Chapter 5: The Paradise Where Dreams Collapse

Nelia teleported us east of the Dark Core Zone.

We paid a passing wagon to let us on. Apparently, we could reach the Daydream Paradise after just a day of travel, but we couldn't do so overnight. We decided to stay the night at a town we found halfway there. The sign on the gate to the city read CARNALT. I was pooped after sitting in the wagon all day.

My butt hurt. I wanted to sleep. On a bed. However, Nelia stopped us before we entered the citadel and said:

"Wait. I just asked some guys leaving town, and apparently this has been making the rounds."

She showed us a piece of paper that, for whatever reason, had Karla's and my picture on it. Below was text that looked finger-written in blood.

WANTED

The Evil Supreme Commanders Karla Amatsu and Terakomari Gandesblood.

Notify the garrison if you see these faces!

""What in the world?"" Karla and I shouted in unison.

Gertrude smirked as she explained, "Carnalt is under direct control of the Gerra-Aruka Republic. It seems they figured out you're heading for the Daydream Paradise and put you on the wanted list!"

""WHY MEEEEE?!"" Our voices coincided once again.

For a moment there, I felt kinship with the kimono girl. Well, I was already sure we were similar on some level considering we were both pacifists…but that wasn't the matter at hand!

"So we're in enemy territory?! We can't stay the night, then!"

"We can't relax here! I'm going home! Koharuuu! Where are you, Koharuuu? I'll make you some tasty anmitsu, so please come out!"

"Don't worry. Gertrude, get them that."

The Warblade maid smiled as she walked up to me.

She gave me a pile of clothes.

I unfolded it.

It was a maid uniform, just like hers.

…Hah?

"Looks like you don't get it, hmm? Just put that on, and there'll be no problem. No one would ever think a supreme commander would be walking out in the open wearing a maid outfit, right?"

"I—I…I mean, sure, but…"

"Western clothing doesn't befit me. I will use my own disguise," Karla said as she produced a pair of colorful sunglasses from her pocket. Now her Eastern outfit had a funky edge. "Perfect, am I right?"

"Vill! Get me some sunglasses!"

"Please look closely, Lady Komari. That's a stupid disguise."

How? She looks so cool! I don't wanna be a maid; I wanna be a funky-sunglasses vampire! Nelia wasn't having it, though. She merrily grabbed my hand.

"Listen. You'll act as my maid in this town. Okay? You need to call me Mistress or Lady Nelia. If you don't, they'll find out your identity, and who knows what they might do to you."

"Ugh…don't I get any choice other than being a maid?"

"You don't! Now kneel before your mistress!"

"Wait a second, Lady Komari. Idiotic as just putting on sunglasses might be, her proposition is even more moronic." Vill snatched the outfit from my hands and yelled, "Lady Komari will rule the world! I will not allow her to kneel before a foreign commander, even if it's just as a disguise. So be my maid instead, yes?"

"I'm not becoming YOUR maid! Vill, c'mon, you've gotta have some other clothes for me."

"Are you telling me to strip right here?"

"I'm not talking about your clothes!"

"I jest. I do have a backup set of your uniform, plus a swimsuit. Which one would you like?"

"...…Fine, I'll dress as a maid."

"Thank you! Now Komari's my servant!"

"I AM NOT!"

In the end, I became Nelia's maid (temporarily!).

I was forced to change outside, but better that than getting killed, I guess. I checked to make sure my sicko maid wasn't following me from behind the trees, then changed into the outfit. It was a tad big for me, but oh well. At least I wouldn't be recogni…

Hold on. Forget about that wanted poster, isn't my face known throughout the world thanks to Six Nations News?

I felt I needed some further change. Maybe trying a different hairstyle would work…so I tied my hair up in a ponytail. That should be enough. Wish I had some sunglasses, too.

I checked myself out with a hand mirror.

Man…this is so embarrassing.

"Komari, are you done?"

"EEK!"

I almost fell down out of surprise.

Nelia was staring intently at me.

"My, how cute! You really are a once-in-a-lifetime knockout beauty, huh?"

"Of course I am! B-but stop looking at me. This is so embarrassing…"

"You won't be able to enter the town without that outfit. Don't you want to relax at an inn?"

"Ugh… I—I do."

"Then call me Mistress."

"I'm not doing that! I'm just pretending to be your maid!"

"You never know who could be listening in. If someone finds out you are Terakomari Gandesblood and reports you to the police, and you get killed, then don't come crying to me. Say it. As practice."

Why do I have to do something so stupid? You have your own maid! Gertrude's right there! Though, if it's between a moment's embarrassment and my life, then there's no choice… Damn it all!

I stood before her, strengthening my will, and whispered:

"M-Mistress…"

"Ungh! Y-y'know, I'm a bit tired. How about you rub my shoulders?"

"WHAT?! Do it yourself!"

"I—I want you to do it! It's just practice, c'mon. Or do you want to get reported to the police?"

I want to report YOU to the police!

Nelia materialized a wooden chair with Void Magic or something, then elegantly sat down and crossed her legs. I gave in, stood behind her, and started rubbing her slender shoulders.

"…H-how's it? Good?"

"Terrible. You need to speak more deferentially."

"H-how are you liking the massage, Mistress?"

"…Oh, I definitely need you as my servant for real."

"NO WAY IN… No, thank you, Mistress!"

"I wouldn't put you to work like Gertrude. I'd just like you to do what you're good at. I don't think it would be a bad deal."

"What I'm good at?"

"What are you good at, by the way? Killing?"

"Um, well, I bake…"

"Then I'll have you bake for me. You don't have to do anything else, and you can take a break whenever you like."

"Huh?"

"You can read all the books you want, play around any time you like, and even go out to the battlefield to kill whenever you feel like it. And if you ever want something you don't have, just say the word, and I'll buy it for you."

"So I don't have to work? I can stay cooped up inside all day?"

"C-cooped up? …Yeah, sure. I'll just call you whenever I want you to bake for me."

"…"

"Call me Mistress once again, won't you?"

"...…Mistress."

"UNNNGH! Y-yes, good girl! From today on, you're my maid, Komari!"

She patted my head. I cursed myself for saying that word.

But, um, isn't this like the perfect "job"? I don't have to kill anyone! Or get killed! I don't have to live in fear of mutiny! Maybe I should just become her servant…

"Lady Komari, don't fall for it! I'll kill her right now!"

"Stop right there, vampire maid! I won't let you lay a finger on Lady Nelia!"

The maids started fighting to death a bit away from us. Vill and Gertrude eyes were bloodshot as they slashed at each other with their weapons. Waiiit! We're on the same side!

"Mis… No. Nelia! We've gotta stop them!"

"Not Nelia! I'm your mistress! Gosh! But you're right. We have to go soon, or they'll close the city gates. Gertrude! Playtime is over!"

Nelia put away her chair with magic, pulled me by the arm, and walked over to them.

I wished I also had the power to stop my sicko maid. Maybe I should start doing push-ups. No, I always start hurting after two. That idea goes into the trash.

The city guard didn't realize who Nelia was. She also used THE ingenious method of disguise: sunglasses. Why? Because the Gerra-Aruka government was also looking for her. Rainsworth had told Madhart she was heading for the Daydream Paradise with us, so she'd ended up on the wanted list alongside Karla and me.

The guard looked at Nelia, then Karla, then stared intently at Gertrude and Vill, and finally observed me very closely. His eyebrows went up.

"Hmm? Do I know you, little lady?"

I hid behind Vill. It's over! I should've tied up my hair in pigtails, not a ponytail! As I cursed my carelessness, Nelia took out a gold nugget from her pocket and, with a loud bang, placed it before the guard.

"She's shy. Could you not look so hard at her?"

"B-but that maid—"

"Isn't the maid you're looking for. Now take the bribe if you don't wanna get killed."

The guard kept silent. I was aghast.

Well, at least we got into the city, and we were only recognized as a rich sunglasses girl accompanied by three maids and another mysterious sunglasses girl. Cool.

***

All sorts of peoples lived in Carnalt, although Warblades were still the majority. There were stone sculptures of swords all over the place, too. Still very clearly the Gerra-Aruka Republic.

We reserved our rooms at the inn and then went for dinner.

The city was full of people who looked like they were out for a drink after work, and so our group, a bunch of girls very obviously there on a trip, caught their attention. They gave us curious looks every time we passed by, and then some guys showed up asking us to hang out (when we weren't even friends in

the first place?), and then Vill and Gertrude killed them. We ran away at full speed immediately, of course.

After all that, we finally arrived at the restaurant Nelia recommended. It was a small place in a back alley, like a secret hideout. At first, I felt relieved we wouldn't be seen there, but when we entered, and it was full of people. Nelia said it was all right, though. I didn't know how, but then I saw omelet rice on the menu, and everything was okay.

"Now, let's talk strategy," Nelia said as soon as we sat down.

I didn't care about that. There were TEN varieties of omelet rice in this place! The usual one with ketchup, then one with summer vegetables demi-glace, and one with mushrooms and white sauce… Oh shit, they even had omelet rice with hamburger steak!

"The Daydream Paradise is close. It's just a walk away. Honestly, we were very lucky to not run into any enemies on our way here. Let's keep our guard up as we go on."

"Lady Nelia, what will we do once we reach the Daydream Paradise?"

"We will expose its underground secrets. That's where Gerra-Aruka's dark side lays."

"What is this dark side?" Vill asked.

"They do human experimentation there."

"Hey, Vill, can I order anything I want?" I asked.

