B2 Ch 103 - The Enemy Among Us

“That is beyond reckless. It’s foolish!” The Big Red Demon answered with a thunderous roar after Zorvaya finally presented her idea to the other three Demon Commanders.

“You’re proposing a battle without even considering the losses it could bring!”

“Khe khe khe.” The Frog Demon gave a quiet chuckle. “Let us hear her out first. I’m curious where this little idea of hers is going.”

Zorvaya crossed her arms, fixing the Frog Demon, who stood slightly shorter than her, with a cold stare.

“My troops and I have already slaughtered a considerable number of those players in a very short time. Hundreds have fallen to us tonight alone, and their numbers continue to rise as more of them are drawn to this area.”

“Those are merely low-level players you’ve been slaughtering,” the Frog Demon replied.

“Low-level or not, we all know they’ve been one of our most troublesome obstacles over the past few months.” Zorvaya’s voice remained cold. “There are too many of them, they’re scattered everywhere, and their movements are difficult to predict precisely because they lack proper coordination. They may not be a powerful army, but they are persistent enough to cost us troops whenever they interfere. Worse, killing them accomplishes nothing because they simply return.”

“You know perfectly well there is no benefit in killing them,” the Big Red Demon growled.

A faint smile appeared on Zorvaya’s lips. “And yet I’m certain we have killed far more of them tonight than you realize.”

“That still gives us no reason to confront the princess’s army directly,” the Big Red Demon shot back. “Their forces are considerable. A battle on that scale would drain our numbers far too quickly, and we cannot afford such losses until we have gathered enough sacrifices.”

“I think all of you are overlooking something here,” Zorvaya continued. “Every time those players die, they need at least a full day before they can return. Even then, they come back having lost a portion of their strength. More importantly, they cannot remain in this world indefinitely. Once every two days, they must leave, disappear, or whatever it is they do. During that period, their presence here will drop considerably.”

The Frog Demon’s wide eyes narrowed.

“What exactly are you suggesting?”

Zorvaya’s smile grew slightly.

“We have already succeeded in drawing a large number of players here. If we continue entertaining them, keep them fighting, and drag this conflict out for as long as possible over the next two days...”

She stopped there. Zorvaya deliberately allowed those words to settle in the minds of the other Demon Commanders. And slowly, the purpose behind her strategy became obvious.

“Once they reach their weakest point, when the players enter that period where most of them are forced to leave Yunatea, their numbers will collapse.” Her eyes narrowed. “That is when we stop fighting the players.”

Her smile sharpened.

“And turn everything we have against the princess.”

**

On the other side of the area, hundreds of players and knights marched together across the rough terrain, their formation occasionally slowing or coming to a complete stop whenever something disturbed the ranks. At the very front, a woman with long red hair tied behind her raised her right hand once again, signaling everyone to halt.

She turned toward the other side of the formation, where the clash of steel and several angry shouts could be heard among the restless crowd.

Rania turned and made her way toward the disturbance. The knights immediately moved aside to give their princess a path, and as the crowd opened before her, the source of the commotion finally became clear.

A group of around five players stood opposite several knights, the two sides locked in a heated confrontation.

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“Calm yourselves,” one of the knights said. “There is no reason for this to become a fight. Lower your weapons, and we can settle whatever disagreement has happened here properly.”

“Shut up!” A warrior player pointed his sword straight at the knight. “You people really think you’re above everyone else, don’t you? You think you can handle everything on your own! So shut your mouth and stop ordering us around like we’re your damn soldiers!”

Another knight immediately stepped forward.

“No one here said anything of the sort,” he answered firmly. “Nor has anyone insulted your strength or your reason for joining us. We have only asked you to follow the formation and stop interfering with the march.”

Rania, now standing nearby, turned toward another figure not far from the confrontation. It was a knight with short brown hair, exhaustion clearly visible across his face.

“Gleus?”

“Your Highness.” Knight Gleus bowed toward her.

