"Everyone, get moving!"
"Units 1 and 2! Go to the incident scene, Units 3 and 4, check over the injured, and move them! The rest will prompt residents to evacuate!"
Finally, an immediate response team made up of active adventurers and heroes showed up and took care of the rest of the terrorists, and was evacuating the remaining citizens.
The Adventurer association and the Hero association have few significant differences.
But the foremost thing that distinguishes the Heros association from the Adventurers association is that the Hero association is unified, pays attention to orders from their superiors, and only acts when they believe something will have an impact on society.
While adventurers are independent individuals that work for pay and are available for hiring by anyone.
So Naturally, the adventurers have the option to reject the job if they deem it too risky or underpaying.
And In times of need, such as this one, Hero Association will occasionally hire adventurers.
Though, Heros earn more money on a regular basis and enjoy greater recognition and respect than Adventurers, but all of that comes at the expense of their independence.
As a result of being bound to the Hero association, they are obligated to comply with all orders without question.
While I was thinking to myself, I noticed one of the heroes, who was leading the group approached us quickly.
"Thank you so much. There was no severe damage as a result of your efforts." The hero thanked us.
"That's a relief," Lucas responded.
"Are you students of Soreh Academy?" The Hero guy inquired.
"Yes, we are," Lucas replied, while I simply nodded.
"As to be expected from the Soreh Academy students, you students are the future heroes of humanity," the guy stated proudly.
"...."
"Wait! Where is Ayla?" Lucas questioned upon his abrupt awareness.
"...She must be assisting with the evacuation," I stated.
"I apologize. I'm separated from my sister. Is it okay if I search for her on my own?" Lucas stated restlessly as he looked at the Hero in front of us.
For a brief moment, he appeared to consider Lucas's response.
We initially should have now evacuated in accordance with their directions as we are only first-year students, and we already did more than expected from us.
But he nodded as he gazed about at the terrorists we'd just killed.
"… Okay, This isn't intended to be acceptable, but I think you'll be fine. Instead, while searching for your sister could you go around and help evacuate the citizens as you did before?" The Hero guy said.
"All right, sir," Lucas replied.
The hero then turned to look at me.
"You're accompanying him too, right?" He questioned.
I had no intention of accompanying Lucas, since I am confident in Livia's ability to take care of herself and I couldn't care less about anyone else.
But ...I still haven't received a notification that the quest has been completed.
"...Of course, I'll be accompanying him because Ayla is also a friend of mine," I stated firmly.
Lucas just gazed at me, taken aback by my statement.
After hearing my response, the hero guy nodded and moved toward his companions who were already detaining the Demon Cultists' unconscious members.
While Lucas and I turned straight to the explosion's center, where smoke was still billowing.
"Can you contact Ayla?" I questioned Lucas.
"No, she hasn't answered her phone at all despite my repeated calls to her," Lucas answered.
I speculated that she might have been preoccupied with the evacuation and not noticed her phone.
I glanced at the quest window as I spoke with Lucas. The mission was still ongoing.
That indicates that the condition had not yet been achieved.
"There must still be an executive somewhere around here who has been leading these cultists," I muttered to myself.
"Oi, Ares," Lucas let out.
"What?" I inquired.
Lucas and I were quickly moving up against the crowd; there was personnel evacuating residents from various locations along the path, so there was no need for us to go out there to help them.
"You know who these guys are, right?" Lucas inquired.
"I don't know the specifics, but they're most likely Demon Cultists," I answered.
'I don't need to pretend I didn't know because it would be beneficial for me to involve Lucas in this, and it wouldn't be too unusual if he already knew about it, just like Ayla.
Since they were an emerging religious group that had been continuously producing issues on a large scale for a long time.
However, the demon lord's seal being broken was the only reason they could have become this insane.' I thought to myself.
"Demon Cultists?" Lucas was baffled.
Lucas seemed to be hearing about them for the first time.
"...."
"To put it simply, They are wild, feral bands of lunatics roaming the wastes, Their only objective is to unseal the demon lords and cause disaster to the society,...they are amoral and merciless beyond belief.
The Demon believers who assembled in this manner established branches throughout the kingdoms methodically developed and amplified their strength, and even dispersed their influence over the continent.
And they violently committed crimes against citizens like terrorism, and some of them killed people without thinking twice.
It's the biggest violent criminal organization, nevertheless, with a lot of influence and connections to the political establishment, making a thorough investigation about them is impossible,"
I explained in a way he could understand.
"They're bad guys, dude, let's fight 'em together," That's what I wanted to divulge to him at this moment since I needed him to help me fight the demon lords in the future.
"...."
"...How do you know so much about them?" Lucas puzzledly questioned.
"Because I researched them and made it my mission to prevent them from releasing the demon lords so that I could preserve humanity...yeah and other races as well," I responded passionately.
Following what I stated, there was just silence between us for a while, as Lucas remained silent, not saying a word.
"...."
"Such Bullcrap," Irethiel abruptly remarked telepathically.
"Shut up, how would you know what my sacred beliefs are?" I telepathically retorted to Irethiel.
"You just want to get him involved with the demon lords, don't you?" Irethiel stated.
I noticed Lucas halting his steps while I was telepathically communicating with Irethiel.
"I guess we found the one who was directing these cultists," Lucas stated abruptly.
As he noticed a man standing in front of us wearing a robe that covered his entire body.
"Hehehehe..."
When he saw us, he burst out laughing like a lunatic.
"I never imagined that my underlings would be slaughtered by some kids," he said and resumed his statement in a drunken tone, with exaggerated gestures, as if he were an actor in a play.
"What do you think? Why don't you kids join me as my servants right away so that we can all grow stronger with the aid of our Lord and change this unfair world so that only the powerful exist?" He stated while extending his hand toward us.
"Shut up, you're just a terrorist who wields a weapon indiscriminately against innocent bystanders," Lucas yelled angrily.
"...."
I felt the urge to throw up, Upon viewing this cringe scene of a nobody mob who is now likely to die by a protagonist.
'Nah, maybe he will just knock him unconscious?' I thought to myself.
Lucas then aimed his spear at the robed guy and prepared to strike.
"Hahaha! Do you really believe you can beat me?" While howling with laughter, the robed man said.
"That's what all the third-rate villains say before they die," I muttered to myself as I stood there still and enjoy the show.
I intended to let Lucas the protagonist perform his task so that I could evaluate his strength.
But...
"Oh Boy!" I expressed surprise as I witnessed the unexpected turn of events in front of me.
"...."
***