Mr. Second!

　I busted down the wall and declared to the court sorcerers, and Mein ran up to me.

'There you are. Let's get the hell out of here before they find out I'm here.

　If I were to come in for the King's murder, there's a good chance that the Prime Minister might try to arrest me. Then all-out war would ensue. With the disparity in force, I want to avoid that. Besides, it would throw a wrench in Winfiled's plans. I'm going to have to do it as planned.

"Yes, sir!　I'll follow you!

　Mein replied with a happy face. Behind him, Minister Hai Lai had a reluctant look on his face. Oops, sheesh. Maybe the word 'zura' was not a good idea in front of Minister Hai Lai.

''I'm going to leave quickly before I'm found out.
What? Why did you restate it?
Don't get hung up on the details, idiot.

You!　What a way to talk to your highness!

　But then the man beside Minister Hailai suddenly became angry. He was a chubby-bearded man in a tight military uniform.

Who are you?
How could you be so rude?
'It's the Second Knight Commander. Memphis, you can't tell this guy how to talk to me or anything else. Give it up for now.
'Ha. If you say so, Your Highness.

　I heard that Chobi Beard is named Memphis. The Second Knight Commander, so he's on our side. I mean, that Mein guy really started to say it.

Good. Then Commander Memphis will lead the second knight squad to take charge of the lord. You're already ready, right?
"You don't have to remind me to follow you, Your Highness. I don't need to worry about preparations.

　It's like a bad first impression and a bit hit or miss. Oh well. We don't have time right now.

''Then Commander Zephyr, bring all the court magicians with you.
Well, wait. That's all well and good, but where do you think you're going?
My home.
What about ......?

　I hadn't heard Cheri's dumbfounded voice for a long time. I was kind of happy and stroked her head, her eyes turning a little red.
　Her face turns red and she says, "Please don't do that," Cheri says. Still, she doesn't shake off my hand, which is probably a sign that she's curled up.

　I heard her scream, if only a little, behind the wall. That's why I can't stop my hands from stroking her head.

　Now that I have appeared, and Mine has appeared, it seems that the court wizards have been forced to prepare themselves. I'm glad that Cheri's speech wasn't in vain, I think to myself.


''Now the war is inevitable.

　While the court wizards are in formation, Minister Hailai says something like that to me. It's true. The Prime Minister will raise his troops shortly after joining the Empire to kill every single one of the Second Prince Faction.

''It's obvious. The thing to think about now is how to win.''
Forgive me, ....... I'm afraid I've had a bit of a rough time of it myself, haven't I?
Where is she, by the way?
Indeed you are: ......

　The minister was about to introduce the mysterious woman standing next to Mine with a dumbfounded look on her face, when the woman approached us first.

I am the late Bawel Castor, the Second Queen, Fron Castor. You are the Second, aren't you? I've heard a lot about you. Mine is always at your service.
Oh, that's very polite of you. It's a second-farth test.
The "farce test?
It means 'best' or something like that. I thought it was perfect for my future as number one in the world, but it became a family name without me knowing it.
Well, uh-huh.

　It seemed to be Mine's mother. She put her hand over her mouth and smiled elegantly. Her eyes look exactly like Mine's, and I felt as if she was just the same as the old Mine. The gender should be different, but hey, it's strange.

''Hey, Mr. Second!　I don't have time to relax like that!

　After chatting with Fron-san for a while, Mine yelled at me with an impatient expression. You don't have to be so angry .......

''Oops. Let's go then!

　At my appropriate command, the entire Second Prince Group will depart.
　Towards our base of operations, the First Test Mansion.



　　* * * *



'I wondered what would happen at one point, but you finally left. Prime Minister.
Yeah. You didn't have to use force.

　The Third Knight Commander Jarm was surprised by the explosion of the wall, but he was relieved to see the Second Prince and the others leaving. He had mistakenly thought that this was a 'de facto victory'.

　On the other hand, the Prime Minister was also feeling a bit relieved. The Prime Minister also felt a bit relieved, because he wanted to avoid fighting with them when our forces were not yet at full strength. If you're going to crush it, do so with certainty. This is a manly idea that has spent half his life in the bosom of the kingdom.

