"In two days."
At the fortress in the Harvist domain.
Ermes's clear, resolute voice echoed through the familiar conference room.
Not a trace of the fatigue that had clung so heavily to his face until yesterday remained. His emerald eyes held their usual gleam of wisdom and vitality as he addressed the meeting's participants.
"Two days from now. That will be the date of the decisive battle... or rather, there is no other option."
For Ermes and his group, this deadline was understandably quite aggressive. Honestly, they would have preferred more time to hone their magic and solidify their coordination.
But still, the deadline was two days from now. There was a reason it had to be so. Because—
"After that... they'll come, won't they?"
"Yes, they will. —Reinforcements. From the Church's side."
Ermes nodded at Katia's words.
"Lord Albert's scouting confirmed it, didn't it? There's a large army on the move not far from here, to the east."
"Yeah. I spotted them from a distance, but the equipment design was unmistakably that of the Church."
"Given the situation... there's a nine-in-ten chance they're reinforcements Archbishop Johan called in."
Albert and Yurgen supplemented the report.
Ermes shared their assessment. Even now, their military advantage was razor-thin — if the reinforcements joined up with the enemy, any hope of victory would be utterly crushed.
That was precisely why the deadline existed: they had to strike before the two armies could link up. After factoring in various marching speeds and the tactics the enemy might employ, the conclusion was clear — two days was the best window they could manage.
No objections came from anyone. If anything, now that a firm date had been set, everyone's morale began to surge.
Ermes found that resolve encouraging as he moved on to the next topic.
"With the date now set — let me refocus on the enemy before us. The opponents we must defeat within the Northern Alliance... I'll break them down into four categories."
That's what this was all about.
A compilation of the information they had gathered and analyzed since arriving here. In a decisive battle where maximum efficiency in coordination and division of labor would be essential, thoroughly sharing that information with everyone was unavoidable.
Until now, they hadn't been able to do that. Because the trust necessary to make it happen hadn't yet been cultivated.
But now, it was fine. When Ermes directed a gaze imbued with that resolve toward one of the participants — Toa, the Knight Commander — she returned a bow filled with genuine respect.
Having confirmed that, Ermes spoke.
"—First, the knights of the Northern Alliance, composed of the Six Northern Houses. Beyond their individually formidable strength, Lord Lucius's leadership and the Grand Bishop's preparations have ensured that their coordination and unity are nothing short of perfect."
The collective fighting power as a group that Ermes and his allies had lacked. Given that the Northern Alliance embodied this so thoroughly, they too were a threat that could not be underestimated.
"And then, there is Lord Lucius, the Alliance Commander. ...To be honest, when it comes to him, there is no measure that can reliably contain him."
Lord Lucius's own magic and abilities were nothing particularly tricky. His infamous ability to 'sever magic' was unique, yes, but its function was straightforward.
And that was precisely why he was a threat.
Just
simply
beyond
all
comprehension —
the level of
strength he possessed.
—On the other hand, however.
To repeat, the ability itself fell within a predictable range. Containing it completely would be extraordinarily difficult, but... the risk of the battle being overturned from a completely unforeseen angle — an irregular, unpredictable danger — could be considered low. This also applied to the Northern Alliance knights themselves.
Therefore.
What we needed to discuss in detail was not the two above—but rather, the threat posed by the remaining two.
"Next... Nina."
Katia, Sara, and Albert's expressions shifted.
About the girl who could be called the joker of this encounter—the one entangled with them by no shallow fate—Ermes spoke just as calmly as before.
"Regarding her, she was the one I understood the least this time. From her behavior, I predicted she was likely under some kind of..."
"...constraint..."
"...but the extent and nature of it remained unclear. The fact that I couldn't meet her in person only made her the hardest to read."
And that was precisely why.
"—Which is why you sent me, then."
Liliana opened her mouth.
Ermes nodded, drawing on what had happened before.
"What I most wanted to know was the degree of threat she posed. To that end, I needed to confirm how well Lady Lili—'Lady Lili, wielding my magic'—could hold her own against her."
