---

False god..? Vel..? Adversary..?

God's parting message sent my thoughts racing. The implications were vexing, if true. I had no reason to question the demiurge but...

「...zo...」

Who's this Vel anyways..? Isn't he just some figure made up by the Church..?

The usage of "adversary" in particular was concerning. Who in Velatya could be considered a threat to the creator Himself?

「...renzo...」

It can't be some made-up idol then... So, does that mean Vel's a real person..? A figure who God is wary of..? Someone more powerful than Rysef and Tyton combined..?

I hadn't a clue. I had far too little information to go by. That damned geezer just had to add to the headache I was already dealing with.

「Lorenzo!」

「Wha—?」

I flinched upon catching my name.

「Is something the matter..?」

Without realizing it, I had been sent back to reality. Lia had worriedly hovered over me as I pondered in silence. And Melyn was still unresponsive in her arms.

Everything was the same as I'd left it.

「O-oh... sorry. I'm fine. I was just... thinking...」

「Are you sure this is the place..?」

「You needn't worry about that. I know this part of the city like the back of my hand.」

It was the dead of night and we were situated in a quiet alleyway wide enough to fit a wagon. In front of us was a door; our ticket to safety.

Knock, knock, knock!

I surveyed my surroundings as I knocked. The roads were crawling with watchmen and Yarzon City was on high alert. If a guard happened to come across us, we'd be in deep shit.

Thankfully, Lia used her Xi to conceal our presence, and we were able to evade detection as we traversed the smog-covered streets.

It was a miracle we made it out alive.

---

Shortly after witnessing Rysef's demise, we heard voices coming from behind us.

「Oi! There're still survivors! Get your asses over here and finish 'em off!」

「Ready yer bows, men!」

Another wave of enemy reinforcements had arrived to hunt down the remaining slum dwellers, which just so happened to be the three of us.

With not a moment to grieve, Lia swiftly grabbed me by arm and sprinted away from the site.

The scene of Tyton solemnly staring off into the distance was gradually engulfed by the precipice as we retreated to Rysef's manor.

All the while, a barrage of arrows came hailing down on us. Those hired bastards weren't going to let us flee that easy.

Schlit!

「L-Lia!」

An arrow had firmly lodged itself in her left arm. The already-severely injured woman fought through the pain and continued running, clutching the thief girl in her strong arms.

「I-I'm fine! We'll be safe once we're inside the manor!」

She burst through the front door with all her might—nestling Melyn closer to her chest to avoid hurting her. I could do nothing but tread on her heels as she tried her hardest to lug us to safety.

BAM!

I shut the entrance behind us and latched the door, blocking it with a cabinet by the doorway. It wouldn't hold for long, but it was the least I could accomplish.

「What do we do now..? This door's the only entrance right?」

「Can you carry Melyn for a bit? I can't do this without my hands.」

「Do what..?」

Lia carefully placed Melyn into my outstretched hands and rushed to the study room.

Huh... for all this muscle she's surprisingly light...

Up close, the thief girl's crimson eyes appeared even more soulless. It was as though she was a husk; Melyn was no longer present. Rather, she chose not to be present.

The powerful presence that was the thief girl, felt fragile in my arms. Her body was no sturdier than a wine glass.

I had a feeling that if I let her go now, she'd melt away like snow in the summer.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

I pulled back from the noise coming from the door.

「They locked themselves in! Help me break this thing open will ya?!」

A drop of sweat trickled down my cheek. Soon we'd be swarmed by a horde of armed savages. Time was running out.

I scurried over to where Lia ran off to and questioned her course of action.

「They're gonna bust through that door any minute now Lia! If you have a plan, now's the time to spill it—!」

My eyes widened.

Books littered about, shelves toppled over, and most of my research material, gone. It was no doubt the handiwork of that staff-wielding bounty hunter.

Still... did he have to trash the place..?

Lia had cleared away a good chunk of the mess covering the floor.

「Stand back Lorenzo. There's a secret exit beneath the floorboards. Rysef installed it with this exact scenario in mind.」

「You're kidding me...」

Bvvvvv!

She wasn't kidding.

