Tuna Thunderbolt

The journey from Eltaref, the capital of Earl Keely's domain, to Terra Kaine took about three days under normal circumstances.

However, if one tried to go the shortest distance, one would inevitably have to pass through the royal capital.

Since that would be too dangerous, Oswald decided to take the northbound route. They spent six days on the way to Terra Kaine, staying at the castles of the Marquis Arawen and Earl Tudor, exchanging ideas and opinions with them.

Oswald had contacted several of the lords in advance, as well as the two he was to meet along the way. Each of them had their own ideas, but many of them were unsure of Ghislain's intentions and were concerned about it.

He would meet with Ghislain, who was reportedly planning to stand for the position of crown prince, to find out what his true intentions were.

Oswald was heading to Terra Kaine as a representative of the lords who had been anti-Hilbert.

--Some of them don't seem to like the idea at all... It seems that they disliked that incident at the meeting a lot.

Instead of sighing, Oswald stared at the ceiling of the inn.

This was Earl Hensley's domain, the inn town of Taljo. They were renting out the most prestigious of the several inns. He wanted to meet Earl Hensley along the way, but was refused.

The Earl Hensley, like Oswald, was anti-Hilbert. However, he seemed to think that Oswald was a traitor because Oswald had expressed his approval of Ghislain.

Well, he didn't even stop him from going through the territory.

--Is this really the right thing to do?

Oswald asked himself again and again.

Emotionally, it was hard to cooperate with Ghislain, as Marquis Edfeldt was pushing for. The shadow of Noacurio was also in the background. However, Ghislain was going to become the crown prince and king through legitimate procedures. How could he be stopped?

It would be fine if he were to put up another candidate for crown prince, and then try to gain a majority in the Council of Lords that would decide who the crown prince would be. But whether that would stop Ghislain and Marquis Edfeldt was another story. It was fair to say that Marquis Edfeldt, with the Kingdom of Noacurio and the majority of the lords on his side, now had the political power of Ciel-Terra in his hands. Hence, Oswald was working to incorporate Ghislain's accession to the throne.

--... What will happen to this country as a result?　What is our position? No, not very well. Without the people there is no country, and without the country there is no people. We must offer a new Ciel-Terra to the people who have lost their country!

At that moment, a discreet knock on the door jolted Oswald out of his maze of thoughts.

"Excuse me. There is a message for you from Marquis de Arawen."

"Enter."

One of the accompanying servants came over and handed him a sealed Communication office envelope.

Oswald immediately opened it.

The message was simply encrypted so that it would not be intercepted by the Communications officer who was transcribing it.

It was not bad news, but it was enough to give Oswald a headache.

＊ ＊ ＊

The Earl and his family were gathered in front of the fireplace in the dining room and common room of the inn.

Besides Oswald, there were Hadley, Steve, Priscilla, and Catherine.

Trevor, the eldest son, was acting as Oswald's nominal representative in his absence at the estate.

The fireplace flickered with flames of a color reminiscent of the sunlight on a spring day.

The dining room, lined with lovely picture plates, paintings of landscapes by nameless artists, and other furnishings that created a relaxed atmosphere, would normally be a place of relaxation and happiness, but the air was as stale as the snow on the ground.

"Noacurio's army was defeated?"

"Yes. We just now received the news. The supply convoy that was on its way here from their home country has been destroyed. In addition, yesterday, the front line troops stationed in Terra Kaine were ambushed, and dozens of soldiers were killed or wounded. The supplies were destroyed by fire."

"The 'Rose Princess of Hellrage', ... I'd say, 'Suck it up, Noacurio', but ... what's going on?"

Hadley's eyebrows were furrowed at Steve's brusque tone.

The "Rose Princess of Hellrage" attacked Noacurio's army. The guerrilla tactics used to force them to exhaust themselves through bloodshed showed that she was a military strategist of the highest caliber. It could be said that she was a greater threat than Oswald had assumed. But that was not the main point.

"The Noacurio forces have decided to withdraw most of their troops. In addition, Marquis Berger has begun preparations for a crown prince. There are also indications that he has already concluded a secret agreement to link up with the Federation."

Oswald told them all at once the main points of the message.

While everyone was stunned, Hadley was the first to take in the situation.

"Father. Isn't this country going to ... split in half?"

Hadley said in a trembling voice with a pale face.

"... Little brother, will you please explain to me what you mean?"

“Use your head a little, Steve. Marquis Berger is going to strike back with exactly what Marquis Edfeldt did. If Noacurio's army withdraws, Gireshtal will make up some suitable pretext and pour troops in to replace them. They will support the refugees, maintain security, and protect people from monsters. To hold Ciel-Terra militarily. And to gain the trust of the people and become the backbone of a new crown prince. Eventually, they intend to use this as a stepping stone to rebuild relations with Ciel-Terra by installing a king who is more pro-Federation. "

“Then all is well, isn't it?"

