Seirei Gensouki ~Konna Sekai de Deaeta Kimi ni~ (LN) - Volume 23 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Tandem Journey

Near the border between the kingdoms of Beltrum and Galarc, several hundred meters from the fort that Celia had visited...

“Endless Force...”

“Infinitus...”

Celia flew through the air with wings of light growing out of her back. Renji and Reiss were hot on her tail, with Renji being carried by Reiss as he flew.

“...Blizzard!” Renji yelled.

“...Durandal!” Celia cried out.

Cold air collided with burning light, sending a huge shock wave and bright light through the area.

“Guh!”

“Aaah!”

Renji and Celia were both blown away by the blast, tumbling midair. Their vision was obscured by the light, and they lost all sense of direction—they were barely managing to remain conscious.

Keep it together, Celia! She desperately clung to her consciousness and racked her brain for a solution.

The worst-case scenario was for her to become incapable of combat and fall into the hands of Reiss and Duke Arbor. She had increased the output of the already essence-heavy Durandal, and only had a meager amount of essence left.

I-I have to run... Her only choice was to flee. She was at a disadvantage in numbers already, and she wasn’t conceited enough to think she could face two people whose strength was still unknown to her.

I have to take this chance! Celia yielded herself to the blast of air, using it to distance herself from Renji and Reiss. She then confirmed which direction the ground was and attempted to straighten herself.

“Ugh...” Flapping her wings of light, Celia used the remainder of her magic essence to propel herself. She accelerated in a straight line towards Galarc.

It seems I have no other choice... Instead of going against the blast to move towards Celia, Reiss went in the opposite direction to suppress the momentum of the shock wave. He was pushed nearly all the way back to the fort where Duke Arbor was located before finally coming to a stop.

Then, Reiss resumed his flight towards the center of the blast with Renji in his arms. There was a chance Celia had fled using the shock waves, but it was also possible she had been knocked out or incapacitated instead.

The air in the area was still obscured by dust clouds, but Reiss was able to fly through the debris without an issue.

“Damn... What happened? Where’d the woman go? Is she dead?” Renji asked in quick succession. His left hand covered his eyes from the dust while his right hand grasped tightly onto his halberd.

Reiss stared at the epicenter of the explosion, expressionless. “What happened indeed,” he replied.

“What did that woman do?” Renji asked more calmly this time. Their attacks had collided so quickly after they fired them, he hadn’t been able to witness what happened. Or perhaps he had witnessed what happened, but couldn’t believe his eyes.

“She released a powerful attack just as strong as yours, and the two attacks canceled each other out.”

“Really...?”

“Yes, there’s no mistaking that,” Reiss said with certainty.

“Wasn’t my Endless Force Blizzard meant to be the most powerful of the highest-class attack spells in this world...?” Renji asked, suppressing his displeasure. Reiss had previously given his personal seal of approval to the wide-ranged, rapid-fire annihilation magic Renji could cast, so how had Celia opposed it?

“There are more powerful offensive spells in this world,” Reiss answered casually.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me! How can you call that the highest class then?! There’s magic out there on par with the swing of a Divine Arms?! That’s like one of those shitty stories where there’s a great demon lord after the demon lord!” This time, Renji didn’t hold back his displeasure. That was how much of a problem it was to him that Celia had been able to use an equally strong attack as him.

The chosen heroes were meant to wield the strongest weapons in the world—the Divine Arms. If there was someone out there with equal strength to the weapons, they wouldn’t appear as special anymore. And if the weapons weren’t as impressive, then the heroes wouldn’t be as special either. This was a matter that directly affected Renji’s identity and pride. However...

“Ha ha ha!” Reiss burst into wide-eyed, hearty laughter—a rare sight for him.

“H-Hey, stop messing around! This is no laughing matter!”

“Pardon me. You truly say the funniest things sometimes. The highest rank of offensive magic refers to the magic that is the strongest in the current era. A long, long time ago—in the age of the past heroes, to be precise—there was stronger magic.”

“Are you saying that woman used such magic...?”

“Yes. Although it could have been the work of a powerful ancient artifact, she didn’t appear to be equipped with any.”

