Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 13 - Chapter Pr

Prologue: Friends 
Sacred Princess, Altimia A. Altar 
I immediately realized that I was dreaming. 
I’d had this dream many times before — a dream of the past. However, unlike the previous times I dreamed of this, I didn’t relive the last time I saw my father. 
Instead, I saw a scene that dated back a lot further than the day my father died. The dream was more of a vision from half a decade ago, when Altar and Dryfe were on such good terms that the very idea of a war between them seemed absurd. 
It was a peaceful time, before the attack of The Tri-Zenith Dragon, Gloria, and even before the increase in the number of Masters. 
Back then, I was a transfer student at a school in Dryfe. On that day, I was in the dorm’s lounge, reading a book I’d checked out from the library. 
I was the only one there, most likely because I was the first princess of a kingdom. I’d been here for almost a year now, so I was used to being avoided — not out of hate, but out of fear. 
“Altimia, can I have a moment?” 
Despite all that, there was still one person who would always talk to me. 
“Claudiah. What is it?” Claudiah was her name, and she was one of my few friends here. You could definitely say that we were close. 
...Though, it’s not like I had many friends in Altar, either. There was only Liliana — the daughter of my father’s friend — and Integra — the youngest of the Arch Sage’s disciples. 
“Would you like to come shopping with me this afternoon?” Claudiah asked. “We can get some tea at a café, too. They should start selling fall treats today.” 
“...You really like going out, don’t you?” Claudiah was the daughter of the third prince of Dryfe and one of the candidates for the throne. She had also been in charge of helping me live in this foreign land. We were about the same age and had some things in common, so we got along rather well. 
“What do you need to buy, if I may ask?” I wondered out loud. 
“Clothes! Mostly for you!” 
“Me?” 
“You’ve gotten a little bigger in the chest, haven’t you? By next season, all your clothes will be too tight for you.” 
“Well, I am in the middle of a growth spurt. I’m impressed you noticed.” 
“...Heheheh. Well, people really pay attention to things they desperately want, but can’t easily get.” Claudiah then indicated her own bust — it was on the smaller side, and it didn’t look like it would be growing anytime soon... If ever. 
Claudiah was staring at my chest with envy in her eyes, too. I got the impression she’d reach for it if I took too long to respond, so I rushed to give my answer. 
“Very well... Let’s go. I wanted to look around the bookstores, anyway.” 
“Splendid! Let’s meet up outside the gate at one o’clock! I can’t wait!” 
I found the meeting time she specified a bit odd. My watch said that it was still ten in the morning. That meant that we wouldn’t be meeting up until over three hours from now. 
“Why the afternoon?” I asked. “I’m free. We could go right now. Do you have some prior commitment?” 
“My brother asked me to help him in his workshop! Ugh... I know my stats are high, but he shouldn’t make a lady carry things around for him.” 
“Oh, I see...” Like she’d just said, her stats were extremely high. 
After all, her job was The Ram. 
Claudiah had been born with incredible talent that had allowed her to claim the open Superior Job at the tender age of thirteen. That was one of the reasons why we got along so well. Though I used the Swordmaster job title as a cover, I was actually the Sacred Princess. We were both daughters of ruling families, and we both spent a great deal of time honing our martial skills, so it made sense that we would see eye to eye. We even sparred together at least once every few days. 
“Could you not simply have someone else assist your brother?” Claudiah was a lady — someone you could truly call a “princess.” I found it unfitting for such an individual to perform manual labor, and it seemed strange that her brother would ask something like that of her. 
“Sadly, no,” Claudiah answered. “My brother is extremely anxious around strangers and cannot focus on his work if he’s with someone besides me or a member of our mother’s family... the Barbaros, I mean.” 
“I see...” That seemed reasonable enough to me. 
Claudiah had lost both of her parents, and it was rumored that they were assassinated by someone from the imperial family. While Claudiah had somehow gotten through everything while remaining innocent and cheerful, I could only guess that her elder brother, on the other hand, refused to trust anyone but those he considered his own. 
“Well, I don’t mind waiting,” I said. “You go help your brother.” 
“Thank you! I will not take long, so please be patient!” Claudiah rushed out of the lounge and through the hallway at supersonic speeds. 
