Is that... really true?
Queen Torimavia of Raksas's voice trembled.
At her question, Duke Kolvan nodded with a solemn expression.
According to the information we obtained, the giant who saved Caliban knelt before the marquis while addressing him with full honor.
......Good heavens.
Letting out a stunned breath, Torimavia recalled the Divine blood she had once seen from a great distance.
Grotesquely shaped, taking the form of an insect as large as a kingdom, it had been something Raksas could never have stopped with its own strength.
Even when the pirates allied with Raksas—among them Radan, who had surpassed the limits of humanity—joined the fight, it had made no difference.
The hope and despair she'd felt that day seemed to resurface.
Radan's display back then had been awe-inspiring.
The blue rift that split open across the entire sky, and the weapons pouring down from ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) it, had overwhelmed her.
And yet, even under Radan's full assault, the Divine blood had remained unharmed.
She had despaired.
If even that inhuman barrage could not bring it down, then Raksas had no hope.
But in that moment—
She saw it.
Something enormous rising from the sea.
With a single tentacle-like leg, it looked capable of crushing all of Raksas.
It dragged the floating insect straight into the depths.
And that was the end of it.
The gigantic Divine blood that she had believed would erase Raksas without a trace had vanished without a trace—at the hands of another Divine blood.
'And now... a being that stands above even that Divine blood... is Marquis Palatio?'
At that shocking realization, Torimavia forgot her decorum and parted her lips.
Yet she did not believe it to be false.
After all, it was Marquis Palatio.
Torimavia knew of him.
She knew the path he had walked until now.
His superhuman achievements that made it difficult to regard him as an ordinary human.
And the way he handled every incident as though he had known it would happen.
It felt stranger to believe Marquis Palatio was an ordinary human than anything else.
And if—
If one assumed that Marquis Palatio was in truth Divine blood hiding his identity—
'Everything falls into place...!'
Realizing that everything suddenly possessed plausible coherence, Torimavia recalled a piece of information she had once heard.
"Duke."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Last time, when a Divine blood in the form of a giant appeared in Caliban... wasn't there a rumor that it had come because Marquis Palatio sent it?"
"Yes. It was information the information guild demanded a rather high price for. Though by now, I imagine every nation has already gathered it."
"......It seems the claim that Marquis Palatio can control Divine blood was true after all."
"Yes."
As the duke answered, Torimavia turned her gaze.
There stood the statue Marquis Palatio had sent as a gift.
Somewhat burdensome to look at.
......A statue that, even with Radan—who had formed an alliance with Raksas—she had once considered getting rid of, for various reasons.
Yet after discreet information began circulating, it had become something everyone desperately wanted.
"......Duke."
"Yes."
"......When did you say Marquis Palatio's proclamation ceremony would be?"
"About one month from now."
"......One month."
Torimavia furrowed her brow in thought.
"......Marquis Palatio is still without a consort, correct?"
"That is correct."
"Without a consort...."
As if reaching a decision—
"Good...."
"Your Highness the Princess... are you referring to her?"
"A king who reigns over the heavens requires someone beneath him to tend to what he cannot see below."
She nodded firmly.
Some time later, as Alon's group was nearing the marquis's estate—
"Still no luck."
"Is that so?"
"What's the problem...?"
Alon and Penia were discussing magic.
"Mm, this is—slightly troublesome. It's not something that can be produced purely through a formula."
"That's true. Or maybe it simply isn't possible?"
"I've considered that as well."
Penia hesitated briefly, then continued.
"Either way, your magic requires some form of medium."
"Seems that way...."
For the past few months, they had been immersed in research related to that "medium."
For now, they had succeeded in converting spoken incantation phrases into magic, changing the "medium" and allowing spells to be cast more quickly.
But that was only an intermediate step.
What they sought to reach through this research was beyond that.
To chant incantation phrases without speaking them aloud.
In other words, to recite the phrases through thought alone.
But unfortunately—
Even after a month of effort, progress had been slow.
"Mm—should we give up and dig into something else?"
"I think it would be better to build another bridge first. We don't even know if it's possible, so continuing to burn time like this isn't ideal."
"You're right."
As Alon nodded and let out a deep sigh, Evan spoke up.
"Marquis."
"What is it? Are we almost there?"
"No, not quite. But soon."
"I see. Then what is it?"
"I heard a rumor recently, and it got me thinking."
"......About what?"
"It's not that important or anything, but—"
Evan hesitated, then said,
"I was just wondering how the Allied Kingdoms haven't been swallowed by the Empire."
"......Isn't that why they formed an alliance in the first place?"
"Well, sure, but honestly, I can't help thinking the Allied Kingdoms wouldn't stand a chance against the Empire."
