CHAPTER 3: THE WAR COUNCIL

***The town of Foie, in the southern shores of Cherwind, several days later…***

As part of her duties as queen, Ursura would head out to other towns and cities under their control. This was to check the projects Kuro had painstakingly planned to improve the population’s living standards, as well as get to know the problems that they may have missed during earlier visits. For her visit at the seaside town of Foie, they were building a small school and a port.

“…”

Upon making sure that there were no further issues among the townsfolk, Ursura sent her guards away for some errands. Left alone, she immediately went to the beaches—which was Foie’s main attraction, ostensibly to enjoy her stay. However, when she determined no one was following her, the queen ran to a nearby cove, where a group of people was already waiting for her…

“It’s been a while, Your Majesty!”

The bear-woman then approached the person who greeted her: no other than the Beastman Saint herself, Ruro of the Wolf. Behind the saint were her guards, led by her captain Kashca Telis.

“You finally decided to eliminate me, Your Holiness?” Ursura noted Ruro’s armed escorts.

“If I do, then we won’t be talking,” the wolf-saint chuckled, “No, it’s just that, Telis wouldn’t let me meet with you alone.”

“I see…” Ursura couldn’t help but to stare at the fox-captain, who was sitting at a litter carried by her men.

“Ah, so you’re curious about what happened?” Ruro had a bitter smile on her face, “That bitch, Konka, did that to her.”

“L-Lady Konka?”

“What, are you surprised?” the Beastman Saint then narrated to her the events that led to Telis’ injuries. Ursura was silent the entire time, only listening to Ruro’s story. Deep inside, she couldn’t believe that one of her formidable enemies would end up in that sorry state, thanks to that Insetus woman.

Lady Konka shouldn’t be underestimated…

“Exactly as you have thought,” the wolf-saint read her mind, and then continued, “By the way, I heard that the Grand High Priestess, Sebastenerva, have formally severed ties with me, taking with her the Priests’ Conclave in throwing support to your kingdom.”

“She is?”

Ruro nodded, “I’m amazed that you’re surprised by the news. It’s already decided even before the Conclave convened; your side got that powerful person after all.”

“Kuro?”

“Not him. The other powerful person beside him, the Duchess of Henristone.”

“Ah? Isn’t she that human noble from Chersea who came to rescue him?”

“Yes. If you’re not aware, Lady Sylvia Henristone is a descendant of the Dragon hero, Terebia of the Bow, through her human husband. See, my spies told me that the Priests’ Conclave was deadlocked on whether or not to support you. However, the balance was tipped to your side, thanks to the intervention of Lady Henristone.”

“Wow…I sure didn’t know about that,” the bear-woman sighed, “Kuro’s got a lot of powerful friends, and he doesn’t seem to be aware of it.”

“Heh, that’s my master for you!” the wolf-saint proudly declared.

“Speaking of Kuro, I wasn’t able to convince him to stay.”

“Have you tried those things I told you?”

The queen smiled weakly and shook her head.

“That’s Kuro, alright!” Ruro smirked, “Once he set his eyes on something, it’s nearly impossible to change his mind.”

“Your Holiness, what should I do? I don’t want him to leave.”

The wolf-saint could only sigh, “That’s a real problem indeed. Once my master comes back to Chersea, only the heavens know whether or not he can return here. I mean, Kuro’s not the problem; it’s the Human Saint who’s got the final say to that question.”

“Lady Madelaine?”

“Yes. I know that girl; she can get unreasonably selfish at times,” Ruro eyes wandered around, “Honestly, I myself are out of options as well, save for brute force.”

“I might resort to that.”

“Don’t do it. I already took that route and look at what happened,” the wolf-saint had a wry smile on her face, “Though, I wouldn’t brand the result bad as well. My master is only a few steps away from my goal for him, and you got for yourself glory and fame. Not a bad exchange, no?”

“Your Holiness…all of those at the cost of you ending up alone?”

Ruro stared at Ursura for a few moments, that it became awkward. However, she just laughed and said, “What is this? Did I become too pathetic to earn the sympathy of my enemy?”

“I’m not heartless.”

“Heh. Listen, Your Majesty, it is the duty of the slaves to serve their master, even at the cost of their lives. While I did what I’ve done before because of my promises to Lady Cassandra, the more I got to know Kuro, the more I grew to love him. And that love is my reason to make him succeed, like a small light glowing amidst the dark…even if I had to turn as the villain in the end.”