That was a level beyond the usual rule-breaking in the dorms, but her carelessness just made me chuckle. I resumed reading my book, killing time until she came back.

About two hours later, I closed my book. 
There was less than an hour left until one o’clock, our proposed meeting time, but Claudiah hadn’t returned. 
A bit curious, I went to the workshop she’d mentioned earlier. Dryfe was a country of machines, so all places of education had facilities for machine-related crafting jobs. 
And so, in a pleasant hallway outside the workshop, I found a familiar face — Claudiah herself. 
“Oh. Claudiah — Hm...?” However, once I came close, I realized that it wasn’t her. 
This person had a very similar face, but the expression and the eyes were nothing alike. 
Princess Claudiah was cheerful, energetic, and had the vigor of a true battle-focused Superior Job. This person, by contrast, was far too gloomy to even serve as her shadow. 
The lovely face that so resembled Claudiah’s was spoiled by the dark expression and the oil staining their hair and cheeks. They also weren’t wearing a school uniform — instead, they were clad in a set of dirtied work clothes. 
However, what made it plainly obvious that this couldn’t possibly be Claudiah was the gaze. It was icy cold, as though this person had never once felt any warmth or passion. 
Still, the face resembled Claudiah’s so much that it must have been someone related to her. 
“Are you... Claudiah’s brother?” I asked. 
“...Yes, Your Highness Altimia.” Though his voice was lower, it was similar to Claudiah’s in tone, just as you would expect from a sibling. 
I could only assume that they were twins. 
I also realized that he knew who I was. Perhaps Claudiah had told him about me? 
“Claudiah... I mean, Her Highness is always a great help to me.” 
“...No need to act like that around me. She does what she does because she wants to. Also, you don’t need to use ‘Highness’ for me, or her.” 
Though it seemed like he wasn’t fully tuned into the conversation, I felt like his attitude had shifted slightly. 
“Do you know where Claudiah is?” I asked. “I was looking for her. We agreed to meet up, and it’s almost time.” 
“...I suppose she’s taking a bath right now,” he replied. “I had her help with my work, so she’s probably as dirty as me... She can’t go with you in such a state. I’d appreciate it if you wait for her a bit longer.” 
“Oh, so that’s what’s happening.” Gloomy as he was, his words still held a hint of gentleness towards his sister, as well as some consideration for me — her friend. I also started to notice that his eyes held more warmth than I’d realized at first. 
I quickly revised my impression of him. Maybe he wasn’t such a cold person after all. 
I looked down and saw a metal container clutched in his hands. 
“A toolbox...” 
“...Despite appearances, I am the King of Machines. I’m often entrusted with repairing all kinds of devices, like the machines here in this school or the Imperstand.” 
King of Machines was the Superior Job in the mechanic grouping. Dryfe Imperium was a country that boasted far more technicians than warriors. You couldn’t say the same about Claudiah’s job, The Ram, but there had to be a great many people here in Dryfe competing for the King of Machines title. If he was truly Claudiah’s twin, he was far too young for such a job. The fact that he actually had it meant that he must be nothing short of a genius. 
...Though, I did find it odd that a candidate for the throne was entrusted with something as mundane as repairs. 
“I will be going, then,” he said. “Please keep being a good friend to my sister.” 
“I will. Thank you.” 
And with that, we parted ways. 
However, it was only after I’d returned my book to the library that I realized something important. 
“Oh... I forgot to ask his name.” 
What was it, again? I didn’t know at this point. 
After several dozen more minutes, Claudiah finally appeared in the lounge. 
“My apologies! I’m late!” she exclaimed. 
“It’s okay. You had a hard time, didn’t you? It doesn’t bother me at all.” 
“Ohh! You’re so nice! I love you!” Claudiah ran up to me and hugged my arm like a little girl. Her hair smelled faintly of the machine oil she’d failed to entirely wash off. 
Oh, I could only imagine how hard she worked to get rid of this smell. 
She soon realized that I’d noticed the smell and jumped back about twenty metels, like any normal battle-focused job would. 
“I-I’m sorry! Ugh! Why did my brother have to make me help him today, of all days?! My usual deodorant did nothing! I can’t walk with you like this!” 
