What?"　The alchemy guild is leading the alliance?"


    At the hideout of the bandit guild "White Wolf," Jamil raised his eyebrows at the report from his subordinate.


    How can an alchemy guild lead adventurers?


    What the hell guild is this?　What kind of nonsense is that?"


    It''s a guild called ''Arsenal of Spirits,'' apparently."


    The Arsenal of Spirits?　I''ve never heard that name.


    I hear, though, that there are quite a few guilds here. There are more than 10 guilds and more than 50 adventurers.


    Oh.


    I wouldn''t leave it at that.


    You want to attack?


    Yes, I think so. Though, I can''t get out now."


    Jamil looked back at the equipment he was wearing.


    He was now wearing neither sword nor armor.


    His equipment is now in the care of the Dragon''s Fireside.


    His equipment is now in the care of "Dragon''s Fireside," because it was worn out in the battle with Yugan.


    In addition, there is a shortage of "Fire Rest" on the market, and it is said that it will take some time to restore it.


    （What to do?)


    I''m in.


    Rodo said.


    My ''dragon flute'' is intact. There don''t seem to be any adventurers from the outside. I''m sure it will be a piece of cake with just the troops I have on hand.


    ''...... I suppose so. I guess you''re in charge here."


    Good. Then, those who can afford the equipment, come with me.


    Rodo headed toward the dungeon, taking only those with light wear and tear.


    Jamil watched him depart with a difficult look on his face.


    What''s the matter? What''s wrong, Jamil? Something on your mind?"


    No. ......"


    (The inauguration of the alliance ...... at this time when there was a shortage of "Fire Rest". By chance?　(Or are you aiming for ......?)


    Heh. I don''t think so. Maybe I''m thinking too much."


    It was hard to believe that any adventurer on this island, long accustomed to relying on outside adventurers, would be so decisive.


    Jamil stopped thinking and sank deep into the sofa.


    As the "Arsenal of Spirits" alliance climbed the volcano in formation, the "Fire Dragon (Fafnir)" attacked them again.


    Jeff quickly checked his position with Elio and took up a firing position.


    (At any rate, he hit the "Fafnir" with an arrow to draw it away.


    Jeff''s arrow successfully pierced the body of the "Fire Dragon (Fafnir).


    Geeaaaaaah!


    The "Fire Dragon (Fafnir)" approached rapidly with a yell.


    This way. Come here.


    Jeff turned and ran, pulling "Fafnir" to him.


    Thanks to this, Erio was able to run into the fire dragon''s blind spot.


    (Good. Good. Jeff!)


    Erio runs into the bosom of the "Fire Dragon (Fafnir)" and decides on the "Shield Assault" skill to its head.


    Leon and Cecil slash at the comatose "Fafnir" and defeat it.


    The coordination of the "Shield of Dawn" was deepening.


    Jeff''s "bow shooting" to bait, Erio''s "shield assault," and Leon and Cecil''s pursuit.


    Erio. How was the decoy move just now?"


    Perfect, Jeff. It was very easy to jump in."


    Good. Next time we''ll do it the same way.


    （My bow shooting is lagging behind Hans and the others. (Compared to Hans and the others, my "bow-shooting" is lagging behind.)


    I think you''re looking good," he said. Jeff."


    Roland came up to me and said.


    ''Yeah, thanks to the tactics you gave me, this is the third ''Fire Dragon (Fafnir)'' I''ve taken down.


    Keep up the good work.


    Oh, I''ll take care of it.


    Jeff finished his conversation with Roland briefly and started searching for the enemy again with his skill "far-sightedness.


    (Well, if you''re coming, come on, ''Fafnir''. I''ll be your opponent anytime.)


    There is no sign of the days before, when he was dragging Erio''s feet or shifting his attention to expensive ore.


    Now he was doing what he was supposed to do.


    Roland is satisfied to see Jeff like that.


    (When you have a goal, you go straight for it. Jeff is a hot guy.)


    At Roland''s request, adventurers other than "Shield of Dawn" and "Arrow of the Heavenly Horse" also began to think about how they could contribute.


    Would they be able to hold off the fire dragon (Fafnir) for a while, draw it to them as a decoy, or provide logistical support and eliminate monsters other than the fire dragon (Fafnir) since they had no choice but to leave the task to other guilds?


    Each of them considers their own skills and status, and reports back to Roland.


    If we have one more shield user, we can hold off the attack of Fafnir. ......


    Good. Then team up with the ''ore guardians. There are several good shield users there."


    We are short on healers.


    I understand. Then I''ll send a healer from the Silver Eagle Alliance.


