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“Throw those half-beasts out!”
“They’ve got to be the cause!”

The words of the agitated crowd quickly unified into “Drive out the half-beasts” and “Get out of this city.”

“Calm down! What are you saying!?”
“Shut up! My kid got hurt because of them!”

When people completely lose their temper, very few can judge things rationally. Give them a target for their helpless frustration and anger, and most will rush straight at it.

The gathered people were being guided almost perfectly.

“Grrrrrr…”
“Sufi, calm down.”

I tried thinking while soothing the growling Sufi, but no solution came to mind.

Captain once told me that people convinced of their own justice cannot stop. Once they see you as the cause of their problem, anything you say will only fuel the fire.

No matter how calmly we argue or what evidence we present, it will just provoke them more. If there were a clear leader, maybe discussion would be possible, but not in this state.

I had been taught what to do when surrounded by people like this: either submit and endure, or act carefree and unbothered.

But that’s only to stall until physical rescue arrives, not a solution.

“These half-beasts brought monsters into the city!”
“Drive them out!”

In this situation where they or their family were injured, coupled with the uncertainty about when the disaster would end, not to mention the anger over the delayed treatment—once the smoldering sparks ignited, they wouldn’t go out easily.

Even if I pointed out the agitators who created this situation, emotions were already too inflamed.

“Stand down! We are the lord’s knights!!”

A commanding voice cut across the chaos.

At the entrance stood a young man with dark green hair, clad in armor and a moss-green cloak. He was unmistakably a knight. Men in identical armor lined up behind him.

The appearance of clear authority made the crowd hesitate.

“What happened here?! Answer!”
“W-we were just trying to drive out the ones who caused this!”
“…Explain.”
“The half-beasts there summoned monsters into the city!”
“Yeah!”
“…I see.”

One excited man pointed at us. The knight pushed through the crowd and approached.

“Come, I’d have you tell me everything.”
“What the hell, nya! We didn’t do anything, nya!”
“Shut up, monster-lookalike! We know you called your kind!”
“What did you say!?”
“If you resist, we’ll have to restrain you by force… I heard about you from the Sister. Trust me.”

The knight approached, his expression serious, and spoke in a voice loud enough that only we could hear.

Then he glanced over his shoulder at the enraged crowd.

No unpleasant sound came from him. He could be extremely good at lying…but the fact that he emitted quiet anger toward the crowd told me that he likely wasn’t faking it.

“Huh!?”
“Guys, it’s better to obey him.”
“Alice…?”
“What are you saying, nya! We can’t stay quiet with accusations like this, nya!”
“If we fight back, he’ll just subdue us. Right?”
“Yeah. If possible, I don’t want to rough up children. I’m asking you to cooperate.”

While somehow managing to calm Noche and the others, I made eye contact with the knight. He nodded quietly… As expected, there was no strange noise coming from him. It didn’t seem like he had any way to counter my method of detecting emotions.

Honestly, I didn’t want to be tossed around cluelessly either, but as they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

More importantly, he’d noticed the agitators who suddenly erased their presence after the knights arrived.

“What are you hesitating for! Do it now!”
“My son’s suffering because of them! Protect your people!”
“We will detain them. All beasts outside have been exterminated by us and volunteer guards! There is no more danger!”

The knight’s declaration weakened the crowd’s anger. Their greatest anxiety, not knowing when the disaster would end, had been removed, and they couldn’t maintain momentum.

Listening carefully among the murmurs, I heard someone mixed in click their tongue quietly.

…That person had no contact with the agitators. Maybe they were left high and dry. Either way, trusting this knight seemed safe for now.

“Why, nya…!”
“Ugh…”
“Sorry. Bear with it a little.”

Following his orders, the knights surrounded us and led us out of the guild.

On the main street were bloodstains, dead horses… and human bodies covered with cloth. Scattered merchandise and broken wagons.

The devastation stretching along the road showed this was no small uproar.

■■■■■

“Isn’t this…”
“The orphanage, nya?”

The knights brought us to a familiar old church…the orphanage.

“Ah, so it happened, after all. Thank you, Langbert.”

Waiting at the gate was a tall, slender man with a blindfold and long light-brown hair… the battle alchemist Khaleed, who’d been with Philip at the alchemist guild earlier.

“No problem, Khaleed. More importantly, thanks for stopping the assistant.”
“Chytis Philip apparently owed Old Master Haumass greatly. Persuading him was difficult.”
“I’m just glad we got them out. I don’t want a mere commander making an enemy of the Alchemist Guild’s assistant branch master.”

I got down from Sufi’s back and approached the two speaking knowingly.

“I think we have the right to know what’s going on.”
“Yeah.”
“Explain, nya!”

Khaleed and the knight smiled wryly and nodded.

“Of course. We have permission from the Sister to shelter you, so we’ll explain everything.”
“For now, just know that we’re on your side.”

■■■■■

We were guided to the orphanage dining hall and the discussion began.

Across the table sat the knight… Langbert and Khaleed the alchemist.

I could sense children further inside, but not the Sister… and the large shield usually displayed in the hall was gone.

Other knights stayed near the gate guarding.

After a pause, Khaleed spoke.

“Now, where to begin… Do you know about the goblin nest subjugation force formed recently?”
“Yeah.”
“Wasn’t that long ago, nya?”
“The extermination itself was a success, but there were many suspicious aspects. This area has many skilled adventurers, yet a nest conveniently formed near the city. Not to mention…the goblins were armed. With proper equipment.”
“…”

Fundamentally speaking, Goblins lack crafting ability. They use stolen human gear until it breaks and don’t maintain it. Which is why they usually wield crappy weapons or clubs.

Come to think of it, the goblins we met had worn but proper weapons. Strange indeed.

“And so, the alchemist guild, along with the adventurers guild and the lord’s knights, launched an investigation. We discovered that an intelligence unit from the Bayer Kingdom has infiltrated this city. This city is a relay point connecting east and west, and the alchemist guild placed a seventh-tier alchemist as branch chief. You can say this city is one of the reasons why a county as small as the Kingdom of Roud holds influence in the west.”

I understood most of it. Sensing the others tilt their heads at the complicated talk, I asked what bothered me.

“I get the reason why the city was targeted, and their method to bring it down… But I don’t understand why they’d try to get us.”
“That is…”
“I believe I should be the one to explain.”

I’d sensed her presence earlier, but still looked in surprise when she walked into the dining hall.

The Sister entered, with her habit soaked in blood, carrying a large shield in one hand. The heavy mace hanging on her waist was caked in grime, scarred from the battle. Still fresh from the battle, she joined the meeting.

“Sister, nya…?”
“Yes. Forgive me, I couldn’t come protect you.”
“Indeed, this matter is involved with the Luminism Church. It’s more accurate coming from her.”

Without hesitation, Khaleed yielded the explanation to the Sister..

If I recall correctly, the Sister had been a templar knight, so she likely knew the church’s movements.

“If nothing else, she is far more knowledgeable than us. She was called the Saint of the Shield until a few years ago—one of the strongest among templar knights.”
“Nya!?”
“Huh?!”

Noche and the others exclaimed in shock.

I was also stunned. I did think she was strong, but… she turned out to be quite the extraordinary figure.