In my line of sight were the magic-users of the Nateria Kingdom. As I approached, I saw Kuuza and his close friend Arete talking.

“So, it’s our top priority to protect Princess Sofia, but—oh, Ruon.”

Kuuza noticed me. After greeting Hedda with a “hello,” I said to him,

“I heard from King Kanan. I’ll be relying on you two.”

“It seems it’s time to repay the favor from before.”

Arete said, showing gratitude.

“By the way, I heard from Kuuza… that you created Spirits.”

“Kuuza, you told her?”

“It slipped out.”

I thought, “Hey…” but I guess it doesn’t matter if it’s found out now, so it’s fine.

“I’m very interested in the Spirits that gathered Divine Spirit Power.”

“To be honest, I’m interested too.”

Arete and Kuuza declared one after another. This is natural, but the way their eyes are shining is a little scary.

“Why don’t we go to the Academy sometime? Oh, and of course, it’s fine after the War with the Demon Lord is over.”

“I’m also planning to visit the Academy after the battle, so how about we consider this a greeting?”

“…Both of you, your eyes are scary.”

I showed a gesture of backing away half a step, but they didn’t care at all.

Well, I guess that reaction is unavoidable… but if I make a careless verbal promise, I don’t know what might happen. I’ll try to dodge the issue.

“For now, let’s talk about that again later… Kuuza, this will be a very important role. Please do your best to protect Sofia.”

“Of course. Arete is also motivated. We will surely deliver her to the place where the Demon King awaits.”

“I’m counting on you.”

I leave the two of them. I was wondering who else I needed to greet… when I was called by a Knight. It seems Kanan wants to talk.

Wondering what it was about, I entered the Fortress and went to the Conference Room. Sofia wasn’t there; only Kanan and Bosuro were.

“What’s wrong?”

“I hadn’t confirmed something important.”

His expression was serious. Just as I wondered if there was a problem, he spoke.

“It’s a topic I don’t want to consider… but we must prepare for a ‘what if’ scenario.”

“When we can’t defeat the Demon King, you mean?”

“Yes. Or… if some problem arises and the battle becomes difficult.”

The battle…? I looked at the King and saw that he continued to wear a troubled expression.

As the one leading the Humans, he must understand certain things. No, perhaps–

“Is something wrong?”

“I can’t say anything definitive. But it is true that there are elements of concern.”

Just as I was about to ask what that could be, Kanan shook his head.

“If the Demon King were to do something… the first thing I thought of was using traitors.”

“Humans swayed by the Demon Race, you mean?”

“That’s right. However, most of them have been dealt with during the battles. In addition, the individuals participating in the front lines this time have all undergone some degree of physical examination. Even if someone were to slip through, as long as Lord Ruon and the Elite Guard are present, they should be able to handle it.”

“What if those on standby, including King Kanan, are targeted…?”

“That’s it. If you come under attack, I want you to ignore it.”

Kanan’s request… I nodded slightly.

“Understood. Everything will be resolved once we destroy the Demon King, after all.”

“Yes. As long as we have that decision made, there should be no confusion during the War with the Demon Lord.”

Kanan said this, but his expression still hadn’t cleared.

“We are preparing as thoroughly as possible… but anxiety still lingers.”

“I will handle anything that happens on the battlefield.”

I stated clearly. Kanan then smiled.

“Lord Ruon’s words carry weight… Understood. Lord Ruon, I’m counting on you.”

“Yes.”

I nodded—and thus, the conversation with the King ended.

I went outside and returned to my room. Tomorrow is the final battle, so I suppose I’m a bit excited, as I can’t seem to settle down.

“Finally, the end, huh?”

Suddenly, Garuku’s voice. I nodded to it and said,

“Come to think of it, I’ve been training so I wouldn’t die… and the culmination of that is definitely this battle.”

“Are you feeling sentimental?”

“Of course… If it were a story, it would end once we defeat the Demon King, but we can’t exactly do that.”

With that thought, it might have been good that I found the next thing to do.

“As the Demon King, this is a very bad situation.”

Here Garuku spoke again.

“In addition to us Spirit Gods restricting their movements, there is the incredible fighting power of Lord Ruon. Furthermore, many races, starting with the Dragons, are cooperating with the Humans. The enemy must have made thorough preparations, but there is no doubt that there is an undeniable difference in power that cannot be overturned.”

“Don’t get careless, Garuku.”

“I know… In this battle, if Lord Ruon and Princess Sofia reach the Demon King, it will be a victory. We will do our best for that.”

“Yes.”

…I suddenly thought. I’m always relying on Garuku.

“What will Garuku do after the war? We talked about it briefly before.”

“I will accompany Lord Ruon in matters he is interested in.”

“There’s no way your True Self will come, right?”

“I don’t intend to go that far. There are things to do after the war, too.”

That is–I was about to ask, but Garuku spoke first.

“Just because we defeat the Demon King doesn’t mean peace will come immediately… The Continent will still experience a lot of chaos. It is also my role to rectify that.”

Here, Garuku sighed.

“More than that, if the chaos doesn’t subside, my forest will also suffer.”

“That’s certainly true.”

I couldn’t help but smile wryly. The reason is to protect his living area, but even so, I’m glad he’s cooperating.

“It would be reassuring if the Divine Spirits moved. What about Feus and Azua?”

“They will probably act for the same reason as me.”

Should I also tell them again from my side?

I will convey it as a request from Lord Ruon.

…Azua and others might say “no”… If that happens, I’ll deal with it then.

Lord Ruon, it seems like we’ll be working with the Leader, so I’m counting on you.

Alright.

After I replied, Garuku’s voice cut off.

I suddenly looked out the window. Knights scurrying about. Watching that scene, I let out a deep breath.

Since my Reincarnation, I’ve kept moving to avoid dying and to defeat the Demon King. Honestly, I couldn’t have imagined things turning out this way, but the situation isn’t bad.

In the game, when the Protagonist’s party invaded the Demon King’s Castle, there was almost no depiction of the Human Side. Therefore, it’s not impossible that something happened while the Protagonist was fighting… but reliable individuals like King Kanan, plus the Spirits, are acting. So there shouldn’t be any major problems.

Well, I guess I’ll rest well today in preparation for tomorrow.

It will likely be another fierce battle… but since I don’t need to move from battle to battle like during the Southern Invasion, the physical burden should be less than before.

However, this time there are people I must protect.

Taking Sofia to the Demon King and protecting her… The task is simple, but I absolutely cannot let my guard down.

The situation will change depending on what Strategy the Demon King employs. Among that, only I and the members of the Sage’s Bloodline should absolutely act together with Sofia.

After making up my mind, I sat down on the edge of the bed. The long battle was finally… With that thought, the words that I absolutely could not fail at the very end came to mind, and I steeled myself in the room.