The blood-drained pale skin and the golden eyes floating in the black pupils.

A sudden army of zombies appeared, literally dousing the ongoing battle between the Imperial Army and the Rebel Army around the Imperial Capital Rupugana with cold water.

The conflict for supremacy among the living in the Empire had somehow transformed into a struggle for existence between the living and the dead, increasing in intensity and hardship.

“Uaaaahhh—!!”

With a loud shout, I swung my two-handed sword down at the enemy in front of me.

The opponent, wielding a tattered sword that I couldn’t tell where he picked it up from, tried to block it, but my unrestrained strike shattered his weakened blade and pierced directly into the enemy’s skull.

The sensation of the skull breaking apart, yet the scene that followed wasn’t the horrific sight of blood and brain matter spewing, but rather fragments scattering as if a ceramic pot had shattered, utterly unrecognizable as a human death.

These inhumans were not just out of place in their appearance, but even in their manner of dying, forsaking the ways of humans.

As one living in the Empire, I occasionally encountered races with bizarre appearances, but whether they had different numbers of arms or eyes, their deaths remained unchanged.

Living beings were meant to die as living beings.

But these zombies lacked that. Was that why I felt such a strong aversion?

Even in the Empire, a place where life is often deemed cheap compared to other nations, there was no way to trample upon life itself as these zombies did.

“Support the front lines! Help the Emperor and citizens escape!”

““Ooo—!!””

When one of the “Generals” shouted, the soldiers around responded like they were caught up in a fever, shouting in unison.

As the army of zombies and the rampaging “Cloud Dragon” caused the water reservoir’s dam wall in the northern part of the capital to break, the Emperor made the decision to abandon the Imperial Capital and retreat the entire army.

The Imperial Army united, dedicating all their strength to supporting the Emperor and the citizens of the Imperial Capital’s evacuation. Ironically, with the appearance of this third faction, the fight with the Rebel Army became blurred. For now, there was no distinction between regular troops and rebels, but rather they were divided into the living and the dead, continuing the fierce battle.

Just a moment ago, a soldier of the Empire who had just defeated one of the zombies held his ground, doing everything in his power to stop as many zombies as possible, trying to take them down with him.

“I have no idea what they are. But…”

“If it’s the Emperor!”

“He will surely find a way to root you out!”

No matter who the enemy is, the trust in Vincent Volakia, the pinnacle of the Empire, remains unshaken. That is the biggest reason why the soldiers, without fear, can hold their ground.

Vincent has continued to deliver results. The Imperial soldiers count the blood spilled and the piles of corpses left behind as the foundation of their trust in him.

Considering his absolute governance, their fighting spirit was of a different purity compared to those who casually plotted rebellion.

The same goes for the fighting spirit against the zombies shaking the Empire.

“—Everyone, take him down!”

The cry from the “General” once again directed at a particularly massive zombie.

The bald-headed giant zombie swung its arms, flinging back the Imperial soldiers as if they were pieces of paper. If we let that giant roam freely, it would create a hole in our ranks, potentially crumbling the defensive structures we had painstakingly built.

To stop it, the soldiers obeyed the command of the “General” and leaped onto the massive body.

“U-ohhhh!!”

The first soldier who jumped in was struck down and a crushed body flew, but the Imperial soldier dashed low and slashed at the giant’s leg.

The slash connected, knocking the giant’s posture off balance. However, as he looked up at the giant with golden eyes looking down on him, the tip of a sword, snatched from someone else, glinted dully.

Just as he was about to be skewered by that tip, a shadow leaped in front of the Imperial soldier.

“Ya, rreeeehh…”

Stabbed through the chest, the one who shouted with blood bubbles was none other than the “General.”

The Imperial soldier, protected by that “General,” gulped in surprise, leaped from his back, and with all his might swung his sword, smashing the giant zombie’s head.

The impact broke his sword halfway, but the giant didn’t counterattack, crumbling to pieces instead.

The “General,” having fallen backwards, hit the ground alongside the giant zombie in mutual destruction.

With the “General” having pierced through the chest, he was lifeless, but the Imperial soldier praised his bravery, borrowing the broken sword from the “General’s” hand.

Then, as he turned to scan for the next enemy to fight—

“Damn it…”

The Imperial soldier muttered, pulling down his helmet with his fingers, twisting his face.

Just having survived death, in his line of sight appeared the next zombie—one that looked just like the “General” who had just died protecting him.

The corpse of the “General” lay beside him, and he gripped the “General’s” sword.

And yet, standing before him was the same “General,” with a pale face and golden eyes.

