***(Kaede)
They sat around a single table in the guest room of the Rising Knight order's quarters. Kaede, Barius and Neli nodded for Willen to continue. Jiyu was also there, she sat in silence.
"It's a bit of a silly story..." (Willen)
"...?" (Rest)
It was finally time for Willen to explain everything. She had promised to come clean. Well, she was only a little suspicious for visiting the same desolate area like a personal hideout. They could have interpreted the memory labyrinth as a trap and killed her on the spot, thankfully they were a little more prudent and less impulsive than that.
They sat in bated breaths, gazes focused on her complexion. She felt like she was being monitored by limitless quantities of surveillance TVs. As if her very blood stream was picked apart and analysed, a creeping fear squirms in her chest with a hint of ticklishness and mostly anxiety. Her stomach trembled, she felt like she was about to spill significant and personal secrets, but this information she was about to divulge was barely related to her at all.
It all started from an anonymous tip that led her to the aftermath of the battle between the rogue and Harald. She had contacted a person with a clairvoyance skill to find Harald since he hasn't tended to his shop or opened a new one for quite a while. He was missing for an entire month, and finding out he was dead was akin to digging her heart out with a spoon.
Talking to him to purchase some metal weapons felt like it was only yesterday, her memories of his voice and tone were so vivid that it only exacerbated her grief. To know that one day she was speaking to him and the next she could no longer afford to do that... That was when the clairvoyance offered more information...
"There was a prophecy that told of two kings. The first was the ruler, eltmania Belldivan Karell and then the other was the tyrant, Leznursia Miastanew Kaitmei. The tyrant tried to usurp the throne but ultimately failed due to their belligerent nature, the people rebelled against the tyrant and ultimately got in his way... The winner of the 2 human kings will face off against the Demon King as a representative of humanity. " (Willen)
Everyone else looked a little confuse, forcing themselves to see how this silly fairy tale was related to anything about them.
"... It sounds... Incredibly generic.. But the names are so specific... " (Barius)
" Of course... These names are merely monikers. What's troublesome isn't how generic this fairytale sounding prose is, but that an actual person has begin to claimed themself as Karell, the kind ruler. On the other hand...
There is another individual claiming to be Kaitmei, the tyrannical king. For now this story is confined within central, but it's fact that this information has spread unnaturally far and an uproar is brewing among the citizens. " (Willen)
It was a prophecy, but not only that, there were people who believed in it. With that, anyone could infer how it's popularity spread amount the citizens like wildfire. Arriving in a post-modern age where they lost the joys of digital entertainment, a large portion of humanity became incredibly bored. They felt their new lives mundane, but most people found work that they could do and buried themselves in it, not only to make a living but to occupy their lives.
That was why people were extremely susceptible to learning new skills and picking up menial skills to revive the modern era. To rejuvenate the golden age as fast as possible... It was what they told themselves as a source of motivation.
" What would be the point in calling themself the tyrannical king...? I don't... Get it...? " (Neli)
Kaede looks at her expectantly. This wouldn't be the only thing, that would be way too superficial. There was so much more that they were missing here from the prophecy. Willen spoke up as she brought out the blade that she found in the labyrinth of memories. The link was finally here, it would relate the legend to them.
"... This is a legendary blade... It absorbed 2 magical girls, 1 human who had reached the level of a magical girl and a normal human...
There is an additional prophecy that was attached to this blade. The one who is acknowledged by the blade will face the Demon King. Meaning the battle between the 2 human kings, whether it would be political as they try to rally followers, or whether it is decided based on pure strength... None of it would matter as long as the sword chose them. A prophecy that would overwrite another prophecy, contradictions that flow harmonious with each other and coexist..
Discrepancies from it will overlap and become even more rooted in reality than 'common sense'. In other words, there is going to be a fight over which prophecy reigns supreme, which reality will superimpose on the other and become truth... A battle of myth and reality. " (Willen)
A second prophecy, one that would be more relatable to every citizen. A person, any person could find the mythical sword and fulfill their role of vanquishing the Demon King. It had nothing to do with human royalty, rather it included the entirety of humanity in the fight against demons.
" From what you described... The fight may involve being part of the myth and making it into reality... But is there really any meaning to it? What if the myth simply doesn't hold up? " (Kaede)
Responding to Kaede's inquisitive soliloquy, she caught her breath as she recovered from speaking from a while.
"... We would need a specialised magic to destroy the myth. That's where reality comes in. While you can ground your myth in reality, becoming an arms race to fulfill the prophecy in a way that serves yourself, you could also just completely go against the prophecy. Though it would be harder in that I doubt any of us have this specific magic that defies destiny or predestination.
The prophecy was given by a high ranking oracle that remains anonymous. When asked about their allegiance to any particular faction, they simply said they were an ally of humanity.
Now, using divination like this to reveal a miracle, it could be that they discovered a legend that will happen in real life. But put in another perspective, they might have the ability to write the destiny into others, in other words they didn't reveal a myth but wrote one that would alter reality to fit it. Like a writer producing a script and making the characters follow it, to break through it would be akin to breaking out of your fate.
