The silence disappeared that very night.
As soon as the messenger finished speaking, I felt the weight in the air change completely. It was no longer just a distant feeling or a strange premonition.
The war had finally begun to move.
The man was still breathing heavily as he tried to gather his words.
"The demonic troops have begun advancing from the north... the scouts confirmed large-scale movement..."
Scarlett immediately became serious.
"How many?"
"A lot... thousands... maybe more."
Lyannis stepped forward.
"And the First General?"
The messenger hesitated for a moment.
"His presence has been detected."
The mansion's garden fell silent.
Even without anyone speaking, everyone understood the weight of those words.
He was coming.
I breathed slowly, trying to keep my mind calm.
"Has the king called an emergency meeting?"
"Yes. All of Vailor's forces are on maximum alert."
I nodded.
"We're leaving immediately."
The messenger departed shortly afterward while the girls quickly began getting ready.
The atmosphere inside the mansion changed completely within minutes.
Before, there had been calm.
Now there was tension.
A heavy tension.
Scarlett picked up her black coat while Rai'kanna adjusted her metal gauntlets.
Vespera carefully checked her arrows.
Lyannis organized magical scrolls and small support crystals.
Liriel looked worried but tried to remain calm.
Elara silently walked over to me.
"What do you think?"
I looked out from the balcony once more.
The wind coming from the north felt colder than before.
"I think it's over."
She immediately understood what I meant.
There would be no more preparation.
No more waiting.
Now everything would truly begin.
We left the mansion shortly afterward.
The streets of Vailor were completely different from that morning.
Guards were running in every direction.
Soldiers were setting up barricades.
Messengers rode through the streets on horseback.
Adventurers were gathering near the guild.
Fear was beginning to appear on people's faces.
And that was inevitable.
Because unlike before...
Now the enemy was no longer far away.
He was coming directly toward Vailor.
When we arrived at the castle, the entire place was already in full military motion.
The hallways were crowded with officers.
Mages transported documents through magic.
Guards protected every main entrance.
As soon as we arrived, a soldier immediately led us to the strategy room.
When the doors opened, I found several military leaders gathered around a massive table covered with maps.
The King of Vailor stood at the center.
Drakarion was also present.
Along with human generals, elven representatives, and several dwarves.
The atmosphere felt heavy.
Very heavy.
The king looked up when I entered.
"Takumi."
"Your Majesty."
He nodded quickly.
"We received official confirmation less than an hour ago."
One of the generals pointed at the map.
"The demonic troops have begun a full-scale advance."
I examined the markings.
There were many.
Red lines advanced in several different directions.
Not only toward Vailor.
Other nations were also being threatened simultaneously.
Drakarion crossed his arms.
"They divided their army."
"As we expected."
A human general spoke next.
"But the main force is still heading here."
I looked at the map again.
The number of troops was overwhelming.
Even with the alliance of nations... this battle would be enormous.
The king took a deep breath.
"Our scouts estimate the main army will arrive within a few days."
"How many?"
"No one has been able to count them completely."
Silence.
Then Drakarion spoke calmly.
"The First General is leading them personally."
That immediately made several officers tense.
Because everyone there knew what that meant.
The real battle had not even begun yet.
The meeting continued over the next several minutes.
Defensive lines.
Military positioning.
Village evacuations.
Troop distribution.
But while listening to all of it... I noticed one thing.
Everyone was nervous.
Even the most experienced generals.
Because no one truly knew how powerful the First General was.
Only rumors.
Stories.
Destruction.
The king then looked at me again.
"Takumi."
"Yes."
"The adventurers will be under your command."
I nodded slowly.
"Understood."
One of the human generals looked uncomfortable.
"Putting the entire adventurer force under someone so young..."
Before he could finish, Drakarion calmly spoke.
"Do you have someone better?"
The man fell silent.
Drakarion continued.
"He defeated enemies that entire armies could not face."
The king nodded as well.
"Besides... the adventurers already follow Takumi naturally."
I said nothing.
Because at that moment, I also understood the responsibility I had just received.
It wasn't only about fighting.
Now thousands of people would depend on my decisions.
The meeting ended some time later.
The troops would begin full mobilization immediately.
Scouts would continuously be sent to the north.
Magical messages would be transmitted to the allied kingdoms.
When I left the room, I felt the full weight of everything settle onto my shoulders.
