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Ever since Sufi fired off magic at the Adventurers’ Guild training grounds, the looks we got became strange.

“Sorry, everyone.”
“Don’t worry about it, nya. Those commonfolk are the ones at fault, nya.”
“I was careless too.”

Being an adventurer means living beside danger; having more combat power never hurts.

The trainees who gathered at the training yard apparently thought Sufi and the others were nothing more than filthy beastfolk kids…far beneath them.

But once it turned out she could use powerful magic, the story changed. According to receptionist Linda, parties suddenly started asking around about “the gray-furred beastfolk child.”

It wouldn’t be entirely impossible for them to gang up on a trainee and force them to join their party. Some only claimed she “ought to join them,” which was still cute compared to those clearly intending to treat her like a slave.

After being advised by people around us, we reluctantly decided to stay inside the dormitory for a while and wait for things to cool down.

…The receptionists said they’d help, and we could live for a few months without trouble, but it was a mistake that more people than expected had witnessed that scene.

We did wait for a quieter moment, but maybe it was just too flashy.

“We can’t help the Sister either…”
“Yeah…”

The Sister treated beastfolk without discrimination, and Sufi and the other two had grown attached to her. She was a rare dependable adult.

“No use staying depressed. Want to finish opening the storage room boxes?”
“Let’s do that…”
“Maybe there’s still snacks inside, nya.”
“You keep eating them right away, Noche. You can’t do that, you know?”

To change the mood, I suggested finishing the unopened storage room inventory. All three went along with it.

“KYAAAAAAA!?”

The ear-piercing scream came from the entrance of Apartment 404 just as we were about to enter the storage room.

“What was that, nya!?”
“Wait.”

I instinctively focused my hearing toward the dorm entrance—the Alchemists’ Guild staff quarters.

—Magical beast
—Call the knights
—Why inside the city

Among the screams and shouts were sounds of destruction and roars, belonging to far more than one or two creatures.

“They said magical beasts. Let’s go outside.”
“Magical beasts!? In the city, nya!?”

We rushed out the entrance. The screams outside were clear now.

“Sufi! Please!”
“Okay!”

Sufi lifted the door leaning against the wall and pushed it into the Amazing Pocket attached to my stomach. After confirming it vanished into the elastic opening, I crouched near the boarded window.

“Can you hear it?”
“The sound’s far… main street?”
“It’s louder from the entrance side!”

The sound from the window was distant; since this side faces away from the main road, that must be the source.

“What do we do…?”
“Stay ready to move. The alchemist dorm has solid security.”

While sensing outside presence, footsteps approached.

Light—almost childlike—and numerous.

“Footsteps are coming closer.”
“Someone’s coming?”
“…Probably not human.”

From near the footsteps came shrill, guttural chatter.

“What do we do?”
“Hide here, nya?”
“Hmm…”

There was nobody else in the dorm, everyone was out working. How long until someone noticed and came?

Quietly I shifted the window boards and peeked outside. We’re on the first floor, so I tried to be as discreet as possible.

There were children…with dark green skin and pointed-nose old-man faces. Several of them. They were about our height. Wearing nothing but dirty loincloths. Rusted daggers in hand.

Their murky yellow eyes darted around as they searched the surroundings.

I’m no expert on magical beasts, and it’s not like you could tell what they are just by sight, but the moment I saw them, a word surfaced.

“Goblins…”

I shut the window and crouched.

“Ugh, seriously, nya?”
“Why are they in the city?”
“No idea.”
“M-more importantly, this is bad!”

While we discussed, Filia shouted in panic.

“Goblins like women!”
“…Right.”

According to what I knew, women captured by goblins suffered terrible fates. That’s why I was debating whether to barricade here or run to the Alchemists’ Guild, especially since there’s no telling what’s the situation there.

“Yeah, we should avoid capture.”
“That’s not it!”

I tilted my head, not understanding what Filia meant.

“They like women, and can smell girls immediately!”
“…ugh.”

A blind spot. If goblins have noses like beastfolk, that’s bad. But it’s too late by the time I realized it. I heard the goblins begin rushing toward the dorm.

This dorm housed overwhelmingly women. They must’ve caught the lingering scent.

Should we retreat into Apartment 404… no. If they tracked the smell and broke the door, we’d be defenseless.

“They noticed us.”
“Tsk — to the Guild, nya!”
“Got it.”

Noche shouted, grabbing her sword from the table. Sufi and Filia also readied their equipment. We followed the leader’s instincts.

A loud, screeching voice could be heard from outside the window, and there was a banging sound on the boarded window panel.

“Out the front! Sufi, match me, nya!”
“Okay!”
“Alice, hold on.”
“Got it.”

They seem to be following the scent that seeped through the window panel that I opened earlier, and are concentrating on the window side.

Noche slammed open the front door, and at the same time Sufi jumped out with her sword at the ready.

There were…no enemies, as the three of them ran down the dormitory corridor. Holding on to Filia’s back, I concentrated on the sound.

The goblin-like creatures had already moved away from the window, and were circling around in pursuit.

“Move!”
“Out of the way, nya!”

As soon as we left the dormitory building, we saw several goblins running towards us.

Sufi and Noche, leading the charge, quickly intercepted them.

“Hyaa!”

Sufi’s strike aimed at the neck, and it cleanly severed the goblin’s head. Seeing it spin through the air trailing blood made Sufi and Filia freeze.

“Ueh…”
“Eek…”

The traumatic scene made their hands trembling, clenching tight. I thought of reassuring them, but Noche shouted first.

“Hiss! They’re enemies, nya — don’t freeze, nya! Run!”
“Ah…”
“Y-yeah!”

As she said so, another goblin fell to her blade.

Sufi and Filia reassured their grip and started running again. Once we had some distance between us and the goblins, it was clear that we were faster than they could chase us.

Soon the Guild hall came into view.

On the main street, we saw more goblins chasing the fleeing civilians with their weapons in hand.

“KYAA!”
“It hurts!”
“Inside the buildings — hurry!”

Adventurers were already fighting, but there were far too many goblins; the uncoordinated resistance had become a chaotic melee.

“What is this mess!?”
“…Noche, inside the Guild.”

Anything could happen with chaos on this scale. We needed to escape to a safe space with as many familiar faces as soon as possible.

“Gyaa!”
“You’re in the way, nya!”

Noche cut down approaching goblins, opening a path. We slipped through the turmoil and rushed into the Guild building.