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BlazBlue:Phase Shift 2 Chapter 5

2018-10-30T19:01:30Z

141.101.99.158: /* Chapter 5: Black Beast, Reappears */ made irt read better

==Chapter 5: Black Beast, Reappears==

===Part 1===

December 31st, 2107 AD.

A night that felt unpleasant; with a strange warm wind blowing.

Although the sky was mostly deprived of clouds, the view of the stars and moon had grown hazy as they were covered by thick seithr.

But the moon, shining dully, appeared oddly close. It shone its stagnant light upon the ground that was about to become ruined by battle, as if giving sympathy.

The surroundings were a plain wasteland; brown desert, no grass or water was present for miles.

If today would be the day of apocalypse for humanity, the scenery here surely would need no changes.

...Nine surveyed the battlefield, taking a deep breath, having confirmed the situation with all the units of the Mage's Guild.

The day and the year would end very soon. A whole year had passed since then. It was time for its revival. Just thinking about it would give anyone shivers.

Of course, the preparations had been sufficiently arranged. As everything that could be done had been dealt with, there was no anxiety or fear regarding that part.

What had been concerning Nine was Celica.

"Nine. The deployment of the foreign armies has been completed without problems."

Trinity jogged up to Nine. She was among the same units as Nine and her role was to support all of the armies.

Every functioning country was participating in this strategy.

The armies even included the countries that had previously refused to cooperate with The Mage's Guild.

Presently, several hundred thousand units had been positioned around various cauldrons that had a high rate of seithr discharge. The units also included volunteers who were ordinary people.

It was still unclear which cauldron the Black Beast would emerge from. But once its arrival had been confirmed, the attack and mobilization would commence immediately.

Among the armies that had been stationed at the cauldrons... was Celica. She had positioned herself in the centre of a group of cauldrons, so as to be as to be able to get to a number of them as quickly as possible.

"...Are you worried about Celica-san?"

Trinity asked her in a whisper as she saw a deep sorrow in Nine's expression that was masked in calmness.

Finally noticing that her mind was completely filled with Celica, Nine lightly bit her lip to reprimand herself.

"...Of course I'm worried."

She could have dodged the question, but Nine chose to speak her mind. Trinity was her companion. She could immediately see through Nine's pressure no matter how many words she used to coat it.

Plus she couldn't keep making a calm face like it was nothing when it came to that matter.

"Don't joke like that! Do you even understand what you're saying!?"

The first moment Celica said that she wanted to be a decoy, Nine had let her anger burst out, as if on reflex.

Nine's shout would make her classmates from the academy tremble. But it wasn't a big deal for Celica. Instead she retorted with an even louder voice.

"I said I do. I wouldn't say something like this as a joke."

"That makes it even worse! Celica, didn't you hear me in our preparations for this battle!?"

"Of course I remember. But this is different from our talk about Seven-san and Eight-san. I won't be dying. And if I can lure the Black Beast, won't it be good for the strategy?"

The more Nine resisted, the more that the stubborn Celica stood her ground.

No matter how many times they had this argument, Celica wouldn't back down once she had decided on something. Nine knew from experience that she was like a dog with a bone.

At that time, she could have predicted yield in the end.

"Please! I want to do it no matter what! I'll run away when it gets dangerous. I'll obey your instruction. So please…!"

The sisters continued throwing demands at each other for a further 30 minutes.

But then Celica joined her hands and kneeled in front of Nine, prostrating herself like a beggar before a king. The excessively direct request left Nine at a loss for words.

She understood about it. About what kind of a sister Celica was and how earnest her heart was.

Nine gave a big sigh and scratched her head in annoyance.

"…Aaah, okay! You have a comeback for everything I said!"

"…Then… you get it!?"

"I get it, I get it! You're such a stubborn kid. You must have thought tons of excuses to persuade me."

Actually, even if the theories she lined up against Nine might seem all over the place, they needed a little more accuracy in pin pointing The Black Beast's arrival in order to intercept it.

There weren't many alternatives that would go smoothly even when the certainty wasn't in 100% percent, or even if they had to rely on the vampire girl's prophecy. In fact, there were only a few of them.

If the Black Beast could be drawn to Celica, then it would greatly smooth the proceeding of the plan.

Nine wouldn't have any complaints if Celica didn't do it.

"…But remember, your duty is just to lure out that monster. You absolutely cannot participate in the battle. Get to a safe place after that. You hear?"

"Yes! Thanks, Onee-chan!"

With the hard-fought battle of wills finally won, Celica's expression returned to its usual bright, carefree smile. Then she gripped her sister's hands.

Nine didn't have the slightest idea how she should feel when looking at that smile.

…The day of the decisive battle approached. Although the arrangements had been finished by this point, Nine was in violent remorse. She couldn't help but think that it might be better if she had dismissed Celica's opinion using whatever means necessary.

Nine crushed the deployment scheme of the foreign armies in her hand. She immediately switched her long gaze to the direction where Celica was supposed to be.

"Truth to be told, I want to send her to Ishana immediately. Having Celica to be a bait to lure the Black Beast is ludicrous… If I could, I wanted to at least be right beside and protect her now."

"You have to take command of the Armagus unit, you know. No one but you is able to do it."

The Armagus unit was organized from the candidates around the world that had been tested for their aptitude. Today would be their first live combat.

Even with their skill, the armies had insufficient combat experience. Commanding them required someone who grasped the understanding of Armagus better than anyone. In other word, Nine.

"I know about that."

Trinity was to give support and direct the supportive magic unit from headquarters. Jubei, Terumi, and Valkenhayn were participating in the units which were located near their respective cauldrons. Even with someone else's assistance, there was no other choice for Nine.

But it was because she precisely knew about it that the absurd irritation within the helpless situation struck her nerves.

The cause of annoyance didn't just come from the Black Beast. Seven and Eight's movement was still in her mind.

Nine thrust her disarranged long hair with her hand. Trinity put her hand to Nine's shoulder and gently smiled.

"Didn't you create Nirvana and have her beside Celica-san? And that gentleman is also there."

"…Ugh. Oh, well. I guess I don't have a problem with him being her guard at the very least, considering his war potential."

Combing the tangled hair in her hand, Nine took a deep breath to shake off the ill feeling in her chest. Though the burden in her chest hadn't disappeared, she had to forcibly convince herself for now.

"Anyway, let's beat up the monster before it reach Celica."

"Fufu, that's the spirit~. ...But please don't do anything reckless."

"I know. You too, Trinity. I can't do anything without you after all."

"Oh my. You're making me embarrassed."

Trinity covered her girlish mouth with the fingertips that came out from the sleeve of her robe. Nine replied with a daring smile.

But time was ticking. No matter how many words she spoke, the pressuring anxiety had yet to disappear from Nine's chest.

===Part 2===

The midwinter wind blew, making her cheeks lukewarm. The smell of dust was in the air.

The night had somehow grown stagnant. The stars and moon seemed so much farther away. The air, which was filled with seithr, shimmered like a pretty, thin, silk curtain. It created a sense of unease.

It had been a while since she felt the air outside the island. Celica sat down on top of a rugged hill within the endless wasteland while inhaling the dusty air of the night deep into her lungs.

Nirvana stood just next to her. The smooth and brilliant glass spheres that were her eyes appeared as if they were gazing at the distant scenery.

Following her gaze, Celica also looked into the distance.

The scenery she was staring at seemed desolate.

Once, this region had suffered damage from The Black Beast. The demon appeared suddenly as usual, transformed the buildings and road into a wasteland, and disappeared abruptly as before.

But one small town had barely survived thanks to that whim. It was located on the other side of the rocky mountain west from here. If the Black Beast appeared in this territory tonight, the town would surely disappear and be turned into a wasteland just like here.

It was truly a dreadful thing.

Thinking about it, Celica couldn't help but think that she was a complete fool for being here.

It was like being in a dream. Sure, she was fully conscious, but some part of her mind couldn't believe the situation that was about to approach before her eyes.

Although the wind wasn't chilly, it was mysteriously cold. Sitting on top of a rock, Celica hugged her knees and placed her chin on top of them.

The dusty wind fluttered her tied hair like a sash.

Suddenly, she heard heavy footsteps behind.

Suddenly, Nirvana snapped into her combat position. Celica turned around in a panic, but seeing who was standing there softened her expression.

"Hakumen-san."

There, a tall man wearing white clothing and a white mask with long sword on his back stood silently.

There was no squadron posted near Celica. During the strategy meeting, she had emphasized the possibility that the Black Beast might not be able to find her if she was included in a unit.

Of course, Nine was opposed to it. But she was eventually outmatched by Celica's unyielding spirit once she had decided on her plan. Then she arranged for Celica to be stationed in the middle of the wasteland. Yet she would allow it only if Nirvana and Hakumen were with her.

After Celica calmly called out to her that nothing was the matter, Nirvana relaxed.

Hakumen stood beside Celica. His white mask turned toward the air as if gazing at the wasteland.

"...Are you scared?"

A low, muffled voice questioned.

Celica looked up and stared at Hakumen's face. She wasn't expecting his question. Shrugging her shoulders, she broke down her expression with a bashful smile.

"Aha... A little."

While replying, Celica was surprised by something other than Hakumen's remark. For the first time, she noticed that she was trembling a bit when she heard her own answer.

She had never expected to be so terrified. But now that she had been asked, she realised that there was a fear laying deep inside. She would compare it to the feeling a pebble would have while sinking into a vast lake

Celica drew her knees close and hugged herself tightly. She felt a bit of relief from the radiation of her own body heat.

"But I'm not so sure what could be so terrifying. Because I feel safe as much as I feel scared. For a whole year, my sister and the others have really done their best. It should be fine when the Black Beast comes."

It wasn't just Nine and Hakumen. Everyone around the world had done what they could.

There were some quarrels among fellow countries, a reorganization that had to be done to the collapsing economy, and insufficient goods. The world had to go forward while burdened by loads of problem, but plenty of people had worked hard from each of their positions. And it had finally come to today.

Celica believed that there wasn't any wasted effort through that entire year.

Still hugging her knees, Celica straightened her back and raised her face up straight. Her big eyes reflected a distant scene.

"My sister and everyone else will surely win the battle. A world where everybody lives in peace without conflict is coming. And I'm glad I can lend my hand to achieve it. That's why right now I don't have any regrets nor a single thought to give up. But you know, it's just… "

As she thought, being in the middle of an empty wasteland alone was frightening. A terribly simple reason that made her shiver.

