Claire was quick-witted and had excellent situational awareness.
It was just that there was hardly any opportunity to use those skills in a quiet rural village.
Besides, those four bad men had even blatantly said, “See you again.”
For now, they had backed off because so many people had gathered, but once the crowds thinned, they would surely come back to do harm.
She couldn’t know exactly what those guys wanted.
It was due to her lack of experience with the world.
But that indescribably unpleasant gaze and behavior—
Just from that alone, Claire couldn’t imagine anything good would happen, so she left the house.
‘I have to stop them before they enter the village.’
She couldn’t just drag a bunch of people along.
There was no justification, and she didn’t have that authority anyway.
Still, she instinctively realized that if she didn’t act first, she would eventually become the victim.
‘…Those bastards!’
She had been so startled when she came out of her room because of the commotion downstairs.
Hio, who just stood there apologizing and taking the beating, and those four rough-looking men who laughed as they hit him without restraint.
It was a situation anyone would be flustered by, but without any hesitation, Claire rushed down and shielded Hio.
And even when those men saw her flames, they weren’t scared.
Far from being frightened, their eyes gleamed with excitement instead.
‘This is dangerous.’
If those kinds of guys came barging in again, she really wouldn’t be able to do anything.
If it were just Claire, maybe.
But Hio and Selly had no abilities at all—they could get seriously hurt.
“…So stupid.”
As her thoughts reached Hio, a sigh-laden mutter slipped out before she realized it.
A foolish person who just smiled awkwardly even when little kids, not even a handful, crossed the line and teased him.
No, just a fool.
It used to be surprising how he didn’t get annoyed even after being beaten like today.
But now, it was just pathetic.
Before, she’d thought of him as a good-natured, kind person.
But in the two years she’d watched, he was just a coward who was too scared to get angry.
As if the word ‘resistance’ didn’t even exist in his head.
“Still, he’s a good person, so I have to protect him.”
Claire’s skill had developed quite a bit.
The result of daily research and practice alone, without any foundational knowledge.
She’d reached the point where she could shoot fire at a targeted spot.
That was why she could even think of this plan.
‘Once I spot them, I’ll just keep throwing fire from a distance.’
If they noticed her and came after her, she’d just run and throw fireballs as she went.
If they got hit, they’d surely get scared and run away.
After all, there’s no creature in the world that isn’t afraid of fire.
“Hm… I’m sure they went this way…?”
Claire’s steps gradually took her further from the village.
***
It was quite some time later that she finally found them.
As expected, they hadn’t gone to another village—they were waiting nearby.
Apparently not even bothering to hide, Doris and his group were resting in a spot right next to the road.
Claire quickly hid behind a tree and took a deep breath.
‘I can do this… I can do this…’
It was the first time she’d ever used this ability against people.
Of course her heart was pounding.
‘If they really get hit by fire, they’ll definitely get scared and run.’
That was the best Claire could hope for.
Talented, clever, and quick-witted, but she still didn’t know that those things alone wouldn’t solve everything in the world.
“…Here I go.”
With her resolve firm, two fist-sized Fireballs quickly formed over Claire’s hand.
She aimed one at the leg of the one who looked like the leader.
The other she threw near another guy, just to threaten.
Just as Claire intended, the two Fireballs flew swiftly toward their targets.
“Huh?”
And by the time Doris noticed something odd and looked up—
“Gah! Wh-what the—!”
A fist-sized fire had already landed on his pants.
“Fire, fire!”
“What the hell?!”
The other three, startled, jumped up and looked around warily, quickly spotting the cause of this incident.
“Girl! The girl with the skill is here!”
“What a crazy bitch…!”
Claire wasn’t standing idle, either.
By the time their eyes met, two new Fireballs were already floating over her small hands.
“You bastards! Take this!”
The Fireballs flew straight toward Haman and Folke.
“What’s with this slow thing.”
To the seasoned mercenaries, it was nothing but a trifling trick.
Even if it flew pretty fast, there was distance, and it was coming straight at them—there was no reason they couldn’t dodge.
Once they calmed down and assessed the situation, thick smirks spread across the faces of all four, Doris included.
“Hohohoho. You came to us yourself…”
“What a windfall!”
“No need to wait until night, huh?”
The fire on Doris’s pants had already gone out.
That was the extent of Claire’s flames.
