Chapter 262: The Heart Star

The city of Othelloria.

It is one of the largest cities on the continent since ancient times.

In the time of the priests, it was one of the major cities, and in the time of the nobles, it once reached its height of glory as the capital of the kingdom of Vojstra. For about 350 years since Argyros, the first head of the Spiaseik priests, this place has been ruled by the blood of Spiaseik from generation to generation.

Now, Quardenze is stepping into such a fateful city.

I have a report.

The familiar voice of a regular report echoes in the not very spacious room.

The city center has been almost completely conquered. The only thing that remains is the Ocelorian castle, but the progress in capturing the city walls is not good.

This military officer first makes a general comment and then begins to talk about the details. I couldn't help but laugh as he began his report with the same phrase that he uses every day these days.

I'm going to get used to living in this temporary lodging,” He says jokingly.

The military officer in charge of the report gave an indescribable wry smile as he said this jokingly.

I know the war situation because I have been going around inspiring the soldiers. I also know that we are making progress, little by little, but surely. However, when I hear the same words being said every time as a summary of the day, I feel as if no progress has been made.

Young Master, there is no need to be so hasty. We are making good progress toward the breakthrough.

Another military officer followed up, and the others silently agreed.

But it's already been two weeks.

'Young Master, it is only two weeks. And this is the city of Othellia.

Two weeks is still two weeks. If we start from the day I killed both Kindoroa and McInnis, it has already been about twenty days.

At that time, I aimed for a strong attack on Othelloria via the city of Sycinaon.

I had several reasons.

The decisive factors in my decision were the report from Roomon and the fall of Dornia City.

Roomon had previously told me about an area in Spierzeig where there were many disgruntled elements. He hypothesized that there would be an increase in gold settlements in the hometowns of local militiamen who had experienced capture during Operation Serpent's Fang. He had returned to Nambonan City to do some additional research on the subject, but then Operation Serpent's Jaw began.

Roomon seemed to think that an invasion of Spierzeig territory might be of some use, and he hurriedly compiled and sent us the results of his research at that point.One of the boatmen who was in charge of crossing the Amelia River delivered the report to me.

The report, in a nutshell, said, “There are many dissatisfied citizens in the western part of the Vojstra Plain. The report also included a city-by-city evaluation. He is a man of great integrity.

Among them, the city of Dornia was given a very subtle evaluation: “A rather discontented city.

I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but when we invaded Dornia, we were able to conquer it rather easily. I remember that the morale of the local soldiers was never high, although they were probably surprised by the sudden invasion.

Because of this event, my trust in the report had increased a little bit.

The city that was described as the most dangerous in the Roomon Report was the city of Shikinaon. As if the discontent was contagious, the number of people seeking silver coins in and around Sycinaon was increasing.

So, I decided to give it a try and attacked the city of Cikinion, only to be met with an immediate fall.

It was so easy that not only I but also my second-in-command felt uneasy.

What we did was the same as when we confronted the army of Kindoroa. All we did was stir up dissatisfaction with the lords and talk about the liberation of Vojstra. I think it was also effective that they collected the Kindlore soldiers and the Macnis soldiers who could not follow the retreat and brought them along with them in force, in order to make it look like a large army.

As soon as the flags of the Quordenze, the flags of the fallen cities, and a large number of infantrymen appeared on the outskirts of the city, there was a great panic in the area around Shikinaon. , Let alone oppose us, and in the blink of an eye, the city fell.

We had even considered a despicable plan to expose the Shikinaon lozenges in front of the enemy army to crush their morale and encourage them to surrender, but it never saw the light of day.

However, the city of Shikinaon had its own main anancestral army, which was meant to hold off the mountainous region to the west.She was an old woman from a branch of the Spiaseik family.But there was no battle there.The old woman surrendered in response to my request for surrender.

The Spierzeig family, like the Kuordenze family, has a centralized system.

In the case of the Kuordenze, the branch line and shadow family members are not deeply involved in domestic affairs or diplomacy, and live at a leisurely pace while waiting for instructions from the head family. Even in military affairs, they are basically just soldiers who Follow the knight's instructions and fight.

The old woman of the branch family in Shikinaon City seems to be a similar existence, and it is said that she had no communication with the noble family in the mountainous region that she was facing.With no other family to call on for help and not even a handful of local soldiers to support her, she could not fight satisfactorily, no matter how much she might have been the main ancestor of the family. It was inevitable that the old woman of the branch family surrendered.

At any rate, I was a little relieved that the situation did not turn out to the worst possible outcome, such as the mass assault and murder of the old woman, which was the worst possible story on the front page. Take them out if I have to, but I don't feel very good about it.

If the castle is still alive and well, I guess my turn is still ahead of me.

I hope the young man will be patient with me for a little while longer. The cities on the route went down one after another in the blink of an eye, but consider them the exception.

After the conquest of Shikinaon, the hastily built instant troops led by me took a few days' rest. We desperately needed time to heal the fatigue that had built up among the Quardenze soldiers and to incorporate the hastily gathered Spierzeig soldiers into our army.

And the small cities went down one after another in front of the hastily created instant troops, the Voigtlander Liberation Army, which began its re-marches.

Indeed, it didn't take long to reach Otellia.

Was it a rotting rope you used as an analogy, young master?

Oh, did you hear what he said about the time in Meijiohde City?

When I attacked Dornia City, I had the available troops attack Meijiohde City.

Bitten by the serpent and afraid of the rotting rope, that's the proverb of the earth.It is said that once a person is bitten by a snake, even if he sees a rope, the image of the snake comes to his mind and he becomes more afraid of it than he should be.

Spierzeig had been bitten once during Operation Snake Fang. The people of the territory are well aware of this. Therefore, if we insist that we have fallen into the trap of Quordenze again, the people of Spiaseik will be more or less upset. Also teaching them a proverb of earthly origin while advising the unit commander.

Either the troop leader was well incited, or the Maiziode citizens were more frightened than I had imagined, but in any case, by the time I arrived, they had fallen into the hands of the Quardenze.

There does not appear to be a single military officer in the room who has any doubts about the term “Rotting rope. I've only taught the proverb to a few military officers, but apparently information is being shared without my knowledge.

Thank goodness all the cities after Shikinaon are scared of the noose.”

Thanks to this, we were able to push on to Othelloia City without much of a battle.

The young master, the leader of Operation Fang, is attacking with a large army, and the people of Spiaseik will not feel like living. And if he had defeated the main army at Rijsleif, it would be a snake itself. We can't afford to talk about a rotting rope.

I think it was also significant that we were able to add a large number of the territory's citizens as volunteer soldiers in and around the city of Shikinaon.

The visual impact is important to quickly break the morale of the commoners. I continued to advance by recruiting as many men as I could from the cities and towns along my route of march.

What I expected was the number of soldiers, not their strength. Quality was not an issue. In fact, there were even some citizens who came along just to see the sights.

Like a game of poker in which you crush your opponent by the amount of the bet, not the role, I was just trying to build up my numbers in order to intimidate the “Next city.

