2
The central state. A hotel room near the palace.
“Rin, are you sure you don’t have somewhere to be?” Iska asked. “Shouldn’t you go out to greet Alice?”
“Lady Alice needs an hour of rest.”
“What?”
“I’m afraid she has passed out. She has never educated herself on a certain subject, as someone from a sheltered background. It seems it was too much for her.”
“…What was too much for her?” Iska was confused by Rin’s response.
They had moved from the safe house to a hotel in the capital, supposedly to meet with Alice and devise a plan to save Sisbell. Alice, however, was seemingly out of commission for an hour.
“It sounds like a big deal if Alice is fainting.”
“It’s your fault, Iska. Because you’re so dirty.”
“What are you talking about?!”
“Your thing and other parts… You know what? Let’s not get into this. Just thinking about it makes me embarrassed.”
Rin turned away from him. Did Iska see her blushing, or was he just imagining things? He had no clue why.
“So what should we do?” Iska asked. “Everyone’s waiting in the other room. Should we bring them back here?”
“Let them wait.”
Rin had arranged three hotel rooms: one for the Imperial unit, one for the servants, and a meeting room. Everyone other than Rin and Iska were on standby in the last room.
“Lady Alice is still coming. I must prepare the tea.”
“Well, supposing she is…”
Iska absentmindedly observed Rin as she continued to work. There were bags under her eyes. Her face was pale. Now and then, she would take a deep breath.
“Rin, you haven’t…”
“Had sleep or rest for three days? Obviously. The queen has gone down, and Lady Alice has been up to her eyeballs with work. It is my duty to support her.”
She was obviously exhausted.
Iska had washed off in the shower at the safe house and gotten rest the night before in the hotel room.
But Rin hadn’t. She had no time to rest since she was supporting Alice and serving as the primary point of contact with the Imperial unit.
…Rin might be the most overworked one here.
…I haven’t seen her take a break or eat since yesterday.
“Maybe I’m overstepping bounds, but what if you took a break until Alice gets here?”
“Hmm?” Rin glared at him. “Rude. Do I look tired to you?”
“You certainly don’t look like you’re doing well.”
“Even if I were, Lady Alice is fighting without any rest. As her attendant, I can’t rest… But I won’t deny that my eyes feel a little heavy…”
Rin staggered forward. If she hadn’t caught herself on the table, she would have pitched to the floor.
“See? You’re even struggling to stand.”
“Ngh…! Th-this is nothing! If I make coffee with sugar, my mind will clear up!”
“Didn’t you drink seven cups yesterday?”
“Ugh, shut up, Imperial swordsman! I don’t take orders from you!”
She produced a high-grade coffee grinder. It was clear she was the attendant to a royal family. She was intending to grind the beans for a proper cup. Rin fed them into the opening.
Or so Iska had thought.
Except she had brought out an apple and banana. Iska watched her in horror as she tried to stuff those into the coffee grinder.
“…Perfect.”
“Perfect?! W-wait, Rin! What’s gotten into you?! Weren’t you making coffee?!”
“Nonsense, Imperial swordsman.” Rin pointed at the fruits sticking out the top of the grinder. “Are you saying this isn’t coffee?”
“That’s an apple and a banana!”
Rin wasn’t her usual self. The lack of sleep and fatigue must have addled her brain.
“Hmm?” She started up the grinder and made some apple juice. After pouring that into a cup, Rin stared at it quizzically. “…This coffee is a different color from usual.”
“That’s because it’s apple juice.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. How would I mix up coffee beans and apples?”
“You just did! If you still haven’t noticed, you must be half asleep!”
“…That’s…most certainly not the case. Meow.”
“And now you sound like an entirely different person!”
“Shh, Imperial swordsman, you’re making my head hurt…” Rin picked up the cup, polishing off the juice in one gulp. “……”
“So? Have you gone back to your—?”
“Peeeeew.”
“Don’t faint on me! Hey! Rin? Ugh, I knew you were at your limit. How are we supposed to strategize in this state? Alice is going to be here any minute.”
