Chapter 238
I rarely find myself thinking, "That guy is insanely strong."
Probably only SS-rank adventurers, people like Erna, and other exceptional figures among the continent's best. Or perhaps one of the monsters that casually surpass the limits of humanity.
It had been a long time since I'd thought that about someone.
Arida was that strong as she fought at the throne room's door. She was slaughtering them as though to say there was no need for her to enter the throne room.
The enemies trying to reach the throne room were an elite force.
There were more than a hundred of them. Most lay dead in front of the door.
Arida had cut them down.
"Guh! All troops, prepare to charge! We'll break through in one push!!"
The man who appeared to be their commander rallied them.
Even so, the commander had lost an arm.
No, perhaps I should say he'd gotten off with only one arm lost.
About ten men remained, but not one of them was uninjured.
They had been lucky enough to escape Arida's blade. Even so, they recklessly tried to break through her defenses in a mass charge.
The throne room door was large. Even so, ten adults couldn't charge through it at once.
Inevitably, they were divided between the front and the rear.
That played right into Arida's hands.
A clear ringing sound echoed through the corridor.
It was a feat of speed.
Arida had severed every head among the charging soldiers without missing a single one.
The only survivor was the commander.
"That's impossible... My unit, after all that training..."
"If a trained unit could defeat an Imperial Guard knight, His Majesty the Emperor wouldn't place such value on Imperial Guard knights."
"Damn it... Why do you serve the emperor when you possess that much power? Don't you hate him?! The emperor who killed your brother!!"
It was a desperate, almost reckless attempt at persuasion.
Yet those words also struck precisely at the vulnerable spot in Arida's heart.
Arida had a reason to resent the imperial family.
It was something I'd worried about too. After all, I was directly involved.
But.
"Your brother merely paid for his actions with his own life. It wasn't His Majesty's fault. If anyone bears responsibility... it is we, his family, who failed to teach him the harshness of the world. I deeply regret the trouble we caused His Majesty."
"Is your family not important to you?!"
"My family is important to me. However, after becoming commander of the Imperial Guard, I spent much of my time at His Majesty's side. I came to know how deeply my father's friend, whom I had known since childhood, cared for the Empire and how hard he worked for it. Every day, His Majesty the Emperor worked through the documents pouring in from across the Empire without sparing time to sleep, while trying to address his people's concerns. My brother, meanwhile, relied on our family's reputation and rampaged as he pleased. Isn't it obvious whom I should support?"
After saying that, Arida beheaded the commander.
Then she looked toward us, who had been watching from around the corner.
"――I'm glad to see you're safe, Prince Rupert."
After confirming that Rupert was hiding behind me with only his face showing, Arida smiled gently.
But Rupert was visibly cowed.
Countless corpses were piled up around Arida, and a sea of blood had formed there.
Realizing this, Arida apologized and used wind magic to blow the corpses and blood to the side of the corridor.
"It's a little cleaner now. Your Highness, this way."
"Uh, y-yeah..."
"Was it Count Jimmel who protected Prince Rupert? You have my gratitude."
"No, I only acted as instructed. It was thanks to instructions from the strategist Grau and Prince Arnold that I was able to bring him this far."
Alois said that and bowed his head.
However, Alois looked as though he feared he had said something he shouldn't have.
He probably thought mentioning my name had been a mistake.
I had told the enemy that, but there was no way she could have favorable feelings toward Leo and me, since we were responsible for her brother's death.
However, Arida reacted in a way I hadn't expected.
"I see. So Prince Arnold was involved. Was His Highness also the one who brought you into the castle? Grau, the wandering strategist who repelled ten thousand Imperial soldiers."
"Indeed. Though I intended to help Alois even without being asked."
"...Given the situation, I probably shouldn't press you about your identity."
"I'd appreciate that."
"At least, if you refrained from using illusion magic, I wouldn't have to suspect you."
"You want me to show my true face? Now that I've made an enemy of the Imperial Army, I hope you'll allow me this much as a safety precaution."
After hearing my words, Arida quietly nodded.
She didn't seem inclined to question me any further.
Then Arida invited Rupert and the others into the throne room.
But I remained where I was.
"What about Grau? Aren't you coming?"
Seeing that I wasn't entering the throne room, Rupert tilted his head in confusion.
I nodded at him.
"Yeah. I still have something to do."
"B-but there should be a lot of soldiers downstairs by now...! You said so, Grau!"
"That's right. There are many enemies. It would certainly be safer for you to remain here. However, many people who need help are still left behind. Prince Arnold intends to get everyone who could be taken hostage out of the castle. It's a good plan, but he won't be able to carry it out alone."
"Grau..."
Rupert gazed at me worriedly.
Anxiety showed in his eyes.
But after taking a deep breath, Rupert spoke.
"...Brother Arnold is still in the castle, of course, and so is Sister Christa. Could you... please?"
"Understood."
Rupert's face lit up at my answer.
He had grown during that short time.
He had learned to think not only of himself but of Christa as well.
I didn't think growing up in circumstances like these was a good thing, but I was still happy to see my little brother grow.
"Alois. I'm entrusting Prince Rupert to you."
"Yes. You take care too, Grau."
"You too. Then, Commander of the Imperial Guard, I shall take my leave."
"Shall I assign one of my men to you?"
I gave a wry smile at Arida's offer.
Surely she intended to keep tabs on me rather than provide backup.
So I shook my head.
"I'll pass. With one of your men accompanying me, I'd stand out."
"You stand out in that outfit too, don't you?"
"I've accounted for that. Don't worry."
When I said that, Arida said nothing.
She must have decided there was no point in forcing one of her subordinates on me.
Arida probably didn't have troops to spare either.
"――As the commander of the Imperial Guard, I'm deeply ashamed to ask this of you, but please take care of the imperial family. I cannot leave this place."
"You don't need to ask. As a wandering strategist, I despise rebellions. It's the most reprehensible act on a battlefield. As someone who lives on the battlefield, I can't stand people who believe success lies at the end of betrayal. I have to teach them what a traitor's end truly looks like, and how miserable it is."
With that, I left the throne room.
Then I activated detection magic for just an instant. The closest were Christa, Brother Trau, and the others.
It appeared they had failed to meet up with my eldest brother's aides, but Christa and the others were still safe.
The Imperial Army didn't seem to have noticed Christa and the others in the room.
Or rather, they hadn't noticed the room itself.
"It's ironic that, while the army is betraying its own side, children who've only known each other for a few days are joining hands."
At Christa's side was Wendy, an elven dignitary.
Christa must have brought Wendy out of the room. That threw off their plans, which was why they hadn't managed to meet up with my eldest brother's aides.
Even so, Wendy was using illusion magic to divert the Imperial Army's attention.
They should be able to hold out until I got there.
There was only one thing I was worried about.
"I wonder if Brother Trau's all right... in terms of his sanity."
With Rita there beside Christa too...
For Brother Trau, it must have been a situation like heaven.
I just hoped he hadn't gone insane from happiness.
Well, he was sensible in his own way, and he probably wouldn't do anything stupid in this tense situation. Surely. Probably. I wanted to believe that was the case.
...I suppose I should hurry.
So I muttered and opened a teleportation gate.