The sudden change in Galahad's orders was a bit surprising but not entirely unexpected. The Kingdom of Cridia was in woefully poor condition, far too ill-prepared for any war, and especially powerless to stop King Theon. Of course, the previous king of Cridia, Korkas, was a Void Born, leaving him holding the majority of Cridia’s power. However, what was unexpected was an additional secret letter he had received that surprised him and would have turned him pale if Skeletons had such a skill. It had come from the office of Queen Amber, and Galahad was more than sure that the King was unaware of its contents, and if they were ever made public, it would cause an uproar of legendary proportions throughout the Palace. What was worse was that it was too late to inform the King.

Galahad threw the letter to the fire where the Lamias had prepared a meal for themselves. He looked on as the flames consumed the laconic information that all five Queens of Avalon would personally take over the Capital of Cridia...

•••

Despite Galahad's concerns, the Queens had not sneaked out of the Palace, nor had they kept it secret from the King. It wasn't without fighting, silent days, or even an entire week of debates, during which Theon had screamed a lot. They continued to persuade him for nine long days, but he ultimately agreed since he knew only they could swiftly conquer the city. However, once Theon accepted that as their only option, he used everything at his disposal to protect his Queens. Every single Guardsman in Avalon was committed to the war effort, and exactly half of the Adventurers guild joined as volunteers to protect the Queens. The Guardsman paled a bit once they realised that Legio Aegis and the entirety of the Praetorian Guard would be deployed to protect the Queens. They didn’t know then that their numbers weren't just for protecting these five women. It would be the mission of all the allied Eternals and scions, except for the furious Sebastian, who was currently in Berna, to protect the Queens of Avalon. The last line of the Queens' defence would be, as always, the extended Flower Girls party. Despite all of this and the sheer power of the Queens themselves, King Theon was still worried.

The battle plan was fairly simple. After the First, Second, and Fourth Legions, under the command of Galahad, got within range of Cridian Capital from the west, north, and east to begin the siege, the Queens would take their army and join the battle, closing the siege circle from the south. The fortifications of Cridia City were formidable, and it would take a prolonged bombardment to collapse the city barriers. Still, no one believed those shields stood a chance once Queen Amber was going to join the fray. The defending forces were around sixty thousand soldiers, but most were warriors unable to use range weapons or ranged skills. They would focus on classic siege tactics, where the attacking army would try to scale the city's walls. What Korkas had done with his lackeys to Avalon was almost unthinkable for most military strategists. The destruction of the gatehouse and the intentional destruction of entire sections of city walls was against all the rules of war they had believed. And that's precisely what the Queens planned to do to them.

The other half of the Adventurers Guild would stay in Avalon, including most of the low-level people and non-combat personnel, to be precise. Not because they didn't want to go but because the King had forbidden them. Despite being horribly overprotective of his Queens, the King would not allow anyone unprepared to participate in any battle. No one who had listened to the very angry King Theon during the debriefing dared to ask a very rudimentary question- who would stay to protect the Castle-city of Avalon and its inhabitants while virtually everyone capable of fighting was going with the Queens? But the King had predicted it and replied beforehand that most of the denizens of Avalon would stay behind. While Legio Aegis and the Praetorians were the most army-like formations, the remaining denizens of Avalon were no less deadly for any force stupid enough to try to attack the City. Besides, the King himself was going to stay behind. Not because he didn't want to go or was afraid, but because the currently known laws of the world forbade him from leaving his dungeon. While his Queens would be away, he would be very worried about them, so woe to anyone stupid enough to try to attack Avalon.

Amber sighed as she looked at her sister Queens and the Flower Girls during their next meeting, during which they tried to discuss their options to conquer the Cridian capital quickly without too many civilian casualties. "Destroying the city walls would be problematic because they are, for the most part, too close to public spaces. Since parts near the city walls are usually used by the poorest people, even the city walls are partly used as one of the walls of some homes."

"We could just issue the warning and give them time to evacuate..." Aoi sighed, seeing the flat gazes given by her sister Queens.

"That could work if not for the Cridian army that would use those people as shields, knowing that we would hesitate to kill them. I am sure they would keep them there for that reason." Irene took a deep breath and puffed her cheeks. "We could start casting low-power spells so the people would run on their own..."

"Hmmm... Maybe? But we need something more than low-power… something that convinces them that they have to run immediately. But we risk killing many of them anyway since there are always those who remain undecided or stubborn." Luna leaned heavily on her chair.

