Yona had no intention of getting involved in this rebellion business at all.
It was someone else’s problem, and as Alex said, if Yona, being from Kapatia, claims to be a Saint and tries to intervene in this shameless affair, it would simply become foreign meddling.
“But if there’s a Grand Duke in the mix, that changes things a bit, doesn’t it?”
Rebellions need a hill to lean on, after all.
We’re talking about the Azrami tribe and the Prairie Gami tribe, where there’s a massive difference in population. If someone is bold enough to strike the Azrami royal family, it either means there’s a huge disparity in individual fighting power or they feel they can ignore troop numbers and still give it a go.
According to the Alebians, it was highly likely that there was a Grand Duke involved.
Gods aren’t exactly rolling around like pebbles on the street, and even though there’s Vervaria, the fact that the Prairie Gami tribe has deities as well suggests the Demon Grand Duke probably blew some hot air into them.
The Grand Duke is one of Yona’s objectives.
At least, her current goal is to deal with all the Grand Dukes.
She hasn’t exactly decided what to do after that, but for now, cleaning up the Grand Dukes seems like the right move.
“Right?”
“Yeah. That’s the way to go.”
In three or four days, they would arrive at Esima.
To arrive as early as possible, the group was having their final campout.
On a night when a round, bright moon hung high in the sky, illuminating the land.
Yona and Alex volunteered to keep watch while the others slept.
“I hope things don’t get too complicated.”
Yona muttered as she shoved a log into the campfire.
If it comes down to a physical clash, it should be fine.
Yona was confident.
It makes sense considering there’s Vervaria, and she had absorbed Damian’s powers.
Damian didn’t have any friends, so he probably used his magic for solo fights, but after Yona learned it, that wasn’t the case at all.
She could even give buffs to those she recognized as allies, and though she lacked parchment talismans to join the battle directly, she was more than capable of providing support from the sidelines.
“Maybe it’d be alright if it’s resolved through strength. But… Hmm, I don’t know…”
“Is it because of what Alebians said?”
“Yeah.”
That comment stuck in Yona’s mind.
Alebians had mentioned that the Grand Dukes each had their own characteristics – some wanted to clash physically, while others did not. And the thought that this time might be a little different also weighed on her mind.
That comment about things being different is stuck in my mind.
“It’s okay. It’ll be fine.”
“…Really?”
By the light of the campfire, Alex’s face was flushed red.
Seeing that subtly smiling face of Alex, Yona felt a strange calm washing over her.
Maybe everything will work out somehow.
That peculiar sense of relief that everything might just turn out okay.
“Yona, do you…”
While poking the fire, Alex asked in a casual yet quiet voice.
Yona, who was also staring into the fire, replied in a similar tone.
“Do you still think about wanting to go back to being a man?”
“Man—”
Hmm.
Yona shut her mouth with a hum.
Going back to being a man, and returning to her original world—
These two propositions had been her original goals.
That’s why, even being treated like a lunatic, Yona never stopped insisting she was a man.
Wasn’t it true she even went all the way to the Mage Community for a procedure?
And yet, here we are—
“…Man, man…”
I don’t know.
Yona suddenly looked back at her memories from the previous world.
‘…Huh.’
She wasn’t reborn into this world nor did she suddenly possess someone else’s body, she just dropped into this world at some point.
So naturally, memories of her world should still be intact before coming here.
But those memories didn’t come to mind properly.
What was Yona’s face like when she was a man?
What kind of life did she live, and who did she live with? Those things eluded her memory.
‘What was my name… again?’
“…I don’t know.”
Sitting quietly and blankly with her mouth agape while thinking, Yona answered awkwardly with a smile.
But Alex didn’t even look at her, just sitting quietly, staring into the campfire.
“…What’s wrong with you? Are you sick?”
Even when she asked out of concern, Alex didn’t reply, and instead, he looked like he was staring off into space, totally lost. Just fixated on the campfire.
“…Baldy?”
Trying to whisper his name again, Alex’s gaze remained unfocused, not directed at Yona.
Thump, it felt like her heart was dropping.
With her heart thumping wildly, Yona got up to approach Alex.
She usually kept her distance to avoid any discomfort, but now wasn’t the time for that. She needed to get closer to help snap Alex out of it. A creeping sense of unease about something being wrong was crawling up her spine.
Yona had to approach and snap Alex out of it. There was this creeping, unsettling feeling that something was seriously wrong.
“Hey, Alex!”
Yona shook Alex’s shoulder.
But Alex’s eyes weren’t on Yona; instead, his bobbing head just followed her frantic motions.
“Alex! Come on… Alebians!”
