episode_0151

I was so embarrassed that I wondered if something like this had ever happened.

In an atmosphere where it seemed as if war would break out at any moment, as if it could explode at any moment.

Finally, the two commander-in-chiefs gave the signal to begin.

And at the same time, the armies of both empires began attacking their own troops, not the enemy’s.

It would be strange if you didn’t panic in this situation.

It was a sight that was hard to believe even when I saw it with my own eyes.

Such an unbelievable situation that if someone had told me it was a dream, I would have nodded and acknowledged it.

I even pinched my cheek to see if it was really a dream, but I only felt a faint pain and the scenery before my eyes did not shatter.

in other words.

Here, we are talking about reality.

So, then, what on earth is this situation?

Why are the two empires attacking their allies rather than their enemies?

I looked at the people attacking my allies, wondering if they had all been under illusion magic as a group, but I could not sense any traces of magic from them.

“Kaaak!”

“Well, what is it… ! Why us… … !!”

I wasn’t the only one who was confused.

Of course, those who were suddenly attacked by our allies were also screaming in pain and looking clearly embarrassed.

and.

These are the people who stand out the most in this strange scene, and who feel the most foreign.

They are the ones who created this situation with their gestures.

Estel and Cairn were watching the scene with calm expressions.

‘how… … ?’

I couldn’t understand this situation with my head, so I was half-fazed and watching the scene in front of me.

“… Pfft.”

Suddenly, a small laugh was heard.

What I saw when I turned my head in that direction.

It was Estelle, frowning as she tried to suppress her laughter.

What on earth is going on and why is she smiling again?

Let’s look at her curiously.

Naturally, I made eye contact with her.

and.

“… Hahahahaha!”

Estelle suddenly burst into laughter.

“… … ??”

That sudden smile only deepened the doubt on my face.

I couldn’t even guess why Estelle was suddenly acting like that again.

I could only stare blankly at Estelle, not even thinking about asking why.

How much time has passed in that state?

“… Oh, I’m sorry.”

Estelle finally stopped laughing and apologized to me with tears in her eyes.

“Because your expression is so funny.”

Estelle reached out and wiped away her tears.

“This is my first time seeing that expression on your face.”

With a smile still on her face, she said that.

“… … What the hell is this… ?”

In the end, I had no choice but to ask.

What on earth is this situation?

What on earth is happening now?

In response to my question, Estelle said with a bright smile.

“It’s a simple story.”

“Simple… talk… ?”

“Okay.”

Estelle’s purple eyes sparkled with the same light as those in my memory.

“Didn’t you say that? What would happen if a war broke out between Reinberg and Elbrent?”

“… Yes.”

I answered, still in a daze.

Actually, that’s what I said when I persuaded Cairn and Estel.

And the answer to that is… … .

“I said I already knew. I’m standing here knowing everything.”

“… … .”

“That’s exactly what it says.”

Estelle smiled playfully.

“It means that neither I nor the author are stupid enough to take a risk even though we know everything.”

“… … ?”

Of course, even after hearing that, my questions were not resolved.

There were still too many questions to be resolved with that short sentence.

No, I actually felt like it got deeper.

Did he notice my condition?

“That is.”

Estelle spoke immediately.

“This means that there was no intention to start a war from the beginning.”

“… … .”

After listening to Estelle’s words.

I slowly turned my gaze towards Cairn.

Cairn wasn’t looking this way.

I was just watching the scene of the battle with an indifferent gaze.

However.

If you think about it, it was no different from an unspoken agreement.

If it weren’t for that, there’s no way I could have stayed like that.

in other words.

This means that what Estelle said is true.

“… … .”

When I realized that fact,

“… So, what does this situation mean?”

I was asking reflexively.

If that’s true.

As she said, if Estelle and Cairn had no intention of starting a war from the beginning, why did they gather this many troops here?

And why did the gathered troops suddenly start attacking our troops?

“This is bait, so to speak.

Bait… … .

“Alternative… What is bait for?”

An army of this size has gathered here.

Even though Estelle and Cairn have the power of all worlds, it is not something that can be done easily.

But this is nothing more than bait.

What on earth is this situation, a bait created for?

To my doubts.

“Isn’t that obvious.”

Estelle smiled and said as if it was obvious.

“It’s bait to catch those who framed you and encouraged the war behind your back.”

“… … !!”

The moment I heard those words, I could finally understand.

What this situation was prepared for.

That enormous army, and this situation.

It was a bait to bring out the ‘denomination’.

“Hehe. A guy who didn’t change his expression even when a knife was put to his neck, but his expression is very colorful in this situation.”

Estelle giggled, as if she was somewhat amused by me seeing me like that.

Normally, I might have reacted a little to that laughter, but I didn’t have that kind of luxury right now.

Because there were still big questions left.

My gaze naturally moved away from Estelle.

Toward Cairn, who was still calmly looking at the battle.

It is understandable that Estelle planned this situation.

Although Estelle did not know the exact identity of the ‘Cult’, she knew that there was a group that was secretly plotting to start a war.

However, Cairn’s cooperation there was something I could not understand at all.

What process did Estelle and Cairn go through to cooperate?

What answered my gaze demanding the answer.

“Kairn La Elbrent had already noticed about them.”

It was Estelle, not Cairn himself.

“That… Is it true?”

With those words, I asked Cairn.

Then, while maintaining his gaze, Cairn slowly opened his mouth.

“… I was not clearly aware of its existence. It’s probably closer to the feeling that I was vaguely aware of it.”

And Cairn’s story began.

