– I’m truly, grateful…? However, Ikki’s words stopped there. Because he felt doubt with the appearance of Ascaride who looked up. “Why was she ――staring at the direction Stella went as if she was frozen solid?” – Ascaride-san…? He asked, and at that moment. -〜…, hy, ah… Ascaride fell from her knees to the ground all of a sudden. – A-are you alright!? Are you injured…? Ikki rushed over to Ascaride as he staggered, surprised. Then he put a hand on her trembling shoulders, – ――! He was horrified by the coldness of her altered sweat. – … I’m okay. It’s not an injury or anything like that. I’ll calm down in no time, so don’t, worry… Ascaride looked back at Ikki who touched her shoulder and returned so. With a pallid look that was entirely devoid of blood. Ikki saw that look, and he understood. Certainly, it wasn’t an injury.
It was the absolute fear that made the body of Ascaride quiver, a fear she couldn’t fight against. Possibly towards that enemy, towards Or=Gaule… – I beg you…. Don’t tell anyone about this. – B-but… – I’m, fine. … This trembling is, my sin. … It’s a proof to not forget the meaning that I survived and that I’m alive. I’m fine. Ascaride murmured “I’m fine” over and over again as if she was persuading herself while hugging her own shoulders. – I must accomplish this mission. The regrets of everyone, without exception, I… – Ascaride-san… With the figure of Ascaride-san, Ikki remembered the words he heard from Or=Gaule in the distance in his flickering consciousness. ――It’s not like you forgot what happened to you when you fought seriously with me, did you? Ascaride and Or=Gaule. He didn’t know what happened between them. But, one thing was clear. And that was the fact that Ascaride… even though a strong fear like that was etched into her, she stood in front of Or=Gaule to save them and stood dignified until just now, and even indicated Stella the actions she had to take. So Ikki, – Yes. I won’t tell anyone about this.
He replied so and rubbed the rounded shoulders of the trembling Ascaride without asking anything else beyond that. I hope this calms her down a little. – … Thank you. Ascaride returned a pale, small smile to Ikki’s consideration.
◆◇◆◇◆ 『Hey, what’s with this broadcast!?』 『The Prince of Kledelland made a declaration of war, you know?』 『What!? Why is the Prince Johan starting a war with Vermillion!?』 『How am I going to know that!?』 『Anyways, the people in the Imperial Capital are telling us to stay inside of our homes, so everyone is going back home!』 Flareberg, the Imperial Capital of Vermillion, fell into chaos with the sudden declaration of war from the neighboring country. Everyone moved about with unease and confusion. 《Crimson Princess》Stella Vermillion ran through the skies of the Imperial Capital. She was heading straight to the royal castle as she jumped from roof to roof of the buildings in the Imperial Capital like Ikki did before.
Because this method was much faster to get to the castle than going along the road. Stella’s unease became stronger due to the chaos of the Imperial Capital below her, along the road. Faster, faster―― She needed to inform everyone that Johan’s declaration of war was a farce manufactured by a wicked criminal and that she didn’t want Vermillion to hurt the people of Kledelland. But, – This is…! Stella’s legs stopped the moment she finally got near the castle. The main gate of the castle, which was always left open at this hour, was closed. And there were countless armed soldiers standing up under her eyes. The level of defense had been raised to the limit due to the state of emergency brought by the sudden declaration of war from the neighboring country. Naturally, Stella got down and was allowed to speak with the soldiers and went inside without problems. However, this was just the outer security. But in the castle. She couldn’t imagine the number of checkpoints she had to go through to finally reach the palace where Sirius was. And that―― (I don’t have time for such slow things!) Stella immediately gave up to return from the main gate.
She raised her eyes above her. And looked up at a palace window placed at the back of the high and towering wall. A question was born in the mind of Stella with such a view. – It’s alright, I can do it…! It seemed to be impossible before, but now that she knew her true strength ――. Stella muttered as if encouraging herself and hugged her own arms. And then she put her strength into the hands that hugged her shoulders and held a mental image as she pulled them towards her back. There were things that humans weren’t endowed with. However, those things were natural for her who was a『Dragon』. A mental image of wings. – ! At that moment, Stella felt a pain that pushed open her shoulder blades. – AAAAAA――――! A pair of blazing wings that burned red manifested from her back. The ability that《Crimson Princess》Stella Vermillion was proud of―― 《Dragon》. With the superpower that manifested the strength of the dragon on her body, Stella regained the ideal form she should have.
The superheated wings were natural organs that Stella was endowed with by nature, she certainly felt that her own boiling blood flowed in them. She could move them. As she wished. It wasn’t her memory, but her cells that were aware of it. That being the case, – Here I goooooooooo!!!! Stella runway the roof and threw herself into the air. The body of Stella that was thrown into the air was pulled by gravity, it was about to fall, but then, in an instant. As soon as the blazing wings flapped once, the strength of the dragon easily ripped off the chains of gravity and elevated the body of Stella into the air powerfully. Then she could easily jump over the high and towering castle walls and immediately went straight to that palace window―― She went straight through the window without hesitation and jumped into the palace. – W-what was that sound!? – No way, is it a missile!? Or a person!? – It’s an enemy attack! Shoot! Shoot them to death! The soldiers rushed to the sound of the glass that blew off and resounded in the palace without warning and turned their guns towards the one who
jumped in from the window without confirming who the person was; they were about to pull the trigger. It seemed that they became agitated with the war against Kledelland that started so abruptly. Stella roared in a carrying voice, – Calm down!! Towards them. With this, the fingers of the soldiers stopped squeezing the triggers. Because they realized that it was their princess who jumped in from the window. – St-Stella-sama! – B-but how!? Not that she departed to Kledelland a while ago…!? The soldiers were surprised. And, – Whaaat, Stella is here!? Sirius came running as he pushed aside those soldiers. When he saw the figure of his beloved daughter unharmed who he thought was alone in Kledelland, – Yeeeeees! Stella was saaaafeeeee!!!! He opened his hands wide as he shed tears of joy and ran to hug Stella tightly. ――But,
– Haaaaaa! The hug of meeting again was prevented by Stella’s counter-like palm heel. – Fu, bu, but, why… – Thank you for being worried but I’m sorry! It’s not the time to do so right now! Yes, she was happy for seeing him again, but it was unfortunate. She had to inform that the army of Kledelland wasn’t the enemy before the armies of Vermillion and Kledelland crashed. And for that, Stella looked for her mother Astraea who was the real person commanding the politics of Vermillion, – Stella-chan! – Okaa-sama! She found the figure of her mother who ran with Daniel Dandalion, the head of the Vermillion Branch of the International Mage-Knights League to where she was. – You didn’t get caught…. Oh, I’m so relieved. – Yes, I was rescued by《Black Knight》who came from the League and so we came back here with《Divine Gate》. – I see. By the way, what about Luna-chan and Ikki-san? – They both came back to Vermillion with us. Since they were injured, I didn’t bring them here, instead I had《Black Knight》take them to the hospital. – They’re injured!? Wh-what about Luna!? Is Luna alright!?
