Some time later, the truck finally passed through friendly lines and entered a relatively safe area.
Having learned from their previous raid on the Holy State's camp, the Fourth Platoon had brought along a substantial amount of ammunition before setting out this time, worried that something unexpected might happen along the way and force them into a sudden engagement with the enemy. That was precisely why a separate truck had been assigned to carry supplies. Who would have thought that the Night Knights would one day develop a fear of insufficient firepower?
Fortunately, all of that was over now. As the truck rolled into the familiar camp, those who had already woken up finally jumped down to stretch their stiff limbs, while someone, who is still asleep were carried off the vehicle.
"You're back."
Seeing the truck enter the camp, the medical officer Marcia came forward with her new assistant to meet them.
"Anyone injured?"
No sooner had she asked than Edwin, his head wrapped in gauze, jumped down from the truck. Shatiel followed after him, carrying the still-sleeping Hielaina in her arms.
"What's wrong with her?"
Seeing that something seemed off about Hielaina, Marcia immediately stepped forward and asked with concern.
"Huh?!"
On the other side, Edwin watched as Marcia ignored him completely. He widened his eyes and spread his arms in confusion, his gaze following Marcia—until he finally realized she had mistaken Hielaina for being injured.
"She's fine. Just asleep."
"I see. Then take her somewhere she can rest properly."
Only after confirming the situation with Shatiel did Marcia turn back to Edwin and say,
"That little injury of yours—if you hadn't shown up in time, it probably would've healed on its own."
"Ahem… I just didn't realize you thought she was injured.…"
Now the platoon not only had Arcia, but also Hielaina. Even without taking Hielaina's special status into account, the men of the company still tried their best to look after them. As for Shatiel… Edwin wasn't quite sure whether someone as powerful as her actually needed any special care.
"Lower your head. Let me take a look."
Despite her sharp words, Marcia still walked over to Edwin, patiently removed the gauze from his head, and carefully examined the wound.
"You can leave the bandage off now. Just wash your hair properly and you'll be fine."
Before long, Marcia finished her assessment. Aside from the dried bloodstains and the hair matted together, there really wasn't anything else worth mentioning about Edwin's injury.
"Oh! It's you!"
That voice came from Inaya. She had been lingering on the truck for a while—doing who knew what—and only now climbed down.
"H-hello…"
Alice greeted her gently, though her expression and demeanor made it clear that Inaya's presence made her somewhat uncomfortable. After all, having had her most vulnerable side seen before, it was hard not to recall that moment upon meeting again.
"Not bad at all. You look the part."
Inaya circled Alice, looking her up and down. Having spent so long with the Eleventh Company, she could easily tell that Alice was wearing a medic's uniform.
"When I first heard about what she went through, I really felt for her—and I worried whether she'd be able to adapt to life here. Turns out Alice is far more clever than I expected. She's been making rapid progress in learning medical skills."
During this period, Marcia had personally trained Alice from scratch, step by step. Alice's talent and improvement were things Marcia understood better than anyone.
"Mhm, she really is impressive."
After completing her inspection, Inaya stopped beside Alice and patted her on the shoulder with a look of satisfaction, leaving Alice a little embarrassed.
"Alright. You all keep chatting—I'll go check on that other person's injuries."
Marcia was referring to another Night Knight who had been injured on the way back. His condition looked similar to Otto's, mainly involving some fractures.
"Do you have any new missions coming up?"
"No idea. But Andrea didn't come looking for us right away, so I guess there's nothing urgent."
As she worked, Marcia and Edwin chatted idly.
"I heard Andrea mention earlier that Rogm's side seems to have run into some trouble. Have you heard anything about it?"
"Trouble? What kind of trouble?"
The soldiers behind them were unloading ammunition from the truck. Edwin casually sat down on a stack of ammo crates.
"We don't know the details either. Didn't you use portable telegraph machines during your operation in Hekar? Later on, several other platoon leaders from our company also joined the training. We're not sure if Rogm just isn't proficient with the equipment yet, or if there was interference, but many of the messages he sent back were nothing but meaningless code. From the portions that could be deciphered, though, it seems they ran into something."
"Meaningless code… did that guy seriously not learn a thing?"
Edwin silently marveled at the existence of someone in the world with an even worse learning ability than his own…
"He'd only been training for a few days before being sent out on a mission, and after that he never really had the chance to continue. We honestly don't know what's going on."
"Did any of his messages contain something actually useful?"
"Yes. He mentioned a village called Amgur. Andrea has already sent Nemilic to investigate. By now, they should have arrived."
"Any news?"
"No."
"..."
