The Foolish Child

Sunset Town was a small town located on the kingdom's border, with most of its territory covered by the Black Forest.

Many years ago—perhaps fifty or even a hundred years ago; in any case, a very long time ago—Sunset Town was still a fairly prosperous town. It had vast stretches of fertile farmland and a river flowing through it. For the townspeople, a rich, peaceful, idyllic life that inspired longing was nothing more than an ordinary day.

Until the Demon Tide came again and again.

The sight of the Blood Moon hanging high in the sky and monsters running rampant had become the deepest nightmare in the hearts of all the surviving elderly residents of Sunset Town.

The average life expectancy in the Night Country was relatively long. If a person suffered no illness or pain and had not endured the trials of war, they could generally live past two hundred. If they used magic to extend their lifespan, living to three hundred was possible.

But in a place like Sunset Town, someone aged seventy was already exceedingly rare. Anyone who lived to a hundred could be called long-lived.

Under the assault of disease, monsters, and all kinds of disasters, simply surviving was already quite fortunate.

The town's former prosperity had long since vanished with the wind, leaving behind only its current decline.

Large amounts of fertile farmland had been seized by vines and twisted trees. The clean water sources had been polluted by the Black Forest, and drinking the water caused madness and hallucinations. The livestock had also been contaminated by the land, developing all kinds of mutations and even beginning to attack humans.

To say that anyone could make a profit in a place like this would truly be a colossal joke.

"Jost and I have known each