Chapter 4: The Aruka Kingdom Princess

"Be kind. Kinder than anyone else."

Her father's creed was simple. It was because of that naivete, and his stubbornness in repeating it, that Nelia Cunningham always felt the need to rebel against him.

Nelia didn't have brothers or sisters. The Moonpeach Princess had the crown secured, and everyone knew it, which was also why the king was strict in his teaching. She understood that, but still, she thought that his principles—"Peace is best"; "Never punch back"; "Don't fight back"—were foolish.

What truly maddened Nelia was how he'd forbidden her from entering combat. She couldn't wield her sword without her father's permission, despite the fact that Warblades found meaning through fighting. Her father's

exceedingly pacifist philosophy repulsed her.

"I don't want you to end up like your mother," he said.

She understood those words now, kind of. Her mother had passed away shortly after giving birth to her, during one of her battles as an Illustrious General. The enemy commander had brought an illegal Divine Instrument to battle and gouged out her heart with it, killing her for good.

That was the start of her father's hatred of combat. He cut the Eight Illustrious Generals down to two, allotted the military budget elsewhere, and dramatically decreased the number of sports-wars the nation participated in.

"Father, why won't you fight?"

"Because there is no need to. You don't need to fight, either."

"…I want to be the strongest. Then nobody would be able to defy me. Aruka would become the greatest country in the world."

"Were you visiting Madhart again?"

"Is it so wrong? He tells me all about how to control the world."

Her father sighed.

Madhart had been influencing her with his extremist views as of late. He was one of the two Illustrious Generals and a heroic figure, considered the strongest Warblade. He was also an outspoken nationalist; he proudly made problematic statements such as, "All other races shall prostrate themselves before the Aruka Kingdom and the Warblades."

"Warblades are the strongest species. We are superior to all others."

"I am delighted to hear you understand. Warblades shall conquer the world."

"Aruka would take back its glory if only Lady Nelia took the crown immediately!"

Everything Madhart said was the exact opposite of her father's centrist pacifism—it stirred and excited young Nelia's mind.

And so the king did it out of fear for his daughter's well-being. It was six years ago, in the spring when she was nine years old, when Nelia first met her.

It was just slightly after noon when the king summoned Nelia. Annoyed, she put away the book she was reading and went to meet her father while grumbling in a low voice.

Nelia found a woman standing next to him when she arrived.

"She will be your mentor. I hope you learn a lot from her."

"Mentor…?"

Nelia gazed at her with eyes wide open. The vampire had blond hair and a gentle look in her eyes.

"This is Commander Yulinne Gandesblood, one of the Seven Crimson Lords. Nelia, where are your manners?"

She couldn't move. The golden vampire, Yulinne, smiled to greet her. Her smile burns like the sun, she banally thought.

"Nice to meet you, Nelia."

She reached out a graceful hand, but Nelia didn't shake it. All other races were inferior to the Warblades—Madhart's words had taught her to refuse to see the lady as an equal, much less a teacher.

Even during their first lesson, Nelia had been insolent.

"Altruism? The hell is that?"

"It means acting out of consideration for other people's feelings. Let's say we have a cup of pudding here, okay?"

"We don't, though."

"Pretend there is. Here's the pudding. It's only one cup. Now, next to you there's a vampire child, who also wants to eat it. What would you do?"

"Kill the vampire and eat the pudding."

Yulinne barely managed to keep her smile.

"Why did you think to do that?"

"The world is built atop conflict, and only the strong win. The Warblades are also superior to any other races. Killing a vampire would be as easy as snapping my fingers, so I only made the obvious decision."

"I see. That sort of thinking is wrong. If you only make enemies, no one will be there to help you whenever you end up in real trouble."

Nelia rolled her eyes. She couldn't take any more of this vampire's preaching.

"What do I do, then? Are you suggesting I give it to the kid?"

"Just divide it in two."

Ridiculous. You can't cleanly divide a pudding in two; it'd end get all mushed up.

Yet Nelia's values were slowly changing. Yulinne was cleverly chipping away at the girl's obstinacy.

Insubstantial stuff like etiquette and history weren't the only things she taught the girl—Yulinne always said the palace secretary would have sufficed if that was the case. She also taught her how to fight and how to strategize. This was what grabbed Nelia's interest. She could never forget the time Yulinne told her, "I'll teach you how to kill your enemies, but don't tell your father."

Nelia opened her heart soon enough. Her teacher beat her to a pulp in training. She reproached her for making discriminatory remarks. Still, Yulinne was kind. She would show Nelia the right way whenever she erred and would praise her whenever she succeeded.

Would my mother have been like this, were she alive?

