322 - Chapter 17: Epilogue
"Sigh, the dream I had last night was the worst. I'm calling off today's speech. Look, it's definitely a bad omen."
During breakfast, the people around me didn't pay much attention to me saying such things. Monica, who was bringing the food, and Damian's automatons seemed excited as they watched the food on the table rapidly disappear.
"This is it, this is it! Ah, right now we are shining at our brightest!"
They seemed happy to be fulfilling their purpose, having been born to serve others. In front of me, Mei was reaching for a massive amount of meat from early morning—.
"That's my meat!"
However, Shannon had swiped a piece and was eating it.
"Who cares! I'm in my growing phase!"
I looked at Shannon's chest and snorted. Then, a finished bone hit me in the face. To Shannon, who shouted, "Where are you looking!", I directed a pitying gaze toward her chest.
"Someone's chest that shows no sign of growing at all,"
Miranda remarked while eating toast.
"Shannon, be quiet. So, Lariel, what kind of dream did you have?"
Normally, Novem would react to me, but right now, Novem was just eating. Miranda called my name and looked up.
I wiped my face with the towel Monica brought.
"Listen, the dream I had yesterday was actually terrible. When I woke up in the morning, a naked woman was sleeping next to me—no, it was a dream. It wasn't reality."
When I mentioned a naked woman sleeping next to me, the dining hall inside the mobile fortress, which had been a bit noisy, went silent. When I clarified it was a dream, General Broa, who was present, looked bored.
"Since it's before the decisive battle, if you think of it as being with someone... the bets will have to be carried over until after the war."
Baldoor said the same.
"Please do not gamble using Lariel-sama. However, to be honest, I think it's a bit questionable that you're sleeping alone at this stage."
Maxim-san, looking depressed, poked at his food with a fork.
"...Wouldn't Novem-dono be fine? Honestly, I've bet a considerable amount, so just decide already."
I wish he wouldn't say it so dismissively. Damian, receiving a drink from an automaton, spoke.
"Not having decided on a partner yet is just like Lariel, I suppose... What do you think, old man Ratata?"
Old man Ratata, who was eating heartily, spoke while stuffing his cheeks with meat.
"Can I bet too?"
Damian called an automaton and began explaining the current odds and candidates to old man Ratata. I cleared my throat.
"...So, there was a woman, and I jumped up. I couldn't see her face, but since she was naked, I was panicking, and the one who opened the door was Miranda."
Miranda looked a little happy.
"Oh, were you so interested in me that I appeared in your dreams?"
However, I immediately added.
"...She had a knife and a scary look on her face. I screamed that I was wearing clothes and it was a misunderstanding, then I ran away. I knew the moment I saw her eyes. If I stayed, I'd be killed."
Then, seeing Miranda freeze, Aria and Glacia covered their mouths and struggled to hold back their laughter.
"T-That's possible. If it's Miranda, it's possible."
"Ah, I can imagine it."
The two of them have become close recently, perhaps because they get along as fellow muscle-brains. However, Miranda's gaze locked onto them. Well, that doesn't matter.
"Then, when I ran away, I was inside this fortress. As I was running through a narrow corridor, Eliza was there."
Eliza reacted slightly, but nothing major happened.
"I was running around looking for Glacia, so I pointed toward Miranda. Yeah, I was scared, so I thought I'd have her block the way."
I felt bad for Eliza, who looked crestfallen, but my dream continued after that.
"When I went outside, soldiers were standing around with their weapons ready. Then, in my panic, I saw Aria on a horse looking at me. Those were definitely eyes that held a grudge against me. Maybe because it was a dream, I was being chased as a traitor."
Me, being chased because someone held a grudge over me sleeping with someone—the worst part was what came after.
"Glacia was participating too. And where I ran to escape, Ludmilla was there."
Ludmilla was elegantly drinking tea.
"Cutting me off. The 'me' in the dream is quite capable."
"Since there were beds and nightclothes, I ran in a different direction."
As Ludmilla froze, Glacia and Eliza pointed and laughed.
"A capable person who brings a bed outside... pfft!"
"Quite capable indeed. We couldn't even imagine it."
Since Ludmilla was looking at the two of them and letting out a menacing voice saying, "I told you it was a dream...", I continued the story.
"When I finally shook them off and hid, Mei was there."
Mei was mumbling while eating meat.
