The sudden movement of the wagons came with a harsh jolt. A whip cracked in the air and the demons shouted:
"Move! Don’t waste time!"
They had already wasted too much time here, and if they stayed any longer, they might run into human forces, then it would turn into a serious fight.
Leaving this area and returning to their base as fast as possible was the priority.
Chains scraped against each other as the wagons began to move one by one. The route they took was strange; not a normal road, not a path humans would ever use.
The path was narrow and rocky, twisting unnaturally between steep stone formations, as if it had been carved out of the mountain itself. There was no natural light, it looked completely dark, but the demons kept the way lit with torches.
"You’ve seen this road before?" Daniel looked through the metal bars with a frown.
"No... never. I haven’t even heard of a path like this between the cities of the Gulf." Kayn sounded genuinely surprised. This road wasn’t on his map at all.
And he had one of the most complete maps of the Gulf of Sumer, the kind only the top powerhouses of the continent had access to.
"So as a Wanderer, you’re really useless, huh," Daniel said with a dry, sarcastic tone.
Kayn didn’t reply and ignored him. His mind was occupied with the idea that such a hidden route had existed this whole time.
"They probably built this hidden path long ago so they could launch surprise attacks into human territory whenever they wanted," Kayn said and let out a quiet sigh.
As soon as he got out and returned to headquarters, he would have to report this hidden route to higher authorities.
"Anyway, I expected them to keep searching. It was obvious they wanted something from that city... especially since they kept a few people alive." Daniel nodded, then changed the subject.
"I feel the same. But the real question is... what exactly were they looking for?" Kayn muttered.
"They probably know." Daniel pointed with his chin toward the wagon beside them.
The wagon next to them was smaller but brighter. Two girls were inside, their hands bound with thick chains.
The first was a young noblewoman whose torn noble dress still showed she came from a wealthy family. Her pale, delicate skin was now covered in patches of dirt and blood. Her face was beautiful and refined, with honey-colored eyes that were red from crying. Her long black hair fell messily over her shoulders like a disheveled curtain.
The second, most likely her maid, had a simpler, unadorned face. Her dark-brown hair was tangled, and ashes still clung to her skin. Both of them were trembling like autumn leaves. Understandable— their entire city had been slaughtered before their eyes.
Kayn leaned forward slightly and called out softly:
"Hey... can you hear me? We’re humans, just like you."
No answer. The noble girl didn’t even lift her head.
Kayn tried again. And again. And again.
Eventually, as if waking up from a nightmare, they slowly raised their heads. Their eyes were still frozen with terror.
Kayn tried to give a faint smile, though he himself was exhausted and battered.
"Calm down. You don’t need to worry. We’re not your enemies, they captured us too."
At that moment, Daniel secretly moved his lips. His emotional-control skill, weak but effective, spread outward. Their anxiety dropped a little. They were still scared, but they could speak now.
He could have used a stronger version of [Enchanter Of Hearts], but it wasn’t necessary. This much would be enough to get the answers they wanted.
"What are your names?" Kayn asked.
"...Lyra. Lyra Flumin," the noble girl said with a shaky voice.
"I’m... Melia. Her maid." The maid bowed her head as expected.
Kayn nodded.
"I’m Kayn, and this is Daniel. We’re support forces who were sent to help defend your city. But we didn’t expect the demons deployed here to be that strong... and, well, they captured us too."
Naturally, he was lying. He needed to lie and pretend they were people sent to help.
It was the only approach he could think of to get closer to these girls. And since he needed to ask them some very specific questions, this tactic was necessary.
As for whether the girls would believe it or not, he wasn’t worried. They were completely terrified and extremely easy to influence at the moment, they wouldn’t even doubt him.
His only concern was whether they actually had the answers, and whether they would give them.
"Can you tell us exactly what happened to your city? How did the demons attack?" he asked, his tone more serious.
"They... appeared out of nowhere... as if they came from underground... the walls broke faster than we could even understand what was happening... they killed everyone... the soldiers... my father..." Lyra started speaking. Her voice trembled violently.
Her voice cracked. Melia held her hand, but Lyra hurried to continue, as if she knew that if she stopped, she wouldn’t be able to speak again.
"They killed everyone, left no one alive... burned everything and..."
But right in the middle of her sentence, she stopped. Her gaze clearly avoided theirs.
"When they captured us, they asked us where ’that thing’ was. They even tried to torture us, but when they realized we truly didn’t know anything, they left us alone." Daniel finally joined the conversation.
Kayn was a bit surprised by Daniel’s interference and lies, but kept his expression neutral.
"The demons kept searching for hours even after capturing us... it was obvious they were looking for something—"
He looked closely at Lyra and Melia.
"—Do you know what they were searching for? What made them willing to break the treaty and attack your city?"
Lyra froze. Melia’s face turned pale. The two girls slowly looked at each other in the quiet, a silence so heavy that even the sound of the wagon wheels seemed to disappear.
Terror spread across their faces.