"Shit, dodge."

The first attacker tried to push the healer out of Mary's way once he realized where Mary would attack. Unfortunately, it was too late for him to prevent Mary's axe from cleaving the healer's arm off.

Even though the healer had highly advanced magic and could save someone from the brink of death, that did not mean she was saved from the psychological damage such a huge injury would give her.

The healer clutched her served arm and let out a painful yell at the hurt she felt.

"What the hell did you do, you demon? Healer, take a potion. This time, we will protect you for sure-"

The opponent was getting distracted, which gave Mary time to launch a solid attack that knocked the speaker out.

Two and a half people were dead, and just one healthy person to go.

Seeing his companions go down, the second attacker panicked. And instead of helping the healer relax and return to their senses, he spoke and yelled at the healer to hurry up and get herself together.

"Healer, snap out of it. An enemy is attacking us, and we cannot handle it alone. I need your head in the game-"

Unfortunately, those were the last words the man ever got to speak before he was killed off as well. Mary looked at the healer once she was the only one left. And then, with an almost solemn expression, Mary also killed off the last obstacle.

Once her course was clear, it was time for her to go and save her young miss. Unfortunately for Layla, Mary ran into Raziel and his fight first.

Since Raziel had not been training for long, he was clumsy in the fight and was losing quite badly. Mary, as a teacher, did not like this, so she decided to help Raziel out during his fight.

"Looks like you could use some help, pup. Let me help you out with these opponents."

Mary asked as she smacked her bloody axe into one of the opponent's backs. The opponent was suddenly taken aback, and he ended up dying from the impact.

This fight suddenly turned two against one, but Raziel had someone else to tell Mary.

"Head out and go after Miss Layla. One of these people followed her so that she might be in trouble. It would not be right if she ended up dead because we took so long taking care of these people."

Raziel spoke firmly, and Mary felt her heart skip a beat in a way that almost felt like fear.

But that was a useless thought. Demons did not feel fear or such emotions. It must be the distress she was feeling.

For someone like her, who had spent a lot of resources taking care of someone and raising them up, losing their contractor would be a huge deal breaker. It made sense why Mary was feeling this way at the moment.

'I am sure this is nothing huge. I can work on controlling my emotions once I am sure Lady Layla is alright.'

Unfortunately for Mary, her young lady was not right.

...

Layla felt her lungs burn as she ran for her life. She hid behind the tree, hoping she would not be found, but that did not help her.

'I want to fight that man badly, but my core is aching. I don't think I should risk it.'

Layla would have used her weapon, but her body felt heavier than usual, and her magic fluctuated. It was bad enough that she could not suppress it and hide herself properly.

'At this rate, I would be discovered quickly. I need to do something about it-'

Layla closed her eyes and took deep breaths to calm her mind. But somehow, that did not help. Before Layla knew it, she had been discovered.

"You can run but not hide from me, Young Miss Layla. Now, it is time for you to pay your dues to me. Won't you come out and play with me before that?"

The attacker asked as he walked toward Layla's hiding spot.

Layla gripped her gun tightly, and as soon as the man looked behind the bush, she fired her shot.

It hit the man in the side of his face, and the intense raw magic burned that face away.

The attacker immediately clutched his churned face in disbelief and shock. But it turned into anger within a few seconds.

"You stupid shit! I was taking it easy on you because I did not want to hurt a kid. But now, we have crossed a line that should not have been crossed. I will never forgive you for this."

The attacker growled before he flexed his hands, and his claws came out. He also turned half-human, showing that he was using transformation magic.

Layla braced herself as the man lunged at her.

She had fast reflexes, but they were failing her today. Her body did not feel like it was her own, and before she knew it, someone grabbed her neck, and she was picked up from the ground.

"I am going to enjoy tormenting you and making your every moment feel painful. Get ready to lose your life."

The man yelled as he held Layla high in the air. Looking at his face was one thing that Layla found difficult.

But she could somehow grab the hand holding onto her neck and squeeze it as harshly as possible.

"L-Let go-!"

Oxygen hardly reached Layla's lungs, making her feel faint and tired. Her limbs felt heavy, and she was almost afraid that this might be the end of her life.

Her panic stirred her, and her core decided to work.

A broken core is painful and irritating, but it can even react to dangers to someone's life. After all, your life and adventures were all over once you were dead. And a core could not function without a body that was alive.

It was working in weird ways, but Layla was somehow still alive.