I felt as if too many things had happened in a short span of time. I'd hung out with Vill and Sakuna at the beach, was recruited to take over the world with Nelia, blew up an enemy base by accident, then was asked to create an alliance with the Heavenly Paradise… What a chaotic summer.
However, none of that mattered to me. Or rather, I had to pretend like it didn't, else I'd lose my mind. So I decided to spend all of today lazing around as much as I could… I was deep asleep when the sicko maid ruined it.
"Lady Komari, please wake up. It's time for work."
"WORK?! Have you lost it?! It's Sunday…"
"Let go of that stuffed dolphin; we have no time to lose. Gerra-Aruka declared war, and we have a strategy meeting. Her Majesty and the Crimson Lords are waiting for you."
"I don't care… Tell them I'm still sleeping."
"No need to tell them. They're all here."
"What are you tal…?"
I sat up, rubbing my eyes. It was Sunday! In the morning! No decent person was up so early on a Sunday. I needed to tell that noisy maid off already and…
"Huh? Am I dreaming?"
I saw familiar faces surrounding me. First, right beside me, was my maid, Villhaze. Behind her was Her Majesty. On her side was the crazy priest, Helldeus Heaven. Next to him was Flöte Mascarail, veins popping on her forehead. By her side was the mysterious masked girl, Delphyne. Then there was an open seat, which Sakuna Memoir was next to. Then another open seat, after which were people I didn't recognize. A man in a kimono. A woman dressed similarly. Then Karla Amatsu, staring at me with a cold expression. Looking back to the front of the group, I saw the Empress.
…Huh? This has got to be a dream. Why's everyone here?
"Since you showed no sign of waking up, I brought you, bed and all, to the meeting hall, Lady Komari."
"What were you thinking?!"
"Right back at ya, Ms. Gandesblood!" Flöte yelled, scowling at me. If this were a manga, her intense glare would come with a sound effect.
My shoulders trembled. Maybe getting humiliated at the last Crimson Council had left me a bit traumatized.
"Our meeting has begun; what are you doing sleeping on the table?! You really don't understand your position as one of the Seven Crimson Lords!"
"I—I do! I was coming up with a plan in my dreams."
"Oh, how splendid! Very well, then, let's hear it! How do we fight the enemy army right before our very eyes?!"
"Vill, please let them know of that plan I was dreaming of."
"We solve it with our fists."
"You heard her, we solve it with our fists!" I repeated.
"We wouldn't be having this meeting if it were that easy!"
"But isn't it our job as Crimson Lords to do just that?!"
"Yes, but we need to use our heads to win this war!"
"Huh? Are we playing shogi or something?!"
"Of course not, you DOOFUS!"
"Calm down, Flöte. Komari just woke up; she doesn't know what's going on," the Empress said.
Flöte still had something to say, but in the end, she apologized and held her tongue. It was obviously me who should be apologizing, though. I was the one sleeping on the table! Of course they'd get mad! It also doesn't help that I'm still in my pajamas! Crap, I gotta get changed… The Empress ignored my embarrassment and explained what was going on.
"Let's go through things again. Gerra-Aruka declared war on Mulnite and the Heavenly Paradise after learning of our alliance. Not for entertainment, though. They plan on taking over the Mulnite Empire's territory in the Dark Core Zone. According to our scouts, almost all Eight Illustrious Generals have been dispatched. They want nothing but bloody, total warfare."
Hmm? Did I just hear the word 'war'? All right, time to run.
I sneaked out of my bed and got off the table, then headed straight for the door. I didn't go far before my maid grabbed me and forced me in a chair. No matter how hard I tried to stand up, her monstrous grip wouldn't let me move an inch. Then Sakuna, sitting beside me, whispered, "Good morning."
"M-morning, Sakuna… By the way, what's going on?"
"Um, Her Majesty just explained it. The Gerra-Aruka Republic declared war on us, which is why we're having this emergency meeting. People from the Heavenly Paradise are here, too."
"We are in the Mulnite Imperial Palace, right?"
"We're in the fortress city of Faure, in the Metrio region of the Dark Core Zone. The castle where we fought the Crimson Match. Her Majesty says this will be the first place they'll try to attack."
What a trip I had while I was asleep!
"…So we're in the middle of the battlefield already?"
"No, the fighting hasn't begun yet… Oh, do you want a chocolate? You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Here, say 'ah.'"
"Thanks." I bit the chocolate in her hand. So tasty. Pure bliss. "So…is this war all because of me?"
"It's not your fault, Lady Komari. Oh, do you want a chocolate? You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Here, say 'ah.'"
"Thanks." I grabbed the chocolate from Vill's hand and threw it in my mouth. So tasty. More pure bliss. "Then why is this happening?"
Vill, pouting for some reason, said, "Gerra-Aruka was always planning on launching a campaign against Mulnite. The destruction of the Daydream Paradise hotel did end up serving as the trigger, but even if you never did that, it would've happened sooner or later."
"Huh? So it is my fault?"
"Here, this is an excerpt of Gerra-Aruka's statement."
For Terakomari Gandesblood, leader of the Mul-Heaven Alliance. From the president of the Gerra-Aruka Republic.
Your alliance's violent behavior is unacceptable. You know our country spares no effort seeking peace, and yet your army, especially Commander Terakomari Gandesblood's Seventh Unit, does nothing but act illegally and barbarically. I have come to the conclusion that we need to use force to stop your tyranny. The Gerra-Aruka Republic hereby declares war on the Mulnite Empire and Heavenly Paradise.
"…So it is my fault."
"Depending on how you look at it, but yes."
"And why am I getting called the leader of the alliance?"
"There's a picture of you and Lady Karla Amatsu together going around. It appears the Gerra-Aruka Republic wants you, specifically, dead."
"WHAAAAAT?!"
I stood up. Vill handed me a Six Nations News (the bastards!) paper, and sure enough, there I was, merrily shaking hands with Karla. It was obvious from this I was leading the alliance!
"How did this happen?! Oh my god, there's too much going on! Where do I even begin?! What now?! What do I do?!"
