Chapter 6: At the Farthest End of a Promise

30

Saya once more found herself gazing at the window. It was as if she could see the faint afterimage of the boy who had come through it, but there was no way he was actually there. Nagi clearly told her “goodbye.” He wasn’t ever going to come again.

“Lady Saya. This will affect your health. Please lie down.”

Saya gave Jubilia a half-hearted reply but kept her eyes fixed on the window.

“Nagi said I betrayed him...”

Because she held Amrita out to him.

Because she acknowledged sterilization.

“Even though I did it for his sake...”

“You did,” Jubilia said.

This conversation between them had repeated many, many times now. A wave suddenly rose within Saya’s heart. She felt like she would be swallowed by it, and could only repeat the same words to hold it at bay.

“Hey, Jubilia. What should I have done? Nagi’s going to die! I had no choice... But listening to Lernaean... just so Nagi doesn’t die...”

Saya spoke from the heart, aggravating the pain in her chest.

“Please have some rest for now...”

“What’s Nagi doing?”

“That’s a little...”

Jubilia held her tongue. It was clear something was going on, which she didn’t want to mention.

“Answer me!”

“Will you take some proper rest if I do?”

“I will.”

Jubilia hesitated, but gave in to Saya’s demand.

“The Crestfolk have flocked to the capital in protest and sent a letter to Congress. They’re... demanding the repeal of sterilizations.”

Saya didn’t overlook Jubilia’s awkward pause.

“That’s not all, right?”

“They’re also demanding your abdication.”

“Abdication... What else?”

Jubilia was flustered by Saya’s persistence.

“I’m begging you. Please get some rest.”

Saya could guess what Jubilia was hiding.

Haah... Why is it that I only figure out the things I don’t really want to know? Even though she couldn’t figure out the one thing she really wanted, Nagi’s heart.

“They’re saying they want me dead, aren’t they?”

Jubilia fell silent. This was enough of an answer.

“Nagi wants me dead...”

“You’re wrong. It’s only a portion of the Crestfolk calling for your execution. Even if there are voices out there making such demands, it isn’t Nagi’s wish.”

“No, Nagi called me a vampire. He called me a monster who steals the lives of others. That’s why he’s fine with me being killed... I betrayed him, after all.”

“Lady Saya, please get some rest... You promised.”

Saya did as she was told this time and lay down. She prayed a dreamless slumber would befall her quickly.

“You all know the reason we have gathered here today.”

Lernaean’s ever-calm voice resounded through the room as he overlooked Congress.

“Of course we do,” Crow replied in irritation. “Do you think any among us don’t know of the Tainted’s protests? They have already left, but the citizens of the capital still tremble in fear. To many of our people, the Tainted were nothing more than bandits whispered about in rumors.”

“Were they not formerly Cobalt’s... your comrades?” Lernaean said cynically.

Congress was astir.

“Objection! It’s true we once had a united front with the Tainted... the Crestfolk, who came in protest, but that was nothing more than a temporary alliance!”

“The Commoners’ Hero is among the Crestfolk as well. Were you not the one constantly reminding everyone of how he is part of Cobalt?” Lernaean immediately retorted.

Crow let out a small groan. It was clear to everyone that Cobalt’s position within Congress was rapidly deteriorating.

Saya watched them without an ounce of interest, but the mention of Nagi sent a ripple through her heart. She was in attendance today as well, but everyone there knew she was nothing but a meaningless figurehead, including Saya herself. That was why nobody paid her any attention.

“Perhaps we were being too impatient?” Crow continued, trying to regain his standing. “For the moment, we should at least repeal the policy on sterilizations.”

“Repeal?”

The air around Lernaean took a complete change. He was calm, yet it was clear that the vessel in which he kept his every fiery impulse had come unstoppered. Everyone involuntarily held their tongues, like housepets who had stepped on the tail of a beast.

“Very well. It may be inevitable for some of you to voice such opinions, seeing as you are unaware, but so long as you call yourselves congressmen, you’re obliged to know why sterilizations are necessary.”

Lernaean’s voice spread over the silence.

“What is it that separates nobles, commoners, and Crestfolk to begin with? Let’s have a specialist give the answer, shall we? Dr. Dimitri.”

“Hm?”

Dimitri didn’t seem to think he would be nominated to speak here. He was a little agitated, but still answered without hesitation.

“Everything is based on Amrita. Those who gain long lives from Amrita are nobles. Those who offer their blood for the sake of Amrita are commoners. And those unrelated to Amrita are the Crestfolk.”

“Precisely. So, what gave birth to Amrita?”

“The Intelligence. It goes without saying.”

“Indeed. However, did you know the way Amrita is now differs from the Intelligence’s original intentions, Professor? Amrita was meant to bring everyone eternal life.”

“What?!” Dimitri yelled, jumping up to his feet. “Everyone...? That’s impossible! Amrita’s production requires the blood of commoners!”

“Allow me to explain from the beginning. Originally, only the supreme members of Congress were privy to this knowledge. You’ll understand how the world was meant to be once you hear the details. That’s why Gratos fought to keep it hidden. Amrita was bestowed upon us by the Intelligence to allow humanity to survive in this poisoned world. With its blessings, humanity was meant to live in the eternal paradise of Agartha. However...”

Lernaean paused briefly. Everyone awaited his next words with bated breath.

“Man committed a sin. They succumbed to lust and multiplied in number.”

“That’s the legend of creation...”

“It’s no legend. It’s a historical fact, Professor. Saved from the time of apocalypse by the Intelligence, our ancestors acquired eternal life, yet foolishly tried to fill the lands once more. As a result, our blessing weakened.”

“Weakened... I see. The factor which grants the blessing of Amrita lies within the blood... The more people multiply, the thinner it gets!”

Dimitri’s eyes shot open. There was a glimmering light of the mad thirst for knowledge within them.

“Meaning that factor lies within commoner blood... And that means...” Dimitri continued mumbling to himself.

Lernaean ignored him and carried onward. “People began dying of old age. That’s when the people first realized what was happening. But by that time, they could no longer curb their own growth. In a panic, they predicted what awaited them in the future. Professor, what do you think they concluded?”

“If it thins out beyond a certain extent, people will die before they can even have children. Once the population diminishes, their lifespans will stretch out once more... As that cycle repeats, human lifespan will reach a balancing point... No, but when life is too short, the work force diminishes, and society can no longer be maintained?”

“You’ve confused several factors, but you’re essentially correct. They predicted that human lifespan would settle around 20 to 25 years of age... And everyone here knows these predictions were right.”

“Commoners.”

“Yes. But a world made up of only commoners would make it impossible to pass down knowledge and technique. That’s when our ancestors turned to the Intelligence for salvation. The Intelligence forgave our sins and once more bestowed us a gift: the Sovereign’s Blood and the recipe for Amrita. The Intelligence then departed into the starry skies.”

“I got it! By gathering the portion of the thinned-out blood which grants eternal life, and using the Sovereign’s Blood as a medium... That’s the secret to Amrita!” Dimitri yelled, his expression overflowing with passion.

“I’m glad you catch on quickly. Just like that, we managed to establish a stable society. But unfortunately, a factor which threatens the balance appeared. Over the passage of time, some commoners were born with no affinity to Amrita. Their blood conflicts with the key factor of the blessing, and internal hemorrhaging causes an irremovable mark to appear on their skin... I’m sure you all know what this is.”

“Bloodmark disease,” Dimitri answered, having fully embraced his role as the representative student.

Lernaean nodded. “What’s worse is that this disposition is hereditary. If left unchecked, bloodmark disease will taint all commoner blood. When that happens, Amrita can no longer be made.”

Lernaean looked around Congress. His intentions were clear. Everyone present had received the blessings of Amrita, after all. After confirming that the meaning behind his words had seeped throughout the entire room, Lernaean nodded.

“If that happens, our society will crumble. The nobles tried turning to the Intelligence once more for salvation, but the Intelligence never returned. We had no choice but to take matters into our own hands.”

He was getting to the core of the matter. Lernaean let his sonorous voice fill the room.

“The answer is simple. The Crestfolk must be eliminated. That was far too pitiable a choice, however, hence the policy of sterilization... Yes, sterilization was a kindness. Now then, how did that turn out for us?”

“They rioted against us!” someone yelled.

“Rioted...? They’ve only protested. It hasn’t reached the point of an armed riot,” Jubilia muttered.

Her voice was quiet enough that only Saya could hear her. The one congressman’s voice broke the dam, and yelling quickly filled the hall, laying blame for all the world’s ills on the Crestfolk. Lernaean quietly watched this unfold, then gestured to them to stop. The entire room fell silent in an instant.

“Your anger is understandable. I am also in agreement. It is true that their disease-ravaged bodies are pitiable, but if they turn their unjustified resentment toward us in revolt...” Lernaean said, pausing to slowly make his declaration. “Then unfortunately, there is no choice but to exterminate the Crestfolk.”

“Agreed!”

Voices of approval filled the assembly hall.

“Massacre them all!”

“Lady Saya, this can’t be allowed... The Crestfolk are just normal people who have contracted a disease. What is Lord Lernaean even thinking...?” Jubilia said quietly next to Saya. She was shocked. Her voice was trembling. “Please, you’re the only one who can stop this.”

Saya looked over Congress. Her remarks weren’t normally permitted here. She was terrified. What could she possibly do against this surging wave? But in this moment, a serious decision was about to be made before her eyes: the decision to wipe out the Crestfolk.

That would include Tess and Keele, as well as the one currently considered to be their leader, Nagi. Saya had approved of sterilizations because she listened to what Lernaean said, and as a result, Nagi abandoned her. But right now, there was something she could do. Saya took a deep breath.

“Stop right there!” she yelled as she rose to her feet. “In the name of the Sovereign, I won’t allow such a thing!”

All eyes pierced Saya at once.

“Lady Saya,” Lernaean said in a calm voice. “This is Congress. Your statements are inappropriate here.”

“Even if all of you decide to exterminate the Crestfolk, I will never agree to it!”

The entire hall was astir. Lernaean glared at Saya. Her legs trembled, faced with his overwhelming pressure head on. Jubilia gripped her hand from the side, reassuring her.

“It’s okay. There are many among Congress whose loyalties lie with the Sovereign. They aren’t likely to allow this motion to pass easily after hearing your statement.”

As a large uproar began to pass through the hall, Lernaean swept his right hand in a wide arc. That simple gesture brought silence back to the room. His dominance was still well in effect.

“Dr. Dimitri, I believe you are responsible for Lady Saya’s treatment, are you not?”

Dimitri had trouble catching his breath over the sudden change of topic. “Y-Yes...”

“How is her condition? Is her mind and body sound? Can she make proper judgments?”

Dimitri immediately understood his endlessly cruel intentions.

“With all due respect, Lady Saya’s health is extremely poor. She is in no condition to be making sound judgments.”

“Dimitri! You bastard!”

Their exchange was so shameless that Jubilia roared at him. At the same time, confusion spread among the Congress members.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Lernaean said, bringing them under control. “Please recall once more. It is Amrita which gives you eternal life. What is it that we must do now to protect that?”

Silence fell over the room. Amrita was the weak point of every Congress member. So long as it granted them eternal life, they couldn’t possibly allow it to be lost. The temptation of Amrita was a poison spread among them by Lernaean. Everyone present recognized by now that Lernaean held absolute power here, as the one who held it in his clutches.

“Lady Saya has had her heart stolen by a rebel in her infirmity, affecting her ability to make sound decisions. Take the Sovereign to her room.”

At Lernaean’s command, the knights posted near Saya approached her. Jubilia stood in their way before they got too close.

“Do not touch her.”

Her hand was on the sword at her waist.

“Jubilia. You will be deemed a traitor if you draw your blade.”

“You’re the traitor, Lord Lernaean. What are you even thinking? Exterminate the Crestfolk? Ignoring Lady Saya when she tries to stop it? Is this your ideal?! You weren’t like this before... Did you not try to save the commoners from their own suffering?!”

Lernaean chuckled cynically. “You simply believed that I did. What do you, or anyone else, know of my ideals? They haven’t changed. Not ever; not even once.”

“Jubilia, it’s okay. Stand down,” Saya said.

“But...”

