By the time Dreu woke up, everyone else was already up. He was notified by his footman that Baldwin was guarding the cave entrance with the other knights. The footman also shared how it and the knights worked to bury the humans corpses from the previous night. He saw Aleit and Sela discussing quietly in their little corner. He felt relief seeing Isylte, who was badly wounded the previous night, take strolls around the cave with Jeane close in tow. Sadon and Gaenor were with the civilians who all had smiles on their faces. He then turned to his prompt window and accessed the Unit Recall List.

< Footman (Lvl 3) [Bayard] - Available >

How was your rest? He communicated with Bayard.

I’m ready for combat whenever you need me, emperor. However, you can only have one footman at the moment.

While the words were reassuring, Dreu also hoped combat wouldn’t happen so soon. Since the demon attack on Berkton, he was already growing weary of battles. The current peace felt like a rare occurrence and he intended on enjoying it. As he got up, Dreu heard his stomach growl loudly and looked around sheepishly. The growl also reminded him that none of them packed any supplies. He knew his group left the tunnels empty handed. The others under Baldwin didn’t appear to be carrying anything either. Given the circumstances he observed the previous night, Baldwin’s group seemed fortunate to have escaped with their lives.

As Dreu stood up, he heard Isylte call for everyone to gather around her. Puzzled, he joined the others and sat around the veteran cleric. Moments later, Baldwin and the other knights also arrived. They then proceeded to access a magic pouch provided by Isylte and passed around provisions. Everyone was given a few pieces of bread and shared five pouches of water between them.

Normally, Dreu would scoff at the idea of eating plain bread. The Adventurer’s Inn had really spoiled him with their great dishes and occasional delicacies. Even his daily meals as a laborer were several times better than what he was given. Due to missing his meal the previous night and overexerting in the escape from the demons, Dreu wolfed down the bread before everyone was handed their food. Despite the urge, he reluctantly chose not to ask for seconds. His stomach was for the time being satisfied but he knew the pieces of bread might not even last him until lunch. Dreu’s thoughts on lunch were interrupted when Aleit spoke up.

“Baldwin, where are we headed now?”

The knight captain washed down his bread with some water before he responded.

“Berkton is definitely out of the question. We hadn’t expected the demons to strike so quickly and the town to fall without much of a fight.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Excuse me for asking this,” interrupted Gaenor, “but why are you here in the first place? To my knowledge, knights in this region generally stayed around York and only mobilized in wars.”

“We belong to the reinforcements sent from York to Berkton,” said Baldwin after a sigh. “At least, we are what is left of the reinforcements. We were a few thousand members strong but we are now reduced to only nine members.”

“Wait!” shouted Sadon. “You knew of the demon invasion and didn’t inform anyone at Berkton?”

“We didn’t know about the invasion,” said Isylte calmly. “We had reasons to believe an attack was inevitable and were sent to reinforce Berkton as a precaution. Seeing the demon forces we encountered, I very much doubt we could have made a difference. If I had to guess, I’d say the demons must’ve sent out most of their active forces.”

Dreu recalled the chaos in Berkton when he fled from the demons. He remembered how quickly the city was lit aflame with plenty of human corpses littering the streets barely an hour into the attack. He then wondered how a small army of a few thousand could be reduced to its current condition. When the demon in the tunnels crossed his mind, he no longer had to imagine how they were defeated.

“Regardless of our original objective,” said Baldwin, “we must now head towards York. The city is the only one with enough fortifications to hold off a direct demon assault and its massive garrison along with large stockpile of provisions certainly help. Once we get inside, we can assist the defense until reinforcements arrive from the capital.”

“Is it a safe assumption to say that the demons might already be besieging York by the time we reach there?” asked Gaenor.

“I understand your concern,” said Isylte. “We have a teleport crystal that can get us into the city once we are a few kilometers away. We don’t need to fight through demons to access the outer gates.”

There were no objections to the plan of going to York. Dreu knew it made the most logical sense and, for them, likely the only option left. Berkton was considered one of the more fortified towns but it fell so easily to the demons. It was safe for them to assume the other towns faced similar fates as Berkton. While the others made their final preparations before departure, Dreu found a small chamber where he could get a little privacy.

I’m shocked the demons are making such big gains on the kingdom. I’d expected Xemir to have wiped out the demons by now.

Are none of my conversations private anymore?

I will only listen in on the ones that affect your survival. Currently, you are considered an enemy of the demons. Soon, you’ll be labeled as an enemy of Xemir and the kingdom. I’m merely finding a way to get you through this demon invasion alive. It won’t be easy.

Thanks for keeping me alive! It’s not something I had to worry about before….and regarding your comment about demons wiping out, I heard the kingdom has tried in the past. The demons were so good at guerilla warfare that we failed to make any progress.

Guerilla warfare? I wonder if those two are still alive. If I can just speak to them, you may have a chance to escape.

You know demons?

They fought for Xyheia as well. I have no idea about their fate after that battle though.