POV: Aisha Greyrat
I feel like I have worries that really don't suit someone my age.
Could that make me age faster?
Ah, who am I trying to fool. It's always been like this.
Even so, as I read the report Kilian had sent regarding the investigation into Dragon God's Hole, I couldn't help thinking about the other paths I could have taken in life.
Maybe I could have become a magical scientist. With my talent for magic, I would definitely have made plenty of contributions to the Kingdom. I'm very good at inventing spells.
If I had seriously dedicated myself to that, I could have revolutionized the entire industry.
Let's see... I also could have become an excellent swordswoman. Or even just a strategist. I feel like Rygar wouldn't have minded much, as long as I wasn't sitting around doing nothing.
Right.
So how did I end up as the acting commander of the Kingdom in his absence?
That was far too much responsibility.
"Ahem."
I cleared my throat, masking my indecision in front of Ghislaine, who was seated across from me.
We were in my office at Star Rise Academy, which was very tastefully decorated, I might add.
There were plants all over the room that I had cultivated myself, along with several certificates from different countries recognizing the Academy's legitimacy.
It was a pleasant space. Organized, beautiful. I liked that.
I leaned back in my chair, adopting a thoughtful posture rather than a worried one.
Master Rygar always said that a leader may doubt herself, but must never let her subordinates doubt her.
So I asked in a natural tone:
"How did things go at the Sanctuary?"
Ghislaine replied in the same serious tone as always:
"It was as you suspected. Most of the teleportation circles leading to Begaritt have been systematically destroyed. Jino couldn't return through them, so he's finishing the journey across the seas on foot, though that hasn't been much of a problem for him."
She paused briefly, reflecting before continuing:
"But if you want a large-scale military deployment toward Begaritt, the Dragon Knights Division is the only real option. Unless we can create new teleportation circles quickly."
I sighed inwardly at the confirmation and lowered my eyes back to Kilian's report.
It was a little irritating to always assume the worst and be right about everything.
The report basically confirmed another of my greatest concerns: there were clear traces of both the Fighter God and the Technique God in the area surrounding the Labyrinth.
That confirmed their target was Master Rygar.
Kilian was one of the best trackers in the world, but it also helped that neither of the two was actively trying to hide.
Either way, Rygar and Eris would have to rely on no one but themselves if they wanted to make it out of Dragon God's Hole alive.
I started tapping my finger against the armrest as I thought.
More and more, the idea of blowing up the Ever-White Oasis entirely was starting to sound like a good one. If I could have blown up the Labyrinth itself, I definitely would have.
I looked at Ghislaine and suddenly found myself curious about what she thought of all this.
"Ghislaine, do you understand the situation we're in? I'd like to hear what you think."
As I spoke, I rested my elbows on the desk and looked straight into her two-colored eyes, one red and one green.
Ghislaine remained expressionless, but her ears twitched and her tail began to sway in an adorably obvious way. I smiled faintly as I recognized the pattern she always repeated when she was actually thinking seriously.
Without taking long, she answered:
"Not very well, actually. If you can summarize it, I can give you my opinion."
I started organizing everything in my head, then said:
"Basically, right now we have a major advantage in both information and available combat strength. Master Rygar and Eris are in the most immediate danger, so our top priority is to keep someone powerful stationed outside the Labyrinth to provide support the moment they come out. But even aside from that, we know the location, numbers, and overall strength of Hitogami's apostles in Begaritt."
Ghislaine didn't interrupt me, so I continued:
"We also know the Dragon God's faction is there. Jino confirmed their presence in his report. North God Kalman III and the Magic God are in Begaritt, which shows the Dragon God's interest in this whole situation, especially now that they're aware of what's been happening there to a certain extent."
I steepled my fingers in front of my face for a moment, organizing the rest before continuing.
"Even with all that, the only field where we're at a severe disadvantage is inside the Labyrinth. And that's a field where we can't interfere anyway. Out here, we have the military advantage, the intelligence advantage, the mobility advantage, and the initiative. We know Hitogami's true location and objectives, and we can interfere."
I paused briefly, then went straight to the main point:
"The only two unstable factors are the Dragon God and the 'target' Hitogami wants to revive... Orsted is the obvious one. Without Rygar, Laplace, and Badigadi on the field, he can change the entire board whenever he wants. I'm relying on the fact that he doesn't have enough mana to go around throwing his weight everywhere..."
I kept tapping my index finger against the armrest as I reflected.
"My greatest concern is the uncertainty surrounding the target of Hitogami's Resurrection. According to Master's Future Guide, reviving Demon God Laplace right now is practically impossible. Honestly, I'd rather it be him than this mysterious unknown hanging over everything, but not everything can be perfect."
I looked back down at the report on the desk.
"Jino uncovered most of the operation during this short investigation... there are still plenty of nuances, of course. For example, Treasure Mage Kensai's faction has expanded on a large scale in Begaritt over the last few years. They're a considerable army. Considering he likely had Hitogami's help in putting it together, that could make the situation worse. There are also internal unstable factors, though unlikely ones. Nina's case proved that Hitogami can't infiltrate our troops through conventional means without being caught. And of course, there are political factors involving the Asura Kingdom, Chaos Breaker Fortress, and the Magic Triumvirate..."
Then I looked back at Ghislaine.
"That's the most concise summary I could manage. I hope I didn't rush through the information too much."
Honestly, I had already made my decision.
At that moment, I just wanted someone to agree with me.
What?
Ghislaine wasn't the best person to ask for strategic military advice?
On the contrary.
