Leaving the Demon King-sama in the large bathhouse, Satie and I began to prepare for the military council.

　We called the meeting to order, and within a mere ten minutes, the main faces of the Eighth Legion were all assembled in the military council room. Lilith, the deputy legion leader; Jiron, the chief of staff; Sigan, the dragon race; Günther, the dwarven king; Anemone, the elven warrior chief; and Alistair, the general of the White Rose Order. All the familiar faces are gathered around the table, and Sati offers each of them a drink.

　When they all took a sip of their drinks and settled down, I opened my mouth.


''The Demon King's Castle we built in Azuchi has been taken over by the Third Legion's rebellion.


　The moment he said that, a groan went up in the military council.

　It's understandable. Even though there hadn't been any battles with humans in recent years, they suddenly jumped into a rebellion within the Demon King's army. When I first heard about this, I thought I would be intimidated.

What do you mean... "Don't you see, Mr. Ike... I don't know if it's true that Azuchi Castle has been taken over?

Yes, yes, sir!　Where did you get that information from--

Calm down, Lilith, Giron. The information came from the Witch King himself. The Witch King was beaten so badly by the rebels that he is now healing his wounds.

Wha... uh... that Demon Lord?

　I'm telling her to calm down, but Giron is startled and flustered by her eyes.

　On the contrary, Lilith smiles at me as if she had come up with a prank, and beckons me to join her. I'm sure it's a silly thing to do, but I'll give it a listen just in case.

Ike-sama Ike-sama. It's a good time to take out the Demon King and make Ike the new Demon King.

　I knew I was thinking of something rogue.

　When I dismissed it without a second thought, Lilith continued without showing any signs of depression, perhaps because she had already expected to be rejected.

It's not a good idea. Then we'll just take back the castle as normal.... but only the 3rd Legion caused the rebellion, right?　Isn't it possible that the other legions are supporting you from behind the scenes?

''As far as I've heard from the Demon King, it doesn't seem to be particularly so. Originally, the Third Legion was originally made up of many misanthropes. Many of them must have been opposed to the Demon King's methods. I heard that they didn't get along with the other legions as well.

Then it's easy. We'll just go in with a bang!

　Lilith says as she clenches her fists and delivers a one-two punch to the front.

'That's what Ike-sama always says. Heavenly time, earthly advantage, and human harmony, you've got three things going for you this time. The enemy has just taken over the castle, and if we give them time, they will be able to fortify their defenses by that much. If you want to attack the castle, now is a good time to do so. Of course, we have the geographical advantage, and there is no stronger harmony than the unity of our Eighth Legion.

Lilith's sister is right, sir.

　Lilith's opinion is followed by Giron.
　Then Anemone, who had been drinking the honeyed tea, also raised her hand and stood up to the spot.

''I, too, think that's a good idea. A siege is a battle in which the defenders have an overwhelming advantage. I think it's a good idea to attack while the enemy's defenses are thin,''

Well, I'm not so sure about that.
　And.

　It was Günther, the King of the Dwarves, who spoke as if to break the air of the place.

　He was gulping down a bottle of wine while wetting his richly stocked beard. But there is no sign of drunkenness and he is staring at the faces gathered in the council chamber with his sharp eyes.

It is a good idea to be able to have a good time with them. Are you opposed to this?　If so, why is that?

Calm down, Anemone. "Calm down, Anemone, I will not oppose you because you, as an elf, agree with me. But I do not agree with the idea of attacking the castle at once. I'm sure there are others who agree with me.

Yes, sir.

　The one who raised his hand was Alistair, the leader of the White Rose Order and a minority of people in this place.

　Alistair scurried around and stood up to take a look at his surroundings. Although they have been close friends who have formed a joint front many times, they still seem to be unable to gauge the distance between them and the demon race.

''I also........I don't agree with the idea of attacking the castle out of nowhere.

