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Of course, that was mostly because there was no depiction or mention of an attack other than the one on Travis in the original story.

However, this particular irregularity could not simply be pinned on Harold’s own actions, mainly because of the mention that there were signs of tempering in the tunnels dating back to a decade ago.

That would have been two years before Kazuki Hirasaw had awakened as Harold. Moreover, for Harold to have something to do with it, Justus would have had to take notice of Harold five years before he even joined the knight order.

In other words, it was possible that this wasn’t due to a change in the original story, but rather that it was simply an element that had taken place without being depicted in the game.

If so, there had to be a reason outside of Harold himself as to why Justus had done these preparations secretly in Barston.

(Well, that’s only if Justus is actually the one responsible for all that, but maybe...)

“No, Justus definitely has something to do with it” Harold reassured himself in his mind.

Even if he had no definite proof, the information he had from the original story was sufficient for him to make that conjecture.

Harold recalled a sky fortress that made its appearance at the end of the game’s story along with a portal that supplied it with the energy it needed to rise in the sky.

Much like the ruins, the portal and fortress were relics from ancient times. Justus had repaired them and made them operational again.

If that portal was laying deep under Barston, it would be no wonder why Justus would have been secretly set things up in this town for ten years.

(Problem is that I don’t know anything about the portal.)

In the game, the words “Energy portal” had only come up a few times, but there was no information as to where it was, what it looked like, or how it worked.

Well, even if the principle behind it was explained, Harold figured he probably would not understand it.

Appart from that, there were other points worth worrying about, but at this point, the best Harold could do was assume the worst and get moving.

【”Something bothering you, boss?”】

A week had passed since Elu’s report.

By now, the whole group had arrived at the base of the mountain. They were currently traveling the rest of the ascending path by foot.

The man who struck a conversation with Harold in the middle of the way was Keith.

He was the leading figure of Frieri, losing in authority only to their boss, Harold, and their supervisor, Elu.

In fact, every member of Frieri who was present here would probably have no objection to calling Keith their “leader” or “commander”.

For a self-proclaimed mercenary, he was quite talented. And while his manner of speaking was not polite, he was surprisingly well-educated.

Elu’s opinion of him was that “We’re lucky to have gotten our hands on him.”, which went to show he was an excellent subordinate despite being a crude individual.

【”You mean, apart from your idiotic assumptions? I am merely thinking of a way to drive away that bunch of fools.”】

【”We’ve been calling it an evacuation, but we’re basically just expelling them, right? I bet they’ll be real pissed.”】

【”If so, that just means they’re clueless idiots who don’t know what’s good for them.”】

Harold was well aware that the situation was chaotic, but he felt he could at the very least rely on Elu’s information.

If the monsters took action, Baston would likely suffer catastrophic damage.

Even if some survived, it would be difficult for them to get back to their lives in Barston afterwards.

【”Between leaving their hometown and losing their life, the choice should be clear. I am sick and tired of facing fools who can’t make the right judgement for themselves.”】

【”Haha, tell me about it! ...Well, it’s an easy call to make for folks with no roots like us, but I’m guessing the danger just doesn’t compute with those peace-loving morons. It’s not that odd.”】

【”Humph.”】

Keith’s words made a lot of sense. Even if the people were told about what was coming, if they could not feel the danger for themselves, there were probably no words that would convince them to leave their town. Especially if those words came from Harold and Frieri, who were not officially an authority on anything, be it as people or as an organization.

From the townsfolk’s perspective, it would only seem like some suspicious people came to drive them out of their homes with an confusing justification that went all over the place.

There was no way they would obediently abide.

【”No matter. Before anything else, I want to assess the situation for myself.”】

【”Makes sense. Oh, we can already see the town.”】

Following Keith’s line of sight in the distance, Harold was beginning to see a stone wall and some structures through the trees. Barston was very close.

Elu’s claim that the monsters could attack at anytime was probably made out of caution as it seemed like they had yet to make any move.

Feeling relieved for now, Harold proceeded towards the town’s entrance.

