11/13: The content of the previous chapter, 232, has been revised.
To put it simply, it’s a minor adjustment to the destination, but if you haven’t read it yet, I would appreciate it if you read that first.
11/14: Minor adjustments made again.
“Well then, everyone. I shall see you at the location.”
When Aria was enveloped by the “darkness” of 【Real Breaker】 and vanished, Karla gave Nero and Feld a sweet smile, performed an elegant curtsy, and her figure also disappeared as if swallowed by the darkness.
“…”
“Graa…”
The two left behind stared for a while at the spot where the two girls, likely the strongest on this continent, had disappeared, then looked at each other without a word.
Both Feld and Nero were acquainted with that girl.
Feld had been with her during the royal family’s Dungeon exploration but hadn’t particularly spoken to her, remembering her as a dangerous person who had caused trouble in the end. In Nero’s case, it was far worse; she was a troublesome individual who had tried to kill him the moment they met.
“…She’s coming, huh?”
Feld couldn’t help but mutter at the reinforcements that had been decided upon before he knew it.
As Karla had said, if she came to Dandole as reinforcements, her strength would likely be comparable to an entire army. This might increase the survival rate for themselves and the knights under Dandole, but as Aria feared, unless they could understand Karla’s motivations, in the worst-case scenario, Feld and the others would also need to protect Dandole from her.
To be honest, he felt inadequate for making Aria feel uneasy about their combat strength, but if Aria and Nero, who had actually fought the Undead, judged it so, then it truly must be a dangerous mission.
They could fully understand Aria’s feelings, having had to coldly calculate their own survival rates and resort to relying on a dangerous person (Karla), so neither Feld nor Nero could dismiss it outright.
“…For now, first, I’ll inform our comrades from the nearest guild. I don’t know how much time we have left until the attack, but Dolton and Mira should be able to arrive in about a day. …Ah, well, that’s why we need to hurry… Will you give me a ride?”
“…”
Since he was talking to a beast, it sounded like he was talking to himself, and Feld himself felt that way, struggling to gauge the distance. In response to Feld’s words, Nero sighed like a human and tapped his own back with the whiskers extending from his ears.
“Get on.”
“Thanks a lot!”
A man and a beast raced through the forest, the girls headed to their respective battlefields, and the tides of war began to shift once more.
＊＊＊
I used 【Real Breaker】 to leap from forest to forest, from mountain to mountain.
Unlike spatial teleportation, 【Real Breaker】 only allows me to jump to places I can see, but even so, if I can cross forests and mountains in an instant, it should be quite fast.
But that’s only as long as my magic power lasts. Using the pills made with dragon’s blood can alleviate it to some extent, but the ‘Dragon Pills,’ which can become toxic if overused, cannot be used frequently, considering the battle in Melrose.
Even so, after about half a day, the walls of the Royal Capital came into view. From here, the Dandole Family’s mansion should be close, but the sun had already set, and I wasn’t sure if they would trust me if I went alone. Besides, if I diverted my attention there, I might not make it in time for the attack on Melrose.
Either way, Feld should have contacted them by now. If I can’t find the Second Order of Knights here, it’s better to leave the rest to Feld and Karla.
I have no more business here. But… still, there was one place I wanted to visit.
Thump.
My toes made a faint sound as they touched the stone floor upon landing on the night terrace.
The Princess Palace in the Royal Capital’s castle. When I lived here, I never looked at it like this, but even after only a few months, I feel quite nostalgic.
It’s quiet, soundless. Are the distant sounds from maids still working, or is it the bustle of the city reaching here?
I unconsciously silenced my footsteps as I walked through the Princess Palace.
There’s no reason for me to be here, as I’m unofficially considered dead. Just being seen by soldiers would be a problem.
Still, if Sera or someone from the Shadow Unit were here, I could convey the details directly and avoid problems due to miscommunication, so coming here itself isn’t meaningless.
“…”
No, that’s not my true reason.
I’m about to fight over a hundred Undead. I don’t intend to fight to lose, but unlike normal undead creatures, the Undead are enemies who retain their skills and can use them.
Undead Knights—an organized order of Undead Knights who have no fear of their bodies being destroyed and no weaknesses like vampires.
I think I can win by brute force if there are ten or so of them, but what if there are a hundred?
Amor should be in either Dandole or Melrose, and I think he’s more likely to target the Chancellor than the Knight Commander-General. Who can say for sure that Amor, who has obtained that 【Divine Protection (Gift)】, isn’t Undead? In that state, how much can I protect?
