Chapter 513 — Arc 8, Chapter 1 - “Change of Victory Conditions”

――The battle between the Imperial Forces and the rebels that had begun on the battlefield of Lupugana, the Imperial Capital of the Vollachian Empire, had entered its final phase, scattering the seeds of chaos throughout the country.

The same could have been true of the death of “Vincent Vollachia”, who had been killed by a bullet of light, in front of the throne within the Crystal Palace, the innermost part of the Imperial Capital. The Nine Divine Generals who were ordered to guard the city walls protecting the Imperial Capital had abandoned their duties, with the sudden arrival of unknown fighters in the battlefield, in addition to the mysterious group from the west that had opened a massive hole in the front line, which most certainly had contributed to the chaos scattered throughout the city. There was no doubt that these too were seeds of chaos.

However, currently, the location of the seed that had grown the most in this situation of war had been――,

Vincent: [――Obey me! The situation is already no longer in the realm of armed conflict between the Imperial Army and the insurgents! The intervention of a third party force has changed the conditions of victory!]

Standing upon a pile of debris, a man raised his voice on an impromptu stage.

He was a handsome man, with sharp black eyes, tinged with a heated intellect, dried blood clinging to his black hair, and a voice that carried well even on a roaring battlefield.

In a battlefield dominated by violence―― no, in the Vollachian Empire dominated by violence, one might only wonder what could possibly attract people to the impotent figure of this man.

No one ridiculed the man, even if they wished to. They just turned their attention and listened.

The blood of the Emperor that flowed through his veins, the way of being that the man himself had defined, would not allow listeners to turn their ears away from the voice that was raised on an unshapely pedestal.

――From Vincent Vollachia himself, who shouted from atop the rubble as the Emperor.

Everyone: [――――]

Vincent’s loud declaration had been heard by a distinguished lineup of people.

Lined up were Goz Ralfon and Olbart Dunkelkenn, both members of the Nine Divine Generals, as well as Berstetz Fondalfon, the Imperial Prime Minister, and even Ubilk the Stargazer, who had been allowed entry into the Imperial Palace in a special role.

Considering which side each had been on during the conflict just before, the attendees were such that one could easily say having them be face to face at such a distance, standing unguarded, was a rather fatal thing.

However――,

Vincent: [Moguro Hagane is suppressing him, but the one they are facing in the sky above is Balleroy Temeglyph, who is supposed to be dead. Somehow, he has risen with his own beloved dragon.]

Berstetz: [I have a message for you on this matter. ――I encountered Her Excellency Lamia Godwin in the audience chamber. I believe it is the same person as she was back then.]

Goz: [Why you! That report should be raised by me! Your Excellency! It was not only Lamia who was present, but also other members of the royal family who perished in the Imperial Selection Ceremony!]

To Vincent’s words, Berstetz and Goz responded.

Goz, who had remained unchangeably loyal to Vincent, despite his disappearance, was still vexed by Berstetz’s switch.

Nevertheless, since Berstetz’s original concern was the prosperity of the Vollachian Empire, the old man’s attitude could be described as natural when it came to a situation where the very existence of the Empire was at stake.

Once these ramblings had been dismissed as trivial, Vincent’s concerns were narrowed.

Vincent: [Ubilk, you knew about the cause of the Great Disaster beforehand. If that is the case, do Balleroy Temeglyph, Lamia, and the other Imperial family members reviving constitute the Great Disaster?]

Ubilk: [Regarding that matter, I can say “yes” and “no” to that, Your Excellency. The whispers told me that Vincent Vollachia’s death would be the trigger for the Great Disaster, and I plotted aaall~ kinds of schemes to prevent the downfall of the Empire…]

Vincent: [You were not aware of the details?]

Ubilk nodded with a carefree look on his face and answered, “Yeees~, that’s right.”

The answer was somewhat expected, but the certainty gained was beneficial to Vincent. Ubilk and his fellow Stargazers were in opposition to the Great Disaster, which was evident in the fact that they had saved Vincent from a fall.

Vincent: [If that is the case, in the current situation, your presence is currently outside of our consideration. Maneuver only not to die.]

Goz: [Your Excellency! Please leave this situation to me, and put your own safety first! I, Goz Ralfon, will do everything in my power to redeem myself for my absence――]

Vincent: [――Silence.]

Goz: [――!]

Glancing at a heated Goz, Vincent, with a single word, crushed his momentum.

Goz wanted a chance to prove his loyalty to the Emperor and redeem himself for being late at a crucial time, but his work had been sufficient when he had let Vincent escape from Chisha’s rebellion in the first place.

