Arc-7 Ch-24

 After confirming that Angie, who had begun breathing steadily in her sleep, would not wake up, I slipped out of the bed.

Even though her body had become that of a child, the fact that she did not break down crying from the confusion was probably because Angie was strong-willed.

Still, I could not possibly refuse Angie when she clung to me, unable to fully suppress her anxiety.

For now she was calm, but there was no telling what might happen from here. In the worst case, Angie might never return to normal and would have to live the rest of her life avoiding the eyes of others.

To prevent that, swift action was necessary.

"Haa."

A sigh escaped me involuntarily.

More than half a day had already passed since rescuing Angie. I had given several orders to the subordinates I had brought along under the pretext of escort duty, but honestly, we were overwhelmingly short on manpower.

As I left the room while carrying that anxiety, the elderly sergeant major waiting beside the door called out to me.

This sergeant major had served the Bartfort family continuously since before my father even inherited the barony—an old knight.

There was an age difference of about parent and child between us, and I still remembered being called "young master" and having my head patted often when I was little.

From the days when we were still a baronial house, he had participated in subjugating sky pirates who raided the territory, exterminating monsters, and after I was granted a peerage, he had distinguished himself even in the war against the former Fanoss Duchy.

Thanks to his abundant combat experience and ability to execute operations, he now held a position akin to a staff officer in the Bartfort feudal army.

It felt a little guilty to have kept the existence of the little sphere secret from someone with whom I had such a long, almost familial relationship.

In this incident, the fact that I was cooperating with a lost item had unavoidably been revealed to the children. All I could do now was pray that it would not have strange effects on their lives going forward.

"My lord, how is Madam's condition?"

"She is calm and sleeping now. Keep an eye out in case anything unusual happens."

"Yes, sir!"

After replying, he began giving instructions to the young guards standing by near the door.

The subordinates I had brought along on this mission totaled six—handpicked individuals who stood out even within the Bartfort feudal army.

The room next to the two we were occupying had been rented as a standby area for the guards on duty.

I could not immediately return to the room where the six children and the little sphere were waiting. To grasp not only our own situation but the overall state of the entire elven village, information was absolutely essential.

Normally, Angie—with her wisdom and strength—would be the one I could rely on, but in this particular case, I could not count on her.

After all, the current Angie had the body of a ten-year-old and gave the impression that even her mind had regressed to about that age.

It was simply impossible for her to fight, let alone come up with some clever plan.

In a situation like this, what I could rely on most was the experience I had accumulated so far and the trustworthy subordinates I had.

Suppressing the urge to return immediately to the room where the children were, I headed toward the room rented as the guards' standby area.

Inside one of the luxury rooms built for nobles and wealthy merchants, luggage that clearly did not belong in such a place was scattered messily.

Large bags and long cylindrical cases lay on the bed, and in the spacious room—large enough for a family to live in—several small wooden crates were stacked, creating a sense of oppression.

For now, I sat down on the empty sofa, and the sergeant major took the seat directly opposite me.

Under normal circumstances with subordinates present, such behavior might be reprimanded, but with no one watching, this much should be forgiven.

The sergeant major, who was practically like family, was one of the few people—aside from my actual family—whom I could open my heart to. In an extraordinary situation where my adult wife had turned into a little girl, having someone I could consult frankly was invaluable.

"Still, things have certainly taken a troublesome turn again."

"Sorry I couldn't help more. I was worried about Angie's condition."

"Please do not concern yourself. It would hardly do to have our lord performing manual labor."

"Thanks to all of you, we were able to bring in as many firearms as possible from storage on the airship. I am grateful."

"Those words are the highest honor for those who serve."

"Of course I will reward you all properly. This is an emergency, after all. If I were stingy with money here, Anige would scold me."

"…So you truly intend to go through with it?"

"If you have something to say, then say it. Right now my head is not working well, which is exactly why I created this opportunity to talk things over."

"Then, if I may speak plainly: you should leave this village immediately, taking Madam, the young master, and the young ladies with you."

"You are being far too blunt."

"If I do not speak this strongly, I fear my lord will push himself too far."

