Volume 8 Chapter 9 The Efficient Pursuit of Accountability
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”What the hell. So there’s no one here after all.”
They had slipped through Rushelora’s gates and rolled into the night.
Klock had been on edge, weapon half-drawn, eyes darting for any hint of those trident-carrying bastards—but there wasn’t a soul in sight. Not one.
Boit, riding the wagon’s driver’s bench, steered alongside the fleeing townsfolk and scanned the empty streets with a wary squint, then finally lifted a hand in this kind of exaggerated shrug, like all the tension had just leaked out of him. In the back corner of the wagon, little Nora copied the gesture with a soft grunt, waving toward Klock at the rear to signal no enemies ahead.
”The moon’s freakin’ huge tonight. Bright as hell, at least.”
Outside Rushelora stretched open plains. This area was called the Chita Fields.
The townsfolk’s feet thudded over bare, moonlit earth, dry and scraped of wildflowers. By now, a whole lot of them had escaped—enough that the area all around Rushelora was packed with people. Most carried loads on their backs or pulled carts; some bumped along in wagons, taking advantage of the flat land.
They all trailed west, maybe just following whoever had run first. After a while they stopped running. The frantic flight eased into tired trudging.
They must’ve felt safe enough after making it out. There was only so long you could run for your life, after all. Now, outside the town walls, they walked in long, tired lines.
”Cianie. Any sign of the Demon Lord’s Army moving?”
”Doesn’t look like they’re following.”
She had caught up with them just before they left the gate. Klock called up to her as she stood in the wagon bed, eyes scanning the rear. At his voice she popped her head around, then hopped lightly down inside.
”When I fought them earlier, they stopped attacking after I cut down a few.”
”Guess they got scared off.”
”Mm… but it’s weird. It’s like… the whole fishkin army froze. I can feel their mana pulling back toward the sea.”
”…What?”
That was wrong. This was obviously an uprising—they should’ve been rushing to crush it. It didn’t make sense for the whole force to halt just because one strong enemy showed up.
Klock frowned hard. Boit leaned back from the bench to look at him.
”Well, suits us fine. My slaves still stuck in the town’ll have time to slip out.”
”Nah, the factories were totally empty, remember? They’re long gone already.”
Or maybe… something unexpected had happened.
Did they figure out what Cianie really was—that she’s a Hero?
Hero power was on a whole different scale. Just one of them could flip an entire battle by existing. Anyone who knew would be on maximum alert the second they realized.
And they *had* pulled back right when Cianie showed up. Not just the ones who fought her. The whole suppression effort had stopped cold. That smelled like they’d realized Hero Anna was here.
The stream of townsfolk stretched ahead like a river. Judging by their angle, they were aiming for Barreith—west-northwest. The line went on forever, thinning into the dark, led by whoever had first bolted.
”We just… stick with them?”
”Not like we gotta march in lockstep…”
”Yeah, but safer in a group, huh.”
Klock wasn’t really against it, but something about just tagging along rubbed him wrong. Maybe it was how violent the town’s evacuation had been—like they’d gotten swept up in someone else’s plan.
But someone *was* leading this mess. Someone who had charged right into danger first. Whoever it was, they were basically the de facto leader. The smart move was probably just to stay tucked in the middle of the group until they hit another town and got processed as refugees.
”Honestly, that was easier than I expected. Thought we’d be neck-deep in blood by now.”
”Fishkin live in the sea. Maybe they can’t stay on land that long. Could be they just can’t reach this far.”
When there were no enemies, voices got louder.
Klock and Boit were loosening up, while Nora sat there with her eternal blank stare. Behind them, Cianie tapped Klock’s shoulder.
”Klock. Someone’s coming after us.”
”Yeah, right—wait, what? So they *are* coming!?”
Of course. The second they relaxed, this. Maybe the enemy had just been arguing back there or something. Klock tilted his head.
”…There’s a lot. Looks like an actual army.”
”…I see.”
That sealed it. They knew. They’d realized a Hero was here. They weren’t going to throw loose soldiers at her to get picked off—they were massing up to fight under command.
It wouldn’t matter. They could come in waves, they’d all break just the same.
”Cianie. Can you intercept?”
”Mm. I’ll fight them near the town. If I stay close, Klock might get caught up in it.”
