The curtain had vanished, and the city lay defenseless as the demonic beasts howled within it.
Is this really reality?
I shut my eyes and reopened them, but the scene before me remained unchanged.
Even if I didn’t want to believe it was real, I had no choice but to accept it.
Telos Dolos had been defeated, and the operation to fend off the demonic beasts had failed.
A sigh escaped my lips.
This was an operation that hadn’t considered failure, one that couldn’t afford to fail.
Losing the curtain meant losing the only land where humanity could live in peace.
Moreover, if the barrier that sealed the Witch of Gluttony failed to do its job and she were to resurrect, I knew that moment would mean the end of this world.
Yet, seeing the curtain that held such importance dissolve into nothingness made me feel an overwhelming sense of despair, as if I wanted to collapse right there.
The History Teacher also seemed crushed by the fact that Telos Dolos had lost.
Then it happened.
“…Mom, are we… going to be okay?”
“…Hic…”
Amidst the trembling, terrified people, a child’s voice emerged.
The child, asking if they would be okay, was clinging to a woman who appeared to be their mother, trembling and crying, unable to provide any answer to the child’s question.
Then, the child looked up, sniffling, fixating on one spot.
That spot was where I stood with the History Teacher.
Perhaps the child thought we—those evacuating them—would be able to answer their question.
In the child’s anxious eyes, our reflections appeared.
Despair staring blankly into space.
What could that child have been thinking upon seeing us?
“…It’s alright.”
When I snapped back to reality, those words escaped my mouth with a smile.
Anyone who saw that perhaps thought I had lost my mind.
It was obviously not an okay situation, yet I was blabbering about being fine with a smile on my face.
Of course, I didn’t truly believe everything was fine.
Yet, despite that, I said it because I had learned that it was something we must do.
“It’s okay. We’ll find a way to deal with both the demonic beasts and the curtain, so just think about evacuating to a safe place without worrying.”
If one believes there is hope, they can find the strength to rise above despair.
And whether it’s an exaggeration or a lie, I had learned that it was the hero’s role to make people believe there is hope.
Hadn’t you taught me that?
As I thought this while looking at the History Teacher, they said,
“…That’s right. First, please evacuate to a safe place. Those who are sitting around, please stand up.”
The Teacher regained their composure, as if they had never been in despair, and began directing the people.
And perhaps sensing our actions,
The people, despite their fear, slowly started to follow our instructions.
They must have a rough idea.
They probably knew we were lying.
But knowing that, they were willing to play along.
After all, everyone would rather believe in hope than despair.
Then, our role became clear: to somehow turn that faith in hope into reality.
*
I took a moment to reassess the situation.
Telos Dolos had been defeated, and high-tier beasts had breached into the city, with the curtain overloading and disappearing.
It was a situation that seemed hard to view optimistically, but I didn’t think it was despairingly hopeless enough to give up as I did earlier.
The worst-case scenario we could envision would be for the curtain to completely vanish and thus release the seal, causing the Witch of Gluttony to resurrect.
However, as I recalled the conversation I had with Dwight, I remembered he had mentioned they had prepared auxiliary power in case of the curtain operating under overload, like the current situation.
If the auxiliary power were activated, the curtain could be restored.
In simple terms, that meant we could avoid the worst-case scenario like in the original story.
So couldn’t we just activate that auxiliary power and spread the curtain again as soon as possible?
However, whether there was some problem or not, I could see no sign of that happening.
Thinking about who would know the most about the curtain, I contacted Dwight, who was coordinating evacuations through the emergency communication magical tool.
When asked if there was a reason not to activate the auxiliary power, Dwight answered in a stern voice.
[…It’s likely because of the demonic beasts. After all, auxiliary power is still just auxiliary.]
“What do you mean?”
[If we activate the curtain with the auxiliary power now and the beasts charge again, it will really be the end. Didn’t I mention the beasts seem intent on freeing the Witch of Gluttony? If that’s their goal, then those demonic beasts over there, and especially the one currently here, pose the biggest threat. If they see the curtain reopened, they won’t just sit back.]
The demonic beasts had already infiltrated the city.
If the curtain were to spread again, that beast would clearly charge out, trying to smash the curtain down again.
In simple terms, as long as that beast was alive, reviving the curtain with auxiliary power was impossible.
A heavy silence filled my thoughts in light of our apparently more difficult situation than I had anticipated.
“…Is it fine to leave the curtain alone like this?”
[…No, if we take too long, the seal will be in danger. But there’s no choice with the beasts in their current state.]
“…Then shouldn’t we contribute our strength to take it down quickly?”
When I suggested that, having heard the urgency in Dwight’s voice about the danger of delay, the History Teacher, who was communicating with someone else, smacked my head and said,
“What do you mean contribute your strength? Do you think that beast seems weakened enough to take on?”
At the Teacher’s words, I looked in the direction they pointed.
In the distance, a demonic beast was engaged in fierce battle with other heroes.
It looked quite vigorous, likely because the curtain had been removed before it could weaken enough, so I shook my head.
The Teacher then inquired seriously.
