In the walls of Calice city.
Thousands of adventurers were standing nervously. They were looking towards the horizon, waiting for the attack to start.
Liu Ying was among them. Her body was standing straight, and her long hair tied in a ponytail waved with the wind. She seemed like a heroic warrior ready for an epic battle.
But despite her battle-ready stance, her face had a dazed expression.
"Are you alone, miss?" A young guard beside her asked curiously.
Liu Ying was startled, but she quickly recovered and nodded. "… Yeah."
"Eh? Are you not afraid?" The young soldier smiled. "Well, it doesn't matter. Stay close to us, we will be sure to protect you when the monsters come."
Liu Ying was surprised. The next second, she smiled wryly. She could see that the young man was just an E-Rank practitioner, just a bit stronger than a normal human.
However, she did not want to look rude.
"Sure, thank you." She smiled.
The young guard blushed slightly. The city guards beside him laughed and chuckled amusedly.
"Beto, stop flirting with the adventurers! Besides, you are just a little boy! How can you protect her?"
"Shut up! Old man!"
"Hahahahaha! So, spring came for our Beto!"
"She looks like a good girl! Take care of him, okay?"
"Hey, you still don't know if the girl likes him!"
Liu Ying heard the city guards' talk with a wry smile. In truth, she did not even blush when she heard them.
Since the day her family was destroyed, she had matured a lot. Things like this were not enough to fluster her.
Besides–
"Sorry, I have already someone I like."
"Huh?" The city guards were startled. Then, one of them started to laugh.
"Hahahaha! Poor Beto, he lost even before starting!"
"Hey Beto, don't cry! Sometimes you win and sometimes you lost!"
"Yeah, this girl looks like too much for you!"
"Shut up!" Beto flushed in shame. He then looked at Liu Ying with an apologizing look. "Sorry about it. T-They are just joking. D-Don't take it seriously."
Liu Ying smiled calmly. "Don't worry about it, I don't mind."
"… The guy you like must be very fortunate."
Liu Ying looked at the sky with a lost expression. "… Do you think so? I wonder. I'm not sure if he likes me too… Hell, I'm not sure if I truly like him."
She then looked at the black line that suddenly appeared on the horizon.
Thousands and thousands of monsters, advancing furiously towards the walls to destroy the city.
The adventurers, hunters, and guards turned pale. Some of then even started to shake when they saw the great number of monsters marching towards them.
But Liu Ying just kept her heartbroken look. Clenching her fist, she smiled in such a way that all the people around her felt pity for her.
"… I'm not even sure if I can see him again."
…
In another part of the city.
The city lord and his son, together with the three A-Rank warriors of the city and some other important people were standing behind a middle-aged man with an imposing presence.
Sebastian, The King's Right Hand, looked at the wave of monsters coming towards them.
Despite the overwhelming number of monsters, his expression did not change. As a demigod, Sebastian did not fear the monsters in the slightest.
"… I'm sure I will remember this sight for a long time." Sebastian muttered. He then grabbed a longsword that was leaning against a table and walked until the edge of the city wall.
"City lord, how are the preparations?"
"Everything is ready. We have five thousand people ready to fight the monsters, and with the help of the city walls and Mr. Sebastian, we are confident in defeating them."
"That is good." Sebastian nodded. "Make sure to keep the casualties at the minimum. The kingdom can't afford to lose much of its combat force."
"I understand." The city lord replied seriously.
"Very well, I'm off then."
As soon as he spoke, the city lord took a step forward.
But instead of falling to the ground, he stepped in the air as though he was stepping on an invisible foothold.
Then, he kicked the air.
And rushed towards the monsters.
The city lord and the others looked at that scene with an envious expression.
"… So that is a demigod, huh. How powerful."
"Just the fact that he can fly makes him almost invincible against non-demigod enemies." The A-Rank woman mage shook her head wryly. "Unfortunately, there is a huge gap between A-Ranks and demigods. I don't know if I have a chance to bridge that gap in my lifetime."
The other A-Ranks nodded.
At that moment, a man approached the city lord and told him something in his ear.
The city lord was startled, but quickly, his expression turned to one of contemplation.
Then, he looked at the three A-Ranks beside him.
"My friends, can you help me with a little thing?"
…
Gina was sleeping on a table. Her honey-colored hair rested against the table and her chest moved up and down slowly.
But suddenly, she frowned in her slept.
Cold sweat flowed on her forehead, and her face turned pale. It was as though she was experiencing something incredibly frightening.
Less than one minute later, she opened her eyes.
"… I wonder if I can change fate." She smiled wryly.
Gina furrowed her brows. She could feel the shadows approaching her. There was not much time left.
However, Gina did not want to give up so easily.
So, she stood up and walked towards the entrance.
"Even if it can't be changed, I must not give up."
With such resolute words, she left the house.
Strangely, none of the people guarding her noticed when she left.
... The shadows were quickly approaching.
...
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