Slayers - Volume 13 - Chapter 2

2: Upon Return to the City, a Glimpse of Demons

“So... what’s going on here?” I asked once we’d made it to a fairly quiet part of town. I would’ve preferred to do all the lengthy discussing over a good meal, but the city was still recovering from the attack and the citizens were scared enough as it was without us dishing on demonic plots within earshot.

“Hahh... Well, the truth is...” Gatekeeper No—er, I mean Maias—began hesitantly, glancing at Milgazia and Memphys.

Obviously we’d played the get-to-know-each-other game on the way. To avoid complicating matters, I’d simply introduced Milgazia and Memphys as “trustworthy companions,” and Maias as “just some gatekeeper.” When he’d inevitably objected to that, I’d added that we met him in Gyria. Even so, Maias’s reluctance to spill the beans was understandable. He barely knew the four of us—much less Milgazia and Memphys, who were total strangers to him.

“I’m not entirely sure where to start,” he said at last. “It seems like things might not be as over as we thought.”

“Huh?”

“After you guys left, wild demons started showing up in the city...”

Demidemons?! In the city?! The other six of us shared a glance.

“So... I came after you in hopes you could help us out again,” Maias continued.

“Seriously, why doncha just do it your— Gck!”

“Could you tell us more?” Mileena asked, clamping a hand over Luke’s mouth mid-gripe.

“The night you left, those... I think you called them lesser demons. They suddenly started appearing here and there...”

“‘Here and there’? So we’re talking multiple demons?” I asked.

He nodded. “Only one at a time, but they’d appear in multiple locations simultaneously. I’d never even seen one before...” The color drained from Maias’s face as he seemed to relive the encounter in his mind.

I couldn’t blame the guy. Lesser and brass demons were barely a step up from cannon fodder to us, but they were a serious threat to your average swordsman or sorcerer. Their tough hides and magical resistance allowed them to shrug off most weapons and standard attack spells. Facing one would be like something out of a nightmare for Maias, who likely didn’t have much experience in live combat to start with.

“We were able to defeat them all thanks to the combined efforts of the guards and the mercenaries, but the following day, Sir Jade came to visit...”

“Jade?” Milgazia inquired.

“A knight we met during the Gyria brouhaha,” I said, trying to keep it simple.

“Sir Jade told us... that the castle’s been sealed off.”

“Huh?” For a second I just frowned, trying to wrap my head around what he’d said. “You mean... they wouldn’t let him in?”

“Not exactly. It’s not just Sir Jade... The castle’s been sealed off to everyone. I haven’t seen it myself, but he said that the gate had been closed since the prior evening, and there was no way to find out what was happening inside.”

“What in the world? You mean there were demons in town and the castle never sent anyone?!”

“Yes... apparently,” he responded, sounding pained.

I was stunned into silence—understandably, I’d like to think. Normally, dispatching royal soldiers would be the first response to a demonic attack on the city. But if the castle never sent backup and the gate remained closed the next day... There were two possibilities I could conceive of. Either the king was a bit of a—okay, a total coward—or something even worse was going down inside the castle walls.

“Sir Jade said that he suspected foul doings in the castle. He wanted to investigate for himself, but given the clearly extraordinary circumstances at play, he asked me to recall you. Of course, he said he’d gladly reward you for your aid...”

Without a word, I cast a glance at Milgazia and Memphys. The appearance of demidemons in Gyria so soon after the defeat of Dynast’s General, the sealed-off castle... I was certain this all had to be connected to the demons’ plan somehow, and my dragon and elf companions signaled their agreement.

“Okay,” I said. “Let’s go to Gyria City.”

And so, we returned to the capital of the Kingdom of Dils. It was quiet—but not a tranquil kind of quiet. It was the quiet of persistent dread.

We hadn’t even been gone ten days, and when we’d left, the city was filled with merchants and children at play, signaling that the average townsperson’s life hadn’t been affected by the drama in the castle. But now... the streets were practically deserted. Anyone who was out and about moved at a brisk, fearful pace. It was like a totally different city.

It had been several days since Maias came to find us, and we hadn’t run into any trouble on the way into town. Normally there would’ve been an inspection for anyone coming and going from the capital, but there was nary a soldier to be seen at the gate when we arrived.

Dang. Chain of command’s broken down that bad, huh?

“Now, should we go to see Sir Jade first?” Maias offered. Naturally, there were no objections. There wasn’t much else we could do until we learned what was afoot.

Jade’s family home had been destroyed amidst the last Gyrian crisis. After all that settled down and he received his reinstatement, the kingdom had offered him a vacant estate. It wasn’t a great look to have a vagrant knight, after all. But...

