CHAPTER 4
Mutant Star
1
Nebulis Sovereignty. Liesbaden.
The sun rose over the streets. It was still chilly this morning. The cobbled paths buzzed with activity from students and businessmen…or at least they would have during most normal circumstances.
On this day, the downtown area was hushed and deserted, as if silent from fear.
Not a single car was running. The pedestrians were sporadic.
Military police were making patrols of the pathways, carrying riot shields in their left hands, communicating over devices.
“On high alert. Even someone from the Empire can tell at a glance.”
Between the sliver of drawn curtains, Jhin observed the scene from the hotel’s ninth floor.
“The police are even on patrol in a state on the border of the Sovereignty. I think my guess is correct.”
“…This is serious!” howled a girl.
Sisbell stood still in the middle of the living area.
“Wh-what is going on? What is this?!”
She held a gossip magazine in her right hand.
Iska and Commander Mismis gave the headline a once-over.
“‘Midnight Coup d’état at the Royal Palace?! Attempts to Assassinate the Queen and Eldest Princess…?! Many Wounded.’ There is no way we can forgive this brutality!”
Her sweet eyes seemed to have lost their fervor. She was going into shock. After all, her family was in danger.
Iska and the rest of his unit couldn’t comment on the coup d’état.
…She’s the ruler of the enemy country. Even if there’s a civil war, that’s good news for the Empire.
He understood Sisbell’s grief.
And though he did have sympathy for her, he did not empathize. If something happened to a witch other than Sisbell, it was no business of his.
Commander Mismis and Nene understood that, which was why they remained silent.
“So, what about you?” The silver-haired sniper leaned into the back of his chair. “They haven’t found the culprit, according to the magazine. That means the palace is a dangerous place right now. Even though we don’t know if there’ll be a second attempt, are you sure it’s wise to head over there?”
“……”
“How about we go after the culprit is caught?”
“That is one option. But I think it’s unlikely they will catch the culprit soon enough, if at all. If we wait, your thirty-day duty will pass.” Sisbell shook her head weakly. “I spoke of this before. The Nebulis Sovereignty has never been a monolith. This attack against the current administration probably wasn’t spontaneous.”
“…You think the culprit is involved with the royal family?” Jhin sighed dramatically. The princess stood in place. “Is it possible this is the doing of that Lord Mask guy?”
“I’m not sure. This is just a hunch, but I do not think so.”
“And the reason for that?”
“He is a strategist. He is not the type of man who would choose to stage something that looks like a coup. Even if he were to target the queen, he would make it seem like nothing more than an accident… Oh, he wouldn’t do that either. Because of me. ”
“Huh?”
“If I return to the palace, they would be able to find the culprit. I do not think this is a trick by Lord Mask, because he’s aware of my powers.”
“…You can do that?” Jhin looked at her dubiously. “Is that your astral power?”
“Yes. Of course, I cannot tell you everything about it, but I am a good makeshift investigator.”
This purebred’s power was the ability to look into the past. If she could get close to the scene of the explosion, she could reproduce who had set off the attack. The culprit had no means of escape.
Iska couldn’t believe his ears as he listened to Sisbell reveal her astral power to the group.
…Are you seriously going to tell the rest of my unit about your power?! …Why Sisbell? Wait!
Iska could think of a reason.
“I see,” Jhin clucked his tongue. “They failed at the coup. If you return, they’d be able to find the culprit. Which means that…the next target isn’t the main one, but the person who can play investigator.”
“Gah!”
Nene and Commander Mismis gulped at the same time. They finally understood why Sisbell would reveal her secret.
“There’s one more reason why someone would target me.”
Whoever had schemed to assassinate the queen would likely be after Sisbell to silence her.
“You seem calm.”
“I believe in all of you. Please protect me until I reach the central state.”
Sisbell smiled. But her shoulders were trembling.
Despite her courageous act, she was fearful. She was a tender girl. Her mother had almost been assassinated, and she could be next.
“What should we do?”
“Nothing has changed. Shuvalts should check on the state of the palace and give us a report. We will wait until then.”
