For the past few days, the citizens of Orario had known nothing but ash-gray skies. The gloomy weather clouded their hearts like it clouded the heavens, a constant reminder of the Age of Darkness and all it entailed. No rain fell, nor storm clouds gathered. Only a somber and unrelenting atmosphere pervaded the streets at all times.
Today, however, citizens awoke to a clear blue sky, inhabited only by meager wisps of white. It was a bright, sunny morning, and Alise put her hands on her hips and, in an equally bright, sunny voice, declared: "Now, it's off to feed the poor!"
"Why do you sound so proud about that?" asked Lyra with a fed-up frown. "It's Demeter Familia who organized the whole thing…"
"Because! We get to join forces with the Guild and other adventurers and show everybody the raw power of a cooked meal!"
"And what is that supposed to mean?" asked Kaguya, shaking her head.
Yup, today there is an event happening in Orario.
The soup kitchen, as it were, was set up on a street in the northern part of town and run by volunteers. They dished out delectable yet inexpensive meals such as wine-drizzled gruel, oatmeal, and, of course, vegetable soup. The savory scent breathed new life into the streets, and the road was packed with the needy waiting to be fed.
"It means today's going to be a happy day!" Alise beamed. "Now, get to work, everyone! Pitch in a hand wherever you can!"
"I'm not great with all this charity…" Lyra groaned, wandering over to the lines of people.
"And I am far too shy to deal with all this riffraff," Kaguya added, heading toward the partitioned-off kitchen area. All the other members of Astrea Familia quickly found a task to keep them busy. Only Ryuu, Alise, and I remained behind.
"You're with me, Leon," said Alise. "We're gonna turn all these poor starving people into fat little piggies!"
"Keep that language to yourself," Ryuu sighed. "We don't want any complaints. Let's just see where they're shorthanded and help out."
I also started looking for a place where I can help out. As I walked and observed the city. It was safe to say the venture had been a rousing success. In an age where death lurked around every corner, a stable job that could support a loving family was the stuff of dreams to many. For this one day, they could fill their bellies and their hearts.
I also came to know that, for the first time since its inception, the Goddess Festival—a celebration of good harvest, meant to take place the previous day—had been canceled. This soup kitchen was meant to make up for that in a way.
I found Anakitty and Raul distributing the food, and I started to help them out. And it seems they noticed the awkwardness I felt when I was thanked by the people as I handed them food.
"You don't seem used to this type of thing, do you?" Raul said as he handed another plate of fruits to a child.
"No, it's always awkward for me to receive thanks when I did not even do anything noteworthy. Like here I am just handing over the fruits which I did not even cut myself."
Anakitty glanced at me with a knowing smile. "You seem like the type who overthinks everything, Arin."
"Really?" I asked. But before she could reply. A scream pierced the air.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!"
Her voice was joined by others.
"W-waaaah!"
"What happened? What just happened?!"
"She killed him! She murdered him!!" Chaos and panic gripped the street. Men and women, young and old, pushed each other aside, fleeing the epicenter of violence by any means necessary. And at the epic center of this mess was a woman with a great sword.
She approached a stall that was attended by the guild employees.
"Nice little kitchen you got goin' on here. Gimme a taste, you Guild shits." Her hair was a toxic pink. She wore tattered underclothes and a pair of leather pants. I was able to recognize her as the Only person on the Guild blacklist matched her description.
A human known as Arachnia, and the Evils' top commander. Valletta Grede was here.
"Let me help you all out," she said. "I see some nice, ripe berries just waitin' to be squeezed!"
Then she unleashed her blade upon the crowd again. Its edge danced, carving limbs, slicing heads, and drawing blood. She was a Level 5 adventurer, and there wasn't a single man, woman, or child who could escape her. I observed everything as I sprinted towards her.
"V-Valletta! What are you doing?!" cried a man, a member of the Evils who had been hiding in the crowd. He ran over to her, shouting, "We were told not to—Gaaah?"
The man was cut down like the rest. Valletta's blade was indiscriminate in its slaughter. It bewildered not only the crowd but me as well.
Valletta was the only one with a crimson smile on her face.
"Don't tell me what to do, worm. Look at this beautiful blue sky! Ain't it the perfect weather for turnin' everybody into a mushy pulp?!" Valletta spread out her arms and gazed heavenward, grinning madly. The natural-born killer, accompanied by evil and singing its praises. "We gotta remind these idiots of the hell they're livin' in! They don't get to smile and be happy! Now, get 'em!"
"Y-yes, ma'am!"
She prepared to swing her sword again, but I intercepted her blade, activating Astrum Cordis the moment our blades met. But even after the buff, I still felt my arm going numb for a second.
"Hoh…" She sounded impressed, a wide predatory grin coming onto her face. "So you are that High Human everyone is gungho about?" I backed off and cut an evilius member who tried to attack a civilian, but she paid it no mind and just observed me.
"I can see why they are so wary of you. It has not been that long since you arrived here, But already become so strong." I ignored her rambling and observed their group. And eliminated some as well.
But even for them, it seems too abrupt an attack. Wait, is that a bait?
"Raul, I want you to get in contact with Finn and tell him this is a distraction." Raul seems hesitant to leave.
"Ah! You really are a dangerous fella. It will be better if I kill you now, or else you will become a problem for sure."
"Go, Raul. I will hold her off until the reinforcement arrives." Raul nodded after some hesitation.
