Without thinking any further, Iris and I immediately headed toward the barrier, where everyone else had already gathered.
Just like Iris said earlier, she truly wanted to come with me to defeat the monster and demon forces.
If there were demons among those forces, then it was certain that they were a form of the Abyss's invasion of Riruyo.
"Oh right, Iris. What about your power? I was supposed to help you awaken it, wasn't I?" I asked while maintaining the pace of my steps.
Iris and I couldn't move too quickly because of the clothes she was wearing.
If only her skirt were a little shorter, I felt we could move faster than this. But well, that outfit was part of her trademark, after all.
"It's fine. I've already planned something regarding that. The important thing is that there's nothing you need to worry about. Everything is within my grasp," Iris replied confidently.
From that answer, she truly seemed convinced that everything would go smoothly. Well, that was good to hear.
——
We finally arrived near the barrier, where a large number of people were already preparing themselves.
Everyone was holding their own weapons, but the ones I saw most often were bows and magic staffs.
Loki-san and Forn-san were giving instructions to the people who had already lined up.
On the other side, Hime, Yuu-chan, and Luke seemed to be organizing a plan for the upcoming battle.
They had spread a map of Riruyo on top of a wooden table that wasn't very large, and they stood around it to make discussion easier.
Iris and I exchanged glances for a moment before deciding to approach them.
"Hime! Sorry we're late," I said while lightly waving my hand at her.
Hime looked at me, clearly a bit surprised to see me here.
Luke and Yuu-chan also immediately focused their attention on the two of us who had just arrived.
"Yukito-sama, are you sure you should be here? I thought you would be staying at home with the princess," Yuu-chan said.
"I'm sure about this. How are things on your end?" I asked back.
Yuu-chan let out a small sigh before answering.
"Hah… we actually already decided on a plan, but everything ended up falling apart. This is all because Luke made it like this," Yuu-chan replied while turning her back on Luke.
I didn't know what had happened, but it seemed that she and Luke had different opinions this time.
"Hah? You think this is my fault? Besides, your plan carries far too much risk!" Luke shot back.
"Too much risk? At least it's not as excessive as your plan!"
Ahaha… this was the first time I had ever seen the two of them argue. I supposed it was fine for them to have differing opinions this time.
"You two, calm down for a moment. We need to think about the best plan for now. The situation won't improve if you keep arguing like this," Hime said as she stepped into the conversation.
Hime and Luke immediately fell silent. Even though they clearly didn't want to continue fighting, I could tell they were still irritated.
"Yukito-sama! We won't be able to resolve this without your help. What do you think?" Yuu-chan asked.
She had just asked me to join them to discuss their plan, right?
So why did this feel strange to me? It was obvious, wasn't it? We were a party—of course it was natural for them to want me involved.
——
So… I had now understood the plans they had come up with.
First was the plan proposed by Luke.
Luke intended to intercept the enemy forces head-on, since the battlefield was surrounded by forest.
His reasoning was that if the enemy forces entered the forest, it would make it difficult for our side to read their movements.
It would also be advantageous if we wanted to use large-scale fire-element magic.
Honestly, this plan was good and easier to carry out, but it did have several drawbacks.
For example, if our forces failed to hold back the enemy, we would immediately be scattered and face defeat.
But judging from Luke's way of thinking, he was very confident in the abilities of the elves.
The second plan was the one Yuu-chan had thought up. Since she was my status screen, she would naturally think of something that was best for me. (According to her.)
Her plan was to place the archers deep within the forest at a considerable distance.
The forces guarding the front of the barrier would lure the enemy into entering the forest.
Once they let their guard down, the archers would be able to hunt them down with ease.
Naturally, the elves would be able to hide themselves extremely well in the forest, since they had always lived surrounded by it.
However, the drawback was that the archers stationed there wouldn't be able to hold out if the enemy forces used magic or arrows as well.
…
To be honest, both of their plans made sense, and I thought they were good strategies.
The problem was that we still didn't know the condition of the enemy forces, which made it difficult to determine what we should do.
"But that would all change if you manage to awaken the princess's power, wouldn't it?" Hime asked.
"Yes, you're right. But… the point is that Iris has already prepared a plan for that, and I don't intend to interfere," I replied.
"Yukito-sama, if you want, I can become your status screen again, you know. I can change my physical form and stay closer to help you,"
I didn't know why Yuu-chan was thinking like that, but I had no need for it at all.
"No, you don't need to go through that trouble. If I run into difficulties later, I'm sure she'll help me again," I said.
Yuu-chan surely knew who the "she" I was referring to.
"I see. Well, that person could be considered almost like my twin, right~? After all, she was the first elf you ever met," she replied with a smile.
That smile… it felt like she was teasing me right now.
But she wasn't wrong. Cyve was just as important—thanks to her help, I was able to understand how the Creation skill worked.
——
"I can't. I really can't find a plan better than the ones you two came up with," I said after fully understanding Luke's and Yuu-chan's plans.
"Hm… then how about this—"
Hime then explained the idea that had come to her mind, and I immediately understood who would become the key to her plan.
—
Hime's plan wasn't actually that different from Luke's, but there was one fundamental difference.
Hime wanted us all to hold back the enemy and defeat as many of them as possible, without letting even a single one escape if possible.
She didn't use the forest to deceive the enemy, but she still wanted one-third of the archers stationed here to hide among the trees.
The rest would continue attacking from near the barrier, doing the same as before.
Once the enemy advanced toward us, we would surround them by having that one-third of the archers block their escape route.
She knew that archers were very weak when facing monsters that relied on physical attacks, which was why—
She wanted me to enter the encirclement, because I was the only one who could defeat them with my current sword skills.
The other sword-and-shield users would remain here, serving as bait for the enemy.
Honestly, my confusion only grew as all three plans swirled around in my head.
Every one of them would work if executed properly, but I didn't know which was the best choice for this battle—and if it failed… I would have to rewind time again.
This was a mental burden as well. There was no way I could watch my comrades die right before my eyes. That would crush and torment me.
Damn it… which should I choose? Hime's plan, or maybe Luke's…
Yuu-chan's plan is good too… ahhhh… I'm really torn right now.