Episode 37

“The vice commander… committed treason?”

“That certainly seems to be the case, yes?”

Osten, a regional city southeast of Spirito, the royal capital.

Several months ago, Osten was destroyed by a monster stampede caused by human hands. More than half its residents perished, its buildings collapsed, and it completely lost its function as a city.

Osten had sunk to the depths of despair, and yet even so, the light of hope had never gone out.

Knights and mages who risked their lives to save Osten, the surviving residents, and the relief unit from the neighboring city of Westen. Thanks to their presence, reconstruction had been advancing little by little.

“I don’t know the full details, but it seems the number two of your Knight Order betrayed the country.”

“Why would Vice Commander Hanhanberu…?”

To Luke, it was a bolt from the blue.

Hanhanberu was a self-made knight from the field and of common birth. His steady swordsmanship and accurate tactics were one ideal of knighthood Luke aspired to, and he had hoped to seek direct instruction from him someday.

“From my perspective, there was always something off about him… though I suppose that’s just hindsight.”

While he had been going over the day’s schedule together with the residents, a messenger had arrived from the royal capital. Normally there would have been a magic device stationed in town for transmitting information, but that device had been destroyed in the monster attack. That was why the messenger had come in person.

“So the reason those two regimental commanders hurried back was…”

“That’s right. There’s no doubt those two will become the center of the Knight Order from here on, and indeed of the national military as a whole.”

The reason Strohk and Brink, the Knight Order’s regimental commanders, had rushed back to the royal capital was Hanhanberu’s defection.

“And it wasn’t just the vice commander of the Knight Order. It seems key figures in the national military were arrested all at once too. …Looks like the ducal house made its move.”

“Even the headquarters… but why at this timing?”

“I think they’d already secured the evidence to begin with. …The intelligence agency is full of exceptionally capable people. I’ve also heard the future duke is incredibly sharp.”

Yorn spoke in a low voice so those around them would not hear.

The ducal house and the intelligence agency, which protected and controlled the nation from the shadows. Even within the country, only a limited number of people knew of their existence.

Luke inwardly gave a wry smile at how Yorn proceeded on the assumption that he already knew all of this.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know? The intelligence agency behind you all—no, the one supporting the nation from the shadows—is the hidden face of the Astera Ducal House.”

Luke recalled Zeke’s words from several years ago.

There had been a curse incident in the regional city of Apion. In order to resolve it, he had gone there at the request of a girl from the ducal house. Luke himself had been unable to do anything, and in the end the matter was settled with Ciel purifying the curse and Zeke apprehending the suspect. At the time, he had felt frustrated at being unable to do anything, but at the same time he had been glad that Zeke had gained another good understanding ally.

Several years had passed since then. What was Ciel doing now? He found himself imagining teasing his best friend by saying that something interesting might happen if he reunited with Zeke.

“There were a fair number of traitors in the Mage Corps too. I wonder what’s going to happen from here…”

“…Shouldn’t you return as well, Yorn-san?”

Yorn shook his head as if to say, good grief. He gave off the impression that this had nothing to do with him, but Yorn himself was also a regimental commander of the Mage Corps.

“Me? I haven’t been ordered to return. And besides… it’s not like I can just abandon you all and this city, right? It’s a pain, though…”

Where Yorn directed his gaze, Nahal and Skinny were busy clearing away the rubble. Together with the residents and the relief unit from Westen, they were working hard in a sweat.

“—Under normal circumstances, none of them would have been here. The reason those two survived was because Regimental Commander Strohk had healing magic.”

“Yes… that’s true.”

The only ones dispatched had been Luke, Nahal, and Skinny’s squad. Yorn had merely happened to be there, and he had not been able to heal the two whose bodies had been pierced through.

“That astonishing priest, right? Because that person was there, the residents are still alive now.”

