The captain of the Vanguard was one of Yan Po’s trusted aides—a soldier who had originally camped on the mountain.
Ella had met them when she had entered the camp alone.
In fact, it could be said that more than half of this two-hundred-strong squad had been suppressed by Ella back then, during their entry into the camp.
So, when they saw her now and caught sight of the pink-haired Dale, they immediately stepped forward and knelt on one knee.
“Lady Ella—”
“Enough with the ‘Lady’ this and that. Look clearly—this is the Northern Frontier Line. You need to cooperate well with General Glengo’s troops. Do you understand?”
Ella spoke up before the squad captain could.
Lady this, person that… It made it sound like Lala was some kind of villainous girl.
But she didn’t really need to worry about that. A few days ago, General Glengo had already notified the entire army to treat this squad as their own allies and welcome them properly.
As for the identity of this Vanguard and the follow-up troops, he certainly wouldn’t say they were Demons—at least not for now.
After all, the Demon Race consisted of many different tribes.
Before these soldiers were transferred here, they had been fighting various Sirens and Wild Monsters—creatures with more animalistic appearances.
Later, when they arrived at the Northern Frontier Line, their main opponents became beastfolk like the Wolfhead Tribe.
As for the newly arrived Demon Army, their appearance was almost indistinguishable from Humans, just taller.
No one would suspect them even if they were called a minority from a remote region.
Even so, General Glengo still gave them a name—Mountain Tribe.
“Brothers of the Mountain Tribe once roamed the hills and wilds. They’re sturdy, as you can see. This time, they’ve come to help us completely eliminate the threat of the Snowfield Wolfpack.”
That’s how Glengo explained it.
The soldiers didn’t overthink it, because overwhelming joy had already overtaken their minds.
“Great! We can finally charge forward in one go!”
“Once we get rid of them, does that mean we won’t have to freeze out here anymore?”
“At least we won’t have to patrol and stand guard every single day.”
After the announcement of the offensive, the army’s morale rose even higher—just as expected.
Standing in the distance, watching the cheering soldiers, General Glengo sighed quietly to himself. He’d already anticipated this outcome.
After all, there’s a saying: You can catch a thief for a thousand days, but you can’t guard against one for a thousand days.
This was also one of the reasons he was willing to accept the Crazy Alliance Plan.
“Little Ella, how many people did you say are following behind?”
“Two thousand more, Uncle,” Ella answered politely.
“We’ve dispatched over four thousand troops—half here, the other half heading to the Elves’ Middle Great Forest.”
Glengo nodded.
“Alright, you’re resourceful. I could already tell back during the Royal Capital Event. I won’t ask further—just update me when the next move comes.”
There was no next move for now, since Ella was about to set out for the Elves.
After discussions on that side, both armies would only act together once all preparations were complete.
Speaking of the matter with the Elves—
“Uncle, about Celes…”
“Ah.”
As soon as General Glengo heard his daughter’s name, he interrupted.
“You’re all still young, and there are more important matters at hand. Don’t dwell on personal affairs—focus fully, and talk about those things later.”
With that, he ended the conversation and walked off toward the soldiers, leaving Ella alone, feeling a bit bewildered.
She had just wanted to ask if Celes wanted to go with her to the Elves.
Why not ask the girl herself?
Because she was always too absorbed in sword practice, it was hard to even find her.
Maybe her parents just wanted more time with their daughter.
Ella found a reasonable explanation, said no more, and after picking up some supplies for the road, mounted her Dragon Hawk and took to the sky.
Takeoff!
***
Half an hour later, Celes dashed back to the tent, out of breath, and spoke to Glengo, who had just returned to rest.
“Dad, I saw the Demon Race’s Vanguard arrive. Where’s Ella?”
“She left. Said she was heading to the Elves. Didn’t take you along?”
Glengo was a bit surprised as well.
“She…I…”
The girl froze, unsure how to explain that she’d been avoiding the pink-haired Dale for days out of guilt.
If you hide, of course no one can find you.
“Forget it. It’s getting late.”
Glengo comforted his crestfallen daughter.
“Let’s eat first.”
***
Life had been relatively peaceful for the Elves lately.
After suffering both the Demon invasion and the Thousand-Year Curse, the loss of over two thousand Elves had been painful, but not crippling.
The deaths among the upper ranks caused some trouble, but thankfully Xisa hadn’t wiped everyone out—some survived.
With help from other Elves, the two surviving Elders established the Postwar Council, exceptionally promoted several candidate Elders, and issued a series of measures that swiftly restored production and order.
If there was any positive outcome from these two calamities, it was that their fighting spirit had been reignited.
Infantry, cavalry, mages, even Dragonhawk Riders—their drills increased from every three days to daily.
The previously gentle Peace Faction took on a bit more of a steely edge.
As the last Ranger Squad finished their training and returned from the dense forest, an Elder sighed with emotion.
“If Elder Cuiniya were still alive, she’d be gratified, I’m sure.”
Their wish to awaken the Elven spirit had come true!
“Elder! Elder Romery!”
A young Elven girl ran over.
“An outer sentry reports a Dragon Hawk approaching!”
Her name was Sofia—the only survivor from the original Elf Delegation.
After the war, she worked in the council, acting as a junior assistant.
“A Dragon Hawk outside?”
Elder Romery instantly realized.
“Which one of them is it?”
Only four Dragon Hawks had been sent outside, all entrusted to the girls of the Human Hero Squad.
“A sentry said he saw pink hair. Very pretty, too.”
“I understand.”
The path into the Elven lands was smooth.
Dragon Hawks had originally come from here, and the Elves were familiar with them.
They had a good idea of who might be arriving, so there were no warning shouts or arrows drawn in threat.
Entering the Forest, the Dragon Hawk glided low as dusk fell.
Around them, plants began to glow with scattered points of light, forming a trail of luminescence that led all the way to the heart of the woods.
Ella landed directly in front of a treehouse, where several Elves came forward to greet her.
She recognized Sofia, and remembered the two beside her were Elders.
Since the people in charge were all present, she decided to get straight to the point.
“Good evening, Elders. It’s been a while. I bring good news.”
The Elder, who had been about to exchange some pleasantries, paused in surprise.
“Good news? Please, speak.”
“I’ve found some allies, and more hands. Let’s join forces and strike back at the Demon Race!”