After choosing to leave, they regretted it.

"Just to ask, did you offend Luo this afternoon..."

"Don't say that name!"

"...Isn't it possible to offend the Saint Lady?"

The prince blinked in confusion.

"Offended? She sent her own people to die. As the commander of this expedition, I must object, right? But it's not an offense, right? That guy didn't show any displeasure... Uh, what do you mean?"

"Yeah, that's what I mean."

Aize crossed his arms and smiled bitterly.

The prince felt a chill down his spine.

"…Are you serious?"

"It's serious, and I'm already showing mercy."

"……How did you do it?"

"Don't ask, I can do it anyway. So, you'd better be careful behind you. That guy isn't someone who will reason with you."

There are some things that Aize doesn't want to say, but he has to say them.

What if Adrian doesn't take it seriously and gets stabbed by someone from the Crusades?

The demons would be laughing like crazy.

Therefore, it is better to give a reminder to avoid embarrassing everyone by stepping on a landmine.

The prince pondered for a moment, then suddenly thought of something. He looked at Aize meaningfully, then approached and asked in a low voice:

"Could it be that the things that happened in the Holy City before were also... like this?"

"Smart, that's what it is."

“It’s always been like this.”

"Correct, it has always been like this."

"It's not easy for you either."

"Alas, it's all in the past. Let it be."

As they went back and forth, she didn't know if it was an illusion, but the way the prince looked at her was no longer as sharp and unfriendly as before.

It has a more sympathetic meaning.

He even reached out and patted Aize on the shoulder.

Fortunately, there are no cigarettes in this world, otherwise he would have to light one for everyone.

"...Your Highness, rather than this, are there any other developments on the demon side?"

"not yet"

The two people, who had reached a certain consensus, tacitly put the topic behind them and came to the map on the table.

Adrian stretched out his hand and gestured:

"Since entering the mountains, the Imperial Army has been sending people to search the surrounding area. But so far, apart from some scattered and fleeing orc remnants, no signs of any other demon activity have been found. I find this strange."

Due to the general trend, as well as his personal competitive spirit and desire for power, the prince ignored Aize's opposition and launched this expedition.

But that doesn't mean he ignores the risks.

He and Aize basically agree on the fact that the demons have a backup plan, so he is actively preparing for it.

"So, just in case, in addition to having the main force continue to advance to the city of Lilbas and establish a siege camp, I have also assigned a considerable force to the surrounding area for surveillance, ensuring that any attack from any direction can be immediately targeted."

"Ah."

Aize lifted his chin, looked at the Imperial Army's deployment on the map, and nodded.

When the enemy in front is completely unable to fight back, there is nothing wrong with carrying out this operation which seems dangerous at ordinary times. It can be regarded as the right choice.

"What's next? What are you going to do?"

"As long as we don't capture Lilbas, the risk will always exist. So I don't intend to pause. As soon as tomorrow morning comes, we will attack the city with all our might. No matter what traps the demons have prepared, as long as we can pin Lilbas down, we will have the initiative in our hands, able to attack or defend. So we must take advantage of tonight to quickly formulate a plan, but the problem is..."

The prince frowned and glanced at the sky outside which had already turned completely dark:

"Why hasn't Viscount Anson arrived yet? He shouldn't be that far away from here."

Viscount Anson is another nobleman responsible for guarding the flank besides the Carlside family.

This made Chris alert:

"Viscount Anson's army's base shouldn't be much further away than mine. Second Master, how about I go with Master and take a look?"

"...You are not allowed to call me by that name."

The prince's facial muscles twitched, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Don't worry, I've already sent people there. With the perimeter completely blocked, it's just a few remnants of the Orcs. Don't worry too much. Lord Aize, and Lord Karseide, you should just rest for a while. The current situation doesn't warrant the second echelon and their advisors to intervene."

Chapter 80 Nightfall (2)

Even though they were at the forefront of the war, even though they were at the height of the fighting, they had to entertain the top brass of the Imperial Army in this camp after all, so Adrian still made the best possible arrangements under the simple conditions.

When Aize and others arrived, the military chef was already preparing food for a simple dinner.

But Aize had no appetite.

After ordering a sandwich, he bit into it while walking towards the dark forest outside the camp.

It was the middle of summer, but the climate in the Central Mountains was, as always, different from that in most areas, and at this moment it could even be described as gloomy and cold.

Aize, who only had a single layer of clothing under his armor, shuddered slightly.

The coolness flowing through his body and the taste of freshly baked bread and barbecue in his mouth made Aize's somewhat hot brain calm down again.

"Master."

The blue-haired girl walked over from the direction of the camp, holding a sandwich similar to Aize's.

Ai Ze leaned against the tree trunk and shrugged:

"What's wrong? You have a nice dinner, why are you running here?"

