In addition to us, some of the other forces returned back within the door.
The Leopard Light Army that had remained in the front line had pulled back for the moment.
They could be considered as the main force of the Faraway Country.
It was decided that since the opportunity allows it, they should be rested now.
Meanwhile, the other forces were sent to hold onto their post for the time being.
Most of the units had been pulled back, but the defense line would be maintained.
Indeed, the enemyâs Divine Beast may have already been secured.
If the silver door were to be closed, there wouldnât be any way for intruders to enter the Faraway Country.
However, Mira might send another messenger.
Therefore, it was decided that our sideâs forces were stationed where they could retreat into the doorway immediately.
Left behind on the frontlines were......
The Serpentine Light Army.
The Royal Guards.
The Monster Corps.
All of them were forces that hadnât gone to the front in this war.
In other words, our side still had a lot of forces left.
[Even so, itâs a good thing that Gratora agreed to this. I was expecting her to say something like âI canât leave the Kingâs sideâ.]
Arriving before the door, I said to Armia.
Incidentally, Gratora and I exchanged a few words earlier.
I think her attitude regarding various matters had slightly changed.
How should I say this...... Itâs like she had become softer than before.
Nodding her head, Armia crossed her arms in front of her.
[I guess Liese-donoâs persuasion may have worked? Well, Gratora-dono seems to be concerned about the fact that the battle to decide the countryâs future was left to the other army corps. Then, thereâs our Serpentine Light Army that has hardly participated at all. You have to at least leave a role like this to us, unnn.]
Walking through, we saw the Monster Corps passing by us.
Among them were the kobold soldiers we had seen when we first arrived in the Faraway Country.
[ ? ]
Upon seeing us, the Kobolds bowed and passed on by.
Seeing their actions, Armia smiled.
[They are grateful to Fly King-dono, unnn. Within the doorâs premises, word is it that it was your meritorious deed that had gained us victory. Well, thatâs true after all.]
[If you mean being the trigger for that victory, I guess that would be the case.]
[Itâs thanks to you that we were able to defeat the 6th Cavalry, isnât it? I think Gratora-dono also recognizes you for that. Yes, yes, even that Niko-dono is praising you with open arms. Well, even so...... For that Niko-dono to be like that, even this Armia Plum Lynx would be surprised...... ââââWhatâs the matter, Fly King-dono?]
[......No, nothing much.]
Just like that, I had become their ally.
How should I say this...... I guess Kobolds can be kind of cute.
Seeing their small bodies toddling about somehow looks pleasing to the eyes.
[Youâre heading to the council meeting now, right? Good grief, it seems like you also donât have the leisure to rest.]
[Well, itâs just one more step to go. I feel at ease knowing that the end is already in sight.]
[Itâs nice to be optimistic, unnn.]
[Anyhow, Iâll be counting on you to hold onto the situation outside.]
[Umu, you can count on me.]
â½
The three army corps, except for the Serpentine Light Army, had already gone back inside the door.
Among those that would be returning within the door, we were the only ones left outside to give orders to Armia and the others.
After we finished doing that, we went inside the door too.
Thereupon......
[Master-sanya!]
We saw Nyaki running up towards us.
[Seras-san too...... Pigimaru-san, Slei-san, everyone is safe nya! Unyaaa! Youâre safe nya! Thank goodness nya! Nyaki was really glad nya!]
[The task of sneaking Gio and the others out...... Youâve done well.]
[For Master-sanâs strategy to be successful, Nyaki will do her best nya! Ummm...... N- Nyaki...... is also a member of the Fly King Squadron after all, nyright......?]
As if to confirm it, Nyaki hesitantly asked.
[Of course.]
Hearing my response, Nyakiâs ears perked up and her face lit up.
[Nyanya! Yes nya!]
[Fufu...... It seems like Nyaki-dono has completely become a legitimate member of the group huh.]
[Thank you very much nya, Seras-san!]
[Pigiiâª]
[Pakyuu~~]
[Pigimaru-san and Slei-san have become Nyakiâs senpai-sanya! One day, Nyaki wants to be the senpai just like you too!]
[Seras.]
[Yes.]
[Looking at Nyaki feels rather comforting, isnât it?]
Hearing what I said, Seras giggled.
[I agree.]
