The signing of the peace with Rosalia would take place the following week on the plains in the middle of Aresta, one of the frontline cities of the royal capital, Lysas, and the Demon King's army.

　Both armies were allowed to have up to 1,000 attendants.
　Of course, the attendants could be civilian officials as well, but it was customary for them to be composed mainly of military officers, or soldiers.

　The whore Lilith said happily, ''Our legion is exactly the right size.

''Our legion's size is exactly about 1,000 people, so it's a crossover.
Yeah, sure.

　It was somewhat shameful to borrow troops from other legions just because there were not enough of them.

''Just in time, thanks to the addition of Lord Anemone's elven troops, our legion is now just over a thousand men, right?''

　I look at the humans, dwarves, and elves who are beginning to prepare for battle, and I let out a breath. Thoughtfully.

'When I was first put in charge of the brigade, it was about three hundred of them, wasn't it?

'It's a lively one when you think about it,' was Lilith's comment.

　'Not at all,' said Lilith.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on.
　I'm sure you'll be able to see that the best way to do that is to have a good idea of what to expect.

　I'm sure the girl is Lilith the succubus in front of me, but when I stare at her, she sticks out her tongue and goes back to her unit.

'Utterly troubling, isn't it?'

　And that was Giron the Orc. Giron was dressed in a shiny silk robe that he thought was freshly grated.

　According to him, he shouldn't be licked by both humans, right?
　It's a vain idea, or perhaps a small thing to think about, but it's not hard to understand how they feel.
　It's true that our army lacks a sense of unity.
　It's not just the demon race, humans, elves and dwarves, all armed differently.

　The demon race does not even wear armor, and the humans and dwarves do not have the same uniformity in chainmail and armor (chainmail). Some elves have only clothes and bows.

"It's like a militia or a volunteer army.

　On the other hand, Rosalia's army must probably all be armed with heavily armored armor and swords and spears forged by master craftsmen.

　In terms of appearance, they will be overwhelmingly inferior.
　However, I have no intention of losing in terms of ability.
　When I muttered that in my mind, I was about to give the order to advance.

　--But it stops in the middle.

　Because Jiron tugged on the hem of my clothes.

　I looked down at Giron from my beloved horse, wondering what he was doing, but when I looked, I saw Satie coming toward me at a trot.

　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to find a way to make it work.
　They would be a pre-war experience for me.

　Satie came over to me, out of breath, and said, "Please wait," as usual, and struck the flint twice, click, click, click.

　I return the usual "Thank you".
　This has become an annual pre-war tradition, but I don't feel bad about it.

　I don't know if this will help us win against the enemy or, in this case, succeed in making peace, but at least we've never had a bad outcome from doing this ritual.

　I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to find a way to make it work.
　I don't know if she's received my gratitude, but she turns to me and bows her head.
　After making sure that her back was out of sight, I turned to the capital and said, "Let's go!

''Let's go!
　And--

　A thousand brave men and women said, "Oh! He shouted and began his march.


　It would take a week to get from Ivalice to Aresta, and another week of marching from there to the plains halfway to the royal capital.

　If we could form a troop of cavalry alone, as humans do, the number of days would be shortened, but an army inevitably has to calculate the speed of its march based on the slowest one.

　Since there are many demons in the Demon King's army that can't ride horses, their marching speed was naturally slow.
　For example, the giant tree tribe (Trent) was large and had a wide stride, but their walking speed was slower than humans.

　This kind of race is not suitable for mobile warfare, and they are not often taken into battle, but this time I decided to take all of them, including the giant tree tribe (Trent), giant mankind (giant giants), trolls and skeletons, and other slow-moving monsters.

　Jiron, for example.

'Warfare is all about mobility, which is unusual for a husband who's always talking about it.

　But there's a good reason for this.

　I'll give him a simple answer.

The reason is simple. The reason is simple: "This time it's not a rescue mission and it's not a raid. It's simply because we have time. I don't care what kind of blunt-legged demon you are.

