“Hey, Iroha, I had an idea on how to get to the pillar without getting attacked again!”

  Bold claim, Sarasa… “Is it a good or bad idea? Well, if you actually got something, it’d be amazing, so let’s hear it.”

  “So… I was thinking… There is definitely something lurking in the fog, right?” Correct… We passed through a few streets so far, and it’s always impossible to see to the other end. Whether ahead or behind us, there are always some shadows jumping around in the mist. Even the tiles from the roofs rattled sometimes.

  “I guess so…”

  “The longer we take to get through this town, the longer we’re in danger. So like, why don’t we just run? We can get past whatever’s out there before it can react, and we’re good. Aren’t I a genius?”

  I don’t know if she was being serious or not, but it helped everyone loosen up.

  “I mean… I think that’s smarter than it has any right to be… Maybe I would have said yes if it was just the two of us, but it’s too risky.

  “I agree.” Galene looked over her shoulder. “It wouldn’t work with a group our size. It gives them too much time to react.”

  “And that’s assuming we’re not against some monster with fast reflexes. You gotta come up with something better.” Smugly, Carol tapped Sarasa’s shoulder.

  The expert here was Flanne, and she also had something to add. “I think the biggest issue is what’s beyond this town. I can point you in the right way, but I can’t tell you what’s in it. Even if we made it past this town, who knows what we’d find next?”

  “Tch… What a tough crowd.” Sarasa glanced at me and leaned closer, locking arms with me. “At least you appreciate my intellect, don’t you? Ahh~! I’m so glad to have found someone who understands and agrees with me!”

  “Wait… I said there’s some good to your idea, not that I agree with anything… I still think it’s too risky.”

  “Oh yeah? Never mind then, traitor!” She pushed my arm away and started pouting. Come on now…

  Sarasa couldn’t even pout in peace before something happened. Many sets of footsteps overlapped and rushed us from both sides. The shadows in the mist grew larger, and a handful of enemies emerged.

  They were Pigmen… Running on two legs, wearing human armor, and with spears pointed at us. Even while standing, they were shorter than the average person, not even reaching chest level. We were expecting something like this to happen at some point, and we quickly got into position.

  I was near the back, so I turned around and met their spears head-on. Galene and Flanne were up front, while Carol and Sarasa were with me. There were two pigmen on each side, enough to block out the narrow street. Our weapons clashed with their spears, and they stumbled backwards.

  “They’re not too fast… Or strong… Keep your guard up and we’ll be fine.” I wanted to lead by example and immediately chop one of them in half, but…

  “Usurper…” “The usurper?” “It’s her.” “Why is she here?” A strange whispering started coming from every direction. Is it the pigs? Sounds like it’s coming from the mist…

  We were all frozen in place. “Usurper…” “False queen…” “Why?” “What is she doing here?” “The crown. “To take our crown?” “To take our powers?” “To take it all.” “Stop her.” “Stop her!” “We must stop her.” “Before it’s too late.” “Kill her” “Kill her” “Kill her” “Kill her”

  The whispers got stuck repeating those two words. Confusing and very unsettling, but it didn’t harm any of us. It might have been too much for Carol, who covered her ears. Why?

  “The only one dying here are you!” Agility Burst! I cut through the pig monster in front of me, and the chant stopped. “Wait… I didn’t?” I could have sworn I felt the sword slashing through the armor. Let’s try that again!

  The others snapped out of it and attacked. Carol managed to join Sarasa after shaking her head.

  Stolen story; please report.

  All of them landed solid hits. Hits that weren’t enough to kill for some reason. “Don’t worry! Follow my lead!” There’s a trick to it, but we can do it… I swung my sword again, creating a wound big enough to kill and spray out some blood. “If you push your sword deeper than you think you have to, it works!”

  “Oh?” Carol gasped right next to me before sending her opponent’s head flying. “You’re right…”

  Galene and Flanne’s second hits were successful as well, and our attackers were dead. Well… the first wave.

  “Wait… It’s not over yet… I can hear something!” Sarasa caught onto some heavy footsteps ahead of time and warned us.

  Coming from the rear, a werewolf jumped out from the mist, swinging his claws wildly. Large gashes were carved into the walls and ground, and he showed no signs of stopping.

  Parrying strike… “Carol, us too.” “Got it!” I parried the swipes from one hand while Sarasa and Carol coordinated to parry the other. Our combined efforts finally managed to stop it.

  The werewolf was twice the size of the pig monster and significantly taller than the average human. Almost twice as big. The bodies on the floor must have been too appetizing, as the monster stopped his rampage for a few bites. He lifted each pigman with a single hand and chomped through flesh and armor.

  Well… Here’s someone who clearly doesn’t need more iron in their diet. “Well… Here’s someone who won’t have to worry about their iron intake.”

  “Really? Hecate? Now’s not the time for jokes…” I called her out even though I made almost the same joke… Hehe… I didn’t say it out loud, so it doesn’t count.

  The monster finished chewing the two corpses and let out a big roar. Is in the mood for a fight again? Have it your way…

  “My sincerest apologies…” *Boom!* There wasn’t even an opportunity to attack before the monster got a hole through his shoulder from Hecate’s sniper. “How’s this? Is this a better joke?”

