"Your Excellency."
Aipani turned her face slightly, speaking with an impeccably professional smile:
"The Mana within 500 meters has been fully collected, ready to commence combat operations at any time."
"Maintain standby for now."
"Understood."
Without question or objection, Aipani stood still beside him, motionless, her eyes not even blinking as if she were a carefully adorned decorative dummy or a painted statue.
——What exactly am I waiting for?
Maher revealed a bitter, self-mocking smile internally to his former self who, a second ago, anticipated Aipani to question "Why?" or plead "Please let me take action."