“I don’t think he’s here,” Mileena said before we even touched the front door.

“Huh? How come?” Maias asked as he reached for it.

“The cobwebs,” she responded.

Oh, right... There was indeed a small spiderweb between the knocker and the door. In fact, there were quite a few of them nestled here and there among its intricate carvings.

A spider could weave a web overnight, but this many spiders with this many webs? Unlikely. Their presence suggested Jade hadn’t been around for several days.

“Yeah, he ain’t been back for a while,” Luke agreed.

“True. And there’s no sign of anyone inside,” Gourry chimed in.

“Then he’s somewhere in the city... Or in the castle,” Maias suggested.

“Maybe,” I said gravely.

Jade’s last known communication was that he was going back to the castle to investigate. The logical conclusion, then, was that he’d run into trouble there. Unfortunately, when you combined “something hinky’s going on inside the castle” with “Jade never came back,” well... it led to some pretty unpleasant speculation.

“Anyway, first things first,” I continued, “we need intel. Like the skinny on what’s been going on around here since we’ve been gone. Anywhere we can find that out, Maias?”

“Well, there’s a place we guards frequent...” he replied absently. Then he whispered to no one in particular, “Do you think Sir Jade is all right?”

Not a one of us responded.

“I got no clue what’s goin’ on,” the man spat after downing his vodka.

We were in a bar-slash-restaurant in a corner of the city. It looked respectable enough, given the decor—the kind of place you might call “warm and homey”—yet it was hosting a rather seedy clientele at a relatively early hour. Maias had approached one of said seedy patrons, who, since he was dressed like a soldier, I pegged for a comrade of his. Based on the guy’s drunkenly glazed eyes and unkempt beard, however, let’s call him Seedy Patron No. 1.

“If I had any idea, I wouldn’t be here drinkin’ first thing, would I? Can’t ya get that through your head, Master Maias?” he went on.

“I... I understand, but... I had business that called me outside of the city the day after the first attack, so I don’t know what’s been happening here in my absence,” Maias said, refilling his glass.

The man shot him a withering glance. “Ohhh? You been outta town, eh? Ain’t you the lucky one. Spared all the shit we hadda go through... Y’know what we hadda go through? Do ya?” The man leaned in, glaring.

Maias shrunk back. And then... Wham!

“How the hell would we?!” I cried as I slammed an empty wooden tankard down on the man’s head. The audible crack it produced brought silence to the restaurant.

“Hey!”

“Listen to you! Bitching, bitching, bitching! Everybody feel sorry for the damned coward day-drinking himself out of reality, boo-hoo! How could we know what you’ve been through when you won’t freaking tell us?! If you want us to know, then start talking!”

“Who the hell are you?!” he demanded.

“Never you mind! Just get to it already!”

“Nuh-uh! You crack me on the noggin an’ I’m supposed to bow and scrape? ‘Yes ma’am, whatever you say, ma’am’? Now I ain’t gonna tell nobody nothin’!”

“Will too!”

“Will not!”

Sparks flew between me and the man.

“Well, if you absolutely refuse to tell us...”

“And I do!” he declared.

I pointed at Milgazia. “Then I’ll make you listen to one of his jokes!”

“Wh-What is the meaning of this, human girl?” the dragon elder objected. I ignored him!

“Eh? What’s the big deal? Who cares ’bout some joke?” the man scoffed.

“Heh... You’ll find out soon enough! Master Milgazia, tell this man the funniest joke you know!”

“T-To what end, precisely?”

“Just do it!” I commanded.

“Ah, very well. Some time ago, while Mephy and I were traveling...” Milgazia began hesitantly.

A deathly quiet hung over the bar... wrought by Milgazia’s joke.

Ah, crud... Stewing in the silence, I became keenly aware of my error. That is, getting Milgazia to tell a joke meant that I had to sit through it too! I hadn’t realized it until it was too late.

There are jokes in this world so lousy—lousy actually isn’t the half of it, but you get the idea—that your mind rebels against committing them to memory. I’d never thought dragons were great comedians... but never did I think they could bomb this bad.

Milgazia and Gourry seemed to be the only two unfazed by the attack. Luke and Maias had collapsed, and though Mileena was trying to act unaffected, I could see her forehead dripping with sweat and her eyes wandering in a daze. Even Memphys was laid out on the table, twitching spasmodically. The rest of the diners, having overheard the joke, were suffering similarly.

“What is the meaning of this, humans?” Milgazia asked again, stone-faced.

