"I really don't know anything! I was just practicing a new trick using fireball which makes the spell return back to me at will. I was in no way trying to kill the Frozen Phoenix, so please let me go!"

 

"Oh really? Even if your outlandish claims are true, using magic in my territory is illegal. Come on now, tell me the truth and I guarantee you will not get executed."

 

This assassin is really stubborn, but he also has a peanut for a brain so I should get something out of him sooner or later. I put on a towel over the chained man's face then proceeded to pour water over it.

 

"Ahh, young master? Are you really sure this will work?"

 

This world doesn't know the concept of waterboarding. Just observe-

 

"MMMPHHHH!?"

 

The man began to struggle against his chains as I continued to empty a jug of water over his face. Haha! Where's the magic you've dedicated your whole life to now? Just a little trick like this and you are struggling for a gasp of air. I stop pouring water and remove the towel off of his face which is now covered in snot, eww.

 

"I thought you didn't want to speak because your throat is parched. Now, can you please tell me who sent you to kill me? Or are you still thirsty?"

 

"*Cough* You… *Cough* What dark magic have you used to make me feel like I was drowning! As a proud member of the great Fenrir's knight order, I will never succumb to such evil!"

 

…

 

"Oh, so you work for that Mark bastard after all. You should've said so from the start!"

 

The man was confused for a moment, then his expression contorted to horror as he realized his dumb slip up. Even Sisley is impressed after witnessing the sheer idiocy a human's mind could reach. Hmm… I still need more info though-

 

"How dare you trick me in such a cowardly manner! Just wait until Duke Mark Fenrir sends his army to wipe this pathetic settlement off the map, just like how he did to the Lionhearts!"

 

"And when is he coming, exactly?"

 

"Haha! Are you scared? You should be, because my lord pledged to end the Phoenixes within three months using an army of 1600 soldiers!"

 

… I can't determine if this guy is a complete moron or a traitor who came here to leak vital information. Actually, how did he ever become an assassin in the first place? I would never let a rattler like him do any task which requires handling sensitive information. I glanced at Sisley who had a disgusted expression on her face. Surely she's thinking that this man is a dirty traitor who'd sell his own mother for an iron coin.

 

"Guards, put this man in the cleanest cell we have and make sure he is properly fed. I want to spread news that Fort Erosion welcomes anyone who defects over to our side just like this brave man."

 

"??? What do you mean by defect!? I am a true, honest knight who swore allegiance to Duke Mark Fenrir. How dare you slander me and belittle my loyalty!"

 

Ahhh, yeah, sure buddy. I hope you enjoy your stay in the dungeon then. Now, I better go call for a meeting to discuss the bombshells this hoples- good man revealed to me. Though I expected Mark to escalate our tensions, I never knew that he's enough of a scumbag to take advantage of the chaos caused by the demon invasion to backstab his allies for his own selfish reasons. The kingdom should've stayed united against the constant threat of demonic attacks, here he is perpetuating the problem. This must be why Solaris isn't on the same side as the Fenrirs.

 

It was already late, so I decided to hold the meeting on dealing with Mark first thing tomorrow morning. I feel bad for those who survived in the western region, but I really can't afford the luxury to spare any resources for their rescue right now. At least not until I stabilize my own region first, so let's sleep for now and worry about the details later.

 

The sun rose after a long night, signaling a new day and the beginning of the strategic meeting against Mark's invasion. Those who showed up today are Martin, Leona, Sarah, Narko, and Alex. Sarah told me Alex shouldn't come, but I dragged him out of his room against his will anyway. He's literally the only one here who had formal education with this sort of thing. I'm excluding Sarah since she clearly forgot everything she had learnt about combat based on her performance. After making sure everyone took their assigned seats, the meeting began with Martin taking the helm.

 

"Before I begin, I would like to thank the captain for allowing this gathering to take place today. After hearing the alarming news about the Fenrir's plan to declare war on us, I decided to forgo sleep and form solid measures against the impending threat while also taking account of our own capabilities. We currently have a total of 138 battle ready Soul Stabilizers for this effort. Such a number is definitely not enough to fight on even grounds when the enemy is predicted to send 1600 men in this battle. Therefore, we should begin conscription of-"

 

Martin's TED Talk lasted for an impressive half an hour before he… Oh, he went for a glass of water and is still continuing. Ok, I'll just be patient for a little while longer. I mean, he's only had a single night to make his presentation, so it shouldn't last much longer.

 

Right?

 

End me already. It's been four hours since the meeting started, and this guy is still going at it. Of course, I've totally lost all ability to focus on whatever Martin's talking about two hours ago and all I'm doing is mindlessly nod every now and then.

 

"-With that being said, I am willing to hear out everyone's opinion on this approach from a different perspective. What do you say, captain?"

 

zzzz-Huh!? He's talking to me?

 

"Umm, yeah… It's very intuitive!"

 

"Oh what d'ya mean intuitive! Four eyes ove' there kept yappin' 'bout nonsense for an eternity! And he neve' mentioned anythin' 'bout usin' our cannons. Waste of time!"

 

To summarize Martin's plan, he pretty much wanted to conscript normal people and use guerilla warfare in the forest. Yup, he took four hours to say this which, understandably, caused a lot of frustration.

 

"Uhh, okay Narko, do you have a good idea for beating Fenrir's army?"

 

"Huh? 'course I do! Blow 'em all to smithereens like the monsters they are!"

 

"Uhuh… Hey Leona, got anything to add?"