    We have low defenses, so I think we should stick to enemies other than the ''Fire Dragon (Fafnir)'' ......


    I understand. Then you and Wildcat, who also has low defenses, will act as a team to hit the ogres and wolves.


    The opportunity to test their strength soon presented itself.


    When the alliance reached the "Metal Line," three "Fire Dragons (Fafnir)" and a mixed force of "Orcs," "Armed Goblins (Hobgoblins)," and "Crow Wolves (Crow Wolves)" attacked the alliance.


    The "Shield of Dawn" and the "Arrow of the Heavenly Horse" hit the "Fire Dragon (Fafnir)" coming from both sides without saying anything.


    Roland commanded the rest of the team.


    The decoy team and the defensive team will draw the "Fire Dragon (Fafnir)" to them. The rest of you deploy in preparation for the attack of the orcs, the hobgoblins, and the clawed wolves!


    The troops start to move, though half a step behind.


    The decoy team has trouble hitting the fire dragon (Fafnir) with their arrows, but somehow manages to draw it to them.


    The defense team stood in front of "Fafnir," holding up their shields and enduring the attack for a while.


    Soon, the "Shield of Dawn" and the "Arrow of Heavenly Horses" cleared the "Fire Dragon (Fafnir)" and rushed to join the attack.


    The remaining "Fafnir" and the ogres and wolves were instantly repelled.


    Wayne and Pato were surprised to see Roland''s leadership.


    （What is this guy doing?　Don''t tell me you''re raising adventurers while exploring dungeons?)


    (That''s not all. I''m also building ...... tactics as I raise them.)


    Hans and the others were also impressed with Roland''s commanding skills while defeating the "Fire Dragon (Fafnir).


    He was impressed by Roland''s commanding skills. He can command a unit, too. He''s good at it.


    Alice said.


    It''s still a bit awkward," Alice said, "but it''s starting to work. It''s amazing how easy it is to fight when you have a competent commander. ......


    Claire said.


    ''Phew, that Roland guy seems to have cast a spell on us again.


    (I can''t believe that he not only manages an alchemy guild, but also commands troops. (How can he not only manage an alchemy guild, but also command troops? He is an unfathomable man.)


    Roland did not forget to check their work while conducting them.


    He sorted out the guilds that could be used and those that could not.


    Monica. How far are we from the ore pits?"


    Roland asked.


    ''Yes, sir. At this rate, we should be at the first site by tomorrow.


    Monica said, checking with her hawk-eye.


    Good. Well then, let''s camp around here for the day. Monica, you can take a rest too. Good night.


    Yes, sir."


    (I can explore with peace of mind when Roland-san is in command. Lovely)


    Monica gave Roland another enthusiastic look as she rested.


    The next day, the alliance reached the ore mines.


    Roland, if you go over that hillside, you will finally reach the mining site.


    Good. Let''s start with the members of the "Arsenal of Spirits. Then we''ll start with the members of the "Arsenal of Spirits," the "Shield of Dawn," and the "Arrow of the Heavenly Horse. After that, the "Guardian of Ore," the "Silver Eagle Alliance," and the "Wildcat," in that order. The other guilds will be last.


    Hearing this, the adventurers became impatient.


    Obviously, the guilds with the highest contribution entered the mining site in order.


    The commander was paying extraordinarily close attention to the work of the adventurers.


    He gives priority to those who are faithful to his orders.


    They felt even more strongly that they had to contribute to the alliance or show Roland how well they were doing.


    The "Shield of Dawn" and the "Arrow of Heavenly Horses" are the first to reach the mining site, and they place the highest priority on extracting "fire-repelling ore (fire rest)".


    At the same time, they also sought materials to strengthen their weapons.


    Jeff walked around the mining area with Erio, looking for materials that would make his weapons lighter.


    Lightening materials?


    I''ve learned from this search that in order to take advantage of Elio''s ''shield assault,'' I have to be able to play the decoy role properly."


    Jeff said.


    What I need is not so much power," Jeff said, "but the agility to get away quickly after an attack. I need lightweight materials.


    I see. Indeed.


    So, I was wondering if there are any good materials out there.


    Hmmm. I don''t know. I wonder if Aina''s "Exterior Reinforcement (Coating)" will help?　In the meantime, I''ll have to talk to Roland about it."


    The two men were happy to have found a new policy for the time being, and concentrated on collecting "fire-repellent ore" for the moment.


    I want to make a silver dagger.


    Cecil consulted Aina.


    Aina said, "Ummm... There is a shortage of silversmiths in the "Arsenal of Spirits" at the moment. But I understand. I will let Mr. Roland know what I want.