But there was nobody left with the strength to answer him— Wait! Just then, Memphys shakily picked herself up and said, “You... Your jokes are... just so funny, Uncle...”

Hang on one damned minute! She thought that lousy gag was funny?! I’d assumed her twitching was from agony, but she was really busting a gut?! Man, I knew I didn’t get dragon humor at all... but I apparently didn’t get elf humor either.

“F-Forgive me... I was wrong,” groaned Maias’s guard pal.

“Yeah... sorry. I was wrong too,” I replied, offering a rare apology of my own.

“Again, if I may ask, what is the meaning of this?” Milgazia pressed.

But just like before, I couldn’t muster the strength to answer. I had to wonder if, used as a spiritual attack, his jokes might actually be enough to take out your average pure demon.

“I’ll come clean if you’ll spare me another one of those. But... I really don’t know much,” the man began, mustering up what remained of his willpower. “Ever since that day, the demons have kept coming. Not every night, but most of ’em. Sometimes it’s only one, sometimes it’s five or six scattered about town, sometimes it’s that many all in the same place. And the castle gate’s been shut tight all the while.”

He sighed, then continued, “We’re not getting orders, let alone reinforcements. I don’t know if they’re afraid of the demons or if there’s something else going on... All I know is that we’re exhausted. People have started fleeing the city. Some of our fellow guardsmen have run off too. Not that I blame the bastards. Who’s to say I won’t end up face-to-face with a demon on my patrol this very night? I’d be long gone myself if I had anyplace to go... But ah, now I really am just bitching. That’s all that I know, at any rate.”

Wow. He really didn’t know much, did he?

“Has there been, er, any talk about why the castle’s gate has been kept shut?” I asked.

“There’s been talk, sure. Some say the king’s turned coward and holed himself up, some say he was assassinated and they’ve locked the place down to cover it up. Some say that mercenary woman they outed as a spy is still alive and gave the order. Some even say demons have already raided the castle and no one’s alive to open things back up,” he rattled off.

I quietly made eye contact with the rest of the group. Everything except for those first two possibilities he’d listed was... Well, the king dying or turning coward wasn’t exactly a good thing, but it would at least be a domestic problem. Meanwhile, if Sherra really had survived or demons had killed everyone in the castle, that went beyond just “wow, this kingdom’s got problems.”

“But no word about what’s really going on in there? Surely there are at least merchants still coming and going,” I inquired.

“Not even merchants are allowed in or out. And it’s not like anyone’s willing to climb the walls to investigate... Well, I guess someone might be, but since I haven’t heard of anyone trying, that means either no one’s done it... or they’ve done it and haven’t come back.”

Hmm... I’m thinking we’ve squeezed enough blood from this stone.

“Thank you. That was helpful,” I said.

“Oh, right. This might be overstepping, but lemme tell you one more thing,” the man said as we stood up to leave. “All the mercenary recruitment lately means the city’s full of hotheads, so the demons aren’t the only dangers out there. Especially with the castle locked up tight and the guards... well, in the condition we’re in.” He downed another cup of booze with a self-recriminating air. “Be careful out there.”

“I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Memphys responded offhandedly. “If anyone accosts us, I’ll give them what for.”

“Please don’t,” our party demanded in unison.

We already knew she was all too happy to fire off a blast of light from her Zanaffar—Zenafa, rather—armor inside a building to win a fight. Her idea of giving someone “what for” could easily involve burning Gyria City to the ground before the demons’ plan even got rolling.

“Anyway, we appreciate the heads-up. Now let’s head to Maias’s and get to planning,” I said as I stood up again, but then stopped.

Maias was still collapsed on the table. Guess he still hadn’t recovered from Milgazia’s joke...

“My, my, my! Isn’t this tiny! How can you humans live in such horrid little places?” Memphys proclaimed as we arrived at Maias’s place.

It was an apartment on the second floor of a relatively new building in a residential district. Maias had told us before that he’d moved to Gyria City to become a soldier, and this was probably the best housing he could afford on his salary.

“Well... it is a bachelor apartment, after all,” he said.

But Memphys kept looking around the room, either not hearing him or actively ignoring him. “Where’s the warmth? It’s truly suffocating. Plastered walls and floors, just like that human inn we stayed in last... Only the tiniest of windows for outside air. Not a single spot of greenery.”

She was being absolutely absurd. For starters, any apartment would feel tiny with seven people crammed in it.

“You can whine about it later to someone who cares,” I said. “We’ve got planning to do.”

Memphys scowled, but before she could object...

