Side: Nina
A single candle illuminated the dark room.
Seated inside are my companions, who have been anxiously awaiting the mission report.
After hearing what I had to say, they remained silent.
I had somehow managed to convey those unbelievable results, and now, in the heavy atmosphere, I waited for our leader to speak.
Because honestly, even I couldn't believe it.
400 years have passed since that grand, catastrophic folly of the Great War. Yet humanity still hadn't abandoned its senseless conflicts. And ever since that day, they had steadily declined. Physically.
Year after year, the average combat level of knights continues to drop. Far from casting high-tier tactical magic, the vast majority of people can't even handle basic spells anymore. Furthermore, due to the drastic depletion of wild monsters, humanity lacks any experience fighting absolute, top-tier powerhouses.
That was precisely why we expended our meticulously hoarded DP to summon Greater Demons. The plan was to purge these utterly rotten humans, guaranteeing that Enaria would be transformed into an uninhabited wasteland—a fitting, inevitable outcome brought about by their own historical actions.
...Yet, the actual outcome turned out entirely different.
Perhaps dispersing our forces to ensure a total purge a tactical mistake... No, the real mistake was never considering that they could actually be defeated.
No, that wasn't quite right either... We thought the so-called Magic Sword Wielders would at least put up some fight. We — Sia, Kishua, and I — believed we could easily crush them with numbers.
However, something else entirely was present in Enaria.
And through my long-range observation magic, I bore witness to that entity in action.
The Greater Demons, soaring through the absolute domain of the open sky, were brought plummeting down one after another in rapid succession.
There were at least three people responsible.
The first was a black-haired human.
I saw her clearly. Because she was doing something utterly unbelievable—Leaping onto flying Greater Demons, decapitating them, then using their falling bodies as stepping stones to jump to the next one.
The second was most likely an archer.
Because an arrow flew all the way to my position and embedded itself into the ground... If it flies this far, anything hit at close range wouldn't survive.
The final one was a spear wielder.
Because a spear had flown all the way to me as well.
I immediately attempted to contact the other two, but to my utter disbelief, they informed me they had already been captured by the enemy.
It made no sense.
There was no way our operation could have been leaked.
Yet, when I checked, the two of them were indeed kneeling on the ground, bound tightly with ropes at the exact location they had reported. Having firmly etched the appearance of the man standing beside them into my memory, I retreated to deliver my report to the group.
"...'Unbelievable'... is an easy enough word to say."
Our leader's voice snaps me out of my recollection. The rest of our companions turn their gazes toward the leader as well.
"But Nina is here... and we've lost contact with Sia and Kishua. Even if some details differ, there's no doubt the operation failed. It wasn't what we expected... but that changes nothing. Whether we succeed or fail, we continue. That has always been our policy."
Everyone nods in agreement at the leader's declaration.
Indeed, things deviated from our expectations. However, that gives us no reason to halt our progress.
Everyone nodded.
Yes. Things hadn't gone as expected.
But there was no reason to stop.
"That said, we do need to thoroughly investigate the individual who supposedly captured Sia and Kishua, as well as ascertain how they deduced their involvement in the first place. I find it hard to believe modern, decayed humanity possesses the analytical capability to make such a judgment. There must be a specific reason behind it. Once we investigate that angle, we can deploy a rescue operation assuming Sia and Kishua are still alive. If they've already been executed, we simply need to recover their Dungeon Cores... Though having them alive would certainly make our ongoing operations easier."
With those words, silence returned to the room.
Only the candle flame continued to sway.
"Moving forward, Nina will continue gathering intelligence on the individual who captured Sia and Kishua... Actually, as a precaution, Leila will accompany you. I repeat: your objective is strictly limited to intelligence gathering. Do not take any unauthorized independent actions. Once you've collected sufficient data, we will convene another meeting to ensure our execution is absolute. Everyone else will proceed with their assigned operations as scheduled."
We all nodded.
The leader looked around, seemingly satisfied.
Then the tension that had filled the room eased slightly.
"Though it might sound insensitive... I suppose a part of me actually feels somewhat pleased by this turn of events..."
Our leader said those strange words with a smile.
"Why is that?" one of our companions inquires.
