"
From what I'd heard, the detached palace couldn't have been a place with pleasant memories for Ferdinand. He probably wouldn't want to set foot inside. There was no need to force himself to visit somewhere that made him uncomfortable. When I said this, Ferdinand let out a deep sigh.
"As Aub, with you here before me—even if I find battle distasteful and don't want to go, are you telling me to run? There's no need for unnecessary concern. If anything, I'd like to reduce that detached palace to rubble."
"P-Please wait a moment. Reducing the detached palace to rubble, leveling Ahrensbach to bare ground, or saying it would have been fine if either Lanzeneve or the royal family had been dealt with... Ferdinand, your thinking has been awfully violent lately."
Could this be because the fatigue that only a short rest couldn't fix was pushing his thought processes in a dangerous direction? When I worried aloud about this, Ferdinand gave a wry smile.
"I simply hadn't said it aloud, but my thinking was always this violent. This isn't recent. Don't worry."
"'Don't worry'—you really shouldn't say that in this situation!"
"Then you may worry all you like on your own."
...Don't say it so dismissively! This concerns you!
For the time being, I'd confirmed that Ferdinand wasn't avoiding
"Come to think of it, Ferdinand, do you know where the detached palace is? On the map it's diagonally down to the right from Ahrensbach's dormitory, but from high above in the pitch-dark sky, I can't tell which way is which at all. I can't even figure out which direction Ahrensbach's dormitory is."
Once you left the central area of the
"...You couldn't even grasp where Ahrensbach's dormitory was on the map, yet you boasted to Aub Dunkelfelger that you knew the approximate location?"
"I said the *approximate* location, so I wasn't lying. It's not that I can't tell—it's just that I can't connect the map to the actual terrain. Since it's diagonally down to the right on the map, all I have to do is head southeast."
"That doesn't help those who can't go southeast. What good is it for you, the one holding Gutrisheit and giving directions, to be in such a state?"
Ferdinand said I couldn't understand the map, but that wasn't really much of a problem. Even if I couldn't, someone else could.
"I know I can leave it to you, Ferdinand, so it doesn't matter if I can't tell southeast. You investigated the shrines for your research on the Twenty Mysteries of the Royal Academy, didn't you? There were materials in Professor
"It has absolutely nothing to do with Gutrisheit," I said, turning back to face him. Ferdinand's expression turned to one of extreme distaste, and he told me, "Face forward."
Ahrensbach's dormitory came into view in the distance. Dunkelfelger's knights hovered in the sky above. Their riding beasts glowed faintly, and the trees surrounding the dormitory swarmed with birds taking flight and small magical beasts scrambling in panic at the approach of those with differing magic power levels. Their presence was overwhelming.
"Stealth operations are impossible for Dunkelfelger, it seems."
"They won't be any different from us, who carry Verbergen's crests. Dunkelfelger's very existence is loud—no, I mean, they're very conspicuous. Ho ho ho..."
My true feelings had slipped out before I could stop them. I covered my mouth with my hand, laughing to cover it up, when an Ordonnanz flew in. It landed on my arm and spoke.
"Lady
Before the Ordonnanz finished its third sentence, Ferdinand's hand snatched it in a crushing grip as he told me, "Keep your gaze somewhere else." It seemed he'd transformed it from a magic stone into an Ordonnanz while I was looking away, and he blew a reply into it.
"Because we carry Verbergen's crests, we're invisible from your end, but we can see you from here. We'll arrive shortly."
I could see the white Ordonnanz carrying Ferdinand's message fly off into the night sky. The Dunkelfelger formation that had been waiting in the air above began circling over the dormitory as if searching for us.
...They look like bees.
If they could just stay still, that would be one thing, but Dunkelfelger had begun behaving like honeybees that had found a feeding ground and were signaling their hive-mates.
"It seems
Speaking in a tone of exasperation, Ferdinand removed the crest of Verbergen he'd been wearing, handed it to me, and moved to the front line alongside Ahrensbach's knights.
"Everyone, remove your crests of Verbergen!"
At Ferdinand's command, the crests of Verbergen were removed all at once. The crests had originally been used to avoid entering a combat state with the Central Knights at the teleportation circle in the central building. From here on, it would be better to remove them to prevent friendly fire.
The Dunkelfelger knights who had been circling in wait above Ahrensbach's dormitory cried out in excitement at our sudden appearance.
"Oh, you made it this far! We had no idea!"
"Ferdinand, where is the detached palace? Let's head there right away!"
"Why is Heisshitze here? The number of people seems rather large..."
