While Carmen and Meric were conspiring inside the cage, Bel had already left his army behind.0

“…Commander.”0

Hawke was the Martial Knights’ commander and was currently in charge of leading the army of Hubalt on Bel’s behalf. At the moment, Hawke was examining the cage with a dark expression.0

“That is one neat hole.”0

“I’m sorry. I should have paid more attention, but we were preoccupied with that bull-headed demon…”0

Hawke let out a sigh, knowing that he couldn’t blame his knights for this. The prisoners had made their escape at possibly the most opportune moment possible. The demon’s ambush wasn’t the only problem—all the monsters still near the mountain had come running in response to the demon’s demonic power.0

“Who was in charge of guarding the cage?” Hawke asked.0

“It was the Great Temple’s paladins.”0

“…Absolutely useless,” Hawke hissed.0

That wasn’t just something he said in the moment. The Martial Knights had taken on the most dangerous role—spearheading their advance into foreign, inhospitable territory,...0