Even though Zich had prepared a countermeasure, the most ideal thing that could happen was for the monsters to not attack Pialu in the first place. However, not all wishes came true, so Lyla headed to the Denest Mountain Range while holding the Pyramid of Vengeful Souls to get rid of the monsters. Since Lyla was a high-level mage skilled in mana control, everyone thought Lyla would be better at using it. Above all, since Lyla could teleport, she could quickly decipher the monsters’ movements and return. Like she had expected, she saw an army of monsters coming down from the mountain range and advancing toward Pialu.
“So, it’s finally came to this,” the commander swiped his face with his hands and sighed. The situation he had wanted to avoid at all costs was edging closer to reality.
“Did the Pyramid of Vengeful Souls have an effect on them?” the commander asked Lyla almost pleadingly.
“It did to a degree, and it caused their balance to break. Strong monsters began killing the weaker ones or they ate them.”
“Then, can’t you make the monsters get rid of each other?” the commander asked as his expression brightened up. However, if this was possible, Lyla would have done so a long time ago.
“That was the extent of influence the pyramid could exert on them. Their forces might have weakened compared to before, but they are definitely going to arrive at Pialu soon.”
“Is it because of the Pyramid of Vengeful Souls in the enemy’s possession?”
“Probably.”
“If we and our enemy both have the same item, shouldn’t we be able to half-control the monsters?”
“That may sound reasonable, but we don’t know much about the Pyramid of Vengeful Souls. The effect of the pyramid could change depending on a person’s experience with them or our enemy could have multiple pyramids. Or, there could be a completely different reason that’s preventing us from having less control over the monsters.”
“So, in other words, we have to prepare for the monster invasion.”
“Yes, but don’t worry. Zich will come soon. He won’t take too long.”
“I really hope so,” the commander said and strengthened his resolve. Then, he got up from his chair to prepare for the upcoming battle.
* * *
They held a meeting. Even those who had gone out to patrol the surroundings were called to question Til. Since there was no meaning to searching for Til anymore, they used a beacon to call everyone back in. A heavy silence weighed down the meeting room, and all the people who looked at Til in surprise or wariness pressed their lips tightly now.
“So, in short, we have to minimize the damages as much as possible before Mr. Zich comes.” The commander’s firm voice rang in the silent space.
“How long would we have to endure?” one mercenary asked. The commander shook his head.
“We don’t know exactly.”
“So, are you telling us to just endure without really knowing what’s going on?”
“Then, is there another way?” the commander asked, and the mercenary didn’t reply. “Even if you order everyone to escape, it’s too late now. All we can do is trust Sir Zich’s words.”
“Then, shouldn’t he have at least told us what his plans are?” The one behind this question was Glen. As if he had felt the danger of the situation, Glen had a hard expression on his face unlike his usual self. Then, Glen turned to Lyla. “Ms. Lyla, you said you knew what Sir Zich’s solution was.”
“Yes.”
“Then, please tell us what it is.”
“I can’t tell you.”
“…Are you really telling us to put our lives on the line for a method you can’t tell us?”
“If you word it like that, I suppose so,” Lyla answered.
Bam! Glen slammed the table hard. People’s eyes narrowed at Glen’s violent behavior, but many of them agreed with his feelings. In a way, Lyla’s response seemed to be devoid of any sense of responsibility.
“Do you realize how nonsensical you sound?”
“Then, do you have a solution you would like to propose, Sir Zenard? Please tell us. If it’s reasonable, then we can replace ours with yours.”
“No, wouldn’t everything be solved if you just tell us what this solution is?!” Glen insisted.
In his head, Glen thought, ‘By solution, it’s probably a solution regarding the army of monsters.’ Since his subordinates hadn’t returned at the promised time, Glen had already established that the plan involving Til and Nick was a failure. Thus, there was only one thing left for him to do: destroy Pialu so that Zich couldn’t earn merits for the achievements he had made in the city.
Glen was shocked when Til first brought the Pyramid of Vengeful Souls with him. He insulted his incapable subordinates furiously inside his mind. However, it was still possible for him to call the monsters even if another party had the Pyramid of Vengeful Souls. He had engraved it into the monsters’ heads to only respond to the pyramid he had. Although it took a lot of preparation to do this and the number of monsters he could call lessened with this method, he had no choice since he couldn’t completely shield them from the influence of another pyramid.
‘Only this solution is left now.’ Yet, Lyla was the only one in the room who knew what this solution was, and she kept her mouth sealed. Even at the risk of diminishing his pure holy image, he insisted on an answer forcefully. Yet Lyla seemed like she had no intention of opening her mouth.
“Once again, I can’t tell you,” Lyla said.
“…What if we say that we won’t follow your words?”
“Then, what else do you all plan to do?”
Glen had a difficult time coming up with a response.
“Wouldn’t it be good to evacuate the city residents?” One of the leaders participating in the meeting offered a suggestion, but Lyla shook her head.
“Again, it’s too late now. If we move people outside the city hastily, it might cause more harm instead.”
