Chapter 86

"Let go! Just let me through here!"

From early morning, it was Angel who was raging.

She forcefully pushed past the robots and made her way down the Einhorn corridor.

Her destination was Leon's room.

Breathless, she finally arrived at the room, and Claireare, who had followed her, looked exasperated.

"You're energetic from the morning, aren't you?"

"How can I be depressed! When Olivia has been kidnapped, telling me to do nothing—what does that even mean! Even if it's an order from Leon, how can I accept it?"

As she reached for the doorknob, Leon's brother, Nix, approached from behind Angel.

"Leon, what are you thinking!"

He was as enraged as Angel.

"Brother-in-law."

"Angelica-sama—no, san. Are you here to scold that wimp of a brother? What a coincidence. I'm the same."

He seemed angry that Leon had done nothing about Olivia's kidnapping.

As they opened the door and entered the room, Claireare secretly peeked from a position outside the door.

"I don't know. Master is quite angry, you know~"

When the two entered the room, Leon was sitting in a chair with one arm on the desk, tapping his index finger rhythmically.

Even as the two entered, he didn't even turn his face.

His expression was blank, as if he wasn't thinking about anything.

Nix approached with large strides and grabbed Leon by the collar.

"Leon! You've been called trash before, but are you really going to become trash! Are you going to abandon Olivia! Are you going to just sit here and do nothing!"

Leon's eyes didn't waver.

Angel also scolded Leon.

"How can you forbid us from protesting and trying to rescue Olivia! Is that what you think of her? Are you going to just stay in your room and do nothing? Even if you can't win, there are things you can do!"

Tears welled up in Angel's eyes, and Leon turned his gaze to her.

His eyes were different from usual.

Angel gasped, and his gaze shifted to Nix.

"Let go."

Leon's expression was different from usual.

Nix started to say something but was intimidated by Leon's aura and let go.

As Leon adjusted his clothes, Luxion, who was floating beside him, warned Claireare, who hadn't entered the room.

"You were told not to let anyone in the room."

"But I can't be rough with Angel. Besides, what are you going to do?"

Luxion didn't answer Claireare's question.

Instead, Leon did.

"I will save Olivia. But at the same time, I will bring down the Republic."

Angel was taken aback by these words.

"Are you serious? Do you even know what you're saying?"

Leon didn't waver at all.

"I'm serious. To be precise, I will make it impossible to maintain the current Republic. If I do nothing, I would have just returned normally."

Nix was sweating coldly.

"Do you even know what you're saying? You lost to the Republic's knights, right? How are you going to fight a country when there are people even the Arrogants can't defeat?"

Leon laughed.

Seeing his smile, both Angel and Nix were taken aback.

"A country that relied entirely on the Holy Tree. Once it's gone, there will be chaos. Personally, it will be a two-for-one deal as the problem will be solved."

Claireare was flustered.

"Wow~ Are you really going to do that? And the battlefield is on the continent, right?"

Luxion was also concerned about this but added,

"They were the ones who initiated the attack. It seems they want a quick battle."

Nix looked at Angel with a troubled expression.

"What will happen? If the Holy Tree is gone, will the country be gone too?"

Not well-versed in the Republic's internal affairs, Nix asked Angel, who then predicted the Republic's future.

"If we really lose the Holy Tree, the Republic will no longer be able to maintain its rule. However, the impact on neighboring countries will also be significant."

Nix looked at Leon in a panic.

"Are you really going to do this? No, I don't even know if you can, but if you do—what about the people of this country?"

"They chose this."

"..."

"Brother, gather everyone. I will head to rescue Olivia with the Einhorn alone. Angel, you will wait at Recorn."

Angel, who was told this, tried to say something, but Leon's eyes showed that he wouldn't accept any refusal.

Still, she persisted.

"I'm going too. You're dangerous right now. It's foolish to fight alone."

Leon lowered his gaze.

His smile looked like he knew he was foolish.

"You're right. I'm a fool. A fool because—I believed until the end."

Leon raised his head.

"Luxion—let's go."

"---Yes, Master."

◇

When Olivia woke up, she found herself in an unfamiliar mansion.

"What? I—"

She realized she had been changed into different clothes.

She touched her body to confirm that nothing had happened and felt relieved.

Then, the fake Noel from yesterday appeared.

The room was spacious. When she opened the door, a sound echoed.

"Awake?"

Two pole-shaped robots were standing guard around her.

Olivia glared at the girl with a side ponytail.

"Why are you doing this?"

The girl smiled.

"Because you're the Holy Maiden."

"What are you talking about?"

However, in her heart,

(Come to think of it, Marie did say something similar. Yes, at that time, Leon was also—Luk even called me the Holy Maiden in my dreams.)

The girl introduced herself and sat on Olivia's bed.

"I'm Leila—Noel's twin sister."

"Noel's sister?"

"It was a bit chaotic because some people caused trouble, but now they can't use their trump card. That guy will be more relaxed. After all, his fiancée is a noble."

Olivia immediately understood that "that guy" was Leon.

"What's your purpose? I know this will become an international issue."

Leila laughed.

"It's not a low-level issue. This is more—let's say, a high-level issue."

"High-level?"

What is she talking about? What does she mean by a higher perspective or dimension in terms of the state and politics? As she thought about this, Leila spoke excitedly.

