"War never knocks on the door." - I can't remember who said it, but it's quite accurate.

In the following days, I struggled to maintain my relationship with the high ranks of the kingdom while also devoting all my energy to taking care of Medusa, who had lost her sight.

I also had to remember the name of that officer - Polkin Osterlitz.

Although at that time I didn't think that we would meet on the battlefield in the future.

The exchange of military technology is inevitable, and I thought about it from the beginning. Because based on my performance in the kingdom, my contribution to science and technology far outweighed that of magic.

Magic, I really don't understand it. Take telekinesis for example, a mage can indeed lift a bucket of water from a distance of five or six meters, but if there's a wall in between, it's not possible.

The ability to use magic is also related to a person's level of understanding.

Science is different. Personally, I have a much higher recognition of science and technology than magic.

With Grei, I have been to the kingdom's library a few times and recorded a lot of history about the development of the Kingdom of Inzlay. But there is a problem with the records in these books - the war that happened hundreds of years ago was ignored. All the books we could find had no records of the war between monsters and humans.

However, some clues can still be found in history. For example, the establishment of the Magic Council was three hundred and sixty years ago. Why was the Magic Council established at that time? By connecting all the clues, it's easy to assume that the establishment of the Magic Council was due to that war.

In other words, a long time ago, the kingdom relied on the power of magic to defeat monsters and empower the mages with certain national authority.

Now times have changed, and the conflict between technology and magic has started to emerge. The kingdom is facing a power struggle between the technocrats and the magicians. At this time, it depends on which side the emperor stands. Based on the current situation of the Magic Council, the emperor is leaning towards the magicians.

Well, other speculations can be made later. Now, what I need to do is pick a side.

But no matter how I look at it, I can only stand on the side that advocates for technology...

For this reason, I must have a military friend in the kingdom. Polkin Osterlitz, I personally like to call him "Marshal Po". In the kingdom's army, his position is the marshal of the Royal Regular Army's First Corps. How big is this rank exactly? Roughly equivalent to the commander of a field army during the War of Liberation.

On the second day of accompanying Medusa to sleep, Marshal Po said he wanted to meet me. When Grei came to inform me, I was almost startled off the bed.

I went to his private mansion with Marshal Po, opened a bottle of wine, and unpacked a box of cigars. Now the men's conversation could begin.

"Mr. Raul, I heard you bought a Medusa?"

"Ah, just bought it for fun. My brothers have never seen that kind of monster before."

"You guys are really brave."

"Being brave can also be called reckless. Both my brothers and I are rough people."

"No, Mr. Raul, you can't say that."

Marshal Po raised his glass and took a sip of fruit wine.

"Being brave is what military personnel need."

"I still don't understand what you mean."

"Haha, come with me, Mr. Raul."

Following Marshal Po to a viewpoint, you could see the two mountains, Dochi and Geli, in the distance.

"Our kingdom's army is over there."

Marshal Po pointed to the buildings in the west, which were a combination of officer schools and barracks. The soldiers in red uniforms looked like tiny ants training in the square.

"We have over forty thousand troops in our country. What do you think?"

"Well... I don't know what to say."

"Compared to your country, can it be considered powerful?"

"If we compare it like that, we can't evaluate based on strength."

"Oh? What do you think, Mr. Raul?"

When discussing such topics, you have to be extremely cautious and not say that the kingdom's army is rubbish, nor praise it excessively.

"The strength of an army cannot be determined by numbers alone. It also depends on the methods of warfare and the weapons in the hands of the soldiers."

"So, Mr. Raul's meaning is..."

"We have enough to defend our country, but not enough to wage war externally."

This means that you guys have enough to protect your own turf, don't always think about starting a war."Mr. Raul, you are much more interesting than I imagined. Maybe I can let you see more."

Quietly noting the location of the military camp, I followed Boss Bo to the living room on the second floor. There was a huge map hanging on the wall, much more detailed than the one Simmons showed me. The map showed the entire kingdom's territories, including all the roads, rivers, and borders, as well as a thick green line that encompassed the entire southern plains.

"We plan to expand the kingdom's territory."

Boss Bo's simple statement added another burden to my already overwhelmed brain.

"No, no, no, Boss Bo, I really don't understand what you're trying to say..."

"Haha, we want to clear out the monsters and turn the southern plains into our kingdom's territory."

"But..."

"We have been preparing for this for a long time. Your arrival, Mr. Raul, might bring us some help."

"But, how can I help?"

"You have a lot of experience with monsters. If possible, we hope you can serve in our army."

No matter how much I calculated, I did not anticipate this. This means the kingdom has made it clear that they will wage war against the monsters. And they want to use me as a weapon.

That day, I used "let me consider it" as an excuse and escaped from Boss Bo's mansion.

I don't know anything about monsters. I don't even understand my own wife!

When I told Grey that the kingdom wants to go to war, he was also shocked. He asked me how I responded to Boss Bo, and I told him not to worry. Start moving the money and supplies out of the kingdom and be ready to run at any time.

Phew~ Don't panic, don't panic. They said they want to fight, but they didn't say when. I can still walk on the tightrope for another two days, but Grey can't show up anymore.

This play won't last much longer. If I continue to go along with the kingdom's plan, I will become the general who hunts monsters. The only option left for me is to leave the kingdom, but it's not possible for now. And I have to take the blind Medusa with me. How to avoid war, how to navigate among the nobles of the kingdom, how to save people, these are all problems.

The future development depends on how much I can achieve.

Right now, I can only find some peace of mind when I feed Medusa in the basement.

The more time I spend with her, the more I miss my wife.

Because she can't see and her health is fragile, we can only touch and embrace each other, nothing else. It feels a bit like taking advantage of a blind Medusa if anything else happens.

But if this continues, one day I won't be able to resist...

It's time to go back, back to that sweet home.

Counting the supplies, there are a total of four horse-drawn carriages, everything we need. The most important items are salt and minerals. The kingdom's resources are definitely richer than Night Fall Town's. When looking at the map, I also noticed that the kingdom is located north of a mountain range. If we analyze it from a geographical perspective, both the kingdom and the southern plains are located in a basin surrounded by three mountains. The mountain range itself could be a source of wealth, whether it's metal mines or the diverse ecological resources of the mountains. The kingdom, which already has a mountain, would naturally believe that the other two mountains also have development value, so expanding the territory is logical.

However, no matter how reasonable the kingdom's actions may seem, it has truly angered me to treat monsters like monkeys.

Sitting next to Medusa, I can't help but sigh. It all sounds good, but I never stopped to estimate my own strength, to see what I can actually handle with my tiny shoulders. How do I send this Medusa, whom I saved, out of the city?

"I wonder why you don't seem worried?"

Looking at Medusa eating small bites of meat, I suddenly feel jealous. Monsters are like this sometimes, horribly naive. If they have food and someone who can help and be trusted, they feel safe. Out of all the monsters I've encountered, Wolfrang and Leya were the most exceptional in terms of intelligence and crisis awareness. Vampires, for example, won't even come out of the ground if there is no one to prey on; succubi are constantly thinking about how to take advantage of others; banshees only know how to fight with knives; werewolves seem organized and disciplined, thanks to Wolfrang's management.

"Do you have any sisters?"

"Hmm?"

"I mean, other Medusas that you know?"She shook her head, then nodded again.

Forget it, when we get out, I'll bring her to the community. She can't survive on her own like this.

What's the point of worrying? It's useless. Just do the best I can with everything I can do. I opened the door slightly, afraid that secondhand smoke would be bad for her health. Turns out I can't handle those high-end cigars, rolled cigarettes suit me better~