Conquered fantasy world

Chapter 9: Survivor

Under the dim moonlit.

Mirai stirred in his arms, seeking more warmth.

Her grip tightened—as if afraid he might disappear again.

A small smile slowly curved her lips, soothed by the familiar warmth she had missed for so long…

Until her gaze drifted to his left arm.

'Is that… blood?'

Her heart lurched.

Hesitantly, she reached out, fingers brushing the fabric that concealed it so well. Carefully, she pulled it back.

And froze.

His hand was broken.

Limp.

Twisted—grotesquely disfigured.

Before she could look closer, the arm was gently pulled away.

Marfin withdrew his hand.

"H-how… did that happen?"

The question slipped from her dry lips.

She noticed it then—her brother squirming slightly, deliberately avoiding her gaze.

"What are you hiding from Mirai?" she asked softly.

The change was immediate.

He grew even more uneasy.

Weird…

Something like this had never happened before. Even when he didn't want to explain something, he would still talk to her.

Then..

She heard Voices.

Real voices.

Just like the ones she and her brother used.

"DAMN, kid! Why the hell did you leave us behind?! You think we know where your home is?"

An angry voice.

She didn't understand all the words—but she understood the tone.

Moments later, unfamiliar figures entered her vision.

A one-armed man.

And behind him...a fat man.

Bad people.

Everything begin to make sense.

No one was supposed to be here.

This was their home.

Only hers and her brother's.

Yet somehow..

two strangers had appeared.

Her brother was injured...Badly.

'Were they hunting him…

Just like Brother hunts goblins?'

Her small hands clenched.

'They hurt Brother.'

Her chest burned.

How dare they…

How dare they hurt my brother?

"Oi, kid! What the hell are you doing just sitting there?" Ryden asked, visibly confused.

The boy had bolted ahead midway through the path—and now he sat motionless on frost-scarred ground, even after Elfrez Eniyon had given him a fresh shirt.

Ryden approached cautiously.

"What?" he scoffed. "Still not talking? Seriously...what did I ever do to you, kid?"

He took another step.

-CRACK!

A massive pillar of ice erupted from the ground directly in front of him, missing his face by less than a hair's breadth.

Ryden froze.

"M-magic…?"

A bead of sweat slid down his temple and splashed onto the frozen earth.

Magic.

Something only humans were capable of!

That was common sense.

Beastfolk weren't compatible with the mana saturating the world. To them, mana was closer to miasma—if it entered their bodies untreated…

death was inevitable.

Yet that little girl had just used magic of that caliber.

And worse...

she hadn't even used an incantation.

Impossible.

Ryden's thoughts spiraled.

'Didn't that kid use magic too?'

'Gravity magic… wasn't that it?'

At first, he'd assumed it was an artifact.

But now, looking closely..

There was nothing.

No enchanted tool.

No relic.

No hidden catalyst.

Just a new shirt.

Tattered pants.

And raccoon-like ears and a tail that gave off no magical residue whatsoever.

Then how…?

How were they doing it?

Not one..

but both siblings?

"What are you?" Ryden asked cautiously, drawing his sword.

"Ryden…?" Elfrez frowned. "Why are you taking a stance?"

Unlike him, Elfrez was an ordinary denizen of the Demiplane. Magic among beastfolk was unheard of—but drawing a blade against their savior violated everything he believed as a merchant.

"Mr. Elfrez," Ryden said firmly, never taking his eyes off Marfin's back, "stay behind me."

His grip tightened.

"You cannot fathom what kinds of beings exist in this world. Caution and humility are the only reasons our kind has survived in a place this mysterious."

He stepped forward.

"Speak, kid," Ryden demanded.

"How do you use magic?"

"Shit!"

Marfin tightened his hold as Mirai's body went limp.

Her weight sagged heavily against him.

The last outburst had drained everything she had left.

Shit… shit… shit.

Now what?

I thought I could dodge their questions...feed them some half-assed excuse, play dumb, brush it off once they noticed I could use magic without artifacts.

Maybe that would've worked.

But now?

After they'd seen Mirai use null-incantation ice magic?

Of course not.

Even I wouldn't believe any explanation without testing it myself.

Testing…

No.

I'd rather die than let Mirai step into that hellhole.

Tsk..

Why does it always come to this...every damn time?

Why are people so greedy?

Humans.

Beastfolk.

Elves.

Dwarves.

Even angels.

All the same—greedy for the rare, the abnormal, the things that stir their buried desires.

And Mirai is supposed to be that something.

I understand it.

I really do.

But turning Mirai into an experiment?

That will never happen.

Cradling her closer, Marfin inhaled deeply… then exhaled.

A new resolve settled across his face.

"Can't we just pretend none of this ever happened?" he said quietly. "You didn't see anything. We go on with whatever we planned before."

"Pretend?" Ryden scoffed. "That's not how this works, kid."

His grip tightened.

"I've already lost too many allies protecting Mr. Elfrez. You think I'd gamble again—with our lives?"

"I promise you," Marfin replied evenly, "we're not a threat. If I meant you harm, I wouldn't have jumped in to save you."

"And that," Ryden said coldly, "is precisely why my blade hasn't taken your head yet."

He stepped closer, sword leveled.

"I'm grateful. Truly. But the unknown is dangerous—and you've gone from an annoying brat to an unknown entity."

Another step.

"I'll conduct a swift inspection," he said. "Stay still. Don't move."

"Inspection?" Marfin laughed bitterly. "Do you hear yourself, you hypocrite? You want to inspect us with a sword—while we're unarmed?"

"You can't blame me," Ryden replied calmly. "I fear the unknown."

His gaze didn't waver.

"Those who walk cautiously are the ones who survive."

"Survive…"

Marfin's voice was quiet.

"In the end, we're both trying to survive," he said. "But do you know where the difference lies?"

He turned—not to face Ryden, but to look past him.

"You want to survive your hypocrisy."

His arms tightened around Mirai. With practiced care, he supported her using his broken arm while his good hand cradled her head, fingers brushing gently through her hair.

"And I want to survive something obvious."

His expression was calm.

Too calm.

The calm of someone who had already endured horrors far worse than this.

"Gravity," he muttered.

The ground trembled.

The air screamed as nearby trees tore free from their roots, rising skyward. Soil, leaves, and debris spiraled violently upward.

He finally met Ryden's eyes.

"Take one more step," Marfin said evenly,

"and I will kill you."