Zeyrinda glanced at them before turning her gaze back to the map.
"I have twenty summoned heroes, Mae has thirteen, and you have five, right, Rafazelia?"
"Mm... I have five. But I assure you, theyāre the strongest. I believe only one is needed to fight that Erinetteās little brother... whatās his name again? Hesbeirn?"
"For the dual-wielder and magic-attack user, Erinette, Iāll leave her to one of my heroines. Sheās also a dual-wielder and magic user. Iām sure Erinette will be easily defeated." Maekaria smirked.
Zeyrinda rubbed her chin. "This means we need to plan this properly. Since we still have a lot of time until the human kingdom there falls, along with the Dwarven Kingdom, we have plenty of time to strengthen our heroes and heroines. Weāll assess their power and assign their roles once weāre ready. For now, letās wait for them to crumble and for Armand to be busy." She glanced at the two of them.
"Find more talented individuals to become chosen ones. Our target is twenty thousand chosen ones. With that number, we can ensure theyāre completely crushed. We shouldnāt look down on Armandās talented people. Even though weāve already crushed the majority of the talented from the Dwarven, Human, and Halfling Kingdoms, Armand is known to have even more talented individuals. Theyāre not to be underestimated."
She glanced at Rafazelia and Maekaria.
"Send more personnel to gather detailed information about Armandās defenses, military strength, and political stability. We need to plan this properly."
"And Raf?"
Rafazelia glanced at Zeyrinda. "What is it?"
"Tell your blacksmith team to produce more bolt rifles, bullets, and other weapons. We also need our ships to be ready. Once the time comes, weāll need them for the invasion, both when the tide reveals the land bridge and to transport our army. And donāt forget the new airships. Weāll need them to dominate the skies."
She continued. "Once everything is ready and our personnel reports the downfall of the human kingdom, when the nobles are warring with each other, causing chaos and splitting the nation, weāll prepare for the invasion."
Maekaria smirked. "We still have plenty of time, right?"
Zeyrinda glared at Maekaria. "We might have a lot of time, but itās better to use it to weaken them further. Letās push them into deeper civil war, destabilize their alliances, and drain their resources."
Rafazelia smiled and leaned back. "Donāt worry about me. Iām sure the personnel I sent to Klimar are doing a good job ensuring heās being manipulated, swayed by whispers, and pushed toward decisions that will destabilize his rule."
Mathrias Region.
Intensive Care Unit Room.
Gracelle slowly stirred.
Her eyes were still blurry.
She was surrounded by a white room, white walls, and a white ceiling.
She noticed a silent movement around her and a strange, rhythmic beeping sound she had never heard before.
Where am I?
Am I dead?
She felt a deep, hollow ache in her chest, a lingering regret that weighed heavily on her heart.
At the end... I couldnāt meet him for the last time.
The only wish I had was to see him one more time, to tell him how I truly felt.
She glanced around and noticed the people nearby were wearing strange white clothing, unlike anything she had ever seen.
Is this the place for the dead?
Her vision slowly grew clearer.
She noticed her left hand was full of strange tubes and hoses, something she had never seen before.
She also saw bags of fluid hanging nearby, connected to her through thin, transparent lines.
What is this?
Why is my body connected to these things?
Confused, she slowly tried to reach for one of the tubes.
Until a soft, melodic, beautiful voice was heard.
"Donāt touch that, Miss Gracelle."
She glanced toward the voice.
A beautiful elf girl with stunning emerald eyes, her face partly covered by a mask and her hair tucked under a cap, revealing only a few strands of silver, walked gracefully toward her.
"Wh... where... am I?"
Liana smiled faintly behind her mask and spoke in a low, gentle voice. "Youāre somewhere safe now, Miss Gracelle. Welcome back to the world of the living~"
"W... world of the living?" Gracelle was confused.
Liana chuckled softly while checking the IV bag and the monitoring system before glancing down at her.
"Mm... Youāll know soon enough. For now, rest. Donāt think too much."
Gracelle glanced up at her and spoke in a low voice. "Am I dead?"
Liana smiled behind her mask. "Nearly~"
"What do you mean... nearly?" Gracelle was even more confused.
"You donāt need to know. Focus on your recovery, and please donāt touch anything." Just as Liana was about to continue, Myra entered the room in her full Armand Special Elite Healer uniform.
"Miss Liana? The patient is awake?"
"Yes," Liana smiled. "I believe itās your responsibility now."
Gracelle glanced toward both of them as they discussed something quietly.
Liana? Where have I heard that name before?
She kept watching them until she noticed something.
A Golden Pekko emblem on their uniforms.
Iāve never seen this emblem before. Is this a special emblem for a special healer unit?
Did Father and Mother manage to find a new healer unit?
But why is it so different? The healing method... itās nothing like what the healers or priests do.
Gracelle heard the elf girl speaking quietly to the human girl.
"Young Master mentioned not to feed her anything before he checks on her and gives permission."
"Mm... I know. His Highness already mentioned it to everyone."
"Good. Iāll take my leave now. If anything happens, just contact us. For now, just ensure her vitals remain stable and she stays comfortable."
"Mm... I will, Liana. Donāt worry about it."
"Iāll take my leave now." Liana turned her gaze toward Gracelle. "You, focus on your recovery, and you might be able to see someone youāve wanted to see for a long time~" Liana turned and waved over her shoulder.
Gracelle watched as Liana walked gracefully out of the room.
What does she mean by that? Someone Iāve wanted to see for a long time...
( End Of Chapter )