...an alliance.

　I muttered one of several options.

'Huh?'
Alliance.

　The canon next to me reacts to my muttering.

'An alliance?　Huh?　Did you have such a special ability?

　The creation of subordinates, the creation of dominant territory, the division of the territory, and the rule were all special abilities unique to the Demon King.

　Therefore, the canon must have mistaken them for 'special abilities'.

''No, it's not a special ability. It's a 'alliance' as they say.
An alliance...you know, that alliance where you make non-aggression pacts with each other or cooperate with each other to fight a common enemy?
That's the alliance.

　Since ancient times, nations have used alliances as a solution with other nations during wartime.

　In the Warring States period, the Kiyosu Alliance between Oda and Tokugawa is perhaps the most famous. There were many other alliances throughout the history of Japan and the world, including the Satsunaga Alliance and the Tripartite Pact between Japan, Germany and Italy.

But..........the special ability in the alliance - well, it's not a system that is recognized by the world, is it?
Yeah.
Do you trust him?
'Hmmm...I don't know.　If it's mutually beneficial we'll be able to trust each other as long as that benefit doesn't go away.


　The canon looks unconvinced, but asks who they are forming an alliance with.

'Oh, "Where do you think? I'm not going to say that!

　Kanon tells me quickly, as if he's ahead of my words.

　Has Kanon forgotten how to enjoy playing with words........

''Who says that!　The one I'm going to make an alliance with is the Demon King Kaoru.

　I was inwardly annoyed by Kanon's words, but I told him my answer.

'What?　Kaoru, the Demon King?　It's a war of attrition.　Theon, she hates you so much!　Would you be willing to accept it?

　Emphasis on the extra word 'canon fit'.

'I don't know.　My guess is it's a 50-50 split.
''Zion-san is usually cautious to the point of pulling, but sometimes he's needlessly positive, isn't he?

　What is it?　Is canon picking a fight with me?

So, let me ask you the other way around... is there any way to get out of this situation?
The actuality is that there is no more power in the three prefectures of Hokuriku than Zion-san. So..........we can continue to use our power to invade as we have been doing up until now, and aim for further expansion of our military strength, don't you think?
''Huh ... is that the opinion of someone who aspires to be a military strategist, even if it is?''

　I let out a deep sigh to the fool (canon) in front of me.

'Yes!　I'm a soldier of Emperor Astor!

　The canon wastes no time in showing its positive side.

'Strategist canon, report on the situation in the vicinity.
'What?　The south of the prefecture - Komatsu City and Kaga City are controlled by Demon King Kaoru.　Ninety percent of the neighboring prefecture of Toyama has been liberated by the human race, and the remaining demon king in Kurobe City is showing desperate resistance!

　Kanon replies desperately.

'What's the situation in Fukui Prefecture?'　
Fukui Prefecture is still a dominant force to be reckoned with!　In the south of the county, the Demon King is strong, and the center of the county is ruled by humans!　Is the situation in the northern part of the prefecture slightly more favorable to humanity, huh!
What's the situation in Gifu Prefecture?
"Well, uhm........Gifu Prefecture has an influx of humans from Aichi Prefecture who escaped under the influence of the '13 Evil Stars' - the Demon King Hayate. Due to this influence, the human race has been ruling over most of the area.
What's the situation in Niigata Prefecture?
'What?　
'No, you don't need to look into it. We still have a long way to go before we need information about Niigata Prefecture.
Well then, how did you hear about it!

　Kanon protests with a huff.

'What I'm trying to say is ... are you ahead of the curve?　And that's what I mean.
Ummm ... I read it. That's why I'm investigating the situation in the neighborhood, you know.

　The canon protests with a flurry of limbs.

'Ho ... then I have a question for you. What's the strongest force you've ever fought?'
'What?　If he was struggling or something........Demon King Arisa?　Hmm........but I wonder if the one who is struggling......is the Demon King Kaoru who is currently engaged?
'Correct. I left some of them out to level up, but if I were to drop them I'd have a lot of trouble. From that point of view, what forces did you struggle with next?
If you're saying it was hard to bring it down, is it the Kanazawa Liberation Army?
'Correct. What's the answer you can derive from those two?
'What?　Huh?　Demon King Kaoru is the Demon King and the Kanazawa Liberation Army is human beings... their strategies and fighting styles are totally different... ... uh... uh... or a number?　Strength?　is big or something?

　Kanon asks me with a probing upward glance.

The common denominator between the two forces and the Astor Empire is that they are the most recently contested forces.
Huh...?
I mean, the more time that goes by the more powerful the relative forces become.
But we're going to be strong.
'Right. In a way, the one with greater growth potential wins. The question then becomes, does it make that much difference in growth potential?
That's not...
The surviving forces, be they demon kings or human beings they will continue to struggle to survive. And they are adapting to this changed and cowering world. Which means that there will be no easy battles to win in the future.
''Umm ... uh ... so that's why you're forming an alliance?''

　A dejected canon tries to return to the main topic.

''What do you think are the factors that allowed us to survive so far--what do you think are the factors that allowed the Astor Empire to develop so far?
'What?　Is this a strategy that could be called clairvoyant by Zion-san?
'If you're really clairvoyant you're doing better than that. There are a number of factors. Some factors are luck, and some are factors that made the strategy fall into place. But the biggest factor is--

　I told the canon of my well-thought-out analysis of the development of the Astor Empire.