Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjo, Aruiha Sekai ga Hajimaru Seisen - Volume 12 - Chapter 3.2

2

Imperial territory, seventh checkpoint.

Now that Alice thought about it, she should have believed it. She should have realized that the imminent calamity she had sensed from the dark clouds covering the sky the night before was real.

“Lady Alice, we have received a report from the scouting unit. They say the Founder was floating in the air above the seventh checkpoint but disappeared…!”

“Huh? But we followed her all this way!”

The checkpoint…

The moment they caught sight of the gate, Shuvalts, the elderly attendant in the driver’s seat, had yelled as he held the comm against his ear. “It seems the seventh checkpoint is empty. The civilians and even the Imperial forces have already evacuated the area. What would you like to do?”

“Continue straight in.” She leaned forward from the back seat. “I’m sure the Founder is headed to the Imperial capital. It’ll be convenient for us if no one is around up ahead. We’ll be able to pass right through into the Empire then.”

“Yes, but it’ll take a full day to arrive at the Imperial capital from here.”

“…I’m well aware.”

She clenched her fists on top of her thighs.

After flying on a plane, taking a train, and speeding down the highway, they had finally made it to the Empire. The very checkpoint where the Founder had appeared was right before her eyes, but the Founder was out of her grasp.

……I failed to catch her.

……If I’d just been half an hour faster, I could have caught her at the checkpoint.

However, she didn’t have time to lament that now.

“Shuvalts! Get in touch with the operatives in the Empire. Have them leave the Imperial capital immediately. Tell them they will be in danger once the Founder appears.”

“Yes, Lady Alice. But I’m afraid there will be a slight delay…”

“What?”

“Hmm… Understood,” the elderly attendant said into the comm. “I have received another report. It seems there is an eighth checkpoint after the seventh. They believe the Zoa have passed through it.”

“Yes. And I believe another unit is following them.”

“They have lost communication.”

“What does that mean? They lost sight of the Zoa?”

“…No.” The attendant heavily shook his head. “Our forces at the eighth checkpoint stopped responding several minutes ago. We can only hope it is a device malfunction…”

“You think the Zoa noticed them?”

“There is a possibility that the Founder teleported to the eighth checkpoint when she disappeared from the seventh. Perhaps she plans to destroy the entire border before moving on to the capital?”

“ ” Alice had a bad feeling about this. At that moment, she recalled the sense of foreboding she’d felt the night before.

“Change of plans, Shuvalts. The eighth checkpoint is in the vicinity, isn’t it? Head there posthaste!”

“As you wish.”

He turned left toward the eighth checkpoint where they had lost contact with their unit.

However, what Alice saw was a deserted area.

“What?!”

She doubted her very eyes. She could understand why there would be no civilians around, as they likely would have run in fear from the Founder’s attack, but where had the Imperial forces gone?

They had even left the iron gate open. None of the soldiers acting as guards were there. Only the astral-energy alarm was blaring.

“Shuvalts, stay here. Please handle all correspondence.”

She left him in the car and dashed out to the checkpoint on her own. But it was strange. Despite having headed further in, she still saw no signs of a battle.

……The Zoa did pass through here, didn’t they?

……If Lord Mask and Kissing were here, I would imagine they would have fought against the Imperial forces.

But she saw no signs of that.

If the Imperial soldiers and the Zoa’s elite forces had clashed, she should have seen bullets strewn everywhere as well as marks left from astral powers. She began to feel suspicious along with a growing sense of unease, then all her emotions exploded when she saw the dozens of victims in front of her on the ground.

Both the Imperial forces and the astral corps had been annihilated.

The soldiers had collapsed while still holding their guns, and the astral mages had fallen with their hands outstretched as though they were in the middle of using their powers. There had been no distinction made between who was an Imperial or who was part of the Sovereignty.

Every last person had been mercilessly taken down.

“Lord Mask?”

Among the many fallen, she spotted one particular man. It was the Zoa’s proxy leader.

“Lord Mask? Please wake up! What in the world…?!”

She found no external wounds. However, he didn’t respond to his name or to her slapping his face. Was he in a coma? Or had he been severely weakened?

“Even Lord Mask is in this state… This can’t be true…”

The situation was nothing short of bizarre. None of the Imperial forces or the other astral mages were hurt, either. It was almost as though they had been wiped out by a dream they couldn’t wake from.

This couldn’t have been the Founder’s doing. It was exactly the opposite of the mass destruction she would have caused.

“Oh, I wondered who could have arrived.”

Alice shuddered.

She had heard a voice from behind her, even though she was sure nothing should have been there. Alice leaped and whirled around as though a lump of ice had been pressed against her neck. And there, in that very space…

…she found a dark, transparent monster in the shape of a human standing there.

