"Did you learn anything, Aayam?" Risa inquired.
"I did," Aayam replied. At the east gate, Aayam and Risa, his former classmate, discussed what Aayam had overheard from Thor's conversation. Aayam was concerned about his captured friends and believed rescuing them was imperative. Seeking information, he visited Hinata, who he knew could provide crucial details about the enemy's whereabouts.
"I discovered where they might have taken them," Aayam revealed.
Risa reacted with a frustrated expression. "That boy mentioned they could be in the west area," he recalled.
"I know. Let's devise a plan to rescue them and any other prisoners," Risa suggested.
Agreeing, they headed to the location Risa identified as the prisoners' holding area. The place was heavily guarded, making entry seem impossible with three guards at every corner, men stationed at the gate, and two watchtowers.
"How do we infiltrate this fortress?" Risa exclaimed.
"I have two ideas," Aayam responded.
"Really? What are they?"
"My first idea is to wait for two months until our army learns more about our allies and enemies. We can then formulate a thorough plan," Aayam proposed.
"That will take too long. Do you have another plan?" Risa urged.
"The second plan involves one of us pretending to be captured by the enemy. You will need to pose as one of them and bring me inside," Aayam explained.
"What? That's risky! What if something goes wrong?" Risa expressed his concern.
"It's a risk worth taking to prevent harm to our friends," Aayam insisted.
"Fine, let's proceed with the second option. First, we gather everything we need and prepare for the operation," Risa agreed, determined to rescue their comrades.
**********
"Halt! Who are you, and what is your purpose here?" the guard demanded.
"I apologize, sir. I was sent by my squad to apprehend this enemy spy," Aayam explained.
"You captured another demon!?" the guard exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, my team found him while we were patrolling the area. He was drawing a magic circle on the ground," Aayam elaborated.
"Why was he doing that?" the guard inquired.
"He was attempting to summon a powerful fire spell, posing a threat to my people. My commander instructed me to bring him here for interrogation to uncover the purpose of his magic circles," Aayam replied.
"Very well, follow me," the guard instructed. Aayam and Risa followed without encountering any resistance from the surrounding guards. They passed several rooms with humans inside but no demons until they reached the underground prison where the captured demons were held.
Aayam surveyed the prisoners, noticing their various conditions. Some bore injuries, while others were covered in bandages. Most of them were missing something, like torn clothes and signs of mistreatment.
The men leading Aayam and Risa to somewhere were not followed.
"Sorry, first time here. Couldn't help but look around," said Aayam.
"Let's find out what he knows," Aayam signaled to his companions.
Carefully moving forward, Aayam scanned the area for Balder.
Soon, they reached a door. A loud knock was heard from the other side.
"Who's there?" a voice demanded.
"Max General Otto. We have caught another enemy spy."
"Bring them in."
They entered, and Aayam's eyes widened at the scene before him. Allies were bound and injured.
"Is this the captured enemy spy?" asked the voice.
"Yes, sir."
"Good! These four have given me valuable information. Now, I need to extract more knowledge with a northern shout," the voice said.
"Who are you?" he asked Aayam with a sharp look.
"I'm Lee from the 138th squad. We discovered this demon in the slums," Aayam responded.
"In the slums, we found a magic circle set to unleash a massive fire spell on the whole district. They are seeking other magic circles that can do the same while trying to dispel the one we found," Lee explained.
"So, they plan to burn down the entire city. Inform General Marcus immediately. Have all capable squads search the slums for these magic circles," the voice commanded.
"What if there are circles in other locations?" a guard questioned.
"Put the city on red alert and inform General Marcus of the situation," the voice agreed.
"Understood, sir!" the guard replied.
"Can I assist you, general?" Aayam offered.
"Return to your squad and search for these magic circles," the general ordered.
"At your command, general."
Aayam left Risa with General Otto and set out to rescue his comrades who were held in front of the prison demon.
Pulling out a scarf from his pocket, Aayam swiftly wrapped it around the guard's neck, starting to choke him.
In a panic, the guard tried to push Aayam away, but Aayam stood his ground. Demons watching from behind bars began to cheer for Aayam as he overpowered the guard.
As a last resort, Max tried to back up on Aayam, causing them both to tumble to the floor.
Gasping for air, Aayam managed to grab the key from the guard's waist. He approached a prison cell and asked, "Forgive me, but are you the one taken when the city fell?"
"No, there are others on the west side and some in the nearby south area," the prisoner responded.
"Any others who arrived after the city fell?" Aayam inquired.
"I... I think so," the prisoner hesitated.
"Good to know," Aayam acknowledged. With that, he unlocked the cells, liberating all the demons in that section. "Listen up, everyone. I am a spy from Nessus, and my team is here to rescue all of you," Aayam declared, seeing hope return to the demons' eyes. "We will need your assistance for our plan."
