Fool – Part 10
One day, while she was idling her time away, Aria said, “A member of the Knight Guard just told me there’s a demon rampaging in the city.”
Cecily poked her head out from the straw-colored sheets and stared blankly at Aria, who stood by her bedside.
“A demon?”
“They found the convict. The Knight Guard cornered him, and he used a Demon Pact. They’re fighting him right now.”
“I see.”
Aria’s face twisted bitterly, close to tears. “Are you just going to stay here?”
“No… I’m not.”
“Then get up. Stand up!”
Cecily knew that fighting now would likely mean death, and she could still think clearly enough to know how shameful that thought was. She also knew lying here like this wasn’t right, so she got off the bed, her legs shaking. Aria quickly moved to steady her.
“Can you change on your own?”
Cecily asked Aria for help in wearing her fresh uniform. Aria must have brought a spare for her. When her partner started fastening the sword’s sheath to her waist, Cecily shifted uncomfortably.
“Tough it out. This sheath will protect you. Luke said it’s made from magnolia wood, which can ward off Aetherial effects.”
Cecily only half-listened, glancing at the deep-red, straight sheath. Part of her resented it. If only Aria wasn’t inside it, she would’ve—she stopped herself. Shame took over. How could she blame others at this point? Pathetic.
Using Aria’s shoulder for support, Cecily made her way out of her room. Oddly, Fio—the one who usually checked on her—was absent.
Once she stepped outside of the house, Cecily had a sudden spasm. Her heart pounded painfully, and her breathing was ragged. Aria stayed by her side, rubbing her back and wiping the sweat from her brow but never suggesting they turn back. She just waited. Once Cecily’s breathing steadied, she leaned on Aria again and moved on.
With the curtains shut in her room, she hadn’t realized it was midday. The sunlight was blinding and hot. Citizens evacuating rushed past her in the opposite direction, creating a discomforting clamor. Her head spun and throbbed. The blazing sun stung her healing wounds. She wanted to turn back, but the thought made her realize something troubling. Had she always been this weak-willed? She couldn’t remember who she used to be, the kind of person she’d once been.
She dragged herself forward, each step leaving her breathless.
“We’re almost there.”
“Yeah.”
Cecily couldn’t imagine being of any help on the field in her current state. There was no way she could fight. She would only be a liability. Wouldn’t it be better to turn back and lie down at home? She couldn’t even dress herself, could barely walk, and her injuries hadn’t fully healed. Facing a demon head-on seemed implausible, even with Aria by her side.
The ground shook, and she staggered. Raising her head, she saw white smoke rising in the distance between buildings. The clock tower’s silhouette nearby indicated that the commotion was coming from the Second District. The clock bells tolled loudly, sounding an emergency.
Cecily could hear shouts and explosions mingling with the bell’s ringing.
“Maybe humans are no match against Inhumans and demons.”
Her own words echoed back, and she went pale.
Only now did she start to wonder if the Knight Guard had any real chance against a demon. The flame demon she’d faced during the fair was very powerful. They’d only managed to kill it with the Infernal Blade. Without that weapon, how could the Guard possibly hold their ground? How many were already Injured? Dead? What about the civilians?
Panic spurred her forward. She pulled away from Aria’s shoulder, walking on her own shaky legs. Her awkward, unsteady gait embarrassed her, but Aria followed silently without a word.
“Ha…hah…”
Cecily leaned against a wall as she walked, her legs trembling from the unaccustomed strain. She hit her thigh with her fist. A weaker blow than usual, but enough. She could do this.
“Ha…hah…”
The battlefield lay just ahead, filled with shouts and crashing sounds. The dust tickling Cecily’s nose, and the tense air prickling her skin reminded her of past battles. She gripped the outer wall at the bend, pulled herself up, and leaped over.
Before her was the Clock Tower Plaza, where the Brew Bonanza had been held. Tables and chairs set outside exclusively for the summer season had all turned to dust, and the cobblestone ground was pocked with crater-like holes. Thick clouds of dust made for poor visibility. It was almost a miracle that the clock tower, the symbol of the Second District, still stood intact.
There were two demons, both of the same kind—hulking figures of soil molded into humanoid shapes, each as tall as a two-story building. They were the source of the quakes. Legs as thick as tree trunks stomped the ground and fists as solid as boulders smashed the earth. Though riddled with arrows, the giants were unfazed, easily overpowering the Knight Guard that swarmed them.
