Chapter 21

1 The Imperial capital. The Mechanical Utopia, the center of the Empire, the home of several Imperial bases used in the Imperial forces’ fight against the Nebulis Sovereignty. Wintertime had come to the capital. “It’s already the end of the year…” Imperial forces, Third Base. Commander Mismis rested her head on the conference room table as she relaxed. “It’s cold outside because of the winds blowing in from the north, and the department stores are bustling from the year-end sales. What classic winter scenes. Now we just wait for the end of the year.” “Mismis, I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself,” said someone by the window. Risya gave them a strained smile as she took her eyes off the soldiers’ winter training exercise. “You have two days left until winter holidays start,” she said. “Yeah, just two more days!” They were both more or less saying the same words with the exact opposite sentiments. While Risya was still fulfilling her duties as part of the top brass, Mismis was already preoccupied with making holiday plans. “Right… I got my winter bonus in already. Now all I need to do is enjoy my break to its fullest.” “You’re acting like you’re already on vacation.” Risya let out an exasperated sigh. “I still have tons of work to do, so I can’t get in the holiday mood yet. By the way, what are your end-of-year plans like, Mismis?” “They’re perfect this year!” She seemed very happy to have been asked. Mismis beamed and jumped out of her seat. “First, I’m going to watch all the TV shows I recorded this year! I’ll sit under my heated table and watch them while eating end-of-year BBQ—” “You can’t!” “What?” “Do you think an Imperial soldier is allowed to slack off like that?!” Risya suddenly barked. She charged right up to Mismis, who gaped at her friend. “A winter break is meant for preparing for the coming year. You should be using the time to better yourself!” “Uh, Risya, even the commanding officers said to use the break to mentally relax…” “Those were all lies.” “What?!” “How you spend this winter break will determine how the rest of the year goes—and that’s no overstatement. This isn’t the time for mental relaxation!” Risya grabbed Mismis’s shoulders. “Anyone can get themselves to work for the sake of others at any time of the year. For example…the people who deliver the New Year’s letters. They keep working through the holidays without going on break!” “Th-this seems like a different topic entirely?” “They’re a huge deal. You’re going to send New Year’s letters, too, right, Mismis?” “Yeah…just a few.” Now, New Year’s letters were simply postcards sent for the new year. They were meant to reach their recipients on the first day of January. However, they’d increased in popularity lately, which had started causing delivery issues. “The delivery workers are giving up their breaks to make sure everyone gets their mail. Isn’t that right?” “……Y-yeah. The delivery workers are amazing. They drive around the entire capital on New Year’s Day in their cars and on their motorcycles without sleeping or resting…” “Are you grateful for their service?” “Of course!” “Do you respect them?” “Uh, sure…but it’s not respect so much as that I’m just impressed…” “Then it’s decided.” Risya smiled. “Mismis, how about you do some deliveries, then?” “…What?” “Well, you’re grateful for their service, aren’t you? And you respect them—the letter delivery workers, that is.” “What? Wait, Risya, what’s going on with you?! What’s that look in your eyes…?” Mismis had noticed too late. Even though Risya was grinning at her as she kept a vise grip over Mismis’s shoulders, the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “R-Risya?!” “Hee-hee. I have my reasons for this.” A few hours earlier. The Lord’s offices. The windowless building was known as the Lord’s residence. Currently, the most prominent leaders of the Imperial forces were gathered in a room. First were the top brass from headquarters. Then there were the generals from Divisions I to VI. The most highly regarded of all were the Saint Disciples, who served the Lord directly. As everyone gathered in the space, the Lord watched the scene from afar through a camera. They were coming up with plans for next year’s military operations. “All right.” Over fifty people were gathered around the circular table. One of the people in charge of the headquarters’s business affairs stood up while holding a thick stack of documents. “That concludes the last meeting of the year. See you all next year.” They’d just finished. The entire group of fifty headed out to leave. One member of the crowd, Risya, slowly stretched. “Ahh…I’m so tired. Seven-hour meetings with no break really are suffocating affairs.” But this was also her final one of the year. The other top brass leaving the hall also seemed relieved, like a weight had been lifted off them upon finishing their last big job. Then again… Risya still had lots of things she needed to take care of. She was the fifth seat of the Saint Disciples and also a special headquarters employee. She had her work cut out for her. “Looks like it’s another day of overtime… I still need to go over those strategy documents.” It seemed she would be welcoming the new year while working—yet again. She was on a strict schedule—a death march, really. If only she had a secretary to keep her organized through her brutal itinerary. “Oh, I know! Hey, Shuri!” “What is it, Ms. Risya?” A bespectacled office worker turned around when Risya called her name. She was the budget officer of headquarters, Shurilia. Though she was new and had been assigned to headquarters only recently, she was busier than anyone else at that moment because it was the time of year for fiscal budgeting. “You look so relieved, Shuri,” Risya said to her. “That’s because I am…” The woman, who was young enough to look like a college student, let out a sigh. “For the past month, I’ve been putting together the documents we need to create the budget. I’ve spent night after night on the base… I haven’t even had time to take a proper bath, and I eventually stopped doing makeup. My suit was full of wrinkles, too, and I barely felt like a woman while I was living like that. But it’s all over with today.” “Uh-huh, sure. Sounds like you can rest easy and welcome the new year.” “Yes!” “So I’ve got a favor I need to ask you.” “Which