CHAPTER 2
The Moon Mounts an Assault
1
Iska and Alice were five days into their new living arrangement.
“The Lord is still asleep. They must need a little more time to recover.”
“All right,” Rin replied to Iska after he returned from the Lord’s chambers.
For the last few days, all she had done was read magazines. She would read dozens of Imperial-issued newspapers and publications a day.
“I think you might know more about the Empire than me at this point,” Iska commented.
“I’m just passing the time. I’m not even gathering intel,” Rin said as she perused a thin gossip rag that was sold around train stations. “It looks like little Mixy, a kitten lost on Third Street, was found a week later. I don’t really care about the article, but I’m so bored that it’s simply riveting right now. Especially considering we’re not allowed outside.”
“I’m sorry about that…”
The Empire saw Alice and Rin as witches. The two girls couldn’t exactly go out and sightsee.
“Where’s Alice right now?”
“She’s practicing.” Rin’s eyes never left the magazine. “I’m not sure what’s gotten into her, but she’s attempting to cook, since there’s nothing better to do. As you’re aware, she tried making sunny-side-up eggs yesterday, so I think today she’s—”
“I’ve made an omelet!” They heard Alice’s shout from the kitchen. “Rin, won’t you try it? It’s the best omelet I could muster!”
Alice ran in, carrying a large plate. Though it was a bit charred here and there and far from shapely, it did smell sweet and was an omelety shade of yellow.
“Iska, you’ve come back at just the right time!” She thrust the plate at him. “I’ve learned how to make an omelet today. What do you think? Doesn’t it look wonderful? Even I feel a little frightened by how far my cooking skills have come!”
“Yeah, it looks great,” Iska responded.
“Right?!” she said without missing a beat.
They’d also had an identical conversation the day before. But Rin had told Alice with a straight face that anyone would be able to make such a simple meal, which had led to her sulking for half a day. Iska had kept that in mind when he’d replied just now.
“That’s great, Alice. You’re a quick learner.”
“Oh, of course you’d say that, Iska. I knew you’d understand my genius!” Alice’s spirits were quickly lifting. “Oh, I know, Iska. I’ll give you the honor of trying my first omelet ever!”
“What? I don’t think I can do that. I mean, it’s your very first one and all.”
“I want you to have it.” Alice pushed the plate toward him. “Here, have it!”
“…Oh, but…” Iska faltered for a second.
And as he did that, someone held out their hand from his side.
It was a black-haired girl.
“Then I shall try it,” she proclaimed.
“What?”
“Huh?”
“Whuh?”
Iska, Alice, and Rin were all taken by surprise.
Princess Kissing of the Zoa quickly took the omelet. Then she popped it into her little mouth.
“I give it a four…,” she declared.
“Wh-wh-wh…?” Alice quivered. She tossed aside the now empty plate and pointed at Kissing.
“Why are you rating it?!” she bellowed, looking angrier than she had in all the days she’d been there.
The Lord’s chambers.
Two female soldiers watched Lord Yunmelngen slumber.
“They’re not waking up.”
“They won’t. The Lord takes a long time to wake while in this condition.”
Mismis was sitting directly on the floor with her legs folded under her. Next to her, Risya was making herself at home and lounging about.
“Don’t bother sitting too formally, Mismis. You could bring a magazine and lie down while you wait. Or even pet the Lord’s tail.”
“I could never!”
Mismis was supposed to be watching Sisbell. She had asked Nene to handle things for a bit and couldn’t relax while her partner was working.
“…”
“So. What is it? Is there something you want to say to me?”
“Huh?” Mismis looked up when Risya addressed her abruptly. “Could you see it on my face?”
“You were fidgeting. And you left Princess Sisbell to Nene so you could come over here. That doesn’t seem like you.”
Risya looked serious.
Mismis stared her in the face for a while, then suddenly gazed up at the ceiling. She looked at each of the corners of the hall, as though searching for something.
“I was wondering—does the Lord’s office not have astral energy detectors? You know, the kind that go off when a witch passes by.”
“It doesn’t.”
“Because they would go off for the Lord, too?”
“That’s it.” Risya pointed at the Lord, who was lying down in almost the same position as she was. “A century ago, the Lord ended up taking this form after being exposed to both a large amount of astral energy and the calamity’s power at the same time. Their entire body exudes astral energy, so we can’t even use those self-adhesives for covering astral crests.”
“…”
As Risya explained the situation, Mismis silently placed her hand on her left shoulder.
That was where her astral crest was hidden.
