The path had been cleared.
The allied forces would soon detect the involvement of an unknown power, but not just yet.
And if the path was cleared too soon, other monsters would undoubtedly take their place.
Therefore, our troops have some time to spare until the allied forces commence their next advance.
I need to check the situation at the allied base.
Heinrich von Schwarz is to be assassinated.
However, the exact timing is unknown.
Thus, it was decided to monitor the movements at the allied base.
Although information could be obtained from Sarkegaar, who was already infiltrated, it was necessary to verify it with my own eyes.
Not only Heinrich's issue, but there were many things I wanted to see and confirm personally.
How the Temple students were faring, and how they had changed.
And how Ellen's situation was progressing; I wanted to see it with my own eyes.
The other four strongly advised against it, considering it too dangerous, but I could perform some of the tasks that Sarkegaar could do.
I could not transform into a beast, but I could easily transform into a human.
The number of allied forces is large.
Too large, in fact.
Therefore, disguising myself as a member of the allied forces and wandering around the base was not a difficult task.
Besides, this war generally does not take any special measures against spy issues, including security.
The enemies are monsters that don't speak our language.
As they always challenge us to a head-on battle, there is no need for reconnaissance or surprise attacks. Thus, there is no existence of an information war. Bertus would know that I am not a danger, so he would not be on guard against my power.
Knowing that I am watching, he might have even designed the situation to make it easier for me to grasp. Of course, that seems like a bit of an exaggeration.
Dressed as an imperial officer, I arrived near the allied base.
Harriet had teleported me here.
"…This is incredible."
Even though I had heard about it, seeing the immense scale of the allied forces with my own eyes left me speechless.
In case of an emergency, I could escape using a scroll, and if there was no crisis, Harriet would be waiting at the designated place and time to take me back to Edina.
The deadline is tomorrow.
"Your Highness, do you remember your rank and affiliation?"
Sarkegaar, disguised as my attendant, stood beside me.
"Lieutenant Lindel of the 4th Training Command, attached to the Education Command of the Imperial 1st Legion."
Of course, it was a fabrication. There might be such a position, but there was no Lieutenant Lindel.
The reason for posing as an officer was to avoid being questioned about my identity by ordinary soldiers.
As for the affiliation with the Education Command, it was because they were in very small numbers at this allied base.
Their role was to train the recruits gathered through conscription offices on the Imperial Highway and then deploy them to this battlefield via mass teleportation along with supplies, so there was little need for them to be on-site.
However, there were still a few.
In fact, there were officers at the base, but their numbers were very small. This meant that there would be very few occasions when someone would question why they had never met a training officer like me before.
Other officers would simply accept the explanation that I was a training officer and move on.
Hence, a disguise had been created that allowed me to move around the base comfortably without interference.
It was Sarkegaar, who had managed to grasp the situation at the base in just two days, who recommended this disguise.
From the beginning, even this was not a necessary procedure.
With so many soldiers and officers stationed at the garrison, even those belonging to the same army couldn't possibly know each other.
Observing the overall situation of the allied forces was Sarkegaar's role.
There was only one thing I wanted to confirm with my own eyes.
The state of the Temple Royal-class garrison.
Sarkegaar was generally faithful to his duties.
I thought he'd manage on his own, but I had given Sarkegaar a rather daunting task.
Without any foundation, I had simply sent him, with the ability to transform, to enemy territory. Collect information, I said.
Yet in just two days, not only had he grasped the entire layout of the vast garrison and the distribution of the allied forces, but he had also come up with a plausible disguise for me, who could not transform into animals or insects.
No, but doing a good job in itself creates problems.
If he does well with nothing in enemy territory, I expect him to continue doing well, which creates a certain expectation.
What is an outstanding subordinate...?
Does doing a good job mean eventually taking on increasingly difficult tasks?
If being outstanding makes one more vulnerable, wouldn't it be better not to be outstanding?
The garrison was so noisy that even if Sarkegaar and I spoke casually, no one could eavesdrop.
“Move! Move it quickly!”
“Emergency assembly! Fourth squad, gather!”
Of course, shouts could be heard throughout the garrison.
Clang! Clang! Claaang!
Pusheeek!
Sounds like weapons being hammered echoed.
"It seems quite busy."
"Yes, while the higher-ranked fighters aren't too busy, equipping the lower-ranked soldiers with weapons takes a tremendous amount of time."
