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Chapter 260 Part 1

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Translator: “Hakou”                             Editor: “Weasalopes”

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The sun was setting over the western horizon and the sky was red. Dozens of puffing smoke from the cooking process rise beneath it.
This is the northernmost city of the Empire. Many tents were pitched outside the city walls surrounding the city, and the mature viscountesses were camping out in one of them.

「Well, that’s it for now, I guess」

A mature woman in a pilot’s uniform with a tight mini skirt sits slumped in a cloth-covered folding wooden chair.
She was wearing heavy makeup, but it did not hide her exhaustion. This is the result of several days of busy work dealing with the aftermath of the attack by the elves.
Incidentally, the reason why she is temporarily living in a tent is because the lord’s mansion was destroyed and burned down.

「Thank you for your hard work. Why don’t you get some rest, Your Excellency?」

The man who offered her a cup of coffee was a thin, old looking middle-aged man.
While accepting the coffee, the mature Viscountess stared at this man who was her second-in-command.

「I think you need a break more than I do」

If you met him in the dark, you might mistake him for a ghost because of his face. It was probably because he had a lot of work to do due to his position.

「I’m fine so just go get some sleep. I’ll be troubled if you collapse from exhaustion after all」

Urged by his superior, the old-looking skinny vice commander left the tent to take a nap.
As she watched him walk away and sip her coffee, an old man walked in through the entrance.

「You don’t have to stand up. You must be tired right?」

The mature Viscountess hurriedly tried to stand from her seat when he saw the Knight Commander of the Imperial knight commander. The old warrior stopped her with his hand and sat down on an empty chair.
The two of them, plus Count Rosehip, are scheduled to have a meeting together.

「According to the Rose Knights, there has been no suspicious movement from the Spirit Forest」

Hearing this, the mature Viscountess let out a small breath of relief.
The Rose Knights are currently defending the city in place of her heavily damaged troops.
Accepting the coffee brought by the fat middle-aged maid working in the tent, the old warrior continued.

「Has the extent of the damage been assessed?」

His voice was calm, but his gaze was sharp. While swallowing her saliva and straightening her back, the mature baroness opens her mouth.

「More than half of the Knights were rendered unusable. However, most of it was only half or less damaged. And only a few pilots lost their lives」

The old warrior furrowed his brow and pondered in silence. He felt that the number of heavy losses, total losses, and casualties was lower than expected.
Seeing that figure, the mature Viscountess showed off the countermeasures she had taken against the elves.

「The elves mainly use magic as their means of attack. And because of that, there’s a high chance that they will be the first to attack, so we prioritized withstanding their first strike」

Buy some time and wait for the backup to arrive. Then, only when they had a numerical advantage, would they go on the offensive.
This is probably the reason there are no total losses even when the Knight is defeated, saving the pilot’s life.

「If we fail to hold out, we were considering pulling out. But I never thought they would set fire to the city」

One side of her face frowned and she continued.

『War should only fought between soldiers』

The elves didn’t share the same common sense with them. If they had retreated, this city would have been completely burned to the ground by now.
The old man, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes seeing that one of his subordinates had grown.

(Even if the battle is lost, it is relatively easy to repair medium damage. As long as the pilot survives, there’s plenty of time to rebuild it)

This is a method that only the Empire with their great national power and population can use. The longer the war goes on, the more the elves will wither like ivy that has had its roots cut.

(But normally it wouldn’t have been that easy)

In some cases, we may have to accept defeat on the battlefield. It must have been a difficult decision for the front-line commander, whose decision was directly linked to immediate victory or defeat.

(Is it because she had lost once? She gained quite a perspective, didn’t she?)

The experience of being a prisoner of war in the northern countries. That must have been the reason for her growth.
The mature Viscountess asked the commander of the Imperial knight order, who had a smile on his face, about the plan to counterattack.
The old warrior tightened his expression and shook his head strongly.

