"——Then, shall I ask?"
After concluding his exchange with Liliana, Crono — the eldest son of the head of the neutral noble faction — turned his gaze toward Ermes.
Ermes met his eyes with a trace of unease... and without breaking his composed expression, Crono posed his question.
"First, the truth of the Bloodline Magic you spoke of. Based on what you've described — you, marked with Incompatibility, along with Her Highness Liliana, are fighting in this succession dispute to pass on the magic you believe is 'correct' — is that an accurate understanding?"
"...Yes."
"Then—"
Having confirmed the premise, Crono—
He narrowed his eyes slightly—
"Then, what is your objective—"
he asked.
"Could it be considered 'revenge' against a nation that elevates Bloodline Magic above all else?"
"——What?"
"That would be the most natural interpretation. Both you and Her Highness Liliana are individuals marked with Incompatibility — dismissed out of hand and looked down upon in this country... You must have been subjected to all manner of unreasonable treatment, discrimination, and contempt.
A nation like that. A royal family that allowed it. A church that condoned it. It would only be natural to harbor resentment, even hatred — which is precisely why I ask. Is your goal truly something beyond mere 'personal revenge'?"
"..."
Depending on how you interpreted it—
The words were an excruciatingly sharp barb of irony... but he understood that from the other side, such a perception was far from unnatural. And more importantly, there was not a trace of contempt in the question itself.
And above all—
He confirmed that the eyes posing this question were a completely different matter from before — tinged with a seriousness so intense it was almost frightening.
Ermes understood. …This was the one type of question he absolutely must not evade.
Therefore, once more. He considered the question that had been posed—and replied quietly, choosing each word with care.
"...No. While it might be a lie to say the desire for 'retribution' was completely absent..."
Looking back slowly over the days since his return to the Royal Capital.
"...I don't believe it was resentment or hatred. Not that far."
Indeed, at the very start—the moment he had returned to the Royal Capital—his feelings toward the city's widespread, mistaken understanding of Bloodline Magic, and toward the family that had cast him out, were certainly present.
But... those feelings faded early on, he believed.
Because, more than anything else,
He had seen many beautiful things. And... because of that, he had also seen things that were unforgivable.
"...Feelings are pure. Desires are beautiful things."
That was why he spoke.
Once again, savoring the conviction he had arrived at at the end of his journey to the Royal Capital. Once again, chewing on his own 'ideals.'
"Feelings, desires. They shape the world, advance civilization, and even give birth to magic.
Therefore... the greatest evil is to twist, suppress, or coerce the hearts of people who possess such wonderful power."
He recalled them: the arrogant prince who perceived the entire world only in terms of his own convenience, interpreting all other feelings as he saw fit, and forcing everyone around him to conform.
He recalled them: the vicious clergyman who dismissed every noble thought as false, believed only in the inherent evil of human nature, and twisted everything else to fit that belief.
That kind of thing.
He must not let it run rampant any longer.
"That is why... the truth of magic, the wonder of magic, its beauty...
I want more people to know—to recognize it. That is my wish... the root of my desire to change this country alongside Lady Lily."
"……Master"
He recognized anew what his own wish truly was.
Liliana fixed her gaze on him, a trace of surprise in her eyes. At the same time, Crono quietly regarded Ermes… and after a moment of silence, he had likely confirmed that Ermes was sincere.
"……Yes, I understand. For now, that is enough."
Without breaking her gentle smile, she nodded and declared:
"I acknowledge it. You — you are not like those who only pay lip service. You are ones who can truly bring change to this country."
"! Then…"
"Yes. I will give serious consideration to the matter of abandoning our 'neutrality.' However—"
As Liliana instinctively raised her head, Crono held up a single finger.
"—I cannot make a firm promise just yet. Not only because the final decision rests with my father… but because I need more to base my judgment on. I apologize for the delay in reaching a decision, but I hope you can understand that it is precisely because I intend to make such a weighty judgment."
"……Then what should we do?"
Ermes, who had grasped what she meant to convey and accepted it as inevitable, posed the question — and Crono fixed his gaze upon Ermes once more.
And then he declared:
"The crusade against the Archbishop faction —
Let me
,
go with you
directly
as your companion
please.
I would like to request.
"
"! That is—"
"In short, in the end, I would like you to demonstrate it through action. Whether you are truly putting into practice what you have just spoken about.
Once I have seen that for myself... then, at last. When the subjugation operation concludes, we shall finally make a move that adequately rewards the effort we have invested in observing and evaluating you thus far."
The Neutral Noble Faction.
A force so massive it could make even Yurugen acknowledge it as a considerable military power... at last, there were signs they would cooperate with them.