“There’s no point in shopping separately. The smell doesn’t bother me, really, so you can come closer.” 
“Altimia... Th-Thank you!” 
And so, we stood side-by-side and went shopping just like we’d planned. Shoulder-to-shoulder, we talked about many things on the way. 
One of the things we discussed was her brother. 
“Oh? You met him?” 
“Yes. And as rude as it may be, I forgot to ask for his name.” 
“Well, he almost never introduces himself,” she said, before heaving a heavy sigh and shaking her head. “I’ll make introductions in his stead! His name is... Reinhard!” 
The moment I heard that name, the dream ended. 
 
Then, I awoke from my dream of the past and sat up. Wiping the sweat from my brow, I let out a sigh. 
“To think I would dream of her now, of all times...” Once the dream was over, that was the only thing I said. 
However, I knew full well why I saw that vision in particular. 
It was no doubt the peace offer from the imperium. 
Now, there was a small part of me that hoped the war would soon end and our relationship would go back to the way it was. That small part of me had dreamed of my time in Dryfe — the fun memories I made with my friend. 
If all went well during the upcoming peace talks, the war would be over. 
But if it didn’t, the fighting would inevitably resume. It would be a war that would decide the fate of both the kingdom I led and the imperium that Claudiah’s brother Reinhard ruled. 
In silence, I pondered the situation. We were no doubt good friends. 
However, the war with Dryfe had taken my father from me. 
The gulf between not just the two of us, but our whole countries had grown too vast and too deep. 
If there was no peace to be had, then we would have no choice but to fight. 
She and I might be friends, but both of us had something more important to protect. 
I was the Sacred Princess — the sword of the kingdom — while she was The Ram — the spear of the imperium. Just as I wanted to protect my sisters, she wanted to aid her brother. I was certain that we would be forced to fight each other to protect what we held dear. 
It might even lead to one of us taking the other’s life. 
“But...” 
No matter what happened next. 
No matter what lay in store for us. 
No matter what terrible fate might befall me. 
“I... I want us to always be friends.” That was the conclusion I drew from my nostalgic dream, before I steeled my resolve once more. 

 
The Imperator’s Office, Dryfe Imperium 
On the day that Gideon, the City of Duels, was shaken by the two Superiors — King of Berserk, Hannya and Over Gladiator, Figaro — Field Marshal Gifted Barbaros was having an audience with his imperator. 
“And that concludes our report on the events in Quartierlatin.” 
Barbaros had been summoned here for two reasons. 
One of them was to deliver the final report about the Quartierlatin incident. His mission there was to investigate the ruins and prevent the kingdom from acquiring any powerful weapons there — and by his own estimation, he’d failed. 
However, that wasn’t because the superweapon, Acra-Vasta, had been destroyed by the kingdom’s Masters and the Sacred Princess, Altimia A. Altar. The real problem was in the reports that followed the events, saying that the kingdom was only growing stronger thanks to the discovery of certain facilities in the ruins — a plant that produced not the uncontrollable Prism Soldiers, but Prism Steeds instead. 
Thanks to events such as the clash with The Lynx, Tom Cat, and the large-scale battle against Acra-Vasta, Gifted had found the whole incident to be an extremely hectic experience. However, he saw the ultimate outcome as a failure on his part and didn’t even try to hide that assessment in his report. 
“I see how it is, Uncle Gifted,” a matter-of-fact, emotionless voice replied. “Also, there is no need to be so formal with me.” 
The person calling Gifted “Uncle” was none other than the current imperator of Dryfe — Reinhard. 
“You claim that this is a failure on your part, but I do not see it that way. The primary objective was to destroy the superweapon. That was accomplished. Certainly the ideal outcome would have been for us to secure the weapon and destroy the production facilities on top of that, but the outcome we have is far better than one where the kingdom wields the weapon as their own.” 
Gifted took a moment to think about how to respond, but his train of thought was cut off by a different voice resounding in the room. “But Brother Dearest, this ‘Acra-Vasta’ was an uncontrollable superweapon, was it not? If Dryfe could not master it, the very notion that Altar could do so is absurd. They never could’ve wielded it in the first place.” This new voice was much like Reinhard’s; the differences were quite subtle. 
