Now the imperial conference was taking quite a different turn. "So mystics grow stronger the more high-level they are, but it'll be hard for
them to manifest themselves in this world if they have too much energy. I think
it's likely that the toughest ones here right now are the 'generals,' the lower
ranks of the high classes. And that means we—"
"Wait! Wait a minute!"
"What's wrong?" Velgrynd asked, miffed at being interrupted. If Oharu hadn't
been right in front of her, she likely wouldn't have let this affront slide.
"Um… You speak of ranks among these 'mystics,' but should we interpret
these to mean the same thing as our military ranks?"
"I'm sorry, are you doubting my linguistic competence?"
"No, that wasn't my intention. I was just wondering if there are, for example,
other staff officers between the commanders and generals…"
The minister of the navy was asking this question, and everyone else was just
as curious about the answer. The faceless crowds that Velgrynd didn't see as
worthy of her attention were life-threatening menaces to the people of this
world.
"If Gensei would struggle against a 'commander,' would that place them at
kiryu level?"
"That seems valid to me. I believe those were the ones who defeated Kondo."
"Then how strong would their generals be?!"
A "high-level" kiryu might just make it into the shinbutsu class—the point of
divinity, impossible for any mortal to defeat. If that's who was attacking them,
all resistance was futile. Everyone's faces grew pale as the truth dawned on
them.
"Is there a chance, then, that Kondo lost to these 'generals,' perhaps?"
"Maybe, but I don't care. It doesn't matter anyway."
Exactly who had lost to whom wasn't a priority for Velgrynd. All that mattered
was that her side had lost.
"…Oh, right, I just remembered something else. There are only two ways for mystics to reach this world. Either they come through an Underworld Gate, or
they're summoned by a superior class of mystic. I doubt there are any Gates in
the sea, so I think we're dealing with summons here. One general could
probably summon ten thousand of them or so, I think?"
Velgrynd made it sound so casual, but to her audience, the information was
devastating. They all fell silent, just staring at her, because they couldn't do
anything else.
"But you think you can, um, beat them, Ryu-oh?" the naval minister asked.
That was the last hope for them all. He almost wanted to laugh, because he
knew how ridiculous a question it was. An individual "general" would be
enough to wipe out mankind, and if it had an entire army working for it, there
was nothing to be done. No matter how powerful this woman calling herself
Ryu-oh was, she couldn't take on an entire army alone.
"Because we're dealing with a divine force with powers beyond our
imagination, aren't we? And the idea of man beating god is something you only
see in mythology…"
"All we can do is pray the world isn't destroyed, can't we?"
The chief commander and the ministers all felt the same way. Velgrynd just
snorted at them.
"You all really are a bunch of sillies, aren't you? The only mystic who could
beat me, and even then only maybe, is Feldway, their king. Not that I'd go in
expecting to lose, and I doubt he could manifest himself here anyway."
Why did she know the name of the enemy's king? The questions never
stopped coming, but no one was brave enough to point it out. Given what they
knew about this woman, nothing seemed strange any longer. But there was one
thing they needed to confirm.
"I…certainly would never doubt your strength, Ryu-oh. That's why I wanted to
ask you…"
It was finally the commissioner of education who drummed up the courage to
speak, after having remained silent this whole conference. He was one of the
three chief directors of the army, often playing a mediator figure whenever meetings like this fell out of order.
Velgrynd looked at him. "What is it?"
"Our nation is on the verge of total collapse. I was wondering if you would…
um, step up to take on this foe?"
"No. I've only got one body, you know."
That was a lie. With her Parallel Existence skill, she could easily protect the
emperor while engaging his enemies. But there was no reason to tell anyone
that. She was appointed a Court Guardian, and that meant she was dedicated to
protecting the emperor. She had been given that role as a way to gauge the
response to her presence. Relying on someone else to swoop in and save you
would stifle all future growth; any country acting that way was doomed to fail
sooner or later. It'd just be a matter of time.
Velgrynd was a caring person, and she hadn't abandoned this country or
mankind in general. Velzard wouldn't have bothered keeping such weak-
spirited creatures alive. Velgrynd wanted to take care of everything here until
Ludora died, but what happened after that didn't matter to her—or at least,
that would've been her thought process before she'd embarked on this journey.
Now, though, she had gained a broader perspective, another change brought
about by meeting and interacting with Rimuru.
What mattered to Velgrynd now was protecting Ludora, the people he loved,
and the bloodlines they kept passing down over time. So, with each cycle, she
took pains to ensure the people she left behind after she departed weren't
totally helpless. It was hard news to give, but she was declaring to the audience
here that she wouldn't move at all for them.
"But don't you worry. I promise you that I will keep His Majesty protected, so
you guys just try as hard as you can, all right?"
In other words, prove you've got some guts in you.
Now that they knew the enemy's strength, the conference moved on to their
future measures.
With Velgrynd's cooperation, the emperor's safety was assured. The officers in this meeting, being no fools, understood what she was saying between the
lines. They would all try figuring out what to do themselves, not asking her for
any more than that.
"I want you to keep a careful eye on the enemy fleet's movements."
"Understood. I will redouble our efforts to ensure we don't lose sight of
them."
"How much time do we have until the yohma fully complete the takeover of
their hosts?"
"Well, if they had a lot of magicules, it wouldn't even take a week, but over
here, I'd assume a good couple of months."
Given her Ludora-appointed post, Velgrynd was obliged to truthfully answer
the questions presented to her, not hiding anything. It helped the conference
reach a valid consensus instead of flailing around for ideas.
"I imagine the enemy fleet will need at least a month before they can finish
the resupplying and repairs required to leave port. Given how the timelines
match up, is it safe to assume they'll go on the move one month from now?"
"Hmm, you think so? It may take time for them to reorganize the crews they
captured, but the Azerian and Chinese fleets currently in operation could go out
to battle right now once they're refueled, couldn't they?"
"If that's all they need, it's a bit under two weeks from Atlantis to our empire.
They might be hampered by weather, but—"
"No they won't. Being able to control weather conditions is a given. You can
assume they'll travel at maximum speed for us."
"Ri…right!"
