The king leaves the audience chamber.



　But even after the sound of footsteps faded away, the four legionnaires continued to hang their heads, not moving an inch. After another ten seconds or so, they all let out a deep breath and resumed breathing.



　Helian was indeed on the verge of being engulfed by a sense of urgency.

　But in fact, the same was true for the corps leaders who were standing side by side.



　Just a few moments ago, they were in the presence of the one and only absolute ruler of Alkimaira, the land of all demons.



　And aside from Levee, who is a close aide to the king, the other commanders of the corps do not have many opportunities to exchange words directly with the king. For the Commander of the 6th Corps, who was serving in a satellite city, it had been several years since he had even seen the King in person. It was natural for him to be tense.



　As they tried to relax, each of them released their posture of obedience.

　Then Camilla, the leader of the 6th legion, let out a lustrous sigh and opened her mouth to speak.



"Well, I was a little nervous, but you are still very gallant, aren't you? If it weren't for the circumstances, I would have liked to talk with you more.



　Recalling the memory of the audience she had just had, Camilla was entranced by the image of her beloved king.



"You're being impertinent, Commander of the Sixth Legion."

"So I would have said , stonemason."



　She was interrupted by the second corps commander, Balan, who gave her a watered-down complaint.



　He was a beast-like demon with the head of a lion, and was known as a "hard man" with "seriousness" and "stubbornness" in his character traits. <>That's according to a corps commander who is not here.



　He was a man of mature age who had the dignity of a leader of the Knights, but his inflexibility was a flaw.



"First of all, they're too unfair. The three of you who have been stationed in the capital are probably used to having an audience with my lord, but it's been three years since I've had an audience with you. It wouldn't hurt to indulge in the afterglow for a little while."

"It is not surprising that you have chosen the three of us to be the resident military commanders of the capital. The other corps commanders are in many ways peculiar. The only decent corps leaders that are easy for the Commander-in-Chief to manage are the three of us from the beginning.



　The "three in the beginning" mentioned by Balan are the three initial demons that Helian had with him at the beginning of the gameplay.



　In the game [Tactics Chronicle], the king [player] who starts playing is given three initial demons without fail. These demons are selected at random, just like a typical gacha, so you do not know what kind of demons you will get.



　In the case of Helian, there was a little werewolf, a lesser warcat, and an elf.

　Only the Elf was a Rare species, but the other two were of a lower class with mediocre abilities.



　However, he became attached to the first three and patiently continued to train them, and by reincarnating and evolving them, he raised them to the top level of demons. They have now become the highest rank of the "high-end" race, the Moon Wolf Managarm, the Sword Lion Sverrebe, and the Ancient Elf, respectively, and serve as the leaders of the military corps.



　Helian has given the three now grown-up demons the grandiose nickname of "The Three Beginnings. He even went to the trouble of registering this nickname in the game's dictionary function so that the AI would recognize it.



"Hmph. Don't call yourself sane. You may not know it because you're a man, but as a concubine who knows many things, I can't say that Lieve's tastes and interests are decent. Eltina, too, has her own suspicious points of view.

"Oh, no. What do you mean by that, Camilla?



　It is Ertina, the commander of the third corps, who asks the question in a calm tone.



　She is a "kind sister" who is a go-between for the corps commanders who have strong habits.



　She was dressed in a loose-fitting pure white cowl, and her slightly exposed skin was as white and clear as the cowl.



　Her well-shaped face and appearance, which are typical of an elf, are more than enough to make her a beauty, but the "elegance" of her features adds to the charm. Even if she is a member of the Elven race, her beauty would make you let out a sigh of admiration.



　Out of nowhere, she pulls out two cushions and lays them on the floor.



"I don't even know what that means..."

"Sit on the floor."

"What?"

"I'm sitting on my knees, Camilla."



　She herself sat upright on the cushion and tapped the cushion on the opposite side of her, as if admonishing an infant. Her expression remained the same, a loving smile.



"......Why are you sitting on the floor?"

"No, I'm sitting on my seat."

"No, so--" "Camilla?"



　With a smiling face, Ertina mentions the name of her colleague.



"............"



　A moment of silence.

　Camilla felt an indescribable pressure, and sat down calmly in front of him.



　Eltina is the gentlest of the eight leaders.

　At the same time, she is the one who should not be offended the most.



"Now, let's talk, Camilla. What is so suspicious about me?

"No, I don't have anything to do with anything. ...... You like girls, don't you?"

That is misleading. I like gentlemen, you know.　But on the other hand, I also like girls."

"At that point, you are no longer normal. ....... No, I understand that in my line of work, but in terms of common sense, yes.

No, that's not true. It's normal. It is quite normal for girls to get to know each other. As proof, there was a time when Your Highness muttered something like that.

"Nuh. You're the one."



　Camilla was bitten by the information of her beloved Lord.



　If Helian had been here, he would have said, "No, no, no, that was just a story about a game (eroge) that the king of a neighboring country (player) had suggested to me, and I didn't mean anything ......! But fortunately or unfortunately, he is not here now.



　Therefore, Camilla, who had feelings for the king that were distinctly different from loyalty, made a note in her mental notebook about the king's tastes and interests in a very serious manner.



　Balan, who was listening at the side, also overruled his own common sense, saying, "If the king says so, then he must be right. In this country, for better or worse, Helian is the law.



"And you know what, Camilla?

　A girl's face on the verge of tears is a very precious thing, isn't it?"

"...... hmm?"



　Camilla tilts her head as she finishes her note.

　There was something fishy going on.



"Of course, I don't want to see you cry.




　There is nothing more tragic than a girl's crying face. ......"



