After leaving Crusch's residence, Lillian looked up at the blue sky, his mood drifting along with the white clouds.
He had to admit that Crusch's words had awakened something within him. There were matters he did not need to concern himself with—things he could simply choose to ignore. As for the White Whale subjugation, he considered it optional. After all, the White Whale itself was not the true problem; the entity controlling matters behind the scenes was far more troublesome.
Walking along the street, Lillian reflected that Crusch's agreement to participate had come as no surprise, because he had not mentioned the Witch Cult to her. The White Whale was a common enemy of all royal candidates. Although the Witch Cult was also an enemy, in the eyes of others the incident concerned the territory of the Mathers domain, making it appear more like Emilia's personal affair.
If a royal candidate could not handle matters within her own territory and sought help from other candidates, it would naturally invite contempt and be seen as a withdrawal from the competition. For this reason, Lillian did not wish to make decisions on Emilia's behalf. He was not the type of person who would claim to act "for someone's own good" without their consent. Just as in the past, in the world of the AOT, although he believed Historia should not become queen, he still asked for her opinion. If she had chosen the throne, he would have supported her wholeheartedly. He had not, like certain military officials, forced the role upon her without asking.
Returning to the matter of the White Whale, countless soldiers had perished at its hands. Crusch commanded a large number of supporters from the military, and with the Sword Demon—who had harbored his obsession for many years—it was impossible for her not to pursue subjugation. This was why she agreed even without Lillian offering a concrete reason.
Another factor was her absolute confidence in her Divine Protection. She believed completely that Lillian was not lying. In Lillian's view, however, every Divine Protection had its flaws. Crusch's ability read the flow of emotions, but a truly skilled liar could speak falsehoods without the slightest emotional fluctuation. Such individuals displayed the same emotional state whether lying or telling the truth, making judgment far less reliable.
Priscilla combined with Crusch still did not seem sufficient in Lillian's eyes. He stopped walking upon reaching his next destination—the Astrea family residence.
After all, having the power of the Sword Saint Reinhard would be the most reliable option. He asked the guard at the entrance to report his visit, but was told that the Sword Saint had gone out and was not currently in the royal capital. When Lillian asked where he had gone, the guard could only say that he was dealing with a magical beast incident—the exact location was unknown.
Even though he had come in advance, Reinhard still was not here…
Lillian had the sense of some predetermined arrangement. If the Sword Saint were present, many problems could be easily resolved—yet he happened to be absent. That left only Anastasia. Seeking out Felt would be pointless; though she was nominally a candidate, she held no real authority and could not mobilize any forces. It was only because Reinhard was such a virtuous man that she was safe—otherwise, she would merely be a pawn in his hands.
Strictly speaking, the most crucial person in this matter was Emilia herself. Even without mentioning the White Whale, the Witch Cult's impending attack on her and Roswaal's mansion made her the central figure. Yet Lillian had no intention of telling her. Given her personality, she would immediately rush back if she knew, which would interfere with certain plans.
She had said she would return today, so to prevent her and Subaru from interfering, Lillian immediately wrote a letter and sent it to the inn where she was staying, inviting her to meet the day after tomorrow—effectively delaying her here for two more days.
As for Anastasia, the merchant class she represented harbored no less hatred for the White Whale than the military. Countless large trading caravans had been attacked by the creature, suffering devastating losses. Thus, when Lillian visited her and informed her that both Priscilla and Crusch would participate in the operation, she agreed without hesitation.
She might not have fully trusted Lillian, but with Priscilla and Crusch endorsing the plan, she had little reason to doubt it. Moreover, her "Iron Fang" mercenary group was highly capable, composed mostly of demi-humans. Their leader, Ricardo, was extremely powerful and had even created a technique known as a "Roaring Wave," similar to an air cannon—clear evidence of his ingenuity.
There was no passionate or dramatic negotiation. Both sides valued their time. Soon afterward, with Lillian acting as intermediary, the three parties convened to discuss the detailed battle plan and the allocation of personnel.
Inside the conference hall of Priscilla's mansion, the three royal candidates sat to one side with their respective knights. Lillian stood in the center, sharing the intelligence he had gathered.
"For this subjugation, we don't need many low-level fighters. The White Whale can fly—ground forces without long-range attacks would only serve as background decoration… or cannon fodder."
His blunt words caused several people to frown. Crusch spoke first.
"It is said the White Whale possesses an enormous body. If I bring it down first, the ground forces could surround it and eliminate it swiftly."