By this point, the officers were beginning to grasp Velgrynd's personality. She
was incredibly pompous with them, but also very helpful and caring, in her own
way. She gave honest answers to their questions, offering advice as well. If they
could work out just how far she was willing to go for them, they could avoid
stoking her ire. Really, she was a valuable ally, and the more astute in the
audience showered her with questions, trying to make the best use of what they had. Thanks to that, a basic plan of action was in place before much
longer.
"Ahem. We could try to meet the enemy on our homeland, but then we
wouldn't be able to help our brave allies being held against their will. We need
to go out there and defeat the enemy leaders ourselves."
"Quite true. I agree with you, but then the question becomes who to send
out."
"If Ryu-oh is protecting His Majesty, I have nothing to worry about. I'll do it."
"Ah, Araki, if you'll join the effort, we couldn't ask for much better."
"Allow everyone in the Swordsman Guard to join him!"
"We would be honored to have you, Minamoto!"
It looked like they had their basic plan formulated. But Velgrynd once again
cut into the conversation.
"…Are you people serious? Or just suicidal?"
"How do you mean?"
The army minister looked at her, eyes aglow. He was hoping she might join in
after all, but that was too wishful a thought.
"I appreciate your drive to do this all by yourselves, but that won't be enough.
You're facing a large, powerful enemy, so you need to exercise all the force
available."
Most people there had no clue what she was talking about. But some had
already arrived at the answer, the chief of army staff among them.
"Are you saying our nation alone won't cut it?"
This surprised Velgrynd a bit. He'd been the first man to try picking a fight
with her, so she'd assumed he was a lot more careless than that. Good thing I
didn't give up on him from the jump, she thought as she nodded.
"Certainly," the naval chief of staff added, "now is no time for countries to be
fighting each other in the face of this worldwide crisis. All of us here understand
that, but as we went over earlier, militaries are going out of control worldwide. It's frustrating."
"I think we really need our rival nations' support!" Minamoto replied. "If we
go in with a half-hearted force, the yohma will just possess us anyway. That's
why we're using a small team of elites. We'll need other nations to provide only
their elites as well."
This was met with broad agreement.
"It's the only way. This isn't a war any longer. It's a battle for survival against
the yohma, and we can't afford to be choosy about our methods. We need to
drive them away before we can work out our own war."
"Right. It's no longer just our empire's problem."
"Indeed. We need to reach out and get everyone on the same page."
There was no other approach to take—such was the feedback they gave.
"Good job. You're all weak, so you need to use your heads more."
Velgrynd, hearing that, gave them a satisfied smile. But to the bureaucrats in
the room, the idea was preposterous.
"Wait just one minute! I'm sure every world leader knows that things can't
stand as they are. But I just don't think they'd all suddenly want to reach out
and join hands."
"Mmm, yes, that would be asking a lot. If we suddenly came out and
proposed an armistice, nobody's going to give their immediate approval."
"I'm sure we would turn down similar offers."
This was sensible. If something were to happen during this armistice, it could
send everything tumbling down. For any truce to stick, the involved nations
needed to rein in their militaries. And that was far from the only issue, either.
Would the citizens ever go for it? What if some nation took advantage of this to
hatch some sort of scheme? Once you started suspecting your fellow man,
there was never any end to it—and while some cautioned against being
paralyzed by too much doubt, they needed to address these concerns before
they could ever hope for everyone to come together.
As things currently stood, building a united front seemed beyond possible— but Velgrynd just smiled at them.
"So you're just going to give up without even trying? Well, if so, that's fine
with me. I'll protect His Majesty anyway, and the capital he rules over."
It was clearly meant to provoke. The diplomatic officer in the room had no
defense.
"All right. Fine. In that case, I will begin to make contacts. Let's try to be as
sincere as possible and at least set up an opportunity to discuss matters!"
He was almost rebelling against Velgrynd. But that was the whole reason
she'd phrased it that way. And it'd worked.
"We need to, yes. We're all going down otherwise."
"We may go down anyway, but I'd at least like to show a little backbone here,
yes."
"Right, exactly. Even if we lose, we have to resist with everything we've got,
or I'll never forgive myself."
"I feel bad for our citizens, though. And my family."
"We need to deal with it. We're fighting the yohma, not a nation we can forge
a peace treaty with. It's a battle for survival of the species, and if we lose, our
nation's history is over. We must do everything we can right now, or we'll all
have to live with the regret afterward."
Now all the officers were worked up, ready to do whatever it took, and
Velgrynd couldn't have been happier.
There you go. You need to start taking action and stop debating whether it's
possible. Besides, if you mess it up, I'll figure something out for you all.
She smiled a bit, keeping that piece of knowledge to herself as everyone else
worked out what to do. So began the final resistance of the empire.
Atlantis was the smallest of the landmasses that formed the United States of
Azeria. Located on the far east side of the nation, it had a tropical rainforest
climate, with thick jungle taking up most of its square footage, but that wasn't all that made it unique. It also had a metal-producing mine and an oil field, and
these bountiful assets buried in the ground had turned Atlantis into the largest
military base in Azerian territory.
That was the beginning of the tragedy. There had once been some ancient
ruins near the military base, but they'd had the misfortune of having an
Underworld Gate to another world open up right over them.
Long ago, the indigenous people of this land had conducted a ritual, a
ceremony meant to help them communicate with the gods. It had created a
slight rift in space-time, and the mystics that discovered it had stepped up to
craft a stable Underworld Gate from it. These mystics possessed the locals,
using them to welcome in the Azerians—and now they had seized the base the
Azerians had built, using it as a beachhead for their own invasion.
A man in khaki camouflage was commanding a large, racially diverse crowd of
people. His black hair was brushed back, his eyes squinted and cold, and there
was a glint of intellectual drive behind his glasses. This was actually a former
aide of Cornu's from back when they were in the heavenly realms; he had been
a cherub, in the service of the angels, before he'd undergone an evolution into
a mystic. He had no name, but called himself Masahiko Amari, which was the
name of the man whose body he'd taken over when he'd appeared in this
world. (Some of the Three Mystic Leaders bestowed names on those who
served them, but Cornu didn't value his bonds with his own team enough to
bother.)
Race didn't matter much to the mystics, but Masahiko Amari was Japanese.
