The Priest (Continued)

"Your Highness!"

Almost immediately, someone stepped forward, facing Maria, and quickly tried to stop her.

"This is a very important matter, are you... sure?"

Gradually, more and more people chose to stand up and stop it.

They weren't dissatisfied with Maria's command, nor did they think Theresis was incompetent.

However, this matter was indeed of great importance, and they simply could not understand why Maria would choose Theresis.

Isn't there a more trustworthy Nitze here?!

If all else fails, wouldn't choosing another renowned veteran commander be a good alternative?

Why Theresis?

In fact, even Theresis herself was somewhat bewildered.

His response was merely a soldier's instinct.

He truly hadn't expected Maria to entrust him with this task...

Even he himself wasn't optimistic about it.

Moreover, he had initially hoped to retreat and defend...

"..."

Faced with everyone's questions, Maria didn't explain anything. She simply turned her head and looked at Nitze beside her.

"What do you think, Theresis?"

"As a soldier, carrying out your orders is my duty."

Nitze did not mean to deny Maria.

Maria had long since completely won him over; as a warrior and commander, he would never doubt any of Maria's orders!

Similarly, he hopes that others can have the same awareness...

His gaze slowly swept across everyone present through the white cloth strip in front of him.

The others hesitated for a moment, then silently returned to their seats.

They really didn't dare to have any opinions about Nitze.

After another moment of silence from everyone, Maria turned her head and looked at Theresis to the side.

Can you do it?

"... Your command."

Faced with Maria's question, Theresis would not admit that she was incapable.

Only...

"What do you mean by asking me to organize the team myself?"

Shouldn't Maria have been assigned to lead her own team at this point?

"Just as I said, the choice is yours... Choose the team you think is suitable from everyone here."

Maria's voice was calm, but her words startled Theresis.

This unprecedented division of forces left him somewhat bewildered.

This made it even harder for him to understand Maria in front of him.

Let him... choose for himself?

Won't this situation lead to the formation of factions within the military?

Shouldn't this kind of thing be avoided?

Theresis grew increasingly confused.

But seeing Maria's calm gaze, he gritted his teeth and stood up.

"Then... I choose the Lich and the Gargoyle."

"Can."

The Lich, the Gargoyle, and Theresis's own forces combined numbered close to ten thousand.

But they were facing Allied Forces that outnumbered them tenfold.

The difficulty of this is self-evident.

Maria did not ask if the other party needed more support; she simply nodded and tacitly approved of their action.

Before long, Theresis left with the two teams she had chosen.

As for the other commanders, Maria didn't instruct them to do anything; she simply gave the order to continue training the troops, and then stopped.

For a moment, only she and Nitze remained in the entire conference hall.

Since Nitze could be considered Maria's close advisor in a sense, Maria didn't hide anything from him and simply turned her head to look at him.

Did you notice?

"... Should I see something, Your Highness?"

"... You're not that kind of person, Nitze."

Maria shook her head slightly in response to the other party's answer.

Clearly, Nitze is no pushover either.

"Nature."

Nitze didn't try to hide anything; after nodding slightly, he also sighed.

"Theresis has already united the Lich Court's forces still stationed in Kazdel... He's probably still trying to win over the Gargoyle, as for the others... we don't know yet."

He could tell from the moment Theresis chose the Lich and the Gargoyle.

The Lich representative stood up almost without hesitation, as if he had been prepared all along, while the Gargoyle paused for a moment, as if he hadn't reacted yet.

The Gargoyle's behavior could certainly be interpreted as resistance, but it could also be explained as them never expecting Theresis to choose them... He should have had more options.

"Are you planning to harm him, Your Highness?"

From Nitze's personal perspective, he did not approve of such a thing happening.

Therefore, even though Theresis was the Demon King's brother, he dared to say such things.

But clearly, Maria's ideas differed from his.

"No need, Nitze..."

Aren't you worried that he'll form a clique?

Nitze was still somewhat hesitant.

