A single shadow flew straight across the blue, clear sky.
　From behind Ted and the others, who were watching it with glaring eyes, came Nere's calm voice.

'Isn't that the grinder?'

　A brief moment of silence.
　Aldis and the others' gazes were drawn to a point in the sky.

　The birds that appear in this grassland are of various sizes, and there are more than ten different kinds of birds known to exist.
　But except for the carnivorous Killer Bird and the Watcher, they are all small birds, less than 50 cm in length.
　The shadows reflected in the eyes of Aldis and the others do not look like small birds, and on the other hand, they are different from the silhouettes of the Killer Bird and the Warden.
　In other words, they are not the shadows we usually see in the grasslands.

　The next moment, it was Ted's voice that broke the silence.

'Prepare for battle!　Norris!　Can you raise the smoke?!

I'm getting ready to go!

Orphelia!　Keep your eyes on the sky!　Aldis and Nere, prepare to intercept!

　Tensions in the party are high.

"Ted, there's a signal fire going off over there!

　Orphelia noticed the wolf smoke that began to rise from another place.

''Tsk!　He's taking his reward for finding her.

　It looks like the rest of the squad has already raised the wolf smoke of the grinder's discovery. Two streaks of wolf smoke could be seen to the north.
　Wolf smoke has begun to rise one by one in other places as well.
　The news of the discovery will no doubt reach each squad.

'The question is, where will it come down to: ......

　Just to be sure, Aldis pulled out his shortsword and released it.
　The shadow that had caught the gaze of Aldis and the others flew straight to the east, ignoring them, and became smaller as fast as it could.

''That's the direction of the main force, yea.

　As Ted pointed out, the main squad is where the shadows are headed.
　Since the main unit is made up of three squads, it has more strength than the other squads.
　But considering the quality of the troops, it was unlikely that they would be able to repel the grinders.

''What are we going to do?　I think that's too much of a burden for those hothouse soldiers.

　Orphelia pressed Ted for a decision.

'According to your prior instructions, you're supposed to 'promptly head to the support of the troops that are engaged. ......

　The problem is that it's very unlikely that they'll be able to get there in time.
　The next unit, or at least the one beyond, might be able to rush over.
　But if the Grinder had flown to the main unit, they wouldn't be able to get there in time from here.

"Let's just go after it for now!

　They don't know where the grinder will land.
　Ted and the others begin to move quickly in the direction of the newly raised wolf smoke.

'Ted, I'm going to go ahead.

　After a short announcement, Aldis began to run at a 'floating pace' before hearing a reply.

　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get it right.
　I'm not going to be the only one who has been in a position to do this.

　The two of them passed two squads on the way, and it took them about 30 minutes to catch the main unit in their sights.

''There's some damage,''

　Nere uttered in a straightforward expression.

　It seems that the main unit has already entered into battle with the grinders, and it can be seen from a distance that they are confused.
　Soldiers wielding their spears in a hurry, with no formation or ranks.
　The captain of the horse is the rank of captain, who can't even give a proper order because he is looking left and right.
　It was impossible to shoot arrows in a crowded battle, and the archers, who made up nearly half of the squad, had turned into completely idle soldiers.

　While Aldis and the others were approaching, the soldiers were falling one after another.
　A grinder, a huge body that looks as if it's three meters tall, is comfortably positioned in the center of it.

　It has a head reminiscent of a bird of prey, with thick horns sprouting on either side like a water buffalo. Its upper body was covered in feathers, and it had arms with three sharp claws and wings larger than its body on each side. The lower half of its body was supported by four sturdy horse legs, with a wobbling, fur-covered tail visible between them.

　The grinder spread its wings in a threatening manner. Its size is such that a soldier with a spear would look like a baby.
　The winged demon sets its sights on a lone spearman and raises its sharply pointed claws.

''Not good.''

　Although it's already within reach of sword magic, Aldis doesn't want to use sword magic in front of the territory soldiers.
　Of course, I don't want to cause unnecessary deaths if possible, but to be honest, I don't want to show it for a soldier who isn't an acquaintance, in a place where the company commander of the territory army is also present.

　While Ardis hesitated for a moment, a dagger was released from diagonally behind him towards the grinder. It would be Nere.

'Thank God!'

