--Rebels have risen in the walled city of Garouamaria. May you plan for your own death.

　That's all the message I got from Anne. That was the gist of it. It was as if she was anticipating her own death.

　From the perspective of the person who sent the message, it may have been a rational statement, but the person who received the message could not stand it. Moreover, a lot of time has passed since the date of the message. In order to escape the pursuit of the rebels, it seems that the messenger took a detour to reach the capital.

　The uprising of Salainio the Elder of the heraldry cult and those who are equivalent to him. According to Anne's message, the city of Philos was about to be surrounded.

　Then it's not surprising that the situation is already at its worst. The imagined scene of the depths of the city fluttered in the back of my eyelids.

　It's not only a problem for the city of Philos, but it's also the worst thing for the heraldic army sitting in the royal capital.

　If the city of Philos, which is a transit point, should fall, we will be left alone in the capital. If we are trapped in the royal capital, which has yet to be established as a base, what awaits us is undoubtedly crushing death.

　I must avoid that at all costs.

　As I stepped into the stables, the smell of straw tickled my nostrils and the sound of horses' breath hit my ears. When I dropped my foot to the floor, a creaking sound echoed throughout the building.

　The stables of the capital were now a wretched sight to behold. There was no trace of the majesty of the warhorses that had once lined the stables, the facilities were in disrepair, and they could only manage to house the horses of the heraldry and Garristo soldiers.

　The demons have no culture of riding horses, but they don't keep track of them, and some of them were used as food. They really don't understand the value of things.

　A single warhorse is worth more money than I can make in a year's work. Well, there's no point in telling that to a demon.

　Many of the warhorses that were supposed to be here were transported to the north when the Garlist army left the capital. But of course, not all of them can be taken with us.

　In any case, the big move to the north was decided in a hurry. There would have been little food for the horses, let alone for humans.

　Horses require much more water and food than humans. Therefore, there were a good number of war horses that had to be abandoned.

　The number of horses that were lucky enough to escape the demons was not very large, but it was still a blessing for the heraldry that was always short of military supplies.

　One of them was being prepared by a soldier pulling on the reins. As I thanked him, I placed a light gold coin in his hand.

　I know, because I have done it myself, that managing stables is hard work, but the rewards are usually very small. It would not go unpunished to show this level of gratitude. And it always does no good to antagonize people.

　Yeah. After all, what I'm about to do is make it harder for me to suppress my own animosity.

"...... Rougis. There you are. How prepared are you?

　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'm not the only one. The soldiers beside him jumped up and down and straightened their shoulders at the sight of her.

　At first glance, Mattia's appearance was the same as always, but there was a light shade under her eyes. She may have used make-up to make it less noticeable, but even so, it was unusual for Mattia to show such an appearance.

　To be honest, I didn't think it was a good idea to expose her like that in public. After making the soldiers fall back, she looked at Mattia and opened her mouth. There was a hint of frustration in her eyes, and her usual saintly demeanor had suddenly disappeared.

"Yeah, I'll go now. Oh, I'm going to go. I'll take care of everything myself. It's too late for that, Hero.

　He shrugged his shoulders and said it as if it was nothing. Her cheeks relaxed slightly. But Mattia's expression remained tense.

　It can't be helped. After all, this time they were not facing a foreign enemy, but an internal conflict that would cause blood to spill.

　Besides, Mattia was in a situation where a blade was being thrust into the neck of the person who was his one arm and in a sense, his friend. Considering that, she's still acting pretty cool about it.

I've asked Fialaat to guard this place. If anything happens to it, you can count on her.

　With that, he looked up at the sky and pointed far up. If you follow her finger straight ahead, you will see a shadow.

　It wobbled and swayed in the dimly lit sky, soaring through the air in a trajectory that no bird could have. I know of only one being that can do that.

　The jewel Bau-Agathos.

　After the death of the controller Drigman, the one who had borrowed the body of the village girl Leu was always glaring at us in the sky like this.