“I reckon the quickest option is sneakin’ straight into the castle, yeah? Though I guess that’s kinda reckless...” Luke put in.

Milgazia nodded in agreement. “Very true. Our conversation with that bar patron suggested that asking around won’t yield much. We wouldn’t be able to confirm the veracity of any information we did collect until we have a better idea of what’s happening inside the castle... And we don’t have the time to wait around for someone to come out and tell us. Thus, we have no choice but to enter ourselves.”

All present nodded in agreement.

After getting the lowdown at the bar-slash-eatery, we’d decided we would do a little recon of the castle. Our method was simple: get up close, then have everyone except for Gourry and Maias use a Levitation spell to have a peek at what lay beyond the ramparts. There was nothing but empty lawn between the various buildings of the castle complex. I mean, I was glad not to find corpses littering the courtyard or anything, but it was still strange for there to be no sign of people whatsoever. There’d normally be soldiers at training or, failing that, at least a few people milling about... But for as long as we watched, we didn’t see a soul.

We’d then landed, regrouped at Maias’s place, and decided that there was no way to know more until we infiltrated the castle proper.

“No time to waste, then. We go tonight. Any objections?” I asked.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Except...

“Um,” Maias spoke up hesitantly. “Am I... coming with you?”

No one said anything. We all knew he’d just slow us down, but none of us wanted to say it.

“We need a home base!” I declared abruptly. “If we run into trouble at the castle or we get separated and have to split, it’s best to have this be our meeting spot. We need you to stay here and hold down the fort!”

“Oh... Of course!” he responded, his face lighting up.

Huh, okay... Guess he didn’t really wanna go to the castle anyway.

“I, Maias, shall keep our home base secure!” he pronounced.

Memphys smiled brightly. “Oh, good. That really is for the best. You’d just slow us down anyway.”

Ah... The bitch went and said it. I wasn’t sure if she realized it or not, but Memphys was the only one smiling in the suddenly frosty room.

The moon was but a sliver, leaving mostly starlight to illuminate the city—a perfect night for an aerial infiltration.

“I see light,” Milgazia whispered as he flew alongside us, keeping pace with our Levitation spells.

And indeed, faint light could be seen streaming from the windows of our destination up ahead—the castle complex surrounded by its vast lawns. Whether it was lamplight or magical light, I couldn’t tell. But either way...

“That means someone must be inside. No guarantee they’re human, though,” I whispered back.

Memphys caught up to me at that moment. “Doomsaying won’t restore your dignity, you know.”

“Shut up,” I snapped back. I knew perfectly well that I didn’t look dignified at the moment—not with Gourry riding on my back.

As you’ve probably surmised, he was the only person in our group who couldn’t fly on his own. That meant someone had to carry him... And the moment the subject had come up, all eyes had fallen on me. I was thus currently employing an amplified Levitation to get us both into the castle airborne.

“Heh heh heh... Look at you two, gettin’ all close,” Luke teased. “Too bad you’re not as cozy as me and Mileena. Ain’t that right... babe?” He trailed off as he looked to the silver-haired sorceress only to be met with a wall of indifference.

Hmm... his passion falls on deaf ears, as usual.

“By the way, Lina...”

“Bwuh?! H-Hey, Gourry, don’t talk into my ear like that!”

“Oh, sorry. But what building do we start with?”

“Huh? We talked about this, man. The western tower.”

The castle complex consisted of a central keep and a tower stationed at each of the cardinal directions around it. The four towers sprouted from rectangular buildings that abutted the castle’s outer wall and connected to the keep via corridor. There were a number of freestanding facilities as well. We’d chosen the western tower because it was the farthest from the front gate.

“Yeah, I know,” said Gourry. “But there’re lights on, so doesn’t that mean there’re people there?”

“Geh... You’ve got a point,” I admitted hesitantly.

The building at the base of our destination tower, which I’d presumed to be some kind of barracks, was definitely one of the places with light in its windows.

“Should we change our plan?” Milgazia asked.

After some thinking, I shook my head. “I’m betting most of these places are occupied, and it’s not like we’d learn much from sniffing around somewhere abandoned.”

“I agree. Excess caution won’t yield us answers,” Mileena added.

Milgazia nodded in agreement as well.

We thus continued our approach toward an illuminated window of the western tower building. It was paned with opaque glass that made it impossible to see what was happening on the other side.

Makes sense for a military facility though...

I obfuscated my presence and pricked up my ears, but I couldn’t hear anything either. I could sense life inside... but was it human or otherwise? Moreover, how many of them were there? That much, I couldn’t say.

