The softened shield didn’t break even when its size was reduced.
If it were hit two or three times, it would break, but it definitely felt a bit sturdier.
“With this, I think it might be usable in actual combat, right?”
“I’ll check for you.”
As I surrounded the area with the shield, the Demon King’s fist flew in.
Bam!
“I hit it lightly, but it holds up quite well, huh?”
What used to break with just a light tap now seemed capable of blocking at least one attack confidently.
There were no big issues with the speed of deployment either.
If I deployed it a little faster, its strength would decrease, but since it was a one-time-use shield anyway.
As I continued to use it, I could gradually improve it and aim for my ultimate goal of creating a fast and sturdy shield.
The shield was about two meters in size, covering all directions.
I could reduce the size further and make it sturdier, but for now, this felt like the limit.
It was a useful shield.
I briefly watched Aila and Isabel practice in the training ground.
As Isabel created a shield, the Demon King poked it with a finger, and it crumbled in an instant.
“Again.”
Having just seen my shield withstand the Demon King’s punch, Isabel silently cast the shield spell again.
Time and again, her shield crumbled against the Demon King’s finger, and eventually, Isabel collapsed to the ground.
“I’m exhausted now! My mana is depleted too.”
Isabel lay on the training ground floor and began to recharge her mana.
As I watched her, Number 5 approached with curiosity and asked.
“What kind of meditation technique is that?”
“What?”
The demon race fundamentally manipulates mana.
In the process, they developed techniques to absorb it more efficiently.
It seemed Number 5 was quite curious about the technique Isabel was using.
“Didn’t you learn that it’s not okay to ask about someone else’s technique?”
“I know that, but why do you absorb mana like that?”
I enhanced my mana visibility to observe Isabel.
Most demons had a similar appearance when absorbing mana.
Isabel just seemed to be absorbing it normally.
“Huh?”
I glanced back and forth between Aila and Isabel.
I couldn’t tell when looking separately, but comparing them side by side revealed the difference.
Aila’s mana settled in her lower abdomen, as was standard.
Isabel’s mana, however, didn’t settle there; instead, it flowed up to her heart and then divided into her head.
“Isn’t it fine where it collects?”
“What kind of absurd technique is that?”
“Well, look over there.”
Isabel pointed at me.
“No, I’m….”
Since I didn’t have a technique, all my mana gathered in my heart.
This was also a characteristic of dragons.
“That’s normal for her.”
Number 5 already knew my identity as a dragon.
“Anyway, you shouldn’t gather mana in your heart. You need to store it properly.”
“But I don’t have a mana pocket.”
“What do you mean by that?”
A mana pocket is a space created to store mana.
It was developed by demons first, and later humans also made their pockets in their lower abdomens following the demons.
Even without a mana pocket, one can use magic, but it’s a hassle to draw mana on the spot every time one wants to cast a spell.
Isabel explained while rubbing her belly.
“I learned about making such a thing later. So I felt like I needed to store it, so I stored it here.”
“How did you know to store it in your heart without learning a technique?”
“Ririan was doing it.”
This meant she had no idea how to store mana at all until she met me.
She had copied what she saw with me gathering mana in my heart.
“Let’s make a proper mana pocket now.”
“They said it wasn’t necessary.”
“Who said that?”
“Her.”
As Isabel pointed at the Demon King, Number 5 jumped in surprise and lowered Isabel’s finger.
“You shouldn’t call casually like that….”
Number 5 tried to explain something, but by then, the Demon King had stepped back and interrupted Number 5’s attempt to speak.
The Demon King seemed satisfied that Isabel was treating him informally.
Since it was the Demon King who prevented Isabel from making a mana pocket, Number 5 couldn’t say anything more.
To resolve his curiosity, Number 5 moved aside to have a conversation with the Demon King.
I could guess what kind of questions he was asking.
Considering he occasionally pointed at me during their conversation, it seemed I was being used as an example.
After confidently contradicting the Demon King’s statements a few times, Number 5 soon seemed to run out of things to say.
For a moment, I watched what he was seeing.
The Demon King allowed a brief glimpse of the mana he was harboring.
I didn’t examine it closely, but it was clear that the Demon King also lacked a mana pocket.
It appeared that his body was filled with a dark red energy.
In this underground training area, the only one practicing mana in the most conventional way was Aila.
The most ordinary state, and so Number 5 decided to assist Aila.
The two conversed awkwardly until they reached a point where they fell silent.
“Then, I’m going up. Tenji will be bored alone.”
If there were no one in the rooms by late evening, it would be the most absurd thing ever.
