"Wh-what's wrong?"
Catherine's smile froze on her face, thinking her words had caused the atmosphere to chill.
"This adventurer party you mentioned... we might know them..."
Meld said with a complex expression.
This was the second time he had heard news of Hiyama. Just now, when he met Kouki and the others, he heard from them about Hiyama's "resurrection from the dead."
Now, hearing it again from Catherine, he had no choice but to believe that Hiyama truly hadn't died and had returned from the abyss.
"He's our classmate, a fellow summoner..."
Kouki also said with a complex expression.
"Is that so!"
"No wonder I felt he was hiding considerable strength. I was right after all."
Catherine said, enlightened.
"But if he's a summoner, why is he acting alone, with those three girls...?"
Catherine mused.
This sentence instantly made everyone's faces look even worse.
"Because he... is quite individualistic, haha."
Meld chuckled dryly. He couldn't possibly say, "Because we threw him into the abyss back then."
Such words would damage the reputation of the hero's party, which was very important to him and needed to be protected.
"This is only temporary. We will definitely bring him back!"
Kaori's voice rang out from the side, full of firm resolve.
"...Is that so? Regardless, I'll be relying on you all from now on."
Catherine felt that this matter was a bit complicated, so she didn't ask any more questions.
She lowered her head.
No matter what...
The most important thing now was the hero's strength.
As they were conversing happily, "President, something terrible has happened!" At this moment, someone suddenly burst into the reception room. It was a familiar voice, the same adventurer from last time.
"Truss, why is it you again? How many times have I told you..."
Catherine frowned, radiating anger.
"President! This is no time to talk about such minor matters!"
Truss said with a look as if he was about to cry: "Monsters! The monster army is already approaching the town. We can see them from afar!"
"What did you say?!"
Catherine suddenly stood up and said.
"How could they be so fast?!"
She grabbed Truss by the collar.
"I... I don't know either. The reconnaissance team hasn't sent back any information."
Truss said with a mournful face.
There could be two possibilities: either the monsters moved too fast for Hiyama's team to send back a message, or Hiyama and the other adventurer parties were swallowed by the monster army, just like the previous ones. Both are possible.
But no matter which situation it was, it wasn't important now. "Damn it! Let's quickly inform everyone."
Catherine put on her coat and walked out of the Adventure Guild with Kouki and the others, whose faces also looked grim.
The streets of Ulu Town were no longer peaceful and quiet as usual, but had become incredibly noisy.
When they finally arrived at the town office, the scene was already in an uproar.
The residents of Ulu Town, merchants, and priests of the Church were all gathered here, and the hall was incredibly noisy.
Everyone had expressions of disbelief and incredulity, rushing towards Catherine and the soldiers who had brought back the vanguard, as if about to grab their lapels, constantly questioning them.
"Quiet! Everyone, be quiet!"
Catherine shouted loudly, finally managing to temporarily control the situation.
"Gather all the adventurers still in the Adventure Guild, and where's the mayor? Quickly notify the mayor to organize the townspeople's evacuation!"
Catherine, having seen much of the world, was not flustered by this sudden situation and calmly issued commands.
"We can't, President."
"All that's left in the Adventure Guild now are some blue-ranked novice adventurers; there aren't even many black-ranked ones left."
"And..."
Truss choked out.
"And what?!"
A vein throbbed on Catherine's forehead.
"And the mayor and some gentry, upon hearing the news, have already fled with their families!"
Truss said, utterly distraught.
"What?!"
Catherine felt dizzy for a moment. Bad news came one after another, and even with her mental fortitude, she almost couldn't bear it.
If the people led by the mayor fled, the town's residents would easily fall into a state of panic. With just her, the Adventure Guild president, it would be difficult to establish enough authority.
Indeed, upon hearing such news, everyone in the office became chaotic again, and no matter how much Catherine shouted, she couldn't control them.
In fact, most of the town's residents were already in a state of panic.
Some cursed the gentry led by the mayor, some cried and broke down, some embraced those beside them, some scrambled to escape, and some argued amidst the chaos.
