episode_0072

A colony of the Brettonia Empire, and simultaneously, the fairy forest that boasted the oldest history on the continent.

The Great Forest, once called the Mother’s Forest, had a complex shape, touching various nations from the continent’s center.

Nevertheless, that territory, which the Germania Duchy and the Holy Kingdom dared not even conceive of entering, was now treated as a proper ‘part’ of the Brettonia Empire.

As one form of rule, called a colony.

“Ughh, mosquitoes! There are so many mosquitoes! I’m so itchy I could die!”

We were in the midst of traversing that very forest.

With Aria and Alice, who guarded my side as always, and lastly, with a squad member who prided themselves on being more knowledgeable about this forest than anyone.

Following the Germania Duchy and the Holy Kingdom, as part of a move to seriously target the Brettonia Empire─

“……It might be better to cast a simple protection spell.”

Selena of the Dark Moon said.

“The deeper the night gets, the more we’ll be tormented by insects.”

“……This isn’t an easy environment.”

To those words, Aria, who guarded my side, replied calmly. Even with her eyes covered by a black bandage, she precisely crushed the insects swarming around her like gnats with two fingers.

“Indeed, from a human’s perspective, it’s an environment difficult to adapt to.”

“And yet, they eventually adapted, didn’t they?”

Aria said. Selena also nodded silently with a bitter smile.

“Such is humanity’s obsession with greed.”

It was not a story unfamiliar to me either.

Because human greed for the treasures and legacies accumulated by the elves, beyond this deep, dark forest that rejected humans, was ceaseless.

Thus, after a long struggle, even the deepest parts of the forest, which had seemed like they would never be conquered, fell into human hands.

Trampled and burned by the hands of the Brettonia Empire’s elite unit, the army also known as the 《Red Coats》.

The true power of humans, not from individual capabilities, but only manifested when functioning as part of an organization and combining their strength.

At the hands of such an empire, the Great Forest knelt and granted them its deepest territory.

To only one country, the Empire.

Thus, the forest’s paths were opened, developed and managed by human hands, and these paths were thoroughly managed solely by the Brettonia Empire.

Because the Empire, too, had no intention of yielding the deep territories of the forest they had gained to anyone.

“Evading the Empire’s gaze is fine, but what do you plan to do afterward?”

Selena asked, parting the bushes. It was my turn to answer that voice, not anyone else’s.

“If they are specifically constructing an aerial battleship in a deep forest like this, rather than in their own territory, there must certainly be a reason for it.”

“That may be so, but……”

“Either way, from the Empire’s perspective, it would be an endeavor that expends no small amount of resources and labor.”

As the Leader of the Serpents, no longer hesitating, and in a sense, truly free.

“If the order of the continent is restructured by our hands, we must first choke the Empire’s lifeline before anyone else.”

“─A restructuring of order, then.”

Selena muttered calmly at the continuing words.

“……A restructuring of order for what purpose?”

Selena asked, turning over the split palm leaves in front of her. With her back to me, an unknown shadow fell upon her usual hood.

“It is for the Serpents.”

I answered her question. In an unwavering voice, without a trace of falsehood.

The ‘real Rain Grey’ I had to act as no longer existed.

Whatever thoughts he harbored toward the members of the Serpents, whatever he wished for, his will no longer mattered.

Therefore, I decided to act for the Serpents, who had fallen into this world and become my everything.

Beyond any realm of good and evil, right and wrong, simply by my own will.

“If that is the Leader’s will.”

Selena did not ask further either. She understood in her own way and maintained silence, and in that silence, Aria interjected.

“Hehe, that’s right.”

In her usual voice, harboring a voice of almost blind obedience and loyalty toward me.

“There is only the Leader’s will.”

“Yes! If the Leader wishes for that─. Alice will follow any decision!”

Alice also replied in a childish voice. Nothing was different.

The members obeyed, and the Leader showed the way to such members. That was all.

Still, without knowing why they showed such almost blind loyalty.

“─Leader.”

“……Yes.”

In the darkness of the forest, a wriggling silhouette appeared simultaneously.

*

At that moment.

The capital of the Brettonia Empire.

