“Master.”
Once I finished talking with Sheila’s clone, Reina called out to me. I turned to her and found Scarlet looking at me too.
“Hmm? What’s up?” I asked her.
Scarlet said, “We seek your approval to station some giants and wolfmen along our borders, as we foresee that more banshees are likely to come to us in the near future.”
“That goes without saying. It’s all up to you.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Additionally, Master...” Reina piped in. “Would you like to set some parameters? For example, will they be permitted to cross the border? And how far can they interfere?”
I gave it some thought. “I’d like them to save any banshees they can see.”
If I were one of the giants and wolfmen to be stationed at the border, the worst thing I could imagine was watching powerlessly as the fleeing banshees were slaughtered just a stone’s throw from our border. The banshees off at who-knows-where were one thing, but those right at our doorstep? We definitely had to save them to the best of our abilities.
“They can save the banshees as long as they’re within sight, borders be damned. They can fight the humans too, if that’s what it takes.”
My final decision marked the end of the meeting. Scarlet went to announce our new policy, while Reina left to pass the orders to Gai and Chris.
Left alone in the meeting room, I was racking my brain for any way that magic could help us with this whole banshee conundrum.
“I got nothing...”
“Oh? What are you up to?” Lardon asked, speaking freely now that we were all alone.
“I’m trying to see if magic can somehow help us out here, but I have no idea where to even begin.”
“Hmm... It appears you can think of a handful of magical means to address immediate issues, but the problem itself is outside your field of expertise.”
“Exactly... Gotta hand it to you, Lardon. You always pinpoint the issue so quickly.”
“Well, there is no need to think on it too deeply. In fact, it may be better that you remain as you are...” Lardon chuckled darkly.
“What does that mean? And what’s with that laugh...?”
Lardon sighed. “Oh, I was just thinking. Had someone else... For example, that Sheila lass. Had she been here, she would have called me self-indulgent for advising you this way.”
“What...?”
“A preventive approach is safer than a reactive one. However, I am advising you to take the latter, for you are quite able to solve most things with your magic, and dealing with matters spontaneously trains your quick thinking. It does mean acting only after the damage has been incurred...but it makes you an amusing watch.”
“Oh, that’s what you meant by ‘self-indulgent’...”
Lardon chuckled again. “Precisely.”
It did sound like she was recommending a reactive approach despite knowing the risks only to humor herself. That being said, she wasn’t going to see me argue about it. It was just as Lardon said—preventive measures weren’t my forte at all. I was better off improving my reactive measures instead.
Just as we were wrapping up our discussion, I heard a quiet knock from the door.
“Who is it?” I called.
“Excuse me, Master.” An elven maid entered the room, put her hands together, and bowed. “You have a visitor. Er... Ms. Grace, I believe? She wishes to meet you.”
I drew a blank for a second, as this was my first time hearing that name from others, but I quickly remembered who she was talking about. “Grace” was the name I’d given the first banshee—now dark elf—who had come running into our city.
“Grace? Is she feeling better already?”
“She said that she wishes to express her gratitude.”
“All right. Let her through.”
The elven maid bowed once more before leaving the room. Grace then entered, standing where the maid had been just earlier.
✦ ✦ ✦
From a banshee in a tattered robe, she’d now become a dark elf in a black dress. It was the type of formalwear I’d seen on the noblewomen who came to our city for Bruno’s business. On a dark elf like Grace, though, the dress made her look more like a witch than a noblewoman.
“Are you feeling better now?” I asked her.
“Yes,” she answered. “Thank you for helping us.”
“It’s all good. How’re the clothes?”
“Huh? O-Oh...” A little puzzled, Grace looked between me and her own outfit. “I was taken to a place with lots of clothes and told to pick anything... But I wasn’t sure what would suffice, so I just chose a monochrome dress... Was it a bad choice?”
“Hmm? Not really. You can pick out something else next time. Or not. Whatever floats your boat. If nothing catches your eye, we can even ask Bruno for other designs.”
“R-Really?”
“Sure. As long as you’re in this country, you’re just like the rest of the monsters. You guys can do everything as everyone else does.”
Surprise was evident on Grace’s expression. Her wide eyes darted over my face, like she was probing me for some hidden intentions. “Er... Shall we do something in exchange...?”
“Huh?”
“Well, humans... They...” Grace fidgeted awkwardly as she struggled to find the words. “They usually...ask for something in return.”
I cocked my head in confusion. Lardon, however, seemed to understand what Grace was getting at—I heard her laugh in my head.
“Do you get what she means, Lardon?” I asked out loud, ignoring how Grace was startled as I waited for Lardon’s response.
“Do you recall that banshees dwell in human houses?” she asked, a pleasant tone to her voice. “They must have spent much time observing humans. And many humans offer their help in exchange for a woman’s body.”
“Oh...” I blinked. Well, that explained it... Still, I had no such intentions. “You don’t need to pay me back or anything.”
Grace looked more shocked than ever.