A weak fire that could be put out just by rubbing dirt on it.
Doris looked at Claire with a sly grin.
“Did you come alone?”
Claire didn’t answer.
Something… something was wrong.
She’d thought they’d be startled and flustered by the first attack.
She’d thought they’d be frightened by the fire on the second.
But their response was too quick and precise.
The difference between a girl facing her first real fight and seasoned, even despicable mercenaries.
Realizing this, Claire turned and ran without hesitation.
“Grab her!”
“Hehehe. Where are you going?”
“Guess you secretly wanted to play with us too!”
As she fled, she conjured more fire and threw it at the pursuers.
But, as expected, it was useless.
“Little girl. Do you know how many Awakened we’ve met?”
“We’ve even faced monsters, and you think we’d get scared?”
“There are tons of chicks like you out there!”
As their voices got closer, Claire bit her lip.
When she trained alone, she’d felt like the best in the world.
She could keep making fire and send it flying far away.
But there was something she never realized while practicing alone.
It was slow and weak.
Naturally, she didn’t know how to make it faster or stronger.
With no one to teach her, she had to figure it out herself.
But this was no time to be thinking about that.
“D-don’t come!”
She scattered the fire she’d created at them.
“Hahaha! You’re the one who came to us, and now you’re telling us not to come?”
Of course, it had no effect, and the voices behind her drew even closer.
She had to make it faster, make it stronger.
Once again, Fireballs formed over Claire’s hands.
‘Faster…!’
She didn’t know how to make the Fireballs go faster.
So she could only desperately wish for it as she threw them.
“Ugh…”
“Trying to fight back, huh…!”
Doris and Haman narrowly dodged the Fireball that flew right at Doris’s forehead, barely swallowing their surprise.
It seemed like the fire was flying faster now… but that couldn’t be right.
She’d never learned it, only awakened recently—there’s no way she figured out how to do it in just a few tries.
‘…It must be because the distance is shorter.’
He brushed off his brief surprise and kept chasing after Claire.
Watching her create fire again up ahead, he suddenly felt a sense of unease.
‘Already?’
It seemed like the time it took her to make fire had gotten shorter.
Before, she’d throw a fireball, focus for a bit, then make another—now, as soon as he looked up, another blazing Fireball was already there.
And that wasn’t the only thing off.
“I told you to go away!”
With Claire’s shout, a Fireball flew toward them.
It was clearly bigger than the fist-sized ones from before.
“…!”
He barely ducked his head in time to dodge the Fireball that came right up to his face, but a wave of heat swept across his cheeks.
Only then did Doris become certain.
The girl before him was growing stronger as they fought.
“Be careful! Something’s wrong!”
Doris shouted a warning, but with the distance so close, there wasn’t much they could do.
All they could do was hold their swords closer and stay on guard.
And before that vigilance even peaked, Claire’s Fireball was already complete.
A little bigger than before.
A little faster than before.
“It’s coming…!”
Doris dodged the oncoming Fireball, but Paulo couldn’t.
He tried to block it with his sword.
Boom—!
No one could have guessed the Fireball would explode on contact.
“Argh!”
Though it was only a small explosion, the recoil knocked Paulo back.
Seeing this, Doris’s face twisted in a grimace.
“This damn girl…!”
Folke and Haman, too, dropped their smirks and tensed up.
Now, only a few meters separated them from Claire.
If Doris could dodge that fire just two more times, victory would be his.
But being that close meant it was even harder to avoid.
“Focus! Here it comes again!”
This time, the Fireballs Claire made shot toward the two standing on either side of Doris.
Folke and Haman tensed up, ready to dodge—
Boom—!
Bang!
Instead of hitting them directly, the two Fireballs struck the ground at their feet and exploded.
“Argh!”
“Guh!”
Caught completely off guard, Folke and Haman were sent flying and tumbled across the ground.
“This bitch!”
Realizing her Fireballs exploded, Claire quickly adjusted her tactics.
Growing her skill even as she ran, making quick decisions and acting on them—
She was no ordinary girl.
But even so, Doris couldn’t just stop chasing.
They were getting too close to the village.
If Claire made it back and called for help, things could get serious.
Three of his men were already injured.
If the villagers came, at least dozens would gather, and seeing them hurt, they wouldn’t be able to intimidate the crowd as before.