“Damn it.”

In a battlefield where even comrades become zombies immediately after death and turn into enemies.

In this waterlogged death land, he raised his sword, determined to continue fighting with all his might.

△▼△▼△▼△

The Dragon Carriage heading toward the Fortress City Garkla after retreating from the Imperial Capital Rupugana.

Inside the carriage, a historic alliance formed between Emilia’s faction and the leadership of the Volakia Empire was unexpectedly interrupted.

Well, the cause of that interruption was—

“What’s this? We were worried sick about Natsuki-kun too! It’s sad to see a guest arriving unexpectedly with such a face, isn’t it?”

“I’m not making that face! I’m just happy to see everyone! Of course, I can see that Anastasia-san is here, and that’s a quite composed face on Julius, too.”

“I’m not in a ‘composed’ state, not at all. Quite the contrary, your appearance is the reason.”

Standing above rushed Subaru and his surprised expression were Julius and Anastasia, who had joined the Dragon Carriage.

Naturally, encountering the two here was a downright shock for Subaru.

The level of shock he felt could be compared to when Priscilla suddenly descended from the sky in the fortress city.

Moreover, Subaru couldn’t quite grasp why those two were in the Volakia Empire.

“Well, the fact that Emilia-chan and the others are looking for us is one thing, but that you guys would go out of your way to come via Kararagi to get me?”

“Exactly! It was quite the adventurous long journey! Crossing the border with Volakia wasn’t easy, and we splurged on travel expenses.”

“Ugh.”

“I don’t want to sound stingy, but I’d be happy if you don’t forget the cost of the bones we broke.”

It was Subaru’s involuntary mishap that got them sent to the Empire, but hearing about the worries placed upon him felt like a tightening in his chest. Without knowing it, he was being put in deep debt of gratitude to Anastasia with her gaze and words.

However, at that moment, a voice called out to her, “Ana,” from around Anastasia’s neck.

“You shouldn’t tease Natsuki-kun too much. Considering his current appearance, you look like the bad guy bullying a child.”

“O-oh.”

Upon hearing that, Subaru raised an eyebrow, and the counterpart responded by wagging her white tail.

It was a fox fur boa draped over the kimono-clad Anastasia, meaning it was the artificial spirit, Echidna, that she carried.

Unlike the witch of the same name, Echidna, recognizing them as friends who had survived the dire circumstances at the Pleiades Watchtower, brought a wave of relief to Subaru just from her very presence.

Now, out of the companions that had strayed from the Pleiades Watchtower, besides Subaru, only Meily had yet to show her face to Patrasche outside.

Anyway—

“Anastasia-san! It’s good to see you and Julius made it safely to Volakia!”

“I’m so glad to hear Emilia-san is safe too. As for the stories of our hardships along the way… I wasn’t able to find Natsuki-kun before they found us, so it doesn’t seem impressive at all.”

“No, we really appreciate the sentiment! Thank you!”

Emilia’s face relaxed with a smile as she welcomed Anastasia’s presence.

Given the chaos of the Volakia Empire, especially after the internal strife and then the zombie catastrophe, it truly was a blessing that they hadn’t missed meeting with Anastasia and the others in the capital.

And just as this unexpected reunion’s joy began to settle—

“Have you warmed up the old ties enough? Whether you know it or not, the time for military talks is limited.”

Interrupting was Abel, his arms crossed with a conspicuous boldness.

It was a miraculous tolerance for him to read the air, but it seemed he finally reached the limit of his silence. With a spiteful jab, Abel glanced sideways at Subaru.

“Here we are again, yet another acquaintance of yours. I never expected you to even reach such lengths as Kararagi.”

“Well, it’s a bit complicated. Anastasia-san and the others are from Kararagi, yet they’re not strictly from Kararagi, so how does that work?”

Subaru tilted his head, puzzled by the presence of Haribel standing beside Anastasia. The werewolf, famed as the strongest from the Kararagi City-State, provoked curiosity regarding the stance of Anastasia and her group.

“I’ll take that explanation. Let’s explain the circumstances of how I was brought to ride the Flying Dragon Ship directly.”

In response to Subaru’s question, Julius wiped his finger beneath the scar below his left eye.

The new white scar that adorned the handsome features added to the air of elegance for Julius while Subaru couldn’t help but feel a strange sensation from it.

Without a doubt, it wasn’t just the influence of “shrinkage,” but rather the changes on Julius’ side that seemed to cause this feeling.

Somehow, Julius now seemed to possess more composure than before.