The wooden flooring magically parted, revealing a stairwell into an underground tunnel. Unlike the Warrens, the tunnel was as black as a stack of black cats.

「Don't fret. It's not tied to the Warrens. It's a one-way tunnel that'll lead us to a safe house.」

「I'm more afraid of bumbling in the darkness but... if there's no risk of getting ambushed...」

BOOM!

They'd finally broken through.

That was my queue to shut up and keep moving. Hastily, I carried Melyn down the steps and allowed Lia to close the opening behind us.

Bvvvvv! Bvvvvv! Bvvvvv!

「Check every room! They're hiding somewhere!」

「Shit what is this mess? Oi, this room's clear! They're definitely upstairs!」

In addition to covering up the wooden flooring, she used the last of her mental capacity to seal the stairwell with stone. Our sole link to the Lakua Village had been cut.

「S-s-stay close to me... L-Lorenzo...」

Lia's tenacious front was steadily degrading. She was displaying the same symptoms Melyn did during the fight with Seyna—blood loss and magic overuse.

Since she was drenched in water, her body heat was probably declining at a breakneck pace.

「Lia... you should take it easy... We don't have a healer, so if you collapse in the middle of our flight...」

「I-I've been through worse... don't mind me...」

Her assurance didn't exactly instill confidence in me, but what else could I do but hope?

So, like the flickering optimism in my heart, I tightly held the thief girl and made my way through the passageway alongside the weakened Lia.

The walk felt like an eternity.

And when we arrived on the other side, I could feel my legs giving out. Lia was even worse for wear but still managed to trudge on.

She was on an entirely different level.

Creeeaaak..!

「Ah... W-we made it... Lorenzo...」

「Right...」

Lia slowly opened the trapdoor above our heads and climbed the ladder. She spoke in a shaky manner and her complexion was visibly pale.

If an arrow in her arm wasn't enough to deter her from exerting herself, nothing would at this point.

「I'll take care of Melyn from here. You need a break too don't you..?」

She put out her hands and flashed a tired smile at me.

「But Lia... you're...」

「T-the walk was a decent rest. I can handle carrying her. Just trust me.」

The guilt building up in my head from seeing her going above and beyond for us was almost suffocating. I felt as though I was complicit in prolonging her suffering.

Should I put my foot down and tell her to rest..?

Alas... these empathetic feelings were overpowered by my exhaustion. Swallowing my guilt, I let my trainer take over Melyn for me.

「Stay vigilant Lorenzo... we're still near slum dweller territory. There's bound to be company if we're not careful.」

「Yeah... I figured as much...」

Climbing the ladder, I was greeted with a small empty room. Dusty and unfurnished, it appeared to be part of an abandoned house. The perfect hideout.

Lia gestured me to open the door in her way. I inclined my head and sauntered over, unsure of where we were. Clenching the doorknob, I turned to her and furrowed my brow.

「By the way... where are we..?」

「You'll probably know once you head upstairs, Lorenzo.」

「Is that so?」

Ga-chak!

On the other side were a set of stairs. The cool breeze and warm orange spilling from above told me it opened into the outdoors.

Lia and I nodded at each other in affirmation, before making our way to the top. We stepped out into the open air and scanned the area.

First thing to hit me was a familiar sweet scent.

Second thing to hit me was the dreadful stench of smoke.

Wait... this place is...

The rooftop patio where Melyn confronted me. It was the first spot we properly talked to one another. Seeing potted flowers lining the corners of the place brought back good memories.

And bad ones...

But I had no time to reminisce about the past. Because ahead of us lay a horrific sight comparable to the hell we'd been through.

I tottered towards the edge of the terrace and took the hellish image in, down to the last detail.

「Lia...」

「We're not the only ones who were hit...」

The whole outer layer of Yarzon City was in flames. Spates of fires had broken out across the underdeveloped area. It was just as the Hlanu officer said.

The charred corpses and bodybags were but specks in our vision amidst the conflagration that burned years of progress to the ground.

The Lakua, Hlanu, Kayn, Maon, and Zandra Districts were effectively destroyed. The slum dweller population was being decimated before our very eyes.

It all went way past overboard.

