Take lodging in the city of John Bull, your destination.
　You will stay in this city until the attack and prepare for it. Being in this city is the easiest way to deal with the situation.
　We had a strategy meeting while eating.

''Mmm, I still like the food in this city. It's very nostalgic.''

With a satisfied look on her face, Dia brings the meal to me.
　Butter-filled river fish meuniere. One of the features is that it still contains fried onions.
　The taste itself isn't anything to write home about, but for Dia, it's a taste of home.
　Only because the city is located near the border with the Soonger Kingdom, the cuisine of that place has been handed down.

''Um, Nevan-san. Would it be okay to eat with us?
''Of course. As I said the other day, while I'm accompanying you to defeat the demon race, I'm your teammate, and I'm in the same position as you guys.

When Nevan accompanied him, he made one condition.
　That is to treat him as just Nevan during the operation.
　I didn't say this to get along with him.
　When working as a team, the development of the chain of command is very important. Even with a small team, if there are two leaders in a situation where there are two leaders, your performance will suffer.
　That's why I treat them as equals to Tart and Dia while they are working as a team.
　Not to mention me and everyone else.

''That being said, to the duchess Nevan-sama.......''
I think that's the beauty of the tart, but I think it's also a flaw. This is the same as in the army. Even the son of a great man is under the command of his superiors and is not given any special treatment. Everyone would die if they did.
'Dear is right. I'm bringing you here because you said you could do it.

It is typical of Dia when he uses the military as an example.
　If you ignore the chain of command just because you are of noble birth, that army will be the weakest.
　However, the noble-born ones are appointed to their appropriate posts from the beginning.
　But Nevan said he would fight me because he wanted to. There is no post there that is suitable for her. If that's the case, I have no choice but to treat her with unworthy treatment, and if I can't do that, I can't take her with me.
　That's why I look at NEVAN as a subordinate and stop using respectful language.
　However, that's only during operational activities.

''That's right. I'm not going to be able to get it right. Tart.
Yes, yes, oh, um, Nevin.

With a look of trepidation, Tart called out Nevan.
　To be frank, I feel like it's fine for Tart to call me and Dia in the bare minimum, so I feel like it's fine to call him Nevan-sama.

'Yeah, okay, that's about it. Oh, Nevan, take it with a grain of salt.
Yeah, go ahead.

...................A little too divisive in Dia's case.
　In her case, rationality is at the root of her thoughts, and Dia is probably used to a high status existence in the first place.

''You haven't forgotten the other condition either.
'Yes, of course. That means I won't tell anyone what I know here, and I won't divert technology.
''Oh we have techniques and tactics that we don't want you to know about. And the demon race is not an opponent who can hide their cards and fight. If you won't agree to those terms, I will do everything in my power to make sure Nevan can't follow me.

This is another pre-commitment.
　My specialties, 【Firefighting】, 【Gungnir】, 【Railgun】, etc. are things that cannot be revealed.
　It's impossible to kill the demons by blocking them. And as long as I'm using them, I can't take operational action unless I disclose their properties to my team members in advance.
　That's why I've informed Nevan of the magic and techniques that can be used in this killing of demons.

''I promise you that too. What will happen if you break that promise?
I won't do it. I won't trust you again, and I know you're an enemy. What's more, you can make this kind of promise as many times as you want to poke holes in it. For example, it's possible to have one of your children follow you, and then he or she tells you about it instead of you. But they didn't dare to close those holes. I'm not going to be able to say that I've kept my word, but I will declare you to be my enemy.
Oh dear, that's very sad. But is it right to say that you're going to make an enemy of me, the Romalung?
'Yeah, I'm proud to say that I'm bought that much and I can always just kill them. Even if it's against Romalung.

Consciously letting out a killing intent.
　This is a threat, a statement of determination.
　Nevan's eyes widen and he suppresses his trembling hands.

''Hmph, you're an assassin after all. What cold eyes. But that's a good thing. You can trust me. I wouldn't do anything to make you hate me. I'm your future husband, after all.
I don't remember agreeing to the second half.
Does it matter if you agree with it or not?