Nelia saw her tutor as a motherly figure.

So whenever Yulinne talked about her own daughter, Nelia sulked.

"I have four chlidren, and the most mischievous is the third. She's truly impish… I mean, she's a good kid, but she only makes trouble for her big brother and sister, not to mention she sometimes carelessly kills others. She's a real problem child."

"Sounds like I'm more responsible, huh?"

"That you are. But…I think she will lead Mulnite one day. No, not only Mulnite—I believe she'll make the entire world a more exciting place."

Nelia was green with envy. She didn't like it when her beloved mentor praised someone else. The golden vampire noticed and apologized with a smile.

"You're amazing, too. I'm sure you'll lead Aruka one day."

"But Madhart said that Aruka is rotten to the core."

"Well, I like it here. It's a peaceful country." She beamed.

Thinking back, perhaps the Aruka Kingdom really was rotten to the core…for a certain group of people.

Back then, there had been frequent protests at the palace. Warblades were supposed to be murder machines. The people of Aruka didn't agree with the king's excessive pacifism—and as young as she was, even Nelia could understand her father was wrong.

The people loudly criticized the government. They said they wanted war, that they shouldn't be scaling down the military, that the kingdom was turning into an international embarrassment; they asked why her father opposed conflict when the Dark Core was there to minimize its risks.

Nelia thought they were right, but she'd started doubting Madhart's extremist views. Yulinne had told her that combat without respect for the opponent was pointless, and what Madhart wanted was very obviously that kind of depraved war.

The further Nelia was attuned to Yulinne's morals, the more she looked at Madhart with disappointment.

"Altruism and harmony are stupid."

"Warblades shall reign supreme. Don't you understand, Lady Nelia?"

Madhart had intended to raise her into a strong monarch, but his plans failed. After she got a vampire teacher, his beliefs—turning all other races into slaves so that only Warblades ruled the world—felt lacking in realism. Delirious.

What sealed the deal was something that happened at a party between the people of Aruka and Mulnite. Nelia's father took her to the Mulnite Empire's palace. It was her first trip outside the kingdom, and she was anxious about it, but more than that, she felt happy about getting to see her mentor's homeland.

Lots of people were gathered in the hall. Vampires from the Mulnite Empire as well as Warblades from the Aruka Kingdom. Nelia looked around, bored. She wanted to go see Yulinne, but her mentor was surrounded by many others, and she didn't have the courage to intrude.

"Lady Nelia, watch those enemy commanders closely," said her guard, Illustrious General Madhart, with a scowl. "We will eventually subjugate them; this is our chance to get the intel we need. Inferior as they may be, we can never let our guard down."

"Yeah…"

Was Madhart right? Sure enough, the people wanted war, but everything that came out of this man's mouth felt dangerous, like an unsheathed blade.

He didn't seem like he just wanted war. She could tell as much just by the gaze of contempt he directed at other races.

Nelia felt uncomfortable and left for the table where all the food was. She hadn't had lunch yet, so this was a good time to get some grub.

There was one only pudding atop a plate.

That looks tasty…, she thought as she reached for it, when her hand bumped into someone else's. She looked to her side in surprise.

"Huh…?"

She was flabbergasted. The girl…looked like her mentor, but she wasn't. She seemed about Nelia's age. Her hair was golden and her eyes, crimson—beautiful. The prettiest girl she had ever seen.

The girl also opened her eyes wide in surprise, but then she smiled right away.

"Sorry. You can have it."

"But you reached for it first."

"Let's go halfsies, then," she said as she dug the spoon into the pudding. She couldn't cleanly split it in two. "Huh? Gimme a sec." She scooped more and more until it became a sloppy mess. Then the messy blob slipped off the plate and onto the floor.

"Aaaah!" she screamed.

Nelia sighed, but then she smiled. She hadn't known who that girl was then, but she had an inkling. She smelled just like her mentor.

"Hey, Nelia! Good to have you here," her clear voice echoed.

Her mentor, Yulinne Gandesblood, was approaching her, followed by a crowd.

The other girl turned around right away.

"Mommy! I ruined the pudding…"

"Hmm? Oh my. Grab a napkin from there."

"Oh yeah." She did as told and picked up the pudding's remains.

Mrs. Gandesblood then wiped the smudge off the floor with magic.

"Mommy." It really was her daughter. When they stood next to each other, Nelia saw how they looked practically identical.

Yulinne smiled gracefully at Nelia.

"Welcome to Mulnite. We won't have a lesson today. Have fun!"

"Oh! Is this the next monarch of Aruka?!" A blond girl appeared from behind Mrs. Gandesblood.

