“I see,” Lyla said, but she didn’t laugh like Zich. Instead, her expression darkened.

“Why? What’s with that expression? We are finally getting the chance to screw over that bastard.”

“But it’s during a war. If I think about all the blood that will be spilled that day, I can’t be happy about it.”

“Now that you mention it, I suppose that’s the normal reaction to have.”

However, their responses to each other’s reactions ended like that. Zich didn’t look down on Lyla for being weak, nor did Lyla rebuke Zich for being cruel. At this point, the two had come to terms with their contrasting personalities and it was only a trivial matter for them. There was no need for them to understand each other’s way of thinking; they could only accept it.

“When is the battle?” Lyla asked.

“It’s in two days.”

“I guess the preparations are complete then.”

“They’ve long been completed. Even a dog wandering in the slums would know that the war was going to start as soon as the monsoon was over. The following two days are just to solidify the troop formation they prepared beforehand.”

“Where would the battle take place?”

“There’s a meadow not too far from...