—Amid the bustle of South Baim, a faint, taut sort of tension had begun to show itself.
Representatives had arrived from various nations, and as a result, knights and soldiers keeping watch had grown in number, their eyes sharp with vigilance.
Under those circumstances in South Baim, Eliza Rusworth was in a bit of a bind.
"...I'm lost."
The streets were packed with people. On top of that, Eliza—who was rarely allowed outside and always had guards or someone at her side—had visited South Baim before, but the pace of development had been so rapid that it looked almost like an entirely different city.
"There was no place like this here before."
Eliza looked like she was about to burst into tears, but she held them back. She stood there at a loss, looking around helplessly, but outwardly she was a beautiful young woman with long, pale-blue hair despite her tall stature. Her features were usually so striking that they gave off an even colder impression to those around her.
However, today she was dressed in feminine attire—pants with a frilled jacket over them. Eliza had ditched her guards on a whim and gone out to walk the city, only to get lost, and now she stood there looking around in that outfit.
Just then—
"What are you doing?"
Shannon was standing behind Eliza, both arms full of snacks and the like.
"...She got the drop on me."
Frustrated that a petite girl like Shannon had sneaked up behind her, Eliza sat down on the spot.
"That's kind of rude. Wait—aren't you Eliza?"
Eliza crouched down to look at Shannon.
"You're... Shannon, right? If I remember correctly, you're Miranda's younger sister."
They had a somewhat complicated relationship and rarely had the chance to speak like this. Both of them were potential brides for Laiel, and as far as Eliza was concerned, Shannon was a rival.
Shannon picked one snack from the pile she was holding and started eating it.
"How unladylike."
At Eliza's words, Shannon was exasperated.
"You're so annoying. Back at the mansion, our snacks are restricted, you know. When I get my allowance, I need to go outside and blow off some stress."
Watching Shannon eat her snacks with such relish, Eliza's stomach growled. She quickly pressed a hand against her belly, her fair skin flushing red with embarrassment.
"What? Are you hungry? Fine, I suppose. I'll share some of my snacks with you."
Eliza was irritated by Shannon's condescending attitude. Still, the snacks Shannon had did look delicious.
(No, wait — get a grip! I'm the representative of Rusworth. Taking handouts from some little girl like this...)
What Shannon was offering Eliza was a snack that was popular even in South Baim.
"Oh, you don't want them? This is one of the most popular snacks in South Baim — they sell out by morning, so you won't be able to buy any more today."
Incidentally, the ones selling these were none other than the Valkyries, who never missed an opportunity to earn some pocket money. Each faction had set up stalls to fundraise, serving snacks and meals. Given that they were originally Automatons — and ones designed to serve people at that — their culinary skills were nothing to scoff at.
A sweet aroma tickled Eliza's nostrils.
As Eliza started reaching out, Shannon pulled the snacks back.
With a grin on her face.
"Come on, say 'please give me some' properly."
"You're such a pain, you know that?"
When Eliza said that, Shannon turned away.
"Why should I be nice to my sister's rival? Besides, I'm already being generous here. I'm offering you a popular snack, you know."
At that, Eliza stood up.
"Do you know your way around here? You didn't go with Lufens?"
The way she said it made it sound like Laiel had left her behind. At that, Shannon suddenly raised her voice.
"Excuse me?! As if Laiel would ever leave me behind! I'm here on official business, you know. Besides, that man's hopeless without me."
"I-Is that so? I'm usually not around him, so I don't really know the details about things like that."
Eliza deflated after being yelled at by Shannon. Seeing her like that, Shannon let out a sigh.
"Well, it can't be helped. Come with me. If you don't want to be treated to things, I'll introduce you to some good restaurants. I specialize in sweets, though."
For the record, everything else was May and Marina's domain. Having eaten their way through nearly every food stall and restaurant in the city, the two had become minor celebrities in South Baim.
"Is that okay? Aren't you my enemy?"
When Eliza said that, Shannon flashed a fearless grin.
"Hmph, I'll let you be my friend for now."
She said this with a slight blush to her cheeks. Eliza looked equally delighted.
"R-Really?!"
Eliza, overjoyed at the word "friend," had once been treated as nothing more than a figurehead queen. Because of that, she was terrible with people. Her relationship with Gracia had grown awkward, and she had been starved for the word "friend."
"I'll show you how to have fun in this city. First, we'll get some food in our stomachs. Then we'll go shopping at the Trace family's shops. Drop Laiel's name and they'll happily let you have things for free."
"L-Laiel is amazing..."
