It was a resolute answer. Even though she felt fear, it seemed there was something even stronger than she couldn’t give up on.
After seeing Rouge’s resolve, Titee nodded and turned her eyes to me. She seemed to be seeking my opinion too. If safety was a priority, leaving Rouge in this town would be best. But I immediately nodded in response.
“I agree with Rouge. Actually, I want her to come. I’m sure there’s something only she can do.”
I believed Rouge would be essential for the battles ahead. The reason was the power of the Future Sight spell I’d activated yesterday while we still had time. I’d learned from my battle with Titee that using your strongest magic before the final showdown was crucial, so I’d used it early on our journey—and seen.
However, unlike when I’d fought Titee, I wasn’t paying the price of the incantation, so the future I could see was narrower than before. Without that incantation, even if I expended all my current magic power, I could only faintly glimpse the future of my comrades here. Beyond that, it merely made the best choices leading to victory a little easier to discern.
Though this magic had proved devastating against Titee, its true nature was ambiguous. Most of its effects were merely a vague sense of understanding, offering no real reassurance.
Yet, even so, one thing was certain: Beside the victory glimpsed in that hazy future, Rouge’s figure was undeniably present. Titee, who knew firsthand the effect of the Future Sight spell, nodded back with an air of trust, telling me she understood.
And so, the conversation about the castle and Ide ended, and the carriage instantly fell silent. I could feel the tension rising in everyone as the battle drew near.
Naturally, the voices of the townspeople began drifting into the carriage as it moved quietly through the streets. The voices of those living in Viaysia’s present.
Feeling slightly curious, I tried listening in with Dimension, recalling the voices of those who had lived in Viaysia’s past, whom I’d met in the Dungeon. Most of the conversations concerned Viaysia’s current situation. First, I heard the voices of middle-aged men who seemed to have been military personnel in the capital.
“Hey, should we really be leaving the capital empty at this time? Even if Her Majesty the Sovereign Queen Lorde is protecting it, isn’t this dangerous?”
“You’ve never seen her power, have you? I’ll tell you this for sure, with Her Majesty the Sovereign Queen Lorde there, the capital is safe.”
It was just everyday chatter among patrolmen—one worried about the situation, the other dismissing it. But hearing the words “Her Majesty the Sovereign Queen Lorde,” I frowned. Because that Sovereign Queen Lorde probably wasn’t Titee but my sister, Aikawa Hitaki.
“I was in that naval battle six months ago. I saw Her Majesty’s power with my own eyes. The power that froze the enemy’s great fleet in an instant. That woman can wage war single-handedly. Even if the Southerners attack us from behind now, as long as Her Majesty is here, we’ll be fine.”
“I’ve heard that story before. Is it true? If it’s not a lie, with the current Sovereign Queen Lorde being the reincarnation of the Sovereign Queen Lorde from a thousand years ago, as told in the North, then that starts to sound legit...”
Just as Lastiara and the others had said, the Sovereign Queen Lorde, Hitaki, seemed to possess overwhelming power. Still, I felt uneasy about my sister awakening and wielding that power as the Sovereign Queen Lorde. If I recalled correctly, in the memories of Kanami the Founder from a thousand years ago, it was said that Hitaki would awaken only after reaching the Deepest Level. Could the presence of Ide, the Thief of Wood’s Essence change things?
While pondering the state of the sister I would soon meet, I continued listening to the men’s conversation.
“As long as Lord Ide is by her side, the possibility of her being the real one exists. After all, Lord Ide is undoubtedly the Chancellor of the North from a thousand years ago...”
“The real Chancellor of the North from a thousand years ago? What do you mean by that?”
“A year ago, there was talk of the master swordsman from the South appearing in the territories Brawl, right? Lord Ide is the same kind of being. Even our enemy, the Southern Alliance, acknowledges that, you know?”
“Ha! The master swordsmans being resurrected? That’s just territory nonsense, right? Who knows how much of it’s true.”
“Well, I can’t blame you for thinking that. But you’ll understand once you see Lord Ide. He is the true chancellor from the tales of the Sovereign Queen Lorde passed down in the North.”
“Nah, I’ve known our chancellor is incredible even without meeting him over this past year. Thanks to him coming here, we’ve finally gained the upper hand against the Southern Alliance. Because of him, we can laugh and live like this now. Honestly, whether he’s the Chancellor from the North a thousand years ago or not doesn’t matter—to us, he’s the real deal.”
