Looking through the materials and documents as the carriage swayed, I felt our momentum gradually slow.
It was a smooth halt that barely jostled me inside, executed without drawing so much as a whinny from the horses.
As always, the coachman showed his remarkable skill.
"We've arrived, haven't we...? Is that the city of Agoris?"
"Yes. As ordered, I pulled up at a distance where it's just barely visible."
"Good work."
Cindy and the coachman's voices carried in from outside the carriage, speaking in hushed tones.
Just like last time, I had instructed them to stop a short distance away from the city so we could enter on foot, and both Cindy and the driver had followed my orders to the letter.
Assuming she was coming to fetch me, I grabbed the coat beside me, draped it over my shoulders, and waited—however...
"..."
"..."
Cindy, whom I expected to come call for me, never came.
What's the matter?—I wasn't the only one wondering.
"Lady Cindy? Are you not going to call for him?"
"That person was up all night issuing orders again. Let's let him rest a little longer."
"Understood."
I sensed the coachman moving on the other side of the carriage.
Tracing the presence, it seemed he was doing something with the horses.
Curious, I stepped down from the carriage.
One look at the driver, and it made sense.
"I see. You were keeping the horses quiet, weren't you?"
"Ah?!"
"F-Forgive us!"
Seeing me step out on my own, Cindy and the coachman panicked in unison.
"Don't fret. I woke up on my own."
"Y-Yes... But you really should rest a bit more..."
"I got a nap in. Let's move."
"Y-Yes, Sire."
Leaving the carriage and the driver behind, I set off on foot with Cindy.
The silhouette of the city was faintly visible down the road.
"...You really are incredible."
"Hm? What is?"
"You've barely slept at all these past few days, yet you don't show the slightest hint of fatigue."
"It's an emergency; that's just how it goes. Besides, Apophis is helping out."
"I've heard you mention that before, but... um, what kind of help does Lord Apophis provide...?"
"You know how people drink strong coffee to wake up?"
"Yes."
"It puts me in a state like I just drank coffee twice as strong as that."
"I-Isn't that bad for your health?"
"It's an emergency."
That was all I said.
It was obvious to anyone looking that I was pushing myself to some degree.
Aren't you overdoing it? You shouldn't push yourself so hard.
I had decided to shut down all such concerns with a simple "it's an emergency."
With Cindy in tow, I made my way into Agoris.
Perhaps because we were drawing closer to the epicenter since entering Enlil Province, the cityscape coming into view was noticeably marred by collapsed buildings.
"It looks like... there was a fire here too, wasn't there?"
"Seems so."
"Could it be the aqueduct again...?"
"..."
I didn't answer.
I had come to the same conclusion, but I wanted to pray it wasn't the case.
Either way, I had to see the truth with my own eyes.
With that resolve, I stepped into the city.
The moment we entered, a strange commotion caught my attention.
"...Something's off."
"Yes."
"Stay close to me."
"Y-Yes!"
Saying that, I pulled Cindy close so I could shield her no matter what happened.
While keeping her safe, I intended to catch a passerby and ask what was going on—however...
The answer came to us instead.
A middle-aged man carrying a square timber roughly the thickness of an adult thigh came running from across the way.
At first, his gaze was fixed elsewhere, but the moment our eyes met, he changed course and headed straight for us.
The man with the timber skidded to a halt before us.
"You folks travelers?"
"Yeah. Did something happen?"
"Ain't got time to explain. Take my advice—get out of the city for now and come back tomorrow or so."
"...I see. Thanks for the warning."
"Right, see ya."
As if satisfied that he had said his piece, the man dashed off again with a look of determination.
Watching him go, I turned to Cindy.
"We're following him."
"Huh?"
Cindy looked startled.
"B-But he just said it was dangerous..."
"It's fine. Just stick close to me."
"...Yes!"
With Cindy in tow, I trailed behind the man at a short distance.
I kept enough space so we wouldn't be immediately noticed—not that it mattered much if we were, but I wanted to avoid pointless arguments.
After following him for a bit, other townspeople began converging around him.
Just like the first man, the other residents were armed with wooden clubs, sticks, and assorted makeshift implements.
One person might not mean much, but an entire mob gathered with such gear was unmistakable.
"Are those... weapons?"
"Looks like it."
Nodding at Cindy's murmur, I closed the distance further.
I braced myself, ready to react and counter whatever might happen.
As we pursued them, a clamor of unsettling noise began drifting toward us.
The racket grew louder and louder until it rang out clear and distinct.
As if being guided by the mob, we arrived at the scene.
Before us stood an imposing, well-built storefront.
While charred ruins were scattered throughout the neighborhood, this place was almost completely unscathed.
Owing to the lack of damage, the shop was open for business—and the townspeople were swarming right in front of it.
"A rice merchant... perhaps?"
"Seems so."
"What on earth are they—ah!"
Cindy's confusion instantly turned to sheer shock.
Incredibly, the residents began raiding the store as if staging a full-blown riot.
Wielding various "weapons," led by the square timbers, they began smashing the shop to pieces.
At first, the shopkeepers tried to stop them, but with a dozen people already there and more pouring in by the minute, they stood no chance against the mob.
Abandoning all resistance, the employees backed away from the shop in what was practically a rout. The residents didn't bother chasing them; with single-minded fury, they focused entirely on tearing the storefront apart.
The shop was dismantled, and sacks of rice were torn open, spilling the grain across the street.
"Is this... looting?"
Cindy muttered, her face pale.
Raised in a merchant family, she clearly empathized with the scene unfolding before her.
Shops being attacked in a disaster zone.
It wasn't an everyday occurrence, but it wasn't unheard of either.
Public order is falling apart, I thought, my mind racing as I considered what needed to be done and what policies to implement.
Then, a sight that made me doubt my eyes unfolded.
Unbelievably, after smashing the shop to splinters and scattering the rice far and wide, the residents produced buckets of foul wastewater they seemed to have prepared in advance and dumped it all over the grain.
The rice strewn across the dirt was instantly drenched in sewage, ruined beyond any hope of sale or consumption.
"On to the next one! Move out!"
"Oohhh!!"
At someone's shout, the mob broke into a run and surged away.
"I-It's over, isn't it...?"
"...We're going to investigate that."
"Huh? W-Why?"
"That wasn't looting. Legally it might be prosecuted as such, but that's not what this was."
"...Ah."
Hearing my point, Cindy gasped in realization.
I nodded and pressed on.
"Exactly. This is a disaster area. Yet instead of taking the food, they poured sewage on it—ruining it completely. No matter how you look at it, it's unnatural."
"You're absolutely right! I'll go ask around!"