“Eek?!” Her throat tightened as she let out a garbled scream.

What was it? What was the monster that had just appeared before her?

“Why, if it isn’t Alice. So even you’ve come to the Empire, then. Did you come to save Sisbell?”

“…What?”

“Oh, how mean of you. Did you really have to scream upon seeing me?”

The monster placed a hand against its cheek. It smiled elegantly like a woman as it spoke to her.

But how did the monster know her name? And why did it sound so familiar? Though she found it difficult to hear because its voice echoed, there was something graceful and quiet about its tone. It was almost as though it felt nostalgic.

“…No… It can’t be…”

When she thought about it, she did know someone who had become something similar.

The witch Vichyssoise.

Iska had claimed the girl from the house of Hydra had turned into a monster and attacked him. And the person Alice thought of now was…

“Sis…ter?”

“Hee-hee. Bull’s-eye.”

The monster transformed. The darkness began to regain color, turning into a beautiful goddess’s form. Her fluttering emerald hair was tinged with gold, and her features were well defined and beautiful. Her large bosom seemed close to spilling out of the black wedding dress she wore.

“…”

It was her very own sister.

Alice was speechless when she figured out the identity of the monster. She felt the blood drain from her face. If she had a mirror, Alice could imagine her lips would be blue. In contrast…

“So, Alice.”

Her sister’s eyes were eerily tender.

“I think it’s rather funny. If I were in their place, I’d run immediately, but they didn’t.”

Alice turned around. In front of her were the fallen Imperial forces and astral corps.

Lord Mask was also among them.

“They probably realized they couldn’t win against me, but they just had no idea what that meant. Both the Imperial forces and the astral corps have always been in a position of power, so they’ve never felt the experience of being hunted before. That’s why not even one of them ran.”

Every single one of them was down on the ground, and not a single one had regained consciousness.

“How disappointing. They remained satisfied with the weapons and astral powers bestowed upon them and ended up being so frail.”

“Did you do this? Did you do that to them?”

Elletear grinned. It was a broad smile.

“Well, they’re nothing but nuisances.”

“Wha—!”

Just that single phrase shattered Alice’s entire image of Elletear of seventeen years. The one in front of her was her sister—however, she realized the sister she had known all this time had truly been a monster at heart.

“Sister…” Her trembling lips desperately formed words. “What are you trying to achieve…? How could you call our family nuisances? I understand the Imperial forces, but how could you do this to Lord Mask…?”

“So, Alice,” her sister replied, her eyes still tender. “Those who have astral powers have come to be called astral mages. And they are the ones feared by the Empire. The Nebulis Sovereignty offered the mages a helping hand, and that was why it was lauded as a paradise for all mages.”

“Sister? What are you trying to say…?”

“Those were all lies.” The smile reached her sister’s eyes, but it was not one of affection. It was a sneer for a hopeless fool. “The Nebulis Sovereignty is a country where astral powers reign supreme. Those with the best astral powers rise while others are not even allowed to try. The fact that they are considered extraordinary makes them even worse than the Empire.”

“What?! What are you trying to say?!” Alice yelled as loudly as she could, her lips pale. “Y-yes, I suppose that is one aspect of the Sovereignty, but strong astral mages are only treasured because they defend the country. If we didn’t do that, we couldn’t resist the Empire…”

“And is that true for the queen as well?”

“Of course! If she wasn’t powerful, she wouldn’t be a match for any of the Empire’s assassins!”

There was a firm reason for it, and a reason for why the conclave that had been upheld for a century selected powerful queens.

“Even Mother has said so. The role of the queen is to make the people feel safe. Though that isn’t her only duty, it is one reason why the queen must have strong powers!”

“In order to resist the Empire?”

“That’s right!”

“Then what about after the Empire is defeated?”

“……Huh?”

“Alice, your claim is correct. At the very least, it was something established for a great cause—only until the Empire was defeated.” Her sister eyed her. “Then what happens after the Empire is defeated? Would it become a country that could recognize the worth of weak mages like myself?”

“I—I…”

“It wouldn’t.” A long sigh escaped her sister’s lips. She showed a deep, deep sense of resignation, as though she found hopelessness in everything in the world. “Isn’t it true? If the Sovereignty did defeat the Empire, it would be thanks to the powerful mages. Those who are powerful would become lionized even more in the era that’s ushered in. And the weak mages would have even less of a role.”

“……”

“Do you understand now? In fact, if the Empire was defeated, I think that would only serve to accelerate astral-power supremacy in the Nebulis Sovereignty. Those born with strong astral powers would use them to crush the Empire, and the powerful queen would be hailed as well. Nothing would change.”