”Got it. Wipe ’em out and catch up when you’re done.”
Not fighting beside them—erasing them before they even got close. That was her plan. If it had been a small group, she might’ve gone one by one, but with numbers this big… the style of fighting changed.
Cianie nodded and took off, vanishing into the night like a dart of shadow.
If she said being nearby would get them caught in the blast, then the eastern sky would probably light red any second. Against a whole mass of enemies, it was faster to burn them down all at once. Next time anyone came through Rushelora, the place would probably be a scorched plain.
There was just no competing with her.
They’d come here together, but when it came to battle, they couldn’t even be on the same battlefield. Every time something happened, it was always her he sent running ahead. Always her alone, cleaning up everything.
That thought stuck in his chest like a stone, sour and heavy. While he was chewing on it, he noticed another wagon had drawn up alongside them. A boy was waving from its window—at Nora, who raised her hand back with this awkward little smile like she wasn’t sure if she was allowed.
Kids. No sense of tension at all. Better than cowering, though.
”Hey, you a merchant?”
”Hah?”
The voice came from the other wagon’s driver’s bench, deep and steady. Probably aimed at Boit. What about Boit’s villain face made anyone think ‘merchant’ was a mystery. Or maybe… that was exactly why.
”You hauling much? If you’re willing, maybe we could pool our stuff. I’m an adventurer. Got my boy here. We left in a hurry, so… supplies are tight.”
”Heh. Sorry, pal, but we’re good on muscle. Got a bodyguard already.”
”Aw, c’mon. Just a little. For my kid’s share at least…”
He was trying to sell himself. Adventurers usually only had their strength to trade, and asking food in return wasn’t unheard of. But it wasn’t likely anyone would bite—why give up precious food to feed extra mouths you didn’t need?
”Just enough for him, yeah? Please, man…”
”Shut it, go bother someone else. We don’t exactly have extra to—huh? Oi, what’s up!?”
Boit’s voice cracked high at the end. He’d spotted something.
The wagon’s rocking stopped.
Klock blinked and locked eyes with Nora across the bed. They’d halted.
Nora climbed halfway onto the bench, peering out.
”No clue! They just stopped up ahead.”
Other townsfolk’s voices were rising around them.
”Oi, what the hell, who stops in the middle of an escape? Bandits? Monsters?”
”If so, the frontliners are fighting ’em. They beat fishkin soldiers, they can handle it.”
Klock figured the rear was safe—they had Cianie. If something was blocking the front, and they had someone like her there too, they’d be fine. Boit’s eyes kept flicking nervously across the crowd, though.
No one else seemed calm. Only Klock had that kind of confidence. The other townsfolk just looked tense and jumpy, shifting from foot to foot.
They waited, and waited… then the long column began to unravel. People shoved forward, pushing to move. They couldn’t see what was happening, couldn’t tell if danger was coming, and standing still was too much like waiting to die.
The line, once stretched clean and thin to the horizon, fell apart in moments. They still all drifted west, but the order vanished like mist.
”Aaah, crap… what do we even do now.”
”What do you mean what—there’s nothing to do. If something’s gonna hit, it’ll hit the front or the back. If it’s monsters, a few poor bastards’ll just get eaten and buy the rest of us time.”
Once order fell apart, the real fear was what would happen if they got attacked. If monsters struck and everyone scattered like headless chickens, they’d be wiped out. Most of these people were just civilians—weak and unarmed. A few might fight back, sure, but most would just die.
Then again, monster bellies weren’t endless. If someone got eaten, the rest might survive. Cold logic, but… true. Even if no one here could fight, as long as someone else got chewed first, the rest might make it.
Klock’s wagon rolled forward, pulled along by the sluggish current of bodies. They moved like snails now. Just tired townsfolk trudging in the same direction. The ones who’d run far ahead were gone from sight, swallowed by distance. His eyes had long since adjusted to the moonlight, but even so, he couldn’t see much across the dark open plain.
”If we care about staying alive, might be smarter to push on ahead. Can’t do much back here anyway.”
Boit only shrugged at that. Normally, he would’ve ditched the townsfolk hours ago and bolted. The only reason they were crawling this slow was because Klock had insisted. From Boit’s point of view, he’d never cared about Rushelora’s people to begin with—so why pretend now?
