Torn Asunder by War, A Sword Saint for Tomorrow X The Knight Wizards!! – Chapter 19

Chapter 19: We Can’t Just Pass Through （A*ult Circumstances）
  And so, a few days after departing from the royal capital Asia and heading northeast, around the time the delegation of several dozen people crossed the border between the Lizel Knight Kingdom and the Aius Empire and reached the heart of Fosses territory… Lise, who was in charge of power control, buried within the artificial muscles of Clawsolas Unit 5, secretly sighed.
  
  The reason goes without saying: it was her partner, Dino Cervas. Somehow, he had built a wall between himself and the new Knight King.
  
  （Even though he’s supposed to be a descendant of the Azure Holy Knight, the hero who fought alongside the third Knight King…）
  
  Depending on how you look at it, perhaps it’s precisely because he’s from the family of knights known as the “King’s Shield” that he’s drawing a clear line between public and private matters, so as not to harbor unnecessary resentment towards Claude.
  
  Lise understood that, and she also liked his serious nature, but as someone who was always watching him from close by, she couldn’t help but feel suffocated.
  
  （Why did he have to challenge him to a duel? Honestly…）
  
  At that time, she was a quasi-mage, so she had faced off against medium-sized Aberrations, several meters tall, alongside the mage squad, and participated in concentrated magic attacks to finish them off.
  
  Therefore, although she didn’t know the details, she had heard that he had lost miserably, unable to do anything. It was clear that this was the reason for Dino’s stiff attitude.
  
  Lise, who also had a caring side, wondered if there was anything she could do to improve the situation, and she recalled the modified Clawsolas L-type they had left behind.
  
  Despite being a first-generation unit, the unique machine, which was said to rival the second-generation Begalta, had extremely thin armor except for the vital chest area, improving its agility while also increasing its power output.
  As a result, it was apparently capable of wielding special armaments such as Active Shield, which repels physical attacks with explosives embedded inside, and Gun Sword, capable of single shots. It could be said to be a wonderful machine （that was built with a lot of freedom） and filled with the passion of the maintenance crew.
  
  『…About the modified Clawsolas we left behind, the King was the one who recommended it for us, you know.』
  『Don’t be so considerate…』
  
  『If you understand, shouldn’t you let go of your resentment?』
  『As a knight, I can be loyal, but personally, I dislike him.』
  
  Yes, Dino Cervas disliked Claude. When he lost the duel and was forced to kneel in humiliation, the pitying gaze directed at him had become a thorn in his heart that he couldn’t remove.
  
  That’s why he had made up his mind and declared war the next day, but now that his opponent had become the new Knight King through marriage to Princess Izana, a rematch was impossible, and he would remain a loser for life.
  
  Lise was gradually coming to understand the feelings he was grappling with, and perhaps because they were connected through the artificial muscles of the Clawsolas, she felt her own mood being dragged down and becoming gloomy.
  
  （Dino, or rather, men are all such fools, obsessed with winning and losing…）
  
  From her perspective, she thought that Claude should just talk to him frankly without being so indirect, but it was unclear how things would actually turn out.
  
  （I haven’t had much contact with the King yet, so I don’t really know his personality. It might be best if I don’t interfere.）
  
  Having made that judgment, Lise decided to just keep an eye on Dino, as she had been doing, to make sure his emotions didn’t negatively affect him, and leave the rest to time and fate.
  
  Meanwhile, Claude, who was on board Clawsolas Unit 4, proceeding slightly behind Units 2 and 5, which were acting as escorts for the Lunavadis siblings, recalled some of the things Raizes had told him as they crossed the border.
  
  『First, we’ll meet with the lord in Raydas, the central city of Fosses territory.』
  『We can’t just pass through, after all…』
  
  He replied in agreement to Revia, who muttered as if it was a bit of a hassle. Even though it would be faster to take the shortest, straightest route without stopping, they couldn’t ignore a*ult circumstances.
  
  In this era, the Aius Empire, which had chosen the form of an imperial government, had gradually fallen into financial difficulties over time. As a result of selling off even the rights and authority that the imperial family had held, the power of the regional lords had grown stronger.
  
  Since they had the authority regarding passage through their territories, it would be rude to leave without even greeting the lord, even though Nina Valer had made the arrangements.
  
  『But once we’ve given him a souvenir on the way there, we can ignore him on the way back, right?』
  『Yeah, that’s what I’ve heard.』
  
  Once they had visited, they would have fulfilled their obligation, and the lord would surely be concerned about their movements, as they were visiting Zephyrus territory.
  
  According to the knowledge he had been crammed with beforehand, the mainstream faction in the empire was the Imperial Faction, which was carrying out autocratic politics by using the young emperor as a figurehead. It seemed that some of them were not pleased with Lady White Fox, who had suddenly risen to prominence.
  
  In contrast, the three lords in the western part of the empire, which bordered the “Hour of Ruin” sphere of influence, were devoted to Nina Valer, who had not only provided them with technology but had also dispatched her own knights.
  
  （It’s inevitable that trust would deepen if they entrusted their lives to each other and fought Aberrations side-by-side.）
  
  Even without that, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Nina Valer, who had brought a ray of hope to an extremely unfavorable war situation, was a new leader for them, and Claude could understand why the Imperial Faction was anxious.
  
  『As Raizes said, we should be careful not to get too involved.』
  『Are you talking about internal conflicts? It’s strange when Aberrations are approaching from the west.』
  
  If everyone was like Revia, who expressed her doubts, the world might be a more peaceful place… but sometimes, in order to survive, one had to pursue one’s own interests, even if it seemed irrational.