“Well, yes. Either way, Lord Ide is our chancellor. As long as Lord Ide and Her Majesty are in the castle, we can rest easy.”
“Guess I was worrying too much after all. It’s what that chancellor would do. Meaning, there’s a guarantee of safety, right?”
And with that mutually satisfying conclusion, the two men laughed.
The presence of the overwhelmingly powerful Sovereign Queen and the chancellor seemed to provide an absolute sense of security. That was why, even with their nation’s capital left empty, people could laugh with ease and the town remained bright.
Next, voices chimed in cheerfully from the right and left. A young semifer woman and a girl who appeared to be a Jewelculus were chatting amiably in front of a house. It seemed the Jewelculus was helping with a large pile of laundry using Water magic.
“Wow. Your magic really is convenient.”
“I studied in the royal capital, so I’m confident in it.”
“Royal capital students really are amazing. I’m sorry to make you use such important magic for this...”
“Not at all. Please feel free to use me even more. It’s only natural, since I’ll be assisting during castle activation experiments.”
“Well then, I suppose I’ll ask you to handle that over there next.”
“Leave it to me!”
After watching the Jewelculus cheerfully accept the next task, the next things I heard were the voices of children walking along the road. Seeing them stroll along, happily moving their animal ears, gradually revealed the true nature of this town and country.
“Hey, do you think that big castle really moves? Will we get to see it?”
“Hmm, I’m not really interested. Honestly, I wish they’d spend more money on food instead of experimenting with moving castles.”
“Huh? You eat so much all the time, and you still want more?”
“Lately, maybe because I can finally eat until I’m full, eating has become my whole reason for living. I just want to eat more and more delicious things, no matter what!”
“More delicious things, huh. Oh! That new fruit that arrived from the capital the other day was delicious too. I heard we might be able to grow it here in town next year...”
“Huh, really? Where? Which fields?”
“Shall we go see now?”
Their voices carried no hint of the capital’s turmoil, let alone war. As I watched the children run off energetically, voices drifted over from the carriage. It was Titee and Snow.
“Ide’s influence is really strong near the capital, isn’t it? He’s earned the people’s trust. This absurd evacuation proceeding so smoothly is surely down to his efforts.”
“While I was commander in chief, I heard about Ide’s exploits many times from the traveling merchants. Rumors spread everywhere about his benevolent rule.”
It seemed both of them had heard the same stories. Thinking about it, everyone except me was a semifer with strong blood. The pair’s senses surpassed those of humans, so they couldn’t help but hear the town’s voices.
We passed through that final town, listening to the voices of the Northern people.
It was a quiet town. There wasn’t anything strange going on, and we made our way through without our carriage being stopped once.
“After this, it’s just the capital where Ide is waiting,” I told the group after we got back on the main road outside of town. On the map, this town and the capital looked like neighbors.
Realizing our journey was nearing its end, Titee began reflecting on the current iteration of Viaysia. “It’s very green, and it seems to be a pretty wealthy nation. Doesn’t it seem like there’s a lot more Jewelculi and semifer here compared to the Allied Nations?”
Rouge, a citizen of the present version, was the one to speak up in response to these evaluations from the ruler of the past. “It happened naturally because the professor favored those with such special backgrounds.”
“I see.” Titee gave a brief nod in return, leaning out the carriage window as if taking one last look, imprinting the scenery of Viaysia upon her eyes.
Following her example, I, too, gazed at the surrounding landscape from the driver’s seat. The weather truly was splendid today. The sky was blue, the breeze cool, and the sun warmed the body just right. It felt like a perfect day for travel, making it hard to believe war raged nearby. Simply riding the road felt refreshing and invigorating.
A river so clear it was practically transparent flowed through the open plains, dotted with Pieris Aicia trees and their white blooms. If one could forget the proximity of the nation’s border, it was clearly a blessed land, and it bore a striking resemblance to Titee’s homeland, the one I’d seen in the Dungeon. Because we’d shared those memories through Connection, I understood a little of her feelings as her long, emerald-green hair fluttered behind her in the wind. Her gaze, scanning the plains as if searching for the homeland she’d once known, seemed a little wistful.