After saying this, Ermes produced a magical tool carved from black crystal.
The effect of this magical tool was to enable another person to wield magic infused by the original caster.
The key point was—even if the one using the magical tool was someone else,
it could still be unleashed
as magic
cast by
the caster
themselves.
In other words, in this particular case, Liliana was in a position where she could wield the many Bloodline Magics Ermes had fired. Naturally, since he was the caster himself, the output was at least two grades above others who could use the same spells. For Liliana, this must have been the ultimate form of support.
This was precisely why Ermes had been able to send Liliana out on her own. In fact, Liliana had returned having overcome the encounter with Nina—one that would have been quite difficult to handle alone. Well…
"…As for the price of Miss Lili
becoming
the object of her charm…that part was unforeseen."
"Th-that…! …I am very sorry…"
In other words, during the brief skirmish, Liliana had somehow displayed signs of developing more than a certain degree of fondness for Nina. And she had done so despite Nina presumably being on guard against exactly that. …What on earth did they discuss?
…But the results they reaped were well worth the cost.
From Liliana's report, they had been able to ascertain Nina's current condition, abilities, and more. With this, they could put together a certain degree of countermeasure, and beyond that—
"—That we have no intention of abandoning Lady Nina. That was conveyed properly, wasn't it?"
"Ah…"
Sarah gasped. Katia and Albert also wore solemn expressions.
…Through dispatching Liliana, they had largely grasped the state of Nina's situation. That she had been in a truly terrible condition until now.
That they had the will to help her. That they were ready to welcome her. She believed those things had been conveyed.
So now, all that remained was eliminating the factors standing in the way. The person who had imposed
restrictions
upon her—the greatest enemy in this Northern Rebellion—
"—Finally, Archbishop Johann."
Ermes proceeded to explain the fourth threat.
"The Archbishop himself likely doesn't possess significant combat ability. However, he has a wide variety of Magical tools at his disposal—including the ones used in that 'Divine Punishment'—and above all, there is one thing we must be most vigilant about."
What I most wanted to convey this time.
"…It's the Archbishop's Bloodline Magic of brainwashing."
"I've heard about it before, but is it really true?"
Upon hearing that, Katya asked for confirmation once more.
The single greatest black box when it came to analyzing the Archbishop. Ermes opened his mouth once more to explain the contents of that magic he had described before.
"Fundamentally, thought-alteration-type magic isn't all that useful to begin with. It should be impossible to drastically change a person's perception or consciousness."
This was something akin to one of the fundamental laws of magic. Because of that, simply cranking up the magical output wouldn't be enough to get around it.
—However.
"The Archbishop's magic pierces through even that. He's likely turned a considerable number of people into pawns that move at his every whim. …Surely among them, there must have been people who desperately did not want to follow the Archbishop."
Lucius was perhaps the only exception. Even under the enemy's spell, he still appeared to have never lost sight of his fundamental self.
…But that was truly an exception—and the reason was simply "because he's Lucius." The reverse—"if he's fine, then everyone else must be fine too"—was obviously something no one could say with a straight face. If anything…
"If you were to be completely ensnared,
even I
would find
resistance
impossible. It's best to keep that in mind."
"…It goes that far?"
"Is there… no countermeasure or anything…?"
Those were the words of surprise from Katya and Sallan. Ermes gave a slight shake of his head.
"As long as we don't understand the underlying mechanism, there isn't a clear one. So fundamentally, when dealing with the Archbishop…
Mind Control
…is what he could only say — that we absolutely must maneuver in a way to avoid falling under it no matter what.
……Well, that said.
Even if their abilities were extraordinary, that didn't mean something like enslaving everyone they simply laid eyes on was possible. Putting aside the underlying principles, if that were the case, we'd be done for from the start.
Looking at it from that perspective too — the conditions were unclear, but we could at least infer that it wasn't quite that easy.
So it was.
We were at a significant informational disadvantage… but not knowing something didn't mean there was nothing to be done. There were plenty of approaches available.
Having synthesized all the information and countermeasures they had so far — Ermes declared it.
"──We can win. Fully and decisively."
