I let out a small laugh.
How should I put it. She looked like a cornered rabbit desperately baring its front teeth. Princess Elisabeth was clearly flustered. Blanket denial of everything the other side said — that was far from her usual style of rhetoric.
"Soldiers of the Ten Kingdoms!"
She ignored my laughter and spoke on.
"Do not be deceived by this man's words. Every one of you has lost parents, friends, comrades to the fangs of monsters. He is a Demon Lord. The lord of monsters."
I waited at my leisure. I could have cut in and interrupted her here. But that would have been a poor move.
I wasn't engaged in a verbal spar right now. I was giving a speech. When it came to winning over a crowd, what mattered most wasn't the content of the speech but the speaker's own bearing. Cutting into the other side's every sentence only damaged your own image. Listen politely, then crush them with overwhelming victory afterward… That was the superior strategy.
"He said the Demon Lord's army never killed civilians. But could there be a greater lie? Two thousand years ago, who gave their lives to defend the continent? Eighteen hundred years ago, who gave their lives to protect humanity?"
The princess began commanding the plains with her innate charisma. Her beautiful yet unyielding voice rang out across the heavens. It seeped between each and every soldier like the wind.
"Fifteen hundred years ago, who swung their swords to the very last soul beneath the Crimson Wall? Fourteen hundred years ago, who charged headlong into ten thousand Ogres on the Ulm Plains? And right here, right now — who cast everything aside to stand on their own two feet and face a hundred thousand monsters, for their families, for their sons, for their gods?"
Princess Elisabeth thrust out her arm and cried out.
"That's right! It was you! Proud sons and daughters of the Ten Kingdoms. Heroes! The monsters always slaughtered the common people. When we tilled a field of grain and wished to return home in peace, it was those monsters who invaded our villages. When we wanted to smile lovingly as a parent to our child, it was those monsters who mercilessly slaughtered our sons and daughters. When we tried to live together as one, it was those monsters who crushed our way of life underfoot."
She clenched her fist.
"Now they say they never once threatened the people. I ask you all — is that truly the case?"
Silence fell over everything. The princess turned her gaze toward a portion of the human army.
"People of Boeotia! I remember how, five hundred years ago, you held the human army's defensive line for over three days against twenty thousand Orcs at rocky Aulis. I remember how the great prince who led you, Peneleos, sleeps now beneath the hill alongside you."
She shifted her gaze to another unit.
"People of the Minuai! I remember how, two hundred years ago, you held the city of Tisbae — the City of Doves — with only five hundred souls against thirty thousand Goblins. City officials, nobles, commoners, slaves — regardless of status or class, five hundred stood as one and fought. Humanity will never forget your struggle."
The princess turned her gaze once more.
"O people of Aspledon! How could I ever forget that legendary battle you fought seven hundred years ago!"
That was when it began.
The tribal and city units the princess called out by name started erupting in cheers.
"O people of Lochris! O those who dwell upon the noble banks of the Kephissos! Seventeen hundred years ago, you slew no fewer than two dragons on sacred Euboea. Even the goddesses of the heavens marveled at your feat!"
One unit roared with passion, crying out long live Lochris!
"O people of Aventes! O people of Alpheus! Your glorious struggle is still carved into every single stone of the Great Wall left behind by the ancient republic. When I was six years old, I touched the stones of that wall and made a vow — that I would remember the names inscribed there for all eternity. Adrastus, Menestheus, Elephenor, Styra, Opous, Scarpe, Augeiae, Tarpe —"
She truly called out the names one by one. Her voice grew steadily louder. When the names she recited passed ten, one unit of human soldiers erupted in cheers. When the names passed twenty, the entire Habsburg Imperial Army roared. When the names reached thirty, fifty — before long, all of humanity was crying out in unison.
"O continent!"
the princess cried.
"You, who in ages past were called by ten thousand different names, are now called Habsburg, Frank, Bretagne, Batavian, Teuton, Castilian, Sardinian, Anatolian, Muscovite, Kalmar, Venetian. But we know the truth — we were always one!"
She turned her back.
She did not face the Demon Lord's army. She spoke to the human forces.
"There were times we were divided. There were times we blamed one another, and killed one another. And yet, even so, we were always one. When those monsters trampled our beloved land and slaughtered our families and comrades, we invariably stood together and fought! Not even contempt and hatred could hold us back. Not even the iron fangs of an Ogre could stop us! Yes — because we were human. Because we were born human and, to the very last moment, chose to die as humans!"
The princess drew the sword from her hip. The exquisite rapier gleamed in the sunlight.
"Today, at this very hour, the moment has come for humanity to stand as one once more. The enemy is more powerful and more venomous than ever before. They know that they can only win if we are divided. That is why they scatter their wicked lies to tear us apart. But we remember — we were always one!"
She raised her sword on high.
"For two thousand years, they have employed countless schemes to divide us. But we remember — we were always one!"
A hundred thousand humans thrust their spear tips skyward and roared.
