Climb the tower where Princess Hilmera is supposed to be. Everything is ready, all that's left to do is to stop her ......, but the air is heavy.
He understands the movements of his opponents as if they were his partners of ten years, and even guides their actions, a winning strategy. Now that he was ready, all he had to do was wait and see the outcome.
And yet, I sense a hint of anxiety in him. It's not that there are uncertainties, but that he is anxious about coming up with a plan to deal with the definite elements.
...... There is no need to be lost. I just need to be me and follow his instructions. I can be myself and follow his instructions. I will be the piece that completes his plan.
I play with the magic at hand and try to construct a simple spell. It is possible that someone fighting in the city center can remove the magic seal stone, so I am trying to build magic at regular intervals. ......!
You can use magic now. It seems that someone has succeeded in destroying the magic seal stone.
That was quicker than I thought. Either the magic stone was in the siege weapons vault or someone went to the materials vault by themselves. ...... I think it's the latter.
Did you have any idea where the magic stone was?
Hilmera's goal is to inflict damage on this country. Then he's planning to take advantage of the commotion and destroy the materials. If she destroys the country's material holdings, it will give her a place to hide bigger things.
Siege weapons used for offense and materials used for defense, surely it is the materials that will be lost in this situation.
As much as I'd like to get information, it's the Mixu who has the crystal for communication. We'll have to continue to settle this mess in isolation.
It's nice to have magic now, but so is Princess Hilmera. There will be necromantic resistance. Don't get too far from me.
"I don't have that much of a problem with Princess Hilmera. In fact, it's a good thing that she can use magic now.
I tilted my head slightly at his words. I can use basic magic, but I don't really use it in combat. I don't use magic as reflexively as Lakra does, and I can't maintain a high level of both normal attacks and magic like Ecdysium does.
I wonder how far he sees the future. He has a foresight that makes some people feel as if he is seeing into the future, but is his expression clouded with worry over the outcome?
"...... The door. I'll kick it in!
Kick down the door that appears at the top of the stairs and enter. The room is built on top of a tall tower, and is surrounded by artifacts. Some of them were covered with large cloths, and their presence gave off a strange sense of intimidation. I used detection magic just in case, but only one point responded.
The ceiling was high and there was a large enough space in the center of the room.
In the middle of this space, there was Princess Hilmera, writing alone, facing the easel.
I had the door unlocked. Tarzan's knights are impatient.
"Princess Hilmera ......!
Welcome, messenger, to my workshop. I thought you'd be the first one to show up at this place.
Princess Hilmera stood up and turned the easel towards her. The painting on the easel was a bust of a man. There was a peculiarity that gave me a sense of distortion, and I could tell that it was a painting by Prince Washekht.
What bothered me more, however, was the smell in the room. Mixed in with the oil paint is the obvious smell of blood.
What do you think? Don't you think the red color from your father's blood looks really good?
"What?
Knowing the true nature of the blood smell, Princess Hilmera's gentle smile sent chills down my spine. This princess had taken her father by the hand, and had even gone so far as to .......
I hadn't really felt it before, but now that I saw her, I understood that she was definitely the one who had created this horrible situation.
I'm not sure what you're doing here. I'm not sure what to make of this.
...... Yes, you're right. To be honest, I don't think I have much hostility towards you.
"Oh, I'm sure you know you're being used. That's very kind of you, messenger. So you've come to persuade me?
"I'd like to see you take care of this situation, if possible.
Princess Hilmera removed the painting from the easel and placed it on a table some distance away. Then she turned to him and spoke with an emotionless smile.
You want to persuade me? What words will you use to try to persuade me? Will he tell me in such obvious terms that my brother does not want this, that he will be sad, like his father and Chisang-tae?
I was told that Prince Chisanthe and Princess Yumyess were also unaccounted for, but perhaps they were already .......
Princess Hilmera is causing all this trouble for the sake of her beloved Prince Washekht. If you want to persuade her, you will have to make a point of it. .......
Prince Chisanthe and King Celende would have been able to persuade her more wisely than I could. Still, he could not persuade Princess Hilmera: ....... I wonder if he can do it ......, but I have no idea what else he could use to persuade her.
Persuasion? No. Persuasion is the act of persuading for gain. You're doing what's in your best interest, and you can't offer me more than that.
I wasn't the only one who was stunned by his words. Princess Hilmera, too, could see a hint of surprise in his smile.
...... It seems to me that your words don't match your actions?
I don't think so. I don't think so, because you've already achieved most of your goals. I understand that there is no point in trying to do anything to you now.
He walked over to where Princess Hilmera had been painting and picked up a brush that had been left there.
He walked over to where Princess Hilmera had been painting and picked up a brush. It's been used for a long time, but the tip is beaten up. You must have handled it very roughly today. You've been working hard to show us how crazy you are.
You're not crazy. All you're doing is pretending to be crazy.
Princess Hilmera's expression hardened at his words. He keeps a quiet expression on her face as he reveals her inner thoughts.
You had to make it look like you were crazy. You needed to make yourself look like a madman. You were afraid that if you were the ringleader of the plot to overthrow the country and give Washekht the chance to take over the throne, he might be suspected of something he didn't want. So you acted like a madman to prove that you were the only one who did it. Chisanthe and Yumyess may be dead, but I wonder if King Selende is still alive somewhere in captivity.