"…A world where everybody lives in peace. Without conflict…"

Hakumen muttered in a deep voice. It was like he was thinking of a distant wish that was vanishing. Faint and weak, swept away by the rough wind.

Hearing his voice which seemed like he was pondering on fleeting thoughts, Celica looked up and made a wry smile. When she heard Hakumen repeating her words, she became embarrassed. Because it felt like her naivety and inexperience were exposed.

"A-Ahaha. It's weird, isn’t it? I got scared despite thinking about all that. It seems I'm more confused than I thought."

"…There is nothing to fear."

Hakumen looked straight forward and spoke, showing not even the slightest hesitation. Clenching the dangling hands beside his body, his feet which were previously spread shoulder-wide stepped firmly on the hard ground without a hint of retreating.

"I will slay the Dark One. Your only task is to see it with your eyes from here."

Hakumen's voice was like a single swing of sword. Unwarped, unclouded.

His standing figure reminded her of a dear feeling… Celica slowly caught her breath.

"Ragna…"

Hearing the name she had unintentionally whispered, Hakumen turned his head toward her.

When he did, Celica finally noticed that she had been muttering. She quickly waved both hands in front of her face.

"Ah, no, excuse me. You just reminded me of someone for a moment."

While speaking, Celica wondered what made her think that.

She shouldn't be recalling Ragna when she looked at Hakumen. It was understandable for it to happen once or twice, but continuing to remember somebody else's image like this was really impolite. Even if Celica was a dunse in etiquette, she could sympathize with that.

She had to be careful. While staring at Celica as she was trying to compose herself, Hakumen leisurely asked a question a moment later.

"…Do I have any resemblance to him?"

This time, Celica gasped in surprise.

She had never considered that she would be questioned about it. He usually would have averted his face without speaking a word. She thought he would stay silent, looking into the distance with his white face.

Celica nodded twice afterward.

"I'm sure I told you about this before. Last time, I was searching to find his resemblance in you… but now I can see there are clear similarities."

"Hm."

His grunt urged her to continue. She might have misunderstood it, but Celica went along with her intuition.

"He's blunt and has a bad attitude. He also tends to get into arguments with my sister. But somehow, he's good at taking care of people. And… I didn't know where he came from or anything about his history at all."

With good cheer, Celica spoke about their similarities one by one while counting on her fingers. But her hands eventually opened up and she smiled while squinting with happiness.

She pressed her hands to her chest as if a warm light had been lit inside.

"But I guess it's your air that's similar to his. When I look at you, It just makes me think about Ragna."

In no way was that a painful feeling. When she thought about Ragna it felt like being basked with sunlight filtering through the trees, back in the academy's courtyard.

"…Do you wish to meet him?"

It was a miracle for a day to come when Celica was given a question filled with such emotion from Hakumen. Still spontaneously smiling while looking for an answer, Celica lifted her eyelids and looked at Hakumen.

She didn't know where the location of his eyes and mouth were on that white, flat mask. He might not have a face in the first place. It was unclear whether Hakumen had the same 5 senses as a human.

However, Celica read the feeling in Hakumen's gaze and stared back at him.

"Yup, I want to."

Her voice rang clear and true, without any hint of hesitation or doubt.

"The reason for me acting as bait for the Black Beast is also because I thought I might be able to meet Ragna. Ah, of course I'm doing it to help my sister, too. But… when I thought about meeting him, I just couldn't help myself."

"The Dark One is still the Dark One. It appears with oblivion as its purpose. …The ''Ragna'' you spoke of who is held inside of it might not necessarily be the ''Ragna'' you are wishing for."

His low tone of voice cut through the atmosphere without reservation.

However, instead of depressing her, his words made Celica glad.

"Aha. I've been told the same thing by Ragna in the past."

She was talking about when she found her missing father. She had been told that she might regret it if she found him.

Celica's feelings now were similar to that time.

"But I still wish to meet him."

Releasing the knees she had been hugging, Celica leaped to her feet. She stretched her back, puffed out her chest, and took a deep breath.

"I want to meet him. Talk to him. It'd be great if we could do things just like when we were together before, but… it's fine even if we couldn't. I mean, there's a lot of specific things I want to do and it makes my head spin. I want to meet Ragna. And if I do, that's enough to make me really happy."

It was strange. She should have been trembling enough to make her collapse. But now, that feeling was completely fading.

It must have been Hakumen, Celica thought. When Hakumen was there, she felt that she would get her harmony back as soon as she had an unsettling thought.

She wanted to meet Ragna. That feeling had made her push herself to stand here. She forced herself to to remember it.

"…I see."

Hakumen sighed. It was no longer just a hint; his voice obviously had sensitivity in it.

Astonished, Celica stared hard at Hakumen. She couldn't help but feel that there was a gentle yet sad face of a man under the white mask.

Between his breaths, Hakumen continued to talk as if speaking to himself.

"I, too, recalled a person whenever I looked at you. Someone in the distant past who I have grown to forget."

"I look like someone you know?"

Celica asked a question to draw him in. Hakumen's past. It was like a glasswork that shouldn't be carelessly handled. It made her heart throbbed a little.

But betraying the faint feeling of expectation Celica held, Hakumen flatly shook his head.

"There is no similarity."

"Hey. Just now, I get the feeling that you're making fun of me."

"I wonder."

Even his counter of feigning ignorance was as sharp as ever.

…But Hakumen soon spoke gently.

"…It is simply because she had the same boldness as you do. A girl who would charge ahead once she saw her goal."

Hakumen was staring ahead. It was a mystery whether the white mask was looking at the dull wasteland or a dearest face of someone. Looking at his face from the side, Celica guessed the latter.

"Is that girl someone you love?"

The question was mixed with the wind.

Hakumen didn't answer. But the warm feeling that had lasted until his silence was probably not just her imagination. Pushing aside her hair which had been blown across her face by the wind, Celica smiled while scratching her ear.

"I have a feeling that you'll definitely meet her again… I just know it."

She didn't know when, where, or in what kind of situation that reunion would occur. But the encounter would surely bring happiness. Celica hoped from the bottom of her heart that such reunion would truly happen to Hakumen.

A long sigh that was clearly different than a simple one was heard coming from Hakumen.

"It is an odd conversation. You see the image of Ragna the Bloodedge in me. And I see the image of someone unforgettable in you."

Perhaps he was smiling right now. Perhaps his lack of smile was his way of smiling.

The white mask might not only have snatched his expression. When she suddenly thought about that, Celica let a small chuckle. Hakumen couldn't show it easily but every word he spoke was trying to display his smile.

Led by the sound of Celica's laugh, Hakumen took a step forward.

His long, silver hair swayed.

"Celica A. Mercury. If it is true that you see the image of that man in me, then I will bear the image itself as many times as it takes. He has protected you. Then I shall protect you at once."

"Protect me? I'm happy but… It's somehow strange hearing you say it so formally. What's wrong?"

Searching for the hidden meaning in his words, Celica tilted her head to the side. She tried to take a peek at his face, but she was hindered by the silver hair which was blown by the wind.

Though, there was no expression that could be seen even if she saw his face.

"…I am someone who is seeing an image within you, too. I wield my sword for that foolish purpose. I shall not repeat the same mistake. Hence, I must protect you for that very reason."

It was like the voice that went across her back was hardened by a firm determination. After taking a short pause, Hakumen slightly looked over his shoulder to his back.

"Cease your curiosity. This is no concern of yours."

It was not spoken in such a manner as to push her aside. But what was being grasped tightly by Hakumen's hands must be something precious to him.

Celica decided to respect the privacy of Hakumen's thoughts and stop probing.

It was enough for her since the words Hakumen spoke had made her happy, whatever his circumstances might be.

"Hakumen, you're a kind person. Just as I thought."

"Alrighty," said Celica as she hopped to Hakumen's side. She gazed at the horizon and smiled.

Hakumen kept quiet as though his talkative nature had all been an illusion. He lifted his chin and looked into the distance.

The gesture made it look like he was getting emotional, but perhaps he was just turning his face away. When she looked at him, Celica made a mischievous face.

"Hmm? Perhaps you're getting embarrassed?"

She leaned towards Hakumen, moving her face close to his but his white mask remained silent without even a slight movement.

"It's hard to imagine, but he might be getting embarrassed for real", Celica thought. The childish emotion within Celica's mind was growing. She was thinking whether she should push him a little more. But that thought only lasted for a moment.

Celica realised that Hakumen's appearance was suddenly making her uneasy. Perhaps she had subconsciously noticed a change in circumstance in his blank face.

"Hakumen, what's wrong?"

He didn't move even when addressed. Hakumen continued to face forward while holding his breath.

Just as she had thought, the situation was strange.

As if enshrouded with thick heat, the air around Hakumen changed.

Killing intent.

The dangerous sensation made Celica, who was still inexperienced in combat, freeze on the spot and stop breathing.

At the same time, Celica had a thought. What kind of opponent could make Hakumen express so much killing intent?

A strong breeze blew in from their front. Celica turned around to brush off the wind. Even that small movement felt sluggish and she found it really hard to move.

Suddenly, a thick fog sprouted out like a geyser in front of Celica's eyes. Celica screamed a little and sprang backwards. Moving to her side, Nirvana scooped Celica into her arms and quickly stepped back out of the range of immediate danger.

The gushing mist from the ground multiplied to two and then three bursts. As if aiming for a specific location, the eruptions drew a dotted line across the terrain.

It was heading in the direction that Celica and Hakumen were staring at. Toward the barren and uncovered wasteland.

After the small geysers had burst forth, completely surrounding that area, followed by a vast amount of black mist that began to overflow from the ground. A tremor violently shook the ground as if something was pushing up against it.

Cracks erupted across the dry earth as a dark form emerged, tearing the previously unbroken wasteland in two.

"MOVE!"

Hakumen shouted the order.

But Celica couldn't separate her eyes from the scene. It wasn't just the scenery that she couldn't escape from, none of her senses could run from the crawling she felt in her skin.

It was the same as that time. The atmosphere she had felt just before she parted with Ragna one year ago.

The wind, thick with seithr, advanced and surrounded Celica's whole body. The earthquake was so violent that she lost her footing and stumbled.

Nirvana supported Celica as she was staggering.

Celica raised her face upward while trying to oppose the devastating wind.

