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–––Luvias’ viewpoint

“Brother?! Are you safe?!”
“Somehow, yes. I kept scurrying from one corner to another avoiding Stied’s eyes. But that doesn’t matter. I’m calling because of your announcement.”

I was shocked hearing his voice, after being almost convinced of his demise, but I quickly rearranged my thoughts. Magna is the second prince. I organized an uprising while he was gone, meaning I basically broke our promise one-sidedly. He would probably change his stance towards me a lot once Stied was defeated.

“Brother…”
“There’s a lot I want to say…but first, I want to know what you’re trying to accomplish. What are you going to do after Stied is defeated? If Father is still alive, are you going to back out from inheriting the throne again and enjoy your life as third princess? Or are you planning on taking over Father’s place and ruling over the country?”

He interrupted me before I could say anything. I could feel some distress in his voice.

(Brother..?)

I slowly began to understand the reason for his distress. He probably thinks that no matter whether I win or lose, he will lose his position. If I won, he would be treated as a coward that hid during the entire conflict, and almost no nobles would choose to join him again. If I were to lose, nothing would be able to stop Stied again. He was trapped no matter the outcome. Though…

“…I have no intention of going after the throne since you’re alive. I’ll just rescue Father and get rid of Stied, that’s it.”
“…”

Even though a magic device was carrying our voices from one side to another, I could tell Magna did not look convinced. I frowned a little, feeling his distrust.

“That’s what you say, but do you think your future allies will be satisfied? I don’t think many nobles will stop supporting you once Father is reinstated.”
“Does that matter? It’s not like they will have any options. Stied will be gone, so the only remaining option will be to follow you.”

I had no other options if I wanted to save Bordaule. What more did he want me to do? I tilted my head, wondering if Magna had thought of something I did not. But he just kept sighing audibly.

“Luvias, you say that because you don’t know how greed works. No regular person would be satisfied the way you’re thinking. You might get help from some people who legitimately want to fix the country, but the majority will look for a future reward from you. Even before the war starts they will expect to gain large territories and wealth from you.”
“But…”

I wanted to contradict him, but Magna was probably right. Why was it that I enjoyed a carefree life as third princess without anyone disturbing me? That was because I always distanced myself from the fight for the throne. Nothing could be gained from supporting me, so no noble even thought about allying themselves with me.

“What do you suggest I do then?”
“Feel free to ally yourself with anyone with a righteous mindset. We need as much help as possible. But I’ll stand alongside them. You’ll be the leader, I’ll be one of your advisors. Some might think it’ll be easy to take advantage of you, but I won’t let them.”

I had to blink a few times hearing that. I would have never expected him to say something like that in the past.

“But if I remain as leader, won’t that jeopardize your standing? Isn’t inheriting the throne your goal?”
“My name will still stand alongside yours, even if it’s not mentioned as much. Once Father is reinstated, I’ll continue as advisor, but for him. If it turns out he’s already passed, you can step out and I’ll inherit the throne.”
“…Do you think the nobles will be happy with that though?”
“I doubt so. But they won’t really have a way to complain either. Stied will be gone already by then, and no one else to cling onto. They will have to accept it.”

But that means I would be essentially cheating them. They will offer me their help, and some of their men might even lose their lives, and they won’t get any reward from me, making their sacrifice worthless. Would they really be okay with that? Magna seemed to have read my mind, as I heard him chuckle through the magic device.

“This is why you aren’t built for politics, Luvias. If you can’t join hands with those you hate, or you have betrayed, or betrayed you, you’ll never be a noble, not to mention queen. Personally I like your honorable personality, but you’re a failure of a noble.”
“…”

I could not tell if that was a compliment or an insult. All I had clear was that I disliked the way things worked in the palace.

“Either way, don’t worry, I’ll reward those who helped you. But some of them might join you with the intent to betray you, so we need some conditions.”
“Conditions..? Which?”
“Those who want to help will need to announce it to the entire country. That way they won’t be able to weasel their way out. You know how resentful and egotistic Stied is, he won’t ever forgive those who turn against him. He also has a straightforward personality, though in a completely different way than yours.”

