"—Huh? I was… the cause…?"
Seras's confusion deepened.
Even I could see it clearly.
Schweitz looked at her with pity.
"Judging by your reaction, you were told nothing at all."
"Ridiculous nonsense…! Why would you claim that I was the root cause of Bakoss's invasion!?"
Shibito called out.
"Schweitz."
Schweitz gave a small nod.
It seemed Shibito was leaving the explanation to the man beside him.
"The goddess Vysis desired you, Seras Ashrain."
What?
That shitty goddess…?
That shitty goddess wanted Seras?
What the hell does that mean?
Seras showed an equally bewildered reaction.
"The goddess of Alion wanted me?"
"I heard this happened around the time signs of the Great Demon Emperor's emergence appeared. The goddess demanded that King Ortra hand you over."
"Why would the goddess want me—?"
"Even this Schweitz does not know the precise reason. However, the goddess has several personal subordinates known as 'Vysis's Disciples.' I speculate that you caught her eye as one of them, with the Great Demon Emperor's descent approaching."
"But I have no memory of ever hearing such a thing…"
"I understand King Ortra refused outright."
"My king did? There's no way the king would—blame me for triggering the invasion of our country and seek my life…?"
No, that logic doesn't hold up.
It would be far too unreasonable.
There must be another reason the Holy King tried to have Seras killed.
The reason he refused to hand her over.
Was it because losing the Holy Knights' commander would be a severe blow?
No.
The hint was in the Five Dragon Warriors' conversation.
Especially their assessment of King Ortra.
"Crazy."
"Obsession."
"Lust."
"A corpse in a state where her purity is evident."
His abnormal fixation on Seras.
That had to be the reason.
The king refused to hand Seras over, no matter what.
Yet once she was far away, he sent assassins to kill her.
The king wanted to keep Seras as his possession.
That much seemed plausible.
But now she would never return to his grasp.
In that case, he at least wanted her dead.
If she would never be in his hands again.
If she would fall into someone else's—
He wanted her gone from the world.
Probably something like that.
Definitely a "crazy old man."
Assuming my guess is correct.
And calling Seras the root cause of the kingdom's destruction over that—talk about excessively cruel.
If anyone should be blamed, it's the shitty goddess and the former Holy King.
Schweitz gazed off toward distant Alion.
"It is said that the long absence of wars between nations on this continent is due to the goddess of Alion's presence in the background."
He turned his face back.
"The reason our Bakoss does not invade Ulza is because a peace treaty mediated by the goddess exists between us. That is how immense the goddess's influence is on this continent."
The peace treaty between Bakoss and Ulza.
The guests at the inn in Mills had talked about it.
That was why Ulza had no fear of being attacked by Bakoss.
"But if someone not only refuses the goddess's demands but continues to ignore all subsequent communications from Alion… you can imagine what happens next, can't you?"
The treaty holds meaning only because the goddess stands between them.
If her influence vanishes, it becomes a dead letter.
In other words, for Bakoss it was as good as receiving the goddess's green light to invade Neia.
"S-Such a thing…"
Seras received yet another shock.
"In short, the fact that your usefulness caught the goddess's eye became your curse. Including the matter with King Ortra, that otherworldly beauty of yours…"
Oban chuckled with a heh-heh.
"Holy knight-chan is basically a femme fatale who topples kingdoms. By the way, Shibito-chan, as a man, aren't you at all interested in holy knight-chan?"
"I acknowledge her artistic beauty. But for me, true sweetness exists only within a powerful enemy. Only the strong qualify as 'beautiful' in my eyes."
"Hmm. Still, exceptional beauties have always driven those in power mad throughout history, huh… The royal family of Neia sure had it rough."
"…The princess?"
Seras asked.
The question seemed to slip out unintentionally.
Perhaps the mention of the royal family triggered it.
Schweitz asked,
"You mean Princess Cattleya?"
In a frail voice, Seras pressed further.
"Is she… safe…?"
"She will eventually become Lord Shibito's wife."
"…!"
Shibito took over.
"By His Majesty the Emperor's decree… it is a necessary marriage for the stable governance of the Neia territory. That said, the wedding ceremony will likely take place after the Great Demon Emperor issue is resolved."
"…The princess…"
"She is a spirited woman, and even I find her somewhat troublesome to handle. Still, I feel no attraction to her as the opposite sex. Compared to you, who has made a name as a knight princess capable of fighting, she is at least preferable in that regard."
Shibito Gaitland.
Does he truly have interest only in the strong?
"But in any case, Seras Ashrain will meet her end here. At the very least, I shall send her head to Cattleya."
"Kuh… To do such a thing to the princess—"
"Silence, you·resigned·weakling."
Shibito cut her off sharply.
"—!"
"Your parting words are finished. If you must resent anything, resent your own weakness that could not seize survival here."
Shibito spoke without even glancing at Seras.
"There is nothing more tedious than one who has already decided they cannot win. Accepting death without resistance in a deadly situation is sometimes praised, but nothing dulls my interest more than someone who barely struggles at all in the face of death. I despise those who tremble and flee. Even if they are weak, if they dare to stand against me—I find them likable."
With the faint sunset behind him, Shibito smiled.
"Needless to say… the most likable of all are those who possess enough power to kill me."
My hand is complete.
"…"
The path has come together—I think.
A path to survive.
"However, letting this drag on with boring stalling until the sun sets would be excessively dull. Have you thought of some plan, boy?"
"Shibito Gaitland. You want an enemy who threatens your life, right?"
"Correct."
...
Don't rush.
Stay calm.
Don't choose the wrong option here.
"Then how about I become that for you?"
"You become an enemy who threatens my life…? But what do you have? No—what are you hiding? You are clearly far weaker than us Five Dragon Warriors, yet that fighting spirit overflowing from you—where does it come from? From what I see, your words right now are not mere bluff. You have some kind of certainty. You are hiding something… aren't you?"
"As you guessed. I do have something hidden."
"Speak it now, or this spear will kill you. Show me your struggle, boy."
I slowly exhaled.
After a brief pause, I said,
"Didn't you say they explosively approach the seat of the strongest thanks to the power of divine protection?"
One of Shibito's eyebrows twitched.
"As you wished, I'll reveal my secret."
I bared my teeth in a grin toward Shibito.
"My real name is Touka Mimori."
This card is probably the dividing line—
"I am an otherworld hero."