693. Sing Loudly in Praise!

Cold Bay Fortress, half a day before it fell.

They had received word early on that the Vanguard Army of the Fungal Fortress was coming. The lord in the city did not hesitate in the slightest. One battle-readiness order after another was passed down, and the entire fortress tightened the muscles of its whole body like a giant beast startled awake.

The defensive Magic Arrays on the city walls ran at full power. Pale blue light patterns flowed across the brick and stone, and every few dozen paces, a Node lit up.

The soldiers stood packed behind the battlements, their hands tightening on their weapons, then loosening, then tightening again.

Even Demon Descendants like Gray and Ke, who had previously been in charge of inspections, were no exception. The nobles had assigned them to the supervisory team.

While following the supervisory team on patrol, Gray noticed something.

The walls were filled with soldiers, but their positions had clearly been arranged with care.

The vast majority of Parasites had been placed at the very front, in the positions most likely to meet the enemy.

Those whose faces were clean, without any Mycelium, stood behind them.

Gray frowned.

The castellan's intention was obvious: use up those "unstable elements" first.

Whether the Parasites had betrayed them or not, as long as they had those things on their bodies, they were potential threats.

Rather than wait for them to cause trouble at a critical moment, it was better to have them stand at the very front now.

To be honest, Gray felt somewhat indignant.

Their defeat had not been these people's fault.

They had been victims caught in the fallout too, yet after returning, they had to endure all kinds of unfair treatment.

They were discriminated against, suspected, and assigned to the most dangerous