While Layland was fully immersing himself in training, his subordinates were busily preparing for the upcoming war with Cresundia. Layland's habit to have thorough preparation before acting regardless of its requirements was already well-known. Many people thought he was being too cautious, so they often shook their heads in amusement whenever he overprepared.
This time, however, a rare moment occurred where everyone could see what Layland was anticipating. For the first time, instead of thinking that Layland's thorough preparation was overkill, they were reassured by it.
It had only been fifteen days since Layland declared the plan to have war with Cresundia. Despite their effort to keep it a secret, the wind had reached Cresundia. The said Kingdom was also preparing for war. With Shanifa controlling it in the dark, its effort should have been supposed to be useless; however, Cresundia was but a name at this point.
Using subjugation missions as an excuse to send out the best soldiers to Antares, Shanifa was crippling the Kingdom's military forces. Only the less competent soldiers returned each time a squad returned from a subjugation mission. The competent soldiers were made to look dead and brought to Antares. In a nutshell, Shanifa was filtering whom they were going to kill in the war.
The weakening of the forces of Cresundia was naturally noticed by the Rectusomine Army which was essentially controlled by the Temple. It proposed to help Cresundia out of 'goodwill' and therefore its soldiers were filling the Kingdom. Unlike the last time, the Temple who was behind it wasn't planning to be the attacker. They concentrated on the defence instead.
Of course, what one could see on the surface would never be everything. Maxine, as the temporary head of Antares, had received quite a concerning number of reports about the scuffles that the Warriors had with the opposing party. All of them had happened close to Antares' territory. This indicated that the other party was constantly spying on them.
Adding that fact to the overwhelming number of manpower that Cresundia would utilize during the war, the rising tension in Antares was something one couldn't avoid. They were as confident as ever, yet they couldn't help but question: "Where is our Lord now?"
They were fully aware of the fact that Velucan and Lemius were two forces to be reckoned with. Despite so, they felt the two weren't as assuring as Layland was. Their worry wasn't baseless, though. Unlike Layland, the two Generals were only there to help. If a situation called for their aid in the Kingdom of Verniculos, they needed to return as fast as possible.
They were hoping that to not be the case, but their experience had taught them to expect the worse in a bloody situation. Therefore, they were always on edge whenever they heard about the opponent's moves and remembered that their leader was absent.
"Decima...can you send out some of the well-trained men to hunt these pests? They are getting on my nerves."
"Of course. Though I can't send out many of them. Miss Shanifa has warned us that the Temple might have found out about her involvement. It is also highly likely that they are doing what we are doing--sneakily taking out the competent men."
"Are you expecting them to...no, pardon me. I have said something stupid."
In Layland's office, sitting on his chair with her hands supporting her head on the desk; Maxine sighed tiredly. She had always thought her job was easy, but the recent development made her want to punch herself for thinking that way before. Everything changed when they were going to war. There were too many reports and things to consider for her.
The workload didn't matter much to her. She could go sleepless for a month straight and eat nothing during that time. What burdened her was the responsibility. Antares was the product of Layland's longtime effort. Layland left it to her in a good condition and she was afraid to return it flat to the ground.
'Am I competent enough for this job? Am I worthy enough to hold such a big responsibility? Can I fulfil my responsibility?' These questions filled up her mind. She constantly wondered about them during the night. She couldn't sleep because of them. Luckily, she didn't need sleep to function. However, still, her anxiety took a toll on her.
"Are you burdened by Commander's expectation?" Decima, the Commander of the Human-Lamia Army, asked in curiosity. Her eyes shone in amusement as her slitted pupils dilated slightly.
"I don't want to fail him. He has never faced any difficulties handling any of these. For someone who is constantly praised for her competence, I am ashamed to perform this unsatisfactorily. I don't think I am worthy..." Maxine replied sternly before mumbling the rest of her sentence.
"Well, you can't compare yourself to Commander Layland. I think we already accepted the fact that he is not normal. I am sure he also has times when he struggles as you do. The reason why we can't notice it is maybe because of his stoicism. I do agree that he makes everything look easy, but you can't compare yourself to him in that aspect. He is...different to say the least."
"That is..."
As Maxine was about to get into a deep thought, Decima slapped her shoulder. "What I am saying is loosen up a little bit. You have bags under your eyes. It's extremely uncanny seeing a Demon having those."
Maxine remained silent as she mused about what Decima had said. 'Loosen up a little bit, huh? There is a place I want to loosen up, but it is unfortunately not possible right now. Ah, maybe I should ask that when he returns. I guess, I have to make do with a nice bath and good sleep right now.'
As she thought about the passionate thing she would do with her beloved boss when he returned, the frown marring her face dissipated and a small smile crept up her face. She decided to take a break and then asked Decima to accompany to which the said Lamia agreed.
...
Clank!
"Kahak!"
Shanifa knocked over the basin containing water to wash her face with when a splitting headache suddenly assaulted her. She grasped the side of her head in pain as the sensation in her stomach made her gag. Her vision spun and shook, disorienting her completely. She felt like half of her head was gnawed by a Hellhound. In a nutshell, you could say it was a severe migraine.
Bleurgh!
The content of her stomach spilt out and pooled on the floor. Some of it came out of her nostrils, torturing her even further. A quarter minute passed and the pain disappeared as if it had never existed. Shanifa pushed her body against the table and stood straight. She used Magic to clean her face before calmly taking out her Sound Crystal.
She contacted Maxine, but she was out of reach, so she left her a message: "They got me. The King is no longer under my control and so are the majority of the soldiers in Cresundia. My time to retreat has come. I will inform Lunea and the others about this before going there. Tell your men to not be wary of me."
Putting her Sound Crystal back in her pocket, Shanifa sighed and glanced at her trembling hands. Someone had defeated her in the field that she was an expert on. Although she guarded her mind well, her identity was still exposed. Alas, she couldn't do the same to that person which was why she was frightened. Her paranoia made her think she could be done at any moment and she wouldn't notice.
Shaking her head, she discarded the thought and walked to the door of her hideout. The dark room she had been staying in for over a year and a half was lit for the first time as it caught on fire.
[Incendia]!
When she opened the door, she was greeted by a pond with extremely clear water. The ground rumbled and the hut she just got out of crumbled. Followed by that, the ground sank in. It left a wide hole in the ground which was quickly filled up soon after.
Extending her hand, she cast a Spell that caused the water of the pond to glow. A blinding light enveloped her in the next moment and she disappeared from the place. Seconds passed in silence before a group of Priests and a mysterious veiled figure appeared in the place. Their eyes were focused on the glittering water of the pond.
"She has left," the veiled figure muttered, letting out a very feminine voice.
"We are very sorry for not making it on time." The Priests bowed in shame.
"The opponent is a Hero. It is to be expected."
"Yes, Saintess."
The veiled figure whom the Priests referred to as Saintess clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction. She had thought she would make it, but it was nothing more than her illusion. Shanifa was as thorough and quick-witted as she expected. She couldn't trace her even though she had scanned the entire place.
"She must still be in Cresundia right now. Order as many men as you can to look for her," the Saintess ordered. "We can't let this woman roam the world free. The power she possesses is too evil."
"As you order, Saintess."
A blinding light soon covered the people. When the light dissipated, they were also gone from the place.
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