This is Longonia, the capital of the Dragon Kingdom of Dragonia.
　We were in a large conference room in a corner of Longonia Castle, a place that should be called the center of the city.

　The only people present here, including me, are powerful nobles and superiors of the knightly order.
　There are rival factions among those gathered here, and some of them are on such bad terms that they wouldn't normally work together.

　But for once those people were in the conference room in silence.
　A large map of our country was laid out on the table in the large conference room, and on the side of the table was a large map of our country.
　And by the side of the table, a knight stood with a nervous look on his face

So, what's going on in the city of Tython?

　The Acting Emperor, the highest authority in our country, asks the knight.
　He is not an emperor, he is the deputy emperor.
　But his position is synonymous with that of the emperor.

　The deputy then begins to explain to him in a tense manner.

'Ha!　The city of Tatsutron is currently under siege by a horde of demons.

　That's right, this meeting was held in a hurry after receiving information that the town of Tatsutron, which is close to Longfeng Ronride, was being besieged by a horde of demons.

　The person who brought the information was Count User Rule, who ruled the territory next to Baron Isolbe's territory where the town of Tattron is located, and the knight who was explaining the situation was also Count User Rule's subordinate.

　The Count himself has not come to King's Landing because he is organizing an army for relief with Baron Isolbe.
　But looking at the state of the city of Tatsutron, they decided that they couldn't save the city on their own, so they sent their vassal knights to King's Landing.

''The demons are approaching close to the defensive wall protecting Tatsutron town, and we believe that a battle has already begun with the town's guardians. The scale of the demon horde...

　With that, the knight lays out the pieces that indicate the demons on the map.
　The pieces make two circles, one large and one small, that surround the town of Tatsutron.

　The smaller circle surrounds the town of Tattron right beside it, while the larger circle spreads out from the side of the forest away from the town and surrounds the town.
　It's as if they're laying out two siege formations.

''Why are the demons laying out a double circle formation?　Wouldn't this be like dispersing our forces?

　It's true that the deputy emperor was right.
　No matter how numerous they are, as long as we concentrate our forces in one corner of the circle and break through it, damage is inevitable, but it seems unlikely that we will be able to escape.

　It's a good idea to have a few of them in your pocket.
　If this is the case, we can manage with Baron Isolbe and Count User Rule's army, can't we?

　But the knight dismissed the deputy emperor's words with a sorrowful look.

''No, these are not two circles. From the inner circle to the outer circle, everything is filled with demons.''

...what?

　The deputy of the emperor makes a monotonous noise.
　But so do we.

"Everything from the side of the city to the forest is demon?　No, no, no, that's not true. It's only a few centimeters on the map, but in real life it's more than a few hundred meters away.

　So interjected the Knight Commander of the Knights of Dragonia, the guardian of our country's royal capital.
　As an expert, the nobles listen to his words.

I'm sure that in order to gather a large number of demons to fill such a large area, we'll have to gather all the demons from not only our country but also the surrounding countries.　No way.

"Not so much for the Knight Commander...

　It's no wonder the Knight Commander denies it.
　I can understand if you're a nobleman with a territory, but when it comes to a large number of demons, it's probably only a few dozen to a hundred at most.

　In the first place, most demons are constantly being thinned out by adventurers.
　Therefore, the phenomenon of mass outbreaks itself is not something that happens often.
　In the past, there were even more demons on the rampage, but the authenticity of these stories is doubtful in the past.

　And if this knight's report is correct, then there are far more hordes surrounding the town than the usual mass outbreak of demons.
　That would be in the thousands.

Many travelers who were on their way to the city of TATTLON have reported that there is a large swarm of demons surrounding the city. The scouting party we sent out also confirmed that this information is true. Moreover, the demons we were able to confirm were all powerful demons of C rank or higher.

Hey, a**h*le...

Impossible ... a horde of C-ranked or higher demons.

　It's no wonder that the knight commanders look puzzled in disbelief at the knight's report.