As I walked down a certain corridor thinking about such things, I found a greenhouse lavishly made with expensive glass panes.
Even on a night in a season close to winter, this place alone faintly retained the warmth of daytime.
In the greenhouse filled with many plants, a lone girl drinking tea at a table illuminated by a faint lamp noticed me and looked up.
“Welcome back, Aria.”
“I’m back…”
My peer, my comrade… my friend. It felt like she had lost some weight since I last saw her. Normally, she wouldn’t be in a place like this alone; I realized Elena must have been waiting for me.
Elena, wearing only a nightdress with a shawl over her shoulders, stood up, slowly approached me, and instead of rejoicing at our reunion or scolding me for my selfish actions, she gently… pressed her forehead against my shoulder, as I was slightly taller than her.
“You’re going to fight again, aren’t you…”
“Yeah.”
“Sera told me… that a message came from the Rainbow Sword.”
“Can the knights be mobilized?”
“The knights can’t be mobilized yet. The Knight Commander-General, who was still at the castle, divided a hundred knights into two groups under the pretext of a drill, and hastily returned to his mansion with half of them and Roakwell-sama. I wanted to stop him if I could, but…”
“…”
We don’t have the words to stop a knight trying to protect his own family.
The Dandole Family should also have a Long-Distance Communication Device, but even if they were informed, there’s no guarantee that any place they fled to would be safe.
“The Chancellor is on his way back to his mansion, and we haven’t been able to contact him yet. We’ve managed to contact the Melrose mansion, so if the attack begins, we can dispatch the knights, but with my authority, I can only mobilize a part of the Royal Guard Knights and the unit the Knight Commander-General left behind…”
Currently, the Royal Family, with its diminished power, cannot easily mobilize the knights. Knowing the King, who is so indulgent towards his family, he must be conflicted about killing his own younger brother.
Besides, if they mobilized the knights without concrete proof, the Noble Faction would exploit it. If that happened, the current efforts to make Elena the queen could all be for naught.
That would also be a political blow to Melrose and Dandole, who have supported Princess Elena. But—
“For now, that’s good.”
I was relieved that, as Feld had informed us, if Amor’s rebellion was confirmed in either Melrose or Dandole, it would be possible to dispatch the knights.
From here, it’s about half a day’s journey… If I think about having to defend it all by myself, then if I only need to stop Amor and the Undead until then, there’s still hope.
“It’s not good!”
Hearing my mutter, Elena lifted her face from my shoulder and grabbed my collar.
“If you fight over a hundred Undead, you might die! No matter how strong you are, Aria, you’re still a ‘human’!”
“Elena…”
There aren’t many who can fight me one-on-one. However, there’s a limit to what a single human can do in a fight.
Especially for me, who specialized in one-on-one combat, facing a trained army truly required risking my life.
Elena, who had been glaring at me for my careless remark, suddenly loosened her grip on my collar and lowered her eyes.
“I’s sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing? I’m the one who acted selfishly.”
“That’s not it. You just wanted to live freely… But my selfishness dragged you into danger, Aria. And now, I’m about to rely on you again.”
“This is the path I chose.”
Elena’s selfishness was also my wish.
To be by my friend’s side… Because I shared the same feelings as Elena, who couldn’t even voice such a simple wish.
But—that’s precisely why.
“Trust me.”
I will protect Elena. I will grant her wish. That is my “oath.”
“That’s unfair…”
Elena muttered this and looked up, a slightly wry smile on her face.
“Aria, you won’t push yourself too hard, will you?”
“I’ll do reckless things.”
“That’s fine. That’s who you are.”
Saying so, she gave a faint smile.
Elena doesn’t say, “Don’t die.” Nor do I say, “I won’t die.”
Just as I have my battles, Elena has hers.
No longer a mere fourteen-year-old girl, Elena, her expression having reverted to that of a princess, addressed me—as I prepared to head to the battlefield—with the words of royalty.
“Prince Amor… Should Dandole and Melrose confirm his rebellion, I, First Princess Elena, in my name, authorize you to end his life. I will not permit even His Majesty the King to voice any complaint about this. You are to strike down Prince Amor.”
“Understood.”
To my usual curt reply, her eyes flickered faintly.
Elena is protecting me in her capacity as royalty.
I, too, as her warrior, accepted the charge of carrying out this “royal command.” And so, to head to our respective battlefields, we turned our backs to one another and began to walk.
This chapter was focused on Elena.
It ended up being unexpectedly long, so the scene didn’t quite reach Melrose…
Next time will begin with the Melrose Family.