334 - The Shape of Family
――Before the forces led primarily by the Southern Regional Army stood two other armies.
Jule, the King of Jampea, removed his helmet and swept his hair back.
"—Honestly, it feels as if I am dreaming. This is just like a battle from myth."
Beside him, the man serving as Jule's adjutant looked at him with anxiety.
"Your Majesty."
"Do not worry. The people before us are allies. Yes, let us pray they are allies. Besides, don't you think this is a chance? We may now be throwing ourselves into a legendary—no... a mythical battle. It will surely be an honor for generations to come."
So saying, Jule put his helmet back on. He drew the sword hanging at his waist, raised it toward the heavens, and shouted.
"Brave warriors of Jampea, advance without fear!"
As Jampea began to move, the surrounding nations also began to move forward—.
――When the Fifth Head swung his silver whip-sword, it became a silver serpent, crushing the surrounding skeleton soldiers one after another.
Beside him, the Sixth Generation was sweeping away skeleton soldiers with a silver halberd. Once the two finished clearing the area, they looked around.
The Fifth Head let out a light sigh. Looking back, the lined-up army was preparing for a charge.
"Well, looks like the preparations are complete."
The Sixth Generation thrust his halberd into the ground.
"Indeed. But what shall we do now? If we are to charge toward Central, it would be better to consolidate our forces—"
The Fifth Head shook his head.
"Your army is centered around my sons. Do you think we can coordinate? You'll be the main axis, I'll handle the support."
The Sixth Generation crossed his arms.
"That may be so... but I cannot accept that."
The Fifth Head looked at the Sixth Generation and rested the whip-sword on his shoulder.
"I'm busy. We'll talk later—"
Then, two armies gathered around the Fifth Head. The trained forces, moving with the same fighting style and the same discipline, converged around the Fifth Head in perfect unison.
Then, dozens of knights on horseback surrounded the Fifth Head. All of them held weapons, facing toward Central.
The Fifth Head spoke.
"...You lot."
The Sixth Generation mounted his horse as it arrived and raised his voice.
"Father... this is the army you trained. And this is our collective will!"
The knights gathered around removed the masks of their helmets, lifting them to reveal their faces as they looked at the Fifth Head.
"Mother and the others are watching. Hurry it up."
"Well, we were told various things after you died."
"I wish you'd handled things better, though. Well, I suppose you had your thoughts once you had children."
With embarrassment and exasperation, yet still, everyone gathered around the Fifth Head, awaiting instructions. As the two armies merged into one, the Fifth Head covered his face with his left hand.
"You lot... you're far too competent for my sons. You take after your mothers."
Not only the sons, but the grandchildren had also participated. The Fifth Head's army, built into a formidable force through blood, showed its completed form as it assembled.
"...Honestly, it seems it's true that children become competent when the father is useless."
As he spoke, a blue light appeared near the Fifth Head. It was his horse and the other animals he had doted on.
Then, five women appeared. The surrounding knights straightened their posture, and the Sixth Generation also stiffened his back.
"Husband, we shall help as well."
"Though I am weak, I shall assist in this great crisis of the Walt family."
"In such an enter—important scene, we cannot simply hide because we are women."
"To Banseime, who left us in our plight, the hammer of judgment!"
"The daughters are also waiting. Though we have excluded Mireia."
They were the Fifth Head's primary wife and concubines. Wearing dresses, they pinched the edges of their skirts with their fingertips, lifting them slightly as they bowed elegantly.
The Fifth Head, slightly embarrassed.
"O-oh."
He replied. The animals were also looking at the Fifth Head. Then, a blue light appeared around the Sixth Generation. The Sixth Generation broke into a cold sweat.
"...Why can't I be like Father?"
As the Sixth Generation lamented, one of his younger brothers said "Serves you right" from somewhere. Appearing from the light was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty. However, her gaze was terrifying.
Behind her, two more ill-tempered women emerged. Both looked rude, fiddling with their hair and such.
The blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman looked at the Sixth Generation.
"...Do you dislike our appearance that much?"
The Sixth Generation forced a smile and spoke to his wives.
"What are you saying! With your help, I'm as strong as a hundred men! This battle is as good as won! Right, Father!"
The Fifth Head averted his gaze.
"Yeah, I guess so."
And those around them also cast exasperated looks at the Sixth Generation. The Fifth and Sixth Generations had both faced great problems in their family relationships. Between the two, however, the Fifth Head's relationship with his wives was more peaceful.
The Fifth Head muttered.
"That's why I told you having multiple wives is hard. Sigh, I wonder if Lariel will be alright?"
The worried Fifth Head looked toward the ruins of the Central Palace—where Lariel and the others were fighting Agrissa.