Cianie had gone back toward the town to cover their rear, and time crept by.
Trailing the crowd by habit more than choice, they noticed something unsettling—the voices were fading. It wasn’t just people going quiet from exhaustion. There were simply fewer people.
They had spread too far. What had been a neat line of escaping townsfolk had scattered until the spaces between them were vast and empty. Some must’ve drifted off in other directions entirely. It wasn’t even a group anymore—just scattered dots wandering the dark fields.
”Where the hell did everybody go? Dig holes in the ground to hide?”
”Man, this is a mess. Looked like a whole army back at the town gatefires. Guess they just… vanished.”
A group without a leader was just chaos in motion. Whoever had first led the breakout clearly wasn’t giving orders anymore. No word had come back about where to go next. Most of these people probably had no idea—they’d just heard the alarm bell and fled. And without direction, order collapsed.
Maybe they shouldn’t follow this herd at all. The thought slid through Klock’s mind. If he’d been on his own, he’d have whipped the horse already. Whoever was at the front probably didn’t care about anyone lagging behind.
Wouldn’t it be smarter to just teleport and rejoin Hermine? The idea gnawed at him. He hadn’t really done anything here. The escape had started without him, and even now there was nothing he could do. The world spun just fine without Klock. So why was he bothering to babysit these refugees?
”…Huh?”
Maybe it was the darkness making him broody, but something felt… off. He couldn’t say what. Just a strange shift in the air.
”…Hm?”
”Boit. You feel that?”
”…Yeah. Thought I saw something flash past…?”
His gut went cold. Boit feeling it too killed any chance it was nothing. Moments like this—trusting your gut mattered. Thinking it was your imagination could get you killed. Years of experience sharpened Klock’s eyes as he scanned outside the wagon.
Something was moving. Behind them. Bursting up from the ground—like the fin of a fish slicing out of water.
”—Boit, RUN!! Ambush!!”
A heartbeat’s difference decided who lived. The second Klock recognized the battlefield had just shifted, he roared it out.
Boit didn’t hesitate. The whip cracked, and the horses lunged forward in panic. They left the sluggish crowd in the dust—and then the ground behind them exploded.
”The hell—!? A giant fish just came outta the ground!!”
A long, thin body, narrow but massive—easily twice the size of a man. A mouth jutting like a spear. Nothing like anything that belonged on land. Maybe some kind of snake? No, too short. More like… a fish swimming through dirt.
”What the—fish, you said!?”
”They’re monsters!! Sea monsters burrowing through the ground!! Has to be the Demon Lord’s Army!!”
Why? How could something like that even exist here?
No time to wonder.
The answer was already coming.
The fish’s mouth gaped open—and inside, moonlight glimmered off strands of jewel-bright hair.
A woman crouched within, chest hidden behind twin seashells, bow drawn.
”—Mermaids!?!”
A townsman nearby screamed it, and the word echoed through the night.
Like waves hitting shore, more of the fish monsters burst from the ground all around, mouths snapping open wide. At once, their riders sprang into view—Fishkin perched on their tongues, loosing arrows midair as their mounts leapt.
”Crap—They’re gonna slaughter everyone!!”
Midnight lit up with arrows. Invisible until they struck, slamming into the ground with heavy thuds, flashes of moonlit tips blinking and vanishing in the dark.
One ripped clean through the wagon’s canvas beside Klock. Another buried into the boards right by his foot.
”Oi—wasn’t that little lady supposed to be stopping this crap!?”
”—Right. Cianie! How the hell’s this happening!?”
He was right. This shouldn’t be happening. If these were mermaids, then they were Demon Lord’s Army pursuers. And Cianie had gone to intercept them. With her power, she should’ve shredded them—even holding the rear, she wouldn’t lose. Even if some slipped by, her senses stretched for miles. She would’ve hunted down stragglers before they got close.
Yet the fish monsters—no, fish monster cavalry—were here, circling the refugees like sharks. He could see dozens through the night’s haze, but judging by the screaming and the chaos all around, there had to be hundreds. No way this many had slipped past her. No way.
Klock drew his knife and hooked an arm on the wagon frame for balance.
Another fish monster surged close, leaping in a mad arc. Its mouth yawned wide—and the mermaid within already had her bow aimed.
