We went back to the house and moved to the living room.
　Once again Tina made me a cup of tea and....
　In the meantime, I asked the rest of them to get together.
　Rifa's story seemed to be quite important, so I thought it would be best to get everyone together to hear it properly.

'Surprise,'

　Rifa looked at Tania and Nina and rolled her eyes.

'I didn't know there was a dragon race and a god race too.
My name is Tania.
Nina...

　They greeted each other, and finally Sola said hello.

　Then we take our seats.
　I'm facing Rifa.
　Sora and Luna sat on either side of me, with Kanade and Tania each at an angle.
　Nina and Tina moved to sit next to Rifa.
　It's like a circle around the circle.

''Nya........next to Rain, it was taken.......''
Those twins got to work fast.........
Uh-huh.
The game has already begun.

　For some reason, sparks were flying between Kanade and Tania, Sola and Luna...
　It doesn't seem to be a fight, so I let it go for now.

'Well then, can you tell me a story?

　Rifa nodded with a coy smile and spoke of her purpose.

'Bok, I want you to help the demon race.

　The content of the story was more important than I thought it would be... and yet, it was a story I didn't understand.
　What did it mean?　I can't help but nod my head.
　Seemingly sensing such a question, Rifa moved on to a detailed explanation.

''I am a demon race. They call me a vampire, which is rare among them.
Oh, I've heard of it!　They're a bad demon race that suck human blood.

　Kanade narrowed his eyes in alarm.
　'I just don't see Rifa as the kind of girl who would do that.

'There are vampires like that. But that's only part of it. I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about it. We live in harmony with humans.
Yeah I'm sorry, I'm sorry I said that.

　Kanade apologized honestly, as he felt that Rifa wasn't lying to him.
　Shaking her head as if she didn't care, Rifa continued her story.

"I live in a town called Krios, just a short distance from entering the University of Tokyo.
'Krios I've heard of it.

　Tania opened her mouth, as if she had an idea.

''As far as the size of the city is concerned, apparently it's not too different from this Horizon. It's just that it's a tenth of the population...um, I wonder if it was less than that?　Anyway, the town is characterized by the fact that the demon tribe lives together. I've heard that the demon tribe's abilities are used to their advantage and the place is quite crowded. Well, I've only heard about it, but I've never seen it in person, so I don't know what it's like now.
Hom. Tania knows a lot about this.
'I used to travel all over the place before I met Rayne. I overheard some of them when I was there.
Tania's right. It's one less thing for me to explain.

　A city where humans and the most powerful species coexist...
　I'd love to go see it if I get a chance.

　But maybe we can't talk about such a leisurely story.
　Rifa's face is very serious.

''Right now, Krios is ... about to be destroyed.
That's not a gentle story what's going on here?
There's a stampede happening.
Sutan....pido?

　Nina didn't seem to know and tilted her head in wonder.
　However, everyone else seemed to know, and their faces turned grim.

''Mmm, is there such a thing as a stampede happening........''
What's that?
''Stampede.......is a phenomenon in which a combination of factors causes demons to explode and multiply. Like a swarm of locusts destroying crops, a stampede would destroy the surrounding city, or something like that.
"We don't know much about humans but we do know about the demons that are our natural enemies.
'Ooh ... Sora and Luna, savvy ...'
Hmph. Don't praise me. Praise, praise, praise.
Which way?
Okay, you two better shut up for a second.

　Just as the conversation started to drift off, Tina put a stop to it.
　As expected, her timing is perfect.

'There was a stampede near Krios.
No, it can't be...
Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
No, no.
Oh, no?
We can handle a normal stampede, we can handle it.

　The ogre race is one of the most powerful species in the world.
　Its power has been proven earlier.
　That wouldn't be serious yet, so if you give it your all, those demons aren't your enemies.

　When the Stampede happens and you're dealing with thousands or tens of thousands of demons, you're going to have a tough time, as expected...
　From what I've heard, there are a lot of demon tribes in Krios.
　If people cooperate there, it's not possible to have zero casualties, but I think we can control the Stampede.
　Since the problem is the problem, there will be reinforcements from the royal capital...

　That's the kind of answer we arrive at in general.
　However, the fact that Rifa is asking for help like this means that she must be in an unusual situation.

'Normal, by that I mean........an unusual situation is occurring?
Hmm. I'm picking up a series of stampede events.
Consecutive...?

　It's not normal.
　The Stampede is said to occur once every ten years or so.
　If it's a precursor, it happens occasionally.

　Just as storms disappear naturally.
　The omens end up being only omens and rarely evolve into stampede.

'The first stampede happened a month ago. Three days to control it. Then a week later, the second stampede occurred. The third stampede was five days later.
'You've been up three times?
It can't be...
'The odds of something like that happening are like winning the lottery in a row...'

　It wasn't just me, everyone else was surprised.
　The fact that the Stampede is a series of stamps is such an unbelievable phenomenon.

'The demon race has its limits, too. People are even more so. There is no limit to the number of reinforcements that can come. We've built a defensive wall and turned the city into a fort, but how long can we hold out?

　Here, for the first time, Rifa showed a worried look on her face.
　I'm sure she's worried about her friends and neighbors that she's left behind in the city.

　I can understand that feeling.
　I was separated from everyone else just a few days ago, you know.....
　When someone you care about is in danger and you can't see their face, it's very unsettling.

'Oh....'

　I found myself leaning over and patting Rifa's head.

'Uh ... sorry, by the way.'
Hmmm ... okay. It's a relief ... more.

　Rifa demanded, and I patted her head a little more.

'Hmm, it's all right now.'

　Once Rifa regained her composure, she returned to her original position.
　Tania opened her mouth when she saw the timing.

'So you heard the rumors about Rain, and you're in reinforcements?
No, no.

　Rifa shook her face at Tania's question.

''We can still subdue the Stampede. Right now, we're just daring to cage it in order to limit the unnecessary wear and tear. Rather than suppressing it, we need to find out what's causing the Stampede to fire continuously.
Yeah, that sounds reasonable.
'My people have discovered that there is a powerful magical reaction away from Krios. A month ago there was a reaction from the time the first stampede occurred. It's very suspicious.
'Could it be ... that the Rifa is artificially caused by the stampede?　Is that what you think?
"Hm.

　As if it was a correct answer, Rifa nodded with a cocoon.

　It's not normal to artificially cause the Stampede, but.....
　But that being said, can't the Stampede be a streak in and of itself?
　A lot of this incident is outside the norm.
　I'd better not take what's happened up until now for granted.

''We have determined that someone with a powerful magical power is causing the stampede. That's why we chose to defeat it. But.....

　Rifa got a dark look on her face and...
　He slumped down to hide his face.
　The hand on his knee is squeezed tightly.


It's...
We don't know who we're dealing with. But it turns out that even our most powerful species is no match for it.

　There are only a few existences that are comparable to the most powerful species.
　

　Or..........demon race.

Hypothetically, we've decided that this enemy is as powerful as the demons. And so I've decided to ask for help.
So you're with me?
'I hear Rain has defeated the demon race. So ... so ... so ...

　Rifa's voice shook with sadness.
　He was expressionless the whole time...
　His eyes moisten and his expression crumples as he crumples.

'Please ... save my people ... my family ... my friends ...'