– Luna-nee is fine. She just fainted. Ikki was considerably wounded when protecting us… but he’s okay. He’s not the kind of guy who would kick the bucket with something of that degree. Because that man was a man who surpassed himself and tore off even his fate. – For the time being, the most important thing is to not get into a situation where they’ll take the royal family as hostages. However, if《Black Knight》 has moved, then that means… that she was notified by the headquarters about this strife and the criminal participating in it, isn’t that right? Stella greatly nodded in response to Dandallion’s question, – Listen, Otou-sama, Okaa-sama! There’s something very important I have to tell you!
◆◇◆◇◆ After she arrived at the palace and reunited with her parents, Stella told them everything she saw in Kledelland. That Kledelland and their government, army and even the people should be under control of《Marionette King》Or=Gaule. That everything about this declaration of war and violation of territorial sovereignty were crimes committed by Or=Gaule half-joking. … And that King Clef was murdered by his evil hands. And the moment she told them everything, – ――! A strong earthquake shook the Imperial Palace. It was the sound of a pillar in the Imperial Palace that Sirius hit and broke. – THAT PIECE OF SHIT!!!! – Otou-sama… A heat haze that distorted the surrounding scenery rose up from the huge body of Sirius.
His friend, who promoted peace between both countries together with him, was killed. Sirius looked like the fury was burning in his body. – Thank you, Stella-chan. … The enemy has become a serious matter. -《Marionette King》Or=Gaule. That power he has was regarded as dangerous by League in the past, but to think that the degree of the real ability he had could cause such terrible actions is… What is《Rebellion》 trying to achieve with this, I wonder? – He said he already quit《Rebellion》. Though I don’t know if that is true. … But, there’s no doubt that this damn guy truly enjoys the misfortune of others, I’m sure of it. It was… my first time seeing it, the malice that became his happiness as he injured the ones around him. I truly think he’s trying to cause a war just to torment us. This was nothing but a game for that devil. That level of pleasure was like going to the city to watch a movie if it was compared to them. He attempted to mess up both Kledelland and Vermillion for that level of pleasure. This wasn’t a ridiculous story. It couldn’t be ignored at all. Because of that, – Otou-sama! Okaa-sama! The army of Kledelland that is heading towards here is being controlled! We only have one enemy that should be defeated! That’s why I beg you! To tell this to everyone on the front lines right now! To not fight with the army of Kledelland! At this rate, we’ll just end up hurting our friends who are only being manipulated! If that were to happen, then both sides will have to carry a disgrace on their backs that will never disappear…! If that was the scenario designed by this devil, then she had to stop it by any means necessary.
That was what Stella proposed to Astraea. Astraea gave a nod to that and, – You’re right. It’s as Stella-chan says. That’s not a ludicrous story. – Of course not! In that case―― – But, it’s impossible to tell this to the ones on the front lines. She put aside Stella’s proposal with a cutting tone of voice that didn’t hide her dignity as an Empress and was different from her usual carefree way of talking.
◆◇◆◇◆ – Eh…? The scenario of Or=Gaule, the devil. Stella, who only thought that her own proposal of informing the front lines about the contents was going to be accepted unconditionally, couldn’t understand the rejection of Astraea. – W-why!? Why!? Everyone is just being manipulated, aren’t they!? Stella persisted while being very agitated. Astraea shook her head with a sad facial expression and said. – … Stella-chan. I’m very sorry, but it doesn’t matter if they are being hostiles towards us or not. – W-what do you mean!? – Suppose there was a reason why, the army of Kledelland invaded the territory of Vermillion with weapons in hand and turned their muzzles towards us. The combat is inevitable to protect both our territory and to evacuate the population. What… do you think will happen if the soldiers on the front lines were to listen to the argument that the army of Kledelland is being controlled?