”—Goddammit!!”
He slashed, a blur of silver in the moonlight. His blade bit her arm before she loosed, spraying blood. Eyes wide, she dove back inside the fish’s mouth and vanished.
Klock lunged to follow up, knife flashing again—but the blow glanced off scales as hard as steel, and the fish dove under before he could finish it.
”They’re not riding them—they’re controlling them. Like… steering. Is this that Lorelei Resonance thing…?”
Rumor said the Fishkin’s leader, Sea General Primjune, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, had a Unique Skill that all his people shared. They’d heard he used monsters as soldiers, sure, but no one had said anything about them being used like warhorses. And now it made sense—the riders were hiding in the mouths as living shields and armor. It was a nightmare to fight.
More and more giant fish erupted from the ground. It was impossible, insane. Maybe on the Beast Continent—but not here on the Human Continent. The sight was so alien it made his skin crawl, and then—again—the mouths all opened at once.
Another volley rained down on the fleeing townsfolk. He could barely see. Even with moonlight, distance blurred everything. But one thing was clear—this time, people fell. Dozens. Maybe more.
”—Oh, hell—!!!”
He hacked sideways in a panic, blade whistling. Blood splashed hot across the dark as a fish split in half, slamming into the ground. A mermaid tumbled out of its jaws, scrambling desperately—only to be swept up by another fish as they retreated. The wagon outpaced them, distance and darkness swallowing her shape.
”Waaah… the faraway fishy got cut in half…!!”
”…Huh?”
The small voice made him glance back.
Nora was standing in the corner of the wagon, head tilted, eyes wide and blank as ever, just quietly watching him.
For a beat he just blinked, the sudden realization hitting him—right, she was here. The chaos and the sight of people being cut down had rattled him so badly he’d almost forgotten there was anyone else on board at all. He had nearly lost himself.
…He couldn’t save the townsfolk.
Boit and Nora’s safety came first—nothing else mattered.
”—Boit!! Swing us south, now!!”
”Got it!! What about that little lady!?”
”Cianie’ll handle it!! Probably!!”
He sucked in a sharp breath, forcing his heartbeat down, thoughts spinning.
Where would the townsfolk run? The obvious place would be Barreith, the closest real city—a big town not too far from here. Which meant their enemies would predict that route. They had to break away from that path or they’d just be chased forever. And they didn’t have the strength to wipe out this cavalry—not even close. Like it or not, they had to cut loose and leave the others behind.
Boit’s wagon pushed faster, veering south, overtaking the fleeing crowd. People were slammed aside by lunging fish monsters, trampled or skewered by arrows as they fell.
Fishkin or not, they were still the Demon Lord’s Army.
Those bastards were attacking people who couldn’t even fight back.
When another monster fish darted close, Klock cut it down without hesitation. Not directly—his slashes leapt through the air, severing at a distance. Rosetta had told him not to show off the Cianie Knife unless he had to, but that ship had sailed.
When Klock fought, it was always all-out. Not because he was a lion hunting rabbits, but because even rabbits took everything he had. Holding back was never an option.
Gradually, the fish monsters began drifting away, veering off from the wagon’s new route. The cavalry pack was diverging. If things stayed this way, they might actually slip clear.
Screams rose faint from behind. Klock clenched his teeth and glared past the leaping monsters into the dark.
Maybe he should fight.
But Boit and Nora were here. If he acted reckless, it wouldn’t just be his own neck on the line.
”Was sending Cianie ahead a mistake…? No. If they’d caught up, this would’ve been worse. Then how the hell’d these ones slip past her…? A detached unit? She should’ve sensed them and doubled back… unless—unless she can’t sense them…?”
”———That voice.”
It came from right in front of him.
A fish monster dropped from above, gliding through the air like it was swimming in water, not bursting from the ground this time. It swooped down in front of the wagon, jaws yawning open.
He reacted on instinct, slashing upward.
The warped blade of the Cianie Knife ripped the air itself, catching the figure inside the mouth. Steel rang out—a sharp clash—and the strike shattered into mist.
A trident had blocked it.
”…Heh. Quite the trick. That skill of yours… it’s how you caught me off guard, isn’t it?”
The mermaid stepped into view, orange hair streaming from the fish’s maw. She wasn’t holding a bow like the others.
