Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 19 - Chapter 5

The Land of Beginning

Sunday, September 19th

Koutarou and the others headed through the forest, now tracking the automated weapons that were with Green. They were moving with a decided vanguard and rearguard now: Koutarou and Theia in the front, and Shizuka and Ruth in the back. The idea was that this would keep them fully prepared in the event of any more surprise attacks. The other girls were walking between them, and Yurika couldn’t help but stare ahead at Kiriha every now and then.

She really is amazing... What would we have done without her?

Yurika smiled to herself, glad to have Kiriha on her side. Kiriha’s quick and clever thinking had turned the tables for them more than once already. Really, she was the biggest threat to Darkness Rainbow. Yurika, Koutarou, and the others... They possessed all kinds of skills from magic to fighting, but no one had a mind like Kiriha’s. Clan was a close second in terms of intelligence, but she applied herself strictly to science. And when it came to tactical thinking and problem-solving, a balanced intellect was necessary. In that sense, Kiriha was by far the smartest member of the group.

“What is it, Yurika?”

When Kiriha noticed Yurika looking at her, she looked over her shoulder and met her gaze. She was wearing her usual calm and composed smile. Just looking at her face, it was hard to believe she had the mental might to overcome a magician without even being able to use magic.

“Well, um... Kiriha-san, if the time comes, I’ll protect you.”

“Oh? What’s this all of a sudden?”

Kiriha was unsure of what was going through Yurika’s mind, and tilted her head in puzzlement.

“I was just thinking that I might be the commander, but you’re the one who’s really moving us. Unlike me, you’re irreplaceable.”

“If Koutarou heard you say that, he’d scold you and tell you that no one’s replaceable.”

Kiriha giggled a little and nodded towards Koutarou at the front of the group. Yurika knew he probably would get angry if he heard what she’d said.

“I know that that’s true on an individual level... But looking at the bigger picture, we need you to stay safe until the end.”

Yurika didn’t want anyone to die, certainly. But she also knew that when it came to a matter of life and death, Kiriha needed to be protected. As long as they had her, the odds of everyone else surviving were that much higher. That was what Yurika had really meant when she said Kiriha was irreplaceable.

“Don’t worry. It’s my job to keep anything like that from happening. But I’m happy you feel that way. Thank you, Yurika.”

Kiriha understood how Yurika felt, but there was more to it than that. By the time her allies were in a life or death situation, Kiriha had already failed as their strategist. So really and truly, it was Kiriha’s job to make sure that Yurika never needed to protect her. Nevertheless, she was comforted to know that Yurika had her back no matter what, and so she continued to smile at her.

“No... it’s nothing to thank me for...”

“That’s not true.”

“Um, Kiriha-san...”

There was something Yurika wanted to ask the gently smiling Kiriha. She wanted to ask because she was sure Kiriha would have an answer.

“What is it?”

“...Can we win?”

The future was uncertain, and that made Yurika anxious. That was why she was so worried about Kiriha’s safety. But in spite of all that, she had her fingers crossed. She was hoping the wise and insightful Kiriha would tell her everything was going to be fine.

“I wonder...”

But alas, Kiriha was no fortune teller. She couldn’t see into the future any more than Yurika could, but she knew one thing was for certain.

“However, it’s not a matter of can and cannot. We simply must win. For everyone’s sake.”

“You’re right.”

If they fretted too much over losing, they might let their chances of victory go. And they couldn’t afford that. That’s why, no matter the odds, they simply needed to focus on winning. It was what they had to do to forge a better future.

“Just stay strong and focused. Victory will follow.”

“...Okay, I’ll try.”

Darkness Rainbow’s stronghold was on the horizon, and the decisive battle that would determine Yurika’s fate was looming ever nearer.

Darkness Rainbow’s base was deep in the heart of the forest. Reaching it required following a winding path through a land of dense spiritual energy, making it nearly impossible to track anyone there.

A large castle rose up in the center of everything, surrounded by a spread of houses in all directions. They were all old, however, and had been abandoned for quite some time. Rather than a town, it seemed almost like a monument. An ode to an age long past.