"Yes, order as you please… Testing on live people? Now that you mention it, Lady Amatsu said they were transporting Divine Instruments there. Could that be related?"

"Mmm…it's highly probable. I don't have the authority to enter the Daydream Paradise underground, so I'm not sure, but I know they're doing something involving Divine Instruments. Gertrude."

"Right…I've been there to investigate many times before, and I've heard the screams of people coming from the underground… They were shrieking in pain…," the maid confirmed.

"I kinda wanna try the mushroom one, but I just can't get enough of the original, y'know? I think the steak one is a bit too much…but since we've come all the way here, might as well give it a try, don't you think?"

"Terrifying. Where are they getting those Divine Instruments from anyway?"

"Who knows. Maybe they're getting them from some terrorist group."

"Vill, can I order two? Wanna share yours with me?"

"Yes, let's share… There's something strange about this whole thing. Why would Madhart build a resort atop such a secret facility?"

"The Heavenly Paradise and the Enchanted Lands already had their doubts about what he was doing. I suppose he just did it as camouflage, as idiotic as it might be."

"Hmm…"

"Just know that Madhart's a piece of shit. He sends anyone who opposes him there. He does as he pleases with the garrison and his secret police. The people can't publicly criticize his actions."

"I see. So it's not an actual republic—it's a dictatorship."

"Exactly, and someone has to do something to save the Warblades from Madhart's clutches. We've got to expose the Daydream Paradise's secrets and force him to retreat, but I can't do it by myself… As much as it pains to admit, the enemy is too powerful. I need your help. Terakomari Gandesblood…and Karla Amatsu."

"Got it! I'm getting the mushroom omelet rice and the seafood omelet rice! That okay with you, Vill?"

"Komari…were you paying any attention?"

"Wuh? S-sorry, I was too focused on which to pick…"

"At least you're honest! That's what I like about you! Villhaze, please give her the details yourself later, okay?"

"I don't like you giving me orders, but fine."

"Good. Karla, were you listening? Please say you we—" Nelia stopped mid-sentence.

I turned to look at Karla as well. It was hard to tell due to her sunglasses, but she was sleeping upright. She was leaning on her chair and drooling, a telltale sign she was out.

Gertrude narrowed her eyes, then hit Karla on the head. She jolted awake.

"Bweh?! Wh-what ish it?! Morning already?!"

"You silly blockhead! Pay attention to what Lady Nelia is saying!" Gertrude shouted.

"Uh? Huuuh? Oh, I see. We were talking about dinner, right? Shall I cook tonight? Do you prefer your miso soup on the thicker side?"

"We're in a restaurant, doofus!" Now it was Nelia hitting her.

I'd begun to notice it more and more, and… Karla really was just like me, wasn't she? Though, our skills in battle couldn't be more different.

In any case, since neither of us had been listening, they repeated an abridged version of what they'd discussed for us.

I felt bad just hearing about it, but I was slightly taken aback to learn the truth behind the Gerra-Aruka Republic. Madhart was doing more terrible stuff than I imagined, although I'd known they had ill intentions from the start. You could tell by looking at Illustrious General Rainsworth and the discriminatory remarks he made. Then there was Madhart's imposing, aggressive tone when speaking to the Empress. A country led by men like them couldn't be good to its people.

"Lady Komari, the omelet rice is here."

"Really?! Hell yeah! Ah, but wait."

The food we ordered came in, piping hot. The omelet seemed so soft, and the sauce so creamy. The mushrooms looked scrumptious. But I froze, spoon in hand.

We were in the middle of a war, of the nonsport variety.

"I don't know if we should be eating this tasty-looking food while the defense team back at Faure is still fighting. We don't even know if the Seventh Unit guys are okay."

"I got a call from Captain Mellaconcey. He said they reunited with Lady Memoir and Lady Delphyne and are on their way to us. They fought enemy troops a couple times on their way, but they're still holding on."

"Oh…yeah, I feel bad about that."

"Why? You must eat whenever you can, or you won't have the energy when you most need it."

"Sure, and I'm also starving after nearly getting killed so many times."

"You will be fighting again tomorrow in any case, so you should eat more. Think of it as your last supper."

"Okay, I'm going home."

"How, exactly? The war is still going on back at Mulnite, too, might I remind you."

This was too much. How had things gotten this bad?

I wanted to quit being a commander right that moment. I'd rather be Nelia's maid. Yeah, and then even if there were battles the next day, I'd just stay back as support. Like a cheerleader. A much better job for me.

"Um… I've been finding this weird the whole time, but, uh, are you not aware of how powerful you are, Komari?"

"Not aware? Yeah, you might be right. Perhaps I have this great power hidden within me. The ability to write even better novels. Indeed, that's what I pray for every time I pick up my pen."

"…Novels? No, I'm not talking about wri—"

The restaurant door slammed open, cutting Nelia off. I was startled and ended up dropping my spoon on the floor. I wanted to cry. I grabbed a napkin and stooped down to try and clean the mess, but someone suddenly yelled, and I was startled again.

"Nobody move! We're the garrison!"

You could cut through the tension in the air with a knife. All diners stared in silence at the new guests.

They were wearing Gerra-Arukan uniforms. The garrison—the government organization that cracked down on criminals. I had a bad feeling about this. Had they already found us? I remained stiff in panic while the garrison entered and openly approached us. Vill stealthily held a kunai in hand. Gertrude gripped a knife behind her back. Nelia rested her head on her hand as she observed the enemies. Karla was hiding beneath the table, but her butt was in plain view.

"It's you! You're the ones defying Madhart, aren't you?!"

Oh crap. They totally got us…

"N-no! That wasn't our intention! Please!" The guys at the table next to us stood up in a panic.

The garrison wasn't having it. The thugs clicked their tongues and ran away, but that same moment, a spell activated, and they tripped. The soldiers tied them up with mana ropes immediately. They were well trained.

"Stop it! We didn't do anything!"

"Bullshit. You spread those flyers slandering the Madhart administration. We will hear no excuses. Under Gerra-Aruka Law, article 20503, you are to be immediately relocated to the Daydream Paradise."

"You've gotta be kidding! This ain't Aruka; we're in the Dark Core Zone! You don't have the authori—" The man's body jolted as though electrified. He lost consciousness right away and fell lifelessly to the floor.

The group of men were dragged away like bags of garbage as the soldiers disappeared into the night, not showing the slightest care about the diners' fearful stares.

I couldn't say anything. Nelia clicked her tongue and crossed her arms.

"Now you see Aruka's current situation. I can't be sure, but it's very likely whatever they did wasn't any serious crime. Yet just because the law says it's forbidden, they send out the garrison for them. Now they're getting thrown into the Daydream Paradise camp."

"There's something clearly wrong with this country," Karla whispered from below the table.

I was sure everyone agreed with her. This country's president was rotten. I didn't know what Madhart was thinking; surely he had some reason to create this dystopia, but it probably wasn't a good one. This was wrong.

"The time for our final battle approaches. Let's go to sleep early tonight and rest up. We'll need the energy tomorrow. We will leave at five in the morning,"

Nelia said with a serious expression.

Her eyes were ablaze. Shining with ire toward Gerra-Aruka.

***

I woke up at ten in the morning.

"WHY?!"

I jumped out of bed. Nelia said we would leave at five. I was SO late. Maybe they already left me behind. I looked around in panic and saw my sicko maid resting her head on her hand as she looked out the window.

"The summer breeze is so nice…"

"I agree, but c'mon, wake me up! We're late!"

"Come here, Lady Komari. There's something funny going on outside."

"Who cares?! I gotta go apologize to Nelia…"

"Now that is something that doesn't matter. Please just come here."

"What? Is there a festival going on or something?"

I got curious and went to take a look out the window.

It sure was a jamboree out there. Gerra-Aruka soldiers were doing rounds around the inn. I reflexively pulled my head away, jumped back into the bed, and hid beneath the sheets. I'm still asleep, yeah. This is all a dream. This ain't happening in reality.

"Lady Komari, we're surrounded."

"What a bad dream, huh?"

"It appears Commander Rainsworth has come to the inn. They're already looking for us in here. Oh, did you just hear that? They just blasted a door open."

I did hear a thunderous slam, plus the screams and yells that followed.

There was no looking away from reality anymore. I jumped out of bed, walked up to my maid, then stared at her from a close distance and screamed:

"What now?! How did they find us?! We gotta split!"

"I knew you would say that, which is why I already changed you into your uniform."

"And didn't you think of running away with me while you were at it, at least?! Gosh, stop changing my clothes while I'm asleep!"

Then the door slammed open. I shrieked and hid behind Vill. It's over. I resigned myself to death, but then I realized it wasn't the Aruka army that had broken in. It was Karla Amatsu, wearing a different kimono from the day before.

"Ms. Gandesblood! There are enemies outside!"

"I know that! What do we do, Vill?!"

"I think the best course of action would be to have Lady Amatsu get rid of them with her immense power."

"H-hold up. If I tried to use my immense power, it wouldn't just blow our enemies away—the whole city would be demolished. I think we should leave this battle up to Ms. Gandesblood."

"Don't be stupid! Forget about the city, I would blow up the entire Dark Core Zone if I used my full power!"

"Allow me to correct myself! I didn't mean the city—I meant the whole world! With my full power, the entire planet—gone!"

"Oh, I got that wrong, too! I meant my full power would turn the entire universe to ashes! That's the universe! Nothing bigger than that! So give up!"