That wrongness alone was enough to make his gut drop. Expect something and miss, and panic set in. She had broken that rhythm completely.
”—Tch!!”
”Whoa—!”
And she wasn’t alone. While his eyes were on her, another volley came from behind. Whether he barely dodged in time or they just missed, an arrow hissed past, scraping his coat and slamming into the wagon wall.
Nora screamed. It had struck close—too close. Klock barked at her to get down, and she scrambled out from the back, climbing onto the driver’s bench beside Boit.
He planted his feet, knife ready.
The red-haired mermaid who had fired nocked another arrow—but instead of aiming at him, she shot the wagon’s side. The arrow sliced through a rope, and with the wind and the jostling motion, the canvas curtain slid away.
Moonlight poured in, revealing Klock fully.
”Drop your weapon and surrender! Resist and—”
”Tickets only, freeloaders!!”
The monster fish lunged, mouth gaping.
The woman leapt out, landing on the wagon with human legs—but he darted forward and kicked her clean off.
”Ghh—you—!”
She hit the ground, but another fish swept in and snatched her up mid-slide. They were saving their riders automatically. So they really could fully control them. Honestly, they were smarter than horses.
”Land man. Put your weapon away.”
The orange-haired mermaid spoke, voice cool and even, spear still in her hand instead of a bow. Something about her presence screamed command—like she was their leader.
”It’s been a day. I still don’t know your name.”
”…Huh?”
She stepped lightly onto the wagon bed, unhurried, graceful.
Klock’s fingers twitched. He wanted to kick her off too, but now that she’d started talking it was awkward to strike first. She walked closer, and his face twisted.
”Yesterday… you put on such a show. So fiery. And yet, after forcing yourself on me, you just left without even giving your name. Humans really are crude creatures.”
”…You…”
He froze, jaw slack. Behind him, Boit and Nora stayed silent—waiting, maybe watching for an opening.
”Yesterday, we never got to introduce ourselves.
I am Primlena, one of the Six High Priestesses of the Seabed Temple. My elder sister is Sea General Primjune, one of the Demon Lord’s Four Generals, Third Seat of the Council of the United Kingdoms, and the Temple’s own apostle.
I have come for you, land man. You will come with me to the Temple. You will confess your sins there and receive judgment.”
Her orange hair gleamed in the moonlight.
Not a common color among Humans. Impossible to forget.
He remembered now—she was one of the soldiers he’d captured for intel. No, not a soldier. A priestess. The Fishkin all looked a bit too alike—bright, ornate, showy. He’d failed to realize she was someone important.
”…Uh… John. Nice to meet you, sea lady.”
”Oh? A fake name, in this situation? Bold. Well, I suppose one wouldn’t be honest under such conditions. No matter. I’ll just hear your real name properly once you’re in the Temple.”
In her off-hand, she was holding something—maybe a stone. Hard to tell in the darkness, but it gleamed pitch black, like polished obsidian.
…How did she know it was fake?
Was that some kind of mind-reading skill?
”…Yeah, uh. Sorry. Bit busy, though. Rain check? I’ll… call you when I’ve got time, promise—”
”Oh, how unfortunate.”
Primlena let out a slow breath—and then drew in one sharp enough to hiss.
”You don’t get a choice, you idiot!! Our law forbids rejecting a man’s courtship—and you… you knew that when you did what you did!! You won’t escape, you trash!! Take responsibility!!”
She slammed the butt of her spear into the floorboards, cracking a plank clean through.
Okay, yeah. She was pissed. You could almost see a vein throbbing on her forehead. The polite act was just a thin shell over the boiling rage still simmering from yesterday’s… interrogation.
”I—uh—don’t really know what you’re talking about—”
”Silence!! You think I sat still and let you do all that— that and THAT—because I was stunned!? I was NOT frozen because you touched me!! If not for our law, I’d have shredded you to glitter with magic already…! If you don’t want to die, you will come to the Temple right now!!”
Ah. That tracked.
She probably wasn’t used to men at all. So when he’d suddenly gotten handsy, her body had just locked up—even if her mouth still said otherwise.
”Look, just… wait. Yeah, I went too far, sorry. But that’s only ’cause—uh. You’re just… way too beautiful, okay? You’re so absurdly gorgeous you scrambled my brain. So really… it’s kinda your fault.”
