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In the midst of a battlefield where humans and the Demonic Race were at odds, there stood a girl.

She was positioned at the front of her group, yet her attire was light, as if she had merely gone out for a stroll.

Although a battle could erupt at any moment, with the possibility of blind arrows flying in, the girl calmly gazed at the Demonic Race side.

At least the higher-ranking demonic beings were not visible, but there stood one intermediate demonic being, likely the commander, accompanied by several lower-ranking demonic beings. Plus, there were dozens to hundreds of demonic monsters and beings forming an army.

Considering the scale of the war surrounding the continent, one might argue it’s not a large number, but it certainly wasn’t insignificant either.

On our side, however, there were only about ten people standing behind the girl.

Out of those, only one was armored, while the others were merely accompanying her.

“Those demonic beings really are a nuisance until we get home. Don’t you agree, Lupin?”

“It seems the demonic beings sensed that the young lady was returning and have been waiting to ambush us. Please be cautious.”

Knight Lupin took a subtle step back as he said this.

Having failed to stop his daughter from volunteering for the army, he sent the most trusted Lupin to guard her, yet instead of stepping forward to protect her, Lupin retreated, creating distance from her.

However, no one pointed this out. In fact, they considered it completely natural, even reassuring the horses with calm words so they wouldn’t be spooked before the upcoming battle.

Not long after, the demonic side finally moved.

Demonic monsters and beings led the charge, followed by lower-ranking demonic beings. As the distance closed, the girl simply lifted one hand calmly.

Then, another girl appeared beside her.

“It seems unnecessary for me to step out as well. Come, my trio!”

A girl with light sky-blue hair popped into existence, lightly raising her hand and clapping.

This was followed by three knights appearing after the girl.

Unlike the two girls in fluttery outfits, these three knights were properly armored.

Although they looked sturdy, facing dozens or hundreds of enemies, the number three felt woefully inadequate. Despite this, the girl lowered her hand without concern, commanding them to charge forward without a hint of hesitation.

However, as soon as the three knights took a step forward, an additional ten soldiers emerged behind them.

Boom! As they stepped forward again with another heavy thud, twenty soldiers appeared behind them this time.

Step by step, it continued.

What started with three knights soon formed into a single army.

The count was exactly 99 when combined with the knights.

Though they each bore different appearances, they undeniably existed there.

Finally, the groups collided.

Despite this, the steps of the knights and soldiers did not falter. Their swords, spears, and even their empty hands tore into the enemies.

Of course, the Demonic Race side wasn’t without resistance, as the human soldiers were also facing counterattacks. A demonic being, having lost an arm to a soldier’s attack, stabbed the soldier’s heart with the sword in its remaining arm.

And in that moment, the soldier vanished into thin air with a light pop, as if they had never existed. Before the demonic being could respond, another soldier completely decapitated the demonic being.

A short while later, the soldier who had disappeared suddenly reappeared, diving back into the battlefield as if they had always been there.

Such scenes were witnessed all over the battlefield.

They did not die. Unless struck by an overwhelming attack that could harm the spirit or sever the connection with the summoner, any attack of this level merely sent their physical form back. And due to the summoner’s immense skill, they would reconstitute their body almost immediately.

Then, did this army have no weaknesses?

Of course, this army had vulnerabilities. Being initiated by a single summoner, the moment the summoner was killed, the army would vanish like a phantom.

The intermediate demonic being, leader of the demonic side, realized this fact swiftly.

At that moment, as their forces clashed, the summoner was standing far away, calmly watching the battlefield. Only one old knight stood a step back as a guard, and there was merely a frail girl by the summoner’s side.

Thus, the intermediate demonic being lifted their spear overhead. Just one strike is all it would take. If they could topple the summoner, victory in this battle would be assured.

They gathered all their magic. Focusing on the movements of their muscles, they stepped forward. One step, another step.

Rushing forward with the spear raised, they threw it with optimal trajectory.

The spear was their specialty. A spear they believed was faster than an arrow and stronger than magic.

Swoosh!

The spear sliced through the air and reached before the girl before any sound could be heard. Meanwhile, the girl’s gaze remained fixed on her army. Even the knight standing guard failed to notice the spear’s approach, remaining still a step back.

However, just before the thick spear, draped in magic, could pierce the girl’s head, the light-haired girl beside her intervened.