　When it comes to C-ranked demons, they are the kind of demons that it takes several trained knights to deal with.
　It is impossible to believe that there are thousands of such demons.

I'm sure we can't afford not to send reinforcements to the city of Tatsuton. If the demons destroy the city of Tatsuton, the next attack is likely to be on neighboring towns and villages.

　To everyone's consternation, the Acting Emperor tells the Knight Commander that he should gather an army.
　Yes, if they were dealing with a human army, they would conquer the town as is or negotiate with us, but the only thing demons have is an appetite.

　If the assembled demons weren't satisfied with just the inhabitants of Tattron's town, thousands of starving demons would be unleashed across the country.

　No, if there's that many demons, would you rather dispersed and reduce the number of individual herds?
　If the demons were to remain in unison and head to another town, a town with only a small garrison would not be able to gather together.

That's right, Deputy Emperor! We should send out the Knights of the Order with all haste!

The demons must be destroyed before they cause even more damage!

　The noblemen who have the territory say that they can't let the demons come to their territory, and the nobles who have the territory push for the mobilization of the knights.

''Yes, Knight Commander. Hurry up and send reinforcements to the city of Tatsutron.

"Ha! We'll organize our troops and move out immediately! 　........However, when it comes to a horde of C-ranked or higher demons, it would be difficult for the troops stationed in the royal capital alone to deal with them. We'll need to have troops scattered around the city and each nobleman's territory to send us troops in a hurry.

And the noblemen?

　Hearing that they will be gathering their own troops as well, the nobles who own the fiefdoms look disgusted.
　But as long as they have a fiefdom, it's only natural to send out troops for defense.

''If the number of high-ranking demons is as reported, then we need to allocate troops from the knights guarding the borders as well.

Not even the soldiers on the border.

　At the words of the knight commander, the acting emperor shouts out that it's not good.
　The knights stationed at the border are nothing more than a threat to other countries that plan to invade our country.

　If those knights suddenly disappeared, the enemy would attack with joy.
　It is impossible to withdraw all the soldiers, but even so, if the number of knights is reduced, it will be easier to attack.

''Those fighting on the border are sensitive to the other side's anomalies. If the number of troops is reduced from the fort, they will immediately detect it.''

　Immediately, the Foreign Minister says something that hurts my ears, but it's an expert statement.
　He wants to imply that the other party is sure to notice him.
　Understanding this, the deputy emperor and the knight commander both look reluctant.

''Let them send out as many troops as possible while taking care that the enemy does not detect it.

"As you wish.

　The Minister of Foreign Affairs bows to the Emperor's representative's reckless orders.
　Listening to the conversation just now, there's no way they wouldn't notice, but it's the job of the foreign minister to pretend that the other party didn't notice.

''Then hurry up and gather an army and send reinforcements to the city of Tatsuton!

""Haha, ministry!"

　And just as the knights and nobles were leaving the conference room to gather their troops, there was a sudden knock at the door.

''Excuse me. ''Count User Rule's emissary has arrived.

　The two people who entered were a civilian officer working in the castle and a knight in mud and blood stained armor.

''What!　It's Count User Rule?!''

　All the eyes of all the people in the conference room focused on the knight who had been giving an explanation earlier.
　A new emissary here?

''Yes, he says it's an urgent report!

　The deputy emperor's face contorts into a sour look.
　However, his expression is more of a bewilderment than anger.
　Of course, because such an urgent report in this situation would not be a good idea as far as I'm concerned.

''Say,''

　The emperor's representative, who had made up his mind, urged the newly arrived knights to report to him.

''Ha!　The horde of demons that surrounded the city of Tattron has been eradicated!

..........

...?

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

　For a moment, everyone present nodded their heads, not understanding what was said.

''........Ta, the horde of demons that surrounded the town of Tattron has been eradicated.

　The knight who was puzzled by everyone's questioning back reiterates the same thing again.

''..........''

　Apparently, I didn't mishear it.
　You didn't mishear me....

What the hell?