# 117
“Ooooh!”
The audience cheered enthusiastically, while Diarine froze in place.
Things didn't have to go this way.
The second of the princes, who was trying from the beginning to obscure the existence of the Eighth Division, is the same one who has now come forward, announced it, and praised it in front of everyone.
'What's going on?'
Dearyn looked around with nervous eyes, searching for Charlotte.
Charlotte was on the podium, her face as blank as a doll's, but she was apparently in shock as well, as she was searching for Deyarin with her eyes.
The two's gazes met, and both were filled with unmistakable confusion.
The second prince's speech continues:
“The members of the Eighth Division are a secret unit directly subordinate to me, and only those who have sworn special loyalty to me include them. That is why, even during the war, they did not seek fame, but rather carried out their missions in the shadows with the utmost secrecy, and that is why no one knew the extent of their accomplishments.”
The audience did not even know that there was a band with that name. In fact, the Second Prince could attribute the entire victory to himself and no one would object. How could he go out and share the glory with others? Why?
The audience's enthusiasm increased, and they listened with great interest.
“I wish the whole group could have gathered here today, but unfortunately, only one of their representatives was able to attend.”
Then the second prince himself came down from the platform.
Expectant and excited eyes followed him, and all eyes became focused on him alone.
As if he was enjoying the attention, he began to walk through the crowds with confident steps, until he stopped in front of a hidden person among the crowds.
“!”
As soon as Diaren saw that person's face, she gasped as she jumped in place.
'Halt?!'
It's Halt.
'How is Halt? No, has he been alive this whole time?!'
She didn't know whether she should be happy that he had escaped death, or whether her blood should boil with anger because he was now standing by the Second Prince.
For a moment she thought if this person was just someone who looked like Halt, so she stared back at him more intently... but it was him, without a doubt.
'But how?'
If Robin was shifting between the Second Prince and this party from the beginning, it would be easy for him to lie about Halt's death and cover it up. Everything was in Robin's hands.
But what surprised Darren even more was that Halt was standing there, motionless, in the crowd, without having one of his fits.
His eyes were blank, staring straight ahead without focus.
“Halt! My loyal soldier.”
The Second Prince smiled from the bottom of his heart, and raised his cup towards Halt.
In normal times, Halt would have lost his temper as soon as anything metal came near his face. Just approaching a metal cup was enough to ignite it.
“...Yes, sir.”
But Halt simply responded calmly, without even touching the cup.
'This is not normal.'
Dearyn shook her head.
There's something wrong. There's definitely a trick.
Like that whistle that nearly strangled Sirius, maybe they used some magic to turn Halt into a puppet.
'If it's magic...'
Maybe Deyarin could break it, if she was lucky. But it's still just a possibility, nothing more.
“Can you raise your glass in honor of this loyal soldier?”
The Second Prince addressed his speech towards the Emperor.
The Emperor smiled and raised his cup.
If this toast is done, the story will end there.
Will the door be closed now? Without saying a word?
“One moment please, I would like to say something.”
Charlotte's voice suddenly interjected.
“First of all, I salute the Second Prince’s courage, and commend his noble loyalty.”
Although she interjected suddenly, her words came out delicately and elegantly.
Are you just going to just let it go? Are you thinking that today is not the only opportunity? But if you don't intervene now, the entire Eighth Division will be robbed and its achievement will be attributed to someone else.
Diarin grew worried, and focused her gaze on Charlotte.
Whispers spread among those present.
In terms of status, Charlotte is just a concubine of the emperor, and even on the platform she was not assigned a chair to sit on, so how could she dare to speak?
“What audacity is this?”
The Second Prince's tone began to boil with anger.
But the Emperor did not stop her, but rather looked at her silently and with a smile, as if to say: “Dare and try.”
“I know full well that this is not my place, but I stepped in because I know there is another 8th Division member in this room who deserves to be recognized and celebrated.”
Her voice trembled at the end, but she finished her words until the end.
Inside, Diaren silently saluted her courage.
Just to start the battle, that in itself means sacrificing your life.
“Another member of the Eighth Squad?”
The Second Prince did not appear disturbed.
All of this was planned with Robin's betrayal, as there is no doubt that he knows about the existence of Sirius and the rest of the squad, and knows their fate.
But Deyarin was expecting this too.
“Robin, what about the rest?”
“Most of them were martyred, and a few of them are receiving treatment in the countryside. None of them were in a condition that allowed them to attend the ceremony, so we summoned Halt alone.”
“So?”
Robin, before the second prince's name was mentioned, had received a generous reward: the title of marquess, two lands, and a chest of gold.
