"Earlier, when I was patrolling and receiving reports from residents about bandits, one of my scouts found a letter from Grandmaster Eoche to all the remaining members of the Knights' Order, urging them to unite and reclaim Ludanes," Iris began the meeting.
"Judging by the territories left under the Knights' Order and Grandmaster Eoche's close ties with Emperor Camilla of the Ilm Empire, this is highly dangerous," Iris continued. "I estimate there are 45,000 knights and an additional 15,000 reinforcements from Ilm."
"That doesn't even include the civilians who could be forcibly recruited as soldiers," Iris concluded her statement.
"An army of that size would surely take a lot of time to get here. It seems my envoy's report from the surrounding areas—stating that they refused to surrender—was accurate," added King Majagada. "Grandmaster Eoche's territory is in the west, in the city of Dint Artec. It would take them more than two weeks to reach here."
"But their navy could arrive in just one week, considering the current seasonal winds," one of King Majagada's subordinates added.
"How long until the sacred shield appears?" King Majagada asked me.
Maria appeared beside me and said, "Answer as I tell you. There are only three weeks left in this war campaign. Once the three weeks are up, the sacred shields will appear in major cities and holy cities, protecting them for five months during the neutral period. And monsters will reappear as well."
I relayed Maria's exact answer to King Majagada. He nodded thoughtfully. Nerville appeared beside me, though only I could see him. "Also mention that the people of Faore are willing to help Majagada build ships as a token of gratitude for being allowed to stay within Majagada's territory despite following me," Nerville instructed.
I added Nerville's statement to King Majagada, whose face lit up with joy. "This solves our problem of lacking an adequate navy," the king said, pleased.
"Our navy is currently stationed in Ladingham. It will take them a month to get here," King Majagada added. "Explosive ships might delay or hold them off for up to three weeks."
We continued the meeting until late afternoon. When the king adjourned the session and I was about to leave for home, Iris stopped me in the meeting room.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"H-home?" I replied nervously.
"In that case, I'll leave the two of you to discuss your marriage," King Majagada said, leaving the room and leaving only Iris and me behind.
Iris approached me and sat beside me. The late afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating her face.
"Let's talk about our wedding. Two months from now, in the old capital," she said.
"B-before that, there's something we need to discuss. I agree to marry you on the condition that you don't interfere with Kuti and her family, and that the saints are to be respected as equals to royalty," I said.
"I agree. My father has already said he'll accept any terms you negotiate as long as you agree to marry me and join the royal family," Iris replied. "So I won't need to threaten you further."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"Just in case you refused. Some of my knights are already at your parents' residence. If you declined, I could have sent word for them to detain your family," Iris said matter-of-factly. "But that won't be necessary now, given your terms."
"Y-you're insane. Threatening my family?" I asked again.
Iris rose from her chair and walked over to close the curtains, then locked the meeting room door. She removed her armor and stepped closer to me. "It's a bit warm in here," she said.
I immediately understood where this was headed. "M-maybe opening the window would help. What are you doing?"
Now wearing only a sleeveless black top, her sweat-soaked skin glistened, and her expression was predatory, like a wolf cornering its prey. I stood up, trying to escape.
"Ah, taking too long, are we? Here or my tent?" Iris asked, pinning me against the wall.
"N-neither. I just want to go home," I replied. "M-my friend is waiting for me."
"Don't you want to spend the night with me?" Iris said, bringing her lips closer until they touched mine. "You're so cute. You shine brighter than the sun in my heart."
My face turned red as Iris lifted my chin and kissed me. Her tongue entered my mouth, forcing me to follow her movements. This dangerous and handsome woman was overwhelming. "Why are you so quiet, my dear?" Iris asked.
She began exploring my body, her hand moving to the bulge below. "Is this your first time? Don't worry; I've read plenty of books about this," she said. "It seems my seduction worked, didn't it?"
I remained silent and let her continue. She undressed me, lifted me, and laid me on the meeting room table. Iris stripped off her clothes, standing completely naked. "Honestly, it's my first time too. I'm glad you're just as pure."
"P-please, go slow," I pleaded.
Iris climbed on top of me and began her feast. Slowly, I started enjoying it too. Seeing me give in, Iris leaned in and kissed me. I reciprocated, letting our lips meet. "Iris, this feels amazing," I said.
"Thank you, my dear," Iris replied.
I matched her rhythm as she moved. My future wife seemed to reach her limit, slowing her pace. She whispered, "It's okay to release it inside."
When my turn came, we both let ourselves go. I released it within her, and she bit my earlobe affectionately, looking pleased. "Ehehe, I can already imagine you being called 'Father' and me 'Mother,'" she said.
"Iris," I said, holding her hand and pulling her into a tight embrace. After holding each other for a while, we let go.
"Do you want to continue? Let's go to my tent. My room here isn't ready yet," Iris said, starting to dress.
"Okay," I replied. After getting dressed, we left the room. The second floor of the guild building was empty. Iris helped me onto her horse, and we rode together to the soldiers' tent area east of Ludanes.
"Hey, I found a beautiful spot to watch the sunset. Want to go there before heading to my tent?" Iris offered.
"S-sure," I answered.
Iris directed her horse toward the eastern wall of Ludanes. There, we climbed the stairs to the top of the wall and admired the sunset view. We held hands tightly.
"Oh, right. I'd like to hear about your time in Faore. I heard you fought a strong monster there," Iris said.
I recounted everything, and Iris listened intently. She seemed genuinely interested in my stories of battle. She nodded in agreement when I explained how fighting monsters differed from fighting humans.
"Yes, it seems so. Fighting humans, a sword strike to a vital area is enough to kill them. But with monsters, it takes multiple hits to bring them down, right?" Iris asked.
"Exactly."
Ah, I remembered Kuti. I needed to return to her.