“To think their base was in the Land of Beginning...”

Koutarou overheard Maki muttering to herself as she looked around the ruins, but he was unfamiliar with the phrase she’d used.

“Aika-san, what’s ‘the Land of Beginning’?”

“It’s just what it sounds like. This is where Folsaria began.”

“Right here?”

“Satomi-kun, you’ve heard that Folsaria was founded by a group of people who’d been exiled from their homeland, right?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“This was where they ended up. This is where they built their first town, which eventually became the Magical Kingdom of Folsaria. That’s why it’s called the Land of Beginning.”

According to legend, the people of Folsaria were banished from their homeland for the grave sin of turning against their benevolent king. After a long journey, the descendants of those criminals eventually reached this place. And as penance for their past sin, they created a kingdom without a king. The agreed that their true king still resided in their homeland, and they would honor his rule even as exiles. To govern themselves in the meanwhile, it was decided that a council of elders would be established.

And so the Magical Kingdom of Folsaria took its first steps here, but being shrouded in the heart of a deep forest was inconvenient for a developing civilization. As such, as their population increased, the capital was moved to a wide open plain, where Thorthe was then founded. The people began a slow migration there, eventually abandoning the first city altogether. In other words, where Koutarou and the others were standing now was a historic location. It was what remained of the Folsarians’ first struggles to survive in this land.

“So that’s why Darkness Rainbow chose this as their new base...” Yurika mumbled after hearing Maki’s explanation.

“I think so. I believe they fully intend to start anew again from here,” Maki agreed with a nod.

When she fell into league with Koutarou and the others, Darkness Rainbow was forced to change bases out of necessity. But with their battle against Rainbow Heart swiftly approaching and the fate of Folsaria on the line, they wanted to choose a symbolic location. That was what had brought them here, to the Land of Beginning.

The town showed its ancient age. The buildings were made of just wood and stone, but most of the wood had long rotted away, leaving only the stonework behind. A good deal of the stonework had collapsed as well. Only the sturdiest structures were still standing.

“A town sure does deteriorate quickly with nobody living in it...”

Harumi looked around at the ruined cityscape with a forlorn smile. The main street that was once bustling with people was now only populated by plants and trees. Apart from what remained of the buildings, there was no real sign anyone had ever lived here.

“It’s hard to see a place abandoned like this.”

“Heehee. That must be your inner landlord talking, Kasagi-san.”

Seeing Shizuka furrow her brow so, Harumi couldn’t help giggling. The town may have fallen into ruin, but that wasn’t the case for its people. They’d simply moved on. It wasn’t a sad story at all, but the empty town did have something of a desolate atmosphere.

“Your Highness, Master, it looks like Darkness Rainbow’s base is the castle on the top of that hill,” said Ruth, pointing towards the castle in the center of town.

She’d been receiving data from the automated weapons that had infiltrated Darkness Rainbow’s ranks, and had just pinpointed their signals.

“Hmm, yes. A castle like that is a good place for a base,” said Theia with an approving nod.

Designed for maximum defense and durability, the castle still stood tall. Ivy and various other plants had climbed its walls and scaled its towers, making it look like something straight out of a fairy tale. In Theia’s book, it looked like the perfect place for a group of magicians to make their base.

“Theia, we can leave the sightseeing for later. We have―”

Koutarou was about to say they had things to do, but the words caught in his throat and never left his lips. Instead, he broke into a dead run towards the castle.

“What is it, Koutarou?!”

“I don’t believe it! Is that even possible?!”

He sprinted ahead, completely ignoring Theia when she called after him. He swiftly climbed an outer stairway on a nearby building to reach the roof.

“Whatever is the matter with Master?”

“I... don’t know either. He just suddenly took off.”

“We should follow him.”

“Agreed.”

Theia and Ruth went after him, and the other seven girls quickly followed suit. They all gathered on the roof with Koutarou, and with a bit of elevation, they had a much better view of the castle.

“There’s no doubt about it. That’s... Hey, Clan! Come over here! You too, Sakuraba-senpai!”

“What is it?”

