This is how the alliance with the elves was established, but what the Demon King's army gained from it was


Leaves and Drops from the World Tree
"Mushrooms that can only be found in the World Tree Forest.
"Elven warriors.


　It was.

　The first two would be useful for making spirit and secret medicines.
　If they could be supplied consistently to the Demon King's army, legions and brigades with magicians would be greatly helped.　

　It could be used to make up for the lack of magic on the battlefield or as a source of recovery medicine.
　It would be a trade item that would support the Demon King's army from the shadows.

　In addition, the warrior corps of the elves have many powerful spirit magic and bow masters.
　They will be a reassuring force to be reckoned with.

　On the other hand, since we're forming an alliance, we have something to offer.
　There is no such thing as "free" in the world.
　One-sided cooperation will soon fail.
　If we don't offer something of benefit to the elves, this alliance will soon fall apart.
　That's why I was upfront about what I had to offer Ferrette.


''Since you have formed an alliance with the Demon King's army, we will definitely protect the safety of this forest.


　I assure you.
　I was going to show it in action as well as in word.
　I say to Ferret, Queen of the Elves.

''Master Ferret, is it possible that there is a large rat hiding in this forest?

　Hearing those words, Ferret said, "How did you know that? I made a face.

''The white beast I fought the other day. That was obviously a summoned beast summoned by a high-ranking sorcerer. It is probably a harassment on the part of the Lords Alliance. No, maybe a warning.''

That's right.

　Ferret says.

'Then, now that the alliance between us and the elves is in place, the actions of the sorcerer will go hand in hand.

...Does that mean we're going to start our invasion of this forest in earnest?

　Ferret asks.

'Yes, definitely,'

..........

　Ferret makes a somber face.



Unfortunately,

　I say, and then I add.

'But don't worry. I've already taken steps. My army, no, the Demon King's Army will not abandon their opponents once they have formed an alliance. Please rest assured of that much.

　After dismissing them, he decided to start preparing for battle.

　However, he had no troops on hand.
　I'll have to borrow the troops from her. I tell Ferrette that I'll have to ask her to let me know.

''I have a brigade waiting near the forest right now. It's led by Sigan, my most trusted dragonborn. It will take more than ten days for that unit to arrive. In the meantime, would you be willing to lend me some troops?

　Queen Ferrette can't answer immediately.

　Of course not.

　Give me the command of the army.
　An ordinary king of a normal country would be furious and could not complain about being treated with disrespect.
　But after a long, thoughtful pause, she nodded slowly.

''There's a saying among the elves. If you eat the poisonous fruit, eat the tree as well,''

　Well, I know a similar proverb. If you eat poison, you can eat your plate too.

So you're saying that you have my complete confidence?

　Ferrette nodded.

''I've heard that Master Ike's army is a divine mastermind. I'm sure he'll be able to lead his warriors far better than I can command mine.

　But - she continues.

'If I may say so myself, the girl who serves as the Elf Warrior Chief is a high-spirited and somewhat difficult girl to handle. But will you still bear with me?

You'll have to be patient and cooperate. Everything is going to be okay.

　I said, but I'm a little uneasy.

　I've dealt with the elves since I came to this forest, but they are still a bit prideful as rumored. Ferret, the Elf Queen, is surprisingly straightforward, but she still hasn't completely opened her heart to her natural enemy, Günther.

　Since Ferrette is a difficult person to deal with, someone quite unique must come along.

　I decided to prepare myself for that.

　A few hours later, 'he' comes to the sunroom in the palace.
　At the same time as being surprised at the sight of him, I also recall the lore that elves are mischievous fairies.
　As I'm taken aback, the Elf Queen holds her mouth shut and holds back a laugh.
　The Elf Warrior Chief who came before us looked exactly like the Elf Queen.

　Of course, the Elf Queen wears suitably glittering clothes and the Warrior Chief is dressed like a warrior, but other than that, they are almost identical.

''Twins...?''

　The word "I" unintentionally leaks out.
　Apparently, it's the right answer, and Ferlette introduces me to her twin sister.

"This is my twin sister, her name is Anemone. She is a difficult girl, but I would like to ask you to take care of her.

　When Anemone heard those words, she quickly became distressed.

