Chapter 38

When I returned to the town of Ivalice, I gathered the main officers and held a military council.

In the round table room of my mansion, the main officers gathered.

Saty poured tea into the cups of each of the officers and distributed cookies.

The room was filled with a pleasant aroma.

After making sure Saty had finished serving the tea and snacks, I looked at the officers.

First, I directed my gaze to Jiron, the orc advisor.

He is not at all like a proper advisor.

In fact, I never ask him about strategy or tactics.

Well, I do ask him occasionally when I am in doubt, but in those cases, I always adopt the opposite of what Jiron suggests.

Because doing so always leads to success.

In that sense, he is an indispensable member of this Undead Legion.

Moreover, although he is incompetent, he has charm and loyalty.

There was a time on the battlefield when he took an arrow to protect me.

The wound from that arrow still remains.

I have offered to heal it with magic, but Jiron stubbornly refuses.

"This arrow wound is proof that I protected you. I will never let it heal."

He sometimes rolls up his sleeve to show me the scar.

He probably means to flatter me, but he is far more trustworthy than a demon who only flatters and runs away in a crisis.

Next, I directed my gaze to Shigan, a dragonkin demon.

Dragonkin are dragon neuters, a subhuman race with a form between humans and dragons.

High-ranking ones can transform into real dragons, but unfortunately, Shigan cannot transform into a dragon.

However, his personal bravery is quite remarkable, especially in spear techniques, where he is arguably the best in our legion.

However, his lack of talkativeness and charm is a drawback.

I wish he had at least a tenth of Jiron's charm and amiability.

He has been a subordinate since the formation of this legion, but 70% of the words he speaks are "Understood" or "Acknowledged."

He is a loyal officer of the opposite type to Jiron.

Finally, I directed my gaze to Lilith, a succubus of the succubus race.

A beautiful woman with brown skin.

She appears to be an adult, but I do not know her age.

Asking a woman her age is both foolish and meaningless.

What is important is that she is excellent.

In terms of personal bravery, she should be one of the best in our legion.

However, the problem is that she is somewhat lacking in intelligence, has a strong tendency to be stubborn, and is very jealous.

Also, her infatuation with me is a problem.

She always tries to get close to me when she sees an opportunity.

If she discovers that I am human, it would be the worst-case scenario.

Sephiron, the commander of the legion, has known from the beginning, so there is no problem.

Even the Demon King, the supreme commander of the Demon Army, already knows, so there is no problem.

However, if this girl finds out, she will likely take actions typical of a succubus.

Succubi are known for extracting the essence from human males.

The thought of her discovering my true identity is terrifying.

While I was thinking about this, Jiron the orc asked for an explanation.

"By the way, sir, what is the topic of this military council?"

This prompted everyone's gaze to focus on me.

"Ah, right. I want to confirm our legion's immediate policy."

"Policy? Is it related to the Alliance of Kings?"

Lilith, the deputy of the Undead Legion, asked.

"Yes, it is about that."

"I see. Then it's straightforward. We should attack them before they attack us and crush them."

Lilith smiled sardonically.

The other officers also agreed.

"Our legion is unstoppable. Now that Ike is our deputy commander, there is nothing to fear."

Lilith and the others were highly motivated.

Our Undead Legion has never lost since its formation.

It was understandable that they had developed a habit of underestimating the enemy.

However, complacency and defeat are said to be more compatible than any couple.

It was my duty as the legion commander to tighten the reins on my subordinates.

"Lilith, don't be too hasty. The battle against the Alliance of Kings is premature."

Lilith looked disappointed.

On the other hand, Shigan, the dragonkin, asked without changing his expression.

"Then, what is your plan, Ike? What do you want us to prepare for and do?"

"Of course, we will fight, but our target is not the Alliance of Kings. This operation is about capturing a certain city."

"Capturing a city?"

Shigan responded briefly.

"Yes, this operation is about rescuing a man who is imprisoned in a certain city."

I continued.

"The man's name is Gunther. Have you heard of him?"

Everyone shook their heads.

It was pitiful that even Jiron, the advisor, did not know.

"He is the king of the dwarves."

With those words, Jiron finally seemed to remember Gunther.

"Oh, yes, he was the king of the dwarf kingdom of Wilhelm in the west, wasn't he?"

"Former king."

I corrected him.

"Yes, that's right. I heard he was destroyed by humans and is now imprisoned somewhere."

"That's correct."

"I heard he is imprisoned in the kingdom of Ismus, which is further west of Rozaria."

"Yes, Ismus destroyed Wilhelm, so it makes sense that they are holding him. It's only natural."

"But, in that case, isn't it impossible to rescue him until we destroy Rozaria?"

Lilith asked.

"Why do you think so?"

"Because we have to cross Rozaria's territory. I hear that military forces from various countries have gathered in Rozaria's capital. It's impossible to cross through and head to Ismus."

"You were just saying there was nothing to fear."

I added a bit of sarcasm.

"No, that's different. Even demons have their limits."

Of course, that's true.

If everything were possible, I would have already captured Rozaria's capital.

Understanding one's limits is what makes a great general.

A general who confuses courage with recklessness will not survive on the battlefield.

I reminded everyone of this, but Shigan, the dragonkin, asked calmly.

"In other words, do you have a plan to cross Rozaria and attack Ismus, Ike?"

I replied succinctly.

"You can think of it that way."

No one doubted my words.

Our past achievements have made Shigan and Lilith trust me completely.

If I ordered them to charge into a large enemy army alone, they would happily follow the order.

Of course, I would never give such a meaningless order.

However, Jiron, the orc advisor, still seemed skeptical.

He was still scratching his head.

He is still a coward.

To convince this coward, we have no choice but to actually cross Rozaria and invade Ismus.

I explained the outline of the operation to everyone.