The body fell, warm blood soaking into the dry dust of the path.
The head rolled a few times down the slope and bumped against a passerby's heel. He looked down, revealing a bewildered, confused expression.
"Aah... aah—!!"

A heart-wrenching scream exploded beside me—Rosemary's. The color instantly drained from her face; her body went limp, collapsing toward the ground.
I caught her in time. But the girl's scream completely detonated the frozen air.
"Dead... someone's dead!"
"His head... his head fell off!"
"Murder! Aaaah!"

Fear spread like a plague.
The previously somewhat orderly crowd exploded, scattering like startled beasts in all directions.
Yet, among those fleeing, there were those who would suddenly pause their movement, reveal a smile... and then separate head from body.
In an instant, screams, wails, the crashing sounds of overturned tables and chairs, chaotic footsteps... The shadow of death, like ink dripped into clear water, rapidly dyed the last remnants of the festival's joy completely black.

Colored ribbons were trampled, food and drinks spilled everywhere, shattered potion bottles leaked rainbow-hued liquids, mixing with bloodstains, emitting a pungent odor. The carefully arranged area around the dance floor transformed in the blink of an eye into a scene of carnage.

Emily's face was as pale as paper, rooted to the spot, clearly badly frightened. Adam was in slightly better shape, but his body was also trembling uncontrollably, pressing tightly against my back.
Rosemary's mind teetered on the brink of collapse; her breathing was as rapid as a dying bird's, muscles spasming involuntarily.
This kid is probably having some kind of panic attack. Completely useless now. I simply knocked her unconscious and handed her to Adam.
"Adam, take Rosemary and Emily home."
Adam's gaze refocused.
"No! I have to stay, otherwise you—"
"Now's not the time for empty talk about prophecies. Grey and I will handle this. Don't get in the way. Protect those two."
Adam clenched his lips, eyes wide as if about to argue fiercely, but in the end, only one word came out.
"...Yes."
"Good. There are mana recovery potions at the Silverleaf Workshop stall. Grab a few before you leave."
"Mm."

After a low acknowledgment, Adam didn't hesitate further. He hoisted the unconscious Rosemary onto his back, pulled the still somewhat dazed Emily, and quickly pushed through the chaotic flow of people, withdrawing toward the outskirts.

I forged an ice sword, looked at the bodies, and said to Grey,
"Undoubtedly Necross causing trouble. Have you detected any abnormal magical activity?"
Simultaneously with the event, Grey had already summoned a small bird perched on his shoulder and was whispering to it.
This is a bird-shaped magical monitor.
He had deployed many of these throughout the town. They shared information; communicating with one gave him a grasp of the town's magical movements.

After a brief exchange with the bird, Grey frowned, his expression grave as he said to me,
"The situation is a bit complicated. There are two distinct magical anomalies in the town... One is naturally here. The intensity is high, with the unpleasant aura of death characteristic of Necross lingering. The other... is very faint, almost undetectable, located in the central area of town... near Silverleaf Workshop."
"That elf could appear in either location; it's likely a diversionary tactic. Miss Elf, can you handle things here?"

Grey's judgment was sound.
The crowds in the town center were probably several times those near the dance floor, each potentially hiding Necross's core. I'm not keen on killing and can't possibly check everyone one by one.
Grey, however, is proficient in magic and already has the information I gave him. Finding a core would be a sure bet.
"Of course. I have no reason to lose to someone I've already defeated. But you, don't go getting taken down in the first exchange again."
"Ha, that would be novel. I haven't lost to the same person twice yet. Mary, hold on tight!"

Once the silent nun had a firm grip on his arm, Grey snapped his fingers. A powerful gust of wind whirled up from nowhere, carrying him and Mary skyward like arrows shot from a bow.
I had no time to see them off. I pushed through the panicked crowd, "borrowed" four high-quality mana recovery potions from the Silverleaf Workshop stall.
Good, supplies secured.

