Chapter 10: Italica Pt 3

-M29. 671. Italica. Falmart.-

As the entire 3rd and 5th Recon Teams had acquired permission to enter from the Third Princess, they immediately took their way to the mansion. Raias could feel the whole meeting had happened inside his mind. Furthermore, he had predicted the worst-case scenario.

"82, can you give me the appropriate law for interacting with the pre-feudal world in this kind of situation?" Raias asked the Ferrous Mind.

"Of course." Instantly, a slide of words appears in his HUD.

Reading it, Raias frowned. "Even though they are human, superiority must be shown, huh."

The law itself banned all kinds of direct hostility and aggression against the native, as it would spark a full-blown conflict that would be failed to bring the entire feudal society to its destruction. Full compliance would be successful, but the Imperium's dream of unification would be only marked by tragedy. On the other side of the coin, the Imperium must show their power, showing grace and safe heaven. With that, an enlightened society could be marked as glorious unification.

"I think I know what I'm going to say to that airhead Princess," Raias remarked.

"Airhead would be a strong word, Captain." The Men of Iron told the Solar Guardian.

"Maybe. But the point that she willingly throws anything to make a negotiation safer using her status as a Princess is an act worthy of praise. That still reckless." Raias pointed. The Princess is indeed a strong-willed woman. The moment she opens the door frantically, wanting to deal with the entire convoy, is indeed admirable. But she came defenseless, reckless.

The door to the hall opens. A pair of wooden thrones is located at the end of the room, and Myui sits on one of them. A wide wooden table occupied the center as the maids slowly prepared the drinks. Something, in particular, piqued Raias' curiosity.

All of them were abhumans.

Raias have read the report about Colt Formal's attitude toward the abhumans. He wanted to erase any racism toward them, proven by the sheer amount of abhuman maids before the Solar Guardian.

"Worry not, Falmartian abhumans. Imperium will come for all of you." Raias muttered. Even though it was full of conviction, it was directed at himself.

"Now, I think we can begin our talk," Pina said, scanning the guests sternly.

"Of course, Princess," Raias replied neutrally.

"First among all. Please explain your intention here, Captain Raias." The Princess said, slightly darting her eyes to the young Countess.

"It would be better if I spoke directly with the Countess." He proclaimed.

"What do you want to talk with me, Lord..." Myui slowly stopped her mouth talking, slightly confused.

"Raias Seloce, milady," Raias said fluently.

"Lord Raias Seloce, is there anything you want to tell me?" Myui replied. But when she tries to gaze at the giant's helmet, it only gives her chills.

"I hailed from the Imperium of Man. We came from the Zalvus Hills." With that proclamation, the entire room is frozen in shock; even Itami is shocked by the bluntness. Widen their eyes with caution. Before they reply, Raias continue.

"I have one duty here, to conduct a recon mission on Italica by order of the Lord General Sol. The last but not least, to inform the current head of Formal House about the former head is still alive in our care." It was a huge blow of truth to the entire room occupant. Myui herself staggered, trembling uncontrollably.

"M-M-My father is still alive?" Myui said with her eyes slightly wet because tears slowly began to emerge from the corner of her eyes.

"Yes, Lady Myui," Raias smirked slightly beneath his helmet.

"H-how?" The maids would prepare themselves if this were a trick, ready to make an opening of escape when the intention is fully revealed.

"The Emperor wills it."

"The Emperor?" The Countess asked.

"Emperor of Mankind had wills it that your father must survive. No one knows why, but most importantly." He turned to the Saderan. "Colt Formal had pledged his loyalty to His Majesty, Lord of the Imperium of Man. So, the entire Formal House's territory is now under Imperium's control."

The truth was deafening to the Falmartian; shock would be an understatement, as none of them could barely comprehend the flawless feature of the giant's words. The truth that made Pina pale with fear.

"This is blasphemous! It can't be real!" Kain shouted as she was the one who had directly sworn loyalty to the said man. The usually calm and collected woman shouted with anger, catching the maids off guard.

Raias turned his head to the head maid. The eyes of anger were clearly shown and directed at him. Raias sighed slowly.

"I have the evidence, but it would be unwise to show you without any given context. Don't worry. I've received word from the Lord General that Colt Formal will be dispatched to this region, declaring his allegiance to the Imperium, turning all of you into Imperial Citizens." Raias said with his booming voice, causing the entire room to feel insignificant.

