The <Flame> Silver throws out as a greeting——Natasha blocks it with everything she has in terms of defensive magic, and sharpens her eyes with hatred.
“Silver, you……!”
“Relax, it was just the lowest-tier magic. There shouldn’t be any dead, let alone any seriously injured. Well……the magical beast unit was completely wiped out, but.”
Having turned the tide of battle with laughable ease, Silver walks toward Natasha.
Then, in the very next moment, the Kasorla soldiers cry out, faces pale.
“Silver-sama, please be careful!”
“Natasha controls brains with her unique magic——’Worms’!”
“You must not get close to that woman……!”
The moment Silver tilts his head with a “Worms?,” receiving the warning——
“Too late, you’re already within range! ——Secret Technique: Puppet Sonata!”
An enormous swarm of worms erupts from every inch of Natasha’s body.
Puppet Worms.
Creatures with sharp barbed mouthparts, like mosquitoes shrunk to the smallest conceivable size.
They parasitize the brain by traveling through a host’s blood vessels, controlling the host’s actions at will.
Natasha has been forcing her subjects to obey her by putting these worms in their heads.
(No matter how strong Silver is, it doesn’t matter! Every person has soft skin and a fragile brain! If even one gets through, he becomes my puppet……!)
As an enormous swarm of Puppet Worms comes flying——
“Ewww, that’s disgusting……”
Silver makes an openly revolted face and raises his magical output by the tiniest amount.
At the same moment, the gravity around him multiplies several thousandfold.
Unable to bear their own weight, the worms sink into the earth and perish.
“Wha, ah……!”
The magic perpetually leaking from him as a kind of waste——he had merely strengthened it by a hair.
That alone was enough to completely neutralize Natasha’s secret technique.
The existence before her has transcended every law and principle. A genuine monster in the truest sense.
“That look on your face——was that your trump card?”
“Ngh——don’t move! Leticia’s life is at——”
“——<Time Stop>.”
Time freezes as if the whole world has been turned to ice, and only Luna and Zel, possessing <Time Stop Resistance>, are free to move.
“——I’ll do it! ……Huh?”
Leticia’s person has, before anyone notices, left Natasha’s grasp and moved to Silver’s side.
“You, what on earth did you——!?”
“What? I simply stopped time.”
“T-time stop……!? You, you monster……!”
Natasha spits the words out, then dissolves into a fine-particulate mist of worms and disperses.
“Oh……did she run?”
“No, this magical energy reading is……she still intends to fight.”
The moment Zel cuts off his words, the earth shakes violently.
Kasorla Castle, visible in the far distance, collapses, and from it an enormous quantity of ‘black’ erupts upward.
It is worms.
An aggregate of horrifying Puppet Worms that easily exceeds one hundred meters in total length.
“Oh, w-wow……that’s so gross……”
As Luna is overcome with powerful revulsion——
“Remarkable. I never imagined she was a mage of this caliber……”
——Zel is genuinely impressed.
The enormous magical pressure pricking at the skin, the magical skill to command a countless swarm of worms.
Natasha’s ability as a mage is at a level that would hold its own even three hundred years ago.
“Two hundred years of ‘worm jars’ accumulated beneath the castle. It is somewhat a shame to use them all here——but Silver! If I can just control you, everything else is no problem!”
The trump card against the Empire——the worm jars.
The colossal worm nest sunk in the deepest stratum of Kasorla Castle.
Having released every last worm seething within it, she has transcended, in this single moment, the limits of the human species——obtaining a power beyond reckoning.
“Soldiers of Godba! Flee, now……!”
“Once a worm gets in, you’ll become just like us——that woman’s plaything!”
At the Kasorla soldiers’ warning, the Godba army scatters in a panic like spiders fleeing a web.
“Silver——give me your body……!”
When Natasha, now transformed into something inhuman, swings both arms down, the magically enhanced Puppet Worms surge forward with tremendous force.
Against a swarm of hundreds of millions, Silver raises his right hand.
