“M-Mister Feld is down!”
Someone yells after seeing Feld kneel and fall limply on the ground.
Those words quickly spread throughout the battlefield, and one, then another person retreats into the forest.
I guess Feld was pretty prominent even in this army, so seeing him get cut down is making others run.
Some try to rouse themselves and fight, but they’re too few, and end up retreating too.
But a certain group stays. The masked group Hikari is fighting. They’re at a disadvantage, but they’re not pulling back.
One, then another goes down, but the others keep attacking like they don’t see it.
But since the others are retreating, that leaves the demons who were fighting them free, and they all gather.
The masked group is taken out even faster, and by the time only half are left, the corpses start exploding.
Each explosion isn’t that big, but when they blow up in a chain like this, it turns into a big explosion that swallows the demons.
Hikari and a group of demons were too far forward for the explosions to hurt them, but the same can’t be said for the ones near the corpses.
And since the area behind Hikari and the others is wrapped in explosive fire, they can’t retreat, and attacks are now being focused on them.
We use Water Magic to put out the fire, and while that works, it also creates a haze that blocks my vision.
“Dammit, what do we do…”
Mumbles one of the demons, but I don’t have an answer.
I could use Wind Magic to blow it away, but I might just make it worse. After all, the haze is in the air because we put out the fire in the first place.
“Let’s get back a little. The enemy might come from the haze.”
I say, and as the demons step back, I take a step forward.
“…! What are you doing?”
“I’m charging in. I have a skill to look for enemies, so I’ll know if they’re close. Look after Mia!”
The shield I cast before is still active, and I can pick up reactions in the haze with Map and figure out their positions.
The thing I’m worried about the most is that there might still be corpses ready to explode, but I’ll just have to hope that the shield can block that.
I also see weak reactions that I have to help, so I have to hold back the urge to go to Hikari as quickly as possible, as I jump into the haze.
For better or worse, a lot of them were close together, so after seeing that there are no reactions from enemies nearby, I go to the ones that are still alive to give them potions and cast Heal.
I tell the ones that can move to retreat, but they all say they want to go forward.
They’re worried about the ones that went ahead of them.
I hesitate for a moment, but then I drink a mana potion and cast a shield on the survivors.
“That magic will block one attack, but move like it’s not there.”
I don’t go any further into it because I don’t want to confuse them.
We get through the haze, although some trip and fall because of the poor visibility, but we can’t stop for them.
Once we jump out of the haze, we see Hikari and the others completely on the defensive.
I immediately take out knives and throw them. The knives pass behind the masked ones and activate various effects.
“Move back!”
Says Hikari after seeing that, and the demons come this way while helping the ones that can’t move on their own.
“Are you all right?”
I ask, and Hikari nods, but I can see cuts.
“Sorry little lady. You had to save me.”
Apparently Hikari was risking herself to save demons. And yet she still managed to avoid any fatal injuries. She’s good.
“Anyway, heal with this.”
I give her a potion, and stop the masked ones that are coming near.
At first there aren’t enough of us and we’re pushed back, but as the ones who recovered using potions finally make it past the haze and join us, we finally start pushing back.
And then, I guess the masked group figures they’re not going to get through us, and start retreating and disappearing into the forest.
“Are you all right?”
I ask Hikari, who is looking at the forest as the last person disappears. The way her hand is shaking tells me just how hard she’s gripping that dagger.
“Yes. And… I wanted to free them.”
Salvation through death… Is what it looks like Hikari is thinking.
That way of thinking is sad, but we really don’t have any other way to help them right now.
What would happen to them if Elesya fell into ruin? They’ve received education that’s pretty much brainwashing, and do as they’re told like machines.
Would removing those masks be enough? I remember Ignis saying something about it, but what was it?
We take a big detour to avoid where the haze is coming from, and join Mia and the others.
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Thanks for the treat.
There is some foreshadowing there with regards to ignus and those masks slaves. Guess we’d have to look all the way back to see what he’s suggested. Assuming they can win this wave which looks to be the case then he can ask what ignus had said