I pulled back the tent flap and stepped outside into the night.
Patrols of soldiers moved ceaselessly across the encampment.
I wove through the gaps between them as I walked.
Though I was moving at an ordinary pace, I advanced without being spotted by a single soul.
Continuing on, I slipped into another tent a short distance away.
"Who goes there—Y-Your Majesty!?"
Henry was inside.
He had been standing before a makeshift sand table, studying it intently, but he started in shock when he noticed me.
He hurried over and began to drop swiftly to one knee, but I raised a hand.
"That will do. Keep your voice down."
"...Understood."
With those few words, Henry grasped that I had come in secret, naturally lowering his tone.
"How did Your Majesty get here?"
"Hm?"
"Guarding Your Majesty is also my responsibility. I gave strict orders that your movements must always be reported."
"Ah, that. Do not blame the guards. I slipped by on tiptoe so that no one would notice."
"On tiptoe...?"
Henry furrowed his brows.
Naturally, he did not believe I had literally snuck past on the tips of my toes, which was precisely why he found the explanation so bewildering.
"It is simple enough. Watch—"
"—Ngh!"
Henry whipped around.
After staring directly behind himself into empty space, he turned back toward me, thoroughly perplexed.
"Was that just now... Your Majesty's doing?"
"Yes. I simply applied Leviathan's power in a slightly different manner."
I smiled faintly and released Leviathan from my ring.
The Magic Sword of Water materialized, radiating an overwhelming presence.
Leviathan.
Reflecting on how I had received her from Albert and Henry long ago filled me with a quiet sense of nostalgia.
With those memories lingering in the back of my mind, I explained the trick to Henry.
"You know the technique where I project bloodlust through Leviathan to intimidate others, correct?"
"Yes, it is well known as one of Your Majesty's signature feats."
"And you can feel this overwhelming presence right now as well."
"Of course."
"I simply projected that presence directly behind the people around me as I walked."
"Constantly behind them?"
"More precisely, on the side opposite where I was standing. And lo and behold, just before I passed by, everyone felt compelled to turn the other way for some reason."
"Incredible...!"
"To put it simply, I redirected their attention. After that, I made my way here on literal 'tiptoe.'"
I gave a small chuckle.
"Mind you, this only works for misdirecting sight. They will still react to sounds."
"Amazing... To think such a feat was possible."
"It came to me while I was pondering whether there was another way to utilize Leviathan's power."
"Truly magnificent."
Henry bowed his head deeply.
"..."
"What is the matter? What are you thinking?"
"No, I was simply wondering if that power could be utilized on the battlefield as well."
"That would be difficult. As I just explained, it is merely a trick to make someone sense a presence in a different direction. In a pitched battle where two armies clash, even if soldiers sense something behind them, they will be entirely consumed by the enemy right before their eyes. They will hardly look away."
"...Indeed."
Henry offered a faint, wry smile.
It was a sharp idea, but as expected, pushing it that far was impractical.
"Well, I am considering various possibilities. If I find something that can be incorporated into our tactics, I will let you know."
"Understood, Sire."
"Now then, let us hear the report. How was today's march?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Henry bowed, stepping aside to make way for me toward the sand table.
I walked over and stood before it.
A sand table was a three-dimensional map that could be altered freely.
Maps were usually drawn on flat parchment.
Even on a flat surface, elevation was represented according to certain conventions.
However, one could not decipher it without understanding those pre-established rules.
And even if one knew the rules, reading the terrain instantaneously was impossible without deep expertise.
By placing sand atop a map, the sand table translated those three-dimensional contours to match the situation at hand, allowing it to be reshaped rapidly and understood at a glance.
Technically speaking, it was nothing extraordinary, but it was an indispensable asset in any campaign encampment.
Even now, it had been sculpted to replicate the surrounding terrain and the layout of our camp.
Looking down at it, I asked Henry for his assessment.
"We are largely on schedule. We have a bit of leeway, so we can pick up the pace slightly tomorrow."
"On schedule, you say?"
"Yes."
"...Is that something the rank and file can sense as well?"
"I doubt the common soldiers would notice. Though the company commanders might have a vague intuitive sense of our progress."
"I see. And what of the front lines?"
"Preparations are progressing steadily. They will be ready to act as soon as Your Majesty arrives."
"Understood. In that case, let us delay tomorrow's departure slightly."
"Pardon?"
Henry blinked in surprise.
Even without taking my eyes off the sand table or looking back, I could practically see the shock on his face.
"Why would you do such a thing?"
"Have you forgotten? As this is my first personal campaign, I am deliberately acting in a way that encourages our enemies to underestimate me. Bringing Alice along was for that exact purpose."
"...Ah."
"Indeed. Tomorrow, I will not wake until—let us say, just before noon. Laid low by the consequences of my debauchery from the previous night."
"Understood. Then I shall have the logistical preparations themselves proceed as scheduled."
"Yes."
"I will take strict measures to conceal Your Majesty's condition."
"Naturally."
"There is a eunuch who accepted bribes to pass information to outsiders. After we put the screws to him, I will position him to attend Your Majesty in about three days' time."
"Very well."
Henry laid out proposal after proposal.
Resting his hand lightly on the edge of the sand table, he offered one plan after another.
I listened to each in turn, granting my approval as we went.
After a moment, Henry fell silent.
I turned just my head to look at him.
"Is that all?"
"No... It is simply that I was struck once more by how truly remarkable Your Majesty is."
"What do you mean?"
"It is an old story, but when I first marched off to war at the head of a large army, I became arrogant."
"Arrogant?"
"Yes. Was the force ten thousand strong back then, I wonder... Standing at the center of ten thousand men, placed in a position to direct them at a single gesture. It felt intoxicating, as though I had become a god myself."
"Haha. An imperial prince can influence ten thousand people indirectly, but having ten thousand men within direct sight to command as you please does not happen often."
"Indeed. At the time, I refused to heed a word the staff officers said, convinced I could handle everything myself, that I should decide every last detail. Though we achieved victory after a fashion, looking back on the circumstances now, it was little better than a loss on points."
Having heard his piece, I turned my gaze back to the sand table.
Even with my back to him, I could tell Henry was smiling wryly.
"Can you see the cause of that failure now—if I may call it that?"
"Yes. My sense of omnipotence grew far too inflated, and I could not be satisfied unless I micro-managed everything. Had it been the me of that era in your position, I would have meddled endlessly, dictating precisely what hour we departed tomorrow or prescribing the exact measures for enforcing secrecy."
"Ah, like going to a tavern and giving pointlessly detailed instructions on the exact amount of salt to use and how many minutes to boil the soup, you mean?"
"As expected of Your Majesty. It is precisely as you say."
Henry bowed slightly at the waist.
"Despite this being Your Majesty's first personal campaign, you refrain from doing so, laying down only the overarching strategy and entrusting the rest to us. That is what I found so remarkable."
"Haha, I do not possess Father's level of genius, after all. If a matter can be delegated, I delegate it. I only step in when something is clearly amiss. That is all there is to it."
"I could not... No, ordinary men simply cannot do that."
I gave a soft chuckle and patted the wooden edge of the sand table.
"In any case, I leave the details in your hands. You have my trust, after all."
"I am deeply honored, Sire."
"I shall look around the grounds a bit before returning to the imperial pavilion."
"I will accompany you!"
"Suit yourself."
Henry's offer was clearly along the lines of 'I shall serve as your shield should anything go awry.'
It was a familiar sentiment from him, so I let it be.
With Henry in tow, I stepped out of the tent into the cool night air.