The square before the palace in the Royal Capital, Central, was packed with people.
The residents around me, along with the people of Banseim who had traveled far for this day, all had eyes sparkling with excitement.
Nobody found it suspicious that I was wearing a robe with the hood pulled up.
Beside me, Lianne was removing her hood, lightly tossing her pink hair as she revealed her true face.
"What a joke. There's no point in being incognito, is there?"
I took off my hood as well, and Novem did the same.
Only Monica was in her usual maid outfit.
I scanned our surroundings with my Skills, but nobody was directing hostility at us. Or rather, nobody was even aware of us.
"Even so, was it really alright for Her Highness the Princess to come to a place like this?"
At my question, Lianne scoffed.
"Don't you long to be a witness to history? I want posterity to know that I was there too, at that time, in that place... that the sunset of Banseim began right here."
I looked at the palace balcony.
We had tried lining up early that morning, yet there were still quite a number of people standing ahead of us.
Nearby, a troupe of street performers and bards were putting on shows to earn money.
Stalls lined the area too, making it feel just like a festival.
"...Novem, what happened with Aria and the others?"
When I said that, Novem shook her head.
"I still haven't been able to have a conversation with them. Given what I did, I think that's only natural."
"I see."
I didn't look at Novem's face.
The pieces I had gathered for my sake.
They were Aria and the others.
Being able to resist Ceres meant they wouldn't be charmed into betraying me.
I thought it was harsh to treat them as pieces, but certainly, watching companions who had shared joys and sorrows with me following Ceres wasn't a pleasant sight.
"Did you also think I would challenge Ceres?"
The surroundings seemed to be eagerly awaiting Ceres' appearance, showing no interest in us.
Novem said to me.
"I wasn't convinced you would challenge her. However, thinking of the future, it would be better to have people around with the quality of not betraying Master Lyle."
It would have been fine no matter how things turned out.
Whether I challenged Ceres or fled, Novem was preparing for all possibilities.
Monica told us.
"There's movement within the royal palace. They're coming out."
As Monica, who could see farther than us, predicted, the balcony doors opened and knights emerged.
Behind them were high officials, the king, the queen, and Crown Prince Rufus Vancem.
He had short, red, curly hair, and wearing what seemed prepared for today, white clothing adorned with numerous gold, silver, and gemstone decorations.
Appearing while holding the prince's hand was Ceres, in a white dress decorated even more lavishly than the prince.
The surrounding cheers were in response to Ceres' appearance.
(This is incredibly noisy.)
Seeing Ceres wave, there were even those who fainted.
She'd probably wave her hand for a while yet, until the surrounding cheers finally died down. Ceres wore a serene expression, and she truly was beautiful to look at.
(Though the person inside is anything but.)
She had brought along a rapier, deliberately sheathed in a scabbard made to look like a staff.
Glancing at Lianne, who stood beside me...
"She looks so happy..."
She was watching the Crown Prince with an utterly expressionless face.
And then I looked at Ceres's parents, standing nearby.
They looked absolutely delighted.
A voice echoed from within the Jewel.
The Third Generation spoke, irritation clear in his tone.
"A crown prince who's a dead ringer for that scumbag, huh... This must be the goddess's divine message telling us to go ahead and deal with him without a care, right?"
Now that he mentioned it—from a distance, the Crown Prince did resemble the king who had appeared in the Third Generation's memories before.
The Fourth Generation, meanwhile, seemed to be studying the outfit.
"Way too over-the-top. What terrible taste... He'll probably blow a fortune on the wedding and whatnot. What a waste."
The Fifth Generation listened to the frenzy of cheers around them.
"Would they really get this worked up? They might end up at war with Fonbeau, you know. They'll slap emergency taxes on everyone. A succession ceremony and a wedding right into a war... I really don't think anyone's going to be smiling for long."
It was common for taxes to be raised under various pretexts, with emergency levies imposed as well.
The same would be true here in Central, the Royal Capital.
The Sixth Generation was watching my father, Maisel, who stood at Ceres's side.
"So even the obsessively pristine Maisel ends up like this, huh."
My father hated the Sixth Generation's dark image.
He hated that he had sent bribes for ennoblement and acted as the royal palace's puppet. Above all, it seemed another reason he despised the Sixth Generation was that he had fought many wars against fellow Banseim nobles and lords.
Rejected by his grandson, the Sixth Generation looked somewhat sorrowful.
As for the Seventh Generation...
"...That foolish son of mine. Even Claire has fallen under Ceres's sway."