According to Strohk, the priest of the Maria Church who had been staying in the city had collapsed after losing his mana. Strohk himself had also run out of mana and had not been in any condition to heal anyone. Then, at just that time, a remarkably skilled priest had appeared and healed every one of the injured residents.

“If Regimental Commander Strohk says so, then there’s no doubt about it… but we’ve ended up owing that person a huge debt.”

“Yes. And to you as well, Yorn-san. If it had only been us, we would all have been wiped out.”

Luke clenched his fist tightly. The incident had made him keenly aware of his own powerlessness, but he could not keep facing backward forever. He had decided to move forward.

“If you’re going to say that, then it was thanks to him that my hometown of Westen was safe too. Well, maybe it’s enough to say we’re helping each other survive, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Reality is full of painful things… but I want to believe that there is just as much happiness too.”

A little girl was handing out drinks together with her mother. Each person was desperately trying to connect the life they had managed to grasp to the future.

“Alright then, I suppose I’ll work hard in moderation.”

“…Let’s work hard properly.”

Having finished their conversation, Luke and Yorn also joined the reconstruction work.

“—An astonishing priest, huh. Maybe I’m just overthinking it?”

“—And that is the current situation within the country.”

The Astera ducal residence, located in the Royal Special District.

Gathered in the office were Aktor, the future duke and head of the intelligence agency, his subordinate Aaron, and Zeke, whose position would appear unclear to an outside observer. The three were discussing what to do from here on.

“Even so… this is very good tea. It was worth coming here.”

“That was only incidental. Your real purpose was something else, was it not?”

“Hey, what is this? Bring me coffee.”

“Sir Aktor-dono. Knowing one’s tastes in advance is also part of an organizer’s duty, you know?”

“!? This! Is not! A tea party! Why are you making yourselves comfortable as if that were only natural!?”

Aaron was elegantly enjoying tea at the guest table, while Zeke frowned at the sight of black tea. The servants of the ducal house were already preparing additional coffee for Zeke.

“Your problematic conduct is as excessive as ever! And what exactly was that the other day!? Why did a massive number of roses arrive at the ducal residence!?”

The many yellow roses that had arrived at the ducal house the other day. At first they had admired it as a refined gesture, but as the onslaught of roses continued with no end in sight, Aktor and the others connected to the ducal house had begun to feel terror.

Since Aaron and Zeke’s names had been jointly written as the senders, Aktor had developed yet another headache, thinking it was the usual nonsense again. As a side note, Zeke knew nothing about it.

“Calm yourself, Sir Aktor-dono. …Though perhaps it is late to ask, was it really alright?”

“…………….It was fine. We had intended to capture them eventually anyway. Being able to wipe them out on this occasion was convenient.”

The intelligence agency had been marking not only Hanhanberu and the others, but also key figures in the national military. Since it had already secured evidence of wrongdoing, all that had remained was a matter of timing.

“In a situation where the structure of the nation and of the world itself is about to be changed, people who would drag us down are unnecessary.”

“Hmm, so this was their final story.”

“…I don’t quite understand what you mean, but it was their own fault. Though things will be difficult for those left behind.”

From key figures in the National Military Headquarters to the vice commander of the Knight Order and members of the Mage Corps, many people had defected and committed wrongdoing. Rebuilding the national military as an organization had become an urgent matter.

“As for what comes next… I think it is fair to say the situation has changed greatly.”

The struggle against the opposing faction over the “keys.” The conflict that had begun in Apion had taken a sudden turn because of the existence of Spearize.

“There is no longer any need to gather the successors of the ‘keys’ one by one. The enemy will move as soon as they secure their spare.”

“—So the decisive battleground will be the Lagias Domain, is that right? However, would it not still be insufficient merely to gather the ‘keys’?”

Aktor nodded at Aaron’s question and said yes.

“The ‘Guide’ is necessary to show the way to the ‘Gate to the Otherworld.’ Without that existence, all they would be doing is gathering.”

“In that case, shall we all throw a party together?”

