It goes back a few days before the brave men attacked Lasperda Fortress........

◆

A brave man is coming.
"What?

　Inside the Rasperda Fortress.
　All four heavenly kings were deployed for defense.
　Among them, only Zeviantes, who governed the wind attribute, was free to disappear when he wanted to play and play around somewhere else.

　Even so, it was better these days, as it regularly arrived and fulfilled its defensive duties.......
　The moment the Zebiantes came back from somewhere else to play, he announced an emergency, which surprised his colleagues Droyer and Bezelia.

You're going to be attacked by a brave man?　A brave man who hasn't been heard from for a while now?
No, he's not that kind of hero.
Which way?　Which way?

　Droyer, who had not yet received any information about the increase in the number of brave men, was at the height of his confusion.
　I'm not going to be able to get to the bottom of it.

'....I see. I'm not going to be the only one who can do that. It's a new approach.

　Droyer of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army, Fertile Ground.
　Also, Bezalia from Muddy Waters.

　These two are serious about their defensive duties, so they never leave their fortresses, and thus it is difficult to collect information.
　Otherwise, it was extremely difficult to obtain information on the human side, the enemy force....

''Great, Xeviantes!　Every time you think you'll be gone from time to time, you come back with a handful of critical information!
Ha-ha-ha, you should admire me more.

　Zebiantes is puffed up with pride.

　In the first place, all of the useful information she brings is provided by Dariel without exception, and Zebiantes is nothing more than a messenger pigeon, so to speak, but she hides it and does her best to take credit for it.

'Just letting you know isn't enough to take credit for it.

　The one who says so in a thorny way is Bezelia, the Four Heavenly Kings who controls the water attribute.
　Now that Bashvaza is dead, he is surrounded by two women and is the only male Four Heavenly King.

''The Four Heavenly Kings are not messenger soldiers, they are commanders. The commander's job is to plan and execute a strategy based on the information he receives. If he can't do that, there's no point in being the Four Heavenly Kings.
I know that. He's a guy who doesn't give a shit about everything.

　Zebiantes looked unhappy for a moment........

'Of course!　They have a secret plan for intercepting them too!
Intercept?
''They're attacking us, so it's only natural that we should intercept them. I don't think we need to talk about this...?

　After being reminded, both Droyer and Bezelia could not help but nod their heads.

　The plan to intercept the heroes proposed by Zebiantes was naturally drawn up by Dariel.
　The experience and wisdom he had acquired by fighting with a group of heroes many times under the previous Four Heavenly Kings during his time in the Demon King's Army would be fully demonstrated.

　The firm defensive posture laid out in the fortress through Zebiantes.

◆

　Then a few days passed.....

He's here.

　They quickly found the new brave men who had reached the front of the fortress.
　Even though it was in front of them, they were still too far away to be captured by the naked eye.

　However, they were able to find it without any difficulty by releasing wild birds that Zeviantes had used in advance with magic in all directions and sharing their vision.

　In the past, the Four Heavenly Kings Bashbarza tried to use demonic beasts with high risk, but unlike that, if it was only a small bird and beast, manipulation magic was commonly handled.

''There are three brave men leading a party of three. There are three parties of four so there are a total of fifteen of them.
Twelve.

　Hearing Zebiantes' miscalculation, Bezelia said, ''Is this guy for real.......? I shuddered.

''Did you notice what we noticed and they noticed what we noticed?
Not at all. They're so loose it's hard to believe they're the same brave men as Radie.

　Even the Four Heavenly Kings were not always able to detect the attackers who were far away like this.
　This time, they were able to detect it immediately as they were on especially close alert.

　This was due to the fact that Dariel had figured out the approximate timing of the arrival of the three heroes based on the date of their departure.

　This was also brought to the fortress defenders through Zebiantes and put to practical use as her mystical intuition.

　Anyway, the demon side was able to take an overwhelming advantage of being able to detect the other party's movements before they were aware of them.

