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Translator: Barnnn
Afterward, we informed the people who were still in the magic classroom venue that we were going to the temple.
And so Irene, Warren, Pochi, and I are on our way to the temple now, but… Irene has been avoiding making eye contact with me since earlier.
“Uh, Master? Why is Miss Irene angry?”
“I don’t know. I had earplugs in my ears for most of the lecture.”
“Fair enough, sir — nobody likes being scolded.”
“I know, right?”
While I continued to talk with Pochi, Irene let out a deep sigh.
“Ugh… I’m surrounded by weird people…”
“Oh? That’s quite an enviable position for an ordinary young man like me.”
Really, Warren? You can say that with a straight face?
“You know what… I’ll just stop talking……”
Irene’s not even talking back anymore — Warren’s sheer weirdness must be getting to her.
“So, what business does Kaoru have with us this time?” Pochi turned to ask Warren, the one who had received the message.
“Most likely a preliminary meeting for when the envoy arrives. I’d like to take this chance to discuss my opinions before finalizing our approach, too.”
Warren’s opinions, huh… So he DOES have a plan, then.
Feeling a mix of fear and reassurance about the yet-to-be-revealed plan in question, I continued to follow the others on the way to the temple.
“You know… I wonder who the envoy will be…”
“It could be Idïa or Billy… Or maybe even one of the Duodecad members that they deem disposable…”
By the time we reached the temple, the sky had already been dyed in twilight.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
“Hey there, Asley and Pochi. Miss Irene. Sir Warren.”
Strange. Why’s Kaoru addressing only two of us informally?
“”Apologies for the long period of no contact, Lady Kaoru.””
Irene and Warren lowered their heads while sitting on their cushions.
Following suit, Pochi and I also bowed.
Then, Warren whispered to me,
“It seems the T’oued Shamanesses are quite fond of you.”
“You think so?”
“The initial greeting was directed specifically towards you and Pochi, wasn’t it?”
Hmm, he’s right.
Indeed, Kaoru’s way of addressing us could be a sign of fondness from her.
“No need for formalities. If what Asley said was true, the envoy could arrive within six days… in which case, we can’t afford to waste even a minute.”
“I agree, Lady Kaoru. Let us begin immediately, then: Our Adviser Warren has something to report.”
“Very well. Let’s hear it, then.”
“Of course.”
Warren straightened his posture and confidently faced Kaoru.
This guy really is suited for politics. I can’t help but wonder where he’ll be in the War Demon Nation’s government once this war is over. It’s a bit exciting to think about.
“First, I’d like to inquire, Lady Kaoru: do you intend to hold the audience at this temple?
“Yes; since they’re coming as representatives of their Nation, there’s a minimum level of courtesy we must extend. I don’t even want to lay eyes on them, honestly… But being a Nation’s representative is never easy.”
“In that case, we’ll need strict security for the temple… and personal bodyguards, too.”
“I agree. Jun’ko is also here in the back room, after all.”
Kaoru let out a subtle sigh.
Looks like Jun’ko hasn’t gotten any better just yet.
“All right then — on our side, including the bodyguards, a total of three people will be present for the audience. We’ll have to make the envoy enter alone.”
“They must be expecting that as well. The envoy themself may very well be a disposable pawn, after all. Still, two bodyguards might seem excessive, you know…”
Right, two bodyguards on our side for Kaoru, versus the envoy’s zero… That does seem unfair, but we’re not going to take any chances when anything could happen.
And, well, I do agree with the idea of having a small, elite team of bodyguards. We’ll need to pick the best people we have…
“Lady Kaoru, a friend of mine is humanity’s strongest fighter, and his wolf-dog companion is unparalleled in terms of strength… And moreover, they have already earned your trust since the ancient times.”
“”Huh?””
Pochi and I blurted out at the same time.
“…Hehehe, those two? I couldn’t ask for a better pair of bodyguards.”
“”Huh?””
“Wait a second,” Irene said, “If we’re going with raw power, shouldn’t we pick Tūs instead of Pochi?”
“And have him destroy the temple when he tries to talk inside?” Warren chuckled. “Besides, there’s already something else I’d like him to do.”
“And that is…?”
