Chapter 57
Zabiria had disappeared from view...
Thinking, So Zabiria really did leave, I gazed vaguely at the northern sky where Zabiria had vanished.
But it seemed I wasn't the only one. The knights around me were also spacing out, as if they were half-dreaming.
Oh, is today the Festival of Spacing Out? I wondered, my mind barely functioning, when Commander Zachary of the Sixth Order was the first to snap out of it and speak up.
"Get a grip, all of you!"
...As expected of a commander. He recovered quickly and was already calling out to his subordinates, who were still spacing out, to check on them.
As I watched him admiringly, Commander Zachary surveyed everyone and continued in his clear, carrying voice.
"It looks like the terror of the Black Dragon King has driven you all into a panic! Listen up! Most of what you think you saw and heard was a hallucination or an auditory hallucination caused by fear!!"
...Huh? What is Commander Zachary talking about?
I stared suspiciously at Commander Zachary, who had said something completely incomprehensible right after impressing me.
Wait, could Commander Zachary himself be the one who's confused and saying strange things?
But Commander Zachary, standing in front of me, had a perfectly serious expression. He looked back at me as if wondering whether I was all right.
"Especially you, Fia! You might think you're fine, but you're completely confused!!"
"Huh?! M-Me?"
Taken aback when he suddenly singled me out, I couldn't help asking in surprise.
...Huh? I'm confused? I thought I felt fine, but am I actually in a state of confusion?!
I smiled at the knights around me, hoping they'd agree there was no way that could be true, but every knight I made eye contact with solemnly nodded.
"Y-Yeah, Fia! You're confused... or at least, that's what I want to believe."
"R-Right! Fia, you're acting normal... or at least, that's what I don't want to believe."
The knights had lowered their voices toward the end, so I couldn't hear them clearly, but they had ultimately agreed with Commander Zachary, hadn't they?
"Huh? So I really am in an abnormal state?!"
The knights' words shocked me so much that I let out a strange, high-pitched cry.
Huh? Am I really acting strange? ...W-What should I do to get back to normal?!
I looked at Commander Zachary in distress, but he was already speaking to the knights.
"Everyone! I'll sort out what's real and what's an illusion for you later. Until then, don't say a word about anything you think you saw or heard. Understood?!"
"Understood!!"
All the knights except me answered in unison.
...H-Huh? I was the only one who answered late. Am I really in an abnormal state?!
...W-What should I do?
While I turned pale, Commander Zachary looked at the knights with satisfaction, then grew serious and began issuing orders.
"All right! The three of you on the right, go into the forest and look for the Saint! Half of the rest, come with me and join the Zachary unit. The other half, go with Quentin and join the Gidion unit! Both units are likely fighting monsters, so stay alert!!"
Commander Zachary gave me a brief order to "Follow me!" and headed east, toward the subordinates we'd left behind earlier.
I was concerned about being in an abnormal state, but after running behind Commander Zachary for a few minutes, we rejoined the knights of the Zachary unit at the place where we'd parted ways.
Even from a distance, I couldn't see any monsters nearby. The knights were standing around in scattered groups, staring blankly at the sky.
...H-Huh? Didn't I just see this exact same thing?
Is today really the Festival of Spacing Out?
As I wondered that, the acting captain noticed Commander Zachary and hurried over.
"C-Commander Zachary! Thank you for coming back to rescue us!"
"Yeah, that was the plan, but... looks like it was all over by the time we got here."
As he spoke, Commander Zachary glanced around.
"Is everyone all right?"
"Yes, sir! We have some wounded, but everyone is safe!"
At that, Commander Zachary let out a small sigh of relief.
"What about the monsters? There don't seem to be enough bodies..."
Looking around, I saw only one dead Flowerhorn Deer. There was no sign of any other monsters.
"The Black Dragon King appeared in the western sky a little while ago! ...It was so overwhelming that both we and the monsters stopped fighting and watched the battle in the sky. But, haha, the moment the Blue Dragon was defeated, the monsters fled into the forest as fast as they could."
"Ah... So the fight in the sky was visible from here? If you saw that, it's no wonder they ran."
The acting captain stared at Commander Zachary as if something had just occurred to him.
"C-Commander Zachary, I'm so glad you made it back safely! When I saw the Blue Dragon take to the sky, I was worried we'd have to face two such vicious monsters at once!"