They were on standby for now. With bated breath, they would hide in the hotel.
At the same time, Alice was walking toward the terminal station, taking long strides.
“…This is serious. A coup at the palace, they say!”
She didn’t bother with the disguise from the other day.
Her prided golden hair was flowing straight down her back, and she was outfitted in a luxurious dress. She wore a lily crest, the symbol of the House of Lou, on a chain around her right wrist. Her status was on full display to curtail any unnecessary labor required for verifying her identity.
“Are you…Lady Aliceliese?!”
The military police keeping watch on the walkways raised their riot shields when they saw the beautiful princess, all of them saluting at once.
“Let me through. The terminal has not been blockaded, has it?”
“I-it has not. Though there are fewer trains, the express to the central state is still running!”
“Thank you.” Her golden hair rippled in waves as she passed by the police. “Rin, come.”
“P-please wait, Lady Alice! …Even if we get there early, the train will still come at the same time.”
“How do you expect me to remain calm?”
“The queen is a top-class astral mage. After failing at a coup, the culprit will bide their time before they act again.”
Rin was pulling a large cart with each hand, tailing Alice. They had packed up in a hurry after they had received the news that morning.
“Rin, I’m making the right decision, aren’t I?”
“I support your decision to immediately return home. With you back in the palace, the enemy will feel pressured to act again sooner than later.”
Alice would turn a blind eye to Sisbell’s affairs. There was no change in that plan.
That was irrelevant to the civil war and coup. She was only doing it to prevent others from noticing she had been aware that her sister had hired an Imperial unit as guards. Even if Sisbell’s collusion came to light, it would not result in the downfall of the queen.
“I hate to ask, but is Lady Sisbell safe?”
“…I’ll leave her well-being to Iska. It pains me to think he’s serving her, but I can’t concern myself with that right now.”
Iska is my rival, not Sisbell’s personal guard.
Though she wasn’t happy they were together, Alice’s mind was more composed than yesterday.
…Maybe I’m calmer because we were able to talk alone? …Though I was embarrassed to cling to his arm like that.
She had been close enough to Iska to rival her sister’s experience with him. She felt she had done enough to make him remember that she existed.
…I only did it because she did it first!
…Iska’s arm felt so strong.
She could still feel it in her hands and chest.
Though he was slender, he was very muscular—like Rin, but sturdier. Alice had felt a different sense of security when she entrusted her weight to him.
He had been warm. When she touched him, it felt like she was burning up with every heartbeat.
She had wanted to press herself against him forever, making her whole body melt—
“Lady Alice.”
“Wait, no! You’ve got it wrong! S-Sisbell committed the sin first…and…”
“What was that? What sin?” Rin looked serious, cocking her head to the side.
Her outburst had been so loud that the police gaped at her.
“Please lower your voice when talking about your sister.”
“I-I know. We’re almost at the terminal—”
They were at a four-way crosswalk. As soon as Alice stopped in front of the flickering traffic light, her communications device went off in her vice grip.
A call?
Was it from one of the queen’s agents in the district? She put the device to her ear.
“Alice, are you all right?”
“? Mother?!”
She couldn’t recall the queen ever contacting her directly.
…I mean, this is an ordinary communication device, which could be tapped. She doesn’t use these on principle…
And yet, she had contacted her daughter. What were the queen’s intentions?
“I-I hope you are the one who’s all right. Are you safe?” She hid in a nook of the walkway as Rin stood watch. “I heard word of a bomb in your chambers and that Elletear was in danger, too.”
“It wasn’t a bomb but an astral attack. There were no traces of gunpowder.”
“……I see.”
Magic flames would immediately dissipate.
If it had been a bomb, they would have found vestiges of charred components, but with an astral attack, no evidence was left behind. Under normal circumstances, one would just throw their hands up in defeat.
“It works in our favor.” There was no hesitation in her voice.
She didn’t act like she had been the target of an attempted assassination ten hours earlier.
“If it were a bomb, it would have been possible to control it remotely. An astral attack has limited range. We will be able to identify the attacker’s identity using Sisbell’s powers. This is a good opportunity.”
