BlazBlue:Spiral Shift - Hyokujin no Eiyu Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Promises and Vows / Listening

Part 1

There was a person walking at a quick pace down the long corridor. The wooden-floored corridor creaked as he stepped on it, but there was no sound of his footsteps as he was half running.

The unique attire that seemed to blend into the shadows, covering the entire body and even the head and most of the face with cloth of the same color, was the attire of a "Ninja", the ancient spies of the Ikaruga Federation.

It was night. The sun had already set and the area had been swallowed up by darkness. The ninja hurried noiselessly through the corridor that was dimly lit and visited the room.

This is Wadatsumi Castle.

This is the castle where Tenjō, the sole person who rules over the Ikaruga Federation, lives.

Then the ninja slipped in and kneeled down, behind the sliding door.

"My lord, I'm back."

“Come in."

The reply was immediate. The voice was quiet and composed.

The ninja replied briefly, then turned himself around and quickly went inside.

He closed the sliding door noiselessly and turned around to see that there was a place at the back of the room that was a few steps up, surrounded on all sides by a light brown bamboo screen.

Normally, all the blinds should be down and you can only get a faint glimpse of what's behind them, but now only the one in front has been lifted and you can see the figure of the person sitting behind it.

At the back of the boarded-up room, behind a bamboo screen, sitting on a chair waiting for the ninja was a person dressed in the distinctive Ikaruga garb with its generous sleeves. The black, white, and red tones of the garment gave off an air of nobility that stood apart from that of the average person.

Their long, waist-high purple hair flowed from her shoulders to her back like a glossy shoulder strap, reaching the floor besides her chair.

The posture was flawless. Lifting her hands slightly from her lap, the one named lord spoke to her kneeling subordinate spy.

“Your hard work is appreciated. Lift your face up. Report."

Their voice was clear and unhurried, but somehow lacked a sense of energy and vitality.

The ninja raised his head and saw the lords face for the first time in a long time.

There was no human face there. What was there instead was a white mask.

The male ninja had heard that it was to hide a large scar on their face from an old battle. Very few people had ever seen the lord’s true face. This ninja had also never seen it.

A white-faced figure with an unblemished and noble appearance. That was the lord, or in other words, Tenjō Amanohokosaka, who was the ruler of Ikaruga.

"The Nox Nyctores "Deus Machina: Nirvana" stored in the Sector Seven facility in the northeastern part of Ikaruga, has been seized by the Novus Orbis Librarium. It seems that a large-scale battle occurred at the facility and many people died."

The purple-haired figure, Tenjō, exhaled deeply, their chest rising and falling at the whimsical report.

The ninja continued.

“Relius Clover, who was in charge of analyzing the Nox Nyctores, is currently missing, and Nirvana's current location is unknown. Kokonoe of Sector Seven was also at the scene and was injured..."

Just as he was about to say something, a violent cough interrupted the Ninja’s words. It was Tenjō, bent over, holding their chest and coughing bitterly.

The Ninja hurriedly raised his hips. However, Tenjō sensed this and controlled their subordinate with their hand while still suffering and gasping in pain.

“C-Continue.”

“But...”

“I'm sorry to interrupt. No need to worry."

They then raised themself heavily and their voice was so muddy it was impossible not to worry.

However, if he was asked to continue, he would not be able to avoid doing so. Pushing aside the uneasiness that came to mind, the ninja straightened his posture once again.

“So, uhm... Professor Kokonoe, who was present at the scene, was also injured, but it is not life-threatening and she is currently being transported to the headquarters of Sector Seven. Also, as the lord can conjecture... a high density of seithr reaction was confirmed.”

The ninja spoke with uneasiness.

“...I see.”

After a full few seconds of pause, Tenjō also responded in uneasiness, then they closed their mouth again under the mask.

It was a thoughtful silence, but no one could see what Tenjō was thinking about, what their feelings were and what expression they were making.

Eventually, Tenjō looked at the Ninja from beneath their mask.

“Where is Bang?”

“The head is on a reconnaissance mission, my lord.”

“Tell him to come to me when he gets back.”

"Certainly!"

“You can go now. Get some rest."

The ninja remained on his knees, bowed deeply one last time and walked silently out of the room with the same swiftness with which he had come.

For a while after that, Tenjō was alone in the large wooden room.

After a certain while, they stood up slowly, their long purple hair shaking. They turned their feet to another sliding door, located on the opposite side of the one the ninja had left from.

They pulled open one of the sliding doors to enter the next room and then opened the sliding door at the far end to go further in.

There was a small bed on the floor. It was made of soft-colored wood and wrapped with a fluffy comforter and clean white sheets.

On top of it, a baby who probably couldn't even stand up on their own was sleeping peacefully.

Tenjō’s footsteps crept up to the baby's side and they peered into the bed. The baby seemed completely at ease and didn't seem to be awakened by the approaching presence.

Tenjō wondered if the baby was having a good dream.

Their soft lips moved in small gulps as if they were trying to eat something.

A lovely child. Their eyes and nose were clear and they would grow up to be beautiful one day. Their hair was soft and lush, still pale, but black.

(I think your face looks a lot like mine, now that I think about it, but it would seem your hair color is closer to your father. It's better that way.) Tenjō thought as she, that baby's mother, gently stroked the baby's head.

"For you, a life of hardships has been decided. If my wishes would be granted, I would have preferred that you live in tranquility, but..."

It’s beyond her power.

As she whispered to her, Tenjō seemed to regret leaving, but she still gently let go of their hand and sat up.

For a while, she stared at the baby's sleeping face, and then left the room.

Bang hadn't arrived yet when she went back to the room where she had met the ninja earlier.

As expected. However, if she were to be at leisure here, her reliable head ninja might rush in like the wind.

Before doing so... Tenjō went around to the back of the screened area.

There was a small sliding door that you can only enter by bending down. Tenjō walked through it and down the dimly lit corridor that led to it. The wooden floor was old and occasionally creaked under her weight.

Every time she took a step, it felt as if she was being separated, from the small sliding door that was gradually moving away and from the sleeping face on the other side of the door.

At the end of the corridor, an old wooden door was waiting. It opened in both directions, with a crest carved across the two doors. Standing in front of it, Tenjō quietly chanted something and touched the crest with a finger that peeked out from her generous sleeve.

Then the heavy-looking double doors moved by themselves and opened.

Just enough for one person to pass through. Just enough for a Tenjō to get through.

There was no hesitation now. She walked in, her lustrous purple hair fluttering. The door closed slowly and naturally, locking the area into darkness.

Soon, however, a small purple light appeared at Tenjō’s feet. It wasn't a room. It was a device. A lifting device.

When the device sensed the lord, it made a small cowering sound and started to move. Down, down, so far down that it seemed to go on forever. Eventually, the device carried the lord to the lowest level of the castle and opened its mouth again without anyones intervention.

What was there was a small room made into a perfect cube.

It was not really a room though, but a "space". No walls, no floor, but a place that clearly exists somehow.

Talismans were attached one by one to the part corresponding to the apex of the cube so as to surround it.

Tenjō stepped out into the empty space surrounded by the talisman and stopped right in the middle of the cube, then crawled her white palm over the empty space in front of her.

A fine bell-like sound was heard, and a vertical straight line of light was created in the space Tenjō touched with her hand. With that light as its boundary, the space opened to the left and right like a door.

