“Even so,” Hiltzel said, a subtle edge beginning to show in his calm demeanor, “to think the cipher I created to be praised by the people would end up being used to turn them into corpses. I’m sure the me from back then would be disappointed if he knew,” he said cynically.
“Why did you do it?” I asked, getting sucked into the atmosphere around him.
“For the empire’s future. Both by custom and in aptitude, I am most suited to become the next emperor. Yet defectors from my faction keep appearing one after another, and there’s no sign of it stopping. Their betrayals further intensify the fight over the throne and will bring about chaos in the future. As the one who will carry the empire’s future, it is my duty to punish them for their transgressions. I must make them regret their actions by ruining them politically and destroying their territories. It will all serve as a deterrent for future defectors. I’m making an example of them, to put it plainly.”
“You...” I found myself at a loss for words from the shock. “You would sacrifice tens of thousands of your own citizens just for that?”
“And that is precisely the difference in sensibilities between those who govern and those who do not. I want you to think about it rationally,” Hiltzel said as though trying to persuade me. “It’s only a few tens of thousands.”
I couldn’t comprehend what he had just said. “I beg your pardon?”
“At the time of the census four years ago, the total population of the empire was measured at eighty-five million.” Hiltzel continued as if he didn’t see the look on my face. “Four years later, if you include the people who were missed by the census, the population is likely closing in on a hundred million. Do you understand that? One hundred million. Even numbers as large as tens of thousands pale in comparison.”
“Still...” Aghast, I protested his words. “Those tens of thousands of people all had lives.”
“Only a lord, at most, can afford the luxury of valuing every single commoner’s life.” Hiltzel’s words rejected basic human understanding, as though he were some sort of alien creature. “That is not permitted of a ruler. They are forced to choose—to kill ninety-nine in order to save one hundred. Make the wrong call, and even more will die. A country cannot stand if it lacks the courage to use its lives to sustain it.” Hiltzel’s expression didn’t waver in the slightest. He seemed to genuinely believe what he was saying.
Before I knew it, I had already taken a step away from him. I had never seen a monster like him. I had seen tyrants, rulers consumed by madness, and monarchs whose greed had made them repeat their mistakes constantly. But I knew of no other ruler who had reached such a ruthless conclusion despite their clarity and logic.
“In truth, I didn’t originally plan to kill so many people,” Hiltzel said with a bitter smile. “If His Majesty had decided to send the imperial military more promptly, I would have lured them into a trap to obtain the necessary forces. Due to the military officers and the assembly being unable to make up their minds, we were only able to turn feeble civilians into undead, and had to pay unnecessary sacrifices. Still, the forces we need are now finally gathered, and we can at last begin.”
My eyes shot open. I had a bad feeling. “Begin? It’s already over.”
“Not yet it isn’t. The undead have only ravaged the territories of my brothers’ supporters. The traitors’ punishment is about to begin.”
“But you lost all your undead.”
“That was a mere diversion. The real force consists of ten thousand elites, handpicked from the general populace for their strong bodies, dispersed and concealed so they wouldn’t be discovered. With them, we can take any city. Or so that man claimed. That said, we have only one target—the canyon city of Tenend. We will destroy it and topple Marquess Daramat, who defected from my faction. Everyone will learn what becomes of those who betray me. That will accomplish my objective.”
“Destroy Tenend?” I was taken aback. “What are you thinking? That city’s population is more than just tens of thousands. Far more people are going to die than all your other attacks.”
“Yet it’s still a small price to pay compared to one hundred million.” There was no sign of indecision in Hiltzel’s smile.
My hand automatically reached for the hitogata in my pocket. “That’s absurd!”
“Then will you pledge your fealty to me?” I paused, and he continued with his calm smile. “Killing me won’t make him stop the invasion. The orders have already been given. However, if I use this magic item to contact him, there may still be time to stop him.” He shook the firefly necklace he held in his left hand. “I’m fine with that. Having you is a far greater prize than any show of force. Seika Lamprogue, as a sign of respect for you having reached the truth, I’ll give you a choice.” His gaze pinned me down from behind his dark glasses. “Do the people of Tenend live or die? It’s up to you.”