Nelia took half a step back in surprise. The girl (no, was she an adult woman? She wasn't sure) had an imposing presence, like a flash of lightning. She surveyed Nelia from her head to her toes.

"Wow! She'll make a great queen! Pleased to meet you, I am Commander Karen Helvetius, of the Third Unit of the Mulnite Imperial Army. It is an honor."

"O-okay."

"I met your mother in the battlefield plenty of times, and you sure look just like her, especially that pretty peach-colored hair. You'll grow up to be such a beauty. Can't wait to see that."

That was creepy. Way too energetic.

Her mentor then stood before her, as if to protect her from Commander Karen.

"Ren…you're scaring her."

"Please, how can I not be interested in your protégée?"

"Forget about that and go get more pudding."

"Hmn? You're right, the pudding's all gone! Petrose! You ate it all, didn't you?!"

"What? I didn't eat any…"

"There's caramel sauce all over your mouth! You gotta let the kids have some! You're ruining the party! Odilon, go get more. Now."

"What authority do you have to order me?! Agh! Don't kick me!"

The scary-looking old guy went to the kitchen after getting his butt kicked by Commander Karen.

Mulnite sure is full of funny people… Nelia sighed. Mrs. Gandesblood did so as well.

"Sorry our guys are all so noisy. You must feel annoyed."

"No. But Mulnite really is an odd country."

"You might be right. Now, I have a meeting with your dad. Play with Komari for a bit, will you?"

She still didn't know what that meeting entailed, but by then, the world already thought of Yulinne Gandesblood as the next Mulnite Empress. Maybe they were going to talk about the future of both nations.

Nelia turned to look at the other girl, Komari.

She was really pretty. Like, a once-in-a-billion-years knockout beauty.

"Let's chat, then, Komari."

Komari nodded. She looked shy.

Nelia soon realized she was wrong about that. Once the adults left, they sat at a table in the corner to eat pasta. Terakomari Gandesblood was a peculiar girl. Nelia still held some racist views Madhart had instilled in her; she thought Mrs. Gandesblood was an exception and that vampires as a whole were inferior still. But once she got to talking with Komari, all that went away.

Perhaps it was because the vampire princess had the kindest, most generous heart.

"Your mom is amazing, Komari. Everyone in the six nations knows of the great commander."

"You think? I don't get it. She's never really home."

"She is! You will become a commander just like her, right?"

"No… I don't like fighting."

Nelia was shocked. She'd thought for sure she would follow in the steps of her mother.

She considered testing her further. She imitated Madhart and said:

"But you can't take over the world if you don't fight."

"Take over the world?" Komari was baffled. "No… I think you can, without fighting."

"How?"

"You can become friends with everyone in the world. Then there'll be peace. That's basically taking over the world, right?"

"…"

"So I want to be your friend, too."

"R-really?"

"You…don't like me?"

Nelia was startled. She couldn't deny the contempt for other races she held inside her heart.

"No… I do. I like you."

"Good to know." The blond girl went back to eating pasta.

Nelia stared at her. Her way of thinking was the polar opposite of Madhart's. She seriously seemed to think it was possible to take over the world through friendship. This could never work—as soon as even one person didn't join her, someone like Madhart, everything would go up in smoke. She probably didn't understand the real world yet.

Still, that mindset moved Nelia.

She then felt it was stupid to look down on people for not being Warblades. She'd tried to share that pudding with her; she was a good vampire. What use was pursuing gains for her country by harming girls like her? She started feeling like Madhart's discriminatory views were wrong.

Nelia wanted to know more about this girl.

"Hey, Komari, Vampires suck blood, right? Wanna drink mine?"

"Huh…?"

"Mrs. Gandesblood told me that vampires build mutual trust by drinking each other's blood. I think we could be friends. So how about you drink mine, as a symbol of our friendship?"

Nelia rolled up her sleeve and held out her arm.

Komari hesitated. Maybe Warblade blood tasted bad?

Then Nelia felt someone standing behind them.

"Lady Nelia, you shouldn't get so close to vampires."

It was Madhart. He grabbed Nelia's arm and lifted her from the chair.

"Ow! Stop that!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't let a vampire drink of you. Yours is royal blood—you can't give it to a foreign power willy-nilly."

"What? I only want to be friends with Komari."

"I just told you that you shouldn't get so close to vampires."

"Isn't that the point of this party, though?" Nelia said, then turned around, astounded; Komari was staring straight at Madhart. "Shouldn't we be getting close?"

"I'm saying that there are limits, and you need to be more prudent. There's always been walls separating Warblades and vampires."

"You're the one making those walls!"