“It must be difficult for the Lord, too…”
“Mismis,” Risya said as her eyes dully glistened behind her glasses. “Just ask me what you really want to ask. Don’t be so roundabout.”
“Um…”
“You don’t have to be worried about it. Okay?”
“Th-then I’ll ask it…” Mismis stared at Risya. “Your astral crest is artificial, unlike mine, right?”
“Yep. It’s an improved version of what Jhin-Jhin and Nene had. It’ll disappear on its own after a while, unlike yours.”
“What happens to Imperial forces members who’ve turned into actual witches?”
“I’ve never seen a story that ends in a happily ever after.”
“That was a bit blunt!”
Risya had been so quick and direct to respond that Mismis didn’t even have the time to feel sorry for herself.
“C-could you be a little more considerate…?!”
“It’s been like that since a century ago.” Risya managed to shrug even as she reclined. “Astral mages were originally Imperials, you know. They just left the Empire and set up the Nebulis Sovereignty. So these days, things are even worse for members of the Imperial forces who get turned into witches. They end up stuck between the Empire and the Sovereignty because they would be despised no matter which side they decided to go to.”
“Right…”
Mismis sighed. She had lost the willpower to even nod. The sigh was all she could muster.
“It’s like you say, Risya.”
“So why don’t you just become the first Imperial with an astral crest to get a happily ever after?”
“…………Huh?”
“I was talking about the past. All I said was that I haven’t seen anyone do it yet.”
Mismis’s jaw dropped.
Risya raised herself up.
“You can try to become the first witch in the Imperial forces who winds up happy. I can’t promise that it’ll actually come true, though. Isk and the rest of Unit 907 seem to understand that.”
“…”
“The Lord won’t treat you badly, either. Especially since we’ve given you so many difficult missions. Like taking care of the Ice Calamity Witch in Nelka, or dealing with the vortex at Mudor.”
“That’s right! Wait, but you were the one who assigned all of those!”
Mismis bounced up and down while maintaining her formal posture. She pointed at the Saint Disciple in front of her.
“I only ended up a witch because you forced us to do that stuff, Risya!”
“Oh, one moment. I’ve got an incoming call.”
“Are you trying to get away?!”
“No, no, someone’s actually calling me. Oh, it’s from Mei.” Risya pulled out her comm. “What is it?”
“Sorry, Risya. The witch got away from me.”
“…………Excuse me?” Risya’s eyes went wide. “You mean Kissing?”
“She went to the bathroom. That’s when it happened. I had a camera set up in there, too. Then she just broke a wall and went into the hall from the bathroom, right on footage.”
“She escaped?!”
“Dunno. Trying to confront her would be dangerous, so I called you. I’ll make sure she doesn’t go out of the Lord’s office, though. That’s all!”
Mei hung up on them.
The Thorn Witch Kissing was loose in the Lord’s office. Mismis and Risya both felt chills go down their spines at the news. This seemed like it was going to blow up.
“Wh-what do we do, Risya?! I thought that she was behaving?!”
“We’ve been interrogating her since we captured her.” Risya stood up, seeming resigned. “Well, this isn’t good. And she just had to this while the Lord is fast asleep.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
“Right, Your Excellency. Wait, Your Excellency?”
“Hwaaah.”
Risya and Mismis turned around. The silver beastperson yawned. They got up off the tatami mats, sat down cross-legged, and looked at the two women.
“You’re up?!”
“Your shouting is what roused me, yes. Now, putting aside Mei’s game of tag… Risya, fetch the Nebulis princesses.”
“R-right away!”
“You have two minutes.”
Risya and Mismis practically flew out of the hall. Watching them, Lord Yunmelngen yawned again.
The Lord’s office, fourth floor.
Iska, Alice, and Rin all leaped backward in the makeshift living room.
“Kissing?!”
Iska had jumped back out of caution. Alice and Rin had leaped back because they were simply surprised to see her.
The Zoa princess was silent.
Though that might have been because she was still chewing on Alice’s omelet. Alice was the first to approach her.
“You! Isn’t a Saint Disciple supposed to be watching you? Wait, actually, how could you just waltz into my room and eat my omelet?! That was for Iska!”
“…”
“Could you say something?!”
“Blech!” Kissing spat out the omelet.
“Ah! Wh-why did you do that?!”
“Uck!” The princess coughed weakly. “That was close… The taste was so bad, I might have died if I hadn’t spat it out…”
“That’s so rude!”
“May I have some tea to get the flavor out of my mouth?” Kissing asked.