would be…?” “Could you put in a teeny, little correction for me in my budget?” Crack. As soon as Risya said that, Shurilia froze over. “See, I’ve just drowning in work. It’d help a ton if I had a secretary to help me manage my schedule. Even more so if they could make me tea and meals.” Shurilia was completely silent. “I’m sure someone with as much say as you could fiddle with the budget numbers a little to fit a secretary in for me. Right…huh, Shuri?” “Oh? Wh-what was I doing?!” Shurilia seemed to come back to her senses. “I-I’m sorry. I’ve slept so little that I must have blacked out for a moment. It sounded like you were asking for the budget for a secretary last-minute, but I’m sure I was just mishearing things. A smart person like yourself would never request something so ridiculous…” “No, I did.” “Please tell me you’re joking!” The documents in her hands fluttered to the ground. “I can’t! It’s impossible! Completely impossible! We just got the budget approved, too!” “But I just remembered it now. You can do it, can’t you?” “I can’t put more strain on myself! Even for a special employee of the headquarters! So I’ll be going now. I still have a mountain of work to do today.” She quickly gathered all the papers on the floor and turned to leave. But as she tried to get away from Risya… “Yo, Shu, I’ve got a little request for you.” “Ms. Mei?” Shurilia stopped in her tracks as another officer approached her from the side. This person was another Saint Disciple, just like Risya. She was the third seat of the Saint Disciples, the incessant storm Mei. She’d come from Special Division V, which the Empire dispatched to underdeveloped lands. As such, she had honed her skills in merciless environments and roughed it out for her training. Her long hair was a tangled mess, and her skin was sunbaked, giving her the appearance of a wild lion. “Um, Ms. Mei, this might be rude of me, but…” “Hm? What is it?” “You’re rarely the last one around at these meetings.” It wasn’t odd for Shurilia to be suspicious. Mei’s hatred of meetings was infamous. She couldn’t stand sitting still and would practically dash out of the room as soon as one was done. So why was she lingering in the hall? What for? “That’s because I have something to ask you, Shu.” “Me specifically?” “Yeah. So, Shu, I actually have a favor to ask you.” “Huh?!” The budget manager flinched and shivered. And little wonder. Risya had just said almost the exact same thing. “Y-you’re not going to ask…” “Could you bump up Division V’s funds a bit? And if you could keep it a secret from the other departments, that’d be great.” “You too?!” “Aw, I wanna buy a huge tank for next year. One that’s just for me.” “You want it all to yourself?!” “C’mon, it’ll only cost a little.” “It most certainly won’t be just a ‘little’! First there was Risya and now this. Why didn’t you ask during the meeting?!” “I was asleep.” “You were what?!” The budget officer staggered. “M-my precious meeting…that I spent a month preparing for…” “Oh, c’mon, Shu. If you look at page eighteen, Division VI is getting twice the budget per head of Division V.” “Oh, so you did go through those.” “So why do they have twice as much? If you can give a wad of cash to those sneaky guys skulking in the shadows where nobody can even see their work, why can’t you give us a little—” Someone interrupted Mei before she could finish. “What a funny joke.” A man was standing directly behind her. He wore a strange, dull-colored, suit-like outfit that covered him from head to toe. “So, Mei, what was it that you were saying about Division VI?” “Eep!” Shurilia turned around in shock when she realized someone had approached her from behind without a sound. “M-Mr. Nameless!” “” He was Saint Disciple of the eighth seat, Nameless. Like Mei and Risya, he was the Lord’s guard. He came from Special Division VI, which operated from the shadows, conducting covert missions that their coworkers, much less the general populace, wouldn’t have any way of knowing about. In other words, they were the assassin unit. Nameless was also one of the top soldiers from the division. “So, Mei, which unit exactly is ‘sneaky’ and ‘skulking’ in the shadows?” “Ha-ha. Don’t get all knotted up about it, Names. Unless this is your way of telling me I hit the mark?” The tall man looked down on Mei, towering over her. She snickered as though she was enjoying that. “You’re always sneaking around the base and battlefields; meanwhile Division V is roughing it out there. That’s what I’m talking about.” “Oh?” “Besides, we aren’t just going up against witches in our division. Have you ever sunk into a bottomless swamp in the savage jungle? Or gotten surrounded by a gang of basilisks while lost in the desert? Only the top 7 percent of those who take the forces test to get in are allowed into Division V. We’re the true elite forces.” “Ah yes, Division V, which only requires a physical test to get in.” Nameless pulled no punches. “In mission performance, Division VI seeks soldiers with a variety of abilities: physical prowess, learning ability, and adaptability. But you just want soldiers who are physically strong? That’s all Division V specializes in? You might as well have gorillas fulfill your missions.” “How dare you!” “Division VI is an independent unit that no other department can meddle with. We are tasked with protecting a large number of state secrets and making sure nothing leaks. We can’t allow for even a single mistake in our missions. And you think your division could compare to us… Hah!” Nameless laughed. He wasn’t just adding fuel to the fire at this point—this was throwing dynamite into an oil field. “How can you even say you’re putting your lives at risk when all you do is wander around places where no one lives?” “Well, now you’ve done it, Names.” Mei daringly stared at him. “In that case—” “P-please wait!” Shurilia quickly broke into their dispute. She pushed up the bridge of her glasses. “Really, now… It won’t do to fight in a place like this. We can’t have discord between Divisions V and VI. HQ wouldn’t want that. Please bury the hatchet.” “So you’ll increase my division’s budget?” “Only under certain conditions.” A glint flashed in the timid woman’s eyes as her attitude reversed. “We’ve received budget increase requests from all three of you. I can’t simply give you extra funds, but I could