“I don’t like this... That would mean she used a magic that shouldn’t exist.”

“Indeed so. Even I am struggling to understand how she came across that magic.”

“...” Renji still looked like he wanted to ask something, but held his silence. “How long are we going to be here for?” he eventually asked instead.

They had already returned to the epicenter of the explosion. Reiss was flying around the area in search of Celia. Since he was flying in the air, he had to carry Renji in his arms. It seemed like Renji was getting fed up with being carried by such a shady man.

“Oh, my apologies. Perhaps it’s about time you learned how to fly for yourself. Since there’s no longer any risk of you fleeing anymore.”

Originally, Renji had been at risk of fleeing due to the animosity between him and Reiss. They had met in a confrontation over the Rubia princesses Sylvie and Estelle, where Renji was defeated by Lucius.

Of course, Reiss had kept an eye out for any attempts to flee from the beginning, but Renji gradually began showing a more cooperative attitude under Reiss’s efficient training regime. Obtaining the ability to use spirit arts to fly would be a huge upgrade to his mobility, and it seemed like Reiss had decided he was no longer a flight risk.

Above all, it wouldn’t be strange for Renji to start flying himself at any moment now.

If Renji was going to learn anyway, it’d be better to teach him first and create a reason for him to feel more gratitude towards Reiss.

“Hmph.” Renji snorted. “Put me down. I’ll look around on the ground. You keep searching the air,” he ordered curtly.

“Very well. Please do that, then.”

Reiss released him easily. They were over twenty meters above the ground—a height no normal human could survive falling, but Renji’s body was currently enhanced as far as his Divine Arms would let him. “...” Renji fell rapidly to the ground without a complaint, landing without a problem.

◇ ◇ ◇

Around the time Renji landed on the ground...

Seems like I’ve shaken them off... Celia retreated to a point several kilometers from the fort and hid in the forest, watching the direction she’d fled from carefully. She let out the tense breath she had been holding, but didn’t drop her guard completely in case they were still searching. While she wanted nothing more than to fly as far away from the fort as she could...

Infinitus Durandal consumes a ridiculous amount of magic essence... I don’t think I could have activated that with my own essence alone.

Right now, Celia was completely out of magic essence. She had been using the essence in the spirit stone Rio had given her to activate her spells.

However, if a sorcerer were to instantly draw the essence from a spirit stone for magic activation, twenty to thirty percent of that essence would be lost in the process. In order to use a hundred percent of the essence without any waste, the essence had to be slowly transferred from the stone through the proper process.

The only way of replacing the magic essence consumed from a spirit stone was for someone to add it in manually. Most of the spells Celia had obtained when she regained her memories of Rio and Aishia were extremely inefficient in essence consumption. Because of that, she had consumed a lot of essence in the battle just now.

There’s still essence left in the spirit stone Rio gave me, but...

With a look of resolution, Celia gazed up at the sky above Beltrum.

First I have to get back to Amande. Okay, let’s do this!

She then spent a moment retrieving essence from the spirit, then—

“Alis luminis.”

Celia recited the ancient magic spell for flying and grew wings of light from her back, then took off towards the city of Amande past the Galarc border.

◇ ◇ ◇

It took less than ten minutes for Celia in her current state to cross the distance to the city of Amande. There had been no sign of Reiss and Renji pursuing her on the way, and she safely arrived at the city governed by Liselotte.

She landed in the forest on the outskirts of the city and walked through the gates. Her destination was, of course, Liselotte’s governor’s estate.

Shortly after Liselotte was abducted by Saint Erica, she had employed a representative to act as a temporary governor, but she was now back at her post. She had also resumed her work as the president of the Ricca Trading Guild, and spent every day extremely busy with her duties.

Considering Liselotte’s situation, it wouldn’t have been strange for Celia to be turned away like every other noble that visited without prior notice. But fortunately, Celia was an important friend of Liselotte—and she had arrived at the estate all alone. She was quickly allowed a meeting without any issue.

