Apologies for the shorter chapter!
After Kalma fell, things proceeded without much further turmoil.
Having lost their commander, the monsters instantly lost all coordination. Their greatest weapon — their high-level collaborative ability — vanished, and they became a rabble in the truest sense of the word.
Once that happened, the humans held the advantage as a collective force. Under the leadership of Katia and the other powerful Bloodline Magic users, every last monster was cut down in short order.
"── The horde of monsters that attacked the Royal Capital has been annihilated, every last one."
In the center of the battlefield, where quiet was beginning to return, a young man's voice rang out.
"By your strength, the monsters were slain, and their king, Kalma, was… defeated by this man — Helck Josef von Yustia."
The young man who spoke in a calm voice was the First Prince, Helck.
Incidentally, he had originally opposed standing here at all. "This is a victory you all forced on me — how could I possibly hold my head high and proclaim that I won?" was his objection. As evidence, when he made the declaration that he had been the one to defeat Kalma, only those watching from a distance — Ermes among them — noticed the deeply agonized expression on his face.
That was how it had gone, but in the end, with a wry, half-resigned remark from the Guard Captain — "That is the duty of royalty, Your Highness" — he had reluctantly agreed, and now stood before them all.
"It is our… victory."
And so, having taken his stand, he would fulfill his duty.
With that resolve, Helck drew a deep breath and raised his voice.
"── Sound the victory cry!"
Cheers echoed across the plains surrounding the Royal Capital.
And just like that, the strongest enemy they had ever encountered, and the battle against that enemy, drew to a close.
◆
Incidentally, Helck collapsed afterward.
Well, that was only to be expected, given that he had pushed himself beyond all reasonable limits — both physically and mentally — throughout the preceding battle.
After Sara performed emergency treatment with her Bloodline Magic, and receiving the forensic physician's orders for absolute rest, Helck spoke from his bed.
"All soldiers who were under my command are hereby transferred to Liliana's authority."
It was, in effect, a declaration that he was ceding all of his power to his sister and withdrawing from the decisive battle at the Royal Capital — in other words, bowing out of the succession struggle in all but name.
"Is that… truly all right?"
Liliana understood that this was the most effective move for the assault on the Royal Capital, and yet — she asked nonetheless.
"It's fine. Like I said, I'm not such a fool as to believe this victory was my own doing. Besides…"
Helck answered, then added one more line.
"…Your 'real fight' starts now, doesn't it?"
"!"
"Then you have no business wasting time on a dead weight like me. Reclaiming the Royal Capital is the duty of all of us in the royal family. You should go and fulfill your part."
Though his expression was sour, his words were unwavering.
Liliana offered one heartfelt word of gratitude and left the room.
"── As His Highness Helck says."
In a room within the Third Princess's camp.
Gathered there were the mages of the Third Princess faction, and Ermes — having heard the full account — spoke.
"…That concludes the preliminary battle. Our main event lies ahead — the members of the 'Organization' who should be in the Royal Capital. Specifically: their leader Chrono, and the three executives — Laplace, Ortesia, and… Yurugen."
As those names were reconfirmed, tension tightened the faces of everyone present once more.
The Second Princess, Laila, and Katia — whose grudges with those names ran especially deep — looked particularly strained. Ermes confirmed their reactions, then continued.
"That is precisely why, I'm sorry to say, there is no time to rest."
Even with Kalma defeated, the list of things to be done was enormous. As proof of that, they had rested only a single night since the battle. After the bare minimum of repose, they had to plunge immediately into the real battle ahead. The reason was simple:
"It has been one week since we departed the Church for the Royal Capital. I don't know what the Organization plans to do in the Royal Capital, but they must be advancing their preparations at this very moment. If so, we need to reach them before those plans bear fruit — as quickly as humanly possible —"
Ermes's speculation was, in all likelihood, correct.
And the actions taken up to this very moment, with that in mind, had been as close to optimal speed as possible. Among every decision made along the way, there was not a single one that could be called a mistake on his part.
Which was precisely why.
The fact that Ermes and his allies had not made it in time — that Chrono's movements, and their plan, had been so meticulously thorough, yet hopelessly ahead of schedule — that was the truth of the matter.
The instant Ermes was about to speak further—
The Royal Capital… no.
Centered on the Royal Capital—
The world
,
trembled.