"Well, I'm going back to my home country temporarily. In the meantime, you two are in charge of the base construction work. Please take good care of things while I am gone.



　Deciding to temporarily return to his home country, Helian left Celes and Gardi in charge of the field, and returned to the capital with Levee.

　It took a considerable amount of time when they headed for the Seals, but with the use of a teleportation gate (telepoint), travel was instantaneous.



　There was a suggestion to hold a festival to celebrate the triumphal return of the king who had achieved such great successes on his expedition, but unfortunately it was put off until later.



　As the old historical records say, when a king returns with a new saga of heroism, it is the king's job to tell it. ［In Tactics Chronicle, this was also expressed in the form of holding appropriate events according to the situation, which improved morale, popularity, and in some cases, happiness. Players were unanimous in calling the developer a perverted company because of the extraordinary care that went into the creation of the game.



　However, this return is for a job that should take precedence over that. The festivities can be held only after the completion of that work. As soon as Helian is transferred to Agartha, he immediately goes with Lieve to a room in the castle.



It's been a long time, gentlemen.



　The place where Helian, Levee, and a few others gathered was the first conference room, located at the far end of the section where many conference rooms are concentrated. Recently, the group had often exchanged words with the corps commanders in the audience chamber, but this time, taking into consideration the attendees and the situation, they had decided to use the conference room.



　In the center of the room, there is a round table with several chairs. Sitting down in the chair located at the far end of the room from the entrance, Hélien first expressed his gratitude to the legionnaires who stood erect to greet the king.



"Thank you for your hard work, you can make yourself comfortable. I am glad to see that you have performed your duties well in my absence.



　There were four attendees this time, not including Helian and Levee.

　Balan, the second corps commander, responds with a serious face, and Ertina, the third corps commander, smiles calmly. Then there is Camilla, the sixth corps commander, dressed in a glamorous costume, and Merzel, who attended on behalf of the seventh corps commander.



　While the other three seemed to be somewhat accustomed to the ceremony and responded to the invitation, Merzel was the only one who looked tense and stiff. Seeing the three seated after receiving the king's permission, she hurried to follow them.



　It was no wonder. He was not supposed to be present at such an event. Not many of his subordinates have direct access to the King of All Evil, and if he is a representative of the Seventh Legion, then Robin, the legionnaire, should be in attendance.

　His presence here is nothing but a result of his being chosen as a proxy for Robin, who is unable to leave the field in case of emergency. He is usually upset by the eccentricities of his immediate superiors, and he has the temperament of a hard worker.



"I hear that Merzel is also doing a good job in the field. I'm sure you must have experienced a lot of confusion at the start of full-fledged exchanges with the people of this world, but did you have any difficulties?

"Ha!　...... Oh, no, no!"



　Merzel responds quickly and hurriedly denies her own response, as if to affirm that she had had a hard time. At that moment, she stood up with too much force, and the impact scattered the documents on the table on the floor. Merzel's face turns pale and he hurriedly starts to pick up the materials.



　He had already received detailed reports on the capital city from Baran and Ertina, who had been entrusted with the capital city of Agartha, through regular communications. Therefore, I was going to ask him first to report about the Latestwood case. ......



(...... Yeah. That's a lot to take in.)



　We can't let him start reporting in this state. He will make some kind of mistake and the place will be in chaos, and moreover, I feel too sorry for him who has been made to bear the burden of the trouble. This is the time for a superior to do something to relieve the tension among his subordinates.



　With this in mind, Helian was about to address himself to Merzel, who was frantically gathering materials with a desperate look on his face, when he remembered his mistake of being self-centered in the SEALS and turned his attention to Eltina.



　Ertina, who has the disposition of "Harmony", smiles softly as if she senses her master's intention as soon as they exchange a glance, and throws her voice at Merzel.



"There's no need to be in such a hurry, Merzel. This is not a formal audience.



　She then kneels down on the floor herself and starts to pick up the materials that had fallen down with Merzel.



"I understand that you are nervous in front of His Majesty, but this is not an audience room but just a conference room. Of course, a minimum of decorum is required, but what is expected of us in this place is correct reporting rather than perfect etiquette.



　Eltina carefully arranged the sheaf of papers she had picked up and handed them to Merzel with a smile on her face. As she did so, she wrapped her white, supple hands around Merzel's and added a few words in a tone of voice that would calm the hearts of those who listened.



He then wrapped his hands around Merzel's hand, and added in a voice that calmed the hearts of those who heard it: "Your Majesty is not so narrow-minded as to blame you for your failures in an unfamiliar place. Please take your time and report back to me calmly.