It was clear to Yona that this was something she couldn’t solve alone. She shouted for Alebians, thinking if anyone could handle this mess, it would be the Mage, Alebians. With that judgment in mind, Yona called out.
Yet there was no response from Alebians either.
That’s when Yona started looking around.
“What, what the… what is happening…?”
There was nothing.
Zakeloko was nowhere in sight, and neither were the campers.
Moreover, the meadow where they had been camping was completely gone, and even Alex, who had been with her, was missing.
Yona found herself back at the inn they had stayed in a few days ago.
That inn, notorious for its terrible soundproofing.
With a bewildered expression, Yona looked around, trying to understand what on earth was going on, when her gaze landed on a desk.
The very same desk she had borrowed from so much earlier.
That desk looked extremely familiar.
Seeing the desk sent a tingle rising in her lower abdomen.
*
Looking down at the collapsed forms of Alex and Yona, a black cat stretched out in a long yawn.
This cat was stretching and yawning like any ordinary cat… but, wait! It was HUGE—comparable to the carriage Ceres used to pull around, and the way it stretched was anything but ordinary.
【Even a Saint’s mental barriers are laughably pathetic.】
The cat, having finished its long stretch, sat back down and scratched its face with its hind leg.
Then it licked its front paws a few times and wiped its face clean.
【I was worried about absorbing both Vervaria and Damian, but now it seems there’s no need.】
“That’s right, Catsee.”
Standing beside this colossal cat was a Lizardman.
It resembled Barikian, but smaller, adorned with a crown made of colorful feathers.
【Those two will be trapped in that state forever.】
“Ooh… as expected of you, Catsee…!”
【Is this truly all you wish for?】
Catsee purred as it turned its gaze back to the Lizardman.
“As you suggested, it is our task to hold the royal family in check. Once that’s done, we will prepare the dishes you requested.”
【It’s not just ‘dishes.’ It’s called ‘jjuru.’】
“Oh, my apologies. The… jjuru you mentioned… we’ve made sure to gather shrimp and salmon. We will prepare it without fail.”
“That thing called Jju, Jju-ru… I’ve firmly instructed them to bring both shrimp and salmon, so they will undoubtedly prepare it.”
A cat named Ketsiri let out a long yawn.
He had been sleeping deeply in the demon realm when suddenly he awoke and noticed a gigantic rock beside him.
Curiosity got the better of him, and when he poked the rock, an exit to the human realm revealed itself, prompting Ketsiri to head straight down to the human realm.
Once there, he heard the desperate pleas of the priest of the Meadow Gills tribe praying fervently to their god, and eventually, he decided to descend to their aid.
“What’s to be done about those guys? They can’t wake up forever, can they? I doubt they want to be left as is, right?”
“I plan to move them to our encampment near the imperial palace. Moreover, I intend to showcase them to the besieging Azrami tribe to break their morale.”
Adinim, the priest of the Meadow Gills tribe, finally felt it was time.
He had already secured promises from the other five factions not to interfere, thus it was now a pure showdown between the Azrami tribe and the Meadow Gills tribe. He thought the weaklings of Azrami could be quickly suppressed and that he could regain the imperial authority, believing it would surely happen. However, the resistance from the Azrami tribe in the palace turned out to be quite strong.
Thanks to that, they hadn’t succeeded in seizing the imperial authority yet.
Instead, while the palace remained isolated, the external management of the state was practically in the hands of the Meadow Gills tribe. But even so, it was merely a puppet government and had not been formally recognized as the true imperial authority.
To be recognized as the emperor of the Katus Empire, one must conquer the palace and sit upon the golden throne within.
He needs the recognition of the golden throne that carries the legacy of Akota, the Lizardman, who was a companion of Hero Siu and the founder of the Katus Empire.
Otherwise, the Meadow Gills tribe would only ever be regarded as invaders—
“If Ketsiri hadn’t descended, we wouldn’t have even dared to dream of this.”
Ketsiri, a local deity passed down through generations in the southern region of Katus.
Had it not been for Ketsiri’s power, that too would have been impossible.
The royal guard of the palace is composed of various tribes that only follow the royal family.
The current royal family, the Azrami tribe, is guarding the palace, fighting against the invading Meadow Gills tribe, and their strength was unmatched; the Meadow Gills tribe alone couldn’t have aimed for such a great feat.
Everything was made possible by Ketsiri.
“If it weren’t for the golden throne, we would have already captured the palace with Ketsiri’s power… No, it’s fine. It’s just a matter of time. We just need to push a bit more.”
The siege within the palace wouldn’t last long.
Everything was swinging in favor of the Meadow Gills tribe.
