Jermain's party, upon arriving at the lord's castle, was stopped at the entrance.
"You can't come in."
"Do you even know what's happening right now?"
"..."
The iron gate was firmly locked, and the knights guarding it said nothing more.
Charlotte, angered, shouted.
"The whole territory is a mess right now! What do you think you're doing!"
No matter how much she raised her voice, there was no reaction.
Standing behind, Jermain looked beyond the iron gate to see the state of the castle.
If they were aware of what was happening in Francaise, the soldiers were certainly moving busily. From time to time, the gate would open in another direction, and a mounted knight order would ride out of the castle.
Jermain stepped forward.
"Is this refusal to let us in by the lord's order?"
"..."
"Whether it's the lord himself, or another representative, tell them that Sir Laurent's friend has come. I am well acquainted with Sir Laurent."
At his words, one of the knights, who had been standing still, looked at Jermain.
Jermain added.
"And it's not just Sir Laurent. I'm also on good terms with the 3rd Prince."
"..."
"Do you see this?"
He showed the badge of the Allied Army Veterans' Association attached to his priest's robe.
"I'm a veteran of the Allied Army, I served as a battle priest."
Dropping those two names did elicit a reaction.
After a brief silence, the knight said curtly,
"Wait here."
Then he sent a messenger inside the castle, and before long, the messenger returned.
The knight who had spoken with Jermain soon opened the gate.
As soon as Jermain's party stepped inside, the iron gate was firmly closed again.
"Follow me."
"Where are we going?"
The knight did not answer. The inside of the castle was steeped in an overall tense atmosphere.
Jermain's party soon met a middle-aged knight. Seated at a desk, he was reading something with a tired expression.
"Ah, you've come."
He lifted his head.
"I am Jess Flandre, younger brother of Lord Lian. So, I hear you're acquainted with Laurent?"
"Yes."
"You've managed to make it here, somehow."
He nodded.
"So, are those zombie hordes spread far?"
"You know about them?"
"Not in detail. We're still assessing the situation."
"It began at Francaise University."
Jermain spoke with conviction.
"This person here is a researcher we found there."
"Really?"
"Yes. Go on, explain something to him."
The researcher looked flustered.
"Explain? Well, I just woke up from sleep, and there was chaos all around…"
"Was there nothing before that?"
"Uh, well…"
"No magic experiments, no drug testing, nothing like that?"
"I don't know."
"In any case, I sensed something at Francaise University. I'm certain about that place."
Jess nodded.
"As a priest, you would sense something."
"Yes."
"No need to worry too much. I've already sent a messenger to the royal palace."
"But His Majesty should be facing off with the imperial army in Bezos right now."
"Ah, you don't know then."
He tapped the desk with his pen and said,
"In any case, for now the Crown Prince is handling affairs in His Majesty's stead. I've informed His Highness about the incident at Francaise, so support will come."
"Ah, if it's His Highness the Crown Prince…"
Jermain let out a sigh of relief.
All the people of Briol knew about Cedric.
Brilliant mind, warm-hearted disposition.
He was a man who could lead the nation well, whenever he became king.
"That's a relief."
"Is it…"
At that moment, someone came in, whispered in Jess's ear, and left. Jess drew a line on the map on his desk.
Jermain asked,
"By the way, the lord…?"
"He's ill."
"I see."
"Yeah."
Jess waved his hand, as if not wanting to say more.
"I'll give you a room, get some rest. Since you know Laurent, I can't just send you away."
"Thank you."
Jermain's party left the room.
Outside, a servant was waiting for them.
"Please follow me."
"Yes."
Charlotte patted Jermain on the shoulder.
"Thanks to you, things went well. I appreciate it."
"It was the knight who helped us. No need to thank me."
Exchanging polite words, Jermain glanced at the researcher. Rescued at the cost of an assistant priest's life, the man was not very talkative.
Jermain said to him,
"Listen, for the sake of the friend who died for you, I hope you live well from now on. And no, I'm not being sarcastic, I mean it."
