Side: Mako
The night the Solemne Army was repelled, a small banquet was held.
Although sake was served, it wasn’t for everyone, as there were night watches to be maintained and people were still on the march.
To make it fair for those who couldn’t drink, a lottery was held.
As a result, a total of 60 people drew the short straw and were assigned to night watch duty. This group included Yamato, Rex, Sley, Cliff, Cole, and, for some reason, Emperor Reinhardt himself, who had also drawn the lottery.
Rex, being a light drinker, had volunteered himself, and Sley didn’t seem to mind as he rarely indulged. However, Cliff, who was quite a heavy drinker, and Cole, who was similar, were in despair at the outcome.
I, on the other hand, drew a lucky lot, so I wouldn’t have to stand guard tonight.
Therefore, I intended to drink my fill.
After all, I have a high tolerance for alcohol.
“Delicious, Shirayuki?”
“Meow!”
Beside me, Shirayuki, my summoned beast Snow Mirage Tiger, and Kaede, my Battle Horse, were happily eating meat.
Shirayuki quickly grew fond of Kaede, and they often slept together.
Shirayuki was still a newborn, so I had been worried about her meals. But she was already running around and had sharp fangs, so she’d been eating plenty of meat since her first day.
She was currently eating meat alongside Kaede, just as happily.
Many others had also brought their familiars and summoned beasts, so they were all invited to the feast as well.
“So, what about Yamato?”
I was drinking the fruit wine that had been generously poured into my glass, but a man who was annoyingly dejected caught my eye, making the taste of the otherwise delicious wine feel rather off.
“He drew a losing ticket, so he can’t drink tonight.”
Prim said with a wry smile, which was what I had expected. Yamato also liked alcohol and was strong with it, but since he drew the losing ticket, he should curse his own bad luck.
More importantly, he was a real eyesore, so if he was going to mope, couldn’t he do it out of my sight?
“I understand how you feel, Mako. Rai is also down for the same reason, and he’s quite the eyesore.”
Emperor Reinhardt too?
This is what happens when you draw a lottery for pure fun, even as a joke.
He’s a king and a hunter, so I suppose that’s why. But I hope he takes this as a lesson and becomes a little more subdued.
“Meow! Meow!”
“Shirayuki? What’s wrong… Clara?”
Shirayuki meowed happily, and when I looked, she was being doted on by Clara the Friezas Tiger.
Clara had been seriously injured by a Slume Lord, losing her left foreleg. But thanks to Sayuri’s healing magic, Reviving, her lost foreleg was regenerating.
I wished I could use Reviving too, but the path to becoming an O-rank Healer was incredibly steep.
Up to A-rank Healer, passing the promotion exam was enough. But for O-rank Healer, it was an exception; the condition was to be able to use Reviving on your own.
But that’s not important right now.
Shirayuki and Clara met for the first time after the Slume Lord subjugation when we returned to Krater.
At first, Clara was extremely wary of Shirayuki, who carried the scent of the Slume Lord. But after Certina explained that I had a Summon Contract with her and that Shirayuki was still a cub, Clara finally approached and they greeted each other by touching noses.
Since then, Shirayuki, perhaps because they are of the same species, has become quite attached to Clara.
“Excuse me for intruding.”
“Good evening, Certina.”
“Yes, good evening. You had a big role today, congratulations.”
“No, it wasn’t that difficult.”
My role was to use the layered barriers of Niflheim and Vanaheim with Yamato to block the Solemne Army’s retreat.
Alfheim would have been fine too, but I needed to use other attributes occasionally to keep my skills sharp. My Engraving Tool, Spirit Hexa Dipper, had a partially generated form, Spirit Dipper, which had characteristics specialized for each attribute.
Today, I generated Delight Spirit, specialized for the light attribute, which is why I wasn’t too tired.
Yamato, on the other hand, had to fight in a way he rarely, if ever, had before. It was also his first time doing such precise control, so he was quite mentally exhausted.
“Certina, you were active as well.”
“When they’ve lost all will to fight, anyone could do it. Of course, I have no complaints since there were no casualties on our side because of it.”
In today’s battle, there were no deaths among the Allied Forces.
The Solemne side mostly consisted of fleeing soldiers, and those who recklessly charged without understanding the difference in strength were obliterated by the Ancient Class and High Class fighters, literally with a wave of their hands.
There were injuries, but they weren’t severe, and they had already been healed with restorative magic or potions and were participating in the banquet.
“Still, after witnessing such a decisive victory, it’s natural for doubts to arise about our own participation.”
“I understand that, but we need you here, don’t we?”
“I know.”
I understood what Certina meant.
Not only the Sabers but also the hunters of the Torencia Alliance hadn’t had any significant achievements.
The reason for this was the 16 Ancient Class individuals belonging to Amister.
Even among the High Class, there are clear differences in magic power depending on their level. But when it comes to the Ancient Class, the difference is so vast it’s almost laughable to compare.
This is why the Torencia Alliance feels like they weren’t even needed here.
While this is true, and dropping Deseo would surely be possible if the Ancient Class were transported by Athena or Eos alone, we couldn’t do that.
The reason the Allied Forces were organized was for reinforcements to Torencia, to rescue Bacion, and to liberate Libertà.
Since Amister wasn’t directly attacked, it was difficult for Amister to intervene directly, no matter how heinous Solemne’s actions were.
I personally wouldn’t mind, but I couldn’t shake the fear that it would make us no better than Solemne, a rogue nation drowned in power, especially considering the potential grievances from the surviving members of the Libertà parliament.
