Did Hajime go somewhere? She glanced around the area, but still couldn't spot him.
She cleared her throat.
"Excuse me for a moment," she said, stepping back from the group and heading toward Rica and Varl.
Reiko seemed more settled than before, keeping an eye on those leaving her barrier and entering the village. Even so, she hadn't noticed the first group leave, only sensed it.
The villagers she'd been speaking with watched her as she walked away, approaching Rica, who didn't notice her at all.
Just by looking at Rica's expression, Reiko could tell she was bored, while Varl was fast asleep beside her.
"Rica!" Reiko called out.
Rica immediately turned toward the sound of her name, momentarily startled. As she noticed Reiko approaching, the boredom on her face faded, replaced by a brighter expression. She straightened slightly, clearly expecting that Reiko had finally come to give her something to do after being left idle for so long.
"Where's Hajime?" Reiko asked, her tone curious as she came to a stop in front of Rica.
Rica's brows furrowed in disappointment as she bit her lower lip, trying and failing to hide it. It was already too late; Reiko had seen through the mask the moment it slipped. Still, she chose not to comment on it.
"He said he was going to get some water, but it's been a while since he left, so I'd be lying if I said I knew where he was right now," Rica explained, slowly shifting her gaze away from Reiko.
Drink water? Reiko wondered.
If I remember correctly, there isn't a single source of drinkable water here. Her lips parted slightly as her eyes drifted over the ground ahead. The closest source is in the forest, but my barrier doesn't reach that far…
Her expression tightened. And even if it's sealed off, that area is still dangerous for someone with no combat or magic experience to enter alone right now.
"Ahhh, is something wrong? You kind of look paler than usual," Rica asked, a confused expression on her face as she looked at Reiko, who was deep in thought.
Reiko forced a soft smile. "It's nothing," she said. "Where did Hajime say he was going to get the water?"
Rica fell silent for a moment, left speechless and slightly terrified at the same time. Reiko was acting out of character, and it unsettled her.
She swallowed.
"I-I saw him heading toward the village," she replied nervously.
The village…? Why there, though? Reiko flinched.
Some villagers nearby, including the ones who had been talking to Reiko earlier, stared at the two of them with curious eyes, wondering what the sisters could be discussing.
Reiko let out a soft sigh and pivoted.
"Thanks for telling me that," she said quietly. "Wait for me here. I'll be back after I sort things out with Hajime." She stepped forward as she spoke.
"Ah… w-where are you going?" Rica asked.
"The village."
Without another word, Reiko took off, leaving the villagers and her sister behind as she went after Hajime. A moment later, Rica pushed herself to her feet and followed after her, leaving Varl asleep among a group of unfamiliar faces.
***
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the village, the situation was far more chaotic. Some of the villagers who had left Reiko's barrier earlier were being rounded up by the knights. Those who attempted to flee or resist were met with brutal efficiency, and anyone who tried to fight back was gunned down almost instantly.
One of the knights remarked with a grin as he fired at the villagers who dared to step forward, surprised that anyone still had the courage to resist. Another knight, standing nearby, watched in quiet amusement, noting how reckless and indifferent the villagers seemed to be, as if they didn't care what was happening around them.
The first knight continued picking off those who got too close, his expression a mixture of disbelief and satisfaction, while his companion simply observed, shaking his head at their boldness.
The two knights were unaware that Mathew was observing them from a distance. He made no move to intervene yet. Rose, however, was clearly irritated by their behavior. All she could do was bite down on her lower lip, waiting for Mathew to give the order to act.
"It's rare to see you this motivated, Rose," Mathew remarked, glancing at her.
"What makes you think I'm that excited about this?" She replied flatly. "I mean, we're using our own kingdom's people as target practice. Right now, I just feel sorry for them, and I'm not that motivated." She paused.
Mathew let out a quiet chortle. "Oh, really? Then I guess I'm the only one who feels good about this, huh?" he said with a smile.
'I don't get what's so fun about this. He's just sitting there doing nothing.' Rose's expression didn't change.
"Taking out useless people, people who do nothing to help their own kingdom." Mathew continued. "All they do is hide in this small village of theirs, passing time with nothing but prayers to the goddess who doesn't even give a damn bout them."