There is another purpose in taking out the territory. Even though I dropped a city, it was only temporary. It would be easily overturned by the slightest chance and settled back into its former state. To prevent this, we wanted to move the particularly bloodthirsty people out of the city to make it easier for the following forces of the Quordenze, who were coming in from the interior, to take control of the area.

Thus, by the time they arrived in Oceloria, the Voigtlander Liberation Army had grown to a considerable size.

Frankly, I didn't think it would go this well.”

With one city after another descending, a large army approaching, the overwhelming killing intent of the Lords, and the Lords being told of their great defeat, it seems that they were indeed out of control.

Let's go as far as we can go,” He thought, and as he continued on, he reached his destination.

It seems that the Spierzeig side also assumed that the young lord would attack Othelloria.

The city of Othelloria is a big city, no less than the city of New Nellie. The most important thing to remember is that the best way to get the most out of your newborn is to make sure it's a good one. To remember is that the city is not a big city.

There are a number of factors, such as the confusion caused by the deaths of McInnis and Kindlore, and the rapid advance of the Voestra Liberation Army. As a result, the city of Othellia was unable to put in place a complete system, and ended welcome us in the city instead of in the field.

The Voestra Liberation Army successfully slipped through the holey defenses and made a strong attack.

Only the castle of Othelloia was well fortified. I have to say that they did an excellent job in that area.

Our momentum continued only as far as the city center. The defense of the Ocelorian castle was so strong that it was not possible to break through with just a flurry of activity and momentum.

The Spierzeig side apparently decided that it would be better to stay in the castle and wait for help than to continue fighting a war of attrition in the city. They entered the Ocelorian castle with knights, military officers, and elite soldiers, including engineers.

He said, “With the solidity of the defense and the number of squire soldiers, we are unable to make a breakthrough. We are in a situation where we are unable to make a breakthrough.

I was so focused on preventing the Spiaseik clan from fleeing the city that I was unable to cut down the enemy's retinue of soldiers in the city battle.

For the past few days, I have been attacking Othellia Castle to the extent that the Spierzeig soldiers do not come out, and I have been working hard to seize control of the city. Is no telling when they might turn to Spiasek's side.

I wish I could move into the city as soon as possible.

The city of Oceloria is spread out around the castle of the lord. The city center surrounds the castle, and the rural areas are spread out around the city center. The basic structure of the city is similar to that of New Neri, so even though it was my first visit to the city, it was easy for me to get an idea of ​​what it was like.

There is still a lot of unrest in the city.I think it is safe to use this base in order to respond to Spierzeig's movements his.

I'm just saying. We can't afford to make any mistakes here.

The Voigtlander Liberation Army occupied military facilities that had been set up in a rural area and established this temporary base and provisional command center. The reason was that if they set up a base in the city center, where they did not know how to win, there was a high possibility that Spierzeig's elite, who had sneaked out of the castle, would attack them. Othelloria was their home town, and they would be able to carry out a swift and precise surprise attack.

For Quardenze, he wanted to locate his base in an open area some distance from the castle.In this sense, the rural area was a better choice.Here, he would have plenty of time to respond to any attempts by the enemy.

It's frustrating, even for …….

But because of that, I couldn't get serious about attacking Othelloia Castle.

If I moved too far forward, the Spierzeig clan might slip out of the castle and escape. It would be difficult for the Quardenzes, who were not familiar with the area, to follow them.

I need to stay in the rear and wait for the enemy to make a move.The only way to get to the front lines is to have the military officers do their best. Not easy to break through.

In any case, it should still take some time for the other houses to intervene.

Before they could retreat into the castle, a number of Spierzeig soldiers, who looked like messengers, ran out of the city. First of all, it was undoubtedly a request for help from other families.

Even now, from time to time, the castle of Oceloria can be heard a roaring sound like the thump, thump, thump of the earth. Conversely, similar sounds sometimes arrive from somewhere outside the city. According to the military officers, it is a communication with the Spiaseik military officers hiding outside the city.

The report regarding the perimeter is at …….”

The report was paused because I interrupted him, but the military officer in charge of the report raised his hand in a small gesture, as if he thought it was a good time.

The military officer in charge of reporting raised his hand in a small gesture.

A few days after the start of the attack on Othellia, I received a call from my father. Apparently, he had received urgent news in the royal capital and had returned to New Nellie City in a great hurry. After returning to New Nellie City, he was working on this and that to wipe my ass, which had jumped out on its own.

One of those moves was to dispatch reinforcements, including the main ancestor. My father had sent an old man from a branch of his family to King's Landing as the main ancestor's soldier, but now that he has returned, he is no longer needed. , He was planning to form a main ancestral unit with the old man's participation and deploy him in the battle of Othellia.

He had wanted to join the war himself, but the rapidly changing situation made it impossible for him to leave New Nellie City. The old man said, “No! I don't want to go to Spierzeig! But in the end he obeyed his father's order.

The commander of the unit is the knight Sahkrem, but he will not be counted as part of the force. Please understand.”

The old man was just a soldier who followed the knight's orders.It is impossible to expect him to perform as well as his grandfather.However, the military officer says that it is much better than not having one more main ancestor because there are more moves that can be made.

The reason they are in less of a hurry to attack Ocelotia may be that they want to wait for the arrival of this additional main ancestor.

In terms of reinforcements, new reports are coming in. The Silopean army of 5,000 has left Pennybach and is on its way here. It is commanded by the knight Tsarion, with no main ancestor soldiers assigned to it.

There was a small cheer, as if some of them were learning about it for the first time here. Knight Tsarion is the first knight of the House of Silopea.

Can the Silopea afford to turn their troops this way?”

The Silopea and Evenapis families were informed at the time of the defeat of McInnis. I also told them that I would be attacking the city of Othelloria from now on, and that I wanted them to draw their troops from the southern part of the Vojstra Plain .

Both territories are on the other side of the Amelia River in Spiaseik territory. Just by having them cross the river and pose for an attack, the Spiaseiks would not be able to move their southern troops freely. It was a measure that would give the Quardenzes a reasonable return for a small risk.

'It seems so. The master told me that he had obtained an agreement regarding our participation in the war.

Even though they were on friendly terms, they were concerned about the impact of another family's entry into the war. However, it was not clear from here what kind of political dealings had taken place between my father and Count Silopea. Such confidential information would never be delivered to the battlefield.

The “Perhaps,” He said, “But I think they accepted reinforcements with an eye toward the postwar period. If we join the attack on Othelloia, Silopea will be more aligned with us than ever before. We cannot leave so easily.”

It is expected to take a lot of time for the Quardenzes to annex the territory of Spiaseik. Anticipate that postwar governance will be very difficult,' he said.

'I see. Then will the Evenapis army be coming too?'

Ha. They are thinking of sending a small number of troops over there. They are at a distance from Hartinos, so it is probably the result of placing importance on maneuvering. The Evenapis army will focus on checking the southern part of Voigtland and will only participate in the attack on Othellia as a formality.

