Temporary Infirmary — Night of Day 1
Adelheid was lying down while dics checked her bandage for the third ti.
The combat had partially re-opened the wound—not seriously, but enough to require new stitches.
Kaito sat beside her bed, watching the process with a guilty expression.
"I shouldn’t have let you fight."
Adelheid looked at him.
"You couldn’t have stopped ."
"I could have tried harder."
"And I would have fought anyway."
The dic finished securing the new bandage.
"Commander, you need absolute rest. No more physical combat for at least two weeks."
Adelheid nodded.
"Understood."
The dic left, leaving them alone.
Kaito gently took Adelheid’s hand.
"Was it worth it? All that pain, just to..."
"Lose," Adelheid completed. "Yes. It was worth it."
She sat up slightly, grimacing.
"Because I proved sothing. To myself, to the people, to you."
Her eyes t Kaito’s.
"That I won’t give up. That I’ll fight to the end for what I want."
Kaito squeezed her hand softly.
"I know. I’ve always known."
They remained like that for a long mont.
Finally, Adelheid spoke in a softer voice.
"Tomorrow is oratory. It’s not my strength."
"I know."
"I’ll probably lose to Lilith."
"Probably."
Adelheid smiled despite the pain.
"Thanks for the brutal honesty."
Kaito smiled too.
"You want to lie?"
"No. Never."
She paused.
"But I’ll try anyway. Because there’s still strategy. And that... that I can win."
"I know."
Kaito stood.
"Rest. Tomorrow you’ll need all your energy."
Adelheid nodded.
When Kaito reached the door, she spoke again.
"Commander."
"Yes?"
"What I said today. In the arena. About protecting what I love."
Kaito stopped.
"It wasn’t just rhetoric."
Kaito didn’t respond.
He didn’t need to.
He left, feeling the weight of those words.
---
Naporia’s Room — Sa Night
Naporia was sitting on her bed, her torso completely bandaged.
Three broken ribs were no joke.
Valeria was there, helping adjust the bandages that Naporia had loosened trying to move too much.
"Stay still."
"I am still."
"You’re not."
Naporia grumbled but obeyed.
Valeria worked with chanical efficiency, but sothing in her expression was different.
Less empty. More... present.
"Why did you do it?" Naporia finally asked.
Valeria didn’t look up.
"I already told you. You wanted to win more."
"But you could have defeated . Easily."
Valeria finished securing the last bandage.
"Yes."
"Then why?"
Valeria sat in the chair beside the bed.
She was silent for a long ti.
Finally, she spoke in a voice that sounded like she was discovering the words as she said them.
"The Commander called a friend."
Naporia blinked.
"And?"
"It’s the first ti anyone has used that word for ."
She touched her own chest.
"I don’t fully understand what it ans. But I think... it involves putting others’ needs above your own."
She looked at Naporia.
"You needed that victory more than I did. So I gave it to you."
Naporia studied her for a mont.
Then she smiled—not her battle smile, but sothing softer.
"Then I guess you’re my friend too."
Valeria processed that.
"Am I?"
"Yes. Because you did sothing for without benefiting yourself. That’s friendship."
Valeria nodded slowly.
"I understand."
She stood.
"Rest. Tomorrow is oratory."
"I know. I’m going to lose horribly."
"Probably."
Naporia laughed, then grimaced in pain.
"Don’t make laugh. It hurts."
Valeria almost smiled.
Almost.
She left the room.
---
Library — Midnight
Lilith was alone, surrounded by books on rhetoric.
But she wasn’t reading.
She was staring into space, processing sothing.
Aria entered with tea.
"I thought you’d be celebrating."
Lilith looked at her.
"Celebrating?"
"Tomorrow is your trial. Oratory. You’re going to dominate."
Lilith took the tea Aria offered.
"Probably."
"Then why do you seem... pensive?"
Lilith drank her tea slowly before responding.
"Because I lost today. And I don’t rember the last ti I genuinely lost anything."
Aria sat across from her.
"Does it bother you?"
