Published: January 15, 2026
Apollo lifted his finger from the map and turned to look at me, unsure of how to respond. I let out a soft breathy laugh and pointed at the capital of the Shelvia Confederation before speaking.
“It seems like the Kingdom of Yelinetta and the Shelvia Confederation have joined forces to fight against the Kingdom of Scuderia. Normally, we’d expect some information to leak from the Marquis Fertio family, but there’s been nothing. That’s what we were talking about.”
Without explicitly calling it betrayal, I answered like that. Til gave a half-hearted reply and looked down at the map again.
“I see... oh, I baked some cookies as a snack. Freshly baked ones taste really good.”
Til had been nodding seriously up to that point, but apparently it hadn’t sparked much interest, and soon the conversation shifted to the topic of sweets.
Apollo, Arte, and Kamushin, who had all been tense, couldn’t help but laugh. Seeing how such a small thing had lightened the mood, I thought it was very typical of Til and turned back to Apollo.
“Well then, Apollo-san, what do you think? Did my father, Marquis Jarpa, betray us? Or is it another noble from his faction that’s betraying us, causing us to fall so far behind in this information warfare?”
Casually, as if chatting, I asked Apollo what he thought. He sighed deeply, shaking his head from side to side.
“...I’m sorry, but I don’t know. If what we fear is true and information is being blocked within the Fertio Marquisate, then only someone with the influence of the head of the Marquis Fertio family could completely suppress such critical information. However, during the previous Scudetto defensive battle, Marquis Fertio suffered significant damage but still fought until the end. Moreover, they successfully recaptured Scudetto and took royalty from the Kingdom of Yelinetta prisoner. If Marquis Jarpa were siding with Yelinetta, it wouldn’t make sense for him not to interfere in some way.”
“In other words, only the head of the Fertio family could impose such an information blockade, but Marquis Jarpa’s actions don’t suggest he’s a traitor. I think that’s certain. After all, I personally saw him completely neutralize Yelinetta’s new weapons. Also, the prince Unimog we captured earlier gave up information very easily, so we had a good grasp of Yelinetta’s strategy during the Scudetto offensive. So, the decision to cooperate with the Shelvia Confederation must have been made only recently, and even if the information got through, not much time has passed.”
Apollo gave his assessment, carefully leaving uncertain parts vague. He nodded in understanding. Kamushin, on the other hand, looked extremely troubled as he glared at the map, so I decided to simplify the conclusion.
I pointed to the Kingdom of Yelinetta and began.
“This is only speculation, but if we organize the current situation... Yelinetta, armed with the Black Orbs and cannons, initially intended to occupy the Kingdom of Scuderia alone. When that didn’t go as planned, they had to suddenly change their strategy. As a result, to definitely defeat Scuderia, they coerced the Shelvia Confederation into cooperating. The eastern faction, which has always leaned toward Yelinetta, agreed at once. Since the current Shelvia Confederation leadership is from the east, the country’s policy is set to support Yelinetta.”
As I spoke, I slid my finger along the map from Yelinetta across the Shelvia Confederation and finally to the Fertio Marquisate.
“Meanwhile, the western faction, originally pro-Scuderia, resisted and chose to secretly communicate with Marquis Fertio, considering the possibility of a Scuderia victory. Of course, they can’t openly oppose the country’s policy or invade Yelinetta alongside Scuderia, so the best they can do is leak information about Yelinetta’s movements. That makes it suspicious that Marquis Fertio didn’t report this information to our King.”
Looking around, I saw everyone listening with serious expressions. I wasn’t sure if they fully understood, but even Til was drinking tea with a solemn look. Well, the fact that she was drinking tea made me think she might only be half-listening, but she definitely gave off a “I’m serious” vibe, which is unusual for her.