This room is usually only opened by the guards standing in the hallway.

Even if it’s me or Seriana, it’s the same.

After all, this is the lord’s chamber.

The guards check the visitor at the door and solemnly open it.

It’s an important part of their duty.

However, the door suddenly burst open with a loud bang, and a man—clearly a soldier from outside based on his equipment—rushed in with urgency.

For a moment, the room fell silent, and everyone’s gaze focused on the newcomer.

“The monster horde has appeared from the First Forest!!”

Even under the weight of everyone’s stares, the man delivered the report in a voice that echoed through the room.

“They’re here… Give me the details.”

“Yes, sir! Pardon my intrusion.”

As August issued instructions to the knights in the room, the soldier promptly responded, stepped forward, and began his explanation.

The slightly relaxed atmosphere in the room tightened once again.

Glancing out the window and then at the clock on the wall, it was getting dim, but it was not yet night.

“…Aren’t monsters nocturnal?”

I had assumed their prime activity time was in the middle of the night… Isn’t this a bit early?

“They must be diligent. Quite the hard workers.”

“…I see.”

Whether “diligent” was the right word or not, the fact remained that as darkness set in, people stopped going outside the city.

From a monster’s perspective, the atmosphere of the city would also change.

Perhaps they saw this as an opportunity.

Even though there was a barrier, if weaker monsters were continuously pressured from behind, they would have no choice but to obey.

Yeah… This is definitely going to turn into a battle.

As I nodded at Zighart’s lighthearted comment, Seriana’s voice cut in.

“Unlike you, they’re probably early risers.”

“………Ngh.”

Her teasing words made me want to argue back… but she wasn’t entirely wrong.

I couldn’t help but accept it, gritting my teeth, while Seriana watched me with a satisfied look.

“Sera Vice Captain, Zighart.”

At that moment, August, having finished giving his orders, approached in full work mode.

“I’m heading to the training grounds outside the city to set up our main base there. For now, the monsters are only scouting, but by nightfall, a full-scale attack will likely begin. The 2nd Unit will move into action then. You two should remain in a location where we can contact you.”

“Got it.”

“Alright.”

After hearing our response, August nodded once and turned on his heel, heading over to Liesel to say his departure greetings.

“…Think we’ll get a turn?”

I had woken up late, so staying up a bit longer wouldn’t be an issue, but… I wasn’t fond of prolonged tension.

With August leading and adventurers stationed in the city, wouldn’t it be nice if things wrapped up quickly?

“Of course we will. Remember that huge bear we took down a few years ago? Even that only attacked directly at the very end. First, they let their underlings scout and weaken the enemy before striking—it’s a common tactic.”

“…What if we don’t get weakened?”

“In that case, the underlings get sacrificed, and the boss runs away. Even if it escapes, it’ll likely lose its position as leader. But that’s not exactly ideal for us. Stopping an attack on the city is one thing, but if the horde regroups, we’ll have to deal with them again. We can’t let that opportunity slip away. That’s where August and I come in.”

Zighart answered my question with absolute confidence.

Monsters were intelligent enough to devise tactics, but in the end, battles were decided by raw strength.

And to maintain their status, they had to prove their power.

They personally stepped up and defeated the leader of the enemy horde.

In this case, the “boss” could be either August or Zighart… but I couldn’t picture either of them losing.

No wonder he was so confident.

◇

An hour had passed since August left.

A moment ago, we received word that the battle had begun, but no sounds of combat had reached us.

It was probably due to the distance and the closed windows, but it also seemed like no large-scale magic had been used yet.

“Sera.”

Seriana called out to me as I stood by the window.

When I turned around, Teresa was standing up.

“What?”

“Go with Teresa and get ready.”

“Mm.”

Of course, I had no intention of fighting in my nightwear, so I didn’t mind, but… was our turn coming sooner than expected?

Seriana had been using her blessings here and there for a while now.

She wasn’t interfering with Liesel’s overall command, but she definitely had a better grasp of the situation than we did.

“Yeah… The battle is progressing faster than expected. I’d like you to finish preparing while things are still under control.”

Liesel, who had been watching, added her comment.

There were no signs of us being pushed back, but things were definitely moving quickly.

I had already stored all my gear in 【Hideout】, so it would be best to get ready while I had the chance.

Just as I was about to leave the window and exit the room, my eyes fell on Zighart, who was still lounging on the sofa.

He was dressed lightly as usual.

Was that really enough?

“This is plenty for me.”

“I see…”

Noticing my gaze, Zighart replied nonchalantly.

Well… This guy wasn’t the type to get hit by an attack anyway.

“Alright then. Let’s go, Teresa.”

“Yes, let’s.”

With Teresa in tow, I headed toward Seriana’s chamber.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————

Sera・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Garment】・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】【Red Sword】・15 cards

Seriana・【Range Identification】・【】・33 cards

Elena・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・9 cards