“Feel free to do that by yourself. …And once the ‘Guide’ appears, the ‘Guardian’ will make its move.”

Zeke silently savored the baked sweets. Aktor turned his gaze toward him, but there was no particular reaction.

“So the ‘Guide’ looks likely to become the key element from here on. Shall we search for that next?”

“—The white-haired woman acting together with the Sage. She is the ‘Guide.’”

Zeke stated it flatly. His coffee cup was already empty.

“Are you certain it is wise to tell me that so readily? —I may make the same choice again, you know. The ducal house always seeks what is best.”

“I don’t care. Whether that thing dies or not has nothing to do with me.”

Zeke answered with complete lack of interest. He was staring at the empty coffee cup.

“In the end, it is all the same. If that thing dies, then the ‘Guide’ will be inherited by the next one. …This rotten system will never disappear. Not ever.”

Even if each successor were to lose their life, it would simply be passed on to another. Killing the “keys” or the “Guide” would not erase the role of the Lagias line.

“If postponing the problem is what you people call best, then do as you like.”

“…You truly never waver.”

The choice of two years ago. Aktor would not go so far as to call that existence unnecessary, but neither did he think it had been a mistake.

For the sake of the nation and the ducal house, it had by no means been a bad move. Even if that person had lived on carefree as before, the ending would not have changed, and an even worse end might have awaited. The awakening of the “key” and of holy arts was nothing more than hindsight.

And yet, looking at Zeke, Aktor found himself thinking this. If someone like this foul-mouthed noble—someone possessing sharp insight and strength—had been there, might he have been able to show his stepsister, Ciel, a different path? Might there have been a way for her to live freely, unbound by the ducal house as he himself was?

He had never once spoken to his stepsister about this topic. Perhaps the two of them had unconsciously avoided it all this time.

“It’s alright, Sir Aktor-dono.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“—She looks very happy now. I am sure she has no regrets, and no resentment either. It is a self-serving way to put it, perhaps, but I believe the best you spoke of is the present.”

Receiving tea from a servant, Aaron murmured, “Très bien.” Zeke looked at Aaron, who was already asking for cup after cup, as though he were looking at a strange person.

“I have no idea what you are talking about… We have gotten off track. As for what comes next, there is no need for us to move carelessly.”

The enemy’s objective was shifting from the “keys” to their true wish. It was true that they needed the “Guide,” but the destination they would ultimately reach was already decided.

“There is no need to search for the enemy at random. Their destination is the Lagias Domain.”

“So we wait for them there and attack! That is what you mean. It is simple and easy to understand.”

An opposing organization that moved unpredictably using ancient magical technology and employed every stratagem and scheme. They possessed many cards we did not have, and we had constantly been forced onto the back foot.

“We will crush them all at once and finish this.”

“Are you an idiot? If we do not move now, then when do you intend to?”

“…Then what is your opinion?”

Reading the atmosphere, the servant withdrew from the office. After confirming that the presence had completely vanished, Zeke opened his mouth.

“The Sword Saint is their greatest obstacle, is he not? Is there any reason to leave him alone?”

“Judging from his condition, he should not have long left. Would they not think that if they leave him alone, then sooner or later…”

“That might be how a gloomy bastard like you would think… but when you can finish someone off, you do it. —At the very least, I would kill him.”

There was something almost certain in Zeke’s statement. For some reason, Aktor felt uneasy at words that sounded as though he had seen the future.

“So the reason the enemy is moving now is because they have a prospect for a ‘key.’ Is it also possible that Ciel’s existence and purpose have been exposed…?”

“Hmph. Judging by your report, those fools have been loafing around, after all.”

Based on Zeke’s thinking, Aktor had sent Ciel and Selen to the Sage and the others. Just the other day, a member of the intelligence agency had reported that they had joined up with them.

“—Withdraw the surveillance you have attached to the Sword Saint. That is, unless you want them to die like dogs. …I will go.”

