Fight or Die

We gathered at the commander's study room to plan for the next defense. I'm slightly tense from the atmosphere in this room since three of the knights that the commander gathered were staring at me.

Their stares are enough to drill a hole into my body. I'm just standing here, minding my own business, but they dare glare at me like I'm a criminal.

"Ah, I forgot to introduce to all of you our special guest." He tapped my shoulder. "This brave lady is Adel, from the House of Vanidestine."

He pointed to the three knights and introduced them.

"These are my trustee knights who oversee the state of the fortress. The left knight named Renatus helps me strategize and scout the areas, Leon is my aid in handling the documents and reports, and Faust handles the weaponry and resources the fortress needs."

I gently curtsied and uttered, "Nice to meet you, my good sirs."

"Commander, we are ready to heed your orders, but may I ask why this lady is at our important meeting?" Renatus queried.

I can't help but feel discriminated by his question. Is a lady included in a meeting a rare sight for them? I see they are dissatisfied with my presence, but they are making it too obvious in front of the commander.

"We need her help, Renatus. You might not have known this, but she was the reason some of our knights from the Vanidestine mansion arrived here safely."

I can see his indignant face. "I'm sure it was only pure luck, Commander. How could a weak woman like her help our situation? I bet she doesn't even know how to wield a sword—"

"And if I don't?" I cut him off. "I don't think I deserve to be belittled and disrespected just because I'm a woman, right? The Commander never said about me having to fight those demons head-on. And besides, don't you think it's quite daring to question your Commander's decisions?"

"Instead of expressing your unneeded doubts, why don't we jump ahead to the crucial matters first? Does my gender that important than the lives of the people here?"

I crossed my arms, feeling irritated by his unjust remarks. I shouldn't be upset by how he sees me, but I lived in the 21st century before I came here! I won't accept this stereotypical mindset of his just because he knows nothing about equality and equity.

"You're good at using your sword but not your brain? We defeated the enemy forces because we worked together without thinking about our assigned sex at birth! I thought you aided the Commander in strategizing, but I guess you are just a muscle head after all," I jeered.

The other knights cackled at what I said, and I just heard the Commander sigh.

"Why, you little—"

Renatus was about to curse(?) at me because I could tell he was fuming mad, but the Commander stopped him. Because this world looks like in medieval times, women are still heavily discriminated against in other parts of the empire.

"Enough, Renatus. I can no longer let you disrespect Lady Adel like that." He ruffles his hair. "Lady Adel is correct, Renatus. I won't tolerate this behavior again. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Renatus mumbled.

Renatus is not used to being ridiculed, especially by a woman his commander praised. I understand that this is his reaction because maybe no women fought back against his unfair judgment.

"Now, can we start with our meeting? Averon won't be coming here since he needs to attend to the wounded knights."

He placed the map of the terrain around the fortress. I'm astonished at how detailed the map is. From the bushes to the mountains, they are meticulously drawn.

"You're impressed, right? Renatus diligently made this over the years as he explored this vast land, including the barren ones between the Western and Southern regions."

I nodded and asked, "I can see that the map has been cut off from the Witch's Forest."

Renatus sighed. "It's because no one has ever survived there. Well, except for you. You can easily go inside, but I doubt you'll be able to make it back out."

"I can't even remember anything from the Witch's Forest. And," I pinpointed a road from the map. "Is this the longer path heading to the county?"

The Commander nodded. "Yes, but it's not usable now. Those demons have already taken that road. Renatus has been scouting daily with the other knights to find a path for us to escape if the fortress can't hold any longer."

"But so far, there's no luck," Renatus complained. "There's a path that leads to the barren lands, and we can head to the Western Region, but I doubt we'll survive the unbearable heat as we travel."

"The barren lands are also vast, so even if we ride on horses and carriages, our food and water supplies won't last until we reach the Western Region. Heading to the Eastern Region isn't plausible because of the unusable path."

By that, retreating isn't an option. It's either we fight or die at this point.

"One thing I'm suspicious about is the way those demons act. If their goal is the Gate, then there's no reason for them to come here anymore since the gate has already been destroyed," the Commander wondered.

"Maybe they have no clue about the ruined Gate? Maybe that's why they are still eager to get inside."

Leon shook his head. "Even if they can't see it, they feel it. When there's a gate, mana is highly concentrated around it, so even a person with the lowest affinity of mana can feel it—the same goes for those beasts."

I can't comprehend the persistence of those beasts, no matter how much I ponder about it. If they are so eager to head to the Northern Region, why don't they travel there instead of wasting their time getting inside the fortress?

"The path leading to the barren lands is just located at the back of the fortress, and those beasts can easily surround us and head straight to the Western Region. But because of the mana gate, they only attack us in front."

Just in front? They could also attack from the sides if I were them. This means that they're indeed mindless creatures like something or someone is leading them to do these things.

Based on what they told me, the mana concentration around the gate dissipated after it was ruined.

What could they possibly be after?