Finally, the military officer in charge of reporting made a preface before continuing: “Speaking of reinforcements,” He said.

The military officer in charge of the report said, “Speaking of reinforcements,” He continued, “Just a few minutes ago, the soldiers we had arranged for in Nambonan City have arrived. They are currently resting outside the city, but will be available. Tomorrow.

That is good news.

What I requested was a Spierzeig's army engineer who had been left behind in Nambonan City. They are the ones I hired when I captured them during Operation Serpent Fang. They are now under the Quardenze military, so they are former Spiaseik soldiers.

They would definitely know the territory of Spiaseik, and perhaps some of them might be familiar with the castle and its walls. To call in the soldiers.

And we have also placed Shikinaon Rosse outside the city.

Hmm?”

Why was Rosé suddenly mentioned? The appearance of a completely unexpected person left me wondering how I should react.

The military officer must have noticed my confusion and immediately began to give a supplementary explanation.

After the battle at Raishleif, the young master instructed me to ……

…… Oh, a sneaky scheme that he spoke on the spur of the moment.

I was going to literally hang Roze if he was going to have trouble capturing Shikinaon City or controlling it after the capture.

Even then, Loze is a knight Shikinaon and the lord of Shikinaon City……. No, past tense, I guess. Anyway, he thought that showing how he had succumbed to Quardenze would have at least a little effect.

“This has made me feel bad about it,……”

I know how hard it is to bring the enemy's former knights to the front lines. The most important thing to remember is that you can't just take a chance on a new player.

But the city of Shikinaon would have fallen immediately. Then why did you bring Roze to Othellia?”

If they were going to attack Shikinaon City, they could use Rosé, but if they were going to attack Othelloria City, there was no point in calling Rosé.

I feel that the purpose of the order was not understood and only the content of “Taking Loze to the front line” Was conveyed. The result was that I wanted to tell them to think a little more about what they were doing.

The military officer in charge of the report seemed to have difficulty speaking, mumbling and moving his mouth. Perhaps noticing this, another officer fearfully raised his hand and asked for permission to speak.

“Wasn't the purpose of the young master's request for Shikina on Roséto relieve his…… High……?”

Apparently, it was interpreted that he sought lozenges to use as an outlet for his sexual desires.

The battlefield is full of heroism and strongly stimulates our desires as men. But it is too dangerous to bring a mistress to the front line. And as long as they claim to liberate Voestra, they are not afraid to go around raping the local population. In that case, the most suitable candidate would be Rosé, who could be discarded at a moment's notice and had experience being embraced by me. They seemed to have come to that conclusion.

It was my fault for the way I told her.

I feel it was not good that I gave them half-hearted instructions. It was a sex talk, so it could have been perceived as if I was deflating.

I am sorry for the misunderstanding, military officers. You are doing your jobs with things in mind.

I'm grateful to …… For bringing it here, and I'll be glad to use it. I'm starting to miss the soft skin of a woman.

The period of masturbation abstinence has continued for quite a while.

The actual a lot of the time, the actual a lot of the time, the actual a lot of the time, the actual a lot of the time, the actual a lot of the time, the actual a lot of the time, the actual a lot of the time, the actual a lot of the time, the actual a lot of the time, the actual a lot of the time, the actual a lot of the actual a lot of the time, the actual a lot of the time , the actual a lot of the actual a lot of the time.

I heard that Roséhas had a relationship with Princess Romilie since she was a little girl.If I threatened to kill Rosé, would she at least show her face from the castle?

I don't think she would.

I thought it was a good idea to solve our current problem, but it was immediately rejected.

I thought it was a good idea to solve our current problem, but it was immediately dismissed. Any progress on your investigation?

No, there has been no progress.

The problem is the breakdown of the ancestors holed up in Othelloia Castle.

We know that there are three ancestors in the castle, but we don't know their details.

The one that the Quardenze side is most wary of is Spiaseik Romilie. She is the princess with the deepest Spiaseik blood in her veins, and she must not be allowed to escape. Judging from the determined resistance of the Ocelorian castle, the military officers are of the opinion that Romilie is definitely holed up in the castle.

Next, we can also expect that Cardeo, a branch of the family that served as the main ancestor soldier in the Ocelorian reserve, is holed up in the city. We have many testimonies from Ocelorian citizens.

However, we have no clue as to who the last one is.

We think it is the shadowy main ancestor soldier, or the Princess Etoaleis of the branch family line.

In short, nothing remains to be known.

According to the information that the Quardenze family has held for some time, there is only one other young princess in the Spierzeig family besides Romilie.

If Romilie, Cardeo, and Etherese are the only three in the Othelloia Castle, it would be a quick story. All they have to do is capture Othellorian Castle and kill all three of them. I feel like centipedes are going to come out of the woodwork, but the Spierzeig family can almost certainly be driven to destruction.

What would be troublesome is the pattern of Romilie, Kaldeo, and the main ancestor of the Shadow family.

In that case, the Ethereals would be hiding somewhere in Spierzeig territory.

If Eto Aries learns of the fall of Othelloria and the death of Romilie in battle, he will fall directly to another house. Unlike the old woman who is the main ancestor of the city of Sikinaon, she is likely to have knights gathered around her.

If that happens, even if she conquers Ocelorian City, the Spierzeig family will continue to exist after the war. The centipede's legs would be activated to an extent that one would not want to imagine, and interference from other families would be intense. Now a bad end.

This is also the reason why the Ocelorian castle cannot be attacked in a good way.

If the aggressive attack leads to the death of Romilie and the absence of Etoileas, it would be extremely troublesome for the Quardenze family.

If Étoileth is not in the castle, Romilie must be secured.

If both Romilie and Étoileth remain alive, the knights of Spierzeig will give priority to the former. Romilie is the rightful heir. She is not comparable to a princess of a branch family.

We will try to seize control of the breakdown by the time the reinforcements arrive.

The military officer said he would scrutinize the information as he continued to attack.

I want to settle this before the Silopeans, the Evenapis, and above all, my father's ancestral troops arrive. Even if I were to surrender Romilie, I would want to take the initiative.

If I leave everything to my father, I don't feel that Romilie will be burned the moment we succeed in capturing Etoileth. I don't want my father to hand over the blackened Romilie to me. I have no taste for such bizarre masturbation .

I don't have such a taste for wanking,” He said. As soon as I have a breakdown of the castle, I want to move in. In that case, I will not wait for reinforcements. It would be most desirable to settle the matter as soon as possible in order to avoid interference from other families.

As a conqueror, I want to fully enjoy the limbs of the beautiful princess I saw in King's Landing.

Besides, I want a safe and prosperous life. Romilie's presence is important, even considering the centipede's foot protection. I think it would be good to drive Spierzeig to destruction only after the annexation of its territory is in sight.

As for us, we would prefer to wait for the arrival of reinforcements.” …… However, we have received reports of some suspicious activity in the west as well, although we are not certain of the truth. We will hurry to gather information.