“Finishing move——”
The next moment, the world is wrapped in ‘night.’
Filling the heavens: jet black, black as a midnight gem.
In a darkness like drenched night, a sharp, alien sound rings out high in the sky far above.
“This is——could it be……!?”
What crosses Zel’s mind is the great destruction of three hundred years ago.
The transcendent super-magic that erased an island in a single strike.
“F-fleeee……!”
As the loyal retainer lets out his warning, the Saint’s right hand swings down.
“——Magnifying Glass.”
The next moment——
“……Ah……?”
Raining down from the heavens: a sacred lance of extreme light, a dazzling spear of radiance that drives into the earth.
One of the Saint’s finishing moves——Magnifying Glass.
The immense ‘heat’ and ‘light’ released by the sun, forcibly bent by a transcendent magical power operating beyond all known laws, concentrated to a single point on the surface.
Powerful precisely because it is simple.
Fired on the principle of a magnifying glass, the strike skewers the pest called Natasha as if scorching paper.
One second later, on the scorched earth: a gaping abyss of a crater.
“Th-the great magic of legend……!”
“……The scale of the fighting is on a different level……”
“A-a monster……!”
As the battlefield stands in stunned silence, Zel opens his eyes wide in astonishment.
(What remarkably restrained power……. Could this possibly be——)
In the direction of Zel’s gaze, even through the helm, there is an unmistakably smug look.
“Heh, this time I managed to hold back quite well, didn’t I?”
“……As expected of the Saint-sama. I am in awe.”
Three hundred years ago, Luna had accidentally used this ‘Magnifying Glass’ to erase a certain small island from the map.
Compared to that, this strike is one hundredth the power or less.
A properly controlled, remarkably mild strike.
Amid the spreading smell of scorched earth——from the bottom of the abyss, the half-dead witch crawls back up.
“Hah, hah……Sil……ver……!”
Having sensed Silver’s abnormal magical power, Natasha had converted the life force of all her worms into magical energy——and used it as a barrier, burning it all up to survive the ‘Magnifying Glass’ strike.
“My, was that too low a flame?”
“No, in this case I think we should be praising the enemy’s quick judgment and excellent magical skill.”
Having credited Natasha’s technique, Zel——
“——<Binding Feather>.”
——uses his feathers, both firm and supple, to bind her hands and feet tight.
In the meantime, Silver turns toward Leticia.
“Please don’t move——it might be dangerous.”
“Y-yes……!”
He gently pinches the collar and shackles fitted to her with two fingers.
“Here we go.”
A terrible cracking and grinding sound rings out, and the iron restraints are destroyed in a sorry state.
“There, all better now.”
“Thank you very much.”
Ramza, battered and broken, runs to Leticia’s side now that she is freed.
“Leticia-sama……!”
“Whoa, careful, careful……!”
“Thank goodness……I am so glad you are safe……!”
He keeps murmuring the words again and again as he wraps his arms gently around Leticia.
“Thank you, Ram. That means the world to me, but……I’m a little embarrassed with everyone watching……”
Having the knight she loves most hold her is genuinely, honestly wonderful——but.
With so many people gathered in this place, the embarrassment outweighs it.
As Leticia’s cheeks flush red, the soldiers’ eyes all converge on a single point.
“……Strong. No——too strong……”
“This is the power of the legendary Saint’s party——the ‘Hidden Hero,’ Silver-sama……!”
“That outrageous power……that person must truly be the Saint-sama’s representative!”
The soldiers of both armies were captivated.
By Silver’s overwhelming power, by that transcendent bearing.
Luna’s fighting had always had a certain ‘flair,’ even in the old days.
Not a victory after a grueling struggle.
Just overwhelmingly, utterly dominant.
Paying no heed to any attack, crushing everything with sheer overwhelming firepower.
That magnificent way of fighting shakes the hearts of people, regardless of the age.
The Godba army that has won the battle.
The Kasorla army, freed at last from the worm control that has lasted over two hundred years.
Just as both armies are about to erupt in joy——
“——Kuhah.”