“It’s entirely possible to control supposedly ‘uncontrollable’ weapons with Embryos. We even know of one example, do we not?” 
“Oh, The Weapon. I’d somehow forgotten how he ruined an entire underground city.” With a voice that carried slightly more emotion than before, Reinhard was now talking to his sister, Claudiah. 
Gifted said nothing. He merely listened, thinking back on the past and noting how the machine-like Reinhard always had a soft spot for his sister. 
They were both his relatives. Gifted had been adopted by the Barbaros family, meaning that their mother was his elder step-sister, and his wife was their cousin. It was a complicated family tree, but this relationship was a major factor in his rise to the rank of imperial field marshal. He was their uncle, Claudiah’s mentor, and the only person in the military that the two of them could trust. No one else was worthy of it. 
“By the way, Uncle Gifted... you met Altimia, did you not?” Reinhard asked. “How was she?” 
For a moment, Gifted wondered why he would ask such a thing, but then recalled that the First Princess of Altar and Claudiah had been good friends in school. 
“She seemed to be in good health, but...” 
“But... what?” 
“She was wearing a mask and calling herself ‘Azurite.’” 
“Pfft!” Claudiah covered her mouth and burst into laughter at the mental image. “A mask...! And ‘Azurite’? That’s just her middle name...! AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!” Claudiah was so amused by this that she actually fell to the floor clutching her sides, rumpling her fancy business clothing. 
“I-I know she really loved books about aristocratic girls concealing their identity and bringing change to the world... but I didn’t think she’d actually do it...! PFFT! AHAHAHAHAH! HOOH! HAAH!” 
“...Claudiah,” Reinhard spoke up, having had enough of the sight and the sound. “I have nothing against laughter, but snorting like that is unbecoming. Also, you are not much better than her in that regard, are you?” 
“...Oh. Th-That is true.” That was enough to calm Claudiah down. 
“I wish to continue talking to Uncle Gifted. Could you please keep yourself under control?” 
“Then I’ll have to wage a mental mock battle against Altimia herself!” And with those words, Claudiah vanished from the room. 
“Now... Let us change the subject, Uncle Gifted.” 
“...Very well.” 
“I’ve heard enough about Quartierlatin; we should discuss the other issue at hand. I believe the information already reached you, but the kingdom now has a fifth Superior.” 
Gifted said nothing. This very day, yet another battle between Superiors had occurred in the Altarian city of Gideon. The clash had been arranged by King of Light, F and the control AIs themselves. As unlikely as it seemed, it actually ended without a single casualty. The two Superiors had settled their differences and King of Berserk, Hannya had officially joined Altar. 
Now, Dryfe and Altar had an even number of Superiors, and though the former still boasted a higher number of pre-Superiors and Masters in total, the shift in the balance was not to be underestimated. 
We already have to watch out for interference from Caldina, Gifted thought. If the war resumed as things were now, Caldina would strike the moment both Altar and Dryfe were exhausted, subjugating both countries. 
That was the worst outcome he could possibly imagine. 
“Altar and Dryfe are now equally matched in military might,” said Reinhard. “And Caldina is biding its time like a watchful hawk. What do you think the best course of action would be?” 
The field marshal faction’s original plan had been to demonstrate the imperium’s power to Caldina and quickly annex the kingdom using overwhelming force, but that was no longer an option. The plan was already in doubt once King of Destruction showed his power, but with King of Berserk thrown into the mix, the power gap had grown far too small. 
King of Beasts can keep King of Destruction occupied and ultimately defeat him. That would’ve given our other Superiors the chance to quickly subjugate the kingdom, but that’s impossible now that the numbers are even, Gifted thought. 
And thanks to the failure of the chancellor faction — namely, Franklin — it was now impossible to force the kingdom to surrender. 
Both factions’ ideal plans had been rendered entirely unachievable. 
“All we can do now... is end the war,” Gifted said. It was impossible to fight Caldina while also facing Altar, and with the kingdom’s newfound power, outright war was a futile effort that was best abandoned. 
