Even among the numerous prisons scattered around Aureatia, the facility was intentionally built in an area that housed many military buildings, subject to constant and strict surveillance. The individuals imprisoned in its walls were mainly limited to major war criminals and prisoners who normal soldiers could handle—low-risk prisoners.
The man walking down the road to the prison wore his hat at an angle— the Twentieth Minister of Aureatia, Hidow the Clamp.
The young official turned around at the sound of a soldier's footsteps approaching behind him.
"Lord Hidow. We've received word from the headquarters in Mage City." "Great. So I've been given jurisdiction over this New Principality problem
now?"
Hidow scratched an ear, a look of annoyed reluctance on his face. "Yes. There was a notice from the Third Minister this morning."
"Jelki's doing, is it? Never wastes a damn moment, does he…? Well, what is it, then?"
"Periodic reports from our eight intelligence officers all stopped at once.
As of yesterday, all in less than a day."
"Their base of operations got surrounded, and they got wiped out, then?
None of them managed to escape?"
"That's right. Among the eight, not a single one survived. They were all elite officers, handpicked by the Seventeenth Minister herself. They must've been up against a considerably large force."
"I wonder. How many men do you think you'd need to take out eight of her spies?"
Hidow kept his hands in his pockets as he walked. The footsteps of himself and the soldier were the only things that echoed through the underground passage.
"The fact that they were driven to annihilation alone means at least one squad of four. That said, with the Seventeenth Minister's spies, they always
make sure one person escapes, even if they have to sacrifice everyone else to do it. To completely wipe them all out, you would need four squads, sixteen total. One of those would have to be a sniper unit."
"They were the Seventeenth Minister's troops, after all."
Hidow the Clamp's views more or less aligned with the soldier's assessment. To take out an entire group of well-trained Aureatia spies would require that amount of manpower at the very least.
"…Has little Elea been told about this?" "Little Elea?"
"The Seventeenth Minister. Elea the Red Tag. Reporting about this to the spy boss should take priority over me, right? Though I have heard she's currently busy with a separate infiltration mission."
"…Indeed. She appears to be out in a part of the frontier where radzio communication is difficult, so I first thought to inform you, Lord Hidow, as the person in charge."
"Person in charge? Hey now, I haven't even gotten an official letter of appointment yet."
The Seventeenth Minister of Aureatia, Elea the Red Tag, had, for six small months now, been busy with an investigation a far distance from Aureatia. The wyvern expert, Sixth General Harghent, was infatuated with his dragon-slaying mission, and due to the extreme secrecy of the head of the intelligence, the Seventeenth Minister Elea, even emergency communications weren't reaching her.
"Sheesh, damn near everyone and anyone's off gallivanting, doing whatever they want…"
"Naturally, I believe the command jurisdiction over the spy troops has been transferred to yourself. Shall we have more personnel infiltrate the city?"
"They'd die in vain if things played out the same way… Time for another strategy."
Hidow closed his eyes. The topography of the future battlefield, engraved in his mind countless times over, floated into his thoughts.
"…On the eastern side of the operation headquarters, there should be a basin carved out by the mountain stream. Per our negotiations with the New Principality, it should be just barely within our territory. Build a battle encampment there."
"A basin… Yes, there is indeed one there, but it is quite far away from the headquarters. I don't believe that position would serve much purpose defensively."
"That's fine. It'll be an offensive forward position. The complicated topography will deceive the eyes of their wyverns. Sometime tomorrow, I'll send a few skilled fortification experts over."
"Understood… Incidentally, sir…"
The two had stopped walking. They had arrived at their destination, in front of one of the prison's cells.
The corridor was always brightly lit, but the air was horribly still.
"…the release of the Vortical Stampede… Well, um, is that your responsibility, sir?"
"Yup. Move aside for a second."
Hidow tapped on the iron door. Leaning on it with his balled-up fist, he called out to the person inside.
"You're awake in there, aren't you, Nihilo?"
Hidow could see the prisoner inside move off the bed.
One eye, left uncovered by the prisoner's long bangs, looked toward the door, and the prisoner smiled. A very young girl.
"…It's okay. I just woke up."
Threadlike antennae extending out from her spine wriggled in complex patterns. The girl was not a minia.
"Apparently, eight intelligence agents in the New Principality got wiped out in a single day. How many people would you need to do that, Nihilo the Vortical Stampede?"
"Just one."
After her flat reply, the answer obvious, she giggled. "Actually, no. One person and one body, I should say."
She was called Nihilo the Vortical Stampede.
The individuals imprisoned in this facility were primarily limited to major war criminals and prisoners who normal soldiers could handle—low-risk prisoners.
However, Nihilo was the most terrible living weapon on existing record, who in a past war had wiped out an entire Aureatia army single-handedly.