161 - The Time of the End
While a desperate situation continued for the rebel forces, Fumiya alone was in high spirits. There was the reason that he did not understand the situation he was in, but that was not all. He believed that he could still achieve victory.
From the beginning, Fumiya had not been convinced about receiving support from other countries. He had been defeated by the Demon King's army last time, but he believed that was not the result of a head-on battle. He thought he had simply been caught by a surprise attack while he was off guard.
It was not something that could make one certain of victory. However, for Fumiya, that was enough.
"Training is going well. The quality of the army is certainly improving."
Fumiya had set up a camp near the royal capital and was conducting military training. For Fumiya, who could not involve himself in political affairs, the only thing he could do was make the army stronger. Fumiya, who believed that military power would push up his own status, would not neglect it.
"The problem is the numbers. I wonder if the reinforcements haven't arrived yet?"
After the armies of other countries had left, the allied forces had significantly decreased in number. Unless this situation was handled, even if not completely, the chances of victory would become slim.
"...No word has arrived yet regarding a specific date."
"It is the same for our country."
General Gaston and General Gertzer were unable to provide an answer to Fumiya's question.
"...Is there some kind of problem?"
Fumiya cast a suspicious eye on the two who did not give the answer he sought. A considerable amount of time had passed since he had requested reinforcements. He thought it was suspicious that no contact had come by this point.
"There is a possibility that something is happening in the home country."
General Gaston gave an answer to Fumiya's question, though it was not a specific one.
"What do you mean, 'something'?"
"No messengers are coming from the country at all. Those we sent from here have not returned either."
"What? Really?"
It was not normal for messengers not to be traveling between them and the neighboring Kingdom of Aria. If it were true, it would be a major problem.
"It is a fact. If you doubt it, please try sending someone trustworthy as a messenger."
"...I see. I wonder what is happening?"
He refrained from using words that would admit he had been doubting. He wanted to keep his relationship with General Gaston in good standing.
"I can only think that the Demon King's army might be doing something."
"You're right. That possibility is high. However..."
The Demon King's army was truly elusive. Why were they able to move like this? Fumiya felt that unless he knew this, it wouldn't even be a fight.
In reality, the Demon Race were not directly involved in every matter. The Demon Race merely created the opportunity. It was the Human Race who were actually taking action, but the current Fumiya did not know that.
"Should we set aside the fight with the Demon King's army for a moment and begin another battle?"
Fighting the Demon King's army would only deplete their forces. If that were the case, it would be better to move the army for the final goal of usurping the country. General Gaston held the same view as Hansmann and the others. However, the place Fumiya and the others would attack first was the royal capital of the Laurel Kingdom. That was where Hansmann and the others were.
"...You're right. It might be necessary to strengthen the army."
The current Fumiya could not move the nobles. Officially, Fumiya was a soldier. He had no authority to move politics. To break through this situation, it was necessary to seize authority from Hansmann and the others. Fumiya himself would become the King.
It was something he had been thinking about for a long time. The time had finally come to put it into action.
"Then when shall we execute it?"
"Let's see..."
Preparations for battle were already complete. He only had to head for the royal capital. Even so, Fumiya pretended to think. He could seize the royal capital. But that alone did not mean he could rule the country. It was late, but he was considering that now.
"Excuse me!"
A voice rang out, interrupting Fumiya's thoughts.
"What is it?"
The one who responded was General Gaston. The person who appeared was a knight of the Kingdom of Aria army.
"Her Highness the Princess has arrived."
"What?"
"It seems a secret envoy came from the home country. She says that information has arrived that must be conveyed urgently."
"...Understood. Where is Her Highness the Princess?"
The information he had been seeking might have arrived. Thinking this, General Gaston stood up to welcome Princess Lianna. Even without information, in his position, he would have welcomed her.
Fumiya was the one who stood up because of the information brought. He knew it was not good information. However, he could not avoid hearing it.
Fumiya and the others left the tent. Immediately, he saw Princess Lianna approaching, surrounded by fully armed knights clad in armor and helmets.
"Hey, Lianna. Welcome."
Fumiya spoke to Princess Lianna in ordinary words. He did this consciously so as not to show any signs of panic to those around him.
"I apologize for visiting without notice. I judged that there was no time to seek permission, so I have acted in this manner."
"Is the content so urgent? Then, inside—"
"A rebellion has broken out in our homeland."
"What!?" "W-what did you say!?"
Ignoring Fumiya's words as he tried to invite her into the tent, Princess Lianna uttered the shocking fact. Fumiya and General Gaston cried out at those words.