“Satomi-kun?”

When Koutarou called to them, Clan and Harumi approached. He then pointed out the castle and turned to them in something of a fluster.

“Take a good look at that castle, you two! Don’t you recognize it?!”

“Recognize? I’ve never seen anything― Wait...”

“That’s... No way!”

The two of them suddenly realized what had taken Koutarou by surprise, and they were just as shocked themselves. They could hardly believe what they were seeing with their own eyes.

The other girls, however, were quite confused. Seeing Koutarou, Clan, and Harumi simply standing there in awe didn’t explain anything, but it was clear that something big had happened. And so, speaking up on everyone else’s behalf, Yurika decided to ask about it.

“Satomi-san, what is it? What’s gotten into the three of you?”

“...That’s Sariachal Castle. The same Sariachal Castle that Clan and I blew away with the Super Space-time Repulsion Shell!”

Koutarou’s answer, however, completely blew her away too.

When he realized that what he was looking at was unmistakably Sariachal Castle, Koutarou was shaken to the core. It felt like his whole world had been turned upside down.

“Now I get it... That’s why they came to room 106...”

But when he slowly began to accept and process what he was seeing, the pieces started falling into place. And not just here in Folsaria. This revelation began to shed light on all manner of things for Koutarou, including why the invaders had converged at his apartment. It was no coincidence after all.

Dark Crimson had said that the Folsarians were once People of the Earth, a tribe that had been lost ages ago. And if those same people had ended up here with Sariachal Castle, that meant that they were actually from past Forthorthe. In other words, both the Folsarians and the People of the Earth were actually descendants of Forthorthe.

In Koutarou’s final battle in past Forthorthe, he’d blown away Maxfern and his alchemists, plus Grevanas and his magicians with Clan’s Super Space-time Repulsion Shell. It had shunted them out of the universe, sending them drifting through space-time until they, apparently, ended up at Earth and Folsaria respectively.

Maxfern and his alchemists settled on Earth, developing their own culture with their own technology. The ruins Koutarou was helping excavate at his part-time job were likely remnants of that society. However, it seemed they’d all been wiped out at some point. Perhaps it was the deadly virus that had been sent with them. Koutarou knew that humans from Earth were genetically resistant to it, so only those of mixed blood would have lived through an epidemic like that. But regardless of the reason, Maxfern and his people largely vanished at some point in history. Those that did survive inherited the technology and culture and continued to develop it further, eventually becoming the People of the Earth.

Meanwhile, Grevanas and his magicians ended up in this world. They regretted turning their fangs on the royal family with Maxfern, and so they created a kingdom with no king—the Magical Kingdom of Folsaria. They got the name by combining “Forthorthe” and “Sariachal.” Their capital, Thorthe, was also named after Forthorthe. Everything made sense.

The People of the Earth had entered a state of decline and there was strife in Folsaria. As a result, people from both nations had set their sights on invading Earth. One thing led to another, and somewhere down the line, Sanae’s spirit was torn from her body and Yurika became a magical girl. Theia and Ruth eventually arrived in ceremonial fashion from Forthorthe, and Kiriha had appeared as an emissary of the People of the Earth. None of it seemed to be related a year ago, but it turned out they all had some connection to ancient Forthorthe.

“In other words, this is all because of me. This was my battle from the very beginning...”

Realizing all this, Koutarou felt like he had a new perspective on everything. The girls appearing in room 106 had all ultimately been because of his actions in the past. In other words, this was his fault. Up until now, he’d thought he was helping the girls with their own problems, but this was truly eye-opening. Things would be different from now on. Koutarou would take charge, and he would take responsibility for what he’d caused.

Learning that they had all met in a confluence of fate came as quite a shock to the girls as well. And not just the original invaders, either. All nine of them were shaken.

By the time Shizuka’s parents were lost in the hotel fire, Alunaya’s soul was most likely already residing within her. That was why she alone had survived. Without the powers of Alaia and Signaltin, Harumi might have died the day of the obstacle marathon. The cases were obvious for Maki and Clan as well.