Westward……, You don't mean to say that the Imperial Capital has moved?

No, it's the Ebergs.

It is one of the noble families rooted in the old voestra, the mountainous region.Although it was not the worst development that the empire would begin to move, it was not very pleasant news.

The Ebercks are normally a small, insignificant force, but now that they are attacking Othellia, they don't want to be bothered too much.

Are they planning to take advantage of the disturbance to invade the Vojstra Plain?”

Apparently, not much detailed information had arrived.The military officer shook his head with a difficult look on his face.

The attack is going on, but the enemy is also in a difficult situation. The movements of the Ocelorian castle and the other houses may be connected. It is highly likely that they will plot the escape of the Spiaseik clan while they still have strength to spare.”

The Spierzeig side is already at an impasse and cannot make any effective moves. The second-in-command assured us that the danger of escape is high now and in the future.

I don't even want to think about Princess Romilie running off to another territory.

Be on your guard.

'All right,' he said.I understand……. Breakdown and preventing her escape her.That's a big problem.

From then on, there was nothing of particular interest to report. There were only reports on the situation in Ocelotia and updates on cities where the Quardenze forces had already entered, such as the city of Værdberg.

After the debriefing, I went to my bedroom to cleanse myself.

It seems that this temporary base was originally a facility used by commoner soldiers, and it did not have the elegance of a nobleman's living quarters.

Thank you for your night watch.

I called out to Rosé as I complimented the guards who were waiting in the bedroom.

The military officers brought in Loze, who had been sealed with a magical seal, fitted with a servant's restraints, and wrapped in a rope.

I know this is uncomfortable for you, but we would like to ask you to stay indoors.

I understand. I understand. This is a war zone.

Upon approval, the military officers moved silently to the four corners of the bedroom. It was as if they were being told to enjoy themselves, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

With such a state of rugged men in reserve, normally I might have been a little deflated. But not now. The moment I saw the woman's body rolling and writhing on the bed while giggling, my pent up sexual desire shot away all sense of shame .

“Fufufu……”

It was morning when I was just shaking my hips against Rosé, who was still restrained.

I wondered if it was the battlefield effect that had encouraged me to go on without a wink of sleep.The fact that the body is so dirty and limp as to look as if it had drowned in my spewed bodily fluids has a strange appeal. Was so aroused by her motionless body that I poured one last shot.

Young master, the water is boiling.

I got out of bed feeling refreshed, and the military officer who had been waiting all night said so.

It would be unwise for a general to take a bath so carelessly in enemy territory, but it would also be unpleasant to wipe off the sticky mess with a cloth and call it a day.

Soaking in the warm water refreshed me from the bottom of my heart. I felt refreshed because my pent up sexual desire, which had become like sludge, had disappeared completely.

It was nice to be with a woman after all these years.But I noticed that Rosé's body has become softer than before.

When you say before, are you talking about after Operation Fang?She probably does not work out as much now, so I guess that's to be expected.”

The body of rosé, which even felt muscular, was a little plump. Her muscles must have been worn out from living for so long in the prison she had built for her followers in Nambonan City. It was a shame to lose the supple body of Rosé.

It feels like a long time ago, even though it was this year.”

As I recall Rosé's body her, I look back on my interactions her with her.I wonder how long I could have enjoyed that body.

She must have still had a knightly body when I used her as a sex worker at the Reischlieff Castle and when I showed her the letter from the Spierzeig family in the moving carriage.

Letter……”

Then it occurred to me.

“Young Master?”

I've got an idea. I will join you in the morning meetings.

Sometimes I don't participate in the mornings because the military officers alone have a quick awareness meeting. Me with eyes that said they were not expecting me.

After a few reports and information sharing, I spoke up.

I thought about it all night, but I still think we should hurry to check the castle. If Etoileth is not present, Princess Romilie must be made to surrender. I would like to consider dragging her to the negotiating table at once.”

The deputy immediately raised his hand as he continued, “Any opinions?

The second-in-command immediately raised his hand. We have to drive them as far as we can and get them to the point where they beg for surrender.

He said this could be perceived as insulting or hasty.

And it is the knights who come to the negotiating table,” He said. If we don't tighten the screws too much, Princess Romilie won't come out.

If we wait for her to do so, the main anancetral troops and the Silopean army that my father had arranged would arrive.I won't say it out loud,but I want to avoid that if possible.I want to set a course for the future while I'm still in control of the situation.

But if we tighten the screws, the Spiaseik clan may abandon Othellia and attempt to flee. The fact that reinforcements are on their way must have been transmitted to the castle through the noise. The princess Romilie should avoid escaping to another territory at all costs. If we are going to move, the sooner the better, don't you think?”

The signals have been flying back and forth several times since this morning.

'To begin with, we don't even know if they will accept the surrender offer. If Etoileth is not present, he might choose to scatter with the castle, leaving hope to that side.

In that case, it would just be a waste of time to slowly tighten the screws. If Romilie is ready to be crushed to pieces, we must take care of her quickly and begin the search for Etoileas.

If she was a noblewoman with no guts, she would probably go down to save her life, but at least the Romilie I saw in King's Landing seemed to have a solid core.

I will make the decision that we need to find out what is going on.It is worth while to set up a meeting with Princess Romilie to discuss her surrender her.

But I didn't expect Princess Romilie to appear.

I laughed.

I have a way to get her out of her.

I'm the only one who can do it, but it can be done.

I'm not sure how to do it, but I can do it.

There was a gloomy atmosphere in the castle of Othelloia.

The attack by the Quardenze army, which claims to be liberating Voestra, continues unabated. Signals coming in from outside the city indicate that the northern part of Vojstra is giving in one after another, almost without resistance. Although the attack on the Ocelorian castle is manageable for the moment, it is expected to intensify further.

The response to the call for help has been less than positive. The fact that Othelloa City is under attack is not understood in the first place. It was very difficult to explain why the battle was suddenly taking place in the Spierzeig family's stronghold.

All the nobles are afraid to get involved in this incomprehensible situation and are reluctant to do so.

Shouldn't they abandon the city of Othellia and let the Spiaseik family escape?

A letter arrived from Quordenze.

A military officer entered the command center of Oceloria Castle with heavy steps.From his movements, everyone understood that he had received something of great importance.

A knight walked up and received the letter. Noticing that the letter was not sealed, the knight's eyes widened for a moment.

It is a letter addressed to the Princess.

The room was buzzing with noise.

It was too early for a surrender letter, and I wondered what was written in it. Romilie spoke quietly, as if to express the feelings of the military officers.

Read it out loud: “……”

Following his lord's instructions, the knight began to read the letter on the spot.

The letter began with a polite greeting, followed by words of praise for the Spierzeig army's efforts to continue the siege.

The dedication of the principal to defend the land of Othellia under the command of his lord is also admirable…….

The military officers react slightly. The reason is that they could not immediately determine the intention of daring to mention the main ancestor soldiers. But without waiting for their doubts to be answered, the letter went on to the second and third pages.