''With this, the next king belongs to His Highness Klaus. Now it's just a matter of when he will ascend the throne.''
The sooner the better. "The sooner we build up our strength and eradicate them, the sooner we can achieve the kind of unshakable government I intend to achieve.
What do you mean by "empowerment"?
We will need the help of the Empire. I've already asked for reinforcements.
'My God!　Does that mean you're inviting the Imperial Guard in?　But then, my kingdom is ......
'No, Jarm. The kingdom is entering a new era. A time to walk with the Empire.
...... even if you want to be a member of the Empire?
In whatever form. We'll be the sweetest of all. Isn't that so?
'Ha, ha, ha!　That's right!　As expected of a Prime Minister, Your Excellency!





Oh, Klaus. At last, at last, you will be king!
...... Yes. Yes, Mother.
'I'm very high nosed!　Hey, look at that!　That concubine's child, she's running away with her tail between her legs!
............

　For some reason, Klaus felt his chest tighten at the scene outside the window.

　The second, the one he hated who killed his father. He couldn't help but feel his heart buzzing when he saw Fron smiling happily next to him.

　Besides. The more he thought about it, the greater his doubts about the Prime Minister became. The legitimacy in him was wobbling badly.

''Mother ...... that man really is your father.
'What are you talking about, Klaus!　You said all you had to do was think about being king!

　This woman thought nothing of Bowell's death - Klaus knew that early on.

　And that. The same goes for the Prime Minister and the Third Knight Commander.

I'm going to cool off a bit.

　Klaus said that as usual and ran away from his mother. There was no longer anyone anywhere in the royal palace to counsel him.




　　* * * *



Mr. Second, I know it's strange for me to say this, but it's never been a problem for you. This is strange for me to say, but it's never been a problem for me.
What?
Your house is too big. What do you mean it's bigger than the palace?
Isn't it great?
...... Yeah, well.

　The First Court Magicians and the Second Order of Knights, a total of more than three thousand people, could fit within the grounds of the First Test Mansion with plenty of room to spare. The house was a little short, but it was at a manageable enough level.

　It wasn't just Mein who was dumbfounded, but also Minister Hai Lai, the Second Knight Commander of Memphis, Commander Zephyr, Cheri-chan, and even the Second Queen of Fron, who was pouting.

''It looks like we're short on houses and servants, so we'll have to take care of that ourselves.
'The Second Order will be camped out, so I'm sure it'll be fine: ...... How many servants do you have, by the way?'
You know, I was surprised last time I heard, there were three hundred of them.
Why do you sound so happy about it?
I'm very proud of him. They're all very strong.
''Wait a minute, I'm scared. Does that mean that Second-san is giving out something like the First Court Magic Division's training every day?
No, I'm not there yet, but I'm going.
Yeah, go easy on him. Really.

　When it comes to a group of three hundred fierce fighters, the kingdom can't ignore them. When I teased him by saying, "You're starting to realize that you're the king," he diverted the conversation, "That's not the point, it's the meeting.


I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about a meeting. You're back. Are you ready to go?
Oh, Winfiled. As you can see.

　As soon as I enter the lakeside house with the main members, Winfiled appears.
　Silvia, Eco and Yukari are also in the living room. The butler, Cubero, is apparently busy dealing with over 3,000 guests.

''Well then, we've only just arrived, but let's have a meeting.

　As they gathered around the round table, Minister Hailai was the first to open his mouth. Cheri was still scurrying around the area even as she took her seat, as if the mansion was unusual.

''Hmm. A meeting, though, you know.

　Winfild tilted his head at Minister Hailey's words.

　But I'm sure everyone here but me thought this. 'We're the ones who want to nod our heads.


"Tomorrow afternoon, we will destroy them. That's it.



What about ............? !


　Everyone was uniformly astonished.

　That too. The reason for this was that they had just escaped with their tails between their legs. Nevertheless, who would think that they would strike out as early as tomorrow?

　But because "they think so too," now is the only time we have a chance.


'Well, wait. I don't think it's going to work.

　Mein says plausibly. Minister Hailai, the Second Knight of Memphis, and Commander Zephyr agreed with him.

'Mr. Winfild. What do you have in mind?'

　It was the Second Queen Huron who was calm. He urged Winfiled's plan to move the conversation forward.

''Of course. I'm not going to be able to annihilate them with my current strength, you know.
"!　I see, you're building up your forces. But from where: ......

　Commander Zephyr noticed. Then, unexpectedly, Cheri turned to me and raised her hand.

''Hmm, what's up?''
'Nope. Maybe it's irrelevant, but .......

　She looks around the living room once more before she does so, and then opens her mouth.


'Master Sherry, shouldn't you be in here?'


　That's very astute, Cheri. That's right.

