Chapter 2: Message from a Witch

The royal capital of Berun was broadly divided into three areas. The Central Ward held the royal palace at its center. The Middle Ward contained the head offices of large companies and the mansions of the nobility. And the Outer Ward was where the apartment houses of the common folk stood in dense clusters. The city of Berun had developed in this way when it was the center of the small Luftzand Domain, which was but one region of its motherland, the current nation of Wiltia.

Proximity to the royal palace in the center signified a higher class of society, so seeing it from one’s house, for a noble, was a sign of status. However, there were some who found no value in this.

“Listen up! Buy up all the stock in storage at warehouses and wholesalers! I don’t care how much it costs!”

Joseph Shylock was shouting in an office building on a corner in the Outer Ward.

The Schutzstaffel had sealed the royal capital, and the city was practically a war zone. However, at Billions Trading, the war had arrived early, so the employees were running around without breaks or sleep.

“Listen! Not just food, but medicine and daily necessities too! Diapers, milk powder and sanitary products! Buy them all up!”

“Yes, Sir!!”

As one, all the employees replied to Shylock’s orders.

Three days had passed since the Schutzstaffel had sealed Berun, otherwise known as Million City. It had only been three days, but it had also already been three days. Due to a break in the distribution chain supporting this enormous population, supplies of goods were beginning to run short.

“If other businesses interfere or try to butt in, drive them away without mercy! Thugs! It’s your time to shine, so hustle!”

“Yes, Sir!!”

The rowdies in charge of Billions Trading’s strong-arm tactics also replied.

“We’ll sell the goods we gather at our own retailers at normal prices!! Times of crisis are when businessmen brandish their skills! Petty quarrels between soldiers will never disturb our domain!!”

From the first day of the uprising, Shylock had mobilized his company’s workforce to secure a broad variety of products. After the disruption in the flow of goods to Berun, rapacious dealers had bought up and then held back commodities.

Miscreants abounded, making a killing by taking advantage of the weaknesses of others. The result was a beastly world in which everyone stole from one another, even though there were enough supplies if distributed properly.

“If the military orders requisitions, ignore it! I’ll take responsibility!!”

Shylock believed that people were just animals underneath, and they mustn’t be allowed to remove their skin. To avoid this, he had desperately defended the flow of materials inside the royal capital by gathering all the strength of Billions Trading. In doing so, he cast aside worry for his reputation and had shown leadership.

“Chairman, you have guests.”

“Huh?”

Shylock looked displeased by the secretary’s words.

“Can’t you see what’s going on? I don’t have time for guests!!!”

“M-My apologies!”

Shylock had built one of the world’s foremost enterprises in a single generation. He was over 60 years old, but his lion-like ferocity made his secretary tremble.

“Send whoever it is away!!”

Many people tried to take advantage of the turmoil. In the last three days, many had come, dry-washing their hands and wearing smiles.

“But one of them makes the oddest claim.”

The secretary continued to report on the visitors.

“Which is?”

“Um, he says he’s your grandson.”

“He what?!”

Shylock’s angry voice fell silent.

“He says he has journeyed here from Organbaelz, but that’s ridiculous, isn’t it? I will order the younger employees of the company to drive him away.”

“No, show him in.”

“What?”

Thinking she had misheard, the secretary looked for confirmation of Shylock’s surprising reply.

“Hurry up and bring him to my office, you dimwit!!”

“Y-Yes, Sir!!”

In Shylock’s office at Billions Trading...

“I can’t believe we came to my grandfather’s company!”

“This is the safest place in Berun that I can think of right now.”

Rebecca calmly explained to the gawking Jacob.

Oh... She even planned this far ahead!

Lud was impressed by the foresight of this red girl who had said it was “convenient” that Jacob and Milly had secretly followed them.

Despite its involvement with the military industry, Billions Trading was a private enterprise. The Schutzstaffel could not forcefully come in and take them without significant justification. So this was indeed the safest place.

“Huh?”

Tak... tak... tak! Footsteps resounded in the corridor.

“Jacob! It’s your grandpa! What’s the matter?! Have you been worried about me? I’m overjoyed!”

The next moment, the old man Shylock threw open the door, beamed and hugged Jacob.

“Ha ha ha ha! Whoa... Grandpa! Have you been well?”

Jacob replied hesitantly to this overpowering welcome.

The public knew Shylock as a cold-blooded and ruthless merchant, but his affection for his grandson knew no bounds. If Lud’s group wanted help from Shylock, then bringing Jacob was essential.

“Huh? Oh... The baker came, too?”

“Yes. It has been a while.”

Lud bowed to Shylock.

“What an unusual gathering this is.”

Shylock narrowed his eyes.

“Um...”

As she fell under his gaze, Hilde lowered her head uncomfortably. Only a few months ago, Hilde had kidnapped Jacob, Shylock’s beloved grandson. And Hilde had taunted Shylock and seriously attacked him.

“Well, let’s put that aside for now.”

