Brunhild had come out the front door herself.
Her right hand was already wreathed in Thunder. It was pointed at Knight Captain Alois.
“Captain!” the knights cried.
Brunhild fired her Thunder. There was no time for Alois to strike back.
No—Alois chose not to strike back.
Instead of drawing his sword, Alois knelt before the princess.
The Thunder she’d fired had burned the ground at Alois’s feet. Brunhild hadn’t even been trying to hit him all along.
“…I tested you,” Brunhild said to the kneeling Alois. “From the window, you seemed worried. It seemed to me that you were not very hostile considering you were here to capture us. So in order to make sure, I tried firing my Thunder…but now I’m certain. You all didn’t come here to fight, did you?”
“You are very perceptive, Your Highness,” Alois said, still kneeling before Brunhild. The knights behind him imitated their captain and knelt. “We have received the order from Lord Warren to capture you, but we have no intention of fulfilling that. We can no longer follow that man.”
Alois was, despite everything, still the knight captain. He could tell at a glance that there had been no real hostility in the Thunder Brunhild had thrown. But even if Brunhild had meant to fry him, he would still have fallen to his knees without attacking.
“The knight captain is the most honorable position in this country,” said Brunhild. “Being in that position yourself, you would stage a rebellion against the kingdom?”
“…All this time, I have looked the other way and ignored Lord Warren’s behavior. I knew that the generations of queens were being made into the Miracle and also that they did as they pleased with your royal mother’s body. I stayed silent, believing it was for the kingdom’s sake, but I fully recognize these actions were sinful. Everyone here is prepared to accept the punishments we deserve.”
Brunhild’s voice was cold. “It’s rather late for turning over a new leaf.”
“With all due respect, you are entirely right. But when I saw Her Majesty Queen Kriemhild’s mercy…” The knight captain had been watching from the shadows as Kriemhild had gathered the shattered pieces of the crown and handed them to Warren. “Even after the punishing crown was destroyed, Queen Kriemhild chose to face Lord Warren. Even knowing his…no, our evil deeds, she was ready to forgive him.”
“So she didn’t run away…” Brunhild couldn’t bring herself to blame Kriemhild. It was very like her, that kindness.
“Seeing her speak of the future to him,” Alois continued, “I felt as if even my own heart were cleansed. I felt as if even my own sins were forgiven. But then that old man…he used his blades on Queen Kriemhild and locked her in the throne room. While I have been a disloyal man, I felt that I must save my queen if any honor remains within me…and so I hastened my way here.”
“What do you seek from me?”
“Your assistance. Lord Warren is a fearsomely strong man. But the twelve I command are all famed knights. They are the best of those I have trained. If we all attack him, then we should be able to slow him down, at least. Please use that chance to save Queen Kriemhild and flee out of the kingdom.”
Brunhild’s eyes could tell if someone was lying. So she knew this knight captain spoke the truth. It seemed he was not trying to take her by surprise to capture her.
But Brunhild still had complicated feelings. “Frankly speaking, I cannot bring myself to have any affection for you all—since you pretended not to see as my sister suffered.”
“I have no answer for that.”
“If you feel regret, then now, in this moment, your lives are mine. Obey my orders. We will save my sister. But we will not flee. We will defeat Warren and take back my sister and the kingdom.”
“Let me say most humbly,” Alois said without lifting his head, “that man Warren is possessed of immeasurable strength. All the knights here are elite fighters personally trained by myself, but even all of us together would most likely be unable to defeat him. And not only is he a man of military prowess, but according to rumors, he has some means to make even dragons obey him…”
“Then I will lend my hand, as the Dragonslaying Princess.”
“Your Highness standing on the battlefield would be very dangerous…”
“I will brook no arguments. Your lives already belong to me.”
Alois seemed choked for a moment, but he immediately replied, “I will do as you say.”
“Tomorrow evening, we will launch a night attack on Warren. I have high hopes for your work.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
As the knights were about to leave, Brunhild said hesitantly, “…I will offer my tentative gratitude. Thank you for standing up for my sister’s sake.”
“Your kindness is wasted on me.”
That evening, the knights stayed in the village as well.
They were to return to the royal capital along with Brunhild and her friends when the sun rose and the horses could run.
When Brunhild returned to their room, she meant to tell Bernstein and Anima about her exchange with the knights.
But unfortunately, Bernstein was out of the room, so she told Anima first, “Bernstein and I will team up with the knights to beat Warren. You wait in town for our report.”
Anima seemed a little angry. “Why am I the only one on standby?”
“I don’t want to cause any more trouble for you. The knights are all very skilled. If I’m with them, surely we’ll be able to beat Warren.”
“I’m going with you. It makes me look bad when a woman like you is taking all these risks.”
