Extra 1: Prologue

"A story like someone's dream, somewhere in the world."

Extra 1: Prologue

Something seems strange.

The other day, I met up with my friends for the first time in 10 years.

Somehow, everyone seemed happier than I expected, but that's okay. It's always better to have big joy.

But there was a problem. Something was strange about my companions. For some reason, all three of them, the hero, the swordsman, and the princess, were paying me unusually close attention. One of them always got to the steps and puddles first, the princess would peek in on me whenever I fell asleep, and if I was left alone for even a moment, all three of them would rush around looking for me.

And there's one more thing. They keep inviting me to the royal capital. When I asked them, all three of them were vague, but... they said they wanted to have a specialist examine my body. I see, I see.

At this point, it was confirmed that I wouldn't be able to go to the royal capital for about 200 years. It's not that I don't trust my companions, but... there's a chance that I've been deceived. I think it was the same at the beginning, the time before last. Yes, I'm a woman who can learn.

So I cried, swearing that I would never go to the royal capital. Even though I'd lived for 5,000 years, I cried for real. More than half of the tears were genuine, because I was scared of the dissection. My companions then hurried and promised me that they wouldn't take me with them. For some reason, the swordsman and the hero moved quickly to block the doorway to the room, and the princess embraced me tenderly.

Yes, at this point the conversation should have ended.

They want to take me → I don't want to go → They get it.

It should that simple.

However, to my surprise, they then tried to get me examined by a local doctor. Of course, I refused. It wasn't that I didn't want to because I was in the royal capital or anything like that. Even though my body is almost the same as a human's (I think. I don't know what's inside, but if the outside is the same, it's probably the same), if I were examined by a specialist, they might find out that I'm a long-lived species.

However, by this point, I had realized something. My companions seemed to be worried that my lifespan might be shortening. However, shaving off just 80 years from my lifespan, which is probably measured in tens of thousands of years, was only a margin of error. There was no reason for them to be concerned, but saying so would be like confessing that I am a member of the long-lived species. I was completely cornered.

Again, it's not that I don't trust my teammates, but telling them a secret means putting them under pressure to keep it, and that's something I would rather not do.

But then, suddenly, a revelation struck me. At that moment, I even considered myself a genius. It seems I hadn't lived long enough for nothing.

...So basically, they seem to think that as a result of using magic, my lifespan has become shorter than that of a normal person. But here's the problem. So, what if I just said that, although my lifespan has been shortened a little, I still have the same lifespan as a normal person? That would make them smile, wouldn't it?

So I walked up to the princess. The reason I chose her was simply because this was the girls' room and she was the closest. The princess looked down at me and tilted her head quizzically.

"Princess... I've been hiding this, but... I actually have twice the lifespan of an average person. Apparently, I'm descended from a race with long lifespans. So, the lifespan I have left is just about the same as an average person! So you don't need to worry about me."

I'm not so much a descendant of the Princess, but rather I have 100% pure blood running through my veins, so it's probably not a lie. I looked up at her with anticipation, but then I was startled. This was because the Princess was silently shedding tears like a waterfall. The Princess remained silent, but then she gave me a soft, sad smile.

"...I see."

She was smiling, but for some reason, tears were still flowing. And for some reason, the princess hugged me tightly. Her arms were digging into my neck, pressing precisely against my carotid artery, and as my vision faded, I found myself trying to escape reality by thinking;

"Come to think of it, the princess was the one who cried the most and was the most upset when we were reunited."

I then told the other two people the same thing, but they both had similar reactions. My carotid artery had been compressed so many times that it was on the verge of breaking. Why was this happening?

I cried. I truly cried at the current situation, which I don't understand even though I've lived for 5,000 years.

★

And then, some time after the four of them were reunited... It was one spring when they set out on a journey together for the first time in a long while. The princess, who was supposed to be busy, somehow managed to make time and showed up in her traveling attire. They had two purposes for their journey. The first was to renew old friendships. The second was to research a way to extend lifespan.

The young wizard girl opposed the fantasy-like goal and suggested touring the nearby hot springs, but her suggestion was rejected 3 to 1. So this time, they headed for a small town at the foot of a mountain range, far away. It is said that there once existed beings there with lifespans far longer than those of humans.

A hero, a swordsman, a princess, and a wizard girl.

The friends who once saved the world once again stood side by side and set foot in a quiet mountain town. The air was clear, and the mountain cherry blossoms swayed in the wind along the path, perfectly complementing the gentle greetings of the villagers they passed.

However, there was one person who seemed strange. It was a young wizard.

"Hey... are we really going to stay here?"

Her voice was quieter than usual, but somehow urgent. She looked around restlessly and her steps were unsteady.

"The sun is setting and it's a long way to the next town."

When the hero tilted his head and said that, she gave a wry smile and said, "Um, yeah... that's true..." and didn't say anything more.

That night, the four of them decided to stay at an old inn in town.

After dinner, the four of them sat around the fireplace in the creaking wooden floors of the hall, enjoying conversation with the townspeople. Among them, an elderly local woman was particularly talkative.

"...Do you know the story of a mysterious girl who lived in this town a long time ago? She was a long-lived species, a race with an extremely long lifespan, or so they say."

With that one word, the hero and princess leaned forward slightly. The princess spoke in a tone that seemed to suppress her impatience.

"Aren't long-lived species just something that exists in fairy tales?"

"But it turns out that the child actually lived for a very long time."

The swordsman quietly picked up the teacup and listened without saying a word, because the topic of lifespan was a very important one for the three of them.

And the remaining person, the young wizard girl―― her shoulders jumped suddenly.

The old woman continued in a somewhat nostalgic voice.

"I think she was still in her mid-teens. She was being protected by the adventurers. They said there was something different about her. Hehe, that's a strange story."

The hero tilted his head as he listened to the laughing old woman's story.

"Is there something about her face?"

"Her face? Hmm... it was decades ago... but the people in town said she was pretty."

The hero glanced at the young wizard beside him.

She had been staring at the fire in the fireplace for a while now, not moving an inch... She was staring so still, staring at one point, that it seemed as if she might burn a hole in the knot of the wood.

"She used to go to the bakery a lot. She would get just the crust and look so happy."

"She seems like someone we know."

Saying this, the hero nudged her with his elbow, but the young wizard girl didn't respond, her mouth twitching. Then, with an expression like that of someone who had just eaten a pickled plum for the first time in human history, she pursed her lips and looked up into space.

"After that, she became very close with the young man from the town's knight's house... and then the two of them... oh, do you want to hear it?"

The old woman suddenly asked mischievously. The hero and princess, who had instinctively leaned forward, looked at each other and said in unison. The swordsman nodded silently.

"I want to hear it!!"

Hearing this, the old woman laughed, "Oh my," while the young wizard girl shook her head vigorously.

Still, the rule of majority is absolute.

The old woman smiles as she speaks.

A mysterious story about a certain long-lived girl that is said to have once happened in this village.

•

A sequel, a past story, or maybe just a dream?

This is a bonus mid-part

The clouding is less intense than in the main story.

It's true, believe me