Cairn is said to have noticed the existence of some kind of force within the imperial family and within Elbrendt several years ago.

How dare you cast a shadow on the lofty imperial family.

They were high traitors who deserved to be beheaded and uprooted right away, but Cairn was unable to put his intentions into action.

“At that time, their roots were already too deep.”

The shadow of that mysterious force was so deeply rooted in Elvrent and the imperial family that it was impossible to figure out where and how far it had encroached.

Cairndo had already solidified his position as crown prince at that point.

It wasn’t that there was no way.

If we dug into it with the intention of overturning everything, we could figure out their roots.

However, Cairn did not make that choice.

If he did so, not only would the imperial family be shaken, but the empire itself might also be shaken, and there was even a risk of it eventually collapsing.

And, even if you did that, there was no guarantee of success.

Maybe it was Cairn who got his throat cut, not the traitors.

After calculating up to that point, Cairn chose to let go of the guys.

And, I pretended not to notice their identity.

Waiting for the opportunity to come someday.

and.

The clue appeared before his eyes one day.

“Estel von Reinberg secretly visited me one day.”

Estelle, who came to Cairn without anyone knowing or being noticed, immediately asked Cairn.

─“Kairn La Elbrent, do you wish for war?”

… Called.

Considering her status, and that of Cairn, who was listening, it was a heavy question and one could not help but wonder whether she was sane.

Cairn did not give her an order to congratulate her right away.

Because he knew.

That Estelle is not a crazy and ferocious tyrant as rumored.

If she is nothing more than a vicious and violent dictator as rumored, there is no way Reinberg can return to normal.

Therefore, Cairn tried to read the meaning behind her words.

and.

“I don’t think so… I answered.”

Estelle, who heard the concise answer, informed Cairn.

The fact that the group planning war is working in secret.

And Cairn noticed something in the middle of the conversation.

The group Estelle was talking about and the group hiding in the imperial court of Elbrent were the same.

“From then on, I joined hands with Estelle von Reinberg and made a plan. A plan to sort them out and completely erase them from the Imperial Palace and from Elbrent.”

“… … .”

Only then did I understand.

How did Estelle and Cairn come to cooperate?

How was it possible to come up with such a grandiose plan and execute it?

“I and Estelle von Reinberg gathered forces under the pretext of war. And… Taking advantage of the internal turmoil due to war preparations, I thoroughly figured out who the internal enemies were and who were under their command.”

“Then the reason why the soldiers of both countries suddenly started attacking our troops… .”

“It’s the task of dealing with the bugs identified like that.”

Calmly and calmly, Cairn continued his explanation.

“And at this moment, an attack on those who are not here but remaining in the empire is also underway.”

“… … .”

It was indeed a concise yet accurate explanation.

Thanks to this, my remaining doubts were resolved.

Just one thing left.

… No, should I express this as a question?

I hesitated for a while.

“… Don’t you hate me?”

In the end, I ended up asking him.

I am the culprit who killed his younger brother.

Even if that was the church’s plan from the beginning, it is undoubtedly true that I inflicted fatal wounds on Hayden’s body.

If you see that the Empire is chasing me with all its might, there is a high probability that Hayden is actually dead.

In that case, to Cairn, I am someone who deserves to be hated.

But now, I didn’t feel any resentment towards me from Cairn.

As if the cold anger he showed me before revealing the details of this plan was all a lie.

so that.

I had no choice but to ask, even though I knew it wasn’t important right now.

And in response to that question, Cairn still kept his gaze outside… … .

“Do you know what made me notice their existence?”

Conversely, he asked me a question.

“… no. I don’t know.”

There was no way I knew.

Cairn slowly looked into my eyes and said.

yet.

Cairn’s eyes moved slowly.

And, it stuck with me.

“It was Hayden.”

“… … !!”

When I heard those words, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.

“One day a few years ago, I felt something strange about Hayden.”

It was a very slight sense of difference that could be overlooked.

It was clearly the same tone of voice as usual, the same expression as usual, and the same behavior as usual.

However, Cairn felt a distinct sense of difference in his younger brother.

Cairn, who had been looking at his younger brother closely for a while due to the feeling of heterogeneity, came to a conclusion.

That his younger brother was no longer his younger brother.

Hayden was replaced by someone else.

“I checked the body just in case. It wasn’t Hayden either. So, I have no reason to hate you.”

“… … .”

As Cairn continued his calm words, I was left speechless.

Because I truly admired the person named Cairn.

According to him, Cairn treated his younger brother as usual for several years even after finding out that he was a fake.

Without revealing the slightest strangeness.

He played the role of a perfect older brother that even the church didn’t notice.

It was an act of eccentricity that no criminal would dare think of, and at the same time, it was an act worthy of the word feat.

I was in the midst of looking at Cairn with an indescribable gaze.

“The arrangement is slowly coming to an end.”

Cairn took his gaze away from me.

When I turned my gaze to follow those words, what I saw was a battle that, just as I said, was coming to an end.

No, in fact, it was safe to say that the battle was now completely over.

“This concludes the internal arrangement.”

Suddenly, Estelle intervened.

At those words, I furrowed my eyebrows involuntarily.

Well, it sounded like there was still time left.

“Internal organization’ is’… The word… ?”

At my question, a smile appeared on Estelle’s face again.

“Do you really think that this number was brought here on purpose just to organize things internally?”

“Then… ?”

“When you catch a bug, you have to catch it thoroughly.”

Saying that, she looked away.

What lies where her mysterious purple eyes are directed is… It was none other than Ferdion.