If it had not been for Goz’s hard fight, Vincent would have been captured by Chisha, and it was highly possible that even this situation could not have been created in the Imperial Capital. Yes, this situation had been created.

Vincent: [――――]

Vincent placed a hand on his chin and drew a mental map of the Imperial Capital, piecing together the situation.

Although the loss of blood and the exhaustion of his body were affecting his ability to think, fortunately, the pain in his collarbone from being struck by Chisha in the throne room was awakening his consciousness. His determination was also strong.

He did not think that even this pain was part of Chisha’s plan, but――,

Cecilus: [Um, sorry to interrupt while everyone’s chattering, but I have a role to enchant the world in my own way. Is it okay if I excuse myself?]

Goz: [What!? General Cecilus!? What are you talking about!?]

Cecilus: [Well, I occasionally hear about this Mr. General person, but I’m not really interested, so it doesn’t really stick in my mind. Maybe you’ve mistaken me for someone else? It would be quite a pity for this Mr. General person to get compared to me in that case!]

In this situation, it was not just Vincent’s mind that was whirring and spinning around.

Moreover, within a radius of several tens of meters―― which was just one step for the huge body of Moguro―― the battle against the duo of the Cloud Dragon Mezoreia and Balleroy continued.

The water from the shattered reservoir, which could be seen being broken from a distance, flowed out, and it was only a matter of time before waves surged into the entire Imperial Capital. In addition, Cecilus, who had been making a fuss, had become tiny.

Although Goz, Berstetz, and even Olbart showed a waiting attitude for Vincent’s decision, only this young thunderbolt did not fit into his plan.

Not only his appearance, but also the contents of his mind seemed to be biased towards immaturity, so Cecilus did not have a trusting look in his eyes towards Vincent’s declaration.

Cecilus: [That was quite a splendid speech earlier! I’m sure it’s a fact that you’re the Vollachian Emperor, but unfortunately, I don’t bow down to others just because they’re an Emperor. If you want to change the path I take, you’ll have to prepare a hanamichi for me!] [1]

Vincent: [――. Just like Natsuki Subaru did, is that so?]

Cecilus: [――? Unfortunately, I don’t know who that is. The name sounds similar to someone I know, but I can’t quite recall. I feel like I talked about this earlier with a beautiful woman.]

Cecilus answered while twisting his neck and fidgeting his short legs.

He was not sure who the “beautiful woman” Cecilus was worried about was, but when the young Cecilus entered the battle for the Imperial Capital, Vincent had been convinced.

Convinced that Natsuki Subaru was the one who led the unexpected group that ravaged the battlefield from the west, and that he was also the one who had brought Cecilus with him.

And then――,

Vincent: [Not just in the current situation, but it is nothing new that you do not follow my orders. Feel free to run around as you like.]

Cecilus: [Oh, you are very understanding. However I have no intention of obediently following someone’s orders regardless of what I’m told anyways. So, I’ll take my leave here if you don’t mind.]

Vincent: [Cecilus.]

Cecilus waved his hand at Vincent, who had decided to let him do as he pleased, and was about to dart away. When his name was called from behind, the young lightning turned around with a “Yes?”.

Vincent’s gaze met Cecilus’s eyes, which still carried the same difficulty in handling as when they had first met.

Vincent: [As per our former agreement, I shall prepare the stage for your grand moment.]

Cecilus: [――Aha.]

Cecilus left with a small laugh after Vincent’s short declaration.

The speed of lightning-fast movements that did not even leave a trace, and that was still in his unfinished state; that was why the title of Vollachia’s strongest belonged to that man and was unshakeable.

In any case――

Berstetz: [Your Excellency, is everything all right? As for General Cecilus…]

Vincent: [I do not have time to waste on trivial matters just like your and Ubilk’s treatment. More importantly…]

The handling of the disappeared Cecilus was less urgent than addressing the current problem at hand.

Vincent faced Berstetz’s narrow eyes and spoke in a voice that could be heard by Goz, Olbart, and the others behind him,

What he said was…

Vincent: [――We will abandon the Imperial Capital. We will retreat while maintaining as much of our military strength as possible.]

Riding atop a red Galewind Horse, the group rode through the Imperial Capital in a whirlwind of confusion and chaos.

The flag bearers were the familiar faces of Natsuki Subaru, flanked by the cavalryman Idra Missanga and the powerful young girl Tanza, with whom the Pleiades Battalion’s breakthrough ability remained strong.

