Her life began in the middle of a forest, among the thunder. That was her oldest memory—a roaring and booming like the end of the world.
She was still afraid of thunder due to the traumatic experience. Nothing she did could allay her fear. On that day, that rainy day, she sat in the mud in the middle of the forest, until a tall, old man wearing a silk hat saved her.
"I can't believe it. So the Goddess really did come from the future," the old man said, genuinely shocked. "Your injuries aren't healed. You haven't been enrolled into the Dark Core, have you?"
"I…uh…"
"Hmm?"
Her lips trembled as she pushed the voice out of her throat.
"Who…am I…?"
"That's what I want to know. According to the woman from the future, you will eventually become a vital piece of a huge puzzle. I don't mean to put you down as just a pawn, though. I hope you don't take offense…"
"…?"
She couldn't understand a single thing coming out of the man's mouth, but she gathered on pure instinct that the vampire before her—a vampire just like her—was not her enemy.
If she hadn't met him at that moment, she would've succumbed to the bite wounds of a forest beast.
The rain washed away her memories. She knew not where she had come from, nor who she was. As she had nowhere to go, she accepted the old man's offer to live as his granddaughter. Although she couldn't deny that a part of her was afraid he was a monster who ate children, she figured it was better than dying in the forest. She didn't mind being tricked. For now, she chose to believe in his kindness. And so she left with him, with Clovis.
Clovis was one of the Seven Crimson Lords of the Mulnite Empire.
"You must be stronger than you look," she said with complete sincerity, and he replied with a smile, "I'm just there to fill in the gaps. My troops could mutiny against me at any moment."
They lived in peace.
She wasn't one to start their conversations herself, due to her reserved nature, but Clovis was considerate and would talk to her on his own. Although most of what he talked about was poison. He was an expert on the subject, and he would always go on hikes to search for precious plants and mushrooms that he could make into dangerous substances to use in war.
"Listen carefully. You grind blue moss bamboo into powder, mix it with black nettle-tree butterfly extract, and let it rest for a night. Then you mix in venom A and medicine C, and you get a poison that will blow up whoever drinks it."
"I'm sorry…but I don't get it…"
"Hmm, was that too much for you?"
But she didn't want to be left behind. She snuck into Clovis's lab and read all the documents, gaining knowledge on poisons little by little. In a month's time, she was able to concoct a lethal poison of her own, and Clovis was greatly surprised. "You must be a genius!"
Those days weren't fun, exactly, but they were like paradise compared to wandering the stormy forest covered in wounds.
"I just realized," Clovis said one day. "I've nothing to call you but you. I shall give you a name."
"I…remember my name."
"Hmm? You do?"
"Yes, it's written on my clothes."
She told him it, and he smiled in admiration.
"I see. Villhaze. In ancient Mulnite, it meant 'gem from heaven' or 'emperor's jewel.' You're destined for greatness."
"Is that so?"
"But you're missing a family name. Since I'll have you enroll in the Imperial Academy, how about you use your new grandpa's? My full name is Clovis Dodrens. Yours will be Villhaze Dodrens."
"No."
"Why not?"
"It doesn't sound cute."
"…"
She could still remember Clovis—her grandfather's sad expression then.
Ultimately, she decided to live without a family name.
These were Villhaze's oldest memories. From when she was still a lusterless little girl afraid of thunder. From before she met Terakomari Gandesblood and gained a new path in life.
★
Her Majesty had commanded her to perform espionage.
Pope Julius VI was under suspicion of being involved in something dreadful. More specifically, she appeared to be working with Inverse Moon to try and take over the Six Nations. This was what the Empress said when ordering her to infiltrate the Holy City:
"Use any method you must. When Julius VI comes to visit, you must go back with her. Perhaps the fastest way would be to say you're converting."
And so Villhaze made arrangements to change teams. She bought holy water and vestments at the Imperial Capital church in order to join the faith, but in the end, all her preparations had gone down the drain the moment she actually came across the Pope. The Seventh Unit ended up provoking her ire, and Villhaze had offered herself as compensation.
It seemed all too convenient, but she couldn't give up the chance. She consented to being whisked away to the Holy City.
To top it all off, Julius VI was intent on making Villhaze her own personal maid. It was the perfect situation for espionage, but she couldn't help but that feel something was off.
"Commander Gandesblood is quite the girl," Julius VI mused from behind her as she swayed the lollipop in her hand.