He was a secret agent sent into Azeria to investigate their military base, a figure
powerful enough to challenge Kondo for the title of best in his native land. He
was talented, but unlucky. He wasn't aware that Kondo had been defeated, and
by the time he fully grasped the nature of his enemy, it was too late. Hopelessly
overpowered, he was defeated and possessed—and given how his body had
been strengthened through the use of Battlewill, he was a perfect vessel for a
mystic. Over a hundred days had passed since this process began, and now
Cornu's servant—a "marshal" class, on the high end of the mystics' highest
ranks—could perfectly exercise this body's power. In terms of existence points,
he was incomparable, easily reaching ten million, and with Masahiko Amari's own knowledge and skills, he had improved his powers even further.
"Hurry up with the expansion work. This Gate is far too small for Cornu to fit
through."
Normally, a visitor from another world could only fully manifest themselves if
their magicule count fit within the size of the Underworld Gate. If they couldn't,
they'd have to keep their main body in their original world, send over a
separate body connected by a soul corridor, and gradually build up their powers
on the other side.
This, however, didn't apply to the Three Mystic Leaders. So power-laden were
their souls that your average Underworld Gate meant little to them. You'd need
a Gate rated for an EP of at least a million to even manifest them at all.
If you left your main body in the other world, by the way, you could revive
your separate body even if it died—but since it had never fully manifested, it
would lose a great deal of its strength, perhaps over half. The only things passed
on to the new manifestation were its memories and experiences, and you'd
need to find another physical body to possess.
Clearly, then, this mystic approach to world invasion had its pluses and
minuses. But if they could expand the size of the Underworld Gate, this
separate body could return to the mystic's original world with its physical form
intact, simplifying the process for full assimilation. And thanks to a constant
construction effort, this Gate was now much larger than Velgrynd had
predicted. Its EP rating was at around a hundred thousand, allowing mystics at
the "staff officer" level to fully manifest themselves without any problems.
Prisoners were lined up in front of this Gate, their minds fully dominated, and
one by one, they were possessed by yohma. Taking on physical forms this way
had one key advantage for the mystics—it let them seize the name granted to
the body they took. As half-spiritual life-forms, they were inherently unstable,
but taking on a physical body and name allowed them to establish a clear,
unbreakable sense of self. The influx of knowledge they gained from the jump
would turn them into decently useful pawns in war—even for the low-ranked
"privates" among them.
"I'm not sure there's that much need for urgency, Mr. Amari. Everything's going according to plan. We've thoroughly investigated the war-waging power
of this planet, but there is hardly anyone that would pose a threat to us."
Amari was being advised by David Reagan, who was possessed by a "general"-
class mystic—almost as powerful as potential demon lords. Like Amari, he had
fully completed his physical manifestation, giving him an EP north of six
hundred thousand. It was little wonder Kondo couldn't beat him.
"Come on," protested Li Jinlong alongside him. "How many times do I have to
remind you? We still have Xienhua, the Holy Fist, on our side. And in my
memories, at least, that girl could defeat our staff officers easily."
By "staff officer," he was referring to upper-middle-ranked mystics. In other
worlds that would've made them as powerful as demon lord seeds. They had
leadership roles here, overseeing regiments of a thousand or so and playing a
key part of the invasion. Unlike the lower ranks, they were too powerful to trifle
with, and losing any of them would put a major dent in their operations.
Li was right to be concerned, but David just chuckled. "Oh, we're fine.
Pulcinella's been sent over to deal with her. Xienhua isn't even a threat to us."
It was a surprise to Li, but one that made him smirk. Pulcinella, the Mad Priest
—the great, powerful hope of all mankind—had been traveling the world,
investigating the vision he'd had earlier. He had wound up waging an intensive
fight with the yohma, but had been sadly defeated and taken over…all so
another marshal-level mystic like Masahiko Amari's could be installed. Now the
tragedy was complete. He was a yohma ruler, on the same level as Amari.
"Seriously? I was planning to go over there myself. Guess I was too slow. It'd
be easy to kill her, but we'd wind up breaking her beyond repair. Pulcinella
probably won't have any problem, though."
It was rather an arrogant way to put it, but David didn't disagree. The humans
in this world were weak. Still, someone as exceptionally powerful among them
as Xienhua would serve as a good enough vessel for Cornu, their supreme
leader. That's what everyone thought, which was why they were loath to let the
troops serving under them handle this job. As mystics, they were just too strong
against humans. It'd never be a fair battle, but at the same time, handling
physical bodies they weren't used to was difficult. Along those lines, the work was better handled by Cornu's direct aides, whose skills were on a whole other
dimension. It made David laugh. Xienhua was as good as defeated already.
"Of course, if Cornu doesn't want a female body, we'll find a substitute and I'll
take over Xienhua instead. I guess the man who used to own this body was
infatuated with her, and now I'm getting pretty curious."
"What a small-minded thing to say. I hardly imagine Cornu will care about
something like gender. You should banish the thought from your mind right
now."
Li and David were half-joking with each other, as if the problem was already
behind them. But Amari couldn't shake his own anxieties. It wasn't that he was
dissatisfied with how things were going right now. He wasn't ready to call it
done and rest on his laurels, either, but they had pretty much set up the entire
board for their invasion. Four generals and two marshals under Cornu's
command had completed their manifestations. The Underworld Gate was being
steadily expanded, and plans were underway to procure Cornu's future vessel.
Pulcinella and the other two generals were hard at work, and all things
considered, this world seemed irrevocably headed for its downfall. The only
major job left was to manifest Cornu.
Everything should be in place. There's no way for them to stage a comeback
now. I'm sure I haven't overlooked anything…
His careful analysis let him conclude that there were no problems left to
speak of. But Amari was right to be anxious. It was well near impossible to
imagine someone like Velgrynd suddenly stopping by.
"Any human resistance here is barely worth paying attention to," he said,
shaking off his concerns. "But that doesn't mean we need to let up. There are
still the finishing touches left to consider, and I need everyone to fully devote
themselves to them."
After the imperial conference wrapped up, Velgrynd made a beeline for the
palace's great library. "Library" was the right term for the vast floor it was
situated on, piled high with untold numbers of tomes. She was here because she had some questions about things she'd heard during the conference—the
names of certain countries, and people.
Take, for example, the Holy Arcian Empire—it certainly sounded related to
the kingdom of Arcia she'd once guided. Then there was the United States of
Azeria and its current president. His name was George Hayes, which perfectly
matched that of someone she'd met before jumping into this timeline. If
Velgrynd's memory served her, George's father, Laurent Hayes, had been a
possessor of a soul fragment from Ludora; she had accompanied him from
young adulthood to his peaceful final days.