The familiar voice turned out to belong to someone from Heisshitze.
The leader of Dunkelfelger appeared to be Aub Dunkelfelger. We were about to exchange greetings atop our riding beasts, but he waved them off, saying formal greetings weren't necessary on a battlefield like this, and told us to guide them to the detached palace quickly.
"Aub Dunkelfelger, proceed to the detached palace. We'll use the magic circle of Anhaltung, Goddess of Counsel, to break through Verbergen's concealment. After confirming whether a barrier is present, we'll storm in. Capture them alive if possible."
Ferdinand explained that whether the masterminds behind the foreign enticement crime were alive or dead would make a difference in the burden placed on Ahrensbach's commoners afterward. In short, someone needed to bear responsibility.
"Three individuals in particular—Dietlinde,
He also provided information about how the enemy possessed means of neutralization and antidotes, making it highly likely they would not hesitate to use instant-death poison; the number of Ahrensbach nobles beginning with Dietlinde; and the number of Lanzeneve personnel.
"Dietlinde and her close retainers amount to roughly ten. Alstede's group should only have their attendants with them. The Lanzeneve individuals who formally introduced themselves numbered twelve. Of those, eight possess magic-stone rings. However, the person named Gervasio—a man who appears to be Lanzeneve's king—is not among them."
If a royal was present, their close retainers would be with them. How many Lanzeneve people there were in total, frankly, I had no idea. Given the number of Lanzeneve ships, the total count was likely higher than expected.
"The enemies are the lord's family and their retainers. Depending on the knights' magic power levels, some may be able to escape."
Ferdinand warned that even binding them with bands of light might not be enough if there was a significant difference in magic power.
"A strong foe. Excellent."
Aub Dunkelfelger said this with satisfaction, but as far as I was concerned, I really didn't want strong enemies to show up. I wanted this capture to be over and done with as quickly as possible.
"This should be the spot, Rozemyne. Anhaltung, Goddess of Counsel's..."
"I know. Please leave it to me."
I pulled out the magic paper bearing the magic circle I'd created together with
"O Anhaltung, Goddess of Counsel, beloved of the
A magic circle of light blazed up into the sky, illuminating a single point. Within the dark forest, a graceful detached palace that had been invisible until now rose into view, gleaming white. Unlike Ehrenfest's dormitory, it consisted of two buildings connected by a covered walkway.
Though it had fallen into disrepair from lack of maintenance, the palace had a front garden, a fountain, a pond, and many remnants of flower beds. It was designed for extended stays even outside of winter, when it would be buried in snow. I had stayed there once during a lord's conference after the snow had melted, and there had been nothing like that around Ehrenfest's dormitory.
"The detached palace!"
"There are outsiders over there!"
Exclamations of awe rose from the surrounding knights, and simultaneously, Aub Dunkelfelger issued his order: "Confirm the presence or absence of a barrier!" A knight riding a mounting-type riding beast hurled something blue and glowing from the beast's back.
"Huh?"
Falling under gravity, it looked like either a blue-glowing riding beast or a blue-glowing child riding one. I blinked, wondering what it could be, when it spun around and began moving as if it had a will of its own.
"That thing's absurdly large, but isn't that a Geviwinnen piece?"
"Now that you mention it, I did see a blue ornament in Dunkelfelger's tea room. Could that be it? It looks just like the Geviwinnen pieces that start a Ditter match in the Twenty Mysteries of the Royal Academy."
"Not 'looks like'—Dunkelfelger must have actually done it. That tale wasn't from so very long ago."
Ferdinand's words made me blink.
"Lady Hannalore didn't seem to know about it?"
"If it happened in a year she wasn't at the Royal Academy, she wouldn't know if those around her kept silent."
"That's true."
The Geviwinnen piece, roughly the size of a child who had completed their
"No barrier! Charge in! I'm going in from above. Heisshitze, come from below!"
"Yes, sir!"
Aub Dunkelfelger led the charge into the detached palace. As if intending to attack from the nearest point, he alighted on the balcony of the third floor of the front building, destroyed the French doors, and burst inside. Following his lead, roughly half of Dunkelfelger's knights flew into the third floor while the other half smashed through the balcony windows on the second floor and surged inside.
"...Is it really appropriate for the person in charge of giving orders to be the first one to charge in?"
The position of Aub typically conjured images of someone standing back with an air of composure, but Aub Dunkelfelger was leading the assault. Ferdinand sighed. "Why didn't they leave lookouts outside? Are they trying to dump everything on us?"