In fact, it was all obvious now. The reason they’d all met and bonded was ultimately because of Koutarou’s timeslip. However, Koutarou hadn’t been sent back in time until well after the invaders had arrived. The complex intertwining of the threads of space-time and cause and effect had created what seemed like a bizarre and impossible situation. It was perfectly natural that the girls were all bewildered by this.

“It had crossed my mind... but to learn that’s really the truth is a big surprise.”

“You mean you’d figured it out, Kiriha?”

“Hypothetically. Space and time are vast, yet we were all came together in such a specific coincidence. That said, it wasn’t like I had any proof. I’m just as surprised as you are.”

During their battle underground, Kiriha had realized her connection with Maya from her childhood. And her connection with Maya also indirectly connected her with Sanae, Yurika, and Maki. She had assumed it was ultimately a coincidence, but it turned out the truth was rather the opposite.

“I can’t say I’m all that fazed,” interjected Theia.

“Oh?” replied Kiriha.

“This feels like nothing compared to finding out Koutarou is the Blue Knight.”

“Ah, yes, of course. I’m sure this pales in comparison.”

There, Theia and Kiriha exchanged knowing smiles. It seemed that this uncanny development had only brought them closer together in solidarity.

“The short of it is that this was fate. We were destined to be with Koutarou,” announced Sanae.

The girls had appeared in front of Koutarou because he’d fought so desperately to save the past. And it was because of the girls that Koutarou had fought so desperately to save the past and return to them. Sanae was unsure which had really triggered which. It was like the age-old question of the chicken and the egg. The only thing that was really clear was that the two were inseparable now.

“I think so too. I think that we’re all here for Satomi-kun,” agreed Harumi.

She thought Sanae was exactly right. Koutarou’s straightforward and earnest heart had brought the girls to his side. And in return, the girls wished to heal the deep, internal wounds he still suffered. She believed that might even be the very reason they’d been born. No, she hoped it was. She hoped nothing other than fate and true love were behind all this.

“I just hope Satomi-kun feels the same way... A one-sided destiny would be really lonely.”

Shizuka felt the same way, but was a little worried their feelings weren’t reciprocated. If Koutarou didn’t think of the girls as his fate too, it would be all too sad. It was an important question for her and the other girls.

“But Master returned to our side, didn’t he? He even declined the legendary Silver Princess for us...”

Ruth believed in Koutarou. She knew that neither she nor any one of the other girls could ever compare to Alaia, but surely all nine of them together could. Koutarou needed them. He knew that he belonged with them, and that was why he’d fought through the past to get back to them. And hearing Ruth’s words, the other girls’ hearts began to settle.

“Of course my knight would return to my side,” declared Theia.

“He may be your knight, but he’s also my first love,” said Kiriha.

“I guess it’s a good thing Koutarou loves all of us! Too bad he gets mad when I try and get in the bath with him...” lamented Sanae.

“S-Sanae! You tried what with Veltlion?!” exclaimed Clan.

Koutarou’s timeslip being the crux of everything came as a surprise to everyone at first. But as they all began to think about it, it made more and more sense. The girls had always felt fate pulling them closer to him. It didn’t, in the end, really surprise any of them to find out that their destinies were complexly intertwined. No, it only strengthened the feeling that they were meant to be together.

“We were meant to be...” Yurika muttered as she stared at Koutarou.

He and the girls were still looking at old Sariachal Castle in the distance. There was something about him, the way he carried himself and the look on his face, that made him seem more stern than usual. Seeing it made her feel a little sad.

“Is something the matter, Yurika?” asked Maki.

She couldn’t help noticing Yurika’s forlorn expression as she stared at Koutarou, and was wondering what might be wrong.

“I think I now understand why Satomi-san said he didn’t want anyone to fight.”

“What do you mean?”

“Maki-chan, look at Satomi-san... That’s kind of a scary face, isn’t it?”

“You’re right... It certainly doesn’t suit him.”

Maki knew exactly what Yurika was talking about. Koutarou normally wore an innocent, joking smile, and there was no sign of that on his face now.

“I’d prefer to see him... Ah, that must be what you mean.”

