"At this rate, we will die before we reach the capital."
Cyril checked the saddle as well as the stirrups. Everything must be installed properly. This is his second fight with the black beast, the difference is the large scale of the attack. Cyril couldn't imagine how many beasts possessed magic.
He slightly regretted his decision to help save Adriana a few days ago. If only he could come back on the same day. He would choose a punishment such as being kicked out of the palace's knight army over losing his life in a battle with a beast.
Cyril was tempted to mount his horse and run away before the fight. The possibility of a long life even if it has to be an escape for life. If you get caught, you will get in trouble.
Cyril's mind was trying to find the best escape route. To hell with the story of the Knights of the Red Moon. Maybe he would care about the storyline if he was still a reader. However, right now he was one of the characters, who wasn't the main character and was doomed to die. How could Cyril even think of saving someone at the cost of his own life.
Suddenly there was a commotion at the gate of the fort. Cyril snapped out of his reverie and raised his head immediately. Lots of soldiers rushed to the main gate. Cyril, who was also struck by curiosity, went there.
Two people were sitting breathlessly on the ground. One of the men who appeared to be a mercenary handed a water bottle to the two battered-looking people.
"Make way!"
The horde of soldiers instantly split into two. Then Adelman walked over there, followed by the Crown Prince, Algis, and his butler.
"Give your reports!" Adelman didn't even ask how the two people who had just arrived first were doing.
The two of them tried to sit up, but Adelman stopped them with his hands.
"Large numbers of black beasts are approaching this fort, General."
"How many of them roughly?" asked Adelman next.
The two fell silent and looked at each other. "Nearly 200, General. Then?"
"Then?"
"I don't know how to explain it properly. However, when we managed to observe, a pack of black wolves chased us. There are about fifteen of them, they seem organized."
Adelman's expression at that moment was completely untranslatable. The emotions were suddenly mixed. And the previously tense silence of listening to the results of the investigation disappeared. Many whispers containing statements were impossible to hear.
"Bring these two inside and treat them. Then, speed up the preparations!" Adelman gave the order.
Four knights in the uniforms typical of the Vander fortress appeared and greeted the two men. The other knights also rushed to where they had originally prepared.
A loud crash and another screech emerged at the entrance of the fort. A young man who seemed to be injured and in even worse condition than the other two appeared there. His face showed despair.
"I tried! I've been trying to get away from them, but no!"
The whole body of the young man who had just arrived was trembling and then he was unconscious. Adelman was speechless looking at it. Two of his subordinates then rushed to pick up the investigators who had just arrived and brought them into the fort.
Cyril was unsure at first, but Adelman was staring at him. He tried to ignore Adelman's stare.
"Knight Cyril! I hope you can come with me!"
Cyril's whole body immediately signaled that he was going to get into trouble. Cyril wanted to say he didn't want to interfere. However, there is no world where there is no difference in caste. Here, Cyril is in the lowest caste and doesn't have the opportunity to say what he wants. So with shuffling steps, he approached Adelman.
"Yes sir!"
Adelman did not answer but motioned for the Crown Prince to follow him. Indeed too many people were around them at this time. It is possible that what Adelman will say is very important and can affect the circumstances around him.
They chose a corner of the fort, some distance from the entrance. There were no people, horses, or goods there.
"Omejitev!" Adelman cast a spell.
Cyril saw as if there was a thin transparent cloth covering them all. Only he looked surprised while the others looked normal.
"Cyril, this is barrier magic. This keeps the information from sounding out, but it's not overpowering. Remember the spell."
Cyril was amazed by Adelman's knowledge. However, didn't Adelman himself have no magic power, how could he create barrier magic? This seemed to be a thing that was cast without the need for much magic power. This means that anyone can cast it if they know the spell.
"Is this so important, Adelman? You can cast magic even though you don't have magic power."
"I am not deprived of magic power, Your Majesty, just too little to be used to form magic like the Cyril Knights. Then, what I'm about to tell you is indeed important!"
Cyril held his breath, slightly afraid of the important information he was about to hear. His status was self-limiting.
"I and Cyril's Knight once died!"
Again. Cyril did not know how the habit of gossiping about the knights of the palace was to the extent that gossip spread throughout the kingdom very quickly.
"That's true! Fearish told me."
If Cyril were to meet Fearish next time, he would deal a very hard blow to the knight captain. He didn't care about the punishment of humiliating the nobility he would get.
"Usually demons take the bodies of recently dead humans to be able to mingle with humans. Because it's rare for humans who have died to come back to life." Adelman seemed to stop on purpose and watch how Cyril reacted.
What do you want from him? Cyril's tantrum? Or deny that he is not a demon?
A real devil would do that. It's just that Cyril is a modern human who will not be affected no matter how Adelman acts toward him.
"If a dead human body is possessed by a demon, he will appear pale, his movements are strange, and he likes odd things." Adelman was silent again, still on purpose. "Cyril has absolutely no such marks. I've been investigating the mercenary group Cyril used to work with. They talked about his sword skills and magic too. They have also explained how annoying he used to be."