**********
Back in the room where Risa was held, he swiftly dealt with the guards just as one was about to harm Risa. Risa abandoned all pretense and revealed his true strength. Despite appearing bound and injured, he swiftly dispatched the guard with a dagger before using his healing magic to aid his squad members.
"Risa, what happened?" one of the squad members asked.
"It's alright, it's me. Aayam and I are here to rescue all of you. Can any of you walk?" Risa inquired.
"We can. But do you have a plan?" another asked.
"Yes, we do. We will rely on the captured citizens. Those who can use magic will create a tunnel out of the city towards where the kingdom army is stationed," Risa explained.
"But we didn't receive any intel from the enemy about..." one of them started.
"Don't worry. Aayam and I gathered most of the vital information you were supposed to obtain. Aayam will stay behind to complete the mission," Risa reassured them.
"What!" they exclaimed, surprised that their two comrades had succeeded in gathering intelligence. They were also shocked that Aayam would remain while they escaped. Before they could voice their concerns, the door swung open, revealing Aayam.
"Are you all alright? Risa, did you heal them completely?" Aayam inquired.
"We're fine, Aayam. Don't worry," Risa reassured him.
"Aayam, what about the guard from earlier and the prisoners?" another asked.
"I took care of the guard, and I freed all the prisoners," Aayam replied with a hint of sadness, unable to find Balder among them, hoping he was safe.
"Is everything okay, Aayam?" Risa asked.
"Yes, it's nothing. We have twenty minutes. I sealed the entrances and brought all the prisoners here," Aayam informed them.
"Well done, Aayam. Now, can you pass me the device?" Aayam handed Risa a magical device from his pocket.
Risa infused the device with his mana. Outside the prison, multiple magic circles were activated, setting the city ablaze. The chaos caused the people of Sigilla to panic, thinking they were under enemy attack. The humans were too preoccupied with the unfolding events to notice anything else.
"That should suffice. Listen up, those with earth magic, come here. Create an escape route out of Sigilla. Some of you stay behind to seal the entrances," Risa commanded.
While the others began using earth magic, Risa took Aayam aside along with Crabel and Swredyes.
"Aayam, get ready to endure some serious injuries," Risa announced.
"I...," Aayam hesitated.
"Wait, what do you mean by serious injuries? Risa, what's your plan?" Swredyes inquired.
"The enemy has already seen Aayam's face. If they notice him unscathed, they may grow suspicious," Risa explained.
"But..." Crabel started.
"Don't worry, Spoken. I can handle the pain," Aayam reassured them.
*********
After three intense hours, the human soldiers managed to extinguish the fire. The army leaders received reports indicating casualties: some with third-degree burns, others suffering from smoke inhalation. Approximately 95 individuals were injured, with 82 in critical condition and 85 reported deaths.
Each soldier was engaged in restoring order to the city, except for the elite heroes who ventured outside to scout for any incoming hostile forces.
"Those cursed demons!" a muscular man slammed his fist on a wooden table, shattering a piece of it.
"I agree, their devastation is significant. Our options for retaliation seem limited," another remarked.
"Lyell, what is the status of the mages who assisted us?" the leader inquired.
"Many are exhausted from battling the fire. Some will be out of commission for at least five days," Lyell reported.
"Damn it! Alright, where is Otto?" the commander demanded.
The team exchanged glances, none knowing Otto's whereabouts. Just then, a messenger entered with crucial information.
"Apologies for the interruption, sir. We have received grave news—General Otto is deceased."
"What?! Otto is dead!" All seated individuals stood up upon hearing the messenger's words.
"How did it happen?"
"We suspect it was the demons."
"What demons?"
"Sir, all the imprisoned demons have vanished without a trace."
"How did they escape, or did they all disappear?"
"Cellblocks 1 through 6 have been breached. Eighty of our people were killed, and the enemy spies we captured are gone."
"We have some good news, sirs."
"Oh?"
"Some are still in the garden."
Upon hearing about those still in the garden, the room fell silent, and a sense of relief washed over the group, except for one person whose expression remained unchanged.
"Unfortunately, he's unconscious due to enemy injuries."
"Really? That's positive."
"Yes, we have a source on what happened in the prison. We aim to track the demons' whereabouts."
"Are the men recovering?"
"We'll have some men attend to him until he wakes." A loud knock interrupted, and a teenage boy entered.
"Sir Ajax, not now, we're in the middle of—"
"Quiet!" Ajax's voice boomed, his fist slamming the door.
"Why are we waiting? We should hunt down those bastards!"
"Ajax, please! We can't go after them now," Isabel tried to reason.
"Too many have died! Let me and my friends find them!"
"Think calmly, Ajax. The military is in disarray. We must plan before acting rashly."
Taking the advice, Ajax decided to confide in his close friend.
"Such a headstrong fellow," Marcus remarked.
"I understand your feelings, Ajax, but we must be cautious of eavesdroppers."
"His power is impressive, but he is still young."
"Marcus, may I go check the drive?"
"You have my permission."
"Thank you, sir."