Between the giants was a lone man. His left arm ended at the elbow, and his right leg was severed at the thigh. He was, it seemed, the convict who had summoned these demons. His vacant, clouded gaze suggested he was barely aware of his surroundings.
Only two warriors stood at the front lines, each facing a giant and somehow holding their ground. One was Hannibal Quasar, captain of the Third District’s Knight Guard. His massive frame looked small against the towering giant, but his raw power more than made up for the difference in size.
“Hah!”
Instead of his usual greatsword, he wielded a blunt weapon known as a mace, head and shaft crafted from solid metal. Hannibal timed each strike to counter the giant’s heavy blows. The giant’s fists, capable of crushing a human whole, came down repeatedly, but Hannibal deflected each swing with the mace, countering again and again.
One wrong move could crush him, but he never missed a beat. He pinpointed the optimal points of impact, expertly matching his mace strikes to the giant’s punches. With each impact, the mace crumpled further, but the giant’s earthen fists also slowly cracked and crumbled.
“Haha!”
Though it was anything but a humorous situation to be in, Hannibal laughed heartily, bracing himself against the shattering cobblestones and inching forward with each strike.
“Hahahaha!”
His laughter boomed across the battlefield. Brute strength was winning over demon might. It was almost surreal.
The other warrior was entirely encased in armor. Their faceguard was lowered, masking their identity. Despite the armor’s weight, the warrior dodged each strike with remarkable agility, weaving through the giant’s fists and closing in near its feet.
Armed with a large battle-axe, the armored warrior swung using centrifugal force, hacking into the giant’s thick legs before retreating. A hit-and-run tactic. A closer look revealed countless cuts on the giant’s legs. The demon was gradually losing its balance.
Following a different strategy than Hannibal, Francisca the imperial warrior battled using her own unique fighting style.
Hannibal and Francisca held the line against the giants, but they weren’t alone.
“Stanley! We need backup!” Hannibal grunted. “Isn’t that what you’re here for?”
“I’m on it!” a small, older man shouted back. He was Stanley Goldberg, captain of the Second District’s Knight Guard. His armor seemed too big for him.
“The Second District is our jurisdiction. We’ve stocked up on jewel steel for this very moment. No other knights will outdo us!”
Positioned toward the rear, Stanley thrust his right arm forward. A bundle of jewel steel was attached to his wrist by a chain. His subordinates followed suit, each raising an arm carrying similar bundles of jewel steel.
“Begin the incantation!”
They chanted in unison—a powerful Prayer Pact that could only be invoked by the voices of multiple casters.
An invisible force field materialized and bore down with crushing weight onto the two giants. The earth demons dropped to their knees, groaning as they buckled under the relentless force.
“Hey, Stanley! You almost hit me!”
“You could handle it, couldn’t you?”
“This is no time for jokes!”
“I wasn’t entirely joking. It’ll wear off soon. Finish it now, Quasar!”
“No need to tell me twice!”
Hannibal raised his mace with renewed vigor, while Francisca silently readied her battle axe.
The battle was nearing its end. Cecily stood back, watching it all.
“Maybe humans are no match against Inhumans and demons.”
That wasn’t the case at all. The Independent Trade City’s Knight Guard had overpowered the enemy. They’d taken down two demons entirely on their own, without the power of an Infernal Blade.
A formation for combating demons: at the front, the main assault—Hannibal and Francisca, in this case. Behind them, Second District knights wielded jewel steel for support. And further back, non-combat personnel treated the wounded.
One of the medics spotted Cecily and hurried toward her. It was Patty Baldwin, greeting her with a knowing smile.
“Well, well. Long time no see.”
“Patty.” Cecily steadied her trembling arm. “Tell me, were there any civilian casualties?”
“None.”
Her arm kept trembling.
Patty grinned. “The citizens evacuated in time, so no injuries there. A few knights got hurt setting up the formation, but no one’s in critical condition. I told you they were preparing countermeasures, and it’s paying off already.”
Cecily let out a relieved sigh. I’m not the only one.
She wasn’t the only person troubled by the loss of civilians in the recent incident. Every knight felt guilty, had resolved to learn from it, and was now giving everything to turn that failure into future success.
No more deaths. Every last person safe.
The proud Knight Guard of the Independent Trade City were anything but powerless.
What about me? What have I been doing?
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