"Ha! The universe? Hilarious! My full power could easily tear apart the entire space-time continuum and throw the laws of the universe into complete catastrophe! How about that?!"

"How about you just don't use your full power?" Vill said.

""…""

Then we heard chaos and sounds of destruction from the lower floors. Rainsworth was destroying the inn as he pleased. It was only a matter of time before he got to us.

A bell chimed. "Fine," Karla said. "Arguing isn't constructive. Let's talk with Ms. Cunningham first."

"R-right! Where's Nelia?!"

"She's sleeping."

"NELIA, TOO?!"

Weren't we leaving at five?! I already knew she had a hard time getting up in the morning, but c'mon, of all days! What is Gertrude doing?! Not that I had any right to roast her.

Karla and I dashed out the room and knocked on Nelia's door. No answer. She really was still asleep. What now?!

"Step aside, Lady Komari!"

"Huh? Whoa!"

Vill pulled a giant hammer out of nowhere and slammed the door with it. The wood creaked, and the door bent before flying away. Who's paying for that?Hmm, I guess the Gerra-Aruka army. Yeah.

We entered the room and couldn't believe our eyes.

Gertrude was snoozing on the bed. As was her mistress.

I screamed and jumped on Nelia.

"Nelia, c'mon! This isn't the time to be sleeping; the enemy's here!"

"Mm… You have to peel the banana…"

"What are you talking about?! Wake up!!"

I grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her like crazy. She slowly opened her eyelids.

"…Fweh? Komari? Wh-what are you doing in my bed?!"

"We're in trouble! The Gerra-Aruka army found us!"

"WH-WHAT?!" She rose up in panic, but then she thought for a while before saying, "No, that can't be! No one knows we're here! We were disguised the whole time!"

"I only realized this after waking up, but there's no way those stupid disguises worked! Someone must've reported us! We've gotta run; we're gonna get killed!"

"But it wasn't just the disguises! To tell the truth, Gertrude also used camouflage magic…"

"Oh geez! Would you look at yourself, Nelia?" came a man's voice.

I turned around, chills shooting down my spine. The lizard-like man was standing by the door. Pascal Rainsworth. The Illustrious General who'd attacked us in Faure.

"You look quite fine in that nightgown. Though I think pink would suit you better than blue."

"Shut it, creep. Want to get your mouth sawed off?"

"Foulmouthed as always. I wonder how long you'll be able to keep up the bravado. President Madhart is searching for you under suspicion of conspiring to overthrow the government. You have nowhere to run."

"So what? I'm not going back to him."

"You're coming back with me. Not that you're a criminal, it's perfectly legal for me to subdue you with force. Let this be an opportunity to remind yourself of who's in charge here."

Is there nowhere we can go? I looked around.

Nelia pulled a dagger out of thin air and threw it. It nearly brushed my cheek as it flew toward Rainsworth. He cleanly wielded his sword to strike it down.

Fireworks sparked with a high-pitched clank.

My eyes couldn't keep up. Nelia and Rainsworth were already clashing swords by the time I realized. With each strike, the bed, the closet, the chandelier, the flower vases, and the paintings on the wall—everything around me was being sliced apart.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Not bad for having just woken up!"

"Get up, Gertrude! We're retreating!"

Nelia grabbed her sleeping maid by the arm and jumped through the window. The glass shattered loudly as they escaped… Wait, we're on the third floor!!

"Lady Komari, we must run, too!"

"Huh? Wai—!"

Vill threw a smoke bomb. The same man-killing gas she'd used back at the Crimson Match. It quickly filled the whole room.

In the darkness before me, I could hear shrieks and yells: "What's this?!" "You sneaky little…!" "Damn it!"

I walked a few steps not knowing what I should do, when suddenly Vill grabbed me bridal-style and jumped out the window.

"D-don't leave me behind! Is this the exit?!"

Karla jumped out, too.

It ended before I could let out a scream. Vill landed gracefully, as if going against gravity. Karla crashed into the ground with a comical bang.

…Oof. Is she okay? She fell right on her face. She's not moving.

"Let's go, Lady Komari! We must catch up to Lady Cunningham!"

"Hold on! We can't leave Karla there!"

"She's dead, so let's go."

"She's dead?!"

What did she even come here for? Wasn't she the strongest Imperial Saber? Those thoughts dissipated immediately, for Rainsworth and his men had survived the gas and jumped out the window. Shoot, they're fast!

There weren't many people out in the streets in the morning, but the few who were awake looked out their windows and yelled as they saw us run away.

"It's Commander Komarin!" "And that's Commander Nelia!" "Good luck, girls!" "Run for it!"

This ain't no game, guys! Don't look so happy about it!

"Weird," muttered Vill.

"What's weird?! You mean those guys weren't men after all?!"

"No, I think they were just tough enough to survive. Ah, that's not it… I find it strange that the Gerra-Aruka army got hold of our location so fast."

"Maybe they used magic or something, I don't know! Magic's like the power of deus ex machina in real life, isn't it?!"

"No, magic isn't that convenient. Last night, Ms. Gertrude's camouflage spell helped cover our faces. I did check, and it was working properly, so there's no way someone could have reported us."

"Huh? Wait, then I didn't need to dress up, did I? Why was I made to put on that maid outfit?"

"Because Lady Cunningham is a sicko. I won't deny I wanted to see you in that uniform, however."

"You BOTH are sickos!!"

Then a flame spell flew at us from behind at great speeds.

Vill dodged it by a hair. The store where we bought ramune the day before burst into flames.

I feel like I've been seeing too many explosions lately. I wonder why. I mean, besides being surrounded by freaking bombers.

"Komari! We can't go up against Rainsworth's Fourth Unit by ourselves! We gotta lose them!" Nelia shouted as she ran in front of us.

How exactly were we supposed to lose them? They were running like crazy after us. I could already feel myself getting snatched up and thrown into the Daydream Paradise.

"Take this! Advanced-level blade spell: Razor Rain!"

I felt dense mana from behind me and turned around. At the same time, Rainsworth's sword shot what seemed to be an endless barrage of slashes. Vill immediately changed course, and the mana blades lost their target and sliced the houses, shops, streetlights, and the people in their path. However, Vill failed to evade one of them, and it shallowly slashed her ankle.

"Guh!"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Die, vampire! You could never hope to stand up to a Warblade!"

She lost her balance, and I fell out of her arms and rolled over the pavement. It hurt. It hurt, but Vill must've been in more pain. I turned to her and tried calling out to her, when Rainsworth unleashed a second attack.

Vill kept a knee on the ground as she brandished her kunai, blocking the mana blades. Rainsworth looked for an opening and stepped forward. She instantly knew she was in danger and raised her hip, but the pain in her ankle was too much, and she fell to the ground.

"One less filthy vampire to worry about!"

He swung his long sword.

Vill was about to get killed.

I…I…

"I won't let you!!"

"Komari! What are you doing?!" Nelia yelled from afar.

My body moved on its own. It was stupid, and I knew it. I knew that nothing would change even if I acted, but I couldn't let my maid get slashed in two right before my eyes.

I stood before her and stared at the lizard-eyed man.

Vill yelled something, but I couldn't hear it. Ah…so this is how I will die for the first time. That was the only thought in my head.

But the pain didn't come, even though I was prepared for it.

"Guh… What—what's happening?! It won't move!" Rainsworth groaned.

A red whiplike thing was wrapped around his sword.

I could never forget the sight of that spell. There was only one person I knew who used such unpleasant magic.

"Rusted bastards. You won't get away with your nonsense any longer."

"D-Delphyne?!"

I was in shock. On top of the weapon shop's roof stood the mysterious masked vampire…Crimson Lord Delphyne. Her Fourth Unit was right there, too. They were all wearing masks, like some sort of circus troupe. Behind them was a Peace Spirit army. Likely Karla's.

"Like damn cockroaches, one after the other!"

"The only cockroach here is you. Now die."

Delphyne shot a barrage of knives from the wound on her arm.

I really didn't get how she wasn't flinching in pain from her magic…but anyway, the knives were fast and powerful. Rainsworth had to fully concentrate on parrying the coagulation spell, so he set me free. He immediately looked at his men, though, and yelled:

"What are you doing?! Kill Terakomari Gandesblood! She's the leader of the Mul-Heaven Alliance! I'll reward whoever gets her!"

The Warblades yelled in excitement and jumped after me, but they were stopped right away. Another group attacked them from the side with amazing speed. It wasn't Delphyne's troops.

The next moment, annoying…but reassuring ovation exploded.

"Commander!" "Commander Komarin!" "We finally caught up to you!" "It's murder time!" "Bwa-ha-ha-ha! I've been waiting for this moment!" "Time to kill all the Warblades and make chopsticks out of them!"

They were the Seventh Unit madmen. They killed Rainsworth's soldiers one after the other, their eyes bloodshot. Once again, a terrible engagement played out right before me. Taking even one step forward would probably kill me in a second.

"Commander! Are you all right?" Bellius said as he approached alongside Caostel.

They were already soaked in the enemy's blood, which I could excuse, but I really wish they wouldn't come near me with the enemy's head in their hands.

"Commander, Gerra-Aruka's official statements says you've colluded with Nelia Cunningham to overthrow their government—is that correct?"

"Y-yeah, pretty much."

"Understood. Then we'll also join the slaughter. Bellius! Let's see who can kill more!"

"Heh. A bit of competition is good once in a while. You'll buy me a drink if I win."

They dove into the chaos. As rambunctious as ever. Where was Yohann, though? Dead? Oh right, he got killed a while ago.

