Night.
While the others slept soundly, Monica took the night watch for us.
Everyone was lying down and resting in Porter’s cargo bed, but I alone had been summoned by the Fifth Generation and was now facing him within the Jewel.
The Third Generation, Seventh Generation, and Mireia were watching over the scene from a slight distance. Or rather, they seemed to be watching with great amusement.
'Is it that? I guess the Fifth Generation is also troubled by harem-like issues after all? Well, I was fine with just one wife.'
'Indeed. It is a hardship we cannot understand. If anything, I ended up marrying after a courtship. Of course, it was true that Xenoa’s status was superior to our house, which made the marriage convenient.'
'You managed it quite well, though. Father probably had issues with it, don't you think? In my case, if my husband took a concubine, I would have returned to my parents' home at that moment. My brother's wife endured it well despite it being a love marriage.'
Ignoring the group nearby who were whispering to each other and looking this way with amusement, the Fifth Generation began explaining Aria's situation to me. The First Generation had been Aria’s defender, while the Second Generation had somewhat disliked her. The other Successive Heads had not expressed any particular opinions regarding Aria.
But now that Aria was saying it would be better if I didn't marry her, the Fifth Generation had changed his tune and was urging me on.
'Listen, Lail! That Aria – Aria Lokward – is an incredibly important girl to you.'
'Well, have you ever said anything like that even once before? Besides, if that is what Aria wishes, then from my perspective—'
Inside the Jewel, in the Round Table chamber, the Fifth Generation summoned his signature snake-blade sword, turned it sideways, and lightly struck my head with the flat of the blade.
Mireia, watching this, looked surprised.
'My, the father is angry at his child. That’s a truly rare sight.'
I pressed my hand to the spot where I'd been hit. He hadn’t struck that hard, so I just continued listening to the Fifth Generation.
'Listen, Lail. Women sometimes lie for their own benefit. They offer their bodies for money. You can’t always tell what they’re thinking behind that smile. I’ve thought so many times to learn from the pure simplicity of animals… oh, right, never mind the animals for now. Anyway, women lie more easily than men.'
'Well, I suppose that’s true. I’m an adventurer, so I’ve heard all sorts of stories, including things like that.'
Women are good at lying. I knew that, but I didn't understand why the Fifth Generation was telling me this. While I was trying to understand, I faintly heard the Third Generation's voice.
'Huh? That guy Lail doesn’t get it.'
Mireia looked exasperated as well.
'Well, my top picks are Miranda and Shannon, so the rest don't really matter, but I have to say—that one's pretty questionable.'
Only the Seventh Generation was in the same boat as me, clueless. She tilted her head, earning exasperated looks from both the Third Generation and Mireia.
The Fifth Generation glanced at me, then looked down, pressing her hand to her forehead as if her head ached, lost in thought for a moment. Then she looked up and spoke to me.
'Lail, Aria lied. It was for her own benefit. Can you figure out what that benefit is?»
Hearing "Aria's benefit," I immediately assumed she meant Aria's own sake. Compared to marrying me, Aria would certainly be happier finding another man. And it wasn't just Aria—the same could be said for all the other women.
But the fact that the Fifth Generation was asking this meant the answer might be different.
"So Aria's benefit isn't for her own sake?"
The Fifth Generation looked me in the face and said.
'Aria intends to step back for your sake. That girl is terrible at lying. Her body moves before her brain does, and she says exactly what she's thinking. Would a girl like that have pushed you away if she disliked being kissed by you?"
I shook my head, but the Fifth Generation clutched her head. She was muttering things like "You still don't get it?" when I heard a whispering voice. It was Mireia.
'Lail is like that, you know. He's never failed to win over a woman he set his sights on, so he doesn't really understand what it feels like to be disliked.'
Hearing that, the Fifth Generation's face suddenly lit up as though she'd remembered something, and she snapped her fingers.
'That's it! Think about how you were treated back at the mansion! Try to picture their faces. Every time you said something, how did they react?"
I remembered. Back when I first started being hated at the mansion, people would complain whenever I said anything. But gradually, they began treating me like an intruder. The worst was when they treated me as though I didn't exist at all.
"They looked at me with such cold eyes. As if I wasn't even there…"
'Exactly. I understand that feeling too. Aria is the type who would tell you straight up if she hated you. And yet that girl followed you all the way to Baim. She even decided to fight Ceres for you. Why do you think that is? Do you really think it was for Aria's own future? When you said you'd seize the continent, how many people actually believed you? It's a goal that even now would get you laughed at just for saying it out loud. And Aria heard all that before coming to Baim. She must have needed an incredible amount of resolve. She might have even been prepared to die."
Hearing that, I no longer understood what "Aria's benefit" meant. And what Aria's happiness truly was…
"…Fifth Generation, I want Aria to be happy. I want to know if she can truly be happy staying by my side like this… And everyone else too!"
