Dawn

Before dawn.

I had gathered Mia, Alois, and Fine in my room.

"Sorry to call you here so early."

"Uuuu... I'm finally free from my duties as a maid..."

"You must be exhausted, Mia-san."

"I really am exhausted! That head maid! She's strict as a demon!"

Mia, still dressed in her maid uniform, looked close to tears.

Clinging to Fine for comfort, she continued listing all the things the head maid had done to her.

"The bed sheets weren't properly made, the cleaning wasn't thorough enough, and so on! Nobody cares about details that tiny!"

"She's a maid in the castle. Of course she'll demand attention to detail."

"You knew that and sent me there anyway, didn't you!? My heart was in tatters before the battle even began!"

"Even if your heart's in tatters, a contract is a contract. I'm paying you, so get to work."

"There's another demon here!? If the head maid's a demon, then the prince is a demon too! Waaah! Fine-sama!"

Saying that, Mia began bawling in Fine's arms.

Fine consoled Mia with a wry smile.

This wasn't getting us anywhere.

Just as I was thinking that, Alois spoke up.

"Your Highness, am I to serve as your guard?"

Though he was only in his early teens, Alois was more mature than Mia.

The fact that he was confirming what he should do next meant he was already looking ahead.

"I considered that, but I want you to guard Tenth Prince Rupert."

"I'm to guard the Tenth Prince? We haven't met before, though..."

"Krista and Rupert aren't serving as hosts, and they're still children. Father won't have them watch the martial arts tournament at the arena. That means they'll remain here in the castle, but if Gordon starts a rebellion, taking control of the castle will be his first priority. Unless we ensure their safety, they'll be taken hostage."

"I understand why. Will Prince Arnold be guarding Princess Krista?"

"No. Fourth Prince Traugott will be responsible for Krista's protection."

When I told him that, Alois showed a faintly worried expression.

His face seemed to ask, Is Trau-nii-san really going to be all right?

Well, that was understandable given his reputation.

Just as I was thinking that, Mia suddenly began making a fuss as though she'd remembered something.

"The Fourth Prince!? You mean that huge prince!?"

"Hmm? Have you met him?"

"It's not as though we've met! That prince! When I walked past him, he said I was too old! I'm still young and vibrant!"

"His tastes are rather unusual. Still, you can rest easy knowing he has ability, at least."

"If that's what you say, Your Highness, then I have nothing more to say. But... what are you planning to do about your own guard?"

I smiled wryly at Alois's question.

Naturally, he had to ask.

If the castle became a battlefield, what would powerless me do?

Mia was guarding Fine, Trau-nii-san was guarding Krista, and Alois was guarding Rupert.

Everyone had been assigned a role.

"I'll do the work of two!"

"I'm not expecting you to do that much."

"Gasp!?"

I immediately responded to Mia's spirited declaration.

Mia, shot down in an instant, looked utterly shocked.

Fine spoke gently to Mia.

"It means you don't have to push yourself alone."

"That isn't how it sounded!"

"Al-sama isn't very good with words. Don't worry. Al-sama has a proper guard. Right?"

Fine guided the conversation in that direction.

I nodded at her words.

Then someone appeared at the door to the room.

"No need to worry—the prince's guard is my responsibility."

The person who appeared was a mysterious figure in a gray robe pulled up over his head. His face was hidden beneath the hood, making him look suspicious in every way.

However, the instant Alois saw him, his face lit up.

"Grau!"

"I'm glad to see you're well, Alois."

"Who is he?"

"Grau, a wandering military strategist. He's the man who defeated ten thousand Imperial troops alongside Alois."

"I heard there was a strategist at the battle of Gels, but... that was you?"

"Indeed."

"I don't trust him. Especially not if he uses illusions to appear in public."

That's Mia for you.

She had seen through the illusion of Grau I'd created at a glance.

"I apologize for the discourtesy. But I opposed the Imperial Army, so I have to be careful when revealing myself. I'm no nobleman, after all."

"...You really expect us to trust someone this gloomy-looking?"

"That's a harsh assessment."

"I have confidence in my ability to judge people! I know for certain this man has a twisted nature!"

Mia said that while pointing at Grau.

Naturally, her words were aimed at me as well, leaving me with nothing to do but smile wryly.

"M-Mia-san! Grau is trustworthy! I vouch for him!"

"You've been deceived, Alois-sama! I can tell! This man is definitely the kind of person who laughs at other people's misfortune!"

"W-Wait, Mia-san!?"

Alois, who knew that Grau was Silver, panicked. Fine, who knew that I was Silver, giggled at the situation.

Mia didn't seem capable of fully trusting Grau, but that could be dealt with.

"Mia, you don't have to trust Grau. It's enough for each of us to do what we have to do."

"So you trust him?"

"At the very least, I'm certain he won't side with Gordon. That's enough for me right now. We're short on manpower, but there are many things we need to protect."

"...Understood. But I still don't trust him, you know!?"

"Yeah. That's fine."

With that, I brought the discussion to a close.

"Today is the final day of the festival. A grand martial arts tournament will be held at the arena, drawing the attention of the entire Imperial Capital. Gordon will use that opportunity to seize control of the castle. First, we'll secure everyone's safety inside the castle. That's the first stage. Alois, protect Rupert. Trau-nii-san, protect Krista. Mia, protect Fine. I'm counting on each of you."

"As you command."

"Certainly!"

"Once that's done, we'll move on to the second stage. Gordon will activate the Celestial Sphere, the Imperial Capital's strongest defensive mechanism. Its center is this castle. It is deployed when the gems are set in place and activated by a member of the Imperial family. Once it is active, all contact with the outside will be cut off."

"That's right. That's why those among us who can move will go after the gems."

At Grau's words, Mia furrowed her brows.

However, she probably realized this was not the time to voice her complaints, which was why she kept silent.

"Exactly. Grau and I will hide within the castle while issuing orders. Activating the Celestial Sphere requires up to five gems of the highest purity, but it can be activated with as few as three. Gordon will probably be able to prepare three or four. Once activated, it will isolate the Imperial Capital."

"So if we steal one or two, he won't be able to activate it?"

"That's right. Though considering the forces outside, stealing one should be enough."

With Elna's Holy Sword, we should somehow be able to destroy a Celestial Sphere activated with three gems.

The highest-purity gems would shatter when the Celestial Sphere was destroyed, but there was no point worrying about that.

Gordon would be wary of that possibility too, so he probably wouldn't prepare only three.

Even the Holy Sword would have trouble if it were activated with four gems. That's why our work inside would be so important.

"Stealing a well-guarded gem from a castle under enemy control will be extremely difficult. I know full well that I'm asking you to do the impossible. You may have to risk your lives. We have few people we can rely on, while the enemy has many. Even so, this has to be done. I'm sorry, but—give me your lives."

It was a selfish request.

Even so, asking was all I could do.

Everyone nodded in response to my unreasonable request.

The sun began to illuminate the castle, and morning light streamed into the room.

"All right—then let the covert operation begin."

And so, our covert operation began.