"Kill them all."
"No way! I was going to play at the pool today!"
"Please let me accompany you when you do, but for now, you should know that everyone is staring at you."
I gasped and looked around. It wasn't only the Crimson Lords; there were the Five Imperial Sabers there, too. I cleared my throat.
"I was going to play in a pool filled with my enemies' blood today!"
"You heard her! The leader of our alliance can't wait to massacre our foes!" said the blond, busty Empress.
I clutched my hair. Why was I the leader? I couldn't even see her face, what with my bed on top of the table and all. Won't somebody take it off?
"Well then, Gerra-Aruka might make a move soon. They plan on taking our Dark Core Zone territory, so it's almost one-hundred-percent certain that they're coming here to Faure. Why? Because if they capture it, they'll be able to freely teleport to the Mulnite Empire and even to part of the Heavenly Paradise. But we won't let them. Our alliance shall fend off their forces."
"Lady Karen, we can't just drive them away. We must show those foul rusted how graceful and frightful Mulnite is! Shock them to the core!" Flöte exclaimed.
"Well said, Flöte. We have two objectives: first, drive them away; second, destroy their military base. The Heavenly Paradise would know more about this second one. Karla Amatsu, if you please."
A bell chimed. Karla gracefully rose to her feet.
"Yes, Your Majesty. As I said while Ms. Gandesblood was asleep"—You were already holding the meeting while I was snoozing right there? No one found that the slightest bit odd?—"it is likely the Gerra-Aruka Republic is
building an illegal military facility in the Flararal region of the Dark Core Zone under the name of the Daydream Paradise, a resort. According to our ninjas, there are signs of them transporting illicit Divine Instruments there. We must obtain proof of this and expose Gerra-Aruka to the other nations so President Madhart won't have time to wage this war."
"It's likely they will use those Divine Instruments in this conflict, correct?" Helldeus asked. "If they're doing things the shady way, then we shall put our all into it, too."
"No, there's no chance of that happening. Divine Instruments are a double-edged sword—you can easily destroy yourselves with them if you aren't careful. And if we plucked one from Gerra-Aruka, we could aim its power back at them. Using them in battle is simply too much of a risk. Divine Instruments are best used for specific situations, such as assassinations."
"I see! Still, I think we should expect the worse."
Karla frowned. Helldeus was right—we had to be careful of any weapon the enemy might hold.
"I-in any case, to fulfill both of our objectives, we should divide our eight commanders into two groups."
I casually looked around. There were only eight people present, excluding Vill and the Empress. Seven Crimson Lords and Five Imperial Sabers, though… Seven plus five equals twelve, right? Oh, but we're down a Crimson Lord.
Vill explained, "Two of the Five Imperial Sabers are absent. The Heavenly Paradise always makes sure to keep two of them stationed to guard their country."
"Oh. And why are there only five of us?"
"Petrose Calamaria of the First Unit is already fighting of her own accord. As for the Fifth Unit…the position Odilon Metal left is still open."
Oh, makes sense. Wait. No, it doesn't. Why's Petrose already fighting? Shouldn't she be here?
The bell chimed. Karla shook her arm to get everyone's attention.
"There will be a defense group to fight against the invading Gerra-Aruka army, and an offense group to launch an assault on the Daydream Paradise. It would be more effective to split our forces like this. Do you agree, Ms.
Gandesblood?"
"Huh? Why ask me?"
"You are the alliance's leader."
"…How about you take the role instead, Karla?"
"The enemy thinks you're in charge, so there's no point in changing that. Oh, how regrettable—yes, if only I, the strongest, were the leader. A shame."
"Ugh…"
I can't keep up with this crap. But I can't throw one of my trademark hissy fits, lest Flöte starts yelling at me again. Guess I gotta deal with it!
"So, Ms. Gandesblood, we will divide ourselves into groups, agreed?"
"Y-yeah… Hey, Vill, which one's worse?"
"The offense team, for sure. In the defense group, you could stay here on your throne in the castle while giving out instructions to your subordinates, but that won't be the case in the other group. You would have to lead your men at the front lines and make your way through the enemy forces, though succeeding in destroying the enemy base would earn you a greater amount of glory."
To hell with glory. I want safety. All right, Seventh Unit on the defense team. I'll stay inside in this castle, snacking. Yeah, there won't be any fighting that way.
"Okay, then as the leader, I get to chose who's on each team, right? First, I'll…"
"No, we've already divided the groups." I heard the Empress's voice from the other side of my bed. "After all, this is an important fight that will decide the fate of our country. I had to make the call myself. Helldeus, please make the announcement."
"As you wish."
The Empress gave Helldeus a piece of paper. He stood up and read it aloud.
"I will announce the teams on the behalf of Her Majesty. Beginning with the defense group: Commander Homura Yamatera of the First Unit and Commander Karin Reigetsu of the Third Unit of the Heavenly Paradise; as well as Commander Helldeus Heaven of the Second Unit and Commander Flöte Mascarail of the Third Unit of the Mulnite Empire. That's all."
Bwuh? Over? No more commanders in the defense team?
"Now, for the offense team: Commander Karla Amatsu of the Fifth Unit of the Heavenly Paradise; as well as Commander Delphyne of the Fourth Unit, Commander Sakuna Memoir of the Sixth Unit, and Commander Terakomari
Gandesblood of the Seventh Unit of the Mulnite Empire."
"Hold u—," I said.
"Wai—," Karla said.
But then someone loudly hit the table. We both froze in place. It was Flöte. The Black Flash was staring at the Empress in dissatisfaction.
"Please wait, Lady Karen!! What do you mean I'm to be on defense?!"
She yelled so loudly that Sakuna almost fell from her chair out of sheer shock.
"Calm down," the Empress said with absolute tranquility, staring back at Flöte. "We need both strength and speed to attack. Your Third Unit is more the technical type, isn't it?"
"I am the combative type!!"
That much is obvious, but who says that about themselves?
"Please think it over, Lady Karen. If you say power is needed for the attack team, then it is a mistake to choose Terakomari Gandesblood for the job. She can't even hold a sword!"