The sergeant major gave his advice in a tone that brooked no argument, and I myself acknowledged the correctness of his opinion.

If we considered the elven village an enemy territory, there was not a single advantage to remaining here.

The most tactically and strategically correct course would be to withdraw from enemy territory at once, regroup, and then either wait for reinforcements or devise another strategy.

I understood that in my head—I truly did—but there was a reason I could not choose that option.

First, we did not know any means of returning Angie to normal. Even if we did discover one, whether it could actually be carried out remained in doubt, which prevented us from leaving the elven village.

If the little sphere could restore Angie, I would have chosen to leave the village immediately.

But from our earlier conversation, that had been ruled out as impossible, leaving no other options.

While Angie was sleeping, the possibility had already been vaguely hinted at, but since it came from the person who had been shrunk herself, there was no room for doubt.

When I rescued Angie from that huge water tank inside the ruin, if only I had stayed calm and extracted information from the ruin at that time—but I myself had been too shaken, and there had not been nearly enough time.

As a result, we now faced the double effort of returning to the ruin. What a hassle.

"I spoke with Angie after she woke up. We need to explore the ruin once more to see if there is any way to return her to normal."

"Can we not wait for reinforcements."

"How much time has passed since I ordered the youngest guard to take a small craft to the capital?"

"Approximately half a day since my lord gave the order and the youngest was sent off in a small craft."

"Don't push him too hard. Even with rotating flights, it takes two days to reach the capital."

"I supplied him with sufficient provisions and told him that if he did not want to die from overwork, he had better reach the capital quickly."

"Young ones who collapse under that kind of pressure will be scary later."

"If he gives up and resents it, then his growth stops there. He would be unfit to serve my lord, the young master, or the young ladies."

It seemed the sergeant major had deliberately given the young man a harsh task to temper promising talent, while also considering the risk of injury in combat due to his lack of experience.

Messenger duty carried great danger, but successful completion brought admiration from those around him. Moreover, this was a mission to inform the capital of possible rebellion—the importance was immeasurable.

If special rewards were granted, the other young soldiers would likely become motivated as well. When it came to developing the next generation, I still lacked experience as a lord and often failed to pay sufficient attention to such matters.

"However, if we are calling for reinforcements, the Bartfort territory would arrive faster than the capital, and we could mobilize the feudal army immediately. If it concerns my lord's crisis, the entire army would rush to annihilate the enemy."

"If that were possible in the current kingdom, we would already be doing it. This incident was a job the royal family specifically requested of me. I have not been granted the authority to mobilize our army on my own discretion."

"How regrettable."

"More than ten years have passed since the war with the former Fanoss Duchy. Conflicts between nobles are prohibited, and even arbitrary expansion of feudal military forces is now restricted." 

Back when I was a child, it was not uncommon in the Holfort Kingdom for nobles to harass territories of rivals they disliked using their private armies, or for showy, duel-like disturbances to occur.

There were even cases where nobles, dissatisfied with a political marriage arranged between rival houses, mobilized large forces—including allies from their faction—and launched outright attacks.

Even in cases where factional disputes between nobles escalated to the point of nearly becoming civil war, if one piled up massive bribes to court nobles close to the royal family or corrupt bureaucrats, it would simply be overlooked.

Laws, ethics, and common sense held no sway. As long as one had lineage, power, and money, any tyranny could be justified. That was the general atmosphere in the Holfort Kingdom when I was young, and even now I did not want to recall that era.

There was no doubt that the Holfort Kingdom changed due to the war with the former Fanoss Duchy and the influence of Olivia-sama after she became a saint. Corrupt nobles and tyrannical noblewomen who had been protected by female-supremacy policies were punished one after another.

Laws and the military underwent careful institutional reforms. The number of noble house heads who suffered from one-sided political marriages decreased sharply, and as a result of the urgent demand for postwar reconstruction.

The Holfort Kingdom successfully recovered. Considering the scale of its territory and economy, it might even be experiencing the greatest prosperity in its history.

The problem was that because the country had become too proper, the procedures required to accomplish anything had increased, slowing down initial responses.

The confidential document I entrusted to the messenger contained information about this incident along with an urgent request for reinforcements as soon as possible.

