NeoStriker Posts

Oh shi-

Do we get another achievement for venturing there?

yep

you just want a fast-forward button to life don't you?

Alicia exited the main building of the Academy, coming into sight of the group.

“Finally, I’m out from that discussion with Mathilde about wine…” she spoke to no one in particular as she set her sights on her daughter. She seemed happy. Alicia smiled fondly.

“Alicia.”

“Hm?” Almost startled. The teacher turned her head to find Lumiere, the Headmistress. Was she behind her when she was coming out?

“Lumiere. I see you were in the Academy early today… how surprising. I thought you’d be sleeping till the afternoon like usual.”

(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODRgoKbgdrsp)

“Alicia,” Lumiere said longingly with a tired look. “Just this once, join me for a drink.”

Alicia quirked her head behind to find Lumiere behind her.

“You have been asking that for quite some time, hm? I know that you may be stressed, but I must attend to my daughter who wishes to see the campus for once… and you know a mother wouldn’t want to miss this, yes? ...Besides, drinking at a time like this is—”

“Daughter this… daughter that,” Lumiere said. “Ahhh… I quit.”

“Huh? What’s wro—”

Alicia looked down at herself. What was this? Why was this happening? Why today? Why now? ...Why? Lumiere’s hand ran rampant, into Alicia’s warm blood inside her chest. her claws fiddled as if searching for something. “W...What? What are you… ”

“Hehehe… hahahahaha!!” Lumiere laughed out loud, turning everyone’s attention to her. “I’ve always been waiting to do this.”

“Y...You’re not… nngghhhh, Lumiere. W… Who are you…?!” Alicia questioned, hardly able to raise her voice. Instead she felt blood going through throat. She looked down at the assailant’s steel claws. Being in a hurry to join her daughter—Margaret Alicia completely hadn’t noticed that Lumiere wasn’t the same the moment she came to her. Even her clothes were different.

“Oh, please. Are you so afraid that you are no longer immortal, Sir David, Walter de Mauny?”

Alicia never thought she’d be hearing that name again. A name that she thought had sunk into the sands of time. The name of the first ever Dark Knight—David. The name of a forgotten warrior, a person who held no true place in history. Walter de Mauny too… how does this woman know these names?

“Where did you… hear that…?”

“Oh, come on, David, do you really not remember me? How could you forget me—Alexandrina the Great—she who they call †˜Virgo’? Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter. Anyway…”

The Queen who she deterred from taking some of the most heartless and cruel measures to take her targets off the maps of the continents—oh, how she regretted being a so-called respectable †˜knight of eld’ as Queen Victoria had once called her.

“Fouuuunnnnnd iiiiiiiit!” The self-proclaimed Virgo with Lumiere’s face held her back and pulled Alicia’s heart out, blood spilling forth from behind the Duchess. With said hand now bloodied, she held Margaret Alicia’s heart that ceased to beat for eternity, the pipes attached to it spewing blood momentarily, much to her delight, after she gave it a gentle squeeze as if to feel its fleshiness.

Alicia stumbled as Virgo let her go; she weakly approached the group, but fell to the floor halfway to them.

Isabelle’s mind entered a state of complete blankness.

It wasn’t anyone else who fell over.

It was Margaret Alicia.

The once proud Duchess of Norfolk. A certain elder woman’s figure whose attention, love, and time she took for granted. She knew that this woman was always keeping an eye over her. Beyond the walls, she felt her gaze all the time, everyday. At some point she was used to it. She was an overprotective woman indeed. She’d get happy over little things if she’d consent. That was the kind of person was she.

While Isabelle herself pretended to be mad as she’d reluctantly accept. None of it was true. She never reluctantly accepted anything. In truth, she felt a strange form of warmth deep in her heart, yet she wanted to look away from it. She was afraid to openly accept the love that woman wanted to provide her. Because she thought she once killed that woman. At some point she wasn’t sure who this Alicia was. Even if this Margaret wasn’t her real mother, it no longer mattered to her. She always had a clue all along. She resembled someone else in attitude—it’s what she felt from that her.

No. She was not any other woman.

She was never a stranger.

She was her mother.

Even if her real mother died. Alicia was still her current mother.

Reasoning be damned.

Isabelle almost tripped, running over to Alicia hastily. “Mommy… ! …Mommy!!” She yelled, not bothering to stop and correct herself mid-way like usual. Her salty tears had already found their way to her eyelids.

This couldn’t be… this… this couldn’t be…! She internally screamed over and over again. Her mother, the woman who always pulled through whenever the demon inside her would attack, how could someone such as her have something like this done to her?

Isabelle would usually wake up from slumber after her blackouts, finding everything back to normal.

That’s right. To her, her mother was always her heroine. How could she possibly live in this otherwise lonely world without her?

Deep in her heart she wished everything she saw today was but a nightmare—touring the Academy be damned too—she’d trade her freedom from the cage that was the mansion in the north of the main building for her mother any day.

That’s right. She wanted to wake up. Wake up and see everything as they used to be. Nothing needed to change from how they were.

Yet, why…?

It was too late, change had undoubtedly come. The gears of fate had shifted.

“I...Isabelle…” Alicia painfully uttered, breathing heavily.

“Mrs. Alicia!!” Svetlana yelled, bringing herself out of the state of stupor, she ran forwards to save the one person who was almost as important to her as her real mother. The one person who called her a daughter from the bottom of her heart even now, unlike her real mother who was devoid of her memories. In such a short time, they had gotten closer than she ever thought they would. She never once believed in her days as a student scholar that she’d form such a special relation with Margaret Alicia—the elder teacher. Now, she seemed like one of the most important people to her. As important as Isabelle, as important as Mathilde, and as important as her real mother.

However, just before she could reach either Alicia or Isabelle, an invisible wall deterred her progress, and she felt something akin to electricity as she was pushed back against her will.

“Alicia-sensei!” Natsu cried out as the grotesque scene took place in front of her. Why was something like this happening on an otherwise peaceful sunday morning? She, too, struck at the wall with her hands, but to no avail.

“For Virgo to be here of all places!” Lily exclaimed, brandishing her gigantic blade. She struck hard against the barrier, but the force rejected her and it barely dented the wall.

“Mrs. Alicia!” Michael pulled out his gun. “Move aside,” he said as he shot at the wall. The bullets bounced back to him, but luckily, they only managed to graze him.

The rest of the group were thus stopped by said wall. A transparent hemisphere of navy blue revealed itself—thwarting any attempts to harm Virgo—as it stood between the group and Alicia, whose daughter was with her, crying.

Svetlana clapped twice, chanted, and casted magic; her ball of flame however, did nothing. Instead it bounced back to her, which Lily blocked with her sword.

“No… this can’t be happening,” Svetlana said, tears running past her cheeks without any cessation before falling to her knees. “With her heart gone… she can only live for so long till the blood stops going to the brain…”

Lily struck against the barrier with her gigantic sword, but she was instead pushed back yet again. Hearing the words of Svetlana, she could only remind herself of defeat, “That’s right… there are two things magic may not restore no matter what through healing… one’s brain and heart.” She cringed and looked down in shame at her powerlessness.

“I wonder how a heart of an ex-Descendant tastes…” Virgo said, giggling to herself. Having taken the same thing from all those clones, it didn’t even matter how they really tasted. The act of devouring was extremely satisfying to her now. She momentarily put the heart into the mouth and swallowed it ravenously. “Bon appetit.”

“You… bitch,” Isabelle roared, her voice a mixture of her own and that of a beast. Her body gave away an aura of demonic impurity and taint. Her pupils turned crimson as did her hair, and the rest of her eyes—black. She growled in rage, and her flames concentrated on her right hand. “How dare you ruin the body I wanted to possess!!” the demon hissed, but Virgo was far from fazed.

“My, a dog sure can bark loud,” Virgo said, smiling. She welcomed its rage and the aura that spread from Isabelle’s body.

The demon leapt forwards, Virgo being the one and only person in mind. She approached at a breakneck pace with a burning fist that accumulated demonic powers, making the flames burn violet. A kind of flame neither Alicia nor Svetlana had ever witnessed the demon use before. However, her opponent stopped it even before it connected—raising her arm to show a prism glowing deep blue on the back of her hand.

“Oh dear, how rude. You should never be attempting to touch a woman.”

The demon fell behind Alicia’s bloodstained body, before turning to normal. Isabelle looked down—her consciousness back to her—at her fidgeting hands to realize that her demon was completely defeated in one blow. However, unlike usual, she didn’t pass out. She was still awake. Was it because it was taken out too early? Or did Alicia and Svetlana simply hit hard enough to put her to sleep? But then it seemed like Virgo hit the demon harder than the aforementioned two combined. What was going on?

