We live in the foothills of the Dragon Peak.
A signal of attack rises in the night.
As the cold winter mornings and warm afternoons repeated a few times, spring-like scenery and climate enveloped the world.
Green began to increase in the desolate, earth-toned landscape, and we started to see more birds and animals than before.
We are advancing south through the country ruled by the Mad Abyss Demon Lord, heading for Ozenkar Fortress, the largest stronghold of the Rebel Army.
Instead of the main roads connecting the local cities, towns, and villages, our surroundings on the back roads, traversed only by traveling merchants and those familiar with the local geography, became more colorful the further south we went and the more days passed.
I was keenly aware of the changing seasons as I gazed at the slowly unfolding mountain scenery.
It was a natural landscape different from the Forbidden Territory, our hometown, or the Dragon Peak, and it changed dramatically with each passing day.
If this mission had been a journey of instantly traveling to various places riding on Revisia or Nimia’s backs, we might not have experienced such a transition of seasons.
The journey, which made us feel the difficulty of traveling on the ground as opposed to the sky, progressed forward, repeating both peaceful times like the spring weather and troublesome moments.
And, the further south we advanced, the stronger the unsettling changes, different from the rapidly changing spring climate, began to grow.
“Those guys earlier, they looked like traveling merchants, but they were clearly involved with the Rebel Army, weren’t they?”
Everyone nodded at Slaton’s murmur.
“If Srain hadn’t declared himself a demon, he would have threatened us and pulled us into the Rebel Army like he did in the city that was suppressed by them, right?”
“He clearly showed a change in his expression when he saw my magic sword.”
“The fact that they are aggressively recruiting people by deceiving them like that in various places… does it mean the Rebel Army is in a dire situation?”
“Well, they are up against the Demon Lord’s Army. If they don’t constantly replenish their soldiers, eventually they’ll have no one capable of fighting.”
“Srain, in other words, the rumors that the Rebel Army is fighting well against the Demon Lord’s Army mean they are able to resist them with pretense, while suffering many casualties!?”
Main and Anna’s expressions hardened at my question.
“If that’s the case, then we can’t find any justice in this rebellion, can we?”
“But Main, among the people who started the rebellion, there must be some who are genuinely fighting to win their freedom, right?”
“Then, how should we perceive this rebellion?”
Srain laughed off the exchange between Main and Anna.
“A rebellion of this scale is not a problem for Shooting Star Sama to bear. You just need to believe in the guidance of the Goddess and proceed as you wish. If any troublesome nuisances appear on that path, I will eliminate them.”
“Srain is more devoted to Shooting Star Sama than us humans!”
“Elulu, you are conversely unfaithful.”
“Th-that’s ridiculous!”
Seeing me retort to Srain that I was the more devout believer, Listea commented, “As expected, he became friends with the demon lord first,” and Slaton muttered, “And he’s the one who causes trouble.”
Setting aside whether it’s my fault or not.
Having passed through the back roads and reached just short of our destination, we were engulfed by a new commotion.
“It’s the Demon Lord’s Army!”
While staying at a village we stopped at, we heard the screams of villagers in the dead of night.
“Dudes, wake up!”
Before Slaton could even shout, unfortunately, Listea, Srain, and I were already awake.
Furthermore, Lord Reed, Main, and Anna, who were staying in separate rooms, rushed into our room without delay.
“So, the only one sleeping soundly was Slanel.”
“Shut up! More importantly!”
Slaton peeked outside the wooden window to gauge the situation.
“This is bad. It’s still far, but fires have already broken out. And it looks like they attacked with a considerable army?”
When I stealthily sensed the surrounding presence, I detected countless presences. And many of them had a rough aura.
This was a presence far beyond that of a mere group; it was the aura of an army.
“But why did the Demon Lord’s Army attack this village?”
“That question can wait. Let’s evacuate before we get caught up in this disturbance!”
We are seasoned travelers, so our luggage is minimal and always packed, ready to move at any time.
We immediately shouldered our bags and quickly left our rooms.
The other guests staying in the surrounding rooms had only just begun to sense the situation outside.
Listea also seemed to pick up on the lagging presence of those around her.
“Everyone, flee immediately! It’s an attack by the Demon Lord’s Army!!”
Listea shouted so that even those who were still groggy could hear.
We left the inn, sensing the panicked aura of the other guests.
However, Main and Anna, who are Shooting Stars, looked worried.
Surely, whether they are demons, slaves, or travelers, they are pained that those uninvolved in the rebellion started by the slaves are getting caught up in the disturbance.
“Hey, Srain.”
I called out to Srain, who was running alongside me.
“The village surroundings are surrounded by the Demon Lord’s Army, aren’t they? If this continues, aren’t we, or rather, Shooting Star Sama, going to be attacked by the Demon Lord’s Army?”
Srain, understanding what I meant, gave a wicked smile.
“Elulu, you’re quite wicked for someone with your cute appearance, aren’t you? Alright, I’ll go along with your idea. I also have some thoughts about the excessively cruel actions of the Demon Lord’s Army dispatched to suppress the Rebel Army. Let’s go, Slanel, we’ll annihilate the Demon Lord’s Army!”
“Wh-what, don’t drag me into this. Elulu!”
“A-annihilating them is going too far!?”
Srain might actually annihilate the Demon Lord’s Army.
I indirectly asked him to “create confusion among the Demon Lord’s Army to buy us time to escape,” and hastily warned Srain.
However, without even having time to process my words, Srain ran off with the inherent speed of a demon. And then, in the distance, screams and roars spread rapidly.
