The carriage was running at a speed that made me feel as if the wheels would burst into flames from the friction.

　In the quiet forest, the sun was shining, the flower buds were fluttering, and butterflies were dancing.
　In the midst of a landscape that made me want to have a leisurely picnic, a single carriage rushed by as if it were being chased by a dragon.

"d*mn it!　Hurry up!　You've got to go faster than that. ......!
"...... babble!
Ha-ha-ha!

　The master frantically cracks the whip on the foaming horse.
　Chasing the carriage is a flock of ...... fleur-mores, ostrich-like demons with extremely colored wings. To be precise, it was a group of armed ruffians who controlled them as horsemen.

　Like beasts licking their tongues at their prey, the rogues laughed as they rode the monstrous birds.
　Most of them had swords, but one of them had a short staff, a magic medium that was easy to use while riding.

"Snare!
"Aaah!
Aaah!

　The magic caused the horse's legs to stick to the ground.
　The horse's inertia caused it to topple over, and the carriage it was being pulled in naturally collided with it.
　The person in the driver's seat was thrown out with all his might by the impact and fell to the ground in the distance and became motionless.

　As soon as the carriage stopped, the door opened from the inside and two women staggered out.
　A woman in her late teens wearing a dress that looked like shining snow, and a woman in her thirties wearing a dress with an air of solidity. They were the daughter of the Marquise de Grandselle and her attendant.

　If they stay in the carriage, they will be surrounded and caught.
　The decision to run away is correct in itself.
　However, as they staggered away, they were surrounded by the Fleur Moi who had caught up with them within ten steps.

"My Master!
Where are the ...... adventurers escorting you?
We were supposed to have stayed behind to stop them. ......

　The two women hugged each other anxiously.
　The two women hugged each other anxiously. The maidservant looked around at the men with their swords drawn, then her eyes widened in surprise.

"No way!
"Sorry, we're in business too.

　One of the marauders on the fleur-de-lis.
　One of the marauders on the Fleur Moi, a fighter with a short spear slung over his shoulder, chuckled.
　He is an adventurer who was originally supposed to fight the outside enemy as an escort. After all, the party they were escorting was in league with the attackers.

　Of course, they were hired by the Marquis through the Adventurer's Guild. That's why he trusted them to protect him.
　In exchange for a commission, the Adventurer's Guild keeps a close eye on the adventurers and doesn't send anyone with a bad attitude to such an important job.
　But now is the time.

　The country is now under invasion by the Caenis Empire.
　Some adventurers are fleeing, and the quality of those who accept jobs is declining. The guilds are in disarray and the administration is falling apart.

　The guilds are in turmoil and their administration is falling apart.　
　...... It was inevitable that some adventurers would think so.

"Geez, ......, don't worry, I won't kill you.
I'm not going to kill you if your dad is paying me a lot of money!　Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
"Hey, hey, hey, don't you want to taste it?　As long as your life is safe, you can handle it, right?　Hee hee hee ......

　The ruffians jumped down from the beast and approached the two of them without hiding their sneer.
　Glittering blades.
　Grubby hands.
　And blood spattering.

"Aha!

　Suddenly, one of the ruffians screamed.
　His throat was slit. He collapses. A pool of blood spreads.

　A girl intervenes, her honey-colored hair fluttering softly like a flower in the wind.
　She stood as if to protect the two being attacked.
　From the looks of her, she was 13 or 14 years old. She was slender, but she looked about a size larger than she actually was because she was so imposing and familiar with the scene.
　She was dressed in a corseted mail with a leather skirt, as female thieves and rangers like to wear.
　In one hand was a dagger with a blade shaped like a crescent moon. In his other hand, he somehow held a hand mirror decorated with silver designs like a cradle.

"Run, both of you.
Are you ......?
Come on!

　"You are ?
　As if pushed in the back, the two women stood up and rolled away from the gap in the encirclement.
　The adventurer girl retreated to protect them, and when they had fled, she faced the bandits again.

　But the bandits were still in no hurry.
　A woman's legs can only run so fast. With the fleur-de-lis, it would be easy to catch up with them. Even if they had to deal with this interloper first.

"Who the hell are you?
"...... I'd most like someone to tell me what I am now, to be honest.
"What?

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it's a good idea.



There's only one opponent, take care of him!

　The leader was calm among his men, who were bewildered by the strange turn of events.
　When he gave the order in a raspy voice, his men regained their composure and readied their swords.

　The adventurer girl, on the other hand, looked into her ...... hand mirror.

"Mmmm, I'm so cute today!
"What the heck are you doing ............?

　The one who took the lead swung his sword down and slashed at the girl, just then.

