After finishing greetings with the various adventurer parties fighting within the southern region of the capital territory, I decided to return to the main camp for the time being.

Fortunately, while some parties had suffered minor injuries, none had experienced casualties.

Despite most of them being hastily assembled, excluding those at the southernmost end, they were handling the situation well. This meant that the average level of adventurers in this city was quite high.

As I flew back, relieved that things seemed to be going smoothly this time as well, I soon crossed the forest and reached the area just before the training grounds.

“Oh?”

At the training grounds, not only around the main camp but even within the training space, a large number of people had gathered.

Was it the adventurers led by Zighart and Teresa, along with the second unit?

I thought only about twenty minutes had passed, but they were surprisingly quick.

As I entered the training grounds, a few people noticed me and raised their hands or weapons, so I waved back.

I wanted to greet them properly, but first, I had to report to August.

“I’m back!”

Upon entering the barracks where the main camp was located, I noticed that the number of people inside had increased since I had left.

Most of them were members of the Knight Order, equipped with proper gear, but there were also some in more casual attire—those were adventurers.

“Good work, Princess.”

Teresa, who was sitting at a table with August and Zighart, turned toward me.

She wore a red cloak that stood out even at night over her leather armor. 【Red Sword】 was sheathed in a temporary scabbard and slung over her shoulder.

She didn’t just intend to command; she was clearly ready to fight head-on.

“How was it?”

Zighart… looked almost the same as when he was in the office.

If there was any difference, it was that he had swapped his sandals for boots.

I wasn’t in a position to judge others, but what was this old man thinking?

Well, if it wasn’t a problem, then I guess it was fine…

“The southern side seems fine for now. Even the furthest group still has plenty of supplies.”

“Good. Well done, Vice Captain Sera.”

Hearing my report, August moved a few pieces around on the map.

There was a conspicuous empty space just north of the city… Did he have something in mind?

“There were a lot of people waiting outside. What’s going to happen with them?”

“The adventurers will be led by Teresa, while the second unit soldiers will follow Zighart. They’ll be split between the northern and southern fronts.”

So Teresa would lead the adventurers, and Zighart would command the Knight Order…

“Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”

“We don’t want to waste time this time. We also want to minimize any creatures slipping through… I’ll handle the northern side myself. For that, I need the monsters to be herded toward me in a controlled manner. The Knight Order is better suited for that than adventurers, don’t you think?”

“Oh… I see.”

Zighart, looking somewhat amused, answered my question.

Indeed, if we didn’t need to worry about preserving materials or letting adventurers earn money, it was more efficient to gather the monsters into his line of fire and have him wipe them out in one go.

That kind of strategy wasn’t easy for adventurers to execute.

That meant the northern side was about to turn into a spectacle.

Was Zighart excited because he usually had to hold back in outdoor fights?

“Zig, do you want to use this?”

I showed him 【Dragon’s Lung】 hanging around my neck.

I had my umbrella, and I wouldn’t be casting spells repeatedly anyway.

Zighart, on the other hand, had mostly been playing a supporting role and using magic sparingly.

But this time, he seemed to be the main firepower, so it was probably time for this item to shine.

“Yeah, I’ll borrow it this time.”

“Here.”

I took off 【Dragon’s Lung】 and handed it to Zighart.

As soon as he put it on, it activated, and he seemed to be testing the sensation.

Had he last used this during the dungeon boss fight?

The activation markings appeared on his face… Unlike me, he looked incredibly intimidating.

Even though everyone was busy, they couldn’t help but stop and stare at him.

“Excuse me!”

Just then, a messenger rushed in from outside.

It seemed like the monsters were getting serious now.

The people waiting outside were already receiving the information, and I could hear war cries erupting everywhere.

Our group wasn’t lacking in ferocity either…

◇

Regardless of whether the monsters got serious, my job remained the same.

So, I was now observing the southern battlefield from above.

In the middle of the southern region, between the capital and the southernmost front, there was an open area.

Several adventurer parties stationed there had recently been joined by some skilled riders.

Their job was to lure the monsters by keeping the horde under control.

Since they were attacking intermittently while retreating, their horses were faster, allowing them to stretch out the monster formation.

“Haaah!!”

Then, Teresa charged in to cut through the stretched-out horde.

Activating 【Red Sword】, she launched a cavalry assault.

Piercing through the horde, she would turn her horse around and charge again.

Repeating this cycle, the monster horde gradually thinned out.

By the time the creatures reached the waiting adventurers, they had been divided into small groups, no longer resembling a horde at all.

The adventurers swiftly picked them off one by one.

Although monster corpses were scattered everywhere, horses were the primary force on this battlefield.

They paid no mind to the mess… It was overwhelming.

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

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・【Area Identification】・【】・33 cards

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

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