Hah… hah… hah…
I kept pushing my way through the forest, even as my lungs felt like they were on fire and my legs were almost numb. I could hear their voices behind me, telling me to stop.
"Stop, you bitch!"
But I didn't care. I just kept running for my life.
"Damn it! Damn it! Why do bad things always happen to me?!" I cursed, tears of frustration starting to blur my vision. For a second, I glanced back. The figure was still chasing me. I pushed my legs harder.
"Getting bullied at school for one day should have been enough!" I screamed in my head, my breath ragged. After a whole day of humiliation, I thought I could just go home like usual with a miserable face and a dirty uniform. Who knew… while walking home, I'd get grabbed and smothered by this group of damn scumbags and thrown into a van!
Luckily, I managed to escape right as they were about to rape me.
I kept running. I saw a sliver of moonlight ahead… at the edge of the forest. With what little strength I had left, I sprinted toward it.
When I stepped out from the trees onto a grassy clearing…
THUMP!
My body froze instantly, my feet feeling like they were glued to the ground.
Before me stood several strange figures, talking amongst themselves. These people were wearing what looked like… cosplay costumes? But no matter how stupid I was, I knew they definitely weren't cosplaying.
This was a forest near a mountain, and it was late at night. They didn't look like they were lost, either.
And most importantly…
What the hell is this incredible pressure?! I can barely even breathe! The hair on my neck stood straight up… it's like… a prey animal meeting an apex predator beyond all reason!
"Finally stopped, damn it," that familiar voice I hated sounded from behind me. "You goddamn woman. Finally caught you."
The man panted, then continued, "What's the matter? Why aren't you running anymore? Oh, I know. You must be thinking, 'why bother running if I'm just going to get caught anyway.' That's a good choice. But I'm not going to forgive you for this wound you gave me!"
Idiot, I thought. Doesn't this crazy man realize the dangerous beings in front of him?
The figure in black armor slowly turned its head. From behind its dark helmet, a calm but ice-cold voice sounded.
"Eruvath morith?"
From the words he spoke, I could tell it wasn't Japanese. But I had no idea what language it was.
"Huh? What's going on? Wait… who are you guys?"
So the bastard finally realized his situation, huh?
"Boss! You run fast! Did you catch that bitch yet?"
I heard several voices I hated emerge from behind me. They jumped out of the bushes and walked toward me. One of them even touched my body with his disgusting, dirty hands. I gritted my teeth, holding back my rage.
"Hehe, we finally got you, you bitch."
The lewd, disgusting face of the old man in front of me made me feel even more hopeless. I shifted my eyes toward the group of strange people who were still motionless.
I don't understand what they're waiting for. Why aren't they saving me?
Do I deserve this? What sin did I ever commit to have to go through something like this?!
Thinking about everything that had happened in my sixteen years of life, I felt like my life was nothing more than a pile of garbage.
I squeezed my eyes shut as the bastard was about to take off my clothes.
Then…
"MY HANDS!!!!"
I opened my eyes. I saw the man who was about to rape me screaming in pain. Both his hands were cleanly severed, spraying blood into the air. Not far from him stood a woman in black armor with strange horns and a tail. She held a black sword dripping with blood, which then evaporated and vanished.
"You bastards! What did you do?!" the man who had chased me earlier yelled.
A glimmer of hope appeared in my heart. I screamed with all my might. "Please, help me!"
"Shut your mouth, bitch! After I'm done with them, I'll be sure to enjoy your body brutally—"
SWISH!
I was horrified. Before the man could finish his sentence, half of his head flew into the air. The other half spurted fresh blood onto the ground before his body collapsed, lifeless.
What's happening?
I turned toward the armored woman, but she was already gone. Then, I felt a touch on my shoulder.
"Wer bist du?"
My body tensed. What is she saying? I don't understand at all! Am I going to suffer the same fate as that man? The thought made my body break out in a sweat, and I couldn't move a single finger.
The grip on my shoulder tightened.
"It hurts! It hurts! Please stop!" I cried out. Tears started to fall, and a feeling of despair washed over me again. Is my life going to end here? My vision started to go dark.
"Stop it, Emma."
Just when I thought I was going to die, I heard the voice of the young man in black armor. The grip on my shoulder was released. I fell to the ground, coughing, trying to take a deep breath. I clutched my left shoulder, which was still aching.
I looked over at the three kidnappers who were still alive. One of them brandished his knife and yelled, "Stop! Don't come any closer!" The man looked terrified.
"How could… this happen…." the other fat old man muttered, staring at his boss's corpse with its head split in two.
"Damn it! I'm not going to die here! There are still so many things I want to do! Hmph!"
The last man tried to run, but a black sword came out of nowhere and embedded itself in his chest. Red blood poured from his mouth. Then, the sword continued to move upward vertically, splitting his body in two as easily as cutting cheese.
Seeing that, I immediately clamped my hand over my mouth, ignoring the pain in my shoulder. A wave of nausea churned in my stomach.
"Ugh!" I threw up. Any normal person would do the same after seeing such a horrifying sight, right?
After I was done, I wiped away my tears and looked at the figures in front of me with a pleading expression.
"Who… are you?"
"Before you ask someone else to introduce themselves, wouldn't it be better… if you introduced yourself first?"
I saw the man in black armor extend his hand to me. He spoke in broken, strange-sounding Japanese. In a normal situation, I would have definitely laughed at the way he spoke, but this was clearly not a normal situation.
I took his hand and stood up. My eyes were fixed on the two men who were still alive, now prostrating on the ground, begging, "Forgive… forgive us! Please, spare our lives!"