"Th-that's not true! There's no vampire out there with as much strength as me! But if you insist, then I would gladly give over the—"
"Wait!" Karla said, making her bell chime. "My unit excels more at technique and strategy than fighting. It is not fit for the offense team. I could change places with Ms. Mascarail."
"Hmm? But, Karla Amatsu, you boasted so loudly about being stronger than Komari," the Empress said.
"Y-yes, I am much more powerful, but this is not the time for me to—"
"Ms. Karla Amatsu is perfectly worthy of being in that group! But I cannot accept Ms. Gandesblood being on it! We cannot leave such an important task to her!"
"No, Ms. Mascarail, I am perfectly fine being on the defense…," Karla said.
"You're right! Karla is perfect for the offense group! So I will give up my spot to you, Flöte! The strong should give a chance for others to shine from time to time," I said.
"No, Ms. Gandesblood, you don't need to do tha—"
"Give a CHANCE for OTHERS to SHINE?!"
Oh crap. I said too much.
"What are you mad about, Lady Mascarail? Lady Komari is so gracefully giving you the opportunity. You should be grateful in accepting this handover!"
"Stop it, Vill! I'll give you some candy, so shut your mouth!"
"You… Can you ever NOT be rude?! I can't stand that haughty look of yours! Worst of it all, the whole thing's a bluff! Every second that passes with you as a Crimson Lord is another second of disgrace for our Empire!" Flöte
shouted.
"I'm just trying to be considerate!"
"Keep your 'consideration' to yourself! Why must you always be like this?! This is just like in the Crimson Match! I hear you supposedly demolished a terrorist base to the ground with Effulgent Magic, but I know that simply cannot be true! You bought Six Nations News out to write that for your own benefit! Admit it!"
"WHAT?! Even my patience has its limits! How in the world does that benefit me?! Why would I ever want to buy that crappy newspaper out?! No, you know what? I would LOVE to do just that! Pay them to revise those articles!" I retorted.
"Please don't argue! If we could just take a step back and look at this data that shows how my Amatsu Unit is a much better fit for defense…"
"Revise them even further?! Is all that falsification not enough for you already?!"
"I've had more than enough of them! And I haven't falsified anything!"
"Don't ignore me…please…," Karla mumbled.
"Then how do you explain all those articles?!"
"They're all made-up! By them! Why do you believe Six Nations News?!"
"What reason do they have to make things up on their own?! There is no way you caused that disaster! It must've been a force of nature! A meteorite or something!"
"Yes! That's what I would like them to report it as!"
"So you want them to say you're so powerful, you can manipulate meteorites?!"
"Why are you so freaking DENSE?! NO!!"
"…Sniff, sniff," Karla wept.
Sakuna was the first to notice. She was a millisecond faster perceiving the spell, as someone partly of the same Sapphire race. I was too wrapped up in my argument with Flöte, and all the other commanders never could've imagined that we'd be attacked right that moment.
Sakuna pulled my arm.
"Huh?" I exclaimed, but no one heard.
A meteorite fell down on us out of nowhere.
Or at least, the shock wave was so strong that it sure felt like it. The ceiling broke apart, and a ball of fire struck down on my bed, blowing it up. A scorching whirlwind passed through the room before I could even scream, but right then, a familiar maid outfit covered my entire sight.
The mana noisily warped the air around as Flöte activated her dark magic. Her black hole eradicated the flames, shock wave and all.
I could do nothing but bury my head in the sicko maid's chest.
What is going on?
Soon, sound returned. Someone entered the hall in a hurry.
"Your Majesty! The Haku-Goku Commonwealth's army is here! They've joined hands with Gerra-Aruka!"
I squirmed my way out my maid's arms to look around.
The entire hall was charred black. My bed was now ashes. The dolphin pillow Daddy had bought for me was nowhere to be found.
The commanders all had looks of shame on their faces as they crouched by the walls. Fortunately, none of them were injured—they'd managed to protect themselves. But…
"Vill! Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine. Are you uninjured, Lady Komari?"
"Y-yeah… But this ain't good."
Noise outside. Yells and shrieks. Faure was effectively under control of the Mulnite Empire, but this was the Dark Core Zone. There were people from all nations here—not only vampires, but also Warblades and Sapphires as well. But who could've guessed they would attack us like this?
Helldeus and Flöte left the hall, and the other commanders followed. I guessed they'd be heading to lead their troops against the Haku-Goku Commonwealth.
"Your Majesty! We have a call from Gerra-Aruka!" The Empress's bodyguard said.
She stood at the center of the charred room, her expression cold as ice. She took out the Correspondence Crystal from her pocket.
"Good day, Your Majesty." A man spoke; she had put the call on speaker. "As I've already told the Goddess of the Heavenly Paradise, I've mobilized my troops in the name of justice. You dared disturb the peace between the six nations, and it's time for you to pay."
I then realized that was the top dog of Gerra-Aruka: Madhart.
"Pay? Oh, payback for us attacking your territory?"
"This isn't about retaliation; it's about peace. You froze over part of our territory. You destroyed the facilities we were constructing in the name of friendship among nations. Your acts have been nothing but vile."
"We were justified in attacking both of those places."
"Your savagery doesn't stop at physical assault. Your words are disturbing world peace, too. One of your Crimson Lords talks about conquering the globe, bringing terror to the hearts of the people; her statements can even be interpreted as an attack on the economy, what with how they suddenly increased the demand for omelets and raised the price of eggs. Not to mention the discriminatory remarks against chimpanzees, which are giving rise to widespread bigotry."
"I seriously cannot understand half the things you're saying."
"And that's not all. You are all under suspicion of having ties to Inverse Moon. Odilon Metal, one of your Crimson Lords, was part of the terrorist organization's management. And Sakuna Memoir, also one of its members, continues to serve as a commander without serious repercussions. We cannot stand by and let your dangerous nation do as it pleases. We have come to the conclusion that we must take matters into our own hands."
"Do you really think you can do that?"
