Chapter 32: Reconnaissance

Part 1

Four days had passed since Ex-knights had officially become a nation.

Bahamut had started stationing soldiers along her border with Ex-knights the day after the latter’s founding ceremony. She had acted quickly, as if she had been prepared all along.

But Ex-knights had also been prepared, and she responded just as quickly. After all, Ex-knights had been preparing for a war with Bahamut since before the kingdom was even established.

“We will now begin the first national council.”

Arhad was sitting at the seat of honor, and Ianna was sitting next to him. The conference table was spread out in a fan shape in front of them. Various government officials were sitting at the table. Arhad continued,

“This will be Ex-knights’ first and foremost goal as a country.”

A rolled-up piece of cloth unfurled as Rikijen, who had been waiting for his cue, pulled its string. The words, “Wiping out Bahamut,” were written on the cloth in large letters. A fever spread throughout the entire conference hall. After all, the hall was filled with people who bore a grudge against Bahamut.

“I am a bastard of Bahamut lineage, as I’m sure you already know.”

Everyone present was already aware of Arhad’s secret.

“I will eliminate them and be the only member of the bloodline remaining, and I will erase their name from the world.”

And they completely acknowledged that their outstanding liege was someone who was totally different from the rest of the Bahamuts.

“Only Dame Rise and I are able to stand against the Bahamut imperial family at the moment. In other words, the entire world will fall into Bahamut’s grasp if we aren’t able to finish them within my generation,”

Arhad declared.

“Which is why we will put an end of the Bahamut Empire within our generation and usher forth a new era without them.”

The collapse of the Bahamut Empire, which had lorded over the continent for so long. It was a grand goal that everyone wished for but could never dream of fulfilling until now.

Even Roanne, a powerful nation in her own right, had her hands full just stopping Bahamut. It was almost unbelievable that they were about to try to destroy the empire, and yet it was also the truth. The short sentence, “Wiping out Bahamut,” that was written on the cloth set a fire in the hearts of everyone who was presently seated in the hall.

They had decided on their goal, so now it was time to discuss the details.

“While I’m sure that the war won’t always go exactly how we want it to, the following principles will form the basis of Ex-knights law and must always be kept. Rikijen.”

“Yes.”

Rikijen, who had been standing next to Arhad, stepped forward. He held a single piece of paper in front of him, and he began to read it in a calm and clear voice.

First, protesters will be granted no mercy, but those who surrender will be allowed once chance to live.

Second, Ex-knights law and culture will be practiced on any conquered lands until the war is concluded.

Third, the deaths of the Bahamut imperial family will be put on first and foremost priority, whenever possible.

Forth, the pillage and plunder of civilians is expressly forbidden.

…….

Rikijen read many clauses, but the first three stood out the most.

Someone raised their hand just then. It was Yelder Rino, a rhinoceros beastman councilor. Arhad allowed him speak.

“I have a question regarding the first clause. What do we do if an enemy only pretends to surrender, continues to harbor a grudge against us, and attacks us again later? Besides, the Bahamut Empire is an abominable nation —wouldn’t it be better if we ripped it out by the roots? Perhaps being merciless and ripping out any potential seeds of future conflict might be for the best…….”

“It is difficult to eliminate anything completely by the roots. There will always be stray roots clinging tenaciously to the land that will one day sprout something new. The people of Bahamut may be wicked, but we will not be able to kill every last one of them. We survived their cruelty, and that is how we became as a sword pointed at their throats. Am I wrong?”

The conference hall fell silent. Arhad continued,

“‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,’ ‘Make the first hit count’ —Those maxims may be our principles, but we should never forget that blood begets blood and vengeance begets vengeance.”

“…….”

“Moreover, there are many among Bahamut’s citizenry who only obey Bahamut passively because they have no other choice. It’s only right to give them at least one chance to rehabilitate themselves if they surrender, provided that they haven’t committed any serious crimes. But they will still need to pay a suitable price for their crimes, of course, and will not be granted a second chance,”

Arhad said calmly. He continued,

“We must be more thorough than any other if we are to give them that one chance. We must always be vigilant so that nothing will come of it even if someone who harbors ill will against us tries to stab us in the back. It will be difficult, but it is something that we must do.”

The vast majority of the council agreed.

Someone else raised their hand.

“Why is the second clause conditioned on the words, “until the war is concluded?””

It was Melian Girgon. He was Ex-knights’ current prime minister. He was a middle-aged man with sharp eyes and a high-ranking official who had been managing Semastair in his liege’s stead for a very long time, he was Arhad’s right-hand man, and he was one of the few people whose talents Arhad acknowledged. This was why he had been appointed to a pivotal office even after Ex-knights had been established.

“It means exactly what it says. We will temporarily occupy any conquered territory and spread Ex-knights’ laws and culture there only ‘until the war is concluded.’ And we will allow those lands to be liberated once the war is over.”

Shock rippled through the conference hall. Those who had been dreaming of conquering all of Bahamut’s territory felt like they had been suddenly baptized by icy water. Their feverish passion died down at once.

Calmly, Melian asked,

“May I ask why we won’t be making Bahamut’s land our land or the empire’s people our people and will be choosing to liberate them instead?”

“Our current territory is more than sufficient for us. There is so much of our land that hasn’t been fully developed yet, and we will only give ourselves indigestion if we try to eat up more land without moderation. Moreover, trying to absorb these lands and people by force will only invite resistance. In turn, this will make it difficult to cooperate and give rise to misfortune. Is that not so?”

Arhad was right. Ex-knights was already large enough. They would not be able to manage everything if they were to absorb Bahamut’s vast territory on top of that.

Furthermore, the general opinion was that Ex-knights would still need more time before the various races living within her borders could live in complete harmony. It would cause so many more problems if citizens from the Empire, who used to be their enemies, were added into the mix.

Those who had been drunk on their passions and had lost their ability to reason flushed red when cold water was poured over them. The idea that they could finally rob Bahamut back and the madness that stemmed from the idea of war had made their blood boil before they had even realized.

“We will execute the Bahamut imperial family and annihilate the Bahamut Empire. But we will leave their territory alone after erasing Bahamut’s name from it. We will turn it into an ‘unclaimed land.’ We will not interfere even if the people who live there want to establish a new Bahamut or build a new country entirely. We will treat them as we would treat any other peoples from a foreign country.”

“And by that, you mean…?”

“If the people of the empire vow to adhere to our laws and pass all of our tests, then we will accept them as our own citizens. If they offer their lands to us voluntarily, then we will accept it into our kingdom. Our current territory is more than sufficient for us, but there’s also no reason to refuse if there is a way to expand our borders peacefully and without any other problems.”

In other words, they would not take any lands by force, but they would accept peaceful transfers. Arhad continued,

“Anyone would come to hate an enemy who destroyed their home base. And hatred becomes as a dagger in the dark and threatens the peace. We must minimize the hatred aimed at us as much as possible.”

“That is true.”

“One way to do that is to make them passionate about restoring their base by affiliating themselves with an outstanding nation. And I believe that Ex-knights has outstanding laws and culture. That is why we will be spreading Ex-knights’ laws and culture while we occupy any conquered lands. But the choice is theirs to make.”

“I understand.”

Yet another person raised their hand. It was Kyle Nocturn, the commander-in-chief of the army.

“The third clause stated that killing the Bahamut imperial family will be our first and foremost priority. What will happen to the war once the imperial family is dead?”

“Bahamut fundamentally revolves around the imperial family. The entire thing will collapse immediately once the imperial family is gone, or they’ll crumble from the resulting internal strife.”

Arhad began tapping against the armrest of his chair. He continued,

“Once we’ve eliminated the imperial family, we will officially end the war after receiving sizeable reparations from the empire’s nobles and completely erasing the ‘Bahamut Empire’s’ name.”

The mood in the air grew vague as some people accepted what Arhad had declared and others didn’t. Arhad read the mood and said,

“We must always keep in mind that we want the war to be over as quickly as possible.”

War was a fight where only those in power filled their stomachs and fulfilled their ambitions. Ordinary people only lost their lives and were subject to misfortune in the process.

“This clause was only included just in case. The war will last quite a while because it will be difficult to eliminate the imperial family.”

There were numerous other questions and opinions after that. If the opinion on any certain detail was split, then it was decided by a vote. Ex-knights’ king held enormous power and authority, but most things were fundamentally decided by the majority.

Before the council was dismissed, Arhad said,

“I am sure that there are some who believe that we are being excessively merciful regarding our war with Bahamut.”

A few of the councilors nodded.

Certainly, several of the clauses had been extraordinarily considerate of the Bahamut Empire’s people and their way of life. The empire had committed so much evil already, and there were many people who wondered why they had to treat Bahamut with kindness when it was obvious to them that Bahamut would not be merciful in kind.

“But bear this in mind. We are waging this war not for our ambitions but for peace. It is because we will be ushering in a new era that we will be merciful. We are the first people of Ex-knights, and if we want to break the vicious cycle of evil, then all we can do is carry kindness in our hearts as we fight desperately. But we will only be merciful once. Be sure to always remember our philosophy.”

Ex-knights fundamentally sought to defend rather than attack.

To defend thoroughly if attacked, and then counterattack mercilessly!

To punish all crime appropriately!

“We will punish the wicked immediately if they show us malice even after we have extended them our mercy.”

“…….”

“Our laws will shine as we defend our principles. It is my wish that we all defend our principles. Do you understand? Anyone who opposes may raise their hand.

No one did. Everyone present had already long since subscribed to Ex-knights’ philosophy. The philosophy was just on the basis of law, and it was also something that they could accept on an emotional level.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Rikijen slammed the gavel down against the table thrice now that no new opinions were being raised.

The war council came next after the general council.

“Bahamut has historically treated their citizens as bait. They treat the people’s lives as less than even that of a fly’s. The people of Bahamut are simply being crushed by terror. What about sending in a spy to work with the people and any influential individuals to incite a civil war? We can also spread good rumors about Ex-knights in the process.”

“No.”

Arhad knew Taylon too well. He could read what Taylon would do next, just as how Taylon could also read him. He continued,

“It’s highly possible that Taylon Helkan Bahamut will put on an act about caring for his people. And he would have already purged any nobles who could be persuaded otherwise.”

Arhad recalled his past life.

He had turned Bahamut’s nobility and people over to his side. Taylon had practically been struck while completely unguarded because he hadn’t cared about the public opinion at all. But he remembered parts of the past because of Arhad’s soul this time around, so it was entirely possible that he had a different outlook now.

“The rumors are fine. But they will have to be spread very carefully.”

Payne had not been in the North in the past. Arhad had eliminated him early before he had left Roanne. But Payne was currently in the North and continuing the Black Fox. They had to be extremely wary of him, especially since he likely harbored significant malice against Ex-knights.

“We can think a little more about inciting a civil war, but we will focus on waging an all-out war for now. We will work with Roanne, our ally, and attack Bahamut from both fronts.”

Roanne was Bahamut’s longtime enemy, and there was no way that she would let the opportunity to destroy Bahamut for good slip from her grasp. Schneider desperately wished to end Bahamut within his generation, and Ex-knights shared the sentiment.

It would be a difficult fight.

But they had to win it.

And so, the long council was finally dismissed.

Ex-knights’ national authority was by and largely divided into three powers. The executive power, which included the royal family and the departments in charge of administration working under them, the national council, which was in charge of the legislation, and the courts, which were in charge of the judiciary.

The royal family exercised a lot of influence. The country was governed by three powers under normal circumstances, but the royal family could ignore the council and operate the state with only two powers under special circumstances.

The council was bicameral and consisted of the upper and lower houses. The upper house consisted of a set number of skilled government officials who were elected directly by the government, and the lower house was elected from the population of each region and its members proportionally reflected the races that lived in the kingdom.

There was no concept of social standing in Ex-knights. There were only ‘individuals’ and ‘households.’

Former nobles blazed brightly in their ambition to makes their houses renowned in this new system based on equality, and former commoners dreamt of being successful in life as individuals or of establishing their own houses. Anyone could establish a house if they met certain conditions and qualifications.

The fixed and unfair system of social standing was wiped away, and a staircase where anyone could climb up or down depending on their level of skill was established in its place.

“Dame Ianna Ex-knights Rise!”

Ianna turned around to find Rikijen beaming.

“Why my full name?”

“Because I like how it sounds.”

Ianna Ex-knights Rise.

It was the name that she would carry for the rest of eternity.

Ex-knights had a unique naming system designed around the concept of equality. It firmly established one’s personal identity, and two people who were married took on their spouse’s surname as their middle name instead of having one spouse take on the other’s. Gender did not matter.

Ianna currently bore the surname of a house with only one member —Rise. This was why Ex-knights, Arhad’s surname and the king’s surname, was now her middle name. The king himself was no exception to this law, and Arhad was similarly named Arhad Rise Ex-knights.

And so, the married couple were treated as equals. From one perspective —one that centered around Arhad—, Ianna was the ‘queen.’ But that was only one of her many designations and simply let people know that she was the king’s, Arhad’s, wife. From another perspective, —one that was centered around Ianna—, she was the head of House Rise. She kept her house even after marriage, and Arhad was the head of the house’s husband.

King and queen, the head of the house and her husband.

When a couple declared their marriage, the two spouses became affiliated into each other’s families on their official documents instead of one spouse becoming unilaterally affiliated into the other’s. Arhad, the highest authority in the land, had decided to do things this way, and no one opposed it.

Ianna was also now the commander of the ‘Rise Knights,’ a special-purpose knight order. Some people addressed her as ‘Your Majesty’ because she was Arhad’s queen, but most still called her ‘Dame Rise’ because they considered her office more important. But the people were free to address her as they pleased.

Ianna smiled.

“Your name sounds nice too, Rikijen Rostari.”

Most of Ianna’s friends were members of the royal family —the executive power, that is. Rikijen, who had previously had no surname, was now ‘Rikijen Rostari.’ Ianna had asked him what it meant, and Rikijen had told her that his surname, Rostari, meant both ‘path’ and ‘light.’ It suited him very well.

Rikijen was Arhad’s aide and a member of the Department of the Treasury.

Rikijen was a genius who picked things up very quickly, but it was still impossible for him to surpass the many years that the current government officials had spent working in Semastair. He would still need to work under them for a few years first. Arhad and Ianna, who had been born special, were exceptions to the rule.

This was why Rikijen was currently one of Arhad’s many aides. Arhad had many duties, so he would be able to learn quickly just by assisting him.

But Rikijen wasn’t satisfied with just that, and that was why he was working at the Department of the Treasury too. Work was practically his entire life. Several people had a thing or two to say about him because he would refuse them outright, like a blade, and say that he was working because he found it fun whenever anyone told him to take it easy.

It had been a year since Rikijen had come to Semastair. Everyone who knew him had accepted his terrible personality and his love for work by this point.

Moreover, while Rikijen generally worked in accordance to the established rules, he was also always the first to do something whenever he judged that something was wrong.

Everyone had a high evaluation of him. And that was why no one doubted that he would be the prime minister in the future.

‘It’s probably also why he was able to beat back his rivals and become the prime minister of Bahamut at such a young age in the past too.’

Ianna watched Rikijen grin and silently acknowledged, ‘Remarkable bastard.’

“So, why did you call me?”

“Right. War’s about to break out, and I wanted the chance to catch up with you. Do you have time……?”

Rikijen checked the time on his watch and corrected his question.

“Are you heading over to your personal training grounds?”

“That I am.”

It wasn’t difficult to figure out Ianna’s schedule because she repeated the same schedule every day. Rikijen lowered his arm and replied,

“I was on my way to the library to pick up a few reference books myself. They’re both in the same direction, so let’s talk as we walk. I don’t want to take up too much of your time, Lady Ianna, especially since this is nothing important.”

“Are you sure it’s not that you don’t want to waste any of your time?”

“That one hurt, Lady Ianna. I’m always willing to offer you all of my time should you require it.”

“And there you go with the flattery again.”

“But it’s not. Though I’ll admit that I only said it because I know that you’d never actually ask it of me.”

Ianna and Rikijen engaged in idle conversation as they walked down the corridor. It reminded her of the first time that they had walked through the Institution hallways together as students. Who could have possibly guessed that they would one day become such good friends? Rikijen continued,

“I’m actually pretty worried about the war, if I’m being honest.”

Rikijen had spoken lightly, as if it wasn’t anything important, but the atmosphere around him was sober. He was no longer making idle talk.

“We have you and Lord Arhad, and we’ve prepared so much, but my heart still races at the thought of waging an all-out war with Bahamut.”

Rikijen never changed. He rarely acted on his emotions, and he always wore a businesslike expression. Even during the council earlier, he alone had seemed to not think too much about the war while everyone else had stiffened up tensely.

But things were different now. Rikijen was anxious.

Ianna was one of the only people whom Rikijen opened up to. He kept his composure before Arhad because he wanted Arhad to think he was competent, but there was a part of him that tended to rely on Ianna.

“This will be my first time participating in war while being in an important post. I’m worried that I might make a mistake. Do you think I’ll be able to do well?”

Rikijen would be a tactical advisor in the great war against Bahamut, and he would also be in charge of supervising the public welfare. He continued,

“I really hope everything goes well.”

He sighed, prompting Ianna to scold him as she walked alongside him.

“To think that the smart and confident Rikijen Rostari of all people would be so afraid.”

“I’m not afraid. Only worried. I may have guts, but I’m still only human.”

“You experienced war against Bahamut while you were still in Roanne too. And I hear that you invented revolutionary tactics and strategies at the Institution.”

“It might sound terribly egoistic of me to say this, but…”

Rikijen frowned a little. He continued,

“I stopped considering Roanne my homeland ever since I lost my family. So it didn’t matter to me even if the tactics I devised were experimental in nature. But Ex-knights is the home that I’ll be living in for the rest of my life. So it weighs heavier on me. And…”

Rikijen shook the ID card he was wearing around his neck.

“I was just one of many students in the Institution. The tactics I devised were just one of many opinions. But I’m in a position of responsibility here. Everyone will be listening to what I have to say. I can’t afford to make a single mistake.”

Rikijen must have been considerably stressed, as he was rubbing his stomach as if he had a stomachache. Ianna thought it was fortunate that he was taking the time to talk it out with her.

It would spell big trouble if someone important like Rikijen suddenly fell ill. Ianna could ask the spirits to help cure any physical illness, but there was nothing she could do about mental illness.

Ianna pat him on the back and said,

“You’ve been doing so well this entire time. All you have to do is to keep doing what you’ve already been doing. It would be nice if you performed even better than before, but it’s fine if you don’t or even if you make mistakes.”

“But…….”

“It’s true that you have a heavy responsibility to shoulder. But you’re not alone. There are plenty of people who can cover for you if you mess something up or you do something strange, so have more confidence. It’s more like you to be bold. Besides, I should have been strangled to death by my burdens and then some if we split hairs.”

Rikijen seemed to find the way that Ianna looked so unfazed as she patted him on the back rather peculiar as he stared back at her.

“It truly is strange, now that I think about it. Don’t you ever feel burdened, Lady Ianna?”

“Of course I do.”

“And yet you still act this way……. Here I thought I was pretty good at pretending that nothing fazed me. But I supposed I must concede defeat.”

“I’m not pretending that nothing fazes me —I’m being confident in myself and exercising a firm grip over my emotions. I believe that I can do anything and that I will be victorious.”

“That’s right. You were always like this.”

Rikijen smiled while looking refreshed. He continued,

“I suddenly feel so relieved. I’m glad we had this talk.”

He smiled relaxedly for a moment before the smile was wiped off his face.

“I wasn’t that worried, of course.”

“Sure.”

Ianna graciously accepted Rikijen’s hasty excuse. Not wanting to disclose your true thoughts and anxiety even as you were dying in frustration was something she could empathize with. This was likely why Rikijen had only said all of this to her as if in passing conversation.

“Hey, what’s up? Talking about anything fun?”

a cheery voice suddenly called to them from behind.

Ianna had already long since sensed the newcomer’s presence, but Rikijen was startled. Eiji wrapped his arm around Rikijen’s shoulders and studied the latter’s face.

“Jeez, were you crying or something? Why do you look so depressed?”

Rikijen still had yet to regain full control over his facial expressions as he grew annoyed and quickly turned away.

“We’ve arrived at the library. I’ll be taking my leave now.”

Rikijen all but ran away, and Eiji crossed his hands behind his head and said,

“Look at him pretend. He was about to die from worrying too much, wasn’t he?”

Ianna didn’t reply, but Eiji had already arrived at his own answer. He continued,

“I knew it —he hasn’t been looking so hot lately.”

“He’s still young.”

“Hm? But you are too, you know?”

“I’m different.”

“Sure —you’re the same age as Rikijen, but you aren’t as young as he is,”

Eiji said playfully as he placed a hand at his waist. He continued,

“But anyway, I’m sure he’ll be fine since he had the chance to talk with you today. I was worried about him.”

“You’ve been watching over him, I take it?”

“I’m the to-be head of our Department of Intelligence —I gotta keep my tabs on our future prime minister, don’t I? Plus, he’s a good friend of mine too.”

Eiji was a member of Ex-knights’ public Department of Intelligence, but he was the chief of Ex-knights’ secret intelligence organization that operated behind the scenes. No one complained about his appointment not only because he never openly revealed himself as such but also because most of the members of the secret intelligence organization were his faithful retainers back from his days as a boss of the Black Fox.

Moreover, Eiji was so good at his public-facing job that was also being treated as the next chief, much like how Rikijen was already being treated as the next prime minister.

“In that case, you must be keeping tabs on other people as well.”

“Of course I am. I’m your eyes, after all, Little Ianna,”

Eiji said boldly before he promptly deflated. He continued,

“Not that you seem very interested in all the intel I’ve been obtaining for you.”

“I am interested, but I don’t want to meddle because I trust everyone to do their jobs well. I visit them in person from time to time too.”

“You never know —it’s possible that they might only be pretending to be hard at work when you’re watching. You should have me at your beck and call and ask me if they’re all working properly.”

Ianna grew a little dubious and asked,

“……Are they?”

Eiji had only been pretending to be sad, and he immediately regained his pep as he replied,

“Everyone’s working really hard and your trust isn’t misplaced!”

The chief of the Department of the Treasury was none other than the owner of Circlesita, the company that held business in the East within its vice grip, and Camastros’ very own Gold —Niall Sabelix. He had entrusted Circlesita to his trustworthy vice president. But Niall still owned so much stock in his company that he was still technically the owner and the vice president was nothing more than a mere executive.

Saiwè Frieders was the chief of the Department of Culture. Ianna didn’t know if he had died in the past or if he had simply changed his name —there had been a state funeral held for him in Roanne regardless—, but in this life, he had boldly cast aside his royal name and had settled down in Ex-knights.

Saiwè had decided that his house’s name would be ‘Frieders.’ He had promptly proceeded to relocate the Frieders Bookstore from Roanne to Ex-knights.

“To think that Prince Saiwè was actually Van Frieders!”

Roanne culture was sensitive to gossip, and the entire kingdom was shocked to learn that Saiwè was Van Frieders. They had thought that he was nothing but a powerless prince when he had in fact been the ruler of Roanne’s culture, and those Roanne nobles who had missed their chance to forge connections with him could only stomp on the ground in frustration.

Regardless, Saiwè and his now-wife Priscilla were leading Ex-knights’ cultural development together.

Ianna was both the supreme commander of the army and chief of the Department of Defense.

Under normal circumstances, her duties consisted of focusing on her personal training and giving special lessons to talented personnel, and during times of war, she either acted independently or undertook exceptionally difficult missions with her special knight order, the Rise Knights.

She held both offices concurrently because she was presently the only person capable of leading all the races equally.

There was one army unit per each individual race and one unified unit. The commanders-in-chief for each army were Absilot Tiger for the beastmen army, Lumiere for the elven army, Kanidelf for the dwarven army, and Ryan for the human army. The commander-in-chief for the unified army was Kyle Nocturn, and Ianna was the supreme commander of Ex-knights’ military as a whole.

The five commanders-in-chief oversaw most of the military duties because it was more beneficial to the kingdom for Ianna to act independently, and Ianna only wielded her authority as supreme commander for important matters that required all five armies to act in unison.

Even in the Department of Defense, which in practice saw more paperwork than actual combat, Ianna only focused important matters pertaining to training and strategy and let other people take care of any other duties. Ianna would only step forward if there was a serious issue at hand.

Another special duty that Ianna had taken on was to look after Chendelf, who forged custom-made weapons. He had been terrified of humans at first, but he had gotten a lot better after interacting with good people. He had dedicated his life to making weapons for Ianna’s people, just as he had promised her.