Lost for words, I stood there in silence. I didn’t have any cards to play. Even if I sent Mizuchi now, I didn’t know if it would arrive in time. And either way, the empire wouldn’t be able to ignore someone who could control a dragon. It would inevitably drag me into the middle of a political storm.
On the other hand, swearing loyalty, even falsely, was far too dangerous. I had no idea how this schemer might use any words I gave him. I couldn’t take my eyes off Hiltzel. Killing the young man in front of me would be easy. One bite from an ayakashi, a single brush of a curse, and the frail prince would be dead. But that was pointless. None of my strength mattered here.
Serving Hiltzel was out of the question. He would use me as a tool for war, just like the necromancer. It wasn’t hard for me to imagine how that would turn out for me. Yet my refusal meant the deaths of tens of thousands of people, if not more. Being the strongest didn’t mean I could save anyone. That was why I limited myself to helping only those I had a connection with. The people of Tenend were strangers with no relation to me.
Still, is it right to just abandon them for that reason? This isn’t just one or two people. This is an entire major city.
“I don’t mean to rush you, but our time is limited,” Hiltzel said, maintaining his calm smile. “I left the timing up to that man. He could be getting started as we speak.”
My breath caught in my throat. Just as I was about to speak without thinking—
“Eh heh heh.” A clear, harmonic laugh echoed through the hall. “Brother, please don’t tease Seika so much.”
I turned around and saw a beautiful girl wearing a dress, her pale blue hair spilling down her back. It was the Holy Princess, Fiona Urd Alegreif. Next to her was her straight-faced holy knight, Ren.
“Hey, Fiona.” Hiltzel greeted his half sister, his tone unchanged. Yet his smile had crumbled just the slightest bit. “I would never tease him. The two of us are in the middle of an important conversation. Could I ask that you not intervene?”
Fiona gave a refined giggle, her hand in front of her mouth. “Might I join that important conversation?”
A figure suddenly appeared in the hallway alongside a surge of power. She was clad head to toe in armor and had a sword at her hip. In her gauntleted right hand, she held something like a burlap sack. I recognized her immediately.
“The War Princess?” I braced myself, but oddly enough, nobody but me seemed surprised that the War Princess had teleported in out of nowhere.
“I brought you a present,” Fiona said, her smile still on her face.
Hiltzel’s expression, on the other hand, immediately clouded over.
“Give Brother his gift, Elysia.”
The War Princess casually tossed the burlap sack she held in her right hand. It rolled toward Hiltzel as if there were something round inside, leaving a trail of blood on the floor. Finally, it came to a stop at his feet. A few strands of hair poked out from the mouth of the sack. Still leaning on his cane, Hiltzel crouched down, took hold of the hair with his left hand, and lifted it up. The sack slipped away, revealing what was inside.
I gasped. It was a human head. The severed head of an old man, frozen in a dazed expression. On top of that, his face somewhat resembled the middle-aged man who had served as the relay for the necromancer’s spell. It was as if that face might become this one if given twenty years.
Is that the necromancer’s head? I couldn’t grasp what was happening, but there was another reason for my confusion. What had Fiona just called the knight?
“We meet for a third time, Seika Lamprogue!” the knight said, a childlike energy in her voice. “I apologize for my rudeness in our last encounter! I realized I still haven’t properly introduced myself!” The female knight removed her helmet.
Glossy golden hair that I recognized from the party flowed out. The woman, who looked a little older than me, wore a somewhat childlike smile on her well-shaped face as she spoke. “Second seat of the holy knights, Elysia Badd Matias! Eldest daughter of Duke Matias, Fiona’s friend, and that guy’s fiancée!”
My jaw dropped. Almost everything before me defied belief. I had no idea where to even begin asking questions.
“So you’re going to stand in my way after all, Elysia,” Hiltzel said, gazing at his fiancée with heavy sorrow.