"You won't understand. But this will be the right choice in the future. It will benefit the Republic and the Kingdom. You'll be freed from that heretic."

"Right? That's a lie. How can this be right!"

"You won't understand. It's bad because that heretic causes trouble. To think he would keep you—Marie is better. He's definitely a heretic."

Olivia, who knew the nickname "heretic" referred to Leon, glared at Leila.

Her eyes were filled with hostility.

"Leon is not a heretic. He's not the kind of person to be called that. He might overdo things sometimes, but he's a strong and kind knight who cares for others. He's not someone to be belittled by you."

"---What? I thought you were weak for a wicked heretic. You sound like you're in love."

"I am. I love Leon."

Leila bit her lower lip at these words and then smiled.

"You're so naive. If you can only see what you want to see, your head must be in the clouds. There are plenty of men like him in the world. Are you crazy?"

Olivia gripped the blanket.

Leila was smiling.

"But he might abandon you and run away because he's afraid to fight Serge. He's not as strong as he says."

When Olivia didn't respond, Leila left the room, bored.

"Don't think too much. As long as you stay here, I'll guarantee your safety."

After Leila left, Olivia pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face.

(I couldn't do anything again.)

◇

Leila walked down the corridor of the Laulotte family mansion after leaving the room.

Her face wasn't joyful from tormenting Olivia.

"What? He still believed until the end. Men always betray you in the end."

She muttered as she walked.

"---It's the most painful to believe and be betrayed. It's sad that you don't even understand that."

Leila remembered.

The face of her fiancé from her previous life.

She covered her face with one hand.

"I did things I shouldn't have and worked hard for him—men easily abandon people. That's why you're a foolish woman."

Tears fell.

◇

In Serge's room.

There, Alberich was shouting.

"Serge, do you even know how foolish you've been!"

Serge, sitting on the sofa, was unimpressed by his energetic father from the morning.

"I just teased a cocky guy. Well, I had personal reasons to be satisfied."

"Personal reasons? You're taking someone else's fiancée! How pathetic are you!"

Serge's forehead veins bulged at these words.

"Shut up. A guy whose woman was taken is lecturing me?"

"Did you know about 'that talk'?"

Surprised, Alberich listened as Serge spoke uninterestedly.

"I had a detailed source. Which one of the lowest scumbags who incited the Feveur family against the Respinas family was it?"

Alberich clenched his fists.

"---You won't understand as a child. I will send the woman back immediately. You will be confined."

As he tried to leave the room, saying he wouldn't do anything more—

"That's a problem."

—armed soldiers and robots led by Ideal entered the room.

"What!?"

"The current head is out of his mind. Let's make Serge the acting head."

"Shut up, One-Eye! Do you even know what you're doing!"

In front of his subordinates, Alberich raised the emblem of the Holy Tree's blessing—

—then the head of the Feveur family, Lambert, appeared from behind.

He raised the emblem of the Holy Tree's blessing, just like Alberich.

"You can't do that, acting chairman. We can't have you being selfish."

"Lambert, you—You too!"

Behind him, the heads of the six major noble families were gathered.

Alberich glared at the golden-haired young man, Fernand.

"Even you, Fernand! You were close to the Count Barthold, weren't you!"

Fernand looked down.

"Alberich, we weren't that close. Besides—We can't shake the foundation of the Republic any further. We need to eliminate the fear of the Kingdom. We need to restore a strong Republic."

The young and capable head was trying to restore his country's glory.

(I had high hopes, but—too young. Too young, Fernand!)

Serge stood up and ran his hand through his hair.

"Don't get rough. He's still—my father."

At these words, Alberich's shoulders drooped.

"Serge, you don't understand anything. Why can't you see that your actions are putting the Republic in danger?"

Serge laughed.

"Did you think I would lose to him? I'll beat him when he comes. Then, I'll bring the country together. It's simple. Ideal will bring it together quickly."

Ideal's voice was bright.

"Yes. We are already prepared to intercept. The modifications to the airship and armor are complete as scheduled."

A knight who was Alberich's subordinate—now former subordinate—spoke up.

"Alberich, the armor Ideal prepared is amazing. With that power, we won't lose to the Kingdom's knights."

Alberich clenched his teeth and looked down.

(This is worse than starting over, isn't it!)

"---Is this my fault for not punishing you?"

◇

Alberich was thrown into a luxurious room with iron bars.

As the head of one of the six major noble families, a room was hastily prepared for him.

Sitting on the sofa, the guards who were watching him left their posts.

(Did something happen?)

When he looked up, a girl who resembled a woman he once loved stood there.

"The atmosphere is different from Leila. Is it Noel?"

Noel had come to visit.

The guards left their posts because of the emblem of the Holy Tree's blessing in her hand.

In the Republic, the emblem of the Holy Tree's blessing holds great significance, especially if it belongs to a Holy Tree priestess.

"You can call me by my name. I came to talk."

Alberich answered with a self-deprecating tone.

"Do you want to hear my pathetic story? It's boring. It's not something you need to worry about."

However, Noel didn't back down.

"No, I really want to hear it. I—wanted to hear your story."

After a while, Alberich, defeated by Noel, began to tell his past story in a matter-of-fact manner.

"It's not an interesting