“First, as you can see on the situation board, our allies and the enemies are currently at a standoff here, centered around this hill. And regarding the difference in power on both sides… to be honest, we are currently a bit lacking. Moreover, as it progresses, it is continuously tilting just a little bit.”

The area Commander Pin was pointing at was quite a distance away. It seems like the battlefield was divided into the middle of the fighting and the central command of the Empire, where they were coordinating the field operations.

“Originally, Commander Karina should have welcomed you all, but in order to stop the enemy’s advance, the General is indispensable, so I had no choice but to stay here in her place. I hope you understand.”

Even though she was someone from the military with whom I had no ties, I had heard the name Karina before. As a Sword Master myself and having run into quite a few Sword Masters lately, it might seem common, but no matter what, a Sword Master is a Sword Master.

Even in the Empire, which has the most Sword Masters on the continent, there hadn’t been more than seven until a few years ago. The number only grew to nine when Selian and I reached the Sword Master level over the last three years.

“Commander Karina is here? It’s been a while since I’ve seen her face.”

“Oh! By the way, Yuli… you were also under Commander Karina along with General Mila, weren’t you?”

“…Just speak comfortably. It’s more concerning when you try to force yourself to change your words.”

“Ah, no! I just got a bit awkward for a moment!”

Thinking back to my past life, there’s no way Karina, a Sword Master and a commander, wouldn’t have been on my assassination list. The Guild Master at that time had started to act thoroughly aligned with the demonic side at one point. However, Karina had already lost her life even before I could act, and thus naturally got erased from my assassination list.

“By the way, is it possible for Karina to hold down the Four Heavenly King Vulcan by herself?”

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind, and I asked Pin.

No matter how exceptional Karina is, there are clear limits. This isn’t disregarding her abilities, it’s just a plain fact. Comparing a Sword Master to a demonic entity, their levels are roughly similar to that of high-ranking demonic beings.

Of course, the deviation is so extreme that there are Four Heavenly Kings among the demonic races who far surpass other high-ranking demons, while also there are Sword Masters strong enough to easily handle high-ranking demons. In fact, I’ve dealt with several high-ranking demons over the past three years.

However, the youngest among the Sword Masters, Karina, would find it difficult to stop one of the Four Heavenly Kings, Vulcan.

While Selian and I might outwardly appear to be around twenty, behind that lies a wealth of experiences that transcend age. Selian has had multiple experiences as a Hero, and I’ve also done my part as a Hero and an Assassin contributing to the destruction of the continent.

In contrast, Karina is someone who has not even been a Sword Master for ten full years yet. Compared to the Four Heavenly King Vulcan, she inevitably comes up short. Even the earlier statement that we are a bit lacking might be considered exaggerated. No matter the battle between armies, an absolute powerhouse can entirely change the dynamics of the battlefield.

“…That is certainly true. However, there is a Great Wizard supporting us from the Mage Tower, so thankfully, we’re barely holding on.”

Well, needless to say, the strength of a Great Wizard varies greatly. Unlike Sword Masters who purely pursue strength, for Wizards, achievement does not automatically equate to sheer power.

“If I may continue, in addition to the Four Heavenly King Vulcan, we need to be wary of two other high-ranking demons. In fact, due to the Commander and the Wizard holding off Vulcan, there have been more casualties from the two high-ranking demons than from Vulcan itself.”

Pin placed two more pieces of news on the situation board.

Interpreting Pin’s words differently implies that due to Commander Karina and the Great Wizard fending off Vulcan and the two high-ranking demons, there have been significant sacrifices among the soldiers. Unless the two could defeat Vulcan, or unless a new superhuman appeared on the battlefield to handle the high-ranking demons, the longer it went on, the more casualties we would inevitably suffer.

“Sigh…”

It seems Yuli, being a soldier herself and planning to rejoin the army after exterminating the Demon King, was conscious of this and softly sighed while half-covering her face. It’s possible that among the casualties, there were some of Yuli’s subordinates, and even if not, all of them are like comrades, so it makes sense for her to feel this way.

Wanting to offer words of comfort but unsure what to say, I instead reached under the table and gently placed my hand on her thigh. I lightly patted her thigh to console her and, as a gesture of encouragement, gently squeezed her thigh.

Then, Yuli, who had been making a sorrowful expression, unexpectedly stared at me with a very flustered look. Ironically, I was the one who became more confused at her questioning gaze.

What’s up with that? I wondered if something else was behind me, so I turned my head only to find Selian, whose expression was as cold as ice.

…Wait?

Slowly following Selian’s gaze, I turned my head back and noticed it landing on Yuli’s thigh. There, my hand was gently massaging and kneading her thigh.

…Oops!

It was only then that I understood Yuli’s flustered appearance and Selian’s icy stare. My intention to discreetly comfort Yuli was now an act that looked remarkably like something a pervert would do.

And I couldn’t even excuse it away as a joke; who would joke around while briefing the situation on the battlefield? Even if they thought it could be a joke, what kind of lunatic would fool around in a serious context where lives are on the line?

Am I a pervert or a lunatic? I was cornered in a situation where I couldn’t move in any direction. Yet, I couldn’t blame anyone; it was entirely due to my own mistake that this misunderstanding happened.

“Then, we’re running out of time. We should move right away.”

If I acted awkwardly here, it would only lead to more misunderstandings. Thus, I decided to act even more brazenly. If either of the two brought this up later, I could explain it then.

With that in mind, I casually lowered my hand from Yuli’s thigh and quickly opened my mouth to divert their attention.

I wasn’t just trying to dodge the situation; countless innocent soldiers were likely dying on the battlefield even now. The quicker we moved, the sooner we would deal with Vulcan and the high-ranking demons, and the fewer casualties there would be. There was no time to waste.

“Of course, I have no doubt about Yuli’s strength or the Hero’s power, but at the very least… we should prepare ourselves before going.”

In the midst of this, Pin seemed to think my words came from a rush of youthful arrogance due to the urgency of the situation, so he started to persuade me with a concerned tone. If he had looked at me like a rookie and uttered such words, I probably wouldn’t have responded well. However, his expression genuinely reflected concern for our safety. Hence, I answered him with just a hint of irritation, lifting the corners of my mouth slightly as I replied.

“There’s no need for you to worry. Despite appearances, our party is quite strong.”

Although that “quite” differs significantly from what he might be thinking.

To be honest, our party’s overall strength is practically an overkill at this point. I could single-handedly cover the gap against two high-ranking demons. And if my companions joined in… well, I wouldn’t need to say more.

So, I brushed off Pin’s worries and stood up to hurry toward action.

This was certainly not running away.

*

In place of Pin, another soldier was tasked with guiding us to the battlefield where Karina was located. Given that we had to match the soldier’s pace, the time it took was unavoidable.

As I followed the guiding soldier, I kept an eye on Selian and Yuli. Fortunately, the two seemed to have returned to their usual expressions, not wanting to dwell on what had just happened.

“Phew…”

With a sigh of relief, I sneakily turned my head and shot a glance at Lindy. Recently, I had come to realize that she was a substantial cause of my increasingly perverted behavior. Her perverted tendencies must have rubbed off on me.

“What’s wrong, Elysia? Is there something on my face?”

“…No. Nothing at all.”

Yeah. This isn’t my fault. It’s all Lindy’s doing, the perverted lesbian.