Published at 21st of June 2023 6:57 pm

Volume 12, Chapter 3 – Snake Queen, Part 7

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

In the western part of the Great Grantz Empire―Fort Zeltselt.

Here, where darkness had fallen, it echoed with wild dogs howling and the sound of insects hiding in the grass and flowers.

A single light emerged from the darkness: the bonfire of the encampment surrounding Fort Zeltselt.

The soldiers, who had been allowed a small amount of alcohol to boost their morale as the decisive battle was just around the corner, were chatting and laughing as they drank with their comrades, looking very cherished. Even so, not everyone was optimistic about the situation. Some of them were so nervous that they could not eat, and they were praying to the “Spirit King” for their safety in the battle. Like anyone, they did not come to this place prepared to die.

But war always meant death, and one must alleviate the fear of death as much as possible. That’s why they drank alcohol to take their minds off of it. They laughed and made noise with their comrades, and for the time being, they put the fear out of their minds. Their commanders were currently in Fort Zeltselt.

The reason for this was that Prime Minister Rosa of the Great Grantz Empire held a banquet to bring together the Western and Eastern nobles. Although it was an impromptu affair, it sometimes had an unexpected effect on the battlefield if one became at least a little friendly with the other. It was difficult to build a relationship of trust just because you had a few drinks together once or twice, but they decided that they should do everything they could if it would improve their chances of winning the battle, even if only slightly. Even so, the size of the banquet was relatively small for a gathering of influential people from the Great Grantz Empire due to the fact that they were wary of night raids.

Even so, the banquet was a great success, and the most notable among the guests was the sixth princess, Liz. She was the most likely candidate to become the next empress and there was no end to the number of nobles who came to pay their respects to her.

“It’s finally over…..”

The constant stream of greetings from the nobles finally came to an end.

This was something she would never get used to.

But there would come a time when it would seem natural, Liz thought, but that was denied by her sister Rosa. She was told that once she was on the throne, there would be no more nobles to talk to her. The reason the nobles came to greet Liz now was to make a good impression in case she became empress, and once the coronation was over, they would stop approaching her for fear of incurring her wrath. Loneliness awaited on the throne―Rosa’s sad expression was impressive, and Liz remembered well when she was told about it. Still, even if the world was rife with the evil spirits of the mountains and rivers, there was no way she could abandon the dream she had held since she was a child.

Anyway, her facial muscles were cramping up from all the smiling.

“I think I’ll go get some fresh air…”

In search of a place to calm down, Liz stroked her own cheek and tried to leave the room unnoticed. On her way there, she saw Skaaha being caught by Aura, and with Aura’s father, she was forced to hold the Black Book.

Skaaha has been asleep for a long time, but it seemed she still hadn’t woken up from her nightmares.

While sympathizing with Skaaha, Liz moved to hide in the shadows to avoid getting caught in the middle of it.

“Even so, it’s a frightening family lineage that both father and daughter love to read the Black Book.”

Aura once told a story about how her father gave her the Black Book when she was a child. Aura became a follower of the “God of War” at that time and began to engage in missionary work.

The father who gave the Black Book to a young girl at an impressionable age when she was supposed to be playing with dolls must have been a “God of War” believer, too. He must be a terrible father to brainwash his own daughter. But then again, Liz was also a girl who preferred playing with swords rather than dolls, so she had no right to complain about the behavior of others.

“That was…”

A woman came into Liz’s field of vision as she moved.

It was General Weiss who had been entrusted with the protection of the East.

She was eating her meal while appropriately brushing aside the greetings of the nobles.

As was typical of the beastmen, she did not touch any vegetables, preferring to eat only meat instead.

Weiss, perhaps fed up with the nobles who were so insistent, took a small plate and heaped up the meal, and then, as if to escape from the troublesome space, she slipped through the door Liz was heading for and went out into the hallway.

Liz decided to follow just in time. She had a lot of questions she wanted to ask.

When she stepped out into the hallway, the soldier on guard saw her and looked at her with a surprised look on his face, but when she put the tip of her finger to her mouth, he looked forward as if he had not seen anything.

The soldiers on guard duty found her as she followed Weiss down the corridor. Liz silenced them with a glance as they tried to salute her with surprised expressions on their faces. Then, shaking her chin, she silently pressured them to continue their duty, and they stood erect and began to walk. It was obvious that they were agitated as their hands and feet were moving at the same time.