    Nicolas found a material that could be the strings of a lyre (harp).


    Pato. How about this material?


    Which one? Give it to me.


    Using his skill "tuning," Pato lightly tapped the stone.


    A pleasant sound was heard.


    (This is from ......)


    Nicolas. This might be a good material. It might help to strengthen the ''dragon sound. Let''s take it home and consider it."


    In another place, Will had found a magic stone.


    Lana. Take a look."


    This is ......


    It''s a ''magic stone of the earth. It may make your ''earth crust magic'' more potent."


    Wow. And it''s a big one. It''s a stone. Brother.


    Wayne. What do you think?"


    Ah?　What?"


    Wayne replied annoyingly.


    What? It''s your job to chip away at the magic stone, isn''t it? I''m thinking of making new equipment out of this magic stone, and I''m asking you what you think."


    Ah. That''s fine.


    Will frowned.


    (What the hell is this guy?　(Arrogant.)


    Roland led the tail end of the guild into the mining area, where Aina came to report on the status of ore extraction and the hopes of the adventurers.


    I see...a silver dagger.


    Yes," he said. I was asked if I could do something about it.


    (It''s about time the branch had a silversmith.)


    I understand. Let''s just stockpile silver for now. If you can spare some, you can pick up some silver."


    Yes, sir.


    Thus, Roland and his team explored the next mining site in the same way.


    The guilds with the highest contribution will be allowed to enter the mining sites in turn.


    The first priority was to collect "fire-retardant ore," and if there was room, they would collect materials to strengthen weapons.


    In this way, Roland steadily gained control of his troops.


    Almost all of the "Fire Rest" left in the "Metal Line" was collected.


    Now it was just a matter of whether or not they could bring it back to the city safely.


    On the way back, the "White Wolves" led by Rodo were waiting for them.


    The "White Wolves" immediately attacked as soon as Roland and his team left the mining site.


    !　Three "Fire Dragons (Fafnir)" are coming from the right. From the left is a squad of archers. It''s the White Wolf!


    Monica shouted.


    (I knew you were lurking.)


    Nicola. It''s ''Ryuon. Warrior with shield, deploy to the left!　Lay down a line of fire."


    Under Roland''s command, the alliance smoothly repositioned itself to meet the "White Wolf" attack.


    Nicolas moves to the right side and plays "Dragon Sound" to stop the movement of "Fire Dragon (Fafnir)".


    The shield-bearer moves to the left side, holds up his shield, and catches a hail of arrows flying at him.


    (It''s Roland-san, after all. (It''s Roland-san, the master of the art of war and command. But here comes the problem.)


    Monica watches the battle, biting her lip.


    When the enemy''s arrows were cut off, Roland gave the order again.


    The bowman (archer) fires a warning shot. After that, the white army will charge!


    The archer fired an arrow at the enemy from a height.


    Enemies in high places visibly float away.


    It was the perfect opportunity to charge.


    However, the shield-bearer and swordsman did not move.


    What''s wrong?　Why don''t you charge?"


    Roland scolded them, but they still did not move.


    （I see. This is what Monica was talking about. Now that we have the ore, we don''t want to wear them out any further. Hence, they are reluctant to fight.)


    The bandits, seeing that we are not attacking them, regain their composure and start to fire arrows at us again.


    The Alliance''s shield squads were jittery and retreating.


    （This is not good. At this rate, we''ll be slowly being whittled away, and eventually we''ll collapse.)


    Roland looked back at Fafnir, the fire dragon on the right.


    The "Fafnir" had been circling around the same spot since a while ago, taking a neutral attitude.


    It may or may not attack us.


    It seemed to be wondering which to follow, the bandit''s "dragon sound" or Nicola''s "dragon sound".


    Nevertheless, if we continue to do nothing, we will eventually fall into a state of jitteriness.


    (What to do?)


    The same confusion was felt by the "White Wolf".


    (Fafnir" doesn''t attack the enemy?　(Why?)


    No matter how many times Rodo blows his "dragon flute," the "fire dragon (Fafnir)" keeps circling in the sky as if it has lost sight of the enemy.


    (No way!　(Is there someone in the enemy who uses the "dragon sound" as much as I do?)


    Tsk."


    （Oh, no. I didn''t calculate that. I didn''t think I could use "Fafnir. I guess we''ll just have to go for the straight and narrow and defeat the enemy.)


    Rodo continued to blow the "dragon sound," but had the fencer squads prepare to charge.


    Nicola was trying her best to play the "dragon sound" on her lyre so that the "Fafnir" would retreat, but the "Fafnir" continued to show an uncooperative attitude.


