The World Bows Down Before My Flames Vol 3

Prologue

The Melancholy of Psycho the Researcher

“Does that specimen interest you, Saiko?”

“Uh-huh.”

Saiko Hikita, ten years old, was stepping into her parents’ lab for the first time. The space was overwhelmingly white and sterile, and the smell of chemicals hung in the air.

A wide range of experiments in genetic modification were carried out at this lab—even experiments on humans.

“And what makes you so interested in her?” Saiko’s father asked.

“I dunno, I just am,” Saiko replied.

There was a row of glass-partitioned rooms, each with a child inside. These were not ordinary children; they had been genetically altered and now displayed unusual physical traits. For instance, there were young boys with massive, hulking muscles despite their age, and young girls who could walk on walls like reptiles.

But among them was one girl who seemed to have no special features at all—except for several scars on her body where she had evidently been cut open and stitched back together.

For some reason, Saiko found herself strangely drawn to the girl. The girl stared back at Saiko from the other side of the glass.

“Oh-ho, it’s just instinct, then… I see. Instinct is very important in science. You’re going to make an excellent researcher,” Saiko’s father said, his voice a cryptic blend of kindness and gloom. He stroked his daughter’s head. “Would you like to be her friend?”

“Can I?”

Saiko pressed her hand against the glass. The little girl smiled and pressed her own hand back.

“I don’t see why not. It will give you a chance to observe her up close and try to figure out what kind of specimen she might be.”

And that was how Saiko came to meet Specimen No. 13.

Saiko began visiting the lab every day and spent all her time in No. 13’s room.

Saiko and No. 13 were the same age, and while their ideas about the world and the things they took for granted were almost entirely different, for some reason, it just felt right when they were together. Saiko told No. 13 about the things she saw and did at school, and No. 13 told Saiko about the goings-on at the laboratory.

“School is boring, the lessons are all too easy.”

“That’s because you’re so smart.”

“I wish I could start working at the lab already.”

The school that Saiko attended was no ordinary school. It was a special academy for children who would be required to work at the laboratory once they got older.

This was because of their parents, of course. The parents were engaged in the kind of secret research that could never be allowed to come to light, thus they were not allowed to set foot outside this sprawling underground research facility. That went for their children as well. These facilities weren’t just in Japan. They were a fact of life in every major, developed country.

The lessons taught at the facility’s school were far more advanced than the kind taught at the schools for normal Japanese people, but Saiko still found the lessons boring.

“What did you do today, No. 13?”

“Today we looked at my brain… Something called an fMRI, I think?”

“Did they find anything interesting?”

Saiko’s eyes sparkled.

“They said something about some spot way down in my brain—something called the pineal gland—being super active.”

No. 13 suddenly glanced through the glass down the hallway. She had a habit of doing that every now and again. Whenever she did, someone was always sure to show up. It was almost as if she was checking because she knew someone was about to enter the room.

“The pineal gland, huh…? You know they used to call that ‘the seat of the soul’?”

“They did?”

“Some philosopher from way back named Descartes did, anyway. Although most academics now say that was silly.”

“Oh.”

No. 13 wasn’t really sure what Saiko was talking about. She nodded vaguely while Saiko showed off her smarts.

“Maybe that means you’ve got a strong soul! Not that I know what that would mean.”

“That makes two of us!”

At the moment, neither of the girls had any idea what they were talking about. But their conversations were always exciting. It was like listening to fairy tales for them, each hearing about the other’s unfamiliar world.

The days passed, and Saiko eventually asked Specimen No. 13 a question.

“No. 13, what do you want to be in the future?”

Saiko meant it as an offhand question.

“The future…? I’m just a research subject. I guess I don’t really want to be anything.”

“Oh, yeah. That makes sense…”

It was not until that moment that it occurred to Saiko the lab specimens didn’t choose their lives. Saiko was required to become a scientist in the lab when she got older, but she would still be able to choose what kind of research she pursued. The research subjects, however, were just specimens in the end. It was the scientists who chose how they were handled.

The choosing and the chosen—a faint inkling began to awaken in Saiko’s mind of the kind of responsibility involved in such an arrangement.

“Although, if I had to pick, I guess I want to be useful if I can. I don’t really understand the research everyone is doing, but it’s supposed to be for a purpose, right? What about you, Saiko?”

No. 13’s dream for the future was passive and easily attainable. It wasn’t even a dream; it was already a done deal. Saiko made up her mind then. She would make that reality feel like a dream for No. 13.

“I want to be an amazing scientist, just like my mommy and daddy. That way I can make sure you get to be really useful.”

In that moment, Saiko’s dream began to take shape. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do yet, or how she would do it, but she had a faint, distant goal in mind.

“Really? Thank you!” said No. 13. “I’d be so happy if you were in charge of my research! Oh, but are you sure you don’t want to become a normal scientist? None of the research here is normal. They all call each other mad scientists.”

“I don’t have a choice. I’m stuck here.”

“Oh, right.”

“But being a mad scientist sounds pretty cool. That’s what my mommy always calls herself.”

Saiko thought of her mother and her amazing, boisterous laugh. Saiko’s mother really seemed to enjoy her work here.

“That does sound pretty cool…! Oh, come to think of it, there is something I wanted to become.”

“What’s that?”

“I want to be—”

The wagon thumped loudly, jostling Psycho awake.

She glanced outside the canopy as the wagon, pulled by Proto, rattled frantically back and forth. Nothing but dense, gloomy forest.

“It was a dream…”

I must be feeling pretty sappy these days, Psycho realized, dreaming about the past like this. But she already knew the reason for it. It was time to wake up and face reality.

“I haven’t been very useful lately, have I…?” she muttered softly, her face listless. No one heard her.

“What’s wrong, Psycho? Carriage-sick?” Homura asked. Homura had already recovered from her own motion sickness by throwing her guts up.

“Look who’s talking,” Psycho said, but she didn’t sound like her usual scathing self. There was barely any oomph in her comeback at all. “I’ve got big thoughts on my mind, that’s all…”

As she spoke, Psycho turned to stare out of the wagon again. Her voice was soft.

“I never thought I’d see the great Psycho down in the dumps… What’s next, will pigs start flying…?”

It wasn’t like Psycho to act so meek. Homura quickly checked the sky…but there didn’t seem to be any sign of hogs on the horizon.

“Seeing you all depressed like this is honestly throwing me for a loop…”

Where had Psycho’s energetic spirit gone? Without their usual back-and-forth, Homura wasn’t sure how to react.

“Leave her alone. Whatever she’s thinking, you know it’s despicable,” Jin said sharply, not even bothering to glance their way.

“That’s right, don’t let Psycho trick you into feeling sorry for her,” Proto added, as hard-hearted as Jin.

“You’re right, I forgot who we were talking about here! Psycho is the last person to be going through something!” Homura said, piling on.

“Well, excuse me for having feelings, you nitwit!” Psycho shouted, full of piss and vinegar again. The atmosphere in the wagon was finally back to normal! Although Psycho looked like she was about ready to shoot laser beams from her eyes.

“There’s the Psycho we know and love! Try to keep it together, please. It’s no fun in here without our usual fights!”

“Why should I have to ‘keep it together’ for your sake?!”

“Admit it—when I have fun you feel better, too. See, just look at how much better you’re feeling already.”

“Oh yeah, much better. I think I’m about to blow a gasket from all this fun!”

Psycho grabbed Homura’s jaw and began squeezing it like a vise.

“Nrrggghhh—!”

Once Homura’s jaw had let out a satisfying creak, Psycho finally let go. Even after Psycho released her, however, Homura’s jaw continued to berate her for her stupidity.

“Ow, that hurt…” Homura rubbed the side of her face. “I really was worried about you, though. You usually don’t hold back with the insults. That wasn’t like you.”

Once the pain in her jaw had finally receded, Homura got to the point.

“Is…something wrong…?”

Having calmed down once more, Psycho stared uncertainly out the wagon again.

“Yeah…”

Psycho wasn’t sure if she should say anything, but she couldn’t take them all staring at her like this. She wound up spitting it all out.

“I was trying to think of some way to get strong like the rest of you,” she muttered, her eyes still fixed on the trees outside. Her face, visible in profile, grew a little pink. Homura realized with surprise that Psycho was embarrassed.

“Psycho…”

Psycho the mad scientist, envious of others? Psycho, the self-professed genius extraordinaire?

Although, come to think of it, the first time the girls all took a bath together, Psycho had mentioned being jealous of the size of Homura’s breasts…but that was neither here nor there!

Unlike that time in the bath, Psycho seemed genuinely embarrassed at the moment. She hadn’t even wanted to tell them what was bothering her at first. For once, she wasn’t using her big mouth to distract them, either. Homura realized now probably wasn’t the time for jokes.

“Why? What do you need to get stronger for?”

Homura wasn’t just trying to make Psycho feel better. She really didn’t see the need for it.

“Your healing magic is amazing enough as is. None of us can use magic to heal people like you can. What is it they say in Galdorssia? That those with power have a responsibility to serve as a shield for those without? Why not just focus on what you have and what you do best?”

Even without being stronger, Psycho had already saved their asses countless times. Why fix what wasn’t broken? However, Psycho still seemed a little crestfallen.

“That’s not the problem. I already know I’m plenty of help to you guys. I’m not sure how to put it, but…it just feels like I’m relying on you guys too much,” Psycho said. “Healing doesn’t come into play until everything’s already over and done with. Yeah, I can do that one thing, but I still have to leave the fighting up to all of you. Do you see what I’m saying…? When I do try to fight, it’s not like I can do much good with my little knife other than to take out a few small-time bozos anyway. Most of the time when I fight, it’s against opponents who have already been weakened by Tsutsumi’s poison. I can’t dominate the battlefield on my own like you guys all can.”

“You make those creatures out of corpses, though, don’t you? You know, the gross, creepy ones?”

“Again, that’s only after you guys have already killed something for me first,” Psycho complained. She didn’t sound envious now, just resigned.

For some reason, it seemed like Psycho just didn’t like the idea of relying on others for anything. But something about the way she was acting started to rub Homura the wrong way.

“What is your deal…?”

Why shouldn’t Psycho rely on them? They were a team!

“What’s wrong with working together? We’re supposed to be friends. If it wasn’t for everyone else, I don’t think I’d even be alive right now. Maybe I would have just gotten killed by an enemy the normal way. Maybe I would have lost control and burned myself to a crisp… The only reason I can do anything at all is because I have everyone else with me. I rely on people all the time. So why can’t you rely on us, too?”

“I know, but…”

Psycho continued to stare outside.

“Well, if you just keep moping around, you’re not going to be much help at all!”

Homura had noticed Psycho was lost in thought lately, always with a serious look on her face, but she’d had no idea that Psycho was feeling this troubled. She’d figured Psycho had just been thinking sordid thoughts, as Jin said.

That settled it, then. It was time for Homura to cheer Psycho up.

“This calls for a love bomb. Prepare to be decimated with compliments!”

“A what now?!”

“I’m going to build up your self-esteem.”

“You do you…”

“I certainly will, thank you very much.”

Operation Cheer Up Psycho…commence!

“First of all, you’re very smart.”

“I already know that!”

“If you weren’t here, I doubt we’d understand a single thing going on in this world.”

Jin, Proto, and Tsutsumi all nodded in agreement.

“And you’re actually fairly pretty when you keep your big mouth shut.”

“I’m a total bombshell, whether I’m talking or not!”

“And you’re cute when you’re sleeping, too.”

“Why are you watching me while I sleep, you weirdo?! You need to start sleeping in a different room! And you look like a complete dingus when you sleep, by the way.”

“…I do?!?!”

Jin, Proto, and Tsutsumi all snickered in agreement.

“I can’t believe this…!”

Homura was in shock. Maybe she really would start sleeping in a different room.

Jin decided to join in on the love bombing. “You’re better at facing facts than any of us.”

“Jin’s right. Even though you say some crazy things sometimes, you’re the realist of our group.”

“It’s not that I’m a realist. It’s just that you all get carried away by all this fantasy mumbo jumbo!”

Proto added her two cents as well. “You’re the brains of the operation, our commander general! Without you I’m just a muscle-head.”

“In fact, we leave almost all the thinking up to you!” Homura interjected.

“Well, how about you don’t do that anymore, then!”

Tsutsumi spoke up as well. “Umm…I think you’re…very smart…”

“I am, ain’t I? Thanks, kid.”

Psycho had nothing but gentle smiles for Tsutsumi, unlike with the others.

“Hey, no fair! I said the exact same thing!” Homura whined.

Psycho stroked Tsutsumi’s head softly.

“Well, I’ll show you! I’m about to reminisce about us so hard!”

Not willing to be outdone, Homura began to relate some of the memories she had made with Psycho.

“I said it before, but it’s really fun being here with everybody like this. There are tons of things that are difficult or that I don’t like, but a lot of the time, the reason I’m able to overcome the hard stuff is because you’re there with me, Psycho.”

Homura knew she was being embarrassing, but she couldn’t stop herself now. Partly because she wanted to cheer Psycho up, and partly because she wasn’t about to let Tsutsumi be the only one to get a smile.

“I never had the kind of friends I could be myself with before. When I was down, thinking about the past, you gave me the pat on the back I needed, and the first time I lost control, you were the one who saved me. It made me so happy.”

Homura continued to share. She had so many memories now—with Psycho, with all of them.

“It’s not just you, either, Psycho. The only reason I can stand here like this now is thanks to everyone. Even before I died, I had been killing myself inside for a long time. But now when I do something strange, you all let me hear about it. And when you all are being weirdos, I can make fun of you and horse around. That’s what I love about us. It’s what makes us so great…”

Homura had gotten carried away, and now she was getting embarrassed. She looked down, her cheeks glowing red. She took a furtive peek around the wagon and realized it wasn’t just Psycho anymore. They were all blushing now.

“Look what you did! Do you see how awkward it is in here now?!”

The atmosphere in the wagon had grown slightly uncomfortable.

“Well, you know what they say… What happens in Galdorssia stays in Galdorssia… Ah-ha-ha…”

Homura was starting to panic. She threw up peace signs with both her hands, praying the gesture would come off as cool and breezy.

“Do you even know what that phrase means?! We’re staying in Galdorssia right now, you nincompoop!”

Homura would have to remember to ask Jin later what that phrase actually meant.

“Hmph… You know what, who cares?” Psycho said, sighing suddenly. All this whining and moaning was starting to feel silly.

It may not have been the fun, chill atmosphere that Homura was hoping for, but now that everyone was rolling their eyes at what a screwup she was, the energy in the wagon had returned to normal.

“Besides, I’m the one who dragged us all into this conversation in the first place. Fear not, it’s back to Psycho, Mad Scientist Extraordinaire, from here on out!”

Psycho was…not quite back to her usual self, but she did sound confident.

“There’s the Psycho we know and love. Mission accomplished!”

“I’ll give you mission accomplished!”

As the wagon trundled along, a ray of light broke in through the cloth canopy.

“We’re almost in sight of Galdorssia. We’ve sure got a lot to report. Everything that happened in Aurerich…not to mention School Village.”

“I know. Who would have thought something like that would occur, especially in a village like that…?”

Homura and the others thought back to the things they had seen and done during their detour to School Village.

Chapter 1
The Village of School Swimsuits and Samurai Swords

Psycho marked the occasion by uttering a line from a certain epic poem.

“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”

They were standing before the gate of despair. And the name of that despair was…

“School Village… I guess this is the place.”

A wooden wall towered before them amid the gloomy trees spreading out to the left and right as far as the eye could see. The gate nestled between the walls was topped with a ceramic tile roof, designed in a fashion that was sure to spark nostalgia in anyone who had come from Japan.

This portal was also currently emanating powerful waves of despair—hence Psycho comparing it to the gates of hell. The reason for this despair was that they knew the peculiar location known as School Village, famous for producing Japanese-style school PE swimsuits and samurai swords, awaited them on the other side of the still-closed gate.

“PE swimsuits and katanas. I thought this was supposed to be another world. Why are we running smack-dab into Japanese culture way out here?”

Homura had an extremely bad feeling about this. Sure, she got homesick at times, but despite this mysterious village’s attempts to tug at her heartstrings, it sounded like there were plenty of things she didn’t miss waiting for her inside as well.

“Maybe cultures just dovetail sometimes, even in another world…,” said Psycho. “I mean, is it really that big of a surprise? We’ve seen plenty of things already that seemed familiar. Like the buildings, or the ways people eat.”

“Now that you mention it, you’re right… A lot of the towns and streets looked like something you might find in Europe. The food also seemed like pretty normal stuff for other countries…”

Homura thought back to their first visit to Galdorssia, and she recalled how it had reminded her of something out of an old European town. Even before they reached Galdorssia, there had been the horse-drawn wagon to contend with. There were plenty of elements here that seemed like they would fit right in back on Earth.

“Even on Earth, similar pyramids were apparently built in both Egypt and Central America,” said Psycho. “Maybe coincidences like these are just inevitable.”

“Maybe, but this still feels a little excessive…”

It made sense there might be similar weapons, but what possible explanation could there be for the fact that the village was producing the kind of swimsuits used in a Japanese PE class? Homura had a serious bone to pick with the creator of this world.

“I’m sorry for dragging you all into this,” Jin said sheepishly.

Homura responded in a fluster. “No, no, it’s fine! That’s not what I meant! We’re not just here for your sake; what you need, we all need,” Homura said.

Though to be honest, Homura was none too thrilled to be here. She didn’t have the most pleasant memories attached to school swimsuits.

“As soon as we get what we came for, let’s just get the hell out of here.”

Their main objective for visiting School Village was to get their hands on a new weapon. Jin’s katana had broken during their last fight, and this village was known for creating weapons very similar to Japanese katanas.

Through a complicated series of events, Jin had actually already acquired a new katana. However, it was also a cursed, malefic sword that encroached upon her mind whenever she wielded it, making it difficult to use. She needed another one that was just plain and ordinary.

Sadly, they had no choice. This was a matter of life or death. After making up their minds, they had crossed several mountains to the east of the port town of Aurerich before eventually arriving at School Village.

“Let’s hope we get our hands on a katana before anything else happens first…” Homura offered a little prayer to God. Of course, God was back at the church in Galdorssia, so she probably couldn’t hear them at the moment. Which was probably for the best. God didn’t need to be bothered right now.

Homura and the others stood before the entrance to the village, already eager to leave. Proto turned toward the others and cocked her head.

“I thought you all wanted to eat some of that rice stuff you’re always going on about. It’s all you four ever talk about.”

“That’s right! Mmm, rice…”

Homura had completely forgotten. What she wouldn’t give right now for some sticky white Japanese rice. A vision of a piping-hot bowl floated into her mind’s eye while Jin, who was standing next to her, nodded emphatically. Proto, who couldn’t understand their obsession, looked exasperated.

“I don’t get why you’d want to eat those gloopy little white pellets so badly in the first place…”

Gloopy white pellets?!

“Don’t phrase it like that! I mean, yes, they are kinda gloopy, and white, and pellets. But it sounds so gross when you put it that way!” Homura said, scolding Proto.

“Geez, whatever…” Proto surprised Homura by turning away, seeming downcast. “It’s not my fault. I just don’t get what the big deal is.”

Homura felt her stomach drop. She should have thought about how her words would affect Proto.

“Y…you’re right. We just come from different cultures, that’s all. Maybe I got a little carried away…”

Homura felt bad for yelling. Proto was a mechanical life-form from outer space. It wasn’t just that their cultures were different; Proto was a completely different type of entity. It was unfair of Homura to expect Proto to have the same touchpoints a human did just because Proto happened to look human on the outside.

Proto often had mean things to say when it came to food in particular. But she probably just felt left out because she couldn’t understand what it meant to eat. Regardless, it was important to compromise and meet each other halfway.

“It’s fine, I shouldn’t have said it that way. From now on, I’ll choose my words more carefully when describing how you carbon life-forms mash things up with your intake holes.”

“No, don’t say it like that! You’re doing it on purpose now!”

Homura was positive Proto was just making fun of her now. Meanwhile, Tsutsumi’s stomach suddenly began to rumble. Maybe because Homura, who was so worried about meeting Proto halfway, had been talking about food.

“Nothing puts a dent in your appetite, does it, Tsutsumi?”

Tsutsumi also had her own way of thinking and feeling about things, seeing as she had been raised as a living bioweapon. It didn’t matter what gross phrases Proto decided to use; Tsutsumi was always ready to eat.

“Eating should be…a time to unwind, free from…interruption. To recover…from the world…”

“Tsutsumi, the solitary gourmet!”

Apparently Tsutsumi didn’t care what went on around her, so long as people left her alone to eat in peace. But God help anyone who got in the way of her food. She would shut them up with brute force if need be. Just asking Tsutsumi to share a bite or two off her plate was enough to earn you a bloodcurdling stare.

It was important to give Tsutsumi a wide berth while she was eating.

Tsutsumi’s stomach growled again, letting them all know how hungry she was.

“Oh, I know!” Homura decided to extend a helping hand—for Tsutsumi’s sake, of course. “Tsutsumi, if you need something to keep your mouth busy, you’re welcome to suck on my thumb for now.”

Homura held out her thumb, motivated by about 10 percent virtue, 90 percent vice.

“Tsutsumi,” said Proto, “if you need something to keep your mouth busy, I can make you some nice, fresh mincemeat patties. It will only take me a minute.”

She reached into the wagon to withdraw her war hammer while Psycho grabbed Homura from behind in a full nelson to prevent her from running away.

“All right! Let’s grill us up some people burgers!” she cheered.

“I was just making a joke!” Homura protested. “Oh no! Tsutsumi’s stomach is growling even louder now!”

Tsutsumi’s stomach rumbled again, this time at twice the volume.

“Mm-hmm…hamburgers…”

Tsutsumi began to drool. Homura was already starting to look like a giant hamburger to her.

“Stop behaving like fools. It’s time to go inside,” said Jin, and she knocked on the gate.

A man’s voice greeted them from the other side. “Is that visitors I hear? Hold on a moment, let me open the gate!”

“Ahhhhh, I’m not mentally prepared yet…!”

Homura was released from the full nelson, narrowly escaping being made into mincemeat, but she had other problems to worry about now. What was going to show up on the other side of that gate? Was it hope, or was it despair?

Proto and Tsutsumi quickly threw on their hooded robes as the gate began to creak open.

“Sorry about that. Things have been pretty hectic lately, so we’ve been keeping the gate shut tight until visitors arrive. We weren’t expecting any merchants today.”

As the gate swung open, light spilled out onto the gloomy, tree-lined road, blinding them for a brief moment.

“Ugh, it’s so bright.”

A moment later, they had adjusted to the brightness, and color returned to the world. The girls gasped as they caught sight of what awaited them inside.

“What is this place…?”

It looked like a scene lifted straight from a traditional Japanese countryside.

“Are we sure we’re not actually in Japan right now…?” said Homura.

There was a clear, flowing river, and vibrant paddies stretched off into the distance. Thatched wooden houses stood in rows, with spinning water wheels feeding the fields. A passing breeze swept over them, carrying with it the scent of rice plants.

“I can’t believe it. I thought this was supposed to be a different world—”

Looking closer, however, Homura saw that the women planting seedlings in the paddies were all wearing PE-style swimsuits while they worked.

“Whoops, I guess I spoke too soon. This isn’t Japan after all. I better just burn the whole place down to be safe.”

Homura placed a hand on the gatepost, causing the wood to sizzle.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!”

As one would expect, the gateman was angry.

“I didn’t mean to! She told me to do it!” Homura quickly pointed a finger at Psycho, trying to shift the blame.

“I didn’t say anything…! I thought it, but I didn’t say it!”

As you would expect, Homura was the only one to receive a lump on her head from the man.

“Oww!”

She felt her brain shake in its pan. She also received another lump from Psycho. As one would expect.

“You’re gonna get a scolding from me for that later.”

“I didn’t mean it. My mouth and my finger just moved on their own…”

“Wait, those badges… Are you five with the Phalanx of Blades? I figured you weren’t merchants, but that explains why you look so banged up. Let me guess: You’re on your way back from a mission but had business here first,” said the man at the gate, eyeing the sword-shaped badges affixed to the girls’ lapels.

The man was young, maybe around twenty, and fresh-faced. There was something vaguely Eastern, almost Japanese, about his features. He resembled the archer from Ares’s party.

The man had quickly grasped their situation. Glancing at his chest, the girls spotted an Aegis Guard badge on his own lapel. He was dressed in a lightweight outfit resembling a rustic kimono, and he even had a katana strapped to his waist.

“It really is like Japan in here…,” Homura muttered.

“We heard you made blades in this village similar to this one,” Jin said, explaining the reason for their visit as she drew her broken ebony katana from its sheath. The man scrutinized it closely.

“I don’t recognize the design or workmanship, but it does resemble the blades we make here… If that’s what you’re looking for, you should probably go talk to the village headman, though. I’ll take you now.”

The young man let them in without further difficulty.

“My thanks.”

Homura and the others wheeled their wagon inside and then followed the young man on foot.

“Is it just my imagination, or is everyone staring at us?”

As they made their way through the village, Homura realized they were drawing the attention of the villagers.

“Of course they’re staring,” said Psycho. “We were just through a knock-down, drag-out fight to the death, remember?”

“Oh yeah. I forgot how we must look right now.”

Now she remembered. They were all “banged up,” just like the man had said. The villagers weren’t staring out of nosiness, they were staring out of concern.

The tears in their clothing had already been mended thanks to Psycho, who was secretly a wiz at sewing, but the stains—especially the bloodstains—still remained. At a glance, it was obvious the girls had been through some pretty intense combat. Homura didn’t blame the villagers for staring.

“Except for you, Psycho, we all look like we’ve been put through a meat grinder.”

“…Yeah, except for me. I guess I’m not much for the front lines.”

Something about the way Psycho paused before responding felt off to Homura.

“…?”

Psycho just kept walking like her normal self, though. Homura figured she must have imagined it.

“By the way, everyone’s clothing here kind of reminds me of a swim class bathing suit…”

Homura would have preferred to ignore this fact, but as they made their way through the village, it was hard not to notice that everyone’s clothing was the same standard dark blue generally used for PE class swimsuits back in Japan. Maybe the color came from a traditional village dye.

Something else that caught Homura’s eye was the occasional building topped with ceramic tiles instead of a thatched roof. Most of these tiled roofs featured chimneys with their own small crowns from which rose thin wisps of smoke. They could hear the sound of metal being pounded coming from one of these buildings nearby.

“Sorry, what is that building there with the tiled roof?”

“Oh, that’s a forge. All the buildings with different roofs are things like workshops or prayer huts,” the man said, explaining the makeup of the village to them.

“Oh, of course. I see.”

Homura stared at the buildings and nodded. There was probably some reason the roofs had to be different.

The young man soon led them to a house in the heart of the village that was significantly fancier than the others. They entered through a recessed work area with an earthen floor, where they removed their footwear before ascending to the rest of the house.

“There’s something comforting about taking off your shoes before entering a house, isn’t there?”

“Is there? Except for school, I spent most of my time buried in a lab, so the feeling is foreign to me.”

“I find it comforting, too,” Jin said.

“It’s pretty rare to find people around here who are already used to this custom!” the young man said, unable to hide his surprise as the girls removed their footwear without being asked. Homura just smiled noncommittally. She could hardly tell him they had come from a part of a different world with similar customs.

The room the young man led them to had an irori—a traditional sunken hearth—located in the center. A small elderly man, wearing what looked like a jinbei, sat on the other side of the hearth. He was apparently the leader of this village. He clutched a narrow kiseru-style pipe between his teeth, puffing out violet smoke.

“Gramps, these girls are here to—”

“Say no more! Say no more!” The headman let out a huge puff of smoke before tapping the pipe in his hand, removing the ash. “You’re here because you want to try on some of our School swimsuits, aren’t you?”

“No, we are not,” Homura said, taking a seat on one of the floor cushions laid out for them.

“You’re not?! Yes, of course… I knew that!” the headman said, shocked by Homura’s unexpectedly tepid response. In fact, he was so taken aback that he even sucked at his pipe, which no longer had any tobacco in it. “For some reason, no one from outside the village seems to take much interest in our swimsuits.”

“They sell them in Aurerich, don’t they?”

“So I’ve been told. They are actually a traditional costume, made out of a fabric called ulu and dyed with a substance we called suku.”

Come to think of it, ulu sounded like the Japanese word for wool. And suku was a kind of indigo dye. That explained why the villagers’ clothing was all the same color.

“Suku…ulu…suku ulu… Ah! School! So that’s where the name comes from! That’s so stupid!”

So that was why the village was called School Village even though it wasn’t a school. How would Homura have lived without knowing such stupid information?!

“Precisely… They are holy garments, you know, blessed with a benediction that allows the wearer to move more freely while in water.”

“Wait, they’re magic items?!”

Homura was officially gobsmacked. Who knew these bathing suits were such high-performance swimwear?

“Hmph…”

The headman took a deep puff on his pipe, which seemed to be getting a lot of airflow at the moment, before getting down to business.

“Tomfoolery aside, it’s obvious what you’ve come for. It’s about your sword, isn’t it?”

Despite his clowning around, the headman seemed to have already worked out the situation for himself. As his gaze fell on the katana at Jin’s waist, his eyebrows twitched briefly in surprise.

“I’m glad you understand.” Jin held out her broken sword. “We heard that you make weapons similar to this one here at the village. I was hoping to obtain such a blade.”

The headman took the katana from Jin and peered at it closely.

“Well, well… A fine piece of craftsmanship indeed,” the headman said, humming in appreciation. Unfortunately, his answer was disappointing. “I’m afraid you won’t find anything of this same quality here. If you were to visit our homeland, perhaps. If you would be willing to settle for an inferior piece, however, we have plenty of other blades to choose from.”

There was a hint of regret in the headman’s voice. It sounded like the village was unable to make katanas of the same caliber because they lacked something—either the technology or the facilities or the material.

“I would be very grateful.”

“Well, then… Hurry, go fetch a blade.”

“Right away!”

The young man exited the room at the headman’s bidding.

“This truly is a fine piece, though. I can see at a glance how sharp it is. How did they do it…?” The headman ran a finger along the blade, as if to test its sharpness. “Whoever crafted this blade must have—ah! Yow! It cut me! It really cut me!”