– What will happen…? Ah. – They certainly will hesitate to pull the trigger towards their friends who want to be saved by them with soundless voices because they’re only being manipulated. And… that faltering will certainly cause enormous damages to the army of Vermillion. Stella, who was admonished by Astraea, became aware of it. It was just as her mother had said. If they were to tell Signard and the others on the front lines about that, they wouldn’t be able to turn their muzzles towards the army of Kledelland. But on the other hand, there was no mercy for the army of Kledelland that was being controlled. If both armies were to clash, the result of that would be self-evident. – I think you want to save the people of Kledelland. But we are the royal family of Vermillion. We have a duty to prioritize the lives of the citizens of Vermillion above all else. That’s why… that information, even if it’s true, it will spoil us, it can’t be sent to the front lines. – But! B-but! If, if we do that! Stella tried to object Astraea’s decision, but… she couldn’t find the right words for it. Because what Astraea said had no room for objection, it was the right decision as the royal family. The lives of another country’s people or the lives of the people of their country. There was no comparison. Exposing the people of their country to danger to save the people of another country; that in itself was an unreasonable act for the royal family and for the nation. Even if Stella desperately thought of not wanting to abandon Kledelland, there was no reason or anything of the sort that would go through to set Astraea’s claim aside. But still,
(I must do something, one way or another…!) She couldn’t help but remember. The memories of when she was staying in Kledelland when she was a child. It wasn’t like something big happened that was unforgettable. There wasn’t an obligation like fighting and giving one’s life for the sake of Kledelland. However, the amicable greetings she got when she passed by the side of someone in the streets, when she went shopping and got lots of candies… as well as Johan, King Clef, Luke and the others, and everyone who was kind to her younger self. And when she piled up all those small memories, she finally thought. I want to protect the world around me, including Kledelland. However――and although it was for the sake of the nation, she had to abandon them, but was that okay? Even though their freedom was stolen and were forced to fight a war they didn’t want to, they might be desperately wishing to be saved with soundless voices…! -〜〜〜〜〜〜〜…! Stella didn’t know what to do, she couldn’t move in this narrow space between logic and emotion. Astraea, who attentively watched such kindness of Stella, was proud of her. However, being kind wasn’t everything; she wouldn’t be able to protect what was important as she would be too drunk on her own kindness. Politicians had to ignore their own kindness so they could sink themselves in reason.
Especially Stella who was Vermillion’s best fighting power. From now on, whether it became an all-out conflict with the army of Kledelland or they attempted to subjugate Or=Gaule with a selected few, they would certainly need Stella’s strength. That being the case, it would be a problem to have her standing still indefinitely. And so, Astraea decided. In order to cut off Stella’s hesitation――she would allow a preemptive strike on the army of Kledelland that was invading their territory deeply with the imperial army of Vermillion that she would lead. Her daughter wasn’t frail to the degree that she would continue to hesitate once the battle had begun. That was why she made a harsh decision. That was the duty of adults. Astraea, who resolved to do so, looked towards the private line terminal installed in the room of the Imperial Palace. And, – Hey, Signard! It’s me! Yes, listen to this! The army of Kledelland is being controlled and they are being forced to fight! You must absolutely not show any hostility over there! She saw the figure of her husband Sirius who told everything to the imperial army general Signard who went first through the terminal as he tried to hide it from her. – O-Otou-sama!? – Sirius!? The surprised voices of Dandalion and Stella who were next to Sirius were raised due to his action. But Sirius wasn’t concerned about the reaction of the ones around him,
– If you don’t understand, do as I say anyways. Stella returned a few moments ago and told us about the situation over there. Kledelland and even that kid Johan were contacted by League before they were completely taken over by the criminal. In other words, this war has been a farce from the beginning! Signard! Don’t get involved in this stupid farce so that guy doesn’t make a fool out of us! Yes, change to defensive battle. Give them all the territory they want! Just protect the citizens and bring everyone to the Imperial Capital at once! Yes! Don’t kill anyone! Make sure to not kill anyone! Because we’ll beat the enemy to death! These are the orders of the King! He strongly ordered to Signard who commanded the army and hung down the telephone receiver. – Papa… – This fool understands that what mama says is correct. However… I don’t agree with it at all! Not when… Kledelland needs our strength! If we extend our hands to protect ourselves above all else, then what is the point of all this time we’ve spent so far!? Kledelland and Vermillion overcame the long-established custom of snarling at each other in old-fashioned, pent-up resentment and cooperated to become friends of equal status. Not just the royal families. But the citizens and everyone else worked hard for it. But, if they were to turn their palms here and let Kledelland die without helping them―― – The day that we can be equal friends will never come again. At least, we ourselves won’t allow that. Sirius said so. What he said was “sorry”. Because,
– Vermillion follows virtue rather than reason! In these 30 years, in this time when both nations got closer, I never told a lie! This is a notification to all stations! We’re going to save Kledelland! The dimwit that is doing whatever he pleases on the other side will be beaten to death by our hands! And then we’ll pull dimwit’s head out and offer it in front of Clef’s grave! This is Vermillion’s great cause, Sirius Vermillion declared in a loud voice. To such… Sirius, who chose and took the decision she wanted to choose, the same Sirius who Stella flying-kicked without feeling hate or because there was a reason behind it, – Otou-sama――――!!!! Stella clung to him as if she jumped at him. – Whoa!? W-what are you doing so suddenly, Stella? – Thank you…! I’m so glad I’m Otou-sama’s child! – I, I see, h-however, saying that thing in front of me makes me feel embarrassed. Sirius rubbed the hair of Stella as he warped his stern facial expression as if it he felt uneasy. And then, he asked. – … Stella, you’re our weapon, you’re Vermillion’s weapon. Will you help us out? The reply Stella gave back was decided. – Of course! Leave the foes of King Clef, Luke-san and the others to me! – … I’m sorry, mama. I’m not so smart like mama after all. – Don’t worry about that. … That time when papa went berserk in Kledelland. It didn’t matter how many times I said it was hopeless, you didn’t listen to me. You started it arbitrarily and by yourself, and in the end
you came back with a serious injury. I’m so used to it that it doesn’t surprise me anymore. – L-like I thought, mama got angry, didn’t she…? – Obviously. Ever since then, your left eye almost doesn’t see, does it? I see through papa’s actions, even the secret ones. Astraea glanced at Sirius with half-opened eyes. Sirius was terribly consternated by this, but… the very next moment, Astraea changed the sharpness of her facial expression and became sentimental, – … But, it doesn’t matter how angry or amazed I get, I’ve lived honestly believing in your righteousness, even when it’s always absurd… but that ends up giving everyone a smile on their face. And that’s the papa I loved and love ♪. – T-then that means…! – Yes ♪. I’ll follow papa to the end. Astraea showed understanding to Sirius’s decision as she smiled. The appeasement with Kledelland was also a result of Sirius’s mentality, That was why Astraea understood. (This is… the blood of Vermillion, isn’t it?) Astraea thought so as she looked at father and daughter who couldn’t choose, who didn’t try to choose reason. Astraea was studying history at a university before getting married to Sirius. That was why she knew this very well.