Unlike the last time I was ambushed in a narrow corridor, this open dance square is practically an ideal battlefield for me, allowing me to maximize my speed and agility without worrying about surprise attacks or restricted movement.
Mana is also sufficient. In terms of direct combat, I hold all the advantages.
All I need to do now is figure out how to calm the crowd, stop the chaos, and eliminate the possibility of being stabbed in the back.
Then, once Grey finishes over there and returns, Necross will have nowhere to hide, no chance for another lucky escape.
Though I don't know the purpose of this attack... I will definitely exterminate this scum down to her last cell.

Speaking of which, to quell the chaos, I should get help from the influential lord.
In two or three leaps, I jumped onto the dance floor and looked toward the stone platform. However, only overturned tables and chairs remained; not a single person was in sight.
Where did the lord go? See danger and flee with his guards?
...No, that's not right. It's not that simple. Something's felt off since just now.
I gripped my ice sword, leaped again, and landed lightly on the high platform. My gaze swept quickly over it—tables and chairs were overturned, but the ground was clean, no bloodstains, no obvious signs of battle or destruction.
...Doesn't look like it was attacked by that evil elf.

I turned around, standing at the height, looking down at the still-chaotic dance floor and square below.
Panic continued, but the number of bodies didn't seem to be increasing anymore.
Moreover, all the deceased died in the exact same way—that silent decapitation, clearly the result of the same magic.
This confirms my judgment.
The killings here are just a diversion, a pre-arranged ploy by Necross to cause a disturbance and separate me from Grey. Her real target is indeed at Silverleaf Workshop?
But then, what's with this lingering sense of incongruity...?

As I concentrated on my thoughts, a familiar figure suddenly stumbled over a railing, rushed into the dance floor, and ran toward me on the high platform, waving frantically—it was Emily!
She was alone, her clothes relatively intact, seemingly unhurt, but her face was covered in terror and tears.
My alarm bells rang. I leaped down, landing before her. Her eyes lit up with relief.
"Via, sis—"
I reversed my grip on the ice sword, pointing the tip diagonally at the ground between us, blocking her from throwing herself at me.
Emily's movement halted. She stopped in place, her body trembling uncontrollably, tears rolling down like broken strings of pearls. I'm sorry.
I stared at her intently, but her face, posture, and clothing were identical to when we parted.
"I'm very sorry, but please don't come closer for now. Didn't you go home with Adam and Rosemary?"

Mentioning Adam, Emily visibly choked up. Through her sobs, she said,
"Adam, Adam he..."
I narrowed my eyes. The contract shows not a single tremor.
If the person before me says something like "Adam was killed," I'll have to ask her to take a nap first. Don't worry, it won't be fatal.
However, what Emily said exceeded my expectations.
"...He's gone."
"...Gone? Weren't you walking together?"
"We were walking together! But, just now, he went around a corner first, carrying Rosemary on his back... It was just one corner! But by the time I went around it, he was gone! Only Rosemary was left, fallen on the ground!"

I was stunned, my brain rapidly processing this information.
A living person, carrying another, vanishes into thin air around a corner? Leaving only the person being carried?
That's impossible!

I sharply looked up, scanning the entire square again. The scattering, fleeing crowds, the bodies on the ground...
I understand the source of the incongruity now.
The number of people is wrong!
The number of people remaining in this square now, whether alive or dead, is less than before the disturbance began. And it's not just a few; it's decreased by at least a quarter!
But how is that possible?
Necross can indeed freely move between the so-called "living" and "dead" worlds. But her magical ability shouldn't be sufficient to drag others in, let alone such a large number of people!
Does she have a powerful mage assisting her? Or perhaps...

Just as this thought formed, my fingertips began to tremble involuntarily. Immediately afterward, an agony—like an ice spike driven into my marrow—erupted from the point of the contract connection, instantly sweeping through my entire body!

The contract... the contract is on the verge of collapsing!
Adam...! What in the world have you encountered?