Toward something enormous which tore the cracked earth and raised the ground level.

It was as black as solidified darkness, had many red veins running along its figure, and had a head the shape of serpent's. Its immense size was beyond words.

Slowly, one by one, more heads crept from the depths of the earth. Each one matching the mammoth size of the first.

A total of eight necks dragged themselves from within the crater. Following them, a large torso, which surpassed even the size of the heads, appeared on the desolated ground.

Meanwhile with the Armagus unit near the operations base, Nine was struggling for breath. She stared at the creature which had appeared with hostility floating in her eyes.

"This is… the real deal…"

It was more than just the thick seithr that set her breathing out of control.

She mustered her willpower, in order to calm herself down.

At the main unit, Trinity fell to her knees. Her entire legs felt weak. Soon, she wasn't able to stand anymore.

Her brain couldn't accept what her eyes were seeing. It felt like the insides of her skull were firing off warnings as they couldn't comprehend anything. …She could only stare wide eyed with a blank expression on her face.

At the assault unit leading various demi-humans, pioneered by beastkins, was Jubei. His body was resisting him as he desperately tried to reject the fear that was gripping his mind. It has begun, he thought. At the same time, he felt it was strangely close to the end of things.

Once, there had been a time when he was near to it. That moment was also dreadful. He was unable to move and his feet had frozen.

But that fear was even bigger now that he saw the beast at its full potential.

Meanwhile at the largest assault unit, Valkenhayn averted his eyes from the figure that had appeared from the ground. It was like he had witnessed the world's demise itself.

Once he had the courage to bear it within his field of vision again, while whispering the name of the lord he had sworn his loyalty to, he encouraged himself to move.

However, his body was already frozen in fright.

At Ishana's magician unit, Terumi looked up at the silhouette whose frame was now blocking out the horizon. He laughed. Laughter escaped from the man's mouth, but not due to joy, it was because he couldn't think of any better response.

He softly muttered under his hood.

"This guy's nasty... He's even bigger than the last time…"

The Black Beast.

It was simply an overwhelming fear.

Who could have imagined it?

The dark red nightmare was squirming right there.

===Part 3===

The Black Beast roared loudly. Its paralyzing howls combined into one and would inspire terror instinctively within any animal.

The destructive voice was enough to shake the ground. It was giving off vibes of despair to the world.

The black mass went beyond normal human comprehension. The shadow monster. The Black Beast.

Its eight heads were raised and the ominous red eyes were lit up. It moved around like it was searching for something.

Red lines marking its veins were running over its entire body. It looked almost like the wiring of an electrical device. The veins were pulsing light as if they were beating. It went beyond fear as to being repulsive.

The eight heads roamed about until they made a discovery all at once. A young girl standing alone in the wasteland… Celica.

Its red eyes were glaring as if some kind of emotion was crossing his features.

However, the color was nothing but sinister. The sensation was far from any emotion a human could have.

Her eyes met the Black Beast's. Celica wasn't able to tear her gaze away from its many heads.

Her body was frozen in place from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. With her gaze frozen in place, Celica was at her wit's end as she trembled in fear.

(This is… the Black Beast…)

Her throat was stuck. Her scream strangled and unable to escape.

She was afraid. It was different from the vague fear she had a while ago as it made Celica wither in pain.

The eight crooked necks bent like whips as they moved. Befitting its large size, the black giant moved ahead in grandiose manner.

Several steps more and the eight snakes would reach Celica. She might get eaten. Or else, she might get crushed. Either way, that moment would be the end for her.

Although that thought permeated her mind, there was nothing she could do to move from that point. She could only tremble and stood there, petrified, unable to do anything, like a baby…

(…But Ragna…)

For an instant, the precious color of an cut through her other terrified thoughts.

It was clear green. A warm and gentle color of green, like a tree in summer, full with leaves. But probably because of his wound, only the left side of his eyes was fine. He was always astonished, angry, and laughing with only one half of his eyes.

A transparent wind blew through Celica's chest. Her panic disappeared like it had all been a lie.

(Ragna… faced this alone.)

Thanks to it, Celica hadn't lost her life.

Humanity obtained one year of time that to her felt both short and long.

And Ragna had not yet come back.

''——mise.''

The words she heard exactly one year ago were echoing in her ears.

"…na."

As if the feeling was pushing her back, Celica took a step forward.

''——Yeah, I promise.''

Yes, he promised.

Ragna had promised to return. To take back the red coat he had entrusted to Celica.

Celica had held onto it, awaiting for Ragna to return... She promised.

Then if Ragna was somewhere inside the black mass in front of her eyes…

(I want to meet him——!)

One foot fell in front of the other. Celica ran toward the Black Beast. While running, she shouted with all her breath.

"RAGNA——————————————————!"

The next moment.

A swift, silver light flew and tore the sky. It cut apart the head of the approaching black snake in a flash.

[[Image:BB_PS2_179.jpg|thumb]]

"…!?"

Celica stopped moving, startled.

It threw its whole body towards the black giant without any hesitation.

For an instant, that figure was overlapped by a nostalgic silhouette.

(No, that's wrong. It's not Ragna.)

It was Hakumen.

After he landed on top of the cleaved snake head, Hakumen flipped his sword and without any unnecessary movement pierced the crown of the head, drawing a vertical line.

The head took almost all of the long blade, and then it violently struggled. But before it did, Hakumen pulled out the sword and leaped away. Next, he gave another slash to the neck part.

The sharp noise from the slash was vividly audible. It sliced the part under the jaw in a straight line.

Nonetheless, there was a drastic size difference between Black Beast and Hakumen.

Even the eye-snatching white gleam of the long sword was unable to completely chop through the demon's neck. Perhaps the wounds of the squirming neck had healed since it calmly began to brush Hakumen away.

Still not paying any heed to its counterattack, Hakumen jumped high and didn’t hesitate to swing the sword.

The strokes of the sword were many and the blows cuts deep.

While keeping the monster's jaw, that had received blows to keep it in check with his brute strength, he slashed it from the bottom up.

Jumping up to follow his cut, he rose up below the jaw and stabbed the sword to the monster's throat. Then allowed gravity to assist his cut as he slip down the long neck to the ground.

The beast shrieked dreadfully in rage.

Hakumen's was knocked away and he hit the ground hard. The impact dented the earth. But before the soaring cloud of dust had a chance to settle, the white warrior was already standing up.

Highlighting the gallant figure of Hakumen against the battlefield, white lightning was cast about as if falling like rain.

It was the Armagus unit led by Nine.

There were numerous lightning bolts as the spell was cast repeatedly. Explosions of electricity were punctuated by a thunderous roar that matched the intensity of the Black Beast's howl.

Subsequently, Jubei's unit approached with great speed from behind the Black Beast. Their target was its feet. The alchemical weapons that Trinity had provided helped to trip the giant's feet and obstruct its movement.

Various offensive magics were fired off from the magician unit who had positioned themselves to surround the beast. The military forces from the assorted nations also commenced their attack simultaneously.

Celica watched on from the mountainside as the battlefield became intense in a blink of an eye.

It was a ghastly spectacle.

It couldn't be more obvious that it was a struggle in which humanity had concentrated all of the power they had at their disposal.

The Armagus squad's attacks were proving to be the most effective.

The number of armagus weilders that had been assembled spanned several times the number of Ishana's inhabitants. The average offensive ability from the Armagus couldn't be compared with that of the smaller magicians' unit.

Because Nine was giving commands to the armagus squad, the raining spears of the Armagus's light weren't fired wildly. The combined force of the lightning worked to stagger the Black Beast as it struck at its ankles.

It was effective. The faltering steps of the beast made it feel like humanity was drawing a victory for the first time.

…But when the hands that were used to attack repeatedly stopped for a moment, the Black Beast cried out with its ferocious voice and swung its eight necks.

When the long necks brushed off the sky, the thick fog roared and gouged the earth like a whip. Along with a howl, the descending mass of seithr crushed the earth and living beings like a lump of iron.

Then after stopping one moment, it resumed its advance. This time it slid on the ground, imposingly moving forward.

It was aiming for Celica.

"It’s coming to my location…?"

The distance was no longer mattered. The seithr would blow around violently whenever the Black Beast was near. The following rampage of wind toyed with her hair and mantle annoyingly.

Even while squinting her eyes to protect from from the head wind, Celica couldn't take off her eyes from the approaching black mass that was causing the quake.

It wasn't because she was terrified. She was searching for a presence inside this dreadful and grotesque figure of a giant.

Celica had a thought. The monster kept walking in Celica's direction even while withstanding the fierce attack. There might be a part within it that remembered the promise to 'return'.

A foolishly optimistic thought that be laughable to anyone else if they had heard it. But once she gave it a thought, Celica couldn't stop feeling like it was the truth.

"I must go!"

At this short distance, Celica could reach the beast with a short sprint. Steeling her resolve, Celica dashed off over the ocher soil. …However, someone suddenly caught her arm.

"Wha… Nirvana?"

When she turned to look, Nirvana, who had been standing motionlessly beside Celica, used her large, weaponized hand to grab Celica's wrist.

The beautiful artificial eyes were staring at Celica silently.

She had judged that it would be dangerous for Celica to go any further. Celica struggled, shaking her arm to loosen Nirvana's hand, but she was undaunted and continued her tough restraint.

"Let me go, Nirvana! I want to go there. I might be able to meet Ragna. So ple…"

Her desperate objection was cut midway.

Under Celica's feet, veins of light were appearing.

As if in the middle of drawing a pattern, it crawled along the ground at a great speed, the pattern becoming more complex every moment.

She didn't know its purpose, but Celica soon realized what the light was drawing.

It spread wide with Celica on its center. Furthermore, it pulled along small magic circles as if they were connected somewhere, making a strange shape.

"Trinity, what is that magic circle!?"

After she entrusted the Armagus unit to another person, Nine teleported to the headquarters. While yelling, she walked at quick pace to her friend who was wearing yellow robe.

The location of the headquarters was a little higher than other places. Trinity who had been watching over the battlefield got in a panic from Nine's voice. After she lifted her face, she shook her head with complicated face.

"I don’t know. I was just looking at the user now."

"Where?"

"Somewhere around the dispatched magicians who are on Celica-san's left and right sides. There's a chant of unusual spell… Found it! There!"

Trinity probed for the stream of magic power while manipulating her hearing. She pointed at the magician unit gathered within the shade of a few rock within the wasteland. Simultaneously, Nine amplified her vision.

