The Strategy Meeting and the Unexpected Proposal

“Maintain as respectful a posture as possible while looking as though everything is beneath you. There is no point in wasting time learning etiquette now, as a rushed lesson would only look ridiculous.”

“I am a genius, so I might learn it in an instant….”

“That would only make them suspicious of your background, so it is equally meaningless.”

“Fine…. Oh, by the way, where did Azrael go?”

Levi frowned at my stupid question. Seeing the elderly knight scowl made me reflexively shrink back. Seriously, what did I do wrong?

“His Highness said he would head to the meeting hall first two hours ago.”

“…I remember now, sorry.”

At Levi’s words, a memory surfaced of Azrael saying something to me while I mindlessly replied with a light, “Yeah, sure, okay.” Apparently, that was it.

However, if I had broken a high-grade item while crafting it, it would have all been for nothing. No matter how much I like my favorite character, I cannot let my hard work go to waste, so work always comes first.

I ignored the irritation of the old knight, who clearly wanted to lecture the rude person who had brushed off the Commander’s words, and magically swapped into my new clothes. The cloak Azrael gave me looked quite good with the new outfit, though I could not wear it today.

Reluctantly, I tucked Azrael’s cloak into my inventory and stood up.

“It is about time, right? Let’s go.”

The knights surrounded me as if they were taking me into custody. Even though I knew this was a planned performance, it felt so real that I actually started feeling uncomfortable. My face naturally settled into a displeased expression without even trying to act.

“You are a really good actor.”

“Not really….”

I did not even have the energy to argue when John complimented me with genuine admiration. Since I was already known as a capable person, I decided to just pretend I was good at acting too.

The final strategy meeting took place in an incredibly grand hall. I marveled at the fact that a room this size existed within the First Knight Order’s building as I entered, still surrounded by the knights.

The interior of the meeting hall felt like a church or a cathedral in a way. Those of high status occupied seats at the round table at the very front, while those below them sat in rows on long, rectangular benches.

I suppose this was why the knights and Azrael had not given me specific warnings about my behavior. The people sitting on these long, hard benches—the main reason I was reminded of a cathedral—seemed to be there merely to observe the meeting.

The ones who would fight at the risk of their lives were Azrael and his knights, yet Azrael was the only one among them sitting at that round table. No matter how I looked at it, only cynical thoughts came to mind. Even though a round table is intended to signify equality, Azrael was clearly seated in the lowest position.

When my face turned into a blatant scowl, Saul—who sat to my left and was less of a traditionalist than Levi—and John, who felt like a close friend now, cautioned me almost simultaneously.

I am pissed off, what do you want me to do? My expression crumpled even further, though it smoothed out a little when I met the gaze of Levi, who was sitting further away with a lethal expression.

The Crown Prince looked at me and smiled brightly, seemingly satisfied. For a moment, I thought I could see lilies with dew on them behind his back. It was a feeling I had experienced repeatedly to the point of boredom, but his beauty was truly remarkable, even for a game character. God was surprisingly fair. Since he made him that beautiful, would it have hurt to give him a bit more personality? A perfect human truly does not exist, even in a game.

I tried my absolute best not to make a disgusted face at the Crown Prince while scanning the faces of the others at the round table.

The man sitting in the seat of highest honor seemed to be the King of this country. His face bore a strong resemblance to both the Crown Prince and Azrael. He had more masculine features than the two of them, giving the impression of a man who had never let go of his sword rather than a scholar.

There were elderly men at the table, but surprisingly many young people as well. I deduced the reason without much difficulty. They were likely people with high enough status to represent their nations, but just important enough to be expendable and not so important that their deaths would be a catastrophe.

Though the royalty each had different styles of appearance, every single one of them was beautiful or handsome enough that those words did not do them justice.

If this were The Hunters, a fan club for the royal family might have been formed. I looked around while indulging in meaningless delusions, but even with my untrained eyes, the only one at the round table who seemed even remotely comparable in status to the King and the Crown Prince was the Second Prince I had seen a few days ago.

The Second Prince entered the hall a little later than us. After placing the box he had been carrying a few days ago onto the table, he kept his fists clenched tight. It was a wonder his hands were not bleeding.

“Then, we shall begin the meeting.”

Once all the seats at the round table were filled, the King delivered a solemn opening address. It was about praying for peace in the land, wishing for a successful subjugation, spreading the will of God across the continent, and other such generalities.

As I expected, the boxes brought by each envoy appeared to contain those ‘weapons.’

The meeting focused on the subjugation of the Demon King. The Demon King would likely be summoned at a mountain located on the border between this country and the neighboring nation. They discussed which warp circles to use to get there, but mentioned that some circles were destroyed midway, and so on.

However, at some point, the topic shifted entirely to the weapons.

“The number of weapons used during the Demon King’s subjugation must be minimized.”

“I disagree. If those weapons are returned, how will they be divided? They might have been raw materials once, but now that they have been processed into weapons, they can only be used as weapons.”

“But we cannot miss the chance to save such precious items! What will we do if the Demon King is summoned again in the not-so-distant future?”

“I believe unused weapons should be returned to their original countries. Since the Fourth Prince of this kingdom is performing the subjugation, the consumption of ‘resources’ is already low, so we cannot hand over any more weapons than that. It would significantly affect the balance of power on the continent.”

I found it fascinating that their debate did not assume even a single possibility of Azrael’s failure.

Of course, I would not just stand by and watch Azrael die. Still, it was hard to be certain I could definitely protect Azrael against an enemy that could only be defeated by shaving off health in percentages.

So how could they be so sure that Azrael would not only kill the Demon King and survive, but also return with spare weapons?

Is Azrael really that strong in this world?

No, he was certainly stronger than the knights, but he was still within the realm of a human being. His stats clearly showed that. I fell into thought, wondering if there was information I had not been given yet, or if I had missed a clue provided for the raid.

Once the conversation veered toward the weapons, it did not return to the original topic, making it feel like a waste of time.

It happened while they were in the middle of that conversation. The Second Prince spoke up.

“On the condition that I participate in the Demon King subjugation battle myself, I wish to reclaim our nation’s weapon if it goes unused.”

A moment of silence fell over the hall at that provocative statement.

Most people doubted their own ears. What prince—one who was essentially the Crown Prince in all but name—would risk his own life to join a Demon King subjugation battle?

I was also doubting my ears. I only became certain I hadn’t misheard after looking at the expressions of the knights on either side of me.

“Is he insane?”

Someone muttered. Was it someone else? It might have been me. It was such a shocking statement that no one even thought to call it impolite; they just agreed in their surprise. The expression of the Second Prince, the one who had uttered those shocking words, was surprisingly calm. It was the face of someone who had already made up his mind.

The knights and I exchanged awkward glances.

Azrael, apparently unable to let the comment slide in silence, finally spoke.

“As the one standing at the head of the expedition, I cannot accept your claim.”

“And why is that? You should know your own capabilities better than anyone. I would be a help, not a hindrance.”

The Second Prince replied nonchalantly, as if he had expected that much resistance. Azrael looked down at the Second Prince with a gaze that openly suggested he would indeed be a nuisance.

“I believe you understand better than I do how dangerous it is for someone who has never trained with us to join a battle where lives are on the line.”

His voice was so pointed that it was a miracle he didn’t start the sentence with “How shameless” or “Stop talking nonsense.” It was the first time I had seen Azrael act so firmly toward another person.

I wasn’t the only one who found this situation interesting; the King and the Crown Prince were also staring at Azrael with expressions quite different from before.