A meeting for an attack

Morning came, I slept well last night in a warm cozy bed with fluffy pillows. Being strong has its benefits. Ah, that's right, I'm turning 20 this year. No wonder those guys were kind enough to talk to me.

Three years in this hellish place, I didn't really celebrate my other two birthdays as I had no family. I was fighting alone, but that's also the reason why I got stronger—being alone.

I got out of bed, fixed my messy hair, and then put on some clothes—light armor, to be exact. Casual wear was a big no-no here, especially when an ambush might occur at any given moment. But no one can ambush me, although I still need to be careful.

I left my tent as soon as I got changed and went into the planning area. There were four people present in the tent, including me: Devon, the guy with the big sword; Alison, our mage who talked to me last night; and our mad genius, Lucas.

Though everyone was cool and unfazed with each other, there was a little hint of a dispute that had been going on.

"Gather around," Lucas called us.

Alison, who was called over, handed Lucas the map, and he spread it across the table. "We will take over this fortress," Lucas pointed towards a mountainous fortress in the east near the kingdom which the demons have already taken over entirely.

"The fortress of Ammon? Isn't he a demon commander?" Devon cut in.

"Yes, he is. Out of seven, only four remain since Seger took out one, and we took two. There should only be four left," after answering Devon's questions, he explained the plans.

The three of them discussed hard and thought of counterattacks that can be made on the spot. After all that talking, they eventually made the perfect plan. But something was missing, a core figure.

"Oi!, where am I in the plan?" I shouted.

"You're not, obviously," Lucas replied.

I grabbed his clothes, "You've got to be kidding me, I could destroy that fortress in one go."

"Exactly, you would destroy that fortress, so what would be the point in taking it over," Alison replied.

Bruhhh, I can literally minimize my magic to an extent. Well, never mind, I guess I should just lay back and relax while I have a chance. Wait, no, what if the demon God suddenly appears and attacks? They need me.

"Alison will be in charge of the mages, Devon will be in the front line along with Percival."

"Percival? The dude who can make a crater in the ground with one attack? Seriously, they took him and not me. Our mad genius has seriously gone mad."

While we were talking, a commotion was happening in the camp. I could hear people fighting and screaming at each other. An ambush? With those thoughts in mind, I quickly created a sword made from ice.

Once I opened the tent and looked outside, there were six men. Their armor was almost destroyed, and they were also covered in blood. The people in the camp were preventing them from going in.

Why? If they are injured, why are they not being allowed in? They could be in serious danger. I drew closer to them, and as I approached, people began to slowly notice me and stepped aside.

"Let us see the strategist!" one of the bloodied men shouted.

"Why? Is something wrong?" As soon as I said that, the people stopping them stepped aside, and the bloodied men didn't speak a word. I asked a question and no one answered? "I said, is something wrong? Answer me!"

"The post that we were given was a route the demons were using. I think the strategist made a mistake..." The men explained. Lucas making a mistake in planning seems unlikely; his plans worked most of the time.

I was about to ask another question when a woman passed by me, saying, "Excuse me!"

She had blonde hair and purple eyes. For a second, I thought I saw an angel. Though, of course, considering that she is a saintess, her holy aura was something else. As soon as she passed me, she knelt down in front of the injured men and said, "Our Goddess Katrice, your eyes of pity heal the men that were injured in your land. Grant them grace to fight once again."

A green light was seen on the men's bodies as their wounds healed. No matter how many times I saw it, I'm still amazed. "Take them to the infirmary. Though their wounds are healed, their minds still need rest," she commanded. Men in white took the six men and guided them towards the infirmary.

I still haven't questioned them though. Suddenly, I felt a stick hitting my head. I looked behind and saw the saintess, "Seger! You know they were injured. Why didn't you take them to me?" Ah, that's right, the saintess and I were friends. "Questioning comes first, Celeste."

Her name was Celeste. I met her three years ago when we were transported here. After a while, we became good friends, but friendship doesn't last long. We ultimately separated, and she suddenly became a saintess when we were separated.

"You heartless bastard," she said.

"Should a Saintess really say that?" I replied.

She just pouted and looked behind, "Oi, this isn't some anime where you can just pout and not be cringe."

Suddenly, a banging sound was heard at the meeting place. Celeste, who was just by my side, was already running, and I also followed her. When we got to the tent, I saw Devon sitting down, but he was holding his sword and gazing at something.

Alison, whom I never expected would do such a thing, was raising Lucas in the air by grabbing his clothes. It seems she snapped. But Lucas, he was just there unfazed, like he didn't even care.

"What is happening...?"