CHAPTER 1
Witch’s Exchange
1
The independent state of Alsamira.
A massive desert sprawling over the eastern side of the largest continent in the world. A country-sized resort locked in an endless summer. The temperature always hovered near 104 degrees, but the air was dry, so the sunlight was agreeable and pleasing.
The urban oasis was built up with gigantic pools, spas, and classy hotels.
In one such hotel, on a top floor….
“I knew it. The newspapers and gossip magazines have been running this story on the front page for the past two days.”
Jhin, the silver-haired sniper, chucked a newspaper onto the table.
“Summer Resort Turns to Shambles Overnight
Late at night, a large explosion detonated on the outskirts of the Alsamira municipality in a crude oil mining area.”
He looked down at the article.
“This must have made its way to Imperial headquarters by now. Well, I guess they would’ve found out when the Object was destroyed anyway. They’re not the type to let go of failed communications without asking questions.”
“…Jeez,” Iska groaned from the floor of the room.
He had been sitting on his knees for an hour as an act of self-inflicted punishment.
“I am so sorry…”
“It’s not your fault. The enemy blindsided you. But honestly, I don’t think you have been acting like yourself lately.”
Jhin settled onto the sofa. He was wearing a tank top that exposed his shoulders, which was unusual for him. However, he could not wear anything with sleeves currently because his arm was wrapped in a bandage spanning from his shoulder to his elbow.
It had been inflicted upon him during their recent fight against Lord Mask.
Two days prior, he had been wounded while unexpectedly battling the astral corps of the Nebulis Sovereignty in the outskirts of the country.
“First, you get abducted from a neutral city and taken to the Sovereignty. This time, you get involved with the astral corps after going on a walk by yourself.”
“…I’m ashamed.”
“Jhin, come on. Don’t be so mean to Iska,” chimed in Nene. “Besides, the Sovereignty are at fault for attacking him outside a battlefield.”
Nene Alkastone had the body of a model and a full head of red hair tied up in a ponytail. She was in charge of their communications as the mechanic of the unit.
She held a first aid kit next to Jhin. “It’s time to disinfect your wound. This is important. We need to change out your bandages, too.”
“But it’s only been seven hours.”
“No ‘buts.’ What would you do if your wound started to fester? It’s on your dominant hand, and you’re a sniper. You don’t want to lose the ability to use your right arm, right?”
“Right.”
“That’s why we need to treat it.”
Jhin begrudgingly held out his right arm. Nene snipped through the bandages and sprayed disinfectant on the puckered wound.
“Just when I thought we were getting a real break after literally escaping death three times…,” Jhin said, sighing. “It isn’t strange for the enemy to keep an eye on us. But why would the witch that Iska helped out of prison be here ? Out of all places? Feels like the chances are one in a million.”
“…I couldn’t believe my eyes.”
It had only been four days since they had left the Empire and entered this country. He hadn’t expected a reunion to be waiting for him upon arrival.
“Saint Disciple Iska, do you know who I am?”
“My name is Sisbell. I am honored you remember me.”
Doe-eyed and full of curiosity. Shiny strawberry-blond hair. There was something about her loveable face that rivaled Alice’s grace.
The youngest princess of the Paradise of Witches. Sisbell.
It turned out that the witch whom Iska had saved from the Imperial prison a year prior was the princess .
…Her astral crest was so weak, I hadn’t even considered it.
…I never would have guessed she could be a purebred.
The powers of the royal family were known to be formidable, so based on Sisbell’s rather insubstantial crest, the Imperial army must have had no idea they had captured royalty when they imprisoned her back then. For the same reason, Iska had also assumed she was just a random witch.
“Like I said yesterday: This was just a coincidence. She was surprised to see us, too.”
“Obviously. Otherwise, that would mean we’re being tailed by them. And I would never let that happened. So, what happened to her?”
“I don’t know. It looked like she was their target. I imagine she left the country that night. I think the one who was after her was the one you fought, Jhin.”
“…That Lord Mask guy? I guess I remember him saying that.”