As soon as she did, the scenery around her changed completely.

What surrounded Tenjō was not a space covered with protective charms, but a large room lined with thick pillars inscribed with what looked like ancient scripts.

A series of pipes and cords ran from the pillars up to the high ceiling, connecting to various devices that filled the walls.

In addition, all the pillars had sturdy-looking chains attached to them. At the end of the chains, there was something large suspended in the air.

It was shaped like an upside-down triangular pyramid. A metaphor for it would be a huge lynchpin.

The size was incomparable with that of Tenjō. It wasn’t something that a human can carry.

The blackish surface was smooth, with vaguely greenish glowing streaks running in all directions.

It was a relic of the past, discovered after the Dark War.

It is called "Kushinada's Lynchpin."

On top of the wedge hung a smaller one of a similar shape that seemed to follow. If the huge wedge was a lynchpin, then the smaller one on top of it was probably a nail.

The nail was also heavily sealed with a chain wrapped around it.

Tenjō looked up at the huge lynchpin and jumped like a feather towards it. The small leap softly lifted her body and carried her straight to the top of the lynchpins upper platform.

Silently, she landed on the Lynchpin of Kushinada. As soon as she did so, she saw that nail hanging above her, tied to the chain.

The nail was big if one might say. It was probably bigger than Tenjō’s body.

(I should stop. I shouldn't be thinking about it right now.)

Shaking off a sudden feeling of emotion, Tenjō looked up at the dangling nail and hurriedly removed her mask. Her face underneath, she was thin, gaunt, but beautiful.

Her skin was translucent white, and the blood in her cheeks was far gone.

It was not the beauty of life, but the beauty of death. The true face of Ikaruga was as beautiful as a dead woman.

There were no major scars anywhere, because that white mask was not meant to hide any scars.

Tenjō slowly lifted her eyelids and breathed in air that she hadn't felt in her lungs in a long time.

Her eyes were red. Like blood.

But soon, her blood-colored eyes flickered. A violent cough overflowed from her throat, shaking her whole body.

The whooping coughing that wrecked her lungs and tore her throat was due to the fact that her body was being poisoned by seithr. The mask was meant to hide Tenjō’s true identity and protect her weakened body from the seithr in the air.

It shouldn't be widely known. The broken body of Tenjō, that was on the brink of collapse. “Who” she really was.

But now, no one will see.

And for what she was about to do, any aspect that blocks even a small part of herself from the outside world is only a hindrance. The coughing finally subsided. Tenjō grabbed her chest and breathed heavily, trying to get her badly erratic breathing under control.

If she were to handle it too roughly, it would break.

"...It seems my "vessel" is about to reach its limit very soon. If I could, I would have stopped... “it” from coming back, but I can't anymore, I failed."

It's very hard to achieve anything with her current body. This is why the lord needed a vessel that could withstand for her purpose. For this reason, she sought out the Nox Nyctores "Deus Machina: Nirvana". To inject her soul into it and make it a new vessel.

But that, too, was now lost.

She doesn't have time. This body, this vessel, is in a state that could break at any moment.

So, this right now is the best she can do before her vessel becomes unable to do anything.

"A new 'order' is about to be born in this world. One day, the world will regain it. That’s why..."

As she spoke, Tenjō reached for the large nail hanging in front of her, as she touched it with both hands and pressed her forehead against it, avoiding the cold chains, the lord closed her eyes.

"Nox Nyctores... "Phoenix: Rettenjō". For the sake of when that time comes, I entrust my soul to you."

The moment she whispered, something like a heartbeat pulsated in Tenjō’s chest. It was as if a shockwave that was blinde for everyones eyes had struck her heart or even her soul.

But the shock soon wore off and Tenjō’s heart returned to its calm and serene state.

She quietly lifted her eyelids. It was dark all around and the sensation of something seeping in, like cold water, surrounded Tenjō’s senses.

(...I see 'myself' in front of me... I see 'myself' looking at 'myself' with a sad look.)

(A feeling as if I were looking into a mirror, but what I see here is not a mirror. It is a gap in matter and space. The inside and the outside of Rettenjō.)

Tenjō could no longer move a single finger. She was only conscious. She has no arms, no fingers, no mouth and no eyes.

She will never hold someone again. She won't be able to touch anyone anymore. If she won’t be able to talk to anyone. Nothing will see her.

(This never ending “Death”... It is such a sad thing. I'm sure it's much, much sadder than I could imagine right now.)

However, Tenjō’s heart was not in despair, it was infact in hope.

(But aside from me, the one who is closest to “Death”. My child... "Homura." Because “Life” was born, the possibility of ending this unfortunate world od death will also be born...”.

Without a voice, Tenjō spoke to the "self" standing on the other side.

(I believe in it. I will bet my all on that... "Possibility.")

It may or may not turn out the way she wants it to, but that is no longer in her hands. It is for those who will be born and grow up after this to find and choose.

(Goodbye... Homura.)

If only one wish would be granted, please let this child "live", no matter how much pain there is. No matter How much suffering there is.

With Tenjō’s wish, the connected chain flew vigorously high, as if something had pulled it up, then fell straight down with a sharp-pointed tip in high speed ── towards Kushinada's Lynchpin.

Higher and louder, the sound of clashing metal echoed through the air.

For a moment, something like a shockwave spread, but without destroying anything. The lowest level of Wadatsumi Castle was enveloped in silence.

The heavy chains that had restrained Rettenjō' were gone before she knew it.

The large nail was released and held in the air just before it touched Kushinada's Lynchpin, holding it still.

There was no sign of anything anymore.

She was staring at the scene and before she knew it, that white mask was covering her face. Keeping her face covered, she touched the nail that was standing still in front of her with the palm of her hand. At that moment, a red pattern appeared on the white mask that should have been empty.

The pattern was tinged with a liquid glow only once. Tenjō muttered under her red mask.

"...Well. I don't want to keep Bang waiting for too long."

The quiet tone of her voice quickly disappeared into the dimness of silence.

Turning around, Tenjō climbed down from the Kushinada's Lynchpin and headed back the way she came.

Her steps were unsteady and unaccustomed. It is like she was a doll that had just started to walk by herself.

Part 2

Night— At the frontline base in the jungle of the Ikaruga Federation.

Most of the guards had already finished dinner and the ones who were on late lookout duty began to fall asleep.

It was then. Suddenly, all the lights in the base went out.

“What in the hell?”

The battalion commander, who was enjoying his after-dinner coffee in his tent, hurriedly kicked over his chair.

He walked out of the commander's tent, spilling his still-hot coffee and feeling very angry, then the lights came back on without a moments hesitation.

The guard straightened his posture into a salute and replied.

"Sir! It seems that for a short time, the power supply has stopped. It's working fine now."

“Power outage?”

“Yes... The cause is unknown, sir.”

The battalion commander clicked his tongue in disapproval at the guards answer and walked back to his tent.

It didn't matter if the cause was unknown or not, as long as it was working. His priority was to get a new cup of coffee ready.

Part 3

At the exact same time, in the dark forest of night...

Honoka, who was gathering twigs with a handheld light, looked up when the light in his hand suddenly flickered.

He looked up at the night sky and gasped, opening his eyes wide as if he had noticed something.

The next moment, the light in Honoka's hand disappeared completely, and at the same time, a panicked voice came from a short distance away.