"I see..."
Master class fighters can use Aura Blades, and high-quality weapons are provided to the higher-ranked fighters. For example, enchanted weapons.
The longsword with the automatic repair function that Ellen and I used in Darkland is a valuable item. These high-quality items are more durable due to their original quality, even if damaged in battle.
Lower-ranked soldiers don't even have a chance to hold such weapons.
Inferior weaponry is their lot.
So, once they are sent into battle, even if they survive, their equipment is bound to be damaged.
Hence, countless weapons must be forged by blacksmiths in the garrison until they can withdraw from setting up the garrison.
Spears and swords, bows and arrows.
Clang! Clang!
Sounds of weapons being forged and polished, and the reddened faces of the allied forces' blacksmiths were visible.
Seeing firsthand how many people war requires, and how many more non-combatants, who in some ways are more important than combatants, must be attached, it felt real.
I knew in my head that war was not just about swords and spears, but seeing the bustling allied forces' garrison made the war feel tangible and close.
I too am playing a part in this war, but our small group can return to Edina, which can serve as a headquarters, at any time.
This army is so large that only a very limited number of them can travel long distances through mass teleportation.
Most of them won't be able to return home until the war is over, and strictly speaking, there will be even more who have lost their homes altogether.
I could also hear people's conversations if I focused.
“At least we're not starving. That's something.”
“What's the point if we die tomorrow?”
"Have you ever been so hungry you wanted to die? I'd rather be here."
In the midst of war, it was said that soldiers were the safest.
Some people thought it was better to be enlisted now, able to escape starvation, while others feared the shadow of death.
The hatred, fear, and hope of the people were felt as intensely as the war itself.
Conversations cursing me came and went, as did those praising Ellen.
There were those who worried about whether it was possible to sustain this army until the end of the war.
And there were conversations among officers concerned about the fate of humanity if the army were annihilated.
"What would happen if the Demon King attacked us now?"
"No matter how strong the Demon King is, we have Turner and the Hero here. How could he attack us without going mad?"
"Didn't you hear about the Demon King slaughtering dozens of Swordmasters in the Imperial City?"
"But in the end, he lost to the Hero. He was stabbed in the heart. The Demon King might already be dead."
I walked through the Allied Forces' base with a bitter smile.
"Wow... it's huge."
The base was vast, and there were many people.
So, there were too many conversations of various kinds.
Not only chit-chat but also the ever-present sounds of longing for a successor in an army like this were numerous.
And then there was something odd.
"Wow!"
Somewhere, soldiers gathered, admiring something. It seemed that something unexpected was happening there in the midst of war.
"Grr! Grr!"
"Told you, I can handle dogs."
There was a soldier making a scruffy brown dog sit and stand, performing simple tricks, and other soldiers watching.
"What... is there a dog here? Is it a military dog?"
Judging by the scruffy appearance and obvious mixed breed, it wasn't a military dog. It wasn't the kind of war to handle military dogs in the first place.
"It seems that surviving wild animals have been drifting into the Allied Forces' base. Or perhaps humans have found them and deliberately brought them in."
Just as humans were surviving this chaos, so were the animals.
"As you can see, the commanders seem to have no objections, as it helps boost the morale of the soldiers. There seem to be quite a few units like this."
It could have been rescued or sought out by humans, thinking they would protect it.
"Wow!"
The soldiers praised the simple tricks performed by the wild dog.
The survivors protected the surviving animals.
It was just a dog. They would probably feed it and take it with them, whether it belonged to a platoon or a company.
They would cherish the dog, even though it had no role in this war.
It was a meaningless act, but it was precious precisely because it was meaningless.
Sarkegaar watched the scene quietly.
"Your Majesty."
"Hmm."
"I wished for the destruction of all humans."
Sarkegaar watched the soldiers smiling at the single dog.
"But... I don't think I wanted this."
We were broken, so you should be broken too.
Sarkegaar had wanted that.
So, he watched the shattered humanity.
The scruffy wild dog.
What was the difference between that dog and humanity?
Sarkegaar seemed to have complicated thoughts. It wasn't about forgiving humanity or anything like that.
But seeing the pitifully broken things, it was impossible to simply hate them. It was a sort of inevitable emotion that he felt.
It was difficult to sum up our feelings in a single word.
All we could do was describe the landscape before our eyes.
