Invitation for Lady Terakomari Gandesblood
Members of the Mulnite Imperial Army
Steelsplash has reached its peak, and I sincerely wish this message finds you well and rejoicing in the season's blessings. As it is custom among us Warblades, I will dive straight into the matter at hand: A series of misunderstandings has soured the relationship between Gerra-Aruka and your Empire, which is why we are writing you to join us for a tea party and hopefully ease tensions between both nations. We will be waiting for you at the resort Daydream Paradise, in the Flararal region of the Dark Core Zone. We hope you find the time to join us. We wish to form a strong bond between vampires and Warblades, and we pray for peace between all six nations.
Illustrious General of the Gerra-Aruka Republic
Nelia Cunningham
Summer was made for people to stay cooped up inside.
That may not sound like much coming from the mouth of an indoors girl, but surely anyone could see the stupid hot weather was reason enough not to move an inch.
So I was totally ready to stay inside all day. I had the right to!
My mind turned to the recent big event—the vexing pandemonium that was the Crimson Match.
To be quite honest, I didn't remember most of what happened at the end, but I managed to survive regardless. The Inverse Moon conspiracy was foiled, and Sakuna had been able to overcome her past and take a step toward a new future.
Happily ever after, right?
What's even better, I got two weeks off. Why? Somehow, my Seventh Unit had emerged victorious. I guessed it was thanks to my men's unhinged efforts. Their insanity had its uses once in a while. In any case, I'd received two weeks off as a reward. Two whole weeks! Two!! Yet…
"Who goes to the beach on vacation…?"
The sky was blue. The clouds, white. The air smelled of salt, and the sun shone bright against the water…
The beach stretched as far as the eye could see, and my men were having fun playing beach volleyball. They didn't seem very focused on the game, though; for whatever reason, they kept glancing at me every once in a while. Were they expecting me to order them around or yell at them or something? Just have fun, dudes.
"Lady Komari, want a popsicle?"
I turned to the voice, which came from a girl with cool-toned blue hair. The sicko maid seemed different today, for she was wearing a skimpy bikini. Her audacity to don that in public was impressive, actually. I couldn't keep my eyes from wandering places, so I looked away as I grabbed the popsicle.
Yeah, that was good. You gotta enjoy the cold things while you can in summer.
The bikini-clad maid didn't seem to agree, though.
"Resting under the parasol is fine, I suppose, but we came all the way here to the beach. How about we go for a swim?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"There might be jellyfish in there."
"There are not. And if there were, I'd cook them right up."
"…You already know why. It pains me to admit this, but I can't swim for the life of me. I even almost drowned once in my own home when my sister pushed me into the bath when we were little. I won't last a second in those raging waves."
"You'll be fine. I will personally, intimately show you the ropes, so let's get that pesky jacket off and show your swimsuit to the world."
"Stop iiit! Don't touch me! I'll get sunburned!"
"Okay, so let me apply some sunblock. Get naked."
"I can do that myself! First of all, there's no rule that says you have to wear a swimsuit and play in the water when you come to the beach! I'll just stay right here in the shade and read a… Hey! Get away! Don't pull my clothes! Stop it! YOU PERVERTED MAIIID…! Ah…"
Splat.
My popsicle scored a direct hit on her chest. The gooey substance was all over her pale body.
"Lady Komari…"
"S-sorry."
"You mustn't let food go to waste. Lick it off, please."
"No, I won't!"
I couldn't take it anymore and ran away, but then…
"Eep!"
"Whoa?!"
…I crashed into something soft and fell on my butt. I looked up to see what happened and found the silver-haired girl Sakuna Memoir. Clad in a swimsuit, of course. And a frilly one at that—very cute.
"A-are you okay? Can you stand up?"
"Yeah… Sorry."
She helped me get to my feet, and I stared intently at her.
Her whole body was so pale. She was so dazzling, I forgot about the heat for a second.
Then I thought back on the turmoil from the other day. Sakuna had turned out to be behind the serial murders at the Crimson Tower and was given due punishment, though they took her circumstances into account, and she was given a lenient sentence. She had to wipe the long-as-hell hallways of the Mulnite Imperial Palace for a whole week and was ordered to go to war many times with other countries. Cleaning aside, the latter punishment was insanity. Why did the Empress make her Sixth Unit battle so much? She'd waged war five times in a week and said she won three of them, which meant she'd died twice. The Empress was out of her goddamn mind. I'd considered standing up for her, but Sakuna told me it was okay and talked me out of it. She was too earnest for her own good.
Anyway.
Sakuna suddenly turned red and looked away.
"Ms. Komari, would you like to…play together?"
"Huh?"
"I think we should enjoy the beach now that we're here."
"…"
Objectively speaking, she had a point. Perhaps coming all the way to a resort in the Dark Core Zone just to spend time reading was a waste.
"You can't swim, right? Shall I teach you how?"
"Mm… I would like to learn, yes…"
"Let's get in the sea, then. We'll take it easy."
"But…"
"You'll be fine. I'll be watching you the whole time," she said, her face still red.
Not fair. I would feel like a villain if I turned her down now.
"…O-okay. Trying out new things is always good. Would you mind teaching me?"
"I'd be glad to! Well then, let's start by taking off your clothes."
Sakuna grabbed the zipper of my jacket. I hesitated.
"H-hold on… Don't you find it embarrassing?"
"Wearing a swimsuit? W-well… I would if it was only me in one, so how about you show off yours, too?"
I seriously did not want to, but I couldn't turn down Sakuna.
Okay. We're at the beach anyway. People wear swimsuits at the beach. I also have to get used to being in water… All right, let's do this!
Determined, I slowly unfastened my jacket and let it fall to the sand. The salty breeze felt strangely good on my bare skin.
Then I heard cheers. I turned to the voices. My men were still enjoying playing volleyball, not even glancing at me. Huh. Okay.
"O-okay, now we're both in swimsuits," I said.
"Nice. It looks great on you."
I could feel my face heating up. The compliment did not make me feel happy in the slightest. I was essentially outside in my underwear. How was I any different from that pervy maid? Preposterous.
"Eek!" I screamed. Sakuna had suddenly poked my belly.
She laughed like a mischievous kid.
"Hee-hee… You're just like me."
I couldn't take this lying down. Touching me out of nowhere was not cool.
"D-damn you! You know I'm ticklish!"
"Oh, do I? …Eek!"
"There you go! I'm gonna tickle you to death!"
"No, Ms. Komari, please! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
Sakuna squirmed and tried to flee. I wasn't going to let her go!
Normally, I wouldn't be doing this sort of thing. Something was wrong with me. Perhaps I was acting recklessly to try to distract myself from the shame of wearing this outfit… Just as I was psychoanalyzing myself, I felt a cold stare on me. It was Vill.
"…Lady Komari, why do you let Lady Memoir win you over so easily?"
I came to my senses then. What was I doing?
"Sh-she's not. I was just playing along."
"Then play along with me, too. This is discrimination. Oh, one smile please!" Flash!
"Hey, don't take my picture! Where were you hiding that camera?! Don't you see that this is why I can't let my guard down in front of you?!"
"Ms. Komariii! Come over to the water!" Sakuna waved at me, a wide smile on her face. Her beauty dazzled me.
"My junior is calling for me. I gotta go, as her senior," I said.
"Whatever. At least I'm glad you're interested in enjoying the beach now," Vill said.
"No, I am not. I wish I could stay in the shade just reading all day. I'm only going with Sakuna because it is my duty as—"
"Enough excuses, just go play. With me too, of course."
"Hey, don't pull me! Wait, I gotta bring my floatie!"
"I've got it right here!"
