In the square outside the Azami castle…
There was a mildly beautified statue of the king—back when he’d been possessed by Abaddon, they’d called it a symbol of his vanity, but he’d lost weight since, and nobody really said that anymore. Everyone knew how hard he worked for the people, and they knew just how good a king he was.
The square itself was packed with so many people, you’d assume it was a festival—were it not for the crackling tension.
Every boy and girl here was confident in their own strength.
This was the Azami Military Academy’s enrollment exam, and these were the army’s future cadets.
“More than last year,” I said, surprised. Last year, you could still move around, but this year I saw no gaps anywhere.
“Of course,” Pamela said with a dramatic spectacle shove. “After all, this year Lloyd is a teacher. Those who wish to learn from him are flocking in from Rokujou, Jiou, and the domain.”
“Mwa-ha-ha! I certainly recognize several faces from back home.”
“Impressive, Lloyd. The future of farming rests on your shoulders.”
Ex-Colonel Merthophan seemed no longer capable of distinguishing the army from agriculture.
Not about to let this moment pass, our talented director—Shouma—already had the camera rolling. “Passion! All these people are Lloyd’s fans?!”
“Oh, where’s our producer?” I said. “Sou?”
The elderly runeman had vanished. I looked around but didn’t see him anywhere.
One eye on the viewfinder, Shouma answered, “Sou teleported away on an errand. He’ll be back soon.”
“An errand? He does those?”
I found Sou rather hard to read, but since most things he did were for Lloyd, I was sure it was something fun.
“I’ll take my leave,” said Pamela.
“You’ve got an errand, too?”
She turned back, pushing her glasses up her nose. “No, I was sl—taking a long lunch in Kunlun, so I’d better get back to work.”
“Oh. Right.”
“Given the sights here, I’m worried my boss will get carried away and do something rash. Later!”
“Ah-ha-ha…”
Her boss was rather self-absorbed and often let his enthusiasm get the best of him.
Pamela bowed, and with that, she was gone.
“Mwa-ha-ha! All these people here make me want to strut my stuff!”
“This is the perfect chance to extol the virtues of farmwork! But this is an exam—best we restrain ourselves.”
The two most likely to go running off seemed to be staying put. Life doesn’t go as planned.
“Life goes where it will, and that’s why passion is so important, Asako.”
“Please don’t read my mind, Shouma… Oh?”
Pamela was soon replaced by more familiar faces.
“Yo, Asako.”
“……Yo.”
“Riho, Phyllo.”
Both had graduated and were proper soldiers now.
Riho had joined the intelligence department, and Rol was running her ragged. We often had lunch together, and she grumbled about it a lot. The work itself was fulfilling, but she was always on the lookout for a side hustle.
Phyllo was now a royal guard trainee. She’d stepped up when Mena left. Her Rokujou lineage had helped her secure a prime position. Apparently, it paid pretty well, which only made Riho grumble harder. Nepotism exists in every world.
“Riho Flavin! Phyllo Quinone!” sayeth the loincloth man.
“Mwa-ha-ha! Did my hamstrings draw you over?” sayeth the briefs-sporting macho man.
“Passion! Keep it going!” sayeth the suspicious courier with the camera.
Riho already looked exhausted.
“Just don’t put any extra pressure on the candidates. If they fail because of you, that would just be sad.”
“……Put some clothes on,” Phyllo growled.
Nexamic objected immediately. “Impossible, Phyllo Quinone! I am always half naked—if I dressed properly, that would arouse suspicion!”
What a backward idea. He definitely pulled that out of his ass.
Riho scratched her head with that mithril arm.
“I ain’t one to scold, but these days, becoming an Azami cadet is a big deal. Intelligence has their hands full making sure nobody tries anything stupid…so don’t make it harder.”
Clearly, she figured they were likely to cause trouble.
“……Hang in there,” Phyllo encouraged.
“Jeez, all this for less pay than you. Any good side hustles, Asako?”
Merthophan pounced. “Fieldwork—”
“Other than that, Merthophan.”
She’d known him long enough to cancel his attacks.
Shouma stopped filming, smiled, and offered a suggestion. “Then write novels like your sister. Could be a passionate hit!”
Riho made a face. “Ain’t got the passion, Shouma. I know what would happen if I try— Rol would lord it over me, offering unwarranted advice— I’ve got goose bumps already.”
“……I wouldn’t listen to Rol’s writing theories……if she paid me.”
A sister figure to one, and a former boss to the other, but neither showed mercy. Rol brought it on herself.
And imagining Rol turning up the screws left Riho looking worn out.
For that reason, Phyllo attempted to change the subject. Had becoming a royal guard made her better at subtle consideration?
“……So, Asako, how’s my sister?”
“Mena? She’s good. Definitely misses the freedom of mercenary work or chilling with Choline, though.”