"I've already communicated it to the other nations. Both the Haku-Goku Commonwealth and the Lapelico Kingdom were quite open to our proposal. The Enchanted Lands haven't answered back, but I'm sure they'll support us. Which means that you, Mulnite Empire and Heavenly Paradise, have turned the four nations against you."
"I see. What's your objective, then?"
"Conquering the Mulnite mainland."
The Empress's expression turned even colder. Her eyes gleamed.
"But jumping straight to that would be too cruel, I believe. So here's a proposal. Tell us about the true form of Mulnite's Dark Core, and we will spare Faure, for starters."
"Unbelievable. You seriously thought I'd talk?"
"The Empire will be turned to ashes if you don't. This is no negotiation. It's a threat. You may have Mulnite's and the Heavenly Paradise's elite assembled there, but you can't possibly stand up against the forces of four nations. It is in your best interest to accept defeat now and follow our orders."
"Ridiculous." She sighed. "You speak as though you've cornered Mulnite…but you're no threat."
"What?"
"A ragtag, makeshift army poses no danger to my country. You ought to be a tad more realistic."
"Ha… Enough of your bravado."
"Are you here right now? Or are you still at your executive office?"
"Why does that matter? Listen, you've got two choices only. Either you give in and tell me where your Dark Core is, or you accept annihilation at the hands of our troops."
Totally ignoring him, the Empress took out a second Crystal from her pocket. She poured in a thunder-like bit of mana, and the call was picked up immediately.
"Petrose, blow him up," she said without hesitation.
"Blow up whom? Do you have any intention of listening to what I'm—?"
Beep. The call was cut off. And it wasn't the Empress who hung up.
What in the world is going on? The Empress then put away both Crystals and turned to me, a splendid smile on her face.
"Did you hear that, everyone?! Gerra-Aruka plans to conquer Mulnite and the Heavenly Paradise! We can't let them get away with it. It is Mulnite tradition to kill anyone who dares treat us with contempt."
"W-wait, please!" Karla exclaimed in a hurry; her hair was up in a cone shape because of the blast earlier. "We can't take on four nations! We should be negotiating peace with Gerra—"
"Proposing peace is basically accepting defeat. Besides, we can win this war. Aren't you the strongest of all, Karla Amatsu? What do you fear?"
"Huh? We can win…?"
"I know not of Gerra-Aruka's internal affairs, but the heads of the Haku-Goku Commonwealth and the Enchanted Lands are not as moronic as Madhart. We can take advantage of some things…and for that, we must first expose the truth behind the Daydream Paradise, just as we were already planning to."
"What…is there in the Daydream Paradise?"
"That thing about the Peace Spirits disappearances… I have no proof, but I believe we'll find something of relation to your country as well."
Karla raised her eyebrows, then her eyes turned cold, grim…but it was hard to take her seriously with that conelike hairstyle of hers. She took notice of this right away and tried combing it.
The Empress glanced at the remaining commanders. She shot a haughty stare, befitting of her title, at each of them, one after the other. Then in an overly dramatic tone, she gave her decisive order:
"Delphyne, Sakuna, Karla Amatsu, Komari. All of you head for the Daydream Paradise in the Flararal region. This will be our first, significant move in destroying Gerra-Aruka."
Delphyne froze in place.
Sakuna grabbed the hem of my clothes with a nervous expression.
I looked away from reality and filled my head with tasty omelets.
Karla was desperately trying to comb her hair, her face beet-red.
"Don't worry. The defense team will take care of the enemies invading here. Go on, heroes! Crush the ambitions of that atrocious republic!"
War. A non-entertainment war had finally begun.
What about my bed? I have no place to sleep tonight now. Will Daddy buy me a new one? Will I even get to go home tonight?
Waves of despair washed over me.
***
In this day and age, people didn't go on days-long exhibitions. There were portals managed by the six nations all around the Dark Core Zone. One could easily reach them through teleportation.
The Gerra-Aruka Republic's First Unit, led by Nelia Cunningham, was in Mulnite territory inside the Dark Core Zone under orders of President Madhart. Nelia's job was to attack and conquer the city. Launch a fierce assault to make the Mulnite Empire and the Heavenly Paradise give up the location of their Dark Cores. An exceedingly naive plan.
Just. Stupid, Nelia thought.
"Lady Nelia! Look, there's the fortress city of Faure!" Gertrude exclaimed.
Beyond the grassland was the citadel, with smoke rising here and there. The reports said the Haku-Goku Commonwealth had already set fire to it. How vexing.
"So the other countries are really attacking the Mul-Heaven Alliance already. How did he even get them to join us?"
"No idea… Perhaps he promised them money or land?" her maid responded.
Nelia was there in enemy territory as a commander of Gerra-Aruka, but she saw no meaning in fighting. What was the point of obeying Madhart and waging unlawful war? Wouldn't it be better to just ignore his orders? But she couldn't go against the president. She was one of the Eight Illustrious Generals, so she had to follow his instructions.
"Lady Nelia, what shall we do? Do we attack as well?"
"Of course we do!" answered the reptilian Warblade, wearing a Gerra-Arukan military uniform, in her place. Pascal Rainsworth, another Illustrious General.
Out of all eight military units of the Gerra-Aruka Republic, only the two of had been sent here.
"The prime minsiter instructed us to attack Faure. The Mulnite Empire won't be able to put up a fight after we take over that castle, and soon enough, the Dark Cores of both vampires and Peace Spirits will be ours."
"You think they'll speak? Neither the Mulnite Empire nor the Heavenly Paradise are that stupid. Unlike Madhart."
"You wouldn't understand his genius. Look, the Haku-Goku Commonwealth has begun its attack. Let's not dawdle any longer."
According to Gertrude, the entire armies of both enemy countries were gathered at Faure—along with the Third Unit of the Haku-Goku Commonwealth, the Second Unit of the Lapelico Kingdom, and of course, her own unit. A fierce battle would surely ensue.
