Set the Forest Ablaze
"Is there... really a way? Against that many...?"
The Rabbit Hole Squad had completely lost the will to fight. Among them, the particularly timid Dalia was the one whose voice trembled the most.
Indeed, there wasn't even a speck of hope in this situation.
What loomed before them was a legion of countless Erosion Species. In contrast, they had just five low-rank Valkyries and one commander. The overwhelming disparity in power made even the notion of battle impossible.
If only Alicia were here, we could've pulled it off somehow.
In truth, an A-rank Valkyrie would have been enough to overcome this crisis. The enemy had numbers, but individually, they weren't all that impressive. Crush them with overwhelming force, and there was a chance.
But the request for headquarters support had only gone out minutes ago. They'd have to hold out for hours before reinforcements arrived.
That was more than enough time for Ruina to vanish from the map.
Sigh, that's why I tried so hard to get strong enough for an A-rank contract.
Even thinking back on it now, nothing had changed—it was infuriating. Maybe it was my fault for lacking the talent to grow stronger.
My head hurt plenty back then too. How the hell do I die just barely in his arms?
Honestly, the difficulty was insane. Hundreds of Erosion Species swarming in? That was overkill.
How was I supposed to die peacefully in the commander's arms like that?
No matter how I racked my brain, I could only picture endings where I died without meeting him like in the original story, or perished alongside him without even savoring the moment.
But no matter how impossible the puzzle, there's always a solution.
After agonizing and agonizing some more, I came up with it.
A way to overcome this crushing difference in power...!
"There is. A way for all of us to survive."
"R-Really?!"
"How can you be so certain...?"
Maybe because I stated it with absolute conviction, without a shred of doubt. A glimmer of hope flickered amid the Rabbit Hole Squad's despair.
Perhaps it was because I'd always shown them a diligent image up till now.
Or maybe my standout performance against Midyr earlier had left an impression.
People really should be more suspicious of con artists like me in times like these.
"Leira. What... is this method?"
The commander was the first to regain his composure, directing his question my way. There wasn't a hint of distrust in his eyes toward me.
As expected—the perfect prey I'd set my sights on. His mental resilience was off the charts.
Though maybe it was just that he trusted me that much.
It wasn't exactly a lie that I had a method. This place was a mountain dozens of kilometers from the city, after all... making one extremely radical approach possible.
"Lady Leira! Please tell us quick-sawayo!"
"Even for you, Leira... taking down that whole army would be impossible, right?"
"Exactly. Taking them all down is impossible. We don't have that kind of power."
"Huh."
"So that means..."
The Rabbit Hole Squad looked momentarily flustered by my firm response. I'd built up their expectations just to drop them like that.
Their eyes screamed, Then what the hell are we supposed to do?
Everyone's so impatient.
I crossed my arms seriously and continued.
"But think about it. Do we really need to take down every last Erosion Species to begin with?"
"Well..."
"True, we don't necessarily need to..."
"The key is buying time. All we have to do is hold their ankles until reinforcements arrive."
Just like the original Leira did—the victory condition was simple. Grab their ankles before they reached the city.
With that, the solution became obvious.
This was a mountain range thick with trees. The enemy was marching in a line.
In that case, this had to be the best way.
"Let's just burn the whole forest down."
Everyone recoiled in shock at my words.
Not exactly the expressions I liked, but it was a little fun seeing how it shook them all.
*
Ruina's new commander, Yujin, thought quietly to himself.
Leira might be even more outrageous than he'd imagined.
Setting the forest ablaze to stall the approaching enemy—that idea itself wasn't hard to come up with. Fire attacks had been a timeless tactic since ancient times.
And with a whole city on the brink of annihilation, there was no room to worry about the environment.
Fine, the idea of burning the forest makes sense. But how did she turn it into a solid plan in just minutes...?
But fleshing it out into a meaningful strategy in mere minutes? That was a whole different story.
Where exactly to start the fire. What scale to burn on. How to adapt if the enemy's movements changed.
For an on-the-spot plan, the polish felt off—too complete.
As they hurriedly descended the mountain and piled into trucks to head for the destination, Yujin glanced at Leira, now seated beside him.
"This plan... it feels like you prepared it in advance. Can you see the future or something?"
"Pfft, as if. Seeing the future? What kind of...?"
Leira burst into amused chuckles, as if she'd heard a hilarious story. For some reason, her laughter lightened Yujin's chest.
Of course she couldn't see the future. If she could, she would've stopped Morka from sacrificing herself.
Besides, Leira was already a Valkyrie with lightning abilities.
But perhaps that conversation stirred some memory in her. Staring blankly out the window for a moment, she murmured softly.
"It's just... something similar happened once before."
"Something similar...?"
"Hehe, sorry. It's a long story. I'll tell you when there's time later. Right now... we don't have the luxury."
She fumbled awkwardly, her face saying she'd slipped up. Like she'd accidentally spilled a secret she'd meant to bury forever.
Yujin sensed it was a major clue.
Her grief over Valkyrie deaths strong enough to override instinct. The distant look she sometimes got when alone.
All of it surely lay hidden in Leira's past.
What kind of pain could it be...?
Yujin wanted to help her. This pitiful woman who smiled for everyone while hiding her hurt inside. He hoped Leira—his lifesaver—could find happiness.
"Yes. Later, definitely."
So let's all make it back safe this time.
He steeled his resolve in his heart.
By then, the vehicles had reached their destination.
The midpoint between Malishion, where the Erosion Species horde advanced, and the city.
The group jumped out and hurriedly took up their assigned roles.
"Huuup! Snapping it swayooo!"
"Anje, that way!"
"Ung."
"Huff, hng... It's heavy..."