With her telescopic eyes, Nine saw a pair of magicians she recognized well.

"Seven, Eight…!"

Crushing her anger, Nine groaned.

Beside her, Trinity's voice screamed.

"NINE, PLEASE LOOK AT THAT!"

At the same time of the shrieking voice, Nine turned her sight back to normal.

What had burst in to her regular sight was a drawing of huge magic circle like a geoglyph that appeared behind Celica.

A magic circle unknown to Nine. But it was easy to decipher by looking at the magic circles that had been used as foundation, the objects that were added, and its gigantic size.

But it was something that gave Nine a tremendously bad feeling.

"Summoning magic? …It can't be!"

Faster than the transformation of her surprise to anger, the expanded magic circle on the ground began to emit a sinister light.

The large magic circle that appeared all of a sudden began to shine. After realizing it, Celica was shaking in confusion while looking behind.

"Huh? W-What's this!?"

Even the magic circle below her feet began to glow after a bit of delay.

She couldn't understand what was happening. Celica tried to get away from that place.

But for some reason, she wasn't able to go outside the magic circle. It was like she got imprisoned within a cylinder glass bottle.

She hit the invisible wall with both hands. There was no sound, but the sensation blocked Celica from getting out.

(What should I do… I somehow got a very bad feeling…)

As if confirming that ominous hunch, a lukewarm chill brushed against Celica's spine.

To shake it off, Nirvana stretched her arms and hugged Celica tightly. Both of the hard, inhuman arms covered Celica to protect her from everything.

At the same time outside of Celica's sight, Nirvana's back opened. Something like a rod was pushing up and went toward the empty sky. The object that looked like an antenna and lighting rod engraved a violet crest. It wore light as if acting in agreement with something.

"Nirvana…"

Question and relief. With a voice mixed with both, Celica whispered to Nirvana.

Before her sigh ended, an unusual phenomenon happened.

The light from the magic circle suspiciously started to flicker strongly. After the noise and shock diminished like they were sinking furiously, it tried to drag Celica from everything else and knock her down.

"Wh… what's going on… Why's this happening…"

Still getting taken to the bottom of the ground by the force, Celica desperately clung to Nirvana and endured it.

But soon, the circulating chill stroke her spine and went inside her skin. The cold touch of ice snatched strength from Celica's whole body.

Body heat, sensation, emotion. Everything that dwelled within her warmth was seized, frozen, and unfolded.

(No…)

She put strength into the arm that was clinging to Nirvana. But all of that strength were turning to liquid, making it meaningless.

Celica's knees crumbled, light enough to make the illusion of noise.

Her consciousness became distant like it was absorbed.

(No… if I faint… I can't meet… Ragna…)

The hand that was supposed to grab Nirvana slipped and dangled beside her body. While she was relying on the neck that couldn't support her head, her sight went around and couldn't see anything but the night sky.

(Ragna…)

She wondered if this was what dying felt like. With her back still could only feel the stiff hands of Nirvana who was supporting her… Celica lost her consciousness as if she went sleeping.

——Celica didn't know what happened afterward.

Delivering what had been extracted from Celica, the extended magic circle connected its light to the main part of the magic circle which was lying in wait behind.

The gigantic magic square that appeared on the sloppy ruin of hill received it. It was gushing out a light that had the color of flame. The light was spreading to the jet black figure within the circle.

The figure immediately grew large and began to crawl out from the circle.

Its huge arms were stretched before placing both hands on the wasteland. Then it pulled its body like it was crawling out of a swamp.

It had a really vague depiction of a man's features. It had one head, two arms, one torso, and two feet.

Its whole body was black like it was built by molding solidified darkness. Like it was split by cracks, the skin had some kind of blood vessels that were like red veins circulating as they pleased.

Its appearance… resembled the Black Beast.

The titan that appeared from the magic circle made deep noises and waved its long arms. It moved its clutched fists forward to grasp the Black Beast, which had been confined by the Armagus attack, from the side. With unbelievable strength, it knocked off the beast's large build.

Making a violent roar that shook the earth, the Black Beast forcefully gained a distance.

Everyone was watching over that scene in blank.

It was no longer a battle of humanity. It was the clash between absurdity with absurdity, monster with monster.

When the black titan's stance changed to crawling on all fours on the ground, it widely opened it mouth with compulsory movement like a machine.

A white magic circle was unfolded within the mouth cavity that had transformed into a black cave. The magic circle rotated like the gears of watch that had gone awry. It made the red veins that covered the titan's body to swell slowly.

The next moment.

A straight, white flash was fired from the black titan toward the Black Beast.

The ear-piercing roar and shriek robbed the owners of their sense of hearing to hear all noises for several seconds. The powerfully strong light burnt every shadow, fading their sense of sight.

But everyone heard and saw it.

The sound when the beam fired by the titan penetrated the Black Beast's abdomen, and its condition.

As the spear of light vanished, the world regained its colors and sounds. Then the black titan once again submerged into the swamp of magic circle as if it had accomplished its duty.

What remained afterward was the Black Beast. But the gaping hole in its body didn't get healed.

The light which the titan had fired even burnt and wiped the seithr around the Black Beast. The Black Beast would cease to exist if there were no seithr.

The snake demon that was the embodiment of nightmare roared to the distant moon with a shriek. Then its large build trembled once.

And like a bag stuffed with sand that was released at once, its form crumbled. While still crumbling, it ran away to underground.

The rasping noise was getting absorbed by the earth.

The vast amount of black was getting swallowed.

Then without taking a long time, the Black Beast vanished from that place.

…After its gigantic body was gone, the remaining scenery could be seen clearly.

Toward the location where the Black Beast was, the ground was greatly demolished in a straight line. The beam which the titan had fired had burnt it.

The tall cliff that existed above the titan and beast lost its contour as if scooped by spoon like ice cream. A part had transformed into a gentle plain.

It was a tremendous power.

That abnormal strength had repelled an abnormal apparition.

It was the very first moment for humanity to succeed in repelling the Black Beast.

No one knew where it had originated from, but the desolated battlefield was engulfed in cheers.

It seemed like the cheers within the wasteland was done to celebrate posterity and the act of god as it went across the deep traces of the attack. The soldiers who shouted their joy were competing to assemble at the disfigured terrain.

It was like they had witnessed the act of god. At any rate, it repelled the Black Beast with a blow. Toward the monster that couldn't be stopped for an instant even if they had concentrated their own energy.

But that wasn't the case for Nine.

"CELICA!!"

Making a sorrowful voice that split her throat, Nine ran at the top of the hill that bad footing.

Nine usually didn't think of them as obstructing, but she had thrown away the high heels and Ten Sages hat somewhere. Getting covered with cloud of dust, she stumbled and came into a stop.

Nirvana was standing there. She was holding Celica on her arms.

Her tawny hair was completely disarrayed. Her head was supported by the chest of the feeble Nirvana while her limbs were stretched out like a puppet that was snapped of its thread and broke its joints.

Even the fingertip that she would took out to immediately meddle in everything, the cheeks that usually dyed in slight pink, the lips that fit her lovely smile. All was so pale it would make anyone shuddered.

Nine's hands tucked in her sister's cheeks. Then as if to support them, she pressed her own forehead to Celica's forehead. The forehead she touched was cold.

"Nine, how's Celica-sa… n…!?"

Trinity who was running late pinned her bursting chest and asked a question while still breathing roughly. Before she finished her question, Jubei who had arrived just before muttered with a sharp voice.

"She's okay, ain't she?"

Nine's shoulders slightly trembled. But there was no tear flowing. When Nine raised her face, she brushed off bits of dirt on Celica's cheeks with her fingers while replying with the kind of voice like she had crushed her emotions.

"She just fainted. It was thanks to Nirvana who was beside her. …But her magic power got sucked out, so she won't wake up for a while."

"The Black Beast's… dead yet?"

"No. It was only running away. It seems the strength of the finishing blow was lacking."

While calmly answering another question from Jubei, Nine untangled Celica's bangs with her fingers.

Hakumen walked with undisturbed pace and stopped at a separated place. His emotionless face stared at Celica and Nirvana.

Valkenhayn, who was among the largest army of the allied countries, joined them with the appearance of wolf that he wouldn't normally expose. Still in that appearance, he bared his fangs and groaned a question.

"Nine. Tell us if you know about it. What on earth was that?"

"…Artificial Causality Weapon."

Nine spoke quietly. After letting go of her hands from Celica who looked more like a doll than Nirvana, she used the hand to tightly grip the chest part of her own clothes.

Looking over Nirvana's shoulder, Nine glared at the location where the titan had appeared. Her pupils were shaking in fury. Directing her burning gaze to the wasteland that was presently empty, Nine squeezed her stomach and continued to speak.

[[Image:BB_PS2_193.jpg|thumb]]

"That was Nox Nyctores… Gigant: Takemikazuchi. …Something I created."

Exactly at that time, he stood alone at a separated location.

The excited crowd were cheering while swarming the scar from the overwhelming destruction that had carved the earth. Looking over from the position where he could see them, his long coat was fluttered by the dry wind. Putting both hands to the pockets, a glint in his eyes was shining dully under the hood he wore low over his eyes.

"Khukuku… Nice, real nice. You're really some extraordinary geniuses…"

He laughed, shaking his thin shoulders.

"Thanks to you, looks like I might get what I want faster than expected… Guess I have to give a gratitude, HYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The joyful voice that didn't reach anyone's voice silently thickened the color of darkness.

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| Forward to [[BlazBlue:Phase Shift 2 Afterword|Afterword]]
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</noinclude>

Rakuin no Monshou:Volume4 Chapter2

2018-09-28T10:34:01Z

141.101.99.158: /* Chapter 2: The Princesses' Teatime */

==Chapter 2: The Princesses' Teatime==

=== Part 1 ===

Winding back time a little to a few days before Esmena Bazgan left Taúlia.

The morning sun was glittering on the surface of the Yunos river.
Early that morning, a ship sailing down the river had moored at the pier, and half-naked men were carrying food and goods into Apta Fortress. The soldiers on guard were watching over them, yawning. As the war with Taúlia had just ended in peace, it was inevitable that they should be lacking any feeling of tension.