“Yeah. I really don’t want to see Satomi-san looking like that. I just want him to be his normal self.”

“Me too, Yurika. Me too...”

Koutarou had said before that he didn’t like Yurika having to be a magical girl, and Yurika now felt the same way about him. She didn’t like it when he had to be the Blue Knight. She would much rather him just be Koutarou, and she wanted him back to normal as soon as possible. Maki agreed, and so did all of the other girls. Not one of them enjoyed seeing him so serious and prepared for a fight.

“I bet he’s feeling responsible,” said Yurika. “I’m sure Satomi-san thinks that what happened underground and what happened in Folsaria are his fault...”

“I can only imagine,” replied Maki. “But what ended up happening underground was the fault of the people who sprung the coup d’etat. If Satomi-kun hadn’t done anything, things only would have gotten worse.”

Koutarou’s actions had indeed led to the birth of the People of the Earth and the foundation of the Magical Kingdom of Folsaria. But he’d done what he’d had to in order to save lives. Maxfern and Grevanas were in the midst of enacting a plan that would wipe out all of Forthorthe, including themselves. Ultimately, Koutarou had saved them. They should have been grateful to walk away with their lives, and couldn’t really complain about where they’d ended up after what they’d done.

The problems that the People of the Earth and Folsaria had experienced after the fact... Those were Maxfern’s and Grevanas’s responsibility. Koutarou had nothing to do with it beyond that point, but it didn’t feel that way. He couldn’t shake the weight on his heart, and he steeled himself against it by taking on the aura of the battle-hardened Blue Knight. And that was exactly what made Yurika feel so restless.

“Satomi-san’s not the Blue Knight, and we’re not superheroes.”

Yurika now understood why it was that Koutarou both simultaneously accepted and rejected the fact that she was a magical girl. She felt the same way about him being the Blue Knight. She knew that he was, but she didn’t like it when he had to be.

“We were meant to be together, but our place isn’t on the battlefield. It’s home at room 106!”

Koutarou and all nine girls wanted to get back home and back to their normal lives together as quickly as possible.

Choosing the Land of Beginning for their new base was a statement on Darkness Rainbow’s part. It was a sign of their resolve. The Land of Beginning was a place of great historical significance for Folsaria. It was where everything had started for the nation, and it would be where everything started again for Darkness Rainbow—or came to an end. There would be no retreating from here, because retreating from the Land of Beginning would be the same as defeat. In other words, they were prepared to make this their last stand.

“Once Crimson gets back, at long last... the battle will finally begin.”

It was Dark Purple who had chosen this location for their new base after Maki was captured. Their next battle with Rainbow Heart would be their last, and the Magical Kingdom of Folsaria would be reborn with Darkness Rainbow at its heart. And there could be no more fitting a setting for such a fight than old Sariachal Castle.

“Kai... Once this battle is over, the two of us will be...”

Purple looked over to the cylindrical glass tank in her personal laboratory. There was affection and kindness in her eyes that made her normally cold personality seem like a lie. That affection and kindness, however, were solely reserved for her late fiancé.

If she didn’t defeat Rainbow Heart, she would never be able to obtain the sacrifices she needed. That’s right, Purple’s resolve to battle Rainbow Heart was driven entirely by her desire to revive her love as soon as possible.

“You’ve waited so long for this... Just be patient a little while longer...”

As strong as Purple’s desire was, however, her mind remained unclouded. There was no option for failure here. And to that end, she’d made careful preparation after careful preparation. She’d spent all this time patiently waiting, enduring the desire eating at her heart. It would have driven any normal person mad. But Purple was steadfast and focused, and at long last, the big day had come. She would finally have her chance to eliminate Rainbow Heart. She would be able to fulfill her desires soon enough, and she stared nostalgically at Kai’s corpse as she began reminiscing about everything that had led up to this.

She stayed like that for a while, but there was eventually a knock at her laboratory door.

“Purple! GreeGree brought Crim-chan back!”

It was Dark Orange. Her bright, cute voice gave her away the moment she opened her mouth.

“Okay, I’ll be right there. You go on ahead.”