　Soft words of concern. The warmth that I can surely feel in the hand that received it. And in Ertina's loving smile, the cornered Merzel caught a glimpse of the goddess.



　Had she ever received such a kindness from her immediate superior (Robin)? No, she had not. I don't need to go back to my memory to say that I have not. Instead, I'm usually left to clean up after my boss's eccentricities and pranks. Recently, I was even ridiculed as a complaint receptionist for the Commander of the Seventh Army. Thinking about it, how divine it is to have a saintly lady smiling in front of me!



"Dear Eltina, ......!"



　While trying hard to hold back the heat in her eyes, Merzel uttered the name of the goddess with all her heart. She smiled at the end and returned to her seat with leisurely steps.



　After seeing such a scene, Levee made a move as if it was time to interject, but Helian responded by lightly raising his right hand on the table.

　Rieve, who understood his master's intention correctly, remained silent, and Merzel, who had regained his composure, stood up quickly and thanked the king.



"I beg your pardon, my king. I apologize for any ugliness I may have caused you.

"Uh-huh. Now then, Merzel, I would like to hear your report on the latest developments at Rattestwood."

Yes, sir. I, Merzel, as deputy head of the dispatch team and acting commander of the Seventh Army Corps, would like to begin my report.



　He looked very calm and collected, a complete change from his earlier dismay.

　Slightly intimidated by his transformation, Helian urged him to make a report.



"First of all, regarding your concerns about conflicts and friction between the local residents and the delegation, there have been no problems of any kind. There have been some minor problems due to cultural differences between the two countries, but they have all been resolved by the parties concerned, and I think it is fair to say that relations between the two sides are generally good.



　In response to his brisk report, Helian nodded his head in an eagle's eye. It seemed that he had completely regained his composure. He thanked Ertina for her help and asked Merzel to be firm.



"Hmmm. But isn't it possible that the problem hasn't come to the surface because the other side has made concessions unilaterally?　There are cultural differences even between different countries, but in our case, even our worlds are different. There may be cases where common sense as demons does not apply."



　In addition, there is an overwhelming difference in national power between the two countries. This is most evident in the military power possessed by the two countries. And although it sounds good to say that they are allies, in the last war, the position of and was established, and they were not equal, at least not in the sense of equality.



　Considering this, it is possible that they are enduring the inconvenience to the residents of LATESTWOOD, but they are not happy with the situation. It is a very troublesome situation when a problem seems to be good because it has not surfaced. Problems that are hidden under the surface can cause problems later on, and for Herrians who want to have friendly relations with others, they are like landmines.



"Underground problems are difficult to visualize, but you, who have been there, may be able to see some of them. I don't care if it's on a personal level. I want to hear what you have to say."



　At this unexpected question from Helian, Merzel ponders for a moment.



"I wonder if it's worth putting it in the king's ear. ......



　The various problems that Merzel mentioned to us were, indeed, not so big one by one. However, when Helian heard them, he was glad that he had listened to them.



　Helian is the one and only absolute in Alkimaira. Naturally, as king, Herian's time was precious and not to be wasted. It is because of this awareness that the men under his command scrutinize the contents of the reports, and in doing so, some of them may not be visible to Herian.



　This is one of them. The problems that Merzel described were, as I mentioned, minor ones. For example, <.



　But even if each one is small, they add up to something too big to ignore. And it is important to take action before such problems become that big. This is even more so when we have just started exchanges between our two countries.



　If possible, we would like to solve some of these problems through this plan.



"I see. ....... By the way, how is Robin usually doing?　I hear you're still the same as usual."



　When I asked this question, Merzel's mouth, which had been moving without hesitation until a few moments ago, stopped.

　He seemed to be having a hard time saying what he wanted to say, and chose his words carefully as he answered.



"The corps commander is ...... trying to have an active exchange with the local people. Led by the chief lady, he is constantly carrying out activities that can be taken as a sign of fraternity, and his positive attitude stands out from the crowd among the dispatched teams.

"--Merzel. Keep your reports to the point and clear. Don't waste time on Mr. Hellian."



　In the case of an emergency bulletin, speed is often prioritized at the expense of accuracy to some extent, but in this case, we knew in advance that the meeting was going to take place.




　Naturally, the information that would be requested should have been known in advance, and moreover, since he was attending the meeting as a deputy of the corps commander, the information about the commander should have been reported accurately and to the point.

　In spite of this, the content of the report was very vague.



　When Merzel was questioned, he was sweating cold sweat and trying his best to think straight. However, no matter how she tried to make things up, she would bring shame to her own corps if she reported the situation accurately. And to top it off, there were three female corps leaders in this corps. Aside from the 6th corps commander (Camilla) who knows everything, it is not at the level of discomfort.