"But the Marquis Edfeldt and His Highness Ghislain will not back down now! Have you forgotten the information that Marquis Edfeldt is in contact with Diletta? Noacurio will not give up on the Glacelum either. Even if the army were to retreat for the moment, they would continue to support Marquis Edfeldt. Normally, His Royal Highness Prince Ghislain would have been the main contender to be the next Crown Prince, and any other candidate standing would have been nothing more than a mere flower. It would be good if ... the balance could be upset. As it stands, they could antagonize each other! Even if the crown prince is decided by the Council of Lords, it will not be settled first if it is decided by a last-minute majority vote. If it goes badly, the lords, or in other words the country, will be split in two. In some cases..."

Hadley paused for a moment. As if he feared that the moment he said it, it would become a future certainty.

" It could be a civil war. With Gireshtal and Noacurio, Diletta on each side."

"…You're kidding."

'This is only a worst-case scenario. The lords who once supported His Highness Ghislain could all flip at once, and Noacurio could be out of control. "

"What do you think, Father? Should we go home now?"

In fact, Oswald thought about it. But going home wouldn't help. He was not an animal that was being chased by a hunter and thought it had escaped by sticking its head in its den.

" No matter. It is precisely at a time like this that we need to hear more from His Highness Ghislain. We will have to find out which side is right, and it may help us to persuade others."

Which way should this country go?

What was best for the people?

They had to find out.

“And I, for my part, would very much like to meet Bertil Lagerbeck, the Commander of the Second Order, who is in Terra Kaine right now. ... He also wants to hear what Catherine has to say."

Catherine, still sitting on Priscilla's lap, nodded.

When Catherine said she wanted to accompany them, Oswald, of course, vehemently objected.

Or rather, everyone present was against it. There was no way to know what would attack them: monsters, bandits, or the army of the "Rose Princess of Hellrage".

However, "It is safer to follow Father than to remain in the territory!" Catherine had a point.

Neither the castle's solid defenses nor the knights who guarded the territory would be safe against the "Rose Princess of Hellrage". She even made the royal capital Terra Ruale fall.

In fact, each of the lords who had supported Hilbert were crushed one by one. If the "Rose Princess of Hellrage" had her way, Earl Keely's domain would be blown to smithereens tomorrow.

Furthermore, when Oswald talked to Bertil in Terra Kaine, he mentioned that Catherine wanted to go with him, and Bertil said that he wanted to hear what Catherine's story.

This was the situation that pushed Catherine, or rather, allowed her to accompany them because she could not be stopped.

"I, too, would like to hear from the Commander of the Second Order about what happened that day. ... We never know who is going to die at any time. I don't want to miss the opportunity."

Oswald felt as though his neck was being tightened as he watched Catherine say such things with a serious face.

Since that day, Catherine had been researching the "Rose Princess of Hellrage".

She had heard stories from refugees, visited the archives of the Adventurers' Guild, and took books out of Oswald's study.

There was something uncanny about her appearance.

He remembered hearing from a scholar that a certain species of fish would suffocate and die if they did not keep swimming. There was a sense of tension in Catherine's voice, as though she were saying that if she stopped acting, her soul would die.

Despite his discomfort, however, Oswald did not want to stop Catherine.

Some of the girls who were captured by the "Rose Princess of Hellrage" in the capital and escaped after being freed were said to have broken down and were unable to lead normal lives. Oswald thought that Catherine seemed to be fine by comparison, and if she had something she wanted to do, letting her do it would distract her.

"Earl-sama, may I?

"What now?"

The servant called from the other side of the door. The voice sounded puzzled.

"... Well, someone claiming to be from the Second Order of Knights suddenly showed up and asked to speak with you..."

"The Second Order ...?"

Hadley parroted back in a quizzical tone.

The Second Order of Knights had a few survivors who escaped to Terra Kaine with their Commander, Bertil.

Why would they be in a place like this?

Oswald gave Hadley and Steve a quick look.

It meant, 'If they are suspicious, deal with them.'

"Let them through."

"Understood."

Almost immediately after the servant answered, a knight appeared at the entrance of the dining room.

The knight was lightly armored, with some of the parts removed from her full body armor. She was wearing a tights-like chainmail, in addition to her breastplate and helmet. Knights sometimes dressed like this when marching through danger zones where monsters were present, as a compromise between ease of movement and fighting ability. Perhaps they wore winter clothes over it to get here.

The knight in light armor had a thin, supple physique reminiscent of a whip.

"I am pleased to meet you for the first time, Earl Keely."

A husky woman's voice echoed from between the gaps in her full-face helmet.

"I'm Kaya Lanner, a member of the Second Order of the Knights of the Royal Court of Ciel-Terra. I have been ordered by the Second Knight Commander, Bertil Lagerbeck, to escort you all to the city of Terra Kaine."

The female knight with the hound-like eyes and whip-like body lifted the face-covering of her helmet with her fingertips and saluted perfectly.

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