Supreme Commander.

　Kiel-Bazarov, as he was now called in the Bolvaat dynasty, sat down in a luxurious room that had originally been used by royalty.

　The battle with the Mastighios army had driven them back, but had not yet captured the Mastighios. It was the best chance they had. As expected, their abilities were solid. Every man for himself is not to be underestimated.

　I had to think again. I had to think hard and at least let my fingers catch up with theirs. The chair had a strange softness to it, enveloping Kiel's body and his worries.

　To tell the truth, he didn't feel at home, but the compulsion to be here won out. He dressed up and acted ostentatiously because of the feelings that came from deep within him.

　At any rate, Kiel knew that this position was merely something he had snatched from others. So, if he shows even a moment of weakness, someone else will surely come to take this position.

　It could be the old sorcerers, or it could be someone who was no longer a sorcerer.

　After all, for a sorcerer, it didn't matter who was in his position. Kiel thought as he tugged on his slightly crooked ear.

　What the demon wants is someone who will be in charge of controlling the humans. They just want someone who understands the intentions of the demon and works according to the demon's ideas.

　That's where Kiel came in, and he used the power of the demons to seize power. But there are plenty of other people who can take his place. That's why we can't let him get away with it.

　Kiel made sure that there was no noise in the darkened room, and then looked at the painting on the wall.

　It depicted a man. A man with a friendly, if not fearless, smile on his face.

　Many of his personal belongings had been destroyed, and this was the only thing that showed he was still alive.

　Kiel squinted nostalgically and turned his face down. His fingertips cooled, he muttered to himself.

...... I wonder why I'm here. You should have been sitting there. Brother. Why am I the only one who survives?

　Leonid-Bazarov was Kiel's brother, and he was proud of him. He was the first in the Bazarov family to be recognized for his talent in magic, and was even able to attend the Academy of Magic.

　Of course, Kiel was compared to his older brother Leonid many times, but he never resented him.

　He always loved Kiel, and Kiel loved his brother.

　I am sure that I will end up being ordinary. I'm sure I'll end up being nothing, but not my brother. He will end up in a world that I can't even imagine. Ever since he was a little boy, Kiel had been vaguely convinced of this.

　As if in response to this expectation, Leonid continued to push forward, and at some point he became the only member of the Bazarov family to be allowed to join the military register.

　He was the pride of not only Kiel but also the Bazarov family. Not just Kiel, but the pride of the Bazarov family.

　--But he died so easily. For the first time, Kiel realized that the battlefield was not as beautiful as the bard made it out to be.

　But if he had to say it, it would have been better if he just said it.

　Death as a sorcerer. An honorable death in battle. You could say that. It's sad, but it's comforting.

　Maybe that comfort would have been enough for Kiel and his parents to live a normal life afterwards. Maybe they would have had the light to face tomorrow.

　But the only thing Leonid was given when he died was the indignity of being expelled from the list for running away before the enemy.

　Kiel was convinced that it was an attempted stigma. His brother was not a brave man, but he was not the kind of man who would leave his comrades behind.
But he was not the kind of man who would leave his friends to run away. How many times in the past when Kiel had been in danger, his brother had covered for him and taken his wounds.

　In fact, Leonid's escape was questioned by some. Who could have blamed him for running away from the enemy in the first defeat of the war? First of all, why were there so few witnesses? Isn't the aristocrat in command just trying to hide his blunder?

　Numerous suspicions and questions were raised, but in the end, Leonid's expulsion was not overturned. This was because there was no one who cared about the Bazarovs, who were of low rank as nobles and had no achievements as magicians.

　Kiel thinks that it was because the Bazarovs were such a weak family that they were given the stigma of fleeing before the enemy.

　After that, things were terrible. His father, who had always been a sickly man, began to drink every day, throwing away his life as he wished, and his mother followed suit. In the blink of an eye, Kiel became a lord despite being the second son.

　Even now, Kiel thinks. If my brother had not died that day. If he had died, if it had been an honorable death... He wonders what would have become of him and his parents.

　Closing his eyelids for a moment, Kiel bit back the sentiment with a wry smile. It didn't matter, it was out of his control.

　Turning to the painting, Kiel tells it to report. When he took off his glasses, he saw that the man in the painting and Kiel looked very much alike.

