The Manifestor of the Refugee Dwelling

A sharp silence enveloped the surroundings. Her body stiffened, staring intently at me. With her two eyes trembling violently, she seemed quite surprised.

I was just as surprised. I never imagined a Manifestor would be hiding in the Refugee Center.

*Right.*

Manifestors wouldn't exist only in the Empire, after all. Virtually all the Kingdom's people had evacuated, so it wasn't surprising for one or two Manifestors to appear among them.

How she'd managed to live undetected until now was somewhat surprising, though.

I silently watched her for a moment.

The Demon Mark always manifests on one's 10th birthday. From then on, the Berserk State inevitably occurs, like a fever's return, and one gains the ability to use Demonic Power. Naturally, people know this, so they test everyone at age 10 to filter them all out.

However, looking at her, the girl didn't seem terribly young. Her limbs were a bit long for a kid, and she seemed to have lost the characteristic chubby cheeks of children. Of course, she still had a strong 'kid' vibe about her.

If I had to guess her age, would she be 15 or 16?

Even that age is considered quite long-lived for a Manifestor, because we face many threats, both internal and external. Just by surviving, that Kid has proven some level of mental fortitude and Skill.

As we stood there, I suddenly noticed something strange.

*But this place should be for four people, right?*

The Refugee Dwelling is currently overcrowded. As such, there should definitely be people assigned to this Shack.

No matter how much she suppressed her voice, anyone in the same Shack would have to hear it. The Pain of Berserk State wasn't something one could endure indifferently.

But why was no one paying attention...? Thinking perhaps they had all left, I looked around, but that wasn't the case. All four people were soundly asleep in their blankets, as if they were dead.

!

It was then that the red-haired Kid moved. After seeming to ponder what to do for a while, she finally decided on a course of action.

Stop...!

I froze. My body came to an instantaneous halt with her words, as if my body itself was refusing my commands. Even when I tried to move, it wouldn't obey my will.

Thanks to that, I couldn't help but be momentarily flustered. I didn't know she could use such a strange ability.

Still, I was able to break free from the Body Restraint before long. After I infused mana into my body and moved with force, the restraint broke.

"You use something interesting." "! "

Perhaps not expecting this, the girl widened her eyes for a moment. But her attack didn't end there.

Fly.

Whoosh! With her words, a fist-sized stone flew towards my head. It was hard to see in the dark, but I perceived it and managed to dodge. However, her attack continued.

Return.

Whoosh!

The stone made a U-turn, aiming for the back of my head.

Fall.

Rumble! At her single word, the Shack's ceiling collapsed, aiming for the top of my head. Each piece aimed for my head, as if to knock me out. Visibility wasn't great, but since she kept giving hints, it was easy to dodge.

"If you keep talking like that, your opponent will get hit..."

"Thwack."

Thwack!

Okay, I admit it. That last one was pretty sharp.

A spike did get embedded in my palm, though. Even so, just 'Thwack' isn't much of a hint.

This one, since her Subdue Attack wasn't working, was now trying to take my life. She was launching sharp objects at vital areas like my neck.

Having watched enough, I decided it was time to subdue her. I quickly ran towards the girl and threw her straight to the floor.

Though the holy water made it hard to put strength into my body, subduing a child was no great feat.

Thud!

"Ugh!"

The girl's body was slammed onto the ground with a rather loud thud. Her expression twisted sharply. I looked at her and said.

See? There's no point resisting, so just wait quietly.

After that, I checked the condition of the people lying down. This was because if they were actually dead, my situation would become rather awkward.

When I placed my index finger near their noses, I felt warm breaths. Fortunately, they were breathing normally. There were no visible injuries either.

It seemed she had put them to sleep by some means and was quietly enduring the pain alone.

Considering this, her nature doesn't seem bad.

Thinking that, I turned back to her and asked.

"What's your name?"

"..."

Unfortunately, there was no reply. As her orange eyes darted around, she seemed to be plotting an escape. Indeed, her wariness must still be considerable, because while she was enduring the Berserk State, someone suddenly appeared.

I decided to just reveal the information openly.

Don't worry, I'm a Manifestor too.

It's information that no longer needs to be hidden anyway. As I pulled down my collar, the Dark Red Horn Mark, the undeniable Manifestor's Symbol, appeared on my collarbone. When she saw that, her eyes widened.

