68 - The Eleventh 」」」」」」

Wenli, the chief wench of Rattestwood, was making her way through the corridors of the small castle.

She had been summoned by Queen Leifa.

She exchanges greetings with the other ladies as she passes by, and paces her way quickly to her destination.

He eventually arrived at a room, the queen's office, where Wenli stopped, took a deep breath, and knocked on the wooden door.

"Lady Leifa, this is Wenli, the head mistress of the queen's office. I have come to see you.

A message came back from inside the door, authorizing entry. It was the voice of Leifer, the master of the house. Wenli says, "Excuse me, sir," and pushes the door open.

"Thank you, Wenli."

Leifer greeted her from his office chair on the other side of the stack of papers.

Her face showed no sign of fatigue, although her workload must have been quite heavy during those turbulent days. She had sometimes shown her true colors in front of her former educator, but now she seemed to be disciplining herself as a queen. In other words, she had been summoned for more important matters than she was used to.

Wenli responded with a bow of thanks and waited for his master's voice to follow.

"I have called you here for no other reason than this. I have just received word that Kamila has returned from her home country. I assume you are here to talk about the incident.

"By "one of the cases," do you mean ...... about Noblewood?"

Until recently, Noblewood had been under the control of Alkimaira's forces, who had been manipulating the information that . However, the Alkimaira's forces must have disclosed some of the information that had been withheld by the instructions of their home country and moved to monitor Noblewood's movements accordingly. This must have been the result.

"Yes. I have also called for Master Robin and Rilifa. They should be here shortly."

"Yes, Mr. Leifer. We will discuss the details when the two of you and Camilla arrive.

"- My concubine is here, you know?　Chief of Warriors."

Wenli's shoulders jerked up at the sudden sound of a voice behind him.

He put his hand on his beating heart and turned to see a woman with purple hair.

"Ka, Kamila-dono ......"

"Mm. Not since we captured the Noblewood liaison, Warrior Chief. Or should I call you Warrior Chief now?"

Camilla, a woman with a bewitching appearance, smiled wickedly as she said this.

To the opposite s*x, she would have looked alluring, but to Wenli now, she looked like a cat facing a small mouse.

While trying her best to calm her racing heartbeat, Wenli uttered her response.

Yes, yes. It's been a while, Camilla. ...... Yes, how long have you been there?"

Just now. I knocked, but I'm afraid you didn't hear me. Did I startle you?

That's absurd, Wenli thought. Despite the construction and other noises around them, it was hard to believe that they could not have heard the knocking on the door. And they were elves with excellent hearing, even if they were only half elves. This arouses her strong suspicion that she could not have missed it.

"No. I heard you, Camilla. Thank you for taking the trouble to visit us, even though you have just returned from the home country."

But Wenli was puzzled, and Leifa answered without hesitation. Even though she did not actually knock, her expression did not show the slightest sign of agitation.

Camilla muttered "huh" in her mind and looked at Leiffer with her eyes.

"I see. But the fact that the chief lady didn't hear it may have been a blunder on my part. It is certain that I entered the room before receiving her consent.

"In times of peace, but in times of urgency, such things may happen. There are many situations in which prompt action is more important than complete civility. I believe this is one of them.

"Hmm. ...... Let us show our appreciation for your understanding, Your Majesty."

Thank you.

Ostensibly, the relationship between Queen Leifa and the Commander of the Legion of Alkimaira is almost equal.

And since Helian, of all people, recognized Leifa, Camilla recognized her as an object of respect in her own way.

As for the exchange that just took place, it is satisfactory for the leader of the allied nations to say what needs to be said while respecting his position.

(......) I see that you have talent in spite of your inexperience. That is why you have my approval. (It is indeed my honor that you were able to recognize this in less than two days ...... and a few hours of conversation.)

While praising her master's keen eye, Camilla decided to raise Leifa's rating by one level.

"Sister, here she is. ...... Oh, Camilla!"

"Oh, it's your sister. How are you?

With a knock on the door, Princess Lilifa, sister of Leifa, appeared.

When Camilla spoke to her in a friendly manner, Rilifa answered with a big smile.

"Yes!　Thanks to the people of Alkimaira, we can eat delicious food, so everyone is fine."

"Well, well, that's good to hear. If you have any trouble, you may tell me. If it is your sister's request, I will do my best to fulfill it within the discretion allowed to me.

Camilla responded smilingly and took out a small bag from her pocket.

Inside was an assortment of tea cakes that she had brought from Alkimaira.

The bag is filled with a set of baked sweets with plenty of fruits, according to the preferences of Rilifa, which she had found out through her research.

