Caelus walked through the city called Marseille. Everyone here harbored fear in their hearts. Even the soldiers on patrol and control duty felt uneasy. Though each face tried to maintain calm and seriousness, their trembling hands holding weapons showed that these soldiers did not know if they had a tomorrow.
Fear permeated the entire city.
Some knelt on the ground, praying for gods to descend from heaven, bring order and stability, cleanse the demons that had swept in from nowhere, and bring peace to the world.
Some hid in dark corners, crazily muttering doomsday rhetoric about the world's end. Perhaps from witnessing too much loss or having their spirits broken by despair, they no longer believed in tomorrow's arrival.
Some curled up in a daze, indifferent to all remarks, their eyes devoid of hope. Some even slept within dreams, preferring to die in sweet dreams rather than face cruel reality.
If not for military control, this city could not maintain its current stability. These people crushed by despair and fear would naturally riot, dragging this last land of hope into despair.
Under such high pressure, being able to gather soldiers, have them maintain order within the city, and even avoid oppressing civilians or venting negative emotions on innocents, the commander was almost unbelievably strong.
Caelus followed Fujimaru's presence to the city's only three-story building, where Fujimaru was currently located.
In the Operations Command Room, Gilles de Rais, who commanded the soldiers, truly lived in this era, and had not degenerated into Bluebeard, looked exhausted as he spoke with Fujimaru and the others.
"The Dragonblight came too suddenly. Various places did not even have time to prepare defenses before the cities were easily breached. Many died in this disaster. Marseille's current military force might not even be enough to fill those brutes' stomachs."
"But fortunately, our high-end combat power isn't bad: Mr. Georgios, Mr. Siegfried, Queen Marie and her follower Mr. Mozart, and everyone from Chaldea here to save this era. That's the only good news for now."
"No, there's more."
Fujimaru felt that although it was highly likely that Caelus was being targeted by the Demon God Pillars and could not join the battle, knowing that a powerful external reinforcement might appear would surely boost morale to some extent.
"We still have another Chaldea squad operating outside that hasn't regrouped with us yet. Their combat power is extremely high. Even if the mastermind behind the Dragonblight appears, my senior can face them head-on."
Hearing this news, even though Gilles de Rais was physically and mentally exhausted, his perpetually gloomy expression softened slightly.
"This is truly the best news we've received lately. With such a strong squad operating outside, perhaps the pressure on our side can be reduced."
At that moment, the so-called powerful squad operating outside was actually sitting in the command room, calmly watching everyone.
Caelus looked at Fujimaru, who held such high hopes for him, and felt this was not necessarily a good thing. He would leave this universe after finishing this mission, and it was hard to say when he would return, or if it would even be this timeline.
Rather than placing hope in an unstable factor like himself, it would be better for them to give their all, use every strategy, and rely on their own strength to overcome all calamities.
"Report!"
There was a knock on the command room door. Upon hearing Gilles de Rais's voice, a soldier ran in and said to him, "Sir! The Dragon Witch is currently outside the city!"
"What!"
Everyone stood up with serious expressions. Under these circumstances, it was highly likely that the enemy had gathered a large number of Wyverns to attack Marseille.
Gilles de Rais did not waste words. He immediately grabbed his sword leaning nearby and rushed toward the city walls.
Everyone who had just been sitting in the command room moved out together.
Caelus naturally followed among the crowd, though no one noticed him. During this time, he paid particular attention to Queen Marie, who was also very famous.
Rumor had it that back then, when the French commoners could not afford bread, she had said, "If they can't eat bread, let them eat cake."
Though later historians investigated and found that this statement was slander against Queen Marie, a rumor, and that the person who likely said it was another princess from Spain, Maria Theresa.
Oh, and as a side note, that Maria who might have said it married King Louis XIV of France.
Meanwhile, the husband of this Queen Marie, slandered as the "Cake Queen," was Louis XVI, the very same Louis XVI who is now the frequent subject of various dark humor jokes about "losing his head."
The group arrived at the city walls and saw a figure surrounded by soldiers, a beautiful woman with golden hair wearing silver armor.
"Jeanne..."
Gilles de Rais knew at first glance that she was the true Jeanne d'Arc, not that white-haired fake in black armor with a face full of cruelty and tyranny.
"Disperse! Standing before you now is the true Holy Maiden, Jeanne d'Arc! Not that witch wearing Jeanne's face and name!"
Most of those present were Gilles de Rais's old subordinates, veterans who had followed the true Holy Maiden into battle. They actually knew what the real Jeanne d'Arc looked like, but they could not be certain of her identity, so they could only notify their commander to come and confirm.
Once their commander confirmed it, they breathed a sigh of relief and lowered the weapons they had been gripping tightly. Some even wiped the sweat from their faces.
"Gilles! Much as I'd like to catch up, I must be brief. I have received a revelation from the Lord: an army of demons will soon strike! They are not the Wyverns we see now, but even more evil, filthy, and fallen existences!"
"What! A demon army? We can't even defeat those Wyverns! What are we supposed to do when demons arrive!"
"It's over, everything is over. We're dead!"
Upon hearing Jeanne's words, despair began to swell within the soldiers one by one, and the emotion of fear began to drift through the air.
Caelus put the Eater of Emotions Mask over his face and began to taste this flavor called fear.
"Hmm? Bitterness and sweetness blended together, with a lingering mellow aftertaste... why does this taste like chocolate? Why is the flavor of fear chocolate? Was the race that made this mask that eccentric?"
Caelus had originally thought the taste of fear would be particularly strange or bizarre, but he had not expected it to be chocolate.
As for how he knew what chocolate should taste like?
"A Collection of 100 Home-Cooked Dishes Even an Idiot Can Make."
This book clearly recorded what various common ingredients used in cooking should taste like, and it also explained what changes would occur when those things were combined, as well as the proportions.
Otherwise, why would it have such a name?
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)