Upon closer inspection, Villhaze could see that her candy was composed of a mix of sugar and blood that had been solidified.
"She seems to value you more than I thought. She might try invading the Holy City, even though she can't possibly stand a chance against the Holy Knights."
"I…never imagined that Lady Komari could speak so sharply."
"Good thing she's got the energy, right? Though it's obvious it's only coming from a place of desperation."
Villhaze was unusually worried.
She'd acted on a whim. The Pope didn't realize this, but her heart was still with Komari. She ached to be reunited with her as soon as possible. Her need for Komari was so great that she was on the brink of losing her marbles and running screaming through the hallways.
This was the consequence of her backup plan: putting some distance between her and Komari to try and make something bud within her master. Villhaze's insistence wasn't working, and Komari had been too cold as of late, so she'd thought that some time could bring their hearts closer together.
"Just you wait, Vill! I'm going there to get you!"
Villhaze had honestly been elated to hear Komari say that, but it only made her guilt stronger. She'd fought to keep herself from shouting, "It's all a lie, I still love you!" How was she supposed to act if Komari actually came for her? Moreover, wouldn't the Seventh Unit's invasion get in the way of here espionage?
She needed to reveal Spica La Gemini's secret, pronto. Then she would go back to the Mulnite Empire with Komari. Full of determination, she stared at the vampire with blond pigtails.
"Buhddabay," she mumbled with the lollipop in her mouth. "By the way, where in Mulnite are you from?"
"Me? Erm… The Imperial Capital."
"I see. Me too." Julius VI smiled amicably. "It's such a nice city, though it wasn't as big as it is now when I was born. It was just a little walled city in the middle of the prairie."
"If I may… How old are you, Lady Spica?"
"You see, I'm half-Immortal. I've forgotten exactly how many years I've been around, but it must be somewhere around six hundred."
That had to be a lie.
Immortals had long lives, but they didn't reach thrice the lifetimes of other species. Especially when they had a non-Immortal parent. Unless she had a special ability that prolonged her life, it was impossible that Spica was six hundred years old.
Villhaze's suspicions only grew as Julius VI went into a long-winded speech while swinging the lollipop in hand.
"You might not know, but six centuries ago, there was no Dark Core. Back then, people had to go to the underworld when their hearts were gouged out. It was survival of the fittest. People weren't sure they'd be able to survive on their own, so they began praying to God. The circumstances made the Holy Church much more popular than you could imagine nowadays. It must have had at least ten times as many followers. There were a lot more churches, too."
"I see… So you lost followers because of the Dark Core?"
"That's right. That special-grade Divine Instrument made people lose their fear of death. They forgot about God and started acting in self-indulgence. As a member of Mulnite's army, you must be aware of sports-wars, those barbaric events where people abandon themselves to the pleasures of killing each other. They're a showcase of how lightly people think of life. Don't you find it concerning?"
"Perhaps. Life is something to value," Villhaze answered half-heartedly while reflecting on her words. She'd heard the same idea elsewhere before.
"Oh, excuse me," the Pope apologized out of the blue. "I have the bad habit of rambling on without end. I think I got it from my days as an apprentice doing hardcore missionary work."
"Is that so?"
"I would like to ask one question, though. Do you believe in God?"
Her answer was obvious, one that reflected the title her master had given her—a liar of a maid.
"Of course I believe in Him. I love God."
"I see. Go back to your work, then."
Villhaze curtsied and went on her way.
She needed to make supper, but the truth was that she had no intention of heading to the kitchen. The Pope would be engaged in prayer with the cardinals before sunset, and she was intent on using the opportunity to search the Cathedral. It wouldn't be long before she found decisive evidence. She could feel it.
"Oh, also," the Pope said abruptly, her tone as casual as someone asking about the weather. "I heard you've been snooping all over the Cathedral."
"…!"
"I don't mind, but I think someone else might."
Villhaze's heart raced. Spica's starry stare glued in her in place. She took a deep breath before responding.
"Whatever could you mean? I'm your loyal maid now, Lady Spica."
The Pope smiled.
"See, I'm not allowed to kill you. Apparently, your Core Implosion—Pandora's Poison—might prove useful. It's strange for them to take such roundabout methods, but I think I understand why."
"Wha—" She couldn't finish speaking.
