The Simple Job of Only Perishing to the Hero

With a loud thud, Shironos landed on the ground next to Kain and Ein. Immediately, Eltrinde stepped down from Shironos’s arms toward them.

It appeared that the blood that covered their bodies was not theirs. They also did not seem to have suffered any major injuries.

After making sure that they were okay, Eltrinde glared at Narika coldly.

「…What is the meaning of this?」

「Ah, wait… I-, I didn’t do anything!?」

「I’m asking this to you as well, Rahalt and Mazenda. So, I’m gonna repeat my question… What is the meaning of this? What did you do to them!?」

「N-no, you don’t understand! Rahalt, answer her question!」

As Narika whacked him over and over again in irritation, an old man—the captain of the Imperial Guard, Rahalt, opened his mouth.

「…I can promise you that none of the people in this room had anything to do with this. These two here fell out of thin air, with no warning at all.」

「Out of thin air…?」

Though Eltrinde was initially skeptical of his response, she quickly recalled what had happened to her in the past.

There was no way that she was the only one who experienced that strange incident during the Knight Army trials. It was bound to happen to some of the other participants as well.

As for these two, it must have been a coincidence that they happened to fall into the audience hall… Or so it seems…

Therefore, the cause of this was—

「So it was the Alva.」

「H-hey!」

Narika called after Eltrinde.

However, Eltrinde ignored her completely. She walked over to Kain’s blood-covered body.

「…Hey, wake up.」

「Uh, Ughh…」

「Huh? Hey, Eltrinde!?」

Narika called her name once again, but Eltrinde continued to shake Kain, pretending not to hear anything.

「Uh… Huh!?」

Kain, suddenly waking up, sprung to his feet. He immediately began to reach for his sword, but Eltrinde stopped him, grabbing his hand. Kain looked at her blankly in confusion.

「Huh?」

「Hm? Why are you glaring at me like that?」

Kain was staring at her. Eltrinde looked back at him with a concerned expression.

After a few seconds of standing frozen in place, he suddenly pulled back his hand.

「Huh? Oh, no! I-, I’m sorry!」

「I don’t mind at all, but…」

「Wait, what? I feel like I’ve met that person over there, but… Huh?」

「Oh, you must be that harlem boy from before.」

「Uh, no, not at all. Oh, Ein! I’m glad you’re here… Ein, Ein!」

Woken up by the commotion, Ein got up from the ground, shaking her head… And suddenly, they heard a loud thud coming from the throne.

「Hey! Stop ignoring me!」

Narika repeatedly whacked her golden staff on the throne in frustration. Eltrinde glanced at her dismissively.

「…Stop taking your anger out on the throne.」

「I don’t care about this throne, because the real throne I should be sitting right now on is in Fyblis castle!」

「You should care.」

「Well, I don’t! Anyway, Eltrinde, listen up!」

Raising her voice, Narika hit the ground with her staff.

「How dare you do something so classless, forcing your way through the doors uninvited! You’re one of the nobility of the Canal Kingdom, and you’re my only sister! I can’t hand over the throne, but I can certainly give you a high position. Yup. I was just talking with Rahalt about it, and we were considering making you commander of the knight army…」

「Narika」

Narika, who said this all with a big smile on her face, was interrupted by Eltrinde’s loud sigh.

「I have a lot of things I want to say to you, but… You have one more sister that you’re forgetting about.」

「What are you talking about, Eltrinde? You’re my only sister.」

「…Wha-?」

Kain let out a surprised gasp. Rahalt grimaced. Mazenda snickered in amusement.

「What happened, Eltrinde? Did you happen to find out about Father’s illegitimate child?」

「…What about Celis…?」

「Ahh,」 Narika said, with a disgusted expression on her face.

「Calling that filthy mixed-blood our sister… please don’t suggest such horrible things. I know you’re just trying to be nice, but you just can’t say things like that. Don’t you know? That brute is currently unlawfully occupying Elarc and Fyblis castle.」

「It’s been a while since we last met, but you’ve gotten even worse, haven’t you? Mazenda, is it you that’s putting these ideas in her head?」

「Hehe, no way. She means what she says.」

「…I see. Well, then」

Resting her hand on the sword at her waist, Eltrinde began to walk toward Mazenda.

「Do you happen to be the one controlling the Alva, Mazenda?」

「Where are you getting these ridiculous ideas? Are you trying to imply that it’s even possible to control the Alva to one’s will?」

「Well, I certainly can’t do it.」

「Of course you can’t. If anything, I would bet that Celis is more likely to possess this power. What’s more, I’ve heard that she’s a Beastman and Mazoku mixed-bl-…」

An ear-splitting thud rang out through the air. It was the sound of Eltrinde’s fist slamming into Mazenda’s Attack Guard.

「…Well, well, what exactly do you think you’re doing?」

「E-, Eltrinde!?」

「Narika, please, get back!」

Rahalt pulled Narika back as she started to run at Eltrinde.

「Eltrinde, please, stop it! Mazenda is the most powerful magic user in our kingdom!」

「Th-, that’s right, Eltrinde! What are you doing!?」

「Please, stay back, you two.」

With her Attack Guard still deployed, Mazenda shook her head in disappointment.

