[……I am a knight of the Round Table. I have no intention of harming the Captain.]
“Right. I figured you wouldn’t do something like that, if only for the sake of the other knights. Understood.”
Soana noticed that the Captain’s sharply bristling mood had settled considerably.
[You will not cast me out?]
“Why would I?”
The Captain who asked this wore a genuinely puzzled expression.
That reaction, in turn, made Soana question things.
Why, you ask. Isn’t it all too obvious?
[Because I harbored an insolent heart.]
Soana, though a knight of the Round Table who should serve the Captain, did not hold pure loyalty. It would not be strange at all if the Captain said she would abandon Soana.
At Soana’s words, the Captain let out a dry laugh. With a nonchalant face, she waved her hand and replied languidly.
“The insolent heart you harbored was directed at me, but you said you have no thought of charging in to kill me, correct? As long as you don’t try to attack me or act presumptuously, I have no mind to cast you out. Just continue looking after the knights well, as you have done. They seem to find comfort in you.”
[Those words sound as if you are not casting me out for the sake of the other knights.]
“Correct.”
The Captain’s eyes widened.
“What other reason would I have to turn a blind eye to you?”
The words that sprang forth as if it were the most natural thing struck the back of Soana’s head.
“I told you. I think I understand why the former Captain took you in. Your existence is a help to the other knights. So I will leave you as you are.”
In that moment, Soana could not discern whether she should be glad or sad about this situation.
The only thing certain was that the Captain’s voice right now was exceedingly dry. The Captain was not disappointed in Soana, nor did she feel betrayed.
She hadn’t even held that much expectation.
The Captain before her eyes was different from the former Captain.
The current Captain…… Anelli did not view all things with an equal gaze like the former Captain did. She had priorities.
In this moment, Soana realized she was positioned outside that ranking.
* * *
Her body would not move as she wished.
Lilia realized this was a dream. Whenever she had lucid dreams, she often couldn’t move her body freely.
Regardless of her will, her body strode forward and sat at the desk placed before her.
‘A premonition!’
It had been a long time since the torrent of premonition dreams she had been having after arriving at the Ruejak family’s territory had abruptly ceased. Just as she was beginning to feel a creeping impatience, she had been granted a premonition dream at this perfect timing.
With a buoyant heart, Lilia looked at the book before her. Within it was written the future that would unfold on her path ahead.
Turning the familiar thick cover, shining letters came into view.
Though they were letters, they looked less like ink written on paper and more like beautiful thread embroidered into script.
‘Will it be about the success of the Monster subjugation?’
Her greatest recent concern was Maxel’s Monster subjugation. In her dreams until now, she had only seen Maxel, victorious in the Monster subjugation, returning to the imperial capital amidst the cheers of the empire’s people.
Strictly speaking, it was a successful subjugation, but it was a future that always left a strange unease because she couldn’t know the process.
But now, she would be able to know that process clearly. She would no longer have to give Maxel vague advice like ‘Go to the Veladia valley.’
‘At the very least, what needs to be subjugated…….’
It would be good to know what could be caught, or at least the type of Monster.
With expectant eyes, Lilia read down the page.
‘Lizardman habitat!’
As the familiar word appeared, Lilia’s eyes sparkled. A Lizardman habitat! This was the place Maxel had led his soldiers to not long ago.
It was a schedule where even the eldest son of Baron Ruejak had led his private soldiers to accompany him. What great results were planned that she would even dream of it?
Lilia’s premonitions had never once shown failure. So Lilia naturally assumed the subjugation would be successful.
Her hand impatiently turned the page.
‘……Huh?’
The rosy color in Lilia’s complexion gradually began to change subtly. The smile that had been brimming at the corners of her mouth also faded.
‘What is this.’
The content was strange. She wanted to close the book and examine the cover again, but unfortunately, her hand was turning the pages on its own.
It was a situation where she had to read even if she didn’t want to.
‘This is…….’
Strange. Lilia stared fixedly at the shining letters.
It was exactly the same premonition she had always seen. The very same premonition she had struggled to record so she wouldn’t forget after waking from the dream.
Her power, bestowed by the goddess. The very premonition containing the story of the protagonist overcoming all adversity and achieving victory.
But why.
‘Why……?’
Why is it failing?
‘Failing?’
Until now, the failures shown by her premonitions were failures, yet not failures. Because they showed everything, including overcoming the setback afterwards.
So Lilia had always considered even immediate dangers as stepping stones to leap even higher. After all, in the end, victory was hers.
‘Why is there no continuation?’
But today was different.
The subjugation failed, and the relationship between Maxel and Baron Ruejak soured. An enraged Maxel tried to favor other nobles, and Baron Ruejak, seeing this, revealed even greater antipathy.
Amidst the emotional conflict, the atmosphere of the subjugation force grew ominous, and the subjugation was halted.
