Rumors would spread. Suspicion would follow. At worst, she could end up being treated as a threat herself.

In that sense, choosing to flee instead of fighting had been the correct decision.

They hadn't had a choice. They ran—and by sheer coincidence, ran straight into us.

I glanced around at the now-deserted streets.

Just moments ago, this place had been packed with people enjoying the festival. Now, only scattered debris and the echo of hurried footsteps remained. I let out a quiet sigh and shook my head.

It hadn't even been a few minutes since I'd dealt with the thugs who tried to kidnap Rain. And now this—an entirely separate incident, and a far bigger one at that.

At this point, I honestly couldn't tell anymore.

Am I just incredibly unlucky?

Or… am I the cause of all this?

Somewhere out there, this world should have its own protagonist. Someone meant to be at the center of these events. So why does it feel like everything keeps crashing into me instead?

Is it just my imagination?

Right now, I don't have an answer.

But one thing is painfully clear.

"We've already missed our chance to enjoy the festival," I muttered.

I looked at my companions—Elena, Lisa, Rain, and the others. Their expressions ranged from concern to frustration, all of us clearly feeling the same disappointment.

"Let's get out of here," I said firmly.

Most of the civilians had already evacuated somewhere safer. If we stayed here any longer, standing around confused, we'd just be inviting trouble. And given today's track record, running into another monster didn't sound unlikely at all.

Still—

"Shouldn't we help?"

The question came hesitantly, but I could feel the weight behind it. Elena and the others were Academy students. Future elites of the Empire. To them, turning away from danger felt wrong.

They looked uneasy—clearly wondering whether people like us, who could at least handle monsters to some extent, ought to step in.

"No," I said firmly. "It's better if we don't get involved."

By now, the capital's defense forces and the city's soldiers would already be mobilizing.

If we started wandering around half-prepared, we'd only get in their way. Quietly removing ourselves from the area was the smarter choice.

…It wasn't only because I found the situation troublesome.

But that was part of it.

"Then… are we heading back to the Academy?" Viola asked.

"That's probably the best option for now," I replied. "If we stay here, we might get dragged into something even bigger."

The capital during an emergency was no place to linger. One wrong step, and we'd be caught between soldiers, monsters, or worse.

"Then what about this child?"

At Viola's words, I turned my head and looked down.

Rain was staring up at me with blank, unreadable eyes, her small hands clutching the hem of my coat as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"…Yeah. I can't just leave her," I said quietly.

There was no guarantee the attackers had fully withdrawn yet. And with monsters possibly roaming the outskirts, letting a child wander alone was out of the question.

"We'll take her with us," I decided. "At least until things calm down."

Rain didn't say anything—she just nodded once, as if she'd already assumed that was how things would go.

Just as we turned to leave—

The atmosphere shifted.

The light dimmed, as if someone had drawn a veil over the sky. I instinctively looked up.

The clouds above the capital were thickening unnaturally fast, rolling over one another like waves of ink. The bright afternoon sky was swallowed bit by bit, plunging the streets into an eerie twilight.

"…That's not normal," Viola muttered.

She was right. This wasn't the slow gathering of a coming storm. It was sudden. Violent. Almost deliberate.

A low, distant rumble echoed—not thunder, but something deeper, heavier, like the groan of the world itself.

The people around us began to panic.

"Hey—what's going on?!"

"Was the sky like this a moment ago?"

"Is this because of the monsters?!"

Rain tightened her grip on my coat.

I felt it too—a faint pressure in the air, a subtle disturbance in mana, crawling across my skin like static before a lightning strike.

…So that's how it is.

"This commotion isn't over yet," I murmured.

Whatever was happening, it wasn't just an aftershock of the earlier chaos.

I glanced down at Rain, then at Viola.

"Stay close to me," I said. "Both of you."

And then....

RUMBLE.

A sensation far too familiar crawled up my spine, making every strand of hair on my body stand on end.

I snapped my head upward.

