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“We received permission from Imitia Belbed to use their ship.”

In the city’s noble guest house. The city mayor Elvaro, General Aubance, and the leader of the Adventurer Association, Etic, were all left completely dumbstruck by Seletina’s declaration.

“Sir Tieck, is this true?”
“Yes, yes it is. We prepared a detailed drawing of the route of embarkation and the entire ship here. Imitia is currently busy unloading the cargo and convincing the rest of her members, however, after she is done they will head here.”
“I can’t believe this…” Etic exclaimed, his face colored with pure shock.
“Just what magic did you use?” Elvaro, the city chief, muttered. He had already lost most of his hair due to stress.
“I didn’t do anything. Imitia is just that kind at heart.”
“Ridiculous.” Elvaro exclaimed standing up.

He had approached Imitia several times, however, her answer had always been no.

Imitia and the caravan had a reputation for being a despicable group that would not move without a quid pro quo.

(They’re not the kind of people who’ll help just by appealing to their emotions. J-Just what did this man do? Just who is he?)

Elvaro was ready to retaliate further, but it was General Aubance who admonished him.

“We don’t need an explanation. All that matters is that we’ll be able to use Imitia’s ridiculously huge ship. Great job, Tieck.”
“Thank you for your kind words.” Seletina said, bowing slightly.

The elegance in every single one of her gestures was probably due to the education from the Aldelight family, or to be more precise, from Melia.

“Still, you sure look way more proper now.”

The General commented as he looked at Seletina’s white attire. His eyes were surely able to tell just how valuable Seletina’s equipment was.

“Did I displease you in any way, General?”
“No, no. It’s nothing like that. It just seems that you and Imitia are on quite good terms.”
“Thankfully we are.” Seletina said.

In this dim light, her petite body became even more apparent in this new light outfit of hers. Despite her breasts being covered with a cloth, she still appeared like a girl from the outside.

Seletina’s beauty felt even more refined now in contrast to her rough clothes from before, which made the nickname ‘Angel’ suit her even more. Every time her blond hair swayed, a sweet scent filled the room.

(Hmph…)

At that moment, General Aubance became convinced that Seletina’s gender was not as it seemed, but he refrained from voicing his suspicion. He knew that saying anything would only make her more cautious.

She appeared as a beautiful ‘Angel,’ yet possessed enough swordsmanship to rival an Upper Rank and had managed to persuade Imitia in one night. It was clear that she kept some secrets.

Thus, General Aubance decided to remain silent. It was in his best interest to slowly continue probing the true identity of this boy named Tieck.

“Let’s continue. First we’ll start with how to use this ship. There is no time. We have to secure an embarkation route for now. After which we need to pick who’ll board the ship… Elvaro, how long do you think this will take.”

“No matter how much I try to cut it, it won’t be less than 24 hours. It will probably take at least a day. And if you include announcements to the various nobles and commoners, then…”

“Too long. Finish it in 6 hours.”
“Ridiculous! There’s no way we can do it in 6 hours!”
“Oh you will. You will do it, city chief, Elvaro. This is your final job, and it is also the one that holds the lives of many of your precious citizens.”
“You b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲…”

“Just do it! Depending on how well you take care of this, maybe the emperor will show mercy.”
“!!!”
“Don’t waste any more time and get to it! We don’t have time to spare!”
“Fine! Damn it, I’ll do it!” Elvaro declared as he grabbed the drawing and left the room.

After all the noise, silence filled the room. The general hunched his shoulders under the stunned gazes of Seletina and Etic.

“Sorry you had to see such a sorry sight.”
“Are you sure about letting him go like that?” Seletina asked. She was worried about letting Elvaro go in her current state.

However, it was at this moment that General Aubance laughed. “You were a bit harsh with your words, which in turn motivated him. There’s nothing more precious than that. Especially when lives are at stake.”

“It is as you say.” Seletina said, agreeing with General Aubance.

They didn’t have time to worry about whether thousands would live or die. They had to play all the cards they had. Seletina, too, felt self-conscious in the midst of it all.

“Besides, Tieck… There’s something I’d like you to do.”
“What may that be?”
“The soldiers have lost their morale. I’d like you to try and motivate them.”
“What do you mean?”

General Aubance smiled at Seletina, who frowned.

“I want to use your ‘Angel’ nickname.”
“I didn’t want it in the first place, nor do I have any attachment to it.”
“A name will always be a name, and it will follow you for as long as you live. Even if it is a name that you do not like.”

The General said and after him, Etic the head of the Adventurer Association spoke. “Are you planning on starting a crusade by using Sir Tieck?” He asked while sipping his tea.

The general, in turn, nodded in agreement. “Everyone is starting to believe that Tieck is really an angel. This battlefield is done for. Most people would be tempted to think that. Every single person in this city, including the soldiers, saw the wings of light soaring where the engagement with the Upper Ranks and the defense line at the south gate took place.”

“Meaning?”

“It’s just as you described it, Etic. It’s a crusade. You will lead the soldiers to hold off the Demons. In the meantime, the elect will escape Ulbdor in the ship, or rather, the Ark. Sounds pretty good, no?”
“……”

The General finished his explanation, and Seletina was left wondering for a moment. At the same time, the door to the room opened quietly. The one who appeared after was none other than Imitia.