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Chapter 116: Second Informal Meeting ②

“Next is regarding Alraine’s recovery and the prisoners of war. According to the plan, about half of the destroyed area of the city has been restored. Almost all of those who chose not to emigrate were able to return to their homes from the arena which acted as an evacuation shelter. As for the now vacant arena, it has become a living space for imperial soldiers who have been captured.”

“They don’t seem to have intentions of rebelling?”

“Indeed. Colonel Jeff Beck, who became the commander of the army, was able to organize the situation well. However, there was a bit of a problem with the release of the prisoners. Or rather, something I didn’t expect happened…”

“Is that so? The plan was to send them back to the Empire in half a year’s time, wasn’t it? Though you did say at the last meeting that depending on the Empire’s response, it might be sooner.”

“That’s right. This is the reason why I have asked everyone to gather early this time. I received a letter from the Empire. It was sent in the name of the Emperor. Moreover, I could not understand the intentions of the matters written on the letter…”

“What was written on it?”

“There were three important points. The first is a ceasefire agreement. They said they admit defeat, will pay reparations, and to return the prisoners. However, since there was no mention of a period of truce in the letter, there is a possibility of another sudden declaration of war.”

“It looks like we need to proceed with caution regarding this. At the very least, it’s not something that can be negotiated just by letter. Besides, it’s certain that various information will leak from the prisoners…”

“Indeed. The Emperor of Ibrudia and the King of Arto should meet in person and conclude a treaty. It would be reasonable to think of it as some sort of trap. However, even if you think about it as the demons pulling the strings from the shadow, I have to say it’s pretty lousy.”

“If the letter itself was written under the supervision of the demons, then the other two points shouldn’t be anything good either.”

“Exactly. Secondly, the Emperor will be absent from the Council of the Seven Sphin Nations, and will dispatch a representative. The reason for that is that the Empire’s prime minister was assassinated by someone, many generals died in the war, the imperial princess is missing, the politics in the Empire is delayed, and they are being wary of the assassination of the Emperor.

Third, since the Emperor will be absent from the Council of Seven Sphin Nations as the host nation, they would like a representative from the Arto Kingdom to take over and lead the council instead. As for this matter, since I will be attending, I will have to act as the moderator.”

“That’s also an absurd request isn’t it… Can such a thing be tolerated?”

“It’s not impossible. I am attending on behalf of the King, after all. However, as the country which started the invasion and lost the war, this matter will make the impression from other countries worse. And with regard to the ceasefire treaty, everything that we say will be accepted. That in itself is convenient for the kingdom, but considering the possibility of a trap, I’m wondering about how to respond to this…」

Hmm… I mean, who really sets up such an obvious looking trap? I wonder if demons are much more stupid than I thought. Or perhaps they have a plan to turn this whole situation around…

“For the time being, should we postpone the matter of prisoners of war until later? In any case, we can’t do much until the council is over.”

“Indeed, Aun. From here on, we need to think about what kind of strategy to plan if we attend the council as scheduled, and how we should deal with the demons.”

Regarding that, even I don’t know what to do… How to confront the demons or what to do to minimize the damage. I guess we need to think more on this, but since we don’t know what kind of measures the other side will take, we have no choice but to prioritize protecting the attendees for now.

“Um… is it okay for me to share my thoughts?”Princess Luna.

“Yes. Please don’t hesitate.”

“I think there are three goals that the Council of Seven Sphin Nations should achieve. The first is the safe holding of the council

If the purpose of the demons is to disrupt the Sphin continent, which is the domain of humans and demi-humans, and to cause wars between countries and massacre them, then attacking this council where dignitaries from each nation gathers will be the quickest way.

And the host country this time is the Ibrudia Empire. It would be convenient for the demons to set traps. Isn’t it possible that the timing of the invasion of Arto Kingdom and the timing of the letter also coincided with this year’s council?”

“Certainly… if you think about it that way, it makes a lot of sense. It makes even more sense if the reason why the Emperor will be absent is to prevent him from dying in the attack.”

“Yes. On top of that, our goal is to overthrow or eliminate the demons and assassinate the Emperor. Since it’s clear that the demons are trying to protect the Emperor, it’s reasonable to think that the Emperor still has some role to play.”

“In that case, the success of the assassination of the Emperor and ensuring security at the Council of the Seven Sphin Nations are the minimum victory conditions for us.”

“Yes. I don’t know how the demons will act, but there will almost certainly be an attack on the conference venue.”

Certainly, if dignitaries from each country were to attend this conference, their escorts would also be well trained. In order to create a ruckus in a place where strong people of six countries other than the Ibrudia Empire gather, it would be necessary for the demons themselves to appear directly.

“In that case, the security of the Emperor should be thin during the council. Therefore, wouldn’t a strategy with the highest success rate be to have another unit infiltrate the castle and assassinate the Emperor?”

“A detachment force, huh… When it comes to infiltration, the number of people available is small. But who will head there…”

“I know the structure of the castle and hidden passages that are only taught to the royal family.”

“It will be dangerous. Are you sure?”

“All of you are putting your lives on the line. It is only natural for me to also risk my life to fulfill my role.”

In this case, the numbers on the detached will inevitably be limited. Someone who specializes in scouting and assassination… There is no one more qualified than Nelfie.

“We have a member in our party who is good at scouting and assassination. Of course, she is strong as well.

“Ah yes, the Dark Elf Nelfie-san should be the right person for this task.”

Right then, for a moment, the presence of someone else was caught by my [Detection] skill.

I had confirmed that Legenda activated the magic tool before the meeting started, so if someone were to be hiding in this situation, it is most likely the enemy. There is also the possibility that they are a demon…

“Everyone, don’t move….. Over there…”

Concentrating on my Detection caused a strange feeling in the corner of the room.

Without saying a word, I pulled out Shiranuemaru and slashed at that spot.