Every soldier went through general training, but they could also train even further in training schools that had been built for specialized fields. The schools were taught by the best in each respective field. Martial arts was taught by Mahirus Hawk, the chief of the birdmen, spearmanship was taught by Rust of Camastros, and so on and so forth…….

As Ianna had expected, Rust’s real identity was ‘Titan.’

“We’ve met before once. I’ll be in your care.”

Ianna had met Titan once while subjugating a moluga in Theodore. Titan had guessed at Ianna’s identity just as she had guessed at his, but they had both pretended not to have noticed the other.

Ianna asked him why he was researching dragons. Titan hadn’t given her a clear answer, but he had told her that hunting a ‘dragon’ was his life’s goal. Ianna had startled and had asked if he meant to hunt down a real dragon, and Titan had simply given her a faint smile without really answering.

Titan was also a commanding officer in the unified army. He had brought over his large-framed long-time subordinates to Semastair last year, and they now comprised the members of his unit.

The upper ranks of the other departments were similarly filled with Arhad’s close associates, but they were all so incredibly good at their jobs that no one really complained.

Pow!

“Ack!”

Eiji yelped when Ianna slapped his back. Ianna had smacked him for real, and he could not even begin to describe how much that had hurt.

“So basically, everyone’s doing their jobs just fine. You made me doubt them for no reason.”

“I wanted to feel like my work was being rewarded, okay? Ugh, that hurts.”

“Are there any other problems?”

“There are always problems, but they’re all being taken care of.”

The young kingdom was overflowing with vitality —after all, they had pruned away every branch that had rotted, had replanted it in sturdy soil, and was raising it was great care. There were many problems along the way because the kingdom was so young, but the courts were strong and everything was resolved through the extensive reach of the law. Eiji continued,

“So you should just focus on taking the heads of the Bahamut imperial family, Little Ianna! End of report!”

Eiji said while giving Ianna a thumbs-up.

Part 2

Ianna stood around for a while after both Rikijen and Eiji had left, but she made her way over to her personal training grounds before long.

According to Eiji, all the talent that they had recruited were working efficiently while doing the work that suited them best. Ex-knights would operate smoothly even without Ianna worrying about her. All the hard work that she had put into establishing the kingdom was paying off.

Ianna was the queen now, but the people did not saddle her with any more responsibilities. Ianna was practically the kingdom’s symbol, and everyone wanted her to continue walking the path of the sword and eventually make her way up to the very peak. They had a very dangerous enemy in Bahamut, so all that they wanted from Ianna was for her to fulfil her original duties as a knight.

Clang.

Ianna arrived at her training grounds and drew Rise from her waist.

She no longer kept Rise concealed. There was no reason to. Rise was also a sword that symbolized Ex-knights, much like Ianna herself. And so, it always stayed by Ianna’s side.

Ianna grabbed Rise’s hilt with both hands and slowly swung it vertically down.

Once, twice, thrice.

Perhaps it was because it was being wielded by a swordswoman of the highest level, but Rise, wrapped in the cloth of silence, gave off a tremendous pressure even though Ianna was only swinging it slowly.

“Hwoo…….”

Ianna breathed out slowly, as if she had become one with the air around her. She had steadied her heart and was letting the tranquility spread all throughout her body.

Roar…….

Incredibly dense crimson divine power seeped out from Ianna’s being. It was brighter than the sun itself as it slowly revolved around her.

There was no endpoint to swordplay. But there was a limit to how far you could go with pure physical training alone. You could only attempt to ascend to the next level above by focusing on your aura once you reached superhuman levels.

Controlling mana and her competitiveness had been the method of breaking through to the next level once. But mana was Arhad’s power, and it only obeyed Ianna because Arhad loved her. It had never been her own power, and thus, there was a clear limit to what she could achieve with it. Ianna had thought that her unstable mindset of the past, when all she had known was her desire to be victorious, was her driving force, but the truth was that it had been a wall that had kept her from growing further.

Ianna had another means now.

Divine power, which was stronger than mana.

And her competitiveness was much more stable than it had been before.

Her heart, her power, her soul —she understood herself so much better now…….

All of these things fused together and showed her the long road that stretched toward the ultimate peak. Only Ianna herself and her sword existed as faint concepts at the end of that road. The peak was the place where ‘Ianna’ and her ‘sword’ would truly become as one.

The world would be at her feet, and her will would become as a blade once she reached the peak. It didn’t matter what her target was —her will would be as a blade and ‘Rend’ it as soon as the thought crossed her mind. It was a miracle greater than even her current ability.

But she still had quite a long way to go before she got there.

‘I should train.’

Ianna began moving.

Her swordplay was like a dance where the sword was her body and her body was her soul. Her crimson divine power, nature’s divine power, and mana naturally joined together in her sword dance. The wind blew toward her, and the light shined down upon her. The entire world was swept up in her dance.

Ianna was training her body and her swordplay, her soul and her emotions, and her heart and her divine power together in harmony all so that she could one day reach the peak. And she influenced her surroundings in so doing.

Ianna was training as if in a trance when a sharp thought drilled into her mind like an awl.

‘I need to get stronger.’

Stronger than I am now. Stronger. Stronger!

There was only one way by which she could achieve her goals of obtaining Roberstein’s heart, drawing the crimson god’s sword, destroying the Demon’s heart, and eliminating the Bahamut imperial family.

And that was ‘strength!’

She needed to obtain Roberstein’s heart in order to grow stronger. After all, how was she supposed to grow stronger while she was still incomplete?

‘But…….’

The trails that her sword left behind grew disheveled. The winds of anxiety were disrupting the tranquility of her heart.

She needed to find the perfect equilibrium between the five pieces of the seal, be able to withstand the vast amount of divine power they produced, and completely overcome Roberstein’s ego in order to break the seal.

Ianna had been working hard for quite some time in order to meet these aforementioned conditions, and she had succeeded in finding equilibrium between the pieces of the seal and withstanding the divine power they produced.

Surprisingly, however, she hadn’t been able to overcome Roberstein’s ego yet.

Ianna had originally thought this would be the easiest condition to meet, but Roberstein’s ego had grown stronger now that all five pieces of the seal were connected, and it was like a wall of steel. Ianna had attempted to lift the seal a few days ago but had failed because Roberstein’s ego had been too strong.

Roberstein had undoubtedly sealed her heart unconsciously in order to prevent it from shattering after Laos’ seal had become undone. It felt contradictory to Ianna that Roberstein, who had given up on life during the End, had sealed away her heart in order to prevent her death, and Ianna had simply assumed that Roberstein had wanted to live a long life.

She had, apparently, made too light of Roberstein’s desire to live.

Roberstein’s ego was not easy to overcome even though she was still unconscious. Ianna had tried to suppress Roberstein’s ego by force and had even tried to push and pull at Roberstein’s ego by accepting the past and sending Roberstein her memories, but it had all been to no avail.

Roberstein likely knew that her ego would disappear and everything that she was would simply become a trace of the past once her seal was undone and Ianna absorbed her heart. Roberstein knew everything that Ianna knew because they shared the same soul.

‘Surrender. You have no choice but defeat.’

Roberstein was merely Ianna’s past incarnation, and Ianna would inevitably conquer Roberstein’s ego one day. After all, it was only natural that the conscious living would triumph over the unconscious dead.

But Ianna didn’t have the time to wait.

‘Just what more do I have to do?’

The war had already started, but this was still taking so much time.

‘I want to undo your seal and get rid of the Demon’s heart, a risk factor, as quickly as possible. That’ll make it so much easier to kill the Bahamut imperial family.’

Taylon Helkan Bahamut’s pregnant smile seized her mind. Her sword continued to waver because she could not see the schemes hidden behind his arrogance.

‘I have to hurry up and get rid of that dangerous bastard…….’

Ianna had made a silent request to the Balance while Arhad and Taylon had been squaring off during the founding ceremony party. She had asked it if it was possible for her to remove Taylon’s fragment with her power.

The Balance had told her no.

But why not? And why was it possible for Heinrich and Dorcianni?

The Balance had injected the answer into Ianna’s head. Heinrich and Dorcianni had voluntarily wished to give up their fragments, and their egos had existed wholly separately from their fragments. And most importantly, their egos were weaker than Ianna’s.

But this was not true for Taylon. His heart was filled with the desire to steal more fragments —never mind giving up his own—, and his ego had almost fully assimilated with the Demon’s. Moreover, Taylon’s ego was either equal in strength with Ianna’s or even stronger.

According to Roberstein’s knowledge, one’s power did not work on those who possessed a stronger ego than theirs. This was true even for Roberstein’s power of Judgment.

Ianna could accept that Taylon’s ego was simply that powerful. Ianna was the reincarnation of Roberstein, the strongest god, but she had only lived for maybe fifty years in her past and present lives combined. Taylon, on the other hand, was the descendant of Bahamut, who had grown stronger out of sheer tenacity alone over the past few millennia after the Age of Magic had begun. The imperial lineage had practiced intermarriage in order to collect the Demon’s fragments, and Taylon had inherited the Bahamut blood most strongly. Taylon Bahamut was the physical incarnation of Bahamut’s tenacity, and there was no reason that he would be any weaker than Ianna.

It was impossible for Ianna to attack him directly using the power of Judgment. That was why she was currently trying to find a way to attack him indirectly.

But this, too, proved to be difficult.

The Balance sought to maintain neutrality, but the factors maintaining that neutrality were highly complex and systematic.

The Balance generally refused to use its absolute power against Taylon, even indirectly, just like how the dragons could not kill Bahamut because they were charged with maintaining equilibrium. Ianna had to act herself, without relying on the Balance, if she wanted to break that equilibrium. Even the Balance could not stop her from killing Taylon or Arhad from taking Taylon’s Demon’s fragment as long as they did it directly themselves.

‘But I need to grow strong enough to kill Taylon for that.’

Ianna had her fair share of burdens to shoulder, just as Rikijen had said. But she had simply been covering them up with her conviction that she was capable of shouldering them. She could not let others see her burdens because she was the pillar of support for all the people of Ex-knights. She could only allow herself to be shaken when no one else was watching.

“Shall we spar?”

Her disheveled sword stopped in its tracks when she heard his voice from behind.

Ianna lowered her sword and turned around. Arhad had been observing her while leaning against a tree.

Since when had he been watching her?

Ianna hadn’t been able to notice his presence.

That was how anxious she was at the moment.

“Very well.”

Arhad and Ianna were both busy, but they still made sure to spar against each other at least once per day. They even trained together sometimes too. After all, they were the only people capable of helping each other.

Ianna and Arhad teleported to the Karankell Rocky Mountains.

They always sparred at different locations, but they generally stayed in the four corners. They could use their full strength in the four corners because they were lifeless wastelands, and the spirit kings could easily restore the landscape even if they destroyed it. Though they avoided the Great Forest of Shaob in the East because parts of it had been incorporated into Ex-knights’ territory and because there were too many trees.

Clang! Claang!

Smash!

Bursts of light erupted when sword clashed against sword, and shockwaves were sent out into the world when divine power collided against mana.

It was flashy yet concise, airy yet weighted, swift yet slow, and illusionary yet real.

Ianna and Arhad were clashing against each other with such incredibly difficult techniques that anyone who worked with the sword would have had the scales fall from their eyes and reach a whole new level of enlightenment had they been watching.

Buzzzz!

A gigantic magic circle spread out around Ianna.

Baboom! Boom!

Lightning crashed from the heavens like the sky was falling down, fires blazed around her like a volcano had erupted, the earth rose up in sharpened points, her movements slowed, she grew nauseated, and she saw hallucinations……. But Ianna broke through and evaded the spells as she continued to spar against Arhad.

They had decided on a set time limit and a set limit for how much mana and divine power they were allowed to use while dueling a few months ago. After all, it would be unsightly for Ianna to emerge victorious due solely to the sheer amount of divine power she possessed. And more importantly, she still bore a grudge. Ianna still resented the fact that Arhad had gone easy on her and had matched her skill level in their past lives. She wanted to be victorious against Arhad by the merit of her skills alone.

And so, Ianna had begun closing in on Arhad without giving him any room to spare. She grew stronger at a blinding pace now that she had found her path, and her rate of growth was faster than Arhad’s.

“I might really end up losing at this rate,”

Arhad had said jokingly while not really meaning it as a joke, which had prompted Ianna to reply,

“Then please use magic as well instead of only using mana to fortify your sword. After all, swordplay isn’t your only strength.”

Ianna remembered the counsel that Absilot had given her back when she had still been lost.

“If ya have the time to be disappointed in yerself and stress out ‘cause of that, then think, ‘Damn you, just you wait! I’m bowin’ my head to ya for now, but I’ll break that high and mighty nose of yers one day!’ and keep tryin’. Bow down, and just get stronger till yer strong enough to surpass anyone who harasses ya, lass. Get strong, and make him face ya in earnest. By then, you won’t be feelin’ sorry for yerself because ya would’ve finally made him get serious. Then, get stronger and stronger until ya finally get yer complete victory. Take the guy who dared to ignore ya and devour him whole.”

Ianna had ultimately succeeded in making Arhad fight her sincerely with the sword, but she had since realized that he still wasn’t fighting her with his complete sincerity. This was because Arhad wasn’t using the power of ‘magic’ while they dueled even though he had it at his disposal. Arhad had to use magic too if she was to achieve a complete victory against him.

“Sure.”

Arhad hadn’t refused Ianna’s request for him to use magic. Ianna had initially found herself being pushed back and had only barely managed to keep tying with him once Arhad began using magic too. But she had trained persistently, and now they were on equal footing once more.

Ianna initially found herself being pushed back again today. It was because her heart was shaken. But she gradually returned to her original state as the duel went on because she forgot about everything else and focused only on their fight.

Craaash!

Ianna found herself being flung back by Arhad’s last attack. She had managed to defend against it by the skin of her teeth, but it had been risky. Their duel ended in another draw, and Arhad quickly ran over to her.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“And are you feeling a little better now?”

Arhad knew that Ianna had been anxious ever since the founding ceremony.

“Yes.”

She was most certainly feeling better. Ianna spat out the breath that had caught in her throat as she wiped away the beads of her sweat.

“You’re doing just fine. There’s no need to fret.”

Ianna nodded.

There was only one person who was allowed to see Ianna be shaken. And that was Arhad. Arhad was Ianna’s soil. And Ianna was the tree that was growing on his soil. Her tree was unshakeable, so that all may lean against her, and she would be fine even if she was ever shaken because Arhad was supporting her roots.

Ianna summoned Towe.

[You two fought another incredible battle, huh.]

Towe was amazed by the clouds of dust he saw everywhere as soon as he appeared. It wasn’t difficult for him to restore the Karankell Rocky Mountains, which they had destroyed.

“Thank you as always.”

[Don’t mention it. We’re the ones who are happy that you summon us and ask us to use our powers so often. And we’re happy that we can help you grow too.]

Ianna reached out to him. Towe climbed onto her hand like it was only the most natural thing in the world, and then he climbed up to her shoulder and sat down.

Arhad wrapped his hand around Ianna’s. A beautiful magic circle was drawn beneath their feet. She blinked because the magic circle was so bright, and they were back at Ianna’s personal training grounds before she knew it.

Towe jumped to the ground.

[I’m gonna go explore the city.]

“All right.”

The spirits liked to explore the world, and Ex-knights in particular, as of late. Only the mythical races had been able to summon the spirits until now, which meant that, like the mythical races, the spirits had also been confined to only the four corners for the past millennium. But the mythical races were back in the heart of the continent now, which meant that the spirits could explore the rest of the world again too.

But what the spirit kings liked best was to be able to see the world with their true forms. They had been able to see glimpses of the continent starting a few years back when Ianna had started summoning them, but those glimpses had been brief at best.

Ianna had started allowing the spirit kings to roam about freely after they had restored the four corners once she learned about this. It was thanks to her that the spirit kings could finally experience the colorful world firsthand.

Towe melted into the earth and vanished, leaving only Ianna and Arhad behind in the training grounds.

“Why don’t we train together today?”

“I’d like that.”

Ianna and Arhad focused on their own training and didn’t bother each other even when they trained together. But they also got more out of it not only because it was nice to be together but also because they surged with the will to work even harder.

The two of them concentrated on their training until the sun went down, and then they returned to the castle together. They sent the employees away and dined together comfortably, like they always did.

Ianna had Arhad still had separate chambers, but they only used one bedroom after they had gotten married. And so, they met up again in their bedroom after they had cleaned up. They always spent their nights together now. They would sit at a table and drink wine as they discussed what had happened during the day during their time of rest.

Ianna placed her wineglass down on the table and earnestly confessed,

“It bothers me.”

“What bothers you?”

Ianna was looking directly back at Arhad.

“Taylon Helkan Bahamut spoke as if Ex-knights’ founding was the last straw to his patience. But I can’t help but think that there’s still something more that he’s waiting for.”

Ianna had sensed the danger when Taylon had visited during the founding ceremony and had chatted away. She had sensed that he was hiding the truth and was speaking a lie beneath the cover of his pregnant smile. She had been ruminating over it alone —perhaps she was simply mistaken—, but she could not shake off the uneasiness no matter how much she pondered over it.

Arhad agreed.

“The bastard put a little too much emphasis into it when he said his goal was to destroy us in battle.”

“Right?”

“There are only three things I can think of if there’s still more that he’s hiding. He either believes that I simply haven’t reached my peak yet and is still waiting for me to grow stronger, he’s trying to deceive us because he’s still trying to find a rift into Pandemonium because he wants to obtain the Demon’s heart, or he knows that I’m the ‘real Demon’ and is waiting for me to obtain the Demon’s heart.”

“The Demon’s heart…….”

Ianna focused on the third possibility that Arhad had listed.

There was no reason for her to worry about the first or second, but the third would be a serious problem.

“Does Taylon know that the heart was skewered by the sword and is currently trapped inside Pandemonium?”

Arhad fell into thought.

‘I know for a fact that he has my memories, but I don’t know if he simply encountered them while being near a rift or if he actually went inside Pandemonium to obtain them.’

Arhad came to a decision and nodded.

“It’s possible that he knows if he’s been inside a rift before.”

“Assuming he knows, do you think he also knows that he can share or even own the heart himself once the sword is drawn?”

“He probably does. And it’s better for us to assume that he does even if he doesn’t. But it’s likely that he doesn’t know how to draw the sword just yet.”

Ianna tilted her head to the side because Arhad had sounded so certain.

“How do you know for sure?”

“The memory of Roberstein stabbing the Demon’s heart with the sword was only contained within my soul, which was inside Pandemonium with the heart, and the fragment that was in Karankell. I alone possess every memory that pertains to Roberstein, who owned the sword, so there’s no way for him to know that the sword belonged to Roberstein or that you’re the only person capable of drawing it unless he receives help from a god.”

“……Do you truly believe he doesn’t know?”

Arhad had spoken so firmly, but Ianna still couldn’t brush aside her doubts. Arhad furrowed his brows ever so slightly.

“……I can’t say for absolutely certain. I personally don’t think it’s possible for him to know, but let’s assume that he does since we mustn’t let our guard down.”

“If he knows, then he might be waiting for us to go to Pandemonium to draw the sword. Wouldn’t he try to steal the Demon’s heart as soon as I draw the sword?”

“It’s possible that he might hide himself in Pandemonium and try to ambush us.”

“Is it really possible for him to enter Pandemonium so freely?”

“We’ve been assuming that Taylon is capable of doing anything even if common sense dictates that he shouldn’t be able to, so let’s also assume that he can. He could also be scheming to kill me after I’ve obtained the heart and steal it that way.”

“Do you think that’s even possible? His chances of winning would be reduced drastically if you were to obtain the heart.”

“It depends on what exactly his ‘trump card’ is.”

Ianna organized her thoughts for a moment before she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

“The advantage we have over him is the fact that he probably doesn’t have much information about us either. He doesn’t know when we plan to draw the sword, and he doesn’t know that we plan on destroying the Demon’s heart instead of obtaining it.”

“Indeed.”

Arhad smiled a twisted smile as he imagined Taylon raging after learning that they had destroyed the Demon’s heart. How would he feel once he learned that everything he had worked toward for an entire millennium had gone up in flames?

“We should get rid of the Demon’s heart as quickly as possible. Who knows what Taylon might do if he learns that we’re planning to destroy it……?”

“Hmmm…….”

Arhad sighed. He continued,

“We don’t have enough information about Taylon. We can’t predict anything with any measure of certainty. We started by assuming that ‘everything goes’ and considered even the vaguest possibilities, so it’s possible that we’ve been overestimating the bastard.”

“I agree.”

“But I still think that what we’ve hypothesized today is the most likely scenario. Let’s assume that Taylon’s goal is the Demon’s heart whenever we take action.”

“Yes.”

“Besides, there’s one way that we can always stop Taylon no matter what it is that he’s truly after.”

“And that is…?”

“We grow stronger than him.”

“Indeed. I’ll train even harder moving forward.”

Arhad poked Ianna’s cheek as her expression stiffened up. The surprise attack melted her expression. She asked him what he was doing with her eyes.

“It’s the simplest way, but it’s also currently the most uncertain. We don’t know how strong Taylon is, right? I might have lost my ability to think straight to some degree during the founding ceremony, but I truly intended to kill him then and there and he still escaped us anyway. And I know you felt it too. He’s either equally as strong as us right now, or he might even be stronger. Regardless, any gap between us shouldn’t be too large.”

This was something that Arhad had confirmed for certain during his contest of strength against Taylon. Ianna concurred. Arhad continued,

“The bastard doesn’t seem like he intends to fight us with his life on the line anytime soon, so let’s keep engaging him while gauging his strength for now. The best-case scenario would be for us to kill him while he’s off guard.”

“Understood. I’ll do my best.”

Ianna had been growing a little gloomy again, but she quickly pulled herself together and looked determined. Arhad smiled because she was just too adorable.

“Very well. Anyway, how goes your homework?”

Ianna’s homework.

Arhad had tasked Ianna with figuring out how he had restored her arm. Unfortunately, Ianna still didn’t have a clue.

“I don’t think it was a recovery-type divine art.”

“It wasn’t.”

Arhad chuckled like he was sighing. He continued,

“You’re not even close. But then again, there was no way that you’d be able to figure it out immediately either.”

Ianna flew into a rage and glared back at him.

“Are you looking down on me?”

“No, I’m just trying to say that the answer doesn’t make much common sense. But I’m finding it difficult to wait blindly too.”

Arhad contemplated for a moment before he proposed,

“Let’s put a time limit on this. You have until we destroy the Demon’s heart.”

“Why only until then?”

“It’d be nice if we could kill Taylon before then, but I doubt I’ll be able to hide it for much longer if the fight continues beyond that……. And also because it’ll probably be a turning point in our lives.”

“So it being a turning point in our lives is the key point here.”

What was it? Oh, if only she remembered what had happened when Arhad had restored her arm.

Arhad caressed Ianna’s cheek as she pondered. His touch was filled with his love.

“I hope you’re able to figure it out. Would you like another hint?”

“No. I’ll figure it out without one.”

Ianna was blazing brightly. Arhad looked back at her because she was just too adorable before he placed his hand on the table and stood up. Then, he grabbed Ianna’s face and kissed her.

“…….”

Ianna was seductive when she was blazing with competitive desire, and Arhad’s kiss, with which he seemed to be pleading with her, made her burn in a different sense. His hand slowly moved from her neck, to her collarbone, and then to her clothes, and every stray thought was erased from her mind as Arhad hogged up her soul’s focus.

Ianna’s mornings had been slow as of late. She had used to wake up early on a regular basis, but that had changed. It was because she was spending her nights with Arhad.

Ianna had amazing recuperation. She had even enjoyed the pain of her first night, and she had lost herself into the continued but unfamiliar pleasure of their consecutive nights since.

She finally understood why lovers cared so much about an erotic love only after she had fully savored it for herself.

Arhad had declared that he would figure out a way to restrain himself after they had shared their love like crazy on the first night. It was never enough, even after they had been together all day long for several days on end, and Ianna’s bloodlust toward Bahamut only grew stronger because they couldn’t continue. Their nights were short, but that time belonged only to them. Their time was limited, so they loved more passionately and more desperately than any other. Ianna never let it show, but she was always looking forward to nighttime as of late.

Ianna’s fingers dug into Arhad’s clothes and touched his solid muscles. What would happen to them once everything was over and they had found peace……? Ianna was both worried and excited.

Part 3

A few days later.

“We’re under attack!”

The Bahamut army, which had been stationed near the Ex-knights-Bahamut border, struck first.

Rumbleee…….

The first attack that the Bahamut army had prepared was the Meteor spell.