"Souvenirs from home. I also brought some of your favorite tea leaves. I heard that you had brought it as a souvenir at a previous meeting."

"Wow, really?　Thank you, Lady Camilla!"

Camilla responded with a narrow-eyed smile and patted her head.

For some reason, these two are good friends. Of all the residents of Latticewood, it is Rilifa who is closest to Camilla.

Moreover, it seems that the distance between them is getting closer every time they meet, and Rilifa, who at first answered "yes", now says "yes" in a broken voice. And Camilla seemed to not only forgive but also accept it in a positive way.

Considering Lillipha's position as the princess of RATESTWOOD and Camilla as the commander of the Alkimaira's top military command, the fact that the two are getting along well with each other is a welcome development for RATESTWOOD. However, Wenli, watching from the sidelines, could not help but feel a sense of crisis.

Because Wenli knew. The woman who was stroking the baby (Lillipha) in front of him was a person who could kill a person with a smile on her face.

It was only a few days after they had made their alliance that they were reminded of this. It was when we captured a liaison sent from Noblewood to contact the advance party who had stopped talking to us.

"I caught them sooner than I expected. I will have something good to report to you.

A liaison (elf) is struggling under invisible bondage, uttering invectives. Camilla, facing her, asks Wenli, "Do you recognize her? Wenli shook his head and answered.

In the first place, Lattestwood had been in a state of no contact with other nations - it was not recognized as a country and was almost completely ignored by the other nations. There were few familiar faces. Especially the elves of Noblewood, who hated half-elves and did not even want to make contact with them.

"Well, I'm afraid I've wasted your time. Then let's get some information out of her in my own way.

As soon as she said this, Camilla suddenly thrust her left hand into the elf's chest and began to grope it carelessly.

Strangely enough, there was no gushing of blood, only ripples on the contact surface like the surface of the water after a pebble was thrown into it, but the elf looked stunned for a moment, then shivered with a deadly chill as soon as she saw the scene.

I don't even want to remember what happened after that.

The liaison's handsome, elf-like face contorted in anguish and he began to let out an exclamation that seemed out of this world. I can still see his eyes bloodshot, frothing at the corners of his mouth, and shaking his head in a frenzy.

She pulled her arm out from her left breast and wiped her hand with a cloth from her pocket as if she had touched something dirty. Then she turned the cloth into ashes with a black flame, which seemed to be a magic spell, and said to Wenli, whose face had turned pale.

"It's faster to ask the soul than to ask the body. Unlike the body, the soul can break down prematurely, but until it does, it can give us truthful information. I am good at this kind of soul magic (sorcery).

A sinister smile resembling a crescent moon. The liaison's demons had somehow stopped. Camilla touched the shelled body of the liaison and began to chant some kind of magic formula. The liaison was twitching and twitching for a while, but when the formula was completed, he stood up as if nothing had happened.

One of his men wipes his face, which had been stained with various fluids such as blood, tears, greasy sweat, and drool, and performs the healing technique. Around the puppet elf, who had regained her original fair face, more than ten demons - apparently a race of demons specializing in stealth, named "Invisible Demon" - appeared before she knew it. --The two groups were standing there without making a sound.

"The rest is as we discussed beforehand. Needless to say, this is a royal decree, a direct order from you, my lord. I will not tolerate any lapses. If by any chance they should find out about it, you will be deprived of death (・・・・・・) by your concubines.

"Yes, Camilla."

After reciting the words of worship, the demon disappeared like a phantom.

He then followed the liaison back to his home country with stately steps and left for the depths of the forest.

Afterwards, Camilla, who claimed to have obtained some interesting information, asked, "Would you like to have dinner with me afterwards, Chief Warrior? Wenli was desperately reluctant to accept the invitation. He could not think of eating after what he had just seen, and most of all, he could not bear to be alone with the demon in front of him any longer.

She returned to Ogi's room to escape, but she did not sleep a wink that night.

Wenli's fear of Camilla is still deep-rooted because she was exposed to such an act. Wenli had warned herself not to be prejudiced against the demons of Alkimaira, but it was too much to ask her not to feel fear when she saw them. The way she was getting friendly with Lillipha, knowing her true nature, Wenli couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

"Hi!　When I heard I was wanted, here I am!　Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, my queen!

Then Robin, the last participant, appeared at the door with a bang.

Camilla's brow furrows as Robin enters the room without even knocking, let alone acting friendly, and she removes her hand from her palm.

"Robin...... you're a legionnaire, you should at least knock. What's with the good morning? It's already past noon.

