Chapter 597


    <b>Princess Mia Skillfully ys Along</b>


    Guided by Aima, Mia’s group headed towards the enemy base, making a stop at the hidden vige of the Fire n along the way. ording to Aima, the abandoned castle, which the Serpent Priestess had made her base, was located further south of the vige, deep in the forest between Belluga and Remno.


    The Fire n’s hidden vigey directly on the route to the base and was a good ce to rest, but…


    Ludwig’s advice carried far more weight than that.


    “We should definitely ask the Fire n for their cooperation.”


    Mia silently followed Ludwig’s counsel. She didn’t doubt his words for even a moment.


    ‘<i>Bel is really worried about Citrina and is probably thinking of rushing to her aid as soon as possible! It’s my job to keep Bel calm and also to keep the enraged Princess Guard in check.</i>’


    “There’s nothing wrong with what Ludwig has said. I believe in him.” Mia said with a solemn expression. She was a smart yes-man who knew exactly whom she needed to be a yes-man for.


    As soon as they arrived at the vige, Mia and her group were greeted by the vigers with bright smiles.


    They had already been informed that the talks with the Equestrian Kingdom were going well. Aid from the Forest n had arrived, easing the vige’s tension, and a temporary peace had descended upon it.


    “Hmm, that’s good.”


    Looking out at the vigers from inside the carriage, Mia’s expression softened slightly.


    “Mia-sama, may I consult with you briefly about the impending matter?”


    Ludwig called out to Mia with a troubled expression.


    “Yes, of course. We need toe up with a countermeasure soon.”


    Even for Mia, knowing their future course of action would bring peace of mind, so she readily epted the proposal.


    At that moment, there was no strategy in ce to rescue Citrina. For the time being, they had no choice but to follow the enemy’s instructions.


    Ludwig quietly informed Mia.


    “Miss Aima and the other women of the Fire n should use the gift of reconciliation with the Equestrian Kingdom to appeal to the Fire n warriors to return and switch allegiance.”


    Ludwig adjusted his sses and continued.


    “As originally nned, we should weaken the enemy’s forces. I believe this is the best course of action.”


    “Hmm…”


    Mia groaned and turned her gaze towards the man sitting next to Ludwig, Dion.


    Fortunately, with both Ludwig and Dion present, Mia’smon sense told her to refrain from interjecting.


    ‘<i>I can’t say anything rash. For now, I should listen intently to what they have to say.</i>’


    Mia was a wise woman who knew her ce. She didn’t say a word but nodded meaningfully, and Ludwig nodded back in response.


    “As you can imagine, there is no way for the Serpent Priestess to prevent this.”


    “I see, that’s true. To the warriors of the Fire n, we are enemies opposing the Serpent Priestess. However, that is not the case for the women of the Fire n, right?”


    Ludwig quietly nodded in response to Dion’s question.


    “Even though she may be High Priestess of the Serpents, she cannot order the Fire n warriors to kill the women of their own n. If the women inform them about the reconciliation with the Equestrian Kingdom, the men of the Fire n will have no choice but to listen.”


    And if they could separate the Fire n warriors from the Priestess, there would hardly be any troops left around her.


    “I believe I have understood for some time now that the Serpents do not have many troops. Or rather, I think that theirck of troops is the Serpents’ strength.”


    The Serpents’ method was to disrupt order through conspiracy. They rarely maintained a direct army, and the warriors surrounding the Priestess were most likely just following orders from their n Chief. ording to Ludwig, their loyalty to the Priestess herself was limited.


    “Aima-san mentioned that those who truly agreed with the Serpents’ philosophy had already left the vige to spread its teachings. Some of them were likely among those who approached His Highness Echard of Sunnd.”


    The Serpent followers weren’t necessarily the Priestess’s guards. Their passion for the Serpents’ philosophy was more focussed on spreading its teachings than on protecting the Priestess.


    “Hmm… Hmmm…” Mia nodded, urging Ludwig to continue. She rested her chin on her hand, putting on a show of deep contemtion.


    To allow the speaker to express themselvesfortably, the listener needed to make well-timed responses, and Mia was an expert at this.


    “In any case, we should separate everyone except those who are absolutely loyal to the Priestess. Reducing the enemy’s numbers as much as possible is critical.” Ludwig concluded.


    After listening to him silently, Mia nced over at Dion.


    “I agree with you. However, it does feel a bit like we are taking the women of the Fire n hostage…”


    “Hmm…”


    Mia muttered thoughtfully, before quickly turning back to Ludwig. Her gaze silently asked, “Is that really okay?”


    “It’s true that it might seem like we are holding them hostage… but I don’t think it will be a problem.”


    Mia nodded in response to Ludwig’s confident assertion.


    “Let’s request the Fire n’s cooperation. I will ask Aima-san to gather them.”


    ‘<i>Since Ludwig said so, then it must be true.</i>’


    Thought Mia. She hadplete faith in her loyal retainer.


    When the vigers gathered, Ludwig exined the situation and made his request.


    “I would like to ask all of you to convince the Fire n warriors to return.”


    Before Aima could respond, the women of the vige replied.


    “Of course we will cooperate. After all, it’s to bring our men back from the Serpent Priestess.”


    The women of the Fire n had no objections to Ludwig’s request. In fact, they too wished for the warriors to return.


    Once the right circumstances were established and they were asked for help, they certainly wouldn’t refuse.


    It didn’t matter whether they were being held as hostages or not, or whether they were being used. What existed was a beautiful intersection of mutual interests.


    ‘<i>So that’s it. The best way to cooperate is not to monopolise the benefits but to ensure mutual gain. That Damn sses went through a lot of trouble to make this happen.</i>’


    In thest days of the Empire, Ludwig had struggled to secure food. Offering mutual benefit had be increasingly difficult. In the end, all he could offer were empty promises that hardly anyone epted.


    ‘<i>This time, our interests coincide. That is why they epted our request without any hesitation.</i>’


    There had probably been efforts to bring back the men who had left. However, they had failed. What could they even do if they returned to the vige? This was the sort of desperate situation that shrouded the entire Fire n.


    But the situation had changed. With the Equestrian Kingdom bing an ally once more, returning to the vige seemed like an attractive option.


    While some might still have emotional reservations, the women would be responsible for convincing them.


    “Hmm… So with this, we can significantly reduce the enemy’s fighting forces for the time being.”


    “Yes. When Mia-sama proposed the Horse Match-up, I wondered what would happen. But, as expected, you were right, Mia-sama. With this, I think we can avoid arge-scale armed conflict.”


    Although it was a sincerepliment, Mia couldn’t shake an ominous feeling.


    “If we can split them up peacefully, that’s fine. But then again, that might be unsettling in its own way.” Mia muttered.


    After all, their opponent was the High Priestess of the Chaos Serpents. Mia reminded herself to not let her guard down. As she refocused her thoughts, she reached for a cookie and popped it into her mouth.