My hips hurt.
I’ve deepened my bond with Keibeck, but in some ways, I went about it the wrong way. Still, I think our respect for each other has grown, strengthening our bond.
“It’s about time we got up. We need to go to Klinshberbach.”
“Ah, but…”
Eterna, at first, had me doing things that were too much, but with the second person, I was the one teaching them as we bonded.
“Just a little longer…”
Having others watch was hardly romantic, but the women of Keibeck were eager learners and picked things up quickly.
“Just one more time…”
Klinshberbach isn’t going anywhere. It’s fine if we’re a little late. I’m the Hero, the most important person here.
Not just once, but twice or thrice, we ended up arriving in Klinshberbach a full five hours behind schedule.
“Count Shin… No, should I call you Hero Shin?”
Fleet Helm, a former demon who I hadn’t seen in a while. He’s now a baron in Harm and leads an army, a man with Queen Anneliese’s deep trust. For such a man to come to the gate of his own castle to meet me, has his butler habits never left him?
“Did we keep you waiting?”
“Her Majesty the Queen is in her study. …And what about your companions?”
“W-we’re returning to the Keibeck encampment! I-it’s not like we had any improper relations with the Hero!”
Eterna is such an honest woman, isn’t she? I love that about her. I hope next time, we can do it without knives.
“Thank you for your escort. Please return to the Keibeck encampment and rest well.”
“Yes, Hero-sama. Call me anytime if you need me.”
Though reluctant to part, they dismounted and entered the castle. Eterna, who kept looking back, made me the one to leave.
“As usual…”
How cruel… “As usual”… This time, it was unavoidable! Knives are scary, and I couldn’t resist Keibeck’s feelings. I also succumbed to the “early arousal” and the tightness of her first time.
“Lead the way.”
They didn’t ask any more. I’m grateful they understand the adult reasons. Under Fleet Helm’s guidance, I went to meet Her Majesty the Queen.
“That was a reckless act.”
Was that the first thing out of your mouth? You should at least greet me! Don’t you have any manners as a member of society! Yuma, you hate me, don’t you? I hate you too. Someday, I’ll make it look like an accident and kill you.
“Reinforcements were necessary for Doishunomuharuto. You should have the report.”
“That’s a report after the fact. That’s what I mean by a reckless decision!”
“It was a judgment on the spot! Those holed up in Klinshberbach wouldn’t understand!”
“What will you do if they retake the city of Schreiaschwald…”
“Enough!”
That’s unfair! At least wait until I’m finished speaking before you stop me. It feels terrible to be cut off like that. And besides, he was the one who picked a fight with me.
“Thank you for your hard work this time. You’ve retaken Schreiaschwald and Doishunomuharuto, and established a defensive line towards Klinshberbach.”
With this, people should start returning to Klinshberbach. Then, supplying goods will be easier, and they’ll open up popular shops again. I should ask Merith out.
“Yes, Your Majesty. And regarding future plans… Has Ashtal said anything?”
“They plan to conquer Etovaar Tabaul after waiting for reinforcements… Mikael also agreed…”
Yes, that’s right. Among the three northern cities, it has the most strategic value. It connects to the Knorrlund, and if we take it, the other two cities lose much of their significance. I suspect the Demon Army will retreat to Lauenstein.
“We believe we should attack Anaheim Offen.”
“What!?”
Anaheim Offen. It’s the westernmost of the northern cities, close to the sea, but it’s a mid-sized city without a port. It’s the city from which we were forced to retreat. Strategically, Etovaar Tabaul has higher value.
“The Demon Army surely understands Doishunomuharuto’s value. They probably have a large force there. In that case, isn’t Anaheim easier to attack? Our numbers are inferior to the Demon Army’s. Attacking a smaller enemy would be easier to conquer.”
It certainly has some merit. If we could take Anaheim, there would be no cities between it and Lauenstein to stop our advance. For the Allied Forces, who suffered great damage, being able to retake a city with minimal casualties would be significant.
“Reinforcements will come from Ashtal. It will take about a month, but with those reinforcements, we can take the city of Doishunomuharuto. Our supply lines will open, and we’ll also receive support from the Dwarves.”
“Isn’t our supply situation sufficient even from Klinshberbach! If we take Anaheim, we’ll be in Lauenstein in no time. The Demon Lord must surely be there.”
“That…”
“Please stop!”
Why! Stop me after I’m finished speaking. Anneliese, have you come to dislike me too? Shall we build a bond together? A deep bond, in a deep place.
“Let’s wait for reinforcements from Ashtal. Then we’ll reconsider. Agreed, Yuma Bashar?”
“However…”
Don’t talk back to Her Majesty the Queen. And don’t talk back to me, the Hero! I’m important! I’m the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces.
The report is finished. The meeting is over. It felt like Anneliese was siding with Yuma, but he is her trusted subordinate. …It couldn’t be that they deepened their bond while I was gone, could it! I’ll kill you! Yuma!
I waved goodbye to Anneliese in my heart and left the study. Harm wouldn’t move until Ashtal’s reinforcements arrived, and by then, the Demon Army’s strength would likely be clear.
Yuma Bashar wanted to attack Lauenstein, but is the Demon Lord truly there?
However, if we conquer Lauenstein, we can secure the Nebel Bridge, which connects to Nordland. The Demon Army’s supply lines would cease, and the Demon Army forces remaining in Harm to reclaim it would commit all their power.
It would be more efficient to take Etovaar Tabaul, secure the supply lines, and then take the other two cities. At worst, a two-front attack on Anaheim Offen. It’s hard to consider this now, when we don’t know the Demon Army’s strength or the number of Ashtal’s reinforcements.
A full-scale assault on Anaheim Offen. I think we can take it this way, but the fact that it connects to Lauenstein might push things forward prematurely.
This is too troublesome. Let’s take Etovaar Tabaul and proceed step by step. The Allied Forces probably aren’t unified, with each country having various private proposals. Someone needs to “unify” them. …Is that my job!
I need to have a proper talk with Yuma. Even though I hate to… I also need to talk with Queen Anneliese. Perhaps over morning coffee in bed.
I headed to the private room Yuma had shown me. It was a moldy room in the basement. Seriously, I’ll kill you someday.
I went out into the city. I didn’t like the musty room. There were a fair number of civilians in the city, but as expected, there were many knights and mercenaries from various countries, thugs who looked like knights, and ruffians who looked like mercenaries. They didn’t even greet me, the Hero.
That’s fine. Today, just today, I’ll spend a quiet night. I could sneak into an empty house and sleep in a bed, or climb the castle wall, look out over the city, and have a drink. Or, even better, I could sneak into Anneliese’s bedroom for a Night Crawl.
It’s my time alone, after all. I can think about the future, or reflect on the past. It’s a rare moment of solitude. The more I think, the more things I want to do come to mind.
In times like these… perhaps doing nothing is also a valuable way to spend time. Today, I’ll enjoy a leisurely time with a drink as my companion and the city as my scenery. I climbed the castle walls of Klinshberbach and began to drink while looking down at the city.