Ex-knights had already known that Bahamut had been preparing a Meteor spell. The flow of mana had felt ominous over the last few days, and the skies had been boiling. It had been easy for the mages of Ex-knights to read the arrangement of mana and immediately know that it was the Meteor spell.

It would have been for the best if they could destroy the spell before it activated, but that was difficult to do.

Wiffheimer Potestas had died and was no longer with Bahamut. But Bahamut still had a swarm of mages who, while not officially named as archmages, were just as strong. They had simply given up on the designation because Wiffheimer, who had wielded absolute power, had hated being grouped together with them.

And they had pooled their strength together to cast Meteor. The mages of Ex-knights poured in just as much effort to keep the spell from being completed, but it was impossible for them to destroy the spell completely as long as the mages casting it still lived. They could not kill the Bahamut mages because they were being safeguarded at the heart of the large Bahamut army.

Ianna and Arhad could have simply shattered the spell, destroyed the enemy army, and then some, of course, but they had both decided to simply watch from the sidelines this time around. The Bahamut imperial family was not accompanying the Bahamut army, so they trusted the Ex-knights army to be able to figure things out for themselves. And more importantly, the Ex-knights army needed battle experience.

And so, the war began by dispatching every chess piece except the kings and queens.

The mages of Ex-knights had prepared a different countermeasure for the Meteor spell.

“Begin!”

The Meteor spell was the fire that signified the start of the battle.

So they would simply counter fire with fire.

After all, Maimayè, who had dedicated his life to train himself to be able to use just one spell —Meteor—, was one of Ex-knights’ mages.

“To think that they’d use Meteor before me of all people!”

He had research not only the Meteor spell itself, but also how to block it.

The great archmage Zicara Valgenta’s Meteor spell was what had allowed Roanne to rule the world during the dawn of the Age of Magic. The spell was designed to bring meteors from space, or artificially-made hunks of rock, down to earth. The spell destroyed just about every obstacle in its path once it set a target, and the resulting shockwaves were a recipe for disaster.

Even if the enemy somehow managed to block the meteors that fell down upon their lines, the resulting shockwaves would still damage them greatly. Thus, the best way to counter the Meteor spell once it was activated was to intercept it somewhere along its trajectory where the shockwaves wouldn’t do as much damage.

It wasn’t a perfect countermeasure, since the broken shards of the meteors would still come crashing down to earth anyway.

But Maimayè had developed a perfect counter during his stay at Ex-knights. Ex-knights had supported him with plenty of high-grade research materials. There were new methods he could incorporate available to him in Ex-knights, like the spirits or divine arts, and Maimayè had colleagues who were in no way his lessers assisting him. And so, he was able to actualize results that went beyond even his own imagination.

Maimayè’s counter was an automatic large-scale defense system that would defend Ex-knights’ future. It was a fusion circle involving magic, which would intercept any and all types of magic in the manner most appropriate to the situation, and restorative divine arts.

The fusion circle had been deployed all throughout Ex-knights without interfering with any of the other large magic circles that already existed in the nation. It also wasn’t a fixed circle, and it could be reduced or enlarged with the spirits’ help at any time.

The vast and intricate fusion circle was an ultimate art created from the union from all the knowledge about magic that had been passed down between mages since times immemorial, the Demon’s, the progenitor of magic, knowledge, and the power of nature.

Buzzzz…….

The fusion circle detected the Meteor spell and began drawing upon nature’s mana from all across Ex-knights.

“It’s working!”

Hanidelf clenched his fist from inside the Ex-knights citadel.

Originally, a magic circle needed a mana stone at all times or needed to be artificially supplied with mana in order for it to activate. But this wasn’t the case for the fusion circle. Instead, it employed techniques that Maimayè and Hanidelf had been researching for a very long time.

They had long since been researching a way to activate magic circles without the need for a mana stone. They had moved to Ex-knights just as they were beginning to see results, they had obtained Arhad’s knowledge, and they had received help from Taryll Cartner, the Archmage of Magical Engineering.

It was thanks to them that the large magic circles installed throughout Ex-knights and Ex-knights’ other facilities, like the Gates, could be used even without mana stones —it was truly revolutionary. The fusion circle also operated on the same principle.

Rumbleeeee…….

The scorching meteors broke through the atmosphere and became visible dark-red dots in the sky. The fact that dozens of burning meteors were falling toward the ramparts was visible even from Semastair, which was a considerable distance away.

Bubble bubble.

Bubbles began forming in front of the meteors’ trajectories.

Lumps of water, earth, and wind spells covered the sky like a giant net. The net was both sleek and tough.

The Meteor spell collided into the net.

There was no shockwave.

Crunchhhhh…….

The net’s elasticity had engaged in a contest of strength against the Meteor spell and had absorbed the immense shockwave completely.

“Now!”

The mages of Ex-knights began casting their spells once it became clear that the net’s elasticity was stronger than the Meteor spells.

Swiiish!

The net spun circles as it fell to the earth. The heart of the Bahamut army was directly beneath it. The meteors were falling straight on top of the Bahamut army.

“Kgh…….”

Maimayè stroked his beard as he admired the fruits of his long-term research.

“Shit!”

The Bahamut mages, who had been preparing other spells after Meteor, quickly threw up a barrier.

Craaash! Crash! Craash! Crash!

The meteors created incredible shockwaves as they collided against the barrier and shattered. Unfortunately, the Bahamut mages had summoned more than just one or two celestial bodies.

Craaaaash!

The repeated shockwaves cracked the barrier and ultimately broke it.

“Ack!”

“Ahhh!”

The Bahamut mages hastily tried to layer more barriers on top of the first, but they could not stop the casualty count from rising. The first meteors that landed and shattered had broken into fragments that created additional small but numerous wounds. Maimayè could not conceal his delight as he watched and raised his hand.

“You think you’re the only ones who know how to cast Meteor? Have a taste of your own medicine! Especially you, Gilchop, you bastard!”

His eyes were blazing with enmity. He continued,

“Did you think that it wasn’t time for you to take the stage yet? Then, I’ll make you take the stage. I’ve been waiting eagerly for the day that I could finally drop a few meteors on your head.”

Maimayè was the Archmage of Flames who had devoted a long time to researching fire magic, and in the Meteor spell in particular. He had long since improved Zicara Valgenta’s original Meteor spell and had made it completely his own.

And today was the day that he would cast it.

Swooooosh…….

The sky began glowing furiously. It was so bright that it was difficult to keep your eyes open.

Rumble!

Thunder roared in the heavens as incredibly hot clouds of fire began descending down to earth. If the meteors from before had simply been clumps of dust that had been floating around in space, then Maimayè’s spell was like fragments of the sun itself.

The world turned into a sea of flames as fragments of fire fell down to earth. Maimayè had always wanted to try casting this spell but had never been able to, and he had finally gotten the approval to use it today.

Swoooooosh.

The falling lights were blindingly bright. The soldiers of Bahamut were immediately terrified by this unimaginable attack, and the mages dithered because they did not know how to block this spell.

Crackle.

Dozens of colossal twisters made from water and ice floated into the air above the Bahamut army just then. The power of ferocious winds mixed into them as they crashed into the balls of fire like whips.

Booooom!

The collision between water and fire created an enormous amount of steam and gas. Several Bahamut soldiers passed out because they could not breath in the boiling air, but they had still successfully blocked Maimayè’s attack. The Bahamut soldiers cheered.

“It’s Lord Gilchop.”

A middle-aged man who’s face looked colder than ice was glaring at Maimayè from afar.

Gilchop Merakers.

He was one of Wiffheimer’s direct disciples.

He was also Maimayè’s rival who had been researching water magic for a very long time. Everyone acknowledged his skill with magic, but he had always refused to be named an archmage. This was because he had wanted Wiffheimer to continue teaching him. He had given up on the honor after seeing that Wiffheimer had refused to teach Keigus Dimitri after the latter had decided to become an archmage out of his desire for glory.

“Damn you, Gilchop!”

“…….”

Maimayè was fuming, but Gilchop coolly ignored him. Maimayè was like fire and Gilchop was like ice, and they had been rivals for a very long time, just like how Wiffheimer and Heinrich had also been rivals.

They had been good friends who had been taught under the same teacher once. But they had become mortal enemies ever since Gilchop had murdered their teacher and had gone to Wiffheimer instead.

“Your skills have grown weaker while you were busy licking Wiffheimer’s feet. Don’t feet taste pretty bad? Or is that that your skills regressed because you don’t have any more feet to lick?”

Maimayè provoked him with sound-amplification magic, but Gilchop continued to ignore him. Then, Gilchop raised his staff and planted it firmly on the ground.

It was the beginning of a ranged duel between the two country’s mages.

Flashy spells crossed the skies.

Booom! Boom! Booom!

The mages of Ex-knights blocked most of the spells that the fusion circle couldn’t because it was being overloaded. A few spells made it through the cracks and crashed against the ramparts, but the ramparts didn’t suffer much damage.

Arhad had done everything in his power to fortify the walls and equip them with all kinds of defensive spells as soon as he had declared that he would establish his own country. His defensive spells easily blocked Bahamut’s magic, and the fusion circle would restore the ramparts anyway, as if nothing had happened to them at all, even if they somehow broke.

Ex-knights’ offensive mage unit trusted the defensive mage unit and their defense system as they poured their own spells upon the enemy.

“Earthquake!”

The Bahamut soldiers lost their balance as the earth trembled, and the ground opened up and devoured them whole.

“Fire Blast!”

A vast sea of flames spread out like a current and swept across the Bahamut army like a dragon’s tail.

“Sleep! Disgust! Illusion!”

All sorts of status spells wreaked havoc on the Bahamut soldiers.

Mages called out the names of their spells because it helped them concentrate amidst the chaos of war. They shouted out the names of their spells like their lives depended on it, and the ruckus of their cries covered the ramparts.

“Stop them from breathing, Sylphy!”

“Burn their eyes, Ahness!”

The spirit users also summoned their spirits to join in on the attack.

The two mage units were similar in strength, but the scales tipped overwhelmingly in Ex-knights’ favor thanks to the ramparts and the spirit arts.

“Advance!”

Just then, a thunderous roar that deafened all other noises on the battlefield erupted from one side of the Bahamut army’s forces.

Rumble rumble!

Bahamut soldiers were making a path as Bahamut knights, donned in black armor, sprang forth. The knights, who were each taller than the average adult man by at least half the latter’s height, were riding ferocious dragonoid monsters.

They sliced through the spirits with halberds that emitted a blackish aura, and the spirits were unsummoned in their agony. The spirits that survived scattered and shied away from the dark and foul auras.

They were the Knights of Zeigellant, the second knight order of Bahamut imperial palace.

Booooom!

Other high-ranking knight orders followed behind them, and countless Bahamut soldiers, all carrying brutal weapons, ran behind the knights. There was also a swarm of red-eyed monsters strewn into the mix. The gates of Ex-knights opened just as the Knights of Zeigellant, who led the charge, neared the ramparts.

Absilot, in his half-human half-beast form, led Ex-knights’ charge.

“Let’s go!”

He had won the election to be the vanguard of Ex-knights’ very first battle, and he led the beastmen who followed him as he burst forth.

“Graaaaah!”

The beastmen, no smaller than the Knights of Zeigellant, roared as they rushed forward. Rhinoceros beastmen donning plate armor and elephant beastmen carrying large shields were at the forefront, and other carnivore-type beastmen followed behind them. Embedded into the hands of the beastmen in half-human half-beast form were bestial claws that were sharper than steel. Stretching beneath their lips from their gaping maws were their glistening fangs. The beasts were blazing with a fighting spirit that was similar to bloodlust.

Swoooooosh!

The captain of the Knights of Zeigellant, who was leading his order, swung a gigantic halberd enshrouded in a blackish aura, and Absilot grabbed the knight’s dragonoid’s head as he dodged.

Cruunch. Absilot’s meaty hand twisted its neck. The captain of Zeigellant jumped down from his steed and brought his halberd down upon Absilot. Absilot responded with a swing of his fist, equipped with his gauntlet.

Craaaash.

Their collision created an incredible shockwave.

Clang, clang, clang.

The crashing of the Knights of Zeigellant and Ex-knights’ beastmen shield bearers erupted behind them.

The clashing, like the tolling of bells, continued like a chain of exploding bombs while the beastmen floated atop a path of wind. Their newest steeds coiled around in all directions like snakes and wedged into the Knights of Zeigellant’s lines.

“Advance!”

Yet another army corps poured out from Ex-knights’ gates. It was the unified army, which consisted of all the different races.

Today was the first battle in Ex-knights’ history. Ex-knights’ army could have simply decided to stay behind the ramparts and harass the Bahamut army from there, but they had decided to wage an all-out war instead. They wanted the Bahamut bastards to taste bitter defeat.

“Let’s go!”

Commander Kyle Nocturn brandished his colossal sword, surging with his dark navy fortification, as he pulled the reins of his favorite horse. The horse, drenched all over in sweat, neighed like it was shouting as it began to gallop. A horde of steeds surged forth. Dozens of steeds followed behind them, and hundreds more poured out from another gate nearby.

They were specially bred warhorses from Ex-knights, which had not only been improved but had also been put through rigorous training. They raced at speeds incomparable to that of regular horses. And the left behind only white breaths in their path.

They split into three groups from where the Knights of Zeigellant and the beastmen corps had collided. Once group supported the beastmen as reinforcements, and the other two pincered the Knights of Zeigellant from the sides.

“Yahoo!”

There was madness oozing from Benita Falcon’s eyes as she clashed against the Knights of Zeigellant from their flank, and the knight she had blitz quickly raised his sword to block hers.

Crackle crackle!

“Argh!”

Benita gently used her sword to push the knight off his steed after he was electrocuted by her high-voltage fortification, and then she began prancing around with her war horse like an excited foal.

Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!

The knights who were hit by her fortification were quickly rendered unable to fight.

“Let’s act together!”

Benita was racing so quickly that she was ahead of the rest of her unit, which was clashing fiercely against the Bahamut army.

Creeeeak.

The elves standing on top of the ramparts were nocking arrows on bows that were about as tall as they were. Their eyes locked precisely onto their enemies far out into the distance, and their deft fingers rained arrows down upon any enemy who was targeting their allies.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

The arrows sliced through the wind and pieced through their enemies’ bodies. Arrows were falling from the ramparts like rain.

Absilot had exchanged hundreds of blows with the captain of the Knights of Zeigellant when the heavens began to cry in the midst of all the noise of blades and spells clashing.

“Tch.”

Absilot spat as he glared at his foe.

He could see from up close that captain of the Knights of Zeigellant had a very large frame. He was no smaller than Absilot himself. Or rather, he was probably even bigger. And it wasn’t only the captain —all of the Knights of Zeigellant was just as large.

“Absilot Tiger, the chief of the beastmen,”

said a voice that was devoid of emotion. It continued,

“I’ve always wanted to fight you at least once.”

Shaaaa…….

The captain of the Knights’ of Zeigellant’s black divine power surged up and pierced the heavens. It was so vile and black that Absilot narrowed his eyes. And he immediately realized where the divine power had come from.

Life.

It was the divine power of someone who had sucked out the divine power of countless others.

“Oh yeah? So, are ya happy now? Die already!”

Absilot swung his fist as his mood soured, and the captain brought down his halberd as if he meant to shatter the world itself.

Boooom! Boom! Booom!

They clashed countless times. And Absilot felt worse with every blow.

Absilot was a beastman, and he instinctively liked those who felt pure and loathed the Fallen.

The captain of the Knights of Zeigellant was very strong. Absilot had always enjoyed battling against the strong. But fighting this bastard only served to worsen his mood.

“Grrrrr.”

Absilot poured an incredible amount of divine power into his feet and rushed toward the captain of the Knights of Zeigellant.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Knights of Zeigellant were battling Titan’s unit, who had swapped places with the beastmen shield bearers at some point.

Clang! Clang!

Strangely enough, Titan’s unit seemed accustomed to fighting the Knights of Zeigellant, as if they had fought them before. The vice-captain of the Knights of Zeigellant brandished his halberd and attacked Titan. Titan responded with his own halberd.

Craaaash!

The vice-captain of the Knights of Zeigellant glared at Titan dryly from across their crossing blades.

“I recognize your stench.”

Titan responded by setting his crimson divine power ablaze. The vice-captain said nothing more as he continued to attack Titan in silence.

Neither one of them proved decidedly victorious over the other. But the battle itself was tipping in Ex-knights’ favor.

“Retreat!”

The Bahamut army sounded the retreat from afar. The army withdrew like an ebbing tide —they had no lingering regrets about not being victorious.

Ex-knights did not stop them. But the results of their first battle was as clear as day. The Bahamut army, which had attacked so boldly, had suffered tremendous losses and was withdrawing as they reorganized their lines. Ex-knights had won her first battle against Bahamut.

“We won!”

“Whoaaaaa!”

Everyone cheered their first ever victory against Bahamut. But there was always a shadow hiding behind the light. The Bahamut army was powerful, and there was no way to avoid suffering losses while fighting them.

The first victory had come with the first deaths of war.

They smiled, and cried, and smiled, and cried again.

“…….”

Ianna had been watching the battle from the highest floor of the citadel. She had never once let her guard down, from beginning to end, as she watched. She had felt the impulse to jump in several times, but she had clenched her fists and endured it.

“You did well to hold back.”

Arhad unfolded Ianna’s fingers, which had turned white because she had been clenching them so tightly.

Ianna replied,

“I know that us staying back is the right thing to do if we’re truly thinking about Ex-knights’ best interests, but my heart hurts to watch people die.”

Her mumbling, which almost sounded like she was speaking to herself, was filled with doubt. She continued,

“You and I have the power to end battles immediately and prevent their deaths. Shouldn’t we be jumping in to prevent any meaningless deaths?”

“Death is a given in war. People will always die no matter how big or large the war is. You would have to involve yourself in every single battle that is to come if your goal is to prevent all deaths. But that’s just not possible.”

“…….”

“The queen is a powerful piece in chess too. But it’s impossible even for your queen to take all of your opponent’s pieces without losing any of your own in the process. The board is too big, and you only have one queen.”

Battles against two foes of similar strength was like a game of chess. Your allies had their turns, and your enemies, too, had theirs. Arhad continued,

“You would only be giving your enemy a chance to counterattack if the only piece you moved was the queen because she happens to be strong.”

Moving your queen meant being able to slaughter your enemies, but it also made the queen the target of several of the enemy’s strategies.

The enemy would quickly occupy any advantageous spaces and hold the queen and her allies in check. Then, they would hold the queen’s allies hostage and force her to step back. The queen’s allies, who hadn’t moved because they were reliant upon their queen, would then be eliminated one after another.

“Besides, the enemy would move their queen as well if we moved ours.”

Those caught in the crossfire would simply die if two titans clashed.

“That’s why we have to let our other pieces mature too instead of relying solely upon the queen. A pawn can become just as powerful as a queen if it makes it to the other end of the board and can help your forces immensely, but it’ll only remain a mere pawn if it’s unable to move forward.”

Ianna turned around and looked up at Arhad.

“A nation that can be swayed by the powerful few isn’t a very good one.”

“I see you understand.”

Ianna often organized her thoughts by asking Arhad questions and hearing his replies. She was doing so even now. Arhad continued,

“War is like a game of chess.”

The goal was to minimize the damage on your allies as much as possible while putting the enemy king in checkmate as quickly as possible.

“Our role is to help Ex-knights grow and to capture the imperial family and end the war as fast as possible. We need to focus on raising our skills so we can eliminate them as soon as we can.”

Ianna nodded.

“But our immediate duty, first and foremost, is to encourage and comfort our people.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Ianna finished organizing her thoughts and took Arhad by the hand as they approached their people. Those who were intoxicated by their victory made a path for Ianna and Arhad to cut through. They were flush with the excitement of battle as they looked to their rulers.

Ianna’s and Arhad’s presence alone gave them a sense of relief. They trusted their rulers to stop the Bahamut imperial family, the incarnations of terror on the battlefields, if they ever stepped forward.

They had won this battle. They had taken a large step forward on their path toward victory in their great war against Bahamut.

Arhad and Ianna stood atop the ramparts and looked down at their army, which was straightening out its lines.

“We were victorious,”

Arhad declared.

“We won!”

It still hadn’t quite hit some of the soldiers that they had actually emerged victorious against the terrifying Bahamut army. They had been in a daze, and it was only after Arhad had declared their victory that they suddenly surged with the feeling of being victorious.

“This was only possible because everyone who fought in this battle did their very best using the skills that they polished until now. And those who didn’t fight also participated by supporting them from behind and supplying them with everything they needed. It was because of your efforts, men, that Ex-knights won our maiden battle. I will award all those who accomplished much in this battle with merits in celebration of this day.”

Whoaaaa!

Cheers erupted.

Ex-knights had a new merit system. Merits were essentially a numerical value that symbolized how much someone had contributed to the kingdom, and they were given to those who had accomplished something for the kingdom —the exact number depended on the achievement— and to those who did their jobs diligently and thoroughly.

If there was something that someone wanted to do, then they could spend their merits and ask the state to support them with funds, goods, or even talented personnel. Anyone who had accumulated enough merits could even earn the right to be elected to a government office.

Each merit that a person recorded would also become a part of their history. For example, today they would earn the achievement of ‘having distinguished themselves in the first victorious battle against Bahamut.’

They weren’t exactly medals, but merits were a symbol of glory in Ex-knights. Everyone wanted to accumulate as many as possible.

Medals were awarded by the state as proof that someone had distinguished themselves. Ex-knights awarded various kinds and ranks of medals, and many people wanted to receive these magnificent medals either because they wanted to be recognized or because they simply wanted to collect them.

And everyone who had participated today would be rewarded with an Order of National Security Medal.

“But the war has only just begun!”

The excited mood settled down upon Arhad’s stern words. He continued,

“Victory begets carelessness, and carelessness begets defeat. Never forget your resolve. Do not lower your guards just because you’re certain of our victory. Am I understood?”

“Yes!”

They collected as many of the dead as they could and conducted a memorial service for them with help from the priests of the Faith of Laos. The spirits rained flowers for them, so that they would not be lonely on their paths, and the flowers piled upon the corpses like small mountains.

Ianna lead the memorial service.

We will record your honorable names in Ex-knights’ history, where they may shine forever. We will protect all that is precious to you that was left behind, just as you devoted yourself to Ex-knights.

“We will offer this land, where you laid down your lives, our victory.”

The bodies were given back to the families after the memorial service was concluded. Any weapons and other personal belongings of the deceased were sent with their bodies. The bereaved were given compensation for their loss and additional welfare benefits. After all, the dead had fallen while safeguarding their kingdom. Who would continue to dedicate themselves to the kingdom if the kingdom didn’t take care of those whom the dead left behind?

The bereaved wailed and lamented their loss, but they ultimately accepted the deaths.

“For the prosperity of Ex-knights!”

They resolved to make the kingdom prosper so that they could tell the dead that their deaths had not been in vain when they finally met again.

~~*~~

Part 4

Once, twice, thrice, and a fourth time…….

Several battles were waged along the ramparts.

The Bahamut army’s numbers decreased steadily with Ex-knights’ repeated victories.

The ramparts were thick, and the fusion circle was sturdy.

The Ex-knights army was undoubtedly unprecedentedly strong, though they had been a little disorderly and awkward at first. But their repeated battles had unified them into one solid group, and each victory was growing easier than the last.

“And yet the Bahamut imperial family still hasn’t shown up. They haven’t sent any high-levelled reinforcements either.”

It was almost as if they were purposefully trying to help Ex-knights grow stronger, or as if they were simply performing reconnaissance while testing the waters.

A serious issue was presented before Ex-knights’ war council after she had won her tenth small-scale battle.

“I believe it is time for us to proceed and invade into Bahamut’s territory instead of simply defending our borders all the time.”

“Offense and defense are two different beasts. Do not forget that the ramparts and the fusion circle played a large part in our consecutive victories against the Bahamut army. Do you believe that we’re ready to proceed even still?”

Arhad asked, prompting the commanding officers sitting at the table to respond in the affirmative.

“It’s possible to expand the fusion circle with the spirits’ help, so why not expand it continuously while we march? It’ll make it easier to keep our forces safe.”

“Please don’t forget that the fusion circle also has its weaknesses,”

said a concerned mage. He continued,

“The fusion circle is still a type of magic circle. It’ll grow substantially less effective if even one of its cores are destroyed. They’ll surely be countless battles as we march —what will we do if the circle is damaged in the middle of one?”

“He’s right. Our army is too reliant on the fusion circle at the moment. I’ve been thinking this for quite some time now.”