I turned a questioning gaze to my companions as if to ask how to proceed. Milgazia and Luke responded in kind with their eyes alone. They simultaneously glanced at the same spot—the front door.

Time to go in, I guess...

No one objected. No one had any better ideas, at least, so we dropped down by the entrance. It was a large iron double door, seemingly designed for geared-up soldiers to be able to pass through with ease. Gourry and Luke quietly took up positions on either side of it. I approached straight on and checked the lock. There was a small keyhole near the handle. It was a real primitive setup that a simple lockpick would make short work of.

I quickly pulled a wire out from under my pauldron... Don’t go asking why I carry one of those around, though. Women have their secrets, got it?

With the wire in one hand, I placed my other on the door—

Creeeak...Crash!

It yielded to my weight and I tumbled right in!

“Wh-What?!”

“What’s going on?!”

“Who are these people?!”

I found myself surrounded by clamoring figures. The doors had given way into a fairly open room, populated by soldiers sitting around or leaning against walls. There were roughly twenty or thirty in all, and judging from their reactions, they’d been napping until I crashed in.

How did you guys not lock your freakin’ doors?!

“Wh-Who’re you?” asked one sleepy-looking soldier.

“Er... ah... we don’t mean you any harm, promise!” I said, waving apologetically.

“No harm, eh? Busting in in the middle of the night with lockpick in hand?”

Ack! Time for my patented fast-talking skills! But before I could get them revved up...

“Well... the truth is, we came from outside the castle. It was the only way to find out what was going on in here,” Gourry said brazenly, scratching at his head.

Are you crazy?! You can’t just tell them that!

“Oh, is that all?” asked the soldier with a sigh of relief.

He actually accepted it?!

“You’re not surprised?” Mileena chimed in.

The soldier we were talking to scratched at his chin. “Well, you’re the... I can’t recall how many have come before you, but we’ve gotten kind of used to it. Don’t go spreading this around, but we’re not exactly happy with our orders here. At any rate, come on inside.” He invited us in with a surprisingly friendly manner, and despite our hesitation, we obliged.

“Could you close the door behind you? The palace will get on our backs if they see us. By the way... I hear there’s a bit of a panic outside the castle.”

“It’s a little beyond ‘a bit of a panic’! Demons are showing up every night! It’s major trouble! Why are you just sitting around here like it’s none of your business?!” I tore into him.

Soldier No. 1 cringed. “I-It’s not my fault! We were ordered not to leave the buildings! And it’s our job to follow orders. It’s not like we’re enjoying this... We can’t see our families. All we have to eat is rations.”

“You can’t leave the buildings? What in the world?”

“I wish I knew. When we ask, they just say it’s classified and not to question it. Anyone who defies the mandate gets sent to the detention barracks. So what else can we do?” Soldier No. 1—who had to be a captain or something, given his apparent authority here—let out a small sigh. “I’m sure you came in here hoping to fix things, but... Look, I hate to say this, but we received a second order too.”

“What was it?” I asked, feeling a chill up my spine.

The soldier spoke again, hesitantly. “Well, if anyone from outside shows up, we’re supposed to catch them... and throw them in the dungeon.”

An uneasy air filled the room.

“Oh... I get it. One of those ‘if you don’t wanna get thrown in the dungeon, you’ll hafta bust your own way out’ things?” Luke asked while reaching for his sword hilt.

“So if we give ourselves up peacefully, we won’t have to fight you?” Mileena asked calmly, staying Luke’s hand.

“I beg your pardon!” Memphys cried out indignantly.

But Mileena continued on. “You want to get to the heart of this matter as much as we do. Your orders are absolute: anyone intruding on the castle must be thrown into the dungeon. But they never said that you needed to confiscate the equipment of anyone you arrest, or that you can’t throw them into the same cell as previous intruders. So... there may be conditions under which we come along peacefully.”

“Huh...” Soldier No. 1 breathed.

Hey! Nice thinking, Mileena!

Soldier No. 1 had said that there were others before us. If they’d all been tossed in the dungeon too, Jade might be among them. Mileena was basically offering to let the soldiers save face on the condition that they take us to the previously captured prisoners and let us work out the rest ourselves. Obviously, she’d included the nuance that if they didn’t accept our offer, we’d adopt Luke’s plan and put up a fight.

It was fairly tortured logic, but a convenient way out of this little dilemma if the guards were willing to take it.

“It’s true that our orders didn’t say we couldn’t do that,” another soldier put in shamelessly.

“And weren’t you just saying that you hate locking people up for no reason and leaving them in purgatory, Captain?” another added.