"Eva was on her back, aiming some kind of bow and arrow. Thinking they were enemies too, I tried to run, and an arrow flew at me from behind."
Eva and Mei wiped their mouths.
"A bow on horseback... that's a bit difficult. Not impossible, though."
"I can run to some extent without shaking. But I wouldn't chase Lariel for something like that."
I thought so. These two understand that their priority is low.
"Then, since the sky was dangerous too, I escaped into a cave. There, Clara was reading a book in a dark room, and she told me the exit was already blocked. Then, Vera came walking toward me from the path I came from with a smile."
Vera looked exasperated.
"What, you think I cooperated with Clara to corner you? No, surely that's..."
Just as I wanted her to explicitly state she wouldn't do it, Clara looked bewildered as everyone's gaze turned toward her.
"Please wait. This is a story about a dream."
However, Ludmilla put her hand on her chin.
"A dark horse... no, it's possible."
I continued the story as it was.
"Then, I got scared and somehow managed to escape. In the end, I don't know who was sleeping next to me, but I was chased like that and woke up drenched in sweat. Shannon appeared and told me to wake up. Well, the real Shannon who came to wake me was calling my name. But I was surprised and screamed."
Shannon looked at me.
"Is that why you shouted so loud this morning? You idiot."
While Shannon was laughing, there was someone whose shoulders were clearly slumped. It was Monica.
"I... I didn't even appear in the chicken coward's dream..."
Looking at such a Monica, Unit One, Unit Two, and Unit Three—Damian's automatons—were covering their mouths and laughing.
"I was seriously chased, and everyone's faces were scary. Sigh, in the end, who was it... I mean, a dream where you're chased by your allies is definitely a bad dream. Let's stop today."
Then, General Broa, who had been listening, put his hand on his chin.
"Could it be Novem-dono? I mean, the one sleeping next to you?"
Monica looked at General Broa.
"You naturally omitted me right there. The only one allowed to be cold to me is the chicken coward. I don't get excited at all if anyone else is cold to me."
As expected, it's probably better to ignore Monica.
Everyone's gaze gathered on Novem. However, Novem was slightly dazed.
"Eh? ...U-Um, is something wrong?"
He froze while still holding his toast. Then, everyone's gaze shifted to Baldoor, who cleared his throat.
"It would be problematic to avoid the speech just because you had a bad dream. Today is the day we storm Central."
Yes, the Allied Forces had gathered to surround Central. In front of Central, which showed no reaction, I was to give the final speech.
"Eh~, let's do it another day. I'm telling you, it's a bad omen."
At my lack of motivation, Baldoor's eyebrow twitched.
"No. The preparations are already complete."
Well, I didn't seriously intend to stop it. It was just breakfast conversation. I myself was a bit nervous, so I wanted to relax.
However, I could understand that Novem was taking it more seriously than I imagined.
Once, my ancestor—the previous Lariel—stormed Central.
It was to eliminate the cause of the corruption in a country said to be led by a beauty who brought ruin to her nation.
In terms of results, he succeeded in defeating Agrissa.
However, the Banseime family—the territorial nobles at the time—took all the credit. He was pushed off the center stage of history, and the Banseime Royal Family saved the continent and founded the Kingdom of Vanseim.
Perhaps they were desperate, but it seems they very carefully erased the records.
My ancestor, who originally only thought about defeating Agrissa and didn't advertise much to those around him.
The woman he was dating or married to at the time had a child. It was a long time ago when the Novem of the Foxus family at the time tried to prop him up to overthrow Banseime. The woman desired peace and entered the protection of the Banseime Royal Family in Central.
Perhaps that wasn't a mistake either.
"Well, depending on how it was handled, he could have just wiped out Banseime right then."
Beside the stage of the mobile fortress, I muttered this while gripping the orb in my hand. Novem was standing next to me.
"...She had given up on fighting. Rather than how much her husband had suffered, she cared more about herself."
I think that's going too far.
"If she had a child in her womb, wouldn't she want to protect it?"
The one who talked back to Novem with exasperation was Aria. She had her spear resting on her shoulder, waiting for the time to come.
Novem seemed to understand that part as well.
"Thanks to that, the Banseime Royal Family was born and the continent was split. After that, several great monarchs were born, but the Walt family has been tormented by the Banseime Royal Family many times. And not just the Walt family."
The first generation seemed to be the grandson of the ancestor who defeated Agrissa.