The blade must have been even sharper than the old man had thought. He pressed the sleeve of his jinbei against the bleeding finger as his eyes welled up with tears.

“That was a silly thing to do,” Homura commented.

“Yes, yes, I suppose it was.”

The girls stared at the strange old man.

“Owwww… In any case, we’ll need a writ. I can’t let just anyone walk out with a weapon! Hold on a second now. Let’s see… Ah, here it is!”

Once the old man’s bleeding had slowed, he began rifling through a tansu-style cabinet set against the wall, eventually pulling out a single slip of paper. It was a document apparently necessary for keeping track of one of the village’s weapons.

The headman also pulled out a small black pot. He added a bit of water to it and then dipped his writing brush inside. As his brush raced across the page, it was bizarre to see that the characters were not, in fact, Japanese, but there was still something nostalgic about the sight of the calligraphy and the smell of the ink.

“You know, since I’ve already got blood on my finger, I might as well add a seal!”

Homura was pretty sure that wasn’t necessary, but the headman pressed his bloody finger against the page for a moment before nodding with a grunt of satisfaction. She wished he would just stick to business.

“Now then, write your name here.”

The headman passed the piece of paper that he had just unnecessarily smeared with blood over to Jin. Soiled or not, it was still an official document. Jin took the brush and quickly wrote her name.

“There, the weapon is yours now. Don’t forget to submit the writ to the appropriate registrar.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Jin folded up the writ and placed it inside her shirt.

“Would you mind if I keep your broken sword for now? I’d like to try taking it back to our homeland, if I get the chance,” the old man said.

“To search for someone capable of working on it?”

“Yes. Not that many such craftsmen exist.”

Jin’s expression seemed to brighten somewhat in response.

“I know I shouldn’t ask, but I would appreciate if the blade and mountings were kept similar. I’ve grown attached to it.”

“Leave it to me. A fine craftsman has a way of working his soul into the blade.”

“Thank you. You have my gratitude.”

Jin bowed her head. Now that they had accomplished what they’d come for, Tsutsumi’s stomach saw its chance and growled.

“Food…”

The headman laughed, apparently pleased.

“Ha-ha, that’s the sound of a good, healthy appetite! I’ll have something prepared for you. While you’re waiting, why not take a nice, long bath—?”

The sound of something being smashed suddenly came from outside.

“This again?!” the headman shouted in irritation, his face growing tense.

The man at the gate had mentioned things had been hectic lately; maybe this was what he had meant. The five girls rushed outside.

Chapter 2
Horse-People

They could see a crowd of people gathered next to a rice paddy on the opposite side of the river that flowed through the center of the village.

By the time they reached the crowd, the commotion had already died down, but they could hear villagers muttering to each other that they had shown up again. Homura and the other girls worked their way through the crowd, trying not to look at the smattering of women dressed in school PE swimsuits.

“What happened?”

The villagers’ eyes were all directed toward the young man the girls had met earlier at the gate. He was holding a katana, which was stained red, as if he had just cut some creature down moments before. Some creature that was currently lying at his feet.

“Is that…a monstrous beast?”

A strangely shaped creature covered in brown fur was lying faceup on the ground. There was a deep gash across its shoulders, as if from a katana slash.

The creature was lying perfectly still, apparently dead.

“Does it matter?” the gateman asked, puzzled. “These things started showing up a little while ago, but it’s impossible to tell what they are. They move like a human, which would seem to suggest demonkind, but they rampage like beasts, which would seem to suggest they are monstrous beasts as well.”

The man could only cock his head, unsure.

“We’ve tried to speak to them, but it’s always useless. They’re clearly not intelligent.”

“What strange monsters.”

The man was right. The creature’s head was shaped like a horse’s, but midway, its body morphed into an ungainly shape that looked capable of walking on two legs. It was about the size of a small human, but its frame was packed with incongruously sturdy muscles. In place of hooves, its hands and feet ended in well-formed fingers and toes.

There was no way to distinguish whether the creature was a beast or a demon. Psycho moved closer and began examining it, fascinated. She confirmed there was no heartbeat and it wasn’t breathing before slowly inspecting every inch of it, from the top of its head to the tips of its toes.

The villagers watched from a distance, forming a circle around her. A moment later, Psycho had finished her inspection. She placed a hand on her chin and began to conjecture.

“Based on physical characteristics…,” Psycho muttered, her eyebrows furrowing together in distaste, “the creature was likely female. A…a woman?”

While small, two slight mounds were visible on its chest. Considering its stature, it was probably still young.

“This horse-woman has to be a demon. Its features are too close to human for it to be a beast.”

That made sense. But it was so close to the line that Homura could have just as easily believed it was a monstrous beast. Like the gateman said, the creature resembled both.

“I didn’t know there were demons like this. I thought all demons were more human in appearance.”

Homura thought back to the Sharktooth Tribe. The Sharktooth demons had basically looked like humans with some shark characteristics, but the monster lying before them now was something else entirely.

From a distance it could have been mistaken for a horse, but its other features, such as its fingers and the position of its breasts, were uncannily human.

“If it wasn’t intelligent, though, killing it was probably the right thing to do. I doubt we would have been able to get any information from it.” Psycho stood up and spoke to the man who had killed the monster. “Do they always come from that direction?”

The village man answered, “Come to think of it, yes. They always come from the east…”

Glancing toward the east, they could see several areas where the wall had been repaired. There was also a new spot that had been freshly destroyed.

If these creatures were just showing up sporadically to rampage, unlike the Sharktooth Tribe, it seemed unlikely that they had any real goal in mind. If they were even capable of having goals at their level of intelligence.

Either way, if they all came from the same direction, that had to be where their den was.

“Speaking of which, are there any settlements to the east?”

“It’s fairly far, but there is one, supposedly. But even if you wanted to go to their aid, you would need to head back to Galdorssia first and—”

“No, that isn’t why I was asking. I just wanted to know whether there were any settlements there or not.”

Judging by the man’s use of the word supposedly, any village out that way was too far for regular interaction. The demons’ den was almost certainly somewhere to the east, and there was a human settlement in that direction as well. But apparently Psycho wasn’t curious about what had happened to the settlement, only whether it was there or not.

“Why did you want to know?” Homura asked, curious.

“Don’t worry about it. That isn’t something we should talk about here.”

“If…you say so.”

Isn’t something we should talk about here. What did that mean? Whatever it meant, it sounded like Psycho was onto something. Homura had no idea what that might be, though, so she just kept her mouth shut and let Psycho do her thing.

“Anyway, we’ve got a lot to report. We should probably hurry back to Galdorssia,” Psycho said, turning to face them again as she thrust her hands into her slightly grimy lab coat.

What happened next took everyone by surprise.

There was no way for Psycho to react in time.

One of the creature’s powerful, misshapen arms rose into the air, poised to crush Psycho’s skull. The monster, which they’d thought was dead, had gotten back onto its feet suddenly and was lunging toward her.

The arm swung downward, moving too fast for most of them to see.

“Psycho, get down!” Jin shouted, reaching for the katana she had just received from the headman.

“Huh…?”

It was too late. Partly because the victim of the coming attack didn’t even understand what was happening. Psycho’s death seemed inevitable.

But…those fears never came to pass. Instead of making contact with Psycho’s head, the creature’s meaty arm was sent flying in a random direction.

“Huh…?!”

Psycho uttered a deflated little grunt as she turned toward the monster once more. The monster, meanwhile, crumpled to the ground like a marionette whose strings had just been cut. A spray of blood had erupted from the thing at some point, splattering red across Psycho’s lab coat.

“Huh? What just happened?”

It had all occurred too fast. Psycho stood there slack-jawed, unable to grasp what she was seeing. The answer, however, soon became clear. Someone was standing beside the monster now. Someone who hadn’t been there a moment ago. He was flicking the blood from Jin’s broken ebony blade.

“Hmph… It’s sharp, yes, but brittle. Excellent for work like this, but it wouldn’t do for larger opponents. I wouldn’t rely much on that malefic sword, either, if I were you. That is, if you’re interested in what an old man has to say,” the village headman said, addressing Jin.

It was he who had just cut down the monster. While everyone else held their breath, he was the only one who seemed relaxed.

A lightning-fast slash from an aging soldier. It had happened too fast for anything but the aftermath to be seen. They were all caught with their pants down, and Jin was the only one who still had the wherewithal to respond.

“How did you know this was a malefic sword…?”

Jin had never mentioned the fact. And she obviously wasn’t about to unsheathe it and show him.

“I got eyes, don’t I? I’ve seen my fill of those damned things.” The headman did not explain himself further, but they caught a glimpse of profound bitterness on his face. “I suspect you came looking for a normal katana because of how difficult that thing is to use.”

“You’re correct.”

The karma attached to such dark blades cast deep shadows upon those who came into contact with them.

“There’s something else I should say…”

The headman’s face twisted in further anguish.

“Someone…bring me a stretcher! Oh, my back! I shouldn’t have moved so fast!”

The old man fell over, crying in pain. He was soon loaded onto a stretcher.

“I’m not sure if we should be thankful or worried…,” Homura said as she watched them carry away the poor old man who had just saved Psycho’s life.

“Well, he definitely saved my ass. Without him I would have been dead…”

Maybe it was still the adrenaline speaking, but for once, Psycho wasn’t trying to play it cool.

Psycho had been very careful. She had confirmed the creature was dead before beginning her inspection. It seemed unlikely that she had been mistaken. But this was a world where magic existed. Anything could happen. Maybe the thing had come back to life. Or maybe it had been dead but had moved anyway.

Whatever had happened, it was extraordinary. And Homura was worried there could be more of it on the way.

“It feels like something bad is coming.”

The Dark Lord’s shadow always seemed to loom behind these incidents. First Guadhari Village, then Aurerich. Over and over again, the Dark Lord had been the one pulling the strings. It was no wonder Homura was worried something bad was coming. But the truth was that something bad was already there.

“Don’t look now, but I think that something just arrived,” Proto said, pointing toward the wall to the east in disgust.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me…”

It was a swarm of horse-people. They were pouring in through the hole in the wall.

“▪▪▪▪▪▪▪—!!”

The horse-people erupted in bizarre screams as they began racing toward the villagers in haphazard formation. The creatures did not give off the impression of being intelligent, but they did seem desperate, as if there was something spurring them on.

The sight was unnerving.

The invading horse-people were in much better shape than the first creature. There was almost no comparison. They were large, tall, and covered with powerful, bulging muscles. Some of them were even too big to fit through the existing hole and had to bash down more of the wall before they could make their way in.

“Anyone who can’t fight, get somewhere safe,” shouted one of the soldiers, readying his weapon as he barked orders. “There may be a lot of them, but this is no different from any of the other times.”

The villagers fled quickly, but there was minimal chaos. They had already experienced several attacks. Jin brandished her katana, eyes fixed on the approaching monsters.

“I’m not thrilled to be fighting mindless beasts, but at least it will give me a chance to test this new blade.”

She was wielding the ordinary katana she had just received, not the malefic sword. It might not be as well made as her previous blade, but it was still more than sufficient for combat.

Jin’s face, however, looked apathetic. She preferred to cross blades with strong-willed opponents—those who were willing to face death for what they believed in. She would rather fight an enemy she could enjoy.

Her expression, however, was fleeting. In the next moment her face hardened into an expressionless mask. It was the face she wore when it was time to get down to the business of killing.

“I left my hammer back in the wagon, but I guess I can always just use my fists,” Proto said, shaking out her bare hands.

In terms of pure strength, Proto had the advantage over all of them, including Jin. Even Proto’s bare hands (strictly speaking, her arms were actually just parts of her exterior chassis) were strong enough to pulverize bone.

Their usual front-liners, Jin and Proto, were already raring to go. The remaining three girls, however, looked less than thrilled to be there.

“I’ll just stay back here where it’s safe…”

“Me too…,” Tsutsumi said.

Fire and poison. Both of these elements were difficult to control, and if Homura and Tsutsumi were not careful, they could wind up hitting their allies as well. Homura could control her flames to a degree, and could even extinguish them if need be, but she needed to stay in control of herself in order to be able to do that. If she started to rage, the damage could quickly spiral out of control.

“I’m worried I’ll end up doing something like I did back in Guadhari…”

Deep down, Homura really wanted to burn something, but she had enough sense to keep that urge under control. She had been training hard to stop herself from losing control when she used her powers, but there was no telling what might happen.

Homura took a step back. If getting her thrills meant hurting innocent villagers, she knew there was no way she would ever forgive herself.

“I’d just…get in the way…”

Tsutsumi, meanwhile, was completely unable to control her poison once she released it. The damage she caused could vary greatly depending on where her teammates were situated and which way the wind blew. There was also the fear that she might expose her true nature by spreading her wings.

Either Homura or Tsutsumi could have likely ended the entire situation in a heartbeat by using her full strength, but there was also a significant risk that the surrounding area could get caught up in the fallout.

They both took a step back. Psycho, however, stiffened and assumed a battle position.

“I…”

She raised her weapon, ready to fight…

“I… No, I guess I’d just get in the way, too.”

…and then lowered it.

Psycho took a step back as well, although for a different reason from Homura and Tsutsumi. After taking a quick look around, she felt overwhelmed by a sense of inadequacy.

Psycho was unable to use any battle magic. And the only weapon she knew how to handle was her little knife. Her reaction times were relatively quick thanks to her self-buffing magic, which operated instinctively, but that was still a far cry from a real blessing.

Psycho’s ability to fight depended heavily on cooperation with her teammates and on the strength of their enemies. She could handle foes without special abilities, or opponents who had already been slowed down by Tsutsumi’s poison, but a single blow from even one of the smaller, more delicate horse-people would have meant trouble for Psycho.

Her knife work was useless unless she could get within range of the enemy. But if she got that close, she would probably get killed.

The same held true for team tactics. It was better for Tsutsumi to sit this battle out, and the other soldiers already seemed up to the task even without relying on team play. Not one of the soldiers flinched, despite the large number of monsters approaching. They must have felt pretty confident about their chances.

The battle began.

The village soldiers were equipped with katanas and bows. With their katanas, they engaged the monsters that closed in, and with well-placed arrows, they killed those that separated from the herd.

Jin joined the katana brigade, but she was practically an army all on her own.

“Too slow. You’re all too slow.”

She charged ahead, throwing herself into the enemy ranks and cutting a winding path through the oncoming horde. Proto, meanwhile, used her incredible strength to deliver a heavy punch to one of the larger monsters, launching it into the air.

“Ha! Did you really think you were going to out-muscle me?!”

The large monster clipped several other creatures as it was tossed through the air, sending them all crashing into the dirt.

Psycho kicked a rock in frustration as she watched the battle unfold. Jin was slicing through one monster after another; Proto was tossing them through the air. Even the soldiers were making short work of the creatures.

It was a clean sweep. No one faltered.

Homura suddenly took a step forward, spurred to action by the heroic sight.

“You know what…? I’m going to fight, too!”

“How about you don’t!” Psycho said, trying to restrain her.

“But everyone else is fighting while I’m just standing here doing nothing. It’s not right! And besides, lately my need to burn things has gotten… Well, it’s still very strong… But that’s neither here nor there! I’ve got to do something, at least!”

Homura charged nobly into battle.

As a result, several of the village’s homes were burned to the ground. Fortunately, at least no one was hurt.

“I told you!”

“I’m sooorrryy!!”

“Hmph. The edge of this blade leaves much to be desired,” Jin muttered as she cut down the last remaining monster.

She was already flicking off the blood as the creature fell to the ground. After the sound of its crash subsided, the village was quiet once more.

A moment later, the other combatants began sighing in relief.

“Well, I guess I’m up.”

Even after such a large wave of enemies, the number of soldiers without injury was surprising. There were a few wounded enough to require healing, however. Psycho began to tend to them. At least this was one thing she was good for.

“Ouch… Wow, thanks. An injury like this would have usually taken forever to heal. You’re good!”

Psycho was highly skilled with healing magic. She was even capable of healing injuries beyond a normal priest’s ability.

“Yeah, well, you’re lucky I was here, I guess,” Psycho joked, before sending the healed soldier on his way. She stared absently into the distance.

“I wish I could fight, too…,” she muttered softly, too softly for her friends to hear.

Psycho’s fighting abilities were a step or two below her teammates’. Depending on the situation, she might be unable to participate in a battle entirely. It made her uneasy sometimes, realizing that she couldn’t rise to the occasion the same way they could.

As Psycho watched the other four girls from a distance, a priest, who was also healing the soldiers, approached her and spoke.

“You shouldn’t say that. You’re contributing a lot, even without fighting.”

Apparently, the priest had overheard Psycho talking to herself. Oddly enough, this was a male priest. With all the touches of old-school Japanese culture around, a female priest would have seemed more fitting. He was trying to cheer up Psycho, who had a sour look on her face.

“You’re saying support is just as important as combat. That’s true,” Psycho said, nodding in agreement with the priest even though she herself was not so sure. “Look, it’s not like I’m trying to say this work is boring or anything…”

But Psycho’s face made it clear that she felt something was missing.

“I understand how you feel. Even I sometimes find myself wishing I could join the fight, since our contributions don’t happen until after battle is over.”

The priest’s kind words did little to dispel Psycho’s funk. But she wasn’t the type to stand around forever feeling sorry for herself.

With a deep breath, she recovered her usual bravado and shouted for her friends. There were things they needed to do. They had accomplished what they had come for. Now it was time to blow this popsicle stand.

“All right, ladies! We came, we saw, we got Jin’s weapon. Now let’s get the hell out of—”

“Rice.”

“I…guess we have time for one bowl!”

Jin had a point. The girls decided to recharge their courage by stuffing their faces with rice before they left.

Rice is a precious thing.

Chapter 3
What a Nice Hot Spring

“Phewww… I can’t believe we’ve got a bathhouse this large all to ourselves. Talk about the high life…”

After being led to the baths, Homura and the others immersed themselves in hot water. The bathwater was slowly warming them to their cores. They had healed their injuries using magic, but nothing could beat a hot bath when it came to healing fatigue.

The wooden bathhouse was wide and spacious and infused with the aroma of wood. Rich, verdant foliage peeked in through the window as a cool breeze meandered inside, thinning the steam that had accumulated.

“And there’s even food—honest-to-goodness rice—waiting for us when we get out. This is the life…,” said Jin.

“Indeed, we must cleanse ourselves properly before receiving this precious gift.”

Jin sank down into the water up to her shoulders, staring at the visions of pure white rice that danced through her head in the steam.

“You know, Jin, when it comes to rice, sometimes you get a little strange…”

“Do I? Is it not transcendent, to purify the body and partake of rice?”

Jin’s face was completely serious as she spoke.

“See?! You don’t even realize you’re doing it!”

At first, Homura had thought Jin might be making a joke…but it looked like she was serious after all. Jin’s obsession with rice was so great that it was making her lose her mind.

“It must be tough being human, letting your energy source drive you so crazy!” Proto said. She was trying to sympathize with the humans, though none of it made much sense to her. “You carbonoids should just evolve to be more like me. All I need is light to stay functional. It’s far more efficient.”

Jin frowned in response. “Bite your tongue. Human evolution culminates in the joy of eating rice.”

“You’re starting to scare me a little now, too, Jin…”

Jin’s devotion to rice was so great that it was even beginning to frighten the mechanical life-form from outer space.

“You’re pretty scary yourself, Proto,” said Homura. “Have you taken a look at yourself now…?”

“What was I supposed to do? I got gravel in my casing…!”

Proto had disassembled the separate parts of her exterior shell, which was built in the shape of a teenage girl, and was currently rinsing out her insides over at the wash station. Apparently, dirt had gotten in during her fight with that gigantic monstrous beast in Aurerich.

If someone who didn’t know better were to see Proto right now, they would probably think they had just stumbled onto a murder scene where the victim had been chopped up into little bits. Proto’s exterior shell had been detached at the joints with only her head still connected, as that part was necessary for her to converse. The wire tentacles that extended from Proto’s main unit were artfully manipulating the water pail, splashing hot water onto the pieces of her exterior shell.

“I’m mostly used to it by now, but you look so human at first glance; when I see you taken apart, it still feels kind of ghastly…”

That wasn’t the only shocking sight waiting for them that day, however. Tsutsumi suddenly jumped out of the bath. Proto’s current state seemed to have reminded her of something.

“Oh, I forgot…”

“What is it, Tsutsumi? Did you get gravel stuck inside you, too?” Homura asked, meaning it as a joke. If only Tsutsumi’s answer were a joke as well.

“No… I’ve still got…my teeth in…”

“Your what…?”

Her what…?

Before Homura could make sense of what Tsutsumi had said, Tsutsumi suddenly stabbed a finger into her own body.

“Ts-Tsutsumi?! What are you doing?!”

“Gotta get…the teeth…”

Tsutsumi pried open her flesh with her fingers and began rooting around inside her body. As blood spilled onto the floor, she eventually pried something white and triangular from inside—a shark’s tooth.

“Ugh, it’s like a horror movie!”

Homura quickly looked away.

“Hmm, I think…there might be…more…”

Tsutsumi still had teeth trapped inside her from when she had been eaten by that crawler shark. Her body had started to regenerate before they could be extracted, leaving them stuck inside her even after all this time.

Tsutsumi was fairly inured to pain. She could feel something was out of place inside herself, but she hadn’t bothered giving much thought to the cause. It was only when she saw Proto taken apart that it occurred to her there might be something stuck inside her.

Tsutsumi began ripping all sorts of holes in her body, poking around for more shark teeth. Sometimes she found one, sometimes she didn’t, but either way, the holes closed quickly due to her incredible powers of regeneration. She washed the blood away, leaving only clean, smooth skin behind.

After removing several teeth, Tsutsumi seemed satisfied.

“Geez, Tsutsumi. Are you done yet…?”

“…Maybe,” Tsutsumi said, cocking her head. She was pretty sure she had gotten all the teeth. Proto had also finished washing her exterior shell. The brief bathtime horror show was nearly at an end.

But Tsutsumi wasn’t going to let Homura off the hook that easily. Her eyes were currently fixed on the shark teeth she had just yanked free from her own body. Her stomach rumbled.

“No, Tsutsumi. Don’t do it. Those are not food.”

“They…could be.”

“They’re not!”

Tsutsumi popped one of the teeth into her mouth like a corn chip.

“Mmm, crunchy…”

“Oh really, you think?!”

Crunching, grinding sounds filled the bathhouse.

“But the taste…is a little…” Tsutsumi cocked her head. Apparently the teeth did not taste nice.

“What did I tell you?! I know you love to eat and all, Tsutsumi, but you really shouldn’t put just anything in your mouth.”

Tsutsumi never hesitated to stick anything that looked even remotely edible into her mouth. Homura did her best to accept their “cultural” differences, but when they were as different as this, sometimes it wasn’t so easy.

There were also people in this world who did not look kindly on those who were not human. Homura worried about what they might think of Tsutsumi and Proto. But who knew, maybe it wouldn’t matter. Tsutsumi and Proto were awfully cute, after all.

“It would be a shame if you ruined that adorable little body of yours by eating too much. You don’t need to grow any bigger than you already are. You should keep your babyish charm…,” Homura said, glancing over Tsutsumi’s petite frame.

“Eat sexy to…be sexy…!”

Tsutsumi suddenly bit down on Homura’s shoulder. It was just a play bite.

“Tsutsumi, no!” Homura gasped, twisting to the side and pretending to resist. “You’re gonna get my sexy curves!”

“Would you stop that, you freak!”

“Ack!”

Psycho splashed hot water in Homura’s face, putting an end to this sleazy farce.

“Tsutsumi, don’t put filthy things in your mouth.”

“Yes, ma’am…”

“Hey, I just washed!” Homura said, running her eyes over her own smooth, taut skin.

She was relieved to see that she was, in fact, squeaky clean. She began considering her own body type, which had often drawn attention from others.

“Honestly, there are a lot of downsides to being so well endowed.”

It wasn’t nearly as great as it sounded.

“Well, those with tits have a responsibility not to patronize those without,” Psycho retorted.

“I mean it. It hurts when I move around too much, and it’s hard to even see your own feet…”

“Exactly,” Jin said curtly in agreement.

Tsutsumi quickly glanced down, but there was absolutely nothing in her way. She could even see her own belly button. She looked shocked.

“Besides, people are always staring…”

Thinking about the past made Homura feel depressed. It wasn’t just her body and appearance. She also had bad memories attached to her ability to create fire.

But she already had enough emotions to deal with right here and now. Emotions of a very different kind. She was currently feeling the most content she had felt since first arriving in this world.

“You know, I’ve taken a greater liking to this village than I thought I would. Hmph… I kinda wish I could just live here.”

Homura sank down into the water up to her shoulders and stared absently at the ceiling. Of course there were things about the village that felt out of place, but the resemblance to Japan helped her to relax.

“A warm bath, a wooden bathtub, and rice waiting for us when we get out. As long as we don’t think about those awful swimsuits…”

Homura leaned back, letting the relaxation seep into her soul.

“Now, if we just had manga and anime. But I guess that would be too much to expect from another world. If there’s one thing still tethering me to the past, it’s the lack of otaku content in this world…”

“You’re such a nerd…!”

“Did I ever say I wasn’t?”

Homura’s biggest regret about dying, apparently, was the lack of otaku culture in this world. Psycho rolled her eyes.

“Quit crying over what’s missing and try to figure out how you can be satisfied with what’s here instead!” she said sharply.

“Well, what about you? Are you completely satisfied with this village? Isn’t there something else you wish you had? Just one more thing?”

Psycho gave it some thought. Her response was as dastardly as always.

“Well…I wouldn’t mind if there were a few small-fry bad guys around to hunt down and slaughter.”

“What kind of an answer is that…?! Although actually, I know how you feel. Still, if living in peace is an option, we should probably just be content with that!”

“Peace is boring. I crave stimulation!” Psycho said, unconsciously tracing the tattoo circling her wrist with the tip of a finger.

“Well, if you ever go too far and I need to stop you, don’t expect me to hold back.”

“Nor will I, even in the face of death.”

“None of us are a match for you, Jin,” said Homura.

“Be that as it may, I will not hold back. I swear it upon the glittering white truth that is rice,” Jin said, staring into space as if seeing visions of sticky Japanese rice in the distance.

What kind of oath was that?!

“I think we’d better get out of this tub and let Jin eat before her brain turns to mush,” said Psycho.

“I think you might be right…”

Jin was starting to scare them both.

An individual banquet tray—on a low, Japanese-style serving table—sat before each of the five girls. The trays were laden with freshly steamed rice, miso soup swimming with mushrooms, salted and grilled fish caught from the river, and of course, freshly pickled vegetables. It was like something taken right off the dinner tables of Japan.

“Who knew that Nippon was waiting for us here, all this time…?”

A quiet tear trickled down Jin’s cheek.

“Who the hell are you and what did you do with Jin…?” said Psycho.

“I had a breakthrough, remember? When I decided to start being more honest with myself?”

“Oh… Oh yeah…”

“I…guess this is a positive change?” Homura said, cocking her head in confusion. Psycho could only cock her head back in response.

The truth was that Homura was almost as moved by this meal as Jin was. It was bringing back vivid memories of Japan.

Supposedly, when Japanese pro sports players went abroad, some of them would bring their own private chefs with them to cook Japanese food to help keep them on their game. Apparently, the culture shock was enough to throw some athletes off.

It wasn’t that the food here didn’t suit the girls’ palates, but there always seemed to be something missing. A big part of it was how lightly seasoned everything was, but the bigger issue was the emotional strain of not being able to eat familiar Japanese food. Everything they had been searching for, though, was now sitting there before their eyes.

First, a sip of the miso soup.

While the soup wasn’t very salty, the savoriness of the mushrooms and the richness of the miso had the desired effect. Homura felt herself relax as the accompanying warmth gently worked its way through her body.

“Mm, I think I’m starting to see what Jin was going on about. The longing for this kind of food must be in our genes, as Japanese people.”

“Yes, Homura! Let us praise the rice.”

“I don’t know about that, now…”

Jin might have been taking things a little too far, but the food was having an effect on Homura as well. She was enjoying this meal in a way she hadn’t enjoyed food in some time. The sticky white rice, piled high, seemed to glitter brightly in its bowl.

While Homura didn’t actually cry, the taste of the delicious rice was enough to make her a little soppy. The more she chewed, the sweeter it tasted. Swallowing almost felt like a waste.

“Nothing beats sticky white rice when you’re Japanese,” commented Homura.

“You said it,” Psycho agreed.

“I knew you would both see the light.”

Jin smiled, staring at the two with eyes brimming with love, until Homura had to let her down gently.

“I’m not sure we’re quite at your level of devotion, Jin…”

“Oh…”

Jin deflated.

Homura began working on the fish with her chopsticks next.

The plump flesh split into tender flakes. As she placed the white flesh into her mouth, a faint saltiness, and the sweetness of the fish, diffused across her tongue. The fish was pleasantly fragrant as well, as if it had been grilled over coals.

“This does bring me back…”

“We only served Japanese food at my family home. In truth, I haven’t been able to accustom myself to the food since coming here. I have gotten used to it somewhat, but I needed this.”

The food in this village was hitting them right in their Japanese hearts.

“I don’t know, I wouldn’t mind some junk food, too. I’d kill for a burger and cola. With a terrible, schlocky movie to watch while I eat.”

“Oh yeah, I can picture it…”

Psycho seemed satisfied with the meal, but she was apparently also craving junk. Homura knew just how Psycho felt. She suddenly had a funny idea.

“A hamburger would hit the spot right now, too, wouldn’t it? I’ve got an idea! Once this is all over, why don’t you open up a burger shop here? I promise to come at least once a month or so.”

“Make it once a second!”

“I’m worried enough about my weight as it is…”

Homura pinched her stomach and thighs between her fingers. Then she tucked her love-hate relationship with junk food back onto the shelf and focused on manipulating her chopsticks again. At the end of the day, nothing beat sticky Japanese rice.

“Once we’re done eating, though, we have to say good-bye to this village, don’t we?”

“I’m loath to go, but we have even more to report now. It is regrettable, though…”

Jin stared at her empty rice bowl as if she could not bear to tear herself away. After a moment, she suddenly spoke up again.

“I wonder if there are seconds!”

