The expedition to the royal capital by the heraldic saints Mattia and Lugis was undoubtedly one of the toughest battles of the Evangelical War.

　In the first place, advancing troops to remote areas is in itself extremely difficult. No matter how well you proceed, once you are defeated in an expedition, it's all over. Furthermore, if you think that the march is in the middle of deadly snow, the fierceness will be unspeakable.

　But as in many battles, if there is great strife in the front, there is also strife in the rear.

　The puppet city of Philos. With most of the justice and governance of the city on her shoulders, Largd-Anne pursed her lips in a very grim expression. He glared at the parchment several times, but the numbers on it did not change.

　Ann exhaled deliberately as she set the parchment down, sullenly but calmly.

　The reason for her expression clouding over like the rainy season is clear.

　The food and supplies to send to the front lines are becoming visibly scarce. It has only been about two weeks since the saints left the city of Philos.

　Of course, the situation is not good at all.

　It is unclear how long it will take to take King's Landing out of the hands of the demons and bring it down.

　If we play our cards right, it could take several months, or even six months or more. Anne had already taken this into consideration before setting out. Even so, she judged that she could prepare enough supplies to last for several months, if not six months.

　Even though we had envoys and guests from the southern nation of Illyssarde, we knew it would not be like this.

　But how did it come to this? The answer was already on Anne's lips.

"...... Chief Administrator. What did the ruler of Garouamalia say?

　An elderly man, who was also looking over the report, brushed his gray hair out of his face and said. The man had enough understanding to know what he was talking about without having to say.

The dead snow made it difficult to secure food. Also, the supply route was damaged by a hexenbiest attack, so it's taking a long time to repair it.

　Sounds like a good reason. Anne cowered in imitation of someone else and said in a joking manner. Then she shifted her posture and looked up at the sky.

　It was an empty excuse in Anne's opinion. We are aware of the amount of supplies Garouamalia has, and if there was an attack that required repairing the supply routes, we would certainly need to mobilize.

　But there's been no report of anything like that. It's all a bunch of nonsense.

It's all bullshit. It's blatantly obvious, but there's no one who can stop them now.

　Anne's eyelashes fluttered as she responded to the Chief Administrator's words. He was an honest man, but he didn't think he would be able to say anything that would draw attention to the actions of the seniors.

　Saint Mattia, Lugis. And now that the main players have gone to the front lines, there is no one who can stop the Gen Xers, led by Salainio, who has a lot of say.

　This harassment must have been the intention of the seniors. They want this expedition to end in failure.

　If the supplies from Garou Amalia, the accumulation point for supplies, were cut off, there would naturally be nothing that could be sent to the front from Philos, which was only a stopover point.

　It can be said that the most important thing in warfare is supply itself. A soldier who is cut off from supply is as good as dead. The soldiers on the front lines will have to retreat.

　Under normal circumstances, they can be resupplied from the surrounding villages in the name of local procurement.

　But unfortunately, the heraldic soldiers cannot do that. Monstrance only allows cooperative nobles to pass through its territory. It is quite possible that they will turn against Monstrance if they dare to plunder.

　Besides, all the heraldry has to do now is to crown Philos-Treit. Her position is very tenuous. The only proof of her kingship is a few documents and the backing of nobles.

　That is why the heraldry had to create a story. The princess, who was cast down by the royal family, led her own army to save the city that the king had abandoned.

　With that in mind, there was no way she could plunder. Philos-Treit, and heraldry, must be the savior.

　Perhaps the old men don't like it. I'd even say they're afraid of it.

　Because what they want is not the prosperity of heraldry. They want to keep the power in their hands. To them, heraldry is a ripe fruit, not something to be risked and grown.

　No more blood will be spilled in vain. That's the root of their thinking.

　Anne doesn't want to deny those thoughts.

　Anne also likes to hold the reins of the heraldry organization, but she has little ambition to expand it. Her talents are inward-looking.

　In fact, the only difference between her and the Elders may be a small one.

　In the end, there is only one difference: the ability to accept or not accept different people. Anne accepted them, and they could not accept her.

　That's why Anne could understand the feelings of the old men. She even felt sympathy for them.

　It was frustrating, of course, and deserved to be punished. You've worked so hard to be wise, and now someone, who you don't even know, is trying to destroy it.

　And then the person is praised and tries to rise above him.

　It must be the denial of a lifetime. It's like being denied the path you've been following all these years as a mistake. It is easy to imagine the humiliation of having one's organs burned and one's heart skewered. And that humiliation would naturally turn to hatred.

　The ideals of heraldry and its embodiment, Salainio and the Elders, are incompatible with Lugis. This is no longer a matter of personality or affinity, but a fundamental problem.

　It's not just a matter of personality or compatibility, but a fundamental problem. Anne knew that the opposition to Lugis, led by the Yuan, would take this unique opportunity to open their eyes.



　It is at this time, when Saint Mattia is out of control and Rougis' blade is out of sight, that they move. Perhaps they are even alienated by the saint's affirmation of Lugis.

　Anne rolls up the parchment, pushes it to the edge of the desk, and says. Now there was a flash of certainty in her mind.

It's a bit of a letdown. If you had been a little more blunt, I could have branded you a traitor with impunity.

　Hey, Mr. Chief Administrator. Anne intertwined the fingers of her hands and stared at the man. The man looked up from his parchment for a moment and then quickly returned to his original posture. It was as if he was trying to figure out what Anne meant by her words.

　Both Anne and the man knew that they had both been part of the council of seniors against Lugis. But now, Anne's words sounded as if she was in favor of Lugis.

　That's why the conversation stopped for a moment. Then the man said, after he had thought out his words enough.

"...... I'm not the kind of person who likes to agitate people. I'm not like Lord Lugis.

　After hearing his words, Anne thought that he was intelligent. He has the ability to understand our true intentions, and he is able to put them into honest words.

　If he was a person close to the Yuan, he could reply to Anne's words with vague words and later inform the Yuan of her defection. In fact, even if Lugis actually has something to do with it, he can only reply vaguely if he suspects that Anne's words were meant to lure a traitor.

　But he was not going to do that. Anne shook her head and opened her mouth.

"Lord Lugis, that thing is more of an incentive than an incentive. What I'm asking you to do is simple, Chief Administrator.

　The man raised an eyebrow at the words, but did not open his mouth. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's a good idea.


　In a few days.


　In the course of a few days, the letter was delivered without incident to Salainio and the others who had moved to Galuamaria.

　The content of the letter was simple, not as detailed as a report, but simply the facts of what had happened.

　Salainio listened to the report calmly, while the other seniors listened with impatience.

　--The letter said only that Largd-an had betrayed them. The sender was the chief administrator of the puppet city of Philos.

　Salainio read it and laughed, alone. The lines that had been etched into his face over the years were greatly distorted. His white teeth were clearly visible.

"I've been waiting for you, you devious little witch.