Plain Girl Hero of Darkness
The Conferred Meeting - (5)

And Olivia replied, "Right, you're private." He then tapped again, "Lieutenant Two Olivia, Warrant Officer Claudia and Soldier Ashton, reporting on time—"

“Enough, I've heard you. Come inside."

Otto's desperate voice came from within, and Olivia opened the door as instructed. In front of them was a smiling Paul sitting comfortably in his chair, and Otto shaking his head. Olivia's group saluted, and Paul paid his respects with narrowed eyes. Ashton who was facing the commander up close looked tense.

"That's great. We called you here today to— ”

“Kue you prepared for me as a gift?”

Otto who was cut by Olivia stared intently at him. He knew that glare was not directed towards him, but Ashton could not withstand the cold sweat.

"Finance Two, is it just the cake you have in mind?"

"That's not true, I also like books."

Olivia did not think of Otto's sharp gaze, and replied casually. Ashton thought: "Please read the atmosphere."

“Oh ~ reading books and expanding your knowledge is a good thing, but I did not call you to learn about your hobby.”

Claudia lowered her head apologizing all this time, but Paul just laughed out loud: he:

“You're still the same as always, Second Lieutenant Olivia. Unfortunately, the cake will have to wait until we get back to Fort Gallia. We called you here for another matter."

“... Yes Sir, understand..”.

Olivia bent her shoulders, showing her sadness clearly. Paul showed a troubled smile at it, and then directed his gaze towards Ashton.

Private Ashton Senefelder.

“Y-Yiss!”

Ashton was so nervous to be called out so suddenly, that he could not even speak properly. Paul relaxed his face then, and then said:

“Tenanglay, you don't need to be too tense. I heard from Warrant Officer Claudia that you contributed greatly to the capture of Kaspar Castle. "

“Y-Yes Sir! Thank you very much! But it's only possible because Second Lieutenant Olivia is there, so I'm not really— ”

Ashton started babbling on and on. His panicked face made Paul smile awkwardly. Paul then raises his hand to stop Ashton:

“It is true that without Second Lieutenant Olivia, we would not have been able to capture Kaspar's castle so easily. But I heard Private Ashton formulate a plan— Is that true, Second Lieutenant Olivia? ”

"Yes. Thanks to Ashton we captured Kaspar castle with ease."

Olivia puffed her chest and said proudly.

“H-Hey! Second Lieutenant Olivia! ”

“Ehh? But that's the truth. Oh yes, you better use my honorifics when Adjutant Otto is present. If not, he will scold you. ”

“Wait, you say that to me now?”

“Enough, you two. Lord Paul is not finished!"

Otto's warning made Ashton cough in fear.

"I'm sorry, Lord Paul!"

“No, it's okay. Besides, you were assigned by Second Lieutenant Olivia to be her strategist, what do you think? Do you want to continue serving Second Lieutenant Olivia as her strategist? ”

Ashton is stunned by Paul's unexpected proposal. He only took on the position of strategist because Olivia forced him to. He never thought that he would be officially promoted to the position of strategist.

(Joke ... It doesn't look like that.)

Paul looked serious, which made it even harder for Ashton to respond. He only gave advice because he happened to read about the history of war. Ashton was not confident enough to formulate a suitable plan in any situation.

With that in mind, Ashton looked at Olivia beside him. He showed a charming smile.

Ashton felt his cheeks burn, and looked at Paul again.

"I don't know if I can live up to your expectations, but I'll give you everything I have."

“That's a nice sentence— Alright, without further ado, I'd like to borrow your wisdom on a certain issue.”

“Y-Yes Sir ...! May I know what it is?”

Ashton shouted in his heart: "It was too fast!" But he tried not to show it, and asked in a calm manner. But he's not fooling anyone. It is evident from the wry smiles of Paul and Otto that Ashton did not look at all calm.

“Now, don't get too tense. I'll let Lieutenant Colonel Otto explain the problem. "

Otto walked to the front of Olivia's group, and explained the matter of accommodating 4,000 prisoners and assigning them to work. Olivia yawned from boredom amid the discussion, which made Claudia bow and apologize profusely.

“-How, Private Ashton? If you have a good solution, I'll agree. You don't have to worry. "

Otto's face seemed to indicate that Ashton could not relax. Ashton racked his brain, and gave an answer:

“How about proposing a prisoner exchange with the Imperial Army? We have two advantages from that. "

“Oh... Tell me more.”

Otto looked at her with a sharp gaze, which made Ashton retreat. He was unfamiliar with the intimidating aura of soldiers.

“Y-Yes Sir. If the negotiations succeed, we can resolve the food issues we face, and the army we get in return can strengthen our forces."

"… I understand what you mean. I agree with you about the food supply, but the Empire will strengthen their power with this as well, right? ”

Otto pressed. He understood the matter regarding food, but was unable to see how getting their soldiers back gave them an advantage over the Empire. For Ashton, it will be a victory for them.

“You are right, but if we consider the entire Royal Army as a whole, this exchange will benefit us even more. After all, we are forced to oblige someone like me who can't even use a weapon properly. "

Paul and Otto grimaced as Ashton said that.

“Considering the humanitarian factor, the Imperial Army should accept our proposal. If they reject us, they will lose the support of their citizens. "

Ashton added that the fame of the Good-natured Emperor Ramza was famous throughout the continent, so he would not do anything that would damage his reputation.

“Once...Soldier Ashton, you may not know, but prisoner exchanges are usually limited to those of high standing, such as prisoners associated with the Royal family. There has been no precedent for prisoner exchanges involving ordinary soldiers. But your opinion is worth considering. "

(Precedent: events that can be used as examples)

Otto stroked his chin and looked at Paul.

“Yes, we need to hold an emergency meeting to discuss this plan. That's a valuable input. I will also expect more from you in the future, Private Ashton. ”

“Y-Yes Sir!”

After the three left, Paul took out a cigar from his breast pocket and started smoking.

“- Now? I think he'll be useful. "

"I agree. It seems that his strategic intelligence that captured Kaspar castle was not a coincidence. I would never think about exchanging prisoners with soldiers. "

“If such outstanding performance is just a coincidence, then our position will be threatened. Furthermore, he only snorted. "

“Indeed— I will do the draft then.”

"Yes please."

After seeing Otto come out, Paul exhaled cigar smoke in his mouth.

...****************...

...To Be Continue's...