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　This will be the first time since the [Seven Nations Magical Friendship Tournament] that the heads of the seven nations have gathered together.

　Sissernia walks out to the transition gate, the last one today. She was wearing a pulled sleeveless kimono with a pattern on the glossy black-based fabric. The chest was flung wide open, revealing skin like white and collarbones.
　The hem of the kimono widened below the knees, revealing the beauty of his thin legs. The heavy gait is probably due to the heavy loss of battle on the battlefield to which he is heading.

　Still, Beric saw the will to resist in the young head.

　The custom of wearing a kimono, passed down from generation to generation, still exists in the Arseit family. The royal family still retains its old-fashioned image.
　It is rarely worn now, and the distinctive costume is always worn when there is no foothold to go down. Beric recalls that his predecessor also wore a black-crested ceremonial dress for every national occasion as well.
　The reason for this is not clear, but in the Ahrzeit family, the crest is always carried on the back for important occasions.
　Depending on how you look at it, there is not much difference between it and the dress.

　Cicernia doesn't think that this meeting will end up being just a discussion either. On the contrary, Alpha will have to deal with practically six countries.

''Are you alright, Lady Cicernia?''
''Ha~ Yeah, somehow. If Ars sees me like this, he's going to be sarcastic again.

　The sighs that aren't from nervousness are probably due to the expected one-sided bickering. No, it's not even a proper discussion - there is already no excuse for it.
　The light talk is still a refusal to be silent.

''Then I'll have to treat you to a fist shot, won't I? I'm sure you'll be dodged, though.''
You're pathetic.

　The two of you will leave the servants before the Transition Gate. It's just the two of them from here.
　However, Cicernia sees a ray of light when she sees the woman who jumped in just before her.

''You've returned well, Lynne.
Hah, hah, hah ... yes!

　He repeated breathing heavily on his shoulders, letting large drops of sweat drip down his throat as he regulated his breathing.

'How was it, Lord Linne?'
'Yes, we have succeeded in meeting. It is as we have heard about the location. They are currently making preparations in the cave. We'll take you through the steps first.

　After informing Beric, who was in a hurry, that they had harvested the first thing, the three of us moved through the transition gate.
　In front of the towering Tower of Babel, a luxurious carriage was prepared for Alpha's exclusive use, as usual.

　The small amount of time it takes to get to the meeting place is a weapon that Cicernias can have. How far can you get it all together, or how well can you sharpen it?
　All the information, the knowledge, must be pounded into her head. Then he had to define the actions and guidelines that Sisernia had to take.

　The carriage began to drive, a white wall dominating the view on the shoulder side. Its odd enormity turned the air inside the carriage into something crushingly oppressive.

　Lynne is relieved to see Cisernia dressed in her attire before she tells him all about her conversation with Ars and is glad that she didn't disappoint him. This is the first time she's dressed in formal attire, as far as Linne knows. It is a symbol of her determination to carry the burden of her country in her frail body.

''Well then, first of all, Ars-sama's intentions.......''

　As fast and precise as possible, without missing a single word, Lynne kept her mouth moving. Everything she had seen and heard she would tell in detail.
　The few irrelevant exchanges could not be left out at Linne's discretion. Cisernia and Beric were far more thoughtful than she was, pumping information out of every little thing.




　And then there was no more time for repetition, and they listened in silence without asking back.

　It was Cisernia who opened her mouth first. She would have to stand on the front lines after this on the battlefield of words only. The confirmation came again, as if it would resolve all the questions left unanswered.


''Was that all Ars had to say?''

　At the line "that's all", Lynne almost blamed herself for thinking that she hadn't extracted enough information from Ars, or that she had made a mistake.
　It was uncertain how far she could have gone against Ars in that place. No, I can't deny that I'm not strong enough in terms of exploring.

''Ha, yes. I just wanted to say that I'm going to get along with Lithia-sama...''

　Cicernia, who would normally frown at the mere mention of the name, began to think with a snarl.
　Beric immediately guessed to back it up.

''As Linne-dono says, there might be something going on this time. Ars must have been in Rusarka just before.......that's all I can say. If he can't say it, then he probably hasn't left the stage of possibility. Perhaps Ars is stepping on the idea that Lithia-sama might have something in his hands?
'But if that's the case, there's no more time to rub it together... now we just have to see how far that single cell will go to match it.
Of course, I doubt he's complied.

