CHAPTER 4 The Qualities of a King Their school day was a whirlwind. Time flew until the sun sank and brought night upon them. It was time for the humans to ease into sleep, entering the tranquility of night. It was time when human consciousness was at peace. But when most humans were sound asleep, the Curtain of Consciousness—the foundation of collective unconsciousness—temporarily slackened, allowing the boundary between the real and illusory worlds to be hazy, nebulous. In the daytime, it was easy for humans to believe that ghosts didn’t exist. But in a dream state, it just wasn’t the same. Until they woke up, a human couldn’t recognize they were dreaming. Night was the precarious time when the imaginary from the other world ran rampant, doing as they pleased. But ever since the innovation of electric lights, humanity started sleeping fewer hours than in the days of the oil lamps. With advancements in science and technology in the digital age, the Curtain of Consciousness was already starting to become less rigid. Gone were the days when people were assaulted by ogres at night, when vampires and succubi slunk into bedrooms of humans, when humanity was haunted by the cries of banshees. “…That said, the Curtain of Consciousness around the artificial island is in tatters and letting stuff leak out because of a certain idiot.” Rintarou shrugged. “Which is why when night comes, these guys show up.” They were in a suburb in Area Two of Avalonia. It was one of the first areas that had been built on the man-made island, but it had been zoned for redevelopment and abandoned for the time being. They stood in an alleyway surrounded by tall bygone condominiums. When they peered into the abyss’s darkness, glinting pairs of eyes floated into view. The beings that lurked in the shadows slowly approached Rintarou’s group. Eventually, they were revealed to be a curiously small group of humanoids—small, bony, and old. They bared long fangs from gashed mouths, and their nails looked barbarically sharp. Their eyes were large and red as flames, glittering in the dark. Red hats with wide brims covered their heads. They shouldered hefty axes, disproportionate to their small frames. These ominous, short humanoids appeared in a throng. “Wh-what are those things, Rintarou…?” “They’re Redcaps. They’re apparitions from Scotland and England,” he answered as Luna’s face twitched and she backed away. “They settle in ruins and attack and kill travelers who try to stop for the night… They were born from our fear of nighttime burglars and bandits in older eras when law and order were severely lacking.” It seemed those Redcaps had determined that Rintarou’s group was their prey du jour. The Redcaps appeared in droves, surrounding them quickly. The apparitions were in front of them, behind them, and to the right and left. They had nowhere to escape. Though they were small, these Redcaps were born from humanity’s fear, which meant normal humans never would have stood a chance against them. Key word: normal humans. “Hiss!” The Redcaps vocalized in strange, shrill voices, raising their large axes as they made their move. Some ran at full speed as though skimming along the ground; others leaped up high. There were groups that ran along the scaffolding of the building walls, and still others jumped from building to building. They were all coming for Rintarou’s group. They maneuvered quickly—as curious predators that were unimaginable from their petite frames. “Hisssss!” From all sides and above and below, the Redcaps’ readied axes tore through the air as they closed in on the group, coming closer and closer— “Heh!” There was the flash of two swords. The glint of a crimson blade and a white blade mercilessly parted the dark night. Rintarou slashed as he unsheathed his red and white, right and left swords, instantaneously switchbacked his blades, and cut through six of the Redcaps. “Haaah!” Luna’s silver blade flashed as it freely traced through the sky like a spinning bird. The sword whipped forward with the force of a whirlwind and bisected three of the apparitions. “Hyaaah!” Sir Kay shouted, easily slaughtering two of them with a textbook example of swordsmanship. “Hyuck?! Hyuck-hyuck?!” The Redcaps’ downfall was that their chosen prey was not a set of “normal humans.” After seeing how easily the tables had turned on their own kind, they seemed to have finally realized these were people they did not want to mess with. The Redcaps were confused, preparing to flee and turning their backs on the group. They quickly started running from the place, scattering like spider hatchlings. “We won’t let you escape!” Felicia and Gawain were waiting and ready in front of them. “Hah!” Felicia instantly shifted into action, elegantly jabbing thrice without a single wasted movement. Her rapier, which moved as though to deliver bolts of lightning, pierced through the hearts of three apparitions with peerless precision. “RAAAH!” Sir Gawain used his strong swordsmanship to overpower the enemies. He had no need for another sword as he single-handedly