"You're well prepared, huh?!"
She handed me the inner tube, already pumped up. No need to worry about drowning now. Vill and I did some light stretching, and then she pulled me over to the ocean, letting it soak my feet. The cold water felt nice. A new sensation. So this is what the sea feels like…
"Lady Komari, look over here."
"Huh? Eeep!"
A splash of seawater hit me, and I fell on my butt. I was soaked from head to toe before I could even process it. I knew exactly what had happened as soon as I saw that grin on Vill's face. Raging fire burned in the pit of my stomach.
Oh no, she didn't!
"Take this!" I splashed in retaliation.
The maid didn't dodge, strangely enough. She didn't even scream as she let the water drench her whole body.
Huh? Why?
"Hee-hee." She grinned. "Now I have the right to fight back."
"Wha…? You did it first!" I protested.
"That doesn't matter. It's war now! I will make you kneel at my victory!"
"Wait, how do we even know who wi—? Waaah! Hey, using water guns is cheating! Sakuna, help me out! Let's take her down!"
"Y-yes! Forgive me for this, Ms. Villhaze!"
"Two against one?! Fine… I'll take away both of your swimsuits with my magic!"
And so the battle began.
Needless to say, my scholarly intellect is out of this world. I may be stuck in the brutish position of Crimson Lord for the time being, but the plan is to complete my masterpiece of a novel and get published as an author. Experience in all sorts of fields is required to be a good writer. Surely all of history's greatest authors played at the beach at some point in their life. It's an investment for my future. No, I'm not just having fun. Besides, I have a duty to play along with Sakuna and Vill. Yeah. This isn't for fun. It's not…for… Huh? I
think I am having a bit of fun…
***
The Dark Core Zone. A special area where the effects of all six Dark Cores overlapped. Since everyone received the blessings of the Dark Cores here, it was commonly used for each nation's "shows"—"entertainment." Yeah, right.
Anyhow, we didn't come here to wage war this time around. One look at the relaxing atmosphere in the resort could tell you no one was about to get killed.
The truth was that we'd been invited to a tea party. By a foreign commander I'd never met, no less.
The invitation had come from one of the Eight Illustrious Generals of the Gerra-Aruka Republic: Nelia Cunningham, a Warblade rumored to be one of the strongest commanders of the six nations. She had the pompous alias of the "Moonpeach Princess," too. Why would she invite me and the Seventh Unit? (Sakuna had come along uninvited). She'd also reserved the entire resort just for us, too.
I immediately thought it was a trap. Vill agreed. The Empress, on the other hand…
"Relations with Gerra-Aruka have been deteriorating because of what transpired the other day. This invitation seems to call for reconciliation, but considering how twisted those bastards are, they must be plotting something. This Nelia Cunningham might be trying to gauge her opponent's strength to better prepare for killing us. So yeah, you should go, Komari. Assess her strength instead."
Basically, she wanted me to put my head into the lion's mouth.
Absolutely idiotic! I just wanna read and eat ice cream in the comfort of my own room!
I knew resistance was futile, however. I was one of the Seven Crimson Lords. A supreme commander. Trying to go against the Empress's orders would mean death by explosion. I really need to find a way to change jobs, pronto. Surely once I got my big break as an author, she would tell me, "Oh, I guess handling two gigs at once is too hard; it's okay, you can quit the army." Hopefully.
In any case, that was why I was at this Dark Core Zone beach.
I hadn't met Nelia Cunningham yet; her maid told us to enjoy the beach while she prepared herself to see us. The rumors said the Moonpeach Princess was a habitual oversleeper. Relatable. But anyway…
"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Vill, where are you looking?! She went that way!" I was having a blast. A disgracefully jolly time.
However, this was all for my novels! I wasn't really having fun. Well, I guess truthfully speaking, I was, but rest assured, the depths of my mind were calm—coolly analyzing the situation for future reference.
"Ms. Komari! Watch out!"
"Coming! Wh-whoa!" I barely managed to toss back the watermelon beach ball.
You lost if you let it touch the water.
The ball gracefully flew over to Vill. She ran up to it as swiftly as ever but slipped in the process, and SLAM!! Fell face-first in the water. I burst out laughing. It was rare seeing this ditzy side of hers.
"Vill's out! Punishment time!"
"Curses…"
Vill lifted her head out of the water. Her frustrated expression was something else. It made me feel glad, even, since I never got to see her like that.
Good. Let's keep on crushing this sicko maid.
We could try a round of watermelon splitting next. I also wanna do a sandcastle contest. Maybe some beach volleyball, though I'm no good at sports… No, wait, it can't all be competitions. Just resting on my swim ring and swaying along with the waves should be fun, too… Oh gosh, I just wanna do everything!
"Ms. Komari, what will her punishment be for losing?"
"Huh? Hmm."
I hadn't thought of anything, even though we'd decided the loser would do anything the winner asks. In hindsight, that was quite the risk I took, but oh well, I won, so no problem.
"Let's have her go buy us some juice. I want peach-flavored," I said.
"Oh, then please get me an oolong tea," Sakuna said.
"Got it. Right away," Vill said as she stood up.
Her bikini top had vanished.
Sakuna and I screamed and ran up to her.
"WAIT! You lost it! Your top!"
"P-put it back on quickly! The Seventh Unit guys are right there…"
"But I must go buy the drinks, as it is my punishment."
"You can do that once you're clothed again! Sakuna, look for it!"
"Yes!" She searched around frantically while I stood before Vill to prevent her from leaving.
"Stop it! Aren't you embarrassed?! Come on! What are you thinking?!"
I clung to her to try and stop her.
"Stand aside! I have a mission, and I must fulfill it!"
"To hell with your mission! Change of orders: hide your chest! Now!"
"We didn't establish any rule that allowed for a change of orders. If you want me to comply, then I will have you do as I say beforehand."
"You're insane! Fine, what is it?!"
"Forget the fact that I lost and face me once again."
What a sore loser!
"I found it!!" Sakuna exclaimed as though she had discovered a long-lost treasure. "Ms. Villhaze, please put it on!"
"I have conditions for that."
"Fine! Let's play again!"
"No, that was my condition for hiding my chest. Putting the top on will require yet another one."
"GAAAAAAAH! You're such a piece of work! What do you want now?!"
"My wish is quite simple. Lady Komari…will you practice swimming already?"
Hah? I was at a loss for words. Still topless, Villa kept on speaking calmly.
"Lord Helldeus Heaven saved you from drowning in a river before, remember? There might not be someone there to come to your rescue next time. You should learn how to swim."
"…"
Everyone already knew I couldn't swim. Not because Helldeus had spilled the beans—someone had been passing by when it happened. I feared mutiny from my subordinates, but strangely, the opposite happened; people told me things like "A weak point like that just makes you more relatable" and "How cute!" What kind of lunatic thinks not knowing how to swim is cute? Anyway, the Seventh Unit had been kinder than I expected.
"But…I can't even dip my face into the water."
"You'll be fine, Ms. Komari. I will teach you. I'll be holding your hand the entire time."
Sakuna grabbed my palm. I couldn't turn her down, not with her eyes sparkling like that. Yeah. Maybe I should learn how to swim. I'd be able to do a wider array of games, too… No, wait. This isn't for playing. This is self-improvement. I'll train hard until I can outswim a dolphin.
"…Okay. Would you mind showing me the ropes, Sakuna?"
"It would be my pleasure!"
"Hold up!" Vill cut in. Just put your damn top on already. "We can't bother Lady Memoir like that. I will teach you, Lady Komari."
"B-but I'm sure I can help out."
"No, I'd be better at the job. I'm not Lady Komari's lifesaver for nothing."
