I admit I approached carelessly on the first subjugation attempt. However, the second time will be different.
I learned how poor the terrain and ecological environment near the wetlands were, and I learned what kind of monster lay beyond them. Naturally, the second attempt should yield better results.
Maxel suppressed his displeasure with effort and asked.
"Why will it fail?"
When he asked sharply, Lilia hesitated. She wore a troubled expression and subtly averted her gaze.
"That is……"
Seeing her unable to readily open her mouth, Maxel narrowed his eyes.
"Surely you don't mean you don't know?"
"My foresight doesn't show me such detailed futures."
In other words, she didn't know the reason why the subjugation would fail.
How could one conclude failure without even knowing the cause?
"Lilia, is it certain that I will fail?"
"Are you doubting me?"
Lilia immediately revealed hurt feelings.
The usual Maxel might have tried to soothe her hurt feelings with appropriately pleasant words. But not now.
"Your foresight was somewhat unstable for blind faith."
He wasn't trying to completely deny Lilia's foresight.
Her foresight was certainly correct at times. Even regarding matters unrelated to Maxel. Just looking at the young lady of Count Ruesak, hadn't she not blindly trusted Lilia's words?
One could tell that the ability Lilia possessed was real just by looking back at the people who had formed connections with her over time.
However, if one were to ask whether that foresight was always accurate…… Maxel couldn't be certain. Just looking at the recent case alone proved it, didn't it?
"You came here trusting my foresight. If not for me, Your Highness wouldn't have even thought of subjugating the monster. Are you ignoring my contribution now?"
Lilia raised her voice at Maxel who showed disbelief in her ability.
Maxel, who was already feeling displeased at being told to give up the subjugation, openly frowned.
"Do I look like a man who can do nothing without your advice?"
"……You know that's not what I mean."
She looked terribly frustrated. Of course, Maxel was equally frustrated.
"You may not know well, but all battles can change infinitely depending on the situation on site."
Maxel soothed Lilia with a deliberately generous tone. Then she opened and closed her lips before speaking with difficulty.
"The Dullahan…… is a monster that older sister commands."
Maxel inadvertently let out a hollow laugh.
"You still want to believe Annelie is undead?"
"Your Highness."
"Don't worry. If she's really undead, I'll subjugate her."
Maxel recalled past memories.
When Lilia stayed at the Roam estate, she had suffered considerable harassment from Annelie.
'……In the eyes of such Lilia, the resurrected Annelie must look no different from a monster.'
Maxel thought he should put even more effort into the monster subjugation for the sake of his timid lover.
And watching such Maxel, Lilia realized.
That until now, Maxel hadn't listened because he trusted her foresight, but because they were words he wanted to hear.
* * *
Samuel's method of sensing Annelie's location was not particularly logical or clear.
Rather than that, it was closer to sensing instinctively, relying on sensation. And right now, his instincts were telling him. That Annelie was still in the Lizardman habitat.
Releasing the baby Lizardmen and leaving was not something that would take several days.
"Has a problem occurred?"
Samuel, who had been gazing far in the direction where Annelie was, turned his head at a voice calling him.
A holy knight who had received the criminals was approaching Samuel.
"Greetings, Sir Samuel."
"Sir Hesse."
"I ask that you spare me a moment. I just need to confirm a few things."
Samuel looked at the documents Hesse had brought.
"You say the criminals I handed over to this prison attacked Sir Samuel? Those ones aren't opening their mouths, but do you happen to know their criminal motive?"
Samuel narrowed his eyes. He answered calmly without thinking deeply.
"They are non-believers."
"Non-believers?"
"I don't know if you've heard, but non-believers going around under the name of monster hunters have appeared."
Hesse, who had been planning to conduct the formal procedure tediously, opened his eyes wide. He looked like someone who caught a petty thief only to hear news that they were actually connected to a massive criminal organization.
"Now that visible divine miracles are appearing, heretics are running rampant."
When Samuel added an explanation, Hesse spoke with a pale face.
"Heretics!"
"Yes. Those who don't believe in the Resurrected One were distorting the oracle and interpreting and acting on it as they pleased. Sir Hesse has probably heard of it too. There's a hunter in Halli who goes around claiming he was chosen as God's apostle."
Cheche had said he visited the temple several times to make his claims. So Hesse would know.
As Samuel guessed, Hesse immediately nodded and pretended to know.
"Ah, yes. You mean the hunter who claimed that since he was chosen as God's apostle, the temple should support him."
"It seems likely the same context. It appears necessary for the denomination to watch them."
