第１９２１堀：アリバイを作る (Part2)
It seemed the plan was to evacuate everyone through the west gate—the point furthest from the monsters closing in from the east—and head straight for the neighboring town.
However...
"Evacuees, this way! Women and children take priority for the carriages!"
"This one’s full! Move it out! There are still more people waiting!"
The exit was a chaotic bottleneck. It was a sea of humanity so dense that even moving forward felt like a struggle against a tide.
"Wow, it’s total pandemonium," I remarked.
"We have no time, so it cannot be helped," Sia replied.
Indeed, with a swarm of monsters expected to level the town in a mere three hours, fleeing was the only option for the civilians. I was honestly surprised the Lord had been so candid about the threat. Then again, given the severity of the chaos, I couldn't say for certain if that had been the right call.
Still...
"Is there nothing we can do?" Vilia asked.
As she said, we weren't making any progress. But quelling a panic that had already taken root was no simple feat.
"It would be difficult for us to use magic to draw attention; we'd stand out too much. More than anything, it might just fuel the confusion," I noted.
"Right. In times like this, all you can really do is wait for the mess to subside. Or stop the idiots from making it worse. The soldiers are handling the basic guidance anyway."
"True. As adventurers, our primary role is to intercept any monster attacks. Well..." Sia trailed off, shifting her gaze. We followed her eyes and saw...
"It hurts..."
"Oh, look at all that blood. But you have to be brave. We need to get as far away as possible."
A child was crying, blood flowing from a knee wound more heavily than one might expect, while their mother tried to soothe them. It was a common enough sight in such turmoil, though the injury looked somewhat severe. In this level of chaos, accidents were inevitable.
And what happened next was also inevitable.
"Please, let me see. I can use a bit of recovery magic."
"Oh, ah, no... I don't have anything to give you in return..."
"I don't take money in situations like this. Protecting you is our job, and treatment is part of that."
Ignoring the mother's hesitation, Sia immediately invoked her recovery magic. In moments like these, debate was a waste of time. However, acting without any prior notice could invite trouble. Thus, she announced her intent and acted instantly—a rule of thumb born from her experience as a Saintess.
"There. Doesn't that feel better?"
As the pale green light faded, Sia wiped away the blood with a towel. The child's knee was perfectly whole, without a single scratch.
"Yeah! It's all better! It doesn't hurt anymore!"
"Good. Now, you must evacuate. Go to that carriage over there."
"Thank you so much! How can we ever repay..."
"It's fine. Just go, quickly. My payment will come from the Adventurer's Guild."
The mother and child bowed once more and hurried toward the waiting carriage.
"Thank you, Auntie!" the child shouted, waving back.
Kishua and I nearly burst out laughing at the kid's parting words. To a child, Sia undoubtedly looked the oldest among us—perhaps even the same age as the mother. The mother began bowing frantically in apology, but Sia just kept smiling and waved back.
A truly mature response. Truly... like an auntie!
"You two idiots over there, get moving and help the injured. Your recovery magic might not be as refined as mine, but you've learned enough to be useful, haven't you?"
Oh, she was skilled at being angry while maintaining a smile. Well, it was certainly better than doing nothing, and it served as a good alibi to show we were helping.
"Vilia, please help us. There should be a river nearby; take some others and fetch water. Our towels are going to get dirty."
"Oh, yes! Understood!"
With that, Vilia could now slip away at any time without it being an issue.
All right, the stage was set. It was better for Vilia—who knew what a hero should be better than anyone—to take the lead rather than us. Let us see her example.
To a child, anyone older is simply an "Uncle" or "Auntie." Sia understood this, but Nina and Kishua couldn't hold back their amusement. And so, Vilia was finally about to make her solo debut as a hero.
What kind of hero would she choose to be?