Was she trying to sacrifice herself? But the spear’s momentum was fierce; it was evident that it would pierce both her and the girl effortlessly.

It was surely going to happen.

Yet, the spear, slicing through the air momentarily, suddenly came to a halt in a truly unreal manner. The powerful gust from the spear’s force didn’t even swirl around; only a gentle breeze rustled the girl’s hair.

Despite the distance, the intermediate demonic being felt their gaze meet the girl blocking the spear. No, it was more than merely meeting eyes.

– How dare you glare at me? Are you looking to die? Of course, I’d kill you even without this.

A chilling voice echoed as if standing right beside them.

– Well… it’s a possession with a master, so I’ll return this spear.

Given the distance, it shouldn’t have been possible, yet the voice was unmistakably clear. It was no mere hallucination.

– Then let’s see how well you catch it.

That cold voice addressed the demonic being.

Thud!

With his death.

*

“Hmm? What’s wrong, Linne?”

“Nothing, just catching a pesky bug that was bothering me.”

In response to Yuli’s question, Linne waved her hand dismissively and answered nonchalantly. There wasn’t a significant lie in it from Linne’s perspective. Of course, the bug was a tad bigger and quite skilled at flying.

Before they knew it, the fight had ended. The truth is, it was less a fight and more of a massacre. With overwhelming strength and, moreover, they didn’t even die. It was a battle they couldn’t lose even if they wanted to.

Once the massacre concluded, the army returned as spirits, leaving only three knights standing in front of Yuli.

“Everyone did wonderfully! Yuli, you can stay inside now; I’ll protect you.”

At Linne’s words, the three knights placed their hands at their waists and lifted signs that they seemed to have pulled from nowhere.

Three signs with circles drawn on them. Now that they’d formed a formal contract, they could speak, but they still preferred to communicate using signs.

Seeing this made Yuli chuckle, and the three knights vanished with satisfied expressions.

Instead, Linne swooped Yuli up and sat her on the saddle.

“Well then, Lupin, let’s set off right away.”

Without even waiting to hear Lupin’s response, Linne lightly smacked the horse’s rear.

The intelligent horse, resembling its master, showed no signs of surprise and started walking along the path, followed by Lupin and the rest of the group.

*

“Welcome back. It’s been a while…”

As they returned to the territory, Craig, who had heard the news in advance and come out to greet them, cheerfully embraced Yuli and Linne with both arms. Since Craig had already recognized Linne as his daughter, it was simply inconceivable to treat them differently.

It was enough that he had hurt his daughter with past mistakes.

“… You visited last time even after taking the liberty of showing up.”

Since Craig was one of the nine Sword Masters in the continent, even being a commander in the Empire, no one could stop his movements. Of course, the Grand General, also a Sword Master, had scolded Craig on the behalf of his subordinates, but he didn’t care at all.

Eventually, news of his love for his daughter spread through the ranks, and Yuli ended up avoiding eye contact with her subordinate soldiers for a while.

“Oh! By the way, I heard there’s a guest come looking for you.”

However, irrespective of his daughter’s displeased voice, Craig continued nonchalantly.

“Huh? A guest?”

Finally, Craig released his embrace of Yuli and Linne, raising one hand to point to the side.

Having only served a short time and being able to discharge quickly was due to his father Craig’s influence, but also thanks to the consideration of the Grand General, who was Yuli’s direct superior.

Of course, there were accomplishments to back it up as well.

In the meantime, the Grand General continued to help facilitate Yuli’s discharge while constantly encouraging her to remain in the army. Especially during such tumultuous times, it would be easier to get promoted. As one of the few capable women in a male-dominated army, Yuli must have been a talent the Grand General didn’t want to let go.

Yet, Yuli had no regrets about the military. Ranks held no interest for her whatsoever. She had joined the army solely to gain strength and experience. There was no betterplace than the battlefield to genuinely harness the power of spirit magic.

Having sufficiently achieved the strength and experience she desired, Yuli felt no attachment to the military now.

So, upon hearing that a guest had perhaps come to detain her, she thought it might be someone the Grand General had sent—and the person who caught her eye was unexpected.

“Selian…”

“Sorry for being late. Now… let’s go find her.”

Unlike the Grand General, who flaunted his rank, Selian’s words were more than enough to capture Yuli’s interest.