"Whoa!?"

“What’s the matter, what's wrong?"

It was one of the soldiers from the 9th squad who raised his voice.

Another soldier nearby turned around to see what was going on.

The one who suddenly spoke up stared at his outstretched hands and dropped his shoulders with a scowl.

"My Vigilance Ars Magus suddenly ran out in the middle of work. Shit, now I have to start all over again..."

For a brief moment, it felt as if seithr had completely disappeared.

Muttering and swearing, the soldier began to construct the Ars Magus again. It was an Ars Magus that alerts them when an unidentified entity is approaching them.

"You may be tired, but you're still in enemy territory. It's not safe here either. Don't let your guard down."

Grimwood slurped down a canteen of water and drank it when he called out to the extent that it didn’t interfere with the Ars Magus procedure.

They were in the middle of the forest, only a short distance from the dead bodies of Sector Seven’s research lab.

They hadn't yet met up with the Ars Magus Vessel to return to the main force. If they had, they would have been able to get to an open area in 30 minutes by jeep, but the jeep they relied on had been completely destroyed and is of course now useless. No one mentioned what had caused it, but everyone thought that it was most likely the work of those moving corpses. Above all, no one had the energy left to discuss the culprit.

It didn’t matter who it was. If they can’t move, they wouldn’t be able to leave the forest. That was the only thing that mattered and it was because of that fact that Grimwood and the rest of the 9th squad were preparing to camp, unable to move far from the laboratory where they had suffered so much.

"Honoka. Where's the firewood?"

Jin called out to Honoka when he spotted him standing there a little distance away. Honoka came to his senses and rushed over to him.

“I'm sorry, I found it. It's just this..."

"This won't last a night. Oh well, I'll look for more later. You can rest now."

He took a handful of dead branches from Honoka and placed a few of them in the small fire that was already flickering.

When they escaped from the laboratory, it was nighttime.

If the jeep hadn't been destroyed and if Karenjina had been able to use her Seagull, they would have been able to travel to a place where they could meet up with the Vessel without having to deal with the night. But now they had neither. All their vehicle opitions are out and Karenjina could no longer sense a rabbit a meter away without rest.

Looking at the burning twigs, Honoka bowed apologetically.

"I apologize. Now, if you'll pardon me."

Honoka, his valet, would have recommended that Jin, his boss, to take a rest, but Honoka seemed to have reached his limit. With staggering and unsteady steps, he collapsed into a sofa seat near the fire.

The sofa seat originally belonged to the jeep. When it became apparent that it had been destroyed beyond repair and that encampment was inevitable, Grimwood half-heartedly pulled it out of the jeep and set it down. Likewise, he dragged down a sofa from one of the other destroyed Librarium vehicles left behind from the battle before they arrived, so he was able to make enough beds for all of them.

Grimwood's dexterity with the battle axe and dismantling of the jeep and other vehicles was quite impressive and when Jin mentioned it to him, he smiled broadly with a hint of exhaustion and said that he might start work like that when the war was over.

Incidentally, Karenjina was already asleep in her leather-smelling bed, covered with a blanket, as if she had fainted. She was barely conscious until the moment she collapsed, though she might actually be in a state of unconsciousness now.

“Well then," said the soldier who had just finished applying the Vigilance Ars Magus, apologizing to Jin and slipping into the sofa seat.

Grimwood stood beside Jin as he lightly patted his subordinate on the back and sent him off to a simple bed to get some early rest.

"Are you sure you don't want to rest first? You're the one who's most worn out."

He said with concern, raising an eyebrow at his troubled face.

Jin nodded lightly. Grimwood was talking about watchkeeping.

They were going to spend the night in a place like this and no matter how many precautions they took with their Ars Magus, they never knew what might happen while they slept. That's why it was decided to set up lookouts in turn and Jin was one of the first to be nominated.

Jin split a long, thin branch in two and threw it into the fire.

"I'm too nervous to sleep anyway. I need you to leave me alone for a bit."

“Is that how it’s gonna be?”

“That's how it's gonna be. Just go to sleep. Your body is in the way when you're standing next to me."

When Jin said it plainly without even looking at him, Grimwood chuckled as he spewed. He patted Jin on the shoulder and turned away.

Dragging his strong, well-trained body, he sank into the sofa he had peeled off.

All of them, not to mention Jin, were badly worn out.

The air of repose has the effect of making the body aware of a great deal of fatigue. Lying on the couch, the members of the 9th squad soon stopped moving and deep slumber could be heard from every coach.

Jin turned to the fire that he had built for light and protection and pulled Yukianesa from beside him.

The night in the forest was quiet.

There were no sounds of animals, no sounds of insects. There were no signs of any presence other than their own. What he had said to Grimwood had not been out of strength or concern. He was indeed very tired, but right now he wanted to be alone with his thoughts rather than resting with the rest of the 9th squad.

The fire sparks scattered.

Jin looked up at the night sky.

He couldn't see the moon. That was convenient.

He hated the moon.

(...Still, I am glad we made it out safely.)

Leaning on Yukianesa as a staff, Jin exhaled from being tired.

As he recalled, it was a messy situation. They finally arrived at the site of the mission, where there were no allies or enemies, only the bodies of dead people and then all of them got up and started attacking them out of nowhere.

It was an unbelievable number to the point it was hard to believe that no one had lost their lives or even been seriously injured and then be able to return to the surface while being tangled up in all of that. He was also curious about the puppet master, who was controlling that many at once.

(...Ha...Unbelievable.)

Jin thought to himself.

He still couldn’t believe it, even though the crisis is over and he was now doing things like watching the fire.

It was not about that pile of dead bodies that bothered him though. It's about his own actions inside the lab. The moment where they reached the "Cauldron".

Looking at his hands with narrowed eyes, Jin pulled off the gloves he was wearing.

...A long time ago, Jin killed his 'brother'.

With these hands and with this sword.

The feeling of that moment was still firm in Jin's hand. He thrust Yukianesa's cold blade into his 'brother's' back as he fell, stumbling and screaming in anger.

After losing his brother and the home he grew up in, Jin was taken in by the Kisaragi family. Ever since then, Jin's life has had no meaning.

His 'brother' was everything to him. Everything about him had been established through his 'brother's existence'.

So the world without his 'brother' has no meaning and Jin's days have always been lacking without him. There was no desire for the environment around him. There were no expectations from the people around him. He thought he would just consume his remaining life span for a few more decades and eventually die for no reason.

But in that time. When he was surrounded by moving corpses in the basement. When Grimwood was alone.

For perhaps the first time, Jin wielded his power for... "friends".

To survive together...

As Jin watched the fire in his lamenting thoughts, he suddenly smelled a scent. Jin looked around and saw a flower blooming on a nearby tree. They were red flowers. Each one was large, probably as big as Jin's palm. He didn't know the name of the flowers.

But the color of the flowers reminded Jin of a girl.

A girl with the same hair color and unironically the same name as these red flowers.

The last time he saw the girl was at the port of an Ars Magus Vessel heading to Yabiko.

At the port, many of Jin’s classmates and juniors from the Academy had gathered to see him off. A little outside of the circle of these people, she was quietly looking at him.

She was not the kind of person who would push her way through a crowd of people. Jin looked her in the eye, received her troubled and sorrowful look instead of a farewell and planned to leave.