Subaru: [Plus, now we add the two leading stars there, Beatrice and Louis, and we’re the ones with the momentum!]

In front, Idra was holding the reins and at his back, held in Subaru’s short arms as if being sandwiched, was Beatrice, then Louis who was nestled on Subaru’s back.

Unexpectedly, the four children were led by the adult Idra but――,

Beatrice: [――Minya!]

Louis: [Uau!]

Tanza: [I beg your pardon.]

Beatrice’s hand held up as she fired purple arrows, Louis’s unrestricted attacks as she teleported through space, and Tanza’s fists as she effortlessly reaped through the ones blocking their path.

After jumping over the destroyed city walls into the Imperial Capital, Subaru and company were aiming for the Crystal Palace, which could be seen in the distance―― a gleaming castle where the fake Emperor presided.

The fake Emperor that was in that castle, the one who impersonated Vincent Vollachia.

If they could be defeated, it would put an end to this great civil war in the Vollachian Empire, in which Subaru was inevitably embroiled.

So believing this, he plunged in, ready to go wild and wreak havoc.

Idra: [Schwartz! These guys are springing up no matter where we go through! What is this?]

Idra’s voice, though not quite a scream, was throaty with a deep-seated fear.

Perhaps his consternation was felt through the reins in his hands as the gait of the Galewind Horse began to falter, but it would be unreasonable to expect him to just endure it or forget about it.

Anyhow――,

Subaru: [What’s really going on with these pasty-faced guys?!]

They knew that once they rode into the Imperial Capital, they would naturally be met with determined resistance from the Imperial Soldiers.

However, it was only during the initial stages that Subaru and company actually encountered Imperial Soldiers in the Imperial Capital. From then on, Subaru and the others were confronted by strange-looking beings, all of them with pale faces.

Those with pale faces and golden eyes, with glass-like cracks all over their bodies, obstructed Subaru and the others with a cold, heartless demeanor.

――No, they were not standing in the way of only Subaru and company.

Tanza: [Schwartz-sama, those ones, they are also attacking the Imperial Soldiers.]

Tanza kicked a group of pale faces and slammed them against a wall, throwing out a report as such.

As she said, what was unfolding at the edge of her vision was the presence of the “enemy” who was not attacking Subaru and company, but rather the Imperial Soldiers who were guarding the city.

Of course, these “enemies” did not care about Subaru’s feelings, unlike the Pleiades Battalion. They were relentless in their attempts to take the lives of Imperial Soldiers using the weapons they wielded.

That was why――,

Subaru: [――Tanza! If you please!]

Tanza: [I understand.]

Hearing Subaru’s unreasonable request, Tanza accelerated as she kicked the ground.

She charged like a speeding ball into the ranks of the enemy―― the Imperial Soldiers, and caught up with those who were about to take their lives, cleaving them in the back with her thick-soled shoes.

???: [――Hk!]

A short cry of pain could be heard, and the kicked “enemy” crashed into the buildings on both sides.

Tanza glanced at the destroyed buildings, the Imperial Guardsmen whose lives had been spared beyond the thick plume of smoke, and then said, “Go ahead,” as she let them off.

Fortunately, the soldiers who were saved chose to leave the area instead of attempting to target Tanza’s back.

Subaru: [That is helpful… but what about these guys?]

Tanza’s efforts were averting unwanted deaths; however, Subaru suffered the brunt of her blow and was left gasping at the devastation caused by the “enemy” that crashed into the buildings and shattered them.

The reason why the “enemy” did not get up was partly that Tanza’s kicks were so powerful, but more importantly, because they were in no condition to get back up.

The body of the “enemy” was shattered and in pieces. However, their body was not a grotesque corpse, but rather had been shattered as if they had dropped a china cup on the floor.

There was no blood, either. As if there was no blood in their bodies.

Subaru: [How do they work? Is it like a puppet or maybe a robot…?]

Beatrice: [――It can’t be, the Sacrament of the Immortal King, in fact?]

Subaru: [――! Do you have an idea, Beatrice!?]

Subaru did not miss the words spun by Beatrice’s cute cherry-like lips, who was resting her body on Subaru’s chest, completely trusting him.

Beatrice lowered her head in response to Subaru’s reaction,

Beatrice: [A kind of magic that, upon death, returns the soul to the body from which it has left… a forbidden technique, I suppose. It was originally researched by Mother, but it was supposedly left incomplete.]

Subaru: [A forbidden technique for raising the dead, so like the type of magic of a necromancer, then? There’s a part of my head that’s still a little fuzzy, but man, your Mother is a good-for-nothing!]