Natsu continued to slap at the barrier despite her hands being burned from it, trying to replicate what she did to defeat George on that day, but she didn't remember what exactly triggered the blow that pushed him back. That attack may have had enough force to destroy this barrier as well. Knowing that time was of the essence, she gave up trying that tactic and moved on to a different strategy.

“Everyone, stand back!” She yelled, backing up as well to give herself room to ready her spiritual bow and arrows. Expending too much energy to destroy the barrier would put everyone at risk for Virgo's counterattack, so Natsu only prepared two arrows. She could only pray that it was enough to break through.

The arrows struck against the barrier and an intense wind was felt as the projectiles attempted to break through the wall. Moments later, the arrows turned to small spheres of energy and were absorbed into the surface of the barrier. Ripples could be seen going across the barrier at the same time, when a visibly large crack formed. The ripples, however, traveled back from the other side, and when it reached the minimized arrows they combined into one larger orb, and shot back at Natsu.

When Natsu opened her eyes, she was on the ground with Lily atop her, who had jumped to her for the rescue.

“Are you alright?!” Lily asked, getting off the idol and offering her hand to her momentarily.

Natsu was surprised by how quickly Lily had managed to react. She barely saw the shot being fired back at her, but she was pushed out of harm's way before she could react. “Y-Yeah, thank you.” Natsu stood back up, accepting the offered hand, and regained her composure; she still reeled from the impact. “So, what about the barrier? Did we break through?”

Lily shook her head. “But… I think you have made it possible for us to break through it soon…” she said, looking towards the large crack on the barrier.

Svetlana clapped her hands again. She cast a lightning bolt, then the Blazing Wind spell that Alicia herself had taught her.

All of it were repelled and Lily could only shield Svetlana from her own spells. Of course, the Knight of Lilies was no invincible shield. She was sluggish and was barely holding up from taking all these damages, and Svetlana didn’t want to put her through any more of it either.

She had never felt so helpless—so powerless—and incapable before as she fell to her knees.

“Heh. Do you like your mother—no, father—so much?” Virgo questioned Isabelle who cried beside the dying Alicia on the floor.

“I...I… Mommy… ”

So it was true. It really was her father, somehow having taken the form of her mother all along.

“Even though you hated her all life and called her a liar? I’m certain you were nothing but a burden—”

“Shut up!! What would you know?!” Isabelle yelled from the top of her lungs.

Virgo’s smile widened to this outburst. “Very well. If you love this transvestite equivalent—woman wannabe—person so much, then so be it. I shall let you live so you may agonize over her demise.”

She turned her back to the people and strolled as she laughed, passing through a portal beyond which there was nothing but darkness.

What a spectacle. It was the only thing that passed Weiss’s mind as she pulled her eyes away from the sniper scope. When she was about to go off sometime earlier, people started entering the scene. Oh my. She set up her sniper scope again to observe the situation.

Aramus exited the main building now, only to find a strange navy blue barrier erect over the field. Beyond the murky sight that was barely visible was a bloodied body with a weeping sitting beside it. Aramus spotted something like a crack behind them, and some people beyond the other side of the barrier. Was it a result of an unauthorized Mage’s Duel?

Regardless, Almond shuddered at the sight of blood, who was walking side-by-side with the teacher.

“W...What is all this, teacher?” he asked. The feeling of disgust was something he had never experienced.

The two had only come out now after stumbling upon Mathilde somewhere in the corridors inside the main building of the Academy. For some reason, Mathilde was looking for Alicia, who she wanting to chat about alcohol with. Of course, Mathilde was drinking even then. Aramus, however, having better things to do, somehow managed to escape her clutches from becoming a replacement for Alicia for such a conversation.

“Almond, go back inside now,” Aramus said as he walked forward to inspect the barrier. Somebody had been injured and he needed to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible. Rules and regulations aside, harming one’s duelling opponent that badly was out of the question. They were all student scholars, after all. A true official Mage’s Duel would accept harming each other, or even killing, but not in the Magic Academies.

Almond was gone when he glanced back, allowing him free reign over the spell he was just about to cast. Channeling mana into his arms, Aramus felt the energy coalescing around his hand as they were shaped into spheres, sucking in the surrounding air. If Aramus had been wearing his favored robe, it might’ve been caught in the pull. Perhaps it was better that he was now wearing regular clothing. Even as the spell continued to charge itself, Aramus strode over to where the people were and upon getting closer, recognized some of them.

“What’s going on here?” he questioned the group, a motley crew if ever he saw one. Aramus had tried to peer through the barrier but wasn’t particularly successful. He would get a short rundown before blowing the barrier open.

“Uh… Teacher… I-I…” Natsu stuttered greatly, not knowing what to say. “Alicia-sensei was hurt by the Headmistress…”

“Who are you?” At this point, Michael wasn’t sure who to trust in the Academy. If the Headmistress was compromised, an unknown mage at this time may as well be an enemy. He pointed his guns towards the newcomer as he waited for his answer.

“Aramus Valmark, a teacher at this academy.” Aramus briefly stared down the barrel of the firearms before turning his attention towards the figures behind the barrier. What Natsu had said baffled him, but now wasn’t the time for that. “I assume that’s them then?”

“Y...Yes, that’s the teacher and her daughter inside…” Natsu answered.

Aramus nodded his understanding and looked over the group again, Natsu in particular. “Can you fight?” Apart from Svetlana crying her heart out, the rest looked like they would be alright. He just wanted to make sure with the young Descendant.

“...I, I tried to break the barrier, but it shot back at me…” Natsu said, a little scared of injuring herself again. Even if she was saved by Lily once, she couldn’t keep depending on her. What if Lily was killed as a result? These arrows were far more dangerous than they seemed, enough to melt through not skin, but organs.

Lily pressed her hand against Michael’s gun barrel and had it face the floor. “Michael, now is clearly not the time to be doubting each other when Mrs. Margaret Alicia is in requirement of urgent treatment… or simply a farewell… while she can.” I doubt any medical attention would work now.

“It was empty, anyway,” Michael said, holstering his gun. He returned to a corner, unsure what he could do against the barrier.

Aramus watched the interaction between Lily and Michael, noting that they at least had some connection with each other. “I’ll handle the barrier, and then we take it from there. Give me a bit of room, this spell is a bit unstable.”

Lily picked up the crying Svetlana and pulled her back upon Aramus’ instruction.

“Let go, let go!!”

Despite Svetlana’s struggle, Lily determinedly handled her to give the teacher some space. Natsu and Michael quietly stood back as well.

With that, the spheres shrieked and spun faster, the winds that lashed out gouged away at some of the pavement around Aramus. He braced a foot against the floor as power surged around his fists and Aramus slammed both into the crack, the spheres fusing together and beginning to grind away at the barrier with a deafening howl. Energy crackled from the impact as the energies collided with each other, but the barrier gave way first.

With the crack as it’s centre, the spiderweb enlarged around the great oval as resounding cracking sounds could be heard, the surface becoming marred and distorted as the barrier collapsed. Aramus stepped back as his own spell extinguished itself with a howl, blinking out of existence with a strong shock wave. That was enough to break the already weakened barrier and it shattered, fragments flying away from the group.

Aramus admired his handiwork, sourly noting that he needed a new shirt again now that the one he was wearing was lacking sleeves.

“Mrs. Alicia!” Svetlana exclaimed her name again and ran forward, and away from Lily’s grasp. She joined Isabelle who’s face was completely tear-stained.

Tch, he broke it. I should leave and join the others. Weiss attached her rifle on her back and jumped off the spire of the main building.

Svetlana stood before the Academy with Isabelle, who was looking up to the main building and its surroundings with a gaping mouth. Svetlana quite literally led Isabelle blindfolded to the front of the Academy just to give the girl a surprise. Svetlana hadn’t liked the idea of half of the surprise being stolen by the back of the buildings because the forest and the mansion was at the very edge of the north of the Realm. Which meant that anyone leaving the forest would see the back of the main building.

Hence, a blindfold was the fun-lover’s solution.

Alicia claimed that she wanted to check upon something in the building itself. Svetlana assumed that it was to do with safety because her teacher was rather a worrywart and an overprotective mother even if she didn’t seem like it.

“Woah, this place really is huge… the field goes so far I don’t see the end of it,” Isabelle commented, looking left and right.

“Good morning, Svetlana,” Lily greeted, coming to Svetlana alongside Michael.

Michael smiled and waved his hand at Svetlana, unsure if she was wearing the translator thing.

“Hi hi, Lily, Michael,” Svetlana greeted in return, waving at the two. “I got another accessory for the Translation skill, by the way. Kinda still new to this, though.”

“So, you hear us in Russian, and we hear you in English with that on?”

