Chapter 1: Fate Will Open the “Door” for You

1420 24.04.921— (Time: 14:20, date: April 24, year 921)

Tockerbrot was a small bakery in a corner of Organbaelz. The local people loved the bakery’s bread. Despite the owner’s scary face, the townsfolk now accepted him and no longer burst into tears at the sight of his frightful expression.

“Thank you very much.”

Nevertheless, the shop’s popular waitress Sven had dark shadows on her face.

“What’s wrong, Sven? You seem down these days.” Jacob was a young friend of the owner and helped out at the shop. He noticed her sad expression and spoke to her with concern.

“Do you feel bad? Are you sick? Have you caught a cold?”

“No, it’s nothing like that.” Jacob tried to guess why she was depressed, but Sven didn’t know how to answer and just mumbled.

It was one month since Tockerbrot was seriously threatened. Even after a month, Sven couldn’t forget what happened. Mary Ville Mehl had both fiercely hated and loved Tockerbrot’s owner. And now she was dead. Sven had decided not to tell Lud, or anyone, about Mary’s death. However, the girl’s unexpected death was too immense to keep inside, and Sven felt weighed down as if by lead.

I can’t tell him. Sven sighed.

She cared about her master above all others. She used to be indifferent to whether anyone aside from her master lived or died. But despite the fact that Mary had been their opponent, her death saddened Sven.

It will soon be one year since... She glanced at the calendar on the wall.

Sven first came to Organbaelz in the spring last year. Summer, fall, and winter had passed since then. The new year had arrived, and it was now the middle of spring again.

So much has happened.

Many events had occurred and she had interacted with lots of people. As a result, she was now more “human” than she could have imagined one year ago.

“Let’s see... Should I tell Lud?”

“Huh?”

While she was pondering, Jacob spoke uncomfortably. “Lud isn’t that thick-headed, but he shows affection in a strange way, which I suppose could be frustrating.”

“Jacob? What are you driving at?”

“I’m asking if Lud has done something to upset you.”

Jacob’s guess wasn’t entirely wrong. For Sven, Lud came first, second and last. Every worry and concern she had was directly connected to Lud. It was natural for Jacob to assume that Lud was the source of Sven’s trouble.

“Jacob, how old are you?”

“I’m eleven.”

“Oh... right. You just had a birthday.” Sven spoke in surprise. “I wish you would see things with age-appropriate sensitivity.”

Jacob probably thought she was troubled because her relationship with Lud wasn’t going so well. Just like Jacob said, Lud was indeed too gentlemanly. Even though they lived under the same roof, they never appeared like a man and a woman in a romantic relationship. That bothered Sven, but having a young boy point it out was also off-putting.

“I think Lud should heed the saying that it’s shameful for a man to reject a woman’s advances.”

“Jacob, you shouldn’t even know that saying!”

Sven worried about how Jacob would turn out as an adult. The others around him worried about that, too.

Perhaps he inherited this trait from his father.

Jacob didn’t know that his father was Erich Blitzdonner, the greatest of the ace pilots in the Wiltian military, earning him the nickname Crimson Hawk.

He was enormously skilled, so the August Federation, which had suffered bitterly at his hands, had put a price on his head. But he was even more famous for his fondness for women. His behavior with women was so incorrigible that he was almost arrested after receiving a medal from the royal family and then selling it that same day to give money to a woman.

“Like father, like son.”

“What’s that?”

“Oh, nothing.” Thinking Jacob probably did take after his father, Sven hesitated. “Anyway...” Sven changed the topic, because if she continued, Jacob would see that she was hiding something. “Did you feel a strange shaking last night?”

“Shaking? You mean an earthquake?” Jacob was confused because her choice of words was unusual.

“Have you heard anything? Like, about an accident at the mine?”

Organbaelz was a mining town. And mines often have accidents that could trigger incidents such as falling rock.

