Epilogue: A Wish Upon the Planet

The natural border, the Saint Elzaria River.

The Sovereign border and checkpoint were at the center of the iron bridge that was

adrift in the morning mist. A single car drove along it.

"…Whew!" From her seat in the back next to Iska, Captain Mismis turned toward the

checkpoint behind them. "Boy, I'm so relieved. They really gave us trouble during the

entry inspection, but departure was a breeze. Now we've finished the minimum

requirements for clearing our special mission!"

They had whizzed through the checkpoint and crossed the bridge.

All they had to do now was drive down the highway to the closest neutral city and

head back to the Empire from there.

"I'm so glad you were safe, Iska. Jhin was saying they might've tortured you or

overdosed you on drugs… but you weren't, right?"

"All thanks to you guys."

As Captain Mismis let out a breath of relief, Iska nodded in reply to both her questions.

Well, he had been attacked by Rin once, but this wasn't the time or the place to mention

that.

"I was so surprised. I can't believe you would all show up in the Sovereignty. I mean,

this is late, but I'm impressed you got past the border…"

"Damn straight. I'm still anxious as all hell." That came from Jhin in the driver's seat.

Riding shotgun, Nene looked unusually tired.

"It was a blessing in disguise. We wouldn't have been able to reach you any other way,"

continued Jhin.

"You mean the special mission?"

"Yeah. According to Risya, our crests will disappear in a few more days. We're lucky

we got there in time," Jhin said.

Unit 907 had taken part in a special mission to expose the Imperial soldiers to astral

power as a human experiment to see whether convincing astral crests could be

formed on their skin. Infiltrating the Sovereignty with these artificial crests had been

their role.

…That mission saved my life.

…Even though the timing meant it came right down to the very last second, just like Jhin

said.

Iska leaned back in his seat. He would get to go home. When he realized they were

heading back, Iska was overcome by an extreme drowsiness.

"Iska, you tired? You've gotta be exhausted, huh?" asked Nene.

"…Yeah, but I'm fine. I think I can stay up until we reach the Empire."

Though he said that, it had been a while since he had felt this tired. When he thought

about it, at first he thought it might have been due to his battle with Salinger. But when

it came to grave battles, there had been others that had been far more physically

strenuous.

What else could it be?

A certain event floated to the back of his mind.

"Hee-hee, Iska! Knock it off! That tickles. Where do you think you're touching?"

"Hey, you can't run away! Gotcha."

It was the night Iska had spent as a prisoner.

From the living room, Iska had heard Alice mumbling in her sleep in her bedroom. Her

sighs were slightly amorous. Plus, she kept repeating, "Hee-hee, you're not… as I

expected," through the night. How was he supposed to not be bothered by those

mysteriously suggestive phrases?

What could she have meant?

What was so… unexpected about him? And why was she enjoying it so much? He was

so consumed by curiosity that he hadn't been able to relax at all.

"Does that mean it's Alice's fault that I'm so tired, then?!"

"Iska?"

"Oh, no, it's nothing! Really…" He sighed as he stared at the roof of the car. He knew he

should just forget about it. He wasn't in the Sovereignty anymore. He was no longer a

prisoner. He had to act like a proper Imperial solider. "I'm just glad you're in a better

mood, Captain."

"Me? I'm fine now. Besides, I didn't get shot up too badly."

"Um. If you're really in that good of a mood, does that mean all the astral-crest stuff is

settled?"

The captain had become a witch.

The crest on Mismis's left shoulder was not artificial like Jhin's or Nene's but the

genuine article.

They had yet to figure out a lasting way to hide her mark.

"Did you figure out something that'd work well while I was out?"

"…"

"Captain?"

"Aaaaaah?! Stop it! Don't talk about it! I'm still not ready to talk about it!"

"Did you really forget about the crest?!"

"Iska, you need to help me think up a solution once we get back to the capital! Now it's

your turn to help me!"

"…Y-yes, ma'am!" He comforted the captain, whose eyes brimmed with tears, patting

her on the head and nodding once.

…Right.

…There's something more difficult that she needs to work through.

It was something more challenging than crossing the Sovereign border: Mismis

needed to continue living in the Empire as a witch.

"Of course. This time, I'll save you, Captain." He nodded again to the captain who

suddenly looked very fragile.

Iska clenched his hand into a fist.

The central state of the Nebulis Sovereignty. The Star Spire in the royal palace.

This was the home of the closest garden in the world to the sky. In the floating garden,

Alice perched on a bench among the fragrant flowers and stared at the setting sun.

"Lady Alice." Rin had appeared in the garden, delivering a deep bow. "I have given her

majesty the queen a report without delay."

"Thank you, Rin. I'll talk to my mother tonight. I imagine she'll want to talk about

Salinger again anyway."

"Please make sure to take a bath before you do."

"I know that… Geez." Her prided golden hair, currently sticky with sweat and dust, was

tinged by the crimson light.

After taking command at the prison spire and battling Nameless, she had returned

home without a moment's rest. She had finished giving her report to the queen and

her aides before coming here.

"Luck wasn't on my side this time. My hair is dirty, my clothes are in tatters, and in the

end, I let that Saint Disciple get away…"

The Saint Disciple Nameless, who had disappeared in the middle of the fight with

Alice.

