When I returned to the camp, it seemed to be bustling with activity.

Crowding in were Neias Holy Knights.

Seras has already gone out of the camp together with the princess.

From the looks of it

It seems that the time they spent before her farewell she spent with her was reasonably well.

Seras noticed right away my return.

With a hand gesture

Just stay right there for now.

After telling her so, Seras returned to dealing with the Holy Knights.

[It seems that Seras still had the affection of her subordinates.]

With her voice still changed, Eve continued.

[Im sure that the Princess Cattleya has a lot to do with the fact that shes still so well-liked.]

If you only look at her previous actions, Seras was the leader of the Kings who abandoned her country just when it was on the brink of being occupied by the enemies.

However, its likely that the princess skillfully manipulated their impressions of her.

I had my own ideas, so I let Seras escape at that time.

Did she explain it that way to the remaining Holy Knights?

Otherwise, it was unlikely that everyone would treat the Former Knight Leader with such warmth.

And, in fact, Seras came to this place as their allies- She even brought allies to participate in this war.

Ive been making Seras do things differently just in case something like this were to happen.

And if it were explained like so, the Holy Knights

The Princess let Seras-sama escaped with consideration for the benefit of our future.

Then, they were convinced- or rather, they dont have any choice but to be convinced.

Regardless of what the intention may be, Seras escape at that time has led the situation to this.

Its because everything ended this way.

But well

[In the end, all of Princess Cattleyas actions must have been for Seras best interests.]

[That Princess is just thinking about Seras Ashrain wellbeing huh.]

Touching her chin, Eve took a sidelong glance towards me.

[What is it?]

[Seras Ashrains future now entirely depends on you though.]

Fuunnn I snorted.

[I guess thats true.]

As we parted ways for the time being, a well-dressed knight turned up in the camp.

I could see Neias crest in her clothing.

[Cattleya-sama, Duke Polarie has come to visit along with an Alion commander. How would you like me to respond?]

Tilting her head, the Princess checks her pocket watch.

[There should still be some time before the war council begins though.]

[No, actually]

The knight glances at Seras.

[We were hoping to meet Seras-sama is what they said.]

Glancing down for a bit, the Princess have a small smile on her face.

[I see. Come to think of it, Duke Polarie was quite obsessed with Seras remembrances, wasnt he? However, you should rather get the permission of her current master rather than mine, dont you think?]

Saying so, the Princess looked towards me.

Then, the Holy Knights gaze followed hers and turned towards me.

However I have my convenient mask.

While wearing a mask, the others couldnt read the slightest change in my expression.

I may allocate my attention resource to controlling my expression towards other areas instead.

Stepping forward, I said.

[Duke Polarie is a noble from Alion, wasnt he? Would having Seras meet him to be in the best interest of the Holy Kingdom of Neia?]

For a moment, the Princess looks like shes struck by surprise.

However, she soon regained her smile.

[Thats right Duke Polarie is the next head of a dukedom thats highly renowned not just in Alion. So that we could maintain his good impression with our country, it wouldnt be disadvantageous if we consider the future or so thats what I think.]

I see I said.

[In that case, it should be fine to have him talk with her on the condition that Princess Cattleya was to accompany them. Of course, that would only be if Seras herself is fine with it]

Looking like she understood, Seras places her hand on her chest.

[Id be happy if I can be of any help to the Princess. Ive also received Milords permission.]

Seras quickly left the camp with the Holy Knights in tow.

Atop her horse, the Princess stops near us.

[Thank you very much for your concern.]

[Ive heard that in this war, the Holy Kingdom of Neias return to the Holy Alliance will depend on your merits. That decision is made by Alions Goddess, the person who reigns as the de facto leader of the Holy Alliance In that case, the impressions from Alions most influential people should be important at some point. Besides]

I look up at the Princess atop her horse.

[If youre with her, I know that there wouldnt be anything strange happening there.]

[You can leave that to me. I know how to deal with those mens perverted idiocy to a much greater extent than Seras does. I will live up to your trust, Berzegia-dono. And then]

The Princess is looking in a certain direction.

[That thing weve talked about earlier, it seems to be ready. Ive already given them instructions The rest will be just as Berzegia-dono sees fit.]

I lightly bowed.

[Thank you for your assistance.]

[I feel that just this wouldnt be enough, considering what youve done for us though. Including that incident with the Five Dragon Warriors, our debts toward you arent something we could easily repay. Well]

The Princess gracefully her hand over her mouth.

[If my marriage to Civit Gartland had gone just as planned, and if I had carried the child of Humanitys Strongest in my womb, and if my child had been born inheriting the blood of someone worthy of being called the strongest, I would have made my child carry the flag of the people opposing Bakuos or so thats what I think.]

