The rain grew stronger, and the covered walkway beyond the training hall was soaked all the way under the eaves.

“Wait, Icca! An evacuation alarm—”

“I don’t know! But we need to open the gates and start taking in people nearby—”

Icca ran.

Straight down the path where rainwater cascaded like waterfalls from the roofs on either side.

What the hell is going on?

But standing still, just watching Icca’s back, wasn’t an option. As Ziel took off after him, a voice called from behind.

“H-hurry to the evacuation site!”

It was Klaha’s voice.

When he turned around, she was running after them.

“It’s a designated evacuation site! In case of a magical beast disaster, this dojo is supposed to take in refugees!”

When did that happen? Ziel wondered.

They had been here for nine days. Klaha shouldn’t have had enough time to get familiar with the area, let alone know something like that.

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that.

“So that means something happened over there!”

Icca was rushing to start taking in evacuees.

And the alarm, still blaring, was the signal to do just that.

Something had happened in this town—

In the town Saminato and Chikano were supposed to protect.

And whatever it was, it was bad enough to call a state of emergency.

“Damn, there’s no one here—”

Ziel understood why Icca muttered that when they arrived at the gate.

At the dojo’s main gate, behind the tall stone walls lined up neatly, there were only the three of them.

Which meant, for now, they were the only ones available to handle the evacuation.

That was enough to make anyone panic.

The situation was unclear. Ziel himself didn’t even know the town’s layout. How were they supposed to evacuate people with just this many hands? Where did they even start—

“Icca-san, can you check if there are magical beasts outside!?”

Through the rain, Klaha shouted.

“Huh—”

“Wait here a sec!”

Ziel was momentarily stunned.

But he quickly jumped onto the wall to confirm the situation outside.

“—Nothing! No magical beasts on the main road in front!”

“Thank you! Icca-san, how long does it take to open the gate?”

“Huh? If I do it by hand, less than two seconds—”

“Got it! Then let’s open this gate. As long as the inner gate holds, we can secure the evacuation site—”

Before the bewildered Icca could react, Ziel swung the main gate open.

The iron gate, which normally required three or four people to push open, was forced apart in one breath.

Ziel thought to himself.

In times like these—

“Klaha, don’t tell me—”

“I memorized the town and dojo’s layout, just in case. And I’ve done evacuation drills before—”

She said it like it was nothing.

“Then give me orders—”

“Ziieel—!!”

He was cut off.

A voice—someone other than the three of them.

It came from the sky.

A clear voice, piercing through the air from near the black storm clouds covering the town.

The watchtower, standing right beside the dojo.

From there, Chikano was shouting at them.

“South—! And north—both sides—!”

South and north… which way was which again? Ziel wondered.

“I’m going south! Cover the north!”

He nodded instinctively, but then hesitated.

Could he really head north alone?

Even if Klaha or Icca guided him, Klaha needed to handle the evacuation, and Icca, as a dojo member, had to stay to manage the disciples.

Damn it, there was no time for hesitation over something this small.

With reckless resolve, Ziel—

“Klaha, Icca! I’m leaving this to you!”

“—Understood!” “O-okay!”

That settled, Ziel was about to take off running.

But first, he turned to Chikano.

“North means up, right!?”

“No, it doesn’t, you idiot!!” she yelled back.

“Just run this way!”

Chikano nocked an arrow to her bow.

Ziel saw it fly through his rain-speckled glasses.

He had no time to stop and admire it.

That one arrow was his only guide.

“I’m counting on you!”

He called back to Klaha and Icca, then sprang forward.

Following the arrow, he leaped onto the wall and ran.

The rain grew even fiercer.

Each raindrop gouged the earth, splashing mud. Leaves from distant mountains fell, beaten down by the relentless downpour.

Through that storm, an arrow shot faster than the rain.

And chasing after it, a lone swordsman, cutting through the wind like a gale.

Across the tiled rooftops—

A place where ordinary people couldn’t even take a step, Ziel dashed through like a straight road.

Below, the town was white with misty spray.

He caught glimpses of dojo disciples—and townspeople beginning to evacuate.

He passed them, leapt over them—

Pushing his rain-soaked bangs back with his left hand, a second later—

Thud—

The arrow.

Chikano’s arrow landed on the ground.

Not because that was its range.

Not because Chikano lacked the strength to shoot farther.

Ziel already knew—

Her arrows could hit not just anywhere in the town but even the surrounding bamboo forests.

Which meant—

He didn’t need directions anymore.

And then—

“—Rats?”

Ziel saw it.

Below him, an uncountable horde of rats, surging into the town like a flooding river.