“Got it? How much stronger that beast is compared to you.”
I knew.
Even from this distance, the oppressive pressure tingled against my skin, indicating this was an opponent several tiers above me.
Even if I went, I had no certainty of being any help.
Still, the reason I spoke up was that,
“I… I understand. But still…”
Because I knew what was happening over there.
The demonic beast was heading toward the city center, where the magic circle of the curtain existed.
The heroes were desperately fighting to hold the beast back to protect the citizens who hadn’t evacuated and prevent it from reaching the curtain.
High-tier beasts were said to be only beatable by captain-tier heroes.
However, there were not enough strong heroes over there.
Then how could they hold back the demonic beast?
The answer was simple.
At this very moment, countless heroes were sacrificing themselves to hold the beast back.
Until another captain would take it down and support them.
And even knowing this, it was frustrating that we couldn’t fight the demonic beasts.
Our role as students was to evacuate the citizens along the beast’s path while the heroes fought with their lives on the line against the monsters.
Seeing my frustrated expression, the History Teacher gave a half-hearted smile, pat me on the shoulder, and said,
“I understand your frustration. But those who are fighting with their lives aim to do so to keep kids like you from being pushed into a corner. So you fighting that beast isn’t your job. What you must do is ensure the safety of those they’re trying desperately to protect. And also to remember their sacrifice. That is equally an important role.”
“…Yes.”
Tightly gripping my fist at the Teacher’s words not to forget their sacrifice, I gazed at the place where the demonic beast was.
The beast flailed its tail and tentacles around as if dealing with annoying pests, and flashes of light shimmered from its body.
Those glimmers were likely the sparks of life created by those who had stepped up to protect the people even now.
I vowed not to let that noble spirit of sacrificing themselves to protect others go to waste as I prepared to lead the remaining citizens to safety.
In the midst of this, the demonic beast, who had momentarily halted its movements as if contemplating something,
[■■■■■■!!!!]
Let out a low, drawn-out cry towards the sky, lifting its head as if realizing something.
Perhaps due to my feelings, the voice somehow sounded like the beast was mocking us.
And simultaneous with that beastly cry, black energy seeped from its mouth into the sky, gradually spreading.
The clear sky, previously devoid of a single cloud, began to darken, turning into a pitch-black storm.
Before long, it began to rain with a splat, droplets falling from the ominous clouds above.
As I confirmed a raindrop landing on my palm, I realized instantly that it was no ordinary rain.
It was as black as the ominous clouds.
Feeling an unsettling chill from the sight, I cautioned everyone to be careful, warning that it might be miasma-infused rain before taking refuge in a nearby building.
Even though I warned them, the sudden downpour had already soaked most of the citizens.
After waiting a moment to check on their condition, the people just seemed spooked without any visible issues.
Would it be okay even if they got hit?
If it were miasma-infused rain, it would have caused issues on contact, so maybe it wouldn’t have any effect.
“What should we do? It doesn’t seem like there’s a serious issue even if we get hit.”
“…We can’t just stay idle. We need to evacuate the citizens in the path of this rain.”
After some deliberation, the Teacher and I decided to proceed with the evacuation.
The rain was soaking my body.
I had always disliked the rain, but it felt even worse being black.
My already sour mood sank further, and I glared resentfully at the sky.
What was that demonic beast thinking, bringing down rain like this?
There had to be some hidden agenda.
As I pondered, looking skyward, a distant sound reached my ears.
…That noise didn’t match the sound of raindrops falling.
It sounded like something large slicing through the air.
And with that, the moment I was staring at the sky,
I saw the figure making that sound.
It was falling.
“…Ah.”
Amidst the raining droplets.
“Everyone—”
A large, sharp object,
“Move—!!!”
Along with my shout,
A thud rang out, and blood splattered into the air.
“…Teacher?!”
The man standing beneath the falling object didn’t react.
Only the Teacher responded to my shout.
And as a result,
“…Ugh?! Aah?!”
Urgently pushing the man aside, the Teacher was impaled by the descending object.
Coughing, the Teacher, impaled by what looked like a huge black stake from back to belly, fell to the ground, spitting blood.
“Teacher?!! Are you okay?!”
The Teacher’s state, serious enough that the question seemed pointless, still sparked a flicker of hope in my mind, so I attempted to pull the stake from their body.
But sensing their condition, the Teacher gently shook their head, stopping me, and grabbed my hand, mumbling as they glanced up at the sky.
“…Be careful.”
That one last phrase.
After delivering it, the Teacher and the stake piercing them melted into a pool of black liquid in my hand.
The Teacher’s body slipped from my grasp.
Lying on the ground, the Teacher became indistinguishable from the murky rain that had mixed with the black liquid.
I stood frozen, staring at the shocking scene that unfolded in the blink of an eye.
Then the Teacher’s last words echoed in my mind, and I inadvertently looked up at the sky.
The sound reached me.
The sound slicing through the air.
Uncountable.
With all my might, I shouted to the people.
“Run! To a place with a ceiling—!”
[■■■■■■!!!!]
The beast’s mocking wail rang out as—
Death rained from the sky.
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