She shed her garments and stretched her limbs, usually composed, with reckless abandon.

“——–”

With a powerful kick to the ground, she propelled her supple body forward. The sensation of her golden fur cutting through the wind was delightful, and as she trampled the grass, she reminded herself of her situation.

This was the battlefield, a place where countless lives clashed, and the destination for many extinguished fates.

Even as she comprehended this in her mind, the scent of blood that slipped into her nostrils and the myriad fighting spirits reaching her senses stirred Frederica’s heart, transformed into that of a beast.

“What a bother…”

Not averting her gaze from this exhilaration, Frederica murmured with emotions separate from her instincts.

Perhaps it’s fortunate, or perhaps unfortunate, that even while being a part of the great tumult of her side, Frederica had not been afflicted by any notable calamity.

That was certainly limited to her recent reunion with Garfiel at the blazing old Roswaal Mansion and the battle back then with Meily and her female partner. It was the only truly desperate battlefield that threatened her life in any genuine sense.

Having spent such relatively tranquil moments, she was painfully aware.

The blood flowing within her, that which intertwined human and beast, was indeed skewed in its nature. She had to maintain this awareness or risk losing sight of what was truly important to her.

What troubled Frederica was something akin to the fate bound to her half-beast form.

Her brother Garfiel unconsciously controlled the heightened instincts with great refinement. Frederica found it incredibly vexing that she could not fully master her own nature.

The source of her blood felt terribly base and merciless—

“—but this isn’t the time for self-pity. Garf, Lady Emilia, and even Petra and Otto are working hard right now.”

Putting an end to her internal dialogue, Frederica growled with her transformed limbs as she faced forward.

Both the excitement that whipped her around and the anxiety regarding the unclear future were negative feelings induced by Frederica’s very own placement in this unstable situation.

—Of course, Frederica and her companions were led by Emilia.

The party would exchange opinions, but ultimately, Emilia made the final decision. Moreover, Emilia was herself a powerful spirit mage and a reliable presence even in the chaos of battle.

Garfiel boasted outstanding martial prowess as a military officer, while Otto guided everyone with his impeccable judgment, even in the warring state of the neighboring country. While both Garfiel and Otto were somewhat overly anxious without Subaru’s presence, Garfiel sought release on the battlefield while Petra adeptly managed Otto’s worries.

“If you become too reliable, I might just feel lonely.”

Frederica muttered with a hint of a pout, yet she felt a sense of pride seeing the girl she cherished like a younger sister grow.

The loneliness accompanying it felt like a form of dependence.

Otto, utilizing the “Voice of the Spirits” to hear the cries of every living being surrounding the battlefield, was likely the one obtaining the most information amid this great disturbance.

Beside him, Petra, who had only recently learned Light Magic — specifically, spells that enhanced physical and mental functions — was likely also helping select and sift through information while applying spells on both herself and Otto to mitigate the backlash from excessive use of the blessing.

Over the past year, Petra had grown tremendously under her guidance as a novice maid with her keen memory, skillful handling, and persistent effort.

Considering her growth, she had likely surpassed even Emilia and Subaru, becoming the top among their group.

Though still young and immature, she did not allow herself to rot away, searching for her role and supporting the precarious Otto to fulfill her own mission.

Frederica felt proud. Yet at the same time, she reflected upon herself.

She could not fight like Emilia or Garfiel, nor did she possess the cunning and supportive abilities of Otto or Petra.

Instead, she simply suppressed her raging instincts and charged across the battlefield as a beast.

“——–”

Utilizing her blessing to the fullest, she aimed to dominate this battlefield.

That was Otto’s resolve, and Frederica considered it a reality as things were beginning to unfold that way. Leaning on Petra’s assistance, Otto was collecting information without minimum forethought, delivering it swiftly to the main camp under Abel.

Consequently, the strategies crafted by Abel, who grasped the developments and changes occurring in real-time, expanded, transforming the battles of the rebel army — certainly towards a more favorable outcome.

Of course, Abel’s commands wouldn’t reach every member of the rebellion.

Without waiting for the arrival of the party including Emilia, who had joined from the castle city, the other rebels had already engaged in battle, demonstrating no signs of cooperation or coordination.

However, Otto and Abel were convinced that this frustrating situation would not persist forever, and the warnings of such were already starting to show.

Riding the waves of rebellion, the rebels charged toward the Imperial Capital, only to be confronted by the chosen elite under the Emperor, the “Monsters” who command this Empire.

Confronted head-on with such prowess, the rebels must have felt a splash of cold water on their heads.

If they could surmount the immediate foes and look beyond for glory, there lay hope that they would hear the words of their allies.

As they waited for that point to arrive, what Frederica could do was—

“—I’ve found you! Lady Talitta!”

“—Huh?! What are you doing here?!”