Beatrice: [This is not the first time that Subaru has spoken ill of Mother, in fact. But, Betty will get upset if you keep saying it, so be careful, I suppose.]

At Beatrice’s suggestion, with her eyebrows raised, Subaru stuck out his tongue and closed one eye in reflection.

However, the opinion of the cute Beatrice was not to be dismissed. What if necromancy, with a name like the Sacrament of the Immortal King, was what was creating these enemies?

Subaru: [You mean there’s someone like a necromancer in the Nine Divine Generals of the Empire?] [2]

Beatrice: […If that’s the case, then Abel is out of line for not having talked about such things beforehand, in fact. Plus, it would mean that we wouldn’t be able to distinguish between friend and foe, I suppose.]

Subaru: [I guess that’s also possible in an Empire with buggy ethics, but… wait! You know who Abel is!?]

Beatrice: […Betty knows, in fact.]

Hearing this unexpected name from Beatrice’s mouth caused Subaru’s eyes to widen. At Subaru’s surprise, Beatrice affirmed it with a bitter look on her face.

Beatrice’s contact with Abel, and that it was not just another person with the same name, was clearly conveyed in her bitter face.

Because Abel was essentially incompatible with everyone, the obvious explanation would be that he was incompatible with Beatrice as well.

Subaru’s stomach churned just thinking about what kind of irreverent attitude Abel had subjected Beatrice to but――,

Subaru: [――Of course, that guy is here.]

It was inconceivable that Abel would not be in the middle of the siege in this great battle. But, since he did not know the specifics of the composition of the rebel forces, he felt a different emotion when told clearly that this was the case.

If Abel was here, then Subaru’s antics would need to be given some extra thought.

Subaru: [Then, should I leave the zombie fighting to them over there rather than me? Or would it be better if it was me with the cute and zombie-savvy Beatrice running in to deal with the… ouch ouch ouch! What!?]

Beatrice: [Hmm, I suppose. Subaru’s face was a bit annoying, in fact.]

Subaru: [Why! This look in my eyes between charming and cheeky is from birth you know!?]

Beatrice: [It was annoying how strangely relieved you looked when you heard Abel’s name, I suppose.]

Subaru’s mouth curved into a pout as Beatrice pinched his thigh along with an irrational accusation.

Although it was hard to say by exactly how much, Beatrice’s judgment of Subaru might have become stricter in the period of time that they had been separated.

Certainly, he recognized Abel’s excellence in terms of ability. But, under the circumstances of this large-scale conflict, he was not taking any comfort in hearing Abel’s name.

By any measure, meeting Beatrice was a more joyous occasion than meeting Abel.

Subaru: [You’re my number one, Beatrice, don’t misunderstand.]

Beatrice: [Then prove it going forward, in fact.]

Subaru: [Oh, absolutely!]

In response to Beatrice’s benevolent judgment, Subaru tapped Idra on the shoulder and made the Galewind Horse stop at once.

There were no signs of enemies or civilians in the surrounding area, but he wanted to decide on a course of action for the future.

Tanza: [Schwartz-sama, if you are done flirting, what would you propose we do?]

Subaru: [You’re acting so thorny! I wasn’t flirting… but Beatrice! Does that zombie magic stop when the user is defeated?]

Stung in the side by Tanza’s blank expression, Subaru sought Beatrice’s informed opinion; Beatrice, when asked, fiddled with her vertically rolled hair with her fingers, and the two of them, with the same expression on their faces,

Beatrice: [The types of magic that interfere with the bodies of others are predominantly Yin Magic and Yang Magic, I suppose. With either of these attributes, generally speaking, when the caster dies, the effects of the magic are cut off, in fact. So likewise, it would be nice to think that this is the case, I suppose.]

Tanza: [That phrasing has some wishful thinking mingled within. Is it not certain?]

Beatrice: [Even Betty has never seen the Sacrament of the Immortal King realized, in fact! One cannot be so childishly irresponsible as to make a haphazard judgment on the basis of speculation, I suppose.]

Subaru: [Calm down, calm down! So, you don’t have any idea of the area of effect or where the magic is being used from?]

Beatrice: […It’s regrettable, but it’s dependent on the user, in fact.]

Beatrice looked at Tanza in frustration as she replied, as if thinking that Tanza might be dismissive of her again. However, Tanza did not criticize Beatrice for admitting her inadequacy.

In that regard, Tanza did not demean even those with whom she did not have the best chemistry.

Subaru: [There’s no time for squabbling; besides, Beatrice, what you said helps. Thanks.]