Madhart blinked. Nelia almost laughed in his face. It was hard to believe she was able to talk back to the strongest Illustrious General. It took courage enabled by ignorance.

"You were just staring at everyone back there, weren't you? Were you bored?" Nelia continued.

"Not at all. I couldn't be happier to have been invited to this luxurious party. Perhaps too luxurious for the vampires." Komari glared at Madhart and said, "Mommy said being selfish isn't good."

"…Hah?"

"You want this palace, don't you, mister? But it's not yours; it's everyone's."

"…"

***

"Let's get along. If you're not having fun, then you can have my pudding."

Madhart's eyes were bloodshot. Nelia chuckled. This girl was seriously worried about the man being left out.

"You cheeky little…"

Just then, a vampire in religious vestments noticed the threat and arrived and interrupted Madhart.

"Good day, Lord Madhart! Please come with me to chat about God!" he yelled as he took away the mad commander.

Nelia finally laughed out loud. Watching the man get owned by a little girl was the most hilarious thing she'd ever seen. Komari, on the other hand, was confused about what just happened.

Oh, she'll be a big shot for sure, Nelia thought.

"You're really funny. You're definitely her child. So want to drink my blood?"

"No, thank you."

She refused. Nelia felt like crying.

That was how she learned how to treat all peoples equally. In a sense, it was also the meeting that brought about her misfortune.

***

The events that followed came dizzyingly quick, one after the other.

Madhart determined Nelia would never change her mind again and launched a coup d'état. He dispatched troops he had been rallying in secret to surround the palace. Soon the king fell from his throne in fear, and Madhart watched him with contempt as he said:

"I can understand why you don't enjoy conflict, but avoiding it so much that you would sell national territory to foreign nations? Why do you yield to the Haku-Goku Commonwealth's threats? Keep doing that, and the Aruka Kingdom will be gone in no time!"

The king had supposedly given them control over one part of their Dark Core Zone territory to avoid war. This was apparently the trigger for Madhart's coup.

The king's reputation went downhill soon after that information went public. Royalty and corrupt nobility were sent to prison for crimes against the state, and so the monarchy fell. The republic was then established, with Madhart as its first president.

Nelia could do nothing but watch everything unfold in silence. Her mentor had disappeared from the battlefield a few days before the coup. Nelia wrote to her but received no response. Later she heard that Yulinne Gandesblood had been killed.

Madhart stood before Nelia and said:

"Lady Nelia… No. Nelia Cunningham. You are young and powerless. I will spare you from being sent to prison like your father, but you are hereby stripped of all authority as royalty. You will live as a commoner. Be a good Warblade."

The despair nearly made her lose her mind. She had no one to turn to. Gertrude, a maid from the palace, was her only ally—everyone else became enemies. Nobody liked the daughter of a traitor.

So began the Gerra-Aruka Republic, with Madhart at the helm.

At first, the people welcomed him with open arms. But the new president was a monster in many ways. No matter what direction he aimed for, the people couldn't keep up with him.

He was also ruthless to anyone who opposed him. Not only did he crack down on organized rebels with his secret police, but he also sent to prison anyone who showed sign of disagreement. "Prison." It was actually a concentration camp—hell on this world. Madhart called it the Daydream Paradise. Though he'd started building a resort on top of it recently, its true form lay underground.

Nelia's father, too, toiled beneath the Daydream Paradise. She had to rescue him.

That prick who thought of everyone else as trash shouldn't be president.

Nelia worked hard. She rose through the ranks and became an Illustrious General. She was close to achieving her goal. Madhart keeping the republic system was to her advantage. Once she exposed his deeds and the secret of the Daydream Paradise to the rest of the world, it would be over for him.

Then Nelia would be the next president and she would reform the Aruka Republic.

For that, she needed help—help from her mentor's daughter. Komari.

★

"That's how it is. Won't you help me defeat Madhart?"

"…Huh? We knew each other?"

"I told you that at the beach. I was shocked you didn't remember, really."

"Sorry."

Setting aside whether or not I really met her before, if what she's saying is true, then yeah, President Madhart is a monstrous tyrant. And Nelia's saying she can't take him on by herself…so she asked for my help.

Meaning that world-domination talk was just a test of character. Tiringly roundabout, but okay. I would've just asked, "Hey, so are you a murderer or what?"

In any case, I understood the situation, but there was one big problem. I couldn't exactly help Nelia if I had no power that would live up to her expectations. She thought I really was the strongest vampire out there. I mean, I'd never lost a war and even won the Crimson Match, so sure, looking at my achievements, that was no exaggeration…but yeah. I couldn't say anything in reply. Then she chuckled.