"Why?"
"Think about it. Ever since Divine blood started appearing, the Allied Kingdoms have basically been helpless. Meanwhile, the Empire's been holding out pretty well."
"The Allied Kingdoms are holding out too, aren't they?"
"......Doesn't it look like they're only alive because of you?"
Alon considered that for a moment.
From a certain angle, it could look that way.
"And on top of that, there are way more Divine blood on the Empire side. When you look at it like that, it's kind of strange the Empire hasn't crushed the Allied Kingdoms by now."
As Alon fell into thought, Penia, who had been quietly listening, spoke up.
"Haah—are you really asking that?"
"Why? I can't be curious?"
"If you think about it for just a moment, the answer's obvious."
"......Is it?"
Penia seriously considered where to begin, then started explaining.
"There are many reasons the Empire leaves the Allied Kingdoms alone. Both positive and negative."
"For example?"
"Let's say the Empire attacks the Allied Kingdoms. Who gives the order?"
"The Emperor?"
"No. The Emperor wouldn't."
"Why not?"
"Because from the Emperor's perspective, it's better if the Allied Kingdoms remain."
"......Huh? Why?"
As Evan frowned in confusion, Alon answered slowly.
"......Because an external enemy is useful?"
"Exactly."
Penia continued, as though confirming the correct answer.
"From the Emperor's perspective, the Allied Kingdoms are a very convenient source of 'plausibility.' A good excuse to control both the citizens and the nobles. You know those small frontier nations around the Empire?"
"Ah, I've heard of them."
"They're not left alone by accident. They're not much of a threat, but from the Emperor's point of view, they're easy to use."
"So there's no reason to touch the Allied Kingdoms," she added.
"In the end, the only ones who want to strike the Allied Kingdoms are those who need achievements. Like princes and princesses."
"......To become the next Emperor?"
"Yes. But even for them, the Allied Kingdoms aren't easy prey. The forces they can mobilize are limited, and the chances of failure are high. Unless one or two kingdoms collapse first."
"Mm."
"And if they fail, they're immediately pushed out of the succession."
"You said there are other frontier states?"
"Conquering a state that can be dealt with at any time wouldn't count as a real achievement. The Emperor wouldn't praise it."
"Ah...."
Evan nodded at Penia's explanation.
Alon understood as well.
'So that's why the Empire only pushed in when one or two kingdoms had already fallen.'
As Alon organized his thoughts—recalling the game—Penia's voice continued.
"And—this part may be mostly symbolic, but there's also a promise."
"A promise?"
"Yes. Hundreds of years ago, the Empire and the Allied Kingdoms supposedly signed something called the Promise of the Old Path."
"......What's that?"
"I don't know the details. I read about it out of curiosity in an old book once."
"The Promise of the Old Path...?"
Alon repeated the words under his breath.
For some reason, it sounded familiar.
He thought for a while.
'I'm pretty sure that was part of the setting.'
He remembered seeing it in the game.
'......Right. Whenever the Empire invaded and it triggered a bad ending, it said the Allied Kingdoms were destroyed because the Empire broke the Promise of the Old Path.'
That didn't mean Alon had any deep interest in the topic.
The only reason he remembered it was because he'd seen so many bad endings from Empire invasions.
While Alon was lost in thought—
"Ah, we're almost there—"
Evan, who had been focused on the conversation, spoke.
"—Wait...?"
He didn't finish.
Alon blinked in confusion.
"What is it?" Penia asked, tilting her head at Evan's strange reaction and turning to look past the carriage window.
Then—
"......Huh?"
She let out the same blank exclamation as Evan.
At that, Alon leaned his head out of the carriage as well, wondering if something was wrong.
He saw nothing unusual.
The sky was still blue.
Lowering his gaze, he saw beyond the walls the statue of himself in that Northern Lord stance—always embarrassing to look at with a clear mind.
And then, lowering his eyes further, beyond the sturdy-looking walls—
He saw people.
An enormous number of people.
"Mm......?"
And beyond them—
Shanties.
A shantytown covering the entire hill that should have been green pasture outside the walls.
"......Hmm...."
Alon quietly pulled his head back into the carriage.
"Evan."
"Yes, Marquis."
"......What... is that?"
That was all Alon could manage to say.
In response—
"Uh...."
Evan stared blankly at the massive cluster of makeshift homes.
"......Citizens...?"
He finally answered.
"......Ah."
Only then did Sili's words from not long ago pass through Alon's mind.
Her confident assurance that there was no need to worry about believers or citizens at all.
'It's true... I'm not worried anymore....'
Not worried...
'But isn't this... a bit excessive?'
Just what did you do, Sili...?

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