A thrilling political game of conspiracy and intrigue where the imperial citizens cheered, the powerful families and the imperial family clashed, and neutral forces cautiously observed from all sides.

In the midst of all this, if one were to ask how the Tin Knight’s party, who could be considered the starting point of this incident in a sense, was doing.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ puts on airs of a strong person, saying he’ll yield the first attack!]

“I won’t lose this time either!!”

A rectangular court with a net installed across its center.

Watching the Tin Knight and Adelaide engrossed in something unidentifiable within it, Algind asked Dorothea with an indescribable look, “…What are they doing now?”

“They say it’s a sport called badminton? According to that guy, it can be enjoyed by people of all ages and genders,” Dorothea answered, sitting in a chair with her legs crossed, flipping through the pages of a book.

Next to her was a table with a large parasol attached, and on the table were drinks and fruits, making it a perfect relaxation mode.

Algind turned her gaze to the side again.

Adelaide threw a ball into the air with one hand, then used a tool held in her other hand to send that ball towards the Tin Knight, who received and hit the ball with the tool in his hand before it touched the ground.

Both sides sent the ball over the net, and it seemed they weren’t just hitting it aimlessly but trying to make it fall within a designated area, so the rules were somewhat understandable.

The problem was…

“Enjoyed by people of all ages and genders…?”

Algind’s voice was thick with doubt.

She looked at the “ball” the two were using.

A strange shape with a round head part and something feather-shaped densely packed to form a triangular cone.

While the design was somewhat different from the balls Algind knew, the material was more problematic.

It was clearly a lump of iron.

Moreover, the tools they were using to hit this metal “ball” were their weapons, that was, a one-handed sword and a two-handed sword.

Every time the Tin Knight and Adelaide swung their arms, sharp metallic sounds rang out with a clang, and every time the ball crossed the air, an eerie sound of air being torn could be heard.

The ball won’t… break, I suppose.

While both the Tin Knight and Adelaide were carefully manipulating their sword energy to prevent the ball from being cut or dented, the Tin Knight went a step further by infusing mana into the ball itself to reinforce its durability.

As a bonus, he was adding a little more mana each time he struck to maintain its strength.

“Ah!”

With Adelaide’s short exclamation, the ball she failed to control flew towards Algind’s side.

Where there should have been an exterior wall of the building, there was an additional wall that looked like it was made by weaving together a pile of skeletons, and as soon as the ball hit, the skeleton wall shattered spectacularly, scattering its fragments.

Clatter, clatter.

Skeleton Soldier A, who was waiting nearby, picked up the ball and returned it to the court, while Skeleton Soldiers B, C, and D repaired the broken skeleton wall with some kind of tools in their hands.

And to top it off, there was a Skeleton Referee flipping the scoreboard as if announcing the Tin Knight’s point.

Even Algind, who was always evaluated as “beautiful but doll-like” due to her inscrutable expressionless face, found it difficult to maintain her composure at this sight before her eyes, and her lips trembled slightly.

“Perhaps when you say it can be enjoyed by people of all ages and genders, you mean it can make people of all ages and genders half-crippled?”

“The people of the Empire must be quite sturdy from eating and living well, considering they end up only half-crippled after doing something like that. In the kingdom, I think they’d just die instantly.”

“…”

“To begin with, that guy’s nonsense is like an everyday thing, so don’t take it seriously every time.”

After blurting that out, Dorothea devoted herself to reading her book again.

Seeing her appearance that seemed to lack any sense of tension, Algind couldn’t help but feel incredulous inwardly.

They say the eye of the storm is calm, don’t they?

To describe the party peacefully vacationing in the mansion provided by Algind’s side while the entire Empire was in an uproar, no other words seemed more appropriate.

Perhaps because of this, Algind ended up uttering somewhat mischievous words, “Aren’t you too relaxed? Things have been going according to plan so far, but there’s no guarantee it will continue to do so. Aren’t you worried?”

“With you guys around, there’s no need to worry about anything.”

“I didn’t know you trusted us that much.”

“Well, if a truly urgent situation arises, no matter how we try to move, you’ll make good use of us anyway, right?” still not taking her eyes off the book’s pages, Dorothea calmly continued. “This matter is different from the Tower of Control. While that fight started because of us, this current fight is closer to us mercenaries getting involved in something you were originally going to fight among yourselves. What good would it do for mercenaries to unnecessarily try to set up the board and control the overall flow? It’s enough to just do what we’re told from above.”

“…”

“Seems you’re not convinced.”

“To be honest, that’s right.”

Algind didn’t hide her true thoughts.

Since first encountering them in the City of Struggle.

No, ever since first hearing about them from what happened in the Taros Labyrinth.

Goodwitch had been observing the Tin Knight party’s movements all along.

She observed them, traced their past, and sometimes even guided their future movements.

That was why Goodwitch knew well just how unconventional and extraordinary these people were.

Rebels who would bite without hesitation if something didn’t suit them, even if the opponent was a legendary great witch or the current strongest nation on the continent.

The fact that such people had so obediently offered their necks and been led here rather raised suspicion in her.

And to that question, Dorothea answered clearly, “It’s a contract.”

The book closed with a thud.

Straightening her posture from a half-lying position, Dorothea stared directly at Algind, “We’re not very interested in what your goal is. Do as you please, whether it’s removing opposition forces or strengthening imperial authority. And after that, just pay the price properly. Hand over the Pouch of Lilium. Prepare a stage to execute the main culprits of the Friedel incident. Then there’s no problem at all.”

In other words.

