Chapter 246 – Heavy but Necessary

Chapter 246

Heavy but Necessary

Date : Day 16 of Firstthaw 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.

It was Day 16 of Firstthaw, the sixth and final day of Freedom Party's rest.

Tomorrow, they would return to Akela Dungeon. Back to the Fifth Floor, to grind as they had planned.

But today, they were still resting.

Wyvern Street Manor was peaceful. Above it, the dual suns of Kresneger, golden Sol and silver Luna, were slowly climbing toward their zenith. Their mingled light spilled over the rooftops of the Adventurer's District and poured through the manor's tall windows, warm and gentle in the way only spring could be.

Upstairs, Arianna was shut in her room. Thick tomes on runic theory lay open across her desk, their pages crowded with her neat notes. Every now and then, a soft "Ohoho…" of discovery drifted through her door, followed by the frantic scratch of her pen.

Out in the yard, Jackey was honing his throwing. A battered wooden target stood at the far end of the grass. Again and again, he hurled the Blackmaw Tomahawk at it. Each time, the axe struck the wood with a satisfying thud. Then it vanished from the target and reappeared in his hand, ready for the next throw.

"WOHOO! Bullseye again!"

His tabby cat tail spiraled happily behind him as he wound up once more.

At the other side of the yard, in the newly turned beds of the garden, Elise knelt in the soft soil. The snow had finally melted, and the earth was ready. With careful fingers, she tended the seeds she had bought back in winter, the Whisperbell from her homeland among them, patting the dark soil gently over each one. A soft elven tune hummed from her lips as she worked, rising and falling like a breeze through tall trees.

Only Ina was missing. She was at the Guild, the only one of them not enjoying the day's respite. As Vice Guild Master, her work didn't care whether Freedom Party was resting or not.

And Hyoren was in the library.

The reception room had long since become their small library, its shelves gradually filling with books he and Arianna kept bringing home. Hyoren sat in an armchair by the window, a thick book open on his lap. The sunlight fell across its pages.

A soft knock sounded at the open door.

Lena stepped in carrying a small tray. Her fox ears tilted forward as she approached, and she set a steaming cup of coffee on the side table beside him.

"Your coffee, Master Hyoren."

Hyoren looked up from the book and smiled.

"Thank you, Lena."

Lena bowed slightly. Her bushy tail swayed once before she quietly withdrew, leaving him alone with his reading once more.

The book in his lap was a history of the Church of Luminara.

Truthfully, he already knew most of its broad strokes. But the details were what kept him turning the pages. The lives of each Pope and Archbishop. The decisions they had made. The eras they had lived through. The people behind the names.

He traced a line of text with one finger and murmured to himself.

"Ho… So Pope Johanny XII tried to defend the Church of Noctynara during the Heretics Era. But without result…"

He furrowed his eyebrows and read the passage again.

"The heresy spread by the heretics was too much… Even the Pope of Luminara's Church couldn't do anything to make the people separate Noctynara's true believers from the heretics…"

He leaned back slightly in the armchair.

Even the Pope couldn't stop it…

He thought of Noctynara. The quiet goddess who barely spoke. Her followers had been lumped together with the very heretics who abused her name. And even now, most people in the kingdom still couldn't tell them apart.

It must have been frustrating… To try and fail like that…

With a small sigh, he turned the page and continued reading.

A new name appeared at the top of the next chapter. Hyoren's eyes widened slightly.

"Pope Theresia VI was the youngest Pope ever recorded. She ascended to the papacy at fifty-one years old… 106 years ago."

He kept reading, his finger sliding further down the page.

"Endorsed by multiple Archbishops… Before becoming Theresia VI, she was Archbishop Ilma. An orphan…"

He reached for his coffee and took a sip. The warm bitterness settled pleasantly on his tongue. Then he set the cup back down on the side table, his gaze still fixed on the page.

"Wow… I was expecting the youngest Pope to be backed by some noble house… But an orphan…"

He tapped his chin thoughtfully.

To rise from nothing to the very top of the Church… And with the backing of several Archbishops, too…

"Maybe she was truly devoted. And loved by Luminara… Even if she wasn't a Saint or a Champion."

