Rangers in the forest, bards in the tavern, and wanderers in the darkness are all key members of the Harpers. At the same time, the Harpers have deep ties to both the Church of Magic and the Church of the Moon, so spellcasters are also the backbone of the Harpers.
Now that I think about it, a place like the Friendly Arm, where information flows freely, is indeed a perfect base for the Harpers.
Naturally, Emilia had only been at the Friendly Arms for seven days and couldn't possibly have their complete trust, so it was only natural that this matter should be kept secret from him.
——However, under this premise, the attack on Friendly Arm becomes even more intriguing.
The Harpers' reach stretches across the continent, and so their enemies and allies are equally widespread.
Therefore, there must be many bloody struggles in the shadows.
Although he didn't know whether there was a conflict between the Harpers and the Gods Not Gods, since the Gods Not Gods were in collusion with the Shadow Druids, it was only a matter of time before they and the Harpers would confront each other.
The three of them were probably extremely unfortunate to be dragged into the battlefield.
During this brief silence, a mouse looked in their direction, then made a squeaking sound and disappeared into a hole in the wall.
Ten Calls to Thunder
Being caught in the struggle between two huge forces is extremely deadly.
Even if they were just caught in the aftermath, even if neither side was deliberately targeting them, they might still be torn to pieces.
Mars glanced at the corpse on the ground and said, "It's too late to regret now. No matter from which angle, you have been tied to the Harper's chariot."
"A twenty-year-old third-ring mage is very conspicuous. If you hadn't died tonight, your information would have spread throughout this so-called Gods and Non-Gods Association within a few days."
"They use threats, inducements... If they can't get you to join their side, they'll destroy you. Otherwise, when you grow up, they'll have another mortal enemy."
Emiya casually collected the dimensional hole, twisted it into a thin rope again, and put it in her pocket. "...Being chased and intercepted by people with ulterior motives from morning till night? This life sounds quite desirable."
Mars shrugged and handed over the key. "That's a good answer. You probably have the potential to be a paladin."
Emiya took the key from him and walked to the door of the armory.
With a click, the lock tongue retracted into the stone door.
Mars slowly pushed the stone door open, then immediately frowned. "Arsenal...? I must say, your Arms of Friendship's arsenal... is somewhat... novel."
"What's wrong?" Emiya walked up behind him. "I remember this place was normal...huh?"
Emiya had visited this place several times for personal interest and work. It was no different from any other weapons depot: spears, shields, daggers, and practical and economical armor.
However, those things did not appear in their sight at all.
All they had before them were mountains of coins, much cheaper ornamental stones, and other decorative items of some value: paintings, candlesticks, jewelry boxes... and so on.
And more, a mess of hotel supplies: tableware, bedding, sheets——
There are even various instruments that are damaged and scrapped and waiting to be repaired.
These messy and extremely large scattered items were thrown into various corners of the armory in a disorderly manner.
In short, this place may have once been a weapons depot, but now it is just a temporary storage area for loot.
If they want to find their target, they may have to clean up this place first.
"...hiss..." Emiya, a rather neat-looking man, felt his blood vessels pounding furiously at this apocalyptic scene. "—Damn it, what the hell was that shapeshifter doing while I was unconscious? There's no need to make such a mess just to take over an inn!"
He even saw a mouse scurrying across the junk pile just now!
"Have they always lived in caves?!"
Leon stood behind them and couldn't help but laugh awkwardly. "Maybe they just don't care about it that much. They just need to keep the hotel running for a short period of time."
"...From a military perspective, it's probably to save manpower and facilitate management." Mars turned his head and glanced at the long and narrow corridor.
"If what you said is correct, then they're new here and don't have the time to observe the inn's operations, let alone accurately imitate a person's entire being. So, they'll have to keep the original inn's employees alive for a while to extract all their knowledge."
"Under these circumstances, they were extremely short-handed, and guarding the loot itself was a very sensitive matter. The loot in the inn likely didn't just belong to the shapeshifters. So, they plundered it hastily and then just left it here."