pay you for a part-time job.” “A part-time job?” “Making the New Year’s letter deliveries this year. I was going to ask another department to help, but I can request that you do it instead.” She pulled three pieces of paper from her thick stack of documents. Then she handed the sheets of paper to the three of them. “Take a look at this graph that tracks the number of letters sent each year. We’ve seen a sevenfold increase in the last four years. This is partially a result of giveaway cards that include the opportunity to win luxurious prizes, like a brand-new car or a mansion and vacation home. There are so many cards being sent out these days that over three hundred million are delivered in the capital alone.” “Hey, Shu,” Mei said as she looked up from the document. She also sighed. “You’re not telling us to deliver these cards ourselves, are you?” “That is exactly right,” she said. “Then it’s just a regular old part-time job! Why would you ask us to do that…?” “What if I said that the team that delivers the most cards will get a special bonus?” “Huh!” Mei’s eyes twitched. “…I see. So that’s how we’d get our budget increase.” “Please be careful with your phrasing. HQ can’t give out budget increases, but we do have some leeway when it comes to compensating part-time work.” “I’m in, Shuri!” Risya thumped Shurilia on the back and nodded enthusiastically. “So if I win, I’ll get a secretary. That’ll be easy. Most of Division V isn’t even in the capital, and there aren’t many members of Division VI anyway. All I’ve got to do is use my personal connections to overwhelm the competition with numbers.” “Geez, Risya, don’t act like you’ve already won.” Mei grinned, her canines glinting. “You forget it’s the end of the year. Some of my people are back in the capital right now. All I’ve gotta do is get them mobilized, and this win is in the bag for me.” “Hee-hee. Do you really think that, Ms. Mei?” Risya and Mei glared at each other. Meanwhile, the man representing Division VI didn’t bother to hide his sigh. “How foolish…” He left the paper on a desk and turned his back to them. “I have no desire to wag my tail for headquarters. Mei, Risya, you do what you want—” “Oh, Names?” “Scared of losing, are you?” “Heh-heh.” The two Saint Disciples whispered loudly so he could hear. “Say, Risya, that doesn’t sound like something a real man would do.” “You’re completely right. What Saint Disciple would run from a fight? Right, Ms. Mei?” “” The Saint Disciple of the eighth seat remained silent. Eventually, he let out a second sigh. “Fine. If you insist on blatantly provoking me, then I’ll take you up on your challenge.” Thus, the battle between headquarters, Division V, and Division VI started. “So there you have it. It happened a few hours ago.” Risya nodded to herself. “Basically, it’s a chance for me to get the budget I need for a secretary. Now let’s talk strategy. Mismis, you’ll be on First Street in the capital.” “I haven’t said I’d accep—ngh?!” “Listen, Mismis!” Risya clapped her hand over Mismis’s mouth. “This may seem like a fight over the budget at first glance. But it’s not. This is bigger than that. It’s a dispute between the factions in the Imperial forces. A standoff between Division V, VI, and headquarters. And the results will be merciless. Our pride is on the line!” “That’s way too dramatic!” “It really isn’t. We’re deciding which faction is the most competent. The one that wins will have a lot to be proud of. I need to win this before the year ends!” “Can’t you just have a normal New Year’s?!” As Risya became more impassioned, Commander Mismis deflated. As for the audience watching the whole thing… “I agree with Commander Mismis,” Iska said. “Me too,” Nene added. “Looks like we’ve got no choice anyway…,” Jhin also said. The three of them glanced at one another. It was right before the end of the year, and every unit in the Imperial forces was prepping for the coming year. They’d wondered what why Risya was dropping by for a visit when she should have been busy, too. “Do you think she’s going to drag us into it, too…?” “You’ve got that right, Isk! When you’re in the 907, you’re in it together!” Risya spread her arms out. “When a commander’s in a predicament, she needs to be supported by her troops! That’s the beauty of the forces! We all support one another!” “But you’re the reason why I’m in a predicament, Risya!” “Hmm. So I think I’ve got about two hundred people now.” Apparently, Iska and the others were already helping out in Risya’s mind. The fact that she’d drafted two hundred soldiers into her service during what should have been a break was also a surprise. “Ms. Risya, even if you want a secretary really badly, I don’t think you can just order the troops around like this willy-nilly…” “Hee-hee. It just goes to show how popular I am, Isk.” Risya didn’t hesitate at all to admit it. “I’m sure Nameless and Ms. Mei are going about delivering postcards the wrong way. The right way to do this is to overwhelm with sheer numbers by sending in a huge wave of people. The person who gathers the most people—” “I don’t think it will go as smoothly as you planned.” “Waaah?!” Mismis fell off her chair. Suddenly, an assassin in a suit appeared directly behind her. She was sure no one had been there a second ago. “Hm. I wondered who you all were. So it’s your unit.” He turned off his optical camouflage. Nameless stared at Iska and the others. They had met before. Iska’s unit was from Special Division III. On the other hand, Nameless had worked his way up from Division VI into becoming a Saint Disciple. Though they were in different divisions, they had once worked together when trying to strategize to steal a vortex. “So you’ve decided to become Risya’s dogs. Well, it’s the same as if she’d recruited anyone else.” “Hey, Risya, I’m here to see what the enemy’s up to.” The door opened, and a feral-looking female soldier took long strides into the room. As soon as Risya saw the woman, she gave her a strained smile. “Oh, now even you’re here, Ms. Mei?” “Looks like you’re still plugging away at scouting, Risya. I heard you collected over a hundred…hm?” Mei turned to look at Mismis, Jhin, and Nene until her eyes finally landed on Iska. She was the third seat of the Saint Disciples, and Iska had once been a Saint Disciple, too. They’d never spoken before, but they knew of each