The Fifth Generation once again struck the top of my head with the belly section of her serpentine blade. This time it really hurt. I clutched my head with both hands, eyes brimming with tears.
"Lyle — you needed the women's strength to beat Ceres. You decided to accept that as is, right? Listen, I'll say this one thing. It's not about whether you can become happy. It's about making someone happy! And not just your bride. Among the people you'll kill from now on, there are plenty who are innocent. Have you ever thought about what happens to Baim? Why do you kill? Why do you crush everything in your path and push forward? It can't be just so you can grab your own happiness."
The Fifth Generation hurled her serpentine blade into the air. Watching it dissolve into particles of light and vanish, I listened to her words.
"I couldn't do it. So I have no right to say this. I know that, but I'm going to say it anyway. The others think it's fine even if Aria drops out. No — as long as she lends her strength, they think it's okay for her to bow out afterward, as long as someone looks after her to some extent. But I absolutely won't accept that. This is important, and I wanted you to realize it on your own, but since you still don't get it, I'll tell you myself."
Unlike the Fifth Generation, the others did seem to think that if they could have Aria's cooperation, it didn't matter whether she became my bride afterward. They apparently intended to repay her for the help, too. If that was what Aria wanted, I figured that would be fine.
But the Fifth Generation had told me with conviction.
"Aria's benefit — is you, Lyle. Your happiness."
Morning.
Stepping out of the back of Porter's truck, I saw Aria wielding her spear.
The damp morning air. The grass on the ground was wet, and my boots soaked through as I walked. The chirping of insects still lingered around us, and the sun had not yet fully risen.
Everything around me looked blue.
Amid it all, Aria was slick with sweat as she practiced with her spear. She seemed to notice me, but without even turning her way, she spoke.
"What? If I'm distracting you and you want to move around, could you go somewhere else?"
Her cold, dismissive attitude felt different from before. Had she really stepped back out of concern for me? Or was the Fifth Generation simply mistaken? As all manner of thoughts churned through my head, I extended my left hand to the side.
A magic circle appeared, and from it emerged a wooden treasure chest. The Seventh Generation's Skill — Box. What sprang out from inside was the saber that had been left over.
They were mass-produced, and a few still remained inside the Box.
I caught the scabbard of the saber in my left hand and gripped the hilt with my right, drawing the blade free.
Still holding the scabbard in my left hand, I pointed the tip of the saber at Aria.
"…Let's pick up where we left off. Last time I completely dominated. We've both grown a little since then. Don't you want to find out who's stronger now?"
Aria stopped mid-motion, drove her spear into the ground, and turned toward me. She looked perplexed, yet resolved — a complicated expression.
"What? You don't want a woman who won't fall in line? Then you should've just kicked me out from the start."
I didn't know how to answer Aria either. Because I didn't know, no words came out of my mouth. Then, from inside the Jewel, the Fifth Generation spoke.
"Lyle, don't think you're the only one who's nervous. You... don't make the same mistake I did."
I let out a light breath, then stepped in and thrust my saber straight at Aria.
It was caught by the shaft of her spear — probably because the spear was higher quality, with a sturdier handle.
If this were a katana someone had made for me, the story might have been different.
"You're quick to react."
Aria's eyes sharpened. Her consciousness had shifted — from the usual Aria to the Aria who fought.
"Take me too lightly and— you'll get hurt!"
Aria's power surged in an instant, and I was blown away by sheer force. The Skill recorded in her red jewel must have activated.
I flew back a bit, and when I landed, my footing slipped on the wet grass. Aria, who had been right in front of me, crouched slightly and vanished from sight.
"Quick!? No — second stage!"
It was Aria's own Skill. It let her move with explosive speed for an instant, giving it even more burst power than the Fourth Generation's Skill — Speed — but its duration was incredibly short.
Using Quick with such mastery, Aria appeared right beside me for just a split second.
"A feint... left!"
Even if I tried to pinpoint her position using the Second Generation's Skill or the Sixth Generation's Skill, she was simply too fast to track.
I caught Aria's downward spear strike with the scabbard in my left hand. My body, strengthened by the First Generation's Skill — Full Over — endured the blow, and I deflected it.
But Aria immediately moved again — appearing right behind me.
I rolled to the right in a split second. A slash flew into the spot where I'd been standing, gouging the ground and sending grass spiraling through the air.
The Fifth Generation's voice reached me.
"Don't hold back. Answer her with everything you have. It won't go like last time anymore."
I took a deep breath and decided to use every Skill I had.
Aria noticed the shift in my aura and closed in. The grass parted like a road being cleared wherever she dashed through with Quick.
I crossed my Saber and sheath to block Aria's strike. Her weapon had been hardened, her power amplified, and her Speed increased — blocking it was a real challenge.
"You used Quick and... Slash at the same time. That was seriously dangerous."
