A few days later.
"I heard you've started recruiting soldiers in Cru Town?"
At the joint military conference between the Wood Army and the Black Nightmare Army, the higher-ups from both sides had gathered to discuss how to deal with and eradicate The Church. Yet the moment the meeting began, a general from the Wood Family gave Benjamin a once-over and spoke without concealing his dissatisfaction.
Benjamin nodded expressionlessly. "That's right."
They had not recruited on a large scale, but the Black Nightmare Army had suffered severe losses, and it was necessary to replenish their ranks with fresh blood. Moreover, the spread of the Manifesto of Free Magic had produced another wave of mages in the kingdom. When these people heard that the Black Nightmare Army was in Cru Town, they often gave up on joining the Wood Family and chose to throw in their lot with them instead.
Their long-term investment had finally paid off.
However, this seemed to have left some people within the Wood Army rather unhappy.
"Dozens of mages who agreed to join us a few days ago have now run off to your side. How can you do this?" The general was more than merely unhappy; he seemed downright furious. "We rescued you out of the goodness of our hearts, and this is how you repay us?"
The atmosphere grew tense. Elizabeth immediately turned toward the general and said, "The Black Nightmare Army is our ally. I invited them to station themselves in Cru Town, so of course they are free to recruit. General Trey, watch your words."
"But..."
"This general, the Black Nightmare Army earned its reputation bit by bit on our own, and those people joined us of their own free will. You can't possibly blame us for that." Benjamin's voice was neither