If Algind or the Empress’ side were to break the contract, that was, if they tried not to pay the price properly.

Then it was also a declaration that they would smash them by any means necessary.

Algind’s mouth closed.

As she seemed lost in thought for a moment, just as she was about to open her mouth again.

The outside of the mansion became noisy, and soon a servant approached the group with a flustered look.

“I apologize, but guests have arrived.”

When the servant said the word “guests”, both witches simultaneously noticed that his voice trembled slightly.

The current residents of this mansion were the Tin Knight’s party, but the original owner was Algind.

Algind asked back, “I thought I had instructed to turn away all external personnel?”

It wasn’t to confine the Tin Knight’s party.

Rather, it was closer to consideration to use the Witch of the South’s authority to keep away flies that might buzz around them and be annoying.

…So that ignorant fools wouldn’t carelessly poke these self-propelled dormant volcanoes and turn them into active volcanoes.

“W-well, they said they would wait until you came out.”

Algind’s eyes sank.

Ignoring the refusal of hospitality and insisting on staying meant disregarding the authority of Goodwitch, the owner of this mansion.

If so, there were two possibilities.

One was a fool who couldn’t grasp their own position, mistakenly thinking they could handle the authority of the Witch of the South’s protégé, even if not the Witch of the South herself.

The other was a big shot who could handle it even knowing that.

“The daughter of Duke Lennart, Maris von Lennart, and Northern Commander, Werner von Lennart, have arrived.”

And unfortunately for Algind, this guest seemed to be the latter.

***

Maris von Lennart was a woman who had rarely experienced receiving an “offer she couldn’t refuse” in her life until now.

The pillar leading the Lennart Ducal family, the Empire’s most powerful house, and the direct daughter of the Guardian Duke, one of the Empire’s two power holders.

If one were to look for a more noble bloodline among her peers, there would only be the Imperial Family, but the legitimate children born between the Iron Blood Emperor and the Empress had all died from illness or accidents one after another, and other imperial family members who had tried to become Emperor by bypassing the Iron Blood Emperor’s last bloodline after his death had all been successively killed in power struggles with the Empress, so the only person who met the conditions was the Crown Prince alone.

It was fortunate that there had been an implicit rule since the founding of the Empire that the Imperial Family and Ducal families do not intermarry—which would be immediately revealed by the child’s appearance if broken—otherwise she would have had such an enormous birth that she could even aim for the right of imperial succession if there had been a blood connection between the Imperial Family and the Ducal family.

It wasn’t for nothing that Maximilian, who was the leader of the Patriotic Youth Corps and the Empress’ nephew, and who had been causing all sorts of trouble to the nobles, lowered his tail in front of her.

It was possible because she was in a position where, even if she arbitrarily took the family name and made threats, it wouldn’t be a problem within reasonable limits.

If Maris asked someone for something, the other person would bow their head saying, “Please command me!” but the opposite case was almost impossible.

Yes, almost impossible.

“I heard you have a connection with that child called Adelaide. I’d like to meet her briefly, could you be a guide?”

Werner von Lennart.

A great general who gained enormous admiration and support from imperial soldiers by accumulating countless military achievements during the height of the war with the Magic State.

Due to his age, he was rarely mentioned now, but before Maris was born, he was called the Empire’s strongest warrior.

The ultimate senior in the family, whom even Duke Lennart himself called uncle and showed respect to.

When such a figure said, “I have something to ask,” Maris didn’t have the guts to say, “Ah, that would be difficult,” in response.

She could immediately call Adelaide an ingrate, a traitor who parasitized the Empress’ faction and sullied the family name, or someone with nothing in their head who sincerely believed the ridiculous false rumors spread by the Magic State…

…Ah, really. Just thinking about it makes my blood boil.

A grinding sound escaped from inside Maris’ mouth.

Even though they were bound together under the name of the Lion Duke’s bloodline, the reality was a gathering of relatives numbering over hundreds.

It was common for hell to break loose with shouting and abusive language at the slightest misstep even when just three or four couples and children gathered for holidays, so if that scale increased to hundreds, the horror would be indescribable.

Maris, not unaware of the importance of socializing and tolerance, usually maintained a moderately smiling face and got socialized well, but the current state where all sorts of people, be it uncles, great-uncles, or distant great-aunts whose exact relation was tiring to figure out, were badmouthing Adelaide was seriously displeasing to her.

Even more so now that she knew the details of the Friedel incident, which were far more sordid than what Maris herself had investigated and known.

If the content spread from the Tower of Control is really true, the entire family should come together to strike down the masterminds and beg for forgiveness, and even that wouldn’t be enough.

Of course, Maris herself knew well that this was difficult.

Not because the content was something that could be overlooked as trivial.

But because it was too disgusting and shameful.

After all, acknowledging it would be tarnishing the brilliant name of Lennart, even those not directly involved in the incident were denying its content.

The extent of this was so severe that even though Maris knew Adelaide was currently near the capital, it was difficult for her to visit carelessly.

But.

If I’m going because Granduncle Werner asked, who would say anything?

Having received a truly irrefusable offer, or rather an offer she didn’t want to refuse, Maris visited Algind Goodwitch’s “White Mansion” without even bringing escorts—for reasons that it would be rude to go in a large group when going to apologize, and that other escorts were unnecessary anyway with Werner present.

As a result.

“…I came to meet the descendant of a tragic fate, but what do we have here? Some monster’s sitting around.”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ tilts his head, asking why someone who can be the final boss of a chapter appears without any foreshadowing!]

Strange fellows encountered each other.

***

https://ko-fi.com/genesisforsaken