At the East Gate, the onslaught of the Abyss monsters gradually subsided.
However, the dark cloud looming over Anvil City remained, as if declaring that as long as it existed, the Abyss’s assault on the city would never cease.
For this round, Anvil City had successfully held its ground.
The knights were surveying the battlefield. Although they had repelled the Abyss this time, they were well aware that it was only temporary.
Once the Abyss began a full-scale invasion, it meant it would not stop until it had completely consumed all of Anvil City.
The defense was only a momentary reprieve. How many more waves of attacks from the Abyss could they survive?
The captain of the elite knight squad approached Pegum. “Reporting, Lord Pegum. The count is complete: 5 dead, 11 seriously injured, and everyone else has sustained minor wounds to some degree.”
“I see.”
The tall, thin man merely nodded slightly, not taking the string of numbers to heart.
“Who was that person?”
“I am not sure who you are referring to, Lord Pegum.”
“The one who intruded into the battle.”
“That…”
The knight captain quickly exchanged a few words with his companions before reporting the information he had gathered.
“Reporting, Lord Pegum. It is said that the person is an associate of the Holy Fire Sect members we were pursuing today. Currently, we only know they are in contact with the sect members; it is unknown if they actually belong to the Holy Fire Sect.”
“I see. Dispatch a squad to investigate her.”
“Yes, sir!”
The knight captain found the knights who had recognized Yuri and relayed Pegum’s orders to them.
Although everyone knew that the most important task was dealing with those ferocious Abyss monsters, this was Pegum’s command. He was the closest confidant to Bartol—a man positioned above ten thousand, second only to one. To the knights, Pegum’s orders were often equivalent to those of the City Lord himself. Even if they had doubts, they could only obey.
A squad of knights left the city gate and headed into the city to begin investigating Yuri.
After giving these instructions, the knight captain returned to Pegum’s side.
“My Lord, what are your next instructions?”
“Repair the city gates. The second wave of the Abyss’s attack is coming soon.”
“Yes, sir!”
***
“The sky is so dark.”
Yuri looked up at the sky. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed while fighting the Abyss monsters, but it shouldn’t have been nightfall yet.
However, the sky at this moment was extremely gloomy.
A heavy dark cloud hung over Anvil City. Compared to usual, the atmosphere in the city was also very oppressive. The streets that were bustling in the morning were now deserted, with almost no one in sight.
Yuri arrived at the entrance of the Adventurers’ Guild. Although she didn’t know where Clayton’s information came from, the intel he held was very useful. It would be even better if she could discover his source or even establish a connection there.
She pushed open the guild doors. The usually lively hall was also somewhat desolate; most of those adventurers likely knew the city gates had been breached. They had probably fled to the center of the city by now. After all, the City Lord’s mansion was there, and heading that way was the standard move in such a situation.
She didn’t know if there would still be vacant rooms at the inn today. She didn’t want to sleep on the streets tonight.
Approaching the reception desk, she saw the receptionist organizing some documents. Yuri took off her mask and spoke calmly.
“I’m looking for President Clayton.”
“Is it Miss Yuri?”
The receptionist put down her documents. “The President is already waiting for you.”
He certainly had patience, staying put like that. Wasn’t he afraid she wouldn’t show up today and leave him waiting in the guild for nothing?
“Take me to see him.”
“Alright, please follow me.”
With that, the receptionist left the counter and led Yuri to the second floor of the guild. They arrived at the door of the President’s office, and she knocked gently.
“President Clayton, Miss Yuri is here.”
“Let her in quickly.”
When the door opened, Clayton was sitting behind a wooden desk. Judging by his voice, it seemed he had indeed been waiting for her for a long time.
“If you need anything, just call me.”
The receptionist stepped out and closed the door behind her.
Now, only she, Clayton, and the Little Evil God hovering nearby to watch the fun remained in the room.
“Hey, Yuri-chan, I’m saying, is there really a need to come find this old guy?”
“If I don’t, will you go to the City Lord’s mansion to gather intel for me?”
“What do you take me for? I’m not your errand boy.”
The Little Evil God looked huffy. That settled it then; since Ilis refused to help her, she could only rely on Clayton, who had information and lacked hostility toward her.
“President Clayton, I’m curious as to why you were looking for me.”
“I’ll be blunt, Miss Yuri. Anvil City needs your strength right now.”
Huh?
She was just a Silver-rank adventurer. There were plenty of Silver-rank adventurers like her, weren’t there? Couldn’t he just summon all the others?
“The Abyss nest in that Dead Leaf Forest outside the city—you were the one who destroyed it, right?”
So that’s why he suddenly sought her out. It turned out he was attributing what Solam had done to her.
“Sorry, but that has nothing to do with me.”
The moment the words left her mouth, the office became so quiet one could almost hear a pin drop. Clayton stared at her face, trying to find a trace of a lie, but found nothing.
“However, according to the information we gathered, during the time from the discovery of the Abyss nest to its destruction, you were the only person who went into those woods. Even if you didn’t destroy it, Miss Yuri, can you tell me what happened?”
It seemed Clayton needed to find the person who destroyed the Abyss nest. That was a pity; according to his requirements, the person he was looking for was Solam. But Solam had likely reached the Withered Mountains by now, so even if they wanted to find him, they couldn’t. Furthermore, as her savior, Yuri wasn’t about to expose his information so easily.
“Sorry, I don’t know who destroyed the nest. By the time I reached those woods, the nest had already been destroyed.”
“This…”
Faced with her answer, Clayton fell into silence.
Such a result was predictable. After all, the person he had waited so long for turned out not to be the one he was looking for; anyone in Yuri’s position would probably have the same expression.
“I understand, Miss Yuri. Since you are unwilling to admit it, perhaps for some reason, I won’t press the matter.”
Huh?
She had already said it had nothing to do with her, yet he was still adamant that she was the one who destroyed it.
Get it straight—she was just a Silver. Just a Silver-rank adventurer. Destroying an Abyss nest? Was she dreaming, or had Clayton lost his mind?
“Miss Yuri, Anvil City needs your strength now.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Miss Yuri, you should know by now. Just moments ago, the Abyss launched a surprise attack on Anvil City. You possess the power to destroy an Abyss nest; Anvil City needs that power to fight back.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t do it. And…”
Yuri’s tone turned cold. “President Clayton, don’t you know yet? Anvil City is already terminally ill. It’s not something my meager strength can save.”
“What did you say?!”