Published at 22nd of January 2020 4:47 pm

Volume 4, Chapter 4: And Yet the Pain Gets Worse

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Roland.

A few days had passed since Sion reappointed most of his important subordinates. That time had passed peacefully and without incident.

Truly without incident…

There was no rebellion from the nobility at the change, either… They didn’t even protest.

It was so peaceful that it was frightening.

Sion had been closed up for a few days now, grappling with his ever increasing mountains of paperwork. The usual distractions - Claugh and Calne, even Noa and Eslina - were busy with their new jobs and new departments, so they didn’t really come to bother him. Claugh in particular: he’d been promoted to marshal of all Roland’s army, and he was swamped with paperwork he wasn’t used to as a result.

Sion finished reading through a document, signed it to acknowledge the fact, and moved to the next one. It was one submitted by Roland’s marshal himself.

You really have some nerve promoting me to such a boring post. I’ll definitely kill you, you fucking bastard. I’m really going to fucking kill you once I’m done with all this transfer work.

Was that a threat?

If anyone else read that, they’d surely become pale. But Sion just smiled. “Sounds like Claugh’s having some trouble.”

Sion wrote a reply.

It’ll be troublesome being killed then. You’ll have to take the rest of my work. Look forward to it.

Then he moved Claugh’s letter aside to get to the signed documents from the marshal. They were about military plans and the like. He moved it to his shelf for documents from Claugh.

“I wonder if he’ll come yell at me again?” Sion said to himself. His hand stopped atop a fresh document as he looked out the window to Roland’s capital, Reylude. There was a good view of the city from his office window.

He stared out the window for some time.

The city was peaceful. The upheaval he’d expected to happen never came.

And so… quietly, quietly, the country changed on a great scale. The city outside his window was still the same as always, but… this country was certainly changing. He’d appointed his own subordinates in the country’s major posts… Posts that had only been reserved for the noble-born before. But it wasn’t like he’d entirely cut the nobility out. He hadn’t fired all the tyrannic nobles for like-minded people. He just hadn’t expected this to be the result of using his power.

If Sion had true power, he could appoint whomever he wanted wherever he wanted. He could openly look down on the nobility and promote commoners however much he liked. That would be the fastest way to help Roland grow so it could stand up against various foreign countries.

But… the few days since Sion’s official announcement had far exceeded his expectations. The country was revived in a single swoop. The nobles who thought of nothing but themselves let them be…

So the country was revived in a single swoop.

He gathered the promising people of Roland who’d been hidden up until now. There were certainly nobles among them, and they still had a huge amount of power: vast lands, enormous assets, private armies.

But now there were commoners at the top of both the military and domestic affairs. That was significant.

They could change Roland in place of the nobility. They could make a better country. A better government. A better life for everyone…

The changes weren’t finished yet, but a huge number of documents had made it to Sion’s desk irregardless. They were suggestions on how to proceed with Roland now…

They were opinions entirely different from the nobility’s. They were the voices of people who cared about their country. They weren’t the voices of the nobility who wrote to protect themselves and their greed, who wrote words stained with lies. They were truly the voices of people who cared.

Would their country become richer with this? Would their commerce continue without stagnating and instead prosper?

It had only been a few days.

All he did was give the average person the opportunity to think about which direction their country should head in.

Sion looked up at the mountains of paperwork piled before his eyes. “To think they’d send this many suggestions…”

Sion smiled for a moment, happy, but his eyes soon narrowed. “But…”

The city outside his window was still quiet.

“…It’s too quiet,” Sion whispered.

It was unquestionably strange that the nobility wouldn’t say anything about this. It shouldn’t be happening.

“I shouldn’t be so naive. If they’re this obedient, then they must understand what the future holds… If I could make them surrender with just this, I’d never have had any problems with them in the first place…”

Sion’s words trailed off. A self-deprecating smile rose to his face.

“No… if the nobility were that able, I’d never have become king in the first place. They’d be ruling the country instead.”

But… reality was different.

The nobility were foolish, weak, and acted only in their own interests. They would even sell their own country out…

They were people who didn’t think of the future. They only cared about their feelings in the moment. They only cared about their own pride. They only cared about enjoying themselves in the moment…

In the moment, in the present, right here and now…

They didn’t think about things like where this country was headed… things like the people of their country… They only thought about themselves.

Suppose they’d sensed that they couldn’t win against Sion on this. They’d probably sell this country out while it was still peaceful. They’d sell it to line their own pockets, and in doing so they’d defeat Sion.

Sion knew them. They were the nobles who’d called his mother a low-born mutt. They were made of nothing but greed.

“…Right. My common blood,” Sion whispered as he looked at his hand. “The blood that flows through me… is dirty. The nobility lived off their greed and my father threw my mother away like a dirty rag when he was finished… Tell me, blood of the previous king…”

What were the nobility feeling? What would they do?

