“The lesser dragon... That’s the god with the golden shed skin!” Lara perked up a bit.
“That Schneider picked the wrong guys to mess with...” muttered Kodak with a chilling expression. He had been beaten by Schneider once before, just like I had. I knew neither of us planned to let him get away with it.
“At noon, we will announce Serephione’s new status as the master of Trundle to the royal family, all nobles, the lords of all domains, and all guilds. We will also report that Trundle was attacked last night and that we intend to retaliate against the attackers as a matter of justice. The guilds will destroy Schneider’s supplies and military arsenal in no time. Tell everyone to get ready!”
Everyone outside of the guild stood up, bowed silently, and left.
“Aren’t you all mad that a junior like me would take the title of master?” I asked Ziek quietly.
“Ha ha! Isn’t it a bit late to worry about that? It’s only natural that you would be our master. Anything that you lack due to youth, we’ll just have to hammer it into you!”
C-Can’t you just fill in for what I lack?
“Maribelle is the girl from that one time, though, isn’t she? I remember you being concerned about her... Now she’s targeting us again... We should have killed her.” Ziek had no intention of hiding his true feelings. I could see a tornado swirling behind him.
“Maribelle is an unpredictable factor. She learned how to use curses suddenly, and she could surprise us like that again. Don’t underestimate her or Schneider.”
“As you wish.”
“Guildmaster Ziek... I’m sorry about last night.” I lowered my head, and Ziek shook his.
“We didn’t realize it was a curse... Geintz would have cursed us to death himself for that if he were here. I’m glad you’re back now... I’m so glad you made it in time.” Ziek’s wrinkled, calloused palms wrapped around my hands. They were warm.
“So, you’ll be communicating with the guilds, but I want to ask for ideas from my grandmother’s underlings and spies. I want to get in touch with them as soon as I can. Should I go through Orcus?”
Ziek grinned. “Normally, there would be no issue with Orcus, but I doubt he wants to leave Erza’s side for even a second right now. I know the perfect person to contact. Let’s call her right away.”
“Serephi!”
“S-Sasara!”
I dashed directly toward Sasara, who looked like a gerbera daisy with eyes as bright red as the sun!
She looked like she’d be the top star for male roles at an all-female theater troupe. Her dark red military uniform toned down her femininity and gave a cool impression. Her shiny blonde curls rested just above her shoulders, and her smile was warm and handsome. How am I not supposed to fall for her?!
I looked at the cuff of her jacket to see an M embroidered on it in beautiful writing. It was a Marcus Trade Company exclusive! Good work, Mrs. Marcus!
However, her uniform was that of the national army, of which many members had gone over to Schneider’s side. This doesn’t make sense. Sorry, Sasara.
Appraisal! She shone blue.
Sasara (Saint, loyal subject of Erza, second lieutenant in the Judoran Army, Sere-Alma fan club member)
Status: Healthy, furious
Skills: Destroyer of evil, healing magic, mercy, one-handed sword, secrecy, poison resistance
“Saint...” whispered Lou, Miyu, and I in wonder. We’ve discovered the real thing...
“Serephi, I’ve been assigned to the recon team of the military, but I’m on Trundle’s side through and through! Lady Erza raised me to be a spy.”
Sasara explained it perfectly! She was only in the military to spy on them. The military itself had even placed her in its spy division. I had no choice but to leave the sexy spy lady role to Sasara.
“Her heart is just as lovely as Elise’s, so it’s all good with me!” Miyu chirped.
“Saint...” Lou mused. “Well, she doesn’t realize it herself, so that’s good in my book. As for the healing magic, why don’t we try drawing it out of her when we get the chance, like we did with Elise?”
“Good idea.”
She’ll probably carry out her saintly duties more effectively if she doesn’t know it herself! And she’s like twins with Elise, so does that make them a matching set of saints?! But a saint as a spy...will that work?
“What does ‘destroyer of evil’ mean?”
“She has no tolerance for wickedness. It’s a power similar to ours,” Lou answered.
That makes sense for the pure Sasara. And Sere-Alma Club? What even is that?
I stealthily reapplied the lightning magic on Sasara’s ring. There was no sign that it had been used. Thank goodness.
“Thank you for supporting my grandmother. What did her direct reports have to say?”
“Lady Erza predicted every possible situation. All we have to do is act according to her emergency manual. In the event that we can’t communicate with her, it says we are to follow orders from Serephione, then Larouza, then the guildmaster in that order. Nobody objects to this, of course. I will be responsible for communicating between our commanding officer and, uh...Master Serephi.”
I felt better knowing Sasara was in charge.
“Thank you. Let’s get right to it, then. Secure all of Trundle territory so that nobody can step inside. Guard my grandmother especially well. As soon as we receive defensive support from the Granzeus domain, we’ll team up with the guilds and start crushing their units, starting with the smallest ones. Make sure even minor reports get to me quickly. And if you have a chart of the detailed strength and deployment of the troops, please give me a copy.”
“Understood. How will we finish the fight off?”
“I don’t want to prolong it. I’ll come out as soon as Schneider is feeling the heat. That’s a master’s job. He’s far stronger than I am, so you all will have to stand by. Don’t take a shot at him, even by mistake. Save your stamina and replenish your supplies.”
I looked at both Ziek and Sasara.
“This is the time to show our solidarity as Trundles! Let’s get to it!”
“Yes!”