The tale that was told was of lonely struggles and days of unshakable regret.

It was a story in history that had to be treated with courtesy, importance, and care, as determined. Even after revealing it all, the resolve to face forward without letting it go seemed fleeting.

"It's the price."

The 'witch' speaking of this as the price for leaving the world of dreams was unbearably loathsome. With a red tongue flicking out, the harmful being with a touch of mischief tried to manipulate and lead with its hollow beauty.

"Alright, I've decided."

The first time, it commanded oblivion. What will be decided on this second occasion? The 'witch' with a floral scent, as if to mock the one stiffening in fear, touched a white handkerchief fluttering in the wind with her fingertips.

That was the white fabric adorned with gold edges and embroidered with a large spirit in the form of a gray cat.

"The handkerchief Petra gave me before departing the 'sanctuary'...?"

I wanted to scream so loudly that my throat would tear apart for it to stop. There was no throat here to scream with such force for it to stop.

I wanted to throw myself in front of the dreadful 'witch' to make it stop. There was no body here to throw in front of the dreadful 'witch' to stop it.

Therefore, I screamed stop, stop in my heart and tried to throw my soul forward, but I couldn't stop it.

"I've duly collected the price for the tea party. I look forward to your next attendance."

Demonstrating the value of the price, relief and a faint sense of happiness spread there. That it was brought about by oneself was less daunting than the fact it caught the 'witch's' eye, much, much, much more terrifying. Not knowing what I had just abetted.

"Did Echidna keep her promise? This tea party hasn't been erased from my memory this time."

The world of dreams ended with a white light, and in the dark, cold space upon returning from the illusion, the encounter with the 'witch' was replayed—and he noticed the anomaly.

"...Where's Emilia?"

His mind raced with the absence of the girl who should have been there, his heart filled with impatience. The overflowing anxiety and creeping sense of unease were a deviation from the norm, something not meant to happen to one compelled to 'repeat' countless times.

Driven by an unsettling premonition that welled up inside, he hurriedly left the place, the graveyard, at a quick pace. As soon as he stepped outside the graveyard under the moonlight, what he witnessed was—

"A shadow..."

It was the footprint of a 'witch' far more terrifying than the 'witch' that had closed off the 'sanctuary' in total darkness.

Even if he screamed to stop, rejected it, lamented it, or resisted it, it wouldn't end. It certainly existed because it's the history of his steps that can't be erased.

—In the midst of it all, what did I contribute to?

△▼△▼△▼△

The voice calling out 'Helmet Guy' clearly recognized Aldebaran.

Yae sensed the presence of an ambush, and the familiar bold voice made it clear that the well-prepared decoy effort of deliberately separating the main force ended in failure. Even without deep contemplation, it was understood.

Realizing this, the problem awaiting Aldebaran was—

"Hey! That voice just now is that blond kid! It's Reinhard's master! Why are they in a place like this…? Weren't they not supposed to be found!?"

Heinkel, seemingly flustered, clearly expressed the confusion of the situation. His panic mirrored Aldebaran's own inner turmoil, but thanks to Heinkel's embarrassing commotion, Aldebaran managed to stay calm. Nevertheless, the situation was far from bright.

"...The matrix updated fifteen seconds ago."

The periodic matrix update intended as a cautious measure for risk avoidance against ambushes or surprise attacks had backfired. Aldebaran now had only fifteen seconds from this moment, the only window for a retry. That meant he could no longer avoid an ambush from the opponent—a strategy more troublesome for Aldebaran than a surprise attack. It was precisely and unpleasantly timed, whether by insight or intuition.

"The master's of the 'Sword Saint,' so it's the rumored Lady Felt? …Perhaps it's time for Lord Heinkel's sacrificial role to shine here?"

"— If you think you can break through by using me as a hostage, it's useless! They want Reinhard to inherit the Astrea family. My position is bad right now being with you all... If they have a justification, they'll come to kill me without mercy!"

"Well then... doesn't that make you perfectly suited as a sacrificial lamb?"

"This isn't the time for joking around!"

Heinkel, probably not joking at all, shouted back, leaving Yae exasperated as she shrugged at Aldebaran and asked, "What do you want to do?"

Unlike the two middle-aged men who were flustered, Yae took the situation in front of her coolly. Perhaps it's the fruit of her training as a shinobi, as her trained mental strength was admirable. A realm Aldebaran could likely never reach, no matter how many millions of times he died.

"Anyway, it would be pointless to hand over the old man."

