083. It Was All Too Sudden
――In hindsight, I was too ignorant of my "enemies" and the "entities behind them".
In an unusually short period of time, I grew rapidly, achieved results, gained a certain reputation, and succeeded in building good relationships with attractive members of the opposite sex.
For better or worse, I was trapped in "my own common sense," and while I denied it with my mouth, somewhere in my heart I may have thought I was a hero.
That's why I――
◇◆◇◆
The contract was completed by preparing the necessary documents at Hannah-san's place and paying the amount.
While ostensibly "full-scale defeat of the demonic beasts that appear in the 'Great Sea of Trees,'" I tried to casually gather information about the military, etc.
「It is fortuitous that someone as good as Yuuto-san is willing to take a serious interest in solving the case, but please be careful ....... To be honest, the Fixer's Guild is not at its best, or at least it is difficult to judge――there are already several senior fixers who have lost contact with each other, and between you and me, it is possible that "higher up" people will make a move.」
She was able to avoid answering the question in a roundabout way.
Personally, I was somewhat dissatisfied, but now I am nothing more than a dashing D-rank fixer.
It is only natural that Hannah-san is reluctant to give out information, and her faithfulness to her duty is to be commended.
It is out of line to think anything against her. It's just that
「Ah! That's right. I feel like it's 'too late' on a completely unrelated topic――but to celebrate your promotion, I'm going to give you this♪」
Suddenly, Hannah-san handed me a package.
It is beautifully wrapped and feels slightly heavy in my hand.
「What's this?」
「It is a mechanical watch I bought at a general store in town. It's not much, but I'd appreciate it if you could use it♪」
I was surprised at the unexpected gift.
「T-Thank you, Hannah-san. I'm so happy!」
「Don't mention it. I know very well that Yuuto-san is doing his best――when everything settles down, how about having a meal just the two of us?」
「Oohhhh!?」
I was so thrilled that I unintentionally shouted out loud. But
「「Yuuto?」」
I heard two women's voices from behind me that made me freeze――and for the time being, I decided to laugh and cover it up.
A couple of words later, we exited the building.
「Where are we going next?」
「――The Grimoire Bookstore.」
I didn't mean to be evasive, but if I was going to make a serious move, I would need to meet Guriguri.
(As well as the fact that she threw me into the "Great Sea of Trees," but before that, I need to question the truth of what she said to Lilyza and the others.)
She's not just a halfling ...... she's an excellent user of folia, capable of writing "Grimoires" herself.
There are a lot of things on my mind, and I have to be on my toes――
「......wait, huh?」
I came up to a storefront I've visited before, but...
「Huh? Huh? Why? Why is the land cleared???」
I was so surprised that I couldn't help but blink my eyes several times, but then I realized it was the same place I had visited with Osada-kun before.
「No, I'm sure. I've been here once before, too.」
Barbara said in a puzzled tone.
「C-Could it be... that she escaped?」
「It's possible.」
Lilyza said, crossing her arms.
「But why?」
「――I don't know. I have no idea.」
I think it's because she doesn't want us to get mad at her or pursue her ― probably something like that, and thinking back, I remembered that Roselia, one of the Elders, said that she has always been 'free-spirited' and 'nonsensical'.
In any case, what's not there can't be helped.
「Anyway, let's get back to everyone.」
It's no use if we're too late, and if we're going to leave, the sooner the better――or so I thought the next moment.
(――――!?)
Immediately after sensing "something" that I had never felt before, a deafening roar echoed through the area.
「Kyaaaaaaaahhhh!」
「............!?」
Barbara screamed from not only the sound, but the sheer force of the vibrations that shook the air, and Lilyza clenched her teeth as if she was enduring something. And then
「...... Eh?」
――I felt as if my voice was coming from a distance.
It is no wonder.
「――I-It's a lie, right?」
「Ha-Hanaria's Castle is ......Hanaria's Castle is on fire!!」
Literally, the center of the city――the castle visible in the distance――has more than half collapsed, and red flames and black smoke are billowing out.
What the hell was going on? I had no idea, but...
「L-Let's just go for――!?」
I decided that this was no ordinary thing, and tried to get as close to the scene as possible when I noticed that something sparkling was raining down from the heavens.
(――Ash?)
I thought so, but it just didn't feel right. And then...
「! Lilyza, Barbara!」
Feeling something unpleasant, I forcefully took their arms and pulled them under the tarp of a nearby stall.
「Ow, that hurts!」
「Hey! What are you――!」
Barbara and Lilyza almost complained, but soon there were screams and cries of bewilderment from everywhere. And then ......
「Eh?」
As Barbara raised her voice, an elderly man in front of her - a woman with a shopping basket - and a girl who was probably not even 10 years old, literally turned into a "stone".
「Kyaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!」
Barbara once again let out a high-pitched scream at the unrealistic sight, but...
「Don't touch these ashes! It will turn you into a stone!」
Immediately, I shouted out a warning, but it was too late.
There were too many people who were too upset and shocked to grasp the current situation, and on top of that, they were turning to stone without question, so there was nothing we could do about it. Furthermore.
「Both of you, just to be safe, cover your mouth and nose with a handkerchief or something and try not to breathe in as much as possible. Worst case scenario, you could turn to stone from the inside out.」
It was only a reflexive idea, but both Lilyza and Barbara responded honestly.
I also tore off a piece of clothing to cover my mouth.
(W-What in the world happened?).
No matter how you look at it, it is too far out of the realm of what I had expected.
Of course it is.
Even though "something" was happening in Hanaria, we knew very little about the specifics, and it was strange to imagine that the castle would suddenly explode without warning, and then petrify when touched by ashes falling from the sky.
(Crap, crap, crap――!)
Now, I was forced to reconsider my lack of foresight――the "size of the enemy" that might be lurking behind the incident, and my "past thinking".
(I knew that if the enemy had an agenda and considered us as surveillance or a hindrance, they would surely take action in the near future. But)
I thought it would be more direct――a surprise attack or targeted shooting.
That's why I alerted Philly and the others, and I kept my guard all the time.
But I never expected them to make such a bold move without question――
(No Possibly ......)
While my thoughts were about to get all messed up, I still tried my best to use my brain to get a handle on the situation, but...
「W-What are we going to do after this?」
「At this rate, we can't move――!」
Fortunately, there is almost no wind, and if we stay under the sunshade cloth, it seems that we won't turn to stone as long as we don't come in direct contact with the ashes.
But as the two of them say, we can't move a step at this point. And, then...
「Yuutooooooooooo!」
I heard Philly's voice from far away.
I turned my head in surprise to see Philly, Nora, and Osada-kun, who had wrapped the space around them in a thin membrane.
「Good grief. Thank goodness I was able to use my folia to put up the [Barrier]!」
「From the looks of it, if you touch the ashes, you get petrified.」
「But why are you here?」
「What~. I thought Yuuto would definitely try to talk to Grieve before going into action.」
「The situation is the situation, and if you come to the right place, ......, you'll be right on the money.」
As expected of Osada-kun. That's a brilliant deduction.
「In any case, it is too dangerous to stay here. Don't you think we should evacuate outside as soon as possible?」
「I don't need to be told that, but――」
Even if we move to the gate as it is, will we be able to get out safely? I was uneasy.
From the looks of it, the ash fall had finally subsided, and it didn't appear that all the people outdoors had been petrified.
Soon it will be people trying to escape outside, causing havoc――
「Let's move on for now. But we won't aim for the gate. It's a bit risky, but. ......」
「Where are we going?」
Barbara asked, and I looked them all in the face and said,
「It's easy. We're going to use the underground tunnels and escape outside.」
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