“You’ll just get arrested if you oppose him now... Lernaean, please forgive her. I’ll come quietly.”

“Very well. Now then, return to your room,” Lernaean said, turning back to face the room. “We shall have Lady Saya get some rest so that her condition doesn’t worsen. Given the extenuating circumstances, I shall make this decision without the Sovereign’s approval. The Crestfolk and the despicable factor of bloodmark disease shall be wiped from this world!”

“Hear, hear!”

Voices of approval filled Congress as Saya bit down on her lips. She couldn’t stop it. She was too late in taking action.

Nagi, what should I do...? Oh, I don’t... have Nagi with me... anymore...

Saya was all alone, swept by the great wave of hatred within Congress.

31

Many of the Crestfolk who protested across Agartha did so in the form of peaceful marches. They were bad-tempered people by nature, however. Nagi believed this would naturally lead to riots. That had to be avoided at any cost. They might have forgotten it after tasting victory, but nobles weren’t opponents they could normally win against.

Nagi’s forces only possessed a small amount of Halahala left over from the revolution. Even if they took up arms and resorted to battle, it wouldn’t be much of a fight. That was why Nagi took the path of reaching a compromise through negotiation while avoiding an armed conflict.

Things moved counter to Nagi’s intentions, though. News reached him that the Crestfolk village near Kelst had been attacked. Around the time they began gathering warriors to send help, the handful of vanishingly lucky informed them of the village’s utter annihilation. Nagi was taken aback, but the news didn’t stop there. Keele informed him that this was no isolated incident.

“The Purifiers?”

Keele stood in front of the key members of Garuga Village, including Nagi, Tess, and Bandore, in their assembly hall.

“That’s what they call themselves. The Tainted must be purified for the sake of the True Sovereign Saya, so they say.”

“Lernaean’s the one behind it all,” Nagi spat out bitterly.

Keele nodded. “I bet he is. Lernaean Edel Trouta lo Granapalt... That asshole’s tenacity for wantin’ all Crestfolk dead is abnormal. I mean, his house’s been thinkin’ of how to do this for centuries now.”

“Centuries?”

“His family’s the one who started the sterilizations. We finally figured it out from the docs Senak snuck outta the palace.”

“Is this what you said you were looking into before?”

“Yeah. I’ve been thinkin’ ’bout it all this time... No matter how much I keep killin’ and killin’ these nobles, there’s no end to them. So, instead of offin’ a buncha nobodies, I thought maybe I should try killin’ the guy who started this whole sterilization bullshit and fucked me up. I kinda gave up on it for a bit. How was I supposed to figure that out? Pretty much the only place that’s got that kinda thing written down is palace archives.”

“So, that’s what Senak took?”

“Yup. After the revolution, the guys from Cobalt got to swagger ’round wherever they wanted. It was pretty hard to find this crap, considering Senak’s smarts, but he finally turned it up. The congressman who proposed sterilization as a policy was Norg Edel Trouta lo Granapalt. He’s long dead now, but that’s Lernaean’s pop.”

“Lernaean’s father started the sterilizations?”

“Lernaean himself was alive at the time. He definitely had a hand in it. We’ve really been some big ol’ dumbasses here. Even if we didn’t know at the time, we ended up helpin’ him seize power.”

“So, doesn’t this mean it isn’t actually Saya’s fault?” Tess asked, bringing things back on track.

Nagi shook his head. Tess had gotten angry at him before for only thinking about Saya. Now that Nagi had decided to fight, she was saying things to cover for her. It could’ve been for Nagi’s own sake. It was like she was speaking as a representative for Nagi’s abandoned emotions, allowing him to choose far colder words than he normally would have.

“It doesn’t make a difference. Even if she was told to say it, the Sovereign’s words are Saya’s words. Tess, she’s changed. She’s trying to kill us. We have to accept that.”

“So, what do we do? That lot should be on their way here pretty soon,” Bandore said. It seemed so far removed from reality.

“Who makes up the Purifiers?”

“Mostly commoners.”

“No nobles?”

“It’s a haughty name, but they picked it out for themselves. The Sovereign gave ’em free rein to start slaughterin’ us. It’s a gatherin’ of dumbasses.”

“Commoners we can fight. We’re not gonna lose,” Bandore said in a strong tone.

Nagi objected, however. “If it’s only commoners, yeah. But if we drive away the commoners, the knights are coming next. We’ll lose if that happens.”

“Then what should we do?!” Bandore yelled.

“We’ve got no choice but to make allies of the commoners.”

“They just attacked the Crestfolk, remember?”

“There’s all sorts of commoners out there. The ones attacking the Crestfolk should only be a small portion of them. The large majority of commoners should only be caught up in the fervor.”

“Aren’t those the nastiest bunch?”

Nagi shook his head. It wasn’t the time for that. “Our only enemies are the nobles. If we keep it that way, we’ll at least have the advantage of numbers. There’s no other way to do this. Just like during the revolution.”

He knew this was nothing but a naïve ideal, but no matter how much he thought about it, there really was no other way.

“How? That time, Saya... the Sovereign was on our side, That’s why commoners and nobles joined us,” Tess said, her words weighing heavily on Nagi’s heart.

“That was a mistake. That’s how Lernaean managed to hijack our revolution.”

“You’ve got it backwards, man. Lernaean planned the whole fuckin’ revolution to begin with. We were just dancin’ to his tune,” Keele said teasingly, making Nagi grab his older brother by the collar.

“Still! There was supposed to be significance in our fight!”

“There’s only significance if we survive. You’re the chief. Cool your head off. Nobody’s easier to kill than a guy who gets all emotional.”

Nagi glared at Keele. His brother’s eyes were perfectly calm. Seeing that, Nagi managed to regain his composure.

“Think it over. Who’s our enemy? Who really started all this shit?”

Nagi thought it over. The answer was clear.

“Lernaean.”

“So, our only choice is killin’ him.”

“That’ll be tough,” Bandore remarked. “We can’t even get close to him.”

“Fuck, that last time was our best chance. If I knew he was the mastermind behind the sterilizations back then, I would’ve killed him.”

“Besides, he’s stupid strong himself, isn’t he?”

Keele nodded. “He can use that blood caliber of his from a distance. That’s not supposed to be possible; fucker’s cheatin’.”

“Really?” Nagi asked.

“A blood caliber loses its shape if it leaves its wielder’s hands. That sword Jubilia uses can’t be thrown, for example. It’ll just turn back into blood. But Lernaean’s definitely worked from a distance. Nobody knows what it really is. He says it’s a whip, but that’s kinda fishy.”

Keele’s words tugged at something in Nagi’s mind.

“Huh? In that case...”

Keele looked at him curiously. “What’s up?”

Nagi shook his head. He second-guessed the thought the moment it took shape.

“No, it’s nothing. I don’t think I’m right.”

“Whatever, man. Just spout it out. What’d you think of?”

“I know of a blood caliber which works from a distance. It’s not technically a blood caliber, though.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you see it for yourself?”

Keele still didn’t seem to know what Nagi was getting at.

“The royal caliber. It was a bunch of butterflies made of blood. They weren’t attached to Saya’s body.”

“The royal caliber...? So, you’re saying Lernaean’s is also a royal caliber?”

“There’s no way I’d know.”

“So long as the royal caliber works from a distance, it means it isn’t weird for some blood calibers to do the same? Or maybe Lernaean’s got something special which is close to a royal caliber...?”

“I don’t know what exactly it is,” Tess cut in, “but how do we even fight someone who can attack from who knows how far away?”

“Before that, how do we even get close to him?” Bandore grumbled.

“If only there was somewhere we could draw him out.”

The conversation was starting to go off track. Just as Nagi was about to get things back in line, someone ran into the room.

“There’s an uprising in Leshva!”

“Was it the nearby village?” Tess asked curiously.

There was only a small Crestfolk village in that vicinity. They weren’t supposed to have a force capable of causing an uprising.

“No! They’re commoners! The False Sovereign Kyou is leading it!”

Jubilia watched over Saya as she slept. No matter how often she repeated this, she didn’t seem to be getting better. Her sleeping figure was ever so fleeting. Her silver hair draped over her increasingly gaunt cheeks. Its delicate luster was lost and clung to her sickly face.

When Jubilia tried to fix it, she ended up touching Saya’s cheek. She felt like she couldn’t believe Saya was really there if she didn’t. Her beauty seemed so far apart from this world.

Saya let out a small voice, causing Jubilia to pull back her hand. The sleeping girl slowly opened her eyes.

“Sorry. Did I wake you up?”

“It’s okay. All I’m doing is sleeping all day, anyway. More importantly...”

The time Saya spent awake was getting shorter and shorter. Each time she woke up, she would always ask the same question.

“Tell me, Jubilia. What’s going on outside?”

“That’s...”

Jubilia hesitated to answer her. Saya was being imprisoned in her room as always, under the pretext that she was going insane. Only Jubilia was allowed within. To be precise, Saya refused anyone else.

Saya had changed ever since that day she spoke up in Congress. She was no longer a languid girl who had lost her lover. She was actually trying to proactively find out how things were going outside the palace.

Jubilia was her only source of information now. The knight attended Congress only to fulfill this duty. The gaze Lernaean had turned on her for nearly drawing her sword that last time was endlessly cold, but she didn’t care anymore.

Right now, she just wanted to grant the wishes of this little girl; this pitiful girl trifled with by her own blood. Jubilia ended up biting back at Lernaean before she even knew it, just to protect this girl, despite him being the man she once swore her loyalty to.

At first, she only served as this Sovereign’s guard by going with the flow; now, she truly wanted to protect her. It was unbecoming of Jubilia as a knight, but she didn’t want to protect Saya the Sovereign. She wanted to protect Saya the girl. She had quit being a knight, so in the end, it didn’t really matter. That was why she was permitted to be here. That was why she was reluctant to tell Saya of what happened in Congress today.

“Please.”

“Today... Reports of ‘victory’ were delivered from every region.”

“Victory?”

“Of Crestfolk villages being destroyed.”

“That’s a victory?” Saya snapped, but immediately calmed down. “Sorry, there’s no use in getting angry at you. I’m the one asking you to tell me.”

“Don’t be. Allow me to continue... The only exception is Leshva. The commoners and Crestfolk there have started an uprising against the capital.”

“What does that mean?”

“There are those in Leshva claiming you are being imprisoned because of the prime minister’s evil intentions.”

That was the unmistakable truth; such claims were exceedingly dangerous.

“Who could possibly...?”

Jubilia wavered over whether she should mention this, but she resolved herself and identified the man behind it.

“Lord Kyou.”

That name sent a ripple through Saya’s frozen heart for the first time in a while.

“Kyou?”

Saya didn’t know where her little brother had gone after escaping his execution. Jubilia didn’t know either, beyond Keele’s involvement.

“Lord Kyou was apparently being sheltered by the former Cobalt member, Senak. He lived among the impoverished commoners. However, after seeing the proclamation to destroy the Crestfolk, he rose up alongside the poor.”

“Why? He finally got away from it all...”

Jubilia tried taking a guess at the feelings of the boy who had escaped the capital.

“I’m sure he couldn’t stand it. The Crestfolk saved him. He likely couldn’t forgive the ones he owed his life to being killed in your name. There are many among the populace who are aggrieved by the cruel treatment of the Crestfolk to begin with. Also, Leshva is a poor town. They have the strongest feelings of revulsion toward nobles in Agartha. Lord Kyou moved their hearts. Even if it was just for a short time, he must’ve won them over while living among them.”

“Is that so?” Saya said, wide-eyed in shock. “Kyou really managed to live a proper life out there...”

The envy in her voice pained Jubilia. It was something Saya had always wanted for herself.

“So, what about Congress?”

“Lord Lernaean commanded the former Order of the Sapphire Blood to be dispatched... His command was to wipe them out entirely. There are many among the Sapphire Blood whose blood calibers specialize in suppressing crowds.”

“That’s overdoing it—they’re going to slaughter all the commoners?!”

“Yes. Such objections were also raised in Congress, but...”

Jubilia made her determination. She had to touch upon the one thing she didn’t want to say the most, but Saya didn’t want her to hide anything. Even sick in bed in the throes of despair, even if she knew she could do nothing about it, Saya wanted to see the shape of the world.

