I returned to the Elven home, and sure enough, the Elven Queen came trotting over and buried her face in my chest.
　She may not be wearing perfume, but I thought she smelled like flowers.


'Quicksilver. Master Ike.''
'Lovely. Master Ike.
Strongest. Master Ike.


　But when she was about to kiss my cheek, Anemone stopped her.

'Please stop frolicking, sister.

'But Ike-sama, you are the one who saved this elven nation. I wish to express my gratitude with every fiber of my being.

'But nothing. It is the rule that elven royalty marries the first one they kiss. Does your sister plan to marry Mr. Ike?

The law is a kiss on the mouth, isn't it?

'Your sister was clearly going for her mouth now.

No, it's a cheek.

　Ferret insists.

'No, it was my mouth,'

　Anemone insisted.
　The argument seems to go on and on, so I walk away from the girls and head over to Sati.
　She greets me with her usual smile.

'We've been expecting you back,'

　It's not as passionate as Ferrette or Lilith, but an understated welcome.
　I don't want her to be on that side of the line as well, so I respond modestly with a "thank you" as well.
　Then, without being told, she brought me a cup of tea.
　This is a customary event on my return from the battlefield.

　Unfortunately, we don't have regular tea leaves in the Elf village, so we have to make herb tea, or herb tea, but even so, a hot drink under the cold weather warms the body to the core.

　I was enjoying the aroma of the herbal tea for a while when Ferrette, who had stopped fighting with her sisters, came over to me.

　This time, she doesn't hug me or press me for a kiss, but rather seems to have come to have a serious talk with me.

　His expression is serious. I guess he's ready to talk about the future.
　I also made a serious expression in my mask and headed with her to the Elf's Royal Palace.


　When we headed to the palace, she bowed her head reverently and said, "Thank you very much for your help this time.

　I replied in a typical manner, "Please say those words to the elven warriors and the demons under my command who have marched tirelessly and without sleep.

　In fact, I thought it was true.
　This victory, I'm not the only one who was able to do this.
　The decision was made by Queen Ferrette, who had full confidence in me as a demon race.
　Anemone and her men, the elven warrior chief Anemone, accepted my decision and stayed with me.
　The personal valor of Günther and Lilith.
　And as I mentioned above, Shigan's efforts to get reinforcements to us in time.
　Any one of them would not have led to this victory.
　Everyone should be praised, not just me.

　When I mentioned this, Ferret smiled, "Master Ike is as humble as ever," he smiled, and declared, "Of course, I will thank everyone involved in this battle later.

　After thanking the Queen for her concern, I decided to get down to business.
　From this point on, I must become a politician, not a sorcerer or a soldier.

'We have fulfilled our pact with the elves and defended the elven forest. Next, I hope Her Majesty will fulfill her promise to the Queen.

　When he hears those words, Ferret turns into a politician's face.

'I know. I know that the elves are honorable people. They would never break a promise they had made once.

I'm sure you'll be happy to provide us with an army of elven warriors.

Yes, sir.

　Ferret nodded.

''However, we can't allocate all the warriors. Anemone is the center of our elite 50, and that is the maximum amount of troops we can produce. It's not much, and it's painful, but...''

Not at all. I'm grateful enough.

　I had the pleasure of seeing Anemone's skills as a commander the other day.
　Her skill with the bow, her spirit magic, they will be of great use in the future.
　And while elves are important as a fighting force, I also value the elves as trading partners.
　The elves are not as dexterous as the dwarves, nor are they able to create crafts and weapons.
　They are not as rich in food and spices as the Trade Federation.

　However, the fruits and mushrooms that can only be found in this forest, as well as the elixirs and secret medicines made from them, can be sold at a high price and should be useful to the Demon King's army.

　With that alone, it's worth having the elves on your side.
　After deciding that, I decided to sign a pledge of alliance with the elves.
　The document presented to me was already signed by Ferrette.
　It was written in red letters.
　It was written with her blood in place of ink.
　This one also follows the ritual, scratching her fingertips with a dagger and dripping the blood onto a plate.
　I attach it to the quill pen and sign 'Demon King's Army 8th Legion Commander Ike'.

　For a moment, I almost signed 'Commander of the 7th Legion Brigade,' because I hadn't yet become the title of Legion Commander.

　Anyway, the pact is now completely concluded, but when I finished signing, Ferrette's face turned into his usual innocent face and he suppressed a "giggle" around his mouth.

　What's so funny?
　I asked her.

What's so funny?

　Ferrette prefaced his words with, 'Excuse me.

'I'm sorry, because it's funny to see the Immortals bleed from your fingers.

Well, it's all very funny, isn't it?

　I'd like to say that it's natural since you're human inside, but there's no need to talk about it.

''Even so, Ike-sama's body has red blood running through it as well.

Yes, in a manner of speaking.

　I had no choice but to reply, but Ferrette replied, without wondering, "I was relieved to see that.

It's a good idea to have a good time. It's a good thing that the demon race has the same red blood as ours. The same blood flows in their veins. I'm sure we can understand each other.

Yes, I'm sure you'll understand.

　With that immediate answer, he shook hands with Ferret, the Elven Queen, and made a blood pact with her.
　Although it was a regret, this was also a goodbye.
　We can't stay in this forest forever.

　We must return to our home base of Ivalice.
　Ivalice is the front line.
　We can't leave the lord absent forever.

　I said goodbye to Ferrette and left the palace without further ado.