When he opened the door it was still raining heavily outside, and the darkness made it impossible to see anything...
And yet, two golden blazing eyes shone in that darkness.
For a second, drawn by them, Finlay froze in place.
"May I come in?"
The same melodious voice from earlier brought him out of his stupor.
"...Sure."
Letting the night visitor into the house, he closed the door tightly behind them and glanced at them.
Although the cloak hid her features well, it was undoubtedly a woman.
As soon as Finlay came to that conclusion, she removed her hood, revealing her face.
For a brief moment he thought.
Was it an illusion from his hunger?
He discreetly pinched himself, but the pain proved to be real.
Dark as night hair and bright golden eyes with a vertical pupil, reminiscent of the long lost sun.
"She's beautiful..."
"Thank you?"
Without changing her expression, she replied.
He seemed to be voicing his thoughts again out of habit.
It was true, though, so Finlay didn't see it as a problem.
"..."
"..."
Neither of them said anything else, so an awkward silence hung in the air.
The unfamiliar woman looked at him as if studying him while he did the same.
Finally her gaze shifted from him to somewhere behind his back.
There, through large gaps in the walls, the monstrous hog that still lay in front of the entrance was visible.
"Catching this Night Hog and using it as a scarecrow to scare others away from your dwelling? That's pretty smart. Although their actual strength isn't that high, their intimidating and hideous appearance often scares away other monsters."
She may have been trying to make contact, but....
"It's my food."
His firm voice, unexpected even to him, rang out in response.
Does she think because she's a little pretty she can say anything in my house?
I'm not such a pushover.
No, really, what is this woman talking about? Doesn't she see that cute, appetizing hog whose meat will definitely taste awesome?
It's almost an insult to my will.
How could my food be mistaken for something so terrifying?
This woman was clearly not herself.
"...I see."
After her reply, silence hung between them again.
And in that silence a sudden realization came to him.
The howling of the monsters during their rampage, usually audible even from afar... now gone. Completely gone.
For the first time since entering this world, there was absolute silence all around, as if only the two of them were left in this world.
It felt like…
Unconsciously swallowing, he finished out aloud again.
"There are no more monsters...?"
Apparently hearing his mumbling, the cloaked woman tilted her head to the side.
"You mean those things? You could put it that way."
It seemed rather cute with her almost doll-like appearance, but Finlay wasn't thinking about that right now, just staring at her.
He understood better than anyone that these creatures were called 'Monsters' for a reason. Even though he had managed to kill one of them, he was not arrogant.
Like she said, despite its intimidating appearance, the monster hog's real strength was at the bottom of the food chain.
Among the monsters residing on this mountain were creatures whose mere distant presence crushed his senses, almost making it impossible to breathe.
And there she is, answering like it was a stroll to the store without even changing her facial expression.
He was stunned by her carefree attitude, almost wondering if his eyes were okay. But even so...
"Thank you."
Finlay sincerely thanked her.
The constant threat that had loomed over him since his first day in this world was now eliminated and he could breathe easy.
If it didn't deserve thanks, what could?
And at the same time, another strange realization ran through his mind, sending goosebumps down his spine.
All the Monsters of this enormous mountain had been killed before he could even realize it.
'Does that mean... does that mean... I can eat in peace now?'
Without the threat of the monsters, he could now safely cook this meat hog and eat.
His stomach, which had been empty all the time, could now feel something. It made his mood lift so much that Finlay began to imagine how best to cook this hog, fully immersing himself in it.
'Should I bake it? Or roast it? I could also serve it with a sauce of... leaves?'
It was several minutes before he came up with the perfect plan in his head and he was about ready to start executing it when...
"Ah."
The woman that had spared him the constant threat and allowed him to have all those thoughts was still here.
She didn't move from her spot and just waited silently for him to finish.
Though he wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth into this gentle, sweet hog right now, Finlay only gave a cough.
"Sorry for that. I am just a little excited."
When she nodded in response to his words without much emotion, he continued.
"I'd invite you to my place, but as you can see..."