"Yeah..."
"Then the Black Dragon King appeared in the sky, and... Ah, right! You faced the Black Dragon King, didn't you, Commander Zachary?! Up close! ...I-I'm so glad you made it back safely!"
The acting captain happily took both of Commander Zachary's hands and shook them up and down.
Then, still clasping Commander Zachary's hands, the acting captain began to tremble.
"T-That was the 'Black Terror' itself. Overwhelming—the very embodiment of a monster's power. When I saw the Black Dragon King take down the Blue Dragon, honestly, all I could imagine was a future where we were wiped out... We could only stand there, staring blankly at the Black Dragon King. And yet the Black Dragon King didn't even look at us before flying off to the north. I suppose we were spared by the Black Dragon King's whim..."
"...Yeah, that's right."
After agreeing with the acting captain, Commander Zachary seemed to pull himself together and continued.
"Listen up! The Black Dragon made a huge spectacle of itself, so monsters probably won't come near us for a while, but there's no predicting how they'll behave today. We don't know what might happen, so get out of the forest as quickly as you can. Also, some details of this battle, including the Black Dragon, are classified. Keep everyone under orders not to speak about it until I say otherwise. Understood?!"
"Understood, sir!"
Turning his back on his nodding subordinates, Commander Zachary started moving farther east.
"With the Black Dragon making such a scene, the monsters facing the Gidion unit have probably run off, too."
And sure enough, before we could rejoin the Gidion unit, we ran into Commander Quentin and the others coming back our way.
"Zachary! Everyone in the Gidion unit is safe. It seems the monsters fled of their own accord at the sight of the Black Dragon King-sama's noble figure. To scatter the monsters just by appearing in the distance—truly, the Black Dragon King-sama is magnificent!"
"...........................................................I see."
Commander Zachary looked dejected for an instant, but accepted it without saying anything to the contrary.
Y-You're amazing, Commander Zachary! You're number one when it comes to being magnanimous!
"All right, we're getting out of the forest, too!"
After calling out firmly, Commander Zachary hunched his broad shoulders and sighed with genuine disappointment.
"Sigh... I brought enough supplies to camp for a week, and we won't even be here for an hour... This is worse than a picnic."
About ten minutes later, we reached the entrance to the forest.
"All right, split up by unit and eat lunch! After lunch, I have something to discuss with each unit!"
At Commander Zachary's loud order, the knights all sprang into action.
I started toward the knights of the Zachary unit, the group I'd originally been with, intending to help out, but Commander Zachary grabbed me by the collar.
I turned around in surprise, and Commander Zachary gave me a crooked smile.
"You're coming with us. Lunch with Quentin, me, and you."
"Huh?"
...Oh? Something dark is coming off Commander Zachary.
"H-Hey, this ominous aura isn't like you at all, Commander Zachary, the very model of fairness and integrity. A-And having lunch with two commanders is too much for me. P-Please let go. Give me a pass. There's something I want to think about by myself, in peace."
I wanted to take my time thinking about Zabiria leaving, and when Zabiria might come back, and things like that.
But when Commander Zachary heard me, he nodded with a serious expression that was obviously forced.
"I see. Well, I'm a commander. I've lived longer than you and have more experience. Come on, tell me about these troubles of yours."
As he spoke, he dragged me along.
"H-Hey, you're being forceful, Commander Zachary..."
As he dragged me away, I made eye contact with a few knights and looked at them hopefully, wishing they'd help me, but all they did was give me wry smiles and wave.
"Damn... You creatures of the military hierarchy."
He dragged me to a secluded spot, where I was made to sit on the ground alongside Commander Quentin.
"All right, Fia, Quentin. You two definitely have things to talk to me about! I'll listen to everything, for as long as you like, so speak up!!"
Commander Zachary plopped down on the ground, folded his arms, and looked back and forth between Commander Quentin and me.
I glanced at him. He had an expression as hard as stone, as if he'd made up his mind about something.
...Ah, I know this atmosphere! I can practically feel an interrogation coming on.
And Commander Zachary's the one conducting it, is he?
Meanwhile, my only ally is Commander Quentin...
Right. In terms of numbers, we're two against one, so we're overwhelmingly favored.
But why is it...
...that I can only see a future where we suffer a crushing defeat?