other. “Who’re you again? Oh, right, you’re Aska.” “It’s Iska.” “So they released you, huh? Or did Risya get you out? Hey, Risya, did you really go that far just for some letter deliveries?” “I didn’t have anything to do with getting him acquitted, and that happened a long time ago.” “Oh? Well, who cares?” Mei really seemed to have come by just to see what was up. She nodded with satisfaction and turned right around. “Unfortunately for you, Risya, no matter how many people you recruit, Division V is still going to win.” “One hundred? Two hundred? In the end, you just have a random assortment of people, and no teamwork to speak of.” Nameless made his exit after Mei. Iska and the others watched them both leave. “No way!” Risya held up her fist and yelled back, “I’m going to be the one to win! Mismis promised me I would!” “Don’t bring me into this!” 2 End of year, 11:30 p.m. Unit 907 was gathered at conference room in a base. “Ahh…” Commander Mismis let out a weak sigh from where she was facedown on the table. “There are thirty minutes until the new year Normally, I’d be watching New Year’s programs while eating BBQ in front of the TV right about now…” “Don’t you watch TV and eat BBQ whenever?” “You don’t get it, Jhin!” Commander Mismis caught Jhin’s comment and stood up. “Watching TV and eating BBQ at the end of the year makes me super-duper happy!” “So you’re not happy with the BBQ you always eat on a regular basis?” “No, I am!” “Then it’s the same.” “It’s not!” As he watched their exchange from the side, Iska headed over to the door when the interphone rang. “Commander, looks like they’re here.” He opened the door to find shipping boxes piled in the hallway. The boxes were large enough to block almost all access—and there were three of them. “Huh? Are these all New Year’s letters?!” Naturally, Nene was taken aback when she looked up at the boxes, too. There were three hundred million postcards being delivered just in the capital alone. At first Iska hadn’t fully believed it, but now that he was staring at the containers in front of him, it all started feeling real. “So we need to deliver all of these before five in the morning, Iska?” “Looks like there’s a reason why they want us to do delivery.” This must have been why the Imperial forces had been recruited to help. As Iska and the others realized they would need to really dedicate themselves to the task if they were going to be successful, Risya cheerfully made her way over to them. “Yoo-hoo, Mismis. Wow, so you’ve all been waiting here. That’s great.” Right behind her was an office worker lugging in another box. “Here, there are seven more, too.” “This is impossible!” As Mismis yelled, even more boxes were being piled in the hallway up to the ceiling. It looked like there were about ten in total. They had to wonder how many tens of thousands of letters were stuffed in those giant containers. “That’s a lot…” “No wonder they want us to help deliver them…” “This is impossible. We can’t finish delivering these by daybreak.” Nene and Iska broke into a cold sweat. Behind them, Jhin was already musing about the future. “Hey, Ms. Saint Disciple, the four of us can’t deliver all of these.” “It’s okay if you can’t manage them all.” “What?” “Jhinjhin, did you forget this is a competition? The whole point is to deliver as many cards as we can to beat the other two teams.” Risya pulled out a small LCD monitor from her pocket. On it was some text that read: MEI’S TEAM: 0, RISYA’S TEAM: 0, NAMELESS’S TEAM: 0. “We’re using this device to measure how many we deliver in real time. It’s 11:58. In two minutes, it’ll all kick off.” They would begin at midnight on the dot and head out of the base just as the new year started. Then they would just be competing for better numbers. Risya’s, Mei’s, and Nameless’s teams would see how many letters they could deliver by five in the morning. “Okay, 907, I’ve gotten some bags ready for you, so stuff as many letters as you can into these!” They did exactly as Risya told them. Once they had the backpacks on, they were ready to go. “Thirty seconds left…twenty…nineteen…eighteen…” Risya started her countdown. Mei’s and Nameless’s people were probably also on standby around the capital. “Five, four, three, two, one…start! Okay, off you go, Mismis!” “Okay, okay, let’s get going, everyone!” Commander Mismis ran out, practically desperate to get this over with. The gates to the base opened, and she gallantly ran out… …only to be met with a raging snowstorm standing in her way. The world outside was pitch-black from the storm. “What is this…?” Mismis said to herself. As she stopped to gape, snow collected on her shoulders and head. “Looks like a blizzard.” “Oh, I think I saw something about this on the weather report—there was a chance of snow.” “That’s why I said this would be impossible.” No one could have predicted a New Year’s snowstorm. The Imperial capital rarely got snow to begin with. But enough of it had come down to reach Mismis’s knees, and the entire base was already covered in white. “Ha…” Commander Mismis let out a strained laugh. “Maybe we should give up.” “Already?! Commander, it’s too early just to call it quits!” “This is impossible, Iska! Impossible, I tell you!” Commander Mismis vehemently shook her head from side to side. “I’ve never seen a snowstorm like this before. This is a huge disaster! Look, I’ve got snow reaching up to my butt!” “Oh no… This was completely unexpected.” Risya also looked displeased at the sight. She seemed to be getting news from a direct report through the comm at her ear. “Looks like none of the delivery trucks can move because of this snow. The trains and taxis are stopped, too. The two hundred deliverers can’t get out of the base…” It was ten minutes past midnight now. Risya’s team had made zero deliveries so far. Mei and Nameless’s teams likely hadn’t, either. At least, everyone there believed that. “Huh?! What?” The small monitor Risya was looking at had shown some movement. The other divisions’ numbers had started rising abruptly. They were already making multiple hundreds of deliveries. “What’s going on? Hey, you guys doing counts, could you put up footage? Send me footage of the other divisions’ deliveries.” Risya’s monitor switched to another image. That was when they witnessed a shocking scene from the surveillance cameras set up around the