Iska sighed, holding up Rin, whose eyes had rolled around to the back of her head.
Nebulis Sovereignty. Star Spire.
Alice followed an attendant, exiting through a small door at the back of the spire and heading to the courtyard. The area was swarming with news reporters trying to get in and guards standing attention, but none of them seemed to notice her.
“This way. Don’t let go of my hand.”
A tall woman with close-cropped hair in a suit held Alice’s hand. The astral crest on the back of her hand glowed gently.
“I’m sorry, Kisasage,” Alice told the woman. “…For, um, abruptly delaying things for an hour.”
“Do you feel better?”
“Um…y-yes. Thank you…”
For a moment, she worried she might conjure up a memory of a certain boy, so she shook her head as hard as she could to clear away the thought.
…N-not now!
…This isn’t the time to remember what Iska looked like!
She nodded, trying to convince herself. “I need to forget… Oh no. I can’t forget it. He’s seen me naked, too. Th-that’s right. This is an intel war! We hold no secrets from each other!”
“Lady Alice?”
“I-it’s nothing!” Alice cleared her throat. “Are we going straight to the carport?”
“No. There is a normal car outside of the palace. The Zoa and Hydra might notice if we use one from the palace grounds.”
“Thank you. That was an excellent decision.”
This was why Kisasage was part of the queen’s royal guard. More specifically, she was a member of the Planetary Domiciles, which exclusively served the royal family. To exit the palace under heavy surveillance, Alice had asked the guard to accompany her for a day.
Kisasage’s astral power was a clandestine one; it was better in stealth than the best active camouflage used by the Imperial forces. As long as Alice was touching the guard, she was invisible, both audibly and visually.
They got into the car outside the palace.
“Rin should be there already,” Alice said. “She’s taken the five servants from the villa and evacuated them to the Kamilish Hotel in Central District Seven.”
“We should arrive within an hour. We’ll need to take the long way to prevent anyone from tailing us.”
“I’m counting on you.”
The car jerked forward once Alice was situated inside. They didn’t pass by many cars on the road, because the citizens were refraining from going outside.
“About Lady Sisbell’s rescue—,” called out the guard from the driver’s seat. “I have a question, if you’ll allow it. I understand the Hydra are behind the coup that targeted the queen, and they’re behind the Imperial raid. I know rescuing Lady Sisbell is the key to turning that all on its head, but…”
“Are you asking who will rescue her?”
“Yes. Not only are we unsure of her location, but it will be dangerous to sneak into the Hydra’s base of operations.”
So who would they dispatch to complete this mission?
They needed people who were capable and whom they could trust. The only problem was that they couldn’t be directly associated with the Lou; otherwise, if things went awry, the Lou would be caught in a tough position.
“Kisasage, what would you do?”
“I think I would have the highest chance of success. But I’m the queen’s guard. If I were captured, the Lou would face public scrutiny. My second choice would be to bring in Noman.”
“…I didn’t expect that.”
“It won’t be cheap. You’ll be asking them to pick a fight with one of the royal bloodlines, so it’ll come at the cost of something illegal, I’m sure.”
“No, I meant to say—”
An organization that existed outside international law—Noman, also known as the Witching Hour.
The witching hour was the time between day and night, when one would be met with witches and disaster.
A cliché nickname. Alice kind of doubted they secretly undertook covert operations worldwide, but she had heard of them.
“I’ve heard it’s a den of international criminals,” Alice offered.
“Poison has its uses,” Kisasage told her. “As long as you’re able to pay the price, they’re the type who will enter unexplored regions inaccessible to even a research team—all to discover new species of organisms. I guess you could call them an agency that exists outside the law…though we can’t publicly ask for their help, based on their reputation.”
If they succeeded, they would be able to get Sisbell back. If they failed, they would leave their client’s name out of it. Alice was reluctant to rely on them, but they were the most suitable people for the job.
“Kisasage, I want you to leave this to me and Rin.”
“…Do you know someone who would be better suited than Noman?”
“Someone who’s more skilled and earned my trust. My Iska is… Oops…”
“Iska?”
