“Lady Saya is the one the Crestfolk are meant to follow.”
“Does that mean Saya is also Crestfolk?”
Zamin was a little troubled by this question. “No, not really. If Lady Saya is a noble, then she isn’t Crestfolk. Amrita has no effect on us.”
“It has no effect?” Tess cut in. “So, even if Cobalt wins, we’ll be the only ones who can’t become immortal?”
“Indeed. Our blood rejects the power of Amrita. We do not participate in blood offerings because of our resistance.”
“So, even though we’re fighting alongside everyone, we’ll be the only ones left out? The commoners are going to be the only ones benefiting from this again?” Tess stared at Zamin.
“Tess. Why did you decide to fight? For Amrita?”
Zamin’s words had Tess faltering. “I... I chose to fight because...”
“Why did you want to go with Nagi?”
“Because I want to be treated like a human... and I want to stop the sterilizations.”
“Then there is no need to worry about Amrita.”
“But—”
“Y’know, Tess,” Nagi called out to her, “eternal life probably isn’t all that great.”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t I tell you what Saya said to me when I first met her? Being given a long life with no purpose brings nothing but suffering. Saya has actually lived for a long time, so can’t you take her word for it?”
“Listen carefully, you two,” Zamin said abruptly. “This information is only supposed to be known to Crestfolk village chiefs. Now that you’re aware, the door to chiefdom is open to you, so you may take my place. I entrust the future of this village—and of all Crestfolk—to you.”
“Huh? Hang on a sec. I’m not even a Crestfolk to begin with.”
Tess whipped around to face Nagi. “What are you saying? You’re already our comrade. If you’re that worried about it, wanna get married? Everyone will accept you if we do.”
Her sudden proposal had him rather flustered, but Zamin brushed it aside and continued the conversation.
“What do you wish for, Tess?”
The girl thought it over and took a deep breath. She shut her eyes and remained that way for a while. After opening her eyes, she declared, “I want to follow Nagi until this fight is over. I can think about Amrita after that. I’ll save Saya—that’s what you want, right? You’re fine with that too, right, Nagi?”
Nagi nodded.
“Mm. Then you two may inform the other hidden villages about this. You still require more allies, don’t you?”
Nagi and Tess began visiting the hidden Crestfolk villages all over Agartha. The responses were varied; there were villagers who came forward with their assistance upon hearing about the bearer of the True Crest, but there were also those who rejected the idea of fighting alongside commoners. Nevertheless, they were gathering up a great deal of allies.
Even though they passed by Strano Village, Nagi didn’t stop to visit. He felt like he had been exiled from it. Besides, Crow’s group had surely made their way through it already. Nagi’s plan was to walk past the area uneventfully, but Nerthe ended up spotting him once more.
The first thing he said to Nagi was, “Hey. Is it true we can get Amrita if we join Cobalt?” His attitude was completely different from last time.
“Crow says Amrita will be available to everyone if we win the fight,” Nagi replied ambiguously.
“In that case, we’ll be able to live long lives like nobles, yeah? Amazing. I was on the fence about it, but I’m gonna join Cobalt too! Bring down the False Sovereign and grant everyone immortality!”
“The False Sovereign? What’s with that?” Nagi asked with a cock of his head.
Nerthe laughed. “Oh, come on. Cobalt’s gonna defeat the False Sovereign, right? You don’t know? They’re saying the Sovereign in the palace is a fake.”
“I see. Sorry, I’m in a rush.”
“Okay, then. Let’s meet again!”
Nerthe walked off in a great mood. After he left, Tess finally spoke up. She was wary of the unknown commoner, so she had her hood pulled over her face.
“I’ve heard that before. Loads of people are saying the current Sovereign is a fake. Together with our story, it’s turning into a fight to defeat the False Sovereign.”
“Why’s that?”
Cobalt’s objective was supposed to be to defeat the nobles. It seemed completely different.
“I don’t know. I think Crow and the others are the source of the rumors, at least. It looks like they’re spreading from the places they’ve been to already.”
Something about it felt strange. With that on his mind, Nagi decided to head back to Ronadyphe Prison for the first time in a while. Nagi and Tess left Garuga Village at dawn and arrived there at dusk.
The prison was currently being used as Cobalt’s headquarters. There were rumors of a large-scale dispatch being deployed from the capital to take back the prison, so everyone inside was hurriedly preparing for that.
At the entrance of the prison, he met Crow, who was just on his way out. “Hey, Nagi. You came back at a good time. It seems Lady Saya is away from the capital.”
“Huh?”
“Her life is being targeted, so she’s going to take refuge in Duke Griesfelt’s villa.”
“Wait, what?”
Nagi was shaken by the news. Crow went on to give him directions. Duke Griesfelt’s village could be reached from the capital by going west down the main road and turning south down the first ring road. If Nagi left from Ronadyphe Prison and went south down the first ring road, he could get there faster than a trip from the capital. It was possible to intercept them where the western main road met the first ring road.
“If you leave right now, it’s very likely you’ll be able to catch up to them. I thought to send someone, but if you’re available, I want you to be the one to go. You’re fast on your feet. Considering the path, you should be faster than a cogwagon.”
That was everything Nagi could hope for.
“Got it,” he responded with a nod.
Crow’s next words were far more outrageous than expected, though.
“You’d better hurry. We have information that someone has sent an assassin after Lady Saya.”
“You should’ve said that sooner!”
Nagi ran off without listening to another word. Although he didn’t realize it, he was fiddling with his necklace as he went.