　Aldis uttered a short thank you and then rushed towards the grinder, keeping the momentum going.
　The dagger thrown by Nere stabbed into the grinder's arm and stopped its movement for a moment.
　I'm not going to be the only one who has been in a position to do this.

The fierce red is born in the trail of the fierce flames, the breath of the old dragon - Purgatory Flame "Ferno Resta Ganov"!

　Flames appear from both of Aldis' raised hands and are unleashed on the grinder.

　But the grinder kicked the ground forcefully with his four horse legs, and then jumped back to the side in a big way, dodging himself from the line of fire.
　In the aftermath of the flames, some of the feathers covering the grinder's upper body were scorched off.

''Tch.''

　Ardis involuntarily clicked her tongue.
　It backfired when he narrowed his range and took the form of shooting upwards so as not to involve the surrounding soldiers.

''Keween!

　The wounded grinder must have recognized Ardis as a dangerous opponent.
　While immediately retreating into the air, he stormed around Ardis with his magic power.

　A wind pressure comparable to the advanced magic 'Blades of Furious Lightning' chanted by skilled sorcerers attacked the soldiers.
　Ardis, who was about to deploy a magic barrier, noticed that a strong barrier was already in place throughout the surrounding area.

''Nere, huh?''

　It would have been a good way for Aldis to defend himself while he was facing the grinder.
　He immediately switched his attention to the grinder's whereabouts.

　But when Aldis spotted the grinder, it was already after it had escaped into the sky.
　There are many ways to kill them if no one is watching, but I don't want to be seen here.
　You can find a number of different types of people in the marketplace who are willing to pay for your services.

''Not good. ......

　Ted and his men are in the direction of the grinder.
　If he keeps running back to the Canobis Mountains, so be it. But in the west there are more than just Ted and his men, there are other soldiers, mercenaries, peddlers and travelers on the roads.

'Nayle!　I'll be after you in a minute!

　I can still see them now.
　If you catch up with them in a place where they are not seen, you can do whatever you want to Ardis, a demon of that level.

　But at that time, a voice immediately called out to Aldis, who was about to chase it with the 'Floating Steps'.

''Wait!　The wounded must be treated first!　You're sorcerers, aren't you? Can't you do healing magic?　If you can't use it, then treat the seriously injured immediately with the cure!

　A man who looked like a commander on horseback said to Ardis and Nayle.

'There's no way we're going to be able to keep up with the flying opponents anyway!

　Aldis clicked his tongue so that the other party could not hear.

　It is true that normally you wouldn't be able to catch up with a flying demon.
　But with Ardis and Nere, they can do it.
　I'm sure they'll be able to catch up with them now.

''Hurry up and tend to the wounded!　Platoon leader, regroup your squad!　When we're ready, we'll form up and pursue in formation!

　You're an idiot," Ardis said, swallowing his words.

　The main unit with the largest number of men is in this situation, so there is no way that the other units, which are made up of one squad unit, can strike a blow against it.
　Even if they were to join up with other squads, if they were of the same size as the main squad, they would be destroyed individually.

　To begin with, they are too dispersed in the first place.
　The grinders are about ten or twenty soldiers, and they are not easy opponents to halt.
　This commander doesn't understand that keeping Ardis and Nere here is putting the territorial soldiers in danger.

''What are you doing in a daze!　We need to get the wounded tended to quickly!

　A man who looked like a commander urged loudly.

　Originally, it was a job that the Byakuya no Meisei had participated in to avoid attracting the attention of the territorial army.
　If the commander's impression is hurt here, it will be a waste of time.

''What do you think my lord will do?

　Nayle comes up beside Aldis and asks him.

'It's the only way. I'll slip out at a moment's notice, helping to tend to the seriously injured.'

　Looking around, many wounded soldiers were lying on the ground until Aldis and the others came to their aid.
　There were a few humans who had already been killed, but there were also soldiers who could be saved if they could be treated in time.

　The flying grinders do not always attack humans.
　As long as they are wounded, there is a good chance that they will return to their own territory.

　On the other hand, there are soldiers here who will likely lose their lives if they are not treated in time.
　Aldis's words were a compromise between the possibility of danger and the seriously wounded in front of them.

　Aldis and his men provided the medicines they had on hand and waited for the right opportunity, helping to keep a low profile and helping to heal the wounded.
　As the troops began to regain order, they quickly left the area, unnoticed by their commanders, and began to run as fast as they could across the deserted grasslands to the west.