Reincarnation into the Barrier Master

Five days after the meeting with Vieille, the allied forces of Agartha and Heedata arrived at the port of Kivi in the Kingdom of Sandanj. There, Nike was waiting for their arrival with his army. I could not leave the ship, so I took Matkal and Vieille with me and moved to the top of the ship.

"Oh, King Agartha!　Welcome to my kingdom of Sandanj!"

As soon as we landed at the port, Nike greeted us with a smile. I had expected him to be dressed in full armor and ready for battle, but he greeted us in formal attire.

He greeted me as if he was holding me in his arms, holding my hand strongly. He shook hands firmly with Duke Vilas of Heedata, then gently shook hands with Matkal and kissed his hand.

It has been a long time, King Nike. It is a pleasure to see you again.

Vieille took this opportunity to greet him with a radiant smile. Nique opened her arms and looked exaggeratedly surprised.

"This is Vieille!　What a beauty!　You are more polished than ever!"

"You must be joking. But thanks to the king of Agartha, I have been living a life of eating and sleeping for the past two months. Thanks to you, my physical condition has been restored to normal, but my brain is still a little rusty after such a long absence. I know I may cause some trouble for you, Mr. Nike. ......"

"What do you mean? I have heard that Lord Vieille will be in charge of this battle. We, the army of the Kingdom of Sandange, will learn a great deal from you!

Nike smiled at us and said, "Come here," and took us to the resting place he had prepared for us.

The resting place was not a temporary one with tents, but a large and magnificent building. Moreover, it was a building that seemed to be newly constructed. Nike was modest, saying that it was a rest house ......, but it was obvious to everyone that it was a facility that had been built in a rush. He led us into a room that looked like a conference room. It smelled very nice, like wood.

"I have a general idea of what's going on, from Lord Vieille's letter and the letter from the king of Agartha. I would like to hear your strategy for the recapture of Aphrodite.

As soon as he took his seat, Nike spread a map on his desk. On it was drawn a map of the area around the kingdom of Sandanzi.

Vieille said yes, and repeated the strategy he had explained to us the other day.

"...... Yes, sir. So we will take the left flank?"

"Yes. I repeat, please do not, I repeat, do not participate in the attack on the Sandanji forces. Furthermore, if there is any danger of being attacked, we ask that you withdraw immediately.

"Mm. But I have one concern."

"Is this a concern ......?"

If we are provoked by the enemy, can't we attack them ourselves?

Yes. Please do not be provoked.

"In case, by any chance, our army is attacked by surprise, are you saying that we are not allowed to counterattack?"

"It's ......."

"I am sorry, Lord Vieille, but I promise you that we will not make a preemptive attack. But if we are attacked, we will counterattack. I hope you will agree to that."

"...... Yes, sir."

Nike's eyes flashed. I could see the simulation of a counterattack going on in his head. He muttered to himself, "I should have Sadakichi and the others watch from the sky while constantly observing the movements of the Sandanji forces on the map.

After that, he started a military exercise on the map for the operation to recapture Aphrodite. As he listened to Vieille's story and proceeded with the exercise, Nique's expression gradually became stern.

"Wait! Then you will die like a dog.

When he heard that the army led by Vieille was going to attack Aphrodite alone, Nique opened her mouth involuntarily.

"If I were a general of the enemy, I would form a formation around Aphrodite and surround us. I hear now that their forces are several times greater than ours. I have sent my men to investigate, and they tell me that they are arriving at Aphrodite one after another, numbering close to 50,000 men. If we attacked Aphrodite alone, we would surely be defeated. What does King Agartha think?"

...... Actually, I agree with you. But Vieille is calm.

"If Aphrodite's army moves, we will lose for sure.

"...... What do you mean?　I'm sorry. I do not understand the meaning of the words of the king of Agartha."

"I mean, are all the troops assembled in Aphrodite willing to do what it takes?"

"......"

"Perhaps the forces gathered in Aphrodite were assembled at the request of Ron Esrotel, the ringleader of the rebellion. Some of them may have no choice but to send reinforcements. This is especially true of the states belonging to Crimiana. Such armies probably have no intention to fight actively. Well, if I may put it that way, most of the armies would join the war if they think that the advantage is overwhelmingly in Crimiana's favor, and the number of armies that would actively participate in the war would be surprisingly small. If that is the case, I think that Vieille's army alone could manage.

"So, the place to be defended by those who are highly motivated to fight is inevitably Aphrodite."

Nike strokes her chin and stares at the map.

"I see, I can read it."

Nike looks at Vieille with a grin.

"If we can swoop down on Aphrodite at lightning speed before the enemy is aware of our presence, we can minimize their attacks, not to mention those of their less battle-hungry forces. You have thought of it, Lord Vieille."

"No. No. I'm glad to see King Nike. My plan was to head for Aphrodite while keeping a close watch on the enemy's movements, but I think we can minimize our damage if we attack at lightning speed, as you said, my dear Nike. I am very glad to have your great wisdom.

Nique is laughing hysterically at Vieille's words. Just a few years ago, things had been bad between them when Vieille had tried to seduce Nique's son, but now it was as if that had never happened. It is a strange thing.

The discussion continued until the evening. The departure was set for tomorrow morning and the sea route to Aphrodite was detailed. Matkal and the Duke of Vilas were very active, but I said very little, which made me a little bored.

When the discussion was over, Nique said she wanted to entertain us and led us to another room. There was a semi-circular table with a layout I had seen somewhere before. Yes, this room was similar to a teppanyaki restaurant. The tables were inset with an iron net under them.

Nike sat us down and stood in front of us. Meanwhile, his men were bringing in vegetables and huge chunks of meat. Nike himself began to cook the meat on the grill.

"That barbecue we used to have while we were all discussing the plan..." he said. That was good. We can eat the food when it is at its best. Tonight, I would like to serve it.

Saying this, he distributed the grilled meat and vegetables to us.

......They sure were tasty. The meat and vegetables were perfectly cooked. He must have gone through a lot of trial and error. However, I had to bring the food to my mouth as soon as it was served to me, and since Nike was nagging me to eat, I couldn't enjoy the meal very slowly, and I brought the food to my mouth without hesitation, suppressing my indescribable feelings.