Having witnessed the monstrous power of Ceres firsthand, the Seventh Generation could no longer unilaterally blame Father or Mother.
Even though they weren't together around the clock, they had more opportunities to interact with Ceres as family than anyone else.
As I watched the two of them nestled close together, joyfully watching over Ceres, the Third Generation spoke to me.
"Lyle, you understand, don't you? What it means to fight is..."
Before the Third Generation could finish speaking, I gripped the Jewel tight, showing my will to accept.
Once the surroundings had settled down, the King's voice rang out.
It was the formal announcement of my betrothal to Ceres.
Then, the Crown Prince stepped before the people and gave a greeting.
It was a perfectly safe speech, but Lianne, who had been listening, hung her head.
She was shedding tears, so I reached an arm around her back to keep her from collapsing.
And then, it was Ceres's turn.
Her voice was crystal clear, carrying far into the distance.
"My people. Rejoice."
Though her words were supremely arrogant, the crowd erupted in cheers.
"Today, this very day, Banseim has become mine. Now then, rejoice — all of you nobles!"
The robed nobles, knights, and Landed Nobility gathered from across the land lined up in the palace courtyard, clapping in unison.
Around Ceres, the king, the queen, the crown prince, and even the ministers were all clapping as well.
"How insane."
Even so, everyone seemed to think this was only natural.
To the point where even I was questioning whether I was the abnormal one.
"From here on, Banseim will flourish even further! But..."
Ceres's expression turned slightly sorrowful.
However, when she raised her face, she broke into a smile —
"There are nobles in this country who defy me! There are still those in Banseim who refuse to obey! That's unforgivable, isn't it!"
As Ceres spread both arms wide, the crowd raised their own cries of anger —
Directed at the nobles who refused to submit to Ceres.
"Now, let us prepare for war. When Banseim is painted entirely in my colors... I shall become your queen."
Applause, cheers, and tearful cries of joy —
I grip the Jewel tightly and speak.
"First Generation... this truly is abnormal."
A beauty who could topple a nation.
Looking back, there had been reasons, and she was said to be merely one factor among many — Agrissa.
But seeing Ceres, I could understand.
If such an existence had once walked this world, then yes, monsters were real, and they would surely continue to appear one after another from here on.
I sear the sight of Banseim — the landscape I must stand against — into my eyes.
Then Ceres, who had noticed me, waved her hand.
Around me, people began to tear up with emotion and cry.
Monica,
"...I can't understand it."
I said with a laugh.
"I can't understand you either, to be honest. But at least now, I have no regrets left."
The Fifth Generation spoke to me.
"You can still turn back. What you're doing now — stopping them — it means—"
I rolled the Jewel between my fingertip and thumb, showing my refusal.
And I flashed a smile at Ceres, who was looking my way.
"Wait there. I will stop you — I swear it."
Amid the frenzied cheers, I made that vow in my heart.
The major announcement in the great hall was the engagement between the Crown Prince and Ceres.
There was not a single apology to Fonbeau, and the knights, soldiers, and servants who had been ordered to wait inside the manor showed their anger openly.
Inside that very manor.
In the room I had been given, I received a visit from an unexpected person.
No — not so much unexpected as—
"Are you out of your mind? This isn't a game, you know."
The one who brought the silver plate was Eva the Bard.
She pushed back her pale pink hair and stood there with an air of confidence.
"Of course! You're going to challenge that Ceres, aren't you? This is definitely going to become a legendary tale. I'll be at Lyle's side—watching, listening, memorizing everything. Someday I'll turn it into a song and spread it across the world. And naturally, it'll have my name on it."
Having completed her adventurer registration, Eva had just handed me her Guild Card.
She must have poured every last bit of her recent earnings into becoming an adventurer.
Registering cost money, after all.
Normally, the fee gets deducted from your earnings after registration.
As I reminisced about the time when I had gone through my own registration, I looked at Eva's face.
And Eva—
"Besides, Lyle, you said it yourself, didn't you? 'Pass on my heroic tale,' you told me."
Now that I thought about it, wouldn't something like "sing it" have been a better way to put it than "pass it on"?
Those kinds of trivial thoughts, along with the embarrassing memories they dredged up, made me want to clutch my head.
Novem sought confirmation from Eva.
"Are you certain? This will be a dangerous journey."
"I'll be fine. I've been traveling and making a living on the move for a while now. I know how to fight, too."
That was true—she'd be far more reliable than some half-baked adventurer.
