181 And cheer.

"Ninety percent of the lower class, sixty percent of the middle class, and the upper class was withdrawn on a case-by-case basis, so we're talking about twenty percent damage, right?

"I see. In terms of total numbers, we lost most of our troops because the lower class was the majority.

It's not a problem. I'm not sure what to make of that. I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure it's a good idea. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. I wonder what would have happened to my mental health, which I pride myself on being the weakest, if I hadn't been constantly warded by Mixu. The effect of having Wolfe constantly deploy his wards is almost gone. In the case of Iliad and Mikus, there is no significant effect even without warding. It probably depends on the magic power possessed by the individual. This is not the case for subhumans. ...... It's a complicated ability.

That's a positive thing. Thank you, thank you. I'm so glad you're here, Purple.

"That's all the change I need. So what's the plan after this?

I'll talk to Marito about a way out. I'll talk to Marito about a breakthrough. Tell that to Duvraeus.

"Yeah, it'll be sad not to have them ready for this fight, won't it? --Is the Mix there?

Yes, he is!

Remember, in its current state, it can only be used twice, right?

Of course! I'm a very good improviser.

I know. Then protect him, will you?

We lost communication, and I let out an involuntary sigh. There are more purple demons than any other demon lord. I can think of many ways to make effective use of them, but this time, I consumed them all at once as a wall of flesh. This indicates that the Purple has lost a lot of its overall strength.

Aside from the hardships of this battle, the visible weakening of Purple is honestly not a good thing when it comes to maintaining relations with humans in the future. We are being overlooked because we are equals. It is necessary to think about the future.

"My friend, do you find it so tiring to talk to Mister Purple?

No, no. Don't look so worried. I'm just sighing when I think about how the humans will approach us now that the purple camp has been weakened.

"It's you, isn't it? We're at war and you're already thinking ahead!

If you want to coexist with humans, it's important that you show some decisive action in this battle. But if you go too far, there will be people who will act as if it's a coincidence. It's really hard to know what to do.

Not everyone lives as straightforwardly as Taze.

We arrived at Garne Castle and entered the room where Marito and the others were giving orders. The gold was plainly happy to see him, but there was no sign of Marito.

"Where did Marito go?

"He said he needed some air. He said he needed some air.

All right, I'll go look for him.

I'm sure she'll be back soon. Why don't you take care of your mistress?

You can do that when Marith gets back.

Hmm. ...... Sure feels good to show her. Okay, go ahead!

Well, that's where Marito might be. ...... There are no gardens in this castle. And it's not like you know much about the interior. If Marito's current state of mind is like that,...... this side.

Where are we going? Do you know where His Majesty is?

I don't know. I'd rather she wasn't here.

"......?

With Ilias tilting his head, we walked through the interior of Garne Castle. We came to a fork in the road a few times, but without getting lost, we reached a room on the upper floor that overlooked the streets of Gánais.

And there was Marito, quietly looking down on Gurne as the sun was about to set.

"There you are.

How did you know where I was? It's just a random place I came into.

Well, yeah. I just picked a direction I thought you might go.

So I guess you can see right through me, huh? I'm really no match for you in that department.

Marito smiles bitterly. You're not as strong as usual. A big war, a deformed army that defies convention and pushes us into a corner. You're forced to take a passive approach, and you're slowly being pushed into a corner, unable to produce any results. This is the first time that Marito has been in such a predicament, since he has taken his universally accepted rule for granted.

It's not a bad move. If we had attacked half-heartedly, we would have collided head-on with the demons that used the power of the Struggle, and the damage would have been even greater than it is now.

The soldiers don't have the luxury of thinking about other processes. The soldiers are now aware that they are being overwhelmed and struggling. If this happens, some of them will naturally distrust me as their commander. This will not only disrupt morale, but will also affect my leadership in the future.

