159 - Liel's Memory Room
Inside the Jewel.
During a break from work, I sent my consciousness into the Jewel, and I found that a door had appeared behind the chair where I sit.
The doors located behind the chairs of the successive heads are places also known as Memory Rooms. They are rooms where the memories of the successive heads are stored, but—
"Um, why does everyone look so exhausted?"
When I tilted my head and asked, the Third Generation, who was sitting at the round table, explained.
"Actually, this door appeared a little while ago. I took a peek inside at the time, but..."
Did he peek into someone's memories without permission? I wanted to snap back with that, but the Third Generation's expression was serious, so I decided to wait a moment.
Then, the Third Generation ran a hand through his hair.
"...Even though the four of us looked, we each saw something different. Moreover, we saw things that could hardly be believed to be Liel's memories. We've entered several times, but it's doubtful whether they are even memories. In my case, I saw a scene where my brother—Brother Dewey—was alive. No, it would be better to say he was there."
The Third Generation had an exhausted expression, which I felt was rare given his usual attitude. When I turned my gaze to the Fourth Generation, he had taken off his glasses and was wiping the lenses with a cloth.
"In my case, my wife was waiting for me, standing with her arms crossed. It was scary, so I didn't go in."
Hearing that, the Fifth Generation shook his head.
"Why are you scared? You're the only one who didn't go in, aren't you? By the way, when I opened the door, it was a children's room. It's a different children's room every time, and my children are there, glaring at me."
I listened to the scenes the Fifth Generation saw, but I have no such memories.
In the first place, the Fifth Generation and I lived in different eras.
The Seventh Generation said...
"...Mine is even worse. I saw memories... no, scenes that even I don't know. But Liel wasn't there."
He was saying that he saw recorded scenery even though I wasn't in it. Everyone looked at the door to my Memory Room with expressions as if they were harboring doubts.
I stood before my own door and slowly opened it.
The Fourth Generation's voice came from behind me.
"You'd better prepare yourself. It doesn't seem like you'll see anything particularly good."
Wary of his words, I slowly opened the door, and there I saw Celes from behind. As I stood there in surprise, Celes slowly turned around and gave me a very lovely smile.
She cutely clasped her hands in front of her chest and tilted her head, her brilliant blonde hair swaying in the wind—
"Drop dead, you piece of trash."
—she said.
In the next instant, I slammed the door shut and fell backward, landing hard on my backside. My breathing became ragged from the sudden event, and a strange sweat broke out.
The Fifth Generation crouched near me as I lay there and spoke.
"What did you see?"
I forced my breathing back into order.
"Ce... Celes was there. She looked at me with a smile and told me to drop dead... but I have no such memory. No, maybe I've just forgotten."
Grabbing the hand the Seventh Generation extended to me, I stood up. Facing my own Memory Room, I became curious as to why I had seen Celes.
The Third Generation said...
"...The other rooms just playback memories, right? You can do a few things, but it's difficult unless we operate them. But you see, I entered this room and investigated various things."
The Third Generation sat at the round table and looked up at the ceiling.
"It's almost as if... it's alive. If we say something, it answers. It was like I was talking to the real Brother Dewey."
Why had it become like that?
We couldn't understand it. The blue orb had become the Jewel, and the memories of the successive heads had been restored.
However, even those successive heads had not fully understood the Jewel.
The Fourth Generation put on his glasses.
"I've been curious about this for a while. Whether the Jewel is truly a tool to record skills and pass everything down... There's also the matter of Celes. And Celes treated the blue Jewel as a failure."
The Seventh Generation placed a hand on his chin and looked down.
"If it copies not just memories but also personality... I've thought several times that perhaps skills aren't the main point, and it's actually the personality itself."
The Fifth Generation sat in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head.
"What would be the purpose of doing such a thing? Were they intending to test eternal life? Constantly copying memories and personalities to take over the human who possesses it... In a sense, that would be eternity, but I don't think there's any meaning in that."
It was terrifying to think that such a dangerous tool had been sold hundreds of years ago. The blue Jewel of the Walt family, which the First Generation had bought when it was an unpopular orb and had been passed down through the generations.
