episode_0041

I took command of the subjugation force, with Milaia at the forefront.

The members of the subjugation force naturally did not take kindly to my actions.

But now that I was no longer visible, if anyone disobeyed orders or showed displeasure, I would not hesitate to threaten them through Milaia.

“Grroar….”

Even the creatures that had been eyeing me as if they were going to devour me all lowered their tails when Milaia issued a sharp warning.

The plan to divide the subjugation force into two to deal with the demons was completely scrapped, and the divided units were reorganized according to my standards.

In particular, the knight representative, Damon, received warnings from Milaia twice.

Once for opposing the plan to divide the subjugation force into two for a preemptive attack.

And once for secretly badmouthing me among the adventurers.

Now, whenever he sees me, he turns his head and avoids me with gritted teeth.

It must be intolerable for them to see me, a Silver Adventurer, manipulating the subjugation force through Milaia.

Indeed, it is an absurd situation that is hard to tolerate even for me.

But Milaia’s presence forced them to accept it against their will.

There was no way to make her accept it even if I told her a lie in front of her.

Thanks to that, I could focus solely on dealing with the demons of the subjugation force without paying much attention to the gazes of the members.

If I had known it would turn out like this, I should have actively used Milaia from the beginning when the atmosphere was ruined.

“Yunoa has become a tyrant ruling over the subjugation force by taking advantage of Milaia’s reliance on him.

His despicable behavior of manipulating the subjugation force at will through Milaia was truly unmatched.”

It’s noisy.

I can’t help being called despicable.

After all, the entire subjugation force treated me that way first.

When Milaia forced me into the subjugation force, they actually had a choice.

One was to grumble and complain, wondering, ‘Why does that guy get special treatment?’

The other was to try to understand, thinking, ‘But Milaia personally chose him, so there must be a reason, right?’

But no one did that.

They chose their own path.

So, I had no choice but to use Milaia’s authority to the fullest extent as they thought.

No matter how much I disliked the current situation, I couldn’t just run away as a member of the subjugation force.

This subjugation force was organized through a summons order from the kingdom, not a guild request.

Leaving the subjugation force without permission is no different from a soldier deserting.

Well, it seems like they don’t even consider that possibility, as Milaia is watching over the subjugation force with keen eyes.

With a newfound peace of mind, I climbed to a high place in the Horn Canyon to observe the situation where the demons were most visible.

Anyway, now that I have taken command, I must do my best to prevent the subjugation force from falling apart.

It was at that moment, while looking at the dark mass of demons in the distance, that Sharie, who had been sticking close to my head, suddenly flew forward.

And then she was staring quietly in the direction of the demon realm.

“I see. That side must be your homeland, right?”

Nodding.

Sharie nodded slightly as she turned to look at me.

It was said that the demons were the ones commanding the demons that the subjugation force had to fight.

It feels a bit strange to think that while looking at Sharie, who is a demon.

But then, Sharie made an unexpected offer to me.

“Huh? You want to help in some way too?”

Nodding.

Sharie nodded with a smile.

“We might end up fighting against demons.”

As I spoke, Sharie showed me scenes of various demons.

I always feel that it’s a strange way of communication to say everything you want to say without actually speaking.

“Do you think demons are like humans, with good and bad ones like me and Patton? Are demons who enjoy fighting bad demons?”

Shari makes a subtle expression.

Nodding once, shaking her head once.

And then, various scenes pass through her mind again.

“I don’t know if the other demon is a bad demon, but I hope I can get through it unharmed, right?”

Shari nods vigorously.

Then, after spinning around me for a moment, she suddenly disappears into the ground.

“Shari?”

I call out her name as she doesn’t reappear.

“What, where did she go?”

But there was no response.

* * *

We prepared a defense line in the Horn Canyon to prepare for the attack of the monsters.

With supplies from the supply carts, knights and soldiers set up barricades at the entrance of the canyon.

In narrow areas of the canyon, rocks were placed on the cliffs to be able to roll down boulders at any time, and personnel were stationed on high peaks to monitor the situation of the monsters.