“All sound opinions. Let’s assume that we won’t be expanding the fusion circle as we make our strategies for marching. We’ll only expand the fusion circle over territories that are completely secured.”

Someone else raised their opinion after Arhad had made his call.

“We would need to eliminate the army camping outside the ramparts first before we begin marching into Bahamut territory.”

“Indeed.”

“I’m wondering if we could get a clearer read on the Bahamut army’s morale first before we breach their lines. The imperial family hasn’t done anything but watch despite their tremendous losses. It’s possible that the imperial family hasn’t made their move yet because they’re simply using the army as bait to get a better understanding of our strategies first.”

“And?”

“The Bahamut army’s morale is undoubtedly low at the moment. We should send spies into their camp, spread rumors that the army is merely bait, and drop their morale even further before…….”

But Arhad interjected before the speaker could even finish.

“Their morale isn’t broken. This isn’t nearly enough to daunt the Bahamut army.”

But this was strange. In one sense, war could be called a battle of morale. It would make sense for the Bahamut army’s morale to be broken given the current circumstances.

Besides, it was the height of summer. It was hot enough that heat hazes were rising up beneath the sweltering sun. The Bahamut army had set up basic camp outside in these conditions. The water spirits had even cut off their access to flowing water. This should have been unbearable to them.

“What makes you say that?”

“The Bahamut army sees their powerful imperial family as the absolute figure that made their country the only empire in the world and obeys them unconditionally. They’ve also been brainwashed, so they will never be able to put down their loyalty to Bahamut.”

If the Bahamut imperial family ordered them to die, they would. If a rumor against the imperial family were to spread, then the soldiers would personally volunteer to sniff out the source and murder them.

Arhad slammed down against the table.

“Bring me a plan to pierce through the wall that is the Bahamut army while minimizing our losses as much as possible. I will not approve any orders to march in until I see one.”

The council was dismissed, and only Ianna, Arhad, and Eiji remained in the room.

“I didn’t say anything during the council, but conquering Bahamut will have to take place internally at the same time as externally.”

“Internally?”

The Bahamut army was completely under Bahamut’s influence. But the nobles within the empire were another story. Some of them chased foolish dreams while managing the vast territory, while others were former royals of kingdoms that Bahamut had destroyed. They had to coax the nobles into betraying Bahamut.

“Eiji. You’ve finished researching the data, right?”

“I did, but…….”

Eiji let out a bottomless sigh.

“What’s with your attitude? Bring it here.”

“I have a headache because I just can’t find an answer.”

Eiji disappeared for a moment and brought back a thick stack of documents, which he promptly threw down on the table. Arhad scanned through the list of nobles at the very top of the stack and furrowed his brows. Eiji explained,

“Bahamut enacted a great purge recently. There are innumerable nobles who are dead, imprisoned, or waiting to be executed. Many of the nobles who might have been agreeable to us were purged. I’ve crossed out the dead ones from the list.”

Ianna read the document too when Arhad passed it to her. She studied the list of names. She was familiar with several of them.

Ianna was alarmed.

‘All of them?’

Ianna had memorized the names of Bahamut nobility as she exchanged blows with Arhad battle after battle in her past life. Thus, she was familiar with most of the nobles who had been alive in Bahamut during Arhad’s reign. Many of their names had been crossed out.

The nobles whose names had been crossed out where those who had been very ambitious, those who had been dissatisfied with Bahamut’s political system, royals of destroyed kingdoms, or those who had received much of the people’s support.

The ambitious dreamt of wielding greater power, the dissatisfied sought change, the royals who yearned for their former kingdoms longed for independence, and those supported by their people wished to better their people’s lives.

They had all been ‘dissidents’ of Bahamut.

“The purge happened out of nowhere from the nobles’ perspective. After all, the imperial family has always ignored any dissidents no matter how openly they rebelled until now.”

The Bahamut imperial family’s military might was so powerful they were practically transcendent, and they wielded authority befitting of their power. They demanded absolute obedience from the nobles in return for their authority. But Bahamut was a vast empire, and there were always dissidents because so many different peoples lived there. The land was so large that it could not be fully united into one.

The imperial family generally ignored the dissidents unless they did something noteworthy. Not only were there so many of them that it was impossible to pick them all out, they also found it more entertaining to slaughter those who lashed out brazenly because they could not hold back their discontent.

And so, Taylon’s sudden change in policy had shocked the nobles greatly.

“All the nobles are on their knees and begging for their lives. They’re not going to agree to do anything that might arouse the imperial family’s suspicions because they’re terrified that even the smallest mishap might cause the imperial family to confiscate all their property and either kill or imprison them. It won’t be easy to persuade them into betraying Bahamut.”

“And the purged nobles were likely replaced by hard-core imperialists.”

“Exactly. The whole lot of them are praising the imperial family’s name right now.”

“…….”

Arhad flipped through a few more pages of the documents on the table.

Each page contained information about what kind of person any one certain noble was, how they managed their territory, and their personal connections. Many of them also had the word, ‘deceased,’ written in red at the bottom of the page.

“They’ve certainly blocked off our ability to break through using the nobles. I suppose I should say it’s fortunate that we’ve already won over the talented ones and brought them over to our kingdom.”

“Right. They would’ve been killed otherwise. Anyway, the original plan was to win over the nobles —so what do we do now?”

“Fear only crushes the soul temporarily. All their suppressed thoughts and emotions will come flooding out as soon as we break the dam.”

“And by breaking the dam you mean……?”

“We need to show them someone who can actually pose a threat to the imperial family, whom they still view as absolute figures. After all, the Bahamut Empire was established based on the existence of the imperial family.”

“So, like Your Majesty or Dame Rise?”

“Exactly. But we aren’t strong enough to fully overpower the imperial family just yet, and it’ll be difficult for us to shake the nobles because we’re from an enemy nation.”

Arhad pondered for a bit before he asked Eiji,

“But nobles aren’t the only people who live in the Bahamut Empire. What about trying to win over the commoners instead?”

“That’ll be difficult too. The people of Bahamut worship the imperial family more than they ever have before. Taylon just opened up the state coffers and gave them a chance to rise in status.”

Bahamut was a country that supplemented the natural resources she lacked through plunder and tributes, and the most important aspect to her power was her military might. In other words, anyone who wanted to try to climb the social ladder in Bahamut had to do so through military might —by becoming a soldier.

But not just anyone could join the Bahamut army. In order to become a soldier, one first had to pass a difficult exam that was conducted regularly by military training schools, and then they had to keep paying the schools every month for a long period of time to complete their training.

But Taylon was doing something unprecedented. He had declared that he would give even the weak an opportunity to grow stronger, that everyone would be given the opportunity to train without having to take the exam, and that the state would pay for the full costs of training. He said that he wanted to drastically increase the numbers of soldiers. The people from the lower class, who had always been suffering from their inferiority complexes, rushed to the training schools en masse, and Taylon’s approval rating had skyrocketed.

“The people think that Taylon’s expanding the military because he wants to wage the final war to conquer the world. World domination is a long-cherished wish of the Bahamut Empire, and all the people are excited.”

“We’ll have to mislead the public opinion to change that. But I’m guessing that the Black Fox is making that difficult?”

“Yes. The Black Fox has a vice grip over any information that passes through the commonfolk. The people already consider Ex-knights as their sworn enemies. They see us as a bunch of selfish pigs hogging up our fertile land while defying them and harassing them for no reason.

“Hmmm.”

“But it’s worth mentioning that the people of the Bahamut Empire are still terrified of the imperial family even as they praise their name.”

Eiji flipped through the stack of documents. He continued,

“I hear that the territories that belonged to the purged nobles were basically wiped off the map. The Bahamut army razed everything —buildings, vegetation, you name it. The people are too afraid to even talk to each other properly because the army was willing to set perfectly good lands to the torch just to hunt down any dissidents.”

“Then it’ll be difficult to spin the public opinion.”

“Yes. I’ve already lost touch with several of my spies because anyone who says anything bad about Bahamut, or anything good about Ex-knights, are dragged away as soon as we try to start any rumors. And it’s been getting harder to plant new spies too. I’ve heard that anyone who looks foreign gets interrogated and are reported to the authorities immediately. I’m only able to gather intelligence at a snail’s pace right now, using only the spies that we established beforehand. Even everything I’m telling you now is stuff that we only just barely managed to put together and confirm with Sir Karnitz.”

“I was wondering why Taylon hadn’t shown up in the war yet, and it looks like he was doing an internal crackdown.”

Arhad began tapping the table. He continued,

“We’ll have to open a new route.”

“Why don’t we just focus our efforts outside of Bahamut for now? We can push in from the outside.”

“Waging a war of ignorance would only serve to increase our casualties.”

“Then, what if you or Dame Rise stepped in, Your Majesty? It seems to me that the imperial family doesn’t want to run into you. I think it’s likely that the imperial family won’t intervene even if one of you steps in.”

“But we can’t be certain about that. Besides, any battles that one of us joins will be over in an instant. And everyone would start relying solely on us after a few battles, so it’s not good for Ex-knights in the long term. Moreover, I see this war as more than a simple war —it’s a chance for the people of Ex-knights to forge tight bonds with each other. And so, neither of us will be stepping in unless we foresee massive casualties otherwise.”

Arhad and Eiji continued their debate.

“…….”

Ianna continued to listen to their conversation as she continued to study the list —something felt strange to her. But she erased the thought as the conversation became grave. She simply assumed that the future must have changed yet again.

Besides, Arhad and Eiji’s conversation was beginning to frustrate her too.

She could solve everything if only she grew stronger than she was now —strong enough to kill the Bahamut imperial family. But ascending into the transcendent stage required a greater level of effort, talent, and understanding than any lower stage. Her growth rate was slow, she couldn’t reach enlightenment, and to top it all off, Roberstein was refusing to listen to her.

Ianna had recently realized that she would not be able to ascend with just normal training alone. She was missing something. She needed something more. Something that could pierce through the membrane that was already on the brink of breaking. She didn’t know what that something was, but she knew that it wasn’t something she could obtain from her personnel training grounds in Ex-knights.

And so, she made a decision.

“I will go to the Bahamut Empire.”

“What?”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Arhad and Eiji were astonished and wondering if she was only joking, but Ianna calmly and seriously replied,

“If it’s difficult to carry out our plans as ‘someone from Ex-knights,’ then we simply need to incite the people as a ‘citizen of Bahamut’ or a third party who is ‘capable of posing a threat to the Bahamut imperial family.’ I will go to the Bahamut Empire and instigate a revolution, just like what I did when I was acting as the Black Wind.”

There were still many citizens of the Bahamut Empire who were opposed to the war. There were many people who worshipped the imperial family as gods but were still suffocating under the empire’s current regime. And there were a few anti-imperial forces who were still active in the shadows. Ianna continued,

“I’ll go to the empire with Karnitz and come up with a plan.”

Karnitz knew a lot because it was the knight orders of the imperial palace that cleaned things up whenever any rebellious activities were discovered. He had also forged a lot of connections because he had climbed up to his high rank as an imperial knight from the very bottom.

Ianna was also loath to send Karnitz and Isphee back to Bahamut defenseless.

“And I’ll also whittle down Bahamut’s knight orders if I can.”

Ianna showed Arhad and Eiji the ring on the ring finger of her left hand. She continued,

“I’ll come back immediately if anything happens to Ex-knights. And I’ll run away if something goes wrong. That is acceptable, yes?”

She was firmly resolved to go to Bahamut. She could come up with no better answer no matter how hard she thought about it.

“…….”

Both Arhad and Eiji also agreed that this was the best choice. After all, Ianna was the only person who was capable of pulling this off without dying in the process. Arhad stared quietly back at Ianna and said,

“What about your appearance? Bahamut will be wary about anyone wearing robes.”

The people of Bahamut always viewed anyone who looked foreign with suspicion. Ianna would become marked as someone suspicious if she wore a mask or covered her face with the hood of her robes.

“Please take a look at this.”

Ianna began pulling something out from her subspace. It looked strange, like someone’s had been peeled right off. She continued,

“I heard that this was processed from monster leather that looks similar to human skin…….”

She put it over her face. She pressed the peel into place and tapped it flat. The peel stuck right to her skin and moved like it really was her skin.

It made her look like a completely different person from the outside. Arhad and Eiji had a strange light in their eyes as they watched Ianna transform into someone remarkably ordinary in appearance.

“It’s like I’m invisible, right? I can hide my aura, and no one will be able to tell who I am if I change the color of my hair and eyes with the rings I used for Camastros.”

“Indeed……. How curious.”

“Where’d you get that?”

“I asked Chendelf to make it for me because I thought it might prove useful, and he completed it only just recently. He’s made me several more faces besides this one too.”

“Gimme some too. That looks super useful.”

Eiji looked happy, and Ianna took the mask off as she once again stressed,

“I also know for a fact that I can also ask the spirits to conceal my appearance even without using this. It’s incredibly unlikely that I’ll be caught.”

“…….”

“I won’t be able to help from here anyway. I’ll come back as soon as you give the signal if the Bahamut imperial family decides to show up in battle. Oh, but would that put you in danger? It’s possible that the imperial family might decide to attack you while you’re alone.”

Arhad quietly looked back at Ianna for a moment as she worried about him before he turned back to the papers strewn about the table and carefully read through them one more time.

“You don’t need to worry about that. The bastards can’t sneak up on me either because they can’t enter my territory. And I can always teleport over to you even if they do somehow manage to attack me.”

Arhad’s reply sounded rather positive. He continued,

“Eiji. Get Ianna up to speed with any relevant information.”

“Understood.”

Ianna smiled when Arhad gave his permission. She could clearly feel his trust. Eiji continued,

“I’ll give you everything I have about the Black Fox in the North, Little Ianna. I think they’re arresting anyone who commits even the smallest of crimes and using them to make more Life. You might be able to use that to your advantage.”

Every last Life factory in Sidian had been destroyed, but Bahamut was still manufacturing more Life in the North.

“They do that to their own people?”

“Yeah. The imperial family doesn’t care about the people at all.”

Eiji stood up and brushed himself off. He continued,

“So it’s decided, then. Is this confidential information that only we know?”

“Obviously.”

“Got it. Then I’ll hurry back and start getting the information organized for you.”

Eiji left, and Ianna studied the look in Arhad’s eyes.

“You permitted it much more readily than I thought you would.”

“I trust you and your skills. I can’t very well just keep someone like you locked up here like this in this situation.”

Ianna felt like she was on cloud nine. She was elated whenever Arhad said anything like this to her. Arhad continued,

“But be sure to keep this in mind.”

He grabbed and kissed the back of Ianna’s hand as he looked her in the eyes.

“I doubt it’ll ever happen, but I’m going to drop everything and die too if anything happens to you. Don’t get hurt, and make sure to answer immediately whenever I contact you. I’ll lose my ability to reason otherwise, and who knows what I might do then?”

Ianna smiled because she could sense that he was being sincere.

~~*~~

“……And that’s why you should take me with you.”

Ianna made her way to Karnitz’s and Isphee’s room and told them about her plans. They were startled when she told them, and they expressed their concerns.

“It’ll be difficult. To begin with, the people won’t listen to you very well, my lady…”

It was extraordinarily difficult to act in Bahamut without looking like you intended to settle down there because Bahamut was incredibly territorial. It was difficult even to sell goods as an outsider. And this was still true even in Bahamut’s underworld.

“That won’t matter since I’m planning to immediately become a wanted criminal anyway.”

There was no reason for Ianna to go out of her way to talk to the people of Bahamut because Karnitz and other Ex-knights personnel would be keeping her up to date with any information anyway. Moreover, anyone she did need to speak to would come and find her first, so there was no need for her to put too much effort into it.

“Very well. I will escort you.”

Karnitz put his worries behind him and decided to obey Ianna’s will.

After all, he was Ianna’s aide. If this was what Ianna wanted, then it was job to follow quietly behind her and watch her back. He was also happy to be helpful to her.

“And Isphee, I’d prefer it if you stayed here in Ex-knights.”

“Pardon?”

Isphee opened her eyes wide like she had heard something absurd.

“Karnitz will have to help me with something dangerous once we go back to Bahamut. It’ll be different from when the two of you were trying to build your lives there. I’ll do my best to act alone and only have Karnitz help support me with intelligence and his personal connections, of course, but you and Evelyn will be in danger if things go poorly and Karnitz’s cover is blown. Karnitz and I will be able to extract ourselves in one way or another, but you and Evelyn are a different story.”

Ianna did her best to avoid saying that Isphee would become a burden, but Isphee understood what she had meant. Ianna swallowed back a sigh and continued,

“Besides, Evelyn’s gotten much healthier, and what she needs right now is attentive care and a safe place to live.”

She snuck a glance at the baby that was sleeping peacefully in bed. Evelyn’s health had improved a lot after receiving intensive care from the spirits. She would be able to live a normal life as long as she didn’t push herself too hard. It was now time for someone to teach her about the world one thing at a time with warm and tender love. Isphee would not be able to focus on Evelyn if she returned to Bahamut too.

“I’d like for you to stay here and raise Evelyn while you wait for us to return.”

Isphee did not conceal how hurt she felt.

“Do you agree with her?”

Isphee asked Karnitz, and Karnitz nodded back with a serious look on his face.

“I don’t want to put you in danger. Please stay here.”

“No.”

Isphee shook her head vigorously. She continued,

“I’m your wife. People will be suspicious of you if you return to Bahamut alone. We were famous for being a very loving couple.”

The expression on Karnitz’ face turned grave, likely because Isphee was right.

“Besides, there are things in Bahamut that only I can do. Women have their own social circles. Do you have any female friends in Bahamut, Karnitz?”

Karnitz grew bewildered and replied that he did not.

“See? You only ever had eyes for me, and you’re also the type of person who works hard in silence but isn’t very social.”

Isphee huffed and resolutely said to Ianna,

“I can be of assistance to you too, Miss. Please let me go with you.”

“Isphee, your first and foremost priority, as well as the best thing you can do right now, is to raise Evelyn to be healthy and well. Stay here.”

“I believe that children need to see, hear, and experience many things as they grow up. But Evelyn and I have to spend most of our time in our room while we’re here. Everything’s so chaotic here because we’re in the middle of war, and there’s always the possibility that a Bahamut spy might recognize me.”

“…….”

“I’d also be spending all my time fretting about you and Karnitz while you’re in Bahamut. And we don’t even know when the war will be over. Do you really think I could possibly raise Evelyn well in this situation? I can’t. It’s impossible. It would be so much better if I could go back with you.”

Ianna fell silent because she was rendered speechless. Isphee continued,

“I’m always praying that the war will be over as quickly as possible. And I want to do whatever I can to make it happen sooner. Besides, while I may be Evelyn’s mother, I’m also ‘Isphee’ —one of yours. I want to work with you, Miss. If you’re truly thinking about what’s best for me, then you would allow it.”

Ianna looked back at Isphee quietly. Her heart was moved by Isphee’s strong will.

“Very well. If that is your will.”

In the past, Ianna would have forced Isphee to stay via an order, but now she knew that people’s wills weren’t so easily broken just because she recklessly trampled them underfoot. If she tried to coerce Isphee to stay, then Isphee would simply rebel.

And more importantly, Ianna wanted to respect Isphee’s will. Isphee and Karnitz only wanted to help Ianna, and Ianna loved them deeply. She was proud of them, and she held them dear.

She was worried for them, but she also trusted them. And Ianna felt the same way that Arhad had when he had agreed to send her to Bahamut.

“I’ll do my very best!”

Ianna knew best about how happy you were when someone who loved you entrusted you with a task, and that was why she could empathize with Isphee’s sunny smile.

“I will protect you and your family no matter what.”

She would respect their wishes, and she would protect them. She would make it so that they could live the rest of their days happily in Ex-knights without fail. She continued,

“Keep a Teleport scroll and a Storage filled with my aura with you just in case, Isphee.”

Ex-knights’ magical engineering had been developing blindingly.

‘Scrolls’ were pieces of paper with mana embedded into them, and any magic circle drawn on them would activate their spells as soon as the scrolls were torn. But Teleport was a top-tier spell that required a lot of mana. There wasn’t enough mana in a scroll to cast it.

It was a new Ex-knights invention that had solved this problem —the ‘Storage.’ Storages were created using the same special methods that had been used to create the fusion circle that safeguarded Ex-knights, and it was capable of drawing in the mana floating in the air and storing it away. They were incredibly expensive consumables that not only had a limit to how much they could hold in reserve but also needed to be repaired for wear and tear, but they were also significantly more economical than were mana stones.

Storages could also store divine power. They were capable of holding even Ianna’s divine power, which was the strongest divine power in existence. One of the fatal flaws of scrolls were that their spells were always weaker than those cast directly by a mage and were therefore easy to dispel, but a Teleport cast with Ianna’s divine power would never be interrupted.

The fact that Ianna’s powerful divine power might be detected had been a problem, but Arhad had provided a solution for it. It was possible to erase the presence of her divine power if the Storage was placed inside a necklace that had been created to act as a ‘seal.’

Ianna regularly made Storages with her divine power. And she had been researching ways to make the Storages useful to her friends. Using a Storage necklace in tandem with a scroll was one such way.

“I’ll be in both of your cares.”

Ianna grabbed Isphee’s and Karnitz’s hands tightly.

“Yes. We’ll do our best to help you too.”

They grabbed Ianna back with resolute determination etched into their faces. Ianna chuckled quietly before she pulled out a sheet of paper from her subspace.

“Karnitz, do you recognize any of the anti-empire organizations on this list?”

Karnitz accepted the sheet from Ianna and read through it.

“I know a few of them. And I know one of them very well. ‘Maron.’ I can even introduce you to one of their executives.”

Maron was one of the smaller anti-empire organizations, but it was also very radical. There wasn’t much that was known about them because they were as secretive as Camastros had been.

“How do you know them so well?”

“It was an executive of Maron who wiped my past clean and made it possible for me to live as a citizen of Bahamut when I first decided to settle down there.”

“Why did he help you?”

“He was my senior while I attended the Institution, and we were very close. He was once a noble of the now-ruined ‘Kingdom of Etonine,’ which was absorbed into Bahamut more recently.”

“The Institution, you say?”

“Yes. There are many Institution alumni in Bahamut.”

There were occasionally people from Bahamut who attended the Institution because the Institution did not check its students’ identities very rigorously.

And there were many alumni who had decided to go to Bahamut upon graduating. Bahamut was commonly acknowledged as the strongest nation in the world, and climbing up her ranks was easy for anyone who was strong enough, just like how Karnitz himself had climbed up to his station as a high-ranking imperial knight, and many alumni had emigrated there with big dreams.

“Maron……. All right. Get ready to leave in four days, both of you.”

“We will!”

Ianna opened the door to Eiji’s office without much thought.

“Why would you……?”

Eiji and Dorcianni had been in the middle of a conversation as they sat on opposite ends of a table. It had apparently been about a heavy topic, considering the serious looks on their faces.

Ianna realized that they had stopped talking after she walked in and asked,

“Should I leave?”

“No. We were actually just talking about you, Your Majesty, so come in and join us. I heard from Eiji. You’re going to Bahamut?”

“Yeah.”

“Then Karnitz and Isphee will be going with you as a matter of course. I wanna come too.”

It was quite the unexpected conclusion.

“Why would you come with us?”

“You have a warrior, a swordswoman, and a supporter —so all you need is a mage to complete the party.”

“What kind of nonsense is that? Tell me your real intentions.”

“I want to try working while travelling with Your Majesty. That sounds more fun than staying here.”

“You just want to study me, don’t you?”

“You’ve got me. But anyway, I’ll be super useful, you know? Take me with you.”

Ianna thought about it, but only very briefly. She would probably need to have a mage with her. And Dorcianni already knew a lot about the Bahamut Empire.

She might have been absorbed wholly in her magical research, but she had still lived in Bahamut all her life.

And more importantly, she was both unethical and brazen enough to be able to go along with anything that Ianna might do. Dorcianni wasn’t the type of person who would care about committing acts of theft or violence.

Bringing her along would have been impossible, because the imperial family might have sensed her, had she still owned a Demon’s fragment.

But Dorcianni was nothing more than an incredibly skilled but ordinary mage now.

“Sure.”

“Siiigh.”

Eiji sighed while clutching his head. Then, he said,

“Dorci’s extremely famous in Bahamut, Little Ianna. There are tons of people who’re able to recognize her from the feeling of her magic alone. You’ll need to be careful.”

“Do you take me for a fool? Of course I’ll be concealing my presence.”

“But you won’t be able to conceal it when you’re casting a large spell. Be careful, Little Ianna.”

“I know.”