“Yep, yep,” Svetlana simply answered. “Pretty handy.”

“That’s a nifty thing. So, who’s the girl?” He waved at the girl.

“Ah, right. This is Isabelle! Isabelle, say hi to Michael and Lily,” Svetlana said, helping the girl get acquainted to the members of the Church.

“Good day… I am I-Isabelle,” Isabelle introduced herself but hid behind Svetlana. It was astounding to Lily how little the difference in the two’s height were.

“Hello, Isabelle,” Lily said, waving. “I did not know you were acquainted with such a cute girl.”

“Well, it’s a long story. This is Mrs. Alicia’s daughter, and she is usually at home, so I thought she needed a change of pace,” Svetlana replied, beaming a smile.

“Good day little one, call me Michael,” Michael greeted Isabelle. “Speaking of, how is Miss— Mrs. Alicia?”

“...” Isabelle averted her eyes, to which Michael raised his eyebrows.

“I am surprised that you’d go as far as getting another Translation accessory, however,” Lily stated, expressing her surprise to Svetlana.

“Figured that I would have to. Mrs. Alicia also mentioned that since there are foreign scholars around her, being able to understand them may help from time to time,” Svetlana answered Lily, then turned to Michael. “She seems to be all better now!”

“Well, that’s good to know,” he commented, giving up on trying to break the ice with Isabelle. “Where do you two plan to go?”

“I’ll be showing her around the Academy. You guys wanna join us?” Svetlana offered.

“Wouldn’t hurt if I do.” Lily accepted the offer with a shrug, and gave Michael a look. “What about you?”

“Well, I don’t really mind, but I must warn you that I have no money on me at all.” He shrugged. “Maybe Lily will treat us to pancakes!” He decided to once again try to break the ice with Isabelle.

“Ah, pancakes!” Isabelle’s expression lit up in almost an instant.

Unfortunately, someone had to bare the bad news. “The cafeteria is closed on Sundays until lunch hour. We got at least four hours to go till then,” Svetlana said, patting Isabelle who looked down.

“It’s something to look forward to, isn’t it?” Michael knelt beside her as he tried to cheer Isabelle up.

“Wait, how did you run out of penny already?” Lily inquired, facing Michael.

“I ended up spending a bit buying new supplies. I did told you I was going out, remember?” he said to Lily as he stood up, and then shrugged.

“...H-Hmph, not like I want pancakes. We have better at home, after all,” Isabelle said, crossing her arms.

“...Really? Buying supplies in Japan?” Lily asked Michael, raising her eyebrows.

“It seems that women tend to be difficult in Japan,” Michael said, also crossing his arms, but as a joke.

“What?” Lily could only tilt her head in confusion.

“They aren’t in England?” Svetlana questioned.

“They are even more difficult there, Miss Svetlana. In any case, onwards we go! Where are we going?”

“We can’t just yet, kinda waiting on Mrs. Alicia, who said she was gonna check if it’s safe…” Svetlana replied. “So we’re waiting outside here.”

“That woman is trying too hard or something,” Isabelle mumbled with a scoff.

“Safe? From what?” Michael asked.

“People.”

“But we’re also people… That does not make any sense.”

“Apparently Isabelle isn’t good with too many strangers… as you can see,” Svetlana said, pointing at the little girl hiding behind her.

“Well, if that were the case, wouldn’t it be better if we didn’t come?” He wouldn’t want to traumatize the girl, after all.

“E...Even I can handle a few people,” Isabelle said, averting her gaze.

“Why not just admit that you want to get used to more people?” Svetlana teasingly asked.

“Hush,” Isabelle hissed.

“She is cute indeed,” Lily commented, nodding to herself.

“Well, it’s good that you want to change.”

Meanwhile, Natsu was out on a morning jog, and noticed the bunch. Two particular girls stood out to her: Svetlana, her Faerie Lore teacher and one of her protectors on that tragic day a week ago, and a girl right behind her who looked strikingly like Alicia, but with black hair. Is that her daughter she was talking about? As Natsu looked at the other people in the small group, she saw Michael and Lily too, yet more of her protectors. And finally, there was a blonde girl with them that she didn't recognize.

“Good morning, Sevvy-chan-sensei, Michael-san and Lily-san,” Natsu took a detour to greet each of them, in English, for Michael's sake.

“Hi hi, Kazehaya,” Svetlana said. Being non-native to the country she wasn’t one for honorifics as usual.

“Good morning, Miss Kazehaya,” Lily greeted.

“Good morning, Miss Kazehaya,” Michael repeated. He excused himself and Lily, and walked a few steps away from the main group.

“G...Good day,” Isabelle said, still hiding behind Svetlana.

Natsu peered at the girl behind Svetlana. She really was the spitting image of Alicia. Natsu offered her hand and gave a gentle smile, introducing herself to the girl. “I’m Natsu. What’s your name?"

“Isabelle de Mauny,” the child answered, averting her gaze slightly.

“Isabelle, you should properly look people in the eye when you talk to them,” Svetlana reprimanded, but instead she received a jab from the young girl in her buttock.

Natsu retracted her hand. I guess she's just shy. She looked at Isabelle’s interaction with Svetlana and chuckled a bit. It was quite cute to Natsu. “It's nice to meet you, Isabelle. I hope we can get along sometime!”

Isabelle gave what looked like a slight nod in response, while Svetlana sighed. “Listen to your big sis more, Isabelle. Or else you get no candy.”

“...Fine,” Isabelle finally agreed, reluctantly.

“Sorry †˜bout that, Kazehaya, she’s just not used to people yet!” Svetlana told to Natsu.

“It’s alright, she’s still young, after all. I’m sure she'll warm up to me over time,” Natsu said, still keeping a pleasant attitude. “But, is she...?” Natsu tried to confirm that this was, in fact, the daughter Alicia mentioned. She heard that the daughter was sick, so to see this young girl out and about was somewhat confusing.

“Yep, she is.” Svetlana nodded. “I really wish she’d open up a bit more.” She chuckled. “We’re gonna show her around the Academy starting with the main building after Mrs. Alicia returns in a bit. What are you gonna do?” she asked. “You could join us if you want. Would help if Isabelle gets used to more people.”

“Oh, Alicia-sensei is better, now? She got badly injured in... what happened... last week…” It was painful for Natsu to remember even a moment of what happened that day. Recently, she'd done all she could to try to suppress it somehow.

Svetlana’s complexion instantly looked as worse as Natsu’s as she remembered the incident and how Alicia was stabbed in both her stomach and chest. In a moment she restored her smile, however. “She is good as new now! Magic solves everything!” she cheered.

“...What happened to mo—err… that woman?” Isabelle asked, worried, but Svetlana patted her again.

“She is fine, she is fine,” Svetlana repeated.

“Magic sure is convenient, isn’t it…” Natsu said with a wry smile. If only it could fix everything, she wanted to add, but kept it suppressed. “Well, it's good that she's doing better!”

“They really are, but only if the right person is around for the right time,” Svetlana informed with an index finger raised. “After all, not everyone can learn every magic. A spell needs you to be aligned to a supposed deity in a Realm.” She then turned towards the door to the Academy.

“Yeah, I think I learned that in one of my classes…” Natsu said, putting a finger to her chin. Honestly, the classes were somewhat of a blur compared to what happened in the past few days. The recent events really affected her concentration in class.

As Aramus left with Almond, the door was closed shut and Lumiere sat back to her chair. Her hands, having previously cupped blood from her coughs, was seen by Weiss from behind.

“So you are here… my Angel of Death?” With a wry smile, Lumiere looked from the corner of her eyes. Her pupil reflected she who bestowed upon her life itself.

There she stood—between Weiss and Lumiere—Steel Princess.

“Do not worry—you are free to have your final wish granted. You really wanted to drink with your buddy, didn’t you?” Steel Princess asked Lumiere, who kept on smiling wryly. “Weiss, show yourself.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Weiss stepped out of the shadows and knelt down in front of the Steel Princess.

“Prepare yourself for a trip to the United States of America. We shall face the humans there.”

“As you wish, ma’am.” She lowered her head. A trip around the world, huh?

“There is some good news in this,” the Steel Princess added, apparently almost having forgotten to say it to her earlier, as she cupped and lifted Weiss’ chin with her sharp-looking crafty steel claws, “That Duke—the man who murdered your husband—will be there in the war.”

Weiss’s eyes widen in surprise. “I see.” She trembled as she remembered the time when her husband was killed.

“So you should hurry there and prepare. We shall meet in New York.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am.” She slapped both her cheeks to relax herself just a little bit.

“There should be no worries about direction; other androids will contact you when you make it there.”

“Oh, the other six will be there too? It’s been long since I saw them, let alone on the same battlefield.”