Forming cliques in the military is not a good thing...

After all, the legion is a huge organization, and the leader of an organization should be the commander.

Once a small group forms, it can make command difficult, and if it grows large, it might even threaten Maria's position...

This is not good news.

"No need to worry, Nitze ...no need to worry."

Maria shook her head. "This might not be such bad news after all..."

"Um?"

"As I said before... I don't care what my soldiers think... or rather, given the current situation, small groups are actually better able to unite the army."

"This is their choice, and I won't interfere... because all I need to do is ensure your victory in this war..."

Maria spoke, her calm tone possessing a captivating, almost bewitching power.

To be honest, even at this point, Nitze was still not optimistic about the situation.

He was prepared to share his life with Sarkaz.

But...

Do you think Theresis is reliable?

"At least, so far, it is reliable."

Maria spoke, slowly rising to her feet, watching the number of troops in Kazdel decrease on the sand table, while a piece symbolizing Theresis moved slowly forward.

"At least, he was reliable before he severed ties with his own blood relatives..."

Do you think this kind of thing will happen?

"I can't be sure, but I certainly don't deny it... Humans are extremely self-centered creatures. Many people will give everything for the future they desire, and even the closest people will only be obstacles in their way. Only those with the same goal can move forward together."

Maria could feel the raging flames burning within Theresis's body.

She was certain that Theresis wasn't as loyal to her sister as she appeared... It was just that too many things had brought them together in an inseparable group, and once the war was won and the future was discussed, they were very likely to have disagreements.

What will happen then...? She couldn't answer.

This is also why she reminded Theresa earlier.

Because she felt that, compared to a warrior who hid her emotions, Theresa's pure kindness was the best way to guide them out of their predicament.

Swords and knives are a guarantee of a person's safety, and should never be used as a greeting upon meeting someone.

Maria did not hide the news of Theresis's departure.

Almost everyone in Kazdel knew that the warrior who led the troops in retreat from the front lines was now leading them on another expedition.

Many people have high expectations of him, hoping that he will inspire Kazdel.

But...

The final result was clearly not as easy as people had expected.

Not long after, Theresis returned.

They also brought back a message.

They killed 20,000 Allied Forces soldiers at the cost of only 2,000 of their own, and destroyed over a hundred high-speed warships!

Gargoyle were in charge of rapidly constructing temporary towers, the Lich unleashed their Originium Arts, and Theresis's soldiers provided a blockade and defense. The new strategic plan achieved unprecedented results!

The news quickly spread throughout the city, greatly encouraging many people.

Sarkaz's courage has never been extinguished!

On the other side...

The Allied Forces also issued a statement.

It describes how, under enemy surprise attack, the Victoria Allied Forces resisted and successfully repelled the attack, protecting their strategic camp. The process vividly portrays the Sarkaz's despicable acts and the Victoria soldiers' valiant resistance.

The announcement concluded with expressions of condolence for the fallen and encouragement for the soldiers: the war was about to end, and they were just one step away from creating a future for their descendants...

Both reports claim victory, which, it must be said, is a common characteristic of all people and all wars in the world.

No one reports failure until the very last moment.

Maria was not surprised at all by this situation.

Almost immediately after Theresis returned, she praised her while secretly summoning her for a discussion.

The next day, Nitze and the Banshees Queen assembled their forces and launched another attack on the Allied Forces camp!

Clearly, the Allied Forces were completely unprepared for Maria's surprise attack in such a short time, and were momentarily thrown into disarray.

In the end, the Sarkaz returned after destroying some enemy equipment on a small scale.

The Allied Forces once again reported their impressive victories, proving that the so-called Sarkaz war god was nothing more than a shadow of his former self.

Meanwhile, Kazdel continued to report that the Sarkaz had achieved excellent results, and the Allied Forces were like a group of rats, fleeing in disarray.

By the time Maria arrived, she had a general understanding of the situation.

"So... the Victoria army didn't receive resources from any other troops, right?"