He shrugged, lifting a bottle to his mouth, then stopped.
"Then again," he said, " even useless people sometimes tend to be useful when you just force the role on them." He tilted it to his mouth, trying to take a sip.
"Huh?" He uttered. "I'm already out?"
He let out a soft sigh, as if disappointed with himself. Then glanced down at the two knights again.
"You can take them out... I've seen enough." He added, after a brief pause.
A moment later, Rose's rifle bloomed with a saturated prism light, the air around its barrel collapsing inward as a violent current of wind was compressed at the outlet. The pressure was released in a single blink. Where the two knights had stood, there was nothing left but drifting dust and scattered bones, stripped clean before the sound could even catch up.
Mathew and the extra two nights next to Rose were all stunned for a moment, unsure of what had just happened.
"Ahhh… wha-wha… was that your magic?" Mathew stammered, his voice shaky. Still, Rose didn't reply, and she looked unfazed.
The gunfire from a moment ago had erupted into a deafening roar, the concussive blast rippling through the air. Dust kicked up from the ground, and a few villagers' attention was drawn by the sound, and they turned to the location of Rose and the others.
The knight, still there and still hiding in the shadows, observing the ground, became curious after spotting some of the villagers heading back into the grounds, panicking. But nothing happened, the knight was expecting that the portal would open again, letting these villagers pass and heading wherever they were hiding.
From a distance near the training ground, Hajime approached the people who were heading to the training grounds as they panicked.
'I wonder what that sound could have been?' He wondered. 'But come to think of it, it almost sounded like a railgun, though I didn't hear any charging noise. Maybe I just imagined it.' He suddenly came to a stop, looking at the villagers at the training ground.
"What's going on here?" He uttered, confusion evident in his voice.
As he stared at the group ahead, Hajime's gaze drifted to the bodies sprawled across the middle of the road.
I'm guessing these belong to some of the traitors… he thought, tilting his head. I'm surprised that Knight really went for the kill instead of asking questions first.
He stepped closer, the metallic scent of fresh blood thick in the air.
It's strange… how filth like this can still be beautiful inside, he mused.
Crouching beside the corpses, a faint smile tugged at his lips as his crimson eyes glimmered at the sight of the blood.
The knight noticed him and became confused about what the boy could have been doing there, ignoring the panicked villagers. Another thing, why wasn't the boy panicking like the others?
Meanwhile, as Hajime continued staring at the scarlet liquid, his heart began to race. A memory surged unbidden in his mind: a girl with short black hair lying sprawled on the road, drenched in blood. Her eyes, wide and unblinking, seemed to stare straight at him, and the sight alone made it impossible to tell if she was still alive.
"...Huh...?" Hajime gasped, staggering backwards as his legs gave out, and tumbled to the ground.
"Miyoko." He uttered with a shocked expression on his face.
He forced himself to rise and tried to move away from the bodies, but his legs gave out, and he stumbled again. Still, he pushed himself up once more, determined to put distance between himself and the corpses. Yet, instead of continuing in the direction he had been heading, his steps veered unexpectedly, and he found himself turning back toward the village.
Some of the villagers who had been captured by the knights recognized him as he dashed past them, but they didn't say anything to warn him if he stayed in the village.
Hajime came to a halt, trying to steady his breathing, and his eyes fell on the captives lined up before him.
Wha–what's going on here...? This doesn't feel right, he thought, panic creeping in. But before he could decide what to do, a hand pressed firmly on his shoulder, grounding him with an almost unnatural certainty.
The next moment, his body gave way, and he collapsed. A soft smile appeared over him as Rose caught him effortlessly, cradling him in her arms while her gun slid from her grip.
***
Meanwhile, inside the barrier at the training grounds, Reiko and Rica paused. They were trying to figure out how Reiko could leave the barrier without it collapsing or without anyone outside noticing its presence.
It felt as if she were trapped inside her own barrier, anxiety gnawing at her as she stood there, unable to move. Outside, she could hear the villagers struggling, trying to get back in, but she didn't care about them; the only thing that was on her mind was to get Hajime. She didn't even notice her sister watching her.
"How's it going, Reiko?!"
The voice rang out suddenly from a distance, and both Reiko and Rica whipped around to face the speaker.