Ludwig was rigid and thoroughly set in his ways, but he understood honor. As a follower of Aris, as her shield, and as a teacher of paladins, his honor was acknowledged by all, and he took pride in it himself.

Naturally, having that honor tarnished—especially through dirty tricks—was bound to anger him. But perhaps the last incident had been his final chance to salvage matters. No matter how he resisted, he would end up entering the Forest of Four Seasons. Now, it seemed he was merely lashing out with his back to the precipice.

Even so, he stepped forward to defend his honor to the very end. Not just his own honor, but the lives of others as well.

'They all got away safely.'

Ludwig surveyed his surroundings. Lace and the rest of the investigation team had already scattered. Soon, they would become the seeds of a revolution.

The sword had made all of this possible—the gift he had received just before entering the Forest of Four Seasons. The power of that sword, shining like a green galaxy, inspired awe even in Ludwig. He had fought countless battles as Aris's sword, but never before had he encountered such a frightening weapon.

'Mishandle this, and it could become a demonic sword.'

Unlike the holy sword Revolution, it amplified its wielder's abilities. Yet even the wielder struggled to control it, and a single mistake could mean cutting himself. It was fortunate he had exercised the utmost restraint in battle. Otherwise, he could have been in danger.

'Just what sort of being created this sword?'

Its power was astonishing. The problem was that there was too much of it. So much, in fact, that he could not focus solely on the battle: one slip, and the aura ran wild.

Breathing hard, Ludwig looked ahead. The oversight team was still glaring at him. Their helmets hid their faces, but he could sense it clearly. They were afraid.

"What are you afraid of?"

"..."

"Come. Your enemy is right here," Ludwig said bluntly.

If the Hero was Aris's sword, Ludwig was her shield. The idea that the oversight team could break through him was absurd, especially now that he held a terrifyingly powerful blade.

With all the other investigators gone, the oversight team had no alternatives left. They could charge in and die at Ludwig's hands, or return and be purged by the pope.

With the Forest of Four Seasons behind him, Ludwig had nowhere to escape either. Nor did he have the strength to break through the oversight team. He had pushed himself somewhat too hard to scatter the seeds. That sword alone was somehow keeping him going. Both sides were utterly trapped, with no way forward or back. No solution presented itself.

"What do we do?"

"What do you mean, what do we do? Why aren't you charging him?!"

"Didn't you just see? The ones who tried that ended up in the Forest of Four Seasons!"

"Damn it. I'd rather it were a cliff."

The oversight troops whispered among themselves. Ludwig was not the only thing they feared. There was also the Forest of Four Seasons behind him. Once they entered, they would never emerge again. Several of their number, starting with Archbishop Odon, had already been forced inside. Having seen them vanish without a trace the instant they entered, the others could not help hesitating.

'They're wavering.'

With his years of experience, Ludwig immediately read the mood among the oversight troops. They, too, were hesitating because every avenue was blocked.

'Not that my own situation is any better.'

His prospects were far from bright. They were grim, if anything. Even if he broke through and survived, his honor would be dragged through the mud. With the pope's stranglehold on Eldorado, manipulating the press would be child's play.

Besides, having been the Hero's teacher made him a perfect fit for their story. They would claim Ludwig's ideology had corrupted the Hero, or something of the sort. It was so predictable that he could only give a wry chuckle. Precisely because he understood honor, he wanted to avoid disgrace above all else.

'Good thing I dealt with that pig first.'

With Archbishop Odon gone, there was no one left to issue orders. All the veterans had either died at Ludwig's hands or been forced into the Forest of Four Seasons. No one knew whom to obey. Confusion was inevitable.

"You seem quick to grasp the situation. Return as you are, and you'll be purged. Attack me, and you'll die."

"..."

"I have a proposal."

The oversight troops exchanged glances at Ludwig's offer, silently asking whether they should hear him out. With no better options, they decided to listen.

"If you return now, you'll die at the pope's hands. Even if you kill me, the outcome will be the same."

"What? What are you talking about..."

"No one wants to tarnish my honor more than the pope. Do you know why he wants me to go missing?"

Ludwig was stubborn, but he was not stupid. He had a temperament much like a certain forum admin's, with years of experience added to it.

"To keep me from becoming a martyr."

"..."

"Even if you bring him my head, the pope will make every last one of you disappear on some trumped-up charge. I go missing. You are executed. There will be no one left who remembers what happened here."

It was not an absurd claim. On the contrary, it was a plausible scenario. The pope had built his reputation by purging 'subversives.' To preserve that reputation, he would think nothing of creating dozens—no, hundreds—of innocent victims. The oversight team was part of that process. Either way, their fate was death.

"H-how do you expect us to believe that...!"

"Because that must be how they created the Undying King."

"..."

"Breaking one man so thoroughly that he brings an entire nation to ruin would be easy enough. Countless people would be killed or injured in the process."

The mention of the Undying King silenced the oversight troops' objections. Eldorado had gone so far as to commit a massacre to break the king of a small country. There was no guarantee that cruelty would never be turned on them. The comparison was too apt for them not to waver. The instant Ludwig sensed their faith cracking, he made his proposal.

"So run."

"..."

"Choose. Flee the Holy Kingdom, or wait for me to recover."

"... Will you kill us once you recover?"

