"Report on our casualties."
"They aren't significant. The Rear Unit was already in total disarray thanks to the havoc Rei and Seto wreaked. Since our losses weren't high when we first breached their lines, we can proceed as planned."
Vihera and her group cut through the Subjugation Army's Rear Unit as if they were traversing a deserted wasteland.
Tilleul took command of his subordinates, while Gurgast snorted in displeasure at the total lack of resistance despite having charged straight into the heart of the Rear Unit.
The Rear Unit had been in a state of confusion from the start. There wasn't much they could have done against the Mercurio Army led by Vihera as it marched forward so boldly, but even so, the near-total lack of incoming attacks was unexpected even for Gurgast.
It wasn't that there were absolutely no attacks.
There were those who occasionally launched sporadic assaults, but such individuals were easily suppressed before Gurgast even needed to step in.
Under those circumstances, they eventually cut through the Rear Unit without any real fighting...
"The end is in sight, isn't it?" Vihera murmured.
Ahead of them, an empty space devoid of soldiers began to spread out. Having arrived at the rearmost position of the Rear Unit—a place that could be called the final line of defense of the Subjugation Army in the most literal sense—Vihera spoke again.
"Lady Vihera, is it truly wise not to call for His Highness Mercurio or Theoreme? Capturing His Highness Cabajid and His Highness Schuls will end this war, but if Her Highness Vihera is the one to do it personally..."
Vihera considered Tilleul's words for a moment, then eventually shook her head.
"It's true that it would be better if Mercurio or Theoreme were here, but this is the front line. Considering the possibility of a worst-case scenario, I can't call Mercurio and the others here now. Besides, more than anything, if we were to summon them, how long do you think it would take for them to actually arrive?"
"...I see. If we waste time waiting, His Highness Cabajid and His Highness Schuls might find an opportunity to escape. Gurgast, what do you think?"
"I have no interest in politics," Gurgast muttered, looking down at the Battle Axes in both his hands. "However, if I may speak purely from my own desires, since we are facing princes, I would hope for guards with a corresponding level of strength."
Tilleul looked up at the sky, realizing that asking Gurgast had been a mistake.
A magnificent blue sky spread out above them, so brilliant it hardly seemed like autumn, and his eyes were captivated for a moment.
"Tilleul, we're moving out."
Snapped back to his senses by Vihera's voice, Tilleul hurriedly chased after her. He felt that if he were left behind here, he would miss the chance to see the end of this Civil Strife alongside her.
At the same time, for Tilleul, who possessed a deep appreciation for the arts, he was already contemplating creating a play based on this war once the conflict was settled. He could by no means afford to miss the climax.
"Lady Vihera, how do you think His Highness Cabajid and His Highness Schuls will respond? They have almost no combat strength left, but..."
Tilleul questioned Vihera as he walked beside her, partially to cover up the fact that he had nearly been left behind. However, his curiosity wasn't entirely a facade.
In fact, he could generally predict exactly how much combat strength remained on the other side. That being the case, how the two princes would react to their inevitable cornering was a matter of great concern for Tilleul—and above all, for Vihera.
Vihera gave a small smile at Tilleul's question.
"I think it's better to ask them yourself, don't you? Look..."
Ahead of Vihera's gaze, a group of people stood as if waiting for their arrival.
Tilleul grew tense for a moment at the sight, but Gurgast, Vihera, and the others continued walking without showing any sign of hesitation. Tilleul hurriedly followed in their wake.
For a moment, he wondered if there might be some kind of trap, ambush, or hidden troop, and he briefly regretted abandoning their horses. They had discarded them halfway through breaking the Center.
Normally, a cavalryman would be an overwhelmingly more powerful force than infantry, but they had already breached the Center and the Rear Unit's troops. Vihera, Gurgast, and Tilleul had mutually recognized that under these specific circumstances, horses would only make it harder to act as a cohesive unit. It would have been a different story if they were moving quickly across a prairie, but here, agility mattered more.