"We can blow up three gates at the same time, four if Hestia would power up Stella..."

"*EKHEM* We can't protect you efficiently if you split up, my Queen," Lanka interrupted Amber. "You know that the King allowed for your participation only on the condition that we always protect you."

"Maybe we can split just a little?" Amber asked with hope in her voice.

"Nope..." Rose killed that hope with a bright smile as she double-checked the notes she had received from the King.

Amber pouted, but soon, all of them laughed. The Flower Girls were closest to the Queens of Avalon and could call themselves their best friends and Ladies-in-waiting. However, they were bound by the duty to always protect their Queens. This duty was not forced on them but instead chosen willfully, as they understood the importance of the Queens to the King. Rose flipped the page as if she was prepared to shoot down another idea, but this time, Hestia snapped her fingers.

"We won't ask those people to leave. We, the Gods of Cridia, will order them to surrender, and those who do not stand back will have to face our judgement."

"That might work on broken and surrounded soldiers led by the competent commanders." Luna looked at Hestia with scepticism. "But I guess we can hold that option as our last resort."

"I will simply erase the gatehouse. Sorry, but there will be many more casualties if we don't seize the full control over the Kingdom." Amber crossed her arms and looked at Rose as if she challenged her notepad to defy her.

Rose, however, simply nodded as that was an acceptable solution, which surprised Amber. Iris, who had just finished her cookie, pointed at the map of Cridia City and, after clearing her throat, started explaining. "If we consider everything, the least invasive and destructive option to capture the city is exactly that- we need to use your power, my Queens, to open the city for our soldiers to enter. A prolonged siege will simply bring more suffering to the people stuck there. Whatever we do, we must do this quickly, Your Highnesses, because of the disarray in the country. The hidden factions trying to declare independence might also prove more dangerous than Josla herself, so let's not waste time."

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"Since when have you been so knowledgeable about politics and war, Iris?" Irene looked at her in surprise, but Lilly simply laughed.

"She simply doesn't need a notepad."

"Mhm..." Irene rubbed her temples as she tried to hide her smile. "But it's true. Once the Kingdom of Cridia falls, the unconquered lands will try to secede. We can't foresee the long-term effects of such movements."

•••

"Gentlemen... While my Queens are preparing for the battle to the best of their abilities, I have gathered you here for one simple reason." I looked at my grizzled commanders as we sat in the conference room. "The circumstances have changed for all of us. We all have very dear reasons to keep fighting, but to do it, we must always return. That's why I'm giving you an override order in case my wives’ good intentions would put Avalon's Mortal forces in danger."

I slowly moved my gaze from face to face, waiting for them to nod slowly. They were all quick-witted, swiftly realising what I truly meant. Without much care for ceremony, I waved my hand, and the Slime Maids served each one of them their preferred alcohol. They took them without batting an eye and followed my example as I raised my cup high in the air, still sitting in the chair.

"For those who will fall..." I said quietly and drank my whiskey. They repeated the toast after me, drinking their alcohol. After a moment of silence, I looked at them. "I wish I could go there with you... But I can't," I said, feeling my anger boil, so I took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. "I want you all to return. That's why I will do something that might upset my Ladies. I hereby give you the order to use full power and to not prolong that battle. While I hesitated before, it’s now time to use that weapon."

With a loud snap of my fingers, a large, sleek cannon materialised in the room, instantly gaining all the gathered officers' attention. Blair and Ban were the first to get up and take a closer look at the artillery piece resting on the neatly finished wheeled platform. The long, black tube, resting seemingly lightly on its cart, looked innocent in the eyes of the veterans familiar with the magi-cannons. But once their amused expressions turned serious, all the other officers stood up as one to take a look themselves. I drank a second glass of whiskey, giving them time to make first opinions while I wondered how much alcohol my new body could tolerate before I passed out. Of course, my dark thoughts were induced by depression and anger since I was powerless to help the women I loved.

"This magi-cannon is strange, my Lord." Blair was the first to point out his concerns hesitantly. "It looks beautiful and menacing, but the muzzle is so large and thick that surely it must be heavy and unwieldy."

"The magi-cannons I saw were made from bronze, not steel..." Ban hummed thoughtfully and started playing with the gunner instruments. "Oh! It can be adjusted and aimed precisely!" he exclaimed in shock. "Just look how crazy quick it adjusts!"

