The wheat fields stretching endlessly to the distant horizon resembled a vast expanse of golden sea. Each time the wind whispered through, the ripe ears of wheat gracefully swayed, filling the air with a gentle rustling melody that caressed my ears. Just looking at it brought a sense of wonder and soothing comfort. It was hard to believe that this scene, which seemed to be a tranquil haven, was actually occupied by the ruthless and wicked invading army.
"Eh? Huh? Ahh!"
Marcellus's reaction to such a beautiful sight was inexplicably a cry out. Even a non-human demon, like me, was moved by such scenery. Why would he react like that in the face of such beauty?
Without turning my head, I used my other compound eyes to steal a glance at Mika and Rinne. Mika appeared bewildered, his brow furrowed in confusion, while Rinne shed a single tear, clearly even more deeply moved than I was.
The contrasting reactions of the two pairs, one filled with astonishment and perplexity and the other with awe, hinted at whether they had long been aware of the history behind this place. Could this place have undergone some kind of transformation? Otherwise why were they this surprised?
"When it comes to the granary of the continent, the fertile heartland… for the Empire, it's the southern region. I've never heard of such vast farmland in the northern regions." Mika said.
"You know your stuff. But that's not all. Despite its vast expanse, this region is famous for the difficulty of land reclamation due to the salt damage. So the citizen and the lord made profits through industries utilizing planted forests and buying food from other regions. The person who told me about the underground cave once complained to me, saying, 'Bread here costs more than a chair.'"
In other words, the invading army managed to create such extensive wheat fields in a short period of time on such land. Is such a thing even possible? Well, it must be, considering it's happening right in front of us. It seems that not only their spiritual circuitry techniques but also their agricultural skills surpass those of the Empire.
Marcellus, who had been gazing at the wheat fields for a while, suddenly remembered something and took out a square box from his pocket, with a transparent crystal ball resting on top. He poured his spiritual power into the bottom of the box, causing a fleeting black mist to appear inside the crystal ball. What purpose did this tool serve?
"Is this it? When I do this… Alright."
Perhaps realizing what I was curious about, Marcellus placed his hand on the crystal ball and infused it with spiritual power. And all of a sudden, the image of the wheat fields before us emerged inside the crystal ball!
It appeared to be some kind of recording device. Recording the state of the occupied territory and bringing it back must've been included in Marcellus's mission. Given the unexpected situation, visually capturing images was crucial.
"We should move soon. Advance while hiding within the wheat fields. Don't let your guard down."
Once my curiosity was quenched, we continued onward, aiming for deeper parts of the occupied territory. The wheat stalks were quite tall, completely concealing all of our bodies.
Marcellus grumbled, "Wheat shouldn't be this tall," as he used a dagger to harvest a bunch from the base and collected it. It seemed that bringing back items from such occupied territories was also part of Marcellus's mission.
"How far does this wheat field stretch? It's too vast…"
The wheat field was truly vast. As we made our way through, pushing aside the stalks, the sun gradually sank, and before we knew it, night had fallen. Although we were walking, there was no doubt about the immense expanse. It was impossible for us to camp in the middle of the wheat field, so we persevered diligently through the darkness.
Being adept at seeing in the dark, the three of us, demons, didn't require lanterns or the like, but Marcellus, being of the Furu race, seemed to be struggling. Every now and then, he stumbled, almost tripping over the wheat stalks. He might be having the hardest time among all of us at the moment.
"Hm? I see some light ahead."
As we continued moving forward, faint flickers of light seeped through the gaps in the wheat. We proceeded with caution, mindful of our movements to minimize any disturbance to the swaying stalks.
After advancing with utmost care for a considerable duration, we finally reached the northern edge of the wheat field. Peering out through the gaps without exposing our bodies, we beheld a grand city in ruins and a cylindrical tower erected upon it.
Just like in the fortress, there were over ten towers made of metal, and at their bases stood houses resembling metallic boxes. Surrounding them, a group of armored soldiers patrolled, leaving no doubt that this was a one of the invading army's facilities.
"I wonder what those are… Let's visually record everything for now," Marcellus said.
He aimed his tool forward, creating that familiar mist inside the crystal ball once again. It seemed he had captured the images here as well. With another objective of our infiltration mission fulfilled, we moved away from the invading army's facility and towards the eastern coast, seeking a place to spend the night.
Once again, we pushed through the wheat field, making steady progress, until we finally reached the coastline. The nighttime sea appeared pitch black, a complete contrast to the golden hues of the wheat field. Despite its eerie nature, I didn't dislike the night sea.
Marcellus, upon seeing that the wheat field actually gave way to a sandy beach, wore a perplexed expression, but he didn't voice any remarks, perhaps having grown somewhat accustomed to it. After confirming that there were no signs of the enemy, he emerged from the wheat field onto the sandy shore.
