"-and that's all the information related to the enemy's main players. The war will not end before we can at least defeat these six 'individuals'. Select your roles, and pray for victory. Any more questions?" - Carion

......I cut the thread leading to the Union as people were throwing their complaints at the Union Master in something akin to panic. I mean, who can blame them? I also wanna panic...

I clicked on the "more information"-button and re-read what Carion had just said. An army consisting of Desert Tuna monsters, volcanic monsters, and goblins plus trolls, are all coming to Velantas. The size of the army is around four times that of our numbers even...

Their average racial rank? D. Us? A flat E...

And there are those six bosses as well...

Yea-ah-ah-ah-ah... this is impossible...

I know. I designed that octopus and the Desert Shark after all. They're bad enough on their own, and they've got armies with them. "Bosses shouldn't have reinforcement like that!!" is what I wanna shout, but is anyone gonna do something about it if I do?

No. Not that there's anything anyone can do...

And those "mercenaries"? "Give me a break!!", is another thing I wanna shout out, but, like before......

This is impossible... we're dead...

"Garami? There you-wha-!? You're-! That Garami-! Cryyyyying!?" - ???

I turned my gaze up and saw... a half-Birdkin with black wings?

No, just the same old fallen angel. Her wings have just lost the purple parts for the blackness. Whatever...

"Why are you looking at me with so disappointed eyes!? No, not that. Why are you crying all alone, not to mention in a back alley that has been turned into a sloppy, gigantic spider nest?" - Noire

"Shut it! And why're you even here!" - Garami

"The eyes of a Celestial never let a demon escape~. No, instead of that... ooh." - Noire

The fallen angel stopped midsentence after bragging about her [Celestial's Sight] as if she realized something all of a sudden.

"You scared of the war?" - Noire

I didn't answer and faced away from her. It's not the war itself, but... the King Cobra. He's also participating in this war. On the enemy side.

That guy's bad. No matter what else, maybe except for Alvatria, that guy's the last thing I ever wanna face. It's not a question of strength or whatever. That guy's just not possible. The fear carven into my heart those first weeks in my second life is not that easy to overcome.

"...It is better to go down fighting than to go down doing nothing." - Noire

"Huh?" - Garami

"Those are the words lady Filyn gave to me when I met her for the first time. They are her motto in life and her reason for existence. I am not talented in cheering up people, but I know for certain those words have no ounce of falsehood in them." said the fallen angel with a gentle smile......

What the heck am I doing? Being so scared that I need the fallen angel, outta all people, to comfort me? Forgetting about the same slogan I've been living with my whole life?

"......AAAAAAARGH!! You wanna see me resist!? Then you'll see the greatest member of any resistance since forever!!" - Garami

Yeah, it's not like me to turn into a shut-in without any plans. The fact of being the trapped one instead of the trapper must have knocked me off my game. And you, stop smirking, you fallen-for-real angel...

"Why're you in a bikini?" - Garami

The fallen angel was currently dressed in a beach fashion with a bikini, sandals, and even sunglasses. Other than that, and her black wings, she looks not that different from before, despite evolving...

"I was at the beach. A woman needs some sun every now and-" - Noire

CAPTURE!!

---

Later, at Armveil's shop

"Sorry for my behavior..." - Garami

"Nah, no biggie." - Alf

"It's nice to know there's something Garami can't handle." - Revi

After returning to the gang, which I had left behind without even an explanation, they seem to take my apology quite well. 

"Then, what's the plan for the war? Are we escaping?" asked Mira, who had been waiting with the rest at the shop.

"Sorry to say, but that's impossible. The whole region's locked away from the rest of the world, and the city is locked by those volcanic walls," answered Armveil, while still busy making loads on loads of items.

"...Can't you take a break?" - Garami

"No can do. This is the work of the Rear Support group. Also, choose your role already! Those damn goblins could arrive at any moment!!" - Armveil

If you say so~. Still think Armveil's good enough for Striker, rather, Smasher. 

"I'm a non-combatant, but I'll try to help Armveil here at the shop." - Gust

"Thanks. I could need the help of a cat, let alone a bird." - Armveil

"Striker for me." - Mira

"Then, Tank, I guess?" - Alf

"Tank." - Iron

"What are the roles for?" - Revi

"They are so the commanders can easily distribute orders to people, and those who you fight alongside with for the first time in the war will understand what your disposition is thanks to the roles being visible when you focus on someone." - Mira

A nametag in the order of teamwork, eh? Then I'll be doing-

"If you are planning on doing so, can you release me already!?" shouted the fallen angel, still tied in a bondage-style over her bikini, with everyone trying not to look at her out of pity. 

Let's see... the closest thing for me to take must be Striker, due to the lack, and need, of scouts in this battle... methods of fighting are through skills and magic... Darkness attribute... movement through walking, since it may not be wise to use the Pale Horse... done!

Wait, we were the last ones?