Samuel's face was so composed as he spoke of heretics and non-believers that Hesse didn't seem to harbor even a slight thought that the proud knight of the High Priest was lying.
"I would like to personally escort the non-believers if I could, but it's not possible. I must carry out the revelation God has given me."
The news that God had given Samuel a revelation was already secretly known within the denomination.
The High Priest had sternly warned throughout the temple not to block his journey for Samuel. Several high-ranking priests led by Morico were also expressing support for Samuel's journey.
Hesse held not even a bit of doubt about Samuel's words.
"I will immediately report the appearance of heretics to the Grand Temple!"
"Your swift judgment is trustworthy."
"Don't worry, Sir Samuel, and carry out your holy duty with the Resurrected One."
Listening to Hesse's voice, Samuel recalled how Annelie would sometimes bring up God out of nowhere to avoid situations when they were at the imperial palace.
She who used to scoff at oracles and such was now playing the role of such a faithful Resurrected One, which was both amazing and absurd, but now he saw there was a reason for everything.
'Isn't it quite convenient.'
It was a terribly insolent sentiment for a faithful holy knight to feel, but.
"Then I will trust Sir Hesse and be on my way."
"Yes, I will pray that Sir Samuel's holy pilgrimage is filled with blessings."
Leaving Hesse's prayer behind, Samuel mounted his horse.
If this would keep the monster hunters Annelie found bothersome at bay, it would be truly good.
And if the temple were to designate them as heretics or cultists entirely, that would be even more perfect.
'If that happens, perhaps that person will acknowledge my usefulness even a little.'
Samuel had already made a significant contribution to the Dullahan's transformation into a cursed creation. He didn't want to make such a mistake again.
So this time, he intended to properly and certainly remove the obstacles blocking Annelie's path.
The filthy ex-fiancé and younger half-sister were bothering her, but Annelie would overcome all those trials and complete her power.
When the last power is completed…….
And thus after granting rest to the Dullahans, the sins from his previous life against them would also be somewhat repaid.
'After repaying the sins.'
After that, perhaps he would be able to stand by Annelie's side a bit more proudly.
Also, he might even be able to ask for her forgiveness.
Samuel's eyes grew mysteriously deep.
* * *
I had expected the subjugation force to return, but actually seeing it with my own eyes felt new.
"They even brought magicians."
They couldn't have mobilized imperial magicians…….
Among nobles who raised private soldiers, families that operated magicians as military force were extremely few, countable on one hand.
Narrowing my eyes and examining the magicians visible among the soldiers, Zenon, who was maintaining an invisibility spell beside me, whispered.
"It's fine. I'm stronger."
"Naturally."
Zenon was the Tower Lord's successor, while those were ordinary magicians serving noble families.
Generally, such people were mostly those who failed to become imperial magicians and placed themselves in noble families. In short, it meant their skills were low enough that even I, an outsider, could tell.
Perhaps because I readily acknowledged his skills, Zenon smiled broadly and squared his shoulders. By the looks of it, he seemed eager to demonstrate his abilities to them right this moment.
Finding that cute, I was about to watch Zenon for a moment when a noisy sound came from the subjugation force's direction.
Maxel had stepped forward to raise the soldiers' spirits and was shouting something.
Though I was the one who sent false information through scouts so he could feel triumphant, seeing Maxel accept it at face value made me sigh involuntarily.
"If only he had cooperated with the temple, the possibility of subjugation would have been greater."
Bringing magicians of such mediocre skill rather than holy knights or priests with divine power would have been much easier.
Was there no subordinate around to offer such advice?
I clicked my tongue without realizing it and murmured, prompting Zenon to ask in a puzzled voice.
"Didn't that trash already have a feud with the temple?"
"Probably. Well, even if not, given Maxel's personality, he wouldn't want to join hands with the temple."
Maxel had a subtly emotional personality. He would think Heinri had joined hands with the temple, so out of pride alone, he wouldn't want to look toward the temple.
"The forces have increased compared to before. Several more houses participated."
At the wind that happened to blow, the flags the standard-bearers held fluttered slightly. On the fluttering flags, patterns symbolizing each house were drawn.
They were all houses I knew. Did Heinri also know which houses were participating in that subjugation force?
I wondered if I should contact him through a communication device right now, but decided against it. Instead, I took out a video orb capable of recording.
"Are you really going to wipe them all out with Dullahans?"
"Yes."
"If the subjugation force gets defeated too miserably by the Dullahans, wouldn't it actually garner sympathy instead?"
Seeing my expression, Zenon hesitated.
"A subjugation force meant to catch monsters gets defeated miserably instead—you think that would look pitiful?"
No, they would look incompetent.