Because she was going to the frontlines with Eriri and the others, and even participating in the assault on the Demon King's Castle, Iris wasn't wearing her usual white dress. Instead, she had changed into a beautiful suit of armor, a shining sword in hand.
One glance was enough to tell she was ready for adventure.
"You mean this? I'm going to join Onee-sama and the others to attack the Demon King's Castle later."
Hearing Iris's words, Claire immediately cried out in shock.
"What!? You're attacking the Demon King's Castle? That's far too dangerous, Your Highness! How could you possibly take such a risk?"
"It's fine, you know my strength is really great. Besides, with my sister there, there's no way anything dangerous could happen."
Iris spoke with full confidence—but her reasoning clearly didn't convince Claire.
"But…"
"What's wrong? Are you doubting my strength?"
Eriri looked at Claire with a faint smile, but the subtle pressure in her gaze instantly made Claire shut her mouth.
"In that case, please allow me to accompany Her Highness. It is my duty as her knight to protect her!"
Since she couldn't stop her, Claire could only try another approach.
Unfortunately, her suggestion was flatly denied by Eriri.
"No need. Stay in the palace and wait for Iris to return."
After saying that, Eriri ignored Claire and led Iris by the hand toward the castle's main hall.
Through her senses, Eriri could tell that Darkness and the others were already gathered inside.
Watching their departing figures, Claire bit her lip and followed reluctantly, unwilling to just let them go.
...
After gathering with Darkness and the others, Eriri didn't rush to head for the royal capital's gates.
After all, it took time for the adventurers to assemble, and they still had enough time to finish breakfast.
So about ten minutes later, after they had eaten, Eriri and the group used Spatial Transfer to appear outside the city gates.
"Onee-sama, this doesn't seem like teleportation magic, right?"
Standing on the open ground outside the royal capital, Iris looked curiously at Eriri beside her.
One of her other retainers was a mage who could use teleportation magic, so she was quite familiar with the sensation of such spells.
But what she experienced just now felt completely different. When using teleportation magic, one could distinctly sense the spatial distortion—but this time, she hadn't felt anything at all. It was as if she had merely blinked, and the world had changed around her.
"Of course, this isn't ordinary teleportation magic."
Eriri smiled and placed her hand on Iris's head, gently rubbing it before explaining the principle behind her spatial transfer.
After Eriri's detailed explanation, Iris finally understood the difference between teleportation magic and spatial transfer—and her confidence in Eriri's power grew even stronger.
Once their conversation ended, Eriri swept her gaze around the surroundings.
She noticed many familiar figures among the gathered adventurers—like the long-haired swordswoman who had approached her at the Adventurer's Guild yesterday, as well as the reincarnator Kyouya Mitsurugi, who had obtained the "Cursed Sword Gram" after discovering Aqua's identity in the original story.
That swordswoman was staring directly at Eriri, as if wanting to walk up and talk to her.
Most of the adventurers assembled outside the gate were the same ones who had fought alongside Ilina and the others against the Demon King's Army yesterday, with only a few unfamiliar faces.
Almost everyone's attention was fixed on Eriri's group, and murmurs spread through the crowd.
"The party that stole the spotlight yesterday is here too. This time, victory's guaranteed."
"Yeah. I still can't believe how much mana that explosion mage had—to cast Explosion Magic repeatedly like that."
"And those two blonde girls, the tall one and the little one, were incredible. None of the Demon King's soldiers could even survive a single blow from them. Total one-hit kills!"
"..."
The adventurers' discussions revolved around Megumin, Ilina, and Lilian. After all, their performance yesterday had been far too dazzling to ignore.
After a single day, their fame had spread throughout the royal capital—and even reached all the way to Axel.
Naturally, there were also many speculations about the strength of Eriri, Darkness, and Eris, who hadn't made a move yesterday. And of course, countless admirers marveled at Eriri's beauty.
Aside from adventurers, the Royal Knights of Belzerg Kingdom, the main force against the Demon King's Army, had also gathered here. The King and Prince Jatice, as their leaders, were naturally present as well.
When Eriri and her group appeared, the King and Prince quickly noticed Iris among them and began walking toward their location.
However, they stopped about five meters away—not daring to get too close. Although the King had already agreed to let Iris accompany Eriri to attack the Demon King's Castle, seeing his daughter clad in full armor still filled him with complicated emotions.
Iris, having already noticed her father and brother approaching, smiled gracefully and greeted them first.
"Good morning, Father, Brother~"
Seeing his beloved daughter looking so gallant, the King quickly hid his mixed emotions and returned her greeting with a gentle, doting smile.
"Good morning, Iris."
Prince Jatice also smiled warmly and greeted her.
After exchanging greetings with Iris, the King turned his gaze toward Eriri.
"Lady Eriri, are you all also heading to the frontlines?" he asked respectfully.
"Of course. Once we've dealt with the Demon King's Army there, we'll proceed to the Demon King's Castle and finish the job."
"In that case, I must entrust this matter to you, Lady Eriri."
Their conversation wasn't conducted in private, so all the surrounding knights and adventurers could hear them clearly.
Many of them were puzzled as to why the King was speaking to Eriri with such reverence, but what truly caught their attention were her words.
"To go to the Demon King's Castle and defeat the Demon King"—what arrogance!