Celia’s old friend and Liselotte’s current attendant, Aria, was also present in the meeting. She stood to the side as Celia and Liselotte sat down on the reception room sofas facing each other.

Celia gave a brief explanation of what had happened: just a few moments ago, she had been in the Beltrum Kingdom as a messenger from Christina. Duke Arbor had attempted to capture her, but she’d successfully fulfilled her duty and fled to Amande. She wanted to notify Christina and Francois in the capital of this news as soon as possible.

“And that’s the gist of it. Would you be able to pass that message to Princess Christina in the Galarc Castle? I know that barging in here and making such demands out of the blue is extremely rude, but if you don’t mind...” Celia tried to entrust her message to Liselotte.

“Um...” she replied. The explanation had gone by so fast, Liselotte was baffled. She had no idea how Celia was in Amande right now just by having listened to her explanation.

No matter how much of a genius sorcerer Celia was, she should have been captured the moment she was surrounded by knights. There were plenty of other things that bothered her about the situation, but...

“For now, let me put the situation in order. You left the Galarc capital to deliver Princess Christina’s response to Duke Arbor in the Beltrum fort. You were about to be captured, but you managed to get away. You then came all the way here, is that correct?” Liselotte pressed a hand to her forehead as she tried to confirm the facts.

“Yes.”

“I...see...”

Celia had nodded earnestly, but Liselotte’s expression was still confused. She didn’t think Celia was the type of person to lie, but this was a little too wild to believe without any doubts.

“I don’t mind passing on the message, but won’t you be returning to the Galarc capital yourself, Celia?” Liselotte continued the conversation under the presumption Celia was telling the truth.

“Yes. I’m thinking of returning to the Beltrum Kingdom.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to return to the Galarc capital from here? Why would you go back to Beltrum?”

She had barely fled from Beltrum by the skin of her teeth, yet she intended on turning around and returning right away. Liselotte couldn’t help asking pretty much the same question twice.

“I wish to inform my family of what happened today. Princess Christina’s considerations have made it harder for them to touch my father, but there’s no telling what Duke Arbor will do to him...” Celia said worriedly, explaining her reason for returning.

Well, it was only natural. Although Christina had declared her accession as queen and demanded her objections be delivered through the Count Claire family’s envoys, there was no guarantee her parents would be safe.

“You’re worried for your family.”

“Yes.”

It seemed like Liselotte could understand Celia’s feelings. It was certainly a matter that should be reported if possible.

“Celia, you’re an important friend not only to Aria, but to me as well. I would have offered to lend you an enchanted airship to take to your family’s territory, but the Ricca Guild was restricted from entering the Beltrum Kingdom shortly after Rodania fell...”

When the Restoration was still based in Rodania, travel between the two kingdoms was unrestricted. But after the Restoration lost Rodania as their headquarters, the Beltrum Kingdom closed most of their borders to Galarc. The trading guild’s airships were only permitted into a select number of cities to import product.

While the Ricca Guild’s airships could be sent to those cities they were permitted in, Celia’s hometown—the Claire territory—wasn’t among them. Even if she were to be dropped off at the closest neighboring city, there were strict inspections to prevent illegal entry into the kingdom.

The wrong move could potentially turn into an international problem, and it was too risky to use the Ricca Guild airships to send Celia to the Beltrum Kingdom. Even if Liselotte decided to do so, she would need her father and King Francois’s permission first.

“I appreciate the sentiment, but no thank you. I will go by myself,” Celia said lightly, dismissing the need for assistance.

“Isn’t that a little too reckless...?”

Liselotte sent a subtle, questioning glance towards Aria, as though to ask whether Celia was capable of such a thing. Aria seemed to have the same doubts as her master, as she tilted her head with a dubious look.

“I understand your concerns. But it’s really fine. I escaped Beltrum by myself fine, didn’t I?” Celia said lightly, emphasizing the lack of any problem.

“You say that, but...”

Although she trusted Celia, Liselotte couldn’t agree to sending her back by herself without a care. And there was a clear reason for that: because she was worried. This was something Celia could tell as well. Which was why...

“Just between you and me, it’ll only take me three days to make a return trip there from Amande,” Celia said reassuringly.

