Don't want to lose anymore

-A few hours before the destruction of Forhune town occurred.

After resting all night since their arrival to Forhune, Ilnya and her party finally started walking towards the Garmas Mountains which were quite close to where Forhune was founded after discussing the details of the Quest with the Guildmaster of Forhune.

The people in Ilnya's party are: Ilnya, and a couple who work as adventurers, Rakka Hornet and Sienna Hornet.

The husband, Rakka, is a warrior with slightly long bluish-black hair who uses a Long sword as his weapon. While his Wife, Sienna, is a beautiful blonde all-round witch with ponytail hairstyle with special skills that lean more in healing magic and buff magic.

They would be a perfect fit on Ilnya's highly offensive fighting style as a Party, if they weren't both stupid.

On the way to the central part of the Garmas mountains which is said to be where the dragon is seen, Ilnya sighed because of what the couple was doing behind her while she was having trouble reading the map in her hand, "Oi! Can you guys stop making out while I'm still around you guys?! Also, stop kissing!"

"Ah?"

"Hm?"

Hearing Ilnya's annoyed screams, the couple let go of their respective lips as they hugged there, staring at Ilnya with a puzzled look.

Rakka was the first to speak, "Why, you said? Of course it's because Sienna is too cute as usual to make me unable to help myself." Rakka said it was as if it were common knowledge to him.

"Wha-?!"

"D-darling...!"

Ilnya was surprised to hear Rakka could say such a shameful thing with such a flat face, while Sienna began to stare at Rakka with a look of love afterwards.

"A-am I really cute, and beautiful?"

"Sienna... Yes, of course, you are the most beautiful and cute woman I have ever met!"

"Darlinnngggg~❤️!!" And, they started making out again regardless of Ilnya's existence.

"Will this party be okay...?" Against the pink backdrop of the lovely couple, Ilnya massaged her forehead as she imagined what would await this party in the Quest they took this time.

However, Ilnya's worries proved futile when she finally reached the place that the dragon had seen after walking uphill for more than 3 hours with some rest here and there.

"... What exactly has happened here?"

""Wow...""

Ilnya widened her eyes as she stared at what she found there.

There really is a dragon there.

But...

"It's dead?"

The dragon had been torn into pieces with something with claws or something. It can be seen from the scars that run from the dragon's neck to abdomen.

"Just a moment..."

"Darling?"

"Rakka-san?" When Ilnya was still silent in the face of the dragon's corpse, confused about what she should do in a situation like this, Rakka suddenly let go of Sienna's hug and began to walk closer to the dragon's corpse.

"..." With a surious expression on his face, Rakka began to touch and look at the injuries on the dragon's body more carefully. He also began to look through the scratch marks found on the stones around the place.

"... What is he really doing?"

"Fu fu, don't you understand, Ilnya-chan?" When Ilnya looked at Rakka with a suspicious look, Sienna giggled there slightly before standing beside her Ilnya.

"What do you mean?"

"Darling was actually a great warrior, you know? I believe now he is trying to analyze the reason why this dragon die like this." With a facial expression that contrasted sharply from her previous self, Sienna tried to explain what Rakka was doing to Ilnya.

"I couldn't believe what you said when all he had done all along was to love you like a fool. Ah, you belong to that too, Sienna-san."

"Aha ha ha, isn't that okay? It means we are a very harmonious couple and love each other." Sienna didn't seem offended by Ilnya's words at all. In fact, she looked very happy at the time. It can be seen from the affectionate look she gave Rakka, and the sweet smile on her lip at the moment.

Sienna-san... You're so beautiful and elegant, you know? If you're not too attached to that stupid Rakka.

Gazing at the rare sight of Sienna's calm and charming self when she wasn't near Rakka, the thought flashed through Ilnya's head.

However, if Sienna-san's words are true... Does that mean Rakka-san is actually not only stupid, but has great abilities as well as an adventurer and warrior? Hm...

While Ilnya was thinking about that, Rakka suddenly changed his expression when he realized something, "Oh, Shit...!"

"W-what's wrong, Darling?" Notiching the change in her husband's expression, Sienna began to look a little worried there.

"...?" Ilnya still looked confused there.

Staring squarely at his wife's and Ilnya's face with his serious face, Rakka said, "This is bad, whatever killed this dragon, it seems that it is heading towards Forhune!"

And, just after Rakka said that, a loud banging sound rang out from where Forhune was supposed to be. Ilnya and Sienna didn't even have free time to give their reactions at the time.

Rakka was the first to regain his composure then, "The creature must have reached Forhune! We should go back!"

""Uh-huh!""

With Rakka's leadership, they all started running back towards Forhune.

After a while of running at their full speed, they were already quite close to where Forhune town was supposed to be. They are currently hiding behind the trees around Forhune.

Unlike Ilnya and Rakka who looked fine, Sienna, who was a witch, looked exhausted there, "Huff... Huff... Huff..."

"Are you okay, Sienna?" Realizing his wife's condition, Rakka begins to help Sienna to stay on her feet when Sienna is seen to be passing out at any time with a worried face.

"Y-yes, there's no need to worry, Darling. I-I'm just a little exhausted from not getting used to running like that."

