Although the Gate City of Pristella lay on the southern border of the Dragon-Affiliated Kingdom of Lugnica, it did not have someone as formidable as Roswaal stationed there, unlike the northern border.
The neighboring Kararagi was a commercial city-state. Though it had clashed with the Dragon-Affiliated Kingdom of Lugnica in the past, the two now maintained a relatively stable balance, effectively leaving each other alone.
Under such circumstances, Pristella had only a Guard Corps stationed within it—neither a Knight Order nor an army. In terms of fighting strength, if it were a siege, they could hold out behind the Water Gates, which were comparable to city walls, until reinforcements arrived. But if a chaotic battle broke out inside the city, there was basically no fighting force they could count on.
Not to mention that the Guard Corps had already been nearly crushed by the Archbishops of Sin. Their losses were severe, and expecting them to fight again was entirely unrealistic.
On top of that, the enemy had made City Hall and the Control Tower their Key Points. Sending too many people might make it impossible to break in and could even cause confusion. Just as Anastasia had said, relying only on the people here to retake the city was the correct strategy.
"Actually, it seems they never intended to wage a large-scale chaotic battle. I don't know whether they're brain-damaged or simply extremely confident in their own strength, but it looks like they truly seized the city's vital points with just four Archbishops of Sin."
Anastasia sighed again as she spoke.
"Other than the four Archbishops of Sin, the children in my mercenary company have basically not seen any other Witch Cultists. Only 'Lust' seems to have brought along two trusted subordinates, and those two were absurdly strong. They defeated