If the ones waiting outside the woods are Felt and her group, then as Heinkel sadly recognized, his value as a hostage would be next to nothing. In reality, it was likely they would crush his life gladly, and engrave 'Here lies the revered Heinkel Astrea' on his tombstone.

The reason only pessimistic scenarios come to mind is because there aren't enough materials for drawing optimistic ones.

"Yae, old man, wait here. I'll go take a look first."

"Wha... Are you serious!? This woman is a shinobi, right? If anyone should go first, it's her, isn't it!? Tell him that too!"

"—. Master Al, is that the best decision?"

"Yes."

Answering shortly and drawing back his chin, Yae readily complied with a simple "Understood." Still, Heinkel, face flushed, tried to persist further, but—

"You're being persistent, Heinkel. Even if you don't worry so much, who, other than Master Al, could think of and execute a plan to utilize Volcanica, the 'Divine Dragon'? There won't be a lack of strategy."

"Th-that... might be... true..."

At Yae's supportive words, Heinkel reluctantly backed down. Truly, the prestige of the 'Divine Dragon' holds power in various ways, even if the person himself might be a fool. In this thoroughly deceived situation, Yae made it so everyone believed Aldebaran wouldn't stumble for nothing.

Unfortunately, the incompetence Yae mentioned was all too true.

"Now let's see what will happen—monsters or serpents."

Whether it was this or that, he felt heavy-hearted, and with such uncomfortable feelings hidden inside his helmet, Aldebaran left the two behind and walked straight out of the forest.

As for the information he wanted, it was about identifying the opposing party and assessing their combat strength—

"—Hey? Coming out so boldly means you've steeled yourself, huh?"

The view, obstructed by the tall trees, suddenly cleared, and a plain spread out before Aldebaran. Across that plain, standing imperiously with a grin revealing white canine teeth, was a girl with striking golden hair and a red thread-like streak—Felt, the opponent he had anticipated from the voice and conversation content.

After the encounter with Reinhard, he wasn't surprised by this fact.

Furthermore, as soon as Aldebaran guessed that the opponent was Felt, he had already started estimating the opponent’s combat strength. —At this point, the two main figures, "Sword Saint" and "Ashy," could be excluded.

The key members of the faction, based on the water gate city of Priestella, included a trio of former thugs, a yet-unseen sister of Flam, and an old giant who had barged into the royal castle. Although Felt’s own capabilities were still unverified, she couldn't possibly compare to Priscilla.

Even Priscilla couldn't defeat Aldebaran when fighting alone. Even if Felt turned out to be a hidden powerhouse, he could handle it in any number of ways. —That was Aldebaran's plan until he stepped out of the forest.

However—

"…Hey, hey, what kind of joke is this?"

Confronted with an unexpected scene, Aldebaran cracked a dry smile. After all, his initial estimate was at best five or six people. Yet, he was greeted by a crowd roughly a hundred times that—a group of over 500 people.

△▼△▼△▼△

—Felt, who grew up in a slum, hasn't shed her frugal nature despite her changed circumstances.

Though she no longer worries about food, clothes, or a place to sleep, none of these belong to Felt herself; they are simply linked to Reinhard's Astrea family.

While it's true that Reinhard is Felt's knight, Felt doesn’t intend to go so far as to mistakenly believe that his possessions have become her own.

Therefore, even though the food became more delicious, the quality of what she wore changed significantly, and she could sleep soundly until morning with peace of mind, she had absolutely no intention of letting her original "hand" go to waste.

Felt's "hand" refers, in short, to the various abilities she cultivated to "live strongly." The insight to identify marks and swift feet she honed in the slums, the courage to be undaunted in any situation, and the intuition for when she fell into dangerous circumstances—all were refined during his encounter with the "Bowel Hunter," which led her to Reinhard. She continued to polish these skills amidst the advanced education in preparation for the royal selection, knowing they wouldn't suffice unless further honed.

In fact, each "hand" had become significantly more usable than before. However, she still hadn't been able to shake off Reinhard even once.

Nonetheless, by continuously honing her old "hand," Felt—whose perspective had broadened—prided herself on being able to see things she previously couldn't. This pride did not let her overlook the slight sense of discomfort.

Even when the news of a critical situation was sent to the royal capital through the "Blessing of Telepathy" by her twin sister Grassis from Flam, left behind in the Pleiades Watchtower, Felt was aware.

"—Felt-sama, I must urgently head to the Augria Sand Dunes. Depending on the situation, it could lead to a fight with the 'Divine Dragon' Volcanica. If it happens outside the sand sea, the damage will be too great."