“And Dorci, don’t you dare act on your own. You have to follow Little Ianna’s orders at all times.”

“Yeah. I’m obedient to Her Majesty, so don’t you worry your pretty little head about me. I don’t want Her Majesty to hate me.”

Dorcianni grinned.

~~*~~

Part 5

Ianna, Eiji, and Arhad worked together and busily made plans for four days straight.

Then, on the day before her departure, Ianna told her close friends that she would be away for a while to train. It technically wasn’t a lie, since she was doing this to find a clue to help her ascend to the next level.

And today, Ianna was facing Arhad in front of the door leading to the castle basement. Ianna was leaving in order to attack Bahamut from the inside, while Arhad was staying behind to lead the war.

This was their parting.

“It’s time for me to go.”

“…….”

Arhad had his arms crossed and was tapping his arm with a finger. It was easy to guess his current mood. He himself had decided to send Ianna off, but he absolutely didn’t want to. He was still sour despite the heated love that Ianna had showered him with the night prior.

Ianna felt her temperature rise ever so slightly as she recalled the marks he had left all over her body. They forced her to wear long sleeves even though it was the height of summer.

“I’ll do my best to return as quickly as possible.”

Then, Ianna extended her hand to Arhad.

“I don’t want a handshake.”

Arhad sighed as he tugged her hand and pulled her into his embrace. He continued,

“Be careful, and come home in one piece.”

“I will.”

They had been together all the time for the past year, but now they would have to be apart for a while. Still, this was an unavoidable parting that would let them remain together for the long times to come.

Ianna was wistful as she slowly pried herself out of Arhad’s embrace. Then, she stood on her toes as she placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

“Please be well. And contact me if anything happens.”

Arhad planted a kiss on the back of her hand as he mumbled that he would.

Creak.

The door opened. Dorcianni, who had finished preparing a Teleport spell, and Eiji, who was here to see them off, was waiting for Ianna inside.

Karnitz and Isphee had already departed for southwestern Ex-knights ahead of them.

Karnitz had to report back to Bahamut whenever he entered another country. He and Isphee had used the excuse that they wanted to spend some time recuperating in the warm South to leave Bahamut’s borders from the southeast, but they had not created any records of them entering another country afterward. This was why they had to go back the same way they had come.

And so, they had decided to boldly reenter Bahamut from one of the smaller countries to the south of Ex-knights and meet up with Ianna and Dorcianni, who was a wanted criminal in Bahamut, at a designated place after the latter had Teleported.

Ianna pulled out her mask from her subspace as she said to Dorcianni,

“Put on your mask.”

“Okay.”

Dorcianni, too, pulled out the mask that she had prepared and put it on.

Then, she pulled out a mirror and studied her face. Reflected in the mirror was a woman whose face was covered with burn scars.

“This is so fun. It works like a charm. There’s a limit to how much you can disguise yourself with magic, but this…….”

No one had any idea what about the mask it was that she enjoyed so much, but she was fascinated by her face as she continued,

“I’m Louise now.”

They had named their masks because they had modelled them after real people in order to execute their mission thoroughly.

Louise was a citizen of Bahamut who had avoided people and died alone because of her burns. One of Ex-knights’ informants who was currently working inside Bahamut had found her dead with her diary under a bridge while looking for faces that could be used for infiltration purposes.

“And Your Majesty’s name is Tara Srion.”

Ianna’s face belonged to Bahamut mercenary with a noble background.

Tara was a fierce-looking woman with a lot of freckles on her nose. She was a prisoner of war who had been locked up in Ex-knights’ cellars. Ex-knights periodically released the imprisoned mercenaries in exchange for a hefty sum, so it wouldn’t be strange for her to have regained her freedom too. The real Tara was still locked up, of course.

And Ianna and Dorcianni were holding Tara’s and Louise’s IDs now.

“Shall we be off?”

Dorcianni raised up a shabby wooden staff before slamming it back down to the floor. A magic circle spread out beneath her feet and began to glow.

“Good luck. Let’s wrap up this war ASAP.”

Eiji clenched his hand into a tight fist. Ianna nodded back at him before she turned to Arhad. Arhad was waving. Ianna grinned as she was enshrouded in light.

Ianna’s surroundings had changed completely when she next opened her eyes.

The rows of blackened and burnt buildings made the area seem quiet and bleak. That she couldn’t hear the sound of even a single insect made everything seem even quieter and bleaker.

There wasn’t a single person to be seen. This was because the destination they had teleported to was a village that had been razed by the Bahamut knights a few months prior.

Dorcianni pulled out a compass to figure out their direction and coordinates.

“It’ll take us about two hours on foot to walk to our rendezvous point.”

“Then we’ll make it just in time if we walk slowly while looking around.”

“I don’t have much stamina. I’d prefer to ride a horse.”

“You can do that if we find one along the road. If not, you can just use this as an opportunity to build up your stamina.”

Monsters were one story, but there was no reason why they’d find a perfectly ordinary animal like a horse on their path. Moreover, it was highly unlikely that they’d find anyone riding a horse in the area because they had purposefully chosen to teleport to a ruin.

“Can’t you carry me on your back, Lady Tara? Louise is a very weak woman.”

“But that was your past life. You were reborn as a fearsome mage in this one, so walk on your own.”

Ianna began walking after flatly refusing Dorcianni’s request.

Bahamut most certainly had a colder climate than Ex-knights, and the empire also saw less sunlight. It was already so chilly in the summer —how much colder was it in the winter? Ianna finally understood why people from the empire were so pale.

“I’m so happy I can spend so much time cozying up to you all by myself, Lady Tara. We should take this opportunity to talk a lot.”

“I think I’ve already told you everything I can.”

“I don’t mind even if we just chat about trivial things. Everything in this world is a clue that leads to the Truth, and you’re the closest person to the Truth. I’m sure I’ll be able to chance across a huge revelation just by talking with you.”

Mages truly did have a special kind of mentality. It was a little tiring to be around them for long stretches of time because they tended to obsess over the smallest details. But it was also thanks to them that the world had progressed to what it was today.

“Are you really only going to Bahamut just to stir up some trouble? Or is there some other reason?”

Dorcianni got straight to asking the important questions. This was something that Ianna would have never told her had she not asked about it first. Ianna understood why Dorcianni had said that even a simple chat could lead to the Truth.

“Yes. There is,”

Ianna answered honestly.

“What is it?”

“I’ve never once been to the Bahamut Empire even though I’ve been waging war against them.”

The same had also been true in the past. Ianna continued,

“I’ve reflected on this. And that’s why I’ve taken this opportunity to see the empire with my own eyes.”

“Not many people have ever been to the Bahamut Empire except the empire’s citizens. It’s only normal that you never had the opportunity to visit, considering how difficult it is to pass customs to get inside.”

“That may be true for normal people, but it mustn’t be true for me.”

“Why not? You’re able to learn a lot about Bahamut even if you don’t visit in person thanks to our excellent intelligence specialist.”

“There’s a limit to how much I can learn through word of mouth and reading words on paper. But it’s only by knowing your enemy well that you can win a war.”

“I see. I understand. But is that all?”

Dorcianni was trying to get to the very bottom of Ianna’s thoughts. Ianna decided to answer the question, as she had judged that nothing bad would come about of being honest.

“My growth has stalled.”

“Stalled?”

“Yeah. It feels like I’ve hit a wall —I can’t seem to pierce through my current level and move ahead. It didn’t seem like a problem I could solve by agonizing over it alone in my room, so I decided to look outside, rather than inside, to find my answer instead. That’s why I decided to come to Bahamut.”

“You made the right choice. The world is holistic, and there are so many problems that can’t be solved by looking at just one factor alone. People’s bodies are like that too. You have to examine the entire body when you’re sick in order to make a proper diagnosis —looking at only the body part that hurts won’t get you very far. If you’re still stuck after digging at something for a while, then you have to step back and take a look at your surroundings,”

Dorcianni said as she placed a hand on Ianna’s shoulder. She continued,

“There are two reasons why you can’t find an answer to a question. Either the answer doesn’t exist, or it does and you just don’t know it. I don’t think the former is the case for you, Lady Tara……. And if it’s the latter, then you just have to be desperate to find your answer.”

“I’m already desperate enough as it is.”

“But are you really? ‘Desperation’ isn’t an easy feeling. For example, Lady Tara, have you ever licked someone’s feet while begging them to spare your life? Or, have you ever felt like you’d rather die if you couldn’t have something you wanted?”

Had she? Dorcianni continued,

“You haven’t, right?”

She hadn’t. Ianna had never once pled for her life, nor had she ever wanted to die. She hadn’t wanted to die even when she had craved for love as a young child.

She had simply continued craving while trusting fully in her own abilities. She had simply raged when things didn’t go her way. Either she had obtained what she wanted using her own skills, she had given up, or someone else around her had made her wishes come true before she had ever reached the point of desperation.

Dorcianni’s examples were extreme, but she did have a point. But what did Ianna need to do in order to become desperate?

Neither Dorcianni nor Ianna noticed the time passing as they chatted. But the unchanging scenery did make them weary.

Bahamut was a cold and dreary place.

The land was drenched in Ideas. Perhaps it was because Ianna had grown more sensitive to the psychic after encountering the astral plane a few times, but she could almost physically feel the wicked, unpleasant, bitter, and wretched emotions present. They were probably the grudges of those who had lived here once……. Kagomyne would have shuddered in disgust and set the entire region ablaze if she summoned him here.

Ianna recalled the information she had learned about this land. This was the barony of Baron Kranat. He had been just an ordinary noble, but he had cast his lot with the greater nobles who had been purged and had been eliminated alongside them.

There were apparently many nobles who whispered about how unfair the greater nobles’ deaths had been. But these were people who would never promote a rebellion. Even those nobles who weren’t greedy and had only wanted to govern the lands they were given had been eliminated. Many of the nobles who had been killed had been such people.

This was why most of the nobles were terrified of the imperial family. But it was only natural that they were afraid, since they had learned that the imperial family’s strength, which had destroyed many foreign countries for no reason whatsoever, could turn against them at any time.

‘But fear is another name for distrust.’

As far as Ianna was concerned, however, this presented the perfect opportunity.

“We’re here.”

She could see Karnitz and Isphee in the distance. She had been afraid that they might get caught, but they had arrived in one piece. Ianna let out a sigh of relief. Karnitz and Isphee startled when Ianna greeted them.

“It’s still shocking even though we saw your face before we left. Dwarves truly are exceptionally skilled at their craft.”

“Shh.”

It was taboo to speak about Ex-knights’ affairs here. Karnitz nodded.

“Is ‘Maron’ our destination?”

“No. I’d like to take a look around a few Bahamut villages first.”

“It’s strange to hear you speak so politely to me, my lady,”

Karnitz said as he smiled awkwardly.

But there was no helping it. Ianna was currently Tara, the third daughter of a baron. She could not dare speak down upon ‘Karnitz Ulter,’ a named noble of the third imperial knight order, ‘Perzenus.’

“Please get used to it soon.”

“I will. I’ll escort you to a nearby village, Miss Tara.”

Ianna nodded and followed behind Karnitz.

They hadn’t been walking for very long before Ianna suddenly vanished like the wind and fell back with lightning speed.

She had noticed that a very faint presence had been tailing them from behind as soon as they had begun walking. She picked the presence up by the backpack and glared fiercely.

“You…!”

“Ack, there really is no hiding from you, Miss. Nissi was walking real quietly too.”

“Meow…….”

Ianna was holding Elly up by her backpack, and Nissi, who had fallen out from Elly’s arms, was dangling at Elly’s feet.

“Kyah!”

Ianna let go of Elly’s backpack and furiously began pulling out a Warp scroll from her pocket.

“Go back.”

“A Warp spell?!”

Elly shook her head vigorously. She continued,

“No —what if my body rips in two along the way?”

“It won’t, since the spell was improved.”

Warp, as a concept, was a mix of both Teleport and Gate.

It could only be cast on up to two or three people at a time, which made it simpler and easier than Teleport, which could translocate an entire group of people at once, or Gate, which could be used for a long duration of time.

But it was still a dangerous spatial spell, of course, which meant that it required just as much concentration to cast as the other two. Ianna, however, had never paid much attention to the spell because she had only ever used Warp scrolls on vicious criminals like the Black Fox or Grundewalz.

And she had even less reason to focus now because the Warp spell had been improved as magic had progressed in Ex-knights. But what Elly had said still made her feel a bit uneasy.

“Assist me, Louise.”

“Yes, yes.”

Ianna’s uneasiness quickly evaporated because Dorcianni was here with her.

Riiip.

A spatial magic circle began to draw into existence before Ianna’s eyes once she had torn the scroll about half-way down.

“Wait!”

Elly startled and clung to Ianna’s waist. She continued,

“Hold on a second! Please don’t send me back!”

“Meow!”

Nissi rubbed her head against Ianna’s legs as if she was telling her to calm down. Ianna put down the scroll. She was still upset by their childish behavior, but she figured that she should at least try to understand the situation first.

“How did you get here?”

“I tailed the mister and the missus…….”

Elly snuck a glance at Karnitz and Isphee. Isphee opened her eyes wide.

“You’ve been following us for days? Having you been eating properly? Or sleeping?”

“We brought some snacks with us and we also ate at a few restaurants here and there, and all we needed to sleep was a roof over our heads.”

“My word.”

To think that a young child and a cat had been tailing behind them secretly for such a long time.

Some of the roads that Isphee and Karnitz had taken had been dangerous. The world was in such chaos that they had even encountered several armed bandits along the way. Isphee began tearing up as she imagined the difficulty that Elly and Nissi must have been through.

Karnitz, on the other hand, had turned pallid from bewilderment at the fact that he had failed to notice that the children had been tailing him.

“I didn’t notice them tailing me at all.”

He had departed Ex-knights’ capital, Semastair, traveled southwest, and crossed Bahamut’s border, but he truly hadn’t noticed anything until Ianna had apprehended Elly. He looked like he’d seen a ghost.

Karnitz stiffened his expression and said,

“My senses must have dulled. I will study my condition as soon as we arrive at the inn —our destination. I’ll only be a burden to you at this rate, Miss Tara.”

“No. There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s these children who are a little special.”

Ianna had noticed Elly and Nissi only after they had started walking. And even Ianna might have failed to perceive their presence had she not been wary about her surroundings. She continued,

“If you were tailing Sir Ulter, it means that you were able to pass through the harsh conditions at Bahamut’s border unnoticed too. How did you do that, Elly?”

“I just walked through it and no one knew any better.”

It was almost as if she had been invisible.

“The Knights of Srinina, the fourth imperial knight order, are currently taking turns to guard the border. And they’re rather skilled……. It’s remarkable that you were able to simply walk past them.”

It was only then that Karnitz looked relieved. He continued,

“Is this child —Elly— similar to you, Miss Tara?”

Karnitz did not doubt Elly’s talent. He had witnessed Ianna’s abnormal talent from up close, so he simply assumed that Elly was yet another talented child and expressed his wonder.

“Her talents are one thing, but she also had her secrets,”

Ianna muttered as she grabbed Elly, who was trying to feign ignorance, by the wrist. She continued,

“Why did you follow them here, Elly?”

She now knew the ‘how,’ so it was time to ask about ‘why.’

“I wanted to see Bahamut too.”

“And how did you know that we were going to Bahamut?”

Ianna ignored the childishness and asked about the part that she was curious about. Only Arhad, Eiji, and the others present knew that Ianna was going to Bahamut. She had only told the others that she would be going off the grid for a while to train. And Elly had been one such other.

“Well……. I heard them talking about it by chance.”

Karnitz and Isphee were shocked.

“But we never spoke about it when you were around?”

Ianna had introduced Finn and Elly to Karnitz and Isphee while they were back in the castle. She had hoped that the good-natured children would become Evelyn’s friends.

Elly and Finn had treated the young Evelyn as their real younger sister. Ianna had felt so proud whenever she saw them take Evelyn lovingly by the hands and teach her how to walk.

And Karnitz and Isphee had also treated them like their own children because they were so good to Evelyn. They spoke to each other comfortably, and they had started eating together too. But there was no reason why they would tell the children classified information no matter how close they had grown.

Surely, Karnitz and Isphee had been careful to only discuss this mission when they were alone together. It was likely that they hadn’t even spoken about it when Evelyn was around. So, just how and when had Elly overheard them?

Karnitz and Isphee grew bewildered, and Ianna calmly concluded,

“You were eavesdropping on them.”

“I wasn’t eavesdropping —I just happened to overhear them by chance!”

“I’m sorry. We’ve practically leaked classified information,”

Karnitz apologized tragically as he flushed red. Isphee, similarly, was unable to hide how perplexed she was.

“Go back.”

Ianna finished tearing the scroll. The ovular space, about the size of a full-body mirror, before them began to waver.

Elly hugged Ianna tightly at the waist.

“Missss, I wanna go to Bahamut too.”

“We’re not going there for fun. It’ll trouble me if you keep throwing a tantrum like this,”

Ianna said seriously, and Elly stepped back a little before making a tight fist and shaking it.

“I know I can be helpful, Miss. I’m confident in my ability to curry people’s goodwill. I can disarm just about anyone, you know?!”

Elly vigorously emphasized how sociable she was before she picked up Nissi, who was loitering in front of her, and continued,

“And Nissi can win people over because she’s so cute!”

“Meow!”

Nissi’s white cotton ball feet bobbed in the air. Ianna stared at the white and fluffy animal and sighed.

“Do you even know what I’m trying to do here?”

“Yes! You’re trying to incite a rebellion…….”

Elly immediately struck the nail on its head.

“Watch your mouth,”

Ianna warned, and Elly quickly clasped her hands over her mouth.

Elly was exceptionally bright, and it looked like she understood what it meant to incite a rebellion and just how dangerous it was.

“Did you really follow them here just because you wanted to visit Bahamut?”

“Yes! I’ve always been curious about the great Bahamut Empire.”

Then, Elly clung close to Ianna again and whispered,

“And Bahamut’s going to be a part of our land in the future, right? I’m going to be an Ex-knights government official when I grow up, so I want to learn about the people of Bahamut and the land they live on ahead of time. And in person.”

Elly was a child of promising talent. She would undoubtedly take on a lot of responsibilities in Ex-knights in the future. Elly, too, was always saying that she wanted to do important work for Ex-knights in the future. Thus, her excuse was a plausible one.

But Ianna believed that Elly and Nissi, who both had something to do with ‘Laos,’ had another reason for throwing a tantrum in their want to accompany her to Bahamut. This was why she began wondering if she actually did need to bring them with her.

“Why not just let them come?”

Dorcianni tipped the scales in favor of bringing them along. She continued,

“The people of Bahamut may generally be heartless, but they still have a soft spot for children, so it’ll be useful to bring them along. Especially the girl who feels very peculiar.”

Her words suggested that she was trying to persuade Ianna on account of how useful the children could be, but she was actually only doing it out of her personal curiosity. There was no way that Ianna wouldn’t notice, as her normally half-dead blue eyes were sparkling brightly.

“How adorable.”

Pat pat.

Dorcianni smiled a rare smile as she stroked Elly’s soft brown hair. It looked like she was more taken by how endearingly rare her new research specimen was rather than by how cute the child actually was. Ianna wasn’t sure if Elly was aware of this or not, but Elly was smiling innocently back at the mage.

“You’ll need to conceal your face if you want to come with us. You’re quite the famous child, after all, Elly. But I don’t have any child-sized masks with me.”

“I already got one from Mr. Chendelf because I knew you’d say that!”

Elly grew excited and pulled out a mask that was smaller than the one that Ianna was wearing from her backpack. She had prepared very thoroughly.

Elly was popular with humans, and she was also beloved by the mythical races. It was only natural that she had managed to steal Chendelf’s heart too.

Elly put on the mask and began massaging her cheeks.

“I know that people like me because I look normal and good-natured. That’s why I chose a mask that still gave off the same overall impression as me but looked a little different.”

Certainly, Elly’s new face looked different but also strangely similar to her real one.

“What’s your face’s name?”

“It doesn’t have one since it wasn’t modelled after a real person. But that’s fine, right? I heard that Bahamut has a lot of war orphans. So many, in fact, that people don’t even remember their names properly.”

Karnitz nodded when Ianna turned to him.

“It’s true. Bahamut constantly wages war against foreign countries. They always win, but the casualty count is so high that many children are left orphaned.”

“Does the empire not look after the children at the national level?”

“Bahamut fundamentally adheres to the belief of self-sufficiency, and children are of no exception to this. That’s why children generally group together and try to find work. And many of them fake their deaths, change their names, and leave the system altogether.”

There were many undocumented people living in Bahamut. They lived that way by choice, as documented citizens had to pay exorbitant taxes. Karnitz added that such people weren’t allowed to use any public amenities and had no choice but to live in the shadows, but they still believed that it was better to live this way.

“And no one would be any wiser even if they suddenly vanished.”

“No. The people around them might know that they were missing, but they wouldn’t be able to report their disappearance.”

It was all too obvious that Payne of the Black Fox also used undocumented people, as well as criminals, to manufacture more Life.

“Listening to all this makes me wonder how on earth the people of the Bahamut Empire are so loyal to their country. Is their loyalty born of fear?”

“Fear is one of the bigger reasons. But there’s still a bigger one.”

“Which is?”

“It’s their ‘nationalism.’”

Bahamut rigorously adhered to the law of the jungle. The strong survived, and the weak perished. The people viewed it as only natural that the strong trampled over the weak and the weak were crushed underfoot. This was both Bahamut’s justice and her state ideology. Karnitz continued,

“The people of the empire have surrendered to the empire even if they disagree with how it’s run. They believe that there’s nothing they can do about it because they’re weak.”

Ianna recalled her plans as she listened to what Karnitz was saying.

It wouldn’t be easy to drag out the discontentment of people who had resigned themselves to fate at first. But if someone took the lead and ran wild, and they happened to seem very strong, then others would begin gauging the situation and would slowly rise with them. After all, such was human nature.

“Missss!”

Elly was still clinging to Ianna’s waist. She continued,

“I really want to go with you. Please?”

And so, Ianna ultimately made a decision.

“Fine. But you have to listen well.”

“Yay!”

Elly beamed.

“What do you want your name to be?”

“My name? Hmmm……. Please just call me Lyel.”

Surprisingly, Elly had chosen a very uncreative name. She had simply switched around the syllables of her real name. Didn’t most children think long and hard about new identities for themselves?

But Elly didn’t seem to care very much about the romantic connotations of the idea at all. She was almost like an elderly person who didn’t care much about trivial details.

A white butterfly flew past them just then. Ianna subconsciously looked to where the butterfly was flying and chased it with her eyes.

The white butterfly then began flying circles around Elly, as if she was a flower. Then, it landed on her finger as if it had finally found some nectar.

Elly brought the butterfly up to her nose before she gently shook her finger and sent it away.

“Let’s call you Butterfly, Nissi, since you flap around just like one.”

Elly was similarly disinterested as she gave Nissi a new name too. Nissi simply meowed as if she didn’t really care.

Ianna felt that something was very strange about this series of events.

The divine power of nature that flowed in the air was the source of a ruined land’s restoration. The land had been ruined, but new plants would sprout with time and the insects, which had left due to the aura of death lingering on the land, would one day return.

Ianna hadn’t seen a single butterfly on her entire way here.

And Elly melted naturally into the nature around her.

Ianna believed that Nissi probably had a stronger connection to Laos than Elly did. But what she had seen just now made her change her mind ever so slightly.

‘A connection…….’

Ianna recalled the conversation she had had with Elly once.

“Have you ever met ‘God Laos’ before?”

“No.”

“Then have you ever been blessed by one of the relics?”

“No, never.”

“Do you have any connection to God Laos at all?”

“Probably not?”

Probably not.

Ianna watched quietly as Elly carried Nissi under her arm. She looked away when Elly’s innocent eyes turned to her.

“Let’s go.”

~~*~~

Part 6

Ianna wanted to go around and check out the mood in both large, important cities and mid-sized or smaller ones before she began working for real.

There was a small village located not too far away from their intended destination. Karnitz guided the party there.

They could see it in the distance.

There was a large protective wall made from thick wood surrounding the village. The top of the wall was pointed and sharp, as if it meant to pierce the sky. There were guards glaring sharply as they stood by the entrance that led into the village. The wall was extraordinarily thick and well-guarded for such a small village.

“Are there a lot of monsters in Bahamut?”

Ianna asked, prompting Karnitz to check what Ianna was looking at before he nodded.

“There are. But the wall is there to keep people out, not monsters.”

“People, you say?”

“Villages often war against each other in Bahamut.”

