Same Bed, Different Dreams

When Oswald returned after his meeting with Ghislain, his children, who had been anxiously waiting for him, welcomed him like fish biting the bait.

"Father. How is His Highness?"

Steve asked on behalf of all of them.

Oswald then looked at him with difficulty and made a gesture of rubbing his eyes as he answered.

"... Too good."

"Pardon me?"

"He seemed determined and on a mission. He didn't look very much like he'd been coerced or mindlessly feted."

'Let it be so'. They had hoped that Ghislain had made this decision on his own, rather than being used for the ambitions of Marks, Marquis Edfeldt, but when Oswald told them, everyone was taken aback.

It was too surprising.

"Maybe he would be a good king. He is a learned and thoughtful man, now if only he could have had the determination to run the country."

"So you are saying that His Highness is so now? Father."

"But the Noacurio army has gone home. If His Highness Johann ... and Gireshtal are going to work together, I don't know if His Highness Ghislain will be able to win."

Ghislain would become king and unite the country. If there was hope for such a future, it would be a good thing.

Even if Ghislain himself had the qualifications to be king, he would not be able to become king without a functioning backer. Even if he were to become king, he would only become a source of turmoil.

Marquis Edfeldt was trying to make a deal with the Holy Kingdom of Diletta, but there was a high probability that he would not be able to do so in time.

"In any case, what we do here is the same. If the "Rose Princess of Hellrage" comes, we will protect this city and His Highness."

Oswald's gray eyes shone brightly.

In addition to his own children, Oswald had several other knights with him as escorts. He had been asked by Marks to lead them in the defense of the city.

The lords were the king's knights. A candidate for the crown prince had no right to represent his country, but that was as much as he could do to protect them as long as he was there.

“Steve. Priscilla. You two are in a position where you don't have to associate with us in the first place. But if you ..."

"Oi,oi! You're making me feel watery, old man."

Steve interrupted Oswald.

Then, he made a big fist with his log-like arm and slapped it with a loud, snapping sound.

"There's no way I'm going to be able to run away on my own without my father! He can't fight without us, can he?"

"You are right. Besides, wouldn't it be too dangerous to run away from the city now? I will fight, too. To protect Father, Catherine, and the people."

Priscilla also put her hand on the holy seal that she carried on her protruding chest and said this in a dignified and prayerful manner.

“The Marquis had it coming, but when the "Rose Princess of Hellrage" attacks, it's the people of the city who will be the victims. It would be bad for my sleep to leave them behind."

"I have dedicated myself to the Temple, not to my family, because I wanted to become a clergyman. But I have not abandoned my duty as a member of the family born to Earl Keely."

"Thank you, both of you..."

Oswald's eyes narrowed as he twisted his stern face.

They seemed both grateful and apologetic, as if they felt guilty for fighting as members of the Earl's family, even though they were supposed to have left for home.

After all, this would surely be a fight that could kill them.

"But, father..., can we win? Even the Royal Order of Knights lost against her, right?"

“I like to think we have a chance. The holy beasts left behind by Noacurio's army, the best adventuring party in the country, and the survivors of the Second Order ... may be few in number, but with this lineup we can take on upper level undead."

"Father, I...!"

Catherine tried to say something, but couldn't keep her words together.

Did she want to follow them into battle? Impossible. What would be the point of doing that? What could she do?

Say hello to René? What could she possibly have to say? What could Catherine entrust to them when she herself does not know what to do with René? Oswald and the others were about to fight for their lives against René.

"...Where should I hide?"

She felt like she was coughing up blood, not her voice, from her mouth.

After all the talk of saving her, it was the least she could do.

"You can stay in the chapel inside the castle. The undead will be less likely to approach you there, and if the need arises, there is a way out."

"I understand. Father, sisters, and brothers, ... please be careful."

Her heart ached.

＊ ＊ ＊

"Welcome to my castle, "Sub-Zero Crystal Spear"!"

Marks personally went to the front yard of the castle to greet the "Sub-Zero Crystal Spear" that had arrived.

Around him, there were many adventurers who had agreed to join Marks' group. All of them were looking at the "best party in the country" with mixed feelings of admiration and jealousy.

The leader of the group, Fighter Zeft.

Cain, the tank, a big man in armor.

The fashionable magician Claire, who wore shiny glasses.

Priestess Albina, a woman with a rustic air.

Grappler Chenxi, a woman fighter in imperial attire.

The lower class adventurers all wore similar equipment, but for those as skilled as the "Sub-Zero Crystal Spear", each piece of equipment was a one-of-a-kind creation, and the design was specified at the time of order.

Cain's armor was decorated with religious paintings and artwork in relief, while Chenxi's colorful red robe was suggestive of a fairy or spirit, fantasy inhabitants of the world.

But above all, they were confident in their own abilities, and prided themselves on being the strongest party in the country. It was this mentality that made the "Sub-Zero Crystal Spear" look so good.

"I am very heartened that the strongest party in Ciel-Terra is lending their support to us. Please, for the future of this country..."

"Marquis."

Without taking the hand that Marks offered to shake, Zeft stared at Marks. Marks looked at him, cowering.

