"Those fights are easy, but they consume a lot of ammo."
Makary's report was as concise and straightforward as a report only a soldier could make.
"We should be fine for a day, maybe two if we try to limit the usage..." Makary added before raising his eyes from the note one of his men sent to his phone.
In spite of a complete lack of any communication infrastructure, their cells continued to operate as usual. To the best of my knowledge, this communication exploited the same principles found in walkie-talkies.
Makary's intense stare brought me back to reality.
"We can go back in just shy of three days. And to the best of my knowledge, that's when..."
Before I could finish my sentence, I felt something tug at my soul.
My eyes moved over to the side, where Loraz clearly paid great interest in every word that I exchanged with someone whom I somehow brought to this forest from god knows where in a mere few days.
I lowered my head and took a deep breath.
'How should I deal with this?'
The very thing that I suddenly grew reluctant to mention was also the thing that continued to worry me.
'Was it really safe to leave the gate to begin with?'
While there was no risk of getting stuck in this world thanks to my usual portal... The importance of the stable gate couldn't be overestimated. Regardless of how limiting the restrictions of using it would be, the benefits of doing so simply went beyond the scale of any unit used to measure them.
And right now, I left it behind, unguarded, simply hoping for the best.
'Still, it's not only about now. If we don't pay it any attention, I doubt anyone will,' I thought before heaving a deep sigh.
Sure, people would pay a glance at an unusual tree structure... but that was about all. But if said structure was protected by arms never seen before in this world and humans who happily went against their own race...
Then even the dumbest leader of the invading forces would realize the importance of that place.
In three damn days for a round-trip?
Sooner or later, locals were bound to start asking questions, especially once I would finally open this damn, stable gate and let the logistics of the modern world simply squash any resistance this world could offer.
And with the importance of the gate's safety in such a scenario, how could I leave Loraz, former leader of the divine clan, and, even after his weakening and punishment, one of the stronger ascended of his divine clan, out of the picture?
"You attacked me because you deemed this to be the best course of action for the forest, didn't you?"
My question visibly shocked Loraz, who was already unsettled by my sudden revelations. Still, he squinted his eyes but opted to remain silent.
"Even now, after what happened to you, you are fighting for the forest..." I rested my hands on my hips and shook my head. "Listen. In the longest term, I can imagine, there's only one thing I need from this forest. And it's a staging ground for my expansion into the area where we fought with Claudy's mercs."
Loraz's face remained still, deprived of any emotions that would betray his thoughts.
"If my plan works, you will have a powerful, buffer-state, tied to the forest through marriage," I grabbed Fay's hand a little bit tighter. Yet, before I could pull her forth, she stepped ahead herself, proudly taking her place by my side rather than by my back. "I don't know and don't care what the humans of this world are looking for in your forest.
I'm much more interested in the lands they all come from."
I took a deep breath, pausing the series of revelations.
Loraz clearly needed some time to process all I said. And Makary, as much as he prickled his ears to register every last word I said and commit it to his memory, couldn't really understand anything without the necessary context.
In fact, I used a lot more keywords than I needed to just to confuse the man a little bit more.
I couldn't have Makary taking it upon himself to decide on the general course of action, after all. Not yet, at least.
"But for all of that to happen, for my friends to rain fire and death upon those who dare to invade this forest, I need you to work with us now, and keep one place safe for the foreseeable future."
That's right.
With how insanely valuable my stable gate would be, regardless of its limitations, it was equally as vulnerable to someone as strong as Loraz. Even now that he lost the bulk of his power due to Madam's presence, there were still only a few within the forest who could challenge him.
And I couldn't really afford to ask Fay, Madam, or maybe some of their trusted friends to stay watch over the gate, day in and day out, just because I didn't take my time and risk of talking things through with my father-in-law!