241 - Their Respective Journeys
The effect of the skill—Speed—.
It increases movement speed. It simply increases movement speed, but the rate of that increase varies greatly depending on my own capability.
Compared to the first time, when it was only about twenty or thirty percent, I was now capable of nearly doubling it. While this brought the problem of greater mana consumption, I managed to arrive at the port of Galleria within a range that my increased mana could handle.
Upon landing at the port, I saw that work had progressed more than before. As I watched the process of unloading cargo from the ships, Reold-kun, who was surrounded by the knights of Galleria, waved at me.
"Lyell-dono!"
The boy, who was younger than I and had previously been unreliable and lacked the trust of the knights, had now built up a reasonable amount of achievement and was followed by those around him.
The sudden, rule-ignoring serious battle that had broken out between Galleria and Lusworth. After achieving some military merit there, however small, he had been active in the internal affairs of Galleria.
The responsibility for the port's development had also been placed under Reold-kun's name.
"It's been a while. How many months has it been? No, was it about a month?"
As I tried to recall the last time I had met him, Reold-kun gave a wry smile.
"It hasn't been two months. My sister's schedule didn't align, so she wasn't able to come here this time."
Glacia-san—the Acting Archduke of Galleria—apparently could not move as she had matters to discuss with the envoys of the Four-Nation Alliance.
"Was it Rolfis?"
When I confirmed which country had sent the envoys, Reold-kun nodded.
The port was a place where the sea breeze was strong and felt slightly cold. Guided by Reold-kun, we were led to the arranged accommodations.
Many of the buildings were temporary, and the environment was one where the voices of people working could be heard from all around. It felt lively.
Reold-kun said to me,
"A new head of the Tres family from Beime came. I sent them back as instructed, but I wonder if that was a bit pitiful?"
Seeing Reold-kun look slightly anxious, the Third Generation spoke from within the Jewel in a tone lower than usual.
"Yes, he's a good boy. But you see, it's troublesome for us if that happens. Fidel-kun worked hard, and he'll continue to work hard, so this is more of a reward, or rather, I want to keep my promise..."
Though they had used him for their own sake, it seemed that to the successive heads remaining within the Jewel, Reold-kun was a dazzling existence.
If I said the same thing, they would call me "naive" or talk about "survival of the fittest," yet they were soft on Reold-kun. They likely felt as if they were being shown the purity they themselves had lost.
Indeed, Reold-kun possessed a straightforward personality.
"It's true that it's also for my own convenience. Well, it's best to keep your distance from the current Beime. It seems Banseime has declared war, and they probably won't move until after autumn, into winter."
Even for a great power like Banseime, a large army is required to take Beime. And most of that military force consists of the common people.
Autumn is the harvest season, and because they are a great power, there are slight discrepancies in the harvest timing. To move a large army, not only food but also manpower is necessary.
They do not move during the busy season. Or rather, we believed that even if they did move, they would not be able to take Banseime.
If—should Celes move—it would be convenient for us not to be in Beime. I have told Vera to flee if Celes makes a move.
Reold-kun crossed his arms, appearing lost in thought.
"...Banseime will move, will they? In terms of scale alone, it will likely be smaller than the monster army that flowed into Beime last time, so I suppose it will be a matter of stopping them at Redant Fortress?"
Inside the Jewel, the Fifth Generation denied Reold-kun's prediction.
"Monsters and humans are different. Certainly, the breakthrough power of a monster army is a threat, but I think humans are scarier than monsters. ...Redant Fortress will probably be breached at an early stage."
I conveyed the Fifth Generation's opinion to Reold-kun. Though it was a fortress prepared for the war between Beime and Banseime, we had not believed it could be held to the end.
"No, Redant Fortress will be breached relatively early."
"Eh? But it's a fortress that stopped a swarm of hundreds of thousands of monsters? I heard that Lyell-dono held it there with only about twenty thousand men?"
There is a great difference between me and other people.
That is the knowledge of the successive heads—and the skills they left behind for me. Because the Walt family manifested and passed down only support-type skills, the body has become one with an excellent aptitude for support.
It was also lucky that there were no overlapping skills due to the inheritance of skills through the Jewel continuing from the First Generation.
Before I knew it, I was gripping the Jewel.
"...The skills I inherited were just excellent."
Night.
Having entered the Jewel, I saw the Fifth Generation sitting on the round table, looking irritated.
