Chapter 112

Roxane blinks. “The Divine Maiden Academy… Did you forget something?” “I want to investigate why the Daughter of God’s body wasn’t there,” Aileen tells her. Roxane and Estella exchange looks. Aileen has seen the ghost of the Daughter of God once before, in Ashmael with Lilia. Even in the game, there wasn’t a proper illustration; her features were blurred. However, at least in reality, the ghost they saw didn’t look like Grace. If it did, she probably would have felt that something was off at the time, and Lilia would have read too much into it and gotten all excited. Just in case, she goes to speak with Sahra, who’s still tending Machina. After all, the girl spoke with the ghost of the first Daughter of God when she retrieved the holy sword from the sanctuary. When she broaches the topic, Sahra’s eyes widen. “No, I don’t think the first Daughter of God looked like Grace. If I had to say, she looked more like Machina.” Roxane has accompanied Aileen, and Sahra’s words make both of them blink. “Do you mean she looked like Amelia Dark?” “Umm… Not quite like that. There was a resemblance, but… Right, it’s more her overall demeanor. The way she seemed rather lifeless was similar!” “You’re certain that wasn’t because she was a ghost?” “Amelia was unsettling, but she was also incredibly lively, wasn’t she?” It’s a wonder that the mastermind behind that whole uproar can be summed up with the one word lively. Not that it’s inaccurate or anything. “Machina looks like Amelia but doesn’t give off the same impression at all, you see? That’s what made me think the first Daughter of God looked more like Machina. It’s as if Amelia lost all her vitality and became a doll.” “Yes, and that’s because the Daughter of God was dead, isn’t it?” “No, Lady Roxane, she may actually be onto something. Amelia used her own body as the medium to seal Grace’s soul. She appeared before us in Grace’s body, but I can’t imagine she’d been using it for several centuries.” On the contrary, she would have been very careful with Grace’s body, keeping it in reserve for the moment of Luciel’s oath. Even without that, she’d been completely obsessed with Grace. Aileen has heard from Auguste that Amelia said she wouldn’t allow anyone else to hurt her sister. “I think she’d created spare bodies. I don’t know how advanced Hausel’s technology was, but perhaps she made copies of herself… She may also have borne children besides Lady Lilia.” “That’s true. I can’t assume that the genealogical chart of the Queendom of Hausel was a complete fabrication.” “Still, Lady Amelia was capable of transferring her soul to different bodies. She was hardly an ordinary human anymore. Whether she made other bodies or bore children, perhaps they were soulless, like Machina.” It’s very likely that Lilia, protected by her destiny as the Maid of the Sacred Sword, was the sole exception. “In the first place, there’s no way Lady Amelia would have left the holy sword to someone else. It’s quite possible that she was controlling the first Daughter of God herself, just as she puppeted Lady Grace’s body.” “Huh?! Then the Daughter of God was Amelia’s daughter or, um…a second self?” Sahra’s question triggers a memory. “…That’s right, Evare said that Lilia Reinoise could have opened the underground ruin. That would mean the first Daughter of God, the progenitrix of Ashmael’s royal family, was from Amelia Dark’s bloodline. At the very least, she can’t have been from Grace’s…” No one argues. There’s probably no way to know the truth, but as possibilities go, it’s good. “The biggest issue is that we have yet to see the underground ruin.” “…What do you mean?” “When the door to the ruin opened, there was a girl preserved in ice just inside it. It’s as if she abruptly left the holy sarcophagus. We haven’t seen anything else.” It was like the contents of holy sarcophagus had suddenly manifested above ground. There was no “underground” there. “…Debating is futile. Let us visit the underground ruin ourselves. Fortunately, we have time before sunset. Is that all right, Estella?” Uncharacteristically, Estella has only been listening all this time, and her attention has been elsewhere. Hastily, she nods. “Yes. I’ll accompany you, Lady Aileen.” “In that case, Estella and I shall go. You must stay here and watch Machina, Lady Sahra. And you mustn’t overexert yourself when you’re with child, Lady Roxane.” “Huh? But shouldn’t somebody at least…? What about Ares? Wouldn’t it be better to have him go with you?” “He is a general, Sahra. We mustn’t