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There were several things that felt off to me.

First, the enemy withdrew too easily. Despite allocating manpower to drive us out under the cover of such a large uproar, they simply watched as we were taken away by the knights.

Second, the arrangement was too perfect. Right as the situation worsened after the uproar, the knights arrived, then we went straight to the orphanage and met up with Sister. From there, the knights stayed as our escort.

Thinking about it calmly, this is a country within the Luminism Faith’s sphere, where discrimination against beastfolk lies at the foundation.

The lord may be progressive, Sister may belong to a faction that wants to eliminate discrimination, and perhaps it’s a request made by the Alchemist’s Guild…

Even so, it’s hard to believe that a whole unit of knights would move just to protect beastfolk children.

Looking back now, Sister’s reaction was strange too. She seemed tense the entire time, as if her body was stiff. I didn’t question it much since she was fresh out of battle, but it’s more natural to assume something afoot was going on.

To begin with, the orphanage itself doesn’t seem like a suitable defensive point. It used to be a church and can serve as a shelter in emergencies, but now it’s run-down, full of gaps as a defensive structure.

But if you think of it as bait to lure the enemy in, it’s almost ideal.

My head not working well due to fatigue is a serious weakness.

After sleeping for a bit and clearing my mind somewhat, I noticed a presence approaching from outside the building.

The unusually quiet footsteps indicated that the opponent wasn’t someone from the sunny side of society. Most likely, they were the intelligence unit of the Bayer Kingdom.

At the end of my gaze, the window board slowly opened. A hooded man slipped silently into the room. In the moonlight, the blackened blade in his hand came into view.

“Stay still, you filthy beasts.”

Hearing that, I let out a sigh.

If I focus, I can tell. There’s another, extremely faint presence in the room.

“Chytis Khaleed, you’re using us as bait, aren’t you?”
“What are you—ggh!?”

The empty space rippled, and from it a slender shadow leapt out.

There was a sound like something hard and damp being crushed. The hooded man was sent flying through the wall and outside.

Where he had just been standing, Chytis Khaleed now stood, coat fluttering, leg extended from a kick. It was a remarkably clean yakuza-style kick.

“—I am.”
“Are Sufi and the others safe?”
“They’re being protected by the knights and Sister. You were the most likely target, Alice, so I was assigned as your guard.”
“Good. Let me hit you once later.”
“I must decline. The recoil might injure you.”

I couldn’t entirely deny that, which was unfortunate.

“I feel a bit better after sleeping. So targeting us wasn’t just incidental, then?”
“They likely intended to take you as a souvenir. For some reason, in recent years, powerful figures across the continent have been seeking beastfolk with silver fur.”

Chytis Khaleed turned his head slightly. His gaze was… on my hair.

Ah. It happened so suddenly that I forgot to dirty it with mud and soil. Right now, my fur looks close to white. Normally, I’d make it a bit dirtier before going out, so it would look fully gray…

“This is a case of unlawful entry into a young girl’s room. Let’s apprehend them promptly.”
“Aren’t you one to talk?”
“I’m a guard.”

What a conveniently smooth tongue. In any case, I can’t subdue them myself, so I have no choice but to leave it to him. If I used a method guaranteed to defeat them, I’d definitely end up killing them instead.

I’ve had my own experience of taking lives in my previous life, when the circumstances for it were unavoidable.

I’ve resolved myself to protect Sufi and the others, but if possible, I want to avoid killing others. If there’s someone nearby who can fight, I’ll let them handle it.

Outside, now visible through the broken wall, about six similarly hooded men stood there. The one who got kicked first seemed unable to move—perhaps his ribs were crushed, his breathing faint.

“You heretical spellcaster…!”

“So why do they bother hiding their identities again?”
“It’s puzzling how easily they reveal themselves like this. Could it be a trap?”

As far as I know, there are many religions across the continent, but the only one that calls others heretical is the Luminism Faith.

“You seem quite composed. Do you have combat training, Alice?”
“Do I look like I do?”
“Not at all.”

I puffed out my chest as I answered, and he replied flatly, as expected.

“So, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Well, that doesn’t change what I have to do.”
“Kill that heretic!”

The men quickly drew their swords and rushed at Chytis Khaleed. Judging from the situation, they likely came to abduct us, so as long as I avoid getting caught up in it, the chance of being killed is low.

My job is to stay still and watch.

Two men approached in coordination. One wielded a longsword, the other a dagger, moving to the flank to cut down Chytis Khaleed.

“This coordination suggests organized training.”
“Guh—!”
“Gah!?”

A kick to the solar plexus for the longsword wielder, a punch to the face for the dagger wielder. Both stopped moving from those single blows.

I couldn’t guess his fighting style at all from his appearance, but he turned out to be a close-combat type.

“How could a mere alchemist?!!”
“That underestimation breeds carelessness.”

As Chytis Khaleed spoke in an exasperated tone, I saw one of the men, erasing his presence, move toward me from outside his line of sight.

“O Rampaging Lightning, bring heavenly judgment upon this fool—‘Thunder Spear.’”
“Gaaaah!?”

Without even turning toward me, lightning burst from Chytis Khaleed’s hand and struck the approaching man.

I don’t know how he’s doing it, but he seems to have full awareness of his surroundings. I quietly pulled my hand out of my pocket and stayed put.

“You’re quite used to being protected, aren’t you?”
“…mm.”

I shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.

Stay within reach, follow the guard’s instructions, don’t look aside when escaping, and only act on your own in emergencies.

I’m just applying what my guards drilled into me in my previous life.

“That makes things much easier.”
“Damn it, stall him!”

He seems completely at ease, so it’s better for me to stay still.

“O Swirling Winds, gather dark clouds and bring forth a rain of lightning—‘Circle Cloud.’”

A large amount of magical power overflowed from his palm, forming a thick black cloud above us, crackling with electricity.

I wondered if that would involve me too, but as he kicked away the men lunging at him, Chytis Khaleed raised his palm upward.

“*Forging.*”
“!?”

Before the lightning could fall, the formed cloud solidified into a rod above his palm. The black cloud condensed, crackling, forming a white, glowing rod of lightning.

Mana repels mana, so ordinarily, it’s impossible to interfere with active magic using alchemy—let alone for a living being.

“But it works if it’s your own mana…?”
“Yes. The spells are connected, mana-wise. It’s a technique devised by a certain battle alchemist. Though manipulating the shape of the spell is about the limit of what you can do.”
“G—gahhh!?”