“I have heard that cities and villages in the territory have already been affected by the "Rose Princess of Hellrage". To protect those who are powerless to fight, the "Sub-Zero Crystal Spear" will do everything in its power. But, my dear Marquis, we do not agree with you. Your actions in the coup d'état were outrageous."

"No..."

Marks could not help but blink.

Was it an admonition, or was it a pallid and daredevil assertion?

The knights and even the adventurers in the audience were disturbed.

"The fighting that accompanied the coup was minimized by numerous fortunes. But still, much blood was spilled. Some lives were taken by the frenzy that followed. The ... most prominent would be her. What remained was a pile of corpses. Political chaos, national division, and the "Rose Princess of Hellrage"."

Everything he said, the way he looked at him, everything was straight.

Even Marks did not believe that all the people agreed with what he was doing. However, this was the first time he had ever heard such a blunt complaint from someone who wasn't his enemy.

"...It was inevitable. Everything ended when the four powers, excluding the Federation, joined His Majesty Hilbert. Besides, it was not a rebellion caused solely for the convenience of His Majesty and the lords. It was an outpouring of discontent that had been building up among the people, and it was an opportunity to shake off the disadvantages that had been hanging over the country."

“Even if that were the case, shouldn't things have been done carefully to prevent this from happening? Many lives were lost in the process, you know? It may be unfair to look only at the result of the failure. However, even so, you are probably only getting returned blood now. And so it is the people who will die, who will have no choice but to follow you."

--You talk like you know it all...!

Marks was inwardly furious at being admonished by a young boy who was not even half his age.

He had heard that Zeft was an ideal adventurer with a strong sense of justice and heroism. But now his sense of justice was pointed at Marks. Marks thought it was an unpleasant and unbecoming act.

But it was a bad idea to fall out of favor with the "Sub-Zero Crystal Spear" at this point. And somewhere deep down he knew that what Zeft was saying was also true.

" ...Harmony must be restored to this country. The banner for this is His Highness Ghislain. Under His Highness, the people will be reunited and Ciel-Terra will be reborn. For that reason, please..."

Marks could only make excuses and babble as a politician.

Zeft accepted it with a serious face.

“Yes. Let me take you at your word. I pray that the Marquis is sincere."

＊ ＊ ＊

Of the survivors of the Second Order, nine remained under Bertil.

Some of the survivors had returned to their families, while others had given up the fight and fled. The only ones who were with Bertil now were those who had followed him to work for a country in dire straits. Whatever it was, Bertil was grateful for it.

All of them were now assembled in Bertil's room at the inn where they were staying with Marks' money.

It was a relatively spacious room, but it was small enough for ten people, including Bertil.

"Thanks to the arrival of "Sub-Zero Crystal Spear", our responsibility has been lightened. We're back to just doing what we're told, rather than being the heart and soul of the operation. "

"What a cash cow...!"

Kaya's eyes, sharp as hounds', grew even sharper, and she bared her teeth angrily.

The others complained about Marks.

"No, no. You don't have to be angry. If you march shoulder to shoulder with someone who doesn't trust you, somewhere along the line you'll lose your footing and slip up. That would be bad for both of us. But now that we have holy beasts with us, it's all right, isn't it?"

Bertil soothed his men.

In fact, Bertil was not angry with Marks. In fact, he was even sorry.

Bertil was about to give Marks' head to René.

Of course, his men did not know about this.

"The Marquis seemed to think that the "Rose Princess of Hellrage" would attack in the near future, but my prediction is a bit more pessimistic and urgent. It could be within the next day or two ... or even today."

Tension filled the air like a bolt of lightning.

At times like this, his men took Bertil's predictions very seriously. Bertil had always been able to read the situation from a broad perspective and predict the future like a prophet.

But for now, it was just 'I know because I know'.

--René-chan will come. Many will die. We have to save as many of them as we can.

“To put it bluntly, this battle is going to be tough. At least that's how I see it. But if that's the case, there must be something we can do. We have to win, but even if we lose, there are ways to lose. We have to keep Ciel-Terra alive. As strong as possible, as bold as possible."

Bertil cut off his speech and looked around at his subordinates.

Bertil glanced around at his men, making eye contact with each of them.

"Everyone, please lend me your strength."

""Yes, sir!!"""

The answer came back strong enough to annoy the neighbors.

＊ ＊ ＊

The retreat of the Noacurio army's front line troops, which no longer even retained the form of a march.

Morgana was being escorted to the front of the long, stretched and scattered column.

In order to separate her from Patrick, who was also being transported to Wesala, Morgana's convoy was hurried in terms of speed. Since Patrick, the holy beast, was being transported under tight restraints, transportation was time-consuming, and Morgana, who could move quickly, was given the go ahead.

Inside the unadorned carriage. Morgana was sitting with two armed knights holding her sides.

Her hands and mouth were shackled.

Inside the coffin-like carriage, light shone through a small window.

The sky of Ciel-Terra was high and blue.

--Come on, you little b*stard. That boy will do just fine.

Unable to speak, Morgana folded her wrinkled hands in prayer in front of her chest. The shackles prevented her hands from joining together perfectly, but she held them apart, facing each other as a sign of prayer.

The seed had already been sown.

--May God guide us.

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