Knowing that their hometown would be destroyed tomorrow, and that their lives would be in danger if they stayed, few people could remain calm.
If the situation couldn't be controlled, by the time the monster army arrived, it would probably be impossible to organize effective resistance.
"President Catherine, please let us help!"
At this moment, Shirazaki Kaori's voice rang out.
"That's right... you all are here!"
Catherine snapped back to reality, as if grasping a lifeline.
Her authority as an Adventure Guild president might not be enough... but with the hero present, the situation was different.
By using the hero's name, the panicked townspeople would surely calm down.
"Hero-sama, please quickly gather the townspeople and stabilize their morale!"
Catherine requested.
"Oh... Oh, alright!"
Kouki, seeing such a chaotic scene for the first time, responded somewhat flustered.
Kouki swallowed, went to the stage, raised his hand, and shouted loudly: "Residents of Ulu Town! Do not be afraid!"
"I... I am the hero, here to save you!"
The commotion in the crowd gradually subsided. Everyone looked at the golden-haired youth with the holy sword on the stage, and a light of hope appeared in their eyes.
"It's the hero!"
"The hero is indeed in this town! We are saved!"
"As long as the hero is here, there's no need to fear the monster army at all!"
The hero's name had long been circulated throughout the kingdom, with titles like "Orcus Great Labyrinth Conqueror," "Strongest Warrior," and "Savior."
So, in this desperate situation, the hero's appearance was nothing short of a huge reassurance.
The excited expressions of the townspeople also infected Kouki. The expression on his face gradually regained confidence. He stood on the high platform and loudly encouraged the crowd.
Seeing his fearless and majestic demeanor, coupled with his already high reputation, people temporarily regained their composure.
The people who had regained their composure split into two groups: the 'staying group' who could not abandon their hometown and were willing to die with the town if necessary, and the 'evacuation group' who would hide as planned until rescue arrived.
Many in the staying group also advocated for women and children to evacuate.
There were also men who believed in the hero and other divine summoners, thinking they could repel the monsters, and thus decided to stay and help. There were also wives who evacuated as a precaution.
Even though it was nighttime, the town was still brightly lit, and people embracing and tearfully bidding farewell could be seen everywhere.
The storm was about to arrive.
Last night's Dragon Girl chapter almost went awry, good thing I changed it quickly... Recommended.
Chapter 63: An Opportunity? (7/10)
"Everyone who's staying, come with me to the city walls! Let's resist the monster army together!"
At Kouki's call, the residents of the town spontaneously began to organize into groups, heading mightily towards the city walls.
Upon reaching the city walls, they realized just how exaggerated the so-called "monster army" was.
Beyond the horizon, a massive number of monsters, assembled into an army, were seen approaching Ulu Town like a black tide.
They were disciplined, as if someone was commanding them.
"It must be the demon folk! The demon folk are behind this!"
Someone, upon seeing this scene, cried out in terror.
It was no secret that demon folk could control monsters, but a demon folk capable of controlling such a massive monster army was simply unheard of!
"This number... it must be at least fifty thousand..."
Shizuku used her "Farsight" skill to check the number of monsters, then said with a trembling voice.
Even though they had stayed in the Orcus Great Labyrinth for several months, the number of monsters they had eliminated was only a few hundred.
Even if the strength of monsters in the wild wasn't as high as in the Great Labyrinth, the number "fifty thousand" was enough to strike fear into anyone's heart.
"Fifty thousand..."
Even Kouki, upon hearing the number of monsters Shizuku gave, couldn't help but tremble all over, and cold sweat immediately broke out.
"Kouki, are you alright?"
Shizuku noticed Kouki's abnormality and asked.
"It's Shizuku..."
Kouki's pupils refocused.
"What's wrong with you? This isn't like you."
"Pull yourself together! You are the 'hero,' aren't you!"
"If even you become like this, then who else can lead the townspeople to resist the monster army?"
Shizuku said with a tone of disappointment.