1

"Well, I guess we're off then."

"Yep. Good luck."

Leo and I were saying our goodbyes before we parted ways.

The day after our reunion, the grand duke of Rondine had already prepared a fleet of ships. Rondine certainly moved quickly, especially compared to Albatro. I had a feeling that difference in reaction time was also reflected in the division of territory in the southern region between the two countries.

It was the grand duke of Rondine's turn to head to Albatro, seeking to form an official alliance. That said, dealing with the sea dragon that was probably still somewhere near Albatro was most likely his top priority.

"Are you sure you'll be okay on your own, Arn?" Elna asked, sounding fairly worried. She kept her gaze stubbornly away from the ocean. Even looking at it was apparently scary for her.

From that point on, Elna and Marc would both accompany Leo. Only a few select people would remain behind because I didn't need anyone particularly skilled with me during my stay in Rondine.

"Since the sea dragon deliberately made its way back to Albatro territory, Albatro must be its target. Rondine should be safe for the time being. I feel like I should be the one worried about you, don't you think? I mean, just take a look out there. The ocean's beautiful, you know."

"I-I'll be just fine! I-if a battle comes up...I-I can fight. A-and yeah, you're right...th-the ocean's beautiful... I-it's like something in a painting..." Elna stuttered as she glanced out at the ocean visible from the harbor. Her face looked pale. She was entirely incapable of appreciating the view. I was fairly certain that if there was a battle, she'd actually be totally useless. It was best to just have her fight on land. Anyway, Leo would get all that without me having to spell it out.

"You're in charge now. And maybe try to keep an eye on Elna, yeah?"

"Sure thing. And you be patient and wait for us to come back."

"Mm-hm. I'm happy to leave the fighting to you guys. Put an end to this mess, for all of our sakes. It's not going to be easy returning home to the empire with that sea dragon out there."

Once our goodbyes were said, Leo and Elna departed.

When the ships were finally out of sight, I returned to the castle and shut myself away in the room I'd been lent. It would have been nice to stay in bed for the next few days, but unfortunately that wasn't in the cards.

I created a magical illusion to make it look like I was asleep in my bed, then left the room through the window.

I was headed to the Adventurers' Guild branch located in Rondine. Naturally, I couldn't go as Arnold, so I used another illusion to change my appearance to Silver. And since it would cause a big fuss if random adventurers learned that Silver was around, I also cast a spell to put them all to sleep before entering. Once everyone was out for the count, I walked inside.

I'd left the clerk at the reception desk awake, and she had been thrown into confusion by what she'd just witnessed.

"Wh-who are you?!"

"Silver, SS-class adventurer from the Adrasia branch. I had the other adventurers take a short nap so my appearance wouldn't cause a commotion. I'm sorry if I scared you."

"S-Silver? You mean that famous adventurer, the silver-masked mage?"

"I'm not sure about the famous part, but yeah. Here."

I showed the clerk my Adventurer Card while replying. She timidly took the card from me, read it, then exclaimed in amazement.

"I-is this real?!"

"That's what I've been saying. Sorry to be abrupt, but I need to borrow a long-distance com room."

There were com rooms at all Adventurers' Guild branches. These rooms were surrounded by a special barrier and had a crystal at their center which could communicate with the com room at the Guild's administration office or any other branch.

Having these rooms in Guild branches located in regions all across the continent was one of the Guild's secret techniques for promoting swift attention to monster incidents.

"O-of course! Right this way!"

Only Guild employees and adventurers ranked S-class or above could use the rooms. That was one example of how higher-class adventurers, who could deal with high-ranked monsters solo, were given special treatment within the Guild.

After the clerk led me to the com room, I quickly connected to the administration office.

"This is SS-class adventurer Silver. Let me speak to the vice president."

"Right away, Master Silver."

Employees at the administration office must be used to getting these kinds of calls, I mused. The voice at the other end had responded calmly and without any hint of surprise.

After a moment, the face of a bearded man appeared on the crystal surface.

The handsome, middle-aged man with black hair and blue eyes was named Clyde. He had once roamed the continent as a vigorous S-class adventurer but had since retired from adventuring to act as vice president of the Guild.

"Why are you calling from the southern branch?"

"I'm here visiting a friend."

"A friend, huh? Hard to believe you've got any of those."

"I am a human, you know. I have a few friends here and there. But enough about me. I heard a strange rumor recently. Is it true?"

"I don't suppose there's much point in trying to hide it. Yes, it's true. We received an official request from the Grand Duchy of Albatro for the eradication of a sea dragon. The administration office is in chaos."

"I can imagine. What's its designated rank?"

"We're planning on an S for now, but depending on how destructive its activities are, it could still be elevated to SS. If that happens, it'll be a top-rank elimination quest requiring several SS-class adventurers."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Even if they slay the sea dragon, Albatro will be a total mess afterward."

Having several SS-class adventurers other than myself all in one place was a situation that the Adventurers' Guild should also want to avoid. The adventurers all have superhuman strength but lack the common sense to go with it. Gathering a group of them to slay the dragon could result in all sea creatures in the surrounding ocean being killed, the harbor town being decimated beyond repair, or something else on that scale of destruction.

"I don't want to have to summon anyone either. Sorry to put you on the spot, but since you happen to be in the area, would you take this on for us?"

"Don't talk like it's some simple errand. I'm heading back to the capital on some business after this. If you can wait until I return here again, I'll accept the quest."

"I see. I'd prefer it if you could do this immediately, though."

"Is there a problem?"

"...This was all top-secret information, but for some reason, it has been leaked within the empire. And now there's talk of aid efforts going around."

"That makes sense since smart intervention could put the southern region squarely in the empire's debt. But...there's also a possibility of collateral damage."

Actually, collateral damage would be inevitable. If the empire sent out a fleet of ships, for instance, they'd just be sunk in the storm.

One thing Adrasia could do to provide assistance would be dispatch some elite fighters, but leaving that duty to Elna, who was already in the area, would be an even better option.

Father was probably even considering whether or not to allow Elna to use the holy sword.

"Precisely. I want us at the Adventurers' Guild to deal with it on our own before the empire intervenes and causes confusion."

"I can understand that, but I'm not going to just sit here in the South waiting for a sea dragon that could show up anytime and anywhere, or nowhere and never. I'll head over there once it shows itself. Does that work?"

"Well, I suppose that's acceptable. I'll let everyone know the plan. Things are complicated enough in the empire lately with the battle for the throne going on. I don't want anyone trying to intervene if possible. Get yourself over there as soon as there's word of the dragon's appearance."

"Roger that," I answered back then ended the call.

So top-secret information had been leaked from the Adventurers' Guild... That didn't sound good. It gave me the impression someone was trying to use the sea dragon crisis as an opportunity to make a grand gesture for their own glory. If we didn't do a good job of stopping them, the situation could turn into a real mess. It turned out a quick visit to the capital was in order after all.

"Thanks. That's all I need for now."

"Y-you're welcome!"

After exchanging a few words with the Guild clerk, I left the branch office.

Well, it looked like I'd be transporting myself to the capital tomorrow. I could check in on Finne and find out how the empire planned to intervene with the sea dragon.

If they were working toward a serious intervention, crushing their plan outright would be a bad idea, since it would also have an effect on my position as Silver. The ideal course of action would be to somehow resolve the crisis while allowing both the empire and the Adventurers' Guild to save face.

"Well, I guess I'll think more about that after I get back," I muttered to myself, as Arnold. I had dispelled the illusion and resumed my appearance as the prince.

There was a possibility that Finne and the others had gotten themselves is so much trouble that I wouldn't be able to handle anything else. I wouldn't know if things were that bad until I was back in the capital.

"I just hope they're not doing anything reckless."

As harmless as Finne appeared, she could definitely be reckless sometimes. During the fight against the vampires, she'd climbed the clock tower without a second thought for her own safety and then prioritized grabbing the whistle even while falling to her possible death.

She regarded her own life too lightly sometimes. I just hoped that side of her wasn't coming out in my absence.

There was plenty on my mind to worry me as I returned to the castle.

2

The next morning, I claimed to be feeling poorly and remained in my room.

Then I created an illusion of myself on the bed so it would appear as if I was asleep.

After that, I used transfer magic to transport myself to a town near the empire's southern border, and then once more to reach the capital.

My final destination was my great-grandfather's secret room. When I arrived, I was greeted by a familiar face, but my great-grandfather wasn't there. He must've been taking a nap inside a book. Even being a spirit didn't mean he was perpetually awake. His mental condition still suffered without proper rest.

"Welcome home."

"Hey, Sebas. How did you know I'd be back today?"

"I didn't. I've been waiting every day."

"Every day? Sheesh. Isn't that being a little overly dedicated?"

"One would not be fit to be a steward without dedication to the job, Your Highness."

Sebas handed me Silver's mask and cape.

As I changed, I asked him about the state of affairs.

"How's everything going?"

"The battle for influence is going well. Miss Lynphia has proven to be an extraordinary asset."

"Good. I guess bringing her on board was the right decision."

"Indeed. However, I'm slightly concerned about Lady Finne."

"Finne? What did she do?"

Sebas' wording and tone made it fairly apparent that nothing bad had happened to her. He wouldn't have been so calm about it otherwise.

I reassured myself while he began answering.

"On Miss Lynphia's suggestion, she and Lady Finne had a meeting with the representative of Demi-Humans Inc. Lady Finne managed to persuade the company to cooperate with our faction's efforts, but—"

"Hang on a second. I thought I told you not to let her out of your sight. I trust Lynphia well enough, but it's too early to trust her absolutely."

"I'm very sorry. I simply thought that if Miss Lynphia and I both accompanied Lady Finne, it might invite undue apprehension."

"...Okay, whatever. So? How did Finne persuade them?"

"As I heard it, she offered herself as part of the deal. She presented the idea of allowing the company the right to use her in whatever manner they wished, and then asked what they might be able to offer in return. They were forced to concede they had nothing of comparable value to offer, then readily agreed to give us their full cooperation instead. Their request came as no surprise. They wanted the right to use Lady Finne's name."

"Oh man..." I sighed. It was just as I'd feared.

I'd known Finne was selfless, but that was extreme. She'd probably thought it would be a fair trade even if they had been able to offer something equaling her own worth.

"What am I going to do with her?"

"One could say the same about you."

Suddenly a third voice joined in, and a small, faintly transparent old man came with it.

It was my mentor and great-grandfather.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't give one whit about your own reputation. If you're going to talk about being selfless, don't forget you could say the exact same for yourself."

"It makes sense in my case, though. Sacrificing my reputation like that makes it easier for me to get things done without scrutiny."

"And what if the girl is thinking something similar? That it makes sense for her, too? That it's easier that way? It's so sad, Sebas, and it's the same in every generation. Such a travesty that children never get the chance to just be children."

"I completely concur."

The two older men gave tragic sighs. It was kind of awkward. They were making it feel like somehow I was the one at fault here. Give me a break.

"If only someone had thought to do away with the tradition of fighting for the throne while he was emperor, then maybe I would've gotten to stay a child longer."

"If a wise emperor were always guaranteed to be born, then someone likely would have done away with the tradition, yes...but it just isn't realistic. That is why we have the conflict for the throne, so that even someone not quite cut out to be an emperor can manage to become a passable one. What is much rarer is to have several able candidates at once."

Ugh. Great-Grandfather always found a way to force his own twisted logic on everyone else. The frustration building up inside of me was close to spewing out, but knowing that complaining wouldn't do any good, I headed for the door without a word.

"Arn?"

"What now?"

"Don't blame the girl. I'm sure you understand?"

"...Yeah, I know. You don't have to tell me that."

I did know. I wasn't in any position to be blaming her.

I silently grumbled while casting illusion magic to make myself invisible, then left the room.

***

My next stop was Leo's room. Even while Leo and I were gone, Finne and the rest of the group spent the majority of their time operating out of there.