Since when did I designate you as my lifesaver?
"Then I'm Ms. Komari's snorkel!"
What in the world are you talking about?
"Lifesaver or snorkel, we should leave it up to Lady Komari to decide what she truly needs. So who is it? Do you want me or Lady Memoir to teach you?"
"Sakuna."
"Really?!" Sakuna jumped with joy.
Vill, on the other hand, looked as though she'd just gotten her face torn off by a fox. Please just hide your chest already.
"Wh-why…? I could have you swimming better than a flying fish in a single day…"
"That's not the issue. I just prefer her. Thank you for helping, Sakuna."
"Thank you for choosing me."
"Please think this through, Lady Komari!" Vill grabbed my arm. You're hurting me! And don't press your boobs against me! "Lady Memoir is
dangerous. She could try to casually touch you all over as she 'teaches' you, or perhaps she might even look for an opening to take off your swimsuit! Look at what happened to me!"
"I—I didn't take yours off! I'm even trying to give it back! I will instruct Ms. Komari!" Sakuna grabbed my arm, too. Hold on, Sakuna! There's no need to compete with her! "You're the shady one, Ms. Villhaze. I am sure you're plotting something."
"You accuse me without evidence? Did you hear that, Lady Komari?"
"You're the one who accused her without evidence! Let go of me already!" I said.
"Oh, my accusations are not unfounded. Might I remind you this menace illegally produces merchandise using your pictures?"
"Waaah! I don't do it with bad intentions! And I've been holding back from making too many lately."
"Yet you're still taking secret snapshots of her, aren't you?"
"...…No?"
"Huh? Sakuna? Why the long pause?"
"I'm well aware. Lady Memoir hides voyeuristic photos of you under her pillow to induce herself into having dreams where she does all sorts of nasty things to you."
"How did you figure that ou…?! Ahem, no, I just do it out of love for Ms. Komari! You have no right to criticize me!"
"I know I don't. I do the same myself. Out of love for her, of course."
"You do?!"
"And that's not all. I also hide pictures of me beneath your pillow so you dream about me. Something Lady Memoir can't do, huh?"
"So that's why you've been appearing in my dreams recently!"
"Guh… S-so what? I can magically manipulate her brain into dreaming about me anytime I want!!" Sakuna insisted.
"…"
It felt like Sakuna had been totally shameless as of late. I brushed away both girls' arms and yelled:
"AGH! STOP! What are you two even talking about?! I already decided Sakuna would teach me! Vill, you just stand back and wa—"
"H-hey, Terakomari! How are you doing?!"
An abrupt shout caught me by surprise.
A blond guy in swimming trunks was staring at us from the beach. I glanced at Vill at the speed of light—her top was back on. She must have donned it in a split second. Ph-phew… I looked back at Yohann Helders, who slowly came up to us.
"Uh, nice weather today, huh?"
"I guess… What's wrong? You're acting weird."
"N-no I'm not. By the way, Terakomari…"
"What?"
"…you look good in that swimsuit!"
"Huh? Thanks…"
What's he going on about? This is kinda embarrassing…
Then BAM! Something exploded. Vill had burst the watermelon beach ball with her bare hands… What was that for?! Take care of our stuff!
"Right. You should practice swimming, since we're at the beach and all. If you'd like, I can teach you—AGH?!"
The instant he tried grabbing my hand, his body became a blur—he was blown away.
Yohann skipped like a rock on the water's surface a total of three times, then sank with a splash and disappeared into the depths of the sea. I turned around to try and figure out what had happened, and a bunch of vampires were already running toward the sunken vampire, their faces bloodthirsty like man-eating sharks.
"You piece of shit! How dare you speak to the commander!!" "You bastard… YOU BASTAAARD!!" "Eat justice's fist, you sneaky weasel!!" "Die!! Die three times at least!!" "You look good in that swimsuit…? Don't state the obvious, you half-wit!!"
They started hammering and axing at him at max speed. Yup. Guy's dead for sure… Wait, wait, wait! Why are you doing that?!
"Hey! Don't do that all of a sudden!"
"Commander! Are you well?!" Caostel asked, flustered. From nine meters away.
"I'm doing fine. Why are you so far away?"
"We must not get within nine meters of you. Those are the rules."
"Wh-why? We can't play together that way."
"?!?!?! …N-no. I very much appreciate that…but first we must execute this insolent beast who dared act in perversion without permission!"
The moment he shouted those incomprehensible words, BOOM! A flame flared up from the water. Burned vampires fell into the ocean, screaming in pain. And at the center of the fire pillar was…
"That hurt, you bastards! Wanna get killed?! HUH?!"
…Yohann Helders. His ire was well warranted.
"Right back at you, you shameless lecher. How dare you speak to the commander when she's in a swimsuit? And worse, you even attempted to touch her soft, scrumptious, little hands!"
"I was just trying to teach her how to swim! Don't treat me like a pervert… In fact, your weird rule of just looking at her from afar is much creepier, in my opinion!"
"Hey, come on, you guys…," I said.
"We must stay away because we are disgusting! We lowly worms mustn't pollute the atmosphere of the sacred girls' talk! Right, Bellius?"
"Don't think you have any right to say that," the dog-man said.
"Anyway, Yohann, you have to understand your place as dirt!"
"WHAT?! It is our job as members of the Seventh Unit to serve Terakomari! And I want to support her by teaching her how to swim! How is any of what I'm doing wrong?!"
"Hey, are you listening?" I said again.
"Think with your head on your shoulders, not the one down there. It's obvious what you're trying to do. Besides, there are other people much better suited for teaching her how to swim. You stay away, fire user!"
"Ha! And you're implying you can teach her better, you deviant? I won't let you!"
"Very well, then. We shall decide who is worthier in a duel to the death, as is Mulnite custom… Let's hold a battle royal right here; whoever wins gets to teach the commander how to swim. If she accepts, of course."
"Ohhh!" "Brilliant idea." "No one will get to complain, then." "Let's do this!" "AAAH, I'M READY!!" "Oh my, it seems my right hand is itching to go wild."
My subordinates were raring to go. As always.
Weapons were unsheathed, and mana started swirling. The beach was filled with bloodlust.
So I worked up my courage and…
"S-STOP IIIIIIIT!!"
…screamed at the top of my lungs.
They all turned to look at me, confusion on their faces. I flinched for a moment, but I had to stand my ground. People could die from stray shots if I let them start a fight. Like me. I am people.
I had a lot to say, so I took a deep breath before speaking.
"Why can't you get along even on vacation?! You won't get to do anything when push comes to shove if you just try to solve everything by killing one another! Did you forget what happened last time, when preparing for the Crimson Match?! And we're in the Dark Core Zone here, okay?! The enemy could come at us at any time! Don't thin out our troops here, you idiots!"
""""...…""""
Silence fell.
Then I realized I had committed the gravest mistake in my life.
Wait. Hold on. I just scolded them? What now, Vill…?
"You are totally in the right, Lady Komari. I am relieved. This shows how much you've grown as a commander. Don't forget, however, that scolding the Seventh Unit is very likely to cause mutiny."
AAAAAAAAAAAH!! IT'S OVER, IT'S OVER, IT'S ALL OVER!!
I should hand out candies or something to get them back in a good mood! Just as I was thinking about how to make up for it, they all bowed simultaneously.
"""We're sorry!!"""
I was stunned.
Caostel said, "We were careless. Yes, it is barbaric to try to solve everything with force. We will think carefully about this next time."
"G-good. So long as you understand."
"Hey, Terakomari! Then who will teach you how to swim?"
"Huh? Well, Sakuna."
