That day, the war council apparently lasted straight through the night.
I say "apparently" because Sylpha had forced me to leave the room the moment it got late. "Master Lloyd is in his growth period, so please go to bed early instead of staying up late," she had insisted, and I was reluctantly ushered away.
...I did leave a 'Listening' spell behind to overhear the rest of the conversation, but as the night wore on, I eventually succumbed to sleep.
I need to tinker with the spell formula a bit more. I want something that can archive the local conversation so I can play it back later... Yeah, I’ll put a script together for that next time.
As I walked along with those thoughts in mind, the doors to the meeting room swung open, and the generals came filing out in a long, weary procession.
Every one of them looked utterly exhausted. It seemed they really had been at it until just now.
"Phew... Oh, Lloyd. Good morning."
"Good work, Albert-niisan. Is the war council finally over?"
"Yeah, somehow. But I never would have thought of such a maneuver... Big brother Shneider is truly on another level."
It seemed Shneider had devised a brilliant plan after I left. Now I was even more curious. What a shame I missed it.
"Hahaha, you have a look on your face that says you're dying to know. Don't worry. It'll reach your ears soon enough, Lloyd."
"To... me?"
Albert gave me a meaningful smile, but I couldn't imagine how such a top-secret strategy would involve a complete outsider like me.
"Oops, I might have said too much. Please keep this between us. Actually, I’ve been entrusted with a fairly large unit myself. I’m going to be busy with squad organization and various other logistics. Sorry, but I’ll have to take my leave here. See you later."
"O-Oh... take care."
With that, Albert hurried away.
"What's with him? Is he bragging? Did he just want to show off that he's important enough to lead a unit?"
"Albert-niisan isn't the type to do that. He already leads the Magic Sword Squad, after all. It wouldn't be strange for him to be given command of an even larger force. Besides, his tone was more suggestive than boastful."
That said, standing here wondering wouldn't give me any answers. Tossing my head to the side in confusion, I prepared to return to my usual routine.
"Lloyd. I hereby appoint you as the Vice Commander of the Albert Squad."
The answer came only an hour later.
I had been summoned to the Throne Room, where my father, Charles di Saloom, delivered the news.
"W-What exactly does this mean!? Father!?"
I reflexively asked for clarification, caught off guard by his proclamation.
"It is only natural that you doubt your ears. However, faced with this Stampede, we do not have the luxury of withholding any of Saloom’s talented individuals. It truly pains my heart to send the Seventh Prince—a child like you—into such a fray. But we are truly short-handed. It is a selfish request after I told you to live as you please, but will you lend us your strength?"
Charles wore a solemn, heavy expression.
...I see, so this is what Albert was talking about. Albert, standing nearby, looked at me and gave a meaningful wink. I thought for a moment before responding.
"But, for a child like myself to serve as a Vice Commander... won't I just be a hindrance to Albert-niisan and Big brother Shneider? I don't think the other officers will accept it either..."
"What are you saying? It was Shneider himself who suggested making you the Vice Commander. He wouldn't have made the recommendation unless he had absolute confidence in you. ...To be honest, even I was surprised."
"Is that true?"
"Umu. These are the words of the Commander-in-Chief, Shneider. No one would dare complain."
"I see..."
Before I knew it, my hands were trembling slightly.
Seeing this, Charles and Albert looked at me with softening, sympathetic gazes.
"You are trembling, I see. It is only natural. Lloyd is still only ten years old. It is far too early for him to lead an army into battle. Even I was fifteen during my first campaign. But this is a perfect trial for you as you aim to become a true king; for that sake, I shall steel my heart. Do your best, Lloyd. I am sure you will achieve great results."
"I'm sorry, Lloyd. I couldn't stop Big brother Shneider... No, that's just an excuse. To be honest, I wanted to see just how much you've grown for myself. You must be scared. You must be terrified. But I believe you can do it."
The two of them were muttering various comforting things, but I was actually desperately looking down to hide the fact that the corners of my mouth were twitching into a massive grin.
A Stampede... they said there were about a million monsters coming, right?
That means I can use as much magic as I want.
Furthermore, as a Vice Commander, I’ll likely have the clearance to browse classified Military Magic as much as I please.
I can learn new Military Magic, experiment on a massive number of monsters, improve the spells, experiment again... it's a perfect infinite loop. This is wonderful.
Under Albert-niisan, it seems like I'll be able to do pretty much whatever I want. I would have volunteered even as a common foot soldier, let alone a Vice Commander.
I quickly bowed my head to hide my excitement.
"I humbly accept the appointment."
"Oh! You'll do it!?"
Charles raised his voice happily, though I was almost certainly the happier one in the room.
"Thank you for accepting, Lloyd. Now then, shall we get straight to the strategy meeting?"
"Yes, sir!"
I followed Albert as we strode out of the Throne Room together.