Chapter 500: Episode 500
"The deadline for this mission is four days," Simon stated, holding up his hand. "We’ve already used one, and today will be over before we know it. We don’t really have a choice. We have to move quickly, take down the Order, and rescue Cal and Lisa’s brother. Even if it means facing the Ganes Guild and the lord’s soldiers simultaneously later, we’ll just have to overcome it."
While defeating the two factions individually first was the safer route, Simon knew it was impossible with the time they had left.
"As expected of my Lord Commander!" Erzebet gushed. "I believe it is well within our power to do so."
Kajan nodded in agreement.
Lisa blinked. "But why does that lady call you Lord Commander, Simon? You look about the same age."
"Oh my! You don’t know?" Erzebet said conspiratorially. "This is called ‘play,’ a kind of role-playing that adults enjoy..."
"You’re teaching a child such wonderful things," Simon grumbled.
In any case, the decision was made. They hadn’t rested much, but time was of the essence. Simon’s party prepared to leave immediately. If the Order were to attack, the entire slum could be caught in the crossfire.
’We have to break through before they realize we’re here,’ Simon thought, pulling on his robe with a determined expression. Through the window, he saw the hopeless figures of the slum’s residents, lying about as if waiting to die. He had come to Tarados simply to retrieve Cal, but the weight on his shoulders had grown considerably heavier.
---
The Order’s Secret Base, Tarados
The general manager, Nirti, let out an irritated sigh. "Have you still not caught that Kizen student?"
"No. I apologize," a subordinate replied.
She slammed her hand on the table. "I just don’t get it! How could you fail when you were waiting for the exact moment she came through the teleportation circle?"
The Order had known a Kizen student might be coming. They had found the Kizen collaborator who installed the magic circle, imprisoned him, and stationed soldiers at the arrival point. The plan was simple: capture the student, hold them for four days, then send them back. But the student who arrived had instead defeated the soldiers and escaped. Now, she was running rampant across Tarados, a deliberate and infuriating distraction.
"Lady Nirti, according to rumors, even General Amin, the lord’s strongest warrior, was defeated."
"Something’s strange," Nirti mused, resting her chin on her hand. "She defeated Amin? She’s far too strong for a second-year student. I thought the powerful ones wouldn’t bother with a mere five-gold request."
She drummed her fingernails on the armrest, a slow smile spreading across her face. "No, no. It’s fine. No matter how strong she is, there’s nothing a single girl can do in just four days. Once this experiment succeeds, our days of worrying about Kizen will be over."
"Lady Nirti!" another member of the Order cried, rushing in and bowing. "A problem has occurred! The underground passage to Ebrun has been breached!"
Nirti’s expression soured. "The underground passage? Why there of all places?" Her gaze darted to a map of Tarados on a nearby table. "Her last known location was near Adohan village three hours ago. She couldn’t have traveled that far."
"Lady Nirti," the first subordinate said, bowing his head. "The breach of the passage seems to be a separate matter. It wasn’t her."
Her face hardened. "Then what? Are there other Kizen brats?"
"Yes. That girl was likely just a diversion. The real force may have already entered Tarados through the passage from Ebrun."
Nirti fell silent, a grave expression on her face.
"I regret to say this," the man continued, "but those students may have come knowing the full situation in Tarados."
"After all the effort we put into internal control, for it to collapse like this!" she seethed, grinding her teeth. "That revolutionary group bastard..."
"But Lady Nirti," the man offered, "we have the lord of Tarados and Ganes of the Ganes Guild. Their armies are overwhelming. It will be difficult for anyone to reach us without defeating them first."
"Hmm, contact them both," she commanded. "Tell them it’s an emergency and to mobilize all their forces."
"Yes!"
Letting out another long sigh, she steepled her fingers. "That’s right. The system in Tarados is solid. What can a bunch of students, motivated by flimsy things like grades and money, do against real professionals?" She rose from her seat. "We will focus on the experiment."
---
Ganes Guild Headquarters, Tarados
"Boss! Boss!" a bandit yelled, running breathlessly into the main tent.
A hulking man with a black beard, chugging alcohol from a flask, lifted his chin. "What is it?"
"Karak captured a prisoner on patrol!"
"Karak did?" the man chuckled. "This is Tarados. What’s the big deal about one more prisoner?"
The other men drinking with him roared with laughter. The reporting bandit swallowed hard. ’It’s the first time I’ve seen all these big shots in one place.’ The men sprawled around were all commander-level, their cores unlocked. But the most intimidating was the man in the center: the god of war himself, Ganes the Black Wolf. Only General Amin was considered his equal, and most believed Ganes had already surpassed him.