"Furthermore—" Chrono raised a finger once more.
"I, personally, will not be a burden either.
The mere fact of my presence can restrain Her Highness the Second Princess from acting rashly... and above all, in the unlikely event of an emergency—I shall also make use of my Bloodline Magic."
"!"
...She recalled what had just transpired.
An aura of intimidation that had driven out a middle-aged noble with sheer pressure alone—intimidation on par with Rose. If someone possessing that kind of power was standing by as insurance...
It was, without question, as reassuring as could be.
Upon receiving their satisfied and affirmative responses, Chrono moved to wrap up the discussion.
"Well then, let us leave it here. This has been a most meaningful dialogue.
...Conversely, is there anything you would like to ask me?"
That question from Chrono, who had steered the entire conversation at his own pace from start to finish.
In place of Liliana, who could not immediately find the words...
"...Then, just one thing."
Ermes.
Posing this question.
"──Throughout this entire dialogue──
you never──
not once──
changed your
expression. Was there
some reason for that?"
……Come to think of it, he was right.
During this entire conversation──no, from the very moment they met until now──
that "gentle smile"
had not faltered for
a single
instant.
While there was some slight fluctuation in his gaze and the color of his eyes, everything else remained unnaturally still──and that only served to amplify the impression of unfathomable depth.
It was as though Chrono had been sizing Ermes and the others up throughout the exchange.
Ermes had been doing the very same to Chrono. This question was, in a sense, a challenge──a clear declaration of that fact.
"W-Wait, Master──!"
"……Ahaha. No, it's quite all right, Princess Liliana."
Naturally, the remark could easily be taken as a provocation. Liliana instinctively tried to rein Ermes in, but Chrono──with that same smile still in place──silenced her with a gesture, then turned his attention back to Ermes.
"What a clever young man. ...So you want to know what lies at my 'depths'?"
"...Yes."
"Fufu. —Then let's save that as something to look forward to, once I've gotten to know you a little better."
If one could call it fortunate,
there was no sign that Chrono was particularly offended — quite the contrary, his voice even carried a faint hint of amusement as he delivered those words.
"Still, if you truly wish to know right now, then let me see... Lord Ermes, would you consider defecting to the neutral nobles, even at this point? I'd be lying if I said we wouldn't welcome you in rather earnestly."
"Huh?" "!"
Having been hit with such an unexpectedly earnest invitation,
Ermes froze on the spot while Liliana reflexively stepped in front of him in a protective stance. As Chrono watched the pair with an amused look,
"Well, yes, I suppose. Rest easy, Your Highness — about thirty percent of that was a joke."
"The proportion that was serious is rather alarming...!"
"Ha ha. ...Well then, Lord Ermes, in recognition of that keen insight of yours, allow me to offer one final piece of advice."
As he turned to leave, his voice carried a quiet conviction.
"—Whatever you do, be on your guard around the Pope."
With that, and for real this time, he departed the scene at a leisurely pace.
◆
And so, on the way back to their own camp, Ermes and the others walked together.
"Master! Being fearless is part of your charm, but please do consider the time and place!"
For once, Liliana had launched into a lecture.
"Yes, well... I'm sorry about that."
"Whether we can secure the Feyblood family's cooperation this time is extremely important! Also—"
Her point was perfectly reasonable, but still...
"Also! ...Master,
my
Master, so please don't fall for any suspicious recruitment pitches! I'm begging you...!"
*Squeeze.*
She clung to one of Ermes's arms, cheeks puffed out, delivering her lecture with the heaviest emphasis on those final words.
It was plain to anyone's eyes that her actions were driven by a strong sense of "I don't want to lose Ermes," reinforced by the repeated recruitment attempts from other factions—and because her cuteness came through so strongly, putting it bluntly, it didn't really feel like being scolded at all.
Come to think of it again, she was practically a different person from the Liliana who had spoken so firmly about her ideals in front of Chrono. ...So even if she had grown, she apparently regressed to her age whenever she was in front of him.
That same Liliana, looking somewhat mollified... but with a trace of anxiety still lingering, opened her mouth again.
"Seriously, Master, aren't you getting recruited way too often...? The Church, the Neutral Nobles—they try to poach you every single time they see you!"
"Well, Ermes's combat power is the kind of asset any faction would kill to have. Up until now, I've kept a lid on it out of exactly that concern... but once it's out in the open, this is simply the natural result."
"...So that's why you had me keep it hidden all the way through the academy."
Upon hearing Yurugen's response, Ermes let out a sound of understanding.
With that, the conversation reached a pause... and naturally, the one on their minds was none other than Chrono, whom they had just spoken with.