　It's not like he's going to make a move without a fight, but he's not going to leave the skies of King's Landing either. It's as if it's waiting for us to do something. The fact that I didn't know their purpose made it all the more eerie.

　However, there was nothing I could do about it when it was in the air, where neither bow and arrow nor magic could reach. In the end, he concluded that he could do nothing but sit back and watch. It was the same in the past, but I still don't understand the logic of his actions.

　Of course, even if we remain calm, we can't be unprepared. If there was anyone in Monstrance who could stand up to that demon, it would be Kalia, Fialat, and Eldis.

　However, Erdis has not healed from the wounds of the previous battle and she also has a duty as a queen. That's why I wanted Fialaat and, originally, Kalia to be ready for the Jewel Palace.

　Apparently, they were both unhappy about this. I wonder if the old man's strange suggestion had touched off some kind of bad mood. In fact, the two of them might not even like the idea of me going to the front.

　But there was no way I could leave it to someone else at this point in time.

　After all, this civil war was started by me, after all. So, how can I not go to them, treat them as someone else's problem, and go to sleep peacefully?



　It can't be. Whatever happens there, I'll have to face it.

　So it is I who must go. And if the rebels' tip ends up killing Anne...

　--Then I must do what I must do. It's a responsibility I have to accept.

　Fialat reluctantly agreed to stay in King's Landing out of concern for Leu's safety, but Kalia was having none of it. She insisted on going to the front herself.

　Well, for once, I can't blame her.

　Kalia has known Anne for a long time. Her character must be uncomfortable with the idea of simply worrying about her safety in King's Landing.

　It was her nature to want to capture everything with her own eyes, whether the outcome was good or bad.

　Then, after a few words, she told Mattia that there was nothing to worry about. I was hoping she would loosen up a bit.

　Mattia opened his mouth, his teeth standing in a grief-stricken expression.

"I'm sorry, Lugis. If I had been a better saint. If I had been more worthy of being a saint, none of this would have happened. ...... I have no words of excuse.

　Unexpected words escaped Mattia's lips.

　It seems that this situation has pierced her heart more seriously than I thought. I wonder if the reason she came to the stables was because she couldn't handle her duties.

　For a moment, I was at a loss for what to say to her.

　In the past, when I was an adventurer, there were always people who betrayed and cheated their friends out of their rewards. Perhaps such things were rare in the heraldry community.

　After all, they were a people of faith by nature. In addition to that, they were always crawling in the mud, stoned and persecuted, so it was natural for them to unite and work together.

　But now, they hate each other with spears and devour each other's flesh and blood. I could only imagine Mattia's feelings.

　But she couldn't just let it go on like this. Even now, King's Landing is in turmoil. The heraldry, the Garristo soldiers, and the nobles are all clashing in their intentions, and it is still unclear who will be able to take the lead.

　In the event that you're in such a precarious situation and the saint is in this state of mind, there's no doubt that anxiety will spread like a disease within the heraldry.

　Mattia is a woman with a spirit that does not tremble like a large tree with deep roots, but now she is being devoured from her roots. At a time like this, Anne and her entourage should be the ones to speak to her, not me.

　I blinked my eyelids and locked gazes with Mattia. He blinked his eyes and locked gazes with Mattia, then said in a voice only she could hear.

"Aaah ......, you once told me something. You may not remember it now.

　Yes, it was in the mercenary city of Belle Fain. I remember that I acted selfishly and the saint blamed me a lot. I remembered the words well.

　They were words of condemnation, but they were also words of relief.

　I took Mattia by the shoulders, just as I had done then. Her eyes shone like crystal, pale and bright.

If you weren't a saint, at least I wouldn't have gone along with the heraldry so far. If anyone can do it better than you, let me know--Mattia. You should be proud of yourself by now.

　If I stop, you'll back off. I opened my mouth, echoing what he had said before. Somewhat embarrassed, I shrugged my shoulders.

　Mattia's eyes widen for a moment as she looks up at me, and her lips quiver.

"You're telling me, Lugis. I've got it, yeah. Right here, right now.

　I'm sure there's still a flutter in your heart. You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.