A tiger leaves its hide when it dies; a person leaves a name.

It was a proverb about human nature, urging people to do great things in life and leave an illustrious name for posterity.

Humans were the most intelligent of all animals, but they still possessed the instincts of living creatures. Namely, the desire to leave something behind. Whether that was children, a name, or achievements made no difference.

There was a reason so many people lived and died for honor. Their honor determined how great a name they could leave to future generations. That was how deeply people desired to leave a legacy.

Keeping a diary fit that desire as well. It might seem childish, but it was a surprisingly profound hobby. People kept diaries for all sorts of reasons, but ultimately, it was an act of leaving a record behind.

The diaries of great figures, in particular, held tremendous scholarly value and often even changed history. But that did not mean an ordinary person's diary had little value. However unimpressive it might look, it contained a life. There was ample value in that, whether one gleaned wisdom from it or took it as a cautionary example.

'Did I... say something I shouldn't have?'

Hair and skin as white as snow. Beautiful features and a cold demeanor.

Selena, the woman who had regained her vitality with Grylls's help after suffering from an extraordinarily rare, incurable disease, was anxious. Her expression was as icy as ever, but her wavering eyes betrayed her feelings.

'What if I've hurt his feelings?'

Selena understood Grylls's predicament well. Certain death, and death that might strike at any moment. There was a subtle distinction between them, but both meant living close to death.

Thanks to Grylls, she had now been completely freed from the terror of impending death, but that did not mean she no longer feared it. Rather, she knew all too well how frightening death was. That feeling of being on the verge of losing her mind.

Although the terror had gradually receded once she reached the stage of resignation, she still remembered the feeling vividly.

'When someone in his situation starts keeping a diary, it means they've reached the stage of resignation...'

Keeping a diary was a good thing. Leaving something behind was meaningful in itself. But when people close to death began keeping diaries, it was usually because they had resigned themselves to their fate. They were either quietly waiting for death or preparing for it to strike at any moment. It was quite common, and in a way, it amounted to a final, desperate struggle.

'Did he really come from another world?'

Grylls was the problem. Selena studied the photograph he had sent her: a notebook filled with unfamiliar writing. Even she, with her command of so many foreign languages, had never seen this language before.

Even the languages of remote countries often bore similarities to others. It was easiest to think of them as a kind of dialect. But what Grylls had shown her was no dialect. It was an entirely new script.

'If he really came from another world... no one will understand him even if he leaves a diary behind.'

A diary was something people were embarrassed to show others. Ironically, though, it arose from the desire for someone to understand them. If they truly wanted to keep their secrets buried, they would keep them in their hearts rather than write them down anywhere.

Selena had once kept a diary with that very feeling. Even after she was cured, she occasionally read it.

'How sad and wretched that must feel.'

A legacy no one would understand. No, a legacy no one could understand. Only his posts on the forum would remain as his legacy.

If it were a language she knew, she might have been able to take custody of his diary. But since he had come from another world, she would be unable to decipher it even if she received it.

'The best solution would be for him to teach me his script, but...'

Could someone struggling to survive afford that kind of time? Not at all. Death approached Grylls with every passing hour. Hadn't he told the forum that he had narrowly escaped death just today?

'He helped me out of pure kindness. I need to repay him in kind.'

Selena pondered how she could best receive his legacy. Telling someone not to lose hope was one thing, but one still had to prepare for every possibility. She occasionally gave him Elixir and tasty treats, but that was nowhere near enough.

'... Yes. That's what I'll do.'

After a stretch of deliberation that felt both long and short, Selena reached a decision.

'His forum history. I'll transcribe all of it, and record everything he's done.'

The forum's records did not last forever. Just as the dead could not speak, the forum deleted their records. If all of a particular registered user's posts disappeared, it meant that person had died. If Grylls's posts vanished, that would likewise mean he was dead.

'If I can't help him directly, I should at least keep a record so his death won't be meaningless.'

This was all she could do. Once again, Selena reproached herself for her lack of ability. She had wanted to find some way to analyze the Forest of Four Seasons mathematically, but there was only one conclusion she could reach.

Impossible. That was what she had thought upon seeing the video of the sea flowing backward into a river.

'So people stranded in the Forest of Four Seasons won't die in vain.'

The record of Grylls's survival would become a precious resource for those stranded there in the future.

With that in mind, Selena retraced his activities, starting with his very first post. It was a post by a bewildered Grylls, who had suddenly found himself in the Forest of Four Seasons.

'He's been struggling since the very beginning.'

Being chased by a pack of mad dogs right after helping Heavenly Demon. The guardian appearing afterward. Having one arm bitten by a mad dog and nearly ending up in serious danger, only to be saved by Sword Masta's help. Even the discovery of a mature mandrake that had led to her own complete recovery.

So much had happened in a mere ten days. Simply organizing his activities was taking a considerable amount of time.

'I need to write about the registered users too...'

Being a forum, there were far too many colorful personalities.

