(The story is utter nonsense, but... it must be true.)
I glance at Henry.
He is casually gnawing on grilled meat.
He follows it with a swig of wine, washing it down.
Even during our conversation, he doesn’t stop his hands. If it weren’t me he was with, he might have gone to restock the iron platter of meat.
Henry’s story was vague, but I understood the gist of it.
As expected, he was extraordinary.
He had instinctively discovered and even repelled a phantom savior—an entity I, too, could not detect.
Henry possesses no magical talent.
His ability to perceive it must have been due to his innate intuition.
Facing a being that should have been unrecognizable, he fought and minimized the Demon King Army’s casualties. His valor deserves nothing but praise.
Yet for all his extraordinary feat, the man himself felt frustrated.
“Still, it’s a shame I let that attacker escape. If the General’s magic had been available, maybe I could have finished him off.”
“My power likely wouldn’t have changed the outcome. Don’t dwell on it.”
This wasn’t comfort.
It was pure fact.
No matter how powerful my magic, it would have been useless against the phantom savior.
Whether I could have repelled it like Henry did was questionable.
I wanted to tell him what I had learned from my conversation with the Great Spirit, but this wasn’t the place.
Considering the risk of eavesdroppers, this shouldn't be a conversation for the outdoors.
I murmur to Henry.
"About the truth of this matter... I'll explain the details later."
"...Right, I'm looking forward to it."
Henry, sensing my unspoken thoughts, smiles deeper.
Though his speech and actions are notably free, he's ultimately a man who can read the room.
If he weren't, he could never lead a large army as a warrior.
While he often seems to deliberately ignore social cues, when it comes to the battlefield, he excels at grasping and controlling the overall flow.
"Let the Demon Army return to their base like this. No need to rush."
"Understood. I'll contact you once this is done."
"Noted."
Having given my orders, I use teleportation to return to the audience chamber.
While checking the newly stacked documents, I immediately connect to Luciana via psychic communication.
"Do you have a moment?"
"Yes, what is it?"
"I'd like to hold a meeting tonight. Are you free?"
I ask, and I hear her thinking on the other end.
She's probably adjusting her schedule in her mind.
Before long, Luciana responds.
"That's fine. I'll do my best to make time."
"Oh, I'll leave it to you then."
I ended the mental link there.
Without even asking for the specifics, Luciana had agreed to attend the meeting.
She must have grasped the gravity of the situation from my tone.
It was a relief to be spared the extra trouble.
(I'll need to contact the other executives later.)
We would gather, discuss, and report.
It was a critical decision that would determine the fate of the Demon Lord's army—no, of the world.
I couldn't make it alone.
This investigation had yielded a major breakthrough.
Though still hazy, I now had a glimmer of understanding regarding the nature of the illusory savior.
Until now, there had been nothing, but at last, I could make out its contours.
It was entirely thanks to Henry's efforts.
The solution I had conceived would likely prove effective.
It wouldn't just solve it.
It seemed poised to wipe away our current troubles in one fell swoop.
All that remained was to finalize the necessary preparations and execute it.
Uncertain factors still existed, but I had no intention of hesitating out of fear.
I would steel my resolve and see it through.