Part 1
It was a sunny morning in the village of the Earth Elves. Several days had passed since Rina, Haruto, and Yuna had arrived, and little by little, the velociraptor girl was beginning to adapt to life in the community.
At the moment, Haruto and Rina were helping plow a farmer's field, while Yuna spoke with members of the Terranis tribe.
As always, Rina worked with boundless energy, turning the soil as if she were playing rather than laboring.
"Working the earth is fun! Rina thinking maybe become farmer someday…" she said cheerfully, wiping sweat from her brow with the back of her hand.
Haruto, on the other hand, was already at his limit. Leaning on his knees, he panted heavily, towel in hand, looking like a worn-out Japanese farmer in the middle of a brutal summer harvest.
"Easy for you to say…" he muttered between breaths. "The heat gives you energy… it's cooking me alive…"
An elderly elf approached them, carrying a tray with several glasses of cool water.
"Thank you kindly for your help, young ones," he said with a gentle smile.
Haruto didn't hesitate to take one, accepting it with visible gratitude.
"Thanks for the drink, sir," he said, bowing slightly before taking a long gulp.
Rina, meanwhile, had already buried her snout in her glass, drinking silently. Haruto glanced at her from the side, sighed, and nudged her lightly with his elbow.
"What do you say, Rina?" he whispered.
The velociraptor blinked, processing the question, then nodded eagerly.
"Ah, yes! It was… Thank you very much for your kindness, Mr. Elf!" she replied with a bright grin.
The old elf chuckled heartily.
"Hoho! What a delightful girl. Thank you both for accepting the request and helping with the plowing."
Haruto sighed and placed a hand on Rina's head, ruffling her hair a bit.
"Please excuse my partner. She's still learning how to interact with others," he said with a slight bow.
The elder waved it off with a chuckle.
"No need to worry, lad. Stressing over little things like that'll have your hair falling out before you know it. Live easy—like your friend here."
"…My hair?" Haruto blinked, instinctively touching his head.
Rina stared at him for a few seconds, then with total seriousness, gently patted his head.
"Don't worry, Haruto. If you go bald, Rina still be your friend."
Haruto barely had time to recover before Kizuna came floating up beside him, wearing her usual mischievous smile.
"Don't worry, Haruto-kyun~! We'll still be your friends, even with obvious hair loss, Kizu~" she sang, now transformed with a shiny bald head and goofy glasses with a fake mustache.
Haruto gave her a resigned look as Rina nodded with a kind of heartbreaking sincerity.
"Yes. Haruto always be Rina's friend… even bald."
With a long, suffering sigh, Haruto turned back to work, ignoring Kizuna's laughter.
"Tch… yeah, yeah, go ahead and laugh. Some of us still have jobs to do…"
Unfazed, Rina began setting up a fence with the same energy she had plowed the field with. The day moved along with simple tasks and the constant bustle of the village.
Once they finished helping the old elf, they headed toward the center of town. Wagons loaded with farm goods rolled out in every direction, carrying Earth Elf crops to neighboring cities.
Rina—now much more open than she had been during her infiltrator days—stepped forward and greeted someone with an enthusiastic bow.
"Good morning, Mister Terram!" she called out loudly.
The Earth Elf leader looked up and smiled broadly upon seeing them.
"Oh! If it isn't Rina and her friends. Welcome!"
The velociraptor girl beamed and gave another deep bow, radiating childlike enthusiasm.
"Thank you for helping out with the village chores," said Terram with a sigh. "Lately, a lot of the young folks have left for the big cities, and we're short on hands willing to work the land."
Haruto couldn't help but notice how similar it was to Japan, where rural towns were also slowly emptying as people chased new opportunities elsewhere.
"Don't worry—we're more than happy to help," Yuna replied with a kind smile.
Terram nodded, visibly grateful.
"I really appreciate it… Who would've thought that 'Golden Eyes' turned out to be this young lady?" he added, looking at Rina with a mix of surprise and amusement.
The velociraptor girl lowered her head slightly in apology.
"Rina sorry for causing trouble. Rina was scared… thought she'd be hurt if she got close…"
Terram let out a deep belly laugh.
"Hahaha! Don't worry about it. Everything's been resolved now. If you'd come to us sooner, none of that might've happened."
Rina lowered her head further, a bit embarrassed.
"Yes… Rina sorry. But… it wasn't easy for Rina…"
Terram patted her head gently, his smile full of understanding.
"What matters is that you don't have to hide anymore."
At that moment, Kizuna fluttered above Rina, her usual curiosity in full swing.
"By the way, how did you end up in Earth Elf territory, Kizu?" she asked, tilting her head.
Her normally carefree expression grew more serious as she recalled those days.
"When Rina was small… she lived with her mother in a big city, beyond the forest." Her gaze drifted toward the sky, as if searching through hazy memories.
"Mother always said… 'don't go out without me'… but Rina was curious. She sneaked out…"
Haruto noticed the faint tremble in her voice—and how her usually energetic tail had stopped moving. It was rare to see her like this.
"Then… bad men tried to catch Rina." Her voice dropped even lower.
"They had nets… weapons… an ugly collar… so Rina ran. She ran really fast…"
She paused. Her tail curled slightly behind her—a defensive instinct.
"When Rina stopped running… she was alone in the great forest. She lived there ever since. Hiding… always running from those who wanted to catch her…"
Haruto crossed his arms, absorbing her words. He had suspected her past wasn't an easy one, but picturing her as a little girl, alone and surviving in the wild… it tightened something in his chest.
Even Kizuna—usually full of playful energy—floated quietly around Rina with an unusually solemn look.
"So you've been alone all this time, Kizu…" she said softly.
Rina nodded, but offered a small, gentle smile.
"Yes. But now… Rina has friends. Rina is not alone anymore."
Haruto reached out and ruffled her hair.
"Exactly. And you're not going to be alone again. You've got a whole party of lunatics watching your back now."
Rina let out a small giggle, her tail swaying again with a little more life. But Yuna remained thoughtful, placing a finger to her chin.
"You said you lived with your mother in a big city… beyond the forest."
Haruto also tilted his head, intrigued.
"Do you remember what the city was called?"
Rina blinked a few times, eyes lifting toward the sky as if searching for answers in the clouds.
"Rina… not remember… just tall buildings… many lights… many humans…"
Haruto narrowed his eyes. Hans Versalles's words echoed in his mind.
"…Estelaris."
Yuna looked at him and nodded slowly.
"Yes. That makes sense. It's the biggest city beyond the forest. If her mother lived there…"
Haruto turned to Rina again, his expression more serious now.
"Rina… did your mother ever tell you her name?"
The velociraptor girl nodded eagerly.
"Mother's name… Francheszca Zarakov."
The name hit Haruto like a stone dropped into still water.
He'd heard it before—during his conversation with Hans Versalles.
That woman… she was a scientist in Estelaris.
But then, how had Rina ended up alone in Mythara for all this time?
Haruto let out a quiet sigh, then smiled.
"Would you like to go look for her once we've taken care of things here in Mythara?"
Rina's eyes lit up instantly, her tail swishing with joy.
"Yes! Rina want that! Very much!"
"Then it's a promise," Haruto said, patting her on the head with a warm smile.
"But you'll need to be patient. We'll go to Estelaris once everything here is settled."
Rina nodded enthusiastically, her face glowing with a happiness rarely seen.
"Yay! Rina want to see mama!"
Haruto looked at her, watching her excitement overflow, and couldn't help but smile softly in return.
But deep down, he knew that finding Francheszca Zarakov wouldn't be as simple as he made it sound.