Liz followed Weiss, keeping a certain distance between them.

After climbing the stairs and passing through a dimly lit passageway, they were greeted by a well-worn wooden door.

Opening this door will take you to the outside world―the rooftop of Fort Zeltselt.

Even though she tried to open the door without making a sound, it rang out very loudly, as if the edge was caught somewhere. Liz, who had been able to follow Weiss successfully, made a poor move at the last minute, and her face twitched,

“Come in; there’s no one here.”

Weiss called out to her, and Liz proudly opened the door and stepped out into the outside world.

“Phew… the air is so good.”

After taking a breath of fresh air and getting comfortable, she looked up at the breast wall and saw Weiss eating.

“Rosa-dono will be furious with you for not having an escort. Above all, if it gets out that Her Highness is not at the banquet, there will be an uproar downstairs.”

“Don’t worry. I’m with one of the five great generals, after all. There is nothing dangerous. Besides, everyone is busy greeting each other, so they won’t even notice my absence.”

“Your Highness doesn’t seem to understand your position very well.”

“Is that so? I think I understand it well enough. That’s why I’ve slipped out like this so that everyone won’t be nervous.”

The nobles would be too anxious to eat if she stayed there for any length of time. There would be no need to get nervous before an important battle.

“…I see, so that’s what you meant.”

Weiss was beautiful when she smiled under the moonlight. Her silver hair shone and added to her charm―it would have been perfect if it weren’t for the fat from the meat around her mouth, but it made her look half as attractive as she was. Not bothering to point it out, rather thinking that this was more like her, Liz decided not to worry about it and climbed up the breast wall with her hand on it.

“So, what is General Weiss doing here?”

“I’m just having a meal, looking up at the night sky. I can see the stars very well here, which is why I still like the big building. It feels like I’m very close to them.”

“Oh, so you have a feminine side to you, too.”

“What do you mean?”

Liz sat down next to Weiss, who stared at her questioningly. Weiss then moved the plate away from Liz. Liz giggles at her blatant attitude.

“I won’t take anything away from you.”

“…..It’s just in case.”

“You eat as much as always.”

“You never know when something might happen, so you have to eat and store up.”

“You even took Hiro’s food.”

“He’s always been a slow eater. It’s a pity his food gets cold.”

“Hey, Cerberus.”

“What is it?”

Weiss’s face hardened as she replied.

Liz has the innocent smile of a child whose prank has succeeded.

“I knew there was something strange about you from the first time I met you.”

“M-my name is Weiss. Who is that Cerberus? It’s a very nice name, but it’s too good a name to be mistaken for someone like me….. Haha.”

Whether she was denying or affirming, it was hard to tell, but there was no doubt that she was agitated. Weiss puffed up her cheeks as she threw one mouthful of meat after another, trying not to misspeak. But now that she had admitted it, there was no fooling around.

From the moment she met her, Liz had seen right through her. It was impossible not to notice.

It’s not so flimsy a bond that she can’t be recognized just because they’d been separated by a little distance or because she changed her appearance. She grew up with her as if she were a sister. That’s why it saddened Liz to think of Weiss stubbornly trying to hide it from her. Even if there was a reason, there must be something she could do to help. No―there was no way she could allow her to remain silent. Liz reached out and grabbed Weiss’s chin, determined to make her speak up, no matter what it took, even if it was unreasonable.

“Cerberus, look into my ‘eyes’――”

Weiss had just been chewing on a large amount of meat. It was obvious what would happen if Liz’s grip was applied to her, and her beauty, which was regarded as one of the beauties in the country, was covered in fat and meat.

Her self-made-up words pass through Liz’s mind for a moment, but she was not mentally mature enough to be convinced by them. After removing the meat from her cheeks, Liz, who had a blue vein on her forehead that glistened with fat, smiled a terrible smile.

“This child… Fufu, what should I do?”

“N-no, that… It’s obviously a mistake――”

Weiss tried to make a good argument with Liz, who was shifting the blame to her, but she was frightened in front of the intense glare.

And then, with a small drop of her shoulders, Weiss sighed in resignation and turned her attention back to Liz.

“S-since when did you realize it?”

“I think the first time was when I saw your hair.”

“That’s all it took?”

“Who do you think was taking care of it?”

Liz began stroking Weiss’s head without hesitation. A touchy-feely feeling returns. However, she felt that the luster of her hair was shaded. It was nighttime, but thanks to the moon, tonight was bright, so it must not be her imagination.

