"Please be safe." Rose silently prayed as she led a platoon of guards. 50 men strong raced after her with utmost haste. Most of them had abandoned most of their heavy equipment and carried only with their chain mail and spear.

Some were even wearing leather as they did not have the time nor the concern to do so as they ran; every second wasted is precious. Others did not even have the time to grab their spear as they carried only their sword into battle.

Thankfully, however, there were at least two knights within their ranks who donned their full armor. Painted in a sapphire hue, the knights of the Larum Dukedom lead the men despite wearing full-plated cobalt armor, an alloy two times stronger than pure steel.

And an archer who offers his aid. It was strange how easily he offered himself for free without asking for anything, but Rose would take whatever she could get in this dire time. Hair blazing in crimson, bow strung around his back.

"How could this happen?" One of the men mumbled in regret as they continued to scale towards the orphanage.

"How could I have missed it..." The young man whispered in distraught, regret seeping through his soul. "I should have checked one more time. This wouldn’t have happened if I’ve swept the forest right. I-"

"Quite son." The young man blinked as an older man suddenly cuts him off.

"But captain it was-"

"There is nothing we could do about it now. The only thing we could hope to do is to reach them in time. Save your breath. We will need it later. For now, focus and run." The captain said as the young man bit his tongue hard.

“…Yes sir.” Determined and desperate, the young man pushed every fiber of his muscle as his heart pounded. The same could be said for everyone. Tired as they may be, not one soul dares complain, even if their lungs were starting to burn.

"Please don't be too late... please..." The young man prayed as Rose led the platoon to the hills. As they neared, a terrible scream rippled across the sky. The men paled in dismay as the blood-curdling scream answered what they dreaded to hear the most.

"Lucy..." Rose mumbled as she was the one who was hit the hardest. She could not have mistaken it even if she wanted to. Too many nightmares of hers had made sure of that. "Come on! We have to hurry!" Rose urges the men to follow as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Please be safe... please..." Rose whimpered as her vision slowly blurred. Her heart raced painfully inside her chest as terrible imaginations assaulted her mind. Rose did not want to entertain it, she hoped she could not as she finally reached the top.

"..." As Rose reached the top, she suddenly stopped.

"? Sister Rose is there something..." The captain could not finish his words then when he saw it. Before them was the horde of green monsters running out of the building.

"...Kalva be damn." The captain muttered in anger as he watched them exit the building. Rose lost all the strength in her legs as she watched them flee the ruined orphanage.

No way... Rose thought in disbelief as the others reached the top.

The men had mixed emotions when they saw the orphanage. Some were driven in regret and remorse like the young man as tears watered his eyes, others were silent like the archer and the knights as they observed the situation with a clear mind.

But there was one feeling that they all shared with, and it was fury. The men gripped the shaft of their weapons tightly as they glared at the fleeing goblins. Some trembled in anger so much that their glare might as well burn a hole through the goblins.

Just as they were about to roar in the name of vengeance, they heard shouting from inside the orphanage. Rose perked up in surprise as she too had heard it. They... they survived?...!!! Rose jumped to her feet as the realization hit her a moment longer.

"T-they're still alive! Please help them!" Rose shouted after the men, snapping them out of their daze. Though she did not even need to say a word as most of them were having the same thought.

Some, however, stayed behind like the knights as they hunted down the goblins. Rose did not spare even a glance at the fleeing wretches as she rushed towards the orphanage with all haste. The windows were shattered as the doors were pried open, but Rose could hear it. Hear them.

Tears and relief washed over the nun as the voices began to grow louder and louder. They're alive... they're alive! Rose rejoiced from within as she turned towards the prayer room where the sound was, only to stop dead in her tracks when she finally reached them.

Before her were bodies upon bodies of goblins and dire wolves alike. All of them were stacked on top of one another outside the prayer room. Blood spilled from their bodies as most of them had a stab wound on their bodies but that was not what Rose was concerned of.

Just before her was Lucy, surrounded by the others as they desperately tried to heal her. There were wounds etched all across her body. From her shoulder blades down to her right leg, all of them were severely injured as blood leaked out from them.

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Emma and the others desperately cast the healing spell again and again as Lucy convulsed on the floor violently. "Erak! ERAK!" Emma shouted over and over again as the emerald light washed over Lucy.

The young lady twists and turns in agony. Lucy looked as if she wanted to scream, but could not as Emma and the others continued to heal her. "Urk!" One of the sisters grunted as blood dripped from her nose. The sister tried to hold on a little longer before falling unconscious.

