A Jackpot Between Life and Death

The morning sun graced the canyon.

There was an enormous waterfall in the distance, roaring down to a river that flowed

into the canyon. The sight could be described as nothing short of magnificent.

A vehicle was stopped on the cliff that overlooked the river in the valley.

"Nene, what did you say?!" Captain Mismis asked the ponytailed girl in the driver's

seat. "They're picking up astral activity from within the base? That couldn't mean…"

"They said the squad in charge of analysis is checking it out. We can't know until we

investigate the wavelengths, but it might be residue from a mage using astral power

rather than the vortex." Nene slid the device back in the holder at her hip.

They had just left the base an hour ago, arriving to the area that they'd been appointed

to search for the vortex on their second day there. And on that very morning, they had

suddenly gotten an emergency message from headquarters.

"If it's the astral corps, they might have tailed an unobservant squad sometime

yesterday and gotten word of our base's location," Jhin speculated from the back seat.

"Iska, do you remember seeing any suspicious activity?"

"No. I didn't feel like we were being followed, and I was using the binoculars to look

around the whole time. It wasn't us. I think a unit from another area must have been

stalked." From the back of the jeep, Iska leaned out and looked behind the vehicle.

The top of the cliff had a gorgeous view. He felt like they would have been able to see

at a glance the Nebulis corps hiding. Plus, he didn't sense they were being tracked down.

"Nene, did we get any instructions? Do they want us to go back like yesterday?"

"No, they didn't say that."

"Meaning they want us to search for the vortex. Out of all things, the enemy has found

our base. What is Nameless even thinking…?"

At the strategy base the night before, the mysterious Saint Disciple barely seemed to

care that they had lost communication with three units. He hadn't even prepared a

search unit to look for them.

Nothing had deviated from the plan, according to him.

He had a guess as to why the units had vanished. That was why the Saint Disciple had

said there wasn't a single problem.

"But if we've found astral activity in the base, that means it's as good as settled that

the Nebulis corps has dispatched its soldiers." Jhin's hand stretched out toward his

sniper rifle.

The night before, he had disengaged the safety so that he could go into battle at any

moment.

"The three missing units—that's thirteen people in total, isn't it? I'm betting that was

all their doing. I've got no idea if it's the handiwork of the astral corps or the purebred,

though."

"Nene, bring out the car. And Captain—" Iska pulled the pair of astral swords into his

left hand.

When the young captain turned to him, he pointed ahead of the car. "Captain Mismis,

watch the front. Jhin and I will look out the back. We don't know who's out there. We

have to assume there's a chance the astral mages might attack us at any moment."

"…R-right!" The captain gripped a gun in her small hands, tensing up her face.

Taking a glance at her profile, Iska intently held his tongue.

…Nameless. You seem to know what's going on… but won't things get worse if you don't

do something about it now?

The northeastern region of Mudor Canyon.

The roaring waterfall below them let out a spray of mist, which expanded into fog. A

monstrous bird with bright-red wings soared through the crimson canyon.

It was a vermilion bird, a rare species that took fifty years to reach maturity with an

average life span of three hundred years. Because it was in their nature to loathe noise,

they had disappeared from the Imperial territories altogether.

"Look, Lady Alice. Look at that splendid spray." On the back of the gigantic vermilion

bird, the attendant pointed below them.

"The Undine Falls, said to be the largest waterfall in the world. It's etched out the

mountains to carve out the valley, and it is even said that it molded this entire canyon."

"...Yes. Right… r-right."

"Coursing through it every single day for thousands of years to bring about this

change—almost as though it were the planet's own work of art. But five hundred years

ago, large-scale Imperial weapons set aflame this canyon, which burned for three days

and three nights and— Lady Alice?"

"..." Instead of answering, Alice grabbed Rin's shoulders with both her hands. Next

to her and unable to speak, her attendant had a hardened expression, shaking her

head with her last ounce of strength.

No. No way, she seemed to say.

"Lady Alice, please don't be scared. Would you please sit more gracefully?"

"…gh!… g."

"I thought you'd overcome your fear of heights? We went by air to the Nelka forest…

Oh, I guess that time we flew at low altitudes."

Mm-hmm. Alice nodded several times.

But this time, they were soaring over a mountain range, which meant the vermilion

bird had to fly as high as the clouds. The people on the ground obviously registered as

nothing but dots at their height, but even the tanks were nothing but pinpricks.

The point was that Alice, with her phobia of heights, did not feel they would survive.

"Ah, the wind."

" k?!"