Broken humanity laughs at a single dog.
We try to forget what we've lost, as we look at what's still left.
We passed through that scene.
"It's so damn far."
"Well, it's inevitable since the scale of the base is so large."
It took a considerable amount of time just to reach the location where the Temple forces were stationed within the vast allied base.
It wasn't for nothing that the officers moved on horseback within the base.
Of course, at this point, when we could run faster than horses in full sprint, there was no need for such things.
However, if someone with superhuman speed were to sprint through the base, it would inevitably lead to very awkward situations.
And since the Temple's garrison was considered quite important within the allied forces, it was located almost at the very center of the base, making the distance the same from any direction.
So, in the end, we managed to arrive at the location where the Temple forces were stationed within the allied base.
A significant number of Temple students had been conscripted into the military. And the Temple initially had a student population of over 100,000.
Thus, even if the force was made up of students, it was bound to be massive, and the combat prowess of the Temple students, even without Magic Body Strengthening, was on a different level compared to ordinary soldiers.
These were students who had either trained professionally in martial arts or had majored in magic.
The Temple's forces were not inferior even when compared to the main force of the allied army.
In addition, a vast number of weapons from the Temple had been placed in the hands of the students.
Sarkegaar and I entered the Temple garrison.
Naturally, the people coming and going, regardless of gender, were much younger on average compared to other garrisons.
They were students who had received the same education in the same environment, regardless of their social status.
However, many of them had lost their hometowns and countries as well.
Social status had become meaningless.
There were countless people who had lost their territories, even if they were imperial nobles.
So now, it was fair to say that everyone had become equal under the qualification of being a soldier from the student background since social status had truly become meaningless.
"They still hold classes in this environment."
"I suppose so."
I nodded in response to Sarkegaar's words.
Not only students but also teachers had joined the army.
They conducted not only combat-related classes but also occasional general education. As if to say that humanity had not yet perished.
While they couldn't frequently hold education for the future, they still held classes.
It would be the same for the Royal Class as well.
Of course, the Royal Class forces, which were even more important within the Temple's power, had almost no time for general education.
The Temple hadn't come to a complete standstill.
As long as there were students and teachers, education could take place.
As if to shout that education could happen outside the Temple as well.
With a rather despondent feeling, having witnessed the scenes I had described, Sarkegaar and I continued to walk.
At the very center of the Temple garrison, the Royal Class garrison.
I had no choice but to face the obstacle I already knew.
"A barrier..."
Around the area of the Royal Class garrison, a barrier was erected in a circular shape.
It was something I had been informed of even before Sarkegaar gathered the information.
"As I mentioned before, the Royal Class garrison has strict access control."
"...It seems so."
It seemed that there were too many people trying to catch a glimpse of Ellen Artorius, even from a distance. There were even some who attempted to infiltrate her quarters.
This wasn't something that happened in the original work.
Ludwig was the owner of the Alsbringer, and Ellen was the sister of the hero.
Their fame had skyrocketed once their identities were revealed, but the entrance had never been restricted like this before.
Could this be because of me?
Because of my existence, Ellen's fame as my rival had multiplied, and as a result, she had received more attention from the alliance. Her achievements in the Gate incident so far were also significant.
There were even cases of stalking.
Thus, they had set up measures near the Royal-class garrison, and soldiers kept a vigilant eye on any uninvited guests at the entrance.
Harriet had entered Ellen's quarters through spatial teleportation.
She wouldn't have passed through that entrance in the first place.
Disguises and fake identities were of no use.
With the warning "No unauthorized personnel allowed" posted, no one could enter without a legitimate reason.
"From here on, I'll go inside."
"…"
Sarkegaar could transform into something other than a human, so he should have been able to enter the Royal-class garrison.
But I couldn't.
I knew this from the start.
Of course, it's not entirely meaningless to have seen the alliance's movements with my own eyes, even if I couldn't verify the Royal-class garrison itself.
But having Harriet join me now and teleporting inside together would be even more absurd.
If I were to enter in this state, I would be considered an unauthorized person in the Royal-class garrison.
It was too risky to enter disguised as an insider. The Royal-class garrison wasn't that big. There might be two of the same person in the same place, which would be insane.
Sarkegaar could sneak in undetected and observe the people inside.
But having come this far.
Having come all the way here.
Sarkegaar prepared to transform between the tents in the dimly lit garrison.
