【The Old Man of the Expelled Inn Unwittingly Dominates Today Too】Although I Want to Lead a Slow Life, for Some Reason the Strongest Beauties Who Hold Important Positions in the Country, and Were Once My Disciples, Gather Around Me Asking to Be Hired – Even Though I Only Taught Them a Little～

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“What do you mean! What happened to the royal guard knights?”

“They fought valiantly but were defeated by the Demon Lord’s army!”

“How could my brother be with the Demon Lord’s army?”

“It seems Prince Genus has revived the Demon Lord himself. The Demon Lord’s army plans to subjugate Fridania next.”

“What a dreadful thing to do…”

The beautiful girl holding her head in despair is none other than Princess Mariessia, the first princess of the Kingdom of Fridania.

It appears Prince Genus has revived the Demon Lord and, along with the Demon Lord’s army, has occupied the capital of Fridania. The existence of the Demon Lord is hard to believe, but the fact remains that Mariessia-sama’s knights were defeated by his army.

“What happened to the royal guard after that?”

“The communication via the magic stones was cut off midway… We don’t know.”

Mariessia-sama closed her beautiful green eyes for a moment in silence, then spoke again.

“—Prepare to depart! We will gather volunteers from all over and return to the capital! We cannot let Prince Genus and the Demon Lord do as they please!”

Determination filled her green eyes. The knights’ faces tightened, and they began to move to do what was necessary.

“Lord Baldo, may I have a moment to speak with you alone?”

I quietly nodded and was about to head to another room with her when…

Liena and the others inserted themselves between Mariessia-sama and me.

“What’s the matter, everyone?”

“Eeeh~~ Because it’s dangerous for Mariessia-sama to be alone with you~”

“Hehe, indeed, Lord Baldo is a man after all.”

“I, I can restrain myself!”

“Baldo only looks at Cal!”

Oi… What are they talking about? I’m just going to have a normal conversation with Mariessia-sama in another room. It seems I’m not trusted much.

“Mariessia-sama, you don’t need to take Lord Baldo to a secluded room. He will go with you.”

“Hehe, I will go too. It’s my best friend’s crisis, after all.”

“Ah, I’m going too! I owe Mariessia a lot.”

“Cal too~ Will help Mari.”

Mariessia was taken aback by the reactions of Liena, Milene, Alesia, and Cal. She looked around at the four faces and then spoke.

“Ev… everyone…”

“Right, let’s all go. It’s been a while since we’ve been to Fridania.”

“Lo… Lord Baldo… Thank you.”

Mariessia-sama, her eyes moist with gratitude, bowed her head. My former disciples, known as the Three Deities, and I owe a lot to Mariessia-sama.

“Alright, Liena, Sera! I’m sorry to ask, but I’ll leave the inn in your hands for a while. We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

Sera gave her usual gesture of acknowledgment, but… Liena looked puzzled.

“Eh? What are you talking about? Of course, I’m going too~”

“Now, this is really not the time, Liena. You’re a princess of Natol…”

“But, the reason Princess Mariessia came here was to strengthen our alliance~ My father has already agreed. Moreover, if the Demon Lord subjugates Fridania, the neighboring countries are next. We must stop him here or we’re doomed.”

Liena, puffing her chest out with a sense of presence, seems to end up coming along every time, somehow.

“Besides, the safest place is by Lord Baldo’s side. Since that’s settled, I’ll go prepare~ Princess Mariessia, I’ll talk to my father about arranging as many troops and supplies as possible from Natol~”

With that, Liena dashed off towards the secret staircase.

◇◇◇

Report! The 4th squad of the royal guards, 20 members, has joined us!

Report! We have arrived with 120 soldiers from Marquis Malta’s domain!

Report! 15 volunteer soldiers from the village of Tarmiya have joined!

As we march towards the capital of Fridania with Princess Mariessia, new forces continue to join us during our journey. These include survivors from Princess Mariessia’s royal guard who retreated from the capital, forces from various lords, and volunteers from towns and villages across the land.

Before leaving Natol, Princess Mariessia sent out calls to arms through every means possible: communication stones, messenger birds, and fast horses, reaching as many places as possible.

Princess Mariessia has always been a popular figure among the people. The sense of crisis brought on by the revival of the Demon Lord has only increased the number of people willing to join her as she advances.

Prince Genus would not have been able to gather such support.

“Princess Mariessia is amazing.”

“Mmm… Impressive. I can’t lose either.”

Liena nods but shows a slightly complex expression. Upon closer inspection, Liena and Princess Mariessia are both 17-year-old princesses, seemingly holding a sense of rivalry.

“I’m winning in this regard, though.”

Liena tries to assert her presence to me by emphasizing her two prominent features.

No… What is she trying to compete with here?

“Stop it, Liena. That’s enough.”

Cal’s head is buried between Liena’s swaying features.

Why is Cal here, of all places?

She becomes unable to keep her composure when touched by men but can manage as long as she isn’t touched.

Generally, she prefers not to be too close to men.

Thus, the mage squad led by her in Fridania was all-female, and their formations allowed for support from the rear, keeping them away from other units. However, this hastily formed mixed force inevitably includes many men, mostly men, in fact, with volunteer soldiers and Natol troops mixed in, making it impossible to accommodate her personal circumstances.

Therefore, by her request, she is traveling between me and Liena, who she is immune to.

Well, she has ended up under Liena’s “attack”…

“Princess Mariessia!”

As we were having this exchange, a soldier rushed towards Princess Mariessia, who was behind us.

“Princess Mariessia! A town 20 kilometers to the south has been raided!”

“Is it the Demon Lord’s army?”

“No… Communication was cut off, but before that, something about the empire was mentioned… though there was a lot of interference…”

“The empire’s army!? Could this be a false report? How many?”

The soldiers start murmuring among themselves. If true, this would be the worst possible timing.

“Princess Mariessia, I’ll go and check. Please continue the march.”

Our primary objective is to defeat the Genus-Demon Lord allied forces. Currently, the enemy’s numbers, and even if it’s truly the imperial army, are unclear.

It’s not good to be delayed here. I’ll scout and assess the situation, then we’ll take appropriate action.

“Understood. I leave it to you, Lord Baldo. Captain, maintain our marching speed. We’ll continue towards the capital.”

Princess Mariessia quickly grasps my intent and issues her commands.

“Lord Baldo, if it’s indeed the imperial army, please contact us immediately via the communication stone. Be careful!”

I nod and glance at Alesia and Milene.

Both Alesia and Milene are crucial to our battle against the Demon Lord’s army. They cannot be spared here.

And then…

I look at the small mage beside me.

Cal could be our trump card. Her ultimate magic is indispensable.

“Cal, are you okay?”

“I’m not the old Cal anymore. With Alesia and Milene here, I’ll be fine. Be careful, Bal.”

That’s right, she’s not the Cal of the past.