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"Ugh...!"

A massive shield of dull color in his left hand, and in his right, a thick blade akin to a large machete.

His muscular body was covered in metal, deflecting swords and unleashing slashes that split rocks.

――His figure resembles an iron colossus.

Among the princes, the second prince, Rougran, was the most gifted as a warrior.

His step distorts the earth, and his great shield strike crushes the human body from above through their armor.

The speed and power of his massive sword were such that it no longer seemed like a sword――just as the legend goes, he cleaved the demon beast Wolfram, and no armor could withstand it head-on.

Using his long sword, or sometimes his gauntlets, or even the surface of his armor, he deflected and parried the path of the great sword.

He kicks away the blow of the large shield, gains some distance, and starts over.

Sail\'s elegant armor becomes distorted, covered in countless scars.

It was Sail who was being pushed back.

Rougran’s armor was thick, even for something to be worn by a magic possessor.

It wasn\'t that Sail lacked the skill to penetrate it head-on, but Rougran never allowed him the time needed to prepare such a move.

With his great shield at his feet, Rougran was a rock of steel.

Just as Sail could evade Rougran’s strikes, Rougran was also fully aware of his armor\'s strengths and how to use it.

In terms of skill, Sail slightly surpassed Rougran, but they were almost equal.

In that case, natural physique and muscle mass created a clear difference.

Sail could be considered tall, but Rougran stood over six and a half shaku tall, with a robust skeleton and limbs like logs.

A body built to wield a gigantic sword and shield and wear thick armor simply outmatched Sail as a living creature.

In a spar, Sail would win due to the difference in skill.

However, in a life-or-death struggle, things were different.

The difference in mass between the two clearly showed which was superior.

"Guh?!"

Sail was knocked away by the large shield, which he had failed to dodge, and rolled to his knees.

In contrast, Rougran, with his massive sword resting on his shoulder, declared

"...I\'m the winner, Brother. I\'ve always lost in a match, including sparring but..."

"You\'ve been winning for quite some time, Rougran. I just had a big head start from childhood."

His right arm was probably broken or cracked.

His internal organs were also affected, and even if he was able to stand up, he would no longer be able to fight.

Sail had lost――both as a warrior and as a general.

The battle between the two armies was also evenly matched.

At the very least, Seil planned his tactics with the assumption that he would win, and if this were a battle on a board, it would undoubtedly have been Seil\'s victory.

But the battlefield wasn\'t like that.

The morale of the soldiers――that was the clear difference.

The people suffering under oppression.

Rougran rose up to save them, and had a just cause, and his soldiers fought desperately.

On the other hand, the royal army――even Sail did not know why they were fighting.

Sail still had his reason, that it was for his mother.

But the other soldiers only had lust for money or fear of his mother.

It was clear to everyone which side had the just cause.

Failing to take a step that should have been taken, and taking a step that should not have been taken, Seil stepped into the main camp and stood there.

If this were a heroic tale, Rougran would kill his brother and become the new king.

He would surely have reigned as a good king.

However, this was not a heroic tale, but a cruel reality.

Behind them――the ranks of the allies parted, and a girl with golden hair tied up high like a horse\'s tail appeared.

A long sword at her waist, a melee spear in her hand――she was not wearing a helmet, and wore silver armor with the kingdom\'s crest.

A girl in armor that did not suit her petite body appeared accompanied by soldiers.

Shortly after today\'s battle began, both Sail and Rougran noticed that her army had appeared from the rear.

There was no point in this fight.

The battle between Seir and Rougran was almost even, and then a new army――an army led by Elsreine, had appeared.

Rougran no longer had a chance of winning.

In this situation, there was no choice but to withdraw the army, but Rougran stepped forward, and Sail responded by fighting head-on, not trying to buy time.

If it must be, the death of his most noble younger brother should be at his own hand.

However, his wish was not granted as time ran out.

"It\'s been a while, Rougran-niisama."

"...Ah, it\'s been a while, Elsreine."

"Given the current situation, Rougran-niisama has no hope of winning. There\'s no point in fighting――it will only result in unnecessary deaths. Why not surrender?"

Elsreine calmly states without any pressure.

"...Are all three dead?"

"Yes, the only one left is Rougran-niisama."

"...I see."

Rougran narrowed his eyes and a smile appeared on his manly face.

"Rougran-niisama is the ringleader of a rebellion――normally he would be dismembered and his wife and children hanged, but Reine will ask Mother to spare his family, and Reine will ask so that Rougran-niisama will only be hanged. What do you think?"

"...That\'s a generous offer."

