Despite convening late at night, the strategy meeting began in less than thirty minutes. I noticed that none of them were late.
As I looked at the people gathered in the conference room quizzically, Sebastian, the head butler, opened his mouth on behalf of everyone.
"I'm sorry, but we had expected that you and Caroline would have sent reinforcements."
His condescending tone of voice had a certain warmth to it. Looking at him, everyone else was also smiling softly.
I felt an indescribable embarrassment, and because of it, I furrowed my eyebrows and turned my gaze away.
"I don't understand, I've already informed you of my decision, and no matter how you look at it, there's no merit in sending reinforcements, so why?"
"If you were thinking from a noble standpoint, I would say that the decision made by Zechs-sama was correct. We do, however, know how Zechs and Caroline behave on a daily basis. We didn't think that the two of you, who are so compassionate toward their relatives, would abandon the dire situation of Orca-sama's family."
"It's also because Zechs-sama truly loves both of your younger siblings."
"We were certain that Zechs-sama would make a decision that would save Orca-sama's heart."
"It's hard to believe that a person like you who always acts out of the ordinary would take reasonable precautions here."
Starting with Sebastian, the gathered subordinates made their own remarks. All of them were unreserved and couldn't possibly be directed at the Noble whom they serve. In short, they were describing me as, "A Sis-con and Bro-con with an eccentric personality."
But, all of them were affectionate. "We serve you because you are that kind of person," was what they were telling me.
When I took over of Foranada—No, even before that, they weren't the ones who showed me this kind of intimacy. Just like I decided to educate Caron, they were rather the opposite impression.
However, I believe that has changed as a result of my efforts over the last few years. To protect Caron, I worked tirelessly on government affairs and training, and because I made an effort to communicate with my subordinates, they were able to open up to me.
I'm glad to know that all of my efforts over the years have paid off, and my heart was filled with joy as I realized that they were able to grow as trustworthy personnel.
With them, I might be able to overcome the problems after intervening in the civil war.
To be honest, I hadn't been able to shake my anxiety, but now things were different. I had found a certain hope.
"Fufufu," I let out a small laugh as a result.
"Say whatever you want…Well then, let's make a wild plan, just like you guys wanted."
Needless to say, the strategy meeting that followed was very contentious.
After the meeting, my subordinates disperse to fulfill their respective roles.
Meanwhile, I called out to Shion. I took her alone and moved to my private room, a place where we didn't have to worry about being seen.
As soon as I closed the door of the room and confirmed that no one was listening in the vicinity, I began to speak.
"You can pass the information about Caron's Light Magic to the royal court."
"Eh…?"
Shion let out a dumbfounded voice.
Of course, she would. Until now, I had threatened to keep quiet about it, but suddenly I gave the exact opposite order. The topic must have seemed quite out of the ordinary to her.
"Errr…What do you mean by that?"
As expected, Shion asked me, as if she didn't understand what I meant.
That's why I decided to explain it to her in an orderly manner.
"Reinforcements for Baron Byakudai. You have the details of that operation in your head, don't you?"
"Yes, I was also listening to the meeting from Zechs-sama's side."
"Good. This reinforcement is on a very tight schedule. The civil war has already begun, and it would normally take a month by carriage to get from Count Foranada to Baron Byakudai's territory. Even if we march as fast as we can, it's doubtful that Baron Byakudai and his family will be safe."
"That's why you're bringing Caroline-sama with you, isn't it?"
"Yeah, Caron's Light Magic will be crucial to this operation."
That's right. Caron will participate in the reinforcements for the civil war.
As I mentioned earlier, it was doubtful that we would make it in time even if we send reinforcements in the normal way, but with her Light Magic, we could overturn that conventional wisdom.
Light magic specializes in healing. Naturally, there was the [Full Energy] magic spell, but there was also the [Toughness] magic spell. Using these spells, the horses could run without stopping, which greatly shortened the time required.
In addition, injuries are a common occurrence in warfare, and her Healing Magic would certainly be needed.
These two factors and Caron's motivation made me agree to let her accompany us.
In truth, I didn't want to take her with me. After all, this was a battlefield where death was a common occurrence and a place where we know that brutal battles were being waged. I don't want to send my beloved sister to such a place.
