A frighteningly clear blue moon as if it could see everything.
　Zeref looks up at the blue moon floating outside the window as the carriage rocks along the roadway, which is dominated by the darkness of night.
　It is a beautiful moon, visible through the trees in the forest. It is a perfect circle and not a single cloud of beauty.
　Looking at the moon, Zerev's mind is filled with his own filth. He tells his brother-in-law to turn his back on the king and run for his own life.
　But Zeref has no time for such sentiments.
"Now we've crossed a mountain, but the question is what Elena-dono's wishes are... and...
　At the recent Bergston compound, the future course of action has been solidified to some extent.
　The biggest key among them is the movement of Elena, who is stationed on the western border.
　Elena, who returned from the Kingdom of Zaruda in preparation for the renewed invasion of the Oltmere Empire, has been staked out in a city near the border. She has about three knights, including free knights and mercenaries from all over Roselia, in her hands. There were about eight thousand troops present. This is one of the largest forces in this Roseria in terms of both quality and quantity.
　The movement of Elena Steiner, who holds these forces in her hands, will greatly influence their future destiny.
　Elena has a variety of options. Will she swear her loyalty to Lupis in accordance with the reasonableness of a knight, or will she follow Gerhardt's cause of striking with the Fool King? Or perhaps you could choose to keep silent and watch the motion.
　But a presence that was even more worrisome than that Elena was casting a shadow over Zeref's mind.
From now on, we can get to the bottom of the matter. The question is.....
　Although he hadn't told Bergston about it, Zeref had seen 70 percent of the success of this measure as a success.
　It is true that the timing was difficult. However, he had received every report on the movements of Gerhardt and the nobles in his vicinity, and he was able to predict the timing that would be derived from this.
(There should have been a little more time before the commoners' discontent exploded. Either I simply misread it, or...)　
　Zeref knows that this rebellion was deliberately started by someone with a plan. And we know that he's manipulating the nobility.
　What we don't know is who he is and what he wants.
　The most likely candidate is, of course, the Oltmere Empire. For Oltmere, which wants to advance its troops to the east, aiming to split up Roselia is not a bad plan. It's the most likely to happen.
　However, this requires that Gerhardt is well versed in the Oltmere Empire.
(Whether that man chooses to do so.......no, that man is not an idiot, but he's not that sharp either. It's possible that he's being forced to cooperate without knowing it.)
　For better or worse, Julio Gerhardt is a greedy and selfish man, but at the same time, he's a man who values fame and respects the face-to-face.
　It may depend on what kind of benefits are offered, but it is unlikely that he will suffer the stigma of being a traitor through Oltmere. It's more likely that someone from Oltmere is manipulating Gerhardt while appearing loyal to him.
(Or is it a case of Gerhardt's personal machinations?　(No...)
　The next possibility was if Gerhardt personally wanted the throne because of his ambition, but Zeref himself thought this was unlikely.
　This time the measure is deliberately using quite dangerous measures such as reckless tax collection and encouraging the commoners to revolt. It is certainly enough of a reason to get rid of Lupis, the current queen, and it would be convenient to establish a new dynasty, but there are high risks such as failure to put down the rebellion and invasion from other countries, and even if everything goes well and Gerhardt sits on the throne as the new king, all that will be left in his hands is the devastation and the loss of life. The only thing that mattered was the land that was in his possession.
(And no matter how much he advocated the cause of overthrowing the foolish king, it would be considered a usurpation if Gerhardt sat on the throne. (No matter how many times he advocates the cause of overthrowing the foolish king, if Gerhardt sits on the throne, it will be considered a usurpation.　It's impossible. It's more natural for that man to think that he's going to be the vizier or even the vizier, install Lady Ladine on the throne, and take control of the situation. But in that case, the possibility of Gerhardt's ploy cannot be ruled out... but in any case, the question remains as to why he provoked the rebellion at this time of year.　
　If Oltmere was the mastermind behind this, the best time to stage a revolt would be right before or right after the invasion of Zaruda. This is because if the revolt happens too early, there is a chance that it will be put down.
　And as far as Zeref could analyze from the information he knew, Oltmere's re-invasion of Zaruda should have had nearly another year to spare.
　Fear welled up in Zeref's heart, as if he was looking into the deepest depths of darkness.
(I need a companion. A companion to help me.)
　There is no doubt that my brother-in-law, Bergston, is a trustworthy man. It's true that he is a very smart person, and when it comes to military and political matters, he is truly a first-class person that the Roserian Kingdom is proud of. However, if it is asked if he is a perfect person, Zeref will shake his subtlety to the side.