But just before he boarded the Vessel, her friends half-heartedly brought her before Jin.

He thought she was embarrassed and troubled, because she probably wasn't good at these kinds of occasions.

But as she looked back at her friend for help. She was still pushed forward and turned to Jin with big eyes filled with tears that looked like they were about to burst.

However, looking back at her friend asking for salvation, she was pushed forward and turned to Jin with big eyes that looked like they were about to burst into tears.

Amidst the expectations of good luck and success, and the concerns of injury and illness, she looks at Jin with the deepest sadness anyone could muster.

Her red lips were trembling. She was searching for words while being lost for them. She bit her lips and held back the tears that threatened to spill. Then she said it...

“Please 'live'... and return safely.”

That seemed to be all she had to say.

At that time, Jin simply thought that if he died, this girl would cry...

So he tried to reassure her with a little smile.

“I promise you, Tsubaki.”

With that, he boarded the Vessel.

Burnt twigs snapped and crumbled in the orange and fine sparks of fire fluttered in the air.

"...Promise, huh?"

As he plunged the new branch into the fire, Jin muttered to himself.

But before he could step into the swamp of sentimentality, Jin called out towards the back.

“What is it?"

"...You surprised me. I thought I'd erased my presence."

A voice came back, sounding impressed. It was Karenjina.

This time, she didn't pay attention to her presence and walked up to Jin's side.

“I'm taking over. Time to go."

Jin's eyebrows moved slightly when he was told. He felt a little clumsy. He didn't realize how long he had been seriously lost in thought.

“...I am still good to go."

He turned away from Karenjina and quickly put on the gloves he had removed.

As he tried to escape her gaze, Karenjina moved to the other side and looked down at Jin.

“You should get some rest, too. I'm fine now. Besides, I'm better at "spotting the enemy" than you are."

Karenjina said appealingly, as if she thought Jin was concerned about her health. Missing the point, Jin ignored the brown-skinned female mercenary.

An exasperated sigh fell from her lips. Jin expected her to just walk away, but Karenjina betrayed his expectation and sat down next to him.

With her chin resting on her lap, Karenjina gazed at the small bonfire. The flames that lit up her deep blue eyes looked rather wondrous.

“...Thanks.”

After a few moments of silence, Karenjina spoke.

"We're sleeping alive tonight because of you. If it weren't for you, we'd all be dead in that basement. So, thank you..."

She says it in a softer tone than usual.

Jin peeked at the person next to him for a moment. At the same time, Karenjina turned to look at him.

Their gazes collided and it was awkward for both of them, so averted them almost simultaneously.

“You don't have to thank me."

When Jin replied curtly, Karenjina raised her body and looked up as if she was trying to mend her usual tone.

“I haven't forgiven you for calling me a 'shit,' though."

After he was told, Jin remembered that he might have said something like that. It surely would have been a surprise to his juniors at the academy to hear him use language like that towards someone.

“I don't remember that.”

"Hm...Feigning indifference. That's just like you."

She sniffed in frustration and rested her cheek on her lap. Looking at the flames, she chuckled lightly. The tickling tone of her voice made Jin's mouth unconsciously break into a smile.

“Oh.”

Immediately, Karenjina shouted in surprise.

“What is it?

"No, It's- ...I guess even you can laugh. First time seeing that side of you."

She said with a look of deep surprise on her face.

Immediately, Jin pulled back his smile and raised an eyebrow. He must have relaxed his mind without even realizing. It's a little embarrassing for him to have his carelessness pointed out like that. Jin closed his mouth and there was silence again. The person from his side seemed much softer and calmer than usual.

The fire flickered. The night sky was distant and silent as the dancing sparks of fire were sucked in.

Karenjina rested her shoulders and took a deep breath. It was as if she was trying to let out all the energy she has been holding in.

“But this time it was really bad. Really a miracle that we survived down there."

After a short pause, Jin affirmed with an attentive gesture and replied, "Yeah, that’s right.”

He used short words as an answer, but inwardly he was holding a greater agreement than words.

It was true that Jin's work led to their survival. But if Jin had made a different decision or if he had already used up all of his power, they wouldn't be here tonight.

Karenjina was right, what happened in the basement was indeed, to use her words, incredibly "bad".

There were a few things that were stuck in Jin's mind.

Why did the Puppet Master leave this necromancer doll behind when there were no survivors left on the side of the Librarium or Sector Seven? It's as if they knew in advance that someone would come after this.

And those corpses had waited until Jin and the others had entered the deepest room in the basement before moving. It was as if they had been waiting for them to advance to a position where they could surround them.

(Were we ambushed?)

The situation might have to many holes to fill yet to determine that this was the case. But Jin, who was standing in the middle of all of this, was convinced of the ambush by his gut. They've been waiting for them. He could feel it.

But how did they manage to ambush them? Did they get word that Jin's squad was the only one delayed? Was that why they had set up the trap, knowing that the rest of the squad was coming?

For what purpose?

No, to begin with.

For “whom” was the arrangement?

Jin? Grimwood? The 9th Squad itself? Or else...

“Did you say something?"

Karenjina, who couldn't hear Jin's mumbling, turned to Jin as she threw a twig,too small to be used as firewood, into the fire.

Jin shook his head lightly.

"No, it's nothing."

He didn't want to cause unnecessary confusion by spreading uncertain doubts. If he was going to talk about it, it would be better to do it some other time.

Karenjina smiled bitterly at his curt attitude of not looking at her. She seemed to have gotten used to his deliberate lack of interest in her.

After waiting for Karenjina to gaze to the fire, Jin asked abruptly.

"What are you fighting for?"

When he pushed the disturbing doubts to the corner of his mind, an inexplicable question arose instead.

He thought it was a casual question, but Karenjina blinked a few times with a puzzled look on her face.

“I never thought you'd ask me that kind of question..."

“What do you mean? There isn't really a deep meaning to it."

It was Jin himself who chose his usual attitude, but when everyone feels surprised every time at it, he felt uncomfortable. Karenjina on the other hand was always poking at Jin with hostility, but tonight she had no stabs in her attitude.

Was it because of the fire? For some reason, Jin thought so.

Next to him, Karenjina rested her cheek on her knee again.

"I'm a mercenary and there is only one reason for mercenaries to participate in the war. Money."

“I didn't know that. That is why I asked.”

“Huh? What do you think you know about me?”

“Nothing much.”

I don't know anything. That's why I ask.

Jin waited for Karenjina's words, not coldly and without disrespect.

Karenjina was silent for a moment, then whispered to the flickering campfire.

"...It's about revenge."

He hadn't intended to turn around, but at the unexpected words, Jin couldn't help but look at Karenjina. With her beautiful blue eyes, she shimmered in the light of the fire.

"My drive ability is... 'Seagull'. It is not something I was born with. It is an acquired trait."

There are two types of people who have the ability to use a Drive. There are those who are born with the right qualities and power and as they grow, their power gets active. Then there are those who suddenly awaken it one day for some reason. A Drive is considered to be an ability that comes from the soul of an individual. For example, let's say a Drive is stored in a box. If the box is unlocked and the lid opens naturally over time to reveal the Drive inside, the latter is like the key unexpectedly bursting out of nowhere and the Drive flying out from inside.

Karenjina picked up a branch and continued onward, playing with it.

