Strategy Meeting

I had everyone gather in my room. Luna, having completely depleted her Magic Power, lay resting on the bed.

"Thank you all for coming. There’s something I need to discuss with you," I began.

The group consisted of Fritz, Emilina, Fee, Elu, and Ram—the familiar faces from Alf Town—along with Lark and Gale, who had followed us this far for some reason. Luna was also awake, though still bedridden. And then there was the Beast King.

In total, there were eight people and one Emergency Food.

"Is it really alright for you to be here?" I asked the King.

"I shall return to my post shortly, but I felt the situation warranted an explanation to my son-in-law as well."

I knew from my knowledge of the original game that a civil war was supposed to break out, but that was the extent of the information I had.

"Why did you feel the need to fill me in?"

"Because you intend to make a move, don't you, Son-in-law?"

"I might just pack up and flee, you know."

"Then it would simply mean Elu and I were poor judges of character."

He stared at me with unblinking eyes. I couldn't detect even a trace of suspicion in his gaze.

I sighed and raised both hands in mock defeat.

"I surrender. Fine, I was planning to intervene. However, as you can see, we’re a small group. We don't have many combatants."

Ideally, our main focus would be supporting the injured, with Emilina at the center of the efforts. If any enemies attack us, as long as Fritz and I handle the defense, we should be able to prevent the worst from happening.

"Then all the more reason for you to have the facts. The one who instigated this civil war is the Second Prince, Lennon."

The Beast King looked down, his face clouded. First the First Prince, Guiche, and now the Second Prince had gone on a rampage.

"If that's the case, it seems likely there's a Mastermind pulling the strings," I noted.

"You can tell? Yes, it is likely one of the neighboring nations hoping to plunge this country into chaos."

When First Prince Guiche rebelled, the Demon Race had been manipulating him from the shadows. But that was a result of my father, Baran, seeing me as a nuisance. I had a feeling this time involved a different force entirely.

"Lark, Gale—is there any chance the Empire is behind this?"

Blaming the Demon Kingdom again felt a bit too simplistic, so I considered other possibilities. There were four countries bordering the Beast Kingdom. They were the same four that bordered my own territory, which made the geography easy to grasp: the Kingdom of Inraku, the Trismalis Demon Kingdom, the Holy Principality of Ames, and the Dragunov Empire.

If my father isn't the one moving, then Inraku is clean. If it were the Holy Principality of Ames, all they’d do is sabotage the Magic Tools. If we rule out the Demon Kingdom, that leaves only the Empire.

"Hmm, I wasn't exactly close with the other guys in the ranks," Lark muttered.

"Can't be helped, since you were just a bottom-tier grunt," Gale teased.

"Hey!"

"Well, there are more than enough people who would try to bring down a country," Gale continued, ignoring him. "Like a Double Digits (Double) who couldn't quite make it to the Single Digits (Ninth) and is overeager to prove themselves by aiming for a Ninth title."

That made sense. The Empire was the most logical culprit.

"A Double from the Empire... that sounds like a headache."

"No, no! That's exactly why we're here, isn't it!?" Lark shouted, his voice rising.

I doubted a self-proclaimed Ninth could actually handle a Double with real combat experience.

"I can't ask you guys to take that kind of risk. Fritz and I will handle it."

I’d leave the vanguard to Fritz while I provided fire support with magic from the rear. Since I couldn't perform healing, I wasn't suited for a war of attrition, but if we focused on a short-term strike to take down whoever was manipulating the Second Prince, it was well within the realm of possibility.

The problem was finding them.

There were too many people for Presence Detection to be of any use here.

Besides, in a situation like this, wouldn't the Mastermind be sticking close to their puppet?

"Do you know where the Second Prince is located?" I asked the Beast King.

"Yes. They’ve established a base on the road leading to the Royal Capital from the Town of Hydra, to the south."

It sounded surprisingly close. If Ram returned to her original form and went at full tilt, we could make it in time.

"In that case, will you leave the assault on the Second Prince to us?"

"Oh! If the Son-in-law is going, it is worth a thousand men."

"Don't get your hopes too high. We're going to sprint past the rank-and-file, so don't expect us to clear out the enemy army. But this battle won't end unless we take out the Mastermind."

With so few people, conserving stamina for the boss was a basic rule of any walkthrough. The Beast King seemed to accept my logic.

"Of course. Truthfully, it pains me to borrow the strength of a foreign ruler, but the Beast Kingdom has no proper fighting force left. Simply defending the Royal Capital will take everything we have."

The kingdom was fractured into the Guiche Faction, the Rain Faction, and the Elu Faction. To make matters worse, their strongest warrior, Guiche, was currently rotting in a cell. Since the Rain Faction's forces were the ones fueling the rebellion, I understood all too well why their defensive capabilities were so depleted.

"That's how it is, then. You guys stay and protect this place. You'll need guards for Luna too, right?"

"...Understood," Lark said. "You're saying that we, the Single Digits (Ninth), are the only ones capable of defending this Royal Capital."

I hadn't said anything of the sort. Still, I wasn't about to complain if they were motivated. I would just have to trust in the power of these self-proclaimed Ninth warriors for now.

"I'm counting on you. Fritz, come with me. And..."

"Fee is going too!"

"No, Fee, it’s too dangerous—"

"I can protect myself now! I’m not the same Fee who just waits for Yuri-sama to save her anymore!"

I saw a fierce Light in Fee’s eyes. Knowing she spoke with such resolve, I found it impossible to refuse her.

"...Understood. But don't leave my side."

"Thank you-nano!" Fee chirped, hugging me happily. I gave her head a light pat.

"Must be nice..." Elu murmured, watching us enviously. I thought she might insist on coming along as well, but she didn't push the issue. "If I go, I'll just be a nuisance to Yuri-sama. I’ll stay here and help Emilina-sama."

"Good idea. Emilina is going to have her hands full."

"Is the talk finished-mee? Then it's finally time for food-mee!"

Despite having slept through the entire difficult conversation, Ram had chosen this exact moment to wake up and demand a meal. I was about to put her to work, but then I remembered—this was the Sheep Fairy who had considered turning Lark and the others into dinner.

If I wanted her to give it her all, I had to give her some incentive.

"That's right. We're going to go find your food now!"

"Yay-mee! I'm so excited-mee! Let's go, hurry-mee!"

Ram began tugging on my clothes. Since time was of the essence, I allowed myself to be pulled out of the room, followed by the others.

As we walked, I fiddled with the Infinite Magic Power Absorption Stone (Just a Stone) hidden in my pocket.