After confirming the wreckage left behind by the knights and mages, I turned to call Rio.

“How’s it look?”

“Almost cleared up, I think,” she replied.

The Earth Wall I had smashed through only had its center destroyed, leaving the edges intact. Rio’s Flame Javelins had pierced through the opening, splitting into multiple trajectories to strike the enemies beyond.

Impressively precise work. She couldn’t even see what was on the other side, yet she managed to scatter her attacks evenly.

Flame Javelin is a mid-tier offensive spell with decent lethality. Even knights and mages can’t escape unscathed if hit directly. They probably didn’t expect the javelins to curve after clearing the wall, which explained the chaos among their ranks.

“W… wait…”

One knight struggled to his feet, using his sword as a crutch. He barely managed to get the word out. But there was no reason for us to wait.

“Speaking of which, I wonder where Tobil went,” I mused aloud.

“He’s probably not stationed in places where knights and mages are called out like this,” Rio replied.

“True.”

I poked my head into the waiting area near the gate, but it was unsurprisingly empty. It would’ve been nice to exchange a word with him, but that didn’t seem possible now.

“Well, we’ll have to figure out where to go ourselves,” I said.

Rio nodded, and we passed through the castle gate.

“Whoa…”

The sight beyond the gate made me stop in my tracks.

Debris littered the once-pristine gardens and flower beds, leaving them in shambles. There were no injured people in sight, though. As for those who had been firing arrows from the walls—well, who knows where they’d gone. Not that it mattered. As long as they didn’t attack us, I had no complaints.

Turning back, I could see the aftermath on the castle wall. Four circular holes, each about five meters in diameter, marred the once-intact structure, revealing the interior.

“For now, we’ll just follow the path,” I said.

“The castle is our destination, right?”

“Probably.”

The road beyond the gate stretched straight toward the castle. It was a single, direct path, with no chance of getting lost. The towering spire visible from the gate was clearly part of the castle’s central structure, flanked by three slightly shorter spires.

As we walked, a group began to approach from the opposite direction. Judging by their formation, it seemed like the knights and mages were at it again.

“Ah… Honoka…” Rio muttered.

“Huh?”

I focused on the group ahead, enhancing my vision to get a closer look. Sure enough, there was a familiar face leading them.

“They’re showing up now?”

This time, it was just four classmates: Manaka Hitoshi, Oda Kuya, Hino Kyoka, and Otori Honoka.

What about the others? Well, I’d just sent Neguro flying yesterday, so it wasn’t surprising he wasn’t here.

“Well, well, looks like you’re alive,” Manaka called out, grinning.

“Long time no see, what was it again? Oh yeah, Jobless-kun and Useless-chan!” Kyoka added, laughing.

“Ahaha!”

Manaka and Kyoka’s mocking tones were as obnoxious as ever.

“These two haven’t changed a bit…” I muttered.

I had been on guard after encountering Neguro’s transformation, but at least these two seemed the same as before.

“My, my, Rio-san, it’s been ages. Have you lost some weight?” Otori Honoka chimed in, her voice calm and unbothered.

“Dufufufu…”

Then there was Oda Kuya, staring at Rio with an unsettling, lecherous grin. Seriously, what was with the tongue-licking?

Using my Appraisal, I noted their statuses. Interestingly, I could now see their jobs:

• Manaka: Archmage
• Oda: Berserker
• Hino: Magic Swordsman
• Otori: Saint

“Saint?” I muttered under my breath. Healing magic seemed like an obvious guess, but it was still a strange class title. And Kuya as a Berserker? A creepy, cackling berserker? What a nightmare.

When I shared this information with Rio in a whisper, she nodded, her expression a mix of surprise and wariness. My Appraisal skill seemed to have leveled up at just the right time.

“You’re here to assist the heroes,” one of the knights barked.

“Understood!”

The knights and mages quickly formed a defensive line. Two particularly well-equipped knights stepped forward, likely a commander and vice commander.

Appraising them revealed their names and jobs:

• Henning Fester, Holy Knight
• Waldemar Reinz, Heavy Knight

Further appraisal uncovered a mage among their ranks named Dafit Georg, another Archmage.

“This must be their strongest lineup,” I guessed.

Though two of our classmates were missing, I doubted they had anyone stronger than this group.

“What brings you here, Manaka?” I asked.

“Isn’t it obvious? We’re here to capture you troublemakers rampaging through the capital. What the hell are you doing here?”

“Capture? You mean kill, right?”

“What?! Kill?! What are you talking about? We’re classmates, aren’t we?”

He sounded genuinely confused—or perhaps he was simply uninformed.

“What am I talking about? Rio was nearly killed yesterday—stabbed by Neguro.”

“What?”

Manaka’s gaze shifted to Rio, his eyes wide in disbelief.

“Hah! That gloomy guy stabbed Yuzuki? Stop joking. She looks fine to me.”

He laughed it off, dismissing my words entirely.