Chapter 8: The Hero’s Call, Rallying the Troops (Patreon)

Once Evilus seized the great city wall, Orario lost every last shred of its former freedom.

The gates would not open.

Supply routes had been severed.

Any resident who drew near the wall was met with spells and Flame Stones raining down from above.

To keep the populace away from that stretch of ground where death could fall at any moment, adventurers and Guild staff had no choice but to herd them toward the Central Plaza and the makeshift camps scattered through the city's heart.

Not everyone understood the decision.

Many residents believed the adventurers were imprisoning them. Some even tried to force their way through the blockade lines amid the chaos of supply transport. Every time someone was stopped, curses erupted around them.

"Hurry up and do something! What are we supposed to do if this keeps up!"

"My home is gone! The food's almost out, and I don't even have a change of clothes!"

"I'm injured! Why won't anyone help me!"

"Are you trying to force us to start robbing each other?"

Voice after voice surged toward the street.

Exhaustion, hunger, and fear tangled together, quickly swelling into a suffocating unrest. Some waved their arms. Some clutched their children and wept at the adventurers. Others, worn down by being ignored for too long, began shoving the people beside them.

Falgar stood before the makeshift barricade, arms spread wide to block a crowd trying to force its way onto the north road.

"Stay calm! Food will be distributed by headcount, and the wounded will be treated!"

The towering tiger-man's voice tore through the street, echoing off the buildings.

"Please, everyone, fall back to the camp. Don't keep pressing together like this! You'll only get the elderly and children hurt!"

He tried to rein in his own presence, keeping his words as gentle as he could, but explanations rarely reached people already gripped by panic.

"Easy for you to say!"

"None of your family died last night!"

"You adventurers only protect your own!"

Someone hurled an empty wooden bowl to the ground.

The crack of it echoed, and a nearby child immediately burst into tears.

Falgar clenched his jaw but did not draw his weapon.

He knew well enough that these people weren't cruel by nature.

They had simply lost everything to the disaster Evilus had wrought, and with no way to strike back at the true enemy, they turned their fury on the only power standing in front of them.

Understanding didn't make the situation any less dangerous.

"The residents crowding the west gate have all been evacuated."

Asfi stood beside Falgar, turning her head to report to a Guild staffer.

Rain had soaked her long hair, strands of it plastered to her cheeks. Two straight days of running herself ragged had left dark shadows under her eyes, and the wound on her arm had only been hastily wrapped in bandages.

"What about the north and east gates?"

"The north gate has begun transferring people to the central district. There was a clash at the east gate, but Lady Shakti arrived in time and has the situation under control for now."

The female staffer clutched her record board, fingers trembling faintly with nerves.

She glanced toward the residents still arguing in the distance, hesitated for a long moment, and finally asked in a lowered voice:

"Lady Asfi... can we actually win this?"

Asfi didn't answer right away.

The staffer seemed to realize she'd said something she shouldn't have and quickly lowered her head.

"I'm sorry, I just—"

"No need to apologize."

Asfi raised a hand to stop her.

She understood perfectly well what answer the woman wanted to hear.

She wanted to hear: We will absolutely win.

She wanted to hear: The adventurers will protect everyone.

But Asfi couldn't bring herself to say something that contradicted reality, not now.

"We'll do everything in our power."

Asfi looked at her steadily, voice calm.

"So please, keep helping us. Guide the residents to the central district, distribute food and medicine, keep the crowds from approaching the wall again. As long as order holds, Orario hasn't lost."

"Understood."

The staffer nodded firmly.

She turned and ran off toward another camp, her steps still hurried but noticeably steadier than before.

Falgar watched her go, then rubbed his chin.

"Even the Guild staff are starting to feel it now."

"They're only human."

Asfi pushed up her glasses.

"With the enemy holding the wall and reinforcements nowhere in sight, no one can guarantee how this ends."

She turned her gaze toward the distance.