This had been the second time that they had fought against Jhin’s enemy, after first battling each other for the vortex.
“We had no intention of escalating things. Our goal was to take home one of our fellow mages. Why would an Imperial soldier protect her?”
Silence settled over them for a few seconds.
Jhin looked away from the ceiling, leaning forward in his seat on the sofa.
“Guess it worked out well for us.”
“Hey! Jhin. Stay still. I won’t be able to secure your bandages.”
“Whatever.” He let her do her job. “Long story short, the astral corps were targeting the witch that you helped a year ago. I don’t know if she’s a criminal or a traitor, but it’s safe to assume Lord Mask and his crew aren’t holing up in Alsamira to come after us .”
Sisbell must have left the country overnight—to flee to another foreign state or to return to Nebulis. Either way, Lord Mask must have ordered the troops to pursue her. There was no reason for them to stay behind and focus their energy on Unit 907.
“Right, Iska?”
“Yeah. Even though we were involved in that skirmish, I think it would be safer for us to stay here.”
“So we’re back on vacation time, huh? Not that I feel like letting loose… By the way…”
Jhin motioned around the room. There were only three of them present—Iska, Jhin, and Nene. They were missing one last person.
“Is the boss still out? I was betting it’d be thirty minutes tops before she got bored of training in the gym upstairs.”
“She’s feeling inspired.”
Mismis had allowed her subordinate to get wounded when he’d protected her. To channel her feelings of regret, she had started up a rigorous training regimen.
“But what’s taking her so long…? I hope she’s okay.”
“Want me to go look?” Nene offered.
She got to her feet and headed to the corner of the room, where she transferred a change of clothes and a towel into a smaller handbag.
“A towel? What’s that for?”
“For when I get the commander.”
“…?”
“I know what I’m doing. Trust me. Be right back!”
Upstairs in the fitness area lined with treadmills, stationary bikes, and other workout equipment.
There was a pool area and two paths for different genders leading to sauna rooms full of billowing white steam.
“Aaah… This is the life…”
The wood panels in the room smelled like white birch.
Early morning, the commander was indulging in a moment of luxury in the empty sauna.
Mismis Klass.
Even though she was twenty-two, her baby face allowed her to get away with paying a child’s admission price at the movies. She looked even younger than Nene, who was seventeen. In fact, she barely met the height and weight requirements for the military. There were even rumors that she had hidden thick insoles inside her socks to increase her height enough to get enlisted.
“I got to sweat it out at the gym and burn some energy at the pool and loosen up in the sauna… It feels so good to treat yourself…”
Sweat streamed down her thin neck.
She flopped over to her side, covering her nude body with just a towel. Mismis didn’t even seem to care when it slid out of place.
“It’s too early for anyone to come in here.”
It was like she was in bed at home. It felt so good to let the steam warm up her exhausted body.
“Iska said the enemy must be out of the country. And it’s not like they would attack inside the resort.”
It would be a huge scandal if they tried to get them inside a hotel. The independent states hadn’t declared neutrality, which meant the Sovereignty would make an instant opponent out of Alsamira if an astral mage were to attack here. That was likely what deterred them from attacking.
“Which is why we can standby… Aah. This feels amazing.”
She rolled over, lying flush on her back. Looking up at the steam swirling near the ceiling made her eyelids grow heavy.
“Phew… I feel like I could take a nap.”
“That would leave you dehydrated, Commander.”
“It’ll be fine. Don’t be so hard on me, Nene… Wait.” Mismis rubbed at her eyes.
Out of the fog appeared a girl with a ponytail in a bathrobe.
“Found you!”
“Are you here to blow off a little steam?”
“No! I’m here to check in on you. Just look at you! All sprawled out…”
The subordinate folded her arms, looking awkwardly at her captain’s indiscreet presentation. Nene’s eyes traveled down to the open towel and the thin line of her belly button and then back up to her twin peaks, which had managed to retain their shape even as she lay flat. A bead of sweat slipped between her breasts, which had flushed pink from the steam. There was no other way to describe the scene other than sensual.
