This is not the date I wanted.

When Qi Zui heard Meng Yue mention his name, his face suddenly turned pale.

"Don't make such terrible assumptions, Mengyue! There's no way I can win."

"Well... that... I..."

"Well... even if my sister asks me to do so, Liu'er is a little reluctant about killing..."

"It's okay. I'm not ready to kill anyone. Rather, it's annoying that you guys are trying to be brave and say that I can do it."

Mengyue smiled and waved her hand to calm them down.

After all, the purpose of Shidao and Ratatoskr is to save the elves, not to form a murder organization. Except for Kurumi, none of the elves have the experience of killing people personally. At this time, suddenly asking them to be prepared to kill people will probably only make them more confused.

It can be seen that everyone is better at defense than offense, so Mengyue has never proposed to launch an attack on DEM.

“Even if the enemy deserves to die, it doesn’t mean we have to dirty our hands. That’s what the law is for.”

[Meng Yue... you don't want to hand Allen and Westcott over to the law, do you?]

Hearing Meng Yue's words, Junai couldn't help but complain.

"Yeah? What's the problem?"

Meng Yue asked back as a matter of course.

Meng Yue's words caused the conference room to fall into a strange silence. It seemed that there was nothing wrong, but it also seemed that something was wrong. Everyone didn't know where to start complaining.

"Ah - you are worthy of being Bili-chan. After defeating the final boss, let the law punish them. If it was a light novel about supernatural battles, no one would dare to write this."

Erya couldn't help but sigh.

"Well, there is still a gap between reality and stories. Don't worry, as long as I win, I will find a way to make them accept the punishment honestly. Bribery, hiring lawyers or jailbreaking are all meaningless."

At this moment, the smile on Meng Yue's face made everyone present feel chilled.

"But Sister Mengyue, please forgive me for being frank, but Westcott and Allen are not opponents that can be defeated by showing mercy."

Mana frowned and raised her concerns.

"Yes. You are right. In fact, I hope that everyone will not hesitate or hold back, and put their own safety first. If you can't win, just run away. If a fight occurs, swords have no eyes, and if the enemy dies in the battle, it can only be said that we are self-defense, and there is no need to have too much psychological burden. If the enemy is still alive after winning, don't worry about surrendering, because there is no need to finish him off, but you must make the opponent lose consciousness and completely lose the ability to move. As for the method, you can decide for yourself."

"I see... I understand."

"...You are still as considerate as ever."

Kotori breathed a sigh of relief. Deep down, she was actually very reluctant to let the elves get involved in the battle between Ratatoskr and DEM.

However, with Meng Yue and Origami around, it was impossible to conceal the truth and let the elves retreat. Moreover, they didn't have much chance of winning. If they were defeated by DEM because of such a boring self-esteem, it would be completely putting the cart before the horse. After considering many factors, she decided to let the elves participate in the meeting.

She certainly understood that Meng Yue's purpose in saying this was not to really bring legal sanctions against Westcott and the others, but to give the elves a clear code of conduct that they could accept. Otherwise, if they were confused and caught by the enemy, they would be the only ones who would suffer.

"Director Woodman, I agree with Sister Mengyue's idea."

Kotori, in coordination with Meng Yue, proposed this to Woodman, who nodded in understanding.

[Yes, of course, no problem. This is a grudge between Ike and the others. You don't have to be responsible for it. I will also try my best to do what I can.]

Afterwards, everyone continued their battle meeting. However, since Westcott could use the "Divine Eclipse Volume" to find out the content of their meeting, even if they came up with a tactic that could turn the tide of the battle, it would be meaningless if the enemy knew about it.

Therefore, what was discussed in this meeting was a killer weapon that could be effective even if it was exposed to the enemy.

After a heated discussion, everyone came to a very simple and rough conclusion.

"Practice. Before fighting a strong enemy, practicing to improve your level is a must in hot-blooded comics!"

Erya's joking suggestion unexpectedly won the approval of many people.

"Yes, that's true. If the only option is direct combat, then the only option is to strengthen myself. The sword and strength will not betray me, and this is how I have come this far."

"Hmm, I also want to participate in the training and become stronger to protect Shidou!"

"But, there are only five days until the 20th. There's no point in exercising in such a short time, right?"

[Don't worry about this. As long as you speed up the time in the computer world, it's no problem to train for a month in five days.]

In response to Nana Sin's question, Maria answered.

"--Oh! The classic Spirit Time Room is here!" Erya couldn't help but cheer, "Come to think of it, the boy trained there before, right?"

“Um… well, that’s true.”

Seeing that Nia suddenly mentioned him, Shidou's mouth twitched slightly, and he answered vaguely.

[Well, that being said. Maria and I don't know how to train spirits to become stronger. And even if we train in there, our real bodies won't change. If we don't have a clear goal, it's just a waste of time to come in.]

"How did Shidou train before?"

[Oh, that's the training menu arranged by Meng Yue. ]

After hearing what Junai said, everyone's eyes were focused on Mengyue.

“Well, it turned out like this.”

Meng Yue sighed. When Erya proposed the idea, she had expected it to turn out like this. But she wasn't that surprised.

In fact, she did have some ideas. Although the spirits were different from Shidou and knew how to use the spirits' abilities from the beginning, after all, they had lived a quiet life for too long, and their senses for fighting would gradually dull. It would be fine if everyone was just asked to complete the tasks as required, but to engage in large-scale battles, the ability to analyze the battle situation independently and respond to sudden situations really needed to be familiar and trained.