"Is that so? But, you'd better rest for a while okay? Let me and Ilnya-chan alone confirm the current situation. We need your magic if the worst is the worst, anyway."

"Ok..."

After letting Sienna rest behind them, Rakka began to walk towards the current place of Ilnya who was watching Forhune's state.

"Ilnya-chan, how -"

"Run!! WE MUST ESCAPE FROM THIS PLACE! RIGHT NOW!!!"

However, before even Rakka could call her, Ilnya immediately turned to him, shouting that. Ilnya's face looked very pale at the time, she looked like someone who had just seen a ghost or something even worse.

"Wh-what happened, Ilnya-chan?" Not understanding what Ilnya wanted to try to tell him, Rakka tried to ask for more explanations from Ilnya.

"... *Gasp?!" However, even without receiving an explanation from Ilnya, Rakka understood what Ilnya was trying to tell him.

That Creature are too bad! There is no hope! Die!

When the figure of a black creature standing in the rubble of Forhune enters his sight, only the future where the three of them are killed can be thought of by Rakka if they decide to fight it at that time.

"Eh? Meru... San?"

"Ilnya?" And, while the two of them were still silent there, Ilnya suddenly uttered something that seemed to be someone's name.

Eh? Since when was that girl there?

Following Ilnya's line of sight, Rakka found the figure of a beautiful Black cat girl like Ilnya there. Around the girl, there was a purple magic energy crackling wildly.

After standing still not far from where the black creature was, the girl began to walk slowly approaching the creature with a pair of daggers in both hands.

"Why... Why did Meru-san get in this place? No, no, no, no, no, d-don't fight it, Meru-san!!!" Ilnya knows Meru is strong. After all, Meru was the one who had saved her from a state she already regarded as absolute despair.

However, for some reason Ilnya had bad feelings about this situation. Before she noticed, her body had moved on its own. Ilnya started running towards Meru with tears on her face.

However, "Wait, Ilnya-chan!!" Before long, Rakka had been holding her left hand, trying to stop herself.

"Don't go there!! I don't know if you know that girl or not, but no! It's too dangerous! The power of the two of them is so unimaginable, we will only die if we try to get close to them!!"

"Th-that's right, Ilnya-chan! It's too dangerous! You already know, don't you? I am a Holy maiden, I can feel an extremely terrible evil force coming from that creature! It may even be strong enough to destroy this world! We will only die if we get close to It!"

Perhaps because of hearing what happened from the screams of Ilnya and Rakka, even Sienna started helping Rakka to stop Ilnya by hugging Ilnya's small body from behind.

"But, I can't let Meru-san fight such a creature! S-she's going to die! I-I, I am! D-don't want to lose someone anymore..." In the hands of the couple, even Ilnya couldn't get out of their clutches anymore.

"Meru-san!!!" However, she still tried with all her might, she no longer wanted to feel that despair, that sadness, that loneliness.

A few days ago, she finally understood that Meru turned out to be not a cold and heartless person. Although Ilnya doesn't know how Meru treats others, at least, she knows that Meru treats her well. Better than most people.

Ilnya didn't want to lose someone who was kind to her. No longer. For this reason, she tried to stop Meru.

Ilnya doesn't know why, but she has a feeling that Meru will lose this fight. Since childhood, Ilnya was often praised by her mother for having the right intuition. And, that always right intuition of hers was currently ringing loudly inside her head, telling Ilnya that Meru would be killed at the hands of that creature.

"Meru -... Eh?" However, when tears had filled her face and Ilnya was just about to shout Meru's name again, that happened.

Since Ilnya heard various violent fighting sounds and explosions before, perhaps Meru and the creature had a fierce fight there before. However, the only thing Ilnya could see there was, the scene where Meru's stomach was being pierced by one of the black Creature's sharp claws that had grown to 15 m tall for some reason.

"A... Uh... N-no, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Pain, a tremendous pain penetrated Ilnya's chest as she watched it happen.

The time she spent with Meru was indeed not too long. However, in just that short period of time, she understood that Meru was just a girl who wanted an ordinary and peaceful life with the people she cared about.

The reason why Meru doesn't often change her expression is actually just because she doesn't know what kind of expression she should show.

The reason why Meru can smile that horribly and kill others so easily is because she actually hates injustice. Meru hates injustice, therefore, she will teach what injustice and cruelty really is to people who often do that without knowing what their victims feel.

Ilnya was able to figure all that out after she observed Meru for a few days she had lived with her before.

In addition, Ilnya also finds out that Meru is actually a pretty nice and cute person, after talking to a Receptionist named Eneila. Eneila seems to have known Meru for quite a long time and already considers Meru as her own biological little sister.

Ilnya is convinced that such a relationship would not have formed if Meru had been a cold and loveless person.

Ilnya already felt that she already knew enough about Meru, and she also wanted to know more about her.

But...

*Wooosshh!! * *THUD!! *

The opportunity for that may never come again to Ilnya as Meru has just been killed by the black creature and her corpse has been thrown pretty close to where the three of them are currently located.

"M-Meru-san... NO! Noooooooo!! I DON'T WANT THIS! AAAAAAAAAAAA~!!"

Looking at Meru's helpless body that began to bleed from the big hole in her stomach, Ilnya couldn't help but crying again.