"Well, that doesn\'t change the fact that Niisama Rougran will die...Reine\'d be fine with him dying in a duel, but honestly, Reine doesn\'t care either way as long as no soldiers die needlessly."

Rougran gave a wry smile, turned his back to her and put some distance between them.

Then he turned to Elsreine and got ready.

"...I\'m surprised you\'re so concerned about something like that. But...Mother is not so lenient. Both Lasria and my son understood that, if they heard that I had lost, they would take their own lives. The moment I decided to stand here, I was prepared for everything."

"...I see."

"I will accept the duel. ――Second Prince, Rougran Arge Vel Nirkrinea Alberan, declares! All soldiers present here, cease your swords! In the name of this royal blood, I will engage in a fair duel with the fourth princess, Elsreine Alberan!"

A loud voice roared into the heavens.

The air trembled in response, and the battle music that was still ringing out faded away to the sound of the voice.

"The sacred duel of the royal family, with the blood of royalty flowing through it, shall be the final bloodshed on this battlefield, and no one shall defile it. Submit to the sole survivor! Know that those who defile this will face the divine wrath of the god of bravery, Koleis!"

After signing the oath loudly, Rougran turned to Elsreine again.

"As well as settling things with my brother... I have always wanted to fight you once. Elsreine, the only sister my mother loved."

"...Reine, doesn’t really like it... but Reine\'ll try to make it as painless as possible."

"You have great confidence. But don\'t underestimate me――!!"

Faster than the charge of a raging bull.

A sprint that made it hard to believe he was wearing heavy armor.

With his large shield in front of him, it was as if a block of steel had been released.

The swordsmanship known as the Lorka style was originally a defensive style.

Evade the opponent\'s charge on the left, seize the moment after, and cut them down.

However, Rougran, who had trained his body to the utmost limit of a warrior and wrapped it in heavy armor, could charge head-on without losing to even a magic beast.

No matter the counterattack, it would be deflected by the large shield, and retreating would lead to being crushed by it. Evading would result in a great sword unleashed from his powerful arm.

There was no room to aim for the slightest gap.

The great shield blocked the opponent\'s vision, and Rougran skillfully used the steel of his armor to block the opponent\'s blade.

Rougran was a giant beast of steel.

He was no longer in the realm of humans, and was not a warrior who can be defeated with a single technique.

No one watching could have foreseen a future in which the petite Elsreine would be able to defeat him.

At the very least, the only way for Elsreine to win was through mobile warfare, taking advantage of her small stature and getting behind the tenacious and gap-free Rougran.

But Elsreine faced him head on, readying her spear.

Even Sail, who knew Elsreine’s strength, felt that she was underestimating him.

Using brute force against Rougran was sheer madness..

But――Elsreine slowly leaned forward.

A multiple sound of steel was heard, interrupting his thoughts for a moment.

When he realized it, Elsreine had slipped through the steel beast and was standing behind Rougran barehanded.

"Ah, ah..."

The giant was on his knees――the melee spear pierced his steel great shield as if it were cloth, pierced his armored torso, and the tip of the spear penetrated Rougran\'s back.

It wasn\'t a special spear.

Though sturdy, it was an eight shaku melee spear, no different from the ones used by soldiers.

Yet, it had effortlessly skewered the steel shield that deflected Sail\'s blade and the armor.

Everyone was speechless.

Rougran stared in shock at the spear that had pierced his chest――and then for a moment, he turned his gaze to Sail.

A slight smile played on his lips as he collapsed, pierced by the spear.

While Elsreine’s adjutant loudly proclaimed their victory, Sail simply looked at his younger brother, and at Elsreine, who stood there silently.

Her expressionless face betrayed neither the joy of victory nor the sorrow of having killed her brother.

She looked at everyone around her with a cold gaze, similar to their mother\'s.

When asked what she thought of the current situation, she gave an evasive answer.

When he told her that Elsreine would be killing her brothers, she sadly replied, ‘I see’.

Venure trusted her more than anyone else.

She was smart, and closer to his mother than Sail.

She probably knew her mother better than Sail did.

But he couldn\'t see any intention of her trying to accomplish anything.

Sitting upright in her chair, she was a woman like water, despite her punctual appearance.

Push hard and she pulls, scoop up and she is in your hand.

All of her answers to Sail were uncertain and vague.

‘...Don\'t you want to change the current situation?’

‘Pardon me... Your Highness has been saying strange things for a while now. Fili is a servant... I want nothing more than my master\'s happiness.’

‘Even if Mother (Haha-ue) is crazy?’

When asked, she smiled vaguely again.

She looked at him like a troubled child.

‘Why do you think Her Majesty is crazy?’

