Ch.181Rapidly Changing Situation (2)

# 181. Rapidly Changing Situation (2)

“Alert status?”

“It doesn’t seem like just a regular alert. Judging by the expressions of the higher-ups, something extremely serious must have happened…”

“What exactly is this serious situation?”

“They haven’t disclosed anything yet, either because they’re not certain themselves or they don’t want to create an atmosphere of fear. But if they’re issuing another alert when we thought everything was resolved, there must be a good reason, right?”

Soldiers of lower rank conversed among themselves.

“Brother, is it true that the holy barrier was helplessly broken through?”

“…I cannot share the details. Those were my orders. I apologize.”

“Oh, by the gods. That alone feels like an answer. Why aren’t they reinforcing the barrier right now?”

“I don’t know that much either… May the goddess protect us.”

The priests of the clergy whispered anxiously.

“Even with pressure from the Vice Commander, did the leader really need to go personally? What about that, you know, sending that scout captain again? In a way, aren’t they responsible for reporting that nothing was wrong?”

“Ahem. It’s only natural to judge the reports based on the circumstances at the time. How can someone who walks the path of magic make such result-oriented statements?”

“Don’t deflect with theoretical talk. Whatever our differences, we are mages of the Faelm Fortress Mage Corps. It’s a fact that the recent scout captain belongs to the Mage Corps, and shortly after their report that there was no problem, this situation occurred. Will you walk the path of irresponsibility? Or bear the yoke of incompetence?”

“Hmm…”

“Enough. The matter is already decided. This meeting is for notification, not discussion. Prepare the best forces from each school. Thirty minutes. Complete all preparations within thirty minutes and send them to me.”

The mages of the Mage Corps debated heatedly.

“I desperately miss Luna at the estate today…”

“Hey, why say something like that so suddenly?”

“You know it too. The feeling. It’s not good.”

“That’s exactly why you shouldn’t say or think such things.”

“I suppose you’re right. Sorry.”

Even the knights of the Order were on edge.

Though the leadership had controlled the situation without revealing all the facts, the atmosphere in the fortress, which had just begun to calm down, was once again engulfed in anxiety. It spread like a contagion—quietly yet rapidly—but these were veterans. At least they didn’t openly display their unease or resort to work slowdowns or desertion. Not that they had anywhere to run to anyway.

Regardless, it wasn’t long after the fortress atmosphere had grown serious that adventurers—outsiders who hadn’t received anyone’s attention—arrived at the fortress.

Subin, Arang, and Yuri, who had departed for the fortress first after hearing Sunghyun’s order, immediately reported what they had experienced to the Vice Commander upon arrival…

And the Vice Commander reconvened the leadership council.

**

“An archdemon? The seal is breaking? Can you take responsibility for those words!”

“Whether I take responsibility or not isn’t important, and neither is what we call the entity inside the seal. What matters is that we need to stop this tremendous being with minimal casualties, don’t you think?”

To summarize the reconvened leadership meeting: chaos and shouting.

The rest of my party members had gone to rest in the designated barracks, while I alone remained in the Vice Commander’s quarters to attend the meeting. Given the nature of my report, it felt more like I was being interrogated.

Some shouted, some accepted, some raised questions, some mediated, some gave meaningful looks, some expressed hostility…

Even the Vice Commander, who normally dominated the atmosphere with just a glance or a weighty word, couldn’t easily mediate.

The impact of the information our party brought must have been that significant.

“Everyone, quiet. QUIET! I have a question.”

After observing the chaotic meeting with arms crossed for a while, the Vice Commander looked at me and asked.

“You said your party has experience defeating a demon.”

“That’s correct.”

“Can you briefly describe that achievement?”

“Of course.”

I reported concisely about the city of Majikant with its mage tower, excluding background information like the long-standing relationship between the lord and the tower or geographical characteristics, focusing instead on the direct cause of the demon’s appearance, the specifications of the demon ‘Iseratio,’ and the course of the battle.

I thought I had given a report without unnecessary details, but…

“Good grief… to think the fate of the fortress depends on the lip service of an adventurer.”

“He talks well, but adventurers are known for exaggerating.”

