“If we break the seal on the door, I assume that the suicide bombing terrorism of Lehrsatz will begin,” Lawrence said as he stood from his spot on the floor. The rope around his wrists fell to the ground. “We were only tied for show, and they barely patted us down,” he said. “The Dragon Emperor isn’t even tied up.”
“But that doesn’t mean we can do as we like,” Igor warned. “If anyone tries to leave, they’ll use their bombs and rush into Lehrsatz. That’s the kind of people they are.”
“And as long as we’re confined here, the Lehrsatz Dragon Knights can’t be mobilized. The Kratos side can just go, ‘to hell with Lehrsatz’ and act as we like.”
Camila and Zeke flashed their murderous intent. Igor, who’d remained seated on the long sofa, smiled calmly.
“Oh, I doubt you can,” the duke said. “I don’t see the queen anywhere.”
“That’s right,” Lawrence replied. “She still won’t awaken. I’ve got a sneaky suspicion that her condition might be linked to the Sacred Spear somehow.” Lawrence glanced at Hadis, who turned the other way.
“I don’t have the answer,” the Dragon Emperor replied. “You guys know more about her than I do.”
“They mentioned that you can still use the Heavenly Sword,” Lawrence pointed out. “Is this true?”
“I don’t see the need to tell you.”
“Well, I expected as much. We were barely restrained and all locked into the same room because they knew that we didn’t actually plan on cooperating. In fact, they probably want us to grab our weapons and fight among ourselves. War would break out that way, and they won’t even need to go through the trouble of having the empress candidate attack Kratos. So, why don’t we have a peaceful diplomatic exchange?”
“Diplomacy? What are you thinking?” Camila asked.
“Negotiations on how this will unfold and how that will be dealt with in the future, I presume,” Igor said calmly.
Lawrence sat across from the duke before he spoke. “Before the other regions can react and defend themselves, the Arks need to act and proclaim that the empress candidate declares war. But the Arks aren’t nearly convincing enough to disguise themselves as a part of the Rave imperial army. They must have something else as their main source of power.”
“Dragons,” Igor replied. “I don’t know how they’ll gather them, but a flight of dragons is the easiest way to signal Rave’s attack against Kratos.”
“Agreed. And the moment the flight crosses the borders, House Cervel will attack them. Our side will react to that and treat it as the start of a war. Is that clear?”
“I suppose we have no other choice.”
“Hey!” Camila butt in. “You’ve got to be kidding me! Are we starting a war so easily?! And you, Kratos side! You know we don’t intend to invade, so do something about it!”
“However, if the flight doesn’t cross our borders, we’ll act like we never heard the empress candidate declaring war,” Lawrence added.
“That’s probably best for your sake, too,” Igor replied.
Zeke tapped Camila’s shoulder, and she let out an exhausted sigh.
“This is why I hate conversations between higher-ranking officials,” she muttered. “They’re so tedious.”
“Does this sound fine with you, Dragon Emperor?” Lawrence asked as he turned to face Hadis.
But the loud tap of a cane against the floor stopped the Kratos official.
“You must be tired, Sir Marton,” Igor said. “The Dragon Emperor isn’t in the room with us.” His wrinkly face formed a smile, causing everyone to fall silent. “I can only promise you based on the decisions that I, Duke Lehrsatz, have made. This ordeal and the rampage of the empress candidate are all due to my lack of virtue. In fact, the Dragon Emperor, who isn’t in the room with us, can cut me off and invade your nation, thereby going against my word.”
“That sort of logic can’t fly here!” Billy shouted, unable to hold back.
But Igor paid him no heed and maintained his gaze on Lawrence with a smile.
“If you choose to disagree, I might try to break that magic seal and destroy the entirety of Lehrsatz while taking the queen down with me,” Igor said. “Don’t think you can consult the Dragon Emperor and foist him with the responsibility for this trivial matter, you brat. Don’t you dare underestimate Lehrsatz and the dukes.”