It was too quiet. But things wouldn’t end with this. So what were the nobility thinking? Why weren’t they moving? Why?

What would they do in order to defeat him…?

Sion glared out the window. Just then, a knock sounded at his office door.

“…I have come with a report, sir. There is unrest among the nobility in the Ackmel region…”

Sion didn’t listen to the rest.

It was happening. The true Roland would emerge after their temporary peace…

The nobility weren’t weak by any means. It’d probably turn into a huge fight. It would be a deep, ugly, and inescapable fight…

And the first spark of action…

Sion’s eyes narrowed. “I see. So it really did… start in Ackmel.”

Ackmel was Marquess Karlal Froaude’s territory.

Yes. Miran Froaude’s father’s territory.

“…Call Claugh.”

The messenger obeyed.

---

The Ackmel region was a bit northeast of the capital. It was relatively close to foreign land, primarily that of their ally Runa, so it was responsible for trade between the two countries. It was a vast, fertile area, as well.

Roland was a country on the southern end of Menoris, so its climate was temperate year-round. Just about all of its land was quite fertile as a result.

The Froaude mansion was in the Ackmel region. No, rather than mansion… perhaps it was more accurate to call it a small castle or a fort. It was a durable fort made of stone piled high. No matter how good Roland’s relationship with Runa may be now, Karlal Froaude had it built sturdy with the possibility of war in mind.

Even so, the interior design was far from plain functionality. A marquess was a high noble rank second only to duke, a fact made clear by the gracefully elegant decor.

It was there… that a great many nobles had begun to assemble.

The great hall had been opened as a formal buffet. An orchestra was performing splendidly. Nobles were engaging each other in pleasant conversation over high-class wine and lavish food. Even now nobles were arriving from various parts of the country to partake in the banquet. It was becoming quite the showy affair.

Miran Froaude stared intently, his eyes lacking even the slightest warmth. They were cold from every angle. He watched nobles gather with those icy eyes of his. “Just as one would expect, a number of greatly noble people come to gather at your call,” he said politely.

A satisfied smile rose to the face of the man standing next to him. “No, it is because of your power, Miran. It is thanks to you introducing me to my lord Duke Staelied that our company has become so noble,” he said, turning his face towards Froaude. He was a plump old man of short stature. Though the room wasn’t especially hot, his face was already greasy. He had a vulgar smile and lacked grace.

Even so, Froaude smiled sweetly when he met his eyes. “Not at all. My power is no match for yours, Father. Please, continue to protect me with that power of yours.”

Yes, this old man was the region’s governor, the current head of the Froaude family, Karlal Froaude. Looking at the two of them together, it was impossible to find even the slightest resemblance between Froaude’s thin build and cutting beauty and Karlal.

But that was obvious. They weren’t related by blood, after all.

Karlal gazed at Froaude. “Mmhm. You needn’t worry. I will always protect you. You’re my son, my pride and joy, after all. My precious child… My judgement was correct. I fell in love with you the second I saw you as a child, and you’ve grown up so beautifully. You’re even quick-witted. I have loved many other boys, but… you really are the best of them.”

Karlal’s eyes when he looked at Froaude were not the eyes of a man looking at his son. They were the eyes of a man looking at his dearest lover…

Froaude smiled, too. “And I am honored to have been able to become your son.”

“…Mmhm. You are cute,” Karlal said, gently touching Froaude’s back.

Froaude’s eyes instantly narrowed. They were cold, lightless eyes like a demon might have, and they narrowed ever so slightly… and his eyes alone looked at Karlal.

Froaude gently pulled away from Karlal’s arm. “Father, the night has only just begun. Let’s save this pleasure for later. It would be such a shame to ruin this long-awaited night with unromantic business conversations - shouldn’t we take care of them beforehand? The remainder of the guests will have arrived soon…”

Karlal nodded. “Mhm. You’re right. I would not want Duke Staelied to see something so lacking in tact…”

Froaude shook his head. “If it’s you, Father, you are plenty tactful. Now then…”

Froaude raised his hand. The orchestra quieted at his signal.

“Thank you for assembling here today, ladies and gentlemen,” Froaude said in his clear but disinterested voice. Despite its clarity, it was as if his emotions had died entirely. His tone was demonic.

Every noble gathered looked over to Froaude.

Froaude bowed politely. “Tonight’s banquet’s organizers are Duke Suhld Staelied and my father Karlal Froaude.”

Applause roared through the hall. Karlal raised a hand, nodding along with it. Staelied looked terribly gaunt in comparison as he responded to the applause…

Froaude watched them, then looked back around the room to check and see if the reception’s five doors were all closed. They were not.