“To cull evil?”
“An internal purge is a painful process. The top suspect is Lord Mask, but we must consider the possibility of it being someone else.”
“…Someone else?”
“We should presume anything is possible. And the royal family knows about Sisbell’s powers. The attack was a failure, so we must be vigilant of the culprit switching targets.”
They might switch to Sisbell. Alice had presumed that.
“Have you found your sister’s whereabouts?”
“Uh.”
Alice had an obligation as a daughter. However, if she told the truth, her entire family would be in danger.
“……Not yet…”
“Hasten your search. When I was attacked, I had a means of self-defense, but her astral powers would not allow her to contend with an assassin.”
“…Yes.”
That wasn’t entirely true. No one other than herself knew.
The circumstances surrounding Sisbell had changed more than the queen could have imagined.
…She hired an Imperial unit for self-defense…which I cannot tell my mother, lest it compromise her position.
That guard was the former Saint Disciple Iska. He wouldn’t lose in an attack launched at Sisbell. That was why Alice could pretend she didn’t know about her affairs.
“Then I will take my leave, mother. Please do be careful.”
“I leave her in your care.” The transmission ended.
At the same time, Alice let out a long sigh and looked up.
“How sad. I’ve never lied to my mother before.”
“That’s not true. When you don’t want to go to morning reading groups, you claim you have a debilitating migraine.”
“Rin.”
“…A slip of the tongue.” Rin had ruined the mood.
“Well, it’s fine. I need your help.” She beckoned her attendant to the alley. “As you heard, I can’t go back to the central state because my mother wants me to look for my sister here.”
Because of that, Alice had to change her course again.
“My sister is still staying in the hotel. You will go back immediately.”
“…To follow her?”
“To watch over my sister. And make sure you are not found out.”
To find Sisbell and protect her. To pretend she knew nothing about her actions.
It was impossible to achieve both goals, which was why Alice was going to remove herself from guarding Sisbell.
…Rin is originally my guard, after all… At our training tower, she mastered a broad range of things—from spying to assassination.
At any rate, Alice couldn’t do it. It was impossible for an amateur to guard someone in secret. That required specialized skill.
“We will work separately. I will take over the carts and wait at the terminal. If something happens, inform me immediately.”
“Of course. Lady Alice—” Relieved from the luggage, Rin looked at her in earnest. “If the queen and Lady Sisbell are targeted, we do not know if you will be next. Please be careful.”
Then she turned around, slicing through the air with her shoulders as she rushed forward.
After Alice watched her go, the princess started walking.
“…The last time my mother was targeted, it was by Salinger.”
It was the second time this grave crime had been committed in their history. Perhaps the mastermind behind this second attack was a force to be reckoned with just like the perpetrator of the original incident was, a person with just as much power and evil?
“But someone at the same level as Salinger…there aren’t many in the royal family. Who could it have been?”
2
The umbral winds raged. It was the time of night when the high-rise buildings had an inky tint to their coloration. A full day had passed since the coup targeting the queen. There had been no new developments.
“Good news, everyone. Shuvalts has reached the central state!” Sisbell’s voice rang in the hotel room, which was rare. “He should be able to have an audience with the queen tomorrow. If we get her help, we should be able to secure a safe passage back!”
“‘Should’, huh? That inspires no confidence.”
“…You’re such a downer.” Sisbell scowled at Jhin.
There was no way he didn’t notice, but he refused to meet her eyes, looking up at the ceiling instead.
“I’m saying don’t get excited. Be level. Think of what to do when things don’t work out as planned.”
“…I know.” Sisbell sat down on the sofa, looking displeased.
Though the sofa was large enough to fit four fully grown adults, she squeezed next to Iska, who was perched in the corner.
…If this was yesterday, I would have asked her why she was sitting next to me… But there’s nothing I can do about it now. I can’t reject her.
Even next to him, her nervousness was painfully obvious. The attempt on the queen’s life weighed heavily on her.
“Hey, what should we do today? You patrolled around the hotel yesterday, right?” Nene suddenly got up from the carpet. “We can’t tell what’s going on outside from the hotel room. I don’t think we’ll be able to see people’s faces once it gets dark. Should we go outside?”
