3
The continental railroad runs north to south through the land.
An express train, speeding straight through the reddish-brown terrain of the wastelands.
“…”
The black-haired girl held the windowsill as she stared at the scenery.
She was likely thirteen, maybe fourteen. Her hair had a beautiful sheen to it, and the dress she wore was dazzling in its own way. Adorable as she was, she gave off a doll-like impression.
Though her eyes were covered…
She had been staring at the scenery from the train for over an hour.
“Do you find it unusual, Kissing?” A man in black wearing a metal mask sat across from her. He was Lord Mask On Zoa Nebulis, the proxy head of the Zoa family, and she was the Zoa’s candidate for queen.
“Come to think of it, this is your first time on a train, isn’t it?” he remarked.
“…Yes, dearest Uncle.” She nodded.
Lord Mask stopped her from turning back around.
“No, you may keep looking. It is your first time seeing this place, after all. You should enjoy the scenery.”
“…Dearest Uncle, what is that city?”
Kissing pointed toward the horizon. Far off into the reddish-brown terrain, faint buildings that did indeed look like a city peeked over the skyline.
“The neutral city Ain. A place where culture and the arts flourish,” Lord Mask explained.
“…Culture and the arts?”
“Yes. But I cannot recommend going there. We are right on the edge of Imperial territory. You may run into Imperial soldiers who are on leave in that area.”
“I would eliminate them if I did,” the girl replied.
“We can avoid all of that trouble,” the man told her. “From here, we are striking at the source itself.”
The Imperial territory and the Imperial capital Yunmelngen would be on the receiving end of an attack soon enough. Though only members of the Zoa’s personal soldiers were on the train, they were elite forces under Kissing’s direct command.
“The clash between the Revered Founder and Imperial forces will commence. They will likely dedicate all their efforts to stopping the Founder. And during that time, we will invade the Imperial capital.”
“……Yes.”
“The queen has likely caught wind of our movements by now,” Lord Mask continued. “I wonder who will come to stop us… Yes, I believe dear Alice would follow close behind. She must be quite livid as well.”
The Lous would never endorse a war with the Empire. They would undoubtedly come to stop the Founder and the Zoas.
“But you are too late,” Lord Mask said.
They would never make it in time if they left the Sovereignty now.
“You would do better to go back, dearest Alice. You would never be able to stop the Revered Founder, no matter how hard you try. Once you arrive, all you will see is the charred wastelands of what was once called the Empire.”
Elevation: 10,000 meters.
The space was filled with a great sea of clouds, fluffy as cotton and vast as a mountain. A gigantic aircraft flew across the grandiose vista. The Nebulis royalty’s private jet was outfitted with a changing room specially for the royal family’s use. And in that suite…
“Lady Alice, I have prepared them for you.”
“……Yes. Thank you,” Alice said, wearing nothing but her undergarments.
An attendant was carefully covering Alice’s fully exposed back with self-adhesives to hide the wing-like astral crest on Alice’s back.
She felt a cold sting with every new adhesive. Each one felt the same as a cold compress touching her skin. For Alice, the experience was akin to being given a shot as a child—a thing to be endured. Her astral crest was much larger than others, more than either of her siblings’ or her mother’s. It may have been the largest in the royal family.
The only person who could possibly have a comparable one was…
…The Founder.
…Her crest has the same wing shape as mine, and it’s large enough to nearly cover her back.
There was some correlation between one’s crest and astral power. There were cases of mages with small astral crests having powerful abilities, but almost none to speak of when it came to the opposite.
…My astral crest is my pride and joy. It’s proof I am an astral mage.
…How ironic that I’ll need to do everything in my power to stop someone with a crest that most looks like mine.
“Your royal garments,” the attendant said.
“Thank you.”
Alice put on the clothes that were handed to her. Normally, Rin would be by her side, deftly aiding her. Just this once, however, she clumsily dressed herself alone.
“A message from Her Majesty,” the attendant stated from beside Alice.
The Lou attendant’s voice was soft as she continued, “A man we believe to be Lord Mask has been witnessed boarding a train to the Empire. Several members of the Zoa household are accompanying him.”
“Where is the train headed?”
“We believe they will arrive at the Imperial border in four to five hours.”
“…I see.”
She gritted her teeth.
Indeed, they were a step ahead. Though the Zoa had completed their air travel and were already boarding a train, Alice herself was still in the air.
…And it’s not just the Zoa.
…The Founder will have already arrived at the Empire as well. Conflict could break out at any moment.
This was no laughing matter.
Alice couldn’t let the Empire, Rin, or Sisbell to be caught in the crossfire. And…
“I’ve had enough of this. Founder or not, I won’t forgive her if she lays a hand on my Iska.”
“Lady Alice?”
“Oh. I-it’s nothing at all!”
She’d gotten so lost in her own anger that she’d said that aloud.
Alice waved her hands in a panic as the attendant looked at her face quizzically.
“…Just talking to myself.”
The faraway Empire. The place that she should have detested most in this world now brought up a turmoil of complicated feelings inside her.
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