“There has been a slight misunderstanding between our knights and the players,” Gleus explained. “We have repeatedly asked several of them to remain within the formation, but some continue to leave the ranks without warning or interfere with the movement of our troops. A few have even deliberately drawn nearby monsters toward the column. Their lack of discipline has disrupted the march several times and forced our knights to deal with threats that could have easily been avoided.”

The players immediately snapped their attention toward him.

“Shut up! Don’t stand there and make accusations like we’re the ones causing all the problems!” the warrior player shouted. “We came here to support you in this war! We’re risking ourselves fighting the demons too, and this is how your knights treat us?”

Another player quickly joined in.

“Those stupid knights have been provoking us from the beginning! They keep getting in our way and acting like everything we do is a problem!”

Rania stepped forward toward the players and raised her right hand, silencing both sides before the argument could grow any worse.

Rania finally spoke.

“We have a far greater enemy to worry about than each other.”

“The demons out there will not hesitate, they will not show mercy, and they certainly will not care whether you are a knight or a player. The moment we lose focus, they will strike, tear through our ranks, and devour anyone they can reach. We do not have the time or strength to waste fighting among ourselves.”

She scanned the surrounding formation, allowing her gaze to pass over both knights and players.

“We already agreed on how this cooperation would work. The knights will follow the command structure and maintain the formation. The players will pursue the objectives we have agreed upon in whatever way suits their abilities and methods. You are not soldiers of this kingdom, and I have no intention of treating you as such. Cooperation and coordination are necessary, but that does not mean every movement must be controlled.”

She paused again, her sharp gaze moving slowly across those gathered around her.

“Do not allow petty disputes to distract you from what is happening around us. There is something much larger at work here. In fact, our enemy may have already begun their attack, one far more dangerous than confronting us directly.”

Rania fell silent for a moment. Then she turned toward Gleus.

The knight seemed startled by the sudden attention, his expression stiffening before he lowered his head slightly.

“The most dangerous attack,” Rania continued, “is the one we fail to realize has already begun.”

Silence followed.

“Arrest them.”

Almost immediately, two Knight Commanders shot forward at terrifying speed, rushing straight toward Gleus.

Around six knights were thrown to the ground almost immediately as the two Knight Commanders tore through the group, forcing them down one after another and pinning them firmly against the dirt. The sudden movement sent the surrounding knights backing away in alarm, confusion spreading through the formation.

“Your Highness, please! There must be some mistake!” one of the restrained knights shouted desperately. “I have served this kingdom faithfully for years! Please, at least tell me what I have done!”

“This is absurd!” another knight protested as his arm was twisted behind his back. “We were only maintaining order! We did exactly what was expected of us!”

“Your Highness, we haven’t betrayed anyone!” another yelled. “We were following orders! You cannot arrest us without even telling us what we’re accused of!”

One of the pinned knights twisted his head toward the players, his face burning with anger.

“This is because of them, isn’t it?!” he roared. “You believe those outsiders over your own knights?! They caused this entire mess, and somehow we’re the ones being dragged into the dirt?!”

Rania walked past Gleus, who stood stiffly in her path. The knight took several steps back, quickly giving the princess enough room to pass.

She stopped before the restrained knights, watching as they continued shouting, protesting, and struggling against the Knight Commanders holding them down.

“What happened to them?” she asked.

One of the Knight Commanders examined the nearest knight for a moment before answering.

“They’re under some kind of charm spell, Your Highness. Something has taken hold of their minds and is interfering with their thoughts and judgment. It’s quite powerful, strong enough that they may not even realize their actions are no longer entirely their own.”

“Can it be removed?”

“We’ll have to try first. We may be able to dispel the effect, but if the influence has already taken root too deeply, removing it could take some time.”

Rania scanned the surrounding area once again, her expression growing more serious.

“Before that, we need to find whoever is responsible for this. Something deliberately created this chaos among our ranks, and I doubt these six are the only ones affected.”

She swept one hand sharply to the side.

“Scan the entire area. Check every unit, every formation, and anything unusual you can detect. I want the source of this influence found immediately.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“The enemy is already among us.”