Chapter 5

Miyu, a bit serious, was in deep thought.

She had realized a very troublesome situation.

She didn't want to realize it, but why did she have to remember it now? And why did Adalbert bring her to this village at this time? And why were the bandits attacking the village at this time?

She needed to calm down. She had to think calmly. This wasn't something she could easily talk about. After all, if she said, "This village will be completely destroyed by a landslide next month☆," wouldn't she end up in the same situation as before? Wouldn't she be caught by the Overlord and given a position as a strategist that she didn't want?

She would rather keep silent.

However, Adalbert, who seemed to have sensed something from her reaction, grinned and looked at her. It was as if he was saying, "You're planning to make some interesting prophecy, aren't you? Spit it out." But that wasn't it. She was flustered because she remembered something she didn't want to.

"Miyu"

"…I need some time to think. In the meantime, you can talk to the village chief or deal with the bandits."

"Alright. But you have to tell me later, okay?"

"I don't want to, but if I don't, you'll be a nuisance, so I'll tell you when I'm ready."

Even though she was reluctant, Adalbert laughed heartily and ruffled her hair with his large, furry hand. He called one of the guards he knew and entrusted her to him. Then, laughing, he led the majority of the guards to the village chief's house.

She felt heavy-hearted. Very heavy-hearted. How did it come to this...

"…Is there something you noticed?"

"It's not that I noticed, but that I remembered. I'll explain later, Rainer."

"I don't need an explanation, but you should explain to His Majesty."

"…Okay."

Rainer, who smiled gently, was a dog-type beastman. He had a golden retriever-like appearance. He was large for a dog, but his calm and gentle personality was reflected in his face, making him not intimidating. He was one of the veteran guards who was with her when she was kidnapped by Adalbert. He was about ten years older than Adalbert, currently in his mid-thirties, a prime age for a man.

The other guard who had been extremely hostile towards her that day was now with Adalbert, so she didn't mind. He was a serious and stern person who didn't like her behavior. To a man who was loyal to the king, she was an existence that made his stomach hurt with anger. He was a wolf-type beastman, loyal to the pack.

Getting off track, what was troubling her now was the fact that this village would be destroyed by a landslide next month. The direct cause was a sudden heavy rain, common in June. The mountain couldn't hold the large amount of rain, the ground became loose, and it resulted in a landslide. It was difficult to go against nature...

However, human factors were also involved in the landslide in this village.

The main industry of this village was forestry, and a large order for timber came from the city.

To meet the deadline, they even sold trees that were still growing. They needed to survive. They were just doing business to support their lives. The ground should have been fine with the usual amount of rain. However, their prediction was wrong, and a month's worth of rain fell in just one night, causing a landslide and the complete destruction of the Tolfay village without a single survivor.

If she followed her conscience, she should tell Adalbert about this and ask him to take some measures. Reinforce the area with sandbags, bring trees from elsewhere and plant them, and so on. She wasn't very familiar with the civil engineering of this world, but with the strength of the beastmen, they could probably do most things.

From the perspective of protecting human lives, it was a very natural reaction. However, there was a reason why she hesitated for a moment.

Would this be a significant alteration of history?

The sudden heavy rain that hit the Arrosa mountain, and the landslide that caused the complete destruction of the Tolfay village. This unfortunate accident had historical significance. Learning from this accident, Adalbert began to investigate the landslide situation nationwide. As a result, areas prone to collapse were reinforced, and measures were taken to divert water from areas with poor drainage, leading to a dramatic reduction in landslides in the Galleria Empire. This was a turning point.

What would happen to the future if this accident was prevented by her "prophecy"?

The recent attack by the mercenary group wasn't a significant event, so she prioritized saving lives. She didn't think it would change the course of history. However, this time was different. This was a major alteration, and she didn't know what impact it would have on this world.

She wanted to save them if she could. But if her hasty conclusion caused the future to change, and if the thousands of lives that were supposed to be protected permanently were put in danger instead of the dozens of people she saved in front of her now?

No way! She couldn't bear such a burden!

A college student (a fujoshi) couldn't do such a thing. She didn't want to bear such a heavy burden. She couldn't. She couldn't endure it. No, no, no. No matter what anyone said, she couldn't take that responsibility! She might even be erased by something that adjusted the world's logic! She didn't want that!

"What are you so seriously troubled about?"

"…It's a matter of my resolve, I guess?"

"Resolve, you say?"