“Exactly,” Reinhard nodded in response. “And if we were to be honest with ourselves, we’ve already won in any case.” 
“...That is true.” The imperium’s primary motive for war was the famine caused by Dryfean land gradually becoming woefully unfit for agriculture, as well as Caldina and Altar ending their food exports to the country. However, that had all ended when the imperium occupied the old Lunnings Duchy in the previous war. 
The area had a dark history, having been utterly decimated by the mighty and wicked Gloria, but it boasted extremely fertile soil. Dryfe had begun agriculture operations there shortly after the occupation, and some of the faster-growing crops from the territory were already flowing into the imperium, helping to alleviate the famine. The food from the former Lunnings Duchy was enough to prevent mass starvation, meaning that the imperium already lost their primary motivation for fighting. 
“The problem is whether the kingdom would allow us to rest on this victory,” said Reinhard. It was indeed questionable whether Altar would be open to peace after losing so much of its land and its people, including the king himself. If this was what it took to finally end the war, would they truly accept it? 
“In all honesty, I am only half certain,” the imperator continued. “I believe that she... the acting queen, I mean, would choose to stop, but I am not so sure about the nobles and commoners who suffered in the war, either directly or indirectly.” 
“But...” 
“Oh? Am I wrong somehow, Uncle Gifted? Do you have anything to say?” 
“No... I don’t.” Gifted refrained from telling Reinhard that he couldn’t be so sure that the first princess would choose peace. After all — she had lost her father. She wasn’t the only one who felt that way, either. Many citizens of Altar had lost loved ones to the war. Could those people truly just... stop? It was an extremely complicated problem that made any predictions difficult, but Reinhard didn’t even seem to consider that. It was as though it had completely slipped his mind... or as if he found it not even worth thinking about in the first place. 
“Also, even if we end the war, we still lack certain things,” Reinhard added. 
“What things would those be?” Gifted asked. 
“What was necessary for the country was the old Lunnings Duchy. However, we still do not have what is necessary for the war, for us... and for the world.” 
Gifted fell silent and pondered. 
He knew what Reinhard meant by “What is necessary for the war” — that was the kingdom’s Superiors. Part of the reason he wanted to annex the kingdom was to acquire its Masters, because it was the only way Dryfe stood a chance against Caldina. 
Gifted guessed that “What is necessary for us” likely referred to the first princess of Altar. He already knew that the imperator had strong personal feelings for her, and it was clear that she was needed for the annexation of the kingdom to occur. 
But what does he mean by “What is necessary for the world?” Gifted wondered. Not even Gifted could fathom what he meant by that, and he was a high ranking imperial official as well as the imperator’s uncle. 
He couldn’t even begin to guess at what Reinhard was thinking. 
The young imperator had always had a different viewpoint than most for as long as Gifted could remember; the only one who truly understood him was his twin sister, Claudiah. 
“...What is it that’s necessary for the world?” Gifted asked. Reinhard fell silent for a moment to think, then opened his mouth. “It’s...” he began, only to fall silent before saying anything further. “I’m sorry, Uncle Gifted. It seems I have an unexpected guest. Could you please leave us?” 
Without answering Gifted’s question, Reinhard suddenly dismissed him instead. 
“What...?” Gifted activated the miniature marionettes he’d placed in the surrounding area, but he didn’t see anyone anywhere. 
He also wondered what kind of guest would require Reinhard to make everyone else leave. 
“I will handle the second matter by trying to make peace with the kingdom,” Reinhard added. “I will draft up our terms and discuss it with you and Mr. Vigoma... so please, leave us for now.” 
“...As you will.” And so, Gifted did as he was told. 
He considered leaving a marionette in the room in order to find out who his nephew would be talking to — and about what — but decided against it. He realized, based on Reinhard’s attitude alone, that it would be someone Gifted would not be allowed to know about at any cost. 
The imperator was the child of Gifted’s step-sister and someone who had been family for nearly twenty years, so there were some things he could understand without Reinhard having to utter a single word. 
And so, shortly after Gifted’s leave, the space in the office warped... and a single person appeared. 
