* * *

Nine days to go until they set sail for the Tyrone Island. Cadel was getting ready to go out with Lumen.

“You can undo a button or two more.”

Lumen studied Cadel’s nervous expression as he reached for a button that was fastened up to his neck. Cadel hesitantly undid it.

“But I’m on my way to ask him to stand on my side, don’t you think it’s better to be formal?”

“You’re going to see Sir Ector, and I don’t know about anyone else, but I think he’d prefer Leader to be more relaxed.”

“Is that so…….”

For now, their objective was to bring Ector Enti to Cadel’s side, to get him to support Cadel’s opinion at the meeting. Most of the Knight Order commanders who would be gathered on Tyrone Island were elder veterans who had fought for years beyond their years. Individual strength alone would not carry much weight.

The more allies he could gather, the more influence he would have at the meeting. It was all he could think about, and the pressure to look good to Ector was immense.

“Don’t be too rigid. The most important thing is not how you look, but how you convince Sir Ector because when I first heard the tactics you were going to advocate, my first thought was that even I would have a hard time accepting them.”

“I told you it takes time to draw on the power of the Scarlet Dragon, and I’m limited in my ability to use my own power until then, so it’s best to save the best for last…….”

“I know, but we don’t know how much the Scarlet Dragon’s power will be able to do in the Demon Realm, and it’s a big risk to leave out even Leader’s power, let alone a magician’s.”

It was a vague defense that didn’t really explain anything, so it had a lot of holes in it. Cadel could not believe that he had to use such a flimsy excuse to convince the commanders of the Empire. He sighed.

“Don’t sulk, just do your usual thing. Persuasion is your specialty.”

Lumen patted Cadel’s stiffened cheek and led him outside.

* * *

“Kahaha! How long has it been since I’ve seen you? And you’ve got more new feats to show for it!”

“It’s been a long time, Sir Ector.”

The meeting with Ector took place in a modest tavern attached to a private house. Lumen had chosen it with Ector’s tastes in mind, and he was quick to praise the atmosphere upon first entering.

Seated together at a table, they quickly ordered drinks and appetizers.

“I never thought I’d be drinking with Sir Lumen Dominic. I was a bit surprised to hear you were accompanying Sir Cadel today.”

“I am honored that you remember my name.”

“Haha! How could I not recognize Lumen Dominic, Swift Swordsman of the Scarlet Scales Knight Order? I thought my own son was fairly quick, but your swordsmanship is beyond human comprehension.”

“That is flattering. If it’s Sir Ector’s son, you must be referring to Sir Dreyfe. His sword skills require considerable mastery, and to combine them with his speed, it must have taken a great deal of effort.”

“…… Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, though it would also require natural talent. He’s a descendant of Sir Ector, so he’s got plenty of talent already. It’s easy to become complacent when you have too much talent, but he’s put in the work, so I’m looking forward to seeing how he progresses.”

“Indeed, my son is a hard worker, despite his outward aloofness, kahaha!”

Lumen naturally steered the conversation and lifted Ector’s spirits. He flattered his beloved son and kept him entertained with constant questions of interest.

‘He’s so aristocratic when he’s like this.’

Cadel thought as he chimed in beside them. It was certainly a scene that would have been difficult to see with any of the other members of the group, with Lumen’s noble appearance, elegant smile, and fluid conversation.

The three men enjoyed the drinks and food they’d ordered, discussing their personal lives, past battles, and unrelated concerns. It wasn’t until they were well intoxicated and the tension had completely dissipated that Lumen broke the ice.

“Speaking of which, this strategy meeting. From the Guardian Knight Order, Sir Sorin Salamo is accompanying you as your vice commander, right?”

“Ah, that’s right. There’s no one else who can be vice commander besides Sorin. The vice commander of the Scarlet Scales Knight Order would be Sir Lumen, right?”

“Of course. Aside from me, no one else in the Order has the talents of a vice commander either.”

“Kahaha! You didn’t choose by face? Well, your Knight Order has a lot of good-looking faces, so even if you did, it would be fierce.”

“I wish I could say it was chosen by face, but unfortunately it wasn’t. I was chosen to help the commander make his point at this meeting.”

Lumen said as he refilled their glasses, and Ector, who accepted the drink, raised one eyebrow.

“I take it you already have a tactic in mind?”

“Yes. I’ve been counting down the days until the meeting. Do you not have a tactic in mind, Sir Ector?”

“It’s hard to get anything out of your head at a meeting like that. It’s a place for brawlers, and it’s only a matter of time before the place goes to hell. No matter how dignified they may act, their fighting instincts will kick in at the slightest provocation, and that’s where Sir Cadel’s composure is so admirable.”

Ector’s gaze naturally shifted to Cadel, who was still as clear-headed as if he’d only been drinking a little, and said with a fake smile.

“I wouldn’t say I’m calm, I’m just slow to react. I’m still trying to figure out if my tactics can be improved, if this is really the best thing to do.”

“You’re telling me you’ve been thinking about such uninteresting things while we’ve been drinking together?”

“Haha……. Well, do you want to hear it, whether it’s really a boring idea or not?”

“Hmmmm…….”

After hearing Cadel’s tactics, Ector rubbed his chin in silence for a long moment. He’d long since put down his favorite drink. Cadel pressed his fingertips together in agony at Ector’s silence, and Lumen reached under the table and tugged at Cadel’s hand.

Cadel’s gaze shifted at the warmth of his hand. Lumen was staring at Ector with a nonchalant expression as if nothing was happening, but the warmth of his hand grew stronger and stronger, and Cadel let his nerves relax a little.