It looked like Jin was planning to stuff as much rice into her stomach as she could while she still had the chance. She left the room in search of a refill.

“Jin, wait!” Homura called.

“Just let her go,” said Psycho.

Jin soon returned, cradling a stack of bamboo rice tubs in her arms.

“I brought enough for you, too, Tsutsumi.”

“Hooray…!”

A smile of happiness such as they had never seen there before spread across Tsutsumi’s face. Tsutsumi had taken Proto’s share as usual, but Homura realized both trays were already empty. Even that had not been enough to sate Tsutsumi’s hunger. She was starting to eye Homura’s tray as well.

Homura hardened her heart and pretended not to notice. This was one meal she wasn’t willing to share.

“Maybe I should say something,” Proto said.

“Psycho was right. Just let them eat.”

Jin went back for several more refills after that. By the time they left the village, the headman was half in tears, scared they were going to devour every last grain of rice the village had.

“I thought they’d never leave…,” he said, sighing with relief.

Chapter 4
My, What Black Arts You Have

As soon as they returned to Galdorssia, Homura, Psycho, and Jin headed toward the Academy of the Black Arts. Tsutsumi and Proto waited at home, as usual.

“This place is just as dark and forbidding as people say,” said Psycho.

“That’s only the decor,” Homura replied. “It’s warm and inviting inside. It’s basically just a social club for dangerous weirdos.”

Located underground, where the light didn’t reach, the Academy was naturally dark and gloomy. The rooms were illuminated by candlelight, which was a rarity in this world. People usually used orestones, which gave off light in response to magical energy. As cringeworthy as it was, the reason they didn’t use orestones in the Academy was apparently just that they wanted the ambiance.

“It smells moldy…”

They were currently in a damp, musty-smelling stone passage. Flames flickered each time Homura and the others passed another candlestick bracket, causing the shadows on the walls to dance disconcertingly.

“Apparently, that’s also just the way they like it.”

“What’s wrong with these people…?”

The reason the Academy of the Black Arts had been consigned to the ground was because it handled the kinds of powers and items that were often shunned. It was where people studied dark magic that created physical and spiritual abnormalities—magic like pyromancy, which was difficult to control and could lead to great harm—and subjects such as cursed items and evil eyes.

The Academy also played a role in the dark side of Galdorssia, carrying out assassinations and torturing dangerous criminals. That was why the Academy, which was located in a large underground space, was also connected to a dungeon that held the land’s most treacherous criminals.

“I know we came to ask about the curseblood…but are you sure these people know what they’re doing?”

The girls needed more information before they reported to Falmeyr. What was a curse? What was this curseblood they were dealing with? And who, exactly, were they up against? The more Homura told them about goings-on at the Academy, however, the less confident Psycho and the others were that this place was going to be any help.

“They may seem strange…really strange, to be honest. But they know what they’re talking about,” said Homura.

“Are you sure? What about the malefic sword?”

Jin was not feeling very confident, either.

“It’s fine! I already told you, they have specialists in cursed items!”

After they descended several flights of stairs and made their way through numerous passages, the entrance to the Academy of the Black Arts finally came into sight. It was located smack-dab at the end of the passageway. The Academy awaited them just beyond those worn wooden doors.

Homura opened the doors as casually as if she were arriving home.

“Grams, I’m back!”

A large, round table had been placed in the center of the relatively spacious room. A woman was sitting at the table reading a book by candlelight. As soon as she saw Homura, she leaped to her feet with a shout of excitement.

“My darling little Homura! You’re back at last!”

She made a beeline for Homura, her voice incredibly cheerful, and swept her up in a great big hug. The woman’s hair was a deep shade of crimson. She could have easily been mistaken for Homura’s older sister.

“The woman hugging me right now is Carlila, the Academy’s preceptor. She’s my teacher.”

Yes, the woman currently smashing her ample bosom up against Homura was Carlila, the preceptor of the Academy of the Black Arts as well as Homura’s instructor in pyromancy. Despite the woman’s stunning physique, she could have easily passed as the dignified and beautiful type had she remained quiet. At the moment, however, she was all smiles.

The members of the Academy fawned over Homura. The other girls knew Homura had never gotten the chance to act spoiled with her own family, but they were not prepared to see the level to which Homura lapped this treatment up.

“Oh, and you must be Homura’s friends. She talks about you all a lot. I wish I could meet the other two as well!” Carlila said, hugging first Psycho and then Jin.

“Hold on a second, Homura, didn’t you just refer to this busybody lady as Grams?” Psycho asked suspiciously.

“Oh, that’s right. I didn’t tell you, did I?” Homura was so used to the way things were at the Academy that she had completely forgotten to explain.

“Despite my gorgeous looks, I’ve actually been alive for a very long time. I stopped counting once I hit triple digits.”

“Triple digits?!”

Carlila was claiming to be over one hundred years old, but she looked as if she were still in her twenties. The difference made Psycho’s head spin.

“Are you sure you’re still human?”

“Ah-ha-ha, that’s just it. I have, in fact, become a monster of sorts. That’s why I’m never allowed to leave this place without permission. I abandoned my humanity for Galdorssia’s sake, but Galdorssia is strict when it comes to those who are not human. I still look human, though, so I don’t usually get the worst of it.”

Carlila’s tone was still cheerful, but a faint cloud darkened her face. She certainly wasn’t shy about discussing her confinement. According to what she said, she had willingly chosen to part with her humanity for Galdorssia’s sake, and as a consequence could no longer show herself in public unless those in charge requested it.

“Ha, I’m just pulling your leg… I went a little overboard in my efforts to stay young and wound up half monstrous instead. So now the Holy City treats me like a tool. Or maybe their pet hound. Ah-ha-ha!”

A leather choker, almost like a dog collar, was wrapped around Carlila’s neck.

“Homura, are you sure there’s not something wrong with this lady?”

Carlila’s sudden burst of laughter did little to reassure Psycho.

“Of course there’s something wrong with her. We are in the Academy of the Black Arts, after all.”

“Yeah, and you’re one of their members!”

“You’ve got me there! I wouldn’t mind knowing the secret to eternal youth myself!”

“Good point, I wouldn’t mind that, either!”

“For once, we agree on something.”

Homura really, really wanted to know what Carlila’s secret was.

“I, too, would be interested in keeping my body forever young.”

“I don’t think you’re interested for the same reasons we are, Jin.”

Jin was probably more interested in the slicey-slicey choppy-choppy part than she was in looking pretty. That was probably why she wanted to keep her body young and strong.

“Oh…?”

Jin cocked her head, unsure what Homura meant.

“In any case, you girls can relax and have some cookies. My husband baked them.”

Carlila had the three girls take seats and then brought over a cart laden with cookies. She was beaming, just like a kindly old grandma providing treats for her precious granddaughters. The sweet aroma of cookies permeated the dark and gloomy room.

“Husband?” said Psycho. “Is that the vice preceptor you told us about? The one who works at a bakery?”

“Hmph. I wish I could leave the Academy whenever I felt like it.”

Carlila the preceptor seemed jealous of her husband, who was able to come and go whenever he pleased. But she only had herself to blame for being confined inside the Academy like this. Her husband, the vice preceptor, worked at a bakery in his free time, making bread, but lately he had branched out into cookies as well.

As the manager of the bakery, the vice preceptor was very popular. If anything, his gig at the bakery was steadily turning into his main job.

After munching on cookies for a little while, Homura and the others began explaining the whole long, convoluted story to Carlila.

Carlila looked amazed.

“This Curseblood of the Dark Lord. I’ve heard of it before, but…that would mean the current Dark Lord is so steeped in dark magic that his very blood holds a curse powerful enough to alter the soul.”

“According to what the Dark Lord’s follower said, the Dark Lord shouldn’t even be able to live afflicted with a curse that powerful. But it’s not like either of us saw the Dark Lord ourselves, so who knows what’s really true? For all we know, the Dark Lord might not even exist,” Psycho said.

All their information had come courtesy of the young shark demoness that Jin had fought. Homura had been filled in after the fact. According to the demon, the Dark Lord was toiling to save all demonkind despite having what should have been a debilitating curse.

He would have to have tremendous strength of spirit to do something like that; the thought filled Homura with fear and awe. But at the end of the day, the Dark Lord was still trying to massacre humans. And there was no way Homura could forgive such injustice.

“Well, assuming the Dark Lord does exist, there’s a good chance he holds a benediction that gives him a resistance to curse magic. But the curseblood you describe would go far beyond any protection a benediction could provide. It sounds like this new Dark Lord is much more devious than the last one. The last one was just strong. Very strong, yes, but that was all.”

Carlila had seen the last Dark Lord firsthand, but the newly surfaced Dark Lord seemed to make her uneasy.

“Speaking of which…I want to tell you more about the last Dark Lord, too. But right now we’re discussing curses. If you want to know more about curses—”

“Allow me to do the honors.”

A frosty voice crept into the room, interrupting Carlila.

“Melch!”

“Welcome back, Homura.”

A tall, beautiful woman, with bluish-black hair that reached all the way to her waist, appeared silently from the passageway at the end of the room. The woman, apparently named Melch, wore several belts wrapped around her body. Her hands were laden with heavy, gaudy rings. While their effectiveness varied from piece to piece, apparently these accessories were all imbued with black magic.

What kind of weirdo pervert would willingly deck herself out in cursed jewelry…?

“Oh, and Yppa’s here, too!”

“Hiya!”

A small girl with a little whistle hanging from her neck appeared from behind the woman. Yppa’s eyes were covered by a band that had been fashioned by Melch—and one of them was an evil eye. She obviously couldn’t see, so she used a cane to feel her way forward as she walked.

She was used to walking around the Academy, however. Although she used her cane to plot her course, she strolled forward without hesitation. Her short, deep-blond hair swayed back and forth with each step.

She was dressed in an adorable patterned poncho.

“You two were waiting there this whole time, weren’t you?” said Carlila, suspicious of their conveniently timed appearance.

“Well? What of it?”

“Yeah, what of it?”

Melch and Yppa confessed immediately. The members of the Academy loved to make an entrance.

“Melch knows more about curses than anyone else at the Academy.”

Melch and Yppa took seats to either side of Carlila. The chokers the three wore were plainly visible around their necks. Carlila, Melch, and Yppa were known as the “Three Witches of the Abyss” and held a special place not just in the Academy of the Black Arts but throughout all of Galdorssia. Carlila was the most powerful pyromancer in the land. Yppa was the foulest practitioner of the evil eye. And, of course, there was Melch.

Melch had created the cursed instruments that bound all three of them, including herself. That was the true nature of the chokers they wore around their necks.

The reason the women were subjected to such unusual treatment was not only due to their power, knowledge, and abilities. They had mellowed considerably with age, but from what Homura had been told, once upon a time, their ideas and behavior had been extremely radical.

Now they were just a trio of laid-back old grannies with a passion for age-defying beauty tricks. Homura didn’t view them as particularly dangerous and had no reservations about letting herself be pampered by them.

“Before we get to the subject of curses…these two aren’t as young as they look, either, are they?”

Homura had yet to introduce the other two, but despite their youthful appearances, Psycho caught a whiff of cunning old age about them.

“Well? What of it?” and “Yeah, what of it?” they said, as if eternal youth were the most normal thing in the world.

“If you’re gonna be so quick to give up your humanity, at least have a good reason for it…!”

At first Psycho had assumed there was no way these women had themselves to blame for getting locked up in the Academy, but they were proving her wrong!

“Now then, you wished to hear about cursed items, correct? Particularly those involving monstrous transformation?” Melch asked, grasping why the girls had come.

“Yes, please,” said Psycho.

“As you wish… To start with, monstrous transformations arise from a change in the soul. When the soul transmutes, the flesh transmutes. You are already aware of this, I assume?”

“Yeah, Lady Facepack explained that part.”

“Is that what you call Falmeyr? Very amusing.”

Melch chuckled slightly, but her face remained somber.

“There are dark magics that can alter the soul, as well as cursed items that hold such magic. The conditions needed for such curses to take effect can differ from item to item. Some need only to be touched, others must be taken into the body, while others—certain blades, for instance—must be wielded while unsheathed.”

Melch glanced at Jin as she mentioned the last part. Jin’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Impressive. I didn’t expect you to identify my sword on sight.”

“Oh? But that much is obvious. Didn’t you know? Once you come into contact with dark magic, you learn to feel it on your skin. Especially something that did not acquire its curse naturally but was intentionally created for a foul purpose,” Melch explained, her voice quiet yet sounding pleased with herself.

“Something similar happened with the village headman earlier.”

The headman of School Village had also recognized Jin’s katana as a malefic sword on sight. After handling the sword, Jin had been able to immediately perceive the gem that Elyliyah wore as cursed.

“The form a cursed item takes has meaning. That said, the fact that the blood is liquid is not specifically what is important. What is important is that the blood must be taken into the body. Do you see why this would be an advantage?” Melch asked, speaking to the girls like a teacher quizzing her pupils. This was an academy, after all.

“You’d have to drink it for it to work, though, wouldn’t you? Where is the advantage in that? Wouldn’t it be easier if people only had to touch it for it to work…?” Homura asked, cocking her head in confusion.

“Yes, the need to drink the blood would require more time and effort than a cursed item that transforms its targets on touch. But that extra time and effort is where the advantage lies.”

“How so…?”

What could be advantageous about something taking more time and effort?

“Of course! If it doesn’t take effect unless you drink it, then it’s safer to carry,” Psycho said.

“Yes. A cursed item that can be easily handled is a dangerous thing. It becomes that much easier to spread it throughout the world.”

Homura blanched, realizing now how dangerous, and easy to control, such an item would be.

“But doesn’t that mean that absolutely anyone could be turned into a monster at any time…?”

If that was true, there could be monsters like Rotraud out there just waiting to spring out from around every corner.

“I would not worry quite that much… At least, I think not.”

“Do monsters only change physically? That monstrous beast we ran into before—the bloodlicker cat, or whatever it was called—was able to dive into shadows.”

“The terms magic and monsters refer to things that exist outside common sense,” Melch explained. “Magic bends the natural laws of the world, whereas monsters constantly live in a reality where such laws are already bent. I was told that a dragon visited Galdorssia the other day. Do you remember that?”

“The other day…? I thought that was already over a month ago…?”

Homura was confused at first, but she quickly nodded. Perhaps when you had lived for as long as the witches had, time simply felt different.

“Usually, something so large would be incapable of remaining aloft. But it was able to do so, was it not? That is an example of what I mean.”

“Now that you mention it…”

Homura had already accepted that dragons flew, based on all the fantasy she had consumed, but if the laws of physics in this world were basically the same as those on Earth, it shouldn’t have been so easy for a creature that large to fly.

“Even among other monsters, dragons are particularly powerful creatures. So much so that they are rarely even described as monsters, per se. It is in a dragon’s nature to readily distort the world around it. There are dragons that can manipulate the very weather, or who can even cast curses upon those nearby simply with their presence.”

“I had no idea… Seigrat killed that dragon in a single blow, so we never got the chance to see much of it.”

Now that the girls thought about it, there was a lot about this world they didn’t know yet.

“By the way,” Yppa said, “evil eyes are supposedly when just the eye transforms, but here, take a look at this. Depending on the eye’s power, sometimes you even have to bind it like this.”

Yppa pushed her blindfold aside, giving them a quick glance at her right eye. She seemed to be having fun. The eyelid had been sewn shut with black thread. Yppa had shown Homura her sealed evil eye once before, but seeing it again still gave Homura the heebie-jeebies.

Evil eye or not, was that really necessary?

“Next time you want to lose control, Homura, you better remember my eye. You could be next!”

“Eek…”

Homura didn’t like the sound of that at all, and she clamped a hand over her own right eye. Although Yppa couldn’t see Homura’s scared reaction, she was delighted by it nonetheless.

“Getting back on subject, while all monsters exist outside rationality, the degree to which this is true can differ greatly from creature to creature. There are monsters like dragons that can fly through the air despite their massive size, and monsters like bloodlicker cats that can immerse themselves in shadow. On the other hand, there are also monsters such as thornhounds that are almost unremarkable. Thornhounds are far stronger than ordinary hounds, but that is where their differences end. Physically speaking, their bones have simply undergone an aggressive transmutation.”

When it came to monstrous alterations, apparently mileage could vary.

“So there’s no guarantee, then, that everyone would become as powerful as Rotraud did.”

“Of course not. That would be ludicrous.”

“Thank goodness…,” Homura said, sighing in relief. Still, they couldn’t get careless. “It’s still possible, though…isn’t it?”

“I suppose,” Melch said. “Monstrous beasts such as thornhounds have developed naturally, for the most part. But human transformations are more complicated. Humans are naturally resistant to alterations in their souls, which is why curses must be used to forcibly alter them. Depending on the level of the curse involved, the body and the soul might not be able to withstand the process. And while this can lead to magnified abilities, it is likely to lead to death or the destruction of the psyche. The creation of a flawed monster, so to speak.”

Jin placed a hand on her malefic sword, Crimson Rain.

“A flawed monster…”

“Like that ogre…”

The ogre they had encountered in the fishing village had already lost its mind by the time they arrived. Was that what a curse could do to a person?

“Intentionally transforming into a monster to become more powerful is a tricky thing. I’ve been forced to learn that lesson in the past,” Melch said, staring off into the distance as she related her own painful history. “Which is why I’m here in the Academy now, I suppose.”

It sounded like she really did have herself to blame.

“But the target could lose their psyche and still acquire great physical strength, correct? Something like that would make for an excellent soldier, wouldn’t it?” Psycho asked.

What a heinous thought. But Psycho’s face was deadly serious.

“It sounds like you’ve got something specific in mind,” Carlila said with a knowing smirk.

“We saw some very odd monsters recently.”

Recently…? Homura gave a start. “You mean…”

She was finally beginning to put the pieces together.

“Yes, the horse-people. They were clearly transformed humans.”

Homura felt an icy chill run down her back. “But there were so many of them…!”

“It may have been an accident that caused a curse to spread, or it may have been intentional. Either way, a whole settlement, at the very least, has been lost.”

“That’s terrible…!”

“What if someone were to use creatures like that as soldiers? They would have an instant army at their fingertips,” Psycho said, describing what sounded to Homura’s ears like an atrocity.

Carlila cackled out loud. “If this was the new Dark Lord’s doing, he must be rotten to the core! Do you see what you’re up against now, Homura? You girls will have your work cut out for you.”

Homura was getting a sense of just how difficult it was going to be to carry out the Goddess’s request and defeat the Dark Lord.

“I wonder if we’re actually up to the task…”

When the Goddess first made her request, Psycho had told the Goddess to kneel, insisting that just asking wasn’t enough. At the time, Homura had assumed Psycho was just being nasty for nastiness’s sake. But maybe Psycho had had an inkling of what such a task would involve. Not that that made her any less nasty, of course.

At present, Psycho was already absorbed in her next thought.

“So if a change in the soul means physical changes and the bending of natural laws…then these creatures…”

Psycho was being surprisingly serious for a change. And this time, it didn’t seem as if she was just pretending while secretly plotting something devious.

“What is it, Psycho?”

Psycho lifted her head in surprise and stood up from her chair.

“It’s nothing; never mind. I think we’ve heard all we need to. We should probably get to the church now. Carlila, Melch, Yppa, thank you for your help.”

Homura doubted it was really nothing, but she rose from her chair along with Psycho. At least Psycho didn’t seem like she was up to no good.

Homura sighed. They now had even more to report. Just as she was about to walk out the door, Carlila suddenly stopped her as if remembering something.

“Oh, I almost forgot, one of those two girls who couldn’t come with you loves to read, doesn’t she?”

“You mean Tsutsumi?”

Carlila nodded vigorously.

“Here, why don’t you take this for her?”

Carlila handed over the book she had been reading.

“This book looks pretty old…”

“That’s because it is. You need to be careful with it, however.”

“Careful?”

Did she mean Homura needed to be careful not to damage the book because of how old it was?

“You must not allow anyone else to see you with it.”

“Why? Is there something dangerous written inside?”

“There is. This book deals with taboo black magic. It appears the enemy you are facing is well versed in such things. Make sure your bookworm friend reads it well. She is stuck inside anyway, after all.”

“Thank you.”

The book that Carlila handed over was much thicker and heavier than Homura had expected, and the feel of it made her skin crawl. For some reason, Homura didn’t want to touch it any longer than she had to.

“A book about curses that no one else is allowed to see… It almost sounds like some sort of forbidden grimoire.”

Homura was worried the book might be dangerous, but since Carlila had handed it over so willingly, she was probably just imaging things. Or not.

“That’s because it is a forbidden grimoire.”

“A forbidden grimoire?!”

A forbidden grimoire!!

“Obviously, removing it from the Academy is prohibited. If anyone finds you with it, you’ll be sent to the dungeons immediately.”

They borrowed the book nonetheless.

Chapter 5
Shooting the Breeze with a Wayward Priest

“It wasn’t just Aurerich, then. Something similar happened in School Village as well…”

The girls were currently standing inside the Sanctuary of the Oracle, which was located in a corner of Galdorssia’s church complex. The stained glass window, the shape of a moon floating in the night sky, looked down on them from above.

An item that could best be described as a spear rested atop the altar at the back of the sanctuary.

Homura and the others were relating the events that had occurred in Aurerich and School Village to the Hierarch of the Eye of the Moon, Lady Falmeyr.

“This is a very unfortunate development.”

Although Falmeyr’s own eyes were covered by a silver mask, the look of worry on her face was plainly visible.

“With so many incidents, and the Dark Lord’s name coming up so often, it may be time to assume that a successor to the Dark Lord has, in fact, arisen. Indeed, we should base our actions going forward on that assumption.”

While everyone would have liked to turn a blind eye to such a possibility, reality kept slapping them in the face. Falmeyr sighed, obviously troubled. She quickly regained her composure, however, and turned to face Homura and the others once more.

“In any case, it sounds as if an entire settlement may have been transformed into soldiers for the Dark Lord… I’m relieved you were able to make it back alive. I was actually the one who recommended you five girls for that mission. I had no idea something like this was going to happen.”

Falmeyr sounded apologetic.

“Well, you should be sorry! I’m starting to wonder if Our Benevolent Creator up there has also been moonlighting as some sort of god of misfortune,” Psycho quipped.

Homura might not like the way Psycho put it, but internally, she was also dissatisfied with the number of things that had been going wrong.

“Psycho, you shouldn’t say that. I’m sure little Eirene is doing her best.”

“Speaking of which, where is little Eirene?”

“Don’t worry, I’m holding her back. If I were to call her down at this point, I’m sure she would have some pretty stern words for you,” Falmeyr said, with a soft laugh.

Homura smiled uncomfortably. Should Falmeyr really be keeping the supreme deity in a time-out like that?

“Well, we’ve been doing plenty out there ourselves. Isn’t it about time we received a reward for our valiant deeds?” Psycho insisted.

But Falmeyr had another card up her sleeve.

“Speaking of valiant deeds, didn’t you have something else to report? About, say, the identity of a certain someone who used pieces of a monstrous beast to give Captain Torreque a new arm?”

Falmeyr was feigning ignorance, but she obviously already knew who the culprit was.

“Whaaaaat? Who could have done such a thing…?”

“Yes, who could it have been? You know, exceptional talent is a factor when deciding promotions…”

Psycho’s ears perked up. Maybe she had an idea of who might have done it after all.

“I actually mixed in some of Tsutsumi’s tissue! Her advanced regenerative powers made the transplant much easier! Without that, there was a high chance Torreque’s body would have rejected the arm!”

“Well, it certainly didn’t take you long to roll over! You can’t go around committing blasphemies just because you’re short on fighters, Psycho. Captain Torreque is going to face a lot of challenges in the future because of what you did, and if word gets out that you’re going around doing monster surgery, you will only hurt yourself in the end.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Psycho said, turning away and slouching grumpily.

“Try not to get carried away. I’d rather not have to get the assassination squads involved if I don’t have to…”

“Yeah, ye…es, ma’am!”

Psycho suddenly stood up straighter, belatedly realizing what Falmeyr was implying. Homura and Jin stood up a little taller as well, realizing they might get whacked, too, if they stepped too far out of line.

“Well, that concludes our report, so we’ll be, uh, taking our leave, Her Ladyship permitting!” Psycho said, awkwardly, as she turned on her heel and began to beat a hasty retreat.

“Psycho, dear, since you’re here already, don’t forget your duties at the church,” Falmeyr said, grinning sweetly.

“…Yeah, yeah.”

It didn’t exactly sound like a request.

After parting ways with Homura and the others, Psycho headed toward the church hospice, where healing magic was used to treat the injured. The majority of those in need of healing were soldiers who had been injured during training.

“Goddess of the moon, I call upon your mercy, heal this child of her grievous wounds…”

Psycho had changed into her holy vestments and was currently healing the line of soldiers sitting upon the row of hospice tables. Most of their injuries were just cuts and did not require particularly difficult treatment.

“You really are good at this, Psycho. I wish you would quit the Phalanx of Blades and just join the church full-time. We’d feel a lot safer protecting Galdorssia knowing that you were here when we got back,” said the last soldier, once she was finished healing him.

Psycho’s reputation as a healer was strong. She always knew just what to do. But she wasn’t comfortable being on the receiving end of such praise.

“Well, if you’re that keen on protecting the city, how about I give you an extra set of arms while I’m at it? That way you could fight twice as well.”

“Ha-ha-ha, I wouldn’t mind being stronger, but I’d rather not become a monster!”

The soldier assumed Psycho was joking. Little did he know.

“Well, if you ever find yourself warming up to the idea, you know who to call.”

“With the way things have been lately, we could probably use all the help we could get, even if it did come from monsters. It’s scary to think what this world is coming to…”

The soldier hugged himself a bit melodramatically. This was a normal response. The people who were gung ho about saving the world, like Ares and his friends, were the abnormal ones.

“Fighting with monsters on your side, huh? That world might be coming sooner than you think.”

At least, Psycho hoped so. But she wasn’t about to admit she would be the one to see to it.

“The way you’re talking, it almost sounds like you’re going to be the one to see to it.”

Whoops. Apparently Psycho wasn’t being as subtle as she thought!

“I know you like to make weird jokes, Psycho, but you should be more careful about the things you say. I actually heard some crazy talk the other day about some magic user going around doing stuff with corpses or something,” the soldier said, his previous smile now gone. “Anyway…thanks for healing me, I guess!”

The soldier made a beeline for the exit, suddenly embarrassed by his own gravitas. After he was gone, Psycho muttered in her now-quiet corner of the hospice, her voice dying out in the emptiness.

“Weird jokes? Like you know anything about me…”

Only the faint scent of blood remained. Psycho stood listlessly in place. It was the kind of silence that made it easy to lose yourself in thought.

That silence, however, was soon shattered by an interloper who stumbled into the room, grinning obliviously.

“Hey, look who’s back! I thought you were out there getting into trouble again, Psycho.”

“Here she comes. The poison fog dispenser.”

The woman who entered was dressed in clerical vestments like Psycho, but she wore them all askew and was even holding a cigarette between her lips.

“That’s me! Puff puff!”

The woman blew smoke into Psycho’s face.

“Dammit, Ada!” Psycho waved the smoke away. “We’ve already got a poison gas dispenser on our team, and she’s a hell of a lot cuter than you are!”

“Poison? Like a black-magic user? The Phalanx of Blades is crazy.”

The scraggly-looking woman known as Ada was what you might call a wayward priest. A bad girl of the church. Someone highly skilled in priestly abilities, but whose behavior was a far cry from what the church approved of. Not that Psycho was one to talk.

Most priests remained constantly aware of the fact that they were acting in the deity’s name and displayed the utmost devotion even in their everyday lives. Ada only worried about healing the injured, however. Otherwise, she lived her life however she pleased.

Apparently, Ada had once been the model of priestly diligence, but something had happened to sour her faith. Either way, at the moment, she had a tempting offer for Psycho.

“It looks like Reverend Sourpuss isn’t here right now. How about we go play hooky?”

Now that there were no more injured to heal, the two slipped outside to hang out in the garden. They sat on a bench behind the hospice and stared up at the sky, enjoying the scent of the grass.

Most surfaces in Galdorssia were either paved with stone or hard-packed earth. The church was one of the few places where grass was allowed to grow, and this created a sense of peace around it.

“I heard a rumor that you made another big splash despite being bronze badges,” Ada said as she exhaled smoke.

“Well, when you’re as talented as I am, trouble has a way of finding you, I guess.”

“I’m sure it does.” Ada decided to share a piece of advice. She made it sound like she was just making conversation. “Still…you should try to keep your nonhuman friends out of sight.”

Ada’s expression remained level, but her tone of voice was a little flinty.

“So people are talking about that, too, then?”

“I’ve gotten to the point where, as far as I’m concerned, anything goes so long as you’re helping people. But not everyone in Galdorssia thinks that way. Look over there.” Ada gestured with her cigarette.

She was pointing toward the orphanage. Specifically, toward a young woman outside who was hanging up laundry.

It was Leela, the priestess who had previously been stationed at Guadhari Village. She had returned to Galdorssia once Guadhari was destroyed by Rotraud, and she now helped out at the orphanage. When Psycho and the others first met her at Guadhari, her smile had been blinding. She wasn’t smiling anymore.

“Leela, right? Poor girl.”

Psycho stared at Leela, remembering everything that had happened at Guadhari Village. When she noticed Psycho staring, Leela nodded and then quickly hurried inside.

“Seeing me probably brings up things she’d rather not remember.”

Psycho had not failed to catch the glimpse of fear on Leela’s face.

“Leela hasn’t smiled once since returning to Galdorssia. Not that I can blame her. The village she was stationed at was razed by the man who was essentially her first crush. It would be more concerning if she was walking around with a grin on her face.”

“It’s a little more complicated than that… There are probably other reasons she doesn’t want to smile anymore.”

“Other reasons…?”

“It’s complicated.”

After Rotraud, smiles probably no longer held the same meaning for Leela that they once had. They were the sneers of the powerful as they trampled the weak.

“Well, whatever.” Ada took a drag on her cigarette and breathed out the smoke. “Either way, ever since the incident with Rotraud, I’ve had a bad feeling I haven’t been able to shake. It’s like the ground beneath Galdorssia has grown soft.”