“Th-Three days?”

Traveling from Amande to Celia’s hometown of Cleia on foot would easily take months. At most, using a horse could reduce that time by half—so it was natural for Liselotte to be shocked. Three days for a return trip was even faster than using griffins.

However, that was only if Celia didn’t run out of magic essence. After using that flying magic today, she’d realized that the faster she flew, the more essence was consumed. Without Rio’s spirit stone, she only had enough of her own essence left to make a one-way trip.

“The truth is, I’ve learned a sorcery that allows me to fly through the air. Only I can use it right now, but that’s what I used to cross the border into Amande.”

“I thought it was weird how you visited me out of the blue after returning from Beltrum... All by yourself, at that.”

Amande was positioned relatively close to the border with the Beltrum Kingdom. There were a number of forts controlled by the kingdom along the border and down the main road to Amande. If Celia had entered Galarc from the Beltrum Kingdom, those forts would have been notified of her presence first. If she had been visiting a foreign nation as an envoy, then she should have had guards with her too.

“The knights Princess Charlotte prepared escorted me to the border, but Duke Arbor demanded I make the rest of the trip into the kingdom alone...”

“What happened to the guards, then...?”

“They’re waiting for me in a fort near the border. They would have received an order from Princess Charlotte to escort me back to Galarc.”

Since there was an unfortunately large chance of Celia not returning, the knights would most likely return to the royal capital after some time. But they should still be at the fort at this moment in time.

If Celia had returned to the fort and informed Charlotte’s knights of her intent to return to Beltrum, they would have stopped her no matter what. If they didn’t, they would be defying Charlotte’s orders to return.

As knights of the royal castle, they were unable to make their own judgments or act against their orders.

“And that’s why you came to me.”

Liselotte let out a pained sigh, having made sense of the situation. She had been probing for details from Celia in order to aid her judgment, and the situation was as complex as she had been expecting.

“I’m sorry for causing you trouble...” Celia said, bowing her head awkwardly.

“No, I’m honored to have you rely on me as your friend. But after hearing everything you’ve said, I’m now obliged to bring you to the castle as well.”

If she didn’t, Liselotte would be the one defying Charlotte’s will instead. However, she could understand Celia’s concerns for her family. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Liselotte held her head in her hands.

Celia hadn’t been entrusted with any further duties beyond delivering Christina’s reply, so she was meant to report back to Christina as soon as her task was done. Her desire to return to her hometown was entirely her own judgment. That’s why she was here to rely on Liselotte.

“I am aware... Could I ask you to make an exception just this once? I’m afraid Duke Arbor may move right away. I’d like to depart as soon as possible.”

Celia bowed her head further, fully understanding how unreasonable her request was.

“Very well... I will make the report to the capital on your behalf. I will also arrange an explanation for the knights at the fort.”

“Thank you very much!”

“However, I have one condition.” Liselotte pointed a finger at Celia, stopping her from rejoicing too soon.

“What condition...?”

“Please take Aria with you for protection.” Liselotte looked over at Aria, who was still standing in the room.

“Huh? But...” Celia’s gaze was drawn to the same spot. She opened her mouth to voice her objection, but Liselotte interrupted first.

“As a friend, I cannot allow you to walk into danger alone. Princess Charlotte wouldn’t approve either. That’s why I will not back down on this.”

“B-But if the Beltrum Kingdom found out you sent personnel to help me, wouldn’t it become an international problem...?”

“That’s why I am sending the bare minimum I can: Aria alone. You are aware of Aria’s abilities yourself. And she’s a former noble of the Beltrum Kingdom, so you have plenty of excuses if you’re spotted together.”

“That may be true... But Aria’s your personal guard and confidante. Wouldn’t you be troubled without her around?”

“Although they aren’t as skilled as Aria, I have plenty of capable attendants. If Aria isn’t around, I can just increase the number of guards. And so, Aria. Make sure you escort Celia properly,” Liselotte ordered before Celia could say anything else.

“I understand.” Aria nodded with a sigh.

