Several hours before Aria and Karla clashed in the Royal Capital, a certain girl, accompanied by her attendants, appeared at the Princess Palace late at night.
“Clara… What are you doing here at this hour?”
“My apologies, Elena-sama. There is something I absolutely must tell you.”
When Elena and Sera, who were naturally awake gathering information, received them, Clara’s complexion was so pale it wasn’t just due to the night. She looked so unwell that she even needed her maid’s assistance to walk.
“…Is it something that needs to be addressed right now?”
“Yes. Besides… it’s still difficult for me to face her when that girl is around.”
Clara had noticed Aria’s appearance here several hours prior. Previously, she had been abnormally afraid of Aria, and Clara’s maids had also investigated and found that Aria was someone with whom they had some past grievances.
She probably knew about Aria through her Gift (Divine Protection), and her poor health, as well as what she was about to say, were likely also information obtained through her Gift.
Even if Clara’s maids held personal grudges against Aria, it felt like they were more concerned about Clara’s well-being.
When Elena glanced at Sera, who was waiting by her side, Sera nodded silently.
“Have the guard knights withdraw. I will listen to what Clara has to say.”
“Thank you very much.”
Elena had Clara sit at the table and then sat down opposite her. She looked directly into Clara’s eyes and spoke as a “princess.”
“That look on your face… you’ve decided what to do, haven’t you?”
“Yes. I understand my own desires now. Even if I cannot become queen, I will not give up on him.”
“…”
Whatever Elena saw in Clara’s eyes as she stared back intently, Elena let out a small sigh and offered Clara a slight smile.
“Well then, let me hear your story… Clara.”
“Aria! Thank goodness.”
Just as the morning sun began to illuminate the royal castle, Elena, noticing me as I landed on the Princess Palace’s terrace using Real Breaker, rushed over.
Knowing Elena, I thought she’d be awake, and sure enough, she must have noticed that battle and been watching from here.
I was also worried about Dandole, who had left Melrose and Feld behind, but I figured I should report to Elena first.
“Sorry, Elena. Things have gotten troublesome.”
“Yes… that Saint-wannabe certainly did a number on us.”
The rebellion of Prince Amor, an important figure in the Saint’s faction. The damage itself was contained to a small scale because the targets were limited to the two Margrave families, but those who realize it will see this as a blunder by the royal family.
However, even if the noble faction made a fuss about it, as long as Dandole and Melrose, the victims, continued to support the royal family, it wouldn’t become a major issue. On the contrary, it should have become ammunition to attack the Saint’s faction they were championing.
The problem, as Elena said, is that girl called the Saint.
“Your Highness, Aria, please come inside. Sera-san is currently confirming the other situations.”
Chloe, Elena’s close aide, Escort Maid, and an acquaintance of mine, invited us, who were chatting on the terrace, inside.
The reason I came directly to the Princess Palace without following formal procedures is because I’m still officially considered missing, presumed dead. It would certainly be troublesome if someone saw me here.
“Chloe, does the fact that Sera went to inquire mean there’s been some development with Melrose and Dandole?”
“It seems there was a long-distance call from His Excellency the Prime Minister. The details are still unknown, but if His Excellency contacted us directly, the worst-case scenario was likely avoided.”
Knowing that Melrose was apparently safe, I also breathed a sigh of relief. Now, about Dandole…
Bzzzt…
Just then, an electric spark suddenly crackled, and a video signal was sent from Nero.
Feld and Karla’s battle. It seems the Rainbow Sword also made it in time. If they arrived safely, they should be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive.
“…Was that the ‘Kua’arl’ you mentioned, Aria?”
It seemed the current video signal was also shown to Elena, as she looked around, searching for the unseen Nero.
“I sensed it from afar and wondered, but is Nero here as well?”
–Affirmative–
As if in response, Nero sent a signal to us.
Nero and Elena had met only once. They shouldn’t have had time to talk amidst the emergency, but I’ve told them about each other as trustworthy companions, so Nero doesn’t seem to have an aversion to humans just for being human.
“Where… Kya!?”
Suddenly, a “black cat” appeared out of nowhere. It wasn’t very large, a pitch-black cat that looked like it had just reached adulthood. It leaped onto a nearby table and turned its red eyes towards me.
“…Nero?”
As if affirming my murmur, the black cat narrowed its eyes. When I lightly touched its back, I could feel its smooth fur. There was a presence too… but I also felt that presence from my Shadow.
“This is an advanced Illusion created by Nero.”
Nero is inside my Shadow. I saw it in the signal video, but Nero learned Dark Magic during the battle and was using magic like a Shadow Walker, lurking in shadows. This “black cat” is probably also a type of Illusion, but it seems Nero, being a Phantasmal Beast, can use Dark Magic to create far more precise Illusions than humans.
“Is this an Illusion? Ah…”
Just like me, Elena tried to touch the black cat (Nero), but Nero deftly avoided her and climbed onto my shoulder. It seems Nero hasn’t let his guard down enough to allow her to touch him yet.
Elena watched this with a disappointed look, then sat at the table Chloe had prepared, gesturing for me to sit opposite her.
