The next morning, past 7 a.m.
Less than two hours remained until Guild's deadline.
In the rooftop garden of Rose's castle, houseplants glistened with morning dew as Endi and the others munched on sandwiches.
"There's plenty more, so eat as much as you like!"
Lamia forced a cheerful smile, trying to be brave.
"It's quiet…"
Endi chewed his sandwich, gazing down at the royal capital smothered beneath Azbal's massive forest.
"Yeah… way too quiet."
Lamia murmured uneasily.
"If only nothing else would happen."
Jessica placed a gentle hand on Lamia's shoulder and whispered.
"The calm before the storm, huh."
Rose lay sprawled on his back, speaking carelessly.
Cain added coldly,
"Something's bound to happen soon. I can't imagine Azbal just sitting still."
His tone made it sound as though he was certain he was the target.
"He'll come. Maybe aiming for revenge against a Marshal."
Rose's eyes sharpened as he spoke.
"Prince Rose, what do you mean by that?"
Endi looked puzzled.
"Four years ago, Azbal was defeated by a man named Margiela, one of our Marshals."
"Margiela? Someone like that existed?"
"Until four years ago, there were four Marshals. When Margiela disappeared, that number dropped to three."
Jessica explained.
"What happened?"
Endi asked eagerly.
"Four years back, the Fifth World War had boiled down to a one-on-one between Nakhatam and Doal. Nakhatam had the numbers, and our four Marshals were monsters. It should've been an easy win. But the truth is, we were struggling." Rose began his tale.
"What? Why?" Endi leaned forward.
"Guild's a damn strategist. We kept getting tripped up by his ambushes. Doal's science and tech were said to be the best in the world—they hit us with unmanned bombers, poison gas, all sorts of weapons. Most of the victims were helpless civilians… that's war for you."
Sorrow seeped into Rose's voice.
"But the biggest problem was Azbal's power. That bastard conjured forests on the battlefield, just like now. Try to advance, and giant branches would impale our soldiers. Margiela walked straight into that hell alone."
"Alone!? Into such danger!?"
Endi cried out, and even Saizo gasped.
"The moment Margiela entered, the forest slowly sank back underground, leaving only barren wasteland. When we went to look, Azbal was lying there, throat cut and drenched in blood. But Margiela was gone. Azbal sank into the ground with his trees and escaped. With all that blood, we thought he was dead. Doal lost Azbal, and soon after raised the white flag."
"So Nakhatam finally seized its long-cherished victory. History's bloodiest war… and such an anticlimactic end?"
Cain sneered, his sarcasm stinging.
Rose scowled.
"Margiela's been missing ever since?"
Endi asked gently. Rose nodded in silence.
Breaking the awkward air, Esta suddenly shouted,
"Hey, you there! Why are you slacking off? Get back in line!"
From the rooftop he barked at knights lazing in the garden.
Two idle soldiers grumbled loud enough to be heard.
"Shut it, brat."
"Acting all high and mighty for a kid…"
"Hey! How dare you speak that way to the Commander!?"
Moene roared, and the men scurried back to their posts.
"Don't let it bother you, Esta."
"Yeah, let them talk. You're still a kid, but already amazing."
Lamia and Endi encouraged him.
"I don't care. I'm used to it."
Esta replied flatly.
"Some fools still cling to seniority. They should all just die."
Kumashis muttered under his breath.
"Kumashis, that's going too far."
Saizo said, uneasy.
"Well, geniuses like me are always hated by incompetent adults."
Esta's words dripped with irony.
"Adults—most of them force kids to show them respect. Too many fools think age makes them important. Why can't they just try to be the kind of adults worth respecting?"
As Rose finished, Regalo appeared briskly in the rooftop garden, his face grim.
"Was that remark aimed at me?"
"You bastard… what the hell are you doing here?"
Rose sprang up, glaring at Regalo.