The Seventh Assault Garden’s Area II, Old Town.
“Princess Sakuya, prepare yourself!”
“Prepare yourself, aaaah!”
“Too easy…!”
With a swipe of her hand, Riselia sent the two shadows pouncing at her tumbling down to the mansion’s lawn.
“Kuh, spectacular work, Princess Sakuya…”
“Your skills have grown once more.”
The two girls lying on the ground whispered in satisfaction, for some reason.
Eika and Kuroyuki were spies working for Murakumo, the Sakura Orchid intelligence unit. It was habit by now for the two of them to launch an attack on Sakuya, so as to help train their liege.
“Your presence was too easy to detect,” Sakuya said with a strained smile as she helped the two to their feet.
Recently, she had become able to easily shrug off attacks like theirs.
…I feel bad for Eika and Kuroyuki, but they’re not a challenge for me anymore.
Sakuya needed a sparring partner who was a match for her. The elf fencer she met recently, Arle, could certainly put up a good fight, but she vanished in the Void World, pursuing some sort of mission.
…Would Miss Selia be good enough?
It did seem like she’d gotten stronger recently.
Maybe I should ask her for a match sometime …
So Sakuya thought to herself as she approached the mansion’s front door.
“Come to think of it, it’s been quite some time since you came to visit, Princess Sakuya,” Eika said, following close behind her.
“Yes, I’m sorry I was absent for so long. I was out on something of a journey,” Sakuya replied.
“A journey?”
‘For training.”
She couldn’t openly tell them she was in the Void World, or that just a few hours ago, she was running amok in a Phillet company facility. If Raiou were to find out about it, she’d spend the next three hours getting an earful of another of his bothersome sermons.
But Eika might already know…
She went to Old Town’s bathhouse to clean herself up before coming here, but even if she did wash off the scent of blood, hiding the emotional turmoil that comes from cutting people down was difficult.
…No. That wasn’t human, Sakuya whispered, mostly to convince herself.
In the Phillet facility, she ran into a private militia, its soldiers clad in protective suits and visors. When she cut off their masks, she exposed their faces, only to find one was the face of someone she knew—Uzan, strongest member and leader of the Kenki Gathering, a Sakura Orchid mercenary group.
To take revenge on the Void Lord who destroyed their homeland, Uzan took on a Demon Sword and became corrupted by its power.
And the Kenki Gathering were backed by Finzel Phillet.
And the dozen or so Uzans she faced in the facility were all merged with Demon Swords.
They were likely created through homunculus technology…
This meant they were soulless weapons, somehow implanted with the power of a Demon Sword.
…They’ll pay for this.
Sakuya found herself clenching her fists. Those were simply human-faced weapons, without a shred of memories or personality. And yet, the sensation of cutting down a person—and one wearing the face of a compatriot, at that—was still vivid in all its unpleasantness.
Whoever made those things will pay dearly with their lives…
But a voice cut into that thought.
“You’re giving off an awful lot of bloodlust, Princess,” The voice of an old man spoke to her from behind the sliding door facing the garden.
“…Raiou.”
Sakuya stopped, and Eika moved in to open the sliding door. Sitting in the center of the room was an old man, his hair grizzled and white.
“I am glad to see you return to us safe and sound, Princess.”
“Yes. I’m sorry if I caused you concern.”
After Sakuya entered the room, Eika silently closed the sliding door and disappeared into the shadows.
“Having you go missing is something we’re very much used to by now, Princess,” Raiou opened one eye and looked at Sakuya’s face fixedly.
“Hmm. It hasn’t been very long, but you’ve changed so much.”
“Is that right? Well, I’m still growing every day,” Sakuya said, holding her chest by way of illustration.
“No, I’m afraid in that area, you’ve grown very little.”
“H-how rude!” Sakuya puffed up her cheeks grumpily.
Raiou slowly opened both eyes and spoke.
“—You cut someone down. Didn’t you, Princess Sakuya?”
“…Yes.” Sakuya nodded curtly. “I guess I can’t fool you, Grandpa.”
“So that’s the source of the bloodlust I sensed earlier…,” Raiou murmured as Sakuya sat across from him.
“What I cut down was a man-shaped monster. And yet, the fact it looked so human shook me to the core.”
“A man-shaped monster… Was it one of those monsters possessed by Demon Swords?”
“Yes. And it looked like Uzan.”
“…What…do you mean?” Raiou’s eyes widened.
“Homunculi. Phillet Company magical technology.”
“The Phillet Company…”
“Yes. And those things weren’t anywhere near as strong as Uzan,” Sakuya appended.
This was her way of paying respect to the real Uzan.
“Grandpa…I intend to fight the Phillets.”
“Princess Sakuya…”
“They used the Kenki Gathering and devoured them down to their very soul. And they also abducted a senior I hold dear.”
Sakuya brought her fist to the tatami mat.
“—Lend me your strength, Grandpa.”
And then, she bowed her head deeply at Raiou.
“…Please raise your head, Princess Sakuya.” Raiou parted his lips quietly. “Murakumo is a group in service to the royal family. All that is ours is yours, Princess. And while our numbers are not great, we will help you as your vassals.”
“Thank you, Grandpa.” Sakuya nodded, raised her head, and then moved closer to the old man. “Also, there’s something I need to ask you.”
“Hmm. What is it, Princess?”
“—Is my sister, Setsura, truly dead?” Sakuya asked in a whisper.
“…What do you mean by that?”
“I met Setsura.”
Raiou’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Princess Sakuya, that is…”
“I know. My sister was slain in the Sakura Orchid by that Void Lord in the form of a swordsman. But…”
“…If you, of all people, say you’ve met her, then I find it hard to believe you would mistake her for anyone else,” Raiou said, picking his words carefully. “However, hm, is there any chance it’s another one of those homunculi you mentioned…?”
“No. I don’t think that’s the case. It was definitely Setsura.” Sakuya shook her head.
It was no puppet made to look like her. That girl’s personality was definitely that of her sister. And more importantly, Sakuya knew it was her because she had locked blades with her twice.
“The Mikagami style’s ultimate blade techniques are only usable by the priestesses of the royal house. Only by me and my sister.”
Raiou grumbled, his expression very mixed. “I have heard the ancient Oni arts have a forbidden, heretical spell to raise corpses from the dead.”
“A heretical spell to raise the dead…”
“It’s a lost art. Shall I have Murakumo look into it?”
“Yes. Please.” Sakuya nodded.
But as she did, something occurred to her.
A spell to raise the dead… If such a thing exists…
The face of a boy whom she suspected was familiar with such a thing crossed her mind.