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“Of course, everyone here knows that General Mila’s leadership is extraordinary. But if I may offer my humble opinion, wouldn’t it be better to accept the Mercenary King’s suggestions?”

Yuli was trying her best not to offend Mila while also wishing to improve the current situation.

“But Yuli, as you know, factions within the military must not exist. That can lead to division. There can be no exceptions.”

Thanks to Yuli’s comments, Mila’s tone softened, but she still displayed a stubborn attitude.

“Do you see, Miss Anne? Do you really think we must listen to everything without question? I’m not so stubborn that I wouldn’t listen to a request from you, Miss Anne, if it’s something reasonable. But with the way things are now… Surely you, who knows our mercenaries well, can see how absurd this is?”

“That’s true, but…”

From Anne’s words, it seemed that the conditions were genuinely hard to accept. Kras was only making a gesture to concede, but it felt like it would all be in vain.

“General Mila?”

“Mm?”

As the situation unfolded, Yuli once again called out the Grand General’s name.

“I’ll accept the proposal you mentioned last time.”

“The proposal…?”

“The one where you said to serve under you, General. Of course, as you can see, it won’t be possible right now with the Hero party, but perhaps when the Demon King’s subjugation is safely completed. Oh! And of course, the conditions must be the same as the ones you proposed before!”

“Oh, then that changes things. Of course, I will adjust the conditions as you wish. Yuli, your value cannot be compared to that of these ragtag mercenaries.”

“Hey, is it really wise to speak like that in front of mercenaries?”

Kras grumbled at Mila’s words, but it was simply a complaint, not real anger, so no one paid it any mind.

Rather, the attention of everyone was now focused on Mila, who had shown a firm attitude throughout the meeting but was finally willing to concede.

What on earth had Yuli achieved in just three years in the military that made the Grand General, who wielded control over the entire military of the Empire, so happy?

In any case, thanks to Yuli’s help, the stalled meeting finally began to progress earnestly.

And upon reflection, it was really Anne and Yuli’s activities that were unexpected; there were also those who had anticipated their contributions from the start.

“Ho ho ho. This is a sight to behold, indeed. Goddess Serena must be pleased with everyone’s harmony.”

The Pope, still stroking his beard, chuckled warmly with a friendly smile. Yes. In our party, we have none other than a Saint herself. Unlike three years ago when she was still somewhat naive, Mariel was now more than capable of managing a church. Her influence within the church was surely not less than that of the Pope.

Of course, as their eyes met, the Pope and Mariel exchanged light bows as a greeting.

But… did Mariel even have to step forward? The Pope had been cooperative from the beginning anyway. No matter how well-wielded a sword is, it’s useless without a target.

Just then, to my surprise, Mariel showed a side I hadn’t anticipated, joining Yuli and Anne.

“Daddy!”

The Mariel who had just moments ago maintained a quiet demeanor while making eye contact with the Pope was nowhere to be found; instead, there was a Mariel shouting loudly. Did she just call him Daddy? What in the world was that?

Clearly, I wasn’t the only one caught off guard; everyone had bewildered expressions on their faces. Even General Mila, who had maintained a stern look throughout.

Except for one person, whose expression didn’t change: the Emperor, the Pope, and last but not least, the Golden King, Dylan.

“…This is a public setting, Saint.”

“And being public means my being Daddy’s daughter disappears, right?”

“Ugh… Mariel, I’ve told you time and again. Now that you’re a Saint, could you please tone down that attitude? And now that you’re a married woman, how long will you keep calling me Daddy?”

“What are you saying? Is there a rule that Saints can’t do this? At least, there’s nothing in the church’s doctrine about it, right? Besides, wasn’t it the Goddess Serena who told us to love our family? Or do you think you know the doctrine better than I do?”

“Ho ho ho. Indeed, Goddess Serena must be delighted with the familial love shown by Saint Mariel.”

Though Dylan’s gaze turned towards the Pope with annoyance, the Pope simply maintained his friendly smile, unfazed.

“Alright! You know the situation is dire, don’t you, Daddy? If not now, then when will we use the funds we’ve gathered? Stop weighing everything at this moment and just support us.”

“But daughter, as you know, our guild staff needs to make a living too. And we really don’t have much money…”

“The Fifth Division of the Golden Guild, the Red Butterfly General Store in Felches, the Golden Trade Team 3…”

Mariel rattled off unknown terms. Everyone looked bewildered, except for one person: the Golden King Dylan, who visibly reacted.

“H-Hahaha… What are you suddenly saying, daughter?”

“Why? Should I tell you more? Or should I go tell Mom not only about the slush fund but also about the emergency funds you’ve hidden from her?”

“……”

Dylan fell silent, but a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead as he bit his lips, showing just how tense he was.

“Let’s see, where’s the communication device to contact Mom…?”

“Wait, wait! I get it! I understand, so please, just stop!”

As Mariel pretended to rummage under the table, Dylan panicked and shouted. Then Mariel’s hands returned calmly to the table.

