That lump of flesh was the police officer who had entered the bank to persuade the suspects, having just discarded his gun.
"Damn it...! Herman!!"
"Son of a bitch... Not again! Damn, damn!!"
The other officers, using patrol cars as barricades to observe the situation, couldn't help but look away.
Around the barricade, gruesome chunks of flesh and body parts, along with scattered pieces of shattered exoskeletons, created a scene that resembled a minor hell.
It had been two hours since the bank was taken over, and during that time, several police officers and special magic armor unit members had rushed in to rescue the hostages, but none returned alive.
The reason was that monstrous red-black beast.
"Listen up! This is your last chance! Bring the car over... or the next one to become food will be the hostages!!"
With those words, the man closed the window shutter.
The red-black beast vanished back into the bank, leaving the reporters filming the scene in confusion.
"What the hell... What the hell is that thing?!"
A young police officer, drenched in sweat, trembled as he spoke.
Luke Grayman, the rookie, had only recently transferred to Limbo City. Despite his distinctive gray hair, he was just an ordinary human with little experience, and witnessing such a monster up close was likely his first encounter.
"Is this the first time you've seen something like that?"
"I can't believe... something like that actually exists..."
"It's no wonder they're in chaos. But that's just how things are in Limbo City."
Alex, the legendary tough guy of Limbo City and his superior, mused. With his muscular build and receding brown hair, he had served at the Limbo City Central Police Station long enough to be thoroughly fed up with cases like this.
"What do you want us to do about those monsters?!"
"What else but try our best? We're cops; we do our utmost to save hostages... that's all there is to it."
"Even the heavily armed special forces couldn't handle them! What can we do without any gear?"
"Luke, if you're scared, you can run. A few others have already bolted."
Luke turned around and saw a crowd of reporters and onlookers who had gathered due to the commotion. Among them were likely the families of the victims...
"I can't run from this."
"Are you sure? Now's your chance to go."
"...What are you going to do, Chief?"
"As a cop, I can't run."
The chief smiled weakly and checked the remaining ammo in his automatic pistol.
"Hey, what's that...?"
One man suddenly looked up and spotted something flying towards them.
"Huh? Something's flying..."
"Wait, it's coming this way!"
"Hey, camera! Look up! Up there!"
"…H-hey. Is that…!?"
"Oh no! It's her, she's here…!!"
Dorothy, riding her magical contraption, descended right in front of the police chief and the crowd, capturing everyone's attention.
"…S-Sir Chief..."
"Don't worry. I won't do anything reckless... I'm just going to talk to her."
"...B-but..."
"I'm counting on you, Luke."
"A girl... from the sky..."
"Sorry, Chief, I'm a bit late!"
Dorothy transformed her vehicle back into a bag and approached the police chief who was about to enter the bank.
"…"
"Sorry, the roads were jammed. I flew here as fast as I could from halfway."
"W-What! Who are you?! This is dangerous—"
*Smack!*
The chief turned around silently and whacked Dorothy on the head.
"Ow!?"
"You're not just a bit late, you're super late! What have you been doing?!"
"Ouch... That's a bit harsh, isn't it? As a cop, you know? Haha, I might sue you!"
Despite being smacked hard on the head, Dorothy didn't seem angry. Instead, she looked up at the chief with a cute, cheeky grin.
"Stop laughing like that! That annoying face of yours! One more hit coming your way!!"
"Sorry, I was born this way," Dorothy said with a casual tone as if talking to an old friend, rubbing her head.
Luke desperately held back the chief, who raised his fist in anger. "C-Chef! Please calm down!!"
"Still as quick to act as ever, aren't you, Alex? I get that you're mad, but can you please not take it out on me?"
"This...!"
"Chief! Please, just calm down!!"
"...Damn it! How can you still be smiling in this situation?!"
"If you take away my smile, all that's left is cuteness. Besides, you didn't call me here just to hit me, did you?"
The chief, unsure whether she was provoking him or trying to soothe him, gritted his teeth but managed to regain his composure.
"By the way, Chief, who exactly is this girl...?"
"...Yeah, she's the helper... Damn it, you should have come sooner!"
Luke was puzzled. Why would the chief summon such a young girl in an emergency? She had hair that gleamed like golden threads, styled into a ponytail at the back, with a stubborn lock standing up like an antenna on top of her head. Standing less than 150 cm tall, she wore a frilly dress and a camel-colored coat, with glasses framing her delicate face. Her features were still youthful, making her seem no older than late teens at most.
"This kid is the powerful helper the inspector was talking about...? You've got to be kidding me!"
To be honest, I couldn't see how this kid would be much help.
"Sorry for the delay, there was quite a bit of traffic..."
"Hey, who are you?! This place is dangerous!"
"Arthur, what happened to the car?"
"I parked it somewhere safe."
An elderly butler appeared, tall at nearly 190 cm and sporting white hair that made him look like a quintessential gentleman from some foreign country.
"Always at your service, Inspector Alex. We wanted to arrive quickly, but the roads were congested. I feel terrible about those who have suffered, but please bear with us."
The inspector regained his composure at the butler's sincere attitude.
"...Yeah, sorry. It's not your fault."
"That's right, Inspector. The bad guys are always the ones causing trouble," she added.