――That Vermillion wasn’t a country built on logic. In this country, a certain nobleman threw away his duties and the『Reason』 that every person should have to serve his king. This country was born precisely because he fought for the weak who needed for his help. He knew that. There was something more important than reason in this world. That was virtue. That was Vermillion itself. These two people probably knew that even if they didn’t get it in their heads. The way of doing things, that is, the national power of this country, was the most important thing. (I’m a little, just a little envious) Because she, who didn’t have that blood, ended up giving priority to reason above all else. But… that was something that could be done by herself. That was to try filling the『Reason』that Sirius didn’t have. Astraea, who resolved what to do, told the two of them. – Save Kledelland. And since we’ve chosen to do that, don’t we need to elaborate more on it? Dandalion, who stood next to her, nodded. – We shouldn’t wait for the army of Kledelland that was transformed into a marionette to come. Even if Signard and the rest were to retreat with all their might, the actions to guide the evacuation of the population will surely be delayed. And they will surely end up being reached by them. The first thing we should do is stop the army of Kledelland that drew near before our
very eyes without hurting them, yes? It is essential to think about that. The most certain thing would be to defeat《Marionette King》, the culprit of everything, but as long as our opponent remains in Kledelland, a collision between the two armies will end up happening before that whether we want it or not. Sirius gave his own thoughts, – I thought about it, but what if we hit them hard with《Illusionary Form》? In response to Dandalion’s words. Since《Illusionary Form》didn’t harm the human body, shouldn’t we be able to render the soldiers powerless without hurting them? However, Dandalion looked grave because of Sirius’s opinion. – … Well, there shouldn’t be any effect on them. The damage caused by 《Illusionary Form》is similar to a strong suggestion. It does not hurt the body of the persons in question through that suggestion, but rather by reaping the consciousness. However…. If we limited this to what we have heard from Stella-sama, the opponent turned the soldiers into lifelike dolls. As long as they are not moving by their own free will, there would be no point in adding an attack like that on their consciousness, don’t you think so? Stella, who listened to their conversion from the side, had the same point of view as Dandalion regarding her father’s opinion. She stopped《Icy Derision》that was controlled via《Illusionary Form》once, but that guy, that method could do it because there was a marionette that controlled《Icy Derision》near there. 《Illusionary Form》 had sufficient destructive power against objects, but it was harmless against humans.
She made the best use of this special characteristic and destroyed the marionette《Hiraga Reisen》that controlled《Icy Derision》and physically released《Icy Derision》from the control of the threads by cutting off the source. In the end, 《Hiraga Reisen》also seemed to be a relay of《Marionette King》, however, (――! Wait, what if there’s a hub…) At that moment, an insight ran in Stella’s mind. – Come to think of it, one of my acquaintances in Japan said this before. “There’s a theory to set up a relay when a『Steel wire user』is going to control a puppet from a faraway location”. Since Or=Gaule is in Kledelland now, then he definitely must be using hubs to control the army of Kledelland this time! In that case, if he’s relaying his control in some way or other, then we will able to set everyone free without hurting them, right!? – Indeed. (Eh…!?) The voice that affirmed the insight of Stella didn’t belong to Dandalion, her mother or her father. However, Stella recognized the voice of a bit husky female with that little intonation. No way!? She turned around and, 《Black Knight》Iris Ascaride and Kurogane Ikki were standing there. – Ascaride-san…! And Ikki too! Are your wounds healed!? Stella immediately ran up to Ikki and checked his physical condition. Ikki returned a nod and,
– Yup. It’s all thanks to Ascaride-san’s《Orichalcos》. – Oh, is that so…? With those words, Stella remembered. The existence of an infinite regeneration according to the concept of《Fortitude》 used by《Orichalcos》 which was shown when they were attacked back then. That power on Ikki, who put that armor on, seemed to have healed his wounds. – Does that mean you’re really alright!? – Yeah. I’m sorry for worrying you. – Hey! I don’t care about you! What about Luna!? Where’s Luna!? Sirius forced his way between Stella and Ikki while shouting in anger. Ikki replied to Sirius regarding Lunaize’s whereabouts. – Lunaize-san was taken to the hospital. She ended up losing consciousness due to a minor hypoxic encephalopathy but it wasn’t a risk for her life, and she ultimately woke up when we reached the hospital. However, she sprained her right foot when she fell on the ground the moment she lost consciousness, so she stayed in the hospital and is receiving treatment. – I, I see…. It’s only a sprain, huh. That’s a relief…. Sirius fell to his knees on the spot, the relief was too big. Astraea, who was behind him, let loose a sigh of relief just like him, but she immediately tightened her crumbled appearance, – 《Black Knight》-san. When you said “indeed”, was it because of what Stella-chan said? That if the relays are crushed then the people of Kledelland can be saved?
