“… ?”

“Did you hear that, too, Fila?”

“Mm. A whistle from the wind, and … two large things fell outside of the cave. What does this mean, Mama?”

“It means something is going on out there.”

“Is somebody going to save us?”

“I certainly hope so, sweetie.”

That conversation was taken place at such a low volume that they might not even be considered whispers. To hear it at such a quiet tone as well as the events that took place outside of the cave despite the distance was only possible for the mother-daughter pair from the rabbitkin of the beastman race as they huddled close together as possible for warmth. Those two along with another family of three from the dark elf race were bound by gun-black cuffs restraining their wrists behind the backs. 3 fairies, one for each parent of the two families, were sitting in a fetal position inside an easy-to-carry cage with bars of the same color as the cuffs. They were all watching 3 of their kidnappers carelessly eating and drinking their troubles away around a fire in celebration of their latest heist. The bandits’ own 4 fairies were silently watching them for any suspicious activity. That’s what they were told to do, at least, but they weren’t really into their assigned jobs at the moment. The hostages may not see them, but they were aware of the bandits’ fairies keeping lookout nearby, and so they tried to keep their actions to a minimum.

All except for one, a young dark elf girl who not only was able to see the fairies but the mana signatures of everybody in the cave. This was due to a special gift that she was born with, but she had yet to know what it was called. All she knew was that she had been able to see fairies and the lights of mana that dwells everywhere in the world for as long as she could remember. Her parents were also aware of this special gift, and so when she says she sees something even though they couldn’t, they can trust their daughter’s words.

Because of the fast rate of maturity from those in the elf race, the young dark elf girl realized early on she could train her gift to see more things in the world if she concentrated enough, such as the different mana signatures at a fair distance even in the dark.

Hence, just like the mother-daughter rabbitkin, she knew in her own way something happened to the two other bandits of the group that were keeping watch outside of the cave as their mana signatures suddenly turned stagnant and dark gray. She had unfortunately seen this same state once when a dark elf elder from her birthplace passed away.

From that, she knew that 2 of the 5 bandits had just died outside of those cave walls, but that wasn’t what surprised her the most. It was the new mana signature approaching the scene with 3 others she recognized to be of fairies. They seemed to be confronting the fairies who were contracted with the two bandits who were still alive moments ago.

Just what is going on? Are my own eyes fooling me? the dark elf girl thought.

Just then, she felt an uncomfortable rumble in her stomach that growled the same time as Fila, the daughter of the rabbitkin family.

“Ha! You hear that, guys?! Looks like we got some hungry brats here!” the rugged man who was the leader exclaimed before his two accomplices laughed. The dark elf girl couldn’t keep herself blushing from shame and embarrassment while Fila couldn’t look up out of fright, her white rabbit ears tensed from their previously flopped-over positioning.

“… We didn’t have anything to eat since lunch,” the rabbitkin mother said. “If you have any rations left, please, can you spare some for my daughter at the least?”

“Hmm, that’s quite a request you’re making there in your position, rabbit.”

“I beg of you, please, I don’t care about what happens to me, give my share to their daughter over there, just spare some food for my girl.”

“Don’t care what happens to you, huh?” The bandit leader then moved and squatted to the rabbitkin mother’s level. He held her by the chin and checked her features, his lecherous eyes lingered at the larger than normal chest in front of him before a matching grin grew on his face.

The rabbitkin mother had seen that look enough times in her life to not guess what that bandit leader was thinking. She restrained her eyes from looking at him like scum.

“For a rabbit, you actually got quite the package, don’t you? All right, I’m in a good mood and I didn’t get some good tail for a while. If you can hold out long enough until me and the boys here are satisfied, I think we can spare some food for the little ones.”

“… Do you promise?”

“Well, if your looks have any value, you won’t sell much for being spoiled goods. The girls, on the other hand, I’m sure they can fetch a pretty price the way they are now. Can’t have them starved to death, can we? You have my word they’ll have something for their little tummies before the end of the night.”

She knew she couldn’t be optimistic. The human bandit leader could very well be lying through his teeth just so he could get a good free lay on top of whatever money they could get from selling off her tainted body. There was a high chance they won’t even leave the young girls a nibble of food by the end of the night, even if what he said about keeping them alive made sense.

Even so, her daughter was the only family she had and she couldn’t let her die while still at such a tender age. If there was a chance for her to live a little longer, what choice did she have, especially since she threw her pride away long ago to get the two of them to where they were then?

“… Give them the food first, and you could do whatever you want to me,” the rabbit mother said.

