The Empress's Madness
The situation changed in an instant.
“In the name of Empress Aria Flimkishunin, I bestow the Trial of the World Tree upon every territory in the empire.”
With eyes as empty as voids, devoid of any emotion, the empress spoke those words. A murmur rippled through the gathered lords, growing louder by the second.
“Your Majesty. The World Tree Seed… it isn’t what I’m thinking, is it? Something like planting it to grow another World Tree…?”
“Does it have any other use? Grand Duke Lyona Arpis.”
“……Hah.”
Grand Duke Lyona Arpis let out a hollow laugh.
“The World Tree we all worship like a god was planted by the first emperor. In doing so, he received its blessing. Those chosen by the World Tree may wield grand magic capable of affecting the entire empire—but only twice in their lifetime.”
That was why the empress held absolute power even among the mighty Grand Elves. There was only one World Tree on the entire continent, and the imperial family had monopolized its favor for generations.
“I have come to believe that the imperial family’s long-held monopoly was a mistake. Therefore, using one of those two opportunities, I have created World Tree Seeds and scattered them across your territories. If you plant the seed and nurture a new World Tree, you too shall receive its blessing.”
In other words, they would gain authority nearly equal to the empress herself.
Some of the more short-sighted lords rejoiced, believing this to be a countermeasure against the sudden surge of Vile Wyverns. If every lord possessed power on par with the empress, those beasts would be nothing to fear.
But the sharper minds among them sensed something far more ominous. Handing out such immense power to anyone and everyone could only lead to catastrophe.
And the biggest problem of all was that the seeds had not been given directly to the lords.
“You said the World Tree Seeds have been sent to the weakest fairy in each of our territories, correct?”
Grand Duke Lua Tanalif asked the empress. For some reason, her gaze was not directed straight at her.
“That is correct, Grand Duke Lua Tanalif. And allow me to add this: every word I have spoken is currently being transmitted to every fairy across the empire.”
The moment they heard her answer, a large number of lords bolted from the conference hall. They feared that the weakest fairy in their lands might plant the seed out of greed for power. If some random nobody claimed that authority while the rightful lord was absent, everything would be lost.
They had to return to their territories and secure the seeds immediately.
Yet some fairies remained in their seats, staring at the empress.
“You… you crazy bitch!”
A lord in the front row spat out the curse without hesitation. It was the Holy Woman, Anael. No one dared point out her rudeness.
“What the hell is wrong with you? How can an empress do something this insane?!”
The empress shifted her hollow gaze toward Anael.
“What exactly have I done? I merely wished to share the power that everyone desires.”
“You made every fairy hear you? Then right now, in our territories, they’re probably killing each other trying to find the World Tree Seed!”
Those who craved power would surely try to seize the seed before the weakest fairy could plant it. It was obvious that the people would already be hunting down whoever that weakest fairy was and fighting over the seed.
“Well. Perhaps you should have a little more faith in your subjects? Maybe they’ll protect the seed until their lord arrives.”
“Ugh…!”
The empress’s faint, mocking smile proved she didn’t believe a word of what she was saying.
“Why are you doing this?! What the hell is your problem that you’d pull something like this as empress?! Do you have any idea how many people are going to die because of you?! These are all your people—you’re supposed to protect them!”
“……”
The empress did not answer.
Anael, trembling with rage, rushed over to Lua.
“Lua. We have to go back right now. I knew something was off when that bitch suddenly started acting out of character. She’s completely lost her mind.”
“What exactly does Her Majesty desire?”
As the former Holy Woman, Anael must have read the empress’s desires with her powers. Even if she couldn’t grasp the details, she could at least sense the direction.
“Ruin. The destruction of everything.”
“……Are you certain?”
“It’s true! Let’s hurry back!”
Anael tugged desperately at Lua’s sleeve. Lua had no intention of delaying either.
All fairies were born with far greater power than humans and rarely fell ill before reaching old age. Identifying the weakest fairy in other territories would be difficult, but the Tanalif Grand Duchy was different. There was one fairy who had been cursed countless times and was clearly weaker than any other.
Brother…!
But she couldn’t move recklessly. This was no impulsive prank born of the empress’s bad mood. Whatever the reason, it had clearly been planned for a long time. There was no way the schemes would end here.
—Grrrrrr…!
—Grrrrr!
At the heavy rumbling from above, Lua looked up. Beyond the opaque glass ceiling, the shadows of massive creatures soaring through the sky were visible.
The star-shaped pupils in Anael’s eyes filled with bewilderment.
“Vile Wyverns? Why are Vile Wyverns in the capital? Why isn’t the alarm sounding?!”
“Her Majesty used her second grand magic,” Lyona said as she approached the two.
“What?!”
“Looks like she summoned every last one of them here. The sky is thick with their killing intent. Their target is probably…”
“……The harbor. She intends to sink all the flying fortresses gathered in one place.”
Lua muttered darkly, and Grand Duke Lyona nodded.
“The harbor! The harbor is under attack!”
“No! My flying fortress is docked there!”
As expected, frantic cries erupted from every corner.
“She can’t fully control the Vile Wyverns, but it’s more than enough to keep the lords trapped here while their territories burn.”
“That crazy bitch! She used up both chances in a single day?!”