「It appears that Celis has done something horrible to her. She’s clearly unable to think properly.」

「Ho?」

Eltrinde pulled back her fist. She glared at Mazenda coldly

「You really have the impudence to claim that this is Celis’s fault, Mazenda?」

「Who else is there to blame?」

As Mazenda stared back at her nonchalantly, Kain opened his mouth… However, he shut it almost immediately.

「You mentioned something about the Mazoku, Mazenda. Are you saying that the Mazoku can communicate with the Alva?」

「The possibility exists. In addition to this, when it comes to Celis, she also has Beastman blood in her…」

「Therefore,」

Cutting Mazenda off mid-sentence, Eltrinde began to speak.

「Therefore, this is being caused by a Mazoku that is hiding within the Canal Kingdom?」

「That’s one way of interpreting it.」

「Understood. And, changing the subject, Rahalt—」

Eltrinde turned toward the Imperial Guard captain, who stood directly in front of Narika as if he was trying to protect her.

「You said that Mazenda is the strongest magic user in the kingdom, didn’t you?」

「Y-yes.」

「I see. If that really is so… She should take this.」

Eltrinde pulled something out from behind her back. It was a short staff. It gave off a bright silver gleam.

「That staff… Could it be the Lattice Wand…?」

As Rahalt muttered to himself, Narika yelled in surprise.

「W-wait a minute. Isn’t that thing supposed to be with Chester!?」

「Anna gave it to me.」

Referring to the name of the co-captain of the Light Staff Knight Army, Eltrinde held the staff out for Mazenda to take.

「Now, take it, Mazenda. This is a staff that should be possessed only by the most powerful magic user in the Canal Kingdom.」

「……」

However, Mazenda did not move. She stared intently at the staff.

「What’s wrong, Mazenda? Are you not the most powerful magic user?」

「…That is something that only the co-captain of the Light Staff Knight Army should have. I cannot take it.」

Mazenda took a small step back. However, Narika cheerfully spoke up from behind her.

「Oh, you shouldn’t worry about that all… I give you full permission to take it, Mazenda. Hehe, Eltrinde, you brought that all the way here, just for us? I knew you were on our side!」

「Narika is saying that you can have it, Mazenda. You shouldn’t decline.」

But for every step that Eltrinde took toward her, Mazenda took another step back.

「What’s wrong, Mazenda?」

Eltrinde took another step forward.

「Or, maybe… There’s some sort of other reason that you can’t take it? Ohh, maybe, it’s because—」

At that exact moment, a shattering sound rang through the air, and the space behind Eltrinde cracked wide open.

And from that opening, a pitch-black arm reached out and attempted to grab her.

「Not letting that happen!」

「Hah!?」

Kain and Shironos struck the arm with their swords.

「Ghiaah!?」

The black arm withdrew back into the vibrantly colored void. Moments later, shattering sounds began to be heard from all over the place, as if it had set off some sort of chain reaction.

「Wha-, this is…!?」

「What is happening!?」

As Narika and Rahalt panickingly looked around in confusion, Mazenda yelled out.

「We’re being attacked by the Alva! Rahalt, take Narika with you and retreat to the prayer hall!」

「Uh, understood! Take care of yourself, Mazenda!」

After watching Narika and Rahalt run up the stairs behind the throne, Eltrinde turned back toward Mazenda.

「Now, Mazenda. Please, take this.」

「Now is not the time for this! Can you not see what’s going on around us!?」

Eltrinde sneered.

「Can ‘you’ not see what’s going on around us?」

An Alva lunged down at Eltrinde from the air above her, but it was immediately struck down by countless throwing knives. It fell to the ground and disintegrated into black fog. Another Alva that appeared close by was cut into shreds by Shironos’s blade.

「I thought I had killed a lot of them over there, but, oh well… Giolight!」

「Hm, maybe what that Bow Demon said about them being endlessly spawning was right after all.」

Ein pulled out a dagger from her pocket and hurled it through the neck of an Alva that flew at her.

「Filthy Alva, don’t think you can get away with everything!」

The Imperial Guard knights had also begun to storm into the room like an avalanche.

Watching this all unfold around her, Eltrinde pointed her finger and smirked.

「See, there’s no problem at all… Now, all that’s left is for you to take this staff from me and join them in the fight. After all, you’re the most powerful magic user in the kingdom… right?」

「Nnn…」

「Take it, Mazenda. Take the staff of light, the Lattice wand.」

The space between Mazenda and Eltrinde shattered open, and from that opening appeared the body of an Alva. Eltrinde promptly cut it apart with her sword.

And from the impact, Mazenda’s Attack Guard also broke into pieces.

As soon as the opening disappeared, Eltrinde poked Mazenda in the chest with the tip of the Lattice Wand.

「Gahh!?」

And with a loud bang and a blinding spark, Mazenda was blown across the room. As she hit the floor and rolled onto her side, Eltrinde looked back down at the Lattice Wand in her hand.