"You don't have to. I actually came here to place an order."
"Order...?"
An order? To him?
Finlay took another look at himself.
If it wasn't an order for his organs, he could hardly imagine what it could be.
Sure, he still had a fancy resort-like home... but something told him that wasn't what the woman in front of him was interested in.
And aside from his home, the only thing he owned was his weak mangled body.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
He felt a kind of pity. Not so much for himself, but for her, for coming here, hoping for something.
However, contrary to his expectations, at that moment her vertical pupils dilated.
"Looks like I didn't make the wrong choice."
Showing the most violent reaction since they'd met, her eyes as bright as two suns stared back at him.
"Huh?"
Of course, Finlay didn't understand the reason for that. Noticing this, she explained.
"They say that only those who are truly strong are able to keep smiling even in the most desperate times."
He wanted to tell her it wasn't a smile, but a 'pathetic smile', but she seemed to read his mind.
"It doesn't matter how you smile. The very fact that you're doing it means a lot. Even if it's a pathetic or fake smile to hide the reality."
Before he realized it, she had already shortened the distance between them, standing directly in front of him.
"After all, many of us aren't even capable of doing that anymore."
His heart beat faster when he noticed the silver blade on her belt, previously hidden by her cloak.
Its long, curved surface glowed faintly even in the semi-darkness of his home.
...Even at first glance it looked pretty damn sharp.
Noticing his gaze fixed on her blade, a hint of regret flashed across her face.
"Oh, I almost forgot about that... When am I going to stop making such obvious mistakes?"
Her cold emotionless voice made Finlay's entire body reflexively tense.
Just as he thought, her words about the order were complete nonsense.
She couldn't have come all this way just for that, could she?
Of course she had a more important reason. And he probably wouldn't have liked it if he'd known it.
Finlay thought about the rusty knife hidden in his clothes.
After spending a week in this place, he had clearly learned it.
In this dark world, where everyone cared only for their own benefit, trust was an unacceptable luxury.
He thought again about the rusty knife in his clothes.
Did he have a chance? Absolutely not.
He knew that someone who could eradicate all the monsters on this mountain without even letting him feel it was not something he could handle.
Still, Finlay didn't want to give up for nothing, continuing to watch her next moves in suspense.
Finally, without a single word, she made her move.
However, contrary to his expectations, as if mocking his vigilance, she nonchalantly bent over and removed her own shoes with a light movement.
After walking a few steps, she reached the entrance and carefully placed them by the place he called his hallway.
Afterward, she returned to him just as nonchalantly.
"..."
Finlay stared dumbly at her bare feet, which even when touched by the muddy ground remained as clean as if untouched by the filth of this world.
'What is the meaning of life? Why do I exist? Are humans just a collection of cells or do they have some higher purpose?'
He no longer understood anything.
Interpreting his expression in her own way, the swordswoman tilted her head to the side again.
"Is something wrong? I've heard that it's customary for you to do this when you come to someone else's house. It's different from the traditions of the place I lived in, so I forget about it."
Her voice was still devoid of any emotion as she looked at him questioningly.
"...It's okay."
The rain continued to beat rhythmically on the roof as Finlay closed his eyes for a moment to process the ridiculousness of the situation.
He really no longer understood anything.
Which one of them, exactly, was reacting strangely?
She, for doing such trivial things in this ruined world or he, seeing danger in everything?
Regardless of the answer, one thing he had no doubt about – of the two of them, she was more like a resident of the modern, civilized world than he was.
'This world has gone mad...'
And it seems that after spending a week, more like an eternity in this crazy world, he too has become a part of it.
When he realized this, a strange calmness came over him.
It seemed now, even if the world collapsed right in front of him, he wouldn't be surprised.
When Finlay opened his eyes a moment later, he could already accept anything.
"If you really came here to place an order, what kind of service are you expecting?"
"It's simple."
Her golden eyes with vertical pupils sparkled in the semi-darkness.
"Go back in time, find me there and train me."
Her melodious voice echoed in the empty house before complete silence hung between them once more.