However, Virgo clearly was not on the moon at the moment. She was in some sort of wilderness.
“Could Dina be near here for some reason?”
If Dina moved, the place Virgo would be sent to would, of course, also follow suit, since the bracelet was locked onto Dina’s coordinates.
Virgo, who was level 1000, could fly to the moon herself if she wanted to, but that idea didn’t sit too well with her. Lufas, and others like her, would fly through space like it was nothing, but Virgo still felt hesitant about trying that stunt.
For now, let’s just try looking for Dina.
With that in mind, Virgo decided to explore the area. After some time spent walking, her bracelet finally reacted, showing her the way. As she followed the direction the bracelet was leading her, Virgo eventually came upon a small cave.
Why is Dina in a place like this...? Virgo wondered, deciding to just enter for the moment. When she did, she found a mysterious figure sitting at the rear end of the cave.
“Um... Dina?”
When Virgo called out to the figure, it suddenly shuddered in surprise. This caused Virgo to take a step back and pause for a moment.
“Who are you? How did you get here? This place should have a barrier blocking recognition cast on it...” the figure said, cautious.
The voice, which seemed slightly afraid, was not Dina’s. It was undoubtedly a man’s. It was also clear that this man was what Virgo’s bracelet was reacting to. Since the bracelet should have only reacted to Dina, it should have followed that the figure was Dina, but there was no way this person wasn’t male.
Is it broken...? Virgo wondered as she glanced back at the man once again.
What Virgo saw when she looked at him was a face that was a work of art, so beautiful and proportional that the word “graceful” could not do it justice. His hair, which was long enough to reach his waist, was a golden color, and his blue eyes shined in the darkness. Though his face looked younger than what was likely his real age, he was beautiful enough to pass for a girl with the right clothes. Even so, he was chiseled and manly in the opposite way to Sei. This man had a high-bridged nose and sharp eyes, but that didn’t mean he had a wild air about him, like Leon. Rather, this person seemed quiet and refined. He was so beautiful and his countenance so divine that Virgo thought this was what Lufas would have looked like if she were a man...
However, gloom marred his beauty. The man was obviously weakened, with sunken cheeks and a general layer of grime on him. He wore only rags, making him look much more wretched and dirty compared to his underlying looks.
“Um, are you okay? Are you stranded here...or something...?” Virgo asked.
“Stranded...? I suppose you could say that,” he said. “It has been quite a while since I’ve heard a human voice.”
“That’s terrible! Then let’s get you to a town right away!”
The nearest town was probably still a long ways away, but Virgo could carry him and be there in no time at all. Even if she went slower so as not to put stress on his frame, she was still confident she could find a settlement within a few minutes.
However, the man held out a hand and gently rebuffed Virgo’s suggestion.
“Towns are... Towns are no good. I might be found.”
“Found? Are you being chased?”
“Yeah, that’s right,” he said. “I’ve been chased for an overwhelmingly long time, during which I have continuously been running and hiding. They might have forgotten about me by now, but if they haven’t and they find me, they’ll dispose of me like a pest.”
The first thought Virgo had was, Did this person do something bad to deserve getting chased like this? She couldn’t think of any other reason why he would have been running for so long. That thought must have shown on her face, as the man suddenly laughed.
“You seem to have the wrong idea. I am not a criminal.”
“Ah, sorry! Um...” Virgo trailed off.
“It’s fine. Anyone would think like that after seeing how I look.”
The man smiled as he spoke. It had surely been a long time since he’d spoken to anyone. His face said that he was an intellectual, but it also still held that childlike curiosity hidden within.
“Um... Is there anything that I can do for you?” asked Virgo.
“You’re kind, aren’t you? To say that to someone like me, whom you’ve never met before. Let’s see then... If it’s all right with you, would you share something to eat with me? It has been a long while since I’ve eaten human food. And if you have something to wear, that’d be great as well...”
Saying that, the man produced something from his pocket. It was a coin made out of gold. However, Virgo had never seen the coin before. What country’s currency is that?
“I don’t know if this is still in use, but...it is made of gold. I don’t know the current market value of gold either, but if you melt it down and sell it, it should be worth something. If it’s not enough, tell me.”
“No, this should be more than enough... But...which country’s money is this?”
“I wonder...” The man paused. “Sorry, but I can’t remember the name.”
“Hmm... Okay then, I’ll go buy some food and clothes for you with this. Ah, I’ll make sure to return the change to you as well.”
“I don’t mind if you just keep the change.”
“That won’t do! Doing things like that is not good!”
Forcing favors on someone and then taking more than what was needed was not a good thing. When Virgo insisted upon this, the man once again laughed mirthfully.
“Ah, okay, I understand. Then I will gladly take the change later.”
Virgo took the coin of unknown age and providence from the man and was about to leave before she seemed to remember something and turned back. Oh yeah. I still haven’t heard his name.
“Excuse me. What’s your name? Mine is Virgo.”
“My name, huh...? I have not spoken it since my name was taken from me...”
What a strange thing to say, Virgo thought. Taken? What does that mean?
However, it seemed to Virgo that he had his own circumstances to consider, and since this was their first meeting, she felt that it might be rude to pry too far. So, Virgo decided not to pry further.
“Sanieve... Yes, my parents called me Sanieve,” the man said as his eyes took on a faraway look, suggesting that he was reminiscing about the past.
That was Virgo’s first time meeting Sanieve, a man with a mysterious air about him.