That, among several things, had piqued her interest enough that she saw fit to
research them.
If all these familiar-sounding pieces of trivia belonged to the same timeline,
it'd be easy to conclude that these nations and people were indeed the same as
those Velgrynd knew. But it was also common to see differing worlds that bore
startling resemblances to each other. Their origins and rules of nature were
clearly divergent enough that one couldn't call them parallel worlds, but for
some reason, they'd share all these suspiciously similar names. This time, too, it
might just be another funny coincidence, so Velgrynd thought it wise to explore
this world's history a little.
Her investigations began with the founding of the Holy Arcian Empire, and
through that she confirmed that there indeed used to be a kingdom of Arcia on
this planet. The names of its kings and court retainers sounded familiar as well,
making it clear that the legacy of the Arcia she knew was still alive in this world.
When her attention turned toward George Hayes:
"Ah, I thought so. His father's name is Laurent Hayes. The president from
seven terms ago; there's no doubt about it. So little George got elected
president, too, huh?"
She remembered George, the boy who respected his father so much, and
smiled. He always talked about how much he wanted to be a great president,
just like dear old Dad. Laurent passed away peacefully at age sixty-two; George
had been twenty-seven then and fifty-two years old now, which meant that the
leap Velgrynd had made put her into the exact same world as before, twenty five years later.
Oharu had presumably been alive a quarter century ago, too, which meant
that two different people possessed parts of Ludora's soul at the same time. It
was quite a rarity, but given how strongly the soul fragments reacted just
before the death of their possessors, one couldn't write it off as impossible.
That's why she'd gone to the library to ensure the names weren't mere
coincidence.
There had been a moment in the past when Laurent Hayes was jumped by a
gang of thugs and nearly killed. That was the point where Velgrynd had jumped
into the world. She'd promptly saved his life, and that had been the start of
their relationship. It was a fond memory for her now, but she didn't dwell on it
for long before continuing her research.
"I think George had a young son as well…"
Velgrynd definitely remembered offering the baby her blessings—and looking
at the family tree, she saw she was right. Emile Hayes was the name, exactly as
her memory told her it would be, and now there was no doubting it at all.
She nodded to herself with satisfaction. Then she noticed something unusual
in the family record.
"Wait… It's my fault he married late? Come on."
This was nothing less than slander in Velgrynd's mind. The biographical record
she had open stated that Laurent Hayes was constantly shadowed by a
mysterious, beautiful woman. That…wasn't far from reality, but Velgrynd didn't
picture it that way, and she had hardly been a sinister presence in his life. She
felt she had a right to complain. After all, she'd told Laurent that he was free to
love whomever he liked; she had no intention of binding him down. But it was
no doubt hard for a woman to approach someone who had a supermodel-class
babe hanging around him all the time. All in all, it was pretty clear that Velgrynd
was one big reason why Laurent had married so late in life.
"I don't know who wrote this, but I really wish I could send them a letter…"
But the author had passed away long ago—which, perhaps, was really lucky
for them. Velgrynd was done at the library, but still making the most of her free time.
No one could stop her—no one except Oharu, that is, and he largely gave her
free rein over the palace. His instincts told him that was the most moderate
option.
Of course, not everyone welcomed her presence with open arms. The military
officers who knew who she was gave her a lot of leeway—but the ladies of the
palace didn't.
The empress, Oharu's wife, was among them. "It's just repulsive, isn't it?" she
said the very first time they met. "For a woman to get that close with His
Majesty when we don't even know where she came from."
She was fifty years old, the daughter of a prestigious noble prince. Medicine
and sorcery had advanced to the point where the average life span in this world
had reached around sixty, and the empress was still extremely active. To
Velgrynd, though, she was like a cute puppy dog. Velgrynd had lived with
Ludora in many forms across many years, so people like the empress were far
from unfamiliar to her.
"Oh, come on. Your cute little face will go to waste if you spend all day
scowling like that. I'm sure Oharu would wish for you to be beautiful for him all
the time, wouldn't he?"
So Velgrynd refused to play along. In fact, she even brought her hand up,
caressing the empress's hair. It happened quickly enough that the empress
couldn't escape—but the surprise didn't end there. Before Velgrynd's eyes, the
empress's skin began to regain a young, glossy appearance.
"See? Now you're a lot prettier. But maintenance is so important for things
like this. I'll teach you some breathing techniques you can use for spiritual
balance, so make sure you practice them, all right?"
"…Huh?"
The empress was speechless. She literally couldn't find the words. The lady
attendants were all staring at her, eyes wide open. They had just witnessed the
empress fully regaining the beauty from her past. Anyone would've been just as
surprised. "It—it can't be… You can turn back time?"
Velgrynd laughed. "No, not turn back time. All I did was energize her skin cells
to make her look prettier. She hasn't changed species or anything, and she's still
just as mortal as before."
Everyone has a limited life span, she explained, and using spiritual energy to
give her skin cells this jolt wouldn't lengthen her life. But Velgrynd didn't quite
have it right. It might have been little more than a blip to her, but she had
extended the empress's life. Her body was healthier now, capable of fighting off
most illnesses. Her digestion had improved, giving her almost perfect antiaging
traits. It would ultimately grant her over double her potential life span, and if
she kept up the breathing methods Velgrynd taught her, she'd be able to make
the most of all those years.
"I think I may have been mistaken about you, Ryu-oh."
Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, she instantly became a fan of
Velgrynd, as did her attendants.
"Me too!"
"Yes, so was I!"
"Yes, so please, I would love it if you could teach me this breathing technique
as well!"
None of them were going to turn down some free youth, either.
Velgrynd was now a few days into her stay in this world, teaching the palace
ladies how to meditate, enjoying high tea, and living a truly elegant life. The
military, on the other hand, was busy.
Talks with the administrations of all the other countries were proceeding
slowly at best. There was still no sign they could arrange an international
summit anytime soon, and without any progress to report, Oharu hadn't
presided over any new imperial conferences. Pointless meetings just took up
time; it was better for them to devote their efforts to something constructive.