Why? There are no complicated issues like the national seal or anything like that this time, okay?　It's a quarrel between demons, and it doesn't matter much to you, a human.

Lillith. The White Rose Order led by Lord Alistair is a member of our Eighth Legion. They have nothing to do with us. Keep your mouth shut.

''........Yes, if you say so, Ike-sama. But why do you disagree?　Even as we talk like this, the enemy is getting more and more defensive, you know?

Well, well, Mr. Lilith things aren't so simple. We're not just dealing with an army of rebels this time.

What do you mean...?

Let me explain that to you.

　I agreed with Lilith that the conversation was stagnant and troubling. I said in a volume that seemed to echo through the military council to regain the rudder of the conversation.

　Cigan watched the situation with a silent nod. After all, is there a difference in the level of understanding of the situation between each individual? It seems that only three of them, Shigan, Günther and Alistair are able to understand the current problem.

　Well, Lilith is a guy who only shines in the actual battle, and Anemone still has a narrow view of the situation. It can't be helped. I began to explain so that everyone could have a common understanding.

I'm sure that with the strength of the Eighth Legion, recapturing the castle occupied by the Third Legion will be easy enough in itself. As long as we don't question the means.

Right?　If that's the case, sir, you should attack this place as soon as possible.

Hear me out, Giron. I told you.　As long as we don't choose our means. If you take into account the Third Legion's counterattack, the damage will be so great that it's doubtful that the Demon King's Castle will retain its original form. I don't want that to happen.

"?　Why?　Ike-sama. You can't just get the giant tribe or something to help you rebuild the castle again?

The problem isn't that it's destroyed. It's that the humans will see that there's been enough civil war to destroy the castle.

"?　What do you mean?

''The Demon King's Army and the League of Kings are currently engaged in an ongoing standoff. It's a very close contest between the Demon King's Army and the Alliance of Kings. There's no telling when this balance will be broken. Remember, we only dismissed the Lords Alliance for once. We beat them back, but we didn't destroy them. They are always looking for an opening.

"...Oh!　Yeah, well, when the castle falls down.

''Ah. The civil war will be detected by the Lords Alliance and will give them an opening to attack while their troops are exhausted. That's why the fact that a civil war has occurred must not be known to the Lords Alliance.

　This is what the bad feeling I felt in the bathhouse was all about.

　We must take back the castle without damaging it, without exhausting the soldiers, as if nothing has happened.

　Günther and Alistair, who had been the first to arrive at that fact, were already holding their heads in their hands.

　Lilith, Jiron and Anemone, who belatedly understood my explanation, also put their hands on their heads to imitate me.

　I've run through several battlefields and fought several battles, but this is probably the first time I've been forced to do such an impossible task. It's a little easier to be told to kill 10 giant sea serpents if you're doing this.

　At any rate, you can fight them properly.
　This might be the first time that this is a battle that you shouldn't fight.

''Umm.............What do you plan to do?　Master Ike.

　I guess I couldn't come up with a good plan to worry about, and Lilith reached out her hand to me as if to ask for help.

'If we don't want the League of Kings to suspect the rebellion, we can't damage the castle. I can't wear out my troops in case they find out. ........That means we can't fight, right? If we don't fight, we won't get the castle back. This is impossible.

It's frustrating, but I'm with you on this one.

　Surprisingly, it was Günther who agreed with Lilith's words.

　I'm sure it's quite irritating not to come up with a good idea, but I gulped down the liquor and slammed the desk vigorously.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work. Or do you have a plan, Lord Ike, do you have a plan?

...just one thing.

　I say, holding up my index finger.

　But that plan was a gamble. I can't guarantee that it will work. However, I can meet the Demon King's orders nicely.

''Let's hear it.''

Yes. We're going to need Anemone and Sati's help on this mission.

'What?　Oh, me too?　Master.

Yeah. I'm counting on you, Satie.

　At my words, Sati said, "Wow, I get it! He straightened up and answered.