"Commander, how about this? Let us hold a competition that does not entail fighting and allow the winner to teach you."
They had zero intention of listening. Whatever, let's get it over with.
"…Fine. Then let the best swimmer teach me."
"Huh? Seriously?" "Crap… I can't swim." "Neither can I." "Same." "I'm definitely gonna lose." "I won't get to teach her how to swim now."
Are they really that stupid?
"What about beach flags? Y'know that game like musical chairs, but with flags? Perfect place for it," Bellius said, arms crossed.
That dog-head never had any intention of getting in the water. He was wearing a commander T-shirt, second edition. My smiling face was on his entire torso. Gotta scold him personally later on.
"Great idea, but we have no flags. What else could we use…?" Caostel looked around. "Oh, how about that?"
He pointed in the direction opposite of the sea. Beyond the mountains was a big tower, shining black under the summer sun. It somehow seemed out of this world…but it was the hotel Gerra-Aruka had arranged for us. It seemed semifuturistic, so I was pretty excited to stay there.
"Whoever gets there first wins."
""""LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOO!!""""
They all ran away, blowing up a sandstorm.
That's not beach flags…but oh well. I decided to forget about the guys and go back to playing with the girls.
I turned around to Vill and smiled.
"All right! Let's leave swimming for later and get back to that match you wanted, Vill. I'm gonna win again anyway!"
"I won't lose this time…but wait."
The maid put her right hand on her ear. She was speaking with someone through a Correspondence Crystal. After a while, she said, "Got it," nodded, and hung up.
"Lady Komari, play time is over."
"Whaaa—?! Why?! I wanna play some more!"
"No tantrums, please. That was a call from Captain Mellaconcey on recon. It appears Nelia Cunningham has woken up. Someone should come for us soon."
Who? Nelia? What's that?
It took me a second to remember that we weren't here for vacation. We were here to get information on our enemy!
"Wh-what now, Vill?! I'm not ready!"
"Do not fret. We have my Pandora's Poison."
"Ohhh!"
Right, Vill had the power to see the future. I'd survived the Crimson Council thanks to that, so it should prove reliable this time around, too.
"Vill…what will happen to me?"
"I'm sorry, I was so absorbed in having fun that I forgot to use it. I will check now."
"Ah… Okay. Yeah, it was fun. Could you look into it now, then?"
"Yes. However, we need someone present in the tea party to drink my blood. The best option would be to have someone from Gerra-Aruka, but that won't be possible now. And of course, we can't have you drink it, Lady Komari."
"Then what do we do?"
"Simple. We have Lady Memoir right here." Vill turned to look at her.
"Huh?" Sakuna tilted her head.
"Please suck my blood, Lady Memoir."
"Huh? …Huh? HUUUH?! Ms. Villhaze?!"
"Don't feel embarrassed about it. It's for work. For Lady Komari."
"I—I mean, yes, but… Are you okay…with me sucking your blood?"
"Yes. Please do."
"Aw…but…"
Vill took a step toward Sakuna. The latter was taken aback, anxiety showing in her eyes for a few seconds, but then she noticed the sicko maid was absolutely serious. "Excuse me," Sakuna said, then embraced the maid from behind and sank her teeth into Vill's neck.
"Anh," Vill exclaimed. She squirmed with every lick of Sakuna's tongue on her wound. Sakuna held her tight so as to not let her prey escape and voraciously devoured the blood as her cheeks turned redder.
Vampires were naturally attracted to blood—once they drank a drop, they went into a frenzy. I couldn't drink the stuff, though, so I didn't understand… I didn't know what it felt like, except that it definitely wasn't something you should do in public!
"H-hold on, you two! Isn't that supposed to be something couples do?!" I said, panting as I peered out from between my fingers.
They weren't listening to me, though. I could do nothing but stand and watch. Only fifteen seconds passed, but it felt like an eternity before Sakuna's lips left Vill's neck. The latter then glared at the former.
"Y-you took too much…"
"Sorry! I couldn't help myself."
"It's fine… You were good."
"Th-thank you. You, too…were tasty."
What is going on? What in the world am I watching?
I had this weird hazy feeling. Like I was being left out. Like my close friends had up and gone and climbed the stairs to adulthood on their own. Actually, it didn't feel like it; that was exactly what just happened!
"What's the matter, Lady Komari? Oh…that must've been too stimulating for you."
"Wh-wha—?! Don't treat me like a kid! We're the same age! Actually, I'm your senior! I was born in February!"
Vill only giggled in response. How vexing.
Then I noticed her eyes were shining blood-scarlet. Core Implosion.
"I can see it now. Nelia Cunningham…Sakuna Memoir…the Seventh Unit…they're all fine. You're not dead, either, Lady Komari. It seems we don't need totake precautions this time around."
"G-good. Yeah, we have everyone here, after all," I said, trying to contain my anxiety.
Yeah. I only had to focus on surviving. Once the tea party was over, I'd get to play with them again!
"Oh, it seems they've come for us," Sakuna said.
Just then, I heard someone's footsteps. I casually glanced in that direction.
There, standing on the white sand, was a girl wearing a gothic maid outfit. She was a Warblade, young and bright, and was beaming. She was the one who welcomed us when we first reached the resort.
"I am sorry to interrupt your fun!" She bowed with perfect movement and spoke with a warm, kind smile all the while. "Lady Nelia is finally awake.Please follow me!"
***
"Hey, Vill…what's Nelia Cunningham like?"
"She loves killing."
"Oops, I forgot my stuff back at the beach. I'll be right back." Then she grabbed me by the arm. "LET ME GO! I know enough murderers already!"
"You, too, are a murderer in the eyes of the people. And killers attract killers…or so an ancient saying goes."
"This is the first I've heard of it! I don't care either way! Besides, no matter how much I act like a slaughterer and put on airs, there's no hiding the overflowing goodness in my heart!"
"It's offset by the evil aura I radiate, so no worries."
"The only evil coming from you are those annoying comments of yours! Please don't say or do anything weird this time, I'm begging you."
"Do not fret over it. I already saw everything with Pandora's Poison."
"Ugh…"
"I-it'll be fine, Ms. Komari. Look at this lovely place she invited us to. Ms. Nelia Cunningham must be a very nice person!" Sakuna chimed in.
"Maybe! But…my gut just tells me she's dangerous. I haven't met anyone decent since becoming a commander…"
"But I'm decent, right?"
"Huh?"
"…Huh? I-I'm not?"
"No, yeah, you are. Yeah, maybe Nelia's as good a girl as you, Sakuna."
Crap, I made things awkward.
We had already showered and changed into our usual uniforms, and we were now in a room in a huge mansion by the shore. The maid had told us to wait here while Nelia got ready. The round table in the center of the large chamber brought back memories of the Crimson Council. A life-and-death meeting I'd
rather not repeat.
Well, if Vill's to be believed, then I don't have to worry about dying… I'll just try to stay calm.
"Vill…sorry if I sound too ignorant, but what kind of people are the Warblades?"
"In short, they are blade users. They say even a part of their bodies is composed of steel. This is why people sometimes call them the rusted."
I had heard about that, come to think of it. Supposedly, the people of Gerra-Aruka always had a sword on them. They don't have laws against carrying weapons? I guess not… I started feeling the danger again.
"Now that I think about it, this tea party is a secret, isn't it?" Sakuna said.
"Huh? Yeah, I think. We'd be seeing some phony journalists around here if they knew."
"Then that means it is completely a personal invitation. Ms. Nelia's letter didn't include the Gerra-Aruka national emblem. It would've been sealed by the president had it been an official document meant for international relations."
What does that mean? Sakuna sure worries about the weirdest things…
Then the door was slammed open.
