Just as the recruits sank into profound self-doubt...
[You've Cried Already], who stood nearby, stepped forward at just the right moment and picked up where [Give Me Your Phone] had left off, putting on a stern expression.
"Phone... ahem, the captain is right!"
"We're almost out of the Black Forest now. The barrier around Fog Town is only about an hour away!"
"Stop being lazy! Anyone who delays our captain's reconnaissance won't get off lightly!"
"We were wrong! We'll follow both captains' teachings!"
The dozen or so cultist underlings gritted their teeth and climbed to their feet. They straightened their backs, their eyes once again burning with the fanaticism that had been manipulated into them.
"Good. That's how warriors of the Holy Church should look."
[Give Me Your Phone] nodded in satisfaction and was about to wave everyone onward at a faster sprint.
But just then, [Give Me Your Phone] suddenly picked up the sound of a jumble of footsteps not far ahead!
"Wait!"
[Give Me Your Phone] grabbed [You've Cried Already] beside him. His expression instantly turned wary as he lowered his voice.
"There seem to be people up ahead!"
"And... judging by those footsteps, quite a few of them!"
[You've Cried Already] immediately pricked up his ears and listened closely.
Sure enough, the sound of disorderly running came from somewhere diagonally ahead of them, less than two or three hundred meters away.
"Something's happening!"
[Give Me Your Phone] reacted swiftly, immediately charging toward the sound.
"Captain! Slow down!"
[You've Cried Already] followed close behind, both excited and nervous.
As for the dozen or so panting cultist underlings behind them, all they could do was grit their teeth, grab their weapons, and sprint after them.
Meanwhile...
Deep within a dense thicket on the outskirts of the Black Forest...
The