I was standing in the room waiting for Finne when she and Lynphia returned together, apparently having just finished a discussion with some of our supporters.

"Oh! M-Master Silver?!"

"Silver..."

"Hello there, Lady Finne. We need to have a little chat."

"O-okay..."

I turned my gaze to Lynphia next. She naturally assumed she'd be included in our conversation, but that couldn't happen.

"You're the adventurer I met in the Kleinerts' territory. Would you mind waiting outside for a minute?"

"I'm honored that you even remember me. But I'm afraid I cannot comply. I am currently acting as her bodyguard."

"I want to talk to her alone. Please give us a few minutes."

"I don't mean any offense...but I cannot simply agree to let you be alone with her. Please understand."

Lynphia's unyielding stance was very reassuring. I couldn't have left Finne in her care if she'd easily let just anyone steal Finne from her sight. But in that particular instance, it was also a bother.

As I was wondering how to proceed, Sebas stepped in and solved the problem.

"In that case, I will accompany Lady Finne. I can assure you that you'll hardly even know I am there."

"...Fine."

"Miss Lynphia. Would you please wait for us in another room?"

"...If you say so, Sebas," Lynphia finally agreed, and left.

After making sure that she was gone, Sebas retired to the room next door. At last, it was just Finne and I alone.

"Welcome back. I assume you're here because of something that happened during your journey?"

"Well, there are definitely a lot of things that happened. But we'll talk about all that later."

"Huh? Why later?"

Finne cocked her head in apparent confusion. It didn't occur to her that I'd have something other than business from my trip to speak with her about. That, again, was due to how little she valued herself.

"I hear that you met with the representative of Demi-Humans Inc."

"Yes! The negotiations went wonderfully! The leader of the company was such a lovely woman, too," Finne responded with a bright smile. It hurt to look at her, and I knew the reason why. It was because it was like looking at my own warped reflection.

I had no regrets about any of the things I'd done. They had been necessary, and I wasn't about to change the way I lived my life. But at the same time, guilt began to stir inside of me at the realization that I'd made the people around me feel the same way Finne was making me feel at the moment.

"Listen, Finne. I know I'm not one to talk, and you might not like what I have to say, but I want you to hear me out."

"Yes?"

"I want you to treat yourself with more respect."

I knew I was being something of a hypocrite. Who knew how many times Leo had said the same thing to me? But I was exactly where I wanted to be. I wasn't deliberately undervaluing myself like Finne was.

I could easily imagine Finne's reaction to what I was about to say, but even so, it had to be said. Fully recognizing how harsh it would sound, I continued.

"It pains me to see you always putting yourself last. I know you're doing it out of a desire to help, but you don't have to be so extreme."

"B-but...I... I'm so useless to you..." Finne whispered back, her eyes wet with tears. Seeing her like that sowed the first seeds of regret.

I realized I hadn't been considerate enough with her. Instead, I'd assumed she'd been more or less okay since she never fussed or complained.

Finne had never even left her father's territory until she joined us. She had to have felt anxious being out in the capital. Despite that, she'd been desperate to be of service. And all along, I hadn't done anything to make her feel more confident or at ease. How many times had I taken her outside? How many times had I given her the opportunity to relax and have fun?

My mind had been occupied by the battle for the throne. To be honest, I'd been stressed out to my own limit, too.

I recalled something my mother said—that I was always working too hard. Those were her parting words to me when we met recently. At the time, I'd brushed them off, but maybe I had been pushing myself too hard.

I never had any time to rest. And I was beginning to realize, I should have made that time.

If our current, peculiar circumstances had continued indefinitely, I might have lost Finne for good.

"Finne... You're very special," I explained while taking off my silver mask. Finne and Sebas were the only ones I could let see me like that.

Sebas had known about my double identity from the beginning. That made Finne the only other person to have learned it.

"Master Arn..."

"You and Sebas are the only people I can show both sides of myself to. And Sebas is like a guardian to me. Like a parent who's constantly been there for me. That makes you the first non-family member to know about this. And from the moment you learned of my secret, you became like family to me. Just like Leo is my one and only brother, you are my one and only partner in this. You're irreplaceable. As long as you're here with me, I couldn't ask for more. You have no idea how much easier and happier it makes my life just having someone to share this secret with."

It was true. Ever since sharing my secret, the burden had become indescribably lighter. Maybe I'd taken her for granted. That thought increased my feelings of guilt.

"I-I...I'm not that special. I'm certainly not amazing like you and Master Leo. B-but since I know your secret...I need to help you somehow..."

"And you do, all the time. Thank you. And I'm sorry. I should've thanked you a long time ago."

Being needed was a source of joy for humans. And yet, I'd never expressed to Finne how much I needed her.

So that was why she'd been so anxious; knowing my secret had become a source of pressure for her.

That's why she'd steadily given more and more priority to anything that benefited our influence rather than giving it to herself. Because she'd seen that that made me happy. I felt disgusted with myself. Such realizations made me hate my personality.

Tears spilled from Finne's eyes upon hearing my gratitude, and they didn't stop. She covered her face with her hands and started to weep aloud.

She was still a sixteen-year-old girl. Even if it was done by her own will, the fact remained that she'd been taken from her home and involved in a conflict that came with the risk of assassination. I had an obligation to provide the mental and emotional care she needed.

"I hope you can forgive me. I let you down because of my own stress."

Finne choked on her tears as she struggled to reply.

"N-no...! It's not...your fault."

"Then let's say it's both of our faults. Perhaps we can forgive each other."

I gently stroked Finne's hair. She was my one and only partner. There was no reason we couldn't share our forgiveness as well as our joy.

I kept stroking her hair until her tears finally settled and she was able to speak calmly.

"I...I'm okay now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes... I'm sure," she answered while looking me straight in the eye.

Her own eyes were red, but her gaze was filled with genuine strength and unshakable determination.

"Tell me what's happening in the southern region. I can help."

"Okay."

And so I began telling her every single detail that had occurred since I'd left the capital.

I explained how the sea dragon would probably start causing trouble soon, that someone in the capital was attempting to intervene in the unusual situation in the region, and that I had to prevent that from happening.

"I guess that's about all of it. There's only one person I can think of who'd come up with a plan to use the military to intervene. If they try and fail, then the problem takes care of itself, but it would still be unfair to the soldiers who sacrifice themselves on the battlefield. I think the ideal scenario is if we can keep any interference from the empire to a minimum and I slay the sea dragon myself."

"I think so, too. And...I think I have an idea how to save the southern region with minimal interference from the empire."

"That's a coincidence. I have an idea, too. The problem is how to convince the key person in this plan to get on board. I can't go myself. Can I trust you to take care of it?"

"Of course. I'll find a way to convince him," Finne answered with a subtle smile and an elegant bow.

3

Following our discussion, Finne and I reconvened with Lynphia. She immediately noticed the redness around Finne's eyes and gave me a sharp look.

"What's going on?"

"A sea dragon has appeared in the southern region. I assume you understand how bad a situation that is?"

"A s-sea dragon?!"

"It seems Master Silver is unable to take any action without a request from the Adventurers' Guild."

"The circumstances are different from when I defeated the vampires in the East. The two grand duchies that make up the southern region have formed an alliance and begun taking their own actions. Under these circumstances, if I intervene personally, the situation could become more complicated in a different sense. After all, even though the vampires were given the same S-class designation as a sea dragon, the dragon is exponentially more difficult to deal with. If I want to be certain of killing it, I'll need backup."

I could probably kill the dragon myself if I tried, but I'd need to release a huge amount of magic to do so. And that would be too powerful. No one would be happy to hear that the sea dragon had been slain but the surrounding ocean ecosystem had also been destroyed. To that end, in order to minimize incidental damage, I needed Elna.

"Of course. Additional help will be necessary against a sea dragon." Lynphia immediately understood the gravity of the situation. It was useful to have an adventurer like her on my side. Not that dragons weren't infamous enough that even non-adventurers would probably recognize their danger.

"So, what brings you here?"

"There is a wielder of the holy sword currently stationed in the South. If she can use it, together we will be strong enough to slay the sea dragon. I want the empire to send a proxy for the emperor."

"You're referring to the regulation that says members of the Amsberg household cannot use the holy sword outside of Adrasia. Where did you learn that? Even I didn't know about it until the princes told me."

"An SS-class adventurer has ways of knowing plenty of things that normal adventurers don't. Is that explanation satisfactory enough?"

"And that includes classified imperial information?"

"The regulation regarding the holy sword isn't classified information. And the empire isn't trying to hide it. It just hasn't become widely known, since the sword isn't used all that often in the first place."

"...I see. All right, then."

Lynphia gave me a look that said she was still doubtful, but she didn't press the subject, probably because she knew there was no point in doing so. Solving the issues in the South was more important than finding out where I got my information.

"Since you deliberately came all the way here, I assume you had a favor to ask of Lady Finne. Would I be right in guessing that one of the empire's higher-ranking officials is attempting to interfere in the South's issues?"

"Good guess. That's right. For some reason, the information was leaked from the Adventurers' Guild, and now they are also wary of possible interference from the empire. They would prefer the empire not intervene whatsoever, but personally, I would like the empire's permission to use the holy sword. Unfortunately, it sounds like once the empire's involved, they'll probably end up dispatching the military along with a proxy. Military power is unnecessary though. I want to cut out that part somehow."

"And what does Lady Finne have to do with that? What are you planning to do?"

"The three front-runners in the battle for the throne will all vie to be the emperor's proxy. The most likely winner will be the general, Prince Gordon. That said, even if one of the other two are chosen, they'd probably still send the military, too. I'd prefer to have a small party comprised of an imperial family member as the emperor's proxy and just a few skilled fighters as an escort. With a group that size, I can use my transfer magic to quickly transport them to the region, and that will be enough fighting power to resolve the issue."

"So basically, what you want is for Lady Finne to convince someone in the imperial family other than the three front-runners to act as the proxy?"

Impressive. I felt thankful once again that Lynphia was so quick to catch on.

When I nodded in agreement, Lynphia didn't appear to have any problem with my plan. The next order of business was which prince or princess to target.

"The three princes and princess fighting for the throne will never go along with my proposal. It wouldn't be nearly enough of an accomplishment for them if they went out as a proxy and someone else used the holy sword to save the day. They'll want to mobilize the military to avoid that. Then, even if the holy sword comes into play, it won't overshadow their actions. What we need is a prince or princess who's not involved in the conflict for the throne."

That said, there weren't many such choices. Almost all of the emperor's children were siding with either Erik, Gordon, or Zandra due to their shared mothers. There was just one perfect candidate for the job.

"In that case, the Fourth Imperial Prince would be best."

"Right."

The fact that Lynphia was so quick to give such a precise answer told me that she'd been studying up on the battle for the throne.

I applauded her diligence. The Fourth Imperial Prince's mother was the empress. That meant he shared the same mother as the crown prince and would be uninvolved in the power struggle within the inner palace.

Furthermore, the Fourth Imperial Prince had discovered his life's purpose in writing and showed no interest whatsoever in becoming emperor.

The modest role of being used as, to put it crudely, a means of transport for the holy sword was not likely to raise any complaints from him. The question was, would he be willing to leave the empire, and would he go somewhere there was a sea dragon, no less? That was where Finne's tactics of persuasion came in.

"Well then, let's get going," Finne piped up with a look of eager excitement.

It was time to start negotiating.

***

"No way, thank you very much," the stout man answered without any hesitation.

The Fourth Imperial Prince wasn't nearly as big and brawny as Gordon. I mean, he was muscular enough, but most of his size came from his prominent stomach. He was the largest and fattest member of the imperial family. To put it simply, Traugott Lakes Aadler was big and round. He also had brown hair, blue eyes, and wore very unattractive glasses. I might've been the most scorned among all the imperial family, but that fellow was probably the most ridiculed.