Therefore, we received not only a request for aid from the Grand Duchy of Lichtenfels but also authorization for a counter-offensive from Denebulate.
Torencia is the same. By sending reinforcements to Solemne along with the Sabers, who were directly attacked, Amister is presenting it as supporting Torencia.
Therefore, without the Sabers and the Torencia Alliance, the legitimacy of this advance would be lost.
Of course, Amister’s quantity and quality are superior, so it’s understandable that Torencia might feel insecure.
“Even for us, facing an army of tens of thousands isn’t realistic.”
“Indeed. What we fought today was likely a vanguard. Of course, they must have judged it sufficient, but the results today will reach Deseo. They might mobilize their entire army next time.”
“So you noticed.”
“Of course.”
There were individuals on the battlefield who appeared to be observer officers dispatched from Deseo.
Although they were eliminated by someone, there were also units that had been observing from a distance.
We could have eliminated them too, but we decided to let them go this time, to become messengers to the Emperor.
It must have been difficult for them to report such a one-sided outcome.
“Meow! Meow!”
“Growl.”
Even as we spoke, Shirayuki was playing with Kaede and Clara.
It seemed carefree, but it was very soothing to watch.
While I’m concerned about the Torencia Alliance, as we get closer to Deseo, the entire Solemne Army will likely be mobilized. They will be given opportunities to shine then.
It’s just postponing the problem, but for now, it’s a banquet, so let’s enjoy it.
Side: Yamato
The night the Solemne Army was repelled, a small banquet was held.
Alcohol was served, but because we were on the march and night watches were necessary, it wasn’t for everyone.
To make it fair for those who couldn’t drink, a lottery was held.
As a result, a total of 60 people drew the short straw and were assigned to night watch duty. This group included Rex, Sley, Cliff, Cole, and, for some reason, Emperor Reinhardt himself, who had also drawn the lottery.
Rex, being a light drinker, had volunteered himself, and Sley didn’t seem to mind as he rarely indulged. However, Cliff, who was quite a heavy drinker, and Cole, who was similar, were in despair at the outcome.
Me?
I drew a losing ticket, what of it?
The banquet food was handled by the Butlers and skilled Crafters.
The main ingredient was Long-foot Ear Slice, but small portions of extremely high-quality meat from Dragoons and Fortress Whales were also provided, leading to a joyous celebration for most.
Of course, the sake wasn’t free-flowing, but I had wanted to drink…
“Now, we need to assign duties… is that alright?”
With their eyes full of resentment towards Rex, the 60 people assigned to night watch duty looked at him.
“Please accept it as bad luck from the lottery. Your Majesty, this applies to you too.”
“Understood.”
Emperor Reinhardt was also a strong drinker and had intended to have a few tonight, but he hadn’t expected to be assigned to night watch duty.
He froze when he drew the ticket, but since he had drawn it, even as a joke, Princess Elis, Princess Maruca, and even Sayuri found it amusing and egged him on, so Emperor Reinhardt ended up taking on the night watch duties almost by default.
Those three had also drawn lottery tickets, but they had drawn lucky ones, leaving Emperor Reinhardt with nothing he could say.
“Basically, you’ll be assigned duties based on the time you drew. We’ll divide into groups of 20 for three-hour shifts. However, we can’t afford to have unevenly distributed strength, so we’ll adjust this from now on.”
That was unavoidable.
Those who drew the short straw this time were 37 Normal Class, 20 High Class, and 3 Ancient Class. However, since the assigned times were determined by the lottery, there was a potential for uneven distribution of strength.
Monsters attacked at night as usual, so it was better to disperse the forces evenly.
“This is… as I expected, it’s uneven.”
Rex said with a wry smile, and I agreed.
The first shift consisted of 13 Normal Class, 5 High Class, and 2 Ancient Class. The next shift was 16 Normal Class and 4 High Class. The final shift was 8 Normal Class, 11 High Class, and 1 Ancient Class. This meant the strength in the middle shift was too thin.
“Regarding the Ancient Class, I will move to the middle shift.”
Yamato and I were assigned to the first shift. By Rex moving, this was resolved. Next, the High Class, which caused the most conflict. However, since the last shift had too many, one moved to the first shift, and two moved to the middle shift. Then, the Normal Class: the three in the middle shift would move to the last shift. As a result, the first and middle shifts would have 13 Normal Class and 6 High Class each, while the last shift would have 11 Normal Class and 8 High Class, with one Ancient Class in each shift.
“So, for today’s night watch, we will proceed with this setup. To ensure no disruptions to the night watch, the limit will be two glasses per person, so please don’t overindulge.”
When we returned triumphant after capturing Deseo, a grand banquet was planned.
But when we were told that violations would mean considering participation in that banquet, those assigned to night watch let out screams.
It seemed there were those who had planned to drink in secret. I was one of them.
“Now that our shifts are decided, we are dismissed. Please enjoy yourselves.”
We were told this, but with me unable to drink, my enjoyment was halved.
Emperor Reinhardt and I had planned to secretly drink, thinking that we wouldn’t be excluded from the grand banquet even if we violated the rules due to our positions. However, Rex seemed to see through our plans. I was assigned Prim and Mana as chaperones, and the Emperor had Princess Elis and Princess Maruca assigned to him, so we had no choice but to give up tearfully.
Next time, I’ll definitely draw a lucky ticket.