He held the kind of grace that came with the title of “the Best Knight,” but it was something different from poise; it seemed to contrast altogether.

The way he had shed the armor he’d worn for a long time, whether that change came from the experience at the Pleiades Watchtower or something else, remained unclear.

“—Vincent Volakia, your Imperial Majesty, above all, I’m just glad to see you’re safe. It’s an unexpected honor to have the privilege of meeting you again.”

Stepping forward amidst Subaru’s musings, Julius elegantly bowed while expressing himself.

Abel stood in the position shielded by the large Goz and raised a finely shaped eyebrow at Julius’s greeting. Subaru also felt a hint of disquiet at the mention of Julius’s “again.”

“You said ‘again.’ However, I have no recollection of meeting a swordsman from a city-state nor your face. What do you mean by ‘again’?”

“Respectfully, I did have a glance at you before. Though back then, I was not known as a swordsman of the city-state, but rather a knight of the kingdom.”

“A knight of the kingdom—”

Facing the Volakia Emperor Abel without hesitation, Julius’s response caused Abel’s black eyes to narrow pensively, but he clearly didn’t recall that encounter.

There’s no way a poised figure like Julius could be lying. If that’s the case, it means they had met genuinely, and Abel had simply forgotten.

In other words, it was proof that the influence of “Gluttony” had not yet faded in the recollections of those around him.

“To scheme, your demeanor seems unconvincing. —Belstets.”

“Ha. I, too, have no recollection of seeing that person.”

“It’s rare for Belstets to not be present at a meeting. Therefore, the issue is not just between you and me but is something broader.”

Merely asking Belstets about Julius’s memory revealed the existence of a discrepancy between Julius and himself, hinting at a more expansive issue.

At Abel’s actions, Subaru couldn’t help but mutter, “Is this guy for real?”

“Normally, wouldn’t you just accept it without question? This ridiculous scenario…”

“With zombies rising, and the Emperor being driven from the capital, these circumstances are serious. In relative size, your body shrinking isn’t such a big deal. The key is whether you can grasp the possibilities.”

“I wouldn’t say the shrinking part of me is just another normal day.”

Even when presented with the weird ideas of the universe, embracing them was easier said than done, and Subaru frowned deeply.

As he did, Beatrice squeezed Subaru’s forehead with her other hand while keeping hold of his hand.

“Don’t think too much about it. It’s better to have the capacity to accept strange things than to be regarded as an impossible mind.”

“…That’s true. Also, it feels nice, so could you keep it up a bit longer?”

“Sure thing, then.”

As Beatrice continued her eyebrow massage, Julius, having resolved his doubts from the earlier greetings, dove back to the main topic.

That was—

“First, the person here is Miss Anastasia Hoshin… I gather you’re already aware of Emilia’s identity and position, but Miss Anastasia holds the same position as Emilia.”

“Oh, I see, Emilia, huh. So, we have the next generation of royal candidates from the kingdom gathering abroad. Quite the entertaining and rare scenario indeed.”

With a joyful grin, Selena’s scars bowed into an amused expression, while Julius lowered his jaw silently, responding to her words. Gaining a nod from that, the eyes of the Imperial faction turned to Emilia, prompting her to smile back.

“Yes, what Julius said is true. Anastasia and I are both candidates for the Royal Selection and friends.”

“Well, technically, the part where we were friends only came after the Royal Selection ended—As stated, I am the representative of the Hoshin Trading Company of Kararagi and one of the candidates for the royal selection in the Lugnica Kingdom.”

“What a grand title on top of being from the kingdom once again.”

“I’m sorry if my title surprised you, but actually, my current title isn’t the only one. That’s part of why I came here riding the Flying Dragon Ship.”

Just after the alliance was formed between the Empire’s top officials and Emilia, Anastasia intervened when it seemed Abel might show some reluctance due to the involvement of another kingdom.

With that unexplained title still left hanging, Emilia looked perplexed, placing her finger thoughtfully to her lips.

“But, Miss Anastasia is a representative of the trading company and a candidate for the royal selection… Is there more? Oh, are you maybe the employer of the mercenary group with Mimi and the others?”

“‘The Iron Fang’ falls under the Hoshin Trading Company, so I don’t need to add that title on top of being the representative of the company. That’s a separate issue.”

“Separate…”

After hearing that misaffirmation from Anastasia, Emilia softly murmured her thoughts.

As Anastasia laughed gently at Emilia’s uncertainty, Julius gestured to her.

“This time, Miss Anastasia has been entrusted with the mission of envoy for the Kararagi City Alliance, and she has come to the Empire.”