He could simply transform and fly in.
But still.
I wanted to see.
How everyone was doing.
How everyone was getting by.
I knew it would be painful to check, but.
Even so.
There were things I wanted to see with my own eyes.
"Sarkegaar."
"Yes."
"I want to do it."
"…Pardon?"
I thought of the soldiers laughing at a dog.
"People are being controlled, not animals."
It's people who are being controlled, not animals.
And while there weren't many animals, they were present.
The mere presence of an animal wouldn't be considered suspicious.
"Can't we do it?"
"Your Highness…"
"No, I mean, we can at least try, right?"
If I were in the form of an animal, I could enter.
I had never tried it before.
But just because I hadn't tried it doesn't mean it's impossible.
Sarkegaar could transform into an insect or a dragon using his shape-shifting ability.
But I had never tried it.
I didn't dare attempt it because of the risk of not being able to return to my original form.
So, I always tried to maintain a "humanoid" form, whether as a human or a demon.
But now, it was impossible to enter disguised as someone else.
Although I could have received the information from Sarkegaar's mouth, I wanted to see it with my own eyes.
There would have been no need to come here in person if I wasn't going to see it with my own eyes, but rather just hear about it.
Sarkegaar looked bewildered when I suddenly mentioned I would transform into a beast.
However, I believed I would be able to return to my original form.
If not, self-suggestion or a spell would work somehow.
It would be ridiculous if, after coming this far, transforming into a beast caused the situation to go awry and I couldn't return to my normal self. After all, there were measures in place for situations where I couldn't return, like achievement points or something similar.
Thus.
I found a blind spot where people's gazes wouldn't reach in the temple garrison.
-Meow
I had become a cat.
Why a cat?
Firstly, cats are small and can hide here and there to eavesdrop on conversations, and even if discovered, people would likely let it slide.
People tend to forgive cute things, no matter how suspicious they may be.
That's just how humans are.
Transforming into a dog would be risky, as I might suddenly be leashed, and it would be harder to hide.
My belongings and clothes hadn't fallen to the ground.
I wasn't sure, but I thought there might be some function in Sarkegaar's ring, similar to how he didn't appear naked when he transformed from a beast back into a human.
However, the ring was invisible, hanging from my ear like a piercing.
And the problem.
Moving my limbs wasn't easy.
It's hard to describe.
The feeling wasn't that of moving my limbs, but rather like operating a machine I had never used before in my life.
It was like having to control a fighter jet I had never flown before...
Or should I say, more like a mobile suit?
Well, I hadn't tried either, so there was no point in making the comparison.
-Shiver
I felt helpless.
My limbs wouldn't move as I wanted them to!
No, they weren't limbs.
All four legs wouldn't move as I wanted! I couldn't even walk!
Were my legs not in sync with the cat's?
How could I extend my claws?
Should I have some sort of instruction manual for operating a cat's legs in my head?
I couldn't do anything but tremble in place, lifting my right front leg and shaking it, then lifting my back leg and shaking it.
-Thump!
In the end, I couldn't even stand up properly and collapsed onto my side.
I was completely helpless.
-Shiver
Lying on my side, I could only tremble; my body wouldn't move properly.
Was it always this difficult?
How did Sarkegaar manage all this time?
I was struggling with a four-legged cat, but how on earth did he manage with insects or winged creatures?
-Meow!
He could even speak, but I could only make a meowing sound.
"..."
Sarkegaar stared down at me as I lay on my side, flailing my legs.
Why did I bother?
It seemed that was what he was thinking.
-Swish!
Eventually, unable to bear it, Sarkegaar transformed as well.
Into a cat similar to me, but slightly larger.
-Mew
-Boing! Boing!
Sarkegaar hopped around in place.
It was as if he was asking me to follow his lead.
-Swat!
Why did the tail go up?
-...
Sarkegaar, the mysterious cat, stared at me.
He shook his head quietly.
You mustn't.
Stop it.
Return to how you were.
It was a gesture that clearly conveyed such determination.
No, first of all, forget about changing! I don't know what it is, but I still don't know how to control it!
If you know, you can do it!
Is there no instruction manual?
-Waaah, waaah, waaah!
As I wailed, Sarkegaar stared at me for quite a while.
Then, tapping my foot, it seemed to try to teach me something one by one.
But.
Honestly.
I had no idea what it was trying to teach me.
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