“That is true. I have not assembled them together in one place for almost two hundred years now.”

Indeed, the members of Judgement had not been gathered for so long. Each was made with a particular archetype of a warrior that had existed from ancient times, except the Sniper. Normally she’d be called something more suitably apt like an archer, but Steel Princess had considered it a little more and decided that perhaps a †˜modernized’ title would be far more befitting. Adaptation was, after all, necessary.

“Ehehe… now, how shall we approach your little friend, Lumiere?” she said, placing a hand on the Headmistress’ shoulder.

Duke, you will die with the very rifle that my husband left me. I’ll kill you without mercy. Weiss held her late husband’s sniper rifle tight.

Aramus came to the Headmistress’ office upon receiving an urgent message on his phone. With him was a child who was under his care due to the request of Lumiere—Almond. Almond was considered to be a promising child with great potential towards magic. As a Magister, Aramus was tasked with being his Master, and to raise him to be a splendid mage.

There would be no reason to have Aramus bring Almond over like this unless stated. The mail did request him to do this. Almond himself was confused, but upon seeing the Headmistress, he ran over to her thoughtlessly, as if a son had found his mother.

“Thank you for bringing him here,” the Headmistress said, hugging Almond. She seemed to have gotten off her chair immediately to receive the child’s warmth. “How has his progress been?”

Smiling warmly at the display of affection between “mother and son” Aramus gave her a quick rundown of what he had been teaching Almond.

“He’s coming along nicely. Although I wasn’t around for a good portion of it, Almond has been reading the tomes and notes I had set aside for him. I suppose it comes with being young and curious, but when I quizzed him on a few subjects, his answers were almost textbook. You might want to watch out for him when he grows a little older though, he’s more popular with the ladies than I am.”

“I… I don’t know if I am popular with them, or amjust their target for amusement, teacher…” Almond murmured as some form of fear from being caressed too much visited him. “They treat me… differently from how Miss Lumiere does.”

“Don’t you worry. It’s a different kind of affection,” Aramus said in response. The little child was indeed fawned upon by almost all the ladies, no matter which class Aramus brought him to. It was enough to make the rest of the men green with envy, Aramus somewhat included.

“Really…?” Almond questioned. He hardly believed his teacher.

“Well, color me surprised then. When I took him over to England for the Queen’s Meeting, he seemed to be playing games only with my gadgets, phones, and the terminal. Perhaps he crammed after returning with me?” Lumiere guessed, almost finding Aramus’ report hard to believe.

“You see… Those gadgets aren’t something I can offer to Almond. I guess it’s just easier when a child’s interest is sparked. They just go all the way.” It was true that his room was spartan, offering nothing towards a growing child. Not many creature comforts were allowed to him as a child even in the orphanage and it showed.

Lumiere laughed. “I suppose so.” She then released her embrace on Almond before patting him. Feeling his hair gave a feeling of nostalgia now.

“Mister Aramus Valmark,” she called, looking up to the teacher. “Take care of him.”

“Huh?” Aramus said, starting forward as if he hadn’t heard the Headmistress.

“...Miss Lumiere?” Almond called out to the Headmistress—the woman who he had considered his mother as some point the most—for one last time.

The Headmistress simply picked herself up and smiled. “Take care of him,” she repeated.

Aramus simply quirked an eyebrow at her, but chose not to press further. He had a rough guess as to what she was getting at so he merely nodded.

“It’s Sunday, and a free day at that. Perhaps you should take him off somewhere for a change of pace, mn?” the Headmistress suggested.

“Since you put it that way, would you like to come along?” Aramus questioned. “I think we both will get very busy in the near future so this is a good chance.”

“Unfortunately, I am already too busy, even on weekends now,” Lumiere declined, sighing.

“Alright, we’ll leave you to your work then. Almond, come along now,” Aramus called out. The young boy gave his “mum” one last hug before bounding over to Aramus’s side as the pair walked out of the office.

A day was remaining before the Magic Train trip to America. It was sunday. A day when the Academy didn’t have classes. Most scholars were in their rooms sleeping early in the morning at eight. Beyond the forest to the north, however, two were far from sleep.

“You’re still growing,” Svetlana said, anxious. “Sleep some more.”

“Don’t wanna. It’s all I do anyway,” Isabelle outright refused.

“But—”

“Anyway! I keep hearing that you teach in this, uh… Eastern Academy?”

“Eastern Magic Academy.”

“How is it over there?”

“It’s fun. I have some scholars as my students who are still quite innocent for me to have fun with”

“You really only think about fun…”

“That’s not true!”

“Really?”

“Of course. I mean, I think about you and Mrs Alicia and my mom.”

“Uh huh…”

“Hm?”

“Say, how big is the Academy?”

“Huge.”

“How huge?”

“Very huge.”

“That doesn’t really—”

“You wanna go see it?”

“Eh? I… I don’t think I’m allowed out of the house.”

“It’s okay. Today is Sunday so there won’t be many people around. I can ask permission for you.”

“Really?” Isabelle asked, her face lighting up. Both Svetlana and Alicia’s fear of risks of letting her out of the house faded in that instant.

“Yeah, really. Wait, I’ll go ask,” Svetlana said, exiting the room hastily.







“So, Mrs. Alicia, can I take Isabelle outside to show her around the Academy?” Svetlana asked, seeming to appear extremely impatient.

Alicia closed the book of fairies she was reading to face the faerie. “I have heard the conversation, but…”

“As you know it’s Sunday and I don’t think there will be a problem.”

“I know, but…”

“You don’t want her to see the outside? It’s so pretty. I feel like she is kind of wasting her time here always sitting on her bed. Everyone needs some fresh air once in awhile!”

“Alright, alright, Sevvy-chan. You win. I shall permit it. Perhaps I’ll use it as an excuse to show up for once to her as well,” Alicia said, smiling fondly, thinking of speaking to her daughter.

“Would it to be alright to approach her though? Especially in public.”

“Considering her extremely good mood recently, I think it won’t unless we provoke her with this book,” Alicia said, looking down at the book. She’d keep it here so it shouldn’t be a problem.

“Alright, if you say so.”

“Now that was a good movie,” Hare remarked. The priest and the Miko walked out of the theatre. The Miko was, however, was leaning on the priest’s arm saying she felt a little dizzy.

How true was it? Michael could only wonder. He knew one thing though, and that was Hare’s body heat was definitely the real deal.

“You saw what I meant though? The marionettes are cool, right? Who cares how they shoot and hit things mid-air perfectly, all of it looks neat,” Hare said.

Hare’s body felt uncomfortable to Michael, not because of her body heat, but because of one… well, two things. “It really was, can they do that too in real life?” he said, adjusting his collar.

“Apparently so.” Hare gave a nod, which almost felt like her nuzzling against his arm. “The masterminds in the story were kinda crazy though. Who’d think the marionettes were the enemies all along?”

“To be honest, it’s pretty clear halfway through that they aren’t exactly what they seemed to be,” he commented, trying to take his mind off Hare nuzzling him. He feared that he’d offend her if he tried to pull his arm free, so he’d try to endure it instead. Besides, he did enjoy— Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name…

“Yeah, but—” Hare said, but stopped. “Oh, it’s a mall. Let’s buy something.”

“Huh—erm, yeah s-sure,” he replied.

Entering the shop, Michael was a little taken aback from all the logos, models, and all kinds of products being showcased by holograms.

“Mnm… where to go from here…” Hare pondered openly.

“Well, what do you wish to buy?” he asked.

“You first,” Hare insisted. “Ladies have been laughing at me for a while because I’ve been hanging around with an old fashioned man.” However exotic he is…

“What? Why? What’s wrong with I am wearing? Should I have gone with a clerical collar? I thought that might be awkward, though,” Michael asked. He didn’t really think much about what he wore, since he just wanted to thank Hare for helping him while he was in Japan. Something like that.

“Oh, don’t be like that,” Hare said, pouting. “Look at all those other men, they look moderately fashionable, while you look like a guy right out of the past. Well, you are. No offense, but you wanna look more presentable. That thing seems old and worn out too.”

“But it’s cheap and I use it a lot. Those clothes seem like they’d rip the moment I try to run,” he complained, looking at the other men who looked like women to him.

“Nah, you just forget they’re actually there, but they stick to †˜ya. Feels awesome that way. Like when the garb gets wet with sweat. Anyway,” Hare said, “I’m getting you something that looks better or I’m gonna do something to you that you’ll always regret.”

“But you’re already doing something I might regre—” Michael mumbled, “...I really don’t like those clothes, they look girly.”

“How are they girly at all…?” Hare questioned, and then pointed at a certain model. “Well what about him? That coat and shirt set-up is a long-running trend but I’d get the quality that’s much better.”

