The allied forces that had pushed into Central were beginning to lose morale as they faced enemies that kept advancing no matter how many they cut down.
Day after day, they had been fighting Banseim's forces, which showed no signs of weakening despite tens of thousands of casualties. The soldiers' mental strain was wearing on them long before their physical stamina gave out.
The initial estimate had been two hundred thousand — a number each army had casually projected on its own — but that figure had been easily surpassed. Nearly two hundred thousand enemy soldiers had surged out of Central in just a few days, and the allied forces had cut every last one of them down.
But there was no room for celebration.
Shortly before the conference was to convene at the mobile fortress, the representatives of each nation were holding their own preliminary discussions to align their positions.
Kartafos, who led the northern coalition.
Fonbeau, who led the western coalition.
Jampiea, who led the southern coalition.
Each of them was negotiating from the premise of how best to minimize their own casualties.
Even Laiel's forces, which formed the core of the eastern contingent, were beginning to fracture in their opinions.
After stepping outside to cool off from the heated discussions, Ludmilla confirmed that Valkyrie — whom she had introduced to those around her as her bodyguard — was following behind, and gazed up at the night sky.
"Well, every last one of them has already lost their nerve after just a few days. What does the Alliance Leader think?"
Ludmilla asked Valkyrie with a faint smile. Valkyrie replied in her usual flat tone.
"As expected. I anticipate that if they flee at this point, the alliance will collapse."
With that, Ludmilla crossed her arms. She wore a fur coat, and her standing posture was truly striking. Her reddish-purple hair curtained one eye.
"Oh, so you had expected that. But what about our response?"
Valkyrie paused — not so much lost in thought as gathering herself — then lowered her gaze briefly before looking up again.
"...If the alliance collapses, we will charge straight into Central on our own."
Ludmilla heard Valkyrie's proposal.
"Was it all right to tell me this?"
"It would be problematic if it were discovered. However, the conditions for victory on the battlefield have already been met. Master's objective should be achievable even if the alliance collapses."
Ludmilla murmured softly.
"An objective, huh. Well, I suppose so."
Ludmilla had received a certain amount of information from Laiel. But she was shouldering the weight of a great nation called Kartathus. The information Laiel had offered was limited, and she had taken that as a given.
Still, she could make predictions.
(He's brought things to a point where we can challenge him at any time. After this, he'll either show us reality as it is, or grind us down to weaken our strength. Well, anyone willing to go that far is worthy of being my husband.)
Ludmilla smiled.
"The Alliance Leader—Laiel will surely go to hell when he dies. Well, if such a place exists, that is."
Valkyrie bowed.
"He has steeled himself for that. You needn't worry."
Ludmilla laughed.
"Don't say that. He stands above others. I can't have him going weak in the knees over something like hell. Still, if he's not evil, he's a necessary evil. I respect him for it. Though I do have my complaints about being the one worn down in the process."
Having said that, Ludmilla looked up at the sky once more. Her heated skin, cooled by the outside air, felt pleasant.
It had been over seven days since they'd been viewing the battlefield from inside the mobile fortress.
Reports began arriving at my position one after another. Through Monica, damage reports from each army, followed by requests for reinforcements.
"Chicken, Fonbeau has pulled back some of their units. The damage appears to exceed expectations. They're requesting reinforcements."
Gripping the Jewel and taking in the entirety of the battlefield, I could see that the western army was indeed rotating units. Fonbeau's forces were being crushed, as though their opponents were exploiting the gap.
"...Assign the reinforcements to Miranda. Tell her to bring Gracia and Eliza."
Monica raised an objection to me.
"Aria is ready as well."
But I raised my left hand.
"Aria is too serious. Even if she pushes them back, there's a high chance she'll go all out and end up increasing our casualties. Miranda is the right choice."
Monica didn't press the matter and immediately issued her orders. Explosions from the magical exchanges echoed all around, making quite a racket.
Vera, who had been watching us, spoke to me.
"Are you sure? She's an ally who would help us."
I shook my head.
"This alliance isn't like that. The only reason we've grouped together is because of the enemy called Banseim. Every faction here understands by now that none of us have a solid foundation. If only my forces take heavy losses, someone will definitely try to swoop in and profit. Besides, even if Fonbeau wins this battle, they're just reclaiming the territories they lost in the past. There's a high chance they'll get ambitious."
