"Man, the dream I had last night was the worst. I'm going to cancel today's speech. See, it must've been a bad omen."
At breakfast, nobody paid much attention to me saying things like that. Monica, who was bringing out the food, and Damian's automatons were watching the dishes vanish from the table with visible excitement.
"This is it, this! Ah, we are shining brightest right now!"
She seemed genuinely happy to have been born to serve others and to be fulfilling that purpose. Before my eyes, May was going after a mountain of meat from the early morning—
"That's my meat!"
But Shannon had snuck a piece and was eating it.
"Whatever! I'm still growing, you know."
I glanced at Shannon's chest and snorted. Immediately, a cleaned bone hit my face. As Shannon sputtered things like "What were you looking at?!", I cast a pitying gaze toward her chest.
"Someone's chest that shows absolutely no signs of growing, that's what."
Miranda, chewing on toast.
"Shannon, quiet down. So, Lyle, what kind of dream did you have?"
Normally Novem would be the one reacting to me, but right now she was just eating. Miranda called my name and I looked up.
Wiping my face with the towel Monica had brought, I said:
"Listen, the dream I had last night was terrible. When I woke up, a naked woman was sleeping next to me—well, it was a dream. Not real."
When I said "a naked woman was sleeping there," the noisy cafeteria of the mobile fortress went quiet. When I made sure to clarify it was a dream, General Broa, who was present, spoke in a bored tone:
"With the decisive battle approaching, if you were imagining being with someone… I suppose you're putting that wager off until after the war."
Baldoa said much the same:
"Please don't make wagers involving Lord Lyle. That said, even so, having come all this way only to sleep alone seems rather sad."
Maxim, looking somewhat dejected, poked at his food with a fork.
"Why not just go with Lady Novem? I mean, you've already placed a substantial bet on her, so just make up your mind already."
Damian accepted a drink from the Automaton, wishing the speaker wouldn't sound so exasperated.
"Still haven't decided on your partner… I can't tell if that's very Lyle or not… What do you think, Elder Ratarta?"
Elder Ratarta was devouring his meal with gusto, speaking through a mouthful of meat.
"Can I place a bet too?"
Damian called over an Automaton and began explaining the current odds and candidates to Elder Ratarta. I cleared my throat.
"So, there was a woman there, and I jumped up. I couldn't see her face, but since the other person was naked, I panicked and flung open the door—only to find Miranda."
Miranda looked somewhat pleased.
"Oh my, does that mean I'm on your mind enough to appear in your dreams?"
However, I quickly continued.
"…She was holding a knife and wearing a terrifying expression. I yelled that I still had my clothes on, it was a misunderstanding, then bolted. The moment our eyes met, I knew—if things stayed like this, I'd be killed."
Seeing Miranda freeze in place, Aria and Gracia covered their mouths with their hands, struggling to hold back their laughter.
"Ah, that tracks. If it's Miranda, that's totally plausible."
"Yeah, I can picture it too."
The two of them had been getting along well lately—bonding as fellow muscle-brained types, they had plenty to talk about. Miranda's gaze, however, had locked onto the pair. Well, that was beside the point.
"So after I fled, I ended up inside this fortress. I was running through a narrow corridor when I ran into Eliza."
Eliza perked up slightly at the mention, though it wasn't exactly a major event.
"She'd been running around looking for Gracia, so I pointed in Miranda's direction. Yeah, because she was scary and I figured she could protect me."
I felt a little bad about Eliza's visible disappointment, but my dream continued on from there.
"When I made it outside, there were soldiers all around me, weapons drawn. And there was Aria, on horseback, looking straight at me. Those eyes definitely belonged to someone who held a grudge against me. Maybe it was because it was a dream, but I was treated as a traitor and chased through the streets."
Being chased through the streets because I'd slept with someone——the worst part came after that.
"Gracia was there too. And when I ran, Ludmilla was waiting up ahead."
Ludmilla was sipping tea elegantly as she spoke.
"She got ahead of me? The me in that dream was pretty resourceful."
"Somehow there was a bed and nightclothes involved, so I ran off in a different direction."
When Ludmilla froze, Gracia and Eliza pointed at her and burst out laughing.
"Resourceful enough to carry a bed outside… Pfft!"
"Quite the resourceful one, indeed. I can't even imagine it."
Ludmilla glared at the two, growling something like "I told you it was a dream…," so I moved on.
"Eventually I shook them off and found a place to hide, and May was there."
May was munching on meat with her cheeks puffed out.
"Eva was riding on her back, aiming a bow and arrow or something. When I figured these two were enemies too and tried to run, arrows came flying from behind."