Soldier No. 1—the captain—sighed with a wince. “I see. You’re right that the order specified nothing about your treatment. All right, it’s settled. So if you don’t mind, we’ll show you— Er, scratch that. We will take you to the dungeon.”

“Any objections?” Mileena asked. The rest of us nodded with a wince... Well, everyone except for Gourry, who was clueless as ever.

“Uh... what’s going on again?” he whispered to me.

“Just play along, mmkay?” I answered quietly.

“All right... come with us, then,” the captain ordered.

Lamp in hand, he led the way. Another soldier with a lamp brought up the rear. We went through several doors as we moved deeper into the building, where we reached a long, narrow hallway that spread out to either side.

“Watch your step,” the captain said as he turned right.

We were flanked by stone walls, and the ceiling overhead was quite high for such a narrow passage. There wasn’t any light aside from the lamps the guards were carrying, so it was hard to say for certain, but it seemed like the corridor curved slightly. That suggested we were in the castle’s outer wall.

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask... was there a man named Jade among the prisoners you’ve captured?” I questioned, just around the time the walk was getting monotonous.

“Jade?” The captain cast a glance back in my direction. “Isn’t that the knight who was stripped of his rank and exiled, only to be abruptly reinstated later?”

“Yeah, that guy.”

“Hmm. I’m afraid not, and we do generally get the names of the men we take in... But while we’re taking you to the dungeon under the north tower where we detain most folks, there are some chambers under the palace itself. He might have been arrested by someone else and taken there instead.”

Luke let out a groan. “So givin’ ourselves up was a waste of time, huh?”

“H-Hey... Please don’t start trouble now. You promised you’d turn yourselves in,” the captain begged.

“Yeah, I know. My heart would never allow me to pop off and spoil my beloved Mileena’s negotiations.”

...

“C’mon, would you shoot me down already? I hate bein’ left hanging...” Luke muttered listlessly.

Huh... When Mileena shoots him down, he gets despondent, but when she ignores him, he acts neglected. What a weirdo.

“Well, Jade might not be in the northern dungeon, but others who came from the outside will be. Some of them know the castle quite well. They might still have the information you seek.”

“How many people are we talking?” I asked.

The captain pondered the answer. “Let’s see. Not including your lot... twenty, at least.”

“Twenty?!” I shouted in surprise.

“Yes. Guards who were stationed in town, courtiers out on business before the gate closed... It’s at least twenty that I know of, so in actuality, there must be more. They all say the city’s in a bad way, and since most of us have family in town, it’s got us worried. I’d head out there this second if I could, but we’ve been ordered to stay here on pain of imprisonment. The higher-ups just think of us guards as tools, see. I wish they’d realize these ‘tools’ have hearts and souls too.”

So that’s why they went along with Mileena’s proposal...

Most soldiers, even disgruntled ones, wouldn’t have entertained Mileena’s convoluted little plan. They probably would’ve pegged us for assassins taking advantage of them instead. But these men were clearly at their wits’ end. Remaining on perpetual standby in service to no clear end while their families might be under demon attack... It was hard to remain loyal with that kind of fear eating at you.

“Anyway, I’d like to bring this nonsense to an end as soon as possible,” the captain whispered, revealing what seemed to be his—no, the soldiers’ true feelings.

After that, he said nothing more. We walked a while longer until the captain came to a stop at a door. Beyond it was a building that seemed identical to the one we’d just come from. The guard inside gave a casual salute as he entered.

“More invaders from the outside,” the captain announced. “We’ll be putting them in your dungeon.”

With that simple exchange, he opened another nearby door and escorted us down a stairway leading underground. The soldier returned the captain’s salute without even batting an eye at the fact that we were still armed.

Hmm... Guess his heart’s not in this either.

We descended the stairs and arrived at another door, which was guarded by yet another dispirited-looking soldier. After trading a similar perfunctory salute with the captain, he produced a jangling ring of keys and opened the door.

The mildewy smell characteristic of basements tickled my nose. A stone hallway stretched out straight ahead of us. On either side of it were candlesticks that smelled of burning animal fat, and rows upon rows of iron bars. The captain led us down the hall. The smell was part rancid, part sweaty, and part something I couldn’t even describe.

We saw all kinds of people in the depths of the dungeon. A man in rags gazing at us with empty, hollow eyes. A man of indeterminate age paying us no mind as he paced his cell, muttering to himself. And then, just as I was starting to get sick of our little procession...

“You!” called a familiar voice from nearby.

Huh? I looked to see the source—a bearded man in early old age peering out at us from a cell with haggard eyes.

“You’re Jade Caudwell’s friends!” he hailed.