She continued the discussion right away so that the matter wouldn’t end up being diverted. Ascaride returned a nod to her. – … Yes. 《Marionette King》prepares relays to artificially increase the joints to diversify the pattern of movement of threads and to manipulate many people and objects. This time, 《Marionette King》should be using dozens or hundreds of people in the army as relays. If you restrain those relays and seal their movements, the soldiers who were under the control of those relays will be released from the dominance of《Marionette King》. However… – Ho-however, what? – It’s very difficult to identify the people who are relaying. Extraordinary powers of concentration, sharpened powers of observation and combat perception backed up by experience are needed. There might be some knights in this country who can do it, like the branch head and I… and that person, just the three of us. Ascaride, who said so, pointed at Ikki with her eyes. But, – Still, three people won’t be enough. I requested reinforcements when I got in contact with headquarters before I rescued Stella-hime and the others, but it will take time for them to arrive, so we can’t count on that. The army of Kledelland, which was heading towards here, exceeded 10,000 soldiers. That probably meant that the number of hubs were also around the three digits. Three people couldn’t cope with them at all. And then――the one who interjected the words of Ascaride was Ikki. – About that, I thought of an idea, but can you listen to it, Ogifu-san*?
*TN: Father-in-law. – ――――――……
Chapter 9: Urban Warfare in Caldia Distant thunders resounded above the cloudy Vermillion. There was a small town with refined small buildings made of stone lined up under the sky that seemed it would collapse at any moment. Caldia city. Located precisely between the border of Kledelland and Vermillion Imperial Capital Flareberg, This rural town once prospered as an inn town and as an important point of transportation between both countries, but now that public transportation such as airplanes and railroads had improved, and because it didn’t have any industry in particular, it rarely received people from other places. But this silent town was now occupied by men dressed in heavy equipment. They were the Imperial Army of Vermillion. Since they received evacuation instructions by means of King’s orders, they gathered all the residents of the national border who already had finished evacuating by command of the local police then took them along and started retreating straight to the Imperial Capital Flareberg, however, on the way they received a different order from Sirius.
That command was “you will put a front here in Caldia” in order to meet the army of Kledelland that was heading straight to the Imperial Capital, their objective, and to release them from the control of《Marionette King》 here in this place. General Signard Iruon, who commanded Vermillion Army under this instruction, left the evacuation of the residents to the police who had previously entered Caldia by Sirius’s command and proceeded with the preparations for the urban warfare against the Army of Kledelland. The deployment of barbed wire and iron fences. The obstruction of their advance by blowing up the buildings and spreading the debris on the road. All of this was just pestering, but still better than doing nothing. Signard told the soldiers as she gave them directions. – Everyone, hurry to change your equipment! We don’t have much time before the Army of Kledelland arrives! The soldiers dropped their weapons loaded with live ammunition as they were hurried up by Signard’s voice which was amplified by a megaphone. What they took in their hands instead were non-killing weapons used for mob suppression like rubber bullets, stun grenades, stun guns and bulletproof shields that the police brought when they came for the evacuees. All to help the Army of Kledelland. Since they decided to do so, they couldn’t afford to aim at them with weapons loaded with live ammunition. Therefore, the Imperial Army soldiers replaced their equipment with things that didn’t have power to kill, and performed inspections and test firings to know the characteristics of the weapons even if it was a little in the small frame of time they had until they came into contact with the enemy.
And then, a person among them, a middle-aged soldier, gave a wry smile. – This is police equipment, isn’t it? The usability itself isn’t different from our equipment, but… look at this. There’s no hole in this drum. *Knock knock*, he knocked the drum with the tip of a toe and a big dent carved by the test firing of a rubber bullet was made. It was greatly crushed, but it didn’t penetrate it. “I can’t expect too much from something of a man-stopping power like this”, he understood. – Isn’t this reliable though? They won’t die if we hit them with this. A man of the same age returned in a talkative manner to the complaint of the soldier, and, – Hey, move, move! You guys are in the way! They were hit by an angry voice. They turned their faces to such voice and an old man with a grave face turned up from the hatch of the tank and ordered them to veer away to a side of the road because they were in the way. – Tanks are also being pulled back? The man on the tank nodded. – Yeah. The big size of the shells will smash people to atoms even if they are rubber bullets. And it will be bad if we leave them more or less scattered around the town. As the man said, the tanks that were supposed to follow them side-by-side were moving to the back of the front before they knew. The middle-aged soldier who complained a while ago shrugged his shoulders before this scene.
– This is getting funny, don’t you think? Even though they’re being controlled, we can fight with just these toys against opponents who are carrying machine guns and even have tanks lined up. While they don’t have ground-to-ground bombers like Vermillion, not having them pass through is absurd. All the soldiers who heard this returned a nod to the grumble of the soldier. – Yeah, it’s absurd. Truly absurd. I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard the order. They’re asking too much. – I totally agree. Even though we were attacked all of a sudden and have been extremely busy giving instructions and rescuing the population who lost their homes, now we’re trying to save Kledelland. Our King is truly a hopeless goddamn idiot! Discontent and grumbling began to overflow among the soldiers. But that was natural. Those words were assessed as outrageous by the soldiers in the scene, they deliberately had to lower the grade of their equipment against opponents who were seriously after their lives. How were they going to go to war while worrying about their enemies’ safety? Such foolish words. They weren’t a joke. Because they were the only ones who would put their lives on the line. Complaints were a certain thing. It was natural to be angry. ――However, – … Even though you guys say so, you seem to be looking forward to it, don’t you? They expressed their discontent and their complaints, and yet, their expressions were somehow bright. – That’s how you are. You feel so bad that you’re breaking into a smile. When we had real guns in our arms until a while ago, yeah, we had faces
like it was the end of the world. – Hehe. … There’s nothing we can do. Not even I get this at all. I really don’t get it, but… to be able to fight as a soldier of this stupid country that began to say things like “save the people of another country by putting your life on the line” when this might get us killed is… how to say it, it makes me incredibly happy. They were shocked when they heard that the Army of Kledelland was invading them. They couldn’t believe it. However, when a hurried call and an urgent intercept order were issued and the equipment was allocated, they actually felt it. That from this moment, they were going to kill each other against the people of Kledelland. Just as that happened, the equipment that they had loaded on the trucks many times and that always carried felt very heavy. They thought of wanting to throw these disgusting things they held in their hands away. It wasn’t a surprise. The Imperial Families weren’t the only ones who had been promoting peace between the two countries. In the exact same way, the citizens that lived in both countries emulated their Kings and gradually shortened the distance with their neighbors. Particularly their generation, who knew Kledelland and Vermillion before the reign of Sirius. At that time, they were taught by the man-eating fiend who lived there that they had to detest each other’s life.
