Aldric snorted quietly.
"So the front door is out."
The cultist nodded.
"Which means we go through the sewer system."
Lyriana raised an eyebrow slightly.
The cultist continued.
"Large cities always have underground drainage tunnels leading beyond the walls."
"But they're not unprotected."
"There are internal barriers placed inside the tunnels to stop anyone—or anything—from sneaking in."
She looked at Draven.
"If someone tried to destroy those barriers, alarms would trigger immediately and the guards would respond."
A short pause followed.
"But…"
She gestured toward him.
"With the Lord's ability, we can bypass those barriers without triggering the alarm."
Aldric stared at her for a second.
Then groaned loudly.
"So we gathered here…"
He rubbed his face.
"…to plan a nice walk through sewer filth."
He pointed at her.
"Well of course we are."
"What else would happen when we listen to a damn cultist?"
He shook his head dramatically.
"That's probably the only thing your kind does."
The cultist looked completely unbothered.
"Yes. I've done it enough times to stop counting."
Aldric blinked.
"…You're not even denying it."
She shrugged slightly.
"Besides."
She held up a small card between her fingers.
"I have an NID."
Aldric frowned.
"And?"
She slipped the card back into her sleeve.
"I could simply walk through the front gate."
Aldric stared at the cultist for a moment after she revealed the identification card.
Then he folded his arms again, clearly ready to continue complaining.
"Oh really?"
He leaned slightly toward her with a crooked grin.
"So the rest of us crawl through filth while you stroll through the front gate like a respectable citizen?"
But before he could keep going—
Draven had already turned.
Without saying another word, he began walking deeper into the forest toward the direction of the city walls.
Vaelith followed immediately behind him, Lucifer and Elenya still resting quietly in her arms.
They didn't wait.
Lyriana watched them go for a moment before turning back to Aldric.
"You should stop with the nonsense."
Aldric blinked.
"It's annoying."
Her voice stayed calm, but there was clear irritation in it.
"Everyone else already knew that's how we're getting in."
She gestured briefly toward the direction Draven had gone.
"And you should've known too."
Her eyes shifted toward the cultist for a moment.
"She already mentioned it once before."
Aldric opened his mouth to respond.
Lyriana cut him off.
"So just shut up."
With that, she turned and began following Draven and Vaelith.
Aldric stood there, frowning.
"…Damn brat."
He scratched the back of his head irritably.
"Show some respect."
Then he muttered under his breath while starting to walk after them.
"And she only said that when we were talking about entering their damn hideout…"
He glanced once at the cultist.
"…not the city."
---
The forest path was quiet except for the rustling of leaves underfoot.
Draven led the group, his cloak barely brushing against the low branches. Vaelith trailed close behind with the children in her arms.
Lyriana followed in near silence, her eyes sharp as they scanned the terrain.
Aldric lagged behind, arms crossed and scowling.
He muttered under his breath, irritation thick in his voice.
"What the hell is wrong with all of you?" he growled.
"You'll just agree without even a single question."
"Damn it… am I the only one among us actually thinking straight?"
The cultist, walking beside him, didn't even glance his way.
Her hands hung loosely at her sides as a small smirk touched her lips.
"Or maybe…"
She murmured quietly.
"…you're the only one not."
Aldric's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"What the hell did you just say?" he barked, his voice sharp enough to cut through the quiet forest.
But she didn't wait for his response.
Her figure flickered as magic surged briefly around her form.
In the next moment, she appeared ahead of the group.
Within seconds, she had already rejoined Draven, Vaelith, and Lyriana, walking calmly as if nothing had happened.
Aldric's jaw tightened.
His fists clenched as faint crimson mana coiled around his arms.
"Damn rat," he muttered through gritted teeth.
"I swear… the nerve of some people."
"Acting like they can just skip along and ignore everything I say."
He pushed forward, quickening his pace, glaring at the distant silhouette of the cultist who didn't even bother looking back.
The forest seemed to echo his annoyance.
The tension in the air felt almost as thick as the shadows between the trees.
---
Eventually, the forest gave way to the outskirts of the city.
Hidden beneath thick brush and broken stone near the base of the outer wall, a rusted iron grate had been quietly removed.
One by one—
They slipped inside.
---
The air changed immediately.
Damp.
Heavy.
The faint smell of rot and stagnant water clung to the stone tunnels beneath the city.
A narrow stream of dark water flowed slowly through the middle of the passage, reflecting the dim light filtering through small cracks in the ceiling above.
Draven walked at the front without hesitation.
His boots splashed lightly through the shallow water as he moved deeper into the sewer tunnel.
Behind him, Vaelith followed carefully while holding Lucifer and Elenya, keeping them high and away from the filth below.
Lyriana walked beside her, her expression calm despite the surroundings.
The cultist moved a few steps ahead of Aldric, navigating the twisting passages like someone who had done it many times before.
And behind them—
Aldric.
Complaining.
"This is exactly what I meant," he groaned, glaring at the dark sludge flowing past his boots.
"We're walking through literal shit."
His wings twitched briefly before dissolving completely as he squeezed beneath a low stone arch.
He looked around with visible disgust.
"Unbelievable."
His voice echoed through the tunnel.
"We escape an army… fight half the damn kingdom…"
He kicked lightly at the dark water.
"…and now we're crawling through sewers like rats."
The cultist didn't even bother looking back.
"You're the one who wanted to enter an airship."
Aldric scowled.
"Not like this."
They continued walking.
Water dripped steadily from the ceiling.
Somewhere deeper within the tunnels, the faint scratching of sewer creatures echoed through the darkness.
Aldric muttered again.
"I swear… if something touches my boots…"