Reina stood at the head of the table, looking down at her generals. The tension in the room was palpable, each one of them ready to weigh in on the situation at hand.
"My generals," she began, her voice firm but laced with frustration. "What do you think we should do about this?"
Victoria, known for her attitude, was the first to speak. "First of all, I'd like to know why Grey is out here with us. I thought he was supposed to be in prison, awaiting trial for treason."
"It's not so much treason as sabotage," Venus interjected. "But yes, why is he free?"
"Well, yes, Grey did allegedly commit treason," Norn explained, her gaze briefly drifting to the elf standing beside her. "And Venus, sabotage in wartime is treason. But we need his power to face the Vampire Queen. We can't afford to leave him on standby just because we suspect him of aiding in the escape of a prisoner of war."
"How can we trust someone who helped the enemy escape?" Derick's voice was sharp, his suspicions clear. "What if he's conspiring with the humans?"
"You raise a valid point, Derick," Norn said, her expression neutral. "But as I said, nothing has been proven yet."
"Proof?" Derick's tone was incredulous. "It's obvious! He spent so much time with her, and didn't make progress on the 'secret technique' he was working on. How can we be sure he's not part of a conspiracy?"
"At the time of the escape, Grey wasn't anywhere near the prisoner," Norn replied, trying to remain calm.
"Could he have helped her escape from the shadows?" Derick pressed.
"Yes, that's a possibility," Norn conceded. "But once again, we don't have any proof. And remember, Grey has known the Demon King for longer than anyone here. Do you really believe he would betray his lifelong best friend?"
"I don't think he's capable of that," Reina said, her voice laced with quiet conviction. "Grey is one of my most loyal subjects and a trusted friend."
"See?" Norn shot a glance at Derick, her words carrying weight. "Even the Demon King agrees with me."
Victoria rolled her eyes. "You know what they say—love makes you do crazy things."
Reina's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, Victoria?"
"It's obvious," Victoria said with a sly grin. "Grey's smitten with the enemy. Didn't anyone notice?"
"Now you're just grasping at straws," Norn retorted. "No offense, Grey, but all elves, regardless of their type, fancy themselves superior to the other races. It's unlikely he'd fall for a human."
"That's a narrow view, Norn," Victoria countered. "Grey's not like any elf or demon I've met. He's unique, just like me. So yes, falling for a human is well within the realm of possibility for him."
Reina raised her hand, silencing the growing debate. "Enough of this squabble. We only have four days before the Vampire Queen attacks, and frankly, we should be more concerned about her demands. One of them is you, Victoria."
"Okay, your majesty," Victoria said with a reluctant sigh. "What do you suggest we do about her ultimatum?"
"We clearly cannot surrender you," Reina said, a cold edge to her voice. "And we don't know who this 'overseer' is, so perhaps we should fight her ourselves."
"I know you mean well, Your Majesty," Derick said, his voice thick with concern, "but that's clearly a suicide mission. Did you read the report?"
"Yes," Reina admitted, her face hardening at the thought.
"Then you know she has a chromatic dragon—not just any ordinary dragon, but a Spectrum Dragon, royalty among chromatic dragons. They are the most powerful dragons to exist."
"I understand," Reina said, pausing to collect her thoughts. "But a little challenge isn't going to stop us."
"Challenge?" Derick scoffed. "Try impossible. She killed six thousand soldiers in seconds, and that was without her dragon. The dragon's just for show. She's an unmatched being."
Venus bit her lip, her thoughts racing. "What about our vampire in the house?"
"The vampire?" Derick looked skeptical. "Hildebrand? You think she can help us?"
"Hildebrand?" Victoria's voice was skeptical as well. "We're talking about facing the Vampire Queen, and you suggest using one of her own? How do we know she isn't one of her servants? A vampire queen's dominion over her subjects is absolute. She can command them with a mere thought."
"Well, it was worth a shot," Venus said, her tone deflated.
"What if we fight her together?" Norn suggested, her voice a little more hopeful.
"We've been over this," Derick replied, shaking his head.
"Just hear me out," Norn pressed. "What if we play to both her weaknesses and our strengths? From what we know, she's prideful, right? So why not use that?"
"How?" Reina asked, curiosity piqued despite herself.
"We use our numbers," Norn said, a glint of mischief in her eyes.
"That's out of the question," Reina snapped.
"I don't mean our people," Norn clarified, "I mean hers. The humans we captured."
Reina's brows furrowed in thought. "You mean we use her own people as a cover to attack her?"
"Exactly," Norn said. "It's devious, but it could work."
Reina's eyes narrowed, considering the idea. "That's not a bad plan. We can't afford to attack her directly, but if we use the humans as a distraction—"
"It might work," Norn finished, her smile widening. "It's a smart move, your Majesty. If she makes a mistake, we'll strike at the perfect moment."
Reina's mind was made up. "Okay, we're going with Norn's plan."
The generals exchanged looks, but all nodded in agreement.
"Now," Reina continued, "the plan. We'll assemble a huge mass of humans near the front lines. Venus will charm them into cooperating. Once they're assembled, we'll give them armor to conceal their identities. After that, we'll release them in waves, two generals leading each wave. After every wave, we'll switch the generals, ensuring we keep fresh forces. This will tire her out without tiring us."
"That sounds too easy," Derick said with a skeptical glance.
"I know," Reina replied, a steely gleam in her eye. "She can easily slaughter the first wave, but we'll announce that those humans were forced to join our army. That'll paralyze her with doubt every time she tries to strike, giving us multiple openings. We'll mix in some of our soldiers among the waves to avoid suspicion. The plan is simple, but it has the potential to work."
"And if it works," Norn added with a gleam in her eye, "you'll have your chance to challenge her to a duel when she's worn out."
Reina felt a spark of hope. This plan, born from the minds of her most trusted generals, just might give them the edge they needed. "The battle between the Crimson Princess and the Demon Generals," she murmured to herself. "This will be interesting."