Rainsworth gestured with his arm to give the order, and the military Warblades headed slowly for the enemy's location. Nelia had no qualms about killing, so long as it was out of her own volition; having to wield her sword as a pawn in Madhart's invasion plans enraged her to no end. In order for him to win the next election, the Illustrious Generals had to show success…
"Lady Nelia, l-look! Over there!"
She glanced in the direction Gertrude was pointing.
People were streaming out the rear gate of the fortress city. The fluttering flag meant they were not civilians, but rather the troops of the Heavenly Paradise and the Mulnite Empire. Leading the group were the young commanders who had risen in popularity throughout the six nations as of late: Karla Amatsu and Terakomari Gandesblood.
Nelia felt as though the clouds in her mind were clearing up. She hoped that the vampire could understand her. Maybe Komari, having inherited the will of Nelia's mentor, could find a way out of this dire situation.
"Koma—"
"Terakomari Gandesblood! Off with her head! Then capture her alive!"
Rainsworth yelled, and the Warblades responded in kind as they launched their
assault.
Nelia frowned. That man really only ever got in her way.
"Let us go, too! We must capture Komari, whatever it takes!"
*** (Let's go back in time a bit) ***
I somehow ended up on the "offense" team.
No word could've been further away from my personality, but I suppose it wasn't that bad this time around. The defense team seemed to be in for an even tougher job.
"Hey, Vill! Flöte's unit's getting attacked! You think they'll be all right?"
"I guess we'll see. Despite how wretched Flöte Mascarail may be, she is a Crimson Lord. Though look at it from another angle, and she is just a wretched Crimson Lord."
"So what do you mean, then?!"
Suddenly, a huge explosion erupted behind us. I instinctively screamed and ducked.
Vill was carrying me bridal-style as she sprinted at max speed. My Seventh Unit had teleported into Faure as well and were eager to fight.
The offense team's objective was to destroy the enemy's military base, and in order to do that, we had to get out of the fortress city first.
"Damn it…the city's getting blown to bits! They're out of their minds!"
Explosion after explosion went off behind us like crazy. The Haku-Goku Commonwealth's army had forced themselves inside the gates.
"Wah-ha-ha-ha! Good day, chumps! It is I, the strongest of the Six Arctic Masters of the Haku-Goku Commonwealth! Commander Prohellya Butchersky! Charge, my beloved Sapphires! Tear those pigs to shreds!"
A girl gave commands in an overly enthusiastic tone as she levitated in midair, and the men in white military uniforms did as instructed. They set fire to the buildings about them like beasts. I could not believe Sakuna was (a quarter) related to those people.
Meanwhile, Helldeus's troops evacuated the civilians, teleporting them to the Mulnite mainland. I pitied them, as their city would be destroyed by this senseless conflict…but then I noticed they were cheering. They were waving their hands out the windows and jumping in excitement.
"What…in the world are they happy about?"
"People who live in the Dark Core Zone tend to be the greatest war enthusiasts. They must be excited to get to see slaughter before their very eyes."
So they're messed up in the head. Got it. I'd be crying if that were me. In fact, I already wept back there when they burned down my bed. I really loved that dolphin pillow… You won't get away with this, Haku-Goku Commonwealth!
Although, wouldn't this be that sicko maid's fault? For bringing my bed onto the freaking battlefield?
"Lady Komari, there is no time to weep over what was lost. We'll receive reparations once we win the war, so we can buy it all back then!"
"What if we lose?!"
"We'd never lose," said the masked Crimson Lord running beside Vill— Delphyne. She (?) spoke monotonously, with no emotion. "As much as it pains me to admit, those nations can't stand up against your power. Those rusted are as good as dead. Annoying, but true."
What? Don't scare me.
"Use that power if need be. I'll lend you my aid."
"Cool. Yeah. That power."
"Yes. That."
What power?! But I couldn't bring myself to ask. I heard she had mysteriously died by explosion during the Crimson Match, so maybe her memories were all jumbled up from that.
"Look ahead!" Karla, sitting in a palanquin carried by her subordinates, pointed ahead.
I looked, and there were actual beasts charging in through the back gate. A troop of beast-folk from the Lapelico Kingdom. They were also here to strike!
"Th-those are…giraffes!" Sakuna shrieked.
The beasts noticed us and let out a battle cry as they headed in our direction. Most of them were giraffes indeed. They swung their long necks and smashed the buildings with their heads as they approached—the vivid image of an apocalypse. Seriously what the fudge?!
"That's Lieutenant General Neckson McLongo—the Lapelico Kingdom's Second Unit. They lack rationality and will continue destroying everything in their way until their necks snap."
"Why?! What now?! We're gonna run into them at this rate!"
"Turn right! Then another right! Let's go back home and have some snacks; I've got sweet bean jelly!" Karla said.
"No need! Special-grade coagulation spell—Infinite Dripping!"
Delphyne slashed her wrist with a knife, and the spurting blood turned into a whip that she used to mow down the giraffes. Her soldiers followed their masked leader and shot spell after spell, but it wasn't enough to fully contain the enemy.
The giraffes kept on shaking the earth as they ran toward us.
"Commander! Leave it to us!" "We can't let that masked bastard take all the glory!" "You're finished, giraffe scum!" "We're feasting on giraffe meat tonight!"
My Seventh Unit guys launched forward. No point trying to stop them. They clashed with the giraffe army, and blood and dust and mana swirled all around in an explosive fashion. The battle before my eyes didn't seem real. A stray shot flew past me and blew up a souvenir shop right behind.
"Ugh! Obstinate giraffes!" Delphyne exclaimed.
Sakuna also ordered her troops to attack, while Karla cried to her ninja girl to flee, for whatever reason.
I…was already preparing to run home.
"It's all up to you, my trusty maid!"
"You'll get blown up if you leave your post now."
"I'll get blown up either way! Look at that! I didn't know giraffes were that violent! I can't go look at them at the zoo anymore! I'm traumatized now!"
"I figured you'd say that, so I've got a plan. Please press this button."
Vill held out a mystery switch. Nothing good could come out of pressing it.
"What is this?"
"Just press it."
So I did.