"Well, let's make this flashy. The dead soldiers are overflowing, after all. We'll charge to that vicinity, solidify our defense, and crush them as they emerge. Simple, right? Easier than dealing with fleeing bandits."
As the Fifth Head spoke, everyone readied their weapons and entered a charging stance.
Then, the women spoke.
"Then, let us clear the path before the charge."
So saying, the women who had appeared—the Fifth Head's daughters. There were granddaughters as well. The Fifth Head's primary wife raised her hand.
"We shall support my husband. Go forth flashily. This is an important battle for the Walt family."
As the Fifth Head mounted his horse.
"—Charge!"
Reacting instantly to those words, an army of tens of thousands charged toward the dead soldiers. From behind came the support of the women—
"That bastard ran away! At least at the end, make it clear who's the best! Burn it all down!"
"Ahahaha, I can feel the power surging!"
"I can only use plain magic, you know. The kind that drags you into the ground—sigh, I'm so plain."
The charging men cast glances toward the Sixth Generation.
The Sixth Generation's younger brothers spoke.
"Hey, whose wife is that, Brother?"
"She's always out there, isn't she?"
"At least make it clear at the end. Don't run away to the battlefield. You were like that even when you were alive!"
Receiving the criticism of his brothers, the Sixth Generation forced a laugh and gripped the halberd in both hands. Then, the halberd split into two.
"Come, you dead soldiers! I, Fines Wolt, shall be the opponent for all of you!"
Wielding two halberds atop his horse, the Sixth Generation led the vanguard. With his physique and dignity, he was uselessly reliable.
"Damn it! That bastard ran away again!"
"Chase him!"
"I'll teach you just how much of a nuisance you were when you were alive!"
Perhaps having suffered from the turmoil caused by the Sixth Generation's wives during their lives, the Sixth Generation's brothers also charged forward.
Sighing, the Fifth Head gave precise instructions to the army. The army obeyed the Fifth Head's will, moving as if it were a single living organism. As they carved through the army of dead soldiers, numerous spells were unleashed from behind, providing endless support.
To those watching, it looked like an army fearlessly pushing through a battlefield rained upon by colossal magic.
However, the Fifth Head...
"That was close! Who was the one who tried to drop magic on us!"
One of the Fifth Head's sons spoke.
"It's obviously our sister-in-law! Damn it! If we stay near Brother, we'll get caught in it! —This is bad."
Just as the son said, a giant serpent cloaked in sinister black flames emerged from behind. Crawling along the ground, it swallowed the dead soldiers, burning them as it headed this way.
The Fifth Head shouted.
"A-advance! Just keep advancing! Fines, you get back and deal with your wives! Hey, can you hear me!"
The Fifth Head shouted, but the Sixth Generation was leading the vanguard with an exaggerated laugh. No—he was fleeing—
"Ahahaha, every single one of you is just small fry!"
――Unlike the outskirts of Central where the fighting was flamboyant, the number of dead soldiers in the central part of Central was small.
It was like a donut; the area close to Agrissa was a gaping hole where few dead soldiers remained.
Advancing through such a place were the Third Head and several hundred soldiers. A knight, the ancestor of the Landburg family, shouted toward the Third Head.
"Lord Slay, I've found them! It's the royalty of Banseime!"
The Third Head had the Blade-less Sword resting on his shoulder, walking lightly over piles of rubble.
"Heh, I thought they'd be alive, but unscathed? As expected of royalty. Seems they have a few things up their sleeves."
Magic tools or some special equipment.
The royalty had survived even as Central was blown away. However, the Third Head had foreseen this. They were royalty. He figured they must have at least some kind of special tool.
There stood the King, the Queen, and the Crown Prince.
The King pointed the bracelet on his right wrist toward the Third Head.
"A-are you dead soldiers too! Stay back!!"
A Golem, apparently summoned from the bracelet, had appeared. No, even calling it a Golem was questionable. A humanoid thing made of stone several meters tall charged toward the Third Head and his party.
"I wonder if they used this to defeat the dead soldiers? Well, I'm glad you're alive. Because... missing persons are the biggest pain."
Everyone readied their weapons, but a blue light appeared behind the Third Head. From it, an iron ball about the size of a human head flew out, piercing the abdomen of the figure. The humanoid thing collapsed with a clatter.
The iron ball was attached to a chain, and it was sucked back into the blue light with a rattling sound. When the blue light settled, a woman stood there.
"Honestly, always acting so composed. It's nerve-wracking for those of us watching."
The woman holding the chained iron ball was the Third Head's wife.
"Sorry. Well, I might have struggled if I used a sword, right? Oops, more importantly, shall we restrain the royalty? It would be troublesome if they escaped and became a banner for the resistance."
