Sincerity - 1

Back before the day when Gilnes the Ruined Castle was killed in a duel.

Two people were having a conversation in a small room inside the Aureatia Central Assembly Hall. The Second General, prestigious and popular with the citizenry, Rosclay the Absolute. With him, the central figure and adjudicator of the meeting discussing the Particle Storm threat, leading their interception operation to victory, Third Minister, Jelki the Swift Ink.

"That's all of the details on their fighting power that were verified during the interception operation. As we hoped, Kuuro the Cautious gave detailed status reports. The confused melee was not what we had originally expected, but if anything, I consider it a windfall."

Jelki reported all the confirmed information regarding the battle to Rosclay.

Kuuro the Cautious's spotting was communication utilizing what was an exceptional long-distance relay for an individual comms operator.

As such, his communications did not solely reach the troops under Kayon the Thundering's command at Sine Riverstead. There was someone inside Aureatia's borders who had intercepted the transmissions from the beginning.

Third Minister Jelki had a handle on everything that occurred during the operation.

He was well aware of the appearance of both the self-proclaimed demon king Kiyazuna and Toroa the Awful. Additionally, he had a better grasp of both of their fighting techniques and how they chose to fight than Cayon, the one tasked with commanding the operation.

"Toroa the Awful. And this Mestelexil. Both of their abilities are unmistakably capable of threatening the nation. Both will need to be put down…or engaged during the royal games."

"…Supposing they did put their name in to participate in the royal games, would you accept them?"

Finally, the last one given this information was Rosclay the Absolute, who hadn't attended the original strategy meeting.

"We will dispose of them within the constraints of the games. Without letting them put their full powers on display."

"Naturally, I intended to do that from the start… The royal games are our way to deal with such monsters."

Aureatia's champion, holding great prestige among the people, Rosclay. The head of commerce and trade, and cornerstone of domestic affairs, Jelki. They had colluded together from the beginning. Even the measures to quell the Particle Storm were being used to lay groundwork, getting hold of information on candidates whom Rosclay was likely to face.

"Ultimately, the Particle Storm vanished during this operation. It's highly like he died. No one is likely to look into more information regarding the operation… Including that its passage through Sine Riverstead was information we added on our end."

The strategy meeting had developed under the premise that the Gray- Haired Child's forecast was correct. The Gray-Haired Child, based on the Particle Storm's path he had obtained from his weather observation techniques, estimated that the Particle Storm's true form was a living creature with a will of its own, and from examples of countries the Particle Storm had destroyed in the past, he predicted the objective behind its sudden movement was an attack on Aureatia.

Considering the actual path the Particle Storm took, it had a high probability of ending up that way. Still, a future where Atrazek moved in such a direction was simply a possibility. Not a fact certain to become reality. Nevertheless, during their meeting, the certainty of the weather forecast became the focal point. The moment the information was demonstrated to be reliable, the accompanying information about its passage through Sine

Riverstead was determined to be true as well.

"…But, Rosclay. Why didn't you directly order Cayon to bring the Horizon's Roar into action? Given the pretext of defending Aureatia itself, I imagine he would be forced to agree to your demands."

"That's not it. With this operation, it was necessary to have Cayon, Mele the Horizon's Roar's backer, propose the idea himself. It, of course, couldn't come from me, nor from yourself, either. If another person directed him to do so, a man of Cayon's caliber… He would suspect that person was scouting out their future opponent. Not only that, but I believe he's already sensed we're colluding together."

The moment he was told the Particle Storm would pass through Sine Riverstead, Kayon no longer had any choice but to get the Horizon's Roar involved. If Mele's homeland of Sine Riverstead were destroyed, he would lose all reason to participate in the royal games with it.

With the simple act of adding some details to the report, he had swiftly gotten an opposing contender involved, without any need for bargaining.

"Cayon getting Mele to help also did us a favor by making the Star Runner and the Passing Disaster unnecessary. Using them would put our own side in danger. The best course of action is to exclude any wild cards."

