Telling the World Tree about my decision was not an easy thing to do.
The moment she spotted me… no, to be precise, the moment she saw the box of pastries in my hands, she broke into a bright smile. It was hard to bring up the real reason I was here in front of a child like that.
Like a kid who had been waiting all day for her parents to come home from work, the World Tree’s avatar and Mephi came running over.
“Mephi, I was wondering why I hadn’t seen you around lately. Why are you here?”
“Ask your girlfriend.”
“Yuna?”
“She slipped me some spending money.”
“And told you to get out.”
“Yuna?”
“Yeah, that was me. So what? Got a problem with that?”
“…No.”
“Neither do I.”
At any rate, I understood now. She had even sent Mephi away to keep me from seeing or hearing anything.
I thought it was fine since she never seemed to care much when I was reading newspapers and things like that, but to think she had actually driven away the most important source of information…
“Wow! Mephi, look at this! There are so many kinds of pastries! Is there some kind of festival today?”
“It’s probably closer to your funeral than a festival.”
“Mephi.”
Why is this bastard so quick on the uptake?
For a moment, my heart nearly stopped. Thankfully, the World Tree’s avatar didn’t seem to catch on. Otherwise, that could have been a disaster.
“Do you really think she’s that stupid? Even she knows that much.”
“…….”
At Mephi’s brutal remark, I looked back at the World Tree.
With her mouth stuffed full of cookies and chocolate, crunching away without a care in the world, she certainly didn’t look like she was thinking about anything.
“You sure?”
“Maybe not.”
She might actually be that stupid.
Whatever. She looked happy right now, so it was probably best to leave it alone.
***
After devouring every pastry I had brought all by herself, the World Tree sipped her tea and spoke with an air of elegance.
“By the way, what was that festival you mentioned earlier? I didn’t quite catch it.”
After wolfing all that food down, now she wants to act refined.
“It’s not a festival… Ahem!”
I almost repeated exactly what Mephi had said earlier.
Taking a moment to compose myself, I calmly explained my situation to her.
“Hmm. Hmm.”
The teacup in her hand had started to tremble, but to her credit, she was doing her best to appear composed.
“I see.”
“I’m sorry.”
“…….”
I had expected her to break down crying and make a scene like before, but surprisingly, she didn’t.
She looked gloomy, yet in a way, she also seemed to have accepted it.
“I’ll do everything I can to protect you.”
“It’s okay. This was always going to be difficult. You’re only one person, but the enemy is a vast empire. Even the elves and high elves couldn’t hold out against them, could they?”
“…….”
“There was never really any way around it.”
There was already a precedent.
Even the elves, who wielded the power of spirits, had been unable to stop the Imperial Family’s assault.
Their nation had been reduced to a sea of flames, the elves had been wiped out, and the World Tree had burned.
If the Emperor set his mind on something, there was no stopping it. Knowing that, I had to be careful even about taking action.
The moment I moved, everything I had been protecting would be placed in danger.
The Emperor’s warning was threatening, and more importantly, it came with a very real blueprint for how it would be carried out.
“I actually think this is a good thing. It means that for the first time, someone as fearful as you has resolved to lose something.”
As she spoke, the World Tree lightly touched her teacup.
“If you’re willing to fight a battle where you have more to lose than to gain, that must mean you want it that badly, right?”
“Yes.”
“You’re a selfish person.”
She wasn’t criticizing me.
The smile she wore, as if she couldn’t help it, looked almost like the smile of a parent watching a child.
The World Tree, Mother of All Things.
For the first time, I felt the true meaning behind that title.
“If that’s what you’ve decided, then don’t look back. Walk the path you chose with unwavering determination.”
Her teacup was still trembling.
I could tell she was afraid.
“This is my way of supporting the path you’ve chosen.”
Even so, she gave me her blessing.
She lowered a branch and offered me a fruit.
“May the road you walk be filled with gentle greenery.”
***
When I returned to the Misfits’ residence, everyone, including Helena, was already armed and waiting for me.
“I thought you said you didn’t want to.”
“Well, when someone asks you to die for them, that’s how people usually respond. If you had asked for help instead, we would’ve gladly given it.”
“Then help me.”
“What are you offering in return?”
“What? I thought you said you’d help.”