"Today they will try once more to tear us apart. But we know the truth — we will stand as one today as well! Future generations will remember us, and so, even after two thousand years pass and yet another two thousand years after that, humanity will endure as a single, united people!"
The princess turned the blade toward her own hair. Her beautiful silver locks were cut clean away. She clutched the severed silver hair in her left hand and cried out.
"I, Elisabeth von Habsburg, swear this: that I shall always stand at the vanguard in the battles of protection that unfold before us. When you buckle beneath the cruelty of monsters and gaze forward with eyes of despair, it is there that I will be standing. When you doubt humanity's strength and your hands begin to loosen on your weapons, it is right beside you that I will grip your shoulder."
She let go of her left hand. Silver hair scattered through the air.
"Today, some will die and some will survive. Human blood shall soak the fields of Bruno. And yet — will you press forward? Warriors of ten nations! You, proud descendants of glorious ancestors! — Will you, once more, prove to those vile monsters that we are human, with me by your side?! Have you already steeled yourselves for a resolve that will be etched into the history of this continent once more?!"
A roar surged across the entire plain. The military bands struck their drums all at once in a thunderous clamor. Neither rhythm nor pitch was necessary. The sounds torn from their lungs merged into one and shook the earth.
"......"
I withdrew the thought I'd had just moments ago.
The imperial princess was no rabbit. Whether she was the twenty-seven-year-old Elisabeth or the seventeen-year-old Elisabeth — she was a figure who commanded the continent.
She was shrewd. The princess hadn't latched onto my argument directly. She recognized that this wasn't a matter of logic but of emotion. Of all ideologies, she drew out the one that struck hardest at human feeling — heroism.
On top of that, by calling out each human division by name, she ignited the pride they held for their homelands. This was an era in which people lived not as individuals but as members of their villages. Nothing could be as solid as the pride they felt for where they came from. And the princess had struck that chord masterfully.
She had even marketed herself. She staged the performance of cutting her silver hair. She asked, "Will you march forward with me?" It wasn't an invitation to march alongside a noble. She asked, point-blank, whether they would put their faith in Elisabeth von Habsburg — in her, and her alone. The soldiers answered with cheers of acclamation.
Elisabeth's political standing soared in an instant. From this day on, no one could deny that she had sufficient claim to be the successor of the Habsburg Empire.
Even if the Crescent Alliance Army campaign eventually ended and a class struggle erupted, the imperial princess alone would not lose the people's support. The more perilous the position of the other nobles became, the more powerful the princess would grow. What an extraordinary girl.
What was the truly important element of this speech?
Where in the audience did she need to strike in order to achieve that crucial objective?
And finally, what did she need to do to elevate her own standing?
In just a few minutes. In the mere handful of minutes since I had begun my speech, Elisabeth von Habsburg had found a way to accomplish all three. And she actually carried it out.
A genius.
She was a true genius. Born to be an emperor, raised to be a supreme ruler. The annihilation of the Demon Lord's army in Dungeon Attack had never been because of the Hero. It was because of the princess. Elisabeth was without question the worst, most vicious, and most formidable foe.
— Clap, clap, clap.
Applause rang out across the plain. Short, sharp bursts of sound.
People turned their heads toward the source of the sound. There stood a man, clapping both hands with an expression of genuine admiration. Well, there was no reason to hide it.
It was me.
"Impressive. Truly Elisabeth von Habsburg—the last hero the Empire ever produced."
"...If you intend to mock me, it won't work, Demon Lord. Our resolve is unwavering."
"Mock?!"
I was genuinely impressed by Princess Elisabeth. Truly.
If I had been in her shoes, I never could have delivered a speech like that. I would have stammered in a panic, or humiliated myself in front of two hundred thousand troops. The only reason I managed to rattle off that grand oration was thanks to the hologram window hovering before my eyes, packed with my prepared remarks. The princess, on the other hand, recited her speech on the spot without a single trick. It was magnificent.
What a pity, Princess Elisabeth.
If the one standing here hadn't been me, you would have claimed all the glory.
I smiled.
"That wasn't my intention, Big Sister Elise."
"Sister...?"
She furrowed her brow.
"How insolent. You dare insult me?"
Oh dear. She doesn't remember.
But that's fine. Your memory is sharp enough to store the entire history of the continent. Give you just a little hint, and you'll recall in no time.
"Long ago, there was a boy who called you Big Sister Elise. ...Still nothing?"
"...!?"
Her eyes flew wide open. As expected—she never let me down. Feeling quite pleased with myself, I put on the expression and voice of a young boy.
"Big Sister Elise! Where are we going today? The Black Hunting Grounds? Wow, how exciting! Can I ride a horse too? I can't? I was really looking forward to it... If you say so, then I'll bear with it. But why doesn't Big Brother Rudolph ever play with us?"
"What…?"
The corners of the Imperial Princess's eyes had begun to tremble. Like an impregnable fortress wall slowly crumbling. Bit by bit, her iron-masked composure was peeling away. Honestly, I wanted to commend her for the simple fact that no scream of horror escaped those pretty lips of hers.