“Okaaay!”

Normally, Purple would be irritated at having her time with her fiancé interrupted, but today was special. She’d been waiting for this moment for a long, long time.

“I’ll be off now, Kai... I’ll come back like always, so just wait for me right here like always, dreaming of how you’re going to slap me when I wake you from your slumber...”

Purple was usually reluctant to leave Kai, but not today. If Crimson was back, then that meant the decisive battle was upon them. Rather than hesitation, there was fire in her eyes.

Darkness Rainbow had invested a good deal of time and resources into rescuing Crimson, but even then, there was still a chance the mission might be a failure. That’s why they’d agreed to initiate their attack on Rainbow Heart whether or not Green returned with Crimson in tow.

“Purple, you’re awful. There’s a limit to how much you can use people.”

“I’m no such thing. I’ll at least wait until you finish your dinner.”

“You mean you’ll only wait until I finish my dinner.”

The remaining four leaders of Darkness Rainbow welcomed Crimson and Green when they returned to the Land of Beginning. They had already finished their preparations and were ready to go. Once Crimson and Green did the same, they would begin the attack. Hearing this from Purple, Crimson reflexively looked up to the sky.

And while they were talking, Orange turned to Green.

“You pulled it off, GreeGree!” she said, giving her a hearty slap on the back.

In truth, Orange had been rather skeptical about the rescue operation. She was worried that they might end up losing Green too, and thought that they should refrain rather than taking the risk. That being the case, she was especially impressed when Green returned victorious.

“Ouch... J-Just let this be a reminder that there are flaws in every plan.”

Green frowned, but she didn’t raise her voice. She was also happy about her success, and she understood that Orange was praising her.

“There’s no need to be humble, Green,” said Yellow. “With you and Crimson, we have the upper hand.”

“Yellow is right,” agreed Blue. “Things will be a lot easier now.”

They both thought Orange was right. Everyone in Darkness Rainbow was pleased with Green’s hard work and Crimson’s return.

But not a single one of them is actually happy that Crimson’s back...

Rather than from the pain of getting slapped on the back, Green was frowning because she was displeased that no one seemed at all concerned about Crimson. The other four leaders were solely focused on the battle ahead. Not one of them even looked happy to see Crimson.

Navy-san would have...

There, Green’s thoughts turned to Maki. She’d realized that Maki and Crimson’s relationship was different from that of the other leaders, and she was quite sure that Maki would have at least been glad to see her returned. But Green’s frown became more severe as she chased those thoughts of Maki from her mind. As attached to Crimson as she was, Green didn’t want to admit that Maki had a special bond with her.

“Green, do you have a moment?”

“Yes.”

When Purple called out to her, Green collected herself and got back down to business. She was well aware that there was no time to spare.

“What do you want to know?”

“I want you to tell me how the enemy will move. The status of Rainbow Heart’s main force, the location of the seven Rainbows if possible... Things like that.”

They’d already dispatched a scouting team, but Purple wanted to check what they reported against Green’s forecast. Green respected Purple’s cool and collected judgements, and readily agreed. She grabbed her staff before beginning an oh-so familiar incantation.

“Precognition.”

When Green cast her spell, a vast amount of information entered her head. She was reading the future. No, she was reading all possible futures. They overlapped to create an image in her mind. Likely futures were brighter and sharper than the rest, while less likely futures were dim and murky. If she were to forecast the future of Earth’s position, for example, the image would be as crystal clear as a high definition photograph. If she tried to forecast the position of a particular person, however, the image would be as blurry as a photograph taken of a moving object.

“Let’s see... Their main force will move to match us.”

“Are you sure?”

“The future is imminent enough that there’s only a 5 percent margin of error.”

“So that’s all they can manage even with reserve forces... Well, they can’t leave the capital undefended, so I guess they can’t do anything too drastic.”

