“Let’s get them down from there and bury them,” Nagi said.
He couldn’t possibly leave a former comrade out in the open like this.
“We don’t got the time for that. Leave it to someone else.”
“But...”
“Look at that, right below the pile of heads. Oh, you still can’t read?”
There was a large paper affixed to the stand. It was likely a proclamation from the capital. Nagi shook his head. Back when he lived in Strano Village, his life was too short for him to bother to learn how to read. After the revolution, he didn’t have the time to.
“It says the False Sovereign Kyou’s execution is taking place in the capital. It’s gonna happen in one week,” Keele said. Tension ran through the air. “We’ve gotta get ready. If we don’t head to the capital now, we won’t make it.”
“Get ready for what?”
“Lernaean’s sure to come out for the execution. We’ll kill him there,” Keele answered, then looked up at Senak’s face once more. “It’s the last opportunity this guy gave us.”
It took Jubilia the better part of her resolve to inform Saya of the news. The shock she would receive would be far too great, but she couldn’t keep it hidden.
“Lord Kyou has been captured. The date of his execution has been decided on.”
Saya’s eyes shot open. She hung her head for a while, still sitting up in her bed. She was deep in thought. Jubilia couldn’t fathom what was going through her mind beneath that silver hair, but she had a terrible premonition.
“I’m going to go watch,” Saya said quietly, filled with resolve. Jubilia’s premonition was right on the mark.
“That’s a little...”
“Jubilia, don’t misunderstand me. I told Kyou I would protect him. I need to do everything I can.”
“But there isn’t anything you can do...” Saya didn’t respond. Her silence made Jubilia realize exactly what she was planning. “Lady Saya! You couldn’t possibly mean...!”
“Don’t say it. If you stop me now, I’ll lose my nerve.”
Jubilia had no choice but to fall silent.
“I’ve been thinking all this time,” Saya continued. “Who am I? Why was I born? What have I been living for? What am I meant to accomplish in life? I wanted a reason of my own. But just maybe... I’ve been thinking too much about simply staying alive.”
Saya’s red eyes were serene. Jubilia could feel her chest tighten at the beauty of their color. Saya continued speaking, as if pouring her soul into each and every word.
“I started to wonder. Would dying for something be the same as living for something? In that case, I want to stand against Lernaean. I’m the Sovereign, after all.”
Jubilia could almost hear the sound of the emptiness in Saya’s heart being filled in.
“I didn’t want to be anything like a queen. I just wanted to be free. I ended up like this by going with the flow. Back during the revolution, though, everyone fought because I’m the Sovereign. This fight would never have started if I wasn’t around. That’s why I can’t run away now. I’ve realized far too late...”
Aah, this girl really is... Jubilia thought to herself in admiration.
“I know there’s basically nothing I can do. I can’t become a proper ruler, but I can at least protect my little brother. I promised to.”
“A promise, huh?”
“Nagi always protected me, just as he promised. Until I betrayed him, that is. That’s why I want to keep my promise to Kyou.”
“Lady Saya, your words are much like a knight’s vow.”
“Not that I have a good impression of knights, you know,” Saya said bitterly.
Jubilia strained a smile. Saya’s sensibilities were closer to that of a commoner or Crestfolk than that of a knight.
“Well, I suppose you don’t,” Jubilia said. “Originally, knights were held in high esteem for their vow to protect the weak. I read stories of times long past that were like that. I yearned to become that kind of knight. The knightly orders were far removed from such ideals in reality, though.”
Jubilia had once believed Lernaean to be the man worthy of her loyalty. He looked so strong when he appeared before her, back when she was scorned as a lower-ranking noble. Perhaps Lernaean was actually in the right, but his righteousness differed from Jubilia’s. She had someone else worth devoting her loyalty now.
“Lady Saya. In my eyes, you are a splendid Sovereign.”
“What’s this all of a sudden?”
“I meant to do this during the revolution itself, but you ended up collapsing, and I lost my opportunity to do so. Lady Saya, please accept my sword. Please make me your knight.”
Saya didn’t understand the meaning behind such an action, but accepted regardless.
“Thank you, Jubilia. Umm, what should I do?” Saya asked with a troubled expression, bringing a sudden smile to Jubilia’s face. “Geez... Don’t laugh at me.”
“Forgive me. Please hold up my sword. It’s heavy, so use both hands.”
“Like this?”
“Yes. Now command me, ‘Offer up thine blade to me until the very last of thine days.’ After that, please hand me my sword.”
Saya nodded. Jubilia poured every ounce of her being into listening, as if to carve the reverberations of Saya’s words into her very soul.
“Jubilia. Offer up thine blade to me until the very last of thine days.”
Jubilia’s blood ran hot just from hearing her. Her soul told her that Saya was in fact the True Sovereign. She accepted the awkwardly held out blade and held it up vertically.
“I, Jubilia Erste lu Listella, offer you my sword until the very last of my days.”
Jubilia felt fully satisfied from her vow. She now knew why she was born. It was mysterious. Why did it take so long for her to get here?
“Until the last of your days... Sorry, I’m sure I’m going to die sooner than you are, Jubilia,” Saya casually added. This pained Jubilia’s heart.
“That won’t do, Lady Saya. You must definitely live longer than I do.”
“No way. If I do, that means I have to watch you die.”
“That’s what it means to be liege and knight.”
Jubilia’s heart was filled with determination.
I was born to protect this girl.