Camus sat calmly in the prison cell.
Even though he had attempted to kill an ally—a high-ranking officer at that—he seemed unfazed. His demeanor was utterly composed.
"I only regret not finishing the job due to a momentary lapse in attention," he said dryly, his voice gravelly.
I had to swallow hard, wetting my throat as I pulled up a chair and sat in front of him.
"From the reports of previous investigators, I gather you were a soldier from a nation destroyed by the Everblack Empire," I said.
"Yes, I served in the military of the Camila Kingdom."
"You've been seeking a chance to exact revenge on Everblack all this time?"
"Once, yes."
As Camus looked at me, his eyes showed neither hatred nor warmth, only the indifference of someone casually glancing at a roadside rock.
"After rolling around as a guerrilla for about ten years, I realized something. A soldier as insignificant as me, no matter how much I struggled, couldn't even make a scratch on the Everblack Empire."
"…"
"So, I gave up. Became a mercenary, going wherever I could earn my keep by the sword."
A fleeting smile crossed the somber man's face.
"I never imagined that I would encounter the person responsible for killing my family in this backwater place."
"…"
"The magical troops that serves was the main executing force that slaughtered civilians in our kingdom. I've been training for magical combat just to kill them someday. I never thought I'd actually get to use it."
His eyes, hidden behind long strands of hair, glinted like the tip of a blade.
"I waited for the moment when the guards around Commander Reina were least vigilant. Bringing in a young mage for healing seemed like the best opportunity. That was the only time her four direct subordinates were away from her."
"So, you acted today."
"I've done all I can."
Slowly, Camus leaned back against the wall.
The sound of chains rattling came from his limbs, bound to the floor of the narrow cell.
"If that woman even felt one-thousandth, one ten-thousandth of the pain my family suffered, then it's enough. It seems like I've reached the end of what I can do."
"…"
"Kill me. I have no regrets."
A heavy silence settled between us.
I ran my hand over my throat.
Even if there was some justification for his revenge, as the commander of this frontline against monsters ruled by law, I couldn't condone it. Attempting to kill an ally was an unforgivable offense.
I sensed that I would have to authorize this man's execution.
"…"
Looking down at the failed avenger, I finally asked,
"Your country fell 15 years ago. What meaning could there be in this revenge?"
"It's nonsensical, Your Highness," Camus muttered with a voice like grinding sand.
"Revenge is inherently meaningless. Doing this won't make my deceased family happy, nor will it bring back my fallen nation. I know that."
"…"
"I just... couldn't bear it anymore."
Slowly rising from my chair, I asked one last question.
"If you wanted to take revenge on the Everblack Empire, wouldn't it have been better to target me rather than Lady Reina?"
Camus glanced at me and chuckled softly.
"I won't deny that the thought crossed my mind when we first met."
Straightforward, this man.
"But my ambitions are rather small. As a survivor of the Camila Kingdom, if my aim was to bring down the monstrosity that is the empire, I would have targeted you, a member of the imperial family."
"..."
"But I simply wanted to avenge my children. Even if given another chance, I'd target her, not you."
Camus bowed his head slowly towards me.
"Thank you for listening to someone like me until the end."
"..."
"This monster front here protects all the realms above it. May your path be filled with light."
He added softly, "I have nothing left in this world to protect."
Creak—
I opened the iron gate and left the prison. Lucas and Evangeline, who had been escorting me, followed.
"Hmm."
Outside the prison stood four mages dressed in white robes.
Fox, Rabbit, Kitty, Piggy.
They were the four mages under Reina Windwell.
"This man inflicted severe injuries on our captain and wounded our soldiers as well. He's a dangerous criminal."
Fox stepped forward, his voice icy.
"Would it be acceptable for us to conduct some 'interrogation,' Your Highness?"
"..."
I didn't answer but passed them by, slowly making my way out of the prison.
The footsteps of the four mages entering Camus' cell echoed behind me.
I did not turn back and simply left the prison.
"Phew..."
Standing outside the prison, I sighed deeply as I felt the cold wind on my face.
...I had been careless.
This southern front gathers a multitude of people.
Different nationalities, different ethnicities, and even different races.
There's no way they can coexist harmoniously without conflicts. Conflicts are bound to arise.
Because that's human nature.
'I aimed to form a legion of foreigners by gathering those who were abandoned and drifting from all over the world.'
But they all have their own circumstances, their own grudges concealed like hidden daggers.
As more and more people join the front, the conflicts between them will only intensify.
And those who hold a grudge against the Empire might even try to harm me.
How can I unify them into one army?
"People are difficult..."
People are always the most difficult aspect.
Elements like this, which I never had to worry about when it was just a game, were now the most challenging part of being a commander.
***
Temple.
I had intended to visit Reina first, but she was in critical condition, receiving concentrated healing from the priests. I couldn't go to see her.
"Fortunately, she's passed the critical stage," said Saintess Margarita, wiping her blood-soaked hands.