In the midst of that, Orba had raised himself up on his bed and the sun shone on his gloomy profile. Without moving in the slightest, he stayed rigid in that posture. Perhaps following somebody's good advice, Dinn, who would always come to wake him up early, was nowhere to be seen. ''Probably Shique'', Orba thought vaguely; in fact, he had knocked on his door about three hours after dawn.

"Orba, are you awake?"

"Yeah."

The door opened as Orba answered. He stared blankly at Shique who was standing before him. Shique hadn't really thought anything of that rapid response, but unexpectedly, Orba was already getting dressed. He smiled to see that he appeared to have pulled himself together,

"What about breakfast? I can have it prepared at once, but..."

"No", Orba walked by Shique and went out. "Right now, I'm going to have you put together a military troop. Gather these people for me."

Shique was startled but, as he noticed that craftsman working on the fortress' repairs were coming from the opposite direction, he bowed with the attitude of an Imperial Guard before the prince.

Orba had selected various commanding officers for the reinforcements to be sent to Garbera. Said reinforcements were no more than a mere hundred. There were twenty mounted cavalry and dragoons respectively, as well as ten sky ship pilots doubling as regimental soldiers for the airship division, that were members of the Imperial Guard. Other than that, all the other infantry soldiers were battlefield slaves.

Such was the information that reached Gouwen's ears.

"Aren't there too few foot soldiers?"

"The rest will be set free," Orba answered in a terse mutter.

After Apta's defensive battles, the troop of more than fifty former sword slaves turned infantry soldiers led by Pashir expected to be released from their status as slaves. His hand had been detaining them for a while now but, "A promise is a promise."

Gouwen merely said 'Right', and no longer argued about the organisation. Pashir was the commander of the infantry, while in addition, Gouwen himself was appointed as adjutant to this military troop and so would go to Garbera. However, this time the one whose eyes went roundest at his own situation was surely Kain.

"I'm going to lead the military troop? It, it's a joke, right?"

Their acquaintance from the days in the Tarkas gladiatorial group went pale with dismay. As he conveyed the message, Shique smiled wryly,
"Not you. The one who will be leading the troop to the bitter end will be ''Orba''. The masked former gladiator who won the position of Clovis. The prince says he has to stay here – you get it, right?"

"I-I've never taken command in warfare!"

"It's fine to leave that to your adjutant, Gouwen. It's fine if you just stand at the front shouting 'Go, Goo!'"

"That again?"

At the battle of Zaim Fortress, Kain had been made to do something very similar.

"That Orba, since rising to greatness, he's gotten into the habit of playing truant. Honestly, he'll come by his deserts."

"Worse than the gladiator contests, eh?"

The preparations for the Dragonstone cruisers departure also began before noon. Once supplies were loaded, the airships would be brought in.
Orba watched the air carriers' landing port without saying a word. His arms folded and his expression dark, he seemed even harder to approach than usual. He looked as though he would kill anyone who approached him, so no one spoke to him.

For a while now, Vileena Owell, who was watching that figure from behind, had wanted several times to call out to him but had given up each time. That Gil Mephius had chosen to send reinforcements to Garbera was a joyful thing, however this time, the prince would be staying at Apta.

As the Imperial Guards and the Independent Infantry unit made up most of the reinforcements, it meant that the military forces remaining in Apta were – starting with Shique – ten or so Imperial Guards as well as the main force from General Oubary's Black Armoured Division. Certainly, as lord of the castle, Gil should no doubt stay and exercise his authority over it, however she had a feeling that wasn't the reason why he wasn't moving.

That being said, Vileena naturally had no clear idea of what that reason actually was. Nor why he had pointed a sword at Oubary the previous evening, nor furthermore why he had been weeping, thus she felt that:

''It's frustrating''.

Just when she thought that the conflict with Taúlia had brought her a little closer to his heart, this happened and she found herself understanding Gil less and less. Unintentionally, she let slip those feelings to Theresia.

"Are men so hard to understand, I wonder."

Without thinking of it as the tedious complaints of a fourteen-year-old, or rather, while thinking that it was a problem appropriate for adolescence, Theresia nodded with a complicated expression.

"It is the same thing for gentlemen. Their whole life long, they never seem to be able to understand women."

"Is that so?"

Even while talking to the maid who had served her for many years, Vileena's heart was agitated for various reasons. It wasn't just because of Gil, it also seemed that Ende and her home country of Garbera would soon be at war. It was because of this that Gil was preparing to send reinforcements, however this wasn't a decision coming from his country. There were rumours that the emperor, Guhl Mephius, seemed to be in contact with Ende. It was unclear what kind of effect the prince's current actions would have on the relationship between Mephius and Garbera - and on Gil and Vileena's engagement.

Though the prince was wrapped in an unapproachable atmosphere, there was one person who rudely stepped up to him. Gouwen. Orba didn't spare him a single glance as he approached but,

"Do you think this will be as hard a battle as Zaim Fortress? Because Kain is already shaking in his boots," he asked in a whisper.

"No", Orba's response was immediate but his attitude remained grim even as he spoke. "Ende probably thinks that Mephius won't get involved. There should be ongoing talks about just that. So to start with, they won't be prepared for this. If we make a flashy appearance, Ende will realise that they are at a disadvantage and probably won't make a move."

"Which means that the timing is crucial, huh."

"Whenever possible, it's best to act before the hostilities start. When it comes to the point that you're already crossing swords, for the enemy too it's too late to withdraw."

However, to repeat once more, these reinforcements were few in number. If they joined the battle, Ende would surely also realise that they hadn't been sent by Mephius itself.

"Noue said so too. This time, the greatest victory would be to not fight at all. Ende has its own circumstances. There is a risk it will cause considerable damage, but I don't think it'll progress like Zaim."

Having said that much, Orba glared at Gouwen.

"What is it?"

"...... Nothing."

Orba kept his mouth shut and wouldn't say another word. Gouwen understood that much. Despite this, he deliberately questioned him. And had gotten little from this Orba whose real intentions were impossible to read. Gouwen stared at him for a while, then, when he was about to open his mouth,

"Your Highness."

A soldier galloped up with so much vigour he seemed about to land at Orba's feet. The watch tower to the east of the landing port was in something of an uproar.

"What is it?"

Gouwen asked in Orba's place. However, his eyes almost immediately caught sight of the cause. In the now sunny sky, he thought that he could make out the shape of an air carrier which, accompanied by an escort of several airships, was coming down in altitude as it approached the landing port. On its flank, it bore the Mephian coat of arms.

When he saw the figure of the girl who was the first to alight from the ship, Gouwen muttered,

"So it's the imperial princess. They've sent no messenger either by post-horse nor by airship."

Followed by a group of maids, Ineli Mephius walked towards them. Her beautifully fair complexion and pale red lips were so completely out of place in this border fortress that the surrounding soldiers instinctively seemed to want to flee.

When Ineli noticed Orba – no, to her he was her step-brother, Crown Prince Gil – she waved her hand, smiling. With evident satisfaction at the surprised gazes she was gathering, she walked up to Orba and curtsied.

"It's been a long time, Your Highness, Crown Prince Gil. I am glad to find you so healthy."

"Ah", said Orba, without adding anything else. Ineli puffed her cheeks in a pout.

"Even though your cute little sister has travelled a great distance to come and surprise you, you act so coldly."

"Really?"

As far as Orba was concerned, still having to play the crown prince was nothing but a troublesome pain. A strange sense of weariness had enveloped his body and mind. Because of this, his manner was more brusque than usual. Patiently waiting, Ineli observed him from the side.

"Well now, really. It appears that Ax going as far as to personally attack the fortress wasn't just a rumour. Brother, how wonderful it is that you are safe and without a single injury. But did you not think what you did was very scary?"

"Yeah, true", as Gouwen gave his back a small shove, Orba grudgingly threw in some appropriate words. "......And, what’s your business?"

"What’s my business?"

Ineli's arrogant smile slipped for a moment and, with a casual sidelong glance, she looked towards the airship that was being prepared to be sent as reinforcement. The dragons were currently being loaded into the warship. At the front of the ship, a scattering of armed soldiers could be seen for the first time. Ineli's lips once more curled into a smile.

"But I thought that my brother would be lonely in this border land, so I came to visit in order to console him. Would those be the reinforcements being prepared for Garbera, I wonder?"

"Yeah."

Gil nodded and for some reason, Ineli's eyes laughingly lit up like those of a small child who had just thought of a mischievous prank.
"I see. Surely, the people of Garbera will be delighted."

"We are deeply touched that you took the trouble of travelling all the way here." Gouwen bowed. "It was truly kind of you to come to this distant place. I'm afraid that I don't know of any place that would be pleasing to Your Highness, but perhaps you would like to visit the citadel. Some of the soldiers can..."

"No. I want to have a look around by myself. By no means should you go to any trouble for me."

Ineli refused with a slight lifting of the hem of her skirt, then she and her group of attendant maids went to inspect the departure preparations. She looked all around the landing port. And her eyes met Vileena’s, who was also there.

She gave an acknowledgment in the direction of Garbera's princess. Ineli didn't halt her steps, so it was no more than a single nod. Immediately after and as though she couldn’t control herself anymore, the edge of her lips twitched and she lifted her shoes more quickly.

As Ineli's back receded in the distance, Theresia said bitterly,

"Well, what kind of manners are those? Princess, please do not lose your temper over it."

"Theresia is certainly uncompromising."

Even as she spoke, Vileena had a bad premonition. Since being taken hostage by Zaat Quark, princess Ineli was supposed to have remained secluded in her own room. Although Vileena had been worried about her health, upon seeing the imperial princess who had now suddenly come to Apta, rather than feeling relieved, Vileena remembered her strange coldness.

At about that time, the various commanding officers that Orba had personally selected had gathered the soldiers that they themselves had then chosen and had brought them to the Air Carrier landing port where, following Gouwen's instructions, they stood in orderly rows.

Directly before them, Orba had called over Gouwen and the mask-wearing Kain and, under the pretence of giving them encouragements, he was speaking to them in a low voice.

"Kain, just do whatever Gouwen tells you too. If upon seeing this ship Ende doesn't retreat, join up with the garrison at Zaim. Do not use the ship to attack. There are a few escort ships, you can send those out."

"U-understood."

Noticing that the departure was imminent, Vileena ran towards them with quick, light steps. The one she approached wasn't Orba but 'Kain pretending to be Orba'.

"Orba, may the fortunes of war be with you. I earnestly entrust Garbera to you."

"Ha, ha haaa..."

