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“Where are you Timu? Where did you go?”

I went around searching for her in a daze. Along the way some vampires attacked, so I indiscriminately beat them.

“GAHHHH!”
“SHUT UP! DON’T STOP ME!””

With the cross in my fist like a knuckle duster, I walloped it. The vampire was sent flying before bursting into minced meat.

“Hahh, hahh, I can’t find her. This is bad. This is so bad.”

I’m so beside myself with worry that it feels like my blood might run backwards.

The longer I take to find her, the lower her chances of survival. I’m just filled with anxiety and impatience. I’ve been searching and searching but all I found were vampires or escaping civilians. Thankfully, so far I hadn’t counted Timu amongst the vampires yet. She’s probably still running around at this moment.

But even if Timu can use magic, she’s helpless against these numbers. They seem countless. It’s only a matter of time until she’s attacked by a vampire.

Aahh, what do I do…?

Because of my panic, my mind isn’t working properly.

This is no good. It’s at times like these that you need a break to calm down.

Suu~ Hahhh~

Calm down, calm down. Think clearly for a moment.

Wiping off my tears, I cooled my head a little.

I had searched a few kilometers around the front gate, but I didn’t catch sight of her anywhere.

In other words, she ran away somewhere even further?

No, no matter how fast she might be, I was still faster. It was hard to imagine that she had run even further out.

Then did that mean she was hiding somewhere?

But where?

There are too many buildings in the capital, and there are even more houses destroyed from this mess. Even if I go through them one by one, it’ll take too much time.

Ahhhh, s̲h̲i̲t̲!

While I was feeling cornered,

“So this is where you were, Lady Tilea.”

Thankfully, Pervert (Nielsen), Myuu and the other Praetorian Guards appeared.

I-, I’m saved. Right now even one more person out there searching would help.

“Myuu, Niel, you’re back. Thank goodness.”
“Milady. Though it took a while, we managed to meet with Ortissio’s unit.”
“I see, Myuu. More importantly, searching for Timu comes―!”
“Lady Camilla is together with the other humans.”

Pervert (Nielsen) said something that I couldn’t overlook.

He said something about Timu somewhere? Could it be that she took shelter with the Capital’s Public Safety Force?

“Does that mean that Timu is with the people of the Public Safety Force?”
“As you say. This one had called out to her, but she instructed that we join up with you, Lady Tilea”
“Indeed. It appears that Lady Camilla had some plan in mind.”
“I-, I see.”

T-, Thank goodnesss~

It looks like Timu took shelter. Wow, that really shortened my lifespan. If Pervert (Nielsen) was the only one then I wouldn’t be able to really trust it, but if Myuu is saying it too, then it must be true.

Remilia should be with the Public Safety Force. She’s the strongest person in the Capital, you know. Timu will be much safer with her than with somebody like me.

I let out a sigh of relief now that I knew Timu was safe.

“Lady Tilea, Ortissio has a report.”
“Mn?”
“It is an honor to meet you. I am Captain of the Royal Capital Concealment Unit, Ortissio Bo Bach.”

Who the heck is this guy?

He just looks like a slightly lanky, average guy.

…But the Captain of the Concealment Unit, he says?

Honestly, even in a crisis like this… You were a chuunibyou too, weren’t you. Though it’s not like I’m surprised anymore.

“And so, Orty, what is it that you wanted to report?”
“Milady. First, in regards to being unable to meet at the rendezvous point, I offer my most sincere apologies.”

Mn!? That’s right. If you trace it all back, it’s because you guys didn’t meet us where you were meant to. Although I had actually thought it was Pervert (Nielsen)’s fault though.

“And so, why didn’t you come to the meeting point?”
“Milady. The truth is, yesterday we were being pursued by the Public Safety Force, led by Remilia. The orders were to avoid fighting as much as possible, so there was no choice but to retreat as far as Canoda Town.”

Orty’s companions nodded in confirmation.

Haha, what a chuunibyou excuse. These guys are even worse than Pervert (Nielsen). I bet they actually just forgot about the meeting.

Huuu~ Blaming your own mistakes on other people…

And of all things, to blame it on the selfless and hard-working Public Safety Force. It’s just too rude towards these people who risk their lives for us. I’m actually doubting if this guy has any humanity.

To begin with, it’s because you guys didn’t meet us that Myuu and the others were stuck looking for you. And thanks to that, Timu was separated from her strong bodyguard, and I went through a terrifying time too. But despite that these guys…

“You’ll go that far to make excuses? How unsightly.”
“M-, My deepest apologies.”
“You have an entire thirty people, and this is the best you could do?”

Honestly, you had thirty people, and not a single person remembered? Or did you all just assume somebody else would go, and slacked off? Every single one of them just pushes jobs onto others. It happens quite a lot in society.

“W-, Well, certainly the Public Safety Force itself was no big deal, but the Captain, Remilia, had doggedly pursued us. As you would expect, she was an S-ranked adventurer after all, so it took time to shake her off.”