"Ah, yes, I know. Thank you, truly."
Then, the researcher suddenly gave a sly grin.
"Thanks to you, I got all the way into the castle like this."
"…What?"
Suddenly, the researcher lunged at Jermain. But Charlotte immediately kicked him. The researcher sprawled on the floor.
Jermain shouted,
"What the—?!"
The researcher glared at Charlotte as he got up, then abruptly turned toward the servant and tackled him.
He bit into the screaming servant's neck, chewing, and showed blood-stained teeth as he smiled.
"Heh heh…"
Jermain froze in panic. Charlotte drew her sword.
"A zombie? But it has reason?"
The servant convulsed on the floor, then went limp. Soon after, he began to twitch and move. He had turned into a zombie in an instant.
The researcher shoved the newly-turned zombie at them, then bolted in the opposite direction.
"Stop!"
Charlotte swiftly cut down the zombie. Then she shouted while chasing the researcher,
"That man! He's a zombie host! Stop him!"
It had happened too suddenly for them to respond in time.
Jermain stood there blankly, watching the two — the pursuer and the pursued.
From afar, a series of screams rang out.
Jermain looked down at the corpse of the servant Charlotte had slain.
"What in the world…"
***
Cedric immediately dispatched the remaining troops to blockade Francaise, and sent a messenger to Bezos with a brief report.
Though the exact cause was unknown, it was certain that something was happening.
Yuri spoke honestly to Laurent.
"That happened…"
Laurent's pupils trembled uneasily. Yuri placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry too much. I hear your brother is handling it well."
"Then why go as far as a blockade…?"
"I'm sure there's a reason."
Laurent opened his mouth, then closed it again. Yuri continued speaking.
"They're calling it an epidemic, so they've blocked the roads to keep it from spreading further. They've decided to send priests and doctors as support."
"Did they just call it an epidemic? His Highness the Crown Prince?"
"That's right."
Yuri tried his best to reassure Laurent.
He knew Laurent did not trust Cedric, but still, Cedric was the one currently responsible for carrying out the king's duties.
"Your Highness,"
Laurent said,
"I'm sorry, but I think I must go."
"Go? Now?"
Yuri shook his head.
"I told you, it's under blockade. And besides, even if you went now, there's nothing you could do."
"Still, I think I should go."
"Laurent, wait a moment."
Yuri lowered his head, thought briefly, then spoke.
"How about waiting just a little longer?"
"Your Highness."
"To be honest, it's because you feel uneasy about Cedric, isn't it?"
"That's…"
"It's understandable."
Yuri looked into Laurent's eyes.
"But right now, the imperial army is right in front of us. We need every man we can get. Laurent, you're clearly an important force."
"I understand."
"And even if you go, there's nothing you can actually do. It's an epidemic. Not going is actually more helpful."
Laurent couldn't answer.
Yuri's words were right. There was nothing he could do about an epidemic. On the contrary, it would help more to reduce movement as much as possible and wait until the entire territory calmed down.
Even so, inside Laurent's chest, an inexplicable sense of unease was growing. It was, as Yuri said, because of Cedric.
That story of the white Chai Bird kept scratching at his nerves.
It was absurd, but he even began to entertain a paranoid thought — what if Cedric had set his sights on Francaise and was plotting something?
"Yes, Your Highness is correct."
Laurent let out a sigh.
He wanted to release the suffocating feeling as he exhaled, but it didn't help much.
"I suppose I was momentarily shaken because I was worried."
"No."
Yuri patted Laurent on the shoulder.
"I would've felt the same. But let's endure just a bit longer. It's an important time."
"Yes."
"Let's leave Francaise to Sir Lian. He's a knight more capable than anyone."
While he was speaking, the sound of a horn blew from outside.
"Again?"
The imperial army wasn't only targeting Bezos Castle. From time to time, they would dispatch forces to raid and pillage nearby villages.
