As soon as the gate was opened, they were greeted by a man in full armor. He took off his helmet as a formality and greeted them. "I'm Captain Henderson, the one in charge of the south wall. It's an honor to meet the Demon Relief Squad here."
Paul nodded and shook his head. Although he didn't look like he was doing anything, he was actually observing Henderson's condition. Normally, people would have taken off their helmet before meeting someone, but Henderson seemed to be paranoid to the point he had to confirm the other party first before taking it off.
"Nice to meet you. We've heard the distress call from your fortress and shall help you. So, who is in charge of this fortress?" Paul asked.
"The one in charge of this fortress is the second son of Earl Lawrence, Hagen Lawrence." Henderson replied, but his smile seemed to be superficial. "Let me guide you to his mansion to discuss about the current situation."
"Understood. I appreciate it." Paul agreed and Henderson immediately asked someone to stand in for him as he had to bring the important guest.
As soon as they entered the fort, Noel couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows. He had seen the Demon Banner Army's fort, so it was clear how different the lives in these two forts.
The Demon Banner Army's fort was filled with life and hope. The people who lived there were smiling, and the fort was brimming with merchants.
Meanwhile, the Lawrence Fort had no lives in it. There were people here and there, but they had the look of a dead fish.
It seemed Stella could sense it as well and said, "Noel. Can you tell Jonathan and Zion to take over the reign? We'll go inside. Tell Rose and Anna to go inside the carriage as well. This fort is bad news."
"Got it." Noel nodded with a serious expression and jumped off the carriage to tell those people. Before long, everyone sneakily changed their positions, with Noel, Anna, Stella, and Rose hiding inside the carriage.
Noel wasn't supposed to be here, but because he was still new, Stella invited him to give him some more information.
"It seems you have noticed it as well." Stella looked at Noel with a grim expression.
"Yes. My senses might not be as sharp as yours, but I still can see it." Noel confirmed it without hesitation. The people were looking at them as if they were prey. They paid special attention to Stella, so Anna and Rose should receive the same treatment.
"Although in most places, the place near the wall are slums, I don't think it's a slum before, considering how that Henderson doesn't act differently toward these people. In other words, it becomes one only recently," Stella explained.
"The reasons for that are due to the demon's attack and the mismanagement," added Rose. "Even if you're attacked by demons, it won't be much of a problem if the upper management is good. They can raise people's morale and our group will come to help them. That's the normal case.
"However, there are times when there is no care from the lord of the fortress. Due to the demon invasion, the people will lose their jobs because they can't take care of their farms and the merchants can't help revolving the economy.
"At that time, the people will suffer. From the size of this fort, they should have enough food in their storage to feed people for at least a month. But the situation has become when the attack started only three weeks ago.
"This is a proof that the one in charge of this fort can't do his job properly. Well, I apologize if you feel insulted as a noble, but that's my honest criticism."
"No. That's understandable." Noel shook his head. "Then, the only thing we have to find is the condition of the lord himself. We'll be able to see how much the people have suffered."
"Yes." Anna nodded in agreement. In the past, she wouldn't care much about these lowly people, but meeting Noel had changed her perspective. She realized how evil she looked in the people's eyes and took this criticism head-on. In fact, she was thankful for Rose to point everything out.
"What do you usually do if you encounter this situation?"
"First of all, it's better to hide the women. Well, we all are strong enough to protect ourselves, but it's gonna be annoying, considering our fate can be much worse than dying. As for the men, they'll take care of everything. Although Paul looks like a muscle brain, his mind is calm and collected. And Ben will take care of the negotiation. Are you going with them too, Noel?" Stella asked.
"I'd like to, but Lawrence and Ardagan don't really have a good relationship. So, I might have to stay here with everyone to not make the discussion more problematic." Noel sighed.
"Hehe, just tell me that you want to stay with us, ladies." Anna teased him.
"Then, do you want to meet him? If I'm not wrong, Lawrence is one of the families that wants to marry their son to your house." Noel glared at her.
Anna looked away, not wanting to answer that question.
"Well, that's why we're in a group. We can rely on the others in this type of situation." Stella chuckled, de-escalating the situation. "Anyway, we're going to deal with the demons as soon as possible. I don't care much about the noble stuff, but it's the people who suffer. By finishing this job, the merchants can come back and the economy will be revolving again."
"Understood." Noel nodded with a serious expression.
"By the way, it's better to use this." Rose, who had been searching for an item inside the carriage, brought them a few coats that could cover their entire bodies. "It's winter, so another layer of coat won't matter that much. Besides, there will be many people dying in this winter due to this attack, so as Stella said, it's better to finish this job before the snow starts falling."