"Haah!"
"Grr!"
"Muuh!? You're fast! Even though you're weak, you're quick! Just hurry up and let me kill you!"

A few minutes had passed since the battle began.
The fight was evenly matched.

I was holding the front line alongside Bran. My role was to focus entirely on evading the enemy’s attacks using my All-Seeing Vision.
As for Bran, he was employing his remarkable agility to perform hit-and-run attacks repeatedly.

The lower demon couldn’t zero in on a target, growing visibly frustrated.

Adding to its woes,

"Inferno of Envy!"
"Guh!?"

Lycia, stationed at a distance, occasionally launched her Inferno of Envy spell. The holy energy imbued in her magic proved to be especially troublesome for the lower demon, making its movements sluggish as it split its attention.

The damage to the lower demon was accumulating steadily.
It seemed we were just a step away from victory.

But then, something unexpected happened.

"Huh? What is this!?"
"This presence... Could it be...?"
"Grrrr…"

An oppressive aura pierced through the air, as though blades were digging into our skin.

Lycia, Bran, and I instinctively tensed in response to the presence.

And then, they appeared.

"We’ve been instructed to regroup."
"Eliminate them all at once."

From above, two more lower demons descended.

Now there were three lower demons standing before us.

It was almost enough to overwhelm us with despair—until reinforcements arrived.

"Sorry, Ike! I let it get away! Wait, what? Who’s that unfamiliar wolf!?"
"I failed to finish it. Apologies. Its fur looks fluffy. I want to pet it."
"Flare, Tetra!"

The two who arrived were Flare and Tetra, adding a touch of lighthearted commentary even as they brought news of their fight.

Apparently, the two additional lower demons were not newly spawned foes but rather ones Flare and Tetra had been battling.

I breathed a small sigh of relief that at least the enemy’s numbers hadn’t increased further.

Shifting my gaze to the new arrivals, I noticed they were both injured.
Not enough to be defeated, but they were clearly worn out.

"It’s because of their matchups…"

Compared to their previous battle, Flare and Tetra had grown significantly stronger.
But the reason they couldn’t finish the lower demons off was simple: they weren’t equipped with the abilities necessary to deal the finishing blow to demonic beings.

There was no need for pessimism, though.

What mattered was what we did next.

The convergence of the lower demons was indeed troublesome.
But with Flare and Tetra here, the situation had become more manageable.
And with Lycia—capable of delivering the final blow to demons—on our side, we could handle this.

All we had to do was seize the opportunity.

With that in mind, I declared boldly:

"Alright! Let’s take them all down together!"
"Yeah!"
"Roger!"
"Understood!"

The three of them responded confidently.

Yet, the real shock was still to come.

"...Huh? What’s that?"

Just as we were about to charge, I noticed someone standing on the edge of my vision.

A figure cloaked in a pitch-black robe, hood drawn low, slowly walking toward us.

Could it be a civilian who had been unable to evacuate in time?
But if so, they seemed oddly composed.

As I pondered, the cloaked figure did something that left me utterly stunned.

"Hey! Don’t go near those things!"

To my disbelief, the person was heading straight for the three lower demons.

Momentarily dumbfounded, I quickly called out to stop them.

But the figure didn’t stop.

"Don’t worry; there’s no need for concern."

Ignoring my warning, the figure continued to approach.
The voice, soft yet commanding, suggested the person was a woman.

What was she thinking?

She was getting dangerously close to the demons.

"Flare! Tetra! Protect that person!"
"Got it!"
"On it."

Grasping my intent, the two rushed to the woman’s aid.

And then, the unthinkable happened.

"Stay back. Deal with them."
"What!?"
"Kyah!?"
"Nggh!"

The moment the woman muttered those words, the three lower demons moved, attacking Flare and Tetra.

The two narrowly dodged with their excellent reflexes, but that wasn’t the issue.

The most puzzling part was what had just occurred.

"The lower demons... responded to her command?"

From her words to their actions, it was clear they were following her orders.

But how?

Wasn’t she human?

Why would demons, sworn enemies of humans, obey her?

Could it have been mere coincidence?

I considered the possibility for a moment but quickly dismissed it.

The demons had positioned themselves to shield her, clearly protecting her.

"Could she really be controlling these demons…?"
"Indeed, that’s how it appears," Lycia confirmed.
"What do we do, Ike? If we attack the demons, that person might interfere…"
"Should we knock her out first?"

We all exchanged our thoughts as I pushed my brain to its limits.

Then, I noticed Iris trembling beside me.

"Iris?"
"No... It can’t be… That’s impossible…"

Her eyes reflected confusion, fear, and anger, swirling into a complex expression.

What on earth had shaken her so deeply?

Before I could ask, the woman surrounded by demons spoke.

"You look so puzzled. Allow me to explain a little."

Although her face remained hidden beneath the hood, I could sense the smirk in her voice.

"The ranks of demons are many and varied… Among them, lesser demons like these are often artificially created by higher demons—those of the demon race—using their own magic power."

As she spoke, the woman placed a hand on her hood.

"And in this world, there are those who can command such created beings. Surely you’re familiar with the concept?"

With that, she removed her hood.

Revealing herself was a woman with honey-colored hair flowing to her shoulders and a soft expression.

Her beauty was undeniable, but to me, it appeared utterly terrifying.

I wasn’t the only one shaken.

"It’s you… I knew it…"

"Oh my, it seems you know who I am," the woman said, amusement laced in her tone.

Iris’s voice trembled, as though she were holding something back.

"Iris, do you know her?"
"…I do. There’s no way I could forget. Because that woman—"

Iris clutched the necklace at her chest, as if steeling herself to say the words.

"She’s Shion, the Puppeteer. The woman who betrayed my mother!"

With a voice full of conviction, Iris delivered her shocking declaration.