The Worm Queen laughs, evil.
“……Leti……cia……sama?”
“……Huh……?”
Leticia plunges the personal defense dagger into Ramza’s heart, then turns the blade in a smooth arc——and drives it through her own chest.
“What!?”
As everyone present doubts their own eyes——
“Heh, heheh……ahahahahahaha……! Together into the grave! I won’t let Leticia or Ramza be happy——not ever! Fall into hell with me!”
Natasha laughs as if mad.
She had given the order.
To the worm inside Leticia’s brain: the worst possible command——’kill Ramza and take your own life.’
Just as she had murdered her own mother Kasorla and her elder sister Godba by conspiracy, so long ago.
“This woman——what unspeakable evil……!”
Instantly grasping the situation, Zel immediately draws his sword and cuts Natasha down in a single stroke.
“Gh……kaka, ka……. I’ll be……waiting on the other side……first……!”
The empress curses as she dies.
The Puppet Worms, their master gone, dissolve into faint light and scatter.
“What has happened……!”
“Recovery mages, quickly……!”
As the scene erupts in chaos, the recovery mages waiting in the rear race with all speed to the front lines.
“Prepare for transfusion immediately……!”
“Bring every potion we have!”
“Beginning preparation of recovery magic!”
As the Godba army presses forward with emergency treatment, the Kasorla army moves into action.
“Hey, use our potions! They’re mid-tier Empire-made!”
“Mage unit! Assist immediately!”
“Move, prepare the ritual……!”
The Martial Nation and the Magic Nation——enemy and ally alike, both armies join hands and administer treatment to Ramza and Leticia.
Godba and Kasorla, traced back to their roots, are both people of the same Lindria.
The affection between kinsmen is of course there.
And more than anything, the Kasorla soldiers knew it in their own bodies.
That the painful incident known as the ‘Madness of Godba’ had been orchestrated by the witch Natasha.
“Leticia-sama, please be strong! You will be all right! Our nation’s recovery mages are excellent! Wounds like these will surely heal in no time!”
Ramza gently holds Leticia’s hand and keeps pouring out words of encouragement, endlessly.
He too is badly wounded and hovering between life and death——but with his master’s life at stake, there is simply no room for that now.
All the while, the mage unit completes its preparations.
“——<Light of Healing>!“
Running parallel to the potion circulation treatment, mid-tier recovery magic is deployed.
However——
“Ngh, this is……!”
“……There’s too much blood loss……!”
Both their hearts have been completely destroyed, and ordinary recovery magic does nothing against wounds this severe.
Ramza and Leticia grow gradually weaker.
The warmhearted Luna could not possibly just sit watching with her arms folded.
“Um, e-excuse me, I can heal——”
“——Saint-sama, a moment, please.”
Just as Silver steps forward, Zel quickly holds up a hand.
“But……”
“Would you leave this to me. I will not let it end badly.”
“……Alright.”
Receiving his retainer’s firm request, Luna draws back her words.
“……Ram, are you……there……?”
“Yes, I am here……!”
“……I’m sorry……. I always……just hold you back……”
“What are you saying! It was because of you that I became human again! Because of you that I found a reason to live! Everything——it is all because of you!”
“……Is that so, I’m glad……”
Leticia smiles with a fragile, fading beauty, and extends her white slender hand toward Ramza.
“Magical energy reading, falling further!”
“Are there no more potions!?”
“Pour in more magical energy! Everything you have!”
As the mage unit struggles with their treatment——
“……Do you remember……? You know, Ram, you kept……apologizing for everything, for so long……”
She stares somewhere far away, and begins telling an old story in halting words.
Five years since Ramza, having failed to assassinate Leticia, became her knight.
Around the time the Empire’s conditioning began to fade and the human heart started to return——
[——I am truly, deeply sorry.]
[Hey, is this about stabbing me again……? That is the past now, I’ve told you not to worry about it.]
[No, I cannot simply——]
[Hahhh……. I think I’ve said this before, but because of you, I’ve had my life saved more than ten times in these past five years? I am very, very grateful to you, you know?]