"She's tough, like a soldier should be. There are still many mountains to climb for her recovery, though..."
"You've worked hard, Saintess."
I gave Margarita a small smile.
"Didn't you fear Lady Reina, though?"
I thought you were scared after almost dying to her wind magic the first time we met.
"If there's an injured person in front of me, I have to save them, what can I do?"
Saintess Margarita shrugged her shoulders and re-entered the infirmary.
"That's why I'm here."
Watching Margarita's retreating figure as she went to heal the other wounded soldiers, I turned away.
I had planned to visit Junior.
Junior was staying in the general infirmary.
Fortunately, she was physically unharmed, but her already pale complexion had worsened, and she lay confined to the bed.
"Junior, are you feeling any better?"
"...Your Highness."
"Reina Windwell has pulled through. Don't worry too much."
Junior hesitated before cautiously asking,
"What about that man?"
She must be talking about Camus.
I nodded gravely.
"He's imprisoned now. He'll receive a fitting punishment."
Junior, who had swallowed her words, slowly opened her mouth.
"...That man, he was also from the Kingdom of Camila like me."
I took a seat beside Junior's bed. Lucas and Evangeline stood next to it.
Junior continued, stumbling over her words.
"He asked me why I was protecting Lady Reina... the person who led to the fall of our country and made my body like this with magical bombardments."
Junior covered her face with both hands.
"I... don't know. I am from the Kingdom of Camila, but I've lived as a citizen of the Everblack Empire for the past 15 years. Naturally so, as the Kingdom of Camila no longer exists. It's been annexed by the Empire, and its citizens are now under the Empire's jurisdiction."
Junior had been adopted by Jupiter and raised as a citizen of the Everblack Empire.
Her identity was already that of an imperial citizen.
"I've forgiven my mother. She spent her life regretting what she'd done, atoning for it, and raising me."
"..."
"But what should I do about Lady Reina?"
Junior's hands, which were covering her face, trembled.
"She led to the destruction of my country, my village, and killed my biological parents... It doesn't even seem like she regrets it. But she taught me magic and cured my illness. We fought monsters side by side on the front lines."
"..."
"I wanted to forgive her. The nicer she was to me and the better our relationship got, the more comfortable I felt. The hatred that remained in my heart seemed to melt away, making it easier to breathe."
"..."
"Nothing changes even if I don't forgive her. At least if I forgive her, it'll be easier for me... Was that wrong?"
Junior stared at me with drooping eyes, in which tears had pooled.
"I'm confused. Am I a citizen of the Kingdom of Camila? Or am I an Everblack Imperial? Should I seek revenge? Or should I forgive? I just don't know, I really don't."
"..."
"What should I do?"
It was too complex a problem for me to offer a clear-cut answer.
So, the only answer I could give was this simple one.
"Let's think about it together."
I gently patted Junior's shoulder.
"I've also had similar doubts recently."
"You too, Your Highness?"
"I don't know if there is a right answer, or if one even exists..."
I gave a bitter smile as I looked at Lucas and Evangeline.
"But if we ponder it together, perhaps we'll find a direction that's somewhat acceptable."
Lucas offered a silent, broad smile, and Evangeline cheerfully nodded her head in return.
"Ah."
Just then, Damien, who had been sprinting down the hallway with bandages and sheets in hand, spotted them and quickly joined in.
"I'm in too, I'm in."
"Sure, come on over."
After some time, the main party of five were finally gathered in one place.
"We're all one party, right, Junior?"
Evangeline reached out her small hand to grasp Junior's trembling one.
"I may not be able to solve your worries, but I can at least be there with you!"
"..."
Surveying the comrades surrounding her, Junior bowed her head deeply.
"Haha, how adorable you all are..."
Fortunately, she was smiling a bit.
***
Outside the temple.
"Whewwwwwww~!"
I let out a long sigh and turned around.
Lucas, Evangeline, and Damien, who had followed me, were there.
The gaze my party members cast upon me was filled with trust, as if they would support whatever decision I'd make next.
"..."
I didn't know.
How to reconcile the myriad conflicting interests of the people gathered at this frontline.
Forgiveness and revenge, gratitude and resentment, life and death; what choices my struggling comrades would eventually make.
What was right and what was wrong.
I couldn't know.
After all, I'm just another player who dug into this game.
But because of that, one thing was crystal clear.
"The next expedition is in two days."
Kill the monsters.
Defend the frontline.
Even if we can't always make the best moves, we don't stop walking.
I knew that this was what I needed to do right away.
"Reina has been demoted to a simple soldier, and our newly recruited skilled warrior has also been branded a criminal. So, it's on us to get things done, again."
I offered my party members a slight smile.
"As we've always done."
Everyone in the main party grinned and nodded in agreement.
Once everyone in the main party hit level 50 and underwent their third job change, we'd have enough power to carry the defense.
'If we keep taking it one step at a time...'
The answers to our worries would gradually come into view.
That's what I wanted to believe.