“That’s because order here is maintained through a sense of moral duty and responsibility. ‘Those with power have a responsibility to serve as a shield for those without.’ That’s the problem with Galdorssia. They try to keep things neat and clean. But the ones who aren’t normal, the ones like Rotraud who don’t fit in, grow resentful. That resentment has to come out somewhere.”

Rotraud’s atrocities had not come about for no reason. He was incompatible with Galdorssia’s beloved creed, and his doubts had reached a breaking point. There was no room in Galdorssia for misfits.

“I can’t disagree with you there. But I don’t think Galdorssia is completely in the wrong, either. Things have been going well for you until now, after all. You’ve managed to keep yourselves safe doing things the way you have.”

Ada stared off into space, past the smoldering tip of her cigarette.

“I worry about Leela. Humans are weak. They need something to cling to. Humans, monsters, as long as you’re helping people, I don’t think it really matters. But when you choose the wrong thing to adhere to, it can lead to terrible results. I’ve heard there’ve been gatherings lately. Of people who feel unsafe or who are dissatisfied with Galdorssia. I wish people would steer clear of those dubious groups; that’s all I’m saying.”

“Can’t you do something for her? Isn’t that what the church is here for?”

“Leela has to come to grips with what she went through for herself. Now isn’t the time for outside meddling.”

“I don’t know. Even if that’s true, what’s over is over. How long should people keep dragging around baggage? Instead of obsessing over something that can’t be changed, it would make more sense to focus on what can be done in the here and now. And if anyone else doesn’t like your way of doing things, just knock them out of the way and carry on. You’ve got to make your own place in the world.”

As Psycho spoke, she unconsciously fingered the tattoo encircling her wrist. Ada noticed the movement.

“People are different. Not everyone is as strong as you are. And besides, thinking about things once they’re over isn’t always a bad thing. You remember the faces of the people you’ve killed, don’t you, Psycho? You wouldn’t do that if it didn’t mean something, would you?”

“I only do that to remind myself that they’re the past, and I’m still here.”

“If you say so. That seems like a lot of discipline, though, for someone so willing to desecrate the dead. The average rank-and-file soldier doesn’t show that level of self-regulation.”

“I have my own way of thinking about things.”

Psycho stared off into the distance. She began speaking in a torrent.

“Mankind stands atop a foundation of death. Everything we know, from the food we eat to the peace we enjoy…”

…From the busy everyday lives that pass before our eyes to the unseen histories of the past…

“The ground beneath us is carpeted in death. But the dead have no mouths. They can’t boast of holding us up, nor complain about the weight beneath our feet. Have you ever heard the dead speak? I know I haven’t.”

The dead had no one to confide in, except perhaps God.

“So, then…why shouldn’t I use the dead? I mean, it’s not like they’re going to complain!”

“Bwah…hack hack!” Ada choked in surprise. “And here I thought you were about to say something deep. That’s what I get for expecting inspiration!”

After her breathing was back under control, Ada glanced softly in Psycho’s direction.

“Anyway, you may be walking down a dark path, but you’re not such a bad person after all.”

Ada smirked.

“I told you to knock it off with that sappy shit already,” Psycho said, looking away.

“Still, you’re traveling around with creatures who aren’t even human and desecrating the dead… If it wasn’t for Falmeyr, you’d probably be in the dungeons already. Be careful with that stuff, won’t you?”

“Desecrating the dead…? What do you mean?! I’m linking them to the future!” Psycho proclaimed, proudly. “So if you hear anything else about what I get up to, just don’t go telling Reverend Sourpuss, you hear?”

“All right already.”

“Don’t go telling what to whom?”

“I just told you, that b—!”

Psycho and Ada turned around, coming face-to-face with the Reverend Sourpuss herself.

The two immediately set off running.

The head priestess chasing wayward priests was one of the church district’s most famous sights. But the head priestess was surprisingly fast on her feet. Her quarry rarely escaped her for long.

Chapter 6
Tsutsumi the Food Fighter

Homura and the others were seated in the dark recesses of the tavern’s loft.

“It’s not often we get to eat out.”

“Yeah, well, this is for your sakes. We can’t have you two cooped up inside all day with nothing to do but clean and read books,” Psycho said, glancing at Proto and Tsutsumi out of the corners of her eyes.

“Well, you didn’t need to worry about me. I was created as a prototype automaton maid, so it’s in my design that working for other life-forms lets me relieve stress. Besides, I don’t even need food.”

“Huh. So that’s why you like to wear a maid outfit while you work around the house.”

Homura remembered how Proto spent her days. While stuck at home, Proto helped the maid with housework. Even though Proto referred to humans as “inferior life-forms,” she didn’t seem to mind working as a servant for them.

Apparently, that was just how she was made.

“But I…like to…read…”

Tsutsumi, meanwhile, spent her time stuck at home absorbed in the pages of a book. Tsutsumi’s own upbringing had been highly unusual, so she treasured the peek into the world that books afforded her. She had also recently acquired the forbidden grimoire, which she was now working her way through voraciously.

“Geez, is a little appreciation too much to ask?!” Psycho shouted.

The other four girls stared at Psycho, the corners of their mouths twitching. She was assuming they were enjoying this little group outing. But the reason no one was showing appreciation was that no one was feeling any.

“Maybe it’s because we all know what you’re usually like,” said Homura. “But yeah, thanks so much. I could never have dragged us out here like this. After all, I actually care what people think.”

“Come on, we should be able to walk around with our chins held high every now and again. The Goddess is asking us to defeat the Dark Lord for her. So why do we have to skulk around in the shadows with our tails tucked between our legs?”

“I can see where you’re coming from, but this is taking things too far. Besides, you should be more worried about your own freedom. I bet it won’t be long before they lock you up.”

“Like you’re one to talk!”

The two were arguing loudly—despite the fact that they were supposed to be keeping their heads down! Not that anyone was going to mind a bit of commotion in a place like this.

“Considering our table, it kind of feels like we’re skulking in the shadows anyway… But I get it, we’re here to blow off steam, right?” Proto muttered, glancing around.

There weren’t as many lights up in the loft as there were down on the first floor, and the seats toward the back remained dimly lit and dismal. There weren’t many people sitting up here, either, which made it that much easier for Proto and Tsutsumi to relax. They still had to keep the hoods of their robes pulled low, however.

“What’s with all this food, though…?”

The plate sitting before Homura was piled high with steak and potatoes. It was already a little bit too much for a single person, but it was Tsutsumi’s plate that was truly shocking. Her steak-and-potato mountain was clearly too much for a single person. Just the sight of it was giving Homura indigestion.

The steam rising from the plates made their surroundings look hazy and white.

“Tsutsumi the…food…fighter…!”

Tsutsumi held her fork in the air, a twinkle in her eyes.

“Well, at least someone’s happy.”

Most of the tavern’s customers were soldiers. If there was one thing the place prided itself on, it was volume. No one batted an eye at the extra-large portions.

“I guess it’s good to have a nice hearty meal like this every once in a while.”

The meat and potatoes were plainly seasoned, with just salt.

“What more do you need? Simplicity is best…! Well, maybe not best. But it’s been so long that right now I feel like stuffing myself until I can’t even move.”

When it came down to it, the act of eating helped to reduce stress. Homura cut off a piece of meat and placed it into her mouth.

The meat was well seared, and the potatoes had been steamed until they were fluffy and hot. The fact that the food had been seasoned so simply was what made it so difficult for them to put their forks down.

“Tsutsumi, is it good?”

“Mm-hmm…!”

Homura stared as Tsutsumi attacked her plate, evidently enjoying the food. There was one thing bothering Homura, however. This extra-large portion hadn’t been requested by Tsutsumi herself. Rather, it had been ordered by Psycho.

“You’re not up to something, are you…?”

“Up to something? Me? It’s okay, I just want to test something out.”

Test something out? Homura’s mind quickly went to a filthy place.

“Your plan is to pump Tsutsumi full of food until she gets plump and chubby, isn’t it?” she said, rambling on quickly. “That’s a great idea! I, too, would like to explore the outer frontiers of what Tsutsumi is truly capable of. It’s true that she’s adorable, all slim and petite right now, but cuteness is an inalienable part of what Tsutsumi is. The possibilities are endless! Different hair, different speech, different gestures… But of all the infinite possibilities, the idea of a plump and juicy Tsutsumi…! Psycho, you’re brilliant!”

“I’m pretty sure you’re joking right now, but you’re actually not that far off.”

“Gyah! I was just goofing around, I didn’t expect to be right. Yikes!”

Homura grimaced. Stumbling onto the right answer was embarrassing, like when someone explains a joke.

“It doesn’t make sense how Tsutsumi can eat so much.”

Tsutsumi was always chowing down on something. The moment they got back from their missions to hunt monsters or bandits or whatever, Tsutsumi was ready to eat. Her stomach had even responded earlier to the sight of those shark teeth she had scooped straight out of her own body.

Tsutsumi was insatiable, that was true. But Homura had never given that fact much thought.

“I thought she had to eat a lot in order to create her poison and heal her wounds?”

Tsutsumi’s powers of regeneration were astounding, but her healing still required raw materials. The same was true for her poison.

“To be exact, I’m talking about her figure in relation to the amount she eats… Why doesn’t the volume of her body ever change?”

Now that Psycho mentioned it, Tsutsumi was rather scrawny considering how much she put away. That Tsutsumi wasn’t the type to put on weight didn’t seem like much of an explanation. Regardless, Homura was jealous. Just as with Carlila’s youth, Homura would love to know Tsutsumi’s secret.

“I’ve wished I had Tsutsumi’s ability to eat so much and still stay slim, but surely she’ll have to put on weight after eating this much, won’t she? Besides, why bring this up all of a sudden?”

It made sense for Psycho to have questions, but why test them now?

“Changes in the soul correspond to changes in the body and the ability to warp reality, almost like software bugs in the natural order,” Psycho said, repeating what they had learned at the Academy of the Black Arts. “My parents’ lab back on Earth carried out experiments in genetic manipulation. Occasionally, a test subject would even exhibit supernatural qualities. We called these test subjects paranormal entities. But the lab was never able to reproduce these subjects, not even through cloning. They just collected their data for debugging purposes. Reproducible results are an integral part of science.”

While Psycho explained, Tsutsumi continued to silently shovel meat and potatoes into her mouth.

“I was thinking, if genetic manipulation is also a kind of change to the soul, then it would make sense for such bugs to show up sometimes.”

“And you think that’s why Tsutsumi doesn’t get fat?”

What goes up must not get fat.

“Yes, but I think it’s more complicated than that. I think Tsutsumi might serve as some sort of interdimensional resource storage tank.”

“I’m not quite following.”

Why were they talking about alternate dimensions all of a sudden?

“My hypothesis is that the extra amount that she eats is stored in some separate space. Or perhaps there is another state of matter that we’re not familiar with. Hence, even if Tsutsumi’s volume decreases, the difference in mass can immediately be compensated for from seemingly out of nowhere.”

“And now you’ve completely lost me.”

Homura had absolutely no idea what Psycho was talking about.

“I actually do something similar,” Proto said.

“Oh, that’s right. You’re the amalgamation of advanced technologies from beyond the stars.”

This was getting more sci-fi by the minute.

“The ropelike arms that extend from my core unit are actually stored in quantum layers within the same space. That’s why I’m able to extend a greater volume from my core than can be contained within my unit’s actual volume.”

“I really have absolutely no idea what any of you people are saying.”

“What matters isn’t what we’re saying. It’s that what seems extraordinary to us may, in fact, fall within the category of ordinary when you take into account the full range of possibilities in the universe.”

“That makes us seem so tiny and insignificant. It’s kind of scary…”

“But we are tiny and insignificant.”

“I guess so.”

Homura had never spent much time thinking about outer space and had never even imagined there might be other worlds. As momentous as everyday life might seem, when considered from the scope of the world or universe, human existence was actually quite small and insignificant.

Homura was intimidated by the thought.

Psycho continued.

“The nature of Tsutsumi’s regeneration is also unusual. It doesn’t matter how powerful it is, she shouldn’t be able to recover her original form after her legs are torn to shreds or something. The structure of the body is too complicated for that. But since she already had this ability before even coming to this world, there must be more involved than just the matter of necessary resources.”

“Well, while you’re talking about resources, Tsutsumi is already starting her third helping.”

Homura listened to Psycho with one ear as she watched Tsutsumi eat. At some point, a second plate had arrived for Tsutsumi and had already been licked clean.

“You created a monster once before with Tsutsumi inside, didn’t you?”

“That’s right, using those bandits…”

Homura remembered the bandit gang they had encountered near Guadhari Village.

“But I had already demonstrated for myself that Tsutsumi’s soul displays similar regenerative powers—”

“That still doesn’t make it normal…”

“In this world, apparently the soul—or whatever it is—is more important than, but also closely connected to, the body. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the soul defines the body.”

“Tsutsumi, about how full would you say your stomach feels now…?” Homura asked. Tsutsumi had just polished off her third plate.

“About…half full…”

“Only half…!”

And now another helping was brought for her.

“It occurred to me that since Tsutsumi’s physical powers of regeneration are unusually high, the ability of her soul to regenerate must be high as well. I decided to test that through direct application of healing magic. I applied some very small abrasions to Tsutsumi’s soul, but her soul recovered immediately.”

“That’s right. You can use magic to see people’s souls, can’t you?”

“Even I was worried about messing something up in there, so I had to demonstrate that it was safe first. Tsutsumi’s soul appears to be quite sturdy,” Psycho said, explaining her conclusions. “If monsters exist outside rationality, it may not be all that far-fetched to think of Tsutsumi as a monster.”

“Well, whatever Tsutsumi is, that doesn’t change how friggin’ cute she is.”

“Certainly not.”

The four stared at Tsutsumi as she ate. She was now finishing her fourth plate.

“How full is your stomach now, Tsutsumi?”

“About…half full…”

“That’s the same as before!”

Even after eating so much, Tsutsumi still only felt half full. Maybe she was always hungry, Homura thought, and no matter how much she ate, she never ran out of room. This really did go beyond any rational explanation. Apparently there had been things capable of bending the laws of physics all along, even back on Earth.

“I guess this means we had some kind of magic even where we came from.”

Homura suddenly paused. Did that mean…

“What about my own abilities?” she asked. How could they explain a supernatural power like hers?

“That I don’t know. It’s not like you’re a product of genetic manipulation, are you?”

“Nope, I was born the normal way, with a mom and dad.”

“I thought so…”

What a mystery.

“But there’s no use wondering why. It would be better to focus your attention on how to deal with it.”

Homura watched as Tsutsumi reached for her fifth plate. Tsutsumi was still chowing down in silence when a well-built man who had also been sitting in the loft suddenly spoke up.

“Well lookee here, if it isn’t the five famous rookies.” There was an unpleasant undertone in his voice. “You got awfully big heads for a bunch of girls who barely made a little splash. I think it’s time I knocked you down a peg or two.”

They could have guessed as much based on the man’s crude behavior, but there was a glittering silver sword badge on his lapel. He set his mug of beer down on the table and spoke once more.

“An eating contest! Me versus that little one with the big appetite! Let’s see who can eat who under the table first!”

There were as many empty plates sitting on the table before the man as there were before Tsutsumi.

An eating contest? Homura wanted to ask why the hell the guy would want to do something like that, but it seemed like too much trouble, so she just kept quiet instead.

“I think the contest already started while you were still yammering,” said Homura.

Tsutsumi didn’t seem to care why she was suddenly in a eating contest—let alone against someone several times her size. She just kept eating.

“Finally! Let’s teach those dirty, disrespectful silver badges a lesson. Get ’em, Tsutsumi!” Psycho said, throwing even more fuel onto the fire.

“You know you don’t have to, Tsutsumi.”

“But I’m the…speed-eating…king…”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not true, but if you really want to, go ahead.” It was Tsutsumi’s stomach, after all. “Just be careful not to draw too much attention to yourself…”

Homura couldn’t shake her concern… This man had challenged them out of nowhere. This was starting to get out of control.

“Hey, what’s happening?! Are you having an eating contest?!”

“Against this tiny little girl?!”

At some point, they had attracted a throng of spectators. The loft was pretty raucous now. A fight was a fight, after all, even if it was just eating. It seemed like any kind of competition was enough to get the soldiers worked up.

“Go, Tsutsumi!”

“Attagirl!”

Homura and Psycho cheered Tsutsumi on as they ate their own food. Jin and Proto, however, seemed less than amused.

“Can’t you three eat quietly…?”

“Humans are impossible to understand.”

At first, the man pulled ahead through a sheer burst of speed, but Tsutsumi continued to zealously work away at her food at the same exact speed, her own steady pace never slowing.

“I think I’m starting to feel sick just watching them…”

“You and me both.”

Just as they were both about to reach the double digits, the man finally noticed there was something strange about Tsutsumi.

“Hold on, you little gnome. You’re cheating, aren’t you?!” the man shouted, his drunken face growing even ruddier.

He wasn’t exactly wrong, of course. The amount of food Tsutsumi was putting away made no sense for someone her size. Just as Psycho had conjectured, the only explanation seemed to be that the food was disappearing somewhere else.

“She hasn’t gotten any bigger at all, has she…?”

“What did I tell you? There must be something special about Tsutsumi’s body.”

While Psycho was satisfied with the results of her experiment, the heckling in the room was growing louder.

“You’re just mad because you’re losing!”

“And against a child. You oughtta be ashamed!”

The crowd was also drunk and didn’t seem to suspect Tsutsumi.

“…”

Tsutsumi, meanwhile, just ignored the commotion and kept chowing down. The man lost his temper and stood up.

“You’re not really eating at all, are you?! Would you stop moving your hand for a second!”

He staggered toward Tsutsumi and tried to grab her hand, which was rapidly shuttling back and forth between her mouth and the plate. Unfortunately…

“O-ow, dammit!”

Tsutsumi avoided him easily and then grabbed his arm and twisted. It was never a good idea to get between Tsutsumi and her food. As Tsutsumi twisted the man’s arm, however, he caught a glimpse of her face, lurking beneath her hood. As well as her oddly colored skin.

The man’s red face suddenly turned white, and fear filled his eyes—as if he had just caught sight of a monster.

It was dark in this corner of the loft. Steam filled the air, and the patrons were drunk. Most of them never managed to get a good look at Tsutsumi. But from up close, it was impossible not to put two and two together.

It was too late now. Jin stood up, ready to silence the man.

“Y… You—”

The man was about to say something—when he suddenly went weak in the knees and collapsed to the floor. At first, Homura and the others were unsure what had happened.

“What did I tell you about getting so drunk in public?”

It was Seigrat, who was now standing behind the collapsed man.

“Seigrat!”

Seigrat gave them a sly, exaggerated wink. Drunk or not, it was unlikely the man had just happened to pass out with such convenient timing. Homura had no idea what Seigrat had done, but he had clearly handled the situation for them.

Some of the crowd laughed at the drunken man. Some were annoyed the eating contest had been interrupted. Others cheered Seigrat’s sudden appearance. The dark and dismal corner of the tavern bustled with renewed commotion.

“We already know the situation, but you girls need to be more careful,” Seigrat whispered, scolding them. There was an anxious expression on his face. “When I heard all five of you were heading out together, I got worried and decided to follow you, and I’m sure glad now that I did.”

Apparently, Seigrat had been worried enough to keep an eye on them. While Homura was relieved for the moment, it was a reminder of the dangerous position they were in, always needing to be watched.

“Why not just make our existence public, then?” said Psycho. “We’re the ones being told to go out there and hunt down the Dark Lord. Why should we have to stay inside all day, where it’s boring?”

“You say that…but you don’t seem very interested in behaving yourselves while out on missions, either,” Seigrat said, his face growing distressed. “In any case, things are tense right now. Rumors of the Dark Lord’s return are spreading. It makes sense to expect a reaction like this.”

Seigrat hoisted the man to his feet and shuffled him back to his companions.

“If you’re not careful, you’re not going to be able to horse around and enjoy meals with your friends like this anymore. Look around you. Do you see how much attention you’ve already drawn? Can you even eat in peace here anymore?”

The area of the loft where Homura and the others were sitting remained crowded and raucous even now that the eating competition was over. They had gotten swept up in the fun, but they had originally chosen these seats precisely so Tsutsumi and Proto would not stand out.

The corner of Seigrat’s mouth suddenly twisted up into a smirk.

“So…I guess you’ll all just need to get stronger and add a few more accomplishments to your name. Enough so that no one can complain anymore. Enough to silence any hostility and prejudice.”

As one of the strongest men in Galdorssia, Seigrat had a proposal for them.

“Why don’t I train you?”

Chapter 7
Coup de Grâce

“All right, then, gather your weapons and make whatever preparations you need, then meet me at the drill grounds. While you five are getting ready, I’ll go reserve the grounds for private use.”

The five left the busy tavern, watching Seigrat depart.

“At last. I’ve been looking forward to a fight.”

Only Jin seemed excited about their training. The other four girls just felt uneasy.

“You don’t think ole playboy will get carried away and kill us by accident, do you…?” said Psycho.

“I mean, I hope he would try to hold back…,” said Homura.

After making their preparations, Homura and the others headed toward the drill grounds.

Just as Seigrat said, they had the grounds almost entirely to themselves. Only a handful of spectators were present.

“I didn’t think we were going to have such a VIP audience…,” said Homura.

Three onlookers sat there stiffly in the middle of the deserted stands.

“They wanted to see how your training is coming along. You are the rising stars tasked with hunting down the Dark Lord, after all.”

The audience consisted of Ieskha, who was a Holy Protectorate of the Shield just like Seigrat; Lady Falmeyr, who was the hierarch of the Eye of the Moon; and a third woman, Lady Falmeyr’s attendant.

“Ieskha wanted to fight as well, but she’s even worse at holding back than I am, so she’s just going to watch instead.”

According to Seigrat, the audience of Ieskha, Falmeyr, and Falmeyr’s attendant were only there to take a look at what the girls could do.

“When you say even worse than you…,” said Homura.

It was surprising to learn that Ieskha was not very good at holding back, considering her whole appearance and demeanor, but Homura was more worried about whether or not Seigrat, whom she had once seen slay a dragon with a single strike, was actually capable of controlling himself. The tiniest bit of extra oomph behind his strikes might be enough to splatter them entirely.

“Relax. I’ll do my best not to kill anyone.”

“I should hope so!”

That didn’t make Homura feel better at all.

For his own part, Seigrat hadn’t even bothered to put on a breastplate. His only weapon was a wooden staff about the length of a person. He did not look equipped for a proper fight.

“Even if I do slip and accidentally kill someone, Lady Falmeyr is here, so there’s no need to worry. Lady Falmeyr is the only person in Galdorssia—in the entire world, probably—who is capable of casting Resurrection.”

“Give it all you’ve got, girls!” Falmeyr waved, seemingly unconcerned.

“So death is a possibility, then!”

Joking aside, it sounded like the slightest misstep could genuinely result in homicide.

“Don’t worry, my Resurrection skill is infallible,” Falmeyr said, cheerfully.

“I’d still prefer not to die again…”

Homura didn’t even like pain. She was hardly eager to die again. Death was supposed to be a one-time event. She wished they could just go home already.

“Before we get started, let me explain the difference in strength between the badge ranks. You’re new to this world, so you probably don’t have much of a sense of what the badges mean yet.”

He was right; they only had a vague notion of how strong each rank was.

“A soldier’s ability to fight against a large monster, such as a clawbear, is often used as a benchmark for their strength level. Bronze-badge soldiers have to group together in order to eventually bring down a large creature like that. A silver-badge soldier would be able to bring one down on their own. And a gold badge would be able to handle a whole group of such creatures all by themselves.”

Judging from what Seigrat said, those soldiers the girls had met on their way to Aurerich would not be getting their silver badges anytime soon. Poor guys. They had bragged about how they were going to make silver in no time, but even as a group, they had struggled with a single clawbear.

Ares, meanwhile, had slaughtered the next clawbear all on his own. That was apparently the level of strength needed for a silver badge. It was just a matter of time, probably, until he got promoted to the next rank.

“Based on ability alone, Jin and Proto would likely be at silver-badge level. Maybe even gold.”

“Wow, that’s pretty amazing…”

Homura had known that Jin and Proto were strong, but hearing Seigrat’s assessment firsthand really brought it home for her. However, Proto seemed disappointed with that.

“Maybe gold? Is that all? But I took down that humongous monster during our last mission.”

“Yes, you did some excellent work back there in Aurerich…” Jin seemed to be bothered as well.

“But it was more or less a draw in the end, wasn’t it?”

“Erk!”

Seigrat’s comment hit Proto like a punch in the gut.

“The standard I mentioned generally assumes that you take out your opponent without dying yourself. It doesn’t matter how powerful an enemy you manage to take down. If you wind up half dead, you won’t be much use in the next fight, will you? Our job is to protect people until the end. Winning at any cost is not the same.”

Whether in the Aegis Guard or the Phalanx of Blades, survival was paramount. Though maybe not quite as important for the Phalanx, seeing as they were expected to fight in more distant areas…

These high standards were to prevent soldiers from pushing themselves to rise through the ranks too soon and then getting assigned missions beyond their true capabilities.

“Back in Aurerich, Captain Torreque faced a demon and that giant monstrous beast at the same time on his own, but if he had been able to fight them one at a time, I suspect he would have been able to defeat them both with less difficulty than the two of you experienced… Of course, we all have opponents that we are more suited to than others, so things aren’t necessarily cut and dried.”

“Now that you mention it, Torreque left an even bigger wound on the monster’s head than I did, despite the state he was in.”

Proto recalled her battle with the gigantic monstrous beast. She and Jin had fought separately, both managing to defeat their respective opponents after long fights. But Torreque had stood up against both monsters at the same time and had only lost an arm because of it.

“Getting stronger isn’t just a matter of being able to defeat powerful enemies. You also need to nurture the strength to survive and carry on.”

“I see your point. I only barely managed to win by resorting to the use of this malefic sword, which extracted a heavy toll from me. I wouldn’t be able do something like that over and over again.”

Jin ran a hand along her cursed sword, Crimson Rain. The sword was dangerous. That was why she had gone out of her way to get her hands on a second, ordinary katana.

“Of course, sometimes you have no choice. That style of fighting isn’t wrong, exactly, but I want you girls to learn to fight in a way that helps you survive. Just think of how sad I would feel if I never got to see you again.”

Seigrat had been forced to say good-bye to a lot of soldiers in his time. The girls caught a glimpse of the sorrow and regret in his face. Homura remembered how Seigrat had come to see them off before their first mission.

“You remember the names and faces of all the soldiers you send off, don’t you?” she asked.

“Of course. After all, any of us could die at any moment. That’s why I want to help you girls get stronger. I don’t want to mourn you.”

If all Seigrat cared about was not feeling sad, it would be enough to stop caring about the other soldiers. The fact that he still made an effort to remember everyone’s name and face was evidence that he wasn’t willing to let the soldiers who had fought for Galdorssia fade into obscurity.

Seigrat might look like a bit of a rogue, but his desire to protect people, and the feelings he held for others who did, were true gold. Homura felt genuine respect for his way of thinking.

Seigrat was right, they needed to grow stronger.

“By the way, how strong is a Protectorate of the Shield like you supposed to be?”

“A protectorate? I suppose strong enough to beat a gargantuan monstrous beast all on their own.”

Meaning with energy to spare, of course.

“You did take down that massive dragon with a single blow, didn’t you…?”

“Exactly. Something like that would be the minimum, I guess, in order to become a Holy Protectorate.”

Apparently Ieskha, who was watching them quietly, was at the same level of strength.

“Of course, these are just the benchmarks for offensive power. There are different standards for soldiers who are oriented toward support,” Seigrat said, glancing briefly toward the stands. “Furthermore, building up a list of achievements is how soldiers prove they can fight reliably. It’s not all just about strength. This has extra meaning when it comes to the Phalanx of Blades.”

“I think I get what you’re trying to say…”

There was a difference between the Phalanx of Blades and the Aegis Guard.

“I think you know this already, but there are some pretty rowdy individuals in the Phalanx. Like the ones you met back there in the tavern. It may not be fair, but Galdorssia doesn’t want to promote people like that too quickly.”

Being a soldier brought with it a fair share of preferential treatment all on its own, and increased rank only added more privileges. The Phalanx was rife with good soldiers with bad attitudes, which was why the Phalanx’s reputation among the general populace was none too stellar. Once you added a heavy dose of privilege into the mix, dislike could quickly become downright animosity.

“So in the Phalanx’s case, achievements work like a kind of stamp of approval showing that a soldier is working for Galdorssia’s sake and fighting for the benefit of all.”

“So you’re saying that we need to work hard and amass more accomplishments so that our image among the people will improve.”

“Exactly. But in Proto and Tsutsumi’s case, it’s probably going to be difficult at first to make enough of a splash to be seen as honorable soldiers.”

Behavior aside, Proto and Tsutsumi weren’t even human. It was more than just an image problem for them. For some people, it was reason enough to single them out as enemies.

That was how the soldier in the tavern had reacted. But Homura was hardly surprised. Ares and his friends had said they didn’t mind what the girls were, so long as they fought for other people’s sake. But most people here weren’t like that.

“By the way…,” Seigrat said, lowering his voice slightly, “Ieskha lacked the necessary achievements and had an attitude problem, but she was so strong, they selected her as a Holy Protectorate of the Shield anyway. She used to be in the Phalanx, just like you girls, and let me tell you, she was a real nightmare.”

“Umm, you know she’s staring straight at you…”

Ieskha’s eyes, behind her glasses, were terrifying.

“Ieskha is a beautiful woman who is very strong, and she also has an excellent personality!” Seigrat said loudly, trying to cover for himself.

The energy from the stands remained frosty.

“In any case, that’s why I’m here today, to lend you girls a hand!” Seigrat said, getting back to the topic of their training. “Speaking of which, if you do manage to defeat me, I’ll put in a good word during your assessments. After all, if you’re that strong, I’m sure they’d be willing to consider promoting you even without the right achievements.”

Fat chance of actually doing that, though.

“You’re gonna regret saying that, playboy! I’m gonna rub your face in the dirt and snatch that protectorate position right out from under your feet!” Psycho shouted.

“That’s not how it works at all!” Seigrat retorted.

