A morning greeted with half-sleep, half-wakefulness.
“I wondered why the Lizardmen attacked, but it seems it was because of Ganik.”
As soon as I stepped out of the tent, Pallides said with gleaming eyes. Behind Pallides, who was in human form, were a baby Lizardman and Ganik, the sea turtle.
“We did some analysis of our own yesterday, you see. Ganik is the culprit!”
I calmed Pallides, who was speaking excitedly as if he had uncovered some tremendous information, and glanced around.
I could see knights, some transformed into Dullahan forms, some into animal forms, moving about comfortably.
“Last night, a few salamanders tried to sneak in, so we quickly struck them down!”
[I was the one who struck them down.]
Bark, in his Dullahan form, abruptly interjected. As Bark, whose bulk looked more than double Pallides's, leaned in, a shadow fell over my head.
Bark seemed eager to talk about his exploits. But he soon lost his chance to boast, cut off by Minte.
[I hope the noise didn't wake you? It got a bit rowdy because Bark was swinging his fists ignorantly instead of using his sword.]
“I had no idea.”
It was probably just before sunrise? Because by that time, I had finally fallen asleep, utterly exhausted.
“Anyway, we interrogated those Lizardmen a bit! So we found out. It's all because of Ganik.”
[Pallides, if you report it like that, the Captain won't understand.]
Soana, unable to watch any longer, stepped in.
[It seems that because Ganik cared for the baby Lizardman for too long, the scent of a Dullahan has become deeply ingrained in the baby.]
I saw Ganik, who seemed busy playing with the baby Lizardman, glance this way. He likely sensed the topic of our conversation.
[The Lizardmen did not recognize that baby as one of their own.]
Ah, so they perceived it as an invasion of their territory.
I frowned as I looked at the baby Lizardman.
The baby Lizardman, full of energy since morning, was happily playing by tossing Ganik into the air and catching him.
What if he drops him and cracks his shell?
[Even if we separate him from Ganik, there's no telling when the Dullahan scent will fade.]
“So even if we release him, he can't survive on his own.”
Ganik's glances this way, even while flying through the air, were uneasy. Was he worried I might suggest abandoning the baby Lizardman?
I bit my lower lip, lost in thought for a moment, when Soana bluntly spoke.
[Is there really a need to keep him with us?]
Soana stared at the baby Lizardman with indifferent eyes.
[Ganik can't play protector forever either. We will attain our Repose, after all. Once that happens, that Monster will be left alone anyway.]
Pallides, hearing those words beside her, gasped and raised his voice.
“Soana!”
[Pallides. This isn't something to hush up. Once Dasha joins us, we will get the chance to complete our authority again. That means, attaining our Repose.]
That wasn't a statement for Pallides. It was more accurate to see it as a statement directed at me. Because I am the one who can grant the Dullahans their Repose.
Perhaps she meant to say that the one who would be left alone wasn't the baby Lizardman, but me.
Unfortunately, Soana seemed unaware that I, too, was slated to be a beneficiary of the Repose.
“But our Repose is……”
[The Captain has considered everything. Don't you trust the Captain?]
“Of course I trust him!”
[Good. The Captain said he will complete the final authority, and whatever result that brings, he will gladly set us free.]
Pallides did not answer. Bark, beside him, also pretended to be busy, subtly creating distance as if gauging my reaction. Even Minte couldn't easily interject.
Their reactions made it clear.
That the Repose the Dullahans thought of was death.
[What's this, why's the atmosphere like this?]
A strange black bird popped out, breaking the peculiar silence. It was Zigore, who seemed to have returned from scouting the area.
Soana spoke in a gentle voice to Zigore, who was busily fluttering his wings and flying among the Dullahans.
[We were talking about our Repose.]
[Repose?]
[The Repose we will attain when the Captain performs the final authority. Zigore, aren't you also looking forward to the day we are freed from this long life?]
[Well?]
Zigore, who had landed on Bark's shoulder, tilted his head.
[We'll have to see when the time comes.]
Zigore's voice felt almost innocent.
[We don't know what the Repose gained by performing the final authority is.]
Soana paused and stared at Zigore. Zigore, seemingly unaware of her gaze, nonchalantly turned his head to look at the ground.
[Right?]
[Y-yes.]
The one who answered Zigore's question was Mori, so small I almost missed him.
He seemed to have returned from scouting the area with Zigore. Zigore, who had been crawling toward me, lifted his head high as he got close.