Defeated villages were generally absorbed into the victorious ones. This was how the rulers of villages gained more power. If they increased the size of their territory by enough, then they could receive a peerage from the capital and become a noble and rise in station. Karnitz continued,

“And sometimes, one village will attack another for the purpose of plunder.”

Ianna recalled Bahamut’s history and main policies as she agreed.

Long ago, the cold and barren North hadn’t had enough food resources, unlike the South, which was abundant with crops and fruit.

There was enough water, but the soil lacked nutrients and made it difficult to farm because there wasn’t enough sunlight. The North was surrounded by vast seas, but fish couldn’t be caught unless people ventured deep into the dangerous waters.

The people barely managed to eke out a living by raising livestock, but they still starved because it was difficult to breed the livestock for some reason.

The North’s one and only merit was that it was rich with natural minerals. The people of the North survived in its barren lands by using the minerals to create powerful weapons and devising cunning battle tactics to either rob each other or plunder food from the South. And so, the South had developed various artistic cultures, like painting or sculpting, while the North had developed military cultures, like military architecture or blacksmithing.

And Bahamut was the country that had unified the battle-oriented North.

Bahamut had turned internal strife into external wars. She rewarded her villages with the vast quantities of food she had plundered from other countries in accordance to their respective contributions in war.

In order to determine contributions, they first gave each battalion points depending on the merits they had achieved and divided those points amongst the battalion’s soldiers; then, they combined together the number of points held by soldiers who had come from the same village; and finally, they ranked each village depending on the total number of points they had.

In other words, the amount of food a village received depended on how many powerful soldiers it could produce. And so, Bahamut villages gave tremendous preference to the strong and severely scorned the weak even though they were tightly-knit communities. The weak were treated as beggars who parasitized off the strong.

In any event, the fact that the spoils of war were divided according to how much each village contributed meant that some villages received a lot of food while others received next to nothing at all. And villages that didn’t receive enough food tended to attack each other.

Learned habits did not so easily disappear, and the people of Bahamut had inherited the Northern customs of plunder from their predecessors. Bahamut did nothing to erase these customs, and instead embraced them fully and simply regulated them so that things didn’t become too disorderly.

“In Bahamut, even undeclared warfare —where villages plunder each other— is a legal means of survival as long as the village in questions pays the relevant taxes. It’s common for one village to raid another to rob them of their food or take the people as slaves. That’s why it’s normal for even smaller villages to have such thorough defenses.”

“Does Bahamut not impose sanctions on such behavior?”

“Imperial law encourages warfare instead of preventing it. Everything boils down to the survival of the fittest.”

Karnitz explained that the imperial family didn’t care much even if someone was to gain a lot of influence through warfare. The imperial family simply levied higher taxes on people with more influence, and didn’t pay much attention to how they used that influence to lord over others.

This was not only because the imperial family knew that they could always subdue any fools who dreamt of rebellion but also because they enjoyed crushing such fools underfoot.

“But the imperial family took the initiate to purge the nobles this time around, so villages everywhere are probably extremely tense.”

They were getting closer and closer to the village. The guards noticed their party and raised their lances at them while shouting,

“Halt!”

The guards stared at Ianna’s party with suspicion in their eyes. They continued,

“Identify yourselves.”

Every village in the vicinity had been put on the blacklist because a neighboring village had been wiped out for the crime of mutiny. And foreigners to the area had become rare.

And so, the burly man who had appeared before the village gates with his party aroused their suspicions.

Karnitz pulled his badge out from his pocket.

“I am Karnitz Ulter of Perzenus, the Third Imperial Knight Order.”

“Ack!”

The blood drained from the guards’ faces and left them as white as a sheet.

“Please come inside!”

The guards saluted stiffly. Then, the guard of the highest rank gingerly asked,

“What brings you to our village, Lord Knight?”

“I am on vacation and traveling with my friends and family. We’ll leave after a short rest and tour of the village. Don’t tell the village about my identity.”

“There are no problems in our village, Lord Knight. I speak the truth,”

the guard replied fearfully.

“I’ll repeat myself only once. I’m here on vacation —I’m not here to investigate anything. We’ll keep quiet and leave shortly, so don’t make me repeat myself again.”

“Y-yes…….”

The guards looked nervous as they studied the people standing behind Karnitz. The color returned to their faces, perhaps because they had regained a measure of relief after seeing the little girl, the baby, and the cat. Then, the guard asked,

“May we tell the village chief?”

“Very well.”

Creaaak.

The firmly shut gates opened, and Ianna’s party walked inside. They immediately became the center of the villagers’ attention.

“The gates opened.”

“Who is it?”

The villages kept staring at them warily, but they weren’t openly hostile because the party had passed the inspection at the gates just fine.

“Louise, take Isphee and Elly and rest at the inn. Don’t cause any trouble.”

“Okay.”

“I want to follow you with Butterfly, Miss,”

Elly shouted —she apparently had the stamina to spare.

“All right.”

Ianna and Karnitz began slowly touring the village after they had sent Dorcianni and Isphee on their way. Elly was looking around this way and that with great curiosity. After they had explored for some time, Elly determined,

“What a boring village.”

It was exactly as Elly had said. It was a boring village in the eyes of a child, but a very frightening one from an objective perspective.

You could say that it was a perfectly normal village if you only took the smells of food wafting from here and there or the occasionally smoke climbing out from the chimneys into account.

But everything else about the village was anything but normal.

There was a heap of flags that said things like, “Glory to Bahamut!”, “We will be victorious!”, “Conquer the world!”, “Death to Ex-knights!”, or “May Roanne Rot Forever!” fluttering in the air. At the center was a gigantic flag with a winged snake, the symbol of Bahamut, drawn onto it.

Swish! Swish!

People were sitting around in the streets while sharpening blades that glistened frighteningly in the light.

“Yaaaaah!”

And men and women of all ages were shouting vigorously as they clashed against each other —were they training or were they playing?

But no one was engaging in other everyday tasks, like painting pictures, tending to a garden, or selling fruits.

Ianna quietly asked Karnitz,

“This surely isn’t a normal village, is it?”

“This is a normal village in Bahamut.”

The first Bahamut village Ianna had ever encountered exceed her every expectation.

“Excuse me! Lord……Mr. Ulter!”

Someone called for Karnitz from behind while sounding completely out of breath.

The man began running even faster when they stopped and waited for him, and he then began bowing continuously without bothering to catch his breath first.

“Welcome to our village. I’m the village chief. Please forgive me for calling you Mr. Ulter, since you said you didn’t want to disclose your identity.”

“I don’t mind,”

Karnitz replied brusquely, and the village chief gauged his reaction first before he suddenly broke out into an impassioned speech.

“Our village is absolutely loyal to His Imperial Majesty Taylon Helkan Bahamut, Mr. Ulter. We’re all training diligently so that we can come running should His Majesty ever call for us.”

“His Majesty has yet to order a draft.”

“Y-yes, of course! I only meant to suggest that we would be willing to come running naked if the army needed targets for archery practice. Glory to the Bahamut Empire! Glory to His Majesty!”

The village chief passionately expressed his loyalty and patriotism. The dizzied light in his eyes suggested that he was so nervous that he had no idea what he was even saying. It was obvious that he thought that Karnitz was here as an imperial knight on an official inspection.

“Enough…….”

Ianna interrupted the village chief before Karnitz could respond and asked,

“What do you think about Ex-knights, village chief?”

“Goodness, they must be the biggest pieces of shit in the world.”

The village chief, who thought that Ianna’s question was some sort of test, began cursing. He continued,

“Isn’t Ex-knights’ king the bastard son of the woman who stole the Bahamut imperial blood? How dare the fucker establish a new kingdom and point his blade at Bahamut when he should’ve killed himself to atone for his mother’s sins —and it still wouldn’t have been enough! And, isn’t the entire kingdom filled with bastards who don’t know their place and are baring their fangs at us? I hear that they kill citizens of Bahamut on sight. We must murder the whole lot of them if we don’t want to be murdered first!”

The village chief continued to curse Ex-knights. It was so bad that even Karnitz couldn’t help but study Ianna’s reaction. The village chief continued,

“Oh, and they say that there’s some very strong woman named the Black Wind or Rise or whatever it is in Ex-knights. The arrogant wench wouldn’t even be able to lift a finger against His Majesty…….”

Ianna nodded slowly as she listened to the village chief’s cursing. She pretended that she didn’t care, but her rage was slowly boiling over. She had known about what kind of rumors were spreading in Bahamut through the information that Ex-knights’ agents had collected, but it still soured her mood to hear it in person.

“Anyway, they’re all pieces of shit……. Cough, cough.”

“I see. Thank you,”

Ianna said when she realized that the village chief was staring at her as he breathed raggedly. The village chief smiled now that he was certain that he had successfully avoided danger.

“But, if I may ask what your real reason for visiting our village is…….”

“I am in the middle of travelling with my friends and family, as I explained at the gates,”

Karnitz replied quickly. He continued,

“We’re only here for a brief rest. And…”

The village chief immediately extended his hands once Karnitz had extended his own.

Clatter.

Karnitz dropped a few gold coins into the village chief’s hands.

“Find us a carriage. We don’t need a driver.”

“Y-yes. Will you be driving the carriage yourself, Lord Knight? We have a few slaves in our village who are very good with horses. I can bring them over and…….”

The village chief fell silent once he felt the silent pressure pressing down on him as Karnitz stared at him without a word. He continued,

“Never mind. I will do as you say. I’ll have good horses and the best carriage in the village prepared for you at the gates, so please have a restful stay.”

The village chief bowed to Karnitz from his waist and kept glancing back as he left.

Ianna saw Karnitz in a new light.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Karnitz looked embarrassed as he scratched the rough beard.

“Imperial knights have impressive amounts of prestige and authority in Bahamut, I see.”

“It’s because the people fear imperials knights the most after the imperial family. They fear imperial knights more than they fear the nobility. After all, the imperial knights can devastate an entire region in an instant if the imperial family orders it. The ruins you saw when you first teleported to Bahamut was the work of a single imperial knight order. This is likely why both the guards and the village chief seem to regard me as some kind of monster.”

It was only then that Ianna finally understood the terror in the people’s eyes as they looked to Karnitz.

“Are you disappointed?”

Karnitz asked awkwardly.

“Why would I be disappointed?”

“I, too, have committed such atrocities as a member of an imperial knight order. Don’t my actions run counter to Ex-knights’ idea of justice?”

Mercilessly crushing the weak underfoot at the orders of the strong most certainly ran counter to Ex-knights’ goals.

But such was justice as it was understood in Bahamut, and Karnitz had only done what was only natural in Bahamut’s eyes. He was ashamed and embarrassed now that he was trying to become a citizen of Ex-knights.

“I’ve grown so accustomed to the destruction and violence, even despite my guilty conscience, and I’ve lost a few nights of sleep over this matter out of worry after witnessing the founding ceremony. I don’t wish to disappoint you, Miss. What should I do moving forward?”

Ianna’s heart felt numb, as if it was cramping. Karnitz had made his way over to Bahamut and had done such horrible things just because of a single thing she had said to him. She felt the responsibility weighing down heavily upon her.

“All we can do is reflect over our actions and do our best to change. Both you and I.”

“Why you too?”

“First, because it was I who made you come here.”

“Why would you think that? I never meant to place the blame on you, Miss!”

Karnitz startled and waved his hands, but Ianna smiled gently and shook her head no.

“It’s not just because of you —I, too, once thought that it was only natural for the strong to trample over the weak.”

Ianna recalled her past life. The past in which she had pursued only strength and had scorned the weak because she had been unable to fit in anywhere.

She had believed that the weak had no choice but to suffer. If they didn’t want to suffer, then they had to work endlessly to grow stronger. And all obstacles to growing stronger were to be removed —be it friends, family, or anything else.

She had thought that innate characteristics like one’s background were simply excuses, that it was always your own fault if you lagged behind because everyone lived alone. Ianna’s values had been similar to Bahamut’s in the past.

“But I have simply changed.”

She had changed after meeting Arhad and her friends.

Ianna no longer wanted to live the way she had lived in the past.

“Everyone makes at least one mistake that they regret in their life. We have no choice but to reflect upon ourselves, understand and correct what we did wrong, and live out the rest of our lives because we can’t turn back the clock. That is how people should live.”

“Right?”

Elly chimed in.

Ianna snuck a glance at Elly, who was bouncing all over the place. She looked like she was in a good mood.

“It’s selfish, in one sense. After all, those who were sacrificed will never return and no wrongs can ever be completely righted, and yet only we get to live on as better people. But we’ll amount to nothing more than criminals if we allow our crimes to crush us forever. All we can do is repent and put our change of heart to action while washing away our sins as best as we can.”

“…….”

“And then, we will pay the price of any sins we couldn’t wash away in life, in death.”

Ianna recalled the Akashic Records.

The great Truth made the souls of the dead who had returned to the Beginning pay the price for their lives. They received joy if they had made others happy, and they received sorrow if they had made others sad. That was how the Balance maintained equilibrium.

“This reminds me of the Faith.”

Karnitz smiled a little as he listened quietly to what Ianna had to say. He continued,

“I remember that you used to hate God Laos, Miss.”

Ianna stole a glance at Elly and Nissi before she could stop herself.

Why was it?

Elly had looked so happy just a moment ago, but she looked so gloomy now.

“Enough with the boring sermon —let us head over there now,”

Ianna said as she pointed to where there were children noisily playing war with wooden swords. They had been on her mind for a while. The children’s mumbled voices grew clearer as they grew closer.

“Ex-knights, you bunch of insects! How dare you revolt against the Great Bahamut Empire?!”

“We’ll devour your corpses to pay you back for the humiliation we suffered in the past, Bahamut!”

“Look at you, running your mouth when you’re so weak. I, Jenny Alena Growstund of Pakalatua, the First Imperial Knight Order, will take your heads, drink your blood, and present your heads before His Majesty!”

Their words were far too savage for mere children’s play.

The children were very young, especially considering how they were boldly shouting a string of cool-sounding names. The only reason why such young children would say such savage words so readily was because they had heard them since the day they were born.

“Surrender! I surrender. Please spare my life!”

The children who had been playing on Ex-knights’ side got on their knees and then began rolling in the dirt with their bellies in the air like puppies.

“Shut up. The defeated must die!”

“Ugh.”

Their game of war ended with Ex-knights defeated and groveling.

Ianna’s party had witnessed several other groups of children who were also playing war, but the game always ended in the same way. The people of Bahamut were confident in their victory.

Ianna’s party approached one of the groups of children.

The children, who had only just finished their game, grew wary when they spotted the strangers.

“Who are you people?”

Karnitz stepped forward and answered,

“We’re travelers from Takalon, the imperial capital.”

“You’re from Takalon? Whoaaa!”

The children opened their eyes wide. Even the adults could not enter Takalon, the gigantic capital of the Bahamut Empire, so readily. The capital was the city that the children, who had never left their tiny village before in their lives, could only read about in books and visit in their dreams.

“Please tell us about the capital!”

Karnitz was largely successful in getting the children to lower their guards. The children’s eyes were oozing with curiosity.

“Takalon is…….”

Karnitz told the children about only the parts of the capital that he thought would interest them. The children lost themselves in Karnitz’s tales as he concealed the dark and shadowy bits and spoke only about the eye-catching and awe-inspiring bits.

“But what do you do, Mister?”

“I’m a wandering knight.”

“You must be really strong, since you made it all the way here from the capital in one piece!”

shouted a bigger child who seemed to the be the children’s leader. He continued,

“Have you ever seen an imperial knight, Mister?”

“Of course —I’ve seen many.”

After all, Karnitz was one himself.

“Have you ever fought one before too?”

“I have.”

“How strong are they?”

“Very strong.”

“Whoaaa!”

Karnitz had always been a poor speaker and had given the child only simple replies because he didn’t know how to properly describe strength, but his reticence seemed to have left a bigger impression on the children than he had anticipated.

The bigger child loudly shouted,

“I’m gonna be an imperial knight one day. The other kids wanna be soldiers so they don’t starve to death, but that’s not good enough for me!”

So they don’t starve to death…….

Then, Ianna, who was standing behind Karnitz, suddenly asked,

“Kids. Haven’t you ever wanted to do something else that doesn’t involve fighting?”

“Something else? Like what? Blacksmithing?”

Ianna pondered for a moment and replied,

“Like music, or art…….”

“Jeez, those are luxuries that only people in power with a lot of money can enjoy. Or people who are geniuses and can get protected by strong people.”

“…….”

“Strength is everything —you know that, right? If you’re strong, then you can get ahead in life, and then you can do anything else that you wanna do.”

The Bahamut Empire’s economy was based on strength. Companies could only exist if they were strong. They would only be robbed of everything they had if they were weak.

“But I’m sure that at least some of you don’t like fighting and want to do something else, right?”

The child stared back at Ianna as if she had two heads.

“Are you rich, lady? Or is there someone really strong in your family?”

There was both envy and pity, as if he was addressing someone who didn’t know how the world worked, mixed into the child’s voice. He continued,

“You can’t survive while also doing the things you like otherwise. You’ve gotta get strong first. Weaklings who don’t like fighting…”

Pow!

“Oww!”

Tears were welling in the eyes of the child who was clutching his recently smacked head.

“W-what did you hit me for?”

“Just because.”

The bigger child glared at the child he had hit as the latter lowered his head without being able to say a word. The bigger child continued,

“You got a problem with that?”

“N-no.”

“Then smile.”

The child forced his lips into a grin when he was told to smile.

Then, the bigger child huffed and shrugged.

“You saw that, right? Weaklings can’t do anything even when they’re hit, like this guy here. They can’t say anything even if someone takes away their money or food.”

Ianna furrowed her brows, and the bigger child crossed his arms and continued,

“You were watching us play earlier, right? Everyone’s roles are always the same. Everyone wants to be on Bahamut’s side, but only the stronger kids get to, and the weaker kids are stuck with being on Ex-knights’ side, which no one wants.”

“Can’t you just take turns? Everyone can have fun if you all share.”

“Why should we? It’s only obvious that the strong should get everything,”

the child replied as if he couldn’t understand what Ianna was saying. The other children nodded in agreement. Even the weaker ones.

‘Is this a cultural difference?’

Ianna gave up on persuading them. Their view on life had already solidified, and that wasn’t something anyone could change just by trying to beat it out of them.

“You’re weird, lady. But anyway, you gotta be strong first if you wanna do anything. If you’re weak, then you’ve just gotta live as rabble. You’ll always be at the mercy of someone who’s stronger than you, and you’ll just starve to death when the cold winds start blowing.”

Ianna was reminded of the time when she had interrogated Formido, the captain of the Knights of Grundewalz.

The bastard had spoken about every aspect of his life before he had died. He had said that he had been starving on the cold earth before his life changed completely after becoming an imperial knight. It was only now that she had visited Bahamut for herself that Ianna could truly understand the life he had led.

“His Imperial Majesty opened up the food storages so we could train more. I’m gonna take this chance to train really hard and become an imperial knight.”

Ianna’s party visited the village training grounds next after they were done talking to the children. A village elder was teaching a bunch of adults.

When the elder spotted them, he turned around and asked,

“Who are you people? —I don’t think I’ve seen you around.”

“We’re travelers from the capital. We were in the area and decided to drop by the village to rest.”

The elder clicked his tongue.

“You must have guts to be running around at a time like this. I’m a knight from the capital. I’m from a knight order in the middle ranks. I was ordered by His Majesty to return to the village and teach the people here.”

The elder proudly cleared his throat and continued,

“Did you see the military training camp on your way here? My goal is to send as many people from our village to the camp as possible. It’s the golden opportunity for the countryfolk here to rise up in status.”

Karnitz looked at Ianna, and she replied,

“There are surely some people here who are against the war. Is there no one who’s dissatisfied with the imperial family?”

“How dare you?! Do you even know what you’re saying?!”

the elder shouted as he startled. He looked enraged. He continued,

“You people are from the village across the river, aren’t you? Is this some kind of ploy to get our village wiped out? You’re planning to report us to the capital if we say something wrong! Are you carrying around a recording artefact?”

Swish!

The aged knight drew his blade and raised it in the air.

“I’ll cut you bastards down at once!”

Karnitz raised up his badge once the elder’s delusions got the better of him. The elder settled down immediately upon seeing it.

“Oh, you were a knight from Perzenus. You must’ve been in the middle of an inspection. There are no problems in our village —none at all.”

Then, the aged knight began cozying up to Karnitz. He continued,

“There are a few people whom I’ve had my eyes on, Sir Ulter —shall I bring them to you? If you could perhaps recommend them to the training camp…….”

“I’m currently on vacation,”

Karnitz interjected bluntly and stayed the aged knight with his eyes.

“I see —then please have a restful stay. Please come find me at once if you have any questions.”

The aged knight apparently wasn’t dim-witted, as he quickly walked away —though he did seem both wistful and a little frightened. The villagers, who had been sneaking glances at how servile the aged knight was acting even as they continued training, looked curious.

“What are you looking at?!”

the aged knight raged before he called out a few of the more skilled villagers. He continued,

“Bring out everything you’ve got! Every last drop of it!”

The villagers realized that Karnitz was no ordinary person.

“Haah!”

they shouted vigorously, and unnaturally loudly, as they began brandishing their wooden swords. Their technique was inefficient, but they were also controlling mana in a very showy manner. They very obviously wanted to look good in Karnitz’s eyes while he was still looking, much like peacocks showing off their feathers before peahens.

“Let us go.”

But Karnitz turned away coldly as soon as Ianna gave the word.

Ianna recalled how quickly the people had cowed before the aged knight and asked Karnitz,

“How high is that aged knight’s station?”

“Knight orders in Bahamut are roughly divided into four categories, as I’m sure you’re already aware, Miss. Imperial knight orders working directly under the palace, knight orders from the capital, knight orders from the countryside, and privately-owned knight orders belonging to the nobility.”

Imperial knight orders from the palace took orders only from the imperial family, and knight orders from the capital took orders from the higher-ups in Takalon, the imperial capital of Bahamut, and protected both the capital and the people. This was done by imperial sanction, of course.

The knight orders from the countryside and privately-owned knight orders were stationed outside the capital, and the knight orders from the countryside took orders from the capital to defend the countryside, whereas privately-owned knight orders were loyal to the nobles who governed the countryside.

Imperial knight orders working directly under the palace were ranked the highest, followed by the knight orders from the capital, and the knight orders from the countryside and privately-owned knight orders were ranked similarly at the bottom.

“A knight from one of the mid-ranking knight orders from the capital would have a higher station than the village chief. He would be treated like a ‘noble’ who’s territory was roughly the same size as the village.”

Ianna’s party continued to tour the village.

In conclusion, there was no laughter in the village. There were a few brief bursts of laughter, but it never lingered for long. All they could hear was the sonorous sounds of people yelling and the clashing of steel, and it exhausted them as they toured.

Everyone was training to fight, though, surely, not everyone wanted to. Personal values and preferences did not exist here.

“They’re singing praises of the imperial family like religious fanatics. But there’s no way of knowing whether they’re doing it out of fear or because they truly mean it,”

Karnitz said.

Ianna looked around her surroundings. She saw Bahamut flags everywhere she looked. The cloth looked new and crisp. They were likely hung up only recently, and yet they were still very well-maintained.

“They likely want to avoid sharing the same fate as the village that was destroyed. It’s not uncommon here.”

They had seen everything there was to see here.

Ianna decided to leave the village. They were returning to the inn where Isphee and Dorcianni were staying when Karnitz asked her,

“Where would you like to go next?”

“I’d like to visit a village that has a different atmosphere than this one.”

“A different atmosphere. We should consult a map before we decide.”

Boooom!

A loud explosion echoed from the inn’s direction just then.

“Ahhh!”

Someone was even screaming. Ianna and Karnitz exchanged looks. Then, Ianna picked Elly up and tucked the child under her flank and began running.

“Ughhh.”

Several men were scattered around the inn’s entrance. They quickly jumped to their feet and drew their swords.

“It’s a witch! Kill her!”

But a powerful gust of wind pushed them back outside and sent them rolling as soon as they tried to reenter the inn.

Ianna quickly walked into the inn. Dorcianni was sitting on a table as she pointed her weathered staff at the door. There was surely a reason why she had stirred up such a fuss even after being told to stay quiet. Ianna put Elly down and asked,

“What’s wrong?”

“Those men decided to pick a fight with me. I came down to eat, but then they told me to get lost because I’m ugly. I ignored them and continued drinking my delicious soup, but then they poured ants in it. I kept eating anyway since ants are nutritious. But that scared them, and then they started calling me a witch and tried to rip my clothes off. So I thought about it…….”

Ianna looked down at the disgusting-looking soup.

