Published: August 10, 2026
"And besides, no matter what kind of face the one who comes out of there has, it won't change what I am about to do."
While answering Leonore, I stared intently at Gervasio on the altar. If Gervasio became Zent like this, then not only would I, who had stolen the foundation of Arensbach that connected to lanzenave, be in dire straits, but so too would Ehrenfest's position after bringing down Ferdinand, who had been slated for death from the planning stage, and Georgine, with whom he had probably been on familiar terms.
...I think it's best to assume there's no room for negotiation.
I didn't think the people of lanzenave, who had been eliminating obstacles with Instant Death Poison, would treat us gently or sweetly. The foundation of Arensbach would surely be taken by Gervasio's people with everything they had. They had no intention of leaving me alone after I had scattered the lanzenave soldiers, destroyed their ships, and rescued the nobles of Arensbach.
At the very least, if it were me, and my companions who came with me had been defeated, the ships needed to return home had been destroyed, our detached palace base had been attacked, and all of my companions had been captured, I would never say, "Well, you have your circumstances too, so even if people from my homeland were killed or captured, it can't be helped."
"Indeed, the enemy's appearance doesn't matter. But how are we supposed to capture that man? As long as Raobroot is in front of the altar, we need either to defeat Raobroot and the Central Knights Order, or have an attack that can reach the topmost level. If we had a few more people, or if we could communicate with those further away..."
Leonore watched the movements of the Central Knights Order, her gaze darting here and there. At that moment, something tapped against my hand. Looking down, I saw a tiny paper airplane about five centimeters long stuck to my hand. One look at that unnatural sight told me it was made from magic paper, and that it was a message for me.
Keeping an eye on my surroundings, I unfolded the paper airplane. Inside was Ferdinand's handwriting, hastily scrawled: "Draw attention with Gultrishite and stacking of blessings. Use Feadrenna to suppress interference around you. We are already prepared."
...So in other words, while I'm drawing attention, they're going to do something, right?
I shifted the letter slightly so my guard knights could see it too. Leonore gave a quick glance toward the area where Ferdinand and the others were, and Hartmut and Clarissa reached for the leather pouch containing the magic paper.
"Gultrishite!"
Following Ferdinand's instructions, I raised my right hand and brought out The Book of Mestionora.
"Wha—!? Gultrishite!?"
"Look closely! That's not it! The real Gultrishite isn't that size! The one Lord Gervasio has is the real thing!"
"What are you saying!? Lady Rosemine's Gultrishite is the real one! It was able to open and close the national border gate!"
Ignoring the Central Knights Order, who cried out in surprise, and the Dunkelfelger knights who insisted that my Sacred Scripture was the real one, I began the stacking of blessings I had just stolen.
God of valor angrief, god of hunting shuragetsuul, goddess of the swift wind steifeleise, goddess of endurance dultzetsen, goddess of fortune gryfeesharn... As I called upon the names of the gods one after another and prayed, columns of noble color rose each time, and blessing light poured down upon my allies.
"Lady Rosemine, who receives countless blessings from the gods, is the embodiment of Mestionora who grants Gultrishite to the next Zent. Choosing a Zent from the people of Jurgenschmidt and bestowing Gultrishite upon them is Lady Rosemine's mission. There is no need to make the lanzenave invader Zent."
...Hartmut!
I couldn't stop praying halfway through, and because I failed to cover Hartmut's mouth as he puffed out his chest proudly, we succeeded in drawing everyone's attention in the auditorium. Raobroot's murderous gaze was gathered just as surely.