"Damn it, why are there so many?!"
"Amelia! Are you okay?!"
"Worry about me later and protect your senior properly!"
"S-Siwoo! Watch out!"
"!"
While I was briefly distracted by Amelia being in danger, a villain silently approached from behind and swung his sword.
The senior, who had been trying to protect Amelia and ended up injuring his leg, warned me, but by the time I heard him, it was already too late to react.
It was a perfect ambush. If it weren’t for me.
If I already knew before hearing the sound, I’d have plenty of time to react.
"H-How?!"
"That doesn’t work on me."
Unfortunately for him, ambushes don’t work on me.
Unaware of that fact, the villain behind me had poured all his strength into the attack, certain I couldn’t dodge it.
If the ambush had succeeded, it would’ve been a devastating blow.
But the moment an ambush fails, it leaves the attacker wide open—a dangerous gamble.
Naturally, I didn’t let the opportunity slip. Using centrifugal force, I delivered a single strike.
Just like when I subdued the chameleon Therianthrope, I unleashed a weighted kick.
…Though this time, I held back a little. Even that was more than enough.
Maybe it was thanks to that experience.
I felt like I’d figured out how much force it took to knock out a superhuman without causing serious injury.
"Gah—?!"
The guy’s eyes rolled back in pain as he collapsed to the ground.
He wouldn’t die from that.
Even if he had internal injuries, a few months of treatment would probably fix him.
I didn’t need to worry that much.
In a life-or-death situation, a few months of recovery was a cheap price to pay.
"Huff, huff… How many are there?"
"No idea. I think I’ve taken down about five."
"Hah, only five? I just got my seventh."
"Y-Yeah, yeah."
That personality of hers wasn’t about to break, even in a situation like this.
Just how much of a shock had it been back then?
She’s still this bold even now.
"…Speaking of which, where the hell did Arte disappear to?"
"Beats me. That’s what I’m worried about too."
Of course, that didn’t mean I was worried *for* Arte.
She didn’t seem like the type to get taken down, no matter what she did.
What I was worried about was *what* she might’ve done.
"This is suspicious. She vanishes, and then *this* happens not long after?"
"…Yeah, I agree."
"There’s got to be something going on."
Arte had left the party, saying she was going to the bathroom. And now, hours had passed since then.
And yet, the moment she’s gone, villains ambush us?
In the middle of nowhere?
It’s all a little *too* convenient.
"Shit, shit—! H-How the hell are we supposed to beat these bastards?!"
"W-We need to run. There’s no way we can win!"
They’d lost their will to fight.
Maybe they’d given up after realizing they were the only ones left.
As they tried to slink away, Amelia tightened her grip on her spear and asked,
"What do we do?"
"Let them go. We’ve got too much on our plates as it is."
"Fine. …Hey, get lost. We’ve got no business with you."
A considerable amount of time had passed since the fight began.
Even without thinking about Arte, there was too much we needed to handle.
First, we had to report this to the Association and the police.
These guys were Weaverkin.
They each had parts of different animals on their bodies—some kind of paw, unidentifiable wings, sharp claws. It was unmistakable.
The guy who ambushed me earlier had some weird, fleshy lump on his feet too.
No wonder I couldn’t hear his footsteps.
Similar to Laila’s symptoms.
Just like her, they had something animal-like about them.
…What the hell is this?
I needed the Association to get here as fast as possible to figure it out.
But that wasn’t all.
I had to restrain the ones I’d taken down first, call an ambulance for my senior’s treatment.
I didn’t have time to tie up the ones who’d lost the will to fight.
I was worried they might harm civilians, but reporting it should be enough.
With that in mind, I decided to let them go.
At least until they started acting strangely.
"Kk, kkeuk?!"
"Yu Siwoo… something’s off."
"Yeah. I feel it too."
A strange sense of unease washed over me.
Just moments ago, they’d been desperate to escape.
And when they saw we had no intention of chasing them, their faces lit up, and they bolted.
…But now, their expressions were wrong.
"Something’s not right."
No sooner had she said that than Amelia accelerated in an instant.
Just as I relied on intuition for close combat, Amelia made full use of her own abilities.
"Hueup!"
-PADDUK.
A sound no human should make echoed through the forest.
In the span of a single breath, two of the three fleeing figures collapsed with deep gashes across their chests, while the third had his neck cleanly snapped by the butt of her spear.
It was a feat only possible for Amelia, whose Ability was a physical enhancement focused entirely on speed.
But I couldn’t shake the unease.