A faint smile crossed his face. Somehow, the image of the warm, talkative and clumsy Goddess of Light fondly watching over a devoted orphan girl came to him far too easily.

He turned the page and sank deeper into the history of the Church.

Outside the window, the steady thud of Jackey's tomahawk kept time with the hours. Elise's soft humming drifted in on the breeze. Upstairs, a book thumped shut, and another opened. And somewhere in the kitchen, Lena and Vina's quiet voices mingled with the clink of dishes.

The suns climbed a little higher. The coffee slowly cooled beside him. And Wyvern Street Manor rested in its peace. 

***

Then, the peace was shattered.

A deep, resonant toll echoed across the city. The sound was a heavy, urgent, metallic clang, repeated four times. Each strike hammered against the quiet air.

DONG… DONG… DONG… DONG…

Hyoren's dark eyes snapped up from the page.

For a moment, he didn't move. The echo of the last strike rolled over the rooftops of the Adventurer's District, then faded, leaving behind a silence that felt wrong. 

Then he was on his feet. He set the book down on the side table so quickly that it nearly knocked over his coffee, and strode out of the library toward the main hall.

That bell…

In the half year he had lived in Akela, he had never once heard it rung. But every hair on the back of his neck stood on end. His Instinct was screaming at him.

Something bad is happening.

The front door burst open.

Jackey came running in from the yard, the Blackmaw Tomahawk in one hand. His tabby cat ears stood rigidly upright, and his tail had gone stiff behind him. His golden eyes darted around the hall, confused and alert at the same time.

"Big Bro! What was that?"

Before Hyoren could answer, hurried footsteps thundered down the staircase. Arianna descended two steps at a time, one hand holding up the hem of her purple robe, her crimson hair slightly disheveled from hours bent over her books.

From the back door, Elise rushed in. Her gardening gloves had been abandoned somewhere in the yard, and there was still soil on her fingers and her knees. Her silver hair was coming loose from its tie.

Even Lena and Vina had come out from the servants' quarters. Lena still clutched a dish towel in both hands. Vina stood close beside her, her face pale, her eyes wide as they flicked toward the windows.

Hyoren looked at his family gathered in the hall.

"What's that bell?"

Hyoren was clueless. But Elise and Arianna already knew.

He could see it on their faces. The color had drained from Elise's cheeks. Arianna's usual bright expression had sharpened into something cold and focused, a look Hyoren had only ever seen on her inside the dungeon.

Elise gripped her own arms tightly, as if a sudden chill had swept through the hall.

"That's the Emergency Bell, Hyoren."

Arianna nodded. Her voice was steady, but her fingers had curled into fists at her sides.

"Leader. It's only rung when the city is under immediate threat. It would never be rung, except…"

Her words trailed off.

She didn't need to finish. Hyoren already understood.

His jaw tightened.

"The Shadowden Collective in the Forest of No Return… They've finally made their move…"

Elise and Arianna nodded at the same time.

Jackey's ears flattened against his head. Behind him, Vina let out a small, frightened breath, and Lena put an arm around her shoulders.

Hyoren bit his lip.

The Goblin King…

He remembered it clearly. The night at the edge of the forest, half a year ago. The campfire. Elise staring into the flames as she explained the Enemies of Humanity. The warband led by a Goblin Warrior, far closer to the forest edge than it should have been. The report she had delivered to Ina the moment they reached Akela.

She had been on that quest precisely to confirm the rumors. The heightened activity of the Goblin King's army.

"Every time the Forest of No Return activity is heightened, the army will march within one year."

And this year was that year.

But then winter had come. The snow had buried Akela for two months, and the goblins' activity had receded with it. Moving an army through a frozen forest would have been just as hard for them as for anyone. Days had turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Between the dungeon, the manor and everything else, the threat had slowly slipped out of his mind.

Hyoren grimaced.

The snow only melted five days ago… I didn't expect them to move this quickly…

He looked at Elise and Arianna.

"Should we go to the Guild?"

Elise nodded at once. She drew a steadying breath, and some of the color returned to her face as the veteran in her took over.