　The girl's figure, which was looking into a hand mirror, dissipated into a cluster of afterimages that split into several diamond shapes.
　The figure disappeared, leaving behind a roar like a ringing in the ears.
　The sword sliced through the air and plunged into the earth with too much force.

"Gafu............

　Right after that.
　The girl had pierced the man's throat as she hugged him from behind as he swung down.

　The crescent-shaped dagger was swung sharply and gore was thrown on the ground like spit.
　The man's body collapsed unsteadily.

I've never practiced it since I learned it once upon a time, but I can do it.
　I'm not even going to temple school, I was studying to be a murderer! That's nothing to brag about.

　The girl sighs in serious disgust as she plays with her suspiciously shiny hand mirror.

"Hey, you!

　The traitorous adventurer sharply thrusts his short spear.
　The girl's figure splits into diamond shapes.
　The girl's figure disappears in a diamond-shaped afterimage. And behind the spearman.

There!

　She seemed to have seen the move coming.
　The spearman made it look like a thrust, but it was a feint. As if to reverse the movement of the spear, he thrusts a stone thrust behind him through his armpit.

　But...

"!

　The spearman's face was sliced in half, up and down.
　The girl, who seemed to be behind him, somehow slashed at him from the front.

"...... you b*tc*!

　It was not a fatal wound.
　But the spearman, blinded by the blood flowing from his own face from the unexpected attack, quickly used the short spear in his hand to reave her off.
　The spear hit not the girl, but the two bandits nearby.

"Gee! "Gee!

　One of the frightened bandits had his throat slit by the girl at that moment.

Calm down! Idiot, where are you aiming? How many of you are there?

　"How many of them are there?" And a melee ensued.
　The bandits were bewildered, but they all attacked the girl at once.
　But they couldn't catch her. When they thought she was slashing, she disappeared like a bubble. When they thought she was on the right, they saw her on the left.
　When you think it is attacking you, it moves back. When you think it is slashing at you, it stabs you to death.
　Her appearance, her presence, her mannerisms. Everything about her is misleading.
　It was as if she was dealing with five enemies who all had the same appearance, and the bandits were being ruffled one way or another.

"...... Get back!　Surround them!　Make a circle!

　A ground-shaking gong echoed through the air, bringing discipline back to the bandits who had been in chaos.
　The order came from the leader who had been watching from a step back.

　Everyone's body moved before they could think.
　The bandits who were still alive stopped their attack and formed a siege.

"Oops. ......

　Within a three-foot radius of the encirclement, a girl stopped moving.
　I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.

It's not an instantaneous shift or an alter ego. It's a distraction, isn't it?

　It's a dazzler, isn't it?

"Well, I'm glad you figured it out!　It's a shame to leave you as a bandit. You're more skilled than I thought.
　He seems to be well equipped and in command.
　They look like deserters from a country that was invaded and destroyed by the Caenis Empire.
"Shut up. You're a rat in a bag now.
　...... Heh, you may have an unattractive body, but your face is not bad.
　It's a crime to interfere with our work, woman. I'll plug three holes at once and make you squirm.
"Cut and run!

　And the boss's head flew off.

　The bandits, who had been concentrating on the girl, heard a strange voice and finally realized what had happened.
　A demon appeared from behind the leader and attacked.

　A man with cloudy eyes and pale, almost white skin.
　His long blond hair was tied up high on his head, and he wore an obi that was fastened in front of his body, in the style seen in the Empire and the Far East.
　The weapon in his hand is a beautifully sharpened single-edged sword.

　The demon, in the form of a man, caught the head of the leaping leader and bit into the flesh of his cheek, ripping it off.

"Delicious!
"Ghoul ......!
"Undead!

　The undead!" The unbelievably easy death of the leader of the bandits, who was also their spiritual pillar, threw the bandits into disarray and they fell back, screaming pathetically like dogs who had lost a fight.



　The girl looked at the bandits with painful pity in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I've been selfish enough to let those two escape, so I had to fight them alone, but I think I've gone far enough. ...... This is a military operation from here on out.
　Your flesh is a supply, food for Ciel-Teira's army. And your bones are recruits.
　I can't stop this, so don't feel bad.

　In a cute pose that gave the illusion of stars falling, the girl pleaded for immunity.

　There was no time to ask what she meant.
　As if pouring out of the surrounding forest, a swarm of glittering armed undead came rushing in.

　Ghouls in knight's armor. Skeletons as well. The skeleton wearing a robe and carrying a staff was a lich.
　A swordsman ghoul in red dragonscale armor.
　A big man wielding a mechanical arm that sprays steam.
　A female fighter in imperial clothing with a bill plastered on her face. ......

... "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

　A group of nameless bandits disappeared from the streets.