Oharu agreed with that idea, and Velgrynd wasn't about to object. But she was growing unhappy. She was losing valuable time. Even now, the yohma were
likely working on their preparations; if they didn't hurry, figuring out how to
hold a summit would be the least of their worries. It'd force Velgrynd to take
center stage and fight before humanity could come together to fend for itself.
And, you know, that's fine and all. But if that's how it shakes out, me shooing
away the mystics isn't going to end this war…
The thought depressed Velgrynd. Everything would become so needlessly
complicated in that scenario. So she decided to lend a bit of a hand. In the end,
she really did like being helpful, despite it all.
"Does it look like the negotiations are going well?"
She asked the question as she strode uninvited into the foreign ministry's
intelligence office. It was just past noon, but things looked chaotic here, and
Velgrynd's sudden appearance did nothing to mollify the bureaucrats that
manned it. Not that she cared, of course.
"Ryu-oh, we really can't have this. Only authorized people are allowed in here
—"
"No more talking, please. We're three days in on this. Have any countries
agreed to talk with us?"
"That, um…"
As the ministry officer reluctantly explained, the Republic of Chinese Fiefdoms
had agreed to a summit only if the other warring nations also participated. The
Greater Rossiam Dynasty held the same stance—but this was the same as
saying "no" in the most passive way possible, because the response from the
United States of Azeria and the Holy Arcian Empire boiled down to "now's not
the time." Given the current circumstances, it was unthinkable for the leader of
a nation to leave its borders, and none of them were in a position to hold a
summit anyway, whether conducted live or over the phone.
"That's how things are right now," the haggard-looking official said, "so we're
trying to be as persistent as we can in reasoning with them."
Velgrynd rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm glad to see you're taking your time with
this. But fine. I'll help you a little bit." It was the classic hot-and-cold treatment people like Masayuki would have
been well familiar with. But the stodgy bureaucrats here didn't take much of a
liking to it.
"However—"
"Well, look who thinks she's the boss of us now! You might be powerful and
pretty, but intelligence is our business, and I'd prefer if you didn't butt in."
As annoyed as he was, even this official had to admit the truth about
Velgrynd's beauty. But while he might have had good reason to not want
amateurs commenting on his affairs, his reaction was ill-advised.
"But if I leave it all to you people, you'll run out of time before the enemy
starts to move! Just let me sit here!"
So the now-livid Velgrynd pushed the official away and took position by his
communications equipment. A quick look around made it clear how it worked,
so she promptly took action, reaching out to the United States of Azeria's
intelligence department on the first try.
"You can hear me, right?" she began, not bothering to ask who was on the
other side.
"Quit hounding us," replied a strained voice. "We passed on your nation's
requests to the higher-ups, but the president is a busy man. You have to
understand that there's no time for negotiations."
They might have been the enemy, but they were being used by the yohma
just as much. That must have been why they were at least making an effort to
respond instead of flatly dismissing Velgrynd. But they still hadn't set up a
meeting, and the simple reason for this was that Azeria was in a state of
internal chaos. Japan understood that well enough, so it hadn't pushed the
matter very much. But Velgrynd didn't care about any of that.
"Whatever. Just put little George on the line for me, all right? Your president."
"You don't understand, do you? And you can't go around calling our president
'little George,' either. I keep telling you that we're busy—"
"Tell him Velgrynd is calling, and I think he'll come right over." "What?"
The voice seemed a bit confused by this, but Velgrynd ended the call without
further comment. She personally knew the president of Azeria, their enemies,
and naturally she wanted to take advantage of that. Now she had to see how
they'd respond. If they actually relayed the message to President Hayes, things
would start to go quickly. If not, she was planning to make a personal visit. She
knew where he would be—in the same spot as twenty-five years ago, although
it only seemed like a few days to her. And since physical positions remained
constant even in other timelines, she could move right over via Spatial
Transport without problems.
I think I'll head over if they don't respond to me within one day.
Next, Velgrynd sent out a message to the Holy Arcian Empire. She had
thought about how to negotiate with them as well. Precisely working the
virtually magical communications terminal in front of her, she immediately
opened up a channel, called for someone on the other end, and began making
her one-sided demands.
"Give this message to your emperor for me. Tell him to agree to the requests
sent by the Conquering Empire of Japan. Do it, and we'll provide you with
another sacred treasure—a sword, a spear, a bow, you name it. Velgrynd herself
has personally guaranteed it, so we want you to work fast."
The recipient of this snippy message had no idea how to react. As far as he
knew, he didn't take orders from anyone calling themselves Velgrynd. He had
no reason to agree to this, but this was an official international communications
channel. Ignoring her wasn't an option, but a communications officer like him
couldn't meet with the emperor just because he wanted to. He honestly
thought the request was ridiculous.
Still, he reported this call to his boss regardless. He did so because she had
used the term "sacred treasure."
The Holy Arcian Empire retained a fighting task force, a national power whose
name was renowned even in other nations. They were called the Seven Sacred
Treasures—seven people gifted with supernatural abilities in battle—and they
were particularly famed for the weapons they possessed. These weapons were conscious creatures, and only when someone was selected by them as their
owner could they become part of this group. It was a story that had been
passed down since the founding of the nation; no Arcian was unaware of it, and
most of the rest of the world was familiar with the tale as well.
Casually stating that you could simply create another one of them was
anathema. Doing so during international diplomacy was even worse. All
communication records were kept on this channel, and what Velgrynd had said
could be used as fodder to intensify the war.
So he had no choice but to report this. That was a negotiating tactic
deliberately picked by Velgrynd. But the communications officer Velgrynd had
just kicked out of his seat, along with his associates, had had enough.
"Wh-what are you…?! Look, I'll abide by what you did with Azeria. I won't,
really, but at least I could blame all of that on you alone. But there's no way we
can back away from what you told the Arcians!"
"Y-yeah! And how underhanded of you, using a false name like that. They're
bound to find out the truth soon enough! This is going to be a huge problem!"
It certainly didn't seem like a false name to Velgrynd, but to someone who
didn't know her, it must've sounded like she was trying to con the other
nations. They had her wrong, but she didn't feel like explaining things to them,
so she ignored their protests. Whining about it now was pointless. It was up to
the other parties to respond.
So Velgrynd finished making her moves. All complaints about them were cast
aside, and she decided to have some tea made and enjoy an elegant break as
she waited for word from those she had contacted.