I'm not going to do anything to you. I never expected to see Kin here, but... anyway, you can drop your guard. Uh...

After she stared for a moment, her face began to flush. Then, as if embarrassed, she suddenly turned her head away. Since her struggles had subsided somewhat, it seemed her wariness had eased slightly.

It was then, just as I was about to speak again.

Crack-!! Suddenly, a stone was created in the Void and struck her head.

Ugh...!

Red blood flowed from her forehead. As if accustomed to such situations, instead of screaming, she gritted her teeth and endured the pain. Come to think of it, she was in the middle of a Berserk State right then. She was even trying to Subdue me while enduring the pain.

*Oh dear...*

I suddenly empathized with her feelings and felt a bit sorry for her. Having her body in agony while also having to worry about external threats must be incredibly draining on her mental strength. However, seeing something created externally to injure her is a first.

I wanted to help, but unfortunately, I didn't have any holy water on me then. My original purpose was just to go for a short stroll, after all.

So, I looked at her and said lightly.

It doesn't seem like this is your Shack anyway. Come with me for a bit.

...

After a brief moment of hesitation, she nodded.

*

"What's your name?" "...Neria."

Time passed, and I secretly brought her to my Tent. It wasn't perfectly soundproof, but it would be much better than borrowing someone else's Shack, at least. Mine was a Tent specifically prepared for Berserk State B, equipped with a Soundproofing Function.

Wasn't it originally Odelia's Tent? Perhaps because of that, I could find traces she left behind while living here: like curly hairs around the bed, or the strangely sticky feeling of the floor... things like that.

I'm not going to catch a malady staying here, am I?

Because of that, I seemed to have cleaned very diligently for the first few days. Thanks to that, the hygiene isn't too bad now.

Gulp, gulp. Neria was diligently drinking the holy water I gave her. When I told her that drinking this would make the pain subside as if washed away, she didn't hesitate much. Perhaps having completely dropped her guard due to the fact that we were both Manifestors, she was more compliant than expected.

After emptying a bottle of holy water, she looked at her body with a curious expression. Her body felt weak and languid, like she'd taken a draught of slumber. ...Saying it like that sounds a bit strange, but it's not wrong, so let's move on.

After observing for a moment, I asked Neria again.

...Your age?

"16... years old."

"You've managed to survive well until now."

As expected, she was a bit older. Since they use common reckoning here, she'd still be considered quite young in many respects. Of course, as a Manifestor, she probably couldn't live a proper life.

Seeing her pretty face, I thought she probably charmed quite a few men, even considering this world where the fairer sex often holds sway... Seeing this, I couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.

It was while I was lost in such thoughts that she hesitantly opened her mouth.

You're... that person, right, Brother? The Manifestor officially recognized by the Empire?

...You know me?

I heard about you once, in passing. They said the Emperor released you from the Empire... people were saying the Emperor had finally gone mad. I never imagined I'd meet you here, though...

No wonder she was so strangely compliant. It seems that incident from back then spread to other places. Well, it was bound to have a big impact. It must have spread somehow.

"..."

"..."

After that brief exchange, silence followed for a moment. Even though we were Kin, we had just met. So, naturally, there was some awkwardness.

Neria kept shifting her gaze, looking hesitant. Seeing that she couldn't easily meet my eyes, she seemed uncomfortable around people. Indeed, Manifestors rarely have normal contact with people.

*Meanwhile, I had something to ponder.*

*...Hoo, what should I do with her?*

I brought her here because I felt sorry for her suffering from the Berserk State, but I hadn't really thought beyond that.

It felt wrong to just send her back now that the pain had subsided, and it was awkward to ignore her as Kin.

Besides, the Kid looked too thin. Her limbs were bony, as if she hadn't eaten well recently, and her fair skin was stained with grime from not washing properly. It felt like looking at a stray cat abandoned on the street.

Suddenly, I remembered that time, the days I wandered through the Forest, struggling to survive somehow. Back then, I desperately wished for a helping hand from others, as much as for a comfortable place to sleep.

Hoo...

Finally, after pondering for a while, I looked at her and said.

For now, stay here tonight.

After all, holy water needs to be drunk periodically.