"Ms. Komari! Are you okay?!" Another familiar voice called out to me.

I looked into the distance in shock. Behind the Seventh Unit was the silver vampire. My junior, Crimson Lord Sakuna Memoir. She was holding her precious, giant magic staff in hand, briskly running toward me.

"S-Sakunaaa! Why are you here?!"

"I hurried after you. Ms. Delphyne and I are part of the attack group, after all."

"U-uooooooohhh!! Thank youuuu, Sakunaaaaaaa!"

"Eep! U-um, Ms. Komari?! Fwaaaah!"

I was overcome with emotion and clung to her tight. I'm so happy! They saved my life! By a hair! Just in time! Bestie!

Then I felt a subzero stare stab into back. It was Vill, glaring at me with a pout.

"Lady Komari…don't you have anything to say to me?"

"R-right! Is your foot all right, Vill?!"

"Yes. The Dark Core already healed it. But what I mean is that your maid just nearly gave her life to protect you. Don't you have something else to say to her? Perhaps a reward? A hug or something?"

"Ugh… R-right. You're right."

"Ms. Komari, now's not the time for that." Vill froze as Sakuna spoke.

"We're in the middle of the battlefield…and there's something else you must take care of."

"What?"

"The Daydream Paradise. Leave this place to us and head over there. Hee-hee…I've always wanted to say something like that."

Sakuna smiled and gripped her staff tight.

You know they usually end up dead when they say that sort of line, right?

Sakuna was correct, though. Nelia and I had to go to that hellish resort…the Daydream Paradise.

★

Six Nations News, July 26th Morning Edition

PRETTY MESSED-UP SITUATION GOING ON IN THE GERRA-ARUKA REPUBLIC

IMPERIAL CAPITAL—BY THIO FLATT

The Mulnite government announced on the 25th that they have annihilated and captured the Second and Third Units of the Gerra-Aruka Republic Army, which launched an attack on the fortress city of Faure. Her Majesty, the Empress Karen Helvetius, is leading the commanders at Faure and showing great results. The armies of the Haku-Goku Commonwealth and Lapelico Kingdom, which allied with the Gerra-Aruka Republic, are having trouble fighting back.

…

President Madhart recalled part of his troops in the Dark Core Zone back to the capital after the executive office was bombed. People both inside and outside Aruka are starting to show their dissatisfaction with the Madhart administration, and protests by the radicals in their capital have begun to take a turn for the worse. The capital defense supervisor, Commander Salt Aquinas, leads the garrison in trying to control the population, but it is obvious to everyone that those measures are only shortening the reign of the current administration. Gerra-Aruka might fall at any moment, so hang in there!

★

The capital was in a revolutionary fervor.

The flyers calling for the end of Madhart's reign inspired the Warblades to stand up in rebellion overnight. Moreover, the news said the Mul-Heaven Alliance had the advantage over the Gerra-Aruka army. A mysterious terrorist had blown the executive office to bits. Despite the gravity of the situation, the president was nowhere to be found.

The bottled-up discontent came to a head. The people rallied at the ruins of the executive office and loudly criticized Madhart.

"Madhart must retreat!"

"Stop needless war!"

"Stop oppressing the people with excessive laws!"

"Amazing. To think we might get to see the moment Gerra-Aruka falls."

The silver-haired journalist Melka Tiano sipped her coffee as she observed the citizens clashing with the garrison from afar. The coffee shop was because of the protests. It wasn't even open, in fact. She had sneaked in and prepared the drink for herself without permission.

Isn't this theft? Thio thought as she munched on the cheesecake she'd grabbed from the fridge. It was tasty, but she felt immense guilt. She wanted to go home before anyone caught them.

"Um, Ms. Melka, why are we here in Aruka? We're from the Mulnite branch, aren't we? Let's go home and have some fried shrimp over there, yes?"

"Mulnite is involved, so this is still our job. The Gerra-Aruka correspondents can't write for shit, so we have to go where the scoop is."

"…What is your aim, exactly?"

"Create the world with my pen. That's all!"

The ones 'creating' the world would be those actually involved out there, not the people reporting on it… Thio didn't say it out loud, though, because there was a fifty-fifty chance Melka would either click her tongue or smack her in the face.

The cat-eared girl wanted to quit her job and go back to her hometown ASAP. Then she would start her own business. She'd get to be the boss, leave the work to her employees, and rake in all the cash.

"You see, we must record the moment the world changes. We have to get a picture of when the Gerra-Aruka Republic falls and spread it to the whole world."

"That's impossible! Besides, everyone thinks of Six Nations News as partially fictious…"

"Don't worry. We might mostly write unfounded bullshit, but not this time. HQ just sent us our secret weapon."

Melka then placed, with great fanfare, a huge camera on the table.

The heck is this? Thio thought, opening her eyes wide.

"This is a high-spec camera called the electrovideo box. With this, we can stream live on the screens all over the main cities of the six nations and the Dark Core Zone. It's an ultrarare Divine Instrument. One of a kind!"

Thio couldn't understand why a bunch of dummies like them had obtained such a rare item. Was Six Nations News actually a hugely terrifying organization?

She didn't get it. The news outlet now held both of them in high regard for their courage and initiative. The director had even posted a list of "Top Up-and-Coming Rookies" on the internal bulletin board, and both of them were ranked at top of that ridiculous yet glorious document.

"And how do you use it? We would have to pay for it if we break it, wouldn't we?"

"You use it like this."

Melka placed the electrovideo box on her shoulder and poured mana into it. The lens's light glowed green.

The silver-haired journalist grinned and said, "I'm gonna show the whole world that you're eating stolen cake!"

"Whaaaaaaat?! No, stop it pleaaaaaaaaaase!"

In an instant, a catgirl stuffing her cheeks with cake showed up on screens all over the world. Thio hurriedly grabbed the electrovideo box and pointed it elsewhere. Melka started cackling and cut off the mana link. The lens's light went off.

"How am I supposed to get married now?! I'm going to be thrown into prison!"

"Those two are basically the same thing. Anyway, time to work."

"Please just let me finish the cake first."

"This ain't the time for snacking! You're not even ashamed of stealing, are you?!" Melka hit Thio's head. That was unfair; she was a burglar, too. "We've gotta go get that decisive piece of evidence! You can eat cake later!"

"Well, the protests are right there. Let's record that and go home already."

"Anyone could record that. We need something bigger, something riskier!"

Melka took out a piece of paper—the flyer a spy from Mulnite had spread throughout the capital. Thio remembered it basically saying, "Madhart is a piece of shit," just in a more verbose manner.

Melka pointed at one sentence and read it out loud. "Innocent people are being held in the Daydream Paradise. We've gotta go, don't you think?"

"I mean, it's not like we need to go."

"WE DO!!" Melka slapped her again.

Now this was injustice. Thio decided to write her resignation letter that same day.

★

"Our enemies are awfully energetic again today," the Mulnite Empress whispered as she looked down at the battlefield from the city wall.

A full day had passed since the battle began. Two of Gerra-Aruka's units had been defeated already, but the losses on their side were great as well. Aruka's blade magic had impaled half of the Heavenly Paradise's forces, and the number of wounded in both Flöte's and Helldeus's units were starting to increase.

"Your Majesty, we have a letter from the Goddess of the Heavenly Paradise. It appears to be intel on the enemy forces."

Her vampire escort handed over an envelope. The letter was penned in exotic ink and handwriting. The Empress read it in less than three seconds, then crossed her arms and looked up at the sky.

The protests at the Gerra-Aruka capital had brought about unexpected results.

The Gerra-Aruka Army's current situation was as followed:

First Unit: Nelia Cunningham → Betrayed the Republic and is acting alongside Komari (unit soldiers all defeated)

Second Unit: Nelson Case → Assaulted Faure (now defeated)

Third Unit: Audacious Claim → Assaulted Faure (now defeated)

Fourth Unit: Pascal Rainsworth → Battling the attack team at Carnalt

Fifth Unit: Abercrombie → Defending the Daydream Paradise

Sixth Unit: Mary Fragment → Assaulted Faure (currently in battle)

Seventh Unit: Salt Aquinas → Returned to the mainland to protect the capital

Eighth Unit: Under investigation (protecting the capital?)

Besides the Gerra-Aruka Army, some of the Haku-Goku Commonwealth and Lapelico Kingdom troops had also attacked Faure. The situation looked dire…but the rest of the world had begun to find out about Madhart's dark side, so the Empress didn't believe they would launch another fierce attack. In fact, the Enchanted Lands had turned down Gerra-Aruka's invitation and remained neutral. Now they just had to wait for Komari, Nelia, and Karla Amatsu to expose the Daydream Paradise's secrets.

"Your Majesty, will our army be all right?"

"Yes. We might not if the number of enemy troops increases, but that doesn't seem likely."

Below them, Helldeus was killing beast-folk with his bare fists. Flöte was unleashing the full extent of her dark magic, too. The Peace Spirits' troops were wounded, but they didn't turn back.

"No problem. It's all good. Once Sakuna and Delphyne beat Rainsworth's troops and reunite with Komari, Madhart will have nowhere to run."

★

The Mulnite Empress's guess was a tad bit off the mark.

The people of Gerra-Aruka were the blade-folk—a race who got all they wanted through war. Vampires tended to kill for fun, but the Warblades were rational and ambitious, cold and firm as steel. They were more specialized in killing than the vampires.

The fortress city of Carnalt was silent.