I knew this man... It was General Allus!

“What happened to you?” I asked the (former) general through the bars. The captain had stuck our three gents in the cell with Allus, and our three ladies in the cell opposite, before leaving without a word.

Allus was the one who’d introduced Sherra to King Wells to curry his favor, unaware that she was secretly a demon. In a way, he was sort of responsible for the whole debacle, but he’d come to see the light after Sherra went rogue. He’d even helped us wrap things up in the aftermath, and when all was said and done, he’d resigned from his post. In short, he was a man with good intentions but a terrible eye for character. But if he was here, that meant...

“I met the same fate as you, most likely... I sneaked into the castle to figure out what’s going on, but I was found, arrested, and thrown in here,” he said with a tired sigh.

“Then you don’t know what’s going on inside the castle?” Milgazia asked, leaning against the wall with his arms folded.

This was Allus’s first time meeting Milgazia, but it seemed he didn’t have the energy to pry about his identity. He simply answered, “I don’t know much, it’s true... Although I’m retired now, I was a general here until recently, so I still have some sway with the men and King Wells. Right after they captured me, I asked the soldiers to reach out to His Majesty on my behalf. The response I received was, ‘The king will not see him. Throw him in the dungeon.’”

“Sheesh... Nice king you got there,” Luke grumbled.

“I do not blame my liege,” the old general responded, shaking his head placidly. “To be honest, I have doubts that His Majesty ever heard my request.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I asked the soldier to contact His Majesty, but a mere soldier cannot contact the king directly. He would’ve passed word to his captain, who then would’ve passed it on to an advisor or minister. It’s likely someone in that chain said, ‘The king doesn’t need to see him, so throw him in the dungeon in accordance with your initial orders.’ I can’t imagine a captain of the guard saying that... so I suspect it’s the advisor or minister who doesn’t want me sniffing around.”

“Hmm...” That gave me an idea. “I’ve been meaning to ask. With you and Sherra gone, who’s the closest to King Wells at the moment, with the most influence? And who would’ve only reached that position in the past year?”

“In the past year? Well, most of them, actually...”

“Huh?” I blinked. That sure wasn’t the answer I’d expected. Most of the kingdom’s bigwigs had been appointed within the past year? How?!

The former general nodded sagely, then continued. “There was a great fire in this city last year. The king at the time, His Majesty Dils Quolt Gyria, fell ill from the stress and died soon after. And because he had no sons, his younger brother ascended the throne. But power struggles are inevitable within a kingdom’s highest estates. The change of reign saw most of the old ministers and advisors transferred elsewhere and new ones brought in. In that vein, I’d been King Wells’s fencing instructor since his childhood... so, you see...” the general explained with a pained smile.

Guh. It was kinda hard to hear all this considering that I’d sorta had a hand in said fire... But wallowing in that wasn’t gonna help anyone.

“O-Okay, so... is there anyone who wasn’t even in the castle a year ago but is now serving in an important position?” I tried again.

Allus cocked his head thoughtfully. “Someone who wasn’t even in the castle... There’s the minister of trade, Lord Sardian. It’s not a lofty position, but he does have some influence over His Majesty. There’s also Sir Farial the court sorcerer. Lord Sardian is a relative of the queen, King Wells’s wife. Sir Farial was recommended by the sorcerers’ council.”

“Hmm... I see. And those two are in the palace at the moment?”

“Most likely. Here...” With that, Allus sketched out a diagram of the palace and explained where we would likely find them.

“Nice. Can you tell me what they look like?”

“Sardian is... around thirty years old, slender, and finely featured with a seemingly out-of-place black goatee. Farial is in his twenties, I believe... but he’s swarthy and burly in a way that doesn’t suit his name or his position. Why do you ask?”

I stood back up. “Why else? I’m gonna bust outta here and track ’em down.”

“W-Wait a minute. I’m not followin’,” Luke argued.

I cast a glance over at him. “I’m saying, are we sure that Sherra was the only spy?”

A few gasps from the others followed.

Sufficiently powerful demons could assume human form. Sherra wasn’t necessarily the only one pushing her master’s schemes in the kingdom. We’d assumed that defeating her had put a bow on the whole thing, but what if there was another demon in the kingdom’s brain trust? That would stand to reason if the current goings-on were all part of their scheme.

If only we knew what their endgame was...

