93 - Dissolution
When I woke up, Monica's face was right in front of me.
"...Hey?"
No, her face was too close.
"To wake a sleeping chicken coward, as expected, a kiss from the lovely Monica is... Oh, you're awake. What a shame."
Monica, who moved her face away and stood nearby with her back straight, looked happy.
Given how many times she had challenged Celes, the loyalty of an automaton must be high.
(Even knowing that, it's still something to be happy about.)
I pushed myself up and moved my body; as the previous heads of the family said, it seemed my treatment was complete.
The wounds had closed, but there was pain throughout my entire body.
The wound on my left arm seemed to have left a scar. It was from when I was pinned to the wall and tormented.
However, it might have been better that it remained.
(Looking at this scar, I won't be able to forget the threat of Celes.)
"I'll rest my body for a while. This was the Fanbayle estate, right? Why did you help me?"
When I said that, Monica looked puzzled.
"How did you determine it was the Fanbayle estate? I believe you were unconscious when you, the chicken coward, were brought in?"
I smiled slightly, stood up from the bed, and moved my body a bit.
"There are various reasons. Various... and, Monica."
"What is it?"
"Thank you. I'll say it, just in case."
When I thanked her for saving me, Monica suddenly began to move wrigglingly, her twin-tails flailing, looking delighted.
"Geez! You've finally fallen for me! You're late entering your 'lovestruck' phase, you chicken coward! We're sleeping in the same bed tonight. I'll get things ready."
"You don't have to. You can sleep while standing, right?"
When I declined the invitation with a smile, Monica sat down on the spot and pretended to cry.
"I was worried too, you know. Because the chicken coward wouldn't wake up, though I was in sleep mode."
"You were just sleeping! No, maybe that was more convenient for me."
Monica has a link with me, and she supplies magic from there.
She is an automaton that can regenerate, but conversely, she continues to drain my magic. When the recovery of physical strength is the top priority, if Monica moves around, the recovery slows down.
"...What about Novem and the others?"
Monica stood up and spoke expressionlessly.
"They're having a falling out. The vixen is preparing hot water. Well, now the nuisances are gone. Now, chicken coward! Receive my nursing care!"
I sat on the bed and spoke to Monica.
"Before that, I have a request."
"How greedy. Say anything. I'll handle it perfectly. Now!"
To Monica, who was waiting for an order, I—.
"Could you gather all the party members? I have something important to talk about."
Saying that, I looked up at the ceiling.
Everyone gathered in the room.
As the previous heads of the family said, relationships had become strained due to the purpose of the harem that Novem had described.
Inside the room, everyone was standing at a distance from Novem.
(If they think they were treated as pawns, that's how it goes.)
I have no intention of blaming Novem for preparing a harem for my sake.
Thinking about it, he probably wanted to provide people around me who were not influenced by Celes.
Whether to fight or to flee, Novem judged that such personnel were necessary.
Everyone was looking at me, sitting on the bed.
Aria looked as if she wanted to say something.
Miranda was wary of Novem.
Shannon was looking around, flustered.
Clara was also moving her gaze around.
Monica was standing by my side.
Novem—.
"Liel-sama, what is this talk about?"
I stood up and looked at my companions' faces.
"...I've decided to dissolve the party. I want you to decide whether we dissolve in Beim, or if we dissolve here. It might also be good to work as this membership until we go to Beim and find other parties."
Hearing my decision, Novem nodded silently.
And then.
"I will accompany you until the end."
I smiled.
"Is that so? But could you make a judgment after hearing what I have to say first?"
Aria looked at me and shouted.
"Don't just go ahead on your own! I mean, what are you thinking? Dissolving the party!"
Miranda seemed to feel the same.
"Didn't some person say they wouldn't make us regret it? That's an abandonment of responsibility, isn't it?"
I gave a wry smile.
"That's true. I said I wouldn't make you regret it. But if we continue like this, you will regret it. I've gained a goal. It's so large that, to be honest, I haven't even decided how to achieve it. However, if I take everyone along as we are, I'll surely regret it. I can't achieve it alone, nor do I intend to. From now on, I will reform the party and act for a certain purpose."
I decided to fight.
But when that time comes, I cannot walk with allies who lack the resolve.
What I decided was the dissolution and reformation of the party.
"That's selfish..."
When Shannon looked at me as if blaming me, I smiled and apologized.
"That's true. It's selfish. No matter where I go, I'm selfish. Besides, my goal is to defeat Celes."
At my statement, Clara spoke while adjusting her glasses.
"Is that an assassination?"
"I thought about that too, but as expected, there are various problems. So, once I go to Beim, I'll reform the party and build up strength. Will Clara return to Alamsars? The funds earned by the party will be split evenly, and Clara's wish might be granted too."
