I looked up at the sky.
On the battlefield where lives hung in the balance, a giant Wyvern was circling overhead.
I met the gaze of the handsome man riding atop it.
“Welcome, brother.”
As I greeted him with a sly grin, a mysterious light flickered across his face.
Sig Batenberg.
It was something I’d already anticipated through the inner circle that he would come.
If it were Ludwig, that old man would have been prepared for the First Knight Order to be completely taken by the Hor Church.
Kirrrok-!
The Wyvern, which had been flying above, let out a piercing cry.
It seemed excited by the heat of the battlefield.
“T-that… that’s…”
The knights who had been wrestling with Monsters only now spotted the Wyvern and murmured in confusion.
A few of the Monsters even lifted their heads, snapping their jaws in surprise.
I took a deep breath and shouted.
“Get a hold of yourselves! We’re in the middle of a battle!”
The faith-filled cry jolted our allies back to their senses.
“Focus on the Monsters!”
“Don’t get distracted!”
The commanders bellowed at the top of their lungs.
I gripped Dragon Tooth and White Ghost in both hands and swung them relentlessly.
Just then, a figure suddenly dropped down beside me.
Through the thick cloud of dust, Sig’s voice cut through.
“You, are you really Richard?”
Of all things, he showed up just to confirm whether I was his younger brother.
For some reason, it reminded me of my first meeting with Moritz.
Back then, Moritz had also asked if I really was Richard.
“I am, but let’s focus on the Monsters first.”
Jwaak-!
I swept my sword as I replied curtly.
A battlefield choked with plague and stench was no place for conversation.
“I can hardly believe it.”
Even in the midst of the chaos, Sig’s voice carried clearly.
Soon, an incredible aura surged from him.
I glanced at Sig out of the corner of my eye.
“Youngest brother. Let’s wrap this up quickly and have a talk.”
A gaze brimming with interest.
With a sly grin, he began his sword dance.
Wherever his blade traced its arc, Monsters were cut down in a spray of blood.
“…He really isn’t the leading successor of the Bartenberg family for nothing, this guy.”
Honestly, his swordsmanship was enough to leave me speechless.
It looked like today’s battle would end much sooner than I thought.
***
Sig said we should talk after the battle ended, but there was something else to take care of first.
“I’ve come under orders from Bartenberg to support Riot Castle.”
Right after the battle, a meeting was convened. Sig, who drew all eyes of the high command, spoke in a calm tone.
I quietly studied his face from all angles.
Suddenly, the last moments of Sig that I remembered surfaced in my mind.
‘Blown apart by the combined assault of Allen and the mages… was it?’
One thing was certain—no one of the Bartenberg Bloodline had ever died quietly in bed.
“……… I express my endless gratitude for the Bartenberg’s consideration in our hardship.”
While I was lost in my thoughts, the high command and Sig finished exchanging greetings.
Especially the beaming faces of the high command and Moritz—it seemed they were genuinely pleased by this unexpected guest.
“Could you update me on Baren’s current situation? I’ve been stationed in remote areas for years, so news has been slow.”
It was Ord, Lord of Ord Castle, who answered Sig’s question.
From the three Liches who had swallowed up Polin Castle, to the Undead War.
A concise summary of the events followed.
“Then, those strange creatures from earlier—what were they? I’d never seen their like before.”
“That…”
Suddenly, Lord Ord looked at me.
Perhaps he thought it best that I explained from here.
Following his lead, Sig’s eyes turned to me as well.
“It’s the curse of a Monster named Kalgos, one of the Demon King’s legion commanders.”
“Demon King? Legion commander…”
It was only natural that Sig tilted his head at my blunt explanation.
“They exist. Monsters of absurd strength. Anyway, our enemies are the things spawned by the curse of that bastard Kalgos.”
Demon King, Kalgos…
No point in explaining at length—it would hardly feel real anyway.
All Sig needed to understand for now was the nature of the plague Monsters.
The rest he could figure out while living here.
“A Plague Castle has risen where Polin Castle once stood. Monsters are pouring out from that castle. Each one carries a terrible contagion.”
“…A plague, you say.”
Sig glanced down at himself, tilting his head again.
After rampaging among those plague-ridden Monsters, it must have seemed odd that nothing was wrong with his body.
“Looks like the benevolence of the World Tree saved you, brother.”
***
It took Sig quite a while to grasp the situation.
That was how peculiar the state of Riot Castle was.
“I’d heard a tree was wrapped around the castle, but to think it’s the World Tree…”
Now, the tree considered nothing more than legend had taken root at Riot Castle.
It was hard to believe, but the divine energy filling every corner of the castle could only be explained by the World Tree.
