A few days after Misheana left, the subjugation force finally engaged the red wolf demons.
Thanks to the precautionary measures Elias had put in place, he could track the battle’s progress.
Though he couldn’t observe it in real-time, his setup allowed him to monitor the shifts in magical energy, giving him a rough idea of what was happening.
It wasn’t precise, but it was still faster than waiting for official reports.
That evening, Frenn arrived at Elias’s room to deliver her regular update.
“How’s the subjugation force holding up?”
“They’re doing well. No casualties, no injuries.”
Frenn nodded. “That’s a relief.”
“But…”
She tilted her head. “But?”
“They haven’t made much progress. The sheer number of demons is slowing them down.”
“…Even the subjugation force is struggling with the numbers?”
“That’s how it looks.” Elias stretched his arms, sighing.
“I don’t know how many of these red wolves their leader can create, but it should have a limit. The fact that so many still exist means that they were probably being mass-produced deep in the mountains for quite some time.”
“Then… the numbers will dwindle eventually?”
“Yeah, as long as they keep killing them, the end will come sooner or later.”
Frenn furrowed her brows.
“But… will the demons just retreat?”
Elias’s gaze sharpened.
“…Under normal circumstances, they should.”
Frenn caught the implication immediately.
“…But this isn’t normal, is it?”
“No.”
A pause.
Then—realization dawned on Frenn’s face.
“…Did something force these demons out of their territory?”
Elias nodded.
“I mentioned three possibilities before. This is the third one.”
“Another stronger demon appeared?”
“Most likely.”
Elias sighed.
“These red wolves aren’t just randomly attacking humans. Their original habitat was deep in the mountains, far from human civilization.”
“…But something drove them out.”
“And if whatever forced them to leave is still out there…”
Frenn’s expression hardened.
“…Then the subjugation force might run into it.”
“We know their alpha is at least Danger Level 3,” Elias continued.
“But whatever pushed them out is stronger than that.”
“…Danger Level 4?”
“That’s what worries me.”
A heavy silence filled the room.
Frenn exhaled.
“…We’ve dealt with Danger Level 4 demons before.”
“But not here,” Elias pointed out.
“Northfront knights rarely encounter demons of that caliber.”
“…Why?”
Elias crossed his arms, thinking.
“Probably because there are more people in the north.”
Frenn’s eyes narrowed.
“…You mean the stronger demons avoid populated areas?”
“Exactly. The stronger the demon, the smarter it tends to be. It knows that attacking a well-defended region is a bad idea.”
“…So instead, they move to areas humans don’t patrol as heavily.”
“And where do you think those places are?” Elias asked.
Frenn’s voice was calm—but tense.
“The Eastern Front.”
“In the Northern Front, knights and warriors have been pushing farther and farther into demon territory.”
“But in the Eastern Front, the land is rough, the resources are scarce, and humans don’t settle there as much.”
“That means the most dangerous demons could be hiding there without anyone realizing it.”
“…And no one in the North knows?”
“Apparently not,” Elias said dryly.
Frenn frowned.
“…Doesn’t that mean that when the Northern knights push too far, they might force even more powerful demons out?”
“That’s exactly what I’m worried about.”
Elias sighed again.
“For now, though, we watch and wait.”
“…Should I keep gathering information?”
“Yeah. Find out everything you can about the politics surrounding this operation.”
Frenn nodded. “Understood.”
She left the room.
Elias leaned back in his chair, gazing out the window.
The courtyard was bustling with knights training.
The soldiers seemed more motivated than usual—perhaps because of the red wolf threat.
(Or maybe Misheana’s visit left an impression on them.)
Either way, the subjugation effort was progressing smoothly.
At least… for now.
“…The first day went well,” he murmured.
“But let’s see what happens tomorrow.”
With that thought, Elias stood up.
Time to sharpen his sword.
Even if he wasn’t part of the official force—he still had a role to play.