Nakano Ichika stayed within the refugee group.
She couldn't understand.
Why had they been transported to such an unrealistic world? Why had they fallen into a cave full of monsters, forced to watch as fellow refugees who had crossed over with them were torn apart, bitten, and dismembered by those tentacled horrors? She had to witness their screams, their wails, as they slowly choked out their last breaths, turning into cold corpses and scattered human remains.
That feeling was nothing short of torture!
Those images were seared into her mind, clinging to her memories like parasites, fueling her terror, making her want to scream and flee at every moment.
But she couldn't run. She couldn't just think of herself.
Beside her, another person had crossed over with her—her younger sister.
Nakano Miku.
Miku was far more timid than her.
If Ichika showed even a hint of panic, Miku would undoubtedly panic even more.
For her sister's sake, she had to hold on!
But she was powerless.
Trapped in that cave, with no help in sight, all she could do was cling tightly to her sister, praying that they wouldn't be the next ones dragged out to be devoured, or begging the heavens for someone to come save them.
The agonizing hours dragged on.
Several more people were eaten, and they endured several more waves of terror.
It was as if the gods had heard her prayers.
By nightfall, a deafening explosion echoed from the mountain.
Not long after, a group of people—two men and two women—entered the cave and announced that they were safe.
The disgusting sea demons, the terrifying monster controller—all of them were gone.
Someone went out to check, and the hordes of monsters that had covered the mountainside had completely vanished.
The surviving refugees in the cave finally broke down, their pent-up emotions exploding at once.
Her sister sobbed uncontrollably in her arms.
Nakano Ichika, too, felt her eyes sting, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
Thank goodness.
Thank goodness the gods had heard their prayers—someone had truly come to save them!
***
Some time later.
A black-haired twin-tailed girl in red, clearly a young lady of noble upbringing, summoned a group of people to escort them into the city.
Though Ichika still didn't understand what kind of world this was, at the very least, a populated urban area had to be far safer than a place like this.
Ichika was overwhelmed with relief.
In her arms, Miku also relaxed, her trembling finally subsiding.
But then, another kind of trouble seemed to find them.
Among the escort team that arrived, three members stood out with particularly unusual auras. One of them, a blond young man with tanned skin, spotted them and suddenly brightened with excitement.
Ichika didn't miss the gleam of delight in his eyes.
A chill ran down her spine.
To hide her unease, she quickly lowered her head, pretending not to have noticed.
In this abnormal world, they had no one to rely on.
If someone of status took an interest in them, they would have no way to resist!
What should they do?
What could they do?
She glanced at Miku in her arms and silently steeled herself.
No matter what, she would protect her sister.
No matter the cost!
"Hey, you two sisters over there."
Just then, a voice suddenly reached her ears.
Instinctively, she looked up toward the source of the sound.
What greeted her was a white-haired boy with crimson eyes.
Though young, his features were like a meticulously crafted work of art, exuding a charm that transcended gender.
Most importantly, he wore a faint, gentle smile—one that felt warm and infectious.
"Once you enter the city, if you run into any trouble, just mention my name. I'm Roy. There shouldn't be a single magus in Fuyuki City who doesn't know me."
Ichika froze for a moment.
She remembered him.
One of the two men who had first come up the mountain.
The twin-tailed girl in red had outright stated that it was him who had cleared out the hordes of monsters and their controller.
He was the one who had saved them from hell!
"...Thank you very much."
Ichika bowed her head slightly in gratitude.
Before long.
Their group of over a dozen people was escorted down the mountain by the security team.
The darkened sky and scorched earth left them all restless.
Ichika was no exception.
But what unsettled her even more came later.
After entering the city, they were taken to a refugee shelter.
The group immediately stirred, some wearing expressions of disbelief.
But faced with armed soldiers, they quickly quieted down, silently accepting their fate.
"These two—I'm taking them as my attendants!"
Not long after entering the shelter, the blond, tanned-skinned young man approached the person in charge.
Without hesitation, he pointed directly at Ichika and Miku.
In an instant, a sharp sense of crisis surged in the two girls' hearts.
"Lord Atram, you haven't selected any attendants this month, so you may take two. I'll process the paperwork right away!"
Zenjou, upon seeing Atram, quickly nodded respectfully.
"Wait!"
Ichika jolted upright, leaping to her feet.
"We're—we're Lord Roy's attendants! It was settled outside the city!"
This blond, tanned young man's intentions were written all over his face.
He was so arrogant he didn't even bother hiding it.
If they went with him, something terrible would undoubtedly happen to them!
Not just to her—Miku would surely face horrors beyond imagination!
She had no choice.
At this moment, the only thing she could think of was invoking Roy's name.
He had said they could use his name if they ran into trouble.
She never expected that they'd need it so soon.
The only problem was, in her panic, she had declared both herself and her sister as "Roy's attendants."
She had no other option.
This was the only excuse she could think of to make him back off.
She just hoped Lord Roy wouldn't hold it against them.
"...Roy?"
Atram's expression darkened instantly.
His eyes turned sharp and sinister, like a wolf ready to tear into its prey.
"Lord Atram..."
Zenjou looked at Atram with a pained expression.
What the hell?!
Why do you two always have to clash like this?!
I'm just a working stiff, barely even a peripheral member of the Zenjou family! I worked so hard just to get this position as the shelter director—do you know how tough that was?!
If I mess this up, that distant niece of the mayor from the main family might just fire me!
"In Fuyuki City right now, there are a few people you absolutely cannot afford to cross."
Another magus who had escorted the refugees alongside Atram let out a meaningful chuckle.
"And Roy is one of them. Heh, Atram, you're really out of luck. I almost feel bad for you—twice now, someone's snatched attendants right out from under you. Maybe you should just throw away that 'Cause' rank of yours!"
***
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