And the fact that she'd gotten close to Ceres without being enthralled by her was important as well.
"Once you join the party, you'll need to work around our schedule from now on. You might not be able to sing whenever you feel like it."
"While traveling, I can collect songs and stories, and on top of that, I get to witness the main heroic tale up close? I can put up with that much. I'm staking my life on this too, so I'd appreciate it if you'd take things seriously."
Novem gave a wry smile.
"Lyle, if I may reference House Walt's family motto, I believe this more than meets the standard. I have no objections."
(…The family motto and all that—I really couldn't care less about that anymore.)
The reason the family precept came about was that the First Generation had been rejected in his first love and declared he never wanted to marry.
He didn't want to marry, but since he'd become lord, those around him wouldn't accept that.
So he announced the bride-taking family precept on the spot — at a banquet, no less.
An excuse thought up while drinking had been strictly upheld for over two hundred years.
(When something has that much history, does everything start to feel weighty...)
From the perspective of the successive heads, this family precept was nothing but a nuisance.
And the one who was diligently trying to uphold it was Novem.
"Huh? What? There's a family precept? I want to hear about it!"
To the delighted Eva, I told her I'd explain someday, and took custody of one of the two Guild Cards.
When a knock came at the door, Monica opened it.
"Oh, if it isn't Aria. Have you come to say goodbye?"
"Why do you have to go and stir things up, including me? Hey, have you made up your mind?"
I asked Aria that, but she silently slammed her Guild Card onto the table and left the room without a word.
Novem murmured quietly among us, who were all dumbfounded.
"Aria is participating too, it seems."
And then, Clara came into the room.
"...What happened to Aria?"
I decided to give a brief explanation.
"She just left without saying anything. I think she's probably going to participate, though... What about you, Clara?"
And with that, Clara too handed me her Guild Card.
"…Are you sure about this?"
"I gave it a lot of thought, but Aramsass is in Banseim. There are still plenty of books there that I haven't read yet, you know."
She was going to participate for a reason like that. I thought as much, but I still accepted her Guild Card.
"I might not be able to do anything for you. Or I might not make it in time."
At my words, Clara said—
"I believe that's still better than doing nothing."
And with that, she left the room.
Then, timing it just right for after Clara's departure, Miranda entered the room with Shannon in tow.
She glanced at the Guild Cards placed on the table and at Eva sitting in the room, then let out a sigh.
"We're the last ones? Wait, you… were eavesdropping, weren't you?"
When called out, Eva stuck out her tongue.
"Sorry! But it sounded really interesting. Besides, I already got permission. I even passed that family precept thing!"
Eva puffed out her chest proudly as Shannon stared at her in disbelief.
"That family precept is specifically for taking a wife, you know. And seriously, nobody even considered my feelings on this… Hey, this is pretty awful, right?"
When Shannon turned to me for help, Miranda answered with a smile.
"If you can escape from Ceres on your own, go right ahead. Since you seem to be resented, I'm sure they'll give you a wonderfully warm welcome."
"Hii!" Shannon let out a yelp as she placed her Guild Card on the table.
Miranda also set her Guild Card down, but she didn't so much as glance at Novem.
"…If we're going to participate, discord between the parties is going to be a problem."
At my words, Miranda—
"I'll do the job properly, you know. If you give me orders, I'll play nice."
I shook my head.
"Don't cause any problems."
"I'll handle it. See, Shannon's coming too."
"Got it, so stop pulling my hair!"
After the two of them left, Novem was all smiles.
"Everyone's participating, huh."
I was a bit dumbfounded.
"Looks like it. Who would've guessed."
Then Monica spoke with a weary tone.
"One more person joined, though. Good grief, I need to recalculate the food supply and go shopping."
The fact that she said it with a weary air while clearly looking pleased wasn't just my imagination.
Then Eva—
"Hey, what's with that family motto about taking brides?! I'm not planning on getting married or anything! Hey!"
At Eva's panic, Novem said:
"It's fine. We have time, so get to know each other slowly and—"
"Hey, don't go expanding the harem. We've got enough companions already!"
I gave Novem a firm warning against the harem expansion she was pushing for.
The Fourth Generation, watching how everything had unfolded so far, said:
"Everyone's participating, huh. Lucky you, Laiel."
I lowered my head at the Fourth Generation's words and let out a bitter smile.
(No, seriously... I honestly thought disbanding wouldn't have been unjustified. Well, I am happy about it, though)
Still, when I thought about what lay ahead, I couldn't just keep smiling.