He put down his brush and looked around. He put down his brush and looked around. There were stone statues and other objects placed in the ruins of Selende.
"You have a funny way of saying that, angel. You're not saying I'm crazy, you're pretending I'm crazy.
"We already know the motive. I already know your motives. You're doing this for Washekht, but it's really for your own satisfaction. You want to give yourself to Washecto, just as he gave you to me, don't you?
...... Yes, you know that much.
"Hilmera, I knew from the first time I met you that you had special feelings for Washecto. You were attracted to Washecto's devotion, weren't you?
Princess Hilmera and Prince Washecto, I thought Prince Washecto was the one who doted on his sister, but Princess Hilmera also had feelings for Prince Washecto that went beyond the bond of brother and sister. .......
I've heard that much, but I don't know what's underneath it either. He may be speculating, but I can tell from the change in Princess Hilmera's behavior that this is true.
"Washekht remained your absolute ally, even though he had to give up his position as a prince vying for the next king. Your heart was touched by his unwavering devotion and you admired him. But secretly you were impatient. You are not directly related to King Selende. You were considered unworthy of the throne by those around you. You had no position to offer.
His eyes, as always, were deep and penetrating, as if he was trying to win her over. He is not only revealing Princess Hilmera's true feelings, but he is also choosing his words to sway her emotions.
Now he calls himself "I". This time he stirs her heart, as if he lacks humanity. Now he speaks his mind as if he were Princess Hilmera.
You thought of all the ways you could offer yourself to him. "You thought of all the ways you could give yourself to him, but Washekht wouldn't take it. There were times when he did, but the devotion was not to your satisfaction!
He spoke in a theatrical manner, as if to express his heartfelt anguish. Was he clownishly revealing and provoking Princess Hilmera's true feelings? At the very least, Princess Hilmera's face no longer contained a smile of comfort. At least, there is no smile on Princess Hilmera's face anymore, but a look of caution as she realizes once again how terrible he is.
"That's why you wanted Washekht to be king. You wanted to make Washekht king. You wanted to take back what he threw away so that you could be his equal. But even that attempt never came to pass. This is your last chance. This is your last chance to return what you received from Washekht, for you to bear all the guilt and give up everything to devote yourself to him.
"Yes, I understand why Mursht likes you. Yes, I want to be like my brother and give back to him what he gave to me. That's all I've ever wanted. I don't care if this is where I end up. No, it has to end.
Princess Hilmera smiled. Not a smile I've ever seen, but a gentle smile that came from the heart. She acknowledged that what he had said was true, and she did not try to deceive him.
My brother is everything to me. I want to give up everything for him, just as he did for me. I'm sure that makes you want to laugh, doesn't it?
Not really. I understand and sympathize with you. If I had been in your situation, I would have done the same thing.
"Oh, that's sweet.
"But I wouldn't have let Washekht give up the throne to Nuhtha in the first place.
What?
But I wouldn't have let Washekht give up the throne to Noufsa in the first place..." Even I, a slow learner, could clearly see that his words had pierced Princess Hilmera.
I'm not going to deny you, but I will point out your faults. You have placed too much importance on Washekht, and as a result, you have hesitated to make an appeal to his heart. You didn't really try to know his mind.
That's not true.
You only have to look at Washekht. He loved you so much, but you had no influence on him. You didn't want to be loved, but you didn't have the courage to enter his heart. I would have tried to change him, even if he hated me a little.
Anger flashed across Princess Hilmera's face. Now she understood the meaning of his phrasing. While Princess Hilmera is saying that Prince Washekht is everything to her, he is saying that he can lead Prince Washekht, that he understands, and that he is trying to surpass what she has given.
If they were only strangers, these words would not have resonated. However, it is difficult to deny the words of someone who understands and even sympathizes with me.
...... What do you want to do to provoke me? I'm not sure what you mean. I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.
I was looking at Princess Hilmera, wondering if she was going to go on a rampage ......, and she pulled out an earthen whistle from her pocket. I don't feel there is any magical element to it, but I would be wary of anything she would take out at this point.
As I stepped in front of him to see what was going on, Princess Hilmera began to play the flute. Then, the objects around her that seemed to be works of art began to move, and the cloth began to fall.
It's the undead beast we saw earlier. There are ten of them, and they're well surrounded. Since they were originally corpses, they could hide without making a single sound if they were completely silent.
Since they didn't respond to the detection spell, it seems that these undead are capable of retaining even the magic inside their bodies perfectly. But as long as they are visible, it's not something to worry about.
It seems that you have trained them to move by sound, regardless of whether the seal stone is destroyed or not.
I'd stay away from anything that's left unattended. They don't seem to catch detection magic when they're lurking.
That's all the children we have in this place. They may not kill you, but they'll put up some resistance. I'll spare no expense.
At the sound of the next whistle, the undead all pounced on me at once.
Princess Hilmera didn't start out trying to defeat me. Then there's only one thing to aim for: him. It'll be hard to fight and protect him when he's being attacked by mobile enemies at the same time.
But now that he is no longer under the influence of the magic seal stone, he can use purification magic on his sword.
"Huh!
I carried him and flew over the heads of the undead that were approaching from the rear. He chops off their heads as they pass each other and lands on the ground. The regeneration is not on ....... Even though they are beasts, they are still undead, and the cleansing magic seems to be effective.
He readies his sword and looks at the undead. I need to finish this fight for him as soon as possible.