Tap! Tap! Tap!
"Huff… Huff… Huff…"
Tanya breathed heavily as she ran with all her might.
'I hope my brother is okay…'
The image of her wounded brother made her eyes teary, making her wish she could run faster.
"There it is! I'm close!!"
Tanya smiled as she saw the building of the Training Center ahead.
It only took her about half a minute before she arrived. She didn't rest and immediately entered the building.
"Instructor Clyde! Instructor Agnes! Instructor Oswin! Director Ver! Are you here!?"
Her voice echoed in the silent building, but she did not receive a reply.
Tanya tried looking around the building, but it was empty. Then when she entered one of the rooms.
"Faster!"
"Fall in line properly!"
"Don't push others!"
…
Tanya could hear vague voices outside.
"What's with the commotion?"
She asked herself as she promptly looked through one of the windows.
"Wha—"
Tanya's eyes widened with shock as she saw a large crowd gathering on the training grounds of the Training Center.
"Why are they all here…?"
She could see Rowena and the others among the crowd.
It felt like each and every one of the citizens of the Cabanary Fortress was present there.
'So that's why I didn't see anyone while running…' She thought before her eyes suddenly widened, "Instructor Clyde!"
Seeing one of their instructors leading more people to the crowd, Tanya hurriedly exited the building.
***
"Be careful, don't push others!"
"Yes, Instructor!"
"Good. I'll go through the Eastern District now so make sure to behave while waiting."
Clyde gently reminded the people as he made sure that they would stay calm and not panic.
Just as he was about to leave, he saw someone running towards him.
As an archer, she instantly recognized the person even if they were still quite far away.
'Tanya?'
Clyde asked inwardly as he looked at the young girl who just arrived in front of him.
'She's quite fast…'
"I-Instructor… huff… m-huff…. Bro…"
"Calm down, take a few deep breaths just like what I taught you in class."
Tanya did as she was told and soon enough, she was able to relax herself, "Instructor! My brother needs help!"
"Don't worry. Your house is in the Eastern District, right?"
"Yes!"
"Okay, I'll be going there now. Stay here for the moment while I evacuate the others."
"U-Understood, Instructor!"
"Oh right, your father is here too. Just ask the medical staff so they could guide you there."
Clyde left immediately after speaking.
However, as Tanya saw his back that was rapidly becoming small, she thought to herself, 'Evacuate…?'
She was not aware of what was happening in the fortress.
The only thing she was aware of were the dark clothed figures that intruded their house.
'What is he talking about!?'
Tanya frowned in distress as she approached some of her classmates.
"Hey Rowena?"
Rowena, who was talking to her friends with a serious expression, jolted upon hearing a familiar voice.
"Tanya! I'm glad that you're here!"
She then went ahead and hugged Tanya.
The others also greeted her with a smile on their faces.
However, Tanya did not have any time for pleasantries as she asked with a frown, "Can you tell me what's happening? Why are you all here?"
"Ummm, about that…"
Rowena took a deep breath before narrating what was currently happening to her friend.
She said how Instructor Clyde was evacuating others because of the dangerous demon beast wave.
She also said that several General Class demon beasts were sighted.
It took her more than a few minutes before she finished, "Me and my family were quite lucky because we're shopping in the Southern District when we met the Instructor."
'So the Eastern District where our house was was supposed to be the last one to be evacuated because Director Ver was the one defending it, huh…'
Tanya thought as she recounted everything that she heard from her friend.
After a short while, she asked, "Instructor Clyde told me that my father was here. Where are the medical staff?"
"Oh, right! Here let me lead the way!"
Rowena smiled as she held Tanya's hand, "By the way, where's your brother?"
"He's at the house… I was only supposed to call for help before returning, but now I'm worried…"
"Don't worry! Instructor Clyde is one of the fastest warriors in the fortress."
Tanya just smiled in response.
Her worry for her brother couldn't be put into words, 'I'm feeling uneasy…'
"Anyways, it seems like all our classmates are here." Tanya changed the topic in order to ease her mind.
However, Rowena shook her head, "No… Marco is not here yet."
"Ehhh why? Where does he live?"
"He lives in the Southern District. So he should've been here before us. But he's still not here even now."
"Don't worry, maybe he just ran late because of something."
"Ptui! No one's worrying about that pig!"
Tanya and Rowena giggled as they conversed, easing the suffocating tension in the atmosphere.
***
"Hello!? Are there people here!? Please get out of your homes!! We need to evacuate!!!"
Clyde shouted loudly as he arrived at the Eastern District. He could see some people coming out upon hearing his voice.
As for those who didn't come out, he had no choice but to destroy their doors and drag them out forcefully.
"I'm sorry, but this is urgent! I need you all to not panic, okay!?"
"Stay calm and wait as I call the others!"
Clyde and the other fortress guards hurriedly evacuated the citizens out of their houses.
"Okay, just one last area le—"
Boom!!!
Just before he could finish his words, the sound of a deafening explosion was heard.
"S-Sir!"
A fortress guard called from the side.
Clyde looked at him and asked, "What is it?"
"We received reports that the Shadewraith Tigris has broken through the Eastern Gate."
"What!?"
Clyde's eyes widened in shock, his voice trembling, "T-Then that means that the D-Director…"
Director Ver has died.
He was too afraid to say those words.
"Okay, we'll immediately depart after we evacuate the las—"
ROARRRRR!!!!!!
It was at this moment that a deafening roar resounded in the surroundings.
"Sir, we need to go now."
A fortress guard said from the side.
"B-But there are still people…"
Clyde felt the pressure as countless lives rested upon his shoulder.
"Sir! We need to go now!"
Panic could be heard within the fortress guard's voice.
Clyde gritted his teeth as he looked between a certain part of the Eastern District and the crowd of people with him.
The distance between him and the last part of the Eastern District was 100 meters.
He could cross that instantly.
It was easy. Very easy. But it was difficult.
A single mistake could get all of them killed, thereby wasting their efforts.
He was currently at the crossroads of choosing whether to save the crowd of people beside him.
Or risking all of their lives so that he could try and evacuate the people from the Eastern District.
'If only the Shadewraith Tigris didn't specialize in speed.'
Nevertheless, he knew what he had to do.
Clyde turned around and led the people towards the Training Center, "We'll depart!!"
"Follow closely! There might be stray demon beasts, but there's no need to panic as I am here!! Just carefully stay within the crowd and don't run off on your own!!!"
Clyde shouted with all his might as he gritted his teeth.
***
"What's taking her so long???"
Jin asked out loud as he laid on the ground surrounded by dried corpses.
He was still in the backyard.
His injuries had healed, but the exhaustion on his whole being prevented him from moving even a little of his finger.