‘Otherwise, she wouldn\'t purposefully push her children to rebel and try to get rid of them. I don\'t think she has any compassion.’

‘Is that so? Her Majesty is just a very pure person... or maybe it\'s us who are crazy.’

Fili narrowed his eyes and traced the edge of her teacup.

\'Is it possible that she invited His Highness, who she hadn\'t seen for so long, to her room because she had granted Venure\'s wish? If Her Majesty was truly a heartless person, she wouldn\'t do something like that.\'

\'That\'s...\'

\'Would a heartless person dote on Elsreine so much? If closing one\'s heart is described as being crazy, then that goes for me, His Highness, and everyone else. It doesn\'t change the fact that we\'ve closed our hearts with logic.\'

It\'s just a matter of degree, she continued.

\'I\'m sure she was a person like Elsreine. Without the protection of logic or reason, she was defenseless and open to everything she saw. ...But this world is a tough place for such a pure person to live in. People close their hearts because they know the pain of being hurt... calling it madness is a bit harsh.\'

\'...But even so――\'

\'Your Highness and I are in different positions. I cannot say that I understand the pain of not receiving Her Majesty\'s love. ...The frustration and injustice that was felt about the current situation are Your Highness’. The size of the world we see, the places we live in, everything is different. And...\'

‘I\'m just a servant’, she told sail.

‘Of course, I hope that one day Her Majesty will open her heart once again, and that someone like Elsreine will be able to live without getting hurt. I only wish for happiness around me. My role is to watch over and believe in the two of them for that purpose...’

Sail stopped what he was about to say and lowered his eyes.

The untouched tea reflected his face.

‘No matter how cruel Her Majesty is revealed as cruel, I only believe and hope that in ten, twenty, or even more years, the world she desires will come to be. If such a day comes, for that purpose, I will accept whatever Her Majesty does. At least, I believe that the world will be more beautiful than any other.’

He looked at her smile.

Her golden hair sparkled red――her eyes peeking out from behind it were like jewels.

‘...Why can you say that so surely?’

‘I have no doubt about the love Her Majesty holds for Elsreine. If Her Majesty loves Elsreine and wishes for her happiness, then surely, the world created will be a gentle and wonderful paradise.’

Her detached demeanor reminded him of his mother.

At least, she saw things differently from Sail.

She did not fear or tremble before my mother, whom everyone else feared and bowed to.

And she coldly, calculatingly, discarded all else.

It was not that she was unaware of the people\'s suffering.

She dismissed the kind-hearted people killed by her mother, and Venure, who gave her life, with just the word ‘sacrifice’, and calmly wished for the happiness of his mother and Elsreine.

She was not on Seil\'s side.

"What does Your Highness want?"

"...I..."

"Does Your Highness want to save the suffering people? Save His Highness Rougran-sama and the others? Or His Majesty the Queen... or Your Highness yourself?\'

She places her lustrous lips on the teacup and quietly drinks it, lowering her gaze.

His gaze was confused by the seductively dancing tongue peeking out from the gap.

The words were like threads, wrapping around his body.

\'There is a limit to what a person can reach. This is true even for Her Majesty the Queen. And even if you throw yourself into something, you can\'t always get what you want. Your Highness, I think you should think once again about what it is that you truly desire.\'

\'...to cut it off?\'

If that\'s what His Highness desired, she said with a wry smile.

\'The world is unfair, unreasonable, and cruel. The only thing everyone has in it is the right to wish for happiness. Your Highness has his, and I have my own... I\'m not the one who should answer that question.\'

Then she looked out the window as the sun began to set, and stood up.

‘...I only hope that the path ahead leads to the same place.’

――That is all I pray for..

What was reflected in her eyes as she continued to speak?

At least Seil didn\'t understand it at the time, and even now, he remains e in"

Seeing Sail standing at the entrance to the tent, Elsreine put down her brush and tilted her head.

He shook his head and said it was nothing, sat down in the center chair, and looked at the beautiful paintings placed here and there.

They seemed to be divinely created, almost unbelievable that they were made by human hands.

He was surprised that she could paint, but the paintings themselves didn\'t surprise him.

With her talent, Elsreine easily embodies the ideals of the average person.

After finishing the aftermath of the battle, there\'s a break.

Burial of the dead and sorting of the prisoners――almost all of this was originally his job.

The 20,000 men led by Elsreine suffered no damage. Before coming here, her armies had killed three brothers, and the loss of troops was only 3,000.

Her army arrived at this battlefield as reinforcements, replenished with troops and fully equipped, and ended the battle with a duel without clashing with Rougran’s army.