“Well, I guess it’s fine to try… Even if those doesn’t look comfortable at all.” Michael sighed but accepted Hare’s suggestion anyway.

Michael spent his time trying on the outfits Hare wanted him to try. He felt like Hare was really enjoying treating him as a dress-up doll, as some of the outfits he tried didn’t exactly feel like they’d survive a hunt. Eventually, he had settled with a black coat that went down to his hips, a deep crimson colored fitted button-down shirt, pants, and black boots. He made a mental note to have them enhanced with protection magic later so he wouldn’t have to buy more soon. “I am okay with this.”

“I am okay with that too,” Hare said, agreeing. “The red is a nice contrast to the last coat you had. So this feels unique on you. Aside from that, it’s my favorite color too.”

“But does it really have to cost that much? I feel like I am getting ripped off,” he complained, but he looked like he was immediately comfortable with his new clothes. “Let’s get something for you too. I’d feel bad if I was the only one who bought anything.”

“Those materials are sturdier than they look, so they cost more for that—wait, clothes for me… Sure.” Hare gave a very playful smirk

When Michael saw her face, he felt that he had made a decision he would regret, but being a man of his word, he decided to stick to his decision. “Y-Yeah...” he said with an unsure smile.

And of course the horror would start with a lingerie shop. Michael could hardly tell what lingeries were at first, but a second after entering he wanted to run out. With the Miko tugging at him with her devilish smile, however, there was no way he could go back on his word now.

“S...So, what do you think?”

Michael did not know where to turn his gaze when Hare called him. He heard various women whispering about as they passed by him, and some were snickering; he could also feel the gazes, considering he was a man in a lingerie shop. When he turned to face Hare, his jaw dropped. She was wearing a pair of red undergarments that skirted being obscene, and she filled it up nicely. He felt his blood rushing to various places, and he willed himself into not passing out immediately, not noticing that he was silently staring at her with his mouth wide open. Pater noster, qui es in caelis… sancti… sanctificetur Nomen...

“Hello?” Hare said, trying to bring Michael back to reality, waving her hand before his eyes. “Look at me properly,” she teased. “Do I look nice in it? Or do you think a change of color is necessary? Or perhaps a more daring undergarment…”

“T-that’s o-okay… It looks ni—w-what manner of obscene clothing is that?! It barely c-covers a-anything!” He pointed at her—he immediately retracted his hand when he realized he was pointing at her assets, and covered his eyes with his hands instead.

“Hm? Is that so unusual? I thought the westerners were quite daring too. No, I’m pretty sure of it,” Hare stated, apparently confident of her knowledge. “C’mon, you know you’re happy,” she teased again with a grin. “Undergarments aren’t supposed to cover much. Even nuns don’t do that… or do they?”

“I wouldn’t know! A-Anyway, put your clothes back on, it’s distracting!” He said as he lightly head-chopped Hare. Surprisingly, her head somehow felt soft and silky, and it felt like she suddenly got shorte— Michael feared to face Hare as he slowly retracted his hand, his face sporting a crooked smile.

“Kyaa!” Hare pretended. “You pervert.”

“It was a mistake! A mistake!” He apologized, waving his hands in front of him. “I didn’t mean to touch your chest!” He covered his mouth after he was finished speaking.

Michael could hear the giggles of the women behind him. “Are you sure you don’t want to touch more?”

“Of course I am!” he interjected. He really did regret his decision. At least the part where they went and shopped for clothes.

“Ahahaha! Alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing, let’s move on to the dress part,” Hare said. “Ah, but if you don’t wanna turn and watch me change that’s fine, you know?”

Michael turned around, completely exhausted. “Who knew buying clothes could be this terrifying...” he mumbled to himself.

“Any other man would be thrilled. I guess this is just a thing about your upbringing,” Hare said, not knowing how ironic that statement was. She then pulled Michael along by the shops after putting back on her casual clothes.

In the next shop they entered, Michael could sigh in relief. Considering it wasn’t another underwear shop. Yet now he had to face all kinds of short skirts and revealing legs from the outfits she showed.

“Anything catch your fancy yet?”

“The red one looked nice.” He finally calmed down and suggested the longest skirt that Hare tried that he could remember. He was slowly getting used to seeing Hare’s skin, which to him was both a blessing and a curse.

“Oooh, alright. So you like red after all,” Hare said, making a note, picking the shortest skirt instead of the longest she tried so far. “I guess this should do.”

“Somehow, I knew you’d pick that.” Michael sighed. “I do like red, I think it’s the best color of all!” Michael raised his thumb.

“Because it’s the color of blood?”

“I… hadn’t thought of that. I like how it symbolized courage and passion.”

“Mmm… I see. Well, it’s my favorite too, but only because camellias are red.”

“What’s that, food?”

“No, dummy. It’s a flower.”

“Like a rose, then? That’s red too,” he asked, scratching his head.

“Yep. It’s a little lighter shade of red from the rose… still pretty, though.”

“Interesting, I wonder if I can see one before I leave Japan,” he wondered.

“Shall we go to a garden?”

“That would be nice. I’d love to see these Camellia flowers.” Michael smiled at Hare.

“Alright, that’s decided then.” Hare smiled back as they made way for a garden.

The other side of the dormitory of the teachers was the female side. Mary led Michael and Lily through the corridors and led them to the Duchess’ room.

Apparently, the Duchess was strict about manners so Mary gave a warning in particular to Michael about his conduct.

After knocking on the door, Mary and the others were beckoned inside by the noble lady.

“I have returned, Lady Frederica,” Mary said, giving a terse bow.

“Welcome back, Mary. I see you brought along the volunteers you wanted me to meet?” Duchess Frederica asked, not quite expecting an answer as she gave the two behind Mary a glance. “Good day to you two.”

“A good day to you as well, my Lady Duchess.” Michael bowed. It seemed he had to bow quite a lot these past few days. He did prefer the environment at his home in London.

“Good day to you, Mrs. Duchess.” Lily gave a bow as well.

“Feel free to take a seat.” The Duchess motioned towards the sofas and the beds.

Admittedly, Lily noted that this room was particularly more luxurious, even if the surface space was the same as any other room.

Michael took a seat immediately after it was offered to him. Even to an inexperienced observer, one could see that he was feeling tense. “Thank you.” He wished he had paid more attention to the etiquette lessons the priest taught him.

After Lily sat down, Mary waved her hand dismissively. “I must go meet someone. So please take care of these two, Lady Frederica,” Mary said, before taking leave.

“My, that young lady sure is busy, isn’t she?” Frederica commented.

“Err… Ummm… Y-yes. It seems so,” Michael replied.

Contrary to the nervousness of the two members of the Church, the Duchess smiled. “Then, shall I hear the names of you two?”

“Li- erm, I mean, Oclette. My title is Knight of Lilies,” Lily introduced herself, extremely nervous, unexpectedly. She almost blurted out her nickname as her real name.

Michael stared at Lily for a good while when he heard her real name. When he realized she had finished introducing herself, he frantically faced towards the Duchess and spoke. “I am Michael Kallweit, an Executor of The Church.”

“Duly noted.” Frederica typed down the names on some kind of a small device that seemed similar to steam phones to the two. “Any short summary you may provide regarding your abilities, Mister Michael?”

“Erm, I have completed the Church’s rigorous training for its Executors, and have been one for quite a while now,” he replied, wondering what the Duchess was talking about. As far as he knew, the Executors hadn’t really had any incidents that would put their abilities in question. They were the Church’s greatest hunters— the ones that taught demons what fear felt like. Or so he’d been taught; he didn’t really listen much when it came to the propaganda part of their lessons.

“Well, allow me to be specific then, what type of spells do you employ?” the Duchess questioned.

“Penance Stare, Frighten, Twice Shy, and Exorcism are the ones I know by heart.” Michael counted with his fingers. “However, there have been times where I have used spells my opponents used. Primarily the Ignem ones since they tend to like using it. But to be completely honest, I prefer fighting physically.”

“So you have spells that are potentially bad for one’s consciousness and mind, and others for dealing with Infernals. I see,” the Duchess said, but did not note down anything on the device.

“As for me,” Lily was about to start but the Duchess raised a hand for her to halt.

“I am already aware,” Frederica claimed, much to Oclette’s surprise. “The Commander of Knights Laura has told me all about you.”

“S-She… spoke about me?” Lily was astonished at this statement.

“Yes, we used to chat often in the past. Poor lady went is in a coma now, though.”

Lily only looked down at the mention of the tragedy while Michael gripped his knees hard, his gaze downcast.

“Well, since the two of you are here, it’d be rude not to provide some snacks,” Frederica said, offering the two a tray, one that was topped with all kinds of sweets, and most of all, Lily’s favorite, pancakes.