Watch me, brother. I'm going to do it. Even if I die tomorrow, I will avenge your death.

　With these biting words, Kiel still fell on his face. He just couldn't continue to stare at his brother in the painting.

　Instead, he clenched his fists tightly. He made up his mind.



　The army that took my brother. The nobles. The sorcerers. Is all this what this country needs? This country needs nothing. It's enough of a mess. It's all rotten.

　If we're going to save this country we have to take it all away. We have to rebuild the country. Because Borvat is worthless.

　Only under the ashes can this nation be saved.

　Kiel threw on a luxurious cloak, left his private chambers again, and stamped his feet. The next thing to do was already decided.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


　A small bird chirps and makes a strange sound. It was no ordinary bird song, but an ancient language.

　The bird was staring at the person from the trees where dead snow was falling. Sometimes it would tilt its head, other times it would snap its beak impatiently.

This is the ...... Althea of this generation?

　It's a good idea to keep your eyes and ears open for the latest news. You can find a lot of things that you can do to make your life easier.

　His yellow eyes looked at the male at the head of the human pack. He carried a green garment on his back.

　Shadrapto sniffed, and sure enough, he could smell the nostalgic scent of Altia coming from him. There is no doubt that he is related to Altia.

　No, there's more to it than that. If you look closely, you can sense a faint hint of the Titan King Hrimsrath, and a trace of the Spirit God Zebreylith. To be honest, Shadrapto doesn't know what's going on anymore. What was that?

　But Shadrapto's impression of him, aside from the fact that he was strange, was one thing.

　--Is that male really that strong?

　He was, if I may say so, frighteningly vulnerable compared to the Artia he had seen. I don't think he's strong enough to crush the great demon Vriligant.

　What Shadrapto has asked for is protection. No matter how much Althea's scent lingers in the air, it is no good if it is weak.

　If I am to be protected, it must be by the strong. Shadrapto turned his beak downward as if letting out a breath.

　But Shadrapto knows that Althea did not start out so strong. In fact, she must have been nearly killed by a magical beast at first.

　Then maybe this male will be strong too. Maybe the heir to Althea has a habit of doing that.

　Shadrapto snapped his beak suspiciously, but spread his wings. Then he set his foot down on the path where the flock would end up.

　Let's see what we can find out. Anyway, if it's weak, I'll just give up on it early. With this in mind, Shadrapto's form changed drastically from that of a bird.

　His wings became arms, his bird claws became human legs. He changed his body to that of a human. Of course, Shadraupt would not be so foolish as to take the form of a dragon.

　We don't want humans to find out we have a dragon and chase us around. They will change their eyes and come to kill you. They will come for your heart, your scales, your eyes.

　What a savage people, Shadrapto thought, even though they are nothing but a potion.

　So Shadraupt changed the color of his eyes to gold and his hair to the same color. This is the person Shadraupt knew best, and thus was most beautiful.

　--Althea at her peak. Shadraupt never knew a more beautiful or powerful human.

　That man is male. If he ran to her in this form, she would be inclined to follow her instincts and protect him.

　The green uniform came into view at the end of the street. Shadrapto slurped up the first words he had spoken in a long time, and tried to take a natural gait.

　He tried to look like he had just escaped from somewhere. Shadrapto had a little confidence in his ability to act weak. He had survived for hundreds of years by always running and always hiding.

　It had been a long time since he had been in contact with a living creature, but he was confident enough to handle it easily. Shadrapto said with a feeble gesture. His voice took on the tone of Althea's he had heard before.

I'm sure you can handle it.

　A moment after he said it, a chill went through his body. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not. I'm not sure what it is, but I don't know what it is.

　The only thing he knew was... In his vision, he saw a glint of purple light.

"Help. Okay, it's you and me. I'll even make sure you never have to chirp again.

　He's wearing a green uniform. This generation's Althea looked like she was smiling, but she wasn't. He pointed his great purple sword at Shadrapt, as if he were on horseback and wanted to crush everything in his path.

　Slowly, but with uncontrollable emotion, he said. The people around him widened their eyes at his reaction.



"You're the woman I fell in love with, and you're going to talk cheap like always, Althea. I'll give you my last breath in return.

　Shadrapto had a hunch. He knew he had made a mistake. He was about to cry.