Southern Edge of the Battlefield.

The leader of the main clan in charge of this area… now that I think about it, I don’t even know his name.

While I was away, he must have been fighting as well—his axe was covered in all sorts of things.

Filthy.

He must have noticed that the types and numbers of monsters, as well as their attack patterns, had changed.

He was barking out orders to his surrounding members regarding the situation.

“Hey! Leader!”

“Huh? Oh, it’s you… what’s up?”

I just called out casually, but it seemed to get his attention as he turned toward me.

Not just his axe—his armor was also covered in all sorts of stuff… but he didn’t seem to be injured.

“The monster boss should be showing up soon. Jigg-san has secured the north, so if it appears, it’ll likely be on the south side. The commander has moved into the main battlefield at the front, but there’s a chance they might try to break through here. Stay on guard.”

“Got it. Oi! You all heard that!”

I passed on the message from the main camp and informed him that I would also be staying on this side.

The surrounding members, having heard that it was information from the main camp, responded immediately and started moving.

This area wasn’t handled by this clan alone, but they made sure to relay the information to the other groups properly. Everything was progressing smoothly.

How reliable.

While the others were moving, the leader remained in place.

It seemed like he had something to discuss with me.

His expression was serious.

“Vice-Captain, you can do scouting, right?”

“Hm? Well, I don’t usually miss anything, but do you want me to go on a reconnaissance mission?”

“No, stay in the center where you can oversee the battlefield. We’ll take care of distributing potions, as you often do. More importantly, if you can handle them, deal with them yourself. But if any monsters slip through or we can’t take them down, call for reinforcements.”

“Got it.”

Cautious, huh?

Maybe this old man has fought a Demon King Type or something close to it before.

After responding to him, I immediately moved into the air.

◇

Hovering above, I observed the battlefield below for a while.

Indeed, the monsters were acting quite differently from before.

Previously, the majority consisted of easier-to-handle monsters—Orcs of the Demonic Beast Type, and large species like Great Deer and Great Boars.

But now, wolves and goblins were swarming the battlefield—far more troublesome opponents.

In terms of sheer strength, the former were superior.

But the danger of these ones lay in their numbers.

And, regardless of species, they were coordinating with each other.

Individually, they weren’t that strong, but their overwhelming numbers made them difficult to handle even for skilled warriors.

Despite 【Prayer】 being active below, the number of injured soldiers was rising.

We still had stock of potions and other medicines, so we weren’t at a breaking point yet, but…

The north and central battlefields were still holding strong.

Teresa’s side next to us was also stable.

This was the only area being pushed back.

Even though we had some of the strongest forces here… does that mean this is the real target?

“Hmm… huh? Damn!”

While watching the battlefield with my arms crossed, I noticed that one party was in serious trouble.

It wasn’t just a breach—they were on the verge of collapsing.

They must have botched a monster handoff between two parties, leaving their flank exposed.

A tank was tackled to the ground by a wolf.

Sensing an opportunity, the surrounding monsters surged toward them.

One of the parties was rushing to assist, but they wouldn’t make it in time.

In that case…!

“Flash!”

I thrust my umbrella forward and dived down, casting my spell at the horde of monsters.

“Whoa!?”

I heard a human voice mixed in, but I didn’t have time to worry about that.

I also activated 【Shadow Sword】, and with Akame and the others, we swiftly wiped them out.

Fortunately, none of them were particularly strong.

Even 【Scarlet Bee Needle】 could take them down in a single hit.

Not just Akame—Shirojita and Mitsume were also eliminating them on their own.

“Princess, huh… you really saved us.”

As I caught my breath, one of the struggling party members, panting heavily, spoke up.

Watching from above, I had already thought so, but he must have realized just how close they had been to being wiped out.

“Yeah. How’s that guy over there doing?”

Even though I rushed in to help, he was swarmed by monsters just moments ago.

“He’s not lightly injured… We’ll have to pull him back for now. …Hey, can’t you use that bow?”

He was referring to 【Danrem’s Thread】.

If I could just blow them all away at once, it would turn the tide of battle in our favor… but.

“They’re too scattered. If I fire from an angle where I won’t hit allies, I won’t be able to take out many of them.”

Shooting from the side would definitely hit adventurers somewhere.

Shooting straight ahead wouldn’t do much either.

That bow had incredible power and range, but it didn’t cover a wide area.

Now that the battle had devolved into this chaotic melee, it was practically unusable.

Hearing that, he made a bitter face.

He must have felt things were getting dire.

“Got it. I’ll be back soon, so hold this position until then… what’s that?”

After confirming that his ally had been carried to safety, he was about to leave—

But then, he noticed something.

He lifted his head and looked into the distance.

That direction… south?

————————————————————————————————————————————————–

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