--Maybe I shouldn't have done that.

　Richard Permiris raised his eyebrows and let a thought fall into his mind. In front of him was his student, Lugis, who was his original goal. And then there are the women who surround him as if they are wrapped in chains, never leaving him.

　The knight Kalia Vadnick. The sorceress Fialat-La-Borgograd. And Finn-Erdis, Queen of the Elves.

　If you only look at the scene, it looks as if Lugis is the embodiment of heroism and good taste. It's just that Richard seems to have more than just that on his plate.

　Above all, the color of their eyes was dangerous. They are not the eyes of a woman who just talks about what she likes or doesn't like. They were more stagnant than that, and had something more grave in them.

　Richard sighs heavily and leans back in his chair as he places the bottle of wine he brought with him on the table. As he placed the bottle of wine on the table, Richard sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair, tipping the wine into the container in his hand.

...... I would have preferred to talk to you two men. I was hoping we could have a private conversation.

　His white beard flickers as he says this, and his six eyes change shape in strong reaction. The hue is now almost hostile. No, he was originally an enemy general, so perhaps his reaction was not a mistake.

　The silver flickered with a strange gloom, and Caria-Bardnick caught Richard's eye and said.

"I'm afraid I can't make that suggestion, Richard Permiris. I cannot allow a one-on-one meeting between you and Lugis, who is only a temporary ally.

　And besides," Kalia said with an oddly lustrous smile. I've never seen such an expression before, at least not when we met at a military conference.

"Besides, Lugis swore he would never betray me again. So there's no need to be sneaky about it, is there?

"...... Come on, old man. If you're okay with it, tell me.

　I'm not sure what you mean by that," he said, looking down at Lugis, his cheeks flushing. Richard doesn't know what the truth is, but it seems to be the truth.

　The sorceress and the Elven Queen seemed to be here for the same reason. You can't be too careful, or you can afford to be.

　All three women were chosen by Lugis, so I'm not going to say anything about them. Richard's mouth twisted as he wondered if he was being a little too controlling.

　As he sips the wine down his slightly dry throat, Richard chirps. The dense smell tickled his nose.

"Well, good. I'm talking about the use of King's Landing, Lugis. It's been damaged, but it's still valuable. Then you should decide what to do with it while it's still valuable.

　Sell it or use it up. Either way.

　The moment Richard said that, Lugis narrowed his eyes suspiciously, wondering what he was talking about. But he didn't interrupt him, instead he pulled his chin back and urged him to continue.

I know exactly what you want to do. I know what you're trying to do. I know you're trying to make good use of that concubine, the princess. So what are you going to do after that, Lugis?

　Richard's cunning eyes widened as he peered into Lugis' expression. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.


　What are you going to do after that?


　What are you going to do after that? He stroked his chin, ruminating on what the old man had said in his mouth. He was searching behind his eyes for the true meaning of those words.

　The old man. I'm sure you know that I'm trying to put Philos-Treit on the throne of Garryth and usurp the throne.

　So what then? Before that, what do you think you're bringing me here for?

　When it comes to politics, that's out of my hands. Mattia, Anne, and Philos will be leading the way.

　I wet my mouth with the wine the old man had brought, and opened my lips. Kalia, Fialaert, and Erdis, who were standing beside him, did not seem to want to interfere. I guess they're just there to witness.

It's nothing, really. She will become a legitimate princess and later wield royal power in this city. The heraldic religion will replace the Great Sacred Church as its backer. That's all there is to it.

　The area around the capital of the Garlist Kingdom is still fertile ground. In fact, that's what makes it a royal capital.

　If you can take complete control of this royal capital, the heraldry will not be a small organization that only controls key cities as it has been until now. It can be said that it has obtained a clear foundation to make a great leap forward as a power sitting on the continent.

　Based on this foundation, we will become the leader in defeating the hexenbiest disaster, and work together with other countries to bring this catastrophe to an end. That is our main goal at the moment.

　Of course, it sounds simple in words, but it's not an easy path, and I know it's still a pipe dream.

　Nevertheless, now that the Garlist capital has fallen and the national army has fled to the north, we have no choice but to do so.

　No matter what happens, I will not allow the Cathedral, or anyone in Altia, to take the lead. It's a guy who loves cheap words. I'm sure he's prepared a very silly script. A great one that will cost the majority of people.

　That's why we must deny him no matter what and take Alueno back from his hands.

　The old man pressed his fists to his temples and spoke back with a blank expression.

"Not so fast. Rougis. I'm asking you what you're going to do with this country, with the Garleist swallowed up.



　At the old man's question, my lips involuntarily closed. His eyelids opened wide and his expression hardened. I hadn't expected him to talk about the nation itself, not heraldry. I choose my words, wondering what to say.

　The old man's eyes were no longer focused on me. I'm sure Kalia, Fialat. Not even Erdis, Queen of Gazalia, was in sight.

　He placed the half-full container of wine on the table, looked at the old man squarely, and said.

...... That's too big a story for a commoner like me to carry. I think that's the domain of Saint Mattia and Her Royal Highness.

"You idiot. I'm serious. Besides, we're way past the point where you can get away with that kind of talk. If you don't think, you're just a puppet for someone else.

　A saint, a princess. Or someone else," he said, his gaze cutting through the others.

　Even from the side, he could see that Kalia and Erdis had a twinge in their eyes. Their demeanor was quieter than usual, but the silence was eerie in its own way.

　I placed my palm on my chin, held my lips and gulped down my breath. I knew exactly what the old man was trying to say.

　After this war, after the catastrophe is over. What will we do after that? If we don't think about that, we'll just be used and abused, is what I'm saying.

　But I don't know. Is there something wrong with me? I've been thinking from one end of my skull to the other and still nothing.

　Yeah. To seize Alueno's hand and become a hero like Heldt Stanley. There's nothing else for me. As the saying goes, there was nothing. I hadn't even thought about it.

　Beyond the catastrophe. I mulled over the words for a few moments, then opened my mouth.

　The old man's eyes were staring straight at me. No, please. You know I'm not educated enough to make such a big deal out of it.

I don't want to get all swanky now, but... yeah. I'll see to it that your god-fearing ass never enters the country again. God is not a very good thing.

　He said, lifting his cheeks and shrugging his shoulders. The old man narrowed his eyes and tipped the wine to his lips.