The leader made a slightly difficult expression before speaking.
"...I'm not sure myself. But if those who captured our comrades truly exist as reported, then they'll become our greatest obstacle. If they're trying to stop us from eradicating humanity from this continent, that's only natural..."
Indeed. If they captured Sia and Kishua through sheer strength, they could become a major obstacle. As the leader said, our goal is the extinction of humans on this continent, so we will inevitably clash with them somewhere.
"But... they remind me of our younger selves. No... perhaps 'sound like' is more accurate, since I've only heard about them. They remind me of who we were back then. Back when we were still ignorant. I'm sure we all took up our swords believing we could understand one another. The thought that enemies like that still exist, makes me strangely happy..."
Our Leader continued.
"But I won't hold back. If we lose like Peace did, then there would've been no point in surviving all these centuries. When we finally meet... I'll beat our youth and ignorance into them, break their hearts, and erase them. Because I never want to see my former self again."
Indeed... No one wanted to face the person they once were... I can understand the leader's sentiment.
Back then, we took up swords believing in each other... If these new enemies were similar, then they would never support our plan. They simply didn't possess the knowledge we did.
Very well.
Our path is set.
I will thoroughly investigate this potential obstacle, and prevent a repeat of Peace's fate
* * *
Side: Yuki
And just like that.
The enemy's strategy meeting finally came to an end.
For now, I have only one thing to say.
"...Onii-chan... I'm sleepy..."
"...Anii-sama... zzz..."
"...Yuki... nn..."
The usual trio of little ones had insisted on tagging along, leading directly to this situation.
...Which is to say:
"...Do these idiots even know what time it is? Who the hell holds a strategy meeting at an hour like this?"
The current time is 3:00 AM.
Whether you're in a fantasy world or on Earth, 3:00 AM is when normal human beings are fast asleep.
I turn my gaze toward the corner of the banquet hall, where two Holy Sword wielders are currently sitting in strict seiza posture.
"W-Well... it's not like we chose the time..."
"R-Right... That has absolutely nothing to do with us..."
Good grief. After living for over 400 years, why on earth are they holding meetings at this ungodly hour...?
"So basically, they're just waking up absurdly early? I guess when you're that old, your body naturally starts functioning like a granny's too, huh?"
"Please stop slandering us!! Yes, we've gotten older, but our bodies and hearts are still those of young girls!!
"Exactly!! Stop with the baseless accusations!! Those people are the only ones who are old inside!!"
"R-Right!! We sleep like normal people! They're the ones who act like old ladies!"
Hey... does this count as selling out your own comrades?
Calling your teammates grandmas... they're practically begging for internal conflict.
"Well, putting the grannies' ramblings aside—Piece, what do you think?"
I direct a question regarding the meeting's contents to Peace.
After all, every single person on that council is a personal acquaintance of hers.
"...Huh? Yes, isn't it fine to call them all grandmas? After all, whether someone is young or old is decided by age, right?"
""PEEAAACE—!!""
Talk about an unexpected betrayal.
No, that wasn't the point we were discussing.
"I don't know why the two of you hate being called old so much, but I'd fall into that category too. Though honestly, lumping us together with actual elderly people would be disrespectful to them."
"Eh? Why?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"You two have spent a bit of time walking around Weed, haven't you? The people who are referred to as 'elderly' by the citizens living there are the true seniors of society. They are individuals who have lived full, rigorous lives, accumulated vast experience, observed countless people, and continually protected the very foundation of daily life. Comparing them to blood-drenched individuals like us, who simply surrendered to our emotions, is immensely rude."
""......""
"You two should take the time to sit down and speak with the elderly folk resting in the public parks. While we were giving in to our emotions and slaughtering each other, they were desperately defending their villages, cultivating crops, protecting their children, and passing the torch to the next generation. If you talk to them, you will surely understand. Though... for me to give a grand lecture like this is rather hypocritical, considering I was taught this exact lesson myself."
Nod, nod. Bringing Peace over to Weed was definitely the right call. She's been studying diligently, proving that she really is a capable student when given the proper environment.
"Well, setting the moral philosophy aside for a moment—my original question was poorly phrased. What's your takeaway regarding the contents of that meeting?"