Of course, since it was Kain, who had never met the princess, he was strangely over-formal. At his response, Vileena's eyebrows gathered in a slight frown.

"That reminds me, has the prince had the chance to return the medal to you?"

"D-do I have the medal? I-I wonder...."

Kain fumbled about in confusion. He had never heard about any of this and felt like cursing Orba. Since the person in question didn't appear to feel like sending out a life-boat for him, he could only stare fixedly at the real ship.

At this, Shique came to his rescue.

"But of course, princess. It is a treasured lucky charm that saved his life on the occasion of the gladiatorial games. Isn't that right, Orba?"

"Ah, aah, right. That's right."

"So I was able to meet ''him'' again."

A new calamity stepped up. As if to ignore Vileena, Mephius' Imperial Princess Ineli smiled at the swordsman in the iron mask. On the receiving end of a sweet smile that in no way befitted her age, Kain was at a loss what to do.

But it seemed that Ineli would not detain "Orba" for long.

"Mephius' new Clovis, I have great expectations for your military achievements." After giving a ladylike curtsy, she fleetingly raised her eyes towards the tiger mask in an imploring glance. "Someday, let us meet to talk in a more leisurely manner."

Having said that, and as though to indicate that she had nothing further to do there, she and her maids left the air carrier's landing port.
Vileena, Shique and the others left behind involuntarily exchanged glances.

Chills he couldn't understand shook Kain's shoulders and made him shiver.

"Right, time to go!" Gouwen shouted.

A few moments later, they had boarded the cruiser and soon after that, as the eight ether-filled engines solemnly hummed, it rose from the landing port.

Unlike yesterday, today there was not a single cloud in the sky.

It was so blue that it felt like looking up at it stung Orba's eyes a little.

=== Part 2 ===

After overseeing the departure of the reinforcements, Gil Mephius secluded himself in his room. It was the same as during his first campaign. In order to defeat Ryucown in Zaim, he had for a while refused to see anyone.

''It seems he has a strange constitution: even though he is strong in battle, after it is over, his fever dies down and he is left prostrate'', people gossiped.

Since of course the way the drunken prince had stubbornly pointed a sword at general Oubary was also gossiped about, it was likely that his fiancée Vileena, or even Oubary himself, had given him a severe scolding, so he was probably sulking too. Speculation flew around both inside and out of the fortress.

"He is quick-witted but it looks like there is also a part of him which is very fragile."

"That person is still a child."

There were also other points of view. It was probably normal that people thought up all sorts of reasons to explain the difference between the prince who was called a fool and the prince as he was now.

Be that as it may, and even if he was just a child, Gil was above all else the lord of Apta castle and his secluding himself in his room caused trouble for a great many people.

Before long, Esmena Bazgan would arrive as an envoy for peace. But when Shique once asked what to do about the reception for her, all he said – and through the closed door at that – was: "I'll leave it to you."

Of course, he didn't meet with Ineli, who had travelled all the way from Solon, either. Since he didn't even come out at mealtimes, Ineli had only once seen the prince and that was when she had first arrived at Apta.

Ineli's personality was such that she could never be satisfied if she wasn't constantly the centre of attention. Naturally, she was angry. Her company of maids, who knew her temperament well, talked as though they might soon be returning, yet Ineli was displaying an unusual amount of fortitude and had already spent approximately two days in this boring Apta.

Above all, seeing that princess Vileena - who would normally have been the first to criticise such behaviour on the prince's part - seemed instead to be perplexed, far from being bored, Ineli felt her mood brighten.

Naturally, Ineli hadn't only come to Apta to give her brother a surprise. She had a reason for wanting to come here at all cost.

It was also related to her face-to-face meeting with Fedom Aulin in which she had rattled him. However, it wasn't simply to cause a scandal that she had said that the prince might be an impostor. It was a matter that stimulated her curiosity in its own right. However, it certainly wouldn't have been enough by itself for her to go out of her way to visit Apta.

Rather than prince Gil, Ileni's objective was,

''Vileena Owell''.

Whenever that name crossed to her mind, her usually rose-like smile turned as dangerous as the tip of a thorn. While it could be said that she had disliked her from the start, the reason why her hatred had grown so much was the drama of Zaat Quark's rebellion.

Ineli was taken hostage by Zaat and almost carried out of Solon by ship. And then, Vileena, piloting an airship, and Ineli's brother Gil, who was riding that ship, had quickly come after them.

Ineli couldn't forgive. Not Zaat, who had betrayed his country and who had, moreover, used her as a shield when he was cornered. No. The one thing above all others that Ineli could never forgive was that she had been seen by Princess Vileena to be bawling her eyes out with a gun shoved into her mouth, and that she had been saved by Vileena – and Gil's – intervention.

Ineli Mephius had locked herself away within Solon palace. After closing the door to her room, she hadn't let anyone in and had spent her days seeing almost no one. The people around her talked about how scary it must have been and how pitiable she was, however for Ineli, rather than fear, it was her injured pride and the thought that she had broken down that made her tremble.

Furthermore, if she took a step out of her room, she didn't know if she wouldn't run into the princess somewhere. And in that case, what kind of expression should she wear in front of the princess, what kind of things should she talk about with the princess?

''Thank you for back then''.

But did she want to thank her?

''To be able to pilot that airship through enemy fire must have taken a lot of courage''.

Would praising her in that way sound alright?

As she remained locked away, Ineli's heart sank into gloom. She was seized with the illusion that even the air that couldn't speak was sneering at her. Pride was Ineli's source of life. As long as someone praised her, as long as someone yearned for her, as long as someone offered her a love that asked for nothing in return, Ineli's path would continue to be bathed in light.

''No matter what it takes''.

At some point, the darkness that couldn't speak stopped mocking her, and the voice of Ineli's own heart whispered in its place.

''No matter what it takes, I won't let Vileena stay above me''.

Any kind of stage would do. She would prove that she surpassed Vileena – prove it to other people, but more importantly to satisfy herself – and as long as there was one stage on which she could prove it, it would do. Otherwise, she would no longer be able to conduct herself like Ineli Mephius. She would no longer be able to maintain the mask of the imperial princess that girls of her age admired.

And so, Ineli had applied to go to Apta. However, if it had just been a question of her complex, she might not have behaved so actively. It was strange to say but she had wondered for some time now if her brother Gil might not be an imposter. In other words, it was when her complex and her suspicions first came together that Ineli decided that it would be good to go to Apta.

''Brother has changed too completely''.

Her brother Gil had held in check the rebellion in Solon. If it had only been that one fact, one could have thought that just like his first campaign at Zaim Fortress and in order to promote the crown prince, the vassals had somehow done the work and then announced that Gil's feats had surpassed all expectations. However, Ineli had been watching carefully.

The Gil who had fearlessly confronted Zaat as the latter held a gun in hand was definitely a different person from the step-brother she knew. Even though their features were exactly the same. And then, when he had moreover been shot, her step-brother had faced Zaat and crushed his ambitions with his own hands.

''That is not Gil Mephius''.

As the days followed one after another, doubts turned into conviction. Who was he, where was the real Gil Mephius, and other such questions, she didn't know. But if Gil had truly been replaced, then absolutely no one other than her should reveal the secret.

Indeed, to say nothing of Gil's fiancée Vileena, she would accomplish what not even the chief vassals in Solon had been able to do. And when that day came, Ineli Mephius would surely be praised as a heroine.

"What seems to be the matter, Princess?"

Elsewhere, Vileena Owell was standing at a window looking out when her shoulders shivered a little.

"I thought I felt a chill."

"Oh dear. If you catch an illness from a place you are not used to, it could linger. Resting at once is..."

"No, don't worry." As she shook her head, she crossed the room. "I'm going out for a bit."

No sooner had she spoken than she vigorously flew out. Theresia's cry of "Please wait!" didn't reach her in time.

By hiding behind every pillar in the corridor, Vileena outmanoeuvred Theresia. From time to time, the princess tended to want to go out alone without any attendants or bodyguards. Even at Garbera's royal court, dramatic chases involving Theresia and a group of maids were a common occurrence. Since arriving at Apta and in case of an 'emergency', Vileena had crammed into her head the map of the inside of the fortress.

About ten minutes later, she turned her steps towards a place that was entirely unbecoming for a princess.

Thump, thump, thump; each time the dragons' galloping sounded, dust was tossed up and fluttered in the wind. In the open space beyond the fence, the dragoons' training was being carried out. From the dragon pen adjacent to that open space wafted the creatures' fishy stench. Let alone royalty, it was the kind of place that commoners would not willingly approach.

However on the other side of the fence was the figure of a slender woman. She was straddling a Tengo, a small-sized dragon suitable for riding, and was galloping at the front of a group of soldiers all riding the same breed of dragon. It looked like she was being chased by the uncouth men but in fact, she – Hou Ran – was instructing them.

That being said, she barely said a word. She went in silence as much as to say that she was only concerned with letting the dragons fly.

''Oh'', Vileena was unintentionally fascinated. So as to reduce the wind resistance even by a little, and also to avoid being shaken off by the dragons, the men riding the Tengo lay flat against their backs, whereas Hou Ran sat easily and comfortably, her posture leaning slightly forward. However, she was faster than anyone. The Tengo's feet kicked the ground as it raced forward, slicing through the wind. The circular motion when it turned was also light and sleek. As for the soldiers desperately trying to follow, whenever Ran's dragon drew a curve, they were almost shaken off left and right.

"Utter shit!"

A voice rang out, rebuking the men. It wasn't Ran's. Looking towards it, a woman was leaning against the fence, watching the practice. That fat shape belonged to Krau. Originally, she had been a female slave serving Zaj Haman, a wealthy merchant in Birac. Currently she was employed by prince Gil, who had purchased her skill at piloting air carriers.

She had apparently bought apple jam at the morning market and was shovelling a hard biscuit lavishly smeared with it into her mouth.
As Vileena approached her, with admirable speed she quickly hid the bag of food behind her back.

"M-Madam. This definitely isn't me being idle. The good people of Apta are taking care of maintenance on the air carriers, and of cleaning them inside too, er, everyone is doing it with good will, er, yes."

Of course, what Vileena didn't know was that every night, Krau would catch hold of soldiers and craftsmen and gamble at cards. When they had been fleeced from top to bottom, she would exempt them from paying a part of the money they had lost, but in exchange they would be made to check and clean the ships under Klau's instructions.

