It took several days to walk to Melvisâs castle from the Ogre village.\n
But it was not a place where I would usually be invited.
And that was much to my relief. However, I was now being asked to go and attend a meeting with Miralda of all people.
And so my feet couldnât help but drag as I walked.
Corps Commanders tended to have their own riding beasts, but not me.
But as I was the Generalâs direct subordinate, perhaps I should have oneâŚ
âWell, if there is no rush, I donât mind walking.â
This wasnât like modern Japan, where people seemed to be constantly battling the clock.
And so I would go slow and at my leisure.
ââŚYouâre late.â
General Farneze said with disapproval as soon as I arrived. It wasnât fair.
I was about to make my excuses, but thought that she might tell me to ride a beast next time. And so I just gave her the typical response. âI was stuck in traffic.â
âWhat the hell are you talking about?â was her response.
However, she understood the nuance, and didnât rebuke me any further.
âI heard that General Miralda is coming.â
âNot coming. She is already here.â
So she had arrived before me. But I had come on foot.\n
Commenting on it too much might result in her telling me to get a riding beast, so I let it go.
âIâm surprised that you called her here.â
If someone like that went wild in the castle, the damage would be great.
âWell, we are in an alliance now. Besides, they are cooperating with us, militarily speaking. I couldnât exactly refuse her when she asked to come.â
âI seeâŚâ
I couldnât help but have dark thoughts. Forming an alliance and then entering the castle in order to kill the enemy.
Perhaps we could use that one day.
Of course, such a strategy was likely to meet a storm of protest from surrounding countries.
âIt so happens that most people are so scared of General Miralda that they wonât come near the castle. And I havenât called anyone here who I donât want present.â
Not only did the strong have a lot of mana, but ordinary folks tended to avoid them.
And maybe she wanted to keep it secret from some peopleâŚbut not me.
âDo I really need to be here?â
âYouâŚare you dull?â
Another diss.
âUh, I probably am. I find it hard to measure other peopleâs mana.â
It was quite true. Which was why I didnât feel as threatened when facing powerful people.
âThat isâŚinteresting.â \nGeneral Farneze had a mixed expression.
âWell, itâs often better to live life without all that stress.â
I didnât want to constantly think about whether or not others were stronger than me.
âI donât know about that. Regardless, todayâs meeting will be starting soon. And so I want to share some information with you first.â
Miralda had arrived two days ago, and they had had their first meeting yesterday.
âIâm sure it will come up later, but what was the purpose for this visit?â
It couldnât be good, if she came all of the way here in person instead of sending a messenger.
It had been on my mind the whole time I was walking.
âThere has been a change inâŚdirection, as far as the Demon King is concerned. Their war is heating up.â
âThatâŚdoesnât sound good.â
âDemon King Legard is strengthening his forces. There was a large scale battle the other day, and a total of five Lesser Demon Kings were killed between both sides.â
Demon Kings would have quite a few Lesser Demon Kings working under them.
Still, five of them in one battle? It was hard for me to comprehend the scale of such a battle.
âSo, is Miralda going to be called back to the battlefield?â
While we hadnât been given much information about it, it seemed that their armies moved in rotation.
That was something you could do when you had men to spare.
\nI wish that I hadnât come.
So, Miralda had been ordered to withdraw her troops.
But as we had formed an alliance, she came to us in order to explain the situation.
However, it seemed likely that any refusal on our part would be meaningless.
We had only been able to invade Leninothâs country because of the threat that Tralzardâs army posed.
âThe meeting will start soon. What do you think we should do?â
âI think we have to think of some other compromise. But it will be difficult.â
We were a small country. And our leader was in a long and deep sleep.
We had lost a general and our fighting force was weakened.
The warring amongst our neighbors was settling down, which meant we might be targeted next.
âMiralda will not stay here long. Think of something if you can.â