1459화
In two days, the independence ceremony will be held in eight regions of the Baldwin Kingdom.
Simon had established a solid plan, and in the meantime, the other team members returned from their missions.
Hector walked in with a fatigued expression, and he was reeking of blood all over. It seemed he had found and fought some members of the First Army in Baldwin.
Merida returned with wide-open eyes, but the news wasn’t good. She tended to perform better when she was sleepy.
“Uhooh, everyone’s so weak. Look at how worn out you all are.”
In contrast, Cerne returned unscathed, without a speck of dust on her clothes, chuckling softly. Hector glared at her and clicked his tongue as he sank into the sofa while Cerne raised an eyebrow.
“Oh my, you’ve grown, haven’t you, Hector?”
“My mouth just hurts.”
At the moment when the two were about to engage in a battle of nerves, Simon clapped his hands and appeared from the second-floor room.
“Alright, we don’t have time to fight among ourselves.”
Simon explained the plan to all the team members gathered.
The goal was to thwart the brutal plan of the First Army that would unfold at the independence ceremony in two days. Also, it was to inform people of this fact and make Crown Prince Rias a king.
If Rias became king, Baldwin could rejoin the Dark Alliance, allowing for a direct offensive against the First Army.
“……Hmm.”
Of course, Rias still seemed to tremble in fear, but compared to before, there was a sense of determination in his gaze.
Kajan spread out a map of the Baldwin Kingdom on the table and marked the eight locations where the independence ceremony would take place.
“We must block all eight of these places.”
Simon explained.
“Currently, Baldwin is regarded as an independent nation, so the Dark Alliance and other kingdoms cannot officially send their forces. So we’re trying to acquire reinforcements through different means. What’s the situation, Lorraine?”
She nodded, having just been on the communication crystal. The call had taken longer than expected.
“The offensive from the sect is intensifying, so it seems Kizen is short on manpower.”
Dick leaned back, massaging the back of his head.
“Of course, they wouldn’t miss an opportunity like that.”
“Still, we managed to obtain the permissions. Seven members from the Kizen headquarters will be dispatched. They’ll come in their personal capacities as members from the Baldwin Kingdom, of course. Is that alright?”
“Great job, Lorraine!”
Simon spoke energetically.
Lorraine’s outstanding accomplishments since returning from the demon world were impressive. If they hadn’t been able to recruit her as a team member, things would have been much harder in many ways.
Cerne shook her head disapprovingly.
“You seem afraid of future power, huh? They are really squeezing every last bit out of nothing.”
At that, Lorraine smiled.
“It’s all thanks to Cerne’s help.”
Cerne turned away with a look of disgust. Simon and Dick could barely hold back their laughter.
“Alright, then the seniors coming from Kizen will be placed one by one in the territories where the independence ceremony is held.”
Simon grabbed the markers outside the map and neatly placed them on the map.
“We’re going to Nobaren, where the king will arrive. Direct confrontation is likely to happen there.”
“Just what I hoped for.”
Hector chuckled.
At that moment, Kajun, who had been staring at the map, spoke up.
“Simon, the Bedrimo territory, which is not far from Nobaren, is also large. There’s a risk that the First Army might be preparing dark magic there as well.”
“Then, Merida will go to Bedrimo and lend her strength.”
Simon looked at her.
“Among us, Merida is the only one who can control and alter the entire terrain, given that she has a legion.”
“Okay, sounds good.”
Now the distribution of forces was somewhat decided.
Simon cleared his throat and said.
“Now, I will explain the specific plan. Dick, how is the situation with the memorial crystal copies?”
“Perfect! It’s almost done!”
Dick drew an okay sign with his thumbs and pinky fingers. He was operating several memorial crystals, transferring the footage from the original crystal Simon had copied to other crystals.
“We will send a copy of the memorial crystal along with a letter as evidence to the lords of Baldwin. I don’t know if they will believe it, but it will provide answers as to why the nobles who went to the royal family haven’t returned. They will come forward to control the emigration of the territory’s residents.”
Simon pointed to Nobaren on the map again.
“But the key is that this area of Nobaren has long had a strong anti-Dark Alliance inclination, and the people here support Baldwin’s independence. They will gather in large numbers to hear the independence speech. We will go there to thwart their plans and eliminate the First Army hidden in this place.”
Hector, who had been listening to the conversation, crossed his arms.
“Do we have the legal right to act?”
“Yes, we will hide travel permits bearing the seal of Crown Prince Rias and infiltrate Baldwin.”
At that, Hector’s gaze turned to Rias.
“If he cannot become king, then we’re all going to be labeled as traitors.”
“…….”
Under Hector’s gaze, Rias bit his lip with a tense expression.
Simultaneously, the team members looked at Hector with anxious faces, and Dick raised his hands to make an exaggerated X signal towards Hector. After all, he was the one who had bluntly asked whether the Crown Prince might directly ask if he could kill his father.
“…….”
Fortunately, Hector did not say anything to Rias and turned his head away. It seemed he didn’t want to push further, knowing Rias had lost his family.
“Alright! Then! Let’s go protect the world! Let’s gather everyone’s hands together and go!”
Dick finished the memorial crystal recording and suddenly raised his hand in excitement.
“Why do I have to do this?”
Hector made a haughty face.
“How childish.”
Cerne also made a snooty grunt, but.
When Simon slyly smiled and put his hands together, Cerne quickly placed her hand on top of Simon’s as if to say, “When did I do that?” Hector sighed deeply and extended his hand, while the other team members approached, stacking their hands one by one.
“Your Highness!”
Lorraine encouraged with a smiling face.
Thud.