"I'm just a girl who Adalbert made a strategist on a whim. I can't bear such a burden, and I can't do something as terrifying as changing history or the future."

She smiled lightly at the worried Rainer. She hoped he would think it was a silly worry of a foolish girl. If he took it seriously, it would be quite exhausting.

However, for some reason, Rainer's eyes changed to a look of respect. What? Why? Then, his eyes changed to a look of sympathy. What? Why???

"Instead of worrying about trivial things, just talk."

"Adalbert!?"

Adalbert appeared suddenly. He must have finished talking to the village chief, and the soldiers he had brought for protection were running towards the mountain. Ah, he entrusted the bandit hunt to them. And he came to her, who had been on his mind...

...Rainer's sympathetic gaze was because of him, wasn't it?

"I don't want to. I don't want to say it. I haven't made up my mind yet, so I don't want to. I want to run away."

"You can't run from me."

"...Yeah, I know."

The moment she tried to run, Adalbert grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up so that their faces were at the same height. She was floating. Ah, she wasn't heavy, but he lifted her so easily, which was really scary. No, it was scary because he was a lion-type beastman. Dogs, cats, and rabbits didn't have that much strength.

"Stop blabbering. Give me the prophecy."

"What I give is knowledge, not a prophecy, you idiot."

"To us, that's a prophecy."

He said it with a straight face.

Ah, but that's right. She knew the future of this world, or a world similar to this one. To her, it was knowledge, but to them, it was a prophecy.

Look, the danger of altering history is right here. There are dangers associated with time travel, like time paradoxes and time loops. Even if it's different from that, she was in a similar situation. She might be caught by the time patrol.

...No, this might be a different world, so she probably wouldn't be caught, right?

"Miyu"

She was called by a quiet voice. It wasn't her name, but since her name had never been pronounced correctly since she fell into this world, she recognized "Miyu" as her name. She didn't want to get used to it, but...

...There was no choice. She had to make up her mind.

"Next month is the rainy season, right?"

"Yeah."

"There's a possibility of the heaviest rain in recent years."

"So?"

Adalbert frowned at her roundabout way of speaking. He was telling her to speak clearly. It was painful to read his expression so easily.

"The sudden heavy rain will cause the Arrosa mountain to collapse, and the Tolfay village will be completely destroyed."

It was a momentary thing to say it out loud. Adalbert and Rainer were wide-eyed. No one else was there. That's why she said it. These two knew that she could say something out of the blue. That's why she could say it. But...

But what to do next? Adalbert wouldn't abandon the people in danger. He would definitely try to prevent it. He would come up with a way to prevent it. There was still a month. The possibility of preventing it was high. She knew he was that kind of man.

But wouldn't that mean she was distorting the history of this world?

A chill ran down her spine. She was just a foreigner, an outsider in this world. Yet, she was trying to determine an important event in this world. She had no right, no authority. She was trying to distort the "correct" history that was supposed to continue in this world.

Her face was probably pale. She was scared. She was very scared. She was just a college student. She couldn't bear such a heavy responsibility. She didn't want to. One might think she shouldn't have spoken at all. But she wanted to say it.

She wanted to tell Adalbert and ask him to do something. She didn't want to see this village, where people were living and laughing normally, be cruelly destroyed in a month. She didn't want to see the children running around, the men working in the fields, the women bringing in the laundry, being crushed by the mud and dying. Because she was just a commoner. If she knew that the people in front of her were going to die, she would want to cry out for help.

And there was a man in front of her who could save them.

"...Let's talk about the details at the village chief's house. We'll come up with a plan."

"Adalbert"

"I don't know what you're afraid of. But I'll take the responsibility. Don't forget, you're the strategist, and I'm the king."

"...Yeah. Adalbert, you're so cool."

"Flatter me more."

"No. If I flatter you, you'll get cocky. And put me down already."

She didn't want to say thank you. If she said it, she would have completely used Adalbert. She didn't want that. No matter how much she shouted "thank you" in her heart, she wouldn't say it out loud. It was probably her small pride.

Whether he knew it or not, Adalbert was his usual self. He started walking with her still in his grip. He didn't put her down. She spent the short distance to the village chief's house complaining. Adalbert just responded with light-hearted remarks as usual.

Still, her sincere wish was to save the lives that could be saved.

Sometimes, a serious story is good.

Well, it's more like a serial, isn't it?

It's okay. It won't be serious for long.