“I was always scorned by everyone because I’m weak, ugly, and poor. I hated it and hated everyone, and I was so sad, but I couldn’t do anything about it because I was weak. But I’m a skilled mage now.”

Apathetically, Dorcianni continued,

“So, I’m going to kill everyone who insults me from now on. But I decided to be merciful and only chase those men away this time because you told me to stay quiet, Lady Tara, and you’re the one and only person in the world whom I like. But they just kept coming. Can I kill them already?”

Then, Dorcianni whispered in Ianna’s ear,

“This is my interpretation of Louise. What do you think? ……Ouch.”

Ianna brought her fist down against Dorcianni’s head.

“Don’t get too immersed in it.”

Ianna turned to Karnitz, who was cleaning up after the situation. The men looked lost before Karnitz, who looked obviously strong.

“But it’s all so fun. It reminds me of the novels I read because Louise said in her diary that they were good.”

“Novels? What novels?”

“One of them was called, ‘I Was a Lowly Pauper, But Then I Became an Archmage’.”

“What’s it about?”

“Exactly what it says in the title. In the beginning, an archmage who lorded over the world gets killed by his archnemesis. The mage didn’t want to die, so he cast a spell to take over someone else’s body, and his soul found the body of a dying pauper. But then the spell went wrong, and the archmage’s soul gets absorbed into the pauper’s soul, and the pauper gets all the archmage’s powers. Then, the pauper starts going around killing all the people who looked down on him. He gets revenge for the archmage too. It’s apparently really popular in Bahamut.”

“So the pauper obtained another’s strength without any effort on his part……. And this novel is popular in Bahamut?”

Dorcianni shrugged.

“People like it when they can have things for free. And they find vicarious satisfaction in fiction because reality is too hard for them. There’s another novel titled, ‘100 Ways for an Archmage to Live an Ordinary Life!’.”

“And what’s that one about?”

“It’s similar to the first novel, but this time, an archmage possesses a poor commoner’s body and absorbs his memories. But the archmage is apathetic and cruel. So everyone around him thought that the commoner’s personality suddenly changed overnight. The people who used to ignore the commoner start taking fright, and they become awe-struck every time the archmage begins revealing his true abilities one after another.”

“They really are similar.”

“I quite enjoyed reading them. The real Louise wrote in her diary that she wished an archmage would take over her body and destroy the world at least once a day. Isn’t it funny how it worked out? ‘Genius Witch and Archmage Dorcianni Becomes Poor and Pitiful Louise and Sets the World on Fire’. What do you think?”

Ianna pondered for a moment and asked,

“Are novels like that really that popular in Bahamut?”

“Yes, very. Especially because Bahamut society is so rigid. Even Bahamut doesn’t bother keeping people from being delusional.”

“Seems useful. But in any event, keep quiet for now.”

“Okay.”

Ianna turned back to Karnitz. The village chief and the aged knight had come running after someone had reported that foreigners had raised a hand against the locals.

They arrested the men and promptly began bowing at Karnitz’ feet. The frightened men who had poured ants in Dorcianni’s soup begged for Karnitz’ forgiveness. They were the picture-perfect example of exactly what kind of country the Bahamut Empire was.

Part 7

They woke up Isphee and Evelyn, who had been sleeping in the inn, and departed the village. The village chief had prepared an excellent carriage for them.

Karnitz stopped the carriage for a moment once they were outside the village to show Ianna the map.

“This is where we are right now.”

He was pointing to a rural region that was very far to the southeast of Takalon, the imperial capital. The map was riddled with large red dots, medium-sized blue dots, and small green dots. He explained,

“The red dots are large territories governed by nobles who rank count or higher, the blue dots are territories governed by nobles who serve beneath them, and the green dots are villages governed by village chiefs. There are also many small villages and wandering nomadic tribes that aren’t represented on this map.”

There were only a few red dots on the maps, and there were more blue dots than red ones. The small green dots either stuck close to the red or blue dots or were scattered in the rural regions.

“We can visit a few villages on the outskirts of the empire with a different disposition from the one we just visited first before heading over to a larger territory.”

“Understood. Oh, though I’m sure you’re already aware because you’ve read about it beforehand, but the people’s dispositions are largely grouped into three categories, though they may vary in intensity: Pro-Bahamut, neutral, and anti-Bahamut. The pro-Bahamut sentiment is exceptionally strong at the moment. And any territories that were pro-Bahamut to begin with have only grown even more so.”

Karnitz then pointed to a blue dot. He continued,

“Let me escort you to a pro-Bahamut territory nearby. You won’t even be able to compare it to the village we just came from.”

“Long live His Majesty!”

“All hail Bahamut!”

Bahamut flags fluttered in every direction and songs of praise for the empire filled the territory all day long. Every conversation you could hear was overflowing with patriotism.

The people not only wore the Bahamut flag around like mantles but also wore them on their clothes like badges. There was even a temple in the territory. But it wasn’t dedicated to Laos. It was a place where the people enshrined the Bahamut imperial family as gods and offered them their prayers. The people were so overflowing with sincerity that it almost felt like madness.

There was a statue that replicated Taylon, the newly crowned emperor, almost exactly standing in the central square. Someone was giving a speech in front of it.

“His Imperial Majesty Taylon Helkan Bahamut has declared that he will conquer the world. We must become as his blades. Let us slaughter the pigs and offer their lands to His Majesty!”

“Whoaa!”

The people threw their fists into the air as they cheered. Karnitz whispered in Ianna’s ear,

“There are many people in Bahamut who’ve completely surrendered to ‘optimism’ and follow the Bahamut imperial family. They take pride in the fact that they live in the strongest empire of the world.”

Time had made the people of Bahamut devout believers of the imperial family. The people of the North had frequently invaded the South to take over their lands since times immemorial, but there were many powerful countries in the South, like Roanne, that had made them swallow the bitter pill of defeat at every turn. It was only natural that they had been treated like savages.

It was none other than Bahamut that had turned the tides and had exercised a firm grip over the continent to this very day. Any country of the North could set any other country ablaze whenever they so wished. It wasn’t strange that they regarded the Bahamut imperial family as gods because the imperial family were the very people who had made that possible.

“This territory looks rather affluent.”

“Yes. People have fewer complaints against those in power when life is good —though I’m sure that’s the same anywhere you go.”

There was nothing more to see in this particular village. And so, they moved on to the next.

“All hail Bahamut!”

The third territory they visited had been anti-Bahamut just a few months ago, but it was leaning closer toward pro-Bahamut sentiments now.

They visit many more villages even after that.

Most of them viewed the imperial family in a positive light. It was only natural that the pro-Bahamut factions had grown, as most anti-imperial organizations had been purged. There were also many villagers who harbored discontent but still pretended to like the imperial family because they were terrified.

“Oh……. You’re a knight of Perzenus.”

But there were still quite a few villages that were subtle about their defiance, though they dared not be open about it. Those villages were never outright hostile toward Karnitz, but the villagers still visibly soured whenever they looked to Karnitz.

“Hand over everything you’ve got!”

They frequently encountered shabbily-clothed bandits as they travelled from village to village. They all tried to subdue Ianna’s party by brandishing their ferocious weapons at first.

But each and every one of them either turned tail or begged tearfully for their lives as soon as Karnitz flashed his knights’ badge. It was a testament to how terrifying an imperial knight was to the people.

“There are many people who live in poverty here.”

“Most people are like that. The only ways to obtain food without becoming a soldier are to become a nomad or to plunder it from others.”

This vast territory, the strongest nation in the world.

The descriptors alone made it seem like the empire would be filled with prosperous cities, but the wealth gap between the rich and the poor was everywhere you looked. There were more impoverished villages and roaming nomadic tribes in Bahamut than there were prosperous cities.

“Are we still only on the outskirts of Bahamut?”

Karnitz checked the map and the compass before he replied,

“Yes. Since Bahamut is so vast…….”

It truly was vast. They had been travelling for a few days now, but they were still in the outskirts. But it made sense, since the empire encompassed the entire North.

“Let us go to Maron now.”

Ianna had set Maron, an anti-imperial organization, as their destination now that they had visited several Bahamut villages and had grasped the atmosphere around them.

Maron was located in the Kenos lands. The Kenos lands was territory in eastern Bahamut governed sternly by Count Kenos, and the smaller territories surrounding it was also controlled by the count. House Kenos was powerful because it enjoyed the abundant bounties of the forests in its territory.

‘Count Kenos, was it?’

The Kenos lands were located where the capital of the fallen Kingdom of Etonine’s capital had once stood. The Kingdom of Etonine had been rich in history and had been continuing that history by paying exorbitant tributes to Bahamut, but then the greedy previous County Kenos, who had been a duke of Etonine at the time, had put an end to that. He had slaughtered the royal family of Etonine, blinded by his ambitions, and had sold the kingdom to Bahamut.

Duke Kenos had pledged to pay even greater tributes to Bahamut then the Kingdom of Etonine had and to always stand in the frontlines whenever war broke out. He had preferred to be the tail of a horse than the head of an ass, and he had then proceeded to climb up the ladder and become a part of the horse’s body.

The Bahamut Empire could have conquered the Kingdom of Etonine whenever they so pleased, with or without Duke Kenos’ help. After all, the other kingdoms in the North were already practically vassal states to Bahamut anyway. And the empire would have had the kingdoms in the south in her grasp too, had it not been for Roanne.

The reason why they hadn’t gone ahead and conquered everything was because it had been too much of a pain to manage all that land. Bahamut only conquered new lands after deciding on a ‘high-ranking supervisor native to that land’ to manage the territory on their behalf first. Generally, a powerful traitor to the country in question surrendered the country to Bahamut, became the supervisor, and was welcomed into the ranks of Bahamut nobility.

And so, Duke Kenos of the Kingdom of Etonine —now Count Kenos of the Bahamut Empire—, had borrowed the empire’s strength to devour everything that the kingdom had to offer and mercilessly eliminated the liberation army that had raised its arms up against him. Then, he had exploited the people of his lands to fill up his coffers. Thus, he was allowed to rule over his territory like a king in return for paying massive taxes to Bahamut.

And then, decades had passed.

The people, who had watched as the liberation army was annihilated like a tree being axed down, began to quiver. The former nobles of Etonine realized that the tides were completely against them and either began mooching off of Count Kenos, abandoned their peerage and lived as commoners, or went into hiding.

But their discontent toward Count Kenos was still simmering beneath the water’s surface. Ianna organized everything she had learned about the Kenos lands as she asked,

“You said that Maron was a group of Etonine nobles who had gone into hiding, correct?”

Karnitz, who was sitting next to her, said.

“Whoa, whoa.”

He pulled hard at the reins as they approached the end of the line of people who were trying to enter the Kenos lands. It was only after he had stopped the horses and they were standing in line that he answered,

“As far as I know, yes. But they probably also have other spies who are active outside the empire and members who are ‘anti-Bahamut’ but have nothing to do with Etonine otherwise.”

Maron, the radical organization that concealed themselves as they acted. Their actions could be broadly organized into three categories: gathering intelligence around eastern Bahamut, assassinating pro-Bahamut nobles, and annihilating pro-Bahamut territories using guerilla tactics. Karnitz continued,

“The people of Etonine were generally very nimble. They’re not as agile as elves, but I believe that they are the most agile among humans. They’re very suited for the tasks they carry out.”

This was good. Ianna was trying to accomplish something similar in Bahamut, and it was possible that they would help her.

They could even collaborate with Ex-knights later too. Ex-knights had no plans to lay a single finger on Etonine’s former lands after Bahamut had collapsed, so they would surely take her hand if she offered to help them rebuild their country.

“Then, Maron’s goal must be to rebuild Etonine, yes?”

“I was never able to hold a serious conversation about that with my senior, but I would assume that is the case. He helped me only as a personal friend when I first came to Bahamut and was settling down, but he asked me to help when they were ready to assassinate Count Kenos when we met again after I’d become an imperial knight.”

Ianna stared quietly at Karnitz’ profile.

Karnitz had aged just as Ianna had.

Ianna had experience positive growth in the Institution while they had been apart, but Karnitz had been struggling in Bahamut.

The line was growing shorter.

The guards standing at the gates looked bored and approached them when their carriage approached.

“Show us your iden……. Oh, Sir Ulter!”

But they recognized Karnitz upon sight. Karnitz Ulter was a prominent figure who had originated from the Kenos lands, and no knight of the territory worth their salt would fail to recognize him. The guard continued,

“Why are you here instead of in the capital?”

The guards had sparkles in their eyes. It almost looked like they went beyond respecting Karnitz and was actually in love with him instead.

“I’m on vacation with my wife. Can we come in?”

“But of course! Viscount Root Dorian will probably come running barefoot. Please, hurry inside.”

The knights let them through without even bothering to inspect the carriage.

Ianna looked at the knights before she turned back to Karnitz.

“There’s something that I’ve grown even more curious about now that I’ve learned more about Bahamut.”

“What is it?”

“How on earth did you adapt to Bahamut and become an imperial knight, Sir Ulter?”

She had simply thought that he had become an imperial knight on the merits of his strength alone back when she hadn’t known much about Bahamut culture.

Moreover, neither Karnitz nor Isphee had answered properly when Ianna had asked them how they had been living in Bahamut. Ianna hadn’t pressed the issue because she knew that they were avoiding the topic because they didn’t want to worry her.

But Ianna had changed her mind now that she had experienced Bahamut for herself.

It was impossible to climb up the social ladder in Bahamut just by strength alone. After all, there were always stronger people above you.

Even if you devoured the weak to climb higher, they would always be someone stronger who kept you in check. The weak bowed before the strong, but the strong was always wary of the weak because they might grow stronger and steal their place. That was why the strong always either brought the stronger weak over to their side or eliminated them before they could become a threat.

You could only climb higher after overcoming those checks first. And these fetters only continued until the very top of the chain of strength —the Bahamut imperial palace.

And the fight only grew fiercer and more ferocious as you moved closer to the heart of the capital. It was only by having both powerful strength and the ability to navigate shady dealings that one could reach the imperial palace —the zenith of Bahamut.

So how had Karnitz bested all of this and climb up to Perzenus, the third-ranking knight order in all of Bahamut? According to what Ianna had heard thus far, Karnitz’ senior hadn’t helped him all the way until he had become an imperial knight.

“Please explain everything to me properly.”

Karnitz saw the calm expression on Ianna’s mien and nodded.

“There’d be no point in hiding it now that you’re already all the way here, Miss. I was all right, but Isphee struggled a lot. But please promise me just one thing. Please promise me that you won’t blame yourself or apologize to Isphee or myself.”

Ianna could vaguely understand just how much hardship and adversity they had suffered when she heard what Karnitz had said. Ianna promised that she would try. Karnitz continued,

“We exchanged all the money you gave us when we parted ways for gold before we came to Bahamut. Then, just as the new semester in the Institution was about to begin, I sent a letter to ‘Root,’ a senior of mine whom I was close with, for a pricy fee.”

Karnitz had only attended the Institution for two years, but Root had continued to look after Karnitz until he graduated. Root had been pretending to be a commoner, but Karnitz had guessed that he was a foreign noble due to his looks and actions.

After he had graduated, Root had sought Karnitz out and confessed that he was a citizen of Bahamut who had once been a citizen of the fallen Kingdom of Etonine before they parted ways.

“The empire’s a giant pile of trash, but come find me if you ever happen to come to Bahamut. Though I doubt it’ll ever happen.”

Karnitz remembered what Root had said to him and, being as honest to a fault as he was, sent Root a sincere letter explaining that he wanted to become a citizen of Bahamut.

Many long years had passed since they had parted ways, but Root had still remembered Karnitz. In his reply, Root had written back as if he was addressing a distant relative from ‘House Dorian,’ a Bahamut viscounty.

You want to come here to ‘Kenos?’ I guess the little country bumpkin was blinded and got the wrong impression after visiting a large city for the first time. The Kenos lands are different from the nameless backwaters that you’re from. You’ll die if you come here ill-prepared. Don’t come here if you can help it. But I’ll send you a map so you won’t get lost just in case you insist. I’m only going to help you settle down —I can’t help you with anything else. It’s entirely on you whether you do well here or not! And anyway, you left your ID here the last time you visited, you fool. Just how stupid are you?

The letter had included a map and a fake ID. And no one would have doubted the contents of the letter even if they read it.

Afterward, Karnitz and Isphee had made their way to Bahamut through another country. They had just barely managed to reach Kenos after beating back every bandit and monster they crossed along the way.

“You’re really here?”

Root had looked incredulous as he verified Karnitz’s identity and found him a house. But that was all that he had done.

“I helped you because it looks like you genuinely want to become a citizen of Bahamut, but I really don’t know. You might be honest to a fault, but I know you’re not stupid, so I’ll trust that you’ll do fine for yourself. I have my hands full with my own work. I don’t have the time to look after some rascal who won’t even tell me who it is that you want to serve here in Bahamut.”

But Root continued to look after Karnitz despite what he had said. No one else welcomed Karnitz, who was posing as a distant relative of Root Dorian, a minor noble, and was practically a foreign commoner, to Bahamut.

That was when Karnitz’s tribulations began. He was scorned for being a country bumpkin, ignored, and even beaten. Ianna grew so enraged as she listened that she balled her hands into fists.

Karnitz hadn’t resisted the mistreatment. He had simply worked honestly, trained hard, ignored the insults that came his way, and done his best.

It had been so hard, but his honesty and strength had begun to shine through after a couple months. People had changed their opinion of him after watching his endless efforts, and people had begun to grow friendly with him. And his reputation had changed completely after he had raked in accomplishments to his name during the monster exterminations that he had been forced to participate in and was accepted into a nearby soldier training camp.

Karnitz had done remarkably well at the training camp and had been assigned to Takalon, the imperial capital, as a soldier.

There, his trials and tribulations had only grown more difficult.

He advanced through the ranks quickly because he was skilled. But it was in his personal relationships where he had nearly tripped.

“I nearly died several times over. And I was constantly lynched by my superiors because I rose in the rankings so quickly.”

“…….”

“But I was strong enough to fend off their attacks, and I simply did my work in silence and didn’t seek revenge after I’d become their superiors, and I ultimately became a knight of Perzenus. I only grew stronger still once I began taking Life, and I became a renowned figure from the Kenos lands —as I’m sure you saw earlier. But…”

There was a heavy look on Karnitz’s face as he hesitantly continued,

“Isphee miscarried once, actually.”

It had been due to the extreme stress of her situation. Isphee had been subject to the same territorial warfare that Karnitz had been exposed to, but she had not possessed Karnitz’s physical strength. Isphee had always smiled cheerfully so it would not show, but her accumulating fatigue had hurt the child she had been carrying instead.

Or, perhaps it had been because of the Life.

That was the first time that Karnitz had regretted his decision. He had shed tears as he asked Isphee if they should simply leave. But Isphee had refused. She had said that she needed to stay in Bahamut because her mistress was coming here.

And in the end, they had remained in Takalon and did their best to adapt to life in Bahamut even after sending away their first child so painfully.

Isphee’s efforts were not in vain. She had a discerning eye thanks to the good life she had lived in Roanne, and she had grown popular with the noble ladies in Takalon thanks to the hair and skin care she had learned for Ianna’s sake. She had also made many friends because she was so kind and bright —personality traits that were rare in Bahamut.

Slavery existed legally in Bahamut, but Karnitz and Isphee were not used to slavery and treated the slaves like they were any other people instead of with contempt. And so, the slaves favored them as well.

From slaves to nobles —they had quite the repertoire of personal connections.

And then, Evelyn had been born.

Karnitz turned to Ianna once he had finished his tale.

“…….”

Ianna was pressing against the bridge of her nose with her eyes squeezed shut.

“Please don’t apologize to us. We chose this. It’s because we worked so hard that we’re able to assist you now, Miss. And that’s what makes everything we’ve been through worth it.”

“I’m not going to apologize.”

Ianna waved her hand and smiled with her pallid visage. She continued,

“I want to thank you. Thanks —I mean it. I’ll tell Isphee later. Oh, I need to be polite with you right now. Thank you so much, Sir Ulter.”

She was so emotionally shaken that she had forgotten their current circumstances.

“You’re welcome. Anyway, Isphee’s going to nag me for at least a week for telling you all this, Miss. How terrifying,”

Karnitz joked as he pretended not to have noticed how shaken Ianna was. Then, he said,

“We’ve arrived.”

The carriage was stopped in front of a large manor.

“Sir Ulter!”

The knights guarding the gates recognized Karnitz at once. Karnitz jumped down from the carriage and shook their hands.

“Have you all been well?”

“But of course. Things must’ve been going well for you too, Sir Ulter, judging by the color of your complexion. But why were you driving the carriage personally? And this person here is……?”

“I decided to drive personally because there are people who are precious to me inside the carriage. And this person here is an important guest of mine.”

“Oho.”

The wary knights’ eyes immediately took on the light of goodwill as soon as Karnitz had called Ianna his guest.

“She’s a very strong mercenary.”

“Oh? You must be someone special indeed if even Sir Ulter acknowledges you. This way, please, Lady Mercenary.”

The knights looked curious as they looked at Ianna. They were trying to gauge just how strong she was.

“My wife and daughter, a mage friend of mine, a young girl, and her cat are inside the carriage.”

“No wonder you were driving the carriage personally, Sir Ulter. Oh, we should hurry inside.”

The guards allowed Karnitz inside the manor without bothering to ask permission from the manor’s master. It was a testament to just how much they trusted him.

Karnitz parked the carriage in front of the manor with familiar ease. The butler, who had already heard the news, bowed in a right-angle from his waist as he waited outside.

“Welcome back.”

“It’s been a while, Butler.”

“Almost half a year, yes? How was your vacation to the South? My master was very worried for you, the situation being what it is, and I’m sure he’ll be glad to know of your safe return, Sir Ulter. He’s out at the moment, but I’m sure he’ll be back soon since I’ve let him know that you’re here.”

Then, the butler turned to Ianna and continued,

“Any guest of Sir Ulter’s is an esteemed guest of our house. You are welcome here.”

“Thank you.”

“Please come inside. Your rooms have already been cleaned, so you may rest comfortably if you wish. I will take care of the carriage.”

Karnitz and Ianna helped the other off the carriage one at a time before they entered the manor as a group. They were unpacking when they suddenly heard a loud noise from downstairs.

“Karnitz!”

Ianna opened the door and stepped outside her room. She looked down from the banister to find a man, whom she assumed was Root Dorian, holding Karnitz in a bear hug.

Part 8

Everyone congregated in the sitting room.

“Bring us the most expensive wine we have in the manor, Butler. And the most extravagant meal we can prepare. It’s only right to eat expensive food on a happy day like this,”

Root commanded while grinning ear to ear, and the butler nodded back before stepping outside the door. Then, Root continued,

“Why don’t we have ourselves a proper conversation now?”

Ianna stole a glance at Root as he clapped his hands.

Root was a middle-aged man with a slender frame. He was also skilled at controlling mana, judging by how refined and subdued the mana was around him. He also had a great physique, and his muscles were packed tightly around his frame. The balance of his physique and his habits suggested that he was a skilled swordsman who favored a curved blade.

“Are you back from vacation? And here I thought that you might disappear for good.”

“Why wouldn’t I come back? House Dorian, which vouched for my identity, would fall to ruin if I didn’t.”

“I know —and I trusted that you’d come back. You’re not an ungrateful bastard.”

Ianna, who had tried to persuade Karnitz into betraying Bahamut at every chance she got, felt ashamed. Karnitz and Root looked as close as brothers who had grown up together. That they respected and cared for each other was as clear as day.

Ianna reflected on herself for having ignored the personal relationships that Karnitz had worked hard to nurture.

Root greeted Isphee politely as well.

“Did you enjoy your trip, Madam?”

“Yes. It was like a wonderful dream.”

“Goodness. And yet you still walked back to this hell on your own two feet……. If only this country could hurry up and become heaven already, if only for our little Evelyn’s sake. Speaking of which, Evelyn’s grown a lot bigger since the last time I saw her. It looks like going on vacation did her some good.”

“And I’m glad for it. Would you like to try holding her?”

Isphee stood up, walked up to Root, and placed Evelyn in his arms. Root smiled as if he was looking at the cutest thing in the world.

“Your uncle’s so happy that you’ve grown up so strong, Evelyn. Keep on growing until you’re as big and as strong as a great man.”

“Kyaah!”

Evelyn balled her hands into fists and waved them. Root gave Evelyn back to her mother before he turned to the strangers in the room.

“And who might these people be?”

Karnitz hesitated instead of replying immediately. He was loath to lie to his senior who was like a brother to him and had helped him at every turn.