"Well... I have no problem with that. But if I really have to teach you, I'll be very strict. Is that okay?"

"Oh~ What an unexpectedly passionate teacher's statement. Yumezuki-chan, but Yoshina and Yoshino-chan won't be scared off like that."

"I also want to... help... please give me some advice... Miss Mengyue..."

"I want to sign up too! Honey's personal education! Please let me participate!"

"Kuku - a test from the lightning priestess? That's just what I want. No matter what kind of test it is, come at me. I will overcome it all. I will grasp a new power in my hands."

"Excited. Xixian is looking forward to Mengyue's practice."

"Hmm... Shidou? What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Seeing Shidou's face turning pale, Tohka couldn't help but ask worriedly.

"Tohka..."

Shidou held Tohka's shoulders, and after a long while, he said these words earnestly.

"Come on...come back alive..."

09 Lost contact with friends

==============================

"Um... no."

Looking at the empty mailbox, Artemisia couldn't help feeling depressed.

It has been almost three months since I was transferred to Japan, and I have sent several letters to the UK, so I should have received a reply by now.

Just in case, Artemisia came to the company's temporary storage area.

"Excuse me, is there any mail for me here?"

Artemisia asked very politely.

"Oh, what's your name?"

The girl in charge of the class asked without even looking up.

"Artemisia Bell Ashcroft."

When the girl heard Artemisia introduce herself, her body trembled, and she raised her head suddenly, her face full of surprise.

"A-Lady Artemisia?! I'm so sorry!! I was too lax just now!"

"It's okay, it's okay. I'm just here to inspect, just relax."

Looking at the girl who stood up like a spring and saluted her, Artemisia chuckled and waved her hand to indicate that she didn't mind.

"Then could you please check it for me? The shipping address should be in the UK..."

"Okay. Wait a moment, I'll take a look."

The girl nodded and started searching on the computer.

Soon, Artemisia saw the other person's confused expression.

"I'm sorry, Lady Artemisia, but I didn't receive the letter sent to you."

"That's it..."

Hearing this, Artemisia couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't help you."

"It's okay, don't worry about it. Then, I'll take my leave."

With a wry smile and shaking her head, Artemisia left.

"Ashley, Leonora, Cecil...are they okay?"

Feeling a little worried, Artemisia hesitated for a moment before picking up her phone and calling them.

[Hello, the number you dialed is turned off. You can leave a message in the voicemail box...]

"Hello, Ashley. I'm doing well in Japan. I sent you a few letters. Did you receive them? Are Leonora and Cecil okay? If you receive this message, please remember to reply to me."

After leaving the message and hanging up the phone, Artemisia took a deep breath and dialed the next number. But the result was no exception.

(Everyone... nothing will happen, right?)

Artemisia's worry gradually turned into uneasiness and anxiety, and she couldn't help biting her lip. To be honest, if she could, she really wanted to go back to the British troops to confirm the situation.

However, she knew that this wish was impossible to realize. Now that a war with the elves was about to break out, no matter how kind Westcott was, he probably would not allow her to take leave to leave Japan at this critical time.

(But, is it allowed to contact the headquarters to investigate the situation?)

With the mentality of trying everything possible, Artemisia went to the main office building of DEM.

"Excuse me. Is Director Westcott here now?"

"The director is not here now."

Westcott is not here? Artemisia was a little surprised by what the lady at the counter said.

"Then do you know where he is?"

——————————————I am the dividing line where movement begins—————————————

Standing in the empty elevator, Artemisia quietly watched the floor number on the display constantly jumping.

-5...-10...-20...Ding Dong~

Finally, along with the pressure brought by the deceleration, a crisp bell rang in my ears, and the elevator's veneer slowly opened to both sides.

"Stop, please show me your ID."

After exiting the elevator, two magicians stopped Artemisia.

"A magician from the Second Executive Department of DEM. Adeptus 2 - Artemisia."

"Yes! No problem."

After confirming that the documents were correct, the magician let Artemisia pass. However, this did not mean that the inspection was over. Along the way, she encountered various security checkpoints. The level of security was much higher than that of the main office building.

After walking through the long tunnel, the scenery in front of me suddenly opened up.

It was like an underground world that only appeared in movies. All sides were tightly sealed with thick steel plates. The lights on the ceiling emitted white light like the sun. Looking around, the staff in this overly vast basement looked like a group of tiny ants.

"call……"

Artemisia exhaled slowly. Although it was not her first time here, the huge basement in front of her still shocked her a little.

Probably no one would have thought that there would be a basement as big as a dome under the forest in the suburbs of Tiangong City.

Walking into the basement, there are giant aerial warships parked on the road. The length of these ships is no more than one kilometer. The steel fuselage and the thick and ferocious gun muzzle undoubtedly show a kind of violence. It seems that they are not machines, but sleeping monsters.

(Also, there are two more places like this. One basement can hold at least ten... that's more than thirty airships.)

Whenever she thought of this, she couldn't help but feel ashamed of DEM's wealth.

After strolling for about ten minutes, Artemisia stopped in front of an airship.

It was a white-gold airship, with a jade-like moving halo flowing on the streamlined surface of the ship. It was more like a work of art than a weapon. It was so conspicuous when parked in this hangar.

If other airships were crude and brutal monsters, this airship gave Artemisia the impression of a sacred and noble dragon.