(Black-Clothed A’s POV)

“That was the boy we’ve heard so much about?”

On the way to the Star Aria Tribe’s settlement, we were running side-by-side when the conversation began.

“Yeah, that was definitely the boy the master1 told us about.”

He’s very overbearing, or perhaps arrogant?

It wouldn’t have been easy for us to abandon our lives for Harold, though that shouldn’t surprise us given everything we’d heard about his personality beforehand.

However, in that last scene, we saw that Harold is actually a young boy full of kindness; he just can’t be honest with himself in front of others. Otherwise, I’m not sure if we would have committed ourselves to this.

Receiving an emergency summons, I recall the day our lives were entrusted to that boy.

Our master Tasuku had a mysterious expression on his face, as if a large-scale battle were imminent.

I’ve already risked my life many times on missions, but I don’t hate orders like this.

Everyone could sense that the master wasn’t his usual self. While thinking this, Tasuku began to explain the circumstances of this mission.

“This job concerns a fight about to break out between the Knight Order and the Star Aria Tribe, with the Sarian Empire being the true culprit. They’re going to incite the conflict between the two groups.”

“…Why do you think the Imperials are behind this?”

“We’ve received information that in the ensuing chaos, they’ll seize the opportunity to capture members of the Tribe.”

Certainly, this would be a major issue if true. If left unchecked, it could escalate into a domestic conflict.

However, something still felt off to me.

“Under such circumstances, wouldn’t it be better to send actual soldiers instead of a unit like us?”

“We don’t have enough evidence to confirm these claims, so we can’t make any conspicuous movements. If it’s true, I would have preferred to avoid deploying you as well. I wouldn’t want to risk anyone connecting your unit with the Sumeragi family.”

“You would send us despite the high risk?”

I just need to know, why?

To my question, a bitter smile spread across Tasuku’s face.

“…It’s not something to be proud of, but I’ve been taking a lot of things that belong to Harold-kun.”

Harold. That name sounds familiar to me.

Erika’s fiancé, the daughter of the Sumeragi family’s fiancé.

The information gathered on Harold after the engagement announcement wasn’t very good. Not many people are willing to support their engagement.

“Why is his name coming up here?”

“Harold-kun intends to go to this battlefield alone to stop this fight.”

“…I can only see that plan as reckless; I would advise him to stop.”

“That child will not stop. All by himself, that child has been fighting alone for a long time.”

Tasuku murmured sadly, almost as if blaming himself.

He was trying to support Harold, a boy who was planning to sever ties with the Sumeragi family. It wouldn’t be easy to convince people unaware of Harold’s true nature to help him.

“Why would you go so far for him?”

“…If you wish to learn the truth, then you must promise to keep this a secret. I myself intend to take this knowledge to the grave, so you should discuss among yourselves who is willing to risk their lives for Harold, though what I reveal to you must absolutely remain confidential.”

The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees. I felt an incredibly intimidating presence emanating from Tasuku.

A cold sweat broke out on our faces, as if we had just experienced a near-death experience.

“We pledge our loyalty to our master.”

“Thank you. Well, who here knows the story about Harold killing his own servants?”

“We all know it.”

Harold’s misdeeds had certainly reached our ears, the spies. We all knew the story of him killing his servant.

It was a significant reason why many of us still oppose his engagement, in fact.

“In truth, he didn’t kill his servants. To servants about to be executed by his parents, he saved them and took the title of murderer himself. The servant and her daughter are still living peacefully thanks to the generous funding Harold provided for their escape.”

Tasuku had just dropped an unbelievable story on us.

It’s always been said that Harold killed his servant three years ago when he was only ten years old. Honestly, I had my doubts about whether a child could actually do that.

“Then why keep this a secret? If you make this information public, you can silence all those opposed to the engagement at once.”

“Harold doesn’t want that. He’d prefer the safety of the two girls he rescued and the title of ‘murderer’ rather than praise and fame for himself.”

So this is why Tasuku committed himself to keeping this secret.