“Also, even though you are a girl, it’s messy; you cut corners just because I wasn’t around.”

“I used a comb.”

“It was just appropriate, wasn’t it? That’s why I can see right through you.”

Liz said with a look of triumph, and Weiss slammed her fist against the breast wall in frustration.

“…..If you could see through something like that, I should have done better.”

Turning her dumbfounded gaze on her, Liz shrugged her shoulders and gently stroked her hair.

“In the first place, how could I not recognize my sister? We’ve grown up together for so long.”

From the time Liz was a child, when her surroundings were full of enemies, until today, they have grown up together.

Although they could not speak each other’s language, they could still communicate with each other and understand each other’s thoughts as if they could feel each other’s hearts. They were like sisters, communicating with each other in the same breath.

“Li-Liz-sama”

Weiss’s eyes welled up with tears of joy, but she immediately began to chew on the meat to hide her embarrassment. Liz was looking at her smilingly, but then she suddenly realized and tilted her head.

“By the way, how did you come to be in human form?”

“It’s a long story…”

“It doesn’t matter. Talk slowly while you eat, oh, but don’t eat too much.”

Why should she restrict her diet? Even if she was the owner, she didn’t have that much authority. No―if they were sisters, she shouldn’t force her sister as such. Weiss glared at Liz in dissatisfaction but was unable to say anything about the shocking fact that was unleashed next.

“You’ve been gaining weight lately. You need to lose some weight.”

“…..Yes.”

Weiss nodded, unable to deny it. It was true that this was something that has been bothering her for some time. She always told herself that it was because her body had slowed down, but when she was told in such a direct manner, the effect seemed extraordinary, and Weiss stopped touching the meat and turned to Liz.

“Before we talk about how I can take on human form, let’s talk a little about the past, shall we?”

Weiss looks at Liz, who peeked at her face as if she were curious and gives her a reproachful look.

However, Liz smiled shyly, without any sign of apology.

“It’s kind of strange to think that Cerberus is talking.”

“I understand how you feel, but… now you have to listen to me.”

Weiss complained, and Liz pointed a finger at her.

“Stop using that language. I don’t care if it’s in public, but we’re alone now, so there’s no need to be respectful.”

“But…..”

“Just listen to me. I am your sister.”

Liz said proudly as she put her hands on her breasts, which had grown bigger than in the past.

But Weiss could only respond with a blank stare. She couldn’t understand why she needed to bring up being sisters.

“H…..Huh, I’m not really sure, but if Liz-sama―if that’s what Liz says.”

“That’s fine, that’s fine. I’ve always wanted to talk to Cerberus, even if it was just once. It’s like a dream come true to be able to talk to you like this.”

Liz’s eyes were shining like a little girl confessing her adorable dream of being a princess in the future. Weiss looked puzzled but opened her mouth while scratching her cheeks.

“Well, can I get back to the topic?”

“Oh, yes. Go ahead.”

“Do you remember when Liz picked me up?”

“Of course, I remember when my father took me to the small country of Baum, and I found you washed up on the shore, wounded. I remember how hard it was. You were about to die.”

“Yes, that’s where my memory begins.”

Weiss nodded in understanding and continued to unleash her words.

“I couldn’t speak the language, so I couldn’t tell you, but I had amnesia. I had no idea why I had drifted overseas to the small country of Baum or why I had been injured.”

But as she grew up with the red-haired girl, she began to recall her memories.

She gradually began to remember who she was and why she had been wounded and washed ashore.

“Would you believe me if I told you that I was someone who died in battle a thousand years ago?”

Liz nodded, looking a little lost.

“Yes, I would believe you if you said it was true, though…”

There were still so many things in this world that were unknown. It was no wonder what happened.

It was the same for Hiro and probably the same for Weiss.

Still, perhaps it was a kind of compromise rather than acceptance due to the lack of a sense of reality.

“Maybe it doesn’t really ring a bell.”

“That’s fine.”

While Weiss smiled at Liz’s effort to accept, she took advantage of the opportunity to throw a piece of meat into her mouth. And then she began to talk as if nothing had happened.

“I am the lead knight of the first princess shrine maiden, and my name is Meteor, one of the five generals of the Black Heaven, who is said to have died in battle a thousand years ago.”

Weiss, with her tense tone of voice, must have meant to make a once-in-a-lifetime confession.