Fidel had been purchasing things in Laiel's name, buying in massive quantities, though Shannon was unaware of this.
The two of them spent the rest of the day roaming around South Baim, and by the time they returned, Eliza had been chewed out by her escort knights while Shannon had been scolded by Laiel over the shopping bills.
The two of them were apparently spotted sitting seiza in their rooms as punishment — or maybe they weren't.
The grand conference room prepared in South Baim.
Seated around the round table that had been set up were the representatives from each nation. Among them, I sat in an opulent chair projecting authority, careful not to let my expression slip.
In the conference room, an explanation was being given about just how dangerous Banseim was. From the Banseim royal family's annulment of their engagement with the Fonbeau royal family, to Ceres's numerous abnormal actions.
And when word of the hell unfolding within Banseim's borders reached them, the representatives from each nation looked skeptical but ultimately seemed convinced.
Honestly, no one had joined the alliance out of a sense of justice. In eastern Banseim, many lords had chosen to side with me after House Walt was defeated.
Many nations and lords had offered their cooperation, seeing that the tide of history was turning in their favor.
On top of that, Fonbeau had been traumatized by the Sixth and Seventh Generations in the past, and their aim was to recover the territories they had lost.
Just then, the representative of a nation bordering Kartavus—but sharing no border with Banseim—spoke up.
"This is terrible. There is certainly a need to do something about Banseim. But, Honored Alliance Leader... what exactly would be the reward for those of us who participate?"
In response, Aura spoke on behalf of the Four-Nation Alliance.
"Facing a threat of this magnitude, you dare ask for rewards? If we don't bring it down, it will become a crisis for the entire continent—that much should be obvious."
Aura's defense of me wasn't for my sake... it was to demonstrate that the Four-Nation Alliance, and Zayin, held real influence.
In truth, Zayin had cooperated quite a bit to help me rise to power. She was seeking a return on that investment.
"...A piddling little country like yours."
As an uneasy atmosphere spread through the conference room, the Third Generation's voice came from within the Jewel in an excited tone.
*'I like it. It really gives off that ragtag vibe, which is honestly perfect. I'm glad most of House Walt's soldiers sided with us. It sets a proper example for everyone around. If there were fewer, the major nations wouldn't be able to commit their full strength to invading Banseim.'*
Aura spoke again.
"Let us pretend we didn't hear that last remark. However, if you wish to withdraw from the alliance at this point, by all means say so."
She said this knowing full well the other party couldn't bring themselves to do so, but even so, it was a bit too provocative.
Others chimed in as well.
"Coming in late and only worrying about rewards—is that really appropriate?"
"Have you forgotten that without our cooperation, you wouldn't be able to put up a proper fight?"
"You sat on the fence this entire time and now—"
As these grievances erupted one after another, I sat in silence and listened. From within the Jewel, the Third Generation's advice reached my ears.
*'Lyle, at a gathering like this, giving the best possible answer won't do you any good. People's feelings determine whether they'll accept it gracefully, and right now they won't. This is the time to let them vent, and once they're worn out, make your proposal. Meetings are a test of endurance too, you know.'*
This was a meeting meant to bridge the gaps between each faction's position and understanding. Some disagreement was only to be expected.
And then, a middle-aged man rose to his feet.
He was the representative of a nation even further west of Fonbeau.
"Forgive me. What has been discussed thus far is the matter of Banseim's atrocities, and how it is only a matter of time before they spread across the entire continent. However, if I may say so... the Supreme Commander, who hails from House Walt—"
"—whether they are truly fit to lead—"
"—is something I find most questionable."
The middle-aged man with a neatly styled beard appeared to hold the title of Crown Prince. I was listening, thinking it was a perfectly reasonable question, when the Crown Prince went on.
"An allied force of this magnitude will surely be etched into history. And the Supreme Commander who serves as its generalissimo is connected to the enemy, Banseim — I'm not the only one who finds that unacceptable."
In the murmuring conference hall, I sat in silence and listened.
Then, Gracia crossed her arms and fixed the Crown Prince with a glare.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
The Crown Prince shrugged.
"Seducing women to expand one's influence — indeed, that's certainly one way to go about it. It sounds just like Celeste Walt, who was introduced here as 'atrocious.' They really do seem like siblings. ...I believe we ought to select a new Supreme Commander, don't you?"
The Third Generation was laughing. From the murmur around the room, voices of agreement rose from those who stood to benefit from such a change.
*'He's hitting all the right spots. Now then, how will Lyle respond?'*
The reason the Third Generation was enjoying this was that she knew the real question — who could actually stop Celeste? — had no answer.