「How... could we have stopped that..?」

I subconsciously mouthed the crushing truth that made me realize how inevitable fate really was. No matter what I did... the result would've ultimately remained the same.

But that didn't free me from my culpability. It only added salt to the wounds of my pride.

My eyes drifted off to the evening sky. And for the first time since coming to this world, I witnessed a cluster of clouds in their proper place—high above, hanging over our heads.

Dark gray clouds comprised of cinders and death. A gloomy reminder of what had transpired today.

Thud!

My train of thought was interrupted by a sudden sound. I pivoted on my heel and saw Lia on her knees, barely staying conscious. She gently placed the thief girl on the ground beside her.

「Lia!」

I ran over to her, my chest pounding as every bad outcome sped through the forefront of my mind.

The thought of losing another one of my loved ones was too much to handle.

「Does this house have any bandages or medical supplies?! Maybe you know a healer who's nearby?! I-I can use my undershirt as a dressing if you'd like!」

「L-Lorenzo...」

「Lia? Stay awake! I need you to answer me!」

I grabbed her shoulders and shook her. She was on the verge of passing out.

「H-huh...no... I know nothing of the sort... I'll take... the dressing though...」

I hurriedly took off my leather armor and fashioned some dressings from my cloth tunic. It was one of the survival skills Lia taught me during our harsh training sessions.

Immediately, I removed the arrow from her arm and wrapped my makeshift covering around the gaping wound.

I tried my best to treat the other wounds with my limited first aid knowledge... with varying degrees of success. It wasn't much, but it would buy us some time.

Infections are an issue too... we should find an actual first-aid kit...

Though, I had no idea if they even existed in this world. Alcoholic drinks would probably work as a disinfectant right? Probably.

Don't take my word for it.

「Lia... you alright now..?」

She staggered to her feet and pressed her hand against her head.

「S-somewhat... A bit lightheaded but... It's a definite improvement... thank you...」

Hearing that was a slight relief. But until we could properly treat her injuries, I couldn't feel safe yet.

Then it hit me.

「Wait... Lia. I know of a safer place we could lay low.」

「Oh..? I suppose you do go on excursions to the city frequently...」

「Geh... you knew..?」

She heaved a sigh, before bending over to pick Melyn up again.

「Lead the way then.」

「Uh... you don't have to carry Melyn. I can do it for you.」

「Nonsense. How else are we going to sneak through the throng of city guards?」

「T-throng?」

I didn't think to use my Hu at all. It slipped my mind amid the chaos.

And once I did...

H-holy shit..!

An entire army was patrolling the streets. They numbered in the hundreds, and that was just from within my near-sighted range. There was no way all of them were part of the city watch.

And that was where Lia came to play.

「S-sorry but I need to depend on you one last time... Can you really muster up the strength to use Xi for us? While carrying Melyn?」

「Lorenzo... nothing makes me happier than my students relying on me. I'll go to the ends of Velatya and back for you two. So depend on me all you like. Within reason of course...」

「Lia...」

My trainer's sincere words sounded almost like a pledge of loyalty. With Rysef and the Lakua District gone, her days of servitude were over.

We were likely all that remained to her. Knowing that... I was determined to carve a future with all of us in it. No one would be left behind. Neither Lia nor Melyn.

---

And that was how we escaped the clutches of death and got here.

On a certain doorstep, inside a certain alleyway, smothered in an ashy atmosphere.

Seconds after knocking, I heard quick footfalls from the other side.

Ga-chak! Creeeaaak!

「L-Lorenzo? What are you doing here, my boy?」

Mr. Potternuggets, dressed in his nightgown and holding a candle, had answered the door.

「A-and... the lady who's accompanying you... is she alright? Is that Ms. Melyn in her arms..?」

His stream of questions was promptly shut down by Lia, who handed him the despondent thief girl and inspected him head to toe.

「Pardon... my interruption... but are you a friend of Lorenzo and Melyn?」

「Oho... but of course. Lorenzo is my dear apprentice, and Melyn is his beloved companion. They are both comrades in the eyes of the Potternuggets family!」

「Good... then please... take... care of them...」

THUD!

「Lia?!」

My trainer had finally reached her limit, and she collapsed as Melyn made it to his arms.

---