“It has nothing to do with being a man or a woman. Just wait—there’s no need for you to throw yourself into danger.”
“Shut up… I told you. I’m coming with you.”
“I don’t want to drag you into this.”
“Agh, come on…” Anima combed through his hair fiercely in irritation. “Don’t you quibble about whether you’re dragging me in or not at this point. I was dragged in quite a while ago, and I’ve come too far to turn back. I can’t go back and be a stranger to this now…”
“But I’m worried about you…”
“I’m worried about you, too.”
They gazed into each other’s eyes. Surprised by that unexpected remark, Brunhild was at a loss for words. She looked at Anima with eyes round like a cat’s. He felt his heart pounding.
The silence that fell then was very much the awkward type.
“Well, that’s how it is…,” Anima said as he scratched his slightly reddened cheek. “Though I’m worrying more than I have to. I know full well that those knights are crazy strong. The twelve knights directly under the captain’s command are famous. Even Warren wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“Mmm, they looked quite capable to me as well.”
“That’s right. So I shouldn’t have to worry too much about you…but it’s just in case.”
“All right. Then I’ll accept your offer. Please be my escort, just in case.”
“Guess I gotta…”
Brunhild looked Anima right in the eye and said, “Thank you.”
“Shaddap. You can’t just out and say embarrassing stuff like that. How old are you?”
“I felt I couldn’t disregard your feelings.”
“…This subject is over now.” He sensed the more he talked about this, the more at a disadvantage he would be. “All right. Then there isn’t much time until morning, but get some rest.”
As Brunhild was about to leave the room, Anima called out to her, “Wait.”
“Hmm?” She turned around.
“There’s something I just have to make clear.” After a pause, he said, “What do you think about what Warren is trying to protect?”
Brunhild lowered her gaze, falling into thought. “You mean…about the Miracle, of course?”
“Yeah.”
In order for Brunhild and Kriemhild to be saved, and by extension to free the Siegfried family from their pitiful fate—
—they had to defeat the man called Warren.
But that also meant the kingdom losing the Miracle of Life.
“I think Warren is trying to protect the kingdom as it was—the time when it was at its strongest,” Anima said. “Though the way he’s going about it is wrong, ultimately, that would save many people.”
Anima knew the suffering of illness.
That was precisely why he was hesitant about making the Miracle vanish from this kingdom.
“Tell me—what just cause do you have for defeating Warren?” Anima continued. “Convince me…”
Brunhild folded her arms and considered before answering. “There is no just cause.” She went on, “I don’t want to die. This comes first, no matter what. I don’t want to be made into the Miracle. I care deeply about Kriemhild, and I want to save mine and her children from that cruel fate… And plus, I don’t approve of his thinking in the first place.”
“Trying to maintain the kingdom as it was?”
“Mm-hmm. Since change is unavoidable.” She stated her conclusion without hesitation. “There’s no such thing as eternity. In this very moment, everything is changing—the kingdom, me, you, and Warren, too. This is what I think—you shouldn’t be scared of change, but accept it. What’s important is what you do then.”
No matter how Warren tried, the kingdom was losing its old ways, bit by bit. That was an unshakable fact.
“If something permanent is impossible, then I’d like to move onward.” Brunhild smiled wryly and looked at Anima. “What do you think? I do mean that to be my utterly sincere answer.”
“It’s no good at all. It sounds like you really don’t have just cause.”
“Oh, dear…”
Anima sighed and then said, “Maybe I’ll be the town doctor.”
“Hmm?”
“After the Miracle is gone. There are basically no doctors in this country anymore. So then you’ll need one, right?”
“So I’ve won you over?”
“I guess… Frankly, so long as you were encouraging me onward, I didn’t care about your answer. I have no choice anyway.”
They had to defeat Warren, or Anima would have no future, either.
“How cruel! When I did my best to give you a serious answer.” Brunhild smiled wryly. “If you’re going to be the town doctor, then I suppose I’ll be the jeweler.” Her eyes were sparkling. “There’s something I want to do. I want to turn the dragons in this kingdom all back into humans.”
She was thinking of the amber dragon. Just as he had been, there were dragons in this kingdom locked away in dungeons or towers. The gemstones Brunhild carved could turn them back into humans.
“It seems like they’d struggle even after getting turned back,” said Anima. “Humans who were dragons would probably be persecuted.”
“I’ll do away with that prejudice, too. Dragons shouldn’t be considered scary creatures.” As Brunhild talked about her dreams, she became more and more enthused. “I’ll start by inviting dragons from outside the kingdom to engage in cultural exchange. Listen, and don’t be too shocked—I’ll bring a number of the dragons that are said to live in Eden. They’re very noble. People will most certainly change their minds about dragons. In the future, I’ll make this kingdom into a utopia of both people and dragons.”