Prologue
It was an incident that took place in a certain mansion in a certain town.
[GUGYAAAAAA!]
“Eeek… Hiiiieeee!”
The young daughter of the mansion’s owner was running for her life from a monster that had suddenly appeared.
No—from the girl’s perspective, it had been sudden. But in reality, the monsters had simply approached the town as usual, breached its defenses as usual, and were now attacking indiscriminately as usual. However, since the girl had lived in the town all her life without ever seeing a monster, this assault was sudden to her.
But regardless of her perception—the reality was that she was being hunted.
[GEGYA! GEGYA!]
“Ugh—ah—”
Monsters attack humans.
Whether under orders from the Demonkin or simply to sate their hunger and instincts, they attack humans.
Generally, smaller monsters—unlike medium or larger ones—lack magical barriers and can be dealt with using conventional weapons.
Because of this, their threat level is rated lower than that of their larger counterparts.
But that doesn’t mean they aren’t a threat.
Just as an unarmed human attacked by a wild animal in the forest faces life or death.
Just as a powerless child cannot resist an armed adult.
And worse—small monsters come in numbers. For every medium-sized monster, there are nearly twenty small ones.
They are cunning enough to avoid traps and ruthless in nature.
That’s why small monsters are terrifying. Because unlike medium or large ones, they won’t kill you quickly.
Sometimes, instead of merely eating you, they’ll drag you away for breeding.
Thus, it’s no exaggeration to say that small monsters are what powerless humans fear the most.
[GYAGYAGYA!]
“AAAAAAH!”
The girl’s eyes are filled with the monstrous faces sneering at her helplessness.
Her ears are clogged with the mocking voices of creatures delighting in her weakness.
[GUGYA. GUGYA.]
“NOOOOOOOO!”
Laughing as if enjoying a hunt, the monsters deliberately chase their prey at a slow pace.
The girl desperately scrambles away, unaware that her frantic struggle only amuses them further—though ironically, it’s because she resists like this that they haven’t killed her instantly.
But even that has its limits.
“Ah!”
Perhaps her stamina had run out. The girl tripped over nothing and collapsed.
“No… not like this…!”
Tears streaming, she still tried to crawl away, desperate to put distance between herself and the monsters.
“Help… someone… please…”
She cried for help, but no one came.
Not her father, not her mother, not her brother, not the old servant, not even the soldiers who were supposed to protect the mansion. No one comes.
That’s only natural.
There was no family here anymore. Everyone who had been inside was already dead.
Those who resisted were slaughtered on the spot.
Those who fled were blasted apart by long-range attacks.
Even without knowing the details, the girl understood—no matter how much she cried or screamed, no one would come to save her.
And yet… and yet, she still screamed.
I don’t want to die. I don’t want to be killed. So please, save me!
Her survival instinct forced her to scream, knowing that if she didn’t give everything now, she never would.
“Somebody! HELP ME!!”
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Even knowing there was no salvation, those were the only words she could utter.
[GYAGYAGYA!]
The monsters reveled in the sight of the girl, crying and struggling pointlessly.
Did they even realize?
That once, before they became monsters, they too had wept like this?
That they too had felt terror and hatred toward the monsters who tormented them?
No—perhaps they did remember.
Maybe they remembered being human, and that was why they envied—no, resented—the girl for still being one.
Perhaps their deliberate, fear-inducing pursuit was an outlet for those very emotions.
“Someone… ANYONE!”
Her desperate cries echoed through the empty mansion.
[GUGYA.]
Finally satisfied with her helpless pleas, the monsters ceased their slow, taunting approach and closed in normally, grabbing the sobbing girl by the head and lifting her up.
“Eek!”
Though classified as “small,” they were still larger than her. Once caught by something bigger than herself, the powerless girl had no chance of resistance.
Would she be eaten here? Or taken to one of the Demonkin’s breeding farms?
“H-Help… me…!”
Clutching onto the faintest hope, she let out one final cry.
Had the monsters been able to speak, they might’ve sneered, “Ain’t nobody comin’ to save ya!”
And indeed, by this point, there was no way for the girl to survive.
Would she be killed here, unmourned and forgotten?
Would they grant her a quick death?
Or would they eat her alive?
At least she didn’t know the meaning of [breeding]—sparing her the worst imaginings. But what comfort was that?
[GYAGYAGYA!]
“Aah…”
Had enough? The monsters grinned grotesquely before tossing her aside. Overwhelmed by despair, the girl gave up on thinking altogether.
——And then, in the very next instant.
[AAAAAH!]
[THUD!?]
“Eh?”
[DABBAI!]
[SLASH!?]
“Ehh?!”
[Outnumbered? Doesn’t matter!]
[GASH!]
“EHHHH?!”
[You fools DARE look down on humans!?]
[CRASH!?]
“EHHHHHH?!”
With a series of mysterious battle cries, a sudden gale swept through, mowing down the monsters surrounding the girl.
The wind howled—and monsters burst apart.
(…Whoa.)
Faced with such an unreal spectacle, the girl, though dazed, instinctively realized: “I’m saved.”
“…Ah…”
Already at her physical limit, the tension that had kept her going snapped.
Who could blame her for losing consciousness before she could even see the source of the raging wind?
[Hey, kid, you did great—wait, she’s asleep!?]
The wind that had saved her seemed to shout something—but it certainly wasn’t scolding her.
[Talk about bad timing. Wait, so I gotta carry her?]
Even if this was before introductions. Even if it meant hauling an unconscious girl.
No human in the world would blame a child for collapsing in exhaustion after fighting so hard to survive.
TLNOTE:
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