NEVER BE ALONE.
Book 161

Chapter 161.
Never Be Alone.

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9.

Reader's POV

We continued to rush, I had an urge to pet Ayshe's dogs, but this wasn't the time. 
Suddenly, we clashed with Vincent's group.

"Vincent... everyone!!"
Norman exclaimed.

"What are you doing here? I told you to return..."
Vincent started.

"I'm so glad you're okay!"
Cislo smiled.

"Apologies, Boss. We defied your order. We were worried about you. Sorry,"
Cislo said.

"How could you? What if I had died?
at least you could have waited in a safer area..."
Norman said.

"You said... that you'd be right behind us. That's why we waited.
You defeated the Queen?"
Vincent asked.

"Yeah, she's dead."
Norman confirmed.

Suddenly, I felt a pain in my chest. 
I stumbled back, I felt as if something... was gone.

Ray seemed to notice my stumble and he helped me steady myself. 
I took a deep breath, and gave him a smile.

His worried expression didn't leave.

I clutched onto my bracelet.

"Get on!! We have to hurry to the base!!"
Vincent said, pulling some horses to us. 

"There you are! Y/n, Emma, Ray!!"
Oliver?

"Oliver!!"
I exclaimed, rushing to him.
"Wh.. What's wrong?"

Leslie was in his arms, awake. He jumped into mine.

He stumbled off of his horse. 
"Something's happened. At the base... everyone is...!"

My eyes went wide.

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Zack, Gillian, and Nigel soon were also here.

"After we parted..."
Oliver started.
Leslie had started to meow, standing, his paws on my chest as he did.

It sounded as if he was trying to tell me himself.

"Meoow! Meme! meowmewmow!"
he meowed.

"We went to go alert them... but we were too late!"
Gillian said, to which Leslie nodded his head to.

"What?!"

"The base had already been attacked. It was a different force. They were other forces separate from the main army. From what we saw, the total number of soldiers was about 2,000."
she continued.

Leslie nodded once more.

"And where is everyone?!"
I asked, my heart dropping. 

Leslie's expression fell and he snuggled his head into my neck.

"They were taken away. All of them, including the look-outs,"
Nigel said, gritting his teeth.

"Taken where?"
I asked.

"There were some demons at the base waiting to ambush us, so we made him spill it. 
They're being transferred right now. To the closest high-security top-class farm to be processed as food. 
To Grace Field House,"
Gillian said.

My eyes widened.

"I see. If it's Grace Field, it's under Yverk's jurisdiction. It's easier to hide the escapees from the other aristocrats to offer them to the Queen,"
Norman muttered.

"But that's not important right now, is it?!
There are 2,000 Imperial Soldiers!"
Hayato exclaimed.

"Around half of the soldiers that were sent out on the expedition."
Vincent said.

"On our side, we have a bit over ten people,"
Oliver added.

"What can we do?"
Gilda asked softly.

Leslie curled up close to me, feeling that I was down.
I sat down, thinking.

"Let's go. To Grace Field House,"
Emma stated.

"There's no reason to hesitate. Let's go save everyone."
Emma said.

"But..."

"We know that. We're trying to discuss how we'll do it,"
Ray said, his hand in mine.

"Do you have a plan?"
Vincent asked.

"Nope! That's why we have to think of one right now!"
Emma said.

"There she goes again,"
Don chuckled.

"But instead of thing, 'We can't do it, what now?' It's better to think, 'we can do it, so how do we go about it?'
It's going to be okay! The four of us--Norman, Ray, Y/n, and me--are together. And we have you guys!! We all changed the world up to now. Little old us, born in cages, changed the world this much. And we're just one step away. We're at the point of being one step away now.
Two thousand imperial soldiers and the Ratri Clan? That's nothing! We can do it! We'll be able to pull it off!"
Emma said.

"So we have to believe in ourselves and think of something,"
Emma concluded.

Norman had burst out into laughter.
"Boss?!"
they exclaimed.

"When Emma says it, I feel like we can do it,"
he stated.

"True,"
Gillian smiled.

"And we have achieved everything she set out to do."
Nigel added.

"We've had a lot of failures and regrets too. But we won't be able to figure out what we can do if we're afraid of them."
Ray said with a smile.

"Yeah!"
Don said.

"If they're planning to kill them soon, it means everyone is still alive."
"Two thousand demons plus the Ratri Clan we just can't take them head on."
"If it's Grace Field, there's a blueprint in the date Mr. Minerva left us."
"So after they arrive at Grace Field..."
"We'll infiltrate."

"Then it's decided!"
Emma smiled.

I smiled back, and her whole face lit up.

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"Whether we like it or not, this is it."
"Let's go! Everyone's waiting!!"

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7. 14. 2020
Word count: 717