"Stirnlind, take a squad of knights and scout the movements of the Central Knights. I'm concerned that with all this commotion, there's been no response from them."
"Yes, sir!"
"We can't let Dunkelfelger steal all the glory. We'll take the other building. Enter from the second-floor balcony, and squads two through seven—prioritize the third floor where the women's rooms are! Once you've secured prisoners, bring them to the front garden!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Squad eight, your job is to guard the prisoners. Only you can confirm whether Leonzio of Lanzeneve is among them."
"Yes, sir!"
Listening to Ferdinand's orders, I wondered why he wasn't entering from the third-floor balcony like Dunkelfelger. Moments later, I noticed that the building he'd pointed to had no balcony on the third floor at all. Every window was fitted with lattices decorated with plant and animal motifs—beautiful but sturdy. I couldn't help comparing it to the other building.
"That one doesn't have a balcony on the third floor. Why are the buildings different?"
"Because the residents are different. Would you expect collateral royals and people unregistered in
Apparently, there was a married couple of collateral royals who managed the detached palace, and their children were registered as either the future King of Lanzeneve or as girls raised as Yurgenschmidt's princesses. The Lanzeneve princesses and the children they bore—who would eventually become magic stones—were apparently housed in separate buildings. The presence of those lattices, which screamed "no intrusion or escape permitted," made it easy to guess how the residents there had been treated.
"...Now I understand exactly why Ferdinand would want to reduce this detached palace to rubble."
"It's a great pity that your riding beast, which demolished
Being told it could have easily demolished the place, I couldn't help turning to Ferdinand.
"Please don't speak of my Lesser as a tool of destruction! It just so happened that a series of coincidences led to that outcome—I had no intention of destroying Gerlach's villa!"
When Ferdinand gave a small, sharp laugh, the first prisoner, wrapped in coils of light, was hurled out the window. "Just like
"Rozemyne, stay here. I'll go inside and direct operations."
"Ferdinand, I want to—"
"You're slow at walking and running, and you'd only be in the way. Your job here is to guard the prisoners. If the bands loosen, you're the one who reties them. Of everyone here, you have the most magic power."
Unable to deploy my riding beast, I was indeed nothing but a hindrance. Still, Ferdinand gave me a role I could fulfill while issuing instructions to my escort knights.
"Clarissa, send an Ordonnanz to Dunkelfelger and instruct them to bring their prisoners here."
"Yes!"
"Escort knights—protect Rozemyne. Don't let a single scratch touch her."
"Yes, sir!"
Ferdinand went into the building with Brother
After Clarissa sent her Ordonnanz, Dunkelfelger's knights began bringing prisoners over. Three young men and women were wrapped in coils of light. None of them had expected to be attacked in their sleep, so most were still in their nightclothes. Even if the night watch had noticed the light from the magic circles or the sound of the Geviwinnen piece's impact, they wouldn't have had time to dress.
"I think the building Dunkelfelger's knights entered has mostly Lanzeneve people in it," an Ahrensbach knight said, looking down at the prisoners who had been brought over. All three appeared to be Lanzeneve individuals who had come with Leonzio and formally introduced themselves at Ahrensbach. They simply stared silently without opening their mouths.
"Another one is being brought over."
I turned my gaze and saw a prisoner being brought toward us tearing free of the bands of light and fleeing from the Dunkelfelger knight. He apparently had more magic power than the knight who'd captured him.
"That's Leonzio!"
The Ahrensbach knights assigned to guard the prisoners shouted, and half of the ten-man squad eight mounted their riding beasts and gave chase.
"I won't let you interfere! I'm going to be King of Lanzeneve!"
Leonzio, who had shouted this, was mounted on a riding beast, and a Stab was gripped in his hand.
...Why? This man isn't the one supposed to become King of Lanzeneve, is he?
The one being raised to become King of Lanzeneve—who had obtained a Stab and traveled to Lanzeneve—was a man named Gervasio. The name wasn't Leonzio, and he should have been considerably older than Ferdinand.
...How did he get a Stab?
As I furrowed my brow, the three prisoners who had been lying quietly on the ground broke free of the bands of light and rose with an eerie grace. Each of them held a Stab in their hand as well.
"Rozemyne!"
Racing through the night sky, we rendezvoused with Dunkelfelger above Ahrensbach's dormitory.
We shattered Verbergen's concealment and stormed into Adalgisa's detached palace.
The Lanzeneve individuals who had seemed so easily captured were holding Stabs.
Next—they are Lanzeneve.