She lightheartedly said.

She certainly is quite a frightening Princess-sama.

However

[I guess it was because you were by her side, Seras was able to keep her purity among the impurities of this world.]

[.]

[I really admire your iron will. Even after you lost your father, the former king, and even your own country, you never lost hold of your will. Always thinking of your country and striving to do your best This is exactly what a person who stands above others should be.]

In terms of the locations of each country, the Holy Kingdom of Neia may be an important piece in the future.

Theres no harm in flattering them and acquiring their goodwill.

Well, all those flatteries Ive said were actually true though.

Thereupon, the Princess

[If I didnt feel that my people were worthy of my protection, I wouldnt have been so desperate in this place, I would have abandoned my country and fled long ago.]

is what she said.

Fumu.

[That isnt just you acting on your duty as royalty, but thats also because of your personal feelings huh.]

[Thats also the same case with Seras. If I felt that Seras wasnt worth protecting, I wouldnt have protected her from the hands of my father, and I dont think I would have let her escape from the demonic clutches of Bakuos.]

[Youre also a Princess worthy of such protection more than you thought. You should understand looking at Seras.]

Silence enshrouded the area for a moment.

I look at the appearance of the Princess lit by the bonfire slowly swaying about.

Her dignified features.

Her face is probably always wearing makeup.

I wonder if this unique atmosphere drifting in the air is because of her elegance?

Returning her gaze to me, the Princesss eyes relaxed.

[Youre a strange person, Berzegia-dono.]

[Everyone would think youre strange if youre wearing a mask like this.]

[Thats not what I mean- With all due respect, I never thought a gentleman like you would be what Seras likes.]

With a hint of admiration, the Princess said.

[Im also a little curious to see what youll look like when you take off that mask. The strange thing is that you dont look like youre acting on a false persona even when youre currently wearing your mask. How should I say this Its like there are two real people inside you or so thats how I strangely felt.]

The direction Seras and the others were heading has somehow become crowded.

We decided to take a detour and avoided that crowd.

Unassumingly, I brush away the curtain with my hand.

I then stepped into the camp enclosure, followed by Eve.

(T/N: / jinmaku)

A curtain functioning as an improvised blindfold, concealing the interior of our camp from the outside.

However, theres no ceiling in our camp just like the Princess camp.

Looking up, I could see the clear night sky.

(T/N: Let me set this straight. Theyre in a place where there is no such thing as easily made tents, so camps there are mostly just cloths over sticks. /camp enclosure, however, are tents with cloths all over, acting as walls. if you have seen those animes with ancient Japanese settings like oda nobuna no yabou, you should be able to see them.)

(T/N: something like this, I think)

And now

Inside the camp were these things that I had asked the Holy Knights to gather.

Now then

[I think its about time for us to return.]

Standing side by side with Eve, I look down at these things.

I had asked the Princess to prepare this camp enclosure along with another request from me.

Its the collection of the wreckage of the magical chariot.

[For starters]

I used <Freeze> on the wreckage of the magical chariot.

The large wreckage freezes over in an instant.

Two war-mallets were placed in the camp enclosure.

This is also something I asked Neia to do through Eve.

Of course- its a tool that we would need to smash the wreckage while its frozen.

I take one of the war-hammers in hand.

[We dont have much time. Lets get to work fast.]

[Umu.]

And so, we began dealing with the wreckage.

Theres a limit to the number of targets I can freeze, so I could only freeze and crush them one by one.

I dont want to leave the wreckage of the magical chariot here.

I want to erase any of our traces as much as we could.

A magical chariot youve heard from a report.

The wreckage of a magical chariot.

Theres still a big difference between these two.

Theres a possibility that the wreckage we would have left behind will become an unwanted trace in the future.

[By the way, I have one question

Eve said as she worked.

[What is it?]

[If we just use the Gem of Teleportation to transfer this wreckage together as well, wouldnt it be better since we didnt have to go to the trouble of doing this?]

Thats the biggest question.

Why not just transfer the wreckage together too?

This is because theres one problem with the Gem of Teleportation.

It seems that theres a limit to the amount that can be transferred.

If there are too many materials within the range, its possible that not everything may be transferred.

is what Erika said.

Unless all the things we need to transfer has been confirmed, we should reduce the risk as much as possible.

Its just that

If its the three of you, along with Pigimaru and Slei, you should be able to transfer for sure.

or so she said.

However, we cant guarantee that everyone will be transferred if it goes beyond that.

For this reason, we want to reduce the number of materials to be transferred as much as possible.

If this is the case, the wreckage of the magical chariot is the first candidate to be removed.

However, Im not comfortable leaving the wreckage of the magical chariot that will be the trace to our existence

Thats where <Freeze> comes in.