They were not the only ones who heard her words. A stir spread among the surroundings. Nearly half of the forces in the camp were people of the Kingdom of Aria. They could not help but be shaken.
"The situation seems to be quite severe. It is not certain, but there is information that the royal capital has already been seized by the rebel forces."
"............"
Fumiya was lost for words at Princess Lianna's continuing explanation. The Kingdom of Aria was the foundation that supported him. That was how Fumiya thought of it. Losing the Kingdom of Aria was something that must not happen.
"If possible, I would like you to return the army to suppress the rebellion."
"That is..."
Fumiya thought about what should be done. However, the agitation in his heart was so intense that he could not organize his thoughts immediately.
"We should head for the Kingdom of Aria immediately."
General Gaston's decision was quick. He advised that the army should be returned immediately.
"...The reason?"
It was natural for General Gaston to want to return the army. He was a person of the Kingdom of Aria. Fumiya did not immediately judge whether it was right or wrong, but asked for the reason.
"If the territory is completely seized by the rebel army, the Kingdom of Lydia will also be unable to move."
"True."
The Kingdom of Aria lay between the Laurel Kingdom and the Kingdom of Lydia. If it were controlled by hostile forces, reinforcements could no longer be hoped for.
"Furthermore, I think it would not be bad to leave the Laurel Kingdom once. We need time to rebuild."
General Gaston did not believe that staying in the Laurel Kingdom as they were would lead to a good result. If that were the case, he thought it would be better to leave the Laurel Kingdom, avoid the fight with the Demon King's army, and attempt to rebuild.
"...What do you think, General Gertzer?"
Fumiya thought it was not a bad idea. He asked for General Gertzer's opinion just in case.
"If we lose the Kingdom of Aria, we cannot return to our country. I believe we have no other choice."
General Gertzer also agreed, naturally. If the soldiers learned that returning home had become difficult, confusion would undoubtedly occur. The road leading to the Kingdom of Lydia had to be protected.
"Understood. Then... eh?"
Fumiya was about to voice the decision to head for the Kingdom of Aria. However, the intense pain he felt in his back did not allow it.
"...L-Lianna... w-what... what are you doing!?"
A dagger had pierced Fumiya's back. It was the work of Princess Lianna. Realizing this, Fumiya looked back and screamed.
In response, Princess Lianna threw her body against Fumiya. The dagger gripped in her hand gouged deeply into Fumiya's abdomen.
"Guh... a-aaaaah!"
Screaming, Fumiya pushed Princess Lianna away. The dagger remained stuck in his abdomen.
"Y-you! You've got to be kidding me!"
Fumiya launched a kick toward Princess Lianna, who had fallen to the ground. Taking the hit head-on, Princess Lianna rolled across the ground. Fumiya then kicked her away with all his might.
"...Ngh... ah..."
Moaning from the intense pain, Princess Lianna tried to stand up.
"...My pain is nothing like that. Realize with your own body how much it hurts!"
"Ah..."
A sword was swung down toward Princess Lianna. Princess Lianna desperately tried to escape, but she could not avoid it completely and fell to the ground, scattering blood from her shoulder.
"Princess!"
"Lianna-sama!"
"Hero! Please stop!"
The ones who cried out were the people of the Kingdom of Aria. Their own princess was about to be killed. They could not simply watch in silence.
However, ignoring those voices, Fumiya raised his sword to deliver the finishing blow. He could not forgive Princess Lianna, whom he had treated like a slave, for harming him.
"Die!"
The sword swung down. But that sword did not reach Princess Lianna's body.
"What? What is this!? You're in the way! Get lost!"
Black birds were swarming Fumiya's body. They were hindering Fumiya, who was trying to deliver the finishing blow to Princess Lianna.
In that opening, a shadow approached Princess Lianna.
"...Who asked you to do this?"
"I-it's not... for your... s-sake... I..."
"Fine. Don't speak."
Princess Lianna had suffered considerable injuries from the first strike. It was a severe wound that seemed to make a finishing blow unnecessary.
"...T-Tsukitani? You!? Is that you, Tsukitani!?"
Fumiya realized that the knight by the fallen Princess Lianna was Ray. He cried out in surprise at the unexpected sight. That was fortunate for Ray. Fumiya had missed the opening Ray created and, instead, had exposed his own.
Ray whispered an incantation in a low voice. He threw a pitch-black sphere that floated in his palm toward Fumiya.
"Gah... uaaaaah!!"
"Tch."