Even the onlookers, staring from inside their windows, were unbelievably quiet.

The place was filled with the repulsive stench of death.

The streets were dyed in red; it was impossible to tell their original color from the sheer amount of blood. Corpses were piled up high all over. Vampires, Warblades, and Peace Spirits alike had expired. Even the masked and the silver-haired Crimson Lords lay still alongside their subordinates within the pools of blood.

Only one man was standing among the tragedy.

"You've taken up far too much of my time…you filthy vampires!"

Pascal Rainsworth wiped the blood off his blade and sheathed it.

His eyes were tinted a horrific scarlet. Not bloodshot—it was the effect of his power, which went above the laws of physics. Core Implosion.

Rainsworth clicked his tongue and walked away. His Fourth Unit was annihilated, leaving only him…but he was unharmed. He came out spotless, and victorious.

He'd lost some time in battle, but not enough to be unable to catch up to Nelia and Gandesblood.

They were heading for the Daydream Paradise, where Illustrious General Abercrombie's unit was stationed. There was no way they could break through with such small numbers.

Then his Correspondence Crystal glowed. It was time for his periodic report. He poured in mana and picked up the call.

"Something happen?"

"No. Nelia Cunningham will arrive at the Daydream Paradise in an hour."

"Got it. I'll go after them right away."

He hung up.

What he had to do was simple. Abercrombie's army would attack them from the front, then he would attack from behind, and that would be it for Nelia. Once her hopes were crushed, she would lose any will to live. Then he would approach her with sweet words and melt the coldness surrounding her heart with ease.

After that, they would simply have to reorganize their army and attack the Mulnite Empire again.

Protests were taking place back at the capital, but the fools merely had to be silenced with force. The reason why they managed to stand up against Madhart, besides reading Mulnite's flyers, was because the executive office's bombing made it seem like his power was weakening. But the Republic just had to show

them how strong they still were by conquering the Mulnite Empire and the Heavenly Paradise.

Suddenly, someone grabbed his ankle.

It was the silver vampire, drenched in blood as she looked up at him. Crimson Lord Sakuna Memoir. That dirty little girl had been absolved of her crimes despite having been involved with Inverse Moon and still had the gall to

remain a commander.

"I won't let you…follow Ms. Komari…"

"Enough of your blabbering."

"I won't let you go. You will…stay here…"

"I said shut the hell up!"

Rainsworth drew his sword and stabbed the girl in the abdomen. A tremendous amount of blood spewed from her mouth, and yet her eyes showed no sign of weakening resolve. This bothered him to no end.

"There is no hope for you! Terakomari Gandesblood's life is over! Abercrombie's troops will take care of that! You vampires will become slaves to us Warblades; there's no saving you from that!"

"Abercrombie…? Heh, I've heard that name."

"Surely. He's the third best Illustrious General, next to me and Nelia."

"Yes, maybe. I won't deny he was a strong opponent…but in the end, I won."

"What…?"

"I won't lose. Even in death, I'll keep going."

Rainsworth felt chills down his spine. An incomprehensible eeriness took over his mind.

In just the blink of an eye—literally—Sakuna Memoir's pupils glowed red.

He acted on instinct; he brought his sword down on her right hand and severed it.

Painful shrieking followed. He paid it no mind; he didn't have the patience.

Rainsworth left Carnalt, still feeling uneasy, however.

"You will not…get away with this."

Her last groan was drowned out by the summer wind.

He failed to pay attention to one more thing. Something he had ignored, thinking it'd been a dead body from the very beginning—but she was not dead.

The Dark Core's power had kept her barely alive. The girl in kimono near the inn.

She stood up.

Her eyes were empty, like a starless night sky. Her entire body hurt, and her head felt heavy. Her vision was also blurry. It all felt like a dream. There was blood everywhere. Why, oh, why do people take on this dirty color? With my power, I could make it all prettier. Cleaner.

Then a shadow appeared beside her. The leader of Kidoshu, Karla Amatsu's ninja squad.

"Lady Karla, your bell fell off."

"Bell? Ah, my little chime."

She only noticed after Koharu told her. The chime her dear brother had gifted her was lying on the ground. Thank goodness it was there. She couldn't live without it.

Koharu picked it up and handed it over, and Karla tied it back on again.

It tinkled gracefully, and the world changed. Light returned to her pitch-black eyes.

"…Fweh? Wha—? Wh-what happened?! Oh no, my kimono's drenched in blood!"

"The Aruka general killed everyone. It's a sea of blood."

"K-Koharu?! Where were you up to now?!"

"I was looking for you."

"Took you long enough! But thank you! I love you." She hugged her tight.

"You're suffocating me," said the ninja with a frown. "I also have a message from the Goddess. She says to join Terakomari and Nelia and head for the Daydream Paradise."

"Huh?" Karla grimaced. "…The mission is still going on? I've worked so hard already, almost to the point of death. Actually, didn't I die once?"

"You did not. Lady Karla, it is a warrior's duty to follow the Goddess's orders. And other people from the Heavenly Paradise are already there; you must go help them."

"…"

"Please, Lady Karla." Koharu looked at her with pure, innocent eyes. There was no way she could reject her.

The Amatsus were a line of warriors. No matter how inept she was at combat, Karla had to do her job as a commander. Besides, as a pacifist, she couldn't overlook what Gerra-Aruka had done. That kind of demonic evil called for divine retribution.

Karla slowly stood up, her chime sounding as she placed a hand on Koharu's head.

"Very well. I will do everything I can as an Imperial Saber. I have the wisdom to fight without force…but if I do end up in a pickle, then come rescue me. Okay, Koharu?"

***

I heard the calm waves after walking for a while.

The vast ocean spread out before me. The sun shone bright. I could smell the sea salt. I got a bit giddy despite the situation, I must admit. Though, as childish as that might be, at least I wasn't stupid enough to actually tell everyone to go in for a swim.

The only diving I had to do—I could do—was into the Daydream Paradise. The particulars of why and how we were getting there still escaped me, but according to Nelia, if we managed to expose its secrets to all the nations, the world would be saved.

"And how do we 'expose' 'em? Do we, like, take a picture?"

"That, too, but first we must save the prisoners. They will be our witnesses."

"And then Madhart's administration will have no way of escaping the criticism," Vill said.

"Exactly. Then we just make some threats. Tell him to withdraw his troops if he doesn't want us to reveal the truth to the whole world. And once the army has retreated, we go after him."

Nelia spoke with great confidence as we walked through the woods, ignoring the sea. There was a trail, likely the route my guys had taken when they were playing "beach flags."

"Lady Cunningham, I believe there was a base right before the Daydream Paradise. Gerra-Aruka's troops must be waiting for us."

"Yeah, they must be Illustrious General Abercrombie's, who's in charge of defending the place. They say whoever faces the guy ends up like chopped onions."

"Lady Komari, the path is over here." Vill grabbed me by the arm and brought me back into position.

"Don't worry. I wouldn't lose in a one-on-one match, but even then we don't need to go in from the front. Let's just sneak in like ninja without them knowing." Nelia was speaking very optimistically.

We walked a bit more until I caught whiff of a strange smell in the wind.

"…Don't you smell blood?"

"Huh? No, not at all."

"We are more sensitive to the smell, as vampires… Oh, look. Abercrombie's unit has been annihilated," Vill said.

"""Wha—?""" Nelia, Gertrude, and I said in unison.

From outside the forest, we could see the Gerra-Aruka Republic's base where Abercrombie's unit was stationed. The soldiers' bodies were piled up in a pool of blood.

I couldn't understand what was going on, but Vill did.

"It appears they killed one another. This was likely Lady Memoir's doing."

"Sakuna did this? She was here?"

"No, you see, the Sixth Unit was made to fight multiple wars as punishment for what happened, and most of them were against Gerra-Aruka's troops. During that time, Lady Memoir killed Abercrombie, and it was then that she used her Core Implosion."

"…"

Ah, dreadful. This reminded me how truly terrifying Sakuna was. Then I saw it. Just for a short instant, Gertrude frowned. It didn't seem to be out of fear or disgust toward the mountain of corpses. No…she looked annoyed.

"How lucky! Now we get to go inside the Daydream Paradise without trouble. Good job on Sakuna Memoir's part. Maybe I should make her my servant, too."

"I'm not letting you do that. She's my friend."

"Any friend of yours is a servant of mine."

I legitimately couldn't tell if that was a joke or not. In any case, at least we didn't have to fight now. I felt bad for Abercrombie, but hey.

Nelia stepped over the corpses and bravely kept on walking. Right past the now-deserted base was the resort…or rather, its ruins, thanks to what my guys had done. They hadn't finished cleaning up the rubble of what once was the hotel.

"Gertrude…where do you think the entrance to the underground is?"

"Bweh? I—I don't know… Oh, but there's a staircase here."

She cleared away some of the rubble, and there it was. She was impressively strong…but there was something fishier about her than her physical prowess. How did she realize there was a stairway right there? Did she have X-ray vision or something? Oh well, no use thinking about it, I guess.

"Good job, Gertrude. No need to blow up the surface of this place now."

Nelia went down the stairs. Did she have no sense of fear? Gertrude followed, fearless as well, so I had to do the same.

The stairs were narrow. We had to go down in a line, in the following order: Nelia, then Gertrude, then me, and finally Vill.

It was dark. There didn't seem to be anyone around, save for an eerie wind coming from below. It smelled like something had gone bad down there. I instinctively grabbed Vill's arm without shame—that was how scared I was.

