And so, the bandits led by Mars joined my unit.
"I will participate strictly as a staff officer," Mars stated. "After all, the soldiers likely won't move unless the orders come from you, Master Lloyd."
"Hmm, that might be for the best, but..."
Even if he was the former Empire's Strategist, nobody would listen to Mars if he gave orders directly while still looking like a bandit.
However, if things stayed like that, I wouldn't be able to achieve my initial goal of moving around freely—I mean, I wouldn't be able to give instructions while surveying every corner of the battlefield to ensure everything was running smoothly.
As I was pondering the dilemma, Sylpha stepped forward.
"Then how about this? I shall accompany this man and issue the orders in his stead. The men will naturally obey if the commands come from me. If he blunders, I can simply cut him down."
Whoa, isn't that a bit too extreme?
While I recoiled at her bloodthirsty suggestion, Mars simply nodded.
"That is a fine idea. My words likely wouldn't reach them otherwise."
You're actually okay with that? I retorted inwardly.
Both of them had smiles on their faces, but their eyes remained cold and unamused.
"Good grief, a dangerous woman as always, isn't she?"
"You... so you were here."
Sylpha looked slightly surprised as Tao suddenly popped her head out from nearby.
"Hehe! Lloyd was in a pinch, so I saved him. You'd better be grateful! ♪"
Sylpha let out a long sigh as she watched Tao puff out her chest with pride.
"...Indeed. You have my thanks."
"Oh? You're being surprisingly honest."
This time, it was Tao's turn to widen her eyes at Sylpha's unexpected sincerity.
"Yes. It was good of you to come. Thank you very much."
"W-Well, when you put it like that, it's actually kind of embarrassing..."
Having Sylpha bow deeply to her made Tao's face turn bright red.
These two, who were always at each other's throats, were finally being sincere with one another. It was such a rare sight that everyone else looked on in shock.
"Even a withered tree adds to the scenery. I merely meant that having you there was better than having no one at all. Please do not get bashful. It's disgusting."
"Gah!? Y-You wicked maid!"
And just like that, they were right back to their usual selves.
Well, I suppose they say that those who fight the most are often the closest.
Thus, with Tao and the bandits added to our ranks, we headed toward the Continental Gate.
We proceeded along the road without incident, finally arriving after about half a day of travel.
"Ohhh, so this is the Continental Gate."
I had heard stories, but it was truly massive.
It was a giant gate constructed as if it had been hollowed out from the gap between two mountains. Its scale was extraordinary; the soldiers stationed there looked like tiny specks of dust in comparison.
As we approached the gate, the density of the troops increased.
"Ah, you've arrived, Lloyd."
Albert called out to me as he parted through the ranks of soldiers.
"Sorry we're late, Albert-niisan."
"Think nothing of it. Saias and his group only just arrived themselves."
Saias, who was standing beside Albert, gave a dismissive snort.
"Despite starting out ahead of us, you certainly took your time getting here."
"Yeah, I was strengthening my unit. Look, we've grown quite a bit."
I glanced back at the bandits following behind us. Saias followed my gaze and let out a derisive laugh.
"...Hmph. You call that strengthening your forces? It is nothing more than a handful of common bandits. Don't make me laugh."
Mars stepped forward in front of Albert and gave a respectful bow.
"You must be the Second Prince of Saloom, Master Albert. My name is Mars. I have been permitted to join the lowest ranks of Master Lloyd's unit. I look forward to working with you."
"Are you... by any chance, the Empire's Strongest Strategist, Mars Birgitte?! Why are you in a place like this...?"
Albert looked at Mars in utter astonishment.
"That is a story from the past. After being driven from the Empire, I lived in the mountains with my brother, but before I knew it, our group grew quite large, and we were shamefully referred to as bandits. ...This time, I was moved by Master Lloyd's spirit and decided to accompany him."
"Oh... if the legendary Mars is to serve as a strategist, it's as good as having the strength of a thousand men! I leave Lloyd in your capable hands!"
As Saias watched Albert shake hands with Mars, his mouth hung wide open.
"Why is Mars, the man hailed as the War God, under Lloyd's command?! Moreover, if I look closely, aren't there three thousand of those bandits?! That means Lloyd's troop count is double our own... I can't believe it... What kind of nightmare is this...?"
With a dazed expression, Saias began muttering incoherently to himself. I wondered what was wrong with him.
"At any rate, Lloyd, it seems you've gathered some powerful allies. According to the scouts, the monsters will reach the gate early tomorrow morning. You should rest with your troops here today."
"Yes, Albert-niisan."
"Right, then. See you tomorrow."
After saying goodbye to Albert, we began pitching our tents.
The labor was handled by the Magic Soldiers, and since I could just have them wait outside once they were finished, everyone was able to use the space quite comfortably.
"Phew, finally a breather."
I had a Magic Soldier stand guard at the entrance and lay down on the bed I had prepared.
As expected, controlling this many Magic Soldiers was exhausting. However, everyone's control techniques had become quite proficient. Moreover, each person's method of operation was subtly different, and comparing those variations was fascinating.
Right now, I was digging through the logs recorded in the spell formulas.
Hmm, hmm. Even within the single concept of mana manipulation, there were so many different approaches. This would be a great reference.
"Master Lloyd, excuse us."
"...Cuse us."
I turned around at the sudden voices to find Sylpha and Ren of the Poison Moth standing there.
"Sylpha? And even Ren? What's the matter?"
"You must be exhausted from today's events. We thought we would wash away your sweat."
"We've come. ...Change your clothes."
Looking closely, both of them were wearing swimsuits. I hadn't noticed at first because they were trimmed with so much lace.
"No, there's no way you wouldn't notice that..." Grimo muttered, looking on in total exasperation.
Beside him, Jiriel was convulsing violently as a literal fountain of blood sprayed from his nose. I wondered what was wrong with them.
"The preparations for your bath are ready. Now then, please excuse us as we attend to your body."
"T-Then, I'll do your back..." Ren added.
In that case, I supposed I would resume the improvements to the Magic Soldiers' operations that I had paused. While being washed by the two of them, I continued to tinker with the spell formulas to make them even easier to use.