moved with the rage of a fire. When he brought down his sword, Galatine, as if delivering a storm, he scattered four Redcaps. “Noooo!” Accompanied by trained vigor, the javelin flag of a sword swiftly and sharply sliced through the air. The figure swept sideways as though she had been in wait and cleared three of the Redcaps away. She used the recoil of the attack to rotate her hilt and use all the spring in her body to thrust straight on. She cut through the air, and the tip of her sword jabbed into the throat of a Redcap dashing for her. It was all Emma. She used both her hands to wield her elongated Excalibur that seemed unfitting for her slender and slight frame, but she controlled it like it was an extension of herself. Her swordsmanship was impeccable. It was as though the idiom “better bend than break” had been specifically made for her. Her agility and reflexes were on par with Luna’s and Felicia’s, but Emma’s physical strength was inferior because of her small build. Even with Mana Acceleration to strengthen herself, Emma was still weak, which meant she had to be born with it. But that was exactly why her swordsmanship was so nimble. She would read her opponent’s movements beforehand and use their momentum to guess their next attack sequence. The crux of all her swordsmanship was to wreck the most damage with the minimum strength necessary by using reversals and reactionary moves. On the other hand, Emma didn’t just wait around. She kept her opponents in check by using the reach of her sword to attack. She had refined trapping skills using feints to bring her enemies down. If a frustrated opponent was to attack after she toyed with them, she would immediately respond, leaving them prey to a counterattack. Luna relied on her natural instincts when she swung her sword and practically ignored the logic of swordsmanship. Felicia focused on her speed and the economics of her attacks to force out her enemies, fussing over aesthetic elegance and beauty. Compared to the two, Emma’s skills were two or three levels closer to perfection. If they were limited to a sword battle, Emma was sure to be top class among all the Kings. “Ugh… Th-that’s ridiculous…” “Emma Michelle, huh…? As far as candidates in the succession battle, she’s a cut above the rest…” Since they had learned swordsmanship, Luna and Felicia could understand each of the effortless moves employed by Emma—and the amount of sheer technical skill they required. Luna and Felicia paled as they observed her. “Hmm? Someone’s been improving. Emma, you’ve done a brilliant job adapting my lessons.” As he continued decapitating Redcaps on the side, Rintarou smiled. “The idiots attempting to teach you were trying to show you the strength of the sword—even though it didn’t suit your frame or your personality.” “…Which means you taught her the gentle side of the sword, Rintarou?” “More or less. I’m not really into that stuff, but I knew the theory behind it.” Rintarou yawned as if to say it was no biggie. “Y-you know the theory…and you still managed to teach her all that?!” “Yeah. Out of the knights of the Round Table, Perceval and Bedivere were the ones who used gentle sword techniques… They let me get a thorough look at their skills during the legendary era.” “A-all you did was get a look?! Wh-what do you think you’re saying?!” Felicia’s face spasmed. “What? Everyone can copy any technique after seeing it once, right? Isn’t that normal? You mean you can’t do that?” What are you talking about? Rintarou’s expression seemed to say. “It’s no use talking to this guy. He’s bonkers.” “…He’s just got an annoying existence, huh?” Luna and Felicia fixed glares on Rintarou. “Hah!” During this entire exchange, Emma continued to wave her sword without any wasted effort. She slashed, jabbed, and cleared the way—faced with her skilled and fast serial attacks, the Redcaps couldn’t tell her actual attacks apart from her feints. She was taking out more and more of the apparitions, robbing them of the option to escape. “Hiss! Hissss?!” Some Redcaps put up their final resistance by jumping at Emma’s back. “Haaah!” Without even looking where her hand was going, she took careful aim and countered with a flash of her weapon. Their heads scattered into the darkness between the buildings. Then, the large heap of corpses surrounding her eventually turned into small light particles of mana and quietly vanished into the night. Those from the illusory world existed as nothing but ideas. When they appeared in the real world, they were incarnations of mana, materializing their own bodies. That was why their bodies returned to mana, leaving nothing behind when they died. “…Ah, well, it’s over.” Rintarou put away his red and white swords. Emma ran over to Rintarou. “M-master! Master! How did I do? Did I do well?!” She was acting like a puppy asking for a reward from its owner after accomplishing a great performance. “Yeah. Good work. You’re much stronger now! There, there.” “Th-thank you so much! …Hee-hee…” When Rintarou praised her and patted her head, Emma smiled happily. “Grrr…” Luna