“Now isn’t the time for breakfast,” Reiji said. “Tia.”
“Yes. Let’s head to the tower for now,” Titania said. “If they’re seventy kilometers away, we should be able to see them from there.”
“Reiji-dono, we shall confirm the situation as quickly as possible,” Almadious said, his expression grave and stiff. “If the time comes, please lend us your power.”
“Yes! Of course!” Reiji replied.
On Titania’s suggestion, Reiji’s group left their meals for later and ran for the tower.
News of a demon invasion was so sudden that it didn’t seem real, but Reiji and the others still followed Titania to the highest tower in Castle Camellia. Looking out the window, they saw the capital sprawling out before them, the mountains far off in the distance, and...
“That’s...”
“No way...”
A black mass was squirming about. This was, of course, not a mountain. Nor was it a forest. The black mass was composed of individual beings moving about: an army. They appeared like a swarm of insects gathering for warmth in the winter.
What’s more, the thundercloud-like masses in the sky were yet another army. Reiji squinted to try and get a better view. He formed a ring with his thumb and index finger, then looked through it. While he couldn’t make out the fine details, he could see individual silhouettes. There was no mistaking the cloudy black power that was characteristic of demons. What was gathering in the sky were clearly winged demons.
“Well?” Graziella prompted.
“It’s definitely demons,” Reiji said.
“How fast are they advancing?” Graziella asked.
“Well...” Reiji wasn’t sure how to answer that.
“It’s difficult to say from here, but a normal army would only need two days,” Titania conjectured. “Demons come in many shapes and forms, so taking that into consideration, we might have three or four days at most.”
“But where did they come from?” Graziella said, clearly bewildered by this. “It should be impossible for them to get this far without anyone noticing...”
She had a point. The nobles defending the borders would’ve noticed such an enormous army’s advance. It was doubtful that they’d forgotten to send word or been annihilated before being able to do so. So why were they here? How was this possible?
But Reiji already had a clue as to how this impossible advance had been accomplished. Yes. Suimei had once spoken of a demon who could manipulate space. Perhaps that ability could connect the demons’ territory to the middle of Astel, allowing them to instantly transport an army. Considering the amount of power that had to be exhausted to accomplish such a feat, it probably couldn’t be done at a moment’s notice, but it didn’t sound impossible.
“The demon from the last war...he may be responsible,” Reiji said.
“Reiji-kun. Reiji-kun. What do you mean by that?” Mizuki asked.
“The demon who showed up during the invasion in Nelferia,” Reiji elaborated. “The one with horns and gold hair.”
“That one... You mean the demon who spoke with Suimei,” Graziella said.
If Reiji remembered correctly, the demon had identified himself as Lishbaum. Suimei had called him Kudrack.
“But why now?” Graziella continued. “If they were capable of such a feat, they could’ve done so far sooner. They could’ve done it during the invasion in Nelferia too.”
“I don’t know,” Reiji said. “But that’s the only thing I can think of with the information we have.”
“I suppose there’s no point asking how or why at this point,” Graziella said. “They’re here now. That’s an undeniable fact. Princess Titania, what’s the status of Astel’s army?”
“The army is mobilizing,” Titania answered. “We’ve requested reinforcements already. More soldiers are gathering from all local regions, so they should be arriving sooner or later.”
“We can only pray for sooner,” Graziella said, her expression even more grim than during the last war.
“Graziella-san...” Reiji said.
“This’ll likely be a siege,” Graziella added, turning to him.
“A siege...” Reiji repeated.
That would mean holing up in the castle or the city and fighting from there, a first for Reiji. Since he had only fought in open fields and mountainous areas, this would be completely different than what he knew.
“There’s no need to worry that much,” Graziella reassured him. “We don’t need to annihilate the enemy. In a siege, we only need to hold out long enough for our reinforcements to reach us.”
“It looks backbreaking to stave off that many of them, though,” Reiji commented.
“Princess Titania, how confident are you that the capital can be protected?” Graziella asked.
“It has been decades since Metel was last attacked,” Titania said. “There’s no telling what will happen.”
In other words, nobody currently alive had any knowledge or experience of sieges. It was definitely going to be a harsh battle.
“This just had to happen while Suimei and the others are away...” Reiji muttered.
“It’s been a week or so since Suimei-kun went back, right?” Mizuki said. “They might’ve even returned already.”
“Let’s send word to the Empire right away,” Reiji said.
“Indeed. We don’t have a moment to waste,” Graziella agreed. “If he returns, things should work out one way or another.”
They started to feel hope. Suimei would be able to get here from the Empire in an instant... and if not, he would at least be able to do so very quickly using his magicka. Reiji simply believed this to be the case.
“Reiji-sama,” Titania said. “I believe you will be asked to participate in the vanguard of the initial battle.”
“Mm.” Reiji nodded. “To improve morale, right?”
“Y-Yes. Exactly,” Titania confirmed, somewhat bewildered.
“What’s this? You seem more composed than expected,” Graziella said with an unexpected look.
“Yes. I have this,” Reiji said, pulling the Sacrament from his pocket.
It was the mysterious white ornament embedded with an azure glow. Anyone who didn’t know about it wouldn’t see it as a weapon even if they were told it was one. This was a Sacrament, a paranormal armament that had been brought to this world by one of the heroes who’d been summoned here in the past.
“The Ishar Cluster, was it?” Graziella said. “A terrifying weapon. I can certainly see why you’re confident.”
“Ah! The legendary weapon!” Mizuki exclaimed.
“Yeah. I doubt I can lose so long as I have this,” Reiji said.
“Right?! You even defeated that huge golem!” Mizuki said. “A demon army will be nothing!”
It was just as she said. With this power, it wasn’t out of the question to battle an entire army. Suimei had told him of exactly such a thing happening in their own world. If one of these could contend against all the weapons of the modern world, it wasn’t likely to fail against a demon army. Besides, holding it in his hand, he felt confident that he could fight anything, though he had nothing to base it on. He simply had a feeling that he could fight against anyone for as long as he wanted. However...
Reiji stared at the Lapis Judaix embedded within it. The gem radiated an azure glow that felt like it could suck him straight into its light. Staring into it made him feel like he was looking into a bottomless lake or an endless blue sky. Had the voice within this gem, the one calling out to him all this while, known that this battle would happen?
“Crave it. Pray for it. Reach out and take it.”
When he closed his eyes, he could hear the voice repeating in his head.