"Still... It's just too heavy." Blair shrugged. "Besides, magi-cannons have too low of a fire rate to be used in the field."

"It is heavy," I agreed. "This one has a double-purpose construction. As you all already guessed, it's a magi-cannon. The mana storage system was vastly improved and expanded, allowing three shots to be fired in succession before the cannon must be recharged. This will give you an increased fire rate, but instead of using a full three-shot burst, I suggest a slower pace, using the additional storage capacity to offset the fairly long recharge time. Its effective fire rate is one shot every two minutes, or one three-shot burst every six, using one of a few projectile spells." They looked confused, and I smiled slightly. "I will mention just three types since you will receive the manuals before leaving this room. So... The first spell is an area of effect, an explosive Fireball. The second one is a piercing spell, Firelance. The third setting that would be most commonly used by you or your Legions' forces would be a Mortar Shot, which is useful in crossing over most kinds of terrain and artificial obstacles, utilising an explosion upon impact."

"That's..." Blair patted the aggressive shapes of the cannon's barrel with affection. "Sir, this baby could change the doctrines..."

"Oh, yes. It surely will. But that is just the beginning..." I smirked, but I wasn't happy at all. "What you see here is the 24-pounder naval long gun, a heavy artillery piece the same as some cannons installed on the HMS Victory. While it is a magi-cannon, it can also be used as a black powder gun. By using black powder and various cannon balls, the fire rate improves greatly to two shots per minute with a skilled crew. However, I will not unleash that power…" I looked them deeply in the eyes and said with certainty, "For now..."

They looked in awe at the huge cannon, and then, after a good two minutes of silence, Blair grabbed the cart shaft and effortlessly turned the cannon around. They all suddenly started to move the gun around, adjust it, and even mock-shoot it. Of course, they played with it like it was a toy and they were small kids, but that was unavoidable. I wanted to tell them that the biggest cannon would remain within the fortifications of my Kingdom, but seeing them having such a good time, I simply didn't have the heart to ruin their fun. After all, a 24-pounder could be used as a field gun, so it wasn’t a big deal. During the pinnacle of them fooling around, Blair mounted the cannon with his large sword in his hand in the classic pose of 'Drive me closer! I want to hit them with my sword,' which made me giggle at the thought of how they would react if I gave them tanks. After half an hour of playing with the 24-pounder, they regained their professional demeanour again.

"My Lord?" Blair looked at me, a bit ashamed at seeing my amusement.

"You know...?" I tried to suppress my laughter but puffed out a giggle anyway. "I wanted to tell you that a 24-pounder is just the big brother of what you want to use in the field..."

I pointed at the second, much smaller but still relatively large cannon they somehow had managed to overlook in their excitement. To be fair, though, it was hidden under a tarp, which I removed just then. "This is the 12-pounder field cannon. It can unleash a bit less than half of the destructive power of a 24-pounder, but its manoeuvrability and ease of transport are simply incomparable. The range is also far shorter for obvious reasons, but its mana storage capability is the same."

Funnily enough, my commanders split themselves between the guns and began their discussion anew. It was apparent that both cannons had won their love, but surprisingly, they seemed to favour the naval 24-pounder. The future battles would verify their favour, and we had the luxury of magic, which mitigated the dangers of historic cannons. To be frank, once I came to terms with the necessity of my wives being on the battlefield, I was very close to unleashing Cold War-era equipment. However, even my paranoid self understood that not only would that be overkill, but once those weapons were unleashed, it would create a panic in nearby countries. I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts.

"Boys, I'm giving you better toys than our enemies have and expect you to use them well." They laughed as they took their seats back. Only Blair looked at me inquisitively, and while others started idle chatter about the practical use of the field artillery, he asked me quietly so only I could hear him.

"These are not the best toys you have stored, are they, my Lord?"

"No, Blair." I sighed. If there was someone who would understand me, it was him. "They are not even that good, but they have their undeniable charm, and they will get the job done."

"Then it's fine." He nodded, a bit relieved. "If these were your secret weapons..."

"Maybe one day I will take you to the basement, Blair, and show you what I have in store there," I smirked with an amused spark in my eye.

"Oh, I'm looking forward, my Lord." He smiled viciously.

"All right, gentleman! In two days, off you go to the capital of Cridia."