ground her teeth as she stared at the two from a distance. Clap-clap-clap… An applause echoed above their heads. “What do you think of my King? …Isn’t she something?” someone asked. Rintarou looked up. A girl was perched on the railing of a veranda that faced the road. Her legs hung down, and her dainty mouth twisted into a sinister smile as she looked at him. Only her crimson eyes with their slightly dilated pupils glinted, burning and smoldering like a flame in the darkness. “Heh. Just as I expected. Kicking back and watching the show, huh. Lucky you, Lamorak.” “Don’t leave out the sir, Merlin… I mean, Rintarou Magami.” Rintarou and Sir Lamorak smiled and glared at each other, baring looks that made it clear they were snapping at each other’s throats. “Hmph, fine. Back to the topic at hand. It’s odd for me to be saying this, but Emma still has a long way to go. She’ll keep growing over time… If she has a good master by her side.” “……” “In other words, I imagine Emma will be far superior to your current lord. You can mold her to your liking—unlike that shrew over there… Isn’t that basically what men want?” “……” “I’m offering you a good deal… What do you say? Don’t you think more use will come of you from being with Emma than Luna, Rintarou? …Heh-heh-heh…” Sir Lamorak tried to push her own King hard. “Ugh… That girlish tramp… You haven’t got a filter on your mouth…!” Veins rose on Luna’s forehead in anger. But there was something else that was making her angrier— “……” W-H-Y?! Why isn’t he saying anything?! No matter what anyone said to Rintarou, he remained silent as though he was considering something. It was almost as though he was actually pitting Luna against Emma in his thoughts. But you said you’d be my ally! You said you would make sure I’d win! Ever since Emma had appeared, Luna had been irritated. Sir Gawain chose to speak up at that moment—either to save them from this dark mood or because he was oblivious to the dampened vibe. “Hey, Sir Lamorak! We’re still in a truce, and we’re supposed to be helping one another! How ’bout you actually help with the fight, too?!” Sir Gawain looked up at her. “Yeah, no thanks. If I fight, Emma won’t seem as impressive.” Sir Lamorak brushed away her hair as she let Sir Gawain’s reprimand wash over her, and she broke out into a smile that etched red into the darkness. “And…are you sure, Sir Gawain? If I draw my sword… I just might accidentally slaughter you alongside the apparitions.” She was smiling, but she wasn’t actually smiling. Sir Gawain was at the receiving end of her eerie little grin. “Please enjoy your break, Sir Lamorak!” Sir Gawain turned blue and quickly retreated. “Seriously. We don’t have time for you to be blathering like an idiot,” Rintarou said, and the mood returned to its original state. “I can sense a Rift…down there in that abandoned building’s underground parking lot. Hurry! Let’s get going!” Rintarou and the group accompanied one another as they made their way to the lot. They went down the slope that continued underground and reached the parking lot. A dark space formed from concrete spread before them. There weren’t really any cars. It was pretty deserted. Rintarou and the others were cautious of their surroundings as they went in deeper. …Eventually, the sound of their shoes suddenly stopped echoing. In the very back of the wide underground parking lot was…a dully glowing summoning circle drawn on the ground. In the space above it was a black object like a chasm that had been artificially pried open. “…That’s a Rift for you… It’s the biggest one so far,” Sir Kay observed, knitting her eyebrows. “Compared to the other apparitions that we’ve encountered until this point…those Redcaps were a lot stronger… They most certainly must have come from this opening.” “…Right.” With a nod, Rintarou scraped out letters with the tip of his sword over the magic circle. Like usual, he was trying to Undo the fissure…when something happened. “Oh, come on… All you do is cause me grief.” It had to be a girl. The comment rang through the parking lot. Strangely, it was crystal clear, uncannily reverberating through the cramped space and echoing several times. “Who’s there?!” They all turned at the same time. A blackness even darker than the shadows lurked in the space behind them. It turned into an inky mist and collected into the shape of a person, gaining mass and texture until it manifested itself into a girl. “I worked so hard to create those Rifts… I can’t stand having you coming in from the sidelines and plugging them up… Hee-hee-hee…” Her black hood and robes billowed open, exposing her smooth skin that was scantily clad. Her features, half covered by lace, were creepy and beautiful enough to send shivers down a person’s spine. Her shadows were ashy. She had appeared in front of them as though she had been born from darkness. When her existence became definite in the real space, Luna, Felicia, and Emma felt something cold rushing up their spines. The sensation was different from the mind-boggling fear or pressure or presence of the