Hilbert was murdered without leaving any children of his own, killing not only King Elbert, but also his brothers and sisters and most of his children (although his death was not clearly confirmed, he was considered to be dead under the circumstances).
　However, this does not mean that the heir to the throne of Ciel-Teira is gone.

　Zithlan "Blaze" Ella Ciel-Teira.
　Eldest son of King Elbert's second brother. René's cousin. A young man in his mid-twenties.

　His nickname "Blaze" comes from his fiery red hair, but despite this childhood nickname, he is a quiet, intelligent man.
　He wears his hair all back, has a prominent forehead, always wears a tight suit, and has silver eyes the color of mystery shining behind his lower-rimmed glasses.
　She had the kind of good looks that would make all the ladies of her age scream in yellow.

　The reason why Ghislain escaped Hilbert's purge is simple. Because he was a harmless, ambitionless person who Hilbert would have preferred to have or not have.
　More importantly, he had a reputation among the people as an academic hobbyist who only devoted himself to academic pursuits, and even Hilbert's most ardent supporters did not call for his death. He was active as a patron of academic organizations, but other than that, he rarely made public appearances in political affairs.
　Jisran's father had already died of illness, and he was not killed as his accomplice.

　Gislain was the first to escape from the capital when the "Rose Princess of Hell" invaded the capital.
　He didn't care if he was called a coward. He couldn't do anything if he was there anyway.
　After the fall of King's Landing, Gislain went to live with his mother's family, the Marquesses of Edfelt, and now he is at ......

I'll say it again. I will not be the king of Ciel-Teira.

　The mansion in the Marquess of Edfelt where Gislain is staying.
　Gislain, sitting up straight on a deep red sofa, looked straight back at Marks and Patrick, who had stepped over to him, and said firmly.

　Marks had been planning to install Gislain as king and had approached Gislain many times. But he had not received a favorable response.
　Today was no different.

In the first place, the order of succession to the throne is not officially defined in the royal code. As a matter of custom, the male line closest to the previous king succeeded, and this was approved by the king and the lords.
　Another person may be allowed to take the throne if it is considered that there are appropriate circumstances.
　In such a case, the one with more appropriate power should ascend to the throne, rather than being concerned about the proximity of blood.
"But power... "I'm sure there's no heir that can stand up to the Rose Princess of Hell. If that's the case, then here it is. With the backing of Noah Curio's army, which recently defeated the Rose Princess of Hell, there's nothing to fear.
"I'm not talking only about bravery and strength. I'm saying that I'm not fit to be a king.

　This is what I mean when I say that I am not fit to be a king.

　Gislain's statement that he was not fit to be a king was indeed true.
　The scholarly and sensitive Gislain is not expected to have the political power to unite the people as a king.
　In addition, Gislain is not skilled in martial arts, magic, or battle command ......, and is only at the level of education for royalty.
　He may have been able to be a king in peacetime, but he is not capable of being a king in this chaos.

　But more than that, Gislain is not willing to risk his own life.
　What would happen if he raised his hand as king now?
　He would definitely be the Rose of Hell's first priority.
　Gislain doesn't say it outright, but I think he really doesn't want to put his life in danger first and foremost. No matter how many times Marks had asked him, Gislain had always refused to become king.

　But today, here's Patrick.

"As you can see, we're not getting anywhere.

　Marx turned to Patrick.

The frontiersman......, or should I call you General now?
　I'd like to point out that even if the kingdom of Noachurio were to back me, I have no intention of taking the throne.

　Gislain nailed it as if he was trying to control the situation.

　Why did Marks bring Patrick, the general of the "reinforcements" ......?
　If you think about it, it usually means "be Noahcurio's puppet".
　With Noachurio's armed forces behind him, he would have no fear of domestic opposition and might even be able to stand up to the "Rose Princess of Hell".
　In return, he would be in a very troublesome position politically. It's hard to imagine that Gislain would shake his head.

　But Marks and Patrick were already unwilling to respect Gislain's wishes.
　All he needed was a sign saying "First in line to the throne".

...... "You said, 'I have a surefire way to persuade Gislain,' but is that really a reliable move?

　Marks whispered to Patrick in a semi-confused tone.

Of course it is.
　In return, you say that you don't care what happens to him. ...... No two words are the same.

　I'm not going to fight him," he said, nodding deeply.

I lost my third son in battle with him. He was a foolish son. ...... No, I'm not going to talk about this.
　I am aware that we are long past the stage where we can choose our means.