Beatrice: [It was not a very praise-worthy response, I suppose.]

Beatrice’s cheeks puffed out as he patted her head while thanking her. It was tempting to poke her swollen cheeks with his fingers, but he also felt he was put in a difficult position.

Given the circumstances, this zombie attack was clearly an unusual situation.

Since the Imperial Soldiers were being attacked, it was certainly possible that there was a necromancer in the rebel army and that the unscrupulous and coldhearted Abel might have resorted to inhumane tactics; however, something was off about the implementation and how the zombies had appeared out of nowhere.

These zombies clearly gave off the impression that they did not invade the city from the outside, but rather that they had been created from within the city and were rampaging around.

If this was Abel’s strategy, the best course of action would have been to start a war of attrition from the beginning. It might have even been plausible that there were some military techniques being used that Subaru was unaware of.

Subaru: [As expected, if they start using zombies, I’ll have to think about how to deal with them.]

Moreover, although it was ultimately a vague impression, he felt that while Abel would not use the actual “Dead” for military purposes despite resorting to “Death” for political purposes.

He suspected that Abel’s view of life and death, or the general Vollachian one for that matter, would not allow for that.

Therefore――,

Subaru: [The existence of this zombie Meister should be considered irregular. If the war doesn’t end when we beat up the fake Emperor in the castle, then…]

Idra: [What now, Schwartz? We’ll follow your lead.]

Subaru: [Idra…]

Subaru put his hand to his chin as Idra turned only his head to him to utter these words of trust.

That was not a sign of him tossing the responsibility to Subaru, but rather a reaffirmation of his willingness to risk his life together with Subaru in a situation that might lead them to death once again.

Subaru achieved this position by his own will.

He absolutely had to fulfill that responsibility. And thanks to Idra and the members of the Pleiades Battalion, Subaru could reach out his hand even further than before.

Subaru: [I’m not entirely sure what to do in this situation, but after all… ow ow ow ow! Ow ow!]

Beatrice & Tanza: [Subaru! Schwartz-sama!]

Subaru nodded at the realization of his responsibility, but screamed in pain from Beatrice pinching his thigh and from another pain, to which Beatrice and Tanza widened their eyes at him.

This time Subaru felt pain because his hair was being pulled.

And the one responsible was not Beatrice or Tanza, much less Idra, but――,

Subaru: [What the hell, Louis! Don’t pull my hair! It’s a vital defense strategy to take care of it from a young age so that I won’t suffer from baldness when I get older…]

Louis: [Uuau! Uu! Au! Aーu!]

Subaru: [What?]

Louis desperately pleaded something to Subaru, who was protecting his pulled scalp.

She patted Subaru on the back, then pointed to the north side of the Imperial Capital―― the direction where the Crystal Palace was located, but slightly off the beaten path, and continuously urged him.

Head there, he knew that was what she was saying.

Subaru: [Is there something over there?]

Louis: [Au!]

Subaru’s question was answered by Louis in a high-pitched voice.

It also needs to be stated that Louis seemed to be quite emotionally stable now that she managed to meet up with Subaru. Subaru himself was also genuinely relieved at her safety, despite their complicated relationship.

On top of that, if there was something that Louis was calling for so desperately, then that would be――,

Subaru: [――Beatrice, let me ask you one thing. Is everyone still together?]

Beatrice: […Everyone, is not, in fact.]

In response to Subaru’s quiet question, Beatrice avoided making a clear statement.

However, it was clear that Beatrice was not being evasive for the sake of putting on airs, but rather to spare Subaru from the shock. Understanding this, Subaru also realized why she had been ambiguous.

So――,

Subaru: [Tanza, Idra! Also, Beatrice and Louis, change of plans!]

Concluding on what needed to be done, Subaru called to the members around him from the Galewind Horse.

Most likely, the battle centered around the Imperial Capital would not calm down, but rather intensify further. With the zombies and their Meister being unknown entities, preparations were in order.

Of course, he could put together such a theory, but――,

Subaru: [First, we’re going to where Louis is pointing at! Let me pick up something important there!]

Beatrice: [If it’s Louis then… She will be there, I suppose.]

Subaru’s decision gave Beatrice a sense of the destination that Louis was indicating.

Nodding at Beatrice’s words, Subaru turned to Tanza and Idra, who were also looking at him, and continued.

That was――,

Subaru: [――Pick up Rem and flee the Imperial Capital with as many people as you can! We’re racing against the clock!]

Thus, he mysteriously made a decision in the same direction as the man who was not present at this moment.