Meanwhile, the head of the foreign ministry's intelligence department was
silently fuming, ready to try Velgrynd for high treason depending on how the
other nations responded.
That stupid girl… She's strong, I'll admit that. But she can't trick me. I kept
quiet around His Majesty, but she's waiting for when we're at our weakest so
she can swindle us with her lies. She had pulled the wool over everyone's eyes at the imperial conference, but
in retrospect, the things Velgrynd told them all were patently ridiculous. If she
was telling the truth, there was no hope left for humanity. He couldn't tell
exactly how powerful she was, but there's no way they could ever beat an army
with mythical strength. The thought had begun to make Velgrynd seem like a
villain in his mind—the "denial" phase of the grief cycle writ large, not that he
was aware of it. His rage was ratcheting up his anxieties—and just when he was
almost at the end of his rope…
"Velgrynd? Hi, Velgrynd! It's me!"
The message came from the United States of Azeria, and it came at startling
speed. And who could it be but:
"Well, hello there, little George! I heard that you're president now, aren't you?
I sure wish Laurent was around to see what a fine man you've become."
"Ah, it really is you, Velgrynd," replied President George Hayes. "I'm so glad to
hear your voice! I never thought I'd see you again."
Everyone overhearing the conversation was stunned into silence. The
department official Velgrynd had tangled with earlier, on the other hand, was
simply confused beyond belief.
What? Velgrynd wasn't a fake name? Wait… No, that doesn't matter. Ryu-oh
is personally connected to the president? This makes no sense to me…
He had looked down on Velgrynd as this impertinent compulsive liar, but in an
instant, he was almost feeling respect for her. Velgrynd herself, however, didn't
care what any of them thought.
"Now, George, I'm sorry to ask you for favors out of nowhere, but is it okay if
we catch up later? There's something really important that I want to take care
of first. Have they told you about what's going on?"
"Yes. And you're right. I have things I want to discuss with you as well, though.
Can you hear me out before we move on to this business of yours?"
"Of course. You're Laurent's pride and joy, you know. I almost feel like a
mother to you, in a way." "Thank you. I'm happy to hear that. Now, as for the current situation, I think
we need to sit down and brief each other so we're all on the same page."
"I agree with you. Should I take that to mean you'll carry out my request?"
"That won't be a problem, no. When shall we hold this meeting?"
"I'll tell you once I check with Ludora—um, I mean His Majesty the Emperor."
"Oh, yes, you said there was one other person from my father's generation,
didn't you? Well, all right. I can't remain on constant standby, but I'll arrange
things so I can sit down and talk whenever you can."
And just like that, Velgrynd had secured a promise from the president.
It wasn't much longer before a call came from the Arcians as well.
"Is Lady Velgrynd on hand?"
"Right here. That's me."
"Thank you. My name is Bright, and I serve as leader of the Seven Sacred
Treasures of the Holy Arcian Empire. I am deeply moved to receive the honor of
a conversation with you, my lady, but before we begin, there was one thing I
wanted to confirm…"
"…What is that?"
"Are you truly the goddess that we worship?"
"Huh? What's the point of that question?"
If they wanted to confirm whether Velgrynd was lying, she was awfully
curious about how they expected to figure that out.
"Because don't tell me you have someone there that's old enough to know if
I'm telling the truth or not."
"No, not that…"
"And I also have to say that I didn't think your king heard my name and
decided not to reach out to me personally. Is this how small-minded the
descendants of Shin have become?"
"Shin? Wait, do you mean Shin, our divine founding emperor?! Because if you dare to insult the Arcian imperial court—"
"And one other thing—why are you people called the Seven Sacred Treasures?
Because I'm rather sure that I left you with twelve God-class weapons, not
seven. You haven't somehow had any lost or stolen from you, have you?
Because I'd hardly dream that you don't even have twelve people worthy of
being picked by those treasures. That's certainly not the case, is it?"
Bright's anger quickly vanished. At that moment, the leader of the Seven
Sacred Treasures was convinced. The woman on the other line calling herself
Velgrynd was truly the goddess he knew.
I recall my own master telling me that there were twelve treasures. It was a
true story, one passed down orally across generations, and if she knows that,
she has to be the real thing…
There had indeed been twelve sacred treasures. The imperial government,
seeing a need to protect their arsenal for desperate times, decreed that only
seven would be made public knowledge.
However, that didn't mean there were twelve people possessing them all,
either. Currently, just as Velgrynd had surmised, the number was only eight.
Across the four-thousand-year history of the Holy Arcian Empire, three sacred
treasures had been lost. One was taken away by a traitor, and two went missing
after their owners went off to battle and never returned. As a result, the
Arcians currently had only nine treasures left. One was kept in secret, possessed
by the emperor's personal bodyguard and assistant, and another one was
masterless, stowed away in the national archives as an imperial treasure.
Having Velgrynd guess the truth like this unnerved Bright. But that wasn't all
that convinced him. Just hearing her voice put him in a state of awe. The sheer
force behind it told him she was for real; that was most of the reason. So,
regardless of what she had to tell him, Bright bowed his head to the
communications equipment he was using. The fact she had no way of seeing
this didn't matter. It was respect for Velgrynd that drove him to do it.
"I sincerely apologize, my goddess. I will immediately report to the emperor of
Arcia and give him your demands!"
"…Oh, you will? Well, no more time-wasting, then, all right? Get moving." "Yes, my lord!"
Velgrynd wasn't done complaining yet, but she let Bright off the hook for
now. She had achieved her goals. Now she had two nations doing her bidding.
"Well," she muttered to herself, "guess I'll tackle the Greater Rossiam Dynasty
next."
Working her communicator, she opened a channel with the Rossiam
intelligence department. However, the channel that should've worked was
being blocked by some kind of interference.
"That's strange. Hey, you over there; when was the last time you made
contact with Greater Rossiam?"
"Early this morning!" the official she'd pointed at hurriedly replied. "We make
regular contacts with each other six times a day, in the daytime and evening."
Being at war, they kept this window open regardless of the time difference.
This was based on an agreement between all the countries involved, meant to
speed up negotiations depending on the state of the war. Normally it'd be used
to work out the terms of an armistice, but for now they exchanged information
on the yohma over this hotline. Given that they had all let their militaries run
out of control, they needed a firm grasp of current affairs so they could work
out how to explain matters to their citizens.