Phyllo put a hand to her forehead. “……Even trainees are worked so hard……how is this freedom?”
She was like a son who only realized how hard his mom worked when he moved out.
While she grappled with this newfound respect, Riho and Merthophan were whispering furiously.
“Um, we probably shouldn’t tell her how much Mena skipped out on work, right?”
“Best to let sleeping dogs lie.”
And they were like grown-ups conspiring to let children keep believing in Santa.
Shouma was filming all of this, grinning. “Good faces! You’ve got passion now! Much more expressive than when we first met.”
“……Well, a lot happened.”
“That passion toughened you up! Wanna come work in Kunlun? Serve as acting chief for me?”
“……No, thanks.”
Shouma made a subtle attempt to delegate. Was he struggling with his duties, too?
“What say you, Riho?” he asked.
“Only taking side gigs I feel confident I can pull off.” Riho did not take work above her level. I think she knew Shouma would not stop trying to foist something off on her, so she changed the subject. “So if you ran into Mena and these bozos, you been hopping all over the map, I reckon. Who else?”
“I popped by Profen to hear Eug shriek, and I also visited Hotel Reiyoukaku…where Robin worried about his daughter.”
“……It’s Selen; we know why.”
Sharp as a tack, Phyllo.
Riho folded her arms behind her head, chuckling.
“You can say that again. How did someone on the blacklist get hired by the guards? Someone who oughtta be in jail is out there putting people in jail—that ain’t right.”
“It’s a good thing,” Shouma said unconvincingly. “She knows every criminal trick in the book! Having her on your side—now that’s some passion! She can profile any of them!”
He’s just calling her a criminal outright… She might not have been arrested yet, but if she tried to sue him for defamation, she wouldn’t win.
“Same as a vegetable farmer makes the best vegetarian meals.”
“Mwa-ha-ha! And how my focus on muscle care makes me a muscle evangelist!”
These two should be arrested for indecent exposure, so let’s ignore them.
“Oh?”
Speak of the devil.
The very topic at hand, Azami’s scariest stalker, Selen Hemein.
She was already at peak crazy.
“My, everyone’s here! Do not leave me out! If you’re plotting anything, I’ll abuse my powers and toss you all in the clink!”
Her belt started wriggling, ready to tie us up. She’d spent years alone, cursed by a belt, and the trauma for those years made her extra sensitive when people didn’t invite her to things.
“Confess exactly what you were discussing! Has Riho been illegally moonlighting again? Spare me the tragedy of arresting a friend!”
In other words, she was a pain in the ass.
Selen was now a city guard—so basically a cop. I imagine she’s a loose cannon, but apparently she’s also getting the job done.
Her profiling skills are legit, and the cursed belt makes her great at trussing up criminals, so she’s got a strong arrest rate—and since her dad’s a local lord, she can work his connections and has cultivated her own with the adventure guild and the black market. She’s got what it takes to investigate most crimes.
“Eh-heh-heh, there’s no escaping top cop Selen!”
This has obviously gone straight to her head, and all agree the only outcome is her own arrest. Lady Luck builds you up and tears you down.
Selen must have caught a whiff of hostility from me, because she wheeled round and moved in way too close.
“Hello, Asako.”
“I see you’re in high spirits, Selen.”
Ignoring the sparks flying, she stepped even closer.
“Look, this was so obvious, I never said it aloud, but let me do so now.”
“Yes?”
“You call it research, but you’re getting far too close to Lloyd’s personal life.”
You are the last person who can accuse anyone of that.
I faced this despicable stalker down.
“I have no ulterior intent. It is pure research. I merely want to accurately convey Lloyd’s wonders to the world. And if we happen to get close along the way, that’s our business.”
“You would stick your oar in between me and him? Though you have not known him nearly as long?”
“You don’t even know how wide that gap is, which proves you’ve already lost.”
This entire exchange accelerated until we were firing back and forth.
Shouma was forced to pull us part. “I’ve known Lloyd longer than both of you combined!”
Not to mediate, but to brag.
“Length of time ain’t what matters.”
“……Mm.”
Riho and Phyllo weren’t standing idly by.
Not ready to see blood spill at the exam site, Merthophan and Nexamic stepped in. Were we so menacing that these freaks had to be the normal ones?
“Now, now, it’s a joyous occasion.”
“Mwa-ha… Not a day when anyone needs to die.”
Apparently, they weren’t the only ones sensing danger.
The fight over Lloyd raged on, and he wasn’t even here.
“What’s going on? This may require more than paperwork!” said my father, Vritra/Jin Ishikura.
“Wh-what’s up, Asako? Selen? Let’s try and take today in stride, at least,” said Satan/Seta.
The former’s grim glare made me straighten up. The snake-eyed gaze of the once-strict director was still alive and well.