My name was Tiselle. I was a daughter of the Angel Race, born in the Village of the Great Tree.
At that moment, I was in a room within the Royal Castle of the Demon Kingdom. I was positioned in the chamber directly adjacent to the one where my father and the others were holding their evening party.
Various suspicions were being cast my way, but I wanted to make one thing clear from the start: I had absolutely nothing to do with the pickpocket who triggered the trouble. That was a genuine accident. I had no intention of shielding the thief; if they wanted to investigate him, they were more than welcome to be as thorough as possible.
That said, I did have a grievance of my own to air. It was directed at Grandmother Ruincia, who stood right before me.
"A grievance? Is this about the fact that you’ve been tasked with building a nation?" she asked.
That was the proof of my defeat. I accepted it. I wasn't about to complain about that.
My plan had failed. While I hadn't planted the pickpocket, I had certainly made arrangements to ensure that the situation would escalate into a battle once the sword exploded. There was always a chance it wouldn't turn into a fight, but since my father was involved, I had calculated a high probability that it would become a major incident.
My plan was supposed to utilize the parade to elevate my father’s status and force the world to acknowledge his presence. But it hadn't worked. It couldn't be helped. My father had taken unexpected actions, and it was my own lack of foresight that prevented me from predicting them.
"Then what, exactly, is your grievance?" Grandmother asked.
Was she playing dumb?
"I truly don't understand," she continued. "What is it that has Tiselle so upset?"
I let out a huff. "Fine, I'll say it. Why didn't the Angel Race fight on the side of the Royal Capital? I told you all the plan beforehand, didn't I?"
"The plan to protect the Royal Capital if a fight broke out, thereby improving the Angel Race's reputation within the Demon Kingdom and softening the stance toward the Garlet Kingdom? I heard you clearly. Malbit heard you as well."
"Then why did you do the opposite?!"
Was it because the Angels had been attacked? But the Angels caught in the explosion were only acting, weren't they? I had heard there were no injuries. Since they knew an explosion was coming, they should have been on guard. Besides, we wouldn't have brought anyone to the parade who could be taken out while they were prepared. The "act" was supposed to be a move to support my plan—a way to claim they were attacked by the "Aggressors" of the parade.
"And don't tell me you didn't agree to it," I pressed. "Everyone was smiling to avoid a verbal commitment, but I took that as a sign of consent."
"I won't say that," Grandmother replied. "When we first heard the proposal, we did accept it. However, the situation changed."
"Changed? How?"
Could it be because the pickpocket caused the event to start early? No, there was still plenty of time for them to play their parts, so that shouldn't have mattered. Had there been some new development in the Garlet Kingdom?
"No, that's not it."
"Then why?"
"I admit that the Angel Race has many enemies," Grandmother said. "That is why we initially agreed to your plan. Looking toward the future, we did want to improve our standing within the Demon Kingdom. However, we were given different advice. We were asked: What is the point of improving our reputation only for this single occasion? If we are thinking of the future, should we not fight as enemies to help diminish the lingering grudges between our peoples?"
"..."
"There are those among the Angel Race who still harbor their own feelings regarding the Demon Kingdom. We were asked if we intended to just leave those tensions unresolved."
"..."
"Furthermore, regardless of how the Demon Kingdom responds, the situation for the Garlet Kingdom will remain difficult. For every kindness the Demon Kingdom shows them, other human kingdoms will respond with equal harshness. Therefore, we were told we should stop worrying about the Garlet Kingdom and instead prioritize the current well-being of the Angel Race."
"So... you fought on the side of the parade instead?"
"Exactly."
"Who told you all that?!"
"I'll tell you if you can guess it."
I went silent, running through the possibilities. Who could it be? It couldn't be someone who didn't know a battle would break out. That ruled out my father... or so I thought.
Was it one of my mothers? No, they tended to find picking sides troublesome; they were the type to become a "Third Force" and turn everyone else into an enemy. Mother Lu was the same.
What about Suarlou or Razmaria, who weren't there when I explained the plan? Or could it have been Kierbit?
"It wasn't an Angel," Grandmother Ruincia noted.
"Eh?"
