At the same time, near the Third Princess.
"Hah... hah...!"
Liliana seized the first moment she could finally catch her breath and let out ragged gasps.
She had been issuing orders nonstop to have the soldiers hold back the endless tide of monsters, and had just barely managed to drive them all away from the surrounding area.
(If Lady Rose hadn't been here, we might not have been wiped out entirely, but taking a devastating blow would have been almost certain... And on top of that, those monsters...)
She was grateful to Rose, who had single-handedly cleared an entire section of the battlefield with her signature wide-area, high-output firepower — but what weighed on her mind even more was the situation of Ermes and Lucius.
But... right now, Liliana had things she needed to do. Confirming the soldiers' injuries and losses, for one — and above all—
"Lady Liliana. The commander of 'that army' is requesting an audience."
"Oh, they agreed to meet? ...Please, show them in."
Right.
That army—
The one
that had been fighting
those monsters
all the way
up to here.
She was about to meet its commander.
Their identity was still unknown, but two things were clear. First, they were driven by a powerful sense of noble duty, determined to take that monster army on head-on. And second... with their current forces alone, defending the Royal Capital was simply not enough.
Cooperation was essential. If they could coordinate with that army, there would still be room to handle this extraordinary crisis.
For the meeting. Of course, there was always the chance their commander could be a dangerous person, but... at least judging by how their army moved, there was nothing suspicious, and Katia was currently serving as their bodyguard. The minimum level of protection could be ensured.
With that assurance in place, they watched as a figure emerged—walking through the ranks of soldiers with a certain tension in their bearing.
"You are...!"
"Lady Liliana! You're safe...!"
The moment Liliana came into view, the person promptly dropped to one knee on the spot.
"Lili, do you know them?"
"Y-Yes! This person is... rather than saying they belong to the royal family, they're the captain of the guard unit directly under the King!"
This time it was Katia who asked the question, her surprise clearly evident.
At the same time, Liliana recalled—the events during their escape from the Royal Capital. If she remembered correctly, the King's direct unit of mages had naturally moved to stop...
the coup d'état
...and then...
"I was told they were all wiped out by Laplace."
"Regarding that—it was the fault of those who remained in the Royal Capital at the time... and ultimately, my own inadequacy for failing to train them well enough. I am truly sorry, but..."
"...Could it be. Let me guess. Your main force—the direct guard unit—because they were deployed to deal with this threat..."
the coup d'état
"...they weren't there at the time, is that it?"
The situation. The captain's demeanor.
And—even setting aside the fact that Laplace was the enemy, the sense of unease over how quickly the King's direct guards had been overwhelmed in such a short time. Weighing all of that together, Liliana drew her conclusion, and the captain nodded with a remorseful expression, falling silent.
...I see, Liliana conceded.
At the same time, a chill ran through her. This problem ran far deeper than she had ever imagined.
"Y-yes! You can berate us for our incompetence later any way you see fit, but more importantly—"
With that, the captain raised his face abruptly.
"More importantly, now that we've confirmed Lady Liliana is truly alive and well, there is something I humbly wish to ask of you, though it shames me to do so! Please—"
He revealed the true purpose behind their visit, his expression desperate.
"—please, I beg you, save that person...!"
◆
"Tough little bastard."
Meanwhile, Ermes and Lucius continued their battle against the Monster boy—Karma.
...and as before, they were being pushed into a disadvantageous position.
Fighting him had made one thing clear: this Monster's aptitude for magic itself was on an entirely different level from any human.
He didn't need complex theories or intricate reasoning to wield magic. As a magical being, he handled it naturally, effortlessly—more freely than even a Bloodline Magic user, as if breathing.
Right now, too, he was wielding high-mobility magic he'd copied from Ermes with a proficiency that rivaled—and at times exceeded—the original. On top of that, he was unleashing what appeared to be Bloodline Magic stolen from other humans with devastating power, one after another. Combined with his superior physical abilities, he was overwhelming the two of them to a degree that made him practically untouchable.
(...Now then, what should we do?)
Of course, that didn't mean they could just give up—but honestly, this time around they were genuinely at a loss.
After all, the opponent they were facing was, for all intents and purposes, a strictly superior version of Ermes. Weakness? There was nothing of the sort. Every one of his base parameters outclassed theirs by a full tier, making him an absolute nightmare to deal with.
At this rate, their magic power and stamina would run dry soon. Together with Lucius, they were breaking into cold sweats as they desperately searched for some kind of opening—when it happened.
A different, immense, and somehow unnatural magic power was rapidly closing in on their location.
"Hm?"
"!"
"Ugh—"
Lucius wore an expression of pure confusion. Ermes was startled by the recognized magic power. And Karma looked exasperated, as though to say "again with this."
Three people, three different reactions — all of them bracing against the magic power's owner. And then.
"Bloodline Magic —"
That figure.
Appeared from between the two, pointing the staff in hand toward Karma.
"—'"
White-Calmed Great Serpent
'!"
In that instant, a pure white mist burst from the tip of the staff and engulfed Karma.
And then, in the blink of an eye, it froze Karma —
along with the very space around them —
solid.
Ermes and Lucius's eyes went wide.
A sneak attack backed by overwhelming firepower. It hit at the perfect moment, manifesting a colossal pillar of ice that sealed all movement. Could it be — victory —
"This spell again? Yours just cools things down a bit. I'm bored of it."
The next instant, the ice burst into pieces.
Emerging from within was Karma, completely unscathed.
Seeing that... the figure twisted their lips in frustration, in loathing — as though they had already known.
...Far too many astonishing things had happened in the span of a single heartbeat.
But among them all, the greatest shock for Ermes was —
The person who had just cast the spell. Deep navy-blue hair and pale, light-blue eyes. A young man with refined features and the dark circles under his eyes particularly prominent.
They had never spoken directly... but having once seen him at audience, paired with the weight of his station — a name, one that carried far too many meanings in this place, surfaced in Ermes's mind.
That young man's name was...
"— Herc. The First Prince."
"You are... ah, the magician from Liliana's side. You came here because you caught wind of rumors about 'that person'? Well, I don't really care how you ended up here... but there's one thing."
The one at the very root of this entire crisis —
the coup d'état —
the very person who had orchestrated it all — one of those Ermes had expected he would need to face in the decisive battle at the Royal Capital.
With cold eyes and dark resolve, he declared to Ermes:
"...
Don't lay a hand on them.
...
That one —
...
is my prey.
"
Everything about this battle was riddled with irregularities. There was still so much they didn't understand...
The First Prince Herc joining the fight. A vague but tangible sense that this was the piece connecting everything — both Ermes and Lucius felt it in that moment.
The last surviving member of the current royal family has finally made their return.
Starting from the next chapter, we plan to delve deeper into the mysteries of this upheaval — so please look forward to it!