　With a desire to help, Merzel turns to the second legionnaire, who is of the same s*x and has detailed information. But Balan, who is supposed to be a man of integrity and character, looked away with the same sour expression on his face.

　Merzel felt abandoned, but he did not consider it heartless. If he were in the position of the commander of the second corps, he would have done the same thing.



　Now that Merzel is left on his own, all eyes are on him, and an unexplainable tension envelops him.



"......No, no. No, it's okay. Let's hear what he has to say next.



　Merzel was about to reveal everything, but just before he did so, Helian, who could not see what was happening, dropped the question.



　If he had done something important, he would have reported it without any shame or embarrassment, but he did not, and he kept glancing at the female leaders. In other words, this is what happened, and I guess it is just a prank. Although it may be a little time-consuming, it would be enough to check the records (logs) obtained through "data sharing" and confirm them later.

　By the way, Merzel let out a sigh of relief.



　After that, Hélian exchanged several more messages with her, and she complemented her understanding and information by listening to the opinions and views of those who were in the field. He acknowledged that he was able to share some information with the other participants and finally asked about the facility that had been built on the outskirts of the capital city of RATESTWOOD.



What about the large box?　I was told that the connection has been made and the only thing left to do is to adjust the equipment."

There are no problems. We have made all kinds of adjustments, including the magic stone for activation, and are just waiting to fire up the reactor core. However, due to material and time constraints, we have decided to complete the project with only the minimum functions as you have ordered. I hope you will understand.

Of course. Under the circumstances, it is inevitable.



　Originally, large boxes had been built at a base near Agartha. The large box was the ultimate in luxury, with materials and personnel invested like hot water, and it was loaded with useless functions that were not even needed to this extent.

　However, it does not exist at this moment. This is because only the urban area of the capital city, Agartha, was transferred by the inter-world transfer phenomenon. The large boxes were included in the items that were left behind in the original world.



"......Well, I should say that it was fortuitous that the whole large box was not left behind. I shudder to think what would have happened if they hadn't pulled it out for the National Celebration."

"I agree wholeheartedly. I also confirmed that the minimum system startup was successful when I made the connection.

Then, it is only left to verify the operation after the start-up. If possible, I would have preferred to complete the experiment in a more moderate way, but my ...... pocketbook won't allow it, and that's a pain."



　Eltina lowered her eyebrows apologetically.



"I am sorry, Your Majesty. As the official in charge of internal affairs, I apologize."

"Mmm. ...... No, I'm not blaming you. Rather, I'm just thankful that you've been able to manage domestic affairs amidst the many problems caused by the phenomenon of inter-world transfers.



　Helian speaks up for Eltina, who is looking down to her elven ears.



　In fact, she is doing a good job. The fact that Helian was able to go on an expedition to the border city of Shields was due to Ertina's efforts to organize the country. She cannot be blamed.



　Besides, this matter is not in Ertina's hands in the first place.



　What is especially needed this time is a magical stone with a quality value of over 200 - a super high quality magical stone that has been compressed over and over again, but there is a limit to the amount of materials that can be brought in from the original world. This is because, due to the phenomenon of inter-world transfer, we have lost all of our stored resources in various places other than the capital city.



　In response to this, the alchemists belonging to the 4th Legion are leading the compression experiments of the magic stones obtained in this world, but the results are not satisfactory at the moment. This is because the magic stones frequently collapse in the process of compression.

　It seems to be a saturation phenomenon resulting from the magic stone itself being unable to withstand the magic power it is trying to contain. It is not a matter of just pouring in magic power by force, but in their words, < is necessary. And they say that it takes a lot of trial and error to find such a value in a fragile magic stone.



　There is also the situation that there are not enough facilities at the expedition site, but even Celes, the best magician and researcher in Alkimaira, has been failing in the refining process using local materials. In light of this, it would be the behavior of a tyrant to press the alchemists of the Fourth Legion to produce results right now.



　I am not so egotistical as to call myself a wise king, but that does not mean that I intend to fall into a foolish king. Then, what we should do now is not to beg for something or complain about the current situation, but to make the best move with the cards we have at the moment.



"Anyway, it is out of the question that we should leave the experiment without ever conducting a start-up experiment. It would be a problem if it < when the time comes when it is needed. The very nature of this thing could even lead to the destruction of the nation.



　In fact, the SEALs have just had an IJN incident in which they encountered a mythical threat. We don't know what the future holds. We have to test it to see if it works well in this world, in case we need it.



"It is something that will have to be tested at some point, and it will take a lot of resources to do so. It is true. Then we will take advantage of this one incident and put all of our resources together. Tell Robin to make the preparations as planned."