But Kain did not budge. "If that wasn't a ploy you made, Solar Guardian. Then I will ask you one question."

"Ask it, then," Raias replied softly.

"If we become part of your Imperium. What happens to demi-human maids living in here?" This question brought the maids to gasp.

"Head maid." One of them muttered.

"Your question is expected, head maid Kain," Raias said with his most fluent tone that, to the Falmartian, it was inhumanly perfect. It made them hard to believe this giant was indeed human.

But one question remains: how does this giant know the head maid's name without even asking it.

"The Imperium of Man forbids any form of slavery. Whether it is human or abhuman, it will be punished by death. Every single of our citizens deserves rights and luxuries, masters of their own fates. I will tell you, one of our Governors is a cat abhuman." The Solar Guardian proudly stated. Though, he excludes the term Planetary to make the Falmartian capable of scaling it within their minds.

"Demi-human... Became leader of humans?" Pina slowly asked, did not draw any anger from the iron giant.

"Indeed. In fact, they have the same chance as us. The only thing that differs you in the Imperium is your worthiness to serve the Emperor and the Imperium as a whole." The fact was uttered by the Solar Guardian.

The statement itself invites various sentiments from every person in the room. The open-minded Falmartian began to see something beneath the words of the giant.

It was a country governed by talent. Too beautiful to be the truth, skepticism would be the most practical way to perceive such a vision.

"Meritocracy, huh," Itami muttered.

Pina could not move her body as her mind froze at the realization. This Italica, the place she had set foot into, is becoming a part of the enemy's territory.

She is the war prisoner here, an act of aggression as she entered the place without any permission from this said Imperium.

"You think it was an act of aggression, Princess?" The voice of the Solar Guardian snapped Pina from her train of thought.

"How did you.." Pina's words died in her throat, biting her lips.

"I know more than you do, Princess. The world is much bigger than you ever expected." Raias told the Princess with a tone that was unknown to the rest of the room, radiating a psychic conduit.

Pina felt something that made her skin cold at that very moment. It was emptiness, vast darkness, that rendered her view of the world significantly different.

And from that darkness rose a golden man. The shining beacon that shattered the dark, guiding the entire humanity into a single brilliant path.

The vision suddenly stopped as she stared at the Solar Guardian with narrowed eyes.

"What do you mean by that?" Pina asked slowly.

"The truth will be revealed to you soon, Princess." The tone is empathetic, touching, and unnatural, radiating a supernatural essence.

Pina chooses to remain silent, pondering the vision she has saw. Something about it could not be described in words, only a sheer magnitude of beauty.

"Back to our main concern," Raias stated. "The city is under attack. As it is Imperium's territory, it falls under our jurisdiction to protect it. Your presence will be tolerated as an act of misunderstanding, Princess Pina Co Lada. But do not worry; your hard work will be paid by the defeat of this enemy."

"D-Defeat the enemy? They have numbers in thousands! Even though you were more powerful than us, your number is far from matching them!" Pina shouted in anger, baffled by Raias' sentence.

"I will tell you something, Princess. How many expeditionary forces that your Empire send to invade Zalvus Hills?" The Solar Guardian asked with uncaring logic beyond the neutrality of it.

"One hundred and sixty thousands soldiers," Pina said carefully, expecting the worst possible outcome.

"I will tell you those brave men have been massacred by less than one hundred... Golems. As for their reinforcement, less than two Chapter worth of Solar Guardians were needed to destroy them without any trace." The metal giant approached Pina, glaring into her eyes. Though his face is covered with a helmet, the piercing eyes can be felt by the red-haired Princess.

"You are lying," Pina said in disbelief.

"If you do think so. I won't force you to believe it. But this siege will prove it for you." The voice was determined, leaving no trace of deception.

"Because there are no questions to be said. Let's prepare the war plan." He concluded with confidence.

_____________________________________

Pina is distraught, resting her cheek on her hand. Her mind was clouded with various sentiments that she could not comprehend each one of them. It peaked when that vision invaded her mind.

A world surrounded by darkness, consumed by the unrelenting hunger of dark nature.

A golden man that eroded that darkness, changing it into something beautiful.

It was too much for her. Releasing a sigh, Pina darted her eyes to the window. The sun was setting on the horizon as the red twilight.