“I was born in a poor family. When I was still a child, I was bought by a research facility, where there were many 'friends' who came from similar backgrounds. There we became... laboratory animals."

The emotions were fading from Karenjina’s voice as she spoke, as if the fire was dying out along with them. She was always energetic and emotional up to now, so her sudden tone switch comes as somewhat frightening across.

At the facility, Karenjina and her friends were used for various experiments on a daily basis. They were repeatedly subjected to things that were not meant to be forced upon humans. Karenjina did not know what the experiments were for.

However, when most of her friends were disposed of due to their inability to endure the experiments, Karenjina suddenly awakened to her Drive ability.

“This power was the worst. After I got it, I was locked in a room and there was nothing I could do about it. I could hear them consulting about me to use me for their experiments. I could see from a long way off that the researcher who was going to make me suffer through unpleasant things coming this way. But this wasn't the actual hell, I was more afraid that my friends' voices would fade away. I felt myself becoming more and more 'alone'."

One day, she would be the last one. This was the greatest fear of the young Karenjina and it became reality.

The days continued, but one day...

The research facility where Karenjina was working was attacked by a certain mercenary group.

"I was in a room that looked like a prison and then... Grimwood found me.”

Karenjina had a smile on her face as she mentioned the name of the man who was now leading them as their reliable captain.

For her, affection, repose, joy and pleasure were accompanied by his name. Even if she didn't say it, Jin could somehow sense it from her expression.

Feeling like he shouldn't touch that part so casually, Jin asked something else.

“It was a research facility under Sector Seven?”

Is that why she was cooperating as a mercenary with the Librarium that antagonized Sector Seven? Jin's hypothesis was immediately rejected by Karenjina, who shrugged her shoulders.

"It seems that it was a facility of "someone" that neither belonged to Sector Seven nor The Librarium. I don't know their name, but it seems that they were researching the 'soul '."

She guessed she was somehow influenced by that research to awaken to her Drive ability. That's what Karenjina said.

"Is this revenge directed at that 'someone'...?"

Jin's face twisted in a quizzical manner. They used her for experiments and killed her friends. Whether it's an organization or an individual, that's who Karenjina would have to want to take revenge on.

But Karenjina shook her head to the side. Her lips hung up in a wry smile.

“No, no. I have nothing against the research facility. I'm sorry if I misled you, but I was 'sold' to the facility, not 'bought' by them. I sold myself."

“What?”

“I sold myself to the institution.”

When Jin asked again, Karenjina pulled her lips into a light grin and smiled.

“I had two parents and two younger brothers. Life was hard, but I was happy to be with my family. But then the war... The Ikaruga Civil War started and my parents got caught up in it and died. I had to protect my two younger brothers somehow.”

That’s why... she sold herself?

“That in itself was not a big deal.” Karenjina said calmly.

"My family, my two brothers, were the ones I wanted to protect, not a single thought went into my wellbeing, even if I had to led myself get reduced to an animal for researchers."

Her brothers. These words brought back childhood memories to Jin's mind. Jin had an older brother. He had a sister. But now, he had neither.

Karenjina’s eyes narrowed as she spoke.

“...After being rescued by Grimwood, I quickly returned to my house. But there was no one there anymore. It was just wilderness and no trace of it was left behind. I don't know what happened to my brothers."

"Our house was located in..." Karenjina voice seemed to fade upon revealing this. "In the 5th Hierarchical City of Ibukido."

(Ibukido-!)

During the civil war, a research facility set out a massive explosion and left Ibukido in the state it is now apparently. Though depending on who you asked, the reason for a entire Hierarchical City to be wiped are plenty. Before leaving for the frontline base, Jin stopped by at Ibukido on his way to Yabiko. The area where he engaged the Red Devil should be the location of the facility where the accident occurred.

That is where Karenjina’s brothers probably died. After all, they say that only one single girl survived the destruction of Ibukido.

"So I asked Grimwood to let me fight. To fight for revenge!”

Who or what is this revenge against? Jin had a suspicion.

Karenjina is seeking revenge on the one who took her family from her. It's not the research facility that used her as a lab animal and it's not the Ikaruga Federation or the Librarium.

"My revenge is to end this stupid 'war'."

Because war has taken everything away. The existence of this war was unforgivable to her. The word determination is not so easy to use. More like, it seems as if there were any margin for a different choice for Karenjina, her blood would freeze and her heart would stop. That was the kind of determination she had.

Karenjina fluttered her eyelids once and then turned her entire upper body to face Jin. Her dark blue eyes looked much like those of a wild predator.

“Why are you fighting?"

"Huh?"

"For the Kisaragi family? Or for the Librarium?"

“I'm..."

"Before, I thought you were fighting for something as simple as that. But now, I don't think you are 'that kind of Jin'."

As if the answer she sought was already there, Karenjina stared into Jin's eyes. They didn't look like the eyes of a human looking at another human. They were not that complicated and murky. They were pure and beautiful.

Why do you fight? Jin thought to himself when asked by Karenjina.

It wasn't for the Kisaragi family. It wasn't for the sake of the Librarium. He thought that he was just a residue of life, walking the path laid out by a flimsy name.

But now... for Jin of the "now" as Karenjina calls it.

“There is a... promise."

"Promise?"

“I'm gonna make it back alive.”

That's what I promised. To the girl with the name of that flower.

The promise to her meant something a little special to Jin.

(After all, I would hate to swallow a thousand needles...)

"The promise I shredded my little finger for on that childhood day is probably still valid..." Jin mumbled that so no one could hear it.

If you lie, they will make you swallow them.

“So why don't you help us out?"

A third voice came from behind her. Karenjina jumped up and looked back at where the deep voice echoed from with power. A voice so powerful, even though it was kept low so as not to wake the others.

"Grimwood, since when!"

"You have finally come out. You've been eavesdropping for too long."

When Karenjina panicked, Jin sighed and turned his head astoundedly. Karenjina was dismayed by this as well.

“It seems that even our vaunted Seagull can't sense everything all the time.” When Jin chuckled, Karenjina’s ears flared.

“Haha, so I've been noticed. My bad."

Smiling at their exchange, Grimwood comes over, raising his hand to soothe Karenjina.

As he walked up to the fire, Jin saw the color of the flames reflected on his strong body. His smiling, fearless face took on a rather disturbing air, perhaps due to the shadows cast by the flames.

"Jin Kisaragi. You have 'power'. Please lend it to me."

The voice that announced it was full of energy, even more so than the expression on his face.

A thin piece of firewood burns in the fire. The scattered sparks of the fire flutter in the night wind.

Jin stood up and faced Grimwood head-on. There was no smile there anymore. Not for Jin, not for Grimwood.

“What are you going to do with it?"

The moment he asked, he felt his chest beating faster.

Grimwood answered without hesitation. With eyes that were far too serious to speak of dreams and ideals.

"Jin. Let's end this war."

Part 4

A rough sound echoed through the office at night.

“You gotta be kidding me! What the hell is going on!?”

With a swung of his fist slamming down on his own desk, Kagura yelled at the man standing in front of him.

The man who was being shouted at reflexively cramped and took a step back as he was hit head-on with a sense of intimidation that can almost be seen as violent. He was wearing the uniform of a Librarium guard and had just arrived from Headquarters as a messenger.

Kagura's fists that swang downwards were still shaking with anger. Thereunder a cracking noise was heard that came from the desk broken in half.

