The Damn Family Is Back Again

380. Yggdrasil Project (20)

An absurd command: do not level your weapons against the Westerners, stand by.

For most of the Imperial Army, this order was beyond comprehension.

‘Isn’t this tantamount to rebellion…?’

‘The Westerners are the kind who could draw their blades and attack at any moment…’

‘And yet, we are forbidden from raising our arms against *them*?’

The Westerners were figures of dread to the Peselos Empire. The tribes of the West, including the Kingdom of Wedheros, had survived against all manner of monstrous beasts, their strength immense.

Those very ones were now assaulting the Imperial Army.

Unhesitatingly, they drew their weapons and eliminated comrades.

And in return, they were told to stand by?

It was an order nigh impossible to accept.

“Your Majesty, please rescind this command!”

As if voicing the sentiments of the entire Imperial Army, a squad leader commanding a small unit stepped forward, frustration spilling forth.

“They are Westerners. A constant source of vigilance for the Peselos Empire, a perpetual enemy against whom we can never let our guard down!”

Every soldier in the Imperial Army nodded inwardly.

“Even if the Kingdom of Wedheros has fallen, and only scattered tribes remain, even if they have been granted titular positions, the potential for them to invade our Empire always lingers! And perhaps they have seized this moment, when the army is in disarray, to act! Moreover, their silent disappearance, only to reappear now… is that not cause for suspicion?”

Emboldened by the squad leader’s words, soldiers began to join in, one by one.

“If they had been amassing power, plotting to attack the Empire, it is not an impossible tale!”

“If they have conspired to stage a rebellion, aiming to weaken the Empire, then we must resist them here!”

“If Karsein Bagrand, who vanished at the same time, brought them here, then is there not even greater cause for doubt?”

“Even so, they are but a minority still. We must excise them before they coalesce!”

“I beseech you, Your Highness, rescind the order! Prince Albert!”

Those who heard their pleas nodded in agreement, albeit inwardly.

The Westerners, appearing without so much as a by-your-leave, so readily drew their weapons, their enmity starkly displayed – and yet we are forbidden to raise ours?

Those who would hinder the Imperial Army’s advance against the demonic horde, obstructing their path, it was no exaggeration to say they now revealed their true colors.

“The Westerners must be eradicated! Your Highness! They are wretches deserving only death!”

“Karsein Bagrand, who brought them here, is also suspect!”

“They must all be purged, Crown Prince. I implore you, withdraw the command…!”

To this utterly righteous sentiment,

a considerable number gave their assent.

Thereupon, the Crown Prince approached the squad leader who had been, until then, calmly delivering what sounded like a memorial.

And.

– *Whoosh!*

A scarlet spray bloomed in the air.

Crimson droplets pattered upon the ground. Several of those drops splattered upon his face as the Crown Prince, with a single downward strike, severed the squad leader’s windpipe, extinguishing his life entirely.

“Yo-Your Highness!”

“…!”

“Such…!”

It was a spectacle to inspire horror in all who witnessed it.

An act bordering on tyranny. A transgression so violent, so extreme, utterly unlike anything ever seen from the Crown Prince – those who had concurred with the excised man gasped, sucking in air.

But then.

From the body of the squad leader, only moments ago scattering blood, something gurgles and wrenches free.

“Th-that…!”

“Good heavens…”

The cleanup finished with little difficulty. Even the remaining dregs of seed, crushed beneath our heels to be certain, severed not only the life of a man, but the very breath of the tree-demon.

“They were right, after all.”

Albertr, scattering blood from his sword onto the earth, turned and aimed it once more at those who’d spoken.

“My orders were clear: do not abandon your positions. And do not raise your weapons against those of the West. That you moved in spite of them… what does that signify?”

“…”

All of the Imperials, save for the speakers and their sympathizers, turned their weapons in that direction.

“Precisely. It proves that *you* who defied orders are the true beasts.”

“Tch!”

“It’s all or nothing! Sever the Crown Prince’s head!”

From a segment of the mob, the guise of humanity vanishes. Rapidly growing tendrils lash out in every direction, hurtling towards the Crown Prince.