A huge explosion went off.
It felt as if the planet itself was blowing up. Right before my eyes, the ground where the giraffes and the Seventh Unit were clashing erupted. The blast sent rubble, weapon shards, and someone's lower body flying my way, just barely brushing my cheeks. It then rained down on the Masked Unit behind me.
Delphyne and Sakuna were shocked, and Karla even fell off her palanquin, face hitting the ground. Dust clogged the air. Everything went silent. What in the world?
All the giraffes were dead, as were some of my vampires. Yohann among them.
"…Wha—? What happened?"
"Land mines."
"Why are there land mines here?"
"I planted them."
"WHAT?!"
"Last night, I went to Lady Memoir's house and let her suck my blood. Pandora's Poison showed they would attack us from the rear gate, so I came prepared."
"You just killed our guys, too, though?! And you let Sakuna suck your blood again?!"
"No need to worry about either issue. Now, we must go!"
"Bwuh? Wait!"
Vill carried me again and ran off. She jumped over the corpses as she headed for the gate. Sakuna and Delphyne finally came to and followed us over the charred giraffes and vampire bodies. That must be at least two hundred of our guys dead… Wait a second! We haven't even reached the enemy base!
There was no time to protest, however.
We exited the citadel from the rear gate to the vast grassland. Then I remembered. This was the place we always teleported to when going to war. How come I hadn't noticed until now?
"Lady Komari! The Mulnite Imperial Army's Fourth Unit, the Sixth Unit, the Seventh Unit, and the Heavenly Paradise's Fifth Unit—a total of two thousand people have escaped the castle. It is time to teleport," Vill said as she took a shiny stone out of her pocket.
It was a Magic Stone that had been infused with a mass teleportation spell for military use. A single one cost five million mells. They used them every time a war was held. Absolute insanity. That money would be way better invested in environmental organizations.
"Hold on, where are we warping to?!"
"The closest portal to the Daydream Paradise, obviously."
"W-wait, Ms. Komari! There's a new enemy here!"
What now?! I turned around and almost fainted. A tremendously large army was heading for us from the horizon. Not giraffes this time, but Warblades clad in the Gerra-Aruka Republic's uniform. They were definitely aiming for me specifically.
"Vill, we gotta run! Teleport us already!"
"Mass teleportation takes time. It's quite likely we could get chopped up before it happens, and then only half our bodies will be teleported."
"What's the point, then?!"
"L-look!" Karla screamed. There's blood coming out your nose. Are you okay? "That's President Madhart's confidant, Pascal Rainsworth! And the strongest of the Eight Illustrious Generals, Nelia Cunningham! We'll be eradicated! We must run!"
Huh? Nelia? Taken by surprise, I looked farther into the distance, but by then, the battle had already begun. My Seventh Unit men were yelling like demons, charging against the enemy. Though I was their commander, they didn't even stop to care about what I had to say.
"Hey! Take it easy, gu—"
"Kill Terakomari Gandesblood!" yelled the man at the front, the guy Karla said was called Rainsworth. His eyes were weirdly reptilian-like.
The Gerra-Aruka army fired at us, except their magic didn't hit my troops, but Sakuna's. Her vampires were blasted away and launched like dandelion fluff. Corpses fell right before my eyes. I almost wet myself.
"Lady Sakuna! Let's move!"
"Bwuh? O-okay, got it! Everyone, attack!"
The Sixth Unit shouted in reaction to the order. Delphyne's troops also silently advanced forward. They gripped swords imbued with mana as they charged, and spells flew all over the meadow, explosions erupting, blood, arms, and screams flying.
Suddenly, a large ball dropped right in front of me.
"That's a bomb, Lady Komari!"
"Wuh? WHA—?!"
Vill tackled me from out of nowhere, and we fell and rolled on the grass. A blast went off, piercing my ears as it annihilated the spot I'd just been standing on. I stared, my mouth agape. Tears welled up in my eyes from the blast.
I couldn't take it anymore. I hugged my maid tight and screamed:
"No more please! I wanna go home, take me home, let's go home! Why should I have to die like this?! What did I do?!"
"You did nothing, but that's just how war is."
"Well, I freaking hate the guy who invented war! Stupid asshole! And that lunatic Madhart, too! Idiots, all of them!"
"I heard that."
It felt like needles piercing my skin all over. The enemy commander— Rainsworth—had caught up to us before I knew it. The Warblade looked down at me, flames of hatred raging in his eyes.
"You dare insult our president? You lowly vampire."
"—!" I pushed Vill away and stood up. "Y-yes! He's an imbecile! I could maybe understand wanting to wage war for entertainment—I mean, not really—but either way, I just don't get why you would do this! The world sucks because of sick bastards like you!"
"Pfft… Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! At least you don't hold your tongue, girl!"
His shrill cackling was irritating. The endless screams, explosions, and yells around us were grating as well. All proof that the person behind this conflict was nothing but stupid.
Rainsworth glared at me as he said, "Madsworth's a hero. A genius capable of taking over the world. You, little girl, have no right to talk down to him. And it's not our style to let this sort of thing slide, so…I'll have to dispose of you."
"J-just try! I'm the strongest vampire! I won't lose to anyone!"
"Pfft." Rainsworth burst into laughter again; his sneering gaze hurt. "The strongest vampire? You're just a baby!"
"What…?"
"I can't waste any more time on idle chatter, Gandesblood. But let me say this: no vampire can defeat a Warblade. That's just scientific truth. There are six races in this world, and thus six nations. Everyone acts as though we're all equals, but that couldn't be any more wrong. There is but one superior race, and that's us Warblades. All the rest are trash."
What's he talking about? Is he serious?
"We have iron bodies and superior offensive skills, on top of the ability to freely manipulate blades. We are the ideal creation. You vampires, on the other hand, are vulgar creatures who can only think of drinking blood."
"…"
"Perhaps you're the best of your scummy kind, but that doesn't change the fact that you're scum. You cannot defeat me, no matter how hard you try."