Shylock, however, wasn’t so small-minded to seek revenge against her now. His grandson Jacob was here. And so was Lud, who Shylock knew was a respectable man. Above all, the girl Rebecca was with them, and she had saved them at the risk of her life during the kidnapping incident. Hilde’s presence suggested to Shylock that they had powerful reasons for coming.

“Tell me why you are here. Given the current state of the capital, I doubt it’s just for pleasure.”

Lud and the others gave Shylock a rough explanation of what had happened over the last few days. They explained the change in Hilde, the Wolf Man Heidrig, Genitz’s secret machinations, and how Sven had been taken.

“Oh... that girl, eh? I would have thought she was the least susceptible, but you never know what will happen in this world.”

After listening, Shylock put his hand to his mouth in deep thought.

“So what are you going to do, baker?”

“I want to take Sven home with me.”

“I know. But how?”

Shylock rose from the sofa, and stood by his office window. He gazed outside. Even though it was midday, few people were walking along the main street. Even in the Outer Ward, this was a very unusual sight in Berun, which many considered the center of the world. The curfew set by the Schutzstaffel kept people off the streets.

“Your opponent is Genitz. You might know about him from the recent war. He isn’t someone a baker can defeat.”

“That’s why I’m thinking about going to the regular military’s command headquarters.”

The official reason Genitz gave for sealing the royal capital was to protect the royal palace and arrest surreptitious anti-Wiltian militants. However, such armed groups were a fiction and had never existed. If Marshal Elvin received permission from the monarch for the regular military to act, the coup would immediately collapse.

“You make it sound easy, baker.”

“Hm?”

Shylock thought Lud’s plan was poorly planned and naive.

“Genitz already has the royal palace in his control. Military headquarters’ hands are tied. Even the marshal can’t make a move.”

“What?”

Lud was shocked that the Schutzstaffel, which was supposed to protect the royal palace, had instead conquered it.

“It wasn’t even a decent fight. I guess the palace wasn’t fortified for battle. In any case, it only fell this easily because the Council of Nobles was at work behind the scenes.”

“Council of Nobles?”

“It’s an antiquated committee of old fogeys. They’re big-shot nobles excluded by the most recent government.”

As an immigrant who had worked his way up, Shylock was anything but a noble from a distinguished family, so he spoke of the council with venom.

“Their purpose is to raise a monarch and return the government to the way it was a hundred years ago—a parliamentary system run by nobles.”

“And Genitz is going along with that?”

Lud struggled to understand. He couldn’t believe that such a plan would be enough for Genitz.

“At this rate, it is feared that Marshal Elvin faces execution. If that happens, the regular military in other lands won’t remain quiet.”

Marshal Elvin’s charismatic sway over the regular military was tremendous. However irreverent a declaration, his sway far surpassed that of the monarch, who rarely appeared in public.

“In no time, forces will march in to recapture Berun, and if that happens... No...”

There was no way Genitz hadn’t considered that beforehand.

“Is this also part of his plan? What’s his goal?”

Lud couldn’t guess what Genitz was thinking. He knew, however, that Genitz was a fearsome individual. He was taking advantage of the Council of Nobles and the confusion in the royal capital to achieve some aim, and his plans were steadily advancing.

“Sven is the key. In other words, if he loses Sven, then it will all fall apart. That is the situation.”

Rebecca said this as if reading Lud’s thoughts.

“Hey, red girl... Um, Rebecca? May I ask a question?”

“Yes, Mr. Shylock?”

Rebecca replied politely. Shylock was her master’s father.

“You’re holding something back. Why is that silver-haired girl so important?”

She had become the person who would decide the future, not only of Wiltia, but of the world. And that was hard to believe. Even if it were a lie, some people would believe it.

“Grandpa! Are you saying she’s lying to us?”

Jacob raised his voice, but Shylock quietly stopped him. His face was no longer that of the besotted grandfather, but had transformed into a slick merchant who had survived many scrapes.

“Don’t misunderstand. I don’t think you’re lying. But something doesn’t add up.”

“But...”

Rebecca was silent a moment, and as if reaching a decision, she lowered her head deeply.

“Joseph Shylock, you are a respectable man and my master’s father.”

“Yes, you said as much before, but—”

“So I have a duty to prioritize both your safety and Jacob’s. Please, understand that.”

Rebecca knew about Sven’s secret. It wasn’t that she was a humanoid Hunter Unit. That was the official line, but the true reason was what the rare genius scientist Daian had implanted in her...

Genitz knew her true power, and knew she was capable of overturning not just Wiltia but the whole continent of Europea, so he had launched a plan that would seem reckless to normal people. However, knowledge of that secret could be perilous.

“I gather knowing more is dangerous?”

Rebecca didn’t answer Shylock. She could not simply affirm his question.

“Well, you did rescue me that time. So I know you’re no normal girl. I understand you must have an important reason for this.”

Shylock had witnessed Rebecca fighting Schutzstaffel soldiers. She had remained calm under a hail of bullets, and overwhelmed professional soldiers with her bare hands. That was enough to know that her abilities were well beyond the scale of ordinary people. That same girl was now making it clear that she could say no more.