“—The Kararagi City Alliance!?”

Otto, who had been silent until that moment, raised his voice in surprise.

Breaking his silence caused Otto to blush awkwardly. To him, Subaru seized the opportunity asking, “What do you mean by ‘City Alliance’?”

“I’ve heard that Kararagi is a city-state composed of many towns joined together, but…”

“—That understanding is correct. The Kararagi City-State is roughly made up of ten major cities. Each city has a mayor representing it, and those mayors form the assembly known as the City Alliance.”

“Heh… Is it like the Ten People’s Council of Pristella?”

“Rather, it seems that the Ten People’s Council of Pristella was an imitation of the City Alliance. Likewise, at the ‘Water’s Feather Robe Inn,’ there’s a lot of influx of Kararagi culture in the bordering town of Pristella.”

“Ah, now that you mention it…”

The ‘Water’s Feather Robe Inn’ where they stayed upon invitation from Anastasia indeed difused with a Wahoo styling, which was said to have stemmed from Kararagi.

Further tracing back, Subaru thought that the Wahoo style from Kararagi might even originate from knowledge brought from his own world, but that would be set aside for now.

Anyway—

“Not only is she a candidate from the kingdom, but if she’s here as an envoy representing the City Alliance, that can’t be taken lightly.”

“Agreed. While they’re not as close as Lugnica, saying the Volakia has a strong friendship with Kararagi feels far from the truth. To put it another way, the Empire has beef with nearly everyone.”

“It’s likely due to the Emperor being prickly. In the near future, he might soften up a bit.”

“Shut up.”

Subaru joined in on the bluntness from Anastasia, and Abel hurled a stream of curses at him without changing his expression at all.

Subaru stuck his tongue out but felt that Julius would be startled at the exchange with Abel. Since explanation would take too long, Subaru merely stuck out his tongue toward Julius as a diversion.

“We’ve heard about the chaotic situation in Volakia back while we were in Kararagi. However, we didn’t come just to take advantage of it.”

“A commendable notion. However, surely you must have ulterior motives.”

“Of course. If you don’t stay savvy, you’d feel uncomfortable being helped for free, right?”

“—I see the reasoning there.”

At Anastasia’s playful gaze, Abel’s glance switched direction to Emilia for a brief moment.

The expression on Emilia’s face was one of confusion, but to Abel and Anastasia, Emilia’s kindness stood out as a significant miscalculation.

Even Subaru wouldn’t go as far as to say that there shouldn’t be any help to Abel and the others for free, and saying so would undoubtedly incur a horde of scoldings from Otto.

Then, an elderly voice asked, “Is it alright if I speak?”

After receiving Abel’s silent consent, Belstets focused his thin eyes on Anastasia and Julius as he continued.

“I find it a bit difficult to comprehend, but may I inquire why the city-state sent an envoy to the current Empire? Could it be that the troubles of the Empire have affected your country, and you are investigating that?”

“Even in Kararagi, known for ‘time and money hold equal value,’ it wouldn’t be prudent to venture during a major crisis and start talking about money. Unless thoroughly prepared, meddling in internal matters would just lead to loss.”

“How indirect. I already told you, time is limited.”

“You’re impatient, aren’t you? Got it, I got it. —Haribel.”

“Hm? Am I allowed to talk?”

Calling for Haribel, eager to progress the conversation, Anastasia faced Haribel, who leaned against the carriage wall, puffing smoke rings from her pipe.

Her fur was incredibly fluffy, and from Subaru’s perspective, it looked splendid.

“If that’s the case, I’ll let you speak… Recently, there has been something strange happening in Kararagi. I’ve been pressed by the City Alliance to resolve it.”

“Strange?”

“You guys might know something, right? —The undead are on the move.”

“Undead?”

At this casual yet slightly suspenseful remark from Haribel, Subaru gasped. However, other unfamiliar terms drew puzzled looks from Emilia and Goz.

Realizing that “sorry, sorry” would not cut it, Haribel quickly explained.

“That’s right; this terminology is Kararagi dialect, so it wouldn’t have made sense. By ‘undead,’ I mean corpses in Kararagi. In other words…”

“—There have been zombie incidents in the City-State as well?”

“Exactly.”

As Haribel nodded calmly, a sense of shock spread through Emilia and the others, matching Subaru’s reaction.

If the army of zombies that had suddenly attacked during the siege on the capital were causing similar upheaval in Kararagi, it would be a calamity that extended beyond just the Empire.