"The Adventurer’s Guild will organize the defense."

Arianna stepped forward beside her.

"Yes, Leader. Most likely, the Guild will issue an emergency quest."

And Ina is already there…

Hyoren nodded firmly.

"Then we go to the Guild. Now."

He turned to Lena and Vina. Both of them looked at him with worried faces.

"Lena. Vina. Stay inside the manor and lock the doors. Don't go out until we come back."

Lena straightened. She bowed deeply, though her fox ears were pressed flat against her head.

"Understood, Master Hyoren. Please… be careful. All of you."

Vina clutched the hem of her apron and nodded quickly.

"Come back safe, Hyoren. Sister Elise. Everyone."

Hyoren gave them a firm nod.

"We will."

They didn't hesitate. As one, Freedom Party grabbed their gear and ran out into the streets.

***

Freedom Party left the manor at a brisk pace, heading straight for the Adventurer's Guild.

The atmosphere in Akela had transformed.

Only an hour ago, the city had been basking in the early days of spring. The snow had melted, the stalls had returned to the streets, and people had walked with lighter steps, as if the whole city had finally exhaled after a long winter.

All of that was gone.

Citizens hurried away from the markets with baskets clutched to their chests. Mothers pulled their children indoors by the wrist. Merchants were hastily dragging their stalls back inside and boarding up their windows, the sharp knocks of hammers echoing down the street. A shopkeeper shouted at his apprentice to hurry. Somewhere, a child was crying.

And against that tide, a river of adventurers flowed toward the Guild. Swords at their hips, bows on their backs, shields strapped to their arms. Their faces were grim and determined.

Hyoren walked at the front, his jaw set. Elise kept pace at his left, her silver hair hastily tied back again, the soil still faintly visible on her fingers. Jackey and Arianna followed close behind. None of them spoke. There was nothing to say yet.

When they arrived, the scene was chaotic.

The plaza in front of the Guild was packed shoulder to shoulder. A sea of Copper and Bronze ranks, the highest ranks this frontier city usually had to offer. Parties huddled together, talking over one another. Some adventurers were still fastening their armor. Others simply stood in silence, staring at the Guild's doors.

At the front, on a makeshift platform built from stacked wooden crates, stood Fiona Akela.

Even in the turmoil, she was impossible to miss. She towered over the crowd, a beacon of command. Her wolf-cut red hair was even messier than usual, as though she had been running her hands through it all morning. Her face was a mask of grim determination.

Beside her, looking small next to the tall Guild Master but standing resolutely straight, was Ina.

Her amber eyes were scanning the crowd. Searching. Then they met Hyoren's across the sea of heads.

For a single heartbeat, profound relief flickered across her face. Her cat ears twitched, and her shoulders loosened ever so slightly. Then she drew a breath and smoothed her features back into the composed mask of the Vice Guild Master.

Hyoren gave her a small nod.

He led the others toward the side of the plaza, where the crowd was a little thinner. From there, they had a clear view of the platform without being pressed into the middle of the throng. The four of them stood together, ready to listen to whatever Fiona was about to say.

Fiona raised both hands.

The plaza fell silent almost at once. The weight of her authority crushed the din as surely as a hammer on an anvil.

"Adventurers of Akela!"

Her voice rang across the plaza, clear and powerful. There wasn't a single curse in it.

"This morning, we received verified intelligence from our scouts at the edge of the Forest of No Return. The Goblin Army from the Goblin King's settlement is on the move."

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

Near the front, a young swordsman with a brand-new set of armor turned to the veteran beside him, his face pale.

"Shadowden Collective…?"

The veteran, a scarred man with a greying beard, grimly nodded.

"Yeah. You're new here, so you don't know. They're a menace. Every few years, they come knocking at our walls."

Somewhere behind them, a burly axeman spat on the cobblestones.

"Damn goblins!"

A young woman clutching a staff hugged it tighter to her chest.

"What's going to happen to us now…?"

Fiona raised her hand again. The murmurs died down.

"They are led by a Goblin Chieftain. Level 35."

She inhaled deeply, then exhaled.