　Ertina, her eyes downcast, puts her hand on her chest and murmurs a prayer.

　Her expression is that of the Virgin as she spells her words with a sorrowful face.



"If there is a girl within my reach who sheds tears, I would like to use all the strength I have and do my best to stop her tears. I would do so with all my heart."

"Uh-huh."

"But the expression on the face of a girl on the verge of tears - yes, what we call 'half-crying' - is very lovely. You want to stop her tears, you want to hold her and comfort her, ...... and above all, you want to watch her lovely face for a long, long time."



　The Virgin "Eltina" smiled lovingly and said, "Because,



"There is no creature in the world prettier than a 'half-crying girl.



　It was an affirmation.

　They were words from the heart, with no hesitation whatsoever.

　Camilla froze in front of the Virgin's smile (archaic smile).



"............"



　Are you decent?　He looked at Balan, who looked away from him with all his might.



"Well, by the way, you've been awfully quiet since a while ago, Levee. Is something bothering you?"



　Deliberately ignoring Camilla's mutterings that he was running away, Balan turned to his colleague next to him.



"......?　Hey, Levee. Can you hear me?"

"Hmm?　Oh, ......."



　But the response was very slow. It seems as if the sky is above us.



　Balan's decision to talk to her was based on a spur-of-the-moment defensive instinct, but he wonders about the unexpectedly slow response.



　Come to think of it, when Camilla had mentioned Levee's hobbies earlier, she had not reacted either. That is strange, considering Rieve's temperament. At the very least, she must have had some kind of a rebuttal.



　The corps leaders became suspicious and their gazes focused on Levee.



"What's the matter, Levee? Is something wrong?

"No, ...... it's about the foreign investigation. I've been thinking about what Mr. Helian said.

"......I knew it, did you think so too?"



　Eltina thinks, her calm expression tightening. I guess that's what His Majesty meant (・・・・・・) by those words.



"It seems that I am not imagining things if Nushi and the others agree with me..."

"I guess that's what it means. It's just like you to say so, ......."

"If you have made your decision, we will follow it."



　We must quickly select personnel specializing in stealth," muttered Camilla as she stood up.



"And by the way, Baran, as well as Liewe and Ertina. Do you really want to stay here forever?　Nushi has to get ready to see them off."

"Mmm. You're right. We must hurry.

"In the meantime, I'll have my concubine release the commander of the 5th Corps to take over the command of security. Is that all right with you, Commander-in-Chief?

"Yes, you have my permission."



　Liewe, who holds the position of general commander of the eight major corps, nodded his head and replied.



　She is the head of the 1st corps, but she is also the head of the general corps.

　The I Corps is not so large because it is a small elite corps whose main mission is to assist the king.

　Since her own corps is relatively small and the deputy corps commander is in practical command of the I Corps, she is rarely required to take a hand in the operation of her own corps.



"Well then, I will move on to the preparations. I can't just leave her in ceremonial gear and go out on patrol after seeing her off, so please allow me a little more time."

I know that much. Don't worry about it.



　While Camilla looked fed up with his small talk, Balan left the audience hall at a brisk pace.



　Camilla, too, turned her body into mist and dissolved into thin air. She turned into a mist and headed down to her own corps at the speed of the wind to deliver a message to the commander of the Fifth Corps.



"Well, shall we hurry, Lieve?"

"Yes."



　They receive an imperial order from the king and go to the treasury, where they store important equipment, to prepare for their expedition.



　As they walk down the hallway of the castle, which is empty except for them, Lieve suddenly speaks up.



"......Ertina. I must confess that I was concerned that Helian might not be in good shape. The unprecedented situation of the entire capital being moved may be confusing him."

"That's understandable. We were all stunned. Even the Commander of the 8th Corps was cowering in shock. It's only natural that Your Highness should be so stunned.

"No, it wasn't, Eltina."



　Rieve replied, shaking his head.

　As if confessing her sins, she tells Ertina.



"You were calm immediately after the transition. As proof of this, even immediately after the transition, he gave appropriate instructions to the corps in rapid succession and gave me, who was in a panic, orders that guided me.

　Without his order, I would have been in a panic and would have been unable to do anything for a while, or I would have done something out of the ordinary. In fact, when Mr. Helian became ill in the office, I made a fuss without any thought and caused his displeasure.



　It's a bitter memory.

　I cannot remember the last time I was yelled at by the king, except when he ordered me to do something on a tight battlefield.

　That is why what had just happened in the office had come as a bit of a shock to her.



"But Helian was still a great king, no matter what the circumstances. I had forgotten that. He is the king of all the demons in this land, like no one else.

　Therefore, we should continue to be his pawns as before. We should work as a "force" to pave the way for the king himself. I was finally reminded of this by Mr. Helian's words just now.




"...... it is too early to decide. Even His Majesty may be ill at times. In fact, when I examined him just now, he seemed to be under a great deal of stress. I don't think you were wrong to be concerned about His Majesty, do you?

"We'll talk about it later. I wanted to say something to ...... someone after I spoke to you. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. I'm doing my part.



　Eltina smiles softly.

　As usual, it is a gentle smile that calms the viewer's mood.



　We are glad she is here.

　Rieve takes a deep breath and changes his mind.



"Good. Then I will prepare the outfits for Helian's expedition. The king himself will lead the advance party to the battlefield. We'll be ready for you, Ertina."

"Yes. Since we don't know what the threat is out there, we must be prepared to serve as your shield in case of emergency. But let's do our best to make sure that we all return home safely, Rieve.



　The two have thus established a deep common understanding.

　With a somewhat determined expression on their faces, they proceeded with their preparations as the "survey team for the unexplored area led by the king himself.