“M...Michael, those are the pancakes I was talking about,” Lily said, literally pointing at them. They were round and appeared to be somewhat similar to biscuits. A sauce of some kind covered them, or something like that.

“That’s great, Lily… You should eat as much as you can.” He smiled weakly at her. “Thank you for the food, my Lady Duchess,” he said, but didn’t really touch any of the food in front of him.

“Don’t be so modest now. Come, try some,” the Duchess offered regardless.

Lily didn’t hold back, and of course she handed a platter of pancakes to Michael, wanting to share the joys of having them.

Michael cut into one and stuffed a piece into his mouth. He chewed slowly as the taste of the pancake covered his mouth. Its light and fluffy texture made it different from the bread he was used to, and the sauce in particular was really sweet. “It’s tasty indeed,” he said.

“Mister Michael, I have heard that you visited Duchess Margaret, is this true?” Frederica inquired.

“Yes indeed, I have visited her twice,” he replied.

“How was her condition?”

“Admittedly, she is still weakened, but I believe she is well on her road to a full recovery now.”

“I see, but it seems like she’d not join the fight against Virgo…” The Duchess held the bridge of her nose and pinched it. “What a shame.”

“I believe she places a higher priority in her child and her students here. Which in my opinion is an adequate reason to not participate in this battle.”

“Indeed, yet her prowess as an Archmage is apparently a key to the fight…” the Duchess stated. “According to Her Majesty, anyway. I’d imagine some hundred magis would be enough… we’ve never needed this much for a single Descendant in a long time.”

“...This seems reminiscent of that recent tragedy with Miss Kazehaya. I pray it will not be a repeat,” Michael said. “I will do my best.”

“The tragedy with Miss Kazehaya?”

“The Descendant. I have heard the Academy mounted an attack on her which resulted in the loss of many lives on the side of the Academy.”

“Ah… yes, her name was Natsu Kazehaya. Indeed, it was a hastily drawn-out plan and nothing good came of it.”

Albeit the Academy didn’t exactly mounted an attack, but the Duchess didn’t correct him.

“Truly.” Then it was truly her that did that. What terrifying powers these Descendants have.

“Well… I suppose we should finish this.” Frederica waved her phone to exemplify her point. “You two wish to form something like a squad with Mary Shelley, yes?”

“To be able to improve upon our tactics, yes.” He nodded.

Frederica could be seen pressing on the screen of the device itself. “Alright, now I’d only need you two to be ready for the Magic Train trip to America in three day’s time. We—the Royal Council—shall finance the trip as we are doing it for every individual participating in this operation. Any questions?”

“Nothing on my end,” Michael replied, before turning to his partner. “We may have to notify the Church.”

“We will notify them, no worries,” the Duchess replied.

“Excuse me, but I do have some inquiries to make…” Lily said, raising a hand. “How do we know that Virgo is to come? It is too sudden, I hadn’t even heard a rumor while I was still in London.”

“Her Majesty revealed it,” Frederica answered.

So how she learned it is a classified detail. “I see. Thank you for your time, Mrs. Duchess.”

“Likewise.”

The two members of the Church stood up, bowed to the Duchess, wished her a good day and took leave.

Now in the hallway, Lily was deep in thought. “I really wonder where Her Majesty gained this information…”

“And if it’s true or not. Now that we have signed up for it, we’ll have to see for ourselves I guess,” Michael said to his partner.

“You caught onto Mary Linfield’s destiny. You shall witness the same tragedy she binds herself to.”

“My destiny is my own, and whatever happens, I would act on what I believe is right. Whoever this Mary Linfield is, if this tragedy about to befall her is avoidable, I shall do my best to prevent it,” Michael declared.

“What? Mary Linfield? Tragedy?” Lily questioned, confused.

“It seems that I have acquired a spirit who attached itself onto me,” Michael explained.

“Should it not be exorcised?” Lily could only imagine how it felt like to have a spirit “attached” to oneself. “It may be dangerous.”

“It apparently is the Archangel Uriel.”

Lily stopped in awe, but Michael walked on. “How is that even…”

“Apparently,” he repeated.

“It has to be a demon is guise,” Lily stated.

“I have a feeling it isn’t,” Michael replied. “Although, if it really is a demon, we’d have to exorcise it. I am just afraid if it fails, then it really is him.”

“We’d attain proof, nothing else,” Lily coldly said. “Demons are very cunning, after all. You can never be too careful.”

“Yes, but why attach itself to me, then?”

“It could be due to a curse of a vampire.”

“I don’t recall any instance on when that might’ve happened, but we can try exorcising it if it worries you too much,” Michael replied.

“Well…” Lily looked down. “As much as I’d like that, we don’t have the necessary people nor skills to perform something so large-scaled.”

“Now you see why I’m not that worried about it. There’s nothing we can do for now but hope.” Michael smiled at Lily. “You really do like pancakes, huh?”

“Yes, yes I do.”

Svetlana entered a particular room with a big bag. It was an unnecessarily spacious room. The walls were painted wine red. The furniture was few, including only a table and a sofa aside from the large bed where the usual inhibitor of the room lied. She’d always be sitting before her pillow, listlessly gazing at the window to her right. Who knew what she was thinking about.

From hearing the door open, and finding Svetlana there, her complexion was alive with enthusiasm.

“Hello, Miss Svetlana,” the girl greeted, trying to tone down her excitement. This was the only person in the world who’d visit her simply because she wanted to see her, after all. For a child like her this was good enough. After all, the maids were looking after her at that woman’s behest—she thought.

“Hi hi, Isabelle,” Svetlana responded.

She always seemed strange to the young child with how she worded her greetings.

“What have you bought for me this time?” Isabelle inquired. She could hardly wait any longer. The food cooked in the mansion was no longer satisfactory anymore, despite being high-quality.

“Some more sweets,” Svetlana answered with a toothy grin. “Like usual.” She took some out from the back. There were not only sweets, but also chocolates, biscuits loaded with cream, and whatnot.

“I see. Good, good, you have been serving me well,” Isabelle praised, high and mighty like a lord to a servant with her nose faced towards the ceiling. She then greedily unwrapped the small packages and started delighting herself with the confectionaries.

“Ehehe! Good to see you like them.” Svetlana watched the girl consume the goods, as she cupped her face with her hands as support as she stayed beside the bed.

“Really… and you do all this just for the sake of doing †˜playful things’ to me.” She brought her face closer to Svetlana, who cleaned her creamy lips with a tissue.

“Of course.”

“Like changing my pajamas overnight—is that so fun?”

“That’s right, your reactions are so much fun to see.”

“Even if I have agreed that you are an acceptable big sister figure—isn’t that going a little too far?”

“Hey, not like you’re not enjoying what I offer in return!”

“Hmm… I suppose there is merit in that statement.”

“Yep, yep.”

“Interesting…”

“Eh?” Svetlana looked around, bewildered.

“What?”

“Did you hear something just now…?”

“No? I do not think so. Are you sure you are not imagining things?”

“...I, I guess I was… ahaha…”

“...What do you need? I don’t wanna cast another healing magiiiic,” Mathilde blurted out with a bottle of whisky in hand.

Michael entered Mathilde’s office—looking at the nameplate before the door twice—after asking around. He wanted to thank her, but it turned out that she was drunk. The room stank of booze. Svetlana sat beside her, and only waved her hand happily with a smile. She said something Michael couldn’t make sense of. Probably a Japanese greeting.

“I wanted to express my gratitude for saving my life… to both of you.” He smiled back at the two. In his hand, he carried a bunch of biscuits he bought as a thank you gift.

Svetlana accepted the biscuits while Mathilde’s face looked worse than it was.

“Ehhh? You didn’t bring me any booze?!”

“Uh, I didn’t really bring any wine from London...” He replied.

“Tch, should’ve just let him die,” Mathilde mumbled to herself.

“...I’ll be sure to send you wine as soon as I can.” He sighed in defeat.

“Good,” Mathilde said—strict—almost like a boss to a labourer. “Oh, and my student here says thank you for taking on †˜that annoying vampire’ because she was †˜annoying’, or something,” Mathilde added after gulping more of her drink down.

“It was due to her I was able to keep up with Claudia. I seem to vaguely recall her being able to speak in English. What happened?” he asked.

“Oh. About that? I gave her an accessory which had the Translation Supernatural ability sealed into it. She was probably speaking in Japanese to you, but you heard English due to the power…” Mathilde drank more as she spoke, “Apparently it broke at some point in the fight, and it ran out of charge. I doubt it’ll work, I gotta get her another one later… or just have her learn it directly.”

“I see, so that’s what it was. Well then, thank you both once more,” he said as he was about to leave.

“Ah, right. My student is asking about where this, uh… Lily person is?”