"Hm? Ah, that's what you meant. My apologies. As Sia and Kishua previously mentioned, their ultimate objective is almost certainly the complete extinction of humanity on this continent... For them to resort to the exact same extreme path I once chose, something truly catastrophic must have transpired... After all, the people they're trying to wipe out are the very same people they once fought to protect...."
"".......""
"Whatever drove them down that path is something we can ask them directly later on. But for now, it looks like the enemy is acting exactly as Sia and Kishua described."
"Yes. They intend to erase humanity from this continent. And they're moving to make sure they succeed."
Silence settled over us after Peace said that.
Eradicating all humans from the continent... absolute extinction, huh? Well... Judging from Aegil's journal, they must have fallen into complete despair.
The scale might be smaller here, but the core logic is practically identical to classic villain tropes.
"Alright then. Based on our intelligence, along with what Peace, Sia, and Kishua have told us, we now know the enemy's goal is to exterminate everyone on this continent. But for now, we're staying in Enaria. We'll continue our investigation. And strengthen our network of connections."
"Eh!? Yuki-san, does that mean you're going to abandon everyone on this continent!?"
Riel turns to look at me with deeply saddened, pleading eyes.
"No, no, I have zero intention of abandoning anyone. But officially speaking, we're operating as mercenaries. On top of that, we're currently under active contract with Jilva. We can't just go gallivanting across foreign borders whenever we feel like it. Sure, it'd be great if we could launch a single, decisive strike to wipe out their main force in one go, but if we mess up, they'll just go deep underground, making them virtually impossible to track down. On the flip side, we can't exactly go around leaking enemy secrets to request official military interventions from various kingdoms either. Generally speaking, bringing up the dark secrets of the Holy Swords is a massive taboo—it's a historical stain that every nation wants to keep permanently buried."
"Ugh... Sorry, Yuki-san. I got a bit emotional. I see... so the best thing we can do right now is build strong relationships with as many nations as possible so we can move immediately when a crisis hits."
Listening to my explanation, Riel seems to realize how difficult it is to act recklessly without proper diplomatic backing and how delicate international relations can be.
"Exactly. The various kingdoms don't even realize that Sia's group of Holy Sword wielders has begun actively moving yet. Trying to warn them to stay vigilant under these conditions is practically impossible. That's why building a solid network of contacts here in Enaria and preparing ourselves for rapid deployment is crucial. Besides, there are still seven enemy wielders remaining. If they coordinate simultaneous attacks across multiple fronts, handling it will be extremely tough for us. To be frank, it's not like we can't wipe them all out in a single sweep—in fact, I'm confident we could. But doing so would defeat the point. The leaders of each nation need to learn why Sia, Kishua, and their companions were driven to unleash such extreme measures in the first place. This isn't an issue we should just gloss over and settle quietly amongst ourselves."
"I see... making up and resolving the root issue is really important, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
Riel's answer is correct. It's a painfully bright, idealistic answer.
Achieving true reconciliation will be an uphill battle, especially since their ancestors spent centuries hiding what they did. Forcing the current leadership to experience the fallout firsthand will serve as a harsh but necessary wake-up call.
"Still, since we hold the upper hand in intelligence, we'll make sure to keep collateral damage to an absolute minimum."
"""Yes!"""
Right. All that's left is to continuously track the enemy's movements through Nina's feed and adjust our mitigation strategies accordingly. Doing so will allow us to stack up massive diplomatic favors with various nations, putting us in a dominant position moving forward.
Though considering they've already initiated their strategy, we have to be prepared for a couple of minor nations to collapse along the way. Our available manpower simply isn't sufficient to cover every single front, after all.
"Alright, that wraps up tonight's emergency strategic meeting! Everyone go to sleep immediately!"
"""Okay!"""
"Also, you two old biddies over there—clean up the teacups before you head to bed."
""WE ARE NOT OLD BIDDIES!!""
Now that we've got our comedic punchline, time to get some shut-eye. Tomorrow is going to be another early morning.
Still, having direct access to the enemy's internal communications is great and all, but getting tapped in at 3:00 AM is a serious pain.
Next time, I'm definitely going to figure out how to set up an automated recording system...