Furthermore, Vihera's primary weapons were her martial arts, which meant her reach was naturally short. She couldn't attack effectively from horseback. Even Gurgast was wielding Battle Axes rather than a poleaxe with a long handle; his range was significantly shorter than the spears used by ordinary cavalrymen. In terms of focusing on thrusts, Tilleul's Rapier might have been somewhat usable on horseback, but they were better off on foot.
"Well, the other side seems to be waiting, so shall we? Regardless of Big Brother Cabajid, Big Brother Schuls absolutely hates being kept waiting."
Following Vihera's lead, the Mercurio Army stepped forward.
It was immediately obvious that Cabajid, Schuls, and the others who came out to meet them were almost all nobles, save for a few guarding knights. They were clearly not here with the intention of fighting.
Seeing that, Gurgast and his subordinates wore looks of pure disappointment. They had likely expected this to be the Final Battle of the Civil Strife in the truest sense, but that expectation had been completely subverted. The rest of the unit, however, was actually relieved that it hadn't turned into a bloodbath.
Vihera led her subordinates forward. The members of the Subjugation Army stood by, making no move to stop them.
Finally, Vihera stood at the head of her unit, facing Cabajid and Schuls with a distance of about three meters between them.
Vihera was the first to speak.
"Big Brother Cabajid, Big Brother Schuls, it’s been a long time since we've met face-to-face like this."
"It has. It’s been several years since Vihera went into exile. When you attacked the castle the other day, you seemed to be in quite a hurry to leave."
Vihera and Cabajid exchanged words, both wearing smiles. Beside Cabajid, Schuls wore a bitter, twisted expression.
It was the look of pure humiliation at having to yield to his younger sister. Everyone waiting behind Vihera judged it as such, though no one said it aloud. Schuls was not the patient type to begin with, and as evidenced by his many supporters in the military, he took immense pride in his martial command.
However...
"Vihera! You, what on earth do you think you’re wearing?! That is hardly the attire befitting the Second Princess of the Bestia Empire!"
The words that erupted from Schuls were neither the excuses of a sore loser nor a concession of defeat, but a lecture on Vihera's choice of clothing.
Just as he said, Vihera's outfit was made of a Thin Raiment so sheer it was nearly transparent. The lines of her body—her voluptuous peaks, slender waist, and prominent hips—were clearly visible, leaving almost nothing to the imagination.
Because the Gauntlets and Greaves equipped on her limbs were practical Magic Items, the contrast created a sense of incongruity. However, since Vihera wore them with such natural confidence, one might easily be convinced that this was simply her standard attire.
"Oh? Is something wrong? I don't see any dust or bloodstains; it's perfectly clean."
"It's not a question of whether it's clean! Do you, as a member of the Bestia Empire's Imperial Family, have no pride?!"
Vihera looked caught off guard for a moment by Schuls's red-faced shouting, but in the next instant, an amused smile played across her lips.
"Of course I don't. In the first place, I’ve already gone into exile from the Bestia Empire, just as Big Brother Cabajid mentioned."
"Then why did you return to this country?! No, putting aside just returning, to think you'd cooperate in causing such an uproar and even put Big Sister Frizion in danger!"
"Oh? It's true that I went into exile and discarded my status. But when I was told that my own flesh-and-blood younger brother was under house arrest and marked for assassination, I couldn't exactly just overlook it, could I?"
"That rumor is nonsense!" Schuls roared.
But with things having progressed this far, the conclusion remained the same regardless of how it had all begun.
"Schuls, calm down. ...Now then, since our greetings are out of the way, let's get to the main subject."
At Cabajid's soft words, the atmosphere, which had briefly relaxed during the sibling bickering, turned tense once more.
"Regardless of how it started, this Civil Strife is over. It is my and Schuls's defeat. That's fine. However, I was the one leading the Subjugation Army's side from the start. So, how about this? We settle things with my head alone."
"...Are you serious, Big Brother Cabajid? A First Prince of the Empire, offering up his own life?"
"I am. To be honest, I had a premonition it would turn out like this from the moment Crimson joined your side."
"Then why did you fight this far? Certainly, with this much damage done, a heavy price is required to end the Civil Strife. But if you saw defeat coming the moment Rei joined us, why didn't you stop then?"