…… Hereby return the Exalted Spirit, who tried to be the protector of Vojstra until the end of his days, to his rightful place in Spierzeigk.”

The knight then read the closing formulaic phrase at the end and gently closed the letter.

No one could get a word out. Romilie, who had been listening with her eyes closed, looked around quietly.

'What do you all think?'

His voice her trembled slightly.To hide the Lord's agitation, the men under his command Her raised their voices in unison.

'I know it's a little early, but you can consider this some sort of surrender request. Surrender in exchange for the return of the bodies of the …… Master and Grand Master without disgrace.”

In the letter, Wilk does not mention anything about surrender.All it said was that he would return the bodies and would like to have a direct dialogue with Romilie. Nevertheless, a conversation with Romilie out of the castle was nothing more than a warning to her that he would recommend her surrender.

This is a trap!I don't believe that Quardenze will keep his wordhis!

'I agree. I don't think he would pass up an opportunity to humiliate the master and the grand master. Since the other party is Quardenze, isn't he planning to cheat the princess?

There is no way we can trust anything that Quordenze says.

It is common sense for the Eluo continental nobility to humiliate the bodies of their enemies as much as possible.

The Quardenzes would never give up their blackened corpses in order to propagate their victory over the Spierzeig family.

But the young master …… Returned to this Othellia …… Without being humiliated.”

One of the military officers spoke up.He continued his assertion to the end, not letting the stern stares of those around him deter him.

The letter says nothing about surrender. It is …… That we will receive the body and continue the siege.”

As he finished, he apologetically fell on his face, perhaps thinking the idea too convenient.

But that would mean turning back the offer of surrender. There will be no second time,…… Or, if there was, they would rehash the first time and impose harsher terms,……”

Another knight opens his mouth as if to dash such expectations, “I'd like to take the body back if possible.

The head of the family is not the same as the next head of the family. There is no way that Quardenze would let go of the body.

No one could refute his words his.

Everyone felt that if they could have it returned, they would like to receive it, and if they could mourn for it as they did for Verrett, they would do so.

However, they could not speak of it. That is how insane and unrealistic the proposal to return the bodies of McInnis and Kindlore was.

It may be natural to be concerned about your father's and grandfather's health, but what we should be thinking about now is how we can help them.

We need to think about the future of Spierzeig more than the lives that have already been lost. Romilie's words sounded as if she were saying to herself, “I ask you.

I ask you,” She said. Can you protect …… Othellia?

It was a question that had already been answered.

The Quardenze army was moving much faster than Spiasek had imagined.

While they still had the strength, they would send Romilie away to the southernmost part of Vojstra or to another house, and try to make a comeback.

However, in their current state, they cannot leave Otellia.

If I flee without agreeing to this dialogue, I will be pointed at for abandoning my father and grandfather. Spierzeig would lose not only Othelloa, but even their pride of hers.”

It was easy for them to imagine.If Romilie were to escape, the Quardenzes would burn the body in the Ocelorian castle with glee.It would be the greatest humiliation for the nobility to be humiliated with the body of their head of the family. In their home town.

Despite having been given the opportunity to return, the Princess of Spierzeig fled miserably, fearing even dialogue. That fact would become a bad reputation that could never be reversed. Everyone will despise Romilie and Spiaseik. There is no hope for a comeback.

The “Despicable……”

One of the military officers squeezed out a frustrated voice.

There are two main options for us,” He said. We can either accept the dialogue, or we can ignore it and continue to fight. The option of running away from …… Is now gone.

Even if they agree to dialogue, it does not necessarily mean surrender. It was also possible to accept the surrender offer and still choose to fight the war. Wilk's proposal was only the return of the bodies out of the goodness of his heart, and was not thrust upon him as a condition for surrender.

He said, “… I intend to fight to the end. Just like your father.”

The knights and military officers could neither agree nor disagree with this determination. They did not want to see Romilie succumb to the Quordenze family, but they also did not want her to scatter gracefully. And try to reestablish himself.

But if the opportunity for dialogue was given to me, I would be willing to accept it.

Does this mean that you would agree to hand over the bodies of the dead, refuse to surrender, and fight a full-scale war? If you are going to a dialogue, please tell us your thoughts first, Hime-sama. Get another chance.”

As long as they kicked off negotiations with Wilk, it was highly likely that Lukuse would be the next one to come out. If that is the case, the knight thought that it would be better to discuss with Wilk to find a settlement.

Romilie nodded slowly at the knight's serious look.

I met two things in the royal city of Levios. I met two things in Levios, Quardenze and Lord Wilke.

Two……?

The knight's expression her showed that he did not understand what she was trying to say, but Romilie did not care and continued the story.

The knight did not understand what she was saying, but Romilie did not care and continued. From what I have heard from your father and grandfather, Lord Garfis is also a Kuordentse. But Lord Wilke was different. Banquet was not Kuordenze.

The meaning of his words, which he spoke fluently, was slightly understandable to the military officers who had confronted Wilk.Wilk's actions did not convey any sense of vindictiveness or hatred.It was not just once or twice that they felt that Wilke was not like Quardenze.

If you're not tainted by the vindictiveness of Quordenze, then ……

The military officer who had gone ahead of him shouted in anticipation.

He is not Quordenze, but he understands that Spierzeig is Quordenze's enemy.

It is good that they are not working according to Quardenze's way of thinking, but then no one knows what kind of logic they are using. Looking back on their actions so far, they have been acting in a way that can only be described as bizarre The proposal to return the bodies is not at the level of the Quardenze, but is strange for an aristocrat.

If his first priority is to bring this protracted war to an end, then we may be able to live forever by promising to cooperate with him after the war.

If it is a condition of ceding the Voestra Plain on the condition that Centipede's legs be restrained, then we may accept.

The same is true if they want a new throne, neither an empire nor a kingdom.”

By now, Romilje says, he would have to consider vassalage to the Quordentse family.

Some knights thought that they would have to endure a period of misery under the Quordenzes, and that they would only decide to secede after the wounds of the Spierzeig family had healed.

If the princess is so ready to do so,……

To cut him off, Romilie turns her palm to him.

'Ideals, reality, innovation, tradition, peace, and the cause ……. What do you prioritize, what do you seek, what future do you envision? And is it powerful enough to resist Lord Rouxe?”

No voice answers that.

And Wilk is only the next head of the family, not the head of the family. No matter how much they responded to Wilk's recommendation to surrender, it was quite possible that they would succumb to Lukuse's pressure later on.

I don't know anything about his beliefs about the firmness of his heart.

In that case, she even thinks that Lukuse and Gulfis, who are so entrenched in their hatred, are still more trustworthy in a sense. That's how incomprehensible Wilk's principle of action was.

Your father will never forgive your foolishness in walking through the dark night without a sign.”

Surrender to Wilk was unacceptable, the words were heavy.

'If there is nothing to believe in, then I think we should defend the pride of Spierzeig,' he said. Agree.”

