Chapter 57: Anastasia: Do I have to fight Daniel too? (Patreon)

Inside Crusch's estate.

In the meeting room, Crusch sat at the head of the table, with Wilhelm and Ferris seated on either side of the long table before her.

Crusch had already told Wilhelm everything that had happened at the royal palace.

Wilhelm's feelings right now were a tangle. He'd never much cared for his grandson Reinhard, but the blood between them couldn't be denied.

Hearing news of Reinhard's death, he found himself at a loss for what to feel.

As a child, while training with the sword, Reinhard had received the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint — a Blessing that could belong to only one person at a time. Before him, it had belonged to Theresia, who at the time had been out fighting the White Whale.

Because of Reinhard, his wife Theresia lost the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint and died at the White Whale's hands, without even a body left behind.

Grandfather and grandson had gone their separate ways ever since.

All these years he had wanted nothing more than to avenge Theresia — the very reason he'd joined Crusch's camp was so that one day he might hunt down the White Whale himself.

But before that day ever came, his grandson had gone ahead of him.

Death has a way of gilding the past. Wilhelm closed his eyes to settle his feelings, and after a moment opened them again to look at Crusch.

"Whatever else is true, Reinhard was still my grandson. I will avenge him."

With that, Wilhelm picked up his sword, rose to his feet, and turned to walk out the door.

Beside him, Ferris startled at the sudden movement and hurried to talk him down. "Grandpa Wilhelm, there's no way you can take that guy on alone! Don't do anything rash, meow!"

Crusch, startled as well, rose to her feet and spoke urgently. "Sir Wilhelm, I will gather the other royal selection candidates to move against Daniel together — please, hold yourself back a little longer."

Wilhelm stopped where he stood, drew a deep breath, and said gravely, "I am not a man to be swept away by rage. Rest assured, Lady Crusch."

"I only mean to go and hone my swordsmanship. Whoever could defeat my grandson is certainly beyond what skill I have now."

"On that much, at least, I still know myself well enough."

With that explanation, Wilhelm pushed open the door and left.

Only then did Crusch and Ferris in the room let out a breath of relief.

After a moment of silence, Crusch turned to Ferris and gave instructions. "Now I need you to make a trip for me, Ferris."

"Go notify Priscilla and Anastasia. Both of them are royal selection candidates, and with someone declaring himself king, they'll most likely agree to join the campaign against him."

"As for the other nobles, I'll go myself and inform them, so we can form an army to deal with this usurper."

Ferris agreed at once. "No problem, leave it to me, meow."

Crusch felt at ease leaving the matter to Ferris, but when she thought of how Daniel had turned so many guards to his side in an instant, her mood turned heavy again.

"Oh, and when you speak with Anastasia, ask her to gather some magical devices that guard against mental magic."

"Understood, meow. I'll be off then, Lady Crusch."

"Go."

Once Ferris had left the meeting room, Crusch finally sank back into her chair, slumping against the backrest with no regard for appearances.

A deep unease gripped her; she couldn't shake the feeling that their odds in this fight were slim.

Even so, that was no reason not to try.

"Let's hope everything goes well."

After resting for a while, Crusch set out herself to seek out the nobles who were still alive.

The earlier destruction had left more than a few nobles without even a body to bury; there was no telling how many remained.

...

Priscilla's estate lay within the barony of Barielle, in the southwest of the Lugunica.

So before heading there, Ferris first made a stop at the Hoshin Company's branch in the royal capital, to find Anastasia.

The royal capital was somewhat on edge just then — after all, Daniel had made such a spectacle that only the blind and deaf could have missed it.

The earlier earthquake hadn't affected ordinary people much, since most of its force had been contained within the royal palace.

Outside the palace there had only been a few aftershocks — aside from a couple of unlucky souls who'd broken a leg, no one else was hurt.

Watching the worried, frightened faces of the crowd, Ferris found himself thinking of how the coming battle might drag these people into danger too.

"Seems I should remind Lady Crusch to have everyone evacuated from the capital before the fighting starts."

Ferris pulled his gaze away and kept driving the dragon carriage, arriving within a few minutes at the Hoshin Company's branch in the capital, where he brought the carriage to a stop.

Though it was only a branch office, its facade rivaled that of most noble estates.

The whole building looked much like a modern four- or five-story shopping complex.

At the entrance, beastfolk mercenaries of the Iron Fang stood guard as security. Ferris, as the capital's foremost healing mage, was well known even to them.

Several of the beastfolk recognized him at a glance, and a wolf-headed mercenary stepped forward to ask, "Lady Ferris, are you here to purchase something today?"

"I'm here to see Lady Anastasia. Would you mind announcing me, meow?"

At that, the wolf-headed mercenary showed Ferris into the company's reception room, where several beastfolk maids served tea.

Only then did he go upstairs to inform Anastasia.

"Someone from Crusch's side, at this hour?"

"Does this have something to do with that earthquake and tornado at the royal palace earlier?"

Anastasia's small frame swayed slightly on the sofa, a puzzled look crossing her childish little face.

She wore a pale white dress, though it fit snugly enough to outline her stomach and navel.

Her long, pale-lavender hair fell to her waist, and she wore a fluffy white hat with white fur trimming her shawl.

At a glance, she gave off an impression of soft, huggable cuteness.

But anyone who underestimated her for that would be sorely mistaken — after all, this was the woman who had expanded her trading company all the way from another country into Lugunica.

She was certainly no stranger to scheming — far shrewder, at least, than a naive sweetheart like Emilia.

"Feels like trouble no matter how you slice it. Oh well, since they've come looking, might as well go see what it's about."

Anastasia got up and went downstairs, intending to find out why one of Crusch's people had come for her.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Ferris. Coming to see me this late — I doubt it's because Crusch suddenly took a fancy to boosting my business."

Anastasia walked into the reception room with a fox-like smile on her face, getting her question in first.

"No, meow, it's about the royal selection, meow," Ferris said, cutting straight to the point. His expression turned serious as he laid out exactly what had happened at the royal palace.

Anastasia's eyes went wide; she wondered if she hadn't really woken up yet.

What did it mean that the entire Council of Wise Men was dead, that the Sword Saint had been killed, and that the man responsible had declared himself king and seized the royal palace, sending Crusch out to gather challengers against him?

"Are you serious?"

Ferris nodded. "Lady Crusch saw all of it with her own eyes. The Dragon Sword Reid is even hanging at that man Daniel's waist, meow."

Anastasia lifted her teacup and took a sip to steady her nerves, then flatly refused. "I'm not joining this campaign!"

"Eh?! Why not, meow?!" Ferris said, startled.

Anastasia's expression turned serious. "I was never even from this country to begin with. That whole royal selection thing was something those sages foisted on me in the first place."

"If winning the selection meant a country handed to me on a platter, of course I wouldn't turn it down. But if it means fighting someone who can beat the Sword Saint, with no guarantee I'd even win the throne — I have no reason to agree to that."

"The risk doesn't match the reward. I'm a merchant — I only do things that turn a profit, not things that get me killed!"

"Whoever ends up king, it won't make a bit of difference to my company either way."

"In any case, please see yourself out, Lord Ferris."