Agony bloomed across her stomach. She fell onto her knee, drooling. She looked down and saw blood gushing out. A dagger had flown into her side. Impossible. There was no mana reaction. Who in the world coul— Pain. Sharp pain.
"Please. The plan will go awry if we allow her to snoop around."
Villhaze heard a man's voice. She turned around in panic, and there she saw a tall Sapphire, his eyes glowing scarlet. Core Implosion.
Julius VI sighed and said, "I was only testing her skills as a maid. Playing around, that's all."
"The games have gone on for long enough. She was to be imprisoned from the very beginning."
Villhaze gnashed her teeth. The pain burned her insides like scorching flames.
"I'm sorry, Villhaze," Julius VI apologized insincerely. "This here is Tryphon Cross. He's been the captain of the Holy Knights ever since I took over as Pope. And he's also a Luna—one of the top brass of Inverse Moon."
Villhaze's jaw dropped. She hadn't been expecting her to just come out and say it.
The Holy Church really was colluding with those terrorists to destroy the Mulnite Empire.
She thought as fast as she could. Their motives were easy enough to imagine, especially since Julius VI had just said it herself—the Dark Core had made people lose their faith.
She couldn't let herself be defeated now. Her hand trembled as she took out a powerful painkiller from her pocket and gulped it down without hesitation. The agony gradually subsided.
Everything will be over if I take the two of them out now, she thought before standing up. Only then, however, did she realize that something else was stabbing her ankle.
"Huh…?"
"It's too late. We will be making use of your power now."
A sword swung at imperceptible speed. She couldn't dodge it.
Villhaze's life came to a silent end.
★
The terrorists lost no time in mobilizing.
Still, their opposition was moving just as quickly.
★
Meanwhile, at the Osui Palace in the Eastern Capital of the Heavenly Paradise.
Karla Amatsu was behind the bamboo blinds as always, taking a nap.
She wasn't slacking off—she was resting.
Ever since she becoming Goddess, Karla had lost most of her private time. She rarely got any sleep since she also had to attend to the Fuuzen. There weren't many opportunities for snacking, either. How was she supposed to go on?
Certain that her lifestyle would lead to her demise, Karla had added napping as part of her duties as Goddess. Getting proper rest was part of the job. So no, she was not slacking off, not in the slightest. I'll just rest until dinner for today…she thought sluggishly as she clutched a pillow close to her chest.
"What're you doing, Karla?!"
"Uwaaah?!"
She woke with a leap upon hearing a voice in her ear.
She felt dizzy. Her eardrums throbbed in pain.
Who yells at someone sleeping? It could only be the devil itself! Karla thought as she turned around, tears in her eyes, to find the devil in question—one Karin Reigetsu.
"This sacred place is not for napping! Do your job!"
"Wait, don't pull me! You're taking my clothes off!" Karla screamed as she was dragged away.
Karin showed no restraint. She grabbed Karla by the ankle and tried hauling her all the way to the office.
"Let me go! I have a strict schedule of napping by the brazier for the rest of the day!"
"There's no time to lose! The project documents for rebuilding the Eastern Capital keep piling up! And you're going to take a look at each and every one of them."
"That's no reason to drag me around like luggage! Is this how you treat your sacred Goddess?!"
"No sacred Goddess would snooze behind some blinds!"
"You really think none of them have done this before?! I beg to differ! I'm pretty sure at least half of our past rulers must have done that at some point! And none of them had insolent subjects that would dare take a peek without asking! You're the anomaly here!"
"Shut your trap! Wanna sleep? Then hit the hay after finishing your damn job!"
"But when will it end?!"
"Sometime, so long as you actually do it. It's only taking years because you're so slow."
"This is hell! Look at my eyes! I've got bags under them from the lack of sleep!"
They kept fighting on the floor.
After the Heavenly Ball, Karin Reigetsu had begun working as Karla's aide. Her exact position was that of Minister of the Right & Imperial Saber. Along with her pedigree, this made her both in theory and in practice the Heavenly Paradise's number two.
Only number two, so why did she have to push her number one around? Karla had been hoping that Karin would take care of all the busywork, but it turned out it was Karin ordering her around. Trying to bribe the girl with snacks hadn't worked one bit. In the end, Karla was still afraid of her.
"I just got a great idea! I hereby command the members of the Court to take a five-hour nap every day. That should help them relax and raise their efficiency. This is an imperial decree."
"Say that again, and I'll slice you in half."
"All right! Time to do some work!"