"Wait. . . . It bothers me that it started in that sand-filled place. You said that's the place where you're the weakest in the world, right?"

"—. Yes, that's true. I don't mesh well with the miasma of that place. However, there is no option not to go. Flam and Lord Ezzo are in that tower. And also..."

Responding to Reinhard, who was driven by the duty of the "Sword Saint" after receiving the message from Grassis, Felt scratched her head and agreed. This expression was one of the things Felt disliked about Reinhard, but there was no point in nitpicking right now. More importantly, she needed to make Reinhard agree to the next proposal.

That proposal was—

"Reinhard, I'm not telling you not to go. But stop running off alone. —Take us with you, at least part way.”

"Felt-sama, that is...!"

"Are you planning to stop me from doing something reckless while you get to do whatever you want? Don't be so full of yourself. Anyone other than you also has the right to do everything they can."

"――――"

Reinhard fell silent, unsure of how to refute that, but he understood the situation. After all, the opponent had completely defeated Ezzo and Flam and even had the 'Divine Dragon' Volcanica with them. It was undoubtedly one of the kingdom's major crises.

Indeed, it was a big task befitting the 'Sword Saint' to resolve.

"I don't get it."

"Don't get it, as in?"

"Even if they didn't know about Flam's blessing, if you bring along something like the 'Divine Dragon', it'll be obvious immediately. Once it's obvious, it's clear you'd rush in. Yet the Helmet Guy went ahead with it anyway."

"…So, Lady Felt, you think Al is acting with that in mind?"

"What's more likely: that they're wary of you coming, or that they're confidently expecting you not to show up?"

At Felt's question, winking with one eye, Reinhard began seriously considering the possibilities. There must be plans laid out against Reinhard. The fact that they managed to ally with the 'Divine Dragon' was probably part of that.

Given the harsh conditions of the Augria Dunes and the presence of the 'Divine Dragon', could Reinhard even reach them?

"Even so, even so, I must go. Even if the opponent is heavily prepared, if I'm the only one who can overcome them…"

"――Reinhard, don't move."

Kneeling and talking to Reinhard, she ordered him, causing the red-haired knight's eyes to widen in surprise. He didn't obey her instruction, and she pressed both her hands to his cheeks.

Reinhard's eyes widened in astonishment, the much-admired handsome face now ruined.

"Idiot, I didn't say I'd stop you. You go along with their invitation. Unleash all of that brute strength of yours. ――I'll pick up the leftovers here."

"――ah."

Bringing her face close, nearly touching nose to nose, she declared, watching as his blue eyes filled with surprise, when suddenly the door to the inn room was violently opened. Standing there, along with familiar faces out of breath――,

"Just in time for you to get back. How did it go?"

"Hah, hah... Always saying reckless things..."
"You should just use a sturdy dragon carriage that doesn't matter if it breaks, use your own, young lady!"
"Idiot, isn't it because that earth dragon... Romy can't be brought along? What the heck happened? Even Grassis won't tell me anything in detail."

"Procurement of the dragon carriage, complete."

The trio squeezed through the narrow entrance shoulder to shoulder, followed by the sleepy-eyed Grassis. As Reinhard looked around at the group that had noisily appeared, his eyes widened in surprise once again. Felt, whose face looked a bit younger than her years, snorted.

"You should carve some life experience into that face of yours."

"Lady Felt, this is..."

"Don't get conceited thinking you can do everything by yourself, Reinhard. You alone can't even manage to hold hands with these three all at once, can you?"

As she shrugged her shoulders saying this, Reinhard blinked his wide eyes. Then he took a deep breath, and as he calmly settled the emotions in his eyes,

"—Yes. I am the 'Sword Saint' who cannot even hold hands with these three at once."

Finally, not just as the mere 'Sword Saint,' he nodded, showing the face of Reinhard.

△▼△▼△▼△

Afterward, it was a race against time, and Felt worked Reinhard to the bone.
Felt had Reinhard pick up the dragon carriage that Grassis and the others searched for and sent him flying from the royal capital to the Augria Sand Dunes, with a stopover at the Astrea territory.

"I'm off, Lady Felt!"

"Go and knock them out with a bang!"

Honestly, even with Reinhard's 'Blessing of Wind-breaking,' it was an emergency move she'd never want to experience again, but there was no doubt diverting him proved beneficial.
That was because the helmeted guy's countermeasures against Reinhard were far more malicious than expected.