「I see that you’ve been rejected.」

「D-…dammit, getting rejected by that stupid staff hardly means anything!」

「The Lattice Wand is a staff that is said to be bestowed by the God of Light himself. It is not quite equal in power to the Altor Wand… However, there are some powers that only it possesses.」

Among these unique powers was the ability to reject those whose hearts are filled with evil.

The Lattice Wand was a symbolic weapon bestowed only to the captain of the Light Staff Knight Army of each generation. However, because Chester did not like wielding the staff, it had been safely stored away in Elarc’s Temple of Light.

「According to the legend of the hero Ryuuya, the Great Sage Teria used this staff to ward off the Demon King’s disciples that attempted to assassinate the hero. Before the Altor Wand began to be used to choose the rightful king, the Lattice Wand fulfilled that role」

「That’s… What are you trying to say!?」

「The Testament of the Lattice Wand’s force of rejection is amplified by the amount of evil in one’s heart. Just now, the response you got just from touching it… You’re much, much more than just “evil.”」

According to the stories, the assassins that the Great Sage Teria confronted were exposed by the shock that they received upon touching the wand, and that is how she was able to see through their disguise.

If the assassins had only experienced a mere shock, how evil could Mazenda possibly be to set off such an overwhelmingly powerful response?

「…Mazenda. This is why I wanted to meet you. Now that I’ve confirmed the evidence, I can now ask you again. You… you’re communicating with the Alva, aren’t you? Your plan is to see Narika to the throne, skillfully manipulate her and steal the power for yourself, is it not? That’s why you brought in the Alva to interfere, right?」

「…I’ve never wanted anything power or anything like that.」

Mazenda took a deep sigh. She stood up and poked the ground with her staff.

「So… is it money that you wanted?」

「I’ve never needed it.」

「Or maybe you’re after the knowledge that the Great Sage Teria left behind?」

「I see no value in the meaningless scribbles of that foolish little girl.」

Despite her annoyment at the blatant disrespect toward the hero of her kingdom, Eltrinde continued to question Mazenda.

「…So then, what is your desire? What was the goal that led you to do such horrible things?」

「A desire? Mine?」

Mazenda smiled mockingly and walked right up to Eltrinde’s face. The Lattice Wand began to spark in Eltrinde’s hand, as if warning her of the evil nearby, but Mazenda did not seem to care at all.

「What a stupid thing to say. Everything I do is to fulfill the desire of someone else. If this Kingdom is thrown into disaster, it is due to that person’s desire. Or, it is made that way to fulfill that desire. You make it seem as though Narika and I are evil, but can you really say that we’re in the wrong?」

「What do you mean?」

Mazenda snickered.

「It doesn’t matter what I mean. We’re stuck in this disastrous situation because Celis wants to fulfill her own selfish desires so much that she is willing to go against everything that Narika wants. Ahh, and she also went against the previous king’s desires as well. If she had just shut up and accepted it or, even better, if she had just died, this civil war never would have happened.」

「Are you trying to say that Celis should die?」

「And are you trying to say that Narika should die? Are you trying to say that Narika’s hopes and dreams should be destroyed, solely for Celis’s benefit? Isn’t that type of sinful attitude called self-righteousness?」

It was true that there was no way for their opposing wishes to both come true. The “compromise” that they believed in would ultimately neglect a large portion of the desires of either side. These leftover desires would eventually transform into hate and resentment, driving them mad. There was no winning in these situations.

Because it is so difficult to definitively label one side as justice and the other as evil, there was some truth in what Mazenda was saying.

「…It is true that destroying someone else’s wishes in the name of justice and making your own come true would be an example of self-righteousness…」

Staring at Mazenda, Eltrinde continued to speak.

「However, that would only be true if each side’s wishes are pure and genuine.」

Eltrinde raised the Lattice Wand and pointed it toward Mazenda.

「And the question of whether or not it is would also depend on the results that those wishes bring about.」

The Lattice Wand began to glow with a white light.

「Narika desires to bring about the destruction of the Canal Kingdom, which would directly go against the wishes of its creators. And as a part of the kingdom’s nobility, I cannot just stand by and watch that happen.」

「So, will you destroy Narika’s wishes?」

「Yes.」

Eltrinde took another step forward. An Alva rushed to attack her, but one touch with the Lattice Wand disintegrated it with a powerful spark.

「And so, do you truly believe that Celis is just? How will you ensure that Celis’s desires do not also destroy the kingdom?」

「That’ll never happen.」

However, after a brief moment of hesitation, she spoke again.

「If… if that does ever happen, I’ll do everything in my power to stop Celis as well. This is the responsibility that I choose to bear.」

She held the Lattice Wand in one hand and the Absolute Sword Killmetal in the other. She walked slowly toward Mazenda.

「…However, before any of that can happen, I will certainly take care of you, once and for all. I’ve heard all sorts of horrible rumors about what you’ve done… Including the evil spell that you cast upon my father. I’m not going to make the mistake of keeping you alive. You’ve done enough damage already.」

Eltrinde quietly raised her sword. Mazenda let out one final, ominous laugh.