Then who? Flora? No, she had no interest in the politics of the Angel Race. Unless it affected the Village of the Great Tree, she wouldn't lift a finger. Similarly, Mother Ria and Mother Sena were unlikely candidates. Mother Ann might be interested, but she wasn't the type to speak up about such things.
Mother Hakuren or Mother Rusty? Actually, none of the Dragons would likely have anything to say regarding the Angels' affairs.
Did that mean it wasn't someone from the village? But if they didn't live in the village, the Angels' reputation in the capital wouldn't matter to them. That left people who frequently traveled outside. Yoko or Miyo? No, those two would have tried to stop the fight from escalating rather than telling the Angels which side to join. Galf or Daga? They were warriors. They might advise my father, but they wouldn't offer strategic counseling for the future of the Angel Race.
Who was left? Big Sister Urza? No, she was like the mothers—she’d just form her own faction.
Big Brother Alfred? He liked making things advantageous for himself, but he also enjoyed chaos even when things went poorly. He had been silently watching my moves, so I didn't think it was him.
Mettora? She was a Dragon. She might restrict my actions as part of her job, but she wouldn't care what happened to the Angels. Earth was entirely focused on Urza. Asa? If he had a warning for the Angels, he would have given it to me directly.
That left the three brothers: Gol, Sil, and Bron. But they were like Asa; they would have cautioned me first. Their wives might have some influence, but while they moved to protect their husbands, they wouldn't go out of their way to help the Angel Race. Was it possible Sil had added an Angel to his group of wives? No, my latest information said there were none.
I was at a dead end. Wait, was there someone else? The Ancestor? It was possible he'd think of the Angels, but I didn't see him offering that kind of unsolicited advice. If he were worried about the Garlet Kingdom, he would have spoken to Uncle Demon King or set up a formal diplomatic channel. He wouldn't have banked on a hypothetical battle. Besides, he shouldn't have known about my instruction for the Angels to fight for the capital.
"Have you reached a conclusion?" Grandmother asked.
"I have no idea."
"Honesty is a virtue. Do you want the answer?"
"Yes."
"Hehe. You still have much to learn, Tiselle. It was the very person you dismissed as a possibility right at the start."
"The first one? Wait..."
"I heard it from your father, the Village Head."
"What? He knew there was going to be a fight?"
"The information must have leaked from somewhere. You overextended yourself."
I groaned.
"Besides, parents think about their children more than you realize," Grandmother continued. "He may have investigated simply because he heard you were up to something. Do you understand my point?"
"That it was a mistake the moment he found out?"
"That, yes, but also that you must not make your parents worry."
"Muu..."
"You are still a child. You must learn by accumulating failures."
"Yes, ma'am..."
"Oh, and one more thing. Your instructions contained a critical oversight. Even without the Village Head’s advice, we would have fought on the Attacker Side."
"Huh? An oversight?"
"Do you know what you missed?"
"Just tell me already!"
"Hehe. The Inferno Wolves. The wolves began their attack because they saw us being targeted. If we had then stood with the Royal Capital and fought against the Inferno Wolves, it might have solved the immediate problem, but we would have been in terrible trouble back at the Village of the Great Tree."
"But surely they would have understood? Kuro and the others are smart; they would have seen why we did it."
"They might have understood intellectually. However, the fact would remain that they moved to help us and were attacked in return. While high-ranking individuals like Lord Kuro or Lord Kuroichi might forgive us, there is no guarantee that every single member of the pack would. For the Angel Race living in the Village of the Great Tree, that would have been a fatal mistake."
"I see..."
"It is a trait of the Angels to be soft on our own kin, but being spoiled by them to the point of hurting them is another matter entirely. Anyway, starting this year, Kierbit will be staying in the capital. Find some time to seek her guidance. Despite her personality, she is competent enough to fulfill the role of the Heavenly Wing Shrine Maiden."
"I know that. I know Kierbit is capable."
Village Head: "I knew all sorts of things were going on." Demon King: "You've got to be kidding me." Tiselle: "No way..." Ruincia: "Kierbit is quite excellent." Kierbit: "Say that to my face! I hardly ever get a compliment!" Ruincia: "Kierbit is quite excellent." Village Head: "Kierbit is excellent? Wait, really? She was a bit of a disaster when she first came to the village." Kierbit: "Forget about that!" Granmaria: (Currently laughing hysterically)