Karlal spoke as he did. “We are grateful that you all responded to my and Staelied’s call to gather here. You must all know why we’ve gathered here.”

“To discipline that Sion Astal brat for getting carried away!”

“He makes light of us nobles and surrounds himself with filthy trash to gloat! This country will be destroyed if we leave it to that tyrant!”

“We’re here to force that man out of his office!”

Karlal nodded as voices rose around him. “That is right. The time for us nobles to make a stand is now. No matter how he draws attention to his royal blood, the fact is that he is a dirty child born from the stomach of garbage. Someone like him becoming our king will make us the laughingstock of our neighboring countries, I’m sure. We must strike before he gets too arrogant. And the time to strike is now!” Karlal said.

“And my son, my pride, Miran, has thought up an ingenious plan,” Karlal continued. “I believe you are all already aware, however… we take a moment and borrow the power of the Runa Empire which was friends with the previous king, then remove him from power. I want to ask everyone to help us with that.”

The room was drowned in shouts of agreement… it looked like everything would go according to plan.

Froaude narrowed his eyes. The doors were closing. One, two…

“My son Miran will speak regarding the particulars of the plan,” Karlal said. “It may be my fault for how I’ve raised him, but… he isn’t especially sociable. Please listen warmly and attentively.”

Of course when he said it like that, laughter resounded through the hall…

Karlal looked at his son for some time, expression full of pride and satisfaction. “Now, Miran. I leave the rest to you.”

The doors were closing then, too. Three, four…

There was one left.

Froaude turned his gaze back to the crowd… and bowed…

“First, there is something I would like to ask… Have you all been attacked as of late? According to my information, the pro-monarchy faction has been employing assassins as part of a plan to kill us nobles of the anti-monarchy faction…”

The nobles became noisy even before Froaude could finish.

“Certainly, someone did come to me.”

“To me as well! I was in danger of being killed… but I managed to drive him away.”

Froaude nodded. “Just as I thought. That is why esteemed persons such as yourself have gathered here today. The king has blundered, hasn’t he? He underestimates our power in thinking assassins of such low calibre could kill us… but instead it has only heightened our patriotism. It must have relit the feeling within some of our guests that this man called Astal becoming king will lead to a crisis, as well as the feeling that that man should not have become king…

“The king has blundered. His assassins had no effect but to bring a number of powerful nobles all into the same room today. The fact that all of you have assembled alone… means that it is only natural that my plan succeeds. First, I would like to express my gratitude to you all for gathering here today…”

Froaude bowed and the nobles gathered applauded. He bowed again as they did, a faint smile rising to his face.

He looked at the gathered nobles. The nobles looked around at each other, verifying their shared feelings. They had no doubt that they would be victorious. That their hands would be the ones saving their country. They were full of hope.

Froaude gazed at each of their faces one by one, and then a cold and faint but mocking smile rose to his face…

“Now, Miran, don’t go acting like you’re better than everyone. Tell everyone your plan without that,” Karlal said. “Even I don’t know the details yet, after all… How should we get Runa’s help, and how should we remove Astal from power?”

The eyes of the crowd all returned to Froaude at once.

Froaude nodded. “The plan… yes, you’re right. I will soon speak on it. But there is something I would like everyone to do first…”

Froaude stopped to look around the room once more.

“…Please die.”

The room answered with dead silence.

It took a moment for his words to sink in.

“H-how rude…”

“What did you just—”

“Ah, just as I thought, you fools can’t comprehend your situation,” Froaude interrupted. “No, you who would sell your own country to satiate your greed… cannot even comprehend human speech. You took my bait and ate it without even thinking about it. You are just…”

Froaude looked to see the final door closing. Then he shook his head.

“…No, my explanation would be in vain. You will all just die here anyway. The doors have closed and you can no longer escape. Now…”

Froaude raised his hand slowly. It wore a peculiar black ring…

“Wh-what is the meaning of this, Miran?” Karlal asked from behind him. “What are you saying all of the sudden…?”

Froaude didn’t turn back to face him. “O darkness… appear,” he whispered.

Froaude’s shadow on the floor sprouted up, then split into dozens of pieces… then made to attack to nobles.

It only took a moment for the banquet to change into hell.

Heads, torsos, arms, and legs separated from their bodies and danced in midair one by one.

The dark shadows crossed them, spraying blood, blood, more blood…

The room was painted over with blood.

“Wh-what,” Karlal said. He had fallen over in fear behind him.

Froaude turned slowly… and his lips curled up. He was smiling.

Karlal looked at the shocked nobles, then back to Froaude. “W-what is this, Miran? Don’t tell me you even intend to kill me…”

Froaude nodded easily. “I have intended to since the very beginning, Father. I have always looked forward to this day.”

