Oulu just shrugged. “If she’s really tryna kill every human on the continent, it ain’t gonna matter where we run.”
“Guess not…”
“What do you think, Tomohiro?” asked Oulu.
Yasu had revealed to them all that he was a Hero from Another World. They also knew that heroes were summoned by the Goddess herself. It was only natural that they might assume he’d know more than they did.
“Oulu. C’mon…”
“Ah—right. Sorry, Tomohiro. Forget I said anything.”
Rinji was trying to be considerate—but Yasu still answered the question.
“…I think it’s possible.”
Possible—yes. Rinji and the others don’t know Vicius…but I’ve enough experience with her to believe what those rumors are saying.
“I see,” said Rinji after a short pause, narrowing his eyes. He looked back at the carriage, which contained his wife and young son. “Our world’s in danger, eh…?”
After a short discussion, the party decided to continue as planned into western Yonato to meet up with an acquaintance that one of them knew. They no longer had the food or supplies to turn back, and many of their party’s members were starting to tire, losing the will and the stamina to go on much further. The decision to turn back would likely sap much of their willpower, but reaching western Yonato might afford them time to rest and recuperate.
On their way north they stopped by one of the trading cities of southern Yonato. They came into the city through the main gate and found themselves on the road that ran the city’s length. The street split into several paths, a sort of transit point for travelers. There was a large square that might have had shop stalls open at more regular hours and a little stage off to one side.
Rinji put a hand to his brow to block out the sun and whistled. “Whoa, that’s a lotta people.”
The square was packed with crowds, and Rinji’s party decided to rest a little away from all the noise. Yuri and her mother descended from their carriage and stretched their backs. Yuri seemed to be imitating her mother’s movements. It made Yasu smile as he watched them stretch in sync. A few of their party headed toward the great city gate to see what supplies they could find. After a short while, Oulu and the rest of the mercenaries returned to the carriage.
“That’s the road—that’ll take us northwest and up into western Yonato. That one goes toward the capital, to Azziz and the Holy Eye.”
From what they’d heard, refugees were flooding out of Azziz, making their way south to escape it. There were also lots of other people coming into a trade city from the northwest. There were two groups, in order words—those who were choosing to escape, and those heading to the capital to fight.
Just then, they heard a raised voice.
“Everyone, please! Listen to me!”
Somebody was standing on the stage, shouting at the crowd in the square. Their voices quietened somewhat to listen to him, and attention focused on the man atop the stage. His voice was clear, and he was dressed like a knight. Judging by the crest on his armor, a knight of Yonato…
So…this crowd…
Looking around the assembled mass of people, Yasu had a thought.
We came here by chance, but maybe there was some sort of call that gathered everyone else in this place?
With the square a little quieter, the man in knight’s armor began to address the crowd. “I’m sure many of you already know, but the Holy Eye of Yonato—nay, this whole continent and all who live upon it—are under threat!”
A wave of whispers ran through the listeners—it appeared that many had not yet heard of Vicius’s madness. The knight continued his clear address to the crowd.
“Vicius intends to annihilate every last person living on this continent.”
That line greatly disturbed the crowd. Most of the first half of the man’s speech contained news that was known to Yasu and his party, matching what they had heard from others on the road. The latter half, however, was new to them.
“The Wildly Beautiful Emperor of Mira was one of the first to catch on to Vicius’s plans! He is currently leading an Anti-Goddess Alliance of Neahan, Bakossi, and Ulzan forces—not to mention elements of the army of Alion that have come to their senses and now recognize the Goddess’s true nature! They march on the capital of Alion to defeat her!”
The murmurs grew louder, a commotion.
“The White Wolf King of Magnar, once missing in action, is alive and well! He marches with an army of Miran soldiers led by Luheit Mira, who are on their way here to Yonato as we speak!”
The crowd was completely stunned.
“Huh? Then… All the other nations have turned against the Goddess?!”
“B-but…she’s really trying to destroy us, then…! L-like, really? Ah—b-but! How are we s’posed to defeat the Root of All Evil without her?! We won’t be able to summon more heroes if she gets defeated…”
“Do not fear!” cried the knight in reply. “Another divine has descended upon our world and asked for our cooperation in the fight against the evil Vicius! That is precisely why the Wildly Beautiful Emperor has made his move! You need not worry about the Root of All Evil! Another divine will take over the role of summoning heroes to combat them!”
“Th-then that solves that… S-so this means…even the other gods have realized Vicius is evil? S-so, like…we wouldn’t be rebellin’ against the gods if we went to war against her…”
Rinji pushed a thumb to his lips as he watched from the sidelines. “Hmm…”
“Ahem… Is something wrong?” asked Yasu in a whisper.
“Mm? Ah, nothing… I just thought that was a real good question from that heckler just now, that’s all.”
Yasu understood what Rinji was trying to say.
The man might be a plant—working with that knight up on the stage.
But Rinji looked more impressed than suspicious. “Fine strategy… Effective at gettin’ rid of his listeners’ doubts so that he can really get through to them with what counts.”
“The Sabre-toothed Tigers are also on the march with Luheit Mira’s army!” the knight continued. Listening carefully with his arms folded, Rinji raised his eyebrows at that. He looked a little surprised.