—It was within half an hour after he had been sent off that it was discovered the 'Witch of Envy' appeared at the dunes, and Reinhard had stayed to hold her off.

"I never expected it to be the 'Witch of Envy'... Not even in my prime would I have concocted such a scheme. I don't know this helmeted fellow, but was he truly such an insane man?"

Old Rom sighed deeply as he ran his large hand over his bald head in response to the report he received from afar. Old Rom, who had reunited at the estate in the territory, was one of the two main brains of the camp, along with the now-absent Ezzo. However, Felt shook her head at Old Rom's assessment.

"From what I saw, that guy in the helmet wasn't that insane. His appearance and way of speaking were strange, sure, but they're not much different from that cat-eared guy from Crusch's place and the black-haired brother from Emilia's place."

Despite the situation that had arisen and Al having turned against them, Felt did not have any particularly good or bad impressions of him. She merely thought that, like the other knights, he possessed a solid sense of loyalty to his master, which was contrary to his frivolous attitude. Therefore—

"—Did that princess die, making him desperate or something?"

—The death of Priscilla Barielle, caught up in the civil strife of the Vollachia Empire.

The incredible news delivered to the royal castle of Lugunica naturally reached Felt's ears as she was in the capital. Honestly, she couldn't comprehend it immediately upon hearing it, and even now, she hadn't grasped it genuinely. That was how full of life Priscilla was, seeming almost immune to death.

"…There isn't a single person who doesn't die. As outsiders, we can force ourselves to accept that. But that helmet guy wasn't like that."

"But then, what is he scheming? According to the report from Flam, there's talk of him commanding the 'Divine Dragon'—is he bringing the world to ruin out of desperation as a grandiose suicide?"

"That possibility isn't entirely nonexistent, but…"

Felt believed that it might not be an explosive outburst in the direction of causing self-harm and taking the world down with him to mourn Priscilla's death. If Al's goal was such an obvious wish for ruin, Reinhard would undoubtedly be the greatest obstacle.

"Yet, the helmet guy didn't kill Reinhard by teaming up with the 'Witch,' the 'Witch of Envy.' So, for now, it means he's not aiming for the world's destruction."

"Oh, what's this, Rachins? Are you trying to take on the role of the opinion leader because the teacher isn't here?"

"Don't make fun of me. You know, if I had my way, I'd turn tail and run. A situation where even the 'Witch of Envy' appears? It's way out of our league."

Rachins lashed out at Felt, flicking his long tongue conspicuously. Beside him were Gaston and Camberley, who also hurriedly agreed with Rachins, saying, "That's right, that's right," with anxious expressions.

"Y-yeah, miss! Even if Reinhard is stopping the 'Witch of Envy,' isn't the 'Divine Dragon' running free? We can't handle something like that!"

"Felt must understand that much. The reason for returning to the territory was to evacuate the residents in case of an emergency..."

"That's right. We need to take care of that too."

"See, as I said... Wait, did you say 'that too'?"

For a moment, Gaston almost relaxed at Felt's response, but then blinked at the big man's reaction. Felt laughed and nodded, saying, "Yes, I said it."

"We have to consider the worst-case scenario, but making a big fuss would be a problem. I mean, even you guys are scared stiff just because of the word 'witch.'"

"Of course we are! Aren't you too, miss?! It's a 'witch,' you know, a 'witch'!"

"Your girlfriend is called something similar, isn't she?"

"Toto is called the 'Poison Mistress,' but she's cute to me, so it's fine!"

"Stop fooling around! The conversation is going off track!"

Interrupting the exchange between Felt and Camberley, Rachins sharpened his four-eyed gaze and slammed his hand onto the map spread out on the table. "Listen up?"

"We need to decide on a plan, or we won't get anywhere. Felt, what are we going to do?"

"Tch, if it’s a majority vote, then obviously we’d just run. But..."

"—All of us intend to follow your lead."

Rom-gee said in a low voice, and Felt held her breath lightly. Looking around, she saw the exasperated face of Rachins, the grim look on Gaston, and even the like-a-newborn-deer trembling legs of Camberley, all waiting for her words without a retort. Really, since when did they become such a reliable group?

"It's been that way since long ago. I really hate just sitting around with my head in my hands, waiting for someone to fix things when something bad happens."

"Oh dear, that's a rather hot-blooded way of thinking. I wonder who you take after."

"Well, I don't know. Why don't you put your hand on your heart and think about it, dear foster parent?"

