Both Alistair and I had tea as our after-dinner drink.
　I had two cups of sugar, Alistair had three, and then some milk on top of that.
　She takes a sip of her tea and begins to speak from the core of her story.

'In fact, I have come to Lord Ike on a secret mission from His Majesty the King.

Secret orders...?

　It wasn't surprising, but it was an interesting story.

'I'd like to hear what it's about as soon as possible - by the way, why did you bring it to me first?　If it's an important matter, it would be quicker if I asked the Demon King to negotiate directly with him.

That's not...

　She slurred her words.

''You have a few days to go to Dvorberg, the Demon King's residence. I'm not sure I've ever had the courage to charge through the Demon King's army and meet the Demon King. And that's not even the time.

　It would certainly take some courage to do that.
　A woman with a small group of women would plow through the area controlled by the demon tribe.
　If they encounter demons they don't understand on the way, they will be taken prisoner.
　In the worst case scenario, she could die.
　It would be foolish to take such a risk.

Then is there a reason why you didn't go to the other legion leaders?　Although there are other legion leaders rooted in the front line.

..........

　She was silent for a long time and then nodded as if she had made up her mind.

''Well I must confess that the last time I met with Lord Ike, I was impressed.

Impressive, huh?

Yes, sir.

　And Alistair looks at me with straight eyes.

''After Lord Ike took the classified documents from me, I was actually planning to die. No, even before that, I was only thinking about when I should die. I had caused the deaths of many of my men on the battlefield, and I had remonstrated with His Majesty the King and been imprisoned. He had done great harm to the Rottenmayr family name, and there was nothing he could do but pay for it with his death. I had no choice but to pay for it with death.

　But," she continues.

"Lord Ike said to me, 'There is luck in war. He told me not to die. His words have kept me alive, and now I am able to serve His Majesty.

　In other words, he must have felt at that moment that I was easier to talk to than the other commanders.
　I interpreted that and urged him to continue.

''So the role of this emissary, for the sake of His Majesty the King, is the role of this emissary, isn't it?
Yes, sir.
And what does it say?

　Alistair replied leisurely.

''His Majesty the King wishes to make peace with the Demon King's army.

Peace?

　The words were unexpected, but he didn't show any signs of surprise.
　This is a place of diplomacy.
　It's not good to express your emotions like she did.
　You should act and speak only with the interests of the Demon King's Army in mind.

''Does His Majesty, the King of Rosalia, wish to do so?

　I asked, meaning to make sure she wasn't acting on her own.

'Yes, His Majesty Tristan III wishes to make peace with the Demon King's army. I have come here as an emissary for that.''

...Peace, that's a bit sudden.

　I would have to say so.
　I've never been approached with such a proposal until now.
　Is the League of Kings in such dire straits, or do they want to negotiate a peace deal while they still have the strength to do so?
　Or do they want to negotiate a deal while they still have time and energy to make peace on favorable terms?
　It's hard to tell.
　My subordinates sometimes treat me like a soothsayer, but I don't have the power to see everything in the universe.
　I can predict some things, but I can also miss the predictions in some cases.
　I don't know the true meaning of this case either.

　However, just because I don't know, I don't have the right to ignore that offer.
　Alistair is just a messenger, but I should still get a lot of information from her.
　I continue my conversation with her.

''However, the Kingdom of Rosalia is a historic kingdom. It is also known as a power in this continent. I don't think His Majesty Tristan will offer peace to the Demon King's army now.''

Although His Majesty is indeed a proud man, he is still a peace-loving man. He said that peace with the Demon King's army is necessary rather than prolonging the war unnecessarily any longer.

''However, the Demon King's army has occupied half of Rosalia's land. Besides, the battle situation is somewhat in our favor right now.

What do you mean by that?

　Alistair asks.

'I mean, since we're making peace, we'll be allowed to make it on our own favorable terms.

　It's only natural.

　If the war situation was unfavorable, but right now the Demon King's army was gaining an advantage.
　Under such circumstances, the other side will make an offer of peace.
　The usual method of diplomacy is to take as many chances as they can get at you.

　Some corps commanders may be opposed to making peace.
　There will be some corps commanders who will oppose any peace deal, especially around the 2nd Corps' Germoor, and the other corps commanders won't be happy about it either.

　If we make a poor move here, a civil war will break out within the Demon King's army and the worst will happen.
　--The possibility that this could be the case cannot be denied.

　Even if you make peace, it's meaningless unless all of the Demon King's Army is satisfied with the outcome.
　I asked about that, but Alistair, surprisingly, seemed to be aware of that.

''Of course, I know that. We will bring peace from here. Your Majesty is prepared to compromise.''

What do you mean, specifically?

"We will give the Demon King's Army all the territories it currently controls. As a token of our peace, we will offer them gold coins for years to come.

　When I heard those words, I couldn't help but let out a "ho".
　Formally, it is a condition that could be taken as complete surrender.
　If you're willing to accept those terms, I wouldn't mind agreeing to peace.
　It's not a bad deal for me, considering how tired I am of the war-torn world.

"Would you mind putting that story in writing?　

　When I cut to the chase, Alistair, of course, takes out a text from his pocket.

'We haven't officially signed it, but this is a provisional treaty.

　And handed it to me.
　I read through it, but it was still the same article as written by Alistair.
　The flower stamp (signature) is also believed to be in Tristan's handwriting.
　Seeing that, the king of Rosalia at least seems willing to come to the negotiating table.
　When I realized that, I said to Alistair, "I understand.

''I understand. I'll keep this letter.''

Really?　

　As I said this, Alistair leaned forward from the table and leaned towards us.

　It wasn't a bad feeling to have a beautiful woman's face looming in front of me, but just because she was beautiful, I had no intention of affecting the success or failure of the treaty.

　Besides, this wasn't a problem of the legion size, it was a problem of the entire Demon King's Army.
　There's no way I can decide it on my own.
　Whether or not this treaty is acceptable or not should be decided by the Demon King, not me.

　When I put that into words, I said, "I'll go ask the Demon King for confirmation, so can you wait a few days? I asked Alistair.

　She said, "Of course! Her face broke out into a smile, but there was no evil intent on her face.
　There would be no need to use the magic of the 《Mind Reading Technique》 to lie in her words.
　-- but what about the person standing behind her?

　I heard that the king of Rosalia is not a competent king, but there might be an excellent military strategist or vizier waiting behind him.

　I'm willing to fully believe Alistair's words, but I didn't trust the Kingdom of Rosalia itself.
　Anyway, this is a matter that cannot be adjudicated at the legion leader level.

　As I declared to Alistair, I headed to the transference room in Ivalice to consult with my former boss.