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RI waited for the werewolf unit to return while watching the scene in front of the castle gates through a telescope.
The battered heavy cavalrymen were gathering from all over. Some had lost their horses and staggered forward on foot. Their army standard, soaked through in the lake, hung heavy and limp.
These once-proud elites now looked utterly pitiful.

The infantry, though almost unscathed, had collapsed on the ground as though drained of all strength. They had probably resigned themselves to death.
Soon, Aram approached them, and from among the heavy cavalry, a man who seemed to be their commander stepped forward.
I was too far to hear their conversation, but I could clearly see the commander bowing his head again and again. Then, when Aram said something, the commander grasped his hand tightly with both of his own.

“Looks like it went well,” I said.

The returning werewolf squad pumped their fists in triumph.

“Piece of cake!”
“Not like we did anything though!”
“Would’ve liked to run wild a bit!”

They were pretending to celebrate, but really they were grumbling at me.

“Well, don’t blame me! If Aram had really betrayed us, you lot would’ve had your turn then!”

I trusted Aram completely, but as the commander responsible for so many lives, I couldn’t afford blind faith.
So I had hidden the werewolf unit in the confusion, ready to set fire to Schaldir itself if Aram turned on us.
If the city went up in flames, the battle would be over in an instant. Aram would be forced to withdraw his guards. He valued his city more than the northerners, after all.
Fortunately, it had all been for nothing. That was the best outcome—contingency plans are best left unused.

After that, we continued to observe the exchanges in front of the gates.
It seemed Aram had completely won over the Miraldia army commander.
We had prepared to send the werewolf squad to his aid if things went sour, but it looked like there was no need.

“All right, let’s head back. We’ll celebrate with some meat, then it’s back to diplomacy again.”
“Yeah!”
“Meat! Meat!”
“Not like we did anything though!”

Persistent b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲s̲.

This time, I had deliberately given Aram the perfect chance to betray us.
If he’d truly wanted to, there had been countless other opportunities. But he didn’t. Instead, he played along with the script I’d written.
Maybe he was saving his treachery for some more crucial moment—but given his personality, I doubted it.
For all his appearance as a schemer, inside he was something of a hot-blooded idealist.

Later, once we confirmed the Miraldia army had all withdrawn, I visited Schaldir again.

“Thanks to you, Sir Veit, we were saved.”

Aram greeted us with a radiant smile.

“It seems they had originally planned to put me before a tribunal, but thanks to the commander’s intercession, the matter was dropped.”

Well, you can’t arrest the man who just saved your life.
And the fact he had sent aid in that situation showed he had no intention of siding with the Demon Lord’s army either.

“But to think you would deploy even your private troops. I had assumed it would just be the 120 city guards.”
“That would have been far too few to change the battle’s tide. If the Demon Lord’s army had retreated then, it would have seemed suspicious.”

Aram laughed as he led me to the guest chamber.

“In light of our achievements, they’ve agreed to overlook the existence of my private troops as well—recognizing them as necessary for the city’s defense.”
“That’s good news.”

I didn’t know the details of their talks, but apparently Aram had spoken passionately about duty and loyalty.
The Miraldia commander turned out to be a fiery character himself, and the two hit it off.
In the end, he was so persuaded that he promised, “It is strange that Schaldir’s guard numbers are so low. I will petition the higher-ups.”
For Aram, straightforward passion was more effective than cunning tricks.

Then Aram straightened and faced me formally.

“You have my deepest gratitude for saving both myself and Schaldir from crisis. It was my poor diplomacy that caused this trouble, yet you rescued us nonetheless.”
“You’re simply too honest for your own good…”

He had tried hard to scheme his way through at first, but Aram was no good at the arts of concealment. His true feelings always showed through. And perhaps that was precisely what moved people the most.

I asked him,

“The Demon Lord’s army keeps its promises, has more than enough strength, and above all, avoids needless bloodshed. I trust this battle has proven that to you.”

The enemy heavy cavalry had been a serious threat, so we had struck them hard—but even so, their actual dead numbered only in the dozens.
Many cavalrymen had fled or been unhorsed, but killing them then would have been pointless.

Aram nodded gravely.

“Yes. From now on, I will not only speak of coexistence with the demonfolk here in Schaldir, but also to the other southern cities.”

Would it be that simple, though?

“We southerners are the descendants of pioneers who once crossed the sea. We have not forgotten the spirit of breaking new ground. We can coexist with demons as well—I am certain of it.”

He declared this with full confidence.
Quite the firebrand, aren’t you…

After parting with him, we returned to Lüenheit.
Now Lüenheit had shields in the north—Bernehainen and Tübahn—and in the east, Schaldir.
Our southern defenses were still lacking, but the chance of any large enemy force coming from there was slim.
For the time being, we could focus on domestic affairs.

But that night, I was shaken awake.

“Boss, the leader of the Ruhigermond Faith requests an audience…”

A werewolf on night duty had roused me from deep sleep.

“At this hour…?”

Couldn’t it wait until morning?
But my subordinate answered:

“She says she has foreseen a grave crisis for the Demon Lord’s army.”
“Hm?”

The head of the Lüenheit Ruhigermond Faith—that would be Mithi the Astrologist. I hadn’t seen her much since the religious council. But what was this about a crisis for our army?
She was a prominent figure in Lüenheit, so I agreed to see her at once.

I received Mithi in my office, forcing down my drowsiness.

“My apologies for disturbing you at night. The stars’ alignment heralds the appearance of a Hero.”

Oh, that again.

“I hate to say this after you’ve come all this way, but we already defeated a so-called Hero. He turned out to be an impostor, though…”
“No. Not the false ‘Hero Lanhardt.’ This time, it is the true Hero.”

Her expression was deadly serious as she pressed closer.

“Since late tonight, a powerful star has shone in the northern heavens. You should send envoys north at once to confirm the situation.”

I hesitated, but her reputation as an astrologer was formidable. She seemed to be quite the figure here in the south.
Astrology in this world was a real form of divination. The stronger the practitioner, the more terrifyingly precise the foresight.
As a fellow mage, I had to respect the specialist’s warning.

“If you say so, Lady Mithi, then it must be serious. Very well—I’ll have it investigated immediately.”

As I recalled, Master was currently staying in Bernehainen tonight.
I would send a centaur messenger there at once, and have Master scout the northern front.
In a world without telephones or mail, everything took time.

Still, it struck me as strange that a devout cleric would rush to warn demons of the Hero’s coming.

“But Lady Mithi, isn’t the Hero supposed to be your ally?”

She shook her head with a smile.

“Sir Veit, I still owe you from the religious council. Besides…”
“Yes?”

With a mischievous look, she replied,

“For us Ruhigermond followers of Lüenheit, things are happier as they are now. Better a southern werewolf than a northern Hero.”

That was honestly touching.

“Thank you, Lady Mithi. I won’t forget this favor.”

I bowed deeply and immediately dispatched a messenger.