There was certainly a period of time when they were nothing but disgusted by the people of Kledelland. That seemed to be the same for the Kledelland side. Because of that, it was complicated to meet each other’s gaze immediately after the trial of the appeasement policy. But, due to repeated small exchanges, they got to know each other little by little, demolished the old tradition and cultivated friendship. “There’s no way we want to kill those people”. And so, on the way to the front packed with trucks after the order of interception was given, the ones who chose their occupation as “soldier” were full of regret. But――Sirius wiped out such gloomy feeling. The Army of Kledelland was just being controlled, they had no animosity towards them. They had other enemies they should kill, they would never kill each other. (I, who’s a mere soldier, understands that…) This decision of Sirius――was something he couldn’t think of with common sense. Whatever the reason was, the Army of Kledelland was trampling down the territory of Vermillion with weapon in hand. Interception was natural. A normal nation would make their soldiers pull the trigger to defend themselves from the danger. Certainly that would have happened if the soldiers weren’t told that their enemies were controlled by a criminal. The nation should have devoted itself to national defense while hiding everything. … But that would have resulted in their hands covered with the blood of their innocent friends.
That was normal. That was the military. Their King said things that couldn’t be think of with common sense. But now that was… they were tremendously glad. That their King wasn’t a man who would make them kill their friends. (… The decision of King Sirius certainly exposed our lives to danger) But that was fine. We are fine with it. *TN: “We” is the furigana reading for “Vermillion”. – In a wide world such as this. That exists a country that goes to war with such a good-natured pretext is great, don’t you agree? – You’re not wrong…! The thinking of this soldier was shared by everyone who was there. ――The same went for Signard who gave instructions to the soldiers. – You! For how long are you going to chatter pointlessly!? Once the inspection of the equipment is done, start deploying it immediately! 「「「Y-yes ma’am!!」」」 Signard gave a sweeping view to the Imperial Army as she rushed the soldiers.
… Her face seemed like it would burst into tears just now, it was hard to believe. – Guys, listen! Don’t kill anyone! Don’t make anyone die! And nobody will die! Those are the direct orders of our King! Show them the pride of the Imperial Army!! 「「「Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah――――!!!!」」」 All members of the Vermillion Army got excited with Signard’s oath. Verge of death with some handicap. Even though they were forced to go to an absurd fight, everyone’s face was full of vitality. Their will and courage to fight for their friends was overflowing. The morale of the Imperial Army of Vermillion was reaching its peak since they came here. ――Now they certainly could overcome any predicament. Signard was convinced, – Our preparations are almost complete. You are our『eyes』! We trust in you, Kurogane! She told to the microphone of the walkie-talkie as she looked up to the sky. Kurogane Ikki, who took his body out from the helicopter flying under the cloudy weather in front of Signards’ line of sight, bowed his head in assent. – Please leave this to me.
◆◇◆◇◆ 『I have an idea about that, but can you listen to it, Father?』 *TN: “Father” is the furigana reading for “father-in-law”. 『――――……, tell me about it』 Sirius agreed after a somewhat long silence to Ikki’s proposal who came to the Imperial Palace together with Ascaride. In response to that, Ikki proposed to him. The hubs of Or=Gaule exceeded three digits. The only method to neutralize them was with their existing force. And those were―― 『I will be the eyes of the Vermillion Army』 『What?』 The strategy suggested by Ikki didn’t sound complicated.
Ikki, who was able to identify the hubs, got on a helicopter to overlook the battlefield from the air. In order to identify the numerous hubs with a wide field of view and to provide local information to the Imperial Army. 『So you’re going to identify the hubs from the sky while flying around on a helicopter…!?』 『Correct. Vermillion and Kledelland are both member nations of League. Not just ground-to-ground bombers, the retention of aerial military strength that allows long-distance flights outside one’s own country is also prohibited by the Treaties of League, so preparations shouldn’t exist. This way, I can concentrate on identifying the hubs』 『But how do you intend to tell us their locations? The enemy is composed of tens of thousands of troops. The battlefield is all jumbled up, there’s no way to tell who is who』 『About that, I think we can overcome it if we borrow the ability of Miriallia-san』 『Miri’s!?』 Ikki agreed to the surprised Stella, 『That’s right. Her faculty to grasp the space and her eyesight to accurately control distant bullets. Her real ability as a sniper is one of the best. She will put a mark with a paint bullet to every hub that I’ve found. This should let everyone know where the hubs are』 All the members who were there had a confused facial expression due to Ikki’s affirmation.
Certainly, if they were marked with paint bullets, then sharing the position of the hubs to all the soldiers was a reality, and the shortage of manpower would be cancelled, but―― 『Do you really know who has really become a relay just by looking over the small soldiers from the sky?』 Could he really do that? That was the question. In fact, 《Black Knight》Ascaride, the fourth strongest person in League, shook her head to the question of Astraea. I can’t do that. And Dandalion also, 『… I believe it’s impossible for me. Because what I can mostly see is the area at the top of the head from the helicopter』 But Ikki, to such negative reactions, 『I have confidence in my eyesight』 Raised his voice, 『The wounds of my body were healed by《Orichalcos》, but my trump card was weakened on my first contact with Or=Gaule. I’m completely out of magic power, and I’m almost to no use as a fighting force. But I can’t stand doing nothing in this predicament of Stella’s hometown. Please let me do whatever I can…!』 And――stared directly at Sirius Vermillion. To believe in him.
