Chapter 13: Please Be Safe…

“Ah, I guess you wouldn’t know, Rosie, since you only came to Diud three years ago.
You see, in the ‘Demon Forest,’ there’s a year about once every ten years when magical beasts multiply in huge numbers.
Around here, we call that a bad year.
The last one was nine years ago, so folks have been saying it’s about time.”

“I see…”

“Well, for us adventurers, it means more work and maybe getting our hands on valuable resources, so it’s not all bad.
Some even call it a good year and celebrate.
But the defense unit can’t exactly say that.”

“I suppose not…”

If that was the case, then the young master would probably be busy dealing with magical beasts for a while.

It looked like it would still be some time before I could consult him about a magic teacher.

‘Lowell will probably be disappointed, but we’ll have to hold off on magic practice until then…’

That said, postponing the magic lessons wasn’t actually all that bad for me.

Because it would cost money.

Magic tutors usually taught members of the nobility.
I didn’t know the going rate, but it was obviously expensive.

If I didn’t start saving diligently now, I might get an introduction and still be unable to hire them.

You really don’t realize how expensive children’s education is until you become a parent.

But it was for Lowell’s future.
If there was anything I could do, I wanted to do it for him.

I was thinking all that as I cleared away empty plates.

That was when the noise outside suddenly grew loud.

I could hear several people shouting, and what sounded like screams.

“What’s going on…?”

Jake and the other customers stopped eating and turned toward the windows.
Of course, I did too.

Dan and Hannah also came out from the kitchen, wondering what was happening.

Through the lace curtains, I could see townspeople running around in a panic.
Had there been some kind of accident or incident?

As a vague sense of unease crept over me, the door to the diner suddenly burst open.

“Hey!
Are there any adventurers here who are free right now!?”

The one who rushed in, pale-faced, was a staff member from the adventurers’ guild who was also a regular at the Licorice Diner.

“There’s a magical beast in town!”

At those words, tension instantly filled the diner.

“Three bird-type beasts slipped past the defense unit and got inside the city walls!
Anyone who can fight, get over there and help the defense unit take them down!”

Before the guild staffer even finished speaking, Jake was already on his feet, slinging his greatsword over his back.

“Sorry, Rosie.
Can I pay later?”

“Y-Yes, of course.
Please be careful.”

Jake and several other adventurers grabbed their weapons and hurried after the guild staffer.

“Where should we go?”

“They split up, but the closest one from here is the church.
Head to the church first.”

“…What?”

My heart gave a violent thump.

“Understood.”

Jake and the others dashed off.

My heart began pounding wildly in my chest.

“Everyone else, stay put and don’t go outside until the subjugation is finished!”

As the guild staffer turned to leave after saying that, I hurriedly grabbed his arm.

“E-Excuse me, the church you mean is the one in this district…?”

“Yeah.”

My desperate hope that he would deny it was crushed as he nodded without hesitation.

I heard either Dan or Hannah gasp.

The blood drained from my body.

My knees trembled.

Because that meant—right now, Lowell was at that church.

“Rosie…”

Hannah grabbed my trembling hand, worry written all over her face.
But the shaking wouldn’t stop.

“Lowell will be fine.
Let’s trust the defense unit and the adventurers and wait…”

I silently shook my head.

Lowell had to be terrified right now.

What if he got hurt…

Just imagining it made my vision go dark.

I couldn’t stand not confirming his safety immediately.

“…I’m going to pick up Lowell.”

Leaving those words behind in a shaking voice, I ran out of the diner.

I heard Hannah calling after me, trying to stop me, but I didn’t look back.

“Hah, hah, hah…”

Scolding my trembling legs, I ran with all my strength toward the church, gasping for breath.

I kept my eyes fixed on the church atop the low hill, but I didn’t see anything that looked like a magical beast.
Had the subjugation already ended?
Please, let it be over.

By the time I reached the base of the gentle slope leading up to the church, I overheard townspeople talking and realized the magical beast had apparently been defeated.

Relief washed over me for a moment, and I forced my exhausted body onward, starting up the slope.

If I could just confirm Lowell was safe—

That was when I saw someone running down the slope from the direction of the church.

It was Jake, who had gone to fight the magical beast.

When he noticed me, he sped up even more and shouted.

“Rosie!
I was just about to come get you—!”

Jake’s face was deathly pale.

A chill ran down my spine with a terrible premonition.

“Lowell…
Lowell was attacked by the beast and injured…!”

“…!”

A soundless scream escaped my throat.

It felt like every hair on my body stood on end.

Forcing my legs, which threatened to tangle beneath me, to keep moving, I followed after Jake.

Passing through the church gates, I saw a crowd gathered in the courtyard.

Surrounded by people in defense unit uniforms and adventurers, the corpse of what looked like a magical beast lay there.

Its body was covered in dark green scales.
It had large, bat-like wings, a long, sharp beak, and hind legs with vicious claws.
Rather than a bird, it looked more like a pterosaur I’d seen in an illustrated encyclopedia as a child in my previous life.

‘Lowell was attacked by that…?’

Even now, lying motionless after being slain, its ominous appearance was terrifying.

How scared must Lowell have been when that attacked him?

And yet, when it mattered most, I hadn’t been there for him.

I’d let him be scared alone, and on top of that, let him get hurt.

‘I’m his mom.
He’s the most precious thing in the world to me.
And I still couldn’t protect him…’

Tears welled up in my eyes.

‘Please.
Please be safe…!’

Guided by Jake, I entered the small chapel that was usually used as the daycare.

The injured had been gathered there.

People with injuries were being treated by the defense unit’s medical team and the sisters.

There were children among those receiving treatment, but Lowell wasn’t among them.

“Rosie, over here!”

Where Jake pointed, several adults were gathered.

A familiar sister, someone in white robes who looked like part of the defense unit’s medical team, and the Barrow young master.

They all noticed me arrive and turned toward me at once.

Their expressions were uniformly grim.

“Rosie.
Lowell is…”

Saying that in a low voice, the young master stepped aside, making room for me.

Lowell was lying on a mat spread over the floor.

His eyes were closed, all color drained from his face.

“Lowell!”

I rushed to him and then sucked in a sharp breath when I saw his right arm.

From the tips of his small fingers up to around his elbow, Lowell’s right arm was stained a dark, ugly color.