"No need to think so hard about it. We Warblades and vampires should join hands, right?"

"…You said you knew my mom, right?"

"Yes. I owe her a lot."

Nelia took a pendant out of her pocket. There was a photo inside it: her younger self…and my mother standing right next to her. I could feel my eyes welling up.

"She even gave me these twin blades. They were a present after our last lesson. So? Do you trust me a bit more now?"

"…"

I stared straight into her eyes. She had to be a good girl if she was my mom's protégée. I couldn't feel the characteristic evil aura that bad people had in her…at least on the surface.

"Don't let yourself be fooled, Lady Komari," Vill said, glaring at Nelia. "You can't believe what the Moonpeach Princess says. It's obvious she will try to stab you the moment you let your guard down."

"My, I don't have it easy, do I? Believe me, I wouldn't stab you. I would rather force you into being my servant."

"Did you hear that, Lady Komari? She only thinks of vampires as slaves."

"Hold on! You're also a maid, so you shouldn't be so prejudiced!" Gertrude yelled, her face as expressive as always. "Sure, Madhart and Rainsworth are racist jerks! But Lady Nelia is not like that! She has a wonderfully benevolent heart! Her mindset is nothing like you stupid lowly vampires!"

"You think a truly kindhearted person would say 'I would rather force you into being my servant?' I don't find that to be a very caring mindset, Ms. Gertrude."

"Getting to be Lady Nelia's servant is a blessing! That much I can guarantee myself! She always holds birthday parties for me! I turned fifteen last June, and she gifted me perfume from the Enchanted Lands! It smells really good!"

"Perfume? What a simple maid. Being Lady Komari's servant is much better. You get to dive into her bed every night and hold her tight and savor her sweet fragrance with your whole body."

"Wuh…" Gertrude was speechless.

"Stop lying! You're grossing her out!" I said.

"I am very much not lying."

"You're not?!"

"Ah-ha-ha-ha! You're a funny duo." Nelia laughed.

How embarrassing. I couldn't have people knowing my subordinate was a sicko, or they would think I was one, too.

"Anyway…will you help me, Komari?"

"She will not. Warblades think us as inferior; why should we?"

"Vill, that is prejudiced. Setting aside the servant thing," I said; I had to. "Sure, maybe the top brass of the Gerra-Aruka Republic are full of jerks. You heard how that Rainsworth talked back there. But that doesn't mean Nelia has to be one, too. She said so herself; she wants to change her country. Besides…my mom taught her. I think we can trust her, even if only a little bit."

Mommy had been a good judge of character. I think.

Nelia also seemed to be fond of my mom. I couldn't just give her the cold shoulder. I had no idea what I could actually do for her, but I wanted to help her out.

"Vill…won't you follow my judgment, at least this once?"

"I understand. I will do as you say."

"Good. Okay then, Nelia, hope I can—"

"Thank you!"

Then I felt something soft against my body.

Her pink hair tickled my cheeks. She was hugging me. It happened so fast, I froze. Huh? What? Why's she hugging me out of nowhere? Is this some cultural thing? Then something even more shocking happened.

She brought her lips to my cheeks.

…??

"WHAT?! L-LADY NELIA?!"

"?!?!?! Lady Komari, stand back, you're in danger!"

"Bwuh? Wuh??"

Vill grabbed my arm at an incredible speed and pulled me over. I couldn't understand what was going on, but I could feel my cheeks growing hotter. What??

Nelia looked at me with a bewitching smile.

"Hee-hee, why are you blushing? This is just a greeting, Aruka style."

"O-oh…so it really was a different custom. Yeah, we don't really do that in Mulnite…"

"Lady Nelia! We don't greet people liked that in Aruka!" Gertrude exclaimed.

"Lady Cunningham, please do not touch Lady Komari so casually. You will infect her with your rust."

"Don't hug me so tight! You're gonna break my ribs!" I yelled.

"I'm sorry. By the way, would you let me greet you Aruka-style?" Vill asked.

"NO!!"

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! You're so funny. Well then, Komari. Our alliance is formed. The Aruka-Mulnite Alliance to destroy Gerra-Aruka! How about you all become my servants in celebration of the occasion?" Nelia said.

"Not in a million years!"

So a new alliance was formed.

I struggled to get out of my maid's grasp. No fooling around anymore. Our opponent was a true savage who yearned for genuine war—we had nothing but hardship in our near future. When all I wanted was to stay home and read… Why did I always get dragged to the most violent places?

"…Huh? Where am I? What was I doing? I can't remember anything…"

The remaining girl finally came back to her senses.

Thus began our hellish journey to Daydream Paradise.