His older brother had been so tall and slim and handsome, it made you wonder what had gone wrong.

"But Your Highness—"

"Loathe as I am to refuse your entreaty, milady, it is simply impossible. I am currently engaged in the creation of my literary masterpiece."

Trau held out a draft of his writing, which Finne respectfully accepted and skimmed over, then quickly returned without comment. She had just learned the surprising truth: Trau had no literary aptitude. He was much more talented at horseback riding and sword fighting, and certainly more athletic than I was. So why was he so hell-bent on being an author?

As I quietly puzzled over that train of thought, Trau turned his attention to me.

"And you are the renowned Sir Silver, I take it?"

"In the flesh. Pleasure to meet you."

"Might it have been your idea to bring this entreaty to me?"

"Mostly. Having the military dispatched to the South with a sea dragon afoot will cause trouble. I thought you might be willing to travel as the emperor's proxy with only a small security escort."

"That is most perceptive of you. However, as I mentioned, I am in the middle of creating my masterpiece. I cannot be interrupted. Now, I would appreciate it if you let me be."

Trau looked ridiculous and had some ridiculous opinions, but he wasn't stupid. How could he be? He was the younger brother of our eldest sibling, the late crown prince. That meant he was willing to turn down our proposal for the inanest reason possible, despite understanding my objective. Why, why, why?

"Your Highness! For the sakes of all of the people in the southern region and all of the sailors in the imperial navy, please reconsider!"

"I would love nothing more than to fulfill your request, Lady Finne. But I am a member of Adrasia's imperial family, and the people of the southern region are not my subjects. I am under no obligation to them. And as for the sailors, they joined the military of their own volition, after all. We wouldn't achieve much if we acted with perpetual concern for their safety, now would we?"

It was a simple but effective argument. Why was he unable to make use of that wit in his writing?

"Yes, but—"

"Please leave. I have no desire to become involved."

"What about your brothers who are in the southern region now?"

Even after Trau's repeated rejections, Finne stood her ground. Realizing that foreign citizens and sailors wouldn't motivate him, she brought up Leo and me. That proved to be the most effective tactic so far.

"It pains me to think of my own brothers being caught up in the fallout. But Arnold and Leonard are adults. Surely they can fend for themselves."

"What about your younger siblings who aren't adults? If you refuse to help us, you will be forcing us to rely on the ones you ought to be protecting."

Finne was referring to Krista and our youngest brother, and inferring that if Trau refused, we would take our proposal to one of them instead. The moment she said that, Trau glared sharply at her.

"Are you attempting to use my brother and sister to threaten me?"

"You can take my words however you like."

"My dear brother is less of a concern, but Miss Krista is the treasure of our family. I could not bear to see our dear, golden-haired princess plunged into peril, and anyone who dares do such a thing shall incur the disdain of all their fellow human beings."

"O-okay..."

That was a huge exaggeration, and once again didn't make all that much sense. And why was he so unconcerned about his brother? The boy was only ten years old! I barely managed to curb the impulse to sigh out loud.

"Yet, the fact remains that I am also thoroughly committed to the creation of my masterpiece... This is quite a dilemma."

"If you can't decide, you should choose the option that is outside of your comfort zone! Authors with lots of new experiences make the greatest writers. Saving your sister and gaining such experience at the same time would be killing two birds with one stone! Plus, if you take action for the good of the southern region, that will also boost your reputation! I bet many great writers will be enticed by your celebrity and come to pay you a visit. That's worth even more than writing a masterpiece, don't you think?"

When Finne piled on the list of benefits, Trau began to reconsider.

"May I ask you one question, milady?"

"Of course."

"What inspires your determination to go to such lengths to convince me? Is it on account of the conflict for the throne? Or is there perhaps another reason?"

"Does one need a reason to save their loved one from danger?" Finne answered simply and honestly.

Trau looked slightly surprised then replied with a comprehending nod.

"Very noble. Yes, most noble indeed. All right, I accept. Only a disgrace of an author would not be spurred to action by such an elegant and sincere answer. I shall accept the beauty and wisdom of your words as compensation for my cooperation."

With that, Trau lifted his glasses and stood.

I had no clue what had just happened, but apparently Finne's answer had managed to strike a chord within him.

And that was how Finne's persuasive powers secured us the key figure in our plan.

4

"Father! Your dear son has come with a humble request! Please kindly bestow upon me a moment of your time!"

"Traugott, you insolent fool! Don't barge in when I'm in the middle of a meeting! And lower your voice!"

"F-forgive me!"

I let out a long sigh. Trau had dramatically flung open the doors to the throne room with a bang and marched in while addressing the emperor in a booming voice. The emperor's equally loud rebuke immediately sent him fleeing back outside again.

It must have been one scary confrontation, because Trau was struggling to catch his breath as he explained what happened.

"I-I...I really told him."

"Well, I suppose that's fine as long as you're okay with it."

The guy seriously needed help in the literary department. How could that possibly describe what had just happened? It was obvious the emperor had done the telling off.

Even Finne wore an amused grimace. Sheesh... He was the son of the empress, and he wasn't dumb. He could've been in the running for the throne if it weren't for that absurd personality of his.

Exasperated, I quietly opened the door to the throne room. There were guards, of course, but no one moved to stop me from entering. There wasn't a citizen of Adrasia who didn't immediately recognize me on sight.

"Excuse the interruption, Your Majesty."

"Hmph. I see we have an unusual guest."

"I, Silver, request an audience with Your Majesty."

"Is this some kind of joke? If you entered the castle through the main gate, I should have been notified straight away."

"In light of the critical situation, I took the liberty of entering through a slightly more ill-mannered route."

"This castle is the heart of the empire. You could be immediately sentenced to death for entering without permission. This goes well beyond poor manners. Have you come to give up your life? Or is this some twisted way of proving that you could assassinate me at any time?"

"There's no need for posturing. You're no fool. You know that assassination would be impossible, and you are certainly wise enough not to kill me. If that were not the case, I would not have entered in such a rude and admittedly improper way. For that, I apologize."

A powerful barrier surrounded the upper-most floor of the Castle of the Imperial Sword, where the emperor's living quarters were located, so I couldn't use transfer magic to enter or leave.

There were also knights of the Imperial Guard stationed nearby at all times, so only someone truly crazy would even consider assassination. Supposing, theoretically, I did make a serious attempt, even I might not be able to pull it off. Then there were all the tricks and traps hidden around the castle that I didn't know of, including likely escape routes in case of such an assassination attempt. And once I failed, I'd be hunted down to the ends of the earth. There was no way I'd do something so insane.

"If you still cannot forgive my trespassing, then I hope you'll recall the last time I saved you and call it even."

"Hmph. All right, fine. So, are you here to discuss what's happening in the southern region?"

"Yes. It seems that somehow, information about the situation was leaked from the Adventurers' Guild. They are incredibly concerned that you and the empire might do something excessive."

My choice of emphasis elicited a snort of amusement from my father.

Apparently, he knew. Erik, Gordon, and Zandra were all present in the room, and one of them had extracted the information.

"Excessive? That's awfully harsh. Is it really so wrong for us to want to help?"

"I don't have a problem with that, personally. Maybe the Guild does, but appropriate assistance could help save many lives. What worries me is the possibility of someone taking inappropriate action."

"Your arrogance is astounding. Do you fancy yourself in charge of deciding what's right or wrong for the empire?"

"The results will determine that, not me. And what will result from an inappropriate show of support is abundantly obvious."

For a moment, my father and I stared each other down. I knew I was crossing a line by being so impertinent, but I also knew that as an SS-class adventurer I could get away with it. My presence meant that the empire was protected from the threat of monsters.

If something like what had occurred in the southern region were to happen in Adrasia, with me around, the incident would be resolved without undue panic or chaos. That was why I was permitted a certain amount of irreverence. Although, given my father's personality, such behavior wasn't likely to be a punishable offense anyway.

"Okay then, let me ask you this. What is right and what is wrong?"

"Explaining that isn't my job. I've already used up all of my influence. It's time I turn things over to these two."

At that point, I took a step back, and Trau and Finne came forward to take my place. Upon recognizing Finne, Father broke into a grin.

"You're looking rather well, Finne."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Please forgive me for appearing before you in this manner."

"Nothing to forgive, my dear. Come and visit me anytime at all."

The emperor behaved just like a father being reunited with a beloved daughter. However, Finne was mature enough to not take his invitation literally. I also knew better than to try and use his fondness for Finne to our advantage in the battle for the throne. No matter how much he cared for her, he was also an emperor capable of sentencing people for their crimes. He might dote on Finne, but he wouldn't be unfairly lenient to us in his decision-making.

"I am most grateful for your kindness."

"F-Father, I—"

"It's 'Your Majesty,' Trau."

"Ahh, Your Majesty. To put it succinctly, I wish to be sent as your proxy. To the southern region, that is."

Finne had been carefully building up from her greeting into the main topic. Trau, however, clumsily butted in after misreading the tone of the conversation entirely. Maybe he'd determined it was pointless to attempt off-the-cuff negotiations with our father? Or at least, I wanted to believe that was the case.

"Don't be ridiculous. Filthy pig."

"I don't much appreciate my plans being interfered with."

"If you get in my way, I will destroy you, you hear?"

Without missing a beat, Trau's three siblings broke their silence to berate him. He flinched at the sudden shower of abuse but managed to come up with yet another tone-deaf rebuttal.

"Th-the way you speak and look at people is very intense, Zandra. Perhaps that is why you've never found any suitors for marriage?"

"One more word, and I'm going to grind you up and feed you to the livestock."

That got another squeal of alarm out of Trau.

It amazed me to no end how both of them were able to fling such nasty insults right in front of our father.

By that point, the tension in the room had pretty much evaporated. Finne cleared her throat and brought everyone's attention back to herself.

"May I speak?"

"Go on."

"Thank you. I am the one who asked Prince Traugott to accept this duty. Sending the military into the southern region will bring no benefit to the empire."

"Oh? The military, you say?"

"I realize I am not well-versed in such matters, but please consider what I have to say. If the empire sends out naval ships in the name of aid to the southern region, it will be several days before they arrive. If the sea dragon is defeated before then, the effort will have been for nothing. And even if they do reach the region in time, they will still be fighting against a sea dragon; there is every chance they will be defeated. The military has never participated in the slaying of a sea dragon before, and that is because when it comes to slaying dragons, quality is more important than quantity. Therefore, I believe sending Prince Traugott as Your Majesty's proxy and giving permission to Lady Elna to use the holy sword will be the most advantageous course of action for the empire."

Finne explained herself with eloquence and confidence, but of course, the words weren't actually hers. More precisely, she had very similar ideas, but she wasn't the type to come up with such detailed and rational logic.

Before our visit to the throne room, we had come to the decision that Finne would be the one to explain our plan to the emperor. Lynphia had then come up with an explanation and told Finne what to say.

"Hmmm, very interesting. You have a point. But why must it be Trau who goes as my proxy?"

"The other three potential candidates are too high in status. In this instance, your proxy will be merely acting as a conveyance for the holy sword. Giving such a lowly role to one of the others could hurt their reputations. Forgive me for saying so, but there is no such risk to Prince Traugott.

"Your words sting, Lady Finne... But I shall forgive you since you are so beautiful. Beauty conquers all, you know."

"Trau, please shut up for a minute."

Father was painfully clutching his head as he delivered another warning to my brother. Dealing with Trau would give anyone a headache. I felt one coming on myself.

At that point, Gordon spoke up.

"Your Majesty. I have a question for Blau Mowe."

"Granted."

"Blau Mowe. By your logic, wouldn't it work just as well if I commanded the military and acted as the emperor's proxy? Why are you so insistent on not sending out any troops? Are you suggesting that the wielder of the holy sword and the imperial army working together could face defeat?"