Falmeyr joined in, seemingly amused. “If you can defeat Seigrat all on your own, you really might be considered for a position as Holy Protectorate. If, that is! Ah-ha-ha! Seigrat isn’t called the Dragon Render for nothing! Dragons are considered one of the strongest monsters in existence and can easily level entire cities. But Seigrat has slain more than his share. Don’t worry, though…we expect as much from you girls in the future as well!”

“People keep saying we’ve got what it takes to defeat the Dark Lord,” said Homura, “but nothing you’re saying right now is exactly inspiring confidence…”

Their goal still seemed light-years away. If only someone would pop out and tell them it had all been a prank.

“In any case, unless you resort to dirty tricks, there’s no way I can lose, so come at me with every—”

Jin attacked suddenly, before Seigrat had even finished talking, aiming straight for Seigrat’s neck.

“—thing you’ve got…is what I was going to say. Striking before I was ready! Well done!”

Homura had no idea what had just happened. It looked like Jin had disappeared, but the next thing she knew, Jin was standing in front of Seigrat again, muscles tensed, while Seigrat held her blade between the tips of his fingers.

A moment later Homura put two and two together. Jin had moved too fast for Homura to see, attempting to chop off Seigrat’s head before the fight had even begun. As unbelievable as it seemed, however, Seigrat had caught the blade between his bare fingertips, without even breaking a sweat. At least, that was the best explanation that Homura could come up with.

Proto immediately followed on Jin’s heels with her war hammer. There was no need for words; the coordination between Proto and Jin was exquisite. They struck at the same time, coming at Seigrat from different directions.

“That’s right. Give your enemy no leeway.”

Seigrat, however, was able to check Proto’s heavy swing with the tip of his staff.

“What?! I thought that thing was supposed to be made of wood!” Proto shouted as she pulled back, creating distance between them. She slammed the surface of the ground, sending a shower of stone bullets Seigrat’s way.

Seigrat knocked every last one of the bullets out of the air with his staff before delivering a swift kick to Jin, who had attempted to strike again while he was open. Jin went flying through the air.

“If you show your opponent any mercy, someone could get killed. One of your teammates, or a total stranger.”

Jin hit the ground hard, bouncing head over heels, unable to tuck and roll. She only came to a stop after slamming against the side of the arena. It took a moment for her to stagger back to her feet, her shoulders now heaving.

“I yield…,” she said, admitting defeat as she gasped for breath.

“I have no doubt you’ll continue to get stronger with time. The problem is the remaining four,” Seigrat said, just as poisonous mist began to envelop him.

“Tsutsumi’s poison doesn’t work against everyone. It’s also not a problem so long as you don’t breathe it in. You’ll need to work out another tactic for powerful opponents.”

The mist parted, flowing around Seigrat as if avoiding him. Proto, however, suddenly emerged from inside the mist, swinging her war hammer and ready to wipe the smug expression off Seigrat’s face.

“Physically, Proto, you’re even stronger than Jin. However…”

Seigrat stopped Proto’s heavy attack with a single hand, then poked Proto lightly with his staff. That was all it took to send her into the sky. It looked like Proto was about to fly over the stands and exit the arena entirely, but a magical barrier suddenly appeared, stopping her with a dull thunk.

The wind from Seigrat’s strike scattered the poisonous mist further. Before the mist could clear entirely, however, Psycho and Tsutsumi dashed forward, brandishing their knives.

They were coming at him from opposite directions—Psycho from directly behind—but Seigrat reacted with composure, never panicking.

“Multiple surprise attacks. Excellent idea!”

Seigrat deftly tossed Tsutsumi over his shoulder as she came charging from the front while stopping Psycho’s knife strike with his wooden staff. He didn’t even turn to look at her.

“The hell? You got eyes in the back of your head or something?”

Incidentally, Tsutsumi, who had been tossed in an arc through the air, was caught by Falmeyr in the stands. She was now just another spectator.

Psycho’s surprise attack had been foiled. She made eye contact with Homura, ready to set up their next surprise. Homura immediately caught Psycho’s drift.

“Just don’t be maaad—!!”

Homura responded to the eye contact by hurling a massive burst of flames straight at both of them.

Homura didn’t hold back. But her sense of guilt was stronger than her desire to win, causing her to shout an apology before she let loose. That didn’t stop the flames from erupting throughout the arena at a pace that seemed far too quick to avoid. However…

“I applaud your enthusiasm, Homura, but a surprise attack isn’t much good if you give it all away first.”

“Ouch!!”

At some point Seigrat had appeared behind Homura. He bonked her lightly with his staff. Homura rubbed her head.

“Um…where’s Psycho?”

Ignoring the pain, Homura began searching for her teammate, who had also gotten caught up in the flames. Unfortunately, Psycho was nowhere to be seen.

“She’s gone…”

A cold sweat began to trickle down Homura’s face. Had she just incinerated Psycho?

Seigrat quickly put her mind at ease. “She’s right here, of course.”

At which point Psycho fell out of the sky and landed in Seigrat’s arms.

Psycho blinked in confusion, having absolutely no idea what had just happened. Seigrat had tossed her into the air a split second before the flames enveloped them.

“Now then, as I was saying,” Seigrat said, continuing with his comments as he set Psycho down again. “You have a very strong aptitude for self-buffing, Jin, which is what you should continue to focus on. Your natural physical abilities are quite high. Your agility, in particular, is astounding. But your self-buffing still needs work. This magic is largely used unconsciously, but if you focus on it, you can get much stronger. If you could increase your durability and staying power, I think you might even be able to get in a hit against me.”

“Maybe, but how long will that take…?”

Jin had been able to put up even less of a fight than she had expected. She looked visibly discouraged.

“As for you, Proto, you aren’t able to use magic, correct?”

“Nope, I’m not human.”

Proto had landed in the stands, headfirst. She was still upside down, feet sticking into the air, as she answered him.

“Well, I don’t know much about that…but since you can’t do any fancy tricks with magic, you should focus on studying fighting techniques instead. Both for when you’re fighting alone and with others… Honestly, though, you’re going to have to figure out what you’re capable of for yourself, it’s not something I really understand.”

“If I could just override my system restrictions…”

“Someday I really would like to hear more about what it means to be born beyond the stars, but I guess that will have to wait for another time.”

Seigrat seemed more interested in hearing about the exoplanets right now than he was in giving combat instruction, but he pushed his curiosity to the side for the time being.

“Homura, you’re similar to Proto. When you connect, you’re very strong, but you have trouble actually hitting. To put it another way, though technically strong, you’re extremely weak against enemies you can’t hit. When studying how to control your flames with Carlila, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to think about ways to land attacks against opponents you can’t usually hit, but it might also be a good idea to think about effective techniques to use when you know you can’t miss.”

“You mean like a super secret finishing blow! I’ll have to think up a really cool name for it!”

Homura hadn’t even come up with the move yet, and she was already trying to think up a name.

“That leaves Psycho and Tsutsumi. The two of you don’t have quite the same offensive capabilities as the other three. You might be more suited for support than combat.”

Just like in School Village, Psycho was once again confronted by the fact that she was possibly just a support member.

“I already know I’m useless in a fight; you don’t have to rub it in…”

Psycho wasn’t the only one stinging from her lack of combat abilities. Tsutsumi looked upset as well. Her poison could do nothing against opponents who were immune, and if she wasn’t careful when she used it, her friends could get caught up in it. For a living weapon of mass destruction, it hurt not to be useful.

“However,” Seigrat said, seeing their reactions, “in the Phalanx of Blades, support roles are extremely important. Phalanx squads fight far from home. There is no guarantee that support will be in place for them, as it is for the Aegis Guard, which protects our bases. Healers and support units are crucial for soldiers fighting on the front lines.”

They might not be able to fight, but they still had roles to play. Psycho and Tsutsumi reacted to his news in different ways. Tsutsumi, who was still sitting on Falmeyr’s lap, began to think about her own attributes and what she could do to help. Psycho, however, was still dissatisfied.

“That’s not even the issue…,” she muttered.

“You really are strong, though, aren’t you, Seigrat!” said Homura. “You didn’t even use your magic against us like you did last time, when you defeated that dragon!”

Seigrat had fought this whole session using nothing but his wooden staff. Of course, he was probably buffing his physical attributes with magic, but not to any serious level.

“Against the dragon…? Oh, that. That was just self-buffing magic. I just use it in a somewhat unusual way.”

“But didn’t you coat your spear in some kind of energy before throwing it?”

Homura remembered the red spear that Seigrat had thrown, which had completely decimated the dragon’s head with a single blow. Seigrat looked uncomfortable.

“You know that magic is generally divided into spells and benedictions, right?” he asked.

“Yeah. Spells are like a hotbar ability, and benedictions are like passive skills, right?”

It was just like Homura to explain things in game terms.

“Sometimes I’m not really sure what you’re talking about, Homura…,” Seigrat said, smiling uncomfortably. “In any case, unlike spells, which are used intentionally, benedictions are activated automatically whenever certain conditions are met. While the name benediction might sound nice, not all of them are actually beneficial.”

“Oh…”

Homura wasn’t sure where this was going.

“Whenever I use magic to buff myself, my magical power overflows. It’s a benediction that shows up in some people. People usually laugh and call us ‘leaky faucets.’ But in my case, the magic is so extreme it can even be used offensively.”

“So if your magic didn’t leak, you might be even stronger?”

“No, not necessarily. Thanks to my benediction, I’m able to do things that I wouldn’t normally be able to do with self-buffing magic alone.”

Seigrat glanced toward Psycho and Tsutsumi, as if lost in thought.

“What I’m trying to say is, if you can identify what you’re good at, it could lead to great things.”

“I guess that’s pretty convincing coming from someone who became so powerful he was able to turn a weakness into a strength…,” Homura said.

Psycho, however, was still down in the dumps.

Falmeyr added her own two cents. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, Psycho, but your ability with healing magic is beyond compare. The Resurrection ability that I use is one example of the heights healing magic can reach, but your ability to adapt healing magic in order to join together souls, or create new limbs out of pieces of monsters, is also highly advanced. Not that I entirely approve of the way in which you use that skill, which is a little too close to black magic for my comfort.” She grimaced. “Like my Resurrection ability, however, the way that you adapt healing magic is something peculiar that doesn’t actually fall within the framework of a spell.”

“Peculiar how?”

“A spell isn’t just magic used intentionally. To elaborate, a spell is something that anyone can cast so long as they have sufficient magical aptitude and knowledge. On the other hand, my Resurrection skill is only possible with the assistance of Eirene, the creator of this world. What you do with healing magic, Psycho, should usually be impossible as well. I mentioned earlier that it resembles black magic, but you don’t actually change the quality of a soul, which is what black magic does. You join souls together, or change their form, as an extension of healing. Nothing more. But that goes beyond simple adaptation, however clever. It is a unique magical skill.”

Falmeyr began to speculate on Psycho’s abilities.

“Perhaps the fact that you died once has caused your soul to transform, and this is what allows you to use such unorthodox magic. Either way, it is not a spell. It is your own unique healing magic.”

So that was what Falmeyr meant by “peculiar.”

Psycho listened quietly, trying to think about what she might be good at.

“My own unique kind of healing magic… So if no one else can do it, I ought to do something really big with it!”

Falmeyr quickly nipped that thought in the bud.

“Yes, but don’t get me wrong! You still need to develop your ability in a way that is healthy and productive! Anything else would be a waste!”

“Homura, Psycho, Tsutsumi… There’s not much that I can do specifically to help you three, but I can give you general advice. You will have to work on your specialties on your own. I will still help train all five of you here on occasion, though. We can reserve the grounds regularly, I presume?”

Seigrat’s last words were directed toward Ieskha.

“I will arrange the schedule.”

They now had a Holy Protectorate of the Shield as their own personal trainer. What more could they ask for?

“It’s a relief to know you’ll be training us, Seigrat, sir,” said Homura.

“I’m hoping you understand now that they don’t just hand out the title of Holy Protectorate of the Shield to anyone,” Seigrat said, pleased as punch.

“Absolutely! You were incredible! Even Ieskha looks proud!”

Homura cast a quick glance toward the stands.

“What?! Really?!”

Seigrat turned to look at Ieskha, who was as stone-faced as ever. While he was distracted, Homura wound up with her staff and landed a good hard thwack straight to Seigrat’s groin.

“……D…dirty…trick…”

Seigrat clutched his groin and toppled over. Homura hadn’t given away the surprise this time!

Falmeyr did her best to hold back her laughter, while Ieskha pressed a hand to her head in exasperation. Homura, meanwhile, threw her head back and shouted at the sky.

“We won! We…WOOONNNNNNN—!”

Seigrat had promised he would put in a good word for them if they beat him. Homura’s teammates lifted her on their shoulders. Three cheers for Homura!

But of course, the promise did not apply.

“That wasn’t what I meant!”

That wasn’t what Seigrat had meant at all!

Chapter 8
Two Holy Protectorates of the Shield

It was the day after Seigrat’s training.

“That’s weird; I can’t find Geldorf anywhere.”

He hadn’t shown up for lunch. Homura began searching the house for him.

“Geldorf?”

She called his name, but there was no answer.

Ever since School Village, Homura hadn’t been able to shake that feeling in her chest. The feeling that something was wrong. Now that Geldorf was missing, her worries were only multiplying.

There was no mission today, so the girls were focusing on their individual training and work. When Homura returned to their room, Tsutsumi was the only one there. She was sprawled out on the bed, reading the forbidden grimoire they had borrowed from Carlila.

Homura broke out in a cold sweat, remembering the perilous mission she had been given to smuggle out the grimoire for Tsutsumi.

“So what is that book all about?”

Homura took a peek at the open page.

“You can’t look…!” Tsutsumi immediately clutched the book to her chest.

“Tsutsumi, when we said you can’t let anyone else see, we only meant other people. I already know about the book, so I don’t count.”

Eventually, though reluctantly, Tsutsumi let Homura look. Homura could see that the page was scrawled over with all sorts of dangerous-sounding curses such as a “curse of severe and prolonged pain,” a “curse to transmute the body,” and a “curse to gnaw at the soul.” No wonder this thing was so forbidden.

But Homura was more intrigued by the way Tsutsumi was blushing right now than she was by the contents of the book.

“You’re acting just like a teenager trying to hide a dirty magazine…and I like it!”

A wolfish expression appeared on Homura’s face as she stretched out a hand toward the bashful girl.

“So those are your last words…”

At some point Jin had entered the room. She was standing directly behind Homura!

“Eek!”

Homura was so surprised that she dove under the bed.

“This is no time to fool around. Something is going on outside.”

Homura crawled out from under the bed and peeked out the window.

“You’re right…”

There was some sort of commotion outside. Everyone in the street looked tense. They were all in a hurry to get wherever they were going.

—A bell began to toll in the distance.

“Wait, isn’t that…?”

“The bell to signal danger.”

It was the same sound they had heard when the dragon attacked, soon after arriving in this world. And again in Aurerich, when the monstrous beasts had invaded…

Galdorssia was facing another crisis. The last time this happened, the people hadn’t seemed worried. Seigrat had slain that dragon with a single blow. But something in the air was different. The townspeople didn’t look as confident.

“That must mean…”

“Everyone, we’ve got trouble!”

It was Psycho. She was supposed to be at the church right now but had suddenly arrived home. There were deep furrows between her brows.

“You need to get ready to fight. Right this minute.”

Hearing the urgency in her voice, Homura and the others began to change.

“They’re going to have us fight, too…?”

“Only if the worst happens.”

As they finished changing, a knock came at the door.

“I’m coming in.”

Geldorf’s maid opened the door. The fact that she didn’t wait for a response, as she normally would, proved just how serious a predicament they were in. Proto, who usually spent her free time helping the maid with chores around the house, was standing by the maid’s side.

“Everyone…I see you’re already prepared. Master Geldorf is asking for you.”

“Wait, I haven’t changed yet.”

Proto quickly began removing her maid uniform.

Geldorf greeted them in his study with an expression like none they had ever before seen on his face. The air was electric. He almost seemed like a different person.

“I’ll make this quick,” he said, his voice gruffer than usual. “War has broken out.”

The sound of the bell seemed to blare in Homura’s ear. That uneasy feeling that had been hanging over her had finally taken shape in the worst way imaginable.

“A war…? You don’t mean against the Dark Lord, do you?”

“No, not necessarily. But someone on the Dark Lord’s side is clearly lending them a hand,” Geldorf explained, his voice heavy. “There is a town named Wodtrim far to the east. It is responsible for keeping an eye on the neighboring country of Zhorguan. We’ve received word that a stone wall has suddenly appeared around Wodtrim. No one knows what is happening inside the wall.”

To the east…beyond School Village.

“There was someone among the last Dark Lord’s army, a survivor who was capable of using such magic.”

Homura remembered that Torreque, the captain of the Aurerich garrison, had mentioned there were demons on the Dark Lord’s side skilled at fortification magic.

“Based on that alone, we might have assumed the Dark Lord’s army was attacking, but according to those who managed to flee the town, most of the attacking demons were warriors from Zhorguan.”

“What is Zhorguan? Why would they attack us?”

Homura already knew that Galdorssia was surrounded by countries that were either hostile or mutually noninterfering, but she hadn’t been told any more than that.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never discussed Galdorssia’s history or borders with you in detail, have I?” Geldorf said. “First of all, you should know that Galdorssia has been fighting demonkind since the days of yore. But demons were not always united, and there were many demonic races that were not originally hostile toward Galdorssia.”

“But then the Dark Lord appeared a hundred years ago, right?”

“Correct. The Dark Lord united the demon races that were not yet hostile to Galdorssia. Nearly all of them. The Dark Lord’s army then waged a war, focusing its attacks on Galdorssia. We humans have yet to take back most of the countries and settlements that were lost during that war.”

“So far, I knew most of that…”

Homura remembered what Ares had told them, back in Aurerich. But she didn’t know any more than that.

“After we managed to beat back the Dark Lord, Galdorssia focused on beefing up its defenses and built several satellite settlements around the Holy City. That is why there are so many towns and villages surrounding us now. The settlements along the roads that extend outward from Galdorssia serve both as routes of communication with neighboring countries and as a network for keeping an eye out for demon activity.”

“So that is why so many of the surrounding villages are considered a part of Galdorssia.”

“The town of Aurerich, which you girls visited the other day, belongs to the Schelles Sea Alliance, to the south. It was not built by Galdorssia, but we ally with Aurerich for the same purposes.”

“I see…” Homura nodded.

“And while we have built a friendly relationship with the Alliance, that is not true for every country around us. Some are staunch noninterventionists, while others would attack us given half a chance.”

“You mean like Zhorguan…!”

“Yes, like Zhorguan.” Geldorf nodded. “A handful of demons rule over the humans of Zhorguan, which has long been hostile to Galdorssia. Despite this, Zhorguan is not associated with the Dark Lord. Although they were causing trouble for Galdorssia even before the last Dark Lord appeared, Zhorguan never joined the Dark Lord’s army in the end. Likely they wanted to take Galdorssia for their own, rather than to fall under the Dark Lord’s dominion.”

“Back to the original question: What is Zhorguan after?”

“That we don’t know. The Dark Lord’s army clearly despises humans, as well as the benevolent creator of this world, who has sided with us. But in Zhorguan’s case, their motives are less clear.”

“How so…?”

“Maybe they just want more territory. Maybe they hate the Goddess and humans, like the demons do. But if that were all, it doesn’t seem like there would be any reason for them not to work with the Dark Lord in the first place.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

If demon tribes had different ways of thinking, then obviously their interests wouldn’t always align. That must be why not all demonkind had united in the end, even after the Dark Lord appeared.

“Moving on, Zhorguan ceased pestering Galdorssia once we drove back the previous Dark Lord. This is due to the fact that, in order to bolster the city’s defenses, we began to train the powerful warriors known as Holy Protectorates, who remain permanently stationed within the city. We also built the fortress settlement of Wodtrim in order to keep a better eye on Zhorguan.”

“But Zhorguan has attacked Wodtrim now, correct?”

“It seems safe to assume so, since the attack on Wodtrim was carried out by Zhorguan’s beast-man soldiers. They must have taken Wodtrim so quickly that they didn’t have time to raise smoke signals.”

“Of course, of course… Wait a second.” While she listened to Geldorf’s explanation, a question suddenly occurred to Homura. “Weren’t there soldiers in Wodtrim? It’s an important settlement, isn’t it?”

“There were. Highly seasoned gold-badge Aegis Guard soldiers, in fact. Zhorguan’s forces should not have been able to defeat them. If they were capable of that, Zhorguan would have attacked Wodtrim long ago.”

“Which means they must be working with the Dark Lord’s army…”

“Quite possibly. At the very least, we know for certain that there is a survivor from the previous Dark Lord’s army among them. Last time they held back, but this time it seems as if Zhorguan is scheming to topple Galdorssia.”

The shadow of the Dark Lord loomed once again.

“Now then, Lady Falmeyr is calling for you. Head toward the ramparts, above the eastern gate.”

“I thought we were going to be marched off to war, but I guess we’re just here to watch and learn again,” said Homura.

Falmeyr had put them on standby, just like when Seigrat had slain the dragon. But this time, the soldiers on the wall-walk did not seem to be in such a festive mood.

“You saw how that playboy fought,” said Psycho. “In this world, the mightiest of the mightiest carry the fight themselves. Small-time players like us would just get in the way.”

“I guess it’s gold badge and up only this time, then. What did we get ready for, though?”

“I told you, that’s only for if the worst happens.”

“Well, I sure hope it doesn’t…”

Galdorssia had the Holy Protectorates of the Shield, the strongest guardians of the realm, out there on the field. If the rejects were needed, it was probably already game over…

“The country attacking us is located far to the east, right?” said Homura.

Staring off into the distance, toward the east, they could clearly see an enormous cloud of smoke winding toward them along the road. It was long and undulating, like a caterpillar, and seemed to meander all the way from the town of Wodtrim.

“What the heck is that?”

Psycho glared at the smoke, a tense expression on her face.

“Whatever it is, it’s clearly not good.”

“I really can’t see for shit… I wonder if I could use healing magic to fix my eyes.”

Apparently Psycho was extremely shortsighted.

“That smoke is coming this way!” Homura shouted.

Just then, Falmeyr ascended the stairs, her attendant leading her by the hand.

“I’m sorry I’m late.”

Falmeyr was holding the spear that usually sat enshrined in the Sanctuary of the Oracle. She used it to support herself as she moved, like a walking stick.

Although Falmeyr’s eyes were covered by a silver mask, she would sometimes turn her face toward a person while speaking as if to make eye contact, creating the impression that she could actually see. At the moment, however, it did not seem she could see anything that was in front of her.

“The monsters at the front of the formation are emitting some sort of smoke,” one of the soldiers on watch reported as soon as Falmeyr arrived.

“Perhaps there is something they wish to keep hidden. Seigrat, Ieskha, are you prepared?”

Seigrat and Ieskha were the ones who would have to face this oncoming column of smoke. They were both on standby outside the city wall. Seigrat the Dragon Render and Ieskha the Ice Crusher.

The silvery-white armor and helmet Ieskha was wearing were like beautiful works of art, which only served to highlight the savagery of the massive war hammer she carried in her hands. The undersides of her sabatons, meanwhile, sported a profusion of spikes, similar to crampons, that dug into the earth as she walked.

“It’s time.”

Ieskha lifted her war hammer and began walking toward the smoke. Seigrat called after her as she walked away.

“Have fun. After this is all over, if you wanna get dinner together—”

“I’ll pass.”

“You don’t have to be rude about it…”

Despite their banter, Seigrat’s voice sounded completely flat. The column of smoke was steadily drawing nearer. Seigrat waited until Ieskha was sufficiently far away before assuming his own battle stance.

“Here goes nothing!”

Seigrat had donned the same deep-purple armor he had worn while slaying the dragon, but he was not wielding his beloved long spear this time. Instead, he gripped a simply made javelin in a throwing pose. It was barely more than a pole made out of iron.

A gigantic pile of these javelins was stacked up next to him. His long spear had been thrust into the earth, as if it was the one weapon he was not willing to throw.

The fact that Seigrat had so many javelins at the ready must mean that he was expecting to toss quite a few. Seigrat pumped magical power into his weapon. While it wasn’t as bright as the long spear when he had fought the dragon, the javelin began to glow with a crimson light.

Seigrat the warrior, known in Galdorssia as the Dragon Render, fixed his eyes on the column of smoke and hurled the javelin.

“Hyaghh!!”

The magical javelin became a scarlet comet as it sped through the air. It split the sky, leaving a trail of light behind, before embedding itself with perfect accuracy into the monster at the head of the column of smoke. There was a burst of magical energy as it landed, sending everything nearby flying and leaving a crater in the earth.

The sound wave reached Homura and the others a moment later.

“Seigrat sure is strong,” Homura said.

“I know. Can you believe they expect as much from us as well…?” said Jin.

“Tell me about it… I know they keep telling us we have it in us, but I’m not feeling very confident lately…”

Confronted once again with the enormous power of the Holy Protectorates of the Shield, the five girls couldn’t help but question their own potential. While they were still pondering their futures, the smoke began to clear, and they caught sight of what had been hidden.

“Those no-good—” Seigrat’s voice shook with anger.

The smoke steadily dissipated, revealing cages that had been smashed to pieces and the scattered bodies of dead monsters. Their numbers seemed incredible. There was only one explanation.

“They really were turning townspeople into monsters…!” said Homura.

“What did I tell you?” said Jin. “The enemy went and conscripted a bunch of normal, weak citizens into an instant army.”

“That’s so terrible…”

The monsters inside the cages being carried forward on carts resembled ant creatures of some sort with large carapaces. The carts, however, were being pulled by horse-shaped creatures like the ones they had seen in School Village.

“Well, this is a fine joke they’ve played on us,” Psycho said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Bringing the monsters was a move likely designed to unnerve any humans who knew about the Dark Lord’s curseblood. That included Seigrat, who was currently spearheading the counterattack.

Homura grew angry. She could feel something hot rising up from deep inside. She wanted to dive onto the battlefield, right then and there, and burn the whole sorry sight out of existence. Falmeyr, however, cautioned Homura to stay her hand.

“No, Homura. There is someone else whose anger takes precedence now,” she said, preventing Homura from going berserk. Falmeyr’s voice, though soft, seethed with its own simmering indignation.

Homura was struggling to get her fiery rage under control when a woman’s furious scream exploded across the battlefield.

“You goddamn pieces of shiiit—!!”

Ieskha was always so uptight—it took Homura a moment to figure out that the scream had just come from inside Ieskha’s silvery-white helmet.

As Ieskha screamed, the ground around her began to freeze over, and ice raced outward from her feet. The frost spread in the blink of an eye, immediately creating a massive field of ice.

“Ieskha holds a benediction known as Frostbound Fury, which causes her surroundings to freeze when she grows angry.”

The girls were starting to see why Ieskha was known as the Ice Crusher. Seigrat must have been waiting to attack until Ieskha had gotten far enough away that he wouldn’t be caught up in the vortex.

“But what is the enemy after? Why aren’t the monsters in the cages moving?”

Psycho’s question seemed reasonable enough. The answer, however, was very simple.

“Truly…an unsavory plan.”

The man’s voice, inside the remaining smoke, sounded exhausted. His words, however, went unheard.

“It’s time. Move out,” he said.

A small red light began to faintly illuminate the smoke in response. As if on cue, the creatures trapped inside the cages started to go wild. They had been waiting for this signal.

The insectile monsters destroyed their cages from within and began racing toward Galdorssia. They made a beeline without even forming ranks, much like an actual army ants.

The ant-like monsters were not confined to the land. Winged ants also emerged from the smoke.

Once the ant creatures were free, the horse-men collapsed, as if they had exhausted the last of their strength. From here on out, the fight was going to be waged by the insectile legion. The ants divided into two types: the infantry, which advanced by land, and the airmen, which approached by air.

Now that everything around her had been frozen, Ieskha began to charge ahead, abandoning herself to her rage. The ice covering the ground beneath her undulated with her magic, carrying her toward the enemy on a frozen wave.

The tide of ice swept over the army ants; one, then the next, then the next.

“Damn you! Damn you! Damn you—!”

The monsters were immediately frozen solid. Ieskha began crushing them easily with her hammer, blustering through their ranks like a mistral squall. Fitting for a warrior known as the Ice Crusher.

“You’re not getting through from above, either!”

Seigrat, meanwhile, began shooting down the winged ants attempting to invade by air. While his magical javelins weren’t as charged as last time, each time they connected with an enemy, they exploded, catching nearby monsters in the blast.

Seigrat flicked up javelins from the pile next to him with his foot, tossing them almost as soon as they reached his hand.

“There are a lot of enemies, but it looks like Seigrat and Ieskha are handling them just fine…”

As far as Homura could see, the Holy Protectorates were making short work of the enemy. At this rate, it didn’t seem like they were going to have any trouble fending off the invaders.

“Yes. Let’s hope it stays that way,” Falmeyr said, although she still seemed tense. Something was off, but Homura hoped Seigrat and Ieskha would be able to end the fight without further difficulty.

Psycho’s next words dashed those hopes to the ground.

“Wait a second, something doesn’t add up.”

“What do you mean?”

Homura was just beginning to relax. The tone of Psycho’s voice immediately put her back on edge.

“If they were able to create these ants out of the villagers, then what about the soldiers stationed in Wodtrim?”

“You don’t mean—?!”

Homura turned white. This was exactly what she had been worried about.

“Yes, there could be enemies out there that are as powerful as Rotraud.”

The smoke continued to clear. Homura saw something at the end of the column…

“I knew it.”

A group of larger ants, about two or three times the size of the others. Unlike the smaller ants, these had unique features. One had massive blunt arms like war hammers, another had sharp-bladed arms like scythes, and the third had what looked like massive grasshopper legs.

“Maybe the way they fought while human is reflected in their shape.”

Psycho’s guess must have been correct, because Seigrat and Ieskha froze for a brief second in recognition, as they caught sight of the larger ants.

While the smaller infantry and airman ants continued to march toward Galdorssia, the larger ants seemed more interested in targeting Seigrat and Ieskha directly. Their objective was apparently different from that of the rest of the army.