The military officers' expressions become bitter in unison.

The difference between Romilie and Étoileith as the head of the family is too great. It was not very likely that Romilie and Etherese would be able to serve as Spiaseik's standard bearers after the fall of the main family. Of course, no one would say anything about it because it would be disrespectful to the main ancestor.

But that is not my intention.

Romilie nodded her head, as if to say, “I know that.

That is why I am going to the meeting. I am here to assess Lord Wilk.

The only chance is now, when Lukuse and Garfis are not in the forefront. Romilie saw a glimmer of hope there.

When I have determined that we are trustworthy, I will declare my surrender on the spot. This is Spierzeig's will.

If they do not declare it, it will be a crushing defeat at the end of a thorough war.

However, they could not easily argue in front of Romilie, who was clad in the dignity of the head of the family her.

◆◇◆◆◇◇◇◆

I received a reply.

We had expected to be crushed in our grip, but the reply came unexpectedly quickly.

We immediately gathered the military officers at the provisional command post and had them read it out.

Does Spierzeig accept the return of the bodies?

After the reading was finished, one of the military officers muttered, blatantly disappointed. From my point of view, the bodies of McInnis and Kindlore are of no particular value, but to them they are not.

'It doesn't matter if this is the only way to drag the Spierzeig clan out into the open.

In my letter, I praised the soldiers for their fighting spirit. I explicitly indicated that their work had a lot to do with the unusual decision to return the bodies.

This is, in essence, saying that the main ancestors other than Romilie should be present at the handover. He told them not to disrespect the meritorious men, but to be sure to bring them out of the castle.

This way, all three of the main ancestors would be present, and it would be possible to confirm at once whether or not Etoilee was present. If I can get inside information by handing over something I don't need, I should make use of it.

Besides, if I keep the remains, my father and grandfather will eventually start talking about it. I can't help but feel that they will tell me to burn it down. I know that it is an honorable thing for a nobleman, but it is a custom that I am not very keen on. If possible, I would like the Spierzeig side to mourn properly. Since there is a convenient reason lying in wait for us to explore the internal situation, let's just hand it over quickly.

Let's see what the Master or Grand Master has to say about it: ……

This is where insurance comes in.

'I took over the fight with the Spiaseik family from your grandfather. Now I am also empowered to negotiate, there is nothing wrong with that.”

War often requires a flexible response, but there are no telephones or Internet on the continent of Eluo.Therefore, my grandfather, who was going to war, was given broad discretion by his father, including negotiating with other families.

I, who inherited this battle from my grandfather, can be interpreted as having inherited that discretion as well. I did not receive a direct grant of authority from my father, so strictly speaking, I may be out of the picture. Had no choice but to act as acting head of the family in my father's absence, and the words of my grandfather, the previous head of the family, are not light, I cannot deny it head-on.

That is why I can make decisions on my own initiative, as long as they are necessary for Spierzeig. Of course, I cannot act too much against the will of the head of the family.

In the first place, it was I who defeated Kindoroa, and it was I who defeated McInnis. I don't care how you treat your own military exploits.

Yes, but……

I assured him, but I think I have a right to. From the perspective of my father and grandfather, who have been at war with the Spierzeik family, it would feel as if they were suddenly being cuckolded. I am sure they would want to complain.

But I was the one who did it, so I did what I wanted.

“You said you wanted to accept the application this evening, are you ready?”

Yes.

A large plaza exists in front of the gates of Othelloia Castle, so it was decided to set it up as a place for dialogue.The story is that preparations would be ready soon after a temporary truce.Since the other side is open to a dialogue , there should be no problem.

Then, proceed with the preparations for the dialogue,” He said. Tell Oz and Ard to be there. Even though Princess Romilie is the only one who will be in the front, there is a concern that the main ancestor soldiers in the rear will suddenly attack. We need them to put pressure on them.”

Those twins have succeeded in holding off the Ocelorian reserve force. It is said that they had a hard time in the last days when they were pushed around, but they managed to stay in the ring.

Since we are here, let's pretend that Oz and Ard also participated in the Othelloia battle. It would be a formality, but I would like to give the twins under my protection some military merit, considering that the main ancestral soldiers under my father's influence might participate in the attack on Othelloria.

The sun was setting as I drafted the terms of surrender with my lieutenants.

The day was drawing to a close as I worked with my lieutenants on drafting the terms of surrender. We are ready for the dialogue.”

When I went outdoors in response to the military officer's words, the sky had already passed the sunset and was becoming dim. The city of Othellia was becoming dark, and I could sense a calmness that was a little frightening.

I mount my horse and continue down the street. As I passed through the gate into the city, I felt it was even darker, perhaps because of the shadows cast by the city walls.

It's dark.

We have restricted the use of magic in preparation for the meeting.

With a total of six hostile ancestors gathered in one place, it could turn into a gruesome killing spree at any moment. In order to sharpen their sense of magic, they were instructed not to invoke even the slightest magic. To detect fluctuations in magical power.

Not a single lighting magic ball of light floated in the city center. Torches were lined up at equal intervals along the main street. Flickering red flames danced in the darkness.

Not far from the square in front of the castle gate, the soldiers of Quardenze were waiting.

For some reason, Oz and Ard were lying on the ground as if they were about to get down on their knees. When I wondered what was going on with these guys, Rialight, who was standing next to me, explained the situation. That they had realized the magnitude of my magical power again after experiencing actual combat and were more in awe of me than ever before.

Oz and Ard,” He said, “Just stand still and that's it. No matter what happens, don't do anything rash. Don't move until you are told to.”

If the two main ancestors made a strange move, that alone would ruin the dialogue.

Yes!”

The twins' replies were amusingly aligned. When they stepped back, another military officer slid in to take their place.

He said, “…… You two, Oz, stand behind Ard. If nothing happens, don't move. However, if the Spierzeig side gets out of line, feel free to do so.

I know it by heart.”

He is a manaral crystal-carrying surprise worker.His placement has two meanings.

Many of our military officers still do not trust Oz and Ard. To convince them, we needed to have a surprise agent on standby. The twins know nothing about manaral crystals, so if they were to get distracted and try to attack me, they would be attacked from behind and killed instantly. Now everyone is safe.

And the other objective, or rather, the main objective, is versus Spierzeig. If they use the dialogue to start making bad moves, I intend to have them play a very active role as a counter.

When the surprise military officer backed off, I looked at my second-in-command.

The Nambonan soldiers should stand by in the front row with the engineers. They will be our most reliable soldiers when the time comes.

In a battle between the two main ancestors, where the psychological impact is great, the Nambonan soldiers are extremely useful because they have both high morale and a strong will. Perhaps it would be most reliable to lead them to deploy a crushing formation if a battle were to break out at a dialogue.

The second-in-command seemed to share this view, and he replied that he had intended to deploy them that way from the beginning.

Oh,” I heard a pleased voice from a little distance away. I wondered if those were Nambonan soldiers.

The soldiers were gradually deployed in the square in front of the castle gate.