"Don't mention it. Everyone knows my identity and my past. A bunch of rude guys asking questions and looking at this and that. It's so annoying."

Chris had a look of disgust on her face.

"Besides, I can't eat right now."

"Why? Because of this expedition?"

"Ah."

The girl nodded.

"So far, everything has been going smoothly, perhaps even too smoothly. This should be a good thing, but...how should I put it? I'm just nervous. Whether it's the demons' subsequent actions or my subsequent performance, I'm all...nervous. Master, what do you think will happen next?"

Aize put the sandwich into his mouth, bit off a piece, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it. He replied casually:

"It's hard to say, but my answer is the same - the demons must have prepared something for us, and things will definitely not go smoothly forever."

Chris looked up in surprise at her master, then lowered her head again in disappointment and nodded.

"Yeah...I know."

Even if she had made up her mind, it was only because Chris's determination at the moment temporarily surpassed her previous fears, that was all.

And the fear itself is still following you like a shadow, and if you are not careful, it will swallow you up.

So, she came to Aize to talk about this, hoping to get some answers from him that would reassure her.

Unfortunately, just like what had happened countless times before, Aize couldn't give her the answer.

She is not only standing on her own standpoint, but also on the commander's standpoint. Every move and every thought involves the life and death of countless people and even the direction of the country and race.

She had to keep the risks in mind.

Overly optimistic expectations and excessive wishful thinking that things will go the way you want will only make people vulnerable and insensitive in the face of real crises.

Of course, when she is not in a very good mood, we can't just say bad things.

Aize thought for a moment and added:

"That being said, there's really no need to worry too much. Both we and the prince have made sufficient preparations."

Adventurers, the Imperial Army, and Aize's intelligence personnel repeatedly scouted the mountains and forests that were about to become a battlefield.

No suspicious clues were found.

Now, the alert level has been raised to the highest level again. Any interference from outside cannot be hidden from the eyes of the almost omnipresent imperial army.

Aize really couldn't figure out what tricks the demons could come up with in this situation.

You can't just cheat and spawn a space battleship, and then use an orbital airdrop to throw tens of thousands of demon troops directly into the face of the imperial army, right?

Chris certainly understood this.

She nodded:

"I understand. I understand that all necessary preparations have been made, but Master, I just feel... Oh, forget it, let's not talk about this anymore."

Unsolvable troubles will not be alleviated by words, they will only become more annoying the more you talk.

Christina knew very well that she didn't really want to get any reassuring answer from Aize. If she had to say something, it might be more like a form of coquettishness.

There is no essential difference between this and a child pretending to be weak or sick.

It's really pathetic to act like this after making your own choice and decision. After thinking about it, I decided to change the subject.

"Master, after talking to that crazy woman this afternoon, weren't you stunned for a long time? What happened then? Did you think of something else?"

"Well, you could say that."

"What did you think of?"

"Based on Rosaline's reaction, I reconsidered my image and my position within the faith network. If my guess is correct, then perhaps... well, this is a long story."

After stuffing the remaining sandwich into his mouth and chewing it for a while before swallowing it, Aize breathed a sigh of relief and stretched himself.

"Let's go. It seems that everyone won't be here yet. Come take a walk with me."

Villian didn't show up because after what happened during the day, she was doing her best to monitor the situation on the faith network.

This means that the so-called walk is just for two people.

Chris had no reason to refuse the moonlit stroll with Aize. She nodded vigorously without hesitation.

"Of course! Let's go!"

The moon had risen, casting a dim light that was filtered by the trees and shrubs that filled every corner of the field of vision. Only a few specks of light remained, scattered irregularly on the ground, but it was still better than nothing.

Thanks to the brave man's senses, he can see the road clearly and avoid tripping or falling.

The sounds of insects chirping, birds singing, trees rubbing against each other, and other noises of unknown origin continued to come from the darkness, almost filling all the senses.

Coupled with the slightly cool but fresh air, if it weren't for the nearby battlefield ruining the scenery, the feeling would be quite good.

This made Aize, who had been depressed both physically and mentally for several days, breathe in greedily, as if he wanted to squeeze out all the resentment in his chest.

Very relaxing.

Chris, on the other hand, is the complete opposite.

Since her senses were not as sharp as Aize's, in order to avoid falling and getting lost, she leaned her body towards Aize as much as possible.

His lowered hand was restlessly stroking the side of Aize's body.

She wanted to take this opportunity to hold his hand, but with the blow of the previous hot spring incident and the lesson learned, she ended up just grabbing the corner of his clothes that was exposed under his armor.

But this alone was enough to make her blush and her heart beat faster.

I couldn't help but wonder, if their identity as husband and wife was not a disguise, then what would happen in this dim environment where they were completely alone.

"I have some new ideas about this matter."

"Huh? Ideas!? What new ideas!?"

Chris, who was thinking about the fake marriage, subconsciously raised her head when she heard this.