If this girl had been the Sovereign from the very beginning... Such a thought had gone through Jubilia’s mind on countless occasions.

“Lord Lernaean made an announcement. According to the results of Dr. Dimitri’s research, if the population of Agartha remains beneath the Intelligence’s original plans of ten thousand people, every single person could retain their immortality.”

Saya herself had no way of knowing this, but she had the exact same reaction as the congress members did when they heard of Lernaean’s calculations. In other words, she couldn’t understand how this was related to the previous topic. Her expression then suddenly changed upon grasping exactly what it meant.

“There’s... too many people...?”

“Exactly. To fully actualize their calculations, after they’re done with the Crestfolk, they need to quell the number of commoners. It has to be done sooner or later. That’s why they decided to destroy Leshva while they’re revolting.”

“There’s no way Congress would approve of such a thing, right?” Saya asked in a trembling voice.

Jubilia shook her head. “His plan was unanimously approved.”

“Why...? Congress has commoner representatives. Cobalt are there, too.”

“Congress is a vestigial limb of the new state. Nobody can defy him any longer. Lord Lernaean holds the key to Amrita. For all intents and purposes, he already decides who lives and who dies. Furthermore, his pawns are hiding everywhere. Any who show defiance are immediately arrested. He’s been preparing for this for a long time, it seems.”

“Why go so far? What exactly does Lernaean want?”

“In his words, to return this world to the original form the Intelligence laid out for us.”

That also meant a world where only those chosen by Lernaean could enjoy eternal life.

“I don’t want to be the Sovereign of such a world!” Saya yelled before breaking into a violent coughing fit.

Her condition showed no signs of getting better. Dimitri, who was supposed to be treating her, never showed himself, keeping busy with his research instead.

“Lady Saya... Please get some rest.”

Jubilia lay Saya back down in bed. She prayed that this little Sovereign could at least sleep in peace.

32

Nagi, Tess, Keele, Bandore, and all the warriors of Garuga ran at full speed to Leshva. When they arrived, it was more precise to say it was where Leshva once was. It had been utterly destroyed. Many of the buildings were ruined, their walls collapsed and a horrible burning stench coming from most of them. Nagi lost his voice. He couldn’t even imagine what caused destruction on such a scale.

“What happened?” Tess murmured.

Everyone was thinking the same thing. Keele was the first to answer her.

“Fuckin’ vampires. They used their blood calibers.”

“What?”

“You can’t break buildings like this with any kind of human strength. Blood calibers, on the other hand... It hasn’t been that long since the uprising here. The only thing capable of doing this so quickly is that fucked up power. I bet they set the fires afterward.”

“Weren’t blood calibers only meant to be used in fights between nobles?” Nagi asked.

“That don’t mean they can’t use them against commoners and buildings. There are blood calibers which specialize in it... Lernaean went and gathered a whole bunch of assholes like that.”

“What for?”

“To wipe out an entire town of commoners. Just like this.”

Nagi looked over the scenery. Nothing was moving aside from debris and smoke. He couldn’t believe this was a town filled with people just a few days ago. Was this scene Lernaean’s... and Saya’s desire?

“Let’s look for survivors. We need intel,” Keele said.

Nagi nodded back to him. Their group traversed the mountains of rubble. Once in a while, a horrible miasma would waft over them. Excrement, rotten food... and corpses. The bodies had been left in the open, without being properly buried. Maggots and flies swarmed all over them.

After some time, they finally found a survivor. It was a man trying to move a heap of corpses around. Nagi’s group drew closer, and the man turned to them with empty eyes.

“You’re... the Tainted.”

His lifelessness made it impossible for Nagi to feel angry at his use of the unforgivable slur.

“Yeah.”

“Scavenge all you want. You should be able to find something worth money lying around. Everyone’s dead anyway.”

“We’re not bandits.”

Nagi didn’t blame the man for his prejudice that the Crestfolk were bandits. He just looked so dead on the inside.

“Oh yeah... They did say something like that, I guess.” A small light flickered in his vacant eyes, and words began spilling from his mouth. “I was against it. Opposing the Sovereign wouldn’t do us any good. But they were all idiots. They were all good guys. That’s why they listened to that kid, and that’s why it ended like this.”

“That kid? Kyou?”

“Yeah. That’s him. He got the town involved... Then the knights came... Then everyone died.”

“What exactly happened? What started all this?”

“What started it...?”

The man fell silent. He remained that way for a while, then began retelling his story.

“It all started when the guys in the slum stood up against the government officials for the Tainted. There were those among them who were friendly with the Tainted. It was a pretty common squabble. Ever since the revolution, it happened just about every day... But the official killed one of them. That wasn’t good. Those guys from the slum are tight. It turned into a riot in no time. That’s when that kid came out.”

The man fell silent once more. Nagi’s group stood there staring, waiting for his next words. The wind changed directions, gradually bringing over that horrible stench in the air. Nagi was desperate to hold back his urge to vomit.

“He was apparently... the former Sovereign. He was just a kid, but there was a strange intensity to him. He told us to join forces with the Tainted and fight. He said that after the Tainted, the nobles would kill the commoners next. Turns out he was right.”

The man cast his gaze over the corpses all around him.

“What happened to the kid? Was he killed?” Keele asked.

The man shook his head. “He was captured. Everyone else died. My friends, my family, everyone.”

With that, the man took the corpse he was carrying and violently tossed it atop a cart.

“Need help?” Nagi asked.

“Stop. I don’t want the Tainted to touch them. They were good friends of mine.”

“Why are you still alive?” Bandore asked coldly. It was clear he was angered by the man’s statement.

“I was hiding in my house, trembling in a corner... watching my wife and daughter get raped to death. I just hid and watched... Hid... Watched...”

“Coward.”

“Bandore, cut it out,” Tess said, but the man went on to provoke him further.

“That’s right, I’m a coward... Hey, you gonna kill me? You Tainted filth.”

Rage filled Bandore’s body. Nagi placed a hang on his shoulder to stop him.

“This man spoke the unforgivable slur,” Bandore protested.

“This is an abnormal situation. Let it slide.”

“Hey! Kill me! Just kill me!” the man screamed.

Hearing that, astonishment washed away all of Bandore’s anger.

“Let’s go,” Tess said.

Nagi nodded. There was a strange light in the man’s eyes. Nagi wanted to get away from him as soon as possible.

“Hey! Come on! I’m begging you! Please! Kill me! Just kill me!”

Nagi ran as if to shake off the man. A little ahead of him, Keele had his gaze fixed upward. He was acting on his own, as usual; apparently he’d found something.

It was the building which likely sat at the center of town. This area had also been reduced to rubble, with the exception of a single structure. It looked like some sort of sculpture; the base stood about twice the height of an average person.

Something was placed atop it. Keele stared at it silently. His tranquil profile was one Nagi had never seen before. His gaze was locked onto something. Something was piled atop the stand, like vegetables for sale.

Upon realizing exactly what they were, Nagi forgot to breathe. Vomit surged up his throat. They were human heads. Men, women, children, adults, all mixed together.

“Nagi, isn’t that Cobalt’s...?!” Tess said in a fluster.

Nagi noticed it right after her. There was a familiar face in the pile.

“Senak...”

Nagi averted his gaze.

“Meanin’ these are all the perps behind the riot,” Keele said calmly. His voice was so relaxed it hurt.

“Let’s get them down from there and bury them,” Nagi said.

He couldn’t possibly leave a former comrade out in the open like this.

“We don’t got the time for that. Leave it to someone else.”

“But...”

“Look at that, right below the pile of heads. Oh, you still can’t read?”

There was a large paper affixed to the stand. It was likely a proclamation from the capital. Nagi shook his head. Back when he lived in Strano Village, his life was too short for him to bother to learn how to read. After the revolution, he didn’t have the time to.

“It says the False Sovereign Kyou’s execution is taking place in the capital. It’s gonna happen in one week,” Keele said. Tension ran through the air. “We’ve gotta get ready. If we don’t head to the capital now, we won’t make it.”

“Get ready for what?”

“Lernaean’s sure to come out for the execution. We’ll kill him there,” Keele answered, then looked up at Senak’s face once more. “It’s the last opportunity this guy gave us.”

It took Jubilia the better part of her resolve to inform Saya of the news. The shock she would receive would be far too great, but she couldn’t keep it hidden.

“Lord Kyou has been captured. The date of his execution has been decided on.”

Saya’s eyes shot open. She hung her head for a while, still sitting up in her bed. She was deep in thought. Jubilia couldn’t fathom what was going through her mind beneath that silver hair, but she had a terrible premonition.

“I’m going to go watch,” Saya said quietly, filled with resolve. Jubilia’s premonition was right on the mark.

“That’s a little...”

“Jubilia, don’t misunderstand me. I told Kyou I would protect him. I need to do everything I can.”

“But there isn’t anything you can do...” Saya didn’t respond. Her silence made Jubilia realize exactly what she was planning. “Lady Saya! You couldn’t possibly mean...!”

“Don’t say it. If you stop me now, I’ll lose my nerve.”

Jubilia had no choice but to fall silent.

“I’ve been thinking all this time,” Saya continued. “Who am I? Why was I born? What have I been living for? What am I meant to accomplish in life? I wanted a reason of my own. But just maybe... I’ve been thinking too much about simply staying alive.”

Saya’s red eyes were serene. Jubilia could feel her chest tighten at the beauty of their color. Saya continued speaking, as if pouring her soul into each and every word.

“I started to wonder. Would dying for something be the same as living for something? In that case, I want to stand against Lernaean. I’m the Sovereign, after all.”

Jubilia could almost hear the sound of the emptiness in Saya’s heart being filled in.

“I didn’t want to be anything like a queen. I just wanted to be free. I ended up like this by going with the flow. Back during the revolution, though, everyone fought because I’m the Sovereign. This fight would never have started if I wasn’t around. That’s why I can’t run away now. I’ve realized far too late...”

Aah, this girl really is... Jubilia thought to herself in admiration.

“I know there’s basically nothing I can do. I can’t become a proper ruler, but I can at least protect my little brother. I promised to.”

“A promise, huh?”

“Nagi always protected me, just as he promised. Until I betrayed him, that is. That’s why I want to keep my promise to Kyou.”

“Lady Saya, your words are much like a knight’s vow.”

“Not that I have a good impression of knights, you know,” Saya said bitterly.

Jubilia strained a smile. Saya’s sensibilities were closer to that of a commoner or Crestfolk than that of a knight.

“Well, I suppose you don’t,” Jubilia said. “Originally, knights were held in high esteem for their vow to protect the weak. I read stories of times long past that were like that. I yearned to become that kind of knight. The knightly orders were far removed from such ideals in reality, though.”

Jubilia had once believed Lernaean to be the man worthy of her loyalty. He looked so strong when he appeared before her, back when she was scorned as a lower-ranking noble. Perhaps Lernaean was actually in the right, but his righteousness differed from Jubilia’s. She had someone else worth devoting her loyalty now.

“Lady Saya. In my eyes, you are a splendid Sovereign.”

“What’s this all of a sudden?”

“I meant to do this during the revolution itself, but you ended up collapsing, and I lost my opportunity to do so. Lady Saya, please accept my sword. Please make me your knight.”

Saya didn’t understand the meaning behind such an action, but accepted regardless.

“Thank you, Jubilia. Umm, what should I do?” Saya asked with a troubled expression, bringing a sudden smile to Jubilia’s face. “Geez... Don’t laugh at me.”

“Forgive me. Please hold up my sword. It’s heavy, so use both hands.”

“Like this?”

“Yes. Now command me, ‘Offer up thine blade to me until the very last of thine days.’ After that, please hand me my sword.”

Saya nodded. Jubilia poured every ounce of her being into listening, as if to carve the reverberations of Saya’s words into her very soul.

“Jubilia. Offer up thine blade to me until the very last of thine days.”

Jubilia’s blood ran hot just from hearing her. Her soul told her that Saya was in fact the True Sovereign. She accepted the awkwardly held out blade and held it up vertically.

“I, Jubilia Erste lu Listella, offer you my sword until the very last of my days.”