The Spierzeig soldiers were deployed on the castle side, and the Voivostra Liberation Army, or Kuordentse soldiers, were deployed on the city side. The two armies were facing each other in a semicircle, resulting in the completion of one large circle. Of this circle, a dialogue is scheduled to take place.

As we stood by fidgeting, a military officer approached us at a trot.

There has been a movement at Othelloia Castle.

I understand. Let's go.

I entrusted my horse to him and set off the street. Although I could not see any illumination magic, I could see torches moving in Othelloia Castle.

According to the response of the detection magic, it seems that the three main ancestors are firmly outside the castle. The military officers in charge of reconnaissance stationed at each location would also be checking that area.

From now on, we must be careful not to invoke detection magic. It would be troublesome if they made some strange accusation.

I moved forward, matching the movement of Spierzeig's side. The closer I got to the center of the circle drawn by Quardenze and Spierzeig, the clearer the image of the other side became.

We each promised that only one of us would be allowed to accompany them to the dialogue. I brought my second-in-command, and Romilie brought a middle-aged man who looked like a knight.

When we were only a few meters away from each other, Romilie stopped and said a few words of greeting.

His voice is calm and his greeting is just like a standard greeting. I looked at his facial expression, but it was an emotionless poker face. Perhaps it was because she had seen McInnis' passion, but I thought she might also be acting as the head of the Spierzeig family, keeping a lid on her heart.

I have come for my father and grandfather.”

I felt a tremendous sense of guilt at those words.

Romilie had lost her brother, father, and grandfather to me.

…… Lord McNeice died a proud end as the head of a noble family.

Romilie stared at me. Did it seem like an excuse?

But I think the way McInnis lived his life he was magnificent.We felt so miserable.

I return you here and now to the land of Othellia.

I gave the signal, and several soldiers from the Spierzeig side came walking toward us, just as we had agreed beforehand. They were the slaves who were to carry the coffin. , And carried it between me and Romilie.

I casually check the lid of the coffin. I had prepared some of them in advance in preparation for this meeting. The lid of the coffin was painted with a pattern that conveyed the fact that Etoileas was not in the castle.

The military officer in charge of the reconnaissance seemed to have carried out his task promptly, but the result was not very pleasant. Anyway, it became imperative to secure Romilie. Well, I had wanted to get her from the beginning, so there was no change in that area.

She said, “It's the …… Master and the grand master. There is no doubt about it.”

The knight with Romilie took her time to check the two coffins and quietly told her so.

It is summer time, but they are magically frozen, so they should not be rotten.

'…… I see.'

Romilie's eyes were downcast for a moment, but she immediately turned to me and thanked me for returning her body.

I have a few words with Lord Romilie. May I have a moment of your time?”

He first told her that his request was not for the princess of the Spierzeig family, but for the head of the Spierzeig family.

'Yes, if this is the right place.'

I was a little relieved. It was quite possible that he would just accept the offer and say goodbye. At least they could afford to listen to the terms of surrender.

Then, let's go as planned.

The situation is settled. I recommend that Prince Romilie surrender.

I decided to start with a conclusion. In order to show our superiority, we did not use the cumbersome phrases typical of aristocrats.

The place was quiet to begin with, but my recommendation to surrender seemed to deepen the silence.

I felt nervous as if every word was being scrutinized.

For the sake of our future, I ask you to make a decision to take a knee here.

That's all for now. If we speak all of this out of the blue, they will think we don't have enough time.

Romilie is either confirming that she has finished her statement or ruminating over the contents in her mind, but she remains silent as she stares at me with her green eyes.

Looking into those eyes that seem to be absorbing me, I feel thirsty.

Our future?

I think that “We” Refers only to Quardenze. The future, but is it a bad future for Spierzeig?

Yes,” Romilie answered. I want to aim for a future in which Quardenze and Spiaseik coexist and help each other.

Well, helping each other can take many forms. I am sure Romilie understands this.

Then she smiled her aristocratic smile and opened her mouth.

I really want the blood of Spierzeig to continue. But will the blood of Quordenze really allow it?

I'm a “Quordenze Wilk,” After all, and I'm sure she thinks I have a lot of grudges against the Spierzeig family.

But of course, this was a question I had expected.

I have to forgive them because I am of Quardenze blood.

The intent of my statement would not come across without explanation. Romilie, who understood that it was not a riddle, showed blatant wonder, perhaps to encourage him to continue.

'I have crossed the Arknoa Pollution District in this battle.

Yes, I heard that you crossed the old Amelia Highway.

The land was contaminated with filth about a hundred years ago. This was around the time when the Quardenzes united the interior, including the Lidea Plain.

Romilie nodded her head without any confusion, as if she knew something about the history of the Quardenze family.

I know about the history of the Quardentze family,” She said. It was during the reign of Prince Ilmeska, wasn't it?

Yes. The impact of Irmesca's rapid territorial expansion was so great that the land could hardly cope with the appearance of the magical beast Arknoa. Even now, the land is not free from the suffering of the Filth.

It is no exaggeration to say that most of the interior lands of the Quordenze territory were acquired by the Quordenze Ilmesca. Is regarded as one of the great monarchs. However, he faced serious challenges such as the lack of followers and has been struggling ever since. He is a man who achieved great deeds but also created various problems along the way.

The Alcnoa disaster is a stain on Quardenze and a shameful past.”

Romilie might have guessed where this story would settle.

'This body has the blood of Quordenze running through it. It is the blood of the Quordenze, the blood of the Spierzeigkeit, which has been flowing through my body since the first Perzeas.

It would be better to admit this rather than to make it up. I don't expect them to honestly believe that I have no particular grudge against the Spiaseik family.

But at the same time, I also have the blood of a guardian of the land of Quordenze. Knowing the mistake of Alcnoah's disaster, is it permissible to turn away from it?

Romilie does not respond to anything. She just keeps looking at me.

'We must not let Vojstra Plain become a second Arknoa, that's how I see it. The most important thing to remember is that the best way is to be a good friend to your family and friends. Of the land, should be.”

She must have seen me fighting demonic beasts in King's Landing. I think my words, burning with the pride of being a nobleman, have a certain persuasive power.

I am prepared to fight even the hatred in my blood to bring peace to this land.

If we consider the unification of Ilmesca's interior and this annexation of Spiaseik territory, it is essential to secure Romilie. I don't care what my father says, I have no intention of devoting the majority of my life to squashing the centipedes that swarm the Vojstra Plain. I want to spend my days in peace, happily procreating with beautiful women.

I believe that the Lord Romilie, the protector of the land of Spierzeig, will understand this desire.”

Silence followed.I wonder if my words reached her.

I believe that your thoughts are very noble, Lord Wilke. However, as the protector of this land, there are some things I cannot compromise.

Romilie then glanced at the knight standing next to her. I guess they want to adjust the terms of surrender at the working level. I motioned to my second-in-command.

I hope this will work out well for us and for the land.

