“Huh? The remaining soldiers of the imperial army are to be captured…? Are they really rebels?”

“Yes, and Vissel is going to turn the soldiers from Fairert into the new imperial army. His justification is that we don’t know who among the former army is going to betray us.”

“I, is that so?”

Elynsia looked at a nearby soldier as Jill tried to criticize the decision. Jill’s voice dropped.

“But… if Your Majesty is to do that, the trust held by the people towards the empire will be lost… In a situation where people are made into rebels for no reason, no one would be willing to give his or her life to protect the empire and Your Majesty.”

“That’s right. The one commanding of the empire mustn’t forsake the soldiers who fight risking their very lives. …If the territory of Radea really were to be occupied by the fleeing imperial army, there’d be some controversy, but that decision is too extreme…”

“Is His Highness Listeard really going to leave the imperial capital? Under these circumstances?”

Listeard was Hadith’s tether. He was one of the reasons Hadith remained hooked to the ground. Without him, Hadith would surely be beyond Jill’s reach.

Elynsia sighed at Jill and her anxiety.

“Probably… Hadith has agreed… I think Listeard decided to entrust everything that remains to you.”

“Eh…”

“Found her! It’s Princess Frida!”

Together, Jill and Elynsia rushed towards the cry.

Vissel and the soldiers who could have belonged to either the former imperial army or Fairert were struggling to capture someone.

Frida rushed out of a storeroom.

“O, older sister Elynsia!”

“Frida! What a relief! You’re unharmed! What happened to Natalie? Weren’t the two of you together?”

Perhaps feeling remorseful over surround a young girl with soldiers, Vissel and the others kept their distance. Elynsia rushed to hug Frida. If she were to appear now, Jill would only confuse Frida. As such, she swiftly observed their surroundings from a distance.

I can’t see Rho anywhere… is he with Her Highness Natalie?

Rho was a golden-eyed black dragon. Jill wanted to believe she was capable of taking care of him on her own. However, at that time, she just couldn’t believe that. Thus, she had decided it was best to leave Rho with Natalie. Jill was concerned.

Adding to Jill’s anxiety, Frida replied in a small voice while being hugged by Elynsia.

“Older sister Natalie is… the imperial army…”

“Was she abducted!?”

Behind the roaring Elynsia, Vissel sighed.

“Search and chase after her immediately. She should still be within the imperial city, right now—”

“—No good!”

Frida rushed out of Elynsia’s arms and screamed. She stood in front of Vissel with her arms spread out.

“I, I won’t forgive you if you chase her. If you chase her, older sister Natalie, will die…”

Riiin—!

While everyone was petrified, Frida raised her face. Lightning bolts spread from her feet—it was Frida’s magical power.

“In the name of the Third Princess, Frida Theos Rave, I command you to negotiate, not chase! The imperial army is protecting Her Highness Natalie from the Fairert military!”

Elynsia’s complexion went under a drastic change while Vissel only raised his eyebrows.

“…No way, you let the imperial army escape on purpose.”

“I can’t let you do as you want, older brother Vissel…!”

Everyone looked at her trembling figure. Pushing her little body aside should be easy. However, she had the strength to not let that happen.

“Very well, I’ll sent a messenger to the imperial army. Will that suffice, Vissel?”

“Your Majesty!”

Hadith appeared from the back of the corridor, perhaps because he heard that Frida had been found.

Frida’s eyes widened and hugged her stuffed animal in fear.

However, in Jill’s eyes, which reflected Hadith’s profile, his gentle demeaner could be seen.

Hadith’s look was compassionate—like that of an older brother.

“Hadith, negotiating with rebels is a bad idea. Pursue them immediately.”

“This is your emperor’s order.”

Vissel and Frida blinked. Hadith smiled as he shook his head.
“As I thought, the two of you are siblings, after all. You look like your brother, Listeard.”

For the first time, Frida looked straight up at Hadith.

The news that the imperial army had escaped capture of the Fairert army and left the imperial capital with Princess Natalie spread like fire.

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***T/N: Lololol I’m glad we gone straight into the conflict instead of Author padding us up with filler.

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