Jubilia felt fully satisfied from her vow. She now knew why she was born. It was mysterious. Why did it take so long for her to get here?

“Until the last of your days... Sorry, I’m sure I’m going to die sooner than you are, Jubilia,” Saya casually added. This pained Jubilia’s heart.

“That won’t do, Lady Saya. You must definitely live longer than I do.”

“No way. If I do, that means I have to watch you die.”

“That’s what it means to be liege and knight.”

Jubilia’s heart was filled with determination.

I was born to protect this girl.

33

There was a strange enthusiasm hanging in the air over the palace gates, where the execution was being held. It was as if time had turned back to the days when the flagstones ran slick with the daily sacrifice of counterrevolutionaries. All for the False Sovereign Kyou.

If only he hadn’t incited the commoners and Crestfolk, the promised days of stability and wealth that was supposed to come after the revolution would already be upon the people. They would have eternal life granted by Amrita. Such pipe dreams soared among the populace.

Nagi looked down at the masses, hidden atop a roof. He had his bow in hand, with a Halahala coated arrow at the ready. It was his duty to kill Lernaean. The Crestfolk warriors hid among the crowd. Nagi thought back to the conversation they had just beforehand.

“This really is our last chance,” Keele said, handing Nagi his portion of Halahala.

“We don’t off Lernaean here, and the Crestfolk are done for. Let me remind you, that guy’s been achin’ to wipe us out for at least two hundred years.”

The noble’s fixation verged on abnormal.

“It’s not just the Crestfolk,” Nagi said. “You saw Leshva. Lernaean plans on wiping out the commoners too.”

Keele nodded.

“Nagi, you shouldn’t go,” Tess implored him, right to the very end. “You haven’t been sterilized. You can still have children. If someone’s going to die here, then let it be me.”

“If Lernaean dies here, then the Crestfolk still to be born will be able to live proper lives. That’s far more important. Besides...”

Nagi stopped there, unable to say his next words. He was sick of himself for being so irresolute. Seeing him like that, Tess reluctantly agreed.

“Fine... Make sure you hit him.”

“I’ll cut him down before that, so don’t you worry,” Keele cut in.

Everyone laughed for some reason. It was as if the group was off to pick berries in the mountains.

Nagi smiled as he remembered this, finding the situation so strange. His mood was in such stark contrast to the excited mob beneath his gaze.

This could work. My arrows tend to hit at times like these.

“We shall now begin the False Sovereign’s execution,” a nobleman—probably a congressman—declared.

Members of Congress came out one after the other. Nagi quietly held out his bow and waited for his prey.

“Step aside.”

Saya and Jubilia were headed to Kyou’s execution to put a stop to it when they were blocked off in a palace corridor.

“We can’t do that,” Dimitri said, a dozen knights standing by him. “Lady Saya, please return to your room.”

“I have the responsibility to see my little brother’s execution through to the end.”

“You’re going to try to stop it somehow, aren’t you? It’s useless. It’ll be bad for your heart. All you need to do is quietly sleep in your room.”

“This is the Sovereign’s command.”

“Seeing that you have lost your ability to make sound judgments, Lady Saya, His Excellency Lord Lernaean now acts with all your authority. Your command means nothing.”

“Did Lernaean put you up to this?”

“No. This is my decision as a doctor and a researcher. I won’t report this to him. I’m sure it won’t be a problem, anyway.” Dimitri paused to clear out his throat. “In any case, you’re a unique specimen. I can’t do any practical research on Amrita without you. It would be troublesome if you were to get hurt.”

“A specimen, you say?” Jubilia said, clear anger in her voice. “Just that one word is enough of a reason for me to cut you down. Lady Saya, what shall we do?”

“Hurry up. The execution could start at any time.”

“Very well. We shall force our way through.”

“Hah! Force your way through?” Dimitri said scornfully. “I brought the royal guard here. No matter how skilled you are, you’re nothing but a lower-ranking noble. Faced with so many opponents, you can’t—”

Jubilia didn’t wait for him to finish. She rushed in full force and made her declaration of intent.

“Excitation: Blood Blade.”

She grabbed the slender sword of blood in her hand and severed the dominant arms of two of the knights in a flash.

“I won’t take your life, seeing as this was a surprise attack. Everything from here on out is a different matter, however. Step aside if you aren’t prepared to die.”

“Kill this woman!” Dimitri yelled. “You can use your blood calibers! Don’t even scratch Lady Saya!”

The enraged royal guards manifested their blood calibers at once.

“I don’t care if you’re royal guards. I won’t lose to a bunch of ruffians who can’t keep straight who they’re meant to protect.”

Jubilia’s heart was aflame, yet terrifyingly cold. Saya accepted her fealty. That passion gave strength to her entire body. She never felt so light before. At the same time, Jubilia kept an icy calm, searching for the path through that Saya needed.

Even as she cut down knights one after the other, she realized she was at a disadvantage. The palace corridors were wide compared to any other building, but it wasn’t suitable for swinging around a long weapon. This helped compensate for the numerical disadvantage she found herself at, but still had limits.

The royal guard were high-ranking nobles to begin with. She had no intentions of losing in swordsmanship, but their skill with the blood caliber and their pure physical strength were supposed to far outstrip Jubilia’s. It was one thing while they were agitated as they were now, but the longer the fight went on, the greater her disadvantage. Jubilia decided to use her ace in the hole. She roughly twirled off the cap from the small bottle she had hidden in her hand and gulped down its contents.

“Amrita... Excitation Overdrive?!” Dimitri screamed in fright.

The last time she used this, she was put out of commission for days. Regardless, her lady had told her to hurry up, so Jubilia didn’t hesitate. So long as she had a means to annihilate her enemies as quickly as possible, she had no choice but to use it.

The blood caliber in Jubilia’s hand transformed into an enormous sword. At the same time, her body was enhanced to that of an upper-ranking noble. Jubilia turned into a gale. Each time she swung her blade, a knight’s arm was torn away and flew into the air. The royal guards were defeated before they could lift a finger.

“Dimitri, you’ll do well to step aside,” Jubilia declared.

Dimitri’s reaction was far beyond her imagination. “Hahaha! Wonderful! Amrita truly is wonderful!” Despite the defeat of all but a single knight he brought as a guard, Dimitri laughed in joy. “That’s exactly why I can’t lose the specimen. Oh well. You, hold out your arm.”

“Professor, that’s a little...” his escort said, faltering for some reason.

“You do know that if you defy me, you’ll be heading to the gallows next, right? You’re just going to get killed by this woman, anyway. It’s okay, our results show the side effects are small if it’s only for a short time.”

His escort held out his arm in resignation. Dimitri smiled as he pulled out a container from his pocket. Jubilia stood on guard as he pulled out a needle which resembled those used for blood offerings. She thought it was poison, but was once more completely baffled by his unpredictable actions. He stabbed the needle into his escort’s arm.

“If a recipient of Amrita orally ingests more Amrita, they temporarily gain strength from Excitation Overdrive. What do you think happens when Amrita is injected directly into the veins?” Dimitri pushed down on the plunger. “If you don’t properly regulate the dosage, it’s too strong for the body, tearing it apart and killing the subject. I went through quite a few knights finding the appropriate dosage, but my research bore fruit. Behold: this is the true value of Excitation Overdrive.”

The blood caliber in the guard’s hand grew tremendously. It was so big it couldn’t really be called a sword anymore. The guard readied the massive weapon and roared. His eyes shone with a piercing glare. It looked like he had transformed into an inhuman beast.

“Kill this woman.”

The palace’s corridor was far too narrow for the enormous blood caliber. Swinging it would send it crashing into pillars, but the guard didn’t seem to care. He simply swept the blade. The pillars fell apart as if they weren’t even there. Jubilia barely managed to escape the oncoming blow.

“You kill her and I’ll give you the antidote. You better be quick, or you’ll end up a cripple.”

The guard reacted to Dimitri’s provocation and charged Jubilia. The blade of his blood caliber collided with the ceiling and floor with little resistance. His strength had surpassed the limits of a noble and was well into the territory of fictional monsters. Any blow would prove fatal.

“Jubilia, this way!”

Jubilia jumped on reflex at Saya’s command, and Dimitri stopped his escort in a fluster.

“Stop! Don’t injure the specimen.”

The guard’s attack finally halted. Jubilia let out her breath while remaining vigilant.

“He can’t attack me, so it’s safe here,” Saya said.

“But we won’t be able to reach the execution site like this. I’ll strike him down.”

“Can you?”

Jubilia turned to Saya and gave her a smile. She didn’t mean to, but she did anyway, despite the thick stench of blood in the air.

“Please command me to do so. If you do, I shall surely accomplish your will.”

Saya looked straight at Jubilia. She could see her own reflection in Saya’s eyes.

“Remove all obstructions before me, so that I may move on.”

“As you will.”

Jubilia leaped forth. This monstrous guard was strong. Far stronger than she was. Far stronger than Ivara, even. However, the pain and burden of Excitation Overdrive was beyond normal. It was likely proportional to the tremendous strength it granted.

So, what of Jubilia? She didn’t feel any pain or burden on her body right now. Her lady had ordered her to remove all enemies before her. The happiness she felt far exceeded anything else. A blood caliber was a noble’s pride, a manifestation of their spirit.

As I am now, I’m far stronger than any blood caliber. Such conviction overflowed within her. Jubilia stepped in, unburdened by doubt. The strength of her step shattered the palace floor. Using that momentum, she swung her sword straight down. The guards enormous weapon moved to intercept. It was far larger than her blade. Normally, Jubilia’s sword would shatter in this clash.

A stiff, dull sound rang in the air. It was the sound of a blood caliber breaking, signaling the end of the fight. Jubilia’s sword had sent cracks down the entire length of the enormous blade.

“Didn’t I tell you? I won’t lose to a bunch of ruffians who mistake who they’re meant to protect.”

Jubilia swung her sword once more. It drew a beautiful arc in the air, cutting through the cracked blade completely and slicing apart the guard’s body.

“Impossible...” Dimitri muttered in a daze. “Even if you were both using Excitation Overdrive, he was a high-ranking knight directly injected with Amrita. There’s no way he should’ve lost. Is the specimen the unknown factor?”

“It’s clear to me now,” Jubilia said, shaking her head. “You have no intention of treating Lady Saya. Seeing how you created such a monster, it would be disastrous to leave you at large.”

Jubilia brandished her blood caliber. Dimitri’s head tumbled to the floor with a thud. Right as she undid her Excitation, Jubilia sank to the floor. Now that her sense of exaltation from the battle was gone, the side effects of Excitation Overdrive were overwhelming her.

“Jubilia!”

“I’m fine. More importantly, we must hurry. There’s no time.”

Jubilia stood up and held out her hand to Saya. Saya’s slender fingers grasped her hand and helped pull her up.

Nagi watched the line of politicians come out, ending with Crow and Lernaean to the rear. He quietly drew an arrow from his quiver. Not yet. He wasn’t going to make a move until Lernaean showed a definitive opening. That was the plan.

“After fleeing, the False Sovereign Kyou incited Tainted and commoners alike to cause a revolt. He was already to be executed, but continued to pile on his sins. The weight of his crimes is beyond description. Do you have any objections?” Crow asked Kyou.

“They’re not Tainted. They’re Crestfolk,” Kyou answered, tied up atop the gallows.

“This isn’t the time for idiotic wordplay,” Lernaean cut in.

“Idiotic? Lernaean!” Kyou glared at Lernaean, who returned his gaze arrogantly. “Where is my sister?”

“I’m sure she’s watching from afar. There’s no way she’ll miss this. You’re about to be killed, after all.”

“What are you scheming? You should already have everything you want. You’ve taken over the palace after imposing my sister.”

“What slander. I have proper authority here, unlike you.”

Watching Lernaean smile, Kyou suddenly realized something.

“It can’t be...”

Their conversation was cut short. A man jumped out from the masses before they could. It was Keele. A step behind him, Bandore, Tess, and the other Crestfolk warriors leaped out. Nagi nocked his arrow, but in the next instant...

“All hands! Excitation!”

At Crow’s command, half of the politicians manifested their blood calibers. There were well over twenty of them. Knights had mixed in among the group.

