-----⟨⟨ Later, Birmithan ⟩⟩-----
"Beside the four members of Sterminatore Level 2, Sir Langgram has stationed three captains of the Red Battalion inside the building. The three battalions they lead are hiding in the northern part of the city. With them is Sir Goliathra. So, if we want to take advantage of the situation, we need to lure the Primordial Demon Lukhiel to the east," Ferguso explained.
"Is it just me, or is this too much to defeat the Primordial Demon Lukhiel, Ferguso?" Eliza asked.
Ferguso— a 26-year-old man with short black hair and glasses—who was trusted by Selena to be the brain of their team, turned to face the question's owner: Eliza.
Eliza was two years younger than Ferguso. She had long brown wavy hair that styled into a fish-tail braid.
At that moment, they were sitting around a round table on the rooftop of one of the luxury inns in the city.
There were only five of them: Eliza, Clarent, Jimmy, Axel, and Ferguso himself. Their leader, Selena, wasn't present. The girl was in one of the inn's rooms meeting her uncle, King Arthur IV. Since the operation was being led by the king himself, Selena had to ask permission if she wanted to get involved.
"Lukhiel is the weakest of the eight Primordial Demons, right?" Axel asked just to be sure.
The bald man with a scar on his left cheek yawned as he spoke. He was one year older than Ferguso but was the laziest of them all. If it weren't for the fact that Alex was very loyal, Ferguso would have certainly suggested Selena to dismiss him.
"Lukhiel is the weakest, but full of experience."
That response didn't come from Ferguso, but from Jimmy—the youngest member of their group.
Jimmy was only twenty years old. He was a short-haired blond who didn't like to talk much. Of all of them, Ferguso liked Jimmy the most. He could rely on him when Ferguso wasn't around. However, the problem was that Jimmy was hard to motivate without orders. Ferguso had to make sure to give him commands if he wanted to make full use of his services.
"He's lived for over a millennium," Clarent added, agreeing with Jimmy.
Clarent, who was the third oldest, had just turned 25 three weeks ago. She was the most talkative of them all, but she was also the most disciplined. Given that Clarent was of noble birth, that wasn't surprising. Ferguso was very grateful to Clarent.
"But it's still excessive, isn't it?" Eliza asked again. "King Arthur IV is getting involved! Don't you think there's another motive here?"
"If the goal is to capture Lukhiel alive without giving him a chance to escape, I think all the preparations are quite reasonable," Ferguso finally gave his opinion. "Although the weakest, Lukhiel is still strong. There's a reason why Lady Guinerhea is dead. There's a reason he's still free to this day."
"That makes sense," Eliza muttered.
"Continuing from what I said earlier," Ferguso refocused the group on the issue at hand, "we'll lure Lukhiel into fleeing eastward. But we need to move before the others do. We need to strike before he enters the mayor's building. This will disrupt Sir Langgram's plan, but Lady Selena won't have any issues as long as we manage to decapitate Lukhiel."
"Clarent," Ferguso fixed his gaze on her. "Since you're the one with teleportation ability, you'll be the bait. Alex will attack the inn. We'll position ourselves at different points to force him to east. You'll strike as soon as Lukhiel exits. We won't follow you, so you'll have to be careful while still ensuring you lead him east. Lukhiel will finish you off once he's sure you're not being followed, just like he did with Lady Guinerhea. And then—"
"And that's when I should teleport you all there?" Clarent interrupted with a bored look. "Okay, okay. You don't need to explain it all to me. I'm not Alex."
"Hey!"
"...I can't deny that."
"Hey!"
Both Clarent and Ferguso ignored Alex's protests.
"But before that," Eliza suddenly chimed in, "are you sure His Majesty will allow Lady Selena to act freely like this?"
The question, with Eliza's seemingly innocent expression, caused Ferguso and the others to turn their gaze to her. After all, if King Arthur IV didn't allow it, their plan couldn't proceed.
