The front line, far behind the royal city of Arche. The road leading to the puppet city of Philos. The dead snow piles up and puts a white coating on the road.

　It must be very rare for merchants to pass through here. Not a single rut could be seen there. Perhaps because there is little prey, there is no sign of magical beasts trampling the road.

　Therefore, the only thing that stained the white were the treads of rigid military boots.

　This was no longer the rear.

　More than 2,000 soldiers advance through the silence, trampling through the snow. They carry the banner of heraldry. Their figures, fluttering in the wind, sometimes look like burning flames because of their color.

　The general who leads them is Salainio, the overlord of the heraldry. Those who believe in him also bear his head. Their attire is very brave.

　But it is not the Great Satanic Church, their greatest enemy, that they will now wield their swords against. Nor was it the evil demons.

　Their enemies are brothers and sisters who share the same faith, but who have different beliefs.

　Will you accept the current regime of Saint Mattia, and the rise of the hero Lugis, or not? To put it simply, that's why they wield swords.

　They shared the same path of life because of their faith, but because of that faith, they took a different path.

　No one suggested retreating or suspending operations. Everyone is aware that they are at a point from which there is no turning back. We have advanced to a point of no return.

　And so, in silence, they continue to stain the snow with the banner of their coat of arms.

"Mr. Salainio. The dead snow has stopped falling. We should be able to resume our march soon.

　A thin voice sounded in the tent during the great rest. It was a voice that was recognizably male, but neutral and easy on the ears.

　Salainio nodded at the words of his assistant and moved himself lightly. With that, the weight of the armor he had put on fell on his entire body. His muscles screamed slightly and his bones made funny noises.

　He knew that he would never be as good as he was in his old age, but he could not believe that he had aged so much, and without expressing it, Salainio laughed in his heart. In this state, this would be the last time he would go to the battlefield.

　Victorious or defeated.

　The man at his side opened his mouth while offering Salainio a cup of freshly boiled water. The man's demeanor was rather friendly for a man speaking to a heraldic figure.

I didn't expect you to go to the battlefield yourself," he said.

　I thought you were going to stay in Garouamalia. I thought you were going to stay in Garoua Maria." Salainio responds, his wrinkles contorting as he adds.

"Don't say that, Bernard. I have to go. No one will move forward unless I step forward.

　He says with a chuckle in his voice. After he said that, he realized that he didn't want to grow old.

　In the past, Salaenio and his followers have wielded their legs and arms in the service of the heraldry, sometimes bleeding to protect the faith.

　For this reason, they have done some shady things, and they have also exchanged their lives in armor as we do now. For a moment, the nostalgic past flashed behind Salainio's eyelids.

　But that was a long time ago. Heraldry is transforming itself.

　From reason to emotion. From calculation to impulse. Although the doctrine of respecting the intellect has not been lost, Salainio sometimes feels as if the current heraldry is a different creature.

　Salainio thinks. Human beings have always been slaves to profit and fear, slaves to calculation. That's why we are so vulnerable, yet we can survive and build a civilization.

　If we lose that, we become no different from wild beasts.

　That's why heraldry believes in intellect and in calculation. They believe it is the way to human prosperity. Why is that starting to change?

　The culprit is undoubtedly the heroic renegade Lugis. That's one of the things that turned the tide.

　But that doesn't mean he's the end all be all. There's only so much a single person can change. The truth is, the seed was there somewhere. It's just that the man was the catalyst that made it sprout.

　Suddenly, Salainio looked at the palms of his hands. He thought that his once hard and thick fingers had become much thinner.

　When he was young, this palm had held so much ambition that he could hardly grasp it. But now, I wonder. I wonder how much I can hold in my hands now.

"...... Bernard. You're still young. Why do you want to be with me?

　There are many young people who consider Lugis to be a hero. Many young men, especially those with a lot of blood in their veins, seem to like people who are reckless like that.

　The servant called Bernard stroked his chin with his long, slender fingers and stammered for a moment. But then he began to answer simply.

I think it's because Master Salainio's interpretation suits your nature. I'm afraid of not knowing what the future holds. If you put down reason and calculation, you can see the future, for better or worse.



　Salainio nodded his head, which was a typical answer. I like the fact that he can say it's because it suits him, not because it's an insult or an excuse.

　It is possible that many of the people who follow Salainio have similar reasons as Bernard.

　There may be profit, there may be calculation. But in the end, the root of it all is. The heraldic religion led by the saints Mattia and Lugis just doesn't fit. The older you get, the harder it becomes to change.

　But you and the saint. No one can say which is right. Salainio lifts his wrinkled cheeks and clenches his fists.

　His own form of faith and the form of heraldry shown by the saint and Lugis. Which of them will lead the heraldry to prosperity? Which is the truth?

　Only history can choose. Only the truth will survive, Salainio believes.

　If history chooses him again, he must bring down the city of Philos and finally end the life of the one who became Lugis.

　But if history chooses him... If that is the fate that awaits him. I must prepare myself.

　--The old, the new. One of them must be wiped out.

　An organization is constantly being destroyed and reborn. Sometimes it was necessary to cut off a part of the body, to remove the unwanted part.

　Otherwise, it will only grow in size and get stuck with conflicting opinions. That would be fine in normal times, but now is not the time to be complacent.

　In addition, it is undesirable for the heraldry to cling to the system because of the importance of knowledge. Regardless of what most people think, Salainio declares so.

　Perhaps Salainio is the only one among the more than 2,000 soldiers here who holds such views. The only one who even remotely understands it is Bernard, who serves by his side.

　People, on the surface, seem to have the same ideas. There are many times when people seem to have the same ideas on the surface, but their underlying beliefs are very different.

　Salainio is a monster of the heraldic doctrine to any extent. He is willing to do anything for it.

　That's why the heraldic order has existed in the past even when it was on the verge of collapse.

　Salainio looked out through the gap in the tent. The dead snow had subsided slightly and had stopped falling. Enough for a march.

　He placed the dagger at his waist and put the cloak over his armor. With white breath leaking from his mouth, Salainio took a sip of hot water. In the distance, he sees the city of Philos.

"Well, did you have any luck?

　His cheeks twisted into a pout.