And the next thing Barthel knew, he was in the birdcage.

".................. Hmm?　Hmmm?

　He was in a huge, human-sized birdcage.
　The cage is polished and gilded to a beautiful shine, and apart from its size, it looks like something that would be used in the homes of royalty and nobility to keep beautiful little birds.

　Without thinking, Bertil grabbed the cage and looked out.
　And there was infinite darkness.
　The birdcage was suspended by a chain that hung from nowhere over a faraway abyss of swirling darkness.

　Looking around, there were hundreds of thousands of birdcages suspended above the infinite abyss.
　There were many, many similar hanging baskets around Bertil, some of which were ............

　--Not that you can't see ......, that part's not in my perception.

　All Bertil could see was that there were other birdcages besides his own.
　There are other birdcages besides his own, and he doesn't know what they are.
　This situation was familiar to Bertil.

　--Yes, I'm sure I'm asleep. I remember lying in bed.
　　　We're in a dream world. I'm in a dream, a dream magically created by someone. ......

　Who would do such a thing?
　The question was soon answered.
　The question "Who would do such a thing?" was soon answered as a familiar voice echoed through the air.

I am Rene "Rosy" Luvia Ciel-Teira.
　...... Listen. You who were my people.

　I'm not sure what to make of it.
　It roared with more tragedy than fear.

　--It's Rene's work, isn't it?

　As I recall, there's a magic that sends arbitrary images as messages into the dreams of a large number of unspecified, widespread strangers.
　It's no longer a fairy tale, but ...... in the days of terror when the Demon King's army defeated the human race, the Demon King often threatened people in this way and made absurd demands.
　Perhaps because of this, magic that speaks to dreams is still considered bad luck in human society, and is a magic that is avoided.

　--My people. If that's the case, then this dream is reaching everyone sleeping in the country. If we can pull the magic out of the veins of King's Landing, we can at least reach the whole country.
　　　Perhaps one person per birdcage ......, but they are not gathered in the same place, so you can't see what's in the other birdcages .......

　Bertil sits down in the hanging basket. He is ready to listen to you.

　I'm not sure.

I've already killed the Teiracaines, as some of you may have heard.
　The Marquis who was enshrined in the land joined forces with the Kingdom of Noa Curio and even plotted to force those who were related to him to become false kings.
　Therefore, I destroyed him.
"Renai!　Can you hear me?　Rene!

　Catherine was shouting in the birdcage.

　I don't know where I am.
　I don't know why I'm here.
　I just know that if they can hear me, then they can hear me.

You!　Where do you think you're going?　What are you going to do?
　Are you okay with this?　Answer me, Renai!

　It was as if her chest was being seared from the inside out.
　Catherine's cries reached nowhere, only disappearing into the infinite abyss.

The last king of this land was my father, Elbert, whose lineage ended with my death, and there will be no king after him.
　All my sins, all my wrongs, are that I abolished my father, the rightful king, by unjust force.
　The unjust monarchy will never forgive this. But ......

　I heard a sound that was not a voice.
　I wondered if he clenched his hands or bit his teeth.
　It was just that, a pretty sound if you ask me, but it was filled with a horrible rage.

"There are some who still don't understand.
　Ciel-Teira has already been destroyed. ...... There are some traitors who do not understand that you have destroyed it, and are planning to use its name to pretend to be the king.
　I'm not sure what to make of that.
"Renai ......

　A young but stern voice.
　The majesty of one who conquers, subdues, and destroys.

　--You're not supposed to ...... laugh.

　Without context, those words popped into Catherine's head.
　Honey tea. Hot milk. Night chats.
　She didn't know why, but her heart was full and tears welled up in her eyes.
　The tears soaked into her cheeks like a potion into a wound.

Therefore, ...... I rename this nation.
　Ciel-Teirah the Exiled.

　I'm not sure what to make of that.

　I'm sorry.

　--Is that it?

　I'm not sure how to explain it.

There will be no more kings in our country forever.


　Every time I call your name, remember this. You have destroyed our country. ............

　It was a kind of ultimatum, a declaration to the people.
　But Bertil had read another nuance behind it.

　--If the whole country hears it, the rest of the world will hear it, too. Noah Curio's army is listening.
　　　It's a declaration of legitimacy for the ...... state.

　After his father was killed, René, who had been a commoner since birth, discovered that he was of royal blood and led an army to defeat his brother, the usurper of the throne.
　Well, this is a classic heroic story.
　If this is the case, then the idea that Rene is the current head of state of Ciel-Teira is not absurd.
　If you don't care about the fact that Rene is undead, you can check out .......

　--Are you going to come forward as a player in diplomacy and seek recognition as a nation?

