"Are you certain it's a dragon?" The king's concern echoed through the room.

"Yes," Fuze's great-great-grandfather affirmed.

"Minister! Rally the nobles, draft the army, and prepare the knights for battle!" The King's urgent command filled the chamber.

"I expect the guild's support for this subjugation," the king declared firmly, eyeing the guild master before he briskly exited the meeting room.

==================

"Say, Yuki? If I were to use my knowledge skill one last time, would you be upset? We've spent 25 years together, but I need more information, nya," Nekra asked, her curiosity evident.

"I can ask the Loli goddess to give you a bunch of anime to watch," Nekra suggested.

A letter suddenly fell from the sky.

"It's not cute when you use that kind of language, nya," Nekra commented as she read the letter. Then, a flash drive landed on Nekra's head.

"Thanks, nya!" Nekra exclaimed with a cute smile.

================

"Nya, Yuki, do you want to teleport back?" Nekra inquired, adjusting her metal bracers and sheathing her sword.

"You can do that?" Yuki asked, surprised.

Weird runes began forming a circle around them.

"Nya, rune magic apparently counts as a type of programming according to my knowledge skill, nya," Nekra explained as the rune circle glowed, and suddenly they found themselves back atop the ancient tree.

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"Nekra... something's not right," Yuki said with concern.

"Nya? What's wrong?" Nekra asked, puzzled.

Yuki grabbed Nekra, and in an instant, they both appeared in an apartment.

===================

"Do you have any idea why the kingdom's knights were summoned?" one knight asked another.

The knights weren't just a title; they also possessed the skill to slay a lesser demon single-handedly. The kingdom had over 500 knights capable of that feat, along with about 700 apprentice knights.

"It wasn't just us; they've drafted an army," another knight reported.

"A dragon was spotted," an older man approached.

The king's younger brother.

"A dragon, your grace?" a knight was astonished.

"That's what necessitated this response. Although the dungeon has served us well for the past 50 years, we've received reports that it has its own army ready for emergencies. Sending a few hundred knights to deal with the dragon isn't feasible, so we've assembled our own army," the duke explained.

===========

"Nya, the drone golem was a brilliant idea," Nekra commended.

"What should we do?" Yuki asked.

"I could double the soldiers and make it two legions. Any more and it feels like cheating, nya," Nekra contemplated, displaying the map of the ancient forest to show Yuki the challenge of finding the core.

===================

"How many men are coming?" one knight inquired.

"My older brother, the king, is leading all the royal knights. Every noble house was required to bring their own knights and an army. This may turn into a full-scale war," the duke informed, taking a sip of ale.

"Do these soldiers from the dungeon use magic?" a knight queried.

"We're not certain according to the reports... their quick building seems akin to earth magic," the duke speculated.

"This seems increasingly challenging," a knight commented.

"When did we learn all this?" a knight wearing a black helmet sought information.

"After demon lord Milim entered and emerged after two weeks. The initial search party found 4,000 destroyed stone golems in armor with iron swords. Then, an A-ranker led them to the supposed stair room, where they encountered a dragon guarding the stairs," the duke revealed.

"How large will our army be?" a knight inquired.

"We can muster roughly 12,000 soldiers with our current resources. Fortunately, this is an internal strife, and the resources from the dungeon have compensated for it," the duke disclosed.

===============

"Nya? Those 12,000 peasants will face a massacre," Nekra lamented.

"Why's that?" Yuki asked, puzzled.

"Because mere farmers can't withstand the might of the Roman Empire," Nekra said gravely before snapping back.

"Nya, my old memories are resurfacing, nya," Nekra winced, experiencing fragmented recollections.

"Nya? Who's Brutus?" Nekra mused aloud before refocusing on the strategy.

"Yuki, I'm going to create more golems, nya," Nekra announced before disappearing.

"How long has it been since Nekra drank?" Yuki mused, realizing it had been several months.