"What if we stay here?"
"Then you'll be taken away. And it'll be by those guys whom you know very well are demons, to wherever kind of hell these demons come from."
"I—"
Brain glared at him, and the woman who had raised her voice cut it out immediately.
"I allow you to speak."
"...My child is only three years old. If I stay here, and go to the same place as him..."
"Really now. I have no interest in helping anyone who doesn't want to run. But this guy is different. Just so you know, if your son's been taken to another warehouse, there's the chance he'll be rescued by another team. If you want to ignore that and stay, then I won't stop you. A kid without his mom can live by himself, but I haven't seen anyone take care of their kid to this extent."
Brain spoke coldly to the disheartened civilians.
"Then I'll say it one more time. If you stay here, you'll be taken away by the demons. If you accept this and want to stay, I won't stop you. After all, when you leave this warehouse, there's a chance you might get killed in a demonic attack while fleeing."
Climb had to interrupt here. Since Brain had said this much, it was necessary.
"But, we will defend anyone who wants to flee."
"I don't like troublesome things, but I'm doing it because of this knight of Renner's. So I'll protect you lot. We'll move out in a few minutes. Staying or leaving is your choice. If you want to discuss your freedom softly, that's your choice as well. Do as you like."
There was no discussion. This was because they were uneasy that their neighbors might be demons but because many of them were hoping that their relatives would be rescued by another team and they would be reunited.
There shouldn't be another team. We checked so many warehouses, and only a couple weren't empty.
Brain decided not to think too much on the matter, instead gripping his sword and glaring fiercely at the captives, making sure that none of them made too much noise. Climb walked over to Brain, and spoke softly.
"Thank you, Brain-san. You did what I couldn't do for myself."
"Don't worry about it, all that crap was stuff that someone like you, who serves Renner, couldn't say. But for a mercenary like me, it shouldn't cause any problems in the future. Just think of me as a whip."
"Even so, I'm still grateful."
"It'll get troublesome if we get stuck in an endless loop. I get it, I'll accept your thanks. Hm? That fellow's back."
The thief entered Brain's field of vision. He should have been keeping watch on the outside and remaining on standby. Since he wasn't coming back in a hurry, that meant it wasn't a dangerous situation.
"What happened?"
"Ah, no, Unglaus-san. The demons don't look like they're coming over yet. But like you said, it's only a matter of time."
"That it is. Who knows, this might be their final objective. Did you take a look around outside? What was that earthquake just now?"
"I have no idea. Maybe the ground caved in and demons came crawling out of the earth?"
"Don't say that sort of thing, that’s the worst-case scenario..."
"Sorry, sorry, Climb-kun."
"Then, let's get ready to move."
Just as Brain was about to order the citizens around, there was a sound of something landing outside the warehouse.
The warehouse quietened immediately. The thief stuck close to the doors to carefully check out the outside. His hand began moving in signs. They formed the shapes that the three of them had decided meant "demon". Following that, he signalled, "a strong one".
Climb and Brain exchanged looks. Then they quietly moved to where the thief was.
They saw a demon outside. It was completely different from the ones they had encountered before. It gave off the feeling of tremendous power.
Its body was nearly three meters tall, and it had bat wings upon its back. Its head was a goat skull, and in its hands it held a large hammer.
The demon turned its gaze to the warehouse, and Climb's concealed party felt its eyesight on them. Had it used magic to sense them? It was definitely waiting for them to show themselves.
"That guy looks really strong..."
"No doubt about it."
Brain muttered, and the thief answered. Climb nodded his head in agreement.
Climb quietly watched Brain. He had angered him during that encounter with Shalltear. As such, if Brain told Climb to flee, Climb fully intended to obey.
"...Climb, fight by my side."
"Yes!"
Climb answered in a soft yet earnest voice.
"Will it be all right?"
"Ah, just look at that guy. He must have fled from a fight. He's covered in wounds. If he were unhurt, I don't think all of us together could beat him. But now, if we can charge him simultaneously, we might be able to win in one blow."
“I'm counting on you,” Brain said as he patted Climb's shoulder.
Climb nodded his head vigorously, and activated his ring's power. This ring, made by the Dragon Lords using Wild Magic, contained a spell that could temporarily increase a warrior's strength. If the strongest man in the Kingdom Gazef Stronoff used it, he could step into the realm of heroes, but Climb had not reached that state yet. Even in combination with his martial art 「Limit Breaker— Mind」, he could not even touch the bottoms of Brain's feet. However, it would still grant Climb the power of a mithril ranked warrior.
"All right, let's go."
Brain, who was leading the way, was stopped by the thief.
"Unglaus-san—"
"Shouldn't you call me Brain? You're older than me, calling me -san or whatever makes me uncomfortable."
"...then, Brain. What should I do?"
"Just stay here, Lockmeyer. That guy might think we're just a decoy."
"...I'll come to help you if you're in danger."
"Then I'll count on you. Come on, Climb-kun. Although you probably know by now... don't get cocky."
"Yes sir!"
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Lower Fire Month (9th Month) , 5th Day, 04:03