"Mr. Marcellus, please take a look over there."
"Oh, lucky us. There's a shack."
While we were surveying the sandy beach, Mika pointed to a specific spot. There stood a solitary shack, and nearby, several small boats were scattered along the shoreline. Cautiously aware of potential enemy traps, we walked in the direction of the shack.
Inside the shack, there were hardly any signs of living creatures. Only the actions of small animals could be detected. Mika observed the surroundings of the walls and entrance with even greater caution, but after determining that there were no traps or the like, he beckoned us to follow.
"Cough, cough! It's quite dusty… Is this a fisherman's shack?"
Marcellus coughed as he opened the poorly constructed door and inhaled the dusty air. There were no furnishings in the shack, such as tables or chairs, but instead, large nets and baskets were haphazardly strewn around.
It appeared to be a storage shack for fishing equipment. The sturdy nets looked too rigid, but they were still better than having to lay on bare ground. While I had always liked sand since I was a young scorpion, the sand on the coastline just didn't agree with my skin. Consequently, I had no objections to spending time in this shack.
"Shall we keep the same watch schedule order as yesterday? After eating our portable rations today, we'll rest. Starting tomorrow, we don't know when we'll get another chance to rest, so let's make sure to recover from fatigue."
"Mr. Marcellus, may I suggest something? I was thinking of using the baskets in this shack to secure some food for the days to come." Mika said.
"If that's possible, go ahead. I have no idea how to use them myself."
Mika nodded in understanding and took several baskets before heading out of the shack. Once it was just the three of us, Marcellus settled down on the stacked nets with a satisfied grunt of "Yo-heave-ho."
He then gestured for Rinne and me to join him, and we each found a seat on separate piles of nets. As expected, the nets were indeed rigid, but they were not as uncomfortable as I had initially anticipated. There was a world of difference between this and the restraining chair that had kept me bound for so long.
Once Marcellus confirmed that we were seated, he looked back and forth at us before asking about Mika.
"You previously mentioned that he and Mr. Scorpion are not Atonement Soldiers? Then what was he before? Do any of you know?" he inquired.
"…"
Wait, is he bringing up that topic again? And in a place where the person in question isn't present? Well, maybe he thought it was a good opportunity to extract information precisely because the person isn't here. In this way, it might be easier to say things that are difficult to express.
While I knew the answer, I remained silent and crossed my arms. There was no point in responding. Perhaps it would be best to navigate through this situation by pretending that I couldn't speak. In contrast, Rinne seemed to contemplate something deeply before speaking up.
"The first time I saw that man, he was the butler of a certain spiritualist."
"He was a butler?"
"He was kind to us and cooked us a delicious meal. I was very happy….. Because it was the first time I felt like I was treated like a human being."
Rinne closed her eyelids as if trying to recall something, then lifted her face. In that moment, she looked incredibly happy. For atonement soldiers like her, who had been deprived of dignity since birth, simply receiving considerate treatment was a cause for joy. I could understand that feeling all too well.
Marcellus, upon seeing her expression, contorted his face with profound sadness while clenching his fist. Was he sympathizing with the plight of the Atonement Soldiers? No, it seemed there was more to it than that. I sensed an emotion akin to anger emanating from Marcellus. I couldn't discern what he was angry about.
"After that, we were turned into demons and embarked on the counterattack operation. When we returned from the battlefield to the spiritualist's mansion, suddenly someone else became our master… Right after, that person was also turned into a demon. That's all I know," Rinne explained.
"Thank you for telling me. It has been helpful," Marcellus replied.
"Yeah," Rinne responded.
Having finished hearing what Rinne knew, Marcellus fell into silence, deep in thought, as he rested his right hand against his chin. While he was lost in contemplation, Mika finished setting up the baskets and returned.
Interrupting his contemplation, Marcellus distributed the rations to us before having his own meal and going to sleep. Since the night watch schedule remained the same as the previous day, I stepped outside the shack and submerged myself in the sand, vigilant of my surroundings.
(Hmm, the comfort of being in the sand isn't that great. It seems the sandy beaches along the coastline don't agree well with me… But why does Marcellus insist on prying into our situation?)
While remaining buried in the sand, I couldn't help but wonder why Marcellus was so curious about us. I wasn't naive enough to take his words about curiosity at face value. It seemed there must be another reason behind it.
However, there wasn't enough information to speculate further. I didn't know what Marcellus was thinking, but I didn't want to get involved and end up dead for unknown reasons. With such thoughts in mind, I caught a small crab passing overhead and dragged it into the sand before tossing it into my mouth. Crunching and grinding the sand along with it, my first night in the occupied territory passed just like that.