"Not exactly. It... surprises ."
She set down the cup.
"Adelheid defeated with pure willpower. No tricks. No superior powers. Just... refusing to surrender."
She paused.
"And I realized sothing. I’ve never fought like that. I’ve always used manipulation, cunning, indirect power."
She looked at Aria.
"What does that say about ?"
Aria considered the question seriously.
"It says you’re intelligent. That you use your strengths."
"Or that I’m a coward."
"Or that you’re strategic."
Lilith smiled slightly.
"You always find a way to make it sound better."
"It’s my talent."
They remained in comfortable silence.
Finally, Lilith spoke again.
"Tomorrow I’m going to win. But I’m going to do it honestly."
Aria raised an eyebrow.
"Without manipulation?"
"Without direct manipulation. I’ll use words, logic, genuine emotion."
She looked at her hands.
"But not my power. I want to win like Adelheid won today. With who I am, not with tricks."
Aria smiled.
"Kaito will be proud."
"Maybe."
Lilith stood.
"Or maybe I’ll lose spectacularly. But at least I’ll know I truly tried."
---
Main Plaza — Day 2, Dawn
The setup was completely different today.
There was no combat arena. Instead, an elevated stage with a central podium. Semicircular stands around it for the audience.
It looked more like a theater than a battlefield.
But the tension was just as high.
The crowd had returned—so different faces, so the sa. But all curious to see this very different type of competition.
Kaito was in the judges’ box with a panel of five randomly selected citizens to represent the people’s perspective.
Gorman explained the rules.
"Two parts. First: individual thirty-minute speech. Topic: ’Why I Deserve to be Queen of Neudämrung.’"
The crowd murmured with interest.
"Second part: group debate for one hour. The topic will be revealed then."
"The judges will score based on clarity, persuasiveness, emotional connection with the audience, and logic of argunts."
Kaito added.
"No use of supernatural powers. Only words."
He looked toward the preparation rooms.
"A draw determines the presentation order."
Gorman drew tokens from the urn.
"Naporia presents first."
Murmurs—so sympathetic, so with morbid anticipation.
"Followed by Valeria, then Adelheid, finally Lilith."
Kaito sat down.
"Let it begin."
---
Speech 1: Naporia
Naporia ascended the stage in her full imperial uniform.
Every movent revealed the bandaged ribs beneath.
She stood before the podium.
Looked at the crowd.
Opened her mouth.
"I’m the strongest."
An awkward pause.
"I’ve killed more enemies than the other three combined."
More silence.
"And... uh..."
Naporia clearly hadn’t prepared beyond that.
She looked at her notes—which consisted of three lines written in clumsy handwriting.
"I’ll protect everyone. With my sword."
The audience waited for her to continue.
Naporia tried to elaborate.
"The others... well, Adelheid is good with strategy. But I win battles."
"Lilith is... cunning. But I’m direct."
"And Valeria is... Valeria."
Soone in the audience coughed.
Naporia continued desperately.
"If you choose as Queen, no one will dare attack us. Because I’m terrifying."
She paused.
"In a good way."
More silence.
Naporia clearly didn’t know what else to say.
"That’s... all."
She stepped off the stage.
Five minutes of the allotted thirty had passed.
The judges exchanged glances.
One whispered to Kaito: "Can we give negative points?"
Kaito sighed.
"Just... be generous with points for honesty."
The score appeared: 4/10
Naporia saw the number and shrugged.
At least she’d been honest.
---
Speech 2: Valeria
Valeria ascended the stage in her full armor.
Axe on her back.
She stood before the podium like a soldier in formation.
She spoke in a flat, chanical voice.
"I will serve with maximum efficiency. Eliminate threats. Protect resources."
A pause of exactly three seconds.
"As Queen, I will implent optimal security protocols. Organize defenses with mathematical precision. Neutralize opponents before they beco problems."
All technically correct.
But completely without emotion.
As if she were reading an instruction manual.
"My qualifications include: superior physical strength, adequate tactical knowledge, zero emotional compromise that could cloud judgnt."