　Cheri Lumberjack. She's a countess, and she hasn't been here since the day the king was assassinated. I don't need to tell you who sent her.

''Bingo. How did Mr. Second make the money to buy the house? Because the Countess of Lumberjacks has a huge amount of mithril alloy to sell.
Mithril Alloy: "Mithril Alloy: ...... Right, prolin dungeon's ......

　Cheri is convinced by one of Winfiled's seedlings. The other sides still don't seem to have realized the core of the matter.

I'm sure you're a smart guy, too. I'm sure you've been anticipating this and have been running the arms and armor industry with mithril alloys in your territory.
'No way, Countess Lumberjack's soldiers are ......'
Yeah. If you want to get in shape, you have to get your own soldiers first.


　What does that mean?

　No less than 2,000 mithril alloy-equipped reinforcements will be joining us.

　They are not just soldiers. This is no mere reinforcement of Mithril alloy equipment. Their reliability is incomparable.

"It's about speed. Tomorrow afternoon, we'll kill every last one of them. Otherwise, they will be outnumbered by their own reinforcements.

　The current situation, where the nobles of each region had not even been able to launch a flag without deciding which side the first and second princes would take, was the exact point of contention. If the nobles of the first prince faction moved many times faster than the first prince faction's nobles could send reinforcements and cut off the main book, the victory would be ours.


''It's a terrific strategy ...... but if that happens, I'm afraid of the Empire. As Second-san says, I'm sure the vizier has already sent a communication requesting reinforcements.

　Mine points out. But Winfiled replies with a generous smile, saying one word.

'I'm not coming, yo.

　Why?　As if to answer everyone's questions, she continued to speak.

''I'll use the Kamel Divine State, you know.

　I'm sure everyone had a lot of hathenas in their heads. When I first heard of her ruse, I couldn't fully understand it either, even though I knew about Calameria. To them, who didn't know the facts of the Calameria infestation, they must have had no idea what she was talking about anymore.

''Behind the Empire's secret maneuvering, the God Kingdom was also behind the scenes. Within the Kingdom, the drug Calameria has become a widespread drug. The God State is at the right time. I'm sure the God State has an army of soldiers on its border by now.
What did you say?

　The minister shouted loudly.

　It's only natural. The domestic situation is already in such a critical state, and if we have to deal with the God State in addition to the Empire, we can no longer afford to be talking about a crisis.

They're planning to take advantage of the gap between us and start a war with us, and then use the peace treaty to force us to import Karamelia. If that happens, the kingdom will be torn apart by drugs and the money will be ripped off, it will be a disaster.
............

　A silence flows.
　He seems to understand, disgustedly, how badly the kingdom is in trouble now.

"It's something that even the Empire would like to avoid, as they want to get their hands on the kingdom. That's why I'm sure the Empire will be reluctant to reinforce when they hear that the Kamel God State is trying to do something like this.
Why?
"Bringing down a kingdom that has been bitten in the ass by the God State while protecting it from the God State is a high-risk, low-return proposition. Taking a wait-and-see approach, and then offering a pact to a kingdom that is tired from the war with the God State is a low-risk, high-reward strategy.
Does that mean the invasion will be worthless?
Yes. Before that, all the secrets of the kingdom were passed down through the prime minister. We've got plenty of time to make a profit. The Empire has no reason to send in reinforcements in this time of need, does it? The Prime Minister can't wait any longer.

　I feel sorry for him, he adds. Not a single person here had any sympathy for the Prime Minister.

　Well. If this happens, the problem at hand is not the Empire, but the Divine State. There isn't a moment's time to be relieved to know that the Empire's reinforcements won't come.


I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the future. Next, let's have a specialized knight squad to guard the country.

　Minister Hailai speaks a very ministerial thought. However, this is also a case of being able to respond to the tricks of the Kamel God State. If we let the war begin at this point, we will have to be prepared to even change our borders.

''Excuse me. As long as we don't make a move, isn't it unlikely that they will start a war from there?

　A voice came from the Memphis Commander. It was a typical military point.
　I agree. In war, there always needs to be a reason to initiate it.

Yes, here's the thing. There is no good reason, so far, to start a war. But I just need to fill in the blanks during the civil war, and by extension, when the Empire is at war with us. Now, what would you do if you were a godd*mn country?

　Mine made an "oh" face at Winfilled's sudden question. 'Doh!' he guessed, and answered.

'I'll make up a good cause,'
Hmm, half right.

　Where's the other half?　She answers the question, "What would you do?

"I would set it up so that the other side would set it up first. I guess.

