Back at the castle, when Elia's group met up with Camel.
"Argh(entering through the window)... Are you all facing the same issue?" Micah asked the group.
"More or less, the count isn't here, instead, the captain from this morning is,"
"So, do you know where he(count) is?"
"The captain informed us that the count and Lady Juno are in the city barracks."
Camel and Micah widened their eyes. The information they received aligned with what Lidya had told them. Although not perfectly aligned in detail, Micah's information confirmed that Lidya's information was accurate.
"(Chin in hand) Are they asking us to go there?" Camel analyzed both pieces of information and concluded with an answer.
"What if this is another trap, just like here?" Elia worried.
"Trap or not, we'll get what we want, right?" Lidya walked towards the exit of the throne room.
There, she looked at the four still figures as if they were fools. "Come on! It's not good to stay here for too long. The soldiers have surrounded us."
"Rudi, you've been quiet. Have you come up with a plan?" Lidya's gaze shifted to her black-skinned friend.
"Hmm(nodding)..." Rudi glanced at Micah and Elia, then turned his gaze to Camel and Lidya. "Micah, Elia, and I will deal with the soldiers. Camel and Lidya will handle the count and his prisoners(Lady Juno)! Got it?!"
"No, no, I don't get it! Why are only two people fighting against the count? Isn't-"
"There's no better way!
Camel disagreed with the plan, but Rudi adamantly rejected his dissent.
"The troops surrounding us, and their number more than a hundred, and you want just two people to deal with them?! Are you insane!"
"That's not what I mean!"
"Then what?!"
"The count is not a foe to be underestimated either! At least balance Lidya's position with yours, and the plan will be better!"
Micah raised his hand, looking at Rudi. "I hate to say it, but what this guy says has some truth to it." A miracle that Micah said that.
"I also agree with Camel, but(looking sharply at Rudi)... I'm sure you have a reason for planning this, Rudi."
Rudi, filled with disbelief from his friends, looked at the floor in frustration. He saw his own reflection in his two palms. "Nothing, just a hunch," Rudi said optimistically.
"A hunch?!" Elia and Camel exclaimed simultaneously.
Unlike the two newcomers, their two friends smiled relievedly hearing that answer.
Micah didn't know what was happening, but he believed Rudi had read the situation well. Meanwhile, Lidya, who knew what had happened in the throne room, clearly understood the meaning behind that word.
"No, no, we can't do it like this!" Camel gave a frustrated and disappointed look.
"..." On the other hand, Elia, who was new to this group, didn't understand the thought process of each of her companions at all.
Elia didn't mean to entirely doubt Rudi's decision. She just wanted the reason why it had to be done. If that reason was stated, then she would do it. Plus, the optimistic smile earlier surely had a hidden meaning.
Elia realized the word earlier was a signal. But from the context, she felt the word was only directed to her two friends. Camel, who was even the leader, didn't know anything about this.
'What are you three planning?' Elia thought to herself.
"I hate this plan, but if you insist, what can I do..." Micah nodded hesitantly.
On the other side, Camel, hearing that answer, was surprised beyond measure, "Why do you two agree with this plan? Just because you two are good friends?!"
"Hoah(yawning)... There's no time to argue, let's do this!" Lidya said, walking out, followed by Micah and Rudi.
Elia, hearing everything, followed the majority and left Camel alone in the throne room.
Captain Lykeri's earlier words made Elia reconsider her actions. If only what he said was true, then Lidya should also be cautious of the rebels. On the other hand, Lidya's group, whom she trusted, seemed to have their own agenda after hearing it. Now they were even taking action on their own without listening to Camel, who should be leading them.
Elia believed that even though Lidya's goals were different from Camel's, their desire was the same: to kill the duke.
For now, Elia would follow Lidya's group rather than the rebels. She felt that Lidya's group was very strong; they could easily defeat the soldiers who had trapped her at school. If Lidya's group were to be defeated, then Elia could easily evade with lies to save herself.
"Wait! Arghhh(screaming dejectedly)! Alright, I'll follow the plan!" (Camel)
***
Outside the castle, the soldiers had been waiting for the rebels since earlier. Their numbers were not few, there were hundreds, perhaps even reaching three hundred.
"There they are! Attack!"
The soldiers advanced one by one to confront each rebel.
"Tch, troublesome!" Micah shouts, aiming his pistol.
*Dor! *Dor! *Dor!
Without hesitation, Micah shot each soldier in the knee who tried to approach him, Lidya, Rudi, and Elia. Each soldier fell instantly from the gunshot wounds. Their shields were nothing against Micah's pistol.
"Now!"
Micah gave the command to attack.
Lidya, Rudi, and Elia drew their close-range weapons simultaneously.
Lidya stabbed the kneeling soldier in the neck with her knife. Rudi pierced the soldier's heart through the lower abdomen. Elia slashed the soldier's throat with her claws. Micah put the enemy to sleep with a shot to the head. Among all the executions, Elia's was the gentlest.