“I'm sorry, but it's an imperial decree of the NOL Headquarters.”

Perhaps seeing himself in the destroyed desk, the guard desperately appealed in a thin, trembling voice.

"Imperial decree?"

Kagura's eyes stared at him. It was enough to make the guard freeze like a weak frog, unable to even speak.

Without a second thought, Kagura kicked his now broken desk with even more strength this time. There was a loud cracking sound and naturally, the desk completely shattered. But that didn't stop Kagura from shaking his head wildly and growling in frustration.

"Are they fucking kidding me!! What are they thinking... haven't we killed enough!??”

Instead of Kagura, who couldn't keep his cool anymore, Hibiki, his secretary, picked up a document that had been thrown on the floor after Kagura's rampage. It was an order brought by the guard in form of just a piece of paper.

It stated that they should quickly take down Wadatsumi Castle, the centerbase of the Ikaruga Federation.

A deep forest spread out in the territory of the Ikaruga Federation. The frontline base of the Novus Orbis Librarium stretched out in the middle of it.

It was on the evening of the day after the nightmarish event that Jin and the 9th squadron returned to the city aboard their Ars Magus Vessel.

Against the backdrop of the western sky, where the sun was swelling up, they descended to their familiar base, a place they would consider their home at this point.

The inside of the base was looking rather hectic, even though there was no siren sounding for the sortie.

Several soldiers are gathering supplies and spare equipment, which are usually left spread out in just one place to some extent. In another area, a large number of weapons were being spread out and inspected, while in a communications tent, hurried guards were busily coming and going, occasionally bumping into each other.

It was different from usual. That much was obvious at first glance.

One of the guards jumped out from the side of the vessel and hurried towards the commander's tent. Quickly, Jin grabbed his arm and forcibly stopped him.

“What's going on?”

"Huh? Oh, the 9th squad. You still hadn't heard? We got an imperial decree this morning."

"Imperial decree? From NOL Headquarters?"

This is something they indeed haven't heard. Grimwood stepped forward with his beloved axe in his hand.

The guard who had been halted by Jin was slightly pressured by him and Grimwood, but he told him quickly.

“I haven't heard the details either, but I'm told that we are to take down 'Wadatsumi Castle' immediately."

“Huh...?”

Jin couldn't help but reply in an absent-minded voice. The guards words didn't enter his head as quickly as they should have.

After escaping from Jin's hands, the guard man bowed his head, holding a piece of paper with the message on it.

“I'll hurry up now.”

With that, he hurriedly ran to the battalion commander's tent.

Jin couldn't help but look away with a look of confusion on his face.

There is a civil war going on right now. In order to bring it under control, they will eventually seize the leader of the Ikaruga Federation. For that reason, he could understand why they were attacking Wadatsumi Castle.

But what he didn’t know is the time.

The war situation is not in any way dominated by the Librarium. In fact, just yesterday, they lost a large number of soldiers at Sector Seven's laboratory.

It's not like they have a formation in place to take down Wadatsumi Castle. It was too abrupt, too far-fetched for a plan.

Even so, it is said that it is a direct command from NOL Headquarters, which is the pinnacle of the Librarium, and by extension, its ruler, the Imperator.

"Foolishness... It's too sudden no matter how you look at it. The schedule should still be ahead."

With his thick eyebrows furrowed and deep wrinkles etched, Grimwood stared into the void and muttered in a hushed voice.

There was no time to lose. He ran up to Karenjina with an urgent look on his face.

“Let’s get in touch right away.”

With that instruction, Grimwood ran deeper into the base.

Jin and the others hobbled to the tent of their squad, carrying the expedition's luggage.

Grimwood knows that there is “something” behind this war. Karenjina also knew from what Grimwood had told her. The other soldiers in the squad seemed to have heard of it too, judging by the expressions on their faces.

Now, Jin knows.

The story he had heard last night around the small campfire was going around in Jin's mind like a signal.

— To end the war.

This was a rather important confession, but Grimwood's words were confusing to Jin. 　 Feeling the heat from the small fire on one cheek, Jin looked up at the large man in front of him with a dubious expression on his face.

“...End the war? Yeah, I guess so. There's no reason to oppose it. It's what we're fighting for."

In order to end the war with a victory for the Librarium, he will go to war when ordered, no matter if it is late at night or early in the morning. It is his duty as a soldier.

“I didn't realize you were so green, you idealistic giant."

Jin said in a dumbfounded tone, as if he was making fun of him.

But Grimwood's question was in this serious tone, you could only take it for honesty.

"Well, listen. Jin, if this war were to end, when do you think it would be?"

The large man, his face painted in two colors, the darkness of the night and the burning orange of the fire, was not offended by Jin's agitated tone, nor did he waver in the slightest.

It seems that he had some serious intentions. Reading that, Jin once again, inhaled deeply into the night air.

In the middle of the forest, a decaying laboratory nearby, their friends sleeping exhausted around us, and a burning twig.

The exhaustion that was weighing him down was no longer in the forefront of his mind. He was more concerned about what Grimwood was trying to tell him.

Jin thought quietly in the silence of the night.

“...We have been ordered to annihilate The Ikaruga Federation. Peace negotiations and surrender are unacceptable. Therefore, if the war is to end, it will be when we take the head of Ikaruga’s former head, Tenjō."

Grimwood nodded deeply, "Yes, that's the general gist.”

“But as you know, Wadatsumi Castle, where Tenjō is located, is protected by a special battle formation. If you want to invade it, you have to break the encirclement first and the castle must have an adequate number of troops.”

After all, their leader, Tenjō, is there. If they lost them, they would be defeated. It would not be a half-hearted defense. An easy invasion would cause considerable damage to both sides. In order to defeat Tenjō and win the war, careful preparation and information gathering are essential. However, at this point, the Librarium was probably not prepared to do so.

“I don't have any proof, but I have a feeling that the Librarium is not really planning to bring down the castle. It's more like they're deliberately not dropping it."

If the Librarium really wanted to attack the castle, it would be ready and able to bring it down immediately. However, the Librarium will not do so.

It's not that they were not prepared to attack. It's that they not dare to do so.

Jin slid his gaze across the room and pondered. It's not that he didn't feel what Grimwood was talking about. He often felt uncomfortable with the attitude of the Librarium towards the civil war.

In the past, this would not have been much of a concern for him. He thought it didn't matter what the Librarium had in mind.

But now, that he remembered his little verbal agreement with that certain girl, he felt a little differently.

If the war drags on like this, that girl might end up being a soldier in this war someday. She admired Jin and even followed him to become a guard of the Librarium. Surely, she would aspire to fight in the same way and same war.

He wanted to avoid that.

He didn't want to dip her feet in this shallow, trivial quagmire.

"Even if you're right, why don't they drop the castle and try to end the civil war? What benefit would that be to the Librarium?"

Jin glared at Grimwood with a sharp stare.

There is no reason to continue a war when there is no profit in it. Something has to be done.

Grimwood thought for a few seconds and opened his mouth.

“Jin. You're the next head of the Kisaragi family, right?”

“That's how it's supposed to be, yes, and?"

"The Duodecim exist for the sake of the Imperator. One question, have you ever met the Imperator?"

Why did he suddenly bring up the subject of the Duodecim and the Imperator? Jin shook his head as he wondered.

“No, we've never met."