Wodtrim had been home to a squad of highly skilled gold-shield-badge soldiers. Those soldiers had been transformed into monsters with augmented abilities—monsters who were now attacking Galdorssia in force. The Holy City would have to fend off multiple transformed gold badges.

“This looks concerning.”

A hint of panic crept into Falmeyr’s face. She quickly lifted her spear into the air. The sight that followed was breathtakingly beautiful.

“What’s happening…?”

Particles of light rose up across Galdorssia, converging upon the spot where Falmeyr stood.

“My magic relies upon small quantities of mana received from all the faithful. Additionally—”

The tip of Falmeyr’s spear began to glow, and Seigrat and Ieskha were bathed in a corresponding light.

“This holy spear has the effect of amplifying healing magic. Seigrat and Ieskha can now fight to their fullest. Even to the point of destroying themselves in the process, though it may not seem right to say. Even if they die, of course, I will resurrect them immediately,” Falmeyr said gently.

What a terrible thought. But one could not be too choosy in war.

Just as Falmeyr had said, Seigrat and Ieskha began fighting even harder than before, slaughtering the smaller ants while holding their ground in anticipation of the larger ones. One large ant attacked Seigrat while the other two went after Ieskha.

The blunt-armed Hammer Hands ant beat its fists together as it made its way toward Ieskha, causing the earth to shake. It smashed a course through the field of ice as it approached, scattering massive chunks of ice like pebbles. There were other ants frozen within the ice, but Hammer Hands crushed them without hesitation, hurling the broken chunks straight toward Ieskha.

Despite her berserker rage, Ieskha used her war hammer to swat the chunks out of the air with perfect precision. While she was dealing with the ice missiles, however, Scythe Claws saw its chance. It swung for Ieskha’s neck.

“You always were terrible at seizing an opening, Fitz!” Ieskha said, admonishing her old friend.

Despite her words, Ieskha only just managed to dodge the bladed arm by a hair’s breadth. The slightest moment of distraction would be enough now for her to lose her head. However, she was still able to counter with her own attack. The fettering ice surged, enveloping Hammer Hands in the blink of an eye.

It was only temporary. The massive ant creature was able to crack the ice and shake off its restraints simply by straining forward. But that was time enough for Ieskha. In the brief few seconds that she was able to focus on Scythe Claws, she crushed it completely with her war hammer.

“Is that all you can do—?!”

Ieskha’s momentum sent her collapsing into the monster, but its blades never reached her. A blinding rage consumed her. Rage at her old friend for not being stronger. Rage at herself for killing this weak creature that had once been Fitz. And rage at every last person who had had any hand at all in creating this damn situation.

“You’re next, Gedhalt!!”

Meanwhile, the grasshopper-like Long Legs set its sights on Seigrat. In the next moment it was there, hurtling itself toward Seigrat at hyper-speed. Seigrat managed to block its kick with his long spear, leaving the soldiers up on the wall to deal with the airman ants flying overhead.

Long Legs’ agility was off the charts. Its powerful legs left huge divots in the ground each time it jumped into the air. To anyone watching from the outside, it probably appeared as if the ground were caving in out of nowhere as the ant creature repeatedly disappeared and reappeared instantly, always mid-kick.

Long Legs’ kicks broke the speed of sound, creating powerful booms with each and every strike. The surrounding infantry ants caught in the blasts were hurled aside and blown into pieces.

Seigrat, however, had faith in his own reaction speed and strength. He blocked the repeated kicks from the creature’s powerful legs with his long spear, countering in the short moments available before the monster pulled away again.

Long Legs was soon missing its arms, which had been lopped off by Seigrat’s spear, but it had avoided any hits to its legs so far. And its legs were all it needed.

“I guess you can do more than just run fast after all, Dhatt!” Seigrat said, addressing his old friend. “But where’s Mia? She always was shy. Is she hiding again?”

“It…looks like they’re going to be all right after all.”

Although the fight looked grueling, Seigrat and Ieskha were getting the better of the larger ants. Homura didn’t want to be overly optimistic, but she could see signs of victory on the horizon.

Just when it looked as if Seigrat was about to finish off his foe, he suddenly began behaving strangely. He was swinging his spear repeatedly at open space, though nothing was there.

Homura peered closer, catching brief glimpses of some sort of distortion in the air around Seigrat. Was there some sort of magic at play?

Homura wasn’t sure what was happening, but despite this strange behavior, Seigrat was still managing to score hits against the giant, long-legged ant. With Falmeyr’s support, Seigrat and Ieskha were sure to win.

But Homura’s hopes were short-lived. The sound of something striking the stone behind her reached her ears. She turned to look, only to be confronted by the sight of the holy spear lying on the ground and Lady Falmeyr standing there, stiff as a board.

“L…Lady Falmeyr…?”

As if in response to Homura’s voice, Falmeyr suddenly collapsed to the ground.

“Falmeyr!”

As Homura raced to her side, a spurt of black blood escaped the holy woman’s lips. Psycho hurried over and quickly began examining Falmeyr. Homura took a step back. There was nothing she could do right now. The howling of the monsters seemed to ring louder in her ears.

In a panic, Homura glanced past the city walls. Seigrat and Ieskha had fallen to their knees. Psycho lifted her head, turned to Homura, and spoke.

“The worst has just happened,” she said.

Chapter 9
Inside the Stone Wall

The watch-town of Wodtrim, two nights before the outbreak of war.

A man stood atop the stone wall that encircled the town. Although he looked to be in his prime, an aura of exhaustion hung about him. The cracks surrounding his eyes only intensified this gloomy demeanor.

These cracks were like fissures in dry mud—proof that he wasn’t human. The man was a demon.

The stone wall had been created with the man’s own magic. The ground around the wall had been scooped up, swooping into the wall as if funneled upward.

“Such an unsavory plan,” the man muttered, taking in the sight below.

Burning homes lit up the town like bonfires, casting shadows upon the stone wall.

“There you are… I can call you Sod, correct?”

“If you wish,” the man named Sod replied, speaking to a younger man who had suddenly appeared at his side.

This younger man was also a demon, from a race with distinctive catlike features. His body was covered with short fur, his face was pointed like a cat’s, and he even sported a catlike tail. There was a hint of feline contempt for humanity in his warmly colored eyes.

“Should the First Prince really be loitering in a place such as this?”

“We are on the cusp of realizing Zhorguan’s destiny. Where else would I be?” said the First Prince of Zhorguan.

Commendable words from the young catlike demon.

“Why not be honest and just say that you were curious?”

“Ha-ha, fair enough! And why shouldn’t I be? Look at it! Humans being transformed into monsters. It is marvelous!”

The First Prince sneered at the town below.

Wodtrim had been invaded by demons from Zhorguan. All throughout the town, captured humans were being forced to drink a strange red liquid. Afterward, these humans transformed into monsters, which were loaded into cages being pulled by other, horselike monsters.

“I have to thank you, Sod. Without you, we could have never pulled off something like this. Celebrate! Tales of this glorious deed will be handed down for generations!”

“I’m touched.”

Sod was unable to rise to the same level of grandiosity as the First Prince.

“Those three humans you gifted us with are quite powerful as well. Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer to keep them for yourself?”

“Apparently not. Personally, I would rather make use of them, but the commander general has other thoughts on the matter.”

“An offering to Zhorguan? I applaud the sentiment, at least, ah-ha-ha!”

The First Prince’s gaze was directed at the three humans currently relaying orders to the demons of Zhorguan. They were the same three soldiers previously under Rotraud’s command.

The three soldiers looked exhausted. A line of demon warriors had formed in front of them, waiting to receive orders. As soon as the line petered out, one of them, a man with a nasty look in his eyes, exploded into complaints.

“Dammit, why do we always have to be the ones to do this kind of stuff? Aren’t we ever going to get a break?! I’m sick of this!” the man—Horeicho—said.

“Just be thankful that we’re still alive, Horeicho. There isn’t anywhere else for people like us now,” said the large, well-built man—Gail.

“Yes, what are you whining about? Look at how much stronger we’ve become. Things are only looking up from here on out! We just need to keep getting stronger, and then it won’t matter who gets in our way. We’ll just shut them up!” said the high-nosed woman—Khett.

Horeicho, Gail, and Khett. After running away from Rotraud, the three had been placed on Galdorssia’s wanted list for their complicity in his wicked deeds. Their getaway had eventually led them to the Dark Lord’s army.

“Gail, Khett…”

Horeicho turned his gaze toward the two. His old childhood friends, who were now half transfigured into monsters. Horeicho also sported features that were noticeably inhuman. Uniquely shaped horns sprouted from each soldier’s head.

Their appearance made it clear. The three had already abandoned their humanity. Despite this, Horeicho seemed cheered by the sight.

“When we were made to drink the Curseblood of the Dark Lord, or whatever that stuff was called, I thought our lives were over. But in the end, as long as you two are by my side, there’s nothing else I need.”

In exchange for their humanity, they had gained strength. They had lost much, but they had gained much as well.

“We really have been through a lot together. When we finally escaped that shabby village where we were born, I was so happy that I cried. I never dreamed the person who took us from that place, Rotraud, would turn out to be the kind of person that he was,” Gail said, his voice thick with emotion.

“By the time we escaped his clutches, our hands were already soiled with his wicked deeds, and there was no place for us there any longer. But we were lucky. An invitation came from the Dark Lord’s army just when we needed it the most. Life is so much easier when you have strong allies by your side. And it will get even easier once we grow stronger ourselves,” said Khett, sounding cheerful.

“I know we had help from Zhorguan’s warriors, but I still can’t believe we were able to defeat a squad of gold badges.”

“Maybe that curseblood was our reward for all the hardships we’ve endured.”

“Praise the Dark Lord, I guess.”

The three laughed in amusement.

Sod watched the three transformed soldiers with pity in his eyes.

“Poor creatures. One day they’ll realize the weight of being cut off from what is ordinary. The commander general is playing a cruel game…,” he muttered, before turning toward the First Prince once more. “Either way, it is we who should be thanking you. After all, the Dark Army has only just come back together, and we are short on men. We were grateful to receive help from a demon tribe so versed in the art of war.”

Sod really was grateful. He was a member of the Dark Lord’s army, after all.

Zhorguan was ruled over by a race of catlike demons like the First Prince who were protected by a splendid race of beast-man demons that resembled lions. These lion-men boasted powerful physiques and impressive strength.

Zhorguan was not strong enough to pick a fight with Galdorssia on its own. But with the help of Sod and his followers, it had been able to capture the soldiers protecting one of Galdorssia’s towns. Zhorguan’s beast-men were now forcing the humans of the town to drink the Dark Lord’s curseblood.

“A hundred years ago you seemed nigh unstoppable. Oh, how the dark horde has fallen. Hmph. Come to think of it, you begged for our help back then, too, didn’t you?”

The First Prince seemed to hold even the Dark Lord’s army in contempt.

“Yes, I still remember that time. How many generations ago was it? Your king then was a haughty ruler, just like you. But after Galdorssia’s victory, he quieted down considerably. Perhaps the Dark Lord’s unexpected fall left him frightened. No, I’m sure that couldn’t be it… I only pray you age as wisely as he did,” Sod said by way of retaliation.

The First Prince’s face scrunched up in a frown. He remembered why they were there, however, and swallowed his anger, concluding the discussion more peacefully.

“I will never turn coward. Not like my father and foolish younger brother. They have grown so addled by peace that they cannot see the glory that is waiting to be claimed. It is pathetic.”

There was an edge in the First Prince’s words, but it was not directed at Sod. The First Prince almost seemed to be speaking to himself.

“As payback for our help, Galdorssia will belong to us once it falls.”

Zhorguan’s ultimate goal was to place Galdorssia under its thumb. But there was no great vision behind this ambition. The demons of Zhorguan simply wanted to knock the humans of Galdorssia down a peg or two. To place the Galdorssians under their rule just like the humans of Zhorguan, forcing them to toil for Zhorguan’s sake and stroke their feline egos. That was why they had refused to help the previous Dark Lord. They could not bear to be subservient to anyone.

But the only demon of Zhorguan who took such aspirations seriously these days was the First Prince. Past kings had been content to sit around and tell tales of the glory days, when Zhorguan had proudly defied Galdorssia. None of them had seriously attempted to renew their attacks.

Their Zhorguan pride made them too afraid of losing. But this cowardice only infuriated the First Prince, whose pride was greater still. Fortunately, the Dark Lord’s army had approached just when the timing was right. The First Prince had decided he would make use of the horde.

He wasn’t like the coward kings of past generations. He was going to bring down Galdorssia, even if it meant resorting to the Dark Lord’s help.

“And why shouldn’t I accept the Dark Lord’s help? The entire world will belong to us before long.”

“You certainly like to dream, don’t you, First Prince?” Sod said, scornfully.

The First Prince could only respond with impotent irony. He had no idea what sort of person the current Dark Lord was, but he was certain he didn’t care for him. One day, the First Prince was going to stab the Dark Lord right in his unsuspecting back.

Sod could see exactly what the First Prince was thinking but said nothing.

“Shall we discuss reality, then?” the First Prince asked, hiding his contempt and choosing to change the subject. “How are you going to take out Falmeyr? I’m told she is untouchable.”

“Falmeyr… Let me explain something about her,” Sod said warily. He spoke carefully so the First Prince could understand. “Falmeyr is essentially the best healer in the land. Or the worst, I suppose you might say, from our perspective. She is the latest in a long line of humans responsible for invoking Eirene, the goddess of creation. For generation upon generation, this human clan has been extremely skilled in healing magic. They are even capable of casting Resurrection.”

“So the rumors are true.”

The First Prince looked surprised.

“Only under certain conditions, however. Resurrection must be used immediately after a person dies, and it requires an inordinate amount of magical energy. So long as Galdorssia stands, however, that latter requirement is easily met.”

Her power source—that was the most frustrating thing about Falmeyr.

“Falmeyr is able to absorb small amounts of magic from all the faithful of Galdorssia. We could try to take out her believers first, but Galdorssia is defended by the Holy Protectorate of the Shield—warriors who are unmatched in strength. Not only are these warriors powerful, but with Falmeyr’s support, they can continue to fight even through death. Beating them in a fair fight would be impossible.”

“Yes, a fair fight…”

The First Prince did not miss the implications of Sod’s words.

“Yes. Which is why we are resorting to dirty tricks…or so I am told. The commander general created this plan and has only given us a rough sketch of the details.”

Sod shared the gist of what he knew about their plans to assassinate Falmeyr of Galdorssia.

“Even the Galdorssian soldiers we have transformed into monsters are inferior in might to the Holy Protectorates of the Shield. However, so long as Falmeyr casts even the faintest hint of healing magic upon those protectorates, victory will be ours.”

“Healing magic…?”

The First Prince looked doubtful.

“There is a variety of curse magic that pollutes the soul. A polluted soul produces polluted magical energy. If the Holy Protectorates were to be affected by healing magic drawn from such energy… Well, you can imagine the rest. If we cannot strike from without, why not corrode them from within?”

“So instead of fighting Galdorssia head-on, your plan is to start from the center, with Falmeyr. But won’t that be even harder than striking from without? How do you plan to accomplish this?” the First Prince asked, not yet convinced.

“That I do not know. Nor do I wish to. I’m told the seed has already been planted. Our ill-natured commander general has been working on this for some time, it seems. Long before this plan to attack Galdorssia was ever conceived.”

“It is always good to be prepared.”

“Only a specialist well versed in dark magic would be able to interfere now. But Galdorssia considers such magic forbidden. The only Galdorssian with such knowledge is kept under strict confinement and will not be released so easily. By the time they request her help, it will already be too late.”

“And once Falmeyr falls, Galdorssia will follow. Ah-ha-ha, what a delightful plan! I was right to lend my aid to your army.”

The First Prince seemed to already consider Galdorssia his for the taking.

“Galdorssia has taken extensive measures to ensure that dangerous magic remains strictly sealed away. And for that, they will pay the price.”

“It is lucky for us that they are so stringent. Ah-ha-ha!”

“Furthermore, even if there were someone present who was familiar with this curse, it is very special magic. Knowledge alone will not be enough. It truly is a most unsavory piece of work…”

“Most superb, in my opinion! An absolute masterpiece! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!!” The First Prince could not stop laughing. “Oh, this is too much! I will have to think up some sort of present for her for coming up with such a plot. As soon as I take my throne, I welcome you all as my guests!”

The First Prince finally stopped laughing, his thoughts on the Dark Army’s commander general and the future of Zhorguan.

“Victory is assured. I leave the rest to you.”

The prince jumped from the high wall, landing next to the group of exceptionally strong warriors waiting for him below.

“Hmph…” Sod sighed glumly. “How does a man like that expect to become king when all he knows how to do is rely on others?”

Sod watched the prince depart before directing his eyes toward his own hands, as if in contemplation.

“Not that I am one to talk. I relied on the old lord once before, and now I rely on the young,” Sod said, thinking of the past and present lords.

Chapter 10
Make That Three

Once the two warriors blocking the way had fallen, the legion of ants began to surge mindlessly forward once more. They trampled over the corpses of their brethren, free from any desire for revenge against the powerful warriors responsible.

It was a sprawling and dispassionate march of war. Homura felt cold shivers run down her back.

“Forgive me, I seem to have acquired a curse…,” Falmeyr said, still spitting out blood.

“Damn. This is no normal curse, either.”

Psycho had a hand pressed against Falmeyr’s chest and was inspecting her soul. The priests waiting on the wall-walk had rushed over as well and were attempting to heal Falmeyr, but their magic didn’t seem to be doing any good. Amid the confusion, Falmeyr’s attendant continued to watch the battlefield in silence.

“What do you mean, not normal…?” asked Homura.

“It looks like her soul is being devoured from within, and whenever I try to dispel the curse, it resists, almost as if it’s alive. Not to mention, with a curse this powerful, there should have been some sign before it took effect. Considering how powerful it is, the air along the spell path should have warped completely.”

“The air…should have warped…?”

“You’re supposed to be a student at the Academy of the Black Arts; don’t you know anything?! Even with a simple magic missile or barrier you still see some sort of glow or visual effect, don’t you?! So if someone cast a powerful curse from far away, there should have been a strong visual indication! Even I have to touch a creature before I…before um, nothing, never mind!”

“Shh! You’re gonna get yourself thrown into the dungeon!” Homura hissed loudly.

Psycho had been about to mention her fusion magic. Psycho’s healing magic, when used to fuse creatures together, was not very different from a curse, but she still had to touch her victims directly to use it. Desecrating the dead was a crime. If people found out about Psycho’s magic, her punishment would be swift and severe.

A possibility occurred to Homura.

“Then someone close must have—”

Homura gasped and glanced toward Falmeyr’s attendant. The attendant had shown almost no reaction when Falmeyr collapsed. She just continued to calmly watch the battlefield. It seemed unnatural.

“What if it was her…?”

If the attendant realized they were onto her, Homura and Psycho might become the next victims of her black magic. But if they didn’t do something, the situation was just going to get worse. Homura quietly readied her staff, ready to act if things went south.

Falmeyr, however, seemed to pick up on Homura’s suspicions. She spoke softly, her breath ragged.

“R…elax… It was…n’t her…”

“I-it wasn’t?”

Homura lowered her staff, although she wasn’t entirely convinced. However, no one else on the wall seemed to view the woman with any suspicion.

“S… Sorry…”

Homura remained on her guard. There was no telling who the culprit might be.

“If this is the Dark Army’s doing, then the new Dark Lord must be even more cunning than we assumed…” Falmeyr coughed up more blood.

“The healers aren’t helping. Shit! Why didn’t I study curses more?! I’m never useful when it really counts!” Psycho scratched her head roughly, pulling at her hair. Her sense of frustration and inferiority was starting to get to her. Earlier, she had been told that she might be better suited for a support role than for a combat role, but now she was even failing at that.

Just when it looked like they were at a dead end, however, and the people on the wall were beginning to despair, a solution came from an unexpected source.

“I think I saw this…in the book…”

“You recognize this magic, Tsutsumi?”

Tsutsumi began to shyly explain. “It looks like…polluted magic. Like a…living curse. She was just…absorbing magic…so…”

“Of course, Tsutsumi! You were reading the forbi—th-the book!”

Homura had nearly said the words forbidden grimoire out loud.

Tsutsumi’s comment was enough for Psycho to work out the truth.

“Of course! Those creeps must have hidden the curse in the magic she absorbed. Falmeyr draws magical power from others to cast her spells. So the polluted magic she absorbed is now eroding her soul. That must be why Seigrat and Ieskha collapsed at the same time. She was using polluted magic when she tried to aid them.”

“B-b-but what are we supposed to do now?!”

Down on the battlefield, the two protectorates were barely moving. The giant ant creatures were beating the crap out of them, knocking them across the battlefield.

“Tsutsumi, is there any way to dispel the curse?”

“The person who cast the curse…is controlling it…so they can resist… You have to stop…the caster.”

“But where the hell are they…?”

Unless they could figure that out, there was nothing else the girls could do. Fortunately, Tsutsumi had an idea.

“I can do it.” Tsutsumi approached Falmeyr’s side. “Use your magic on me…”

“But…if I do that…”

Psycho spoke up as well. “It’s all right. Tsutsumi’s soul is very durable.”

The conviction in Psycho’s eyes did away with Falmeyr’s doubts. So be it. Falmeyr cast her healing magic on Tsutsumi. Falmeyr’s soul and Tsutsumi’s were linked by magical energy, and the polluted mana began to flow into Tsutsumi as well.

As expected, it began to immediately attack her.

“It kind of…tingles…”

This powerful curse, which had already brought down Falmeyr and two Holy Protectorates of the Shield, felt like only a slight tickle from Tsutsumi’s perspective. Tsutsumi began to pull at the frail, inky black strand.

“I feel it…over there… It’s coming from that house…I think…”

“Well done, Tsutsumi!” cried Homura.

“Allow me.”

As soon as Tsutsumi identified the house, which was located inside Galdorssia’s wall, Jin reached for Crimson Rain and leaped into action. She clearly meant business—enough so that she was willing to use her cursed sword.

“That’s weird, though,” said Psycho. “I thought Falmeyr only received her magic power from faithful believers. Why would one of the faithful attack her—?”

It was a glaring question. Regardless, Psycho cursed their complacency.

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter how they did it. These bastards have clearly been plotting this war for some time now. They must have cooked up some scheme to get one of Falmeyr’s followers to target her with a deadly curse despite their faith. We’re just too addled by peace to see how it could be done. Even I thought that Galdorssia was safe.”

The tension was unbearable, but there was little they could do now but berate themselves. Meanwhile, Seigrat and Ieskha continued to be dragged across the battlefield.

A moment later, Tsutsumi’s tingling sensation subsided. Jin must have killed the black mage.

Falmeyr’s condition, however, did not improve. The magic had already eaten away at her soul, and it was not going to recover immediately.

“That takes care of the curse, but what are we supposed to do now…?”

How many gold-badge soldiers would it take to even stand a chance against these opponents, who had already given the Holy Protectorates a run for their money? Even if they did manage to stop the large ant creatures, the smaller ones were still going to reach the wall.

“I could try doing something…but…”

Homura wasn’t sure what she should do. She wasn’t sure how or why it happened, but there were times when she suddenly displayed immense power, far beyond what she could usually muster. It was as if there was some great force that welled up inside her, in a way that was different from when she just lost control.

But it was clear that her body wouldn’t be able to withstand the flames long enough to destroy the army. The ant-men’s numbers were just too overwhelming. Even getting rid of a tenth of them was probably more than she could manage.

Homura clung to one last, desperate hope, that someone would show up out of the blue to save them from all this. Little did she know who was about to answer those prayers.

“Wait… It’s Seigrat and Ieskha…!”

They were back on their feet again. The curse had eaten away at their bodies and souls, and they were both coughing up blood, but the Holy Protectorates of the Shield were standing.

“Not…sooo…faaassst—!!”

Ieskha focused every last drop of rage she had, the ice surging in a sudden rush. The glacial mass suddenly grew so large that they could feel the chill all the way from the city walls. The ice formed a wall in front of Ieskha, a towering edifice that cut through the majority of the army, obstructing their passage. None of the creatures caught inside the ice showed any signs of movement now. Not even the massive Hammer Hands.

The ant creatures who were trapped on the other side began to senselessly pound at the wall of ice, but the wall was as strong as Ieskha’s will.

In an instant, Ieskha had divided their ranks. She teetered in place and then collapsed to the dirt. She had risked her life for this towering wall of ice to stop the invading army.

Unfortunately, a fairly large number of ants had already made their way past Ieskha before she could deploy the wall. Along with Long Legs, a horde of smaller ants was now surging toward Seigrat.

“A Holy Protectorate doesn’t go down so easily…”

Broken and battered, Seigrat forced himself to his feet. Despite being on the verge of collapse, he brandished his beloved long spear in defiance.

He suddenly dashed forward, driven solely by his sense of duty, ignoring the pain that exploded throughout his body. He slashed through the smaller ants, one after another, but there were just too many. It truly was a horde. Seigrat’s movements began to slow, but Long Legs was still waiting.

Each time Seigrat used his magic, pain coursed through his already curse-riddled body. He could barely move at this point. Long Legs had been dragging him all over the battlefield.

As Seigrat’s momentum began to run out, he knew what he had to do.

“Until the end…!”

The intense pain threatened to render Seigrat unconscious at any moment, but he used his own life force as fuel to leap into the air, high above the winged ants. He soared up and up, as if he intended to go above the very sky.

“One last gift to remember me by…!”

Seigrat pumped every last bit of magic he could into his spear and then hurled it straight down, toward the earth.

Several crimson spears of magical energy flared into being, spreading outward from Seigrat’s long spear and raining down like a storm upon the surface below. The spears of light pierced through the flying ants before colliding with the ground in a barrage of explosions.

The intense light was blinding. A moment later a booming shock wave reached the watchers’ ears, sending tremors across their skins.

“Agh!”

Homura instinctively shut her eyes and crouched for cover. Seigrat’s strike was like a carpet-bombing. He reduced all the small ants in a vast area to dust. Not even Long Legs managed to escape.

As Seigrat fell exhausted, like a star to the earth, his mind ran to thoughts of Homura and the other girls.

“I guess I won’t be able to train them after all…”

Seigrat crashed into the massive blast crater below.

Homura timidly opened her eyes. Seigrat and Ieskha were not moving. However, the ants that had managed to avoid both the ice wall and Seigrat’s bombing continued to march toward Galdorssia.

“The protectorates…”

Homura’s chest throbbed with grief as she imagined the worst. Falmeyr seemed to realize what Homura was thinking, however, and kindly reassured her.

“It’s all right… They’re still alive, just barely…,” Falmeyr said, her face twisted up in pain. “I can still sense their life forces…”

“For real? Still, at this rate…”

Homura was relieved Seigrat and Ieskha were still alive, but they were out of the frying pan now and into the fire. It wasn’t even that Seigrat and Ieskha had failed to stop the monsters. They had stopped more than their share. But there were just too many. The seething army ants continued to draw nearer. And there were even more waiting on the other side of Ieskha’s ice wall.

As worried as Homura was about Seigrat and Ieskha, all of Galdorssia was in the same boat right now.

The ants were finally close enough to be targeted by the archers and magic users atop the wall. Many, however, managed to slip through the volley—the airmen, in particular. Ants had already started to reach the wall.

“No, the monsters are getting in!”

Just then, Falmeyr gave the signal to her attendant.

“Serena, it’s time.”

“As you wish,” Serena answered shortly, and began chanting a spell. “Wall of light, obstruct the wicked.”

Serena cast her magic barrier as easily as if she were casting a beginner spell. The barrier deployed outward, following the city’s wall. Before long, it had become a massive barricade encompassing the entire city.

“Serena… Wait, you mean Rhiann’s sister?!”

Homura remembered Rhiann telling her about an older sister, one who was responsible for protecting the city. The monsters were repelled as they crashed into the massive barrier, but they threw themselves at it over and over again in an attempt to destroy it. Meanwhile, the soldiers atop the wall continued to shoot the monsters down.

“There’s a reason they call her Serena the Bastion,” Falmeyr said. Despite the state Falmeyr was in, she beamed with pride for Serena.

Falmeyr’s personal attendant, Rhiann’s older sister, and a Holy Protectorate of the Shield who was vital to Galdorssia’s defense. A white, shield-shaped badge, previously hidden by her cloak, glittered upon Serena’s breast.

Chapter 11
The Three Witches of the Abyss

“Quick, get them inside now!” one of the soldiers shouted, issuing the order to bring Seigrat and Ieskha inside while they could, now that Serena’s barrier was up.

No one had been singled out specifically, but some of the more agile soldiers immediately jumped off the wall. Fortunately, the monsters seemed to be prioritizing getting to Galdorssia. The soldiers were able to reach Seigrat and Ieskha without much difficulty.

For a moment there, Homura had been worried, but thanks to Serena’s magical barrier, the situation seemed to be under control once again. Homura breathed a sigh of relief.

The approaching airman ants were already at Galdorssia’s wall, but the barrier of light prevented them from proceeding any farther. They continued to mechanically throw themselves at the barrier nonetheless, attempting to rupture Serena’s spell.

As far as Homura could see, the only large ant monster that remained was Hammer Hands, trapped inside Ieskha’s wall of ice. As for the other ants, while there might be a lot of them, the archers and magic users would likely be able to take care of them eventually.

“That was impressive, though, Serena…”

Despite maintaining such a sprawling barrier, Serena hadn’t even broken a sweat. There didn’t seem to be any doubt in her mind that she would be able to keep the barrier up until the soldiers finished exterminating the monsters.

Serena’s calm face suddenly twitched.

“Wha… What did I just do…?”

The soldier standing next to Serena had suddenly buried his sword in Serena’s side. He seemed confused, as if he couldn’t understand why he would do such a thing. He stared at the bloody sword as he drew it free, almost like he was watching a waking dream.

A moment later, the soldier was knocked to the ground.

“What’s going on? Is this guy a spy, too?” Proto had restrained the soldier before he could stab Serena again.

“I’m not, I swear! My body moved on its own!”

“Maybe, but I’m gonna have to knock you out just in case.” Proto gave the man a hard conk on his chin and then ground his sword to bits beneath her heel.

“Serena, are you all right?!”

