Tina could think of no more questions.
“Even if this world becomes one ruled by demons,” Analissia went on, “I intend to do my best to ensure that Estoll remains peaceful and undisturbed. For that to happen, we must learn to be good neighbors to them.”
“B-But—” Tina protested.
Analissia sighed in annoyance. “You still refuse to understand? You’re naive, girl. You and all the rest. I swear, I am at the end of my rope dealing with your helpless idealism. Do you really think life is so simple?! I’ve done horrible things, you say? Of course I have! Each and every one of us is engaged in a struggle for life, for privilege, for everything that we have! If you are foolish enough to think that you can avoid that struggle, you will simply be preyed on! If you wish, you may deem me evil and strike me down in the name of justice. But what then? Our politicians will return to bickering, our countrymen will fall into poverty, and the Order of the Elect will once more be allowed to operate within the city. And you say I’m the one here to destroy Estoll?”
Tina glowered, but said nothing.
“Now, Tina, the choice is yours.” Analissia held out her hand. There was still a great distance between the two of them, but somehow, it felt like Analissia was right beside her. “Cooperate with me. If you do, we can ensure the safety of Estoll.”
“I...” Tina hesitated. Analissia had been fighting for a long time against something Tina didn’t fully understand. And what had she been doing? Analissia’s question echoed in her ears, denouncing her. Tina had obtained a certain amount of power and rank, but she had been moving through the world without ever considering it. How had she never noticed that before?
But what had Tina been doing? That was clear enough. She had been protecting the small happiness of her family. That was a cause for which she was prepared to throw away her life. In fact, her conviction had gotten her killed not once but twice now. She made up her mind.
“I can’t cooperate with you,” she said plainly. “I-I know I’m an idiot, and I can’t understand difficult concepts. Even if I involved myself in politics like you or His Highness, I probably couldn’t do anything useful anyway. I was wrong to try to attack you simply for being a demon, but the way you do things is wrong. I know that much, if nothing else.”
Tina had no idea what was true or right, but at the very least, she could live by her own principles. Even if she said they were necessary, Analissia’s methods left victims in their wake. Tina herself aside, if Analissia were ever willing to sacrifice Tina’s precious friends in the name of necessity, Tina would cut her down in an instant.
“I see,” said Analissia, accepting Tina’s answer. “That’s a pity, I suppose. In that case, I believe it’s time for me to take my leave. Farewell, Tina.” The two dolls began to move, setting Tina on guard. Rather than attacking, however, Analissia turned her back on the dragon priestess.
“Huh?” Tina didn’t understand.
“I do love this country,” Analissia mused, “but there is nothing more for me to do here. Therefore, I will take my leave. Please take care of things while I’m away. I would hate for you to regret my absence.” With that, the doll dressed in a butler’s uniform scooped Analissia into its arms, and all three vanished from sight.
Disoriented, Tina slowly released her grip on her sword’s hilt. “Come to think of it, Nacht told me my only job was to show Aisha the way...” Her voice sounded lonely as it reverberated, then vanished in the empty room. “S-So, is this the end? What do I do now...?” Was this really what she wanted? Tina thought as hard as she could, wracking her paltry intellect for all it was worth. In the end, there really was just one choice.
“I have to get stronger.” Now that Tina had been told the truth, that was the only thing she could resolve to do. No matter what else happened, if the dangers Analissia had spoken of were to threaten the people she loved, Tina would have to be strong enough to strike them down. Tina clenched her fist tightly with resolve. Maybe she was an idiot. Maybe she was a fool. Maybe she was a tiny, insignificant creature. But she would do what she could.
~ ‡ ~
Shrieks and wails. The sound of screams and explosions. Firestorms and blizzards clashing in the sky. The pungent, overwhelming stench of blood and sweat and flesh.
“Ahhh...what a wonderful smell.” It was the nostalgic smell of a battlefield. A lone figure stood observing the clash between Sindoria and Estoll, an inhuman smile on her face. She was far from human indeed—in fact, she seemed to delight in this taste of hell on earth. Levi spread her arms wide like a lover, the corners of her lips twisting even further upward in joy. Then, she wrapped her arms around her own body, shivering as if to suppress her excitement. This time, she was glad to have done as she was told.
“Now, let’s begin.” Levi activated her unique skill, False Idol. The next second, the battlefield had been transformed. What was happening was no longer in human hands.
~ ‡ ~
Forced into a position of total defense, the Sindorian army created an encampment on defensible high ground. The Estollian army had advanced on their position, led by the vanguard of dolls in black with support from their magic battalion. The rest were in reserve, defending against a possible attack on their supply lines.
The two sides vied back and forth, gaining and losing ground, as terrible magics clashed in the sky, filling the world with fire and ice.
“Circle of Flames!”
“Frozen World!”
The sky was divided in two as the destructive forces rained down on the armies below.
The chief court wizard, Reanna, in command of the dolls in black, grumbled with frustration. “Tch. That girl’s a damned headache...”
For her part, Krista felt the same way. Reanna’s magic had stopped her spell from freezing the enemy dolls solid. “Yuri,” she snapped. “Kill that woman.” It was rare for her to raise her voice in anger.
“And how am I supposed to do that?” protested Yuri. Between the endless battles and constant night assaults, and with tireless dolls as their opponents, hardly anyone in the Sindorian army was in good fighting shape. In fact, hardly any of them wanted to fight at all. Morale was low. Defeat was near at hand.
As Krista reflected on the state of affairs, something appeared in front of her. “Wha—”
A second later, everyone else could see it as well. It wasn’t just Krista. “Huh?!” they all shouted.
Silence fell. A silence so profound that time itself seemed to have stopped. Whether from shock or simple bewilderment, everyone seemed to be at a loss for words. Nobody made so much as a sound.
Krista was the first to regain her senses. She smirked. “It seems the dragons are on our side after all...”
The soldiers who were meant to be clashing swords with each other and even the mindless dolls all stood dazed, unmoving. Krista couldn’t believe that she could have seen such a thing on a battlefield at all, let alone two times in her life.
It appeared from a dark cloud that stretched far, far out of sight—a manifestation of eternity itself. Its body was covered in scales, flowing like the currents of the ocean. It had four supple limbs that ended in sharp claws, and a horn that seemed to reach to heaven itself. There was no doubting it. This was a dragon.
How long had the enormous creature been there? In fact, why was it there? It didn’t seem to be one of the four great dragons, but Krista’s senses were telling her that it easily outstripped even the fire dragon she had encountered in the past.