However, for Nene, it was embarrassing to see her captain in this state.
“I can see everything.”
“Wh-what?!”
“I learned that people like you are called exhibitionists.”
“H-hey! You just caught me off guard!” Mismis shot up, wrapping herself up in the towel. “Nene. Come join me.”
“Maybe for a little bit. I don’t want you to pass out in here.” Nene sat down next to her.
The wood door creaked open. A petite girl entered the sauna.
“Pardon me.”
She had a thin bath towel wrapped around her body.
Even through the mist, they could see her hair was strawberry blond. With her youthful face and stature, she looked like a doll come to life.
Mismis could swear they had met before. But where?
“Hey, doesn’t she look familiar?” Nene asked Mismis quietly.
“You, too, Nene? Who is she?”
They might have recognized her if they had bumped into her on the streets. But without her clothes or hair done up, they only had her face as a clue.
“…Hmm.” Mismis and Nene tilted their heads quizzically.
The girl approached them without uttering a word and gave Mismis a once-over. The captain promptly sat up as straight as a ramrod.
The girl chuckled. “Hey, you.”
“What? Me?”
“Yes, you. This—” She reached out.
Mismis had no time to react as the girl’s fingertip stretched toward her left shoulder.
“What is this?” The girl tugged off the skin-toned bandage from the captain’s arm.
Astral light filled the room—glowing green from Mismis’s shoulder.
“Ah… H-hey!”
“Hide it, Commander! Hurry!”
Nene acted on instinct, whipping the towel off her body and pressing it against the captain’s arm to hide the proof that Mismis was a witch.
It was only the three of them in the sauna room. There were no other witnesses. But who knew if someone else would enter?
Outside of Imperial territory in an independent state like Alsamira, it was unlikely that anyone would be openly hostile to witches. However, there were always individuals who harbored covert animosity toward them, and it was not worth the risk of exposure.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” Nene launched herself onto the girl. She didn’t even care that she wasn’t covered by a towel anymore.
Though they were about the same age, Nene towered over her.
“This is a medical bandage for covering wounds. How could you just pull it off?!”
“Oh, sorry.” The girl feigned ignorance. “I didn’t mean it. But I have something on hand .”
“…What?”
“You can never feel too secure with the ones from the Empire. Even if they can hide the light, the astral energy will still leak out, though it’s indiscernible to the eye.”
She held a milky-white adhesive in her hand. She applied it over Mismis’s astral crest with learned movements. Lo and behold, the light started to disappear.
It was almost too quick.
This hadn’t happened when she used Imperial medical bandages.
“Huh…?!” Nene’s eyes went wide.
Not processing the events, Mismis could only balk at her own skin.
“It’s water-resistant, but don’t submerge it.” The girl turned her back to them, placing her hand on the sauna door.
Mismis was flustered. “W-wait! You—”
“I can’t bear the sauna. And I’m not used to having naked conversations.”
She turned to the side, flashing them an elegant smile, flushed from the steam.
“I’ll be waiting at the café on the seventeenth floor.”
2
At the same time, in the queen’s room in the royal palace of Nebulis.
The sun had not risen to its zenith yet. Alice stood next to the queen. Her attendant, Rin, was behind her. At that moment, they were the only ones occupying the space.
“Mother… My queen, are you sure…?”
“If you’re concerned about Elletear, you have no reason to worry.”
Alice’s older sister had left the room.
Alice seemed to broach the topic with sensitivity, while the queen was direct.
“It would be difficult for you to discuss Sisbell with me around, right?”
“I haven’t been cleared of the suspicion that I leaked her location to the Zoa.”
If Elletear was a traitor…it meant the House of Zoa would hear about the information disclosed in Alice’s report on Sisbell.
That was why she had left of her own accord.
…Except…this situation makes it look like I chased away my own sister…
Alice felt guilty for telling only her mother about Sisbell’s whereabouts.
She was going to apologize to Elletear later. Alice turned her face to the queen.
“This is…” Her mother sighed. “This is inconvenient that she’s been suspected of having ties to the Empire—by Lord Mask, no less.”