“No, I don’t think so. If so, there would’ve been a big fuss.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Sven had felt the shaking late the night before. The townsfolk—and even Lud the baker, who was the earliest to rise—were asleep. Sven had felt a strange trembling. It was a vibration insensible to humans but detectable by a high-quality seismometer.

If it was caused by something striking the ground instead of an earthquake... Sven put a finger to her mouth as she wondered.

She had been involved in a number of incidents over the past year. When she boarded an airship, it had been hijacked. While on sales deliveries, special ops soldiers had attacked. During the Thanksgiving Festival, she was embroiled in a coup d’état in the royal capital.

“I hope nothing strange happens again.”

Her master only wanted to live quietly and peacefully as a baker, but somehow trouble kept knocking on his door.

“What’s the matter, Sven?”

“Oh... Master.”

As Jacob and Sven were talking, Tockerbrot’s owner Lud Langart appeared from the back of the shop. It was already after noon, so the shop was quiet. Lud took his break between the busy periods, practically at afternoon tea.

“Shall I brew some tea for you? Jacob, why don’t you take a break, too?”

Just as Sven was about to make tea, a person appeared in front of the shop, as if timed to that precise moment.

“Oh...”

The bell rang and the door opened. A man about forty years old appeared.

“Welcome to Tockerbrot!” Sven immediately switched on her sales smile and welcomed the man. At the same time, she was instinctively alarmed.

The man wasn’t from Organbaelz. Organbaelz was a small town where most people knew each other and outsiders were immediately noticeable. Sven was familiar with all the local faces and names after living in town for the past year.

“.....................” The man standing in the entrance was staring at Sven in silence.

She wasn’t alarmed just because he was a stranger. His physique, the way his muscles were developed and even his walk... She was able to characterize his bearing at a glance.

He doesn’t look like someone who makes an honest living.

He was clearly trained and experienced in combat. She sensed he was highly skilled, possibly surpassing Lud, his senior officer Sophia, and the other opponents she had faced.

“Are you looking for something particular? If you don’t mind, I can help you choose.” Nonetheless, Sven treated the man to a smile. If Lud and Jacob hadn’t been there, she might have made the first move. But since she couldn’t...

The best plan is to get within range so he makes the first move!

She approached the man, her body ready to react to a sudden attack no matter what move her opponent launched.

“.....................” When she was within range—a distance of less than one meter—the man’s arms shot out.

“—!” Sven was prepared for an attack to her face, arms, trunk or legs, but what the man did was unexpected.

“Sven!!” He said her name with a broad smile and clasped her to him. It was a warm, forceful and heartfelt hug.

“What?!” Sven had sworn she would never allow anyone but Lud to lay a hand on her body. She made a fist to punch the insolent lout when the man spoke.

“Long time, no see! I’m your dad!”

“What?!” Sven froze at these astonishing words.

During the European War, which lasted over ten years, there was a soldier feared as the Silver Wolf. He piloted a plain white Hunter Unit, then abandoned his life as a soldier after the war and chose to live as a baker in a small, rural town. His name was Lud Langart.

A rare genius scientist in the Royal Weapons Development Bureau had transferred the assistive AI from Lud’s Hunter Unit to a humanoid Hunter Unit in the form of a young woman. That AI, who now appeared to be a young woman, was Sven. She didn’t have parents. She wasn’t human. Nonetheless...

W-What’s this idiot blathering about?!

Sven drew her arm back to throw a merciless fist at the man still hugging her. But before she could, he mumbled something.

“Is that really what you want, Avei?”

“—?!”

He had lowered his voice to a whisper. He purposely pulled Sven close so he could whisper for her ears alone. Lud and Jacob hadn’t heard.

“Who are you?”

Avei was the name Sven had received when she was a Hunter Unit. Not many people knew that name, so if this man called her Avei in her current human form, he must know what she was.

“For now, I suggest playing along.” After saying this, the man gently and caringly patted Sven’s head like a real father might.

His statement was a warning. A warning that if she didn’t play along, it would go poorly for her. And it was more effective than threatening her with a knife or a gun.

“Is this your father?” Jacob, who had missed their quiet exchange, raised his voice in surprise.