A gust pelted them from the side, and Alice felt like she was about to fall right off the

bird's back, and she let out a voiceless scream.

"We're fine, Lady Alice. You're only afraid because you believe it's something to fear."

"…That… That's nonsense, and you know it."

"I could even stand up. How about I balance on one foot?"

"Nooooooo! You can't, Rin! Please don't move!" She was at her limit. Alice screamed

and hugged Rin. "You can't let go of my hand! And that's an order!"

"Wh-where do you think you're touching, Lady Alice?! Please don't stick your hand up

my skirt!"

"Th-then, I'll go up…!"

"That's my chest!"

"I'm desperate for anything! Oh, but I guess there's not much to hold on to here, Rin."

"…I'm… going to let go of your hand."

"W-wait a second, Rin! That was a joke. Please! Don't let gooooooo!" Alice clung to her

attendant's ankle, straining her voice.

Half an hour later, Rin patted the sleeping bird's head after it had tired itself out. In

front of her, Alice was heaving ragged breaths as the ground seemed to spin.

"…I feel like I've screamed enough to last me a lifetime."

"You say that every time we fly for a campaign, don't you?"

"It's terrible. Why do I have to be terrorized…?"

"Because—" Rin pointed at a rocky tract in front of her.

They were in a shadowy area towered over by a cliff, where dome-shaped tents stood

in lines, made to mimic the rocks of the canyon. It was the campgrounds of the astral

corps.

"Weren't you the one who said you wanted to come here, Lady Alice?"

"Reluctantly. Blame the House of Zoa! I wouldn't have come if they weren't scheming

to monopolize the vortex."

"Shhh. Lady Alice, they'll hear you." Rin raised a finger to her mouth.

…Right. I guess it was careless to frame it that way… because these troops work under

the House of Zoa, even though we're all part of the same people.

They were trying to have sole rights to the vortex.

There wasn't a lack of mages who would participate in this scheme in hopes of

receiving stronger astral energy. Which meant all the members had consented to the

schemes of the Zoa, at the bare minimum.

"Though I don't think they'll mistreat you for coming, Lady Alice."

"Of course not."

She was the secret weapon of the current queen.

Meaning no one would directly defy Alice, who was known far and wide within the

Nebulis Sovereignty.

With Rin in tow, Alice headed toward the dim camp, and when the guards saw her,

they raised fearful voices from their hiding places in the shadows of the cliff.

"…Lady Aliceliese?!"

"What's brought you here?!"

"I was in the area for business. I'm weary of riding the vermilion bird. I would like to

seek respite here and take the opportunity to greet everyone." Alice had prepared this

answer with Rin beforehand.

To cover their bases in case anyone looked for proof, they'd actually gone out of their

way to a neutral city near the canyon and done some official business there.

"How are things coming along? Has the Empire made any advances?"

"There have been no issues."

"As you can see, this is a desolate canyon far from Imperial territory. There are no

important resources here. The Empire sees no merit in having their soldiers make a

move here."

No important resources? Is that really true? Alice kept that in her mind and exchanged

a look with Rin, who was beside her.

"I'm tired as well. We would like to rest inside the base."

"Y-you mean right now…?"

"W-we'll need to check in with the captain first…"

"Who do you think she is?" Rin raised her voice, loud enough so the astral corps could

hear. They had gathered upon noticing the two satellite guards engaging with Alice

and Rin. "Are you planning to make Princess Aliceliese wait in this windy place? We

are your kin—astral mages! There should be nothing for you to hide."

The place was silent. In that pause, Alice progressed into the base, speed-walking

through the camp. She ignored the headquarters for construction, going deeper and

deeper.

…I need proof that they're looking for the vortex… They can't make excuses if I find a

giant surveying machine, right?

It had to be in a large container. It was doubtful it would be in a tent. She was sure it

would be set up and exposed to the elements within the base somewhere.

"Rin, what about that?" Alice's gaze fell beyond the headquarters.

A heavy barricade had been built in a circle with a large camouflage tarp covering the

inside.

"I wonder if it's an astral energy finder. Is the sheet there to keep the Empire from

scouting it from above?"

"No, they wouldn't be able to find it from the bottom of this canyon even if they looked

at it from the mountain above. And if they turned on the machine with a tarp over it,

it would break for sure."

"…Seems suspicious." Alice's feet turned toward the barricade.

The astral mages who realized that changed their tune and stood in her way.

"Please wait, Lady Aliceliese!"

"This is a weapon to fight the Empire that's still in the experimental stage. There's a

chance that it could go off, and we'll be doing a disservice to the queen if you were to

get hurt."