Saying this to the foster parent who gently shook their head, Felt stuck out her tongue slightly. Then she turned around energetically and looked at those waiting for her words.

And she declared, "Get your asses up, guys. It's someone who dared insult our Reinhard. No need to hold back, so let's give it to 'em!"

△▼△▼△▼△

After deciding to fight, Felt and her group moved quickly.

Far away, at the eastern end, the battle between Reinhard and the 'Witch of Envy' was ongoing. They accurately tracked the enemy's movements up to the point where Al left the battlefield and exited the Sand Sea with the 'Divine Dragon.' The problem is—

"There are eyewitness reports that the 'Divine Dragon' moved north. If we take it at face value, that helmeted guy should be moving with it. ...In other words, their destination would be north."

"If you're saying 'take it at face value,' does that mean there's a more twisted way of looking at it?"

"Hmm. From what I've heard, that helmeted guy meticulously planned everything, including measures against Reinhard. In that case, why did he make a point of standing out in the waystation at the exit of the dunes?"

"Well, wasn't it to make us think, 'Hey, we've got a dragon on our side'?"

"Exactly, they want to make an impression. —Therefore, I suspect the northbound 'Divine Dragon' is flying at a height visible to the human eye."

As expected from Roaming Old Man's twisted preface, his speculation was certainly quite out there. Most things have a straightforward view and a twisted view, and in most cases, going with the simple view gets you the right answer. However, even here, a small snag held back Felt's feelings.

"What is the point of intentionally showing the 'Dragon' heading north?"

"Of course, it's to hide their true aim. The 'Dragon' displaying itself is a decoy... I speculate the real target is not to the north or east, but possibly to the west or south."

"……The princess died in the empire. If the 'Divine Dragon' strikes the empire, a complicated entanglement will turn into a clash with that country, right? ...No, that's not it."

If the conjecture is correct, a significant friction will certainly arise in the relationship between the kingdom and the empire. However, that contradicts the contents of the national letter about future diplomatic relations between the Vollachia Empire and the Kingdom of Lugunica, which was brought back at the same time as the news of Priscilla's death. Of course, they might not intend to involve the kingdom and could be simply planning a direct act of retaliation against the empire.

"If that's the case, it would be no different from a global self-destruction. If it comes to that..."

"What would happen?"

"In my gut, it's west. I can't say if it's directly west, northwest, or southwest, though."

"If the 'Dragon' is just a diversion, the northwest can likely be ruled out. This narrows it down to two options. Then—"

"Yeah, then—"

—Betting everything on their reading, Felt deployed all their military strength on the plains. Frankly speaking, the military force held by the Astrea territory is not large. This is also a disadvantage caused by Reinhard being too strong, but the few soldiers they had were assigned to evacuation guidance to remove them from the territory that might become a path for the enemy. That’s fine. Their power was meant for protection. What was needed now was not that—

"—After all, you might be a bit off, girl."

"No, no, not at all. From my perspective, it's a desirable decisiveness. If necessary, you wouldn't hesitate to involve us, the ones of violence. As a supporter, it makes me proud."

"Where do you think your nose is? The tattoos proclaiming themselves all over your face are so intense that I can't even see your face as a whole."

The representatives of the assembled forces each voiced their thoughts. One was a massive pigman clad in thick muscles, comparable to Old Man Rom. One was an eccentric with peculiar looks, his face covered in blue balance scales tattoos. Another was a mature beauty, adorned provocatively in an outfit unsuited to the situation, elegantly embellishing herself.

― 'Black Silver Coin' and 'Scales', and 'Prisoner Garden'.
Despite standing together, these parties never direct any friendly colors at each other, yet there is one thing they all have in common—it is that they responded to Felt's call and gathered.

They are big shots who govern the underworld of the northeastern city 'City of Earth Dragons', Flanders, from the Astrea territory. They got to know Felt during a previous incident and have been in contact since.
They are villains with stains on their records but necessary evils who are also Felt’s supporters—five hundred in total, trusting in Felt’s intuition and standing with her.

"Ha! Spectacular, spectacular! I can't believe they all came together like this."

Shading her eyes with her hand, Felt raised her voice to the array of five hundred villains lined up.
In truth, when she considered seeking help from them in Flanders, she estimated being grateful if even one-tenth of this number assembled. Unexpectedly, it was ten times as many.

"Even though I said the opponent outwitted Reinhard... Seriously, now's not the time, I wish I could show you this."

If only she could make Reinhard, who wasn’t present here, realize; in a situation even he couldn’t handle, instead of turning tail and fleeing, this many people gathered to do their duty selflessly.