[C-Captain. I will stay inside your pocket. I-I think it's better for me to stick close to you than the other knights……!]
Neither Zigore nor Mori seemed to deeply ponder what conversation the other knights had been having.
[Captain?]
Zigore called me in a puzzled voice, perhaps finding my dazed stance strange. Only then did I take out my pocket.
Mori skillfully crawled into the opened pocket. Peeking just his head out of the slightly parted opening, Mori looked up at me with shining eyes.
[I-I will guard you.]
“Mori! Guarding the Captain is my job!”
Pallides belatedly shouted in a choked voice. Then Mori, unusually stubborn, retorted.
[P-Pallides, you catch Lizardmen.]
[If Lizardmen pop out, Pallides will immediately grab his sword and charge anyway! He did that last night too!]
With Zigore even taking Mori's side, Pallides started whining to Minte about his role being stolen.
Bark tried to stop Pallides from bothering Minte, but Pallides paid him no mind.
Amid the clamor of mixed Dullahan and animal sounds, Xenon emerged from the tent late, rubbing his half-open eyes.
“My, why is it so noisy first thing in the morning?”
Seeing the Dullahans chattering noisily, Xenon shook his head and clicked his tongue.
“The illusion magic I laid around the campsite will soon lose its effect, so let's have breakfast quickly.”
I also turned around after glancing at Xenon, who turned to prepare the meal. Soana, quietly staring at the Dullahans, bothered me a little, but that was all.
Final authority, Repose—such things could only be faced after resolving the immediate situation first.
* * *
The subjugation force led by Maxel had set up camp quite a distance from their original destination, the Lizardmen habitat.
Although delayed by a few unexpected problems, Maxel had no intention of dragging things out.
“Dullahans are cursed creations. Could their appearance before us be a coincidence?”
Maxel said in an excited voice. Despite the eldest son of the Ruejak family being injured, he was not at all intimidated.
Rather, he was somewhat elated. Because this time, a Monster worthy of the name 'subjugation' had appeared.
“If we can just catch and kill a Dullahan, even the Temple won't be able to say a word!”
Maxel's eyes shone as he looked toward his fiancée, who had visited the camp without notice.
“Lilia, you've come to foresee my victory, haven't you?”
Before Lilia arrived, the immediate concern for Maxel was the eldest son of the Ruejak family, whose emergency treatment was finished.
Since he couldn't take the injured man back into battle against Monsters, he needed to find a way to send him back separately.
Of course, the private soldiers of the Ruejak family made up a significant portion of the subjugation force… but if he detached them to escort the Ruejak heir back, it would be difficult to proceed with the subjugation with the remaining forces.
But then, Lilia herself came to find Maxel. With an escort, no less.
Maxel thought he could send the wounded back with Lilia, while also admiring her foresight for knowing of this situation and rushing here.
“It's fortunate you brought many escorts. Adding one more wounded shouldn't be a problem.”
Maxel smiled contentedly, looking at the guards Lilia had brought. Lilia spoke to him in a serious voice.
“Your Highness, that is not why I came.”
“Hmm? Didn't you come after having a foresight?”
“……It's true I had a foresight.”
After hesitating briefly, Lilia glanced around. Even though they were inside Maxel's personal tent within the camp, she looked around once more warily, lowered her voice, and spoke quickly.
“You must stop the subjugation of the Dullahan.”
Maxel, who had been wearing a pleasant smile, frowned.
“Lilia, what are you saying?”
“Please listen to me, Your Highness. Withdraw for now.”
Maxel, who had doubted his hearing for a moment, realized he hadn't misheard and his expression hardened completely.
“The subjugation will fail.”
Certainty seeped from Lilia's voice.
But Maxel couldn't believe it. Before Lilia arrived, scouts had brought news that it appeared both the Dullahans and the Lizardmen had suffered significant damage from their clash.
It was a result he had inwardly anticipated even without the scout's report. Although the subjugation force had suffered an unidentified ambush near the swamp, only the eldest son of Baron Ruejak and a few soldiers were injured because of it.
The subjugation force's strength remained intact, and this time they intended to approach the swamp cautiously.
He had also given orders to separately track the unidentified assailants. But since the trail led toward the swamp and then vanished, it was highly likely they were caught up in a territorial dispute among Monsters.
“The subjugation will fail?”
That's why Maxel couldn't believe Lilia's words.