“We knew you’d come!” Crow shouted. “Keep one of them alive! Nagi Strano is here! Exterminate the Tainted who dare defy the Sovereign!”

Keele dashed right for Lernaean, but was blocked by several knights.

“This isn’t the time for me to be playing with you,” Lernaean told him. “I’m busy waiting.”

“Quit spoutin’ bullshit!”

Keele swung his Halahala-coated sword, but the royal guards protecting Lernaean were strong.

“Well ain’t this some nice prey!”

Even now, Keele laughed like a wild man.

“Of course,” Lernaean said in astonishment. “They’re the elites of the royal guard. You’re the strange one for rivaling them despite being Crestfolk.”

“Thanks for the praise!”

“But what of everyone else?”

Just as Lernaean said, the Crestfolk as a whole were having a hard time. They had a slight advantage in numbers, but their opponents were blood caliber-wielding nobles. Even the Crestfolk who were accustomed to fighting were gradually being driven back. Only Bandore was holding his ground. His large axe was a threat even to the knights.

“Crow! You traitor!” Bandore yelled as he chased Crow.

“You’re the ones who betrayed the Sovereign!”

Crow fired his crossbow. Bandore dodged the shot in a panic as Tess closed in on Crow.

“How unexpected. I thought you’d run away immediately,” she said.

“I have my own circumstances!”

“So, Lernaean’s going to kill you if you don’t put on a good show?”

Crow fired his crossbow repeatedly as if to answer her. She dodged his bolts one after the other. Once he was out of ammunition, Crow tossed his weapon aside.

“Excitation!”

He now gripped a red spear in his hands.

“I see. So, you’re a noble now.”

“That’s right! And this isn’t all!”

Crow lunged at Tess. He’d largely avoided taking part in any fighting during the revolution; somehow, between then and this moment, he’d learned some spearmanship. His technique was shoddy. Normally, it wouldn’t be difficult for Tess to handle this much, but the strength and speed of his strikes were abnormal. She was slowly losing her ground.

“It’s thanks to Dr. Dimitri! I’ve obtained a way of gaining even more strength than nobles!”

“How low you’ve fallen, Crow!” Bandore shouted as he jumped in front of Tess.

“Fallen? Quite the contrary, I’ve reached an ever higher stage of life.”

“Is that what you wanted? I never liked you.”

“What a coincidence: the feeling is mutual.”

Bandore swung his axe wildly and closed in on Crow.

“An idiot like you is truly excruciating to handle,” Crow said as he backed off.

Bandore couldn’t reach him. He readied his axe once more, but seeing Crow ready his spear from an unreachable distance, Tess screamed.

“Dodge it! Bandore!”

Crow’s spear pierced through Bandore before he could react to her voice. His spear had extended in length.

“This is a blood caliber. It’s no simple spear. Do you understand now? You can’t win against nobles,” Crow declared coldly as he watched Bandore groan.

Crow pulled the spear out with a twist of the handle. He scowled at the intestines twined around the tip, then swung them off.

“Oops. I ended up killing him. I was ordered to toy around with you lot as long as possible.”

“You bastard!”

Tess charged in, but the difference in range between her spear and Crow’s blood caliber was far too large. Tess had lost her composure and let herself get pushed into a corner.

“I’ll be very careful not to kill you. I need you to lure out Nagi Strano.”

Tess couldn’t dodge his thrust; the spear’s tip found its mark in her right arm. The weapon easily tore through bone, leaving her hand dangling from a single piece of skin. Her scream echoed through the battlefield.

Saya and Jubilia rushed to a room in the palace where they could look down over the front gate. Jubilia was unsteady from using Excitation Overdrive, while Saya was in poor health. This led to it taking more time than they imagined.

There was supposed to be no small number of government officials and ladies of the court gathered there to watch the False Sovereign’s execution. However, as they got closer to their destination, they crossed paths with ladies running the other direction.

“What happened?” Jubilia asked one of them.

“It’s a Tainted rebellion!” one of them yelled, not stopping her flight.

“The Crestfolk?”

“It wouldn’t be strange for Nagi and the others to come to rescue Kyou. No, they’re definitely here. So long as they knew when and where the execution was taking place.”

Hearing this, Jubilia had a sudden revelation. “Oh no, this is a trap! Lord Lernaean plans on dealing with the leadership behind the Crestfolk, Nagi and Keele, right here and now!”

Realization dawned on Saya as she got her unsteady feet moving.

“Let’s hurry!”

Nagi looked down over the chaos. Bandore had died. Tess had lost an arm. Nagi reflexively held up his bow when he heard Tess scream. Crow had his spear held ready and was closing in on her. Nagi’s thoughts ran wild. He decided beforehand that he absolutely would not loose a single arrow until Lernaean showed an opening. Once he did, his position on the roof would be exposed.

All of the Crestfolk knew this was their very last chance. That was why they came out here so recklessly. They did so to grasp the future, even if they had to sacrifice each other. No matter what happened, Nagi had to save his arrow for Lernaean.

But...

“Huh?”

Crow looked down at the arrow sticking out of his chest. He couldn’t even say anything before dying in a daze. The arrow had pierced him square in the heart. At the corner of Nagi’s vision, he saw a curtain flutter from one of the palace windows. Was someone watching from there? Now wasn’t the time to be worrying about that, though.

Nagi quickly nocked another arrow and took aim at Lernaean. He knew full well he was being naïve for thinking Lernaean wouldn’t notice. And sure enough...

“Excitation.”

Nagi felt like Lernaean’s quiet voice reached his ears. Just by moving his finger ever so slightly, Lernaean shattered the arrow the moment before it hit him.

“Nagi Strano is here. On top of the building. After him!”

The knights all turned to Nagi in unison at Lernaean’s command.

Crap. Now that they know I’m here, I’m not going to hit anything, no matter how many arrows I use. At most, I can block them off.

He didn’t have the time for that, however. The knights flooded toward Nagi’s building. The exits were all sealed before he could make his escape. Nothing could be done now. That was when Nagi realized this was exactly the trap Lernaean had prepared for them. This was all for the sake of catching Nagi and Keele.

He was frustrated. How much were things going exactly as Lernaean planned? In just a little more time, Nagi was sure to be mercilessly cut down by the knights. The Crestfolk fighting below would also die. Everything Nagi tried to protect was slipping through his fingers. Then, he would die.

As he steeled himself for death, however, something terribly beautiful entered his field of vision. They were small red lights. Nagi covered his eyes on reflex, recognizing them instantly. The lights were scales scattered from the wings of blood-colored butterflies. Those in the plaza began collapsing one after the other. And behind that curtain in the palace...

“Saya, you... can’t...”

Nagi wasn’t able to say anymore. Upon being touched by a butterfly, his consciousness flew away.

“Is this... Saya?” Tess muttered.

Saya wasn’t supposed to be allowed to use her royal caliber. That was why Nagi had to suffer so much. But right now, in front of her eyes, her royal caliber filled the plaza. Knights, gentry, civilians—they crumpled to the ground like discarded dolls, one after another. Mesmerized by the swarm of butterflies, Tess’ grip on her open wound slackened, and arterial spray gushed from her stump. A detachment of butterflies halted in midair, momentarily drawn by the blood, then lost interest and rejoined the murmuration. Just as it had during the siege of the palace, Saya’s caliber was as effective as a passing breeze on Crestfolk.

“Wait, damn you!”

Tess spun Keele’s way at the sound of his outcry as he chased Lernaean into the palace. Tess shivered at the sight. Lernaean had been seized by a fit of manic laughter. For a moment she thought the butterflies had ignored him, until she saw a small flock tailing him smash to pieces, just like Nagi’s arrow.

Even Keele couldn’t catch up to Lernaean, so long as he used the full extent of his inhuman strength. Lernaean quickly rounded a corner and vanished into the palace. The crimson butterflies burned away in a drawn-out flash of phosphorescence. Having lost his prey, Keele sized up his surroundings and ran to Tess.

“He got you good, huh? Lemme see that. Clench your teeth.”

With that, Keele used the knife at his waist to cut off a piece of cloth from his sleeve and tied off her wound. The shooting agony dyed her vision a strange color. Tess clenched her teeth so hard she thought she would break her own jaw trying to hold in her scream.

“Your arm’s hangin’ by a thread. It’s just gonna get in the way danglin’ around like that. Ready?”

Keele cut loose Tess’ arm without waiting for an answer. Intense pain once more ran through her body. It was mystifying that she didn’t lose consciousness.

“You really got done in good,” he said.

“It was Crow. He got Bandore, too.”

“That Crow?” Keele asked, shooting the corpse a furtive glance.

Tess nodded. “Nagi killed him.”

“I see.”

Keele gave Crow’s body a second look; this time his attention was fixed in place. Tess couldn’t see what kind of emotion laid behind his eyes.

“Sorry. Nagi was protecting me...”

“Who cares? Tess, take Kyou and hide somewhere. When you get around to it, Nagi should be collapsed up on that roof; give him a nice wake-up smack. He can’t be draggin’ ass now. The royal caliber does a number on commoners, but not nearly as much of one as nobles get. He’ll perk up right away.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m gonna kill that guy. Everyone in the palace should be passed out. Now’s the time to get ’im. I can’t let this chance go.”

“I’ll go—”

“You’ll just get in the way with your arm like that.”

Tess had no choice but to keep her silence.

“See ya,” Keele told her before he took off again.

He didn’t even give her a parting glance. In that regard, he hadn’t changed since the day he left Garuga.

The surviving Crestfolk spotted Tess and ran over. By some miracle, better than half of the crew were still standing, though it was dubious how much longer that would last. Some were less intact than Tess. She couldn’t decide whether the fact that they’d held their own against the royal guard was a good sign or not. She recalled what Crow had said: they had been kept alive to lure Nagi out. The nobles were toying with them.

Tess picked out the handful of allies who were relatively lightly wounded to get Nagi and Kyou. She asked another to kindle a fire and took a seat. She felt dizzy from losing so much blood. Her body was cold. She sat there, weathering the waves of pain as someone brought Kyou’s unconscious body over. A short while later, Nagi arrived.

“Tess, you okay?”

“I’m not dead, at least.”

“Great.”

“Like hell. Why did you save me? That wasn’t your job.”

Nagi thought it over a bit. “Because I wanted you to live.”

“Why? I can’t even leave behind my blood for the future.”

“Blood isn’t all there is to leave behind for the future. The Crestfolk are a family with bonds deeper than blood, right? Didn’t you tell me we were family?”

Nagi’s words opened the floodgates within Tess’ heart. She wasn’t able to attach a name to her feelings. The world took on a clarity and luster that enthralled her and tied knots in her throat. Tears poured from her eyes.

“Are you okay? Does it hurt?” Nagi asked.

“I’m missing an arm, you idiot. Of course it hurts.”

“Right. Sorry.”

He couldn’t have realized the real reason for her tears.

“What happened? That was the royal caliber, right?” Nagi asked.

Tess felt a spike of anger. “I think so. The butterflies vanished a short while ago.”

“Even though Saya’s body won’t hold out if she uses it...”

Even now, Saya was still the only thing on Nagi’s mind. Tess seethed.

How did I fall for a guy like this? she thought to herself.

“But she still used it. To protect her brother. To protect us,” Tess said, pausing to look Nagi in the eyes. “To protect you.”

Nagi looked up at the palace. “I... I have to go.”

That’s what I thought you’d say.

“Keele’s already headed that way; he’s after Lernaean’s hide,” Tess said.

She looked around; None of the survivors looked like they were in any shape to fight.

“Tess. Take care of Garuga Village for me.”

“I can’t go with you?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

“No.”

“Because I’ll get in the way?”

“No. Didn’t I tell you already? I want you to live, Tess. Take everyone with you. I’ll be fine on my own.”

He turned to run off, but Tess stopped him.

“Nagi, wait. Take this with you.”

She took off the necklace he’d given her.

“Saya saved us. She isn’t our enemy, right?” she said. Nagi’s eyes widened and trembled. “So I’ll give this back to you.”

He nodded and accepted the necklace. It was the first time in a while that Tess saw the face of the man she fell for; the stupid man who single-mindedly chased after Saya.

“Go. We’ll wait for you two to get back. We’ll protect the village until you do, however long it takes. So come back quick.”