Because those guys should’ve been able to block that attack.
There was no reason for them to just stand there and take it without doing anything.
"This isn’t… over, is it?"
"No. You saw that creepy scene, right?"
But it wasn’t the kind of scene to admire, and Amelia didn’t boast like she usually did.
I thought about how if we left them like this, those villains might die, but the thought that they were dangerous hit me first.
"…There’s definitely something going on."
That last image.
The look on their faces right before Amelia attacked flashed through my mind.
Tears streaming, faces drenched in terror. But they didn’t run.
Even though they’d been trying to escape just seconds before.
"It was like they were being dragged against their will."
"Right? Yu Siwoo, you thought so too? Ugh, gives me chills."
If we hadn’t taken them down first, they would’ve attacked us no matter what.
That’s what Siwoo thought.
"…This is bad luck. Losing this many underlings to just three guys?"
A sudden, deep voice cut through the air.
I whipped my head toward the sound, and about ten people came shuffling into view, looking pitiful.
Parts of their bodies had transformed into animals. They must be Weavermen.
But the smell coming off them didn’t match their pathetic appearance—Siwoo’s brows furrowed.
"…Blood."
"What?"
Amelia asked, but Siwoo didn’t answer.
It was the smell of blood.
The same scent as when he’d slashed the chameleon villain.
Siwoo suddenly realized the thick scent of blood was pouring off them.
"Sorry. We didn’t want to mess with students either—too much risk—but we had orders."
"…Whose orders?"
"S, save us! Right now—c, ck—! M, my neck—!"
A man’s neck snapped in an instant as he desperately shouted something, ending his life.
After a brief silence at the absurd ease of his death, a man sighed and spoke up.
"I told you not to do stupid shit. Why the hell don’t you ever listen?"
Unlike the others, this man was covered in gray fur, with large ears and a short tail.
His red eyes and protruding front teeth made it clear what kind of animal he resembled.
"You… a rat?"
"Yep. I’m Marmoda, an executive of the Weaver Menace, one of the Twelve."
"…Did you kill that guy?"
"Wish I had."
The man who had introduced himself as a Weaver Menace executive let out a deep sigh.
"I told you to just obey. Don’t do stupid shit, just do as you’re told. They’re definitely watching right now, so behave."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
*They’re watching?*
I had so many questions, but he clearly wasn’t in the mood to answer.
"Alright, Academy brats. Our guys are swarming you, and only one’s injured so far. Looks like you’ve got some skill."
"Skill? Those bastards couldn’t even touch this spear."
"Oh? Sorry, but things are about to get a lot harder. Don’t blame me—it’s all for survival. …Let’s go, boys."
At his signal, the villains charged all at once.
Forced to fight again without a moment’s rest, the odds were overwhelmingly against me and Amelia.
She knew it too—she let out a groan of frustration.
"H-Hey, isn’t this a little cheap?!"
"Cheap? They couldn’t even touch my spear, so of course it’s cheap. And for villains, being called cheap is a compliment."
"Uaaaaah, this is so annoying!"
Even in this situation, she couldn’t control her temper.
Amelia… she seemed like she came from a noble family.
But no matter how I looked at it, the phrase “refined noble lady” didn’t suit her at all.
Maybe “spoiled brat” fit better.
"But this consecutive battle is actually good for us…! Not giving us time to rest will be your downfall!"
"That’s interesting. Why’s that?"
"Because I’ve never even been hit by my dad! Know why?!"
"A-Amelia! What are you suddenly talking about?! We’re in the middle of a fight!"
For a second, my grip on my spear nearly slipped as I faced off against a villain.
Luckily, my opponent seemed just as distracted, so no real danger came of it.
W-What the hell is she doing, spouting random crap in the middle of a battle?!
"My dad couldn’t keep up with me even when I kept using my Ability…! He’d run away before he could scold me!"
"…Alright, I’ve heard enough. Is that your last words?"
"A-Rank #4, Lionel Lindberg, couldn’t keep up with Amelia Lindberg’s speed—are you ready to taste it?!"
"Wait, what?"
Her words left everyone stunned.
A-Rank #4… Lionel Lindberg?
He was a famous Hero.
People praised him as the Radiant Lionel. And she was his daughter?
She never talked about her family, so there was no way I could’ve known.
No, that wasn’t the important part right now.
What had she just said?
…That *Lionel* couldn’t keep up with her speed?
"Here I come!"
Amelia surged forward like a flash of light.
Her speed was on a completely different level from before.