Eva and May wiped their mouths.
"Archery from horseback… that's pretty tough, isn't it? It's not impossible, but still."
"You can keep the horse steady enough to a certain degree, but I wouldn't chase after Lyle over something like that."
That about summed it up. Both of them understood perfectly well where they fell on the priority list.
"So with the sky being dangerous too, I ducked into a cave. And there was Clara, reading a book in a dark room, saying 'Your escape route has been cut off.' Then from the way I'd come, Vera walked in with a smile on her face."
Vera looked exasperated.
"What, you think I teamed up with Clara to corner you? No, I wouldn't do something like…."
I was hoping she'd firmly deny it, but Clara just looked around at everyone staring at her, completely bewildered.
"Wait, this is about a dream."
But Ludmilla had her hand on her chin as she spoke.
"A dark horse… no, it's possible."
I continued with the story.
"So I got scared and somehow managed to escape. In the end, I never figured out who was sleeping next to me, but I was being chased and woke up absolutely drenched in sweat. Shannon came out and told me to get up. Well, Shannon had come to wake me, so she was calling my name. But I was so startled I screamed."
Shannon looked over at me.
"So you were screaming your lungs out first thing in the morning? Idiot."
Though Shannon was laughing, there was someone nearby who had clearly deflated. It was Monica.
"W-wait, you mean I didn't appear in the Chicken's dream at all, and…"
Damian's automatons—Number One, Number Two, and Number Three—were covering their mouths and snickering at Monica.
"They were really chasing me, and everyone's faces were terrifying. Ugh, in the end I never found out who it was… besides, a dream where you get chased by your own allies is definitely a nightmare. Let's just call it off for today."
At that, General Broa, who had been listening, placed his hand on his chin.
"Wouldn't that be Lady Novem? No—I mean, wouldn't it be whoever was sleeping next to you?"
Monica looked at General Broa as she spoke.
"And there you go, casually leaving me out of it. The only one allowed to be cold to me is the Chicken. Getting the cold shoulder from anyone else doesn't excite me in the least."
Yeah, it was probably best to just ignore Monica.
Everyone's eyes converged on Novem. But Novem looked a bit dazed.
"Huh? Um… yes, what is it?"
She was frozen solid, toast still in hand. At that point, the others' gazes shifted to Baldoa, who had cleared his throat.
"We can't have you avoiding the speech because you had a bad dream. Today is the day we march on Central."
Yes, the allied forces had assembled around Central. With Central showing absolutely no response before us, I was about to deliver the final speech.
"So, let's do it another day. This feels like a bad omen or something."
Baldoa's eyebrow twitched at my lack of enthusiasm.
"No. Everything is already prepared."
Well, it wasn't like I was seriously trying to stop it. Just casual breakfast conversation. I myself was a little nervous, so I wanted to keep things light.
But I could tell that Novem was taking it far more to heart than I'd imagined.
Once, my ancestor — the previous Lyle — had marched on Central.
It was to eliminate the cause of corruption in a kingdom renowned for its beauty.
In terms of results, he succeeded in defeating Agrissa.
However, the Banseim family — the Landed Nobility at the time — reaped all the rewards. They were pushed off the stage of history, and the Banseim royal family saved the continent and founded the Kingdom of Banseim.
Apparently, they went to great lengths to meticulously erase the records.
My ancestor, who had originally only thought about defeating Agrissa and hadn't publicized it much to those around him.
The woman he had been dating at the time — or perhaps married to — had a child. The then-Head of House Foxes, Novem, had tried to raise them up to overthrow Banseim, but that was long ago. The woman desired peace and entered Central under the protection of the Banseim royal family.
That might not have been wrong either.
"Well, depending on how you look at it, he could have just gone ahead and annihilated Banseim right then and there."
Standing beside the mobile fortress's stage, I muttered this while clenching the Jewel in my hand. Novem stood beside me.
"She... had given up on fighting. It wasn't so much about how much her husband had struggled — she cared more about herself."
I thought that was going too far.
"Well, if you've got a baby on the way, wouldn't you want to protect it?"
It was Aria who retorted to Novem with an exasperated look, her spear resting on her shoulder as she waited for the time to come.
Novem understood that much, too.
"Thanks to that, the Banseim royal family was born and the continent was split apart. After that, a number of wise rulers emerged, but House Walt has been tormented by the Banseim royal family time and again. And it's not just House Walt."
The First Generation turned out to be the grandson of the ancestor who had defeated Agrissa.