A ten-year-old boy made this decision… My chest tightens a little when I think about it.

Resolving to be despised by everyone who knew nothing of what he did, and still carrying through with his choice.

…and besides, it was Harold who developed and offered us the antibodies for the miasma, and the LP farming method.

“Is that true?”

Everyone was shocked by this revelation.

The antibodies, manufactured with the specific ingredients from Tasuku’s abrupt command. I can’t imagine how many people were saved by that drug.

Along with the revolutionary LP farming method, a new farming technique that had a great impact on the Sumeragi territory’s recovery.

Everyone in the Sumeragi territory praised Tasuku for these things, saying, ‘As expected of our lord.’

There wasn’t even a trace of Harold Stoke’s name in there. We thought everything was done by Tasuku.

“Yet once again, he asked that his involvement remain unknown. To prevent his parents from becoming the main developers and exploiting the rights of interest, for if such a case came to be, he predicted that fewer people would be helped than they are now.”

Throwing away all these opportunities for praise and recognition, only to gain hatred and infamy in return.

While protecting someone else wholeheartedly, he chooses to hurt himself instead. That, in essence, is what makes him Harold Stokes.

“It was Harold-kun who discovered this information. Even doing that alone was probably dangerous, yet he only asked me to ‘prepare a military uniform of the Sarian Empire’, but how could I do just that?!”

“…”

Now we understand why Tasuku cares so much about Harold.

Harold is already part of the Sumeragi family in his eyes, and the savior of the territory. They have an obligation to him that cannot be repaid.

And that very same boy was about to go into a battlefield alone to prevent a civil war.

“Harold-kun has gotten used to being alone. He’s now someone who’s very poor at relying on others, a very clumsy boy. Certainly, he has a foul mouth and an arrogant attitude, but in reality, he’s more gentle than anyone. I want to protect this child no matter what.”

Tasuku’s thoughts were as if Harold were his own child.

If that were the case, then it’s our job to make those thoughts a reality. It’s our obligation to answer the sincerity of the man named Tasuku, and the Sumeragi territory he rules over.

“We accept your request.”

Everyone bows their heads in unison.

For this dangerous mission, which might cost us our lives, not a single person refused.

◇ ◇ ◇

(Harold’s POV)

I had already removed the Order’s armor and replaced it with the Sarian Empire’s uniform. Weaving through the trees, I was moving at high speed along paths that couldn’t even be called roads.

The black-clad group was right behind me. I’m not sure how strong they were, but it was truly amazing how they could keep up with my speed.

(I was hoping morale would rise a little bit with what I said earlier, but…)

Casting skeptical glances at them, I pondered such things.

I know how late in the game we already are, but if possible, I don’t want any of them to die.

Though there is a far higher chance of me getting attacked rather than them.

I began organizing the information I knew before reaching our target.

The Sarian Empire has about 150 people here. A hundred of them are engaged in battle with the Order near the interior of the forest, while the remaining fifty are attacking the Star Aria Tribe.

Their numbers are about five times more than the information given in advance, but to be frank, it was much less than what I expected. The Order has a little over two hundred dispatched this time. I thought we’d have a numerical disadvantage.

This was the Kingdom’s territory; it would have been difficult for them to dispatch a large number of troops here secretly.

Perhaps this was the most they could do if they still wanted to infiltrate us.

In addition, there were about 120 knights on patrol missions in the forest, and on top of that, they were divided into teams of fifteen. If guided individually, there’s always the possibility that they’ll run into the enemy by accident.

If so, even if it’s not a great countermeasure, their disadvantages would be covered. They should be fine even in the event of a surprise attack.

And even though in the original work the Order is decimated and Robinson is destroyed, the mastermind—Justus’s—main goal is to capture members of the Tribe and spread the word that ‘The Star Aria Tribe attacked the Knights’.

There’s no real need to destroy the Order.

I wonder if Robinson was born under some unlucky star or something? To be forced into a scenario that he had to die.