The secret art: Blame Transfer.
”…What?”
Primlena twirled her spear, eyes narrowing to killing points.
Yeah. That didn’t work.
”I mean—not like that! Just—uh—thought I’m Human, y’know? Didn’t know about your whole… mermaid law thing? Totally a Fishkin matter, right? Nothing to do with Humans?”
”…Haaah… whatever.”
She sighed. A deep, weary sigh.
Apparently, negotiation had never been on the table. And now, hearing nothing she’d wanted, she just looked… disappointed.
She didn’t even look angry anymore—just quietly done, like she’d expected nothing else from him and he still managed to disappoint.
”We priestesses are the guardians of one of the Nine Worlds—the Temple itself. For the sake of our sacred duty, we live under many rules. When we are claimed by a man, we must either remain with him for life… or drive a knife through his heart and part forever. We must show, always, that our will cannot be swayed.”
She said it quietly, almost to herself, voice threading between the rattling wheels and the distant shrieks of fleeing people. He had to lean closer to catch the words.
”Your courtship will be judged in the Temple. If my kin approve of you—if they deem you worthy, body and soul, to serve the Fishkin’s future—then we will wed. If not… I will drive this knife into your heart, and bury your body in my homeland.”
Her eyes narrowed to knife-edges, spear lifting until it pointed straight at his chest.
Klock’s own eyes went wide and round. …Okay. He hadn’t planned for this route. Spearpoint engagement plus mandatory marriage threat—honestly a terrifyingly efficient combo.
”And consider this—Rushelora’s people are in our hands. Choose with that in mind. Will you take responsibility… or not!?”
So that was it. Marry her or let the town burn.
Fantastic. He wondered what the Sun Maiden would say if she could see this. Probably something loud.
”…S-sorry. I just… prefer meat over seafood, y’know…”
A straight rejection would get him skewered.
But getting dragged to this temple would be just as bad. So he tried the subtle route—maybe hint they weren’t compatible.
”As if that’s an issue! People adapt to the color of their world. In the sea, we have tails, but on land, we walk on legs. I can hunt beasts, I can cook, I even have land currency—I’ve bought cakes in Central for birthdays, you know.”
…She… was offering to cook for him.
As in, actually feed him. That was… almost tempting. No. No, focus.
”Uh… yeah, but… the temple’s underwater, right? Land guys like me can’t breathe down there. I’d just drown.”
He could guess what she meant by “Temple.” She’d called it one of the Nine Worlds—so it had to be that legendary sea world from the Sages’ records. Which meant it was definitely under the ocean.
”I’ll give you air. You only need to keep your mouth on mine until we reach it. The Seabed Temple is safe for land-dwellers to live in. You have nothing to fear.”
…A very romantic-sounding way to die. He wondered if water pressure was going to crush him like a tin can. Even if it had air, it still sounded like a pretty inescapable prison. Go there once and you never come back.
”…Land men are kinda… energetic, though. Might be too much for a sea girl. You were gasping yesterday, remember?”
”I—I was not…! A-anyway, going to the Temple is to bear children. Energetic men are expected. Your ‘courtship’ rates as bottom of the bottom on every scale, but you’re Human. If you lack basic sense or culture, I will teach you.”
Thud. The wagon jolted as someone landed on the back.
The red-haired mermaid he’d kicked off earlier. She stepped up silently, positioning herself half a step behind Primlena, eyes glaring sharp enough to prick skin. Probably her attendant or something.
”A-anyway! First, you must come to the Temple. We must report what happened. Then my sister will hear your words, and if you are prepared to take responsibility, you may—”
”No no no—hold up. I can’t think about anything until you stop attacking the townsfolk. And we don’t even know each other yet. We could—I dunno, start as friends? Get to know each other, and then maybe—”
If they took him to the Temple, that was it.
Even if there was no trace, even if Cianie somehow found the trail, he doubted she could reach that place. If they assumed no help was coming, escape would be impossible. He had to steer away now.
He raised both hands, palms out, trying to calm her.
Primlena’s expression—and even the red-haired one’s—cooled fast. Not good. This was going bad.
”…So you refuse. I see.”