"Valletta knows this perfectly well. She doesn't need to beat us outright. She just needs to keep the residents in constant panic and run the adventurers ragged, and Orario will eventually collapse from within."

"Then what do we—"

Falgar's sentence was cut short by the sound of hurried footsteps behind them.

"Asfi!"

A figure approached from the direction of the temporary command post.

It was Hermes.

He'd brought no escort, and none of his usual glib smile. His pale gold hair was plastered to his forehead by the rain, mud staining the hem of his cloak. His expression was so cold that Falgar didn't recognize the god for a moment.

Asfi stepped forward at once.

"Lord Hermes, why did you come out alone? There's unrest everywhere right now. You should be back at headquarters—"

"From this moment on, you command the Familia."

Hermes cut her off flatly.

Asfi's footsteps froze in place.

"...What did you say?"

"Every operation the Hermes Familia carries out will be your call. Reconnaissance, rescue, supply, combat. You won't need to report to me for approval anymore."

Hermes looked up at her.

Those eyes, which usually seemed to be searching for amusement, were now covered in frost.

A bad feeling rose in Asfi's chest.

"Where's Captain Lidith?"

Hermes didn't answer right away.

He drew a blood-stained badge from inside his coat and held it out to her.

"Lidith is gravely wounded."

Asfi's breath caught.

"Gravely wounded?"

"She's alive."

Hermes's fingers tightened.

"But she can't move for now. The healers say it'll be weeks before she even regains consciousness."

Falgar drew a sharp breath.

Lidith was a core member of the Hermes Familia, the one responsible for reconnaissance and evacuation routes in the North District. On the night of the Great Feud, she'd led her squad deep into the northern streets — right into what should have been a Flame Stone bombardment that would have trapped her along with countless residents.

If they hadn't changed their route beforehand, they never would have made it back alive.

"How did she—"

Asfi's voice went tight.

"The scouting team was ambushed by the Apate Familia in the north. Lidith took the brunt of a Spirit Soldier's attack head-on to cover the retreat of the rest of her squad."

Hermes's gaze drifted past Asfi, settling on the chaos of the crowd.

"The good news is, she didn't die."

"That's not good news!"

Asfi's head snapped up.

Her eyes reddened instantly, though she forced the emotion back down.

"She nearly died! If it weren't for the intel—"

She stopped herself mid-sentence.

Hermes looked at her.

"You've figured it out."

"Intel from the Astraea Familia."

"To be precise, intel that Artorias provided."

Hermes looked down at the blood-stained badge.

"We weren't the first Familia to hear the news. But out of every report that came in, I trusted the one from the Astraea Familia the most. That boy pointed out abnormal traces in the northern streets and warned us not to retreat along the planned route."

"So that's why Lidith changed direction?"

"She led her squad clear of the main blast point."

Hermes closed his eyes.

"If she'd been even a few minutes late, she wouldn't just be gravely wounded right now."

Asfi gripped the badge tightly.

She'd met Artorias.

That black-haired boy couldn't swing a blade like a high-level adventurer on the battlefield, but he could use hearing and smell to spot ambushes and warn his companions of danger.

And before anyone else even noticed a hint of trouble, he'd already flagged the tracks of Evilus's movements.

Many people saw him only as a wounded survivor who needed protecting. Yet time and again, Artorias had found the way forward for rescue teams.

Now, that intelligence had saved a core member of the Hermes Familia.

"Lord Hermes."

Asfi raised her head.

"Did you come here just to tell me this?"

"And to thank you."

Hermes looked her straight in the eye.

"Pass my thanks along to the Astraea Familia. Artorias, especially."

There wasn't a trace of insincerity in his tone.

"The Hermes Familia owes him a debt. Lidith's life was saved because of him."

Falgar bowed his head too.

"I'll thank him myself, in person."

"There's no rush for thanks right now."

Asfi tucked the badge away.

"The most important thing now is keeping Lidith alive."