Prior to the fire last year, Dils had been under the thumb of Chaos Dragon Gaav, who was plotting a rebellion against the demons of the Kataart Mountains. Now, whoever these new demons were, they would’ve had to infiltrate the castle after Gaav’s minions were out of the picture—which pointed to either the trade minister or the court magician that Allus had mentioned. We needed to get out of here and figure out which one it was. Not that I expected them to cop to it, but I figured Milgazia and Memphys could sniff out a demon in sheep’s clothing.

“I’m not sure I follow myself...” admitted Allus, who was still ignorant of Sherra’s demonic nature.

Since I didn’t know how long it would take to explain the whole thing, I summarized with, “It’s a really long story, so some other time. Gourry, we’re movin’ out. Get it done!”

“Okay! I don’t really know what’s going on, but I definitely know how to get us outta here!”

“That’s all I need from you! Time to say goodbye to these cramped little cages! Step away from the bars, folks!”

Everyone did as requested, and Gourry’s sword flashed through the air!

Crinch! I heard a sharp sound like a trembling ice floe. And then... Crash, clatter, clank! With a great racket, fragments of iron bars showered the stone floor.

Wow! Everyone looked impressed by the move. As one would expect from bars used in prisons, each one was about as thick as your thumb. To slice clean through them like that, not to mention a multitude of them at the same time... Gourry’s current sword was magical, though we didn’t know where it came from or if it had a name. It was sturdier and sharper than a normal blade, but even so, Gourry’s skills were as incredible as ever.

“Now do ours too,” I urged him.

The big lug walked out of his cell, up to ours, and unleashed a second slash. Once again, metal bars fell to the ground like they were no more than driftwood.

“Don’t be too hard on the guards,” said Allus, who showed no sign of leaving his cell. I responded with a wave, and the rest of us made for the exit.

We came to a wooden door. Milgazia led the way, reaching out to test it. Then, finding it unlocked, he opened it with ease. I’d expected there to be a guard on the other side, but there was no one in sight.

“The captain must have arranged this,” I surmised. It seemed the guards were on our side.

We ran up the stone steps and stopped as we reached the top. The real trouble started here. The captain had said we were in the north tower, which meant there would be plenty of security around... But with no time to hesitate, we opened the door.

Clack. A single soldier was standing nearby—the captain who’d brought us in.

“That was fast... Are you ready? I’ve already explained the situation to the others,” he said rather leisurely.

“You... did? Are you sure you should be doing all this?” I was grateful and all, but it seemed a little too good to be true.

The captain smiled bitterly in response. “To be honest... this isn’t my first time seeing you. Not long ago, our kingdom was taken over by a mercenary named Sherra who turned everything upside-down. The night she disappeared... I spotted you here in the castle.”

Ah, yeah. Quite a few guards saw us that night. I couldn’t remember all of their faces, but it seemed he remembered ours...

“We guards have been reduced to tools for those in power,” the captain continued. “We don’t have the power to change anything. But the last time you people showed up, things changed. So I thought you might be able to change things again.”

“You’re wrong,” interjected Milgazia.

“What?”

“You think you’ve lost the power to affect change... But you’re wrong, human. Just now, in order to change things—in order to change things for the better—you aided us. That’s it. That’s the proof that you’re more than mere tools. That you yet have the power to make the future a brighter place.”

Milgazia’s words struck the captain silent. “I like hearing it put that way... Don’t just stand around here talking, though. Go on. And take care.”

We nodded to him, then proceeded through the door he indicated. We passed through a few more until we came out into a large room, much like the one we’d entered through in the western tower. Similarly, this one was also filled with a few dozen guards.

“We heard the whole story. Give it your best,” one said.

“Not sure what you’re giving your best to, of course,” chimed another.

“But don’t be too rough, or you’ll make more work for us,” cautioned a third.

These guys were either that dissatisfied with their orders or simply that loyal to the captain. One way or another, they parted and allowed us to the door. We threw it open, ran outside, and—

“What?”

We froze in place—all four of us—back inside the chamber full of soldiers.

“Huh?”

“What in the world? Didn’t you just...” A nervous buzz began to spread among the guards.

That’s right. Six of us had just exited through the door leading to the courtyard. But now we were back inside—sans Memphys and Milgazia.

“Wha... What’s going on?” Luke asked.

I knew the answer, but I wished I didn’t. “Space has been warped... Probably by a demon.”

When I said the word “demon,” the nervous energy among the soldiers ballooned.

Standing among them, Luke smiled indomitably. “Heh, okay. I don’t get how this works, but I guess we’re separated now. Which means the enemy is either after them... or us,” he whispered.

“It’s both... of course...” responded a muffled voice from on high.

Several guards cried out when they looked up toward the source... the ceiling, where a woman’s head was dangling upside-down.

Mianzo!