“W-wait, could it be happening on a global scale? What’s become of that zombie ruckus in Kararagi?”

“Zombie?”

“You know, the walking dead! I figured having a name would make it easier.”

“Haha, I see. It’s a curious term you’ve got there.”

With his pipe moving up and down in synchrony with his response, Haribel was feeling quite chipper. Yet, Subaru found himself growing impatient and leaned in closer, “Haribel-san!”

If the zombie disaster continued to spread, every moment wasted could lead to something disastrous.

“Time is of the essence. We need to move from here—”

“Don’t worry, the zombie incidents in Kararagi have already been handled by me. So there’s no need to panic about what’s going on there.”

“Ah…”

“Such a gentle child, I wondered if you were candy. …Oops, I actually didn’t have any candies.”

Without even searching in his sleeves, Haribel leisurely soothed Subaru. It felt like being chastised for being too eager, prompting Subaru to pout.

“According to Haribel’s investigation, it flows that the reported zombie incidents… no, the undead incidents have gradually been moving toward the Empire. Therefore, the City Alliance aims to investigate the events happening within its borders and raise alerts for your country—”

“While we’ll discuss the details regarding the support, do you have any knowledge on how to stop this situation?”

“That’s a little tricky because there’s no such phenomenon as the undead suddenly coming alive. Without a doubt, someone’s harsh plan must be involved. In short—”

“—You can call it a mastermind, wizard, or chief, but dispatching them must be considered.”

This massive problem that might plunge the entire world into crisis. Stopping the one who had caused it, the invisible “enemy,” was the highest priority that the Lugnica Kingdom, the Volakia Empire, and the Kararagi City-State needed to grasp.

“—The unknown ‘enemy.'”

Quietly, Subaru murmured as he thought about the unseen “enemy.”

Just what kind of appearance did this “enemy” possess? What kind of ideology led to such horrific misdeeds being prepared in the first place?

How many hardships and obstacles would lie ahead to vanquish this yet unseen “enemy”? Just the thought of it made cold sweat trail down his back.

But—

“—We have this many members gathered.”

What roused Subaru’s heart, even just a little, was the faces around them.

The leaders of the Empire, who had solidified their resolve to protect this empire, alongside Emilia and the others, who traveled all the way to the Empire searching for Subaru, and the reliable reinforcements from Kararagi.

“No matter what the ‘enemy’ is plotting, we absolutely cannot lose—!”

That was Natsuki Subaru’s genuine declaration of war against the “enemy.”

△▼△▼△▼△

—At the very moment when Subaru pumped himself up in the Dragon Carriage, backtracking.

Rushing chaos erupted as water flooded from the broken dam into the water reservoir, inundating the capital.

The muddy current swept away buildings and tore apart people and trees, mixed together, as the blue-haired boy who had escaped to higher ground shielded his eyes with his hand to observe.

“I did my best to buy time, but did everyone manage to escape? I hope the leaders themselves aren’t so inflamed that they misjudged the retreat.”

The one who muttered lightly was Cecilis, dressed in a kimono and wearing zori.

His own impulsiveness turned out to be the decisive factor amidst the grand siege of the capital, identifying the trickiest problem with his innate intuition and narrative-driven mind. The world’s exemplary actor had joined the fray.

Indeed, had Cecilis not acted on his own volition, the capital would have been submerged far earlier, leaving many more vulnerable to the devastating flood.

In that sense, Cecilis’s actions were unexpected for anyone, but simultaneously had brought fortunate outcomes for many.

However, for Cecilis himself, things were different.

The sudden emergence of the army of zombies, the drastically changed circumstances of the siege in the capital, and the unwelcome third “enemy” threatening to steal victory astonished Cecilis.

Truly, this was an opportunity for self-gratification about showcasing his prowess in the world.

Yet—

“Nevertheless, this was completely unforeseen.”

Thus, Cecilis muttered as he observed the zombies escaping to higher ground, still clinging to the remnants of their humanity in the midst of the inundation of the capital.

Those beings were undoubtedly external phenomena, resurrected through an unknown method that even Cecilis did not recognize.

In fact, he had already encountered that being who had transformed them into these creatures.

Despite all of Cecilis’s instincts pointing toward this course of action, he proclaimed loudly—

“—I never imagined that even if the practitioner was defeated, the situation wouldn’t resolve!”

Beneath his feet lay the practitioner who had resurrected and led the zombies.

Sporting beautiful pink hair and elongated ears, the young girl appeared to be of a similar age to Cecilis—she was a “witch” who stood against the “Blue Lightning,” now already deceased.