"Not at all, Prince Gordon. In that case, victory would be certain. However, it would also take time. Fortunately, we have Master Silver here with us. He can use his transfer magic to instantly transport himself, a proxy, and a small escort of bodyguards to the southern region. Right now, speed is more important than numbers. Additionally, there is no need for the military if we have the empire's greatest adventurer and the indomitable wielder of the holy sword working together. And of course, word of Adrasia's accomplishment will spread all across the continent, with no harm to the empire as well."

Finne's response was perfect. Gordon appeared to be racking his brain to come up with an opposing argument, but under the circumstances, neither he nor the other two had any chance of winning against our team. There simply was no better answer in terms of what was most beneficial to the empire.

It would be a win for the empire's reputation with no downsides. Plus, like Finne said, the proxy would only be a conveyance for the holy sword. If any of our three other siblings accepted such an accessory role it would only hurt their reputation and their pride.

"That's poor logic. The empire saving the South all on our own will bring the greatest acclaim of all. I have no interest in cooperating with the Adventurers' Guild. They can do everything themselves if they're so concerned about what the empire does."

"Hmmm. Erik. What do you think?"

"I agree with Finne. This will bring the greatest benefit to the empire. Zandra's idea will only invite discord between the empire and the Adventurers' Guild, and lead to rumors that the empire, and even yourself, Your Majesty, are uncooperative."

Nice work, Erik. Grasping the situation, he quickly jumped onto the winning team and remembered to throw in a jab at Zandra while he was at it. Zandra glared at him, but he paid her no mind.

Meanwhile, Gordon turned his attention toward our father.

"Your Majesty. I ask that you put me in charge. Let's use this opportunity to take control of the southern region."

Gordon didn't mince words. He had just announced that he would use aiding the southern region as a cover, creating an opportunity for us to invade.

Father responded with a wry smile. "I appreciate your candor, Gordon, but I have no need to control the southern region. If you want it, you can take it when you're emperor. This discussion is over. We are going with Finne's idea. I see no allure in taking over the southern region, and there is no benefit to dispatching the military to conquer the sea dragon."

"But Father!"

"'Your Majesty,' Zandra."

"Argh! Your Majesty! You don't have to give in to whatever the Adventurers' Guild wants!"

"We ended up in deep trouble as a result of ignoring the Guild last time there was an incident. This time, we will defer to Silver and work with them instead. After all, he came all the way here to ask for our help. It will be easier with Elna's assistance, yes?"

"Yes. Slaying the dragon on my own would be quite a backbreaking feat."

"Then it's decided. Trau, come forward."

Father then removed the ring from his finger. It was a magic ring, passed down from one emperor to the next through the generations. The ring had no real effect on the wearer, other than to grant them a portion of the emperor's authority. In other words, it came in handy when the emperor needed to designate a proxy.

"Traugott Lakes Aadler. I hereby decree that you shall act as my proxy. Go to the southern region and present the holy sword to its master."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Trau managed to respond without awkward embellishment for a change.

I exhaled with relief.

A messenger had entered the throne room during that time and immediately announced, "Your Majesty! A sea dragon has appeared in the Grand Duchy of Albatro! The Adventurers' Guild is looking for Master Silver!"

"I guess it's time."

"I will assign a regiment of the Imperial Guard as bodyguards, but if anything should happen take care of my son, Silver."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will return him without a scratch."

"If I must have a bodyguard, I must say I would have preferred an attractive young woman."

"There's an imperial knight who's just your type in the southern region. That'll have to be good enough."

"I pray she is not too strong. Women like that hold no attraction for me."

Elna would fly into a rage if she got wind of that, I thought to myself as Trau and the rest of our party headed off to the Adventurers' Guild.

5

A few days earlier, Leo and the fleet from Rondine had finally arrived in Albatro. So as not to create alarm, only the ship with Leo and the grand duke of Rondine entered the harbor, where they were welcomed ashore by the grand duke of Albatro.

"Thank you for coming, Carlo."

"These are dire times. It was never a question."

The two grand dukes formally shook hands. It was a historical event for the rulers of two countries so long at war, and when it ended without issue, tensions eased among the two naval fleets warily eyeing one another just offshore.

Leo and Elna also sighed with relief at the successful completion of that first step.

"That's one hurdle down, at least."

"Yep. Now the question is how to approach the sea dragon."

As Leo and Elna talked, they began following the two grand dukes toward the castle.

Suddenly, Elna turned and looked back at the ocean while reaching for her sword. Then she immediately drew the weapon.

"Elna?!"

"Everyone, assume defensive positions! Protect the prince and the grand dukes! It's coming!"

On Elna's command, imperial knights surrounded the royalty. At almost the same moment, a tornado formed over the ocean. It appeared in between the Rondine and Albatro fleets, which began to be sucked into the vortex.

Everyone watched in silent horror as nearly a third of each fleet was quickly swallowed up and sent to a water grave before the tornado abruptly vanished again.

Then, it appeared.

"The sea dragon Leviatano?!"

The dragon loomed up before them, its long, thin body covered in beautiful, water-like translucent blue scales.

It had a pair of wings and a pair of forelegs, and it probably also had hind legs underneath the water. It was a dragon suited for life in the sea.

In terms of appearance, it resembled a snake but much, much bigger. The visible portion of its body spanned over a hundred and fifty feet. It was even bigger and more threatening than the legends described. Everyone present shuddered with fear.

Their reactions didn't concern Leviatano. It slowly opened its mouth and a massive sphere of water began to form within. It was far and beyond the scale of any normal water magic.

Quickly recognizing the danger, Elna shouted out, "Take cover!"

The knights nearby gathered up the two grand dukes in their arms and fled to safety as they faithfully obeyed their commander's orders.

Elna, too, fled the area with Leo. Not a second later, the huge water bomb hit the spot where they'd been standing with a thunderous crash, leaving behind a giant crater worthy of a meteorite impact.

Leo and Elna both paled at the sight, but not out of concern for their own safety. They had just been given a glimpse of what would happen to the entire city during the battle that was about to occur.

"Damn it! ...Elna! Take charge here and help evacuate all the residents of the city!"

"Leo! Where are you going?!"

"I'm going out on the ship! If we don't get the dragon's attention focused out on the water, this city's done for!"

"That's crazy! What do you think you're going to accomplish with just one ship?!"

"I'm going to command the rest of the ships! They need a commander!"

"Ships of other countries? And those who until just recently stood against our own forces? One wrong move and they could shoot you down in the confusion!"

"My brother made the alliance possible in my place! I can't sit back and watch it be destroyed!" Leo answered back and took off running.

Elna wanted to yell out and stop him, but she never got the chance.

Leviatano shot off its second attack. The water bomb flew over the harbor and was headed toward the center of the capital city when Elna launched her own attack. It struck the bomb and changed its course, creating a second crater next to the first.

"I wonder how long we can hold out," Elna murmured to herself as she looked down at her numb right arm and the freshly chipped blade of her trusty sword. If only I had the holy sword, she thought.

Instead, Elna busied herself making sure the grand dukes and the residents were evacuated while she fended off the dragon's attacks.

***

"Captain! Fire!"

"At that huge thing? We might as well be using peashooters!"

"Just do it!"

"You really are insane! All right, we're going in! Ready yourselves, men!"

On Leo's order, the captain maneuvered to within firing range of Leviatano and began to send salvos from the magical cannons. Unfortunately, the sea dragon's hard scales remained unscathed.

Despite that, Leo insisted the cannon fire continue. Meanwhile, he picked up the receiver to the magical voice amplifier.

"Attention, all Rondine and Albatro sailors! This is Leonard Lakes Aadler, Eighth Imperial Prince of Adrasia! We are going to fire on Leviatano in order to draw its attention! If there are any crews out there not afraid of a sea dragon, follow my lead! Anything will help! We need to distract it from the city! Who's prepared to go down fighting with me?!"

There was one ship that responded immediately to Leo's request. They had already begun heading in Leviatano's direction as soon as they saw Leo's ship and were ready to provide backup.

"We will join you, Your Highness."

It was the same ship that had obstructed Arn's passage when he first attempted to enter the harbor.

The captain of Leo's ship recognized it immediately.

"Your Highness! That's the ship from before!"

"What ship?"

"The one that came to stop you from entering the harbor!"

Leo recalled Arn telling him that he'd simply barged into the harbor without permission. Lacking any further details, he was forced to answer vaguely and pretend he knew what the captain was talking about.

"Oh, right. That ship," he muttered unconvincingly, while mentally berating Arn for not telling him about something that had clearly made an impact.

At the same time, he thought to himself how like Arn that was. The fact that Arn hadn't said anything about the ship meant that it hadn't been that vital of a detail to him.

There must be a whole lot of other things he hasn't told me, Leo mused. But that was a source of excitement. To Leo, Arn was and would always be his amazing big brother. That made it all the more exciting to witness for himself the amazing things Arn did.

See? Isn't my brother awesome?

During the minute or so Leo was lost in his thoughts, Albatro's ships had begun gathering around his own. Not wanting to be left behind, Rondine's ships quickly followed. When Leo noticed, he let out a deep breath and gave his next command.

"I thank all of you brave ships and sailors. We must do whatever we can to catch Leviatano's attention! Everyone at once, open fire!"

Like that, the impromptu fleet began their attack on Leviatano. However, its eyes remained fixed on the capital city. Leo and the others did whatever they could to create a diversion, but the sea dragon continued its barrage of water bombs in an almost mechanical fashion.

Back on shore, Elna was able to change the bombs' trajectories, but she couldn't destroy them altogether. They steadily distorted the surrounding landscape as they fell on empty streets and buildings.

Amid that hellish chaos, one young woman wandered into the Albatro branch of the Adventurers' Guild. The branch office was already half-destroyed at that point, and all the staff had evacuated the premises.

Despite that, the young woman continued inside, where a long-distance com room could be found—the same com room the alert of the sea dragon's appearance had been made from a while earlier. The young woman, Eva, knelt within the unattended space and began to plead for help.

"Please...someone...anyone... Please save my country. Without help, we'll be completely wiped out! All of our people will become victims of the sea dragon! Anyone who's out there, anyone at all... Please save us. Please accept this request to defeat the sea dragon!"

After becoming separated from her bodyguards, Eva had left the other evacuating citizens to go searching for Guild. She knew if she found it there would be a com room inside. Following her success, she continued her fervent, prayerful pleas without pause. The only person who could save her and her country was an adventurer.

One of the Guild's SS-class adventurers should be able to do something to help.

That hope fueled Eva's unending requests for aid. Unbeknownst to her, damage from the attack had managed to switch the com room to broadcast mode, which was normally reserved for alerting all the Guild branches about extreme disasters that threatened the entire continent.

Her words were heard not only by Guild employees but by all the adventurers who were inside the Guild branches, too.

Those adventurers were filled with the desire and urgency to do something, but none of them possessed the ability to reach the southern region quickly enough. That included the adventurers of the Adrasia capital branch.

"Goddamn it!"

"Isn't there anything we can do?!"

"Shut up! Panicking won't do any good!"

"Shut up? There's a girl out there calling for help!"

"You think panicking's going to accomplish that?!"

The drunken adventurers listened to the pleas of the young girl and lamented their inability to lend aid. They cursed and raged as they drank and waited for someone else to speak up.

All the while, Eva's pleas continued to broadcast. The emergency transmission mode meant that they were audible throughout each and every branch building.

The Guild employees, too, wore anguished expressions as they listened.

During that time, one man strode briskly into the branch office and made a reply, which was similarly transmitted to all the branches across the continent.

"Hang on. I'll be right there."

That reply startled Eva. She hadn't actually expected anyone to come. And the voice had said they'd be there soon. What did they mean?

Eva's confusion was interrupted when a crack appeared in the air beside her. From it, a man wearing a silver mask and a black robe emerged.

"Who are you?"

"Silver, SS-class adventurer from the Adrasia branch of the Adventurers' Guild. I'm here to accept your request."