“…Nothing. He’s the guard I will be relying on; there’s no other meaning behind it.”
Now she had done it. Their conversation had been flowing so naturally, she had let his name slip. A bad habit she’d picked up recently. She felt it was getting worse day by day.
…This is not good. I’ve only ever let his name slip around Rin.
…Now I’m starting to talk about him with other people.
She let out a silent sigh.
Of course, the five servants of the villa knew Iska was from the Imperial forces. She needed to prepare for the eventuality of them reporting this to the queen. When that came out, Sisbell would be in the toughest spot for using Unit 907 as her personal guard.
“Can you trust them, Lady Alice?”
“Yes. I heard they are mercenaries from an independent state. Sisbell hired them there. One of them is particularly skilled.”
“Is that this ‘Iska’ character, Lady Alice?”
“…Yes. I suppose that is the case.”
Was Kisasage’s hearing sharp or intuition strong? Alice was desperate to act in a way that wouldn’t invite further questioning from the trained guard.
Alice only knew a snippet of Iska’s battle history, but it was enough to leave her impressed.
—From their standoff in the Nelka forest.
—And him resealing the Founder.
—Crushing the Zoa’s darling, Kissing.
—Apprehending the transcendental sorcerer, Salinger (who later escaped).
—Counterattacking Vichyssoise, who had been after Sisbell.
And the ultimate event that had happened three days ago.
When Alice had abandoned emotion and fought him with all her powers as a witch, she hadn’t been able to stop him. Alice did not doubt a thing anymore. His abilities were real, and he wasn’t the type to go back on his word to save her sister.
“In any case,” Alice said, “I’ll make sure to handle this situation.”
“As you wish, Lady Alice. I do hope you’ll consult me for even the smallest details, seeing that Lady Sisbell’s rescue is an urgent matter—for the Lou and for the nation. Oh, we’ve arrived at the hotel.”
Central District Seven.
The top floor would let them see out to the spires in the palace, making it the ideal location to devise a plan to save Sisbell.
“I’ll accompany you to the hotel room.”
“Thank you. But you should stay by my mother’s side. She just had surgery; please stop her if she tries to do anything before she’s ready.”
After dismissing Kisasage with a tiny nod, Alice walked to the entrance. Part of her disguise was tinted glasses. After crossing through the hotel lobby, she headed to the elevator. Rin had already given her the card key, which was stowed securely in Alice’s bag.
The forty-first floor. Alice headed to the room number Rin had relayed to her.
“…You know, the last time I saw Iska was our most recent battle…”
If she were being honest, she had mixed feelings about reuniting with someone after a death match. She would have preferred to meet him elsewhere, but now wasn’t time to be choosy.
“Phew… I’m sorry I kept you waiting, Iska and Rin! Let’s start strategiz— Huh?”
There were no signs of life inside the suite, despite Alice’s energetic opening. In the corner, bags were stacked high—likely belonging to the Imperial unit. Used teacups, abandoned on the table.
“Oh, right. She said she got three rooms.”
So this was the meeting room. The other two were for the Imperial unit and the servants. Iska and Rin must have been resting in their respective rooms.
“I did tell them when I would be coming; I wonder if I should just wait for them here.”
She sank into the sofa, imagining they would be there in no time at all.
Except they never showed.
“…Ugh. I wonder what they’re doing. I can’t believe they would make me wait…! If I keep doing nothing, I’m going to get drowsy…”
She hadn’t slept for more than forty hours.
Her flight-or-fight response had kept her grounded. But now that she was sequestered in a hotel, there were no soldiers to see or ministers to meet. She didn’t have to do anything. All she had to do was wait.
Her mind started to relax, letting go of the stress…
“Ugh! A-Alice! You can’t sleep! Not in a place like this!”
She struggled to get off the sofa, but her butt was glued in place.
Just for a moment… Just for a few minutes until Rin comes. Why don’t you rest your eyes? whispered the devil on her shoulder.
“I—I can’t sleep! …U-until Rin comes, I’ll…just lie down a little… I don’t think anyone would mind that…”
Yeah. All she was doing was lying down on the sofa.
