After the mission in Rensgard, we returned to Vailor during the night. The city was still bustling even at that hour. Guards patrolled the main streets more frequently than before, and many adventurers had gathered near the guild discussing missions and strange movements.
The war had not officially begun yet.
But everyone could feel that it was close.
As soon as we arrived at the mansion, the maids quickly came to welcome the group. Some of them helped Liriel, who was still a little exhausted after the large-scale purification.
"You overdid it again."
Scarlett said as she slowly removed her gloves.
Liriel smiled wearily.
"It needed to work."
"And it did."
Vespera rested her bow against the wall.
"But next time, try not to pass out afterward."
"I didn't pass out."
"Almost."
I ended up letting out a quiet laugh as I watched the two of them.
The atmosphere in the mansion remained light whenever we were together. Maybe that was exactly what helped all of us keep moving forward.
During dinner, we talked about the mission and especially about the demonic mana corrupting the spirits.
Lyannis seemed more serious than usual.
"If the demons are managing to corrupt even natural spirits..."
She rested her fingers on the table.
"Then their influence is already much greater than we imagined."
Elara nodded.
"The mana around the entire continent is changing."
Rai'kanna crossed her arms.
"Then we can't waste time."
I looked at all of them silently for a few seconds.
Then I spoke calmly:
"Starting tomorrow, we're going to focus even more on team combat."
Scarlett raised an eyebrow.
"Even more?"
"Yes."
I continued looking at everyone.
"Against ordinary monsters, we can fight separately."
I paused for a moment.
"But against the First General... that won't work."
Silence filled the table for a few seconds.
Everyone understood that.
So did I.
That enemy was different from anything we had faced so far.
After dinner, I went upstairs alone and spent some time looking out the window.
The sky was clear.
The moon illuminated part of the quiet city.
Even so...
That distant pressure was still there.
I slowly closed my eyes.
And for the first time in a long while...
I admitted something to myself.
I was afraid.
Not afraid of dying.
But afraid of failing.
Afraid that I wouldn't be able to protect everyone.
I took a deep breath, trying to push those thoughts away.
Then I heard a gentle knock on the door.
"You can come in."
Liriel entered the room quietly.
She already seemed to know what I was thinking.
"You do this every night now."
"Do what?"
"Stand by the window trying to solve the world's problems by yourself."
I smiled faintly.
She walked over to my side.
"The group has become stronger."
"But it's still not enough."
Liriel remained silent for a few seconds before replying.
"Maybe it will never seem like enough to you."
I looked at her.
Her eyes were as calm as always.
"Takumi... no one here expects you to carry everything alone."
I looked away for a few seconds.
It was strange hearing that.
Because from the very beginning, I had always felt that I had to solve everything.
Liriel gently held my hand.
"Trust us more."
I stayed silent.
Then, after a few seconds, I slowly nodded.
She smiled softly before leaving the room.
And those words stayed in my mind throughout the entire night.
The next morning, I woke up early once again. The group was already waiting for me in the mansion garden.
Lyannis looked more excited than she had in days.
"Today I'll coordinate everything."
Scarlett crossed her arms.
"That never ends well."
"It does."
"It doesn't."
Rai'kanna let out a small laugh while stretching her arms.
"So what's today's training?"
Lyannis spread several papers across the outdoor table in the garden.
"Advanced coordinated combat."
Vespera sighed.
"That sounds exhausting."
"Because it will be."
Lyannis quickly began explaining.
The objective of the training would be simple.
Total synchronization.
Coordinated movement.
Constant cover.
Combined attacks.
No acting individually.
No impulsiveness.
Scarlett immediately looked at me.
"She's talking about you."
"Actually, I'm talking about everyone."
Lyannis replied before I could say anything.
Elara rested a hand on her hip.
"Then let's get started."
We headed to a wide area near the mountains north of Vailor. The place already bore many marks from our previous training sessions.
Craters.
Destroyed rocks.
Burned trees.
Scarlett looked around.
"We're destroying half the mountains."
"Better here than in the city."
Rai'kanna drew the sword from her back.
"Then start already."
Lyannis took her position in the center of the field.
"First exercise."
She pointed toward several enormous rocks scattered across the area.
"You need to destroy every target in sequence without breaking formation."
Scarlett sighed.
"That sounds simple."
"Then try it."
The training began.
At first, everything seemed to work relatively well.
I advanced at the front alongside Rai'kanna.
Scarlett attacked from the right.
Vespera provided long-range cover.
Liriel maintained barriers.
Elara controlled mobility with the wind.
Lyannis coordinated everything.
But after a few minutes...
The mistakes started to appear.
