While I know that I am not a saint, that is not an excuse for the people to just betray. If they were so concerned, why did they not try to talk to me about their worries? Rin and Benet are of the closest people to me.

“Kakka, why is everyone so gloomy?” When Kasumi’s never-withering smile showed up to my right I just wanted to hit her as hard as I can, to let her feel my pain. I already raised my hand to hit her but when I saw her expecting smile, filled with innocence and loyalty I could only pat her and wryly smile.

“How are your lessons going?” I tried changing the topic.

“K-kakka… erhm… are you worried about something?” She started to feel nervous.

“Just come here and hug me.”

We sat on a tree stump by the road. My army was marching back to the palace where from we will begin the expansion and conquest. The passing soldiers looked at me without comprehending why I am like that. I even heard whispers that we were actually defeated and now are running like rats.

In warm hands of my personal priestess I finally calmed down enough to start rationally thinking about what happened and how to remake the plan to compensate the decline in my strength.

‘Ding’

‘You received 4 silver coins, 6 upgrade points, 2 steam catapults (epic), 1 dragon skin deck armor, 1 skill point, 1 level point’

IJN Fuji – CV. Level 7/7 (Upgrade cap 100)

FP -42

AA – 32

AV – 96

RD – 90

AC – 90

“Have you stopped daydreaming?”

When I closed the stats I heard someone, after I lifted my head…

“Mom-my~, hug me~!” I said it with a childish voice and stretched out the arms.

“When did I become your mom… Never mind. Come here, my sweet bastard!” Mommy immediately hugged me and carried me towards the palace. She won’t carry me all the way there but I might enjoy not having to walk.

“Even if everyone leaves you, I am still here. You always can return to me.” (E)

“I can’t stop thinking about it, yet, thank you.”

When we made a stop for the army to rest I recounted our quantities.

 “Elina, where is the pervert?” We miss not two but three people.

“Who…?” (E)

“Albert, where is he?”

“He said that he will go into a bush… and… that was 2 hours ago…” She was confused after she realized that he is missing.

Brilliant, another one went missing. I only need to lose 4 more people to be all by myself.

“Why the hell? Where did he go?” This is not good, this is not good!

“Stop the panic! Come here, you need some calming hugs.” Elina caught me before I began the actual tantrum.

“I am sure he is just somewhere in the rear of the column, he will catch up with us.” She started imagining the best outcome but I know that he is not. The scouts are constantly monitoring the column and I don’t see Albert in the column. If he is still with us then he should be walking inside the forest, where the crowns are too thick to see anything below.

I doubt that he is still somewhere nearby, he already ran away.

“Stop this spiral of doom.” Elina strongly pushed down my shoulder. It was the pain required to refocus myself so I did not pout at her.

I left Elina and went to the priest, who tried talking nonsense with the soldiers. Kasumi really was saying absolutely unconnectable words and even the simpletons she talked to were having hard time understanding what she wanted.

I signed them not to be concerned with me (Don’t you f* dare looking at me) and sneaked in.

When I was a meter away from her back I touched her sweet, sweet bacon.

“KYAAAAA!”

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” We all laughed hard at her reaction, another explosion of laughing occurred when she faced us with her face red from embarrassment and fury.

“Kakka! Why!?” She was not crying or stuttering, she was too infuriated to think about how she addresses me.

“Your ‘bacon’ was too pretty so I could not hold back~.” My words had the expected effect and the red-as-her-dress miko could only close her mouth and hide her face in my chest.

Those small things helped me overcome the betrayal of my maids but I already know that this is not an end. As the night comes closer we prepare for the sleeping in the dark and monster-infested forest.

I lifted all of the CAS to the flight deck and prepared to launch BNW airstrike in case we are pressured too hard. When the troops are under attack they will shoot fire arrows into the sky, that is my way of finding out the attacked locations.

A couple of arrows were fired and four flights of fighters and dive bombers began taking off. By the time they arrive the men will be either dead or close to that state.

The night is so young…