"…"
"Bwa-ha-ha! Gerra-Aruka will soon control the Mulnite Empire. All the vampires will become slaves for us. That's your place! And yes, you too. I'll kill you and make you my slave. Your looks are good, if nothing else. You'll make a
great trophy to brag about."
"You…"
I was sad. Not only was he putting down everyone around me with nasty slander, but he also outright went against my and Karla's very ideals—he was declaring war on our wish for world peace. That gave me a glimpse into the
current Gerra-Arukan government's values.
They really didn't think of anyone but themselves.
"Go ahead and give it a try," I said, looking Rainsworth straight in the eye. "I'm actually the weakest vampire, but I still won't lose to you."
"Wow…now that is ridiculous. What can a lowly vampire like you even do?"
Then I saw the glimmer of a blade. Vill, who had been standing in silence beside me, had thrown a kunai, which was going straight for Rainsworth's neck…but he struck it down with his sword at the last moment.
He held his blade aloft with the same movement and then slashed at me.
An ax swooped in from my side to block it. Bellius Hund Cerbero.
"Commander! Are you unhurt?!"
"Y-yes! I'm fine."
"What's this beast-man doing here?!"
Bellius's sudden appearance managed to confuse Rainsworth for a moment. The beast-folk were supposed to be on his side after all.
Many things happened one after the other after that.
Rainsworth immediately composed himself and jumped back and away.
Bellius and Vill went after him.
I was left all alone. Caostel, despite calling himself my strategist, was leading my troops. Mellaconcey was who knows where, and Yohann was dead.
So a peach-colored whirlwind took the chance and crossed the whole grassland.
I felt someone standing right beside me.
"Komari. We finally meet again."
I looked up in shock. The girl with peach-colored pigtails, armed with twin blades, was staring down at me. The Moonpeach Princess. Nelia Cunningham.
Everyone nearby turned to look at her.
Vill came back to me in a hurry. Even Rainsworth seemed flustered about her appearance. Nelia ignored him, however, as she took a Magic Stone out of her pocket. She held it out to me and put on a bold smile.
"It's hard to talk here. Let's go somewhere else, okay?"
Oh, this isn't good.
Then light burst forth from the Stone and covered my entire field of vision.
***
A bloody battle was being fought both inside and outside the fortress city of Faure.
Another troop of the Haku-Goku Commonwealth had joined the engagement, too, turning the intensity dial further up.
Amid it all, the commander of the Fourth Unit of the Gerra-Aruka Republic, Pascal Rainsworth, held his long sword in hand as he stood in place. Shocked.
"They escaped… Nelia betrayed us…"
Rainsworth's main objective was to take over Faure, but he also had to capture Terakomari Gandesblood. She was the leader of the Mul-Heaven Alliance, and not only that—Rainsworth also suspected she was at the heart of the entire Mulnite Empire's actions. If only he could get rid of that cocky vampire, their victory would be assured.
But there was one more reason Rainsworth obsessed over Gandesblood. It was because of Nelia. She seemed to see hope in that girl.
"These vampires just keep getting in my way…"
There was no way Terakomari Gandesblood had the power to defeat Madhart, but just having the ability to give Nelia her energy back was more than enough trouble. He needed her to stay submerged in despair, so that once she could do nothing more by herself, he could gently reach out to her. That way, even her heart of steel could melt away…
"Lord Rainsworth! The Haku-Goku Commonwealth's reinforcements have arrived! Shall we head into Faure as well?!"
"No… Let's follow Terakomari Gandesblood." Rainsworth glanced at the battlefield.
Nelia's First Unit, though confused, kept on fighting, even though they couldn't do much against the masked vampire's troops. Her forces were filled with incompetent soldiers Madhart had appointed. This was evidence enough of the contempt the Republic held for her.
Rainsworth ordered his subcommander to retreat, then turned around. He couldn't fathom where Nelia had teleported to, but there was one way to find out.
Then he got a call. He poured mana into the Correspondence Crystal.
"Lord Rainsworth, there's something I want to talk about."
"Abercrombie. What's the matter?"
Not all eight units of the Gerra-Aruka Republic had stormed Faure at the same time. The Fifth Unit, led by Abercrombie, was supposed to leave the capital once Rainsworth and Nelia started their attack. Did some problem arise?
"Well…there's been a bit of an issue here in the capital."
"What is it?"
"The executive office blew up."
***
Lonne Cornelius, top brass of Inverse Moon, was taken aback.
She had been cooped up in the underground of the executive office of the president of the Gerra-Aruka Republic as of late, cultivating shiitake (and manufacturing illegal Divine Instruments). But just when she'd gone out for a bit to bet on horse racing, the entire office exploded, along with the timber for her shiitake (and the aforementioned illegal Divine Instruments).
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?!"
The explosion had been deadly. The twelve-story building was nothing but a pile of rubble now, and even the ugly, artificial garden that had no sign of nature's beauty was now in ruins. Only the lower half of Madhart's bronze statue remained.
Eighth Unit troops, whose main job was to protect the capital, were running all around in a panic alongside the office guards. Some onlookers were there, too, curiously observing the disaster.
Who could have foreseen this?
Cornelius was in a bad mood already. She had been activating her Core Implosion excessively to make those Divine Instruments and had gone to the races to relax, but she'd lost her bet, and just that morning, Amatsu had scoffed at the novel she wrote, saying it was boring. Now the executive office was gone alongside her shiitake (and Divine Instruments).
"Why me…? I was just trying to make some snacks to go with my liquor…"
"What are you talking about?"
She turned to the voice. It was a man clad in kimono—Kakumei Amatsu. He was staring at her while nibbling on taiyaki.
"Amatsu! Look! The executive office is gone!"
"It is. Blown to bits."
"My shiitake's blown to bits, too!"
"Who cares. Want some taiyaki?"
"Yes."
He handed her a paper bag, and she took out a taiyaki. Custard cream came gushing out of the fish-shaped pastry as she took a bite. A disappointment, since she was hoping the filling would be red-bean paste.
"Spectacular, isn't it? To think the executive office has been reduced to rubble. What is this, a battlefield? Oh. Indeed, it is." Amatsu laughed.
