[……I am a Knight of the Round Table. I have no intention of harming the Captain.]
"Right. I figured you wouldn't do such a thing, if only for the other knights' sake. Understood."
Soana noticed that the Captain's sharply raised guard had settled down considerably.
[So you won't cast me out?]
"Why would I?"
The Captain asked with genuine puzzlement.
At that reaction, it was Soana who grew suspicious.
Why, she asks. Isn't it obvious?
[Because I harbored disloyal thoughts.]
Despite being a Knight of the Round Table who should serve the Captain, Soana had not wholeheartedly given her loyalty. Even if the Captain said she would abandon Soana and leave, it would not be strange at all.
At Soana's words, the Captain let out a deflated laugh. She waved her hand with an indifferent expression and replied in a lackadaisical tone.
"The disloyal thoughts you harbored were directed at me, but you said you have no intention of attacking to kill, right? As long as you don't come at me trying to kill or overstep your bounds, I have no reason to cast you out. Keep taking good care of the knights as you have been. They seem comfortable with you."
[That sounds like you're not casting me out for the sake of the other knights.]
"Correct."
The Captain's eyes went round.
"Otherwise, what reason would I have to turn a blind eye to you?"
The words that spilled out as if obvious struck the back of Soana's head.
"I told you. I think I understand why the previous Captain took you in. Your existence helps the other knights. So I'll leave things as they are."
In that moment, Soana could not distinguish whether to feel joy or sorrow at this situation.
The only certainty was that the Captain's voice was terribly dry right now. The Captain was not disappointed in Soana, nor did she feel betrayed.
She had not even had that much expectation to begin with.
The Captain before her eyes was different from the previous Captain.
The current Captain…… Anelli did not view all things with equal eyes like the previous Captain. She had priorities.
Soana realized at this moment that she was positioned outside those rankings.
* * *
Her body would not move as she wished.
Lilia realized this was a dream. When she usually had lucid dreams, she often couldn't move her body freely.
Her body walked with long strides regardless of her will and sat at the desk before her.
'It's a precognitive dream!'
Since coming to the Ruezak territory, the prophetic dreams that had poured down incessantly had long since stopped. She was starting to feel impatient, and with perfect timing, she was having this prophetic dream.
Lilia looked at the book before her with an excited heart. Written inside was the future that would unfold before her.
When she turned the familiar thick cover, shining letters caught her eye.
Though called letters, rather than being written in ink on paper, they looked as if embroidered with beautiful thread.
'Is it about the monster subjugation succeeding?'
Her biggest recent concern was Maxel's monster subjugation. In previous dreams, she had only seen Maxel victorious in the subjugation, returning to the imperial capital amidst the cheers of the imperial citizens.
Strictly speaking, it was a successful subjugation, but it was a future that left an odd uneasiness since the process remained unknown.
But now she would be able to know that process clearly. She wouldn't have to give Maxel vague words like 'Go to the Belladia Valley' anymore.
'At the very least, what needs to be subjugated…….'
It would be good if she could know what could be hunted, even just the type of monster.
Lilia read down the book with expectant eyes.
'Lizardman habitat!'
When familiar words appeared, Lilia's eyes sparkled. A lizardman habitat! This was the place Maxel had recently led soldiers to depart for.
It was an expedition where even the Ruezak Count's eldest son led private soldiers and accompanied them. Just how great results were expected that she would dream about it?
Lilia's prophecy had never shown failure even once. So Lilia predicted the subjugation's success as a matter of course.
Her hand turned the pages impatiently.
'……Huh?'
Lilia's expression, which had been bright with anticipation, gradually began to change slightly. The smile that had fully risen to her lips also began to fade.
'What is this.'
The content was strange. She wanted to close the book and check the cover again, but unfortunately, her hand kept turning the pages on its own.
It was a situation where she had no choice but to read even if she didn't want to.
'This is…….'
Strange. Lilia stared blankly at the shining letters.
It was indeed that prophecy she had always seen. That very prophecy she had struggled so hard to record so she wouldn't forget after waking from dreams.
The power the gods had given her. That prophecy containing the story of a protagonist who overcomes all adversity and achieves victory.
But why.
'Why……?'
Why is it failing?
'Failure?'
The failures the prophecy had shown until now were failures yet not failures. Because it had always shown everything up to the appearance of overcoming them after experiencing setbacks.
So Lilia had considered even immediate danger as a foothold to leap even higher. After all, the one who would ultimately triumph was her.
'Why is there nothing next?'
But today was different.
The subjugation failed, and the relationship between Maxel and Count Ruezak soured. The enraged Maxel tried to employ other nobles, and Count Ruezak showed even more resentment watching this.
With the emotional conflict, the atmosphere of the subjugation force grew turbulent, and the subjugation was halted.