“…Not today. The military police are keeping a lookout.” Sisbell sighed.
The street outside the glass walls were illuminated with pinpricks of light at night.
“Though I’m worried about what is happening outside, we should remain patient and wait. Let us endure until Shuvalts is able to contact the queen—”
She was cut off.
DRRRR! An explosion rang out, echoing around the walls of the hotel room. The reinforced glass wall didn’t crack, but the table and chairs in the living area trembled from the shockwave.
“Ah! …Wh-what was that?!” Sisbell had fallen on her rear and sank onto the carpet.
Out on the street, a pedestrian crossing not even a hundred yards from the hotel had been engulfed in flames of a fantastical violet color that was beyond imagination.
The vivid purple embers bloomed into a large flower in the night sky.
“An astral attack…?” Mismis asked.
“That wasn’t a bomb. Commander, that was astral flame!” Nene shouted.
Their voices overlapped. The embers floated above scattering flashes, glittering with magic.
…An explosion…powered by astral energy…like the one from the coup yesterday!
Sisbell’s lips had turned blue from fear.
Was the person who assaulted the queen now in the eighth state?
“The military police are running over. Maybe they found the culprit in the streets tonight and the person started to rampage?”
“I-in that case, we should pursue them!” Sisbell forced herself to stand on her shaking knees. “I told you about my astral powers. Even if the culprit has fled, it’s possible to go after them. If we find their identity and inform the military police, that will guarantee my safety.”
“Y-you want to head over…?!” Commander Mismis gripped her taser with both small hands.
“We’re not fighting, Sisbell.” Iska spoke to her from behind, following the witch to the door. “We just need to figure out their identity and location, right? We don’t need to engage in combat ourselves.”
“Yes, we just need to inform the military police. That will be our plan.”
They headed to the passageway. The other guests had heard the commotion, spilling out into the hallway, crowding around the elevator.
“Ugh, I can’t believe this place is packed with onlookers… Let’s use the stairs!”
The princess started running down the emergency stairs. By the time she reached the lobby on the first floor, she was already out of breath.
“You okay?”
“Y-yes…but this works in our favor. Look around the lobby—the guests have come down to see what’s happening. We can disappear into the crowd.”
They headed outdoors, where the streets were lit by streetlamps. The police weren’t around because they had headed to the scene of the crime.
“Iska, there’s still astral energy over there.” Nene pointed at the night sky.
That was when the shadow of night was pierced by another explosive attack.
“N-not again!”
And it was even larger than the previous one. It was intense enough to make all the guests exiting the hotel scatter like baby spiders.
“Is the culprit fighting the police?”
“It’s possible. We must hurry, Iska!” She cut through the sidewalk, heading to the other side of the street.
They wove between the buildings, progressing by alleyway, and ran all the way to the site of the explosion. Embers rose in the air. Ahead, there wasn’t a single person standing on their own two feet.
“Wha…?!” A shriek escaped the witch princess.
The military police had collapsed. They were lying on the cold roadway with riot shields still in hand or otherwise slumped against the building walls.
It wasn’t just the military police.
“The queen’s agents…!”
Men and women wearing suits were trapped under the military police. Iska couldn’t tell the difference between them and civilians, but if Sisbell was insisting they were the queen’s agents, then there was no mistaking it.
…If they’re the queen’s soldiers……were they attacked during their search for Sisbell?
He unlocked a long case. Iska then brought out his astral swords, glowering at his surroundings. Maybe he would get lucky and no one would approach them within the flitting embers. He would know immediately if anyone suspicious appeared.
“Sisbell.”
“Y-yes!” The princess put her hand to her chest, trying to concentrate on her breathing and closing her eyes.
“Please show me your past, dear planet—”
“ Found you…”
There came a low whisper.
It was pure luck that Iska had managed to hear it. The wind from the buildings above swept the sound down from the rooftop.
“Sisbell, look up!”
On the very edge of the building’s rooftop, a lone figure was floating, looking down at them.
