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The uproar that began before noon seemed to be producing more and more injured people as time passed.

“More potions, please!!”
“I’m making them right now!”

A boy apprentice, about fifteen, almost in tears, begged for more while being shouted at by an alchemist who was in the middle of compounding medicine.

They were probably being pressured from the main floor, but every alchemist who could still move had gathered in the pharmacy room and it was running at full capacity. Even so, production was starting to fall behind.

“Hasn’t the situation settled down yet!?”
“What the hell is the knight order doing?”
“Quit complaining and move your hands.”

Unless the disturbance calmed down, medicine consumption would only keep increasing. From a conversation I’d overheard earlier, it sounded like the Luminism Church and the Medical Guild were still refusing to accept the wounded.

“The injured keep increasing, nya.”

Even the temporary clinic set up inside the hall kept receiving more people. While Noche and the others went to collect materials, they checked the entrance floor and frequently reported back.

“The adventurers are moving too, so it should end soon…”

Naturally, both the Adventurers’ Guild and the knights were running around. But the goblins rampaging across the city had no coordination, and that actually made extermination take longer.

“Noche, maybe you should stay back.”
“Yeah, nya…”

Injured people were on edge, and we were discrimination targets to begin with. Black-haired beastfolk wandering around could easily cause unnecessary trouble.

More than anything, I didn’t want my friends getting hurt because of that.

“Feels unpleasant, doesn’t it?”

While bottling the ointment she made, Sufi sighed. She seemed calmer after working for a while.

“There’s nothing we can do right now.”
“I hope Sister and everyone are okay, nya…”
“Yeah, I’m worried.”

I was a little surprised. Unlike me, who hardly went outside, the three of them had widened their circle of acquaintances quite a lot.

The only one left behind was me, the one person who’s bad at forming relationships. I felt secluded. I knew it was paranoia, but it still felt lonely.

…No. That’s not it.

I simply don’t know how to become friends with others.

In my previous life I never had human friends. The only people I dealt with were cold-eyed researchers or prisoners seeking amnesty. Staff kept their distance in fear, and the only ones friendly were the mercenary guards.

I’d never even seen kids my own age, and even the friendly guards put a wall. If someone close to me died in front of me and disturbed my mental state, it would be troublesome.

I avoided unnecessary relationships so my emotions wouldn’t waver, and that never caused problems.

Thinking about it now, I probably treated Unknown the same way even though they tried to get close.

I’d long forgotten my own name, so I never cared about the correct one. After Kuro—the only one I trusted—disappeared, I stopped opening my heart, afraid something precious would vanish again.

I felt like I’d changed a bit after becoming friends with Noche and Filia, but habits ingrained in one’s nature don’t change so easily.

“We can’t make any movement, and there’s nothing we can do about it…”

If I could do things just because someone told me to, it wouldn’t be hard. More importantly, trying to keep up with Sufi and the others would only slow them down.

In the end, all I could do was steadily handle each day.

I pushed aside stray thoughts and devoted myself to making potions.

“…We’re out of Aserica powder.”
“Oh, I’ll go get some!”
“The other guys have a lot left, nya. Can’t we borrow from them? nya?”

Watching Filia immediately head out, Noche’s gaze drifted to unused herb powder belonging to other alchemists.

But even I understood this much.

“In this situation, provoking others is… not good.”

That would basically mean, *‘You’re slow at your job, hand over your materials.’* I didn’t have the ice-cold mentality to say that to already irritated alchemists.

“I see, nya…”
“Yeah.”

That’s how it is.

■■■■■

Filia brought herb powder, I made low-grade potions, and between that I prepped ointment materials for Sufi. By the time that cycle repeated enough, it was past noon.

“…Hungry, nya.”
“Sufi’s starving too.”
“…I forgot.”

Working mindlessly had dulled my senses, but it was definitely mealtime.

“We’re taking a break.”
“Okay.”

After informing George—who was deeply focused on his task—we left the pharmacy room.

On the floor, injured people lay in one corner while white-robed alchemists ran around treating them. On the opposite side was a group making anxious noises.

We went upstairs to the nap room in the back of the second floor, of course with Filia carrying me to conserve stamina.

Several chairs and beds were inside. We took a dusty corner and set up the door.

“Is it okay to take out the door, nya?”
“We’ll only take out today’s food and put it away immediately.”
“Got it, nya.”