Orty and his companions huddled together as they gave their excuses.

―Seriously, if you forgot, then you can just say you forgot. If they didn’t go because it was too bothersome, then I can accept that too. Everybody has times like that. As long as they apologized properly, I’d forgive them.

But they push the blame onto others… Just what kind of nerves do these guys have? They’re acting this pathetically just because they’re afraid of being scolded?

“Hahh~ You guys… There should be a limit to how pathetic you can get!”
“It is just as Lady Tilea says. Ortissio, just because of a mere human or elf, you arrived late? You shame the entire demon race. End yourself!”

Even though Pervert (Nielsen) is lax on himself, he’s strict on others. And what’s more, he even made sure the whole thing was in chuunibyou. Honestly, I can’t even comment anymore.

“H-, However, it was not only the Public Safety Force led by Remilia. An even more dangerous organization named Decarabia was moving in the background…”

This Orty guy made another weird excuse.

Decarabia? The heck is that supposed to be. Some sort of secret society!?

And he’s saying stuff like this in a crisis like now? The only praiseworthy thing about him are his guts.

“Ortissio, do not drone on with your excuses. You have brought shame to Lady Tilea. All members, end yourselves!”
“T-, That’s too much… Captain Nielsen, at least let my subordinates―”
“ENOUGH! If you take too long, then I, Nielsen, shall personally―”
“Aahh, whatever. Enough. For now, let’s discuss our situation.”

I don’t have the time to be watching your little play. Look around you. The place is crawling with vampires. This isn’t the time to be playing around.

“Understood. If Lady Tilea is willing to forgive you, then I shall say nothing further. Ortissio, you had best feel grateful.”
“Y-, Yes. I am truly thankful, and shall redeem my sullied name.”
“Okay, okay. And so, what should we do from now on?”
“Let’s see. I doubt the Capital holds strategic importance at this point. Lady Tilea, would turning this place into a cinder field not be an option to consider?”
“Okay, veto.”

Because of Orty’s influence, Pervert (Nielsen) started going crazy with this chuuni speak.

God, just stop it please! Seriously!

Still saying things like this even though we’re fighting with actual demons! These guys are so carefree. The only respectable thing about them is that boldness even in this pandemonium.

“Also, there is one more report, but…”
“What is it, Orty?”
“Milady. We slipped off Remilia and the Public Safety Force, but ever since we returned to the capital, we have been under surveillance by a number of people.”
“Eh? What do you mean?”
“I believe it is likely they are encircling us to stop our escape.”

To stop our escape― HAH-!? Is that how it is!?

It’s that measure that the government likes to use in the Resident Evil series; the quarantine. They’ll blockade off the whole area to stop more victims emerging. And then the people inside the quarantine become the noble sacrifices for the nation.

Kuh! Do the people up top only care about themselves!?

They’re too useless. Too little capacity as leaders. They’re encircling us, but rather than stopping Ortissio, I bet it’s to monitor all citizens in general.

T-, This is bad. This is so bad. Even though I thought I could quickly bring Timu away from all this craziness. If we try to escape from the Capital, we’ll be killed by them. At this point, we can’t just run.

What do we do? What do we do to save ourselves?

I can’t tell. But for now I need information, and…

“What are they like? The ones observing us.”
“They are not the main combatants of their force. Their mana is roughly 1500. Likely an intelligence unit.”

…Chuuni talk again, huh?

Well, whatever. Even if they took it seriously and started panicking, it wouldn’t help much either. And I’m floundering here too. Unlike in games and movies, the real thing is really graphic. But although I thought I would vomit and faint in situations like this, it never got that far.

Why, I wonder? Is it because I gained resistance from all the horror games I played? Or could it be that without knowing, I got Mental Debuff Resistance as a special bonus when I reincarnated…?

For now, let’s think about who that intelligence unit is with. They wouldn’t be with the Public Safety Force. Their captain, Remilia, would never allow that to happen to the citizens.

In that case, some special organization within the government? Like some kind of special unit that directly answers to the King, and has the authority to take heartless actions in a crisis?

Oh crap. That sounds really possible. In that case, we can’t just carelessly attack them.

But leaving Myuu aside, if I told these guys about this, they’d just get scared, right? Right now they’re acting tough with their chuunibyou, but you never know when that mask will come off. I have to at least avoid a scared panic.

Okay. For now, I’ll act like the spies aren’t a big deal. But that it would be better not to attack them. Or something like that?

“Hahh, only 1500? We could just leave guys like that alone, but their attitude is a problem, isn’t it? Myuu, if you see them next time, erase them.”
“Milady.”

While emphasizing that everybody could just leave the spies alone, I casually signaled Myuu to attack. When we escape the Capital, we need Myuu to defeat those guys or else.

“And so, Lady Tilea, roughly what plan will we be following from now on?”
“Let’s see. Let’s find Timu, and then withdraw from the Capital.”
“Is it all right not to bring judgment upon the Fake Demons that stole our Evil God Army’s territory?”