The Hero who was supposed to have no weakness in this world. The only memory that remained as trauma for her was—the day, in her childhood, when she killed her own older brother and younger brother with her own hands. Of the two, her younger brother. The Fourth Prince. He was young and innocent, yet he was killed for being a political liability.
Because of that, you couldn't shake free of your guilt until you were thirty years old. You probably woke up this very morning in a cold sweat, fresh from a nightmare about your younger brother. It isn't until the year you turn twenty-nine—when the protagonist, the Hero, falls asleep beside your bed for the first time—that you finally spend a night without a nightmare.
The only weakness she had—known to no one in this world except me.
"Uh, Big Sister? That's not the hunting grounds. Huh? You found a new hunting ground? Wow! What's out there? Wild boars? Don't tell me there are unicorns! Great. Let's go quickly!……How about that? Still nothing comes to mind?"
The Imperial Princess's complexion had now grown so pale that anyone could tell.
I could hear it. Not with my ears, but vividly reconstructed in my mind. The soldiers of the Human Realm army were staring at the Imperial Princess with bewildered expressions. Not just the soldiers. The nobles would be in an uproar as well.
I deliberately used the phrase "Big Brother Rudolph." The only person who would call the Imperial Princess "Big Sister" and Crown Prince Rudolph "Big Brother" was a certain boy who had died under mysterious circumstances in the forest four years ago. The nobles who knew this full well would surely sense something from the Imperial Princess's behavior.
I smiled gently.
"Oh my. Still nothing, I see. Very well—I shall show you a rare mercy.……Elisabeth. It was four years ago. Do you remember? You were only thirteen. It was a warm spring day with a gentle breeze. You suggested to the boy that you ride horses together in the forest for the first time in a while."
The boy trusted his older sister more than anyone else. Without a shred of doubt, he followed her into the woods.
"But in truth, your objective wasn't hunting, was it? Hm? Am I wrong? Well, perhaps 'hunting' isn't quite the right word after all. But catching something was the goal, wasn't it? And the prey couldn't have been more perfect."
"……Stop."
"It was a forest where the cherry blossoms were beautiful."
The Imperial Princess's expression turned rigid.
"The boy dismounted his horse and let out a gasp of wonder. 'Big Sister! It's so beautiful! So this is why you brought me here! Wow, I've never seen such a gorgeous sight in my life!'"
"Stop……I will not tolerate any further humiliation……."
"Listen to me!"
I barked the words out. The Imperial Princess flinched.
"The boy slowly turned around. Do you remember? You have a duty to remember. Didn't you proudly proclaim it in your speech just moments ago—that you would remember for all eternity? Ha, if this isn't precisely the thing you must remember forever. A scene known only to you in this entire world!"
"Ah, ah..."
"That's right, the boy slowly turned around. And his eyes went wide. ...Sister? What are you doing? Disbelief flooded the boy's pupils. But you—you tightened your grip. You clenched both fists with all your strength. And that wasn't enough—you mobilized your Aura! Exhaling that very blue Aura the boy had endlessly praised you for, calling it magnificent, calling it beautiful!"
The Imperial Princess covered her ears and bowed her head. Her shoulders kept trembling.
In that moment, the massive holographic projection hovering over the plain went dark. Had the human mages unilaterally halted the spell?
I couldn't care less. You might want to call it quits with this, but I certainly didn't. This was war. You don't get to simply walk away because you've had enough.
"The boy spoke! With a voice as if his throat were crushed, as if he were wringing out his esophagus, he barely managed to gasp out the words!"
"It hurts—Sister, it hurts—Why—Why... Why."
I spoke again after a five-second pause, hollow and empty.
"That was the boy's final breath. Why. Against the very person trying to kill him, he never once poured out anger or resentment... he simply asked why. The boy truly couldn't understand. Why the sister he loved was killing him. The boy had genuinely loved his sister."
Do you understand, Elisabeth von Habsburg?
"You are a filthy, revolting, murderous piece of trash."
Silence.
The plain fell silent once more. The humans who had been cheering, the humans who had been crying out "Long live the Imperial Princess"—they were nowhere to be found. All that remained was doubt and confusion.
With this, the Imperial Princess Elisabeth's political standing had significantly weakened. It meant one more obstacle blocking my survival had been reduced. I'd been killing myself trying to diminish the Human Realm's forces, only to end up strengthening the Imperial Princess's hand—that was putting the cart before the horse. It was better to stomp her down hard when the opportunity arose, even if it meant pushing things a bit. As someone who had once liked her in Dungeon Attack, it was somewhat regrettable... but well, I'd chalk this up to fate too.
I spoke to the human army with a somber expression.
"Humanity. People. Have you realized it now? That is the true face of the noble you cheered for. She drives you into the battlefield while, behind your backs, she murders her own younger sibling."
My voice sank lonely into the Bruno Plain.
"It is an act that would enrage both heaven and man. Even slaves love their parents, and even beasts cherish their own young. How dare a beast that slaughters its own family presume to speak for humanity..."