　Marks thought that the only way to protect Ciel-Teira was to restructure the royal palace, or government, at any cost. In order to do that, he needed a king, no matter if he was a decoration or not.
　He also thought that if he became the guardian of the new king, he would be able to take power in a good way. Just as he did when he was the first to fall to Hilbert.

　Conveniently, Gislain's father had long since passed away.
　Now that the palace was gone, wreaking havoc on the royal family would not be a fatal problem. ......
　That's what Marks was thinking.

What is it?　What are you talking about?

　Ignoring Gislain's questioning look, Patrick called out to the door of the room.

Please come in.

　The door opened with a sound like the demon's demise.

　An old woman wearing a white coat more than halfway stained with reddish brown came into the room.
　Pure white hair tied up in an updo. Her face wrinkled.


　She's got a cane, but she's got a good gait.
　Morgana, special technical advisor to the Noah's Curio army.

　She is followed by a group of men in monk's robes with black hoods covering their faces.
　They entered with mechanical movements that were so nimble as to lack humanity, and silently surrounded Gislain on the couch.

"What the ......!

　The hooded men grabbed Gislain's arms and legs and restrained him.

"Good boy, good boy. There's nothing to be afraid of.

　Morgana looked into Gislain's face as he tried to shake her off and smiled gently.

Soon you won't feel pain or fear at all.

　The red stain on Morgana's lab coat increased.

　The red stain on Morgana's lab coat grew.

"The Marquis of Edfelt wants to retain the Crown Prince?
Yes. Yes. With the backing of the kingdom of Noa Curio. The Marquis has close ties to Noacurio.
　He's also thinking of making connections to the Holy Kingdom of Diretta through Erminio. I'm sure Diretta would like to have a say in the situation, all we need is a channel of communication.

　Tracy blurted out everything with a very uncomfortable anguished expression in response to Rene's question.

　Rene, Everis, and Tracy sit around a table in the mission control room. In front of the three of them is a coolly designed teacup with a bone in it, Evelisse's personal item, and a mysterious tea is steaming.

"Thanks for the tip, Tracy.
"Whoo-hoo! My mouth is moving on its own!　I wonder how many people will die because of me!

　Tracy holds his honey-colored head.
　In his chest is implanted the "Slave Nucleus" developed by Everis. It is a magic item that has the same effect as a slavery collar, a new type of chip that is implanted in the body like a heart pacemaker.
　There was a suggestion that it could be a bracelet or a choker, but there was a possibility that it might come off in a fierce battle, so they finally decided on this.

　With her actions bound by the contract, Tracy can neither defy Rene nor hide anything from him. If she is asked to tell him everything she knows, she will tell him everything she knows.

"The Marquis of Edfelt was a Hilbertite, wasn't he?
　Is this a move in line with that?
Of course. It seems that the Marquis has embraced some of the old Hilbertist lords to advance this movement. It's also about the Noah Curio.
　Besides, the lords who were critical of Hilbert II were even considered forfeiting their lands, so there's no way the conflict will disappear. There is also the geographical problem that there were many opponents to the west of the capital and many Hilbertists to the east, and I don't think this gap will ever be bridged.

　In other words, the Marquis of Edfelt is trying to follow a degraded copy of what Hilbert tried to do.

　Now that the country has collapsed, it will not be able to survive without rebuilding it, and I can understand why it would be tempting to cling to the military might of the powers for fear of Rene.
　But what will be the result of that? If Ciel-Teira is rebuilt under the command of Marquis Edfelt, Noa Curio and possibly Diretta will enjoy the benefits of being the de facto suzerainty, and the former Hilbertine princes will be able to maintain their power without being condemned by public opinion.

Death penalty.
I knew it: ......
　Princess, for the sake of my peace of mind, please don't slaughter too many innocent people!
"Pray for that to happen as much as possible.
Ahhhh ...... despair (fruitcandy)
Do you like it?

　Tracy's demeanor seems to be playful, but according to the emotional information Rene has read, she is definitely not in the mood.
　Many adventurers with a strong outlaw streak would sell out or abandon others in order to survive. In such a situation, Tracy's concern for the safety of innocent people was a relatively good thing.

So, what is that Holy Beast?
I don't know, either. I don't know. I only know that the Marquis was trying to bring in the Noa Curio army. I don't think Diretta has come out yet.

　Tracy replied with a puzzled look.
　Tracy had even gotten hold of Gislain's support, but even he didn't know about the Holy Beast.

"Creepy. I don't know where those holy beasts came from, they're just floating around in the air.
"There's no point in thinking about it. I think we should be gathering information.
I agree. Let's get to work.
Oh, my God, work. Ha-ha-ha.

　Tracy plopped down on her desk with a dry chuckle.