*Bzzt.*
An invisible jolt ran through the group.
His words carried a power that was unmistakable.
He had overcome countless difficulties, broken through every situation with his wits and ingenuity, with his learning and evolution.
Those words of his… held real strength.
"I've already mapped out the general flow of things. So let me explain.
…That said, half-baked tricks will only be read. What we decide here needs to be simple."
Namely — how to face each of the four threats they had just identified.
Of those, the Northern Alliance soldiers could reasonably be pitted against the Harvist soldiers, who were likewise a group combat force.
Which meant what truly mattered were the remaining three.
Lucius, Niina, and Johan. Against these three Bloodline Magic users —
Who to
,
match against whom
. "I'd like your opinions on the matchups I've devised."
From there came Ermes's proposal.
Upon hearing it... everyone was initially surprised by what was, to say the least, an unexpected combination.
But as they listened to the details... they arrived at the conclusion that this was indeed the only way, and from that point on the discussion was limited to fine-tuning.
And so... the Harvist side's preparations were fully in place.
◆
——On the Northern Alliance side. What followed on the night the Archbishop's foresight first broke.
(...I wonder if that's the first time I've seen the Archbishop make that kind of face.)
Having finished her report to Archbishop Johan, Niina returned to her own room.
She had just now — informed the Archbishop of the collapse of his foresight, and sat down on the bed in her room accompanied by a sense of accomplishment she hadn't felt in a long time.
...But, at the same time.
If asked whether her heart had been completely set at ease... that was not the case.
(...S-so foresight can be broken. ...Even without me doing anything... even without my power, which was nothing but being pushed around, those people managed it on their own.)
There was no doubt it was something to be glad about.
But... even so. Somewhere in her heart, the fact that she had been thinking, 'I want to do something about it myself,' was... the truth.
If she could do that. If she could change the future with her own power, surely.
She had believed that this time, she would finally be able to stand tall and take her place alongside... Ermes and the others like him... but.
Nyina laughs, with a hint of self-mockery.
(...Ahaha, that's right. No matter how hard someone like me tries, there's only so much I can do...
No matter how much power one has, what they can achieve with it depends on the person. That's... something I was supposed to understand well, wasn't I...)
What Nyina von Frodaite had always carried within her.
That she lacked a firm conviction. That she had lived life letting the current carry her, unable to set her heart alight with anything.
Unlike Ermes. And unlike her brother Lucius. She could not possess a proud, strong heart that was unbeatable, unwavering, and incorruptible.
That feeling. What she had continued to bear, coupled with her current low condition, began to surface within her once more.
—And then, a light, fleeting dizziness struck her.
(Ugh. ...It's about time this becomes too much.)
Her fatigue and mental strain were already reaching their limit, and then came this consecutive mission.
Even for Nyina, who had more stamina than most, it had been tough.
(...I should sleep.)
Making that decision, Nyina lay her body down on the bed... and then realized.
(...Oh, right.)
There was one more, joyous thing.
Yes, if the future had changed, if the prophecy had crumbled...
—Then she would no longer have to see Ermes' death as a nightmare.
If that was the case... today, for the first time in a while, she might be able to sleep soundly.
And besides—even if there was still a future where he died...
She would continue to pinpoint the cause from the future information, just as she always had. And with the lessons learned from past failures, even if she couldn't change it... she thought she would do everything in her power to try.
Because she believed it was one of the few things even someone like her could do.
With that faintly negative yet hopeful resolution settling in her chest, Nina closed her eyes and surrendered herself to the gentle drowsiness where her prophetic dreams waited.
And then.
——
For some reason—
She didn't understand why,
but
Ermes
dies
—that's what the dream showed.
A dream of a future she couldn't comprehend, with no known cause and no possible countermeasure—an utterly hopeless vision.
In a room within the fortress, the Archbishop's lips twisted at the corners.
Two days later. The final battle—was about to begin.
Next time: The Battle Begins!
I plan to build on the momentum and race through this all at once. I'd be happy if you could watch over the conclusion of Chapter Three's first episode!