capital. The Imperial capital, Sector Two, Fourth Street. The intersection was clogged with cars that were at a standstill owing to the heavy snow. There were families trying to get to their parents’ homes to celebrate the new year, and couples attempting to get out of the capital to see the first sunrise of the year. “Ugh! The traffic’s horrible because of the snow!” “The car in the front skidded out and caused an accident. There’s a tow truck coming.” “I heard the tow truck is being blocked by the snow, too…” The intersections were all like scenes from hell. None of the cars were budging in this weather. Since the passengers were also stuck, they hadn’t been able to use the restroom or eat, either. “Yeah, our New Year’s is completely ruined… Damn it.” Everyone muttered complaints as they huddled in their vehicles, feeling exhaustion creeping in. But just then, something slipped right by the cars. Fwoosh, fwoosh. Black shadows zipped between the stopped vehicles. Whatever those things were, there weren’t just one or two of them. “Hm? Huh? Was that just my eyes tricking me…?” One of the fathers rubbed his eyes as he sat in the driver’s seat. No vehicles could have gotten anywhere in this blizzard. That was what he was telling himself, at least. Thump. “Whoaaa?!” His family screamed, which was a natural reaction, really—someone had just jumped onto the hood of his car. To be more precise, several random men wearing Imperial-issue coats and snow goggles were standing on the hood. “Don’t move,” one said. “D-don’t move?! Wait, we’re just normal people—” “This is a white, eighth-gen compact car of Imperial make with a capital plate number of 0918. Mei, I’ve got the target!” “Good job, my little commanderino.” Another female soldier landed on the hood of the car with a thump. No one would have guessed she was the Saint Disciple Mei. On top of that, everyone on her team was wearing goggles, so no one could tell who they were. The family assumed that her squad was about to rough them up in a vehicle holdup. “C-call the police! No, the Imperial forces!” “You’ve already got the Imperial forces right here,” one of the soldiers said. “Excuse me?” “You’re Hoit Maclauren, and you live at 9 Fourth Street in apartment fourteen. That means the woman in the passenger seat is Anna Maclauren. Is that right?” “Wh-who are you all?! You’re part of the forces?!” the man demanded. “We have something nice for you.” Mei smiled, showing a peek of her canines. She pulled something out of her pocket. “Here you go. These are your New Year’s letters.” “……Come again?” “You and your wife have forty-three in total. And you’re headed to her parents’ house, right?” “H-how did you know?!” “I’ll hand the cards meant for your wife’s parents to you, too. There are fifty-four of them. All right, that’s nearly a hundred all at once. Let’s get to the next one.” “Uh, um?!” Ignoring the man, Mei and her team turned around and slid right through the snow-covered intersection. They were on skis and snowboards. “Commanderino, what’s the next target?” Mei asked. “A big red car stopped just around the corner!” “Ha-ha, this is way too easy.” Mei slid through the intersection on a snowboard. Yes. Cars, motorcycles, and bikes were as good as immobile in knee-high snow. But skis and snowboards were perfect for blizzards. They could slide between the stalled vehicles without issue. “Hee-hee. Risya and Names will have no idea what hit them. Division V operates in remote regions. We’ve got training to deal with heavy snow, too.” Division V had traveled through undeveloped snowy landscapes on dogsleds and skis. A little blizzard was child’s play for them. “Plus, the snow’s blocking all the intersections. That means that some of the recipients are going to be in their cars. That’s a few hundred vehicles. And it’s efficient.” “Ms. Mei!” The commander skiing behind her called out. “We’ve secured this intersection (finished the deliveries) and have pretty much handed out everything we can!” “Good job, my little commanderino. But we can’t let our guards down until we dominate this mission and are the last ones standing. Let’s head to the next location.” Mei took her subordinates with her to the next spot. Their target was a large condo building. That would allow them to get a lot more deliveries done at once. The blizzard probably wouldn’t die down for a while longer, which meant Risya’s and Nameless’s teams were probably still stuck at the base. “Hee-hee. I almost feel bad it’s this easy.” With a sympathetic smile on her face, Mei checked the delivery statistics. Risya’s team was still at 0. However… “What? Names has already done 4,697 deliveries?!” She doubted her eyes. Mei’s team was currently at 5,191, so they were neck and neck. The number for Nameless’s team had also been ticking up the entire time she’d been looking at it. He was managing that in this blizzard? He wouldn’t be able to use cars or motorcycles, and the trains were stopped. Helicopters couldn’t fly in this weather, either, of course. How was he getting these numbers, then? “You put up a tough fight, Names. Wonder what trick you’ve got up your sleeve.” Mei smiled boldly as she looked down at the delivery stats. Around the same time. A restaurant in the capital. Even with the snow falling, restaurants and cafés were still bustling with couples celebrating the new year. “Wow, this was a great New Year’s dinner.” “I still want a little more to drink.” “We can go to one of my regular bars, then. There’s this place I know really well.” “But it’s been snowing.” “We can walk. It’s right there.” C’mon. The young man gave his date a gentlemanly smile and tugged on her hand. “Our love can overcome anything. Not even snow can block our path.” “That’s so beautiful!” The couple started walking together, hand in hand. Or at least, they tried to. At that moment, the snow right at their feet started to shift. “Hm?” Then there was an explosion. A manhole flew up, and the snow and the boyfriend were sent shooting into the air along with it. “Gaaah?!” “Kailos? Are you okay, Kailos?! What happened to that manhole cover?!” The woman’s boyfriend had been knocked out after getting hit in the head with the manhole cover. She tried to run over to him. “I’ve got you.” But then suddenly she started to scream, “Ahhhhh?!” Someone had grabbed her by the ankle as she was running