She didn't know how he had disappeared, but around the same time, the Imperial

soldiers had all vanished from the prison spire as well, pulling back from the

suppression squads mid-fight.

"I'm still unsure of how the Imperial units crossed the border."

"Yes, the queen was concerned about that. We also discovered suspicious persons

outside Alcatroz. There may still be Imperial espionage units operating in the

Sovereignty."

"We should be cautious as well, but…" Alice put her hands on her knees and took a

deep breath, shaking her head and shooing away her worries as she adopted her usual

smile. "It wasn't all bad. Rin, as your master, I'm proud of how you handled yourself.

You fought bravely against that sorcerer."

"…Y-yes, ma'am! I'm grateful for your words!" Rin formally stood at attention. "It is an

honor to receive such praise as your attendant!"

"Yes, and also—" She couldn't say it out loud, but…

…Oh no.

…This is bad.

If she wasn't paying attention, she would end up thinking about him immediately.

"Yes, about me. If you don't think I'm a weird witch, then tell me your impression of me."

"A rival on the battlefield."

She couldn't help but be happy whenever she recalled that exchange.

She wasn't a witch or a princess.

Only he sees me for who I really am. Whenever she remembered the way her heart had

pounded upon this realization, she would melt into a puddle.

"...Iska."

"Lady Alice, I swear I heard a troubling name just now."

"I-it's fine!" Alice stood with extra force as Rin shot her a dubious look. "Iska and I are

official—official rivals! What's the problem with saying his name?!"

"It only poses problems!" Rin's shoulders slumped. "But that Imperial swordsman

saved my life. Though he's a foe, I respect him as a soldier, even though I hate to admit

it."

"Right?"

"But you can't keep saying that swordsman's name. Especially in the Sovereignty."

"…But."

"I'll tell the queen."

"...…Fiiiiiine. You're such a worrywart, Rin."

Even if she said the name of the Imperial swordsman, no one should have known the

name of a mere foot soldier. This was the Nebulis Sovereignty, after all.

"Well, fine. Rin, please prepare the bath. We will take one together."

"…What?"

"Oh? Why are you so unwilling?"

"It's your fault, Lady Alice! You look at me all pitiful whenever you see me naked. I

swear I can hear you thinking,… It's all right, Rin. Everyone grows at their own pace.

Don't lose hope! "

"Hee-hee, you're so cute when you get like that."

"Lady Alice?!"

Their shrieks and cackles echoed through the floating garden.

Within the palace's Star Spire, away from the garden, was the youngest princess's

room. In terms of luxury, it didn't fall behind the second-born princess's room, though

it didn't have a single light lit in the living area. The entire space was shrouded in

silence.

"Iska and I are official—official rivals!"

"But you can't keep saying that swordsman's name. Especially in the Sovereignty."

The conversation between the second princess, Alice, and the attendant rang through

the room.

It hadn't been wiretapped.

The words were being replayed with astral power. After the dainty girl intently listened

to their conversation over and over, she let a word slip through her lips. "Iska?"

She was the third princess, Sisbell Lou Nebulis IX.

Though Sisbell shared facial features with Alice, her face was considerably younger.

Donning a frilly dress that complemented her looks, she resembled an adorable doll.

She sank down on the floor, allowing herself to vocalize: "An Imperial soldier…?"

Sisbell herself was a high-octane purebred.

Her astral power of illumination could let her replay the sounds and shapes of past

events, allowing her to snoop on anything that happened within the royal palace.

Lies would not work against Sisbell.

She was the most feared of the royal family by the palace staff.

"An Imperial soldier of interest to my dear sister Alice…? A rival?" She ran her fingers

over her lips as she mulled over the information.

How many times had it been now? Sisbell felt she had heard Alice say it in the past—

as if in a whisper. Though Alice had said his name under her breath, away from prying

ears, Sisbell could even reproduce those utterances with her astral power.

"Iska… Iska...?" she repeated. "...…" In silence, she placed her hands to her chest,

feeling her heartbeat putter with unusual speed under the fabric of her dress.

"It couldn't be," she rasped from parched lips. "It couldn't be. Nothing could be as

coincidental…"

The Imperial soldier named Iska.

It was the name of the soldier who had released her from her cell almost a year ago.

" Shhh, keep quiet… I'm gonna let you out right now."

"…Why are you… letting me escape…?"

"Iska, the Youngest Saint Disciple in History."

"Imprisoned for treason against the nation and aiding the escape of a witch. Given a life

sentence."

He hadn't told her his name.

But after Sisbell had returned to the Sovereignty, she had learned about Iska's identity

through the periodicals that had been published by the neutral cities.

A year ago, Sisbell had been determined to infiltrate the Empire and failed. That was

when he had saved her.

They shared the same name.

If the Imperial soldier who her sister called a rival was also a Saint Disciple, it would

all make sense.

"But… it's inconceivable…," the purebred repeated in a strained voice.

Unbelievable.

"That sort of coincidence is impossible. It'd be too easy… of an explanation…" She

squeezed the hem of her clothes, shoulders shuddering as she gritted her teeth. "Fate

of the planet. I will not be swayed by your temptation… But if I could meet that soldier

again—"

She wished upon the planet.

If prayer had power, she would offer as many as necessary, even if she knew it was a

miracle that would never be fulfilled.

"Please… save me again…!"