"It's not that simple," Lillian replied, glancing at her. "Your idea is too idealistic. Setting aside how much damage ordinary attacks could actually inflict on the White Whale, bringing it down from the air alone is no easy task."
"Young man, don't keep us in suspense," Anastasia said. "Time is precious—please share all your information quickly." As always, she emphasized the word "time," making clear how highly she valued it.
"I'm not withholding anything. I just need to explain it step by step," Lillian continued. "There is a halo above the White Whale's head. I believe it's something like a magical array that grants it the ability to fly. If we can destroy it, we may be able to restrict the creature to the ground. However, physical attacks will likely be ineffective against that halo—only magic may be able to damage it."
"A magical array…" Priscilla lightly waved her folding fan. "I do have a mage proficient in that field among my retainers. I shall have him accompany us when the time comes."
"That would be ideal," Lillian nodded before continuing. "There's another point to note. The White Whale also possesses mental attack abilities and can unleash a bombardment of mist as powerful as magical attacks. It can even devour a person's very existence. That's likely the reason behind those nameless soldiers' graves."
At this, the room fell silent. After a moment, Crusch's knight Ferris broke the quiet. With his small hands folded before him like a cat, he spoke in a curious tone.
"Lillian, you seem to know quite a lot. Where did you obtain such valuable intelligence, nya?"
Indeed, under normal circumstances, information like this would not be accessible to someone of his status.
Facing the questioning gazes of the group, Lillian spread his hands. "Is the source really important? If you insist on asking, my answer is that I cannot reveal it at present. However, I can guarantee the accuracy of this intelligence—Lady Crusch can confirm that, can't she?"
Since Crusch could detect lies, Lillian had no desire to fabricate a source and diminish her trust in him.
"Yes, your information is indeed truthful," Crusch confirmed with a nod.
"In that case, let us proceed quickly," Priscilla said impatiently. "I still have important affairs to attend to."
"Such as reading novels?" Al interjected from beside her.
"Silence!"
Even after being scolded, Al merely shrugged. Anastasia also agreed with Priscilla.
"Yes, let's hurry and select the expedition force."
"Indeed," Crusch nodded, determination written across her face. "This time, we will eliminate the White Whale."
---
The next step was determining the personnel. Thanks to Lillian's intelligence, ground forces were greatly reduced—unlike the original plan, where many soldiers would have merely accompanied the operation for show, unable to strike the airborne target and serving no purpose beyond shouting slogans or becoming cannon fodder.
The primary force would consist of mages. Naturally, all three candidates maintained numerous spellcasters among their retainers, and there was little point in supporting them if they were never put to use.
As for the candidates themselves, both Priscilla and Crusch declared they would personally participate. Anastasia, however, had no intention of going. She believed she lacked combat ability, and accompanying the expedition would only waste time. Worse, others would need to divert their attention to protect her.
Ferris and Wilhelm both tried to persuade Crusch not to go personally, but she made her decision without hesitation—she wanted to witness the destruction of the White Whale with her own eyes. Likewise, Al attempted to dissuade Priscilla, but she dismissed him with a single retort:
"Do you believe I lack Crusch's resolve?"
As the others departed to make their preparations, Al approached Lillian alone.
"Brother, you still didn't heed my warning," Al said, placing a hand on Lillian's shoulder. His tone was serious, without a trace of humor. "Didn't I tell you? Stay away from dangerous places. Live peacefully here in the safe royal capital—that's the safest way."
"I understand what you mean," Lillian replied. "But some things simply have to be done. Just like you staying by Priscilla's side—I doubt remaining beside a royal candidate is particularly safe. If you truly followed your philosophy, you should leave instead."
"Well… my situation is a bit special." Al scratched his head. "The princess is important to me. Without her, I'd still be… never mind, that's not the point. What I mean is, if you haven't become too deeply entangled in complicated matters, you should withdraw as soon as possible."
"Is that why you didn't want Priscilla to join this campaign?"
"Exactly," Al admitted openly. "The White Whale is extremely dangerous. I don't want the princess caught up in that danger—it's as simple as that. Of course, she's determined to go now, so anything I say is useless. But avoiding danger whenever possible—that's the guiding principle I've developed in this world."
"I understand," Lillian said.
"Well, you'll understand fully once you pay the price," Al sighed. "I just hope… the cost won't be too great."
"I see. Thank you for the advice."
Lillian spoke calmly. I would like to withdraw as well, he thought, but it's already too late, isn't it?