In an instant, amidst the rapidly changing battlefield, Frederica dashed towards her target.

Talitta turned with wide eyes at the sight of her charging like a four-footed beast. However, her moment of astonishment was short-lived as she coolly nocked an arrow, aiming its deadly tip towards Frederica’s direction—

“Wait, Talitta! I’m an ally!”

Just as she was about to be shot, a hand from above restrained Talitta’s bow, belonging to Mizelda. Taken aback by those words, Talitta stared wide-eyed, and Frederica shouted, “I am truly sorry!” as she landed.

“I apologize for my appearance! I am Frederica!”

“Oh, I see. So it’s you. —What a beautiful transformation into a beast. If it weren’t for you, I would want to skin your fur and display it in the village.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment! Um, there’s something important to convey. —It’s a message from Abel in the main camp.”

Frederica, somewhat troubled by Mizelda’s praise, redirected the conversation.

The purpose of Frederica’s beastly form was to serve as a messenger across this battlefield filled with a rain of swords and arrows. She had come to deliver the information that Otto had gathered, examined by Abel.

“From Abel… What does he say?”

Talitta leaned forward, wary of the enemies guarding the star-shaped fortress at its five points and afraid of getting embroiled in a brawl with the already present rebels.

While the fighting strength of the “People of Shudrak” was indeed a threat, its true potential was only revealed when preparing for cooperative hunts involving multiple forces.

In open-field battles, they felt they could not fully utilize their strengths.

If they could break through a wall, the defensive strength of the capital would drop immediately. Thus, the selection of which wall to target was critical.

And that was—

“—The third peak. The main camp believes it to be the best target to strike.”

“The third… over there?”

Receiving the relayed message, Mizelda directed her gaze towards the specified wall.

In the distance, the vanguard group of rebels attempted to scale the wall, trying to break through the sturdy defenses of the Imperial Capital Rupugana. However, the jarring sounds and shrieks seemingly ridiculed their reckless assaults.

It was clear that powerful entities were positioned at each of the fortress’s five points to protect the capital. However, why the third peak was believed to be vulnerable remained unclear—

“—It appears the stone dolls are on the move.”

“The steel dolls? But the ‘Nine Divine Generals’ should consist of only one.”

“——–”

Frederica was left speechless watching the sisters as they coolly discussed the far-off wall.

Even in her beastly form, Frederica possessed sharper eyesight than usual. Yet she could see nothing beyond the clouds of dust rising from the wall that the two were gazing at.

Though they were a hunting tribe, she was once again dismayed at her own shortcomings.

“Frederica, what does Abel say about the dolls?”

“—Um, well, according to what Abel said, they belong to one of the ‘Nine Divine Generals,’ Moguro Hagane.”

“‘Nine Divine Generals’…”

At the sound of that term, Talitta’s face hardened as she looked through her scopes.

Frederica could acutely sense the slight anxiety in her murmur, understanding the reason for it all too well.

Naturally, since Talitta would be participating in the decisive battle for the capital, she must have considered the possibility of encountering the ‘Nine Divine Generals.’ But knowing that they were there and harboring fears were two different things; even with the knowledge, the fear didn’t simply vanish.

Even knowing they were present, the fear of encountering someone like the “Sword Saint” remained.

“Don’t worry, Talitta.”

“Sister…”

However, it was Mizelda who smiled at her sister’s worried demeanor. Her eyes sparkled with a fierce glimmer as she slapped Talitta’s shoulder heartily.

“Even if the opponent is one of the ‘Nine Divine Generals,’ we won’t fall behind again. If it’s that ‘Nine Divine General’, we’ll have our revenge, and if it’s a different one, it’ll just be retribution. Is there a problem with that?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Mizelda pointed down to her right foot—one that had been replaced with a wooden stick—and asked Talitta.

Frederica couldn’t discern whether her words came from a place of genuine madness or were meant to encourage her sister—

“—Sounds good, no problem at all.”

Talitta blinked once, twice, nodding vigorously before, in the blink of an eye, she nocked an arrow and released it towards the sky above them.

Just then, Frederica looked up as sounds of agony echoed above, and a flying dragon spiraled down towards the ground not far from the three of them.

The arrow that struck the dragon’s jaw had penetrated deep, ending its life. Frederica widened her eyes in awe at Talitta’s remarkable archery skills.

Taking a breath, Talitta announced, “We’ll make our move and scale the walls at the right moment. Once we breach the city walls, victory will be ours.”

“Now that’s the spirit of a leader from Shudrak. —Frederica, what will you do?”

Talitta turned around, satisfied in her resolve while Mizelda’s head turned toward her, nearly lost within the sisters’ atmosphere.