"That's your job now."

Hermes nodded to her.

"From this moment, you're the captain of the Hermes Familia."

Asfi's fingers trembled faintly.

She understood clearly this wasn't an honor.

It was a responsibility being forced onto her shoulders at the exact moment a core member lay gravely wounded and the city's order teetered on the edge of collapse.

"Understood."

She pressed the badge to her chest.

"I'll take it on."

Hermes offered no comfort, only patted her shoulder before turning back toward the command post.

Falgar watched him go.

"Lord Hermes seems different."

"No."

Asfi gazed down at the badge in her hand.

"He's just finally out of the strength it takes to keep pretending everything's fine."

At the same time, in the northern makeshift camp,

Evilus's assault was spreading.

"Get in there! Bathe these ignorant sinners in blood!"

Black-clad soldiers raised their magic swords and charged into the crowd.

They'd deliberately chosen a zone without high-level adventurers stationed there, sparking chaos with explosions first, then cutting off escape routes from three directions. Residents scattered in terror. Some fell while clutching their children. Others shoved aside the elderly just to get away first.

"Everyone, run south!"

Raul shouted at the top of his lungs.

He held his shield up in front of an old woman, a magic sword grazing his arm and drawing blood, but he gritted his teeth and refused to fall back.

All the high-level adventurers had been sent to the Central Plaza and the areas around the wall.

Facing Evilus's sudden assault, most of the adventurers left in the camp were Level 2 or below.

Raul had once been happy about his own upcoming level-up.

Ten days ago, Loki had told him personally that if he kept accumulating great deeds, he'd soon step into a higher realm.

But now, he finally understood just how cruel the gap between levels could be.

The enemy in front of him moved faster and hit harder than he could. If it hadn't been for the residents who needed protecting, he might not even have had the courage to face them head-on.

"Come on, hurry!"

Raul reached his hand out toward a few children.

"Don't stop!"

One of the children was knocked down by the surging crowd.

Raul spun and rushed over, scooping the child up out of the mud and water.

He'd just handed the child off to another girl when he heard the whistle of a blade cutting air behind him.

"Die, adventurer!"

A magic sword swung down at him.

Raul's eyes went wide — his body couldn't turn in time.

"Save the trash talk, brat!"

CLANG!

Another katana caught the magic sword.

The tall old man crossed one stride and forced the enemy's attack aside by sheer strength. His blade twisted, cleaving open the breastplate of the Evilus soldier, sending the body rolling backward.

"Master Noaru!"

Raul cried out.

Noir Jackson didn't turn around.

The high-level adventurer, past seventy years old, still stood tall and straight, his face — thick with beard — full of killing intent. The physical enhancement granted by his blessing had faded with age, but it hadn't slowed his blade.

"Fall back, Raul."

"But I can fight too!"

"You can barely hold your sword steady."

Raul looked down at his own hand.

The web of skin between thumb and finger had split open, blood running down the hilt.

Two more figures rushed over from the side.

"A rookie who's only ever fought monsters has no business showing off on a battlefield like this!"

The dwarf Dain swung his battleaxe, cutting down a charging soldier.

The Amazon Bara slipped past him from behind, both blades slashing out at once, knocking a second enemy's weapon out of his hand.

"We old-timers aren't dead yet."

Bara grinned at Raul.

"Take the residents and get out of here. Don't let the women and children stay any longer."

As she said this, her gaze swept toward the distance.

Anakitty stood behind them, supporting an elderly woman, her face pale.

"And don't drag Anakitty into the front line."

Raul's shoulders flinched.

Anakitty looked at him, clear fear in her eyes.

It wasn't that she didn't want to fight.

It was precisely because she was skilled enough to understand exactly how dangerous these enemies were. She knew that if she charged in, she might not survive even a single exchange.

"Raul, come back!"

"You'll die!"

The girl finally shouted it out loud.

Raul gripped his sword hilt tight.