“A-Are you sure, Aria? You should be protecting Liselotte...” Celia asked in a fluster. Everything had been decided so suddenly.

“If my master has ordered it, I have no objections,” Aria replied with a fed-up look, emphasizing how she didn’t have a choice in the first place.

“If you’re worried for my safety, Celia, then surely you can understand how I feel about yours. Am I right?”

“Urk. Yes...” Celia nodded awkwardly, the weak point of her argument revealed.

“Then you better return as quick as you can.”

“I will do my best...”

“I will be waiting. Is there anything else I can help with? You mentioned sorcery that allowed you to fly through the air, but I could also lend you a griffin or provide essence crystals for you to use...”

If Celia’s means of flying was sorcery, then the fuel that was her magic essence had to be limited. She couldn’t keep flying forever.

“Thank you very much. I am indebted to you. If possible, could you spare me some of your essence crystals? And a sword for self-protection.”

“Very well. Aria, you can go and get ready for your departure first. Arrange a sword and essence crystals for Celia as well.”

“Understood.”

With that, Aria left the room first.

◇ ◇ ◇

Roughly half an hour later, preparations for departure were complete. Celia and Aria stood in the garden of the estate, bidding farewell to Liselotte and her attendants, Cosette, Natalie, and Chloe. Aria had changed from her attendant uniform to a light, adventurer-like outfit. The enchanted sword Liselotte had lent her was attached to her waist.

“Please take care of everything in my absence,” Aria said to her subordinates as the head attendant.

“Yeah, yeah. We’ve got this. You just worry about yourself...though I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Cosette replied casually. She was one of the more frivolous attendants that worked for Liselotte.

“That’s true. I’m more worried about you,” Natalie muttered, her demeanor as serious as it always was.

“Me?! Shouldn’t you be worried for Chloe instead? She’s the newbie.”

“Chloe’s a hard worker. What she lacks in, she makes up for by reporting all her mistakes, so I don’t have to worry about her work.”

“Th-Thank you very much!”

Cosette had attempted to single out Chloe, but Aria praised her instead. Chloe bowed her head humbly.

“At any rate, this is a good opportunity. I expect a detailed report from everyone on whether my absence poses a hindrance to duties, what differences there are in daily tasks, and whether there are any latent issues that need to be addressed.”

“Ugh.” Cosette let out an unladylike noise at the thought of more work. There was probably a reason why Aria had specified a “detailed” report.

“Do not attempt to skip the report by writing ‘There was nothing of particular note’ again. I don’t mind if you discuss things with the others, so please review the entirety of the current task system. Especially regarding Lady Liselotte’s security.”

Or so it seemed. Only a short amount of time had passed since Liselotte’s abduction. Although they had returned to their peaceful days, they couldn’t be too relaxed.

“Understood.”

When the matter of Liselotte’s security was brought up, all the attendants’ faces tensed.

Meanwhile, beside the attendants, Celia and Liselotte were having their own conversation.

“Are you sure it’s okay for Aria to come with me...?” Celia asked worriedly. Although she had gained much more movement range with her ability to fly, she was still uneasy about traveling alone. Having an old friend who was powerful in her own right accompany her was a huge relief.

However, Aria’s absence would create a hole in Liselotte’s work. Celia felt apprehension about that.

“Yes. It’ll be beneficial for me as well, so don’t let it bother you.”

“Really?”

“We’ve reestablished peace here, but Aria seems rather stressed these days.”

There was no doubt Liselotte’s abduction had a lingering effect on her. Her heart was being tormented like a thorn digging into her skin.

“But in that case...”

Wouldn’t it be better to let Aria stay by your side? Celia asked with her gaze.

“No. Please work her hard enough so that she completely forgets about me. I need to prove to Aria that my work can run without her too.”

It seemed like Liselotte’s intention was for Aria to reset her mood by traveling together with her old friend.

“I understand... We’ll just be going there and back, as long as no trouble occurs. But if that is what you insist, then I won’t feel any reservation. Thank you.”

“No problem.”

Celia bobbed her head in gratitude, which Liselotte returned while meeting her eyes.