“…Yes.”
“The Zoa will see this as their golden opportunity. They’ll destabilize us so that they can attempt to take the throne. What should we do?”
The queen looked up at the stained glass. Alice sneakily exchanged looks with Rin, nodding covertly.
—All good?
Rin nodded back.
“Mother, Sisbell said she would go into hiding for some time.”
Alice had five items to report to the queen:
First, Sisbell had been saved a year ago by an Imperial soldier named Iska.
Second, it had been a coincidence that she’d recently run into him in the independent state of Alsamira.
Third, Sisbell had contacted him, wanting to know his motivations for saving her.
Fourth, Lord Mask had witnessed their exchange.
And finally, Lord Mask was seeking to expose Sisbell as a traitor.
That had been the information that Alice had managed to procure from her younger sister. And when she had heard about her sister’s connection with Iska, she couldn’t believe her ears.
“It happened one year ago…”
“When I made a mistake and was caught by the Empire, an Imperial soldier saved me while I was imprisoned.”
The soldier in question had been Iska…of all people.
Stripped of his title of Saint Disciple after he’d been charged with his crimes, Iska had been dispatched to the battlefield as one of many soldiers. That had been when he met Alice.
…Hold on. Does that mean Sisbell met Iska before me?
…Whatever! It’s not like we’re calling dibs or anything!
Alice and Iska had gotten to know each other well enough to declare themselves rivals.
Their relationship was nothing like the one between Sisbell and Iska. It was something more complex and predestined. It was as if the very Empire and Sovereignty had reached an understanding.
There wasn’t room for anyone else. Right?
“Yeah. There’s no way Sisbell and Isk—”
“Lady Alice?”
“Ah…! N-nothing, Mother… Ha-ha-ha.” She tried to laugh it off.
Rin stepped forward in response. “Your Majesty, if I may, there is something I would like to say.”
“And what would that be, Rin?”
“In regard to the fourth point of Lady Alice’s report.”
“…You mean Lord Mask?” The queen let out another sigh.
“Lady Sisbell went to Alsamira to oblige your decree. It is eerie that Lord Mask was there, ready to ambush her.”
“……”
“Someone must have leaked her destination to the Zoa. It seems unlikely that Lord Mask would be the one who was dispatched there otherwise.”
He was the closest to their head of family.
If he had been the one to make a move, he must have expected an incident that could destabilize Sisbell from her position. Without solid evidence that something debilitating would happen, it was hard to imagine he would make the effort to go there.
…In other words, Lord Mask was expecting Sisbell to meet with an Imperial soldier.
…But something isn’t adding up. Sisbell said that their reunion was coincidental.
Those two points yielded inconsistencies. There was only one explanation—
“Your Majesty. If I may, I would like to add further comment,” said Rin anxiously.
“I think the one who divulged Lady Sisbell’s destination has a connection to the Imperial forces .” “On what basis?”
“Based on the situation.” Rin seemed certain.
Alice and Rin had reached this conclusion upon their return to the Sovereignty.
“Lord Mask traveled to Alsamira himself. That means the Zoa were sure that something would happen there. They were confident Lady Sisbell would contact an Imperial soldier.”
“…And?”
“They couldn’t have known an Imperial unit was in Alsamira unless they were aware of the movements of their military. The traitor disclosed Lady Sisbell’s destination to the Zoa at the most opportune time.”
The traitor had been certain about it.
Like fire mixing with oxygen, a meeting between the youngest princess and an Imperial swordsman had the potential to be explosive. It was only a matter of time.
“Rin,” the queen called out. “Do you know who the ‘traitor’ may be?”
“…By process of elimination.”
“Go ahead. I give you permission.”
“The eldest princess.”
“Of course.”
Alice became almost deflated when the queen seemed to accept it.
“That was my conclusion, too. That is why I called her on her own.”
However, there was no evidence. And no one wanted to believe they were betrayed by a family member.
“Alice, where is Sisbell now?”