The reason she, who was thinking of returning home first, was here seemed to be the suggestion of her adjutant.

Sail’s army was exhausted from the battle with Rougran.

Though the battle is over, this land, far to the east of Wulfenite, was originally unstable.

Although most of the army rose up alongside Rougran, it cannot be said that it was stable yet.

When advised that both armies should cooperate in post-war processing to avoid any unforeseen events, Sail, having lost many forces, couldn\'t say no.

Her adjutant, Golzarias Lukazan, was said to be a valiant man, but perhaps he was surprisingly cautious.

At least in these few days, it was apparent that Elsreine valued him as an adjutant, but somehow he couldn\'t fully trust him.

There wasn\'t anything specific, perhaps it was a certain aversion or discomfort.

Many of the nobles with a conscience have been killed for admonishing his mother.

Most of the current nobles were mere opportunists――at least those who watched silently.

That being said, it would be an exaggeration to say that he was also opportunistic, without knowing much about him, but at the very least, he didn\'t have a very good impression of him.

A rugged soldier who kept his distance from politics――that\'s a bit of an understatement to describe him.

He\'d risen well for someone born into a baronial family.

――No, this is probably not the time to be thinking about such things.

He sighed and began.

"...I apologized again the other day. As you said, I was taking out my frustrations on her... I was a little upset about my mother."

"Reine doesn\'t mind... just Reine thought it was cruel to blame Fili, that\'s all. Reine doesn\'t want to fight with you, Sail."

"...Neither do I. I understand the reasoning, but sometimes I can\'t help it. I\'ll try to ensure it doesn\'t happen again."

Elsreine nodded while preparing tea.

She seemed to be a little sulky, but was trying to hold back――looking at her like this, she was just like a child.

At least he knew she was an innocent and kind girl.

If he were to call her insane, it would only be because she continues to live like an innocent child even after killing her four brothers.

She killed Rougan without emotion and showed no sign of being burdened by it.

Her fundamental values differed from Seil\'s.

Was it because of his own delusions that he felt she\'s insane?

She defeated the enemy general on the battlefield.

That was all she did, and it was right, and since the duel was an outcome she should have been praised for, it was unreasonable to blame her for not being sad.

He could understand it logically, but emotionally, he couldn\'t accept it――that was how he felt about her, and about his mother.

A mother who would use her son\'s life for the sake of future stability.

But even so, in the end, Rougran and the others who turned their blades on the kingdom were evil.

If the kingdom was stable after this, then they were nothing more than rebels who rebelled against a rare and wise ruler.

At the very least, the people\'s suffering could not have continued forever.

If everyone had not rebelled, and shown blind submission to his mother, his mother would have stopped it before the country was completely worn down by simple gain and loss.

His mother was truly a ruler worthy of the name Alberan, the greatest leader in the world.

In the end, everything was arranged to go well――his mother would surely create the perfect kingdom someday.

Sail had that conviction, but his emotions would not allow him to accept it.

The suffering was there.

"...I don\'t understand you or Mother."

"...?"

"There are some parts I understand. I think I can understand to a certain extent the reasons for this civil war and other things. But...I can\'t accept it because of my emotions."

As she poured tea into the teacup, Elsreine looked at him curiously.

The purple peeking through the gaps in her golden hair shone brightly without clouding.

"...I am proud to be born as my Mother\'s son. My Mother is a worthy ruler, and I am sure she will make this country a richer, more brilliant country than it has ever been. I have no intention of doubting that, and you are more suitable than anyone else to stand next to her. I thought I had known for a long time that you had that kind of power."

Sail was blessed with more talent than most.

And he trained himself to the point of bleeding without becoming arrogant about it.

But the girl before him leaps over all of that as easily as breathing.

Elsreine was truly a member of the lineage of the gods――his mother\'s child.

From the moment she was born, she had something that Sail could never obtain, no matter how much he wished and desired it.

"The truth is, I wanted to stand beside Mother like you. ...That\'s why I\'m envious and jealous of you, who can understand Mother. That\'s how I honestly feel."

"...Envious of Reine?"

"Yeah. ...At the very least, it\'s not that I hate you. I\'m sure you must have found me and my siblings cold towards you. I can\'t say for sure that the others feel the same way, but...at the very root of it all, I think we feel similarly."

‘I\'m sorry’, he told her.

It wasn\'t Elsreine\'s fault.

She just possessed is――thee talent his Mother sought.

"I won\'t say anything convenient like, \'I don\'t just mean what happened the other day, so please forgive me for everything that\'s happened up until now’. But... for what Mother wants... I want to do all I can. And for the sake of the Rougran and the others who were sacrificed."