“Oh, um...” Sven turned around and fixed her eyes on Lud. He was the person from whom she most wanted to hide her true identity.

“Sven, is that...?” Lud’s face was slightly suspicious.

If she denied it, then and there, he would believe her. But then the man would tell Lud she wasn’t human. And what if he offered proof?

If that happened, Sven’s heart—if she had one—would freeze at the sight of Lud’s face. Inside her chest was a glowing red rezanium reactor that drove her machinery and powered her brain.

“Let’s see, um...” She had to handle her present predicament, even if it meant lying. “Yes, he’s my father.” In a strained voice, Sven went along with the man’s story.

“Well, what a pleasure to meet you! You must be Mr. Langart! You look exactly as my daughter described!” The man became irritatingly cheerful and stepped toward Lud.

“Hey! You—!” Sven raised her voice to stop the intruder from approaching her dear master, but before she could say more, the man flashed her a broad smile as if to purposely rub her the wrong way.

“What’s the matter, Sven? Don’t be so distant toward your papa.”

“You—?!” Sven struggled against her impulse to strike the grinning imposter.

What’s with this guy? No... I need to get through this moment. In the worst case...

As Sven decided to get rid of the man later, Lud asked him a question.

“So you’re Sven’s father? She’s been a big help to me!”

Although his face looked scary, Lud was generally well mannered, so he spoke politely without an inkling of what Sven was thinking. “Let’s see...” Lud stopped as he reached out for a handshake. And he looked at Sven. “Um...”

Sven was confused until she sensed the question in his glance. He was asking for the name of this man calling himself her father. A daughter would of course know her father’s name, but since she wasn’t his daughter, she had no idea.

Sven hesitated, but the man answered for her.

“My name is Meitzer. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Langart!” The man, Meitzer, shook Lud’s hand with a warm smile.

1620 24.04.921—

News of Sven’s father rapidly spread around Organbaelz because everyone in town visited Tockerbrot. Until a year ago, the business was in a slump, but Sven boosted the shop’s popularity as its skilled and friendly waitress. And this man was supposedly her father. Everyone wanted to meet him, so the shop was busier than usual as evening approached.

“Hello, everyone! Thanks for looking after my daughter!”

Without being asked, Meitzer had offered to help serve customers at the bustling bakery.

“What a pretty lady! If I were a little younger, I’d have designs on you!” He was gentlemanly toward single women and gave them a winning smile.

“I’m jealous of your husband for marrying such a beauty!” He was gentlemanly toward married women and gave them a beaming smile.

“Are you all right, Ma’am? Please, take my hand. I’ll walk you to the door.” He was gentlemanly toward older women and gave them a sincere and respectful smile.

“Wow... Your dad’s got charm!” The man’s customer service was excellent and his stunning skills were superior even to his daughter’s, which impressed Jacob.

“Doesn’t anyone in this town have anything else to do?!” Amazed at how Meitzer enchanted the women, Sven sighed.

“They can’t help it. There’s no entertainment around here.”

“But Tockerbrot isn’t a freakshow! It’s a bakery!”

The bakery’s business had improved after the arrival of the beautiful and clever Sven, although she originally seemed out of place in that rural community. And now a handsome and sociable middle-aged man, also out of place, had appeared. It was understandable that the shop was crowded with curious townsfolk.

“You guys are indeed father and daughter! You’re so similar!”

“What?!”

Jacob didn’t know Sven’s true background. He didn’t know that Sven had no father. Seeing them together, it wasn’t strange to hear they were father and daughter. But Jacob’s comment caught Sven off guard and made her uncomfortable.

“I mean you’re both nice looking.”

“Oh, that’s what you meant...”

Sven was created to be a lovely young woman. Meitzer was a handsome man.

“And... How should I put it? Your aura is...”

“Huh...?” At Jacob’s comment, indescribable confusion crossed Sven’s face. She had no parents. She had no relatives so there was no one who looked like her. The idea was unnerving and upsetting to Sven.

