Daughter of King

Chapter 6

Lily hummed happily to herself as she left the comic shop. It was a small store compared to some of the other ones she frequented, but it was more likely to carry less popular or newer titles by up and coming authors. It was nice to get a fresh narrative after so many years of the same few big names, and there were some cool art styles waiting to be discovered. In her bag were several interesting shoujos for her and her mother, as well as a new isekai she thought her dad might like.

It was a little weird looking, but that seemed right up his alley. Hopefully, he would enjoy the story of a weak man being reborn into a demon king's body and struggling to hide his cowardice from the world.

A siren shattered the afternoon peace, the horrible oscillating sound sending everyone running in different directions. Instinctively, Lily began running against the crowd, heading for what she assumed was the center of the emergency. She had no real way to be sure, though. She hadn't received any notification from the Association, so it was likely B Class Heroes weren't being called on. That could mean one of two things.

One, the emergency was below her level, or, two, it was way above it.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket, refreshing the Association App for any updates. To her horror, the map of her immediate area was highlighted by the purple outline indicating a Demon level threat.

There was no way she would be able to deal with that on her own!

Her steps faltered and she had to brace herself against the chalky side of a concrete building. Her hands and feet felt oddly weak, her limbs unwilling or unable to respond as she tried to turn around and join the crowd running for their lives. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she gripped at the front of her chest reflexively.

She didn't even have a weapon. How could she possibly be of any use?

No. She couldn't think like that. She was a Hero, wasn't she? She knew the kinds of danger she would be facing when she signed up for a life of service. This wasn't the time to back down!

At the very least, she could help with evacuations.

Newly resolved, she set down the bag of manga. Odds were it would be stolen or destroyed by the time she thought to come back for it, but she had no problem buying everything again. Supporting small businesses was important, after all.

The closer she got the epicenter of the disaster, the fewer people she saw. The city was surprisingly intact, for a Demon level incident. None of the buildings had collapsed, anyway. Usually, a threat of that magnitude meant a flattening of the entire area. That was one of the main reasons only Heroes of the right Class were allowed to even enter the danger zone—a rule she was blatantly ignoring, right now.

Technically, she hadn't entered it. She was already in it when it appeared. That wasn't her fault. No one could get mad at her for that...right?

It was too late to worry about that, now.

She began checking for survivors, ducking into storefronts and calling out, announcing herself as a member of the Blizzard Group. Her name wasn't nearly well known enough for people to trust her with their lives, but Miss Fubuki had garnered quite the reputation as the number one B Class Hero. It was one of the best things about being a high ranking Hero, in Lily's mind. Being famous could mean having a lot money or fans, but what mattered to her was the power to calm the panic monsters brought with them. Just the sound of Miss Fubuki's name was enough to bring otherwise unruly civilians in line. Knowing that someone so strong was out there, fighting for you...

Lily wanted that.

A tremor wracked the earth and she stumbled, just barely catching herself. There must be a fight happening nearby.