Was it really alright to send an unmarried female archduke candidate like Lady
The differences in territorial customs are enormous, I thought—then caught myself. When invading another duchy, I would be the one leading from the front, and I was an unmarried female archduke candidate. I couldn't exactly call it "unthinkable" for Dunkelfelger. It would all come right back to me.
…Whooooa! Could it be that I'm the most "unthinkable" existence of all?!
"Lady
"If you will be greeting the Aub, Lady Rozemyne, I would like to hold a meeting with the Dunkelfelger knights in the meantime. Waiting until we reach Ahrensbach's border gate would be far too late."
Judging from Dunkelfelger's reaction, the gate would apparently light up once we teleported through. I wanted to avoid combat as much as possible and rush straight to the
"Please do."
"I will entrust Lady Rozemyne's escort to
With the map I had handed over in hand, Leonore headed off to where the Dunkelfelger knights were gathered. Entrusting one's escort to attendants might seem unusual, but the attendants present here were Eustachus, counted as combat strength by
…So the de facto commander of Dunkelfelger is
The knight who had been standing beside Lady Hannelore appeared to be Heisshitze. He wore the familiar blue cloak and was peering at the map with a serious expression, muttering, "Where on earth did they obtain such a detailed map?"
"Lady Rozemyne, I shall also join that meeting in my capacity as commander."
Lady Hannelore smiled sweetly and moved toward the knights, so I turned back to face the Aub couple and Restleut. I then expressed my gratitude for the upper duchy's cooperation and informed them that I had made contact with the royal family.
"If you would kindly observe this royal family crest, I believe you will be convinced that my words are truthful. It was gifted to me by Prince
I pulled out the necklace given to me by Sigiswald, making sure it was visible to the Aub couple.
"The Aub's account alone left us half in doubt, but if they would gift a crest of that quality, it must be genuine indeed."
The First Wife exhaled slowly after looking at Aub Dunkelfelger, then fixed me with a warm smile.
"Dunkelfelger will follow the Zent's wishes."
"You have my deepest gratitude."
"Then I too shall comply with Ehrenfest's request and participate in the real—"
Aub Dunkelfelger suddenly leaned forward, but the First Wife cut off his words by fixing him with a smile that carried a chilling edge.
"In Dunkelfelger, when the Zent makes a request, the Aub is to lead the knights. We cannot yet leave the relationships with the Central Knights' Order and the royal family to Restleut."
I couldn't help but picture a dry smile forming on Aub Dunkelfelger's face, as I could easily imagine him being scolded by the First Wife after blurting out that he wanted to participate in a real Dittr.
"I was surprised that it would be Lady Hannelore, not Lady Restleut, heading to Ahrensbach."
"As Lady Rozemyne is well aware, I am the next Aub. If the Aub must go to the center, then I must defend the foundation. This is a role that cannot be entrusted to Lady Hannelore."
I glanced at the Aub Dunkelfelger, who apparently had been whining about wanting to participate in a real Dittr, and offered Restleut a word of praise.
"You are most admirable, Lady Restleut. However, when you speak to me in such a formal manner, I confess it makes me rather uncomfortable…"
"But it would not do for me to speak so casually to Lady Rozemyne, who possesses a
Even taking the public setting into account, this was far too stiff. The moment our eyes met, he would look away—he wouldn't even meet my gaze.
"Do speak to me as you usually do. It feels rather lonely when you distance yourself like this."
"…Hmph. If you insist to that extent, I suppose I have no choice."
His usual imperious manner put me at least slightly at ease. Restleut glanced at me several times, then whispered in a low voice, "There is a chance of victory this time, is there not?"
"I am not worried about you in particular. This concerns Hannelore. It is a splendid chance for her to redeem her honor. You are the one leading this time. Surely Hannelore would not throw away the fight in such an embarrassing fashion… but… that is…"
In Dunkelfelger, apparently, participating in a Dittr only to throw in the fight was considered extremely shameful. Restleut's red eyes betrayed his worry for Hannelore.
"Seizing the foundation alone is not difficult. The hardest part this time is rescuing Lord Ferdinand."
"I will absolutely ensure Lord Ferdinand's rescue, Lady Rozemyne. I will give my all as well."
"Heisshitze…"
Heisshitze, apparently having finished the meeting, approached us with a stiff expression and struck his chest with his fist.
"Last time, I intended to rescue Lord Ferdinand but made a mistake. This time, you will be guiding us, Lady Rozemyne. I will surely be of help without fail."
The regret was plain on Heisshitze's face as he shook his head. I could see clearly that he regretted having pushed Ferdinand toward Ahrensbach. He had meant well, but it had backfired terribly. He must have felt wretched about it.