“…Then, I suppose we have no choice but to follow Mr. Zich’s words.”
No one disagreed, and thus, they reached a decision.
* * *
Lara returned to her lodging after a while. Lying on the bed seemed to relieve the fatigue of staying outdoors for several days. Lara had been searching for signs of Til with Hans. It was a much harder task than patrolling the city. However, Lara enjoyed this task despite her fatigue. Moreover, she felt that it was much more meaningful work than staying in Glen’s party and getting ignored and looked down on by Glen. It was also a great experience to work with Hans.
After meeting him a few times, Lara thought that he was an extremely hardworking and good person, and her thoughts were confirmed by working with him the past few days. Searching for someone was an extremely boring task since they needed to persistently work on an uncertain goal and look for a person that they might never find. There was also a high possibility that all their efforts would be in vain.
However, Hans continued to press on with extreme persistence and hard work. Moreover, when they happened to cross a monster, he never let a single one escape. He was also very caring and kind to Lara. With all these factors combined, Lara’s heart felt comfortable for the first time in a long while. However, this only lasted for a very short while. When a beacon was raised on the next mountain as a sign for them to return to Pialu, Lara realized she felt extremely disappointed.
[I hope this helps you find the part of yourself you lost.]
These were the words that Hans had told her when they separated in the city. As he said, Lara felt like she had returned to the person she was when she first began her journey. However, when she returned to her party’s lodging, she felt as if this feeling was a shining memory from a long time ago.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
“Ms. Browning! Mr. Glen is calling for you!” Lara heard Chelsea’s voice. It seemed as if Glen was gathering his party members. In the past, Glen used to call her personally, but from a certain point onwards, he never knocked on her door again. Lara lifted her body and opened the door. There was no one there. Chelsea seemed to have already headed towards Glen’s room. Wasn’t it normal for comrades to wait for each other in situations like this? However, Lara was used to this treatment. She went to Glen’s room and knocked on the door.
“Come in.” When she opened the door and went in, she saw Glen, Chelsea, and Pina. It seemed as if she was the last person to arrive. Lara pulled out a chair for herself and sat down without complaint. When everyone arrived, Glen began explaining what happened in the meeting he attended just now.
Chelsea slightly frowned and said, “Then, do we have to just blindly listen to Zich and defend against the monsters until who knows when? That’s so irresponsible of him.”
“I share the same thoughts.” Glen nodded. “But even then, it’s already been decided, so we have to follow his words.” Glen contemplated deeply about what choice he should make, but in the end, he decided to defend against the monsters on the frontline. The biggest reason why he made this decision was because of the countermeasure that Zich talked about. ‘I need to figure out what his plan is.’
Since there were so many variables in this timeline, it might be a countermeasure he never imagined before. ‘It might be possible for me to hinder him.’ Then, Pialu might get destroyed like Glen hoped for. ‘If that happens, I can push the responsibility of Pialu’s annihilation onto him.’
Moreover, based on the image that Glen had been building, it was also expected of him to face the monsters on the frontline. In every possible way, it was only natural that Glen should take the lead in this battle.
“Perhaps, does he have some kind of suspicious plan? It’s already strange that he suddenly brought the captain of Wolf’s Canine. The captain of Wolf’s Canine was the most likely culprit at one point after all.” Chelsea already had hated Zich, so she used this opportunity to insult him. Of course, she pretended like she was carefully suggesting a thought on the surface.
‘There’s no way that’s true.’ Lara thought this in her mind and was completely shocked. She didn’t imagine that she’d take Zich’s side. She hadn’t thought very well of Zich initially, but it seemed as if her favorable impression of Hans had also spread to Zich.
While Lara was shocked by her change in thought, Glen continued, “We don’t have any evidence. Let’s avoid baseless suspicions for now.” Glen spoke with principles, but everyone could see that he was not pleased to say this.
“Anyway, since the city has decided on its policy, we have to do our job.” Glen exchanged glances between Chelsea and Pina and said, “Both of you follow orders from the top of the walls like you’ve been doing so far. Pina, you use magic, and Chelsea, heal those who are injured.”
“Got it.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Both of them nodded their heads. Glen continued, “And Lara, kill the monsters climbing up the city walls.”
“Then, what about you, Glen?”
“We decided that those who are skilled will go down the city walls and face the high-level monsters since there’s a high possibility that the city walls would collapse if they make contact with the walls.”
Lara would have just quietly followed Glen’s orders if she acted like usual. She would have ignored and suppressed her opinions with the reasoning that Glen was the leader, and she needed to follow him. However, Lara was different from usual today.
“Could I also go down the city walls?”
“…Lara, you want to?” Glen looked slightly surprised, as he didn’t expect Lara to question his order. His expression didn’t look pleased, and Lara flinched. The words she wanted to say hovered around her mouth; on one hand, she wanted to just accept his orders like before and quickly get over this situation, but Lara took one step further today.
“Yeah. With my skills, I think I’ll be helpful in stopping the high-level monsters.”
[You’re strong, Ms. Browning.]
The words that Hans told her before they separated circled inside her mind.