“She said she would remain in hiding for some time. I think it would be dangerous for her to return to the Sovereignty without knowing the identity of the traitor.”
“So she’s staying in Alsamira?”
“…I believe so. But she may move around.”
There was a possibility that she would hide away in one of the surrounding countries instead. It was a no-brainer for Sisbell to leave Alsamira to escape the eyes of the Zoa.
“Her astral powers are not suited for self-defense. She might resist, but we need to dispatch my guards… Come, Kisasage, Warvick.”
Queen Mirabella snapped her fingers.
The tiny click bounded off the walls, echoing for a few seconds before fading.
“You were listening, right? You will go guard Sisbell.”
“—Yes.”
“Lady Sisbell is your dear daughter. We vow to bring her back to the palace safely.”
…My mother’s best guards, huh?
Suddenly, the mages serving the queen appeared from nowhere as though rising from a mirage. This man and woman were part of the Planetary Domiciles, guards of the royal family.
What the—? That was bad for my health…
The two guards had been there from the very beginning—silent and indiscernible to the eye, always on standby.
It was said their astral powers of concealment exceeded even the best optical camouflage offered by the Empire. Not that Alice could confirm this, since she’d only seen them a handful of times.
“It would be easier to protect her if she stayed in Alsamira. I wonder if she’s still there. I hope it goes well.”
The two guards disappeared without a moment to spare. The queen folded her arms together.
“Alice, I have something to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“About the Imperial soldier who you said Sisbell had encountered in Alsamira. Did you see his face? Who in the world was he?”
“No. I’m afraid I don’t know.”
Rin looked like she wanted to say something. Alice ignored her.
“I didn’t meet him in Alsamira or in the battlefield of the neutral city. Um. Anything else, Rin?”
“I think it would be wise to shut your mouth.”
“Right. I don’t know anything about him, Mother—not even the smallest detail about this Imperial soldier named Iska.”
“You’re making it more suspicious.”
“Shh, Rin…! Please…!”
Alice avoided making eye contact.
3
In the independent state of Alsamira. Inside the café on the seventeenth floor of Garnet Hotel.
“May I take your order?”
The girl with strawberry-blond hair gave her order to the smiling waitstaff. “A strawberry shake, please.”
The girl addressed the people sitting at her table. “Thank you for joining me, Commander Mismis, Iska, and Nene. And also Jhin. Tell me if I got your names wrong.”
Sisbell Lou Nebulis IX. The daughter of the current queen. One from the bloodline of the Founder.
“Oh, just to clarify things: I looked into each of your names myself. I didn’t get them from Iska.”
“That’s beside the point.”
The table was set up for six.
Iska, Nene, and Mismis sat on one side of the booth, while Sisbell was on the other side by herself. Jhin had been the one who had made the comment, and he had foregone a seat, standing by the table.
“We heard about you from Iska. Tell us what you want.”
“Before I do that, won’t you sit down?”
“I don’t see any open seats.”
“What about the ones next to me?”
The luxurious genuine-leather sofa could comfortably fit three adults—maybe even four, if they were petite women.
Sisbell patted the two spaces beside her.
“Right here. Either to my left or to my right. Your choice.”
Jhin was silent.
The sweet girl narrowed her eyes.
“Oh?” Her gaze seemed threatening. “Do you hate the idea of sharing a seat with a witch?”
“Do you just want to make small talk? If so, then I’m leaving.”
“…”
“If you need to discuss something, I’ll sit down. Whatever. Tell me what you want first.”
Sisbell remained silent for a few moments before letting out a dark chuckle.
“Okay. I apologize. I don’t know anything about your personalities, aside from Iska’s. I just wanted to test the waters and see how you would react… Let me discuss something with you. Is that okay, Commander Mismis?”
“Ye-yu-huh?!” She practically jumped out of her seat.
She looked like she’d been called on by a superior.
…Oh, this is bad.
…She’s frozen from nerves.
Iska couldn’t exactly blame her. A witch with unclear motives had waltzed in from out of nowhere and demanded to negotiate with them. No wonder her mind went blank.