Scarlett advanced too quickly.
Rai'kanna destroyed positions before the right moment.
I changed strategies in the middle of the movement.
Vespera switched target priorities.
Elara constantly had to correct the group's movement.
Lyannis sighed in frustration.
"Again."
We started over.
And failed again.
Then once more.
And again.
The sun continued to rise as we repeated the exercises countless times.
Gradually, we began to improve.
Small details started falling into place.
Cover.
Attack timing.
Distance between positions.
Everything became more natural.
At one point, Lyannis completely changed the training.
She created several magic circles scattered across the field.
"Now for real combat."
Scarlett smiled faintly.
"Finally."
The circles immediately began summoning creatures made of mana.
Wolves.
Warriors.
Fast-moving creatures.
All artificially created through Lyannis's magic.
"Simple objective."
She raised her hand.
"No one fights alone."
The creatures charged immediately.
This time, the group reacted much better.
Rai'kanna held the front line while Scarlett destroyed larger groups with lightning.
Vespera eliminated distant targets before they could even approach.
Elara altered enemy movement with the wind.
Liriel maintained continuous support without losing position.
And I...
For the first time, I truly began fighting in sync with them.
Without acting alone.
Without rushing ahead.
The movements began flowing naturally.
As if the entire group had finally found the same rhythm.
Lyannis noticed immediately.
"That's it!"
More creatures began appearing.
But the group kept advancing.
Scarlett destroyed three enemies with a single lightning strike while Rai'kanna prevented another group from surrounding Liriel.
Vespera fired several enchanted arrows at once, opening space for Elara to unleash a massive gust of wind.
I advanced immediately afterward using concentrated dragon fire.
The creatures disappeared one after another.
Without chaos.
Without disorder.
Everything worked together.
When the last enemy fell, silence settled over the field.
Scarlett breathed deeply while watching the remains of the creatures vanish.
"That... was better."
Lyannis smiled with satisfaction.
"Much better."
Rai'kanna rested her sword on her shoulder.
"We're finally starting to look like a real team."
Liriel looked at me.
"And you didn't run off by yourself this time."
I laughed quietly.
"I'm improving."
"Miracle."
Scarlett replied immediately.
The atmosphere became lighter after that.
But the training wasn't over yet.
Throughout the afternoon, we continued focusing on specific situations.
Protecting support members.
Formation against large groups.
Quick reactions.
Combat in confined spaces.
Lyannis seemed completely focused on correcting every small mistake.
And it was truly working.
At one point, she had us fight each other in pairs.
Scarlett against Vespera.
Rai'kanna against Elara.
Me against Lyannis.
Liriel would remain solely in a support role.
Scarlett and Vespera immediately began an absurd competition.
Lightning against enchanted arrows.
Small explosions constantly erupted across the field.
Rai'kanna fought Elara while violent winds swept through the surrounding rocks.
As for Lyannis...
She was annoyingly intelligent in combat.
She didn't try to win through strength.
She tried to force me into making mistakes.
Changing positions.
Creating distractions.
Using magic to restrict my movement.
After a few minutes, I realized something.
She was simulating exactly how a commander would fight in war.
When I finally managed to touch my sword against her shoulder, Lyannis simply smiled faintly.
"Took you long enough."
"You fight in an irritating way."
"Because thinking works better than blowing everything up."
Scarlett overheard that from a distance.
"Are you talking about me?"
"Mostly."
The whole group ended up laughing.
When the sun began to disappear, we finally ended the training.
Everyone was tired.
But satisfied.
We sat near the edge of the mountain, watching Vailor in the distance.
From there, the city looked peaceful.
Almost.
Scarlett lay on the grass looking up at the sky.
"We're getting stronger."
"Yes."
I replied calmly.
Liriel rested her head on my shoulder.
"But you still seem worried."
I looked toward the distant horizon.
The north.
Always the north.
"It's not over yet."
Rai'kanna became serious again.
"And it won't be anytime soon."
The cold wind slowly swept across the mountains as the sky turned orange.
Then Lyannis spoke calmly.
"When the war begins..."
She looked at all of us.
"We'll have to trust each other completely."
The group fell silent.
Because everyone knew.
This was no longer just an adventure.
It was no longer just another mission.
A real war was coming.
And when it began...
There would be no room for mistakes.
We spent a few more minutes silently watching the horizon.
Then we slowly started walking back toward the mansion.
But as I walked...
That strange sensation returned once again.
The same distant, heavy presence.
As if something were watching our every step.
I discreetly looked north once more.
And at that very moment...
I clearly felt it.
The demonic mana was even stronger than yesterday.