Each time, Briol would send a knight order to counter.
"Laurent, shall we?"
"Yes."
The two immediately ran off.
Horses and equipment were already prepared. Soon after, other knights including Jared arrived. They formed into a group and charged toward the outside, and the castle gate began to rise in time with their speed.
They passed through the exit without hesitation.
While riding behind Yuri, Laurent glanced south, toward where Francaise lay.
The thought came to him that he should go.
But he quickly shook his head.
Yuri's words were right. Even if something truly had happened, he had to stay by Yuri's side. That was his duty.
As for Francaise, he had to leave it to his father, and to Cedric.
Suddenly, Laurent flinched and looked up at the sky.
Clouds were flowing beneath the blue sky.
From time to time, a bird would fly, but the white Chai Bird he feared was nowhere to be seen.
***
Cedric was sitting in his office.
From time to time, light spilled from the crystal sphere on his desk.
"Yes."
He muttered to himself.
"Stop Fiore at Francaise. Then Bezos will open, and they won't have the strength to hold it. But Fiore is stronger than expected. So, you see…"
He referred to his own father by name, as if speaking of another person.
"'The Shadowless Sword' will have to come here."
From within the crystal sphere, silence continued. Cedric smiled as he spoke.
"Why?"
[It's dangerous.]
"Don't worry."
Cedric smiled, took off his glasses, and placed them on the desk.
"I'm saying this because I've already thought it through. So send the Shadowless Sword right away. As fast as possible. Understood?"
[Understood.]
"Hurry. I want to finish before Moyong Chan returns."
[What do you plan to do with Briol?]
"I'll arrange a suitable truce in front of the royal palace. No, perhaps it would be better to erase it entirely?"
Cedric thought for a moment, then nodded.
"For now, I'll leave it as it is. What's the situation in the Holy Kingdom?"
[They're fighting fiercely with Bursen. Since the Holy Knight Order hasn't stepped in, Bursen holds a slight advantage.]
"I see."
[What shall we do?]
"Leave it be. And…"
In that instant, Cedric's eyes sharpened.
"That's enough for now, we'll speak again later."
He then put the crystal sphere into a drawer and tidied the desk.
Before long, someone knocked on the door.
"May I come in?"
"Yes, please come in."
The one who entered had salmon-colored hair.
It was Inariel, one of the Ten Strongest, bearing the title of grand mage.
"What brings you here?"
"Hmm…"
Inariel narrowed his eyes at Cedric. Cedric shrugged, smiling as he met his gaze.
Inariel spoke.
"So you're going to be king."
"Yes. That's how it turned out."
"Good. Better you than that unreliable man who only knows how to swing a sword."
"Hahaha…"
"This room's dark. You'll ruin your eyes. That's why you wear glasses."
"I'll be careful."
"So, I'll be away for a while. When Yuri comes later, give this to him."
It was a letter.
"Don't read it."
"Yes. It's a shame though. I felt reassured having you here, Lord Inariel, but you're leaving. I'd like to keep you here, for Briol's sake."
"You do talk well."
"I mean it. Is it something urgent?"
"Yes. Well, it won't take too long. And honestly, even if I stay, there's not much I can do…"
Inariel let out a sigh.
His face was young, but the expression he wore was that of an old man who had lived a long life.
"In any case, that's how it is. Then, take care."
"Yes."
And so Inariel left the office.
For the departure of one of the Ten Strongest, it was anticlimactic.
Cedric looked down at the letter.
Unaware of Cedric's true nature, Inariel had sealed it with light magic.
If anyone forcibly broke it open, Inariel would know.
However, Cedric had a way.
Black smoke flowed from his hand, enveloping the letter. Then, without breaking the seal, the letter paper slipped through the envelope and spread out in midair.
The paper was blank. This too was Inariel's doing.
Cedric waved his hand again. The black smoke wrapped around the entire paper, and through it, faint letters began to emerge.
"Hm…"
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