He wanted to stay.

But watching the backs of Noaru and the other two holding the front line, and seeing more and more residents being pushed toward death, the boy finally bit down on his lip.

"I'm sorry!"

He turned and ran toward Anakitty.

"I'm counting on you all!"

Behind him, the clash of blades grew fiercer.

Raul forced down the urge to look back, and helped Anakitty escort the residents to safety.

"What is this!"

Raul panted, his voice shaking with fear.

"All we can do is run? Is this what a real dark age looks like, Captain?"

He didn't know Finn wasn't even there to hear him.

But somehow, that cry seemed to carry all the way to the distant central command post.

Guild Headquarters.

Royman hurried after Finn.

"Finn! Wait! Where are you going?"

"The Central Plaza."

Finn didn't turn back.

"I need to see the state of the people and the adventurers with my own eyes."

"You can't leave headquarters right now! Every district is calling for reinforcements! At least nine Familias have lost the ability to fight!"

Royman's voice climbed higher.

"Including the Hermes Familia! Lidith is gravely wounded, and there's already a gap in the North District's defense network! If even the command center leaves, the Guild will fall into total chaos!"

Finn stopped at the end of the corridor.

He turned around, his pale blue eyes calm to the point of sharpness.

"That's exactly why I have to go to the Central Plaza."

"Why are you so calm about this?"

Royman's hands clenched tight around his robe.

"I'm scared! The survivors of Zeus and Hera are right outside the walls! Valletta keeps attacking the residents! We don't even know where Erebus is hiding! We're facing monsters that ruled over Orario for a thousand years!"

"I know."

Finn answered plainly.

"The situation really is as bad as it gets."

Royman blinked.

Finn didn't paper over reality with hollow encouragement, nor did he brush off casualties and setbacks lightly.

"We're losing supplies. We're losing fighting strength. We're losing the people's trust. If a few more attacks of the same scale hit us, the central district could fall too."

He walked out through the front doors of headquarters.

Rain fell on the Pallum's shoulders, quickly scattered by the wind.

"But that's exactly why we can't let despair make our decisions for us."

Royman chased after him.

"So what exactly are you planning to do?"

"Confirm the personnel deployment at the Central Plaza. Reorganize the rescue and defense teams."

Finn took a freshly delivered report from someone's hand.

"Also, there are a few names I need to confirm."

"Names?"

"Artorias."

Royman's steps faltered for a moment.

"That black-haired boy who's been moving with the Astraea Familia?"

"That's the one."

Finn flipped open the report.

"His auditory reconnaissance let the west gate evacuation dodge a second bombing wave. Several rescue teams in the north changed their route based on his warnings, cutting down casualties by dozens of people at least."

Royman fell silent.

"There's word from the Hermes Familia too."

Finn handed him another report.

"When Lidith ran into the Spirit Soldier in the north, she'd already gotten a warning about abnormal traces of mana beforehand. That's why the Hermes Familia changed course — Lidith is still gravely wounded, but the whole squad wasn't wiped out."

"So Hermes believes that intel came from Artorias."

"Asfi already confirmed it."

Finn folded the report closed.

"Hermes rarely trusts anyone unconditionally. But this time, he's flat-out named Artorias as a benefactor of the Hermes Familia."

Royman's expression turned complicated.

A boy with no blessing, without even a proper adventurer's status, had managed to accomplish this much on a battlefield like this.

"He doesn't have combat strength for a front-line fight."

Finn looked toward the direction of the Central Plaza.

"But he can hear dangers others can't, and he's willing to tell his companions what he finds. On a battlefield, timely intel is often worth more than one more sword."

Finn wasn't painting Artorias as some hero who'd turned the tide of battle.

He was simply giving an honest assessment of what the boy had contributed.

"More importantly, he knows his own limits."

Royman looked at Finn.

"Is that so rare?"

"Extremely rare."

Finn smiled faintly.