"W-Well, I thought you should see this one for yourself, boss!"
"Such a fuss. Bring her in."
A moment later, the bandits led the prisoner inside. A collective gasp, followed by whistles, filled the tent. Men shot up from their seats, their eyes gleaming with greed.
A girl with hair the color of spun moonlight walked toward them, her hands bound. She was more beautiful than anything they had ever seen. Like a single flower blooming in the mud, she was an ethereal presence in the filthy bandit camp.
"Hmm," Ganes rumbled, his interest piqued. The girl was brought before him.
"Well, well, well," he said, scratching the side of his head. "You don’t seem like someone who belongs here. I apologize for my subordinates’ rudeness."
The girl simply smiled sweetly. Seeing her stand so confidently, some of the bandits spewed foul curses to intimidate her, but Ganes silenced them with a raised hand.
"What brings you here? What is your purpose?"
"Actually, I’m looking for someone." Her voice, the first time she’d spoken, silenced the entire tent. "He’s a boy named Simon Polentia. But Tarados is too big, too hot, and just a pain. I thought if I used your subordinates, I might find him more easily?"
Angry shouts erupted, but Ganes roared, "Quiet!"
"Oh, and could you take these off?" she asked, showing him the ropes on her wrists. "They’re so stuffy."
"...Very well."
The bandits grumbled, but Ganes held up a palm. "I will grant your wish. In return, promise you will withdraw without a fight. When we find this Simon Polentia, we will contact you."
"Hmmm." The bright smile on Serne’s face vanished. Her voice turned to ice. "You wretched bandit."
"You should have realized you’ve put your head in the lion’s mouth."
Ganes’s hands, gripping the armrests of his chair, were slick with sweat.
The bandit named Karak, who had captured her, stepped forward and drew his sword.
"H-Hey! Karak! You can’t kill a prisoner...!" another bandit started to say.
But with a sharp flick of his blade, Karak sliced through the ropes on Serne’s wrists. She smiled benevolently and scratched his chin. He immediately rolled onto his back like a dog, panting happily.
At once, Karak’s soldiers drew their weapons. The other bandits scrambled for their own.
"K-Karak! You betrayed us?!"
"Betrayal?" Karak snarled, leaping to his feet. "The one I serve has always been the great Queen Serne!"
Serne snapped her fingers.
Instantly, bandits throughout the camp began to indiscriminately stab and slash their own allies.
"Wh-What are you doing?!"
"Gyaaaah!"
Blood sprayed as screams filled the air. With Karak’s men joining the slaughter, the camp descended into chaos.
"...Foolish Karak. So, we have no choice but to fight," Ganes growled, rising to his feet. He held out his palm, and jet-black energy coalesced into a massive spear. He strode toward Serne. "Queen, you said? What was lacking in my offer?"
"Hmm, let’s see," she replied, flicking her ivory hair. Feathers rained down, embedding themselves in the ground and rising as her summoned Feather Soldiers. "Your entire station, perhaps? How dare a mere monkey make an offer while sitting comfortably? The moment I arrived, you should have bowed your head to the ground and begged like a dog."
"Indeed, that is a difficult offer," Ganes said, taking a battle stance.
"Your title is the Black Wolf, isn’t it?" she purred, winking as she held a feather. "I’d like to see a wolf show its belly."
"No more talk," he snarled. "I’m coming."
A massive roar erupted as the two figures clashed.
---
Tarados Lord’s Castle
"Ah, of course, of course! Don’t you worry about that! Hahahaha!" A portly, middle-aged man in an extravagant fur chair smiled brightly as he ended the call on his communication sphere. The moment it went dark, he hurled his wine glass across the room.
It shattered against the floor with a crash near a man kneeling there. Red wine splattered across the stones, and a thin line of blood appeared on the man’s cheek.
"How the hell are you handling things, Amin!" the lord shrieked.
The man called Amin bowed his head even lower. "My sincerest apologies." His upper body was wrapped in bandages stained with blood.
"You couldn’t even stop a single student and ended up like this? And you call yourself the greatest commander in Tarados?!"
"I am sorry."
The lord clicked his tongue and lit a cigar. "I’ve heard from the Order. They said to mobilize all our forces and find that girl."
"I can still move. I will capture her next time."
"Of course you will! And!" The lord threw a document at General Amin’s feet. "The people in these villages... send soldiers and round them all up."