Everything was to protect Aureatia. The sole reasons behind Rosclay the Absolute preserving his reputation and using every method possible to desperately defend Aureatia were the nation's citizens.

Jelki, as well, shared in this ideal. Now, with the True Demon King dead, he sought to remove any out-of-control champions from the world and create a nation where the people were free from strife.

The royal games to decide the Hero still haven't even amassed all the participants yet. However…

It was different for them.

Different for these intellectual monsters, amassing information, devising schemes, and claiming victory long before the start of any match.

It's long since started. No matter how strong they may be, they'll be taken down before they can even enter the ring. It's our job to give them the impression that it all begins with the players facing each other, waiting for the starting bell.

Jelki started to speak. At the very the least, there was one other monster of intellect out there. A threat they had postponed dealing with.

"…Rosclay. With that in mind, there's one thing I'd like to tell you—" "The Gray-Haired Child, I assume?"

"That's right. Toroa the Awful. Kiyazuna the Axle. Finally, the Particle Storm. I believe there is someone besides us who tried to glean information regarding possible royal games contenders, induce three unrelated powers to cross swords in one place. Going forward, I think we will need to dispose of the Gray-Haired Child."

For Kiyazuna the Axle's involvement in this recent event, there was no doubt the forecasts dispersed by the Gray-Haired Child were the source of her information. Then, supposing the same individual used the information

regarding the Blasting Blade in her possession to get Toroa the Awful involved…

"Is there anything linking the Gray-Haired Child to Toroa the Awful?" "The method that Toroa used to catch up to the Particle Storm in the

ravine. Eyewitness information continues to Togie City, but after that, he disappears without a trace…before suddenly appearing in that ravine. In other words…"

"There was someone who prepared a method of travel, carriage or otherwise, and moved him there."

"Deliberately, on top of that, to make him engage Kiyazuna. Why would someone outside of Aureatia purposely be trying to obtain information on probable candidates for the games?"

"I see what you mean."

That was to say—there was more than one person who thought along the same lines as Rosclay the Absolute.

"Like whether or not they've already been given a spot, or if there were definite plans to give them one down the line, perhaps."

Rosclay contemplated. The Gray-Haired Child was not truly an ally to the Old Kingdoms' loyalists to any degree, even while doing business with them. There had to be a clear goal or purpose in his actions.

"Considering the end results, the predicted path of the Particle Storm the Gray-Haired Child sold off to each of the major powers guided the Old Kingdoms swiftly to destruction… They were bribed by false victory prospects, and their hurried offensive preparations led to their crushing defeat. Then, if my assumption's correct, the power the Gray-Haired Child is now currently affiliated with is—"

Rosclay placed his finger on a spot on the map covering the table. "—The Free City of Okahu. Can you look into it?"

"Okahu… I agree it was a bit of an unnatural movement on their part to back down in the middle of our war with the Old Kingdoms' loyalists. We need to look and see if they've been active at all behind the scenes."

"If anything, their movements advanced our plan. As a result of the Gray- Haired Child's actions, the two powers hindering the start of the royal games have been taken care of. Then, from this stage, he's been investigating candidates, practically screening them himself…"

"In other words, the Gray-Haired Child is also trying to make us start the

royal games." "Yes."

Without any hostility, without even getting directly involved himself, there was someone far outside Aureatia's borders manipulating the government and trying to push the royal games forward.

If he had some aim in doing so, what could it be? What sort of final conclusion could these intellectual monsters be aiming for once the fighting was over?

"Jelki the Swift Ink. I'd like to place my confidence in your abilities and ask for your help. With this series of actions from the Gray-Haired Child in mind, I ask you to pay the absolute most attention possible to his movements going forward."

"…You think he'll become Aureatia's enemy?"

"I'm asking precisely because we don't know for sure."

The greatest royal tournament in history, to determine a Hero.

Should it truly become a battle to greatly change the whole breadth of history, then it was unlikely to be simple duels among the powerful.

Aureatia. The Free City of Okahu. Obsidian Eyes.

The scheming shura capable of changing the world itself were spreading their roots.