"I will rescue Lord Ferdinand, and I will return this cloak. It is something I shall reclaim when I obtain a true victory over Lord Ferdinand as a Dittr."
Grasping the cloak draped over him, Heisshitze gazed up at the night sky with an expression of solemn resolve.
I understood completely that Heisshitze was immersed in a very serious mood over what was a momentous decision for him, but when I pictured Ferdinand being shoved the cloak right after his rescue, the gap in our feelings left a sour taste in my mouth.
…Lord Ferdinand would absolutely pull that bothered look of his, wouldn't he. In truth, receiving it back would cause him no end of trouble too.
Imagining Ferdinand, rescued and then immediately confronted with the cloak and a challenge to a Dittr, drew a tepid smile from me. But any expression of annoyance was still far better than one of complete resignation.
…Lord Ferdinand should just do the Dittr while making that "I don't want to" face that's so obvious to everyone! Just don't drag me into it!
"I am touched by your thoughtfulness, Heisshitze. Let us rescue him together at all costs."
"Yes—faster than Steifeferise!"
Heisshitze gave a crisp reply, then turned back to Lady Hannelore.
"Lady Hannelore, the ceremony!"
"Understood! Lady Rozemyne, I shall leave the center to you."
"W-wait, I can't dance!?"
Being thrust into a role so suddenly, I stared in wide-eyed shock. But Lady Hannelore simply smiled and waved it off as she made her way to her designated position.
"There is no need to dance. It will be quite the same as the first time. No one is more suited than you, Lady Rozemyne, to raise the morale of our troops from the center."
"Ohhhh! Lady Hannelore speaks the truth!"
"We shall receive Lady Rozemyne's blessing with our very bodies!"
"The saint of Ehrenfest, who has correctly revived the ancient rites of Dunkelfelger!"
Indeed, I was the one who had incited this Dittr. I was the one who had used the border gate to further ignite their fervor. I wanted to say, "Let's hurry this along faster than the ceremony," but in Dunkelfelger, performing a rite before a Dittr was standard procedure, and receiving a blessing was advantageous in battle. I could not shrink back here, waste time, and lower everyone's morale.
…I knew there was no escaping this, but this enthusiasm—wasn't it a bit much?
Having been handed my role by Lady Hannelore, unable to resist the cheers of the onlookers and the expectant gazes of those around me, I took my stand at the center of the gate tower's rooftop.
…Ugh, I need to be careful not to over-bless.
I watched as the Dunkelfelger knights and my retainers formed a rough circle around me, took a deep breath, and raised my Stappe high. "Grant us strength as we march into battle!"
"Lance!"
My Stappe transformed into the Spear of
"I am one who offers prayers and gratitude to the gods who created this world."
The spears struck the ground in unison with a resonant thud. The onlookers let out a great roar, and the air itself trembled. Whether I wanted it or not, tension and excitement surged through me, and my heartbeat quickened of its own accord.
"Grant me the strength to seize victory. The unrivaled might of the fearsome Angrieff. Grant me the speed to seize victory. The swiftness of Steifeferise, faster than any other."
I merely recited the litany, but the knights around me began to move their spears in swift, fluid motions as they sang. They spun the spears in a sharp arc, struck the butts against the ground, then flipped them in a new grip—metallic clangs punctuating each beat. With every strike, voices rose from the crowd around us, and the temperature seemed to climb in tandem. Feeling a sense of oneness with those around me and a burning heat running through my entire body, I raised my spear high.
"Fight!"
Even the onlookers shouted in unison. As I thrust the spear skyward, colorful blessings rained down as though splitting the night sky, and the spectators let out their mightiest battle cry.
Aub Dunkelfelger stepped forward and thrust his fist into the air.
"Go, my finest of Dunkelfelger! Seize the foundation of Ahrensbach! Faster than Steifeferise!"
"Aye! Faster than Steifeferise!"
Lady Hannelore and her escort knights, along with my own retainers, I loaded onto our feystones and dove through the border gate. The remaining knights I sent rushing up the staircase. The Dunkelfelger knights appeared to have energy to spare, so that should be no problem.
"Lady Rozemyne, while everyone is gathering, please drink a magic power recovery potion and shrink the lesser beast as much as you can, moving it to a spot away from the transfer circle. While we're at it, let us distribute magical tools that could serve as diversions to Dunkelfelger."
"Leonore?"
Blinking at Leonore's instructions,
"This transfer circle is not large enough for a hundred armored knights. While I fear it will be burdensome on your magic power, Lady Rozemyne, it will be necessary to teleport in two waves."
Matthias explained that since a larger number of diversions would be preferable, rather than reducing the accompanying knights, it would be better to split the teleportation into two batches.