I felt my heart almost jump out of my chest.
A girl was standing near the entrance. The first word that came to mind when I saw her: peach. Her peach-colored hair, tied up in pigtails, was swaying with the wind coming in from the window. She was wearing a Gerra-Arukan army uniform with a bizarrely girlish color palette.
"Welcome to my Warblade tea party, Ms. Terakomari Gandesblood."
Her eyes brimmed with self-confidence as they pierced mine.
She looked about fifteen, maybe sixteen years old, but her entire aura was different from mine. Put positively, like a veteran warrior; negatively, like a savage warmonger; even more negatively, a freaking berserker. I mean, she had TWO swords on her. For a tea party. The heck?
Nelia Cunningham, the Moonpeach Princess, approached us at a brisk pace and sat down at the other side of the table. Her maid stood behind her, smiling all the while. Vill took notice and rushed to stand behind me, too. Don't compete with her.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Nelia. Fifteen years old. One of the Eight Illustrious Generals of the Gerra-Aruka Republic. Thank you very much for coming all the way here to visit us, Ms. Terakomari."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Terakomari. Thank you for inviting us."
"Hee-hee… Please rest easy. This is a casual gathering. Let us talk about the future of my nation and the Mulnite Empire."
Her tone carried a sense of gravitas. Though for good reason—she was a true general, unlike me, a pseudocommander. A genuine killer who led an army in war. Maybe I should look closely and use her as reference.
Nelia carefully scrutinized us one by one.
"Well then, I would like to begin our tea party right away, but…who is this silver-haired girl?"
"I-I'm sorry. I'm one of the Seven Crimson Lords, Sakuna Memoir. Um…I wasn't invited here, actually. Should I leave?"
"No, please stay. You come in the same package as Ms. Terakomari, don't you?"
"Y-yes, something like that."
No, you don't?
"Then it's fine. I wouldn't want any other Crimson Lord, but you are deferential to Ms. Terakomari… I can tell that much. Besides, the more the merrier, am I right? Now then, Gertrude, please bring out our best tea for them!"
"Right away, Lady Nelia!"
Gertrude, the maid, ran off in a hurry…and immediately tripped and fell.
The room went silent. She slowly stood up, then turned toward us with a smile and scratched her cheek. "Hee-hee," she giggled before leaving the room as if nothing had happened.
Wh-what a cheery girl… So unlike my maid.
"Sorry about that. She's always been a bit of a klutz. I told her to wake me up at six today, but she didn't wake up until eight herself, so I ended up sleeping all the way until ten…but anyway." Nelia flashed me a bold smile. "Let me welcome you officially again. I am pleased to have you join us for this tea party. I would have preferred to receive you in Gerra-Aruka, but considering the tensions between our countries right now, that wasn't possible."
"No, I'm glad you invited us here. Everyone in the Seventh Unit was very happy, too… By the way, it may be a bit uncouth to ask, but why did you send that letter to me? We don't know each other, do we?"
"No, we've met before."
"Huh?"
I dug deep into my memories. I had fought against the Gerra-Aruka Republic once before, but not against this girl; it had been a scary-looking old guy. Where could we have met…?
"I figured," Nelia said, her voice sounding sad. "I knew you wouldn't remember me, but…we met at a party in the Mulnite Empire a long time ago. We talked about pudding back then."
"Oh. Now that you mention it, yeah…"
I had no recollection of it. Most of my memories from before I became a shut-in were hazy.
I tried changing the subject.
"A-anyhow, why did you invite me? I'm glad you did, don't get me wrong. Just curious."
"What would you do if I told you it was so I could assassinate you?"
My mind froze. It only rebooted after my maid poked me.
"O-obviously I'd just kill you right back! And as luck would have it, we're in just the right place to have you sleep with the fishes!"
"Ha-ha, nice one. Only joking, of course. I simply called you here because I wanted to talk to you."
Suspicious. The Gerra-Aruka Republic was a nation of musclebrains on the same level of, if not higher than, the Mulnite Empire. They killed as easily as they breathed. Honestly, I was starting to feel really stupid for fooling around so much at the beach.
"Ah, may I just call you Komari? You can call me Nelia."
"Sure, I don't mind."
"Thanks. Now we're closer to being friends." She smiled. "But there's still a ways to go. What can I do to get closer to you?"
"Let's see, how about close-quarters combat?" Vill interjected.
"Hold your damn tongue, Vill. Forget what she said. We can just talk, you know? Chat. Let's converse about world peace."
"Right. You can get to know someone better by exchanging words, not just swords… Now then, world-famous up-and-coming Crimson Lord, Terakomari Gandesblood. What is your secret? What lies beneath that shining armor of a warrior?"
Huh? Secret…? No way…no way…
I broke out into a cold sweat. Did she…?
"Officially, the purpose of this tea party is to amend relations between Aruka and Mulnite, but I have another aim: I want to know your true power. Terakomari Gandesblood's true nature."
"I see. Well, there's no vampire out there who's as easy to understand as I am. They all call me a killing champion and the strongest vampire ever, but to tell you the truth…yes, that is all correct. No need to talk with me about it, just believe the people. They know."
"I can't trust what other people say. You can only know someone's true nature by speaking with them. But yes, you are quite easy to understand. I think I get you now after this short exchange."
"Wah-ha-ha! Right? Right? I've always thought the world was too peaceful. There should be more war, more frequently."
"Yes, you are astounding, Komari."
"Huh?"
"I can feel the dignity in your every word. The pride of a true killing champion."
N…NO WAAAYYY!! She bought it?!
"Y-you think? I was trying to hide it a little bit."
"Oh, it's all out in the open. I have never seen anyone radiating such a beautiful aura of bloodlust."
"Oh please, you flatter me."
"It's true! I can see it in your face; you love murdering."
I gulped. That hurt.
"No way a once-in-a-lifetime knockout beauty like me would commit murder!" is what I would've liked to answer, but I had already donned the mask of a killer. I couldn't go back now and tell her I was a pacifist. I had to go
through with it.
"Lady Komari…why worry about her misunderstanding now? Deceiving people with empty lies has been your MO this entire time."
"I mean, yeah…but no one's ever before told me that I look like a killer…and please don't put it like that… I'm not a liar by choice…"
I was in shock, truly.
"I like you. I'll show you to my base in Aruka later; it's close by," Nelia said.
"C-cool. So you have one inside the Dark Core Zone. The Mulnite Empire doesn't have any."
"I just made one on my own. No one was living there anyway."
"That sounds illegal…"
"It is. But there's nothing anyone can do now. Total domination through force is the Gerra-Aruka way; isn't it the same in your country? Faure isn't quite a military base, but still, Mulnite controls it as though it is their own territory— am I wrong?"
No idea. Where was this "Faure" anyway?
"In any case, war is the norm in this day and age. Places outside the Gera-Aruka Dark Core's area of effect might be out of reach, but we won't spare any effort to obtain whatever territory is inside it. Surely you must understand how I feel."
Not in a million years! Though I didn't say it out loud, maybe it showed on my face, for Nelia narrowed her eyes for a moment in amusement. Oh crap, did she find out?
"Hey, Komari, how many people have you killed up to now?"
"Like about five thousand, I think."
"What a coincidence! Me too."
Someone call the police! We've got a mass murderer here!
"You pass, then. I called you here to apprehend your true nature, but not only that—I was also hoping to recruit you if you did live up to my expectations."
"Recruit me for what?"
"To join my plans of world domination," she said with a smirk.
Shit. She's out of her goddamn mind.
I could tell this would lead to nowhere good. In fact, it would lead to the worst places possible, like even worse than the worst.