“Slanel, you go and stop Srain’s rampage.”
“Leese, you’re asking too much!”
Slaton grumbled, but drew the long sword from his back and sprinted towards the direction Srain had charged.
“While Srain and Slanel are buying us time, let’s escape! We can definitely escape if we run this way!”
I shouted loudly enough for those around me to hear.
The villagers, who had also fled their homes and were starting to panic about the sudden disturbance that had struck the village, reacted to our movements.
While checking on the villagers, I started running down a different path than the one Srain and Slaton had taken.
But if the entire village is surrounded by the Demon Lord’s Army, no matter where we run, we’ll be attacked?
“Let’s make a racket, let’s make a racket.”
“Leese-sama, please take care of these noisy spirits!”
“Ara, ara ara ara. Elulu-kun is surprisingly cunning, isn’t he?”
“Who do you think influenced him?”
That’s right. Even if we’re attacked no matter where we run, if we try to escape from a different direction while the Demon Lord’s Army is focused on Srain and Slaton, it should be less guarded there, and we should succeed.
Moreover, if we have the cooperation of the spirits, the success rate will be even higher.
And to make the spirits make a racket, we need more than just the influence of Ares-chan, the Spirit Tree Spirit; we need one more push of cooperation.
That’s why it’s Lord Reed!
Lord Reed takes a neutral stance on our mission.
However, he is actually one of the Four Guardians of Kensei Faruna.
Therefore, he should cooperate enough to lend a helping hand when innocent people are attacked unilaterally.
As expected, Lord Reed, understanding my intentions, used spirit arts.
“Now then, winds, please clear the way. Earth, please hinder the Demon Lord’s Army. Fire, please play with the Demon Lord’s Army. Water, let’s wake up those who are still sleeping. Darkness, be a blinding light, and light, be guidance. Come, let’s all have fun playing together!”
“No, no, no, no! How many elemental spirits are you planning to command!?”
I nearly fell over at Lord Reed’s indiscriminate spirit arts.
Priscilla-chan would have a little more restraint!
“But Elulu-kun, when you get serious, you don’t care about elements, right?”
“Lord Reed, that’s a misunderstanding!”
“Elulu, I know you well.”
“Leese is doubting me too! More importantly, it’s not about me right now!”
It’s good that this is a stealthy journey.
If this were a casual trip with our kin, I might have been bombarded with criticism from everyone.
Anyway.
Thanks to Lord Reed’s spirit arts, an escape route was opened.
From various parts of the Demon Lord’s Army attacking the village, screams and shouts of confusion began to rise. Conversely, the villagers, as if guided by some will, left their homes and fled in the same direction.
It seems the spirit arts are working effectively.
With that, we also ran with all our might towards the outside of the village.
From the distant rear, the aura of slaughter, screams, and roars echoed.
Srain must be rampaging like a madman.
If we don’t escape quickly, Srain might actually wipe out the Demon Lord’s Army.
A mere mercenary showing one-sided dominance against a demon army specialized in combat.
This is strange, isn’t it?
“Elulu, even if we escape the village, what do we do afterwards?”
Listea, who was running alongside me at the front, guiding everyone, asked about our future plans.
“Hmm. Escaping is one thing, but afterwards, we have our own objectives, you know?”
Looking at Lord Reed with a troubled expression, I was met with a gentle smile.
“I will temporarily cast a Bewildering Technique in the woods around the village. That way, the villagers can hide and flee, and the Demon Lord’s Army will surely give up.”
“Thank you, Lord Reed.”
“I don’t often do this kind of favors, you know?”
“We are grateful!”
Lord Reed smiled gently, saying “Fufufu.”
And then, Main and Anna, the Shooting Stars, breathed a sigh of relief at Lord Reed’s assistance.
If the villagers had been subjected to one-sided attacks by the Demon Lord’s Army, they would have been at a loss for what to do.
“In any case, running away is the only way to win!”
Fortunately, the direction we fled was where the Demon Lord’s Army’s deployment was thin.
The spirits, by deliberately not manifesting, are causing inexplicable confusion to the Demon Lord’s Army. Thanks to that, we were able to escape outside the village with Listea clearing the way, without me even needing to draw my Spirit Current Sword.
“Everyone, flee deep into the woods!”
Whether it was due to the life-threatening situation or the effect of the spirit arts, the human Listea’s instructions did not elicit any complaints from the demons.
Everyone fled into the depths of the night forest without looking back.
“If we keep the spirits making a racket like this, the villagers will be safe, right? Well then!”
I turned back towards the village we had just escaped from.
“If we leave Srain like this, it will truly become a great massacre. I don’t want Srain to do that kind of thing.”
Listea, who was guiding the villagers who had escaped the village into the woods, walked alongside me.
“I can’t let Slanel bear all the burden either.”
Next, Main and Anna expressed their intention to accompany us.
“There’s no need for further pointless bloodshed.”
“Before the Goddess weeps, we have to end this disturbance.”
Why did the Demon Lord’s Army, dispatched to suppress the Rebel Army, attack a village on a back road?
Perhaps Srain, who knows many things, might know something.
To bring Srain back, we moved on to our next action.
“Lord Reed, we’ll leave this to you, okay?”
“Yes, Elulu-kun, please don’t overdo it. And if anything troubling happens, please let me know immediately.”
“If Shooting Star Sama is in danger, I won’t hesitate to call you!”
Seen off by Lord Reed, we returned to the village, the center of the commotion.