to her boyfriend, and they were coming up from inside the manhole. “St-stop! What are you?!” she cried out. “I am forbidden to answer that question.” An armed soldier crawled out of the hole. Other men wearing goggles and masks also appeared from the underground sewer system. Their voices sounded artificial, altered by electrical equipment. They went beyond suspicious—these men meant certain trouble. “You’re Marian Shimilla of Second Street, Seventh Ward, at residence twenty-three, I presume?” “N-no! That’s not me!” “You cannot trick us.” The men marched across the snow. “We have business with you.” “N-no, stay away from me. Someone, anyone, please help!” “We are here to deliver your New Year’s letters.” “D-don’t come any closer!” “Did you hear me? We are here to deliver your New Year’s letters. You have seventeen of them.” “…………Excuse me?” “Take them quickly.” The soldier had pulled out a stack of cards held together with a rubber band. He had two sets. “The man next to you seems to be Kailos Graham of Second Street, Seventh Ward, residence thirty-one.” “…” “Is that right or not?” “…Y-yes, that’s right,” the woman said. “Then this is for him. Twenty-one cards. We have delivered thirty-eight in total.” Taken aback, the young woman couldn’t find it in her to reply. Then the strange armed group turned around. “Let’s go. We’ll continue to use the underground route.” They disappeared into the manhole. “What was that…?” She and her boyfriend had no way of knowing this, but the capital had an underground network that was disguised as a sewer system. Since snow was coming down from above, Nameless’s team had simply used the underground system. This was the route he had chosen to use for the deliveries. “Where is Nameless?” “He’s made it to the second point. We will continue to attac—I mean warmly deliver the letters at the bar in this establishment.” That night, the Imperial capital that was bustling with New Year’s celebrations also rang out with screams. Citizens all over encountered a scene straight from a horror movie as strange armed men crawled out of manholes to deliver mail. And now… Mei’s team had continued with their ski-and-snowboard strategy to deliver 9,091 letters. Nameless’s team had used their underground route to deliver 8,989 cards. They were basically head-to-head. In contrast, the headquarters team had still made a total of 0 deliveries. “Oh nooo!” They were at the entrance to the base. Risya was yelling as she held her head in her hands. Iska had never seen her this upset before. “I can’t believe the snow caused such a mess… No, wait, we’ve gotten a late start and they’re ahead, but we can still fix this. Okay, off you go, Mismis!” “Uh, Risya.” Mismis pointed at the mound of snow. “The cars and trains are stalled in this blizzard.” “Just run then!” Risya said. “Run?!” Mismis’s voice cracked as Risya pointed to the snow-covered landscape. “Risya, that’s just not—” “Listen, Mismis. These letters are ringing in the new year for the citizenry. We’re delivering the arrival of a new age; in other words, we’re giving them hope itself. We have to complete the deliveries.” “Okay, but what are you really after?” “I want a bigger budget. I don’t want to be bested by the other two teams.” “See, I knew it!” “But hope is a big deal, too!” “But your ulterior motives are so obvious!” “No, Mismis, listen closely. The other units have already left!” They were outside the base. While Mismis was hemming and hawing, Risya had sent the others off to run into the storm. They were practically swimming through the snow and doing the butterfly stroke to get anywhere. “Wow…” “We lost contact with two units just earlier, though.” “They must have gotten into an accident, then!” Soldiers were going down right in front of their eyes. Even though they were brawny Imperial soldiers, they were no match for the cold and the blizzard. “Let’s go, Mismis! We need to carry the souls who sacrificed themselves with us!” “That’s not a burden I want to carry!” “No arguing! Come on, Unit 907, get out there! Isk, Jhinjhin, you two head to the first location. Nens, you keep in contact with them from here. Mismis and I will work together!” “Noooo!” After donning a winter coat, Risya dragged Mismis into the blizzard. Unit 907 listened to their commander’s deathly wails. “Oh, good. Looks like I get to stick to the base,” Nene said. “…Oh, c’mon. Let’s go, Iska. We should get this over with quick.” “Right…” Jhin and Iska ran into the snow together. But they weren’t running so much as expending all their energy just getting through the white powder. They were barely going faster than a normal walk, and they were exerting themselves much more than normal. “So we’re doing this all night long. This is hard labor…” “Don’t talk; you’re using energy.” They silently made their way through the snow. Iska and Jhin arrived at a very tall condo. According to Risya, this was the most important location. If they delivered letters to this building, which contained countless households, they would be able to get rid of thousands of cards. They went up to the entrance of the building. As soon as Iska and Jhin were inside, they took the letters out of their backpack. There were hundreds of mailboxes in front of them. “Iska, I’ll start with number 1001 on floor one. You start with the highest floor.” “Okay.” They started their deliveries, checking the names and apartment numbers as they delivered the letters one after another. “Oh? Looks like you made it, Isk, Jhinjhin. Our delivery total is 798 now. That’s a good pace.” Risya’s voice came over the long-distance comm. But Iska didn’t have time to answer her. He had to keep concentrating. There were tons of families that had similar names in the gigantic condo building. “Iska, careful. Apparently, a lot of mistakes happen in condo deliveries,” Jhin murmured. They were thinking the same thing. “According to when I checked beforehand, Michelle is in Apartment 908.” “Okay.” “Even when it comes to Michelles, there’s also a Michelle Haif Christof in 906. The first woman I was talking about is Michelle Haif Marianne, so be careful.” “What? Wait, say that again…” “Michelle Haif Christof is in 906, and Michelle Haif Marianne is in 908.” “I—I think I get it…” “No, I got that wrong. The first Michelle is in 905, the second is in 909, and this one isn’t Michelle, it’s a