I looked at them with a sneer.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a piercing pain shot through my shoulder. I looked down and saw a purple bruise there. It hurt just to move it.
"You can drink this."
The man in black armor extended his hand again. This time, he was holding a beautiful, gold-trimmed glass bottle. My face immediately grew uneasy.
Inside the bottle, a black liquid swirled with strange bubbles. I even saw the vapor inside occasionally form the image of a skull.
"What is it?"
The woman in black armor with silver patterns, standing beside the man, was now radiating a dangerous aura.
"I'll drink it." I quickly grabbed the glass bottle and chugged its contents. I don't care what this is, all I can think about right now is surviving! At least being alive is better than being dead!
I tasted something strange from the liquid. Unlike its disgusting appearance, it actually didn't taste too bad. Sort of like Coca-Cola.
Then, I felt a change in the wound on my left shoulder. "No way?!"
The left shoulder of my uniform, which had been torn by the grip, and my bruised skin were now back to normal. I tried to move my left arm… there was no pain at all. I looked in awe at the empty bottle in my hand.
How could there be a miracle medicine that can heal a wound in an instant? It even got rid of the torn clothes and the dirt on my body?
I looked at the strange people in front of me.
I raised my hand and introduced myself. "My name is Mahiru Yuna. I'm a student at Asahi High School," I said, my voice a little scared.
"So… what is a high school student… doing in the forest? At night, no less?"
Hearing the question, I hesitated to answer. But seeing the strangely calm expression of the Magician standing to the left, I decided to speak.
"I-I was just trying to go home from school like usual, but those people…." I pointed to the two men still prostrating there.
"Smothered me and were about to rape me. Luckily, the rope they tied wasn't too tight, and I managed to escape into the forest." I lowered my head as I said it, feeling extremely ashamed.
"I see… I understand." The armored figure paused for a moment. "Oh, right. I haven't introduced myself. I am Arthur Leonhart, and these four… are my friends."
Arthur gestured toward the four people behind him.
I don't think they're just your 'friends,' I thought. I bowed my head slightly to them as a sign of respect.
I saw Arthur talking with the four of them. I had no idea what they were talking about, but then, the bodies of the four people glowed for a moment with a bright, yellowish-white light before disappearing.
What happened? Where did that light come from?
"Lord Arthur, shall I kill this disgusting insect?"
Suddenly, I heard those words from the woman in black armor. My body immediately tensed. From her tone, I knew this person wasn't joking. Unconsciously, I took a step back, waiting for the answer from the person named Arthur.
"No, don't do that."
"Understood." The armored woman immediately lowered her sword, which had been pointed at me.
"We shouldn't talk here," Arthur said. "Let's go somewhere a little brighter, shall we? Besides, I still have some questions for you."
I nodded in understanding. The longer I stayed here, the more uncomfortable I felt.
"Lord Arthur, I… I haven't thanked you for saving me," I said, then immediately bowed my head deeply.
"It's nothing."
I raised my head and looked at the two men who were still prostrating and begging for mercy.
"Emma, do it."
Then, I heard a cold voice from Arthur, ordering the armored woman I now knew as Emma.
"Understood."
WHOOSH! Emma instantly vanished from my sight. Then, I heard horrifying screams from the two men. I saw Emma gripping both their necks and saying something that sent chills down my spine.
"You disgusting, lowly creatures. You should be proud to die at my hands!"
The two men tried to fight back. I even saw them pull out knives, but strangely, the knives seemed to hit something invisible before they could touch Emma's body. They kept struggling, but no matter how hard they tried, the two hands choking their necks seemed to be made of stone.
"Emma, stop playing around."
I turned to Arthur, then back to the two men who were panicking like cats with their tails stepped on.
CRACK!
I was horrified. Both their necks were instantly crushed, severed from their bodies. My body immediately broke out in goosebumps. I backed away from the terrifying woman.
What is wrong with these people? A normal person couldn't possibly crush a human neck like that, right?! Besides, a moment ago they were speaking a different language, but now… ever since that strange yellow-white light appeared, they can suddenly speak Japanese!
Who are they, really? I looked at the group of people in front of me. Due to the lack of light, I couldn't see their appearances clearly, other than to confirm they were wearing strange armor.
"Lord Arthur, would you like to use the corpses?"
I turned to the handsome young man who had been looking at me with a smile. Of these five people, I thought he was the most normal.
"No. You can clean them up."
"Very well."
Hearing their conversation, I immediately turned to the corpses lying not far from me.
The young man dressed as a Magician snapped his fingers.
TING!
It sounded like a clock chime.
"What happened?!" I stared at the spot where the corpses had been. A few seconds ago they were still there, but now… they were gone, as if swallowed by the earth.
"Alright, Mahiru Yuna-san, let's get out of this forest."
I heard a friendly tone from the man, but strangely, I didn't feel any comfort at all. Instead, I felt scared. What they just did… was definitely not something a human could do. Who are these people, really? And… what are those wings and that tail? Although it was dark here, I could still see a faint shadow behind the woman and a pair of strange wings behind the man named Arthur.
I followed the group of strange people from behind. I could still feel the killing intent from the woman in black armor. But thankfully, the feeling of pressure I had first felt was now gone.
"You're lucky, human."
I heard a soft woman's voice. Instantly, I turned toward the source of the voice. I saw a woman dressed like a maid near me. Because it was dark here, I couldn't see her appearance clearly.
But I still answered with my head bowed.
"Thank you."