"The first wave will consist of those exiting from the staircase. After teleporting, they will wait in the staircase. Those in the second wave will board Lady Rozemyne's feystone beast as much as possible."
The knights teleported in the second wave would jump out from the lesser beast above Ahrensbach's border gate and mount their own feystones. This would keep the border gate knights' attention fixed upward and, hopefully, provide some measure of safety for the knights exiting through the border gate's staircase.
"…Lord Ferdinand once insisted that knights should be posted there, and the Knight Commander who accepted that was dismissed. I doubt there are any knights at the border gate now."
Brother
"There is nothing wrong with being cautious. What you must be mindful of is that Ahrensbach's border gate is situated over the sea. Anyone exiting through the staircase must be careful not to fall into the ocean."
…That would be a disaster.
While we talked, knights who had rushed up the staircase began lining up on the transfer circle. Once it was full, I explained the subsequent plan to the knights and conducted the first teleportation. Then I loaded as many of the remaining knights as possible onto the lesser beast and teleported them. Perhaps because the border gate was saturated with magic power, the magic required for the transfer had decreased considerably.
Unlike when we had moved to Dunkelfelger, teleporting to Ahrensbach's border gate produced no sound at all. A tense feeling of being expected settled over us as I warned everyone to stay alert, opened the rooftop of the border gate, and burst out into the open on the lesser beast.
Above the border gate, the Dunkelfelger knights leapt from the lesser beast one after another and mounted their own feystones. Knights on feystones launched from the border gate, weapons at the ready, scanning the area with vigilance.
"…Why is there no one here? With this many of us crossing the border gate, there is no way the Aub could have failed to notice."
The border gate, glowing in rainbow hues that would be conspicuous even from a distance against the dark sea. The border gate itself stood out white in its light. It was so desolate that our earlier tension and vigilance felt almost pitiful. There was no sign of the knight order racing to intercept us. Only the hollow sound of waves striking the gate echoed through the darkness.
"Could they be preparing to come while hidden in the darkness?"
"That would make me even more nervous."
"I said no one was here, didn't I? Our goal is not battle, so this works in our favor. Let us press on at once during this opportunity. Lady Hannelore, please carry out the diversion around the castle as we planned."
Brother Eckhart issued the orders, and Lady Hannelore and Heisshitze signaled to the Dunkelfelger knights who were spread out in the sky keeping watch.
"Clarissa, please remain with Lady Hannelore's group. Your wide-area magic would be more useful as a diversion."
"Understood. May your arms be strong!"
Once I confirmed that Clarissa had joined Lady Hannelore's group, I gripped the lesser beast's handle tight.
"Please guide the way, Brother Eckhart. I can't read maps, you know!"
We raced across the sea, the same dark hue as the night sky above. Separating from Dunkelfelger mid-flight as they headed toward the castle on the hilltop, we set our course for the Temple. Unlike Ehrenfest, Ahrensbach's Temple was located in the middle of the noble district.
As we sped over the sea, the harbor came into view.
Among the ships of familiar design, several large silver objects of unusual shape were lined up.
"That's strange. What are those, Eustachus?"
"They are the ships of Lanzanave, My Lady."
"They look like elongated 'submarines.'"
I replied somewhat vaguely, but the word "silver" sent a chill down the back of my neck.
"Could those ships also be immune to magic?"
"When they emerged from the border gate, they were black, but they changed to silver once they were out at sea. That is entirely possible."
Eustachus's voice had grown taut.
"…So it isn't only cloth that repels magic. Please send a warning to Lady Hannelore's group via ordonnance immediately. Eustachus, Hartmut—how can we reach Ehrenfest or the center?"
"At this point, the only way to cross the boundary is by sending a letter, but I'm afraid I don't have that sort of paper or ink on hand. It will have to wait until we reach the castle."
"As befitting a Lady Rozemyne's attendant, I do carry it. I shall write at once."
Hartmut produced his "letter-writing set—available anytime, anywhere," penned a letter, and sent it flying toward Ehrenfest and the center. Apparently, his preparedness for my occasional habit of sending letters to temples and the commoner quarters—where ordonnances couldn't be used—had proven useful after all.
"My Lady, that is the Temple of Ahrensbach."
The moment Eustachus spoke those words, a tremendous explosion echoed from above the castle. The Dunkelfelger diversion had begun.
"Let us hurry, My Lady."
After the meeting with Dunkelfelger, we set off for Ahrensbach.
The border gate with no knights on watch. The knight order that never came.
Everything was going exactly as planned, and yet the closer we drew to Ahrensbach, the more my unease mounted.
Next, the Temple of Ahrensbach.