As it became late at night, Might woke up because he heard and exploding sound in the distance and a dull vibration.

Might
(...?)

The vibration continued intermittently, mixed with the exploding sound, and the roar of a strange monstrous voice.

Might
(Is something happening outside...?)

Might
Hey, someone! ...Is anyone there!

He tried shouting, but no one answered. Because he was inside the prison he couldn't tell what was going on outside.

Might
(I'm in no shape anyway...)

He tottered as he stood up, and put on the scattered around clothes. At that time, the explosion and roar of the monster rapidly grew closer.

Might
Something... Is getting closer...!

Unusually worried, Might stood back from the wall and took a stance.

The next moment, a part of the wall crumbled with a loud explosion. A thick layer of dust shrouded the prison.

Might
Kah...!

At once Might lied face-down. Cold air from outside flowed in.

Might
...?

When he strained his eyes to see the other side of the dust, the crash from the explosion and merely broken a gap in the wall.

Might
(...I can probably get out there)

The second he thought so, Might slipped frantically through the gap in the wall. He wrenched open the small space of the mud wall and slipped outside.

When Might escaped from the jail, he monsters were rampaging inside the training school.

Might
The monsters in a town like this... How did that happen?

Though he was surprised, he hid in the shadow of the building. He looked around the vicinity, but he didn't see the students or the teachers.

Might
...!

He heard a particularly large sound from the town there. Might saw the flames going up here and there in the town. It seemed like the town was under attack by a force of demons.

Might
(Did everyone and the teachers of the training school head towards the town.. .)

At that time, the shrill cry of a monster echoed behind Might's back.

Might
Damn!

When he turned his head, there was a monster that resembled a huge lizard, with its tail raised aiming it at Might. In the next second, Might's body flew easily and slapped the ground.

Might
Kuh...

Somehow Might passively managed to stand up. But, the monster near Might noticed and gathered.

Might
(I can't fight so many unarmed... I have to run!)

Might decided that second, and turned to run away from the school. Because of their large bodies, it was reflected in their slow speed, and the monster were slow in their reaction.

Might
(I can't take more demons to the town... I'll run to the forest!)

He didn't turn around to see the monsters chasing after him, Might just focused on running.

Might
Hah, hah, hah...

How far did he keep running, until he was deep in the forest, and he finally didn't sense any monsters. A flood of sweat flowed from his whole body, already covered in scratches from the monsters persistently striking at him with their fangs and claws.

Might
(I'll rest here for a little bit, just a little bit...)

As he thought that he lowered himself in the shade of a tree, and he was already out of strength to hold himself up, and he toppled to the ground as he was.

Might
(It's useless... I already can't move...)

Either the thread of tension was cut short, or the pain and fatigue suddenly gushed out. Opening his eyes became painful, and he lost his consciousness rapidly.

Man's Voice
Huh? ...Is someone there?

Might, who had completely lost consciousness, didn't respond to the man's call.

Man
...What's this, sleeping in the open during a hunt.

The man who approached seemed to see Might's appearance and guessed the situation.

Man
Anyway, I can't leave him as he is...

When he picked Might up, the man began to walk straight into the depths of the forest. He seemed to have considerable physical strength, because he carried Might easily as he walked through the forest.

Next Might was on a bed, and woke up from a fragrance.

Might
Nn...

Boy
...Are you ok?

Children of various ages gathered around the bed, watching Might worriedly.

Might
Eh? ...Ah, umm, you are...?

Might jumped up from the bed surprised. Instead of answering, the children called out to the hallway in loud voices.

Boy
Leica-saan, this person woke up!

The young man called Leica entered the room.

Leica
Hey, so you've finally snapped out of it, are your wounds ok?

Might only noticed his injuries had been treated after he said so. He felt a lot better than he did last night.

Might
Ah... Ye, yeah...

Leica
You guys, will you go make this guy some soup? When you're weak, the best thing to do to get your strength back is eat.

Boy
Right. While we're at it we'll make your food, too.

The children left the room on Leica's instructions. The seemed to be very emotionally attached to him. He felt the solidarity of a family there.

Leica
I'm taking care of the orphanage here... Well, those wounds are pretty serious, they'll heal slowly.

Might
Ah, umm... You are?

Leica
Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet, I'm Leica, Leica Kit. You may have heard I'm a lone wolf... But, I'm just a poor bounty hunter.

A bounty hunter... A soldier who exterminated monster in order to earn rewards. As evidence of the extermination, he would take back a body part such as a horn or fang, and he would get a reward according to the number and type. It went without saying that the stronger monsters had a bigger reward.

Might
...Leica-san, thanks for saving me. What would have happened to me if I collapsed where I was...

Leica
Ah, it's fine it's fine, don't worry about it. We're the same status. I don't care if you just call me "Leica". I don't like being so formal.

Might instinctively relaxed at the joking gesture. Apparently, he had randomly thought he was rude, he felt a peace of mind in the size of this man's heart.

Leica
...You, were you running away from the town? By all means, yesterday I heard some awful monsters leaving the town.

Might
...

Might hesitated to explain his situation for a moment, but then he decided to put his faith in Leica.

Might
...I was running from Silver Training School.

Leica
Silver? ...Isn't that the training place near the noble family?