“Oh!” Sven’s train of thought led her to realize something. Or rather, to remember something.

0220 25.04.921—

At midnight, after closing the shop for the night...

Sven set out for the forest on the outskirts of town. She didn’t tell Lud because she expected to have a conversation that she didn’t want Lud to hear.

“..................” Silently, she proceeded into the woods.

The midnight forest was pitch black and a typical person would be scared to take one step into the darkness. It didn’t matter to Sven because she wasn’t human. Even on a moonless night, her mechanical eyes could magnify the dim light of the stars to create daylight visibility.

When she was deep in the forest, where even the beasts were asleep, she called out. “I know you’re here, so come out!” She couldn’t be calling to anyone human in the frightening black forest. It could only be an animal or...

“I didn’t want to contact you like this.” It was a girl in a long red dress. She appeared mysteriously, as if floating out of the darkness.

Sven didn’t have anyone she could call a parent. But she did have a sister... Or more accurately, a sister machine. This girl was another humanoid Hunter Unit. And her name was Rebecca.

“I did not want to contact you so often either.”

Rebecca was monitoring Sven on orders from Daian Fortuner, the director of the Royal Weapons Development Bureau. Actually, he was supposed to retrieve Sven, because she was a valuable experimental weapon that had escaped the Bureau. Instead, he ordered Rebecca to monitor Sven without interfering in her activities.

Daian was known as the most eccentric individual in Wiltia. No... in the entire world. So Sven had no idea what his intentions were. If he was setting her free, if under surveillance, she had no need to go to the trouble of eliminating Rebecca. Nonetheless, it was uncomfortable having someone watch her all the time, so she avoided contacting the other humanoid Hunter Unit.

“Who is that man?” There was no need to explain. Rebecca must have known about Meitzer’s arrival. “Did you send him? In that case you’ve got bad taste!”

Rebecca was expressionless at Sven’s accusation. “I do not know what you are talking about.”

“What?”

“I understood some of your conversation with that man but I could not catch all of it.”

Rebecca’s vision—the range of her visual sensors—was better than Sven’s. She could see inside Tockerbrot from a distance of several hundred meters. However, she couldn’t pick up sound.

“I read your lips. Sometimes you turned your back or were in a blind spot, so I could not understand everything. But Meitzer is your father?” She asked a question back at Sven.

“Don’t be stupid! You know we don’t have parents!”

“That is correct.” Rebecca’s tone was insinuating, but Sven didn’t notice.

“Then who is that man? He seems to know about me.”

“I cannot make a determination.”

“Moreover, he helped himself to lodging over the shop!”

Meitzer told them he had no place to stay. There were no decent hotels in Organbaelz. Sven wanted to send him out to a hotel in a neighboring town, but Lud was a kind man and made a generous offer. “It’s small, but if you don’t mind, please stay here at the shop.”

“Former Captain Langart is such a pain.” Rebecca spoke in exasperation but Sven responded with a yell.

“Master’s kindness is bottomless!!”

Lud thought he was merely being hospitable to the parent of a diligent employee, but he was making things complicated for Sven.

“Anyway, I can’t let such a suspicious person near my master!”

“Then... what will you do?”

After thinking briefly, Sven replied coldly. “I’m willing to eliminate him.”

“Hmm...” Rebecca had no opinion.

The man was an unknown opponent and a possible threat to Sven and to her master. If Rebecca had been in the same situation... No, when she actually had been in the same situation, she eliminated her opponent without hesitation.

Humanoid Hunter Units developed hearts. They loved the people who gave them their hearts with their entire souls and all their affection. If someone threatened to hurt their masters, they wouldn’t hesitate—in the worst case—to take that person’s life.

“Do you want me to cooperate with you?”

“Yes. If the Development Bureau isn’t involved, then he must be a danger to your people, too.”

Sven didn’t know why the Weapons Development Bureau and Daian had let her go free. Nonetheless, she understood that they wouldn’t overlook this stranger who knew she was a humanoid Hunter Unit and suspiciously contacted her.