She was in front of the locked entrance of the barricade. The two standing in her way

were captains from the astral corps.

"Please move. I am a successor with a right to the throne. What are you trying to hide

from someone who may one day become queen?"

"…No. We cannot."

"We cannot let you go in here."

Though they felt threatened by Alice's gaze, these veteran mages had the pluck not to

give in. But their firm position rubbed her the wrong way.

…I see… You're siding with the Zoa, too, huh.

They were traitors of the current queen, her mother.

"I'll tell you this right now. I'm angered by the thing that you're hiding."

"…gh!" The duo turned pale, confronted by the intensity of her wrath.

She was a purebred who was counted as the strongest in the Sovereignty. If she really

became upset, she had the power to encase the whole canyon indiscriminately in ice.

"I have no intention of injuring you, but I'm willing to use as much power as I need

without harming you."

She could freeze their legs or their arms. Alice's specialty was gentle violence that

wouldn't result in harm.

"I will wait five seconds. Move."

But Alice knew these men wouldn't back down. They'd already prepared themselves

for her punishment. Their determined gazes were clearly communicating that to her.

"That's five seconds… I see. You asked for it." Alice took a step forward.

The two mages clenched their eyes in fear.

Light blasted out from the other side of the barricade.

The tarp covering it shot off high into the air, and the fluorescent green lights spewed

outward in tiny motes—a spray that even made its way outside the barricade.

"It's the vortex! There's no mistaking it, Lady Alice!" Rin yelled in excitement.

The exposed ground had caved in like a volcanic crater, and the bottom was significantly

cracked. The astral light had overflowed from that rift.

—An ephemeral light. An almost illusory effect that sunlight lacks.

But it seemed that most of the torrent was still inside the earth, and this explosion had

set off only small lumps of floating energy.

"But the color of this light…" Alice looked up at the glow that disappeared into the air.

"…Oh well. We were both wrong, Rin."

"Yes, we'll need to analyze its type. It doesn't seem to be ice, like you, or earth, like me.

We should check whether it's compatible with anyone in the royal family."

Astral power would strengthen when exposed to a vortex. But this power branched

out into several types. If their element was not a match for the vortex, it would do

nothing.

…I guess the chances of an exact match are one in several dozen—at most… If it was ice,

it would have been blue light, and if it was earth, brown. This is a vibrant green.

Alice would guess wind, but it couldn't be accurately identified until the light from the

vortex intensified.

"Come to think of it, it's definitely clear. With this, the House of Zoa is—" Rin was about

to speak, but when she heard the footsteps behind them, she whipped around to

see…"…Lord Mask?"

"Hey there. I thought I heard a commotion outside. I knew it was you."

It was the man in the mask wrapped in black clothes. He sauntered forward, tailed by

a dozen astral soldiers.

…How annoying… To think he greeted us at the palace and immediately dashed ahead

of us here.

They faced each other, a yard away.

"I'm amazed by your tomboyishness, Alice and Rin," he said from behind the mask.

The voice spilling out seemed to contain a wry smile. "When your mother was around

your age, I remember her being a bit more ladylike."

"I have no intention of getting in your way. However—"

The ground started to tremble where it had caved in, and from it, astral radiance

seeped out. He could no longer deceive them.

"You know what I am trying to say, don't you?"

"You've misunderstood." The purebred man shrugged. "We only just confirmed four

hours ago that this was a vortex. If we were about to report back to the Sovereignty

right now, there wouldn't be any issues, right?"

"..."

"Well, not that I think the House of Lou would be able to effectively use this vortex."

He was obviously provoking them, expressing the true feelings of the House of Zoa.

…The queen has been acting cautiously about engaging in an all-out battle with the

Empire… And that's where the House of Zoa has a bone to pick with her.

If the Zoa could determine that the vortex could strengthen their energy, they would

certainly try and start a full-blown war. This was what motivated them to push one of

their own onto the throne for the next queen.

"…I see you're hoping to initiate a full-scale battle upon strengthening your mages at

the vortex."

"Of course." There wasn't any hesitation in his nod. "After all, this is what the mages

have pined for for over a hundred years… Oh, perfect timing. Come here, Kissing."

The line of astral soldiers parted. Between the cleft, a girl with black hair, dressed up

as though a doll and short enough to reach Alice's shoulders, strolled over to them.

She seemed unsteady on her feet, staggering forward with her hands in front of her as

though fumbling in the dark.

Which made sense. This young girl named Kissing could see nothing, because she had

a firm blindfold wrapped over her eyes.

…I can't believe she's still wearing that blindfold… Just like she was years ago.

