Chapter 242
Let's go back a little in time.
A little before the Celestial Sphere was deployed.
Fiene and Mia had infiltrated the rear palace, and they were surprised to find that a large number of soldiers had already entered it.
They hid in a room and watched the soldiers.
"There are quite a lot of them..."
"Did they aim to seize control of the rear palace first? Even so, there don't seem to be quite enough of them."
Fiene quietly analyzed the enemy's intentions.
First, grasp the situation, then analyze it. That was always what Al did.
The rear palace was large. In contrast, the number of soldiers who had infiltrated it was strangely limited.
If they had moved to secure the rear palace's consorts first, they should have deployed more troops. But that was not the case.
Then their objective lay elsewhere.
What was that objective?
Their target was not the rear palace as a whole. It was a more limited location.
"Securing Mitsuba-sama? If so, they're heading in the wrong direction."
The place the soldiers were heading toward—and the place where they were concentrating—was opposite Mitsuba's room.
From that, Fiene arrived at one conclusion.
"Rescuing someone who's been trapped seems the most likely possibility."
"Someone who's been trapped?"
"Zuzan-sama, the Fifth Consort, and Princess Zandra, the Second Princess. Imperial blood is needed to activate the Celestial Sphere. Prince Gordon isn't the type to remain in the castle and issue orders. Given his personality, he'll surely go directly before His Majesty the Emperor. If so, someone from the imperial family is needed to activate the Celestial Sphere inside the castle... That's why they've moved to free Princess Zandra and the others. I think that's probably close to the truth."
They might also move after activating the Celestial Sphere, but having someone besides Gordon cooperate with them would make things easier.
With that in mind, Fiene told Mia what they would do next.
"If securing each consort isn't their objective, we still have time. Let's head straight to Mitsuba-sama."
"Understood. What about the other consorts?"
"There are five consorts in the rear palace, from the Third Consort-sama through the Seventh Consort-sama. The Fourth Consort-sama and Fifth Consort-sama are on the enemy's side. The Sixth Consort-sama and Seventh Consort-sama are our allies. The Third Consort-sama is the one whose actions we can't predict."
They left the room and headed straight for Mitsuba's room.
They walked openly through the corridor, but Fiene judged that they would be fine since they were heading in the opposite direction from the soldiers.
More importantly, Mia was with her if they encountered the enemy.
They did not want to move cautiously and lose time. If they could join Mitsuba-sama before the enemy made a move, escaping would become much easier.
"The Third Consort-sama... She's the mother of the Second Prince, isn't she?"
"Yes. Since she is the mother of the prince Al-sama is most wary of, I don't think she'll do nothing in this situation."
Erich's mother.
That alone made her someone who unquestionably warranted the utmost caution.
Would she use this opportunity to do something, or had she already escaped as quickly as possible?
Fiene vaguely felt that she must be making some kind of move, but she could not pinpoint exactly what it might be.
"I'm sure Al-sama could predict it precisely, but..."
"Fiene-sama, you're amazing! I wouldn't have the faintest idea!"
"Amazing? Then I suppose I had a good example to follow. Before coming to the Imperial Capital, I was bad at thinking things through. I'm still not good at it, though."
Everything Fiene did was an imitation of Al.
As the person closest to him, Fiene could observe Al, her model, and imitate him. However, even learning by observation had its limits.
Al had deceived others since childhood and used his mind in many different ways, while Fiene had lived peacefully in her territory. Their levels of experience were different.
No matter how carefully she watched him, she could not imitate him perfectly.
Analyzing the enemy's objective and reading it precisely, as Al did, was beyond Fiene's abilities.
Although it discouraged her, Fiene did not see it as a problem.
That was merely an added bonus. Of course, it was better to be able to do it, but nothing would change if she could not.
People had different aptitudes. Fiene understood that now.
"I'm bad at thinking too! I always think how much easier things would be if I could think things through better!"
"Human beings are incomplete creatures. Because we aren't perfect, we each have things we're good and bad at. But that's all right. People are meant to make up for one another."
That was why Al supported Leo.
If people were meant to make up for one another, then the person who made others want to help him was the one suited to be king.
An emperor did not have to be perfect. It was enough if the people around him supported him.
If people wanted to support him and help him, that was enough.
That was Al's way of thinking, and the reason Leo was being put forward for the throne.
But the two of them were twins.
Their directions differed, but their qualities were remarkably similar.
Both Leo and Al possessed qualities that made others want to support them.
People were drawn to Leo because he strove to reach greater heights, and to Al because he kept striving despite his shortcomings.
Those around them were drawn in.
Those around Leo worked to raise him higher, while those around Al worked to lift him up. Which they preferred ultimately came down to personal taste.
Yet there was one decisive difference between them.
Whether they wanted to become emperor. That was the first, and indispensable, condition for becoming Emperor.
Leo chose to become emperor, while Al chose to support Leo.
If circumstances had been different, there could have been a different timeline in which their roles were reversed. Even so, those brothers could have made either version work.
But in this world, Al had chosen the role of supporter.
So Fiene thought it was her role to stand beside Al and support him.
And so—
"That is precisely why—I can't allow someone who relies on no one but their own strength to become Emperor. Will you lend me your strength, Mia-san?"
"You ask me that now? I've already entrusted this bow to you."
Hearing Mia's answer, Fiene smiled.
Mia then quietly addressed Fiene.
"Run. I'll take care of this in no time."
With that, Mia readied her bow and turned to face the rear.
The soldiers had already reached them.
Fiene left the soldiers to Mia and hurried toward Mitsuba's room.
When she reached Mitsuba's room, Fiene rushed inside.
"Mitsuba-sama! Are you all right!?"
"Fiene-san!? Run!"
Jianna was in Mitsuba's room as well.
But they were not the only ones there.
Armed maids and female guards were mixed together, some enemies and some allies.
Some of the maids and female guards were protecting Mitsuba-sama and Jianna, while others were trying to kill them.
The room had become a battlefield of sorts.
Assassins had already been sent against them.
If they wasted time here, the soldiers would arrive sooner or later.
They had to hurry.
Just then, one of the female guards noticed Fiene and came up beside her.
"It's the Azure Gull Princess! Capture her!"
"Fiene-san!"
Mitsuba's words echoed through the room.
But Fiene did nothing as the hands reached toward her.
She knew that resisting would be pointless.
And she also understood that there was no need to resist.
"Please, Mia-san."
"Leave it to me!"
Mia emerged from behind Fiene and kicked away the female guard who had reached for her.
The kick sent the female guard flying all the way to the wall.
For a moment, everyone's attention turned to Mia.
"You're all dressed alike, so it's hard to tell you apart. If you're on Fiene-sama's side, drop your weapons. Otherwise, I'll blast all of you away at once!"
Mia issued that warning as she readied her bow.
Powerful magic radiated from it.
Sensing danger, Mitsuba immediately gave an order.
"Drop your weapons!"
At Mitsuba's words, the maids and female guards protecting Mitsuba-sama and Jianna immediately dropped their weapons and rushed to stand beside them.
The remaining enemy maids and female guards pointed their weapons at Mia, but they had no chance to use them.
"Have you ever seen an arrow that splits apart?"
With that, Mia fired a magical arrow that shone with dazzling light.
It scattered into countless projectiles, blasting every enemy present against the wall and incapacitating them all.