第１４１４堀：空の町 (Part2)
Lilishe leads the vanguard, accompanied by the local officials of this western town and the inspection delegation, leaving us to bring up the rear.
Or perhaps, given that we are here to investigate, this positioning is only natural?
"As Deryu says, the lord’s manor is our first priority. I’ll secure the routes; I’ll give the orders to the troops now."
Agil says this while walking, signaling the waiting units to clear the roads to the north, south, east, and west to ensure an escape path.
That said, only the north gate has been destroyed, and since the primary issue there is the abundance of rubble obstructing a retreat, the task shouldn't take much time.
As I ponder this, we head toward the lord’s manor at the town’s center, but...
"The buildings themselves aren't destroyed, but the shops... they’re in a wretched state."
As Kagura notes, the storefronts facing the northern main street remain standing, yet their interiors and exteriors have been so thoroughly ravaged that it is impossible to tell what they once sold.
"But, do you think monsters really did that? We heard some people managed to escape—could it have been trouble during the panic? Compared to the gate, the houses themselves aren't damaged at all."
"Mikos is right. I don't see any blatant footprints, either."
Now that they mention it, they are correct.
For a place supposedly swarmed by a horde of monsters, it is certainly chaotic, yet there are no splatters of blood, no human corpses...
"...There are no bodies. Did you see any, Agil?"
Cleena-san seems to have realized the same fact and asks Agil, but...
"No, I haven't seen any either. It’s possible they’re buried under the rubble at the gate, but the chance of anyone being attacked here is near zero. After all, there isn't a drop of blood. It’s likely they focused on ransacking the houses because they were empty. On the other hand, look—the lord’s manor in the back, where the walls are sturdier..."
Agil directs his gaze toward the manor, but the wall that should have been guarding it has been spectacularly demolished.
"According to our preliminary data, the entrance to the manor faces east—toward the royal capital—so we should be seeing a wall..."
"And if that wall has been perfectly leveled, does it mean the enemy headed straight for the manor?"
Stasia-san draws this conclusion from Jessica-san’s explanation.
Indeed, since the destruction is absent from the streets, it is clear the enemy did not view the town itself as a target.
"Well, we’ll know once we reach the manor. In situations like this, as long as we stay alert for enemy presence and traps, there’s nothing to do but press forward."
"Agreed. Our priority is to reach the place where we might find clues."
With the concurrence of Mauve-san and Ovik-san, we head straight toward the ruined manor.
By the time we arrive, Lilishe and the others who had gone ahead are already standing before the broken wall.
"Hmm, so they didn't just come from the gate; they came from here too."
"No, the gate was also bent and forced open in a strange way. It seems they came from both directions."
"Father..."
"Stay strong, my lord. ...Still, the manor itself shows signs of intrusion. And bloodstains, too."
In other words, a battle—or rather, a slaughter—took place within these walls.
"Let’s enter with caution. Lilishe-sama, please stay behind us."
"Understood. I leave it to you."
And so, we step into the lord’s manor, the site of a fierce struggle—or rather, a site of total subjugation.
Seeing the scene with my own eyes, I am left speechless.
It is a sight that defies description.