“Wh…” Karlal stuttered, his expression wholly disbelieving. “You must be joking, Miran… Please, please tell me you’re lying… I, I’ve always loved you, ever since I met you when you were young…”

Froaude just smiled. “So? Are you telling me to say that I love you, foolish and ugly as you are? That I could love you, who can’t comprehend the consequences of his actions? Please, give that obstinate idiocy of yours a rest. You are no more than a chess piece that’s outlived its use, and you were only ever a piece to me since the very beginning. Where I should go from here is already decided. So you have outlived your use.”

“D-don’t lie to me!” Karlal said. “I met you when you were just five years old! You shouldn’t have been able to trick me since that age… don’t tell me that even your love for me as your father…”

Froaude smiled again, and his scarlet lips opened slowly. “At the time… you were not as powerful as you are now. Your older brother was head of the Froaude family then. But your brother passed away. Then your other relatives passed one by one in unforeseen accidents… until only you were left with your vast territory, assets, and political power… I put everything in order and then entered your family… but your place in it was given to you by me. It is about time that I take it back…”

Karlal’s face paled in the blink of an eye. “Th-that’s ridiculous… You’re telling me that a five year old child killed the entire Froaude family…?”

“Not quite. You are here, after all. Though that will not be true after today…”

Froaude slowly raised his hand towards Karlal’s head.

“P-please wait,” Karlal said. “Even so, despite everything… I spent the past seventeen years with you as father and son, as lovers… Please, even if only a little—”

Froaude smiled sweetly. “Enough. Your voice grates on my ears. Goodbye, Father.”

“S, sto—”

His words ended there. He was engulfed in shadows - his head, arms, and legs disappeared… just his torso was left, too pitiful to be eaten by beasts…

The other mastermind of this occasion watched from behind…

Staelied, who had been threatened to betray his faction for the pro-monarchy party spoke with a trembling voice. “Y-you even killed… your own father so calmly and easily…”

He looked at the center of the hall. He couldn’t suppress his emotions at the scene before him. The nobles were attacked one by one by black shadows… and killed.

“It appears coming to your side was the right choice, Colonel Miran Froaude… no, Lieutenant General Miran Froaude as of the other day. And perhaps it’s best if I call you Marquess Froaude now?”

Froaude turned to face him. “Burn this into your memory. If you betray me, I will kill you as well.”

Staelied gazed into the hellish room once more. Most of the nobles had already been killed… A self-deprecating smile rose to his face. “Nobody would betray you after seeing this. How… could anyone fight these monsters? I will never betray your faction—”

Staelied’s words stopped there. His face still carrying that serventile expression remained, but his body vanished…

“…Mm?” Froaude said. “That was not… due to my ring… was it.”

He looked into the center of the room. The vast majority of the nobles present had been eaten by the shadows of his ring… But in the deepest depths of the room… a man stood by the door that had closed first.

Froaude narrowed his eyes.

“……”

He was an odd man. He had disheveled hair in a rare, vaguely pink color. His height was not that of Froaude’s, but he was on the tall side rather than short. He had a balanced physique. It was easy to tell that he trained. His almond-shaped eyes looked around confidently even in this situation, then settled on Froaude…

“…You have driven my shadows away. Who exactly are you?” Froaude asked.

The man shrugged. “Since I’m here, that obviously makes me one of Roland’s nobles…”

Froaude shook his head at once. “You are joking. You are from a foreign country, are you not? Your pink hair is a color that hardly ever occurs within Roland.”

“…Hm. You’ll see through anything, won’t you? You’re as sharp as you look. I get scared just looking at those icy eyes of yours,” the man said with a smirk.

“It is my honor to accept your compliment… No matter what your intention may be smiling like that while speaking to me, I can only hear it as a compliment… What business do you have within Roland?”

“Mm? Do I look like the kind of guy who’d tell you without a second thought?”

Froaude raised his hand slowly. “Then I will force you to tell me…”

The man whistled. “It’s that black ring, right? That’s the weapon you used to summon those shadows. It’s pretty nasty. It summons shadows that can move without being seen… you need to be a pretty high level to wield it. You must’ve been through a lot to be able to use it, huh? You’re a suitably sharp and able guy. You’re not the kind of person I want to smirk back at me. And to top it off you’ve got another job now. I definitely want to keep you from using that power if possible.”

“O darkness…”

The man grimaced. “Of course you’d say that.” He too raised a hand in the air, his bearing a golden ring. “Come to me, o beasts…”

““Appear!””

The shadows leapt up from beneath Froaude… and in contrast, light gathered on the other side of the hall. No, perhaps it was better to say that lightning was clumping together rather than light…

Countless clusters appeared, gradually taking the shape of beasts.

