Once upon a time, Artemias, which was then called a small country, had an enemy, the great nation of Latosfilia.

　One day, a war broke out between the two countries.
　Latosfilia is a country that was established by force of arms.
　Its military strength was tremendous, and it was no match for Artemias.

　Artemias was defeated in the war, and a unilateral alliance was established by Latosfilia's offer.
　But this was an opportunity that Artemias, at that time a small country, could not have hoped for.

　Later on, Artemias expanded his power into a major power based on his unique technology of Trifal.
　On the other hand, Latosfilia has maintained its country to this day on the basis of a strong military force, but as a great power it is one inferior to Artemias.
　But even now, the alliance continues.

　Sufilia looks through the document she received from the messenger.
　The king questioned the unexpected look on her face.

''We have long confirmed that the Trifur is used and sold in other countries that have not been approved by the Trifur.

　It's a magical tool called a portus.
　It is made of trifaal.

　In the arena of Artemias, gladiators fight to the death several times a week.
　But seating is limited and spectatorship is out of reach for the poor.
　The seats are filled by those who have money, and the remainder go to the middle class and below, but the majority of the population cannot even get into the arena.
　That's where the Portus comes in.

The portus is a magical device that projects images. In other words, with this, you can watch the scene in the arena from home,'' said Sufilia.
''You're starting to look more like a mail-order show host than a princess.

　And Masamune whispered in Toa's ear. But it was dickish to the Toa.

　But the Portus was a very expensive thing, and the Sufiria hadn't been informed of it.
　It was beyond the reach of most of the general population.

'In recent years, a product very similar to the portas, known as a porologist, has become available. It seems that the majority of the population now owns one of these porologists.

　A fight to the death in the arena is a pastime for the people of Artemias.
　Tickets are sold out in an instant, so much so that they are sold behind the scenes for a high price.
　That is why the emergence of Portas was so revolutionary.
　But it's something that the common man can never reach. The royals did not think that far ahead.
　The Porologists, on the other hand, are cheap.

'I've checked the source, and it seems that the ringleader is a merchant with a residence within Latosfilia. Where in the world did the leak come from...''
What does Latosophilia say?
I will not be involved in any of this.
Hey, Your Highness, why do you look so surprised?

　With the impatient Sierra elsewhere, Masamune asked Sufilia in his ear.

''This is a situation that could affect the survival of the country.
Survival?
'If we don't get involved, that means we don't cooperate. That means we won't get that person.

　Of course, you can't cross the border without permission.
　But that would leave the ringleaders in the dark.

"Good, we'll use that.
''But that,'' the king's words, Sufirija's expression is confused.
''There may be people who have a hunch, but I can't find any proof.

　And the king quietly raised his right hand.
　Then several guards who were waiting beside him raised their spears and surrounded Masamune and the others.

''........What do you mean by that?''

　Masamune asked quietly, understanding what was going on, and turned his sharp gaze to the king.

'Father!　They got me! --
"I will thank you for saving my daughter's life, and you will be rewarded for it. But live or die, it depends on my mood, not yours, in this country.
'No!　We will not tell anyone about it...

　Sierra pleaded urgently.

'We cannot give the people unnecessary worries, I hope you understand.

　A troublesome look in his eyes and an expression that produced sadness. At the sound of the king's voice, he expressed small anger, "You're kidding me.

You think we're going to talk?
What do you expect us to believe, you drifters? The sooner you kill him, the better.
You were going to kill me in the first place.
Depends on my mood.

　The king's voice was quite calm.
　He spoke without inflection, and Masamune gradually understood the reason why Sierra was advising him.

''--The Wave of Erosion [Disappearing Aura]!

　Masamune's body was enveloped in a reddish-black sphere and instantly expanded to the minimum necessary, making the tip of the spear held by the guards disappear.
　The soldiers flinched and the king wrinkled his brow.

''You........''
'I don't care about the affairs of this country. I don't care if the scum look down on me from the throne, I don't have any feelings for them. I don't respect it. But I won't tell anyone. And if you think I'm going to mess with you, I'm sure you'll understand.
...a little boy who doesn't understand...
Unfortunately, I'm not very polite. If you're going to do this, be prepared for it.

　A silence passed through the hall as their standoff continued for a while.
　The king was worried about the unknowable Masamune's magic and Sufilia's story.
　The story of getting rid of the dragon was hard for the king to believe, even for anyone, and it made a strong impression on this occasion.

'You know what I mean by preparedness, I'm asking you to stake your country.
You weren't lying about driving away the dragons, were you?
What?　What's the matter with you all of a sudden, that story is long overdue.
'Father!　It is true. Nito-sama dismissed the Red Dragon from me and Sieghardt and drove it away.
"It's not a credible story. There is no one who can resist it. But I know for a fact that my daughter is alive. And the magic is strange...

　Masamune waited for the king's words to be silent.
　He didn't say anything else, but decided to be silent as well.

'Stand back,' said the king, and the guards lowered their weapons and returned to their positions.
It was a wise decision, thank God for a well-spoken king. "Thank you, my king.

　As he spits out sarcasm and is about to leave, Masamune's left eye glows red.
　The three of them chased after Masamune at a trot.
　And the king saw the glow clearly.
　His expression is tense, and his hand and fingertips, which had been lowered to the armrest, begin to tremble slightly.
　The king hid his expression as he lightly waved his fingertips over his forehead to prevent them from realizing the fear he held.

''--Don't touch me!

　The guards, who stood in front of Masamune and the others who were about to leave without permission, retreated, puzzled by the king's words.

'Sufilia, reward those men as you promised.
''........After a beat, Sufilia bowed and followed Masamune and the others.
''Activate Magphis!''