Rose blinked out of her daze as she rushed to join Emma and the others. "Erak..." Rose whispered as the mana courses through her body and into Lucy. The emerald washed over her as Rose turned to ask Emma.

"What happened to her??" Rose asked as she felt their power combining with Lucy.

"Rose?" Emma whispered in surprise as Rose simply nodded in reply.

"Please tell me, sister Emma. What happened here?" Rose inquired as the guards finally arrived.

Their eyes widened as the same confusion and questions swirled around their eyes when they saw the corpses of the monsters stacked outside the door. Emma's hands trembled as her voice broke to answer.

"L-Lucy... Lucy... Lucy threw herself to save us." Rose's eyes widen as well as the guards as if they could not understand what they were hearing.

"L-Lucy did? But how-"

"I-I don't know. I don't know how, but she simply did..." Emma confessed as she took a deep breath.

"What are you guys staring at?! Move! Secure the children first! Search out for any survivors!" The captain broke the men's daze as they quickly moved into action. One by one, the men move to do as they were ordered.

Some of the men moved to help the unconscious sisters, while others searched around the building for anyone who had not been so lucky. While all of this was happening, Emma finally managed to gather her breath.

Before Emma could continue, however, blood suddenly escaped from Lucy's nose. The sisters eyes widen in panic as Lucy's body stiffens. "Why isn't it working?" Emma desperately increased the output of her light, but it still failed.

Lucy squirmed as if she was being corrupted. Her body twists and turns as Emma and the others simply fall further and further into despair as their power fails them. "I think I can help." Emma and the others turned to the voice as a young man stood before them with a grim look on his face.

Rose immediately realizes the man as his crimson hair stands out amongst the rest. The young man pulled a small vial in his pocket. It had a faint blue liquid inside as it slushes around the vial. "W-what is that?" Emma asked as the young man stepped forward.

"Lacrum." The man said without hesitation as it drew a gasp from Rose.

"W-why do you have that?" Rose exclaimed as Emma and the others looked confused.

"W-what is it sister Rose?" Emma inquired as Rose did not answer and simply put herself between Lucy and the man.

"It is a potent drug that champions mostly use. Depending on its potency, its power could replenish their reserve in an instant." The man explained as Rose snarled.

"It also kills any normal who consumed that drug." Emma and the others quickly understood as they vehemently shook their head.

"No, we cannot have that." Emma replied as Rose and the others nodded in agreement.

"It is way too dangerous." Rose added as the man looked down at Lucy.

"She is dying sister." Emma flinched as Lucy continued to squirm.

What do I do? Emma thought in a panic. Time slowly slipped by. Every second that passes proves the man’s word was true as she could feel even now Lucy slipping away despite the aid from the others. She looked at the vial menacingly, eyes flickering in doubt and desperation.

Emma did not know one thing about the drug. It was even more surprising when Rose immediately recognized the vial. She wanted to learn more about the drug from Rose to ascertain the cost of such a thing when her train of thought was suddenly interrupted.

"...Why?" Emma blinked as Rose whispered in a dire tone. "Why are you helping us? Even going as far as to give such an expensive drug?" Rose asked as Emma also found it suspicious. Why would he help? What could he gain from it?

The man paused as if he was trying to come up with an answer before replying. "I'm just trying to help." Emma and the others did not look convinced one bit as the man simply shrugged. "If you don't want to believe me then fine, but if you are going to take any longer than this, she will die." The man said as she pointed back to Lucy.

The poor girl was awfully pale as if all colors were drained from her body. Emma's eyes widen as her skin slowly turns cold. Her breathing was slowly getting weaker and weaker with every passing second.

The healing could not save her in time... no, it was as if the healing could not save her at all. Losing all hope she had, Emma bit her lips in desperation as she reached her hand open towards the man. "Give it to me." The man had a small smile as Rose and the others protested.

"Sister Emma surely you would not-"

"What choice do we have?" Emma cuts them all down mercilessly with a single question. What choice do they truly have? They could not save Lucy with their power; they could not even help Lucy when she fought the horde all alone.

Even if they went back in time and knew what was going to happen, they could do nothing. The answer was simple. They had no choice but to trust. The young man hands the small vial to Emma as she pops the cork and drowns all of its contents into Lucy's barely-opened mouth.

The liquid slowly dripped down her throat as Lucy reflexively consumed the liquid as if she was in great thirst. Her complexion slowly begins to return to normal as her breathing slowly stabilizes. The sisters drew a sigh of relief except for Rose and the young man.

Their eyes stared at Lucy in astonishment on different and varying scales. One was extremely delighted, while the other could not help but look extremely worried. Both wished to say something, but they held it all in as Lucy slowly recovered.