“You’re the one who taught us never to work for free, Teacher.”
Did I really say that?
Maybe I did say something like that. It was back when I was worrying about how useful her divine power really was. I had been giving her advice because I was concerned Cattleya might exploit her powers to make money…
But in the end, I was the one exploiting her divine power, while Cattleya was the one finding legitimate work for her.
And since Cattleya never skimmed any money off the top during the process, that left me as the only genuinely terrible human being here.
Well. Life really is unpredictable.
“So what exactly do you want us to do?”
“Protect the World Tree. And protect yourselves.”
“That’s quite the difficult assignment.”
“Yeah, it turned out that way.”
“Anything else you’d like to say?”
“I’m sorry.”
“You really have a talent for making people feel worse even when you’re apologizing, Teacher.”
Helena smiled brightly as she stabbed at me with her words.
At least this proved she didn’t take after Kult.
Whether that was fortunate or unfortunate was another question. If anything, Helena’s tongue was even sharper.
Kult said things in ways that were unpleasant.
Helena said things in ways that hurt.
“Then I’m counting on you.”
“…With this, we’re even, Johan Damus.”
Melana grumbled.
Funny. She was the one acting the most displeased about all of this.
“That’s a little too convenient for you.”
Maybe with other people, but not you, Melana.
Do you have any idea how much you owe me?
This isn’t nearly enough to settle the debt.
“You’re a damn greedy bastard.”
“I know.”
That’s exactly why I’m doing this.
Because I don’t want to let go of a single thing.
***
The preparations were complete.
The Misfits and the World Tree would stand together against the enemy.
No matter how powerful the Emperor’s forces were, it would be difficult for them to commit a large army while they were still facing Lobelia’s resistance forces. Abraham intended to hand the Empire over to Lobelia with minimal losses, after all.
In that case, it wasn’t as though the odds of victory were zero.
…Though it was hard to be that optimistic.
Abraham was well aware of the strength of the forces on our side. He would undoubtedly dispatch troops capable of securing a decisive victory.
To overcome that, the Misfits would have to create variables of their own.
I couldn’t offer them any advice. There was too high a chance that my way of thinking would be anticipated.
And more importantly…
“I’m nervous.”
“Scared?”
“Yeah.”
Just taking care of myself is already difficult enough.
Now that I’ve made my decision, I have no intention of stopping.
But this time, more than ever before, the odds are slim.
I don’t have a plan. Even if I made one, it would probably be seen through.
This time, truly this time, I’ll have to put my life on the line.
“Yuna.”
“Yeah?”
“Please look after my family.”
“…….”
From a rational standpoint, I should take Yuna with me. She’s a tremendous asset and more than capable of making up for my lack of combat strength.
But aside from her, there’s no one who can protect my family.
Father and Chris are probably still on their way back. Cattleya said she would assign escorts to them, but if it’s the Emperor, even that is likely already within his calculations.
Among the people around me, there is only one person fast and powerful enough to catch up to their carriage if something happens.
“Okay. I understand.”
Yuna nodded without hesitation.
She didn’t say anything about how dangerous this would be for me. Now that I had already decided to step onto the stage, she knew words like that would be meaningless.
Alright.
There was nothing more I could do.
Now it was time to step onto the stage and perform without a script.
I had no intention of joining up with Lobelia.
She was busy with her own battle.
And the moment I joined her, the Emperor would begin attacking the people around me.
Right now, this was still only the warning stage. The moment I made a clear move, the Emperor’s retaliation would begin immediately.
So I had to delay that moment as long as possible.
Going around and warning people to be careful was the limit.
The instant I showed signs of preparing countermeasures or making concrete moves, he would strike.
“Alright…”
The operation would begin in three days.
On the day Abraham had announced the public execution.
When the Resistance and the Imperial forces clashed in an all-out war.
I would use that chaos as my opening.
Because that was the only plan I could come up with.
***
My hands were still trembling.
There was no one around me.
I was alone.
For the first time, I was stepping onto this suffocating stage by myself.
“Hoo…”
The battle had begun.
The Resistance had attacked the execution platform, and the Imperial forces intercepted them as though they had been waiting all along.
The outcome of the battle was already decided.
Victory for the Resistance, followed by an advance straight toward the Imperial Palace.