“This is bad. Sit down, Commander. You’re going to call attention to yourself. Hey, Iska.”
“…Roger.” Iska raised his hand, nodding at Nene and Jhin. “I’ll hear you out. Does that work?” he asked Sisbell.
“Of course!”
“…You sound happy.”
“Think nothing of it. I just prefer speaking with an acquaintance… Ahem. It’s been two days since I’ve seen you, Iska.”
Another comment that raised suspicion.
Iska resisted the urge to sigh.
Sisbell possessed the power of Illumination. Even among astral powers, it was rare to be able to access the time-space continuum and reproduce events of the past.
…Even if we didn’t see each other yesterday…I bet she used her powers to peek at our activities.
After all, she had figured out which hotel they were staying at. It was safe to assume she had seen all their actions.
“I thought you’d already left the country. But you were here all this time.”
Her situation was different than theirs. After all, she was a princess of the Nebulis Sovereignty. She knew she was being targeted and that Lord Mask was there.
He assumed she would go into hiding immediately.
“I’ll be leaving as soon as possible after this.” The witch princess smiled at him. “And I will be taking you all with me.”
The strawberry shake came.
Sisbell handed the server a tip. Until the employee had returned to the kitchen, not a single one of them had been able to utter a word.
Bringing them along? What was she talking about?
“What do you mean? You must know we’re not going to become your prisoners without a fight.”
“I would like to hire you as my guards.”
“…What?” Jhin’s eyebrows knitted together. He scowled from irritation and bewilderment.
“I don’t understand. Did you just say you wanted the four of us to become your guards?”
“Yes.” Sisbell nodded, smiling innocently. “I would like to make my way to the palace in Nebulis. And I want you to eliminate the astral corps that attack me on the journey.”
“No thanks. Let’s go, boss, Iska, Nene. We’ll be in deep shit if word gets to headquarters that we’re chatting with the enemy.”
“Liar.”
“…Excuse me?”
“You don’t want headquarters to know your captain is a witch.”
The princess looked at Mismis—a newly minted witch—her eyes zeroing in on the hidden astral crest on the Commander’s shoulder.
“Isn’t that right, Iska?” asked Sisbell.
“…So you knew.”
It wasn’t surprising that Sisbell would figure it out with her ability.
He could even think of the likely case when she would have found out.
“Tell me. Did you discover this when the Object attacked two days ago?”
“Astral power in one, two, three, four, five…six. Tally complete.”
With Lord Mask and his four underlings, that made five.
With Mismis, that made six.
The Witch Hunter—an Imperial machine—had registered her as a witch.
“Yes. That was when I was certain. Commander Mismis, let me take a guess: You weren’t born with the astral crest on your shoulder, right?”
“Uh.” The petite captain shivered.
“It should be impossible for astral mages to be born in the Empire these days. And it’s futile to hide your crest with Imperial medical bandages—they fail to conceal astral energy.”
Sisbell palmed an adhesive. It was the same as the one she had placed on Mismis’s shoulder earlier.
“It is a specialized material called ‘Nebula.’ Unlike Imperial bandages, this material actually prevents astral energy from leaking out.”
“…Yes,” Iska agreed in a way that would get through to Mismis.
He now understood what the witch princess was offering to compensate them for guarding her.
…That’s her move, huh.
…We would kill for that right now. We’d do almost anything.
A method to hide her witch-hood didn’t exist in the Empire, but it did in the Sovereignty.
“To thank you for being my guards, I will give you information on how to properly conceal an astral crest. With this, you won’t have anything to fear, even in Imperial territory.”
They were silent.
Iska and Nene pursed their lips. Mismis was still holding her left shoulder as her lips quivered.
“I’m not asking you to betray the Empire. The ones after me are astral mages. Isn’t it reasonable for Imperial forces to fight against them, Commander Mismis?”
“…Th-that’s umm…”
“You could call this an armistice—a proper transaction. This is—”
“Stop right there.”
“Okay, that’s it.”
Iska and Nene had spoken up at the same time.
Their synchronicity wasn’t planned, and it caught Sisbell by surprise.