"We'll leave that to Lady Selena."
Ferguso couldn't provide any other answer.
—In One of the Rooms in the Inn—
"... So, I want Uncle to give me a chance."
After some time of small talk, Selena finally voiced her intentions.
That damn uncle of hers had monopolized the conversation, leaving no space for Selena to take over. Every time she tried, the king would cut her off first. She only managed to cut back in when she told him that Marry had successfully defeated two high-level demons.
"I will make sure to bring the head of the Primordial Demon Lukhiel before you. If I fail, I don't mind waiting another year and a half."
Selena glared at her uncle: Arthur IV Pendragon.
The 37-year-old man, with ear-length messy blond hair, returned Selena's glare with his green eyes. His stare wasn't sharp, nor was it flat. Arthur's gaze was normal, but Selena felt as though she was being judged by the well-built man. However, Selena didn't back down; her sharp gaze remained unwavering.
"Alright."
Selena's lips stretched into a wide smile.
"But—"
And that smile quickly vanished.
"—you'll have to give up your desires and become my daughter's knight if you fail. I promised your mother not to put you in danger. This is a fair bet, isn't it?"
Arthur IV's gaze seemed to clearly convey the unspoken words. "You will fail, and I won't need to worry about Marry's safety or your mother's nagging." Selena was sure that those were the words Arthur hadn't said out loud.
"Fine! I have no problem with that."
She wouldn't be Selena if she didn't dare accept the challenge. If she failed, she would just need to convince her grandfather to make her uncle accept her as part of the—
"Don't think you can rely on your grandfather. If you do, I will seize that sword."
"...You...! You're going too far, Uncle!"
"So, have you changed your mind?"
"Of course not!" Selena stood up from the sofa with determination in her eyes. "This is a life-or-death gamble. I will stake my life on it."
"...I won't take responsibility if your mother gets angry."
Selena snorted. "Of course," she said as she stood, drew Caliburn, and placed it back on her back. "Well then, I'll take my leave, Uncle."
"I wish you victory."
Selena's response to his words was a frustrated grunt, but the king smiled in amusement. He even laughed. It was only when the door slammed shut that the laughter stopped.
"Don't you think you're going a bit too far, Your Majesty?" asked the servant woman who had been standing behind the king the whole time.
"It's fine, Athrecia. Her mother never wanted her to be part of the Knights of the Round Table. And you know I always fulfill my sister's wishes. More importantly, is your preparation complete?"
"Yes. I've prepared the battleground where Guinerhea is killed. I've also ensured that Celinee has marked Lukhiel's skin with my blood. I can teleport her there anytime."
"As always, Athrecia, you're quite terrifying as an enemy. But are you sure you want to let Celinee live? Someone might restore her memories. If she remembers everything, it will be troublesome."
"Do you doubt me, Your Majesty? I'm a better sorceress than Morgan Le Fay and Merlin. Ah, I should kill Merlin to truly claim I'm better than her. But it's undeniable that I'm better than Morgan."
"Oh, I forgot you killed your own mother."
"She was the one who wanted to kill me first!"
"I know, I know. No need to get upset. Now, you better massage my shoulders – your hands feel better than my wife's."
"You're quite the bastard, Your Majesty."
"I don't want to hear that from the woman who flirted with me first."
"I can't deny that, but you could've rejected me if you weren't such a bastard."
"Wasn't it you who bound me so I couldn't fight back?"
"Oh, then how did I end up tied up?"
"...M-Maybe we should forget about that."
"Only if you agree to let me stay in the palace."
"Are you insane?!"
"Did you just realize I'm insane?"
"My wife will beat me, you know? She doesn't want me to have a mistress, let alone a second wife."
"Who said anything about a wife or mistress? I'm sure you could replace the head servant's position with me."
"You're playing with fire, Athrecia."
"And you like it."
"...."
Arthur could not deny it. He really could not.