That much was set in stone.
The real question was how far Lobelia would be able to go afterward.
She would probably pass the Emperor’s test.
The Emperor must have believed she was qualified, or he never would have set all of this in motion.
The plan was that meticulous.
Which meant the Emperor would have done everything possible to ensure its success. Judging from the warning Lanius gave me… he had probably intended to kill me as well.
The one who stopped that from happening was Alice.
“He really is terrifyingly thorough.”
A plan spanning a hundred years.
No, perhaps even a thousand.
Not because the Emperor himself had lived that long, of course, but because the Empire’s history stretched back far beyond a millennium.
So then, what should I do?
How could I shake the foundations of the plan he had built more than anyone else?
The result itself didn’t matter.
Lobelia’s victory was already one of the intended outcomes.
The only thing I could change was the fate of a single person among countless actors on this stage.
And to do that, I would have to wager everything I had.
My life.
And the lives of those around me.
“Johan Damus.”
While the Resistance and the Imperial Army faced off before the execution grounds,
I deliberately made my way to the Imperial Palace.
Taking advantage of the moment when everyone’s attention was focused elsewhere was the most basic of tactics.
Of course, the Emperor seemed to have anticipated even that. Skilled warriors had already been stationed in front of the palace.
They weren’t there merely as guards.
He knew me.
He had been waiting.
Preparing.
Guarding against the possibility that I might step onto the stage.
“Sir Lanius isn’t here, I see.”
“Of all people, you’re probably the one who knows best where he is.”
The Empire had no shortage of loyal knights.
They might not have been as famous as the Guillotine Knights, but they were still elites selected from across this vast land.
The Guillotine Knights were renowned because each member possessed above-average skill and exceptional brutality.
But above average was all they were.
Not overwhelmingly superior.
The proof stood right in front of me.
The knight before me, radiating a murderous presence, was undoubtedly stronger than most Guillotine Knights.
“It’s not too late. If you turn back now, this can all end without you losing anything.”
“Let’s exchange names first. It’s a little unfair that you know mine while I don’t know yours.”
Even as my clenched fists trembled, I tried to maintain my composure.
I was afraid.
And to hide that fear, I resorted to jokes.
“…The Sun Knights. Commander of the Fourth Division. Kaien.”
“A big name.”
The Sun Knights.
The Sun Knights were every bit as famous as the Guillotine Knights.
Though in their case, the reputation carried a far more positive meaning.
If not for Lanius, I might even have been able to say with confidence that the Sun Knights were stronger than the Guillotine Knights.
Skill was one thing, but as the mention of the Fourth Division suggested, they also had considerable numbers.
So then, what about the knight standing before me?
If he was someone with the strength of a division commander, there was no way I could beat him, no matter how many times I died and came back.
One would already be enough to handle. Yet he had division members clustered around him as well.
On top of that, he was holding a silver mirror and threatening to make contact at any moment.
For now, their threat meant nothing.
I had already taken that possibility into account when I decided to step onto the stage.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect you to treat me this courteously.”
Simply by standing here, I had all but cemented my position.
And yet the knight before me still tried to persuade me.
It might have sounded like a threat at first glance, but he was also someone strong enough to subdue me with ease.
So this was mercy.
“However, there’s something I need to correct.”
“Correct?”
“That thing you said about me having nothing to lose if I turn back. That’s wrong.”
“……”
“If I turn back now, I’ll lose myself. What meaning is there in protecting everyone around me if I can’t even protect who I am?”
“I see…”
Don’t step onto the stage?
Sorry, but it was already too late.
The moment I learned Alice was there, the moment I learned she was risking her life, I was already no different from someone who had stepped onto the stage.
“I’ve sent the signal.”
“……”
“The Imperial forces will be moving toward the things you wanted to protect. There’s no retreat left for you now.”
With those words, Kaien of the Sun Knights tossed away the silver mirror.
“So don’t think about running. See your chosen path through to the end, the one you believe is right. That’s your only way forward.”
He was a terrifying knight.
Steadfast, noble, and radiant like the sun itself.
Faced with words that could have been encouragement or a threat, there was only one thing I could do.
Ironically, he had severed my final hesitation.
“Show me your resolve.”
Well then, the very first hurdle is already a formidable one.
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