"I am not yet the Madam. You don't have to be so panicked."

"Then you won't tell the prince?"

Jam smeared around her mouth as she implored with upturned eyes, Krau's face was enough to induce unintentional laughter. However, Vileena deliberately kept a straight face and nodded.

"Of course not. More importantly, Krau, have you thought about our earlier conversation?"

"That earlier conversation, you mean..."

"The one about air carriers. I asked you if you would teach me how to manoeuvre those ships."

"Hmm", Krau crooked her thick neck. "Ah, no, of course I personally don't mind at all but what does your husband say about it? You never know when something might happen, and if it did, the ships need to be able to fly at any time, so we have to use ether sparingly."

While her reason for quibbling was plausible, "This is annoying" was written clearly on her face. Vileena felt that she should be offended but it was hard to hate someone whose face expressed things so clearly.

"Right. At ease!"

They heard Hou Ran's sharp voice. Ignoring the soldiers who had been shaken about by dragons that were several times harder to handle than horses and who were completely exhausted by their merciless teacher's strict coaching, Hou Ran's expression changed completely as she started looking after the dragons.

For some reason, Vileena's expression became tense. She hadn't originally come here to once again entreat Krau to teach how to steer a sky ship.
Vileena wasn't shy around strangers but this would be the first time that she had a face-to-face talk with Hou Ran. She was someone who was hard to grasp. Even more so than that prince.

''Ha!'' Spurring on her heart that had become timid, Vileena went over to where Hou Ran was.

"Miss Hou."

"Just 'Ran' is fine."

Ran spoke without turning around. She gave the dragons their feed, gently stroking the Tengos' necks.

Having had the wind taken out of her sails, with an "Hum, er..." and her head inclined, Vileena hesitated a little.

"What?"
[[File:Rakuin no Monshou v04 079.jpg|thumbnail]]
She demanded. As she approached, Vileena couldn't help but get the impression of a different kind of beauty from the elegance and refined demeanour that was so highly praised at Court. More than anything, her eyes that were reminiscent of a clear lake were what spontaneously captured Vileena's attention.

"W-well. I have something I want to talk about with you."

"With me."

Her voice was monotone, making it impossible to guess at her innermost thoughts. Somehow still undeterred, Vileena continued,

"Yes. The prince and you are close - or rather, it looks like you share a trusting relationship."

"The prince", Ran repeated in a mutter then nodded with conviction. "Ah, well, it wouldn't be strange if that's what it looks like."

"Wa, Wait, wait!" Krau, who had been listening – half curious, half nervous – to the exchange between the two, couldn't take it anymore and butted in, "Ran, watch how you talk. This is the princess of Garbera! The one who will become the prince's bride. Be a little...."

"It doesn't matter, Krau." Vileena stopped her. "... That prince is currently staying in his room. Does he often do this kind of thing? That is, after all, I always get irritated at the prince's behaviour, I get angry, or I scold him immediately, but every time, the prince brings about an outcome that leaves me astounded. Even if other people can't see it, he is always thinking about something. At the same time, I have come to believe that he is always suffering and worrying alone."

"......"

"But this time... I have the feeling that it's different from usual. And while it is embarrassing, I do not understand. So I thought that you who are close to the prince might be able to understand what is going on this time."

For a short while, Ran wordlessly continued to tend to the dragons. Krau, who was looking on, felt nervous as the silence dragged on.

"He isn't a child anymore." Ran said with her back still turned. "If there are things he thinks he needs to do, he will do them. Maybe at the moment, he doesn't think there is anything."

"But..."

The war with Taúlia was settled for the time being, reinforcements had been sent to Garbera; this time it was with Ende and perhaps even his own country of Mephius that there might be strife. In such a situation as the current one, it was impossible that there was nothing that needed to be done.

Perhaps realising Vileena's implied meaning, Ran turned her head – and only her head – towards her.

"If you think it's so strange, you should barge in uninvited and ask him directly."

"... If I do that, then I'll be the one who has failed. There are many ways to understand another person."

"If you can't ask the person himself then you had best leave well alone."

Even Vileena felt a little angry at her blunt way of speaking.

"Do you seriously think that way?"

"I don't know what she means by 'seriously'."

"This ''she''<ref> In the original text, this is the first time that Hou Ran directly addresses Vileena and she does so using "omae", which is normally a casual-to-rude way of saying "you" to a social equal or an inferior. In this case, given their respective social positions, it's very rude.</ref>, to whom do you refer?"

Vileena grimly narrowed her eyes, finally pushed too far. She had shown calm and tolerance in her way of speaking, but it went without saying that the title of Third Princess of Garbera wasn't something cheap to be looked down upon to that extent. Because it wasn't a problem that only concerned her.

Ran on the other hand was smiling faintly, and as for the dragon that she was stroking with her hand, one could only wonder what it was feeling as it had been ducking its head as though terrified for some time now.

Just as Krau, who could feel the explosive atmosphere, once again held her breath in nervous suspense, a dignified shadow approached.

=== Part 3 ===

"Oh my. Am I interrupting, I wonder?"

The one who come into view was another girl - Ineli Mephius.

"Your Imperial Highness."

Vileena was unable to conceal her surprise. In this kind of place, to meet this kind of opponent was something she had surely not expected.
As for Ineli, though she herself had expressly gone there, she openly displayed her discomfort at being near the dust and the dragons' stench. Covering her nose with her hand:

"Older Sister, may I speak with you a while?"

She took princess Vileena away from the dragon pen to somewhere more private. Probably because she had already lost interest, Hou Ran allowed the training to resume in the open grounds.

Once the two of them were alone, Vileena felt a little tense for different reasons than just before. Be it that time of the party for Mephius' Founding Festival, or at the time of Zaat's rebellion, or of course now that the two of them were alone, there was something similar.

''She seems to be doing surprisingly well''.

Vileena naturally did not have any illusions about the day Ineli descended upon Apta or on the meaning of the smile she was turning her way. She had had unconcealed hostility directed towards herself. The Ineli who now confronted her was thoroughly the same as before, but when it came down to it, she didn't know what kind of fight she would start this time.

Vileena mentally braced herself, however, Ineli said something unexpected.

"It would seem that Taúlia's princess, Lady Esmena Bazgan, will be arriving the day after tomorrow. With Brother in that state, he won't have the heart to receive her properly. Are you not also worried about it, Princess?"

"Y-yes."

"Of course, one cannot say His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince will be barricade himself against Lady Esmena the whole time. In addition, you, Older Sister, do not have any false pride, so..."

"So?"

"Would you entrust the reception to Ineli?"

Not for one moment could Vileena guess the real intentions behind this smilingly made request.

After that, Ineli put on such a vigorous display of work that it seemed hard to believe that she had secluded herself in Solon.

As the bombed-out Great Hall couldn't be used, she was quick to decide to that the party would be held in the barracks' ground floor hall and briskly gave the craftsmen instructions about the elegant decorations they were to start working on. From the castle, she had them bring the furnishings that had remained unscathed: ottomans, tables and such, as well as paintings and twilled cloth; then with an impeccable sense of balance, she rearranged them.

She chose the menu for the meals. Furthermore, she personally went to the wine cellars and, after carefully listening to the opinion of a person who was knowledgeable about the preferences of those from the Western regions, she selected several varieties of wine. As though suddenly thinking about it, she summoned the second-in-command of the Imperial Guards, Shique.

"I would like to have a sword dance performed in front of our guests from Taúlia. Would you be so kind as to select a number of skilled swordsmen", she ordered him.

In response to the sudden summons, Shique had merely adopted a respectful posture, but at this he abruptly scrutinised her face.

"You will also take part in the sword dance. It will be good if you put on a show as it will please our guests. I leave it to you."

It was an order that left no room for agreeing or disagreeing. The swordfight-loving Ineli had originally come to know of Shique during his time as a gladiator.

After that, Ineli gave orders to the civil servants and also to the townspeople to prepare for the reception.

Vileena could only watch as the preparations steadily advanced. Even though she was skilful at handling guns and airships, she was extremely poor in matters such as these. Above all else, Vileena was bad with things such as feasts or parties, and she was inexperienced at performing the host's duty of warmly welcoming everyone.

And so, since being the only one with nothing to do in the midst of busy surroundings was unbearable to her nature, she asked Ineli if there was anything she could do to help.

"Didn't you promise that you would entrust this to me?" Ineli asked in a loud voice to which she added a smile too alluring to fit her age.

"Older sister, it is alright for you to simply to be present when Lady Esmena is here. All the same, as the betrothed to the lord of this castle, it might also cause the other party to feel suspicious if the two of you don't appear together. It seems that Esmena Bazgan has never set a single out of Taúlia before. I am sure she would enjoy it if you were to tell her amusing stories about Garbera."

"A-amusing stories?"

After which, in her room, Vileena found herself in a bind, her head filled with worries about this and that. The princess had never considered something like whether or not she herself had a sense of humour. Theresia was unable to just watch and remain indifferent.

"Princess. An 'amusing story' does not have to be a story at which you hold your sides with laughter. It's quite alright if you talk about perfectly normal things. After all, they should be able to find enjoyment in a conversation that is simply about foreign cultures and manners."

However even with this advice, Vileena was incapable of doing things negligently and once she had convinced herself of that something had to be done in a certain way, she wasn't readily going to change that belief. With so many unfamiliar things around her, Theresia was worried that at any moment, she might have a spurt of mental growth so intense that she might develop a fever and collapse.

And like that, time passed in the blink of an eye until very little remained before Esmena's arrival.

During this time, prince Gil Mephius never once left his own room, and while Shique and the other Imperial Guards were worried about it, they could only practice the sword dance as they had been ordered to by Ineli.

Amidst all this turmoil, Oubary Bilan was the only one whose attitude was unconcerned. When an enemy wasn't threatening to break through the border but was instead warmly welcomed, there was another little that a man who, like him, relied on military arts could do. From morning onwards, he devoted himself to just drinking.

Whenever Oubary got drunk, those of his subordinates who were in attendance thought it was strange how he would stroke the wound on his cheek, saying "It hurts".

Other than the imperial prince, there was one other thing that Oubary couldn't stomach. The reinforcements for Garbera.