YOU GUYS ARE THE FAKE DEMONS! Honestly, the enemies are real demons, you know? No matter how many weaknesses they might have, there’s still no need to do something as dangerous as attacking them. It’s different from the fights with the delinquents so far. This isn’t a game. It’s life and death, you know?

There really isn’t much we can do. Let’s leave the demons to the members of the Public Safety Force. What we need to focus on is how to escape from the Capital.

Yeah, I don’t have any attachments to this place anymore. Now that it’s come to this, Timu probably can’t enjoy school life here, and even Jessica who I―

Mn!? Jessica?

The blood drained from my face.

AHHHHHHHH! THIS IS BAD, THIS IS BAD, I FORGOT HER!

I left her behind…

Oh god, oh god. Jessica said that she couldn’t run, didn’t she? And in a state like that, I went and left her in the middle of a vampire horde. Only a fiend would do something like that! No matter how panicked I might have been about Timu, how could I just abandon a girl young enough to be a middle schooler!?

I have to hurry up and find her!

Just as I was about to go running―

Waitwait. Although Myuu is here, I can’t just leave this lot behind either. After all, if my luck is bad, there’s a good chance they’d run off to fight the vampires bare-handed. If I leave them alone and they die because of that, I won’t be able to sleep peacefully anymore.

I guess I’ll teach them about vampire weaknesses for now. Whether fighting the vampires or running from the vampires, telling them this information could save their lives.

Can’t be helped. I guess this is the only thing left I can do.

“Everyone, listen! A small errand just popped up, so you guys will be heading to Timu first. Myuu, you’re taking command of everyone, okay?”
“Wha-!? Then what about Captain Nielsen?”
“Um, this isn’t a game, you know. I won’t let you complain.”
““U-, Understood!””

Pervert (Nielsen) replied too, but he seemed kind of dissatisfied. I bet it’s because he’s always playing the Captain when they’re playing Demon King Army. Seriously, what was with that dissatisfied expression! This isn’t a game like before. It’s a matter of life and death.

“Also, and this is important, when vampires attack, stab them in the heart with a wooden stake.”
“We shall abide by your orders, Lady Tilea, but just what meaning does that have?”

Huhu, it’s natural that he’s confused. I bet everyone’s wondering, ‘Why a stake all of a sudden?’ Of course. After all, I’m the only one who knows about a vampire’s weaknesses. Guess it’ll be easier to show them?

“Showing is better than explaining. Watch carefully!”

Pervert (Nielsen) as well as the rest of the Praetorian Guard all paid attention. I walked around a bit to look for a pointed stick.

Mn!? This might be good.

From inside a destroyed house, I picked up a piece of wood that matched my imagination.

All I need now is some prey, but if possible, a slow walking one would be nicer.

Alright, we’ll go with that one. I spotted a tottering vampire about three hundred meters ahead of me. It was moving slowly, and was perfect as a target.

“Everyone, watch closely.”
““Understood.””

I set out to stab it with the stake.

“Fuahhh, Pierce the Evil at Once!¹”

“KISHAAAAAAAAA!”

The stake that I thrust pierced it right through the heart. After letting out a cry, it disappeared like fog.

…Haha, as expected.

“Well? Understand?”
“As usual, it was a splendid display of ability. And so, why must we use a wooden stake, in place of a sword or fist?”

T-, This guy doesn’t get it at alllll! That whole thing worked because of the stake. Vampires have bodies like steel. There’s no way your swords or fists would even hurt them.

“Swords or fists…? You must think you’re really amazing now, huh? Enough with the overconfidence.”

I sharply complained to Pervert (Nielsen). It wouldn’t do if I didn’t give him a proper warning at least once, right?

“I-, I see. I have finally understood your intentions, Lady Tilea.”
“It looks like you finally get it.”
“Yes, Milady. Purposefully using a wooden stake to limit your might with a specific target in mind. In other words, a training method for both power and accuracy, yes?”

Hah? Pervert (Nielsen) was misunderstanding again.

Should I explain once more? No, that’s enough. Thinking about it, I don’t have time to waste here. Jessica is in danger, and I’m racing against the clock here.

“Yes, yes, that’s exactly right. I’m going now, so Myuu, I’m leaving the rest to you, okay?”
“Understood. Please leave it to this one.”

Myuu gave me a reassuring and reliable reply. And then he led the Praetorian Guard off in Timu’s direction.

Now then, I’d better hurry to Jessica as well.

…

Here in the midst of the humans, the Malferands, and Decarabia, a Vampire Annihilation Operation was executed at the hands of the Evil God Army.

1. In Rurouni Kenshin, you have this motto ‘aku soku zan’ which means ‘slay the evil at once’. Incidentally, the guy’s special technique is a piercing technique called ‘gatotsu'(fang pierce) so yeah. I imagine Tilea imitated his moves, except with a stake.