Snapping back to reality from her thoughts caused by their words, Frederica replied, “I will relay the messages I just conveyed to other parties. If those willing to listen gather in one spot…”

“A hole will breach the dam.”

“Yes. —A wind hole will open.”

That would be the strategy from Emilia’s camp, and it was what Frederica needed to accomplish.

Fully aware of her current half-hearted placement within the group, she wanted to fulfill her entrusted role to the best of her abilities.

“Lady Talitta, Lady Mizelda, may fortune be on your side. Please do not recklessly throw away your lives.”

“Yes, Frederica, do take care.”

“If you fall, your fur will be passed down through generations in Shudrak.”

“Unfortunately, I have no intention of handing it over!”

Slightly relieved from the tension, Frederica received the sisters’ send-off and dashed away.

Like the wind, she kicked through the grass and sped towards where she could relay Abel’s directives. She couldn’t afford to waste the cooperation between Petra and Otto.

Ultimately, this would contribute to Garfiel and Emilia’s struggles, and perhaps to Subaru and Rem, who might be in the capital.

“For now, all I can do is run.”

△▼△▼△▼△

Leaving behind a residual echo in the rustling grass and shadows, Frederica, in her beastly form, vanished from sight.

The golden panther, so unrecognizable from her formerly tall and graceful form; yet, as a hunting tribe, her elegance deserved to be praised to no end.

The information brought by Frederica prompted Talitta and the others to gather the forces of Shudrak and prepare for their assault on the third peak.

Just as they resolved to do so—

“—Damn it! I can’t break through! Too many pesky enemies are in the way!”

With a rough voice, a man with an eye patch wielding twin swords fell from above.

Skillfully handling the blades, he cleaved through the wings of a flying dragon and quickly leaped beside it, slashing at the dragon’s neck poised to bite him.

As he executed the dazzling strike and turned around—

“Jamal. Just seeing your face doesn’t satisfy me.”

“What the hell are you talking about?! Damn it, I’m so frustrated! We have to break into the capital fast; I need to know that Kachua is safe… I hope that bastard Todd is keeping watch!”

Grumbling and cursing, Jamal tugged at his curly, dark brown hair.

A rare figure who understood Abel’s true nature as a former Imperial soldier captured in the castle city—a man of significant ability who didn’t fall short of his status, but unfortunately, the display of his coarse personality didn’t seem to impress Mizelda, who favored good looks.

Regardless, considering he had family left in the capital, Talitta couldn’t help but understand the urgency he felt.

After all—

“While we’re busy, other rebels will seize whatever they can.”

“I know that, damn it! That’s why I’ll quickly behead that fake lord to end this ridiculous farce!”

“There’s good news for you, eager one. We’ll be heading to the third peak starting now. That was where we set our sights.”

Faced with the fidgeting Jamal, Mizelda revealed Frederica’s earlier message. Upon hearing it, Jamal grimaced skeptically, “Huh?”

“It’s a target worth aiming for. Who said that…?”

“It’s from Abel.”

“You should have said that sooner! Hey, everyone, prepare! We’re heading to the third peak!”

With a quick shift in attitude, Jamal bellowed, quickly rallying the soldiers who had also joined their side from the castle city.

His voice boomed, clear in intent, and his martial prowess displayed real promise of a leader.

Seeing Jamal’s back, Talitta felt motivated to join the rush.

“Sister, let’s call Kuna and Holly and get ready—huh?”

As she spoke, Talitta suddenly caught her breath.

With wide eyes, she reached out towards something floating before her, shimmering as it descended. What briefly touched her outstretched hand disappeared in less than a second—an icy white entity.

It was gently dancing in the air over the fervent flames of battle, glimmering particles of frozen water—snowflakes.

“Why is this happening?”

“—Ah, you hadn’t seen it before, Talitta.”

“Sister?”

Mizelda nodded beside her, taken aback by the sight of snow, a first for Talitta. However, Mizelda appeared to recognize this phenomenon with a knowing look.

“Emilia.”

“Emilia…”

The name spoken by Mizelda referred to the silver-haired girl from their group, who had recently revealed herself to be a half-elf. Could she be the one causing this snowfall? What could be her intention?

Perhaps the strange sensation of experiencing something unimaginable sent a shiver down Talitta’s spine, and she gently hugged herself.

“Truly, the world is vast. With both the former and current leaders of Shudrak present, it seems they can’t be defeated so easily. This snow is another example.”

As Mizelda gazed up at the falling snow, her line of sight shifted elsewhere—towards the grass Frederica had just stepped on, in the direction she had vanished.

As she pondered the unbelievable messenger managing to navigate this vast battlefield while preserving the freshness of Abel’s live information—

“—A beautiful beast is keeping us alive. It truly fulfills a hunter’s fortune.”

She unwittingly praised an underestimated opponent she had come to recognize deeply.