A Deceptive Face (Continued)

After a few more moments, seeing that the two had finished knocking, Maria waved her hand.

"You all go about your business; there's nothing else here for now."

"Understood."

The two of them silently got up.

They may be revered leaders in their own lands, but in the presence of Maria, they remain naive.

They're still a bunch of kids who haven't grown up.

After bowing to Maria again, Theresis and the Lich representative left.

Maria remained seated, quietly gazing at the war table before her.

Kazdel is currently facing a very critical situation.

Due to the successive defeats on other fronts, Kazdel was plunged into a state of utter devastation with no support whatsoever.

But in Maria's eyes, this was not a true dead end.

Another method is to dismantle the entire Allied Forces force.

Ultimately, the Allied Forces was merely an army composed of Victoria, Leithanien, Ursus, and Gaul. According to Maria's investigation, these countries did not have much history of cooperation, and their relationship could only be described as a normal relationship between major powers.

The problem is that these countries suddenly united without warning and launched a technological assault on Kazdel with their most advanced technology...

Maria doesn't believe there's nothing fishy going on.

But the question remains: what exactly, who, and what is it that mediates these events and brings these people together?

If Maria didn't figure this out, she felt that she and her companions would have no chance of dismantling their army.

Maria tapped her fingers lightly on the cutting board in front of her, lost in thought.

Just as she was feeling a headache, the Bone Pen in her hand suddenly emitted a faint glow.

Before long, the pen nib began to wobble slightly on its own.

Only after sensing that Maria did not stop it did it continue writing in the same spot.

Are you coming back today?

"..."

This Bone Pen was given to Lamaline by Maria.

Although Maria is not Banshees and does not use Banshees magic, she is still Banshees queen, so her status and accessories must match.

This Bone Pen was left to Lamaline by Maria.

According to her, this pen is imbued with the blessings of many Banshees, and she has used it for many years. Its special ability allows the pen paired with Lamaline's pen to transmit messages to Maria without any delay.

And this is something that no one else knows yet...

This is... their secret...

After a few moments of silence, Maria responded by writing with her pen.

[Perhaps]

Time stands silent.

After a while, the pen tip landed on the table again.

I'll prepare your dinner.

After he finished speaking, the fluorescence on the Bone Pen gradually faded.

Lamaline probably disconnected herself over there.

Maria looked at the battle unfolding before her and shook her head slightly.

After getting up and putting her clothes back on, she stood up and walked towards the Banshees's encampment.

Once she bypassed the core command area and arrived at the Banshees' camp, Maria could clearly sense that the Banshees' gazes towards her had changed.

If the Banshees in the past only thought they had a very powerful queen... then now, Maria, who has become the leader of the Allied Forces, has proven her worth with her strength.

Everyone began to show him reverence, and the way they addressed him became increasingly pure.

"Your Highness..."

"Your Highness..."

"Princess..."

Various words were uttered, and every Banshees looked at Maria with respect and fervor.

Maria didn't deliberately maintain aloofness; instead, she tried her best to greet everyone and ask about their situations.

It took her almost half an hour to walk the short distance of a few hundred meters to reach the camp.

Meanwhile, Lamaline had just finished preparing dinner and was entertaining her guests...

"Your Highness..."

Upon seeing Theresa there, Maria did not immediately take a seat, but instead bowed slightly to show her respect.

She certainly didn't agree that the Demon King was her leader, but that didn't stop her from being polite to him as the Queen Consort of the Banshees.

Her elegant and capable demeanor caused the two girls in the room to blush slightly for a moment, before Theresa finally spoke.

"Ms. Maria, there are no outsiders here..."

"I know."

Maria nodded and then took her seat.

Lamaline prepared a simple potato stew for dinner; now that Kazdel was in a state of war, simplicity was the best policy.

As for adding meat... Kazdel's situation hasn't really reached a dead end yet.

But Maria still had some doubts before eating.

"Your Highness, how did you come to be here?"

Maria sat down naturally next to Lamaline, looking at Theresa with some curiosity.

Theresa glanced at the two people who seemed so close and intimate, then lowered her head in exasperation.

"Because... I don't know what to do."

"Um?"