The audience listened with respect but no real connection.
"Statistically, I am the most viable option for the kingdom’s long-term survival."
She continued like this for twenty minutes.
Data. Statistics. Logical argunts.
But zero charisma.
When she finished, the audience applauded politely.
But no one felt inspired.
Score: 6/10
Better than Naporia in content, but worse in human connection.
Valeria accepted the number with no visible reaction.
---
Speech 3: Adelheid
Adelheid ascended the stage with the help of her cane.
Her posture was perfectly military despite the visible pain.
She stood before the podium.
She didn’t use notes.
She spoke with a clear voice that carried natural authority.
"Citizens of Neudämrung. Soldiers. Friends."
Her gaze swept across the audience.
"I won’t tell you I’m the strongest. Naporia is stronger than in direct combat."
"I won’t tell you I’m the most cunning. Lilith surpasses in manipulation and political strategy."
"And I won’t tell you I’m the most efficient. Valeria executes orders with a precision I will never achieve."
A deliberate pause.
"But I will tell you this: I am the one who has been here the longest. Since Dreisburg."
Her voice filled with contained emotion.
"I saw when this kingdom was nothing but an idea. I saw when we were just a handful of refugees and deserters."
"I fought in every battle. I wept for every fallen soldier. I celebrated every victory."
She pointed toward the fortress.
"This place is my ho. You are my family. And I served as Supre Commander not because I was ordered to, but because I believe in what we built."
Her voice intensified.
"As Queen, I won’t just protect you. I will understand you. Because I have bled with you. I have lost with you. I have won with you."
She looked directly at Kaito.
"And I will continue to do so. Until my last breath."
The audience was completely silent.
Adelheid continued.
"Neudämrung is not a kingdom of conquest. It is a kingdom of refuge. Of second chances."
"And I am the embodint of that. I was summoned to be a weapon. I chose to be a leader."
"I was gravely wounded. I chose to rise."
"I was defeated yesterday. I choose to try again today."
Her voice softened.
"So I don’t ask you to choose because I’m the best at sothing. I ask you to choose because I am one of you."
"And I always will be."
She bowed slightly and stepped down from the stage.
The audience exploded into applause.
Many stood up.
Kaito noticed tears on the faces of so veterans.
Score: 7.5/10
Strong. Emotional. Connected with the audience.
But it lacked the elent of future vision that so judges wanted.
Adelheid accepted it with dignity and sat down.
---
Speech 4: Lilith
Lilith ascended the stage barefoot as always.
Her dress flowed with every movent.
She didn’t go to the podium imdiately.
She walked to the edge of the stage.
Looking directly at the audience.
And when she spoke, her voice was different.
Not seductive. Not manipulative.
Just... honest.
"I am a villain."
Pause.
"Not figuratively. Literally. I was sealed away by gods because I represented a threat to the established order."
The audience tensed.
"I was a queen in my ti. I used poison—not physical, but ntal—to overthrow tyrants who enslaved their people with false religion."
"And I was punished for it. Sealed away. Forgotten."
She walked slowly across the stage.
"Until Kaito summoned . Gave a second chance."
Her golden eyes glead.
"And you know what I’ve discovered in these months here? That Neudämrung is a kingdom of second chances for everyone."
She pointed toward the audience.
"You. You were refugees, deserters, reford criminals. They told you that you were worthless."
"Kaito told you that you were worth everything."
Her voice intensified with genuine passion.
"As Queen, I would do the sa. I would take the discarded, the forgotten, the ’villains’..."
"And I would show them that they can be heroes."
She paused, letting the words settle.
"Adelheid spoke of bleeding with you. And it’s true. She has been here longer."
"But I understand sothing she cannot. I understand what it feels like to be judged. To be called a monster. To be discarded."
She looked directly at specific people in the audience.
"As so of you were judged. As so of you were discarded."
"And we chose to rise anyway."
Her voice dropped, becoming more intimate.