Ideally, I would like to settle this before the support group arrives, but I know that’s impossible.

There’s no choice but to accept that Cody will return to the front lines soon.

“…we’re close.”

Roars and screams filled my ears. With every step forward, they grew louder and clearer.

We had finally caught up to the first group.

“Everyone spread out! Scout out the surroundings while I draw their attention!”

“Acknowledged!”

The figures of the black-clad group disappear into the forest, their words of consent echoing.

In terms of pure stealth, their abilities far surpass mine.

If I can draw the attention of both enemies and allies, then there’s no way they’d be caught.

I donned a leather mask that covers the lower half of my face, including my mouth and nose. Needless to say, I’d run into trouble if my identity were exposed.

At first, I thought I should wear a mask that covered my whole face, but I abandoned the idea because the reduced field of vision could prove fatal.

I was exposed to names of unknown colleagues who were conscious of sudden lightning strikes.

Taking a deep breath, I kicked the ground to increase my speed.

To flaunt my existence as much as possible, I began firing magic towards the sky. Thunder clapped as lightning shot into the night sky, felling trees with it.

There were only men of the Order there; the Sarian soldiers were probably in hiding to prepare their long-range attacks.

This must have been another way for them to counter their numerical disadvantage.

“Wh-what’s that?!”

“Hey, over there!”

The knights turned to where their comrade pointed, yelling, and there I was. Standing atop a tree branch overlooking their unit.

I drew my sword to increase their alertness levels.

However, it’s not enough. This alone won’t make them conclude the enemy is actually the Sarian Empire.

Showing off the blade, I do my best to play the part of a villain.

“Rejoice, knights of the Liberl Kingdom, you will now become the cornerstone for the Empire’s glory!”

“What do you mean ‘the Empire’s glory’… don’t tell me, are you here to start a war with us?!”

(How the hell did you interpret it like that?)

Right now, I was dressed in the uniform of the Sarian Empire’s military, and I didn’t say anything about starting a war to expand territory or anything.

I wonder what would happen if I exposed the truth and just outright told them the Empire’s plan to attack the Order while framing the Star Aria Tribe.

Though, I guess it’s common sense if I think about it. If I don’t do this properly, then I’ll accidentally start a war between the Liberl Kingdom and the Sarian Empire.

Now that I realized such a possibility, I could feel a cold sweat break over me.

There was no way I could back out now, though.

Besides, Justus has nothing to do with the Sarian Empire. If the series of events were to be revealed, there’s the chance that Justus’s involvement will be exposed.

I didn’t think of the possibility of the genius running away by himself. I probably should have prepared countermeasures so that when the Empire was discovered as the perpetrators, the Kingdom wouldn’t react too strongly.

Then, I got an idea.

“There’s no need for dead men to know the truth.”

I’m a commander, I’m a commander, act like you’re commanding the Sarian Army that’s waiting in ambush…

Even for the Sarian Army, I’m an enigma that they don’t know about. An irregular that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

But if you see an Imperial soldier suddenly declaring an attack on the Order, you obviously know he’s one of the enemies.

Furthermore, if you look at the medal on my left chest, you’d see a lieutenant’s badge. To ignore my order would be the same as ignoring your commanding officer.

It’s my win if that’s how they interpret it.

“Open fire!”

And sure enough, it was my brilliant victory.

Immediately after I issued the command, arrows started flying in from all directions. The Sarian army had executed my order.

The knights protected themselves from the arrows in response, and fortunately, there were no dead or serious injuries among them yet.

Even the position of the hidden Sarian soldiers was revealed.

Around now, the black-clad group should be capturing the soldiers if they’re following the plan.

(Even if it’s only by one second quicker, finish this already! Seriously!)

Maintaining my distance to buy time, while carefully firing magic so I didn’t hurt anyone, I started crying out in my mind.

They all refer to Tasuku as ‘Dan’na-sama (旦那様)’, which means ‘Master’ but also ‘Husband’.