Green divined that Darkness Rainbow would be facing Rainbow Heart in a frontal clash. She could see it clearly enough that there was very little chance of the future deviating from what she’d seen. Her experience told her those odds were no more than 5 percent. In other words, there was a 5 percent chance of Rainbow Heart doing something like trying to flank or ambush them. Yet if all went according to Green’s forecast, they would easily be able to overpower any ambush with their newly acquired spiritual energy and Forthorthian technology. However, that didn’t mean they didn’t have anything to worry about.

“Then what about the Rainbows?”

If they didn’t confirm the whereabouts of the seven strongest members of Rainbow Heart, they still might be in for a nasty surprise. Purple knew what that 5 percent might lead to.

“It looks like two of them are protecting room 106 in Kisshouharukaze City.”

“Heh, it seems like our last attack really got to them. They’re dividing their forces.”

Rainbow Heart couldn’t leave room 106 unguarded, even with the decisive battle against Darkness Rainbow so close. Especially not after what Darkness Rainbow had pulled last time.

“Four of them are working together with the main forces. It looks like it might only be three, actually... But I think it’s four.”

“In a head-on confrontation, we still have the upper hand if it’s six against four. We could handle that without having to bring in Maya.”

The leaders of Darkness Rainbow and the archwizards of Rainbow Heart were well matched in terms of power. There were prodigies every now and then, but the current members of each side were all roughly on the same level. So with the numerical advantage, Darkness Rainbow was almost assured victory.

“But that’s only six of them accounted for... What about the last one?”

“Hold on a moment. Just where is she...?”

It was easy to read the future of willing petitioners right in front of her, but peering into the future of someone who wasn’t present was rather difficult by comparison.

“Who is the last one?”

“Nana’s apprentice.”

“Nana’s...?”

Hearing that name, Purple’s expression changed. Rainbow Nana had once taken on and incapacitated all seven leaders of Darkness Rainbow in the past. Hearing that her apprentice was now on the scene and acting alone was somewhat uncanny. Purple got a sinking feeling...

“Wha—?! This is bad, Purple! Nana’s apprentice is headed here!”

And it was right on the money. Green confirmed that Nana’s apprentice, Yurika, was en route.

“Are you sure?!”

“The margin of error is less than 10 percent! That means that, at very least, they’ve already found this place!”

“How?!”

“I don’t know! I can’t see any signs leading up to it! But they’re definitely on the way now!”

Green couldn’t just see the present and future with her magic. To a limited extent, she could also look backward into the past. She took a moment to scrutinize the events leading up to her rescuing Crimson, but she couldn’t see anything that indicated this would happen. Nevertheless, the future was right in front of them now. Rainbow Yurika was in the Land of Beginning. It didn’t make sense. No, it shouldn’t even be possible. Green didn’t understand, and fell into something of a dumbstruck stupor.

“Calm down, Green.”

That was when Crimson scolded her. Green twitched a little in response, then turned to look at her comrade. Having finished her dinner, Crimson rose from her seat and walked over to join in on the conversation.

“That woman, Kurano Kiriha... She’s probably behind this. I wouldn’t doubt for a minute that she knows weaknesses of future forecast that not even we do.”

Crimson was simply going off of intuition, but she was spot on.

Knowing that Green’s divinations were less reliable the further in the future she looked, Kiriha had finished modifying the automated weapons and had them put into place several days ago. After that, she’d left them completely untouched. If Green had bothered to check last week, she would have seen what Kiriha was up to, but it was far too late for that now. The weapons—and Kiriha’s plan—had flown right under her radar.

“We should have killed her last time when we had the chance.”

“What do we do, Purple?”

“Isn’t that obvious? We’ll send our entire army to attack! And after we’ve defeated Rainbow Yurika and her friends here, we’ll regroup and annihilate Rainbow Heart!”

Green’s forecast was a surprise, but in Purple’s eyes, it didn’t change what they needed to do. Whether or not Rainbow Yurika had discovered their base, they would end her and the rest of Rainbow Heart.

“Just bring it on, Rainbow! I will reclaim the past!”

Heeding Purple’s orders, Darkness Rainbow sortied. The leaders moved to intercept Yurika and her allies, while their main force marched on Thorthe. The curtain was now rising on the battle for Folsaria between Darkness Rainbow and Rainbow Heart.