I considered waiting for the leader of the Lord's envoys who was already nearing the fort, but I figured that it would be better if he joined the meeting once all the introductions and preliminary issues had been dealt with.
I smiled at the people seated, and they all gave me looks indicating many things.
Curiosity. Awe. Expectations. Hopefulness. Inferiority.
The last part was from Ivan, since he must have felt extremely inadequate compared to me after witnessing the whole thing with that Demon Beast.
'He has grown to an unprecedented degree, though…'
It was just that comparing himself to me was a fundamental error, to begin with.
While I wasn't invincible—yet—I was above the league of most contemporary Magic Users.
After a little back and forth, Cephas also took his seat.
We were ten in the room.
Seven squadron leaders—each specialized in a particular aspect of warfare.
Ivan Smith—leader of the Academy Interns.
The Vice Commander—Cephas.
And then me.
There was one empty seat available, for the Envoy Leader to use once he arrived. However, since he was still absent, I used the opportunity to get rid of preliminary matters.
First were introductions.
After hearing from the various leaders about their roles, the details of their occupation, and their response to the Demon Beast's attack.
While doing this much seemed unnecessary, I had my reasons.
By the time we were done, the Envoy Leader arrived.
He was a thick man with robust muscles and a hardened face. The glare-like look in his eyes was enough to intimidate anyone at first glance.
I thought he would request the seat of honor because of his high status, but he was a lot more reasonable than I thought.
'I told those who would welcome the Envoys to brief him before he entered. After hearing everything, he must also be in a state of reverence—or something similar…'
Since we were done with the preliminary meeting, and our guest was here, I decided to start in earnest.
"The Demonic being that attacked your borders is a Demon Beast—a breed of Magic Beasts fused with Miasma to the point of compatibility."
They were not only stronger, but they could achieve phenomenal heights with their newfound abilities. Of course, that was only IF they were compatible.
"On my way here, I witnessed a horde of them charging in your location, so I dealt with them accordingly. Who would have thought they had a scout ahead of them…"
The people were stunned as they sat, staring at each other with shock and disbelief.
"H—how many were they…?" Cephas croaked.
With everyone shaken by this discovery, even he was no exception.
"A few hundred—perhaps three hundred or more."
Their jaws dropped even more.
I could understand their rationale.
'A single one was too much for them to properly handle. If they were more prepared—or if they persevered, they would eventually take one down—but… three hundred will be too much for them to win against.'
Even with the Envoys, I estimated that they could manage to kill five—maybe ten?
In essence, without my intervention, they would have all met cruel ends.
Ivan was even biting his lips in frustration, considering he struggled so much against one and I ended up defeating three hundred without much effort.
"I recovered the corpse of a few of them, so the Kingdom will have to take a good look at them to confirm my words and prepare countermeasures," I added.
Cephas and the others nodded while gulping. Even the leader of the envoys was already looking at me with a brighter expression.
"Now, then, the Demon Beasts were only a small number—most likely dispensable tools to probe the area or deal the first strike."
"T—then, why did they come from the border facing the Elven Kingdom of the Western Continent? Could it be that they're launching simultaneous attacks?"
True, it indeed made more sense for the Demons to launch an attack from the north. However, that was predictable, no?
I was certain the Kingdom focused most of its defensive measures to guard the northern territories, but they did well not to completely leave the other borders unattended.
However, with the looser security and the preconceived notion of the Western Continent being direct neighbors, it was the perfect means to strike.
"The Western Continent is most likely also suffering from an incursion," I stated, shocking them even more.
It was the only explanation.
Based on the geographical locations of the continents, the Western Continent was closer to the Northern Continent. Plus, if they attacked from the ocean connecting the East and West, it meant that the latter would have already had encounters with the Demons.
They simply had their hands full at the moment.
"The Demons probably intend to make both continents too busy dealing with the threat to be too busy for the other."
If the East needed help and sought an alliance from the West, they could perhaps join forces to drive out the Demons. However, if the borders connecting the two were breached, it would be more difficult for the possibility of a joint front.
"T—then, what can we do…?" The Envoy Leader asked with a perplexed expression.
I sighed slightly.
"You'll need to report to the capital. I'll give you the details of what your Report will be. The corpses of the Demon Beasts should also be transported there."
They nodded and gulped again.
I had other business to attend to, so I couldn't hold their hands through every process.
"Just in case some of you are still unsure of this, I'll tell it to you straight. The War has officially begun!"
Judging by the bitter and slightly frightened expressions on the faces of everyone present, I could tell that they had been dreading that reality.
A single Demon Beast gave them such problems, and it was merely one of several expendable pawns of the Demonic Forces.
In essence, based on the encounter they just had, these people were already aware of the chances they had against the Demon Race.
"Then, there's something else to address…"
I looked at Cephas in particular and furrowed my brow.
"This Fort—no, the entire Eastern Kingdom—is compromised."
And… there was a spy among us.
