Royal Castle of Scathlan, Scathlan Kingdom, Northern Continent.
Look at how this Princess in front of me is trying her best to appear dignified and elegant.
But… isn't it already too late for you, Estella?
At least for me… or perhaps even for Liana, who had already noticed when Estella was preparing to jump onto me.
Now, this Princess before me is trying to act as gracefully as possible in front of both Liana and me. Seeing all this, a small smile, accompanied by a quiet chuckle, unconsciously escapes my lips.
Ah… damn, I slipped up!
Estella shoots me a sharp glance, her irritation barely concealed behind a thin smile on her lips.
"Why is Aella-san laughing at a time like this? We are about to have a serious meeting and discuss reports from the mage division that you lead. So… please take this seriously!"
Oh, my… I can't believe what I just heard! The spoiled Princess before me is actually criticizing me. Is she doing this to protect her dignity in front of Liana?
Come on, Estella! It's already too late for that. Don't you realize that Liana saw exactly what you were about to do earlier? So, could you just stop acting like this? Because at this point… it's pointless and futile.
I finally decide to tease Estella a little. And so, I respond to her words.
"Ah… is that so, Princess Estella?! But… at the very least, from now on, please never try to jump and hug me right at the door. At least, wait until I enter and close the door to your office first. That way, your gallant soldiers won't see their noble Princess acting like a spoiled little girl… hahahaha…"
I chuckle while smiling, intentionally teasing the Estella before me. And… in an instant, Estella's face turns bright red upon hearing my words.
"Wha… what are you saying! Please don't talk like that… this… this is…"
Estella stammers, her face completely flushed as she repeatedly glances at Liana.
Liana looks restless and confused about the situation now. After all, she is caught in the middle of a small clash between Estella and me.
Ah… maybe this is the reason Liana refused my request to accompany me in meeting Estella.
"A… A… Aella!"
Finally, Estella gives up and hides her face behind the stack of reports in her hands. Look at this little girl… it seems she's utterly embarrassed that one of her soldiers saw her being spoiled with me.
I suddenly feel my right sleeve being tugged. It's Liana's hand, her fingers gently pulling at the fabric on my left arm.
"Aella-sama… please stop teasing Princess Estella!"
I can see the confusion on Liana's face. Hearing her words, I lift my right palm and place it in front of my face. Keeping my palm straight, I lower my head slightly toward Liana as I speak.
"My apologies, Liana! I got carried away teasing Estella… hehehehe…"
"Aella-sama…"
Liana mutters in frustration. And as for Estella…
She glares at me with irritation, her face sour as she sits across the table from me.
I wave my right hand slightly toward Estella while saying, "Sorry…" to her.
After that…
The three of us begin discussing the battle that will take place in a month. A battle on the border between the Northern Continent and the Southern Continent. A battle that will occur on the southern border of the Scathlan Kingdom. An invasion led by Lilith Nightshade, The Sorceress of Darkness.
"So, based on intelligence from the Shadows unit of the mage division, the Demon Race is planning a large-scale invasion along the borders of Rafgal City?"
"Yes, Princess! It seems they are sending around 200 Dark Mages, 400 Swordmasters and Knights, and the rest are about 100 Dragon Riders."
Liana responds to Estella's question, her face showing worry. I then add to the information she provided.
"And it seems that the Dragon Riders are actually Beast Tamers. So there is a possibility of additional reinforcements from the Demon Race that are not included in our current calculations."
"Are you saying there will be Beast-monsters, Aella?"
"Yes!"
"Then… that means the enemy's numbers will be beyond our estimates, Aella-sama?"
Liana's expression grows more concerned upon hearing my words. I give her a small nod in response to her question.
"It seems… you know these Dragon Rider troops quite well, Aella?"
Estella asks me, intrigued.
"Of course, I know them very well…"
I let out a deep sigh before continuing my explanation.
"Because they were the unit that destroyed my kingdom long ago. But…"
I look into both Estella's and Liana's eyes alternately, giving them a slight sense of reassurance.
"At least in this battle, they are not being led by their own squad commander."
"And who is the commander of the Dragon Rider unit?"
Estella asks me.
"Dragnel… Dragnel Ravenger… The Dragon of Destruction!"
"Aella… is it him…?"
Estella questions me with a troubled look. I understand exactly what she means. I respond with a small nod. It seems Estella realizes that the man I just mentioned is the one who killed my father right before my eyes.
