Now that we know why they're destroying each one, why are they marching in from here?

　It was Lilith, the succubus' daughter, who still doesn't understand my strategy, who raised a simple question.
　During the march, she deliberately lined her horse up beside me and asked, "If we head to Reezus from here, we'll have a faster time of encounter with the enemy forces.

'If we head to Leasas from here, we'll have a faster time of encounter with the enemy forces.

　I reply, "Oh, I see! He seemed to be convinced.
　The next person to ask was a woman astride a stunning white horse, Alistair of the White Rose Order.

''So you mean, swiftly beat the Knights coming from Leasas, and then move through the battlefield, right?

　'Oh,' I replied, and then added.

'There's no need to stay in place and wait for the enemy forces to be stupidly honest about anything. Once we take away the fighting power from the enemy forces, we go to the next battlefield. In short, we can strike before the enemy can rally us.

It's like going for a hike.

　Lilith laughs in response, "It's just like hiking anywhere with Ike-sama," but I warn them both.

''Actually, it's not that easy. This one is 2000 soldiers. We have all the fiercest men in the world, but the other side is also a legitimate knight's club. I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about it. It's not going to be easy.

But Ike is the one who can make it happen.

'You can't always win. An army, especially one that is careless, is always facing defeat.

I don't let my guard down.

　Lilith piles on the emphasis, but her expression is relaxed.
　Perhaps the adage "win and warn the strong soldier" is for this girl.

''But there are many generals in history who have won battle after battle, but lost at the last moment and left the stage of history.

Did you think that would happen to Master Ike?
I don't want to be.
So it's all right, then.

　Lilith said fluently and voluntarily turned back to her brigade.
　She must have been looking for the right moment to say that it was time to get scolded. She is a girl who seems brainy and yet shrewd.
　Seeing her, Alistair suppressed a 'chuckle' at her mouth.

''What is so funny?''

　I can't help but ask, but Alistair doesn't return to his expression and says.

''The Demon King's Army is really an interesting organization. It's more human than human in a way.''

　According to him, there aren't many generals who would let their subordinates open such a light talk before a battle.

''That's not the Demon King's Army, but only our legion. The rest are just the 7th Legion and a few other legions. If any other legion leader spoke lightly like that before a battle, they would be sent to jail immediately or have their heads cut off on the spot.

That's horrible.

　Alistair said, not at all horrified, and continued.

''But Lord Ike can allow it. Is that tolerance a factor that attracts not only demons, but dwarves and elves, as well as humans?

My former boss, the witch, would have a field day with me, though.
Kindness, if you will, is another way of putting it.
'That's a good word. I'll definitely add it to my former boss's dictionary when I get a chance.

　But--
　And I change the subject.

'Are you the one, Lord Alistair, that's all right?'
What do you mean by "okay"?

''No, this time, oddly enough, you will be on the side of the Demon King's army and will be fighting against your former brethren. Are you prepared for that?

　When she heard those words, she regained her warrior's face.

'Of course there is!　They are the traitors who betrayed Your Majesty, the Father of the Nation. I will cut them down with the famous Belladonna, the sword of our family tradition.

　And he tries to pull the mithril sword out of its scabbard, but his hand doesn't wake up.

'Huh?　Huh?

　He stared at his waist in wonder.

'....................

　Apparently, I shouldn't expect too much from this girl's military strength.
　At the very least, I hope she's an excellent commander.
　I wonder how that's going to be.

　As I recall, the first time I saw her on the battlefield, she left me with the impression that she was a general who made a mistake between courage and recklessness. She had voluntarily gone to the front, wielding her sword and helping her men escape.

　At first glance, he seemed to be a good general, but as a commander, he was not very impressive.

　Well, it's not nice for me, who stands on the front lines all the time, to be lecturing her, but I wonder how much of a general she is.
　It's a good opportunity to ask her.

''Excuse me, Alistair-dono. I have heard that you graduated at the top of your class from the Royal Military Academy in the capital city of Lisas.

　To this question, Alistair answers.

'Yes, eighty-four military officers graduated that year, and I was honoured to have the honour of receiving a word from His Majesty at my graduation.

So you're at the top of that list.
That's the way it goes, in a nutshell.