"I have no military talent, so all I can do is reassure my compatriots not to be afraid of the war ahead, that we will win... but I can't say such things too often."

"And now that my identity has been exposed, I can no longer move around as freely as before..."

"Right now, I have absolutely no idea what I can do."

Theresa understood that what she needed to do most at this moment was to play her role as a mascot well.

Once Maria's side achieves a victory, she will naturally gain prestige, which will boost morale.

Even if she fails, she still needs to step in and calm people down.

But at this stage of preparation, she really doesn't know what she should do.

In a daze, she was discovered by Lamaline and brought back.

"Is that so?"

Maria looked at the girl's complicated expression and remained silent.

After exchanging another glance with Lamaline beside her, she grabbed the other's small hand that had quietly reached out and poked her waist, ignoring Ramallian's slightly flushed struggle, and looked at Theresa opposite her.

Do you feel like you haven't done anything?

Lamaline was a little flustered when Maria grabbed her hand, but she still suppressed her emotions and carefully ate her dinner in front of her with her unfamiliar left hand.

But the slight redness on her neck and her trembling eyes still betrayed the tall girl's panic.

"Yes."

Perhaps because she was in a bad mood, Theresa simply held her spoon and stared at the stewed potatoes in front of her, unaware of the subtle actions of the two people in front of her.

"I could have done more... but right now, I have no idea what I should be doing."

There's always a voice inside the girl telling her that she can do more, that she can't stop yet.

But now, she is trapped and unable to move, suppressed by reality.

This left her utterly helpless.

"As long as you're alive, that's enough."

Faced with Theresa's dilemma, Maria showed no sign of annoyance. She simply and slowly kneaded Lamaline's small hands, which were covered by black silk sleeves, completely ignoring the other's increasingly rosy skin and pointed ears, her eyes fixed on Theresa in front of her.

"You should understand that your very existence is the greatest contribution you can make to us..."

"But..."

"You should understand... what kind of person should do what kind of thing."

Maria interrupted Theresa.

She knew the girl was now completely stuck in a dead end.

The existence of external enemies made her eager to do something to prove her worth and help her compatriots.

But in Maria's eyes, the girl's current anxiety was meaningless.

Looking at the girl in front of her, who was tilting her head back and frowning over her pink eyes, Maria shook her head and continued.

"In fact, you haven't accomplished nothing as you think."

"Um?"

"You should be proud of what you've done... You've accomplished something many people can't."

Maria felt the little hand she was holding no longer struggling, and noticed its slight trembling before she gradually stopped moving and quietly let it lie in her hand.

Fingers touched the other person's palm, creating a subtle friction.

"You have united the various forces in Kazdel. Although they all have their own ideas, there is no denying that you have taken a big step forward... If you had done nothing, Kazdel wouldn't even be able to assemble an army."

"You also prevented the internal strife in Kazdel. You should be able to see how the last Royal Court Conference would have turned out without you."

"And you also stabilized the morale of the Kazdel crowd, mobilizing everyone... This is no easy feat."

"Judging from these things, you have accomplished many things that mediocre monarchs could not."

"Besides... if you really feel you still want to do something, I might be able to give you a direction."

Maria looked at Theresa in front of her... The girl seemed to be drawn in by Maria's words, tilting her head up and listening intently.

Meanwhile, unnoticed by everyone, Lamaline had leaned back in her chair, her pale lips biting her fingers tightly, her whole body trembling.

The exposed pointed ears had turned blood red.

The simple touch of her fingers, the stirring in her slightly cool palm, was already almost too much for her to handle.

Even their breathing became strange.

But then, there's Theresa in front of me...

Maria did such a thing...

She glanced at Maria with shame and indignation, but seeing the unwavering look in Maria's eyes, the Banshees became even more embarrassed.

Maria, however, simply looked at the girl in front of her and spoke calmly.

"If you really feel you need to do something... I think you could try to build your own team."

"Huh?"

Theresa paused for a moment, somewhat hesitant.

"Winning over... one's own team?"

"Yes."

Maria nodded.

"The news of your succession to the Demon King's throne will probably spread very soon. Even though this is Kazdel, the stronghold of the Sarkaz, you should not let your guard down... Your safety is a crucial guarantee for the stability of our army."

"At the same time..."