"That bastard! Bastard, bastard! How dares he!?"
"Cousin, we should kill him! If he wants to kill you, we should kill him first!"
"I agree with Little Lina. Claus, let's just kill him and take control of the army. Staying here is suicide."
I smiled wryly at the angry Katherine, Lina, and Andrea.
"Calm down, girls. I'm not going to kill him. Although General Anson will do it after this battle."
The girls fell silent and looked at each other with heavy looks.
"Then, it means that you will follow his orders?" Rose could not help but ask.
I nodded with a small smile.
"I will not allow it!" Aunt Sera, who had been hearing our conversation silently until now, stood up angrily. "Claus, are you crazy!? It's suicide!"
"She is right, Claus. I can't allow you to do something so reckless either."
Looking at Aunt Dayana's eyes, I could see anxiousness and panic in her gaze.
It was not just her. Katherine, Rose, Lina, and the others had exactly the same expression.
Even the ones that knew a bit about my true strength were just as nervous.
That was normal, though. I have never told them exactly how strong I am.
They probably think I'm at the level of a fourteenth-layer powerhouse or something like that. At the very least, they think that I should be weaker than Ysnay.
After all, Ysnay calls herself my teacher; and usually, teachers are stronger than their students.
"Claus, even Miss Ysnay was gravely injured. I know that you are strong, but this is too risky."
"Katherine is right. If even Miss Ysnay ended in that condition, you will probably end dead if you stay here."
I could not help but smile softly when I heard Katherine and Aunt Dayana's concerned voices.
It's obvious they are worried for me. None of them wants to see me die in this war.
However, I'm not going to die.
Nobody in the daemon army has the ability to kill me.
"Don't worry, girls, everything will be alright," I smiled to reassure them and caressed their cheeks. "I'm stronger than you think."
"Claus…"
"Cousin…"
Seeing that I was determined to stay, the girls bit their lips.
But after several seconds, one of them, Katherine, heaved a complicated sigh.
"I understand. But I'll stay behind with you. You are my boyfriend; I'll not leave you alone."
"I'll stay as well." Lina nodded as soon as Katherine finished speaking. "Cousin, I'll stay with you forever. As your future wife, it's my duty to help you!"
"I guess we should stay as well then, huh." Aunt Dayana shook her head and smiled softly. "Well, Neither Sera and Andrea nor I are very useful in combat, but as your wives, we will find a way to help you."
Aunt Sera and Andrea nodded immediately, agreeing with Aunt Dayana's words.
Finally, only one of the girls remained.
I looked at Rose and put on a small smile.
"What about you, Rose? Are you going to stay as well?"
"Of course. I'm your friend, remember?"
"Only my friend?"
Rose blushed slightly at my teasing before looking away.
"F-For now…"
I could not help but let out a soft chuckle.
"My wives surely are the best."
"Claus, I'm not your wife yet."
"M-Me neither..."
Katherine snorted, and Rose flushed in embarrassment; however, their lips were curved in small smiles.
What can I say? I'm a lucky man.
"Okay, I'll not stop you from staying in the fortress. But if you want to help me, you should rest right now. We will need to work a lot at night."
The girls looked at each other before nodding.
I could see that they were very nervous about the next battle. In fact, they were a bit scared.
However, the fact that they did not hesitate to stay behind with me shows how firm our relationship has become.
I can't disappoint them then, huh.
After talking with Aunt Dayana, Katherine, and the others, I left the house.
I need to do a pair of things tonight, so I better move fast before it's too late.
Without hesitation, I stepped across space, appearing in the first place I was going to visit.
The daemon camp.
I appeared inside Princess E'Athar's tent, but she was not in her tent.
Extending my senses to find her, I soon located her inside the tent of the daemon general.
From what I can see, she is in the middle of an important meeting.
I thought for a moment before deciding to wait in the tent. I need to do a lot of troublesome things after this, so I don't think I can see the princess tonight if I leave now.
Around five minutes later, Princess E'Athar returned to her tent.
I heard her talking with a soldier, so I hid in case they entered the tent. However, it was unnecessary, because the princess stopped the soldier before entering the tent.
"Just bring me something to eat, okay? I'm starving."
"Understood, Your Highness."
With the daemon soldier gone, Princess E'Athar heaved a tired sigh and entered the tent while grumbling.
"Prince Claus, that bastard! I hope he knows what he is doing!"
I was speechless.
This girl, cursing me behind my back...
Should I scare her a bit?
With a chuckle, I opened my mouth.
"Don't worry, I do."
Princess E'Athar instantly froze. Frightened, she jumped in panic and turned around with a slightly pale face.
"Y-You are here, Prince Claus."
"I am." I grinned with a slightly evil look. "However, I never expected to hear you badmouthing me. Should I punish you again?"
"T-T-That, I-I-I was just joking, okay?"
I chuckled softly and shook my head.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop teasing you. How is the situation?"
"… Just like you expected." Princess E'Athar's expression turned slightly complicated. "The general is planning to attack Fort Mist tomorrow again. He is planning to take it down this time."
Just as we expected, huh.
"It looks like our plan is going well then, huh."
"It does." Princess E'Athar nodded. "Now we only need to kill the Daemon General in the best way possible. He needs to die in such a way that after that, I can take control of the army without any problem."
"You don't need to worry about that, Princess." I chuckled with a slightly playful look. "After tomorrow, you will be called the Hero Princess. Nobody in the daemon army will dare to go against your will."