If Ector rejected his offer, Cadel could try again to persuade him by making up for his shortcomings. If that didn’t work, he’d move on to his next target. Nothing was going to be solved by fretting.

As Cadel slowly regained his composure, Ector finally spoke up.

“Very well, I’m on board with that tactic.”

“It’s a gamble, to be sure, but I’m confident in it. If you’d like to lend your support, I can be reached at…….”

“Leader, he’s accepted, no need to convince him further.”

Lumen smiled graciously at Ector’s acceptance, silencing Cadel’s rambling as a conditioned reflex.

“Your tactics will not disappoint anyone, as they always have.”

“In war, even those tactics that you think will succeed often fail, and that’s why I always try to calculate every possibility, every eventuality. My support for Sir Cadel’s gambling tactics is in a similar fashion.”

For Ector, tactics were simply categorized as having a relatively high or low probability of success. Cadel’s tactics were certainly high-stakes and risky. But there were plenty of tactics that could compensate for the risk, and if Cadel could effectively draw on the power of the Scarlet Dragon, the chances of victory would increase dramatically.

Cadel’s tactic was a hidden card, and while it would require some sacrifice to keep, it was worth it. Stability was not in Ector’s nature in the first place. Stability in war, he thought, was the height of folly.

“Instead, we shouldn’t hold off on bringing your subordinates into the fray, because if the Empire’s elite Knight Order is entirely excluded from the early battles, no commander is going to take that lying down. You’re a commander too, so you know, in the end, my people are the most important thing.”

A commander was a man who commanded, led, and protected his members. If his people must be sacrificed for the dubious tactics of one Knight Order, no one else would follow.

Cadel nodded quickly. Even if the entire Knight Order couldn’t support him, he was willing to act alone from the start.

Ector’s persuasion had been successful. The next target was another Knight Order in the Empire: Moritol Anak, the commander of the Heaven Time Knight Order.

* * *

Getting an appointment with Moritol was not easy. He didn’t want to waste time on socializing when he should be focusing on defense. After grilling him about it, Lumen proudly announced to an impatient Cadel that he had secured a lunch appointment with Moritol.

“I don’t think the Knight Order has ever been in a restaurant like this before.”

“I don’t see how we can come to a place like this with all those noisy guys.”

Cadel gulped as he took in the lavish interior of the restaurant. There were ornate decorations and luxurious ornaments everywhere, making it feel more like a nobleman’s castle than a restaurant. It was enough to make him want to bring everyone, but he quickly realized that he wouldn’t be able to bring anyone with him.

“You’re the first to arrive. I had an emergency on the way here, and my haste meant I was a little behind schedule.”

The man’s blond hair was slicked back, his expression calm and impassive, his clothes immaculately put together without the slightest dishevelment. Moritol’s mere presence made him feel strangely distant.

“No. Given the time of year, I’m afraid it would be difficult to make an appointment.”

Cadel tried to sound as cordial as possible. He had to be gracious because he had to hold on to someone who didn’t want to waste his time and beg him to support him.

But Moritol didn’t pay him much attention. The whole time they sat down, ordered their food, got their food, and ate their food. Only once did Moritol speak first, and even then it wasn’t to Cadel.

“I assume you haven’t forgotten your promise to see to the training of the new knight for a month?”

Moritol’s words made Cadel, who had been working on his grilled scallops, look up at Lumen in surprise. The training of a new knight… This position had been given to Lumen at the cost of Moritol’s time and energy.

Lumen looked past Cadel’s shocked expression and answered casually.

“Of course. If it doesn’t affect our war preparations, we can start today.”

“There’s no need to be so urgent. Since you said you’d be attending this meeting, I’d like you to proceed as soon as you return from the island.”

“Alright.”

With Lumen’s promise confirmed, the meal continued in silence.

‘……What kind of a man is that, to be so unyielding?

Just because Moritol kept his mouth shut, it didn’t mean Cadel kept his mouth shut either. However, whenever he brought up a topic, Moritol would always give short answers. At times, he would even end it with a nod instead of an answer.

This time, he couldn’t count on Lumen’s help. He’d gotten a sense of Moritol’s disposition before coming here.

“Lord Moritol is calm, conservative, and proud. He’s here because of his business dealings with me, but he doesn’t want to feel like he’s being manipulated by a single knight, and I’m sure he doesn’t want to advance his relationship with you, so I’ll try to keep my mouth shut. I’ll leave it up to you to break the ice.”

Cadel knew he was demanding, but Moritol didn’t seem to like Cadel at all. For some reason, he didn’t feel like he was making a very good impression on Moritol.

‘Perhaps it was the way I treated the Emperor.’

As a conservative man, it was only natural that Moritol would find the Knight Order commander, who was a rookie by his standards, unpleasant, as he spoke to the Emperor in a casual manner.

But he must not give up here. This opportunity had cost a valuable member of the Order his time. If Cadel could convince him, he’d have all the powerful allies the Empire could muster.

Steeling his resolve, Cadel spoke up.

“Since you don’t seem to enjoy socializing or small talk, I’m going to cut to the chase and ask you to support me in this strategy meeting.”

Moritol let out a low sigh and wiped the corner of his mouth with his napkin at the courageous statement. His gaze turned to Cadel as if he’d already expected this, and there was even a hint of weariness in it.

“If you want my support, you’re going to have to tell me what you think and where you stand.”

Not a very reassuring response. But Cadel didn’t let that dampen his spirits. Persuasion was confidence. He’d shove his shoddy tactics down their throats with all sorts of rhetoric.

Determined, he eagerly explained his tactics.