The day of the meeting arrived.


    It will take place in the central temple of the region, just across the river (called the Nagrad or Border River) from Fort Nagrad.


    Temples are not inherently the property of the lord of whatever territory they are located in, but belong to the Church of the Kingdom, or even more extremely, to God. That is why it is often used in meetings.


    Of course, the guest house of the lord may be used, but the center of the Minerian territory is so far away that there is no such place around here.


    Since the meeting is held at the other party''s place, the rule is that the other party is supposed to entertain us. This means that the lord of the other party has entered his land first.


    We took a break on this side of the river. I''m in the house of the chief of a small village. So far, so planned.


    "Sir, ...... Mr. Arsrod, ...... if we don''t leave soon, we''ll be late for our appointment. ......"


    Laviala came into the room, suspicious that I had not given the order to leave.


    "Well, take your time, Raviara."


    I suggested a chair next to the table. Raviara sat down there.


    "I wonder if you are doing this on purpose?　By going later than scheduled, you are trying to show that you have a superior attitude."


    Laviala''s thinking is also astute in its own way. But there is another purpose.


    "The meeting won''t start right after we enter the temple late, will it? We''re going to be even later because we''re going to have to unarm ourselves from there. That means they''ll have time to take a closer look at our army."


    "I see. ......"


    "And, thanks to the delay, we can make another play. Well, we''ll see when we get there."


    And we left, a little less than an hour behind schedule.


    Naturally, we arrive at the temple where the meeting is to take place less than an hour later.


    We had learned from the secret messenger we had sent that the Minerian lord, Ailes Kartis, had been watching the movements of our army.


    That is why they marched impeccably to the temple. Today is the big day. You can tell they''re all fired up.


    --Mm-hmm. It''s a fine sight. I''m sure the enemy lord will be horrified to see them.


    The High King seems pleased.


    He''s not the enemy. It''s not time to fight yet.


    --When the High King met with Dosan Saito, the lord of Mino, he intentionally prepared soldiers that looked like small fry and surprised them by coming in formal attire after he himself walked around looking dirty. Dosan, who had underestimated us, came in shorts, and was crushed to see the High King dressed in formal wear with dignity. However, there is another way to show him our majesty first. You are not wrong.


    You are not wrong. You can intimidate your opponent just the same.


    Thud, thud!


    The mere sound of footsteps can be powerful in its own right.


    I could see the temple officials and what appeared to be Mineria''s vassals looking on in amazement as we marched.


    "What an orderly unit ......."


    I even heard a voice that I shouldn''t have heard.


    With the special ability [Guidepost of the High King], the soldiers'' trust and concentration are now 1.5 times higher than before. Even the royal family''s own soldiers could not have marched this far.


    I made it to the temple without incident.


    But there is one more trick. But the effect will be small.


    "Thank you all for your service."


    I turn to the soldiers with a dignified face.


    "However, some of the White Eagles were late for their scheduled arrival, and as a result they arrived late. Those who are aware of their negligence, come forward."


    That is not true. Of course, it''s all an act.


    "Ha!　It''s me, sir!"


    Then a young soldier comes out without fear.


    I stand in front of him...


    Pashin!


    A small slap in the face.


    "Next time, don''t think about it. Be careful from now on. If you fall behind in battle, I may have to cut your head off.


    "Ha!　Yes, sir!"


    "Go back to where you came from."


    Without changing his expression, the soldier entered an empty space.


    The whole thing is a myth.


    A commander taking a stern attitude toward a latecomer, a soldier reporting his negligence without fear. The military''s control over the situation has been more than demonstrated. I don''t know if you''re watching this play.


    Raviara''s face showed that he understood the meaning of the delay.


    Well then, let''s get to the press conference.


    When I entered the room, Ailes Kartis was already waiting for me. He was a man of no more than forty years of age, with a wide-eyed look in his eyes. Heroic is an overstatement, but owlish might be a better word. He is expanding his territory even more in his generation.


    His face is completely different from those of the other small lords we have met so far who have no prospects for the future.


    In other words, this man has an intention to expand his territory and enrich his land. This naturally shows in his face.


    Behind me are Laviala and the old general Sivik.


    Behind Ailes Kartis were also two men who looked like executives.


    I apologize for my tardiness, Count Mineria. I am unfamiliar with the area and misread the time allotment."


    I made a formal apology before taking my seat.


    There is a unique tension in the room that I have never felt before. I had never met anyone of this caliber before.


    --After all, he looks like my father-in-law Dosan. Though this man''s face is much more handsome. I didn''t realize how close we are in terms of atmosphere.


    The voice in my heart is saying whatever it wants to the outside world, but I can''t be so carefree. But it''s not a bad tension. In fact, I''m comfortable with it.


    "Well, take a seat in that chair, Count Naevre."


    Chairs for the number of people were available in front of the table.


    "Well, then, I will sit down."


    "Count Nayvel, I''m really only bringing my entourage here. So let me speak frankly. Your troops are coming late, so I was just taking my time to see them.


    "Well, I''m embarrassed to admit that I''m new at this."


    My face is smiling, but not my eyes. There may be heroes with a big heart, but I''m not one of them.


    "If anything, it''s creepier if it''s a spur-of-the-moment thing. Our defeat at Fort Naglad was no accident. You are a genius at war. I don''t want to fight you head-on."


    I cautiously waited to see what they had in mind. So far, I have not given them a bad impression.


    "We don''t want to fight Mineria either. We are on the same page.


    "If you had been mediocre, I would have taken you out of the picture, but if you had been mediocre, you would not have gotten the countship in the first place."


    A deadly feeling suddenly settled over Laviala and Sivik''s bodies.


    "Are you prepared to be an assassin?"


    "It''s hard to beat you here. Even if we could, we would be killed. So it is best to make a firm alliance.


    On the other hand, the other side still has time to spare.


    "You haven''t welcomed your wife yet, new Count."


    Yes. After all, we''ve been at war for so long.


    I want you to take my daughter as your wife.