"...... as planned means, after all?"



　When Merzel asked her, Helian responded with a nod of the head and shifted his attention to Camilla, who had remained silent until then.



Camilla. We will share information and awareness about Noblewood. Explain the current situation to all present, including what I know."

"Yes, my lord."



　Camilla got up from her seat, looked around at everyone, and began to explain the situation in a flowing manner.



"First, let's talk about the current situation in Noblewood. As you know, the advance troops that invaded our ally, LATESTWOOD, were wiped out in the last battle, but their home country did not know about it until just the other day. My 6th Corps had invested all of its resources in the information operation. And the other day, since I believe that the time is ripe, including the status of the large box construction, I received a new order from you to partially reveal the information that had been kept from the elders and top executives of Noblewood's home country.



　With these words, Camilla held out her right hand in a graceful gesture. She brought her palm up in front of her ample bosom, and a vision appeared. It was a meeting between the elders of Oldwood and the Great Elder of Noblewood.



　This magic is a combination of illusion and information. While relatively many people are apt at the basic systems such as attack and defense, the more advanced systems have fewer people who are skilled in them. The information system is one of them, but Camilla, who stands at the top of the Sixth Legion, can control this technique without any difficulty.



"Mmm,ooo ......"

"...... this."



　And when they saw the projected image, they all let out a roar. The reason for this was that they had seen it interrupting the scene where the meeting had been held.



　［For those of you who have lived in the world of Tactics Chronicle, the meeting, which is a direct dialogue between the king and the player, is sacred. As long as the other party observes civility, it is a situation that demands a certain level of response, and in the unlikely event that civility is compromised first, it is tantamount to an act that besmirches the name of one's own country. Inevitably, even those who are not familiar with the rules of etiquette naturally stand up straight at the meeting.



　However, the images shown by Camilla were a scene that defied their common sense.



As you can see, the meeting was nothing more than a meeting. And following the RATESTWOOD incident, a preemptive attack without a declaration of war. It's more like a massacre. And to resort to such measures, they must have really gone crazy (・・・・)."



　［In the Tactics Chronicles, there were rules of war. There were certain manners and unspoken understandings. There were some rules that could be dared to be broken by the system, but players who violated them were regarded as enemies by neighboring countries, and they all went on the road to ruin.



　Among them, the declaration of war was considered especially sacred by the players of Tactics Chronicle. Although there was a disadvantage that all players of the same world, including those who had no contact with the country, would be aware of the fact that war had broken out the moment the declaration was made, the declaration of war was, to say the least, the flower of the strategic SLG. It had the merit of improving [morale] in a small way, and as a netiquette to maintain the order of the whole world, declarations of war were always made.



　They recognize this as >, and after a roar, they all fell silent.



"We can't stop now. They are not satisfied with the old tree alone, but have begun to eat their own bodies as well. I am now drawing my bow despite my emaciation, but it will be ten days or so before the arrow is released.



　After a quick update, Camilla said, "That is all," and exchanged glances with Helian before sitting down.

　After a short pause, Camilla acknowledged that her words had been fully absorbed by those present, and Helian looked around at them with an air of solemnity.



"...... We are not barbarians who do not know the law. We are not barbarians who do not know the law. Therefore, we do not use words and act like beasts.



　He dared to say again what he had said in his speech one day.



　......Yes, I am not an animal. So I will be reasonable as a human being. First of all, I will make an effort to exchange words. Even if the end is obvious and we know that our efforts will be fruitless.



"----"



　And just before he spoke the next words, Helian looked directly into the amber eyes that were staring at him for the last time. Her wolf's ears were turned toward him, and her eyes reflected her own face with a blank expression pasted on it. As he exchanged glances with her, he thought about what he was about to tell her.



　As a king, he was definitely right. I still don't know if I am right as a human being. But I could not look away from Alkimaira's eyes.

　Then that is the answer.






"--Camilla. Arrange for a messenger to be sent to Noblewood in consultation with Queen Rutestwood. This will be the last mercy for his country."

"...... then, my lord."

"This is an ultimatum. If they do not listen, we will proceed as planned. In that case, the personnel of the 6th Corps, as well as the 7th Corps that has been dispatched to the area, will be called upon to work. Do your best to ensure that everything is handled without fail.



　I agree," Camilla said, indicating her approval.

　As soon as the meeting adjourned, with the king's permission, she flew with great enthusiasm to Lattestwood. After a delay, Merzel also returns to the site to make final adjustments after requisitioning the necessary materials.

　The situation surrounding RATESTWOOD was about to undergo a major change.