4
The sun scorched the land.
After being baked under the heat, the loess had dried and cracked. Small weeds had established themselves in the crevices, but the land had turned into a wasteland.
In one corner of the wilderness there stood a city of the arts, the neutral city, Ain.
Iska and Alice had encountered each other in this very city multiple times, and had faced off against the Founder Nebulis right near the city’s entrance.
“Mother! And Schwartz, you’re here, too!”
The car was stopped in a parking lot. Sisbell ran straight for the blond-haired woman and elderly gentleman whose faces were visible from the car.
“Sisbell, is that you?!”
“My lady, I am glad to see you are safe!”
They both exited the vehicle.
The queen spread her arms, which Sisbell jumped into, out of breath.
“Mother!”
“I’m so glad you’re safe…”
The blond woman hugged Sisbell.
She wore an elegant jacket, a hat with a large brim similar in shape to a straw hat, and sunglasses to cover her face.
She looked like a famous actress trying to go out. Had anyone in the city of Ain realized her true identity, they would have still been taken aback, however.
She was Queen Mirabel Lou Nebulis IIX.
She was the queen who ruled one of the two largest superpowers in the world.
“Mother, your outfit is so unusual, I hesitated for a bit.”
“I feel a bit bewildered wearing it as well.”
She smiled awkwardly behind the sunglasses.
“It’s been so long since I left the Sovereignty for anything other than official business. Are these clothes strange?”
“They are… You look super suspicious and like you’re trying not to be recognized.”
Still in her mother’s arms, Sisbell let out a quick breath, then breathed in.
It was her mother’s perfume.
Even if she wore different clothing, she still smelled the same.
“I doubted my ears when you said you would come all the way here to get me, Mother. Are you sure you should be here?”
“I shouldn’t, but it was more important to see that you were safe. For both me and Schwartz. I’m glad you made it back.”
“Huh?! Oh, yes! Schwartz, you’re here, too!”
She turned but still held on to her mother.
Schwartz had been so naturally standing to the side that she had forgotten about him…
“Schwartz, you were taken away by the Hydra!”
“I’m embarrassed to say that indeed I was…”
He bowed his head slightly.
Had they been in the palace, he would have bowed down until Sisbell told him he had done enough, but this was a parking lot in a neutral city. There were tourists around.
“Tell me all the details in the car. There is an airport just an hour or so away, so we can take a transport to the Sovereignty from there.”
“Oh, wait, Schwartz! Actually…”
“Will you introduce us soon?”
Another person had spoken from behind Sisbell at around the same time.
Clack…
The person approached just a few footsteps behind Sisbell.
“Your Majesty, I believe this is our first meeting.”
A woman wearing black-rimmed glasses and a suit politely lowered her head.
She had said “Your Majesty” with no hesitation in a place where passersby were coming and going. Sisbell was likely the only one who noticed the slight sarcasm.
“I am Risya. I had the honorable role of accompanying Princess Sisbell here.”
“I am grateful,” the queen answered in a low voice, nodding. “You must be the guard Sisbell hired in the desert nation of Alsamira, then.”
“Oh, I must correct you.” Risya shrugged. “I am a guard, but I serve Lord Yunmelngen.”
“Wha?!”
The queen felt a shiver run through her.
Had this not been a neutral city, she undoubtedly would have readied herself for combat.
“But, wow, this is a surprise. I didn’t think Your Majesty would come here personally. I can rest assured that my duties are complete now. Well, if you’ll excuse me…”
“……?”
The queen narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
She naturally drew Sisbell close to her with a hand.
“If you are a Saint Disciple, then isn’t this the perfect opportunity to attempt to kill me?”
“What an apt thought, Your Majesty. However, I’m afraid we’re not in the situation for that.”
“What do you mean…?”
“The Empire and the Sovereignty shouldn’t be fighting in the current circumstances. Oh, we’ve left a letter from the Lord with Princess Sisbell. You may burn it once you are done reading it, if you like. We have not bugged it or tracked it, but if it makes you feel more at ease…”
“…I see. So this is what Alice meant.”
The queen’s face contorted in annoyance.
To anyone from the Nebulis Sovereignty, those from the Empire were their sworn enemy. And their motives were a complete mystery.
“Won’t you tell me about what this letter says?”
“It’s about the terrible thing your oldest daughter has done. That’s all.”
“Huh!”
“Well, with that, I’ll be on my way.”
She bowed to the queen, who placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder protectively, and then turned her back to them.
Risya had left the parking lot.
After crossing a large street, she was in a back alley.
“Whew… Ahh, that chilled me to the bone. So that’s the queen of the witches.”
Risya leaned against a gloomy wall.
A beast would be most ferocious when protecting their young. The queen had been so hostile with her daughter present that Risya had been afraid she might attack with her astral power.
Though she had feigned composure, on the inside Risya had been on the edge of her seat.
“I’m just glad the queen was a lot more reasonable than expected. —Oh, hello, Ms. Mei?”
She pulled out her comm.
Mei was still in the Lord’s office.
“How are things over there? Any big developments?”
“There was one, actually. The one who destroyed the Imperial checkpoint was Princess Mizerhyby of the Hydra. And there was a Zoa there… She’s too low down in the ranks. I don’t remember her name.”
“Well, that’s a VIP.”
“Things aren’t looking so good. Supposedly, they have no idea what’s going on.”
The screen on the comm lit up.
Mei sent footage of two princesses speaking behind her.
Aliceliese and Kissing.
“We’ve got the Lou and Zoa princesses here, but they say they haven’t got a clue why the Hydra would infiltrate the Empire.”
“And we’re sure they’re not just pretending…?”
“Dunno. And there’s no way to tell anyway, is there?” Mei yawned. “So we’re letting them duke it out. Next time the Hydra princess shows her face in the Empire, we’ll send those two out to crush her.”
“Where do you think she’ll show up next?”
“If we knew that, things would be easy.”
On the other side of the comm, Mei tried to hold back another yawn, then she tsked.
“If she just attacked the Empire without any other goals, this would be quick. But seems to me like this is gonna be a chore.”
“Oh, and why do you think that?”
“It’s the place she attacked. Kelvina’s underground lab… If she were some incompetent idiot whose only goal was to attack the Imperial capital, why would she go all the way to an abandoned facility? She’s after something.”
“Got it. Well, the Lord has got my hands full, so I’ll have to leave the rest up to you.”
Risya hung up.
She turned around, looking far into the distance as though she were trying to see the Imperial territory. She muttered to herself,
“Then the next place they’ll go after is…”
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