When I returned to the city of Ivalice, I paid a visit to Sati.
　I won't be able to see her face for a while as I'm going to the war zone.
　This isn't going to be the farewell of this lifetime, but I won't see her face for a few months if it drags on.
　I needed some time alone with her, even if it was just for a while.
　I sipped the tea she made for me in the office while I sipped on her special scones.
　They were served with honey and yogurt sauce and three types of berry sauce.　
　All of them were made by Satie, and they're not something you can eat on the battlefield.
　I savored them to my heart's content and then said to Satie, "Well, here we go again.

"Well, it's war again," I said to Satie. I'm worried that my taste buds will be compromised because I won't be able to eat your food for a while.

But the level of flattery will be raised instead.

　She returned it with a smile, and as usual, she gave me the experience.
　This time, instead of a flintlock, she went to the temple of the God of War and got a talisman for me.
　It seems that inside the amulet there is an outlier fortune in it.
　According to legend, there is a legend that if you put an "outlier" fortune in it, you won't be hit by an arrow.
　It seems to be a popular practice among humans.

　I have seen a dead soldier who was killed by an arrow stuck in his talisman, but I dare not mention it.

Thank you.

　He returned it to her and headed for the battlefield.

　Astride his beloved horse, he rode alone to Leezus.
　I've already sent Jiron and Lilith to face the army.
　My beloved horse will be able to meet up with the Eighth Legion when it arrives at Leezus.

　-as long as Jiron and Lilith haven't made any fatal mistakes along the way.

'Putting those two in charge of an army feels like handling explosives over a bonfire, doesn't it?

　However, the dwarves Günther and Alistair are also there as chaperones.
　It wouldn't be an eventuality.
　Believing this, I rode my beloved horse through the grasslands.




　We met up with the Eighth Legion near the royal capital of Lisas.
　It seems my fears were unfounded.
　My Eighth Legion was in an orderly formation without any problems and without missing a single life.

　The Fourth Legion, led by Luthrara of Lamia.
　The Fifth Army, led by Uruk the Cyclops.
　The Seventh Legion, led by the witch Cephiro, had already arrived and was besieging Regus.

　The way they surrounded the enemy's royal capital with a large army was an overwhelming sight, but at the same time, it also made me shudder.

　You'll be able to hear not a single noise in the quiet before the war, but once the war begins in earnest, the area will be enveloped in turmoil.

　In the inner part of the royal capital, there are nearly ten thousand troops, mainly infantry.
　The Demon King's army surrounding it is also in the tens of thousands.
　Regardless of who wins, if those armies meet in battle, there will be a great deal of damage.

　I have no intention of whining about not wanting to kill humans, but I thought it would be best if the damage on both sides was minimized if possible.

　In order to minimize the damage, I quickly gathered my men.
　The subordinates I gathered were Jiron and Alistair, the orc's chief of staff.
　The first thing I did was to give Jiron an order.

Jiron, I will infiltrate the capital with Alistair. You'll be in charge of the Eighth Legion with Lilith.

　Jirong is astonished by his words.

''What, sir, you're going to infiltrate the royal capital all by yourself?''

I'm not alone. It involves Alistair.

　When I say this, Jiron stares at Alistair.
　After staring at Alistair for a while, Jiron comes to my side and whispers in a whisper in my ear.

''Well if it's Lilith's sister, is this girl useful?　I don't think it's very reliable.

　At least I'm better than you.
　I wanted to say that, but even Giron would be hurt if he named me as weaker than a woman.
　I reply blandly.

''I don't expect any military force. I'm going to ask Alistair to show me the way to the capital. King's Landing is huge. And Alistair has been to the palace many times. Who better to guide me than her?

'That being said, I have no words to reply...'

　Giron admitted with a body of reluctance, and then he asked his next question.

'If it's good to be accompanied by Alistair, how is your husband himself going to infiltrate it?　Are you going to turn into a human again?

　We don't fade away, we return, the reality is that we do, but I can't confess to that.
　I returned in a slightly playful tone.

'You've been disguising yourself as a human more and more often lately. It's a hassle, so I think I'll just reincarnate myself as a human.

　When Alistair hears this, Alistair replies happily.

''Please do so. I have a feeling that if Lord Ike becomes a human, he will be a bridge between us and humans.''

I'm sorry, sir.　What does Giron think?

　In the meantime, I'll ask my chief of staff's opinion.
　Jiron replied with his usual charming face.

"I don't care if my husband is a human or an immortal, I just want to serve him. I will only serve my husband's side.

　I wonder if he meant it, and he instantly replied that.
　Although he is a useless counselor, his loyalty may be the best of all my men.
　So I left the rest to Jiron, and accompanied by Alistair. We set out for Leezus.

　The road to Leezus was a smooth one, but I didn't forget to cast the Invisible spell along the way.

　It was extremely unnatural for two human men and women to enter the castle while the Demon King's army was besieging it.

　The two of us approached the castle wall to blend in with the scenery, and then carried Alistair up and jumped onto the wall with the magic of "fly".

　The reason why they chose the time of night is so that the enemy soldiers guarding the gates would not know.

　To Alistair.

What would you do if enemy soldiers found you?

　I was asked, "What do you think?

'As a staple of the story, I'd pretend to kiss Lord Alistair and let the patrols think I was 'having fun' and get away with it.

　Hearing those words, Alistair's face turns bright red.

　I meant it as a joke, but Alistair

I'm still unmarried, but I'm willing to agree to a plan of action if you are willing to take responsibility for it, Master Ike.

　I was in a hurry.

　But fortunately, or rather, unfortunately, that was not the case.

　We took advantage of the shadows of the night to sneak in, and without being noticed by the enemy soldiers, we managed to sneak straight into the city of Reezus.

　The city of Reezus was as quiet as a grave.
　Full martial law must be in place.
　And it's surrounded by the Demon King's army.
　In the midst of such a situation, there doesn't seem to be any hardy people who would gather at a tavern in the middle of the night.
　There's not a single human being in sight, so the guards who are policing them are also invisible.
　It's not as easy to infiltrate as this, but there was one problem: it's not as quiet as this.

The only way to find a place to stay is to be quiet like this.

　He didn't know how many days he would be staying in this royal city, but he needed a place to be a base of operations for the time being. He had planned to find a suitable inn, but that might be difficult to find.

''In the middle of this martial law, a traveler staying in an inn, that's also extremely unnatural, isn't it?

　There was a possibility that if I was bad, I could be tipped off by the owner of the inn and surrounded directly by the guards.

　I'd like to avoid such a bad move if possible, but - as I was pondering this - Alistair tugged on the sleeve of my clothes.

''Lord Ike, it's not an inn, but I have an idea if it's a facility where we can stay.

　Alistair said and led me away.
　For a moment, I wasn't sure whether to follow her, but I decided to follow her.　
　At the very least, she should be far more familiar with the geography and affairs of this royal capital than I am.
　It's more profitable to accept her opinion than to just walk around in the dark.
　With that in mind, I followed her and headed into downtown Leithas.
　Even though I was taking advantage of the dark night, I didn't meet any guards.

　If this guy called luck was quantitative, then the bill would come back later, but I hated to say that I didn't believe in the quantitative theory of luck.

　I was trying to interpret it as a stream of good fortune going on, and now it was coming.
　It was more constructive and less worrisome that way.
　I followed behind her, Alistair's golden hair illuminated by the moonlit night.