use him simply because it’s convenient. You’ll need transportation as well… Perhaps we should discuss this with Master Baal.” “It’s nothing to trouble Master Claude and Master Baal over,” Aileen says firmly. Beside her, Estella timidly raises a hand. “…Um. The Holy Dragon Consort is here, isn’t she?” After a quick flight from the harem, the Holy Dragon Consort ferries them to the chapel at the Divine Maiden Academy. It very much seems like it only took them a single step. “Thank you very much, Lady Mana.” “Squee.” Mana, the Holy Dragon Consort, throws her chest out proudly, and Estella strokes her. Watching them, Aileen folds her arms. “Are the two of you close in the future?” “She’s like an older sister to me. She often played with me, and so…” “That’s all? You seemed quite used to that; are you certain you didn’t slip out of the palace together?” Aileen asks mischievously. Estella’s gaze wanders a bit uncomfortably. “She…hid me frequently. When unpleasant things happened. I knew even Father and Mother couldn’t interfere with the Holy Dragon Consort, so… I was a devious child,” she adds, and Aileen laughs. “That’s a good thing. If you’re serious all the time, you’ll never last. Now then, shall we go? Please entertain yourself, Holy Dragon Consort. We’ll call you shortly.” Mana nods, whiskers swaying, then soars up into the blue sky. The Divine Maiden Academy has been temporarily closed down in order to deal with the accident, but the cleanup is already finished. The chapel and its surroundings are deserted. That said, the ceiling is still blown off, and the blast wind has crumbled the walls in places. It will be dangerous if those collapse further. And yet beyond the open pipe organ, the black wall is again smooth and featureless. “It’s closed.” Pressing a hand to the cool wall, Aileen sighs. “Apparently, I really can’t open it.” Grace Dark’s descendants don’t have the ability to gain entry. In other words, the only ones who can are Amelia’s. Not only that, but in the future Amelia predicted—the one that matches the events of the game—Ares became the divine king of Ashmael, and Estella was destined to be condemned. In that case, once she made Lilia into her puppet and abdicated in her favor, wouldn’t that leave Amelia as the only one who could open this door? …I wonder what Lady Amelia intended to do from this point on. The woman who knew the future. In other words, the events of subsequent games. “Lady Aileen. It’s open.” While she was lost in thought, Estella opened the door easily. The wall of ice that encased Grace’s look-alike is gone. Instead, a flight of stairs leads down into blackness. Aileen picks up a lamp that’s lying on the floor. It’s a typical Ashmael lamp that can be lit with a sacred stone. Estella seems very familiar with these, and she promptly lights it. “Shall we go?” “Yes.” Holding the lamp, Aileen steps onto the stairs. Inside, it’s dark and quiet. The footing is uneven. However, there are holes in the walls at regular intervals that flare with a pale light for a few moments as they approach. It must be divine stone-powered technology from Hausel. “…This is nothing like the underground ruin I know.” “Really?” “Yes. It’s possible that the one I saw wasn’t the real thing. Come to think of it, I believe the position of the door was slightly different.” “You did say that the body of the Daughter of God had been moved elsewhere, too.” “…Since I arrived here, everything has surprised me. Even when it comes to Ashmael, there may still be many things I don’t know. I didn’t know about Master Charles, either. I had no idea there was a girl he was fond of.” Aileen stops in her tracks. It seems to give Estella the wrong idea; she shakes her head. “It’s fine. It doesn’t bother me.” Aileen wishes it did bother her, but deciding to stick to listening for now, she just murmurs something neutral. Unconcerned by her reaction, Estella continues: “I really was surprised… I also regretted my actions. When Master Charles confronted me with our dissolved engagement, I thought it was just a childish, irresponsible fit of temper, but perhaps I was mistaken. He may have done it to protect that woman, and to treat me with good faith.” Estella’s eyes are downcast and troubled. “If that was the case and he had said something, I would have secretly accepted that woman… No, I’m sure Master Charles detests that side of me. Still, it isn’t as if I agreed to our engagement because I wanted it, either.” “You don’t like Charles?” Startled, Estella looks up, then hastily