This declaration, too, was broadcast to all of the Guild branches.

A moment later, adventurers across the continent cried for joy that one of their own had arrived to save the day.

6

When I departed the castle, Finne stopped at the entrance and watched me leave. She must have known that following me any farther wouldn't change anything. Instead, she bid me farewell in a quiet voice only I could hear.

"Good luck. I'll be here waiting for you to return."

"Thanks. I'll be back as soon as I can."

After that short parting exchange, I transported myself along with Trau and his imperial knight escort to the Adventurers' Guild branch in the capital. Once inside, I heard Eva's voice.

"Anyone who's out there, anyone at all... Please save us. Please accept this request to defeat the sea dragon!"

I realized immediately that Eva's words were being broadcast by the Guild com rooms. Presumably, the mode for continent-wide disasters had somehow been activated, and she was transmitting to every single Guild branch at once. Whether she knew it or not, Eva was seeking help from all adventurers, who back in their Guild branches were currently moaning, fighting, drinking, and in a general state of frustration and panic.

A girl was out there asking to be rescued from a sea dragon, and none of them could help her. For all those in the profession of adventurer, nothing could be more shameful or disgraceful. It was an adventurer's mission to help those who needed it. They felt tortured and maddened by their helplessness.

That, in turn, filled me with a sense of relief. In a world where a family of idiots fought among themselves for the emperor's throne, there were also dozens of men and women who felt distressed and helpless upon hearing the pleas of a random young woman. Their sentiment was reassuring.

So, representing all of the adventurers out there, I entered the com room and replied, "Hang on. I'll be right there."

As I spoke, I created a transfer crack inside the branch office. It connected to another Guild branch on the empire's southern border.

"Here we go, Prince."

"Very good. We must not neglect the petitions of a young woman in need."

I then stepped into the crack, and immediately stepped out on the far side.

The others all looked stunned, but without stopping to pay them any heed, I created a second transfer crack that connected to the Albatro branch and immediately stepped through again.

Upon arriving in the half-demolished branch office, my gaze met Eva's from where she was kneeling on the floor.

"Who are you?"

"Silver, SS-class adventurer from the Adrasia branch of the Adventurers' Guild. I'm here to accept your request."

Eva gave me a wide-eyed look, then burst into tears. It was easy to see how scared she must have been.

"You did well. Now you have to get somewhere safe."

"O-okay... But my brother..."

"What about your brother?"

"He said he had to try to help and went to the castle."

That didn't bode well.

By that point, Trau and his bodyguards had managed to catch up. From the look of it, they'd rather enjoyed the transfer.

"Well, well! So this is the southern region. Your transfer magic is most remarkable, Silver."

"Enough blathering. Hurry up and give permission to use the holy sword."

"I'm afraid that isn't quite so simple. There is no point in delivering my permission if Lady Elna is not present to hear it."

"Then we'll have to go somewhere she'll notice us."

When I exited the Guild branch office hoping to find such a place, I was thrust into the pandemonium occurring outside.

Most of the buildings around the harbor were destroyed, and there was a gigantic dragon in the water.

"That thing is enormous. Are you certain you'll be able to defeat it?"

"It'd be a tough fight doing it by myself."

As we were talking, a sphere of water emerged from the sea dragon's mouth.

It was huge. Crazy huge.

"That's the biggest one so far!" Eva cried out.

I started preparing some defense magic. Something that size landing on the heart of the city would be worse than catastrophic, especially when you considered the number of residents that hadn't yet evacuated.

I had to do something to divert the sea dragon's attention. As I was thinking, a voice rang out from the highest floor of the castle.

"Leviatano! Over here!"

It was Julio. He was apparently using a magical voice amplification tool.

His hands also held the magical tool that had been used to subdue Leviatano in the past.

Leviatano was likely attacking Albatro due to the fear of being put to sleep again and to get revenge for its previous subjugation. Knowing that, Julio had chosen the most effective way to provoke the sea dragon and draw its attention to himself. He must have been prepared to die for the sake of protecting the residents still in the city.

Leviatano shifted its gaze to look at Julio, then spoke. "There it is. I've been searching for the cursed tool that put me to sleep. It seems to have already lost its power, but I won't take any chances. I must destroy it."

The already huge water bomb forming in its mouth kept growing, transforming into something even more massive.

That looked disastrous. I continued preparing my defense magic while simultaneously opening a transfer crack in the air.

"Reckless young whippersnapper. I shall reward your courage by letting you perish without suffering," Leviatano threatened, then fired the super-sized water bomb toward the top floor of the castle.

At the same time, I slipped through the crack and transferred right in front of Julio.

"Father, Mother, Eva...please forgive me..."

"You can apologize when you see them in person," I chided Julio, who stood there awaiting death with his eyes shut. Then I deployed my massive, defense-magic spell. It was a shield.

The blue and silver bulwark appeared in front of the castle, ready to confront Leviatano's water bomb.

"This shield is the great shield of God. Its name is known by all. It is synonymous with protection. It was created for the protection of all who are weak. Hence, even God cannot destroy it. Hence, the shield is invincible and impenetrable. Its name...is Aegis."

The instant I spoke the shield's name, it began to glow. Leviatano's super-sized water bomb was destroyed effortlessly. Julio collapsed in shock and awe at the sight.

A worried Eva came rushing through the transfer crack a moment later.

"Julio!"

"Eva..."

"Thank god you're all right! I thought I'd lost you! Everything's okay now. They came... Help came!"

"Help...?"

"I believe you are the prince of the Grand Duchy of Albatro?"

"Y-yes... I'm Julio Di Albatro."

"I'm here from the Adventurers' Guild. Silver, SS-class adventurer. And this—"

"Traugott Lakes Aadler, Fourth Imperial Prince of Adrasia. At your service."

Trau had also transported through the crack. He introduced himself in a dignified manner, but his gaze remained fixed on Eva. Apparently the pretty, teary-eyed girl scored fairly high in his book.

I wanted to give him a good smack, but my current status as Silver rendered that impossible, so I made my point verbally instead.

"Your Highness. Do your job."

"Ahh, might we not spend a few more minutes gazing upon this beautiful young woman? I assume your shield will hold, will it not?"

"Keep this up and I'll hurl you outside the shield."

"I'd rather you didn't... Ah well. I suppose I will fulfill my princely duty," Trau finally submitted and reached for the magical voice amplification tool Julio had been using. It was at that point that he looked at the young prince for the first time.

"By the by, Prince Julio. You did very well just now, coming up here for the sake of your people. I don't know of anyone other than my deceased elder brother who could act with such selflessness. I feel inspired to model my own behavior after yours, such that I might win the pride of my subjects."

At that point, Trau began amplifying his voice. In fact, he chose that occasion to launch into a long, drawn-out speech, despite the fact Leviatano was preparing his next attack.

"Citizens of the Grand Duchy of Albatro. This is the Fourth Imperial Prince of Adrasia, Traugott Lakes Aadler. All who can hear my voice, please lend me a moment of your time."

I wished he'd hurry it up, but he had to give permission for Elna to summon the sword, and Elna had to acknowledge said permission in person. In order for that to happen, she had to find him first. My only choice was to protect Trau until his voice reached her.

"In the midst of this bewildering and chaotic situation, I have come to your land as a proxy for my father, His Majesty the Emperor of Adrasia. I am not here to save your country, nor protect it. That is not my job. I have merely come to deliver this message."

Leviatano had apparently decided the force of a single blast wasn't enough and began firing out multiple water bombs in waves. I responded by stopping them with multiple magic circles. Oblivious to all of that, Trau continued giving his speech without missing a beat.

"Are any of my knights out there? Brave knights, strong knights, proud knights? Any knights who yearn to alleviate this crisis? Any knights who wish to save the many cruelly afflicted before them? If any such knights are out there, speak up now! In my name, I shall bestow the honor of saving Albatro upon you!"

Trau's words drew no reaction at first, and it wasn't because they hadn't been heard. All of the knights out there listening were probably wishing they could be chosen. However, only one of them was meant to respond to Trau's command.

"I am here, Your Highness! I accept your command!" Elna gallantly called out, slashing down a water bomb as she made her appearance.

Trau nodded in recognition of her response and waved his hand theatrically.

"Speak your name!"

"Elna Von Amsberg, at your service!"

"Very good! I, Traugott Lakes Aadler, acting as proxy for His Majesty Johannes Lakes Aadler, hereby command you! Brave warrior, take up the holy sword!"

Elna immediately raised her hand, and an aurora descended from the sky. She took hold of the glowing light, then spoke as it gradually transformed into a sword within her grasp.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"There is no need to thank me, Lady Elna. It is my duty as an imperial prince. Now, with that, I shall retire to my place as spectator. Watching Adrasia's finest knight and its finest adventurer combat a dragon should provide some excellent material for my writing."

Trau finished his speech with a characteristically distasteful smile.

I grimaced at his tactlessness while turning to gaze down at Julio from my vantage point floating in the air.

"Prince Julio. Your country requested me. So just to make sure...you don't mind if we slay that sea dragon, do you?"

"Y-yes! I mean no! Please, have at it!"

Having received the go-ahead, Elna and I turned in unison to face Leviatano.

7

"Don't you dare jeopardize this fight, got it, mister masked adventurer?"

"Right back at you, Miss Amsberg the heroine."

"Excuse me?! I'm clearly the more capable of the two of us!"

"You sure about that? It looked like you weren't having such an easy go of it earlier. How about a thank you for bringing the emperor's proxy out here?"

Elna's shoulders shook with anger at my provocation. Wow. She was definitely mad this time.

While enjoying her reaction, I cast both defensive and healing barriers around the entire capital. Elna had apparently put up a valiant fight, and no damage had been done to the areas most heavily concentrated with evacuees. But even so, there had been injuries and there were still many people running about in a panic.

At the same time, some calm had been restored compared to earlier. Since Trau had given Elna permission to summon the holy sword in that excessively melodramatic speech, all of Albatro knew that help had arrived.

I doubted that had been his intention, of course. Delivering that sort of speech had been half for his own enjoyment, and half a performance as the emperor's proxy. It was his role to display the empire's presence and prestige with as much flair as possible, and that's exactly what he did.

Still, it was thanks to him that some of the pandemonium had abated.

If it weren't for his unfortunate personality, I'd almost want to recommend him for the throne.

"Silver! Are you listening to me?!"

"Huh? Did you say something?"

"Oh. I see how it is. You don't think anything I say is worth listening to. Is that it?" Elna accused me with one of her angry smiles.

I responded with a wry smile of my own. "Sorry. I was thinking about something else. So, back to you. I'm guessing you said something about how to defeat that sea dragon?"

"If you already know, then just answer my question. Do you have any strategies? If not, we're going with mine."

"I do have some ideas, obviously, but let's hear what the Amsberg heroine has to offer. What should I do?"

"Just draw the sea dragon's attention and protect the capital. I'll do the killing."

"I'm the decoy, huh? I should've guessed," I answered, then started to move forward.

Elna took that as a sign of my agreement and headed off to do her part.

"This is a surprise. I didn't expect to find a human who could defend against my water bombs."

"I'm as surprised as you are. Dragons are clever monsters. What made you decide to pick a fight with humans?"

"Hmph! I was put to sleep against my will. I would lose my pride as a dragon if I did not exact revenge. I am a dragon, the king of all earth's creatures! I will not be made a fool of by the likes of humans!"

"Pride, huh. Well, that's pretty stupid. Is pride more important than your own life?"

"It almost sounds as if you think you can defeat me."

"I can. Don't underestimate us humans."

As soon as I said that, a massive number of water bombs appeared before Leviatano.

There must have been one or two hundred...at least. Looked like the dragon had been holding back on its previous attacks.

"Let me repeat myself. I will not be made a fool of by the likes of some pathetic humans!"

"I'll repeat myself, too. Don't underestimate us."