Combining all the impressions he had received—briefly, Ermes declared.
"He was an unfathomable man in many ways. But there's no doubt—he's a remarkable individual."
"...I feel the same."
Whether Liliana agreed on that point as well, she nodded without releasing her hold on Ermes's arm.
"I said it before we met, but... to think that someone of that caliber had been hidden away in this country all this time."
"...Well, there are various factors at play — entanglements with great noble houses, and the like."
Perhaps he had already grasped the general situation, as Yurugen offered that answer.
"No matter what, a single house cannot openly defy the Royal Family. It might be fine for the individual alone, but it would bring trouble upon every member of the household and all their associates. Many people have harbored the desire to 'do something about this country,' yet were unable to take open action for all manner of reasons. Lord Chrono was foremost among them."
But then he paused.
"Even so, it remains certain that they 'exist.' Moreover, among those people, the ones with exceptional initiative have been steadily making preparations behind the scenes — sharpening their fangs. And—"
"—once they have a standard-bearer in the form of Lady Lily, all of those people will converge."
"!"
Ermes finished the thought Yurugen had begun. Liliana stared in astonishment.
She had imagined it.
Those buried prodigies of Chrono's caliber — converging under the banner of Liliana's faction, now a clearly established power — and the sight of the military strength she had longed for finally falling into her hands.
As if entertaining the same fantasy, Yurugen continued in a murmur.
"Naturally, it will have to wait until after the Archbishop's faction has been defeated. But once that is finished..."
"—at last."
"It begins."
"—doesn't it?"
"—Your Grace."
Those words were imbued with a resolve tempered by unwavering determination.
The head of the Duchy who yearned for the nation's transformation — the noblest will Ermes had ever known, and perhaps... feelings rooted in experiences even Ermes could not fathom, a deep and indescribable swell of emotion.
The battle that had begun the day they were driven from the Royal Capital.
That a clear goal was finally coming into view filled both Ermes and Liliana with the same profound sense of emotion...
"But. We mustn't let our guard down."
Ermes steeled himself at Yurugen's follow-up words.
"For starters, there's still the operation to subjugate the Archbishop faction. Being an Archbishop, there's no telling what he might do—and if we let our guard down, we'll have the rug pulled out from under us."
"Yes. And then there's the matter of the 'Organization.'"
"Right."
At Ermes's words, Yurugen reacted.
"Do you remember, Ermes? Before the succession war even began, I said the Organization already had people inside the rival factions too."
"Yes. In the Second Princess's faction and the First Prince's. That the Organization's people had likely already infiltrated quite deep."
"Ah, then—"
Receiving the answer, Yurugen drew a breath and—
"—the Neutral Noble faction—"
"—could also have been—"
"—infiltrated. There's no—"
"—guarantee they haven't—"
"—gotten in, wouldn't you say?"
"...Indeed."
"That's right."
Ermes and Liliana nodded in unison.
"Lord Chrono has no issues with his background, as far as our investigation shows. The Feiblatt family is probably clean.
But... even they would find it difficult to perfectly control every last member of the Neutral Noble faction."
The back-and-forth before the conversation with Chrono made that obvious enough.
"During the battle against the Archbishop, even the 'Organization' probably won't be able to make a move... but once it's over, it seems we'll need to get serious about flushing them out."
"...Indeed."
It was fair to say that many threats still remained—but compared to when they had absolutely no grasp of the Organization's full picture, they had gathered a remarkable amount of information by now.
Besides, as he had said many times already...
"—And. The path forward is finally becoming clear."
Ermes murmured, brimming with unwavering confidence.
Yes. They had overcome countless threats to get this far, and undoubtedly more lay ahead. But...
"It'll be fine. If it's me... if it's us—Lady Lili, the Duke, and the rest."
"...Yeah."
"Yes, Master!"
Words with no particular basis to back them up.
But he already understood how important it was to say them out loud.
At words carrying that intent, both Liliana and Yurugen quietly nodded their approval.
And so, at last.
Liliana's camp, too, began to move toward their immediate objective—the campaign to exterminate the Archbishop's faction.
The players have all assembled.
Starting next time, the Church arc's main event—the campaign against the Archbishop's faction—begins in earnest! Thank you for your patience...!
I hope you'll enjoy this grand operation where surely something will happen!
Volume 1 is still on sale!
You can visit the product page and read a preview via the image link at the bottom of the screen. I'd be very happy if you'd check it out as well!
There are a total of 50,000 characters of additional content, so it's been crafted to be enjoyable for web readers too—I'd be truly grateful if you'd pick up a copy...!