I hope they wail when their time comes. I hope they are tormented by the death of their companions.
“How many corpses would be added to the pile in such a meaningless battle? Oh, I cannot wait to start counting. ♪ Don’t you agree?”
Vicius walked past Wormgandr, placing a hand on his massive arm as she passed by.
Wormgandr—the Fallen God.
She walked toward her two other disciples, who had been watching in silence.
Ars—the First Hero.
As a hero, Ars had sought power and power alone, pursued it to the very end. Not all knew of him, but the name of the first hero was still spoken across the continent, and some mothers chose to name their children after him. The late captain of the Twelfth Order of Alion shared his name, if I recall correctly.
The Heroes from Another World were special—and at the time of his summoning, Vicius had measured all the other heroes by Ars’ strength.
But he was not like them. He always stood out.
The first hero ever summoned was cast from a different mold.
Yomibito—the Hollow Man.
He was another anomaly. Yomibito had lost the majority of his memories from the time of his summoning.
I remember…another of the heroes was very different that time, too.
He had, in fact, been special.
“He may be from a different time,” the other heroes had said when they saw him… They proceeded to investigate his origins, if I recall. Musashi, Oda… Those were the other heroes’ names, I believe. Kenshin, Shingen…Kojiro? Yagyu? Ittosai? Amakusa? Tadakatsu? Sanada? Date? Yoshitsune?
In any case, they were names from their world.
“Perhaps he came from the realm of Yomi?” one of the boys speculated.
Since he didn’t remember his own name, the hero came to be known as “Yomibito”—though some also referred to him by the strange, questioning nickname of “Yomibitoshirazu.” In any case—Yomibito was strong. In his own time, he defeated the Demon King alone, while the other heroes died prematurely in battle.
They were not weak, by any means. But the Demon King and his army back then were incredibly strong…though not quite as powerful as the incarnation that appeared this time around. Even I was troubled by his strength and for the first time considered defeat might be a possibility.
She had never expected Yomibito to finish the job completely on his own.
Vicius forced an elegant smile.
“I’m quite sure we’ll be okay… But if any of those blacksmiths do manage to make it here, I should like you to deal with them. Hoh hoh… I am counting on you three, you know?”
She narrowed her eyes at one of her disciples.
“Especially you.”
Lisbeth
THE AIR TREMBLED, reverberations running through the ground below as if the whole world was shaking.
A moment later—a flash of white light swallowed everything.
The light was so bright that Lis thought her eyes might be done for. But after some time, the light faded and her vision slowly returned.
What was that…?
The crow familiar—Lisbeth—was confused.
Hm? I was perched in a tree, in the castle grounds… No… This branch under my feet is the same one I was sitting on. Then I…I haven’t moved? But then this is…
The royal castle had transformed completely. When Lis looked up, she could no longer see the clouds—only a white ceiling above her where the sky should be.
What… H-happened?
Lisbeth had been watching Vicius and her disciples until just moments earlier when the earth had trembled, and a great flash of light had spread out before her.
Stay calm… Stay calm…
She refocused her attention on the link she maintained to the crow familiar.
I have to see what’s happening. I have to report this.
Looking closer, she saw that the shape of the castle remained.
It’s less that the place has been transformed, and more like it’s been haphazardly merged with something else entirely.
Lis saw white walls and membranes fused with parts of the building. She felt almost like she was in the belly of some giant creature. Regaining some of her composure, Lisbeth decided to try and fly up a little higher.
What is all this?!
The city was covered by a white wall that completely obscured it from view. She could only see a short distance in front of her, blocked by the white walls and ceiling above.
Is the whole castle surrounded by this whiteness? Am I’m trapped?
But scanning the area, Lis found several holes that offered a way out.
Will I be able to get out through one of those?
She flew in another circle, taking a look at the air around her. There were other crows in the sky with her too.
Then not all life has gone from this place.
Then she had a thought.
But…where are Vicius’s disciples? I need to tell Too-ka and the others that something strange is happening. That white light might have made Vicius and her disciples disappear. They could even have teleported away somewhere. I’ve been told it’s very, very important in this war that we know where Vicius is.
Lisbeth turned back, returning to the tree she had been sitting in when the flash came. The perch gave her a view into the throne room. She was also not the only crow present. The birds had lived in Eno for some time and had been increasing in number of late, perhaps due to the city’s deteriorating sanitation. Lisbeth also saw a great many flies. She had never liked flies—they had always swarmed the garbage pails at the White Leg Tavern where she once worked.
But now…it’s strange, but whenever I see a fly, I feel somewhat reassured. Is it because they make me think of him, perhaps?
I’m going to try my best… For the one who saved me too… Who rescued me and Big Sis from that place—
“…!”
Vicius left the throne room. One of her disciples, Wormgandr, followed as she made her way down the castle hallway, disappearing and reappearing as the pillars blocked Lis’s view.
This castle’s transformation… What is happening?
Lisbeth concentrated solely on considering her next course of action.
…Huh?