The Order’s seal was stamped on five villages, including the slums. Amin’s body trembled.
"My lord! These are villages that pay heavy taxes, villages whose safety our soldiers have sworn to protect!"
"But the situation has changed," the lord muttered coldly. "Those goddamn students are running around Tarados like it’s their playground! What do you think will happen when they go back to school? They’ll report everything, and then Kizen headquarters will launch an investigation!"
"We have to get rid of all the evidence. Those five villages are where the Revolutionary Army was formed. They’ll gladly snitch and hand over proof. We’ll clean them out before that happens."
Amin’s fist, pressed against the floor, trembled with rage.
"This is not what we agreed upon," Amin said, his voice tight.
"What?" the lord snapped, his head jerking up. "What did you just say to me?"
Amin met his gaze, his own expression defiant. "You swore you would spare the villages that paid their taxes!"
"Insolent cur!" the lord roared, lurching to his feet. "Do you have any idea who you’re speaking to?" He drove a vicious kick into Amin’s injured chest.
Amin let out a strangled gasp and collapsed to the floor.
"If you had just kept your people in line, none of this would have happened!" the lord snarled, his face a mask of fury. "And another thing, Amin! Did you really think I wouldn’t find out you’ve been using your entire salary to cover the taxes for those slum villages?"
Amin remained silent.
"Those pigs still have it too easy—that’s why they’re forming a revolutionary army! They’re so comfortable they scraped together enough coin to hire Kizen! Am I wrong?" After his outburst, the lord sank back into his chair. Amin pushed himself up, kneeling before him once more.
"I’m warning you, Amin," the lord’s voice returned to a deceptively calm tone. "We’ve gotten along so well until now, haven’t we? Never forget that your aging mother and your children are in my hands."
Amin said nothing.
Amin bit his lip so hard it bled. A crimson trickle ran down his chin, dripping onto the polished floor.
"You may go."
"...Yes, my lord."
Just as Amin rose and bowed his head, the window exploded inward with a deafening crash, hurling bloodied guards into the office.
"Wh-What the—!" The lord jumped, spilling his wine.
Amin straightened instantly. With a deafening ’bang’, the office door splintered from its frame, revealing a young woman lowering the leg she had just used to kick it in.
"...You!" Amin’s expression hardened. It was the woman from before—the one with impossible strength who had wounded him. Her red eyes glinted from behind a curtain of dark hair. In one hand, she held a dagger that seemed forged from condensed light. She made no attempt to hide her identity, proudly wearing the black jacket and gray skirt of a Kizen uniform.
"That brat! It’s her!" the lord shrieked, pointing a trembling finger. "The student who came through Kizen’s teleport! What are you standing there for, Amin?!"
The girl gave her dagger a casual twirl before slashing it through the air. With a high-pitched ’screech’, a glowing red line scored the office wall. An instant later, the section of wall above the line slid away with a clean cut, crashing to the floor. The cut continued upward, and the ceiling vanished with a tremendous roar, revealing the open sky.
"Are you the lord of Tarados?" Her voice, disarmingly young and clear for someone capable of such devastation, cut through the silence.
Facing the dumbfounded lord, she rummaged in her jacket pocket and produced her Kizen student ID. "I am Lorraine Archbold, a second-year student. I have come from Kizen."
"Stand back," Amin ordered, his voice low. With the ’whisper’ of steel, he drew a dagger from the sheath at his waist and positioned himself in front of the lord. "Even if you are from Kizen, this is a violation of our domain’s sovereignty. You will have to go through me first."
"Ha, haha! A-As expected of General Amin!" The lord finally regained his composure, a cruel grin spreading across his face.
The girl turned, her black hair fluttering in the sudden breeze. "Please come in."
No sooner had she spoken than two small figures entered through the ruined doorway. Amin’s eyes flew wide.
"Daddy!" cried his son and daughter.
They were his children, abducted by the lord. Amin’s eyes widened in disbelief as they ran sobbing into his arms. Behind them, his mother appeared, leaning on a cane.
"H-How...!"
"I brought them from the deepest dungeon in the castle," the girl explained, tilting her head up to look at Amin. "Kizen requires your cooperation, General Amin."
Amin readjusted his grip on his dagger and leveled it at the lord. The lord’s face went deathly pale. On Amin’s chin, where drops of blood had fallen moments before, tears of profound gratitude now streamed down his face.
"...Yes," he vowed. "I will give my life for this."