Hah!


    I swing my sword at the demon that jumps at me.


    I duck the wolf demon''s attack and enter my pocket and flash my sword. The demon breaks in half and falls to the ground while spurting blood from its body.


    ''''Yulina!　You go that way!


    I understand!


    I go to the left road as the senior soldier told me to do.


    Right now, this royal capital of the Begonia Kingdom is being raided.


    I was taking a tour of the city center on business when it came out of nowhere.


    The gates of the capital, the bell there, suddenly rang and the sound of the bell echoed throughout the capital.


    Few people have ever heard the sound of the bell.


    I''ve only left this royal city since I was born, but I had never heard it before.


    The sound of the bell at the gate announces a raid.


    When that bell rang, the residents immediately began to evacuate the city.


    I immediately began to guide the evacuation, but the raid came quickly.


    The gates were breached and many demons, and then soldiers, entered.


    Looking at the armor of the soldiers, I could tell that it was the Lindow Empire, the land of the demon race.


    Thousands and tens of thousands of demons entered the city and turned the city center into a battlefield.


    The city that was once peaceful is now splattered with the blood of people and demons everywhere, and there are places where there is smoke rising from a fire somewhere.


    I''ve slayed dozens and dozens of demons as well, but I can''t even tell if the number is decreasing.


    Residents are dying.


    If you look at the corpses, you can see that they died from various wounds.


    Some were killed by demons, others were trapped under houses and other objects that had fallen apart, and still others were cut down by enemy soldiers.


    Eventually, some are crushed to death by an avalanche of people while fleeing.


    The residents were attacked before they were completely evacuated, so the damage to the residents was significant.


    Where I am right now is around the center of the city, and if you go inward from here, it''s where the residents are evacuating to.


    So, I can''t let anything past this point, no matter what.


    I, along with my seniors, look around for people who have failed to escape while killing the demons.


    We run around the city, but there are a tremendous number of demons, soldiers, and residents'' corpses lying around, and it''s hard to look at them.


    Even now, there is a constant battle between demons and soldiers from our side of the city.


    I have to do my job as I look from them to my eyes.


    I look around to see if there are any survivors.


    ''''Huh!　The voices....!


    As I was running, I heard a voice from somewhere.


    It was very small and snatched, but I was sure I heard it.


    Where did it come from...!


    I looked over at that and heard the little voice again.


    ''That way!　Hang on, I''m coming to get you!


    You answer loudly as you go in the direction you heard the voice coming from.


    When you go in that direction, you find a house collapsed and wood and stones lying around.


    However, I can''t see the person who was supposed to have spoken out.


    "Help me, help me...!


    ''　Are you okay?!


    Then I heard a voice from inside the crumbling house.


    A woman''s voice.


    I walked up to the voice and saw the girl''s face from inside it as I retreated and slashed the wood.


    ''Are you okay!''


    Yeah ... it''s okay ...


    The child was young, maybe five years old.


    His body was dirty from the dust and smoke, but there were no noticeable wounds. There didn''t seem to be any blood.


    Apparently, he was lucky enough to have gotten into a small gap in the house when it collapsed.


    It''s probably because it''s a small child that it got into that crevice by accident.


    I pick the child up and get him out of that crumbling house.


    ''It''s all right now!　Let''s go somewhere safe now!


    My mom''s still in the house...


    The girl said and pointed towards the crumbling house.


    ''Ha!　I''m sorry, your mother is no longer-


    I could see it earlier.


    There was no gap at all when I was helping this kid, no gap at all, and I saw a bloody arm sticking out of a place where no adult could get in.


    ''Let''s go, it''s not safe here,''


    Is your mother...?


    .....


    Without answering anything, I start walking with the kid''s hand.


    The kid looks at me as if he wants to say something, but he walks away in silence.


    I meet up with the older soldier who I had just left with.


    ''You found the kid that was left behind!


    ''Yes, let''s get her to safety.


    Then he was about to take the girl away, but some demons appeared in front of him.


    ''I will be the lord (shingari). Please take the girl and run away with her.


    ''　I''m counting on you, Yulina!


    Seniors are quick to judge.


    With all due respect, I''m stronger than my seniors. It would be better for me to stay and fight.


    ''''Sister...?　Are you going away?


    The girl looks up at me with tears in her eyes as she tells me this.


    She holds the hem of my clothes.


    The gesture is out of place, but I feel a little cute, and I huff and laugh.


    ''It''s okay, I won''t die. I''ll come back to see you.


    You promise...?


    Yeah, I promise.


    I pat the girl''s head while I pay attention to the demon.


    The girl was depressed earlier, but she smiles a little.


    ''''Senpai, I asked for you.''''


    Yeah, I don''t want you to die too!


    With that, the senior took the girl in his arms and ran off.


    I stayed there alone and confronted the demon.