If even someone with a relatively simple mind like Ghislaine arrived at the same conclusion I had, then that would confirm to my indecisive brain that I was simply overthinking things.
With that in mind, I looked at Ghislaine expectantly.
Then I noticed that she looked a little confused. And even slightly suspicious. Probably because my expectation was far too obvious.
After a sigh, I could see that she was seriously thinking everything over.
So I waited patiently.
After nearly a full minute of thought, Ghislaine finally spoke.
"Even if this situation could easily escalate into a battle beyond our control, I believe we're more than ready to face whatever comes. After all, this is exactly what we've been training for all this time. Even if I'm a little biased, I believe we should invade Begaritt and completely eliminate Hitogami's apostles."
I smiled when I heard that.
"I see..."
I said it more quietly than I intended, but I was already satisfied enough with the answer.
Then I stood up.
Ghislaine rose at the same time.
I took a deep breath and gathered the most serious voice I could manage.
"I'm going to write a mobilization order and personally lead the march toward the Labyrinth. Tell Taes to mobilize the Iron Legion and gather the Kingdom's main warriors. We're going to war."
The moment I finished saying that, I couldn't help but feel a shiver run down my spine.
Ghislaine smiled and replied:
"Understood, Commander."
The next instant, she vanished with Wild Dash.
I was left alone in the office for a moment.
I took another deep breath.
It would not be the first battle I had taken part in. Nor the first one I would be leading.
But it would be the first that could truly decide the fate of the entire Kingdom.
I noticed a faint tremor in my hand and unconsciously grabbed it.
I... was trembling with excitement?
Hm?
Why was I so excited?
I looked at the mirror and only then realized that I was wearing a wide grin.
Since when had that been there?!
Had I been smiling when I said we were going to war?
How terrifying.
But yes...
Exciting.
Still smiling, I walked over to the window and picked up my headmistress's cloak, which was hanging beside it.
Whistling loudly, I immediately called out:
"Helios!"
Then I leapt out the window of Star Rise Academy's tower.
A mighty roar reverberated through the pavilions as I fell straight onto the neck of my faithful companion, already in full flight.
"Haaah! Why is this so much cooler than usual?!"
---
Meanwhile, at an especially beautiful waterfall in the Great Forest, at least twenty children were happily playing and squabbling in the water.
On the riverbank, Verdia and Selene were talking while seated at a table created with Earth Magic.
Verdia had her loose golden hair flowing freely, and her blue eyes and smile were still the same as they had been thirty years ago — one of the perks of being a long-lived elf.
Selene, on the other hand, looked a little more mature than she had years ago. By that point, she was already over fifty, and yet she still maintained a very youthful appearance.
Among the children, as usual, Perseus and Aurora were in the middle of a serious contest, competing to see who could stay underwater longer.
Aurora was very clearly cheating by using her Magic to gather oxygen. Her use of Magic was so natural that Verdia would never have believed it if she hadn't been watching that absurdity since the day Aurora was born.
Perseus, unaware of any of it, was relying purely on his abnormal physical endurance to win fairly, not knowing he had been doomed to fail from the start.
It had already been going on for more than ten minutes.
Meanwhile, most of the other children were playing with Leo, the Sacred Beast.
Without their two tiny tyrant leaders nearby, they didn't have as many complaints about each other. Of course, there were still some things here and there, but overall everything was considerably calmer.
Selene and Verdia continued chatting casually about the past.
They even reminisced about when Rygar was little, and the absurd things he used to do from a very young age.
Then Verdia's communicator suddenly rang.
She checked it quickly.
Her expression grew more serious as she read.
Selene fell silent the moment she noticed.
After finishing, Verdia thought for a moment. Then she turned to say goodbye to Selene.
Next, she called gently:
"Diana, Aurora, and Nel, can you come here for a moment?"
At her call, Diana, who had been lying in the grass staring up at the sky, glanced over and got to her feet with a lazy sigh, wearing the same dead-fish look Verdia found absolutely adorable.
Verdia let out a small laugh.
Aurora made a face and abruptly teleported over to her mother. She was still in her swimsuit, and her green hair was dripping with water.
Her puffed-up cheeks made it perfectly clear that she was unhappy about losing.
Nel, Nina's son, was the most normal of the three and came over right away.
Verdia spoke as she stood, looking mainly at Aurora and Diana:
"Mommy has something urgent to take care of. Uncle Ornthorn is coming to watch you, so behave yourselves and take care of your siblings. He should be here any moment now, okay? No fighting!"
She looked specifically at Aurora when she said that.
The two girls nodded, but Aurora immediately asked:
"Where are you going, Mom?"
Verdia smiled gently.
"I'm just going to take care of a few things in the desert, nothing too important..."
Then she looked at Nel and added:
"Nel, please help look after the others. Don't let Diana fall asleep, and don't let Aurora do anything reckless."
Nel nodded seriously when he heard that, more seriously than he really needed to.
As she said this, Verdia looked over at Leo, who was playing with the children, and the Sacred Beast looked back at her.
After giving him a meaningful look, Verdia turned her eyes toward the surrounding trees, where Skoll was hidden, watching for any possible opponent.
Then the Spiritual Eye shone as Verdia recited:
"Aerion."
At that very instant, a figure that seemed to be made of brilliant green light appeared together with a powerful gust of wind, enveloping Verdia at once.
She turned, and while floating in the air, waved to her children.
"Mommy will be back soon, kids. Behave yourselves!"
And then, borne by the mysterious power of the Summoned Spirit, she shot into the sky.
----
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