II
Elsphere, capital of the Holy Land of Mekia
The sunlight grew warmer with the passing of the days, until at last the snows that had blanketed Elsphere in a sheet of white began to melt. Around this time of year, the birds that had wintered at Lake Carla on the outskirts of the holy city took to the wing, leaving its sparkling sapphire waters to return north. The city folk saw them go and knew that spring was close at hand.
At the very top of La Chaim Palace, there was a stately room called the Chamber of Rippling Light. There sat Lara, Amelia, and all the other officers of the rank of thousand-wing or higher, presided over by Seraph Sofitia, all gathered at a round table. Senior Hundred-Wing Zephyr, a man in a gray cloak with a false eye, was also amongst them. He controlled the owls, Mekia’s intelligence agents.
“—and that is the full account of what happened,” he concluded, placing his report down with a small sigh.
“Thank you for your observations, Zephyr. Despite his old age, the Invincible General is tough as ever, then?”
“Yes, my Seraph. The leadership he showed in this battle did honor to that name.”
“Which makes it all the more obvious how foolish Alfonse was to keep him back defending their capital. In these troubled times, a king whose only skill is counting coins is worse than useless.”
Alfonse’s treatises on public finance suggested that he might have been remembered as a wise ruler if he had reigned over an era of peace. Ultimately, he was poorly matched to the age he’d been born into. What a pity.
“I agree completely, my Seraph.” Zephyr nodded deferentially, as did Lara.
“Well, for now, let us be happy for the Royal Army in their victory, and give thanks to the Goddess Strecia for hearing our prayers.” Sofitia brought both hands to her breast in solemn prayer. Everyone else did the same.
Even the empire can’t help but be shaken by this, she thought. Now that the Helios Knights had followed the Crimson Knights in defeat, they couldn’t ignore the possibility that some of the countries they’d subjugated might rebel. Certainly not after this string of repeated mistakes. The Imperial Army would have to withdraw from the front lines and put all its efforts into tracking how those other nations responded. The thought filled Sofitia with satisfaction. The Goddess Strecia had bestowed her grace upon the Holy Land of Mekia.
When the prayer was over, Lara asked, “My Seraph. What is our strategy going forward?”
All eyes turned to Sofitia. “Our strategy, yes...” Sofitia looked back at the report in her hands and a stillness fell over the Chamber of Rippling Light.
At last, Zephyr broke the silence. “I believe you are preoccupied with the girl they call Death God—this Olivia Valedstorm. Is it not so?” The orb of smoky quartz embedded in his left eye socket gleamed unsettlingly.
Sofitia gave him a twisted smile. “I can’t hide anything from you, Zephyr. Yes, it seems I gravely underestimated our dear Death God.”
The Helios Knights had driven the Second Legion to the brink of utter annihilation, just as Sofitia and Lara had predicted. Then, in defiance of all reason, a single young girl had turned the tide of the battle. The First Legion’s dominance over the Helios Knights had also far surpassed their initial predictions, but that development paled in comparison to the Death God’s impact.
I only wanted to get what advantage I could while they tore each other apart, Sofitia thought ruefully. But I can’t continue to make that excuse anymore.
The battle had been all but decided until this one girl arrived to turn the tide. Sofitia could think of no one she’d rather have as an ally, but it would be a problem if this girl became their enemy. One didn’t have to be the seraph to imagine the damage she could do to Mekia. Sofitia had previously thought to leave the Death God be, but she had the feeling that for what came next, they would need more accurate information.
“In my position, I have seen many great warriors,” Zephyr said, “but this girl is a different species entirely. Death hangs over her like a mantle. Every swing of her blade is like something out of a nightmare. Watching her fight, I honestly struggled to believe she was human. This has never happened to me before. It shames me to admit it, but it made me tremble.”
Lara immediately opened her mouth to respond, but Sofitia silenced her with a flick of her hand. “Zephyr, are you trying to impress upon me the danger of interfering with the Death God?”
Zephyr slowly shook his head. “That is not my intention, my Seraph. If you wish to gather information, you can count on the owls to see it done. We will bring you everything, down to her pastimes and favorite foods. However, unlike the empire’s shimmers, we are not fighters. To my great shame,” he added regretfully. But Sofitia wasn’t troubled on that count. The owls far outshone the shimmers when it came to reconnaissance.
“Let me see if I understand you, then,” she said. “If we want to learn more about what this Death God can do, we should send someone who can match her. Is that right?”
“Your perspicacity is unmatched, my Seraph,” Zephyr replied, bowing.
As he did so, Amelia spoke up where she sat across from him. “My Seraph, please consider me for this assignment. As a mage, I am ideally suited to assessing her powers.”