While I strained my ears, checking no one was coming, Sufi and Noche pulled out stored black bread and dried meat from Apartment 404. They knew to choose inconspicuous food.

“Can’t we have a little snack, nya?”
“Nope!”

Good thing Sufi was firm. Supplies decrease when used. We couldn’t waste them.

“There were way more people downstairs, nya.”
“I wonder if things haven’t settled outside.”

Several hours had passed since it began. Normally things should calm by now.

Lack of information made it more unsettling.

“After eating, more medicine making?”
“Yeah. Looks like that’s our schedule all day.”

With the injured increasing and this place acting as a shelter, there would never be enough medicine.

“Will you be okay, Alice…?”
“Everyone’s helping, so I’m fine.”

Honestly, I was quite tired, but for the future I should keep going now.

I’d worried about Sufi helping with alchemy she disliked, but she seemed fine. Until things calmed down, we’d be relying on this place. As long as I worked hard, they’d have a reason to shelter us.

More than anything, many people in this guild treated us kindly. In a country rooted in beastfolk discrimination, it was precious.

We were frequently refused service, and chased away from stores. I even heard how, when Sufi and the others were helping out the orphanage, an old woman came over with a broom and tried to chase them away.

If we tried to live normally in this city, we’d likely end up as street children in slums again. If the underworld noticed us, we might not escape next time.

And most importantly, if we ended up receiving so many unpleasant memories, we might lose faith in humans altogether.

It was only thanks to Philip, who quickly arranged for us to stay in a dormitory when he saw that we were having a hard time and helped us in other ways, we were now able to settle down and earn money for our travels.

If there’s anything I can do to help them, I’d like to do so. Unlike before, I’m no longer just a doll that needs to be protected.

“Alright, one more push, nya.”
“You’re just waiting though, Noche…”
“I endure the medicine smell, nya.”
“I get it!”
“Yeah.”

We finished eating, and I hurriedly stuffed the remaining dried meat into my mouth and chewed before Filia carried me again.

“Don’t drop her, nya.”
“I won’t!”
“…Don’t drop Alice, okay?”
“I know already.”

We went downstairs into the noisy first floor.

“It’s those guys!”

Just as we headed toward the pharmacy behind the office, a shout rang out.

A western-looking man in blood-stained leather armor, looked to be an adventurer, pointed at us.

“I saw it! Those half-beast brats coming from the back! They’re stealing potions!”
“What!?”
“So that’s why there isn’t enough medicine!”
“You damn brats!”
“…nya?”

Seeing us tilt our heads at this sudden accusation, the Western men who had crowded the floor rose to their feet. Most of them appeared to be adventurers carrying weapons.

The sounds of their anger spread throughout the room.

“H-huh?”
“They didn’t! There’s simply too many injured people that the production couldn’t keep up! The clinic has more critical patients, they’re priority!”

The ones trying to calm them were the western alchemist and his apprentices who used to harass me.

Honestly, I was shocked. Even those who bullied me were defending us.

“Why defend half-beasts!? What are they to you!?”
“They’re guests of a senior alchemist! …They have no reason to steal.”

Complex sounds ringing in my ears. They glared lightly at me and spat bitterly.

“Can you really say they didn’t steal!? Our comrades are suffering over here!”
“What is there to explain? They have no reason to steal medicine.”
“How can you trust beasts!? You’re human like us!”
“What the hell nya!”
“Sufi wouldn’t do that!”
“Shut up—no one believes filthy lying beasts!”
“Just look at their creepy fur!!”
“Throw them out!”

Sufi and Noche argued back and the commotion exploded. The sound and scent of anger spread, agitating injured people into losing composure.

In the tense standoff, I tilted my head.

What’s with these guys…?

The one who first pointed at us, and the one who kept changing the topic to provoke others—

Their anger sounded strangely thin.

When you’re excited, your blood flow quickens, your muscles tense. You’ll unconsciously try to calm yourself, grinding your teeth, scratching your skin. All these sounds reveal just how agitated you are.

Conversely, the calmer you are the quieter these sounds become.

They might be acting like they’ve lost composure over their harmed comrades, but upon listening more closely, their sounds, whilst slightly agitated, were still relatively calm.

They were observing the situation with composure. They only interrupted when the conversation leaned toward the alchemists’ side.

Their glances felt familiar.

Could they be the ones occasionally watching us?

I did hear that this uproar apparently has a complicated scheme behind it.

…That aside, what should we do about this situation?