In those five years, assassins had been sent after Leticia again and again, and Ramza had killed every single one of them.
As a first-rate assassin himself, he knows the methods of his own trade inside and out.
He fulfilled his role as a knight perfectly and saved his master’s life time and time again.
But that is that, and this is this.
Even if it had ended in failure, Ramza could not forgive himself for what he had done——for having driven a blade into his master’s chest.
[……A man like me is simply not fit to serve as your knight, Leticia-sama. There are many excellent swordsmen in our nation. It would be better to assign one of them——]
[——No. You will always be my knight. I will not accept anyone else.]
Leticia’s reply is immediate, and Ramza presses back.
[Wh-why……? Please tell me the reason.]
[Umm, that is, well……]
Ramza’s straightforward gaze bears down on Leticia, who is struggling to answer.
[Actually……I……you——]
[Yourself……?]
[……Goodness, Ram is really so dense.]
[I-I am sorry……]
The words she could not put together back then.
The feelings she kept buried deep in her heart all this time.
“——I like you, Ram. I love you, so very much.”
Leticia says it, and smiles her smile like the sun.
“Ah, haha……I finally said it……at the very end……”
A breath of relief escapes——and at the same moment, the life drains from her body.
Having cleared the weight from her heart, she has made peace with it.
She has accepted this ending.
“Don’t say that, don’t say ‘at the very end’……Leticia……!”
“Don’t make……that face……. Let’s say goodbye……properly……with a smile……?”
“……No. Stop it. Please……I’m begging you……!”
Large drops fall from Ramza’s eyes.
“……Magical energy reading continuing to fall, we cannot hold on much longer……!”
“Ngh……!”
“An ending like this……!”
Modern magical medicine cannot regenerate a destroyed heart.
Ramza and Leticia’s deaths are unavoidable——a state where nothing more can be done.
Amid a heavy, grief-stricken silence——
(……Now, I think it’s just about time.)
Zel, wearing a look more ‘wicked’ than usual, spreads his pure white wings wide and draws a deep breath.
“——Oh, what a tragedy! A master and her knight, each devoted to the other, and the cruel fate that tears them apart! This I cannot turn a blind eye to!”
With every soldier’s gaze upon him, he makes a powerful declaration.
“Just now, a divine proclamation has been handed down from the Saint-sama! She, full of boundless compassion, takes pity on you two who are caught in this tragic fate, and desires to bestow upon you a ‘Sacred Healing’!”
“A Sacred……Healing……?”
To Ramza’s murmur, Zel gives a firm nod.
“The Saint-sama’s miracles surpass all things in creation! Spilled water returns to the cup, the clock’s hands turn back, the fallen apple is restored to the branch! In short, a destroyed heart will surely be regenerated in no time at all!”
“Th-then, to receive that Sacred Healing——the Saint’s miracle——what must I do!? I will do anything if it means Leticia will be saved! My life, my soul, take everything! So please……tell me!”
Ramza pleads desperately——but Zel gives a small shake of his head.
“The Saint-sama is all-knowing and all-powerful, and therefore desires nothing.”
“Then what must I do!?”
“What is needed is ‘heart.'”
“H-heart……?”
“Precisely. The only ones who may receive the Saint-sama’s miracles are those who truly, from the bottom of their hearts, believe in her. If you, Ramza-dono, and Leticia-dono, both genuinely revere and worship the Saint-sama——then the ‘miracle’ shall come to pass.”
It is a story impossible to believe.
The ordinary, everyday Ramza——the realist——would have laughed it off without a second thought.
But the godlike fighting power Silver had shown them just moments before.
A transcendent being that commands the absolute loyalty of a great hero like that, across three hundred years——the Saint. With her power, it seemed like there was nothing that could not be done.
“Please, Saint. No——Saint-sama……! I don’t care what happens to me, just heal Leticia, only Leticia……!”
Ramza clings to the last straw dangled before him, abandons all pride and dignity, and offers up the very life of his heart.
