BANG!

"W–Who are you?!"

Rain's voice trembled as the group burst in without warning.

No answer came.

Of course it didn't. If they planned on introducing themselves, they wouldn't have hidden their faces behind crude black masks.

"Stay behind me, Rain."

"Y–Yes!"

Whatever their goal was, one thing was clear—Rain was just an ordinary civilian. If this turned violent, she'd be the first to get hurt.

I summoned my sword from the Dream Orb, the familiar weight forming in my hand, and leveled it toward the intruders.

"That's one hell of an entrance," I said coldly. "State your business."

Instead of responding, the masked men raised their swords in unison.

…So that's how it is.

Silence hung heavy in the air, taut like a drawn bowstring.

Then—

"Subdue them!"

"Haah!"

They rushed us all at once.

About ten of them.

I acted immediately.

I applied magnetic force to the two in the lead.

THUD!

"Argh!"

Their bodies slammed into each other mid-charge, limbs tangling as they crashed to the floor in a heap.

Before the others could react, I stepped forward.

I swung my sword at the man charging in behind them.

CLANG!

"Tch—!"

He barely managed to block, the impact rattling his arms. I twisted my wrist, knocked his sword aside, and drove my foot into his chest.

He flew backward, collapsing hard against the ground.

Another attacker lunged at me.

I didn't hesitate.

One clean slash—he went down.

Steel rang through the space, shouts and grunts overlapping as the remaining attackers closed in.

I tightened my grip on the sword.

Fine.

If they wanted a fight—

—I'd end it quickly.

Finally sensing that something was wrong, the group hesitated.

"What is this guy…? This wasn't part of the plan!"

Their voices were laced with confusion and panic. One by one, they began retreating, their steps unsteady.

That was when Viola struck.

"Air Cutter."

Blades of compressed wind rained down on them.

"Gaaah!"

In an instant, shallow cuts tore across more than half of their bodies. The spell was clearly lethal if used at full strength—but Viola had restrained it. The wounds bled and burned, yet none were fatal.

It was deliberate.

The attackers, now covered in injuries and clutching their bodies in pain, had no will left to fight. Any thought of charging at us vanished completely.

I stepped forward and grabbed the collar of one of the men who had collapsed on the ground, hauling him upright.

And then I saw it.

"…This is…?"

My breath caught.

Etched into the side of his neck was a tattoo—clearly visible beneath the torn fabric.

A red wolf.

The sight sent a chill down my spine.

What? These guys are still active?

I was sure I'd heard they'd all been captured after the last incident.

Looks like a few remnants managed to slip through the cracks.

…And now these bastards are trying to kidnap people again.

I could almost understand them targeting Princess Anna—almost. But going after a child who couldn't even be ten years old?

That made my blood boil.

These guys really are kidnapping specialists.

Though, judging by their track record, their success rate is laughably low.

I released my grip on the man's collar, letting him collapse to the ground in a coughing heap. The moment the others realized they stood no chance against me, panic spread through their ranks.

They didn't even try to regroup.

One by one, they turned and ran, fleeing without a single glance back—as if the hounds of hell were on their heels.

I couldn't understand why they were trying to take Rain.

As the scattered remnants of the incident faded away, the question lingered in my mind. I'd managed to stop anything serious from happening this time, but there was no guarantee they wouldn't come back.

For now, the priority was clear.

I needed to take Rain to the meeting place.

Just in case, I decided to leave a note behind for Vermut.

[We'll be taking care of Rain for a while.]

—Louis—

That should be enough.

He'd understand what I meant… right?

"Savior, hurry!"

Rain tugged at me impatiently, her eyes sparkling with excitement, and I left the store with her in tow.

What I didn't notice—

Was the single droplet of water on the desk.

It slid slowly across the surface, blurring the ink just enough to erase my name completely.

"Wow! This is amazing!"

Despite what she'd just been through, Rain walked through the streets with boundless energy, her steps light and her voice full of wonder.

Seeing that, I couldn't help but think—

She really does have a strong heart.

As she bounced along beside me, her gaze suddenly locked onto something ahead.

Fluffy strands of cotton candy spun in the air, dyed in soft pastel colors.

Her eyes widened instantly.

"Do you want some?"

"N-no…"

She tried to deny it, but it was painfully obvious.

Rain kept sneaking glances at the cotton candy, her lips unconsciously licking as if she could already taste it. Unable to resist anymore, I stepped forward and bought one for her.

But when the vendor handed it over, three cotton candies appeared instead of one.

I blinked in confusion.

