𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎𝟔: 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧
“Is it the stirring of the devil? To happen abruptly in my time.”
“It is a matter to think about positively. It would be good if there was someone who could repel the devil, my king.”
ㅤ
“Certainly. We have a mother on our side.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“. . . . . .Wait a moment, please.”
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I, with a raised hand, restrained the middle-aged and elderly men who were saying whatever they pleased.
Ideally, I’d like to smack them on the head, but doing so would cause a lot of trouble.
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After all, the ones standing before me are King Roscandoros of Gaillia and the Grand General Kytes.
If I were to strike them, it would undoubtedly lead to charges of disrespect.
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I was visiting the royal castle because I was asked for a detailed report on the subjugation of the devil Fleuretti and his Legion.
Well, as a ruler, one cannot ignore incidents involving the devil.
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And as a result of the report, we reached the conclusion that it is unlikely that the devil Fleuretti was acting alone.
The reporting session then transitioned into a strategy meeting.
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“I’m an adventurer, so if there’s a request, I’ll fight even the devil, but it’s not guaranteed that I’ll win, you know?”
“You’ve declared that you’ll even fight the devil. This guy.”
“Normally, one would think about escaping. You’re brave.”
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The king and the general laugh.
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But really, running away won’t solve anything.
They, after all, view all humans as enemies.
They are selfish suicide volunteers who want to wipe out humans from the world, destroy civilization, and then return themselves to nothingness.
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Once, the world was destroyed by the devils, and the ultra-large magic civilization that could even reach the moon disappeared.
Things like float trains and dragon golems are remnants of that legacy.
If we don’t want to repeat the same mistakes, we have to fight.
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“I think it’s a simple logic. Winning or losing is another matter.”
“Is that an opinion as a strategist, Lionel?”
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I nod to King Roscandoros, who has a serious face.
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This is not the kind of story where if you cower in bed saying “I don’t want to, it’s scary,” someone will conveniently solve everything for you.
If we don’t want to perish, we have to do it ourselves.
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“Certainly. You’re right, Lionel. I, too, don’t plan on dying yet, so we have no choice but to fight.”
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General Kytes laughs boisterously.
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“Yes. And from here on, it will be a technical discussion.”
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The determination to fight has been set. The next thing to consider is how to fight and how to win.
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After wrapping up the discussions with the king, I peeked into the waiting lobby and saw Meg engaging in lively conversation with the martial officers accompanying the grand general.
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At first glance, it seemed like mere idle chatter, but our chestnut-haired scout was cleverly prying military information from them.
After all, one never knows what might come in handy.
It’s never a bad idea to gather as much information as possible.
ㅤ
For instance, if it were Salieri, she’d lull them into a false sense of security with her sleepy expressions and mannerisms. If it were Meisha, she’d worm her way into their good graces with her dynamite figure and affable personality. Meg, on the other hand, had a knack for listening with an air of full-blown curiosity.
ㅤ
She would continually heap praise on them, causing them to become complacent and willing to spill more information.
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However, our conversation partners were no slouches, either; they were martial officers chosen to accompany General Kytes. They were not the sort to carelessly blabber more than they should.
They only spoke about what they were permitted to.
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From that, she had to discern and extract the information they were hiding.
It was akin to a deceptive battle of wits between a bewitching fox and a crafty raccoon.
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Being in such an environment for so long was probably why diplomats often turned out to be such disagreeable characters, I figured.
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“Neldan-san, have you finished your discussion?”
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Bowing to the martial officers, Meg quickly approached me.
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“Yes, we should soon receive a request through the guild.”
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I briefly explained as we walked side by side.
My style was to divulge some extent of the circumstances to my companions once back at the clan house, a habit since the [Gold-lined Butterflies] era.
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This could serve as an insurance policy of sorts, say, if something were to happen to me on the way back.
If someone knew the circumstances, it would be easier to infer who might have attacked me. Of course, this measure has never been necessary, but then again, it’s always best not to have to use insurance.
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“First, we’ll investigate. We’ll look into the Ronden Kingdom, the Grand Duchy of Shumok, and the Winter Rose City-State Federation to confirm if there’s any unrest.”
“All nations recently established after the civil unrest, huh.”
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Meg tilted her head, probably because she didn’t understand why we would investigate these places.
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In truth, there’s not much solid rationale behind it.
The only reason was that the devil Fleuretti had caused an uproar in the Gaillia Kingdom, which was established after the collapse of the Lintrite Kingdom.
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“Neldan-san, it’s unlike you to act on such flimsy grounds.”
“Don’t say that, Meg. There’s no predicting what devil is thinking.”
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I gave a nonchalant shrug.
Strategies only make sense when dealing with human opponents.
This also holds true when dealing with monsters, as they, too, possess a survival instinct.
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By effectively exploiting their desire to live and avoid death, various strategies can be devised, but the devil lacks this.
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Because in the end, they too want to meet their end, it’s impossible to anticipate their moves.
Hence, the only thing to do is start with orthodox investigations.
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Meg let out an exaggerated sigh.
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“A Neldan-san who lacks tactical finesse is just a good-looking guy, isn’t he? What a disappointment.”
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This came with an inexplicable lament.
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Make up your mind, are you criticizing or complimenting me? Seriously.
It’s enough to make someone cry, mainly me.
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