shakes her head. “It isn’t like that. I have nothing against him… No, that isn’t true. I must be jealous of him.” “Jealous?” “…Will you promise not to tell Father or Mother? Now or ever?” Aileen nods, and Estella smiles a bit wryly. “I was supposed to become the holy king.” “Yes, you did say that.” Estella has strong holy power. It probably rivals Baal’s own. “Father is one of the most powerful holy kings in the history of Ashmael. People said that I could be his equal, and that is how I was raised. I studied for dear life, learning everything from governance and politics and the languages of other nations to how to handle sacred power and proper etiquette for ladies. I shouldn’t say so myself, but I think I was quite good. I was also on friendly terms with Lady Mana. There shouldn’t have been any problems. Then when I was nearly grown, Mother gave birth to a boy.” Estella says, with a distant look in her eyes, that she’d really been looking forward to becoming a big sister. “However…when my brother was born, his sacred power was stronger than mine. It may even have been stronger than Father’s.” Estella steps down a stair, and her profile is lost in the shadows. “That said, he was still only a child. There was no telling how things would go—or that was what I told myself. Right then, I’d shown what I was made of.” “Estella.” “My little brother was intelligent. He genuinely looked up to me. He was cute…really cute, and yet I…” Passing Aileen, Estella descends the stairs, keeping one hand on the wall. She’s headed down into pitch blackness, toward the unknown. “…When I turned fourteen, I entered the Divine Maiden Academy. There, even princesses must live in the dormitories. I thought I’d put a little distance between us and get my feelings under control. However, in retrospect, I was only running away. Abruptly, Father summoned me back to the palace. At that point, I was told that Master Charles had been tentatively designated crown prince, and that I was being considered as his fiancée.” Aileen slowly follows Estella down the stairs. “Father said it was fine to turn down the offer if I didn’t want it. He said Ellmeyer felt I was the best match, so they were simply sounding me out; no one would force me. Mother said I should decide for myself. She told me to choose what I truly wanted to do.” Estella stops. It’s as if she feels she has nowhere left to go. “My fiancé would be a crown prince. There was no way we would have been engaged if I was intended to become king one day. To me, the very fact that the offer had been made was the final blow.” Her brother would become holy king, while she would be married off to a foreign nation. “—I know there was no greater honor than that offer. My fiancé would be the next emperor, the next demon king. If I married him, my strong sacred power would become a symbol of security. My presence would reassure the entire world, not just Ellmeyer. It’s an important role. When one is born a princess, political marriages are one’s duty. I’ve been close to the imperial family of Ellmeyer since early childhood, and I couldn’t have asked for a better match. Mother, Father, and everyone else had my happiness in mind. They had high expectations for me. They felt I could do this. I know. But…but I—” “Estella.” “That isn’t what I worked so hard to become!” Her voice is almost a scream, and it echoes in the narrow spiral staircase. Slumping against the wall, Estella sobs. “I wanted to become the holy king…to protect Ashmael… That was why I’d done everything… But I wasn’t the right person. I know that. I thought my cute little brother was in the way. I wondered why I had to be the one to marry the demon king. The fact that I had those thoughts meant I wasn’t fit to be the holy king! But even so—” Setting the lamp down, Aileen gently strokes the girl’s trembling back. “—I wanted to be one. A splendid king, like Father. I can’t, though. Master Charles carries everyone’s hopes, their admiration—things I’d sacrifice my right arm for—and yet he says he doesn’t want them as if it’s easy to dismiss. He has everything I lost, and he treats them as if they’re worthless. It irritated me and made me so jealous I could die, but marrying him is the most important thing I can do, and so…” If Charles had been a fine example of a crown prince, the type she could respect… If he’d gladly accepted Estella… If he’d extended his hand to her and said, Let’s do our best together… Even if it took time, she’s sure Estella would have embraced their engagement. However, that