Nagi gave her a nod, hung the necklace around his neck, and ran off after the girl he loved. Tess watched his back until he vanished into the palace, burning the image into her memory. She prayed nothing would mend that scar for the rest of time.

“Lady Saya! Lady Saya!”

Saya finally came around, at Jubilia’s unrelenting urging.

“Jubilia...?” she muttered, opening her heavy eyelids. “What... happened?”

Saying that was all it took to send her into a coughing fit. Her lungs felt like they were covered in rust.

“You used your royal caliber,” Jubilia told her, trying to conceal the note of regret that threatened to creep into her voice.

When they reached the room overlooking the execution site, Jubilia and Saya were greeted with the sight of the Crestfolk driven against the wall. The moment they saw an arrow loosed at Lernaean, they both recognized who was responsible in an instant. Saya didn’t hesitate to use the royal caliber if it meant saving him.

“Everyone in the plaza and the palace grounds have lost consciousness. For some reason, I’m the only one you didn’t catch...”

Saya nodded back to her. She was still holding Jubilia’s hand when she unleashed the royal caliber. Like any noble, a part of her that existed beneath the strata of conscious thought and language understood its workings.

Jubilia stood up and looked down into the plaza. The people on the gallows had vanished in the chaos.

“The Crestfolk are untouched as well. It seems they’ve taken Lord Kyou and escaped. Also...”

Jubilia cut herself off. Saya tried to get up and look for herself, but staggered and fell back to the floor. Jubilia bore her up in a fluster. Something fell from Saya’s head as she groaned in pain. The realization of what it was shocked Jubilia into silence.

“What’s wrong?” Saya asked.

“U-Um... Y-Your hair...”

Saya tried touching her own head.

“Huh?”

Her hair wrapped around her fingers and came out completely. That wasn’t all. What once had a silver luster was now a dirty white.

“What’s happening?” Jubilia muttered, watching the complexion vanish from Saya’s skin.

Jubilia knew what to call it, but it wasn’t supposed to happen to the Sovereign. Aging. Saya was rapidly aging. It was impossible. Jubilia stood dumbfounded as an entirely different voice answered her question.

“Lady Saya, you have been abandoned by the Sovereign’s Blood.”

“Lernaean...!”

Jubilia turned around at Saya’s voice. And there he was. Lernaean. Somehow, he had escaped the effects of the royal caliber. He looked different; his presence was even more overwhelming than usual. Jubilia’s body nearly fell to one knee before him, and she found she couldn’t force herself out of the pose. It was as if...

“Can you feel it?” he asked with a haughty smile. The air about him was the same as when Saya used her royal caliber.

It can’t be...

“Having used up all of her strength, Lady Saya has been abandoned by the Sovereign’s Blood. The power of the Sovereign has been inherited by the next worthy successor. You can feel it, can’t you? I am your new Sovereign.”

Jubilia’s brain told her it was impossible, but her mind was completely betrayed by her instincts. Her noble blood screamed at her that this man was the Sovereign.

“You look like you don’t understand. It’s a simple matter. The True Sovereign Saya had a twin brother, but the False Sovereign Kyou wasn’t the real thing. So, one might ask, where was the real brother all this time?”

Lernaean gazed off into the distance.

“Being granted a long life without purpose only brings suffering. Only when one acquires hope does their life become their own. I’m sure you don’t remember, but we were taught these words when we were young.”

“Lernaean...” Saya said in a trembling voice. “You’re... my little brother?”

“That’s right, sister. My little secret.”

“Why have you kept silent all this time?”

“If it came out that I was royalty, Gratos would have surely killed me. That man would do anything to protect the transient order he created using the False Sovereign Kyou. All this, even though he knew this isn’t how the world was meant to be. What a foolish man.”

Jubilia’s mind raced. Everything was falling into place. Everything Lernaean had done, the audacity and resolve he’d shown trying to push his plan for the world forward...

“That means... Everything... Absolutely everything up until now...” she muttered.

“Yes,” Lernaean picked up where she left off. “all so I could inherit the Sovereign’s Blood, so that I can return this world to its original state, as the Intelligence intended for us. Under my rule, there will be no commoners clinging feebly to life, no nobles living in constant flight from their own thirst; only a race of true immortals.”

He looked down at his right hand. It was lined with a red haze.

“How dreadful. Even now it feels like it will flood out. Sister, this is the first time I’ve felt respect for you. You’ve kept such a thing suppressed all these centuries?” Lernaean said, looking down at Saya. “But having lost your power, you’ve begun to age... How unsightly.”

His eyes were filled with kindness and pity.

“The least I can do is send you off while you’re still beautiful.”

A crest took shape on the back of Lernaean’s hand—the exact same as Saya’s. The moment she caught on to his imminent Excitation, Jubilia leapt up purely on instinct. In the next instant, her limbs were torn to shreds. Though she had no idea what happened, she still managed to shield Saya.

“Lady Saya! Please run away!”

“But Jubilia!”

“I forgot—I saw Nagi enter the palace. Run away with him. You’re not a Sovereign anymore. You’re free now.”

“Jubilia,” Lernaean interrupted. “I’ll forgive you if you serve me once more. Talented nobles like you are worthy of eternal life.”

Jubilia stood up. She groaned at the strain of carrying her weight on her shredded legs. For reasons she couldn’t understand, she found herself smiling.

“I decline,” she told him bluntly.

“Excitation.”

A shock ran through Jubilia’s left arm. After a short pause, a jolt of agony assaulted her body. Her arm was gone from the elbow down. Blood fountained from the stump.

My arm. I sank so many years of training into that...

“I’ll ask you once more. Serve me. If you act quickly, you might keep that arm.”

“I’m telling you... I decline... I swore to serve Lady Saya. She is my true liege.”

“Even if I let you go now, Saya will wither to nothing without her power.”

“Then I have all the more reason to turn you down. I cannot allow my liege to die before me.”

Saya remained unmoving.

“Lady Saya,” Jubilia said, her back still turned to her. “I’m a knight. If I were to betray you here, I would no longer be myself.”

She kept her gaze fixed on her enemy. Regardless, Jubilia knew the face her beloved Sovereign was making.

“Please. Run away. Live your own life, even if it’s short. I’ll be doing the same.”

Saya’s hand touched Jubilia’s back. Jubilia etched that feeling into her mind.

“Jubilia... thank you for everything.”

“Likewise. I’m truly happy I found a ruler worth serving.”

Jubilia focused on the sensation of Saya’s touch as she used her remaining hand to fish out her last bottle of Amrita.

“Excitation Overdrive.”

She was told that repeated use in a short period of time would have serious side effects. She didn’t care anymore. She didn’t need to think about what came after this. Blood poured from Jubilia’s entire body, pooling on the floor. A portion of it took on the shape of a slender sword. Jubilia’s fingers wrapped into a firm but gentle hold on its grip. She had never felt more like a knight.

“Are you prepared?” Lernaean asked, watching her steel herself.

“Thank you for waiting.”

“There is no need for thanks. There’s something I’d like to test here. Come at me.”

Jubilia readied her sword, despite her suspicions. If Lernaean was serious, there’d be nothing she could do. His last attack was totally inscrutable to her, and as such impossible to dodge. This brief moment of his condescension was the only opening she was going to get. If she could get just one strike in, she’d give Saya a fighting chance to escape.

Jubilia steadied her breathing. In this moment, she forgot everything about the burning pain in her body and her missing arm. Her greatest strength was her thrust; her sword embodied that strength.

She let out a wordless war cry and stepped in. In that single step, she thrust forth her blood caliber. Borrowing the power of Amrita, Jubilia unleashed the greatest thrust of her entire life, forged through hundreds of millions of repetitions. Lernaean casually held out his hand and accepted her blade. Jubilia didn’t flinch, pushing forward to skewer his heart. Her sword came to a halt the moment it pierced his palm. Jubilia realized that Lernaean’s regenerating flesh must have killed her momentum.

“Just as I thought!” Lernaean yelled, his eyes shining with a fiery blaze. “So the Sovereign really can’t be wounded by a blood caliber! Just as a noble can’t be injured by a commoner’s blade! Even Excitation Overdrive is meaningless before this power!”

Lernaean laughed, the sword still lodged in his right hand. His body tensed, and his regenerating flesh shattered Jubilia’s sword. She had nothing left but a stub of a blade gripped in her hand.

“Allow me to thank you. Farewell, Jubilia.”

Jubilia sensed the tremendous aura of the royal caliber overflowing from Lernaean. His attack missed by a large margin, however. Jubilia shrieked. Her left leg was missing entirely. She collapsed, but her hand kept a firm grip on her broken sword.

“I missed,” Lernaean muttered, then attacked once more.

This time, it took Jubilia’s right leg. Everything from her knee down was reduced to a bloody mist. He was trifling with her. Tears poured from her eyes. She wanted to scream with every breath. Regardless, her one remaining hand kept its grip on her sword. She was too far gone to explain why.

“I wonder if this will suffice?”

Lernaean gripped Jubilia by the collar and lifted her mangled body into the air like a sack. A small droplet of blood fell from his palm and dripped onto her brow. In that instant, her frozen thoughts began to thaw.

Still aloft in his grip, she swung her broken sword. Lernaean didn’t even try to dodge her feeble blow. At the very least, she wanted to make as large a gash as possible.

Lernaean paid her parting shot no mind.“How futile...” he said. “Excitation.”

The wounded flesh beneath his torn clothes regenerated instantly, yet still left a scar. Seeing that, Jubilia felt a pang of satisfaction.

Lady Saya, please...

She was torn to shreds by Lernaean’s royal caliber. By the time he tossed aside her head like garbage, there was nothing left in her that could feel a thing.

Saya desperately stumbled down the palace corridors toward the exit. Running was no longer an option; it took everything she had just to move. It was like her body didn’t belong to her. Her limbs felt like they were cast from lead. Her joints creaked with every movement.

The time she had once traveled Agartha on foot seemed so long ago. As she approached a staircase, her legs gave out beneath her, depositing her limp form on the polished tiles. This pitiful state of hers was crushing her heart.

Still, Jubilia put her life on the line so I could get away. I can’t possibly give up now.

She placed her hand on a windowsill and mustered the strength to pull herself up. She caught her own reflection in the glass. She had dull white hair, wrinkled skin, and gaunt cheeks. She didn’t recognize her own image. This, she understood, was exactly the same as that chief she saw in Strano Village, and Zamin in Garuga Village. Time was taking hold of her.

“No way...”

She recalled Lernaean’s words. The Sovereign’s Blood had abandoned her. If the Sovereign’s Blood was what granted her eternal life, then it was plain to see what would happen in its absence. The debt of centuries of life was being repaid all at once. She had minutes left, at best.

I have to hurry.

I have to see Nagi before I die.

That’s all I want.

But one step further down the staircase, Saya came to a realization.

I’m not the girl Nagi knows anymore. I’m a shriveled up, dirty, unfamiliar thing. Will he even recognize me?

There was no way he could. The strength left Saya’s legs as she lost her footing once more. She fell from just a little higher this time, but the pain convinced her she’d shattered her bones. Depending on how she landed, if she tumbled down the stairs now, she was liable to die. She couldn’t allow herself to go out in such a pathetic manner, but as she stretched out to reach the handrail, her arm refused to move the way she wanted and grasped at empty air instead.

Lernaean stood still, gazing down at the ruins of his subordinate. It was a depressing sight. Despite being a lower-ranked noble, she had put her blood, sweat, and tears into her pursuit of chivalry. Such people were exactly what the new world needed. But Jubilia had betrayed him. She didn’t even try to understand his ideals. He had no choice but to kill her. It was such a waste.

He could catch up to Saya whenever he wanted to, but Lernaean refrained. The majority of the power of the Sovereign’s Blood had already transferred to him, but the process would only end when Saya died. By his estimate, she had about fifteen minutes. He had no need to go out of his way to chase her.

He had another reason—one he’d be less inclined to admit. The royal caliber’s burden on his body couldn’t be compared to a blood caliber’s. He felt like a moment of laxity would be enough to make him lose consciousness. Lernaean had centuries of training in the mastery of his blood caliber; he knew how to rein in the royal caliber to the bare minimum of its output. It was perfectly natural for Saya to collapse, deploying it at full power every time. He would be the next to be abandoned by the Sovereign’s Blood if he overused it.