If I recall, Clara said she wanted to run a bookstore in the future.
In terms of amount, it would be enough for the preparation funds of a small shop.
Aria responded to my opinion.
"Fight Celes? Are you an idiot? You couldn't win! And yet you're going to challenge her... weren't you going to flee somewhere and live quietly?"
That is also very attractive.
I considered the path of earning money as an adventurer and, based on the advice of the previous heads of the family, venturing into pioneering in the future to ensure the survival of the Walt family.
That would have been fine too.
Surely, the previous heads of the family would have supported me with all their might even if I had chosen that.
But I have already chosen.
"I can't leave it alone. That's why I decided to challenge her. Sorry, but this party ends here. Don't worry, I'll provide a certain preparation period, and once we reach Beim, you'll be in high demand, right? I believe you're members of that caliber."
Miranda spoke to me on behalf of everyone.
"Give us time. Besides, we can't move from Central right now."
I nodded.
"That's true. You'll need time. What will Novem do?"
Novem had a surprised expression at my decision. And then, he looked a little happy, yet perhaps there was some dissatisfaction.
He had a complex expression.
"I will accompany you until the end."
When I woke up, I was sitting facing Riane.
I was sitting on a sofa drinking tea.
"Thank you for saving me. More importantly, why did you save me? I don't think there's any merit in it?"
Riane, who had her long pink hair tied back, was smiling faintly.
Perhaps because she was a bit tired, she gave a shadowed impression.
"I don't think there's any merit for me either. It's just, a thing called intuition. Both meeting you and saving you."
While drinking tea, I wondered if this person also had sharp intuition like the first head, who was like a wild child.
"Do you trust that kind of intuition?"
"I do. In fact, I've been saved several times."
The other party said "I see" and drank her tea.
She probably thinks that because I'm an adventurer, I've encountered dangerous situations many times. It's not wrong, and even if I corrected her, it would be difficult to explain.
(The will of the first and second generations inside the Jewel Orb and so on... no, that's no good. It would take too long to convince her.)
The other party seemed busier than I was.
While preparing to vacate the estate, she also seemed to be investigating the internal affairs of Vanseim.
She probably discovered us in the process.
"Tomorrow, there will be a formal announcement in the square in front of the royal palace of Central. Celes will formally become engaged to the Crown Prince and will be the next queen in name and reality."
I already knew, so I wasn't surprised.
"She'll probably do at least that much. Though I think it's a bit early for the announcement."
"Apparently, he couldn't wait. See, Celes is charming, so the Crown Prince hurried so that strange bugs wouldn't gather around her."
Riane, who was giggling, I wonder what she thinks now that her former fiancé is in such a situation...
She's laughing, but internally, she probably doesn't find it amusing.
"She's fickle. I bet she'd casually lay hands on other men."
Riane agreed.
"I imagine so. Even so, the Crown Prince... Rufus will likely keep Celes by his side. In the worst case, even if a child is born and no one knows whose it is, he'll put them on the throne."
He must have become that crazed.
Since Celes arrived in Central, the surroundings have been rapidly becoming strange. It's chilling to think that this is the power of a monster.
"In the Princess's intuition, how is Vanseim? Do you think it will be long?"
At my question, she looked at me and spoke.
"...Doesn't that depend on you? You, to have stood before that Celes and remained safe. It's lucky it ended with just that degree of injury. I thought you would be the key. As for my desire for revenge, I wanted it to be you who destroys Vanseim... It seems interesting for those of the same Walt family bloodline to devour and crush each other."
A voice came from inside the Jewel Orb.
It was the voice of the fifth generation.
'Women are strong in every era, aren't they?'
It was a more convincing answer than being told that saving me was mere goodwill.
Rather, I am the same.
There are platitudes, but I also have a small amount of pride and a desire for revenge. I want to win against Celes, I want to show her.
Because of those dark emotions, I am who I am now.
"I'll do my best to meet your expectations. Is it tough for the single nation of Fanbayle to face Vanseim?"
Riane stopped her hand from drinking tea and stared at me with a serious expression.
"There is no country among the neighboring nations that can fight a great power like Vanseim head-on. Even if they won, a single nation couldn't govern it. To win, it's necessary to form a coalition or an alliance, but..."
The seventh generation spoke from the Jewel Orb.
'They'd fight over it and the coalition or alliance would turn into a war, huh. It would surely become a muddy affair. Besides, it probably can't be done.'
Riane voiced the reason why the seventh generation said it couldn't be done.
"Even if you explain the threat of Celes to people who haven't seen it, they won't understand. If you show them, there's a possibility they'll become her captives. It's the worst."
By the time the threat becomes widely known, it might already be too late.
"...What does the Princess intend to do from now on?"