“That was a lie! No way would I go that far! And you saw me come in empty-handed, right?”

As Mariel stated, it wasn’t hard to recall that since she came in after Dylan, she had nothing in her hands. Dylan, however, was so flustered that he couldn’t even think of the obvious truth. In the end, he fell for Mariel’s bluff.

“Sigh… Even after moving to the church and stepping back from guild matters, and keeping things secret from your mother, how on earth did you find out…?”

“Hehe… People call me the daughter of the Golden King, you know? This much is simple!”

As Mariel smiled brightly, Dylan held his head in his hands and shook it in disbelief.

Thanks to the help of friends, the Mercenary King, Grand General, and Golden King all stepped back and yielded an inch. Of course, the Pope had always maintained a cooperative attitude, no allegiance needed.

At this rate, only one person remained. The Mage Tower Master.

But in some ways, the Mage Tower Master was even more incomprehensible than the Grand General. It was known that among magicians, there were almost no normal ones, and the Mage Tower Master was no exception. Throughout the meeting, they looked down on the Mercenary King, demanding endlessly for the Golden King to invest… How in the world could we extract the desired result from such a weirdo? It was a concern shared by everyone in the conference room, myself included.

Even though Isis and Frecia, no matter how great a wizards they were, was a bit out of reach for assistance. Isis was aligned with the royal family and the Emperor, having no more ties with the Mage Tower. Frecia had established her own magical system, entirely different from the existing magical framework, making her equally unrelated to the Mage Tower.

Of course, as great wizards, they could respect each other, but it couldn’t be forced.

But then, just as I was pondering, Frecia, who had been quietly perched above my head, suddenly jumped down and gracefully landed on the table.

“Huh, since the Emperor hasn’t said anything, I was quietly managing my cat, but I must say.”

Indeed, just like how no one realized that the cat was Frecia until she revealed herself, the Mercenary King had been treating Frecia as just an ordinary cat.

“Gomtaengi.”

At Frecia’s call, a small magic circle appeared in the air, and Gomtaengi walked out from inside it.

“Whoa?”

Seeing what he thought was just an ordinary pet suddenly speaking and even using magic made Dylan jump in shock.

Frecia didn’t care about Dylan’s surprise, instead, she had Gomtaengi walk over and hand her a scroll. Then using her sharp claws, she snipped the string binding it and unfurled it.

“This is absolute cooperation from the Mage Tower. In return, I’ll give you this magic. If you want, you can register at the Mage Tower.”

“Hoh, you’re greatly underestimating the Mage Tower. It has a history beyond your imagination. You’re still too young to know the broad world, but that magic you claim to have made is surely something the Mage Tower…”

“The magic to allow golems autonomous will. If you don’t need it, so be it.”

Is that the magic that created Gomtaengi and Tokki? No matter how great the Mage Tower was, that was something truly worth wanting. There was a reason Frecia had come forward so confidently.

However, the Mage Tower Master’s reaction exceeded my expectations. It seemed today was turning out to be full of unexpected situations.

“W-What!? Autonomous will for golems? Nonsense! It’s a magic I’ve yet to perfect! How could you, so young, be…!”

The Mage Tower Master was taken aback. But undeniably, the results of Frecia’s magic were real.

Gomtaengi, the very proof of it, waddled back and stood before the Mage Tower Master.

“That right there is the result of my magic. If you’re a magician, you should be able to discern I’m not lying, right?”

Unable to touch Gomtaengi, the Mage Tower Master cautiously circled around the little creature, uttering exclamations in wonder.

Before long, he was looking truly pleased, his face lit up like he had just gained everything in the world, shouting in the conference hall.

“If you want anything from the Mage Tower, feel free to ask! Need a wizard? I’ll send only the best of my disciples! Need magic scrolls? I’ll have them made in droves by my students! If they can’t meet their quota, I’ll threaten to demote them to get it done! With this magic…! With this magic, I can finally fulfill my lifelong wish!”

No, isn’t it a bit much to threaten demotion? I felt sorry for the graduate assistants at the Academy; they didn’t even compare to the disciples of the Mage Tower Master. At least they wouldn’t have to worry about being expelled just because some professors were displeased.

“Ha ha ha! At last, a REAL golem will be completed! My Charlotte will finally gain a life!”

I had no idea what “real golem” meant, but seeing him so thrilled made it clear that it was indeed a remarkable magic. Perhaps it might even be a golem powerful enough to rival a Sword Master.

In any case, in the end, I found myself simply benefiting from the efforts of my capable friends, and I couldn’t help but wonder what significance my attendance at the meeting had. As I casually turned my gaze, I caught the eye of Selian, who was similarly rolling her eyes.

She was like me, ending up merely spectating without getting involved.

Well, Selian was from her previous life while I am currently a hero, so I suppose it’s okay to sit back and enjoy the show once in a while. How could one always be active?

I smiled at her with a knowing glance of camaraderie.