Ianna took notice of Karnitz’s hesitated and introduced herself and the others in his stead.

“I am Tara Srion. I’m the third daughter of Baron Srion. And this here is my friend Louise, who is both a mage and a commoner. We’re mercenaries.”

“Oh my, those cookies are from the Romance Bakery. They’re quite expensive, you know?”

Dorcianni looked interested in the cookies that the butler had brought over. She was being quite rude for someone posing as a commoner sitting before the nobility. But Root wasn’t one to pay that any heed.

“And these two are Lyel and Butterfly —Lyel is a war orphan under my care. We met Sir Ulter by chance while traveling abroad, and we became good friends because we got along well.”

But Ianna wasn’t quite done yet, and she added,

“And that’s how the story goes.”

“Hmm? What a peculiar thing to say. Do you mean to suggest that these aren’t your real identities?”

“Indeed.”

“Miss Tara?”

Karnitz turned to Ianna in alarm. They had decided beforehand that Ianna and the others would keep their real identities completely concealed. But Ianna simply waved to convey that it was all right.

Root sighed from the preposterousness of it all.

“You should have concealed yourself completely if you meant to keep your identity a secret —why would you say that to me?”

“Because you’re someone important to Sir Ulter, Viscount. I didn’t want this to sour your relationship later, and I didn’t want Sir Ulter to feel guilty about lying to you either.”

“…….”

Root narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Ianna before he turned back to Karnitz.

“Is she someone I can trust?”

“Yes. Miss Tara is someone truly precious to me.”

“Very well. I’ll take your story at its face. It’s nice to meet you, Miss Tara.”

The light playfulness that Root had worn while speaking to Karnitz and Isphee had been wiped off his face, and he greeted Ianna as the master of the manor. He continued,

“I am Root Dorian. I’m a knight of the Kenos lands, a viscount, and I am also in charge of gathering intelligence. What brings you to these lands?”

“I have something to discuss with you.”

“With me? You’ll need to go to the castle if you have business in the Kenos lands.”

“It’s a personal endeavor. Can you please take Lyel and Butterfly upstairs with you to rest, Madam?”

“I’ll do that.”

Isphee took the children away with her without much resistance.

“Please have your subordinates step back. That includes the guards in the ceiling as well.”

Root furrowed his brows.

He was alarmed. He had heard that Karnitz had told the knights that Tara was a skilled mercenary. He had expected her to be fairly skilled, but to think that she had even noticed the guards in the ceiling? They were all warriors who were as strong as middle-ranking imperial knights, and they had been hiding their presences too…….

Root frowned.

“Are you planning to have me assassinated after I remove my guards?”

“It was Sir Ulter who brought me here. If you trust him, then please trust me too. You are Sir Ulter’s benefactor, and I vow that I will never bring you harm.”

Root scratched his head. Tara had called him Karnitz’s benefactor, which meant that she knew the true nature of their relationship. And even Karnitz, as honest and upright as he was, had gone out of his way to lie for her. Root didn’t know how they were related, but he was certain that she was someone incredibly important to Karnitz.

Who was this woman?

“Very well. Butler, and all of you above —stand back.”

Root’s men were hesitant, but the obeyed in the end. Root continued,

“Just how important is this matter that you want to discuss with me that you’d even have me remove my guards? —I’m starting to get quite nervous. Please tell me now.”

“I am going to open the warehouses of the Kenos lands and assassinate the count.”

“Right. Open the warehouses and assassin……. What?”

She had spoken so nonchalantly, as if she had simply been asking for a meal. Root hadn’t fully comprehended what she had said at first, and he was so shocked when it finally hit him that he jumped out from his seat.

“What do you think you’re saying to a faithful retainer of Count Kenos’?! There’s a limit to how much I’m willing to tolerate just because you’re Karnitz’s friend! I’m going to report you to the castle at once!”

Root raged like a blazing fire.

“Sir.”

Root, who was furious, immediately grasped the situation when Karnitz called out to him. There was lightning flashing from his eyes as he said,

“You damned prick. You told her, didn’t you? How much did you tell her?”

“I told her about Maron and Etonine…….”

“You told her everything! Ugh, I’m so disappointed in you! I get that she’s important to you, but how could you just go and spill my secrets like that? Do you think we’re playing games here?!”

“Please don’t scold Sir Ulter.”

Root glared at Ianna, and she continued,

“Sir Ulter is a faithful retainer of mine, and he is unable to disobey my orders.”

“Your faithful retainer?”

But only the imperial family could be considered Karnitz’s lieges. Root continued,

“What are you……?”

But just as he was about to shout and ask what this was all about. He suddenly recalled a certain issue that he had been curious about but had buried deep inside his memories because he hadn’t been able to obtain an answer. Back when Karnitz had sent him a letter so long ago…….

Root stared at Ianna in disbelief.

“A few years ago, Karnitz said that he wanted to move to Bahamut because there was someone he wanted to serve here. But he wouldn’t tell me who it was no matter how many times I asked. That wouldn’t be you, would it?”

“It is.”

“Is this true, Karnitz?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“What are you? A duchess? Marchioness? Are you from another country? Or are you someone from Bahamut who lived in Roanne while attending the Institution?”

Root stood in place as he mumbled before he suddenly plopped back down to his seat. He continued,

“But I still can’t just accept the fact that he told you my secrets. I mean, how did that even happen? Did you force him to talk about Maron, Miss Tara?”

Calmly, Ianna replied,

“I asked Sir Ulter for a Bahamut-based organization whom I might be able to work with. And I’m sure that Sir Ulter only introduced me to Maron because he’s close to you and he thought we could be helpful to you too. Isn’t that so, Sir Ulter?”

“Yes.”

Karnitz turned to Root with a sincere expression on his face and continued,

“Please trust me, Sir. Little Tara is a truly remarkable person. I’m certain that her assistance will be invaluable to Maron. And I’ll be doing my best to help you too.”

Root, who did in fact like what he was hearing all things despite, grumbled for the sake of grumbling.

“Do you even know what my objectives are?”

“Isn’t it to get revenge and rebuilt Etonine?”

“Damn you —you know that and you’re still going on about helping me or whatnot? And why the hell should I believe the words of some madwoman who’s keeping her real identity from me while she runs her mouth about opening Count Kenos’ warehouses and assassinating him?”

Root sighed. Then, he continued,

“But I’ll trust you anyway. I know what kind of bastard you are, Karnitz.”

Then, Root turned to Ianna with the displeasure of a father looking at his son-in-law.

He had known why Karnitz had decided to move to Bahamut, but he had still tried his best to coax Karnitz into becoming his own man anyway. But that was all a lost cause now that the master in person had shown up.

Root steeled his heart and sat facing Ianna sincerely now that everyone was on the same page.

“I never cooperate with someone who doesn’t trust me with their real identity, but I’ll make a special exception for you just this one time. Were you serious when you said you were planning to assassinate Count Kenos? Well, you can’t. Not only is this a terrible time to kill him, but we will be the ones to do the deed when the right time comes.”

“I never said that I’d have him killed immediately or that I wanted to kill him personally. I was only trying to pique your interest.”

And she most certainly had. The edges of Root’s lips twitched.

“Very well. Then, what are you planning to do immediately?”

“I am going to spark the seeds of rebellion in Bahamut?”

“Rebellion?”

Everything she said was only growing more ludicrous by the minute. Root continued,

“Do you even have any idea what kind of country this is and what it’s doing right now? Are you foreign?”

“I’m well aware of the current situation. I did a lot of studying before arriving here in the Kenos lands, and I’ve visited several villages along the way.”

“And you’re saying that even still? The emperor has drawn his sword. He’ll execute anyone at the slightest provocation. Now is the time to hide and survive, even if it means bringing everything else to a lull. We have to focus on the war with Ex-knights and Roanne, just as the emperor wants.”

“You’re more of a coward than I thought. And here I was getting my hopes up because I was told you were a radical organization.”

Root scowled heavily.

“This is reality. And it’s not just me —everyone in Bahamut thinks this way right now. A rebellion? Defying the monsters that are the Bahamut imperial family is the very definition of insanity. It’ll be impossible to mobilize the people no matter what you do, especially right now.”

“I said that I’d spark the seeds —I never said anything about nurturing those seeds into large trees.”

Root looked perplexed, prompting Ianna to continue,

“The people of Bahamut are like seeds trapped under permafrost. I am going to roll away the stones of fear from above them and help them so they can finally sprout.”

“Please explain that to me in more concrete terms.”

“I am going to let the people experience a form of ‘justice’ that is different from Bahamut’s definition of ‘justice.’”

Bahamut was a country that perfectly embodied the law of the jungle.

Ex-knights was similar to Bahamut in the sense that she had also accepted the law of the jungle to some degree because it was impossible to deny outright. But if Ex-knights was holding tightly to the reins of a well-trained horse, then Bahamut was racing on a wild horse and whipping it to go faster.

Ex-knights provided the weak with the means to climb up the social ladder through laws and other institutional means, but in Bahamut, people could only rely on themselves to climb up the ladder regardless of whether they were weak or strong. The laws in Bahamut incited anyone with skill to either devour the people standing above them or crawl at their betters’ feet.

It made sense for a country that had been established by a monster that had devoured all by the merit of his strength alone and had started from the very bottom and climbed up to the very top.

The weak only knew misfortune under Bahamut’s system of justice.

Everyone in Bahamut was unfortunate, save for one.

After all, everyone beneath the Bahamut emperor was weaker than someone else.

Those who lived as the weak for a long period of time would eventually be eaten away by their feelings of defeat and resign themselves to it. They would forget their will to grow and freeze in place. But what would happen if the obstacles were removed and they were shown a completely different world?

Some of the seeds would never wake, but others would start to sprout.

And those were the seeds of rebellion.

That was all that Ianna would do in Bahamut.

‘It’s not like they’re my people.’

The seeds would be crushed by colossal stones once more when Ianna left Bahamut. But the seeds that had sprouted once would remember, and they would push aside the stones themselves and grow again after Ex-knights toppled Bahamut.

Root looked curious as he asked,

“And what is this other form of justice that you speak of?”

“I will show you with my actions and not my words.”

“Very well. But what exactly will you do to prepare the foundations for a rebellion? Please at least give me a general summary.”

“Louise will take the lead in that.”

“Hmm? I will?”

Dorcianni, who had been completely engrossed in the cookies, finally paid attention to something that wasn’t confectionary when she was suddenly called.

“Louise here is a very powerful mage. She hates the strong and sympathizes with the weak because she was mistreated in the past.”

Ianna had completely revised her plans on her way to the Kenos lands. Originally, ‘Tara Srion’ was supposed to bring about the winds of change in Bahamut after obtaining enlightenment during her time in Ex-knights captivity, but after some thought, Ianna decided that it would be better to put ‘Louise’ in the limelight and have Tara be the supporting cast instead.

Ianna had drawn inspiration from the novels that Dorcianni had told her about. If those were the kinds of stories that were popular in Bahamut, then acting out the plot of a novel would not only help spread the news about their deeds but would also make it easier to shake the people’s hearts.

“In short, I am going to either assassinate leaders who have a poor reputation among the people or hang them half-dead in the plaza. I’m also going to open the warehouses and give out the goods as relief to the people of the lowest social stratum. I’ll clean up some bandits too, while I’m at it……. This isn’t everything, but this is generally how I’m going to set the foundations for my plans.”

Root snuck a glance at Dorcianni, whom he had been largely ignoring until now. He pitied the terrible burn scars on her face. He had thought that she might have lost some of her mental faculties when she was burned because she had been so engrossed in the cookies while a serious conversation was taking place around her. Evidently, however, she was simply a whimsical mage.

“Are you trying to enact the novels I told you about, Lady Tara?”

Dorcianni immediately grasped what Ianna was trying to do.

“Yes.”

“Sounds fun. I’ll do my best.”

Karnitz and Root, who had no idea what the two women were talking about, were left confounded.

Karnitz kept his silence because he trusted that Ianna would figure something out, but Root didn’t know her nearly as well and cautioned her because he thought she was making too light of the situation.

“So in conclusion, are you planning to correct the people of Bahamut’s way of thinking by showing them ‘good deeds?’ But Miss Tara, such half-hearted attempts will never be enough to change Bahamut. Everyone here is a coward.”

Root was skeptical. He continued,

“Besides, there are already a few people in Bahamut who do such things. And they’re always captured and beheaded in the plaza. There’s so much blood in the air right now that all the seeds have dried up.”

“…….”

“And this will surely be your fate as well. Don’t do this.”

“I didn’t come here to receive your permission. I came here to offer you a proposal as equals.”

Root flinched. Ianna continued,

“I’m grateful for your concern, but you’ve crossed the line. I’ve had enough of your pessimism and sarcasm.”

Root was rendered speechless with Ianna frigidly drew the line. Even he understood that he had been rude.

“I only said that because I was worried. What will you do if an imperial knight order is dispatched here?”

“Then I will simply eliminate them. I am not going to die, and I will figure out a way to resolve the problems you presented —all you have to do is to decide whether you’ll help me or not.”

Root made a face.

He remembered that the woman sitting before him was Karnitz’s master.

“You aren’t stronger than Karnitz, are you?”

“I am nothing compared to her, Sir. Lady Tara is my teacher who taught me how to wield the sword properly.”

“…….”

Root dropped his jaw.

Who are you?

Just who the hell are you?

“Perzenus, the third imperial knight order, is as far up the ladder as anyone can go in Bahamut because only monsters who’ve abandoned everything but loyalty and power can join Pakalatua, the first imperial knight order, and it’s flat out impossible to join Zeigellant, the second imperial knight order. Count Kenos elevated me from a baron to a viscount purely on account of my friendship with Karnitz.”

Root, who had been dumbfounded for a moment, was so excited that he was practically spitting. He continued,

“May I assume that you are as strong as the Knights of Pakalatua?”

“I am stronger than them.”

Root thought his curiosity might drive him insane. His curiosity was whipping his brain to come up with a guess. Fortunately, Root was quite smart. He instantly poured out everything he knew about Karnitz into his mind like he was cutting open a bag of wheat.

Female, swordswoman, incredible skill, someone who wants to see Bahamut fall, Karnitz’s master and teacher, Karnitz’s birthplace, Roanne, Roberstein…

And Root ultimately found his answer.

Roberstein.

Ianna Ex-knights Rise!

Karnitz hadn’t said a single word about House Roberstein ever since he had first come to Bahamut, and Root had ignored that entire line of thinking because he had mistakenly thought that the person whom Karnitz wanted to serve was from Bahamut.

But now that he thought about it, Karnitz was such an honest and upright man that he would never forsake someone whom he had already accepted as his master.

“There is nothing that you need to be worried about.”

Root snapped back to his senses. He gulped.

“H-how could I not? My situation will flip on its head as soon as I take your hand.”

There was a thrill in his voice that he could not hide no matter how hard he pretended otherwise.

“I will ensure that you don’t fall into danger.”

Root dissected Ianna’s unmoving features as he heard her calm yet firm words.

If, just if, it’s really her……. Then maybe…….

‘Ugh, hell if I know.’

She had guaranteed that he would not be in danger, so Root decided to do as Ianna wanted —come hell or high waters.

“What sort of help do you want from me? And what can you do for me in return?”

“I want information pertaining to eastern Bahamut from you, and I will destroy Bahamut for you in return.”

Hers was a simple yet incredible answer.

All Root could do was nod back.

“Yes, yes. Well, I suppose it’s always better to dream big. I’d have nothing else to wish for if that came true.”

Ianna had realized that Root had grasped her true identity when he had suddenly tensed up.

‘It’s about time.’

She had thought that he would notice immediately, but it had taken him longer than she had anticipated.

Ianna had decided to trust Root, whom Karnitz treated like a real brother. That was why she had tossed him so many hints. It would be easier to gain his full cooperation if he knew who she really was.

“You only need to provide me with the details regarding any evil nobles. There’s a limit to how much information I can obtain on my own in Bahamut.”

But Ianna decided to feign ignorance. It was better for her to never take off her mask as Tara while she was still inside Bahamut. It would be troublesome for her if Root slipped up while alternating between addressing her as both ‘Ianna’ and ‘Tara.’

“I understand. You did well to come find me. Maron has a tight grasp over the flow of information in eastern Bahamut.”

Root was only nervous about suddenly meeting the greatest weapon of Ex-knights for but a moment and gradually began to adapt. His expressions changed from the face of a man who didn’t know what to do with himself to the stiff resolution of a determined man. He continued,

“Maron welcomes the opportunity to work with you, my lady. And now that we’ve taken each other’s hands, I’ll tell you a secret that I haven’t even told Karnitz yet as proof of my trust.”

Ianna felt no strict need to hear this secret, but Root was going out of his way to reveal his weaknesses and bind himself to secrecy and she had no reason to stop him. Ianna nodded, and Root took in a deep breath before he said,

“I am the leader of Maron, and I am also the last living royal of the Kingdom of Etonine.”

Ianna had already assumed that Root was the ultimate authority in Maron, considering that he was deciding on the organization’s course of action without consulting its other members, but she hadn’t expected him to be royalty.

“Doesn’t Bahamut slaughter the royal families of all the kingdoms they conquer?”

“My mother was born as the result of a one-night fling between the king and my grandmother. No one outside the household knew that my mother had royal blood flowing in her veins because the house covered everything up. But she passed away after I was born, so I am the only surviving royal now.”

He had revealed his secret to Maron, a secret organization, only after he had nurtured his skills and finished his preparations. Maron had accepted him as their leader because having royal blood was one of the best ways to rally forces.

Root had revealed this secret to Ianna because he wanted to cooperate with Ex-knights in secret.

He smiled.

“I will begin working at once. I’ll have some material prepare for you in a few days’ time. Let us conclude our meeting for now since the clock is ticking.”

“Very well.”

Root was very assertive, much to Ianna’s surprise. But Root, who had looked like he would spring out of the room at once, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“You said that you wanted to destroy Bahamut. Do you also want to take over Bahamut’s land once the empire has fallen?”

“I am not interested in land,”

Ianna replied immediately because she recognized Root’s concerns. She continued,

“You are free to take over all of Bahamut’s lands yourself if you wish, provided that Etonine is capable of digesting it. But do be careful not to bite off more than you can chew.”

“No, there’s no need for that. All I want is to recover our former territory.”

Root grinned in relief.

~~*~~

Ianna and Dorcianni met with Karnitz and Isphee a few days later.

“We’ll part ways for a bit here.”

Karnitz and Isphee would return to Takalon, the imperial capital, and gauge the atmosphere while gathering information while Ianna and Dorcianni were traveling around the continent.

“I’ll leave everything in your care.”

Ianna extended her hands.

“Please leave it to us.”

“We’ll do our best.”

Karnitz and Isphee squeezed her hands tightly. Ianna held their hands for a long time in her worry. Once she had finally let go, she then turned to Elly, who was standing beside her while hugging Nissi tightly in her arms with sparkles in her eyes.

“Go with Karnitz and Isphee, Elly. Stay with them until I come back to fetch you.”

“I don’t want to! I want to go with you, Miss. If you leave me behind again, then I’m going to run away and follow you in secret. Mr. Karnitz won’t be able to catch me.”

Karnitz gauged Ianna’s reaction, perhaps because he was embarrassed by the fact that what Elly had said was true. Ianna simply stared back at the girl.

“I know what you’re planning to do here, Miss,”

Elly boldly continued.

“Were you eavesdropping again?”

“It just kind of happened…….”

Ianna had easily noticed Root’s guards who had been hiding stealthily in the ceiling, but she hadn’t sensed Elly’s tiny presence at all. It looked like Elly hadn’t moved a single muscle as she eavesdropped. Elly continued,

“I can be useful to your plans, you know?”

Elly took off her bag and pulled out a pouch made from black silk. She shook out its contents in her petite hand to reveal something that looked like a bunch of black sesame seeds.

“These seeds are grains and vegetables that can grow in the North too. Lady Mage Lindsay and the elves made improvements to the plants they found in the Great Forest of Shaob. I learned how to cultivate them, so why don’t we hand these out and teach people how to grow them while we travel?”

“Those are amazing plants.”

How nice would it have been if they had developed such plants sooner? But they were the result of Lindsay, the Archmage of Earth, visiting the Great Forest of Shaob where the elves lived, obtaining the seeds, and applying all the long decades of research she had conducted before that. Now was the only time that these seeds of chance could possibly make their entrance. Ianna continued,

“It would’ve been nice if there had been grains that could grow in the North from the very beginning.”

Ianna understood that neither Laos, the spirits, nor Phaemdra were omnipotent. But shouldn’t it have been easy for them to create plants that could grow in the North? Why had they made the South fertile but left the North barren?

“According to what I’ve heard from Lady Frillianu, Lady Tara,”

Dorcianni whispered in her ear. She continued,

“Plants couldn’t grow in the North not only because the climate is too cold but also because of the Demon’s and Bahamut’s combined influences. God Laos never wanted this to happen to the land, but there was nothing he could do about it.”

It made sense.

Ianna was certain that the seeds and seedlings that Elly had brought would give rise to a special change in Bahamut, be it large or small.

“How much did you bring?”

“My bag is a space artefact. I brought enough to fill it to the brim.”

“Why did you bring so much?”

“I packed a whole bunch as soon as I heard that you were going to Bahamut. I thought it’d be nice to share with the people here! And I brought other seeds besides vegetable seeds and seedlings too. I don’t think you noticed, but I’ve already started sowing them little by little.”

Ianna stared carefully as Elly grinned from ear to ear before she gently shook her head. Trying to understand the child’s peculiar but timely actions only made her head hurt. Elly continued,

“Actually, the real reason why I want to follow you…”

Elly suddenly raised Nissi up in the air.

“…Is because Butterfly wants to nyoom all over the North!”

“Meow?”

Nissi sounded petulant, like she had no idea what on earth Elly was talking about.

“Nissi’s been in a real bad mood while we’ve been traveling around Bahamut lately. She says that there are a lot of bad auras in the North.”

“Hmmm.”

Ianna, who had some idea about what Elly was referring to, brought her hand up to her chin.

Ianna had also felt something similar as they toured southern and eastern Bahamut. There was something bleak and evil lingering over the entirety of Bahamut.

The lands of the North had been dying for decades, according to the information she had gathered. Even plants that had used to grow in the North just fine had been failing to sprout as of late. This was why the people’s craving to occupy the South had only grown worse.

Ianna assumed that the land’s dying wasn’t only the result of Bahamut’s and the Demon’s influences, as Dorcianni suggested, but also because of all the countless unfair deaths that had seeped into the land. It was similar to the desert of death she had seen in Sidian.

“But the land returns to its original form to some degree when Butterfly walks over it.”

Ianna paused.

“That’s possible? Is that some kind of special power?”

“I don’t know.”

Nissi shook her head from side to side. Elly continued,

“But I guess it’s possible because Butterfly’s a special cat. Right, Butterfly?”

“Meow……,”

Nissi mewed flatly. Ianna could generally understand what the cat was feeling from her mews, perhaps because she had spent so much time with the cat by now.

Whatever.

Nissi didn’t seem very enthusiastic, despite what Elly had claimed. Now that Ianna thought about it, Elly always put Nissi in the limelight and took a step back herself when she was trying to do what she wanted to do.

Ianna looked between them in turns and sighed.

“We’re not here to play.”

“I know that.”

“You might end up seeing some truly cruel things.”

“I’ve already watched countless people die.”

Her words were dispassionate and unsuited for a child. Ianna looked back at Elly as she felt that something was off. Nonchalantly, Elly continued,

“I want to watch your brilliant exploits from right up close.”

Then again, it wasn’t right to simply shelter the child in this age of chaos. Elly would grow up to be someone important in the future, so she needed to experience a large variety of things both good and bad.

This was only an excuse, of course. Children were meant to be protected, and Ianna would have sent Elly back regardless of her future had she been an ordinary child.

But Elly was a special child who had some kind of connection with Laos. She was hiding a suspicious secret.

Surely, Elly had a reason for wanting to stick with her so desperately. In that case, it wasn’t a terrible idea to bring Elly with her and investigate the child’s secrets.

“Fine. You can come with me. But you’re not allowed to leave my side.”

“Okay! Yay!”

Elly threw her hands into the air.

Ianna tussled Elly’s hair before she bid farewell to Karnitz and Isphee.

“Let us meet again later, Sir Ulter, Madam Isphee.”

“Yes, my best wishes to you.”

“Do your best, Miss!”

Ianna turned her back toward them. Dorcianni whistled as walked next to Ianna, and a small girl and her cat skipped behind him.

—“Reconnaissance” End

—To be continued in Volume 11