...It's still a mess.

Anyway, I hope you understand. We'll eat first. When this is over, we'll have a strategy session.
Yes, then let's just enjoy the taste of the common man.
That's quite a treat, isn't it?

Tart looks at Nevan curiously.
　The gap between being a duchess and being born in a poor farming village.
　Dia is also rather close to Nevan in sensitivity, but in Dia's case, she doesn't feel that way.
　At any rate, let's eat well.
　We need to recover from the long journey.

◇

The next day, we will all actually walk around the city to get an idea of its topography.
　We already have a map of the city, but we need to see it in person.

This operation even envisions urban warfare. No, the probability of that happening is higher.

They have the characteristics of a cat, and they will appear in packs at close range in the city.
　They are super fast and have tremendous leaping power. In the blink of an eye, the cats would approach the city and leap over the city walls in a single bound.
　As you don't even know which direction they are coming from, it's difficult to defeat them before they enter the city.

The elite of the Romalung duke family are on guard and are monitoring us in all directions, but predators have a good way of eliminating their presence, and there is a high chance that we will be invaded before they can give us any information.
　If that happens, the battlefield will be in the city.

I said yesterday that the reason we can't use [Gun Gunil] inside the carriage is because of the vulnerability of the defensive wall, but that's assuming that we were lucky enough to successfully intercept them outside, and if we blasted something like that in the city, the city would die.

''Ugh, no matter where we fight, the damage to the city is unlikely to be contained.

Tart said as he scurried to look around.

'Well, you know, in a city this prosperous, there's no such thing as a conveniently unpopulated, building-free, wide open space. We can't stop the sacrifices being made. We're not gods.
Yes, but I am sad.

I pat the tart's head.

'Tart is so sweet.'
That's not true. It's just that I didn't like it.

She spoils me shyly but comfortably.

'Well, I'm jealous. I have a suggestion. Since this is how we're previewing the event, and since we're here, why don't we take advantage of our two advantages, the ground advantage and the ambush?
It's a trap to take advantage of that advantage. That could be very effective.

Since you know they're coming beforehand, it's a given that you'll be prepared to meet them.
　However, if you're assuming an anti-demon race, you'll need super firepower.
　If that trap was triggered, it would be like a dozen or so houses being blown away. They would have to set a number of them.
　........This is also a strategy based on someone's sacrifice.
　But even without those traps, the same thing would undoubtedly happen in a battle.
　If that's the case, should we find an area where there will be few casualties even if it becomes a battlefield, set a trap, guide a group of demons to that area, and then use the power of the trap to fix that area as a battlefield?

''Then let's get on with it.
'As much as I'd like to, it's difficult. We can manage to get enough supplies to make a trap. But setting the traps is the problem. People will notice us before the demons get to us.
That's okay too. Let's set it up in a private house. I'll slap you on the cheek with money and I'll buy it out, so you can set it up all you want, okay?

I suppose it's true. If we're going to trap someone in this wave, it's the best way to do it.
　It's easier to hide the trap in the house you bought, where it's undisturbed.

"I'm afraid of rich people.
I spend my money when I have to, and that's why it's worth it.
I'll take you at your word.

If you can improve your chances of winning even a little bit, you should get some help from Nevan.

◇

Then, while checking the terrain, we bought sixteen houses to set the traps in, and set the traps.
　Of course, some of them wouldn't sell their houses no matter how much money they were loaded with, but there were plenty of alternatives.

If they paid three times the market price, there were plenty of alternatives that were willing to give them an immediate eviction.
　Since we didn't know which direction they would come from, we set up four traps in each direction, four houses in each direction.
　These traps can be activated by remote control.
　The traps are used to guide the enemy and pin them down from their blind spots.

It's a lot of money.
I make a lot of money, sir.

In the first place, there is a possibility that the demon race may not appear.
　Even if they do appear, if possible, our top priority is to fight outside the city's protective walls.
　The possibility that this city might not become a battlefield is more than enough.
　Nevertheless, Nevan bought sixteen houses at three times the market price.