“And now you’re acting like you’re a guest?! First, tell us why you’re here!”
“Uncle used to get anything I asked for,” Kissing said.
“Guh.” Alice’s lips stiffened.
The Zoa princess’s uncle was Lord Mask. Alice saw him as another victim of Elletear’s barbarity. Kissing was as good as reminding Alice that her sister had put Lord Mask in such a state.
“All right, fine…” Alice ran her hands through her hair. “Well, you heard her, Iska. I’d like a decaf black tea. And you, Rin?”
“Just hot water for me. Hurry up, Imperial swordsman.”
“Why me?!”
This should have been the attendant’s job. Iska almost said that out loud, but just then, Kissing quickly tugged on his sleeve.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I’d like milk tea. With a ratio of eight to two for the milk and tea. And my tongue burns easily, so please make sure it’s lukewarm.”
“I’ll do what I can…”
Iska reluctantly headed to the kitchen to fulfill the three girls’ requests.
“You sure do talk a lot… I had no idea you even could.”
They were sitting around the table. Alice, who had finished her cup of tea first, was also the first to address the princess across from her.
“You were always by Lord Mask’s side. And whenever the ministers or I tried to talk to you, he would speak in your place.”
“It’s because I shiver.”
“?”
“I’m so frightened of speaking that I shiver when I have to. But I need to do this. Otherwise, Uncle will never wake.”
“I see… All right, then.”
Alice seemed displeased as she fell silent.
The Zoa princess stared directly at Alice with her glittering amethyst eyes.
“If I may ask another question, do you not need to hide your eyes?”
“I have no need to now,” Kissing replied. “At least, I believe that is what my uncle would say. The Imperial forces and the Lou already know my secret, after all.”
Kissing Zoa Nebulis’s astral power dwelled in her eyes. In other words, her eyes contained her astral crest. It was an incredibly rare phenomenon and may very well have been particular to her.
“I can see the flow of astral energy. I’m much better at finding it than any of the Imperial forces’ detectors. I also discovered the vortex in Mudor.”
“Uh…”
As Iska gulped, Alice and Rin seemed to have a similar reaction next to him. An astral mage could become more powerful after being exposed to the astral energy of a vortex. And Kissing had the ability to find those sources of power before anyone else.
……That means she can monopolize them!
……So that’s why the Zoa treated her so well.
She wasn’t just a princess to them. As long as they had Kissing’s eyes, the Zoa would be able to claim all the vortexes for themselves and strengthen their troops in perpetuity. That was no mere pipe dream for them.
“Are you sure you should be giving the Zoa’s secrets to the Lou?”
“I’m not telling you.” Kissing shifted her gaze. “I’m telling Iska.”
“So you’re trying to prove that you’ve surrendered by showing your hand to the Empire?”
“Please,” she said.
The Zoa princess rose from her seat. The next moment, she pressed her forehead to the floor, not minding that her lustrous black hair was touching the ground.
“You can see I’m serious about this. Please help me take down Elletear.”
“Huh?! Please refrain from doing that, Lady Kissing!” Rin ran over to Kissing’s side, grabbing the Zoa princess and forcing her to stand. “Lady Kissing, this boy is an Imperial soldier! If a Sovereign princess like you lowers your head to him—”
The princess turned around and responded to her. “Then who will be upset if I do?”
“Wha?!” Rin was at a loss for words.
“I’ll ask again. Who will be upset if I bow to Iska? My uncle would, but he’s still unconscious.”
“Th-then…”
“All right, Kissing, that’s enough,” Iska said.
“Rin, let her go,” Alice intervened.
They both spoke at the same time. Iska’s and Alice’s voices harmonized in an almost beautiful way.
“Rin, this isn’t something we should be interfering with.” Alice slowly shook her head. “We all want to stop Elletear. In fact, now that I’ve seen Kissing in this state, I think I’m the one who wasn’t prepared enough for this.”
“Lady Alice?!”
“I don’t intend to surrender to the Empire. However…” Alice hesitated to say more. She looked up into the air. She kept glancing at Iska, then turning away again. “Um, so, Iska. There’s something I want to say to you, too—”
“Hwaah… Time to rise and shine.”
A tired voice echoed around every section of the Lord’s office. Then they heard a loud yawn, as though the speaker would fall asleep at any moment.
“I still need about eighty more hours of sleep, but Risya’s shouting woke me up. Wait, what was I trying to say again…? My memory goes whenever I fall asleep… Oh, right, it was about Elletear. Allow me to tell you what caused her transformation.”
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