Lilia's Tale: Freyja's Endeavor

Chapter 15: Strategy

Before a word was even said, the atmosphere was unbearably tense. I knew what was about to be said was beyond serious, likely unfitting of my position.

"So," the general started. "We need information."

"May I?"

"Go ahead, colonel."

So the man that stayed with us the whole time was a colonel. I was a bit surprised, but it somewhat made sense considering he rode with the general.

"As far as information goes, we have little of it. The current two threats we have to bear in mind are the Leviathan, stationed in this city, and the rampaging Eldest Hydra, Jormungandr of name. It is situated in the forest nearby, and is threatening to stampede over a settlement. We currently have all troops capable and available to defend against him."

"What are their status?"

"We haven't obtained a report for a long time. We have to assume the battle is either fierce or impossible, despite the purely defensive situation."

"We don't even know what exactly are the threats either. The hydra is capable of many types of magic, ranging from blood to wind magic. It does seem to use primarily fire magic, however, which is particularly dangerous for the people and the forest."

They kept going in a very militaristic tone, simply laying the information. The other two besides the colonel mostly stayed silent and interjected with analysis more than anything else.

I struggled to follow, but I managed to obtain the important informations. Jor had not killed anyone yet, though the village was destroyed. And Leviathan had not even been aggressive a single time.

"Lilia," the general suddenly called. "Tell us about your idea."

"Huh? My idea?"

"Yes. To not have to kill the hydra."

"Oh. To put it simply, Father had managed to calm Skadi down during her life rage. Skadi is the hydra outside of the town, and she's Jormungandr's sister. She's kind but shy, so don't be afraid of her. Anyways, Father managed to calm her down instead of killing her. I was thinking we could employ a similar tactic for Jor."

"And what is that tactic?"

"That, I don't know. Only that it happened. The best I can imagine is either the use of tranquilliser, making him exhausted, or superficially injuring him enough to even slightly quell his anger to hopefully use diplomacy to make him come back to his senses."

"Did they actually manage to fight off a hydra without killing it?" one of the two asked.

"Yes. Skadi being alive is proof of it. And, from what I understood, we'll be summoning the Great Ones, including Father who helped with that."

"That means the confirmation is delayed. We have to act fast, without pondering over such things."

"What else would you offer, colonel. Kill the Eldest Hydra?"

I started having a suspicion I was surrounded by three colonels and the general. If that was the case, I was most definitely not at the right place.

"That wouldn't be doable. However, neither is her idea."

"It is more feasible than killing the legend, at least. And, the docile hydra offered us its help."

"What about the Leviathan?" the third one asked.

"Considering its complete lack of aggressive behavior, I believe we can put it back in priority. The town's management has already taken necessary directives towards ships so as to prevent accidents."