As she came to the end of her explanation, I received a report that the eucharist army surrounding the capital city had been annihilated. We decided to head straight for Eno as planned. As I walked, I began to formulate my next moves now that this new Divine Labyrinth element was in play.
“We just received a magical war pigeon from Yonato,” said the Wildly Beautiful Emperor, riding up on his white steed. “The Queen of Yonato is prepared to defend her Holy Eye to the very end, no matter what it takes.”
All right. Now it’s almost a guarantee that Yonato is on our side.
“She wrote that she would concentrate the forces of her neighboring nations, including Luheit and his men, at Azziz. There she will do everything in her power to defend the Holy Eye. Considering the time it took for this bird to reach us, the eucharist army in the north may well have already begun engaging her forces in battle.”
“Too-ka!” It was Eve who came to me next. “Lis’s familiar has activated! She has something urgent to tell you!”
I took out the Ouija board and went with Eve to one of the carriages to hear Lis’s report.
“Sounds like Vicius and her disciples want to hide in that labyrinth to buy themselves time after all.”
From what Lis just said, it seems all of the disciples are still at Vicius’s side. None of them were sent to Yonato. I’m not sure if that’s a blessing or a curse yet.
“Anyway… Are you all right, Lis?” I asked.
Her familiar in Eno was discovered by Vicius, and killed… That must have been a real shock to her system.
However, Lis told me through her familiar that she was fine. Eve stroked the bird’s head.
“Before I tell you not to push yourself so hard—well done, Lis.”
The little familiar looked happy. Lis had overheard the Goddess speaking with her disciples, and getting that close was quite an achievement.
“It seems that Vicius’s victory condition right now is destroying that Holy Eye.”
Lokiella frowned, looking thoughtful. “Maybe the army she sent to Azziz to destroy the eye hasn’t arrived yet? Or the allies we have in Azziz are putting up a much better fight than expected…” She nodded to herself. “Now we’ve got solid proof, based on the information your familiar overheard, Lis… Vicius really does intend on opening that gate again and fleeing into the heavens as soon as the Holy Eye has been destroyed.”
There’s one thing that bothers me, though.
“If that conception magic has transformed parts of the city too, and not just the Castle of Alion… What happened to that gate opening device and the army of anti-divine eucharists she’s got stored somewhere under the city?”
“The activator of the Divine Labyrinth can control its structure, to a certain extent. I expect she’s sealed them off nice and tight so that we can’t get anywhere near them,” replied Lokiella.
Then we won’t be able to destroy that device or the army… She’ll have incorporated both into her massive labyrinth.
Lokiella also explained that the labyrinth’s membrane, created by conception magic, was indestructible, as destroying or breaking through the membrane walls of the labyrinth would be against its conceptual rules.
“That spell won’t be deactivated until someone makes it through to the goal on the other side—the one that was designated when the conception magic was first cast. It can’t be taken out by any other means.”
On the flip side, there’s a definite goal to aim for. A labyrinth doesn’t properly exist as a concept without an entrance and an exit—those two things have to exist with a route that connects them. In other words, it won’t be a maze with nothing but dead ends. That wouldn’t qualify as a labyrinth. And the end goal of the labyrinth can’t be changed, now that the spell has been cast.
“Well…I can hardly be surprised anymore, so there’s a possibility that she’s done something to her conception magic to change that. But once we arrive at the labyrinth, I’ll be able to lay hands on it and tell you if it’s been messed with in any way. I can’t imagine even Vicius would be capable of altering a conception magic spell. But…”
I wish she’d stop jinxing us like that.
There had been an ongoing exodus of citizens from the royal capital happening for some time. I had received reports that many had chosen to escape the city after the Miran rebellion began, but Vicius hadn’t taken the citizens of Alion to task for their actions as normally she would.
Maybe she was focused on other things, and just didn’t have the time…or decided not to bother because she knew they were all going to die, no matter where they ran to.
Even so, there were still some citizens that remained in the city.
That creepy white dome appearing above their heads has got to have them worried now.
“It looks like there might be citizens of Alion inside that Divine Labyrinth…” I noted.
“You can’t save them all.”
Even so… Will Sogou and the others want to try? I have to keep that in mind.
I decided to leave the task of guiding the evacuees away from the city to Cattlea, instructing her to carefully keep them away from our main army as they fled.
There’s a chance that Vicius might try to conceal some of her pawns among the Eno refugees.
And so, we finally arrived at the gates of Eno, the capital of Alion. Gates which had long since been flung open wide by the fleeing citizens. We charged into the city with the knights taking the lead to serve as scouts, the hooves of our mounts furiously pounding the dirt below us. Above us in the sky were our black dragon scouts and the harpies too. Down the main street, I saw the Divine Labyrinth just ahead.
“A damn long time coming…”
“If I ever make it back alive, you’d better be ready.”
“If you ever make it back? Ha, you’re quite the jester! A last gasp befitting a disposable wretch.”
But just as I promised…
“I’m back, Vicius.”
✦ ✦ ✦
