"What do you mean by evil things?" asked Aza'zel, finding the remark incomprehensible.
Frederick looked around, took a deep breath, and started with his explanation, "Words from the border camps and wasteland vultures that some kind of twisted creatures, abominations even, are gaining incomprehensible powers just like the rest of us people…"
That's not the worst part yet. Because they're infectious, these creatures. They die and rot away into the soil and the air, spreading malignant tumors to the others, and it seems that the weaker ones from the myriad races don't have quite the immunity yet.
Now, the military and the knights are rounding up promising characters from the wasteland and towns just like Raksha Town to build a resistance. If you ask the wise and the clever, however, they're using natives as fodder until the myriad races build up sufficient immunity.
The twelve Rakshas have been very busy recently with contributing human resources and combat power to compete for contributions; it had gotten to a point where not even stragglers could hide forever from this wave of conscription.
Their earlier prestige and fame within the boundaries of their towns did not account for much once they joined the resistance army, and each of them started as captains of small teams.
Aza'zel tilted his head and asked, "How is this related to the so-called evil things you speak of?"
Although it might be troublesome for natives of the lower abyss to be pushed to the frontlines and confront the — Tainted — so they're called, Aza'zel didn't know what was the great evil in all of this.
Frederick cleared his throat and said, "Lord Watcher, you know that I come from the Sacred Staircase above the Abyss, and many myths and legends spread over the past eras. Some of them speak of the four Forbidden Grounds and seven Great Evils, and do you think it's a coincidence that they've sent down seven earls?"
Frederick shook his head. "I think it's far from a coincidence! I believe that the seven earls came with the task to unravel these myths, and the 'resistance' army is just their way to probe the situation."
"Perhaps they don't have a choice," Aza'zel interjected Frederick. "Source energy doesn't differentiate between good and evil. In any case, to the myriad races from above, even the natives are certified evil, aren't we?"
Frederick was speechless. Even so, Aza'zel reached out to pat the old man's shoulder, chuckling to himself while doing so.
He said, "You're probably not the only one to figure this out. The vultures and the officers of the myriad races have been in contact for over fifteen years now, and people talk— wittingly or otherwise — people talk."
Aza'zel thought for a moment and asked, "What is Wendy Sunflower up to recently?"
Frederick's eyes glimmered with a hint of admiration as he exclaimed, "That woman's fortune doesn't lag behind her wits! It's unknown what opportunities she obtained from taking the vanguard in the resistance army, but her strength has been growing exponentially as of late, and some higher-ranking officers seem to notice her."
Aza'zel thought to himself that as expected, that woman would surely grasp an opportunity when provided one.
"She no longer goes by the name Wendy after consolidating herself as a Raksha," Frederick continued with a hint of respect. "Now, she's called Raksha of Thorn, or Lady Thorn!"
"Any news about Saxon?"
Hearing this question, Frederick paused for a moment to recall some memories and responded in the affirmative.
"Yes, some news circulated a while back. Saxon joined the resistance army as well, but he left to the territory of an adjacent earl after meeting up with Butch; they decided to expand in a lowkey manner after hearing about Lady Thorn's appointment."
"I see."
Aza'zel nodded his head.
"The earls seem to have plans to integrate the wastelands into their territories, since rumors spread that these wastelands will soon flourish into suitable lands to cultivate civilizations," Frederick made it a point to emphasize this particular information.
As it turned out, team captains can compete for contributions in order to win the Town's Mayor seat from the rewards list. Those with foresight are willing to invest heavily in the competition, but this competition wasn't limited to the natives as the knights from the myriad races' armies are eligible to compete as well.
Frederick was worried that once people from the myriad races took over these towns by the edge of the continent, the living conditions of the natives and the slaves that managed their brief escape would only worsen.
"You want me to compete for the position of the Town's Mayor?" Aza'zel asked in surprise, as he never had such ambitions, to begin with. He would rather support Wendy into becoming the mayor than take such little responsibility on his own shoulders.
"Greatness starts from small things, my lord," Frederick immediately knelt and implored. "You might not care for such little fortune and fame, but we as your subordinates wouldn't want you to live in the shadow of another's mercy or grace!"
Sounds of air being torn sounded as seven cloaked individuals rushed from the courtyard, kneeling behind Aza'zel just as Frederick did.
The girls didn't say anything, but the meaning of their actions was very clear as they had been eavesdropping on the conversation between their lord and his advisor, Old Freddy.
Aza'zel didn't want to make this decision without consulting Caidie first and foremost, because he didn't know when his so-called test in this town was about to end. However, he didn't even know how to get in touch with Caidie, much less consult her.
Now, he had to make the choice, and quite frankly, he felt like leaving this town to explore the so-called seven Great Evils wasn't a bad idea, especially with the unknown creature lurking beneath Raksha Town.
He knew that operating by the periphery of those lands of evil was much safer than hankering down at the epicenter of such an anomaly, as whatever abomination hid beneath the surface, it surely didn't bode well for the people of this town.
That creature's existence was yet another reason for why Aza'zel felt reluctant to strive for the position of mayor, but that didn't mean he couldn't strive for the position of mayor for a different town altogether.
He could leave this one for Wendy; that woman's clever enough and can handle herself well. As for himself, he would try to acquire one of the towns nearby, and if things went south and Wendy asked for help, it would all depend on how much she was willing to offer.
Thinking like this, Aza'zel felt the plan was quite feasible and so he smiled beneath the shadow of his hood.
"Alright then, let's explore the depths of these evils."
Frederick felt exhilarated, looking up and stammering his response, "How many men do you need, my lord?!"
Before Aza'zel could respond, seven crisp voices echoed from behind him as one, "We're more than enough!"
The girls were eager to test out their combat abilities after the arduous five years of training behind closed doors, and so, they didn't wish for anyone who could hinder their progress to tag along.
They felt like they could provide everything for their lord sufficiently.
"Excuse me," Frederick shook his head.
"Surviving out there requires outdoor skills, skills you girls don't have and haven't had the chance to learn… Differentiating edible plants, setting up camp, tracking down prey and concealing movement tracks, reconnaissance, and espionage…"
Frederick listed out many non-combat-related skills that are quite the necessity to survive in the wastelands, leaving both Aza'zel and the seven girls speechless.