Civilization Game

“Your Highness, it's time to think about retreating from Argon Island. ”

The moment I heard Tia say that, Lord's expression froze. Fall back! Fall back here!

“Absolutely not! Didn't we come to this island to end all wars in Eden?! ”

“…… even the Maiden knows. ”

“I can't give Serena any more time! ”

If you lose Serena again, everything gets twisted. She will somehow shake the continent. There were also some situations that popped into Lord's head right away.

Beatrice is an apostle of Marcin, but she has similar powers as the Demon King. And ordinary people can't tell the two apart.

What if Cerestina insists that Lord killed Lyris because he has a new Demon King under control? What if there were rumors that the Royal Abyss still wanted to overthrow the continent? The polls that have been slain and rarely sunk will rise again. Perhaps the people of the continent will not open their hearts to the betrayal of their deception.

Fortunately, the distance between the islands and continents was so far away that Crystal Ball communication was not immediately reached, nor was there any neutral media as it was during the Great Depression. But if Serena escapes, the Demon King's controversy is likely to be reignited.

There is no shortage of power on this side. Abyss holds the entire continent and may find a way to defeat Astaro with the power of the nation. There is also a way to advance to the end and set fire to Astaro.

But they were all suboptimal, and giving Serena more time was dangerous. She will travel across the continent on an Astaro, spreading the seeds of conflict, avoiding any all-out war, which will prolong the odds and divide the continent.

Either way, the continent's life will be ruined by an ongoing disaster event and the entire continent will be plunged into destruction. Serena was never the type to care about people's pain.

“… there can be no retreat. The war must end here on this island. ”

Lord has made his decision. There is no retreat. Dead or alive, we fight here.

“Then there is another way. ”

“… Are you sure? ”

“Here's a report from the intelligence agency investigating Jarem Island. ”

I opened up the documents that Lord handed over. As he reads, Tia continues to speak.

“Read and listen. A fun conclusion came from exploring the traces of Jarem Island, the wreckage of the ships, and the corpses of Ultus. The explosion that Lyris caused was not just an explosion, but was found to have the primary effect of the space's extinction prior to the explosion. ”

“Extinction?”

“Well, it appears that when a black magic force explodes, it creates a kind of black hole that destroys everything in its scope. A large number of witches also testified that they felt the camouflage of the space they felt when using the warp gate. ”

Lord saw photos of Woltus' destruction. The cross section is emptied in a circular manner, as though cut clean with a very sharp blade. Just as the middle of Jarem Island was empty, there were traces that were definitely not explained by a simple explosion.

“This is the interpretation of the intelligence agency. The Black Magic Explosion caused by the Demon King's death occurs as the primary extinction effect, and the secondary Black Magic Power is converted into Explosive Energy. ”

“I can understand that, but what's that in this situation? ”

Lord's ponytail is blurred. The moment I thought, 'No way.' Rod's eyes blurred with shock.

“Your Highness.”

And Tia brought that conjecture that was only in Lord's head to life.

“I heard the Master also has the power of the Demon King. ”

“…… Tia! ”

The blue-faced Lord shouts. It was the first time I've ever yelled so loud at her.

“The duke stabbed the Demon King, our most powerful force, and delivered an unusual strategy without ever dropping it on the island. I'm sure she wasn't convinced enough. ”

Correct. This is the information from the Status at the Commander's spear.

“Tell me, Your Highness. Do you think Master Beatrice is the same as Lilith? ”

“… Tia! Have you lost your mind? How could you even think that...! ”

“The Mainland is asking questions. ”

The facial muscles of the rod tremble. In Beatrice's Status, the same thing happened to Lyris, and in the end it was a "disaster." Perhaps, class S, she will trigger a bigger explosion than Lilith. But Lord couldn't bring it out of his mouth.

“If so. ”

Tia continues her story as if she had listened to Lord's answer instead.

“This will help minimize the damage in the current situation. ”

She turns her gaze to the box that the Sage Guards have brought. The Pokémon unseals and opens the chest as if it were a magical device.

Inside was a white spear.

“… This is……. ”

“The Spear of Purification. You know, the princess, the magical armor that neutralized the poisonous dragons in Alveheim. An assassin brought it from the Imperial Palace Storage of Argon. ”

Lord shakes his head like a madman.

“…… Tia. No, it's really not! ”

“Please don't take this the wrong way, Your Highness. This is also an option for Abyss to walk on. We are responsible for many lives, and we must make a grave decision. ”

Tia makes eye contact with Lord and is the back horse with a solemn face.

“Sacrificing the Master minimizes damage and eliminates Astaro. ”

The heart pales. Lord grips his teeth.

“Do you think Bea will follow orders to sacrifice himself?! ”

“The Master will do anything the Grand Duchess says. ”

“Tia!"

Lord grunts, but she continues to speak without a tingling sensation.

“... Grand Duke. The princess is in a position not to be distracted by her emotions. ”

I know that very well. And we know that if we do this, we will lose.

But it was cruel.

Tia's face briefly looks like an evil spirit.

She speaks so coldly of Beatrice's sacrifice. Take your responsibilities as a monarch.

‘But……. ’

Rod covers his head. Beatrice has sacrificed several times so far. He sacrificed himself to save Lord and became a chimera by sacrificing himself.