The oversight trooper who spoke had a deep voice, taut with tension. Ludwig gazed at him before giving an unexpected answer.

"No."

"Then what?"

"I will enter the Forest of Four Seasons."

"What?"

The entire oversight team looked bewildered by that unexpected answer. Naturally so. They had thought he was fighting desperately to avoid entering the forest, but that was not the case. In fact, Ludwig had made up his mind to enter long ago. He explained so they could understand.

"By sacrificing my own honor, I can protect the honor of others. Let them say it was my misguided teachings that created a turncoat."

"..."

The pope had put up human shields to protect his own honor. Ludwig, however, offered himself as the shield—an act befitting Aris's shield. Perhaps his words and actions had stirred something in them. One by one, the oversight troops faltered and began lowering their weapons.

Their instinct to survive, their desire to live, and beyond that, the sincerity in Ludwig's words—all of it came together to break their will to fight.

"A wise choice."

"... When will you go in?"

"In one hour."

No sooner had Ludwig spoken than he sat down in the lotus position to practice his mana training method. The oversight troops were dumbfounded. Training his mana with the people who had been threatening his life moments ago right before him? It defied common sense, and murmurs inevitably broke out.

"Should we strike?"

"Are you crazy? What if it's a trap?"

"Once he's fully recovered, he might come after us."

"Ludwig wouldn't do that. Trust him."

But the oversight troops trusted Ludwig. They knew how upright he was. Even setting their recent conversation aside, there was nothing murky about his character. On the contrary, it shone as brightly as the Hero's. While he practiced his training method, they gradually backed away. Before long, most had begun withdrawing, leaving only enough people to confirm that he entered.

"..."

An hour passed, and Ludwig finished his mana training. He slowly opened his eyes and looked ahead. Only two oversight troopers remained in view.

'Most of them seem to have left.'

He checked for presences nearby, but there were no others. Slowly, he rose to his feet. The troopers flinched as he stood, apparently frightened before he had even done anything. He stared at them, then spoke in his usual blunt voice.

"You two."

"Y-yes, sir?"

Ludwig's tone was gentler than before. Without thinking, the trooper answered respectfully.

"Are you the newest recruits?"

"P-pardon, sir?"

"I asked if you're the newest recruits."

At the rather unexpected question, the two exchanged glances. Then, after a moment's hesitation, they answered in decidedly timid voices.

"Y-yes, sir! That's right! I've only just finished my apprenticeship!"

"I joined a year before him, sir!"

At their drilled, military responses, Ludwig chuckled. At the same time, he felt sorry for them. Even fresh-faced recruits like these had been dragged into this dirty business.

'What will become of the Holy Kingdom?'

He had fulfilled his duty as Aris's shield, yet failed to protect what lay within. To restore the Holy Kingdom to its true self, the rotten parts would have to be cut away. That was a task only the sword could accomplish, not the shield.

"..."

Ludwig turned his back on them and looked at the entrance to the Forest of Four Seasons. It shimmered like an aurora, revealing all manner of environments beyond it. Fearless though he was, Ludwig was still human, and he, too, feared the unknown.

'What sort of place... lies beyond this?'

Fear of the unknown. And curiosity. He hesitated, then slowly reached out. His hand passed beyond the aurora. He felt nothing at all.

Having taken the first step, it was time to bring the rest of himself through. Slowly closing his eyes, he murmured a prayer.

'Aris, protect me.'

STEP. STEP.

Ludwig walked into the Forest of Four Seasons. A strange sensation settled over his body. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

"..."

The first thing he saw was a vast grassland. Green stretched as far as the eye could see—a far cry from a forest. He stared blankly across it, then looked behind him. He should have been able to see where he had just stood, but impossibly, there was nothing but verdant grassland.

'Is this where that Wild Grylls fellow is?'

Ludwig immediately tried accessing the forum. He was not used to it, but the process itself was not difficult.

The forum cannot be accessed from this area.

"..."

Of course, ease of use was beside the point when access itself was blocked. He studied the message displayed before him, then silently closed it.

He could not access the forum. That meant only one thing.

'This is definitely the Forest of Four Seasons.'

The forum could not be used inside the forest. That had not changed. How, then, could Grylls use it? He suddenly found himself wondering.

'I'll find out when I ask him in person.'

Ludwig began walking slowly. Vast though this grassland was, he would surely meet the man eventually. He did not know when that would be, but it was far better than staying put.

Ah. Of course.

"Munch. Munch. Munch."

"..."

Finding him was one thing. The welcome was another. Ludwig craned his head back to look up at an animal.

Its mostly yellowish body was covered in brown patches. Its long legs towered far above Ludwig's head, their sturdy muscles particularly striking. But something else stood out far more. It was beyond odd—it was bizarre.

'Its neck...'

Its neck was far, far too long. Long enough for it to eat leaves from towering trees with ease. Its head, neck, and torso seemed so mismatched that it was downright grotesque.

Even with all his worldly experience, Ludwig had never seen such an animal in his life.

'... How can an animal like that even exist?'

Had Grylls seen it, he would have called it a giraffe.

After watching the giraffe feast for a long while, Ludwig shook his head.

'This truly is hell.'

Otherwise, no animal like that could possibly exist. With that thought in mind, he walked past the giraffe.

"Nom, nom, nom. Nom, nom."

Regardless of his opinion, the giraffe simply kept enjoying its leaves.