"Oh, really?　Well, I've been working on the equipment my sister Lee ordered. Thanks to you, I was up all night.

"From Levee?　...... He has been given the equipment directly by you."

"No, he wants a disguised armor for the expedition. He wants a disguised suit of armor that is not much for everyday use, but when the time comes, he can take off the disguise and display its performance. This was a new order for me, so I was very excited to get to work on it.

He wipes the sweat from his forehead, which he has not even scratched, as if to say, "Well, you did a good job.

In fact, Rieve, who had just barely won a victory after damaging his armor in the previous incident, had a sense of crisis about his future activities outside the country and had ordered Robin, a leading craftsman, to do the job for him.

Robin is a troubled man in many ways, but his technical skills are assured, and many of the top ranks of each corps are equipped with his handiwork.

Most corps leaders who have reached the level of mythological threat (SS rank) are armed with weapons that are not made by human hands, that is, artifacts obtained from ruins and the like, but with the exception of this Robin's handiwork is considered to be the best armament. This fact alone gives us a glimpse of his outstanding skills.

However, he is a moody person and is not afraid to say that he only makes what he wants to make, but fortunately, this time, it seems that the order touched his heartstrings.

He was so enthusiastic in his work that he forgot about the time, and as a result, he appeared one step later than the other participants.

"What a nushi... ...... Oh, enough. I can't waste my time like this."

With a sigh, Camilla switched her attention and turned to Leiffer.

Leifa had already left her seat and was facing Camilla around the desk.

Wenli, who had moved casually, was standing behind her.

Lilifa, who had been chatting with Camilla earlier, has also changed her mind as a princess and is standing quietly beside her sister, Leifa.

Now that we have all the actors, let's get down to business. A message from you.

"I will listen to it."

Leifa quickly kneeled down on the spot. Wenli and Lillipha did the same. They understood that what Camilla was about to say was meant as the king's representative, and so they acted accordingly.

Camilla nods her head in agreement and says the following words to the three who have shown sufficient civility.

"I propose that we exercise the utmost caution against our neighbor Noblewood, which is showing signs of unrest, and that we send a messenger with a final recommendation. --That is all."

Camilla spoke to Leifa, who looked up at her.

"You are very kind, my dear. You wish me to send a messenger, even though you know the outcome. Of course, the messenger will be accompanied secretly by soldiers selected from my legions, and I promise to bring them back without a scratch if they commit any outrage. On the title of "Ears of Alkimaira"

I am aware of your intentions, Mr. Helian. We have no objection. I will immediately select a messenger from among my retainers and have him prepared.

"Yes. But if negotiations between the messenger and Noblewood fail, there is only one outcome left. Are you prepared for that, Her Majesty Queen Leifa Lim-Latestwood?"

Camilla shot a strong look at Leiffer, thinking of the consequences that would be surely coming in the near future.

The young queen met her gaze with a resolute attitude.

"Of course. I have spent my days preparing for what is to come, even though I am not yet ready. I have already made my preparations.

"Good answer. You will be pleased with my response.

Nodding her head in satisfaction, Camilla moved on to the details.

However, Wenli, who was watching quietly behind Leifa, had a touch of uneasiness in his heart.

There was only one reason for it. It was the dwarf boy who was standing next to Camilla, looking bored.

According to the plan he had been told in advance, he was to be in charge of an important task in this case. His dispatch to the Ratestwood was also in anticipation of a battle with the Noblewood.

However, he has been sent there and has been playing silly pranks every day, without a shred of dignity. From the earlier conversation and the fact that he was the head of a group of craftsmen, it was clear that he had excellent technical skills, but it was hard to believe that they would be of any use in a rough fight.

In fact, Robin was easily captured by his subordinate, Merzel, and was unable to even lift the building materials he was carrying so lightly. He even wondered if he could win the battle himself.

Robin has been entrusted with an important role in this case. Wenli, who had been at the mercy of his pranks for so long, could not help but feel a sense of melancholy.

"What is it, Chief Lady?"

While I was lost in thought, a question suddenly came to me. Wenli looked up with a start and looked at the owner of the voice.

He looked up and looked at the owner of the voice, "You have a very cloudy expression on your face. ...... I don't think so, but are you dissatisfied with the plan you have made for us?"

A voice with the sharpness of an icicle interrupted the questioning.

With a feeling of inexpressible fear running down his spine, Wenli replied to Camilla.

No, no. No, no, nothing like that. ......

Somehow, he managed to spin the words, but the look that pierced through Wenli's eyes showed no sign of conviction.