"Their numbers are estimated at fifteen thousand strong. Most of them are normal goblins, but mixed among them are evolved variants. Fighters. Warriors. Archers. Shamans. And Lords. At their current pace, they will arrive at our walls within one to two days."

She paused, letting the terrifying numbers sink in.

They sank in all at once.

The plaza erupted in a frantic murmur. A dwarf near the platform threw his hands in the air.

"Fifteen thousand?! The last attack was only five thousand! And they could breach the gate!”

A woman in scale armor grabbed her party leader's sleeve.

"A Level 35 Goblin Chieftain? What the hell?"

Her party leader shook his head in disbelief.

"Isn't a Goblin Chieftain usually only around Level 25?"

Further back, a young archer sank down onto the edge of a crate, his bow slipping from his fingers.

"We're dead…"

An older adventurer clasped his hands together and bowed his head, his lips trembling.

"Luminara, forgive my sins…"

The murmurs grew louder than any Hyoren had heard in this plaza before. More and more people began to panic. Some argued. Some fell silent. Some began to pray.

Hyoren grimaced.

Among all the noise, a few pieces of information stuck in his mind like thorns.

A commander way stronger than usual… Three times as many soldiers as the last attack… Fighters, Warriors, Archers, Shamans, even Lords…

His fingers curled into a fist.

Is the Goblin King determined to wipe Akela off the map…?

Beside him, Elise's hand had drifted to his arm and tightened there. Jackey's tail had gone completely still. Arianna's lips were pressed into a thin line, her eyes fixed on her mother.

On the platform, Fiona waited.

She let the panic run its course. Only when the murmurs began to die down on their own did she speak again.

"The Goblin King is going all out this time! This is an all-time record. Never before has it sent so many, or a commander this strong."

Her eyes narrowed.

"The Goblin King itself has yet to appear. Because that king is a coward!"

She raised her fist high.

"This is not a request. This is not a bounty. This is an Emergency Quest, issued by the Guild and sanctioned by Baron Guts Akela himself. All Copper and Bronze-ranked parties are hereby ordered to participate in the defense of Akela City. For Wood and Iron ranks, participation is not mandatory, but it is strongly encouraged."

She paused.

"All participants will be paid one and a half times the standard Guild rate for every goblin they defeat."

A few heads lifted at that. Her gaze swept over the crowd, her blue eyes burning with a warrior's spirit.

"But this is not for glory. This is not for riches. This is a battle to defend our homes. Our families. Our city."

The plaza had gone quiet again. Not the silence of panic, this time, but something heavier.

Then Hyoren suddenly felt a chill.

It crawled up the back of his neck, the same way it did whenever a monster locked onto him inside the dungeon. He looked up.

Fiona's sharp blue eyes were piercing straight through the crowd. Straight at him.

No… We're at the side… Far from the front… There's no way she can…

Fiona's lips curled upward.

She found me… What does she want…?

She inhaled again.

“Don't be discouraged by their numbers or the strength of their commander!"

A wide grin spread across her face. She swept her messy red hair back from her forehead.

"The enemy might be stronger. They might have greater numbers. BUT!"

She paused.

The whole crowd held its breath. Somewhere, someone audibly gulped.

Slowly, deliberately, Fiona raised her arm and pointed one finger across the plaza—straight at Hyoren.

Hundreds of heads turned at once, following her finger. Hundreds of eyes landed on him.

Hyoren felt a very bad feeling crawl into his stomach.

He muttered under his breath.

"Oh, damn it… Fiona…"

Fiona's voice boomed across the plaza.

"For the first time in history, Akela has a Silver-ranked adventurer party! Freedom Party!"

Hyoren winced so hard his whole face twitched.

"Since when are we Silver rank???"

On the platform, Fiona seemed to hear him. Her grin only widened.

"And their leader is the hero who saved Riverville Town from the nightmare of the Voided Covenant! A man blessed by a goddess, who possesses a Unique Skill! He will lead us to victory!"

Hyoren's dread doubled. He took half a step forward and raised his hand.

"Guild Master, please stop!"

Fiona either didn't hear him or decided to ignore him entirely. She raised both arms high above her head.