But those tendrils never reach his form.

“It seems I was rather underestimated. I could not exert my true strength for fear of friendly fire, but even so—”

*Fssssss*.

“—I still possess the power worthy of the title, War Hero, you see.”

Shattered tendrils and roots fell like a great, green rain.

Surveying the mountain of vegetation amassing on the ground, the Crown Prince, unharmed, turned and scanned the entire army.

No one dared stir.

All obeyed Albert’s command to the letter.

Yet, amongst humans, there were always those who strayed down the wrong path.

Like those wretches, far off.

Raising their voices from a distance.

“Come now. Say it again. What was it you were saying about those Westerners?”

“…”

Albert cast a murderous gaze upon them, uncaring whether they were beast or human.

The atmosphere thickened rapidly, turning ugly.

The faction, human though they were, who still rejected the Westerners, could no longer raise their voices so freely as before.

Thereafter, until the area was secured, no one disobeyed the Crown Prince’s order.

*

Before long, the vicinity began to be cleared with startling speed.

Soldiers, aghast at the corpses of beasts scattered here and there, and those who had stood as comrades just moments ago.

Amidst the chaos, the Crown Prince surveyed the surroundings with a careful eye.

“Two tenths… perhaps? A considerable number indeed.”

No small sum. Put another way, this many soldiers had been masquerading as beasts all along.

“And yet, even this reduction in casualties must be considered something to be grateful for. When I look upon you all, that is.”

Crown Prince Albert’s gaze slanted sideways.

The corpses of humans. Nay, the corpses of beasts disguised as humans. They wore their masks so perfectly, so indistinguishably human.

If more time had passed, if those things had sunk their teeth in deeper, consumed the whole Imperial Army, the damage would have been far greater. A predictable future.

But the reason for even greater harm… lies elsewhere.

The Crown Prince strode, deliberately, towards the fear-stricken men.

Albert marched forward, teeth grinding.

“Ugh, ugh…!”

“Y-Your Highness!”

“You lot are undoubtedly human, aren’t you? Yes. Certainly human. And yet.”

The nobleman, seized by the lapels, was hoisted up by the Crown Prince’s strength.

“Why is it that you make the same noises as the demonic beasts, only to sow discord?”

“…Ugh!”

“Frankly, had I heeded your words, the entire army would have been transformed into demonic beasts, marching on the Empire. Blinded by wealth, status, and power, have you become so incapable of recognizing what is real?”

The Crown Prince, veins bulging in his neck, flung the nobleman aside.

Just then, Karsein and the soldiers of the West, their task completed, returned to the Crown Prince.

“Lord Karsein. I ask you. There are no more demonic beasts amongst these troops, are there?”

“No. Every single one is human.”

“Good. In that case, I may issue an Imperial Order from this place. These men are the soldiers who saved the Empire, the benefactors who miraculously brought it back to life. Arrest all of these molds of the Empire who insulted them.”

“Y-Your Highness!”

“How can you defend the men of the West and those with records of attempted crimes!”

“We came leading our private soldiers, to safeguard the Empire…!”

“Always the men of the West, the men of the West. The Imperials have never possessed even a sliver of gratitude for those who eliminate the demonic beasts. Rather, they oppressed them, scolded them, and sought only to drive them from the Empire by vile means! Thus, *these* are the insects gnawing at the Empire, the mold! And so, in this place, I will tear them out by the roots!”

Alberte cut him off with a single, sharp command.

“Those who do not respect the Guardians of the Empire are not worthy of living prosperously within it! Arrest each and every one of them, and reclaim every last bit of the Empire’s bounty they’ve enjoyed!”

Alberte raised his sword once more and proclaimed to the entire army.

“I say again! These are the soldiers who have defended this land for decades. They are the valiant soldiers who deserve to enjoy all rights, guarding this land through self-sacrifice, Guardians of the Empire who deserve welcome, not discrimination! Should anyone dare insult the heroes who miraculously saved our lives in a moment of dire crisis, and their leader, Carsein, I swear on the name of the Imperial House of Peselos, I will personally sever their heads!”