hadn’t been a possibility, either. All she’d been able to do was rouse herself to act by telling herself it was her duty. She’s a clever girl. She’s proud, too. No doubt she hadn’t been able to tell anyone the truth. She’d tried to set her eyes on the future and kept her feelings bottled up inside. She didn’t want to worry anyone. She knew failure was a ridiculous reason for running away, and it wasn’t the right thing to do. Her pride wouldn’t allow it. “If you really do marry Charles, it will make me very happy.” Estella, who’s buried her face in her hands, stops sobbing. Even though the girl’s eyes are wet with tears, Aileen chooses cruel words. “Thank you for choosing to come here.” They look straight into each other’s eyes in the darkness, the lamp at their feet the only source of light. Estella must have told herself over and over that she couldn’t let a thing like this discourage her, that she should be grateful to have expectations pinned on her, even unwanted ones. Aileen chose to affirm those words. There are some things that can’t be changed. Whether one is suited to something or not is one of them. It isn’t as if everyone can become the person they want to be. Estella smiles through her tears. “She told me…the same thing. The future Lady Aileen.” “Did she?” “Yes, when I went to tell her I accepted the engagement… When Master Charles heard that, he got angrier than I’d ever seen him, screaming that he refused and promptly ran off, but…” “Charles was spoiled and irresponsible, so you couldn’t forgive him, but you envied him?” “Yes.” Estella nods, looking calmer than she had earlier. Then she laughs a little. Retrieving the lamp, Aileen helps Estella to her feet. “…Master Charles’s older brother and sister are very brilliant, popular, and held in high regard; however, I’m told that Master Charles is the one who’s truly brilliant. They say he’s hiding it.” “I imagine that facet of his personality is fundamentally at odds with yours.” They’re making their way down the stairs step by step, holding hands. Estella nods again. “If it’s true, I have no idea why he would do that.” “The statement could be simple family bias. It’s basically He can do it when he tries, you see? That’s no different from a child who can’t do it.” “That’s true… But would Emperor Claude choose someone like that to be crown prince?” “If so, Master Claude and I, and the people the boy has around him now, weren’t able to make him into a capable child.” Estella looks at her blankly; she can feel it through their linked hands. Glancing at the girl mischievously, Aileen goes on, “Make him a better person. That’s what you were intending to do, isn’t it?” Estella has consistently declared herself Charles’s fiancée. She may be reluctant, but on some level, she must feel that is her next path. Aileen doesn’t know whether the road she’s followed will end up being right or wrong. It’s likely that no one does. However, following it has to be better than just standing still. “I’m cheering for you.” “…Yes. Thank you…very much.” “Your mother was also so dashing that it makes people instinctively want to support her.” Aileen smiles. Estella blinks, as if she’s just realized something. “Am I in the same situation my mother was in long ago?” “The thought that my son is the one who’s doing it pains me, but yes, it’s similar.” Estella gives another little laugh. The traces of her tears are still there, but her cheeks are dry now. “You’ve come this far, so see it through to the end.” “I will.” “…All right. It looks as if we’ve arrived.” The lantern illuminates the foot of the stairs. The depths of the room are pitch-black. They’re standing properly, but they can’t even see the floor. With each step they take, ripples spread as if they’ve set foot in a puddle, but that’s all. “It’s just like the castle in the demon realm, the place where I was before I was flung here.” “I’d imagine so. I recognize it as well.” It resembles the altar beneath the Queendom of Hausel, where Amelia sealed her body. In the game, it was the place where she gained her abilities as a queen: the power to see the past and the future. Ah, yes, there it is. When she puts her hand out, she finds an invisible wall. “—Hear, O past. Open, O future. I am the maiden who inherits the regalia of saints and demons.” In response to Aileen’s words, light blooms and expands, and the view changes. The darkness falls away like a veil, revealing a room—and the holy sarcophagus in it. It’s a small room with a smooth floor and walls that seem to