Sirius returned a long silence to that… and he finally opened his mouth. 『This is a problem between Kledelland and Vermillion. It has nothing to do with a Japanese brat like you』 『O-Otou-sama! Are you still fixed on that!?』 Stella tried to flare up at the words of rejection of her father. But Astraea interrupted her. 『Stella-chan. Wait』 Sirius continued immediately after that. 『However, if you become one of us, the story would be different』 『Father-in-law-san…!』 『If you lead Vermillion to victory in this war, then I’ll also recognize you. Although the situation has changed a bit, that promise is still on foot. … Show me that you’re not just a boy with a big mouth』 It wasn’t in the form inserted by Lunaize, Or something that he had to say against his will, He promised so with his own words and of his own volition. “To recognize Kurogane Ikki as a representative of Vermillion”. The challenge of Kurogane Ikki revolving Stella. He was going to accept it as a man.
『Yes…! Definitely!』 ――He was certainly going to accomplish it. Ikki strengthened his determination again while he recalled the promise he made at the Imperial Palace several hours ago with his eyes closed on the helicopter. He couldn’t show a pathetic side to the father who accepted his challenge that would probably steal the irreplaceable existence of his Stella.* *TN: “Stella” is the furigana reading for “daughter”. With his mind sharpened, he settled down his feelings. And with the pulsation of the blood flowing in his body, he raised his eyelids with an extremely high concentration he could even feel a single downy hair being swayed by the wind, – They came. Ikki saw them. The tall buildings destroyed by the army with the great visibility of his view. At the end of that, a black tsunami approached, crossing over the gentle hill. Ikki asked Miriallia Lazy, the girl who had a knee on the floor and who was checking her sniper. – Miriallia-san. Are you ready? Miriallia showed an unconcealed, displeased look on her face to such words, – Just call me Miri. Miri-chan dislikes formalities.
– … Miri. Are you ready? – Lock n’ loaded. Miriallia replied, her weapon was ready, loaded with paint bullets. Ikki then switched to the walkie-talkie and asked Signard. – Enemy forces in the northern hill have been confirmed! How are things on your side, Signard-san!? 『All members were assigned to their designated positions! Start whenever you feel like it!』 Together with that reply, the soldiers raised a war cry that resembled a gust of wind from the ground. Ikki, who felt with all his body that the morale of the troops certainly hit the heavens, thought. … This is a good country. (It doesn’t matter whether it’s Stella’s hometown or not anymore) As a knight ―― what would make the people in this place sad? And then, he told his feelings towards everyone who gathered in the battlefield. – Let’s go! Operation start…!
◆◇◆◇◆ The 50,000 man of the Kledelland Army controlled by《Marionette King》 Or=Gaule pierced Vermillion in a column formation like an arrow and went straight towards the heart of Vermillion, the Imperial Capital Flareberg, without stopping. Vermillion Army, who faced them, used nothing but their whole military force, the 30,000 soldiers they had and could be mobilized, and spread a line of defense in Caldia, which was the halfway point between them and their military advance. Caldia, which once prospered as a trade route connecting both countries, had three main roads that connected both countries: one to the east, another to the west and lastly to the north in its beautiful townscape that resembled Kledelland. Vermillion divided its military strength in three and blocked all of them. They were prepared to engage the Army of Kledelland. And when the clock exactly marked 5pm, the two forces clashed at last. Firing sounds that sounded like squalls reverberated under the cloudy weather. Signard ordered the whole army in the midst of those noises.
– Don’t try too hard! All that you have to do is to slow down the actions of the guys of Kledelland until the knights have found the hubs! If it gets too dangerous, pull back! 「「「Yes ma’am!」」」 There was an absolute equipment difference between both parties. The controlled Army of Kledelland used live ammunition, their tanks included, they had no hesitation in killing their opponents. On the other hand, the equipment of the Army of Vermillion, which aimed to save them from the control of《Marionette King》, was an equipment used for mob suppression loaded with rubber bullets. If it was compared to the equipment of Kledelland, it was just like a toy. If they exchanged shots directly, it would impossible to call that a match. However, the side that had been taking advantage of the battle since the clash was the Army of Vermillion. – The legs! Aim for the legs! They won’t stop moving if you hit their heads, but if you break their legs, their advance will slow down! – Don’t forget to cover! This is not your usual practice! There was something called the『Three-to-one law』in war. This advocated that in order to attack and defeat the enemy, the ratio of the military force must be at least 3 to 1. Paradoxically speaking, it also meant that a soldier on the defensive could do the part of three soldiers on the offensive. 30,000 soldiers from Vermillion against 50,000 soldiers from Kledelland. In a simple number comparison, Vermillion had the disadvantage, but if the law previously mentioned was taking into account, the military force of
Vermillion that was on the defensive would considerably skyrocket to 90,000. Moreover, Vermillion had grasped enough cover points and had finished the advance arrangements of effective crossfire points before Kledelland arrived. It was impossible to smash with a charge of 50,000 soldiers the 30,000 soldiers who had prepared all this. The invasion of the Army of Kledelland was being stopped in Caldia. However, that superiority wasn’t going to last long. If the gun battle had a decent distance between the armies, they could have an evenly matched fight against live ammunition as long as they took cover consistently. But if the battle was dragged on and the distance between both armies narrowed, the difference in equipment would actually come in sight. Because the Army of Kledelland would take out the weapons with the power to blow away the walls and shields used for cover. – H-hey, a soldier over there is preparing…! – This is bad! It’s a rocket! – Evacuate, everyoneeeeeeeeeee!!!! It happened on one of the three roads, on the east main road. A grenadier that had been hiding behind a soldier with an assault rifle until now pulled the trigger of a Kledelland Army weapon aiming at them when the distance of both armies was shortened. RPG-7
Concrete walls and even the armor of a tank were helpless in front of the exploding grenade. The soldiers of Vermillion fell back in a hurry, but human legs are too slow compared to the speed of a grenade with a propulsion device. The evacuation wasn’t done in time, the soldiers shut their eyes and resigned themselves to death, and immediately after, the grenade blasted the soldiers, the concrete wall and everything. It emitted a burst of flames and a roaring sound similar to a crash of thunder. But, – W-what? The flames didn’t reach the soldiers who were prepared for death. How? They opened their eyes and, – Ah, you’re…! – ―――――― In front of the concrete wall they used as a cover point. There was the figure of a black armor that stood dauntingly as if protecting them while being enveloped by the black smoke. Yes. 《Black Knight》Ascaride dressed in her resilient Device《Orichalcos》 received the grenade with her body and protected the soldiers. – Are you okay? Ascaride, who looked back, asked in a calm tone of voice. – Y-yeah, we’re fine, but, i-is knight-sama alright? – You were hit directly, no?
