The City Under Siege

After the marketplace had already been thrown into a considerable commotion, Anto, the architect of all this unrest, was effortlessly making his way out of the city.

“…Truly, sometimes one shouldn’t make enemies. If I hadn’t been quick-witted just now, something truly terrible might have happened.” Anto mused.

He was now astride the horse he had acquired, having secured his personal belongings on either side of the saddle.

After that, he changed into a set of lightweight clothes, preparing to leave the city.

As he rode away, just as he reached the city gates, he heard a sound echoing from afar.

“Alarm bells…and wolf smoke,” Anto murmured.

He instantly spotted the wolf smoke rising not far away and heard the accompanying sounds.

Just as he had suspected, yesterday’s assault was merely a vanguard.

Now, the enemies, having realized the witch’s barrier had vanished, would likely launch successive direct attacks from that direction.

“That will be a very brutal war,” someone beside him remarked.

“We should go and provide support.”

“All troops, prepare to depart! Our comrades need reinforcements! Everyone at the gate, disperse immediately and clear the path for the army!”

The officer there had already begun mustering his troops, preparing for deployment.

Although they might not yet comprehend the sheer size of the dark legion they were about to face, they had no other choice.

They were, after all, the last barrier between disaster and the nation.

As Anto watched these soldiers march past him, a sudden moment of hesitation gripped him.

“Such an army… cannot rush into that battlefield before completing its muster!”

At that moment, a figure suddenly rushed forward and declared to the officer.

“Against the Demon King’s army, ordinary soldiers without formation advantage, directly marching forward, will only be sending themselves to their deaths!”

The person before them appeared to be the city’s administrative chief, and he desperately wished to halt such a direct advance, continuing to speak.

“Moreover, the city’s defenses are severely lacking right now. Linders was once a fortress city; garrisoning here and awaiting the enemy in comfort is the best approach, not continuing to throw more forces onto the front lines!”

“So, those who have already gone ahead and those at the border watchtowers are to be abandoned?” the officer retorted.

“You cannot only think of yourself. There are many villages outside Linders. This assault is fierce, and they won’t have time to evacuate. The carrier pigeons from the watchtowers have clearly stated the scale of this attack… it is unprecedentedly massive.”

“…At the very least, an army is needed to buy time for the people from the surrounding villages and towns to reach here,” the chief stated, then glanced behind him.

“My cavalry unit can accomplish that.”

“You are going to your death! Put away your damned individual heroism; the front lines do not need such reckless bravery,” the city lord declared.

“We will accept those who flee here, but we absolutely cannot continue to throw more forces forward. I am someone who has experienced the Demon King’s war, unlike you, a post-war officer, do you understand? I need everyone to strengthen the city’s defenses! With the least possible cost.”

“What about the other villages then? They might not receive the message.”

“I will dispatch messengers. Furthermore, the Council of Otherworld Travelers has stated they will send people to handle the front lines. We will begin the city defense project. Knight, all your men must fortify the city walls for me!”

“Can we really entrust such a task to the Otherworld Travelers? Can they withstand those monsters?”

“I don’t know, but damn it, we can only trust them now,” the city lord conceded.

“Transmit my order: the city is entering a state of emergency. Everyone must serve Linders; no one may leave, only enter. To go out now is to seek death.”

As the chief’s command was issued, the city gates slowly began to close.

At this moment, Anto’s emotions were complex.

‘Well, I was thinking of leaving, but now there truly is no other option,’ he thought.

‘The vanguard…was I only dealing with the vanguard?’ he wondered, secretly gritting his teeth.

At this moment, the faces of Eric and Hillevi once again surfaced in his mind.

Eric, at least, would be fine; although the old man seemed useless, he was at least a legendary mage, capable of protecting himself in such times.

But Hillevi…

The thought of her, long confined to her sickbed, made Anto’s heart grow heavier.

Hillevi had once been a powerful witch, but now, she was certainly not the kind of being who could stand against a catastrophe as she once had.

Moreover, for many years, the reason the Demon King’s army had not advanced through the rift was entirely due to Hillevi’s former barrier.

Now, Hillevi no longer possessed such power.

What remained…

‘They will tear her to shreds,’ the sudden thought spread through his mind.

Anto felt an inexplicable anxiety; even though Eric had given him his assurance, this anxiety would continue to fester within his heart.

‘I just ran away like that… Even though he told me to, can I truly live with myself for doing so?’ he questioned internally.

The border city was now embroiled in war.

He could, of course, choose to leave, but what would happen afterward?

To escape with a clear conscience, only to wait for bad news to arrive—could he truly do that?

****

In the sewers, within the space of consciousness, the priest gazed at him and uttered that title.

Yet, all he could respond with was:

“I… I won’t be some kind of savior,” Anto stated, lifting his head.

“I can’t do those things… Perhaps it shouldn’t be my burden to bear. It’s ironic, really, that someone like me possesses a flame that you consider your ‘faith.’ This might just be a mockery in itself.”

“This is no mockery, Anto,” the priest responded.

“What everyone firmly believes is that this holy light is not a curse imposed upon others; it is a gift, signifying that you bear a greater responsibility than others.”

“Perhaps it is not yet time, but perhaps this is the time,” the priest continued.

“The holy light will guide the path of those who go forth. You do not need to receive any commands, nor act according to the instructions of anyone, any book, or any prophecy; you do not need to be bound by such things. You only need to act according to your own thoughts, to do what you wish to do, to do things that help others and harm no one… You are a good child at heart, as I told you from the beginning.”

“I have no faith. I cannot guide you to the places written in books.”

“But you are capable. And you have already begun to act in such a way,” the priest responded with a smile.

“Your path is far wider than you imagine. You may remain skeptical, but you must also learn to accept yourself. The world may be falling apart, but you have the ability to unite them once more. You do not need to possess faith, yet this power within you signifies…”

“You will become the faith of others, Your Eminence.”