The vermin—no, the imbeciles—no, the morons—no.

For now, she excluded the anonymous users masquerading as human beings as much as possible.

They occasionally offered important remarks, or taught Grylls things such as how to clean a fish. But aside from a few useful contributions, most of what they wrote was bizarre.

'A fight to the death with a saber-toothed tiger, and a heart from it with the same structure as a dragon heart...'

The more she looked back, the more she wondered: how on earth had Grylls endured this hellish forest? He had the forum's help, yes, but the Forest of Four Seasons was a place where even most powerful fighters could not survive. His forum history alone showed all manner of dangerous animals appearing.

'He must have outstanding natural combat instincts.'

There was a reason Heavenly Demon and Sword Masta had their eyes on him. His talent, at least, was extraordinary.

Even more surprising was the intellectual ability he displayed on the forum. When dealing with Passing Dwarf or the anonymous users, he spoke like some uneducated lout, yet he was exceedingly kind to the registered users. Even on a forum where anonymity was the norm, he could not hide his kindness and courtesy. That caught Selena's attention.

'Just what did he do before coming here?'

He had shown remarkable adaptability. He had already established a base.

More intriguing still was his resentment toward the gods. In truth, it would be strange not to resent them in his position. But there was a seriousness to it that went beyond mere grumbling and verged on blasphemy.

'And yet he keeps on living, undaunted.'

The deeper she dug, the stranger he seemed. His activities were every bit as peculiar. Selena mulled them over as she recorded them in a book.

'From what's become clear so far...'

The goodness to repay kindness with kindness.

The decisiveness to sever ties immediately if someone stabbed him in the back instead.

The familiarity to exchange harsh words with close friends despite being polite by nature.

The fairness to respect order even in grim circumstances.

But also the cleverness to subtly steer that order toward change when he had a legitimate reason.

That was Grylls's character as revealed by his forum activity alone.

'He definitely said he was an orphan... What did he go through to develop a personality like this?'

Orphans inevitably lacked certain things. That was not discrimination, but a matter of course. With everything they should have received from their parents gone, their surroundings influenced them more deeply than anyone else. As a result, they were naturally defensive and tended to be prickly.

Grylls might bicker with the dwarf, but there was nothing prickly about him. He was ordinary.

'Though that might be because this is the forum...'

It was possible all of this was calculated. But that seemed unlikely. If it were, it would have shown.

'And if that were the case, he wouldn't have helped Heavenly Demon.'

Little by little, Selena compiled her account of Grylls. She did not know what would become of it in the future, but it would have a considerable impact. In particular, it would have an immense influence on research into the Forest of Four Seasons.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

"My lady. It's Mary. May I come in?"

She was combing through the forum and organizing her records when Mary knocked from outside. Selena closed the book for the moment. She had no intention of showing it to anyone yet.

"Come in."

CREEEAK.

At Selena's permission, the door slowly opened, revealing Mary, the maid who had stayed by her side to the very end. Mary bowed politely in greeting.

"So, what is it?"

"Well, the duchess..."

"Isn't that a little formal for someone you'll soon be calling Mother?"

"P-pardon?"

Startled by Selena's words, Mary straightened from her bow. Selena's expression had not changed in the slightest. It even seemed chilly.

"You'll soon be adopted as her daughter. You should practice."

"H-how could I possibly...!"

"You should."

"Y-yes!"

Unlike her gentle manner on the forum, Selena maintained a frosty tone in person. It could not be helped. Her emotions had gradually faded during her illness. At least she had improved lately. She rose from her seat.

The duchess—her mother—had summoned her, so she needed to go. She had once relied on a wheelchair, but now she could walk proudly on her own two legs.

"Mary."

"Yes?"

"Take my hand. Let's go together."

"B-but...!"

"Your older sister is asking."

"Y-yes!"

Well, she still had a long way to go before she and Mary grew close. Selena affectionately took Mary's hand and began walking.

Another person's body warmth had once felt unbearably hot. Now all she felt was a soft, yielding hand. It wasn't hot at all.

'Please, don't let him lose hope.'

Selena whispered the wish quietly to herself.

* * *

Around the same time, Grylls, who had decided to keep a diary, was busy marveling.

"Wow."

He let out an exclamation as he looked over his trial entry. Just how brilliant was it, for even his expression to be filled with admiration?

No one else would understand the writing, but that didn't matter. He could simply use it as a database and field guide. But an unexpected problem had cropped up.

"My writing skills never made it past elementary school."

His writing was shit. No, it was so bad it went far beyond that. It was bad enough to astonish even the person who had written it.

I tried to steal a turtle egg and met the mommy turtle. The mommy turtle turned into a tortoise and shot a laser at me. I was scared.

That was roughly how it went. It was a truly "objective" diary. Grylls examined what he had written point by point, then shrugged.

'It's not like anyone else is going to read it.'

Contrary to a certain someone's worries, he was in very good spirits.