"...Right."
"And don't forget the management bureau folks who never show up when they're needed."
Dorothy glanced at the bank occupied by the robbers and surveyed the surroundings. She grimaced at the splattered blood, flesh, debris, and the victims covered in black vinyl.
"Really, these kids these days are ruthless."
"..."
"How many hostages are left?"
"...There are seven now. There were eight when we arrived..."
"So, how many of those delinquents attacked the bank?"
"According to a lucky customer who managed to escape, there were seven of them. Their leader has something dangerous."
"What do you mean by 'something dangerous'?"
"…It's a grimoire. Specifically, a rare summoning one these days. The monsters it summons have caused a lot of casualties."
"Thanks. I'll take it from here, Inspector Alex."
Dorothy pulled out a revolver with a dull silver sheen from her coat, checked its action lightly, and started walking confidently.
"Hey, wait! That's dangerous!"
"Huh?"
Luke grabbed her shoulder to stop her, and Dorothy looked at him, puzzled.
"What? What is it?"
"What do you mean, 'what'? What are you planning to do?! You can't handle this with just that gun!"
"Are you worried about me and trying to stop me?"
"Of course I am! Stop joking around and step back! Besides, someone like you shouldn't even have a gun—"
"Ahaha, I see. You think I look like a kid."
She gave Luke a light kiss on the cheek and smiled happily.
"I haven't seen you before, are you new here?"
"W-What!?"
"You might see me as a kid, but actually, I'm much older than you."
"Really!?"
"In fact, I'm even older than Inspector Alex... no, Arthur here."
Luke looked at the inspector in confusion, but he only turned away silently. The old butler smiled and nodded. By the time Luke returned his gaze, Dorothy was already walking away, waving at them.
"Hey, hey!"
"Please be careful, Miss."
"Hey! Aren't you her butler or something? Why aren't you stopping her?!"
"…Let her go. It's cowardly, but we have no choice but to rely on that witch right now."
"Chief!?"
"Arthur? I told you to call me President outside, right? Also, don't call my friend a witch, Alex."
Dorothy chuckled as she walked towards the bank.
(…Why isn't anyone stopping her?! If this goes on, that girl will end up with the monster!)
Luke wondered, even here. Despite a young girl approaching a dangerous area occupied by robbers who had a fierce beast in tow, no one was stopping her. Not even Chief Alex or her servants. Instead, his fellow officers and the crowd were looking at her as if they were avoiding her.
Not a single person was worried about her safety.
"…What's going on in this town?"
Newcomer Luke didn't know yet. He didn't know who she was or why she was called here…
"The car still hasn't come."
"Do you think they're underestimating us?"
"Might be. I'm getting pissed off."
The robbers holed up in the bank were growing increasingly irritated that the police hadn't prepared a car for them. Inside the building, seven hostages had their limbs tied with ropes and mouths sealed with duct tape, gathered in one spot.
There's no sign of anyone being roughed up except for the pompous middle-aged man, but everyone's clothes are stained with fresh blood, and they were in a state of extreme panic.
"What should we do?"
"Guess we have no choice. Let's make one more person bait. Who should it be?"
"Sounds good. How about that pompous bald guy?"
"Haha, I'm all for it! Let's feed on just his lower half and toss him outside!"
"No way, that won't make much of an impact. There's a crowd out there; let's show them someone getting eaten alive!"
The robbers are chatting merrily about their gory plans. The group consists of seven men armed with assault rifles and a leader-like figure holding a book as red as blood, making eight in total. Though they wear masks to hide their faces, their voices and attitudes reveal they are all young men. And it's clear they lack any sense of guilt or morality.
"Hey, you guys! Someone else is coming this way!!"
The lookout, who had opened the window shutter to check outside, reported.
"Huh? Another fool coming to be our prey? They should take better care of their lives."
"No, it's not that..."
"What's wrong?"
"It's a girl, smiling and walking towards us..."
What the lookout sees is a blonde girl with a bright smile, waving as she approaches. The other members gather near the window to look outside.
"...Who is she?"
"Is this someone's family member from among the hostages?"
"Aww, how cute! Should we make her our new hostage?!"
"Calm down, Squid. This is a trap. The cops are planning something, using that girl as bait."
"How cruel!"
"What should we do, Leader? Should we take her as a hostage?"
"Hmm, let's just scare her off for now."
The leader opens a suspicious book in his hand. A glowing red magic circle appears on the opened page, and a growling, dark red beast is summoned from its center.
"Good boy, good boy."
*Grrrrrrrrr!*
"Your job is to scare the girl coming this way and chase her away. Don't eat her, okay? It would be too sad."
*Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!*
The beast growls sullenly.
Even with its white, pupil-less eyes glaring at him, the leader holds the book close to the beast and says with a bold attitude:
"Hey, hey, don't make that face. I'm your master, remember?"
*Grrrr!*
"Okay, okay. First, go chase away the one outside. Then I'll give you some tasty bald guy to eat."
The beast shifts its gaze to the pompous middle-aged man the leader is pointing at, grinding its sharp teeth, and strides toward the automatic doors.
"Well, I'm going to the bathroom. Keep an eye on the hostages, alright?"
"I'm going to the bathroom too. Keep an eye on them."