Outskirts of the street, the boy was running alongside the herd of rampaging cattle.
His lungs felt hot, as if burning.
Leg muscles were becoming heavy as lead.

"Stooooop! ...Yeah, like you'd stop."

With a twitching smile, he glared at the cow’s back.
A glistening black lump of muscle.
Horns slashed the sky like weapons; mud flew like buckshot.

"What do I do... I want someone to help stop them but... Ah."

Corner of his vision.
The scene switched like slow motion.
Middle of the road.
A girl who had fallen, curled up holding her knees.
The bull’s charge route.
Perfectly overlapping.

Before he could think, his body exploded, ignoring signals from his brain.
Kicking the ground, tearing through the air, accelerating.

"Sorry, move!"

Reaching out as if to tackle, he scooped up the girl’s body.
Rolling into the ground with the momentum.

DOGOOOOM!!

Right beside them, the wind pressure of death and hooves passed.
Small stones struck his cheek; the taste of dirt spread in his mouth.

The impact of hitting his back ran through his whole body as a dull pain resonating in his bones.
The small body in his arms trembled minutely, and stifled sobs transmitted through his chest plate.

"It's okay, it's okay. Injuries are... just a little scrape."

Ignoring the pain, the boy sat up and brushed sand from the girl’s knees.
Blood was seeping, but bones didn't seem broken.

"Scary, wasn't it? But you did good."

When he patted her head pon, the girl looked up while hiccupping.
He saw the color of relief light up in eyes wet with tears.

A mother rushed over screaming and snatched the girl into a hug.
She wrapped the boy’s hand in both of hers, moving it up and down as if praying.
He couldn't catch the rapid words of gratitude, but the tremor of the tearful voice and the ring of "Thank you" remained in his eardrums.

The boy rubbed his aching lower back and forced a smile to stand up.
New scrapes on his arms; clothes in tatters.
"Alright then," he muttered, whipping his creaking body.

The cows were heading toward the wasteland outside of town.
Their pace was, if anything, slower than before.

"Just gonna have you keep me company a little longer."

The boy inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with oxygen, and began to run again.

（scene break）

Twilight sank the port town into ultramarine.
On the sea surface, undissolved grains of light swayed in patches.

The inn base, dining room.
The smell of burning wick from an old lamp, and the ingrained presence of salt and oil.

Jack leaned deep into his chair, tilting a bottle of cheap liquor.
Hannes, shirtless, laughed heartily with his wet jacket draped over the back of his chair.
Countless old scars ran across a back that looked like muscle armor.

"Seriously, the moment I arrive, it's this. This town, I swear."

"Maybe the cows stampeded the moment they saw your face."

At Jack’s banter, Hannes deliberately furrowed the wrinkles between his brows.
The low voices of the men created a rhythm of comfort within the warm lamp light.

Edge of the table.
The girl sat before a small plate, nibbling on fruit.
Taking small bites like a small animal, chewing carefully so as not to make a sound.
Her ears sharply picked up only the tone of the men's conversation.

BANG!

The door opened violently.

"I'm hoooome!"

Bringing the smell of dust and sweat, the boy flew in.
Mud on his cheeks, blood seeping from elbows and knees, clothes seeing better days.
Even so, a smile like the sun was plastered on his face.

The girl stood up as if flicked.
Silently grabbing a pitcher, she poured water to the brim of a wooden cup.

The boy accepted the offered cup, eyes widening with an "Oh."
Moving his adam’s apple greatly, he gulped it down in one breath.

"Pu-ha. Back to life."

Placing the empty cup down, he heard the sound of Jack snorting a laugh.
Hannes lifted the liquor bottle and waved it lightly.

"Good work."

The boy sat as if collapsing into the chair and placed a heavy bundle on the table with a thud.
An amorphous lump wrapped in thick cloth.

"So, in the end, those cows went back to the ranch on their own. I just chased them from behind the whole time. But, I properly snatched the reward."

He peeled back the cloth.
A slime-glistening, dark red lump of meat appeared.
Freshly cut off, the smell of fat and blood drifted out.

"Ooh, not bad. We can feast today."

Hannes’s brown eyes shone as if appraising the meat.
The corners of his mouth lifted.

"It's meat that ran around all day. The flesh looks tightened and firm."

The moment those words dropped, the girl’s movement froze.

Fingertips holding the cup spasmed; ripples ran across the water surface.
Her gaze was nailed to the red meat lump.
Her pupils dilated; breathing became shallow and fast.
The "meat" looked like a "corpse."
The sliced cross-section burned her retina as if waking memories of violence.

The boy caught that change faster than anyone.
The smile vanished, replaced by a color of panic.

"N-No, that's not it! Those cows are fine. It's just Jack's usual stupid joke!"

Saying so, he glared at Jack.
Jack shrugged his shoulders with a bitter smile and dared to keep silent.

Seeing the boy’s desperate face, the girl blinked slowly, just once.
The taut air escaped from her lungs.
Strength left her trembling fingers, and she exhaled a small breath.

Hannes put down the bottle and stood up.
A hand like a rock was placed thud on the boy’s head.

"Anyway, aside from that."

The hand messing up his hair was rough, but the temperature of the voice was low and gentle.

"Knights don't leave princesses behind, do they?"

The other hand reached out for the girl’s head this time.
Rugged fingers touched her hair softly, as if handling a fragile object, and immediately pulled away.

The girl widened her eyes in surprise and looked up.
The presence of the rugged man was strangely not intimidating now.

"...Sorry."

The boy’s voice had shriveled small.
But that apology fell into the chests of everyone surrounding the table.

The muscles of the girl’s cheeks loosened slightly.
The corners of her lips lifted just a few millimeters.
It was too faint to call a "smile," but it was a sufficient sign that frozen emotions were beginning to melt.

Hannes swigged the liquor again.
Jack swayed his cup too.
The men's laughter mixed with the flickering of the lamp, chasing the chill out of every corner of the room.

Outside the window, the sea had already sunk into the darkness of night.
Lights from distant houses drew thin paths of light between the black waves.

That swaying light was also reflected on the water surface atop the table.
The girl, hands still cupping the cup, stared intently at that small tremor of light.

A night too quiet for the end of such a noisy day.
No one voiced it, but a contented silence was there.

The sound of the lamp flame popping.
Four shadows falling on the wall.
And the savory smell of sizzling meat slowly melted together with the night air.