Muchelle.” “That’s way too confusing!” The next instant, Iska heard someone. “Who’s there?!” he called out. “Looks like the target is in this high-rise.” However, there was no one there. But then the spot the voice had come from quivered, and a man wearing a full optical camouflage suit appeared. “Nameless…” “By taking control of this location, you should be able to make a large number of deliveries. That commitment to efficiency is pure Risya.” Nameless raised his arms as though to mock them. “You’re late. Division VI has already secured (completed deliveries to) all the other condos except this one. Giving people letters here won’t change anything.” “What?!” That seemed too fast. To deliver to all those condos in such a short span of time, they would have needed tens of thousands of soldiers. Division VI was known for being small. “How did you do that? Even if condos are efficient, trying to deliver the letters without making mistakes takes time.” “The misdeliveries don’t concern me.” “What?” Iska hadn’t expected that answer. “A difference of a single digit in an apartment number is within an acceptable margin of error.” “What?!” “You seem to not understand what the point of this mission is.” Nameless laughed. “Our orders are simply to deliver the New Year’s letters. But they never stipulated the accuracy of the task. So all we need to do is keep delivering.” “I think you’re really pushing it by doing that!” “Tell Risya that she’s already lost.” As Nameless tried to leave, his comm went off. “What?” “We have an emergency.” “I’ll decide if it’s an emergency. Give it to me.” “We’ve received a warning from HQ. We finished making deliveries to all the nearby condos. But because we neglected to check the identities of the recipients, there were more misdeliveries than expected. The forces have received a deluge of complaints.” “............” “After a review, they’ve decided not to count the misdeliveries.” Before Nameless’s eyes, Division VI’s count dropped from 90,000 to 60,000. “Tsk. That’s fine. Continue with the—” “Ah-ha-ha! Sounds like you’re not in a good mood!” They heard something slide through the snow. Mei had slid right into the condo building on her snowboard. “Seems like you flubbed that last job, Names. “ “It’s not an issue.” “Don’t put up a brave front. Looks like this is the end of the competition, though. Division V finished handling the residential areas. Thanks to your little misfire, we’ve gained the lead. If we can just keep it up until five—hm?” Mei tilted her head. The comm she was holding flashed just like Nameless’s had earlier. “Geez, what now? I’m busy. Yeah, what is it, Commanderino?” “We have an emergency.” “I’ll decide if it’s an emergency.” Wait… Iska and Jhin looked at each other and felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Even Nameless had noticed something was up and stared at Mei. “What is it, Commanderino?” “As we were heading north on Second Street, our whole unit was arrested…” “What?!” “…by traffic guards at an intersection.” “Wait, wait, that’s not the important part! Tell me why they arrested us. What was their justification?!” “Speeding.” “……?” Mei blinked. “Say that again, Commanderino.” “It was for speeding. The skis and snowboards were fine, but apparently the issue was where we were riding them. Within the capital, we’re only allowed to go sixty kilometers per hour on public streets…” “Shoot!” Mei’s eyes went wide. Division V mainly operated in remote regions. In the snowy outback, there were no speed limits. But they were on public roads now. They had to follow the streetlights and the speed limits. Mei had forgotten that. “H-hey, Commanderino…what does that mean…?” “We were massacred.” The commander sounded grim over the comm. “Actually, I’m speaking from an interrogation room at a station right now.” “Even you?!” She hadn’t expected to lose all her people. Yet the flames of competition still burned in Mei’s eyes. “No…this doesn’t change things! You still lost delivery numbers, Names. Even though I lost my people, I still have my numbers!” Nameless’s delivery numbers had grown from 60,000 to 70,000, but Mei’s team had 90,000. “And it’s still only four fifteen a.m. You can’t make up our lead in less than an hour.” She was both provoking him and declaring that victory was as good as hers. Risya’s voice came over Iska’s comm. “Ha-ha, you’re naive, Ms. Mei.” “What?!” “You neglected to check my team’s delivery numbers.” “Huh?!” Mei checked her monitor and ground her teeth. Risya’s numbers had grown to 80,000. She was catching up to Mei. Iska and Jhin were flabbergasted. They knew that their numbers were being added in, but that didn’t account for the large sum. “Ms. Risya? How did you do this?!” “Ha-ha. I suppose I could share my secret with you. I just borrowed some new drones from the weapons development department. They can fly in rough weather.” “And then what?” “I had them airdrop the letters to people’s doorsteps.” “That sounds like cheating!” “Nens is actually the one handling them. I left her at the base because I thought this might happen.” “You could have just used the drones to begin with!” “I only just went out to borrow them.” Risya didn’t even blink at Iska’s comment. They could hear the sounds of footsteps in the snow on the other side of the comm. “Huh? Ms. Risya, are you running right now?” “Yup, that’s right. With Mismis!” Risya’s voice was still upbeat. “You two did a good job. You can leave the rest to us now. We’ve got all the pieces laid out for a big win!” “What? Are you making more deliveries?” “That’s right. The last spot is perfect. It’s—” Just then, Nameless and Mei, who had been listening in, breathed in sharply. “You don’t mean…” “Risya, are you trying to get—” The two seemed to understand her plan. The place that got the highest volume of New Year’s missives wasn’t any high-rise condo. No, the most important location was actually… “Ahh-ha-ha-ha! Aw, my plan is perfect!” On Main Street, Risya’s voice echoed all around the quiet buildings covered in snow. “R-Risya, you’re being too loud!” “It’s fine, Mismis. We’ve basically won. This is checkmate. We’d come out on top even if an elementary schooler was making this delivery.” Mismis was carrying a giant backpack stuffed with cards as she ran beside Risya, who had on a nearly identical backpack. “But we don’t have any time