*Thwack.*

The Imperial Army raised their weapons in unison against the true criminals.

There was no more denial.

No further retort could exist.

All had seen it plainly with their own eyes.

*

The area was completely cleared.

The confusion among the Imperial Army, which had been exacerbated since the Westerners’ intervention, ceased in an instant.

And everyone shed their doubt.

The prejudice that they should be wary simply because they were Westerners had vanished cleanly.

“Marquis Aipheros, is there more reinforcement coming?”

“Most of the Western tribes will step forward. They received notice about Yggdrasil, as per Carsein’s request.”

“So, we should view the entire Western region as being aligned with the Empire then. In that case, take this.”

“Hmm?”

“It is the token shown when the Imperial Family is about to exert military force. It is my token, so consider it a guarantee from the Crown Prince. If there are any who dare to point weapons even after seeing this, feel free to eliminate them without hesitation. And if anyone looks down on the Westerners, feel free to quell them as much as you want.”

“That is a very welcome sound, indeed. However, is this really alright?”

“Tch. If they have a mindset as rotten as those scraps from earlier, they’re as good as dead anyway. More like an anchor dragging us down, so don’t hesitate, just cut them loose.”

“Hoh. Understood. I shall do just that.”

Before long, Karsein and the Western Army had departed.

Truly, a perfect specialist, wasn’t he?

In the Great Demon War, none could surpass them.

“A comical affair, wouldn’t you say? The army meant to guard the Empire shattered to pieces, only to survive by clinging to the connections of a single man. Don’t you all think so?”

“…”

Reality, laid bare with such stark honesty.

Not one of the remaining Imperial officers dared to utter a word.

“But we still have a task that remains. They abandoned their own homelands to defend ours. Which means, their backs are left completely unguarded.”

Pollux spoke. Abandoning the lands they originally defended, to rush here, was what he meant.

“From now on, we hold this passage. We will protect the backs of those purifying our lands. You are all proud Imperials, surely you don’t wish to merely be burdens upon them, do you?”

—Yessir!

Accepting the Crown Prince’s will, the officers and soldiers began their march west in unison.

In the meantime.

The Crown Prince glanced subtly behind him.

His face, etched with no small amount of disquiet.

“Do you understand now? Princess.”

“…”

The specialists of the Great Demon War, driven here from the West.

They were headed in one direction.

A direction so familiar.

She knew it, for it was the path she had walked most often.

The path led, inevitably, to Bagrand.

Or, to put it another way.

“With this, you’ve been saved by Duke Karsein three times over.”

Again.

Her life spared, thanks to Karsein.

“…How.”

How could he make such choices?

Beneath the helmet, her lips trembled, forming a whisper.

“How, you ask? Well. I can only say he was always that sort of man.”

There was no malice to be found within Karsein.

Only endless analysis, and a prescience nearing glimpses of the future, several moves ahead.

No matter how isolated, he did not break. Though he lived such a tormented life, he never once revealed his true face.

He did not yield.

Endlessly analyzing, he stubbornly found the answer.

Stubbornly, he found the only breakthrough that could save the Empire, the optimal solution that even saved those who had so cruelly tormented him.

Those who were no better than enemies.

“Princess. I trust you recall the promise you made in the carriage, to hear one proposal of mine when the time came?”

“…Yes. I remember.”

“Then I propose this here. From this moment forward, you are not to leave my sight for even a second.”

“What suddenly… that is rather out of the blue, Your Highness.”

“It is a rather sudden proposal in many ways, I concede. Yes. I know. But, as one who has experienced such things, I feel this is the best course.”

“Experienced…? What do you mean, Your Highness?”

“Inferiority is not an emotion you alone have harbored.”

Albert wore a more bitter expression than ever before.

And what was held within those eyes…

Arina could dimly surmise the feeling as well.

An “experienced one” meant, precisely, that.

“That proposal. I accept. But, once this is over…”

“Yes. I will tell you anything you wish. Now, let us move.”