Leviatano had likely opted for more water bombs when it realized the force of one was easily stopped. I deployed about the same number of magic circles behind my back.

"Don't go thinking you can beat me in a game of numbers."

"Filthy human!"

Innumerable water bombs and magic circles collided in the air above the city. It was a war unto itself.

Ours was a battle of attrition, with neither of us quite able to clinch the victory. We continued bombarding each other with attacks, and when either of us ran low, Leviatano added more water bombs and I added more magic. To an uninformed spectator, all the colorful sparks flying across the sky might have looked like a unique fireworks display.

"Argh! Impudent little brat!"

Leviatano opened its mouth wide. It looked like the sea dragon was finally going to play its trump card. The water bombs may have been a favorite, but Leviatano was advancing to the dragon's specialty: breath attacks.

I watched as the water in its mouth began to compress. Before long, the intense pressure had shrunk the liquid to the size of a tiny bead. A moment later, that bead burst forth, like a beam of light, in a ferocious water breath attack.

I attempted to divert that beam with layers of defense magic I'd built up, but the water breath shot through all of them as if they'd never even existed and continued on its path straight toward me.

"You're kidding me?!"

At the last moment I leapt out of the way. The breath attack passed right through the spot where I had stood and pierced a mountain far beyond the capital.

"Oh shit..."

The sight made me break out in a cold sweat. There was nothing normal about a beam of water powerful enough to slice right through multiple layers of defense magic. It was like an ultra-high-pressure waterjet cutter—Leviatano's version of the holy sword. That thing would be able to slice through any material like butter and keep going. A defensive battle against it was out of the question. We needed to put an end to the fight as soon as possible.

Leviatano capitalized on my moment of surprise to shoot off more water bombs. Apparently it needed time to recover between the ultra-powerful breath attacks. As I countered the bombs, I glanced up at the sky and spotted Elna. She was deep in concentration.

 I hadn't seen her that focused in a long time. That was a good sign. She was clearly dead set on killing the dragon. But I was also facing water bombs that were incomparably more challenging than the ones during Trau's speech. "Hurry up already," I called out impatiently while fending them off.

Elna was oblivious to my words, and everything else.

Leviatano and I both happened to pause at the same moment, and that's when Elna made her move. She began a sudden and steep descent through the air, aiming straight for Leviatano.

"Don't push your luck!"

Leviatano shot a water bomb at Elna, but she dodged it with minimal movement. Then, she swung the holy sword down on the sea dragon's head.

Leviatano must have seen the glowing sword and determined it was in danger. It attempted to writhe out of the way, but its body was simply too colossal to move that fast. The sword sliced into its torso and cut off part of its left wing.

"Aaaaaargh!"

With a roar of pain and surprise, Leviatano began sinking into the ocean. Our best chance had just presented itself. We needed to attack while we had the dragon on the ropes. There was just one problem.

"God, not now..."

In the sky above the sinking dragon, Elna was making a series of strange maneuvers, diving to attack but then pulling back at the last second. I flew over to her.

"You really are useless around the water."

"Sh-shut up! I can't help it if I'm scared, okay?!"

The majority of Leviatano's body was submerged in the water. In order to deliver the final blow, Elna needed to get close to the water's surface, but that was impossible for her. Then it dawned on me, that was why she'd been concentrating so hard. She'd known that she'd have to pursue the sea dragon closer to the water if she didn't kill it with her first blow. She really drove me crazy sometimes.

"All right. I guess we'll just have to switch roles."

"D-don't even think about it! I'm the protagonist here, and you're the decoy! I'm not switching with you!"

Despite her insistence, she made no move to actually attack.

I let out a frustrated sigh. Suddenly Elna gave me a puzzled look.

"Silver... How did you know I was afraid of the water?"

Oops...

I'd slipped up and spoken to her in my usual persona.

It was absolutely the most careless remark Silver had ever made.

8

A slew of curses and panicked thoughts began echoing in my head. I told myself to calm down before they could overwhelm my concentration.

Calm down. Just calm down, and everything will be fine. I repeated the phrase over and over to myself while suppressing my distress.

I was Silver at the moment. Not Arnold.

I didn't need to explain myself. Actually, that would be the worst thing to try to do. Silver had nothing to hide.

"Curious, huh?"

"Of course I am! Who told you?!"

"I don't think I have any duty or obligation to tell you that," I replied with a confident smirk, exactly how Silver would. Elna was dangerous when engaged in battle. She might notice even the slightest inconsistency in the way I spoke. If I slipped up and made her realize something was off, I was finished. Considering her personality, it was the wrong time to let her realize my true identity.

"Excuse me?!"

"Come on, the dragon's going to make its next move. Are you just going to let it get away?"

"Ugh! You're going to explain everything to me later!"

"We'll see about that," I replied after managing to draw her focus back to Leviatano with a little skillful linguistic dodging.

Meanwhile, the sea dragon had been preparing for another attack. Switching roles with Elna, I dropped down to the water's surface and planted myself right in front of it.

Once I was in place, I put my right hand over my rapidly beating heart and took several slow, deep breaths to calm my emotions. Sheesh, who knew one of my oldest friends could be scarier than a dragon? Elna was certainly a force of nature. Of course, my own carelessness didn't help, either.

I'd figure a way out of that situation later. I could always transfer myself away without giving her any answers, or I could make up some story. The immediate danger to myself had passed. All I had to deal with was the sea dragon looming before me.

"It has been a very long time since I bore an injury...and at the hands of a human, no less."

"I told you not to underestimate us."

"The girl. She's a descendant of the one who slayed the demon king. I could tell as soon as I was struck by that infernal sword."

"So? What are you going to do now? Retreat?"

"Retreat? Don't make me laugh. No dragon would ever retreat out of fear of a human!"

Leviatano opened its giant mouth and let out a roar.

A dragon's roar was a daunting and spirit-crushing assault on the senses that struck fear into all creatures. The sound could make those weak of heart faint from fear. Indeed, the sailors out on the ships surrounding Leviatano were in a panicked frenzy. That wasn't good. I wished they'd get themselves out of the area to safety already, but the majority of the ships were still within striking range.

"You will pay for injuring my body!"

"That's rich, coming from the one who attacked first. Typical dragon," I quipped back while gradually gaining altitude. I needed to buy a little more time.

"You, Amsberg heroine. Come here. I need to tell you something."

"What?"

"Why are you staying so far away?"

"Because you might try and hurl me down into the ocean!" Elna responded while warily keeping her distance. She was as jumpy as a cat around bathwater.

I really wished she hadn't picked such a vital moment to react like that. Good grief.

"I'm not going to do that. Even I don't have the self-confidence to take on both a sea dragon and the holy sword at the same time."

"Yeah right!"

Despite her sarcasm, Elna was keeping a vigilant eye on Leviatano.

The sea dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a second water breath attack.

I used defense magic to slow it down while we got ourselves out of the way.

The watery breath shot high into the sky and broke through the clouds. Nothing stood a chance against a direct hit by something like that. If its breath hit the city center, all would be destroyed.

"Do you have any ideas?!"

"Can you get in another hit with your sword?"

"No. Not after I hit it once already. It'll be expecting that. I'd have a million options if only it weren't in the ocean..."

Elna even worked up the courage to look down at the water, but her shoulders immediately slumped in defeat.

Meanwhile, Leviatano was firing off dozens of water bombs. As I countered them, I gave Elna a suggestion.

"Could you manage if the water wasn't there?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"We part the ocean."

"What?!" Elna shouted back in disbelief.

But I was perfectly serious. I had also considered using a barrier to trap Leviatano and float it up into the air, but with that strategy, if it managed to get away from us, we'd be in trouble. It was a dragon, after all. Its wing was injured, but it could probably still manage to fly if necessary.

"I can use a barrier to isolate one area of the ocean. You could fight with no problem then, right?"

"You mean, like creating an empty box in the middle of the water?"

"Yeah, basically."

"And if the barrier breaks?"

"You'd be underwater," I answered simply.

Elna must have been imagining it, because her expression momentarily twitched with fear.

"No way! You might break the barrier once I kill the dragon!"

"I wouldn't do anything to make an enemy of the empire. Speaking of which, as a knight of the empire, you do realize it's your duty to think of others before worrying about yourself, don't you?"

"U-umm..."

"I can't finish Leviatano off by myself. I'd probably get interrupted if I tried using a magic spell. And the longer this takes, the worse the damage will be. As far as I can see, I think my idea will be advantageous to the both of us."

"...You want me to trust you?"

"Yes. Trust me."

"How am I supposed to trust someone who won't even show their face?"

Elna stared at my mask with a disapproving frown. Knock it off, I wanted to say, I'm not the bad guy. It wasn't like I wanted to send someone with a phobia of the water down into the middle of the ocean, but it was the simplest solution we had.

After a long silence she finally asked, "Tell me one thing. Who told you I was afraid of the water?"

"I did promise I wouldn't say..."

"I don't care! Tell me!"

"All right... It was Prince Arnold. We exchanged information back in Rondine, and that's when he told me."

"Arn? Told you that? Just so you know, Arn doesn't trust many people, and he also doesn't share important information with people he doesn't trust. I hope you're not deceiving me, because I won't tolerate being lied to."

Geez, that was harsh. Not that she was wrong.

"I'm not deceiving you. What can I do to prove it?"

"...What exactly did Arn say, when he was telling you about my weakness?"

I quietly thought for a moment. How would I describe Elna's weakness to someone? Under what circumstances would I ever even reveal she had a phobia? Those questions led me to my answer.

"He apologized for any trouble your fear of water might cause and asked me to 'look out for my childhood friend.' He seemed to be worried about you, in his own way."

"He what?!"

Elna immediately blushed then hung her head and began muttering, "That stupid man... He always worries too much..."

Eventually she sighed deeply and slowly began to descend toward the water.

"Can I take that to mean you'll go along with my idea?"

"Yes. But this doesn't mean I trust you. I only trust Arn, who apparently decided to trust you. If he thought it was safe to share my weakness with you... Well, whatever. I'm not happy about it, but I'll forgive him."

Elna continued descending until she was close to Leviatano.

Of course, Leviatano was big. Big enough that being close to its head meant that Elna was still high above the water's surface. Then again, from her perspective, it probably felt like she was one step away from her grave.

Well, I thought, time to get started. I formed a square barrier around Elna and Leviatano, and then gradually expanded it.

The barrier shoved aside the water, creating a part in the ocean and pushing away nearby ships in the process. Before long, it reached the ocean floor and dry ground appeared.

"Hmph! Putting up a barrier so you can fight me on-one-on? That shows real fortitude. Do you truly have such great confidence that you can defeat me, little girl?"

"No. I'm not confident at all... All I can say for sure is that this is the most horrible place I've ever been in my entire life."

I could understand how she felt.

Even with the ocean held back by the barrier, she was surrounded on all four sides by a wall of water. It must have been the very definition of hell for her. And yet, despite that, Elna raised the holy sword over her head.

"That won't stop me from fighting, though! I need to prove to my friend that he doesn't have to worry about me!"

Elna began filling the holy sword with mana, and it gradually started to glow as it converted that mana into spiritual energy.

"Huh?! What is that?!"

"O holy sword of the stars... Release your power to destroy my enemy!"

The blade kept growing brighter and brighter in response to her voice until it blazed almost as bright as the sun. Elna then gripped that blazing sword tightly in her hands and charged.

"You think you can defeat me?!"

Leviatano was ready and counterattacked with its water breath.

That beam of water, powerful enough to cut through any and all material, bore down on Elna, but she blocked it with the holy sword and continued to make her advance.

"No?!"

"Hiyaaaah!"

The holy sword began slicing through Leviatano's water breath, and Elna surged forward.

"Light Burst!"

Her deadly attack cleaved Leviatano's one-hundred-fifty-foot-long body cleanly in half.