We're only cooperating because of the enemy, Banseim — that is, Ceres. We're not allies.
If they were allies, how much easier this would be. We wouldn't have to fight so carefully to avoid letting Ceres grind us down.
"Isn't showing our strength here enough to keep them from getting ambitious after the war?"
Vera's words were reasonable. Watching allies die before her eyes, she looked at me with suspicion as I told her to wear them down. I think that's only human — even when you understand logically, watching people die right in front of you shakes you.
Yes, I want to believe that.
"If we show too much strength, they might become even more wary and start building up their military. Well, my strategy is for everyone to wear each other down equally. Though, if I were in their position, I'd probably attack too. Still, it's better than plunging into a warring states period after the war."
If we defeat Ceres only to have neighboring countries invade, that would be pointless.
Besides, it's important to strike at whoever you can, whether they're enemies or allies. After all, the future of the continent will be decided by this battle. Well, it's already nearly decided, but there are factions that would be troubled by that outcome. To those with ambitions, I'm nothing but a nuisance.
Monica called out to me.
"Chicken, Miranda's unit has been deployed. Should I inform Fonbeau that reinforcements have been sent?"
After thinking for a moment—
"If we report too quickly, they might say we were late to respond. Hold off on the message for a bit."
"Roger that."
Hearing my conversation with Monica, Vera looked troubled. Seeing her like that, I felt relieved after all. These actions were for the sake of the future, but if I seemed too pleased about it, it would leave a nagging feeling.
——Miranda was leading the forces of Gracia and Eliza toward the relief of Fonbeau.
Rather than the Kingdom of Fonbeau, it was likely a unit led by some nation in the western territories. Flanked by Valkyries on both sides, Miranda arrived at the relief site and surveyed the surroundings.
The retreating force numbered less than ten thousand.
"The smaller factions have taken quite a bit of damage. Well, if we're too obviously late, it'll be a hassle later. Shall we go soon?"
We could have arrived sooner if we'd rushed, but we deliberately didn't. Aria had been about to volunteer for the relief mission, but being personally assigned made Miranda understand Lyriel's thinking quite well.
(Doing things like this doesn't really suit Aria, does it?)
Aria was simple and straightforward, but Miranda considered that part of her charm as well.
(Well, someone like me is easier to deal with, I suppose.)
Just then, Gracia approached Miranda.
"The Fonbeau side's formation has crumbled, and they're being picked apart from there. We're thinking of charging in first to push the enemy back—what do you think?"
Gracia's and Eliza's breakthrough power was extraordinary when considering their unit's scale. However, Miranda rejected the suggestion.
"I need you two to focus on command. We have important tasks ahead, and I can't have you getting injured."
At that moment, Eliza, who had come closer to check the situation, twisted her expression.
"If it's only this level, there shouldn't be a problem?"
Miranda turned a smile toward Eliza. Then, she began to silently pressure her. When Eliza averted her gaze, Gracia also said nothing.
As the two returned to their respective units, Miranda looked out over the battlefield.
"...I'm sorry, but for Lyriel's sake, I need you to take a few more losses."
Miranda murmured her apology to the soldiers dying on the battlefield——.
—The royal palace bedroom.
There, Ceres lay in her nightgown, resting her head on her mother Claire's lap as she waited for reports to arrive.
When the door was knocked, Maisel, who was stationed in front of it, responded.
"Enter."
"Pardon the intrusion."
The knight messenger stepped into the room and straightened his spine.
"Our forces inflicted damage upon the army primarily composed of the Kingdom of Fonbeau, but the charging units were completely wiped out upon the arrival of enemy reinforcements. Once again, we were unable to achieve significant results today!"
Maisel wore a bitter expression, but the sleepy-looking Ceres lifted her head from her mother's lap and looked at the knight messenger.
"I see. Thank you for your hard work—you're dismissed. Tomorrow, go after Kartaphos or Janpeer."
"Yes, ma'am!"
As the knight left the room, Maisel opened his mouth.
"Useless lot. Can't even produce any worthwhile results."
However, Ceres simply rested her head back on her mother's lap and smiled.