If there is a hierarchical relationship, such problems are bound to arise. If you are an employee, you will be frustrated with the actions of your boss, who sees you as a tool to make money, and if you are a boss, you will be frustrated with your subordinates, who do not take the best actions to run the business. If you've been in both positions, you can understand each other's feelings to a certain extent, but wear and tear is still inevitable.

"Not everyone is in the position of a king. Still, as far as the Knights of the TARDIS are concerned, I'm sure they believe in you without question.

"Yes, they do. They've seen me up close. They've seen me up close and personal, but their influence diminishes when it comes to Garne and Mejis. In order to gain their trust, you have to have a track record. But ...... is a difficult situation.

I'm not sure what to make of that. I'm sure he's trying to be a good king to his friend, me. I guess words are not enough.

Well, there are some good ones around here at ....... He found an antique looking vase nearby, lifted it and gently brought it towards Ilias.

Ilias, I need you to hold this for me for a moment.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah.

Be careful, okay? If you accidentally drop it and break it, you never know what the gold will ask you to give in exchange.

...... What are you doing?

Nothing, just a little prep.

Sometimes your actions don't make sense, do they?

"Sometimes your behavior doesn't make sense, does it?" "I'm going to give Kutu a few signals with my fingers while I put my hands on my hips. In case you can't speak, I've taught Kuto a few cues and trained him to act on them. He opens his arms exaggeratedly and walks towards Marito. As for the other side, ...... well, let's hope they can figure it out.

"Marito, I know you're feeling weak. I know you feel weak. I'm sure I'd complain, and I'm sure I'd run away.

I don't know, ...... you've got as much on your shoulders as I do, right? But you're not running away.

I'm sure you're not the only one. I'll accept that as a friend.

Thank you.

But I'm also a man with a heart.

He made a fist with his right arm and punched Marito in the face as hard as he could. I'm not sure if you've heard of it, but I have. A right hook, unimaginable for the usual me, struck Marito and shook his body. I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it. I'm not sure what to make of this. ...... The only thing is that my right hand is not well protected and it hurts like hell. It's like stopping a flying rock with your fist. That hurts.

Marito was hit so hard that he fell on his backside and looked up at you with a stunned look on his face. Incidentally, I want to see the shocked expression of Ilias behind him, but I have to hold back. I had blocked his movement in case he might try to stop me as soon as possible, but was that necessary? I'm not sure if he knew what I was going to do, or if he was just completely caught off guard.

What about ......?

I'm sure you're not the only one who wants to do this, but I'm pretty sure you're the one who would have punched me in the face. I did it for you. Is that what you want me to see? No. It's Marith trying to be proud to be my friend, the Wise King of the Tarlys.

Marith has always acted as a stern king in front of the Iliad and the knights of Tarlyss, though he has always acted in a cool manner in front of me. If he is conscious of avoiding mixing public and private, he should be strict with me when a third party is around.

The intention of this strange relationship is that he wants 'me' to see Marito as a king, and at the same time, he wants to show that he is 'my' friend.

And I have understood and accepted Marito's intentions. So, if you want to destroy what Marito is trying to do, you have to correct him. That's what Marito wanted me to be, a friend.

"......

Or what, you want me to comfort you? You want someone to lick your wounds? Are you so weak that you want me to play that role? Is that what I'm supposed to understand?

You can't ...... do that.

Marito slowly got up and rubbed his cheek where he had been hit. It's a little red and swollen. I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

What do you want me to do? "Then what do you want me to do?" "I owe you a debt, and for that I'll do whatever you want.

"That's a stupid question. You can be who you are. I want to be friends with you now. And if I owe you anything, it's just been wiped out.

Marito smiles. Marito smiled. His eyes had a different glint of confidence in them than before.

That's good. If this wasn't enough, I would have had to do it until my hand broke.

It's not my place to say this as the one who got hit, but is your right hand okay? I don't know if it's my place to say this, but if I hit you with demonic power without magical enhancement, you won't be okay, will you?

"It hurts like hell. I'd be screaming and crying if it wasn't so serious.

Go get yourself fixed. I'll be fine tomorrow if you leave me alone.