"We will defend our city! And we will WIN!"

For a moment, the crowd simply stared.

Then the murmurs began again. But this time, they were different.

A young lancer leaned toward his companion, frowning.

"What did the Guild Master say? Freedom Party?"

His companion, an older woman with a crossbow on her back, stared at him in disbelief.

"You don't know? It's the strongest party in Akela. The ones who pioneered Akela Dungeon. All that information the Guild gives us about the floors? That's from them."

The lancer's eyes widened.

"Ooh. That Freedom Party? But they're already Silver rank?"

A dwarf beside them stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"They must've been promoted recently."

Another adventurer nodded vigorously.

"They're strong!"

A grizzled tank further back crossed his arms, a grin spreading across his face.

"Even Jigor and Ronald respect the leader of that party!"

The murmurs grew louder. Spread faster. A young guard-turned-adventurer near the edge of the crowd raised his hand excitedly.

"They saved Riverville Town! I know, because my brother's a guard there!"

A mage beside him gasped.

"Did the Guild Master say the leader is blessed by a goddess?!"

Someone, somewhere, raised a fist.

"Freedom Party!"

Another voice joined.

"Freedom Party!"

“Freedom Party!”

Then more.

"We'll win!"

"We'll be victorious!"

“We’ll defend our city!”

The chant spread through the plaza like fire through dry grass. The cheers kept growing, swelling until they drowned out the last of the fear.

On the platform, Fiona stood with her hands on her hips, grinning down at the crowd like a general who had just won her first battle.

Beside her, Ina caught Hyoren's eye again. She pressed her palms together in front of her chest and gave him a small, deeply apologetic look. Her ears had folded back.

Meanwhile, Hyoren stood frozen, dreading every single second.

Why… Why did she have to say all of that…

A gentle touch settled on his arm.

Elise was looking up at him. Her emerald eyes were knowing, and a small, sympathetic smile tugged at her lips.

"Don't blame her, Hyoren. She needed something to raise everyone's morale."

On his other side, Arianna nodded. She glanced toward the platform, at her mother still basking in the cheers.

"I believe Esteemed Mother had no choice but to reveal those facts, Leader. Look at them."

Hyoren looked.

The faces around him had changed. The young archer who had collapsed onto the crate was standing again, gripping his bow. The old adventurer had stopped praying. The pale Copper rank swordsman was grinning, pumping his fist along with the chant.

Behind them, Jackey scratched his head, his tabby ears tilting in complete confusion.

"Wait… We're Silver rank? Since when, Big Bro?"

Hyoren let out a long, defeated sigh.

"…I'd like to know that too, Jackey."

The crowd was still cheering. Slowly, the adventurers began to step aside, opening a path through the plaza toward the platform where Fiona and Ina stood waiting.

Hundreds of eyes followed them. Hopeful. Expectant.

Hyoren looked at the faces around him. Then at Elise, Jackey and Arianna standing beside him.

He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

I don't want this… The responsibility is too heavy… 

But…

Fine… If this is what it takes…

When he opened his eyes again, the dread was gone. In its place was something steadier.

Whether he wanted it or not, he had become someone this city would rely on in the coming battle against the army of the Goblin King, Warlock of the Shadowden Collective.

And so, Hyoren stepped forward.

***

Freedom Party followed Hyoren toward the front of the plaza.

The crowd parted before them. Adventurers stepped aside one after another, opening a path straight to the platform. Hundreds of eyes followed every step Hyoren took. Some were curious. Some were hopeful. Some were still uncertain.

Hyoren walked forward in silence. His face was set in grim determination.

Elise and Arianna are right… And Fiona knows what my spear can do… By doing this…

His thoughts drifted to the weapon resting inside his storage bag—Étendard Sacré du Lys. The mithril flag bearer that could also serve as a spear. And tied beneath its spearhead, the banner of Freedom Party. The soaring Aetovacus.

…these adventurers will acknowledge me as their…

He couldn't even finish the thought. His jaw tightened.

Their leader… Their commander…

The idea still sat heavily in his chest. Leading his own party was one thing. He knew Elise, Jackey and Arianna. He trusted them, and they trusted him. 