　For all his pretensions of being a wise man, his brother-in-law, Bergston, has a good heart for people, and he's more than a little out of touch with the fields of intrigue and espionage.
　Of course, he's ten thousand times better than the other foolish nobles, but he's not quite perfect.
　However, what Zeref wants right now is the best person.
(How would that man move?)
　The image that pops into my mind is of a man who keeps silent on the far northern frontier.
　Not just a commoner, but a man who was anointed by a drifter adventurer to be a plane of the Roserian Kingdom. The man who placed a crown over the head of the outnumbered Lupis Roselianus.
　Even from the point of view of Zeref, who specializes in intrigue, that man is fearfully sharp.
　Yes, as good as himself.
Well, good. Well, we'll see about that...
　Zeref's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden impact he received. The carriage came to a sudden stop and the body was thrown forward.
'What happened ... hey!　What's going on?
He hit his head hard against the couch and became dazed.
　Suspicious of Gosha's refusal to answer his question, Zeref stepped out of the carriage, holding his hand to his forehead.
　He had cut his forehead, and his well-tailored clothes were dotted with red and black blood.
''Hey, what the hell...''
　Without thinking, Zeref was speechless at the scene in front of him.
　Two men collapsing on the goshentai. Countless arrows pierced deep into their chests.
''Ridiculous. What in the world is this........''
　Your men were trustworthy men who had worked for Zeref for many years and were quite skilled as both the head of an intelligence unit and a warrior.
　They were capable of lightly taking out twelve or twenty of the bandits by themselves.
　Even Zeref could not have anticipated that they, as such guards, would expose their cruel corpses without having time to put up any resistance.
''d*mn!　What's going on?
　Cursing spilled out unconsciously.　
　If there are too many guards, it's difficult to act quickly and also attract the attention of others. That's why I moved with just two bodyguards, but that decision backfired.
　The skill with which he easily killed the skilled guards suggests that he is clearly a person who has received some training.
(It wasn't a wildlife raid. It was an assassination attempt on my life, no doubt. The question is, who sent this?)
　Once again, countless arrows cut through the darkness and struck the Goshadai.
　Zeref quickly used the corpses of his guards as a shield to prevent them.

　If it was a bow and arrow, he could use the corpse as a shield to get by with this, but if he used a grammar technique, he couldn't use that option. Regardless of what attribute jutsu the opponent's grammarian is good at, he would easily blow up at least one of the carriages.
　Conversely, the fact that he used a bow and arrow in his first move suggests that there is no grammarian in the enemy.
(Unlike my brother-in-law, I'm not very good with a sword but.......it can't be helped. We can't just let them kill us without telling us.)
　Borrowing his sword from his guard's waist, Zeref stands up through the gap between the arrows and ducks into the shadow of the carriage.
　The road is surrounded by a dense forest. It's also late at night when it's not popular.
　The chances of a third party coming to help are close to zero.
　Moreover, Zeref is not a warrior by any means. I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to get the best out of him, but I'm going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to get the best out of him. I'm not going to be able to get the best out of him, but I'm going to be able to get the best out of him.
　No, what is more problematic is Zeref's own mind. No matter how much skill he had, if his mind to use it was atrophied by fear, it would mean nothing.
　But even so, there is only one way for Zeref to get out of this situation in one piece. There was no other way than to take out the assassin with his hands. No matter how unlikely that was.
　But while he was making such a tragic decision, Zeref's fate had changed dramatically.
'Have you run out of arrows?'
　The arrows that were constantly being shot towards the carriage had stopped before long.
　Gently, Zeref peeked out from the shadow of the carriage and peered at his surroundings.
　Silence dominates the surroundings, and the hooting of an owl can be heard in the distance.
(Is it a trap?)　(But at this rate, we'll be jittery anyway...)
　Twice or thrice, Zeref slowly steps out of the shadow of the carriage, wary of his surroundings.
'Who's there!'
　The sound of rustling through the trees echoed from deep in the forest, and Zeref quickly pointed his unaccustomed sword at it.
　The tip of his sword trembled with tension.
　His throat was parched and his heart was beating like an early bell.
'Put your sword away, please. Count Zeref, please put your sword away. I've already taken care of the assassin here.''
　A figure comes out of the forest and speaks to Zeref in a calm voice.
'Don't be ridiculous!　Who the hell are you?
　A word too unexpected. But Zeref is not foolish enough to take it in stride.
　He grips the hilt of his sword once more with his sweaty hand tightly.
'Have you forgotten me?'
　The owner of the voice gradually approached. Eventually, Zeref couldn't help but be surprised to see his face lit up by the moonlight.