While heading north… I received a report that the Demon Lord’s Army in the Northern Region was retreating. The Dragons seemed to be reacting to it, but not aggressively.

“They must be wary.”

When I conveyed the information to Garuku, he made that statement.

“The power of the Dragons is considerable, but they are easy to strategize against… Now, regarding the Demon Race’s path, it’s probably where the Demon King intends to go.”

“The battle in the Southern Region is about to begin directly… Well, perhaps sensing my abilities, they thought they couldn’t win the Southern Region battle if they didn’t act here.”

“Indeed, is there anything else unusual?”

Oh, right, one more thing.

Regarding Orudia… he seems to have been observing the Dragons and the War with Demons without going to the Southern Region. He has now started moving and is pursuing the Army.

“So, we’ll be joining up with him then?”

“I wonder… Well, the problem is what to do about the Army forces in the Northern Region.”

The Demon King still has some time before arriving at the designated location. It’s not impossible to deal with them, but–

“Garuku, are Feus and Azua and the others already at the Demon King’s destination?”

“Including myself, we are on the move and should be able to get there ahead of time, as Lord Ruon said.”

“Understood… I’m concerned about the Army in the Northern Region, so let’s head there first.”

“Very well.”

Garuku approved my decision. We changed course slightly and hastened our pace.

The Demon Lord’s Army in the Northern Region is smaller in number compared to the Western Region. While some were cut down by the Dragons, their original numbers were also inferior. Nevertheless, it’s undeniable that they can inflict significant damage on the Human Side’s Army.

“The Dragons are also keeping their distance, neither too close nor too far, and are following. If anything happens to the Demon Race, they will launch an attack all at once.”

“Then, I’ll create the opportunity… So, what exactly should I do?”

“The Dragons are so wary because the Demon Race possesses countermeasures. Lord Ruon, did you notice anything while observing the situation with your familiar?”

“Come to think of it, there were a few instances where Dragons were easily defeated during combat.”

There were patterns where they collapsed under concentrated magic attacks, but sometimes they were defeated unnaturally.

“Humans also possessed weapons effective against Dragons. Does that mean the Demon Race has such weapons?”

“That’s right.”

…In the game, there were weapons effective against specific races. For example, weapons named ‘Slayer of _____’ such as ‘Insect Slayer’ which was effective against insect-type creatures, were among them.

There was also one for Dragons, simply named ‘Dragon Slayer.’ However, it wasn’t a one-hit kill. This weapon only had the effect of increasing damage against Dragon-type enemies, and its attack power was about the same as weapons that appeared in the middle of the scenario. Once you entered the later stages, its original attack power was too low to be useful.

While weapon enhancement would make it quite effective, if I were to use materials, it would be better to use them on other powerful weapons. So I rarely used weapons with ‘Slayer’ in their name, and even now that it’s reality, I don’t utilize them.

However, the method used by the Demon Race seems to yield considerable power.

“Dragon species have the drawback of being easy to analyze in terms of magic power. However, since the quality of magic power differs among individuals, to defeat them in one blow, it’s necessary to create an effective weapon for each individual.”

“…That sounds like it would take time.”

“Normally, there wouldn’t be enough time to analyze each individual and prepare a weapon. But perhaps there’s a Demon Race in the Northern Region that excels at analysis or can create effective weapons.”

…I see. I don’t know how they do it, but it’s a strategy possible because they can quickly devise a method to defeat Dragons.

Conversely, if we defeat that Demon Race, the Dragons can launch an attack all at once.

“The Dragons and the Demon Race were glaring at each other through their leaders, but if the stalemate continued, there was a possibility that the Dragon side would be breached.”

“I see… Well, either way, if we defeat the Demon Race, the situation will be resolved, right? Then, it’s my turn.”

Immediately after responding, I spotted an enemy army on the move. The terrain was like a wide highway flanked by forests. I used Presence Concealment Magic and climbed a tree to observe their movements from a distance.

They were moving north in an orderly fashion, albeit slowly. Were they intending to rendezvous with the Demon King, or did they have another objective–

“Lord Ruon, I conveyed our situation to the Dragons via the Spirits, and they wish to cooperate.”

“That’s fine, but… finding and defeating the target Demon Race from within the Army will be difficult. If we defeat them indiscriminately, the monsters will likely lose control and rampage. That would be a problem, so I’d prefer to aim for a specific target.”

“It seems they have an idea of which Demon Race possesses the anti-Dragon strategy.”

“You have information?”

“According to the Dragons’ information, it’s a human-type wearing a black robe.”

“That’s really not much of a hint… I can’t do anything without at least knowing their facial features.”

“It seems they rarely appeared on the battlefield. There is no other information.”

Hmm, this is tough… Attacking with Resveil and me is an option, but I’d prefer to keep it as a last resort.

“Should I go to the Dragons’ location once and gather information?”

“Even so, the chances are slim.”

“Even if I attack in my current state… I don’t have much time, though.”

I guess I have no choice but to push through forcefully. It looks like it’s going to be a troublesome battle—just as I thought that, a report came in from the Familiar observing Orudia.

“…Hm, what is he planning to do?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Orudia seems to be near the Enemy Army in front of him. He appears to be observing the marching army, but…”

He seems to be searching for something… At this point, I made a guess.

“Could it be that Orudia is looking for that particular Demon Race?”

“The Demon Race that applies the Dragon-countering Strategy?”

“That’s a possibility… Orudia has been observing the battle between the Dragons and the Demon Lord’s Army for a long time. He must have seen Dragons being defeated. And since he belonged to the Demon Lord’s Army, he has information about the Demon Race… He might know which Demon Race he needs to defeat.”

I stare at the Enemy Army. With the Demon King also on the move now, I don’t want to waste too much time. If I attack alone, the Monsters will scatter, causing considerable damage to the surrounding area. No, if my presence is known, they might just start retreating. If they continuously flee, it will take a lot of time to defeat them.

The best way would be to defeat the Demon Race that employs the Dragon-countering Strategy, and also destroy the weapon that defeats Dragons. At the same time, the Dragon would launch a fierce attack, and they would cooperate to defeat them. Since cooperating with the Dragon is the shortest path to annihilating the army, there’s no doubt about it.

“…Let’s go meet Orudia.”

“Explain the situation and offer cooperation?”

“Yes. Garuku, contact the Dragon side and instruct them to be ready to strike at any time.”

“So, after defeating the target Demon Race, we’ll launch an all-out assault?”

“Exactly. Can you do it?”

“The timing is a bit tight. It will depend on Lord Ruon’s movements.”

…So, my movements are crucial for quickly defeating the Enemy Army.

“Alright, let’s go.”

I descend from the tree. I can’t be discovered by the enemy, so I moved as quickly as possible while being cautious.