The Spierzeig knight and my second-in-command approached and began discussing the details of the surrender.

Meanwhile, I kept my distance from Romilie and continued chatting. We continue talking about our meeting in King's Landing and the contents of the letters we exchanged, waiting for the adjustment to be completed. I was embarrassed by the way she sometimes stared at me as if observing me.

I wonder how much time has passed since then.

Romilie smiles at me as we get to the end of our conversation.

Wilhelm,” She said, “I would like to thank you for your father and grandfather. I am deeply grateful to you for returning my father and grandfather to me.

Then, for some reason, the parting greetings began abruptly. The meeting between the Spierzeig knight and our second-in-command was still going on, but what had started?

“Lord Romilie?”

Romilie is not involved in any way at the moment regarding the terms of surrender.We have n't heard the results of the adjustment, or even the process of adjustment.I did not understand his intention to terminate the conversation in this state. .

Princess ……, Are you sure?”

On the other hand, the Spierzeig knight showed no signs of panic.

I will do my duty.

Romilie looked back at me, her green eyes filled with a strong will.

I had no idea what had happened. But it seems that Romilie has chosen to be crushed in Othelloia.

I wanted to question her about her transformation her, but I was almost overwhelmed by the graceful manner in which she stood, and I could not open my mouth.

A half-hearted call to Romilie would be meaningless.I could feel from her the firm resolve that would convince me of this.If I asked her a silly question or tried to persuade her,I would only be making a name for myself.But I couldn't just sit back and wait to say goodbye.

“This will be the last time……

Please surrender, I almost said so unintentionally, but I was able to stop myself from saying the words.

But since I had said the first half of the story out loud, I had to connect the appropriate story.

'…… I have had a personal conversation with Lord McInnis at the end. Is there anything from Lord Romilier?”

It would be dressed up if the question was an acknowledgment of Romilier's readiness for him.

She probably wasn't expecting me to say anything, so she looked a little surprised, closed her eyes once, and then asked anxiously.

'…… Could you tell me about the end of the knight Sikinaon?'

Rosé seems to have been treated as dead in Operation Serpent's Fang.

I exchanged letters with Romilie several times, but I never informed her about Rosé's life or death.He was in a state of life or death, or rather like a sperm, and there was no need to answer any particular questions that had not been asked.

I heard that Lord Romilier and Sikinaon Roset had been friends since childhood.”

There, for the first time, Romilie's expression wavered. For a moment, I thought I saw the true face of the girl behind the mask of the head of the family.

'……How did you know that?'

'I heard it from Rosé herself. She was taken prisoner and held captive in Quordenze. That is why she is still alive today.'

This might be a breakthrough of some kind. Hopes were growing in my heart.

Let's bring her back her.

I call the soldiers with the signal I had decided on beforehand, and give them the order to bring Rosé to me. It will take some time to transport her since she is lying in a temporary lodging in a farming community.

Perhaps half-convinced, Romilie hardly opens her mouth until Rosé arrives.

What broke the silence that prevented her from speaking was the voice of her daughter who she had held in her arms for a good part of last night.

……Princess!”

Since I couldn't turn my back on Romilie, I turned my head just 90 degrees to the side to see where the voice was coming from.

Rosé was dressed appropriately to be in front of the nobleman. As expected, no military officer would be stupid enough to bring her in covered in bodily fluids.

Even Rosé and the military officer who manages her are not allowed to approach the center of the circle. Therefore, Rosé and Romilie were reunited at a delicate distance from each other.

Rosé is alive, isn't she?”

Romilie's expression softened. She must have been happy to have met someone who was still alive as those close to her were dispersing one after another. It was a gentle smile that made me want to keep looking at it.

However, the moment I tried to speak to her, her smile disappeared.She looked up at the night sky, her eyes slightly moistened.

Princess! Please leave me behind! Put the princess's body first!

Will you shut up!

The military officer who had brought Roséwith him tied her up and restrained her from speaking.But even so, Rosédid not stop resisting, and continued to raise her voice in consideration of Romilie.

Rose.”

His dignified voice her sounded strangely good in my ears.

She stopped screaming and stared at Romilie.

I cannot save you.

It was a voice without any emotion, as if she was rejecting him.It was the voice of the Spierzeig family head, acting as the head of the Spierzeig family, keeping a lid on his personal feelings for her.

In contrast to Rose, who is happy that she was not useful as a hostage, Romilie remains expressionless.But to me, her face her looks like she is crying.

And she, Romilie, the head of the Spiaseik family, gave Rosé one order.

“For the sake of Spiaseik, you will end up here.”

It was beautiful.

Her pride, her unshamed of her Spiaseik blood, was simply beautiful.

…… Beautiful.”

The words leaked out.

I felt the same noble and noble spirit from her that I felt from Spierzeik McInnis.

I didn't want to lose this solitary princess, this noble flower.

I don't want to let her go her.I want her her.It was a purely instinctive desire.

When I came to my senses, the feeling of fondness was spread by magic power.

I was so happy to see her.

For a brief moment, but surely, Wilk's feelings leaked out.

The affection that had been easily leaked due to his affair with Rave and his pure feelings for Romilie reverberated around him like ripples.

It was something completely different from a wave of murderous intent.

The deployed soldiers of both armies were only bewildered by the unknown sensation and did not waver to the extent that they could be called confused.

In the center of the tumultuous scene, silence reigned.

Wilk, who had leaked his emotions his, was hurriedly mending his expression her, but Romilie did not miss it.Romilie did not miss it, and she was therefore at a loss as to what to make of it.

She could not find anything she could believe.

Romilie had not been able to capture the essence of anything in her conversation with her with Wilk.His assessment of her remained unchanged as an alien entity.

Peace with Wilk is likely to be the most desirable thing for the Spierzeik family. I understand that in my head. But even so, he could not trust someone whose true nature he could not see.

She did not have the courage to take one more step on a road that was completely blind.She could not entrust the fate of Spierzeig to Wilk, was Romilie's conclusion her.

However, she knew only one thing for sure at the last minute.

Pure feelings of fondness cannot therefore be deceived.Romilie felt the certainty of Wilk's feelings in her heart.

There, for the first time, she was able to recognize the boy standing before her as a human being.

As if unwilling to remain silent, Wilk stepped closer.

Romilie could not immediately decide how to move. They approached each other until they were within arm's reach.

Not Quordenze, not Spierzeig.”

Then Wilk extended his hand toward Romilie.

'O green flower that blooms in the night, take my hand?

It was the memory of the night party in the royal city that came back to him.

It was the first question from Wilke, and it could be the last.

The fate of the Spierzeig family depended on the answer.

Romilie put her hand gently on her chest her.

Is the slightest hint of goodwill worth believing in? Should she believe that it was Wilk's true nature?

As the head of the Spierzeig family, the time has come for her to make a decision.

The stars are twinkling in the heavens.

The stars are shining in the heavens, guiding her as she walks through the dark night without a sign.

Yes. Yes, let the starlight guide you.

On that day, a battle came to an end.