“That’s enough, Shylock.”

Lud interrupted, as if to help Rebecca, who looked deeply uncomfortable.

“What’s important is rescuing Sven. As for everything else, let others do as they please.”

Genitz’s ambition was something they should fear. However, Lud’s top priority was Sven.

“Hmm... Well, if that’s your decision, then I have nothing more to say.”

Shylock sensed a different thought deep in Lud’s eyes, but he didn’t mention it.

“In that case, there’s no choice but to sneak into the royal palace.”

“Yes. Is there a good way in?”

The royal palace was heavily guarded, so there was no chance of entering through the front gate. The guards would shoot them outright.

“People living in the royal palace, unlike us commoners, must always maintain their dignity.”

As he spoke, Shylock opened his desk drawer and removed a ledger. It held the contact information for his many customers.

“Even in an emergency, the nobility insists on eating fine cuisine. Thus, channels exist for that sort of thing.”

Politicians engage in politics, soldiers serve the military, and merchants traffic in goods.

“Are we going to sneak in during a supply delivery?”

“No. They’re probably watching deliveries, so that would be difficult.”

The delivery of goods was to the royal palace what eating was to a human being. When someone cuts a piece of food, stabs it with a fork, and raises it to take a bite, the eyes naturally focus on the food. Discovering a bug or two in the food would cause quite a disturbance.

“Lofty people enjoy paying attention to pretty things, but they turn a blind eye on anything dirty. But whatever eats must also defecate.”

Shylock pointed at the contact information for one of the customers in his ledger. It read, “Waste Collection Inc.”

“Aha! Waste removal from the royal palace...”

“Those watching who enters the palace are less attentive to who leaves, but the exits also lead inside.”

The royal palace had many residents, including the monarch and attendants. They were sure to generate an enormous amount of garbage. Even though the royal capital was under martial law, waste removal could not be postponed more than a few days.

“My business group includes a service that handles such matters. I will ask about the possibility of sneaking you in.”

“Thank you.”

Lud thanked Shylock and tacked on a favor just in passing...

“Um, about Jacob and the others...”

“Don’t worry. You don’t have to ask. I’ll take care of them.”

They couldn’t have Jacob and Milly accompany them any longer. For now, they would be safe with Shylock.

“And, um...”

Lud glanced at Hilde.

“Um, I...”

Hilde looked uneasy. She used to live in the royal capital, but since Genitz had abandoned her, she had no place to go.

“Well, I can’t just turn her away, so I see your point.”

During the kidnapping incident, Hilde had punched and kicked Shylock a few times, but he agreed, albeit hesitantly, to shelter her.

“Thank you!”

Many considered Shylock a bloodless merchant, but deep in his heart, he was upright and had a businessman’s pride. Lud lowered his head once again in recognition of Shylock’s good will.

That night, through Shylock’s arrangements, Lud and Rebecca accompanied a team of waste collection workers and snuck into the royal palace. They had left Jacob and the others with Shylock.

“Getting inside was easier than I thought.”

“It was a dirty route, though!”

They entered through the gate for garbage removal, climbed a dust shoot, crept around attics and crawl spaces, and eventually found themselves inside the royal palace.

“For nearly a century, no one has attacked the heart of the royal palace. So it’s understandable their defenses are lax.”

However, not just anyone could sneak in so easily. Because of numerous extensions throughout its history, the Wiltian royal palace had many openings. Those openings weren’t on any palace maps, but they stretched everywhere like a net, allowing Lud and Rebecca to make use of them.

“You sure are familiar with the routes in and out.”

Rebecca had precise knowledge of the holes in that net.

“I memorized them... for a time of need.”

Rebecca’s response was vague.

She had been monitoring Lud and Sven, but her primary function was attending Daian. However, she was no mere secretary or gofer. As a well-known prodigy, Daian had many enemies in many places. And some enemies attempted to sabotage the development bureau on one pretext or another. To quietly keep those people at bay, it was Rebecca’s job to regularly gather intelligence on the vulnerabilities of the royals, nobles and politicians. Sneaking into the royal palace was a daily affair for her. And she had often used the holes through which she and Lud were currently passing.

“Where are we going?”

There was no doubt that Sven was somewhere in the royal palace. But, the palace was sprawling and spacious. They had no idea of Sven’s exact location.

“Hmm... Rebecca, where do you think Genitz could be?”

“Well, I do have an idea...”

Rebecca nodded in response to Lud’s question.

They didn’t know where Sven was confined. But, as they discussed in the conversation with Shylock, Sven was necessary for Genitz’s plan. Which meant that, given human reasoning, it would be sensible for Genitz to keep Sven with him.

“If Genitz is here, he must be in the north wing, which houses the Schutzstaffel headquarters. That is the location of his office and bedroom.”

“That must be it then!”

“But...”

They had decided on a destination. However, Rebecca asked a question like an alarm being raised.

“What if she is not there?”

“Then I’ll ask Genitz, even if I have to rough him up!”

Rebecca responded to Lud’s threat with another question, quietly and without mockery.

“Can you do that?”