“He he.” The two both giggled in amusement.

“Let’s get going, Aria,” Celia called.

“Right away.” Aria ended her conversation with the attendants and stood next to Celia.

“Oh! I told you we were flying already, but are you okay with heights? I’ll be the one carrying you...”

“Yes, that won’t be a problem. I’ve previously...” Aria replied naturally, but trailed off midsentence.

“Previously what?” Celia asked curiously.

“It’s nothing. I feel like I’ve flown through the air in someone’s arms before, but there’s something odd about that memory... Perhaps it’s just déjà vu.”

Aria tilted her head in confusion.

It’s Rio...

Celia immediately knew why Aria was experiencing déjà vu.

“You too, Aria? I also had a similar feeling... How odd.”

Apparently Liselotte was experiencing déjà vu as well. It was probably caused by the remnant memories of when Rio saved her from Saint Erica. The flashback caused Liselotte to frown in question.

“Perhaps you were remembering the time you rode a griffin?” Cosette asked. She had never flown while being carried by Rio before, so she was curious in her own way.

“Maybe... I apologize for derailing the conversation.” Unable to recall her memories, Aria quickly brushed the matter aside.

Celia shook her head with a somewhat sad look. “It’s okay.”

“What’s the best way of doing this? I don’t think you could carry me unless you reinforced your muscles with magic...” Aria wondered as she looked down at Celia.

“Right. Flying while enhancing my physical abilities will consume a lot of magic essence, so I think it’d be best if you clung to me? The wings that emerge from my back are powered by an essence that emits heat, so don’t touch them.”

“I see... How about this?” Without any hesitation, Aria approached Celia and hugged her from the front. To be more precise, she crouched down and looped her arms around Celia’s waist.

“Yeah, that’s good.”

Petite Celia, and the tall and slender, model-like Aria. It’d be a more natural sight if Celia were the one doing the hugging, but when it was the reverse...

“H-He he... Oops. Ahem.”

It must have been a comical sight. Cosette let out an amused laugh, but a glare from Aria quickly quietened her. She coughed to cover up her laugh.

“Well, we can always adjust our positions if it turns out to be a hindrance while we’re flying.”

“Right.”

“Okay, I’ll bring out my wings now. Alis luminis.” Celia recited the spell; a magic circle appeared on her back and released particles of light in the shape of two wings. Her appearance was almost like that of an angel.

“Oh my.”

Liselotte and her attendants gasped in awe.

“We’ll be going now. Don’t forget to contact the capital,” Celia said.

Liselotte snapped back to her senses. “O-Of course. Leave it to me.”

“Here we go, Aria. I can go pretty fast, so take care not to fall.”

“Understood.”

Aria tightened her arms around Celia, who then rose into the air.

“Goodbye.”

With those final words directed at Liselotte, she accelerated into the sky.

“Wow...” Liselotte swallowed another breath as she watched the two fly away.

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile, a short time before Celia arrived in Amande, Reiss and Renji had given up on their search for Celia and returned to the fort where Duke Arbor and Charles were waiting. As soon as Reiss landed with Renji—

“M-Mr. Reiss!” Charles immediately ran up to them.

“Unfortunately, Celia Claire got away,” Reiss reported in his usual calm tone.

Of course, it was possible that Celia’s body had disintegrated under the force of the explosion from the two attacks, but Reiss had determined that possibility was extremely unlikely and didn’t bother to mention it.

“I-I see... No, that’s not good! What are you going to do about this?!” Charles exhaled in relief for a brief moment, but promptly snapped at Reiss.

“What do you mean?” Reiss asked, tilting his head as though he didn’t have a clue what Charles was referring to. It was at this moment that Duke Arbor approached them.

“Attempting to kill a messenger trying to return isn’t a good look.”

“Oh? But you didn’t intend on letting her leave in the first place. You didn’t care about how you looked when you called her to this fort. Am I wrong?”

“That’s...! Things have changed now that Princess Christina has declared her accession. We must avoid doing anything to worsen our position,” Charles argued, looking at his father for support.