Moreover, the faint scent of grass at the tip of my nose was undoubtedly that of the Elves.
I had no idea what was happening in this small castle.
After wiping his face dry, Sig raised his head.
At some point, only Sig, Richard, and Moritz remained in the meeting room.
“Brother! How have you been?”
“Ah, Moritz. Sorry we couldn’t greet each other earlier, things have been hectic. Have you been well?”
Moritz’s eyes sparkled as he stood up and gave a deep bow.
It wasn’t strange—he’d always admired Sig since they were young.
“You’ve come into your own. You’ve grown so much I hardly recognized you. Well done!”
At Sig’s affectionate praise, Moritz’s face turned as red as a ripe persimmon.
“I have followed the example of my respected brother and trained diligently. I am simply grateful you recognize my efforts!”
Thud.
Sig reached out and gently patted Moritz on the head.
Watching the two from a step away, Richard let out a small sigh.
‘Sig’s bond with his brothers is truly special.’
Stories about endless schemes and intrigue between brothers arose during Moritz’s wild days.
“You brats. Just what were you thinking, leaving the family like that?”
Sig put on a stern expression, scolding Moritz and Richard alike.
But it was just a token admonition, as an older brother.
“I doubt you left without any ambition.”
Rather, his voice was full of curiosity and interest.
Sig was sincerely curious about the path his once-young brothers had chosen for themselves.
Especially the youngest, who now stood silent with lips pressed tight.
Richard, who had grown far too much, now a young man—Sig couldn’t take his eyes off him.
The sturdy spirit was proof he had already entered the highest ranks, and the energy radiating from his body was wondrous to the point of being almost supernatural.
Now Sig finally understood why the whole Bartenberg family had been abuzz with Richard’s name.
“Of course we have ambition. Brother, won’t you join us?”
Richard flashed a sly smile at Sig.
Strangely, even that careless grin looked holy and noble.
Whoosh-!
Richard unfurled a great banner.
It was the Banner of the Cross, which I’d seen several times before.
“That’s…”
“It’s the Sacred Emblem of Hor. You must have seen it plenty on your way here.”
What followed was, to Sig, an utterly unbelievable story.
The Hor Church.
In other words, a group that worships the god Hor.
Its leader was none other than Richard, and Moritz and the Third Knight Division had left the Bartenberg family to serve Hor.
And now, even the Baren Kingdom was serving Hor.
“A god, huh…”
After some thought, Sig let out a sigh of relief.
“I’m glad you’re alive. You survived without being cut down by the Lord’s sword.”
No sarcasm, no mocking.
Sig showed no discomfort whatsoever that his younger brothers were serving a god.
“The path you chose. I hope you never regret it.”
It was respect for his younger siblings.
At the trust-filled look, Moritz blushed, and Richard furrowed his brow slightly.
“Guess you have no intention of coming over to our side, after all.”
“Of course not. My path is with Bartenberg, wherever that leads.”
Sig’s dream was to become the next head of Bartenberg, like Ludwig.
There was no room for anything else in that single-minded ambition.
Richard clicked his tongue at the unshakably resolute attitude.
***
Bartenberg’s reinforcements brought a powerful vigor to Riot Castle.
It was so palpable, I could feel anew just how strong the Bartenberg family’s influence truly was.
Of course, it wasn’t that I trusted Sig Batenberg more than the Hor Church.
It was just easier to think of it as having another pillar supporting Riot Castle.
“So, what are you doing here?”
I shot Sig a sideways glance.
I’d been about to fall asleep.
“There’s just something I really wanted to ask.”
Thump—
Sig plopped down in a chair as he pleased, resting his chin in his hand.
Something he wanted to ask.
“Are you curious about how I, who was said to have mana insensitivity, changed?”
“Well, I’m curious about that too… but judging by your face, you won’t tell me easily.”
Then what brought him here, late at night, driven by curiosity?
Hmmm.
Sig hesitated for quite a while before speaking.
The longer he mulled it over, the more I guessed at what he was about to ask.
“Others say you receive revelations from God. Thanks to that, you know all kinds of secrets no one else does.”
A bitter taste began to fill my mouth.
“By any chance… do you know anything about the whereabouts of our eldest brother, Heinrich Bartenberg?”
When the question I’d feared came, I closed my eyes.
Bartenberg’s first son, Heinrich.
A man who’d vanished ages ago.
Sig had always volunteered for long missions in order to search for Heinrich.
It was Sig’s will, and the lingering regret of Ludwig, who’d lost his beloved son.
“Richard. If you know anything, please tell me.”
At his desperate plea, I shook my head.
I flatly told him I knew nothing.
I simply couldn’t bring myself to say that, for the brother with such a longing face, his brother was already dead, his body not even recovered.