"Together, we could rule the world. Not even the Haku-Goku Commonwealth or the Heavenly Paradise would stand a chance. Mulnite and Gerra-Aruka could rule as the biggest country in the world, stretching from east to west."
"Ruling the entire world might be a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?"
"Why the modesty now? You were so confident before."
"I—I mean, sure, I could turn the whole planet into a sea of fire in my sleep and eat everyone on it for breakfast, but I'm just not that ambitious, you know?"
"Oh, don't try to hide it. I know what you really think; you laid it all bare right here."
Then she took a newspaper out from who knows where.
I immediately recognized the headline:
"I'll turn the entire world into omelet rice."
Oh, how I loathed that fraud of a journalist. Nelia had many article cutouts beside that, as well. "I put enemy soldiers in my burgers." "Tonight's dinner is chimpanzee." Insanity. I'd never said anything remotely close to that! Stupid reporter!
"No matter how much you try to act like a good person, there's no hiding the evil inside you. So how about you help me out?" Nelia asked.
"H-hold on. I just can't picture your supposed plan for world domination. What does it entail, exactly?"
"First, we'll destroy the Heavenly Paradise. They've gotten far too big for their britches recently. Then we ruin the Haku-Goku Commonwealth, those cheeky bastards. Next, we wreck the uppity bunch in the Enchanted Lands. Finally, we annihilate the Lapelico Kingdom. What do you think? Perfect plan,
huh?"
Oh, actually, I think there's quite a bit of room for improvement.
"First of all, what need is there to rule the whole world?"
"So everyone shall know my name and power! Do I need any other reason?"
"O-okay. Yeah, recognition is important. But there's no need for me to help you out, is there?"
"There is, in fact. Gerra-Aruka might be strong, but it would be a major pain if Mulnite attacked us while we were fighting another country. Plus, I believe I could do anything with you by my side. With you, the entire world would be in my hands…"
Nelia wore the typical expression of a girl in love. Except the object of her affections was warfare itself.
I couldn't just turn her down, though; she could suddenly say, "Oh, okay… I'll have to kill you, then." The best course of action would be to not give her an immediate answer, go back to Mulnite and talk with the Empress, and then send Nelia a letter. Delaying stuff for my future self to solve, my favorite plan. Not like I had a choice this time anyway.
"Yeah. I guess it sounds fun, but I'll have to think it through. I'll get back to you la—"
"I—I don't think that's right!"
A high-pitched voiced echoed throughout the room. I opened my eyes wide.
It was the silver vampire. Sakuna had stood up and was scowling at Nelia.
"Peace is the best. Meaningless conflict only extends the chain of hatred!"
"Oh my, Sakuna Memoir, you dare interfere with my and Komari's ambitions?"
"Ms. Komari prefers to solve things by talking it out; I know her. She would never help you achieve your 'ambitions'! Right, Ms. Komari?"
Huh? Hold on a second, Sakuna. You are completely, absolutely right, but we have a whole plan going on here, okay? Vill, please stop her. She's gonna ruin our negotiations and get us killed.
"That's right, Lady Cunningham. Lady Komari will rule the world by herself. There is no need for her to help out a nameless general who's not even strong enough! Right, Lady Komari?"
STOP MAKING THINGS WORSE!! You're just picking a fight now! She's obviously the kind to accept one! It's like adding fuel to a fire! The same as walking up to me and going, "You're so tiny, ha-ha!"
Just look at her face, she's…
"Oh, so you don't require my help? How regrettable. Truly regrettable."
She's sulking! She's puffing up her cheeks like an upset child!
"W-wait. That's not my intention. You misunderstand," I said.
"Right… Perhaps I was a bit too hasty. First, let us have tea and try to understand each other more, okay? Gertrude!"
"Yes, I'm here! I've brought you some tasty tea!"
The maid returned, in high spirits as always. She poured the black tea through a strainer. It smelled nice…but it was then that I realized the awful truth. My vampiric nose was primed to pick up this particular scent.
"How do you like it?" Nelia said, resting her head on both hands. "It's tea flavored with blood. I figured you might like it since you're a vampire."
"…Whose blood?"
"Mine!" she answered with a big smile.
What kind of lunatic mixes their own blood into tea served for a guest? Though on second thought, there is a custom like that in Mulnite…
"Let's drink, chat, and get to really know each other."
"Y-yeah! Not right now, though."
"…What's wrong? You won't drink it?"
"Well, uh, I need to mentally prepare myself, y'know?"
"For what? Are you so opposed to drinking my blood?"
"Not at all! It's just, I, um…"
I didn't know what to say. She was right; I didn't want to drink her blood. Or anyone's, for that matter. Perhaps I could force myself, but what if I threw up as a result? I couldn't puke in front of Nelia. But I couldn't turn her down, either. Nor could I just tell her I didn't drink blood, period—she would think I was just pretending to be a vampire and then kill me.
So I looked to Vill for help. I winked at her.
"Leave it to me, Lady Komari," she whispered, then snatched the teacup from my hand. "Lady Cunningham, Lady Komari says your blood is stomach-churning and refuses to drink this tea."
"Don't say that!"
"S-stomach churning?! Komari, is that right?!"
"It's not!"
"It is," Vill said.
"I'm saying it's not!"
"So it is… Fine. Gertrude, please bring her another tea."
"Yes… I just want to say, if it was me, I would gladly drink your blood, Lady Nelia."
Gertrude shot me a bitter scowl as she left the room.
I hadn't done anything to deserve her hate! It was all Vill's fault! I glared at the sicko maid, who then took a sip of my beverage.
"The blood doesn't match the tea well. I give it a four out of ten."
"We don't need your silly review. What if Nelia heard that?" I whispered.
"Oh, I absolutely heard that! I know that vampires only drink the blood of someone they've recognized as worthy. So that's what this is all about, isn't it? You're saying this nameless general has no right to stand equal to the great Terakomari Gandesblood, hmm?"
"W-wait. I'm not going to help you out, but that's not because I think you lack strength. I simply have no intention of taking over the world!"
"Lies! It says so right here in the paper! I'll spread ketchup all over the world!"
"Who does that?! Seriously, think about it! That newspaper is lying to you!"
"But you said it sounded fun just now!"
"Now that was a lie! Sorry!"
"You're full of faleshoods! Agh! Please…think it through. We can't let someone as grand as you stay in the shadows. I was certain of it when I saw the Crimson Match—you have what it takes to bring about great calamity!"
"I don't want to bring about calamity! I'm gonna tell you the truth right now, so listen up: Even if I had the power to conquer the world, I would never use it! I'm a pacifist! First of all, power isn't meant to be used to subjugate other people! You should use it to bring peace to the world! I'm tired of all the people around me who don't seem to get this!"
"…!"
Nelia flinched for a moment. It seemed like…she had smiled slightly. Perhaps it was my imagination, though. She immediately crossed her arms in dissatisfaction.
"I can't believe I'm hearing those words come from your mouth! Okay, let's pretend that what the paper says is false. But I've seen you warring like no tomorrow! How do you explain that?!"
"That's all because of this maid and the Chimpanzee! I'm not doing it because I want to! I HATE war!"
"That's not true! Who hates war and then becomes a commander?!"
"If you don't believe it, then look up my military achievements. I haven't killed anybody!"
"So you lied when you said you killed five thousand?!"
"Of course I di—"
"Commander! I'm sorry for the intrusion, but we have an urgent call…," said Bellius, who had just entered the room. "Actually, maybe it was five hundred million instead of five thousand."
"Which is it, then?!"
"Five hundred million!"
"ENOUGH!!"
Nelia slammed her fists on the table, but by then, my attention was already on Bellius.