Spear still in her right, Primlena reached behind her back. A flash of metal—she had a knife tucked there.
”…A pity. It seems you are not the one fated for my star.”
Whatever that meant, it sounded exactly like a death sentence.
Two enemies on the wagon now. Even if he tried kicking them off, they’d kill him before he moved. And his Cianie Knife had just been blocked earlier. He might have to play along for now.
”Wait, no—scratch that. Forget I said anything! I just, uh, got flustered—”
”…Haaah? Flustered? You’re a grown man.”
”Y-yeah, but—when a stunning beauty’s right in front of you, it kinda makes you freeze up, y’know? Ha… ha… ha…”
”…Really. Funny how you weren’t frozen when you attacked me out of nowhere and dragged me off.”
The tip of her spear trembled slightly. Probably just from the wagon’s shaking. Definitely not because she was gripping it hard enough to crack the shaft. He hoped.
Cianie, hurry up already!!
He screamed it in his head. If she didn’t get here soon, he was out of stalling tricks. It was surrender or fight, and fighting felt like instant death.
If she just showed up…
He sent that prayer east, where Cianie should be. A man’s last hope, aimed at one woman.
And then—something changed.
Light from above turned crimson.
”…Huh?”
”Eeeeek—?!”
”…Eh? Ru—?”
The red-haired mermaid had just drawn her bow when her body lurched upward. Like something invisible had grabbed her and yanked her into the air.
Klock and Primlena’s eyes snapped skyward.
An eye.
A colossal eye floated in the moon, staring down at them.
”Aa-a-aaaaAAAaaaAAAaaaaaA?!”
The red-haired mermaid hung there, and her skin began to dry.
Fast.
Klock’s jaw dropped. She shriveled before his eyes, flesh sinking tight over bone at impossible speed. His mind just blanked. Even Primlena could only gape.
And it wasn’t just her.
All around them, people floated upward—refugees, soldiers, anyone, old or young. Their feet left the ground like puppets on strings. They screamed, flailed, and then their faces twisted into raw terror as their bodies crumpled inward.
”Wh… what the hell… what’s happening…?”
”This… can’t be…”
Life was being ripped out of them.
Bodies fell like mummified dolls. Blood—or something like it—spiraled upward, gathering into red clumps. Those clumps swirled together, merging, shaping themselves—
—into a person.
”Ta-daaa!!
The moon’s number one stylish villain girl, the one even crying babies admire—VioVio has arrived!!”
—
Sudden horror movie switch as VioVio just casually vacuums souls into the moon and strikes a pose like a stage idol.
Notes:
• Rushelora – A port where demons are allowed to stay at embassies under special circumstances. It is a location where humans and demons have trade relations.
• Boit – A merchant involved in human trafficking, with a villainous face and a loud, obnoxious voice. He is pragmatic and willing to help Klock escape the country in exchange for something. His relationship with Klock is business-like, though both are aware of each other’s illicit activities.
• Cianie – A noble girl with a fluffy white and light blue dress, indicating her high status. She has a hesitant and flustered personality but is kind and courteous. Her relationship with Klock begins as an accidental encounter and develops into a romantic interest. She has a fiancé but expresses feelings for Klock, complicating their relationship.
• Anna – The legendary Hero, chosen to defeat the Demon Lord. Her past life is Sylvia Croce. She is described as a heavenly being with overwhelming skill and a merciless attitude.
• Hermine – Daughter of the Emperor of the Second Empire of Dusselhelm. A companion and friend of Anna. The mage. She is pragmatic and encourages Anna to focus on her duties as a hero rather than her personal revenge.
• Ada – Female. Ada the Wild Wind. An A-rank adventurer. Her appearance is striking, with black hair mixed with fiery red, multiple earrings, and an axe spear as tall as she is. She is incredibly strong and fast, with a Unique Skill called the ‘Blessing of the Wind’ that enhances her speed and agility. Ada is ruthless in combat but shows a surprising willingness to negotiate. She is highly respected in adventurer circles and feared by criminals. Her relationship with Klock is adversarial, as he stole from her and escaped using trickery.
• Primjune – She is one of the Four Heavenly Kings, appeared as a scaled and finned figure, known for executing the saint’s kidnapping plan.
• John – A pseudonym used by Klock.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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