Still, Lernaean believed he could remake the world with this power. For that purpose, he had made preparations for this very moment over the centuries. Born as Saya’s twin brother, Lernaean was abducted during the chaos at the time of Agartha’s creation and declared missing. The Granapalt family raised him in secrecy. Eventually, he became their tool to usurp the Sovereign’s throne.

Lernaean had no intentions of being his family’s tool. When he became an adult, he spent two centuries subverting House Granapalt. He murdered everyone in the line of succession to Lord Granapalt, manipulated the current lord to appoint him as his adopted child, then assassinated him a hundred years later. It went off without a hitch. By the time he rose to a position in Congress, no one doubted his identity. Nobody was even aware he was a survivor from the era of creation.

And then the opportunity finally arrived. Saya’s escape was never part of the plan, but besides that, nearly everything went exactly as he hoped. Now, in the culmination of an age’s efforts, the Sovereign’s Blood was his. Lernaean clenched his fist. A crest surfaced. The power within it was a tangible sign of his victory.

His breathing finally steady, Lernaean began to walk. He was headed in a different direction from Saya. There was only one place for him to go: the throne. He had to sit down there and ponder his next move. As always, he had all the time in the world. He had no more enemies, after all.

The path was filled with nobles and menials rendered unconscious by Saya’s royal caliber.

“Like this?”

These were perfect practice targets. His royal caliber tore the fallen nobles to shreds—far from the outcome Lernaean had imagined. His preference was to use his weapon on a far smaller scale, cutting only the vitals. He was having difficulties maintaining any kind of fine manipulation. He didn’t mean to kill Jubilia in such a gruesome manner, even if it was suitable recompense for her betrayal.

Lernaean walked on, cutting apart bodies one after another. The fallen died before they could regain consciousness. These losses wouldn’t be a problem. They were worms who coveted peace within the palace. They weren’t necessary within the proper order Lernaean aspired to build. Only the truly outstanding would remain. Dying for Lernaean’s sake like this was the highest purpose of their lives. In any case, controlling the royal caliber required far more troubleshooting than he imagined.

“Missed again...” he muttered to himself.

“That so?”

Lernaean turned to the new voice, spotting the Crestfolk swordsman—one of Cobalt’s pets. He was the first to act during the execution. Lernaean had met many people over his long years. Few were worth remembering, but this man was one of them.

“Keele Strano.”

“Oooh, His Excellency the Prime Minister knows my name! I’m so honored.”

“Not the prime minister any longer. I’m the Sovereign.”

Keele cocked his head. He was insensible to the power of the royal caliber.

“How regrettable it is that you’re Crestfolk. If you were anything else, you would’ve been worthy of living in the new world.”

“Well thank fuck for that. I don’t want no part of this new world you’re makin’.”

“The whining of a sore loser.”

“We don’t know who’s gonna lose until we go at it. Otherwise it ain’t a real fight!”

Keele readied his sword slick with Halahala and charged Lernaean. His swordsmanship was completely different from a knight’s. Lernaean dodged, but the sword’s tip blurred like a mirage. Keele shifted his center of gravity slightly and pivoted on his left foot. Lernaean was deeply impressed as he weaved around the strike. An average knight would be helpless before this man. This was the art of a self-taught master—a once-in-a-generation genius.

“Aah... Truly a waste to lose such talent and techniques,” Lernaean muttered, stirring the royal caliber to action.

Countless slashes wrapped around Keele’s body, but just as expected, his aim was off. Keele’s body blossomed with gashes, his vitals untouched. They weren’t shallow by any metric, but he showed no sign of slowing. Sure enough, Keele immediately regained his footing and stood at the ready.

“Do you see now? This is the power of the Sovereign,” Lernaean said, observing the shock on Keele’s face.

“The Sovereign...? What’s with all the showy crap? It’s totally different from before.”

Lernaean grimaced. “From before? Do you know about my blood caliber?”

“I know all ’bout you. Your old man is Norg Edel Trouta lo Granapalt, the guy who decided two hundred years ago every Crestfolk’s gotta go under the knife.”

“Hmm, what a nostalgic name. But unfortunately, you’re wrong. My adoptive father’s name was attached to the proposal, but the real credit is all mine.”

Today really is a day for reminiscing, Lernaean thought to himself. Keele’s lips curved into a smile like a crescent moon hanging overhead.

“I see. So it really was you.”

Lernaean felt an ominous chill seeing this man’s earnest smile.

“I’ve been lookin’ for you all this time... For the guy who stole my pride, that is.”

“Your pride?”

“They fucked with my body. Made a whole show of it. Didn’t bother using anesthesia. Those goddamn nobles laughed every time I screamed. I’ll never forget that humiliation. I’ve survived until now to butcher the one who did that to me.”

“So long as I possess the royal caliber, that will have to remain a fantasy.”

“Blood calibers fall apart when they lose contact with their owner. ’Cept yours, for some reason. That’s the way your blood caliber works. “Oooohh, it’s a whip, don’t mind me, I’m just your garden variety vampire”—eat my whole ass. I know what a whip cuts like.”

“Wonderful. Only a few people have seen through its true nature over the ages. You’re the only one who still lives. My blood caliber is a flying blade. It’s far too quick to be seen by the eye, but just to complete the picture for you, it’s shaped like a butterfly. As royalty, my blood caliber’s nature has always been closest to the Sovereign’s.”

“So, it’s just like Nagi said.”

“Your little brother... Was he the one to figure it out?”

Nagi Strano. The boy blundered into Lernaean’s plans by meeting Saya. By his initial evaluation of the boy he would be of no further consequence, but looking back on it, his role in the revolution was essential. It was difficult to see, but perhaps that boy truly did possess something outstanding. He, at least, could be preserved if he wished to live, even if there was no saving the elder Strano. Lernaean could always have him disappeared if he proved disappointing.

“He’s just that kinda guy. He gets all clever at times like these. He’s always screwin’ up, but he gets things right when there’s real skin in the game.”

“When it comes to his most important decision, I wonder—will that thread of genius you see in him hold true? Will he bend the knee to me?”

“What a haughty-ass... The Sovereign, huh? Ain’t the little lady the Sovereign?”

“Piece by piece, I inherit her power. When I have drained the last of it, she will be dust, and I will reach the fullness of the Sovereign’s strength. It won’t be long now.”

“That the reason you’re doin’ so much target practice? I gotta show a little gratitude for you takin’ the time to explain your whole business; now there’s all sortsa shit I gotta try. Let’s get it on!”

Keele leapt in once more. Lernaean moved to intercept.

“You still can’t use that power right, huh? Your aim is shit!”

Keele bent backward. A few blades scratched him, but he was beyond caring. His movements were fascinating. Keele flowed into a vicious remise, digging his blade into Lernaean’s body. He managed to avoid a fatal blow, but Lernaean couldn’t dodge the strike entirely. There was no need for him to dodge at all, really. He simply did so out of habit.

“A blood caliber can never prosper against the Sovereign. Halahala is no different. Jubilia didn’t understand this; she fought to the very end.”

“Like I thought... That scar on your chest is from her, ain’t it?”

“Hmm. I’m surprised you could tell.”

“I’ve had that woman’s sword on my mind every night, all so I can beat her next time.”

Keele steadied his breathing as he spoke. It was clear he would strike if Lernaean showed the slightest opening.

“Your dream will have to remain unfulfilled. Jubilia is dead—consumed by her own folly. No matter how much she trained, her sword could never reach the Sovereign. All she accomplished in her desperation was tearing my clothes.”

There was still a scar on his chest, but the wound itself had sealed.

“She died in vain,” he said, clearly provoking Keele.

“Don’t you dare say that!”

Keele unleashed a chain of strikes. Lernaean evaded them and retaliated with his royal caliber. As usual, his aim was off, but this time he left a deep cut in Keele’s stomach.

“That’s a hit.”

“I can still move!”

“Still, it’ll be dangerous if that wound isn’t closed soon. Have you considered giving up?”

Blood stained Keele’s clothes. He acted calm, but sweat was beginning to pour from his brow.

“I should be askin’ you that question. I’ve got your whole style pinned down in my head now.”

Keele went back on the offensive. His movements were marvelous. It was unbelievable, considering the wound he had sustained. He wasn’t bluffing, either. Even when Lernaean unleashed his royal caliber, he could only inflict minor scratches now. He no longer had the means to deliver a clean blow.

Lernaean truly regretted the loss of Keele’s talent. In such a short time, he had outmatched Lernaean for sheer martial prowess. Lernaean was slowly being pushed back. On the other hand, even though Lernaean couldn’t deal a decisive blow, Keele’s wounds were gradually multiplying. None of the cuts were deep, but combined with the bleeding from his stomach, it would take its toll in time. Keele seemed intent on settling this before that happened.

“Splendid. You’re pushing me back one move at a time. You’d make a masterful chess player. But sadly enough, you have no way of securing a checkmate. You’ll just die.”

“Says you.”

Lernaean met Keele’s eyes between blows. There was an insatiable lust for blood in Keele’s gaze. He was like a beast. He didn’t doubt that he could kill Lernaean in the least.

“I’ll prove to you that Jubilia didn’t die in vain.”

Keele thrust at Lernaean’s heart with all the brawn he had to muster. Such an attack couldn’t wound him. There was no need to dodge. Rather, accepting the blow would give Lernaean the opening he needed to kill Keele. In the moment before both men’s gambits resolved, a chill assaulted Lernaean’s body.

In that instant, he forgot about the limitations he had placed on himself. He unleashed the royal caliber at its full power at the threat before him. Agony ran through Lernaean’s entire body, even though he had used it for just a split second.

The countless soaring blades tore Keele apart, but his killing intent far surpassed Lernaean’s imagination. Despite his shredded body, Keele kept his momentum, his blade planting firmly into Lernaean. He felt actual pain for the second time that day. Keele couldn’t keep his arm steady; the thrust meant for Lernaean’s heart found its mark in the base of his right arm.

Keele collapsed, blood bursting from his entire body. No part of him was left unscathed. His right leg was torn apart, and his entire left arm was missing. His abdomen looked like it had been scooped out by the grasping claw of some massive predator. Regardless, Lernaean lost far more. The burden of the royal caliber’s exertion tormented him. His right arm no longer moved as he willed it. The wound itself sealed when he uprooted Keele’s sword, but he still couldn’t feel his arm. Lernaean drew shallow, ragged breaths as he looked down at the man who dealt him this wound. He was still conscious, but not for much longer.

“Stop... Wait the fuck up...”

Surprisingly, Keele could still talk. Lernaean ignored him and kept walking. He wanted to reach his throne and sit down. He had to get some rest. He couldn’t afford to lose consciousness now. Lernaean pressed on toward his victory, just like he always had.

Saya lost her footing on the stairs and fell into someone’s arms.

“Huh. You dropped in on me this time.”

She knew who it was; it came as naturally as breathing.

“No... Nagi... Don’t look...”

She averted her eyes. She couldn’t run away in his arms like this, so it was all she could do. Nagi gasped in shock at the sight of her face. It pained her heart.

“I’m not the Saya you love anymore, Nagi.”

“What happened?”

“I used the royal caliber too much... The Sovereign’s Blood is Lernaean’s now. He’s my little brother... My life will run out soon. I’m dying.”

Nagi acted as if he only heard her last two words.

“You’re... dying?”

“Yes. In ten... maybe twenty minutes.”

Saya already knew how much time she had left. That cruel clock marked the passage of time within her body with pitiless constancy. It was impossible to stop and impossible to ignore.

“I’m glad we could meet one last time... but I didn’t want you to see me like this...”

Saya’s heart was caught in a tailspin of delight, regret, and despair. Her heart was weak now, but it still thumped loudly.

“I’m glad I found you,” Nagi said, his voice reverberating in her ears.

Aah... How I yearned to hear this voice... this gentle echo I sought and sought and sought, then lost...

“Sorry... I betrayed all of you.”

“It’s fine. I finally figured out what you’ve been going through. I can’t stand the thought of you dying before me.”