Fumiya's scream and the sound of Ray's clicking tongue.
Noticing the black sphere flying toward him, Fumiya instinctively blocked it with his hand. He lost his pinky to middle fingers of his right hand in an instant, but it was not a fatal wound. This was the reason Ray clicked his tongue. Now it was Ray's turn to move to deliver the finishing blow, but...
"K-kill him! He is the Demon King! Kill him!"
The surroundings reacted to Fumiya's voice. Even so, Ray could land at least one blow. Ray tried to step forward toward Fumiya, who had turned his back to flee, but...
"...Tch."
The sound of clicking his tongue leaked from Ray's mouth again. His gaze was directed toward the dying Princess Lianna.
"Endure it. If you can't, then just faint."
Princess Lianna was limp, to the point where it was unclear if she could hear him. Ray hoisted her onto his back and ran. The enemies pursuing them were not that many.
"Y-you lot! Do you think you'll get away with defying me!?"
Fumiya's scream told Ray the reason.
Fumiya had been betrayed by his allies. The word 'betrayal' was from Fumiya's perspective. For the knights of the Kingdom of Aria—not all of them, but many—Fumiya, who tried to kill their own princess, was the traitor. Ensuring her life was the reason they had followed Fumiya.
They knew of Fumiya's atrocities toward Princess Lianna. While strongly wishing to rescue her someday, they had been waiting for the perfect opportunity. Even while feeling like they might explode at times, they had endured, thinking of Princess Lianna's feelings as she bore it for the sake of the country.
But if he tried to kill Princess Lianna, there was no longer any meaning in their endurance. For the knights of the Kingdom of Aria, avenging Princess Lianna took priority over slaying the Demon King.
The knights of the Kingdom of Aria swarmed to kill Fumiya. The people of the Kingdom of Lydia watched in a daze. The knights of the Laurel Kingdom began to move to stop the conflict.
The alliance of the three nations collapsed on this day—
◇◇◇
What entered her sight was a ceiling she had never seen before. Princess Lianna thought that the ceiling of a stable felt like this. Then, was she in a stable? Why was she sleeping in such a place? She tried to turn her face to investigate her surroundings, but she felt intense pain and could not move.
Pain from her shoulder to her chest. That brought back Princess Lianna's memories. She had not died. She had been told so.
Tears overflowed from her eyes. They were not tears of joy at being alive. They were tears of regret for not being able to die.
"...Why?"
She knew someone was nearby from the sound of water heard very close by. She was not certain it was the person she thought, but she directed the question.
"I don't know what you want to ask with just 'why'."
"...Why did you save me?"
A man's voice reached her ears. She returned the question to the owner of that voice.
"...Because I thought you'd die if I left you alone."
A cold sensation spread across her forehead and shoulder. The face of the man placing a wet towel was the person she had thought—Ray's face.
"...Does the Demon King care about the life or death of humans?"
"Just because I've killed many people doesn't mean I feel nothing. Besides..."
"Besides, what?"
"...If there is a woman in front of me who might be saved, I thought I wanted to save her."
Eyes were directed at her. Princess Lianna felt she saw sadness in the depths of those eyes.
"...I am merely a tool for a strategy. You should have just used me and thrown me away."
Why does this person direct such eyes toward me? While harboring such a question, these words flew from her mouth.
"Does a tool move on its own? Before throwing you away, the plan ended in failure because of you."
"...The Hero did not die, did he?"
To kill Fumiya. Though the methods differed, the goal was the same. Since that had failed, Princess Lianna thought it meant Fumiya was alive.
"Probably."
"...Is there a possibility he died?"
"Since it's said he fled leaving his right arm behind, it's not entirely impossible. But if he died, a corpse should have been found in a place not too far away."
"I see..."
Her gamble had ended in failure. She had been unable to fulfill her purpose. Neither killing Fumiya nor dying herself. Dark emotions spread in Princess Lianna's heart.
"If you want to return to your country, first heal your injuries."
"I no longer have a country to return to."
If Fumiya was alive, she could not return to her country. That was what Princess Lianna thought.
"You do have a country to return to. The Kingdom of Aria has become independent from the Laurel Kingdom."
"Eh?"
"It was your subordinates who cut off the Hero's arm. After that, a conflict broke out between the Kingdom of Aria army and the Laurel Kingdom army. The Laurel Kingdom army, small in number and lacking will to fight, was easily defeated. With that momentum, the Kingdom of Aria army seized the royal capital. The Laurel Kingdom has fallen."
"...Such a thing happened."
