The next morning, I got ready, left the inn, and went outside for breakfast.

“Good morning.”

Sofia, who had woken up earlier, was waiting in front of the inn. Alto was also next to her.

“You two are early… Where are the others?”

“Ignos has already reserved a table at the shop. The other two probably overslept?”

“They were awake, so I think they’ll come soon.”

Sofia’s statement. If that’s the case, we started walking towards the shop.

Just then—from the end of the street, at the town’s entrance, a murmuring sound could be heard.

“Huh? What is it?”

Alto also noticed it and spoke up. I, too, wondered what was happening and focused on the street before reaching the shop—

From ahead, a clattering metallic sound began to be heard. Wondering what was going on, I watched as soldiers and knights advanced down the street.

“……That’s quite an imposing sight.”

After making that comment, Sofia moved to the side of the road and pulled up the hood of her cloak. She probably didn’t expect to see anyone she knew, as they were knights from another nation, but it was a precaution.

“What’s about to begin?”

Alto also moved to the side to avoid the soldiers. I did the same… and at the same time, I was astonished.

This… could it be—

“It seems it’s started, hasn’t it?”

An Old Woman setting up a stall called out to us as we stood there. Alto was the one who reacted.

“Started, what do you mean?”

“It seems the Demon Race has established a Stronghold within the territory of this Nation… There’s no real damage yet, but they’ve formed an Extermination Army to defeat the Demon Race, or so the story goes.”

–I watched the marching group. It was a force of about a hundred, but most of them were common soldiers with spears. Of course, this couldn’t be the entire force; they were probably heading to an Encampment.

The Old Woman was right. This Nation–we are currently on the Central Continent, and the Nation we are staying in is the Robeil Kingdom. Its territory is quite large, and it probably has the strongest military among the central nations.

The soldiers, led by a Knight, passed by. I watched their retreating figures, certain.

This is the event to enter Redras’s Castle, home of the Five Great Demons.

However… I thought it was a bit early. Whether Sofia or Alto can fight the Five Great Demons is… very questionable.

“Can they win?”

Sofia murmured. Alto sighed in response.

“Honestly, I can’t even imagine the Demonic Power that would establish such a Stronghold… I don’t know if there’s any chance of victory.”

…When this event is triggered, the Robeil Kingdom will be engulfed in a large-scale rebellion. First, the Extermination Army will engage the Demon Race, deplete their forces, but then retreat. After that, the Redras side will counterattack and begin to raid Towns and other places. This will not end until Redras is defeated… The Nation’s Side will also attempt a desperate counterattack, but the chaotic Army will be mostly ineffective. At that time, the Protagonist will infiltrate the Stronghold and defeat the Five Great Demons.

When the Protagonist has completed a certain number of events and visits the Robeil Kingdom, they will encounter the Soldier’s marching event and the battle will begin. There’s no doubt that the Five Great Wars with Demons are about to begin–I swallowed, watching the Soldiers depart.

And at this stage, the four Protagonists, excluding Alto, are not in this Nation.

In that case–is Alto the one who will defeat the Demon King?

My questions were endless, but I reset my thoughts. Anyway, we need to think about what we’re going to do. We should probably consult Lefin as well.

“……For now, let’s have breakfast.”

When I said that, Sofia and the others started walking. The sound of the Soldiers marching faded further and further away… Listening to it, I let out a small sigh.

After breakfast, I returned to the inn. Alto and Ignos said they were going to gather Information, so I was alone in the room. This was a good opportunity.

During breakfast, I had sent a signal that only Lefin would understand. Because of that, she came through the window a little after I returned to the inn.

She came inside, and I confirmed one thing.

“Where’s Sofia?”

“She’s going to investigate the marching Army, just like Alto and the others.”

“I see… About the marching Army, that’s the trigger for the start of the Five Great Wars with Demons.”

“So, this Nation…”

“A large-scale battle is about to begin. And currently, Alto is the only Story’s Protagonist in this Nation.”

“Hmm, so he might be the one, then?”

“Yes. And there’s one problem.”

“A problem?”

I nodded and answered Lefin, who had repeated the question.

“There’s no way the Five Great Demons aren’t in contact with the Demon King… The Demon Race we met in the Forest was fine, but if I carelessly reveal my true power, I might be exposed, and from there, Sofia might also be exposed.”

I had been organizing the flow of events during breakfast, but there was something that kept bothering me.

“Assuming we enter the Stronghold… it’s the Demon Lord’s Castle. Even Sofia would surely find it suspicious if she was only providing support, wouldn’t she?”

“Ah, yes, that’s certainly true.”

“So it seems okay to explain the situation to Sofia… Speaking of which, Lefin, you said before that it would be better to maintain the status quo regarding whether or not to tell her about me… Is that still the case?”

“Yes. Even now, it would be better to maintain the current relationship.”

Her voice was filled with conviction. In that case–

“I need to figure out a way to operate without revealing my true power while keeping my identity a secret.”

“In that case, I have a plan.”

Lefin explained the details. I decided to adopt that method, thinking it was a viable option.

“By the way, Lord Ruon. What if the worst happens?”

“…If we’re in a pinch, I’ll naturally go all out. However, I want that to be a last resort because it significantly increases the chance of the Demon King noticing us… Alto and Sofia will be able to reach him once they mature a bit more.”

At that, I explained the roles and weaknesses of the Five Great Demons. Lefin replied, “I see,” and then asked another question.

“How do we fight the Five Great Demons in the story?”

“The Five Great Demons, including the one we’re fighting this time, possess Sage’s Power. At first, the Extermination Army gains momentum and defeats their subordinates, but… they can’t defeat Redras himself. That’s because of the Sage’s Barrier.”

—The Five Great Demons operate using Sage’s Power. Not only that, but they also use its power to defend against attacks.

“They can use Sage’s Power to construct an absolute Barrier against Humans… At this stage, even Alto and Sofia, who haven’t awakened Sage’s Power, can’t counter it.”

“Not even Lord Ruon?”

“I haven’t tried, so I don’t know… but it might be true. However, that Barrier has a clear weakness.”

As I said that, I gave Lefin further explanation.

“The Barrier constructed by Redras is strong, but it has limitations. Once used, it can’t be used for about ten days. That’s why Redras caused chaos within the Nation after the Extermination Army retreated, to prevent them from returning.”

“Buying time until the Barrier can be reconstructed… Are the others similar cases?”

“Others, huh… For example, Gudis, who is stationed in the Western Region, conducts experiments to generate a large number of Monster sources using Sage’s Power. There’s also a scenario where the Protagonists approach and defeat him while he’s using that power and the Sage’s Barrier is unusable.”

“I see, so Sage’s Power is the key to everything.”

“Indeed. To defeat the Five Great Demons, it must be after the Extermination Army has retreated… Ideally, entering the Stronghold immediately after their retreat to defeat them would result in no damage, but then we would have to face a large number of Monsters that would attack this Nation… In the story, when we entered the Stronghold, it was somewhat understaffed. That’s the only time to strike.”

“Then, there’s only one answer. Lord Ruon, let’s do our best.”

The discussion ended. I nodded… and then thought there was one more thing I needed to confirm.