    (d*mn. They still don''t listen to me completely, do they? Unlike normal dragons, it is not so easy to control dragons controlled by other "dragon sounds.)


    Nicolas turned a pained expression on his face to Roland.


    Roland could see that Nicolas was also full of it.


    (After all, even Nicolas cannot completely control the "Fire Dragon (Fafnir)" which is under the enemy''s control, can he? If that is the case, we have no choice but to repel the enemy with swords and bows.)


    Roland looks again at his own white army unit.


    They were still not obeying the order to charge, and were only falling back against the enemy offensive.


    Roland called out to Elio.


    Elio," Roland called out to Elio. Do you see that high point?"


    Roland said, indicating the place where it jutted out.


    He gave these instructions while hiding behind a shield in the midst of a hail of arrows.


    Unlike other high places occupied by the enemy, the place Roland pointed to was independent and uncontactable.


    The flat area was also narrow, limiting the number of people who could be deployed.


    In other words, it was the weakest part of the enemy-occupied heights.


    Yes.


    I want to get rid of the enemies who are occupying that area and set up a camp. Can you do it?


    I understand. I''ll try."


    Erio sets up a "shield assault" toward the heights Roland had indicated.


    Under the support fire of the archers, he quickly ran up the hill, eliminated the five archers stationed there, and took over the position.


    The "White Wolf" also tried to regain the high ground, but Lana''s "crust magic" made it faster to fortify the defense.


    The bandits'' attacks on the heights were rebounded at every turn.


    On the contrary, Hans and his men were able to take up positions in those places, allowing them to shoot arrows directly into the enemy lines.


    On the other hand, the "White Wolf" side was afraid of attacks from above, making it difficult for them to launch a white hand-to-hand combat.


    It became a shooting war in which both sides hid in the shadows from a height and shot at each other.


    In the end, there was no winner that day, so the bandits retreated at nightfall.


    The next morning came.


    Roland woke the adventurers before the sky had even begun to whiten, and he sent a rapid march to bring down the mountain.


    (As long as we can''t destroy the enemy, we have no choice but to occupy an advantageous position ahead of them and defend ourselves!)


    Roland drove his troops as far as he could and reached a suitable defensive position. By noon, he had occupied the highest points in the area and blocked the roads with soldiers so that he could not be attacked from any direction.


    Rodo noticed Roland''s movement and rushed after him, but by that time, the alliance had already completely fortified the area on all sides and was waiting for him with a full set of defenses.


    Unavoidably, Rodo gave up the attack and decided to gamble on the next day.


    Roland made the same rapid march down the mountain the next day.


    He ran through the mountain paths, which had many ups and downs, with his breath panting.


    Rodo also woke up his army early that day and sent them running, but Roland was still faster at holding the key points.


    Rodo gritted his teeth when he saw the allied positions.


    (d*mn. Why did he do that? We''re a lightly-armed force consisting mainly of archers and thieves. How come those guys, who are heavily armed and have a lot of items, can move faster than us?)


    Roland had Monica use her "Hawk-Eye" to find suitable places for defense in advance, and he was able to move quickly in spite of his heavy weight because he was able to find the paths with few monsters.


    The local adventurers were also very cooperative, as they wanted to return to the city as soon as possible to finalize the battle results.


    Such a passive strategy would have been frowned upon in the Golden Eagle.


    The next day, and the next, the same development continued.


    The alliance moved steadily closer to the city, eventually reaching a point where the city could be seen below.


    Numbed, Lodo attacked Roland''s position forcefully.


    However, the attack was easily repelled, and on the contrary, the "White Wolf" was forced to run for its life.


    Roland tried to give chase, but the bandits were very fast on the run and could not be caught.


    (I see. Can you do hit and away in units? Fighting method utilizing agility. Well thought out. Even if you win a local victory, you cannot give a decisive blow. (This is tricky.)


    Roland gave up the chase and rather shifted his position again, bringing his troops closer to the city.


    They were now positioned in the forest at the foot of the city, and the city was now just a stone''s throw away.


    Since the "White Wolf" had not suffered catastrophic damage, they reorganized their forces and tried to challenge Lorrain again, but Rodo had trouble regrouping his troops.


    Roland did not miss the opportunity and ran all the way through the forest at the foot of the mountain and returned alive to the city.


    He made an impressive return with his unit still in formation.


    The people of the town rolled their eyes.


    They were accustomed to seeing adventurers return home in tatters, and they tilted their heads, saying to each other, "It''s a rare thing, isn''t it?


    <>