"How about we talk about fun stuff, Vill?"

"Yes, let's go to the beach once we're back. I'll teach you how to swim."

"Y-yeah… Pretty reasonable answer, huh? I was expecting something funnier."

"I'm doing my best."

"Hey, did you use that thing to see the future?"

"There was no time to do that. Besides, there's no way of getting a Warblade to drink my blood… Vampire blood is like poison to them. Their bodies rust away."

"First I've heard about that… Okay…then I'll drink it. I don't like it, but I'll gulp it down."

"No." She didn't hesitate. The frank rejection almost made my eyes well up.

Vill looked around, a serious expression on her face.

The only thing on my mind was the shock of rejection.

You let Sakuna drink it. Why not me? What's so bad about me?

"Sorry…I just can't let you do something you don't like. Please don't cry; it's not because I don't want you to suck my blood. I could suck yours instead if you want."

"I-I'm not crying! And don't just aim for my neck! Shoo!"

"I'm sorry," she said again, unexpressive.

That weirdly calmed me down, but there was nothing to be relieved about in the first place. It wasn't as if sucking her blood would kill me. It didn't matter…but then I remembered it totally did; we wouldn't get to see the future to avoid my likely death. I steeled my resolve and tried biting her wrist, but she pushed my lips with her index finger and said, "Bad girl." My face turned red. I really couldn't understand why she didn't want me to drink her blood despite always forcing me to eat those pesky peppers.

After all that, we arrived at an underground room.

"There's people here. This…is the Daydream Paradise," Nelia said.

"…!" The shock made me cling to Vill's arm again.

It was a huge prison complex. I half expected that…but the place was larger than the Mulnite Imperial Palace garden, and it had a seemingly endless amount of jail cells. Inside them were people—lots of them. Mostly Warblades, but there were people of other races, too. They were cowering inside their cells, but once they saw us arrive, they ran toward the bars, foaming at the mouth.

"You! You're Nelia…Nelia Cunningham!"

Commotion followed. Everyone looked at us.

Nelia approached one of the cells with a tense look on her face.

"I am Nelia. Don't worry, I'm here to rescue you."

"Run away now! You'll die if you stay here!"

"You… you're that public speaker who got caught last month for criticizing Madhart. What were they doing to you in here? What is this Daydream Paradise?"

"Well…" He cast his eyes down, squinting. "I don't know the details. All the people on this floor are prisoners who were recently caught. But they are doing as they please with everyone they bring here. I don't mean forcing us to work; no, that would be too kind. They're experimenting on us. Look." He showed us his arm, revealing fresh wounds. "They're testing how fast the Dark Core heals us. Every day, they beat up everyone in here and then let us be. Then they wait for us to heal again."

The others looked equally wounded. There were people with slashes all over their bodies, people on the floor in puddles of blood, and people who had died, their hearts crushed. I wanted to throw up. I'd seen lots of injured people like this since becoming a commander, but this was too much. This didn't happen in usual war. This was evil.

"Where is my father…the former king?"

"I don't know. Perhaps farther in…but it would be best not to hope for anything."

Nelia looked shaken, but immediately she gripped her twin swords.

"I'll save you. We will defeat Rainsworth and Madhart."

"No! Rainsworth's eyes glow scarlet! Not even you can defeat him…"

"Fear not! I will change Aruka! Keep quiet and follow me!" She turned to me. "Komari! I will look at the other floors. I must see the entirety of Gerra-Aruka's evils. Let's go, Gertrude."

She ran farther inside, taking her maid along, before I could stop her.

I was paralyzed, but then Vill grabbed my hand.

"Lady Komari, we mustn't go our separate ways in enemy territory. Let's follow Lady Cunningham."

"Y-yeah…"

We went farther down, and that floor was even worse.

There was an endless supply of weapons hanging on the walls, and not normal weapons—Divine Instruments.

There were prison cells on both sides of the hallway. Many of the prisoners were young, mostly in their teens and twenties, both men and women. They were wounded all over, their breathing faint. Their injuries were much deeper than those of the upper floor, and they showed no sign of healing. They'd been harmed using Divine Instruments.

"They're out of their damn minds! Unhinged, insane bastards!" Nelia screamed. She was right.

Vill looked around and said, "It seems they were experimenting with Divine Instruments here."

"Experimenting? Are you trying to say there's a point to inflicting all this pain?"

"On rare occasions, wounds inflicted by Divine Instruments develop the victim's spirit more, allowing them to obtain Core Implosion—or so they say. I think I heard that from Lady Memoir."

"Why would they do that?" I asked.

"Simple. Core Implosion gives you the power to bore through the land and move stars. Madhart must want it to take over the world. Anyhow, we should look for the keys. We must save everyone," Nelia said with a spiteful tone, then walked away.

I was flabbergasted. People with wounds all over. Corpses. I couldn't believe someone would do such a thing. I wasn't even outraged…just sad. In the end, I really was just an ignorant, pampered vampire.

"Vill…why do you think Madhart wants to take over the world?"

"I don't know. I can't even fully understand you."

I glanced at Nelia's back. She seemed to glow as she stood up to evil. This wasn't the time to whine… I had to do whatever I could. So I followed after her…but then I noticed. Gertrude was holding what seemed to be a bunch of keys behind her back.

She smiled as she said, "Lady Nelia, I found them."

"Uh… What?"

Nelia stared in shock at the keys in her maid's hands.

"Where did you find it?!"

"They were on the floor, right there."

"Good! Now we can save everyone!"

Gertrude kept on smiling, but her expression only gave me a bad feeling. She was always so expressive…but not this time. Her smile felt fake, with darkness looming behind it.

"You think we need to save them?" Gertrude said.

"What? Of course we do. Give me the keys."

"But they all opposed Aruka. They are foolish traitors who incurred the president's wrath."

"Wha…?"

"These keys are for locking you in."

They fell from the maid's hands, loudly crashing onto the ground.

Nelia stared at the floor…and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw what followed.

Gertrude stabbed Nelia in the side with a dagger.

Her red blood dripped down to the floor. She looked up at her maid, her eyes as though she was trapped in a nightmare.

"Wh-why…? You…"

"I am Gertrude. Commander of the Eighth Unit, Gertrude Rainsworth."

Nelia held her stomach in pain as she fell to her knees, then to the ground.

I was still frozen from shock when Gertrude ran up to me, bloody dagger in hand. The maid's movements were so swift that I didn't even feel her hostility.

"Lady Komari!"

Suddenly, everything went white. Vill was standing before me, kunais at the ready.

Gertrude's attack was fiercer. Her dagger was fast like a bee, and she knocked the kunai from Vill's hands. Gertrude immediately launched a roundhouse kick to her midsection.

"Guh!" Vill was blown away like a leaf in the wind, leaving a trail of blood on the floor. There was a blade at the tip of Gertrude's shoe.

I couldn't do anything.

Nelia was down. Vill was in pain and couldn't even stand up.

Gertrude…was smiling, like always. Eerily.

"Terakomari Gandesblood. Your blood will be a stepping stone to Gerra-Aruka's future," she said monotonously before punching me.

The blow hit my stomach, and I blacked out for a moment, but I managed to stand in place. Then I saw her shoe right before my face, and my brain shook as the floor changed places with the ceiling.

I was blown away with ease and crashed into a jail cell's bars. It wasn't until then that I realized I had been kicked in the face.

It hurt. My entire body was in agony. How had this happened?

"I've finally caught up to you, Nelia," a man's voice said out of the blue.

From the other side of the hallway…from the entrance to the Daydream Paradise appeared a Warblade wearing Gerra-Aruka's army uniform. One of the Eight Illustrious Generals. Pascal Rainsworth. One of the Republic's stooges who'd been tormenting Nelia.

He finally caught up to us…but wait, if he's here, then what happened to Sakuna, Delphyne, and my Seventh Unit?

"Rainsworth?! Explain what is going on!" Nelia was crouched on the ground, holding her belly.

Vill was completely down for the count. I tried standing up but tripped right away. I couldn't move because of the pain.

The corners of Rainsworth's mouth curled up eerily as he approached.

"Too bad, Nelia. That's my sister. She's been observing you this whole time."

Nelia gasped. Who knew if he was telling the truth? Either way, Rainsworth's words were powerful enough to flip her world upside down.

Rainsworth in front and Gertrude behind us.

We were cornered.

***

The fortress city of Faure was quiet.

The fierce battle had left the city in ruins, but it was now free of enemies. The vampires' magic had turned the Warblades, Sapphires, and beast-folk into minced meat, and they were now in prison, so they wouldn't cause trouble even after the Dark Core healed them.

"It looks like the Haku-Goku Commonwealth wanted to measure Mulnite's potential. We just need to use the prisoners as hostages to have them retreat, and I'm sure they'll accept," the Empress said, exasperated, sitting atop the rubble.

She had been in a meeting with the chancellor a few moments before. The latter was in a panic on the other side of the Crystal, but she basically threatened him: "Do it, you have five seconds." "Stop crying." "If you don't, I'll take

Komari's custody away from you."

Flöte handed her a cup of coffee and said, "What do you mean by potential?"

"Thanks," the Empress said as she took the cup. "They wanted to see how we'd react in case of emergency, the crafty pricks."

"And you crushed them with your genius strategic prowess, Lady Karen."

"Oh, please. I'll take you out for dinner for doing such a good job. But it's clear that the Haku-Goku Commonwealth was holding back. Remember what that girl we captured said?"