This was why the Third Head had been searching for the royalty, or attempting to confirm their deaths. It was because they would be a hindrance to Lariel's rule.
In a situation like this, there was a possibility they could escape, so he wanted to secure them quickly.
"And since they seem to be alive, they'll have to take responsibility."
Facing the smiling Third Head, the Crown Prince, Rufus, drew the sword from his waist. He seemed to have been released from Celes's influence.
"Y-you fool! State your name!"
The Third Head replied with a smile.
"When even the voice is a dead ringer, it really makes me feel like you're my descendants. Well, since we're at it, I'll introduce myself. The Third Head of the landed nobility Wolt family—Slay Wolt. I've come from hell."
Faced with the Third Head, who said "I've come" with a smile, the royalty were bewildered. Normally this would be impossible, but impossible things had already been happening one after another.
Dead soldiers and skeleton soldiers. Moreover, Celes had died, and a monster was floating in the sky.
But the King muttered.
"The Wolt family again. How far, just how far will you continue to hunt Banseime?"
In contrast to the King's expression of intense regret, Rufus shouted at him.
"Don't be ridiculous! Lord Slay Wolt is The Righteous General of Banseime! You must not dare impersonate that name!"
But in the next instant, the Third Head's face went serious. The Third Head's soldiers had quietly surrounded the royalty.
"The Righteous General? Don't make me laugh. Because of your ancestors, I had no choice but to charge. And after that, you even stole the credit, and now I'm The Righteous General of Banseime? I'm not the least bit happy to be put on such a pedestal. Pay the price for stealing the Wolt family's achievements since the founding of the Kingdom of Vanseim."
Then, Rufus spoke.
"You mere fake. Such things—"
He tried to talk back, but the King, who seemed to know, turned pale.
"—No, he's the real thing. There's no mistake. In the records of the successive kings, that's how it was written. To be wary of the Wolt family. To think, a three-hundred-year grudge would come to a head in my generation..."
Slay tried to explain to the King, who interpreted this as being driven by a grudge against the Banseime royal family, but the Third Head's wife spoke first.
"Be silent! We knew nothing of such things from the past! However, it is only natural to take responsibility for letting the country rot to this extent and making it ungovernable. It just so happened that the Wolt family was next. To call your own failures a grudge of the Wolt family—have some shame!"
She slammed the iron ball into the ground, causing a tremor in the surroundings. Slay also straightened his posture and gave a forced cough.
"Ahem! Well, that's about it. Actually, my descendant Lariel said he wanted to become Emperor, so I decided to help him. To be honest, I don't care about things from three hundred years ago, it has nothing to do with me."
The royalty stood agape in astonishment. Rufus spoke.
"F-for just that reason—the Banseime royal family that lasted three hundred years! —Guh!!"
The Third Head's fist buried itself in Rufus's face, sending him flying. Then, the refreshed Third Head smiled.
"But you know, since I was made to die in vain, I think it's fine for me to punch you. That bastard used my death, after all. ...Now, you've used us plenty and reaped the rewards. That's enough, right? —Why don't you do one last job for Lariel?"
The Third Head's knights and soldiers restrained the three members of the royalty.
"L-let go! Let go of me!"
"Do you know who I—"
The Third Head's soldiers captured the survivors of the Banseime royal family. The Third Head's wife looked at him worriedly.
"Well, we've blamed others for their failures... but Lariel, the descendant, will be alright, won't he? He won't be worse than the Banseime royal family, will he?"
If things went poorly, it could boomerang back and lead to a very awkward result.
The Third Head chuckled.
"Who knows? Governance is for people of future generations to evaluate. But while he might not be the greatest, I think he'll rule safely enough. He has that kind of capacity."
The Third Head looked toward the royal palace. Then, he returned his gaze to his wife.
"Also, these are words I couldn't say while I was alive. They might be meaningless for us who are just records, but I'll say them anyway. I caused you a lot of trouble. And, thank you. Thanks to you, the Wolt family was able to make it this far."
As the Third Head smiled and said this to his wife, her face reddened slightly.
"You always do that... Now, let's go. We still have things to do!"
"You're right. Let's go. Also, you really are the best woman. You were too good for me."
Looking at the back of his motivated wife, the Third Head followed her—.
Third Head (´∀｀) "Everyone's having a hard time, huh? Ahahaha"
Sixth Generation (；・∀・) "Third Head! The secret! The secret to a happy marriage!"
Third Head (・∀・ ) "...Loving one woman sincerely, I guess. Well, it's already too late for you, so you can just relax lol"
Sixth Generation (|| ゜Д゜) "DAMN IT!!"
Lariel Σ(・∀・|||) "Wait, me too!?"