The beach near my house is around thirty minutes away, or approximately 3km. We need to walk in between on a path near the border of the forest. Any wild beasts could probably show up at any time, that’s why—

Fenrir’s daughter is here to safeguard us.

Currently— me, Restia, and Fenrir’s daughter are on our way to the beach.

I am walking on foot while Restia…

“Big brother…! I could see the beach from up here……!”

“Well, not for me down here…!”

…is riding on Fenrir’s daughter’s back.

It’s not like it felt unfair or anything… Fenrir’s daughter had a solid reason for not letting me sit on her because I’m smelly. She could bear with Restia’s smell of blood but not my horrible odour.

Well, her nose is sensitive, after all.

As for how we were able to communicate to her is because of Restia’s telepathy. Fenrir’s daughter understands our language, but she didn’t learn how to speak. She could only talk to Restia for now, and for some reason, they became fast friends.

Through their communication, I also found the reason why she’s always turning her head away from me.

…Because I stink.

“Eh…?”

I suddenly heard a faint voice coming from Fenrir’s daughter.

“Erm, Restia? Did you say something…!?” I yelled.

“…Big brother— a person is lying on the beach…!”

“What…?” I inadvertently murmured. “A… person…? Is… Is it mom— or dad…!?”

“I… I don’t know— We need to hurry, please…!”

Please…? Who is she talking to—

“Eh—”

Suddenly, my world turned vertical. The horizon became straight where the sky and ground are on the left and right.

The moment I came to, I realized Fenrir’s daughter was holding me with her mouth, where my arms and legs were inside her mouth with only my head out.

Then as she runs— her head sways, which means that her mouth is swaying too. Every time she flings her head, my vision would be utterly disturbed that I had to close my eyes shut. And once I close my eyes, my sense of balance is completely destroyed.

………………………

“Guh----------”

Once we reached, I could only grovel on the ground while trying to puke.

…I would never want a second ride.

Luckily the dizziness only lasted for around ten seconds.

“Big brother… is he— Eh…?”

THUD!

“Restia…!?”

For some reason, as I raised my head and looked in Restia’s direction— I saw her collapsing on that person’s body.

Fenrir’s daughter quickly went to help. But as she touches Restia…

“Arf...!?”

BAM!

She collapsed right on the left side of their bodies, and as she collapsed— sand splash on Restia and that person.

What— What is happening…!? Why isn’t she moving…!?

“Restia…!”

Though I shout, Restia’s not replying. But I could tell she’s still breathing, and so is Fenrir’s daughter.

Fenrir’s daughter collapsed by touching Restia, and Restia collapsed after touching that person…

I better be careful not to touch either of them…

Taking the scabbard of the katana from my waist, I gently poke Restia on her back.

…nothing happened.

Then again, I touch her with the scabbard while making sure I wouldn’t collapse to her direction even if I fall.

…Seems fine to me.

Carefully, I place my arms on Restia’s waist and lift her away from that person— and as soon as she’s away from him, Restia immediately makes a gasp.

To be sure, I drag Restia far away from him by pulling her hands with her butt sliding on the sand.

“Big brother… My body feels… heavy…” She told me.

“Heavy…?”

I don’t think she’s heavy at all. And it seems she looks fine.

As for Fenrir’s daughter, she could move immediately once she stopped touching Restia with her paw. She turns her body to the other side away from that person, then hurriedly gets back to us.

My gaze inadvertently shifts back to that person, where he’s lying flat on the sand with his feet washed by seawater.

…I could tell that he’s still breathing.

He’s unconscious, for sure. Because if anybody realized that a Fenrir wolf is in front of them— they would have freaked out.

While thinking of that, I told Restia to stay away from him while I approached him carefully.

Then I poke him with the scabbard.

Great, seems like touching him with an object wouldn’t make me collapse.

However, I can’t rotate his body to face upwards with just the scabbard. If I want to, it needs to be both of my hands to do it.

“…!”

I thought I could just leave him be if he’s just unconscious. But then his dark red blood that’s slowly seeping out from the sand surprised me.

Kneeling near to him while making sure I would fall back if I touch him, I place my hands under his chest and legs.

“……?”

I expected myself to collapse like Restia.

But nothing happened to me.

“Hmph…!”

Mustering my strength, I flipped him upwards.

“Eek…!”

Surprised at the sight of it, Restia inadvertently shrieks.

Because this man… had a knife stabbed on him at the abdomen.

I quickly did a check-up on him.

His breathing, pulse, and heartbeat are alright, and his red pupil is reacting to light… I won’t need to worry about his blood loss for now if the knife is still on him.

But… What is the cause for Restia and Fenrir’s daughter to collapse…? Before I could make sure of this… I must not let them perform healing magic on him.

So… The only thing I could do is to experiment on him once again.

“Restia… a help please…”

I gave a gesture to Restia, telling her to come here.

With a worried look, Restia kneels near to him, right next to me.

Then she pokes him with her finger— collapsing forward.

“Guh……!”

“Careful!”

Extending my arm, I stop her from leaning forward. Then I grab her on her hands and drag her away from him.

“What happened…?” I asked Restia.

“When I touch him— I lose all sense of my balance… my body felt heavy and I couldn’t move…”

Restia feels sluggish, and she’s struggling to get up.

These symptoms… There are lots of possibilities if I think about it, but when considering the only difference between all four of us…

“…I got it. It’s mana deficiency.” I said.

“…Seems like it.”

“What about her? Any ideas?”

I’m referring to Fenrir’s daughter.

“She says the knife is emitting a dangerous aura.”

“…Huh.”

