Nameless Ones (1)

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Rank – Extra (Scenario Weight 0.02%)

Role – Mountain Village Resident 1

Script – [Farmer. Takes a walk in the forest at a set time.]

Dialogue – None

"Oh my, so embarrassing!"

A plainly dressed village resident exclaimed abruptly and quickly headed out of the cave.

'Huh?'

I objectively assessed how we must look right now. In a damp cave, two almost naked adult men. We certainly looked like weirdos. But at least we were wearing pants… Couldn't that count for something?

"Wait a moment!"

Anyway, I couldn't just let this person we fortunately encountered in the wild slip away. I hastily shouted while thinking I needed to resolve our lack of clothing first, so I hurriedly put on my clothes. I patted Leonardo's back, signaling him that there was no need to be alarmed. Only then did he also start to pick up and put on his clothes.

While we were doing this, Vittorio quickly ran out ahead and started persuading the village resident. Vittorio calmly explained our situation. His experience of always playing the leader and representing us to adults shone through. The child's clothes were small, so they had already dried overnight, and he was dressed properly like a civilized person, which seemed to lessen the resident's suspicion.

"We got caught in the rain…"

"Oh, because of that downpour yesterday?"

The resident, now seemingly calm, approached with a sigh of relief. Nice job, Vittorio. I cleared my throat and quickly spoke in a friendly manner.

"We were chased by a pack of monsters and ran frantically until we reached this remote place. We didn't expect to meet anyone here."

"I didn't expect to find anyone here either…"

"Is there a village nearby?"

"There is, but it's a very small village. Not many people live there."

Hmm, it might be difficult to get help for Rilke or find a map to El Dante. Still, I'm glad we can escape the forest on the first day of being stranded.

While I worked hard to make a good impression and shed our half-naked weirdo image, Leonardo and Vittorio quickly organized the wagon. When I asked the resident if we could get some water or food from the village, he replied that the village was small, and money wasn't used much, nor were there any shops. I didn't expect that. We didn't have anything on us to barter with the villagers. After a moment of thought, I asked again.

"What about monster carcasses? The hides and other parts can be quite useful in rural areas."

"Monster carcasses? Well, of course, they have plenty of uses… but they're not easy to come by."

"Ah, that's great news."

I exchanged a glance with Leonardo. That shouldn't be too difficult for us. A little later, the village resident looked confused as he saw the pile of monster carcasses on the wagon.

[That one, its weak spot is the horn.]

[Got it.]

[The tail is weak too.]

[Hmm.]

[That one over there.]

[Understood.]

After efficiently utilizing our labour, we managed to capture the nearest monster. Quickly catching three and returning swiftly, the reaction was worth seeing.

The villager asked, "Are you professional hunters or something?"

"Something like that," I replied.

"Are you famous, by any chance? Occasionally, when a merchant caravan passes through, we hear news from outside the village. Could it be that you're so famous even someone living in these mountains like me would know your names?"

"Oh, no, nothing like that," I said, waving my hand with a cheeky smile. The villager's wariness visibly lessened. As we slowly pulled the wagon, we headed toward the village.

"But come on, tell me anyway. I'm dying of curiosity!"

"That one is Leo," I said, pointing. "And the little one here is Vittorio."

"Is that so? I don't think I've heard of you… So, what's your name?"

I hesitated, my hand freezing in place. I could feel Vittorio and Leonardo silently glancing at me.

Leonardo's curiosity—his desire to know—was something I had already clearly sensed. Vittorio, too, had recently started paying close attention to the conversations between Leonardo and me, noting how I called Leonardo "Leo" and observing what he called me in return.

Until now, no one in this world, apart from Leonardo, had asked me my name. It seemed so natural, as if it had been designed that way from the start. I wondered if some force had stripped me of my name and controlled others to accept it as a given. But why was someone asking for my name now?

[During intermissions, the scenario notes do not progress, and the characters' freedom increases.]

Could it be because of this? Has the freedom of the characters increased compared to before? Previously, the rules of this world naturally ignored the existence of my name, but now, with increased freedom, even an extra could ask without hesitation.

But I can't say anything. Once the reconciliation is complete. Will I be named then?

I felt a certain anxiety. Can I be sure that the name given to me will be my original name? What if my original name is very Eastern and doesn't fit the world setting, so they give me a new Western name?

The name given to a character and the actor's real name are not the same. An actor wears a mask, empties their self, and immerses in another life. That's acting. So, I can't be sure that they will give me my real name on this stage. If I'm given a completely unrelated name, how can I believe that it is truly mine?