I straightened my back and held my posture.
"...The soldiers mobilized to invade Banseim currently number one hundred and fifty thousand. And that number will only grow as time goes on."
The lords of Banseim who came seeking Ruphence, and the displaced people who had arrived here with their grievances — the ranks were still set to grow.
The Crown Prince's brow twitched.
"And how does that compare? In terms of military strength, the largest army Cartaphus could field would be—"
Ludmilla spoke.
"Cartaphus wouldn't be able to mobilize that many either. But are you suggesting you could provide even more? And it's not just about troop numbers. Have you secured communication channels with each military force? What about the strategy? What about situational awareness of each nation? If anyone here can do better than our alliance leader—er, than our leader, by all means, step forward."
At that, a senior representative from Fonbeau spoke a single line.
"That's the trouble with borderline nations. Your homeland can barely scrape together thirty thousand at most — we're already operating on a completely different scale."
For a long time, the continent had been fractured, its people accustomed to thinking only in small-scale terms. When you tried to think continent-wide, there were problems that troop numbers alone simply couldn't solve.
Then Jules of Jambia clapped his hands together.
"The results speak for themselves. You should be grateful that you can even understand that much. Well, it's only natural for a man to aspire upward. Still, Jambia supports our leader."
The major figures nodded and voiced their support for me, and the remaining participants fell silent.
The Third Generation spoke with interest.
"Well, it's not like you can just demand someone suddenly adopt a continent-wide perspective. Even I'd want to tilt my head at that. Lyle has all sorts of convenient Skills and Automatons, so it gives him an advantage in situations like this."
It wasn't just the existence of Monica and the other Automatons — the Skills left behind by the Successive Heads were what put me at an advantage. On an individual level, a frontal-combat Skill like Aria's red Jewel would be most useful.
For a squad or something slightly larger, a rear-guard type would probably be better.
But when it came to commanding a large army, support-class Skills were far and away the most valuable.
The blue Jewel that the First Generation had bought on a whim because it was cheap — who could have guessed it would turn out to be worth this much… The world is full of strange wonders.
I swept my gaze across the participants, and when I saw no one had any objections—
"Then let's continue the meeting. I know you're all busy people."
However, the only thing decided in the remainder of the meeting was that, during this particular season, everyone was too busy to move.
The Third Generation remarked:
"Well, from spring through autumn, people are naturally swamped. If your troops are made up of your own citizens, you can't just mobilize them at the drop of a hat."
R-Right.
——Miranda's private room.
The frozen Miranda stared at Eliza, who had come to the room at Shannon's introduction. She watched the blushing Eliza and Shannon, who held her head high with an expression that practically dared anyone to question the situation.
"...Huh? Friends?"
Shannon thumped her chest with her hand.
"That's right! Eliza and I are friends!"
Eliza, still blushing, added:
"After I came here, we talked about all sorts of things, and we became friends when she made me sit seiza."
Miranda nodded several times with a strained smile.
"I-I see."
(...I already thought she was a problematic person, but this is beyond anything I expected. Who would have thought Shannon would go this far.)
As Miranda stared at Eliza, Shannon turned to Eliza.
"I've properly introduced you to my big sister too, so there's nothing to worry about now. Come on, Eliza, let's head to the dining hall. Today the dessert is little jellies, and I want to roll them around in my mouth."
"Y-Yeah. I want to roll them around too."
Eliza usually gave off a cold, composed impression, but seeing her like this, she was just as hopeless as Shannon. Miranda watched Eliza calmly... and a dark smile crept across her face.
She switched instantly to a warm, gentle smile.
"If you're Shannon's friend, then you're my friend too. Let's get along, Eliza."
At that, Eliza looked delighted.
"R-Really! Let's get along, then!"
Unlike the situation where they had fought over Gracia and Laiel, Eliza seemed genuinely happy. In truth, Miranda and Shannon were much the same as Gracia in their own way. But the circumstances were different, and more than that, Eliza was starving for friends and had walked in on her own—she was nothing more than prey caught in a spider's silk.
Miranda took Eliza by the hand.
"Come on, let's have dinner. After that, we'll take a bath. Oh, why don't we sleep in the same room? It'll be a pajama party!"
"A pajama party! I've heard of those!"
Eliza looked delighted.
(Rusworth... I thought they were hopeless, but they really are hopeless. I need to tighten up the circle around Eliza even more. They're so lax about it—no wonder she got snatched away by me.)
And so, Eliza was folded into Miranda's faction.