Elsreine looked at Seyle and seemed to be deep in thought.

Stirring the tea with plenty of milk and honey with a teaspoon, she lowered her eyes.

"Even if you say that...Reine could only say, \'I see’. Why is Sail-nii sama saying it now? If that\'s what Sail-niisama thinks, Sail-niisama should have shown that from the beginning. If Sail-niisama had done that, maybe Venure wouldn\'t have died."

"...Ah."

"Reine heard that Sail-niisama asked to talk, and Venure died to grant his wish. What did Sail-niisama want?"

Elsreine glared at Sail.

"Even if Okaa-sama listens to Sail-niisama and lowers the taxes, and Rougran-niisama and the others stop rebelling, then everything we\'ve done to achieve that will be for nothing. The reason so many people were sacrificed in this crackdown was to prevent other people from being sacrificed in the future... Was letting them die in vain in the end?"

What did he want?

She was right.

"Why didn\'t Sail-niisama side with the Rougrans?"

He remembered his mother\'s mocking face.

All Seal did was stir up trouble.

If anything, it was just self-satisfaction.

Deep down, he knew that his mother had no intention of listening to his wishes.

If Seil truly cared about his people, he should have led the Rougrans and their people in a rise, or he should have shown his subservience to his mother from the start and made their deaths as meaningful as possible.

There were only those options.

"...Reine know that Sail-niisama was good friends with Brother Rougran-niisama. and Reine doesn\'t want to believe that Sail-niisama, whom Venure tried to help even at the cost of her own life, is a bad person either. ...but what Sail-niisama is saying and doing are not quite the same."

By holding back Rougran, who was trying to stand up, the suffering of the people was prolonged.

And for the sake of Seil, he caused Venure to die pointlessly.

"At the very least, Venure, who didn\'t need to die from that pointless action, died for Sail-niisama. ...Honestly, I don\'t like Sail-niisama very much."

"...There\'s no excuse. You\'re right...Venure was sacrificed because of my stupidity."

He was indecisive, cowardly and foolish.

If he wanted to do something, he should have made his case from the beginning, prepared to die, like many of the loyal retainers who died.

If he had cooperated with Rougran and proposed it publicly, they might have listened to him after considering the pros and cons.

He couldn\'t find a rational reason to execute not only the loyal retainers who had suggested it, but also all the princes.

Seil was lost, and could only dance without being able to do anything.

Between his mother and his siblings.

He had nothing but regret in his heart.

"...I spoke with Fili the other day after that."

"With Fili...?"

Elsreine frowned, and aeil nodded.

"That\'s why I decided to talk again like this. I――”

As Seil began to speak, there was the sound of a horse galloping.

A voice called out "Your Highness" from outside the tent, and the two stood up.

"...Lukazan? I\'m currently speaking with Sail-niisama..."

"If it\'s urgent..."

"It\'s urgent... please come in"

Elsreine approached the entrance, and a large man with a burnt face entered.

Golzarias Lukazan said solemnly, kneeling on one knee.

"I received a report from one of my subordinates who had been left behind to report that there had been a commotion at the royal castle."

"Commotion...?"

"...Could it be a rebellion? Is Her Majesty safe, Lukazan?"

"Yes. Her Majesty is safe. But from what I heard, the one who was killed... was a servant of the castle."

Golzarias raised his head and stared at Elsreine.

"A servant named Fili."

"...Eh?"

――The day after Elsreine left the royal castle.

Elegant, yet cold――the queen\'s living quarters.

A woman with golden hair that sparkled red entered the room after a bow.

She was a beautiful maid in an apron dress.

A woman in a white dress sipping tea alone――Queen Grabareine recognized her figure and called out, ‘Come in’.

Her golden hair swayed smoothly as she smiled.

"I have come at your summons, Your Majesty."

"Yes, why do you think you were called?"

"...To accompany Your Majesty for tea, perhaps?"

The servant also smiled and asked, ‘Or is it that finally Fili has become an eyesore, and Your Majesty plans to dispose of me?’

The queen narrowed her eyes and gazed coldly with her purple eyes.

"Oh, so you came here knowing what was going to happen. Are you desperate? Or are you overconfident that you won\'t be killed because you\'re Reine\'s favorite?"

‘That\'s a strange thing to ask’, the servant replied.

"Fili is your Majesty\'s servant, and I have dedicated my life and my body to you. If you call me, I will rush to your side and serve you with all my heart. If ordered, I will cleave my head in front of Your Majesty right now."

‘May I ask for what purpose Your Majesty has summoned me?’ the servant smiled again.

In contrast, the queen, showing displeasure, indicated the chair opposite with her gaze.

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