[Errrâââ Belzegia-san, Iâm glad that youâre safe. Everyone from the Fly King Squadron too.]
[Ahhâââ-]
Standing at the end of Serasâ gaze, Munin stood there, her hands interlocked near her stomach.
[Seras-san, right? I suppose...... this is the first time weâve properly talked like this, isnât it?]
[Yes. My apologies...... Things have been so hectic lately that I havenât had the chance to properly greet you.]
Turning to Munin, Seras straightened her posture.
[Once again, Iâm Seras Ashrain. A knight under the service of Milord...... and the Fly King Squadronâs Deputy. Itâs a pleasure to meet you, Munin-dono.]
[Yes, thank you for your courtesy.]
With a smile on her lips, Munin bowed her head.
When she looked up, she brought her hand to her chest.
[Iâm the Chief of the Kurosaga, Munin. I have heard rumors about Seras-san...... But even so......]
[ ? ]
[Have High Elvesâââ always been this beautiful?]
[Yes? Eh? Ummm......?]
[Hahhh...... Youâre so beautiful that I feel like Iâm falling in love with you.....]
Not looking like she was just trying to flatter her, Munin looked really enraptured.
Moreover, somehow, it strangely looked like sheâd start molesting a certain someone.
Then, Munin lets out a fervent sigh.
[Ahh, this is already artwork......]
[Eh? N- No,ermmm...... M- Munin-dono is also a beautiful woman......]
[Oh my? From your point of view, I must already be an old lady, right? However, Iâm flatteredâª]
[Iââ Iâm not just trying to flatter you. I really think youâre beautiful...... E- Even though the Princess had told me that talking about othersâ beauty might sound like sarcasm...... I- Iâm currently being honest about what I thinkâââ-]
[Fufu. Thank you, Seras-san. It seems like youâre an honest person. You also seemed like an easy person to talk to, so Iâm relieved.]
Thereupon, I interjected in their conversation.
[Munin-san is actually beautiful though. From my perspective, thatâs what I think.]
[Ara, Belzegia-san...... You donât have to be polite, and just keep the same tone you use with everyone else, you know? Rather......]
Putting her hand on her cheek, Munin lets out a lonely sigh.
[If youâre only like that around me, it feels like Iâm the only one you treat like a stranger...... I feel like Iâm being left out and a little lonely......]
[...................]
With the air of loneliness drifting around her, someone who should be the Chief of Kurosagas said.
[Iâm the only old lady here, so Iâm getting special treatmentâââ- Have I perhaps become an outcast......?]
Her face turning pale, the trembling Munin asked.
[......Well, if thatâs what Munin-san says.]
[You can just call me Munin, you know? Letâs see...... If youâre still embarrassed about that, I also donât mind if you just call me âyouâ, you know? L- Letâs see...... Being called without any honorifics by someone younger than me surprisingly doesnât sound so bad though⪠So, like I said beforeâââ- Call me Munin......?]
[You huh...... Well, if thatâs what you want.]
[J- Just now...... Havenât you thought that itâs something hard to do......?]
[Youâre half-right, I guess......]
[Geez⪠Fufu, in that case...... Letâs become closer to each other so that it would be something to do, okay?]
...........................Ahh, I see.
This is why itâs hard for me to do that.
I think I understand now.
She resembles herâââ- my aunt.
I once told Seras......
âI sense a resemblance between you and my aunt.â
ââor something like that.
However, at that time......
I told her that her personality is different from my auntâs.
However, I think that Muninâs personality is similar to my auntâs.
[.......................]
With great vigor, she suddenly comes in and throws my pace out of order.
Sheâs just like her.
Theyâre very similar.
[Anyway.]
Thereupon, the atmosphere around Munin changed.
With her posture the same as before, she shifted her sitting position.
The current Munin is smiling with the compassionate smile of a holy mother.
[You did great...... Thanks to you, we, the Kurosagas, have been saved. Not just from the Kurosagasââââ From everyone in this country......]
With great posture, Munin bowed her head.
[Thank you very much.]
......This part of hers too.
It isnât just her mischievous fluffiness.
At the times when she needs to be sincereââââ Sheâs really sincere.
Next, she bowed politely to Seras and Slei.
[I would also like to thank everyone for their hard work. On behalf of the Kurosagas, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude. Once again, thank you very much.]
Seras sincerely smiled back in response.