“Well then, where should we begin…”
They’re called the Saint’s faction, but they were originally the Crown Prince’s faction, a group of noble houses pushing for Elvan to succeed the throne as Crown Prince. The reason they came to be called the ‘Saint’s faction’ is because Elvan showed no growth as Crown Prince, and the noble faction, fearing the increasing number of noble houses supporting Elena as queen, tried to win over public opinion by making the Saint the queen consort.
For the noble faction, Elvan’s immaturity isn’t a drawback; it aligns with their goal of weakening the royal family’s power and gaining diplomatic advantages.
In the short term, obtaining cheap goods from neighboring countries reduces the number of starving people, and that surplus can be redirected elsewhere, which is a good thing. However, in the long term, it means entrusting the people’s lifeline to other countries, and funds will also flow to those countries, diminishing national strength.
Neither approach is inherently correct; balance was crucial. That’s why the royal family has alternately taken queens from within the country and from neighboring countries.
However, in the current situation, His Majesty the King and His Excellency the Prime Minister have judged that they must focus on domestic demand. And noble houses with the sense to understand that the nation’s strength would decline more than anticipated if Elvan became king are supporting Elena.
The one who upset that balance was the current King. But at the time he took a viscount’s daughter as his queen consort, His Majesty, then the Crown Prince, was in a state similar to Elvan now, lacking mental composure. I hear it was necessary for him to become a king in his own right.
All the repercussions of that have fallen on this generation, so it’s unacceptable, but if not for that, Elena probably wouldn’t have aimed to become queen.
Elena began to move towards becoming queen, and seeing the current Elvan, His Majesty the King also reluctantly acknowledged it.
Dandole, who had been working to make Clara the queen consort, also seemed to have accepted Elena, who shares Dandole blood, becoming queen rather than the Saint becoming queen consort. Thus, Elena was able to secure the backing of the two Margrave families.
As far as Elena and Mikhail investigated, there were suspicious points about the Saint. The plan was to publicize these, sway public opinion, prevent the Saint from becoming queen consort, and thereby oust Elvan from his position as Crown Prince.
This rebellion by Amor will be a stain on the Crown Prince’s faction and the Saint’s faction. However, if it had succeeded, they could have crushed the two Margrave families, and the noble faction would have seized real power…
“Clara told me about that analysis.”
“She did?”
“Yes… She [the Saint] and Clara both… they truly treat their own lives too lightly…”
Elena said this with a frown, then told me Clara’s analysis.
Clara’s Gift (Divine Protection) — ‘Foresight’ — calculates the future and draws forth the most probable outcomes. It seems it can see not only the ‘future’ but also ascertain the truth of current events with high probability.
However, the calculations for Foresight apparently put a strain on the brain, and due to the recent calculation, she is currently bedridden.
According to Clara’s Foresight, the one who orchestrated this plan was not Amor but the Saint. And her reason for making Amor commit a rebellion that would tarnish his own faction was not to eliminate Melrose and Dandole.
“Her objective, it seems, is to instill ‘fear’.”
By targeting the two Margrave families, the neutral faction, which was currently leaning towards Elena, would become hesitant, fearing they too might be targeted.
If Elena or Melrose were to persuade them again, some might stay, but even that isn’t certain. It’s because the fear of their family members being directly targeted, rather than political pressure, cannot be easily dispelled.
Nevertheless, Amor’s rebellion should have become a major stain on the Saint’s faction. Even if the neutral faction switched sides, there should have been even more people who felt animosity towards them…
“According to Clara, she apparently calculated that you and Karla would intervene. Amor was a sacrificial pawn from the start, and she was convinced he would lose to you and flee back to the Royal Capital.”
For the Saint, it didn’t matter whether he succeeded or failed. Nevertheless, for the purpose of instilling fear, she split Amor’s forces in two, prioritizing Dandole and Melrose being attacked simultaneously over achieving victory.
Did she also predict that the divided Amor would reunite in the Royal Capital? And the reason for that, they say, was to instill fear in the people of the Royal Capital, which she, as the “Saint,” would then heal to raise her own prestige.
“How did that viscount’s daughter, who hasn’t received a proper education, come up with such a grand scheme…? Clara’s Foresight said a demon was lending a hand, but I can’t imagine even a demon understanding humans that well.”
Clara Foresaw that a demon was involved in Amor’s bizarre abilities and the unnatural behavior of the people at that time.
“The Demon of Nightmares…”
Perhaps because the power of nightmares was used, the people praised the Saint’s actions, and due to those actions of hers, Amor was completely cast aside not as someone from the Saint’s faction, but as a person who had betrayed the Saint.
In this situation, unless we present considerable evidence, we won’t be able to stop the Saint from becoming queen. In Clara’s Foresight, it seems it showed Elena’s side as being slightly disadvantaged.
One or two… it’s only a little, but we’re lacking a decisive factor. With that slight difference, the Saint, who has public opinion on her side, will become queen, and Elvan will become king.
Just one more thing…
I lightly touched my chest, where the amulet pouch I had entrusted to that person used to be, and quietly made my decision.
“Elena. Use me.”
The girls who have steeled their resolve.
Next time, preparations for the final battle begin.