Hearing that, I inadvertently stare at the knife that was on that man’s body.

“He’s… He’s holding papa’s dagger…!” Restia suddenly shakes me with her hand.

If Restia didn’t tell me, I wouldn’t realize that he’s holding onto dad’s dagger— the dagger that I lost. When I took a closer look on his wrist, I found bruises, and it showed signs of struggles. Looks like he was tied up and tried to escape before.

Bruise on the wrists… knife… wet… washed up here…?

It can’t be— is he tied up, stabbed, thrown to the sea, then found dad’s dagger at the bottom of the ocean to escape and washed up to here…!?

What kind of person is he to get a rough treatment like this…?

He wore a suit with a white top, black bottom… a handsome-looking man in his twenties or thirties— except for his white hair and red eyes, which reminds me of a white rabbit, everything about him looks normal.

At any rate, it’s about time you return this back to me.

I took the dagger from his hand and shoved it into the dagger pocket.

Now then, what am I going to do with this knife…?

Fenrir’s daughter said it’s emitting a dangerous aura… if she could see an aura, this means this knife is emitting disturbing waves to interrupt with her mana.

Could it be— there’s an anti-magic crystal imbued on this knife…? Perhaps this is why I’m the only one who’s not affected because I don’t have mana to begin with—

“Cough— Guha, ack, hah, hah…!”

While thinking of that, the man suddenly woke up— coughing lots of seawater from his mouth, or rather, his stomach.

He then sits while placing his hand on his forehead, with the colour of his face completely drained, as white as an empty sheet.

He looks entirely in a state of confusion.

“Are you okay—”

When I realized, Restia had already approached him once again while kneeling next to me. And the moment she speaks— without any warnings, he swings his elbow towards Restia.

A silent swing.

The situation was too sudden for Restia to react.

“LOOK OUT!”

WHAM!

“……!”

When I knew it, I crash-landed on the sand after blocking his elbow strike with my palm.

What’s with this ridiculous strength— even with his mana sealed, he’s still stronger than me…!?

Realizing that his elbow fails to hit, he immediately attempts a punch with his left fist while twisting his upper body.

It was still too difficult for Restia to react.

“STOP IT…!!!”

“GROWL…!!!”

WHAM!

Fenrir’s daughter immediately heads to her rescue with her paw clawing from right to left. Yet, as he quickly shifted his left arm to redirect the direction of her paw downwards, Fenrir’s daughter immediately collapsed to her right.

I forgot… the anti-magic crystal on him…!

With Fenrir’s daughter splashing the sand— it blindfolded him, allowing me a chance to pull Restia away by grabbing her clothes, throwing her to behind, as far as possible.

Seconds just after I threw Restia, he throws a kick coming from my right—

“Guh…!”

—I could tell it was a powerful kick.

Reluctantly, I dodge it by squatting on my knees.

His right leg is open…!

Pulling the scabbard that was hanging on my waist, I swing it towards his right shin.

WHAP!

While half-bending his right leg, he caught my scabbard with his right palm.

“!”

And as I look up, an elbow is raining down. It is an elbow strike using the weight of his body.

If this hits me, I will be knocked out for good.

If I was knocked out, Restia—

At that moment, time seems to have slowed down for me.

I shift my body’s axis to face the left while retreating the scabbard from his palm. And as I kick the sand to push my body backwards to escape his elbow— I grab the knife that was stabbed on him, with my right hand.

“Gyah…!!?”

By doing so, I crash on the sand on my back with a splash.

“Guh—”

As for him— blood vigorously spurts out from his wound.

Realizing it, he quickly covers his wound with his hand.

While catching my breath, the knife which is on my hand entered my line of vision—

His blood… is dark red…?

It’s not because his blood had dried off, but it’s because he’s poisoned…!?

“Hah— Hah— Hah— Hah—”

Eventually losing strength, that man— as if giving up on everything, he kneels on the sand.

Because it was so hard to breathe, he had to raise his head and open his mouth to breath.

“Please— let me help you…!” I told him.

But my words don’t seem to reach him.

I then raise both of my hands, telling him I’m surrendering.

That man, once looking at my gesture— he lets out a surprised look.

“はー お前だ… は― いい男のように見える…”

(Ha— Omai da… Ha— ii otoko no younimieru…)

(Hah— You… Hah— look like a good guy…)

“…!”

This language… it’s from the eastern region…!

“傷口は… 私に任せて…!” (Kizuguchi wa… watashi ni makasete…!) (Your wounds… leave it to me…!)

“でわ— お願いします— ここでは死ねない— 今日は— ダメだ…!”

(De wa— Onegaishimasu— koko de wa shi ne nai— kyou wa— dameda…!)

(Then— Please— I can’t die here— Not— Today…!)

After muttering those words as if he’s using the last of his strength, he then crashes on the sand without moving anymore.

Without wasting another second, I immediately rush to him, flipping his body to face up. I tear off his cloth with my hands, applying pressure on his wound to prevent excessive blood loss.

However, I can’t stop the poison.

Only Restia could do it.

“Restia— we had to save him…!”

Hearing that, Restia stares at me with a blank look, as if she’s asking me why.

I know why she is worried.

Not being able to tell the origins of a person is dangerous. Because we don’t know who he is and where he’s from. If he’s a thug... there’s a chance he might kill me and raise his evil hands on Restia.

But... it doesn’t matter if he’s a miscreant or not—

“If you want an answer, I can give you one…!” I told Restia. “This guy— he might be our only hope to save Ruby…!!!”

—because he’s not just intelligent, but also extremely cautious.