“Saint-sama……do not worry about me. Please, heal Ram’s wounds……I beg you……”
Leticia musters her final strength and puts her desperate wish into words.
The two of them, their beautiful prayers, cross the borders between nations and spread through both armies.
“The full Godba army makes this plea. Saint-sama, please grant your divine mercy……!”
“The full Kasorla army bows before you. Please bestow the Saint-sama’s miracle upon Leticia-dono and Ramza-dono……!”
As everyone offers their prayers to the Saint and wishes for Leticia’s and Ramza’s recovery——Zel snaps his gaze up to the sky.
“Look——look at this sacred light, raining down from the heavens! Your heartfelt prayers have reached her, and the Saint-sama’s miracle is being woven into being!”
The moment everyone looks up——
(Saint-sama, now, now! The usual thing, please!)
Zel sends the cue with a very satisfied look on his face, and——
(Huh, oh, um, alright……)
——a gloomy-faced Luna quietly uses her recovery magic.
(——<Holy Dragon’s Breath>)
The next moment, a tremendous surge of magical power rains down from the heavens.
An extreme-tier magic befitting a divine act unfolds, and as if time itself is flowing backward, Ramza’s and Leticia’s bodies regenerate.
“That’s, that’s impossible……something like this……!”
“It, it’s real……does the Saint-sama truly exist……!?”
The two, now completely recovered, stare at each other as if unable to believe it.
From the crowd that has witnessed the divine miracle——no, the Saint’s miracle——a roar goes up like a trembling of the earth.
“OHHHHHHHHH……!“
“What power, what a miracle, and……what a compassionate heart……!”
“Thank you, Saint-sama, thank you so very much……!”
Gratitude, excitement, ecstasy——and the swelling of faith that knows no ceiling.
The loyalty of both armies toward the Saint grows, surpassing all limits.
As everyone is immersed in joy, Luna alone presses a hand to her chest in apparent agony.
(Ugh, uhh……)
The Saint is incapable, at a cellular level, of deceiving people.
It was nothing like the Saint’s miracle at all, just her own recovery magic——and yet, presenting it as if it were something grand and grand-standing as if bestowing a favor……the act fills her with unbearable guilt.
That she can even say ‘I want to be a villainess’ with this personality of hers really does defy all belief.
“Z-Zel……this is wrong, we can’t go around deceiving everyone like this……!”
“No, there is no problem. After all, every person here was saved by the Saint-sama.”
Zel’s words are correct.
If Luna had not stepped in, Leticia and Ramza would have met a violent end, the Martial Nation and the Magic Nation would have fallen into Natasha’s hands……the malice-filled Worm Queen would not have stopped there, she would have launched a war against the Albas Empire, and a blood-soaked world war would have erupted.
Looking only at results, Luna has saved not just Leticia and Ramza but the Martial Nation and the Magic Nation——she has saved the entire world.
But that is that, and this is this.
(I……what a terrible thing I’ve done……)
The Saint, whose heart is purer than anyone’s, is tormented by the guilt of having deceived everyone, and slumps her shoulders dejectedly.
One hour later, with the minimum necessary post-war proceedings settled, Luna, Zel, Leticia, and Ramza had gathered in the office on the top floor of Godba Castle.
Luna and Leticia, seated on sofas with a small table between them, face each other, while their attendants stand at their respective masters’ backs.
“Silver-dono, Zel-dono, and the Saint-sama watching over us from somewhere——thank you so very much, for lending your aid to our nation and for saving our lives.”
Leticia conveys her thanks, and Silver waves a hand with a “not at all.”
“Silver, I will apologize here for my earlier discourtesy. Please forgive my ignorance. The Saint-sama——is real.”
“I am glad you understand.”
With Ramza’s formal apology and reconciliation concluded, Leticia puts forward a certain proposal.
“Our nation was saved by the members of the Saint’s party. It is not exactly in repayment for that, but we would like to recognize the ‘Saint Faith’ as the national religion of the Martial Nation——”
“——No, that will not be necessary. Those fanatics are entirely unrelated to us.”
