Published: August 10, 2026
"Ordered by Karstedt, who received the message through Judith's Ordnance, I went to secure the North Gate."
Once the victory banquet began, everyone started telling their own tales of valor here and there. Wilfried, who had gone out with the knights to suppress the diversion at the North Gate, was in high spirits. At first, there had been no plan to send Wilfried, an underage lord candidate, but because several knights had been moved to the West Gate and it was left understaffed, and because there was a possibility that only someone with high mana could capture the enemy, the order to deploy him had apparently been given.
"I was told to capture them if possible, so it was extremely difficult, you know."
Wilfried's eyes shone emerald as he spoke proudly of the battle, gesturing animatedly, while Roderich, half a step behind me, desperately took notes.
"It was troublesome, but I succeeded in capturing a big one. I captured Grauozam. Well? You must be surprised, yes?"
...There it is again, Grauozam.
The name Grauozam has come up so many times among the enemies who were defeated that I'm starting to lose track of how many there are. Was that the last one? Or are there still more? Just thinking about it makes me feel sick.
"I bound Grauozam with my stave..."
"Lord Wilfried, I have a question. With your stave, does that mean the diversion troops near the North Gate were not wearing silver cloaks?"
At Roderich's question, Wilfried tilted his head and thought for a moment.
"They were wearing them, but the reverse side was made of fabric that wasn't silver, and if it was fluttering, magic attacks still worked on them normally."
About half the attacks were blocked by grabbing the silver cloak and sweeping it aside, but apparently, once they were riding their Mounts, they couldn't make their whole bodies into silver-cloaked figures. It took time, but in the end, Wilfried seems to have succeeded in capturing Grauozam.
"When I brought him to the knights' order, I was surprised to hear that he was the third Grauozam to appear in Ehrenfest and be captured by me. Rosemine, you fought Grauozam as well, did you not? What sort of battle was it?"
"Please ask Hartmut over there about the details of the battle. He'll even tell you the little things I don't remember."
"...Mm, Hartmut."
Wilfried looked mildly displeased as he glanced at Hartmut. Hartmut was happily talking about the battle at Gerlach, and Clarissa was cheerfully speaking about the battle in Arensbach. Their stories were astonishingly detailed, absurdly full of references to gods, and so exaggerated that I could practically sigh on my own.
"If you dislike Hartmut, why don't you go speak with Lady Hannelore instead? In Arensbach, she fought Lanzenave soldiers while commanding three Volgenirs, and in the battle at Gerlach, she launched an attack that struck at Grauozam's opening. As expected of a Dunkelfelger lord candidate, I was deeply impressed by her conduct in battle."
While glancing toward Hannelore, who was talking with Mother, I urged Wilfried to go speak with Hannelore. At first, the conversation had begun with Mother, as my mother and as one noble of Ehrenfest, offering her thanks, but then the atmosphere changed when I presented as a token gift a new Ehrenfest book that I hadn't even read yet, "The Love Story of the Gods." Hannelore was moved to tears, her red eyes moistening, and began speaking about how much she loved the love stories written by Mother and the others, and Mother immediately slipped into interview mode.
"Shouldn't we separate Mother and Lady Hannelore soon?"
"Isn't it fine if they're enjoying themselves? Well, it may be a little uncomfortable for you..."
"A little is an understatement. By the way Lady Hannelore words it, I'm being treated like some sort of goddess of stories."
When Mother suddenly asked me to tell her what she should do in order to preserve her daughter's achievements as a story, Hannelore excitedly leaned forward and said, "Does what I talk about become a story?" Then she began talking from the moment we appeared at Dunkelfelger's national border gate onward. With exaggeration on par with Clarissa's, and with a love-filter on top of it.