But I swallowed my tears of blood. Considering the future interference of the Monotheistic faction, it would be a better course of action for Caron to go to the front line.
Of course, I and other elite members of Foronada's knights would escort her so that she wouldn't be in danger. If the mental burden was too great, I would use mental magic to heal her. I had no intention of neglecting aftercare.
Now that I had explained why Caron's necessary, let's go back to the subject.
"In her assistance to the civil war, Caron will be quite active. As a result, the fact that she can invoke light magic will become public knowledge. In the first place, I have no intention of hiding it."
"Ahh, is that why you want me to tell it to the royal court…?"
Finally, Shion understood.
After acknowledging her condition, I continued talking.
"Either way, it's going to be a known fact about Caron. It's just that it'll happen a little faster, so there's no harm in doing so. I wouldn't want the other side to know that you kept quiet about the information you had obtained. You can just dramatize it, saying, 'She was stimulated by the fact that her adoptive brother's family was in danger, and that's why she was able to use Light Magic.'"
"That's right, but…"
It should have been a convenient story for Shion, but for some reason, she had an unsatisfied expression on her face.
What's the problem? I tilted my head and urged her.
"If you have any doubts, don't hesitate to ask. A minor misunderstanding could lead to problems later, you know?"
"Well…"
Shion seemed hesitant to put it into words.
Is it really that difficult to say? I have no idea.
I was puzzled by Sion's attitude, but I waited for her to open her mouth. No matter how impatient I was, things were not going to get any better if I rush her.
Then, after a minute, she seemed to have made up her mind and began to speak slowly.
"Why do you take my situation into consideration?"
"Hmm?"
I tilted my head, not quite grasping her intention.
With my attitude, she seemed to understand that her words weren't enough. She then waved her hands and said again,
"My position in the royal court is none of Zechs-sama's business. Even if I am accused by the royal court of not releasing information about Caroline-sama, it would not hurt Zechs-sama in the slightest. So why are you taking me into consideration?"
"I see, so that's what it is."
I finally understood.
It was true that whatever the royal court did to Shion would have no effect on me. They may be wary, but this was her first mission, and the current Foranada has been underestimated. There was a good chance it would be handled because of their blunder.
In other words, there was no reason for me to help Shion.
In fact, it would be so much more advantageous not to help. No matter how much the fact about Caron becomes public, it was better to keep it a secret until the last minute to avoid unnecessary brownie points.
"How should I say this…"
The answer was already decided, and I was thinking about how I should tell it to Shion.
"I believe that Shion is a trustworthy subordinate. That's why I wanted to make sure that it wouldn't be a disadvantage for you. I guess that answers that question."
I know these are not words I should say after having threatened her in the past, but this would be an appropriate way to describe it.
It has been about four years since we started working together. Over the course of those years, I got to know who she was and decided that I could trust her. It was also significant that she had missed the timing when she could have finished me off as she had done in the past when we were hunting bandits.
Shion, on the other hand, looked like a pigeon that had been shot by a peashooter.* It appeared that she had not expected me to return a favor.
Then, after she slowly processed my word, she opened her mouth.
"Are you sure you can trust me? I'm a spy, remember?"
"I won't repeat my words."
"......"
Again, she was shocked at my immediate answer. My reply seemed to be a series of surprises to her.
Shion then grimly pressed her fingers between her eyebrows, as if she had a headache.
"I don't mean to be rude, but you are quite an oddball, aren't you, Zechs-sama?"
"I get that a lot. I've just been told that in the strategy meeting."
Shion spoke as if she was spitting venom, but I returned it with a smile.
"Haaa…"
Then Shion let out a sigh and gracefully bowed on her spot.
"Thank you very much for your kindness. I will never forget this favor."
"You seem to be exaggerating, but I accept your gratitude. Look, we're running out of time, so let's get moving, shall we?"
I smiled bitterly and urged her to leave.
After that, Shion bowed again and left the room.
Left alone in my room, I secretly let out a sigh.
"I think this is the way to deal with Shion for now."
I thought that the threats alone would cause cracks in our relationship, so I confided in my trust in her.
She was so sweet that I couldn't believe she was a spy. That's exactly why I would recommend her to change jobs.
If I told her that I trusted her, she would surely begin to trust me, and our interests will someday turn into a relationship of mutual trust.