I did not know how to answer Stied’s words. I usually stood away from them so I was not too familiar with them, but they were brothers so Magna probably saw a lot of Stied’s personality from close up.

“Alright, I’ll do that. To be honest being a ruler sounds like too much of a pain already. If you want the throne, I’ll gladly give it to you. Exactly how are we going to proceed though? Do you want to meet up now?”
“Hmm, I’d like to go there as soon as possible to be honest.”
“Where are you right now? I could send someone to pick you up.”

It did not matter where he was if I sent Master to pick him up. She would literally fly there and bring him back.

“Ah, don’t worry about that. Your friends Karin and Ciel are here with me. I heard Ciel can use Flight Magic, so I’m sure she won’t have issues carrying me.”
“Karin and Ciel are with you?!”

I had not expected them to have found my brother… I had to give it to those two, I wonder how they accomplished that though?

“If I’m the only person they carry I should be there in like two days, at most three. Try to gather as many allies as you can in the meantime.”
“Got it. You’ll be in good hands with those two, take care.”
“You too.”

With those last words the device fell silent. I took a deep breath as my stiff shoulders relaxed, I had been more stressed than I expected.

“I didn’t think those two would be with him.”
“I know. First Diaria, now those two, they really are all very capable girls. I probably would still be wandering aimlessly without a clue as to where to find him.”

We laughed a bit with Master saying that. I had been scared I would need to give up my title of hero, but I managed to dodge that responsibility, and Magna being alive was better for everyone. I would let him take care of all the annoying stuff, and I could focus on swinging my sword.

–––Magna’s viewpoint

“Phew…”

I sighed loudly after I ended the conversation with Luvias.

“See? We told you.”
“…Yeah, you were right.”

I was slightly offended by Ciel’s smug response, but I could not say anything as she was right. My sister was still the same as always. She keeps her ambitions low and focuses only on fulfilling her duty, in a way she was a perfect example of ideal royalty. As a twisted and cunning person, I felt inspired by her to an extreme degree, but also really jealous. I was fully aware I did this to myself though.

I stopped any of those thoughts from showing on my face as I looked at Ciel and Karin.

“You heard what I said. I want to leave as soon as possible, are you two ready?”
“We’re ready anytime. We should arrive at Surfour in three days even if we take ample breaks. You don’t have anything to pack first though, Prince Magna?”
“I ran away with nothing but the clothes I was wearing. I don’t have anything to carry, so let’s pack some food and water and let’s go.”

I had already experienced camping in the wild many times while traveling to meet Gripp. This was the first time I experienced life outside the palace, so it was a punishing experience, but it also made me realize humans can adapt to any situation. I probably would be able to handle the trip to Surfour without issues too. I fastened all the supplies I could to my body, then I watched as Ciel tied a rope to herself, then to Karin, and lastly to me.

“And this is..?”
“A lifeline in case you fall off. If Lapis and Diaria were here we wouldn’t need it, but the most I can do with my magic is to drag you along, so just to be safe. Anyway, Karin, do you mind?”
“Let’s do it.”

Karin nodded and hugged me tightly from behind, then Ciel began floating into the air and pulling us behind her. If the rope was the only thing holding me, it would have squeezed all the air from my lungs, but Karin was holding me safe so I could breathe without issues. I looked down and saw my servants looking up worried.

“Your Highness..!”
“You can take your time coming to Surfour. If it’s too far you may remain here too. Prioritize staying safe and alive!”

After I said that, I felt like my eyes became a blur. It took me some time to comprehend what happened, and then I noticed the terrain below was scrolling by faster than I ever imagined. I understood we had finally picked up speed. If this is how fast we could travel, we really would arrive faster than I thought. I felt grateful for Ciel who learned the lost art of Flight Magic, and focused my eyes on the horizon, waiting for Surfour to appear there.