After taking a brief look around the building, Nagi and Saya left the Garden behind. Just as she had said, there wasn’t much of value within. The only objects worth anything were too bulky to carry out, like large furniture.
Nagi pointed out her white clothes stood out too much and were too thin to go through the forest, so Saya brought along a somewhat oversized ocher hooded overcoat. It had belonged to the guard and was quite valuable considering the noble family crest embroidered on its lining, but it was spoiled by all the blood on it. Saya didn’t seem to mind the blood as she put it on.
The boots they had nicked off the guard’s corpse were too big for her, but after packing them with cloth, she could walk in them without any problems. Nagi was worried whether the dainty-looking Saya could walk through the forest, but she kept up with him surprisingly well. On the contrary, Nagi was the one slowing them down because of his wounds. Having said that, they weren’t so bad that he needed to stop.
The return journey was long, but after a few hours, they came out of the forest and onto the second ring road just as the sun was rising. Saya found it blindingly bright and tugged her hood over her eyes.
“I’ve only ever bathed under the sunlight through the glass.”
Ever, she had said. Perhaps Saya had been in that building longer than Nagi had imagined. But he didn’t have the time to dwell on it. The pain and fatigue he was feeling were horrible. He had lost too much blood. It was difficult for him to think of anything other than getting back and falling asleep.
“It’s just a little farther to the village, so hang in there,” he said.
Saya was far more energetic than he was, though. “So beautiful,” she said as she gazed at the scenery painted by the morning glow, regardless of how bright she found it.
Fields stretched out from the road where lush wheat swayed in the wind. Wheat grew quickly and could be harvested several times a year, so this type of crop was cultivated all over Agartha.
It was a blessing bestowed upon them by the Intelligence. The land of Agartha was surrounded by a circle of enormous mountains, but there was nothing beyond them. The land, the crops, all of this had been given to them by the Intelligence.
“It’s a plain old wheat field.”
“I’ve never seen one before. Or maybe I saw one long ago but have forgotten now.”
“Hmm. Oh, by the way, keep your hood on and don’t talk until we get to my house. There’ll be trouble if they find out you’re a girl.”
As Strano Village finally appeared on the horizon, Nagi focused as he threw Saya some vague instructions.
Now then, how to dodge the question about Saya? he thought to himself as they walked toward the village.
Suddenly, a voice called out to him. “Nagi! Where’ve you been?” It was Nerthe, a villager who was about the same age as Nagi. “I didn’t hear anything about you skipping the festival to go hunting. You should’ve called me.”
Hearing this, Nagi was relieved; his absence apparently hadn’t become a serious matter.
“So, who’s that?” Nerthe asked.
“Just someone I met while out hunting. Well, a lot happened.”
Nagi’s explanation wasn’t really an explanation at all. Saya lightly bowed her head while still wearing her hood low over her eyes.
“Sorry about the festival. Was the chief pissed?”
“Not at all. He didn’t have time for that. The village is going nuts over a ghost.”
“A ghost?”
“Seems like Jozu saw a dead person walking around or something, so he’s been making a fuss.”
“Hmm, whose ghost?”
“Dunno. The chief went pale and took Jozu away when he heard it... Things turned weird, so the festival is done. This year was basically just the blood offering itself. It was super boring.”
Nagi realized this had to do with Keele. Someone had seen him. There were those in the village who truly believed he was dead.
Nerthe then took a close look at Saya beneath her hood. “A girl?”
“Y-Yes,” Saya blurted.
It was too late by the time Nagi noticed. Saya realized her own mistake immediately after. Nerthe began yelling upon hearing her feminine voice.
“Dammit! Really?! That’s so unfair! That’s what you meant by hunting?! You went to another village’s festival to hook up with girls?!”
Nerthe’s interpretation was somewhat unexpected, but Nagi decided to leave it at that. It was better than the truth: that he had killed a noble and brought the girl who was being held captive along with him.
“Sorry. Hey, keep it a secret, will you?”
“Only if you introduce me to another girl. That’s my condition.”
“Fine.”
So he said, but Nagi didn’t have anyone to introduce him to.
“Deal. Honestly, I’m finding it pretty hard to forgive you, but get home and start flirting already. Gah! What a pain!”
Setting aside Nerthe, who started mumbling, “Why only you?” to himself with downcast eyes, Nagi turned to Saya.
“Let’s leave this guy be.”
Saya silently nodded back. She was apparently reflecting on her earlier mistake.
By the time they arrived at the entrance of Strano Village, the sun was high up in the sky and the villagers were already up and about. Nagi had wanted to sneak back in during the night if possible, but it was way too late for that.
The person he least wanted to see right now was standing before him. It was the village chief, Badrino. He was the oldest person in the village at twenty-five. His skin was like the bark of a dead tree, covered in deep wrinkles. His voice was hoarse and his eyes were hazy. He had aged considerably. Having said that, his mind was still sound, and he commanded the respect of the entire village.
“What’s this about you missing the festival? Even if you’re not responsible for the blood offering this year, you should still be present.”
“No, I... Erm...”
“Besides, who’s this you’ve brought back with you?”
Nagi needed to think of an excuse for not participating in the village festival and for bringing Saya along. He couldn’t figure out an answer to either of these problems himself, so he decided to use Nerthe’s misunderstanding.
“I went to another festival and met her there. I mean, it’s about time I start thinking about this kind of stuff, right?”
Currently, there were a few more young men in the village than women. It was guaranteed some would be left without partners, which was a bit of an annoyance for Badrino. Naturally, Nagi was one of them. He had realized a while ago that the girls of the village avoided him for some reason. It had all started when Keele vanished.
“Is that so? Where’d she come from, though?”
Nagi mentioned the name of a village that wasn’t unnaturally far away. It wasn’t at a distance which he could visit frequently, but it was still within the range of a day trip. It would eventually become apparent that a girl named Saya had never existed there, but it would be enough to fool the chief for now. Saya kept up her silence all the while.