There was a feast of all kinds, but Cadel couldn’t taste it. He made the obligatory jaw movements, not knowing whether the food was going into his mouth or his nose. Even his conversations with Lydon were half-hearted and mechanical.

Lydon complained about the insincere response, but he was not heard properly. It was Lumen who put an end to the dull, almost imitative meal.

“I knew you’d have him, Lydon.”

“Cadel is mine, so of course he’s next to me. Don’t disturb us and go away!”

Lumen barged into the room and handed something to Cadel, ignoring Lydon’s noisy protests.

“You have a letter from the Empire.”

“……That’s fast.”

The reply to the telegram he sent just yesterday arrived this morning. This was thanks to borrowing a homing pigeon equipped with magic tools from King Lemyn.

Cadel unfolded the neatly folded paper and read the lettering inside. Lumen, who had read it with him, let out a low sigh.

“Is resting also a luxury? It’s fortunate that it’s close to the Lemyn Kingdom.”

What was written in the letter was the location of the next dispatch site without any further explanation.

[Lycella Plateau].

It was also their ‘last dispatch site’ that Cadel already knew about.

‘Is this already the third sealed area?’

Inte Snowfields, Yingmar Swamp, and Lycella Plateau. These were the three outer sealed areas where the main quest took place.

If you solved all the quests in these three areas, what remained was.

‘……The Demon War.’

Of course, war wouldn’t break out immediately. Without knowing the story, it was impossible for him to determine the exact start of the war, but he knew it would take some time.

‘There was a preparation period for a large-scale update before the Demon War. I remember almost quitting because I kept worrying about the same events.’

Even after the update, in the beginning, only the story was shown continuously, so he got bored and hit the skip button repeatedly. So, there was definitely some time left before the war.

‘For now, all I need to think about is the quest in Lycella Plateau. But…… I’ve come a long way.’

From an unknown mercenary corps to the Knight Order of the Empire, and now it was his turn to become a world hero. But Cadel felt little fulfillment. Surrounding him was the pressure to be the hero, the obligation to lead his subordinates to the top. And.

‘Van was there from start to finish.’

He felt guilty that he couldn’t even express his gratitude to Van for going through such a long hard time with him.

Cadel roughly folded the letter and shoved it into his bosom. He felt sick to his stomach but didn’t show it.

“We’d better hurry. If there are demons like Mendel that come through the summoning circle, the seal is in danger. Gather the members in my room, Lumen.”

* * *

All the subordinates were gathered together. Yozen was off in the corner, looking uncomfortable in this position, but Garuel, who had taken his place next to Yozen, spoke to him insistently.

“Since we are comrades who will be together from now on, why not join us for a morning practice?”

“My skills are strongest when I’m alone. There is no need to intentionally combine them with any other skills.”

“Didn’t we have a pretty good co-op attack last time?”

“I just took advantage of the gap.”

“Hmm, I think it would be more comfortable if a comrade could create that gap.”

Yozen found Garuel’s constant hovering annoying. The smile on his face took on an eerie edge, but Garuel didn’t back down easily. He believed in his regenerative abilities. His courage was based on the fact that he could take a stab out of nowhere and not die.

Cadel looked at the two of them, then shifted his gaze. There was Van there. He looked so nonchalant, sending Cadel a blank stare as if waiting for his next words.

He grew increasingly uneasy with Van’s behavior, but he couldn’t help it. He cleared his throat lightly, drawing the attention of his subordinates.

“Our next destination has been set. It’s the Lycella Plateau, the area where one of the outer seals is located. It’s between the Finou Mountains and the Dhote Mountains. We’ll travel through the Finou Mountains, close to the Lemyn Kingdom.”

“Sigh, mountains again? I’m bored. I want to fight in the ocean!”

“Don’t forget that you are the only one who has wings, Lydon.”

“That’s Lumen’s fault for being born that way, right? I don’t care.”

Cadel ignored the chatter of his subordinates and explained the schedule ahead.

In addition to the seal circle, they also had to consider the possibility that High Demons like Mendel might be camped out in advance through the summoning circle. Cadel knew about the demon he would encounter on the Lycella Plateau, but he didn’t know if he would emerge from the broken seal or through a summoning circle. So he had to plan ahead with a number of what-ifs.

Cadel listed a number of hypothetical tactics, excluding as much of the demon’s information as possible. He kept contingency plans based on the demon’s abilities to himself.

‘This is good, because the Demon War is getting closer.’

Information about enemies that would appear in the future was clear. Rather than vague tutorials or vague early quests, these were enemies he had faced relatively recently. Being able to remember even the smallest details made it possible to formulate more detailed strategies.

I can also claim that Kunra told me about the demons.’

The Scarlet Dragon was still a bit of an eyesore, but he certainly had his uses.

Even as he diligently relayed the plan, Cadel’s attention was focused on Van, and Van’s gaze held no ill will. It was no different than before, and that was all the more troubling.

He couldn’t believe that was how Van reacted after knowing everything.

‘……Looks like he didn’t hear it from Kunra after all.’

Whether that was Kunra’s implication or Van’s, he would have to ask him.

“Departure is tomorrow morning. Everyone, make sure you have enough stamina, and if you need anything, let me know.”

Here and there Cadel heard demands for ‘time with Knight Commander’ or ‘darling’s embrace’, or ‘information about the nobles here’, but he didn’t bother to listen.