She couldn't keep resisting at the sight of her blade. Karla had no doubt that Karin was capable of cutting the Goddess in half.
They went to the office and, true to Karla's word, found an actual mountain of documents waiting to be checked. No end in sight. Karla probably wouldn't be able to run the Fuuzen for the whole weekend.
"…I have to go through all of these?"
"That's the Goddess's job. And you took over, not me, remember?"
"I guess…"
Karla had gained massive support after winning the Heavenly Ball, leading to her election as Goddess. This was the wish of the people—and most importantly, her own. She couldn't just insist she didn't want to do any of the actual work, otherwise she'd be ashamed to face her citizens, her grandmother, the former Goddess, and that courageous vampire girl.
"…Gee. Sure is hard being the Goddess."
"I'll help you out as much as I can. I know you can't do it by yourself."
"Right. You and I both know how useless I am."
Karla grabbed the first document, all ready to get down to work, and…sighed.
"This won't do. It'll ruin the landscape."
"Is that so?"
"You want a bathhouse there? There's no need for one in that zone, just going by the population's distribution. Now that we're rebuilding the capital from scratch, let's trim the fat instead of just rebuilding it as it was. Also, this project's just for pocketing a kickback. I'll have to establish a special bureau to take care of these things. I've also received complaints about the Ministry of Revenue being too stingy with funds, so remind me to talk to them later."
"R-right."
"I've also gotten reports about the Ministry of Works lacking personnel. Let's check their hiring situation. I've heard that some strikes are happening, too, so I want to open the treasury and give them a one-year raise, but I'm open to hearing counterpoints or alternatives. Oh, this is asking for an illegitimate subsidy. Where'd this private enterprise come from? Geez, they're making me lose sleep on this crap…"
"…Wait, you're just throwing the papers away. Are you sure?"
"No problem. I've got them all memorized and I'm giving instructions on the spot."
Karla was sending all her decrees to the relevant departments using a Magic Stone called a Shikigami.
She was already sick of her job. She wanted to go home now and come up with a new eastern-style snack… Just then, she felt a sudden flow of mana.
Someone appeared in a corner of the room.
"Lady Karla, you have a letter."
It was a girl clad in black—the leader of Kidoshu, Karla's own ninja squad: Koharu Minenaga. She always made a stealthy entrance. Karla kept her eyes on the documents as she responded to her subordinate.
"Thank you. Leave it over there. I'll read it later."
"I think this should take priority."
"Why? Is it a special sale on sugar?"
"No." Koharu shook her head. Karla felt the blood leave her body as she heard her next words. "It's from Kakumei Amatsu, your brother."
★
Meanwhile, at the Executive Office in the Metropolis of the Aruka Republic.
President Nelia Cunningham reclined in her chair as she stared at the man in front of her.
He had the same arrogant look in his eyes as always, but he seemed less detestable than he had been that past summer. Naturally so, thought Nelia. He had endured harsh punishment under the new Aruka's law. He had changed his ways, if only a little.
"Um… Lady Nelia, don't you think it's too soon?" asked Gertrude, the maid at her side.
But Nelia smiled. "It's too late, I'd say. When all is said and done, we need military power to rebuild Aruka. Outlaws have been running rampant lately, taking advantage of all the turmoil. I've been wanting a watchdog for a while."
"But I don't think the citizens will take well to this."
"Do you remember the punishment he went through? They dragged him around the city in the nude. The judge sure wasn't merciful… But thanks to that, I think he's won more pity than hatred. People will be fine with him being reinstated. And whoever's not fine with that is going to jail. That's good with you, right, Rainsworth?"
The man before her, Warblade Pascal Rainsworth, had been Arukan dictator Madhart's loyal dog.
"Hah." He crossed his arms, a sulking frown on his face. "You're too naive, Nelia. You don't understand the depth of the people's hatred for Madhart. Appointing me will only tank your popularity."
"It's for the good of the country."
"Don't you remember what you said back in the golden plains? That Aruka doesn't need me?"
"Zip it. Don't you talk back to the president."
Nelia stood up from her chair and walked up to Rainsworth. He darted his eyes around as she smirked.
"I'm appointing you back to the Eight Illustrious Generals. You have no right to refuse. This is an executive order. But…if you really don't want to, then I might accept you as my maid. I'll have you call me Lady Nelia and take care of me like Gertrude and the others do. All while wearing the same uniform, of course."