“Well...”

During their last encounter, Lud had lost his calm, but his attack hadn’t grazed Genitz. Instead, Genitz had forced him to the ground as easily as turning a faucet.

“Still... I have to do this.”

“Understood. Then follow me.”

Without further questions, Rebecca guided Lud to the north wing.

The north wing of the Wiltian royal palace served as command center for the Schutzstaffel and housed its officers and commanders. Genitz had a mansion in an urban area, but he currently slept at the palace so he could act quickly in case of emergency. The master of the room, however, wasn’t in. A silver-haired girl sat by the window gazing in boredom at the moonlit night.

“Master,” the girl mumbled, as if seeking someone dear to her who wasn’t there.

“.........?”

The girl suddenly sensed something.

She wasn’t human. Her body was a machine that was similar to a human being’s. But her inhuman auditory capabilities sensed something.

Bang... bang ... as if someone was kicking something.

“..................”

As the girl prepared herself, the sounds grew louder. She also heard a voice saying, “Umph!” and “Argh! That’s hard!” Then the metal bars of a vent fell off the wall and a man’s leg stuck out.

“Umph!! Is this the right place?”

A big man with a scar on his left cheek descended from the vent.

“Y-You...”

The girl raised her voice in surprise as she saw his face.

“Hm? Oh, Sven!”

The man called her name.

“What...?”

The girl, Sven, was confused. Why did this man know her name?

“Good! You seem safe! You disappeared so suddenly, I’ve been worried!”

After saying this, the man grabbed her shoulders.

Her eyes narrowed. What was he going to do? Her body belonged to her master. Touching her without his permission equaled an offense against her master.

“Let’s go home together! Jacob, Milly and the others are waiting for you!”

Sven didn’t know what or who he was talking about. There was no other place for her but by her master’s side. Go “home” to a place other than with her master? That was a stain on her loyalty.

“Oh, I understand...”

“Sven?”

At last, the man noticed something odd about Sven’s behavior.

Instead of the affection she used to have for him, he saw a cold smile like one might wear immediately before stepping on an annoying beetle.

“Former Lieutenant Langart! Dodge!”

This shout came from a red-haired girl who appeared from inside the vent.

Lud quickly drew away from Sven. At that instant, Sven’s hand chopped through the space where his head had been.

“Sven, what are you—”

Sven didn’t answer Lud, whose eyes were wide with surprise. Coldly, without any facial expression, she tried again.

“Tch!”

But Rebecca reached her in one leap and stopped the attack.

Sven and Rebecca possessed equal power. When they collided, the force from each flowed down into their feet, so they moved neither forward nor back and the stone floor broke beneath them.

“What are you thinking, Svelgen?!”

“Who... are you?”

At Rebecca’s shouts, Sven glared suspiciously.

After looking into Sven’s eyes, Rebecca realized the cruel truth.

“What has he done?! Oh... So this is why Genitz attacked the Weapons Development Bureau!”

Rebecca now understood what had become of Sven and she ground her teeth in frustration. Unlike Sven, Rebecca always tried to remain calm and act rationally. And although that gave others the impression that she was cold and inhuman, she did have a heart. Somewhere deep inside, she possessed emotions every bit as rich as Sven’s.

“What do you mean, Rebecca?! Is Sven being controlled?!”

Rebecca saw that Lud must think Sven was brainwashed, hypnotized, or had been dosed with some kind of drug. But that wasn’t so. If only it were. This was much worse.

“Former Lieutenant Langart, the mission has failed. My basic estimation of the situation was too optimistic, so it is my fault.”

Rebecca had strong emotions indeed. And so she couldn’t tell him the truth right away. Despair that Rebecca dreaded more than death had visited Sven. And Rebecca hesitated to tell this man the truth about what had happened to her.

“Oh, we have guests?”

A new arrival joined them. The man who entered spoke as if unsurprised, and as if he was literally welcoming guests.

“Genitz?! You... What have you done to Sven?!”

Lud shouted at Genitz.

“Where did you sneak in from? Your clothes are filthy... You could have simply stated your names at the front gate.”

Genitz didn’t answer Lud’s question. Instead, he spoke with some amusement, as if enjoying a reunion with an old friend.

“I apologize, Master, for showing such ignoble behavior.”

Lud turned, but Sven wasn’t speaking to him. She was addressing Genitz, who was sitting in a chair and decanting wine into a glass.

“Not at all. You may continue entertaining that girl. Heh! I received a report of her defeat, but it turns out she’s alive, huh? Daian does impressive work. That’s one tough machine!”

“So that was your minion?!”

Rebecca responded to Genitz’s words.

He was referring to the third humanoid Hunter Unit that had launched a surprise attack on her a few days earlier in the royal capital.

“Do not speak insolently to Master, you wench!”

“Agh!”

Sven grew angrier and Rebecca was now at a disadvantage as the two opposed each other.

“Langart, would you care for a glass? I took it from the wine cellar beneath the royal palace. The vintage is young, but it’s tasty enough.”

As Genitz watched the two girls clashing out of the corner of his eye, his attitude remained calm.