Depending on what Claire said, the frightened villagers might just beat them to death.
“Damn it…!”
Just a little more.
Just a little further and he could reach her, but the fire kept forming in front of his eyes even faster.
It was almost right in front of his nose—dodging was nearly impossible now.
‘…Damn it!’
Doris, the veteran mercenary, made a split-second decision.
It was a shame to give up the girl he’d nearly caught, but realistically, that fire would reach him before he could grab her.
He’d have to stop, dodge it, gather the others, and hide.
‘And… I’ll definitely come back.’
Now, it wasn’t just about desire.
He would make her pay for annoying him this much.
Just as Doris gritted his teeth and prepared to stop—
“Ugh…”
The blazing Fireball suddenly fizzled out and vanished.
At the same time, Claire staggered.
It goes without saying that Doris’s face lit up instantly.
“Ha, hahaha! You’re out of mana, girl!”
Even the Awakened couldn’t use their skills endlessly.
They had something called mana, and once it was all used up, they’d lose their strength and collapse—so he’d heard.
It was his first time seeing it in person, but even he could tell Claire’s state was not normal.
Her fire vanished, she staggered, and then collapsed to the ground.
“Hahaha! You damn bitch!”
It didn’t take long for Doris’s hand to grab her red hair.
“Let go… you bastard…”
Claire muttered as Doris’s rough hand grabbed her by the hair, but she sounded like she’d faint at any moment.
Her vision spun, her body wouldn’t obey.
This had never happened before.
She’d used Fireball dozens of times and been fine…
“Heh… Finally got you.”
With one hand, Doris gripped Claire’s red hair, with the other, he grabbed her cheeks and pulled her face close.
“What should I do with you?”
His face was full of conquest.
He’d chased after Claire, thinking she’d be an easy catch, but her fierce resistance was completely unexpected.
He’d almost given up, but her sudden mana depletion let him catch her by luck, making his joy even greater.
“Kuh… Boss. Can I hit her just once?”
“This damn bitch dares…”
The other three, who’d been knocked away by Fireballs, joined them, faces twisted in anger.
Paulo, who’d blocked a Fireball with his sword, was covered in soot, and Folke and Haman, who’d rolled on the ground, were limping and covered in dirt.
But none were seriously hurt.
To Claire’s blurry eyes, they loomed like despair itself.
“What should we do, boss?”
“First, we drag her off, pack up, and move camp.”
“Can I just hit her a few times first? My leg’s throbbing thanks to this little brat.”
“Do as you want. Just don’t hit her face.”
“Yes, hehe.”
Claire muttered.
“Don’t come…”
Of course, the three didn’t care.
“Let’s strip off these annoying clothes first.”
“Good idea.”
“Heh… No one’s around to see, so we’ll have our fill.”
Hearing those horrible words, Claire spoke again.
“I said don’t come… please…”
Her voice made not just the three, but even Doris snort with laughter.
“You were so quick to assess the situation before, and now you say don’t come?”
“Haha! Don’t worry, we’ll be gentle.”
“Stay back… don’t come…”
Even as the three drew right up to her, Claire’s muttering didn’t stop.
“If you come, you’ll die… idiot.”
But the words weren’t aimed at those three.
Her blurry gaze wasn’t at them, but at something behind Doris.
“Coward… Why did you come here…”
She could barely focus, about to faint, but she knew.
She’d spent every day with that person for the last two years.
Even if his approach seemed a little different than usual, that didn’t matter to Claire.
‘Why would he come here alone?’
Especially when he was always so timid.
She had to stop him, but her cheeks were gripped tight and she had no strength left, so no voice came out.
So she raised her hand.
Her trembling hand barely waved.
Don’t come.
Run away before they notice you.
Claire tried so desperately.
“OF.”
A low, familiar voice finally rang out.
Doris and his group turned toward the voice.
“Let go.”
They saw a man walking toward them.
And—
“Because I really might kill you.”
Behind him, the sky was filled with dark clouds.
Maybe it’s because I’m an adult, but I don’t really like Claire. She’s impulsive, self-centered, and doesn’t care much about others. It seems like she likes the main character, but she has never tried to stand in his shoes, nor has she considered her own mother’s feelings.
She lives more in her imagination than in reality, and maybe… she has never truly cared about the people around her.
I hope she shows some growth in the later parts.