The sunlight was blinding. That was why she was closing her eyes.
“……Zzz.”
Seconds passed. Alice reclined, her breathing rhythmic and sweet.
Several minutes later. Outside the silent suite…
“Commander, it’s time for the meeting.”
“Got it! Could you get the room ready ahead of us, Iska? I’ll fetch Nene and Jhin.”
“Be quick.” Iska opened the door of the meeting room.
In his left hand were documents. Rin had hurriedly prepared them for Sisbell’s rescue.
“Alice is late. She did say she needed an extra hour. I hope the Hydra didn’t try to stop her…”
He opened the door and headed to the living area. Iska doubted his eyes when he saw a certain girl with golden hair collapsed on the sofa.
“Alice?!”
The witch princess was limp. Iska was more surprised to see her in this state than when he’d engaged with her in a death match twice.
He couldn’t believe it. What had happened to Alice, the all-powerful witch?
And…Iska refused to think she’d dozed off, after seeing her viciously attack him three days prior.
“Alice, pull yourself together! What in the world happened…? Who did this to you?!”
Was it an assassin? Had someone snuck into the room?
He looked around just in case, but he didn’t sense anyone else. Iska couldn’t spot any signs of a struggle.
“…It doesn’t look like there’s anything wrong with her.”
He didn’t have a responsibility to take care of her; he was an Imperial swordsman, and she was a witch. In this situation, however, he felt guilty looking down at Alice, not doing anything.
“It looks like she’s breathing. I don’t see any wounds… Well, I can’t just assume she’s okay.”
She might have been injured somewhere. He had to check her back—someone might have stabbed her and left her there to die.
“…I’m going to move you around, just a little.”
He picked up the girl, momentarily disarmed by how thin she was. Her skin under his fingertips was supple and smooth.
For some reason… For whatever reason, holding her made his face hot.
“Not now, nerves! I’ve carried girls during first-aid training.”
“…Mm?” Alice—unconscious still—let out a sensual sigh.
“Alice?”
“…Ngh. Oh, Rin? Did you come to wake me up? Give me five more minutes…”
She sounded so innocent. Even with her eyes closed, she looked so sweet, smiling.
“Alice, are you awake?!”
“……”
“Alice?”
Never in a million years would he think she was sleep-talking. He didn’t know what to do.
Alice wrapped her arms around his neck. “Just five more minutes… Okay, Rin? Do you want to take a nap, too?”
“Hey!”
“Oh c’mon! Don’t resist. Ha-ha, you never know when to give up.”
The witch princess had flung her arms around him and nuzzled her face into his chest.
From her skin was an indescribably sweet scent. The sensation of her silky hair tickled him.
This was not good.
He couldn’t express in words what was so bad about it, but his instincts were screaming at him.
“…Wow, Rin. You’re so warm. I might get burned.”
“What are you saying?! Anyway, Alice, if you’re awake, you have to get off me!”
Ka-chak. The door opened behind Iska.
“Whew, I managed to get the documents in time. Lady Alice is about to come. I need to clean the room and prepare the tea.”
It was Rin, balancing stacks of paper. Her eyes went wide when she saw Iska holding Alice.
“…Lady Alice?”
Fwoosht. The papers fell from Rin’s arms. Her unconscious mistress was being held by an Imperial subject.
The light went out of the attendant’s eyes. “Iska, did you…?”
“N-no! Wait a sec, Rin. I didn’t do anything to Alice. She was collapsed here!”
“I see.” Rin sighed. “You don’t have to explain yourself, Imperial swordsman. I understand.”
“G-great…”
“In other words, you’ve taken Lady Alice hostage. And if we want her back, we must pay a price.”
“No!”
“Am I wrong?” Rin looked puzzled. At least, Iska thought so until her expression turned dark. “Then…did you catch her by surprise and have your way with her, unable to control your carnal desire? You’re sick!”
“You’re making it even worse!”
“Give Lady Alice back!”
“I just told you: It’s not like that! …Just go get everyone. We’re supposed to start our meeting!”
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