"Well, there are probably guys like Camberley who can’t back down."

She grumbled, cracking her neck, and turned around with her comrades behind her.
In front of the lined-up group, her gaze went to a large forest—heading there, Felt took a deep breath with her small body and,

"—Hey! I know you can hear me, I know you're there, you helmeted bastard!"

She declared the declaration of war that would mark the start of the battle.

△▼△▼△▼△

Unaware of such an unexpected movement, Aldebaran could only stand in stupor at the unforeseen spectacle unfolding before him.

"Whoa, whoa..."

It was a situation that messed up Aldebaran's calculations so much that a dry chuckle inadvertently escaped him. To think it was a hundred times what he expected was truly astounding. Truly, an astounding situation. The group that lined up across the plain, lacking a sense of unity in appearance, was nevertheless a mismatched battalion of steel that firmly shared the sole goal of opposing something.

With a dry smile still on his face, Aldebaran felt at a loss. This is the difference between himself and Yae, who he was impressed by just a moment ago, as he is easily disturbed by unexpected events like this. The reason Yae holds him in high regard is nothing more than a fabrication snatched through the unfair power technique. In any case—

"What a remarkable person you are, Little Lady Felt."

It was Felt, right at the center of this surprise, who was the unexpected protagonist of Aldebaran's calculations. Her demeanor, convincing him of this, had grown even sharper, despite not having been seen for merely three months. True to being the talent who, in just one year, made Priscilla acknowledge her as an adversary. Unlike Aldebaran, she fundamentally differed in terms of her significance in the world. —However, his resolve was not so cheap that he would back down for that reason.

"Thanks for the warm welcome. But is it okay to bother with me? Even now, while we're here, your 'Sword Saint' is—"

"—Sorry about that, but..."

"——"

For the time being, Aldebaran attempted to draw some information by bringing the conversation into a war of words. However, his words were mercilessly cut off, as Felt scratched her head and winked with one eye. And then—

"The unanimous opinion between me and Old Rom is that first, you should shut your damn mouth."

"—!"

Instantly, a shiver rushed through Aldebaran, tensing his entire body. But it was too late. Before he could react in any way to that fear, a small figure lurking at the forest's edge leaped out, and a slender leg delivered a sharp kick to Aldebaran's neck.

"Ka...k..."

A violent shock rattled his brain, draining the strength from Aldebaran's knees. At the edge of his vision, the person who delivered that blow gracefully landed on the grassland, shaking her twin-tailed pink hair, and with sleepy eyes, looked at Aldebaran. A familiar face— a girl bearing a striking resemblance, whose identity was clear.

"Revenge for Flam."

Based on the short, matter-of-fact words, he realized it was Flam's younger sister. Collapsing from the strike of the young girl and on the verge of losing consciousness, Aldebaran muttered.

"I'm not... dead yet..."

As his consciousness slowly faded into darkness, he reflexively consumed poison. The consumption of deadly poison hidden behind his molars was an art that Aldebaran had practiced more than any other action in his life, ingraining it not only into his body but also into his soul. This was, undeniably, Aldebaran’s unique skill that not even Reinhard van Astrea, the 'Sword Saint', could interfere with.

There was nobody better than Aldebaran at killing Aldebaran in this world—

× × ×

"Hey! You can hear me, right? I know you're there, you helmet guy!"

The sensation of his brain being burned by poison was interrupted, and right after that, a spirited voice filled with pleasant hostility woke him. With the timing of the declaration of war from Felt aligned with the redefined matrix, Aldebaran returned and began the first count in his head.

"Hey! That voice just now, it's that blonde kid! She's Reinhard's master! Why is she here... I thought she couldn't be found!?"

Aldebaran, glancing at the interaction between the panicked Heinkel and Yae, who was trying to calm him down, updated the battle situation in his mind with the information he'd gathered just before.

An update was necessary for the previously anticipated strength of Felt's faction—a significant update, indeed.

Originally expected to be a group of three thugs, an old giant, and Flam’s younger sister at most, it turned out to be a group of more than five hundred waiting in ambush.

"They've got quite a troublesome brain backing them up."

This was a worst-case scenario for Aldebaran, distinct from his decisive battle with Reinhard van Astrea, the 'Sword Saint',—

"... Seriously, Miss Felt, you're really hitting me where it hurts the most in terms of strategy."

—An unavoidable battle against the enemy, who were coming at him with sheer numbers, had begun for Aldebaran.