“While the Warrior Guardians are on standby in front of the southern gate of Eddo, we will attack them, striking down the wicked individuals allied with Cleath.”
“…A drastic plan.”
Irene’s expression turned serious — and Kaoru’s as well.
Pochi and I, on the other hand, still tilted our heads in confusion.
“Lady Kaoru has the final say on this, of course… With the combined strength of Master Tūs, Team Silver, Silver General, the Eddo Boars, and the Heavenly Beasts, it is possible to subdue the whole Warrior Guardians brigade without diminishing our potential allies’ combat strength. They should be led here with the intention of setting them free from control, of course, but our primary objective is to eliminate a single troublesome Devil. We must start being a threat to the War Demon Nation, otherwise the situation will only turn worse and worse, after all.”
While explaining all that, Warren was smiling the whole time.
So THIS is why he was smiling back then, huh…
This guy sure likes to imagine scary scenarios.
“So… the Resistance isn’t a part of this plan?”
Ah, that’s right — the Resistance hasn’t been brought up so far.
Warren turned to us, smiling.
“Asley, those earplugs from earlier… do you still have them?”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
“Good. And Pochi, take these.”
“Wow, earplugs for dogs!? …How do they look on me, Master!?”
“Fluffy.”
“Huh? What’d you say, Master!? You’ll have to speak up!!”
“Asley, you put yours on, too.”
“…Couldn’t you just use Telepathic Calls like usual?”
“I don’t want to disrupt your body’s current state, that’s all.”
Does he mean that thing about me being surrounded by arcane essence? Damn it… was this really why he gave me these earplugs in the first place?
This guy really calculates his every action, huh…
And so, following Warren’s instruction, I put on the earplugs.
Pochi kept talking to me the whole time… but of course, I heard nothing. I could have used lip-reading, but it seemed like too much of a hassle, so I just decided to nod along to everything. And for some reason, Pochi kept making funny faces at me.
I’ve got no idea what is actually going on, though, so I can only tilt my head in confusion.
Then Pochi pointed at me with her front paw and burst into laughter.
I wonder what the hell is going on inside her head.
At one point, I looked at Kaoru, Irene, and Warren… No, not intentionally.
All three of them are smiling so creepily, wearing expressions so sinister that they could easily make it into the top three in the World-best Villains contest.
Eventually, Pochi started laughing so much that her eyes welled up, while I was constantly overcome with a sense of unease.
What the hell is Warren even talking about? The fact that he made us wear earplugs means that he doesn’t want us to know something.
Did he think that, as a high-ranking member of the Resistance, I would accidentally leak some important information?
Am I really THAT unworthy of trust, at least on a professional level?
While I was worrying about that, Warren gave me a sign, presumably for me to make my earplugs off.
And so, Pochi and I removed our earplugs.
“And that’s that, Asley. Any questions?”
“Yeah. What did you even talk about!?”
“All right, good♪”
Man, Warren looks… happy, for some reason.
“Well, I’ll see what we can do.”
“We can get out part done, no problem.”
What’s Irene going to do? And what’s Kaoru going to do?
“Don’t look so worried. We do trust the two of you.”
“Oh yeah? So why these earplugs?”
“It’s a strategic move based on our understanding of both of your personalities.”
“In other words… you’re keeping us in the dark because you trust us?”
“Yes. Ah, which reminds me…”
“What is it?”
“Your staring contest with Pochi was… pretty funny.”
“A staring contest? So that’s what she was doing?”
I asked, prompting Warren to turn to Pochi.
“Well, Master, I asked if we could have a staring contest, and you nodded! I thought you knew what we were doing!”
“I just nodded because I couldn’t be bothered to lip-read!”
“So you… READ MY MIND!?”
“I didn’t! Why were you even laughing, anyway!?”
“Because the face you made was funny, that’s why!”
“I only tilted my head! Is my normal face really that funny!?”
“You didn’t know that!? Really, your face is weird! Ahahaha!”
“Damn it, you little–!”
Just as Pochi and I started arguing, Kaoru’s laughter interrupted us.
“Ahahaha! You two really are great together!”
“”Huh?””
“I trust you two to keep me alive… all right?”
And so, at this moment, Pochi and I were entrusted with the crucial role of being her bodyguards — effectively entrusted with the life of the current top authority of T’oued.
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