"What a disgusting monster."
Roy stood before the creature that resembled a spider but appeared as though its organs had been irregularly pieced together—a sight so horrifying it defied human imagination, enough to shatter one's sanity. His face twisted with undisguised revulsion.
"No, this isn't a monster. It's a cursed spirit, isn't it…?"
Roy narrowed his eyes.
After being cleaved in half by a single slash, the creature's form gradually dissipated like black smoke.
In the wilderness, the most common threats were magical beasts, followed by cursed spirits.
The corrupted Servants had dwindled to just one—Alexander the Great, whose whereabouts remained unknown—while demons were few and far between.
Though magical beasts were steeped in malevolence, they largely resembled existing creatures in form.
Cursed spirits, however, were different. These abominations were born from the darkness within human hearts, their appearances not concrete but abstract in nature.
The monsters that most severely defied human aesthetics were usually cursed spirits.
Of course, this was how ordinary people distinguished them. From a magus's perspective, the overwhelming stench of curses emanating from these spirits made their identities unmistakable at a glance.
"So strong…"
After waiting for a moment, the guards finally caught up to Roy, panting heavily.
No matter how ragged their breaths, their gazes immediately locked onto him with awe and reverence.
Upon closer inspection, the man was spotless—nothing like a refugee.
No, this person wasn't a refugee at all.
He was one of those legendary figures capable of traversing the wasteland alone.
Someone like that—a powerhouse who dared to cross the wilderness single-handedly—was someone the guards had never encountered in their lives. If they included the mayor, who was rumored to be incredibly strong but had never lifted a finger, then they could barely count one.
"Thank you so much for your help, Magus-sama!"
The black-haired girl glanced at the spot where the cursed spirit had stood, now empty, her emotions in turmoil.
This damned world—who would have thought there were horrors like this beyond just magi?
No… could something like that even be called human?
What could an ordinary person like her possibly accomplish in a place like this?
"Don't call me 'Magus.' My name is Roy."
Roy glanced at the black-haired girl, his slight frown suggesting displeasure.
"Understood, Lord Roy."
The girl's pupils contracted slightly.
Though the white-haired, red-eyed youth hadn't outwardly expressed dissatisfaction, an internal alarm blared in her mind, prompting her to correct herself immediately.
"You may call me Inoue."
"Inoue, huh."
Roy nodded indifferently.
"You were out here searching for refugees?"
"Searching for refugees?"
Inoue blinked before comprehension dawned on her.
"No, unfortunately, Tokyo doesn't have a policy for refugee retrieval. If refugees can't make it into the city on their own, they're left to die. We barely have enough manpower to maintain safety within the city and keep cursed spirits from wreaking havoc—we're stretched to our limits as it is."
Inoue looked at Roy, the light in her eyes gradually dimming.
"Lord Roy must have come from Fuyuki City, right? I heard there are many magi there. Only they have the resources to search for refugees. Places like ours... we simply can't afford to..."
Roy paused slightly.
I see. That makes sense.
Among the four major fortress cities in Japan, the safest was Misaki City, guarded by Alice Kuonji, followed closely by Fuyuki City with its two hundred magi.
Shinjuku City had numerous demons lurking in its shadows, while Tokyo was infested with countless cursed spirits. Both cities had alarmingly few magi, making them equally dangerous. Their populations were also much smaller compared to Misaki and Fuyuki.
In such places, protecting themselves amidst the surrounding demons was already a struggle—there simply weren't enough hands to search for refugees.
If refugees appeared within Tokyo's borders, they could count themselves lucky. But if they appeared outside... they were as good as dead.
"We actually encountered a few refugees during this expedition. Unfortunately, they were all devoured by that cursed spirit earlier—even the magus in our squad fell to its jaws."
Inoue's expression was complicated as she spoke.
There was deep frustration, but also a sense of helplessness.
"Refugees were eaten?"
Roy's hand trembled.
He quickly pulled out his phone, opened a spatial window, and selected a photo before asking Inoue with a grave expression,
"Among the refugees you saw earlier, were there any girls who looked exactly like them?"
The photo showed Ichika and Miku.
Inoue was momentarily stunned when he pulled up the spatial window from his phone but assumed it was some kind of magecraft. She leaned in to examine it before shaking her head.
"No one who looked like them."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. My memory is excellent."
"That's a relief!"
Roy immediately relaxed.
Right—after divining the appearance of Ichika and Miku's family members, he had taken a rescue mission from Rin Tohsaka and rushed straight to Tokyo without wasting any time.
He had set out in the morning, and it wasn't even noon yet. Even if their sisters had appeared outside the city, they couldn't have been killed by monsters so quickly.
While the wilderness was teeming with monsters, the land was vast. No matter how many monsters there were, they couldn't occupy every inch. Unless someone accidentally stumbled right next to one, they wouldn't die immediately.
Besides, Ichika and Miku's family members were likely main characters from their world. The Root, which operated on principles of rationality, wouldn't be so "wasteful"... probably. Roy wasn't entirely sure—whether characters from slice-of-life worlds held any value to the Root was hard to say.
"I think... I might have seen this face in the refugee camp..."
One of the squad members suddenly murmured while looking at the photo Roy had shown.
"Really?"
Roy perked up and turned to the speaker.
"Huh? Ah, I'm not entirely certain. I just have a vague impression..."
Under Roy's intense gaze—and remembering how he had instantly annihilated that massive cursed spirit—the speaker suddenly felt immense pressure, their tone growing less confident.
"But I think it was a pair of twins... Wait, how many were there again?"
"To the city."
Roy immediately put away his phone and strode ahead toward the Tokyo city walls.
The squad members exchanged uncertain glances.
Was this guy really trustworthy?
Was he even human?
"Let's follow him too."
In the end, Inoue sighed and took the initiative to follow Roy's lead. The rest of the squad quickly fell in step behind them.
***
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