With Azua on our side, I returned to Town. I reported this to Lefin, and we decided to hold a meeting about future plans.

That night, again at the Port… After confirming that no one was around, I began talking with Amaria and Lefin.

“For now, the next target is Feus. It’s likely near the Salamander’s Lair, so we’ll have to head there anyway.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Lefin nodded at my words.

“What will you do while waiting for the sword to be completed?”

“I’ll focus entirely on Information Gathering using Familiars.”

“Understood… I will discuss this with Azua, who has agreed to cooperate, and we will continue our counter-strategy.”

“By the way, where is Azua?”

Amaria asked. Then, Young Garuku appeared on my shoulder,

“He is currently in a different location. We should meet face-to-face and talk eventually.”

“I see. For now, we are on standby until the sword is complete, then.”

The discussion ended. Lefin and the others decided to continue working on the counter-strategy, and we returned to the inn.

With our plan decided, we would stay in Town until the sword was complete… During that time, Sofia and Sylvie trained, and Kuuza hunted nearby Monsters, calling it修行—he apparently fights like this occasionally.

Meanwhile, I gathered information… Perhaps because two of the Five Great Demons have been defeated, the Human Side is starting to recover. The remaining three have not yet triggered any events, so there is no movement. Should I say that these events are still far off?

Protagonists like Phili are not currently near any events related to the Five Great Demons. Eina and her group are also not moving to retake the Barx Kingdom. It seems that with the Human Side beginning its counterattack, they are exploring cooperation and moving around. Conversely, this is leading them away from the Scenario Book arc.

The other three Protagonists also seem to be acting, seeing the Human Side’s resurgence, but there is no sign of them challenging the Five Great Demons… This is good for us in terms of the Capital City situation. Our future plan is to head north to contract with Salamander. I am going to meet the Divine Spirit Pheus. And Sofia will head to Nateria Kingdom Academy to strengthen her abilities in conjunction with the Salamander contract—it will definitely take time, so perhaps I should say it’s a good thing.

Well, I’ve finished gathering information to some extent, so what should I do… As I pondered this in my inn room, someone visited.

“Lord Ruon.”

It was Sofia, her voice accompanying a knock. I called out, “Come in,” and she entered.

I share a room with Kuuza, but he wasn’t there, so I was alone. Sofia noticed this, glanced around the room, and then spoke to me.

“I’d like to talk for a bit.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

I gestured with my hand to the chair opposite me at the table. She nodded, and I also sat down to match her.

“So, what’s up? From your expression, it doesn’t seem like good news.”

I remarked, seeing her somewhat serious face. Then,

“…I want to talk about the future.”

“Is there something bothering you?”

“Yes.”

After nodding, Sofia opened her mouth again.

“I’ve contracted with the third Spirit, and now the sword… I definitely feel myself growing stronger, and the Human Side has also begun to counterattack. I think this is a very good trend.”

“Indeed.”

“Given that, I’ve been thinking a bit about how I myself should act.”

“Act… Aren’t you going to contract with Salamander?”

“I intend to, but… there’s one place I’d like to visit.”

A place she’d like to visit—at this, a possibility flashed in my mind as I waited for her words.

“Lord Ruon, do you know about the Alastin Kingdom?”

Just as I thought—the KingNation she mentioned is a small Nation in the center of the Continent. However, this Nation is famous. And it’s a Nation name that I myself remember clearly.

This is because the King of this Nation will eventually become the leader against the Southern Invasion.

It came up in conversation with Lefin before… but I didn’t expect Sofia to mention it.

“Ah, I know that Nation. It’s the Nation that possesses the Exorcism Treasure Sword.”

“Yes… I hear that the King, whom they were close with, died in the Demon Lord’s Invasion. The only remaining member of the Royal Family is the young King Kanan, who will soon turn fifteen. And rumor has it, there are some unsettling movements as well.”

It’s just a rumor, but there is indeed talk of the Demon Race attacking the Alastin Kingdom—in the game, an event to defend the Alastin Kingdom’s Capital, Lahaito, actually occurs.

I myself want to get involved in this battle and am observing it with my Familiar. There are no signs yet that I’ve seen in the game… but considering the scenario’s progress, the situation is ripe for an event to occur.

In terms of preventing casualties, it might be better to defeat the attacking Demon Race beforehand… but their whereabouts are unknown, and there’s a high possibility that the Demon Lord’s Side will prepare more Demon Race members, which would make me unable to predict the scenario’s flow, making it very dangerous. Furthermore, since this event is also an opportunity for Kanan to awaken as a wielder of the Sacred Sword, I shouldn’t stop it considering future events.

“Sofia, you want to go there?”

“Yes… I still think it’s not good for me to show myself yet… but Kanan is like a younger brother to me. Hearing about the Demon Race’s invasion, I fear he might be in a very dangerous situation.”

Sofia pressed her lips together. She must also be thinking about what she could do by going there. But as someone whose Nation was destroyed, she might want to rush there, hoping to avoid a similar Tragedy.

I was going to be involved in this event and I could agree… but then I asked her a question.

Are you going to meet King Kanan?

Lord Ruon himself probably thinks my existence shouldn’t be revealed yet, and I agree. Honestly, I haven’t even sorted out what I’m going to do when I go to Alastin Kingdom myself…

For her, it’s another crisis for the nation’s survival. She must have become restless.

I understand how she feels, and she was going to head to the nation eventually, so I don’t mind—but should I introduce Kanan and Sofia? That’s what I’m troubled about.

The Human Side has started to counterattack, but the situation is still unpredictable… Would it be okay if we talk in private? There are some among the Demon Race who can read minds, but it’s mind-resistance magic, so I think Sofia can handle it with a proper strategy. The problem is Kanan’s side. How much power does he possess—

If the rumors are true, I think we should go and check it out once.

Then—

Yes. It’s a nation on the way to the Northern Region, so it’s perfect. I had planned to head straight north, but I’ll try to gather information and head there. However, whether or not to meet King Kanan… depends on the situation.

Thank you.

Sofia expresses her gratitude with a beautiful smile. I also smile and nod back, recalling the Alastin Kingdom event.

This is one of the events I wanted to avoid… In the game, it’s a battle conducted in a simulation format, similar to the Southern Invasion.

The difficulty itself is honestly not high. Basically, the placement of characters other than the protagonist’s party is fixed, and the monster’s combat power is not that high. Therefore, it’s not that difficult to clear.

However, the problem starts here… This battle is controlled by a general and two knights. They are responsible for commanding knights and soldiers to stop the monsters attacking from the north, east, and west—the two knights can be recruited as allies after the battle, but one of them will die in this battle, and only the remaining one can be recruited. In other words, it’s a choice between two.

And the general also dies—that was the battle.