“Is, is that so?”
“Yes. Those troublesome fans give us headaches too, honestly……”
A small joke slips in, the mood in the room warms nicely——and Leticia gives a small cough.
“Now then, Silver-dono, regarding the alliance we had spoken of previously……”
“Yes, I did hope we could continue to build a good relationship with the Martial Nation going forward——”
“——On that matter, I am afraid I must respectfully decline.”
“Huh.“
“……May I ask the reason?”
Receiving an unexpected answer, Silver visibly flustered and Zel sharpened his eyes.
Leticia and Ramza exchange nods and present the Martial Nation’s position.
“Our army has been badly depleted in the recent war. The Empire and the surrounding smaller nations would never let this opportunity pass. We will most likely be invaded in the near future and destroyed. As the Martial Nation’s sovereign, I must find some course of action.”
“An alliance with the Holy Kingdom could certainly prove to be a shrewd move——but it would require fine adjustments and take considerable time. In the meantime, the other nations, stained in blood and greed, would never leave us wounded and defenseless. What is needed right now is a ‘swift and certain means of defense.'”
Ramza cuts off there and passes the rest to Leticia.
“Which is why I have one proposal. If the Saint-sama will permit it——would you consider placing our nation under the Holy Kingdom’s protection?”
“That would mean……?”
Silver tilts his head slightly, while——
“Ahh, so that’s what this is.”
——Zel smiles with a knowing curl of his lips.
“In accordance with international law, we would designate our nation as ‘Holy Kingdom, Godba Territory,’ and announce this to the world. That would prevent any force from laying a hand on us. Anyone foolish enough to do so would be making enemies of the Saint-sama, Silver-dono, and Zel-dono——the ‘legendary Saint’s party.'”
“Of course, we intend to provide appropriate compensation. Deployment of personnel, supply of resources, the passing down of the Flow Technique. We will swear to implement all of these without delay, as soon as post-war proceedings are complete.”
Personnel, resources, technology——everything the Holy Kingdom needs, laid out before them.
“Silver-dono, I make this request once more. Would you please add the Martial Nation to the umbrella of the great Holy Kingdom?”
“Please seek the judgment of the great Saint-sama.”
“W-wait, I can’t be asked something like that out of nowhere……!”
Ignoring the flustered Silver, Zel gives a firm nod.
“——Very well. The Saint-sama says she has ‘no objection whatsoever.'”
“Wait a minute, Zel!?”
Before Silver can even call a halt, Leticia’s and Ramza’s faces break open with relief.
“Th-thank you so much……!”
“What a compassionate heart……I have no words to express our gratitude!”
Leaving the Sole Monarch behind entirely, the conversation steamrolls forward.
Amid all of this, a sudden rough knocking rings out.
“L-Leticia-sama, there is something I must inform you urgently……!”
“Please, come in.”
A “Excuse me!” rings out from beyond the door, and a well-built soldier comes stomping in.
“What is the meaning of this, we have important guests……?”
Ramza’s displeasure plain on his face, the guard shrinks but gives his report.
“I-I sincerely apologize. But the Magic Nation’s plenipotentiary is here, and in any case——please come to the balcony!”
“The Magic Nation’s plenipotentiary……?”
“It seems this is no ordinary matter.”
Luna, Zel, Leticia, and Ramza move to the balcony on the second floor of Godba Castle.
And there——the full Kasorla army, numbering thirty thousand in total, was prostrated.
Their weapons laid down, at their head sits the man who had tried to stop Natasha from continuing the war and been struck down——the Supreme Commander of the Kasorla Army.
Stripping off his sword, shield, and armor, having bared himself without defense, he slowly lowers his forehead to the ground.
“Seventh Sovereign Leticia Lindria-sama——first and foremost, I wish to offer our apologies for the atrocities committed by the late Natasha. We are truly, deeply sorry……!”
Following the Supreme Commander’s apology, the soldiers at his back lower their heads.