　That would be an aberration. ...... Actually, it's not unheard of.
　Most demons only grow to the size of a herd or tribe, but there are still tribes of goblins that do business with humans. Or, to be more precise, there are dark merchants who do business with demons as well.
　The Demon Lord's Domain does not engage in diplomacy with any human nation, but it is said to be willing to negotiate on a tactical level. It is a nation in its own right.
　In addition, there are legends in the history of this world that powerful and intelligent demons have founded their own countries and formed them even for a short period of time. These legends are like fairy tales, but their authenticity is questionable.

　In any case, if he wants to save the people of Ciel-Teira, Bertil has no choice but to go along with this story. She has no choice but to take Ciel-Teira as her country and go along with it. He had just proven that he could not survive in Rene's lap if he displeased her.
　And Rene is probably using this as a starting point to create a state of antagonism between the Gilesh Hattar Federation and the Noa Curio Kingdom, painting a picture that will buy time.

　--The blank zone that was destroyed by Rene will be called "Ciel-Teira Exiled Territory", and we will aim for a peaceful independence ......
　　　Oh, what's going to happen now?

　Bertil sighed and looked up at the sky.
　There was an unreliable gold chain stretching out from high up in the darkened sky, suspending Bertil's birdcage.

　This is the first time I've seen it.

　There is a magic item called "Gelt's Lamp".
　It appears to be a thick purple candle with a strange gold pattern engraved on it.
　The effect is that it can tell whether or not a particular person is still alive. If a drop of blood is placed in the fire, the "Gelt's Lamp" will be linked to the owner of the blood, and will burn until the owner dies or the wax runs out.
　That's all there is to it.

　The place was a chapel in the residence of the Temple Nobility.
　It was different in scale from the one in the castle of the Marquis of Edfelt. The chapel, with its beautiful and ornate pillars, was large enough to hold several hundred people, and the vaulted ceiling, which was far above the ground, was covered with detailed religious paintings.

　The light from the colorful stained glass illuminated the "Gelt's Lamp" on the altar.
　The fire had been extinguished.
　It had gone out a few days ago and had never been lit again.

"Oh, oh, oh, ...... Erminio!

　There was a man collapsing in front of the altar.
　A bald-headed man on the verge of becoming an old man. His slightly obese body was wrapped in an opulent monk's uniform of white, gold and crimson.
　The man's name is Cristoforo da Drouetto.

　He is the Lord of the Holy Kingdom of Diretta, but he is also the "First Cardinal" of the Temple.
　A cardinal is a person who assists the Pope in his affairs, and also has the right to stand and vote in papal elections.
　However, the position of "first cardinal" has a different flavor.
　It is a bridgehead for the Temple to seize power in the form of a ...... advisor to the King of the Diretta Divinity Kingdom on religious policy.
　In fact, Christoforo has a say not only in religious policy but also in national politics in general. In the Holy Kingdom of Diretta, national politics and the temple are inextricably linked.

　The fishy practices of the Temple are frowned upon by many, even among the devout Diretta people. Of course, some of the leading cardinals of the past have only sought the power of the court, and have disrupted the affairs of state.
　Among them, Cristoforo was regarded as a rather decent and capable man.
　He showed his ability in religious diplomacy and timely welfare policy.
　He is a man of whom it is said that "his only faults are his excessive childishness and the presence of his second son (Erminio).

　And now, he is in the midst of despair.
　The fire of "Gert's Lamp" had gone out.
　It had gone out a few days ago and had never been lit again.

　Knowing that Erminio was alive did not mean that he could do anything.
　However, we can be relieved to know that he is alive.
　For this reason, I used "Geralt's Lamp" to find out if Erminio was alive or not, since he could not even perform the traditional duties of the temple and said that he would become an adventurer.

　This fire was extinguished once again the other day.
　Cristoforo was so exhausted that he thought he would die of exhaustion and could only eat candied fruits.
　However, the light soon came back and the temple knights attached to Erminio communicated with him. They had succeeded in reviving him.

　Thanks to this, Cristoforo was able to avoid starvation, but he had to spend another sleepless night because Erminio said that he would take revenge on the "Rose of Hell".
　It was fortuitous that through Erminio, I was able to find a way to intervene in Ciel-Teira, which was in chaos after the death of Hilbert II. And Cristoforo's prayers were answered.

　But Cristoforo's prayers were not answered.
　The light went out again, this time without return, and there was no word from his temple knights.

　A clenched fist with a fleshy impression slammed down on the altar.

"Oh, shame on you ......, you Rose of Hell!
　You know what to do. To bow to House Drouet is to bow to the Temple and to the Holy Kingdom of Diretta.
　Unholy undead, ......!　You are!　You are destined to be scattered to ashes before the majesty of the gods!

　Christoforo's voice echoed hollowly in the opulent cathedral.