The Fifth Generation was glaring at Mireia-san, who was sitting in the Fifth Generation's chair with a cool expression.
"Hey. Just let Lyell inherit the skill already. I've told him what I wanted to tell him, and above all, my third-stage skill will be useful in the future."
Mireia-san sighed upon seeing the Fifth Generation like that.
"You're not very honest, are you? You haven't told him the important things. From the First to the Fourth Generation, the Walt family were, if anything, regional lord nobles. Among them, they placed great importance on the family. You haven't properly explained why that changed so drastically with you, the Fifth Generation, Father."
The Fifth Generation's eyebrow twitched, and he looked at Mireia-san.
"You can just teach him yourself. Do you think there's any meaning in teaching such a thing?"
Amidst the prickly tension, the Third and Seventh Generations shrugged. When I sighed after listening to their exchange, I spoke up to change the subject.
"Listen. Tomorrow I will leave Galleria and head for Lusworth. After that, I'll head for Cartaphus, and that will be the end of the sea route. Since things are going smoothly for now, could you give me some more training?"
The reason I visited the Jewel was to receive training from the successive heads. Until now, I had been busy, and there were times when I didn't have such luxury.
I felt it was necessary to receive training at a time like this. Furthermore, the Fifth Generation is thinking of disappearing after completing his role. Mireia-san is refusing, but there's no telling when he might vanish.
The Seventh Generation, perhaps tired of the atmosphere, stood up from his chair.
"I shall be your opponent. Lyell, come here."
Just as I was about to head toward the room of memories with the Seventh Generation, one of the doors flew open.
—It was the door to my room of memories.
Raiel, who possessed the same face and a smirking expression, stood there.
"I heard you were free, so I've arrived! Everyone's cute Raiel is here. Now, Lyell! Fight me! If you win, I'll return your memories!"
Looking at the boyish version of myself striking a sharp pose, my head began to ache. I would absolutely never do such a thing. Just as I was about to open my mouth to say so, Mireia-san spoke.
"Honestly. You're too stubborn, Father. It can't be helped. Lyell's room of memories is, in a sense, also a room of the Jewel. I'll go through there and peek into Father's past."
At Mireia-san's words, Raiel made a displeased face.
"Eh~, I have my own reasons, you know? Mireia-san, you're being tyrannical. Besides, I don't think he needs any more skills, right? He has enough with what he has, and I think having an advisor is more valuable."
Mireia-san shook her head at Raiel's words.
"What will he do if he relies on us forever? Besides, to defeat Celes, there are many things Lyell must know."
Raiel had both arms locked behind his head. Then, he looked at Mireia-san and spoke.
"My thoughts differ from Mireia-san's or the will of the Jewel. I intend to have my family saved."
"Saved?"
I looked at Raiel and considered the meaning of the words. Did they mean it literally, or was there another meaning?
With a bit of thought, it sounded like he meant to be liberated from Celes's shackles. But if it were the literal meaning—.
The Seventh Generation clenched his fist while looking at Raiel.
"Raiel, what do you mean by 'save'? Do you not understand? Already, the things Meizel and the others did must be atoned for—"
Even if Celes had been the cause, would those around them acknowledge that? Celes was the one at fault. Therefore, the other humans are innocent. If that logic worked, I wouldn't have had to aim for the throne of Emperor. I could have defeated Celes with a small elite force, and everything would have been resolved.
But reality is different. It's an emergency. It's the worst.
Raiel looked up at the ceiling.
"—Even so, I'll have them saved. Because that is also my wish. I don't know the will of the Jewel, the thoughts of the successive heads, or Mireia-san's ideas. This is my personal thought."
The Third Generation, who had remained silent, kept his head lowered.
The Fifth Generation also did not try to speak. The Seventh Generation was the same. They simply looked at Raiel with complex expressions. Then, Mireia-san spoke.
"...Understood. Let us settle Raiel-kun's business first. Father's matter will come after."
The Fifth Generation muttered displeasedly.
"Doing unnecessary things..."
The atmosphere within the Jewel was worse than it had ever been.
When I woke up, I was in the lodgings in Galleria.
The temperature difference between morning and night had begun to appear. I thought it was a bit cold, but there was another blanket laid over the one I was covered with, and it was warm.
It seemed Monica had prepared another one. She was not in the room; it appeared she had gone outside.