Just like Ashintos corpses, this wreckage will be crushed and erased.

This way, theres almost certainly no trace left of it.

Im also assured knowing that I can do this by myself instead of leaving it to someone else.

[..]

For some reason

I felt like were aiming to achieve the perfect crime.

Depending on how you look at it, <Freeze> is an extremely dangerous ability.

I could dispose of as many corpses and evidence items as I want, as long as my ability wasnt known by them.

If this ability were to end up in the hands of a serial killer, it would be a really horrible story.

Thinking about my ability, I immersed myself in this work.

And thus

[I guess that should do.]

[Umu. No one would think that these powders scattered around on the ground were originally the chariot.]

The only thing left on the ground were flour-sized powders scattered about.

The powders began scattering outside a little at a time through the gaps under the curtains.

Eventually, all of it will be drifted with the wind.

[All thats left- should be our traces existing in this place to disappear.]

I take out the Gem of Teleportation from my pocket.

The more time we spent here, the more troublesome it can become.

Once were done with what we need to do- Staying here any longer will be unnecessary.

All thats left for us is to wait for Seras.

Then, Eve opens her mouth.

[However The Neians have done well to gather up all of the wreckage.]

Theyre in a situation where they dont have much time to spare on other things.

This would certainly be difficult without the cooperation of Neia.

[How should I say this, theyre quite diligent.]

I wonder if its because they were too influenced by the seriousness of their Former Knight Leader?

The tone of her voice containing a hint of relief, Eve spoke.

[Even so Im glad that no one had to leave after this times battle. No one was deeply wounded among us. The chariot may have been broken but]

Before we departed.

I remembered about what Erika roundaboutedly said.

Theres no guarantee that we can return this chariot.

-Dont make me laugh. How the heck would you get through the Northern Demon Zone instead? If I wanted to get it back unharmed, Erika wont even lend this to you in the first place

Shes aware that she may not be able to get her hands on the magical chariot again.

Thats what she seems to imply.

Thats quite generous of you that its making it hard for me not to think if you had some kind of hidden agenda.

Erika replied.

If Erikas magical chariot and my handmade magic tools can take ensure your safety instead, then so be it. It will be better for Erika to wake up with this magical chariot destroyed, rather than realizing that all of you died even when I could have helped you. Especially when I think about Liz.

Remembering such a conversation, I look towards Eve.

Eve has got down on one knee, gently brushing the powder on the ground as if shes feeling thankful.

[Without Erikas help, all of us might have not made it this far. But then again I never expected that the Witch of Taboos had that much good intentions towards us.]

Not only that, Erika is also very smart.

She would certainly be an eyesore to a certain goddess somewhere.

My gaze lowered at the Gem of Transportation in my hand.

I couldnt drag her out of that place as my ally.

If thats the case, a long-lived race that can create such a thing is nothing more than just a hindrance.

[]

If Erika was on the Goddess side

She would be extremely troublesome.

Then, Eve noticed something.

[Mhmm, this presence-]

[Thank you for waiting.]

Seras slipped through the curtains.

[You finished quicker than I expected.]

Seras smiled, though her brows were furrowed.

[Its thanks to the Princess. She skillfully brought that meeting to an end.]

She really did respond to my trust.

[How about that duke?]

The wry smile on Serass lips grew deeper.

[Should I say that the atmosphere when they welcomed me is too bewildering How should I put it]

Eve interjects.

[Its because the story of your beauty is no longer just a myth on this continent. For those who were longing to see you with their own eyes, it must have been like meeting a mythical god.]

I could certainly see a smile on her eyes, but Seras lips were crooked to a frown.

[That would be too much of an exaggeration.]

I asked a question.

[What was the reaction of Alions Duke Polarie?]

[Duke Polarie had come to visit, leading lots of his subordinates It was the first time I had personally met him but, well he was quite the passionate man.]

Although shes trying to choose her words, I could feel the bewilderment in her tone.

Seras just maintained the wry smile, looking like shes really troubled by a difficult problem.

[He even excitedly said Im not going to wash this hand I shook your hand with ever again. or something like that I dont really know how should I have responded to that. The Princess said that I dealt with the situation well but Ah, speaking of which, Princess even suggested]

The warhorse that Seras rode on this battlefield.

It is said that it was presented to Duke Polarie.

As for Duke Polarie

Ill keep this debt deep in my mind, Princess Cattleya.

or so he said, seemingly in a very good mood.

How should I put this

I guess its no wonder that it would become an achievement for the Princess.

[I feel like even if that Princess were to switch jobs to a merchant or something like that, shed still be able to succeed even with enough composure to do something else So, are you done with that?]