"Wha…?! You're insane if you think I'm doing that!"
"Wow, you've got some dignity left after going around the city in your birthday suit? Either way, if you don't want to be an Illustrious General, your only options are becoming my maid or dying in prison."
"You've gotta be kidding me! That's blackmail—Guh!"
Rainsworth spun around before he tumbled to the floor. Nelia had swept at his legs with a mana-reinforced kick.
"You little…!" He yelled and tried getting up, but his efforts were fruitless. It was like he was sewn to the floor. "Wha?! What's going on?! The floor's all sticky!"
"Advanced-level adhesive spell: Eternal Birdlime! You're not getting away from this, Rainsworth!"
"Y-you weeeeeeench!"
"I'm sorry, brother. I had to follow Lady Nelia's orders."
"Cry and beg! Say, 'I am so sorry, I've changed my ways, so please let me be an Illustrious General again.' Do it or I'll make you my maid. Gertrude, do we have a uniform that fits him?"
"I think we do, actually…"
"Hey, that's not what you said before! I'm not doing whatever you wa—"
"Shut up already!"
Nelia raised her foot to stomp the man's face, but then she reconsidered. Shoving her boot there would be a bit much. So she took it off and stomped his face in her tights, kicking him square in the side of the head.
"Beg. I'll forgive you if you beg for it with tears in your eyes."
"F-f-fuck off! I'm not taking this humiliation. I'll… I'll…"
"You'll what? Your life is in my hands. You should be grateful I'm allowing you to come crawling back. Or are you really so humiliated that you'd rather drop dead at this point? How's your former coworker's foot feel, eh? Are you enjoying getting trampled on while you can do nothing to stop it?"
"You…! You won't get away with this, Neliaaa!!"
"A-awawa! Lady Nelia, please have mercy! I'm so jealous right n… I mean, you must stop giving him the pleasure of your foot!"
"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! So, what'll it be, Pascal Rainsworth?! Illustrious General, or my new maid?!"
"Gwaaaaaaah!" A shriek from the soul echoed throughout the Executive Office.
While tormenting Rainsworth, Nelia thought carefully: I must appoint whoever's the strongest, even if they opposed me in the past.
Aruka had lost much of its power after its tumultuous revolution.
In testament to the country's diminished presence, quite some time had passed since its commanders had participated in sports-war.
The seats of the Eight Illustrious Generals were nearly all vacant. Only Gertrude had kept her position from the previous administration. With the exception of Pascal Rainsworth, who would be re-joining today, the only other General was Nelia herself, juggling both positions of president and commander.
Nelia reflected on the grim prospects of her nation as she abused Rainsworth with her foot, until Gertrude exclaimed:
"Lady Nelia, look!"
"What? I'm almost done breaking his spirit."
"What would be the point in that? Anyway, you have a call." Gertrude pointed at the desk.
On it sat five Correspondence Crystals, each hotlines to the leaders of the other nations. The crimson one—Mulnite's—was glowing.
Talk about a surprise, Nelia thought as she put her boot back on. She ignored Rainsworth's nosebleed and walked up to the Crystals.
"Hello? This is Nelia Cunningham speaking."
The connection went through after she poured in some mana, but she heard no response from the other end, only the buzz of static.
"———————I———"
"Hello? Empress?"
"————————Neli————pir————"
Was there an issue with the mana supply? But the Correspondence Crystals used in the international hotlines were items of the highest quality. Regular connection issues wouldn't create this much noise. Where could the Empress possibly be?
"Your Majesty, can you hear me? What is happening?"
Rainsworth kept grunting from behind, "You're not…getting away with this…" Gertrude silenced him by hitting him on the head with a frying pan. Hope that doesn't kill him.
After a while, the call finally stabilized.
"—Can you hear me, Nelia?"
That was the Mulnite Empress's voice, no question about it. Nelia sighed in relief.
"Yes, I can hear you. What's the matter?"
"I'll cut to the chase. I want you to lend the Mulnite Empire a hand."
"Um… What's the problem, exactly?"
"I messed up. Inverse Moon's on the move. Things are going to get ugly. I just want you to help Komari when the time comes."
"I don't mind, but I'd appreciate if you could fill me in on the situation."
"I'd appreciate if you could find out for yourself."
Does…that make any sense? But then, the Empress said something much more shocking.
"Sorry, I don't have the time. I've almost reached Yulinne."