But leading hundreds of strangers into a battle where some of them might never come back…

He clenched his teeth.

But… it will definitely help the defense…

Everyone who acknowledged the wielder as their leader, and could see the banner, would be strengthened by ten to fifteen percent. Speed. Defense. Attack. Accuracy. Even spell power.

It might not sound like much… But if it reaches hundreds of adventurers at once…

He had seen it at Riverville. Exhausted militia straightening their backs. Trembling spears steadying. Fear giving way to hope.

Then it could turn the tide of this battle…

Before long, he reached the foot of the platform.

Up on the crates, Fiona was still grinning down at him, her hands planted on her hips, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

Ina hurried down the side of the platform to meet him. Her cat ears were folded back, and her tail drooped behind her. She stopped in front of him and gave a small, apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, Hyoren. But we decided this was the best way to raise our chances…"

Hyoren looked at her. At the faint shadows of exhaustion beneath her amber eyes. She had probably been at the Guild since the report about Goblin Army’s movement, helping Fiona prepare all of this.

He smiled gently and raised his hand, resting his palm against her cheek.

"Don't worry, Ina. I understand."

Ina's eyes slowly closed. She placed her own hand over his and leaned into his palm. For a few heartbeats, the noise of the plaza seemed to fade away around them.

"Un."

Then she opened her eyes again. The Vice Guild Master returned to her face. She stepped aside and gestured toward the platform, where Fiona had already moved a little to one side, leaving the center open.

"Then… please, Hyoren."

Hyoren lowered his hand and slowly clenched it into a fist.

He closed his eyes. He inhaled deeply, then let the breath out.

"Okay…"

His voice was quiet. Only his party could hear it.

"This responsibility is so heavy… I don't even know if I can carry it."

He opened his eyes.

"But it's necessary."

A gentle hand pressed against his back. Elise had stepped up close on his left. Her emerald eyes were soft and steady.

"You're not alone, Hyoren."

On his right, Ina wrapped her hand around his arm and gave it a firm squeeze. Her tail swayed once.

"Elise is right. You can do this."

Arianna stepped forward. She held Quadraflux Weaver at her side and smiled at him. It wasn't her polished noble smile, but a proud one.

"Leader. I've known you had it in you from the very beginning. That is why I follow you… and why I call you 'Leader'."

Jackey grinned from ear to ear and raised his thumb high.

"You're strong, Big Bro!"

Then he thrust his fist into the air.

"FREEDOM PARTY STRONG!"

Several adventurers nearby turned at the sudden shout. A few of them chuckled. One or two pumped their own fists in reply. Around them, the murmuring of the crowd continued, waiting to see what would happen next.

Hyoren looked at each of them. Elise. Ina. Arianna. Jackey.

Slowly, the tension in his shoulders eased. He nodded.

"Thank you, everyone."

When he turned back toward the platform, the worry on his face was gone. Only grim determination remained.

I can't let them see me hesitate... If I look worried, so will they… Right now, I need to raise their morale…

He climbed the stacked crates and stepped up beside Fiona.

The Guild Master's grin widened. She lowered her voice so that only he could hear.

"The stage is yours. Hero."

Hyoren winced slightly at the word. But he didn't argue. There was no time for that.

He reached into his storage bag and drew out Étendard Sacré du Lys.

The pure white mithril spear caught the light of the twin suns. Its intricate engravings shimmered along the shaft. The white banner beneath its spearhead hung loosely for a moment.

Then Hyoren raised the flag bearer high above his head.

A breeze swept across the plaza.

The white banner unfurled and snapped open in the wind. Upon it, the black Aetovacus spread its rigid wings. The two hazy rings of dark mist trailing behind its tail rippled with the cloth, giving the illusion that the great bird was soaring through the sky above the plaza.

A ripple of murmurs spread across the crowd.

Near the front, a young mage squinted up at the banner, her mouth falling open.

"Is that… Aetovacus?"

Beside her, a veteran swordsman with a scarred chin let out a low whistle.

"Bold… Very bold of them to use that black bird as their party symbol."

An older archer crossed her arms, her eyes fixed on the fluttering cloth.

