"…No way."
The upheaval in the Royal Capital, now that there was no longer any need to conceal it, quickly reached the ears of the Third Princess's faction.
Having heard every last detail of the devastation, Liliana let her voice spill out, her face blank with despair.
"Well, to put it bluntly, it's a picture straight out of hell."
Speaking with airy nonchalance in contrast was the former Third Princess — Rose, who had used the
Seamless Great Eagle
to scout inside the Royal Capital and report back on the carnage.
"Most likely, several noble families have already been wiped out entirely. With Bloodline Magic in place, it's not as though every noble will fall all at once — but it's only a matter of time. After all, Bloodline Magic ends when the magic power runs out, but over there..."
the limit
"—does not exist."
"No… limit? Against something of this incomprehensible scale?!"
"That's just the kind of thing Genesis Magic is."
Genesis Magic.
The magic Rose revealed alongside the words, "There's no point hiding it anymore — they've already gone and made a big flashy mess of it," sent a chill down everyone's spine.
As if to respond to the greatest shock of all — that of Katia, who also wielded the same magic and could scarcely believe it — Rose continued.
"Katia, just as you intuited, this can't be explained by the
Netherworld of Salvation
alone. Nine times out of ten, this is the result of Genesis Magic lending its support. The one who makes that possible… I'd say around the Sixth — we've drawn the most troublesome one again, haven't we? If that was a premise all along, then the plan that Laplace and his people have been building up to this point is nothing short of perfect."
The magic that made this current situation possible, and the analysis of what was now unfolding in the Royal Capital through its use.
Having delivered what was, by any objective measure, almost certainly correct—
"So — the current situation and the mechanism behind how it happened are just as I've described... and with that in mind, let me share my honest take."
Rose spoke flatly, without inflection.
"——They've got no one to blame but themselves—"
"the nobles."
"."
"!"
"Sure, it's a sorry state of affairs, but honestly? I don't feel an ounce of sympathy or pity for them. If anything, I think it's exactly what they deserve."
Having seen the true state of this country throughout her life, she spoke without holding back.
"Relying entirely on the exceedingly convenient things their predecessors left behind without bothering to understand or develop them — they chewed through that inheritance with a laugh. This is the inevitable end for people like that. And the fact that they're being consumed by the negative side of that very legacy? The irony is exquisite. I absolutely love it."
She even went so far as to praise their opponents' methods.
"If they didn't want it to end like this, they should have realized somewhere along the way that 'this trajectory won't last' and started looking for methods that didn't rely entirely on what came before. They should have built power that could rival the past and aimed for real progress."
With a final reminder that the past doesn't always side with the present, she wrapped up her point.
"So — that's where things stand. Honestly, I couldn't care less about the Royal Capital's nobles. If you asked me, the best move would be to ignore them entirely, crash straight in, make Yurugen and Ortesia pay for what they've done, then take you all and disappear somewhere. Honestly, I think we'd manage just fine anywhere."
So saying, she paused and drew a breath.
"——With all that in mind. What are you going to do, Liliana?"
"!"
From the former Third Princess to the current Third Princess.
Though not to Rose's extent, she had witnessed the country's true state throughout their journey. Rose was asking the girl they needed to champion — the girl who should bear this nation's future.
Would she abandon everything, as Rose suggested — or would she search for another path?
"..."
Liliana paused for a moment of silence.
This was not a question that could be answered with a hasty reply — not by any means.
She was someone who, in many situations past, had relied entirely on many capable subordinates — and would undoubtedly continue to lean on others for a great many things going forward.
Still, the one decision she must never delegate to others was determining the path forward. That, she believed, was the bare minimum obligation she owed as a princess to all those who had supported her until now.
It was under that resolve that, after several dozen seconds of silence, she finally spoke.
"...I believe it is fair to say that the nobility bears — that *we* bear — at least some responsibility for the current state of the Royal Capital. If this is the result of our crooked prosperity and negligence, if we are to accept that ruin is simply what follows... then perhaps acceptance is all that is left to us."
The air among those gathered in the room grew heavy.
Because it was something every person present had experienced, to a greater or lesser degree.
The gloomy atmosphere threatened to take hold of the room —
"But!"
That high, sweet voice — one that nonetheless carried an unmistakable will — cut through it.
"
This kind of ruin
this way of ending things
is not right
. That is what I believe!"
Rose's eyes widened slightly.
"I will not stand here and say this country has only given me good memories — quite the opposite. I have far more memories that were cruel and painful.
However... even so, I was able to meet my Master. I met many people far more wonderful than I could ever have imagined until now. And my brother and my sister — they may not be entirely as they once were, but their wonderful sides have come back to them."
No matter how wretched a place it had been. No matter if it was a country that everyone had branded as deserving nothing but ruin.
"Even so... I will never accept the claim that this country contained only things that deserved to be destroyed! There are beautiful things here, too! Even if the force pulling it toward 'destruction' has grown so powerful that nothing can be done to stop it—!"
And then, once she had poured out every last drop of her emotion—
Resolve settled in her youthful eyes, and she spoke in a clear, unwavering voice.
"Even so... the ending should be one that comes only after everything has been tried. To say we should simply accept our doom because destruction is inevitable no matter what—I believe that accepting such a conclusion amounts to denying every beautiful thing this country possesses."
Not everything has been done yet.
If those responsible for this catastrophe truly sided with the country's worst aspects and considered destruction itself to be the natural course—
Then she would deny it. Even if the opponent was beyond reach, even if there was no hope of winning—there were good things, and there were beautiful things.
As long as those things existed, she would stand and declare that erasing them all was a mistake. This, she decided, was what it meant to have been born a member of this country's royal family.
"I will resist."
With that resolve, the little star princess spoke once more.
"I don't know what will become of this country going forward. But—I will not allow an ending that buries everything in the mud. So—"
She asked them, simply, to follow her.
She lowered her head. She did so with full understanding that what she had just expressed was the opinion of the current Third Princess—and more personally, of Liliana herself—and that Ermes and the others were under no obligation to comply. Yet she made her case all the same.
And.
Not a single person who had followed her this far intended to oppose that plea.
"—Understood."
Receiving Liliana's answer, Rose smiled and spoke.
"That's a fine way of thinking. I was already inclined to cooperate, but what you've said has made me all the more eager."
"...Lady Rose."
"Ellen was on your side to begin with, and I'm on Ellen's side. So... I wouldn't be averse to lending a hand for the sake of my cute little niece, either."
From the Sky Witch to the Star Princess.
She was someone who only ever acted on her own terms. She took pride in that — and yet, the fact remained that she, just like this princess, had been born into the royal family.
When shown such resolve, and told that they would carry out what she herself had never done as a member of the royal family...
There was no longer any hesitation.
"Alright then. Let's start over."
After confirming that everyone around her wore expressions filled with resolve...
Rose, who understood the current situation better than anyone, spoke the words that would break through the impasse.
"A spell of the gods, used by mankind.
I'll teach you how to beat it."
Next time: Strategy Meeting. Stay tuned!