Adventurers were categorized based on their specialties such as close combat, long-range attacks, reconnaissance, and support from the rear.

“Yunoa, who lacks combat experience, was preparing for the defense with the knowledge she had picked up somewhere.

The expedition members followed Yunoa’s orders, but they couldn’t understand why they were doing this.

To others, the monsters visible beyond the canyon seemed like they could easily be defeated if attacked now.

However, the people couldn’t understand why Yunoa was preparing for defense instead of attacking.』

Well, that’s how it is.

The fact that the strength of the monster forces is not just what you see was a fact that only I knew through the narration.

From the perspective of the expedition members, it would be puzzling why we didn’t divide into two units as initially decided to proceed with the expedition.

But there was no other way.

Even if the expedition members didn’t understand it right away, it was better to prepare for defense.

To add credibility to my decision to strengthen the defense in the canyon, I asked some adventurers to scout.

Although I used Milaia to forcibly take command, it was still better to provide evidence for the expedition to fight properly.

There were morale issues, and simply pushing ‘attack when I say so’ had its limits.

To do that, we needed to find evidence that the strength of the monsters we were facing was stronger than it seemed.

“We’re at a stalemate.”

Milaia said, looking in the direction of the monsters.

“We need to make them come in first.”

“If it were me as usual, I would have attacked right away.”

“…”

“But since it’s Yunoa’s decision, there must be a reason.”

She said so, gripping the handle of her longsword at her waist.

It was truly grateful that she blindly believed in me in this situation.

I was a bit scared too because I didn’t know the reason, but it was what it was.

* * *

As the sun began to set, darkness fell over the Horn Canyon.

The adventurers who had gone out for reconnaissance began to return one by one to report their findings.

“Um… there doesn’t seem to be anything strange.”

I listened to the reports of the adventurers who had returned from reconnaissance, marking any unusual findings on the map.

They reported that there were no hidden monsters or suspicious places near the canyon.

I also received reports on the two groups of monsters that were visible in the distance.

“There’s no problem, but is it really okay to stay here like this? Monsters become stronger when they gather. If the two groups of monsters we’re facing merge, it will be a tough battle for us.”

A scout standing next to me cautiously opened his mouth while glancing at Mileia.

“Lately, the frequency of monster appearances has been strangely high, and the monsters are moving more intelligently than before, aren’t they? It’s better to be careful. It’s strange that those monsters don’t attack us immediately even when they see us. Moreover, this place is so close to the demon realm that it’s visible. There must be something going on.”

I tried to explain with all sorts of reasons that seemed reasonable for the other person to understand.

The scout nodded hesitantly and then returned to his position as if there was nothing he could do.

There were constantly people coming to me, questioning the current situation of the extermination squad fortifying the canyon.

Every time that happened, I somehow managed to come up with a reason and sent them away after explaining.

It was inevitable.

The narration clearly stated that the main base of the monsters was hidden, but as a scout, I couldn’t find any evidence.

Rather than just dismissing those who came with legitimate doubts by saying, “You’re just being paranoid,” I tried to create reasons to respond as much as possible.

“Yunoa explained the reasons to those who had doubts about the current policy of the extermination squad one by one.

Although he was simply telling them the reasons he had come up with on the spot by combining various facts, this approach brought about a small change.”

Huh? What change?

“Yunoa’s meticulous explanation of why he was building the defense line and focusing on reconnaissance left an impression on some adventurers. They had thought of him as just a silver-grade adventurer who relied on Mileia without any thought, but now they began to consider whether he was actually a capable person.”

This is good news after a long time.

Could it be that the persuasive power of “Mileia brought him here for a reason” unintentionally emerged due to the combination of my cautious attitude in reconnaissance and Mileia’s stubbornness in trying to bring me even if it meant delaying the departure of the extermination squad?

Well, if it means that even a few people who had some resentment towards me are decreasing, then it’s a good thing for me.

“Hmm?”

But then, I see a blurry figure on the ground.

It looks strange, so I stare at it quietly, and suddenly it floats up and reveals its form.

“Shari?”

It’s Shari, who disappeared into the ground suddenly during the day, coming back.