Alice didn't know why, other than an uncanny explanation that it would be dangerous

for her not to wear it.

"Hey, Kissing. It's our relative Alice. You met her four years ago."

"—"

"You don't remember her? I see. Oh well. You were young, after all. And Alice has

become a charming young woman in the last few years. You wouldn't be able to

recognize her." Lord Mask stroked her head as she clung to him. "You know what I'm

trying to say. Trust us with protecting the vortex."

"Are you saying she can guard it by herself?"

Just two days prior, Lord Mask had been bragging about the House of Zoa, babbling on

and on about the strength of the purebred Kissing. But Alice hadn't seen it for herself.

"I have no desire to doubt the skills of your house's beloved child. But the Empire will

kick things up a notch if they find the location of this vortex."

Rin had two bags over her shoulder—and their contents were none other than several

days' worth of supplies for Alice and Rin.

"We came all this way. Let Rin and me join you in protecting the most important

resource for our country. We can theorize all we want about how we'd use it, but if we

can't guard it, none of it will matter."

"Right. That's why this child is here." He had been patting Kissing's head throughout

their conversation. "The Imperial camp is already in chaos. Our only remaining threat

is the Saint Disciple. Kissing will be more than enough."

"…In chaos?"

"We have prisoners. We've already captured three. They've been restrained in a tent in

the back. Would you like to see?"

"You mean Imperial units?" This came as a shock to Alice.

In the canyon, the visibility was too good, and the valley amplified any sounds. If even

a single gunshot went off as they tried to restrain the Imperial forces, the other units

were bound to notice.

Then, what methods had they used to capture the three units?

"Is that her strength?"

"All part of our strategy. We get detailed reports on the movements of the Imperial

forces. And we had no difficulty capturing them."

"…Which means you have spies?" Alice chewed on her bottom lip to an extent that no

one would notice.

They would outwit their opponent. Trick them. Assassinate them. Imprison them. All

of it could be justified in the name of strategy.

…It's just more of the same… How many times will we repeat this? Is this the only way to

settle things?

She could not deny that it was an excellent plan.

But is this the best path to take for someone who will unify this country one day?

"…I'm sorry. Where can we rest?"

"Hmm. Right. Let us prepare a place for you. Captain, take the bags from Rin."

His subordinates acted almost like gentlemen as they made the arrangements.

Alice watched their backs in silence.

"Rin."

"Yes."

"Where is my worthy match of an opponent?"

Alice let her shoulders droop as she remained glued to her spot, unmoving.

They had finished searching the first area for the vortex, gearing up to move to their

next location. As Iska climbed into the car, the communications device on top of

Mismis's thighs started to go off.

"Huh. From headquarters? Iska, could you hold on to my gauge?"

"And from the captains' channel… Must be important news."

Iska was on the edge of his seat to know more about it, but he decided to leave it to

the captain, scanning for the vortex with his binoculars—or that's what he'd planned

to do.

"This is Mismis of Unit 907. Mm… hmm… What?! Why would that…? WHAT?! Uunderstood!"

There was no way he could look the other way when a conversation this laden with

meaning was taking place before his very eyes.

"Ah, geez. First we have an emergency notification and then an emergency order. We

just can't get a break."

The call cut off. Captain Mismis slumped back into her seat.

"That was a quick call. What is it this time?"

"…More to follow the events of this morning." She pulled together her sentence with a

sigh. "Remember that message Nene got? That they detected astral activity in the

base? It seems it's an astral power of the corps, and the location of our base was no

secret to them, apparently."

"And our countermeasures?"

"We're relocating the base. The officers are moving the headquarters of strategy and

important machines into tanks, straight over to the second base. But we're leaving the

tents behind. We want them to think that our army is still there, so the plan is to not

remove everything."

"They really screwed the pooch on this one."

He could understand why the captain had been surprised mid-conversation.

Headquarters hadn't issued any concrete plans before this, and they had just changed

course.

"Do you think that was Nameless's proposal?"

"You know what, Iska…" She lowered her voice. "Between just you and me, Nameless

isn't at headquarters right now. This is classified information for the captains, but he

left to act independently."

"What?"

"That proposal just now was a joint decision by all the supervising captains left at

headquarters. Though, of course, I think the communications units have

communicated that to Nameless."

"…No wonder." Iska tried to keep his wry smile at bay.

With the Saint Disciple absent from the base, headquarters could finally perform their

capabilities to the fullest.

"So we're going to continue searching for the vortex?"