　After a few moments, after a deep sigh, the king announced as he looked up with a change of heart and regulated his breathing.



* *



　At the same time, there was a problem within Artemias.

'Hey, what's this!　You can't get a picture, man!

　The shouting came from one house in the city center of Artemias - a residential area.
　The exterior of the house is simple, as if it were made of sand.
　A magic receiver placed in the living room - a porologist.
　Its screen suddenly went dark.

''What's going on!''

　A neighbour came to the house to see if he was bothered by the increasing rage.

Tommy, that's the weird thing. You're Tommy, that's what's wrong.
Oh, you too?
Well, you're not going to be one of them, are you?

　I looked out the window and saw bewildered residents coming out of nearby houses.
　And likewise, they were lamenting the brokenness of the porologists.

　Then one of the men muttered, "No, this is strange.

'No, this is strange. No, it can't be that several units broke down at the same time. It's not like the state has shut off the magical power flowing from the arena, right?

　This one word was the beginning.

　It quickly spread through the country, and the hordes of the people, with their porologists in their hands, rushed to the front of the arena.
　Before long, a speaker appeared, and the crowd listened in silence.

'This is outrageous!　You despise and demean our people!　It's never an acceptable act!

　The assembled public understands that the porologist is an illegal object made in imitation of the portas.
　But the state has not made the purchase and use of porologists illegal.

　The motive is to counter the unreasonable. They can no longer be restrained.
　This is just the tip of the iceberg, and it is finally too much for them to bear, including the king's insolence that has come before.

　And so, driven by rage, the mob does one last thing.







　--Barfarek Castle.
　When the sun went down, Masamune and the others were treated to a late lunch by the kindness of Sufilia.

''Oh no, the princess is very thoughtful too. It's a far cry from that bearded man.

　The bearded man was King Artemias.
　Masamune drilled himself out of the lobster-like crustacean, stabbed it with a fork and took a bite.

'Masamune, even though I had no choice, that's the king. Please keep your mouth shut.

　Sierra was carving a lean steak named Fish Beef with a knife.

"You said 'that'
It was just a figure of speech.

　Sierra, with a steak in her mouth, smacked her tongue on the crispy texture of the steak.

The day was kind of short today.
Really?　Hmm, do you hear something?

　Toa listened closely to Masamune's words.

''Well I can certainly hear you.
'Is it the voices of people, or is it a rather large group of people too...'
There's a kind of burning smell.

　With a change of expression, the four of them ran out of the room.
　When they stepped out into the hallway, they found themselves in an outdoor corridor located on the upper floor of the castle.
　The four of them found lights and black smoke wavering outside the castle and looked for a place where they could see the situation.

''.......What is this?''

　I reached a spacious balcony-like area and looked through the fence to the main gate - and saw the front gate.

　There were countless figures of people holding up torches to check the situation.
　Even if you can follow them with your eyes, they extend far into the city.

Hey, what's going on here?
'Well, I think we should run away, don't you?'
There you are!

　Then Sufilia appears.

'Oh, Princess. What's this all about?
'It's a riot,' said Sufilia, sounding serious.
'I suppose, I can see it,'
'Your father has activated Magphis. It detects and shuts off the waves of magic flowing from the arena to the portas, and so does the porologist.
Just because you can't watch the game anymore?
'I suppose that's the only thing the people of this country can look forward to,' said Sierra.
'Yes,' Sufilia didn't deny it.
'You mean it's not a very privileged country, except for that king.
There's no denying it.
You're not allowed to talk to us, and that bearded man won't let you.
It's not something you can hide anymore, so...
... okay. So, what's the plan?

　Masamune guessed as much as he could imagine at Sufilia's reaction to the question, which made his face fall down.

''Well it's that guy who tried to kill even us, I guess it's not just a matter of caution.
What do you mean? And Toa.
'Everyone has a torch,'
That means we'd better get out of here, you've got a carriage ready, right?
Yes, we'll have him outside the gate ready to go. Use the back door.
Well, thanks for your help.
No, thank you for saving my life, too.
"Wouldn't this have happened if you were the king?
I'm not sure. I don't know.
'I can only imagine what that bearded man is up to. Are you okay with that?
I don't...
Are you a princess?
I am a princess. But I am, after all, a princess.
Can I help you with that? And Sierra.
'Don't do it,'

　Masamune interrupted.

'This guy isn't worried about his life. Besides, this is Artemias's problem, an outsider should not interfere. Just like Reinhardt didn't let his prisoners be killed, did he?
...Yes.

　Sierra stopped what she was about to say.

'This is what they think of you, isn't it?　I'm an unreliable princess, I'm a decoration...
I don't think so.
That's not true. You think I'm a bad princess, don't you?

　After a few seconds of silence, Masamune slowly replies.

''You don't think you're going to make me kill my father, do you?''
I don't think so.
Well that's good. Well, good. Well, I'll be going now. I'll visit again when you're king. The country will be a better place when you're king.



*



　In Masamune's eyes as he looked up at Artemias' defensive wall, he could see the regret in his eyes, as if he had some unfinished business.

''As I thought, great.......''
'You're glad?' said Sierra, sensing Masamune's feelings.
'What?'
You wanted to help, didn't you?
... no. Maybe this is the right thing to do.
...Oh, I see.
Radshausen was a peaceful country after all.
...Yes.

　The first country Masamune visited at the start of his journey was not as pleasant as he had envisioned.

　Masamune believes he made the right decision not to intervene.
　Toa and Nem beckoned him to join them, and they too climbed into the carriage.

'Let's go then, to Heilkwaite.

　But a lump remained in my heart.
　I should have helped him, I thought.