"Commander Prohellya Butchersky? Yes, we have her rolled up in a jail cell. She was exceedingly shameless for a prisoner; she asked for borscht and piroshki."

"Give her a potato and leave it at that. See, she only gave orders and didn't fight herself. It was the same for the other commanders. I'm guessing Haku-Goku's secretary general instructed them to do so. What I mean is, the Sapphires never had any intention of destroying Mulnite. Even if they do harbor the desire to bring us down, they probably think they'll do that themselves, not with Gerra-

Aruka leading the way."

"I see. What about the Lapelico Kingdom?"

"I heard the Republic threatened to stop exporting bananas to them if they refused to lend their army. That kingdom is locked in a heated civil war between herbivores and carnivores. The carnivores didn't bend the knee to Aruka's threat since they don't need bananas, but it was pretty effective on the herbivores. You saw how everyone attacking was a herbivore, didn't you? It wasn't their government's choice—just some herbivores acting of their own volition. I told them Mulnite would sell them bananas, and they calmed down."

"I feel like I'm hearing about an entirely different world."

"That's because it is." the Empress smiled. "Anyway, we've fulfilled our objective. Now we just have to wait for Komari to expose the Daydream Paradise's secret, and that will be it for Madhart."

"Will Ms. Gandesblood really be up to the task? I could send my troops right away."

"There's no need. It's not only Komari—she's with Nelia and Karla. Let's just sit back and wait for the good news. I'll have the guys over at the palace prepare a feast to celebrate."

The Empress stretched her arms then, exposing a bit of her cleavage. Flöte's heart skipped a beat. Now was not the time to let her mind wander! She ruminated over her situation.

Gerra-Aruka's defeat was almost guaranteed. The probabilities of them attacking Faure again were slim, and there were protests going on at their capital calling for the president's appearance. They had no way to counterattack. For sure.

"Your Majesty! Urgent report!" A messenger ran up to them.

The Empress frowned as she stood up.

"What is it? Did Aruka surrender?"

"No. Their army is approaching us."

"So they want to keep going until the bitter end. No way their leftovers could stand up to us, though."

"No, this troop approaching us consists of five thousand people…"

"What??" Flöte exclaimed.

The messenger's hands were trembling.

"The number is correct. An army of five thousand is marching from Gerra-Aruka to the grasslands here in the Dark Core Zone. The nearby portal has already been destroyed, so it will take them some time to reach us."

"You must be kidding! They only have eight units!"

"H-however…they've already conquered some of Mulnite's and the Heavenly Paradise's territories."

"What did you say?!"

Then the Correspondence Crystal that directly connected to the Gerra-Aruka Republic's president glowed. The Empress poured mana into it with a calm demeanor.

The man's voice echoed.

"Good day, Your Majesty. I think you must have noticed by now."

"Oh, you're alive? How resilient."

"Such a weak Core Implosion couldn't possibly kill me. You thought Petrose Calamaria was enough to stop me?"

"What do you want? If you want us to return your imprisoned commanders, then apologize. Say you're sorry for waging war against us."

"No need to return those prisoners. I'm calling to advise you to surrender." He chuckled. "There is no future for the Mulnite Empire or the Heavenly Paradise. Continuing the war will only bring misfortune, so I want you to agree to my demands, for the good of your people. Tell me where your Dark Core is."

"Don't make me repeat myself. I'm not telling you. Our commanders will cut your ambitions short."

"How sad, Your Majesty. It appears vampires really are as lowly as I thought. You will not be able to stand up against my army of the strongest Warblades. Time to learn the law of the jungle. The strong will prevail—and you will bend the knee."

Flöte couldn't take it anymore. She loudly strode to the Empress's side and shouted at the Crystal in her hand.

"So you reveal your true colors, you tyrant! The Mulnite Empire will not succumb to a scumbag like you!"

"Stop it, Flöte. Don't provoke him, or he'll explode."

"Just what I'd love! Hey, creep, I hear no one in your country likes you! Have anything to say about the protests over at your capital?! What use is there in a ruler loathed by their people?! You wish you could be as great as Her Majesty Karen Helvetius! Go to hell, you rusted piece of shit!"

"Ha! You've got a funny subordinate over there, though I prefer them a bit quieter. I'll give her proper training at my Daydream Paradise after I capture her."

"Wha—?!"

"You threaten to lay a hand on my lovely subordinates? I won't let you."

"Hilarious. You don't even know what your 'lovely subjects' are going through as we speak."

Madhart raised the mana output to send a picture, which was displayed in the air. It showed a city somewhere.

There were the Empress's adorable subjects. The vampires of Mulnite's army in a sea of blood. Among them were Crimson Lords Delphyne and Sakuna Memoir.

The shock nearly made Flöte lose her mind.

The look on the Empress's face turned grimmer.

"I will give them proper punishment if you don't surrender. I've heard of this thing called lingchi, which they used in the Enchanted Lands long ago. You slowly cut off part of someone's body, piece by piece, over a long period of time. You really get to savor their pain. Oh, but don't worry. They won't die. You know, because of the Dark Core."

"Lady Karen! We must go save them!"

"No point in sending reinforcements now. Our elite troop is already heading your way. There is only one choice left for the Mul-Heaven Alliance: surrender and become our slaves."

"Don't be ridiculous! Your elite? Ha! An empty bluff if I've ever heard one!"

"I'd say it's perfectly natural to increase your military forces in secret if you're preparing for real war."

"Wha…?! Th-then that army of five thousand…"

"Indeed. The Eight Illustrious Generals are not our only commanders." He lowered his voice. "I would say it's more like the Five Thousand Illustrious Generals."

The Empress hung up.

She didn't say anything. Flöte only heard the steps of the soldiers coming and going around them. Impatient, she asked:

"Lady Karen, what do we do? Would you like me to engage the enemy?"

"No need for that." Her voice was firm. She placed a hand on Flöte's head and said, "That army of five thousand is nothing but leftovers. But I need to talk with President Madhart. I need to see with my own eyes what kind of person he is."

"Where are you going?"

"I'll be back soon. Faure is in your hands, Flöte."

Then lightning shook the ground.

It came out of the blue. Flöte's eyes were blinded by white light, and the heat waves shook her whole body, making her fall on her behind. There was a high-pitched ringing in her ears. The guys in the Mascarail Unit walking about even started screaming.

The white light disappeared in an instant, the Empress along with it.

"Lady Karen…?"

The only thing left behind was a mountain of black, charred rubble, and the pulverized Correspondence Crystal.

Flöte was shocked.

The Empress had left to go meet with the enemy leader. The last Flöte saw of her wasn't her usual eccentric, calm, and collected self. There had been flaming rage in her eyes, and that look on her face was forever burned in Flöte's mind.

***

Perhaps my head was refusing to accept reality.

Gertrude had undoubtedly betrayed us. There was no sign of her being manipulated. She had done it all—gouged Nelia's belly, knocked out Vill, kicked me away—out of her own will.

"Don't try anything, Lady Nelia. I covered the blade in poison. You will be paralyzed soon."

"Gertrude! Why did you do this?!"

The maid didn't answer. Instead, Rainsworth sneered.

"Don't be stupid, Nelia. She was a spy. She's been observing you for five whole years… How couldn't you notice even once?"

"You lie! She's on my side! Right, Gertrude?!"

"Yes… I am on your side, Lady Nelia."

"You are not, Gertrude." Rainsworth placed a hand on her shoulder, and the maid slightly winced, but she forced a smile.

"I'm sorry. Right now…I am your enemy."

Nelia gasped in between convulsions.

"I am Pascal Rainsworth's sister. I was your maid on my older brother's orders. And now…the day to make you give up has finally come."

"Make me give up…?"

"I watched you from up close. I know how much people talked behind your back, how hard you worked without being rewarded, how much you suffered through every day…and you will break down if you keep on living like this. You…should give up on your impossible ambitions and live in peace instead."

"…!" Nelia, with a ghastly look, tried to jump at Gertrude, but her knees gave out. The poison was kicking in.

Rainsworth whistled.

"Oh my, how scary. You almost had me there after seeing Abercrombie's unit down, but Gertrude sure did a good job. Now I won't have to finish you off myself."

"I—I won't lose to you! I still have an ace up my sleeve!"

"You don't. Sadly, I know you don't." Rainsworth walked up to her and brushed aside her peach-colored hair as his reptile-like eyes stared right into hers. "You mean the Mulnite Empire and the Heavenly Paradise, don't you? You hoped they would beat Gerra-Aruka's army. But that won't happen. The Warblades will wipe out those vampires and Peace Spirits. I can guarantee you that."

"W-wait…what do you mean?! Did they… Did they lose?!" I screamed.

Rainsworth scoffed.

"They will. Our hidden army of five thousand is heading for Faure as we speak. The Mul-Heaven Alliance has been worn down by the consecutive battles—there is no way they can fight back."

"This is the first I've heard of that army. Aruka only has eight units!"

"We were hiding it, even from you. Those five thousand Warblades were trained right here in the Daydream Paradise. They were once criminals and traitors, but now they've become our obedient servants."

I didn't get it. There was no way they could really have an army of five thousand. But it didn't sound like a bluff. Rainsworth sounded extremely confident. As if he was absolutely sure they would win. So…was the Mulnite Empire really driven into a corner like he said?

"Those are the facts, Nelia. You can't do anything, so stop thinking of a way out and accept the prosperity President Madhart will bring us. He will build a utopia for Warblades, by Warblades. And I will advise him to let you in."