“Stop joking and answer my question! What have you done to Sven?!”

Genitz just shrugged at Lud’s ferocious shout.

“Langart, how long since you left the military? It was right after the Great War ended, so... a little over two years?”

“That’s not important right now! Answer me!”

“And it’s been five years since you quit the Werewolves and left me to join Major Rundstadt’s unit.”

“I said answer me!”

Lud again yelled at Genitz, who paid no attention to his question.

“My point is that, back then, you wouldn’t have been so careless in enemy territory.”

Genitz spoke reluctantly and at that moment the sound of approaching combat boots came from outside the door.

“There are guards outside. If they hear someone other than me shouting, they will come running.”

“Uh-oh...”

“In the past, you would have popped off a few bullets and made this quick. And what’s this? You didn’t even bring a gun?”

Genitz looked genuinely astounded.

Shylock had offered to supply weapons for infiltrating the palace, but Lud had refused. He hated to even aim a weapon at anyone.

“Lieutenant General! Are you all right?”

Guards marched into the room.

“Who are you?!”

After observing the situation and seeing trespassers, the guards aimed their weapons at Lud.

“In that case...”

There was only one way to get out of this. His chance of success was slim, but Lud lunged at Genitz in an attempt to take him hostage.

“No, don’t!”

Before he got to him, Sven repelled Rebecca’s hands and grabbed Lud.

“Sven! Don’t you remember me?!”

“Quiet, villain! I’ve never seen you before!”

Sven pushed Lud to the floor, making no effort to remember him.

“Really?! Sven... you...”

“What are you talking about... you... insolent... rogue...”

The girl, who appeared fragile at first glance, was twisting Lud’s thick, log-like arms so forcefully that she could have broken his joints in her effort to protect Genitz.

“But...”

Lud let out a cry, more from the anguish and sorrow of Sven not recognizing him than from the pain to his joints.

“Former Lieutenant Langart...!”

Rebecca was confused about what she should do next. It was impossible to bring back Sven. And the degree of difficulty in escaping with Lud was high. So she considered destroying the most dangerous enemy and looked at Genitz.

“Ah, a spare!”

“—?!”

As soon as their eyes met, Rebecca heard Genitz speak softly and fear ran down her spine. If she didn’t act, she would face the same fate as Sven. She too would become his tool. The idea was intolerable to her.

“Uaaaargh!!”

Rebecca slightly slowed her movements, and Lud rose with an animal roar. He lifted Sven, who was attempting to bend his joints in the opposite direction.

“What a reckless—!”

Sven weighed about the same as a human—a few dozen kilograms—so lifting that weight from such an awkward position would...

There was a disturbing crack! It was the sound of Lud’s shoulder dislocating from its socket. The pain was intense, but Lud paid no attention and gripped Sven with his other arm.

“What?! Let me go!”

Sven shouted. Strangely, it looked as if Lud was holding her intimately from behind.

“Rebecca! Run! At least you can make it!”

Lud shouted without heeding Sven’s voice or the severe pain in his shoulder.

“But—”

“Just go! Hurry!”

The situation was beyond recovery. Lud saw that Rebecca still had a small chance of survival.

“...............!!”

Rebecca understood his intention, ran to the nearest window, broke the glass, and escaped.

“An intruder has escaped! Catch her!”

The guards immediately ran off in pursuit.

“A regular soldier will never catch her. Ah, well... I can’t have every luxury.”

After finishing his glass of wine, Genitz spoke quietly as if he didn’t really care.

“Anyway, enough of that, Langart.”

Once more, he chided Lud, who was still holding on to Sven.

“Let me go!”

Hearing his voice, Sven tried to shake free of Lud’s arm. It was shameful for another man to hold her in front of her master.

“Well, what shall I do now? Perhaps you should stay in jail for a spell and cool your head? The Wolf Man’s room just opened up.”

Three... No, four days ago, that cell was occupied by the man Genitz had killed on the night of the Thanksgiving Festival.

“Genitz, what are you trying to do?”

Lud didn’t intend to resist. He just wanted to know the answer.

“I told you long ago. Have you forgotten? Oh well... It was absurd, so I suppose it didn’t even register in your mind.”

Genitz answered with a bitter smile.

“I want to be king.”

He signaled to the guards to remove Lud as if that answer was enough.

“King?”

Lud asked as the guards dragged him from the room, but Genitz said no more.

“Who was that man?!”

After watching Lud be taken away, Sven questioned her Master in a disgusted voice.

That man had called her by her name, talked about going home together, touched her body, and embarrassed her by holding her in front of her master.

“Lud Langart... Was that his name? What a scoundrel!”

Her anger hadn’t cooled and the rezanium reactor that was her heart and mind was still pulsing rapidly.

“There, there... Don’t be so angry. You can retire for today, Sven. I’ll call you if I need you.”

“You are kind, Master. In that case, I will excuse myself.”

After Genitz had calmed her, he told her to leave the room.

“............”

After a few moments, Genitz poured more wine and was about to down his second glass. Then he suddenly felt discomfort.