However, the intelligence agency Jilk belonged to primarily handled espionage. While it possessed a certain amount of combat strength, it could not move arbitrarily without permission from higher-ups.

In Olivia-sama's case, if she used the authority of the temple to urge the dispatch of troops, the clergy would not be able to ignore it.

But at present, most of the citizens revered the saint as an existence that protected the nation. If she personally led soldiers, some people would inevitably form a negative impression of the saint.

Moreover, Olivia-sama had been one of the leaders of the reconciliation policy toward elves. If she acknowledged an elven rebellion, it could be interpreted as the saint having made a mistake, damaging the authority of both the saint and the temple.

"No matter how urgently the messenger travels, it will take two days to reach the capital, one day for deliberations, and another two days—or possibly more—for troop preparations and dispatch."

"I eagerly await the arrival of reinforcements. For now, I believe it would be best to concentrate solely on ensuring your own safety and that of your family."

"On the contrary, a delay in reinforcements might actually make things easier."

"…Pardon?"

"Never mind. It's political talk, so feel free to disregard it."

"Understood."

I did not know how he interpreted my words, but the sergeant major did not press the matter further.

The two things my insufficient brain was desperately trying to think through were how much effort and time it would take to persuade the ruin to restore Angie, and what conclusion would emerge if the little sphere made contact with the ruin.

First, persuading the ruin to return Angie to normal seemed relatively feasible.

From my conversation with it and the information obtained from Angie, it did not appear to immediately harbor thoughts of destroying the world.

If I politely and earnestly begged it to restore Angie, it might listen—at least, that was my subjective impression. The problem lay with the elves cooperating with the ruin. It was almost certain that the former village chief's faction, which plotted the expulsion of humans, was using the method that altered Angie's body to create monsters.

From the children's testimony, Angie had defeated two and let one escape. Frankly speaking—excluding physical ability, martial arts, and firearm handling—Angie was stronger than me.

The fire magic Angie had become able to use after our marriage possessed firepower sufficient to incinerate a human completely if she got serious.

Even so, there was no way to know how many monsters existed in that dungeon and ruin that could not be fatally wounded unless the highly lethal fire magic struck perfectly.

The elves would not simply stand by while someone approached the ruin. The fact that the corpses of the monsters Angie defeated had vanished was proof of that.

Dealing with so many hostile parties, it was unclear how much time would be needed just to restore Angie.

What could break through such a situation was the little sphere, but it too was a troublesome opponent in its own right.

Over more than a decade since our first encounter, we had cooperated to resolve behind-the-scenes matters in the Holfort Kingdom and investigated traces of the old humans not only domestically but also in the Alzer Republic and other locations.

A certain degree of trust had been built, yet the little sphere had still not completely abandoned the idea of destroying the current world.

From direct conversation with the ruin and adding information from Angie, the same could be said of it. The grudge and resentment from the old humans' side ran deeper than expected, and it would make ominous remarks at the slightest opening.

If the little sphere and the ruin joined forces, even the Saintess and the heroes would be powerless. The final day of the world might truly begin.

In such a situation, I had not wanted the Holfort Kingdom or the temple to become involved. At worst, their participation would only pour oil on the fire and worsen everything.

Due to having become small, Angie had lost both strength and wisdom and could not be relied upon this time, and I had not brought along enough troops to do anything about the elven village.

Everything was lacking. On top of that, time was limited.

"How is the situation in the village?"

"After the disturbance in the dungeon, there was visible agitation for about half a day, but currently both the town and the airport have calmed down."

"Has there been any change in the elves' movements?"

"The village where the current village chief resides remains quiet. No noticeable activity has been observed at the fortress built by the former village chief."

"It is quieter than expected. If the current village chief and the former one had fought over this opportunity, it would have made our work easier."

"We attempted to spread rumors to exploit the confusion, but it ended in failure. The main reason was likely insufficient personnel, which prevented effective information disruption."

"The large number of elves is also a factor. Even if we add airport workers and town officials to the tourists and adventurers, their total is still fewer than the elves on this floating island. They are not easily swayed by suspicious information, and elves already harbor strong distrust toward humans."