"We can produce as many as we need, so it's fine, Father. Besides, isn't an enemy that never runs out of wins the most troublesome kind? They've probably already assumed Central has no more military strength left. But then we keep coming and coming... fufufu."
Seeing Ceres looking so cheerful, Maisel returned the smile.
"That's right, Ceres. Surely the enemy's morale will crumble first when they're faced with an endless war. Once that happens, all we have to do is chase down the collapsing rebel army."
Ceres laughed.
"Then maybe we should just push straight in. My legions don't need food or sleep. Well, if there is a weakness, I suppose it would be my sleeping hours?"
Laughing, Ceres imagined the panicked faces of the allied forces. She would press the pursuit, then rampage through other countries, mass-producing soldiers as she went.
As death spread across the continent, Ceres was filled with joy — .
Night.
While letting Miranda's unit rest after their return, I spoke with Novem.
On the roof of the mobile fortress, I asked Novem to confirm something.
"Ceres's Skills—no, the Skills Agrissa created—are they resurrection of the dead?"
Novem gazed toward the walls of Central without looking at me.
"No, resurrection of the dead is impossible through Skills. Besides, there are limits to what Skills can be created, and that isn't something of that nature. It's a type of ability that uses the dead as media to reproduce the memories of those who once lived. …It's more like a flawed Skill."
I turned to face the same direction as Novem and considered Ceres's Skills.
"So defeating the enemy is meaningless, then. Central's population exceeds a million. They've thinned out with deployments and whatnot, but there should still be at least that many. Really, she's gone and done it."
At that, Novem looked at me. She wore a more exhausted expression than usual.
"Ceres doesn't have just one Skill. To wield power on that scale, the strain must be immense. Moreover, her original Skills are probably close to the upper limit of what she can use. How many Skills she actually has is anyone's guess."
When I fought Ceres.
She'd probably already been using several Skills. Some might have been simple ability enhancements, but that alone didn't explain everything.
That strong—and yet Ceres couldn't dodge the snowball Shannon threw. I was thinking: was she relying on her Skills, and it just so happened there was a gap?
"She took all of my original abilities, sealed my memories on top of that, and burned through her own Skills in the process. That alone is more than enough. She can't take anything more from me now."
The troublesome Skill was already destroyed.
And Ceres, who could only launch monotonous attacks.
Her limits might be closer than I expected.
Novem was looking at me with worry in her eyes.
"…She's probably lying in wait, isn't she."
"Yeah, probably. For her, this fight is child's play. If this were a real contest, she'd still be struggling."
Ceres making a direct move is exactly what I feared most. If she started picking off our capable people one by one, the entire plan would fall apart.
The reason she wasn't doing that — no, the reason she *couldn't* — I judged to be because the strain on Ceres's Skills was greater than we'd imagined. Though she might have factored that in and was simply biding her time.
"Lord Lyle, the coalition army's morale is nearing its limit. It could collapse at any moment."
"Yeah. Even if I'm winning, I hate fighting like this. Well, I'm not exactly fond of war in general. Dealing with Monsters would be better than this."
And then, just a little — just ever so slightly — Novem's expression brightened.
"That's true. There are surely more important things to be doing than humans fighting each other."
I looked up at the night sky.
"...If I'd never run into Ceres back in Central, would I have just kept going as an adventurer?"
To my question, Novem replied.
"Eventually, word of Lady Ceres's deeds would have reached you. Sooner or later, she would have launched her offensive across the entire continent — so it was probably only a matter of time, regardless."
If I'd fled far enough away, I probably could have avoided all of this suffering. After Ceres killed Grandpa Zell, she burned the cabin to the ground, and I lost Rondo and the others too — the adventurer friends I'd come to know.
I let out a small laugh.
"What's wrong?"
"No... it just struck me that having a few people I knew get killed affected me more than hearing about a mass of strangers being slaughtered. Am I crazy? Yeah, probably crazy."
Novem shook her head.
"No, that's not the case at all."
I took a deep breath. Then I turned around to head back inside.
"Tomorrow, I'll summon everyone. Once preparations are complete, we execute the plan."
With those words, Novem bowed and gave her assent.
"Of course. I will follow Lord Lyle's orders to the letter."