　But," he continues, "I was confident in my classroom results, but when it came to the real world, it was doubtful that I could have gotten a good score.

He continued, "I was confident in my classroom performance, but when it came to the real world, I'm not sure I was even close to being a superstar. Perhaps, but my father made a donation to the top brass and made me the head of the class.

...I see.

　She is honest to all intents and purposes.

'But, as I said earlier, I've never lost a classroom lesson or a simulated battle in which I commanded a unit.

That's reassuring.

　When I say that, she denies it too.

''No, that's a big mistake. There is as much difference between a real battle and a simulated battle as there is between a dragon and a snake. I've learned that the hard way when I started standing on the battlefield.''

　She took a breath there and continued further.

'What you need on the battlefield is the ability to make calm decisions, and then bold decisions, and then luck. I've realized that.
Luck?

'Yes,' said Alistair.

'To be honest, my skills as a commander are inferior. By far. But I've been able to survive until today. I think it's just luck.

'It won't be like that. It's not a world where you can survive on luck alone. I've heard that you've made some spectacular military achievements.

''But half of my classmates who graduated the same year as me are already in their graves. They were all better swordsmen than me, and some were better leaders than me. And yet I am alive and they are dead. Sometimes I wonder. What was the difference between them and me?　And--

You sound like a philosopher.

'Yes, and the answer I came up with is luck. Lord Ike, you remember the day I attacked the city of Ivalice, don't you?

Of course.

I stayed until the end of the war to live up to my family's name that day. That's why I survived.

..........

　Indeed, I think of the scene at the time.
　By remaining on the battlefield herself, she was spared from my trap and did not lose her life.

Later, when she was imprisoned in the tower, she gave up her desire to commit suicide by encountering Lord Ike.

..........

Lord Ike told me at the time. "He said that fighting was not only about skill, but also about luck.

I did say that.

　In fact, no matter what kind of a great general you are, when you lose, you lose.

　Alexander the Great, Oda Nobunaga, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Hannibal, Timur, Caesar, Chu Yuanzhang, Emperor Guangwu, Rommel, Vybarus, Nelson. The list of names is endless, but none of these generals ever went undefeated in their lives.

　The problem is how to stand up after a loss, and this girl might have learned some of the secret to that in her last defeat.

　In short, even if you lose, you don't have to die.
　As long as you're alive, you have many chances to challenge them to a battle for revenge.
　Fortunately and I haven't lost a single battle yet, but I didn't expect to always win in the future either.
　I believe that war is not that sweet.

　Hence, I decided to rely on what she called 'luck'.
　She insists that she is a lucky girl.
　I'm sure she'll choose the best strategy for me.
　So I asked her.

With the speed of our march, tomorrow we'll be facing the enemy forces. There are almost twice as many of them. What kind of tactics would you choose, Alistair-dono?

'Tactics?　.........?

　Whether she knows how I feel or not, she asks with a curious look on her face.

'Yes, do we thicken up the centre, break through the centre and cut through the enemy lines, or do we split our forces in two and make a pincer attack? I'm torn between the two.

Would it be right for me to make such a momentous decision?

　Alistair is puzzled.

'............'　

　After a few moments, he said, "I want you to do it for me.
　I paused because I was a little embarrassed.
　I don't like snappy dialogue.
　After she answered the question, I had to say a certain line.
　I blush through my mask when I think about it.
　But I still get my opinion from her, and I decide to adopt that tactic.

'I think I'd prefer to break through the middle with no tricks.

　When she said that, I spoke the lines I had prepared in advance.

'Yes sir. Let's adopt that.'

'You're sure?　I didn't really think too much about it, but I didn't make a choice?

　I twisted my head around and said, "No.

If you say so, Lady Alistair, then you're as good as lucky to have us.

　I said out.

'Nah...!

　Sure enough, Alistair also blushes at the words.

　I deliberately ignore it.

Anyway, we'll go through the middle tomorrow.

　Having said that, he ordered Alistair to return to his unit as well.

　After looking away from their rear, he turned and stared forward.
　I still couldn't see the enemy army, but there were large numbers of knights ahead of me.
　I had to keep my guard up.