On the contrary, Camilla's red eyes were lit up with a swooning gleam.

"Ah. You know, Nushi has spoken to me about you before. I remember well how she not only drew her bow at your request for dialogue, but how she also tried to get in your way at every turn. --Go ahead, say it. Right here, right now. In front of me."

Wenli was asked in a mocking tone, and he stiffened without uttering a sound out of fear. Her arms and legs were shaking in the manner of a frightened and cowering prey, but Camilla did not relax the power in her eyes.

Because Camilla remembered. She remembered the insolent man who had shot an arrow at her without telling her when the king who had taken her with him had revisited the village. And she remembered the woman who, despite the admonition of her master the queen, still tried to shoot a third arrow at the king who had asked for dialogue with her.

In forming the alliance, he is told by the king to let bygones be bygones. It was also strictly forbidden to punish any lawless person against their new neighbors, no matter who they were. With such an order, Camilla could not touch the Wenli, the people of Lattestwood.

But if the subject proves to be a threat to Alkimaira, that is a different story. It is no longer a friendly neighbor, but a traitor.

If I could get a word of rebellion out of the woman in front of me, at that moment, without hesitation, with my own hands, I would take her to the Alkimaira...

"Yes, that's enough."

With a single word, Robin placed her body between the two. Immediately, the air in the room, which had been on tenterhooks, relaxes.

"Don't go any further, Cammy. Wenri is in trouble. The king has forgiven you for what you did in the past, so it's not for us to rehash it, is it?

See?　Robin tilted her head and asked Camilla, and she frowned slightly.

Robin then asked, "Wenli won't attack the king anymore, will you? He asks, "What do you mean? Wenli shook her head, shaking it vigorously.

There was no point in pursuing him now that he had shown that he meant no harm. On the contrary, it would only jeopardize his own position. Realizing that she had missed an opportunity of a lifetime, Camilla hid her unpleasant feelings under a smile, said, "I beg your pardon," and withdrew with an apology.

Wenli, relieved of the pressure, collapses in a heap, breathing heavily.

"I am sorry that you were offended by the attitude of my subject."

"Oh, it's okay, it's okay, don't worry about it, my queen. I mean, it was just like she was taking it out on me.　I mean, come on, Kami is such a grown-up."

"...... I'm done when you say so."

The fact that Robin, of all people, had told her this made Camilla reflect deeply.

She let out a long sigh, waving her hands in the air in response to Robin's angry expression, "What do you mean?

"Oh, and don't worry about me, Wenri!　After all, I am the Commander of the Seventh Legion and I'm super awesome. You should feel like you're on a big boat!

Robin starts shadowboxing.

Wenli's anxiety doubled as she saw a punch that even she could easily catch, but if she spoke out against it here, she would be killed this time.

With no one to support the young queen, Leifa, and with no one else qualified to play the hated role, Wenli could not die just yet.

Wenli, aware of this, swallows down her rising anxiety, regulates her ragged breathing, and somehow manages to stand up.

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A few days later. The messenger from LATESTWOOD who was dispatched to Noblewood was immediately turned on his heel by the reception he received in the name of interception.

Escorted by the 6th Legion, the emissary escaped without being noticed by the other party and did not suffer a single wound, but had no choice but to report to the queen, who was waiting for his return home, that there was "no room for discussion".

This was the moment when the inevitable war between the two countries was decided.

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--And one night... At the stroke of midnight, when even the bugs have gone quiet.

He visited the capital of LATESTWOOD unnoticed, and appeared in front of a rectangular building erected in a corner of the capital.

Several figures waiting for him hang their heads deeply upon seeing him, and welcome him into the rectangular box.

The box is now silent, and only the sound of footsteps echoes inside.

A lone wolf follows the young man ahead.

She silently follows the young man into the heart of the box, and then turns to look at her master's back as he stops.

"...... I know what you mean."

Not even without looking at its ears and tail, he muttered to himself.

I'm not particularly sensitive to the subtleties of the heart.

If anything, he is dull and unaware.

But even he could easily guess that she would not be pleased with what he was about to do because of her condition, her past history, and above all, her personality.

"But this was decided beforehand. This is an act that is based on an agreement I have made with the representatives of our allies. I cannot allow it to be overturned. It is absolutely unacceptable."

The young man's lips are tightened as he looks at the huge that sits in the center of the box, as huge as a twilight dragon.

He then spun powerful words to the armor, or more precisely, to the man encased in the armor.

"--Declaration of secret invocation "Fobidun Phantasm": "Awaken the legacy of Dyne (Dyne's Slave)."