“What is... this...? Why are people acting like that!?”
Before her were people with the same hollow, vacant expressions as the men who had attacked her in the bath area.
Drained of all vitality, they moved in a swarm, closing in on those who were still unharmed—a scene straight out of a horror movie. They dragged their captives into the red mist looming behind them before hunting for their next targets. Melt’s face twisted in terror as she watched the chaos unfold.
Just what on earth was happening in this village? As she stood paralyzed by the madness, Zenon appeared, cutting his way through the people who had turned into a mindless mob.
“Melt, you’re safe! Thank goodness! Come, let’s go! We’ll carve a path out of here!”
“Wait—!”
Zenon, accompanied by several male students, seized Melt’s hand the moment he spoke. He forcibly pulled her away from Yugo, dragging her toward what he deemed the safe zone.
While Melt was still reeling from his high-handedness, Zenon clicked his tongue at the sight of a villager blocking their path. He leveled the sword in his right hand and swung.
“Tch, in the way… Take that!”
“Ah!”
The sickening sound of a blade biting into flesh rang out, followed by a spray of crimson. Without even a scream, the villager collapsed.
Witnessing the shocking sight, Melt covered her mouth with her free hand and shouted a protest at Zenon.
“How could you do that!? You didn't have to cut him!”
“It’s fine. I’m using my magic power to dampen the impact. I held back just enough so he won’t die. I’m not a murderer, you know.”
Zenon spoke with arrogant pride, clearly trying to impress Melt with his technical finesse. It was true that his victim wasn't dead—yet. But those two words should have been at the forefront of his mind. Blood gushed from the villager’s wound. If left unattended, there was a high probability they would bleed out in minutes.
Melt understood that an emergency called for desperate measures, and she had tried to rationalize Zenon’s behavior. However, as she watched him cut down villagers from behind—people who hadn't even noticed them yet—any sympathy she had for him vanished.
“Alright! Backstab bonus!”
“Why... how could you...? To do something so cruel!”
Melt scrambled to stop the bleeding of the first villager Zenon had struck, then moved to treat the backs of the others he had slashed.
It was true that Zenon seemed to be using magic power to knock the rioters unconscious as he cut them, but he could have achieved the same result with magic alone. There was no reason for such lethal methods, and certainly no reason to attack those who weren't even in their way. As Melt stood there in shock, one of the male students who had come with Zenon called out to them.
“Zenon-san! We’ve cleared our side too!”
“Yeah, well done! Melt, I know you’re kind, but now isn’t the time to be playing doctor. We have to regroup with the others.”
“Ugh...!”
Melt let out a strangled groan as she saw that the boy’s sword was also slick with blood. They were following Zenon’s lead. And unlike Zenon, these boys lacked the magic power adjustment to hold back. They were simply butchering people. When she realized the scale of the violence, she felt a wave of nausea, no longer certain of what was right or wrong.
(I know this is an emergency. But is it really okay to take lives like this? Is this what someone aspiring to be a Magic Knight, a protector of the people, would do!?)
Perhaps Zenon’s pragmatism was necessary. But she could never accept it. She could understand defending oneself, but cutting down everyone in sight was another matter entirely.
Yet, Zenon and the other students were doing it with total indifference. Perhaps she was the one who was wrong. Perhaps those who could make such cold-blooded decisions were the ones who truly belonged in this world. As Melt’s anxiety peaked, Zenon raised his sword once more against a villager standing in their path.
“Seya! Hah!”
“Whoa...!”
Faster than the eye could follow, Yugo dove in. He swept the villager’s legs out from under them before delivering a single, precise blow to the solar plexus. After confirming the unconscious villager’s heart was still beating, he addressed Zenon.
“Zenon, I’ll handle these guys. You protect Melt and the others.”
“Huh? Why should I listen to you?”
“Fighting here is a waste of time. We need to regroup and head for the safe zone as one unit. I’ll handle the vanguard; you focus on keeping Melt safe.”
“Why should I follow your orders? It’s better to clear out the mobs now so things are easier for us later.”
Zenon bristled at Yugo’s direction, but Melt saw exactly what Yugo was doing. He was telling Zenon to stop fighting because Zenon was liable to kill someone. Bludgeoning was far less likely to be fatal than a blade, and there was no risk of bleeding out.
Sensing Yugo’s true intent—to protect the lives of both his allies and the possessed villagers—Melt decided to help him. She put on an act.
“A-Ash, please... let's just go back to the others. I'm really scared...”
“Guh...!?”
Melt seized Zenon’s arm, pressing her chest against him as she played the part of a terrified, trembling maiden. For a second, a truly bizarre, strangled noise escaped his throat, but he quickly composed himself. Adopting a heroic, serious expression, he replied.
“It’s okay, Melt. I’ll protect you. Just stay close to me—”
“It’s not just me! I’m worried about the others! The survivors are waiting for you, aren’t they? You have to lead them, Zenon! Everyone is counting on you!”
“Hmm... well, I suppose that’s true.”
By skillfully inflating his ego, Melt managed to steer Zenon toward the student gathering point. Deceived by her performance, Zenon sheathed his sword and signaled the other students.
“You two, that’s enough! Let’s get Melt back to the group and put her mind at ease! Is that better, Melt?”
“Yes! Thank you, Ash!”
The crisis was averted for now. When Melt glanced at Yugo, he gave her a small, grateful nod. She had never imagined she would have to use her "heroine techniques" on Zenon of all people.
Yugo took the lead, efficiently neutralizing any rioters who attacked along the way with non-lethal strikes. Minimizing injuries as much as possible, the group finally reached their destination—the very guest house where Yugo had been scheduled to stay.