"Huh? We only ordered one."

"This one's on the house!" the woman said cheerfully, waving her hand. "You all look like such a happy family. It's nice to see."

…A family?

It wasn't just the streets that were caught up in the festival mood—the people were too. The vendor's warm smile made it clear she had completely misunderstood our relationship.

"What a handsome couple you make," she added with a wink.

There was a misunderstanding, but since we'd been given extra cotton candy, I decided not to correct her.

Viola accepted one, her face instantly turning red.

Is she embarrassed…?

I took a bite of mine.

Sweet.

So sweet that it made my tongue tingle, the sugary fluff melting almost instantly. As I glanced sideways, Rain was already happily nibbling at hers, eyes sparkling.

…Well, maybe it's fine to let misunderstandings like this slide once in a while.

Each of us held a stick of cotton candy as we made our way through the crowded streets, eventually arriving at the agreed meeting place.

The festival lanterns swayed gently overhead, laughter and music blending into a lively hum—but something was off.

The appointed time had already passed.

Yet Elena and the others were nowhere to be seen.

I checked the street again, then the surrounding alleys, my gaze unconsciously sweeping through the crowd.

"…They're late," I muttered.

That was unusual. Elena, especially, was never careless about time.

As we stood there waiting, the atmosphere suddenly shifted.

BOOM!

A deafening sound tore through the night sky.

"Wow…! So pretty!!"

Cheers erupted around us as people instinctively looked up. The dark sky bloomed with light, and for a brief moment, the entire street was bathed in crimson.

At first glance, it looked like fireworks.

The citizens certainly thought so. Children laughed, couples pointed excitedly upward, and vendors paused to admire the spectacle.

But my stomach twisted.

…Those aren't fireworks.

The flames weren't scattering into colorful sparks or fading gently into smoke. They burned too solidly, too violently—thick, heavy streaks of light staining the sky.

And the color—

Not festive.

Not joyful.

A deep, ominous red.

Like blood soaking into the night.

A bad feeling crawled up my spine.

"Louis, that…"

Viola had noticed it too. Her cheerful expression vanished, her eyes narrowing as she stared upward.

"That's not normal," she said quietly.

I exhaled slowly. "Yeah. Definitely not."

Another boom echoed, louder this time, followed by a wave of heat that brushed against my skin. The crowd still hadn't realized anything was wrong—but I could feel it.

Mana.

Dense, violent mana rippling through the air.

This wasn't a celebration. It was a signal. Or worse—a declaration.

"Sigh… what now…?" I rubbed my forehead, already dreading the answer.

The first night of the festival was supposed to be peaceful. Lively. A simple event to deepen bonds and advance the story.

Instead, it felt like the calm before a storm had already been torn apart.

I glanced toward the direction the flames seemed to originate from.

If Elena and the others were late…

"…Please don't tell me you're involved in this," I muttered under my breath.

"What's going on…?"

Viola's voice was tense as she looked up at the sky. Countless points of light shimmered overhead, drifting unnaturally instead of bursting and fading like fireworks should.

While most people continued laughing and chatting in the festive streets, a handful had begun to notice it too—slowing their steps, frowning, unease creeping into their expressions.

Something was wrong.

Did an incident already happen?

The thought slipped into my mind, unwanted and heavy. I tried to brush it off as needless worry, but the uneasiness only grew stronger by the second.

Then—

BOOM!

The ground shook.

A deafening explosion tore through the air, and a pillar of black smoke erupted in the middle of the street.

"Kyaaah!"

"Aaaaah!!"

"Move! Get out of the way!!"

Screams exploded along with it. The crowd that had been celebrating just moments ago dissolved into pure panic, people crashing into one another as they fled in every direction.

The cheerful festival vanished in an instant, replaced by chaos.

"Rain—!"

I reached out on instinct.

Just as the surge of people threatened to sweep her away, I grabbed Rain's hand and yanked her toward me. She stumbled, eyes wide, before regaining her balance.

"Uh…? Ah—thank you!"

Her grip tightened around mine, knuckles white.

"Don't let go," I said firmly, pulling her closer. "Stick with me."

Viola had already moved beside us, her expression sharp as she scanned the area.

"That explosion wasn't random," she said quietly. "There was mana in it."

So it was deliberate.

Through the thinning smoke, silhouettes began to emerge—figures standing where the explosion had gone off, completely unaffected by the panic they'd caused.

Not civilians.

My jaw tightened.

"Of course," I muttered. "A festival is the perfect place for this."

This was an terrorist attack?

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