After those words, the four generals were utterly convinced.
“I’ve seen the light, Lady Ayla.”
The Four-Armed General, Duo Luo, raised all four of his arms.
“So I’ve always been a Demon of Light.”
The Bone General, Bouer, looked down at his skinny, skeletal body and declared confidently, “Sunlight is white. Bones are also white. So I am also a Demon of Light.”
The One-Eyed General, Gumu, thought carefully, then pointed at the top of his head.
“Why don’t I have hair? Because the light is right on top of my head.”
Each had something to say, except for the honest Horned General, Yanpo, who scratched his scalp anxiously.
“I… I’m also a Demon of Light because I… I… I have a horn…”
“Alright, alright, that’s enough. The meaning is clear.”
Ayla waved her small hand.
“Back to business. In a while, I’ll bring you to meet the Hero Squad. You know what to do and say. Also, about the matter of believing in Light, you must bring it up proactively.”
She explained the important things to remember for later.
After the four generals promised to memorize them, she led them towards the inn.
***
In the first-floor hall at that moment, the girls had not left.
After accepting the plan to ‘march into the Demon Race,’ their hearts were filled with excitement.
“Are we really going to the Demon Race?”
“Of course it’s real, Miss Leah. We’ve been waiting here all morning. Do you think it’s fake?”
“I know. It just feels a bit unreal.”
Leah’s cheeks were flushed, and her heart thumped.
Although she’d once committed the daring feat of assassinating the Demon King, that had been a secret operation among a few people.
It was completely different from this large-scale war with a clear political purpose.
“Overthrow! War!”
Vina clenched her small fist and slammed it onto the table.
“This is the real deal!”
Since joining the Hero Squad, she’d finally found something fun.
At that moment, the door sounded with a knock—three long, two short, a standard pattern.
It had no special meaning, only that Ayla had returned.
With her four Demon Race generals.
Celes took a deep breath and stepped forward.
“Please come in.”
***
The plan for the Northern Expedition to counterattack the Demon Race received unanimous support.
There wasn’t a single voice of opposition.
Once the plan was formally decided, it was time to discuss the details.
Yanpo brought a map from the teahouse.
It wasn’t very comprehensive, but it was detailed enough for the local regions.
Just like a few days ago, Ayla placed two teacups on the two most important locations.
“The Northern Forest of the Elves, and Lilburg on the human border… Now called the Northern Frontier Line. These are the places where our troops will set out.”
“For us, our relationship with the Elves is good. For the enemy, the forces in these two places are heavily damaged and can’t stop our army.”
The locations were decided.
“What is the stage goal of the war?”
Celes asked.
As the daughter of a military noble family, she’d grown up immersed in such matters.
She knew their biggest problem was the number of troops.
Five thousand Demon Tribe soldiers were elite, but still just a few compared to the vast Demon Race territory.
The objectives of the war had to be clear.
Ayla had already considered this.
She reached out and pointed to a blank area on the map.
“On the left, leaving the wasteland. On the right, breaking through the snowy plains.”
“In this area, there’s a densely populated region made up of scattered tribes. They don’t pose much threat.”
“And beyond that, behind this area, lies the largest city in the southwest of the Demon Race—Black Cross Star City.”
The girl lightly tapped it with her finger.
“Capture it, and turn it into Bright Cross Star City. That’s our first stage strategic goal!”
Light!
Leah’s heart leaped with excitement, but then she looked at the four Demon Race generals, a bit worried about their reactions.
That look gave them a cue.
They immediately spoke up:
“Right, about Light, I suggest we start Light Conversion for the soldiers today!”
“Agreed, count me in!”
“There’s a Chapel in Harbor City, too.”
“To believe in Light, one must have faith.”
They’d originally wanted to talk about joining the church, but for some reason, Lady Ayla forbade talk of conversion or joining.
So they came up with new terms.
Light Conversion!
Now, it was Leah’s turn to get excited.
So many Demon Race converts at once—this could be recorded as a major event in the Saintess’ ledger when they returned.
“Let me calculate. As non-humans, for you to join the Church of Light, the ceremony must be held in the Holy Ground of a Chapel.”
She quickly did the math.
“Harbor City’s branch is small, with limited space. At most one hundred people per ceremony, a maximum of ten ceremonies a day with breaks for the clergy. So, at most, a thousand people per day.”
The Demon Tribe Army in Harbor City totaled five thousand.
At the minimum, it would take five days to complete Light Conversion.
“Good. Five days it is.”
Ayla decided.
“We’ll finalize the route and set off officially in five days. Generals, return to your army at once and relay the orders.”
“Understood!”
“As you command!”
The towering Demon Tribe generals turned to leave.
But in their excitement, they bumped their heads on the doorway on the way out.
“Don’t push! Don’t crowd! Don’t block me!”
“Go, go, go! Hurry, speed is vital!”
“I said, don’t push—”
The inn’s front door suffered some damage and might need repairs, but at this point, no one cared.
The Hero Squad was preparing to attack the Demon Race once more, for Light and peace!
***
“Congratulations, Little Ai.”
Vina walked to the pink-haired big leader, grinning.
“You get to go back and be the Secret Emperor again… Oh wait, this time you don’t need the ‘secret’ part.”
Ayla frowned slightly.
“Why do you say that? This is a decision we all made together, the result of everyone’s combined efforts. When the time comes, we’ll decide as a group.”
Annoying little witch.
So you think you understand everything?
Look at Zero, she understands even more than you, yet she says nothing.
Can’t you learn from her?
Vina couldn’t hear her thoughts.
She simply listened to those words and humbly asked,
“Then, may I ask, Little Ai, who do you mean by ‘everyone’?”
“You four.”
Ayla answered softly.
“And the four generals—Yanpo, Gumu, Bouer, and Duo Luo.”
“Then that’s settled.”
Vina rolled her peach blossom eyes at her.
“Our Little Ai, Her Majesty the Emperor.”
All those people answered to you, and yet you pretend it’s some kind of democracy.
“Really, that’s not it! Don’t say that—I truly considered everyone’s opinions… Hm? Celes, is something wrong?”
As she tried to explain, Ayla felt the Sword Saint Maiden tugging at her sleeve.
“There’s something I want to talk about.”
She said.
“Can we go outside? I want to discuss it with you.”
The two girls left the inn and walked into the quiet courtyard.
Celes spoke with concern.
“Ayla, what do we do about the kingdom?”