A Small Light

"Commander Mani, give us a detailed report."

Lady Anatia received the message.

Queen Tianis was in the middle of waving to the citizens on the balcony.

If they called her back now, people would panic thinking something had happened, and the coronation would be a failure.

But depending on Mani's report, they might need to evacuate everyone.

"From the eastern direction, a strange group suddenly appeared and broke through our defensive line. Approximately two hundred of them. We're currently summoning the Kingdom's soldiers who were scattered for security. They should be able to deploy before the enemy reaches the capital. The Alsarm army will be able to deploy shortly after."

"Two hundred… Even with reduced numbers, that's not enough to break through so easily under normal circumstances. They deliberately targeted the coronation."

"Please give the order to evacuate and deploy immediately!"

"There's no helping it."

Lady Anatia moved to Queen Tianis and whispered in her ear.

Queen Tianis's expression tensed for a moment but quickly regained its composure.

Murmurs gradually grew louder at Lady Anatia's sudden appearance.

Just as they were about to start the evacuation, Queen Tianis gestured for them to wait.

Did she have some plan in mind?

"I will show everyone that I have truly become Queen."

Queen Tianis removed the crown she was wearing with both hands and held it.

She closed her eyes and concentrated.

Was she planning to use the golden sword?

He remembered hearing that Duke Baroba and Lady Anatia, who had inherited King Izard's bloodline, could use it.

Could Queen Tianis wield it too?

As the citizens and envoys from each nation watched, the crown slowly began to glow.

At that same moment, an explosion occurred outside the capital.

It was quite far, but he could see a small plume of smoke.

The enemy must be beyond that smoke.

"Those bastards, they're already this close!"

"They move fast."

Mani was panicking.

Alexia watched calmly.

"The era when it was acceptable for rulers to be weak has ended. I must become the spiritual pillar for everyone."

The crown transformed into a small golden short sword.

Its shape was different from King Izard's, perhaps due to the different wielder.

"Do not underestimate the House of Deiancle!"

She raised the golden short sword high.

Dazzling light gathered into the short sword, filling it.

Perhaps it was the girl's rage.

Channeling the helpless frustration she had long bottled up against the unreasonable circumstances, Queen Tianis swung the short sword toward the smoke.

The short sword released the light, which shot straight toward the smoke.

The moment it struck, the light became a pillar.

"The enemies of the Kingdom shall be defeated by me, its Queen!"

The crowd showered the girl with overflowing applause as she proclaimed this.

Queen Tianis slowly walked back toward the backstage area.

Once completely out of the citizens' sight, she crumpled to the ground.

He rushed over to support her.

Her breathing was shallow.

And she was drenched in cold sweat.

It seemed she was completely drained from what she had just done.

"You're being reckless. You barely had enough magic power, using it solely on the basis of being royalty."

"It made for good performance though, right?"

"Please don't force yourself to talk."

It seemed that earlier strike had been performed under considerable strain.

Indeed, it had demonstrated Queen Tianis's legitimacy, and the citizens were cheering her name with wild enthusiasm.

It had probably left an impression on the other nations too.

But should she have done it even at the cost of such exhaustion?

"Mani, go check the site with a small group that won't attract attention."

"Understood!"

Mani, who had been standing there stunned, rushed off.

"We'll accompany you. I leave things here to you."

"Please do. Yohane-san."

There was nothing more for them to do here.

Queen Tianis had splendidly carried out her role.

They should make certain of the results.

Besides, he had a bad feeling.

They caught up with Mani's squad, bringing Azu and the others along.

Heading east from the capital, a short distance out, they reached the spot where the golden short sword's strike had landed.

"Impressive."

"This is on par with fairly high-level magic."

The entire area was gouged and upheaved, and soldiers caught in it lay dead.

There was no flag.

But he understood what Mani had meant by strange.

"What's going on here? Their skin is all burned."

As Finn said, every fallen soldier had burns as if they had been roasted. And there were no signs of treatment.

"With burns this severe, they shouldn't even be able to move. No, the fact that they were alive at all is practically a miracle…"

Some of the younger soldiers looked away from the sight.

"Did that light do this?"

"No, it didn't."

Azu stepped forward.

"The armor and such is a bit dented but hasn't gotten hot. So I think they were like this from the start."

"Is that even possible…?"

"Perhaps… the Church of the Sun God did something again."

"This isn't normal, is it?"

Mani sent a messenger and called for additional soldiers.

They would have to clean this up regardless.

But perhaps there had been no need to come along.

One of the soldiers grabbed a corpse's arm and tried to drag it out of the ground.

Instead, his arm was grabbed and his upper body was dragged in.

After a scream rang out, the soldier stopped moving.

"Some of them are alive!"

At Alexia's voice, Mani and the soldiers hurriedly drew their swords.

Azu and the others were already in combat stance.

About thirty percent of the enemy soldiers who had been lying down stood up and readied their swords.

But they didn't look alive.

"This is the worst… Their souls have been offered as sacrifices, and their remaining bodies are being used. How cruel."

"So they're Undead?"

"Think of them as something similar. Once they're like this, there's nothing we can do…"

Elza's face twisted in anguish.

In any case, they had to deal with this.