Renzo, Rachel, Glacius and Zamazenta made it to the forest where they are hiding from the Daemon patrols, wondering what kind of information they can uncover.
"Okay… The coast is clear." Glacius said as she grabbed a supply ledger. "A supply ledger. Perfect! We'll be able to see the full scope of the army with this."
The four of them were able to slip past the patrols and make it back to the others.
"Sorry to worry you all." Zamazenta said.
"Us, worried? Nah!" Captain Cold said with a smirk.
"We got quite a bit of intel from this. Let's head back to Hakurei Castle." Glacius said.
Back in the castle, Vivian, Ignace and Belladonna have all gathered at the inn.
"How do you think the others are doing right now?" Belladonna asked.
"I'm sure they're fine. It's them we're talking about, remember?" Vivian asked.
"I would imagine they wouldn't be defeated so easily. You know them better than us, after all." Ignace said.
"I suppose so." Belladonna said.
"By the way, there is something that has been on my mind." Vivian said. "In the past, we daemons have invaded the the surface and conquered the human civilizations. The humans were a race that warred themselves out of greed. They were unable to rule themselves without conflict, all the while developing the powerful Etheracts. In order to teach them law and order, we divided their world into separate realms. At least, that is how history tells it."
"Yes, it is of great benefit to both daemonkind and humans." Ignace said.
"But from their perspective, we must have locked them in a prison of our own making, much like our jail cell earlier." Vivian said.
"It's kind of ironic when you think about it." Belladonna said.
"I get this feeling that humans are searching for something other than the peaceful and orderly world that us daemons are after." Ignace said. "Not to mention that distortion in the Great Barrier coming from the Dark Current is quite concerning."
"Yes, you are right about that." Belladonna said.
"If there is truly some other will at work behind this world, then I feel we will come face to face with it before long." Ignace said.
"Yes. To learn the truth, I believe that we must grow by working with humans and learning each other's values." Vivian said.
"You truly are one of a kind amongst us Daemons." Ignace said with a smirk.
"You truly believe so?" Vivian asked.
"Without a doubt. And honestly… I wouldn't prefer it any other way." Ignace said.
Back with the others, Glacius gave the Supply Ledger she found to Juza.
"Here are the enemy's supply plans. With this, you should be able to figure out their deployments and numbers." Glacius said.
"Thank you. This will be of huge help!" Juza said.
"The greatest boon of war is not defeating the enemy, but crushing their morale." Cheetah said. "One cannot enter battle with weak spirits, after all."
"I see. I shall take that counsel to heart." Yukiha said.
"By the way, there is kind of a favor to ask." Nesma said. "Would it be alright if you released our Daemon compatriots?"
"Daemon compatriots?! So you were spies all along?" Juza asked.
"No, I can feel that they are not." Yukiha said. "I am certain they have their reasons. Arrange the captives' release."
"Are you sure you're willing to trust us so easily?" Esmeralda asked.
"My late father once said that those who rule should strive in seeing the truth in others." Yukiha said. "If you were not to be trusted, you all would've been executed the moment you were captured."
"I suppose you have a point." Nesma said.
"Your friends have been transferred to the inn. You all must be tired, so I suggest you rest there." Yukiha said.
"We will. Thank you." Riesz said.
They took in the castle's aesthetic as they soon arrived at the inn to meet Belladonna and the others.
"Hi, guys!" Belladonna said. "How did you all brave the snowstorms?"
"Thanks to Glacius, it was manageable." Koren said. "You all won't be cooped up in here for much longer. Nesma arranged for your release."
"Wow, Nesma. That is quite the silver tongue you have." Belladonna said.
"Oh, you flatter me. I didn't really say much of the sort." Nesma said. "In any case, let us get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a big day."
The group was able to get a peaceful sleep for the night before hearing word that Daemons are attacking the fort. They headed to Princess Yukiha to get a read on the situation.
"Enemy forces are attacking the fort." Juza said.
"Whoa, that was quicker than I expected." Glacius said.
"If the fort falls, they will no doubt attack Hakurei Castle next." Yukiha said. "There are also a lot of civilians that live there. We must not allow the enemy to seize them."
"But that is still no reason to go into battle yourself, Your Highness." Juza said. "You have to stay here at the castle."
"What kind of lord would I be if I do not assist my people in their hour of need?" Yukiha asked.
"Princess… Juza is right." Glacius said. "I don't like telling this story, but my mother was a sex slave who ended up giving birth to so many children that she is unable to support herself. Even when I had to deal with Theodore Flux and Esmeralda, I had to grin and bear it so that I would be able to send her funds so she can keep going. Just me and Cryst. All these years working with Theodore were mind-numbingly tortuous, even after all of that, Esmeralda was the only one that understood my plight, so I stayed by her side all this time, even when we left his services to join Cheetah's. Because they were the first ones to show us what it meant to have true bonds with someone, how to feel genuinely happy about anything after so long."
"G-Glacius…" Esmeralda said.
"What I'm trying to say is… Your people need you, Yukiha. That much is true. And that best way to do that is to smile for them, even if it seemed painful, even if it's all you can do." Glacius said.
"I see… So that was it. Thank you. I was about to do something truly reckless. I apologize for the trouble." Yukiha said.
"You don't need to apologize to us. Just wait here for our report." Glacius said.
"Everyone, we need to be sure we are truly ready to face them before we head off to the fort." Cheetah said. "There is no telling how many we will run into there. We may even have to split into separate groups. War isn't like training, and based on experience, it's much like a hunt. The enemy won't wait to kill you on the battlefield. If you don't want to die, you need to be quick, and ready to deal with anything."
"We will also need lots of ways to heal too. Based on the enemy's numbers, we're gonna be in this for the long haul." Glacius said. "If we have no ways to keep our strength up, we could face an early death."
"Also, do not expect to be able to force our way through by having everyone attack blindly." Zamazenta said. "We will need to arrange our formations to cover all of the bases."
"Yes. I expect that each group will have separate fights, so make sure that everyone is strapped up." Nesma said.