“Don’t be a fool!” Lara snapped, her eyes flashing. “Scarcely any time has passed since you returned from your last mission. You’ll wait your turn.”
Sofitia didn’t disagree that Amelia, who primarily favored binding magecraft, would be well-suited to the task at hand. Rather than admit that out loud, she instead turned to Amelia. “I appreciate your enthusiasm, Amelia,” she said, “but you are still recovering from your wounds inflicted by Lord Sieger, are you not?”
“That isn’t... I...” Amelia quickly hid her bandaged hand beneath the round table. The handsome young man sitting next to her watched her with a smile.
“We mages are so few in number,” said Senior Thousand-Wing Johann Strider. “We cannot afford to lose even one if the Holy Land of Mekia is to reign supreme over Duvedirica. I understand your eagerness, dear Amelia, but doing all you can to maintain your health is as much part of your duties as anything else.” He turned to Sofitia. “Would you not agree, my Seraph?”
Sofitia laughed softly. “You took the words out of my mouth, Johann,” she said with a smile. Amelia glared resentfully at Johann, but this only made him chuckle.
“That brings me to my point,” he continued. “I will go and see what I can ferret out about this Death God and her powers.”
“You, Johann?”
“Yes, my Seraph. Her beauty is reportedly divine. I want to look upon that countenance with my own eyes,” he said lightly, as though he were suggesting a turn around the garden. He brushed his flaxen hair—a rarity in Mekia—back with his left hand, where his scarlet mage circle glittered. Despite the levity of his manner, Johann was a first-class swordsman and mage, possessed of a cool and calculating intellect to boot. He was, in many ways, the perfect choice for this mission.
“Understandable...” Sofitia said thoughtfully. “Very well. You may go, but remember that we have no idea the extent of the Death God’s true powers. We know of her formidable prowess with a blade, but I fear there is more to her than that.”
“More, my Seraph?” Johann frowned. “Do you think she’s hiding something?”
“I do. So if you sense danger, you are to withdraw at once.”
Sofitia herself had no clear idea of what this “something” might be, but she knew that, despite their superhuman powers, the mages were not invincible. Felix was not a mage, but he had just defeated Amelia. Of course, he was hailed as the greatest warrior the empire could bring to bear, so perhaps the comparison was unfair.
“Is that based on your intuition as seraph?”
“Perhaps it would be more accurate to call it my intuition as a woman.”
“A woman’s intuition? A terrible thing, that. It’s gotten me into some truly wretched predicaments,” Johann said, folding his arms and looking solemn. His reputation for seducing women, from noble ladies to scullery maids, was well known. Amelia shot him a look of icy contempt as Sofitia smiled.
“Forgive my insistence, but you must return at the first sign of danger,” she said. “That is an unconditional order.”
“I understand. I wouldn’t want to contradict my earlier words to dear Amelia.”
“Just a moment.” Lara, who had been silent through most of the conversation, now interjected. She was glaring at Johann. “If anyone is to go and take the measure of the Death God, it should be me, not Johann.”
Johann replied before Sofitia could formulate a response, with the tone of explaining something obvious. “Blessed Wing Lara, you are the commander-in-chief of the Winged Crusaders,” he said. “We aren’t at war. There’s no reason for someone of your rank to go after one person.”
“This isn’t just anyone, this is the Death God. We have no idea how powerful she is. It’s only common sense to send the strongest warrior after her.”
“Be that as it may, while judging the Death God’s abilities is within my capabilities, leading the Winged Crusaders is not. You ought to consider your position more carefully.”
Lara’s beautiful features twisted at Johann’s reprimand, but he’d made his point. She didn’t say any more.
“Johann is right, Lara,” Sofitia said. “You are not just the commander-in-chief of our army, but our secret weapon. Try not to forget that.”
Lara, flushing red with shame, bowed her head. “Forgive me, my Seraph. I was careless.”
“So long as you understand. Lara, you are not only my sword and my shield, but also my friend. You are irreplaceable to me.” Sofitia smiled at her.
“I am not worthy of such words.” Lara rose from her chair, then knelt, tears glistening in her eyes. “I, Lara Mira Crystal, will not forget your advice today. My allegiance is, now and forever, to my Seraph.”
Sofitia had to admire the strength of her loyalty. “Lara, please be seated,” she said, then turned to Johann. “I beg you not to do anything rash. Zephyr will be there to give you the support you need.”
Johann replied by raising two fingers in a salute, while Zephyr bowed low. Sofitia stood up, then raised her staff over their heads. Its metal rings clinked softly as she prayed, “May the blessings of Strecia go with you both.”
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