"Yeah. Headquarters is in the process of transferring to the second base, but they said

they would finish before we need to get back. Did you hear me, Jhin? Nene?"

"Yup, yup!"

"With you yapping so loudly, I can hear you whether I want to or not."

The sniper and mechanic were outside the armored car. Jhin was observing their

surroundings through a pair of binoculars, and Nene had the gauge hanging off her

neck as she checked for astral energy.

"Jhin, how are things going? If you see anything strange, let me know."

"As if it'd be that easy. Like, oh no, astral energy is just flooding out of the ground in

front of us. All I've found are nests and burrows at the bottom of the canyon. And at

the top of the cliffs, I've found vegetation." And no end to the boredom, he almost

seemed to say. Jhin shrugged. "Looks like the needle on Nene's gauge has started to go

haywire. I'm sure the vortex is near here somewhere."

"Hey, Jhin. What's that white flower called?" Nene asked.

"It's a lily of the valley. A perennial flower that gives off a strong smell. It might look all

cute, but its roots are poisonous and if you eat one, your stomach will—"

"Will you two stop fooling around?!" Mismis put a hand to her hip and scowled.

"Then, point us in the right direction, boss."

"Huh?"

"We've finished searching this whole area. Where should we look next?"

"R-right. Ummm…" In the passenger's seat, Captain Mismis pointed to the bottom of a

canyon a distance away. "There! Let's go to the bottom for a bit. Seems we could get

down on that slope with the car, too."

"The depths of the canyon? There you go, choosing the dangerous option again."

"It's not scary if we're all together. Okay, Jhin, make sure you protect your captain as

we go to find the vortex and—"

In the canyon bottom where Captain Mismis pointed…

…a green light heaved for a moment.

"...…Huh?"

It shot up like fireworks. Mismis herself watched it with bug eyes as faint particles of

light melted softly into the air and disappeared.

At the same time, the gauge that hung from Nene's neck leaped with a terrific force.

"The astral light is putting out over two thousand lunas! Captain, you're amazing. This

has got to be astral energy!"

"Whaaaat?! R-really?" The captain stared incredulously at her own finger. "My hand.

Maybe I'm ridiculously blessed. Hey, Iska, you want me to touch you? You want me to?

See, here."

"I'm fine, Captain. If you were, I think we wouldn't have gone in the red at the casino…

Whoops, got off track there. We need to hurry and tell headquarters."

Would they go near the vortex to observe it?

Would they wait there for reinforcements?

Either way, they would be switching tactics to protecting it with all they had. They

would wait for orders from headquarters.

"Hey, Jhin, we're the first to find it, right? I wonder if headquarters will recognize us

for that. Maybe they'll give us Captain Mismis's favorite thing—a monetary reward."

"After everything is done. We'll either protect the vortex or destroy it. Headquarters

will probably need to get in contact with the Imperial capital to make that decision...

or something. I'm not sure if things will go that smoothly." Jhin looked toward the

canyon bottom as he threw his sniper rifle into the seat. "Too bad, boss. Looks like we

weren't the first people to find it."

"…What? Isn't that car from Noro's party?!"

They were on the slope that connected to the bottom of the canyon, where an Imperial

military car was kicking up a cloud of dust as it raced along. The driver's seat was

occupied by Mismis's friend Captain Shanorotte. She was accompanied by three of her

subordinates—two women and one man.

"They probably already reported it a while ago, finishing their thorough observation

of the vortex. We got to it after them."

"Ah. Ugh, Noro. We thought we were first!"

The military car screeched to a stop before their eyes. The door flung open. When the

tall captain emerged from the car, Captain Mismis clung to her.

"You're stupid, Noro!"

"Oh my. What's wrong, Mismis?"

"The vortex…"

"Oh, that. We saw you from the bottom; that's why we came here in a hurry. You figured

out it was the vortex?"

"Of course we did!" Captain Mismis pointed down. "Because it just lit up all of a

sudden. Nene's gauge started to react. You saw the real deal, right, Noro?"

"Yes. It was pretty. But not as big as I was hoping." Captain Shanorotte cocked her head

to the side quizzically. "Mismis. Did you see anything else down there?"

"Huh?"

"…Which means you were making a big commotion about the vortex, huh. We came

here in a hurry." She gently patted Captain Mismis's head. "Aw, you're so clueless."

"…What?"

Captain Shanorotte pointed ahead at the cliff, following Mismis's lead.

The light from the astral energy had died down. With his comrades, Iska squinted into

the darkness, unable to see anything beyond its dark shadow.

"Unlike the Empire, which fears astral energy, the Nebulis Sovereignty has taken it in.

