning. She had opened the door with her own hands. I can only agree with that.

　The problem was Azmaria's act of not giving him even a shred of information about this world, and then throwing him out into the forest where the Imperial Demon Oma was stirring. I don't think this is possible. At the very least, she could have given us some information about the area around this forest, or even accompanied us until we got out of the forest.

　No, isn't it normal for a summoner to give orders to their summoned object?

　However, she said Setsuna was free. She said that she had the right to choose her path, and that even Azmaria could not stop her.

(What does that mean?

　I held my head in my hands.

　This means that everything should be decided by Setsuna. Where to go, what to do, how to live, how to die. I guess I'm supposed to decide that. My head started to hurt just thinking about it. I had never thought about such things before in my life. I had lived my life wishing only for my mother's happiness.

　And yet, I was being asked to think about my own way of life.

　And this was a different world. I didn't know anyone, and I didn't know what the situation was. The only thing I know is that there are monsters living here, but there is no use in knowing that.

　Setsuna sighed. Even if I think about it, I can't get anywhere. It was obvious that she would just keep going in circles.

　He decided to get out of there anyway. There is nothing more foolish than waiting around for something to disappear without saying anything. I could have shouted at him, but that would have only consumed time and energy in vain. Time, however, is finite.

　It's not resignation, but rather an overwhelming sense of defeat, Setsuna looked around. He was the only one in the forest that had been blasted by the battle with the Imperial Demon - a huge crater. There was no sign of birds or beasts, not even a hint of the Imperial Demon.

　It was only natural. Even though the silence had returned, there had been an explosion that had changed the terrain. Even Setsuna knew that many animals had been caught up in it. No one likes to be near the center of such destruction.

　Setsuna looked out over the forest that surrounded the perimeter of the crater and sighed once again.

Where am I supposed to go?

　Forest, forest, forest, forest - everywhere she looked, the scenery was the same. I didn't know how big this forest was, and I had no idea how to get out of it. Of course, this was a strange forest in a strange world. It was only natural that he didn't know.

　Still, he headed out of the crater. He didn't know how far the forest outside the hypocenter stretched, but he had to get out. The only way to do that was not to go deeper into the forest.

Now, which is the right answer?

　Setsuna walked forward aimlessly.

　Leaving the hypocenter, she stepped into the forest in the true sense of the word.

　The darkness of the forest was dominated by a somber silence. There was a strangeness to it, as if even the animals and insects that had escaped danger were forced to remain silent. The heavy silence was so sticky that it seemed to stick to Setsuna's entire body. I don't know what it is about this forest that makes it so, whether there is some kind of power at work, or whether this is just the way forests are, Setsuna couldn't tell.

　The area was covered with dense trees. There was no path that looked like a road. There was barely anything that looked like a beast path, but that was probably a blessing in disguise. The animal path might have led to the outside world. There was no proof, but there was nothing else to rely on.

　There was no sign of the imperial demon that had attacked us earlier. Perhaps it was the effect of the previous battle. Perhaps the storm of destruction created by the black pike had kept the monsters away. I'm grateful if they've realized that attacking us will only result in a fightback. I don't want to waste my energy until we get out of the forest.

　We didn't know how far it was to the outside of the forest, and we didn't know what would happen. It was best to conserve her strength.

　The contraption had disappeared before I knew it. There was no way that Azmaria had taken it anywhere. She had been holding it the whole time Setsuna had been screaming. But after he stopped crying, I noticed that it had disappeared.

　There were no more shadows or shapes.

　Perhaps he had returned to his own world.

　According to Azumaria, the Black Pike is a weapon summoned from another world. A weapon only for Setsuna. A summoned armament.

　It seemed natural to me that something summoned from another world would return to its proper place after fulfilling its role. It might be a game-like thinking. A picture of the summoned object attacking the enemy and leaving came to my mind. The black contraption had appeared in response to Setsuna's summons, fulfilled its role, and returned.

"...?

　Setsuna suddenly stopped in her tracks. In the forest. The countless branches and leaves were intricately folded together to form a green roof. A few rays of sunshine filtered through the trees, pouring down like a rain of light into the darkness of the forest.

(I'm ...?)

　If the contraption is able to return to the original world by its own will, what about Setsuna?

　Azumaria said that her "gate" is a one-way street, and it is difficult to identify the world where Setsuna was from among the many other worlds, making it nearly impossible for her to return.

　However, the paragon summoned by Setsuna returned without difficulty. There were no obstacles, no restrictions, and it seemed to have easily returned to its original world.

　I'm not sure what to make of it.

(Can you return to ...?)

　It's not impossible that there is a possibility.

　The contraption has probably returned to the world where it belongs. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to get back to your own world. Setsuna, too, may be able to return to her own world somehow.

(How did you get to ...?)

　How did the contraption manage to locate the original world and even travel between worlds? In the first place, we don't know whether the contraption itself returned by its own will or not.

　Perhaps.

(Did the world call him back?)

　There is a possibility that the world to which the contraption belongs has called back the contraption that fulfilled the role of summoning it. It's a speculation based on the process that if the world has a will and the power to restore what belongs to its own world is at work.

　If that's the case, it's only natural that Setsuna, unlike the black paragon, can't return home. If she has not fulfilled the role for which she was summoned, there is no way she can return. There is no reason for the world to call her back.

"My role is ...?

　Setsuna mumbled, dumbfounded.

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