Therefore, his testimony is considered absolutely credible, unlike the words of a woman who, like Charlotte, has never been to war.
Now, it's Dyarin and Sirius' turn.
Dearyn pushed Sirius' back lightly.
Sirius took a deep breath as if he was preparing to go on stage, then strode forward towards everyone.
"I'm here."
In an instant, complete silence descended on the hall, which was filled with whispers.
His voice, unlike Charlotte's trembling voice, was clear and steady, a voice with a natural power to command silence and attention.
Deyarin followed behind him with slow steps, feeling as if she was walking in a military parade.
‘If this had been the commander who had once walked in front of me… perhaps the battlefield would not have seemed so terrifying to me.’
“I am a member of Squad 8. Sirius.”
The moment the Second Prince looked at Sirius' face, his expression shook for the first time.
The appearance of Ceres itself was expected. But for him to look like this, with this prestige... he never imagined it.
He didn't know why. There was no one who could press his chest except the Emperor himself. However, he felt suffocated in front of this “8th Division dog,” as he thought.
"What's going on? What's going on?"
“Another member of the Eighth Squad? Shouldn’t his colleague recognize him immediately?”
“But he doesn't look like he fought on a battlefield...”
People started talking, making their speculations based solely on Sirius's appearance.
But all that doesn't matter.
As long as he caught the Emperor's attention.
And the emperor? He seemed to be watching a theatrical performance, taking place between his lover and his son, rather than witnessing a struggle over the truth.
“Robin.”
The Second Prince turned his gaze towards Robin as if to place responsibility for the situation on him.
Robin stepped forward, his features as if they had been covered with the root of a bitter plant. From the moment Sirius appeared, the gloomy darkness that deepened did not leave his face.
But there were no hopes that Robin would review himself and admit the truth now. If he had had such fortitude, he would not have betrayed them in the first place.
“I… I didn’t see this person in the Eighth Division.”
Robin said with difficulty, looking away from Sirius.
“As you heard.”
The Second Prince said confidently, puffing out his chest as if daring anyone to do something.
Dearyn silently took a deep breath.
Now all the other party's cards are exposed.
Denying Sirius' existence entirely, to bury all the atrocities they had committed beneath him.
The existence of the Eighth Division could have been encapsulated in beautiful words, but it was not possible to beautify how it was formed, its training, or the brutal way in which the soldiers were turned into monsters. That's why they wanted to erase it all from the beginning.
Exploiting Halt was a huge risk in itself, but they chose it because they knew Sirius would show up, and they had to contain him somehow.
But at the same time, that risk was like a powder warehouse waiting for the moment to explode, and this moment was their golden opportunity.
“Halt.”
Sirius called out to him, but he did not direct his call to the Second Prince or Robin, but to Halt directly.
Over the previous nights, Dearyn had discussed with Sirius all the possibilities, one of which was that a member of the Eighth Division would appear. She just hadn't imagined that this particular person would be Halt, because he was the most brutal of them all.
“…”
Halt, who had been agitated by the slightest touch of leaves, now stood without reacting, even as Sirius himself, the one who was driving him mad the most, appeared.
“Soldier of the Eighth Company, the pride of all of you… Halt doesn’t seem to know you.”
“He knows me.”
Sirius took another step towards Halt.
However, Halt remained motionless.
When the Second Prince noticed that Halt did not react to Sirius's approach, he felt so reassured that he stepped aside to give him space.
It has been said that Halt can explode, but is unable to recognize people or engage in any rational dialogue.
To be sure, the Second Prince glanced at the priest Mirian in the corner, who was watching the situation carefully, from the corner of his eye.
'Don't worry.'
Mirian nodded calmly, reassuring him. He himself cast a spell to erase the memories. This time, he did not leave the slightest trace of his consciousness, making him closer to a child, or even lower than that. He can only say "yes", and he does not even have a survival instinct.
This should have been done from the beginning.
'Why didn't I think then that the memories of the war would torture them to this extent?'
Someone had to erase all their memories once the war ended, to allow them to live a peaceful life.
Mirian felt intense remorse for his shortcomings as a priest.
After the war, the members of the Eighth Division completely disappeared, as if they had vanished from existence.
When he discovered that it was Robin who hid them, he exploded in anger.
'Do you want to use them again after everything they've been through?'
As long as the memories of war remain in their minds, they will never know the taste of happiness.
'At least I'm glad I saved Halt.'
Merian felt satisfied simply because he had saved Halt from the hell of his memory.
He completely trusts his spells.
But what he did not know was the existence of two houses.
A priestess capable of breaking the most powerful spells that he thought were impenetrable.
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