That's why they've gotten much further with their research, including how to pinpoint

the location of a vortex."

"Noro?"

"Before you found it, Mismis, the Sovereignty had already set up camp in the valley to

capture the units that got too close. Exactly like now." Captain Shanorotte squeezed

Mismis, hard.

"Th-that hurts, Noro…"

"Oh, does it? Sorry. You're just so tiny, Mismis."

Considering the difference between their builds and physical strength, the embrace

felt more like a vise grip than a hug to Mismis's childish figure.

And the other captain didn't seem to intend to loosen her arms.

"Noro?"

"Oh, well." Shanorotte eventually loosened her grip, lowering her eyes to meet the gaze

of her friend. They were not smiling.

When Iska felt that unease, he tried to say something, but it happened before he could.

"Out of everyone in the Empire, Mismis, you were one of my favorites. I was planning

to leave you until the very end so I could spend the most time with you. I was hoping

I'd be able to have my fun, torturing, torturing, and torturing you." She touched the

base of her own neck.

Riiiiip. Shanorotte yanked off something flesh-toned affixed to her neck.

"…Huh?"

"Does this surprise you?" A sticker was stuck to the tips of her fingers, used to conceal

a pea-green astral crest at the base of the blond captain's neck.

"Y-you're a witch?! O-ow!"

"That's right. I'm what you call a witch. As are all my subordinates." The captain

grabbed Mismis's neck, strangling her.

No, she wasn't a captain but a mage under the guise of an officer. The woman had

shown her true colors with the unmistakable expression of a ruthless witch loathed

and feared by the Empire.

"Captain?!"

"Don't you dare move, Imperial soldier!" In that moment, Shanorotte's astral crest

flickered.

Zwing. The sound of the air burning. A bolt of light flashed past Iska's, Jhin's, and

Nene's gazes.

"The astral power of lightning?!"

…She's able to invoke her attacks quickly… Oh, geez. A stubborn form of astral power—

out of all things!

It didn't have much range, unlike flame types, but it could be invoked with terrifying

speed—attack as fast as a bolt. Even Iska was getting anxious as to whether he could

sever these attacks. There was more than enough power in the lightning to take down

an entire person. In close combat, it was one of the most menacing types of energy.

"Noro… Where's the… real Noro?"

"The 'real' Noro? Ha-ha-ha. I can't believe it. You still haven't figured it out? You're an

actual idiot. But that's what I like about you. You're just so helplessly oblivious." She

continued to strangle Mismis with one hand.

With the other, the witch triumphantly pointed at her own astral crest. "Shanorotte

Gregory was born and raised in the Nebulis Sovereignty. Oh, but I've been in the

Empire since I was fifteen. I've been the one and only Shanorotte since you and I met."

"…h!"

"Don't look at me like that. I won't give you any sympathy. You're an enemy—a foe. All

those times you Imperial scum have called us 'witches'! All that time I had to hide my

astral crest! You could never understand how I feel!"

She had trained as an Imperial soldier and gotten to captain rank. How many state

secrets could she have leaked to the Nebulis Sovereignty over the past decade?

"So, Mismis…?"

She seemed almost like a different person—no, she'd probably been pretending to

adopt that other persona this whole time.

As the witch looked down upon the captain, her gaze suddenly turned to a look of

disgust—a far cry from how she'd stared at Mismis at the base.

"N-no… Sto…"

"I've decided on my prey for today!"

A surge of lightning flashed out from her astral crest, as if a living thread, and willowy

bolts wrapped around the witch's arm, snaking themselves around Mismis's entire

body as she was held by the neck.

"—gh...…" Zzzt. Her slender frame jerked once.

She stopped moving as though a puppet whose strings had been cut.

"Why, you!"

"I told you not to move." Shanorotte pushed the muzzle of a gun into Mismis's cheek.

"Don't forget. These three subordinates and I have been Imperial soldiers for over ten

years. Which means we're familiar with the ways the Empire treats prisoners of war."

All three of her subordinates had guns pointed at Jhin, Nene, and Iska.

"Throw down your weapons and surrender. This little idiot is a captain, so we'll take

her prisoner. You're junior soldiers, which means we'll either execute or enslave you.

But if you don't pull any funny moves here, we might spare your lives. Oh, but of

course, we'll need to interrogate you first."

"..."

"Don't do it, Iska. They aren't just astral corps. They're Imperial soldiers with more

experience than us."

They heard a dull thud.

Jhin had thrown down his readied sniper rifle to the ground. He sighed.

"Okay, I will, too. There." Nene threw her gun and holster to the ground.