"I don’t promise you I’ll be a perfect Queen. I’ll be a Queen who understands darkness. Because I’ve lived in it."
"And that is why I can guide you toward the light."
She walked back to the center of the stage.
"Neudämrung doesn’t need a Queen who is strong. It needs a Queen who is wise."
"It doesn’t need a Queen without fear. It needs a Queen who understands fear and chooses to act anyway."
"It doesn’t need a perfect Queen. It needs a real Queen."
She looked at every section of the audience.
"And I am real. With all my flaws. All my scars. All my dark history."
"But also with all my experience. All my determination. And all my commitnt to this place that gave a second chance."
She bowed deeply.
"Thank you for listening. And for considering that a villain... can also be a queen."
She stepped down from the stage.
The silence lasted three seconds.
Then the audience exploded.
Not just applause.
Cheers. Whistles. People standing.
Kaito watched, fascinated.
Aria, sitting nearby, whispered: "She said she was going to be honest."
"And she was," Kaito responded.
Score: 9.5/10
The highest of the day.
By a wide margin.
---
Break Before the Debate
The four queens were in separate waiting rooms.
Naporia knew she had lost spectacularly.
Adelheid knew she had done well but not enough.
Valeria wasn’t processing the result emotionally.
And Lilith...
Lilith was alone, looking at her hands.
Still trembling slightly from the adrenaline of speaking with such honesty.
Aria entered.
"You were incredible."
Lilith looked up.
"Was I?"
"Completely. Genuine. Powerful. No tricks."
Aria sat beside her.
"How did it feel?"
Lilith considered the question.
"Terrifying. And... liberating."
She smiled slightly.
"Maybe there is power in honesty after all."
---
Group Debate — One Hour Later
The four queens ascended the stage together.
Four podiums arranged in a semicircle.
Kaito announced the debate topic.
"How would you handle a famine crisis threatening a third of the population?"
The four tensed.
It wasn’t a theoretical question—it was a situation Neudämrung had recently faced.
"Naporia, you begin."
Naporia cleared her throat.
"We hunt more. Organize mass hunting expeditions."
Pause.
"And... uh... maybe trade with other kingdoms."
Short. Simple. But not detailed.
"Valeria."
"Efficient rationing. Per capita caloric calculation. Optimized distribution based on labor need."
Technically correct but without compassion.
"Adelheid."
"Organize military agriculture. Soldiers farm during peaceti. Establish communal farms. Implent crop rotation."
Solid. Practical.
"Lilith."
Lilith took a mont before responding.
"First, we assess available resources. Not just food, but also relationships."
"Negotiate trade with allies—Stahl, for example. Offer Adenites in exchange for grain."
"Simultaneously, redistribute resources internally. Those who have more, share. Not forced, but incentivized."
"Plant fast-growing crops—potatoes, turnips. Harvest in sixty days."
"And establish a ration system that is fair but flexible. Families with children receive more. The elderly and manual workers as well."
She paused.
"But also sothing more important: transparent communication. The people need to know what’s happening, why, and how long it will last."
"Panic kills faster than hunger."
The audience murmured with approval.
The debate continued for forty-five minutes.
Naporia tried to contribute but got lost in details.
Valeria offered efficient but inhumane solutions.
Adelheid proposed military structures that worked but were rigid.
And Lilith...
Lilith navigated every scenario with a combination of pragmatism, empathy, and long-term vision.
When it ended, the audience voted.
Results:
· Valeria: 15% (respect for efficiency, but no connection)
· Naporia: 18% (honesty appreciated, but clearly out of her elent)
· Adelheid: 28% (solid, reliable, but predictable)
· Lilith: 39% (a combination of intelligence, empathy, and communication)
Kaito stood.
"Winner of day two: Lilith."
The crowd applauded.
"Updated score: Naporia one, Lilith one, Adelheid zero, Valeria zero."
He looked at the four.
"Tomorrow: Strategy. Prepare yourselves."
Day two had ended.
And now it was tied.
Everything would depend on the next two days.
Reviews
All reviews (0)