''Sister, I don't intend to object to joining hands with the Demon King's army now, but there's no way to make that introduction. I am a warrior. If you give your sister's orders, I would be willing to join the command of the demon tribe, even if it's under your command. I'm not embarrassed about it.

　It's already difficult to handle, but I get up from my seat and ask for a handshake. I mean it as a gesture of best wishes.

　Anemone is fearful, but she tries to touch my hand.

　It's the first time I've seen the Immortal King of the Immortals (Undetudo). I can't blame her, but it seems that she still hasn't completely opened up to me.

　The first thing to do is to win the trust of this girl rather than the approaching enemy army.
　With that in mind, I decided to talk about how to deal with the enemy army that is sure to come.




　There is no such thing as a military council room in this Elf's palace.
　In the first place, elves have no concept of going out into the forest to fight. They would not need such a thing.
　Hence, the discussion will take place in the antechamber where Lilith and the others were drinking tea.

　When I came to the antechamber, Satie, perhaps sensing the atmosphere, quickly got up from her seat. As expected, this girl is very good at reading the atmosphere.

　Meanwhile, Lilith is still sipping her herb tea in a carefree manner.

　I will.

The war begins.

　I said, and I finally got my nerves back as I spread the pictorial map of this forest that I had been entrusted with earlier by Ferret, the Elven Queen, on the table.

　But it's not a warrior's face. This girl has no distinction between everyday life and the battlefield.

''What is going to happen?'' He looks at the map with a targeted look on his face.

　I reply.

"The war will start soon. The armies of the Confederation of Kings will be invading.

That sounds good.

　Lilith laughs wryly. It's a face that says he hasn't had a chance to fight lately and he's had a lot of time on his hands.

　Anemone, the elven warrior chief, gets a sullen look on her face as she hears that line, but I begin to explain the situation to get between the two of them.

''The white beast that attacked this forest the other day was probably the advance party of the League of Lords.

'Was the beast still a summoned beast summoned by a human sorcerer?

Perhaps. The last time I checked the burnt-out reliance, the magic letters (runes) that were applied were those used by humans. Judging by the form, I'd say it was a Rosarian court magician.

Very good, Master Ike.

Well, I don't know if I'm right, but at least the armies of the League of Lords will be attacking this forest in the near future. They will force their way into the forest.

What's a castle alliance?

"...the point is that they're gonna threaten you with force to surrender.

'I see, of course, we're here to keep you from doing that, aren't we?

　'Exactly,' I said, turning to Anemone and asking.

'How many elven warriors do you have in your squadron?'

　Anemone answers immediately.

'About two hundred people,'

That's not much.

　Lilith blurts out frankly, "I don't know," but Anemone counters.

''There are 200 of them, but they aren't just 200 people. They are all masters of spirit magic and archery. And they are the elite that I train every day!

　That's to be expected, or so we can only hope.
　They would have to defend this forest with their numbers, at least until Shigan and the others came to reinforce them.
　We can only hope that her excessive confidence is not an ego.

''By the way, Ike-sama, how many enemy soldiers do we have?''

It can't be less than 2,000.

How could you be so sure?

　Anemone counters.

'Maybe it's a long-standing hunch.'

Do you fight on a hunch?

'A hunch is a conclusion backed up by experience and theory. It's pretty true.

　In the first place, the fact that a high-ranking sorcerer is included in the advance party, it can be considered a scale that cannot be contained by a single knightly order.

　Besides, we are going to burn down the elven forest.
　The enemy are not stupid, they must understand that they don't have the advantage of the ground.
　They will have at least ten times as many enemy soldiers as we have.
　They would do so if the enemy were not too dumb.

　I explained that, but Anemone still seemed to be skeptical.
　Seeing this, Lilith taps Anemone on the shoulder.

'Well, proof is better than argument. A picture is worth a thousand words. You'll have to watch. In a few hours, Ike-sama's prophecy will be right on the money and you'll be sitting on your ass.

I'm not a coward.

　Anemone would insist, but a few hours later, his expression would contort, if not buckle, his face.
　That's because my prediction was a perfect match for him.

　The information brought to me by the scouts that Anemone's men were releasing matched my guess.

　She was

Well Ike's prediction came true.

　I say, and he looks at me as if he's looking at me like he's a prophetess.

　This might have won me a little bit of trust.
　With that in mind, I instruct Anemone to deploy the elven warrior force.
　As I expected, Anemone obeys my instructions without question.