At my question, Riane wore a faint smile.
"A princess whose engagement was broken doesn't have a good reputation. I wonder what kind of treatment I'll receive if I return... though."
I confirmed the sensation of the other party using a skill, and confirmed that the handle of the cup I was holding broke.
Since I caught the cup with my left hand, the contents didn't spill.
"Oh, what a shame."
Apparently, Riane possesses a skill.
While I was wondering what kind of skill it was, Riane spoke while laughing.
"It's my skill [Trick]. I can only do things on the level of pranks, but that's enough. Those who treat me coldly will be made unhappy by this skill."
Looking at Riane, who was giggling, I placed the cup on the table.
Her eyes had not given up.
She probably intends to do something.
"...I intend to fight Celes. Though I haven't decided the method yet."
Riane muttered "I see" and finished her tea.
――In Miranda's room, Aria and Clara were visiting.
Despite there being rooms lent to them, everyone except Liel, Novem, and Monica had gathered in Miranda's room.
Miranda, while exasperated, looked at Aria, Shannon, and Clara.
"So, you want to talk about the future? Do you all have no will of your own?"
Aria complained.
"To dissolve after coming this far, aren't you angry! The plan was suddenly thrown off, and it would be problematic to be dissolved after going all the way to Beim!"
Miranda explained.
"That's why Liel said he'd make time for us to act over there for a while. Why not just look for the next party? With the ability of Aria and Clara, you'll find one immediately."
In fact, it could be said that their individual abilities were high.
Liel's party was immature in coordination, but they compensated for it with individual strength.
Even if they transferred to another party, the need to polish coordination would be the same.
Clara asked Miranda.
"Miranda-san, are you okay with the direction of dissolving in Beim?"
Miranda, with her hands on her hips, nodded while puffing out her chest.
"I don't mind. I'm going to follow him."
Shannon was surprised.
"Eh!? But, Celes-sama..."
Miranda shouted at Shannon, who still attached '-sama' to Celes.
"Don't use '-sama'! That thing is already an enemy. Besides, Shannon, you're quite hated, so it's too late to flatter her now."
"I didn't intend to flatter... but there's no way we can win."
Shannon, who looked down, had probably confirmed the threat of Celes more than anyone else here.
Because she was blind, a skill had granted her Magic Eyes.
With that power, she had become able to obtain more information.
"I'll take Shannon with me, but Aria and Clara, decide for yourselves. Liel decided to fight Celes. This party will move in that way. You can't make excuses later saying it wasn't supposed to be like this."
Miranda intended to follow Liel. Even if they dissolved, she could just participate in the reformation of the party.
She didn't like Novem, but she had decided to follow regardless.
Because if Novem acted for Liel's sake, she knew that they—no, as long as they had utility, he wouldn't discard them.
She understood that all of Novem's eerie actions until now had been consistent in being for Liel's sake.
Aria had a slightly surprised expression.
"I-is that really okay? Miranda, do you think you can win against that Celes?"
"It's impossible with a frontal approach. There's a difference in strength... that's why we prepare so we can win. Liel isn't an idiot, right? Did he say he'd charge in prepared to be annihilated? He seems to have the intention to prepare."
Clara was calm as usual. She had probably already reached a conclusion.
Miranda looked at the wavering Aria.
"Decide for yourself. If you aim to be a first-class adventurer, take responsibility for your own actions. It's your own responsibility."
It was a party gathered for various reasons.
They were drawn to the existence of Liel, but Aria and Shannon, who lacked a clear will, were indeed wavering.
While thinking it couldn't be helped, Miranda showed Aria the way.
"I won't say you ran away even if you dissolve and go to another party. It's normal for a party to split if the goals are different."
Clara also affirmed Miranda.
"Rather, Liel-san is a kind person for confirming our will before we were gathered to be used and put in a situation where we couldn't escape, like Novem-san did."
Clara, who understood adventurers best among them, nodded as she said that.
Aria.
"...To say such a thing now! After making me so excited!"
Miranda also understood that Aria liked Liel.
That's why she said it.
"Right. Then, Aria, you're leaving. Isn't that fine? I think there are plenty of other good men."
Aria stormed out of the room.
To Miranda, who was looking at her back, Clara spoke.
"Isn't that a bit too cold?"
"What is? There's no reason to comfort and encourage a rival. I have no intention of doing insidious bullying, but I have no intention of looking after her more than as a comrade."
Brushing up her light green hair, Miranda spoke to Clara.
"If something is done to me, I'll pay it back, and if I'm helped, I'll return the favor. But you see, if you can't follow of your own will, you're a hindrance to the current Liel. You understand, right?"
Seeing Clara nod, Miranda looked at the door Aria had opened as she left the room――.