'Maria Helmsworth...?!'
I glanced in the direction of the girl in question.
She stood behind Serah, among the few representatives of the Imperial Forces. Her expression had been hard to read, as usual, and she seemed to have been staring blankly into space.
However, once Serah recommended her, even the usual cold and stoic girl gave a surprised look.
Her pretty eyes bulged and her flawless lips parted, looking at her Superior who recommended her with utter shock.
I watched as Serah glanced at the innocently surprised girl and winked at her.
Then, they both stared at me.
'Hold on... what's going on here?'
I had a bad feeling swelling from the pit of my stomach, but quickly subdued it
'Serah, what are you up to?'
It wasn't like I didn't have a fair idea, but, why was she doing it? For what reason? It didn't seem like Maria put her up to it either.
No, in the first place, the Helmsworth girl wasn't that kind of person.
'Haa, there's no point in overthinking things...'
If I lost my composure here, everything would just go down the drain.
Even though Maria's addition was unprecedented, I simply had to compromise.
'To make it a perfect equation, I'll need to add one more person, then...'
Looking around the hall, my eyes spotted one person that would fit the job perfectly.
"Your Majesty, may I also make another recommendation? If you add both mine and Miss. Serah's suggestions, we'll have seven members. That isn't a bad number." I said with a slight bow.
The King appeared surprised that I too was changing my initial stance, but he didn't seem to intend on refusing me either.
"Alright, Jared Leonard. Let us hear you out."
"Yes, your Majesty. I would like to recommend Ivan Smith, Apprentice of the Eastern Kingdom's West Border's Fort."
"Ehh?!" A loud noise emanated from behind me.
The boy I had just called out made a surprised yelp, and then quickly covered his lips once he realized the error of his ways.
"Oh? Is there any specific reason for that?" The King asked me.
"I witnessed his battle with a Demon Beast. The young man's growth and talent are simply too good to be wasted as an apprentice on the Western Border. I wish for him to see a wider world and improve himself."
In the future, we would have many like Ivan and Maria—those who explored the world to see just how large and diverse it truly was.
"I see. Very well..." Fortunately, the King readily agreed.
"... Maria Helmsworth and Ivan Smith. You will be participating as Envoys of the Eastern Kingdom. Do you have any objections?"
"N-none at all, your Majesty!" Ivan spoke first, shouting more than necessary.
The way he stiffly bowed caused me to laugh a bit.
"As you wish, your Majesty." Maria gave a light bow and spoke in a calm, collected tone.
Looking at her now, it seemed like the surprised expression she had before was only an illusion.
As always, the girl gave a perfectly flawless performance.
"Looks like the only thing we have to wait for is the decision of the Research Department." King Albion stated, and then looked at me for confirmation.
I nodded in response.
'The Alliance is what I'm after. Everything else can be handled domestically, without my interference.'
Since my father, and other capable persons, were in the Kingdom, I expected some progress and a good battle strategy from them.
So, while I would spearhead the Alliance, each Kingdom would have control over its affairs—at least to an extent.
Ultimately, everything would sort itself out.
"Very well. Then... this meeting is hereby concluded!"
***********************
As expected, the King requested my audience after the meeting.
The reason was due to what I wrote in my letter... about my intentions to speak with him on a sensitive matter.
As we conversed, I made three pertinent issues known to him.
One was the existence of spies within the Eastern Kingdom.
There were likely to be quite a few among the Noble Households, and even within the Royal Court.
Of course, I had my suspicions and candidates, but it wasn't exactly prudent to move conspicuously at this point.
The best I could do was tell Albion Lestrome to be more careful when handling information.
His Court Magician, one of the Grand Mages of the Eastern Kingdom, seemed like a reliable and smart person.
So, I told the King to personally discuss the issue of spies with the man. Hopefully, he would find a more intelligent way to handle the problem.
The second matter was the outcome of the Demon War.
I predicted that their next strike would overlap with the time I was in the Elf Kingdom.
As a result, the Kingdom was on its own.
I wasn't completely worried, though.
Since I got enough information from Kahn concerning the current position of the Demon Realm's hierarchy, I could predict their next move.
If I was correct, then Zenkiel, the new Vert, would be in charge of the Demon Army.
I once fought against an Army led by his Superior at the time, so none of their tactics were new to me.
At the moment, I was working on some things on my end, but it would still take some time for everything to fall into place.
Before that happened, though... I had no intentions of causing the Eastern Kingdom to fall behind.
"I'll be lending you some tools for this battle. I'll also tell you a few things to watch out for. That way, it'll minimize casualties."
The King could only listen to my words at this point. Even if he had questions, it wasn't my intention to answer any of them.
We were pressed for time, after all.
The third and final subject of discussion was—of course—my reward for the services I had rendered.
I didn't plan on settling for anything just yet, but... it was best to let the King know that I wasn't going so far for nothing.
He understood my stance, and also told me that he would reward me based on my accomplishments.
'Pfft.' I nearly laughed.
If I was to calculate it... the entire Eastern Kingdom wouldn't be enough to pay for everything I intended on doing.
Still, I planned on giving them a good discount.
'Once I'm done... I wonder what he'll offer me in exchange.'
That would indeed be a fun sight to see.