The sword had stabbed a hole through Serena’s chest, but she continued to stand, still maintaining the barrier around Galdorssia. But it wouldn’t be long now before the barrier fell. The bloodstains on Serena’s chest and back were spreading.

“I’ll heal Joan of Arc over here; everyone else stay back!” Psycho barked as she began to heal Serena.

Serena, meanwhile, concentrated on keeping the barrier up.

“The next person who tries anything funny is just getting killed instead!”

The girls had no idea who else might be an enemy. Or who might become one next. Under the circumstances, the only people they could trust now were themselves.

“It appears something else happened while I was gone.”

“That’s putting it lightly.”

Jin returned from eliminating the source of the curse just as Serena lost consciousness. The magical barrier protecting Galdorssia began to fade.

While those atop the wall still didn’t know whom to trust, the winged ants began to make their way in by air. The ants on the ground, meanwhile, began to rush toward the gate.

“Hurry, close the gate!” they heard someone shout from below.

The soldiers barely made it inside with Seigrat and Ieskha before the gate closed. The magical barrier protecting Galdorssia was no more. Monsters dodged through the hail of arrows and magic missiles in order to reach the gate, beating at the steel portcullis with enough fury to tear themselves to pieces. Some even began to attempt to crawl up the walls.

“It’s going to hold, isn’t it…?”

They just needed enough time for Serena to get back on her feet.

“Is she going to be all right?”

“I’m healing her, ain’t I? Who do you think you’re talking to here?!”

“Y-yeah, okay…”

Psycho’s words, for what they were worth, helped to put Homura’s mind at ease. Of course Serena would be okay. At times like this, they could always count on Psycho. Not at most times. But at least at times like this.

A thunderous crash suddenly filled the air. Homura’s newfound confidence had been short-lived.

“Now what?!” She peered over the wall. “How?!”

The gate, which had been standing firmly a moment ago, was in tatters. It looked as if it had been wrenched directly from its frame with brute strength. Homura took another look around. She saw plenty of the smaller ant creatures, but there were no large ones in sight.

“What in the…”

The giant ant trapped in the ice? It couldn’t be! Homura glanced toward the distant ice wall. Hammer Hands wasn’t there. There was just a gaping hole, as if the ice had been blasted open from within.

“I knew it! But…wait…”

Homura was sure she had just identified the culprit, but her attention was attracted by a rumbling noise. Hammer Hands was still on its way. It hadn’t reached the wall yet.

“What? Then who destroyed the gate…?”

She had been sure it was Hammer Hands.

“Dammit! They’re one step ahead of us again!” Psycho said, gritting her teeth as she continued to heal Serena.

Serena’s bleeding had stopped, but her eyes remained firmly closed. The wound might have been closed by healing magic, but that didn’t bring back all the blood that had been lost. Healing an injury also relied on the patient’s own stamina and energy.

The rest was up to Serena now.

“Look at how many of them are making their way in…”

The horde of infantry ants was thronging around the broken gate. The situation kept going from bad to worse.

“Proto, it’s time for us to fight.”

“Lead the way.”

Jin and Proto leaped off the wall.

“I never thought things would get this far,” Geldorf muttered. He was standing at the head of a formation of soldiers positioned along the broad main road that led toward the castle at the center of Galdorssia.

The gold-badge soldiers had been stationed there as a contingency plan. They readied their weapons. The squad was a mixture of Aegis Guard and Phalanx of Blades soldiers. It was all hands on deck now.

“Don’t let those monsters near the castle!”

The majority of the citizens had evacuated to the castle. Galdorssia was not a monarchy. The castle served as Galdorssia’s administrative and political center, in place of an assembly hall.

Galdorssia was protected by two walls, one surrounding the city as a whole and one surrounding the castle. As the last line of defense, the castle walls also served as an evacuation site for the citizenry.

The most capable of the gold badges were now facing off against Hammer Hands, which had already made its way inside the city.

“It’s strong, but its movements are slow! Keep your wits about you and take your time!”

“This thing is tough as nails, though!”

While Hammer Hands was faltering before the soldiers’ repeated attacks, they had yet to leave a scratch on it. The sturdy carapace around its body was stronger than plate mail.

Its attacks were simple and straightforward, but nearby houses were toppled with each swing of its heavy arms, and the ground beneath it was pulverized each time it stamped its feet. Even with several soldiers working together, the most they were able to do was to keep it from proceeding farther into the city. Meanwhile, an avalanche of smaller ants continued to pour inside the city walls.

The smaller ants that entered the city began running forward at full speed, as if suddenly berserk. Their rage, however, was not directed at the soldiers.

“They’re heading toward the castle!”

The smaller ants were behaving strangely. They seemed desperate to reach the castle and completely ignored the soldiers unless the soldiers attacked them first.

“Wait, you don’t think they know how Lady Falmeyr’s magic works, do you?” one of the soldiers said.

“They may have a survivor from the last war working with them. Any soldiers incapable of facing this big creature, focus on the smaller ones instead. Don’t let any of them through! They’re targeting the citizens!” Geldorf barked.

Realizing what was at stake, the soldiers redoubled their efforts.

“The rest of us will take care of this big one.”

Geldorf and his squad focused on eliminating the giant ant, leaving the smaller ants up to the other soldiers.

“Geldorf, we’re ready!”

“Let’s go!”

A group of soldiers carrying large, heavy weapons gathered around Geldorf.

“Let’s give this thing a taste of the Cragblade!”

The soldiers all swung their weapons downward in tandem, striking the earth. In response, the ground writhed and swelled. Several massive stone spikes shot upward, driving into the giant ant creature and piercing its flesh.

“Gyarrgghhh—!!”

Hammer Hands stopped in its tracks and released an ear-piercing roar. But the attack hadn’t been enough to bring the creature down. Despite its massive wounds, the creature began to thrash and rampage, breaking apart the offending spikes.

“How is it still standing?”

The creature’s wounds began to heal before their very eyes and had closed up entirely before long. In the end, even this powerful group attack had done little more then delay the creature. The soldiers stared in shock, realizing just how much distance there was between themselves and the Holy Protectorates of the Shield.

“Do it again! We’ll hit it as many times as it takes!” Geldorf shouted, trying to light a fire underneath the soldiers. But Hammer Hands was far stronger than any creature they had ever faced. The soldiers began to lose their nerve.

“At this rate—”

Just then, the unsettling sound of hope reached their ears. A whistle, high pitched and penetrating.

“That sound…”

After a moment, the whistle sounded again. They knew what was coming. The memory was lodged in the deepest recesses of their minds.

“The evil eye…! The witch of the evil eye is here! Everyone, take cover!”

The soldiers abandoned the fight, rushing to hide in the shadows of the buildings, looks of abject fear upon their faces. With the soldiers out of the way, the ants began marching forward once more, completely oblivious.

The whistle rang out a third time, followed by the sound of small footsteps. The witch, long since confined underground, had emerged once more, and she was bringing death with her.

“Kya-ha-ha! This feels exhilarating! How long has it been since I’ve breathed fresh air? Come one, come all! Form a line! Who is ready to die today?!”

Yppa laughed cheerfully as she poked the ground with her cane.

“We have only been granted ten seconds, Yppa. Is that going to be enough?” asked Melch, who was walking next to Yppa. She stroked the choker around her own neck.

“Leave it to me! Ten seconds is more than I need to slaughter the beasts!” Yppa bragged, removing her blindfold and revealing her eye, which was stitched shut with onyx-colored thread.

“Then let it be done.”

Melch began chanting the spell to unravel the thread.

“Darkest eye, sealed inside, I release you now.”

As Melch chanted the black spell, the thread sealing Yppa’s eye began to unravel until the seal was broken.

“Kya-ha-ha! It’s been so long since I’ve killed anything. I am going to enjoy this. If only I had more than ten seconds…”

Yppa bared her teeth in a grin at the thought of getting to butcher foes again.

“Get ready.”

Yppa steadied her breathing and began chanting a spell.

“Twist, bend, warp, break. All who stand before my eye—”

The witch of the evil eye slowly opened her eye, revealing a pupil that was twisted like a vortex. Everything that fell within her field of vision began to ripple in waves. The magical energy that allowed her evil eye to work its power upon the world was causing the scenery to distort.

Yppa finished her spell.

“—perish upon the spiral!!”

A strange light flashed from Yppa’s eye. Instantly, every last monster within Yppa’s view drew its last breath, twisted beyond recognition by the power of the eye.

The long road was now decked in blood and silence.

“Kya-ha-ha! It feels so delicious, it feels so good! The sounds, the sights! Oh, how wonderful it feels!”

Even Hammer Hands, which had given Geldorf and the other soldiers so much trouble, now lay dead in the dirt like a wrung-out rag. Yppa continued to laugh for a few more seconds, until she began to grow unsteady from the strain of using her eye.

“Phew… That’s too bad, though. This will probably make them all afraid of children born with evil eyes once again,” Yppa quipped, before collapsing with a thud as blood welled up in her eye. “I’ll leave the rest to you. It’s time for me to take a nap.”

With that, Yppa fell unconscious, almost as if it were time for bed.

She was one of the major reasons that evil eyes were so feared and despised in Galdorssia—Yppa, the Spiral Gaze of Death. Galdorssia’s foulest practitioner of the evil eye. The gruesome scenes she left in her wake after a battle tended to remain forever in the minds of all who witnessed them.

“Tsk-tsk… Is it not enough that I must be your chaperone? When was I drafted as your mule as well…?”

Melch, Gatekeeper of the Abyss, picked the tiny Yppa up in her arms and began to walk away.

“You had best regain formation while you can,” she said, casting a sidelong glance at the dazed soldiers before she departed.

The gold badges were fighting as hard as they could, both inside and outside the wall. Jin and Proto joined the fighting outside without asking for permission.

The army ants barely put up any resistance at all. They were too focused on reaching the wall and then the castle. The ants’ numbers were many, but the soldiers were holding the creatures back with numbers of their own.

Jin targeted the creatures’ joints, where their defenses were weakest, while Proto just used brute strength to smash them. They didn’t even try to avoid her.

“There’s still too many of them…,” Homura said, watching from atop the wall.

The teeming swarm was massive, and at some point, the soldiers were going to run out of energy. It was only a matter of time.

“Welp, we’ll just have to roll out our own weapon of mass destruction, then,” Psycho said coyly.

What was Psycho thinking?

“Don’t be crazy… If you do anything weird in front of this many people, a lecture is going to be the least of your worries this time.”

Psycho was in a dangerous enough position as it was; why would she want to stick her neck out at a time like this…? But apparently, Psycho wasn’t the one who would be doing the sticking out.

“Who do you think I’m talking about? When I said weapon of mass destruction, I meant you, you little napalm bomb.”

“What…?”

“Let me back in—!!”

Homura had just been tossed outside the wall. However, she wasn’t alone. She had a powerful assistant at her side.

“Relax, Homura! I’m here with you!” Carlila said, laughing out loud.

“Hrm… They’re not going to attack us all of a sudden, are they?”

Homura stared at the river of mindless ants as it passed by. From what she had seen so far, as long as no one got in their way, the creatures weren’t interested in attacking. But watching them march past in this mechanical fashion was frightening enough.

“Anyway, are you even allowed to be outside like this?”

This was Homura’s first time seeing Carlila in the light of day.

“I’m not allowed to be anywhere else. These are the only times that I can come out. In fact, if I were to ignore the order, I would be killed by the power of this curse,” Carlila said, laughing again as she stroked the choker around her neck.

“Yikes…”

What else could Homura say?

The ants continued to march toward the castle gate. The soldiers focused on trying to incapacitate the ants with a single blow so that the creatures would never have a chance to counterattack. But Homura’s situation was different. If she didn’t incinerate her targets in a heartbeat, there was a risk they could all come after her.

“That lad Seigrat told you to think up a finishing move, didn’t he? Well, now’s your chance to work on one.”

“Shouldn’t I pick a safer time to practice?!”

“Quit complaining!”

“Ow!”

Carlila had just given Homura a hard poke in the side.

“Any ants you attack will turn on you. That makes it dangerous to spread your flames around an area willy-nilly. So in that case…what should you do?”

Homura gave it some thought. Instead of pure firepower, she needed to go for targeted killing blows…

“Focus my fire…on a single point?”

“Exactly. And that staff I had made for you should make directing your flames that much easier.”

Carlila had been the one to oversee the creation of the staff that Homura wielded. Homura was good at making fire, but she lacked the skill to control her flames. The staff helped in that regard.

“Try to compress your flames. Picture them coming out in a long, straight line.”

“I got it! Straight line… Straight line… Just like a Bunsen burner…”

Homura pictured the Bunsen burners the students had used in science class. She remembered how excited she had felt every time she turned them on.

“What is a ‘Bunsen burner’…?”

All Homura had to do was scorch the creatures in a heartbeat. Easy. She was ready. She pumped the flames into her staff.

“Bunsen…BURNERRRR—!!”

Homura shouted triumphantly as the flames erupted from her staff.

“Oh no! What’s happening—?!”

But the flames spouted every which way, not even vaguely resembling a jet. The ants turned toward Homura all at once. The diffused flames had only singed their outer carapaces.

“Wauugghhhhh!!”

Homura spewed fire wildly, already half in tears.

“Hmph… You’ve certainly got the output down, but it looks like your visualization still needs work. Or maybe you just don’t have the skills to control the flames yet. Of course, feeling also plays a big part in magic, so a bit more oomph wouldn’t have hurt, either…”

“It’s too late for that now!”

“Fair enough! Ah-ha-ha! At this point, I guess you might as well just go wild and burn whatever you can for— Oh, I guess you’re one step ahead of me there.”

The flames had begun to quickly build while Carlila was still talking. She noticed Homura had grown quiet.

“Hey, are you listening to me?”

Homura had already entered a trance state, thanks to her own panic.

“Well, that’s no good. Actually…maybe this works out in the end.”

Homura stared at the flickering flames, eyes unfocused. She was lost in the sounds of the monsters screaming, burning, the warmth caressing her skin. She had abandoned all restraint, her sanity swept away in the conflagration.

“Prepare to be saved—!!” Homura shouted.

To be incinerated in a flash, without much pain—the flames were true salvation!

Homura’s flames grew even more intense, and she began to burn everything around her indiscriminately. The fire was no longer just coming from her staff; it was swallowing her up and emanating outward.

“Pull back! Retreat! There’s someone dangerous on the field!”

“She must be from the Academy!”

The soldiers fighting outside the wall began to retreat, frightened by the crazy magic user who had suddenly arrived. This wasn’t going to do any favors for the Academy’s reputation. The field of flames continued to spread, not only from the staff but from Homura as well.

“If this is all it takes for you to lose control, then you’ve still got some maturing to do. In any case, I was told a halo of fire appears on your back whenever you lose control, but I don’t see anything of the sort right now. Maybe there’s some other condition that needs to be met, too,” Carlila said, inspecting Homura calmly as flames enveloped her.

“Uh-oh… It looks like your body can’t withstand the flames any longer. It’s starting to burn.”

Homura’s skin was turning red from the heat.

“A shame you weren’t blessed with a Veil of Immolation as powerful as mine…”

Carlila then shouted Homura’s name, and Homura turned her cloudy eyes in Carlila’s direction.

“Do you need to be saved as well, Carlila—?!”

“Something like that,” Carlila said, touching the side of Homura’s head with one of her fingers.

Homura fell unconscious immediately.

Carlila laughed, catching the girl in her arms.

“I’ve envious you are able to make so much fire without even using magic. But I’ve still got a thing or two to teach you when it comes to controlling it.”

Carlila held her hand out toward the raging flames and began to chant.

“Devour and consume…blazing dragon.”

As she did, the burning expanse of fire began to undulate, as if under the control of Carlila’s hand. The bulk of the flames immediately formed what looked like a giant serpent and began to swallow up the ant monsters.

The soldiers who had previously fled from Homura’s fire stared in religious awe at the rolling flames, trembling before the might of Carlila, the Blazing Dragon.

“I had no idea…the witches were so powerful…”

After swallowing most of the monsters in front of them, the dragon suddenly whiffed out of existence.

“Oopsie. I almost forgot I only had ten seconds. I’m not interested in dying just yet.” Carlila tapped the choker around her neck in annoyance. “I wish I could get rid of this thing and be free to do what I like, but Melch’s cursed devices are impeccable.”

Carlila had only been able to use her magic for the ten seconds that Falmeyr had permitted. If she used her magic for any longer than that, the cursed device around her neck would activate, killing the wearer. The choker served as a tether to keep in check those who were too dangerous to be given free rein.

Most of the monsters who weren’t trapped on the other side of the ice wall had already been incinerated. Carlila turned to go, leaving the rest of the monsters in the hands of the ordinary, dependable soldiers. The larger monsters had already been cleared away. The army might have been numerous, but there were only smaller, weaker monsters left now. Galdorssia could relax. Victory seemed certain.

Just then, a cracking sound filled the air, resonating loudly.

“Hrm?”

Carlila turned to look. As she did so, she caught sight of a massive colossus towering over the battlefield, where there had been no such creature moments before. The creature was currently smashing the wall of ice to pieces.

Now that nothing stood in their way, the monstrous ants trapped on the other side of the ice began to advance once more.

“Well, that’s not good!”

Carlila fled without a second thought, carrying the unconscious Homura in her arms.

Chapter 12
Attack on ???

Psycho was running herself ragged rushing back and forth to heal the soldiers along the wall.

Some of the winged ants had made their way in, targeting the soldiers on the ramparts. The longer the fight dragged on, the more monsters managed to slip past.

Healing Falmeyr and the others whose souls had been affected by the curse was proving to be difficult. There was little hope they would be rejoining the fight. Psycho had her work cut out for her as a healer, and she was falling further and further behind. But what else could she do? She knew her own fighting capabilities weren’t up to snuff. Even if she tried to help, she would only get in the way.

“Dammit! If only I could fight, too…”

Psycho cursed her own weakness.

Tsutsumi was stuck with Psycho as well, since she couldn’t use her poison for fear she would hit the others.

“I want to…fight, too…”

“That’s not a good idea. Under the circumstances, you know what would happen if your true identity was revealed.”

“I know…”

While their friends were out there making a real impact on the battlefield, Psycho and Tsutsumi were barely contributing. Homura might have lost control, but she’d still helped incinerate a whole battalion of monsters. Jin had taken out the source of the curse. And Proto was doing some impressive fighting out on the field.

Whereas the only contributions Psycho and Tsutsumi had to offer were underwhelming, like always. The two girls gritted their teeth in frustration, but the show went on with or without them.

Just then, from the corner of her eye, Psycho spotted the wall of ice begin to crumble.

“What?!”

Psycho couldn’t believe it. That ice wall had been as tall as the castle’s own walls, but a colossal creature was standing there now that was taller still. The colossus looked like an armored warrior, but it seemed to be formed entirely of stone. The grass in one area had been dug up, as if that had been the source of its stone.

“Maybe this is the doing of whoever made that stone wall in Wodtrim.”

Magic had been used to encase the neighboring town of Wodtrim in a wall of stone. And there was supposedly a magician in the Dark Lord’s army who had a knack for fortification magic. But maybe it wasn’t just structures. What if that magician could also create puppets? There were even huge divots of earth missing around the creature’s feet, as if it had been created on the spot.

The colossus began to move.

While each step was slow and lumbering, the way the earth rumbled beneath its feet was a testament to the creature’s massive size. They no longer had any Holy Protectorates on the field. And while Serena was conscious again, there was no telling how much protection she would be able to provide.

Any notion of joining the battle disappeared from Psycho’s mind in that moment. She was now focused on damage control. Anything she could do to avoid the worst would help. Maybe they could buy enough time for Falmeyr to recover.

“Tsutsumi, hurry! To the castle!”

“Okay…!”

The enemy’s ultimate goal was Falmeyr. As long as she was around, the Holy Protectorates of the Shield could fight for virtually forever. With Falmeyr’s healing abilities and the massive font of magical energy available to her, the protectorates could push themselves to the point of breaking. Even if they died, all she needed to do was resurrect them.

But that only held true so long as Falmeyr had the faithful behind her. The citizens, the sources of Falmeyr’s magical energy, had all gathered in the castle. They were the enemy’s target now.

Since the army had failed to eliminate Falmeyr directly, it made sense for them to go after the source of her magical power next. That was why the monsters were making a beeline for the castle, ignoring everything else in their path.

Psycho and Tsutsumi ran down the broad main street as fast as they could. They passed collapsed monsters and soldiers frequently as they ran. Once they had made it about halfway, they heard a huge crash coming from somewhere behind them.

“That thing’s already here!”

While they were still running, the colossus had apparently reached the wall.

“Fetters of light, bind the wicked.”

Instead of raising another magical barrier, Serena, who was conscious once more, cast a new spell to restrain the colossus’s arms and legs. Rings of light appeared around the colossus’s limbs, binding it in place.

While Serena held the colossus at bay, the airman ants continued to pour in from the sky. The flying ants that had made it in earlier had already reached the castle and were currently engaged in combat with the soldiers stationed there. Meanwhile, the infantry ants that the gold badges had failed to stop also moved toward the castle in a cascade.

Psycho and Tsutsumi made their way down the battle-strewn street, reaching the castle at long last.

“Ada!”

Just as Psycho passed through the castle gate, she happened to catch sight of Ada.

“Psycho, what are you doing here?”

“Ada, isn’t there somewhere safer than this?” Psycho said, rushing to Ada’s side and speaking in an undertone so that the others wouldn’t hear them. Ada was in charge of healing at the castle.

Large numbers of injured soldiers had been carried into the castle’s courtyard. Some had been covered in sheets. For them it was already too late.

“What do you mean, somewhere safer?! This is supposed to be the safest place there is.”

The refugees inside the castle did not know about the colossus yet. They must have assumed the huge crash earlier was just the sound of Seigrat fighting. Surprisingly little panic had broken out inside the walls.

Psycho nodded. This was good. “Look that way,” she said, gesturing past the gate and down toward the end of the main street. The massive colossus could be seen in the distance.

“The hell is that…?”

Ada dropped the cigarette she had been clenching between her lips.

“Shh!” Psycho reminded Ada to keep quiet. “The enemy is headed this way. They’re after the believers. They want to take out Falmeyr’s magical power at its source.”

“Those cretins. But that’s smart… If they can neutralize Falmeyr, all of Galdorssia will be vulnerable.”

“Once panic breaks out, it’s going to be hard to evacuate. We need to act now, while everyone is still calm, before—”

Just then, the sound of the city wall crashing to the ground thundered in their ears.

“Dammit, we’re too late!”

The colossus was free. It had broken through the wall!

“Wh-what was that…?!”

Even though Psycho had tried to be careful, the refugees inside the castle were beginning to notice something was wrong. They didn’t know yet that Falmeyr and the Holy Protectorates of the Shield had fallen. They had probably assumed they were still safe.

Previously, the monsters had been forced to squeeze together through the gate in order to enter the city. Now that the wall had been destroyed, they began pouring in without restraint. A surge of smaller monsters joined the massive colossus. The situation just kept getting worse and worse.

It wasn’t long before it took another bad turn.

“Hey, you’re that freak from the tavern that likes to hang out with monsters!”

Psycho gritted her teeth. The man’s voice felt like nails on a chalkboard to her.

“What are you two muttering about over there…? H-holy crap, what is that giant creature doing out there?!”

It was the mean-spirited soldier they had run into at the tavern. He pointed at the colossus currently headed toward the castle and shouted loudly. He was making a scene, and his panic was gradually spreading.

“Be quiet, do you want to get killed?!”

“Ahh…!”

The sharpness in Psycho’s tone was enough to shut the man up for now, but he probably wasn’t going to keep quiet for long.

“Everyone, calm down and listen to me. It’s dangerous here. A lot has happened, and we need to buy time, but right now everyone has to leave the castle.”

At this point the decision was out of their hands. Psycho kept the details to herself, but she urged them all to flee immediately.

“Don’t listen to this girl! She’s working for the Dark Lord!”

“What?!” Psycho shouted, taken completely by surprise. She couldn’t believe that the soldier had just accused her and her friends of being servants of the Dark Lord.

“That tiny one there is a monster! I saw it with my own eyes! Look at how she’s covering her face with a mask! Everyone, see for yourself!”

The soldier flounced his way toward Tsutsumi, reaching out in an attempt to rip off her mask.

“Hey, hey, hey, calm down there, buddy!” Ada said, stepping between them and gently holding the man back.

“Are you with them, too? Rotraud was supposedly a servant of the Dark Lord, right? You’re telling me that a bunch of rookies managed to take him down all by themselves? I bet that was just a lie in order to infiltrate Galdorssia!”

“You got a death wish or something?! We risked our lives out there…”

Just then Psycho spotted Leela. Leela had been there. She had seen everything!

“Leela, perfect timing! Tell them!” Psycho said, hoping the people would be more willing to listen to someone who had actually been there.

But Leela didn’t answer. She pressed a distraught hand to her chest, her body trembling. It seemed she was still deeply traumatized by the event.

“She didn’t see nothing! You can’t fool me! I bet you had something to do with Lady Falmeyr collapsing as well!”

The man’s words hit the crowd like a lit match.

“Lady Falmeyr collapsed…?”

She had been the crowd’s last hope. Their fear soon turned into hostility, and they began hurling accusations at Psycho and Tsutsumi.

“This is all your fault!”

“Get out of here!”

“Everyone, please listen! It’s not like that!” Ada tried desperately to intervene, but no one was listening to her.

“That’s what you get for siding against humans!” the mean-spirited soldier said, sneering.

He was so caught up in his bullying that he didn’t even notice the anomaly happening in the air around him. But Psycho did not fail to see the faint shimmering creeping up behind the soldier’s back.

“Watch out!”

Psycho shoved the soldier out of the way. In the next moment, something transparent pierced her chest.

“Huh…? Uh…?”

The soldier stared at Psycho, who was dangling in midair before his eyes.

“It’s one of the giant ants! One of the giant ants is here and it’s invisible!” another soldier shouted.

They thought they had gotten rid of all the larger ant creatures, but there was another one—one with the ability to turn invisible. It must have sneaked into the castle at some point. Its invisibility wasn’t perfect, however. If you watched closely enough, you could see a faint shimmer in the air where it stood.

It was the same creature that had fought Seigrat along with Long Legs. The same one that had destroyed the portcullis. A shroud.

The monster tossed Psycho aside. She hit the wall with a splat and fell limply to the ground.

“Psycho!”

There was a gaping hole in Psycho’s chest. She showed no signs of movement. Ada began frantically casting healing magic on Psycho, but the wound wasn’t closing.

“The wound is too big…,” Ada sobbed. “Come on, Psycho! Don’t die like this!”

Tsutsumi threw herself at Shroud without a second glance at Psycho. There were too many people here. Some of them were even injured. She couldn’t use her gas. Instead, she faced off against the creature with a single tiny dagger coated in venomous ichor from her own body.

Psycho watched absently as her vision began to grow dark.

Specimen No. 13 was telling Saiko about her dreams.

“A masterpiece creation—! Pièce de résistance! The strongest, finest specimen ever, something to make everyone go wow! Your mommy was talking about it again. If her research goes well, she’s gonna do all sorts of things for me, right?”

Saiko’s mother had a way of phrasing herself.

“In that case, once I become a mad scientist, why don’t I do it? I can turn you into a real masterpiece!”

“Okay!”

The two girls put their heads together and giggled.

The next day, No. 13’s room was empty.

“Hey, where’s No. 13?”

“…She’s over here.”

While Saiko searched for No. 13, Saiko’s father took her hand and led her toward one of the lab rooms. He sat her down in front of one of the computers.

The screen was full of all sorts of numbers she didn’t understand and words she didn’t recognize.

“This is No. 13.”

Saiko understood what her father meant and accepted it immediately.

“This data is for No. 13?”

Farewell had come sooner than expected.

“It is,” her father said shortly. “Did you ever figure out what kind of specimen No. 13 was?”

“I wasn’t really sure. She talked and laughed like normal. But sometimes she seemed to know things. Like she could always tell when you were coming into the room.”

Saiko remembered how No. 13 would sometimes turn her eyes toward the door for no apparent reason. Whenever she did so, one of the workers was always sure to show up.

“Yes, very good. Specimen No. 13 was precognizant. She could predict the future, something that should be impossible. Essentially, No. 13 ignored the laws of physics.”

“Precognizant…?”

Saiko hadn’t expected such an occult word to come out of her father’s mouth.

“Occasionally we encounter what are known as paranormal entities here. There is no apparent corresponding organ within their bodies to explain their abilities. Even when we clone these creatures, they never display the same effects. It is a phenomenon that we cannot scientifically explain.”

“But she’s just data now. No. 13 said she wanted to become a masterpiece.”

In the end, Specimen No. 13’s dream never came true.

“Yes, No. 13 is data now. But as long as her data remains, there is still a link between No. 13 and the future.”

“The future?”

“Yes. No. 13 herself may be gone, but as long as her data is still in use, the fact that she once existed continues to have meaning. That’s why you have to study hard, Saiko, so that you can become a good scientist and make use of No. 13’s digital data—the numerical values here on this screen—as well as her analog data—the memories of her stored in your heart.”

“Okay!”

Whether digital or analog, as long as No. 13’s data remained recorded and remembered, she was still connected to the future. Saiko made up her mind there and then. She was never going to forget No. 13.

That day, Saiko received a hand-me-down lab coat from her mother and began working at the lab as a scientist. She didn’t receive a lab coat from her father because she was at the age when things like that bothered her. The lab coat she received from her mother, however, was not entirely white. It had a pattern, as her mother preferred.

Once Saiko grew older, she tattooed herself with permanent stitch marks. Just like the stitch marks No. 13 had had. She had to make sure that No. 13 became a masterpiece. No. 13’s data was still there in her heart. Saiko was going to become the best mad scientist ever and make the strongest, finest creations that had ever been seen.

That was Saiko’s dream.

No matter how much time passed, Saiko’s dream remained the same.

“Saiko, baby, how about you let me out of here?”

A man was on the other side of the plate glass, his arms and legs bound in restraints. He was no ordinary man, however. His frame looked powerful and bulky in a way that was not human, and his body was covered in some sort of special plating. But he wasn’t wearing the plating; it was fused directly to his flesh, a substitute for his skin.

“Watch yourself. If war breaks out you’re gonna be out here whether you like it or not.”