　First of all, Cicerunia needed to know what Lithia was doing as a reservation. This is a bet, so to speak. If she alone can be drawn in, she might find legitimacy in her ability to speak out as a discussion forum, or she might be able to give it some thought.
　My fear is that I will be swallowed up by momentum alone.

　It's what makes us stop thinking. So Cicernias must choose their words to make us think.

　--I'll give you the initiative right from the start. And in return, I won't just end it!

　Cisernia and Beric analyze even more deeply the message left by the genius named Ars. His bad part is his tendency to unconsciously withhold partial information in order to tell things apart from himself.
　Of course, it's a tendency of thought that we can only notice because it's Beric.

　Of course, Cisernia likewise has a high opinion of the existence of Ars. Not as a magician, but because he is one of the few people who understands that they can converse from the same perspective and in the same realm.
　Of course, I've already confirmed that I wouldn't lose so easily in an argument with him. Although his depth of reading is superb, Ars has the disadvantage of not being familiar with the place.

　If we take that into consideration it's still easy to dismiss it as 'just that'.

''Beric, the fact that you didn't keep your mouth shut to Linne.......''
"....!　As you can imagine, I'm sure you're right.
Right?

　Immediately realizing this, Beric affirmed it with a small, difficult face. He had a gut feeling that there was no doubt about it, nine out of ten. And the more I think about it, the more I can't get out of it.
　Just like Ars said, things were going according to the plot, and it was just a reminder of the situation that it had become difficult to spear.

　Curiously, Lynne looked back at them, probably wanting an explanation for the completed problem.
　Cisernia didn't hide her discomfort as she began to speak, meaning to confirm that the information had been roughly processed. Her narrowed eyes still seemed to be searching for something (...) to tug on.

''In other words, Ars wants to carry on according to the plot that the other party drew up, as he said himself. Considering the situation he is in, it can be said that it is the only way. He's going to stay in the same place. No matter how things turn out, Ars can't avoid it without a fight. He's in such a rapid stream that the outer moat has been created to the point where no one can resist.
"Well, what do you mean?
'I ... no. I think Alpha is going to turn over his advocacy position and make him fight with other countries, or lead the way.
"--!　No way!

　At least Lynne received the word time. That's why the Alpha thought there was a way to keep Ars from abandoning her.

　Cicernia, who placed her elbows misbehaving on the window ledge, scrutinized a few paths from the concurrent circuitry.

'I'm sorry to say that. There's nothing we can do so far, probably. Things are moving too fast.'
You have prepared for this quite well. If that's the case...
I know. I'm still ... no, I'll figure it out!

　Both Cisernia and Beric already understood that it wasn't just their country's problem. There would always be a break that they would be able to put on, even if there was no way to get a handle on how Krama would work.
　We have no choice but to believe it now.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the future. Even if you don't know what Kurama's purpose is, you must only prevent him from missing Ars now.

　--Arus. I'm a bit of a naive person, so when you say that, I'm tempted to rebel against it at all costs.

　Even if I thought so, there wasn't much I could actually do, and it might have been quicker to break the ice by looking for how to betray Ars's thoughts that even that was in view.
　No matter how much Cicernian he was, if he wasn't allowed to speak, he couldn't persuade or suggest anything.


　Beric had begun to search for the next move as well.
　Krama's abilities were already a great idea, or in other words, he could expect a minimum level of combat ability. I didn't want to think it was true, but I couldn't say so.

　In the battle report when Ars went to defeat [Demi Azure], I could read that the fact that the ability of Krama's leaders was comparable to a single was not an exaggeration or a fact.
　The key to this is how dangerous other countries see the organization of Khrama as being. More to the point, they have too many roots across the country. That meant a unity of mutual interests and a relationship that was hard to separate.
　Krama would have to imitate the mercenaries and be needed. It must be admitted that they are a hidden force in this world.


　The carriage slowly slows down on the paved road and ruthlessly declares the time limit.

　The door is reverently opened and Lynne dismounts first, holding out her hand to Cicernian.

　Starting to fold towards the decisive battlefield, Cicernia finds what she needs to do and takes a brave step forward.
　However, no one noticed the firstborn unintentionally holding Pandora's Box behind her. No one knew that it couldn't be a small matter before the big one...not even Beric himself.

　However, we must understand that disaster is not all that lies within Pandora's Box. Still, you will also know that deep down, in the depths of the darkness, there is a faint hope sleeping.