“In addition to the large-scale troop losses of the Germania Duchy, the Holy Kingdom also seems to have suffered considerable damage during their defense.”

The man, once the head of the Imperial Intelligence Agency and now properly titled Prime Minister, said. The girl sitting opposite him silently sipped her black tea and replied calmly.

“It seems there’s no doubt that both nations were toyed with by the Serpents.”

“……Indeed.”

“Why did they do that?”

With her back to the sun seeping in from outside the window, the maiden who bore the sun asked. Then the Imperial Prime Minister, the confidant called the Queen’s Rabbit, Oswald, replied.

“According to the intelligence I obtained, some kind of anomaly seems to have occurred during the clash with the Duchy’s forces in the royal capital.”

“……What anomaly?”

“A hero.”

A hero. As soon as she heard those words, the sun-bearing maiden, Nike Pendragon II’s expression stiffened.

“Did they reveal yet another new hero?”

“It appears so.”

“What became of the hero’s whereabouts?”

“As of now, we can only assume with high probability that they are dead.”

Oswald Rabbit replied.

“Along with their appearance, widespread memory erasure by the was observed, and it’s highly probable that the Serpents directly exerted influence during the hero’s demise.”

“……Again, is it the will of the World?”

The Queen said. Her muttering voice was imbued with a complexity she herself could not understand.

“Why in the world is it to us……”

As if it didn’t even care that a goddess with the same face as herself existed somewhere in this world, and that both gods and stars blessed her and the people she governed.

“Your Majesty the Queen, there is no need to understand what cannot be understood.”

The Queen’s Rabbit replied in the face of her incomprehensible mutterings.

“Both the World and the Goddess’s will, even the blessings they bestowed, are simply matters to be handled according to the principles we know.”

“Do you truly approve of setting it in motion, Sir?”

“To speak frankly, currently, confronting the 《Black Serpents》 is impossible without that method.”

“……”

Oswald Rabbit said to her, who was hesitating.

“The granted to Your Majesty the Queen are, in fact, the only beings capable of hunting down and defeating the ‘Serpents’ according to the will of the World and the Gods.”

It was a voice without a trace of hesitation or doubt.

“Next, it’s our turn.”

The Holy Kingdom and the Germania Duchy. Two of the continent’s leading great powers, they were toyed with like puppets in the Serpents’ grasp and suffered irreversible damage. Perhaps the damage would be more than enough to render all their accumulated status on the continent pointless.

If so, what remained was their turn, as one of the continent’s three great powers, possessing a unique status that ranked among the best.

“Everything is for the sake of protecting this nation.”

“……”

At the words of her confidant, who repeatedly reaffirmed their mission, Queen Nike Pendragon II bit her lip.

“Everything, for this nation……”

*

“……Indeed, is that the Leader’s new decision?”

Similarly, in the capital of the Germania Duchy.

A member of the Serpents, who had not been able to join the site directly but had received a report on the ‘Leader’s decision’ from there, gave a bitter smile.

The man, who was ranked third and bore the name .

“Obtaining the Brettonia Empire’s aerial battleship, and based on that, spreading the Serpents’ prestige throughout the entire continent……”

Such news was written on the telegram he held in his hand. As a one-sided notification that allowed no objection or question.

Therefore, leaving behind the telegram containing such contents, Golden Mirror rose to his feet.

“Indeed, where will that decision lead us? ─Isn’t it truly exciting, Ergo?”

Furthermore, another shadow guarding his side, an automaton, bowed its head as if assisting him.

No longer a puppet wearing the Generalissimo’s skin, but his son, a proper member of the Serpents and bearing the name of Artifice.

*

The hero who miraculously appeared there was incredibly defeated and vanished.

Instead, only a false hero loyal to the Serpents filled the empty spot there.

The 《Black Saintess》 and Saintess Jeanne, who guarded the Holy Kingdom’s capital and Queen Charlotte’s side. Furthermore, even Alina, the 《Death Sword》, who assisted her.

In the capital of that nation, guarded by two members of the Serpents, the former glory could no longer be found.

Only a dark and black night sky and future, where not even starlight entered, merely unfolded.