Chapter 1

Treaty of Friendship City, Köln. The city had issued a request to the Imperial capital after the ancient Köln museum was set aflame and its treasure was stolen. Astral energy readings had also been detected on the scene. The city believed a group of powerful witches and sorcerers were behind the operation, so they issued a plea for help. “I know who did it! The thief who robbed the museum was none other than…Iska! It has to be you!” Mismis shouted. Iska did not humor her outburst with a response. “Ha-ha-ha. What do you think? Have my expert powers of deduction floored you?” “I’m so shocked I don’t even know what to say—that’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard,” Iska, the black-haired boy, replied with a sigh at his commander’s accusation. “Commander Mismis, may I remind you that I’m part of the support unit that came here with you in order to catch the culprit…” “How naive you are, my dear Iska! So naive!” Mismis strongly shook her head. “At times like these, the person you least suspect is always the culprit. That means you have to be the criminal since you came here to catch them!” “By that logic, wouldn’t you be the culprit, Commander Mismis?” “What?” “Well, you are my boss. And the Imperial Army dispatched you here to catch the perpetrator—plus, if we’re going to follow the usual pattern of who’s most suspicious, usually it’s the woman rather than the man.” Commander Mismis Klass fell silent. Though one could mistake her for a teenager, she was actually a full-grown adult who served as a commander in the Empire, the largest military state in the world. She led Unit 907 of the Special Division for Humankind, Third Division. Iska was also part of this unit. “You’re right…,” Commander Mismis nodded as she replied, looking terribly serious. “You’re analysis is spot-on. I must seem the most suspicious.” “Right?” “But you’re still the culprit, Iska.” “How does that make sense?!” “Kidding! I just wanted to say that.” Commander Mismis’s voice was cheerful. She seemed to be enjoying this. “The case files of the great detective Mismis. What do you think? Maybe I’ll start a new career once I leave the Imperial forces.” “…Sure,” Iska said, but he really hoped she wouldn’t. He stopped himself just as he was about to point out that she would accuse people of crimes on a whim. Instead, he swallowed his words and glanced up at the clock tower. “It looks like we’ve spent enough time hanging around now. We need to get going soon, Commander.” “It’s almost time to meet, then. We need to make our way to the rendezvous, too.” “So, the stolen object was some sort of ancient treasure?” “That’s right. This city has a lot of excavation sites, but the robbers are a group of infamous witches and sorcerers who’re supposed to be pretty dangerous. That’s why they need our support—the Imperial forces’ support, that is.” Commander Mismis started walking down the road. “Oh, look there. That’s the museum.” They were in the city of Köln. The region had remained neutral over the course of the century-long war between the great nations of the Heavenly Empire and the Nebulis Sovereignty. The beautiful streets were picture-perfect for sightseeing and served as popular tourist destinations, and they had been attacked by a group of robbers just the day before. “Say, Iska, do you see how that building’s all burned up on one side? Apparently, someone broke through the back door and stole the treasure while everyone was focused on the blaze.” “So it must have been some sort of flame astral power?” “They detected astral energy from the cinders, which means the thieves are witches and sorcerers, too.” Commander Mismis carried a taser at her hip, a weapon the Imperial forces used to fight off and apprehend the vicious witches. “According to what HQ told me, these sorts of incidents with witches are advantageous for the Empire. If we fight off villains like them, other nations will trust us more, strengthening our diplomatic ties.” “That would make things easier in the war against the Nebulis Sovereignty.” Iska nodded as he looked up at the museum. It had happened a century ago. On one fateful day, the Empire, which once maintained hegemony over the world, had discovered astral power, the forbidden energy source that lay dormant within the planet. When astral powers possessed a human being, it gave them powers straight out of a fairy tale. Owing to their fearful and dangerous abilities, women with astral power were called witches, while men were called sorcerers. The Empire had identified them as threats and ousted them from the nation. On the other hand… The witches had sought refuge from the Empire’s persecution and created a country of their own—the witch’s paradise, the Nebulis Sovereignty. “Well…It’s one thing for them to send out the Imperial forces, but…,” Commander Mismis let out a sigh. “HQ is being so mean to us. They said to only send out the bare minimum of personnel. I know we don’t have enough soldiers out to fight on the battlefront, but we’re dealing with a band of witches. We’re definitely going to be in danger, too.” “I’ll make up for that,” Iska said. “I’m sorry, Iska. I know I’m going to be relying on you a lot.” “You should. I’ll take the lead when we need to fight, so just focus on giving instructions, Commander.” He was a witch-hunting swordsman, unusual in that he only used blades to fight in close combat despite being from a mechanically advanced nation renowned for its firearms. That was Iska. He had once been selected to serve as a Saint Disciple, the direct guard of the Empire’s Lord, and was considered one of the foremost experts in anti-witch combat techniques in their nation. “But I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to defeat them. You should stay on guard when things get heated, too, Commander. That’s how dangerous these people are.” Even Iska had a difficult time fighting against powerful witches. One particular example came to mind—and that fight had ended without a conclusive winner. …I guess Alice is the one I’d think of. …Since her powers are on a whole other level. The Imperial forces called her the Ice Calamity Witch, and they had declared her an enemy of the state. As Iska thought of the witch in the back of his mind, he shook his head. “Anyway, Commander Mismis, I’m not seeing the person we’re supposed to meet up with.” “Same here. I’m also keeping an eye out for them. We need to get in contact with them since the city assembly asked the Imperial forces for help.” The two of them continued to scan the area. Right at that moment… “Rin, you’re sure we’re to meet the assembly member here, right?” “Yes, Lady Alice. I believe that museum is the building that was damaged. We are to meet in front of it.” Iska and Mismis heard approaching footsteps, accompanied by the shared whispers of two young women. “A robbery committed by astral mages…how terrible. Their abuse of their powers is a disgrace to us all. People might even start calling entirely unrelated mages, like us, witches and sorcerers because of this.” “I’m sure the thieves were mages who were banished from the Sovereignty.” “How unforgivable. It is a grave crime for any Sovereignty mages to attack other nations. On my honor as a Nebulis princess, I must catch them!” Her voice grew staunch from sheer anger. …Huh? That voice. …I think I recognize it. Iska thought it sounded oddly familiar. “Hey, Iska? I feel like I recognize that voice.” Commander Mismis tilted her head in befuddlement. Just then, Mismis and a young blond woman bumped shoulders as they passed each other. “Ah!” “Oh, I’m so sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was walking…!” Commander Mismis bowed frantically even though they only brushed each other at most. “Are you all right?” “Thank you for the concern. I’m sorry I wasn’t paying enough attention either.” The blond girl gave a charming bow. She was about the same age as Iska, with a sweet, adorable face and a healthy and well-developed figure. “Well, if you’ll excuse—” The young woman stopped in her tracks—but she wasn’t looking at Commander Mismis now. Instead, she practically froze the moment she saw Iska behind the commander. “……Huh?” “Huh? There’s no way…” Iska gulped when he saw the young lady. They knew each other. Well, that wasn’t exactly the right way of putting it. After all, the two of them had fought each other on a distant battlefield and were mortal enemies. “Alice?!”