“I see,” Lawrence said. “So even if the empress candidate crosses borders, it’s all because of your decision and your mistakes.” He pulled his chin back and glanced at Hadis. “What a fine subject you have. I could hardly believe that you were the head chef in Neutrahl—it just sounds like a bad dream.”
“And? What now?” Zeke asked. “You guys keep yapping, but isn’t there a way to stop the empress candidate? That’s the best outcome for both of us, right?”
Everyone stared back at the knight as Lawrence burst into a fit of laughter.
“Ah, yes, you’re right. That’s exactly so,” Lawrence said.
“You’re smart, but you’re dumb,” Zeke said. “Same goes for you, gramps. Think of that first.”
“It’s the job of the elderly to clean up messes,” Igor replied. “You young ones should be in charge of the hard labor.”
“I can hardly believe that those words came from Lehrsatz, a house adept at fleeing,” Billy said with a huff. He smoothed out the hems of his clothes and sat up straight. “I shall be in charge of the rough work. I believe I’m best suited for the role.”
“Ah, so you plan on persistently chasing after an army that you cannot catch, as you’ve once done before,” Igor remarked. “I see you haven’t learned a thing from the Anthos War.”
“Hahaha! Speaking of, I haven’t seen your younger brother around! Is he doing well? I was eager to meet him again, but it seems he’s quick to flee as usual!”
Hidden beneath Billy and Igor’s smiles were fiery glares.
“Musclehead!”
“Cheap shots!”
One could hardly believe that these childish insults came from an argument between two adults. They had once clashed at Anthos, the former royal capital of Kratos. Camila and the others watched the old men as they put some distance between them.
“Shouldn’t we pry those two away from each other?” Camila asked.
“Leave ’em be,” Zeke replied. “They’re adults. As long as they don’t get violent.”
“I doubt anyone can stop Margrave Cervel once he gets violent,” Lawrence muttered. “Let’s do what we can. I’ve already made the preparations anyway.”
“What?!” Zeke yelped.
“I mean, that empress candidate was clearly suspect.”
Lawrence smiled brightly, taking Camila and Zeke aback.
“Don’t take that attitude with me,” the Kratos strategist said. “Your bird and that bear plush are gone, too.”
“I thought they were with His Majesty,” Camila replied. “We don’t know anything about them, right?”
The two knights and Lawrence stared at Hadis, and the Raccoon Boy was the first to shrug his shoulders.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” Lawrence said. “They’re trying to instigate a fight, but the ones fighting are all amateurs. Plus, they’ve already made a fatal mistake—they’ve allowed the Dragon Consort to do as she pleases. It’s no wonder you stubbornly refused to mention that the Dragon Consort has gone missing, Dragon Emperor.”
Lawrence spoke loudly, but Hadis quietly averted his gaze.
“If he admitted that she went missing, you’d have to conduct a search,” Lawrence went on. “Not only would you needlessly lose personnel, but there was also the danger of information getting lost. Above all, if the Dragon Consort manages to escape, you’d end up notifying the empress candidate of the whereabouts and actions of the consort. That would end up shackling the Dragon Consort, so you hid her from the empress candidate. Am I wrong?”
Hadis had no reason to answer. He didn’t care if Lawrence stated that the empress candidate had misunderstood these actions as the Dragon Consort being deserted. The Dragon Emperor sat by the window, staring at the magic circle that loomed beyond the thin, lace curtains and the black spear that stood in the center. Rave, how much can you do? Hadis asked.
“It’s a bit tough,” Rave admitted. “But that thing’s weird. I don’t sense the Goddess in it at all.”
Hadis sighed and closed the curtains. Perhaps the best answer was to sacrifice Lehrsatz to flee, make preparations, and defeat the Arks. Igor had personally declared he’d take full responsibility precisely to imply that he had the resolve to be cut off if needed.
“Is it a trap?” Rave wondered. “Tread carefully. I hope Missy notices.”
I’m sure Jill will be fine.
Hadis could still sit back and wait until his wife arrived for him.