"Was there anything unusual up to now?"
"Not in particular, sir…"
"No progress," the hesitant official said, "but no abnormalities, either."
The time was almost here for their regular afternoon contact. It was doubtful
that the other side simply wasn't on duty, and given their dedication to
retaining backup communications equipment, a mechanical error was hard to
picture. As the official thought, it seemed fair to consider the possibility of an
unfolding emergency.
But even in the midst of this, Velgrynd was her usual self.
This world isn't at the level where you can magically interfere with communications like this. It's all but inevitable that the yohma are up to
something. And of course they have to do it right when I've got business to take
care of… Unlucky for them, I suppose. Or not? Perhaps this is Ludora's own luck
coming into play. Ah, he never lets me down!
Her mind was bursting with optimism. And she was right—magic in this world
was more the realm of offensive sorcery and energy-sapping curses, and it was
hard to cast spells that could directly rejigger the physical laws of the world. But
praising Ludora for this was going overboard. The Oharu of this realm had no
such powers; all of this was better chalked up to mere coincidence. To put it
bluntly, the mystics had luck going against them. The moment Velgrynd had
begun to play an active role, their invasion was all but doomed.
Nimbly working the communicator, Velgrynd began to draw two intricate
magic circles in the air, each about a foot in diameter and illuminating her
equipment with an eerie glow. They transformed her magical force into
electronic signals, transmitting them to the remote receiver in Greater Rossiam,
where they acted against the mystics' jamming to destroy it in an instant. It was
a trick that not even the master sorcerers of this world could comprehend,
much less your average person.
"Is anybody there? Please respond if you are—"
"Ah, finally! Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, the yohma are attacking the royal
palace! They cut off all links with the outside! We thought we were done for!"
"Oh, don't panic, silly. This is the Conquering Empire of Japan. I won't say that
we're not going to help you, but I can't say that I appreciate being asked for
favors out of nowhere like this."
She had a good point. It brought the soldiers from Rossiam who heard her
response back to their senses. There was a pause as they discussed matters,
and then the line was taken by a calmer voice.
"Pardon our alarm earlier. This is Sergey, director of the Foreign Intelligence
Department of Greater Rossiam. It embarrasses me to admit this, but we want
to ask for your support. We've been sending messages out across Rossiam, but
we have yet to receive any other response. I apologize, but could you reach out
to the rest of our lands for us?" As Sergey explained, they would provide Velgrynd with ciphers linking her to
Rossiam's military bases if she agreed to it. The royal forces were keeping up
their resistance, but the yohma clearly had the upper hand. The Rossiam
noncombatants were evacuated, but their hiding spots would clearly be rooted
out before long, and after that the royal family's protection couldn't be
guaranteed. That was why Sergey wanted to call for backup from across the
nation and bring the royals to safety while the yohma were thrown into chaos.
The fate of Greater Rossiam was riding entirely on how Japan decided to deal
with them. And yet:
"Didn't I tell you that I don't appreciate receiving all these demands from
you?"
"Wait, wait, if you can assist us—"
"Calm down, won't you? It doesn't matter to me what's happening with you
at the moment. I'm the one who deserves to make demands of you, all right?"
She was giving Sergey her terms, not the other way around, and she wasn't
willing to take no for an answer. It was incredibly selfish of her, albeit
undoubtedly much in character.
"But you can't just—"
"Here are my demands. We're going to hold an international summit to
determine the future direction for the world, so I want your royalty or any other
supreme commander from your nation to attend. Promise me that, and I'll assist
you."
"How?" is what Sergey should have been asking, but somehow, he could take
her claim at face value. He looked around the room he was in, taking glances at
the nobility he was charged with guarding.
It's my duty to protect them all. For now…
He understood there was no other option. Trusting the words of some
foreigner he didn't know would normally have been a terrible idea, something
he'd never dream of doing. Right now, however, even if he wound up betrayed
by her offer, it wouldn't delay their downfall anyway. In terms of the risk, it doesn't matter whether I believe her or not. In the end,
at least, I might as well dare to dream of some kind of hope. I hate to get all the
royalty mixed up in this madness, but…
But Sergey was still ready to commit.
"Excuse me. I'm sure this must sound ridiculous right now, but the other party
is demanding we participate in an international summit. Would it be possible
for you to attend, Your Majesty?"
"…I will agree to it."
He was answered by the most powerful person in the room.
...…
...
…
Emperor Magellan of the Greater Rossiam Dynasty was thirty-five years of age
—still young, but in his tenth year on the throne. He was thus an ambitious
ruler, using his absolute power to invade the Chinese republic in order to gain a
firm hold on all the northern lands. There were those against it among the
military ranks, but many hawks as well, and so Magellan's will had taken
precedent as the war began.
Now Magellan was facing a serious setback. Faced with an enemy
unimaginable by human standards, he was plagued by how sheerly powerless
he was. It was far too late now, but he regretted every decision he'd made. All
had been going well until he'd undertaken his first operation against the
Chinese, but now it had destabilized his entire nation.
He might have had the luxurious tastes of royalty, but he was not that inept of
a ruler. Under normal circumstances, the citizens wouldn't have minded their
emperor living an elegant, refined lifestyle if their own prosperity was assured.
But the war had changed everything. They wanted to seize more arable land for
their people; they wanted to obtain an all-year port for the sake of their
defenses. Everything about the war was because of Rossiam's desires alone,
and it had led to an invasion that wholly backfired on them—an explosive
situation where they could neither take action nor retreat. And by the time they realized it was the yohma's work, things were just too chaotic to recover from.
It all seems so foolish now. I never should have lent an ear to that man…
Magellan's most trusted confidant at the time was the one who'd turned his
interests toward war. They later found out that he had been taken over by the
yohma. These were strange creatures; instead of simply overthrowing the
world, they seemed to enjoy making humanity fight against each other, guiding
them toward their own doom. That's why Magellan was still alive.
Those yohma are fiendishly powerful. We can't beat them. At this rate, even if
we had Pulcinella here, we still would have lost…
He recalled that confidant of his, possessed by the yohma and laughing in his
face. It made him shiver. Even worse, the Mad Priest he counted as his last
resort was also on the enemy's side now.
