-- and then we had to rush to deal with the aftermath of the battle.

　The first and foremost priority was to treat the injuries.

　We also had to deal with the Falcon who appeared out of nowhere and fainted without telling us what happened, but there is an order of priority in things.

　The main wounded were Garnett and the four knights of the Golden Fang Order.
　These are the faces that were scattered and severely injured by the water blades that Austri had poured down countless times.

　The damage to their physical bodies and equipment can be quickly fixed with my [Repair], but there's nothing I can do about the bloodshed that has spread to the underground water that flooded the square.

　A quick [repair] was essential to prevent the loss of strength due to the amount of blood loss.

''...... Okay, that's all of us now.

　Next to the treatment, we needed to move to a safe ...... place where we wouldn't be found, at least not right away.

　If he stayed in the square where he had engaged Austri, he would be discovered by the Demon King's Army soldiers who would be coming to check on the situation.

　In the unlikely event that this happened, they would surely be forced to fight a grueling series of battles before they could get over the fatigue of the deadly battle with Austri.

　Therefore, the place chosen as a temporary hiding place was one of the large number of uninhabited houses that existed in the underground settlement.

　Since the hope of escaping using the underground canal was cut off, they should leave this place immediately - a natural choice behind the natural idea.

　The idea was conceived by the female knight in command of the Golden Fang side, and apparently her first priority was to join up with Nagi, who had infiltrated the Demon King's castle.

　Anyway, we were to carry the unconscious Falcon to one of the houses and escape into one of the houses and stay there for the time being to see what was going on.










I've finished binding the Falcon. We've stiffened him up.
...... spellbinding, even ...... all-around ......
Sorry about that. Thank you.

　Alexia and Noir report back to me that the work is complete.

　They had asked the two of them to keep the unconscious Falcon in bondage.

　If it was a bondage applied by Alexia, the crafty engineer, from the physical aspect and Noir, the black magician, from the magical aspect, then even Falcon would not be able to escape easily.

　The personal grudge between him and I has not disappeared, but it's definitely a valuable source of information regarding the Demon King's Army.

　The series of events that began with the non-return of the brave party - in front of the Silver Wing Knights, who are tasked with uncovering the truth about it, I want to take Falcon back alive as much as possible.

　However, it's also true that they can't be trusted enough to allow him to accompany them unprotected.

　Therefore, it was decided to first restrain him and then wait for him to regain consciousness before deciding whether to let him accompany them as a single human being or to 'transport' him by damaging him to the point where resistance is impossible.

...... It's a bit depressing to actually witness it in person, isn't it? And what can I say, it reminds me of Julia earlier ......

　Alexia slurred her words many times as she expressed her impressions about the brave Falcon who was remade into a dragon man.

　To her, Falcon was from her hometown and was also the lover of her childhood friend Julia.

　I guess she couldn't help but be shocked once again in the face of the reality that such a partner had turned into an impersonal person.

............ really, such and such a thing, ......

　However, it was rather Noir who was more shocked than Alexia.

　She was white to begin with, but her complexion became even paler, to the point that it was unsettling to watch.

　Noir had once been a member of the brave Falcon's party.

　It seems that they didn't have much of a personal relationship, but compared to Alexia, who is only a friend of a friend, it can be said that they are much closer together.

　And most importantly, Noir had a history of being a prisoner of the Demon King's army as well as Falcon and Julia, who had been remade into a dragon man, and had succeeded in escaping at a close call.

　For her, the current Falcon is the figure she could have become.

'For now, both of you go and get some rest. I'll give you a shout out again if you need anything.

　The emaciated Noir couldn't press his errand any further.

　And so, as I saw them off, the female knight in command of the Golden Fang side spoke to me, as if she had been counting on this timing.

''It's been a long time, Luke-dono. Although I have said that, we have never spoken directly to each other, have we?
''You and I have met each other a couple of times when you were completing a task requested by the Golden Fang. Um, I believe your name is .......
My name is Hazel. I don't believe I've ever told you my name.

　In terms of age, she's not much different from Noir, she's a fine adult woman.

　She's not a girl knight like Garnett ...... or maybe that guy is a special case in many ways.

'Our mission was to assist Lord Luke in his escape, but as you can see, the demon race did it to us. The only thing that's unfortunate is that my unit and the people of the White Wolf Store are safe.

　From the way Captain Hazel talks, it seems that it was all of those eight people who were sent into the underground canal.

　I was inwardly relieved to find out that there were no deaths from the massive rise in water caused by the Austrians.

''Let's get right to it, but first I'd like to talk to you about our future plans.
'About an alternative escape route, I suppose. Are you still aiming to join up with the adventurer Nagi, after all?
Yes. If we don't return to the ground, the ground forces will send another request for help to Nagi.

　I see. It's not surprising, but it seems that the Golden Fang Knights and Nagi are working closely together.

''That's right, we don't want to walk around the Demon King's Castle unnecessarily either. I agree to join up with someone who is familiar with the structure of the Demon King's Castle. But how?
I'll have a few grimoires waiting for you.

　Captain Hazel pointed to the amulet (charm) on the waist of her armor.

'The mechanism is simple. Nagi has a counterpart to this one, and when the two come close to each other, it has a weak reaction.
So that's what you're going to ask him to find? If that's the case, it's probably best to stay out of it.

　Nagi knows that we will try to escape through the underground canals of the habitation and that Captain Hazel and his men will be coming for us.

　If they find out that the mission has failed, they will no doubt come to check on the situation in the habitation first.

　After confirming that I agreed with him, Hazel summarized the future course of action briefly.

''Then, let's make it a priority to hide out here for the time being and try to join up, and in the unlikely event of an emergency, we'll leave quickly. By the way, I don't see the ...... escort boy in sight, but .......
'Garnett would be looking for something around here to keep warm. I was completely drenched.
Oh my. Now, please use this one.

　Captain Hazel pulled out something wrapped in a waterproof cloth from her pack.

'It's a heating spell scroll. I think it might help to dry your clothes.
Thank you. I'll go give it to him then. You don't want him to catch a cold, do you?