Can I simply be reassured that if my rank increases and a name is automatically attached to my role, that it is the name I had forgotten? Just as the characters in this world first suspect others might be that, doubt will become a disease.

'Rather than being consumed by such doubts, I thought it might not be so bad to receive a name from Leo before the scenario gives me one.'

In that underground.

'You seem to have forgotten.'

Oh, but I feel like I had a dream about this recently. When was that?

As a dizzying and suffocating sensation gripped me, I clenched my hands tightly. At that moment, Leonardo calmly wrapped his arm around my shoulder and gently pulled me back while speaking to the villager.

"Do you know where the village is?"

"Oh, the village? We're almost there. It's right up ahead."

Fortunately, the change of topic alleviated the awkward silence that had been stretching on. I watched the villager stride ahead and glanced back at Leonardo. He was waiting patiently even though I still hadn't been able to share my name. I knew Vittorio was also very curious but was holding back, worried that asking might put me in an uncomfortable position.

I wanted to reassure them and confidently tell them, "This is my name." But I couldn't shake the feeling that the name that might be inscribed next to my role as a reward for leveling up would be something I'd doubt myself.

'I wish this issue could be simpler.'

***

The village was small. It had fewer than twenty buildings, a quaint scale. It resembled a rural community where people tilled the fields and lived their lives in a regular, orderly manner.

"You're back! I heard you went for a morning walk, but who are all these people with you?"

"Oh, they're a family that got lost on the rainy road yesterday…"

As the villager who guided us explained to someone else, I glanced around the village. It was small, quiet, and had a pastoral charm.

"Is that all monster carcasses? Wow, you must be incredibly skilled."

"Right?"

In the meantime, a decent number of villagers had gathered and were whispering among themselves as they looked at us. Each of them cheerfully offered to exchange items like freshly churned milk or bread from their homes, or a chunk of cheese stored in their sheds.

I laid out the uses for the monster parts as if I were opening an encyclopedia of monsters, pretending to know how to utilize various body parts, while ensuring I collected as much as possible. Before long, the wagon was filling up with goods.

One villager, carrying some hides, remarked, "It's been ten years since I've seen a skilled hunter who knows so much about monsters."

I caught that and asked back, "Ten years?"

"Yes, just like back when the monsters were rampant. Nowadays, they consider those things more troublesome than wild beasts. But at least when I was young, they were the biggest headache."

It seems that before its emergence, the monsters indeed existed as adversaries to humanity. However, after the invasion ten years ago, their threat diminished, and they were pushed to the outskirts. Although it has only been ten years since it appeared, the sheer scale of destruction caused during that time has overshadowed attention to other issues.

According to the detailed settings in the monster encyclopedia, the monsters are more rational than the vague description of "Subjects of the Great Empire."

Monsters that oppose humans are a traditional theme. They can serve as enemies that highlight the protagonist's abilities without raising moral concerns.

That and the monsters.

Is there a reason for overlapping attributes of monsters to appear in a single story? So, I am skeptical. Could it be that the invasion of it was never intended in the main writer's planned storyline?

'For now, it's just a conjecture.' 

In any case, it's just one of many thoughts. I pushed my imagination aside and asked the villagers if they knew anything about Rilke or El Dante.

"Rilke? I don't know much about Rilke, but I do know about El Dante. If you want to meet the lord there, you'll have to go through that way. Just follow the river, but because of the rain yesterday, you won't be able to cross today. If you wait a day, the water should recede."

"Oh no. That means we'll have to camp out for another night…"

This incessant rain keeps dragging me down. I wonder if Baron Roald is holding up well. As I made a troubled expression, someone offered a suggestion.

"Everyone has family to take care of, so they can't accommodate three people, but there's one house where a person lives alone, and they have a spare room. How about staying there for the night and leaving tomorrow?"

"Wouldn't that be inconvenient for them?"

"If that's the case, I'll tell them in advance."

So, we headed to a small house in the village. The villager knocked on the door, and a man came out.

"So, these people would like to stay for just one night. Is that alright?" 

He looked us over, scanning all three of us.

"Sure, that's fine."

[Accessing information of the designated entity.][Viewing information.]

Rank – None (Scenario Weight 0.05%)

Role – None

Script – [Great Empire's Subject.]

Dialogue – None

I locked eyes with the corrupted entity that had infiltrated the human village.