Shi ni Modori, Subete wo Sukuu Tame ni Saikyou He to Itaru

- Tina side -

Today is the day after Eric's birthday.

I celebrated you with my family yesterday, but today everyone in the village is gathered in the square to celebrate Eric's birthday.

Always the next day of Eric's birthday with me is a festival and everyone in the village celebrates.

Since we are the only children in this village, it seems that everyone in the village is watching us like sons, daughters and grandchildren.

It's always a little embarrassing to be seen with warm eyes... but I'm still glad everyone is celebrating.

Eric always looks like he's in trouble too, but he's less than full... What?

Eric's not here?

I look around and look for Eric, but I can't see Eric anywhere just because I can see everyone in the village eating booze and treats.

"Aunt, where's Eric?

"Oh...? Speaking of which, you're not here. Did you even go to the bathroom?

Aunt Serena told me I didn't know.

Where was it...?

... I have a slight bad feeling about it.

Eric never got out in the middle of a birthday celebration. It was after I said a word to me or my aunt even if she was gone.

That went somewhere today without telling anyone.

Speaking of which, Eric has been doing something wrong since yesterday.

Yesterday Eric was also in the sky somewhere above and seemed to be thinking of something different while we were celebrating.

Something weird was also happening this morning when I was replacing dinner or waving my sword in my morning training.

There was a sharper eye difference than usual... something pressing.

I don't know why when I came here either... but I took it seriously.

I thought you brought it by mistake because you were training... but I'm always polite about how I treat swords. Will Eric make such a mistake?

If I was thinking about going looking for Eric - I realized something was wrong with everyone in the village.

I thought something was going on and I tried to look around... and I hear something like a ground.

At first I thought it was the kind of earthquake that happens sometimes... but the ground isn't rocking that far. I can just hear the noise from a distance.

Then - someone points diagonally up and raises his voice.

"Hey...... what the hell is that?

When the person pointed and looked in the direction...... there was smoke.

A hundred meters away from this village, the smoke was spreading... and it was clear that it had something to do with the earthquake I could hear now.

"Huh!? No way is that smoke......!?

Uncle Dean, who had just been drinking and cheering, opens his eyes and shouts out.

"It's the Demon Run (Stampito)!! Pack your bags and run!!

Everyone in the village has hardened up to that loud voice and can't immediately be transferred to action. I have also hardened without understanding the reason.

"What is stampede, Mr. Dean?!?

When someone tells his uncle that and asks him for an explanation, he answers to yell at him like he's chopped up too.

"A bunch of demons are coming to attack this village!! Run for it!! We don't have time for this!!

Everyone finally started moving against my uncle's answer. In a hurry, everyone in the village went back to their house to pick up their stuff.

I tried to get back to the house soon too... but I realized something and ran to Uncle Dean.

"Uncle! Eric's not here!

"What!? Where have you been!!

"I don't know! I don't know where he went from here!

My uncle was stunned and solidified, but he quickly regained his mind.

"Tina go back home and run away with your family!! I'll go find Eric!!

"I'll look for Eric too!

I told my uncle that because I was worried about my brother Eric, but he shook up and instructed me.

"No! It's too dangerous! It's okay, he's my son!! It's not that easy to die!!

"But..."

"Tina's family, and I need you to run away with Serena! Tell Serena I'm taking Eric!

My uncle has gone somewhere since he told me that.

What to do...... I'm worried about Eric, but I'm also worried about your father and your mother.

In the meantime, I need to get back home and tell Aunt Serena what my uncle was saying! Then go find Eric!

I run through the village square anyway to get back to my house.

A little through the square and you can see me and Eric's house. There was a father and mother who almost finished preparing to escape before that, plus Aunt Serena.

"Tina! We gotta get out of here!

"Tina, what about Eric and that guy?

Aunt Serena thought there was Eric and Uncle Dean with me, and she asked me that.

"Uncle Dean went looking for Eric because he's not here! My aunt told my uncle to run away with us!

"Really... ok. Then let's run away with all of us!

"I'm going looking for Eric!

"You've decided no! Leave it to Uncle Dean!

I got a little timid (ooh) because your father always said that to me in words that included anger that were calm and never angry.

"But...!

"It's okay, Tina. If you leave it to that guy. And Eric will be back soon."

My aunt tells me to speak kindly to me.

"... ok"

"Okay, then take your stuff and go in the opposite direction to the demon raid! If we go that way, we should be able to rendezvous with the whole village!

I was the thought of getting my hair pulled back, but I was supposed to run away with your fathers.

But when we went all the way out of the village trying to escape, everyone in the village stayed there without running away with their luggage.

I didn't know what happened at first, but when I went nearby, I could see why I wouldn't run... no, I could see why I couldn't.

"What's going on with this wall!? You can't get away with this!

There was a large wall about three metres high. It was installed on the outside of the fence where it was kept to prevent the demon from entering.

I can tell from the moment I saw that it was stronger than a worn out fence... but this seemed to surround all directions of the village and I couldn't get away with it as it was.

"Who did this!

With that being said, a man tries to do something about the wall, trying to break it with the bamboo (wax) he uses to plow the field, but he doesn't even freak out.

"No... I'm not going to break it"

"No way... we can't get away with a demon attack like this..."

When someone groaned so anxiously, everyone in the village began to wolf (wander) like anxiety and confusion were contagious.

My legs are shaking because I'm scared too.

"Ha-ha, everybody don't panic!

From behind me, Aunt Serena slaps her hand wide enough to bring consciousness to her attention before she starts talking.

"I think there was a demon in that vicinity earlier and not a single one of them is still in the village, which is stopped by something. That means this wall is not just here, it's completely surrounding the village, and it could be preventing demons from breaking in."

"Sure..."

"It's strange that you're so close and you haven't come here yet..."

Aunt Serena continues with a smile to reassure everyone even more.

"My husband is going looking for Eric right now, so when he comes back, he'll break these walls. He can afford it."

"Oh well... if that guy's coming, are you okay!

When I hear that, everyone in the village is still anxious but smiling. I think we can all wait here with more hope than just now.

I stopped shaking my legs a little too.

Thanks to Aunt Serena for all of this, too. I thought that was Eric and Uncle Dean's mother.

If I could grow up like this too, I wonder if Eric would count on me......

With that in mind I suddenly tried to sit with my back on the wall that appeared.

But - I felt something coming from that wall.

I stood in front of the wall letting go of my back to feel it in more detail and put my hand on the wall as it was.

Then… I was able to capture what I always felt.

This is... Eric's magic!

I feel Eric's magic coming from this wall!

You always practiced magic with me, so I know... this wall was definitely made by Eric.

But how did you make something like this... no, that's what my aunt was saying earlier. To prevent the demon from breaking in.

Then how could we have built this wall?

Did you do it after you found out the demon raid had arrived? Yeah, I can never do that.

I know this wall was built using ground soil with ground magic, but I think it's three meters tall and has quite a width.

I can't even do more magic than Eric can to surround a village with such a big wall.

We can build a wall, but we can't build it in a short time enough to surround the village with something so big, both vertical and horizontal, without taking about a week to do it.

So Eric has been... predicting this demonic raid for over a week now?

I don't know... how Eric could have built this wall at the same time as the demonic raid.

Eric...... what do you know?