“But…”

“I’m sure you can understand Ursura. You’ve fallen in-love with him, right? Of course, it’s only natural to do everything for that person who stole your heart,” Ruro tapped her shoulder, “And I—though I’m the Beastman Saint—am not exempt.”

----------

**Kuro**

“Your Majesty, Lady Henristone and Lady Sebastenerva have arrived. They are at the courtyard as we speak.”

“Oh! Thank you, Ronald,” I grabbed my coat and prepared to head out, “I’ll be meeting them in a minute; please accommodate them.”

“Ah, but Lady Sebastenerva insists to meet you at the courtyard.”

“Hm? Alright then, just bring them something to eat and drink. They must be tired from their travel.”

The chamberlain bowed, and took his leave. As for me, I glanced at the calendar and noted the time. Their journey to the land of the Serpentinus tribe and back consumed almost three weeks.

Anyway, when I came to the Black Tower’s courtyard, Lady Henristone was busy talking to Lady Sebastenerva and her other companions. Based from what I knew, those imposing horns and colorful scales were the signature look of the members of the Serpentinus Dragon tribe.

“Your Majesty!” the paladin captain greeted the moment she saw me, and as if on cue, everyone gave their respects. Even Lady Sebastenerva did a curtsy. Honestly, I wish they’d stop doing this; I’m not used to it, and it’s awkward.

“Welcome back, Your Excellency, Your Eminence!” I smiled to lighten the mood, “In any case, would you come inside? We prepared food and refreshments.”

“Please, don’t bother for your humble subjects!” Lady Sebastenerva answered, “We are not worthy of your kindness.”

“Don’t say that, Your Eminence! You’re no stranger to me.”

Lady Henristone, however, got impatient, “Before we go in, Your Majesty, I’d like to tell you that my journey to the lands of the Serpentinus was fruitful. It was a resounding success.”

“Yes,” the serpent-woman backed her up, “the Priests’ Conclave decided to withdraw its support for Lady Ruro and give it to Your Majesty. Because of this, the chiefs of the Serpentinus tribes became convinced to throw their lot to you as well. Here is Chief Natar of the Dragon tribe, as well as his retinue.”

A huge man with intimidating horns and beautifully-colored scales on his arms and legs came forward to pay respects, “On behalf of the entire Serpentinus people, I pledge my support to you, mighty king of the Beastmen,” he and his retinue kneeled before me to show their sincerity, and…

“Uhh…okay?”

Lady Sebastenerva had a bewildered look on her face when she saw my reaction; good thing Lady Henristone was quick to save me from utter embarrassment.

“Ahaha! His Majesty was so stunned by the oath of fealty of the wise Dragon tribe, that he got speechless!”

“Y-Yes…haha!” I collected myself, “Please rise, men of the Dragon tribe, from this moment on, you are equals. Men and Beastmen, all is fair under Queen Ursura’s rule.”

The Dragon tribesmen stared at each other, looking confused at my words. However, Lady Sebastenerva never let them ask questions, for she had a request of her own. “Your Majesty!”

“Your Eminence?”

“As the Grand High Priestess, I plead to you, our just and mighty king, to show magnanimity to our former liege, Lady Ruro of the Wolf. Though she may have had committed mistakes and did bad decisions, she is still the saint of our people.”

The members of the Dragon tribe also heard her plea and joined her as well. Honestly though, even if they didn’t do that, I’d still treat Ruro kindly. She’s my friend; and everything that happened to me here resulted from her trying to protect me from those bastards back in Chersea…even though she could be impulsive at times.

“You have my word,” I assured the Grand High Priestess.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” At least, that put Lady Sebastenerva at ease.

“I told you that His Majesty, the Lord Kuro of Arles, is a kind and forgiving man,” Lady Henristone told her.

Wait, what are you thinking of me before, Your Eminence?

Well, I guess with this, that’s one rival weakened, as our side was getting stronger each passing day. The only problem I had to focus on was the other ‘saint’, Konka of the Insetus.

I have to speed up my time-table and plan our offensives soon. This conflict should end once and for all.

----------

And so, for that matter, I summoned our kingdom’s generals and ministers to the Black Tower’s war room.

“…”

The minister of war, Chief Habu’s son, Ruja, was the first to arrive, followed by Chief Malu, who commanded our air forces. Then, our military advisors, Lady Henristone and Chancellor Bellingstein came next. The first admiral of the Beastmen Kingdom, Lady Margarette Jean—also the former Duchess of Malvette—showed up about five minutes before the start of our meeting. And the last…

“Whoa! Did we just arrive late?” Sir Loin, the one in charge of the army, and the dog-siblings Rumia and Luka of the Black Feathers, barged through the war room.