When Oubary first heard that the prince was organising them, he was in two minds about it. He still had a lingering affection for Garbera. As Noue Salzantes valued him more highly than his homeland of Mephius did, he had originally requested his help in making use of Zaat's plan. But now that the plan for Solon had failed and that he himself had also been sent as reinforcement, he felt like this time he would like to be the one to offer Noue a favour and put him in his debt.

However, he was well aware that his own country had no intention of sending reinforcements to Garbera. Because he had incurred the emperor's displeasure by disappearing at the time of Zaat's rebellion, the fact was that he wanted to avoid provoking Guhl Mephius' temper any further.

Thus Oubary, conflicted because of this dilemma, was irritated by his current circumstances of having spare time on his hands.

"I'm not the kind of man made to finish as a mere general!"

As Oubary repeated that as he stroked the wound on his cheek, the soldiers from the Black Armoured Division who kept him company felt deeply uncomfortable.

While the preparations in Apta were busily underway, Esmena Bazgan had crossed the border as soon as everything had finally been ready. As it was the first time she rode an air carrier, she admired every single part of the scenery below and her eyes shone like a little girl's.

"Air carriers are made from dragon fossils, aren't they?"

"Yes. The frame is made using metal refined from fossils. The backbones of maritime vessels are called 'keels', which is written with the characters for 'dragon' and 'skeleton', but these here are literally dragon bones."
<ref> That really is how you write "keel" in Japanese. I added the explanation about the characters since otherwise the line makes no sense in English.</ref>

"Then, the fact that it can fly, is it because the dragons' power still dwells in their bones that have been turned into fossils?"

"Ah, no", the ship's captain, who had been assigned the role of giving explanations, waved his hand for emphasis. "That it can fly in the sky is because it repulses the earth's magnetic field thanks to ether. The metal obtained from refining dragon bones is called dragonstone and is very light, which makes it extremely convenient to use for ships or airships."

On board the ship, Esmena looked around here, there and everywhere, latching on to anyone without a care, and asked them every detail about each new thing one by one. Not a single one of the people who dealt with her wore a troubled expression. It was the princess who was rumoured to be plagued with strange nightmares. It was touching to see that in Esmena's emaciated face that always wore an air of affliction, her eyes now sparkled with curiosity and liveliness.

The distance between Taúlia and Apta when travelling on a mid-sized air cruiser was no more than half a day's travel however. Before Esmena's curiosity about the sky could be satisfied, the airships welcoming them to Apta appeared to guide the ship.

When Esmena Bazgan alighted from the landing port, a large number of people were gathered in the open space beneath her. Hangings were raised in welcome and as the people of Apta waved their hands, Esmena shyly waved back.

The women of Taúlia exposed their skin as little as possible. From her head, she was covered with a scarf and the long train of the cloth wrapped around her entire body dragged as she walked. Many of the Mephians thought her figure exotic and here and there, sighs of admiration were heard from the crowd. Although for many years they had been bitter enemies – historically, Apta in particular had sustained many assaults from Taúlia – that on this occasion the guest was a young woman helped calm national sentiment.

While feeling nervous at being stared at as though about to be devoured, Esmena didn't forget to fleetingly observe the streets of the castle town. Everything her eyes now alighted on was new and dazzling. Even though it wasn't separated from Taúlia by any great distance, when she thought of a foreign country, she felt like even the indigo blue sky at dusk looked different from the one in her native land.

"Oh. Although I'd heard that the people of Mephius, all of them, were forced to live like slaves to the emperor, everyone here seems to be happy."

"P-Princess", next to her Natokk, the officer serving as escort, was shaken by a violent fit of coughing. "Please don't say something like that in front of the Mephian nobles."

"I am not wrong. Nobody taught me the truth."

Because the nineteen-year old Esmena was in some respects sophisticated, her smile was unclouded. The Taúlian soldiers attributed her flushed cheeks and misty eyes to her excitement at being in a foreign country for the first time, but that wasn't the whole reason.

Naturally, the imperial prince Gil Mephius was in Apta. From some reason, when she thought about that youth, Esmena was unable to calm down. Her heartbeat quickened, and once he appeared in her mind, his figure did not readily disappear from it. Even though she had only met him once in person, that figure had come to mind so many times after she went to bed and prevented her from sleeping.

Esmena's steps were light as she went along the way and her heart was exhilarated.

"You must be tired after your long journey, Lady Esmena. We, the subjects of Emperor Guhl Mephius, welcome you all."

It was not the crown prince who bowed to them in greeting at the entrance of the hall but a girl whom Esmena saw for the first time. She was introduced as Mephius' princess, Ineli Mephius, and Esmena hurriedly returned her greetings. As Ineli guided the guests into the hall, she said:
"We are grateful to you for the pains you took in coming here but my brother and the lord of Apta, Gil Mephius, is not well and is currently bedridden."

"Oh dear," Esmena's complexion was observed to cloud over with regret. "Is it quite bad?"

"The illness itself is no great thing. He is merely worried about transmitting it to our guests. Gil Mephius' message to you is that even though he isn't present, Princess, please enjoy yourself at your leisure." Ineli's tone never faltered. "If by good luck he should be feeling better tomorrow, he will pay you a visit to greet you properly, princess."

After which, Esmena was treated to a banquet held in the hall until she was quite worn out. The hurriedly prepared food and drink were ideal, and the military men from Taúlia, starting with Natokk, were amazed at the sword dance performed by Shique and his companions. After all, even if they were called Imperial Guards, they were former gladiators. Because they had a great deal of experience with taking part in performances within the arena, they crossed sword with such splendid timing that it seemed unbelievable that they had trained for it only for a day or two.

As Esmena watched half in fear, half in curiosity while the company of men wielded swords to the rhythm of a drum, Ineli smiled at her,

"As this is the best we can do in this border fortress, you must think more than ever that we of Mephius are unrefined. That this all the hospitality we can offer to a princess from Taúlia makes me feel quite ashamed."

"Not at all. I cannot thank you enough for the amazement you have given us, there isn't a single thing to be ashamed of. As for myself, it is my first time being on Mephian soil and it is so enjoyable that I feel like I will be carried away with all this merrymaking, so if in my ignorance I should do something to cause offence, please do not hold it against me."

Although Esmena had at first regretted the prince's absence, she soon started to have fun chatting with Ineli. The Mephian princess truly had a wealth of topics of conversation and knew of the ancient customs and history of Taúlia. When they talked about what they both liked, she gave the names of all the famous poets from the various Tauran provinces then she and Esmena recited verses they had memorised. Sitting with them was Vileena Owell, who after giving her greetings had remained almost entirely silent.

"Elder sister, which do you know?"

Even though Ineli suddenly asked her that, the princess hardly even knew the poets of her own native country of Garbera. "Er." She could only lower her eyes, feeling extremely bitter about her own lack of culture.

Wanting to take Vileena into consideration, Esmena smiled and brought up a new topic of conversation,

"I would very much like to hear about Garbera also."

Of course, she had mixed feelings towards the girl who would become Gil's lawful wife. However as Esmena was naturally not so foolish as to let those emotions show, not even her rival Vileena had any margin to grasp them.

With nervous look on her face, Vileena brought out the "interesting stories" she had prepared for the occasion. As the fourteen-year-old princess was unused to entertaining, she was also unused to the art of storytelling, and although it could have been charming, as she was extremely ill at ease, it was painful for the onlookers. Above all else, as she told her stories exactly as she had prepared them, her nervousness was transmitted to those around her, which was a bigger problem than the question of having a sense of humour.

From the moment she sensed the atmosphere around her, she snapped her mouth shut and barely opened it again.

On Ineli and Esmena's side of things, the more time they passed together, the closer they became.

"Tomorrow if the weather is fine, how about going down the river Yunos. Of course, I would go with you too."

"Yes, I look forward to it."

Even though there was no clear delineation, the river Yunos had always served as the border between Mephius and Taúlia. That the two princesses should have fun together by riding on the same boat was certainly significant - which is to say that Esmena cheerfully agreed to Ineli's implicit offer. For Esmena, who had few friends of her own age, this would also be a new experience.

Eventually the hour grew late and Esmena was guided to the guest drawing room. Seeing them off with a small bow, Ineli was conscious of Vileena's gaze at her back. As for her, ''this'' was her greatest victory. There was no doubt that she had accomplished what the Garberan princess could not. Not only that, but it was hugely significant that a princess from Mephius, which was often denigrated as boorish and rustic, had triumphed in this sphere over a princess from Garbera, the country of knights that happened to be known for its refined culture.

Vileena would certainly be distraught at her own powerlessness, Ineli thought as she smugly turned around.

And was surprised to find Vileena closer than she had expected.

"I was impressed."

"Eh?"

"There are many kinds of hardships. For me it would have been impossible to entertain lady Esmena without having her doubt me. I was saved thanks to lady Ineli being here."

"Is, is that so..."

While Ineli was strangely overawed, Garbera's princess nodded to herself a few times. She caught hold of her hand,

"By joining forces, we can overcome this difficulty."

In truth, Vileena was impressed from the bottom of her heart. Ineli felt somewhat embarrassed at having picked a quarrel and put herself on her guard this time.
[[File:Rakuin no Monshou v04 095.jpg|thumbnail]]

"Eh? Er, indeed."

Facing her, Ineli could barely maintain a smile.

''What is this?''

In her heart, she was of course astonished, and also disgusted. Vilena should have long since understood that she had tried to humiliate her at the time of the dance at the Founding Festival. They had exchanged hostile gazes. That they had been exactly like military commanders taking note of each other as they crossed swords had fired her determination.

''Hmph'',

Ineli inwardly felt contempt anew. This was because mentally she once more carried concealed a sense of superiority towards Vileena.

''It's because you believe that the reinforcements will reach Garbera that you can look so carefree''.

In other words, neither Gil nor the princess knew yet that sending reinforcements to the princess' native country was tantamount to defying the emperor. In all likelihood, those especially sent reinforcements would be prevented from travelling. Once they found out that Ineli had deliberately failed to disclose the emperor's message to her brother, she would watch as, in front of her very eyes, they tasted despair and the knowledge that their efforts had been vain.

''Honestly, how ridiculously naive. Even if you're good at handling an airship, you know nothing about something like a battle between women''.

Her feeling of satisfaction at her victory had had a little cold water poured over it, however for now at least she had regained her sense of self-importance. After this was...,

"Brother, isn't it?"

Ineli stealthily muttered in a low voice.

<noinclude>

===References and Translation Notes===
<references/>

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| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume4_Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume4_Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
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