Inside the Forest of Deep Magic in Eastend — The Wind Cats' Hideout
The dozen or so people gathered in the craggy cave chamber all wore sour, grim expressions, without exception.
"Rosemary, is it? Among my brother's children, she was the most sensible. But that was in the past, as far as I knew her. Now that she has been raised in that den of vipers known as the royal court, I cannot place my trust in her."
"B-But the Saint is said to be a kind person—"
A petite woman of about twenty tried to speak up, but—
"A royal or noble's kindness does not necessarily stem from genuine concern for the people. It could merely be superficial philanthropy, after all."
Felice Loto Amelia tossed out the remark while brushing back her silky golden hair.
"Princess, it is true that we are utterly exhausted as well. Continuing to play at being chivalrous thieves is reaching its limit."
A tall, slender, white-haired gentleman with a well-groomed beard offered his counsel in an admonishing tone.
"Lucas! We are not chivalrous thieves! We are the resistance!"
"We are the only ones claiming that, Princess. In the public eye, we are merely fallen bandits. Even if we intend to oppose the Holy Amelia Kingdom, we will need allies. I believe it is a risk well worth taking."
At the elderly gentleman Lucas's words, Felice folded her arms and pondered for a moment before speaking.
"However, if this is a trap set by the kingdom's government, then not only us, but all the residents of Akinashi will become fodder for those pigs, you know?"
She voiced a concern that struck straight to the heart of the matter.
"Indeed. That is precisely why this is a gamble. Will the world finally recognize us as human beings, or will we rot away in misery? I believe we are truly being forced to make a choice."
Felice groaned in frustration, knitting her well-shaped brows.
"And what did Oliver have to say?"
Exhaling a long breath, she wiped the emotion from her face and looked to Lucas.
"Yes. Her Highness Rose spoke of matters that could never be grasped through mere superficial knowledge. Setting aside whether her plans are feasible, he said it was hard to believe she was lying. That was his assessment."
"Rose claims that the Throne Selection War is currently underway, and that she has been granted Eastend as her domain. That is what she said, correct?"
"Yes. I also contacted our regular information broker just in case, and there seems to be little doubt about it."
Lucas was an exceptionally cautious man; he would never propose a gamble to Felice without a decent chance of victory. In his eyes, that weak and powerless Rose was someone worthy of entrusting the future of Felice and the Wind Cats to.
"You said the Throne Selection War, yes? In that case, her Royal Guard must have been decided. Who is Rose's Royal Guard?"
A Royal Guard was ordinarily the title given to the head knight of the reigning monarch. The sole exception to this was the Throne Selection War, where each claimant was permitted to appoint a temporary Royal Guard. In essence, the Royal Guard served as the figurehead and public face representing the claimant's strength.
Indeed, the Throne Selection War was not merely a contest among royal claimants. It was an open arena for power struggles among all the nobles and wealthy merchants across the realm. They would back whichever claimant they believed was most likely to take the throne, hoping to solidify their own authority in the aftermath.
This claimant can win. If the lords could not be convinced of that, their support would never materialize, leading to certain defeat. For Rose to seize the throne, the identity of her Royal Guard carried immense weight.
"About that..."
For the first time, Lucas hesitated.
"What is the matter? Who is it?"
How strange. Lucas was a pragmatist through and through. Even if the news was unfavorable for them, he was not the type to mince words.
"It is the Gift Holder of 'The Most Incompetent in This World,' Kai Heinemann. Apparently, he is the grandson of the renowned Sword Saint."
"'The Most Incompetent in This World'?! Of all people, Rose chose such a worthless Gift Holder to be her Royal Guard?!"
With the bearer of such an inept Gift as her vanguard, there was no way she could win the Throne Succession War.
"It is utterly out of the question."
There was no longer any need to even consider it.
Her lordship over this territory was likely just a temporary grant tied to her claim to the throne. If another claimant won, it would be automatically stripped away. Should Rose lose, in the worst-case scenario, Eastend and the Wind Cats would fall under the thumb of that perverted, filthy pig of a count.
The people belonging to the Wind Cats were almost entirely political dissidents or the kin of executed rebels. In truth, they were valued even less than slaves. What would become of this land under that pig count's rule was all too obvious.
Since Rose's victory was impossible, they had no business making such a dangerous bet. It was best to simply ignore her.
"Indeed. Had one of Her Highness Rosemary's knights not been that Zack Power, I would likely have come to the same conclusion as you, Princess."
"Zack Power? Is he strong?"
"Yes. I saw him once at a regional martial arts tournament, and his prowess was overwhelming."
"Even compared to you?"
"In terms of pure combat instincts and physical resilience, he might surpass me. However, he is still young. In a real life-or-death battle, the advantage would still be mine."
Lucas was a man who had once served as the leader of the Holy Amelia Kingdom's Holy King Mage Knights—an elite order of magic knights specialized purely in combat. Lucas in particular had been hailed as a peerless genius of the martial arts. For a man of his caliber to offer such praise meant this Zack was a formidable fighter indeed. But if that was the case...
"I don't understand. If she has such talent at her disposal, why didn't she make this Zack fellow her Royal Guard?"
"That is the crux of it, Princess. Apparently, Zack insists that the Royal Guard, Kai Heinemann, is far stronger than himself."
"What? Stronger than him, with a joke of a Gift like 'The Most Incompetent in This World'?"
It was absurd. This world was ruled by Gifts. A superior Gift could effortlessly betray and trample upon a lifetime of blood-drenched effort. Felice had witnessed that cruel reality more times than she cared to count. There was simply no way such an incompetent could be truly strong.
"Indeed, yet Her Highness Rose apparently affirmed the claim as well. Though, on this matter, even Lord Oliver seemed skeptical."
"Naturally! But if that is true, then this entire situation makes no sense."
At the very least, she had someone with the strength of an order leader serving as her knight. In the Holy Amelia Kingdom, that was a massive advantage, given that many regional lords placed absolute value on martial might.
So, what should they do? If the Throne Succession War was genuinely underway, then being saddled with a troublesome territory like Eastend meant Rose would desperately want Felice and her people on her side.
The likelihood of Rose trying to entrap them was not particularly high. However—
Just as Felice was sinking deeper into thought, the sound of frantic, approaching footsteps broke her concentration.
"T-This is bad! It's terrible!!"
A black-haired youth stumbled into the room, all the color drained from his face.
"What happened?"
Lucas rushed forward, taking him firmly by the shoulders and speaking in a calm, steady voice.
"Just now, I was out hunting near the southwestern lake. And then... and then—"
Though he tried desperately to speak, the words caught in his throat.
"Calm down. Take a breath. What did you see near the lake?"
Felice stepped in, cutting straight to the information they needed most.
"A-A massive army of soldiers is gathering right by the water!!" the black-haired youth shrieked.
And just like that, the situation took a sudden, catastrophic turn for Felice and her companions.