“That’s not your call to make. Play along with us like a good bunny girl, and then we’ll give the brats the food.”

She clicked her tongue. “… Fine, whatever. Let’s get this over with.”

“You heard her, guys! We getting some action tonight! I got first dibs!”

“I’m going next!”

“Mama!” Fila screamed in a panic as the bandit leader picked her mother up by the scruff of the collar and tossed her to the center of the cave.

“Turn your head away and don’t look, Fila!” the mother exclaimed.

“… Young rabbit, come on over here,” the dark elf mother beckoned.

Fila’s eyes pooled with tears as she was at a loss for what to do as she turned to her mother.

“You heard her! Go to them, and don’t even glance this way!”

Without uttering another word, Fila slowly crawled over to the dark elf family’s side with her wrists still cuffed, using her legs and shoulders to move the best she could. She tried to ignore the ruffling of clothes being stripped in order to keep herself from going back on her mother’s word.

The dark elf family adjusted themselves to where the little girls were behind them and block their view from the events that were about to transpire.

“We will keep her safe! Just hold out for as long as you can!” the dark elf father exclaimed.

“I will, and thank you!”

“W-What’s going to happen to Mama?” Fila asked.

“… Something that you would rather not see. Onelri, you best avert your eyes as well,” the dark elf mother said.

“…”

“Onelri?”

The dark elf girl who went by Onelri couldn’t register her parents’ words and the actions that took place, for her attention was fully drawn to the scene that was coming from the direction of the cave entrance.

A young human boy, topless with distinguishable hair of the same color as the sky during the day with 3 fairies fluttering behind him. If he didn’t have his hide detection spell active, the others in the cave would be baffled at the scene like Onelri, the only one who could see it with her gift. He didn’t seem to be aware that he was being watched though.

The face of cold rage as he tightly gripped a one-handed unsheathed sword suited for an adult was something Onelri didn’t think any boy around the same age as her could pull off, but with his sky-blue hair and eyes that match it while his 3 fairies were behind him, the dark elf girl was looking at the sight in both astonishment and a tinge of fear.

Soon enough, the three bandits were left with nothing to wear and letting everything hang out in the draft. They were warming up their meat sticks while the leader was slowly stripping the rabbitkin mother bare like a boy opening a present on Christmas morning, holding himself back from breaking it, yet excited and eager to play with his new toy.

“Hey, maybe by the end of the night, you won’t even need any food. You’ll be stuffed with cum enough that both your hunger and thirst will be satisfied. I hope you’re hungry for some good meat.”

“Disgusting.”

The rabbitkin mother so wanted to say that to the bandit leader’s face before spitting on it, but she was beaten to the punch.

Before those in the cave could register the new voice, a whistle sounded through the air. Then, just before a thud on the ground could be heard, a loud splash extinguished the fire lighting up the cave, turning everything pitch black.

“Hey! Who put out the fire?! Lenny! Make a light!” the leader exclaimed in a panic as he stepped away from the rabbitkin mother.

Only silence answered him.

“Lenny?!”

“H-He’s dead, boss! I think I just stepped on his bloodied head!”

“What the hell are those two idiots doing out there letting an intruder in here?! Marv! Get them in here!”

“I-I’m on it—guack?!” The sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed in the cave as Marv’s speech got interrupted. It penetrated straight from his lower back through the stomach before blood spurted and splashed on the leader’s bare body.

“Marv?!”

The only response the bandit leader got was Marv collapsing on his knees before his head got penetrated by another blade. The sounds of both blades pulled out of the body were followed before a thud hit the ground.

“Honestly, to leave yourself completely vulnerable for an ambush, and aren’t you guys trained to see in the dark with your magic? Then again, you were discharged only as foot soldiers of the Reskondant Kingdom’s guard, so I guess I shouldn’t expect much,” the new voice said condescendingly.

“H-How—”

“Your iron-alloy swords and daggers are standard issues for those of your former rank, likely stolen along with the cuffs and the cage after your discharge. Not the best quality of metal, but cuts decently when you apply mana into it. I think I’ll keep both of them until I find something better.”

“C-Cinder! Light a fire for me!”

“I got it! I got it!” With her annoyed tone, the Fire Fairy who went by Cinder conjured enough mana to create a fire that’s akin to a wooden torch in front of him.

“Don’t move.”

Just as the leader was able to see a little of what was in front of him, he finds a sharp point poking at his naked back. The light from the small fire cast a shadow big enough for the little assaulter behind him to hide into with ease

“On your knees with hands behind your head. Now.”

