Alex’s spear remained pointed at Erica, who froze in place. The accusation that he had made raised many eyebrows, and everyone waited for her answer. With a simple defense, she could’ve been able to escape from this situation, but she didn’t say a word and raised her daggers instead.

“Do you want to fight, Alex? Is this your poor attempt at leadership?”

“I’m only asking for the truth,” Alex said. Then he turned his attention to me and asked, “Do you think I’m lying, Lance? Do you think this girl’s trustworthy?”

Erica and Wilhelm wouldn’t gain anything by keeping the way out of this place a secret. I watched a shiny bead of sweat travel down Erica’s cheek. But she’s tricked me before. How can I trust her after everything she’s done?

“Go ahead, Lance,” Erica suddenly said. “Tell him I’m a thief, a backstabber! Tell him that Wilhelm’s lord is the one who sent us here! Yes, Wilhelm and I shouldn’t be trusted. What will you do about it? Will you erase us from existence?”

Her words shocked everyone. The secret that I had hidden, Faust’s crimes, leaked out like water in a sieve. The town guards stared at each other, and their faces turned pale as if their blood had been drained away.

“This can’t be true.” Alex looked at me in confusion. “Did you lie to us?”

I remained silent, and the faces around me turned paler and glummer. None of the town guards could handle the shock. Some fell to their knees as if they could no longer trust their feet to keep them up.

“I understand, Lance. You must’ve meant well,” Alex said as the spear shook in his hand. “But you should’ve told us earlier. If it was Lord Faust all along, Wilhelm shouldn’t be trusted.”

“Don’t jump to conclusions,” I said.

But my words fell on deaf ears. The situation swirled out of control like a three-wheeled wagon, and I was trapped in a cacophony of whispers and shouts.

“Are they hiding the way out?”

“I knew they shouldn’t be trusted.”

“Was it Lord Faust?”

“Capture them! Interrogate them!”

“Banish them from the camp!”

“Punish them!”

Egged on by the angry shouts, Alex could no longer restrain himself. He charged at Erica. She avoided his spear with a backward jump. Then, when he attacked for a second time, she deflected the spearhead and punched him in the face. His nose started to bleed, but he stood fast and refused to yield. It was Erica who chose to retreat. She raised her daggers in front of her face and took up a defensive stance. Her pose reinforced the idea that she meant no harm, and she began to take short steps backward.

Alex, however, did not intend to let her go. He lunged forward again and thrust his spear with more control than before. His attack was vicious—he targeted Erica’s chest with the spearhead and her legs with the blunt end of the shaft. After three wooden hits landed on her thighs, she began to lose her balance. And it was then that Alex swung his spear one last time and knocked her to the ground.

“You’re looking shabby,” he said with confidence.

Because I had seen Erica fight the demons, however, I could tell that she was holding back. She knew that winning this fight would cause more tension. If she injured Alex, there would be no room for reconciliation: the camp would turn against Wilhelm and her.

But this doesn’t mean that you should get hurt.

“It’s over, traitor!” Alex said.

He thrust his spear with excessive anger and rashness, but I stopped it with my sword and stood between the two.

“Are you siding with her?” He was shocked.

“We shouldn’t be fighting among ourselves.”

“She’s the reason we’re stuck here.”

“You’re attacking a girl who doesn’t want to fight.” I met his eyes and refused to budge. “Is this chivalry? Would Reinfried have allowed you to do this?”

“Sir Reinfried wouldn’t have let traitors go unpunished.”

“We’re on the same boat, Alex.” I started pushing his spear back. “All of us were deceived and sent to this wasteland. Wilhelm and Erica aren’t exceptions. They might have secrets, but they can’t be traitors.”

“The boy’s right,” an elderly voice said. “We’re not traitors, but we owe you an explanation.”

Alex and I lowered our weapons and turned toward the voice. Wilhelm was standing a few steps away with a troubled expression on his face. He was still panting after what seemed to have been a sprint.

“Will you come clean?” Alex said.

“Yes, I will.” Wilhelm rubbed his long white beard. “But I’ll explain everything in private. You and the adventurer should follow me to my tent.”

“Let’s speak here, Wilhelm,” I said. “Everyone has a right to listen.”

“I can’t discuss the matter here. Would you please come with me to my tent?”

Alex looked at me and said, “Let’s see what he has to say.”

Wilhelm turned around and headed back to the camp. Alex didn’t dawdle and walked behind the elderly man like a disproportionate shadow. Before I followed them, however, I took a moment to help Erica stand up.

“I’ve saved your life three times up till now,” I said as I extended my hand to her.

“I told you the first time doesn’t count.”

“So, you admit that I saved you twice?”

I moved my hand closer, hoping she would take it, but she slapped it aside and stood up on her own. She loved to act tough, yet I could tell that despite the brutal comments, the larcenous tricks, the consistent obstinacy—despite the long list of flaws—she had a softer side that was worried by what was happening.

“Wilhelm doesn’t deserve this treatment,” she said. “He’s suffering more than anyone else. If you don’t believe me, go listen to his story.”

“I believe you,” I said. “And I’ll make sure Alex does too.”

She said with a faint voice, “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” I smiled, then hurried back to the camp.