Then Karenjina, who realized Grimwood's intentions, jumped in front of the big man and held out her hands as if to stop him.

"Grimwood, no more!"

Grimwood stopped Karenjina’s words with a hand as she tried to stop him. The bright, youthful grass-colored eyes that looked at Jin were filled with a glint of light that matched their gentle hue.

"I will tell you now. The head of the Ikaruga Federation, Tenjō Amanohokosaka...

They are the head of the Novus Orbis Librarium, the Imperator.”

For a moment, Jin could not understand Grimwood's words.

He thought he must have a dumb look on his face right now. He couldn't find any words to say, but tried to say something. He opened his mouth halfway and was appalled.

“It's... That's not right. That can't be..."

The words he finally managed to squeeze out were such a cliché.

The Ikaruga Civil War began as a rebellion by the Ikaruga Federation against the Librarium.

The head of the Federation and the ringleader of the rebellion is Tenjō.

And the Imperator is the supreme head of the Librarium who ordered to take it down.

If they are the same person, then who is the Ikaruga Federation opposing and who is the Librarium being revolted by?

Grimwood nodded firmly.

"Yes, there's something fundamentally wrong here. This war is a farce. That's why we think there is 'someone' who is deliberately causing this war and in addition, is working in the dark to take away all forms of convergence.”

"Someone."

The one who established this crazy war and is stalling its end without giving either side a decisive victory.

Grimwood frowned sternly and said with a hint of indignation.

“The Ikaruga Civil War is not a “war”, it's a “farce” where “someone” is delaying the end of the war for some purpose. The war will not end even if we continue to fight as instructed by our superiors. “Someone” else's goal will be accomplished here."

And when "someone's" purpose is complete, the farce will be thrown out, having served no purpose. The pain, suffering, and sorrow will be thrown away, leaving them scattered on the stage.

"So I'm going to destroy that 'someone's' purpose."

If the reason for continuing the war is the purpose of some unknown person, then once that purpose is lost, there will be no reason to continue the war. That was the simple point Grimwood was trying to make.

Simple, but impractical.

It has not been proven here that Tenjō and the Imperator are really the same entity, nor have they identified the "someone" who wants to prolong the civil war. If there is someone, they don't even know if they have a real purpose as Grimwood says.

And yet, if nothing is done, the war will continue as it is. The death toll will be even higher than it is now. Maybe even unwittingly supporting someone else's shallow desires.

“It's up to you whether you believe what I say or not. I'd absolutely like to borrow your power, but I won't force you."

Grimwood calmly told Jin, who remained silent. He huffed and puffed, then he slapped himself hard on the chest with his wide hand.

“If you trust me, I'll tell you how to end the war.”

Let's give a blow to "the one" who is taking advantage of this situation. We're no puppets.

With that said, Grimwood grinned.

Jin looked back quietly. After all, he had not said whether he would cooperate or not this night.

"To end the war."

Jin kept thinking about the conversation he had had with Grimwood last night.

Back at the 9th squad's tent, with nothing better to do, he sat in a chair in the corner and continued to stare at a point in the sky and think. He didn’t think he could trust Grimwood's story in its entirety. but that didn’t mean that he could fully trust the Librarium. In the first place, Jin doesn't trust anyone, because he can't.

So the important thing here is not who or what to trust. It's what Jin himself decides he should do.

(What Should I do... What the hell for? Now it is to end the war, right?)

"Lieutenant Kisaragi?"

When he was suddenly called out, Jin looked up with a gasp.

Honoka was coming right next to him. From the expression on the boy's face, it could be inferred as he gently peeked at Jin that he had a very grim look on his face.

“What's wrong?"

He asked, and Honoka held out a plastic cup. There was warm black tea inside, and a faint scent of lemon.

"...Nothing."

Honoka smiled in relief as he took the cup and sipped it, then passed the tea around to the other people in the tent.

(It's the war.)

If it had not been for this civil war, the boy would not have been sent to this place.

He took a small sip of tea, which was a little astringent.

Then he heard a crunching sound as the entrance to the tent was flung open. Immediately, Grimwood came stumbling in with a hurried and clumsy gesture.

“Is everyone here?”

At the sound of Grimwood's taut voice, everyone in the tent turned and stood up. Jin recognized his voice and his mood immediately. It was work.

Grimwood's face twisted grimly as he waited for everyone's eyes to focus on him.

“Listen up. A new operation is about to begin. The target is Wadatsumi Castle. We will push the front line right up to the castle."

"Wadatsumi Castle? Wait, is that the imperial decree we just heard about?"

Taking a step forward, Karenjina spoke up.

Grimwood looked towards her and nodded.

“All units are being mobilized for a large-scale invasion. The commander-in-chief is Colonel Kagura Mutsuki."

Jin's eyebrows rose at the familiar name. He knew immediately that this was not Kagura's idea of a plan. Even so, he felt he could hear the rage of Kagura, who had been thrown into command as commander-in-chief.

Grimwood sighed loudly.

“The operation starts in six hours. Everyone be ready."

“Six hours? Are you serious? Even though it's such a big operation?"

Honoka was the one who asked back in an upturned voice, the other soldiers were just as dazed by this surprise. How much preparation can be done in just six hours? And it was night. This was a poorly lit encampment.

"Six hours."

Grimwood repeated once more with a pained expression on his face. Taking the upset in stride, Karenjina shook her head weakly.

"That's crazy and will absolutely fail!"

Jin agreed with her on that. He doesn't see that deep thought that went into this mission. What's the advantage of launching from this base in six hours?

They didn't even know where the Federation troops were camped beyond the forest. They also needed to find out if there were any enemy soldiers in the forest. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed to him that this was just an operation to force a breakthrough by putting all the manpower they have at their disposal immediately. This can't be called an operation.

In the first place, the idea of going through this vast forest in the middle of the night was out of the ordinary.

But while everyone knew it was crazy, everyone already understood. This operation was an imperial decree from NOL Headquarters.

A mere piece placed on the battlefield has no veto right.

Part 5

On this day, the Novus Orbis Librarium suffered a historic defeat.

Kagura Mutsuki, the commander-in-chief, was leading the troops on the front line, but he was injured in the middle of the battle when he engaged the cyborg soldiers of Sector Seven known as the "Red Devils” and was forced to retreat.

Colonel Mutsuki ordered the withdrawal of all troops in an attempt to rebuild his troops after being blindsided. However, some officers from the aristocracy, who interpreted his absence as a convenient opportunity, ignored the order and, at their own discretion, notified the entire army to continue the battle.

They were also the ones who took command of the entire army in place of Kagura Mutsuki. Their textbook command of the operation was completely outmaneuvered by the Ikaruga army, which was accustomed to guerrilla warfare, and they were destroyed from one side to the other.

The battle began at eleven in the morning. It was four o'clock in the afternoon when the scattered troops began to retreat at their own discretion, having been driven into a situation where they could no longer fight. There were hardly any soldiers left on the battlefield, and it was 5:00 p.m. when the official announcement of the withdrawal was made.

At that time, Jin was still in the middle of the battlefield.

The sun was just setting over the distant mountains when Jin led his troop of wounded men back to the nearby encampment.

Here and there in the messy tents, which seemed to have been erected in a hurry, soldiers wearing the uniforms of the Librarium sat, collapsed, or walked around busily.