“My point still remains. You lost all chance of plausible deniability the moment you attempted to capture her. I needed to stop her to prevent her from spreading questionable rumors upon her return. Am I wrong?”

“Th-That doesn’t mean you can do as you please in our territory! Creating an explosion that large at the border of our kingdom is a problem!” Charles struggled to find a counter to Reiss’s logical reasoning and attempted to change the topic.

“I do feel apologetic in that regard, but we had to go that far for any chance of stopping her. She had wings of light growing from her back and was flying through the air. I figured if we couldn’t capture her, the next best option was to silence her. Even if she died, it wouldn’t have posed any major problem, no?” Reiss immediately corrected him.

“That’s...!” This time, Charles was unable to argue back at all.

“I know she was your former fiancée, but surely you didn’t have any special feelings towards her, did you?” Reiss’s question was more than just a little insensitive; it lacked humanity entirely.

“Wh...!” Regardless of what he actually felt for Celia, Charles frowned in displeasure.

“I apologize if I’ve offended you. But the agreement with the Restoration is long broken. It’s just rather illogical to be worrying about appearances at this late stage, just because Princess Christina has declared her accession.”

“...” Charles fell silent with a pained grimace.

“Official accession will require a coronation ceremony, but surely you don’t intend on acknowledging that?” Reiss’s question wasn’t directed at Charles, who was standing in front of him, but at Duke Arbor, who was waiting to the side.

“Of course, we would never accept her accession. That is out of the question,” Duke Arbor said gravely, frowning with a look of detestation.

“In that case, nothing we do will change. We will continue doing whatever is necessary to destroy the Restoration. It would be extremely undesirable to have a woman like Celia by Princess Christina’s side.”

“Indeed, it would be best to erase her if possible. The life of one girl couldn’t possibly cause any problems,” Duke Arbor said, agreeing with Reiss.

“B-But father...! Attempting and failing to assassinate someone is a terrible look for us. If the enemy obtains information that puts us at a disadvantage, we could have people betray us for them...” Charles objected in a fluster.

“No one other than your former fiancée witnessed what occurred in this fort. No matter what she claims, we merely have to remain firm on our version of events. The truth holds no value when it comes to politics and diplomacy. Have you forgotten that after being imprisoned for so long?” When it came to cross-national conflict, the truth was whatever the more powerful nation claimed. Duke Arbor scolded his son to remind him of this.

“Ah...”

“We are still in control of the overwhelming majority of nobles in the nation. Their claims will be white noise falling on deaf ears. Declaring accession to the throne using the regalia won’t change that...” Duke Arbor said, grinding his teeth. Despite his words, Christina’s claim over the throne was a great annoyance to him.

The reason for this was because Christina, who was rightfully the first in line to the Beltrum throne, had declared her accession while in possession of the regalia. In order to deny her legitimacy, they had to follow the procedures set forth in the kingdom’s law. But until that legitimacy was denied, Christina had to be treated as the rightful queen in the interim. This was the supreme law of the kingdom, which not even the current king could change easily.

If Duke Arbor were to break this law and drag Christina down from the throne without going through the correct procedures, he would be branded a criminal for the act of committing unjustified treason.

In short, although her claim to the throne could be rejected with the right procedures, the current Beltrum Kingdom temporarily had two royal rulers: the current King Philip III, and his daughter Christina. A two-ruler system was unheard of in the history of Beltrum.

“Good grief, how infuriating... No matter how far they fall, they always seem to hang on by a hair,” Duke Arbor muttered, understandably clutching his head.

“Indeed. It’s almost like they’re being protected by god. Like an omniscient god has taken their side...” Reiss said with a sharp look.

“Hmph.”

Duke Arbor sneered on reflex, as though to say there was no such thing as god. But he didn’t put that thought into words. The government system was formed under the majesty of the Six Wise Gods, so he hesitated to deny the existence of the gods openly.

“Just to confirm, you haven’t given up on denying her the accession, have you?” Reiss asked Duke Arbor.

“Of course not. Three-quarters of the votes required belong to nobles in our faction. No one has the spine to jump to a sinking ship like the Restoration, who have lost both their headquarters and their personnel. It is impossible for Princess Christina to take the throne. This is just their way of buying time.”