“Is it just my imagination?”

He felt that something was wrong. It was a tiny thing and inconsequential. The feeling was like that of finding one misplaced letter among countless numbers on a printed page. However, he couldn’t pinpoint the source of this feeling. It wasn’t that important.

The unease that Genitz felt was a trifling matter. He had not addressed Lud by his first name. And Rebecca had a policy of never addressing anyone, except those she had specially chosen, by their first name. In fact, no one in the room had called him Lud. And yet Sven knew his full name: Lud Langart. Compared to the enormous spinning gears of fate, that was but a pebble.

Wiltia had won the Great European War and possessed prominent international status among the nations. So, Berun, the royal capital, was the location of many embassies and consulates of countries such as the Greyten Empire, Republic of Filbarneu, Kingdom of Sparia and Kingdom of Alhadra. This excluded the August Federation, which didn’t have diplomatic relations with Wiltia. Some of these nations were not from the continent of Europea but from the new western continent of Noa and the eastern continent of Aesia.

One of the nations allied with Wiltia was the eastern island of Yamato. Early in the ten-year Great War, Yamato was an enemy nation. It later became an ally of Wiltia and together they were victorious. It was now friendly toward Wiltia.

“Aw, what a plight for Wiltia! We wanted this to be as peaceful as possible, but if this continues any longer, it can’t be kept hidden.”

Yamamoto, who was a military attaché from Yamato, spoke in the official language of Wiltia, but with a strong accent.

“Staff members at all the embassies have been prevented from leaving and forbidden to contact their home countries. Whatever happens, they will complain when the nations assemble later.”

After the Schutzstaffel had sealed the royal capital, it had effectively frozen the movement of all embassies to avoid interference by Wiltia’s allies. However, enemy nations in the Great War, such as Greyten and Filbarneu, had quickly recognized the situation and sought a chance for armed intervention.

“We can hold for two or three days at most. After that, they will move either to aid the Wiltian government or to cooperate with Genitz.”

Yamamoto spoke as if enjoying himself, but the man sitting on the sofa answered as if talking about someone else’s business.

“Say what you like. I’m neither a politician nor a military man.”

Yamamoto continued.

“Well, in the worst case, I can accept a request for political asylum for you alone. For those of us in Yamato, someone who possesses rare technology is worth a thousand pieces of gold.”

Until fifty years ago, Yamato had maintained no relationships with other nations. After a change in the nation’s political system, it had opened up. Now it was frantically pursuing a technological revolution to make up for lost time.

“Our nation especially craves technicians for Hunter Units.”

When the man looked back at him as if to say, “I can read your mind,” the smile disappeared from Yamamoto’s eyes in an instant.

“I’m no match for you.”

His smile, however, was like that of a child caught while engaged in mischief, and it returned immediately.

Wiltia had numerous allies. Many of them had received Hunter Units—Wiltia’s cutting-edge weapon and a symbol of Wiltia’s power. None however, had developed Hunter Units of their own. The best they could do was create imitations like the automatic tanks of August. Yamato was alone in having nearly reached Wiltia’s technological level with unexpected speed.

“The essential part, the rezanium reactor, is still kept secret, but we have almost completed it.”

Yamamoto kept a smile on his face, but it hid something deep and unfathomable.

Naysayers on the European continent scoffed at Yamato—a nation on a different continent and populated by a different race—as a mere monkey mimicking them. People made fun of the nation for absorbing and imitating European cultures, civilization, technology and social systems at an enormous speed. However, this was because they feared Yamato would equal the European nations in half a century.

“That in itself is impressive.”

The man put his hand to his mouth and thought for a while.

This man was no patriot. He was a Wiltian national, with military rank and a noble title, but those had come by achieving his own aims. He had no attachment to them. However...

“I cannot leave Sophia alone.”

“What? Did you say something?”

Yamamoto asked the man, who was mumbling to himself.

“Oh, just something personal. But... Yamamoto?”

The man avoided answering and instead offered a suggestion.

“I’ll let you have one for a souvenir. And in return, may I ask a favor?”

“What is it?”

At the man’s suggestion, Yamamoto’s face showed interest. Or rather, it said, “Finally, the conversation turns to my benefit!”

“What is it I am to receive?”

He focused as if appraising something.

The man told him.

“I will give you one of the currently operational humanoid Hunter Units.”

“What?!”

Yamamoto raised his voice in surprise and then realized that was the wrong face and hurriedly covered his mouth. The humanoid Hunter Units were an important military secret known only to a few, even in the Wiltian military. Yamamoto’s surprise at the idea of receiving one revealed that he knew that secret.

“Um... what is that exactly? A humanoid Hunter Unit, you say?”

Yamamoto immediately tried to recover, but he was so surprised that he forgot to speak with an accent.

“Cut the act. I know you already know about them. Don’t worry. I won’t report you to the upper classes.”

“Urgh...”

Yamamoto shrugged his shoulders at the man’s carefree tone.

“Indeed, I’m no match for you. So... what do you need?”