''I'm sorry if it went to waste,''
It's fine. Did you think I didn't notice?　The house you bought, all of it in an easy to reuse, easy to use commercial location. It was the kind of land that you and I could easily get our money's worth even if we paid three times as much for it.
'You notice that much. Let me tell you, I picked those lands out of the mix, assuming they were valid as a trap. I didn't want Nevan to lose it.

It may not be a big expense for Nevan, but it's a lot of money.
　Then I'd like to think about it afterwards.

'That's not all, is it?　It's really shrewd. ........because if the surrounding land is vacant, all the places will increase in value many times over. Can you do a landhugger too?
Wow, rogues are really good at thinking. You anticipate that the land will be demolished on the battlefield and you buy it first.
'That's not a follow-up to Nevan. That way, if we turn it into a battlefield, we can follow up with the people who lived there.

Nevan and Dia nodded their heads.
　The land I bought has value to begin with, but it could be the best commercial land if the dense houses were to blow up together in a disaster or something and be cleared.
　.........Yes, if the trap is triggered and the place becomes a battlefield, the whole area will be blown up and an ideal commercial vacant lot will be created.
　They dared to turn such a place into a battlefield.
　It wasn't just the pursuit of profit.

''Ah, I see. Even if people lost their homes because of the battlefield, as long as they can get a good price for them, they won't have to worry about money or a place to live!

I didn't know the tart would be the first to get it right.

The way Tart looks at me tends to be overly beautiful because of his admiration. However, that's why he can see some aspects of me.
　Wherever you make the battlefield, you will sacrifice a lot. So, if we use land that we can buy for a high price as a battlefield, we can use it to help people who lost their homes to start a new life.

If you want, you can even give them jobs by using them in businesses that you start with the land you buy.

'Oh, so that's what it was all about. Rouges are too attentive, aren't they? You'll go bald, won't you?
I don't like that.

Chuckle.
　Hypocrisy as much as possible. This is a course of action that has grown since I became a rogue Touahade.
　I don't intend to self-sacrifice, I won't reduce the success rate of the assassination. However, I want to do what I can within that range.
　Surely, I would never have thought of this before my reincarnation.
　I finish setting the traps at the last house.

This is the last time we'll be setting traps. Now all we have to do is get ready. Oh, and, Neven. I have to tell you something. Noish will probably be in the middle of a battle with the demons. In exchange for his power, he will stop being human. It's an unforgivable sin for a nobleman in the Kingdom of Arvan.

Noish, who craved power, and Meena, a snake demon tribe who called Noish a toy and said he was a bonus.
　Above all, Meena predicted that he would show up in high spirits to fight a demon tribe so strong that even I couldn't win.

There was one answer to this question.
　That Noish, who received Meena's power and even stopped being a human to gain power, would appear.

'Wow, that's another piece of information I don't know. Even with this, I was quite seriously worried about my stupid childhood friend, you know?

Worry doesn't mean exactly what the word means.
　It meant that he was following the footsteps of the Duke of Lomarng's overwhelming ability to gather information.

''What if that stupid childhood friend of yours turns against you?　I'll kill you if I have to.
You mean you wouldn't do it unless you had to?
It's hard to do when people read your unspoken thoughts like that.
It's the same for me. You were quite lovely once, you know. Big sister, big sister, like a puppy. Where did I go wrong?

Nevan smiled.
　An unconcealed loneliness was leaking out.
　She has feelings for Noish.
　It's far from being a love affair, but more like one for her brother.
　Unexpected. The only thing she cares about is embodying the Romalung, so she would turn such feelings towards him, which does not benefit her in any way.

Anyway, that's it. All of you, be prepared for the demons to show up at any moment.
Yes, lots of food and lots of sleep!
'I'm going to do a final check on the new magic I've created for this one.
'Then I'll have to think about the post-war process.

From here, the demon tribe could come at any moment.
　We've done all we can.
　All we have to do now is to see what happens in the fight.