“However, please understand. We harbor not a shred of hostility toward your nation——toward our kinsmen. We had worms placed in us by Natasha, and our families were taken hostage. We had no choice but to comply. Please, at least know that.”
His words were the honest truth, and everyone present understood it.
“From this point forward, the Magic Nation will provide assistance in every form until your nation has achieved its reconstruction. We will be sending a diplomatic envoy shortly on this matter, and we hope to discuss the details then.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Receiving Leticia’s words, the Supreme Commander bows his head once more.
“And——Silver-dono, representative of the Saint-sama!”
“Huh, me?”
Suddenly addressed, Silver answers for a moment in a completely natural voice.
“Allow me to confirm one thing. Everything spoken of here is being heard by the Saint-sama. Is that understanding correct!?”
“Well……she would be listening, yes.”
Being spoken to directly by the person herself, it goes without saying.
“Then——the full Kasorla army makes this plea, prostrated before you. ——Saint-sama, we wish for you to govern the Magic Nation of Kasorla!”
“……Huh……?”
“Our nation has lost its sovereign and has no successor. That a nation with a vacant throne will tread the path of ruin is clear from history. We who have lost our ruler need a ‘one and only, absolute monarch’ whom all can recognize!”
The Supreme Commander’s words take on a natural fervor.
“Of course, we will provide appropriate compensation! The high-purity magestones produced in our nation, the fruits of our long magestone research, and furthermore the profits generated by the magical instrument industry! We will provide or share half of all of this!”
The terms the Magic Nation put forward were nothing less than extraordinary.
“This matter has received approval from emergency parliament and represents the wish of every single person living in the Magic Nation! We humbly beg the Saint-sama’s divine mercy……!”
As the Supreme Commander bows his head fervently——
“Saint-sama’s divine mercy……!”
The thirty-thousand-strong army lowers its heads, seeking the Saint’s mercy.
“W-well, um……”
Silver wears an expression that is visibly, unmistakably reluctant, and——
“Heheheheh……is that so, is that so, how splendid indeed.”
——Zel, having obtained the outcome he’d hoped for——no, more than that——wears the most thoroughly wicked smile possible.
“——Hear me, devout soldiers of Kasorla! The magnanimous Saint-sama has heard your nation’s wish! From this day forward, take your first steps forward as the ‘Holy Kingdom, Kasorla Territory’!”
“Th-thank you so much……!”
“Thank you so much……!”
As thirty thousand soldiers raise a roar of jubilation——
“Saint-sama!”
A ‘closet Saint-Faith devotee’ hiding among the Kasorla army, past the point of being able to hold himself back, begins to pray——
“Saint-sama!”
——a soldier nearby is pulled along and naturally shouts the words——
“Saint-sama……!”
——the faith pushed to its absolute limit breaks free like a dam bursting——
“——Saint-sama! Saint-sama! Saint-sama!”
——and the hellish chorus of Saint-sama reaches its completion, as waves of joy and ecstasy crash and surge.
Meanwhile, our Sole Monarch, recipient of more faith than at any point before in her life——
“Oh, oh no, ohnoohnoohnoohno……!”
——loses the capacity for language, her Saint brain overflowing.
As her master falls into total malfunction, the loyal retainer’s chest burns with rock-solid conviction.
(As expected of the Saint-sama, everything you do has ‘flair’! Even without thinking about any of it, your every move and gesture draws the hearts of the masses! Yes……it is possible! If I serve as the mind and the backbone holding everything together, world unification is by no means a pipe dream! A world order centered on Luna-sama, a ‘new world’ where she can live and smile freely——it can be achieved!)
And so the Holy Kingdom, having absorbed both the Martial Nation of Godba and the Magic Nation of Kasorla, swelled its influence to more than ten times its size within barely a month of its founding.
(Wh-why……how did it come to this……)
Having made not a ‘two-step leap’ but a ‘ten-step leap,’ the Saint found herself spinning in dizzy circles at a pace of development that was simply far too fast.