“No, you’re only three minutes behind schedule,” I was sarcastic.

“Kuro mah boy, isn’t it late all the same?”

“I was being sarcastic, Loin. Now please take your seats.”

The three then took their respective chairs.

“I’d say, this is such a unique collection of former bitter enemies, Your Majesty,” the Chancellor quipped, “Interesting leadership.”

“Well, I only see talent, not affiliation,” I replied, “Lady Margaret Jean’s knack for organization would be beneficial for our naval fleet, that’s why I put her in that position.”

“Y-Your Majesty, please…” the former Duchess’ cheeks were red, “…stop with the praises; your humble servant is unworthy of it.”

I’m not praising you, though, I’m just stating the fact. Truth be told, before I caused devastation in Malvette, the ‘Enclave’ was a well-off human colony. It only went downhill when Lady Margaret Jean had to augment her decimated armies with levy militia (to fill-up their ranks against the monster hordes and rebellious Beastmen), thus affecting her land’s economy.

“In any case,” it was Lady Henristone, “where’s Her Majesty the Queen?”

“She told me she’s going to check the seaside school and port we’re building at Foie. She left three days ago.”

“Hoh…”

“Well, Kuro mah boy, I guess we should start this meeting then!” Sir Loin proposed, “I still got to drop by the blacksmith for my Buttfriar.”

“B-Buttfriar?”

“My frying pan. The one you gave me.”

“You named your frying pan, ‘Buttfriar’?” I couldn’t believe my ears. Rumia and Luka were shaking their heads, though they’re trying their best to keep themselves from laughing.

“No one’s going to question his decision to bring a frying pan to a blacksmith?” Lady Henristone raised that issue.

“It’s my ultimate weapon; made with iron-mithril alloy!” the parka guy was confident, “I spanked a good number of juicy butts like a friar, hence the name Buttfriar!”

“More like, you made them unconscious!” Rumia corrected him, “Why do you have to use such weird words?”

“Urk…”

“This is such a strange leadership arrangement,” Chancellor Bellingstein laughed his heart out, “I like this!”

“Argh…I don’t know anymore!” Lady Henristone massaged her temples as Sir Loin bragged about his frying pan.

Yeah, I think I shouldn’t have given him that as a weapon.

----------

Going back to the agenda of our meeting, Sir Loin then presented his report.

“In so far as the army is concerned, the eastern borders of the Outer Wall are secured. We also conducted clearing operations against monster hordes in the western regions, going as far beyond the Ersus Mountains. If you’d pass by those places, you’d immediately see the difference; particularly, the reduced appearance of monsters, and safer travel routes.”

“Good work there, Sir Loin!” I told him, “Can we reinforce our gains in those areas?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll already placed garrisons in strategic places,” the parka guy revealed, “Rumia’s 1st Black Feather Wing was assigned the eastern regions, while Luka’s 2nd Black Feather Wing has the responsibility on the western side.

“Nice. How about our navy?”

“Your Majesty, our fleet is in place, patrolling the southern shores from east to west,” the former Duchess of Malvette reported, “Lady Ruro’s forces would have a hard time breaching our defenses there. However, if I may request more ships to reinforce our forces, we can aim for a blockade of the Cauldron, which is better.”

“Alright, I’ll see to that, Lady Margaret,” I turned to the minister of war, “Speaking of recruitment and equipment, how’s it going Minister Ruja?”

“We have raised another wing of warriors for the army, Your Majesty,” Ruja showed his statistics to us, “The recruitment drive is providing us with enough men to train to fill up our ranks, and the new steamship is about to be finished in two weeks’ time. Also, the production of muskets and demon powder exceeded our quotas, making the standardization of our equipment possible.”

“Any problems that you encountered, Minister?”

“We need more factories, arsenals and shipyards to increase our production capabilities.”

“Got that. I’ll talk to the finance minister about it.”

“I really love looking at your serious side while working, Human Chief…” Chief Malu of the Owls suddenly commented, complete with dreamy eyes, “My daughter’s future is well-off with you at her side, I’d say.”

“H-Ha? Chief?”

“Oh, yes…the report,” the owl-elder brought out her documents, “Ahem. The reorganization of the Red Feather wings is done, Your Majesty. I also took the initiative in assigning sectors for them. For example, No. 2 Falcon Wing is tasked to defend the eastern regions. No. 4 Falcon Wing is given the western regions, while No. 6 Falcon Wing is in charge of the airspace above the Avinus Archipelago. The Eagle Wings are based here in Malvette.”