It had been nearly two hundred and fifty years since the First Generation Basil Walt declared independence on account of his first love and became Landed Nobility.
Clara, having finished her preparations, made her way toward me. Meanwhile, Eva was in the background, preparing her Skills.
"Lyle, everything's ready. It looks like Eva's prepared to use her Skills as well. What would you like for the performance?"
I thought about it for a moment.
"Something safe and solemn, I suppose, with a rousing finish toward the end? Then again, Eva's Skills are really something. Delivering your voice to people, and the performance is entirely up to you."
At that, Eva poked her head out.
"Convenient, sure. But personally, I prefer live performances. And I'm not too fond of using Skills to deliver my voice. So don't make me do it too often going forward."
Eva slipped away, waving her hand back and forth as she went. I tightened my grip on the Jewel.
Miranda and Aria, who were nearby, called out to me.
"Go on, get out there."
"Show them what you've got. You're the supreme commander, after all."
I gave the two of them a smile. Clara had moved off to operate the mechanisms. Then, as Novem saw me about to step onto the stage, she bowed her head to me.
"Lyle, I'm sure you have a great deal on your mind, but I, Novem Foxes… would like to stay by your side until the very end."
I nodded.
"I hope this 'very end' of yours lines up with what I've got in mind. I'm heading out."
As I stepped onto the stage, I could already hear music carried by Eva's Skills. It felt as though it were being performed right beside me.
Then, I took a deep breath.
Slowly, the stage rose to a position where I could survey the whole area. Once it stopped, I could feel all eyes gathered on me.
It was time for the Third Generation's Skill, Dream. Before me, the walls of Central were visible, surrounded by the allied forces' armies.
Directly above me, I created an illusion of myself so everyone could see. The illusion replicated my movements in perfect sync.
My voice reached them, and so did my image. This would surely have some effect. Amid the murmuring, I opened my mouth.
"Hear me, heroes gathered here!"
I called the knights and soldiers heroes, and I praised them. Without question, they were heroes. They stood against the tyrannical Ceres to save the continent.
And yet, how many of these people would make it home alive…
"Many of you have heard of the atrocities committed by the Banseim royal family. Some may have trembled at their cruelty. But you stood up regardless! You are, without a doubt, heroes… legends! Your names will surely be etched into the history of this monumental battle!"
That wasn't exactly true, but the fact that they participated in this battle would remain.
A solemn melody played, and my words carried the weight of that atmosphere.
"If we don't win this battle, dark clouds will loom over the continent's future. In truth, many terrible things have already happened. Baim suffered immense devastation from the armies dispatched by Banseim. Inside Banseim itself, the same was true. You must have seen it on your way here."
Lifeless villages and towns, lords and soldiers whose sanity was in question. Even after being freed and regaining their senses, they looked back on what they had done, tormented by guilt.
"Sooner or later, this hell will spread across the continent at Banseim's hands. If we don't stop it now, the continent will be consumed by death and terror! This is where the decisive battle takes place. Right here, right now, the future is decided!"
For many of those participating, being told they were on the side of justice made the fight easier. If they believed they were doing something wrong, hesitation inevitably crept in.
As long as life and death weren't on the line, doubt would follow.
Many of them were soldiers from other countries with no direct connection to Banseim. Without meaning—without justice—this battle would lack real conviction.
They needed to know that what they were doing mattered. I had to tell them that. Even if it was ultimately for my own sake.
"Heroes, this great battle requires your power! Topple the tyrannical Banseim royal family and show the continent what justice looks like!"
Thanks to the groundwork Sakura had laid and the lines of communication already established, cheers began to spread through the crowd.
Yes—this was how I sent countless people to their deaths. And as I raised my fist, I was painfully aware that I was sending many of them to kill as well.
But someone had to do it. And I couldn't afford to wait for someone else to step forward.
If there had been someone else, I would have gladly lent them my support, and after the war I might have settled somewhere on the frontier to tend a field. How much better that would have been.
Had I stayed silent, the people gathered here would never have been put in danger. But eventually Ceres would have made her move, and they might have scattered and perished in vain resistance.
While the neighboring nations still had the strength to fight, I had to stop Ceres — by any means necessary.
Still, I don't think I'm right. What I'm doing is exactly the same as what Ceres is doing.
What would the Successive Heads say if they saw me like this? I'd been told before to give up and flee to some land beyond Ceres's reach.
Even so, I chose to walk this blood-soaked path myself. If I kept agonizing over it, they probably would have yelled at me.
Mireia had told me.
To sit upon the throne built atop a mountain of corpses. And to seize the future.
"Heroes — seize the future in your hands!"