The man now knew Yamamoto’s weak point. If Yamamoto accepted his request, the man would keep this conversation secret and give him the “souvenir.” However, a silent threat had been issued should he refuse.

“I want to borrow this embassy’s full combat strength.”

Underneath Wiltia castle was a jail for special criminals. Lud was imprisoned in one of its cells.

What in the world has happened?

The cell, made of stone and devoid of natural light, had been built before the establishment of Wiltia, back during the age of the Holy Empire. And it had once held Heidrig, who had died before Lud’s eyes a few weeks ago.

“Sven...”

Lud mumbled to himself in this dark space where he had only the faint light of a candle.

He didn’t know what had happened to Sven. However, he now understood the words Sven had spoken to him before she disappeared.

“Even if you see me somewhere, don’t think that it’s actually me!”

She had certainly been right about that. The silver-haired girl he had reencountered possessed a familiar face, voice and behavior, but she had a completely different attitude toward Lud.

Genitz has done something to her, but what? I wish I at least knew that.

“Argh!”

He pounded the metal bars in frustration. Sharp pain coursed through his fists, but even that just told him that this was reality and not a nightmare.

“You’re noisy! Shut yer pie hole!”

The roar of a guard echoed from the entrance of the jail.

“Urgh...”

Realizing that he didn’t even have the freedom to shout, Lud returned to moping.

But he kept thinking. An hour later, he continued pondering how to escape the cell and rescue Sven from Genitz. But he couldn’t come up with anything. Beyond simply escaping, he didn’t know what method Genitz had used on Sven, so there was no way to devise a counter plan.

Is this the best I can do?

After giving up soldiering, he had sworn to live as a baker. He had chosen to live a new life and strove to achieve that. However, he was furious at himself for only coming up with ways to survive on his own, but not to save someone else.

“Huh?”

At that moment, it arrived.

As a soldier, he had cultivated a sixth sense. It sensed danger when a pernicious threat to his life was nearby, and the instinct informed him before his reason could.

“Oh, you have sharp senses.”

However, his sixth sense was a little slow. It was a woman, and she hadn’t entered in the usual way. When Lud looked up, she was standing on the other side of the metal bars as if nothing had happened.

“What?”

Lud was at a loss for words.

He had once been a special ops soldier with the epithet Silver Wolf, but he hadn’t noticed someone drawing this close to him. She had done more than hide from him. She looked as if she had been standing there a long time.

“Who are you?”

His voice was shaking.

The woman standing in front of him was beautiful, with black hair and eyes and feminine charm. However, she looked cold and lifeless, like a doll.

“.....................”

The woman didn’t answer Lud’s question. She didn’t even look in his eyes. No, her eyes looked at Lud, not as if she was looking at a human being, but as if peering at an insect she could smash with the tip of a finger. As if she was beholding something worthless and irrelevant.

“I came here to pay you back, even though I don’t owe you anything. Nonetheless, I’m party to various contracts. I don’t have to follow them, but that too can pose problems.”

Instead of saying her name, she began speaking openly.

“The woman you call Sven... She didn’t recognize you because Genitz used her emergency control code.”

To prevent a humanoid Hunter Unit from acting without restraints, Daian had established an emergency control code.

“Emergency control code... What’s that?”

Lud, who knew nothing of this, was confused.

“Tsk, tsk...”

The woman clucked her tongue in annoyance. Her face showed the irritation of someone who has to explain to a cow or pig how something works.

“Briefly, the emergency control code can rewrite Sven’s mind. For example, it has the power to replace the person most important to her with the person who uttered the code.”

The woman summarized only the main point, saving herself the trouble of explaining the precise mechanism.

“I owe you, so I must ask you instead of that man. Do you want Sven to—”

“Who are you?!”

Before the woman could say more, the soldiers guarding the jail entrance came to investigate. There was only one entrance to the jail. There was no other way in. So the soldiers were astonished to see a woman there.

However, they were Schutzstaffel soldiers and Genitz had ordered them to prevent anyone from entering. And for Schutzstaffel soldiers, Genitz’s words were like the word of God. They were dumbfounded but raised and pointed their guns. Hammers were pulled, bullets were loaded, and safeties were released. Each muzzle pointed at the woman: one at her head, one at her chest, and one at her legs. It was a merciless configuration, so even one hit would immobilize her. But...

“Phew...”

The woman seemed unconcerned by their efforts and sighed.

“Raise your hands! Kneel facing the wall!!”

The soldiers roared commands at the woman, who was unfazed by the guns trained on her and showed no sign of obeying. And then she spoke.

“Shut up, would you?”

That was all the woman said.

The next moment, the three soldiers were blown away. But they didn’t just blow away. They literally burst like balloons pricked with needles. They lost their original forms, and pieces of blood, flesh, bone and guts scattered everywhere. It was strange, however, that the woman didn’t have a spot of blood on her.

“What the—?!”

Lud was in shock and couldn’t speak.

Had she used some kind of weapon? No, he hadn’t seen any movement. Besides, it was as if they had burst from inside rather than from an external attack. Lud knew of no such weapon or method for killing.

