Epilogue

Epilogue

Epilogue

At about the same time that Rozemyne was carried away by her head attendant, the students in the audience began filtering out as well. Left behind were the other archduke candidates, their retainers, and the dormitory supervisors.

Hannelore was still at Ehrenfest’s base, where Schutzaria’s shield previously stood, waiting among a sea of ocher capes. She could only watch as Rozemyne slowly disappeared from view.

To think she would end up in such a state... Just how far was she pushing herself during our game?

Rozemyne’s sickly pallor was a stark contrast to the radiance she had exuded when facing down Lestilaut just moments prior, or when defending against the attacks of the entire Sovereign Knight’s Order. Now, she looked ashen, on the verge of passing out. Had she been maintaining her shield through sheer willpower? Hannelore let out an awed sigh at the thought.

No matter how you approach it, Lady Rozemyne needed healing so much more than our apprentice she helped.

Once the noisy crowds had dispersed, the only ones who remained were those whom Anastasius had asked to stay. They formed a triangle with black, blue, and ocher corners, and the dormitory supervisors stepped forward as representatives. The three infiltrators, all tightly bound, were tossed into the center.

“Hannelore! You should be over here!” Lestilaut called out, signaling for her return with a quick jerk of his thumb. It was only then that Hannelore noticed everyone standing in groups; in her confusion, she alone had ended up with the wrong duchy.

Wilfried attempted to ease her panic. “Don’t worry, Lady Hannelore. Lord Lestilaut will understand that you only came to us and entered Schutzaria’s shield to escape the danger.”

Despite those kind words, Hannelore offered only a polite smile in response. Such a weak excuse simply wouldn’t hold water; she had willingly left Dunkelfelger’s base and made her duchy lose as a result.

Lestilaut’s decision to lead the apprentice knights to chase off the intruders had meant that Hannelore was all alone in their base. As her team’s treasure, she was unable to move. Thankfully, the abundance of mana she wielded as an archduke candidate meant that she could block any attack with a full-powered geteilt. She had also been given offensive magic tools to chase away any enemies who attempted to approach. It was her duty to watch the battle from afar and play defensively, so when the invading duchies’ attack magic started raining down from the sky, she produced her geteilt and took cover in its shadow.

“Lady Hannelore!” Wilfried shouted as he flew over to her. He was carrying a shield of his own, which he was using to block the attacks coming from above.

Hannelore slowly reached down and touched one of the many magic tools she had with her.

“It’s too dangerous for you to be here without any guards,” Wilfried continued. “Come to Ehrenfest. You’ll be safer inside Rozemyne’s shield.”

Hannelore’s eyes widened. To her surprise, Wilfried wasn’t here to encourage her to resign; he was genuinely worried about her, showing no ulterior motives. Even so, she shook her head.

“But I cannot leave this base— Eep!”

Before she could finish her response, Wilfried stopped an attack from the sky with his shield, letting out a grunt of exertion. He then gave Hannelore a reassuring smile, extended a hand to her, and said, “I would not say this if our battle were still only between our two duchies. However, we now have intruders to deal with, and our game can’t continue after such an interruption. Please, Lady Hannelore. Think of your safety above all else.”

She gazed up at the blue-capes, who were fighting to keep the intruders of so many duchies from reaching the ground. They were clearly furious about their game being interrupted and were working their hardest to remove the sudden threat.

The bombardment of magic attacks made it clear that the invaders’ objective wasn’t to join the ditter game; their only focus was stopping Dunkelfelger from obtaining the Saint of Ehrenfest. A glance over at Rauffen was enough to see that he was entirely preoccupied with their unwanted guests. He hadn’t announced that the game was canceled or even paused.

Just by looking at Wilfried—by staring into his deep-green eyes and seeing his outstretched hand—Hannelore could tell that he cared more about her safety than any game of ditter. He was wielding a shield and nothing more; there were no weapons or magic tools in his hands.

“If our game is canceled, then we can simply resume it some other time,” he said. “But if you get hurt? The consequences could be devastating.”

Hannelore knew that she could easily blow Wilfried away using the offensive magic tools she had been given. They were powerful enough to pose a genuine risk to anyone on the receiving end of one... yet Wilfried didn’t seem concerned about that in the slightest.

His only thoughts are about my safety.

As an archduke candidate raised in the duchy of warfare, Hannelore seldom had people offer to protect her. She was expected to lead her guard knights into battle, charging straight at danger rather than letting it come to her—and whenever her efforts fell short, she was scolded for not being strong enough. All things considered, Hannelore considered herself a bit of a failure.

But here was Wilfried, trying to keep her safe. Such a thing had never happened to her before, and she wasn’t being chastised either. Her heart was racing before she realized it, and when she gazed into his straightforward eyes, she felt strangely fuzzy inside.

“Come with me,” he said. “It’s much safer inside Rozemyne’s shield.”

Hannelore stood up. She dispelled her shield, willingly left her base, and took the hand being offered to her. The two then exchanged relieved smiles.

“Very well,” she said. “I shall go to Ehrenfest.”