The journey to the central palace of the Human Kingdom served to confirm the seriousness of the information brought by the magical carrier pigeons. The streets of the capital, once vibrant with local commerce and the circulation of merchants from various provinces, now displayed a scene of contained anxiety. Royal guard patrols in full armor marched through strategic intersections, and the murmuring near the grain markets revealed the people's concern about shortages. Our carriage advanced without interruption through the iron gates of the palace, where security had been tripled since my departure for the ocean.
I disembarked in the eastern wing of the fortress accompanied by my companions. Elara carried under her arm the leather folders containing the integrated logistical reports, while Scarlett kept one hand resting on the pommel of her combat sword, her brown eyes mapping the elevated terraces of the inner courtyard. Liriel and her assistant walked right behind us, followed by Lyannis and Rai'kanna, whose firm postures and light steps drew the attention of the guard officers escorting us through the stone corridors of the command wing. Vespera remained at the rear, moving with that calculated discretion that made her almost invisible in the shadowed areas of the palace.
We were led directly to the great royal council chamber. The room was spacious, illuminated by tall stained-glass windows that projected colorful lines across an immense solid oak table in the center of the room. The King of the Humans was already positioned at the head of the table, his expression visibly worn from sleepless nights coordinating the military effort. Around the table, veteran generals of the frontier infantry and court strategists analyzed movement maps that covered almost the entire length of the dark wood.
"Welcome back, Lord Takumi," the monarch said, rising to offer a firm greeting that I promptly returned. "Your arrival could not have come at a more opportune moment. The reports arriving from the northern front over the past twelve hours demand decisions that our court cannot make in isolation."
I approached the oak table, signaling for Elara to open the documents we had brought from the mansion. "Your Majesty, I followed the transition data throughout the entire journey back from the beach. The attack pattern of the demonic hordes has undergone a clear mutation. They have abandoned their disorganized frontal massacres and begun focusing on strangling our supply lines in the rear."
One of the frontier generals, a middle-aged man with deep scars across his face, tapped his index finger on the tactical map of the northern province. "Lord Takumi is correct, Your Majesty. The last three forward forts defending the agricultural valley were surrounded not by legions of monsters, but by small squads of corrupted elites. They sabotaged the access bridges and set fire to the Alliance's mobile granaries before our divisions could react. We are winning the direct engagements, but our soldiers are running out of arrows and rations."
"We brought the solution to part of this problem," I interjected, gesturing for Liriel to step forward. "The Fish-Men Kingdom consolidated its production under our command. The first batches of medicinal corals and high-rune-retention algae are already stored in the mansion's warehouses. This material will stabilize the wounded in the field hospitals and immediately alleviate the northern army's food shortages for several weeks."
The King's eyes lit up with a hint of genuine hope. "That is extraordinary news, Takumi. The marine logistics have saved our logistical flank. But the enemy's tactical movements indicate that they are preparing something much greater than simple rear-line sabotage."
Scarlett stepped forward, adjusting her leather armband. "Our scouts on the border have identified a worrying pattern, Your Majesty. The demons are not retreating after the sabotage operations. They are positioning themselves in pincer formations around the Iron Mountain Range. They are testing the reaction speed of our allied defenses to map the blind spots in our magical coverage."
Elara spread out the new zoning map we had developed at the official underwater residence, overlaying it onto the palace's markings. "If we cross-reference the attack routes with the northern topography, it becomes evident that their objective is to isolate the capital from the support of the peripheral provinces. They want to create a total blockade so that reinforcements from the United Nations Council cannot march in time when the main force of the Demon King moves."
Lyannis crossed her arms, observing the red ink markings with a serious expression. "They are playing with time. They know that our alliance is made up of several races that depend on formal agreements to move armies. Every day of delay in our response is one less day of resistance for the frontier forts."
Rai'kanna let out a sound of displeasure, placing her hands on the edge of the oak table. "Simply reacting to their attacks will destroy us either way. If they are testing our defenses with smaller divisions, we should use our elite forces to crush these scouts before they can send their reports back to the demonic territory."
The King of the Humans looked at his advisors, absorbing the logic of our technical observations with focused attention. The silence that followed in the meeting room showed that our group's authority had been consolidated not only through combat power, but through our ability to read the war situation with absolute clarity.
"Your analysis is impeccable," the monarch declared, straightening his posture with renewed determination. "We can no longer treat these incursions as isolated events. The Demon King is preparing the ground for the decisive assault against the Human Kingdom. In light of this, there is no other political or military alternative."
The King turned to his field marshal, issuing the order in a firm voice that echoed throughout the council chamber. "Convene another emergency military council immediately. I want all division generals, representatives of the allied nations, and leaders of the support forces gathered in the palace's great pavilion before the next dawn. We will unify the response command under the leadership of Lord Takumi and establish the guidelines for our counteroffensive."
I thanked the monarch for his trust with a firm nod, gathering the maps and organizing the leather folders together with Elara. The analysis meeting had fulfilled its purpose with surgical precision; we had managed to cross-reference the surface reports with the resources we had brought from the ocean and direct the kingdom's leadership toward a posture of active combat. We left the royal council chamber toward the palace's command quarters with the certainty that the administrative calm had been definitively overcome.