“Uh… Is that the uniform of the astral corps?!”
“Look closely, boss. It looks similar, but it’s different.” Jhin turned the muzzle of his gun at it. “…There’s no mistake—that’s the culprit.”
The person was wearing battle robes and a hood over their head.
The uniform cloth was even thicker than those of the astral corps, dotted with purple spots that looked poisonous. The figure wore thick gloves that left three of their fingers uncovered.
…They look taller than me… But if the soles of their shoes are thicker, I can’t tell their gender.
He couldn’t identify their age or sex. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if it was a mechanical soldier under all those clothes. Their garments looked off.
“Sisbell, is that person from the Sovereignty?”
“N-no… I’ve never seen them before. They’re not from the astral corps. Or the elite guards of the royal family.” Sisbell audibly gulped.
She gripped her hands into fists, resolved to do or die.
“You barbarian!” Sisbell yelled. “You attacked respectable public forces and the queen’s agents. You will not be absolved of your crimes!”
“……”
“I can guess you are in a position close to the royal family. If I am here—”
“Get crushed.” The attacker turned their fingertips toward her.
Feeling the invisible pressure gathering above his head, Iska scooped up Sisbell in his arms.
“Jump!” His voice was squelched by the mass that came down on them.
As he carried the princess, Iska charged forward. Jhin went backward. Nene and Commander Mismis threw themselves to the side of the formation.
Crack. The stone paving that Iska was standing on split.
“Was that wind? But I didn’t hear anything…which means…”
“It’s gravity!” Sisbell managed to shriek as Iska made their landing. “It’s a wave of astral power created by manipulating undulations. There’s no mistake the military police were crushed by it!”
“We’ve seen that in the battlefield, too.”
It could function as an invisible trap. If it was strong, it could even pin a running military vehicle to the ground. It was comparable to a spider’s web. If someone were to get tangled in the gravitational net, rendered immobilized, the mages could combine forces to attack with flame or ice.
“Get away from here, Sisbell.”
“Huh?! Iska?!”
He thrust the witch princess back. He knew he was rough handling her. However, he didn’t have many options. The assailant was that powerful.
…Gravity is invisible. I can barely tell where it is based on aerial movements… It would be impossible to protect her and react in time.
And then there was that destructive force.
It had managed to break the stone pavement. It wouldn’t have been an exaggeration to call it a one-hit KO. If the mass of gravity were dropped on his head, Iska would have lost consciousness.
…And this attack is different from the violet blasts from earlier. Are there two attackers or more?
“Grab on!” Mismis urged.
“I’m going to pull, Commander!” Nene said.
The captain had extended a hand to the staggering princess, as Nene yanked on Mismis to pull their ward into the shadow of the building. She was now out of the vicinity of the gravitational attacks.
“Jhin!”
“Don’t yell, boss. You’re going to give me away. Whatever. They’ve got no defense anyway.”
Behind Iska, the sniper had disappeared into the shadows, swallowing his breath and fixing his aim with the handgun in his right hand.
“Gravity is meaningless against bullets.”
The projectiles tore through the night. They bit into the shoulder, chest, and ribs of the assailant, coming out of the darkness. The attacker collapsed. Though the uniform must have been bulletproof, it didn’t absorb the full impact.
“Huh? Oh, you got them? At that distance…?”
In her hiding place, Sisbell was stunned.
“H-how did you do that in this darkness?! Don’t you need night goggles?!”
“Shut up and hide.” Jhin shot a fourth time.
The bullet zipped directly to the rooftop, slicing through the assailant’s right leg. The staggering figure veered forward.
“Choose. I can either pump you full of holes or you can fall .”
“Urk.” The unidentified assailant leaped down—from rooftop to the stone pavement a few yards below.
The impact from the free fall should have fractured every bone in their legs, but it was softened by a manipulating gravity.
However, their slow descent made them sword fodder.
“Be trodden.”
“Too slow.” Iska stepped forward with his drawn sword.
He accounted for the attacker’s nimble retreat, slashing diagonally through the cloth using his black astral sword and slicing through the neck guard. It flew into the air. His blade even contacted the skin underneath…when he felt something strange.