But right now, that is not the main issue. Because at this moment, I—no, rather, we—must think about how to deal with the upcoming Demon invasion.
Liana glances at me curiously after witnessing the reaction of her beloved Princess. It seems she is curious about the man whose name just came out of my mouth.
"At the very least, with Dragnel not leading the Dragon Riders, their overall strength will be reduced by a third."
After saying that, I lock eyes with Estella and ask her.
"Then what is your plan to counter their invasion, Estella?"
Estella stirs her teacup while staring intently at the map laid out on the table before us. She thinks for a long while before finally speaking.
"Aella, can you split the mage division into two groups? One led by you, and the other by Liana."
"That's easy enough… but what is your plan?"
"I want to divide the mage division into close-range and long-range attack units! Haven't you trained some of your members to engage in close-quarters combat?"
"That's true! But I only trained those with magic attributes suited for close combat. Like Liana, for instance—I did not give her any special training in melee combat because her magic attributes are far better suited for long-range attacks. Placing Liana in close combat would only waste her magic capabilities. Instead, I prioritized teaching her how to maintain distance in a fight.
Because this little girl is a very valuable asset to the Scathlan Kingdom, so as much as possible, I want to ensure that her precious body remains unharmed."
Liana lowers her head slightly in embarrassment at my praise. Seeing that, I gently pat the little girl's head.
But…
It seems that the Princess before me looks jealous as she watches me pat Liana's head.
Just look at this little Princess!
"Ahem… ahem… so, can we continue our discussion now?"
An annoyed Estella interrupted my moment with Liana.
"And Aella… stop treating Liana like a child. For humans, a fifteen-year-old woman is considered an adult."
"Really? But for me, as an Elf, fifteen years is far too short to be considered an adult. In fact, fifteen years is still within the infant stage for an Elf!"
"Hah!"
Both Estella and Liana gasped almost at the same time.
"S-so… Aella-sama, how old are you exactly?"
"That's a good question, Liana! So, how old are you really, Aella? Wait a minute… a-are you older than my father?"
I let out a small chuckle at their questions. Then, I placed my right index finger in front of my lips and said to the two of them,
"Ssshhh… isn't it quite rude to ask a woman's age?"
And…
We resumed our discussion.
It was decided that I would lead the 'Shadows' unit of the mage corps and a few mages proficient in close combat to attack the frontlines of the Demon Army's Swordmaster and Knight forces. My mage unit would join the Kingdom of Scathlan's Swordmaster and Knight forces.
As for Liana, she was assigned to lead the mage corps specialized in long-range combat. Her unit would serve as the opening assault, tasked with reducing the number of Demon Race Swordmasters and Knights as much as possible.
Meanwhile, Estella herself would lead a cavalry force of about one hundred soldiers to strike the enemy's rear lines, which consisted of Dark Mages. Estella's unit would destroy the Demon Army's formation from behind.
The Dragon Riders and Beast-monsters would be under Liana's unit's command. Their role would come after Liana's unit initiated the opening attack.
With this, our meeting concluded. Estella would later convey our strategies to the commanders of the other units.
After that, Liana and I bid our farewells to Estella. But…
As I was about to leave the room, Estella grabbed my arm and asked,
"Aella… are you going to leave this place?"
"Ahem… ahem… well then, I shall take my leave now, Aella-sama… Princess Estella."
Liana then stepped out and closed the door to the room.
Immediately after, Estella cheered joyfully and quickly embraced me, laughing with delight.
Ah… it seems bringing Liana here was pointless. In the end, I still have to deal with this spoiled Princess!
And so, for a while, I spent my time playing and joking around with Estella in her office.
Well… at the very least… in terms of Elf age, a sixteen-year-old like Estella is still just a baby. I have no idea how humans categorize someone as an adult, but to me, Estella is nothing more than a spoiled little girl.
But… just how heavy is the burden placed upon this young girl who has only just turned sixteen?
At the very least, if pampering her is one way to ease the burden she carries… then I will gladly do so.
Because this young girl is also the one who saved my life.
***
"It seems that Princess Estella is truly spoiled when it comes to Aella-sama…
I was too embarrassed to watch our noble and valiant hero act like a shy and spoiled girl. So, it's better for me to leave quickly and give Princess Estella her time to indulge in Aella-sama's affection. Please take care of our Princess, Aella-sama!
The next episode is titled 'Sound of Warfare.' Don't forget to read it!"
—Liana