Chapter 142

"Oh, is His Royal Highness asking us to contribute personnel? How rare." At the Scotland headquarters, His Excellency Kervil had also learned about what had transpired on the Welsh side. However, what he could not comprehend was why Treshi was actually willing to share a piece of the pie with him. Theoretically, this should have been the moment for Wales to display its absolute might. So why?

"It must be out of courtesy! After all, if they were to completely strip us of our rights, they would face heavy criticism," the Prime Minister remarked from the side, beginning to analyze the situation for Kervil. "Or perhaps they simply do not have any suitable candidates."

"Impossible. All three Marshals support His Royal Highness Treshi, and didn't you see? The moment the Crown Prince returned, many in the military chose to pledge their allegiance. The military is entirely composed of Treshi's people now. It's not that he lacks suitable candidates; rather, he has too many to choose from and doesn't know who to pick." Kervil had no intention of listening to the Prime Minister's flattery. He understood the reality of the situation clearly, which was why he was already considering whom to send.

"Normally, they would undoubtedly assume we would send Cromwell, and thus leave no slots open for anyone else! Forget it, I won't make things difficult for them; I'll just let Cromwell go." Yet, having once served as the United Kingdom's second heir to the throne, Kervil was remarkably considerate of his imperial brother and chose not to give His Excellency Treshi a hard time.

"Your Excellency Kervil, have you truly thought this through?" Seeing Kervil defend Treshi to this extent, the Prime Minister instead looked somewhat displeased. "This is about the trust among us in Mistra. I assist the Crown Prince solely because he bears the destiny of our United Kingdom upon his shoulders. This is the United Nations General Assembly; I have no wish to treat it as a child's game." He had not expected Kervil to be so pragmatic; knowing that this upcoming United Nations General Assembly was of vital importance, Kervil deliberately refrained from making things difficult for Treshi.

Meanwhile, inside His Excellency Charlie's palace, Charlie was standing on his balcony, holding a maid in his arms, while another of his subordinates stood behind him.

"They want us to select someone to attend? What on earth is my royal brother thinking?" Charlie failed to grasp Treshi's underlying intention. To them, a mere single slot felt like charity.

"Perhaps His Royal Highness the Crown Prince intends to have every faction send a representative? He might simply be trying to save us from embarrassment," suddenly spoke the maid standing beside Prince Charlie. Although appearing to be a mere maid on the surface, she was actually the head housekeeper of the palace.

"Oh well, whatever my brother is doing, he must have a purpose. As for the candidates... surely he has already selected everyone he wanted. What on earth is he trying to achieve by deliberately pulling this stunt?" Prince Charlie still failed to figure it out.

However, standing nearby as the President of the Lionheart Club, Sir Ascalon suddenly spoke up, "Your Royal Highness. The Crown Prince's actions actually mean that he has not chosen anyone at all; he has intentionally left a few vacancies for you to fill. Though in the end, the roster will likely remain more or less the same, compared to him selecting everyone and leaving you to merely fill in the gaps, this can at least be considered a formal gesture of deference." Sir Ascalon's insight was remarkably perceptive. In contrast, Charlie seemed hardly appreciative.

"You mean there are still some positions he left vacant? Whatever, I'll just casually pick someone to go this time. That will be all for you, my head housekeeper," Prince Charlie suddenly patted the maid beside him.

This gesture startled the maid standing at his side.

"You want me to go, Your Excellency Charlie? Why?"

"I presume my royal brother still needs a few attendants; this time, you shall go and serve him. Rest assured, with his discerning eye, even if you are only a maid, you should prove somewhat useful, I suppose?"

How should one put it? This maid was far from unattractive; on the contrary, she was quite striking. Her age happened to match Prince Charlie's precisely, and rumors even abounded of an ambiguous romantic relationship between her and the Prince.

"Is this truly wise, Your Excellency?" The head housekeeper asked, looking somewhat flustered, but Prince Charlie simply waved his hand dismissively.

"Consider it a way to dispel the rumors. Haven't there been tales claiming there is something ambiguous between us? We might as well let you spend some time with my royal brother and take the opportunity to issue a public statement clarifying that you are merely a maid serving the royal family."

"Indeed, Your Royal Highness Charlie. This method is entirely feasible. Moreover, if His Excellency Treshi were truly displeased with this arrangement, he certainly would not allow her to accompany them," Sir Ascalon chimed in, coaching from the sidelines. "After all, this United Nations General Assembly is no trivial matter. I imagine the Crown Prince would not be so reckless."

"Very well then, since that is the case, I'll just settle on this choice." With those words, Prince Charlie finalized his candidate, and thus, all the participants were accounted for.

Behind the scenes...

"How many times must I tell you? Satan are not human! We cannot fight them using the tactics and experiences we've gained from battling humans. Facing monsters of that caliber, do you truly believe your so-called warfare doctrines will still be effective?"

At the military headquarters, Treshi and various military officers were engaged in a heated discussion regarding all operational strategies formulated thus far. Yet even now, the officers had not properly taken those zombie-like abominations seriously.

"Your Royal Highness, forgive my bluntness. Up to this point, we have developed the finest firearms to deal with those Satan; handling them is no longer a challenge. Cleaning them up is merely a matter of time. As for the so-called mecha, they are merely protective measures, and their practical utility is likely quite limited."

Indeed, the current state of the front lines was overwhelmingly positive, with the allied forces ruthlessly pushing inland. The mutated entities once feared now appeared utterly fragile before large-caliber firearms. Even that particular variety capable of absorbing metal to incorporate into its own body mass proved completely vulnerable to P-alloy bullets. The moment it attempted absorption, it suffered instantaneous destruction. This type of ammunition had clearly been invented specifically to target it, with the inspiration stemming from Cole's research byproduct concerning the material known as "Prometheus."

"Oh, do you truly believe that? During the Eastern Coalition's operation, I encountered a strange creature. It did not fear bullets; no matter how many times it was shot, it could regenerate itself. Had Cole not provided me with an Angel-class mecha to test out, I might not have made it back alive. Furthermore, they are not afraid of nuclear bombs."

Faced with the skepticism of his subordinates, Treshi began refuting their arguments point by point. Yet those who had never truly set foot on a battlefield fundamentally grasped nothing of the terror of the Satan. What they had witnessed were merely incomplete mutants, whereas true, fully transformed specimens were beyond anything they could possibly imagine.

"I shall confer with those of the Eastern Coalition; next time, I will drag all of you directly to the Eastern Coalition's front lines so you can witness their terrifying nature with your own eyes."

Confronted with his subordinates' doubt, Treshi remained completely unfazed. They spoke casually on the surface, but in reality, when the Crown Prince issued a command, who dared to disobey? After all, among everyone present, the only person who had genuinely fought on the front lines against the Satan was the Crown Prince himself.

"Gentlemen, if you can still afford to laugh, you had better laugh while you can. Perhaps once you reach the true front lines and witness their terrifying reality, you won't be able to laugh anymore."

Observing the lighthearted demeanor of the officers, Treshi smiled instead.

"They are mutants—biological aberrations infected by a virus. Yet their leader is none other than my former teacher, who spearheaded the scientific progress of this era. How absurd it is, yet precisely for this reason, we cannot underestimate them. You must realize that far more powerful entities have already begun to emerge over there. My teacher is exceedingly fond of Greek mythology, and now, a growing number of creatures born of Greek mythology are gradually manifesting in the world. The age of myth is about to arrive."