However, that wasn't all it cut through. It also sliced easily through the barrier I'd created.

"Oh shit!"

I rushed down inside the barrier, which was quickly filling with water, grabbed Elna in my arms, and flew her up to safety.

"Hey! Put me down!"

"Seriously? How about a thank you for saving you from the panic attack you were breaking into from all that water?"

"It was your job to save me precisely if something like that happened! Don't make it sound like I owe you anything! In fact, I'd say it was your fault for making your barrier too soft!"

How many people could there possibly be on the entire continent who'd evaluate my barrier as soft? That was first time I'd ever heard it, at least.

I came close to replying with my true thoughts on that matter, but I managed to hold myself back. Besides, my job wasn't over yet.

"Sorry I didn't make the barrier more resilient. Now that you broke it, I've got a lot of extra work to do," I replied while working to plug the hole she'd made.

I then raised the entire barrier out of the ocean and opened another hole to drain the water out.

Elna watched me with a puzzled look.

"What are you doing?"

"A dragon's body goes for a lot of money. Even more for an S-class-designated one. This one should bring in enough to restore the city."

"Interesting. I thought you'd claim it as yours since you were the one who defeated it. Guess I was wrong."

"Normally a monster's body would be the property of whoever subdues it, but this is a special case. The country that suffered the damage should use it."

"Hmmm... Maybe I underestimated you. I didn't realize you could be so thoughtful."

"I'm different from a heroine who just goes around swinging some special sword."

"What was that?!"

Elna tensed with anger.

Ignoring her, I slowly set Leviatano's corpse down on dry land, among all the devastation. Elna could explain to the duchy later why I'd left it there for them. Once the corpse was in place, it was time for me to be on my way.

"All right, I'm off then."

"Wait! Just how do you know Arn?!"

"How do I know him...? We're co-conspirators. We've come up with and are implementing a scheme together. You'll have to ask him for the details. It'll be up to you whether you get him to tell you or not," I replied half-teasingly, then made a short-distance transfer to Albatro's castle.

I'd returned thinking I should fetch Trau and take him with me. But when I arrived...

"L-Lady Eva. W-would you mind modeling for me, sometime? I-if possible, if you could imagine me as your elder brother, and refer to me as such, it would greatly expedite the progress of my manuscript!"

"Oh... Um...well..."

Yeah, better just leave them be.

I quickly abandoned my original idea and transferred back to my room in Rondine, speedily changed clothes, then cast an illusion on my Silver attire and packed it away in my luggage.

After eliminating all traces of my Silver persona, I lay down on the bed.

"Ahhh... That was exhausting, as always," I muttered to myself while drifting off to sleep. I had the niggling suspicion that I was forgetting something important, but I didn't have the physical nor mental strength left to figure it out.

9

"Oh man, this is bad. This is really bad!"

It was a few days after we had slayed the sea dragon. Upon receiving a summons, I had left Rondine and sailed over to Albatro's harbor. There was one nerve-racking issue on my mind the whole time.

"How could I have forgotten to tell him?!"

Yes, I had forgotten to let Leo know about one very important thing: the fact that Eva was infatuated with him. There had been so many things to do that such a little, personal issue had completely slipped my mind.

Knowing Leo, I hoped he'd find some clever way to deal with her, but you never knew when it came to affairs of the heart. The smallest thing could become a gigantic problem. It didn't help that Eva was the princess of a grand duchy.

From what I'd heard, Leviatano had appeared not long after the fleet of ships from Rondine had reached Albatro and the grand duke had disembarked in the harbor. At that point, Eva and Leo would not have spoken to each other yet. The question was what had happened during the next few days. Given what I knew of Eva's personality, it seemed highly unlikely she hadn't gone out of her way to contact him.

Please don't have made a big mess of this, I mentally pleaded with Leo as I got off the boat. I was supposed to be visiting Albatro for the first time, so I pretended to look around with some curiosity.

It was then that Leo came walking up to meet me, with someone very unexpected beside him.

"H-huh?"

It was Eva, and she and Leo seemed to be engaged in a friendly conversation.

What was going on? Why were they friends so suddenly? And how? Could it be...? Did Leo just expect women to flock to him as a matter of course? Had he treated Eva's advances as perfectly normal? Deep down, did he believe he was god's gift to women?

I was still reeling from those revelations about my brother's state of mind when Eva greeted me.

"It's nice to meet you, Prince Arnold. As my father is otherwise occupied at the moment, I, Evangelina Di Albatro, First Princess of the Grand Duchy of Albatro, have come to give you our regards. Please call me Eva."

"I-I see. It's nice to meet you..."

"You must be tired after your journey, Arn. We have lots to talk about, but do you want to go lie down first?"

"Yeah, that might be good... I just had kind of a shock..." I managed to reply, then made my way toward the carriage that was waiting.

Eva and Leo apparently had somewhere else to be, and the two of them headed off together.

Oh man. What a heartbreaking sight.

"My brother's been corrupted..."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, Marc. You won't believe this... Leo's turned into a playboy..."

"I'm very curious as to what logic led you to such a conclusion, because if my memory's correct, wasn't it you pretending to be Prince Leonard who Princess Eva originally fell in love with?"

"What? You could tell?"

"Anyone could tell. She was going around to all the knights asking about Prince Leonard with a lovestruck look on her face."

"Oh. It was that obvious then, huh?"

Did that mean...? I stared quizzically at Marc.

"Correct. I told Prince Leonard myself."

"Wow. You do know what you're doing."

"Did you assume I didn't?"

"I didn't mean it like that. ...Huh. That makes sense. Whew, thank goodness... That was my last big worry."

"I'm glad to hear it, because I couldn't do anything about your next problem. But I feel much better knowing you're not concerned," Marc replied cryptically as he opened the carriage door.

Inside the carriage waiting was Elna, looking obviously upset. For a split second, I seriously thought about making a run for it, but gave up knowing that, without transfer magic, there was no way I'd manage to outrun her.

"Marc... I just got a new worry."

"What might that be?"

"You'll never guess. My life is in grave danger."

"That's not surprising. Don't worry. I'll save you if you get close to death."

"That's not surprising?! Don't you think it should be?! How're you going to save me if I'm already on my deathbed?!"

"You'll be fine. She'll go easy on you," Marc replied and gave me a push, forcing me into the carriage where it was just Elna and myself.

"...H-hey..."

"......"

Elna remained silent. There was no doubt she was angry, and I knew the reason. It was because I'd exposed her weakness to Silver.

At first I took the seat across from her, then when she glanced at the empty seat at her side I reluctantly changed places. Meanwhile, I was doing my best not to squirm under the weight of her angry glare.

I could tell she had cast a soundproof barrier used for confidential conversations around the carriage. I was sitting there wondering what kind of lecture I was in for, when she finally broke her silence.

"Do you have anything to say?"

"Umm. Did you get hurt during the fight?"

"D-did I get hurt?! Who the hell do you think I am?! What the hell is wrong with you..." Elna yelled back at me, then continued to mutter curses under her breath. But her slightly flushed cheeks betrayed her true feelings.

Apparently, that wasn't the answer she was expecting.

"Well, it's not like you're invincible, is it? I mean, maybe you have a lower chance of getting injured than most people, but still. And I knew that you'd be fighting on the ocean. I was worried about you. Maybe it was overkill, but I specifically asked Silver to watch out for you. I apologize if I offended you. I'm sorry. But I'm probably the only person out there who even knows to worry about you, don't you think? We're old friends. Let me be worried from time to time."

"Oh, come on. That's a cowardly way to apologize. Now I look petty for being mad at you."

"But you are petty. Don't start complaining now."

"Arn...? You know I'll cut off your tongue if you say one more word."

"Okay, okay. Not another word."

Elna drew the sword at her hip out a few inches and grinned menacingly. The gesture was just as intimidating as the roar of a dragon. I could even imagine someone fainter of heart passing out at the sight of her. Despite being frightening, the look she gave me was also something of a welcome sight. She appeared downright happy compared to when I first got into the carriage.

"Whatever. I'll overlook the fact that you told that masked adventurer my weakness. But that's not what I'm most upset about. Do you know what I'm talking about?" Elna looked me straight in the eyes and questioned me.

Up until that point she'd seemed, to be blunt, kind of cranky and snarky. But something in her demeanor had changed.

I noticed the concern mixed in with the faint anger in her gaze and let out a sigh.

"How much did Silver tell you?"

"He said that you and he were co-conspirators. You must really trust him if you're willing to reveal my weakness to him. Just what are the two of you trying to accomplish?"

"Do I have to say?"

"Yes! I'm not letting you out of this carriage until you tell me."

"Okay. I guess I don't have a choice then. Silver and I have been plotting in secret together. Our goal is to make Leo the next emperor."

"Plotting?"

"Yep. Just the kind of sneaky plotting you hate. We've been using our positions as a prince and an SS-class adventurer to gather allies, feigning coincidence when necessary. That's how we got the Kleinert household onto our side."

Elna knew that I was trying to help Leo become emperor, and naturally, she also knew that I was fighting with the other three front-runners over influence. But that was all in a supporting role to Leo. She wouldn't have had the slightest clue that, apart from that support, I was also working secretly with an SS-class adventurer. Hearing about it left her too stunned to speak.

"I was in contact with Silver during the incident with the vampires in the eastern region. And again this time, he's been working behind the scenes helping Leo. Since it would be too obvious if they were in direct contact, I've been acting as a sort of cover."

"...Does Leo know about this?"

"I've told him the gist, but he doesn't know just how nefarious some of our actions have been. Like this time, Silver was actually already in the southern region, but in order to benefit Leo's bid for the throne, I asked him to go to the capital, where he got in contact with Finne and Lynphia and prevented any military troops from being dispatched. Basically, I had Silver prioritize our fight for the throne at the expense of people's lives."

"Is it...for the sake of your own survival? Would your brothers and sister really kill you or Leo?"

I'd explained all that to her before, but apparently she still didn't quite believe it and needed to hear it from me again. I got the feeling she hadn't really taken me seriously when I said I'd almost been assassinated. She'd probably interpreted it as a mere threat rather than a genuine attempt on my life.

Back when Elna and Leo and I were always hanging out together, when the crown prince was still alive, that sort of thing just wasn't in the air. Erik and the crown prince had both been determined and focused, but they weren't the kind of brothers who'd think to murder anyone. Gordon was focused solely on his life in the military, and Zandra was dedicated to her training as a mage.

Yes, life was peaceful back then. But with the crown prince's death, the opportunity to succeed the emperor was left wide open. The crown prince's existence had kept our other three siblings' ambitions in check. Once he was gone, they had been unleashed.

During the next several years of fighting for throne, they lost all sense of kindness. I could answer Elna's question with complete confidence.

"Not would—they will kill us. And they'll kill our friends and family, too. That's why I'll do whatever it takes to see Leo become emperor. I told you back during the festival to stay away from me, remember? You're about to cross a dangerous line. If you side with us, not only you but the entire Amsberg household will be seen as the enemy. Is that what you want?"

"The Amsberg household doesn't get involved in politics. I grew up being taught that... That we were to live by the sword."

"That's wise. The Amsbergs are too powerful, for better or worse."

"But there's something I decided on a long time ago, Arn. Something I told myself I'd never compromise over."

"What's that?"

Elna took a deep breath. I had a feeling she was about to say something crazy. But I couldn't stop her. I'd never successfully stopped her from doing anything before, and I knew that wasn't going to change.

"That I won't abandon you. I made that vow to myself when we were kids, and I won't break it even if it means going up against the emperor. If you're serious about putting Leo on the throne, I'll support you. Whatever you're determined to do, I'll do whatever I can to help. If my family gets in the way, I'll disown my name. I take my vows more seriously than anything else."

"...You're a terrible imperial knight, and a terrible heir to your family. You don't care about that?"

"I'm stubborn in my ways. You know that as well as anyone."

