Chapter 214

Rest Stop — Part 2

“Thank you for taking care of all the paperwork, Governor . ” Nell shuffled her feet awkwardly as she retrieved our keys from the old man’s subordinate . “P-please excuse us . ”

“Err… yeah, what she said . See ya later dude . And take it easy . ” Like the hero, I turned my eyes away from the man I was speaking to out of a sense of shame .

“…Rest well . We will be departing first thing in the morning . ”

After saying our goodbyes, we turned in the direction of our room and headed out for the night . Or at least that was what we had intended . I made it no further than halfway down the hall before freezing in place . A strange, tingling sensation had run up my spine . Danger was coming .

“Yuki? What’s wrong?” Nell turned to face me right as the expression on my face switched from one of alertness to one of annoyance .

“Oh, for fuck’s sake… I just wanted to kick back, take it easy, and relax . I guess that’s not happening anymore . ” I sighed . “Get your sword ready . You’re probably going to need it . ”

Her hands shot to her blade . One held up her sheath, and the other sat on the weapon’s hilt as she began scanning her surroundings . Though she wasn’t able to detect the threat I had hinted at, there was no doubt or questioning in her response, only trust .

“Is something the matter?” The manner in which we had both suddenly shifted gears caused the old governor to take notice .

“There’s a big-ass group of monsters inbound . They’re headed straight for the city . ”

“How long will it take them to reach the city?” asked Nell .

“Not long . They’ll probably reach the walls in the next 30 minutes . ”

I quickly looked over my map after answering her and made note of an oddity . The monster army shared our trajectory; they approached the city from the same direction we had . Is it just me, or does this seem like a setup?

The horde’s makeup was composed of orcs, ogres, goblins, and various other human-like monsters not considered a part of the intelligent races . There were a few other beast-like monsters as well, mainly orcs and wolves . These creatures served as mounts and carried members of the more humanoid species on their backs .

My proclamation was met with something along the lines of a public announcement . The clamouring of what was probably a giant metal bell began ringing throughout the city, resounding off its outer walls and spreading through each and every one of its alleys . The other guests began to stir as they realized that there was an emergency . Local authorities shouted loudly in order to calm the people down and steer them to safety . Their voices were so loud I could clearly hear them even through the inn’s thick walls .

“I almost find it difficult to believe that you were able to detect them more quickly than the watchmen even without the use of your eyes,” said the governor, “but I suppose I should have expected nothing less from a demon lord . ”

“Yeah, well, where I live, you’ve gotta be at least this good at sniffing out potential threats if you don’t want to die,” I said . “Anyway, you’re supposed to be some kinda big shot politician nowadays, right? Shouldn’t you be getting the hell outta here and holing yourself up somewhere safe?”

“Of course not . As a member of the nobility, it is my duty to step forward precisely at times like these and fight for the people . Sir Gamdia!”

“At your service, my liege!”

The other person I recognized, the old commander, straightened his back, stepped forward from his position at the governor’s side, and even saluted for added effect the moment his name was called .

“Rally every last man . This is no time to rest,” said Raylow, without a moment’s hesitation . “Inform them that we will be marching to Governor Nigel’s manor immediately, and that we will be offering him our aid . ”

“By your command, sir . I’ll have them ready to depart immediately . ”

The knight left with all the vigour and energy typically exhibited by members of the military and began acting on his orders without a moment’s delay .

“Yuki, could you please… help me help them?” asked Nell .

“Sure . I don’t mind . Hell, you didn’t even need to say please . ” I shrugged as I flashed my teeth . Evidently, the combination of the statement and my nonchalant reaction had eased Nell’s worries, as the somber expression on her face was soon replaced with a smile .

“Are the two of you planning to take action?” asked the governor as he approached .

“Well, I won’t do nothing . I probably wouldn’t be able to sleep too well with bells going off and idiots pounding at the gates all night,” I grumbled . “Besides, little miss hero over here decided to ask me to help, so now I’m more or less obligated to pitch in, one way or another . I’m probably going to fly around for a bit, put a plan together, and act on it once I figure out exactly what’s going on . ”

“Which direction are they coming from?” asked Nell .

“Same direction we came from, which is pretty weird because literally none of the monsters there were even the slightest bit hostile while we were passing through, but whatever . ”

“Okay . If that’s the case, then I’ll head straight for the gate . Can you keep me updated if you learn anything important?”

“If that’s the case, we’ll be operating under the assumption that you’ll be working alongside us,” he said . “Normally, this would be the type of situation in which I would have to prepare myself for death, but with the two of you here, I feel much more at ease . ”

“I got this . Everything’ll be fine . Hell, you could probably just kick back and chill, right Nell?”

“Maybe . It depends on whether or not you mess up and start screaming profanities at the top of your lungs,” she said . “Because you let your guard down, trip over your own feet, and end up doing exactly that all the time . ”

“Oh, shush,” I averted my gaze . “But you’re right . I’ll make sure I keep my eyes peeled . ”

“I doubt I’ll have anything to worry about if the two of you are that relaxed,” laughed the governor . “But whatever the case, I wish you the best of luck . ”

***

“Sir Nigel!”

Alfyro’s governor, Raylow Lurubia, burst into his colleague’s manor with such fervour that the other lord had almost mistaken him for an attacker .

“Sir Raylow!? Why are you here?” Sengillia’s governor turned away from the guard he was speaking to and faced the entrance to his mansion .

“I was on my way to the capital and chose to spend the night at a local inn . I rushed over the moment I realized that the city was in danger . Please let me know if there is anything my troops and I can do to help . ”

“That seems rather unfortunate on your part, but I’m grateful you’re here . Fighting alongside the man once known as the god of war is very reassuring indeed . ”

“That was a long, long time ago, Sir Nigel,” laughed Raylow, dryly . “Would you happen to have any detailed information of the situation at hand . I’ve learned nothing beyond the fact that we are being attacked by a horde of monsters . ”

“I see your ears are as sharp as always, Sir Raylow . Nothing truly escapes you, does it?” Nigel sighed . “It is exactly as you say . One of the men standing watch spotted a legion of monsters marching towards the town . There are hundreds of them approaching, and not nearly as many of us . ”

“Hundreds? That certainly is quite the number…”

“To be exact, their ranks are made of orcs, ogres, goblins, and various riders . Many of the species spotted are of the menace class in terms of their threat level . ” Sengillia’s lord pinched the bridge of his nose . “If I must be, it is effectively a stampede, and one that occurred without any warning . ”

Nigel’s expression was grim . There was a chance he would soon lose everything, that his men, his people, and even his life would soon be forfeit . For a moment, Raylow shared in his gloom, but unlike the other man’s, Raylow’s frown was stained with hope .

“There is a stroke of luck in all this,” he muttered .

“What are you trying to say?”

“Or perhaps not . It depends on the viewpoint . ” Raylow sighed . “It frustrates me to rely almost entirely on their efforts . Hiding behind a greater power in the face of violence is cowardly . But I can confidently say that, with the two of them present, the cleanup is sure to be a much greater worry than the invasion itself . ”

Nigel wasn’t quite able to keep up with Raylow’s rant, so he ended up raising a brow as he listened to the man speak of a solution that only those already in the know would understand .