"Should we perhaps set a fire?"

"Stop that. A lord who tries to rescue his wife by burning down another territory would have far too bad a reputation."

I stopped the sergeant major out of concern for my reputation as a noble, but the real reason was different.

Using arson, bombings, or other destructive acts against key locations to create confusion in the enemy, then spreading false information or rumors to restrict their actions—or attacking during the gap when allies turned on each other.

Such information warfare and base occupation tactics were not used in airship cannon battles or armored combat.

Having actually visited the elven village and experienced it firsthand, I sensed that—even among the faction of the current village chief who sought reconciliation with humans, the faction of the present village chief, and the radical former village chief's group that advocated human expulsion—there was a certain distant, reserved atmosphere common to all.

In extreme terms, if an elf friendly toward humans and an unfamiliar elf met for the first time, the latter would probably be chosen.

Such tribal consciousness and sense of belonging to a group served as a strong bond for surviving harsh environments.

If we carelessly attacked in the current situation, even the elves who desired reconciliation with humans might turn against us.

Conversely, if it proved effective, I would not hesitate to use such dirty methods—which was exactly why I had earned the bad reputation of "villainous knight."

"It would be impossible to cause any further disturbance in the village now."

"If it had been up until last night after the monster attack in the dungeon, something might have been possible. As it stands, the fact that we were able to bring in weapons by taking advantage of the gap while calming tourists and adventurers was fortunate."

"The disturbance has calmed down faster than expected. I do not know whether they scattered money or silenced those making noise, but they have skillfully hushed it up. That is why reports are reaching the capital so late."

"With all due respect, I strongly advise withdrawal. At the very least, remaining in this location any longer would be a bad move."

"Angie got noticed during the rescue, so yeah. It probably wouldn't take much effort for them to figure out which inn we're staying at."

"During the daytime, with so many eyes around, it's unlikely they'll make a move."

"So if they're going to act, it'll be after nightfall."

"Yes. Therefore, I believe it would be best to move your entire family to the airship before sunset."

"I know. I know that."

I understood perfectly well that it was the most correct choice.

The problem was that the possibility of a sudden change in Angie's condition could not be completely ruled out.

Even the little sphere—which I had almost come to think of as omniscient and omnipotent—could not restore Angie's body.

Perhaps if we could provide old-human equipment or information, the little sphere might be able to do something, but if such lost-item-level objects could be obtained so easily, we would not be struggling like this.

Waiting for the arrival of reinforcements from the capital to suppress the elves would be the safest approach, but there were problems with that as well.

It was unclear how the Holfort royal family—which would lead the suppression force—and the temple—which would have to approve the dispatch of temple knights—would move.

If it became known that mass production of monsters was possible, the higher-ups might prioritize securing the ruin. Depending on the circumstances, they might even try incorporating the monsters into the military and begin invading other countries.

Of course, I believed Olivia-sama and the queen dowager were not the kind of people who would do that. But an organization does not function properly just because the person at the top is decent.

There are people skilled at paperwork, people excellent at on-site work, people who advocate caution, and just as many who push for radical action.

Somewhere along the line, I had become unable to fully trust others. Precisely because I carried the secret of cooperating with a lost item that possessed a will, I could not help but view human interactions with suspicion.

Humans tend to choose foolish actions when intoxicated by something. I knew well of a certain foolish king who, despite being capable, nearly destroyed his country because of his love for women and alcohol.

But lust and liquor are cute in comparison. What I believed truly bewitched humans most was power too vast to handle.

When I discovered the main body of the little sphere on that forgotten floating island during the immigrant ship incident, what I felt was a terror as though I were witnessing the end of the world.

If I had not had that nightmare of world destruction, I might have gleefully used that dangerous object to rise to the throne.

And the same could be said of the kingdom's upper echelons and the temple's dignitaries.

If someone obtained power capable of easily destroying a nation or seizing the throne, self-restraint would prove far too fragile a chain.

There was also the possibility they might use Angie as a hostage to force me to obey, offering to restore her in exchange for cooperation.

If Angie were treated as a valuable living specimen, I had no confidence I could suppress my rage.