A shiver went through his entire body.
“What?!”
The lack of resistance from the tip of the blade had given him a fright. Iska stopped his blade. It hadn’t been caused by the fibers of the clothing.
It wasn’t the firmness of human muscle either. It felt like cutting through water.
“I-Iska! Is this the time to go easy on someone? You could have beaten him!”
“……”
“Iska?”
He had no reply for the princess. Even he had no explanation.
He had never experienced that instantaneous chill and the sensation at the tip of his sword before.
“You.”
“Oh…you cut my neck guard. I can’t use it anymore.”
The assailant tore away the partially shredded seam of the hood, yanking off the mask over their face.
“Four of you in total, huh? For impromptu guards, they’re good. Who could you all be?”
It was…a red-haired witch.
She wore a stud in her right ear and a large hoop in her left. Her eyes seemed to challenge them. She looked like the unruly type. When she removed her glove, the hand underneath appeared so slender and dainty, Iska doubted his eyes.
…She’s petite under those clothes…not as small as the commander or Sisbell, but she’s got to be shorter than Nene.
The witch waved her hand at someone behind Iska.
“Hey, little Sisbell. Looks like you’ve finally come out of that room.”
“Vichyssoise, is that you?!”
“The eighth state is rather large. Even finding a little kid like you turned into a huge ordeal. I thought drawing you out would be easier than looking for you.” The witch winked.
Putting on a friendly smile, Vichyssoise the witch planted her feet on the heads of the collapsed queen’s agents. It was almost as though she had found the perfect place to stand.
“…Stay back!” Sisbell thrust her hand in front of her. “I do not know why you’re after me, but it’s no use. The military police will eventually come to investigate the blast. I’m sure that onlookers will come in droves.”
“? ”
“You must be wearing that getup to hide that you are the inquisitor from Hydra, right? If you attack me here, you will clearly be named the prime culprit behind the coup.”
Vichyssoise had taken the care to hide her face with a hood and mask and to wear gloves over her hands. There was no doubt she had been trying to hide her identity.
“If they find out, you would put your family in a difficult position—”
“I won’t be found out.”
“What?”
“I’ll show you a real treat , Sisbell.”
The gravel split. The red-headed witch casually took a step onto broken stone, and then another. Iska went backward.
“Do not get close to her ,” he warned.
“Wh-what’s wrong, Iska?!”
“It’s dangerous. Commander Mismis, make sure Sisbell doesn’t go out in front. Get ready to withdraw immediately.”
“Wh-what are you saying, Iska?! This is your duty!”
He didn’t have time to reply to Sisbell.
The witch in front of his eyes…seemed to radiate something strange—a chill that was different from the Founder Nebulis and the Ice Calamity Witch. He had felt it ever since he cut her with his astral sword.
…She’s unharmed… How could she not have a scratch on her, even after I cut through her shoulder and neck guards?!
The redhead stopped walking.
In the valley between buildings…the dark alleyway, the moonlight resembling the sun between the trees…
“Dearest Sisbell, let me predict the headlines tomorrow: ‘The Youngest Princess Sisbell, Attacked by Mysterious Monster.’”
“What?”
“Did you forget? Or did you block it from your mind?” She grinned. “Didn’t the monster in the palace look a little something like this?”
Her laugh reverberated through the moonlit town. Violet flames flared up and engulfed Vichyssoise’s whole body.
“What?!”
The mottled clothing burned away as the red-haired witch stood in place. Though she was engulfed by flames, she was not burned. The reason for that was very simple.
The violet flames were rising from her skin.
The Mutant Star, “Test Subject Vi.”
She started to change.
Her red hair stood on end before their eyes, like a red gemstone, like soldered metal. Her skin turned transparent, like a jellyfish. They could see the night sky through her body.
Human muscle and skin could not turn transparent like a ghost.
In short…she was not human.
What had been birthed was a monster beyond any known mortal race.
“Uh. W-wait……”
“Wh-what is that, Jhin?!” Nene shouted.
“…This isn’t what we discussed when you hired us,” Jhin rasped.