Froaude’s eyes narrowed as he watched. “I see. It is as I thought,” he said, matter-of-fact. “The power that destroyed Duke Staelied was clearly not magic. You own a weapon much the same as my own…”

The man shrugged. “Man, I really don’t feel like fightin’ you. I mean, that’s your only reaction to my beasts. That’s a first. Did you expect something like this would happen?”

“Not at all. I am plenty surprised. I did not expect you to be here. Naturally, I expected that one of the nobles may realize my plan and make to kill me, but typically I am able to deal with everything with these shadows. However… the fact that one such as yourself is here… and that you killed Duke Staelied… Yes. You understood what I meant to do and came to kill Duke Staelied, and subsequently kill the nobles following Duke Staelied… If that is the case, then naturally I understand your character. Now, who is it that must kill Duke Staelied? Who would request that you come to kill Duke Staelied…? Which noble? It is likely one who exceeds Duke Staelied’s position, a mastermind who does not visit the center stage… and to which country did that mastermind sell Roland out to…? What country are you from? Of course I have two or three possibilities in mind…”

The other man was already making a face like he was asking for forgiveness. “Man, this sucks… Talking to you makes me realize all kinda things are gonna get out that we were supposed to keep secret… Seems like my employer will be mad. So I’m not gonna say a thing from now on.”

“That is fine. I don’t mind. First I will cut your ring finger into thin strips, then capture you, and have you speak to me at my leisure until you die.”

The man smirked. “Capture me… I have too much pride to be captured. I better kill you instead,” he said and extended his hand towards Froaude. “And then I’ll help myself to your ring!”

With that, the lightning beasts flew to Froaude with incredible vigor…

Froaude’s shadow beasts leapt up to meet them with the same speed. Froaude ran as they did. He faced the other man and drew a magic circle before himself with the hand bearing his ring. “I wish for a burnt prairie…”

The man scowled. “Gh… you’re gonna use magic? This sucks!” He yelled and made a beeline for Froaude, holding his ringed hand out. “Beasts!”

The beasts sprang to life in the air and shot straight at Froaude’s magic circle, breaking it.

Froaude took a step back. “Appear.”

A single shadow beast manifested to counter the lightning beasts.

They increased the distance from each other and glared at each other. Six beasts of thunder and shadow attacked and ate each other around them.

They were evenly matched.

The man looked bothered. “Man, you really are strong. You knew how to react instantly. Whatever… seems like we won’t reach a winner like this.”

Froaude smiled faintly. “No, that is wrong. I have already realized that you cannot use magic. No, your use of magic is likely prohibited so as to keep your country of origin secret. You cannot use magic because it would show me what country you are from… which is the same as not being able to use magic at all. That is a large difference… if our rings are equal in power, then the fact that I can use magic gives me a tremendous advantage. That is the first reason that I have an advantage.”

The man grimaced. “Uwah, there’s more than one…”

“Yes, there is. Another reason is your disadvantageous situation. Seeing that you cannot use magic, therefore giving you the lesser of battle ability between the two of us, you have been searching for a means of escape, cunning as you are. However, I have given orders that these doors absolutely not be opened. If you tried to get your lightning beasts to break a door down to escape… you would be giving me an opening. Say you sent a single beast to break a door. You would give my shadow beast the opportunity to bite at your neck…”

The man shrugged, ready to surrender. “Hey, that’s pretty impressive. I mean, we only fought a little but you’ve already theorized that far. Aren’t you tired from all that thinking? I bet people tell you that you’re annoying pretty often. You don’t have a lot of friends, do you?”

Froaude smiled bitterly. “I am not tired, but I am told the latter quite often. Enough chatting. Please make your decision. Will you surrender, or will you try to escape knowing that I could kill you?”

“There’s always suicide,” the man said easily. “I mean, the worst case scenario is getting caught, tortured, and spilling my country’s secrets.”

Froaude narrowed his eyes. “Is that your choice?”

The man shook his head and smiled. “Nah, I won’t kill myself. I have a better way to get out of this.” He reached his hand into his pocket. “The forth option.”

He took out a shining blue gem. “Crystallized Iino Doue… This’ll win it for me.”

He threw the gem. It stopped in midair, still… and then shivered as if resonating with something. It made a high-pitched ringing sound and shook…

The man was quick to use his lightning beasts to try to break a door.

Froaude made to have his shadow beasts give chase, but… his hand stopped.

He looked at the gem.

The man had not hesitated in the slightest in having his beasts attack the door after getting this gem out. He must have understood that Froaude could attack him from behind, and yet… he aimed for the door without hesitation…

“…Shit,” Froaude muttered. He had the shadows move to destroy the door closest to himself.

“You have good judgement,” the man said. “But you’re too late.”

With that, the man fled through the door he’d destroyed.