"I guess... Well, to be honest, I do appreciate your willingness to stick by me. I just need you to keep it under wraps for a while. If your household agrees to fully ally with us, our influence will become the most powerful. And that will open us up for an all-out attack from the others."

"I understand that. I'll make sure no one knows I'm helping you."

"I doubt that's possible for you."

"Don't insult me! I can totally do it!" Elna asserted indignantly.

There was no way I could trust her. But that was okay. I just had to wield her the same way she wielded her sword.

"Ahh! I feel so much better after getting all that off my chest! Now I'm raring to get to work!"

"Did you hear anything I just said? I don't want you doing anything that's going to draw attention."

"Oh, come on. What's wrong with a little enthusiasm? Oh, and by the way. Now that we're officially partners, no more secrets, all right? You're not hiding anything else from me, are you? If you are, tell me right now, and I won't be mad."

"Hmm... Oh yeah. When you joined the Imperial Guard, do you remember that I gave you pearls as a congratulations gift?"

"Yeah. You traveled all over the empire to find them, right?"

"About that... It seemed like such a hassle, I actually had Leo go and buy the— Ugh?!"

"I hate you!" Elna yelled out and punched me in the stomach so hard that I fell to the floor of the carriage in agony.

She said she wouldn't be mad... Unfortunately, I couldn't get any words of protest out.

As I lay there grimacing in pain, I also felt relieved to have successfully avoided her finding out my most important secret of all. She still didn't know that Silver and I were the same person. On top of that, I'd managed to obtain her pledge of total support.

I'd sure accomplished a lot down in the South. But at the same time, I was worried about what would happen when I returned to the capital.

Leo had made some meritorious achievements. He would probably be rewarded, and if so, that would change how Father saw him. He would go from being the newcomer in the battle for influence and the throne to a competitor on equal footing with the other three front-runners. Once that happened, Erik, who so far hadn't seen us as much of a danger, would also start taking action against us.

The battle for the throne would get even fiercer than before.

I warned myself that I couldn't afford any more careless mistakes like I'd made earlier and decided to take the pain in my stomach as a lesson well learned.

After making my return voyage to the capital and receiving an official welcome back, I retired to my own room at last. With Sebas keeping an eye out for threats, I could relax there.

Also in my room, as a matter of course, was Finne.

She watched with a smile as I lay back on the sofa and let out a deep sigh, and then she began preparing tea. It was those ordinary, uneventful moments that were indescribably comforting.

"I'm so glad to finally be home."

"You must have had quite an adventure," Finne giggled and offered me a cup of tea, then remained standing nearby.

I couldn't figure out why she seemed to be in such a good mood, so I brought it up between sips.

"You sure seem to be cheerful today."

"Do I? Hmm, yes. I suppose I am in high spirits."

"Did something good happen?"

"Yes. You came back."

"Of course I came back. This is my room."

"Yes. This is your room and your home, where you can always come back to. You know, Master Arn... I can't protect you like Lady Elna, and I'm not smart like Miss Lynphia. I doubt I'll ever be of any great service to you."

"Finne...?"

Was she still bothered by that? I looked up in mild surprise only to be confused by what I saw. Finne didn't look gloomy at all. In fact, her expression was quite cheerful.

"There's one thing I know I can do for you, though. This is the place where you can be yourself. Not the incompetent prince, not the empire's greatest adventurer, but Master Arnold. So this is where I'll be, too. I'll treat you as Master Arnold while you're here, and I'll do the best I can to provide you with comfort and peace. And I'll be here to say goodbye and wish you luck when you leave, and to say welcome back and congratulate you when you return."

"...I hope you will. That alone means so much to me."

"I'm a bird, and you are the tree I perch on. That's why I'm always happy when you return. When you are away, I have nowhere to land. So please, always come back. Come back here, for me."

"That's an interesting metaphor. Well, I'll do my best, okay? If you need me, and not the insipid prince or Silver...then I'll just have to keep coming back."

Finne responded to my reply with a grateful smile. Then she placed her hand on top of mine and asked, "Do you think...that one day you'll be able to be your true self, even outside of this room?"

"I'm not sure. At the very least it won't be until after we've won the fight for the throne. And even if we do win and Leo becomes emperor, it'd still be safer for me to act incompetent. That way, none of the ministers or nobles will take any notice of me."

"Oh..." Finne responded with a discouraged look.

I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "It's all right. I'm okay with that. It's better than my life being in danger. And besides, I have you. As long as you're here to share my secret, I'll be just fine."

"But...I want the entire empire to recognize your true worth someday."

"That would come with its own set of problems. If my achievements get recognized, I'll be saddled with more work. I'm already using up a life's worth of effort in this fight for the throne. Once it's over, I'm determined to live as simply and easily as possible. I don't need recognition. I might open up about what I've done to the people closest to me, but that's about it. That's good enough for me."

I didn't need anything else. All I wanted was to go back to the boring, everyday life I'd had before the conflict for the throne started. That life was what I was so doggedly working for.

"So long as I've got friends and family, like you, Leo, and Elna, all smiling at my side, that's all I need. I want to spend my days lazily enjoying those basic comforts, and I've got to work now to make that possible. I won't let anyone die, no matter who or what I'm up against," I vowed, then tightly gripped Finne's hand, realizing I must be scared. I wasn't strong enough to bear losing something or someone important to me. Ever since getting involved in the conflict around the throne, the list of things and people I needed to protect had been growing ever longer.

Life had been much simpler back when I was just slaying monsters as Silver, when the hardest part of my routine had been using ancient magic to defeat them. But things had changed. I was faced with a plethora of problems that couldn't be solved by magic alone, and one wrong move could hurt others, or worse.

"I believe in you, Master Arn. I know that Master Leo and Lady Elna do, too. Let's all work together. You're not alone," Finne reassured me with a smile.

It was at that point I realized, even within that space where I should be relaxed, I was still tense. I needed to rest when I had the chance. I had a lot of self-improvement to do if I couldn't even figure that out.

"I'm sorry," I released my tight grip on Finne's hand and apologized. Then, lying back on the sofa, I asked her for a small favor. "Could I have another cup of tea?"

"Of course."

"...The days I was away were really stressful for me mentally. I traded places with Leo."

"You did? How was it, being Master Leo?"

"I'm definitely never doing it again."

"Hehe. I thought you might say that. I have a feeling Master Leo feels the same way."

"Probably. He takes everything so seriously."

We continued our lighthearted conversation, and I shared everything that had happened in the southern region with Finne. She was a partner in my secrets. We shared both the good things, and the bad ones. Because she was always there for me.

***

"Hell, what a colossal waste of time," Gordon, the Third Imperial Prince, exclaimed in disgust. Surrounding him were his attendants and advisers.

"Even though you bribed that Guild employee with such a large sum of valuables, no troops were ever dispatched. We could have had a war if only they had listened to your idea. It's unacceptable," a slightly stout soldier echoed Gordon's frustration. Everyone in the room was a key figure among the military hardliners, people who attempted to stir up war with other nations for the sake of their own glory.

"The emperor has become soft ever since the death of the crown prince, and now rumors are spreading across the continent that the empire's military is becoming weak."

"Any weakness shown will be immediately exploited! That's how things are among the three most powerful nations! Adrasia must remain strong! Master Gordon will take the throne and lead our great empire to dominate the Vogel continent! How can they not realize that's what's best for Adrasia?!"

"That's right! Especially that Prince Leonard and his little party! They come barging in late, getting in Master Gordon's way at the Knight's Festival of the Hunt and stealing all the glory! The emperor's probably going to reward him now, even though it was the Amsberg prodigy and Silver who actually saved the day!"

"If only Master Gordon and our troops had been allowed to fight, we would have not only solved the problem but stolen territory from the South as well. Prince Leonard gets all the honor just by happening to be in the right place at the right time. It's an outrage!"

Gordon listened to the chorus of gripes and accusations from his supporters, then joined in with a grim smile. "What's done is done. Besides, we did gain one thing."

"We did?"

"Yes. During both the last incident and this one, Silver lent his assistance to Leonard. Apparently the adventurer has taken a liking to him. It's also because of Silver that they were able to expand their influence so rapidly."

"We can't let some SS-class adventurer get involved in the battle for the throne!"

"Hmph. It isn't that big a deal. Silver isn't stupid. He's a practitioner of ancient magic, and he knows he's striking a delicate balance. He won't openly ally himself with Leonard. All he can do is react once a problem occurs... And eventually, that's going to be too late. The conflict for the throne can change at lightning speed. Their climb up the ladder ends now. Because in the end, if we can just generate a war, we win."

"Yes! That's right! You're a genius!"

"We can easily make up any difference between us and Prince Erik with victories on the battlefield! And Prince Leonard and Princess Zandra don't stand a chance!"

"That's right. Unlike my brothers and sister, I am a soldier. The battlefield is where I live. If I can just create that environment, I will thrive, and the empire will be mine," Gordon explained with a grin. He was at a disadvantage in a fair fight against Erik and his support base of civil servants. But he didn't have to fight on a field where his opponent had the upper hand. One of the principles of war was to drag your opponent into circumstances where you had the advantage.

"Any news of the weapons we ordered from that organization?"

"Everything is progressing smoothly. It will just be a little longer until all is ready."

"We're in no hurry. The empire has many enemies. There will be a war eventually, and when that happens, my father will come to me. In times of chaos, what's needed is a strong emperor. Everything is on my side. Strengthen our armaments using any means possible. We must make the imperial military a military worthy of my command. Even using organizations of questionable reputation can be an acceptable means to that end," Gordon replied with a confident smile that showed no hint of concern for his possible defeat.

"The one to watch out for is Prince Erik. Him and the First Imperial Princess."

"Hmm. That woman's bark lost its bite ever since the crown prince died. She's nothing to fear."

The attendant's valuable opinion was summarily dismissed. However, he would not be so easily dissuaded. "Yes...but there are still many within the military who respect her. Even if we start a war, there's a chance that she could steal some of our military success."

"Are you implying that I'm inferior to that woman?" Gordon angrily rose to his feet and grabbed the sword sitting nearby.

The attendant, realizing he'd just invoked Gordon's rage, stumbled backward and apologized in a trembling voice. "I-I was wrong! Please, forgive me!"

"Get him out of here. I have no use for anyone who's such a bad judge of character."

"W-wait! I was only trying to say that we should be careful!"

"And it was unwanted advice." Gordon watched as the attendant and his overly cautious opinions were cast from the room, then he violently sat back down.

"No woman holed up on the eastern border is a threat to me. Once I am emperor, my first order of business will be to have her executed. There's no room for two generals in the imperial family."

With an arrogant smile, Gordon went on to explain to his attendants about his upcoming plans.

While all that was happening, Erik—the strongest yet least proactive candidate for the throne, who continued to hold the greatest influence—was quietly having a drink.

"I've received word that Prince Gordon has removed another one of his supporters."

"Huh. Not surprising, knowing him." Erik smiled thinly at the news his information network had obtained on Gordon's latest antics.

"If he keeps getting rid of everyone who doesn't agree with him, he'll end up surrounded by a band of yes-men. Bad move, Gordon."

"However, he does appear to have some sort of scheme in motion. How would you like to proceed?"

"Leave him to it. He and the others can have fun duking it out among themselves. My only rival is whoever emerges the winner," Erik replied. He finished his drink and quietly set the glass on the table. Also on the tabletop were cards with Gordon, Zandra, and Leonard's names written on them.

"Now, which of you is going to fight me? Not that it matters," he murmured to himself with a look of unwavering confidence. While he lacked Gordon's arrogance, he was in possession of his own cold, calculating determination. To Erik, with his vast amount of power and influence, the conflict for the throne was only another checkpoint along the path to the throne. His becoming the next emperor was a foregone conclusion.

And thus, the battle for the throne continued to grow ever more convoluted as the schemes and ambitions of the various candidates crossed and collided.