"Sacrifice her again? ’

For the country.

For everyone.

And for me.

Die again.

Your great power is not fit for an age of peace to unfold.

Disappearing here with Astaro is the way for everyone.

‘ ……. ’

When I thought about it, Lord seemed to be nauseous. It was painful. I thought this moment would be better if I didn't have feelings.

Lord shakes his head. Beatrice was there, struggling with Astaro against the night sky.

The reunion with her reminded me of her happy face as if she had the whole world.

‘No matter how much I think about it, this isn't it. ’

It wasn't a matter of doing it, it was something you couldn't do.

Lord lowers his excitement and apologizes to Tia.

“I'm sorry I got angry. Tia, I was not a monarch. ”

She lowers her head deeper than Lord.

“… The Mainland simply demanded too much from the Grand Duchess. ”

“Tia, let me be clear. I'm not leaving this island. And of course, we're not going to sacrifice a precious person as an excuse to be a cause. ”

“Then what will you do? ”

“I'll find Serena until Beaa's exorcism is over. ”

Lord thought Serena might still be hiding somewhere on this island.

Serena always makes the best choices to win. And the best thing she can do in this situation is leave Astaro with unlimited life force to fight her enemies, and she leaves the island and hides in a safe place and waits for the war to end. If she's assassinated, it's over, regardless of the outcome of the battle with Astaro.

Nevertheless, she did not attempt to escape the island.

There is no word from Eve's ships surrounding Argon Island that an outsider has appeared. If Serena had minded and tried to break through with the dragon riders, she might have been able to break through the siege, but she didn't even try.

By aggregating these situational elements, we can infer:

Serena is still on this island somewhere.

And there's a reason she can't get off this island.

“I'll find Serena. You must."

Although less likely than Tia's method, there must be a way to win without sacrificing Beatrice. The treacherous road that would not walk even though there was a path, and would put herself at the risk of defeat and unilaterally sacrifice her could never be done.

“ ……. ”

After a moment of silence, Tia gives a desperate smile.

“... That's what the Grand Duke looks like. ”

Tia handed over the new documents to Lord.

“What's this? ”

“The ‘Magical Charm’ of the Dragon Castle, analyzed by the Intelligence Agency. Astaro felt even the slightest magical power of the communication crystal, so he ordered an analysis in case he could find clues to the attack. ”

Lord unfolds his grimoire. Beatrice and Astaro appear to have enormous magical blobs, and surrounded by specks of magical power that appear to be soldiers.

“Then why is this... ah! ”

Something like a dark, faint dotted line was drawn longer than the magic power of the atmosphere, although it was not noticeable. It starts with the body of Astaro, and its magical power comes out.

“… is this the magical power of the communication crystal? ”

“No, something much darker than a communications crystal. It connects Astaro and the outside. ”

“That means...! ”

Lord Roads has raised his voice.

Astaro, who calls himself the Sex Dragon Awareness, is closer to the Summoning System 'Player Skill’ than one ‘Specialist'. Then maybe the connected party is Serena!

“Tia! Why didn't you tell me this before? ”

“… she only proposed the most likely strategy as a military of one country. No one knows if the connection to Astaro really is the Queen of Argon. And if we don't find her hiding somewhere in that vast forest in time, we will lose. Will he still do it? ”

“Yes.”

Lord answered without hesitation.

“Now I'm tired of making one-sided sacrifices. I'm willing to take the long way back. ”

Tia opens her palms.

“Your Highness. Give me your grip for a moment. ”

Tia, who received the Magic Blade, kneels on the ground. Then you spread out a map of Argon Island and put a magical diagram on top of it. The magical power and the entire map of Argon Island overlap perfectly in size.

“The flow of this magic connected to Astaro is in a straight line. Then……. ”

Tia, who took out the collar pen, slashes the line along the flow of hazy magical power. The line crosses the magical diagram and leads to the map.

“Right here. ”

The line Tia drew passed through the ‘forest’ on the map. It was right near the forest where Lord went on an ancient quest.

“This is the place where the queen is most likely to hide. ”

“…… ah! ”

The road's face brightens.

“The infamous soldier may seem really pathetic, but she can only make such uncertain conjectures. ”

“Tia.”

Lord grabs hold of her hands.

“Thank you very much. Anyways, Tia is the best soldier I've ever had. ”

“ ……. ”

Tia's body twitches thinly. Rod raises his head first and says,

“I'll lead the troops right away. Please contact Beatrice and ask her to reduce her influence as much as possible. ”

“I see. I've arranged for 2,000 cavalry to leave the area in advance, so take them with you. ”

“Yes.”

“Nothing's changed this time around. Your Highness.”

After that, Tia smiles a little shyly.

“He brings variables again. The Mainlander will hold them off with all her might to prevent Astaro and Argon from escaping. ”

“Yes, nothing has changed. ”

The two of them held hands.

“I won't let you down again. Tia.”

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

The next one's too crowded.

-------------

Waist-Jenon's paradox... hmm!

Feeder/Cancer! Of course.

Toronto/answer..!

... (-1).../Here's another one. World Series Blah blah

Again, thank you for your continued comments!