[Randall's POV]
"... Everything went well."
Well, mostly.
We managed to retreat back to Jack's place. He had a few bruises on his arms due to the fight, though that was about it. Nothing too bad.
Cold water, alongside some days of having a break, and he'd be good as new. Or so I hoped.
'Hopefully.'
Humidity latched on to our bodies like a leech. Heartbeats and thoughts prevented mine from falling into the sweet embrace of sleep.
Sleeping on Jack's mattress would have been nice, but the others needed that much more than I did. Jack did tons of heavy lifting, whereas Anne did most of the preparations.
In fact, that was the first time I had seen her snoring. If that wasn't a sign of tired-ness, then I didn't know what counts as one. 'Especially considering how she always seems to sleep with an eye open…'
"Either way, the operation was largely successful. No questions about it."
The group of guards that had the shift when I snuck in last time were also present, but posed no challenge for Jack. 'I wonder if they'll be punished for this…?'
That'd be kind of sad. Knowing I got someone fired like this.
Yet ultimately, someone had to bear the costs, and it won't be the Shepherds. They earned a lot with this. The same applied to the Town's mayoress, to a much lesser extent. Both might just gain enough time to actually prepare a counter-offensive.
Thus, that leaves the guards who were on duty back there as the only "true losers," here.
'To be fair, even if they are fired, I doubt they'll be missed. At least the drunk duo from last time.'
Even a guard on Earth's minimum wage would have been more competent.
… If the drinking incident wasn't an isolated one, then it wouldn't be off if a few demons went as far as to celebrate their departure, whether silently or publicly.
"... Should I go and check?"
Strictly speaking, it was very risky to go out now… A few hours should have passed since the incident took place. Everyone would still be on a dual-edged frenzy, both from the attack and the reveals of the collaboration.
'Nevermind, it's too risky. Besides, one of us needs to be here for watch duty.'
Waiting, and being prepared enough to wake up these two. That was all I could do at the moment.
***
Far from the trio's position, a humble building with creamy walls housed two demons, a bulky one and a scrawny one. Both in the same, semi white-washed room, but each engaging in different actions.
Shadows of an overbearing titan darkened the silver tray reposing on a support table, alongside the medical instruments lying on top of it. Her arms, wrapped tightly with white cloth, fingered some of the steel utensils. The demon's skin touched their naturally-cool surface often. However, that jolting feeling that spread throughout her nerves every time had almost vanished by that point.
While the titan did that, the much lankier demon rested upon the stone bed's surface. Micro-sized purple hairs barely grew out of the oval, demonic head. Uniformly cut and maintained, unlike the spreading eyebags that still hung on his darkened eyelids.
"Nngh…"
He slugged upwards, temporarily resisting the idea of falling again.
"Ah, Rodion, you're awake already? Good, good. We were worried that something happened to you. But you're up and mostly unwounded…" She spoke fast, with a warm tone. Her words befell the dazed one's head.
"What happened…? Why am I here?"
"During the assault, you encountered the intruder that destroyed one of the windmills. They didn't do much harm beyond the farm, but the guard that found you also saw something very concerning in the ruined mill, so you and everyone working for the Solprani farm will be questioned."
He groaned. "Damn it, I guess I can say goodbye to my nap…"
"Rodion…" A rough hand's skin came into contact with the spectre's left shoulder. "Please understand, everyone's way of living is under threat now. Your immediate help would let our guardians do their job much more effectively, and besides, I'm sure they'll look at you in a different light if you show strength at a time like this."
Those last words caused his teeth to grit slightly. He gazed downwards, avoiding the nurse.
"Right, Arian. As usual…"
Two pats befell the demon's shoulder. "Alright, I'll leave you alone for now. I doubt you'll be able to take a nap before the Mayoress arrives but you can definitely recollect your thoughts."
And so, the nurse left Rodion on his own.
"... Might as well figure some stuff out, yeah."
His thoughts returned to the event from earlier.
"The identity… I'm the only one who saw the attacker." The demon's eyes shut off.
"Based on the armor, it definitely was one of the bandits… Though, something doesn't feel quite right."
His body tilted to the left, eyelids still shut throughout the movement. "Those people have no issue show off all of their combat skills, including their usage of Ego. Yet, this one even went as far as to hide his full face… Why?"
Fifteen seconds passed with no further actions. Only thoughts.
A yawn almost left his mouth, but it didn't. Instead, he widened his eyes.
"... No, no. It couldn't have been someone else. That's impossible."
Disturbing feelings rose from the rocky surface of the "examination bed." Slowly enveloping Rodion's body, his thoughts wandered in a similar direction.
"..... Yeah, it's too risky. The Shepherds wouldn't let in anyone just for the sake of a small blow. Mister Luneron is too smart to make that sort of mistake… unless..."
He went back to his starting, belly-top position and simply sighed. "Agh. This is confusing. No point in overthinking now. I'll wait until the Mayoress arrives, then draw conclusions after the questioning… Yeah, sounds good."
Clenched hands betrayed the confidence his face "showed," or at least tried to. Constant tapping from the nails echoed in the room, growing more relentless over time.
Arian's warning soon interrupted his tapping.
"They're here," he muttered. "Time to get answers."