Brain pulled the thief over, and spoke to him after making sure Climb couldn't see or hear them talk.
"Hey, do you think it was a good idea to bring Climb here? Wouldn't it be better to make sure he went home safe rather than completing the mission?"
"...You're a big old softy, aren't you?"
"Enough with that nonsense. And considering you're the one who volunteered to be the emergency stand-in for this suicide mission, I think you're the bigger softy."
The thief laughed nervously, and then looked at the confused youth who was facing them.
"How shall I put it... seeing a kid like him fight so hard made me remember the days when I was still young, even if it was just for a while. I think I understand how you feel about this too. Even so..."
The thief's eyes shone with a sharp and brilliant conviction.
"It was the path he chose. We have no right to force him off it."
Brain sighed.
"I'm interested in that brat too. I'm pretty certain how he feels about the princess, judging by the look in his eye and the way he reacts when put in danger. Hell of a kid, isn't he? He's honest and brash. Because of that... he's like a thief who's set his eyes on the Kingdom's most valuable treasure."
"That’s right. He might still die, but at least he'll have chosen it."
With that, Brain made up his mind.
"Then, we'd best get a move on. Don't know when Shalltear might catch up with us."
Part 2
Lower Fire Month (9th Month) , 5th Day, 03:38
The adventurers from the palace retreated past the barricade to the rear. The guards they passed through had been ordered to hold the line until the adventurers' wounds could be healed.
Once the adventurers had passed through the opening in the barricade, it was immediately filled up again with planks and other debris.
Nobody else remained in front of the barricade. This meant that this was the frontline.
Looking back, the guards could see the ragged adventurers as they limped towards the rear. Fresh claw and scorch marks adorned their armor, as did the sprays of fresh blood.
Further behind that was the wall of fire burning in the background. They had penetrated roughly 150 meters into enemy territory. Indeed, judging by the dread that the once-familiar capital had inspired in them, it felt like a foreboding, alien world; enemy territory indeed.
The adventurers had spent time looting the surrounding houses and tearing parts of them down to form a barricade. The guards had thought it would be an useful obstacle, but now it seemed puny and insignificant. It felt like it would crumble at the first sign of serious resistance.
"It's okay. The demons haven't pursued the adventurers. The enemy hasn't chosen to attack, they're just making a strong defense. No problems. They won't attack."
Someone else was repeating these words again. They were meant to mask his anxiety and embodied his wish to return home alive. He repeated his prayer to his god.
There were forty-five men manning the barricade. They carried spears and wore leather armor. Among these was a man in a helmet, Bona Ingray. He was one of the many guard captains mobilized tonight.
Though he had the title of captain, in truth he was no different than the other guards. His physique was nothing special, nor was his mind particularly sharp. The younger guards were stronger and faster than him. He had made it to this position simply because he had served as a guard until he was forty, and because there was nobody else to fill it.
His face turned pale, and his hands gripped his spear so tightly the edges of his fingers turned white. Looking closely, one could see that his legs were trembling. His gaze was fixed forward solely because he did not want to see something horrible. His entirely unreliable posture only increased the guards' unease further.
Then again, it was to be expected, considering this was the first time their lives would actually be on the line in a battle.
The Kingdom fought with the Empire every year, sending troops to Kattse Plain. But the guards were tasked with the protection of the city, and thus they were not dispatched to the frontlines. Because of this, the position of city guard was coveted by those citizens who did not want to fight against the Empire. But now―
They had had ample experience dealing with squabbles between drunken peasants, but there had never been a case where they had to fight to the death. Because of that, their fear grew even further. The only reason they did not break and flee was because they knew running away would be an unforgivable sin.
Even if they were somehow absolved, they would still be guilty of not protecting the city properly. That was the sole reason why they had not been sent to the front. If they failed in doing that, then they would surely be forced into the frontlines during the next war with the Empire.
"I'm going to quit my job as a guard if I make it through this in one piece."
Bona grumbled to himself quietly, and many of the people around him agreed.
"Do you still remember what the adventurers said?"
"Are we talking about what to do if we encounter hellhounds, great hellhounds, gazer devils and demon swarms?"
"That's right. Does anyone know anything about fighting demons? Especially their weak points, what they're bad at, that sort of thing."
Nobody answered; they were too busy looking at each other.
Bona's expression conveyed how useless he thought they were without having to say a word. When he saw dissatisfaction on some of the others' faces, he looked away and slammed the butt of his spear into the ground.
"Damn it! Can't those adventurers explain better?"
The adventurers who had shared their knowledge with the guards had been heavily wounded and were falling back as fast as they could. Just telling them the name of the enemy was all they could do, let alone telling them how they looked like, or how to fight them.
However, it would be too harsh on the adventurers to solely blame them for this situation. There was no proper communication between the guards and the adventurers, and as a result the amount of information being shared was low. In fact, forming the defense line out of guards who didn't know anything could be blamed on the senior guards as well. Also, not all guards were uninformed about the demons. Under different circumstances, some of them might have learned something about the enemy.