Thanks to that, there was apparently rioting going on in the capital. The
nation was at war, for certain, and the people couldn't be blamed for their
anxiety—but there had been no fighting within Rossiam's borders, and the food
supply had never given out. It was no time for rioting to occur at all, but things
just kept getting worse. It was all being fanned by the mystics, the possessed
people who placed their faith in Pulcinella.
By now, the court could no longer be protected only by the Imperial Defense
Department. If it was dangerous outside the palace as well, it'd only be a matter
of time before they were all caught. So Magellan, bereft of hope either way,
had no choice but to agree to this request from an enemy nation.
...…
...
…
"Yes, sir!"
Sergey saluted Magellan before returning to his communicator and engaging
with Velgrynd again.
"We accept all your demands. However, unfortunately…"
Greater Rossiam was in a state of emergency. Even if they wished to send their king out to a meeting, there was simply no way to do so. That's what he
wanted to say. If the offer was to help out if they agreed to the summit, that
likely meant Japan was sending reinforcements. If those forces moved quickly
enough, there was a chance they'd be saved. Or, really, Sergey didn't mind if he
lost his life in the effort—he simply had to be sure the imperial family, the
symbol of the dynasty, would make it through this.
But then something surprising happened. Velgrynd agreed to offer her aid—
and that meant their future was assured.
"Very well. I'm glad you're not as stupid as I feared you were at first. I'm going
to deploy a Gate over there, so go through and come over here, all right?"
Just as she stopped talking, the air began to warp in front of Sergey and his
comrades. The other side of the rift in space revealed the place Velgrynd was
sitting. This was Dimensional Connection, the supernatural ability to link two
places together regardless of distance.
"""No…"""
Everyone there except for Velgrynd was united in shock. They now
understood who held supreme authority here. No matter what, they must
never get on the bad side of that woman.
"Wait… Why are people from Greater Rossiam here?"
"Whoa, whoa, am I dreaming? Ow…"
At least one person was pinching their cheek, unable to accept reality.
"I can't believe it. Our records talk about people in the shinbutsu rank who
can cast teleportation magic, but…"
Others tried their best to analyze what was going on, but their brains just
couldn't keep up. They couldn't be blamed. No one could imagine connecting
two spaces so far apart from each other.
"Uniting three nations so instantly…"
Only the most resilient could realize what the meaning of this was.
"My goddess… You are truly a goddess!" The staff at the foreign ministry's intelligence division were all astonished by
Velgrynd's power and abilities. At this point, nobody dared to defy her. Even the
top officials were busy cultivating newfound respect for her, no longer afraid to
brownnose her if need be.
"That just leaves China, but if we have three nations agreeing to this summit,
that satisfies the conditions, doesn't it?"
"Yes, my lady, it does!"
"Okay, so you guys can handle the rest of the negotiations yourselves for
me?"
"""Certainly!"""
Nobody was foolish enough to refuse, of course, the officials all staking their
pride on successfully reasoning with the Chinese.
Velgrynd nodded and turned toward the befuddled Greater Rossiam leaders
in the room. "So is this all of you? I'm sorry, but anybody outside the room you
were just in is beyond what I could agree to. If we destroy the yohma quickly
enough, though, I think we can save all of them."
They could do nothing but eagerly nod at this. Not all of the imperial court
had made it through the rift, but they cared more about saving their own hides
than whoever was left behind. There was no way they could pin the blame for
any of that on Velgrynd.
"We thank you for your assistance."
Sergey, overcoming his confusion first, thanked her. It made Magellan realize
that he needed to do the same.
"Allow me to offer my appreciation as well. Once this is all over, I promise you
may accept whatever you want as a reward."
Velgrynd snorted a bit, not sounding too interested in what he had to offer.
Emperor or not, she acted just as arrogant around them all.
"I don't need anything, thank you. I'm sure you can't fulfill my wish anyway.
Just help me out with this operation, all right?"
"We—we will, yes. Of course." Magellan was put off by this flat refusal, but he wasn't small-minded enough
to lose his temper over it. Here, the title of Emperor of the Greater Rossiam
Dynasty didn't have that much meaning. Even he understood that his life had
been spared mainly because she found him useful.
"May I at least ask the name of the woman I owe my life to?"
"Call me Ryu-oh, please."
"Very well. And again, Ryu-oh, I thank you."
"Not a problem. Now, I'll let you know once we have a time and date for the
summit, so for now, rest easy here, all right?"
Velgrynd was acting every bit like an empress now. She was the law here.
A staff official quickly stood up and ran out of the room so he could order
living spaces prepared for these unexpected guests. Another one bowed to
Magellan and his entourage, ready to show them around. They would be waited
upon in a reception room until their rooms were ready. All this role assignment
was done without any previous discussion; their teamwork was a sight to see.
Even Velgrynd was a little impressed.
Then the most self-important of the foreign ministry's officials decided now
would be a great time to try buttering her up.
"Lady Ryu-oh, please, instead of black tea, try this top-of-the-line gyokuro
green tea as well!"
No need to waste time as they awaited the Chinese response, he reasoned.
Nor this chance to make himself look good around her.
"Oh, how thoughtful of you."
"Thank you very much! My name is Kanji Yamamoto, and your words alone fill
me with supreme satisfaction!"
Yamamoto never let up for a moment—one of his greatest talents, his staff
thought.
"This is very tasty. It has an airy sort of sweet aroma, but such a refreshing
aftertaste." "Yes, I'm very proud of it. It's provided by one of my favorite stores."
"I like it."
"In that case, I think you may enjoy some of the snacks here as well."
Yamamoto next took out some fondant au chocolat, an elegant sweetness
exuding from it. This was an almost decadent luxury to enjoy during wartime.
He had obtained this treat for himself, exercising his power and finances to the
fullest, but he was offering it to Velgrynd now. The taste was more than
satisfactory to her.
"Kanji Yamamoto, was it? I'll remember that name."
"Y-yes, my lady! I am tremendously honored!"
She was making this offer despite never having bothered to remember the
name of any other human being in her life. She could be surprisingly vulnerable
to brazen bribery like this. Perhaps Yamamoto deserved the victory, though,
quick as he had been to realize that money wasn't likely to move her.
After a period of waiting:
"The Chinese have responded! They said they'll attend the summit!"
Good news rang across the room—and with that, the five-nation summit was
a done deal.