Duke Arbor’s faction currently had over ninety percent of the nobles eligible to vote. Some of the members had questionable loyalty, but there weren’t many who would step up to support Christina in the current situation. If they did, they’d face pressure from Duke Arbor and risk their social lives as nobles.

“I’m relieved to hear that,” Reiss said, applauding Duke Arbor. “However, wouldn’t it be better to be as prepared as possible? If I were to make one suggestion...”

“Does it have to do with Count Claire?”

“How perceptive. The one most likely to bring benefit to their side is from his family. It’s evident that Princess Christina wishes to protect the Claire house. We have no reason to let them be.”

An agreement had been formed between the Beltrum Kingdom and the Restoration to keep the Claire house neutral. But now that they had attacked Rodania and attempted to capture Celia, it was too late to be worried about that. The only potential issue was if Count Claire was used as the window for new negotiations after Princess Christina declared accession, making him untouchable until her legitimacy was denied...

“I was just thinking of bringing in the rest of her family now that Celia has escaped. The Count is well known for being a loving husband. His wife should be a good target.”

Even without Reiss’s prompting, Duke Arbor was already thinking of the Claire house.

“Ah, it’s a relief to know nothing gets past you,” Reiss said dryly, applauding him again.

“The problem is Celia Claire. I don’t know what kind of magic or sorcery she used, but if she uses that mobility to return home, she could make the first move before us.”

“Indeed so. I advise you to head to the Claire territory at once. If you depart by enchanted airship now, you should arrive by tomorrow morning. Of course, we will accompany you too,” Reiss said naturally, glancing at Renji, Lucci, and Arein.

Duke Arbor eyed Reiss’s face carefully, then called his son’s name. “Charles.”

“Yes?”

“You heard what we just discussed. Take your squad to the Claire territory. Capture the count’s wife and bring her back. I will be returning to the capital,” Duke Arbor ordered. It was clear that Duke Arbor intended on using her as a hostage.

“Understood.”

“Make haste. You may fall behind even if you use the airships.”

“Right.”

“Or perhaps... Mr. Reiss, you seem able to fly through the air. Could you head there first?” Duke Arbor asked with a searching gaze. He had only just learned that Reiss could fly today.

“Yes, it is possible for me to head there alone or with Renji first. If you wish to entrust me with such a task, I am willing to do so,” Reiss replied without any change in expression, seeking approval to act alone.

“This is a problem for our nation. For now, I’d like you to accompany Charles as he heads there. Please use your power if conflict arises at the destination.”

But Duke Arbor still didn’t trust Reiss completely and decided against allowing him to act independently.

“Very well. Then Renji and I will go with you. These two mercenaries will be moving separately,” Reiss accepted smoothly, looking at Lucci and Arein.

“Just to confirm, where will they be going?”

Lucci and Arein both had their own griffins. Duke Arbor was wary of them causing trouble within the kingdom.

“I’ve sent some mercenaries to check on the state of the Galarc Kingdom. They will be meeting up with them before coming to the Claire territory.”

“I see.”

“And so, Lucci, Arein. You two will head to the Galarc Kingdom before meeting us in the Claire territory.”

“Sure...”

Was it an unexpected order?

Lucci and Arein exchanged looks before nodding.

“Oh, and take this with you.” Reiss took a small pouch out of his breast pocket, approached Arein, and handed it to him.

“It would be terrible if we missed each other, so please hurry to the count’s territory,” he added with a smile.

Arein glanced at the contents of the pouch through the opening. There was a familiar crystal made of magic essence inside—a disposable teleportation crystal.

“Got it...”

Sensing what Reiss was implying, Arein smiled in return and nodded.

“I’m counting on you,” Reiss said, patting Arein on the shoulder. “If she arrives first, erase her. As quickly and quietly as you can,” he whispered so that only Arein could hear. He then turned around without waiting for a reply.

“Let us hurry, Charles.”

“Right...”

Thus, Reiss and Charles boarded the enchanted airship to the Claire territory.