“She said she was going out but didn’t tell me where. Did you have a message you wish to tell her?”

Mathilde lazily translated Michael’s words, and Svetlana only shook her head to the question.

“Oh. Could I ask where I can find Miss Margaret Alicia?”

“Who knows,” Mathilde said, taking up a new bottle. “I’d rather she doesn’t come back for a while. She is too strict…” Of course, Svetlana realized the mention of the name and asked, and her teacher translated for her. “Ugh… um, according to Sevvy-chan here, Alicia-sensei is at her own house. She said she can lead you there.”

“That would be most appreciated,” Michael said, smiling.

dunno, i feel like fanserivice is more common now and less plot

yep, oohoshi is just so good. i need her to poke my cheeks or something

like plot plot and not plot rite?

well thankfully some titmonsters still look great and pack a punch. also, oohoshi

rip everyday themed anime

tho its ironic that every strong girls dont look so great

Yeah, no surprise that Ako is the cutest in the entire team.

Sometimes I just can't get back to a show I stopped for whatever reason. When I do try to pick it up it's a pain to find out much how I watched and whatnot.

OT: Fakku is being slow and maintenance-y and shit again. EW.

Feels like an extremely dumbed down version if anything. Human psychology is a vast and deep subject, to be honest, and I actually don't think it was portrayed here all -that- well other than people's tendency to fight each other, but I guess you still somewhat covered that with the so-called God claiming people sins. In the end, you weren't really after their sins in general, I think your entry was really gunning for the part where they have to fight each other for their wants. Attempting to cover something else just meaninglessly spreads it even further. Yet, at the same time, it could be inferred that the God doesn't really find sin to be a bad thing. He takes revenge which is basically baiting them into sins, and gets off that shit. So this God is rather really human, and I wouldn't really associate him with being Godly. Then again, you could also say that God is like us because he created us. Heh.

@Dawn Um, I don't know, you're essentially talking about problems I can't solve with all the limitations here. It's a challenge but that's why I sought other weapons, maybe it didn't work out for everyone. Or some of these problems that aren't really problems at all?

Control freak? Maybe a little? But I think you read it in the most unintended way possible. Anyway, it's too long for me to give a proper reply to (without me just bursting and saying yo that is wrong), so I think I shall refrain.

If you can't relate to the characters, then perhaps your perspective is simply too different. I apologize that you had to read all of this and your imagination supplemented points I hoped it wouldn't, but I will still thank you for sharing your opinions and reading my entry.



Hello, Gambler.

No, I think Hailey is very important, as this was actually more about her if you note the title. However, since she wasn't narrating, it'd become a bit of a challenge to figure out from her dialogues how she feels.

As expected of you to see through my little twist towards the end. Haha. It could be better, but maybe not more based on my current capabilities. Memorable, huh? That's a good point. Maybe I should've done something about that.

Thanks for taking the time to read it.

yeaaaaah. i neeed to finish the show tho at some point i kinda stopped

oh, they sure dont stop relying on him huh

Hello, thank you for taking the time to read my entry, Allied.

I appreciate how you note and analyze the interaction of the characters and what effects they bring about. They were more or less intended to be interpreted that way, and nothing makes me happier than to know that a dear reader has perceived the details as I would've hoped.

You're probably the first reader to directly touch upon the role-model aspect of their relationship. This was something I wanted to use as a catalyst to attract the two characters to each other. It is important to note that Hailey wasn't always speaking as just her mother, but also a senior, and I wanted this aspect to hopefully add more depth to their already-complicated relationship. Working around their interactions with all these factors atop the boat was quite the challenge.

While my objective was not to truly work on their interaction at the start. I suppose it was well worth the efforts. My objective from the start was to convey my message to the readers about my personal philosophies, and what I like to believe in, which is--all of which Hailey discusses and advises to Lucy. In the end, it turned out that a proper conversation was the best way to do it.

I happen to like writing like this. Some of my previous works were similar attempts at vague storytelling, but unfortunately they were not as great as I wanted them to be (well, still a bit proud of The Golden Companion).

While I do agree that some people loves to be spoon-fed details, I do like to think that it boils down to a matter of preference for everyone in the end and I do not particularly loathe them for adhering to their respective nature either. Personally, I like to be open-minded, so I'd rather see what an author wants to tell me, the reader. If I can tell what he is up to, perhaps I'll try to see it the way he wants me to.

Flaws as its assets? I'm not sure I understand.

Regardless, thank you once again for reading my entry and sharing your opinion about it.

There was a bright light in the throne.

There was a darkness opposite to the throne.

Opposition.

War.

Death.

And Salvation.

“...What is true salvation?”

His eyes abruptly opened.

“Oh… you awake at last?” Hare asked.

Michael looked around. There were constant beeping noises. He found Hare sitting beside him. He could hardly move. Was he in the infirmary?

“I think so. What happened?” he asked. He had a general idea of what happened before he collapsed, but it came to him in images in no particular order, It was a giant mess, and it was giving him a headache.

“Let’s see… things went… boom! Yes, that’s right, boom! I heard you fought someone and were injured. Alicia-sensei called up on the Academy and everyone was collected from the city,” Hare said, giving a half-baked explanation.

“Thank you for clarifying things for me.” Somehow, he really did recall what happened up to the point where the Countess pulverized him. Which brought Michael to his next inquiry, “How am I still alive?”

“Dunno. Magic fixes things. Right?” Hare said nonchalantly. “You were done in pretty badly from what I heard, but the nurse said you lived through sheer will or something, either that or—they think—something might have protected you.”

Michael frowned, not accepting Hare’s explanation. While he was filled with gladness that he was able to wake up, it did not make any sense to him. The last time he was awake back on the battlefield, not only were most of his bones shattered, he was pretty sure his ribs pierced most of his vital organs. He vaguely recalled waking up again, but attributed it to a dream. “Even I know I should’ve died back then. I might’ve already did. Did they implant me into something else?”

“Err… no, you’re in the same body,” Haru said, scratching the back of her head. “Healing magic can work wonders in the hands of an expert. I hear that Mathilde person used some amazing magic to do the trick.”

“I… see. Thank you for being patient with me, then. Give my gratitude to her too.” Michael calmed down and smiled at Hare. “I wish we could’ve met again in better circumstances, but it is nice to see you.”

“Did you manage to kill your target?”

“Did the Countess manage to escape?”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“It will. She took my target with her when I was about to deal the killing blow. Did the Countess escape?”

“You probably babbled too much about the Bible before trying to kill. Haha! Anyway, yeah…” Hare said, yawning. “The Countess was undefeated, and they said she eventually left after fighting Alicia-sensei.”

Michael heard what Hare said but failed to reply immediately. He was holding his head with his hands. It boggled his mind how his head ached so much yet his body so little. He assumed that if he were given something for it, the medicine would have worked on his head too. “That… that’s unfortunate,” he squeezed out.

“Are you alright?” Hare asked. “You don’t… look so well. Should I call the nurse?”

“It’s okay. Might be that I just woke up. How many hours was I out?” The pain was manageable now. I really hope this doesn’t stick.

“Mn…” She slowly counted. “I guess this is the fourth day now that you woke up.”

“...Where are the others?”

“Most of them are already up and recovered,” Hare answered, taking out a cold tomato juice. “I haven’t seen Alicia-sensei ever since the fight, and Svetlana was here till yesterday. It seems like you had the worst of the injuries.”

“Alici- Miss Alicia? What happened to her?” he asked in shock. She appeared to him as someone who was probably stronger than him. “What about Lily, is she alright? ”

“You haven’t seen it? I heard Alicia-sensei was so cool fighting the Countess, but for some reason she wasn’t brought over to the infirmary and was taken elsewhere for recovery,” Hare explained before drinking the juice. “Who’s Lily?”

“My partner. I forgot I haven’t introduced you two to each other. She’s a knight of the Church. Last we’d seen each other was… We agreed she was to follow Miss Kazehaya,” he explained. “Did you bring me some of that cold tea?” he suddenly asked.

“Umm… was it that pretty blonde girl who was here till the day after the fight?” Hare’s expression changed and she teasingly spoke, “Is she your girlfriend?”

“No,” he said flatly.

“You don’t have a girlfriend? Man, you guys are so boring.”

“I’m a priest.” Although, Laura did come to his mind. Not that he’d admit it to anyone.

“Then why is your face so red? There’s someone you like, isn’t there?”

“It’s a fever, I’m sick,” he replied. “Did you bring me cold tea? I’d pay for it.”

“Nah, don’t pay, let me treat you for once. This will be payback for the sweet biscuits. I figured that the iced tea would have its ice melted if I pre-bought them,” Hare said, getting off the chair. “Be right back!”

