Chapter 31

“Alright. We’ll be heading out now,” I said.

“I’m leaving the Seventh Barriered City in your hands, Yuria.”

“Got it!”

A few days had passed. We were now about to return home. Security here had been significantly tightened, and we were in the process of re-deploying the S-Ranks to the various cities. There were traitors in our midst, but we still had to do our best to protect the cities. And, obviously, it’s not a good idea to have all the S-Ranks in one city for an extended period of time.

The investigation was still ongoing, focusing on the S-Ranks, the royal family, and the Army’s upper ranks, but they still hadn’t found anything. Cyrus, some of the upper S-Ranks, the Army’s top brass and the Intelligence Department were leading the investigation.

Also, Sherry, Sophia, and I were to be transferred from the Academy directly into the Army. We were planning to join the Army eventually, anyway, like all the other students at the Academy. After the battle, though, they decided that we were needed in the Army as soon as possible. Eira also got transferred. It looked like my peaceful days as a student were over now, for good.

In the last attack, the First Barriered City had been thrown into turmoil, leaving the Army unable to respond. There was no time for making strategies or forming up on that chaotic, hellish battlefield. In the aftermath, we all realised that we’d been spoiled by the peace we’d enjoyed. We foolishly believed there would never be a battle within a city. And so, we decided we needed to strengthen our forces, to increase the Army’s firepower so it could deal with threats properly. The four of us being drafted was part of that.

“So, Yuria, who’s the other S-Rank that’s gonna be coming with us?”

“Hmm… I haven’t heard yet, actually.”

“It’s getting pretty late… How long are they gonna make us wait?”

“Sophia, be patient. I’m sure they’ve got things to take care of here before we leave.”

As usual, there would be two S-Ranks assigned to the Seventh Barriered City: me, and someone else. Unfortunately, I hadn’t yet been told who it would be…

“Hey, Yuria!” I heard a familiar voice call out to me.

“Eira?! What are you doing here? Wait…”

“Yep, I’ve been assigned to the Seventh City, too. It’ll be nice working with you.”

“…This is a surprise. Is this what they call fate, I suppose?”

“Maybe. In any case, I’m looking forward to working with you, Yuria.”

“Me too!”

After a bit, Cyrus came over to speak to us.

“As for the traitors… I’d like you two to do some investigating of your own. We’ll keep working on our investigation, but I’d like you to keep an eye out as well.”

“”Understood.””

We then boarded our carriage and headed out.

Sitting next to the window, I started blankly out at the scenery as it rolled past. It’s really over, huh, I thought. This whole trip feels like it went by in a flash. I became an S-Rank Exorcist, was attacked by Dan, and fought off an Ancient Spider. And we discovered that there were traitors in our midst. The time I spent in the Twilight may have been harsh, but it hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park recently, either. For now, though… I should get some rest. I’ve already made up my mind. No matter what awaits me in the future… I’ll definitely…

And so, in that gently swaying carriage, I gradually drifted to sleep.

◇

“Yuria… Hey, Yuria… Wake up!”

“Huh?”

“We’re here, get up!”

“Huh? Don’t be silly, Sherry…”

“I’m serious!!”

Opening my eyes, I looked out the window. We were in the Seventh Barriered City. I felt strangely nostalgic for this place, even though I hadn’t spent much time here. How long was I out, I thought. I went to sleep, and all of a sudden, we were back home.

“Everyone else got off already. Come on, let’s go.”

“Alright.”

I grabbed my things and hopped off the carriage. Taking a look around, I noticed this city was just as peaceful as usual. I could still vividly see the events of the battle we’d just gone through. I could feel the pain of knowing that I should’ve been able to do more… but there was nothing I could do about that now. I could only make use of my regrets and avoid making the same mistakes in the future.

“Yuria… You good?”

“What about you? How are you holding up, Sherry?”

“I’m fine. I didn’t even fight that much; I just… shoved all the work onto you, really.” She paused for a moment. “I want to get stronger. I want to be able to fight, to be useful… but no matter how badly I want it, there really are some things I’ll never be able to do. After all, that last fight… it was like being in the Twilight again for you, wasn’t it?”

“It wasn’t quite that bad, but it was pretty close. I was pretty much constantly walking the line between life and death. Calling it ‘nostalgic’ might sound a little wrong, but I definitely felt something like that.”

She took a deep breath. “Okay! I’ve decided! I’m going to get stronger! Next time, I’ll be able to save people! I’ll do it!”

It was a pretty moving declaration; I would see just how determined she really was. I was impressed. Despite everything she’d seen and been through, she still wanted to fight. To move forwards. It honestly wouldn’t have been strange for her to be completely shattered by what she’d seen. I was a bit better off because I’d lived out there for two years, but even I still wasn’t used to watching humans die. Both of us had to get stronger.

No… I had to be stronger.

I had no other choice. I had to overcome it all, destroy the Twilight, and take the world back.

“Looks like we’ve got a lot of training to do, Sherry.”

“We’ve just joined the military, after all. I’m sure we’ve got a steep road ahead of us.”

“Yeah. But knowing you, you’ll be able to handle it just fine.”

“Oh? Thanks, Yuria.”

When I looked at her smiling face, I felt like I couldn’t give up my humanity… at least not just yet.

◇

“And so, like, I told my dad I was gonna be living in a dorm, right?”

“…Mhm.”

“And then he was all like, ‘I know you’re an S-Rank, but I’m still worried about you living in another city.’ But then, like, I told them you were gonna be there, right? And then my mom was all okay with it.”

“…Mhm.”

“And then after that…”

It was now 11 PM. After getting back home, we had to pack up all our stuff and move to the military’s dorms. It took most of the day. Oh, and this time I was actually in a men’s dorm. Sherry, Sophia, and Eira were obviously in the women’s dorm, but the two buildings were fairly close and easy to travel between. It’d be really easy for us to meet up somewhere… but for some reason Eira was in my room.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, I was perfectly fine with her being here. She said she needed to talk strategy or something when she came; that’s perfectly okay. But as we kept talking, our conversation gradually drifted into her one-sidedly dumping all her complaints onto me.

She honestly sounded drunk at this point.

Wait, that’s not alcohol, is it? I’ve been drinking, too… No, no, it’s just juice. Wait, what is she talking about now? I thought. I snapped back to reality, realising I’d been zoned out for a little while.

“…and sometimes I wonder what life would be like if they weren’t this tiny. You know, like Claudia’s, just – boing – right?”

“Oh, y-yeah,” I said.

“But, well, I’m pretty cute, right? Doesn’t that make up for it?”

“Personally, I’d call you beautiful, rather than cute.”

“Oh! How flattering,” she said, smacking me on the shoulder.

“Ow…” I mumbled. That hurts… Learn some restraint, please…

“So, like, people keep complaining I need to get married soon,” she continued.

“Pretty early for that.”

“Right?! They keep talking about how my genes are important, or whatever. Since I’m an S-Rank. I have feelings too, you know?!”

“I-I see…”

She spent another two hours complaining after that. I learned something important that day: when a woman starts complaining, settle in for the long haul.

And so, the four of us finally found our way into the Army, ready to fight the demons.