In other words, the shapeshifter is deliberately trying to make things difficult for anyone who comes along later—if you want a piece of the spoils, you'll have to look through this garbage dump.
And weapons and armor? What do these things have to do with shapeshifters? On the one hand, they may not know how to use weapons and armor, but on the other hand, they trust their bodies more.
Emiya pressed her head and took a deep breath. "...The problem now is that even if the equipment is still there... I'm afraid we'll have to move this pile of garbage aside first."
"I'm afraid we don't have much time. We'll have to choose between weapons and armor."
Outside, the rain was getting heavier, gathering into a river on the castle roof, gurgling down the outer walls. The sound of the trickling water seeped into the room.
Mars pondered for a moment, then looked back at Leon: "...Prioritize weapons. Mage, do you have the Memory Mage Armor? If you are a third-ring mage, the magic power to release the mage armor should be sufficient."
"But a kitchen knife with a curved blade is really not suitable as a formal weapon."
Emiya nodded. "Then the short spears and shields are on the west side—unfortunately, we have to start digging."
Leon widened his eyes, looked in that direction, and couldn't help but stretch out his hand, shouting: "-This pile of debris! It's at least ten meters thick!"
Mars glared at him unhappily: "Keep your voice down... Don't you always say that for a just cause, you can make unstinting sacrifices, don't care if the work is poor or humble, don't care if it's interesting or boring, and don't care about the amount of physical exertion?"
"Uh..." Leon swallowed, "But this is too..."
Mars pointed ahead and said, "The mages have already started working, why are you still complaining?"
The red-haired young wizard ignored their argument and began to move the groceries silently.
********************
"Squeak! Squeak!"
The sounds of rats intertwined, breaking the silence on the walls of the Friendly Arm.
In the heavy rain, several mice braved the rain and rushed up the long stairs to the druid.
The old druid leaned over, listened attentively, and a smile appeared on his face.
He whispered a few words, waved the mistletoe in his hand, and many berries immediately appeared in his hand.
The druid handed the rewards to his animal friends, then stood up and said to his druid followers, "It has been confirmed that the mage has not left the Arms of Friendship."
"The bad news is that the young man is not only proficient in the arcane, but also quite courageous. He actually passed by us and rescued the unknown paladin from the siege..."
"However, his location has been determined. He is in the arsenal of the Friendly Arms."
The old druid looked at the rain clouds in the sky and glared at them: "—Prepare to summon thunder."
As if in response to his command, thunder roared in the sky and a flash of lightning streaked across the horizon, illuminating the dark sky.
"Paladin, Mage... Such outstanding young people must not be allowed to leave alive."
Eleven external evils are warded off
Even though the debris wasn't that heavy—at least not for the paladin—their progress was still slow.
Leon struggled to untie the tangled cloth, but he couldn't stand it any longer. "...Mister Mage, could you please set this place on fire?"
"That's a good idea." Emiya pointed in front of them expressionlessly, "But I have to remind you that most of the items in this utility room are flammable."
"I'm not afraid of death, but I don't want to be burned to death by the fire I started."
"Besides, most of the weapons here are wooden poles... If we start a big fire, we'll only be able to get the spear heads. Those things can only be used to stab ourselves."
Leon sighed deeply, uttered a wail, and finally buried his head in his work.
The paladin glanced at his companion.
Leon actually started breathing heavily.
Mars frowned in confusion: "Leon, how do you feel now? If you haven't fully recovered yet, you might as well rest aside and recharge your energy."
"Really... uh." Leon's face showed surprise for a moment, but then he immediately became serious, "Please don't joke with me, Brother Mars."
"...That's good." Mars immediately turned his head back and suddenly changed the subject without any warning. "Mage, do you feel that the vision here seems to have become a little blurry?"
Emilia didn't stop working, but wiped her face.
He looked down at the water stains on his hands and sighed.
