This occurred in the distant past—
A young girl gazed up at the man’s face as he ran, cradling her in his arms.
She hesitated, worried he might notice her staring, but she couldn't pull her eyes away from the person who had rescued her from her prison and brought her into the world.
Suddenly, the man spoke.
"Let’s take a break."
"Yes."
The hem of her dress fluttered as her feet touched the ground.
The warmth of his body, which had supported her until a moment ago, receded. It left her feeling strangely lonely.
"How strange..."
The girl—the one known as the Blighted Princess—couldn’t help but chuckle at herself for missing something so fleeting.
She stood atop a massive shelf of rock that he described as the remnant of a mountain, looking out over a forest that stretched toward the horizon. Unlike the view from the tiny window of her cell, she was stunned by the sheer scale of the world. There were no walls to meet her touch if she reached out her arms; she was surrounded by a vast wilderness that made her realize just how small she truly was.
"Is this the place they call a forest?" she asked him as he stood a few paces away.
To the girl, plants were things that could never be seen up close. Because her power blighted everything near her, she had never seen so many trees. Since she had been imprisoned for as long as she could remember, the only greenery she had ever known were occasional glimpses of a lawn.
The man turned to the Blighted Princess.
"It is. Specifically, this area is known as the Sea of Forest. Once we make it through here, we’ll reach the actual sea—the Elfen Sea."
"The sea... I’ve read about it in books. It’s a puddle so massive that even an infinite number of baths wouldn't fill it, right?"
"A puddle... I suppose that’s one way to put it."
The man who had brought the Blighted Princess this far gave a wry smile, nodding along rather than correcting her. He gazed into the depths of the sprawling woods, his mind seemingly already drifting toward the coast.
"Anyway," he said, "we need to figure out what we’re doing next."
"Next? I’ll be by your side, of course. Is there something else we need to consider?"
"Of course there is. We have to decide how we’re going to live. Do you have any preferences? To be honest, I just grabbed you and ran without any real plan in mind."
When the man admitted this without the slightest hint of shame, the Blighted Princess replied in a faint, slightly weary voice. Even so, she found herself smiling, realizing she didn't actually mind his lack of foresight.
"So you were... unprepared. And you expect to escape my pursuers like that? What were you thinking?"
"Well, I’ll admit, I was so focused on getting you out of there that I didn't think of much else."
"Focused... only on me?"
"That's right. Until just the other day, my only goals were collecting the Three Treasures and getting Milim Altia to forge some magic tools and medicine for me."
Finding that the knowledge of being his top priority wasn't unpleasant at all, the girl turned away, hiding her slightly flushed cheeks from his sight. She feigned composure by pretending to study the distant treeline. The hem of her dress danced in the gentle, cooling breeze.
"Where would you like to live?" he asked.
"Somewhere bright and quiet, I think. I've had more than enough of the dark."
Her request for a quiet place was born of personal taste. The man nodded deeply in agreement and stepped up to stand beside her. The Blighted Princess turned her head further away to hide her profile, but she quickly learned that her resistance was futile.
"I know you're trying to hide it, but I can see that you're blushing."
"Wh—!?"
She whirled back to face him in a panic. Her face was bright red, and she looked more flustered than ever as she glared at him with a mix of embarrassment and adorable indignation.
"I-It’s common courtesy to stay quiet even if you notice something like that!"
"Sorry. I was just so happy it slipped out."
The man laughed and scooped the Blighted Princess up into his arms once more. Surprised by the sudden movement, the girl let out a small, startled cry and looked up at him.
"What is it now?" she asked, still pouting slightly to hide her lingering embarrassment.
"Since our future is settled, we’re going to get supplies. I think we’ve had enough of camping out in the woods for now."
"I see. So, we're going to live in the place we’re heading to?"
"No, that's just for shopping. The city we’re going to is quite the metropolis, so it won't be very quiet. Besides, it’ll be a headache if pursuers catch up, and they likely have allies there. We’ll only stay for a few days."
The man kicked off from the rock, lunging forward with incredible momentum. The Blighted Princess didn't flinch at the sudden headwind; she leaned into the acceleration, trusting herself entirely to his strength. Because of the whistling wind, they had to raise their voices to be heard.
"I don't have any money!" she shouted, airing her most immediate concern.
"I have plenty, so don't worry about it!"
"Are you sure?"
"I'm the one who kidnapped you, so it's my responsibility! Also, I should tell you—I’m planning to meet a friend once we arrive!"
"Okay! I understand! So, where exactly are we going?"
The man answered her with a grin.
"To a massive, beautiful port city!"
This was the world as it existed then, when the Demon King still lived. It was an era when the Seven Heroes were yet in the midst of their legend.