"Even if it's just temporary, leaving the front lines makes me uneasy. But right now, Lady Esmeralda has brought soldiers with her, and since I can't let anyone else hear this, I'll borrow the medical tent set up within the defensive perimeter."

  "Fortunately, there are no wounded yet, so we can post guards outside and talk freely."

  "So, what’s the current situation?"

  Time is money.Right now, even small talk feels like a waste of precious moments.

  "You could say the situation is dire. Ever since the dragon zombie suddenly appeared at the southern gate, the tide has turned in the enemy's favor. We’re forced to deal with enemies attacking from both inside and outside, barely managing to hold the lines at the other gates.""To the point where we can’t spare forces to eliminate the dungeon?"

  Given the grim look on her face, I had a bad feeling—and having those premonitions confirmed is never good for morale.

  "No, that’s handled by a separate force. I suppose you could call it a stroke of luck amidst misfortune—or perhaps it’s precisely because of this misfortune that we’re in such a dire situation to begin with."

  Personally, I had pnned to hold out in the shopping district while waiting for the dungeon to be cleared, but if that’s not an option, I’ll have to change the entire pn.

  "What do you mean?""This attack caught the capital’s defenses weakened because multiple knight orders were away on expeditions or rotations. The enemy exploited that gap.""Uh… this is national defense-level information, right? Should I even be hearing this?"

  The situation seems complicated, and the still-beautiful-but-now-troubled Lady Esmeralda sighs before inexplicably deciding to share critical intel with me.

  Personally, I just wanted to know which areas were dangerous right now—local intel. I don’t need strategic background details!

  "Yes, in fact, I insist."

  And then, with that smile while delivering such crucial information, a sudden realization fshes in my mind.

  "Wait… are you trying to get me to come up with a solution to turn this around?""……""Don’t try to dodge with a smile!? No way, absolutely no way!! I’m a kid, a commoner!! And low-level!! No matter how hard I try, this stampede is on a completely different scale—there’s no way I can handle this!""And yet, our country has no other options but to rely on you—the one who slew the dragon."

  This noble dy—outwardly acting like she came to repay a favor and help, but secretly here to squeeze ideas out of me for suppressing this stampede!?

  "That was just a lucky combination of achievable conditions—""No ordinary child would even think of trying to sy a dragon, no matter how favorable the conditions.""Nah, I just did it because I could.""The very fact that you believed it possible—and then executed it—is anything but ordinary."

  Damn nobles and their scheming!!They’ll use anyone they can—how dirty!?

  Well, the mindset of doing whatever it takes to protect the country is admirable, but…Being on the receiving end is just a pain.

  "Liberta.""Ugh."

  And please, don’t look at me with those earnest eyes.Her face is so much like my favorite character’s that I almost nod reflexively.

  "Please. Help us."

  And then, without a trace of noble arrogance, she bows her head to a commoner.

  "...Sigh."

  At this point, I can’t help but feel obligated to live up to the glimpse of power I’ve shown.

  "Tell me everything—the full situation, down to the smallest details, including avaible forces.""Yes! I’ll have it prepared immediately!"

  Honestly, how sneaky.The way her face lights up like she’s found hope in hell makes me want to step up—and I’m annoyed at myself for it.

  As if everything was ready from the start, a rge map is quickly unfurled inside the tent.Packed onto it is all the intel gathered before they came here.

  "This is the information I collected before leaving the estate.""How long did it take you to get here?""About half a bell.""Then there shouldn’t have been any major changes in the battle situation—Jeff and the others haven’t reported in yet."

  The map details troop deployments at each gate, who’s commanding, where damage has been sustained, remaining forces, casualty reports, and even current monster influx rates—everything is meticulously recorded.

  That said, it’s not like in the game era where real-time communication with allies kept information flowing in.

  Even as I think this, the intel is steadily becoming outdated.

  "In that case, first we should..."

  We’ll have to use every avaible option.

  "Which means the problem is..."

  Judging by our forces, a reversal is still possible.Looking through the roster brought with the map, I spot some named characters I recognize.

  I have an idea.

  "But we have no way to communicate it."

  However, there’s no means to rey that pn.

  This location is the deepest part of the defensive line, holding back the monster tide.

  And the surrounding area is swarming with monsters.Sending messengers is out of the question.

  "That won’t be a problem!""Huh?"

  While muttering to myself, Lady Esmeralda reaches for the bag at her waist.

  "Is that—!?""Yes, one of my family’s heirlooms—a Magic Bag."

  In the game era, inventory issues were a constant top-ten compint among pyers.

  Most games let pyers carry tons of items hassle-free thanks to convenient inventory systems, but FBO’s devs were oddly old-school, forcing pyers to rely on bags or pack animals for transport.

  There were event items that were btantly impossible to carry, driving pyers to desperate lengths for solutions.

  Among these, the Magic Bag was a staple convenience item—a wondrous pouch that altered its internal capacity and weight.

