The End Of The Coup

“Did we defeat it?”

Half in doubt, I poked the dragon with my sword, but there was no reaction.

“So we really defeated it. A complete dragon…”

Saying it out loud made the reality sink in, and my chest trembled with emotion and joy.

“Luca!!”

Rebecca ran toward me while crying as I collapsed to the ground, and she hugged me tightly. Her arms were trembling, and I felt sorry for making her worry this much.

“Rebecca, I’m alright. Thanks to Ann, I came back to life.”

“Yeah… yeah, I’m really glad.”

As I slowly stroked Rebecca’s back while she continued crying, Ann and Hubert also came over.

“Thank you both too. I’m glad we defeated it without losing anyone.”

“Yeah, it’s our victory.”

“I’m really relieved.”

“When I first saw that gigantic dragon, I wondered what would happen, but looking back, Caesar might have been more troublesome.”

When we fought Caesar, not only was his ability high, but his cunning had also been troublesome. However, the dragon that had completely lost its reason had greater power, but its attacks seemed simple and wide-swinging.

“Come to think of it, this dragon is Caesar, right…”

“There’s not even a trace of him left.”

As I stared at the dragon with complicated expressions alongside the two of them, Rebecca finally calmed down, wiped her tears, and turned her gaze toward the dragon.

“What should we do with this dragon?”

“Good question…”

Maybe I should ask Lady Seremees. Thinking that, I stood up first so I could properly report it.

‘Lady Seremees, we have subjugated the Servant of the God of Destruction.’

‘Yes, I was watching. …I’m truly glad you are safe. Luca, thank you.’

‘No, I am your servant, Lady Seremees, so it was only natural.’

Lady Seremees’s voice carried a very gentle tone, and it conveyed how relieved she truly was. Hearing that voice made me feel relieved again that things had not turned into something that would make her grieve.

‘This dragon will not return to being Caesar, correct?’

‘Yes, it will not. To hide the dragon’s existence from the others, let us store it in the Divine Domain for now.’

‘Understood. Then I will bring it there.’

After finishing the conversation with Lady Seremees, I relayed the contents to everyone and transported the dragon into the Divine Domain.

Once we returned to the mortal world, the only thing left was to deal with the aftermath of the coup. Caesar had been defeated, but whether the coup itself had succeeded or not was another matter.

“First, we should regroup with Ernesto.”

“Yeah. He went out through that door, so let’s go check.”

“No, it seems Ernesto has already returned to the party hall. Lady Milora has been watching over that area.”

“That’s helpful. What about His Majesty the Emperor and the other imperial family members…?”

“—Apparently, none of them are alive anymore.”

…So that’s how it turned out. Considering the situation, there would have been no point in keeping them alive, so it was a natural result.

Still, the fact that lives had been taken made my heart ache a little.

But even so, this one really couldn’t be helped.

“Then let’s return to the hall as well.”

Everyone nodded at Hubert’s words, and the four of us returned to the party hall. When we arrived, it was still in chaos. Those who had been captured were being taken to rooms near the hall, escorted away one after another.

The knights who had switched sides during the battle were still not fully trusted, so they were apparently gathered in one corner of the hall.

“Ernesto.”

“Luca! You’re alright…?”

Seeing our clothes torn and battered, Ernesto spoke with concern, but when we smiled and nodded, his expression relaxed with relief.

“We defeated Caesar, so you can rest easy. However, no body remains, and I apologize for that.”

“No, that can’t be helped. —Thank you truly for eliminating the greatest threat. You have my heartfelt gratitude.”

Ernesto said that and bowed his head politely.

“Do you think this country will be able to recover from here?”

“Let’s see… it will likely be an extremely difficult road. But we will recover somehow. For the sake of everyone who has remained in this country.”

Strong determination could be felt in Ernesto’s eyes, and it naturally made me think this country would become better.

“Ernesto, if you plan to request aid from neighboring nations—”

The information Ann then revealed was extremely helpful for helping the Empire recover. As expected, being a princess meant various kinds of information reached her ears.

“…Thank you very much. I sincerely apologize once again for dragging you into the Empire’s turmoil.”

“It’s fine now. Because of it, I might finally become free.”

Ann said that with a playful wink and a bright smile.

“Well then Ernesto, we’ll be heading off soon. It’s probably better not to stay too long. Can we leave things here to you?”

“Of course.”

After exchanging our final farewells with Ernesto, we left the royal palace feeling refreshed. I hoped that someday this country would become a comfortable, wonderful place, one I could visit again as an adventurer.