[If my power has helped save you, then I feel that my fight was worthwhile. Thank you for your gratitude.]
Seras bowed.
She seemed to be impressed by Muninâs attitude.
In short, it seemed like she had taken a liking to Munin.
......Well, it seems like the two of them would get along well.
At that moment......
[Belzegia-sama.]
A Leopardkin soldier arrived.
Even within the door, it seems like the messengers were in a hurry.
[The preparations in the conference room are now in order. A message from Lieselotte-sama: âAs soon as youâre ready, please attend with Seras Ashrainâ.]
[Alright.]
Itâs still a little early to be resting.
[Iâll be right there.]
â½
[Well then...... Moving on the premise that the Faraway Country would be negotiating with the Mira Empire firstââââ is that correct?]
Saying this, Qir looked at me.
Before I knew it, the council meeting was being facilitated by Qir.
Sitting around the table, we had been discussing our future plans.
There were seven of us in attendance: King Zect, Liese, Gio, Niko, Qir, myself and Seras.
Incidentally, the speaking Cerberus who was leading the right wing wasnât present.
Roa is said to be a member of the Dragon Light Army.
She would apparently just wait for the decision to be told to her by her army corpsâ Captain, Niko.
[Then...... Since no one seemed to be objecting, this decision is settled.]
The meeting went much more smoothly than I expected.
It was a stark contrast to the council meeting before the battle.
In particular, I could see changes in King Zect and Liese.
King Zect, in particular, looked completely dejected.
âThis time was my mistake. Thinking back...... The reason why we went to the Faraway Country was because we didnât want to fight against the humans. Once again, I must have subconsciously wanted to choose an option that avoided conflicts with humans. However, I had just been turning my gaze away from reality. No matter how long I lived, it seems like Iâm still the same foolish coward that I am back then. Forgive the foolish me, Fly King......â
King Zect hardly said anything during the meeting.
Speaking of hardly saying anything, there was also another personâââ-
[Liese-kun, are you alright with this?]
Qir asked Liese.
Perhaps, the treatment went well.
The swelling on Lieseâs face has already abated quite a bit.
[......Iâm also one who made the wrong decision. I donât think such a person has the right to speakâââ]
[Just because you made a single mistake, youâre not allowed to speak your opinion anymore, Iâm not so sure about that.]
When I said that, Liese, who had been looking down, looked up.
The others also turned their attention towards me...
[Objectively speaking, your capabilities arenât low. Even the reinforcements in this battle were made possible by you, right? You being too narrow-minded and stubborn before may have been a problem...... Wouldnât the you right now be able to make a little more flexible decisions? ......Well, that was what I had been expecting from you though.]
[Iâm glad you say that...... but......]
Crossing my hands behind my head, I laid the weight of my body on the backrest.
[For the time being, Qir should be in charge of battle-related matters. Lieselotte Ornick would then listen carefully to the opinions of the other Seven Light Army and incorporating them...... You will continue to focus on domestic and foreign affairs as the countryâs Prime Minister. That should be enough, right? Anyone got any objections?]
I asked the other members of the Seven Lights.
Gio lightly snorted.
[Doesnât seem like anyoneâs objecting.]
The next one to show his agreement was King Zect.
[I also think that would be good. No...... At this point, Iâd rather hand over the throne to Fly King......] n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
[No, itâs better for this country that you are the king. Putting aside this error in judgment, I havenât heard anything bad about you as a King from your country. Even before this war, you were very considerate of the Kurosagasâ situation. You didnât try to mercilessly eliminate those with opinions different from yours...... In fact, you even apologized. Youâre a king who can do that. Thatâs why I think youâre fine being the king. Personally, that is.]
[......Iâm moved by your warm heart, Fly King-dono.]
[I also agree with Fly Kingâs opinion here.]
The one who said that was Niko.
[In the first place, I was also one of those who voted for Prime Minister-dono. The blame for making the wrong decision must fall on me as well then. Thus, itâs not only Prime Minister-dono and his Majesty who are to blame. I am to blame too.]
[But Niko, it was only because you owed me a debt of gratitude......]
[Even if thatâs so. Moreover...... As it turns out, I redeemed myself with the help of Fly King over there. It gave me a chance to make up for itâââ- Thatâs what I think. Thatâs why...... I think that both the Prime Minister and his Majesty should be able to recover from this. Umu...... Even so, Fly King is a reliable man. Even I couldnât help but recognize that...... Unnn, Niko admits that...... I- Iâm not feeling bashful!]