　Instead, the blunt-legged demon would be more stern, and might have the effect of awe-striking the enemy army.
　As long as the enemy army is afraid of the demon king's army and doesn't interfere with the peace signing ceremony, it will have been effective.
　As for me, it's far more helpful than being attacked in the middle of the signing ceremony in a bloody hurry.

　--I'm not going to be the only one who has a problem with it.

　However, even if one assumes the worst, it would be foolish to leave behind demons that would be a force to be reckoned with.
　We must be prepared to challenge them with the intention of becoming an all-out war.
　After all, the plains where the signing will take place are very close to the royal capital.
　The demon tribe feels it's a long way away, but for humans who have a large number of knights, it's a stone's throw away.
　The horse creature was an ideal creature that efficiently transported people and goods.
　A knight who possesses and rides them in large numbers is a troublesome existence.

　In that sense, the vizier of the kingdom, a man named Duke Eichs of Uberg, might be quite a wise man. He was able to find out the weaknesses of the Demon King's army and instigate the king to hold the signing ceremony from their own advantageous position.

　You can find a lot of people who have been in the same boat for a long time.

''If the enemy army is going to take us by surprise, we won't be able to get here from King's Landing in three days.

　I mutter to myself as I do the math in my head.
　On the other hand, if Cephiro is going to come to the rescue, it will take at least a week.

'No, actually, it'll take longer,'

　An optimistic estimate and calculation could result in a hell of a burn.

'At worst, you might want to expect it to take two weeks.

　As I blurt that out, Lilith the Succubus comes towards us.

"Umm, just a simple question, do you want this signing ceremony to be a success, Ike-sama?　Or do you want me to fail?

Of course I want it to work.

'Then why does it bother you so much?　Why don't we just go to the Promised Land and sign it?

If I could, I'd be in a lot of trouble.

　I suppose my memories of my past life make me do that, but I always act with the worst possible scenario in mind.

　Of course, I will make sure that the signing of this agreement will be a success, but I have to consider every possibility, including the possibility that enemy forces will interfere, and the possibility that the King of Rosalia himself had no intention of making peace in the first place from the start.

　I thought that was the minimum duty of a commander in charge of many soldiers.
　However, it seems that my feelings are not easily conveyed to this girl Lilith.

That won't be a problem. Even if he can't sign it, or if he's surrounded by an army of 10,000 men, Ike won't be a problem.

　He stared at Lilith, who insisted fluently, and asked, letting out a breath.

'And what's in your heart?'

　Lilith smiled so clearly that her white fangs could be seen clearly and stated.

''The reason is fixed, it's because Ike-sama is the strongest magician in the Demon King's Army!

　It was a pleasantly assertive and lifting manner, but I wondered why, when this girl said it, I naturally felt more confident.

　However, I was grateful for Lilith's smile that made me think so, but I had to somehow make her correct that optimistic personality.

　I'm also the commander of the Demon King's army now.
　And Lilith is its second-in-command and brigade commander.
　Someday, I'll need you to lead the army alone.
　His optimistic nature often helps me mentally, but when I look at him as a single general, I feel uneasy.

''........I'm sure that if I were to put these feelings into words, they would be words like parental love or old woman's heart.

　He muttered this in his mind so she wouldn't hear him, and returned his gaze to the front.
　Beyond that, the plains stretched out.
　He couldn't see Rosalia's military camp yet, but he wondered how the King of Rosalia felt waiting for him.
　At least his entourage must not have a daughter as cerebral as Lilith.
　I don't know if that makes him happy, but at least he'll be bored.
　With that in mind, he advanced his army to the place of negotiation.
　At this speed of march, they should reach the promised land in a few days.

'Whether we can conclude a peace treaty there or a bloody struggle, it's not certain, but at least that's where something will start.

　I muttered to myself as I stared out over the horizon - and into the future.