BXBX NOVEL 166 - - Art. 166. A Cane That Never Falls
It was Matkal who muttered to himself as he looked at the map. We were analyzing the reports coming in one after another, confirming the contents of the meeting we had held yesterday. Thanks to this, I\'ve been staying in the office since last night. My original plan had been to bathe Allyria with May and then go to bed with her in my arms while watching her sleeping face. Lamaron must be dealt with for taking away my pleasure.
"Yes. It\'s hard to climb those high mountains on horseback. I think they\'ll be aiming for Agartha or Heedata, not the village of Dytas, but almost certainly Agartha."
Lafayence nodded with a smile. He is happy that he will be able to join the battle again.
While they were talking, Sadakichi appeared.
I will share the report from Sadakichi with everyone.
"That\'s a check on the village of Dytas, isn\'t it?"
"Definitely."
Matkal and Lafayence are exchanging a few words in a manner that is almost comedic in nature. Are they matching stories?
"So you\'re saying they\'re after Agartha?
"According to what Mr. Linos told me earlier, the whole army is cavalry. Perhaps they will advance their troops to the border, and from there, they will take advantage of the cavalry\'s mobility to attack the city of Agartha, or perhaps the capital, all at once.
"Mato, is Lamaron developing any new equipment?"
"No... We\'ve been working hard to develop armor that resists magic. They could not afford to develop other equipment. Besides, it is impossible to prepare new equipment for 50,000 people in a year or so.
"Haaah.... So the commander of Ramallon doesn\'t know anything.
"What do you mean, Master Linos?"
I shift my gaze to Matkal, Lafayence, and the others gathered there. And then I realized...
"Oh.... Matkal, the general... and Knogen were not from Juka. No wonder you don\'t understand. Hey, Theodore, Werne and the others... you know what I mean?"
Theodar and the others from the kingdom of Juka are smiling bitterly.
"Master Linos, I am sorry, but could you please explain it to me so that I can understand?"
Matkal\'s eyes are black and white.
"It\'s quite difficult to invade Agartha at this time of the year," he said.
"Oh, yeah! This is what I\'ve done! Yes, yes. It would certainly be difficult for Lamarron to attack Agartha."
It is Lafayence who is speaking with a bitter smile on his face, looking frustrated. Knogen, standing next to him, looks at him strangely.
"General. I don\'t understand either. What do you mean?"
"Knogen has never participated in a battle with Juka... I see. Only once when he was young. And that was a skirmish. You wouldn\'t understand, then, would you?
Lafayence nodded in satisfaction. Matocal and Knogen look unsure.
"Matkal and Knogen, have the general tell you later. By the way, how many days do you think it will be before Ramallon\'s army reaches the border?"
"If we leave tomorrow ... we will probably arrive the day after tomorrow at the earliest, or the day after tomorrow at the latest."
"I see... Then we\'ll go out tomorrow at noon. Be ready for anything.
"Are you suggesting, Master Linos, that we hide our troops in the woods near the border during the night to intercept the imperial army?"
Matkal, you shouldn\'t do that, should you? He looked at me with a look that said, "I\'m sorry, I can\'t help it.
"No, our goal is not the border."
"What...? Aren\'t we going to intercept the imperial army?"
Matkal\'s eyes widen in surprise.
"Oh, yes. We\'ll outwit Lamaron. This will be done with the entire force of the city of Agartha.
"I don\'t know what you are trying to do, Mr. Linos, but an entire army is not a good idea. At least take a garrison..."
I interrupted him, not letting Matocalu tell everyone.
"Then, Mat, I leave the garrison of the capital to you. Now select a hundred of the best men you can find. Alright, that concludes today\'s meeting. General, Knogen stay behind. Let\'s discuss tomorrow\'s meeting.
I\'m...
"It takes a good commander to command a garrison. This time, Mato, who has the best command skills, will be in charge.
Matkal left the room with the others, looking unconvinced. We then began discussing the plan for the next day.
That night we returned to the house for the first time in a day. As usual, Eryl and Arilia were either crying or sleeping. Before dinner I told my family that I would be going out tomorrow at noon and that I might not be able to come home at night.
After dinner, I talk with Peris about the kitchen. Since the family has grown and the number of dishes we cook has increased, we have more dishes and utensils. So we decide to add a cupboard and discuss what it should look like. I had already collected opinions from Rico and other major cooks, and while listening to them, I expressed my wishes and worked out the details of the plan.
Meanwhile, Rico and Mei have gone to take a bath with their children, and the others have gone back to their rooms to spend their time in their own way.
After the meeting at the water closet, Rico and May come out of the bath, and I take a bath too. Today is the day I take a bath with Considie. For some reason, on the days when she takes a bath with me, she goes back to her room as soon as the meal is over. I was wondering why, so I decided to ask her about it.
"... I was... getting ready..."
"Preparation?"
Sadie was talking shyly as she sat in the bathtub in a gym chair.
"Because.... "Because ... I don\'t know how to wash Master Linos\' back. And the medicine for my hair..."
Sidi\'s hair appears to be straight, but in fact it is thick and bristly. This seems to be a characteristic of dwarves, but Sidhi longs for silky straight hair and uses a special conditioner. She would go to the trouble of preparing it before taking a bath with me.
"It smells best when it\'s freshly made..."
She said something very reserved, which I could not imagine from the usual Sadie. At that moment, the door of the bath opened quietly. At that moment, Sadie plunged her body into the depths of the bathtub. Her mouth is completely covered by the bathtub.
"... Can I come in with you?"
It was Matkal who entered the bathtub with a reserved look. I asked Sidi if he was okay and he gave me a small nod, so I decided to join him. Matkal quickly washes himself and comes into the bath.
"It\'s rare that Matkal comes in the bath with me.
"No... I was going to say no..."
Matkal glances at Sidi. Sidi had returned to his normal physical posture. Matkal seems to be okay.
"I want you to tell me what Linos-sama said this afternoon about the reason why the Imperial Kingdom cannot invade Agartha..."
"Hm? Didn\'t Lafayence tell you that?"
"I\'ve heard that, but... The general ... he ... he ... he ... he asked me to teach him in bed."
"You old, old man..."
"It\'s just that... today I\'m with Mister Sadie... and..."
"You thought to ask me in the bath? Why didn\'t you do it when we were eating?"
Tactics and maneuvers in the planning stages are kept as secret as possible.
"Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it\'s easy. In the spring, the snow melts in the Jukas and the Lunas. And the melt water comes down. And the rivers of Agartha rise in the spring. The water of the river flows into the Irbezi River. That\'s why the border area is flooded in the spring and the river becomes much wider."
"I knew the river would rise, but I didn\'t expect it to rise so high that it would make marching difficult..."
"Both Ramallon and Heedata are not too concerned about the Irbezi River rising, since it does little damage. However, the river will be deeper and the current will be steeper than usual, so if you try to cross it by horseback, you will have a hard time, right? Ramalon didn\'t prepare well in advance."
While we were talking, Sidi slowly stood up. Her body and breasts, which looked as if they were about to swell, were exposed.
"Sadie, what\'s wrong?"
"I\'m getting hot... Can\'t you come up?"
Matkal and I laugh and try to get out of the bath.
"I envy you, Mister Sidi.
"Why?"
"You have a beautiful body, don\'t you?"
"Beautiful? My body?"
"Yes. You may not have scars like me, nor are you covered in moles like Lady Soleil. You have a nice, well-shaped body, don\'t you?"
"...Thank you."
Since that day, when Sadie bathed with me, she was shy, but she did not hide her body to the extreme.