Even the sniper who had studied under the strongest Imperial swordsman with Iska could only gape at this mutant birth before his eyes.
“We promised to fight Sovereign assassins, not a monster.”
“……Uh……ahh……uhh?!”
As for Sisbell… Her entire body trembled. She was unable to make a single sound.
“—Whew. Remember now? See, there’s no problem if there are witnesses. My prey for tonight is you. Next, the queen.”
With traces of Vichyssoise’s features still in its face, the thing smiled, stretching out its hands.
“The planet is flooding with fury. We have no need for a bloodline that cannot destroy the Empire.”
Violet flames. Fire spouted from that brilliant body, scorching the night sky. However, she should have only had one power: gravity.
“…Vichyssoise, what are those flames?!”
“These? Amalgamations of astral energy. The flames that burned the Imperial capital to ash a century ago—the ones that refuse to be extinguished with water or cold. They rage on.”
The purple pillar burst into a wall of flames as high as the surrounding buildings. As it engulfed rubble and stone, it rushed toward them.
“Goodbye, Lou bloodline—and your guards.” The inhuman witch snapped her fingers. “We will take the Sovereignty.”
“—I would never let you do as you please.”
The violet flames disappeared with a black flash.
“But Sisbell is another matter. I’m not handing her over to you.”
“—Huh?!” The witch’s smile froze over.
The inextinguishable astral flame had disappeared…or had been sliced down. The swordsman had used his black sword to protect Sisbell as the wall of flames drew closer.
“You stopped my attack…?” Vichyssoise was dubious.
“Iska!” The witch princess shouted in excitement.
Their reactions were diametric opposites. Iska looked down at the split flames.
The violet fire scattered in all directions, releasing embers that clung to the pavement and scorched the surface of the stone, melting it.
“Take her.”
From far away…he entrusted Sisbell to Mismis, Nene, and Jhin in a whisper.
“Iska! Y-you said you’re a swordsman who specializes in astral mages. That wasn’t a lie, right…? Don’t lose!”
Her voice was swept away by the wind. Showered with desperate pleas from behind, Iska did not turn around. He couldn’t take his eyes off this monster even for a moment.
“…I’m not so sure about that.”
His whispers didn’t reach the distant princess.
“I wouldn’t lose to an astral mage. But this monster is a first for me.”
He’d never seen anything like it.
…I’ve never called anyone a witch before…but she seems to fit the bill…
The witch Vichyssoise.
He faced the girl transformed into an inhuman monster. He could feel sweat trickle down his spine.
“I can’t lose to an astral mage. I can be stubborn.”
“Oh? Then you can give up.” Vichyssoise turned to the skies. “I’m not an astral mage. I’m not something at that level.”
“That’s not what I meant.” He had the black astral sword in his right hand. He gripped the white sword in his left.
Iska exhaled.
“I don’t want to lose to a witch like you.”
“Hm?”
“As soon as my blade touched you, I realized you’re an in-human monster. But—”
“But what?”
“Even though you’ve boasted that you’re not an astral mage, I don’t feel any additional power from you other than astral power.”
“?”
“I see it’s going over your head.”
“Right, you probably can’t comprehend it.”
Ice Calamity Witch Aliceliese.
The Founder Nebulis.
Kissing of Thorns.
The purebreds were formidable foes ready to lay down their lives on the battlefield. And all of them had been human.
And yet, they were prepared to be called “witches” by the Imperial forces for making use of their powers. Because of that, they were considered ghastly presences.
“I’m the astral mage your Empire calls the Ice Calamity Witch.”
“I’ve known this for a century. This world is full of scars, and it doesn’t have anything resembling heroes or a saver. For that reason, I’ve become a witch—to drive the Empire into extinction.”
“Even a girl who’s just human derides herself as a ‘witch.’ You can’t even imagine the resolution it takes to do that.”
“…?”
“I don’t want to lose—not to someone who’s only powerful.”
The night alley was lit by the violet flames.
An alarm went off in the distance, but Iska was taking on an unprecedented battle.
It was a true battle…between a human and a witch.
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