"They are strong and dangerous! Take formation!"
The soldiers formed a line with their shields standing in unison like a wall.
"Rudi, we have to move!" (Micah)
"Hmm(nodding)! Lidya, you lead the way with Micah. I'll deal with those trying to approach."
"Okay~!"
"Elia, lead us to the barracks!"
"U-understood!"
Thus, they formed a formation where Rudi and Micah were on the outside, and Lidya and Elia were on the inside. They created a small barricade to keep moving towards their destination.
Slowly, the four rebels walked past the soldiers that blocking their way.
"I won't let you!" Some soldiers leaped over the shield wall and tried to attack them.
*Dor! *Dor! *Dor!
*Blast! *Fwossh! *Zrrrt!
*Slash! *Chunk! *Cling!
"Arghh!" the soldiers screamed as they were killed instantly.
Every time a soldier approached, Micah and Rudi quickly disposed of them.
To clear the path blocked by the soldiers, Lidya unleashed her barrier magic while also shooting them with fire, ice, and lightning.
The shield wall formation vanished like water-filled balloons, wobbling every time Lidya cast her magic, disrupting the soldiers from holding their positions. Unfortunately, they quickly regrouped, returning to their formation. Lidya had to cast her spell several times, pushing through until they reached the barracks, following Elia's instructions.
***
The city descended into chaos. Houses, shops, the outskirts' thatched roofs, and other flammable items went up in flames from Lidya's shots. Consequently, the once-peaceful city turned into turmoil. The residents scrambled to flee. They tried to take their cattle, merchandise, and other valuables with them.
They didn't care who was in front of them. They pressed forward, trampling anyone who fell. If they weren't family, they didn't care.
At the gate, near the entrance to the underground waterway, the panicked residents became even more frantic upon encountering a swarm of adorable yet deadly creatures.
"T-tutamits?!"
"Oh, God Hamuda, help us!"
"They're here because of all the corpses!"
The residents pushed and shoved through the crowded gate. They didn't care who they pushed or tripped; they just wanted to escape the horde. Fear had overcome them.
The gate resembled bread being forced into a tight box. The residents filled every inch, causing it to jam.
"Graghh!"
"Arghh!"
"Why can't we move forward?!"
"I'm being crushed!"
"Hurry up! I can't go any further! Grahhhhh! Aurghh!"
One by one, the residents began to lose consciousness from a lack of air. Some were crushed by too many goods and bodies.
There was nothing they could do but wait. They shouldn't panic because they weren't the rebels' target. Their lives shouldn't be in danger. The scattered corpses shouldn't become Tutamit's feast. All these casualties occurred due to the residents' panic.
Or... Was there a scheme behind it?
***
Meanwhile, in front of the city barracks, Elia, Rudi, Lidya, and Micah successfully breached the soldiers' defense.
Looking back, an unpleasant sight met their eyes, filled with the red blood and the silver armor of the soldiers.
They had been annihilated by Rudi, Lidya, and Micah. Elia, standing amidst them, could only stare in shock and horror at the three's power. Unknowingly, she had been kneeled by them, just by witnessing this.
Elia no longer needed to worry about which side to be on. The answer lay before her. She would stand with those who could fulfill her vengeance.
"Is this the place?" Rudi asked Elia.
"Yes, this is it."
"Sooner or later, we'll know the truth behind this rebellion."
Micah sensed something coming from another direction. He pointed his gun toward the burning rooftops.
"Don't do anything foolish..." (Lidya)
Elia and Rudi looked to where Lidya and Micah pointed.
"Oi (jumping down)! What's happening here?!"
The suspected figure Micah pointed at turned out to be Camel, who had been left behind. He moved across the rooftops like a ninja.
"How could there be so many casualties here?!"
"Casualties? They were all soldiers!" Rudi argued.
"Just soldier?! Where the hell you put your eyes is! Many civilians become casualties as well!"
The four of them were puzzled by Camel's statement. They had made sure they were only fighting soldiers. Moreover, they had let the fleeing soldiers live.
"That's impossible..."
"Look over there at the gate! Many civilians are victims there! And! And! And..."
His breath caught.
"And the tutamits feasting on their corpses!"
"Huh, tutamits? Aren't their habitats far from here?"
Camel fell silent. He, too, had sensed something amiss since Lidya mentioned it. There was something not right amidst this chaos.
"Argghhh!"
*Brak (hitting the barracks door)!
"Let's go in and finish this!" Camel began to calm himself. "Rudi, Micah, and Elia, you guys guard the outside! There are still soldiers heading this way!"
"Hmm (nodding)." (Elia, Rudi, and Micah)
The conclusion of conquering the city would soon be at hand. Lidya and Camel would confront the count and save Lady Juno.
Meanwhile, Camel remained unaware of the suspicions the three youths harbored toward him. If the truth were found within this barracks, the tables would turn 180 degrees.