Not long after defeating the succubus and incubus forces, Nydrian rejoined the hero's party, now accompanied by Viscon's main unit.

Although Lin felt the need to speak with the elf, who had been treating him coldly for some reason, the urgency of the situation left him no time for personal matters.

"The Princess Heir has returned to the capital, and the Duke is expected to head back to Lowellina soon," Viscon stated.

This news signified that the main storyline had officially shifted to the Demon Army front, confirming Lin’s suspicions. He had hoped, however unlikely, that they might visit the Elven Forest, but such hopes were now completely dashed.

"Sigh, this is not going to be easy," Lin muttered to himself.

Up until Gillesmane, his plans had been going relatively well, but everything fell apart once they reached the Church. The most pressing issue at hand was his failure to properly develop the hero's party.

The Church was supposed to be Arsil’s enhancement episode, but here, Arsil hadn’t even awakened her ultimate skill, let alone powered up. They hadn’t even visited the Elven Forest, so Nydrian was no stronger than he had been in the original version of the game. According to Lucy, her temporary Holy Sword wasn’t fully under her control yet, so she wasn’t fully prepared either.