Might told Leica everything about the last few days. About Adonis, how he was in jail, and the attack of last night... But, he left out being raped by Hector.

Leica
...Hunnn, I see.

Might
...Because I was in the jail a long time, I didn't know what was going on... Please tell me if you know something.

Leica
I also only heard a story secondhand from a merchant who fled the town. He said there was one with silver hair, and the monsters appeared after that guy came.

Might
A silver haired... monster?

Leica
The town was burned to the ground, it seems mostly because of him. The monsters gathered around him, but it's a complete rumor.

Might
(It's probably connected to that black shadow that kidnapped Adonis...)

Moreover, he was nervous about that suspicious shadow that appeared in the jail, too. A huge invisible power had begun moving around he and Adonis... He had such a premonition.

Leica
Well, at any rate, I think you should get some rest now. No one will come after such a remote orphanage.

Might asked Leica as he tried to leave.

Might
...Leica. We've just met, why are you being so nice to me?

Leica
...Like I said, we're friends. It's because it's in my nature to do things on a whim, so there's no important reason.

He spoke in a joking way, but somewhere in Leica's smiling face at that time he seemed lonely.

Might
...Thank you, Leica.

Might sincerely murmured his appreciation from the bottom of his heart. Since Adonis was kidnapped, Might's heart hadn't healed this much.

Might spent a few days at this orphanage. He recovered from his injuries and weakness very quickly, and he was able to practice fencing with Leica.

Might
Haah!!

Leica dodged Might's consecutive thrusts with a paper-thin difference.

Leica
Ack... This guy is very good at rushing into it!

Might's sword solidly caught Leica's sword as it closed.

Might
I'm not done yet!

Leica
Hehehe... Don't overdo it, Might. The training at the training school isn't this showy. ...You should rest soon.

As he said that, he sat on the stone steps of the entrance.

Leica
It looks like your injuries are all better.

Might
Yeah... Thanks to you and the kids.

After an idle chat, Leica suddenly broke the ice.

Leica
Might... I think I'll go out hunting again soon.

Might
Hunting? ...As a bounty hunter?

Leica
Right, I have to earn money, the hungry kids here eat it all up.

Might
I see... So that's it.

Might and Adonis came from an orphanage. He understood the situation of this place well. In this country, because of monsters and demons, children who became orphans were endless in this country.

Leica
The royal palace is offered a reward and is organizing a force in order to subjugate a "silver chaos". I hear bounty hunters and mercenaries from around are gathering there.

Might
Silver... chaos?

Leica
The attack on your town... Is an example of the silver haired monster. Rumor has it the Knights of the Court and Magicians of the Court weren't able to compete.

Might
The Knights and Magicians of the Court?

Leica
Yeah, so the royal palace panicked and is gathering and is gathering up skilled people from all over the country, that way they can put together a punitive force. Well, I've heard that a lot of money is being spent alone on this, so it's good since they won't overlook any help.

Might
...

After he hesitated a little while, Might told Leica.

Might
...Leica, I want to join that punitive force, too.

Leica
Huh?

Might
I'm worried... When Adonis was kidnapped by that black shadow, soon after that the town was attacked by a "silver chaos"... I don't think these are completely unrelated.

Leica
I see... That is definitely strange.

Might
Besides, if they're gathering bounty hunters and mercenaries, it's possible someone there will know about Adonis.

Leica
That's good, let's go together, Might. It can't be bad for a guy with such skill to join the punitive force. Then, let's start getting ready to go right away...

Even though he said that the Knights of the Court were no match for this "silver chaos", he didn't sense fear in Leica's speech or behavior at all.

Might
(Really... Leica is relaxed)

On the other hand he was amazed, that fearlessness made him feel hopeful now.

Several days later... Might and Leica were standing in front of the royal palace.

Might
(...I never thought of entering the royal palace in this shape in my wildest dreams)

Every day he shed sweat at the training school, in a distant feeling he was aiming to join the Knights of the Court.

Leica
Let's go, Might, the candidates for the punitive force are gathering in the dining hall of the lodging house.

Might
Yeah... Got it.

The building that was reserved for the Knights and Magicians of the Court seemed to be set aside as a lodging house for the punitive force. The dining hall of the lodging house was jammed with bounty hunters and mercenaries.

Might
(Amazing... It really feels like skilled people are gathering from all over the country)

Man's Voice
...Oh my, Might-kun. Are you joining too?

Might
!!...

It was the voice of a man that Might couldn't forget.

Hector
I thought I wouldn't find you again... I'm surprised we've met in a place like this.

Might
Hector! ...Why, why are you here!

Hector
...Isn't it natural that they invited training schools from various places to join the punitive force? At least, it's much more natural than you being here.

Might
This guy...!

Instinctively he tried to grab at Hector, but Hector's words got the better of him.

Hector
...Is it ok if you cause an uproar, it's you who should be worried, Might-kun. If I report you to the training school, won't you be apprehended as a deserter?

Might
Gah...

What Hector said was certainly mortifying. Though large-scale arrangements couldn't be made, the training school might be searching for his whereabouts now because they couldn't publicly let it be known the "Way of the Anti-Soul" was used.

Hector
...I might keep silent, if you say you'll be mine again... What will you do, Might-kun?

An extremely cruel choice was thrust at Might.

Obey Hector

Don't obey Hector