“Surely you’re not...”

Yet Lud was an experienced former special ops soldier, so he wasn’t totally confused. His brain sought understanding, and he came up with a conjecture.

“Royal Sage Hanussen?”

“Hmm?”

At his words, the woman named Hanussen showed interest for the first time.

“How did you know? People say I’ve lived over one hundred years, so my appearance must not match what you imagined.”

Hanussen laughed.

“I can’t think of anyone else you could be. To kill as you just did, you would have to possess skills surpassing any human ability.”

Royal Sage Johannes Hanussen was a mysterious person who only a few people, including the monarch, had ever met. Many rumors surrounded her existence, including the theory that she didn’t exist at all. Another was that she was the last survivor of the magicians who went extinct in old times.

Lud thought this was idle, nonsensical gossip. But that she was the Royal Sage was the only possibility he could come up with.

“Indeed, I am Hanussen. Genitz has devastated the royal palace, which is my territory. So, against my own will, I decided to lend you a hand.”

She raised her hand as she spoke and the metal bars melted away like burning marshmallows.

“Genitz’s ambition is to be king of Wiltia.”

“King? That’s ridiculous!”

Even if he took the royal capital with military support, the regular military and allied nations would never accept his coup. On the contrary, they would send their armies under the rubric of assistance, and then a second European War would break out with Berun at ground zero.

“Ridiculous or not, that’s what he’s doing. Genitz has urged the monarch to step down and declare him as the new king.”

Even if merely for form’s sake, once the monarch named Genitz as king, the Council of Nobles backing Genitz would support it. He would ignore the constitution of the old Wiltian royal family, dissolve parliament, establish an authoritarian system, and clamp down on anyone who didn’t obey. That was the script he was following.

“But, he has made one mistake. He should have restrained the royal family. Instead, he let the monarch slip through his fingers.”

The royal palace contained many built-in escape paths in case of emergency. The Schutzstaffel must have known about and sealed most of them, but the Wiltian royal palace had undergone repeated renovations and extensions every hundred years or so. There were also unrecorded escape routes, and the monarch might have used those.

“So the king isn’t in Genitz’s hands? Then where is he?”

“I don’t know. Somewhere in the capital, I suppose.”

Hanussen didn’t sound concerned, but perhaps that was an indication of the king’s value to her.

So who is she doing this for?

Earlier, she mentioned that she had come to pay him back. Lud couldn’t imagine anyone who would make her uncomfortable, since she was practically a real witch.

“If you want to fight back against Genitz, I’ve given you a hint. The rest is up to you.”

“All r-right... Um... was that what you wanted to ask me?”

Before the soldiers had appeared, Hanussen said that she needed to ask him something.

“Oh... right. This is of great importance. Dear, oh dear... I must be aging. I’m over 2,000 years old, so I’m getting forgetful.”

“Oh...”

Unsure if she was serious about her age, Lud wore a dubious expression.

“Here.”

Hanussen tossed a piece of paper to him. It was a page from a high-quality, if fairly common, memo pad. It contained numbers and symbols.

“What’s this?”

“Recite them to Sven to release her from Genitz’s control.”

“What?!”

Genitz had seized control of Sven through demonic means. Surprised to learn there was such a simple way to break the curse, Lud was both hopeful and doubtful.

“I can’t believe there’s such an easy solution.”

Lud appeared more letdown than happy.

“That’s the reset code, so it will cause Sven to completely lose her memory.”

“What?”

“If she loses her memory, her previous master won’t matter. She’ll be a blank slate.”

Lud hadn’t known this, but if the emergency control code had overwritten the user registration for the humanoid Hunter Unit that was Sven, then the reset code would literally wipe her clean. It would return Sven to her original state when she was assembled at the factory and had yet to even receive the name Avei.

“Sven’s... memories will...”

She would forget about her time at Tockerbrot, she would forget about him, and about everything else. It would be as if none of it had happened.

“Is there any other way?”

Lud asked in desperation.

“No.”

The answer from the woman known as the sage was extremely cold-hearted.

“Let me advise you from my own experience.”

Hanussen’s face now showed signs of human grief.

“What is lost may never be reclaimed.”

Lud didn’t know if Hanussen was really over 2,000 years old as she claimed. However, he could tell that she had once lost something of great importance and realized that it would never return.

“There isn’t much time, but think carefully.”

After saying this, Hanussen raised her hand over Lud.

“What are you doing?”

“Here’s an extra perk. Imagine where you want to go, and I’ll send you there.”

“Send me? What do you mean?”

While he asked, the atmosphere around him... No, the space around him began to bend.

“Fix an image of the place in your head or you’ll simply evaporate like mist.”

“What?! Not so fast!! Um...!!”

As he spoke, the warping space extended, wrapping around him. Lud hurried to recall a secure place inside the royal capital.

“Good-bye, weakling. And good luck.”

After these final words, Hanussen sent Lud away from his prison cell.

“Well, I kept my promise, Sorcerer.”

After confirming that her magic had succeeded, she also disappeared. And that left only an empty prison cell.