"HUH?!" - Garami

"What's wrong... Commander!?" - Alf

They do see it. I can see theirs too now. The roles are written with the local letters and are above their heads, like titles in MMOs.

"Ho? Thinking about it, that's no surprise." - Armveil

"Why not?" - Revi

"Because the Commander of a War Quest is the same as a Party Leader for a Party. And just how many royalties are there in Velantas that are registered as combatants?" - Armveil

Ah-, aaaaaahhhh...

---

Later again, at the Union.

"Alright everyone, get to your positions already! Only the Commander and a few Officers are allowed at the strategy meeting!" shouted the Union Master, chasing away the mobs.

F-finally... I thought I was gonna throw up... too many... peooooopleeeee...

After emptying the Hall, the Union Master sat down at the make-shift conference table where just a few individuals, such as myself and Armveil, were waiting.

"Excuse them. The Union's mostly made up of men, so having a beauty for a Commander made them kind of excited." - Carion

Huh? Oh, no prob. I fainted when they all glared at me, no harm done. *Shiver, shiver, shiver*

"Still, I never expected that our miss MVP would be a Royal Monster. Reality is stranger than fiction then." said the Knight Captain who was with us when we defeated the boss-spider.

"Strange or not, having a Commander that gives everyone an increase in both their stats and morals is warmly welcomed." said the other knight at the table-, ey!! You're the guy who visited the Water-Knot before! I knew I recognized the species of the Raptor parked outside! He said his name was Per-something, I think.

"Now, now. Take it easy on the girl. This is her first large battle in her life." - Armveil

*Sniff*. Glad I have one ally here!

"Then we will have the Officers of each division take charge of their group, with our princess-Commander giving us simple instructions." - Knight Captain

"With the Quest being so sudden, there's no time for additional Commanders after all..." - Carion

Yes, yes... who's calling me a princess, you bastard!!

Not hearing my complaints, the Knight Captain finished the list over the divisions. 

• Commander: Garami
  • Land Division 1: Knight Captain
  • Land Division 2: Mira Aureola
  • Artillery Division: Carion
  • Mobile Division: Percel
  • Support Division:
  • Rear Division:
    • Weapons: Armveil
    • Consumables:
    • Transport: Waylin

No clue who the guys in the Support Division and Consumables are.

"We will have the first Land Division consist of high-leveled warriors who can stand up against the various soldiers. Even a few C-ranked trolls have been spotted by the familiar scouts." - Knight Captain

"Then, the second Land Division needs to pull their weight against the remains?" - Armveil

"No need for that. The scouts have shown that the front-line of the enemy army consists mostly of goblins, with quite the amount of Lava Creatures from Iron Isle increasing their average rank." - Knight Captain

Wait, what!?

"Then, the real meat is those Lava Creatures then." - Percel

"That's right. We will have the second Land Division to take care of them. Your Mobile Division is named such because you can travel over the water surface, so you will have to take care of the Desert Tuna-species." - Knight Captain

"Consider it done." - Percel

"As for the various boss-class monsters, we probably need to think with our feet. No telling what they will do." - Knight Captain

"About that, I think we can defeat at least one of them without many sacrifices." - Armveil

Armveil retrieved something from the suitcase-like item. It looked like a large needle, with an ominous-purple liquid inside. Everyone took a large step from the table when they laid their eyes on the object. Me? I jumped to the wall.

"Relax.  This is safely stored unless you break the pipe." - Armveil

"I-if you say so, sir Armveil. However, may I have the chance of asking, just what is that... thing?" - Knight Captain

"Specially-diluted Lemean Hydra Poison!" - Armveil

I knew it!!

"That's a sure ticket to the jail you're holding there! And in such large amounts!" - Carion

"That's why I asked you guys to relax. This is specially diluted to the point where the potency of the poison is reduced to a non-lethal level... as long as you do not get injected with the whole thing. If so, then even A-ranked Dragons will not stand a chance! This one is something an inventor-buddy of mine wanted to test out, so I was supposed to let a fiery companion of mine test it out the next time she encountered a high-ranking monster. Never thought it would be used to defend the town. Makes me wish she had sent me more." - Armveil

"Uhm, I guess we can say it is in the grey-zone then, considering it's not the real poison, and it is being used to hunt down a monster?" - Percel

"...Normally, we would not accept such an excuse, but this time around, we have to look between our fingers." - Knight Captain

P-phew. Armveil escapes jail. And that means we escape one of the two B-ranks... hmm?

"Uhm, I think I have an idea for the other one..." - Garami

I explained my plan to the Officers...

"What in the name of the Ultimate Gods-!?" - Knight Captain

"A-ha-ha-ha! Brilliant! Hey, Carion. Got something that fits the bill?" - Percel

"Hmm... yes, there is. At the docks. We just need to lure the victim over there..." - Carion

"That also decided the victim for the poison then!" - Armveil

And with that, the plans for the two biggest problems in this war were resolved... theoretically. I can't just shrug off the feeling that something's gonna flop...