"The majestic Apex Bird… The symbol of freedom."

The dwarf beside her stroked his beard slowly, a grin forming beneath it.

"A fitting symbol, huh."

Further back, a young adventurer tugged at his companion's sleeve.

"Riverville Town… Wasn't there a banner like that at Riverville Town? My brother said the guards fought under a black bird…"

Hyoren stood still, the banner raised high, and waited for the murmurs to die down.

In that silence, he shoved aside every last trace of reluctance.

He didn't know how he had become the symbol of hope for this battle. He hadn't asked for it. He hadn't wanted it. But the city needed it. These adventurers needed it. Even Fiona, the Guild Master herself, was relying on him.

Then I'll carry it.

He filled his lungs and raised his voice to match Fiona's.

"Adventurers of Akela! I am Hyoren Enjo! Leader of Freedom Party! A Silver-ranked party!"

Whether we've taken the test or not… Fiona already announced it herself... Then I'll accept it as fact…

He paused.

Every pair of eyes in the plaza was locked onto him. Hundreds of them. No one spoke.

Hyoren raised the banner even higher. The black Aetovacus climbed with it, soaring above the heads of everyone gathered.

"This Aetovacus has already carried one town to victory!"

His voice rang out across the stone.

"In the battle for Riverville Town, the dead rose against the living. The militia were exhausted and outnumbered. And yet, under this banner, they held the line. Every one of them stood their ground until the very end."

His dark eyes swept across the crowd. Across the faces of the young Copper ranks. The battle-scarred Bronze ranks. The Wood and Iron ranks who had come even though they weren't required to.

"Fifteen thousand goblins are coming. A Level 35 Chieftain leads them. I won't pretend that it doesn't frighten me."

A few adventurers glanced at one another.

"But we are not militia caught by surprise. We are the adventurers of Akela! We have the walls. We have the Gate of Guts. And we have each other!"

He thrust the banner higher still. It cracked loudly in the wind.

"So I promise you all…"

He took one final breath.

"This Aetovacus will become a wing of victory once again!"

The words echoed across the plaza.

For a moment, there was only silence.

Then, somewhere near the front, a single pair of hands began to clap.

Then another. Then dozens. The applause spread outward like a wave, and with it came the cheers. Swords were raised. Shields were banged with fists. Staffs were lifted toward the sky.

"FREEDOM PARTY!"

"WING OF VICTORY!"

"FOR AKELA!"

The roar grew until it shook the windows of the Guild building behind them.

Hyoren lowered his gaze to the foot of the platform.

Elise was smiling up at him. A quiet, warm smile full of pride, the same one she had given him beneath the walls of Riverville Town.

Beside her, Ina was clapping both hands with all her strength. Her tail swished wildly behind her, and her eyes shone.

Arianna had taken off her wide-brimmed hat and held it over her chest, bowing her head in a graceful salute.

And Jackey had somehow already drawn both of his axes. He thrust them high into the air and let out a roar that refused to lose to the entire crowd.

"WOHOOOOO!"

Hyoren couldn't help it. A small laugh escaped him.

Beside him, Fiona leaned in slightly. Her sharp blue eyes were fixed on the cheering adventurers, but the corner of her mouth was curled upward.

"Good job."

Hyoren kept the banner raised high.

And as more and more adventurers looked up at the soaring black bird, as they began to see the young man beneath it as their commander, something invisible began to spread outward from the sacred standard.

It washed over the plaza like a gentle wind.

Backs that had been hunched in fear straightened. Hands that had trembled tightened around their weapons. Pale faces regained their color. The young archer who had sat on a crate muttering "we're dead" now stood tall, his bow gripped firmly in his hand.

The physical change was small. Almost impossible to notice. But their spirit had been reborn.

Far to the south, beyond the walls and the grasslands, the Goblin King's army was on the march. The largest horde in Akela's history, led by the strongest commander ever recorded. Within one or two days, it would be knocking on Akela's door.

But the defenders of Akela no longer stood in despair.

Their morale had been ignited.

And above them, on a white banner fluttering beneath the twin suns, the black Aetovacus soared.