『Report over there』 『Report over there』 『Report in the back』
Everyone I met said the same thing, and the place I finally arrived at was the Prime Minister’s office.
Lutte, stiff with nerves, somehow managed to report what she had seen to the young Prime Minister.
Argusta-sama had ordered her to flee alone on horseback, so she thought it was to bring reinforcements and ran desperately.
Surprisingly, the royal army was already quite close.
That was when she first realized she hadn’t been using her blessing… but it felt too late to start now, so she just kept going all the way to the royal castle.
「A giant monster and 」
「Yes. It had a humanoid shape but was enormous… about as tall as the second-floor window of that house.」
「Such a monster had infiltrated the kingdom…」
Indeed, no one had calculated for something that huge getting involved.
They would need to start factoring in that kind of possibility from now on.
「And the enemy was fighting Noie?」
「Yes. But… Captain was acting strange somehow.」
「Strange? Noie?」
「Yes. She was… laughing. Laughing while launching weird attacks.」
Remembering it sent chills down her spine.
Goosebumps rose on her arms, so Lutte instinctively hugged herself and rubbed them.
She had never understood what went on in Captain’s head, but she never imagined seeing that kind of side to her.
That made it all the more frightening.
Schnitt listened to the report and mentally explored every possible explanation.
But Noie had too many “unknown” aspects, so he decided it was dangerous to speculate wildly and stopped thinking.
「I get the general idea. Knight apprentice Lutte.」
「Y-Yes!」
「Head straight to the royal guard standby post and link up with the alert team there.」
「Yes!」
She bowed deeply with a quick ‘peko’ and hurried off running.
Schnitt watched her back, deep in thought.
But his specialty was politics.
Military matters were…
「Huh? What’s up, aniki? You’re not here just to greet me, right?」
「In a way, you’re correct. Though it’s no joke.」
The unusual tone made Halfren freeze.
He had pushed hard to get back quickly and wanted to head straight to the mansion to rest, but it seemed some major incident had occurred that wouldn’t allow it.
「……What happened?」
「Arg was attacked.」
「According to plan, right?」
They had prepared mountains of countermeasures for exactly this.
But seeing his brother quietly shake his head, Halfren grimaced.
「Apparently he’s being attacked by a giant woman about the size of a house.」
「……That’s one thing we didn’t consider.」
「Yes. Arg is injured and still at the scene.」
Halfren scans the area and turns to his vice-captain.
「Konsuro. How many troops can we move?」
「General Schuzere has taken command of the royal army and marched out. You stay here.」
「But aniki 」
Schnitt places a hand on his younger brother’s shoulder and meets his eyes.
「I understand you feel responsible. But… even he is a member of the royal family.」
「You’re saying fulfill my duty? But he….」
「I order you as Captain of the Royal Guard, Halfren. Stand guard over the royal castle with your knights.」
「……Yes」
When the Prime Minister’s authority is invoked, even Halfren, as just a general, cannot disobey.
Schnitt taps his frustrated brother’s shoulder once more.
「It seems Noie went off on her own to rescue Arg.」
「Noie did?」
「Yes… though reports say she was acting strangely.」
「Even so, that idiot will figure something out.」
Halfren has a vague sense about it.
His little brother’s feelings for his wife are unmistakably pure and devoted.
「Those two will definitely come back.」
-0-
Various reports reach General Schuzere as his forces march along the road.
But even before the messages arrive, his eyes catch it first.
The soldiers ahead part to either side, clearing the path.
In this emergency situation, very few things would take priority over the march.
Only a handful.
Naturally, the grand general dismounts and waits.
A girl walks forward, tears streaming endlessly from both eyes, yet she bites her lip and cradles the person in her arms with tender care.
There is no mistaking it, she is the monster born from their own past sins.
The young man she carries, face twisted in pain yet still trying to smile for her sake… is the same youth who once confronted their incompetence and demanded accountability.
They are far from unharmed.
Yet they fought an Empire monster and returned.
(So the real useless monster… turns out to be this old bone.)
The great general drops to one knee in respect as the couple approaches.
The rest of the soldiers follow suit.
Even so, Noie doesn’t stop.
She wants to hurry but can’t run, so she simply keeps moving forward, eyes fixed ahead.
「……I’m sorry.」
The voice reaches her clearly.
For a moment, she almost stops.
But she keeps walking forward without hesitation.
Right now… she has no time to look back.
-0-
「What is this?」
At a place where someone clearly fought, Frea stops and stares.
The ground, the trees, everything is sliced up as if by blades.
「No way… Blood-Soaked Fashi?」
The words slip out, and she feels a chill.
She was supposed to have been executed ten years ago for mass murder.
Her spell is only recorded in old texts, impossible to recreate.
Yet what she sees matches the descriptions in those records far too perfectly.
「What in the world happened here?」
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