likes of Sir Lamorak, Sir Lancelot, or Rintarou in his Fomorian Transformation. The girl in black seemed to release a bottomless, sinister impression and eeriness as though looking into an abyss. It overwhelmed Luna and the others. As they broke into an internal cold sweat, the girls became serious as they readied their swords at the person in front of them. “You’ve finally decided to show up. I take it that you’re the idiot who’s been creating Rifts all over the island?” Rintarou shouldered his two swords and took a step forward. “I thought if we kept getting rid of ’em, you’d eventually turn up.” But contrary to his arrogant comments, Rintarou kept a cautious distance from the witch. If he recklessly rushed into things, he’d be heading right into the jaws of death. Something about that witch made Rintarou, even as powerful as he was, wary. “I don’t know what you’re scheming, but it doesn’t matter. This is as far as you go.” But if he knew that rushing in would lead to his death, that just meant all he needed to do was fight carefully. Rintarou didn’t hesitate as he smiled. Except he realized something with that bizarre witch in front of him… “…Hmm? Have I…seen you somewhere before…?” Something in Rintarou’s head was triggered by a series of distant memories. But…when? Where? Was it at Camelot International? Or was it before I came to this artificial island called Avalon? Or was it during that ancient era? “…What is this? Why do I feel this way? It’s like I’ve met you somewhere before…” But for some reason, he couldn’t recall it or grasp her true identity. As it slipped into his consciousness, the faint image in his mind had to be relevant information, but it was fragmentary. For some reason, he couldn’t make the connection between it and the girl in front of his eyes. He was sure that he knew this girl. He had met her before, but he didn’t know who she was. It was vexing and irritating. Rintarou was overcome with dismay and an unpleasant mood as he gritted his teeth—which was incredibly unusual. “It’s useless, Merlin. Useless.” The girl in black grinned. Her smile was innocent, befitting a child who had found her favorite toy. “It might have been a different story in Merlin’s body, but your current inferior self just won’t be able to comprehend who I am. You cannot break my Identity Masking magic. Anything you do is absolutely futile.” She shimmied out of her robe and spread her hands wide. “Oh, what shame! Are you still the greatest sorcerer in the world, Merlin? Thee of the mighty Fomorian line?! Be sure to return to your former glory! You must cast away that clumsy human husk! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” “…Tch,” Rintarou clucked his tongue from irritation and menacingly swiped his sword. “You’ve sure got a lot to say. Shut it. I don’t care who you are… If you’re going to interfere with the King Arthur Succession Battle and get in the way of my fun game, then I’ll kill you right here,” he snapped, irritated. “W-wait a second, master!” Emma readied her sword and came forward. Next, she turned straight to the witch and questioned her. “You there! Why are you creating openings in the Curtain of Consciousness?! Do you understand what you’re doing?! If you keep it up, a dangerous apparition will eventually make its way to this world! If that happens—” But she didn’t get a chance to finish… “Emma. Ah yes, Emma, the pathetic child…” The witch in black gave her a look of pity. “Oh, Emma, the busybody. Emma, the laughable puppet. Emma, the empty husk… For all this time, people have used you and forced you to dance for them. You’re just a sad pawn, manipulated for your kindness.” “Wha…?!” “Oh, what pity. Oh, how I feel for you. How long will you yield your mind and your life to someone else? What are you even living for? Heh-heh-heh…” That just might have pierced through Emma’s heart. “‘I don’t want to do this anymore. Why am I fighting? Why am I trying to become a King?’ Heh-heh-heh…” “What are you saying?! D-don’t underestimate me!” Though she was usually reserved, Emma had suddenly started to go into a wild rage. “Quiet, witch! We serve under the name of justice! For the people! Under God’s grace and virtues, we punish those who wrong humankind! Prepare yourself!” “Wait… Emma?! Calm down! What’s gotten into you?!” yelled Luna. “That’s right! You can’t let her cheap tricks provoke you!” Luna and Felicia tried cautioning her, but they didn’t reach Emma’s ears. “I won’t forgive you! I’ll never forgive you! How dare you call me a puppet…?!” Her beautiful features were twisted with fury as she lunged at the witch. It had been impossible to imagine Emma in agitation and indignation until that moment. “……” Only Rintarou watched Emma calmly with unconcerned eyes. But the witch’s malediction failed to cease. “…You’ve had enough of being God’s puppet doll. That’s why you want your beloved master to take your strings and give you a dog collar, right? Heh… Woof! Woof-woof! Cute little puppy. ” As though that were the finishing blow, the witch pivoted her head to the side, and a