“B-but, Sister…!”

“So I made a decision.” She placed a hand on her large bosom.

“I’ll destroy both the Empire and the Sovereignty.”

That single statement left Alice speechless. “Sister…”

“There are many other weak mages like myself. I’ll create a true paradise that accepts them as well. But that won’t be possible with someone as powerful as you around… No… In fact, you’re nothing but an obstacle. I’d almost rather you disappear.”

“Huh?”

“Perhaps I’ll do the same to you as I did to Lord Mask.”

Alice had realized it too late—her sister’s calm smile was like that of a predator eyeing its prey. Her sister had no qualms about killing her.

Alice immediately went on guard.

“Oh, but never mind!” The whole thing was so sudden. Her older sister abruptly shrugged, as though it was a joke. “You are my dear little sister, after all.”

“……Huh?”

“I’d like to just pluck you gently, like a wildflower. But you are strong, so you’d put up quite a fight, which would mean trouble for me. As I am now, I think I wouldn’t be able to control my power, and I would crush you.”

“Sister!”

In that moment, all her fear disappeared. She was being looked down upon. The humiliation made her feel hot, as though all the blood in her body had begun to boil. “Be reasonable! I won’t hold back after you’ve been so hostile toward me, even if you are my sister!”

“So, Alice.” Alice had shouted loudly enough to make her voice hurt, but her sister’s voice remained matter-of-fact. “Do you have a knight who would protect you?”

“?”

“You’ve reached your limit. See, you’re at it even now.” Her sister pointed at her—at Alice, who stood alone. “You’ve always fought on your own. And you’ve made it through that way, but now you’re facing something much more powerful than yourself.”

“I… You don’t know that for sure, not until we fight!”

“That’s not what I meant.” Her sister shook her head. “This is a story between a witch and a knight.”

“What are you…?”

She didn’t understand. She had no idea what her sister meant. A knight? Why was she talking about something so old-fashioned? This was the time of armies, personal soldiers, and convoys. Alice was confused by the old-fashioned word that seemed like it had come straight from another century.

Was she trying to confuse Alice on purpose? Alice was wary, simply because of her sister’s bizarre choice of words. However…

“Hee-hee. I suppose you’re too young for this. It’s an adult matter, after all.” Her sister seemed worked up. Her face glowed red, as though she couldn’t hide her excitement, and she bashfully placed a hand on her cheek. “I needed one because I was so weak.”

“……?”

“Because witches are so weak, they can’t fight without a knight to protect them. Yes. No matter what era it is, a knight always seems to protect a princess.”

“Sister?”

“Alice, astral power isn’t as omnipotent as you believe. Astral powers are so frightened of me that your self-defenses have hesitated. You see?”

“What?”

“Joheim, please go easy on her.”

Alice hadn’t felt anyone else’s presence, but once she noticed the person who had silently snuck up on her, she turned around in that moment in a panic.

Shoom.

She felt a sharp pain in her side. She had been hit by the handle of a sword. When she realized it, the pain spread to the rest of her internal organs, and she nearly lost consciousness, almost falling to the ground.

“Huh? …Gah…ah…?”

The pain was so intense, she could hardly breathe. She felt dizzy, an intense nausea coming over her. She couldn’t look up and fell to her knees.

“Wh-who…?!”

Her eyes opened wide. As Alice coughed, she looked up as her vision blurred.

She saw a red-haired Imperial soldier holding a sword.

The Saint Disciple of the first feat, the “Flash” Knight Joheim.

She couldn’t have mistaken him for anyone else. He was the villain who had attacked the Queen’s Palace and cut her mother. He was also the man who had hurt Elletear, but Alice realized that had been nothing more than one of her sister’s other plans.

……That’s right. So that was it.

……It was my sister who called the Imperial forces in as well.

That had been the turning point that caused the Sovereignty’s upheaval. Because her mother, the queen, had been attacked by this man and forced to rest, her centralizing power had been lost. That had been the deciding factor that caused the full schism among the three royal families.

It was simply unforgivable. If only this man had never existed.

“Uh…guh…!”

“You see? Witches are weak.” Her sister smiled faintly; then she turned her back on Alice and walked over to Joheim. “This is the difference between the two of us. I have a knight by my side. Alice, do you have a knight who will fight beside you?”

“…Huh?”

“You don’t. You were too strong, so you fought alone. That’s why you don’t have one, and why you cannot win against me.”

“Sis…ter…!”

“And I think I’ve changed my mind. I can’t stand to see you in such pain.” The witch blushed. “Alice, I think I would like you to disappear right here and now.”