As I raised my upper body, I did indeed feel a slight chill.
"...Things have become troublesome. Just as this is becoming a full-fledged journey."
Lusworth, and from there, Cartaphus.
From Cartaphus, I would go via Banseime to head toward Fanbayle. It was a considerable travel distance, but it had become a journey under circumstances where the atmosphere within the Jewel was poor.
And I had been forced to talk—and even compete—with Raiel.
Current status. I have experienced growth six times. This is certainly on the higher side. That said, if asked if I can beat Raiel, it's not necessarily a yes.
Movement techniques like Celes's. Mireia-san could perform them too.
That alone doesn't mean he has the same strength as Celes, but the me before Celes stole everything from me—was sufficiently threatening.
"Was I really that amazing back then? Is it just that I've forgotten... no, I heard that various things were stolen."
Could such a difference in strength arise just from things being stolen? While thinking this, I got out of bed and stretched, and Monica appeared in the room carrying a tub.
It seemed she had prepared hot water.
"Oh, you're awake? I was hoping to sneak into the futon this time and induce a misunderstanding when someone came. Chicken cowards just don't know how to read the room, do they?"
"Saying things like that while preparing for the morning doesn't give you a shred of persuasiveness. Enough with the usual jokes, let's get ready quickly. We have to arrive at the port of Lusworth within today. Where are Aria and the others?"
When I said that, Monica placed the tub on the floor and brought over a chair. Looking at my face, she tilted her head.
"Why is it necessary for me to even take care of the chicken coward's women? I'll do it if told, but to make this Monica... take care of other women."
When I tapped the head of Monica, who had even started pretending to cry, her golden twin-tails fluttered.
"Ow. You're joking, right? Aria-san and the others are still asleep. They're tired from the ship journey."
Since the sea route would continue for a few more days, I thought about the future.
"I want to let them rest while they can. Setting Clara aside, please be mindful of Shannon. That girl has no stamina."
I thought Shannon would be the first to fall ill on this journey. Monica also seemed to be careful.
"The nutritional balance of the meals is perfect. However, continued movement consumes stamina, so I can't say for sure about that. But Shannon has shown improvement in terms of stamina relatively recently."
Being told this, I put my hand to my chin.
"...Since it was so terrible at the start, just living normally builds stamina whether she likes it or not, huh."
"Indeed."
Monica agreed.
—On the ship.
Miranda, who was moving separately from Lyell's group, watched the sailors working on the deck.
Instead of a Tres family ship, she had requested to move south and chose a route to enter Banseime from another country.
Perhaps because she was moving south, the wind was warm.
Miranda gripped the railing and looked up at the sky. A blue sky spread out, and land was visible in the distance.
"I wonder if Shannon is doing well?"
While worrying about her younger sister, Shannon, Miranda brushed back her wind-blown hair with her fingertips.
Shannon herself had said she would follow Lyell and the others. Originally, the plan was for her to accompany Miranda or wait in South Banseime. While her stamina had certainly increased compared to before, there was still a terrible gap compared to those around her.
Thinking that Shannon must have had her own reasons, Miranda respected Shannon's will.
Miranda was concerned about Shannon, but she was also thinking about the southern countries.
"...I have letters from the Four-Nation Alliance and Cartaphus here, but I wonder how much they'll be trusted."
In the south, there was a country bordering Banseime. However, its territory was too wide to be called a small country, and its scale was ambiguous for a great power.
It was one of the countries Beime traded with, but it was a country unfamiliar to everyone, including Miranda.
Since she had a letter of introduction from a merchant who had traded there, she should be able to meet the King.
"Well, let's try to handle it well. Even if it fails, I can enter Banseime and search for information from there."
This time, the King of the southern country was a man. Therefore, Lyell was not on this side. If it had been a woman, Miranda and the others would have sent him in without hesitation.
Even if rivals increased, there is no future if they do not win. And it was a fact that they still lacked the strength to defeat Celes.
"Even if I secure the cooperation of Fanbayle, as it stands, we're about equal to or slightly inferior to Banseime. I need to increase the number of countries that cooperate a bit more."
Even if they cooperated, they planned to eventually reign over those countries as an Empire. Miranda felt a bit guilty.
"...Dominion by Celes, or governance by Lyell. If I think of both as people of the Walt family, the future of the continent rests in the hands of the Walt family. What a troublesome clan."
Miranda said this and smiled slightly.