An unexpected turn of events. The surprise was so great that no feeling of joy welled up in Princess Lianna's heart.
"It had already fallen; the fall of the royal capital just made it public."
"...What about Queen Ekaterina-sama?"
The legitimate successor of the Laurel Kingdom was Queen Ekaterina. Princess Lianna thought there was no way she would accept the fall of the Laurel Kingdom.
"The north has established a new country. She likely doesn't care what happens to the south."
"Is that so?"
"Lies."
"Eh?"
"It means she doesn't want to pull chestnuts out of the fire."
"Pulling chestnuts out of the fire?"
Princess Lianna did not understand the meaning of Ray's words. She couldn't. She lacked too much information.
"Conflict still continues in the south. The southern nobles will not accept the rule of the Kingdom of Aria. The Kingdom of Lydia is observing for now, but once their army can return to their home country, they will likely move immediately."
The Kingdom of Lydia army had stood by while the Kingdom of Aria army attacked the royal capital. As the Kingdom of Lydia army could not return home without passing through the Kingdom of Aria, they could not be hostile. But that was only until they returned safely to their own country.
"...My country pulled those chestnuts out of the fire, then?"
"I wonder. It's certain they started the fire, but compared to previous fires, it's a small one. Ah, but it's enough to set your country ablaze."
The southern nobles of the Laurel Kingdom and the Kingdom of Lydia. If they had to fight on two fronts simultaneously, it might become a severe situation for the Kingdom of Aria. It was not certain they could protect the independence they had finally obtained.
"What will you do?"
There was one more power in the south. That was the Demon King's army. Princess Lianna knew that the war situation would change depending on how the Demon King's army moved.
"Once the cleanup is finished, our fight is over for now."
Many countries were reaching a point where they could no longer afford to fight the Demon Race. If this situation were made decisive, the Demon King's army's fight would end. Though it would be temporary until a certain amount of order was born among the human nations.
"...What if I asked you to side with the Kingdom of Aria? Is there room for consideration?"
"Your brother would not accept that. His prejudice against the Demon Race seems to be quite strong."
After speaking with Prince Louis, Ray had felt that. Despite relying on the power of the Demon King's army, he would never admit it. There was no way he could team up with such an opponent.
"...Not my brother, but I am asking. Please help the Kingdom of Aria."
"Do you intend to offer your own body again for that purpose?"
"............"
Princess Lianna's face turned crimson. She felt ashamed that Ray had seen through her base thought of using her body to make the Demon King's army an ally.
"Do you still intend to continue carrying something like royal responsibility? Do you not think to cast away such a trivial thing? Are you happy with that?"
"You... you wouldn't understand."
"It's not that I don't understand at all. I know someone who chose to live carrying royal responsibility just like you."
"...That person is..."
What kind of existence are they to you? Princess Lianna tried to ask a question whose answer she already knew, but Ray did not allow it.
"I also have things I carry, and I find myself unable to cast them aside. But, that is exactly why... I am the one who saved your life."
"...Yes."
While slightly bewildered by Ray suddenly changing the subject, Princess Lianna gave an affirmative response.
"Regardless of the Kingdom of Aria, you should be indebted to me."
"And if I am, what?"
He is trying to use the fact that he saved her life to demand something. Thinking this, Princess Lianna's expression became stern.
"Please live forgetting that you are royalty. I won't say forever. For a while, please live thinking only of yourself. I think you need that time."
"............"
But Ray's following words were unexpected for Princess Lianna. Why does this person say such things to me? A question welled up in Princess Lianna's heart again.
"There are people who have gone through similar things as you. People who carry memories they never want to remember again, yet still aim for ordinary happiness. Look at those people, touch them, and then think. About what you should do."
"Such people... those people are the Demon Race, right?"
"The Demon Race and the Human Race. Race doesn't matter. Similarly, social status doesn't matter. Everyone has a desire to be happy. What that happiness is—why not try searching for it?"
"...Am I... am I allowed to do that?"
To spend time as Ray said was to abandon her responsibility as royalty. Was it okay to live without thinking about the Kingdom of Aria, which would now be placed in a difficult situation?
Directing this question to Ray was Princess Lianna's wish.
"Yes, I permit it. You are allowed to live a life for your own sake."
"...Thank you."
What meaning did Ray's permission have? No matter what Ray, who had no official authority, said, it could not negate the fact that Princess Lianna was royalty.
But such things did not matter. Princess Lianna asked Ray not as a princess, but as a woman, and Ray acknowledged it. For this would be the first step of her new life.