Obviously the one who hit you is more seriously injured. Probably won't be able to hold a pen for a while, this.

If I wanted to, I could have knocked out at least one of his teeth.

I'm sure they'd have stopped you if you'd gone that far.

I'm sure you must have sensed that.

Well, to be honest, I was caught off guard by the unexpected method. I'm sorry. I'm sure you're not the only one.

It's really noisy!

Apparently, he was just a winged insect, so he passed by. Why would the one who hit him get nine lives? It's an unreasonable world, isn't it?

But it sure hurts. Well, I'm glad.

On Earth, it's a peculiarity to enjoy pain.

I don't think it's any different in this world. But for now, I'm willing to accept that assessment.

You're not going crazy because I hit you, are you? No, I know what you're thinking, but I'm surprised you can be that emotional about it.

"Oh, Iliad. You can take that down now.

"......"? What the hell did you do?

It's payback for last time. Tarzan's knights work by reflex. I'm sorry Ilias, but I've had to block his movements.

That's what this jar is for. ...... No, it's not--

"Don't blame him, Sir Ratzel. Don't blame him, Lord Latzell. Blaming him will cost you your position as the man he tricked into wreaking havoc on the king right before your eyes. That vase is for your consideration. A friend would have planned to hit me by the time he got here. In the process he said, "I'm about to strike the king in front of you. If you had said, 'I'm going to beat the king in front of you now, and you're going to sit back and watch,' it would have been unbearable for you as a knight to endure.

"Nuh-uh, that's ......

Yes, yes. The Iliad didn't see anything. That's all there is to it.

You are. ......

As expected of you, Marito, you've already been able to decipher my intentions, even though you called the jar unintelligible. You don't have to worry about it anymore.

But it was necessary for me to get back on my feet. I'm sorry for the mess I made of myself. I hope you'll forgive me.

No, you don't have to apologize!

No, not in front of my friends, but certainly not in front of the knights who take up the sword for me and my country.

And also to my sister who is hiding in the shadows over there.

There's a noise at the door. You scared me too much, Mixu.

What, you're here too? No, of course not. I'm sorry to show you my brother's pathetic behavior.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no! You're not a king, you're a man!

I can see through the wall that you're getting nervous. I can see that you're freaked out through the wall.

"Well... I'm running out of time. I've got to think of something better to do with my time.

Yeah, we're ready for that. Now that we haven't lost any men, we'll be able to counterattack with gusto.

"That sounds very tempting. Can you tell me about it?

I'll explain the preparations we've made, the outline of the operation we're going to carry out, and the means we're going to use. If it works, this will bring down the Scarlet Witch King's camp in one fell swoop.

That's about it. The message I sent out earlier was a stepping stone to this.

I'm not sure what to make of that. I'll give you a compliment that's beyond awesome.

"That's the best compliment I can give you. But it works, doesn't it?

Yeah, it's very effective, considering what we know about the Scarlet Witch's powers so far. It will also boost our morale. As the king and the one leading this battle, I approve of the plan. I'll be counting on you. I'll be back. I'll adjust the timing as I see fit, so you're free to go.

Marito's motivation was heightened by his renewed vigor and the fact that he now had a way out of this situation. He left the room with an even lighter gait than usual. Well, I'd better get ready to do the same.

As he left the room, he saw Mikus sitting there. I wondered if they had bumped into each other when Marito was leaving.

Are you okay, Mikus?

...... Yes. I'm fine. I was just really surprised by what your friend did. ......

Sorry. I thought it was the quickest and most effective way.

For Mikus, Marito is almost a godlike figure. I can't blame him for feeling bad when he saw me beat up Marito. I'll have to take care of him next time as an apology.

I'm sorry! No! No, it's not! I've seen some very good things! It's something I'll treasure forever!

Oh, my God. ......

Uh-huh. I think I can understand what you're feeling right now by the look on your face. ...... It's best not to touch this. That's how easy it is to understand his face.