Ubina snapped trees to create a firebreak. Promina sweated buckets as she shoved trees far away.
Anje and Dalia doused the firebreak line with fuel from the vehicles.
Leira closed her eyes, quietly reading the wind direction.
"Lucky break. The wind's blowing toward the mountain."
"That's... fortunate."
"Then, here goes."
Preparations wrapped up in just tens of minutes.
Leira gazed into the distance with eyes full of resolve.
The Erosion Species would reach here soon.
To bind their feet, she had to turn everything to ash.
How much determination did that take?
Watching her, Yujin unconsciously reached out a hand.
Soon, it clasped Leira's empty one tightly.
"Eh?"
"Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to..."
"...No. Keep holding it. Hehe, after saying that... I guess I lacked a bit of courage. I couldn't help but think—what if this fire doesn't go out? How far would it spread...?"
"That's..."
"But it's okay, Commander. Thanks to you, I've got my courage now."
Snap.
Leira flicked her fingers.
A spark flew, and flames erupted in an instant.
The inferno devoured the fuel-soaked trees, swelling in size. Riding the wind, it began consuming the forest.
Bigger. Even bigger.
An uncontrollable wildfire swallowed everything.
No escaping this responsibility now.
Yujin gripped Leira's hand tighter without realizing.
Snapping out of her daze, she turned to him, her face faintly flushed.
"There, that should do it. Erosion Species fear fire too. They'll fall back. Now, quick—to the detour and set another..."
In that moment, Leira's calm voice cut off.
And Yujin's vision shook dizzyingly.
An intense pressure that nearly made him black out.
When he came to, he was rolling on the ground with Leira.
Had she tackled him?
As Yujin felt confusion, Leira twisted her upper body up unsteadily and shouted.
"It's here! Everyone, battle stations!"
Her cry echoed loud enough to reach far away.
Leira sprang up frantically, nailgun in hand, scanning the surroundings warily.
Yujin looked up at her in stunned horror.
"Kirruk..."
The "it" Leira mentioned was the Midyr they'd encountered in the cave.
Seizing the perfect opening, Midyr had ambushed them. She'd spotted it and rolled with Yujin to evade.
But even in the chaos, its gaze fixed solely on Leira.
Her ever-smiling face twisted in pain amid the roaring flames. Blood gushed from her.
"Leira..."
"Eek, ahaha... Looks like I got a little hurt."
Noticing his gaze too late, Leira laughed awkwardly.
Even in this dire situation, she seemed worried for Yujin.
But he could barely hold onto sanity.
Her gasping breaths... Her left arm was gone.
She protected me, and...
Yujin felt like a frozen awl had pierced his guts.
He knew she was strong enough to fight it alone.
Which meant this fatal wound was entirely his fault.
Yujin couldn't breathe properly from the weight of his mistake.
"Lady Leira!"
"Guh, when did it get this close?!"
"Enemy...!"
"I'll heal you right now!"
The Rabbit Hole Squad finally caught on, grabbing their weapons one by one.
They were shocked by Leira's injury, but focused even more on dropping the enemy before them.
It was alone. If they all fought together, they still had a shot.
As everyone rushed to aid Leira desperately,
Leira—whose wound Promina had stanched—raised her voice.
"Everyone, fall back!"
"L-Leira?!"
"I'll handle this one alone, so you all carry out the next phase of the plan!"
Her judgment was rational.
The fire was only set along the frontal path where the horde advanced. If they bypassed it, they could still reach the city.
So Leira had asked them to light fires in other directions while she held Midyr.
In other words, they had to leave Leira—who'd lost an arm—behind.
The Rabbit Hole Squad froze, unable to decide.
She was Ruina's beloved adjutant. No one wanted to lose her here—their hearts wavered.
"Nng... Everyone, go-sawayo!"
"Ubina?!"
"We can't ignore Lady Leira's will here-sawayo...! We... have a duty to protect the city-sawayo!"
Then Ubina gritted her teeth and shouted it.
Her face looked ready to burst into tears any second.
It had only been a week since they met, but Ubina had genuinely followed Leira.
She couldn't defy her will.
Leira gave a gentle smile at her loyal subordinate's resolve.
Without taking her eyes off Midyr, she declared confidently,
"Don't worry. I'm... strong."
"Commander, hurry and go-sawayo!"
"Nng..."
But in that moment, for some reason, Yujin felt unease.
A premonition that this might be the last time he saw her like this.
He clenched his fist until blood welled.
Noticing his gaze, she gave him an affectionate smile.
"I'll definitely come back alive."
"...It's a promise."
"Yes. A promise. I'm always your adjutant... and..."
a friend.
With those as her final words, Yujin left with the Rabbit Hole Squad.
He firmly believed in the trust she'd placed in him by calling him a friend.
Was it because the situation was so urgent?
No one noticed the oddity.
Why had Midyr just watched them silently?
The reason was simple.
The human before it showed not a trace of carelessness.
"Kirr..."
This female... far more dangerous than in the cave.
Midyr realized it through the instincts of a higher being.
Once not even a whisper of their presence remained,
Leira's expression crumbled in an instant.
Just moments ago, she'd worn the face of a diligent squad leader.
Now, she looked ecstatic, as if drunk on some drug.
She couldn't even keep still—rubbing her thighs together incessantly.
An bizarre action that flustered even the facing Midyr.
Leira unconsciously stuck out her tongue a bit and murmured to herself.
"Haaa... Good thing it's night... No one noticed, right...? If it were day, they'd totally misunderstand..."
"Kir...?"
"Thanks, Midyr. For cutting off my arm."
So... shall we dance together one last time?
Leira dropped her gun to the ground and brought her hand to her neck.
Crackle. A blue glow swirled in her eyes.