Froaude also tried to leave, but… the gem suddenly exploded. Blue fire gushed out, lighting the ceiling, the floor, and destroying them… It did not merely burn them. It caused them to disappear. The temperature raised to hundreds of degrees… it was a temperature high enough to cause the walls and ornaments the fire hadn’t reached to crumble. The fire itself was spreading, too. It soon approached his retreating back.

His shadows moved at once to protect him, but… even the shadows were burnt by that strange blue flame. He called for them and called for them, but they all just disappeared…

He finally reached the door. But in that instant…

“Kgh…”

Froaude grimaced.

The wall collapsed on itself, blocking the door…

It was over.

He did not have the time to reach the other doors. Even if he did, his shadows couldn’t defend against this fire. It would reach him sooner than later.

If he tried to use his shadows to clear the door in front of him, his back would be left completely defenseless against the fire. He would be burnt to death…

“……”

He had lost. Completely and overwhelmingly lost to an enemy who had looked down on him so…

Froaude’s feet stopped. He closed his eyes in a daze…

But right then, before his eyes… the door was broken into many pieces.

“Hey! What the hell are you doing!? Hurry up and run!”

Someone gripped his arm tightly and pulled him close with a strong hand.

Froaude raised his head. For some reason, Claugh was there…

“…Why did you… kgh.”

He couldn’t keep talking. The fire was surrounding them, erasing everything as it did. Froaude turned towards it, glaring into the blue flames. He wielded his ring’s power against it. An explosive quantity of shadows rose up against it… He kept bringing them out far past his limit.

His eyes went hazy. His arm felt like it’d be blown off. Even so, he held his arm steady. “Y-your Excellency Marshal Klom. E, eight seconds. I can hold this fire back for… approximately eight seconds…”

That was his limit.

No matter how many shadows he brought forth, everything would be destroyed in eight seconds.

But Claugh just smirked. “Not bad, Froaude! That’s plenty. Hold ‘em down good!!” Claugh yelled. Then he held out his right arm. The tattoos on his arm began to shine. He pressed that arm to the wall lightly… and it crumbled. “Let’s go!” Claugh said, pulling Froaude by his collar. They flew out of the fort… and not a second later it was wholly engulfed in flames. It even continued to spread outside of it with the same vigor, as if it meant to engulf the whole world in flames…

“Aaaaaaagh shit, how far’s this thing gonna chase us?!” Claugh yelled, pulling Froaude along with him as he ran at an impressive speed…

The scene twisted and distorted. Froaude gazed at it as Claugh led him around. It was wavering from the intense heat… but then it reached some sort of fixed parameter, and the flames disappeared.

The world returned to normal.

The fort was entirely destroyed. The fire was incredibly powerful. Had it extended a little farther, they probably would not have been able to escape.

Froaude narrowed his eyes. No… if Claugh had not come when he did, he probably would have died in that room…

He’d certainly been prepared for death for a moment.

And yet, this man…

Froaude looked up at Claugh, who was running without looking back, dragging Froaude by his collar…

He gazed at Claugh for some time.

He gazed at Claugh, who was desperately tugging him along and running…

And he began to ponder something.

“……”

And then he spoke.

“…Umm, there is something I would like to tell you… Your Excellency Marshal Klom.”

“Aah? This ain’t the place for it! Tell me later! Later, okay!”

“No, well, I do not mind telling you later, but… it is information that I definitely would like you to hear. Do you not have the time for it?”

“Ugh, god, shut up! What do you want?”

“Well… you are running so frantically, Your Excellency Marshal Klom,” Froaude said in that usual detached voice of his. “But the fire has actually disappeared already. What exactly are you running from?”

“Huh?” Claugh said dumbly and turned around. Sure enough, the fire wasn’t following them anymore. He gazed at it for sometime, dumbfounded… and dropped Froaude’s collar. “You shoulda told me sooner!!” He yelled.

Froaude wiped at his clothes, dirtied with mud, then stood and shrugged. “Well, it was such a comical situation: you were pulling me along like it was life-or-death despite the fire having disappeared already, and I found it funny… so I was late to tell you.”

“Ugh, you’re the same irritating guy as always,” Claugh said.

“I apologize. Have I rubbed you the wrong you?”

“You’re always rubbin’ me the wrong way. Sion went out of his way to solve things and unite the country as peaceful as he could with as few sacrifices as possible, and then you had the nerve to disrespect that…”

Froaude nodded. “That is what’s so funny about this. I am well aware that you dislike me, and yet you came to save me. I wonder why?”

Claugh grimaced. “That? Well, Sion said to go save you so there’s nothin’ I could do about it. I seriously didn’t want to come at all…”

Froaude tilted his head. “His Majesty did? But that is strange. Why would he send the marshal alone to this location?”

“He didn’t. He obviously said to take an army. According to Sion, you’d come and try and purge the nobility and there would probably be some kind of counterattack, and he said it’d be too dangerous for just you so he told me to take a bunch of soldiers from the capital and come save you… But I was all fired up at you going off on your own for this so I jumped off my horse to run here so I could punch you.”