Of course, optimistically, we would work on both of these fronts. " (Willen)
" From what you've said, it means anyone can claim to be Karell or Kaitmei. Should we elect someone from our team for both of these positions? It would be difficult to elect more than 1 person in the same role unless we all split up into solo teams..." (Kaede)
"... I'll be Karell. But I won't be just some pushover kind king. I'll rule as I like. " (Neli)
"... Then I'll be Kaitmei. An iron fist will be all that is necessary. " (Kaede)
Perhaps they wanted to challenge themselves, or perhaps there were other underlying motivations. But with no contest, this would be the final selection
" The order will support Neli after consulting with the higher ups. Paridia should be in a nearby town since she visited not long ago. Frey has come back from her fight with The Eye God, she didn't manage to defeat her as per usual. But The Eye God is oddly merciful enough to let her go each time, Frey becomes more efficient and stronger each time she returns... Or so she says...
Oh, and Kaede, I'm sorry but you know about public image and all that. We can't support the both of you nor could we stand behind someone calling themselves the tyrannical king with a straight face. Barius will have to be your sole supporter unless you find more magical girls from outside the order to help you. " (Willen)
"... That should be simple, it's not like I quit my job. I'm still the commander of the forces in the Southern labyrinth. There should be some credibility in my endorsement. " (Barius)
Kaede contemplates over the offer, it seemed that she had some dissatisfaction with it. She couldn't exactly place a name on this feeling that swallowed her heart whole when she thought about it, it wasn't as intense as repulsion but it set off discomfort that crawled up her spine. Something that should not be... Was best how she could describe it.
She didn't want to implicate any more of Kaori's friends in her own business. For an ego that's freshly learning to live in the world, she had an odd amount of compassion and sensitivity towards life. Perhaps it was a product of Kaori's artificial memories and Kaori's comrades that stuck to her vicinity.
"Are you fine with putting your subordinates in danger? I'm not. I don't feel comfortable putting the lives of others before mine to achieve some lofty goal. I can't explain why, but I simply can't..." (Kaede)
"... There will be more than just fighting in this you know? Shouldn't you have figured it out after that entire fiasco in the Illnoia Administration?
When running a contest of charisma, there are many other qualities that you need, but you lack. Not to mention the logistical troubles of running a campaign. " (Barius)
Pulling up her resolve, Kaede declared.
"... Then I'll take care of it. I'll defeat my past self in capability.
At that time, our knowledge of magic was rudimentary compared to our present selves, after countless battles it seemed that there was always a path forward. While it's still mostly using brute force, they require tedious preparation to expose the weak points if enemies.
In any case, I doubt the other candidates would openly attack one another. That would be quite frankly too barbaric. " (Kaede)
"... I see, doing it through brute force would indeed set you out from the other candidates. But it will practically be a gamble. Not to mention... Being the tyrannical king will set you at an advantage. That's the typical response." (Barius)
No matter how they went about it, there would always be the presence of this disadvantage. Would anyone really want to be ruled by such an autocracy? While there were a few popular autocracies that Barius could think of, thriving before The Great Disaster sent them into a state of utter disrepair, there was no way people would be receptive to one that hasn't formed and built a reputation yet.
In the end, the only silver lining was that the human King was a figure head. They wouldn't actually do any of the ruling lest they risk offending the god magical girl of this faction. Initially even these bigwigs met a lot of resistance. Ideas of being ruled or governed by women and general distrust in their professional capabilities. Needless to say, they struggled for quite a bit before stabilising after.
Then in the end, this human King business was more akin to an idol popularity battle. Then did it come down to their looks? If the general population knew that this wouldn't have any effects on their lives, how would they react? The only way they could get passionate and this riled up by a mere prophecy is most likely due to the misconception that this competition would affect their lives.
Barius was likely right, her words held more truth than she thought. A team that could pull out an advertisement campaign would be very helpful. If she sets up her own billboards, it would only seem like she had no supporters of her own, which was partially true.
"..." (Kaede)
Her expression alone was enough to tell Barius that Kaede was having cold feet. She gave a deep sigh and attempted to propose one more time. She would lie a little if she had to.
"How about we compromise? I already have a team stationed in central, since they would be in the same amount of danger, then why not let them team up with us so we could mutually protect one another?" (Barius)
She hesitated a little, but she realised too late that going alone would be a folly. Barius was offering her an out, a way to escape this predicament quite easily. It was too convenient, perhaps Barius was more perceptive than she thought.
"... Fine. We'll have to operate in pairs. Do you guys still call them platoons?" (Kaede)
"Yeah. We regularly get mobilised in pairs, so there's no escaping that." (Barius)
"How many of them are there?" (Kaede)
"About 8 of em." (Barius)
Kaede began to formulate plans for her campaign while Barius went to pick them up. This time, she factored the 8 potential subordinates she would have. She didn't want to put them in danger, but there would inevitably be some lurking around the corner.
But there was definitely a difference between now and back then when she attempted battle with Frena. She could count on herself as war potential.