Normally, no one would knowingly march into a battle they were guaranteed to lose. And yet, Cabajid, a man renowned as a hero, had continued the war.
In response to Vihera's question, Cabajid wore a faint smile—a smile that showed absolutely no sign of tension.
"Because everyone wanted it."
That was all he said.
"Wait, Big Brother Cabajid. Are you saying you were forced into this Civil Strife by the nobles!?"
She turned her gaze toward the nobles following Cabajid, but they were looking at their prince with expressions of utter shock. It didn't look for a moment like they had been threatening the lord they served.
"No? Of course, starting this Civil Strife was my own decision. My own will."
"Big Brother Cabajid?"
The conversation wasn't connecting.
A cold shiver ran down Vihera's spine. She was undoubtedly speaking with the person in front of her, and she understood his words perfectly. And yet, it felt like something fundamental was failing to mesh.
Was the man in front of her truly her brother, even if they only shared half their blood?
Just as she was about to open her mouth again...
"Hey, look at that! It's a Gryphon!"
The voice of a noble near Cabajid echoed through the air.
Everyone turned their gaze toward where the noble was pointing. There, the Gryphon Seto was indeed flying through the sky, wings flapping as it descended toward the earth. It landed directly on the ground and walked over to stand before Vihera.
"Looks like I made it in time for the end, then," Rei said.
"...Yes, though you're a little late."
Thanks to Rei's appearance, Vihera managed to set aside the sense of incongruity she felt toward Cabajid for a moment and greeted Rei with a smile.
"So you're Crimson. ...I believe we met in front of the castle before, but do you remember me?" Cabajid asked.
"Yeah, I remember. I could hardly forget the person who started this whole war, could I?"
Rei gripped his Death Scythe as he spoke. One of the nobles around Cabajid moved to protest Rei's casual attitude, but Cabajid lightly raised a hand to cut him off.
"I see. For us, the existence of someone like you was completely unexpected. ...Don't you think that if you hadn't been here, this Civil Strife would have ended in our victory?"
Judging that Cabajid was enjoying the conversation, the nobles swallowed their dissatisfaction, though they still looked displeased with Rei.
Vihera, however, was struck with surprise. While her own conversation with Cabajid had felt disjointed despite the words being clear, the exchange between Cabajid and Rei seemed to mesh perfectly.
"...I wonder about that. I think the role I played was significant, but my impression is that even if I hadn't lent a hand, Vihera and the others would have won eventually."
"Is that so? Well, it’s meaningless for a loser to speculate. ...Now then, I’ve had my talk with Crimson, and I’ve spoken with Vihera. I suppose it's about time."
Time for what?
Everyone tilted their heads at Cabajid's words, but without paying any mind to the confusion, he reached into his breast and pulled out a single Dagger.
In an instant, the area was charged with tension.
Vihera's companions tensed, ready to move at a moment's notice, and Schuls's subordinates made similar preparations. However, Cabajid's own subordinates remained paralyzed, unable to grasp what their lord was doing.
Amidst the silence, Cabajid maintained his smile as he held the Dagger.
"Now, let us draw the curtain on this war. With my death, the Subjugation Army's side accepts total defeat. Let those who served me follow the instructions of the Mercurio Army without fail. Oh, and one more thing. Please spare Schuls's life. I shall shoulder all the guilt myself."
"Big Brother Cabajid!?"
Realizing exactly what he intended to do, Vihera screamed.
"Dying here is meaningless! If you truly wish to take responsibility for this Civil Strife, you should do so properly through the official channels after the war!"
"That may be true. But I’ll leave those details to you and Mercurio. I wish to end this war with my life."
Rei moved to kick off the ground to snatch the Dagger away, but he stopped when Cabajid turned a sharp gaze toward him.
"I’m counting on you to take care of Vihera."
With those words to Rei, Cabajid showed no hesitation. He plunged the poisonous, purple-stained blade of the Dagger deep into his own stomach.
He didn't flinch. If anything, a peaceful smile floated on his face.
"Ah, with this, it can finally end. ...But, if possible... I really wanted to see the cherry blossoms of Takato Castle Ruins Park one more time... you know."
"...Eh?"