Nearly two hundred and fifty years had passed since the first Basil Walt became independent due to his first love and became a territorial noble.
Having finished the preparations, Clara came toward me.
And Eva, acting as backstage support, was preparing her skill.
"Lariel-san, the preparations are complete. It seems Eva is also ready to use her skill. How would you like the music?"
I thought for a moment.
"Well, something safely solemn that builds up at the end, maybe? I mean, Eva's skill is convenient. It delivers a voice to people and the music is free."
Then, Eva popped her head out.
"It is convenient. But for me, I prefer live music. Also, I don't really like delivering voices with a skill. So, please don't make me use it much from now on."
Eva waved her hand flippantly and went back. I gripped the orb.
Miranda and Aria, who were nearby, spoke to me.
"Come on, go on."
"Make it sharp and decisive. You're the commander-in-chief, after all."
I smiled at the two of them. Clara moved away to operate the mechanism. Then, Novem, seeing me about to step onto the stage, bowed his head.
"Lariel-sama, I believe you have many thoughts, but I, Novem Foxus... will accompany you until the end."
I nodded.
"I hope that 'end' is the same end I'm thinking of. I'm going."
As I ascended the stage, I first heard music through Eva's skill. It felt as if it were being played nearby.
Then, I took a deep breath.
Slowly, the stage rose to a position where I could overlook everything. When I stopped, I felt the surrounding gazes gather.
It was time for the Third Head's skill, [Dream]. In front of me, the walls of Central were visible, and the forces of the Allied Army surrounded them.
Directly above me, I created an illusion of myself so that everyone could see. Matching my movements, the illusion reproduced the same actions.
The voice reached them, and the figure was visible. This should increase the effect a bit. Amidst the buzzing, I opened my mouth.
"Brave warriors gathered here, lend me your ears!"
Calling the knights and soldiers brave warriors, I praised them. Without a doubt, they were brave warriors. For they were standing against Celes, who committed atrocities, to save the continent.
And how many of them would be able to return alive...
"Many of you have likely heard of the atrocities of the Banseime Royal Family. Some of you may have trembled at their cruelty. But you stood up! You are undoubtedly brave warriors... and heroes! Your names will surely be carved into this great historical battle!"
It wasn't necessarily true, but the fact that they participated in this battle would remain.
A solemn piece of music was playing, giving my words an atmosphere.
"If we do not win this battle, dark clouds will hang over the future of the continent. In fact, many unfortunate events have already occurred. Beime suffered great damage due to the forces dispatched by Banseime. The same goes for the interior of Banseime. You all must have seen it on your way here."
Lifeless villages and towns, and lords and soldiers whose sanity was questionable. Even after being liberated and regaining their sanity, they looked back at what they had done and were tormented by guilt.
"Eventually, this hell will spread across the continent by Banseime's hand. If we do not stop it now, the continent will be stained with death and fear! Now, this is the place of the decisive battle. Now, here, the future is decided!"
For many of the participants, it is easier to fight if they are told they are justice. If they think they are doing something bad, hesitation inevitably arises.
Unless it concerns life and death, doubt creeps in.
Especially since many are soldiers from other countries who have nothing to do with Banseime. Justice—if it has no meaning, this battle will lack seriousness.
What they are doing has meaning. I must teach them that. Even if it is for my own sake.
"Brave warriors, your strength is needed for this great battle. Overthrow the atrocious Banseime Royal Family and show justice to the continent!"
Since the plants and communication had been arranged from the start, cheers spread.
Ah, this is how I send many people to their deaths. And as I thought about how I would kill many people, I raised my fist.
However, someone had to do it. And I couldn't wait for someone else to step up.
If there had been such a person, I might have honestly lent my strength and spent the post-war years tilling a field somewhere in the frontier. How much better that would have been.
If I had stayed silent, the people here wouldn't have been in danger. But eventually, Celes would have moved, and they might have been scattered in a futile resistance.
While the surrounding countries still had power, Celes had to be stopped no matter what.
However, I don't think I am right. What I am doing is exactly the same as Celes.
Looking at me like this, what would the previous heads of the family say? I was once told to give up and flee to a land beyond Celes's reach.
Even so, I decided for myself to walk this blood-stained path. If I had spent my time worrying, I probably would have been yelled at.
Mireia-san had said it.
Sit upon the throne built atop a mountain of corpses. And seize the future.
"O brave warriors, seize the future with your own hands!"