He was a little inebriated from the alcohol, but seeing two of his former guard comrades killed within seconds, he was sober enough to comply without question or argument. Another sharp point poked onto the back of his neck.

“Open up your Dark Space and empty all of its contents to that area lit up by your fairy.”

“H-How did you … all of it?!”

“Did I stutter?”

“… Luna, do it.”

The Darkness Fairy wordlessly responded by opening up a purplish-black hole above the lit spot on the ground before supplies, money pouches, food rations, keys to the cuffs and small cage, and other objects dropped from it.

“Is that all of it? You know things kept in the Dark Space are lost forever when the owner dies, right? Wouldn’t want them to go to waste now, would we?”

“Th-That’s all of it, I swear! Now please, let me go! I swear I won’t go back to kidnapping and burglary again! I’ll find better and more honest work! Really! Just please, don’t kill me!” the leader begged before bawling. Even though he caught hints of his interrogator being much younger than him by the pitch of his voice alone, he was too flustered and scared of his own life to even question it.

“Did you know you had that chance after you were discharged? Did your other victims also plead for mercy like you are right now? Honestly, as one of the same race, I couldn’t be more disgusted at the look of that pathetic mug of yours. Just as the guard thought the same, your services in this world are no longer required.”

“N-No wait—!”

Then, with a whiff of the sword, a line is drawn through the bandit leader’s neck. His head rolled into the darkness. The rest of his body collapsed on the ground the same time as the one flame lighting up the cave by the Fire Fairy, Cinder, went out. When a Chaperone dies, any spell that was active up to that moment is cut off like strings from a puppet. Blood quickly pooled from both of their openings.

The cave was pitch black once more and got silent for a brief moment. More sounds of water being splashed were heard, the rabbitkin mother was close enough in the splash zone to get caught in it a little. Dragging through the ground, whistling winds, rustling clothes and some other material, and dirt being moved echoed on the walls soon after, not in that particular order. The only thing Onelri heard out of the others was the whispering between the new fairies and those formerly contracted with the bandits before the latter group left the cave. Then, some jingles of keys were heard and the rabbitkin mother who was lying on the ground half-stripped moments ago was sat back up by some help from one with small hands, much to her surprise.

“Are you all right?” the new voice asked the rabbitkin mother, his tone gentler and warmer compared to moments ago. Sounds of jingling as the key worked to open the cuffs were heard.

“Y-Yes, I’m all right,” she answered, still in shock and reeling in what had just transpired. The click of opened cuffs and sudden maneuverability of her hands made her shoulders slack in relief.

“It looks like you got a little roughed up. Here, I’ll treat them for you.”

A dim white light then appeared in the darkness while the contours of the rabbitkin mother and the small visitor were shown. The scrapes and bruises that marked her body moments ago disappeared within seconds before the white light disappeared, turning the place dark once more.

“Thank you very much …”

Then, the new visitor made quick work in freeing the others, first the fairies in the cage, then the rest of the people that were cuffed, up to Onelri being the last to be set free.

“Well, I’m sure you all had a crazy night, but rest assured that you won’t find any more dangers from this point on. You can use the money and rations the bandits left behind to get by, maybe bring their bodies I stored in their tarp to a hunter’s guild and receive their bounties for turning them in. I left a couple of fruits wrapped in a piece of cloth as a treat for the kids. I wish you all the best of luck in—”

“NOOOOOO!”

A sudden scream made the hostages and even the rescuer jump in surprise before a tackling sound echoed in the cave.

“W-What the?! What are you doing?! Get off of me! Hey, did you just cuff me?!”

“Miss Rabbit! Light up the cave! Now!” Onelri exclaimed after she finished restraining her rescuer with the same cuffs she was bound to moments ago.

“Oh! Right! Luster! Help me out!”

“Okay!”

“Light, I ask of you, shed a light that erases the darkness! Illumination!” The rabbitkin mother chanted as her Light Fairy combined her powers with the spell that brightens up the cave at an instant.

Bright and clear as day, the rescuer that was struggling to escape was revealed, the light stopped him like a deer in headlights that elicited a gasp from the others. Signs of him being wet and hastily dried moments ago was seen, and while his bare torso looked clean, splatters of blood stood out from his still-soaked pants. All of the former hostages sans Onelri looked at the scene in awe.

“A boy?!” the dark elf father exclaimed.

“It is really him, everyone! He is the one who took out the bandits outside as well as those in here, with help of the 3 fairies above him right now! I saw it all! Everything!” Onelri exclaimed.

““What?!””

… Fuck. The sky-blue haired boy only thought that much in his mind when his cover got blown.