「It is dangerous to enter the Spirit Forest. There was a time when the human race was utterly defeated, even with a great army」

At that time, the elves used the deep operation. They laid traps and ambushed their opponents, drawing them in and wearing them down.
The Spirit Forest is a place overflowing with magical power. Because of that, the elves, who excelled in magic, had an overwhelming advantage.

「We should just take our time like this and slowly tighten the noose around their neck, literally choking them to death」

He moistened his throat with coffee and said his thoughts.
The two things he wanted her to do were 『to continue repelling attacks on the northern city』, and 『to strengthen the surveillance to prevent smuggling』.

「The opponent is the Knights of the elves. We can’t take chances, because if they got through, there’s no telling what will happen in the Imperial Capital behind them」

The mature Viscountess nodded deeply as she was reminded of the Emperor’s figure. Then, the last person to attend the meeting appeared.

「I’m sorry for my lateness」

The man who appeared was a large, muscular man in his prime with short, white hair. He was the Count Rosehip.

「Actually, Lord Commander, there is something I would like to discuss with you」

He said after giving a simple greeting and took a seat.
The old warrior, who had been relied upon as the 『Advisor』 in the imperial capital, happily nodded. He urged Count Rosehip to continue.

「Actually――」

However, after listening to his story, his face showed a big confusion.

「Hmm, even if you asked my opinion about that……」

He let out a sigh as he put his hand on his chin and tilted his neck. He looked at the crotch of Count Rosehip, who was sitting in the chair.
A four-legged white chick was huddled there, looking like it was comfortable.
This seemed to be the one he had been holding in his hands when he came into the tent.

『When I did a wickedness to the defeated to a male elf, an egg came out from the elf’s butt and hatched a creature that looked like a combination of a bird and a beast』

No matter how much of a life experience the old warrior had, consulting about this topic was too hard for him.

「…….」

The gazes of the three people here focused on the creature curled up between Count Rosehip’s legs.
Perhaps sensing the change in atmosphere, the white chick stood up on its cat’s back legs and bird’s front legs.

「What are you going to do about its food?」

Count Rosehip’s brow wrinkles deeply when the mature Viscountess asks him about it. He lets out a breath and makes an unsatisfied voice.

「About that, it seems to be the air」

「Air?」

The old man and the mature woman speak in unison. The large, middle-aged man continues, looking down at the creature between his legs.

「Or it could be something we can’t see. Just like what it’s doing now, it’s opening and closing its beak as if it was eating」

The old warrior, who was listening with his hand over his mouth, looked at the four-legged chick.

「It is just as you said. It looks as if it is chasing and pecking at something. But is that enough to fill up its stomach?」

Count Rosehip nodded. After eating a certain amount of food, it seemed to fall asleep with a satisfied look on its face.
Next, the mature Viscountess put her face close to the white chick with her eyebrows raised.
「The face? It doesn’t feel like any different to me though?」

The mature woman with heavy make up stares fixedly at the thing in front of her. The four-legged white chick who had its meal time interrupted is looking back at her and tilting its head.
Scratching his white haired head, Count Rosehip added.

「No, rather than the face, it’s like I can tell what it feels」

The Knight Commander of the Imperial knight order and the female lord of the northern city looked at each other again. After a few moments of silence, the old warrior opened his mouth to sum up the conversation.

「He seems to have taken a liking to you, so you better properly look after it. Also you should probably consult with the Marquis in the Imperial Capital later」

While looking at Count Rosehip, who nodded with a reluctant expression, the mature Viscountess put a bundle of documents on the table.
There are many things to do as a feudal lord, like dealing with the current situation and future predictions of the war situation, additional reports to the imperial capital, and negotiations with the representatives of the residents.
Count Rosehip, who is in charge of defense and reconnaissance, does not have time to spare. He can’t afford to waste his time looking after a chick.

「Then first, let’s talk about the list of relief supplies that we received from the Imperial Capital」

Everyone’s eyes were drawn to the document pointed out by the mature Viscountess.
Thus, the three of them ignored the chickens that had started chirping and began their meeting.

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