They were all thinking the same thing.
“Okay, Sisbell. No need to go any further. The deal is done.”
“Huh?! W-wait, Iska?!” protested their commander.
“As subordinates, we agree.” Iska didn’t look at the captain, who was trying to grab his attention, instead turning to where Nene was sitting. “Right?”
“Uh-huh. I know your position puts you in a difficult place to express approval, Commander. You can’t agree to guarding the enemy to get this adhesive.” Nene nodded. “So we’ll volunteer ourselves. No problems there.”
“…B-but Nene!” Mismis protested.
“We’ve got some non-negotiable conditions. We won’t do anything that would hurt the Empire.” Jhin sounded somber as he stared down at the princess sipping her strawberry shake. “If we end up in a situation where the Imperial forces are out for you, we’ll let you die.”
“Fine with me.”
“We’ll do two things. We’ll travel with you, and we’ll get involved only when the astral corps attack you.”
“Sounds good.”
“One last thing: We have just fifty days off duty. That’s the amount of time we can be outside Imperial territory. So we have thirty days—tops—to accompany you.”
“I understand.”
“…I never would have expected this vacation to turn out this way.”
With one hand on his forehead, Jhin peeked around.
It was a bit late for breakfast. Tourists scarcely dotted the café, and the staff didn’t appear rushed as they bussed the tables.
“This is sensitive information, so I would normally suggest saving this until we’re back in the hotel room…but I’m going to ask you now. Why are you being targeted ?”
“……”
“How do you expect us to properly guard you? They’ll base their strategy on this reason. And it’ll change how we devise our counterattacks.”
The witch princess went silent.
Iska caught her looking at him for a brief moment. It didn’t seem like his eyes were playing tricks on him.
“…Our nation is no monolith.”
She was deliberate in her phrasing, choosing each of her words with care.
“I am a retainer at the palace , but there are factions and differing opinions within it. Isn’t it the same case in the Empire? One person is uplifted, and the other is kicked down. There is someone who profits from getting in my way.”
“…You mean Lord Mask?”
“Yes. And let me tell you the cold, hard truth about the future.” Sisbell looked over the tense commander. “If I don’t return to the palace, full-scale war will break out between the Sovereignty and the Empire in the next year—and continue until one side is totally crushed.”
“—FU— ?!”
“Shh! Commander!” Nene clamped her hand over Mismis’s mouth in a panic.
Mismis was moments away from shouting full-scale war in the café.
“It would end with the total annihilation of the planet, which is why I want to return to the palace as soon as possible… Hm, I guess I should have told you this first. You might have needed to mentally prepare yourself.”
“Wh-what are you talking about…?” Mismis’s lips trembled. “I can’t pretend not to hear this as a captain…”
“We can continue this conversation somewhere more private. It would be bad if someone overheard. Let’s go to your room.” Sisbell got to her feet, picking up the check and sauntering over to the cash register. “Oh, I got this. Consider it a token of our friendship.”
“We didn’t order anything. The only thing to pay for is your strawberry shake.”
“…Let me say one thing.” Her long hair and dress billowed.
The youngest princess of Nebulis fixed her eyes on Jhin.
“I was nervous talking to an Imperial unit. My throat was parched. This didn’t even do the trick.”
“I was just trying to say the check is obviously yours to—”
“All right. Let us be on our way.”
“Listen .”
Iska came to a realization.
…They’re a terrible match… Judging from their personalities alone, they’ll never be on the same page.
The princess marched to the beat of her own drum. Jhin was rational. They would never see eye-to-eye.
“Jhin, you okay?” asked Iska.
“I don’t have any qualms. But I might be stressed.” The sniper stormed forward, cutting through the air with his shoulders. “We’ve always had one problem child—the boss. Now, we have another one. But I can deal if it’s just for thirty days.”
4
The Paradise of Witches. The Nebulis Sovereignty had been founded by Nebulis I, the younger twin of the Founder. The royal family broke into three divided bloodlines to reign over the nation.