Anael tried to glare at the empress, but she had already vanished without a trace.
Since Lua had arrived on an airship, she could move it discreetly to another location. They were in a position to leave the capital immediately. Lyona’s situation was likely similar. Her beast-like instincts were not to be ignored.
But Lyona had no intention of abandoning the capital.
“We can’t just leave the capital like this. We Grand Elves need to step up, hold back the Vile Wyverns, and evacuate as many lords as possible. Otherwise the empire’s chaos will spiral out of control. Do you agree?”
“Okay! If that’s the case, Anael will help too☆”
“……”
While the two quickly reached a decision, Lua’s mind was consumed with worry for her brother. Even a single second of delay in returning could put Sia in danger. She couldn’t answer easily and bit her lip in silence.
“Lady Sia. Are you feeling unwell?”
Ruben, commander of the White Rose Knights, asked Sia in a gentle voice.
Her cheeks were flushed, her entire body and long hair drenched in sweat, and she was breathing heavily. It was only natural to be concerned.
But Sia found it difficult to trust that kindness.
She had clearly ordered that no one be allowed into the room, yet Ruben had burst in with his knights without permission.
“Ah, no? I-I’m perfectly fine! There’s no need to worry, ah, hah…♡”
A strangely lewd moan escaped her, but Ruben’s attention was elsewhere.
“I see. That’s a relief. Lady Sia, you heard Her Majesty’s voice, didn’t you?”
“Y-yes……”
“I believe you are in possession of the seed……”
Sia clutched the seed hidden in both hands tightly and hesitated for a moment, wondering whether she should lie.
“Yes…… I have it.”
She concluded that lying would be pointless. No matter how she thought about it, aside from underage or elderly fairies, there couldn’t possibly be any fairy weaker than her. Not just in the grand duchy, but across the entire empire.
“Ah, thank goodness. There will undoubtedly be many who covet that seed. It seems we must protect it until His Grace returns…… Would you entrust it to me?”
“……”
As Ruben took a step forward, Sia took one back.
She agreed that the seed must not fall into anyone other than Lua’s hands. But could Ruben be trusted? He was a knight who had sworn loyalty to the Tanalif family for generations, but did he truly harbor no desire for the World Tree’s power?
“I-I think…… it would be better if I kept it.”
Sia barely managed to speak, trembling violently.
“……I find that difficult to agree with. You would be putting yourself in danger.”
Ruben murmured with a hint of regret, then slowly moved his hand toward the hilt of his sword.
Sia gripped the seed even tighter.
“Commander! It’s an emergency!”
At that moment, a knight burst into the room in a panic. Ruben lowered his hand and looked at him.
“What is it?”
“The wall guards are heading this way! Along with Lady Rina, Lord Dino, and Lady Mina!”
“……Damn it! Move Inarinax immediately! We’re returning to the castle!”
“Yes!”
In Ruben’s mind, while he wasn’t sure about the other two, Rina would definitely covet the World Tree’s power. Her open ambition for the grand ducal succession was plain to see. Against three Grand Elves, even elite Upper Elves like his knights would be of little use.
Of course, one of the Grand Elves was gravely injured, but even accounting for that, the power gap between Upper Elves and Grand Elves was overwhelming.
“N-no! You can’t go back to the castle!”
Sia cried out desperately. Ruben looked at her as if she were talking nonsense.
“Th-the people left in the castle might also be after the seed.”
“Then what do you suggest? Should we just sit here and wait for three Grand Elves to come storming in?”
“W-we should head to the mountains.”
Perhaps because he had spent his entire life cooped up indoors, Ruben felt a twinge of frustration at Sia’s absurd suggestion. No wonder the previous grand duke had only ever ignored him.
“Are you in your right mind? You want to go to a place crawling with Wyverns?”
“Y-yes. Anyway, at the speed of the flying fortress, we can’t shake off Rina and Mina. They’ll catch up. S-so instead, we should go somewhere dangerous even for them. That way we can at least buy some time.”
“……”
Once she added an explanation to the idea he had just dismissed as nonsense, it suddenly sounded somewhat reasonable. But the fact that this reclusive shut-in was trying to outthink him—a seasoned knight—with strategic judgment irritated Ruben.
Still, now was not the time to vent his frustration.
“Haa. I’ll handle that part, so please hand over the seed first, Lady Sia. Otherwise you’ll truly be in danger.”
“N-no. I won’t give it to you.”
“Hand it over now! There’s no way you can protect that seed! We don’t have time!”
“Hngh!”
“Wha—?!”
The moment Ruben reached out to snatch it by force, Sia brought both hands to her mouth. A loud gulp echoed down her throat.
“Did you…… just swallow the seed?”
“……Yes. I’ve taken Lua’s seed into my belly.”
With tears in her eyes from forcing down something so large, Sia stared at Ruben. She had tried to make a silly joke to lighten the mood, but he probably hadn’t understood it. For once, Sia felt a strange sense of superiority.
Ruben ground his teeth.
This pathetic wretch, not knowing her place, continued to doubt and suspect him until the very end. While she did nothing but hide in her room, how many achievements had he accomplished for the grand duchy?
“You worthless, parasite bitch who only leeches off the grand ducal family!”
Blinded by greed, the knight drew his sword and pointed it at his lord’s older brother.