“I see. But what’s with the No. 8 Falcon Wing? Why is it separated?”

“It’s our reserve, Your Majesty, just as you recommended. They can also double as a rapid-strike force like you envisioned before.”

“Good work, Chief Malu! And thank you for your support in training the Red Feathers, Sir Bellingstein.”

“The pleasure is mine, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm…looks like you’re all set, Your Majesty,” Lady Henristone quipped, “So what are your plans? Why did you call us to the war room?”

I brought out a map and spread it over the table. “With the founding of the Kingdom of the Beastmen and the subsequent pledge of fealty of the Serpentinus tribe to our side, I realized our borders are in a precarious situation. Look, we control the southern tip of the mainland, the Avinus archipelago to the west, and the Serpentinus lands on the other side of the sea to the southeast. The problem is, this island here at the middle, the Cauldron, is under Lady Ruro’s forces. Though her armies may have considerably weakened, our men and resources would be stretched too thin if we try to defend two fronts, should the war resumed.”

“So, Kuro mah boy, you’re saying that we should attack this Lady Ruro first?”

“Well, between Lady Konka—whose forces are holed up here at Wessen mountains to the north, and Lady Ruro—whose armies are poised to attack our southern flank, I think the latter presents more threat to us.”

“Makes sense,” Chancellor Bellingstein nodded, “A wise king wouldn’t embroil himself in a two-front war.”

“What do you propose, Your Majesty?” Minister Ruja asked.

“We’ll have to invade the Cauldron as soon as possible.”

“Hmm…so we’re talking of another Solid Sneak again?”

“Yes, but please drop that cringy name.”

----------

The war council lasted for several hours until the ‘long sleep’, most of which was spent on ironing out the details of our planned offensive. It only ended when everyone was satisfied with what we came up.

“Why don’t you guys stay here for the ‘long sleep’?” I offered, “I’ll tell the chamberlain to prepare rooms and dinner for you.”

“That’d be wonderful, Human Chief—I mean, Your Majesty!” Chief Malu exclaimed, “I’m just a bit guilty of not bringing Salis with me.”

“Why don’t you send for her? I’ll make the arrangements.”

“I’ll visit my paladins and then come back,” Lady Henristone told me.

“And so am I,” Chancellor Bellingstein smirked, “Those boys from the Gryphon Knights might be slacking off again, time to make a roll call.”

“Haha…just don’t be too harsh, Sir.”

“Chief…” it was Rumia, with a hint of concern on her face. “Look at Sir Loin.”

We saw the parka guy sitting in one corner, gloomy and muttering about his Buttfriar. “I miss her…”

“Sorry Sir Loin. But I think your frying pan is safe with the blacksmith.”

“You don’t understand, Kuro mah boy! Buttfriar…she’s calling out to me!”

Rumia threw him a disgusted stare, and started pushing me away, “Chief, please leave that weirdo alone. You might catch his stupidity!”

“You evil puppy—buh!” the dog-girl’s fist found its mark on Sir Loin’s head. Her eyes glared at him, as if she’s about to tear him apart.

“What’s that, pubic hair?”

“Ahahaha!” sensing the tension, Chief Malu pulled Rumia away, “Let’s go, Lady Rumia! Food is waiting!”

And with that, the members of the war council, as well as Lady Henristone and Chancellor Bellingstein, went out of the war room and headed to the dining hall. As for me, I stayed behind for a bit. I needed time to be alone…

“…”

Well, make that almost alone. Sir Loin remained with me.

“That Lady Konka is on the move,” the parka guy said, “She’s going around scattered Beastmen villages outside our territory, trying to convince them to side with her.”

“And?”

“So far, two villages agreed to support her. But those are just one of her sources of men; Lady Konka has another way of bolstering her ranks.”

“What is it?”

“Those emancipated Beastman slaves. They are coming to her because they desired revenge against their former human masters. And that Konka is taking advantage of their anger by promising vengeance once she wins.”

For some reason, Missy’s face flashed through my mind when I heard the ‘emancipated Beastman slaves’.

“And also…”

“There are still more spy reports?”

Sir Loin nodded, “Konka’s spies have infiltrated Malvette; possibly, she has placed other agents around the kingdom. For now, they’re observing our movements, so we should be careful in executing our plans.”

“Hmm…they must be waiting for a chance to drop our guard, and repeat the tragedy of Telessaria.”

“That annihilated human city of the past?”

“Yes.”

“Well then, should I pluck those weeds out?”