"Most adventurers, once they gain power, try to solve everything with it. Artorias knows he can't defeat the enemy alone, so he's chosen to find a position where he can actually be useful. Adi protects his body, he handles finding the enemy, Ais handles the breakthrough. The tactic the three of them have formed together is far more reliable than anyone acting alone."

"You've already been watching them?"

"I've read the reports, and heard the accounts from people on the ground."

Finn's eyes lifted.

"Never underestimate intel. Since the Great Feud began, Artorias's name has shown up in report after report."

"West gate, industrial district, the north camp."

Royman counted on his fingers.

"He seems to be everywhere."

"Being everywhere doesn't mean being the strongest."

Finn tucked the report away.

"But he might be the person best suited to keeping communication alive in the middle of chaos."

Royman looked at the Pallum hero, finally understanding why he was rushing to the Central Plaza.

Finn wasn't fearless.

He'd simply turned his fear into planning.

"So you're thinking of bringing Artorias into the war council?"

"Not yet."

Finn shook his head.

"Right now, he's best kept with the rescue teams. Unless the situation gets bad enough that everyone needs to fight, he shouldn't be treated as ordinary combat strength and sent to the front line."

"Is this about protecting him?"

"It's about a sensible allocation of resources."

Finn looked toward Babel, wrapped in dark clouds in the distance.

"A boy who can hear the enemy approaching, kept on the rescue line, can spare more civilians and low-level adventurers from ambushes. If we send him to the decisive battle, we'd lose more than just one person."

At that moment, a Guild staffer came rushing out of headquarters.

"Lord Finn!"

She held out a fresh report.

"The Central Plaza is requesting confirmation on the northern situation. Also — the rescue team Artorias is with has just discovered two Evilus retreat routes and is tracking them."

Finn took the report and skimmed it quickly.

Brief notes were recorded on the page.

Industrial district defense: successful.

Civilian casualties lower than projected.

Enemy forces retreated unexpectedly.

Artorias confirmed new tracks in an underground passage.

Finn's gaze lingered on the last line.

"An underground passage."

Royman's expression shifted.

"Could their main base be underground?"

"The likelihood is rising."

Finn handed the report back to the staffer.

"Send this intel to Ouranos."

"Already sent once."

"Send it again."

Finn looked toward the southwest.

That was the ground where Ottar had suffered his crushing defeat — and where Zald and Alfia had once appeared.

"Tell the Guild, the intel Artorias provides must be treated as top priority. Any team that spots similar tracks, scents, or unusual sounds must report it immediately."

Royman's eyes widened slightly.

"You trust him that much?"

"What I trust is the facts."

Finn's smile turned sharp.

"And the facts have proven he's already saved a great many lives."

In the distance, a bell tolled.

The Central Plaza's mobilization order was going out, adventurers moving from every street toward the new front lines. Some dragged wounded legs. Some carried heavy gear on their backs. Some gripped weapons still stained with blood not yet wiped clean.

Orario was still exhausted.

The people were still afraid.

The Hermes Familia had lost its captain. Lidith still lay in a healing tent. Many Familias had paid a terrible price the night before.

But they hadn't fallen.

Asfi took up Hermes's badge and reorganized the scouting teams.

Falgar stayed among the camps, still calming the residents.

Raul, still frightened, kept carrying the elderly toward safety.

Noaru, Dain, and Bara stayed on the front line, using their experience to hold back Evilus's fangs.

And further away, Artorias and Adi searched through the drizzling rain for a new underground entrance.

Finn gazed out over that stretch of streets, his pale blue eyes narrowing.

"We haven't won yet."

Royman clenched his fists.

"But we haven't lost either."

"Exactly."

Finn turned and walked toward the Central Plaza.

"Tell everyone to reorganize. Healers, supply teams, scouts, and combat units — all moving on the new routes."

"And then?"

"Then we wait for our chance."