Upon reflection, most of these people had likely never faced a demon, and they had a passive contempt for adventurers, so my report probably sounded like fantasy to them.

Like how a stray goblin cub accidentally caught becomes an orc, a mangy stray dog becomes the king of wolves, and a wyvern transforms into a dragon in their boastful tales.

“This official doesn’t sense any exaggeration in the adventurer’s report.”

“Yes.”

“However, I’m curious. Didn’t you say that assuming we make all possible preparations from now on and achieve the best possible outcome, the being that’s awakening could kill or disable between 30% and 70% of the fortress’s forces?”

“Yes.”

“Despite countless investigations over many years failing to reveal this, how can you so confidently assert this, even if you recently faced and defeated a demon?”

Even the Vice Commander, who must have experienced all sorts of hardships, seemed to have no experience facing demons.

If they had faced demons before, if they knew that what was sealed inside was indeed a demon…

They wouldn’t doubt that the best option would be to flee far away to avoid encountering it altogether, and the next best would be to somehow gather as many advantageous forces as possible to face it in favorable conditions.

But they can’t abandon the fortress, nor can they receive support from elsewhere.

In truth, my estimate of 30% casualties at best and 70% at worst was already a heavily sanitized version of what I’d experienced in the game.

Besides parties being wiped out, I’d seen many cases where the fortress’s forces were completely annihilated, resulting in quest failure.

“Vice Commander.”

“I’m listening.”

“I am not a prophet.”

“What are you suddenly saying?”

“But just because I’m not a prophet doesn’t mean I can’t make predictions. Anyone can make simple predictions like ‘one plus one equals two’ or ‘the sun will set about twelve hours after it rises,’ can’t they?”

The Vice Commander furrowed his brow. No, some of the other high-ranking officials were even gripping the table, ready to shout.

But not everyone reacted that way.

“Adventurer, are you saying that what you witnessed inside the seal and your report about it are as certain as divine words?”

“Something like that.”

“That’s blasphemous.”

“I don’t think it’s particularly sacrilegious.”

“I know. But to say it’s an undeniable principle that a holy barrier maintained for ages is breaking because of a demon sealed for even longer…”

The middle-aged priestess briefly clasped her hands together and muttered softly, seemingly reciting a short prayer.

“So to you, who has faced demons before, this is simply an obvious prediction, nothing more, nothing less?”

“That’s right.”

Of course it’s not. It’s clearly due to my game experience and memories. But there’s no need to explain all that in detail, and we’ll be moving on after completing this mission anyway, never seeing these people again.

So I put on my poker face once more. As the priestess said, it’s as if it were a principle of nature.

“But even we can’t know exactly when it will appear. However, there’s something more certain, isn’t there? That entity has broken through the holy barrier, and the ominous vibrations are gradually growing stronger and more frequent.”

I make it clear that we’re wasting precious time.

“The very reason Faelm Fortress was built and the Faelm Fortress Army was stationed here, from so long ago it’s barely recorded in history.”

I don’t give them time to dig deeper.

“It’s coming, slowly but surely. With the intent to destroy.”

**

“I’m not sure if this is the right thing…”

“Going ahead and disturbing it.”

“Yes.”

Inside the barracks, six women and one cat were gathered closely.

As Arang dried her hair with a towel, Subin, who was drying her hair beside her, responded.

“As always, Sunghyun’s judgment is usually correct. Since coming to the tower, he’s relied more on intuition than evidence out of necessity, but I still think his judgment is right this time too. At least I do.”

“If both of you say it’s the right judgment, then it must be.”

“Why are you unsure then?”

“It’s not that I think it’s wrong, but I’m not sure if it’s right either… hmm.”

Arang sighed and murmured.

“It’s a feeling. A sense that it won’t be easy, that things won’t go as planned.”

Subin paused briefly upon hearing those words, but soon resumed drying her hair and said.

“Even if it goes that way, we’ll manage somehow. Just like we always have.”

“That doesn’t sound like you, unnie.”

“It’s just a feeling.”

“…Pfft.”

The atmosphere in the two barracks, not far from each other, couldn’t have been more different.

*Kuung—*