The dizzying clamor was almost too much for the eyes.

Everyone was injured. Everyone was exhausted.

Jin hurried through the crowd, carrying the most seriously wounded of the party he had just brought back on his shoulders, and leading them into one of the tents.

"Lieutenant Kisaragi! Good, you're back."

The one who immediately spotted Jin and called out to him was Honoka, who was in the tent helping to treat the wounded. When he saw that the soldier Jin was carrying was in bad shape, he immediately turned pale, but helped him lay down on a blanket at the edge.

“Where are the medics?”

"They are in the tent two doors down. They will be coming to us in turn."

"If so, first aid until then"

“Yes, sir. But, you, the lieutenant is also injured..."

This was the second time Honoka had told him this.

The first time was when he rolled into this encampment with the 9th squad. This time, when they heard that there was a squad that was running late, they went to help them retreat and had just returned.

“It's no big deal. Give priority to the seriously injured."

Jin said extremely calmly. Honoka was overly concerned, but it really wasn't anything serious. He had a cut on his shoulder and leg, and bruises on his head and arm. All of them were minor.

He was more uncomfortable with the bloodstains he was exposed to here and there from enemies and allies. It seemed to have flown into his hair as well, and when he annoyingly wiped it off, it made an unpleasant crunching sound with the dried blood.

"Damn it!"

The muffled sound of a regretful voice was accompanied by the sound of a rough beating.

Jin looked up at the noise. It was the sound of Grimwood, sitting in a small folding chair, slamming his fist into his thigh.

"Those idiots... were completely ambushed. They're leaking information!"

A voice that still held the tension of the battlefield made the air in the tent go numb.

Karenjina, who had a first aid kit in her hand, turned around with a downcast look on her face.

"Grimwood, be quiet. There's still a lot of people hurt.”

"Oh...... I'm sorry."

Grimwood apologized sincerely, and leaned back against the poor back of his chair.

Speaking of injured people, so was Grimwood. He took a bullet in the back while defending an ally. His head was also bleeding lightly. First aid had been administered, but the bandage that covered his back was stained red in places.

"U-uh...... Gah......"

A weak groan and cough could be heard at Jin's feet. It was the soldier he had just brought in. Karenjina kneeled down beside him to give him first aid and was at a loss for words when she saw his wounded form.

His condition was terrible. He was covered in scars all over his body, as if he had been caught in an explosion, and his face and body were stained with blood and dirt. He had a particularly bad wound on his chest, and every time he moved his chest up and down weakly, clots of blood overflowed from under his clothes.

"Lieu…tenant…Kisa......ragi..."

He called out in a faint voice, his lips already bloodless and trembling.

Jin furrowed his brows and gasped. He realized who this soldier was.

"I never thought that Kisaragi-senpai would save me.......Thank you...very much......."

Behind his lifted eyelids, his large, still-childish eyes were shaking with tears. Even though he was hurt so much, his voice, which was almost snatched away, seemed somehow happy.

Jin took his hand and held it tightly. He spoke to him as softly as he could, as he had tried to do when he was a student.

“You're from the academy?”

"Yes... This year.......Ugh..."

He was about to say it, when he coughed up some clotted blood along with a cough from his throat.

Karenjina whispered Jin's name. Jin nodded shallowly without turning around.

He didn't have any specialized knowledge or skills, but he knew what she hinted at. Even if he were to apply a healing Ars Magus right now, he would not be able to survive.

The soldier's trembling eyes looked up at Jin, as if he was staring at something dazzling. His face was still that of a boy. That was to be expected. He was still a student at the military academy.

"I've always admired...... Kisaragi-senpai and when I heard that you were active on the battlefield......."

“Is that why you volunteered?"

"......Yes. I wanted to fight with you. I...I wanted to be close to...someone like you......”

His voice trembled as he spoke. Tears fell from the corners of his dirty eyes.

Jin heard that for this operation, the Librarium had recruited volunteers from the commoner cadets and sent them in as recruits. That's what he had heard.

It was ridiculous and reckless. There was no way they would put them into actual combat. That's what Jin thought.

Until this very moment.

The recruit, who was supposed to be a student, coughed and spat out blood instead of words as he moved his mouth to say something. The chest of his blue uniform was completely stained with blood. Jin wondered if he could see it. He squirmed on the blanket, shaking his motionless body.

“Am I... going to die?"

"...It's okay. You don't need to worry."

"I don't want to die. I don't...want to die..."

Jin held the boys fleeting hand and put a slight pressure on his fingertips as if he were clinging to it.

The boy from the Kisaragi household clenched his hand.

Until this morning, he was probably still proud and hopeful. He would have been thrilled to be on the same battlefield as the person he admired.

The reality of the scene was chilling.

"Help me...please... Kisaragi Senpa..."

The words he could squeeze out didn't last. The boy died with his lips pursed and his eyes wet with tears, clinging desperately to Jin and finally the hand that had been grasping him lost its strength and slipped from Jin's hand.

A different figure overlapped the image of the boy soldier lying in front of him in the form of familiar red-haired girl in a blue uniform, Tsubaki. She looks up at Jin, her chest turning red with overflowing blood. With a relieved smile, she extends her hand to touch Jin, but her fingers couldn't reach and fell to the cold floor.

The lips that have lost their color call out without a voice. She said “—Jin Niisama.”

"Jin? Hey, Are you okay?"

He was shaken lightly by a voice that came from right beside him, making Jin came back to himself.

Karenjina looked at Jin with a pained, caring expression on her face.

Jin clasped his hands, which were still in the air and nodded. That was all he could do and to him, it felt awfully sluggish.

“...It's okay.”

Yes, it’s fine. Jin was barely injured and was indeed 'okay'. He was not the same as the dead man. He was different. The dead man was not Jin. That boy didn't have the skills to fight, he didn't have the knowledge.

Jin was sure there were many other soldiers like him, volunteering.

Honoka worriedly filled a plastic cup with water and offered it to Jin. Jin took it and drank it all at once. As he watched, Honoka sighly rested his shoulders.

"The details of the operation... Where the hell did this leak come from?"

If it continues to leak, the Librarium will have little chance of winning.

Turning his gaze to the boy soldier with a blanket put over him, Honoka sighed even more. The dead boy looked to be about the same age as Honoka.

“I can't believe they're even inviting students to volunteer. It's unthinkable. It's like recruiting shooting targets. At this rate, even if you're not a volunteer, you can still go to..."

Honoka was about to say something but stopped, looking at Jin's face as if he had noticed something. Jin somehow guessed what he was going to say. At this rate, there might be a replenishment of the military force from the cadets, even if they are not volunteers.

Naturally, a familiar face flickered in Jin's mind.

What Honoka said could definitely happen in the near future.

It might be the girl he saw in his hallucination. Here, with a soiled blanket, the next time she breathes her last, covered in blood.

Looking down at the twitching, dead face of the unnamed junior who had stopped moving, Jin couldn't take it anymore and gently lowered his eyelids and stood up.

"Grimwood."

He stood in front of a large, strong man with a uniform jacket pulled over his naked, bandaged upper body.

“We need to talk.”

Leaning forward on his knees, Grimwood lifted his head only to look back at Jin and made a large nod in agreement.

Back to Chapter 3: Accumulated death / He is near

Return to Main Page

Forward to Chapter 5: Foolish man / Left behind