"…Fine. I'll do it, too." Iska lowered both astral swords to the ground.

"Oh wow. Worlds different from Mismis. You three get it. In that case… Right, you're

Imperial soldiers, which means you're carrying handcuffs to take prisoners, right?

Okay, you, over there. Nene, right? Go and put your handcuffs on your friends."

"…Nice kink."

"This is the Imperial way of doing things. You wouldn't want to get attacked while

getting close enough to put handcuffs on someone, right?" The witch narrowed her

eyes, as though she found Jhin's sarcasm pleasant.

"Nene, you got that, right?" None of the four Nebulis assassins had noticed the sniper

with silver hair whispering.

Iska had barely managed to catch it because he'd been expecting it.

Next to Jhin, Nene blinked twice in place of nodding. That was their way of

communicating "understood" when they were unable to say anything.

The mechanic had a hidden weapon—a ring mechanism that she wore on her finger.

"Satellite, the Star of Tetrabiblos, launch the anti–astral power grenade."

It was a satellite that synchronized with Nene's location.

An extraordinary mechanic, Nene Alkastone had been entrusted with an experimental

anti–astral power weapon from the Department of Suppression Weapons Development.

It would fire grenades from the sky and rob opponents of their vision with intense

lights.

In addition, it would emit wavelengths that would throw off astral power.

…They won't be able to use their attacks for a few seconds.

…I just need to aim for two out of the four people. I'll disarm them, and if I can knock

them out, we can turn the tables.

They had four opponents and only three people on their side. If he could defeat two,

he could reverse the situation. After that, it was all about the timing. Nene tried to bide

her time, looking for an opportunity to send commands for the bombardment through

her ring.

"Come on. Hurry up. After you put handcuffs on those two, put them on yourself. Simple,

right?"

"…Yes." Nene had pulled out her handcuffs, turning her back on Shanorotte and the

three subordinates.

This is it! Nene put her hand on her ring. Jhin and Iska kicked at the ground.

At the same moment…

"—You're in the way."

They heard the voice, felt his presence and the wind—but they couldn't see him

anywhere.

"Unit 104 of the Fifth Division. I'll punish you here."

The screams from the mages echoed.

Their arms were sliced off their bodies with the barrels of their handguns still in their

grips. They withdrew without having a real understanding of what happened, and

blood spurted from the shoulders and abdomens of two soldiers.

It was an invisible blade, capable of slicing through steel guns as smoothly as paper—

sharp to a terrifying degree.

Ironically, the four were clad in their Imperial battle uniforms, which meant the

protective textiles had probably saved them from being cut right through.

"…It couldn't be?!" A mage yelped as blood poured from her left arm, pointing it toward

the air as the astral crest glowed. "Namele—..."

Before she could finish, that arm twisted with a dull sound, and the last of them lost

consciousness and lay facedown on the ground.

"You filthy witches, intermingling with the Empire. Didn't I tell you not to get in my way?"

"…Nameless."

"To kidnap three Imperial units? There are only a handful of ways to accomplish that.

You thought I wouldn't notice traitors in our midst?"

The air quivered, shimmering as if a heat wave was right in front of Iska's eyes. The

form of one man appeared from it.

It was the Saint Disciple Nameless, his body wrapped in active camouflage.

"…Ah, I see. Come to think of it, they said you were acting alone this morning. So you

were putting up a trap from the start. Little Lord Saint Disciple was originally from the

assassin's unit, after all." Shanorotte backed away. "But it would be so inconvenient if

I was to get captured here, too."

"I said I would punish you." The Saint Disciple stepped toward her.

He seemed to glide over the ground as he headed toward Shanorotte's chest. He did

not hesitate to reach his arm out as though to crush her windpipe.

But Nameless was the one to immediately stop in his tracks.

There was a pillar of flames.

A sorcerer facedown on the ground had used an astral attack that had summoned a

raging fire that stood in the way of Nameless.

"…We've gotten our hands on… the vortex… This is… our victory... Empire—"

"Shut up." The Saint Disciple punted him with his foot, and the man went silent.

With its summoner lost, the pillar of fire disappeared, but by that time, Shanorotte had

already run into the Imperial car, carrying Mismis.

He turned to that defenseless back.

"—"

He had a glass knife.

Nameless did not hesitate to throw it.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

They heard a loud explosion when the tip of Iska's astral sword shattered the

transparent knife into pieces in midair.

"…What do you think you're doing?"

He was unable to reply to the Saint Disciple.

Iska yelled at the sniper, who had readied his rifle. "Jhin!"