Aria's face was right there, close to mine. She was smiling slightly.
"You're the one who started this fight, Laiel!"
Aria vanished from right in front of me.
I activated the Fifth Generation's Skill — Dimension — to perceive the surrounding terrain in three dimensions, then gathered even more information with the Sixth Generation's — Real Spec.
I even went as far as using the Second Generation's — Select — and launched magic toward Aria. Fireballs homed in on her one after another, and I murmured:
"Full Burst... into Full Drive!"
Using the First and Fourth Generation's third-stage Skills simultaneously, I rushed toward Aria at breakneck speed. What surprised me was that even in that situation, Aria had noticed me clearly.
In the world around us moving in slow motion, Aria alone was moving just a little faster than everyone else. But then, her lips moved. I read that movement.
[Boost]
— was what I made out.
Right after, a tiny, truly minuscule speck of light emerged from Aria, and she too stepped into the world of the Fourth Generation's Skill. Aria had caught up to the Fourth Generation's Skill.
"There!"
Aria swung her spear, and the sheath I'd braced with couldn't withstand the impact — it shattered. She was moving faster than me, and her strength had surpassed mine too.
"You said Vanguard-type Skills were unfair, didn't you?"
The defining trait of Vanguard-type Skills lay in their offense-specialized explosive power. Even when it came to physical enhancement, they were more aggressive than the First Generation's Skill. The heavy toll on the body meant they couldn't be used for extended periods, but the burst power in a single moment was on another level.
Aria sent slashing attacks flying at me. I sprinted across the ground to dodge them. The earth was gouged. My entire body was drenched, and the two of us were caked in mud from the clumps of dirt that had been kicked into the air.
Looking at Aria's serious expression, I speak.
"You've gotten stronger. You're really strong, Aria!"
When I swung my saber down at Aria, the mass-produced weapon shattered against her hardened spear. As fragments slowly scattered around us, I reached out toward Aria.
I grabbed her by the collar, pulled her close, and wrenched the spear from her grasp.
I hooked my leg around hers and rolled her over, pinning her to the ground.
When the flow of time around us returned to normal, I felt the wind blow. Against my sweaty body, the wind was cool and refreshing.
"I win."
"...You do. I lost again. So, why did you go and do something like this—"
—Why had I done this? Before she could finish the sentence, I spoke to Aria.
"This is my answer from yesterday. You lost, so you follow me. Stay by my side. I need... I need you."
Aria looked at my face and seemed about to burst into tears. No—tears spilled from her eyes, and she covered her face with her hands.
"...I'm not amazing like everyone else. I'm weaker than Laiel, and I don't have any money! I can't even provide manpower! I'm not needed anymore, am I? There are plenty of girls prettier than me! I... I don't want to become a burden to Laiel."
In that moment, I felt as though I had heard Aria's true inner voice. She had been lying.
"Even so—stay by my side."
—The Fifth Generation, who had been watching over Laiel and Aria, let out a sigh of relief.
"Good grief, just because we've been together a long time doesn't mean I understand everything... but she really is a handful."
Seeing the Fifth Generation relaxing at the round table, Mireia spoke.
"Couldn't you have done something like that for us back then, too?"
The Fifth Generation looked down, his expression filled with sorrow.
"...How could I? I'm the worst kind of man. I put my family and my territory on the scales. I brought more family into the world for the sake of my territory, and made my own children miserable. I knew it was wrong. I knew it. And yet... that was the only choice I had. That's why I..."
The Fifth Generation's era had its share of problems too. That was because the surrounding families were wary of House Walt. From the First through the Fourth, they had been a baron family. Under normal circumstances, that should have been impossible.
Moreover, the Fourth Generation had succeeded in governance. Had actually made it work. That was why the surrounding families feared them.
Slei Wolt, the hero, was a fierce general who had once charged into an army of tens of thousands with only a few dozen subordinates — and a righteous one at that.
There was no guarantee that such blood wouldn't resurface, and the surrounding families feared House Walt. Mireia spoke, looking a little sad.
"You should have talked more. More... even just conversation would have been enough. There were times when I wanted you to put things into words too."
Mireia's Mystic Eyes also held the power to perceive a person's mental state. She could read it from the movement of their magical power, and she knew that the expressionless Fifth Generation, who had no interest in children, was always grieving.
He had turned to relying on animals precisely because his spirit could no longer bear it.
Mireia spoke to the Fifth Generation. She straightened her posture and performed a graceful bow.
"Please, tell Laiel everything. I'm begging you, Father. That child needs Father's teachings too. The feelings Father thought were unnecessary for House Walt — they were exactly what was needed. So what if you were bullied? So what if people looked down on you? House Walt rose from those circumstances all the way to become an Earl, and that is undeniably because of Father's achievements."
The Fifth Generation said nothing, keeping his head lowered —.