Unlike the extent of the external damage, there was a fair amount of foot traffic within the Town.

Given that the Knights attacked us, I had imagined this place was under some kind of control, but the atmosphere didn’t suggest that.

“I don’t see any Knights like the ones from earlier.”

Richard said—indeed, if it were under control, it wouldn’t be strange to see many Knights like the ones who attacked us, but they were nowhere to be seen.

The Soldiers on the street corners looked completely normal… Hmm, perhaps the Town was damaged a long time ago and is currently in the process of rebuilding? But if that’s the case, I don’t understand why those Knights were there earlier. Did they know the location of the Ancient Ruins and were operating to avoid drawing attention?

However, even without the control of such Knights, the faces of the people walking in the Town were somewhat gloomy. It must be due to tyranny.

Before solving those issues, I entered a shop that would buy Devices and other items. While looking at the various goods inside, I sold some of my belongings.

I didn’t think it would be pocket change… the amount I received was pretty decent. Considering the prices of the goods, it seemed like enough to cover travel expenses for a considerable period.

And during that time, I also gathered information—the result, as expected, was that things weren’t progressing as in the Story.

“The flow is different from the Story Lord Ruon knows… but it doesn’t seem like there’s an unknown enemy, for example.”

Sofia said—we talked as we left the shop and looked out at the street.

“Well, you’re right. It’s not following the Story, but…”

I scratched my head and replied to her words.

First, the Four Dragon Marquises have not yet been defeated… or rather, there’s no talk of them even having fought. Moreover, the Emperor is said to be alive.

And there seems to be a resistance force rebelling against the Emperor… but they are gradually falling into a disadvantageous situation, and their organization is on the verge of being annihilated.

Hmm, it’s entering a pattern where the Mastermind is likely to win… I try to imagine what would happen if I left it alone. Even the Mastermind hasn’t obtained combat data on the Marquises, but they probably have been provided with Documents. If so, they should eventually complete their research and make their move.

“What will you do…?”

Sofia asked. I put my hand to my mouth and thought.

“It’s still bad to leave it alone. At this rate, the Mastermind will ultimately win.”

“The timing for the Mastermind to make a full-fledged move…”

“My guess is they plan to act after crushing the Rebel Organization.”

Richard offered his opinion.

“Currently, despite the tyranny, the chaos within the Nation is subsiding. In that case, the Mastermind will be able to conduct research at their leisure.”

“In that case, the Four Dragon Marquises are the threat to the Mastermind, aren’t they? Currently, both sides are allied, but…”

“I think Nefmeiza originally intended to eliminate them, right?”

I spoke, relying on my memory.

“There’s only a conflict of interest between Nefmeiza and the Marquises. The Marquises are moving for various rewards. Originally, the Marquises aren’t loyal to the Current Emperor… some even detest him.”

“So…”

“After suppressing the Rebel Army, Nefmeiza will kill the Emperor. Then, they’ll summon the Marquises, pretend to discuss rewards, and… use the Emperor’s Dragon Magic Stone to eliminate them, I suppose.”

Nefmeiza probably had this plan in mind. In the game, the opponent just happened to be the Rebel Organization.

“Well… we’ve confirmed the situation to some extent. Now, let’s discuss what we’re going to do.”

“Before that, what’s the situation with the bound Knights?”

Richard’s words. I checked the situation here. It seems they woke up but can’t move.

“What should we do about them… Since they’re probably Knights, it would be bad to hand them over.”

I wondered if leaving them as they were would be best… Just then, a figure approached the restrained Knights.

“Ah, another Knight has arrived. Perhaps they were operating in several separate squads. We encountered one of them.”

“Does that mean there were other Angel Ruins?”

“Or perhaps they had other objectives besides the Angel Ruins.”

As I continued to observe, a Knight who had arrived from another location released the restraints. If they were to come to this Town, I would have to think of a way to deal with them, but…

They began to move. Their direction was opposite to this Town.

“Looks like they’re not coming this way.”

“What was the purpose of those Knights?”

“…The Knights’ equipment is definitely related to the Marquis. That means they came all the way here on a secret mission… Hmm, I don’t know if this is related to Nefmeiza, or if it’s the Marquis’s own independent action.”

“Are there any such instances in the Story?”

“The Angel Ruins did exist, and Yusuka did explore them as a dungeon… but there was no information about the Marquises being involved.”

How to interpret this… Well, either way, it’s probably best to keep this fact in mind.

“For now, let’s remember this information… and discuss how we should act from now on.”

Saying that, I pointed to a store. Judging by the sign, it was an Eatery.

“First, let’s grab a bite to eat.”

After we finished ordering, Sofia was the first to speak.

“Shall we join the Rebel Organization?”

“That’s one option… Whatever we choose, we need to investigate them. Yusuka, the Story’s Protagonist, will surely be there too.”

“Otherwise… shall we directly attack the Mastermind?”

“It’s the fastest solution Strategy, so it’s simple and good, but…”

“Any problems?”

“Yes.”

I said to Sofia with a troubled expression.

“Simply put, if we defeat Nefmeiza at this stage, the Nation will collapse.”

“Huh?”

“The Story has several different paths, and the timing of when to defeat Nefmeiza, the final enemy, was also important.”

–In the game, after the second playthrough, various bonus actions become available. One of them is defeating Nefmeiza. You can sneak into the Imperial Capital’s Castle at any time and defeat him. As a result, you always reach an ending, but–

“If Nefmeiza hasn’t gained power, he has no combat ability, and defeating him is a piece of cake. We could definitely sneak into the Castle and kill him in his sleep.”

“But if you do that, the Nation will collapse?”

“Well, the Nation isn’t currently being governed by the Emperor. Fundamentally, it’s being run by Nefmeiza and the ministers under his influence. If the head is lost in that situation…”

“It will be chaotic.”

Sofia stated definitively. I spoke, recalling the game’s bad endings.

“There’s a very high possibility that the Nation will fall into even greater chaos than it is now… Since all Four Dragon Marquises are currently alive, the path it will take is for them to start a large-scale Rebellion, and the Nation will end up fragmented.”

“Even I understand that such an outcome should be avoided.”

Richard stated–the fourth installment was characterized by a somewhat heavy atmosphere. Even in ‘Spirit World,’ where the War with the Demon Lord took place, it was certainly serious as wars unfolded, but many of the sub-events were idyllic, and it wasn’t dark all the way through.

But ‘Eden of Dragons’ is different. The style of the work is quite different, with mercilessly dark endings prepared. In fact, there were many types of endings due to it being Multiple Endings, but most of them were so-called Bad Endings, leading to dark conclusions.

“Even if we defeat one or two of the Four Dragon Marquises, the situation will be the same. The remaining Marquises will only cause chaos… If we defeat all of them, it might follow the Story’s flow. Well, forcing it into that shape might be the best option. The remaining problem is the Current Emperor’s treatment.”

“He’s currently incurring the wrath of the people, isn’t he?”

Sofia said. That’s right. But he’s also a victim–so, what to do?

The discussion continued, and the next to speak was Richard.