be made of seamless marble. Long, narrow tanks of water are scattered around the room. They shine purple and red, serving as lights. However, what floats in them are eyeballs, hands, and half-destroyed human heads. “L-Lady Aileen… What’s…?” “Perhaps it’s a laboratory. One for making humans.” Extinguishing the lamp, which has served its purpose, she enters the room. Although Estella is pale, she follows with steady steps. “Why would the Queendom of Hausel build a place like…?” “Lady Amelia must have been trying to make a spare body for herself. A vessel for her soul.” Her twin sister and her first love would be reborn someday. In order to ensure that they never met, Amelia had tried to persist for centuries, a truly staggering amount of time. That was what had produced this grand distortion. “No doubt this was a spare facility, and the main one is in the floating palace. In the palace, that girl’s body and Grace’s soul could be fused.” “Lady Aileen, look…” Two tanks are embedded in the slanting wall at the very back, each of them just large enough for an adult to lie down in. They were built as mirror images of each other, and a waist-high stone pillar stands between them. They’re clearly different from the other structures. First, the color of the water that fills the tanks is different. It’s the color of the sea, a gentle blue. On the side of the palely glowing tank, there’s a metal plate with a word engraved on it, and not a speck of dust. Aileen reads it. In the old tongue of the Queendom of Hausel, it says—Machina. Looking into the tank, Estella frowns. “Why is Machina here?” The face of the girl sleeping in the tank is identical to Machina’s. Or, no, identical isn’t the word. “It must be her past self. If the one we know came here with Evare from the future, that would make sense.” “…She looks just as she does now.” “Yes, she does. Unlike the others around her, she appears to have been a success. I’m not sure when she’ll awaken, but…” Aileen glances at the tank next to hers. It’s empty. However, as with Machina’s, there’s a name on the plate. “—‘Lucia,’ hmm? That’s the name of the girl Evare kidnapped.” “The one who was frozen in ice? Do you suppose she was originally sleeping here?” “Probably. It may have been put in a place where it would seem to be the Daughter of God’s body so that it would act as camouflage to hide this. Machina’s face resembles Lady Amelia’s. She must have used the body that looked like Lady Grace, who didn’t officially exist, to avoid suspicion.” “Why would she do something so elaborate?” “Perhaps she could only make humans with faces that resembled the people they were based on. No doubt compatibility with her soul was a factor as well.” “Then couldn’t the one used for camouflage have been based on another human, instead of Lady Grace? And yet she even gave it a name…” That remark makes Aileen blink. “That’s…quite true. Making one that resembles herself is understandable, but why make a body that’s identical to Lady Grace? Not only that, but did Lady Amelia choose to vanish during the war rather than use Machina’s body?” Evare is trying to fuse Grace’s soul with Lucia’s body, turning her into a Maid of the Sacred Sword. If Amelia’s soul was present, could Machina become a Maid as well? “Lady Aileen. This central stone marker is designed to respond to sacred power. May I touch it?” There’s no telling what may happen, but they knew all along that there would be risk involved. Aileen nods. Estella draws a deep breath, then strokes the blank surface of the marker. Abruptly, it flares with light. The light fans out, projecting something…no, someone familiar. It’s a gently smiling woman, her face covered by a diaphanous veil. “Lady…Amelia?” “I’m glad you’ve awakened, Evare. You who first woke as an evil god and have now awakened in this world, which has been destroyed by the corrupt dragon’s miasma. My one and only son.” It’s an image—in Aileen’s previous life, it would have been called a recording. There’s a startlingly kind smile on the woman’s red lips. “Now that I am no longer queen, I doubt I am among the living. The Queendom of Hausel and the other nations that once were will also have come to ruin. You inhabit a future even I cannot see. There is no Daughter of God to heal the world, and no Saint of Salvation to nurture it. However, it was your destiny to awaken there. It is how you will atone for once becoming a fallen god and plunging the world into chaos.” Aileen’s eyes widen. Is Amelia relating what will happen after Game 5?