“My friend. I am ready to move at any time, you know?”

“You can go throw some party or whatever with the gloomy one. …Do not forget that you lot could also become substitutes in the enemy’s contingency plan.”

Zeke rose from his seat. The moment one sensed the flow of mana, he disappeared like smoke. Zeke used the Sage’s original teleportation magic as casually as if it were nothing. It had certainly been startling when he had suddenly appeared in the office before.

“Honestly… he never explains enough. Don’t you think so as well?”

“There is no problem. We are connected by soul, after all.”

When Aktor clapped his hands, members of the intelligence agency gathered. It would be necessary to change policy based on Zeke’s words.

“Send word by magic device for units in every region to return. We will ensure the residence and the royal guards are perfectly secured. Aaron, you…”

“Let’s party?”

“…Go to the hospital.”

Beneath a clear blue sky, a luxurious carriage advanced down the highway. Van and the others had been allowed to ride in the same carriage Ciel and her group had used when they visited the Rent Domain. The party was heading for the Finis Domain, where Masfelt was.

“Hey, are we really going to cut straight through like this?”

“Our time is limited. If we want to move ahead even a little faster, then we have to pass through here.”

Sitting on the driver’s seat, Van turned his eyes toward the sea of trees lying beyond where the road branched away. The Verde Forest, a vast dense woodland spreading across an enormous area. Many monsters lived in its deep reaches where sunlight never reached, and the mana filling the atmosphere there was extraordinarily dense compared to elsewhere.

Van had traveled all around the country as a member of the Freak Trading Company, but he had never once chosen a dangerous route merely to save time. There was far too little to gain from taking such a risk, making it almost meaningless. If there was a need to hurry, they planned in advance and acted accordingly. The company’s members had always made steady choices and judgments.

“According to the records, there is supposedly a road through it, at least.”

“Maybe, but… you don’t seriously think monsters are just going to overlook us, do you?”

Selen opened the carriage window as she spoke. It had been this mature woman who had decided the route to the Finis Domain.

“With this many people, I would think we can deal with monsters well enough. …Sword Saint’s grandson, are you uneasy?”

“If it’s just fighting, I’ve got no problem with that. …But fighting while handling a carriage is a first for me.”

There was no particular problem with the coachman’s role based on his experience so far. Since the carriage was spacious enough for all six of them to ride in it, hiring another coachman had also been an option, but for some reason Van had felt self-conscious about that and had volunteered to drive it himself.

“Then you only need to fulfill your role as coachman. We will deal with the monsters ourselves.”

There was Glanz’s superb magical skill, Eris’s support magic capable of both offense and defense, and of course Atri’s magic, violent to the point of excess. To that were added Ciel’s holy arts and her guard, Selen.

Though the extent of each other’s abilities remained unknown, the thought that things would somehow work out naturally rose in Van’s mind. Was it just his imagination that despite this supposedly being their first meeting, he felt something nostalgic about them?

“Two magic guns, was it? You can handle a rare weapon.”

“They’re perfect for long-range attacks. …Though until two years ago, I specialized in close-range fighting.”

“? Anyway, I guess we just have to keep going.”

The Verde Forest filling his view gradually loomed larger. Once they stepped inside, turning back would likely be difficult. The hand gripping the reins tightened.

As Van focused, another window opened, and Eris and Atri stuck their faces out from it. Grinning, they called out to him.

“My, my, Van. Whatever has gotten into you? Honestly, at your age…”

“…Do your best, Van. I’ll collect your bones, probably.”

“T-That’s not it, I told you!? If you’ve got complaints, then switch with me and be the coachman!”

Eris and Atri teased him relentlessly. Seeing Atri needle him with a blank expression only made it even more irritating.

“I’m sorry. My future is already decided.”

“!? What do you mean, ‘I’m sorry’!? You two are gonna answer for this later!”

The party’s carriage continued on toward the Finis Domain.