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The carriage carrying Lucilla, the princess of the Nohitant Kingdom, passed through the gates of the royal capital.
News that labyrinth overflows had suddenly begun in various regions spread across the country in the blink of an eye.
The common people had no way of knowing the situation in other countries, but compared to elsewhere, the Nohitant Kingdom was keeping the damage relatively contained.
Even amid the nationwide chaos, the lords of major walled cities such as the capital and Tsutrail had immediately taken action—accepting refugees from nearby towns and villages and concentrating defensive forces in the large cities.
This swift response was largely due to the fact that, because the empire (their wartime opponent) was believed to possess the means to cause labyrinth overflows, each region had already prepared countermeasures in advance for when nearby labyrinths might overflow.
In addition, an unidentified group had quickly appeared and was subjugating the magic beasts that had emerged in various places.
The clamor of the anxious citizens in the royal capital reached even Lucilla's ears.
"Laure, will you trust me and follow my lead?"
With an utterly serious expression, Lucilla asked Lauretta, her escort who was riding with her.
Hearing this, Lauretta's face softened into a smile as she replied.
"Of course. I am your shield and your sword."
Lucilla's expression eased with relief at the answer.
"Thank you. —Then, Lauretta Weber, I now issue you an order. No matter what happens… carry out my commands."
"—Understood, Lady Lucilla."
Lauretta placed a hand over her chest and bowed deeply to Lucilla.
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The carriage carrying Lucilla and the others arrived at the royal castle.
When Lauretta stepped down from the carriage, several people who had come to welcome Lucilla were already gathered there. After confirming that everyone present was one of Lucilla's close aides or attendants, Lauretta extended her hand into the carriage.
Guided by that hand, Lucilla stepped down.
"Welcome back, Your Highness Lucilla. I am relieved to see you appear unharmed."
The elderly man in his late fifties—Duke Azar—spoke on behalf of the group as he greeted Lucilla.
"Duke Azar, I have returned. Thank you to everyone else as well for coming to welcome me."
The moment Lucilla smiled and offered words of appreciation, everyone present except her was suddenly blown away as if forcibly ripped from her side.
"—Nobody move. Do not open your mouths. If you disobey, I will mercilessly cut off her head."
The Imperial Crown Prince—Felix Lutz Kreutzer—had landed beside Lucilla and pressed the blade of his sword against her neck as he warned everyone.
"Quite the greeting, Prince Felix."
Despite having a blade held to her throat, Lucilla glared at Felix with a dignified attitude.
"I apologize for the rudeness. But this is the quickest way to end the war."
"War, you say? Do you even know what is happening in the world right now?"
"You mean the labyrinth overflows? Unfortunately, that has little to do with our empire."
"Is that because the empire is connected to the church?"
"No, that has little to do with it either. Almost all of our labyrinths were conquered last year… so there aren't many left."
The original reason the Sauber Empire had targeted the Nohitant Kingdom was that someone had been steadily conquering the empire's labyrinths since the previous year.
This had reduced the supply of magic stones, and before falling into a shortage, they had set their sights on the kingdom, which possessed many labyrinths including the Great Labyrinth.
"Surrender, Princess Lucilla. If the kingdom submits to the empire, we will immediately dispatch our troops to suppress the overflows. I myself will also fight the magic beasts."
"…That is a very tempting offer."
Felix was the leader of the only party in human history to have conquered the Great Labyrinth.
Combined with the heroic tale of him single-handedly defending the imperial capital from an unprecedented overflow, these feats were known throughout the world.
Even though he was the crown prince of the country that had killed the king of the Nohitant Kingdom, his existence as the world's strongest could potentially become a source of salvation for the frightened citizens.
"There is no need to hesitate. Which is more important—the lives of your people or the survival of the royal family?"
"Yes, there is no need to hesitate. —I refuse."
What Lucilla prioritized above all was the safety and peace of the people living in the Nohitant Kingdom.
She had already made her decision for that purpose.
She had chosen to side with Orun—with Amuntsāsu.
At her request, Orun had already dispatched units from the unidentified group Amuntsāsu into the kingdom.
Without them, even more people would have been hurt at this very moment.
The existence of the Hero might give the people courage.
However, no one knew how the empire would treat the kingdom once the current situation was resolved.
That was why she had looked further into the future and chosen Orun.
"I see. Then it can't be helped. The kingdom will have no choice but to be destroyed as planned—"
Having been rejected by Lucilla, Felix swung his blade mercilessly toward her neck.
Yet there was no fear in Lucilla's eyes, even though death was right before her.
—It was as if she knew she was not fated to die here.
"—!?"
Felix's blade was blocked by a suddenly appearing magical barrier, and he gasped.
"—Just because you got rejected, resorting to violence is not a good look, you know?"
"Who are you!?"
Felix turned his gaze.
Standing there was a woman with translucent silver hair and amber eyes—Shion Nasturtium.
"Long time no see, Hero. It's been about a year since we met in the Reglif territory, but you've changed quite a bit."
"White Demon…? Why are you here…?"
"Who knows? Why indeed?"
Shion gave a vague reply as she performed consecutive teleports.
With the first teleport, she appeared beside Lucilla. With the second, she moved together with Lucilla to a spot away from Felix.
"…Are you the helper Orun mentioned who would deal with the Hero?"
Now safely out of harm's way, Lucilla asked Shion with visible relief.
"Mhm, that's right. Just to confirm… are you really okay with this?"
Shion checked with Lucilla.
Lucilla had formed a cooperative relationship with Orun while she was in Daruane.
She had been told what would happen from now on and what he intended to do.
One of those things was turning the royal capital into a battlefield.
Of course, Orun had promised to do everything in his power to avoid involving ordinary citizens in the fighting, but like in Tsutrail, he had not guaranteed anything regarding property damage.
"…Yes. I will take full responsibility for everything. So please, I beg you. Protect the people."
In a small voice that would not reach those around them, yet filled with resolve, Lucilla answered Shion's question.
"…I see. No wonder Orun likes you. I accept the request."
Shion nodded as if convinced.
Then she let out a small sigh.
"…All right, I'm about to go wild, so stay back a little."
She switched her demeanor to battle-ready.
"Thank you for your assistance. I am counting on you!"
After expressing her gratitude to Shion, Lucilla left the area with her escort soldiers and close aides.
Once she confirmed they were gone, Shion turned back toward Felix.