Chapter 155: The Calm Before the Storm (2)

[Day 63] 

Everybody from the Academy of Twilight got another notice for them to stay home until the war is over. It seems Aito wanted to focus on protecting the kingdom rather than just protecting his academy. I don't mind, as long as he goes back to being the headmaster after the war.

"What's the progress of the army?" I asked Yin, who was kneeling on one knee in front of me. 

"They should arrive early tomorrow morning," 

"Should or they will?" 

"Forgive me. They will arrive tomorrow morning," Yin says. 

Okay… I have nothing to do today, and I spent my entire day yesterday with my kids. I should help Mia with her work and check on the armies. We should also start gathering all of the armies outside of the kingdom as well. 

"I have a lot to do today…." 

I sigh before walking out of the throne room. 

… 

Knock Knock Knock 

"Mia, do you need any help with- HOLY SHIT!" I shouted, seeing Mia passed out on the couch. 

She was breathing heavily, and sweat covered her entire body. Her body took a fetal position as she laid on the couch. It was instantly noticeable that she was sick, and after a bit of investigating, I noticed that she had a severe fever. 

Using [Ancient Fire Magic: Ichimei], I rid the fever from her body. Her breathing calmed down, but the sweat was still very much visible. She would get a cold in no time if she kept her sweaty clothes on. 

Since I didn't want to buy new clothes and take off her own clothes, I just used [Grand Water Magic] to extract all the sweat from her clothes. It was a tedious process, but after about 10 minutes, I extracted pretty much all the sweat. 

Her breathing had calmed down, and she stayed curled into a ball. Seeing the blanket right next to her, I pulled it over her shivering body. She immediately gripped onto the blanket and fell deeper into her sleep. 

"Okay, let's do all… this… work…." I said, my voice trailing off as I saw the insane amount of paperwork. 

… 

"I'm done. I can't take this anymore. No more," I say, placing another pile of finished paperwork in the basket beside me. 

Mia still hadn't woken up, so I had to bring the basket full of finished paperwork to the front desk. The receptionist happily accepted the basket and placed it on the counter in front of him. It seems he was swamped with work as well, so he decided to bring it later. 

"Make sure it arrives by tonight. Also, tell Mia she should hire an assistant to help finish her work," 

"As you wish," 

… 

"How's it going?" I ask Owen, who was invested in polishing his katana. 

"Y-your highness!" Owen says, shocked by my sudden appearance.

He was currently overseeing his army, which was made up of about 2000 soldiers. The soldiers weren't in a great state, but they also weren't in a bad state. Anxiety was a common thing before the war, and it was clearly presented to me right now. 

But of course, it is the commander's job to keep up the morale and lower their anxiety. 

As if reading my thoughts, Owen immediately speaks up. He shouts words of motivation that slightly lift the anxiety that burdened the soldier's shoulders… but… it wasn't good enough. After a few more minutes, the anxiety sunk back in as if Owens' speech was never even spoken. 

"D-damn it. How do I-" 

"Stop…" 

"Y-your highness. Forgive me for not being able to-" 

"Kumo must've picked you for a reason. I'll give you some tips," 

Owens wolf ears perk up, ready to take my words to heart. 

"You are shouting at the top of your lungs, don't do that. Project your voice to the crowd and let it be heard. Next, try to get the army to connect with your words… So instead of saying 'Don't lose hope' or 'Try to stay positive,' say things like 'Do not give up because you are fighting for the kingdom' or 'Fight for your families, friends, and children.' 

Finally, you don't have enough enthusiasm. You seem to be bored… I like your confidence and calm aura, but that will start to affect your army negatively. Try to stay upbeat or stern, giving the army something to look at and respect… get it?" 

"I-I think so," 

"Alright, go and give it a try," 

Owen takes in a deep breath before opening his mouth. 

The next second he put all of my words of advice into the best motivational speech I had ever heard. I got goosebumps from the speech, and an ear-to-ear smile crept onto my face. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins, and with one pump of Owen's fist, the entire army shouted a war cry that you could hear across the kingdom. 

"ORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" 

"HUFF HUFF HUFF… H-how did I do?" Owen asks, sitting back down next to me. 

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"You did great. I see why Kumo chose you… Now also bring your army to the field just outside of the north exit. The war will be starting early tomorrow morning…."

I patted the beastman on the back before walking away. 

I relayed the same information to the remaining 7 commanders while giving them tips on being better commanders at the same time. Most of them sucked in different places necessary for leadership, so I gave them hints, allowing them to figure out their problems not long after. 

[Day 64] 

My wife and I decided to go to sleep extremely early last night to be well-rested before the war. If I had to guess, it would be about 2 in the morning, and the human army should arrive at the designated point between 6-7 AM. 

Though we went to sleep extremely early, the darkness outside didn't help with waking up. Plus, the warmth of the bath basically took our souls. If it weren't for our maids, we probably would've walked out of the bath looking like wrinkly old grandmas. 

I changed into a black dress and only wore my jewelry that gave buffs to my stats. Any other jewelry would probably get in the way. 

Oh yeah… jewelry… 

"Aika, how is the necklace you wanted Ava to make?" 

"*yawn*... it's almost done. We have been trying our best to add as many buffs to them as possible… which is probably why it kept imploding. We asked Aiso about it, and he said to enchant the gems first and then place them onto the dragon-shaped necklace… which was easier said than done," Aika says while the maids helped her put on a white and turquoise battle fit dress.

"Alright… Everybody here… please try not to die," 

I don't know if this is my sleepiness talking or the real me talking. Normally, I don't worry about my wives since they can take care of themselves, but… it's just after meeting up with my children again; I started to worry. I can't stop worrying about my family, and I feel like it might eat me up. 

"Oh, is Arpious actually nervous?" Kumo teases. 

"It's alright. We won't die… you can have my word. BUT, if you die, I will go to hell myself and kill you once again," Homura says sternly, giving me a soul-piercing stare. 

"S-sure," 

Treyni giggles slightly before we all leave the changing room. 

Instead of waking our children up, we just decided to give them a one-sided kiss goodbye before exiting the castle. Since it was so late at night, the walk through the kingdom was peaceful, but once we exited the north gate… the pressure seemed to increase 10 fold. 

The left pincer attack made up of Akito's army was already awake. Some soldiers seemed to be tired, but I guess the rest of the army went to sleep early as well. There was a thick sense of bloodlust in the air, so I could tell Akito had done a good job keeping the morale up.

"I guess this is where we part ways," Treyni says. 

"See ya," 

Treyni kisses me before dashing towards Akito. 

Using [Enhanced 5 Senses and More], I was able to sense where Mia was. She was currently flying high above my kingdom, smack dab in the middle of both pincer attack armies. 

'Mia, inform all commanders that we are heading out now. Also, tell them where to stop to make the pincer attacks as efficient as possible,' I say to Mia using [Grand Mind Magic]. 

'As you wish,' Mia says, using [Telepathy]. 

"Where are you girls staying?" I ask my remaining wives. 

"I'll just be watching until you give the signal," 

"Same," 

"Same with me," 

"Okay," I say before activating my feathered wings. 

"Wait, before I leave, Yin, come out," 

"Yes, Master?" 

"Is your corps ready to move the soldiers within their shadows?" 

"Yes, we are ready and have already received Miss Mia's orders. We will not fail you," Yin says with her figure being covered in the dark of night. 

"Good, you may go now," I say, seeing her sink into the darkness.

Flapping my wings slightly, I cause a gush of wind to rush towards the army. They shielded their eyes as they saw my figure fly next to an already flying figure. 

"Did you give the orders?" 

"Yes,"

After about 3 hours of marching, everybody arrived in their designated spot. The pincers were ready, the surprise tanks were ready, and the support was ready. 

The tension in the air was thick. But it was also quiet. You could only hear the slight rustle of leaves swaying in the wind.

It was almost like… the calm before the storm.

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