Unlike the yellow Jewel Celes possessed, it was apparently a failure.
I asked—
"Is the current Celes being taken over by a beauty who brought down a nation three hundred years ago? Novem said something to the contrary, though."
It felt as if she hadn't been taken over yet. Yes, not yet.
The Third Generation got up from the round table and faced me.
"Either way, with this many personalities here, there's no takeover or anything. I don't think doing such a thing would even be interesting. In fact, we are recorded existences and not the actual people... Eternal life is just a delusion."
I nodded, and the Third Generation clapped his hands once loudly.
"Now then, the mysteries of the Jewel have increased, but that doesn't matter. The problem is how Liel will defeat Celes. We'll move forward with that problem gradually; next is the invasion of Selva."
I crossed my arms and made a subtle expression. Our preparations were complete, and we could deploy at any time. The same was true for Rolfis.
"About that, we'll be departing immediately. However..."
The Fourth Generation asked back.
"However?"
"I really don't have to do anything, right?"
The next day.
From the morning, the Holy Knights lined up, and as the soldiers also lined up, Aura-san came out to the plaza in front of the temple.
It was to hold a departure ceremony before the invasion of Selva.
She was wearing a white dress that showed the lines of her body, and I looked at Aura-san, wondering if she actually liked it.
Selma-san and Gastone-san were waiting slightly behind Aura-san.
"Brave soldiers of Zain! The time has come to bring down the hammer upon the atrocious deeds of Selva!"
The people who had come to see the departure ceremony cheered in response to Aura-san's voice.
From inside the Jewel, the Third Generation's voice spoke.
"A justification is important, but when you know the inside story, it's hard to get fired up. Well, we can't move to the next step unless we win."
We were trying to crush Selva for our own purposes. Suddenly, I remembered the words of the Commander of the Holy Knights—Arman.
(Go to hell, huh. It's certainly a one-way trip to hell.)
Still, I didn't think of stopping.
Aura-san, drawing everyone's gaze in the plaza, spread her arms wide.
"I appoint Holy Knight Commander Liel Walt as the general of this army. The Goddess's protection shall promise victory to you and the soldiers."
I knelt on one knee in a prominent position and accepted the role of general. Or rather, it was because there was no suitable candidate in the current Zain.
"Yes! I shall certainly live up to your expectations."
The applause of the people and the shouts of the soldiers thundered through the capital.
Aura-san smiled and brought her right hand to her chest.
"I have high expectations, Holy Knight Liel."
That's what she said. While those around us cheered, I understood.
(This woman intends to make 'Holy Knight' my epithet. How malicious!)
Those who didn't know Aura-san's true personality probably thought that I was truly expected to be a Holy Knight and was thus called one.
However, I could understand. I had once mentioned in front of her that I had a resistance to being called a Holy Knight.
I stood up and pointed my right hand toward Aura-san.
"I shall certainly live up to the expectations of the true Saint of the new Zain—Aura-sama."
That's what I said. Seeing her cheek twitch, I grinned. She seemed irritated by the words "true Saint."
The army of Zain, having departed the capital, headed toward the border with Selva.
Rolfis, for their part, had moved their army to the place where they bordered Selva.
The reason for deploying a two-front operation was that it would result in a shorter travel period than gathering in one place. At first, we tried to act as a group, but because Rolfis wouldn't move, it was taking too much time.
Beside me, Aria, wearing hastily made red armor and holding a spear, rode alongside me on a horse. Novem, Miranda, Clara, and Monica were resting inside the porter.
The porters followed behind me, and Eva was moving on horseback beside the porters.
However, her movements were stiff.
Aria called out to Eva.
"Hey, it looks like you're about to fall off. Get a grip."
Eva glared at Aria while trembling on the horse.
"I've never ridden a horse before! It can't be helped!"
Aria looked exasperated.
"Instead of singing songs while you were resting, you should have practiced horsemanship."
Eva replied...
"Aria, you were out buying snacks! Do you think I don't know you were running around playing with Shannon!"
Watching the two of them argue, I said in a low voice.
"You two, absolutely do not tell Novem, Miranda, or Clara about that. Got it? Absolutely! I really had a hard time over here!"