But Liz only gave a small nod, and Weiss tilted her head to see that the reaction was different from what she had imagined.

“You don’t believe me?”

“Well, it’s not like that, but… it still doesn’t ring a bell―for me, Cerberus is Cerberus. That is the one thing that will never change, no matter what happens.”

“I-I see…”

Weiss nodded, a little embarrassed, and Liz clasped her hands together and bowed her head in a small gesture.

“I’m sorry. Are you angry?”

“No, that’s fine. It’s okay for Liz to be the way she is.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, I’m sure that’s the right thing to do…”

Weiss muttered with a distant look in her eyes and looked at Liz a little sadly, but it was only for a moment, and then she began to continue.

“Since I got my memory back, it’s been a series of frustrating days. My body doesn’t move as it should; I’m not as strong as I once was. I can’t protect those I want to protect. So it was hard for me to be able to help Liz when you were in pain.”

“I never felt that way. I was always saved by Cerberus. If it weren’t for you, I would have fallen apart several times.”

“That’s very kind of you to say.”

When Liz immediately denied it, Weiss’s mouth fell open in delight.

“And so, eventually, I realized that I could take on human form for short periods of time, albeit irregularly. I thought I could finally help. I thought I could return the favor of saving my life. But I couldn’t stay in this form forever. So I decided to contact Liz’s father, Greyheit.”

“Is that when you became one of the five great generals?”

“Yes. I don’t know why, but Greyheit believed my words without any doubt. But I was asked to show my skills by dueling with the five great generals of the time. I managed to defeat General Robert, although I was not as good as I was in my prime 1,000 years ago. And then Greyheit appointed me as one of the five great generals, and I thought I could finally help Liz in the shadows…”

The situation surrounding Liz was more serious than she had imagined.

At the time, the Grantz and Krone families were engaged in a power struggle.

Greyheit, who wanted to abolish Stobel’s legitimacy, and the Krone family, who wanted to prevent that from happening, were fighting behind the scenes. Above all, the Krone family wanted Liz’s life. At the time, it was unclear why, but there was no way that Liz, who did not know how to defend herself in any case, could withstand the assassin’s attack. Liz had not even been chosen as the “Flame Emperor’s holder” yet. Weiss could not leave her alone, so rather than fulfilling her duties as one of the five great generals, she prioritized watching over Liz closely and waiting for her to grow stronger.

“Back then, it was a challenge for me to take on human form. I kept waiting for Liz to grow while keeping track of my own strength.”

But things didn’t get any better, and she decided it was time to move on from Liz, which was where she was now.

But Weiss thought it was the right thing to do.

She also learned why the Krone family was after Liz’s life. And now there was an unexpected byproduct of that, which made it even more difficult for her to stay away from Liz.

“But how could you take on human form?”

“I only have one theory.”

“What is the cause?”

Weiss, who turned her face down with a serious expression, hesitated whether to say or not, then turned her serious eyes on Liz as if she had made up her mind.

“Yeah, it’s not unrelated to Hiro either.”

Liz cleared her throat. Weiss’s intensity had put her off, but the look on her face made it clear that it wasn’t a good idea. Weiss looked at Liz sadly as she fell silent, but she didn’t stop herself from saying what she had to say.

“Has Liz ever wondered about Hiro’s short stature?”

“Not that I know…”

Nothing has changed for Hiro since they met.

The height also tends to be shorter than that of adult males. However, this, coupled with his soft face, also added to his attractiveness. These features were the opposite of the broad-shouldered, stocky build of the Grantz. He was different from the men she had seen before, and perhaps that was why she was so interested in him. She began to follow the mysterious boy with black hair and eyes, the same as the “God of War,” whom she had admired so much, with her eyes. And after their sudden parting, she felt that her feelings for him grew even stronger. Three years had passed since then, and he was still the same. He would always remain as he was. His gentle nature, his meek expression, his figure―no matter how many months went by, nothing changed.

“Didn’t you ever wonder why he hasn’t grown taller after three years?”

“That’s…”

He was the “God of War” ――a special being, not to be measured by their own standards of growth.

No, it was more correct to say that was what she was trying to believe. She turned away from reality and accepted him as he was, unchanging. That was still true today, she could say with certainty.

Hiro was Hiro—no one else. There was only one person in this world.

“Liz―he is…”

She didn’t want to listen, she wanted to cover her ears, but her body wouldn’t move.

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