"Amatsu…what is going on? Is this the work of an antiestablishment group?"
"Dissident terrorists here aren't capable of this. The office is protected by multiple layers of magical barriers. You'd need immense physical power to break through all that…or Core Implosion."
"Core Implosion… Oh. So it was Petrose Calamaria."
Inverse Moon had a database on all Core Implosion holders in the world. The only one capable of such a feat was the commander of the First Unit of the Mulnite Empire.
So the explosion was an attack on Mulnite's part.
"Is Madhart dead? Should we hold a funeral or something?"
"I'm sure he's alive. I doubt the great hero who overthrew the monarchy would go down that easily."
"I guess. He looks like a tough guy."
"In any case, people don't die from physical attacks. In this day and age, they're protected by the Dark Core. The true deadly Effulgent Magic are words—the infinite power they hold."
"True. I wanted to kill myself back then when you shit-talked my novel."
"Letting your emotions be swayed by criticism is only human, but I would find it foolish to end your only life so easily."
"Then don't say that!"
"I only stated the truth. It was boring. Back on topic, Mulnite is serious now. They'll try to destroy Gerra-Aruka not only through force, but words, too."
Amatsu showed her a piece of paper. A flyer of some sort. The text was written in overly dramatic font.
Madhart's oppression is overwhelming. He will send anyone who dares express a dissenting opinion to prison. The secret police patrols stalks the land every night. No one can sleep easy. Should we let him get away with it any longer? Must we stay quiet in the face of injustice? It is the time to stand up for our rights! Put an end to Madhart's evil!
"I see this scattered everywhere. The people of Gerra-Aruka feel invigorated, reading these words they've been holding back in print. It's doing a great job."
Cornelius gazed at the people walking in the streets. The Warblades looked like they had found hope. The Gerra-Aruka Republic was the only one of the six nations in which the head of state was appointed through elections. Whoever won through the official channels gained authority, and Madhart had brandished it like a weapon, using the garrison and police to stomp out any who opposed him.
What did the oppressed people think?
Whatever they did, it was of no concern to her.
***
I was standing by a river the next moment.
The sound of the water flowing and the birds chirping was comforting. Everything around me was green. It was like a different world from that place of explosions and screams.
Then I realized. Nelia had used her magic to bring me here.
"Lady Komari, are you okay?"
I turned to the voice. The sicko maid was standing there on high alert. So she got Vill, too.
"I'm fine. What about you?"
"I'm well, thank you. What about that girl on the ground there?"
I followed Vill's line of sight.
I couldn't believe it. The kimono girl was lying there, her eyes swirling.
"K-Karlaaa?! You okay?!"
"Hush, Lady Komari. That's one of the Five Imperial Sabers, the strongest person in the world, we're talking about. No need to worry about her. That dizzying movement must be some sort of Heavenly Paradise ritual."
"Doesn't it seem like she's about to faint?"
"This must be what they call 'zazen' in the East. I've heard they do this meditative practice cleanse their minds of worldly thoughts and use their mind's eye to examine the truth of the universe."
"Why do that now, though? Hey, isn't that a lump on her head?"
"Perhaps her head was shaped like that from the beginning."
"I don't remember that…or wait, maybe you're right…"
There was no point worrying about it either way. It didn't look like her life was in danger. Besides, she did say herself that she was the strongest in the world. There's no way she would have hit her head after the shock of teleportation and faint, right? I mean, not even I did that. So I decided to leave her be.
"Oh my, it seems we've got a couple intruders."
I heard a girl's voice. Suddenly, a peach-color-haired girl teleported atop a boulder near the river. Nelia Cunningham. The Gerra-Aruka commander who'd taken us here to begin with.
Vill grabbed a kunai. I…clenched my fist and took a fighting stance. Hopefully the right way.
"N-Nelia! What do you want?! Where are we?!"
"Near the Daydream Paradise…is where I intended, but it appears that stupid Madhart destroyed the portal. I don't know where we are."
Nelia jumped down from the boulder. It was then that I noticed her smiling maid, Gertrude, was behind her.
"No need to be so tense. I don't want to fight."
"You lie."
"I'm telling the truth. Didn't you read my letter? I talked about my and Aruka's circumstances."
I looked at Vill. She shook her head.
I didn't get anything like that, did I? I just got that one that said, I will never forget this humiliation. Which made the Seventh Unit guys start planning "Operation Murder the Moonpeach Princess."
"…What? You really didn't get it?"
"I don't remember seeing anything like that…"
"That's weird. Maybe it got lost in the mail? Anyhow…I really don't want to fight. Please believe me."
"But you led your army against us back there."
"I had to, as a general. I really didn't want to do that."
"Didn't you want to make me your servant and take over the world?"
"Yes to the former. But taking over the world was a lie."
"You really want me as your servant?!"
"Having you as my subordinate would make for a very fun daily life…but let's set that aside for now. I really don't want to take over the world. Madhart's the only one planning such lunacy. Well, perhaps I would be willing to do it, too, but only for the sake of peace."
Nelia dropped her twin blades on the ground. Vill's jaw dropped along with them. A Warblade's weapons were tantamount to their own life—there was no better proof that Nelia really wasn't there to fight us.
"Komari, I understood you were a pacifist from our tea party the other day. I can tell that you're not an idiot drunk on power, that you're not like Madhart."
"Sure, I'm a scholar, and as such, I'm aware of the appropriate time and place to use my power…"
"I know your true colors. I know that you don't want any needless war. You're really just like my mentor."
"Who's that?"
"Your mother." All sound disappeared; I felt as if her confident eyes stared straight through my soul. "How about we make a deal? You're angry about Madhart's extremist actions. I hate them, too. So let's face him together, and
there'll be nothing to fear."
"B-but…"
"Don't be afraid. I know we can do anything together. We could change the world… I can feel it."
Her expression wasn't that of an idealistic girl. It was the face of a revolutionary who'd faced reality, analyzed it, and had strengthened her resolve to destroy it despite everything.