"...It's water mist. This armory isn't sealed very well, so it's entirely possible that water mist from outside could seep in... But be prepared."
Heavy rain, lightning—and then clouds and fog.
If his predictions were correct, the countdown to their remaining free time had probably already begun.
After saying that, Emilia stopped carrying things, drew the long sword from her waist, and stood still in the vacant area.
He began to chant an incantation rapidly in a solemn and unusually clear language.
Mars frowned. "What are you going to do? My suggestion is to evacuate here immediately. The enemy is in the dark and we are in the light. The situation is very critical. Or, has your mentor passed on some secret technique to you?"
However, the mage, who was concentrating on chanting, naturally couldn't answer his question. The paladin shrugged, hesitated, patted Leon's shoulder, and gestured for him to move closer to the mage.
"...Huh?" Leon was stunned for a moment. "What are you two talking about? Why are you jumping around so much? Why are you running away so suddenly?"
He even tilted his head: "No footsteps?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire armory shook violently, and then the deafening sound of thunder came late.
And the sound of thunder no longer resounded in the distant sky, but was very close to them.
The earth-shaking explosion echoed back and forth in the narrow armory, eventually converging into a raging wave that suddenly poured into the ears of the three of them.
It was a bolt of lightning that hit the outer wall of the armory with precision.
The earth-shaking tremors spread throughout the entire armory, flowing through the rock structure. The already messy armory was thrown into chaos by this sudden tremor, and the mountains of debris collapsed to the ground in the violent shaking.
Their way out of the armory was blocked.
Leon stared blankly at the vibrating ceiling, his words already stuttering: "They...they discovered us? We clearly didn't meet anyone along the way."
"...But we encountered rats." Mars took a deep breath, "All beasts are the eyes of druids...Does this also apply to shadow druids...?"
The second thunder arrived, and the gap between them was only a few breaths.
Its power was slightly weaker than the previous one, but it was enough to make the crumbling arsenal scream again.
The place collapsed in an instant, and Emilia looked up at the ceiling.
Although he was distracted, the spells he chanted were neither disordered nor slowed down, but were orderly, as if he was practicing alone in the Mage Tower.
Even the breathing rate was not affected.
Emilia even gestured to Mars, indicating that the paladin should drag a set of used kitchen utensils nearby to his feet.
Mars raised his eyebrows.
"Do you need to ensure it's intact?" he asked.
Emiya shook her head.
Anything made of iron would do—though he didn't have time to explain right now. It would be best if the paladin didn't waste his time here.
So, the paladin immediately stretched out his hand—
This time, his actions were extremely rough. He didn't even bother to push the debris aside. Instead, he simply reached out and grabbed the iron rod of the cooker. Then he stomped his feet on the ground and started pulling it out in the simplest and most direct way.
The huge force caused creaking screams and the sounds of breaking and tearing were endless.
A paladin has always had to avoid unnecessary loss of property—but now that lives are at stake, the paladin has a temporary exemption.
After a few seconds, the paladin finally pulled the scrap metal out from the pile of debris, and the surrounding debris was scattered all over the ground.
Just as he was struggling with these scrap metals, nearly ten thunders came one after another.
“—BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!”
Amid the relentless bombing, the ceiling of the arsenal finally began to buckle under the weight.
The first rock broke off at the impact, sending a roaring sound down with sand and gravel.
As if it were a signal, the entire ceiling of the armory began to slowly collapse, and pieces of rock fell from the sky one after another.
Finally, it was as if the sky was collapsing below it.
At first, they were spared the falling rocks, but their luck soon wore off.
Countless heavy bricks had lost their support and began to slide slowly.
Just as the brick was about to fall, another bolt of lightning pierced the sky, shattering the brick and accelerating the rock into countless sharp arrows.
Amid the squeezing and lightning strikes, the collapsed debris had already slid down on their heads, and the storm stirred up by the rocks had already blown their hair.
At this time, Emilia's chanting finally came to an end.
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