''Well, how do we counterattack them?　Even though I can see the movement, the number of opponents is the largest ever. I don't think it's going to be easy to get rid of them, do you?
Oh, you're going to wait?　They're not getting it together, they're falling apart. It's like they're all coming at us from different directions.

　The Four Heavenly Kings can't grasp that the three brave men on the offensive have no intention of cooperating with each other, and they are all vying for the credit.

''Should we think that the opportunity to defeat each of them has arisen to give them an advantage?　The three of us are going out as a group. How about we clear out the party one by one in a timely manner?
''It's also a method of warfare in which if it takes too long to fight a battle, you can be cornered. You can rely on the solidity of the fortress to keep you on the defensive, but...

　As Droyer and Bezellia exchange ideas, Zebiantes smiles a desperate smile.

''It's all right. We already have a secret plan there as well.'
Oh!

　Of course, that was also an idea given to him by Dariel, but Zebiantes was good and took credit for it himself.

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We're ready to go!　Bezelia, you must do as you are told!
Hey, hey...

　Receiving Zebiantes' instructions, Bezelia utters a magic chant.

The title of "muddy water" is naturally the magic of the water attribute that he specializes in.

　The spring water that is generated from the hand held over it.
　It's a good idea to have a good time with your friends.

　A fusion of water and wind.

　And the result is.........

'Oh........'

　The water droplets are dispersed by the wind and become fine droplets that spread into the air.
　Countless tiny water droplets fly around, refracting light and painting the space white.

''Fog.........?

The fog created by the cooperation of Bezalia (Muddy Water) and Zebiantes (Flower Wind) spreads infinitely with the wind.

　Starting from the fortress, it goes in the direction of the human race's sphere of influence.

This means that the enemy will be blinded by the fog. They will lose their bearings in enemy territory. If it's not done well, they will be lost in enemy territory.
''Great, can you use a fog and other things that have no offensive power to fatally interfere with the enemy?''
That's not all there is to it.

　Zebiantes explains with great skill.

''This fog isn't just a fog. The water created by the magic has a very special effect on it.
It was originally called 'Detector Water'.

　Bezelia takes over the explanation.

'The feel of something that touches the water is instantly transmitted to the sorcerer. With its excellent water-based detection magic, it's considered impossible to hide its presence from this thing.

　For example, you can use wind covert magic to kill footsteps, or manipulate the refractive index of light to hide your appearance, and your presence will be revealed just by touching the water that's installed.

'In truth, it's used like putting water all over the floor and waiting for the opponent to step on it. I didn't expect you to spray it in the form of a mist...?
''Even if it turns into a mist, the 'detection water' function should still be functioning well. Bezzeria, we'll find out.
Hmm...!

　Prompted, Bezelia, closes both eyes and opens further senses other than the five senses for clarity.

'....Great, I really get it.
What?
I can easily follow the movement of the humans through the fog. A group charging through the forest on the right flank. A group approaching from the front. A group that is moving on high ground, watching for signs of life...

　Bezelia herself seemed to be puzzled by the fact that she could see the enemy's movements so clearly.
　If it is a mere fog-generating magic, both the wind and water attributes have it.
It was necessary for wind and water to cooperate in order to generate the 'fog with detection ability'.

　This was a kind of subterfuge that wasn't even in the magic instruction book, and of course it wasn't Zeviantes who came up with it.

　Tornera, the "Storm" and Cordeliza, the "Spiritual Water", who had served as the Four Heavenly Kings before her, collaborated to create it.
　In the past, Dariel, who was her assistant, witnessed the subterfuge magic used by these women and passed it on to the next Zebiantes.

　I'm not sure if it's the right thing to do, but I'm not sure it's the right thing to do.

''But being dominant and winning are two very different things.

　Zebiantes said bravely.

'All we have to do to fix our advantage in victory is to act!　You're taking the first step towards victory!

　There is so much more that Dariel has taught her.