"Th-that's not happening. I will defeat Madhart…"

"The president only wants world peace. His ideal is no different from yours."

"Wrong! I would do it another way! M-Mrs. Gandesblood told me, that if people worked to lift each other up, then the world would be at peace…"

"No need to think so hard about it. Just let yourself be set free from the pain… Leave your intangible dream behind and be mine."

Rainsworth placed his fingers on her chin.

Nelia's eyes were devoid of hope. She was silent. The situation couldn't be worse. If Madhart's five-thousand-man army was really heading for Faure, then the defense team couldn't do anything. Nelia and I were doomed.

But still…I couldn't give up.

I didn't know much about Nelia Cunningham's or the Gerra-Aruka Republic's circumstances, but I did know that what these guys were doing was wrong.

I didn't want to lose to the sort of person who would gladly harm someone else for their own gain. I couldn't let myself be defeated by morons who would laugh at someone else's efforts.

"…Mulnite won't lose."

"Hah?"

Rainsworth glared at me, but I couldn't let myself be intimidated.

"Mulnite won't lose! Nelia's dream isn't over yet, either! I won't let you imbeciles ruin it for her!"

"You cocky little bitch… Who're you calling an imbecile?!"

"You, who else?! Mom said that scum who saw other people as nothing but tools had no future ahead of them. And I've seen people like that actually get wrecked for it!"

"So what?! We Warblades will make slaves out of everyone! That's how the world should be! You have no right to say anything, lowly vampire!"

"Shut your bigoted mouth! That's why Nelia hates you so much!"

"Wha—?! Wh-who cares if she does?! I will make her mine either way! Same goes for Mulnite and the Heavenly Paradise!"

"Nelia is strong. She won't submit to you… Besides, you're a primitive prick for even thinking to make her 'yours' using force! Not even chimpanzees are that stupid!"

"What…did you say…?"

"Apologize to her already and piss off, you deluded jerk!"

"INSOLENT BITCH!!"

Then I got the wind knocked out of me. He punched me right in the stomach, and it didn't end there. Rainsworth let his rage take over as he punched me again and again. Dull pain radiated all over my body. It didn't take long before I was unable to feel anymore.

"I…won't lose…"

"Shut your trap, dirty vampire!"

He kicked me in the face. I felt my brain rattle inside my head, and then everything went black.

My head was screaming. Blood dripped out my mouth and nose onto the floor. The pain came after. Tears flowed out from my eyes. It hurt. So, so much.

Still, I didn't give in. I couldn't let this despicable piece of garbage defeat me.

"Rainsworth! Leave her alone!" Nelia shouted, still crouched down on the floor.

The Warblade stopped and shot her a glare.

"Nelia…what are you saying? She's a vampire. A fool who dared oppose Gerra-Aruka. Killing her wouldn't be enough… I'll make a guinea pig out of her right here, for the rest of her life."

"I won't let you! She's…she's dear to me!"

"Dear? Don't make me laugh. Vampires are nothing more than our slaves."

"You wouldn't get it!!"

Nelia hurled a dagger at him.

It didn't fly on a straight course due to the numbness in her arm, but it did manage to graze Rainsworth's cheek.

"What?"

Blood dripped down his face. He'd been caught totally off guard. It was clear on his reptilian face that he was taken aback, still unable to process it. When he finally did, he screamed:

"Y-you've got to be KIDDING ME!!"

He kicked Nelia's stomach and slammed her against the wall like she was a bouncing ball. He kept going. He walked up to her, lifted her up by the hair, and yelled in her face.

"You defy me, too?! You are mine! You should just do as I say! Why do you oppose me?! Are you that eager to die?!"

"I…will change Aruka! Maybe I can't do it alone, but I can do anything with Komari by my side! Together we can fight Madhart!"

"Shut it already! It's not happening!"

Rainsworth kicked her again. I couldn't keep quiet.

"Stop it! Don't you hurt her anymore!"

"Silence, vampire!"

Then a spinning dagger came flying at me and grazed my shoulder, cutting my skin under the uniform like butter. Pain spread, and blood spurted out. I couldn't stand. Meanwhile, Rainsworth dropped Nelia and drew his sword.

"It's all your fault. You gave Nelia hope she didn't need… She should've been broken already. If it weren't for you… I'll kill you here and now."

There was nothing I could do. Vill didn't seem to be waking any time soon. Nelia was also paralyzed due to the poison…but even if she wasn't, the despair she felt was clearly petrifying her.

It was all so vexing. I was going to die here… I clenched my teeth, then…

"What are you doing?"

…I heard a cold voice.

Everyone turned to look at the source.

A girl was standing there, her silver hair now a dark red, dyed in dry blood. Her clothes looked tattered from sword wounds, but her skin beneath them was mostly healed.

It was the vampire with Sapphire heritage—Sakuna Memoir.

She was glaring at Rainsworth, cold rage in her eyes. Standing like a phantom.

"Ms. Komari…you're hurt. Who did it? Was it Mr. Warblade over there? Harming us wasn't enough for him?"

The puddle of blood at her feet froze over. She was so furious that mana was overflowing from her body.

"Sakuna?! What are you doing here?!"

"I followed you. Thank goodness I got here in time."

"B-but you're injured!"

"Oh, this is nothing. Nothing compared with your wounds."

Sakuna held her severed right hand with her left, then stuck it on her wrist. The combined power of her icy mana and the Dark Core's powers rapidly connected it back to her arm. I wanted to scream at the sight, but actually, someone else seemed more shaken about it than me.

"You…you were alive?!" Rainsworth yelled.

"I won't let anyone hurt Ms. Komari."

"There is nothing wrong with doing as I please to a member of an inferior race!"

"An inferior race…?" Any hint of warmth vanished Sakuna's eyes; the white, icy fog exuding from her body crawled across the floor. "Oh, I do not like that sort of mentality. There are no inferior races in this world. Vampires, Sapphires, Warblades—we are all equal. Anyone who says otherwise will sooner or later meet their doom. If you really think of other people just as tools…then it's time I froze your dirty mouth shut."

Sakuna took a step forward and held her staff high to hit him—an unusual fighting style for a mage. However, her attack didn't reach Rainsworth, for Gertrude stopped it halfway.

"I won't let you hurt my brother."

"Step aside! I will personally take down that Warblade!"

Sparks shining bright like stars went off as Sakuna's and Gertrude's attacks clashed. The echoes of the high-pitched clangs filled the prison, as did the bloodlust overflowing from them. I was glad Sakuna was here to help…but she was so intense that I was at a loss for words. It was clear she was utterly incensed.

Gertrude suddenly looked up.

"Brother! It's not just this pseudo-Sapphire! There are more enemies coming!"

Then the ground above us trembled.

Everyone but Sakuna opened their eyes wide.

The tremors kept coming, shaking the inside of the Daydream Paradise to headache-inducing levels. It wasn't an earthquake. It felt more as if they were setting off bombs on the surface.

"Sakuna Memoir! What have you done?!"

Sakuna stepped away from Gertrude.

Her icy stare pierced Rainsworth's.

"I simply followed Ms. Komari…and others came after me. Mainly Ms. Karla Amatsu and those journalist ladies."

There was tension in the air.

"You're kidding," said Nelia.

I thought Karla died when she fell out the window… She's alive?

I didn't have time to speculate. A magic circle formed on Sakuna's back as frigid air formed all around her. That was the spell she frequently used in war—Dust Tail Comet. Gertrude stood before her brother, holding her sword tight.

"Brother, let me take care of the pseudo-Sapphire and Karla Amatsu."

"What?! That other girl is one thing, but Karla Amatsu is too dangerous! She'll kill you if you go after her!"

"I, too, am an Illustrious General. I will not be defeated. Besides…I just got a call from the president. He has a mission for you."

"Die," Sakuna said as she cast the freezing spell.

White stars cut through the air as they flew at Gertrude. The Warblade maid expertly parried the projectiles with her sword but missed one of them, and it flew past her and crashed into the wall right next to me, opening a hole. I prepared myself for death at any moment.

Rainsworth also parried the incoming stars as he yelled:

"I guess I'll be leading the Daydream Unit! That can wait until we've taken care of the intruders."

"It cannot! He said they're going berserk and might start destroying Gerra-Aruka territory."

"Bunch of useless twits… They can't do anything without me."

"Remember that their minds have been broken. They need a commander to properly direct them. Also…it appears a vampire unit is heading their way."

"Remnants of the Mulnite Imperial Army? Stubborn mongrels."

I raised my head. Whose unit could that be? It wasn't Sakuna's or Delphyne's. Couldn't be Flöte's or Helldeus's—they were in Faure. Maybe it was—what was her name?—Pet-something's, the First Unit.

Rainsworth grimaced. He approached Nelia with heavy steps.

"Nelia! Stay right there until I return. You'll come back to your senses once I've slaughtered the vampires. You'll see how great a nation Gerra-Aruka is."

"I…won't…"

"You're trembling. I knew you weren't fit for being a general."

"…No! This is because of the poison…"

"Your days are over, pseudo Sapphire! Advanced-level blade spell: Razor Splash!" shouted Getrude.

Her spell caused a huge explosion. The cold and hot air mixed at a tremendous speed, and everything turned white. Sakuna dodged it by moving into a narrow space, and Gertrude followed behind her like a ninja.

By the time I realized, Rainsworth was gone, too.

I could still hear the sound of magic being activated and explosions. But Vill and I couldn't move. The situation was too complicated; I didn't even know where to start. I couldn't even stand up from the pain to begin with.