Edwin frowned deeply, trying to find some clue from the name "Amgur," but he couldn't recall ever seeing it on a map.
"We ran into some strange things ourselves this time. I hope Rogm didn't end up facing the same kind of trouble."
Thinking back to the monster they encountered that afternoon in Idri's village, and the oddly behaving judgment cells, Edwin couldn't shake a bad feeling.
"Didn't he only set out this morning? How did he run into trouble so quickly?"
With that thought, Edwin looked back at Marcia.
"We received his telegram at around four in the afternoon. After figuring out what it meant, Andrea immediately dispatched Nemilic's platoon. Amgur is only about eighty kilometers from our current position."
"..."
Their discussion fell into a brief silence. Inaya had long since dragged Alice off somewhere to play, leaving only Edwin and Marcia here.
"You said earlier that you ran into something strange?"
After a while, Marcia spoke again.
"Yeah. Around noon, a local came running to us for help. We've only just gotten back from that…"
Edwin shared the Fourth Platoon's experiences from that afternoon with Marcia. When he mentioned the monster and the "visions" Idri had experienced, Marcia was unsurprisingly shocked.
"Princess Hielaina said that thing might have been some kind of Dakken Colossi. We don't have anything like that where I'm from. I only heard about them later, after joining the army, during training near Chyneburg."
"To think something like that could actually happen…"
No matter what, having seen it with their own eyes, there was no choice but to accept it.
...
Meanwhile, inside the camp commander's tent, Otto stood ramrod straight before Andrea's desk, reporting everything he had witnessed that afternoon. Unlike usual, Hielaina had also been invited by Andrea to attend this briefing.
"I understand. Once you've finished your written report, I'll pass the information you gathered up the chain. From now on, our operations in this area should proceed with greater caution."
Andrea showed little overt reaction to the unusual circumstances. As always, he treated the report with a rigorous and rational attitude.
There was nothing inherently wrong with that. Whether or not the Eleventh Company's area of operations contained anything abnormal, decisions on future actions were not theirs to make.
"Additionally, some recent reports from the front confirm that the Holy State of Davole has begun employing spells previously unseen. You should remain alert during future operations."
As he spoke, Andrea abruptly shifted the topic and placed several photographs on the desk, sliding them toward Otto.
"The most noteworthy among them are these large-scale bombardment spells. Their destructive capability against fortifications is extremely high, but we have yet to identify the source of their casting."
Much like the energy barrier previously generated by Gus's Sacred Pillar, this type of spell should also have a specific origin or focus. However, at present, the Fourth Army Group had not yet gathered sufficient intelligence on the matter.
"Understood."
Otto studied the photographs—huge craters that looked as though a giant had gouged the earth with an iron shovel. The trenches and surrounding defensive works had been utterly devastated. At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of spell could produce such an effect. Unfortunately, the images Andrea provided offered no clues.
"Your Highness."
Only after finishing with Otto and seeing him out of the tent did Andrea finally turn to Hielaina.
He casually tossed his fountain pen onto the documents spread across the desk, then stood and walked around it, bowing deeply to his left—where Hielaina had been seated the entire time during Otto's report.
"Duke Sigbodley has asked me to convey some of his thoughts to you, as well as the palace's recent situation."
"Oh?"
So that was why Andrea had specifically summoned her.
To be honest, it hadn't been long since her last meeting with Barini. Hielaina hadn't expected news this soon. After all, they had encountered Night Knights dispatched by Parotno in Bratia; she had assumed Barini would lie low for a while, letting things cool down before taking further action. Besides, gathering allies was not something that yielded immediate results.
"First of all, Parotno's efforts to locate you remain extremely intense. However, what happened earlier in Bratia did not alert him. Additionally, Duke Sigbodley mentioned that Parotno has established an intelligence organization independent of the Internal Security Bureau, answering directly to him alone."
Andrea began with matters related to Hielaina's ongoing 'pursuit.' Of course, it couldn't be called a pursuit in the strict legal sense—Parotno had no lawful grounds to convict her.
"What's the situation in the council now?"
Hielaina propped her face up with one hand, leaning lazily against the armrest of the chair as she asked.
By "the council," she meant the core governing body of the Dazilet Empire—the Privy Council. It consisted of state ministers overseeing different domains, including the Supreme Command of War, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Propaganda, and the Ministry of Science and Technology. Each ministry in turn governed multiple subordinate agencies—for example, the Internal Security Bureau under the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
"There haven't been any major personnel changes in the technical ministries. The ministers of Propaganda, Foreign Affairs, and Organization all publicly acknowledged Parotno's rule, but were later reassigned from their original posts. Even the ministers of Education and Culture have been replaced."