I waited for the elevator in the hotel lobby to return to the room.
When the elevator arrived and the doors opened, someone hurriedly stepped in with me.
“Which floor are you going to?”
“The top floor.”
The other person naturally pressed the button for the top floor and stood still.
As we silently arrived at the top floor, the other person finally displayed a suspicious expression.
“Do you have business on the top floor?”
“I have a room there.”
“No, someone I know is staying on the top floor. If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask what your relation is to them?”
It seemed he completely failed to recognize me.
I considered introducing myself first, but since the atmosphere didn’t seem particularly hostile, I decided to observe a bit more.
As the door opened, empty beds greeted us.
Even Tenji, who would normally be there, was nowhere to be seen.
Since I had already received permission from the hotel lobby, he strode into the room.
“It looks like no one is here, so I guess we’ll have to wait. If you’re waiting too, let’s wait together.”
Every person I met had been like this, so I felt a bit mischievous.
“What do you do?”
“Oh, I’m Reeki, the vice commander of the Second Knight Order.”
Quickly, before he could ask any questions, I threw out a different question to change the topic.
“I heard rumors about monsters appearing recently. Did that bring you here?”
“That’s right.”
The Knight Order didn’t need to lie to people, so a straightforward answer came back.
If it were an intelligence department, they would have pried into the intent behind my question.
“But what about you?”
“Me? I’m just part of the group.”
At my mention of “group,” Reeki seemed curious but held back from asking any further questions, sensing the situation.
He was likely worried about Aila, who hadn’t been in touch.
The group with the Demon King that had gone underground returned almost by morning.
“Oh? Hello~”
When the Demon King recognized Reeki and greeted him, Reeki stood and politely returned the gesture.
“Excuse me, where is the Commander…?”
The moment they entered the room, Aila seemed to peek out from behind the Demon King.
“Here.”
As the Demon King stepped aside, Aila revealed herself.
“Ah.”
It was clear she was struggling to determine how to react.
Judging by Reeki’s reaction, it seemed to be the first time he saw Aila like this.
“Are you… the Commander’s sister?”
“That’s me.”
Surprised, Reeki quickly returned to his seat, soon adopting a relaxed expression.
“Well, I suppose you have your reasons. Just give me your orders, and I’ll follow.”
“What orders?”
I had yet to inform Aila that the Second Knight Order had come for support.
I thought the Demon King would have told her when the opportunity arose, but she seemed completely unaware.
“They said they would send the Second Knight Order as reinforcements.”
“That’s why you were here.”
“That won’t happen much. While you’re here, just follow my orders.”
Currently, the one commanding the unit protecting the Raiden region was the Demon King.
After hearing a few words from the Demon King, Reeki quickly departed the hotel room.
In the end, he didn’t realize who I was until the very end.
The next day, a meeting was arranged where some of the Royal Guard and personnel from the Second Knight Order would meet each other.
Since it couldn’t be held in an ordinary restaurant, they rented a spacious room in the hotel.
The two teams understanding each other seemed to stem from their similar positions.
It was secretly known in the Knight Order that the commander, Aila, had a close relationship with the Demon King.
Of course, Aila was not a member of the Royal Guard.
“Um, the reason we arranged this gathering is, as you know, to prepare for the Undead attacking us.”
The Demon King took the lead in the discussion, appearing in an adult form.
While the Royal Guard didn’t have a large number of members, the Second Knight Order was accompanied by a battalion-sized force.
“I personally have a few individuals I can summon quickly.”
Knowing that the Royal Guard had been active in various places, they had built wide connections.
“Well, trained soldiers would actually be easier for you to command, right? You’re used to it, after all?”
For those involved in the imperial institutions, it would be easy to handle soldiers.
“I’m somewhat opposed to that.”
“In that case, you can be part of the separate unit.”
Though it seemed the Demon King was indifferent to the Royal Guard, in reality, he was being very considerate.
He assigned command of the soldiers to those who seemed suited to get along with them.
For those who wouldn’t fit, he set them apart into a separate unit.
Once the distribution of troops was finished, they divided into three main groups.
The first unit led by the Royal Guard, the second unit led by the Knight Order, and the separate unit.
Decisions on the remaining details were left up to each group.
It felt like preparing for war, yet it didn’t seem real at all.
After the meeting concluded, I found myself gazing out the window in the hallway.
The cheerful atmosphere of the city was profoundly gloomy.
There were barricades being set up here and there, and I could see residents evacuating.
It wasn’t a defensive battle like in Python Village, where they used the castle wall.
If a fight broke out, the Undead would surge into the city, and urban warfare would unfold.