　Along with everyone's "I see" convinced, a new question comes to mind. How in the world did you get ......?

Now, if they raise their troops, with some kind of false accusation, our frontier count will have no choice but to stop them. We'll have to standoff at the border. Then they'll try to provoke the frontier count into action, right?

　The Frontier Count's military strength is still very large, as it is the key to national defense. However, that alone is not enough to withstand an all-out attack by the Kamel God State. You will definitely need reinforcements. But we don't have the time to send a reinforcement at the moment.

　If the Kamel God State had a military strategist as good as Winfiled. They would hide their troops beforehand, invite them to set up a trap during the standoff, make the frontier count side think that they can win, and when they let the frontier count side get their hands on them first, they would gather an ambush army to destroy them. It is possible that they are planning such a strategy. Winfiled was wary of that. The cunning, prudence and shrewdness with which he waited for the right moment to set up his kingdom by systematically weakening it with drugs and racketeering, forced him to doubt the existence of a good military strategist.

'Split Lord Burrell's reinforcements to the side of the Kamel divine Kingdom: ...... or but...'
If it's all over by tomorrow afternoon, then we can go to the reinforcements.
But there's a chance it won't be in time.

　Commander Memphis and Commander Zephyr discuss it. But they don't have a good answer.

　This is because Kamel Godland is moving too fast. If this one is a speed game, then this one is also a speed game. Even if they started moving after what happened, everything was too late.


Well, we already know the answer to that question.

　Winfiled said with a relaxed expression. He had a confident look on his face as if to say, "I'm reading through to the end of the game.

　And while everyone was focused on what she said next. The next words she let loose and everyone was stunned by them.


"The reinforcements to the frontier will be provided by the second person.

............


　Everyone is at a loss for words.

　They know what they're saying, but they don't seem to understand the meaning of what they're saying.


　A few seconds passed after that, and Mein, representing him, broke the silence.

'What ...... alone, sir?'


　I smiled and nodded, and Mine opened his mouth so wide it looked like his jaw was going to come off, and he exclaimed. This is not a good look for a prince to make.

'I'm not going to kill you all. I'm just going to scare them off a little.'
You're not going to scare me.　It's too reckless to deal with thousands of people by yourself!

　Well, that's right, there's a limit to how much I can go around the battlefield by myself. Even the 《Spirit Possession》 9-dan has 4.5 times the status. If it's a thousand times that, it's a different story, but it would be impossible to do it alone.

　It's just that I seem to be alone and I'm not alone. Even Winfild hasn't revealed everything about me, and I have a trump card.

　I'm not going to be able to get my hands on it, but I'm going to be able to get my hands on a trump card that I have complete confidence in, which makes me think that if I get my hands on this thing, I'm going to be number one in the world.


"Don't worry, I'll take care of it. The Prime Minister will have Mithril alloy reinforcements and, most importantly, Silvia and Eco to come to him. With the two of them, we can't lose.
'That may be true, but ...... there may be some people over there who have competed in title fights or something. It's not that easy.
'No. The powerful pieces, Sylvia and Eco, are being moved by Winfild. You know what that means, don't you?

　No matter how strong a piece is, it is useless if the person using it is weak.

　It was the same in Mevion's 'Team Warfare'. No matter how good an individual's ability was, they were powerless in front of their numbers. Rankers who were particularly good at team battles had a number of tactics that could contain the opponent's main force.

　Shogi, chess, and team games are all games of "win the king, win the game". It is not a game of "whoever has the best piece wins".

　Yes, it is. So to speak, this is a game between a Winfiled and a Prime Minister.

　Who would win?　I'd put all my money in on Winfilled.


"Mine. Stop worrying about other people, you should be thinking about what you're going to do after you're king. Yeah, well, as far as I'm concerned, I'd like to see the title fight of the year held at any cost.

　Maybe this guy is anxious. I smiled at him to cheer him up and told him so.

I'm not going to be able to get rid of it. I'm going to do my best work. Huh, after all is said and done, Second-san's treatment after all is said and done, I'm getting a headache just thinking about it now.

　Then he seemed to be cheerful enough to return it with a sense of humor. Will this simpleton really be able to serve as king? I'm a little more worried than I am. Minister Hai Lai is going to have a hard time. It's probably just a matter of time before the barcode comes off.


Then we are ready to get moving. I want you and Winfiled to have a good plan.

　Well, I think someone in the Camel God State and the Marvel Empire would have to go bald first before the minister would go bald.