  Obtaining one required either:- Rare materials from high-rank dungeons, crafted only by master artisans (a ridiculously high-spec design), or…- Hidden NPC events (pure FBO-style), where raising affinity could net you a small-capacity version.

  "D-don’t look at me like that!""Ah, my bad—just some past trauma surfacing."

  Back when I pyed, I’d assumed they didn’t exist—until a crafting-focused pyer posted about completing one on social media.The joy was short-lived; the attached recipe’s insane material RNG made me lose it.

  That memory made me stare unintentionally, unnerving Lady Esmeralda.My bad.

  ...Think I could get one if I help settle this mess?

  "You’re not having it!""I didn’t say anything?""Your eyes betrayed you. They were practically begging!""Eyes are for seeing, not talking!""Enough! We’re getting off track! Just—this will let us try your pn!"

  Sensing danger, she quickly hides the bag behind her back.

  I tried to py dumb, but even I could tell my eyes were darting guiltily.Any FBO pyer would understand the trauma—and the sheer value of that item.

  What she pulls out next, however, is a crystal ball.

  "...I don’t have any divination skills, though?""It’s not for that! Watch—pce it on the table and channel magic into it!"

  I don’t recognize this item—well, not exactly. I’ve seen something simir.Divination tools, used for the joke skill "Fortune Telling" (which was about as reliable as flipping a coin).

  But this one’s different. The divination crystal was clear—this one has a faint blue tint.

  "Esmeralda!?""Yes, Father. Sorry for the wait."

  And then—dispying a face that’s dashing, slightly younger, but unmistakably familiar.No way this thing has video-call functionality.

  "The connection’s up—so you found him?""Yes, we’ve regrouped and are at the stronghold he built.""Hmm. For him to secure a safe zone alone in this situation...""Indeed. My expectations were correct."

  Father and daughter—meaning the man on the other end is obvious.Duke Grüde Edelgard.

  In the game era, he sported a neat mustache, but here he’s clean-shaven.

  "...So, is he the one?""Yes. The Sage."

  W A I T A M I N U T E

  "Who is?""You are. Liberta."

  This is no time to be spacing out.Somehow, I’ve been dubbed "the Sage."

  I never called myself that, nor am I some spellcaster—I’m pure frontline, with only Magic Edge for offense!And I have zero interest in learning area spells!

  "??????""He seems entirely unaware, daughter.""It can’t be helped. ‘Sage’ is just what we’ve taken to calling him."

  "Still, Esmeralda—I trust your judgment, but this bewildered boy truly commanded the wyvern subjugation?""Without a doubt. I swear upon the gods—and the Edelgard crest’s lion."

  And yet, for some reason, I’m being called the Sage. And Lady Esmeralda just casually made an oath of life and death.

  Do you realize how serious that is for a noble!?I know about this from events!!

  This is basically entrusting the fate of the nation to a kid!?

  "Liberta.""Y-yes!?"

  And now, with the full weight of the country on my shoulders, I can’t back down.

  "Very well. Then, young man—your name was?""L-Liberta."

  If this was all calcuted to make refusal impossible, nobles really are ruthless!!

  "Liberta. From this moment, my daughter’s life rides on your words. Understand the weight of that before you speak.""Y-yes, sir!"

  I curse inwardly, but there’s no room for hesitation now.Steeling myself, I begin plotting the counterattack.

  "I’ll expin while referencing the tactical map—is that acceptable?""Proceed. We have the same here for cross-checking."

  The key is efficiently repelling the monsters while maintaining safe zones.Seriously, I signed up for a VRMMORPG—why am I pying a strategy sim now?

  "First, we’ll use the eastern gate’s forces to rebuild the defensive line.""But the east is also under attack. Thinning defenses there risks a breach.""The enemies at the east gate are decoys. No more will come."

  After countless raid battles, predicting enemy patterns becomes second nature.Deploying a dragon zombie at the south gate means the real threat is "north."

  They flooded the west with monsters to draw attention there, then dropped the dragon zombie in the south—making us think south is the main thrust.I’ve fallen for that trick before.

  FBO’s raid events were notorious for mind games, courtesy of sadistic devs.Paranoia was routine.

  Sure, it’s not very "monster-like," but dungeon bosses were designed to develop quasi-intelligence past a certain evolution threshold.Hence these deceptive tactics.

  (Of course, during the game’s peak, overpowered pyers steamrolled everything, rendering that intelligence moot.)

  "What makes you think so?""If I were the enemy, I’d scatter the defenders’ focus across all gates, pinning each force in pce to prevent reinforcements. Then, I’d colpse one section, draw reserves there, and strike the real target from the opposite side—breaking the entire line at once.""You’re saying the dragon zombie isn’t the main force?""With this monster composition? It’s just the opener."

  The enemy’s patterns are readable from their forces.An all-goblin-zombie horde would’ve been trickier, but adding a dragon zombie narrows down the boss’s identity.

  "The real army is elsewhere."

  I’d prefer more intel before confirming, but for now, stabilizing the front takes priority.