"...I''m not nning to cross the barrier."


    At Frondier''s answer, Gregory was somewhat relieved. And at the same time, uneasy. He wasn''t nning to cross the barrier. Then did he have other ns?


    "Gregory."


    [Why are you calling me like that? It''s unsettling.]


    "Sylvain said it before. The judgment to save many with one life is something only an emperor makes."


    [He did. So what?]


    "I thought about it after hearing those words. Could I make such a judgment? The way of sacrificing a minority for the greater good, is that possible for me? Whether such an optiones to mind or not is secondary, but could I even have the heart to do it?"


    Frondier recalled the battles of the past few days. Especially the incident at the Tyburn.


    Most of the other fights were mainly Frondier''s own battles. Of course, there were times when Constel''s teachers and Indus''s executives shed, but he had anticipated it sufficiently and didn''t think the teachers would lose. And indeed, nothing happenedHowever, at the Tyburn, he saw many deaths. He had dered that not a single ''knight'' would die, not ''soldier.''


    Yet, at the time, Frondier was surprisingly calm. Was it because he had fully prepared for the possibility of someone dying, or had he closed his heart to that possibility?


    Either way, Frondier had handled it well. He wasn''t greatly shaken by seeing someone''s death.


    Then, this time...


    Could Frondier even allow himself to drive someone to their death with his own hands? Even if it benefited the whole?


    ''I always thought I had to clear the game. Beforeing to this world, and even now.''


    He had tried everything to clear the game Etius, but he failed.


    He came to this world having failed.


    At that time, Frondier still had the mindset of a gamer. Get what you can, give up on what you can''t without regrets, find the best efficiency, find the optimal route.


    But looking back, in the end...


    Frondier had never sacrificed anything. Like a naive child, he wished for everything to go well as he wanted, and luckily, it had been that way so far.


    But someday, this luck would run out.


    And when that happened, wouldn''t the thing he would discard for efficiency be a human life?


    [Frondier.]


    Gregory called out to him.


    The crow, expressionless like a bird, tilted its head and said,


    [You''re not an emperor, are you?]


    "..."


    A tone that seemed to say he didn''t understand why Frondier was worrying about such things. Gregory couldn''t fully understand Frondier''s concerns because he didn''t know his situation.


    But that...


    "...Heh."


    How muchfort it brought to Frondier.


    "Heh, hehehe. Hahahaha!"


    Frondierughed. Heughed with his mouth wide open. It had been so long since he hadughed like this.


    [This guy has gone crazy.]


    Despite Gregory''s scolding, Frondier''sughter didn''t stop. Heughed as if he were truly amused, his shoulders shaking, even tears welling up in his eyes.


    "Right, that''s right. Kekeke."


    Frondier looked at the window of the room. The sun was bowing its head, stretching its long hair into the sunset. Outside the window, he could see the vigers and knights moving in preparation for tomorrow.


    The kitchen staff busily moving to prepare meals for tomorrow in advance, the servants tidying up the clothes to finish the day, the knights checking their weapons in preparation for tomorrow''s battle, or people praying.


    Taking it all in, Frondier said,


    "I''m not an emperor."


    Not even an emperor, not even a hero.


    I''m nothing.


    ''Discarding something to save something...''


    Sylvain was right.


    Frondier, too, wasn''t the kind of person who could make such a choice.


    ***


    And the next day.


    Around the time the soldiers let out sighs as they saw the seemingly preordained army of monsters.


    The knights, while giving instructions on top of the barrier, kept looking at one ce, passing by, and then looking at another ce again.


    Where the knights'' gazes were focused, Sylvain stood.


    Sylvain was talking with another soldier, and it seemed like a very serious conversation, so the other knights couldn''t approach.


    "...Hey, that guy next to the captain. Isn''t he a soldier?"


    "Yeah, seems like it?"


    "When did the captain be so close with a soldier?"


    "Well, they don''t seem to be talking because they''re close?"


    "Oh really?"


    "The captain''s been looking really angry since earlier. Did that guy mess up or something?"


    They found the sight of Sylvain conversing with the soldier somewhat unfamiliar, but thinking it could be so, they passed by.


    And the soldier...


    "...It''s perfect, right?"


    He muttered in a voice only Sylvain could hear.


    The soldier was Frondier. He had joined the barrier battle with his face hidden by a mask.


    "...Where did you get the mask?"


    "I have quite a few connections."


    Though it hadn''t even been a week since he made these connections.


    Rather than using connections, he had half-threatened and snatched the mask away.


    Laurie''s face, looking angry, surprised, and angry for being frightened at the same time, was still vivid in his mind.


    "Didn''t you ask me to let you cross the barrier?"


    "The n has changed. Because the enemy''s n has changed."


    At those words, Sylvain''s eyes twitched. As expected, the monsters'' attack was faster than Frondier had anticipated.


    "Is it alright?"


    "We have to make it alright. At least for today, we have to hold out here."


    Frondier looked beyond the barrier. The monsters had already filled the vast in and were overflowing.


    Even more monsters than what he could see here would now pour out.


    This time, unlike the first day''s battle, all of them, including the winged ones and the ck ones, would rush in.


    "Originally, I was thinking of secretly raiding their base, but the number of monsters increasing was faster than I expected."


    "Then what are you going to do? It''s impossible toe all the way here and go secretly."


    The moment Sylvain replied like that, one of the soldiers who was looking through a telescope shouted.


    "They''ve started marching!"


    Had they finally gathered? The monsters'' steps were gradually getting closer towards the barrier.


    Especially noticeable were the ones flying at high speed with their wings spread.


    The monsters were no longer waiting for anything. The ones flying at the forefront were proof of that.


    Confirming that, Frondier put on his helmet. It was a helmet thatpletely covered his face.


    If he was going to do that, did he need the mask? When a small doubt arose in Sylvain''s mind.


    "Menosorpo."


    Frondier said something.


    "...!"


    Immediately after, Sylvain felt the air around him change. The flow of mana had changed. This was,


    ''A Rune!''


    When did he set this up? Something thisrge, no, considering the range, it''s already going way beyond the barrier!


    Before his thoughts could be organized, Frondier nced at Sylvain and said,


    "From now on, no matter what happens, you must not show a surprised expression. All of this is happening under your n."


    "...Don''t tell me you''re wearing a helmet because..."


    That''s right. There''s no way a mere soldier could do something like this.


    Frondier was currently with Sylvain. Therefore, he waspletely hiding his face to make it seem as if Sylvain was doing everything.


    <i>Void Weaving, Simultaneous Replication</i>


    <i>Imperial Armory</i>


    <i>30 spears, numbered 1 to 30 in order.</i>


    And dozens of spears rising above the barrier.


    To Sylvain, who was staring nkly at them, Frondier whispered once more.


    "Remember. You must never, ever be surprised."