That outcome was hardly surprising. Parotno wouldn't touch the departments essential to keeping the Empire functioning—at least not yet. Other ministries, however, were a different matter. These reshuffles also served as a signal to the outside world: the Empire was entering a new era.
"The General Staff supports Parotno as well, I assume?"
"You're correct."
That much went without saying.
Decades of peace in Dazilet had left its once-formidable military bloated. The General Staff had negotiated repeatedly with Bryso under the banner of national security, only managing to preserve the armed forces at their current scale after significant downsizing. As the military's importance diminished and resources were reduced, many old military nobles and senior officers fell into decline. It was easy to foresee that those generals and aristocrats would welcome Parotno—and the war he had launched.
"Then does Barini have any plans at this point?"
After a brief silence, Hielaina asked again. This time, she straightened her posture, clearly preparing to listen carefully.
"The Duke believes there are two possible courses of action at present. The first is to seek support within the military, and when the timing is right, disclose your true situation to the entire Empire—along with the truth behind Parotno's coup. The other option…"
Andrea paused briefly before continuing.
"…is to wait for Article 247 of the Constitution to be enacted. Of course, both options require time."
"Article 247?!"
Hielaina sprang to her feet, staring at Andrea in disbelief.
"This is Duke Sigbodley's assessment," Andrea replied calmly. "No one knows what choice the Great Sage will ultimately make."
After a moment, Hielaina slowly sat back down. She lowered her gaze, quietly weighing the information Andrea had just given her.
Seeking support within the military had always been one of her own considerations—and not an optional one. Even if reclaiming control of Dazilet might not necessarily require violence in the future, it was impossible to do so without the military, a professional institution whose very purpose was the use of force. That said, the senior ranks of the armed forces were clearly much closer to Parotno, and Hielaina had no confidence in how much support she could actually gain among the generals.
Barini had previously suggested trying to win over mid-level officers instead—those who directly commanded soldiers and executed the generals' orders. If enough of them could be brought over, the generals themselves could effectively be sidelined. By the same logic, earning the trust of the rank-and-file soldiers would also be crucial.
Even so, no matter how she looked at it, she had never once considered Article 247.
"In the strictest sense, that clause has never been enforced," Hielaina said.
"But the event it was written for did indeed occur," Andrea replied.
"..."
Hielaina fell silent.
The Constitution of the Dazilet Empire contained very little that truly constrained imperial authority. Its existence was primarily a tool to improve the efficiency of the state apparatus, as well as a compromise in response to the spread of knowledge and new ideas throughout society—and the resulting awakening of public opinion and civil rights. Article 247, however, was different. It had been added at the explicit insistence of the Great Sage.
"Does Barini have any other plans?" Hielaina asked.
No matter how she looked at it, waiting passively for possible action by the Great Sage felt far too reactive. In her view, it could only ever be a fallback option.
"On the strategic level, those are the only two," Andrea replied. "As for the Duke's current actions in detail, and the progress he has made… I believe it would be more appropriate for you to discuss that with him personally."
"I see."
From the information Barini had relayed, Parotno had already managed to secure his footing. No matter which path Hielaina chose, there was no room for haste. Some opportunities would only emerge after the situation developed further—and that waiting might last years, perhaps even decades…
"Oh, right."
As if suddenly remembering something, Hielaina dropped her earlier composed and solemn demeanor and asked:
"Do you have any intelligence on the Church or the Holy State of Davole?"
"With all due respect, Your Highness," Andrea answered, "my responsibilities are limited to acting as liaison between you and Duke Sigbodley, as well as matters concerning the Eleventh Night Knight Detachment. This question exceeds my authority. That said, if you believe such intelligence to be important, I can submit a request."
"Mm. If possible, then please ask on my behalf."
From the Holy Inquisition to the appearance of monsters, the front lines had seen no shortage of unexpected anomalies. Hielaina wanted to determine whether there was any connection behind these events. Even if there wasn't, she still needed as complete a picture as possible—otherwise, one day she might find herself suddenly trapped in an extremely unfavorable situation.
"Understood."
*Historically, the Dazilet Empire once had an emperor who made unchecked use of the Night Knights to carry out punitive actions against his opponents in pursuit of his own goals. This led to severe instability in the Empire's internal governance. Officials' reports became tailored solely to the emperor's preferences, political struggles between factions intensified, and real social problems were structurally ignored. Ultimately, this culminated in a major internal upheaval. In response, Bohard personally intervened, stripped the emperor of his title and authority, installed a new ruler, and added Article 247 to the Constitution: should an emperor's actions cause internal turmoil within the Empire, the Great Sage is empowered to correct the emperor's course—or remove him from power.