"Just asking; there's no way to be sure how to attain Leadership Skills without the risk of Waning?" - Garami

Not expecting anything, but hey, at this point, anything's possible~.

"Garami, you have been struck with Waning before?" - Carion

"Over it now, but-" - Garami

"Then you should just have asked! Many of the knight guards often gain Waning before since they always gained too many Skill Points thanks to the constant work, or Quests if you want to call them that, for the gods and the city, so we created a magitech to observe the health of the soul. We do not need to fear Waning thanks to this! Here, you can have mine if you need it." said the Knight Captain before throwing something that looked like a wristwatch.

I slapped it on, and saw it showed some numbers in a section called "space left". Around 20...

"Hey, hey, hey, mister Captain! Why have you guys never told us about this device!" - Carion

"What, you wanted one as well? Then, after this battle is-" - Knight Captain

"Oh, no you don't! Waning is the worst threat for adventurers, and you guys kept such an incredible item like this a secret? Are you picking a fight with all adventurers that exist! Do you want to die!" - Percel

"Say what?" - Knight Captain

"Better accept your just desert now, mister Knight." - Armveil

"N-now you have to be joking. Right, miss Garami-" - Knight Captain

"You damn tin can-geezer!! Get down and accept the wrath of this demon lord Garami!!" - Garami

"W-w-w-wait until after the battle-*KABOOOOM!*-GYAAAAAA!!" - Knight Captain

---

After... filtering the final details, we finally went to the battlefield, the harbor right in front of the stripe of volcanic land. Well, if you can call something that's 1-kilometer wide a "stripe", that is. The harbor has been swiped clean in case there's gonna be a battle on here, except for a stage made of wood. Was there something like that before?

All the combatants, sans for the special "Commander Defense Force", had jumped onto the volcanic land, ready for battle. Some of them even looked bloodthirsty!

"Hey, are those guys alright?" I asked Armveil, who had also remained on land to be an emergency repair shop.

"It seems like a rumor has spread among the adventurers and the knights. Something about being able to ask out the extremely shy 'Princess-Commander' if they make enough kills in the war or something." - Armveil

"That's not even an iota amount of truth in it!! And why're they wanting that kinda reward!?" - Garami

I hate to say so myself, but I'm not the kind of person you wanna enter a relationship with.

"Seems like all the negative rumors about you took a 180-degree turn after you evolved. Something about your appearance makes people's hearts swoon." - Armveil

"That's just some suspended-bridge-effect or something!!" - Garami

"Say that to the origin of the rumor. Think it was a certain Sprite wielding a sword..." - Armveil

That little-! ...Oh-oh. 

"They're coming." - Garami

"Finally able to see them, eh." - Armveil

A large army consisting of goblins, trolls, and what appears to be human-shaped globes of lava, marched towards the city with an order that could make you mistake them for some military from some prosperous country. And behind them, I could make out two silhouettes, One serpentine, and the other multi-headed. Hmm? Did they stop? 

People looked restlessly at the other army until a stupid-large System Message window appeared in the sky.

"Ready"? Of course, we're ready! Wait, why're they asking us? Then, another one popped up beside me. Eh? Wait, are you joking with me!? Please say it's a joke!!

"Yup, it's one of those drama-wars. Expected it would be so after hearing it was only one commander." - Armveil

"Stop sighing and start explaining!" - Garami

"It's just as I said. The gods like their wars with a touch of drama, so they force small acts like this. It's kind of helpful, as there won't be any backstabbing maneuvers while performing the act, except when that goddess of yours is among the sponsors." - Armveil

I can imagine that. 

"...Do I have to?" - Garami

"Calm down and relax. But be quick about it. People and monsters are getting impatient." - Armveil

Which one is it!? Argh, fine! J-just stay c-c-cool. I-it's just so-some r-roleplaying... in front of thousands of people... I think I'm gonna faint again...

Okay, new plan. Think about something else. Like Revi! ...Don't work. Cute stuff doesn't work here? What heresy!

If that's the case, what about the opposite? The fallen angel... that tin can-geezer... the fact that stupid snake and its friends are trying to smash my perfect, civilized (to certain degrees) life...

*STAMP!*

I walked onto the stage, took a deep breath, and...

"Glad you could make it, O' brave warriors! It is time for war! A battle against the pests that dares threatened our and our beloveds' home! This crime deserves a thousand deaths, so let today be their first! Make them pay for even thinking to disturb our peace! May the blessing of Goddess Lusalki be with you! All troops, start the massacre! Leave no monsters alive!" - Garami

Along with the end of my line, a light-blue light enveloped the participants, I included, before being sucked into our bodies. 

The combatants on both sides raised a warcry with enough force to make the city shake. The goblins and trolls were the first to move. The war had started. Show those bastards hell on Earth-, I mean, on Terra Sol!!