I arrived at a forest area located on the Central Continent. There was a Hunter’s Cabin in the forest, and I sensed a certain person inside.

“—For a visitor to come is surprising enough, but for you to come as well is doubly astonishing.”

The one who emerged from the cabin, saying that, was Richard.

“Lord Ruon, it’s been a while.”

“Ah… How have things been?”

“Haven’t you been checking with your Familiar or something?”

“I only pinpointed your location; I haven’t been constantly observing, so I can’t tell what you’ve been doing. Especially if you’ve been doing various things in the forest. So, what you’re doing now is—”

“I’ve increased the number of Monsters, but this might make me seem like an enemy.”

Richard gave a wry smile. With his words, I clearly understood what he had been doing.

“You’ve been continuously creating Monsters?”

“I found an Artifact useful for controlling Monsters. Thanks to it, I’ve succeeded in creating a considerable number.”

Richard smiled. It seemed he believed this might change the future.

“However, I’m leading a Monster Army. Even if I’m an ally, I’ll seem out of place to the Human Side’s forces. It wouldn’t be strange to be captured after contributing to the battle.”

“…Are you prepared for that?”

“It’s a small price to pay if it saves the Continent, right? Besides, we’re stopping it by paying a huge sacrifice. I’m not so selfish as to think only I should be saved.”

Richard spoke, shrugging his shoulders—there is also the original Richard of this world. He must understand that he himself is an Irregular.

“At any rate, I’ll talk about that.”

“Talk? To whom?”

“To the people who will participate in the battle that is about to begin.”

I didn’t think Kanan would believe me if I told her, so I phrased it that way.

“I promise you won’t get caught, at least.”

“Who are you going to explain the situation to? …Well, fine. Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Richard replied with an expression that seemed to say he wasn’t expecting much. I nodded slightly at him and continued the conversation.

“So, I don’t see any monsters.”

“Because they’re scattered throughout the forest.”

“…So, you thought of hiding them in the forest because there are so many of them, right?”

“That’s right. So, why are you here, Ruon?”

“Are you gathering information from the public?”

Richard seemed to understand what I was getting at with my question.

“You mean the Southern Invasion. I know about the four demon lords that were defeated at the stronghold. A battle will probably start not too long from now.”

“Do you know how long it will be until the battle starts?”

“No, unfortunately, I don’t. The timing of the monsters attacking from the Southern Region after the four were defeated varied depending on the playthrough.”

“Varied… Is there some factor?”

“Who knows. I thought it might depend on my actions.”

…This time, the situation is quite different compared to Richard’s repeated playthroughs. In that case, it wouldn’t be strange for something troublesome to happen.

“Understood. I’ll prepare myself to be able to respond to any situation.”

I said that and was about to leave… but Richard asked me something here.

“However, there is one concern.”

“A concern?”

“At the stage where the four were defeated, the Human side recovered. Even so, since they couldn’t respond to the large number of monsters attacking from the Southern Region, it can be seen as a desperate battle.”

“Ah. This time it’s different?”

“There are cases where cities that were liberated in previous playthroughs are still occupied by the demon race. The Barx Kingdom is an example of this. According to reports, two demon lords of the stronghold were defeated simultaneously, and that might be related.”

The impact of simultaneous conquest… While I muttered to myself, Richard continued.

“However, the Human side’s forces feel considerably larger compared to previous playthroughs. There are also demon races that are abandoning cities and retreating… but it might be said that the situation doesn’t allow for any predictions.”

“Understood. Thank you, Mr. Richard. Can I contact you again through my familiar?”

“That’s fine. I’m planning to move according to the Southern Invasion, so please keep that in mind.”

—According to what Richard told me, the problem seems to be that while the forces are stronger than before, the scenario is progressing faster. Defeating two of the Five Great Demons simultaneously certainly seems to have had an impact.

The Demon Lord’s side might also have concerns about two of them being annihilated simultaneously… I pondered how to act. What worried me most were the demon races, including the Barx Kingdom, that were still occupying cities. My actions would change depending on their movements.

Since the scenario is progressing quickly and the demon race still has forces remaining, I need to keep a close eye on them. Should I just target those demon races and eliminate the Darkness? No, but—

While I was thinking about that, a report came from my familiar. It was—

“Ruon, what’s wrong?”

Richard reacted because I had a strange expression on my face.

“No… just a report from one of the familiars I sent out in four directions.”

“Is it about the demon race?”

“Yes.”

I nodded and scrutinized the contents.

That familiar was monitoring the movements of the demon races that were trying to withdraw. It seems that those demon races and monsters are merging, and there’s a sign that they might act together.

Could it be that they’re gathering forces not only from the Southern Region but also from the Northern Region…? Just as I had that premonition, more information came from another familiar.

“…Seriously?”

“Is something wrong?”

“…I’ll go check it out for a bit.”

I declared to Richard and started walking away.

“Should I help?”

Richard asked. I thought about it for a moment, then replied,

“A large number of forces like this, I think, has the effect of throwing off the enemy’s assumptions. I want you to quietly observe until the battle in the Southern Region.”

“Understood. Be careful.”

“Yeah.”

Nodding, I left the Forest.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“What happened?”

Garuku asked. I repeated the information I received from the Familiar in my head and answered.

“Demonkind are gathering in a certain location in the Northern Region.”

“The Demonkind who retreated?”

“I don’t know what they’ll do after gathering, but worst case, they’ll either attack now or launch an assault in conjunction with the Southern Invasion.”

King Kanan is probably on alert, but… I don’t want to reduce the Human Side’s forces in this situation.

The Demonkind’s forces are probably much smaller than during the Southern Invasion. But they are the forces that conquered various towns and capital cities. They are by no means few.

“And, there’s another problem.”

“What is it?”

“One of the protagonists in the game… Orudia, a being born between Demonkind and Humans, is heading there.”

He seems to have sensed the situation and is heading there. But he’s acting alone. I don’t think he can possibly stand a chance by himself, but–

“Lord Ruon, we should eliminate that force if possible, shouldn’t we?”

“Huh? Well, yes, indeed.”

“Then, I have an idea.”

“You’re going to use the power of the Spirits? But if you do that, there’s a chance our activities could be exposed–“

“I’ll handle it so it’s not exposed. Lord Ruon going to check on the situation is an unexpected event, isn’t it? Then, we must respond.”

What Garuku says makes sense… While there are various concerns, leaving it alone is not an option. Therefore–

“Understood. Garuku, I’m counting on you.”

“Leave it to me. For now, let’s head to the location.”

Receiving those instructions, I headed towards the place where the Demonkind were gathering.