Scarlett noticed immediately.
"You're thinking too much."
"I've been doing that a lot."
She walked beside me through the castle corridors.
"Being afraid is normal."
I looked at her.
"Are you afraid?"
Scarlett remained silent for a few seconds.
"I am."
That surprised me a little.
She normally didn't admit something like that so easily.
"But it doesn't change anything."
She continued walking calmly.
"Even if I'm afraid... I'll still fight."
A small smile appeared on my face.
"You've really changed."
"Don't get used to it."
We walked down the castle stairs while soldiers continued rushing back and forth.
Outside, it was already past midnight.
But no one in the city seemed to be asleep.
Blacksmiths were still working.
Guards were still patrolling.
Mages were still preparing defensive barriers.
The war had already begun even before the first battle.
We returned to the mansion shortly afterward.
As soon as we entered, Liriel immediately approached.
"What did they decide?"
Lyannis also looked like she was waiting for the answer.
I calmly explained everything.
The demonic advance.
The defensive lines.
The adventurers' mobilization.
The First General's advance.
As I spoke... the atmosphere in the room became heavier and heavier.
Rai'kanna crossed her arms.
"So it finally began."
"Yes."
Vespera looked out the window.
"They waited long enough."
Elara looked thoughtful.
"Maybe they were gathering enough mana."
Lyannis nodded.
"Or waiting for reinforcements."
Liriel slowly sat down on the sofa.
"How many people are going to die in this war..."
No one answered.
Because everyone had thought exactly the same thing.
Silence filled the room for a few seconds.
Then Scarlett spoke.
"Thinking about that now won't help."
She looked directly at me.
"What matters is winning."
I took a deep breath.
She was right.
Even so... it was impossible to ignore the weight of the situation.
I went upstairs a little later.
I needed a few minutes alone.
I entered my room and walked out onto the balcony.
The city was still awake.
Lights spread throughout Vailor.
Constant movement.
The distant sounds of armor and wagons.
I looked toward the north once again.
The demonic mana had grown stronger.
Much stronger.
I closed my eyes for a few seconds.
Then the sword's voice echoed in my mind once more.
"They've finally begun."
"Yes."
"Are you prepared?"
It took me a while to answer.
"Not completely."
"That's only natural."
I slowly gripped the sword's hilt.
"The First General is different."
"Yes."
The image of that creature from my dream still remained vivid in my mind.
The overwhelming pressure.
The red eyes.
The feeling of death.
I had never faced anything at that level before.
"And yet you're going to fight."
I slowly opened my eyes.
"I don't have a choice."
The sword remained silent for a few seconds.
Then it replied.
"Wrong."
I frowned slightly.
"You could run away."
I looked at the city once again.
People still walked through the streets without truly knowing what would happen over the next few days.
Soldiers prepared the defenses.
Families remained awake.
Adventurers were being summoned.
All of that existed because someone had to protect this place.
I breathed slowly.
"I'm not going to run."
The sword glowed faintly.
"I know."
I heard footsteps behind me.
When I turned around, I saw all the girls entering the room.
Scarlett.
Liriel.
Vespera.
Lyannis.
Elara.
Rai'kanna.
None of them looked sleepy.
None of them seemed willing to rest.
Liriel approached first.
"You shouldn't be alone right now."
I smiled faintly.
"Maybe."
Rai'kanna leaned against the wall.
"So what's the plan?"
I looked at all of them.
Even with war just around the corner... none of them showed any intention of backing down.
And at that moment I realized something.
I wasn't carrying everything alone.
I never had been.
"Early tomorrow morning we'll go to the guild."
Scarlett crossed her arms.
"More missions?"
"Training."
Lyannis immediately seemed to understand.
"You want to keep improving until the very last possible moment."
"Yes."
Vespera smiled faintly.
"Good. Because I don't intend to enter this war weak either."
Elara nodded.
"We still need to improve our coordination."
Liriel took a deep breath.
"Then we'll keep training."
I looked at all of them once again.
The fear was still there.
The tension too.
But now there was something else alongside it.
Determination.
And perhaps that was exactly what the demons didn't understand.
We wouldn't keep fighting because we were forced to.
We would keep fighting because there were people far too important to abandon.
I turned my gaze back toward the dark northern horizon.
The war was coming.
And this time... there was no turning back.