The sight of Monsters… or rather, what could now be called an Army, gathering was a terrifying sight even when observed through the Familiar.

If I put my mind to it, I could defeat them, but… with that many, completely annihilating them would be… if I used Supreme Magic… no, completely annihilating them in one go might be difficult considering the scale.

It would be best to defeat the Demonkind Commander and make them lose control, but then there’s the risk of the surviving Monsters going berserk. That would be troublesome in itself.

“What’s wrong?”

As I was pondering, Garuku asked.

“Oh, I was just thinking about how I could annihilate an Army like that.”

“…As expected, Lord Ruon, who defeated me, thinks differently.”

“Huh?”

“To think about annihilation rather than retreat or expulsion.”

It’s true that if humans were to face the Monster Army, they wouldn’t normally try to annihilate them all. I scratched my cheek, wondering how to respond, and decided to move the conversation forward for now.

Garuku, I’m heading there trusting your words, but my abilities can’t be revealed yet.

Of course. I will not join this battle either.

Will that be enough?

…Lord Ruon resolved the conflict in Lefin’s Valley before, didn’t he?

The sudden change of topic surprised me. Uh, the conflict was—

About defeating the demons and talking to the dragon?

Exactly. Actually, what I said about having an idea this time is related to that.

…So, the dragon is coming to help?

Yes. My True Self has called out and is now moving.

It’s true that I resolved the dragon incident, but…

That wasn’t such a big deal, though. Besides, I only saved a normal dragon.

Dragons have strong kinship. The Spirit Faction must have skillfully used that fact to negotiate.

I see… A high-class dragon would certainly have the power to oppose the Demon King’s Army.

However, even for a dragon, wouldn’t it be difficult to annihilate them all?

Why are you talking as if annihilation is a given?

Huh? Aren’t they going to defeat them?

Even a dragon probably can’t annihilate them all. Lord Ruon’s idea is strange.

He called my idea strange…

After hearing from Lefin, the Spirit Faction requested the dragons’ help. They asked for cooperation in case of a situation that neither humans nor spirits could handle.

Is that what’s happening now?

It’s my and Lefin’s view that with a large-scale battle like the Southern Invasion… the Demon Race would likely move and launch attacks from other directions besides the south. The dragons exist as a counter-strategy to that.

At this point, I understood what Garuku was trying to say.

So, when the human army counters the Southern Invasion, the dragons will defend against attacks from a separate unit?

Precisely. In this situation, it seems the Demon Race has shown signs of concentrating their forces in the north, in addition to the south. It’s unclear if this is related to the Southern Invasion, but if it is, there’s a possibility of them sandwiching the humans.

And the dragons will provide support… But a question arises here.

Considering the dragons’ strength, couldn’t they do more than just stop the enemies in the north?

That’s impossible. Their absolute numbers are small. They can only form a few units capable of countering the Demon Race’s army, and the Demon Race views dragons as a threat. They must have a counter-strategy. The reason dragons can move this time is based on the idea that the Demon Race’s sudden concentration of forces means their strategies against dragons won’t be effective.

Ah, I see.

We are considering supporting the humans depending on the Demon Race’s movements… but I wonder if it will go that smoothly.

I wouldn’t know about that either.

I shrugged. The situation is vastly different from when it was a game. It’s impossible to fully predict how the Demon Lord’s Side will move based on the outcome of the battle.

Having more allies is a good thing, I think. So, the dragons are attacking this time?

That is the arrangement.

Then I’ll watch. I might provide support if necessary, but…

It will likely be unnecessary. By the way, what about the Story’s Protagonist?

You mean Orudia. I don’t know what she’s up to, but it wouldn’t hurt to meet her once.

Their course is undoubtedly set for the Demon Base. Given the overwhelming numbers, I don’t think they’ll attack, though.

I’ll decide what to do once I arrive at the location… Concluding this, I hurried to where the Demon Race gathered.

The Demon Races had not moved to a Stronghold like a Fortress; instead, a horde of Monsters was gathering on flat ground, forming an assembly.

There were no people around… or rather, I can confidently say there were no Humans who would come here.

“…Amazing.”

Amidst it all, I hid behind a rock and observed the Monsters, which could be called an Army, looking down at them. Although a bit far, I could see the overall picture.

The types of Monsters ranged from Demons, Goblins, and low-ability Kobolds to giant Wolf-like Monsters—that one was definitely a Monster that appears in the latter half of the scenario. In other words, there were Monsters appearing from the early to the latter half of the game, with no uniformity.

And leading them were the Demon Race… there were definitely at least ten or more high-ranking Demon Races capable of being Commanders. The Demon Races that had invaded the Continent had retreated once and gathered here, making it quite a spectacle.

“If the Human Side is to seriously deal with this, it will require considerable military strength… and the Southern Invasion is on a scale far beyond this.”

I’m reminded again of how troublesome the Monster Army is. The battles in the Alastin Kingdom were against a consistent variety of Monsters, so even Knights and Soldiers could fight them. However, this time there are quite strong Monsters present. How far can the Human Side fight?

“Lord Ruon, Dragons are heading this way.”

Garuku says. I reply to him.

“How long until they get here?”

“They should arrive if we observe for a while. What about the person named Orudia?”

“I’m checking constantly with my Familiar, and it seems they came to scout what the Demon Race plans to do. They don’t seem intent on doing anything reckless, so I’m relieved.”

“Then it’ll be over once the Dragons drive away the Demon Race.”

“But are the Dragons alright? If the Demon Race targets them…”

“We’ve left that to the Dragon side, but they seem to be preparing counter-strategies.”

While I was wondering if they would be alright, the Monsters’ growls echoed in unison.

They probably aren’t starting an attack yet, but the Monsters might be itching to assault the Humans.

The Monsters are moving restlessly, but they don’t seem to leave a certain range. It feels like they’ve received orders from the Demon Race to stay in this vicinity.

“–Lord Ruon.”

Suddenly, Garuku speaks.

“Regarding the Dragons, should we explain about Lord Ruon?”

“Haven’t you told them about that yet?”

“I thought it was necessary to hear Lord Ruon’s instructions as well. However, even if we do tell them, we first need to speak to the Dragon Leader.”

“The Dragon Leader, huh.”

“What’s wrong?”

“No, I just don’t have very good memories personally.”

The Dragon Leader exists in the game. Its name is “Elder Dragon,” and it’s an enemy that bears the name of the game’s title, “Elder.”

It doesn’t directly get involved in the scenario, but if you venture into certain dungeons, you can encounter it, and if you defeat it, it gives you useful magical artifacts. I clearly remember my first playthrough… I went to that dungeon and have memories of being thoroughly beaten.

Part of it was that my level wasn’t high enough, but this Dragon is extremely troublesome because once its switch is flipped, it unleashes a fierce assault that is difficult to withstand even at high levels. The Elder Dragon, which I personally struggled with and have vivid memories of, might be an opponent I’m not good at.

“He’s a friendly Dragon. Dragons are naturally very individualistic and not suited for leadership, but he’s stepping up this time.”

“That’s appreciated… but it might be better to talk later.”

“Understood.”

Immediately after Garuku responded, I spotted the Dragon in the sky.