"Do you think I will let you go!" Valletta Grede made a jump towards Raul. But before her sword could make contact, I came in between them. Fully activating my Astrum Cordis and parrying her sword. I still felt that heaviness, though way lighter than before.
"Hm? From what I recall, you should be just a level 2 and not level 4, or did you level up to 5?" She gave a thoughtful expression." No, it's that light around you, is it not?"
It is kind of amazing she was able to assess so much with just a few exchanges. I gave no reply, but she was correct. Right now, I am somewhere at peak level 4. Instead of answering, I calculated how much I have until I run out of mind.
"Not talkative one are you? It does not matter. Because you will meet your end today!"
The fight erupted with brutal intensity as Valletta's greatsword came crashing down toward my head. I rolled to the side, her blade carving a deep gouge in the stone where I'd been standing.
"Agni O!" I whispered, blue flames instantly materializing around my free hand. I shaped them into a whip and lashed out at her exposed flank, but she twisted away with surprising agility for someone wielding such a massive weapon.
"Ooh, fancy!" she cackled, spinning her sword in a wide arc that forced me to duck. "But pretty lights won't save you!"
Her next strike came from above—a devastating overhead swing that would have split me in two. I caught it on my blade, the impact sending shockwaves through my enhanced body. Even with Astrum Cordis active, the sheer force made my knees buckle.
An Evils member tried to flank me from the right, moving to strike down a fleeing child. Without breaking eye contact with Valletta, I shaped my blue flames into a spear and hurled it through his chest. He collapsed instantly.
"Multitasking, are we?" Valletta's grin widened as she pressed her attack, raining down a series of heavy blows that tested the limits of my enhanced reflexes. "How noble of you!"
I parried three strikes in rapid succession, each one threatening to shatter my guard. On the fourth, I stepped inside her reach and drove my elbow toward her ribs. She caught it on her sword's crossguard, but the impact created enough space for me to retreat.
Two more Evils members rushed toward the soup kitchen. My flames responded instantly, forming twin arrows that pierced their hearts before they could reach the civilians.
"You're starting to piss me off," Valletta snarled, her playful demeanor cracking slightly. She lunged forward with a horizontal slash aimed at my waist.
I leaped over the blade, using the momentum to bring my sword down in a vertical strike. She raised her weapon to block, and the collision sent sparks flying in all directions. We locked blades for a moment, her superior strength slowly overwhelming my enhanced abilities.
"Level 2 pretending to be Level 4," she sneered, pushing harder. "How long can you keep this up?"
Instead of answering, I dispersed my flames and reformed them as a barrier between us, the blue fire forcing her to step back. The brief respite allowed me to check my mind reserves—I was burning through them faster than I'd hoped.
Another Evils member appeared behind a cowering woman. My flame spear found its mark before he could strike.
"Enough games!" Valletta roared, her blade beginning to glow with a crimson aura. "Let me show you what a real Level 5 can do!"
Her next attack came with terrifying speed—a diagonal slash that I barely managed to deflect. The force sent me skidding backward, my boots scraping against the stone. She pressed her advantage immediately, unleashing a flurry of strikes that pushed me to my absolute limits.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Each parry sent vibrations up my arms. I managed to counter with a thrust aimed at her shoulder, but she twisted away and responded with a pommel strike that caught me in the ribs. Pain exploded through my side as I stumbled.
"Getting tired already?" she taunted, raising her sword for what looked like a finishing blow.
But I'd been counting on her overconfidence. As her blade descended, I rolled forward instead of backward, coming up inside her guard. My sword found the gap in her leather armor, drawing first blood as it sliced across her thigh.
"You little—!" Her backhand caught me across the face, sending me sprawling.
I rolled to avoid her follow-up strike, the greatsword embedding itself in the ground where my head had been. While she yanked it free, I spotted three more Evils members advancing on a group of trapped civilians.
"Agni O!" Blue flames erupted in multiple directions—spears, arrows, and whips of fire that cut down the attackers before they could complete their massacre. But the effort drained more of my already depleted mind reserves.
Valletta noticed my momentary distraction and capitalized ruthlessly. Her boot caught me in the stomach, launching me backward into a food stall. Wood splintered around me as I crashed through tables and overturned pots.
"This is what happens when you try to play hero!" she screamed, advancing with murderous intent. Her sword gleamed as she prepared for the killing blow.
I struggled to my feet, tasting blood. My Astrum Cordis flickered—a warning that my mind was nearly exhausted.
Just then, I sensed two incoming attacks towards her: one from above, and one from behind.
"Demon!!" came a voice. The attack speed was on par with a Level 4 adventurer. Valletta knew in that moment she wouldn't be able to dodge, so instead she reached beneath her coat and drew out a dagger. Holding it in a reverse grip with one hand and her greatsword with the other, she wheeled around and parried the two blows simultaneously.
"Oh, well, if it isn't Astrea Familia!" she jeered in a singsong voice. "I don't remember invitin' a pair of suckling brats!"
"Silence!" replied Ryuu, furious. "This was supposed to be a joyous day! How dare you come and spill blood in this place!"
Any reservations Ryuu might have had about stabbing a defenseless target in the back were gone when it came to this foe. Alise, meanwhile, landed a short distance away and immediately lunged once more with her straight sword to follow up on her failed attack.
I also drank a health potion and a magic potion. Getting ready to enter the battle to come.