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The centaur messenger I sent out at midnight didn’t return for a long time.
It was finally in the afternoon of the next day that the centaur soldier came back.

“You were gone for quite a while. What happened?”

The young centaur soldier, looking utterly exhausted, replied:

“It’s terrible… Division Commander Tiberit…”
“What happened?”
“He… was killed in battle…”

You’re kidding me.
We’re talking about a towering giant, taller than any city wall, and a seasoned warrior at that.

“There’s no mistake, right?”
“The report came directly from Lady Gomoviroa… so I don’t believe there’s any mistake…”

So Master saw it firsthand.

“Wait—what about the Third Division Commander!? Iss he safe!?”
“Y-yes. Lady Gomoviroa returned early this morning. She’s utterly drained, however, and Vice Commander Melené is tending to her.”

Something beyond imagination must have happened.

According to Master, who returned later, the Miraldia army attacked Bachen, the northern farming city where the Second Division was stationed.
Naturally, Division Commander Tiberit rose to meet them. But then, a single militia soldier appeared.
And after a fierce battle, that soldier cut Tiberit down.

What followed was hell.
Demons fight by rallying around a strong leader, but when their leader falls, they panic. Only demons can truly understand this feeling; their reliance on their commander is absolute.
This is why His Majesty the Demon Lord never comes to the front lines, and why I get scolded whenever I try to wander there myself.

The Second Division, having lost its commander, fell into chaos right on the battlefield.
For the Miraldia soldiers, it must have felt like a bonus round. Their terrifying giant foe had fallen, and suddenly the enemy soldiers all froze in place.
Before long, the Second Division’s troops were being slaughtered one after another.

But then Master arrived, cloaking the entire battlefield in her mist magic—the same one that drifts around Grünstadt Castle.
She ordered the Second Division to retreat, barely preventing their annihilation.
During the battle, however, Master spotted a soldier entirely unaffected by her mist. Around that soldier, the fog simply cleared away.
If there’s anyone who could repel magic cast by Master herself, there was only one explanation; that’s a Hero.

“Has anyone already gone to inform His Majesty the Demon Lord?”
“The Second Division is retreating toward Grünstadt Castle. For good measure, we also sent a messenger from Bernehainen.”
“Understood. Thank you. Get some rest for now.”

I immediately summoned the key members—each squad’s captains and Aylia.
Things had become dire.

With the Second Division Commander dead and the Third Commander unconscious, command of the Demon Lord’s Army now rested with the vice commanders.

“Sir Veit, we should return to Grünstadt at once.”

Vice Commander Baltze spoke calmly, but I could sense the urgency in his voice.

“At the very least allow the Azure Scale Knights to return. We must protect His Majesty the Demon Lord.”

But I couldn’t permit that.
If the enemy is a Hero, no elite force will make a difference.
Even if all five hundred knights of the Azure Scales fought to the death, it would only tire the hero out slightly.
We’re dealing with a human equivalent of the Demon Lord. The fact that this person defeated Tiberit already meant victory was impossible.
Tiberit alone was strong enough to take on the entire Azure Scale Knights head-on.

“Vice Commander Baltze, I can’t approve that. All forces under my command are to focus on defending Lüenheit.”
“But—”
“We can’t afford to waste any more strength against a hero. Besides, this city represents the future of demonkind. Neglecting its defense would earn His Majesty’s wrath.”

I forced myself to be cold, shutting down Baltze’s plea.

“Lady Aylia, I’m temporarily giving you command of all Demon Lord Army units. You, being human, can respond with a clear head. Rasie will take charge of the skeleton troops.”
“U-understood. But… what about you, Sir Veit?”

This would surely be met with protests, but I braced myself and declared:

“I’ll go to His Majesty myself, as everyone’s representative. I’m a mage—I can protect him even without direct combat.”

The room fell silent. Technical Officer Kurtze, Vice Commander Baltze, Captain Seisches of the centaurs, and even Sister Fern… all of them simply looked at me.
Was I being too manipulative?
Eventually, Kurtze spoke.

“There’s… no other way. No matter who else we send back, they’ll likely be of no help.”

With a pained expression, he voiced his agreement, and his younger brother Baltze followed suit.

“Regrettably, I agree. Besides, Sir Veit can also use healing magic. Having him by His Majesty’s side would be immensely reassuring.”
“And Veit’s ridiculously strong… With the Division Commanders gone, he’s the strongest warrior we have…”

Seisches’ murmur was met with solemn nods from the others.
It seemed they all believed I was second only to His Majesty and the Division Commanders.
They were probably overestimating my magic, but I wasn’t about to correct them now. Sorry, everyone.

Lastly, Big Sis Fern spoke gently.

“I’ll take care of the werewolf squad and the dogkin squad, so don’t worry. Just promise me you won’t die, okay, Veit?”
“Yeah. I’ll find a way.”

After handing off my duties, I immediately prepared to leave. It was already past noon, and no new information had come in.
Normally, traveling to Grünstadt Castle on foot would take two to three days. But if I transformed into a werewolf and ran without rest, I’d get there by tomorrow. I wouldn’t even need to detour around places humans or horses couldn’t pass.

From my desk drawer, I retrieved an old leather-bound spellbook—the textbook from my apprentice days.
Flipping to the page I was looking for, I reviewed the incantation and gestures written there once more.
I hoped I wouldn’t have to use this…