A possibility of a night attack came to her as it was their only reasonable decision.

"If what Lord Raias said was true. How were we able to defend ourselves from them?" She asked herself, messaging her temples to reduce the stress that plagued her mind.

"Is there something bothering you, milady?" Hamilton asked from behind her.

"I can't put into words what I saw back in that room." Pina told the questioned knight.

"What do you mean by that, milady?" The brunette's question only made Pina grow more profoundly in her mind to seek the correct answer.

"Did you see it?" It was the first question she must make, which caused the young knight to tilt her head in confusion.

"My apologies. I think I don't follow." She replied nervously.

"You... Did not see that vision?" Pina raised her brows, conflicting with her own head.

"I... I don't see any vision, milady."

"Very well, then." The third Princess let out a breath of weariness.

"Princess. What did you see?" The wariness clearly emanated from Hamilton's voice. She was genuine, worried about her lady's condition.

"Its... Nothing." Pina tried to make replies, trying to avoid any further conversation.

Hamilton did not pursue, nodding her head in understanding.

"Princess, did you think they could defeat the enemy?" Hamilton asked, trying to switch the topic and ease the atmosphere.

"To be honest with you, Hamilton. I don't know." She replied sourly.

".... I can't say I couldn't agree with you, milady. I mean, they are just five individuals and a dozen of green men." The numbers were insignificant compared with the enemies.

To the Princess and her knight, it was almost unthinkable to defeat thousands of soldiers with just that small army

"Even though we must at least put our faith in them. But that was ironic, wasn't it?" A bitter taste filled Pina's mouth, giving Hamilton resentment in her chest.

"Became prisoner in the very city I want to protect. What a shame as a Princess of the Empire." A dry chuckle escaped her mouth.

"We-We can afford you an escape route, Princess." The young knight exclaimed, her tone trembling nervously.

"No. I will stay. Even though I'm a prisoner, escaping would change my status into a fugitive." It was a simple fact that could not be changed. As a prisoner, they have an imprint law for her. When she escapes, her head will have a price, and thus, the Imperium will hunt her. She did not know the full capability of this nation; it only caused her distress that nearly consumed all of her mind.

But those giants make her worst imagination can come alive.

"The best decision is to stay in this mansion until the siege is over."

____________________________________

-Eastern Wall-

"Are you sure they will attack here, Captain?" Itami asked Raias.

"As long as the defense in this city is present and the southern wall was not, they will." The answer is neutral, filled with conviction.

"This place. What will going to do with it?" Tomita asked.

"We will turn it into a meat grinder," Nathaniel answered.

"M-Meat grinder?!" Mari shouted in horror.

"He did not mean literally, Kurokawa," Mal said reassuringly

"What does that mean, then?" The black-haired woman asked slowly.

"It was a usual tactic to make a primitive civilization submit by a sheer terror of firepower." The Apothecary shrugged.

"How that works?" This time is Kuribayashi, who curiously asked.

"It will be straightforward. As a Devastator, I am responsible for attacking their back, causing them to move forward. We also positioned Maiya in the flank to keep them in check." Nathaniel speaks out, smiling casually as if it were not a war.

"With that, it was Raphael's duty to keep the other flank with his Railgun-Accelerator Sniper Rifle from afar." Maiya added.

"W-Wait. Railgun-Accelerator Sniper Rifle?" Takao pointed to Raphael with a trembling hand.

"Yes. RSR, for short. It was a kinetic sniper rifle that accelerated the particle within it with an electric space imbued by a grav manipulation field. Thus, it could propel the bullet with 18 Mach." As a specialized weapon specialist, Maiya knows almost any standard weapons in Imperium's arsenal. One of those is RSR.

"Did any Sniper Specialist has that kind of weapon?" Kuwahara pointed out the most obvious question.

That weapon is kin of ballistic missiles if they want to put it into the JSDF's perspective. That caliber of firepower wielded by a single soldier is in the realm of impossibility.

"The answer is yes. Hurt to say, but. That weapon is not the standard one." The red-haired Solar Guardian answered.

"Hurt to say?" Itami raised an eyebrow.

Before Maiya could answer, Raphael stepped closer. "It was unstable. It can explode when the gravitation field becomes overloaded. Anyone near its blast radius will be pulled by gravity, ending their lives."