Imperator Machina,  ■■■■■■■■ ■ ■■■■■ 
As you may be aware, the imperium and the kingdom are now more or less even in their number of Superiors. However, if you consider each individual Superior and their potential for cooperation, then Altar might actually have the upper hand. I understand that I am in no position to say this, but Dryfe’s Superiors have some glaring personality flaws. 
One is too confident in his own status as a prodigy. 
One has been rejecting any sort of companionship since the very beginning. 
Murdoch is relatively decent, but he puts too much of his adventurous spirit into all of his actions. 
Zeta? She is not a Dryfean Superior, per se. There are far worse snakes you could clutch to your bosom, but I believe she would be willing to complete a particular task I have in mind, at least. That would be satisfactory. I already took it into account. 
Huh? Ohh, Franklin... She is a timid coward. In addition, she is a mental deviant who cannot put the brakes on her desires and convictions... particularly her drive to create and her desire never to lose. 
That is why her plots always have far more layers than necessary. She could not stop herself, and she was afraid of coming into conflict with someone and suffering defeat. It is a possibility she cannot tolerate. That’s why she puts so much unnecessary effort into eliminating any obstacles in her path, and the longer things go badly for her, the less discerning she becomes about her methods. 
That’s why the one they call Ray Starling is her ultimate obstacle, the being she hates most in the world. His brother — King of Destruction, Shu Starling — is far more powerful than him, but that is irrelevant to her. She found Ray Starling’s very existence unpleasant, and no matter how weak or strong he was, she simply could not tolerate him. 
However, like I said before, she is also a timid coward, so she is afraid of their next encounter. She lacks the nerve to hurt him even indirectly. 
That is why she will not touch him until she is prepared enough to be completely confident in her victory. 
Though, if you asked her about it directly, she would dance around it in her usual jester-like manner. 
How am I able to analyze everything in such detail, you ask? It’s the same as working on machines. To me, seeing the movements of human hearts and minds is about the same as tinkering with circuits of machines from the pre-ancient civilization. 
...I do feel uncomfortable saying that to an expert like yourself, though. 
You look like you want to say something, and I know what it is. 
You are wondering why, despite being so understanding, I do not seem to comprehend anything that relates to her. Well, there is no helping that. What I feel for her makes my circuits go into overdrive and creates a major glitch in the program inside me we call “personality.” Indeed, this is a glitch in the brain... or perhaps my very soul. 
And it is a glitch I myself have grown fond of. 
Regarding anything about my love for her, the computational device we know as the brain stops outputting the correct values. 
I myself know full well that letting her father die in the war was suboptimal. But despite that knowledge, I do not reject the result. 
Indeed, I know perfectly well that I am not of sound mind. It is as if the calculating side of me and the side of me that is driven mad with love for her are attempting to control this machine we call the body in tandem. 
I suppose that most onlookers would find me less agreeable than your garden-variety madman. However, I myself think that this state of affairs is tolerable. The fact that I have been driven mad by my love for her simply cannot be helped anymore. 
Now, I have a question for you, as well. 
What was the goal behind this war you incited? 
...Heheh. No answer? I expected as much. 
You have your reasons for what you do, after all. You came here to plant the seeds of a new war, in case I intended to stop it completely. Worry not. A war will happen, one way or another. It might not be against the kingdom, but that is of no consequence to you, is it? 
What you need is merely the phenomenon of war itself. It does not matter who is involved. 
Wars are major events to the Masters... and important matters to the observers. 
They always act whenever there is a war. The Lynx’s appearance 600 years ago is a perfect example. He wielded his Embryo’s immense power to intervene in the battle between that era’s strongest champions. 
You wanted war because you wanted something like that to happen again, did you not? No need to be so surprised. 
You and the president of Caldina are not the only ones who can see right through people. 
Whatever the case, Dryfe will go to war again, so there is no need for you to worry. Feel free to scheme in other countries instead. 
Oh, but one more thing. Claudiah has a warning for you. 
“If you conspire to assassinate Altimia, I will hunt you to the ends of this world and slaughter you.” There. That is that. 
Yes. Make sure you do not forget it. 
Goodbye, then. If fate so dictates, let us meet again. 
Oh, I forgot to say one thing. 
That appearance suits you well... Arch Sage.

Re-Open Episode: “The Forms of The Self”