Saiko Hikita was currently eighteen. She had been assigned to a separate research facility from her parents, where, for various complicated reasons, she was now carrying out experiments on prisoners who had been condemned to death—off-the-books executions, so to speak. The kind of experiments that could never be allowed to come to light.

Although Saiko did not use the numerical data that No. 13 had left behind, as she made a name for herself as a scientist, she still kept the other data, the analog memories, safely within her heart.

“Tsk, you’re so mean…”

The man in the armor plating had only been joking to begin with. His pouting was meant as a joke as well.

“You’re not messing with Saiko again, are you?”

There was a woman in the adjacent cell, wearing what looked like a near-future bodysuit. Her two arms and two legs were free from restraints. Her other set of arms, however, was bound with heavy manacles. The hands on these two arms ended in sharp pincers, much like knives.

“Come on, you know I’m just joking,” said the man.

“Joking or not, people like us would have usually been disposed of long ago. Saiko took us in and gave us these bodies. Isn’t that enough?”

Saiko was willing to get every last drop of use she could from whatever she could. To wring out every bit of data there was.

“I know that. You know I’m grateful, Saiko.”

“Don’t get all sappy on me! I’m just using you both. I’m doing this for the sake of my own dream!”

“Your masterpiece, right? I wish could be your masterpiece…”

The man smiled, enamored by the thought. Just then, an alarm began to blare throughout the lab, and one of Saiko’s colleagues rushed into the room.

“Hikita, it seems the lab is being attacked,” the worker explained, dispassionately. “This facility is going to be destroyed. Get to the escape trains quickly.”

“Got it. You go first,” Psycho said, casting a glance toward the two specimens.

“I’m pretty sure I don’t have to tell you this…but all research specimens are to be disposed of. If we let any of them live, there’s a chance they could join the other side.”

“Yeah, yeah, just get out of here already!” Psycho said, chasing her colleague from the room.

“Welp, it looks like this is good-bye. I wish I would have gotten a chance to kill a few people in actual combat first.”

“I know how you feel. But we’re just two pieces of filth. We always knew this day was coming. It’s a fitting end for those like us.”

“Yes, this is exactly the end you two deserve,” Saiko said as she reached out and pressed the button to unlock their restraints and open the doors.

The two stared at Saiko in shock as their manacles fell to the floor.

“Let’s get out of here. I’m not done making use of you guys yet.”

“Saiko, baby!”

“Saiko!”

The two hugged her with their modified bodies.

“Ow-ow-ow, that hurts!” Saiko shouted in pain.

They quickly released her.

“Okay, let’s go. The director probably won’t be too happy about this, but I’m sure I can smooth things over. I am Professor Hikita’s daughter, after all.”

Saiko and her two experiments began running down the hallway leading toward the escape trains. Most of the other workers had already boarded the trains and evacuated. Despite the shrieking alarm, the place felt eerily quiet.

The two test subjects suddenly froze in their tracks.

“What are you two waiting for, let’s go!”

The expressions on their faces grew cloudy.

“I’m sorry, Saiko…”

“It looks like there’s something pretty nasty after us.”

“Wait, don’t do anything stupid…”

“We’ll keep it busy.”

“Keep running, Saiko.”

Saiko didn’t try to stop them. Her survival instincts were screaming at her at full volume to get the hell out of there. If she died now, who would be left to create the ultimate masterpiece?

So she ran.

She ran and she ran.

But she just wasn’t fast enough.

She wasn’t even sure what got her in the end, just that it was a living bioweapon. Something not human.

“All my data…my masterpiece creation…,” she muttered, moments before it all faded to black.

“That’s right…”

The light returned to Psycho’s eyes.

“Psycho! Don’t move; you’ve got a hole in your chest!”

But the wound, which Ada had been unable to heal with all her magic, began to close before her very eyes.

“How did I forget? I got this tattoo to remind me,” Psycho said, stroking the tattoo around her wrist. “All this peace and safety must have rotted my brain.”

Glancing around, she saw that the monster that had put the hole into her chest was moving much more slowly now. It was nearly incapacitated. Tsutsumi must have taken care of it while Psycho was still unconscious.

“I’m sorry, Psycho! Y…you and your friends saved me, but I couldn’t even speak up for you! I was just scared… I know I need to get stronger, but I’m still so weak…”

“Don’t worry. It doesn’t matter if you’re weak now as long as you get strong someday. That desire shows your heart is in the right place,” Psycho said, stroking the sobbing Leela’s head as she stood up. “Hmph… I had my priorities all backward. I don’t exist for the world’s sake. The world exists for mine! I don’t want to be useful to others. I want to bend the world—all of it—to my own ends! Then I can become the one to realize No. 13’s dreams.”

“Psycho, what are you talking about—?”

Psycho bared her teeth in a grin.

“This place is about to become my new laboratory. It’s time I created a link between these corpses and the future. And if anyone doesn’t like what I’m about to do—well, now is your chance to survive long enough to complain about it!”

Ada and Leela stared at Psycho in shock, while the other refugees continued to hurl abuse. The mean-spirited soldier was leading the pack.

“I knew you were working for the Dark Lord!”

“How can you desecrate the dead?! Something is wrong with you!”

“Idiots!” Psycho snapped. “What good are a bunch of dead bodies to you?! The only people who can do anything right now are the living! Us! Tsutsumi, get your ass over here!”

Tsutsumi understood what Psycho was about to do even without being told.

“With this many bodies, I think we’re gonna get pretty close to making a masterpiece today.” Psycho placed a hand on Tsutsumi’s chest, and Tsutsumi’s body began to pulse. “Patchwork chimera!”

A moment later, several bony wings sprouted randomly from Tsutsumi’s body and began spilling poisonous gas. The teeming cloud of gas enveloped Tsutsumi and then began rolling down the main road, like an avalanche with a mind of its own.

“Time to feast, Tsutsumi.”

Something seemed to be writhing inside the black, smoky mist. Something hard and narrow and gnarled, like bones. Whatever it was unfurled languorously, reaching toward the corpses of the soldiers on the road and dragging them into the mist.

“Who gives a shit if people see us? We’re at our strongest when we do things our own way. From now on, we eat out whenever we damn well please.”

The writhing mist, whatever it was, began to pick up momentum, swallowing up even the corpses of the monsters lying along the road. Psycho let loose a shout as it enveloped her, too.

“Masterpiece prototype specimen 001: Grand Centipede Shogun, the Four-Armed Human-Monster Fusion Punchenator…attack!”

Psycho rose from the turbid mist, tall and glorious. She seemed to be straddling some sort of colossal creature, which reared its massive body at her command.

It was a foul, monstrous beast, massive and misshapen.

A hideous abuse of healing magic with an unnecessarily long name, it resembled a warrior clad in armor from the waist up while its lower half resembled a poisonous centipede covered in a steel carapace. It had two sets of arms and was shrouded in a poisonous-looking dark-purple mist.

After rising to its feet, the giant chimera—a humongous centipede warrior—reached the same eye level as the colossus. It had already seized Shroud in one of its hands, and now it began devouring the invisible creature.

“How’s that taste, Tsutsumi?”

Even after being converted into a power source for Psycho’s chimera, the interdimensional storage tank that was Tsutsumi remained as ravenous as ever. The others in the castle were struck dumb. They craned their necks upward and stared.

“Well, she’s gone and done it now. Whatever it is!”

“I wonder how I should say good-bye…”

Ada let out a dry little laugh, while Leela pictured Psycho on her way to the dungeons.

The giant centipede warrior began zipping down the main street, its body writhing. It collided with the colossus with a heavy punch. The shock wave swept through the people below.

The colossus was already crumbling, and it hadn’t even hurt anyone yet—although so far, Psycho and her warrior had only knocked off surface pieces of the colossus.

“Get ’em, Shogun! Keep it up!”

The centipede warrior carried on, punching the colossus again and again. But the colossus wasn’t just sitting there and taking it; it was punching back as well. Their blows connected, fist against fist, causing the entire city to shake.

The people all knew they were seeing something extraordinary, but there was nothing they could say as they watched these two kaiju battle it out across the city. The centipede and the colossus ignored the spectators, focusing on their fight.

“That’s it! Great shot, Shogun!”

At the end of the day, the colossus was just stone. One of its arms began to crumble.

“That’s it! Don’t let up now!”

But as the centipede continued to rain down blows, a new arm began to sprout where the old one had broken off.

“No fair, it’s regenerating!”

Psycho wasn’t ready for that. But even if it could regenerate, their opponent was also a product of magic. It couldn’t last forever.

“We’ll just have to keep punching it until there’s nothing left! Let’s show that thing who’s boss!”

The giant centipede warrior continued to pummel its opponent. However, no matter how many times the colossus’s arms broke, new ones always grew back.

“Damn, I think it’s sucking up more stone from the ground.”

At some point, the arms that had fallen earlier had disappeared. The colossus was made of stone and seemed able to reabsorb any stone it came into contact with.

“Dammit! We keep knocking it down, and it just keeps popping back up!”

The colossus was healing as quickly as they damaged it. And though the centipede warrior kept punching, it was also getting punched in return. Before long, one of Grand Centipede Shogun’s own arms snapped off, buckling under the force of the colossus’s blows.

“We’ve still got three left, though!”

But the colossus had more room to counterattack now. It began aiming for Psycho, who was perched atop the chimera’s head.

“Hey! Who said you could try to hit me, too?!”

“That’s what you get for sitting up there in the first place!” shouted Homura.

Homura! She had regained consciousness at some point and had just been carried up onto one of the nearby roofs by Jin. She was currently fricasseeing airman ants as they flew through the air.

“You shut up! I can’t control this thing unless I stay close!”

Psycho wasn’t just riding on the creature’s head for shits and giggles, after all.

“Oh, that’s good. I thought maybe you were just trying to look cool!”

“That too!”

“For Pete’s sake!”

She was only riding on the creature’s head half for shits and giggles!

“Is there any help coming?!”

“Seigrat and Ieskha are still down for the count!” Homura shouted back.

“I’ll take that as a no, then! At this rate, though…”

Things were looking grim. Just then, however, a cheer rose up nearby.

The citizens who had evacuated to the castle had been staring out the gate and windows in silence as they watched the fight between the two colossal creatures—whatever they were. A humongous rock puppet versus a hideous misshapen beast. No one could understand—or wanted to understand—what they were seeing.

The ground rumbled as the creatures traded blows. But a single child’s voice rose into the air, above the sound.

“That giant centipede—it’s protecting us…”

They had to admit, it seemed like the child was right. The colossus had been coming straight at them, but now that disgusting monster was holding it back.

“Don’t let them fool you! She just created a monster out of corpses! There’s no way humans can trust them!” the mean-spirited soldier shouted, but no one was interested anymore in what he had to say.

“Go get ’em, Human Centipede!” the child shouted.

Another child soon joined in. “Yeah, go get ’em! You can do it!”

Before long, the adults were cheering the hideous monster as well.

“D…don’t let them fool you… Sh-she’s…”

The soldier’s words were lost amid the cheers. No one could hear what he was saying.

“Soldiers, that giant centipede needs backup!”

The soldiers began focusing on striking down the smaller ants that had started to swarm around the centipede warrior.

The cheers rose up across Galdorssia, filling the ears of Psycho and Tsutsumi.

“Well, we can’t lose now, not when everyone is rooting for us!”

The massive centipede warrior redoubled its attacks.

“I’ll protect you, too, Psycho! I’ll give it everything I’ve got!”

Homura’s flames intensified. But this was only enough to get them back on an equal footing. And while the colossus could repair itself as soon as it was damaged, the damage to the chimera just continued to pile up.

“No amount of damage is going to get us anywhere. It’s gotta have a weak point somewhere…,” Psycho muttered as she directed the massive centipede warrior to keep pummeling away at the colossus. “Come on, Psycho, look harder…!”

The colossus was matching them blow for blow. But hold on…something seemed off.

“Hrm…?”

Psycho noticed a pattern in the way the colossus was swinging. It was protecting its chest!

The centipede had yet to land a single blow against the creature’s chest, but that was only because the colossus had been cleverly altering its stance. The reason they had been connecting fist against fist every time was that the colossus had been subtly shifting its position to control where the centipede’s blows landed. The flurry of blows had all been a smokescreen to keep them from noticing its weak spot.

“Hoh-hoh… For something this big to move, there must be someone inside controlling it. Or if not someone, at least a core. It makes perfect sense! The torso! Aim for the torso!”

With its three remaining arms, the massive centipede warrior began to stubbornly aim for the colossus’s chest, punching over and over again. The colossus tried to resist, but it was unable to keep up with this barrage as it had before. Eventually, one of the punches landed.

The punch wasn’t enough to obliterate the chest, but a momentary crack did appear. Light leaked from inside.

“Bingo! That must be the colossus’s core!”

However, the protection around the torso was solid, and they hadn’t even managed to expose it entirely. In fact, now that it was obvious that they were onto it, the colossus began sucking up even more stone to protect itself. The earth was steadily being dragged in, including some of the nearby houses.

“Dammit! Just when I figured out where to aim!”

Psycho ground her teeth together, realizing that she and Tsutsumi weren’t going to be strong enough to defeat this thing. But then Homura suddenly called up to her.

“Psycho, what’s wrong?!”

“Homura! It’s time you made yourself useful to me!”

“I’m happy to see you’re back to your usual self, but I don’t like the sound of that!”

The colossus punched off another one of the massive centipede warrior’s arms. It began to grapple with the centipede, tying up more of its limbs. The colossus seemed to be slightly stronger than the centipede warrior. The centipede was gradually losing ground.

“I need you to get in one good shot against the big guy! Lose control if you have to, I don’t care! We need help if we’re going reach the weak point inside its chest!”

The massive centipede warrior fought back with all its strength.

“But! B-but! That’s impossible! That thing is made of stone! How do you expect me to—?”

“Just do it, Homura! Now!”

They were beginning to lose ground again.

“What’s that supposed to mean, ‘one good shot’…?” Homura muttered in dismay. “But Psycho and Tsutsumi are in trouble. If I don’t step up…”

How was Homura supposed to change the course of battle with a single attack? That was asking for the impossible—

“Wait! My finishing blow…”

Homura remembered what Seigrat and Carlila had taught her. A powerful move to use against opponents when she knew she couldn’t miss. She had to focus her power into a single point.

She had failed once before, but this was no time to hesitate. It was for Psycho and Tsutsumi. She had to help them. She felt the fire well up inside her. She pictured the ultimate pinpoint destruction.

“No problem… I’ve seen this plenty of times.”

An ultimate attack. Manga and anime were full of all sorts of different finishing blows. But there was one finishing blow that showed up more than all the rest. She began to shout a spell in order to amp herself up, forming an image of ultimate strength in her mind.

“Flashfire! Annihilation!”

This time, she used all the magical power she could to control her flames.

“Homu…homu…”

Against robots, beasts, or supernatural beings, a concentrated beam was always sure to get the job done! Homura pumped her staff full of flames, using magical power to compress the flames to a single powerful point.

“HAAAAAAAA—!!”

Homura’s Homuhomuha formed a band of fire so concentrated it could have been mistaken for a laser beam. It shot out in a straight line, zipping toward the colossus. The explosive flames, which had been forcibly concentrated using magical energy, gave off a deafening roar, flashing brightly enough to burn retinas.

The Homuhomuha instantly seared a hole straight through the colossus.

“I did it! Only—”

Homura had been aiming for the chest, where the colossus’s weak point was apparently located, but the colossus had ducked aside the moment the beam was fired.

“Ugh… I feel diz…zy…”

The mental strain of using magic to properly control the output of her flames for the first time had taken a massive mental toll on Homura. She collapsed to her knees.

“You did it!”

She might have missed the core, but a huge chunk of the colossus’s chest had been carved out, exposing its hidden weak spot.

“It’s time to finish this!”

The massive centipede warrior emitted a stream of black gas from the joints of one arm, adding extra force to its punch. It swung with every last bit of strength it could muster.

The colossus held its arms up one last time in a desperate attempt to protect its core with a barrier of stone, but the centipede’s punch was just too fast. The colossus’s torso was shattered.

Epilogue

Contact

The next day, Homura and the other girls were called to the Sanctuary of the Oracle to face Falmeyr.

The sanctuary was quiet. Deafeningly so. Considering how Psycho had gotten carried away, Homura was expecting the worst.

Falmeyr must have picked up on Homura’s nervous energy, because she spoke softly.

“I’m sure you’re expecting bad news. Don’t worry; you girls can relax. Well, actually… No, no, you can definitely relax.”

“It’s not very reassuring if you can’t make up your mind…”

Homura had been expecting some sort of punishment for what Psycho had done, but apparently that wasn’t why they were there.

“To put it simply, while there were issues with the way you girls handled things, considering the state that Galdorssia was in, no one is going to be sending you to the dungeons this time.”

“Obviously, we’re not going to put the very heroes who protected Galdorssia behind bars. Besides, you were a big hit with the children. They’re all playing ‘Human Centipede’ now,” added Seigrat, who was standing next to Falmeyr.

Despite his chuckles, Seigrat didn’t seem quite back to his usual self yet. His complexion looked sickly.

“It sounds like you’re a bad influence.”

Psycho had moved on to corrupting the minds of Galdorssia’s youth.

“Keep it up, and you might get drafted as Holy Protectorates of the Shield, just as I was. Thank you, sincerely, for protecting Galdorssia.”

Ieskha was in the same shape as Seigrat.

“We are truly grateful. All five of you did well. But we have you in particular to thank for protecting the future of Galdorssia, Tsutsumi.”

“Me…?”

Tsutsumi cocked her head to the side in confusion.

“Yes. If we hadn’t been able to counter the curse cast on me, it would have meant more than just losing me. Seigrat and Ieskha wouldn’t be standing here as they are now, either. And that would have spelled the end of Galdorssia. You girls may be very strong, but you aren’t ready to protect Galdorssia on your own yet. Tsutsumi, you saved us, and you saved the future of Galdorssia as well.”

Falmeyr smiled warmly.

“But I will have to have a talk with the source of your newfound knowledge in black magic.”

“Wait, who told you?! Poor Carlila!” Homura felt bad for Carlila. It sounded like she was going to get a major scolding.

“And I will have to have a talk with you, too, Psycho.”

“I thought I wasn’t getting lectured this time!” Psycho complained.

“What did you expect, after everything you did? Though, personally, I would rather praise you as the city’s hero than reprimand you…”

“Just be glad you’re getting off with just a lecture,” Homura said, nudging Psycho in the ribs.

“You were fairly close to needing a lecture yourself, Homura. Please promise you will keep training with Carlila so as not to lose control again.”

“Yes, ma’am…” Psycho grinned at Homura.

“The one person I can praise without any reservations this time is Tsutsumi. Tsutsumi, you deserve a reward. What would you like?” Falmeyr asked, smiling cheerfully. Tsutsumi’s face lit up.

“I want to…eat…until I’m full…”

“Of course. You can eat all the food you like.”

“Hooray!”

The other four girls decided not to mention that Tsutsumi’s stomach was essentially bottomless.

“Now then, back to the subject at hand. There has been discussion of bestowing you girls with your silver badges.”

They’d thought they were here to be punished, but instead they were getting awards.

“Silver badges? Us?” Homura wasn’t the only one who seemed surprised.

“There are…many unusual soldiers in the Phalanx of Blades, after all. There will be badges for Tsutsumi and Proto as well, of course.”

“Yes! Now I can finally mock you humans out in the open!”

“I want to go…on a shopping spree…”

Before they could celebrate too much, Falmeyr went on. “You have achieved great accomplishments. Enough that I can finally give you my open seal of approval…”

“Thank goodness… I was starting to think we were going to have to skulk around in the shadows forever.”

But the other shoe had yet to drop. Falmeyr continued, her tone suddenly reluctant.

“However…there is a condition. A condition that will allow us to assess how dangerous you girls might be. I would prefer to just give you your badges without further politics, but the city’s leaders are making a fuss.”

“A condition…?” Homura asked tentatively.

Falmeyr’s voice grew stern. “That you bring down the neighboring country of Zhorguan, which has just waged open war against us.”

“Yikes. Welcome to New Game+++…”

Falmeyr had just asked them to take down an entire country.

“Well, I’m glad that worked out,” said Psycho.

“Oh yeah, it worked out great… The five of us just have to bring down an entire country now!” said Homura.

“They only want to test our loyalty. It probably doesn’t matter if we fail, so long as we manage to accomplish something.”

“I don’t know…”

The battle was over, but there was still work to be done in reconstructing the town. The girls were watching the efforts from atop the wall.

Many ant creatures had remained, but they had all stopped moving the moment the colossus fell. Their unnatural behavior seemed to suggest that someone had been controlling them.

The giant centipede warrior that Psycho had created had disintegrated after the battle. From what Homura had been told, the remnants of the souls used to create the chimera had apparently been absorbed by Tsutsumi afterward.

“It really is great news that you didn’t get thrown into the dungeon, though.”

“Tell me about it.” Psycho seemed genuinely relieved. “I was on pins and needles there for a while… I thought I might never get to see you again…”

However, Psycho wasn’t the only one who had been worried.

“I was…scared, too… I thought I was going to get…disposed of…again…”

Tsutsumi had been Psycho’s coconspirator in blasphemy. To make matters worse, Tsutsumi wasn’t even human. Because of that, there had been a high possibility that she would receive an even worse punishment than Psycho. Until now, Falmeyr’s efforts behind the scenes had always kept them safe, but this time they had really stuck their necks out.

Fortunately, everything they had accomplished had been worth it.

“Don’t worry, Tsutsumi, I’ll protect you! Even if it means it’s us two against the world!” Homura cried.

“Hey, what about me?! You better protect my ass, too. I really thought I was a goner back there!”

“I don’t know about that, Psycho. Your misdeeds really saved our butt this time. Ours and Galdorssia’s.”

“Tsk. The least they could do is make it a gold badge instead. We’re supposed to be the city’s saviors, aren’t we?”

“Why don’t you take a look in the mirror and try asking the person who stitched together a bunch of corpses in order to make a monster? You may have saved the city, but you sure didn’t make a very great impression in the process.”

“Like you’re one to talk. You’re just lucky you didn’t actually cause any damage this time. It took you about two seconds before you went on a rampage! What would you have done if that old cougar hadn’t been there to keep you in check, huh? Answer me that!”

The two girls began wrestling with each other.

Tsutsumi timidly raised her hands to stop them while Jin and Proto kept watching the restoration work down below, rolling their eyes in exasperation.

“At least I don’t intentionally commit heinous acts!”

“Yeah, well, at least I’m not some idiot with zero self-awareness!”

“What did you just saaay—?!”

“I’ll show you—!!”

The fun and games, however, soon came to a screeching halt.

“I thought you would all be thrown into the dungeons, but instead I find you’ve been given promotions. How inconvenient…”

A man’s voice interrupted them from behind.

Homura spun around, coming face to face with a man who had a sickly-looking complexion. His clothing was refined—there was a sense of pomp about it—yet it looked just as worn and beaten as his face.

“I can’t believe five little girls were all it took to foil my pla—”

“It was yooou—!!”

Homura instantly released a burst of explosive flame from her palm, before the man even had time to finish speaking. He was helplessly consumed in the flames.

“Well, that’s one Dark Army lieutenant down…,” Homura said coldly, her eye brimming with flame.

However…

“Such a fiery temper. That’s the problem with humans…”

The man was suddenly standing in a different spot. To be more accurate, he had just grown from that spot. He had formed himself from the stones of the castle wall in the same way that the colossus had used the earth to repair itself.

“I can understand why you would be angry. I did not care for this plan very much myself.”

“No one asked you.” Jin lopped off the man’s head.

“That won’t kill me,” the man replied, placing his fallen head back onto his shoulders.

Proto smooshed him with her hammer next.

“I just told you! I’m not going to die!” The man sprang up from a different location. “What is wrong with you girls?!”

The man seemed angry, but at least the girls had finally stopped attacking him. He stared at them for a moment and took a deep breath.

“I was responsible for leading the charge. That colossus was created using my magic. But I did not plan it. The commander general, my superior, has…unsavory tastes. I do not always appreciate the situations she puts me in.”

There were cracks in the man’s face, around his eyes, like fissures in dry mud. It was proof that he wasn’t human. The way he sprang from the earth did not seem like the result of magic alone.

“Yeah, we’ve got a pretty unsavory commander general of our own to deal with,” said Homura.

“Quit trying to one-up a demon!” Psycho said, bopping Homura on the head. “In any case, you were with the last Dark Lord’s army, weren’t you?”

“You’ve done your research.”

The man clapped slowly, but there was no spirit in the gesture.

“You can call me the Lord of Sod… I’ve long since given up my old name.”

“The Lord of Sod…?”

“‘Lord’?! Does that mean…?!”

Homura’s eyes went wide.

“Don’t jump to conclusions. I am not the Dark Lord. He was the one who told me to adopt this title… I am one of his top generals, though. His babysitter, I suppose you might say. The Dark Lord is around the same age now as you five are. A very precocious age. He thinks that if we are to rule the world, we must have names to match. Not that I have any interest in such a position.”

The Lord of Sod shrugged in an exaggerated fashion.

“I am only here to exchange a friendly greeting this time. I look forward to our next meeting, though it may not be on such good terms.”

Homura engulfed the man in flames once more.

“Were you raised in a barn?!” the man shouted, sprouting up once more. “Tsk… And here I came to repair your wall for you.”

The man waved his hand, and the broken wall began to return to its original form. The soldiers who had been busy clearing away the rubble stared in awe as their work did itself before their eyes. Those among the crowd who were already familiar with the Lord of Sod’s existence, however, could only grimace instead. What was the demon up to?

“What’s in it for you all to do something like that?” asked Psycho.

“For us all? Nothing at all. But there is something in it for me,” the man said enigmatically. “I’m not invested in which side wins. But I am interested in the character of whoever comes out victorious. I do not personally care for Zhorguan, despite their cooperation this time around. They rely on others to do the work while cowering themselves in safety. As cowardly as they are, however, they would not hesitate to attack again if your wall remained in such a state.”

“Your integrity is heartwarming.”

“Indeed. Though I’m sure the commander general will not be happy about this.” Sod lifted his chin in a noble fashion, as if expecting their gratitude. “Of course, I also came to gather intelligence on our enemy. After seeing you five, though, I have had a change of heart.”

“A change of heart?”

Homura readied her staff again.

“Our plan was foiled in the end. Not by the Holy Protectorates of the Shield, but by ordinary, common soldiers. And new recruits, to boot. By you two, with the glasses and the red hair, who destroyed my puppet. By that little demon girl there, who countered the curse we cast on Falmeyr. And by you other two, the one with the long hair and the other one with the tentacles, whatever you are supposed to be. You caused a lot of trouble for us back in Aurerich.”

Sod pointed to each of them in turn. “The other one with the tentacles” was apparently Proto.

“It is unthinkable that Galdorssia, a place that considers the mere existence of monsters to be a sin, would welcome such girls with open arms. Not with such aberrations. I’m guessing that, despite your great achievements, they still expect the impossible from you?”

The girls tensed. The man had just hit the nail on the head. The enemy seemed to know more about them than they had thought. Now was no time to let their guard down.

“Galdorssia is going to chew you girls up and spit you out when it’s through.”

“What are you trying to say?” Psycho asked, glaring at him.

“Now, now, no need to be angry. Personally, I’m impressed by everything you have done,” Sod said. He furrowed his brows as if he could not understand why the girls should react with such hostility. “What I wish to say is…”

The Lord of Sod’s next words left the girls speechless.

“…have you considered joining the Dark Lord’s army instead?”

Afterword

It’s me, Hiyoko Sumeragi. There you have it, Volume 3!

And this time I don’t have much room for the afterword! A compact afterword for a compact book. Let me get straight to the acknowledgments!

Mika Pikazo, thank you as always for the fantastic illustrations. The frontispiece illustrations in particular were AhhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHh!! …AhhHhHhHhHhHh!! …AHH!

I’m sorry, the illustrations were just so good that I completely forget how to speak like a human beAhhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHh!!

Tetta, I was very impressed by the background illustrations this time. Even though I only gave vague specifications, you did a fantastic job of grasping the setting of The World Bows Down and elaborating on the design of the church. I guess that’s just part of being such a great creator. I’m so grateful for what you did. Truly exquisite work…!

Having two such talented illustrators on my side makes me want to work harder every day to become a better writer so I can be worthy to stand in the company of such giants. Who knows if I’ll ever get there, but I can at least try!

By the way, the comic adaptation has already been released! Thank you, Koyuki. This goes without saying, since the media are so different, but with a manga, unlike with a novel, every last scene has to be drawn, including the details. For instance, the facial expressions. Even when not specifically described in the novel, expressions need to be drawn in the manga (except when the angle prevents faces from being seen, of course). But manga artists know how to pick up on the implied nuances in the original and reflect that in their drawings.

Perhaps some authors picture the worlds in their books in perfect detail, but that was never me. Somehow, the smaller details always slip my mind. Making a comic adaptation means picking up on these details that slip through the cracks and reconstructing them in manga form.

My worlds are still fuzzy around the edges, so I guess I’ve still got a ways to go. There is truly so much for me to learn from all the professionals who are involved in creating this series.

Daily dedication. Day in and day out, my growth as a writer fights with the growth of the bald spot on the back of my head. Right now, I think the bald spot is winning. But only by a hair.

On to the contents of the book!

Volume 3 showed Galdorssia in crisis. And of course, we learned more about Psycho’s past. It was Psycho’s experiences as a child, the ideas her father shared, and the unusual interests of her mother that went into forming who Psycho is today. Psycho may be the biggest realist of the five, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t hold a lot of passion in her heart. In fact, her drive might be the one that burns brightest among the five.

That was the side of Psycho that I wanted to show off this time around.

By the way, I know I’m the one who’s writing this, but the Japan depicted in this book is pretty scary. I sure wouldn’t want to live there.

Here’s an interesting bit of trivia, by the way. The names of the new trio that appear in this volume were based on some of the spells cast in the original Japanese Magical DoReMi, as were their color schemes. I love to sneak in little tidbits like that.

And it looks like I’m out of space, so farewell for now! Until we meet again in Volume 4! There are some big developments on the horizon, so stay tuned!

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