As Sanders exited the meeting room, which was a makeshift tent, the Knights of Shroud turned their gaze towards him.
Though they tried to hide it, anxiety flickered in their eyes.
One of the knights approached Sanders.
“I'm going to meet with Lord Enfer now.”
In other words, it didn't go well.
The knight's face grew worried.
“Will you be alright? I've heard that the Lord of Roach does not tolerate any objections. He imposes severe punishments in such cases.”
“It's better than all of us dying here.”
Enfer, the Lord of Roach.
Known as the Iron Wall, he was admired by countless citizens and knights, but he wasn't perfect.
His most obvious flaw was his stubbornness.
Enfer rarely withdrew or changed his opinions.
During the Knight Order's strategy meetings, he mostly left things to Sylvain, but when Enfer spoke, no one dared to object.
Of course, this was partly due to Enfer's personality, but it was also necessary to maintain the absolute vertical hierarchy of military discipline required to protect Yeranhes.
He couldn't waver, he couldn't make wrong decisions, and even if he did, the knights under his command had to trust him and follow his orders.
However, it was true that there were excessive aspects to his leadership. Azier and Frondier had borne the brunt of it.
Sanders headed towards the tent where Enfer was staying. Reaching the entrance, he raised his hand and then lowered it.
He had intended to knock, but of course, that was out of the question. This alone made him realize how nervous he was.
“...Lord of Roach. It's Sanders.”
And for a brief moment, silence descended. In that short span, Sanders felt as if he couldn't breathe.
Enfer's voice came from inside. Sanders, feeling his sides naturally tense up, spoke.
“I apologize, but I have some doubts about the standby order and came to see you. The knights' anxiety is growing.”
It was a rather direct statement, but with Enfer, beating around the bush would only make things worse.
Still feeling uneasy, Sanders continued. He had a feeling he would be turned away at the door.
“...If you could give me a little time to explain, I'll try to persuade them...”
Enfer interrupted Sanders. However, the content was the opposite of what Sanders had expected.
“Y-you want me to come in...?”
“Is there another meaning to it? Didn't you say you wanted an explanation?”
Sanders hesitantly lifted the tent flap and stepped inside.
Enfer was alone, looking at a large map hanging on the wall.
“The knights are anxious?”
In truth, Sanders was the most anxious among them, but even so, he couldn't say that.
Instead, Sanders first explained the reason for their anxiety.
“It's been over a week since the standby order was issued. This place is completely isolated from the Empire. We're not protected by the barrier, and if we come this far out, there's a risk of encountering abyssal monsters.” 𝐫�
The Cyclops that Frondier had slain, the Minotaur hordes that Aster had defeated.
Manggot was the westernmost tip of the continent. Having come this deep, there was no guarantee that such creatures wouldn't appear again.
To this, Enfer replied.
“As you know, this is Manggot. There's a reason why the people who lived here survived for so long. In fact, we've already secured escape routes into the caves of Manggot in case of any problems. Isn't that right?”
“Y-yes, sir. But I don't understand why. The knights are increasingly questioning why we're on standby for such a long time, even with such preparations in place.”
Of course, Sanders knew the general reason.
It was because of the predicted attack by the 'devil'.
However, this was only what he had heard from Sylvain, and it was too absurd a story to reveal to the knights, so he kept it a secret.
When he asked Sylvain about the source of the information, Sylvain said he had heard it from Enfer, and he didn't know how Enfer had received the information.
This was what made Sanders uneasy.
“Lord, the appearance of a devil on this land is an extremely rare occurrence. Why are we concerned about devils here, beyond the Empire's territory, at the western edge?”
“Precisely because this is the western edge.”
After speaking, Enfer pointed his finger at a part of the map. It was the Manggot where they were staying.
“Soon, the Empire's scholars were planning to thoroughly investigate the interior of the Manggot caves. There are a considerable amount of research materials and traces of something being investigated here, and the aim was to find out what they were looking for. Originally, the work should have already begun. But new information reached my ears.”
Saying so, Enfer's finger moved further west, towards the sea.
“There is a new continent besides this one. And the story is that devils are flying from there.”
“...Devils exist on a western continent we haven't seen yet?”
“The Empire's original intention to expand its territory to Manggot was also to sail across the distant sea. The Empire doesn't yet know what lies beyond the sea. There's no guarantee that there isn't another landmass of this size.”
“But that land is the land of devils? Aren't they supposed to be in the Demon Realm?”
“That's what everyone thought. That all devils were in the Demon Realm.”
As Enfer spoke, his eyes gradually narrowed.
“But if that were the case, the people of Manggot should have also originally been in the Empire.”