The current queen came from the House of Lou, which had continued to fight the Empire while limiting casualties in the astral corps.
The House of Zoa were extremists, ready to destroy the Empire at whatever cost.
The House of Hydra were moderates, serving any queen as her advisors.
Three royal lines.
The three families each resided in their own spires. The home base of Lou was the Star Spire.
It housed the queen’s bedroom and Alice’s own room, though the princess was in a different part of the spire.
“Lady Alice, should you be hanging out here?”
“I’m on a bed. It’s fine.”
“Sorry. Let me rephrase: You’re in someone else’s room.”
“It’s fine. She’s in another country anyway.”
In Sisbell’s room, Alice was sprawled on her bed without permission, looking up at the ceiling.
…Well, she’ll find out when she uses her astral powers… But we were able to talk to each other in Alsamira.
How long had it been since she had talked to her sister face-to-face? Her sister had ignored her when they ran into each other in the hallways or otherwise excused herself in her emotionless way.
…I was a little relieved… I could never guess what she was thinking. I was scared of her until now.
Though Sisbell was another opponent in the conclave, she was also family. There was nothing weird about wanting to talk to her younger sister.
What did her younger sister think of that?
“Do you know who this Imperial soldier is?”
It had been a miscalculation. Everything had been.
She had been hell-bent on making sure no one knew about her relationship with Iska. Even if there had been an eyewitness account of their meetup, she believed no one would recognize his face.
“…Gah.”
“Lady Alice, what is the matter? I can almost hear the gloom in your sigh.”
“Hey, Rin? Where do you think Sisbell is? What do you think she’s up to?”
“We’ll know in time. The queen’s own guards are heading off to protect her.”
The attendant was curt—inoffensive and objective.
However, Alice had a bad feeling in her gut.
“…You don’t think she’s with Iska, right?”
“I have made no mistake in judgment.”
“I will not give up until I make you into my subordinate.”
She practically jumped out of bed. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“Lady Alice! Are you in your right mind?!”
“I’m the picture of composure. But what was that about how she was going to make him her subordinate? Iska is my rival. If she tries to get in our way…!”
Sisbell had looked at him with glistening eyes. It certainly wasn’t an expression that she had ever shown Alice. She refused to let that slide! No more dancing to her tune!
“I can’t believe a princess would try to make a subordinate out of an enemy solider! Who even thinks of something so contemptuous? We’re supposed to be defeating the Empire!”
“Lady Alice, I believe you did the same thing…”
“Rin.”
“Sorry. Please do go on.”
“Anyway! Iska would never be won over by the Sovereignty. I know that better than anyone. So what’s with that?!”
He would never join forces with an astral mage.
That was why they had to settle things—Alice and Iska, a mage and a swordsman.
“I see him as one of my enemies. I won’t make allowances for him if I meet him in the battlefield. I told him he was a rival, meaning he needs to be prepared for me to attack.”
“Perfectly put, Lady Alice. We cannot identify with him.”
“…Yes. All Iska and I can do is battle.”
A rivalry meant the two could not get along.
The label also implied that they would inevitably duel against each other. No time for aiding and abetting the other party. Their only future together was for one of them to fall in the battlefield.
“I know that about myself…but…my sister…” She ground her teeth.
In her rage, Alice didn’t feel the chilled air that radiated from her body.
“Maybe I really need to give her a scolding.”
“Lady Alice?! P-please do get a hold over yourself! The room is beginning to freeze over!”
“Ack!”
The window was pure white.
The curtains were solid, with icicles dangling from them.
“I understand, but please approach this with grace. The people think the three Lou sisters are close.”
“…You’re right.”
Of course, there was a political reason for that.
In the public eye, Alice even had held Sisbell’s hand while wearing a big smile—not that her younger sister would exchange a single word with her once they returned to the castle.
“…Whatever.”
She would quell her emotions.
She let in a slow inhale before letting it all out.
“I don’t believe she’s serious about asking Iska to work for her. I hope.” She glanced at the window of the bedroom.
Glaring in the direction of a distant desert, Alice sighed.
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