 

"Eh!? Ahh, ahaha… maybe we should just go with Martin's plan and hope for the best?"

 

"Okaaay… What about you, mom?"

 

"Oh, don't mind me. I'm just here to watch, so you can skip my turn."

 

THEN WHY DID I INVITE YOU HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!

 

"If you really insist on getting my opinion, I can use magic to-"

 

"Rejected."

 

"-You can be nicer about this, you know?"

 

"Ok mom I'm sorry so please don't cry. We really don't have the time for this."

 

"I understand…. I'm so useless that even my existence is dragging you down, WAAAHHH."

 

"Ah, mom-"

 

She's gone… Alrighty, I guess that leaves Alex to… Is he sleeping?

 

"Hey Alex! This is no place to sleep in. WAKE UP!"

 

"Mmmm…Hmm? Is dinner ready?"

 

"Ahem, my dear brother, I sincerely hope you know our current situation right now and I'd like to hear your opinion on how to deal with the current predicament."

 

Please just say anything. I'll literally accept whatever you say unless it's magic.

 

"Right, don't we already know that Mark is going to send a large portion of his army to us? His territory will be almost completely undefended during that time. All we have to do is stall the enemy using Martin's strategy while a small squad will be sent to occupy Fenrir's land."

 

"Brilliant idea! With this, we can finally end the meeting today and enact this great plan."

 

Phew, this went on for far too long already, so I'm glad it's over.

 

"Captain, actually, I think that-"

 

"I said the meeting is over."

 

"O-Of course, captain."

 

No way am I letting Martin get another chance to give a lecture about the species of grass we will be fighting on. Now then, I should probably ask the traitor for his opinion on the plan to see if he can give any more helpful information.

 

"Hahaha! Your puny plan is nothing compared to the greatness of my lord. He even has a purple robe who will single handedly flatten this place!"

 

"Hold on, you are saying Mark is going to send a purple clown while he himself won't participate in the fight?"

 

"You're the clown! And my lord has better things to do other than supervising a battle which is guaranteed victory. In fact, he probably left this job entirely to his general while he's going to finalize an alliance with Prince Bismuth in the Fenrir estate."

 

That's interesting, so very interesting. This man is basically telling me that I can capture both Mark and Bismuth while they are unguarded at once. Essentially hitting two birds with one stone by not only stopping the attack, but also helping out her majesty, Princess Astatine, through imprisoning one of her bug competitors. Hehehe, maybe I should start calling her Queen Astatine instead? This definitely will pave the way to her victory and create a new magicless kingdom. Bleh, these tricks they call magic makes me cringe so much that even calling it 'magic' makes my skin crawl.

 

"Thank you, sir, for providing me with all this vital information. May I know your name, please?"

 

"Huuuuh!? You bastard! You don't deserve to know the name of a warrior from the great Zain family!"

 

"So Mister Zain, is it? Nice to meet your acquaintance. Here, take these five silver coins for your efforts. After the war is over, I'll let you out so you can live a happy life as an official citizen of my territory."

 

"@&*#!!?%"

 

I walked away with a smile on my face as Zain screamed out colorful words at the top of his lungs. As long as he won't use magic anymore, the least I can do is award him his freedom. I mean, he probably won't cause trouble if I don't tell him any important secrets.

 

"Young master, you seem especially happy today. Did something good happen?"

 

"Hehehe, this is a wonderful day, after all. I can already imagine Mark's look of despair once I capture him with Prince Bismuth."

 

"I see. I'm wondering if this is in any way related to Lady Sarah running to me with tears in her eyes while saying that a certain son of hers doesn't need her and that she's nothing but baggage."

 

"... Anyway, do you know that Alex has made a great contribution to today's meeting? Seems like pulling him out of his room was the right call after all, haha...ha."

 

"After your meeting, Alex locked himself in his room and is even refusing to open it for dinner."

 

Hey, stop making me look like the bad guy here! Ok, I admit that I might've been a bit harsh to Sarah, and pulling Alex out of his room may've been excessive, and cutting off Martin when he wanted to say something was also… Actually, forget the last part; he deserved it!

 

As I continued to deny my anger issues, the day ended uneventfully with no unexpected surprises (monster waves). It actually feels like the demonic horde is slowing down. Maybe they are taking a rest? Forget it, I'm happy as long as no more giant crabs spawn nearby. Now, let's concentrate on defeating Mark and get some breathing room to rebuild the region.

 

"Alright captain, here's the plan: Narko, Sarah, and I will remain here to oversee the defense of Fort Erosion. You and Leona will lead a squad of 33 chargers along with the new explosives Narko made to infiltrate and capture Duke Mark and Prince Bismuth. Remember, we need them alive, or it won't be possible to use them as hostages to stop the war."

 

I feel bad for Alex since Martin didn't mention him even as a courtesy. I guess it won't matter much as his reputation as a shut-in is widely spread already but come on! He's still my brother whether I like it or not.

 

"Thank you for the briefing, Martin. I'll be sure to bring back both of them gently wrapped up inside wooden barrels."

 

I took a look at the soldiers who'll be coming with me on this journey and I couldn't hide a troubled look on my face.

 

"Umm, Captain, is there a problem?"

 

"Ah! Don't worry about it Leona. I'm just thinking about how terribly easy this mission will be."

 

I'm actually concerned about the explosives Narko made. The bombs are literally strapped around the soldiers' belts in a way which awfully resembles suicide bombers. This world doesn't have the concept of terrorists, so I should be in the clear, I think.

 

Not like a police officer had reincarnated in this world or anything.