***

Wilhelm, Alex, and I sat inside the tent. It was small and austere—piles of dirt were the only decoration. Both Wilhelm and Alex seemed to be uncomfortable, not only because we had to sit on the ground but also because we had to face each other. When their eyes met, uneasiness began to spread like a miasma.

“I owe you an apology,” Wilhelm said. “I had to hide the truth. If it had gotten out, despair would’ve divided us even more than we are divided now.”

“I’m not here to listen to excuses,” Alex said.

“Then, from where should I start?”

“From the very beginning. I want to hear everything.”

Wilhelm took a moment to collect himself. When he was ready, he said:

“Clement used to be a man of high ideals. I was like a father to him. And a proud father I was until… until the accident. Serena’s death created a void in his heart. His condition worsened year after year until he started bringing little girls home in secret. He called them his daughters and dressed them up like dolls. I thought that he had lost it, that old age had gotten the better of him.”

“But the girls were the first victims,” I said.

“Yes, you see them playing around the camp.”

“This cruelty…” Alex said. “Are we really talking about Lord Faust, the man Sir Reinfried and I served and respected?”

“I can’t blame you for not noticing. I didn’t realize what was happening until I found a grimoire in his room.”

“Why didn’t you report him to the imperial authorities?” I said.

Wilhelm winced and answered, “I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I asked him about the grimoire and advised him to stay away from the cult, but he arrested me… burned my books. And after I had cried my eyes out, he sent me to this world.”

Tears ran down Wilhelm’s face, and he continued, “But I have no hate for Clement. Someone corrupted him. Someone used Serena’s death to deceive him. Clement is a victim like us.”

“Calm down.” Alex became more empathetic. “If you want, we can stop here and listen to the rest later.”

Wilhelm sniffed, wiped his tears, and said, “I woke up in this wasteland and met the flutist. He told me many things. This place is called the Maida, a word that means ‘Banquet Hall’ in an ancient tongue. Here our existence is different.”

“Different?”

“Yes, we no longer need food, water, or sleep, and we are destined to be consumed by Belphegor’s demons. The flutist told me to hide in this camp when it got dark and to search for other victims when the red cracks shone above. I asked him, ‘Is there a way out of this abyss?’ He answered, ‘Only if there is an earthly vessel for your soul.’ He didn’t explain more and asked me to wait for ‘the Void Mage.’ ”

“He speaks in riddles,” I said.

“Yes, but the main point is that you need an earthly body to return to life. The little girls’ bodies are preserved in the Hall of the Mountain King. Mine may have survived too, because Clement used it to trick you. But the rest of the victims—the travelers and the town guards—they can never return to Ashenbrook.”

“Stuck in this nightmare forever…” Alex murmured with unseeing eyes.

“Do you understand now why I was secretive?” Wilhelm said. “If this truth gets out, the men will lose their will to fight, and the camp will be doomed.”

“But there must be a way to save everyone,” I said, refusing to accept this cruel reality. “We should find the flutist.”

“He told me to wait,” Wilhelm said.

“But we have many questions to ask. You have to tell us where he went.”

Wilhelm took a moment to remember and then said, “I believe he headed north. By this, I mean the direction that the camp’s gate faces. He said he lived near a mountain’s summit.”

“Then there’s no time to waste.” I got up. “Alex, it’s too early to despair. We’ll find the flutist and get him to help us. He’ll know a way to save everyone from this nightmare.”

Alex looked up at me. At first, he seemed reluctant and incredulous. His lips moved more than once as if to say something, but no words came out. Gradually, however, he regained his usual confidence and sharpness. After he had fully recovered from shock, he stood up with a brighter expression on his face.

“I’m ready to go,” he said. “Let’s save this camp before it’s too late. We can do this.”

Wilhelm didn’t share our optimism, but he said, “Take Erica with you. She’s familiar with the wasteland, and she knows the truth. I pray for your success.”

***

Alex and I left the tent, only to be surrounded by a confused crowd. The clamor of voices paralyzed us. We began to calm people down and ask that they give us a chance to speak. After a while, the noise finally subsided. The crowd started to ask their questions in a more civilized manner, and Alex began to answer with a mixture of lucid truths and benign lies.

“Was it Lord Faust who sent us here?”

“No, it was a devil—one that attacks the hearts of all people alike. Erica was just confused after the tense battle, and no one gave Lance a chance to explain.”

“Did Wilhelm betray us?”

“No, he’s another victim, and you should treat him well.”

“Why did you talk in private?”

“Wilhelm didn’t want to speak to a crowd. He was afraid that we would pressure him into a false confession.”

“Are we going to disappear without a trace?”

“No, Lance and I will find a way back to Ashenbrook. You should protect this camp until we’re back.”

“Yes, sir!”

Then Alex and I found Erica in front of us.

“How did it go?” she said without looking at Alex. “Did Wilhelm tell you everything?”

“He did,” I replied. “And he said you should come with us. We’re leaving to find the flutist.”

“We don’t need her,” Alex said curtly and hurried off toward the camp gates.

“I should help,” Erica said. “It won’t be easy to find Zeke Yuchi.”

“Who?” I stared at her in confusion.

“You said you were leaving to find the flutist.”

“Yeah.”

“And that’s his name.”