"My name is Rotsard Vallhall! Whoa there, too much, too much… Ehem! I have dealt with your little problem outside and just want to make sure that everyone inside is fine. I won't be surprised if you don't believe me, but I have already contacted Young Lord Syon Gemleware about the issue you had in your town!"
Instead of walking to the front door and knocking, Rotsard stopped in front of the building in the center of the square and called out at the top of his lungs, surprising even himself with his volume.
Just as he expected, there was no response. The defenders surely wouldn't just rush in and open the door even if deofols were incapable of lying.
"Just a reminder! Deofols are filth that want to spice up human souls with despair before devouring them! Do not lose hope, never give up, no matter the circumstances! Even if you don't believe me, do not lose your minds! Do not succumb to despair! It's just what those filthy things want! So hold onto hope even only out of spite!"
*tha-clank* *thump* *click*
He could have walked off already, returning to the carriage… or rather intending to meet up with it as his ice puppet already informed the coachwoman that it was okay to continue the journey… but instead he kept shouting, actually getting really into the pep talk when the noise of a barricade getting dismantled followed by the lock in the main door letting out a loud sound resounded through the empty square.
After what had to be an excruciatingly lengthy moment for the ones inside the building, but what was just a second of delay from Rotsard's perspective, the door moved…
…opening just enough for a trembling short spear tip to poke through... followed by the trembling armored hand hand wielding said shortspear…
"..."
Since the spear wasn't yanked away from the trembling hand, and, similarly, the door wasn't grabbed by dozens of hands and ripped off its hinges to allow the frenzied crowd to barge in, the person dared to open the door a bit more so they could poke their head through.
"...u-uuu…"
That action must have cost them a lot of anxiety, well, her, because the sniffling and sobbing coming from within the full helmet was definitely female.
"Miss. It really is safe. Please don't cry… unless those are tears of relief, of course, in which case, cry to your heart's content."
"...!"
Rotsard raised one hand to the side of his mouth and addressed the guard, making her flinch so much she practically jumped… no distinct jingling sound proved that the rest of her armor had barely any metal sewn onto it.
…short spear, full helmet, and hardened leather or gambeson, either one with metal plates covering the vital areas…
That gave Rotsard an idea about the kind of guard the woman was.
"..."
"Oho~!"
She didn't answer Rotsard's words and instead opened the door, making the bleached-blond-haired youth let out a triumphant gasp.
The one who poked through the door initially wasn't the only one. Instead, she was the tip of the spearhead formation of a dozen spear-wielding lightly armored guards, all using shield spells and speed-increasing internal spells.
A guard unit specialized in rescue~! To think that some backwards town full of peasants had a specialized unit that even some larger cities didn't bother with!
First of all, they had to be all mages, which couldn't be paid the same as commoners, but money wasn't the only detriment.
That kind of unit didn't boast much in terms of attack, but the shield spells, coupled with the formation they used, enhanced with the speed boost, were top-notch. The members could also double as the defenders from the external threats, and there were always at least two members proficient with healing magic that served as emergency medics… but since most threats came from the outside, most nobles preferred for the guard units to be focused on ranged attack rather than a defense-oriented speedy recovery of close-combat units, only a few opted for creating them.
Now it made sense how they've managed to save the children during the attack disguised as rebellion, and how come the hundreds of gedwyld-corrupted peasants couldn't breach into the building~! It was all thanks to those dozen guards!
Well, most likely there were other guards still inside, but that did not take away from the achievement in the slightest.
Still, all that knowledge did pose one question…
How come Rotsard Vallhall, who didn't bother with most affairs, knew so much about types of guard units?
Was it because of the story he was told by the deofol?
Well, no.
The only reason that Rotsard survived the peasant rebellion that murdered his mother was because of a rescue guard unit deployed by the lord of the neighbouring territory. Of course, the young Rotsard learned everything about his saviors.
Hel, he even wanted to become a guard at the Vallhalls castle and create a rescue unit there… well… at least back when his father was still alive… because afterwards everything changed and that dream got shattered into a million pieces.
His positive sentiment towards the idea of a rescue guard unit remained, though.
"Don't worry, don't worry~ The attack really is over. You've endured and survived. A work well done~!"
Rotsard declared, smiling brightly, and even clapped his hands a couple of times… although neither of his actions seemed to ease the guard unit's tension, not in the slightest.
"Wh-where is everyone…?!"
"What do you mean, you're here, and the kids are inside, aren't they? Who else would you be referring to, Miss…?"
The first guard asked nervously, pushing out her spear defensively. Although not aiming it at the youth, she certainly was wary of him.
"Wait…! Don't tell me this territory's Lord is missing!?"
"Eh? N-no! Of course not! Master's safety is our top priority! I'm talking about…! About… about everyone else… Where are the townspeople…?"
Struck by a sudden realization, Rotsard gasped in disbelief, shocking the guard and unintentionally angering her. She did calm down and turned timid very quickly, though.
"Hmm? You mean the peasant corrupted by gedwyld? The ones whose brains were scrambled and who were put through an incomplete deofolization and ended up puppeteered by as pathetic as it was filthy lesser deofol?"
"...y-yes…?"
Rotsard furrowed his brows, getting taken aback by the guard's nod.
"Dead, of course. As I said, when I got here, they weren't simply polluted, they were already corrupted by gedwyld."
"!!!"
His confused answer caused not just the one guard but all of them to flinch and put up their defense more.
"I-if so… where are all the bodies?!"
Another guard spoke up anxiously, looking around sharply.
Hers was a valid question, after all, the square itself was far too clean, basically spotless after Rotsard's magic. If indeed everyone was killed off, where did all the bodies go?
"Oh, that? They're…"
"!!!"
Rotsard's brows shot up, and he raised his hand, causing a small panic amongst the dozen guards who all crouched down and pointed their spears towards the sky, expecting the gedwyld-polluted humans to start dropping on them from the rooftops…!
"...have been sent Young Lord Syon Gemleware's way. He'll answer all of your questions once he or his representative shows up."
…but Rotsard merely opened his palm and shrugged his shoulders dismissively as he explained…
"Now, more importantly, is everyone actually safe…?"
*crank* *thump*
"Young Master! Everyone's safe thanks to you!"
Rotsard shrugged off the concerns of the guards and inquired, just as he did, one of the windows on the third floor opened, and a silver-haired older gentleman leaned through, waving and calling out while beckoning someone inside.
Soon enough, the curtains blocking other windows were pulled open, and the glass got fogged up from the breaths of all the kids that moved in close to take a look at the outside.
"Whew… thank you, kind sir! I was worried that I used too much strength. Essence of Winter's magic is sometimes too powerful to control. If everyone's fine, then it's my cue to leave~!"
Rotsard breathed out in relief and declared, turning around as he saw the town's gate through his ice puppet's eyes, meaning the carriage was already outside waiting for him.
"Young Master! Please wait, the reward…!"
"Kind Sir, cleansing gedwyld's corruption is a noble's duty and does not require a reward~! The reward is the safety of the land!"
"...!"
The silver-haired gentleman tried to stop the youth, but Rotsard said a rather unconventional farewell and left everyone who heard it stunned.