Finn lifted his gaze toward Babel beneath the grey sky.

"Evilus thinks that if they just keep taking things from Orario, we'll stop resisting."

He gripped the short spear at his waist.

"Let's show them what Orario still has left, even after losing everything."

Toward the Central Plaza, the first wave of adventurers had already finished assembling.

No cheering.

No grandiose oaths.

They simply stood there, waiting for orders.

Those who'd lost friends and family stood there.

Those bearing grievous wounds stood there.

Those who'd been cursed by residents, even struck by thrown stones, stood there too.

Artorias's name spread quietly through the crowd.

Some said he'd spotted the Flame Stones on the wall.

Some said he'd heard movement in an underground passage.

Others said Captain Lidith of the Hermes Familia was alive today because of a warning he'd given in advance.

As these stories passed between the adventurers, they didn't paint Artorias as some all-powerful figure.

They knew he could be hurt, could grow exhausted, and couldn't change the course of the war by himself.

But that was exactly why the name felt real.

A boy with no blessing, relying only on his own senses and judgment, had pointed out where the enemy was coming from while everyone else was too busy swinging blades to notice.

"Artorias, is it?"

Gareth listened to the report, stroking his beard.

"That kid's got some grit to him."

Riveria sat in the temporary meeting room, her arm still wrapped in bandages.

"He shouldn't be sent to the front lines."

"No one's planning to send him to his death."

Finn was poring over a map.

"But we can't waste his ability by keeping him in the rear, either."

Riveria gazed out the window.

She'd already heard about how Artorias and Ais had worked together in the industrial district.

"Ais seems to trust his judgment quite a bit."

"She's barely known him."

Loki sat at the table, tapping her fingers on it.

"But that girl has sharp instincts in battle. If she's willing to follow a stranger's lead in a situation like that, it means the intel Artorias gave her was solid."

"Adi's with him too."

Finn added.

"She handles defense and evacuation, Artorias handles auditory reconnaissance, Ais handles the assault. Members from the Astraea, Loki, and Hermes Familias, forming an effective coordination without any formal arrangement at all."

Gareth grinned.

"That's what it means to be an adventurer. As long as everyone's pointed the same direction, even a team thrown together on the spot can hit hard."

Riveria looked toward the position marked on the map for the industrial district.

"He also found Evilus's underground tracks."

"That's exactly the key point."

Finn tapped the map with a fingertip.

"The enemy's kept up the offensive ever since they seized the wall, but they haven't sent a full army to smash the Central Plaza. That means they need some underground route, or they're waiting on some condition."

"If we can confirm their base, we could force Valletta to change her deployment."

Asfi walked into the meeting room.

She'd already changed into the Hermes Familia captain's badge, exhaustion still on her face, but her steps were steadier than before.

"Lidith's condition has stabilized for now."

She reported to the group.

"Lord Hermes asked me to pass along that he owes Artorias a debt."

Gareth let out a low chuckle.

"That kid hasn't even been in Orario that long, and he's already got Hermes in his debt."

Asfi turned to Finn.

"Mr. Finn, if you need to mobilize the Hermes Familia's scouts going forward, you can give the order directly to me."

"I'll remember that."

Finn nodded.

"Please share Lidith's intel promptly as well, once she's able. She knows the North District's underground pipe network — that could help us figure out Evilus's routes."

"Understood."

Asfi gripped her record board tighter.

"There's one more thing."

She looked out the window.

"Artorias's intel really did help us. If it weren't for him, Lidith would probably be dead by now."

The meeting room fell briefly silent.

Everyone understood the weight of that statement.

Lidith wasn't an ordinary member. Her scouting squad held the routes and communication network the Hermes Familia had built up over many years. If she'd died, the Familia's operational capacity would have dropped by at least half.

"Tell everyone involved in the rescue effort about this."

Finn set down the map.

"Orario needs to know we're not just waiting to die."

Loki smiled.