-… Not really. Ascaride returned something along the lines of “not at all” to the worried soldiers. In fact, Ascaride hadn’t even suffered minor damage from the direct hit of the grenade. While it was true that Blazers had a strong resistance to physical impacts, the direct hit of a grenade had chances of being fatal, but Ascaride had her body clad in《Orichalcos》that boasted the hardest defensive power among the current existing and known Devices. If it was an impact that wasn’t accompanied by magic power, this product was able to endure even the direct hit of an anti-ship missile. Therefore, the soldiers of Kledelland emptied their magazines on Ascaride who didn’t waver even a bit with the grenade she was struck by, but that wasn’t a threat for her either. She slowly moved forward while being struck by the storm of bullets sprayed at her whole body. She stood alone in the middle of the enemy lines and surveyed her surroundings. And then, – I found it. She muttered and manifested a huge battleaxe in her right hand. She started running, aiming at a soldier who fired his machine gun indiscriminately towards her. She shortened the distance in the twinkling of an eye as she repelled each and every flying bullet and brandished the battleaxe.
The soldier flipped up the machine gun he had in his hands, but he was immediately pinned down by her. And then, with a movement similar to a flow, she turned his hands to his back and handcuffed him. Immediately after. The soldiers around them stopped moving abruptly and crumbled down right where they were like dolls with broken threads. Yes. The person that Ascaride restrained now was a hub that controlled the soldiers around him, and as a result of the limited movement of the hub, the farthest soldiers were unable to have an adequate balance movement and the fell into malfunction. The surrounding soldiers of Vermillion applauded Ascaride who had found a hub splendidly and rendered the soldiers around her powerless. – A-amazing! You didn’t even flinch from all that concentrated fire, it’s like you’re not a human like us! – The fourth rank in the world is so reliable! We’ll be counting on you! Ascaride returned nothing but a nod in silence to this ovation, – … You really seem to distinguish them from the sky. She looked up to the sky and spilled her admiration. Ahead of her line of sight was the figure of a helicopter flying over the battlefield.
◆◇◆◇◆ Above Caldia. There was a helicopter that flew at a low altitude of about 30 meters as if gliding. A medium-sized helicopter for goods transportation had Kurogane Ikki and Miriallia Lazy on board. – Miri. The next target is the company going south on the 45th Street. Do you see them? Ikki took his body out from the opened door of the helicopter and pointed at a part of the battlefield. – There’s a soldier running behind everyone and who has an antenna extending from the rucksack, right? Shoot him. Ikki had a high-angle view of Kledelland Army with which he distinguished the locations of the hubs. He gave a command to Miriallia who was next to him with a knee on the floor, that is, in a shooting posture. – Roger. I’m on it〜.
In response to this firing instruction of Ikki, – Aand, here it goes! Miriallia fired the paint bullet at the designated target with the rifle. Miriallia’s outstanding space grasping ability to control very distant bullets from her in 3D allowed her to easily hit the target without worrying about the unstable foothold on the helicopter. And with the paint as a sign of that, 『Alright, that’s the guy! The next unfortunate fool has been found!』 『Imperial Guard, to the front! Everyone, chaaaaaarge!!』 『Go go go! Push forward! Go go go! Push forward!』 The Royal Imperial Guard of Vermillion went straight ahead while carrying bulletproof shields. And when they broke through the front of the Army of Kledelland forcibly, 『Capture him immediatelyyyy! Wrap him up gently!』 『With one of the Imperial Guard Style Enforcement Laws: Oil-hell man in a mountain of men!』* *TN: The kanji for the mess written above after the “:” is “漢特盛り油 地獄” which doesn’t have any reference in Japanese other than a crappy Japanese movie using “Oil-Hell” which I just pasted here.
『『『Heave-ho!!!!』』』 They stripped their happi coats off and threw themselves upon the soldier of Kledelland that was the hub and completely sealed his movement by lying on top of one another like a mountain. If the hub was squashed by a mountain of muscles, and that made him unable to move even a finger, then the surrounding soldiers would collapse as well. 『A purging law that punishes fools who have created lovers on their own and have disturbed harmony in our group! Helping you in this way is the best there is!』 『Have you realized, you criminal!? This is the strength of Vermillion!』 – Hey, Ikki. May I also shoot the disgrace of the country while I’m at it? Miriallia asked Ikki as she turned the muzzle from far away in the air to the members of the Imperial Guard who declared impressively and who succeeded in neutralizing the hub. Ikki returned a wry smile to her, – Maybe later. And replied. (It’s fine if it’s later) Miriallia was a bit surprised by the poisonous return of the gentle Ikki to everyone. Did those guys do anything to anger him? She wondered. Well, if that’s the case, then I’ll shoot a few bullets at them after we’ve finished.