And yet, looking at the casual way Eriri said it, as if she didn't even see the Demon King as a threat at all, the crowd couldn't help but think back to the incredible power Megumin, Ilina, and Lilian had displayed yesterday. Maybe… she really could do it.
That thought filled them with excitement.
Destroying the Demon King—that was the ultimate dream of every adventurer and knight present.
Of course, there were also those who, after hearing this, decided to follow Eriri to the Demon King's Castle once the current battle was over—like the black-haired swordswoman and Kyouya Mitsurugi among them.
Both of them had already made up their minds: after the fight with the Demon King's Army, they would join Eriri's group in the final assault.
By the time Eriri and the others arrived at the capital gates, most of the forces had already gathered. Only a few stragglers arrived afterward.
Before long, the assembled adventurers and knights set out toward the plains where the Demon King's Army had gathered.
Since the plains were a considerable distance from the capital, a normal journey would take at least one or two days. To ensure a timely defense, both the Knights and adventurers planned to use teleportation magic to reach the frontlines.
Although there were many participants, there were also plenty of mages in the capital capable of using teleportation magic, so sending everyone to the frontlines wasn't an impossible task.
However, it would take multiple trips to transfer such a large number of people.
Under the King's coordination, hundreds of mages who could use teleportation gathered together, preparing to perform a large-scale transfer spell.
But just as they were about to begin teleporting the first batch, Eriri interrupted them.
"There's no need to make things so complicated. I'll give you a hand."
Without waiting for anyone to respond, Eriri raised her right hand and snapped her fingers.
Snap—
With that crisp sound, all the knights and adventurers suddenly realized that the scenery around them had changed completely.
The towering walls of the royal capital vanished, replaced by an endless grassy plain.
In the distance, just a few hundred meters away, countless troops of the Demon King's Army were gathering in a chaotic mass.
...
"Amazing… She transferred everyone instantly, and it looked so effortless, like it was nothing at all…"
"Unbelievable… We already guessed she was powerful, but to think she could do this!"
"No wonder she said she'd take care of the Demon King so casually—she actually has the strength to back it up!"
"She's not only gorgeous but also that strong? How can someone like that even exist!?"
"..."
Aside from Darkness and the others, everyone present stared at Eriri in stunned disbelief. This was their first time witnessing her power firsthand—and it was far beyond anything they could have imagined.
Even though what she used wasn't an offensive spell, teleporting an entire army of knights and adventurers at once—something that hundreds of high-class mages together couldn't have achieved—spoke volumes about her power. Her magic capacity alone had to exceed that of thousands of archmages combined.
If she ever decided to use offensive magic, the destructive force would undoubtedly be unimaginable.
However, there was no time to dwell on such thoughts, for the Demon King's Army—having noticed their sudden appearance—was already charging forward en masse.
Kobolds, orcs, goblins, trolls, wyverns…
All kinds of demonic creatures surged forward, a tide of chaos sweeping across the plains.
Seeing the oncoming horde, the knights and adventurers didn't hesitate for even a second. They charged straight into the fray, and the battle began in full fury.
Mages in the rear unleashed a storm of spells, raining down explosions, lightning, and fire upon the enemy.
Ilina and Lilian dashed into the battlefield immediately, while Megumin raised her staff and began chanting the incantation for Explosion Magic.
Even Iris, filled with excitement, brandished her gleaming sword and joined the fight.
As for Eriri—she, once again, didn't move.
Instead, she conjured a magnificent throne and sat upon it gracefully, with Darkness and Eris standing behind her like royal guards.
Resting her chin on her left hand, Eriri leaned lazily against the throne, her flawless face serene and calm. Her smooth, fair right leg crossed elegantly over the left, her delicate feet dangling in midair due to the throne's height.
The scene was surreal—completely out of place amid the chaos of battle. Like a divine goddess looking down upon the mortal realm, Eriri watched the fight unfold with detached tranquility.
Her commanding presence naturally caught the attention of many on both sides. While the humans didn't understand why she hadn't joined the fight, none of them dared to complain.
As for the demons, they couldn't help but be intrigued by her presence. Yet, even if they were curious, they couldn't reach her—the frontline was a storm of steel and magic that none of them could pass through.
And even if they did, Darkness and Eris would send them straight to hell before they ever got close.
...
Megumin, Ilina, and Lilian once again displayed overwhelming power. To help Megumin sustain her spellcasting, Eriri had planted a seed of energy within her—allowing her mana to instantly replenish after depletion. This time, there was no need for Eriri to personally recharge her.
However, after learning from yesterday's battle, the adventurers had spread out more widely today. As a result, Megumin couldn't easily annihilate massive groups of enemies at once with a single explosion.
Ilina and Lilian, however, proved far more effective on this battlefield. Any demon that encountered them—whether ordinary soldiers or elite officers—met the same fate: instant death.
Meanwhile, Iris was locked in combat with several massive dragons. Yet, against the kingdom's strongest warrior, those mighty creatures stood no chance—each one fell with a single stroke of her radiant sword.
As the Demon King's Army faltered under the girls' onslaught, even the enemy officers could no longer stand idly by.
Hans, the Deadly Poison Slime, transformed into a massive wave of corrosive sludge and lunged toward Ilina and Lilian. But within seconds, their light-infused blasts vaporized him completely.
Demon King's Army Officer—defeated!
At the rear of the battlefield, a man in a black butler's suit wearing a black-and-white mask watched the chaos unfold with a delighted expression.
—
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