"You're planning to turn that kid into a morale banner?"

"No."

Finn shook his head.

"I want everyone to know that fighting isn't only about clashing head-on. Everyone can play a part from wherever they stand."

He looked out toward the massive wall the enemy still held.

"Artorias has a special ability that lets him sense Evilus's ambushes. Adi can protect her companions. Ais can bring an enemy down. Asfi can organize intel. Raul can get residents to safety."

Finn's voice carried through the room.

"Countless adventurers doing exactly this, together — that's the reason Orario is still standing."

Asfi looked down at the badge in her hand.

Lidith was still alive.

That was the result of what Artorias had done.

She couldn't let that debt end at a simple thank-you.

"I'll reorganize the rescue routes for the North District."

She turned toward the door.

"And I'll send people to find Artorias. If he can spot underground tracks, we need to make sure he has enough support."

"No need to send too many people."

Finn cautioned.

"He's with Adi and Ais right now."

"You think three people are enough?"

"For now, yes."

Finn's gaze sharpened.

"They've already proven that coordination and division of labor can make up for a gap in level and numbers."

Outside the window, a signal flare shot up into the overcast sky.

Blue light meant new enemy activity spotted in the North District.

Red light followed close behind, meaning a call for rescue.

What had once been chaotic signals now began flowing according to new rules.

Adventurers scrambled into motion.

Guild staff began issuing orders.

Healers and supply teams reloaded their medicine.

No one dared say Orario had escaped the crisis.

But at least, it was no longer merely absorbing blows.

At the edge of the Central Plaza, Finn stopped walking.

He looked toward the black-haired boy far off in the drizzle.

Artorias moved through the ruins together with Adi and Ais. The boy kept tilting his head to catch sounds; Adi stayed always at his side; Ais walked ahead with her katana drawn.

None of them noticed the gaze from the plaza.

None of them knew their names were being spoken across the city.

"What kind of adventurer will that boy become?"

Royman asked quietly.

Finn didn't answer immediately.

"It's too soon to say."

He watched Artorias stop and point toward a broken wall. Ais spun at once, and Adi drew her blade in the same instant.

An instant later, an Evilus soldier hiding behind the ruins was forced into the open.

Artorias didn't charge in.

He only offered the direction.

Adi blocked the attack.

Ais brought the enemy down with a single stroke.

The three of them moved cleanly, without a trace of hesitation between them.

Finn's gaze pulled back.

"But he's already becoming a true adventurer."

"Even without a blessing?"

"A blessing can make someone strong. It can't choose what someone decides to protect."

Finn gripped his short spear and kept walking toward the Central Plaza.

"As long as he keeps making his own choices on the battlefield, one day Orario will remember his name."

Under the grey sky, the drizzle still hadn't let up.

The city's wounds hadn't healed.

The people's fear hadn't faded either.

But in the Central Plaza, in the northern camp, in the wrecked industrial streets, and in every place where someone still stood, Orario was gathering its strength again.

The gravely wounded Lidith had yet to wake.

But the Hermes Familia was already back in motion under Asfi's command.

The people would still be afraid, would still question, might still hurl their anger at the adventurers.

The adventurers would still get hurt, would still make mistakes.

And yet, they were no longer each trapped alone in despair.

Because someone had picked up a weapon again.

Someone had redrawn the map again.

Someone had heard the enemy's footsteps.

And Artorias's name, carried along by one piece of intel and one rescued life after another, was gradually spreading through every corner of Orario.

Perhaps, right now, he himself didn't even know any of this.

He was simply dodging rubble at Adi's warning, calling out enemy positions as Ais swung her blade, and continuing to search for people trapped in the ruins.

But for a city on the edge of collapse, that was already enough.

Enough to make people believe Orario still had a next step ahead of it.

And enough for Finn and the others, facing the nightmare wrought by Zeus, Hera, and Erebus, to glimpse once more that faint, still-unextinguished chance of victory.