[No oneâs said anything.]
Gio retorted back.
......Armia did mention it earlier......
Indeed, Nikoâs attitude towards me has softened considerably.
As if to start over again, Niko cleared her throat.
[On the other hand, my loyalty to Prime Minister-dono and his Majesty hasnât changed. Itâs also a fact that us Dragonkin, including me, have been helped by Prime Minister-dono and his Majesty.]
[Niko......]
Liese looked overcome with emotion.
It seems that sheâs trying her best to suppress her emotions from showing on her face.
[âââââAnyway, weâve decided on our policy.]
As if to confirm with everyone, I said.
[We will proceed with the plan to negotiate with Mira for the time being. Going to the negotiations will be Liese, myself, Seras, the Leopard Light Army and the Dragon Light Army...... The current policy is to form an alliance with Mira for the moment. If an alliance is formedâââââ Making sure that they donât take advantage of usâââ- We seek assistance to improve our food situation. And from our side, we will provide forces as reinforcements when necessary...... However, we will not leave the chain of command to them.]
Pausing for a moment, I continued.
[I propose that we leave the prisoners of war we have captured to Mira in the near future. I believe that Miraâs side would also mention temporarily looking after the prisoners of war. This is because, considering the food situation of the country, I think it would be difficult to take care of a large number of prisoners of warââââSeras thinks that thereâs a good chance that Mira will accept this offer, right?]
I spoke to Seras, who was standing diagonally behind me.
[Yes. Mira has the best food supply on the continent due to the large amount of fertile land in their territory.]
[Enough to export to other countries, is that correct?]
[Yes.]
Sounding a little surprised, Gio growled.
[Miraâs a rich country huh.]
[They have mining areas in the mountains west of them, and the mineral resources mined from these areas are abundant. The country is also rich in marine resources, second only to Bakuos in the fishing industry. As for domestic politicsâââ Especially since the accession of the present Emperor Zine, the country has become even more powerful...... Iâve heard that the Emperorâs popularity with his citizens has been on the rise ever since he ascended to the throne. With his wealth and the support of his people behind his back, it seems that his army corps, including the Shining Army, have become quite powerful. This is why the Princess had high regard for Miraââââ especially for their Emperor and his two brothers.]
[.......................]
That Princess said that huh.
[In any case, thatâs the kind of country they are, so if negotiations go well, I think we can expect a continuous supply of food.]
[Geographically speaking, Mira and the Faraway Country are connected to each other, so we wonât be divided by rival countries in terms of transportation.]
At that moment, Gio posed a question.
[What happens if the negotiations break down?]
[If that happens, I think we should retreat inside the door and shut ourselves in for a moment. If weâre going to fight against them, we need some time to recover and give the troops some rest first. It would have been bad if Mira had acquired him, but fortunately, the Divine Beast named Radis was on our hands. Of course, Nyaki is here too. As long as we close the door, they wouldnât have any means to touch us.]
Even that sh*tty goddess had to rely on the Divine Beast to get inside after all.
Without them or the keys, I donât think it will be easy for them to open the door.
Thinking about that situation though, I muttered to myself in a voice that was barely audible to those present.
[......Well, Iâm sure the negotiations would be a success though.]
That is, if the purpose of the Mad Emperor is indeed the Forbidden Raceâââ- and their Forbidden Curses.
If he really intends to stand against that goddess.
Now that he had fired their bow towards Alion, there was no turning back for Mira.
Even though they have a powerful army......
How can they win against all the other countries within the Holy Alliance?
Looking at it from a strength standpoint, they would definitely want to form an alliance with the Faraway Country.
In other wordsââââ
The cards to extract concessions from Mira are surprisingly in our hands.
[........................]
Miraâs Mad Emperor huh.
A young emperor that wasnât much older than me.
The man who pushed aside the first and second in line of succession to the throne and ascended the throne.
Moreover, the two brothers, who were the first and second in line, are now in the service of their younger brother, the Mad Emperor.
I am curious about him.
I wonder what kind of person is he?
Iâd like to meet him once.
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The next chapter will be updated on November 12th (Friday), next week, around 9:00 pm.