special, broken smile spread across her face, filled with first-class contempt and pity. She jabbed at Emma with no mercy whatsoever. Then, that was Emma’s melting point. “SHUUUT UUUP!” At the same time, Emma roared as she readied her sword as though she had snapped. She started to dash at the witch in black. “You idiot?! If you get too close—” “Tch—” Luna and Rintarou followed after her. “AHHHHHHH!” Emma closed in on the witch. She turned into a white flash as she approached. Just as the tip of her sword was about to catch hold of the witch— “Ah, this is too pathetic.” The witch crossed her arms before Emma’s eyes and spread them out lightly. In that moment, in the space before the witch’s eyes, a frighteningly large and black fissure opened its maw. “Whaaat?!” Emma couldn’t stop her momentum. She had nowhere to go as the fissure in front of her eyes swallowed her, and she fell in. “WHAT?! Emma…” Without thinking, Luna stopped, and Rintarou ran past her side. “…Tch. What a pain.” It wasn’t clear what was going through his mind, but Rintarou jumped right into that fissure of his own accord. “Rintarou?!” Luna balked. “You wait nice and patient on that side! I’ll be right back!” he yelled from inside the dark abyss as Luna froze in place. However, Luna immediately took stock of the situation around her, thinking about what was happening inside of the fissure. “Hey! You’re my vassal, which means you belong to me! I can’t just leave you in there!” Luna decided to let her body slip down into the depths of the abyss. “Luna?! Rintarou?!” Sir Kay cried out, but it was already too late. When the witch crossed her arms above her head, the fissure closed instantaneously without a trace. “B-but… Luna, Mr. Magami, and Emma…” “…They disappeared…? She made them vanish…?!” Felicia, Sir Gawain, and Sir Kay froze from fright. In front of the group, the witch in black started to sing. “Witless and mindless. Guess this is your last stop. You’ll be enveloped in purgatory between worlds, drifting away. Good-bye…” The witch chortled elegantly. “Now, it’s time to deal with the rest of you…” She slowly waved her arm at them in an inviting gesture. A black aura coiled around her hand, and they felt something quickening as though she was cooking up some magic. “I won’t allow you!” “I’ll make you give back Luna and the others!” Sir Gawain, Felicia, and Sir Kay readied their swords in opposition and came at the witch with the speed of a gale. Except something unusual happened in that second. When the three of them took a step forward, they felt like something at their feet had suddenly changed. By the time they realized it, the hard concrete ground had turned into something like mud, like coal tar. It was a black viscous fluid. “Whaaat?! Wh-what is this?!” “M-my feet…?!” Their feet sank into the morass, immersed by the liquid and preventing them from running. They were immediately rendered immobile. On top of that, it seemed as though there was no bottom to the black swamp. They continued to sink deeper into it—from their ankles, their knees, their thighs… As they slowly went down, they became nauseated, and their hearts were eaten away by revulsion and fear. “Ugh… Argh! Why you—Wind Dancer—” Felicia started to recite some sort of fey magic. Zwoosh! A spray burst up around them. They were bony hands, shooting out of the swamp and wrestling Felicia down. The fingers were like withered branches, coiling around Felicia and approaching her mouth. “E-eeeeeeeeek?!” Felicia screeched, overcome by the repulsiveness of it all. Even as they were doing that, they were all being pulled into the black swamp by the hands, buried in it. “Uh… Aaah…?!” “Dammit! I—I can’t believe this is happening now…!” Sir Kay and Sir Gawain were already at their wit’s end. On her own, the witch floated above the black swamp, impervious to its weight as she looked down at them all and smiled ominously. Then, it happened. Thump! Accompanied by a loud noise, a gigantic cross stretched out of the middle of the black swamp. It was Sir Lamorak’s cruciform claymore. Though the black swamp was on the verge of consuming everything whole, it suddenly shattered like glass, turning into tiny fragments and scattering through the air. “Huh?!” “…What?!” By the time they realized it, the black swamp of their despair was nowhere to be seen. Felicia, Sir Gawain, and Sir Kay were panting hard and lying facedown on the hard concrete. “A mirage…? A conjuring? What was that…? N-no way…?!” stammered Felicia in shock. A girl who was composed—too composed—was next to Felicia. “We don’t need any of your dumb ploys.” That calm figure—Sir Lamorak—put her hand on the claymore stuck in the ground, pulled it out, and walked straight for the witch in black. “Oh? Why, isn’t it the famous Sir Lamorak…? I was actually being very serious just then.” Sir Lamorak didn’t respond to the witch’s words and readied her sword to strike hard with a Zwoom! “…Give Emma back. Give back the lord of my affections. If you don’t, I’ll kill you.”
Chapter 24
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