Nagi hugged her tight. The strength of his grip cemented the reality that he was here with her.

“How can I save you?” he asked.

It was just like him to cast aside every sign of futility until the world had taken everything from him.

Sorry...

“It’s useless now. I can tell.”

Saya’s death drew closer with every second.

“You said the Sovereign’s Blood went to Lernaean, right? If I defeat him, will it come back to you?”

“I’m not dying because I lost the Sovereign’s Blood. It left me because my body reached its limit. I’m going to die no matter what.”

“I don’t want you to!”

Saya finally turned to face Nagi and looked him in the eyes. He was crying. She felt like this was the first time she had seen his tears.

“It’s no use. That’s just my lifespan.” Saya smiled gently. It was beyond her to explain why, but seeing Nagi cry, her fear of her impending death and aging body vanished. She felt a new warmth in its stead.

“I won’t leave you. I’ll stay with you until the end,” Nagi told her.

“Even though I’m so ugly?”

“You’re not ugly. Now matter what you look like, you’re still Saya. I love you.”

Aah... How can he say such a thing? I’m all wrinkled up. I smell bad. My hair is a mess. But Nagi still tells me he loves me.

“Nagi, you told me I can decide what to do with my own life. I could never decide, though. Gratos, Lernaean, Jubilia, and you... I always left things to others. But I can finally say this for myself.”

I have to put my hopes into words.

“I also... want to stay with you until the very end.”

Nagi nodded.

How blessed I am... At the very end of this long life, I finally found happiness. Compared to this moment, those centuries were so dull. Even if it’s just a single fleeting moment, I can die satisfied now. That’s why I don’t need courage to say what I need to.

“But—sorry. Nagi, I still have something I need to do.”

For some reason, Nagi smiled. “You’re right. Let’s go stop Lernaean.”

“How did you know?”

“I’ve been thinking all this time. I was the one who started this fight... We started it. That’s why we have to end it. You were thinking the same thing, weren’t you? I can tell.”

Tears spilled from Saya’s eyes. She thought their hearts had been separate all this time, but Nagi was thinking the same thing she was. He still shared her hardships.

“Lernaean is trying to exterminate the Crestfolk,” Nagi continued. “So long as he lives, the people of Garuga Village can’t survive. This chance you’ve given us by taking out all the guards is the only shot we’ve got.”

“Even if it kills you?”

“We’ve lost so many friends. Enemies too. I’m sure we’ll lose more. I’ve killed plenty myself. I can’t be an exception forever. I don’t have much time left to begin with. Let’s go together. Can you walk?”

“I can. Let me down. I have a little strength left. Besides...”

When Nagi hugged her, she realized that so long as she had that, she would be fine. Hearing her, Nagi nodded and held out his hand. Saya squeezed it. His rough fingers were warm.

“Let’s go together.”

34

Nagi walked on, holding Saya’s withered hand. Her fingers were slender to begin with, but now they were skin and bones. It wasn’t difficult to figure out which way Lernaean went. They simply had to follow the trail of shredded bodies.

“He’s killing nobles?” Nagi muttered.

“Lernaean is trying to build a world where only people he has chosen exist.”

“We can’t let him do that.”

“Right.”

Nagi matched Saya’s steady pace. Once he reacclimated to the sight of the corpses, he spotted someone he knew among them.

“Keele?!”

His entire body was stained red. He’d lost an arm and a leg. Nagi ran over to the body; the husk of his brother stirred and began to speak.

“Nagi...? Kept me... waitin’...” Nagi could hear things inside Keele break under the strain of his own voice.

“Don’t talk!”

“No... I’m done for... already... Hm...?” Keele’s bloody eyelids opened; he looked up at Saya. “You’ve sure... shriveled up...”

“I have,” Saya replied with an honest nod.

“So, you’re still alive... That means... Heheh... Right on... We still... got a chance...” There was a bright spark in Keele’s eyes. “Lernaean’s... Sovereign’s Blood... is still... incomplete... as long... as you’re alive...”

Saya nodded. Despite Keele’s ragged breaths, he smiled in delight.

“Nagi... Gimme your hand...”

He used his one remaining arm to pull a bottle from his pocket. Nagi caught it as it slipped from his grip and fell toward the floor.

“This is... the last of my Halahala...”

Keele broke into a painful coughing fit. Blood, spit, and bile poured out of his mouth.

“Keele!”

“Calm down... Listen... Blood calibers... and Halahala... don’t work on the Sovereign... But so long... as the little lady... still lives... the Sovereign’s Blood... is incomplete...”

He stared into Nagi’s eyes. Nagi hated his older brother’s gaze. It always felt like he was looking right through him.

“Lernaean’s got... a scar... on his chest... Jubilia’s... last strike...”

“Is Jubilia...?” Saya asked.

Keele shook his head. Saya bit her lip.

“She didn’t... die in vain... There’s still... a scar... Normally... there wouldn’t be one... You get me...?”

Nagi nodded.

“Aim for... his heart... and brain...”

Nagi clenched the Halahala in his hand. Keele nodded in satisfaction. After another coughing fit, his voice grew even weaker.

“His royal caliber... is a buncha... flying... invisible blades... There’s a lot of ’em... but dodge ’em all...”

“Got it,” Nagi replied with a nod.

“Get goin’ already...” Keele said, closing his eyes.

“Right. Saya, let’s go.”

Nagi stood up and turned his back to Keele, squeezing Saya’s hand. The quiet breathing behind him gradually faded out.

“Bye, Keele.”

There was no response. Nagi’s vision blurred, but he walked on without looking back.

He sat atop the throne. His whole body was stained with blood—his own and that of others. Even through ragged breaths, he lorded over the ones who appeared before him. He had a gash at the base of his right arm covered in dried blood.

“Nagi Strano and Saya.”

“We’ve come to stop you,” Saya declared.

A smile crept on Lernaean’s face. “I have the power of the Sovereign. Jubilia and Keele Strano broke against me before either could accomplish anything.”

Nagi stared into Lernaean’s eyes. “They did accomplish something. Doesn’t that wound on your arm hurt? Keele did that, right? Looks like you still can’t move it.”

“When that decrepit woman dies, this wound will pass into memory with her.”

“I’m going to kill you before it can.”

Nagi readied his bow, but Lernaean sat unmoving.

“Let’s see you try.”

“You just going to sit there?”

“A king has no need to leave his throne.”

“Liar,” Saya cut in. “You can’t move. You’ve used too much of the royal caliber. It’s useless to try and hide it. I can tell. I can feel it through the Sovereign’s Blood, just a little.”

“So what? It would take so little effort to crush the both of you.”

Lernaean held up his left hand. Nagi made his move, expecting him to lash out with his caliber. His arrow shot true, bearing down on his heart, but shattered before it could reach its target. Lernaean had gotten the hang of using the royal caliber defensively.

Nagi anticipated Lernaean’s next volley and tumbled to the side. The ground where Nagi had been standing exploded in a cloud of pulverized stone.

Keele’s warning had steered Nagi right. Without it, he would’ve died before he could figure out the true workings of Lernaean’s royal caliber; now he could stay ahead of Lernaean’s blows so long as he watched his gestures and the direction of his gaze. As the flying blades whipped past him, Nagi nocked a second arrow. This time, he aimed for the head.

“Too weak... Do you think you’ll ever hit me like that?”

The arrow shattered in midair, just as the first did.

“I’ll just keep trying until I do.”

“It’s useless. You only have so many arrows. Still, you’re quite skilled. If I was a weaker man, you’d have made pincushions of my vitals. I believe you are worth granting eternal life. How about it?”

“You asked Jubilia and Keele the same thing, didn’t you?”

“I did... And they refused me.”

“My answer is the same as theirs. There’s far more worth in living for a single instant helping the people I believe in than living forever for myself. I’ll live for Saya’s sake, then die. Take your eternal life and shove it ’til you can taste it when you cough.”

Nagi loosed another arrow. It still didn’t reach its target, but little by little, Nagi was closing in. With each shot, he closed the distance with a single large stride. Lernaean staggered from his throne to evade a shot that would have drilled a hole in his skull otherwise.

“I thought you didn’t need to leave your throne?”

“What impudence... I simply realized this blade is more than enough to kill a commoner like you.”

Lernaean drew the sword at his waist with his left hand. He swung the large blade around idly. Nagi unsheathed his knife and dived in, tossing aside his bow and empty quiver.

“You believe you can kill me if you stab me in the heart with Halahala, don’t you? Who knows—maybe you’re right. But you’re running out of time to find out!.”

Lernaean was wielding his sword in his off hand. His swordsmanship wasn’t at Jubilia’s level, either. Still, his fiendish strength made each swipe of the blade potentially lethal. What’s more, Lernaean still had the royal caliber. Nagi wove between the sword and intermittent volleys of his flying blades, slashing furiously with his knife. He was biding his time for the moment Lernaean showed an opening.

“Impressive. You weren’t like this before. You’ve grown since the revolution,” Lernaean said, admiration in his voice. “Unfortunately, you can’t win against me. If I do this, for example...”

Lernaean feinted, releasing his royal caliber at a new target. Nagi didn’t dodge it this time. Blood burst into the air.

“You can’t avoid it, can you? You’re far too naïve.”

There was no way he could. If he got out of the way, it would’ve hit Saya.

“Changing this world is too great a task for you,” Lernaean declared.

“Shut up...”

Nagi pushed through the pain as he jumped in once more.

“You couldn’t hit me before. Do you really think you’ll come any closer with those wounds? You should’ve tossed that woman aside. You were mistaken, and you let your chance at victory slip through your fingers for that mistake.”

Lernaean kept his composure as Nagi exposed a fatal opening. He slipped in a puddle of his own blood and lost his balance.

“Farewell, Commoners’ Hero.”

Lernaean stabbed Nagi in the stomach. Nagi’s blood coated the blade as it slipped between his ribs. The clatter of his knife falling to the floor echoed through the throne room. Lernaean relaxed. Nagi’s death was certain now. He wasn’t capable of moving with such a wound. Nevertheless, Nagi mustered the last of his strength to seize Lernaean’s sword arm in an iron grip.

“Got you... Saya, do it!”

Lernaean raised a quizzical eyebrow. In the next instant, the bottle hanging from Nagi’s necklace shattered, unleashing... a red butterfly. It was Saya’s royal caliber. The bottle contained blood from when Saya was the Sovereign. It took all the power she had left in her to activate it.

Lernaean’s eyes shot open. He tried twisting clear of it, but he couldn’t move with Nagi locking him down. The butterfly fluttered in the air as if time around it had stopped, and crawled into Lernaean’s chest through his scar. In the next instant, Lernaean screamed and bent backward. Nagi lost his hold and was flung away. Lernaean clawed at his chest, writhing from the pain in his heart.

“It’s useless,” Saya told him. “Your heart has withered. You probably won’t die right away, but there’s no regenerating that sort of wound.”

“Serves you... right...” Nagi muttered, before blood poured from his mouth in a violent coughing fit.

Right when he felt like he would collapse, Saya ran over and caught him in her arms.

“Nagi! Don’t talk!”

“You really can tell... when you’re about to die... huh?”

She held his head to her chest as his blood stained her arms.

“I’ve also... used up all my strength,” Saya told him with a smile.

Nagi returned her smile. “See? We’re together to the end.”

“Yeah.”

His body was getting cold. He couldn’t even feel Saya’s warmth anymore. His limbs felt like they’d frozen, and the sensation was spreading throughout his body. Still, he didn’t shiver.

“You two have destroyed the world,” Lernaean said, his voice sounding far away. “Saya and I are the only royalty left in the world. The Sovereign’s Blood is gone. Amrita can no longer be created. Cursed with short lives, humanity won’t be able to maintain civilization. It is sure to perish.”

Nagi felt hazy, and his breaths came in ragged spurts, but he still replied. “I’m sure it’ll work out. Crestfolk live longer than commoners.”

“I wonder about that? It’s so dull that we won’t be able to see who’s right. Lifespan... such a... worthless notion...”

Lernaean’s voice cut short. Nagi couldn’t even confirm whether or not the man was dead now. He was at his limits himself.

“Saya...”

And feeling strangely relieved at the fact that no reply came to him, Nagi closed his eyes.