Mana—dense, violent mana—was gathering overhead at an alarming speed.

The sky had darkened in an instant, black storm clouds churning unnaturally as if something was stirring them from within.

Threads of electricity flickered inside the clouds, illuminating them in brief, ominous flashes.

"…No way."

My breath hitched.

I didn't need to think twice to understand what was coming.

"Oh no—! Shit…!"

The moment that realization struck, I poured mana into my body without hesitation.

A massive lightning bolt was forming—aimed directly at me.

There was no time to dodge.

"Now—!"

I activated the Illusion Orb.

In an instant, a huge metal rod materialized in my hands. I slammed it into the ground with all my strength, driving it deep into the earth like a lightning conductor.

And then—

KA-BOOOOM!!

"Aaaargh!!"

A deafening explosion tore through the air as the lightning crashed down, striking the metal rod dead-on. Blinding white light engulfed my vision, and the shockwave hit me like a sledgehammer.

My ears rang violently.

The ground trembled beneath my feet, cracks spiderwebbing outward from the impact point.

I was thrown backward, my body tumbling helplessly before slamming hard against the ground.

"Gah—!"

Pain exploded through my back as the air was knocked clean out of my lungs.

For a few seconds, I couldn't hear anything—only a high-pitched ringing, as if my senses had short-circuited along with the lightning.

Smoke rose from the scorched earth.

The metal rod glowed red-hot, partially melted, steam hissing where rain began to fall in scattered droplets.

"…Hah… hah…"

I lay there, staring up at the sky, chest heaving.

That was close.

Too close.

If I'd reacted even a second later, I would've been directly struck. No illusions, no tricks—just a clean, instant death.

Slowly, painfully, I pushed myself up onto one elbow.

"What the hell was that…?"

The impact carved a deep crater into the ground around us.

Smoke rose from the scorched earth in thick wisps, carrying with it the sharp scent of ozone. Just looking at it was enough to understand how much power that lightning bolt had contained.

…I almost died.

If my reaction had been even a fraction slower, my body would've been completely fried on the spot.

Only because I reacted on instinct—throwing myself aside and dispersing the residual mana at the last second—was I still breathing. Even so, my limbs felt numb, and my heart was pounding violently in my chest.

"RAIN!!"

A furious roar echoed from the sky.

I reflexively looked up.

There—someone was flying.

…Flying?

What now?

"Grandfather!"

Rain's eyes lit up the instant she saw him, and she shouted happily, waving her arm without a hint of fear.

"…Vermut?"

The moment I heard the name, tension drained from my shoulders—just a little.

So that's him.

Rain's grandfather. One of the strongest mages on the continent.

Good. With Vermut here, this nightmare should finally be over. We just need to return to the Academy, report the incident, and—

I stopped myself mid-breath.

Something was off.

As Vermut descended closer, my relief twisted into unease.

His white hair floated unnaturally, standing on end as if caught in a constant current. Sparks crackled around his body, snapping through the air like living things.

Electricity gathered in both of his hands, dense and unstable, illuminating his stern expression with flashes of blue-white light.

…That's not the face of someone who came just to rescue us.

My throat went dry.

The magical pressure rolling off him was overwhelming—so dense it felt like the air itself was pressing down on my shoulders. My instincts screamed at me to move, to run, but my legs refused to cooperate.

This wasn't directed killing intent.

It was worse.

This was the kind of power unleashed by someone who had just found out his precious granddaughter had been placed in mortal danger.

Rain, oblivious, ran forward.

"Grandfather! You're late!" she complained cheerfully.

"Rain," Vermut called out, his voice low and trembling—not with fear, but barely restrained fury. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine!" she replied instantly.

In that instant, Vermut's gaze snapped toward me.

The electricity around his hands flared violently.

I swallowed hard.

…Ah.

So this is how it ends, huh?

Not killed by enemies, not struck down by fate—but vaporized by an overprotective grandfather who doesn't know the full story yet.

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