The content of the final chapter was Maxel receiving a letter from the imperial palace, anger rising to the top of his head, and shouting.
The content of the letter was unknown. Of course, how all these events would be resolved also did not appear.
'……The monster subjugation will succeed anyway.'
All the previous prophetic contents had been like that, so there was no need to feel anxious over receiving one bad prophecy for a day.
Lilia gazed at the paper, trying to soothe herself that way.
Come to think of it, the sparkling letters were particularly uneven in size and crooked, as if someone had scrawled them in haste.
Seeing the handwriting was different from usual, perhaps this dream had a lower chance of coming true.
'Am I dreaming this because I'm anxious.'
Perhaps because she hadn't had a prophecy for so long, in her impatience she might have had a dream similar to a prophecy.
Thinking that way, her startled, restless heart began to calm little by little. Lilia let out a long sigh.
If it's going to be this kind of dream, it's better to wake up quickly.
Perhaps due to Lilia's wish, her consciousness soon grew hazy. It was time to wake from the dream.
Lilia, who had had an unpleasant dream resembling a prophecy, woke up earlier than usual.
The early rising added to her anxiety. Gray clouds filling the sky outside without a gap increased the ominous feeling.
Lilia waited for news of Maxel, deliberately ignoring the emotions multiplying inside her.
And at noon when the sun was hidden by clouds and invisible, Lilia received the news she had been waiting for.
It was news that the subjugation of the lizardman habitat had failed.
"Ah."
For the first time, Lilia predicted a defeat.
* * *
[Kyuuu!]
The baby lizardman shouted vigorously while raising its arm high. In the baby lizardman's hand was a helmet of unknown ownership.
The back of it was crushed, and blood had dried on it, but the baby lizardman paid no mind and threw it to the ground like some ball.
The helmet didn't even bounce far and sank into the mud. Its appearance was exactly like the soldiers who had been sinking into the swamp.
[My, you should be careful.]
The moment Ganik approached to stop it, this time a breastplate that had been rolling around went into the baby lizardman's grip.
[You'll cut your hand!]
I quietly turned my gaze after glancing at Ganik who was anxiously trying to soothe the baby lizardman.
Uprooted trees and crushed poisonous weeds, and armor rolling about and various…… debris.
Amidst the utter chaos, I could see the Dullahans busily organizing the surroundings.
Everyone had returned to their original forms. So right now, headless Dullahans were working diligently.
"They're almost as good as the paladins at setting up camp."
Xenon, who whispered softly to me, glanced at the Dullahans. His words sounded composed, but in truth, Xenon's expression was not in good shape.
Seeing his pale blue face, it was impressive he was standing without collapsing.
Well, there weren't just one or two Dullahans, but a full nine of them. Nine Dullahans prowling about spewing black smoke.
"You don't look very pleased."
"Would anyone be happy watching Dullahans prepare camp……?"
It was true the situation was somewhat unusual. But as the saying goes, if you can't avoid it, enjoy it—accepting this situation would be more comfortable.
I looked quietly at Xenon, who had been trying not to separate from my side since earlier, and spoke calmly.
"You're truly unchangingly faint-hearted. It's cute."
"……Is that a compliment?"
"Yes. It means you're cute, either way."
When I nodded, Xenon grimmed with a sour expression.
It was a compliment from my perspective, but it seemed it didn't sound that way to Xenon.
I had encouraged his cuteness with pure intentions, yet this distrustful reaction was regrettable.
"More than that, I didn't expect to be delayed like this."
"That's true."
While Xenon and I stood side by side making small talk, the surroundings full of poisonous weeds and chaotic battle traces were somewhat organized.
After confirming that space had been roughly secured, Xenon used magic to harden the soft mud field firm. It was ground to set up tents for the night.
While Xenon leveled the ground, the Dullahans prowled around the vicinity.
[Ack, this salamander-like bastard!]
Thwack!
I could see Palides, who had been standing guard a bit further away, swinging his sword with a vigorous shout. Along with a terminal scream, deep-colored liquid spurted into the air.
Hidden by the tall grass, it wasn't visible, but I could definitely tell whose scream that was.
Unconsciously, I looked back at the baby lizardman. Whether it heard its kin's scream from nearby or not, the baby lizardman was busy playing with the weaponry rolling on the ground as toys.
"Haa……."
I had just intended to send this baby lizardman back to its group. Harassing Maxel's subjugation a bit was just a bonus.
A sigh escaped me at my troubled heart.
[Kyuuuuu!]
After picking up a mud-caked sword and raising it high, the baby lizardman did the same, and I let out another long sigh after glancing at it.
How did things come to this. I had absolutely no intention of getting caught between these lizardmen and the subjugation force.
But what could be done.
In the end, having become the public enemy of both sides.