It's likely that something has happened to the king of this land, so we all decided to meet with the king first. I thought it would be best to go directly to the Devil King's castle to defeat the main false hydra, but according to Nar and Sas, we still need more manpower. We have no idea how many False Hydra are waiting for us there. How many Imperial soldiers are stationed there. Is there a hostage we should be looking out for, and more. 

Besides, if we look at it from a political point of view, by helping the king of this land to free himself from the amnesic effect of the false Hydra, not only will the Church and my country Amleth benefit from having a strong relationship, but also from making them an ally when in dire need in the fight against the Empire and the dark side of the Church. Honestly, I don't really understand, but the most important thing for me is

"Princess Siti's father is in danger, of course I will help. I don't want you to be sad" [Diana].

"You really are a nice child!" [Princess Siti]

That's my main reason for going to the castle. Princess Siti is a nice princess, motivated to learn and responsible. Besides, I'm sure Master Merlin will take her as an apprentice when this is all over, so in a way I'm helping a fellow student of Master Merlin. 

While the other adventurers are resting, Nar, Sas, Khamisah, Dana and I went to the castle together with Princess Siti. Kara, Mara and Marianne also join us, while my other friends continue to help Saintess Rumia treat the other 

"Is something wrong, Kara, Mara, Marianne?" [Diana]

"Not much, just wondering if we can help in any way" [Mara]

"Miss Vita has already mentioned that we have done our best, but we still feel that there is more we can do" [Kara].

"As a duke's daughter, I share her feelings" [Marianne].

"I see, well, Miss Vita is a commoner who doesn't do much political work, so her insight might be limited. While what she said is indeed the truth, your presence here means that they can legally help Emas" [Princess Siti].

"Hmm?" [Diana]

"Think about it, without the three supporting you, I'm sure no one will listen to what you have to say. Their presence alone made it possible for the people of Amleth to help us. That's the power behind not only their name, but also their position" [Princess Siti].

"We realized that, but... It still feels wrong when others are actively doing something" [Mara].

"As one of your mother's aides, I can assure you that sometimes it's enough just to be there. Doing everything yourself without relying on your subject is a sign of a weak ruler. Of course, you shouldn't be lazy, but at the same time, you should know that you can rely on your trusted subject" [Khamisah].

"In other word, to each their roles" [Nar]

"Don't worry! I'm here for you, now and in the future!" [Diana]

The carriage arrives at the castle gate and we are escorted into the chamber where the king is waiting for us. From the start, I sense that THE THING is already there, along with the false Hydra spell. It hasn't been that long, I'm sure. Saintess Rumia had met the king herself and she didn't notice anything back then, so this is something new. Looking around, I can see that another person is strongly affected by it, and that person is

"Me?"

"The head knight of Emas!?" [Princess Siti]

"Nonsense. I can assure you that I've had every magician and healer look at me after every mission, and they didn't find anything strange at all". 

"But it's the strongest. In fact, I dare say the spell has been deeply ingrained in your mind" [Diana].

Princess Siti has to explain to us what's been happening since we came back from the dungeon. As expected, they're affected by it, but the head knight of Emas, I feel like he's the first person to come in contact with the false Hydra. It's just my intuition, because I can sense THE THING around him, which reminded me of when I first met Kara and Mara. When I explained this to the others, Kara and Mara stepped in to further convince them. Even Khamisah herself vouches for me, and as an adventurer of SS rank, her words carry great weight

"Sigh... If it weren't for the fact that my little sister and her friends might be mistreated, I would pin him down and force him to get treatment" [Dana].

"What was that?"

The Head Knight isn't offended, but rather surprised, as Dana suddenly steps in and stares at him.

"I'm a nobody, so I'm sure my words don't mean much, but can you really not trust any of them? Your own princess has been working tirelessly day and night. The least you can do is let my little sister look at you for her sake. If there's anything wrong, she can help you. If there isn't, then great. " [Dana]

(What she said is logical, but...) [Nar]

(Her tone is borderline irritating... She's trying to hide her own anger) [Sas]

The handsome head knight takes Dana's word for it. The other knight beside him feels that Dana is overstepping her bounds, but the head knight himself doesn't mind. He's mature enough to accept the opinion of someone he doesn't know. Of course, I started to think about our conversation earlier. If it weren't for Kara, Mara and Marianne, we might not be able to convince him, or even get a chance to get an audience. 

The head knight, hesitant as he is, lowers his head so that I can tap him on the forehead. It's hard to do, so I pull out my wand and begin to remove THE THING from his mind, and when it's all done, 

"The Empire... THE MARQUIS! He's there... How could I forget!"