"Um... so what is your plan now, Nii?"

"Beating up foolish scorpions for food!" Kali suggests randomly.

"That is just what you like to do, yes?" Kaede retorts.

"I don't like it as such. Hated it at the time. But still, memories give only good feelings for reasons."

"Nostalgia, is it?" I wonder out loud. "I think we all have that as we get older." I nod.

"Don't I know it, fufufufu..." Seria cackles.

Kiku is puffing out her cheeks for being derailed so I decide to swing us back on topic.

"Ahem. The plan is simple. It’s been made a lot easier by this portal, actually."

There is a moment of silence.

"Boy... you cannot be suggesting a straight attack through the portal, surely?" Seria looks incredulous.

"Ahahaha." I laugh. "I'm not quite that suicidal. I’m planning a sort of sneak attack. But first of all, we need to talk about how there's something a little odd. After making that portal... there has been no follow-up attack at all, right?" I explain.

"No, there has not, Elijah-sama." Rishya answers.

"Does that mean... he can't use it freely?" Aria queries.

There is another pause.

"No. The portal is permanent and is actually drawing energy across to the other side. The grey dull weather constantly is possibly due to this. The spirits here are all being affected by the void." Kurono suddenly pitches in.

We are now in the palace meeting room where I first talked things through with King Legato, though Melody is now sat where he once did. Yuuzu and Kiku's dad are also here, as well as a woman with odd salt and pepper hair I've not seen before.

"So, rather, the question is why is he ~not~ using it?" Yuuzu asks.

"Mmmmm... we already came to the conclusion that Cultivator is fighting due to the failing magical energies of the demon lands and has some plan to make the leylines widen, and introduce more essence of the void into the world."

All those not of our party gasp after this revelation. Melody seems especially shocked.

Seria goes on to explain the idea behind the crystal flowers that form from dying void spirits, which eventually increase power concentration and then over time may turn into other spirits.

Interestingly, Yuuzu and Kurono seem to be most interested by this.

This leads Seria to add several formulae and magical anecdotes I didn't understand. Melody and Kurono then both ask several questions during the lecture that extend things for over half an hour.

Aeris has started making snoring noises. Evidently, there is much still going over my head with magical lore, but I suppose that's to be expected when I've only had a basic crash course.

Funnily, it seems that when Melody steps back from her emotions, she is quite an intellectual after all? But she's still pointedly ignoring me like a schoolgirl for the most part.

I take the opportunity to interject again in a moment of silence. "It’s fairly clear that Cultivator wants the portal to continue existing. He wants to breach the void as often as possible, bring prosperity to the demon lands, and curtail excessive magical use. Hence the war with humanity is as much a cover as anything else."

"Mmmm, the lengths gone to are excessive, which leads me to the belief that it is equally important for the facade to seem real to casual inspection. He is sending his people to war, after all." Seria says.

"He has spared no effort in this cover, yes?" Kaede looks frustrated. "This is why my village was destroyed?"

I nod sadly. I guess she was unconscious when me and Seria were talking about this initially in the void.

"Um, we can assume your master might have investigated the war in detail, right? That's bad for keeping this operation a secret." Kiku also nods, understanding the strategy involved.

"In any case, what does all of this discussion have to do with your plan?" Melody asks, crossing her arms across her large bosom.

I nod. It’s a fair question.

"There's just one other thing I want to confirm with the Countess."

Kurono raises an eyebrow at me.

"Objects can be freely transmitted and stored in the void space, right?"

She blinks.

"Yes. Items without spirits are preserved as they are, status and momentum, the moment they enter... ah!"

Well, she has experience with this idea already. I think she understands how useful a large- scale void transfer tunnel could be.

'Backstab with a ballista!' Suddenly Aeris wakes up. Not sure if she was actually sleeping though... the snores were probably just her discontent with being bored.

She's obviously picked on the plan, though.

I grin.

"Great!" I now turn to Melody. "Your majesty, does the palace guard have a ballista?"

She looks incredulous. She's smart, but I don't think she's figured this out.

"The palace does not. But I can procure around three from some of my sources." The gravelly voice of Kiku's dad sounds.

I jump as I almost forgot he was here. Does he have an ability to suppress his presence or something? He smiles sinisterly and I shiver.

"But whatever would you do...!" Melody starts.

"Oooohh!" Aria suddenly bangs her palm with her fist. Ha-ha, the baka princess figured it out first. "You're going to fire one of your bombs attached to a ballista bolt!"

"Precisely. More than one, actually. I'll show people how to make them, and fire barrages inside!" I grin, and rub Aria's head.

Kurono explains to Melody and Kako about my vials. They can hardly believe the idea of an exploding arrow.

"In fact, it should be more powerful than the one I used on the Skull Beast, and I can make fuses for them now. Funnily enough, this sort of thing is what navies in my world used to fight each other. Cannons. Missiles. Though there's no way l can make those, this is a reasonable slapdash alternative."

"And, with the chaos that it creates, we can then use that as an opportunity to slip in, yes?" Kaede suddenly adds.

"Hoh, a diversion, and a way to subtly cut to the heart of things. How very like Elijah-sama!" Rishya laughs behind her hand.

I love these girls being so quick on the uptake.

It might take a couple of days, but this is the plan.