[I was able to spend more than enough time alone with the Princess As for the girls Ive had more than enough words with the Holy Knights. All thats left is for us to wish each other good luck for the rest of our lives I dont have any lingering emotions that can be called regrets.]

[I see.]

[In addition, it seems that some of the Heroes from Another World were also there It was mostly men in there though Umm]

It seems like she suddenly had difficulty speaking along the way.

She started talking about them while shes at it, but she realized halfway through that she had failed with the topic to talk to.

Or something like that.

Im not sure if shes being concerned about me or not, but she seems to be having a hard time saying something.

[You dont have to hold yourself back, just say it.]

[They seemed like nice people.]

[I see.]

On the other hand though, theyre also the ones who tend to leave the thinking to others.

I guess those kinds of people can easily change depending on their leader.

If they were agitated by the Goddess, they could turn into a cluster of malice in an instant.

However, its probably because of the influence of being led by Sogou in this battle, right now

They seemed like nice people.

or so her impression towards them will be.

In short, they were people who didnt have a firm sense of self.

And for that- Im really thankful for.

If everyone in the class was like Takao Hijiri, it would be really bothersome for us

Because the majority of them are like that, I can narrow down the number of people that I need to plan against.

[Ah My apologies. Even though Im certain that you-]

[Theyre just people who let the atmosphere around them drift them away, but theres nothing wrong with that- That doesnt make me think they were good people though. However, these are people we dont need to risk dealing with right now.]

If I were to mess with my classmates too poorly, I may have to run the risk of having to deal with the indeterminate factor, Sogou.

I want to avoid them, at least for now.

Instead of turning them into problems- Id rather just consider them as non-existent people.

Its because they may become problems

That I need to go back to the Witchs home once more.

And thats why

[Lets go return, shall we?]

While fortifying the outline for our future plans, I spoke the work to start teleporting away from here.

(T/N: I dunno where to put this image, so Imma place this one here.)

<Authors Notes>

Im very sorry for the gap between updates. Ive been busy recently or rather, I felt like a large part of it was where I was stuck writing the emotions I wanted to express. I havent gotten back to it yet, but I feel like Ive been able to write a lot more recently than before.

And today, 4/25, Volume 5 of I Became the Strongest with the Failure Frame Abnormal State Skillas I Devastated Everything has been released.

Volume 5 was a little thicker than the previous volumes because the draft for there were some parts that were added and discarded, some parts are checked, revised, and added. The additional written contents in this volume are

Touka, receiving special training in melee combat from Seras and Eve. And a massage (?) after that.

Erika getting drunk from the brandy she received from Touka.

Seras, Eve, Liz, and Erika taking a bath. And the scene where Seras returns to their room from a hot bath and whispers something to the sleeping Touka.

Weve also added scenes featuring Seras and Princess Cattleya, as well as scenes featuring Touka and Eve that werent in the Web Novel version, as an epilogue.

and that should be it? KWKM-sama has drawn the illustration for some of the scenes, along with the cover image for this volume too. Volume 5 also includes the illustration of Eve in her human form. Other illustrations focus on the charm of the heroines, such as Erika lying on the bed, Seras as shes fresh out of the bath, the bewildered Seras crawling on all fours, and the bathing scene of Seras, Liz, and Eve. I think youre going to enjoy reading it (More than anything else, not buying the Light Novel reduces your Seras elements just saying.)

In addition to Toukas appearance as the Fly King in the colored illustration, you could also see Seras & Eve in their Fly Knights attire. The illustration of the Touka in the Fly Kings attire in one scene is very nice, with a powerful touch that is different from other illustrations..

This was the illustration (We have received permission to publish it).

(T/N: The author received one)

Incidentally, the cover image for Volume

This Volume is also a turning point, so the atmosphere around Seras is a little different from the previous volumes.

Im sorry its too long, so thats about all Ill say about volume 5, but I just want to say thank you. To all the people who have bought Volumes 1-4, thank you very much. Thanks to your help, we were able to release Volume 5 without any problems.

In addition, the latest chapter, chapter 8 of the manga has also been updated on Comic Gardo. We hope you will also enjoy seeing this wonderfully composed and illustrated manga. The manga is also of really high quality, and Im very grateful to Uchiuchi Keyaki-sama and Uyoshi-sama (Uyoshi-sama also contributed to the elegant illustration of Mist Barkas in chapter 5. Thank you very much for that too).

About the stagnating updates of the Web Novel Ive also been thinking of updating it as soon as possible. We are struggling against the odds, but we would be happy if you could keep a warm look over at us.

(T/N: With this chapter, weve finally caught up with the raws. Id like to thank everyone for the support you gave for the novel. If a new chapter was updated, I could translate it as soon as it comes out (or as soon as I notice it). Anyway, cheers.