But then, it spread rapidly...
Now, screams and shouts of anger could be heard from all over the city.
The knights and adventurers had been fully mobilized, but they had yet to suppress the chaos.
If anything, it was only escalating.
"This... what are we supposed to do... No, I can’t let myself think like that!"
Taking down each thug one by one wasn’t going to cut it.
But there was no way to defeat them all at once, either.
If it were Sofia, maybe she could pull it off...
But right now, she was fighting Lena.
There was no one else who could hold Lena back.
I had to leave Lena to Sofia and focus on what I could do.
"Fate, what should we do?"
"…Dad…"
"For now, we just have to reduce their numbers."
The number of thugs was overwhelming, and even the adventurers and knights were being pushed back.
But the enemy's numbers weren’t infinite.
And their magic swords weren’t unlimited, either.
It was going to be slow and steady work, but the important thing was to take them down one by one.
If we did that, we would eventually find a way out.
No need to panic—just keep moving forward steadily.
I explained my conclusion to the two of them.
"That’s so boring. If it were up to the idol fairy Licorice, she’d just take them all out in one big swoop!"
"That would be ideal, but it’s just not possible."
"What about gathering them all in one spot and using Aisha’s magic to neutralize them?"
Aisha’s magic—she must be talking about her light spell.
Anyone who looked at it directly would temporarily lose their sight.
It might be a good idea, but…
"…No, that wouldn’t work."
"Why not?"
"We can’t put Aisha on the front lines. It’s too dangerous. And even if we tried to gather them all in one place, how would we do it? Being the bait would be way too risky."
"That’s…"
"I get the urge to take them all down at once, but we shouldn’t be greedy. We need to stay calm and move forward carefully."
"That’s such a Fate thing to say… But that’s also what makes you, well, you."
Licorice seemed to agree, flashing me a broad grin.
"Alright then, this unbeatable fusion fairy Licorice will lend a hand!"
Fusion…? What is she talking about…?
"Heh, if it’s me we’re talking about, taking down one or two thugs is a piece of—"
"Ugaaahhh! Dieeeee!!!"
"Eeek!?"
"Hey!"
Suddenly, a thug appeared—
Licorice shrieked, her eyes brimming with tears—
And just before his blade could reach her, I managed to jump in and strike him down.
"Licorice… Are you okay?"
"Th-Thanks, Aisha… That scared the crap out of me."
"Oof…"
Snow gave Licorice a look that said he was deeply disappointed.
"…Oh."
As if something had just occurred to her, Aisha muttered under her breath.
"Hey, Dad."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Um… Do you think Lyra is okay?"
"…Oh."
"Damn it!?"
I was so focused on the city that I completely forgot about Lyra!
Lyra's house is on a hill at the edge of town.
If we're lucky, she might not have been caught up in the chaos...
But that's just wishful thinking.
I need to see for myself if she's really okay.
"Let's go to Lyra's place!"
"Okay! Follow the speedster fairy, Licorice!"
――――――――――
…Meanwhile, at that very moment.
"Hiiiieeeek!?"
Lyra Egret let out a tearful scream.
Bang! Bang! Bang!—her door was being pounded on violently.
She had knocked over a shelf to create a barricade, but it felt like it would be smashed apart at any moment.
"Come out, come out, come out already!!!"
"A woman! Give us a woman!!!"
"Graaahhh!!!"
Alongside the pounding on the door, angry shouts echoed through the air.
They sounded more like beasts than humans, completely devoid of reason.
Their minds were consumed by madness and hatred.
"W-What is this!? What the hell is going on!?"
The city had started getting noisy before noon…
And before she knew it, this was happening.
Trying to escape was already too late.
Her house was completely surrounded by a group of thugs.
She had managed to set up a barricade to keep them from breaking in, but it was only a matter of time.
Eventually, they would break through.
And when that happened…
"No, no, no! I refuse! There’s no way in hell I’m letting that happen!!!"
Lyra might have been a scholar obsessed with research, but she was still a woman.
There was no way she was going to let herself become entertainment for these lunatics.
However…
There was nothing she could do.
She couldn’t fight them off. She couldn’t drive them away.
All she could do was barricade herself inside.
And that barricade was already at its limit.
"Grrr… If I knew this was going to happen, I should have thoroughly studied and researched that beastkin girl!"
…Despite the situation, Lyra still managed to say something strangely composed.
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