“Thanks!” He tried to shout as she left. He looked around the room, seizing the opportunity while he was alone. He couldn’t see his equipment, nor anything else much aside from the various medical implements attached to him, for that matter. He tried sitting at the side of the bed, as he intended to walk around rather than waste away lying down.

“What are you doing?” a familiar voice asked.

Michael turned, and rubbed his eyes as if to confirm.

It was Mary. Mary Shelley.

“You should rest some more. Lay down.”

“Either you’re really Mary, or I hit my head that hard. Is this one of your tricks, Hare?” Michael said. He did recall that Mary had mentioned that she did not have any intention to go to Japan.

“Eh? Hare?” Mary asked. “Do you mean the Red Hare perchance?”

“Wait. Mary? You’re really here. What for?” Did she come to finish Claudia after all?

“No, I’m not chasing Claudia at the moment,” Mary answered his thought, waving her hand dismissively. “I was invited by a Duchess for a very important upcoming battle. This is but a detour, for which I am here.”

“Okay, I’ll take that explanation,” Michael said. He could feel his headache coming back again. It seemed that it wouldn’t be letting him free soon.

“If Claudia appears in sight though, I’ll kill her,” Mary said with a smile as she sat beside him on his bed. “So how are things? I heard you got hurt pretty badly.”

“No need, I already exorcised her. The Countess interfered when I was about to—” Michael lowered his head. “She was… irredeemable. There was nothing left to save. ”

“You weren’t told to save her to begin with, were you? Since… I hear Executioners of the Church are always ordered to kill. I think you’re a strange one among them,” she stated, but smiled. “But a good one. As for Claudia… I do not think anything has been resolved yet.”

“She survived then, probably. Let’s just hope my exorcism sticks,” he said half-heartedly. While some part of him wanted to try what he could for Mary’s friend, there were still parts of him with hatred towards Claudia. “I am not as good as you think I might be, Miss Mary.”

“Probably,” Mary repeated, looking down and averting her gaze from Michael. “She is a Representative now… an exorcism or two won’t faze her for long.” She sighed, then looked towards the ceiling. “Good at what, exactly? I only said †˜good’ because you’re not a heartless killer… but what do you think about yourself if you do not agree with me?”

“Because I killed Mister Bram. Even though he was just a victim himself. How come I tried to save Claudia, but didn’t do the same to my friend?! I… regret wasting my effort in trying to save her.” He made a barely audible chuckle. Afterwards, he smiled dejectedly at Mary, “I really do wonder how the two of you became friends. Is it because of your drastically contrasting personalities?”

“Enough.”

Before long, Michael felt rather confused. The warmth he felt was somehow familiar. Just like the time he got to speak intimately with Laura…

It only then dawned upon him—moments later—that Mary was embracing him.

“Enough,” she repeated. “He was a victim, but Mister Bram was put to rest thanks to you…” she stated, her voice shaking. Michael could hear her crying. “How Claudia and I became friends… huh?” She sighed yet again as she separated herself from the priest. “Perhaps. I saw a little bit of my past in her, too. However, she is now a person who sees no value in others’ lives, and takes them without mercy… then claims a false righteous cause for doing so.”

“I do recall her saying that she was saving us. I dismissed it as her delusions that might’ve been caused by that unholy scythe of hers,” he replied, after regaining composure. He felt chills down his spine as he recalled the voices in his head.

“...Scythe? I do not remember her wielding such a weapon before.” Mary attempted to compose herself, wiping away her tears.

“A demonic implement that seems to attempt to rob the free will of whoever it cuts. I am lucky to have been able to resist its abilities, but I had to do so with all my willpower. I would have committed... ” His voice trailed off, as once more he recalled the voices. “It truly was a work of the devil. I cannot imagine who could create such a thing.”

“That seems like a fearsome weapon. There are said to be very few that agree to craft for the terrorists. For there to be such a crafter among them…” Mary mumbled. “Well, what do you intend to do now? Considering how the terrorists of BLoodLuSt act, they’d attack their target once more at most before moving on to a new target.”

“...My mission hasn’t changed. I will factor these into the next strategy,” Michael stated matter-of-factly, as if to take his mind off his fears.

“Something had been bugging me about what Claudia said regarding her cause, though…”

“Please, do tell.”

“Something about hunting the Descendants and trying to save the world… sounds extremely farfetched but…”

“Are you thinking of the possibility that it might be true?”

“I do not think they may have a good intention in mind doing this—considering they are terrorists—but I feel a sliver of truth in the statement. No,” Mary shook her head as she stated, “Not a sliver, actually. I feel she was speaking the truth to convince me that night.”

“Even so. Their methods are cruel and selfish. Not a single death can be justified by saying that it is to save the world. I do not think a world that can only be saved by such methods is a world worth saving,” he declared. “This is why I believe my Organization exists. We are throwing our lives, our souls so that no one else would have to. We kill the heretics, the demons… but only them. If it will cost us dearly to do so, then it is a sacrifice we will be willing to make.”

Mary smiled wryly. “In the end, we’re killing one to save another. We’re still taking lives, but I think it is a good thing to honor and acknowledge sacrifice unlike Claudia.”

“I fear that… that we’re too weak to save others, and just resort to killing. In the end we might just be the same as them. But even so… I still believe. I have faith in what we do.” Michael looked at Mary, smiling. “Please understand: every life we take is another sin, another burden that we have to carry till the end of our lives. That is what I believe separates us from them. So that is why… even if she and I may work for the same goal in the end, I would still think of them doing wrong.”

“I know that, I understand that,” Mary said getting up and returning the smile. “That is what it means to understand a sacrifice, after all.”

“Then please… please let me finish what I should’ve finished back then; do not chase after her. If what you said is true, then that affair with the Descendants is something that will end up bigger than us both if we… you don’t act now,” he said, as he tried to stand up again.

Michael could swear he saw a chain wrapped around Mary’s neck for a moment. A white chain. An ephemeral existence. It pulsed and Mary’s eyes squinted. She faced away from Michael as if to hide her face. “Well, I have my own missions. I will eventually have to pursue her… but do not worry; I do not have my priorities backwards.”

“Even now, he haunts you.” He clenched his fists. It sounded like he was about to continue speaking, but he kept his silence. “...I thank you for visiting me, Miss Mary. I really appreciate seeing you once more.”

“Michael… come with me to America. Two Descendants are there… you know what that means, right?”

“I cannot abandon my duty Miss Mary.” His voice had a pang of regret. “However, I haven’t nor will I forget my promise,” he said, implying that he’d follow her there as soon as he could.

“If what Claudia claimed is true, their target lies there.”

“I need to be sure that Miss Kazehaya is safe from harm.”

“Your mission as an Executioner was to deal with Claudia, not the safety of a Descendant. If the main force leaves this country with Claudia, then your target should be followed.”

“That is correct. But I promised her that she will be safe. If Claudia does leave the country, then my mission and promise are both complete,” Michael answered, albeit a bit confused on Mary’s insistence.

“I see,” Mary coldly replied. “Then I will be away. Take care,” she said, walking out of the room as Hare came in with an ever notable grin.

She waited till Mary exited and then gave Michael an even larger grin. “So that was your girlfriend. She is cute, if I say so myself.” She nodded to herself.

“What are you talking about? She was a friend of mine. I do wonder why she left in such a hurry… I wished you two could’ve met. It seems like you two would be good friends,” he replied, still confused about Mary’s sudden departure.

“Ahaha! It’s because you’re a wimp to accept her initiative. She even hugged you.” Hare laughed as she spoke, now with a new can of cold tomato juice. She handed him a few drinks aside from the iced tea. It seemed like they’d last him for some time. “You’re bad with girls, aren’t you?”

Michael took the can, which was similar to what he drank with Hare a few days ago after putting it on top of her head. “She was a good friend, and must I remind you that I am a priest?” he said, sighing. “It seems you arrived early into our conversation.”

“Bah! If you wanted hot tea just tell me next time!” Hare said, losing her composure before she turned lax again. “Did God prohibit love, though? Doesn’t really make sense to me. Priest or not, when a woman gives a man the sign of her feelings, it’s the man’s job to accept it, and follow along.”

“I think you misunderstand; Miss Mary asked for my help in dealing with the Descendants in America. You might’ve misheard.” Michael opened another can that was not on top of Hare’s head and drank greedily.

Hare gave a look of pity. How could a man be so dense? She could hardly imagine. “I think you misread her intentions, actually.”

“You are just reading too much into it. She was acting in urgency,” he replied, opening another can.

Hare shrugged with disappointment. “Pathetic,” she mumbled.

“She would be making a mistake if she did think of me like that,” he softly mumbled so that only he could hear. Afterwards, he drank the rest of the can he was holding.