The content of the final chapter was Maxel receiving a letter from the imperial palace and screaming in rage that shot to the top of his head.
The content of the letter was unknown. And, of course, how all these events would be resolved was not shown either.
‘……The Monster subjugation will be victorious anyway.’
Since all her previous premonition contents had been that way, there was no need to be anxious over receiving a bad premonition for a day.
Lilia deliberately soothed herself with that thought and stared at the page.
Come to think of it, the shining letters were unusually uneven and crooked, as if someone had scribbled them in haste.
Seeing that the handwriting was also different from usual, perhaps this dream had a lower likelihood of realization.
‘Am I dreaming this because I’m anxious?’
Perhaps, because she hadn’t had a premonition for so long, her impatience caused her to dream something similar to a premonition.
Thinking that, her startled, flustered heart gradually calmed. Lilia let out a long sigh.
If it’s a dream like this, it’s better to wake up quickly.
Perhaps due to Lilia’s wish, her consciousness soon began to fade. It was time to wake from the dream.
Having dreamed an unpleasant dream resembling a premonition, Lilia woke up earlier than usual.
The early rising added to her unease. Coincidentally, grey clouds filled the sky outside her window without a gap, heightening the ominous feeling.
Lilia deliberately turned away from the emotions multiplying within her and waited for news of Maxel.
And at noon, when the sun was hidden by the clouds and invisible, Lilia received the news she had been waiting for.
The content was that the subjugation of the Lizardman habitat had failed.
“Ah.”
For the first time, Lilia had foreseen defeat.
* * *
[Kyuuwuu!]
The young Lizardman let out a resounding cry and raised its arm. In the young Lizardman’s hand was a helmet of unknown ownership.
Its back was crushed and dried blood clung to it, but the young Lizardman paid no heed and threw it to the ground like a ball.
The helmet didn’t bounce far and sank into the mud. Its appearance exactly resembled the soldiers who had sunk deep into the swamp.
[Hey now, you should be careful.]
Just as Ganik was about to approach to stop it, this time a rolling breastplate fell into the young Lizardman’s grasp.
[You’ll cut your hand like that!]
After glancing at Ganik, who was anxiously trying to placate the young Lizardman, I quietly averted my gaze.
Uprooted trees, crushed poisonous plants, and scattered armor and various…… debris.
Amidst the utter chaos, I could see Dullahans busily tidying up the surroundings.
They had all returned to their main forms. So right now, headless Dullahans were working hard.
“They’re as good at preparing camp as those holy knights.”
Xenon, who had whispered to me, glanced at the Dullahans. Judging by his words alone, he seemed quite composed, but in truth, Xenon’s expression wasn’t in a good state.
Seeing his deathly pale face, I thought it admirable he was still standing without collapsing.
Then again, there weren’t just one or two Dullahans, but a full nine of them. Nine Dullahans wandering about, puffing out black smoke.
“You don’t look very pleased.”
“Is there anyone who would be pleased watching Dullahans prepare camp……?”
It was true the situation was somewhat special. But as the saying goes, if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it—accepting this situation would surely be more comfortable.
After watching Xenon, who had been refusing to leave my side since earlier, I spoke calmly.
“You remain ever so delicate and endearing.”
“……Is that a good thing?”
“Yes. Anyway, it means you’re cute.”
As I nodded, Xenon made a sour face.
I meant it as a compliment, but it seemed it didn’t sound that way to Xenon, which was a pity.
I had encouraged his cuteness with a rare, pure heart, and this was the distrustful reaction I got.
“More than that, I didn’t expect to get bogged down like this.”
“That’s true.”
While Xenon and I stood side by side making small talk, the surroundings, filled with poisonous plants and chaotic battle traces, became somewhat tidied.
Confirming that a rough space had been secured, Xenon used magic to harden the soft muddy ground. It was land for erecting a shelter for the night.
While Xenon leveled the ground, the Dullahans wandered around the area.
[Ah, this salamander-like wretch!]
Thwack!
From a spot a little distance away, Pallides, who was standing guard, was seen swinging his sword with a loud cry. Along with a death scream, a dark-colored liquid splashed into the air.
Though hidden by the tall grass, it was clear who the protagonist of that scream was.
Unconsciously, I glanced at the young Lizardman. The young Lizardman, whether it heard the screams of its kin nearby or not, was busy playing with the scattered equipment on the ground as if they were toys.
“Haa…….”
I had only intended to send that young Lizardman back to its group. Disrupting Maxel’s subjugation a bit was just a bonus.
A sigh escaped me in my troubled heart.
[Kyuuwuuuu!]
After glancing at the young Lizardman picking up a mud-caked sword and raising it high, I let out another long sigh.
How did things come to this? I truly had not the slightest intention of getting involved between the Lizardmen and the subjugation force.
But what could be done.
In the end, I had become the common enemy of both sides.