He looked pooped, as if he had just run a full marathon. What had happened? Actually, wasn't he playing "beach flags" with the others?
He whispered so only I could hear:
"We have a situation with the hotel we used as the finish line." He pointed at the black building out the window. "It seems that was a Gerra-Aruka army station."
"What?"
"They mistook our race for an assault and a fight broke out."
"What??"
"That being said, we've already eradicated them… They were very weak, for some reason…"
" "
THAT BUNCH OF IMBECILES!!
So much for me trying to carry out things peacefully!!
"Hey, Komari! Who's that beast-folk? Your dog?"
"N-no. He's my subordinate. His name is Bellius."
"Oh… What a good boy. Your maid, too—you have such brilliant people at your disposal. I'm so jealous! But with all that power in the Seventh Unit, why aren't you putting them to good use?"
"I am! In fact, we were planning on playing beach volleyball together after this…"
"That's not good use! Fine, I get it now! You have power yet don't know how to wield it! Well then, let us follow Aruka tradition! We don't spare any effort to obtain whatever we desire! And once I defeat you, you will become my servant!"
"Wait, let's not fight with our fists, okay? How about we solve this in a civilized manner by playing shiritori?"
"A word-chain game?! No, Terakomari Gandesblood! I challenge you to war! Fight my First Unit of the Gerra-Aruka Republic Army right here, right now!"
"Fine for us! Go, Lady Komari, beat her to a pulp!" Bellius shouted.
"Shut your mouth already! I don't want no"—I looked behind me. The dog was staring at me—"no dillydallying before the battle! It's time to make it rain ketchup! Challenge accepted!"
"Excellent! My First Unit is the most elite among Gerra-Aruka soldiers. Don't think you can defeat us so easily! I'll call them now; give me a second."
Nelia took a Correspondence Crystal out from her pocket.
Wait. I've got a bad feeling about this.
"Hey, Nelia, uh, where are your troops right now? Just asking."
"In our garrison. See that big, black building over there? You know, the hotel you're staying in tonight. Our base is right before it. They must be training right no—"
Just as everyone in the room turned to look out the window, a huge explosion rocked the hotel.
""Wha—?!"" Nelia and I both exclaimed.
The powerful blast echoed throughout the grounds of the whole resort, shaking me to the core. Then another happened. Small explosions kept going off without pause, enveloping the hotel in flames, blowing away pieces of it…and then finally breaking it in half. The black tower leaned sideways and helplessly collapsed.
My jaw was on the ground. The sound of the tower falling was overwhelming. Smoke and dust flew up, blanketing the surroundings.
Huh? Am I dreaming?
"…Bellius."
"That must've been Mellaconcey. He just loves detonating tall buildings."
"…"
Yeah, I must be asleep. Okay then, let's go to the beach. Since I'm dreaming, I should know how to swim, so let's have a big sea adventure with all the fishies.
"Lady Nelia! You won't believe this!" Her maid, Gertrude, came in, looking distressed. In her hands was a tray with a teapot and cup. Sadly, the time for tea parties had passed. "U-um! What should I do first?! Make my report or serve her tea?!"
"Give me the news! What is that?! Why is the Daydream Paradise up in flames?!"
"That's not all! A group of vampires attacked and annihilated the First Unit! There are piles of corpses out there!"
Nelia glared at me.
Vill pinched my cheek.
I was awakened from my vision. Crap. This wasn't a silly fight between us two anymore. We had attacked another country in the Dark Core Zone and destroyed their facilities. This wasn't war for "entertainment" anymore.
"Komari… You sneaky little…!"
"Sorry."
"YOU THINK THAT APOLOGY IS ENOUGH?!"
Nelia drew her swords and jumped at me. Just as I'd resigned myself to death, Vill carried me like a princess and ran like the wind. Nelia chased after my sicko maid. Sakuna sprinted in the opposite direction while Vill poured mana into her Correspondence Crystal.
"Maid Villhaze here speaking on behalf of Commander Terakomari. Everyone, retreat. Everyone, retreat. Leave this place immediately and return to Mulnite. Gerra-Aruka is now our enemy."
"Hold ooooooon! We can't just dip! We have to at least pay for the tower or something, or this'll be an international problem!"
"It already is. We have an escape route already, so hold tight!"
"You're really well prepared, huh?!"
"I can see the future, after all."
"Then try coming up with a better solution to this mess beforehand, DAMN IT!!"
Vill threw a smoke bomb and sped up.
There was nothing I could do at this point. I just let myself be transported to safety.
***
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!"
I clutched my head and wailed.
I was still along the coastal region of Flararal, but far enough away from the resort. No signs of the enemy approaching—it seemed like we managed to lose them.
My life was saved, which was good and all, but I couldn't be happy about the circumstances.
That was the greatest blunder of my life. Up until now, any time my subordinates caused trouble, it had been contained to the Empire. But things were different this time. Their troublemaking was, at this point, quite literally on an international scale.
"The responsibility falls on me, doesn't it?"
"Objectively speaking, yes. You might get dismissed from the Crimson Lords."
"Hell yeah! I'm gonna freaking die!! AGH!"
Getting fired from this job was not figurative, but literal; I didn't want my first death to be by explosion. Or second, or third! I didn't want to die, period! I sat down right there and hugged my knees as I stared into the horizon.
"I hope everyone was able to get away…"
"They did. Not a single one failed to flee…which is a bit unnatural, I think."
"Why?"
"That's what I don't get. I'm sure Nelia Cunningham has enough power to catch at least a vampire or two. It'd be best to assume she let us go."
"Did she forgive us?"
"I don't believe she would… Lady Komari, we must plan our next move."
"Look at the sea! It's so pretty! Let's play castaways!"
"I very much would like to drift away in the ocean, but now is not the time to escape reality. Nelia Cunningham must be thinking of officially declaring war on us soon. That Warblade is a fierce opponent…so we must carefully consider our strategy."
If possible, I would rather be friends with all the people in the world. So how had I ended up here?
Just as I was lamenting my fate, a faint light shone in Vill's pocket. She got a call on her Correspondence Crystal.
"Yes, it's Villhaze… Yes, I understand… Lady Komari, it's Her Majesty the Empress."
She handed me the Crystal. I immediately held it to my ear, and a thunderous voice reverberated in my eardrums.
"Hey, Komari! You enjoying the resort? Oh, I wish I could've joined you, but I'm simplay swamped with work. I won't allow a chance to just slip through my fingers, though, so once you come home, let's go to the palace pool, rub sunblock on each other, and have some slippery fun together, okay?"
"Not okay! If that's everything you wanted to say, I'm hanging up!"
"Wah-ha-ha! I'm kidding. Don't worry about me, I'll be doing all the rubbing, so you just relax and enjoy my… Wait, don't hang up! Cutting to the chase, we're welcoming an envoy from the Heavenly Paradise in three days. They want to talk about the future of all six nations."
Don't we have enough international developments already? I'm tired.
"Cool. Have fun. I'm busy thinking about the future of my diet—wondering what to have for dinner tonight."
"This is almost as important as your dinner, okay? Listen, this envoy is Karla Amatsu, and she really wants to have a talk with you. I'm sorry about cutting your fun short, but could you come back home quick?"
"…What about my tea party with Nelia?"
The plan was to stay overnight. The Empress, however, cackled in response.
"Y'know, I was watching from here with my farsight spell. You call that a tea party? Come home and don't worry about Nelia Cunningham."
"You knew?!"
I was knee-deep in despair. Why did all this have to happen to me? There was no doubt in my mind that this Karla Amatsu would also come asking us to speak with our fists or whatever.