left!” “It’s still four thirty. We can get there in five.” There was a difference of a few thousand between their numbers and Division V’s. Since the competition lasted until five in the morning, they had thirty more minutes left. That wasn’t a number the two of them could make up for by themselves, but… “There’s a way to turn the tables on them!” To do that, Mismis and Risya were trekking to a destination located deep within the capital. “We’ve still got the Lord’s office!” That was where the Lord lived. No citizen of the Empire was unaware of that fact. That was even the location of the conference room where they had first been informed of the competition. “The citizens are all very loyal, so they send His Excellency letters every single year to celebrate the New Year. That’s easily several tens of thousands!” Risya explained. “I see! So that’s why we headed off separately…” “Now you get it. We have the cards for His Excellency in our backpacks. We just need to bring them to the reception desk—” With just a few thousand more cards, Risya’s team would win. They’d make a huge comeback. She’d actually sent Iska and Jhin over to the condo building to distract Nameless and Mei. “I had Isk and Jhinjhin act as decoys so we could get to the Lord’s office and get a bunch of deliveries all at once. I saw all this coming! Ah, I am a true genius. What really counts in the end is having brains! I’m nothing like those two divisions—all they do is fulfill the mission they’re given!” “Risya, you sure seem excited…” “Hee-hee. Just think of it as a sign that I’ve got confidence to spare.” They caught sight of the giant building, which was illuminated with security lights. “This is way easier than doing little deliveries to individuals around the capital. Compared to those meat brains—” “Risya, over there!” “What?” Mismis pointed behind them at the path they had just ran down. Against the backdrop of the city, two figures suddenly leaped out of the snow. “I found you, Risya!” “You’ve signed your own death warrant. You’re gloating when you haven’t even won yet.” “Ugh! Ms. Mei! And Nameless!” It was the leaders of the two divisions Risya was up against. They were running over so fast that they were practically bulldozing through the snow. Saint Disciples were the strongest forces in the Empire, so a little snow was no obstacle when they were really motivated. “Oh no! They figured it out?!” “See, Risya?! That’s why I was trying to point out that you were too confident.” “We have to run, Mismis!” “I already am!” The two women increased their pace, but they were up against two other members of the armed forces. The distance between them was rapidly closing. “Risya, I—I can’t anymore. They’re going to catch up!” “No, Mismis. You can’t give up yet.” “What?” “Oops! I slipped!” Risya flipped around. She roundhouse-kicked a snow-covered trash can, which rolled along the ground, picking up more snow and turning into a sort of avalanche that was headed right for Mei. “Whoa?!” Mei quickly dodged it. Though she’d managed to avoid the trash can, she had gotten stuck in the snow. “Why you little…!” “Ah-ha-ha. Whoopsies!” Risya yelled. “Oh, is that how you want to play it…? Fine!” Mei kicked the trash can, too. But instead of aiming for Risya, she sent it hurtling beside her at Nameless. “Mei, how dare you.” “Well, you just kept running while I was dealing with the trash! I’m not going to be the only one suffering indignity here!” The two glared at each other. But that had been Risya’s plan, too. “Okay, let’s keep it going, Mismis. While those two idiots are still fighting!” “Who are you calling an idiot…?” Nameless scoffed. “I’d like to see you try making it.” “Wh-what is this?! Risya, look at that!” Mismis stopped in her tracks. She pointed ahead at the Lord’s office, which seemed to be surrounded by glittering threads. “Are those wires?!” “Risya, I knew you would go after the Lord’s office,” Nameless declared. “Those touch-sensitive wires are rigged with explosives. To put it plainly, if you touch a wire, you explode.” “Guh?!” Risya stopped in her tracks. Layers of glittering wires were set up all around the gate to the Lord’s office. “R-Risya, we can’t get in now!” “……Yes. I miscalculated!” Risya bit her lip in frustration. “I didn’t expect you to use the same trap, Nameless…” “What?” Nameless seemed slightly distressed. “You didn’t, did you, Risya?” “Mismis, careful!” Risya pointed at the wires blocking their path. “This whole place is rigged with explosive wires. Both Nameless and I set the same traps!” “Why do you both think alike only when it comes to this?!” “Well…,” Mei muttered to herself then. “Guess that makes three of us.” “Excuse me?” “What?” “What did you just say, Mei?” Nameless asked. “I set some up, too. Those wire bombs.” Mei awkwardly scratched the back of her head. “I was thinking that the front of the Lord’s office looked weird. It seemed like way too many wires for what I’d set up. But if all three of us did the same thing, then the math checks out.” “” “…” The Saint Disciples fell silent. All three of them had unexpectedly set up wire traps at the Lord’s office. “Huh? But this is bad. If we trip even one wire, it’ll cause a chain reaction of explosions. Mismis, be carefu—” Bip. Before Risya’s very eyes… “Oh…” …Mismis bumped her toe against a wire. It had been covered in snow. “Mismis!” “This isn’t my fault, okay?!” Bip, bip, bipbip. A series of electronic tones followed. The instant after this chorus of electronic beeps went off, every last wire exploded in a chain reaction. Three people’s worth of explosives went off right in front of the Lord’s office. 3 Two hours later. The first rays of sun were peaking over the horizon. “Hwaaah.” In the middle of the Lord’s office, a silver beastperson stifled a small yawn. The beast’s entire body was covered in a thick coat of fur like a fox’s, but they seemed oddly welcoming—and resembled a cross between a girl and a cat. This beast was the leader of the Empire, Lord Yunmelngen. “So Imperial soldiers are supposed to protect the Empire. Isn’t that right?” “……Yes.” “I can’t believe that Saint Disciples—the people who should be serving as role models for the other soldiers—set up an explosion in front of my office.” “…I’m very sorry.” “I thought the Founder had woken up at first.” “I’m so sorry for all the trouble we caused you.”