Goodness…

It was all Froaude could do to tilt his head in wonder. “So you left the other soldiers behind and raced ahead?”

“Yep.”

“But you only just said that you did not want to come and only did because His Majesty told you so… and yet you say that you left the other soldiers behind and ran straight here…? I cannot quite comprehend that…”

“Ugh, shut it already. I told you already, I had to come and punch you as fast as I could!”

“So you came to punch me but ended up saving me… You are certainly an interesting person.”

“I don’t wanna hear that from you!”

Froaude made a small smile. “But I must say thanks. I would have died at the rate things were going. You saved me.”

Claugh took a serious expression. “Tell me about that blue fire before you start spouting insincere thanks. What happened? I’ve never seen magic like that before.”

Froaude looked back, too, at the remains of the fort that showed no signs of the fire from before. “Who knows… it is the first I’ve seen it as well. But there is one thing I do know…”

Claugh turned back to look at Froaude. “What?”

Froaude closed his eyes for a moment, then looked back at the destroyed fort… and then up at the sky that extended far above them. It was a perfectly sunny day without a single cloud in sight, the kind that made one believe there was nothing to worry about…

And yet… he couldn’t help but feel it was a fabrication. A fabricated, false peace.

It was all fabricated peace and fabricated tranquility.

Froaude glared at the sky. “It seems that our war… will soon begin,” he whispered, composed and detached as always.

---

The scene is Roland Castle once again.

The throne room was sublime but silent, its king seated at his throne… watching a strange sight unfold. Beasts of lightning materialized, aimed at him, and made to strike.

However…

“……”

Sion didn’t move. He didn’t look nervous in the slightest. “It’s no use,” he told the beasts.

The beasts leapt at him as he spoke. But that only lasted an instant. Faster than lightning, faster than light itself… they vanished.

No one said anything. The beasts just disappeared like they’d never been there in the first place…

Now a blond stood where they had been, face so handsome it didn’t even appear human. His eyes remained closed.

He was a terribly beautiful man.

He wasn’t holding a weapon, and yet…

He turned his eyes to the entrance to the throne room and spoke. “Hm. What an interesting attack. Lightning beasts… but interesting is all they are. They’re useless against me. If you’re thinking of meddling with the king a second time…”

An unbelievably strong bloodlust emitted from his body…

It was enough to make Sion bite back a whimper.

The man before him… was the head of the swordsmans’ clan, the Eris family, a position that had guarded Roland’s king for generations. He was Lucile Eris, and although he was meant to protect Sion, he couldn’t help but shiver at his killing intent.

No matter how many times Sion saw this man, he was still a monster.

Lucile smiled at the entrance. “You will disappear. You won’t feel any pain. You will just disappear. You can tell that to your allies, too. Tell them what will happen… if they interfere with Roland.”

He didn’t need to elaborate.

Lucile was extraordinary. As long as he was here, it was impossible for anyone to lay a hand on Sion. It appeared that their enemy realized that as well. Their presence faded. They probably made a run for it.

“Shouldn’t you catch them?” Sion asked.

Lucile turned to face him and smiled kindly. “That’s for you to decide. Or are you asking me to do it? If so, I can still catch them. Those lightning beasts were interesting, after all. What shall I do? Give chase?” He asked, then watched Sion like he was enjoying this.

Sion shook his head. “No, I’m not asking you for anything. If I ask you for pointless things I’ll put you in a bad mood, and you’re quite capable of killing me. Our best chance is them going back fear-stricken and telling whoever sent them about it.”

Lucile smiled intently the whole time Sion spoke, staring as if appraising him. No, he really was appraising him, watching to see if the gear called Sion who moved the country as its king was functioning properly. If it was, he’d protect it. If it wasn’t… he’d calmly kill Sion.

That was the kind of man he was. No one could defy him.

Lucile stared at Sion for some time. “Mm. You’re still fine. You’re not broken. This country is blessed with a good king. A warring era is coming soon, isn’t it? But I believe that you will surely survive as long as you are king.”

Having said his piece, Lucile’s form became indistinct like mist.

He really was a monster.

All Lucile did was erase his presence, but that alone made it impossible to see him. Even so, Sion was no longer surprised…

Lucile soon disappeared entirely, but Sion spoke to him anyway. “What would you do if I became unable to protect this country?”

Lucile didn’t hesitate to answer. “I would kill you and crown a new, more able king. So you shouldn’t worry. Just do what you’d like. I’ll put you out of your misery if that time comes.”

What a thing to say…

Sion smiled bitterly. “How reassuring,” he whispered. He crossed his arms. “Do what I’d like… huh?”