The answer made the JSDF not have any bravery to speak. The risk of that mighty weapon is equivalent to its power.

"Why did you not use other weapons?" Kuribayashi asked bluntly.

"This weapon can kill any target. With that, I did not need anything." The Sniper shouts back even more bluntly.

"If you died by that field, you can't eliminate your target." Kurbayashi did not stand down and stared into the blonde's eyes.

"I've lived long enough with this weapon."

"And still, it can kill you." She turned to Maiya. "Did the Imperium has any safer weapon than that?"

"Absolutely. In fact, that weapon is outdated." The Demolished replied with a shrug.

"See," Kuribayashi glared at the Sniper.

"I need it. For my enemies and me." Raphael said with a stern gaze. Giving extreme uneasiness in the group.

"I see everything now, Raphael. Please, stop. I understand your condition, but please, that was enough." Raias grabbed the Solar Guardian's shoulder.

"Affirmative, Captain. I will take my position." Raphael's suit began to form the helmet, instantly cloaking himself and leaving.

"W-What was that?" Mari asked as nausea began to affect her body.

They have felt the transhuman dread. Yet, this one is drastically different. It is like their consciousness is being forced to separate from their body with a magnitude of power.

"My head... It's hurt." Tuka said with pain as she held her head. Tears slowly started to emerge from her eyelids.

"Tuka!" Mari shouted.

"What happened with you?!" Itami said in concern.

Did not even help the situation; Lelei's features turned pale. Her hand reached her head in pain as her mouth let out saliva resulting in her nearly throwing up.

Rory, she is seemingly fine, like nothing has happened. But there were lies behind that. Even the non-augmented humans could see that her skin became paler than before as her body trembled.

"Mal," Mari called. "Did you know what happened to them?"

The apothecary did not answer. Instead, he glanced at his leader. The rest followed, which caused the Japanese to get lost in questions.

"Captain," Nathaniel addressed the said Solar Guardian. "Did this what I think it is?"

"I have my deduction, but I don't dare to utter it yet," Raias said to him, nearly whispering.

"But wait. If that was the case, isn't he supposed to be with... Longinus Agitatus?" The name that had been invoked by Mal made the entire 5th Recon Team to froze.

"Excuse me. What do you mean by Longinus Agitatus?" Itami asked the Solar Guardian.

"It... It was one of the Imperium of Man's military forces. But, that division is... Something that must not speak lightly." Raias said carefully, fully calculating his words.

"Longinus... That name. Isn't this related to god-killing stuff, Captain?" Tomita asked.

"I can't say it. But, his nature that clearly affected the xenos, the psyker, and the warp-born is genuine. But it is just speculation. Nothing to fear for now... For now." Raias told the JSDF.

"Well, for now. I think you must give him some apologies for this misunderstanding." Maiya said to the brunette JSDF.

"Speaking of apology. Why do you go overboard like that, Kurbiayashi?" Kuwahara asked sternly.

"I-I don't know, sir. It like... Something from him allured me to do so." Kuribayashi stated slowly.

"You. Why did you not keep yourself, Lieutenant." The older JSDF growled.

"My apologies. I deeply regretted my act." Kuribayashi bowed to the rest of her team.

"Please, don't blame her. And my entire team is fully aware why she did that." Raias spoke in her defense.

"You know something, Captain?" Itami asked Raias.

"I have my own deduction. Though I must admit that your teammates here had a sentimental reaction for Raphael." Raias chuckled to ease the atmosphere.

The said brunette slightly blushed, caressing her cheek with her index finger. Which was apparent to make the rest of JSDF to sighed.

Raias darted his eyes to the trio of Falmartian, which had not yet recovered from their nausea.

"Mal," Raias addressed the Apothecary.

"But they... Very well, I understand." the Apothecary approached the Falmartian, who still losing themselves in a seizure.

"Please, eat this." He took out three blue pills from a section of his armor.

"You did not have any intention to poison us, Solar Guardian?" Rory asked with a smirk.

"That was a dishonorable way to kill a person. Yet, you aren't human. Is that really applicable?" Mal answered calmly.

"Very well." Rory took one of that pills into her mouth. Instantly, the sickness in her body disappear.

Followed by Tuka and Lelei, who were relieved from their nausea. With that, Raias sighed in relief.

"This would be a long night." He simply said, which made the rest of the team stare at him.

Now, they only need need to wait.