  “Hmm… Yeah, sure… Great joke!” I gave her a thumbs up. “We’re going in now, so try not to hit us.”

  Me, Carol, and Sarasa rushed forward while Flanne and Galene got into position to support us. The shot left the monster flailing, so we might be able to land some nice hits. Slash Flu-

  “You have my word, but I make no promises.”

  “No! Promise it! Bad, Hecate! Bad joke!” Made me miss a beat… This time for real… Slash Flurry!

  I unleashed a barrage of slashes, but only around half of them dealt any damage. Not deep enough? The other two managed to land some nice blows, just not as many.

  In response, the werewolf advanced while smacking his arms down. We could dodge merely by stepping back, but…

  “I can’t reach it anymore.” There was no gap for Carol with him repeatedly smashing the ground.

  “I can!” But Sarasa saw gaps every time he raised his arms. She slid under and landed a few hits from the back. Then the monster turned around midswipe and knocked her back. “Okay… Maybe you were right…”

  “I’ll make an opening for you.” Hecate aimed her rifle and shot another round. His shoulder was hit again. The opening was too short. He stumbled, then back to chasing us, a bit more accurately this time.

  “Well… If we’re just shooting, I can help…” Charge Shot! The round I shot hit down near the belly, and the monster stumbled again. While I charged the next shot, Hecate fired hers, and vice versa. We got into a nice rhythm and left the monster defenseless.

  “That’s good… We can finish it off now!” Carol saw the opening she was looking for. We timed our approach with Hecate’s next shot and rushed him down.

  Sarasa landed some hits in the back of the neck. The monster tried to hit her, but… Heart Piercer! Used as intended. I stabbed my sword through his chest, almost finishing him off right there and then. He raised his hand to pierce me with his claws but missed. Charge Shot! I kicked off his body while shooting another round.

  The werewolf had no idea what hit him. And he would never have the opportunity to figure it out.

  “Now!” Carol jumped with her sword aimed at his neck.

  “Goodbye!” And Sarasa was there with a double slash from behind.

  A clean cut. Sliced his head right off. Well done… They’re so awesome!!

  “Is it actually over this time?” Ririna asked. There wasn’t even an opportunity for her to help…

  “Sarasa, confirm.”

  “Roger that!” She brought her hands up to her ears. “No sounds detected nearby.”

  “Nice… We got a little breathing room then.”

  “What were those voices earlier?” Galene put her sword away and let out a sigh… “Flanne?”

  Flanne got startled when Galene said her name. “I… hmm…” She got lost in thought and looked straight down.

  “Th- that was probably my fault…” Carol interrupted and raised her hand. “I think they were targeting me.”

  No one knew exactly what to say. “Wait… Really?” No way… I grabbed her shoulder without thinking. Hecate also leaned closer. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m not really sure, but… I’ve been attacked by monsters saying things like that before… Remember? At the harbor?”

  “And how do you know that means they’re targeting you specifically? I was there too…”

  Carol shook her head. “It’s me… I’m pretty sure…”

  Really? Sounds like she knows something… “Even if that’s true, don’t say it like it’s your fault. It’s not like you attracted them on purpose…”

  There was a moment of silence, and Galene used the opportunity to ask a question. “I don’t fully get it, but why would monsters target you specifically? That’s not how they usually work.”

  “I think it’s because I got lost in the Forest of Illusion a while ago… The others managed to rescue me, but the monsters from here seem to have some kind of problem with me… Maybe I was cursed…” The anklets. Carol looked down, probably thinking the same things.

  The one most surprised with what Carol said with Flanne. “After we rescued you, did you notice something weird? Some kind of mark?”

  “Marks? I wouldn’t call them that, but there was something around my ankles that was strange. Looked like anklets.”

  “Not like straps?”

  Straps? Like the ones from a shoe? I didn’t consider it, but her mysterious tattoos did kinda look like that…

  “Wait… You know something?!” I interrupted.

  “No! Not really…” She’s flustered… Is that a lie? “I mean… It’s more complicated than that… But I don’t really know too much… It has nothing to do with me…”

  She’s averting her gaze… She’s definitely hiding something… Can I get her to talk?

  *Clang clang! Rubble rubble…*

  “What was that?” Some kind of commotion got Galene to draw her sword again. “Is it coming our way?”

  “No… Not this time…” Sarasa shrugged. “But it sounds dangerous… Like there’s a fight going on…”

  “A fight? Maybe another group of pigmen ran into a werewolf. It’s better for us if they fight amongst themselves.” Galene relaxed just slightly.

  “No… There’s no way…” Flanne cut it. “Fairies very rarely fight amongst themselves.”

  “You serious?” Sarasa was calm because she assumed the same as Galene, but if that was the case… “If they’re not fighting each other, and they’re not fighting us, then that means…”

  “There’s someone else in this town!?” I finished her thought. “How did they make it this far?”

  Is this because of the bird that followed us here? Even so, how did they follow us inside? Do they have a guide too? Is that even possible? I wanted to get more out of Flanne, but that will have to wait.

  “Let’s go. We have to take a look.”