He was quiet after that, sucked up in his thoughts. Those lightning beasts weren’t normal magic… just what was happening? Was that an assassin from the nobility?

Claugh and Froaude hadn’t returned yet. He still didn’t know if they were safe or not.

He didn’t have enough information. What was happening in this country…?

Sion stared into space, unmoving, for quite some time…

---

The scene moves yet again, now to a place in the Runa Empire, a castle closer to the Roland facing side…

A man and woman, each with a rare pink shade of hair, were there.

One was a cute girl. She was short and looked around twelve or thirteen years old. Her pink bangs were cut straight across her eyebrows, and she wore a pitch black dress reminiscent of a suit. She had a handsome face and almond-shaped eyes. Though she was still young, she was a graceful and beautiful girl. But she spoke with an attitude.

“Geez! We’re in front of the king and you’re still this careless! Aren’t you embarrassed, Sui!?”

She talked on and on without leaving room for anyone else to speak, and she was totally unapologetic about it.

The man beside her - Sui - was strangely smiley and had a weak look to him. “Huh? But I’m not trying to be careless…”

He had the same pink hair as her, and their faces even resembled each other. Judging by that, they were probably siblings. But their personalities couldn’t be farther apart.

“You were! You so were! Ugh, I can’t believe you. You’re in front of all these people and you’re still this embarrassing. You’ve gotta be more firm. I mean, we’re Gastark’s goodwill ambassadors! Runa’s people will laugh at us if you aren’t more firm!”

“Y-you’re right, Kuu. Then, then how’s this?” Sui asked. He’d stiffened his voice to sound more firm, but his eyes were still calm and smiling, his attempt at being firm failing to reach them entirely…

“No!! That’s that’s not itat all!” Kuu said, getting angrier and angrier…

This castle was not the main one in Runa’s capital. Even so, Runa’s king was sitting before them. The fact that he’d been sent goodwill ambassadors who chatted carelessly like those two did was clearly not a good omen…

And yet…

“…Who… are you two?” He asked. His voice shook as he spoke. “What… are you?”

Sui and Kuu looked to the king.

“I told you, we’re ambassadors from Gastark!” Kuu said. “See, our king like, wants us to be allies so we came to reach out to you! You obviously won’t say no to that, right?”

“B, but… Our Runa Empire already has a pact with Roland…”

Sui shook his head. “Let’s keep it real here. We already know that you have a secret agreement with Roland’s nobles to take down their king. Duke Staelied was working with you on that plan, right?”

Runa’s king’s expression stiffened. “H, how do you know so much…?”

Sui smiled pleasantly even now. “Duke Staelied is dead. Our ally killed him, and we have succeeded in establishing a friendship with Roland’s most elite nobles. It won’t be long until we’ve taken Roland. So I’ll ask you one more time… Your Highness. What’s your choice? Will you come to Gastark’s side? Or will you…”

Sui turned around. Many dead bodies lay there. Not just ten or twenty… but one or two hundred, an innumerable number of dead Runan soldiers.

It was an incredible sight.

These two siblings had easily annihilated the king’s elite guard.

The king shivered. There were two monsters standing before his very eyes…

“You don’t have to be scared, now,” Sui said calmly. “Nothing bad will happen as long as you do what I say. Following us is profitable! Well, I know it’s hard to choose even when I say that. I’ll give you a little time to think about it. We have one more thing we have to do in Runa, after all. We’ll do that and then return… so we’ll be expecting an answer by then. If not, your life… no, your beloved daughter… Princess Ena. If her life is precious to you, you should make a decision. Perhaps saying it that way will have more effect?”

The king went pale at once.

“Ahaha. So you’ll throw commoners to the wolves, but your daughter’s life is precious to you. Ahaha… funny, isn’t it? We’ll be expecting your reply. Now then, Kuu. Where were we going next, again?”

Kuu puffed her cheeks up. “You already forgot!? Ugh, geez, this is why I can’t leave you alone! I swear, you need to learn to stand on your own! Okay, try and remember. You get five seconds. Five… four…”

Sui looked troubled as she counted. “Y-you don’t need to comment… just tell me. I really forgot… It was some village in the mountains, right?”

Kuu was at her limit. “It really can’t be helped with you, can it? It’s Ridget Village. The Runan military is researching an Alpha Stigma kid around there…”

Sui nodded. “Then let’s head out to Ridget Village and see. We need to make sure no one steals that Alpha Stigma kid…”

“We’ve gotta hurry. If he goes berserk and gets taken out, we won’t be able to get his crystal…”

“Then shall we head out now?”

“Yeah!”

They left, conversing lightheartedly, stepping over the dead bodies as if there was nothing wrong with that picture…

They left the king of Runa, who was supposed to rule Runa with an army of eighty thousand, shivering and unable to move…

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