"Doing it now!" He aimed the scope at the armored Imperial car.

The shot was soundless, launching and sticking into the tire of the armored car that

Shanorotte rode in.

"All done. We can figure out her specific location with this."

The Imperial car drove away. It went at full throttle toward the vortex at the bottom

of the canyon—likely because the hideout for the astral corps was there.

On the side of Shanorotte were Mismis and the three units captured from the day

before. And at Iska's feet were the three mages who'd disguised themselves as

Imperial soldiers. It seemed that each side had gotten its own set of prisoners.

"You brat." The Saint Disciple took his eyes off the armored car that disappeared below

the cliff. "Are you deranged? You interfered with my knife."

"…I think you must know, but…" Iska faced Nameless over shards of glass scattered on

the ground.

If he hadn't stopped it, that knife would have mercilessly pierced right through the

witch and into Mismis. Iska had realized that and barely stopped it in time.

…All you care about is capturing the witch.

…You couldn't even be bothered to consider Captain Mismis's life.

"Those lightning types are statistically rare. If we captured her, she would have made a

great sample."

"If that's all you have to say, my opinion still stands… You've got to be kidding me."

"That is clear insubordination toward your commanding officer. If you wish to go back

to prison—"

"Mr. Saint Disciple," the sniper interrupted them. "There's something more important

that we need to discuss. We know the whereabouts of the three Imperial units and our

own captain. How should we get them back?"

"—" The Saint Disciple turned around. "You want a strategy meeting? What are you

saying?"

"…What?"

"No change in strategy. Do as I command."

One. Secure the vortex before the Sovereignty.

Two. If that fails, destroy the vortex before it can be used.

He can't mean…

Iska's mind flashed with images of the short-range ballistic missiles they had carried

to the edge of the base. Then his next thought was that the vortex was already in the

Nebulis Sovereignty's hands.

"We will bomb the vortex. And that'll be the end of it."

If they couldn't have it, they would destroy it.

That included the hideout for the astral corps. That included the Imperial units taken

as prisoners. That included Captain Mismis.

It would all be pulverized without a trace by the missiles. That was what this Saint

Disciple was suggesting.

"And your response?"

"…You've got to be joking. I don't feel like replying," Iska practically spat out.

Jhin and Nene just watched in silence.

"We need to destroy the vortex before they can use it." The Saint Disciple turned his back

to them. His body, covered by the photochemical suit, turned faint, as though melting

into the light.

"I will be promptly returning to the base and will make the official announcement to the

headquarters of strategy that we will commence the bombing… It's no use. And that

includes everything."

He disappeared—presence, body, and voice. The Saint Disciple would probably never

address them again.

They were left behind in that place.

"I wonder if we'll make it." Nene looked at the ring on her pinkie finger. "That Saint

Disciple has got to report to the Imperial capital first. It'll take thirty minutes to write

it up and communicate it. It'll take an hour before Imperial headquarters gives a

confirmation to discharge the weapons. They'll need to call the missile engineers and

calculate the trajectory. But I'm sure they'll launch the missiles sometime today."

"…No extensions, huh?"

Nene bent her fingers as she counted. Iska nodded.

Once the sun set, they wouldn't be able to do anything. They could do nothing but

attack in the time span of the few hours left.

"So then, what'll we do? They'll definitely be expecting us to come to get our captain.

If we just rush in there, they'll counterattack," Jhin muttered in a low voice. "If

anything, there's a high chance that the purebreds have probably come with the astral

corps. Even if we were to challenge them, we'd probably just get ganged up on."

He pulled out a small device with a liquid crystal display. The light that moved as it

blinked on and off was the signal from the enemy vehicle that Captain Mismis was

riding on.

"What should we do, Iska? Even if we know the captain's location, it'll be nearly

impossible to get her back."

"…Let's return to base first. We need to check what's going on there." Iska took the

initiative and got into the seat of the armored vehicle. "We need to prepare. And before

anything else, we gotta find out when the missiles are going to be launched."

"If we're off by a minute or even a second, we'll end up in the blast." Jhin slipped into

the car. "I mean, based on our losing streak at the casino, I can tell we've all got shitty

luck. Everything comes down to whether we can make a one-eighty or not."

"Iska, are you sure we can do this?" Nene climbed into the driver's seat.

He turned to the ponytailed girl as she floored the gas pedal.

"I am." Iska didn't hesitate to reply. "I'm sure we'll hit the jackpot."

This wasn't a game with roulette, cards, or coins—this was a gamble of life and death.

They would get that jackpot, even if it meant dragging it out by force.