The best possible outcome for me was "to restore Angie to normal and destroy the ruin before reinforcements arrive from the capital."

Adding the condition of "without involving my family" raised the difficulty to an absurd degree.

"If it comes down to it, we'll have no choice but to use that."

"That, sir?"

The sergeant major looked at me with a dubious expression. I know. Using that really is the absolute last resort.

I would prefer not to use it if possible, but there are times when recklessness is necessary to break through a situation.

The current situation was troublesome, but not yet the worst. It was only "for now"—I could not assert that the future would not become so, and that was painful.

I was just an ordinary man who loved his family and peace—why did I keep getting dragged into such troublesome messes?

Perhaps it was because my ancestors were connected to the kingdom's founder or the first saint, causing the problems of the Holfort Kingdom to fall upon me.

At the very least, I had to end it in my generation. Having my descendants suffer through this was far too much.

"Is it no good?"

"If it is my lord's command, we subordinates have no choice but to obey. However…"

"However?"

"It is dozens of times more extreme than the arson wr proposed earlier."

"Don't remind me."

"Ever since you were young master Leon, you have always been that way. With that calm-looking face, you calmly do things that shock everyone. When you ran away from home, it caused a huge uproar. Later, when we learned you had joined the military—and never imagined you would become a noble…"

"That's old talk."

"It still holds true now. Please exercise restraint for the sake of Madam and the young masters and ladies."

The sergeant major was speaking like a parent. In truth, since I was old enough to remember, he had been like an uncle to me.

It could not be helped. Troublesome problems kept getting dumped on me one after another.

Behind-the-scenes matters of the Holfort Kingdom, issues related to old-human lost items—things beyond my ability to handle.

I had intended to manage somehow, but ended up relying on Angie's strength, and in this incident the little sphere's existence had been exposed even to the children.

The more I tried to do everything alone, the more my hands became insufficient, leading to mistakes, and then—when the problems had swollen to their most troublesome point—they engulfed everyone and became a major crisis.

Even when I tried to keep my precious people safe and protect them from danger, the result was falling into hell together.

I really was an awkward, untalented man.

"However, leaving your family in this state will only expose them to needless danger. At the very least, you should move to a different location."

"A different location, huh…"

There could not possibly be any convenient hideout in the elven village…

As I thought that far, a certain place came to mind. The chance of success was not particularly high, but it had to be better than continuing to stay in this inn.

If it was going to fail anyway, doing what I could would at least let me accept the outcome. I had always been an awkward man who could only find a way forward by thinking with my limited mind and doing whatever was possible.

At the very least, it would be better than brooding in this room.

"I'm heading out right now. For the time being, I'll try following up on some connections."

"Please wait—my lord going personally?"

"We're short on manpower. Also, I don't want to alert the other side. Assign personnel to scout the fortress, guard the airship, and protect Angie and the children."

"When do you plan to return?"

"I'd like to say immediately, but I don't know how the talks will go. If anything happens while I'm gone, move the entire family to the airship. In the worst case, abandon me and escape the floating island."

"Understood."

After Angie became small, the fog that had been clouding my head finally cleared. As expected, scheming really did not suit me.

Results came only after acting relentlessly. All that remained was to charge forward toward that goal.

The moment after giving the order to the sergeant major, I was already running down the inn corridor.

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Authors Note

  ┻━⁠━━━━⁠━━⁠━━━⁠┻  

Leon, who had been agonizing, finally begins to take action. He will do his best for the sake of his wife and children.  

Because Angie has shrunk, he must now handle the role of brains alone, and even Luxion cannot be fully relied upon.  

The sergeant major makes his first appearance here, but a character somewhat like him existed in Part 4. (Back then the setting had not yet solidified.)  

The next chapter will feature a lot of violence—the villainous knight will show his true colors.

Additional note: At the requester's request, illustrations were kindly drawn by Ann-sama.  

Additionally, illustrations previously drawn by 9430-sama have been posted to pixiv. Thank you so much.

Ann-sama: Pixiv (Skin exposure warning)  

9430-sama: Pixiv 1 , Pixiv 2, Pixiv 3

I would appreciate any opinions or impressions, as they would encourage me for the future.