As one would expect from a town founded upon a mountain, the people were able to build a splendid surrounding stone wall to protect them from the outside.

No monster would be able to break through easily, save for some large specimens.

Looking up, there were some watchtowers here and there built on top of the stone wall.

(Maybe we could use the wall to keep the monsters inside and attack them from above.)

In case of a siege, this wall would undoubtedly put the town’s people in a better position than any outside threats.

However, this time around, the biggest problem was the risk of being attacked from the inside.

【”I’ve been waiting.”】

As soon as Harold and Keith entered the town, a man around his forties or fifties called out to him. Harold had never met him, but he immediately knew who he was.

【”You’re Elu’s subordinate.”】

【”Yes. It seems you’ve brought fewer people than expected.”】

【”A large group of people coming to a deserted town would be suspicious.”】

Harold did not want to catch the townsfolk’s eyes from the very start, so he had taken precautions and chosen to infiltrate the town without standing out.

He had split his forces in two: the vanguard and the reserve troops.

There were around 20 people at the vanguard. Each of them had entered the town on their own at different intervals.

Of course, it did cross Harold’s mind that there was no time to waste on such things.

Had he been met with the worst case scenario, the vanguard and him alike would have had to enter the battle immediately in order to make some time not only for the people to escape, but also for the reserve troops to arrive.

However, while things has been progressing fast as of late, Harold did not really believe that the story would go forward only two weeks after the attack on Harrison’s mansion.

Moreover, the reserve troops also had the duty of gathering some items that were going to be necessary.

As for the vanguard, Harold had brought as many people as he could, but he had been in such a hurry that it only included the people who had been available on the spot.

【”Hurry and take me to the mine. As for you, join the others and stay on standby.”】

【”Understood.”】

【”Got it. Be careful, boss.”】

【”Humph, who do you think you’re talking to?”】

Naturally, “Thank you” is what Harold actually meant to say.

But Keith was used to this. He did not make a face or grunt, he simply left and headed towards a certain place that was under the influence of the Giffelt clan. This was where the vanguard team was supposed to meet.

【”It’s this way.”】

Meanwhile, Harold followed the man’s lead towards the mine.

There were very few people around. After making sure that no one was paying attention to him, Harold started asking questions.

【”What’s the situation like on the the monsters’ side?”】

【”They’re still active. When we first found them, they had been barely moving and groaning once in a while. But now, they openly scream and threaten one another.”】

【”Hopefully they’ll keep at it and crush each other.”】

【”Their behavior is only natural, after all they’re different monsters from different circles and races.”】

Well, the monsters killing each other was probably not a possibility, hence the assessment that they were being controlled.

More importantly, from all his experiences so far, Harold knew such troublesome maters would never be solved so easily anyway.

His sole salvation was that he always knew to expect things to take a troublesome turn, so the psychological impact was minimal when trouble did come his way.

【”No matter. What happened to that guy’s idea of blocking the entrances before the monsters can take action?”】

【”Without even mentioning the cost, we have far too little time and manpower to do so. Even if we don’t bother getting the town’s permission, it would likely be difficult.”】

【”What about magic?”】

【”I have heard of your prowess, I do believe you might be able to collapse the entrances. However, if you alter the entrance without following the proper excavation plans, there is an undeniable possibility of the tunnels under the town collapsing through a chain reaction.”】

What the man was implying was that the whole town could end up being buried underground in the worst case scenario.

This plan was far too risky to attempt without first evacuating the town.

On the other hand, standing around arms crossed waiting for the monsters to start appearing all over the place was not a solution either.

【”We have arrived. This is one of the entrances to the mine.”】

This entrance was located towards the outskirts of the town, where there were very few houses. It was a rectangular hole with a wooden frame built within the stone wall that was constructed along the mountains.

There was a fence to prevent entry, but it seemed hardly effective.

There was nothing to prevent the monsters from surging out of the tunnels if they so wanted.

【”Excuse me! What do you think you’re doing here?!”】

Before Harold could step in the tunnel, someone interfered.