I shook my head, “Let them observe. I got a better plan in store for them.”

----------

Ah, finally! My time to rest had come. After eating dinner with the members of the war council, we all retreated to our respective rooms for the long sleep. Well, it was my intention to go through a few more proposals and projects that needs reviewing, but…

“If we left those parchments at your desk, you will not sleep!” Salis got wind of my plan and went to my room with the chamberlain. They were to haul my work out of my reach.

“Your Majesty, these parchments can wait ’till tomorrow,” Ronald backed her. “But for now, please rest.”

“See? Even your butler agrees to what I’m saying!” the owl-girl pointed out, “So yes, bye-bye with work for now.” After making sure that none of the parchments was left inside my room, they left.

Okay then. I guess I’d enjoy this long sleep for now; this was my ‘calm before the storm’.

“…” Hey…did I just set up a doom flag?

In any case, keeping my windows open to let in the cool Cherwind breeze, I sat at a nearby chair while sipping on a glass of wine beside me.

“…”

And then, after the conquest of Cherwind, I’ll step down as king and return to Chersea. I’ll live the rest of my days there in quiet, together with the people I hold dear.

I could feel my heartbeat slowly increase. A sense of hope arose from my chest, as I daydreamed of my plans for the future.

You lived a good life, Kuro. Mission accomplished.

“…”

My eyelids became heavy, and my thoughts were getting muddled. Maybe I’m sleepy now? Should I lie in bed? Nah, this chair is fine; I’ll call it a day.

“Open the gates, hurry!”

“Call the Chief Royal Doctor, quick!”

“It’s the Queen; don’t delay!”

“!!!” My consciousness immediately returned to me when I heard the desperate screams of the guards, as well as when they mentioned the words ‘doctor’ and ‘queen’. I could tell that something happened to Ursura, so wasting no time, I grabbed my coat and hurried down the courtyard.

----------

By the time I reached the main hall of the Black Tower on my way to the courtyard, I was met by my chamberlain. His face was pale, and there were drops of sweat forming on his forehead.

“What happened to Ursura, Ronald?”

“Y-Your Majesty…” the man was clearly shaken, “…no, i-it’s Her Holiness.”

“What?”

The chamberlain grabbed my arm and led me to the courtyard, where the guards and servants had gathered. A lot of them were shouting orders, most of which contradicted the other. Some were running around in circles, adding to the chaos and confusion.

“Kuro? Where’s Kuro?” Ursura’s tense shouts echoed throughout the place.

“Someone call the king!”

“Here he is!” Ronald pulled me towards the crowd, and raised my hand.

“Ursura!” I cried out in horror as I looked at her, clothes torn and bathing in blood, “W-What happened to you?”

However, the bear-woman didn’t answer. Instead, she directed my attention to the scene behind her.

“C-Chief…” Rishnu called out to me; tears were welling up in her eyes, “H-Her Ho-Holiness…she…”

I was frozen on my spot when I saw the Beastman Saint lying on a makeshift stretcher. My reunion with my friend, Ruro of the Wolf, was an unpleasant, and bloody affair. There she was, with a huge gash that ran from her left shoulder to the middle of her chest. A bunch of crimson fabric was put in place, in a vain attempt to stem the flow of blood. Ruro’s lips were already pale, and her breaths weak and labored.

“R-Ruro…?” I went beside her, carefully holding her hand, “I-It’s me, Kuro…”

The wolf-saint never opened her eyes, but with a faint voice, she tried to say my name. I was shaken, but I held myself from breaking down. Desperately channeling my mana to my only hand, I could feel my body go warm.

Fuck! Come on, heal!

It was a slow process. I closed my eyes so that I could concentrate; looking at Ruro’s condition only distracted me. Time was of the essence, I must not delay! In my mind, I began uttering anguished prayers…

Please don’t let her become like me. I want Ruro to live! God, please, let me heal her! Her time isn’t up yet…

Increasing the intensity of my healing spell, the warm, comforting sensation gradually enveloped my body. However, I think this was not enough. If I had to pour my entire mana reserves to her wound, then I’d do it!

“Such beautiful lights…” I heard Rishnu speak.

“This is…the power of the Human Saint…” someone from the crowd added.

Then, I felt Ursura tapped me on my shoulder as she whispered, “Kuro, that’s enough.”

Opening my eyes, I immediately checked on Ruro. Her dress had a huge tear, but then, her wound already disappeared. The color of her lips returned to normal, and though unconscious, I could safely say that Her Fluffy Holiness was out of danger now.

Thank you, God!