Phildina and I returned to the Fort looking for the fliers. They'd seen the enemy army. As such, they were privy to insights that could inform our next moves. I hope they found some Mages, I thought to myself as we entered the general resting area. We looked around for a while until we found them talking and ughing at the lefthand corner of the room. I took a deep breath and approached them with Phildina at my side. I looked at her, and she reciprocated with a nod and smile as if saying, It'll be alright with her eyes. I hope it'll be...

  "Hey! Sorry to interrupt, but..."

  "Huh? What's a brat like you doing here?" And, he didn't even let me complete my sentence, I thought to myself, resisting the urge to sigh on the spot. He was about to address Phildina as well but froze as soon as they made eye contact. "S-sorry. H-h-how may I help you?" What a change in demeanor!

  "I wanted to ask about the composition of the army you saw, but..."

  "I'll tell you everything you need to know!" He cried. Perfect. We got all the information we needed and even got their cooperation in our upcoming scheme! Things couldn't have gone smoother, but something was troubling me.

  "Are you worried about the army size?" Phildina asked, trying to probe my thoughts.

  "Yeah, but that's not it." From what they saw, they estimated that there were about 500 soldiers in that battalion. Most of them were Mercenaries. They also saw a few Archers and Swordsmen here and there. Luckily, there were no fliers or Cavalry, but where were the Mages?

  "Then, what are you worried about, Daphne?" Phildina asked.

  "However you choose to look at it, Mages are the key to this operation, so how come they didn't find any?"

  "They may have hidden them very well," Phildina guessed, and maybe she had a point, but something about that didn't quite sit right with me. That figure is quite suspect as well. You'd need at least three times the defending force's numbers to conquer a Fort. I should suspect the worst, I thought to myself as we stopped before our next destination: the Commanders' office.

  We knocked and waited for what felt like an eternity until we were called in. The two Dragon Riders were as imposing as ever, and though I half expected them to look down on me, I was surprised to hear one of them say, "We've been expecting you."

  "Huh? Me?"

  "Yes, we heard from a Mercenary that there was a party comprised almost entirely of promoted units."

  "I'm guessing that's a rare thing around here?" I asked, trying to crify my suspicions.

  "Yeah, normally you'd find only one, two, or in some rare cases, three promoted units in a party. Since then, we've been looking to reach out to you." The other Dragon Rider, who had been silent until now spoke up and said,

  "We'd like to talk to her. Alone." Phildina reluctantly went outside and that was when the negotiations began.

  "So, what can you do for us?" I was tempted to flip that question back on him, but I wasn't really in a position where I could do that, so I accepted things as they were and answered with,

  "I can help you win with minimal casualties." That seemed to get their attention, so from there, I went into the pn in detail as they listened intently. After I finished expining everything, one of them said,

  "It's a good strategy."

  "Yeah, but with the information I just received, I may have to make a few adjustments." They exchanged looks and then, the other one asked,

  "What information?"

  "Earlier this evening, the fliers told me that the battalion they spotted had about 500 soldiers, but that doesn't add up. I know the Empire is experienced. It has been warring for centuries, right?"

  "Yes, this isn't the first time they've decred war on us."

  "Exactly! That's why I feel like I must trust my enemy's competence with this one. They must be following another route, so with that..." I rearranged the formations I described to them, and they seemed to be satisfied with it, even promising that they would promote me if all went as pnned, but I had one more thing to ask, "What about the enemy commander?"

  At this, the more talkative out of the two answered with, "He's a powerful Sage, but we've been keeping an eye on him for a long time now." Then, the other commander reassured me, saying, "We'll take care of him if he makes a move." If I had to guess, I'd say they were brothers who had risen through the ranks together.

  "I appreciate your support," I said with a polite bow before finally excusing myself.

  "How did it go?" Phildina, who had been waiting outside, asked me,

  "Great! They didn't look down on me and actually complimented my strategy!"

  "They must be good people, then," She said with a yawn.

  "Yep! Now, there's only one thing left for me to do!"

  "I wanna sleep!" Phildina protested, but it wouldn't be anything too difficult.

  "Don't worry. I just want to find the stable."

  "Huh? Why?"

  "Because I'm a Ranger now."

  "Oh, yeah, you did say that."

  "Don't worry. I'll sleep with you after this."

  "Yay!" And so, we searched the whole Fort te that night until we found the stable. With so many horses avaible, I'll be sure to "borrow" one tomorrow, I thought to myself as I committed the directions to memory. My preparations were now complete, and I'd even gotten the approval of the Commanders. The least I can do now is to try to get a good night's rest, I thought to myself as I went back to the tent with Phildina.

  Kureous