"Bw-bwaaaah…"
"Don't worry, Lady Komari. I'll poison Nelia Cunningham to death if she ever comes for you."
My maid gently stroked my hair, but that didn't serve as any consolation. I stood up with the swiftness of a cat and yelled my lungs out at the endless sea.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! WHY MEEEEE?! I JUST WANNA ENJOY THE BEAAACH! I WANTED TO PLAY WITH FIREWORKS AND HAVE A BARBECUE AND GAZE AT THE STARS WITH SAKUNAAAA!!"
"Calm down, Lady Komari. We can come back to the beach at a later date."
"But today will never come back! I want to treasure each and every single day of my youth!"
"Hard to believe those are the words of a shut-in. Come on, let's go home."
"NOOOOOOO!!"
She forced me back home.
***
The vast shore was empty.
Her peach-colored hair swayed in the wind. The Moonpeach Princess, Nelia Cunningham, sheathed her blades, sighed, and looked up at the sky.
The firmament was as clear as her mind.
"Hee-hee… Heh-heh-heh. Yes, she's outstanding. I wasn't wrong."
The hotel was destroyed. Her First Unit, annihilated. She had lost…yet the only emotion in her heart was joy. The entire world would change if she got Terakomari. She could finally exact revenge on the inhumane people of Gerra-Aruka.
"Lady Nelia! I can't believe how mean Terakomari Gandesblood is! And after you invited her to a tea party and everything! Who does that?!"
Gertrude approached Nelia, grumbling. Her maid uniform was torn and sandy from battling. Nelia brushed it off as she said:
"Komari didn't want that to happen. It was her subordinates who acted recklessly. Or perhaps they knew about Madhart's plans."
"Huh? They know we were trying to kill Terakomari?"
"Perhaps."
Nelia played with her hair as she mulled it over. Gerra-Aruka hadn't been planning on keeping this tea party peaceful to begin with. Her orders were to lure Commander Terakomari Gandesblood, then kill and capture her. Except Nelia had never intended on killing her. She had no reason to follow the orders of that pesky president.
"We can use Komari to stop Madhart in his tracks."
"No way! We can't put a leash on that wild vampire."
"No, it's clear her true nature isn't that of a domineering murderer. She's kind."
"She is…?" Gertrude couldn't fathom it.
"With the power she has, I'd expect her to show more pride and conceit, yet she wasn't like that. She hasn't changed in the slightest from that day… Komari has really inherited my mentor's will."
"Mentor…? I don't get it, but it's obvious Terakomari is dangerous."
"She's not. She didn't show any interest in my plans for world domination. She's not like Madhart or even Dad… She's a true pacifist."
"Couldn't it be she wasn't interested because of how haphazard your plan is?"
"What? It's perfect."
"But it's not elaborate."
"I suppose," Nelia admitted, laughing.
Nelia didn't wish to conquer the world. It was all a bluff, a folly to assess Komari's nature. People changed as time passed, just as Nelia herself had. That was why she'd needed to confirm Komari was still the pacifist she used to be. After all, the newspapers had evidence of her reckless words and acts. She needed to verify it.
If Komari had wanted to join the conquest, then that would be that. It would've meant that she, too, had been raised to be a warmonger in the end. If she didn't clearly oppose it, then that would've meant she was a coward. Someone who cowered at the words "world conquest" wasn't worthy of being Nelia's partner.
"…But she took the third option."
"First of all, power isn't meant to be used to subjugate other people! You should use it to bring peace to the world!"
She'd meant that. Nelia could tell from her expression and tone that she truly wished for world peace from the bottom of her heart. But that whole mess had happened before Nelia could form a proper alliance.
I should've gone after her and caught her.
"Gertrude, I'll make Komari my servant."
"Okay…"
"She's essential for my plan. That vampire could turn the whole world on its head."
"Um…and you don't want her to be an ally or a friend, but a servant?"
"I want her to wear a maid outfit. She'll be my loyal servant, just like you."
Nelia put her fingers on Gertrude's chin. The maid's cheeks flushed as she stared into her mistress's eyes.
"I—I am your number one servant."
"Heh… No need to get jealous. I know that very well."
"Lady Nelia…"
Then Nelia's Correspondence Crystal shone.
She felt like clicking her tongue. This Crystal wasn't a regular one—it was specially provided to the Eight Illustrious Generals of Gerra-Aruka as a direct line to the president.
Nelia flicked her fingers to pour some mana into it. The magical power amplified within the Crystal, and a light shone through, forming a screen in the air.
A man in a suit appeared on it. He looked like a sea monster emerging from the coastline from her point of view.
"Cunningham, what in the world are you doing?"
"Oh my, President Madhart. Your bed head looks as gorgeous as always."
Gerra Madhart. Head of state of the Gerra-Aruka Republic.
After being elected as the first president with overwhelming support from the people, he had pushed all sorts of progressive policies and doubled the nation's power. He was considered a national hero, but only in the official history. Nelia had lost everything due to him.
"Rainsworth told me you failed to kill Gandesblood."
Nelia mentally clicked her tongue. So she really was being watched.
"Is there a problem?"
"Of course there is. This is a disgrace. You don't understand what's best for our country. Why didn't you kill her? Why did you let her escape?"
Because I wanted to. She couldn't just say that, though. She would be thrown into prison at the slightest hint of insubordination, and then it would all really be over.
"I did everything I could; Gandesblood was just one step ahead."
"She is fierce, true. But you promised you would kill her, no matter what. It was your mission."
"Yes, and I am sorry for that."
"You couldn't even kill a single member of the Seventh Unit! You must know that it's been impossible to hunt Peace Spirits in the open as of late. Do you have any idea how much we could've gained if you had captured those five hundred vampires?"
"Gain? What meaning is there in profiting from inhumane experiments?"
"That's slander. I am providing a pleasant life for those in custody in the Daydream Paradise."
"Your death sure won't be a pretty one."
Madhart snorted in dissatisfaction.
"You've gotten cocky lately. But don't forget that I could erase everything you hold dear with a snap of my fingers. And no matter how hard you wail, I won't have mercy. Anything in Gerra-Aruka's way must go."
"Yes, yes. First on the list are foolish politicians who only make the people suffer."
"Nelia Cunningham, I can tell you're pale right now."
His cold grin pierced her chest. She clenched her fists tight out of reflex.
That man was the root of all evil. Five years ago, he'd seized her country and thrown her family into prison. He needed to go down…but she didn't have the power to defeat him at the moment.
"No worries. I'm just flabbergasted by how high-handed you are."
"It'd serve you best to hold your tongue once in a while. Surely you don't want to end up like your father."
"…"
"In any case, at least they only destroyed the hotel. Rainsworth says our underground secrets weren't discovered. This event should serve as a good excuse to go to war. Do your part well from now on, Nelia Cunningham."
The screen disappeared without a trace, leaving behind only the calm sound of the waves.
Nelia took a deep breath. She remembered what her father had told her— draw a triangle on your palm and pretend to eat it to calm down. So she did, but her ire only raged stronger.
"I HATE that stupid old man!!"
She kicked a beach ball that was lying nearby. Gertrude jumped at her sudden yell and shouted herself:
"Aieee, don't scream, Lady Nelia!"
Nelia couldn't contain it any longer. She had to execute that filthy Madhart.
Only the strong of heart could change the world. She needed to make hers indomitable.
"I will change Aruka. That is my mission."
Nelia glanced at the ruined hotel. It was officially a Gerra-Aruka resort, but the truth was far from it; the place was a special military facility that only those close to Madhart could access. It was hell on this world.
How Nelia wished they had destroyed the underground, too.
She held out hope. With the power of that vampire, she could revolutionize Aruka.