Then, the ceiling lid of the porter opened, and Miranda popped her head out. With a smile, she leaned her upper body out and waved at us.
As Aria and Eva's faces twitched, Miranda's eyes were very scary despite her smile.
"Liel is so kind. If it were me, I'd push the hard work onto them for a while. I wonder if I should limit Shannon to walking for about half a year? And make her carry her own luggage. As for Aria and Eva... yes, let's study together next time. I'm sure Novem and Clara will help too. ...I won't let you sleep until you can do it."
After making that last statement with a expressionless face, Miranda disappeared back into the porter.
Then, Shannon's boisterous voice could be heard, and as the rear door opened, Shannon jumped out.
Carrying luggage, she came toward me.
"What on earth did you guys say! Liel, let me ride a horse too!"
Recalling the extent of Miranda's anger, I shook my head.
"I'll carry your luggage. Walk yourself. Besides, you need to build up more stamina."
Shannon complained to me.
"Mei was playing too! That's unfair!"
I pointed to the sky.
"Are you an idiot? Mei is working, doing reconnaissance. Give it up."
Aria said to me...
"H-Hey, Miranda isn't serious, right?"
Eva also said...
"I-I'm also a bit... other than singing and dancing... though I'd work hard if it were music."
Since the two of them were giving forced smiles, I said with a smile.
"Don't worry. You can take breaks."
Then, both Aria and Eva slumped on their horses.
—The army of Rolfis had arrived at the border with Selva.
Selva, having received formal declarations of war from both Zain and Rolfis, had recalled the second prince, Dario, and was showing a posture of thorough resistance.
The army of Rolfis surrounding the border fortress was in an advantageous position against Selva, who was forced into a two-front operation.
It seemed they had gathered mercenary groups from the start, but they had been declared war upon by two nations. They had no choice but to disperse their forces, and the manpower at the fortress was low.
Alette, commanding one unit, raised her greatsword on horseback.
"Defensive posture!"
As she said that, mages deployed magic shields to cover the unit. Large shields blocked the magic flying from the fortress.
When the magic shields vanished, magic was fired from the allies' side, and the fortress side blocked it with magic shields. However, because the numbers were different, there weren't enough shields.
Magic hit the fortress directly, and it gradually began to fall apart.
Alette said...
"The defense is firmer than I thought."
The adjutant riding a horse next to Alette said...
"It is the front line. It's normal to prepare a fortress with anti-magic measures. However, it seems they didn't spend much money. The fortress is starting to crumble after only a few days."
Amidst the exchange of magic, they were even using siege weapons to attack the fortress. The reason the opponent could do nothing but endure in the fortress was due to the difference in numbers.
Alette looked around.
"Mercenary groups are also participating on our side, and the difference in numbers is close to four times. The invasion on the Zain side has probably begun as well. I want to break through here first, no matter what."
The reason Rolfis decided on the invasion of Selva was influenced by Liel's actions in the audience chamber. An attitude that treated them as if they weren't even in his sight. And the fact that he even had a Kirin following him.
There were also opinions from ministers who believed in the superstition that they did not want to be hostile to Liel, who possessed the symbol of luck.
But Alette was different.
It was simpler. She decided she didn't want to fight Liel.
Facing Selva felt many times better than facing the bottomless Liel and his group.
(I don't think I'd lose if we fought, but what is this anxiety...)
With the Kirin following him, Liel had been laughing even in a pressing situation. Moreover, he had been laughing truly amusedly. He hadn't been laughing out of bluffing.
He had looked truly like he was enjoying himself.
(That kind of person is scary. He's truly enjoying the war.)
Lombolt must have noticed that madness in Liel as well, as he desperately persuaded the Princess, Anneliese, to decide on the invasion of Selva.
(Well, I don't want to think that he was swayed by a love that cooled that easily...)
Anneliese gave permission for the invasion so effortlessly that one would wonder what all the previous hardships had been for. Additionally, she had given instructions to capture the Selva royalty faster than Zain.
(She can do it if she puts her mind to it...)
The units surrounding the fortress fired magic one after another, reducing the fortress to ruins.
To Alette, it looked as if the fortress was being used to vent the frustrations of the Rolfis side—.