“That is outside my line of duty.”

“You didn’t hesitate to interfere before, did you?” Sven was grumpy in response to Rebecca’s unhelpful attitude.

“Yes, but...”

Rebecca had agreed to this surveillance mission, undertaking the difficulty of repeated travel between the royal capital and Organbaelz each month, because she had orders from her developer Daian. But there was another, more important, reason. She too had someone she wanted to protect in Organbaelz.

“Very well.”

If something happened, he might be in danger, too. That possibility was enough to force Rebecca to help.

“So what is your course of action?”

“Well... tomorrow, I’ll lure him out with some clever story.”

The two mechanical women devised a violent solution.

“That isn’t necessary!” Another voice joined their discussion.

“——?!” Sven and Rebecca simultaneously turned toward the voice.

It was Meitzer standing before them—the very subject of their conversation.

“When did you—?!” Rebecca was usually calmer and more careful than Sven. Actually, she was more like a machine than Sven, but even she showed surprise.

“If I had known you wanted to hold a secret chat in the forest, Sven, I would have come with you. After all, you’re my darling daughter.”

“You!” Sven shouted and leapt over Meitzer.

They weren’t at Tockerbrot. Her beloved master wasn’t here. This time, she didn’t need to hold back.

“Die!”

Sven had a fragile appearance. However, her hand chops could strike an opponent sharper than a knife, and her grip could crush rock. She had mowed down an entire platoon of the Greyten Empire’s fully armored soldiers and special operations mechanical soldiers all by herself.

“What?”

“Are you in a rebellious phase?”

However, Meitzer easily stopped her fist, which could pierce metal plating, with only one hand, as if defending against a small girl.

“What the?!”

Sven had sworn she wouldn’t go easy on him. She intended to crush his whole arm if he tried to block her.

“What did you do?!” Sven demanded with a frustrated look.

The man looked human. And, using all her sensors as a humanoid Hunter Unit, she judged him to be human.

“I’ve told you many times. I’m your father.” Then Meitzer grabbed Sven’s fist and twisted her wrist. Sven’s body spun around like a top.

“Aagh?!” Sven couldn’t recover quickly enough to break her fall. Instead, she made a sound improper for a lady and smashed to the ground.

Is he using bujutsu?

Bujutsu was a martial art from the continent of Aesia, a region that was culturally very different from Europea. Lud and his senior officer Sophia used bujutsu. But if this was budo, which was more formidable... It was said that a human master of the art could keep up with a humanoid Hunter Unit.

No, this is different!

Meitzer’s action didn’t seem to fit budo. He hadn’t simply used a fighting technique. And he hadn’t used all his might. He had reacted naturally, as if turning on a water faucet. That was exceptional.

“Hey, are you all right, Sven?”

And that’s why Meitzer’s concerned question sounded so strange and surprising.

“Who in the world are you?”

Sven had fought many different enemies, but he was unlike any of them. Well, one thing was similar.

When a man took over the royal capital, he had seized total control of Sven using only words. Sven had lost her power and freedom, including freedom of thought. And she felt something similar now. Her fist refused to harm him.

“Hm?” Meitzer shifted his line of sight.

“There’s an opening!!”

He was looking at a fast-moving red-tinged shadow. Rebecca was running through his blind spot to launch an attack.

With a tree branch as foothold, she became a veritable scythe of death, leaping and launching multiple powerful kicks. If she struck with full strength, she could rupture a human’s internal organs in one attack. Her kick was three times stronger than her punch. And she was aiming at Meitzer’s face.

“Oh my...”

However, he didn’t dodge. He didn’t even try to avoid her attack. His expression said, “That won’t be necessary.”

“What?!”

In the next moment, the unbelievable happened. Rebecca’s body, which was flying through the air, stopped still as if the very space around it had frozen.

“What a silly maneuver.” Meitzer sighed and Rebecca’s legs jerked up as if plucked by an invisible giant hand, and she smashed to the ground.

“How did you—?”

The impact was harder than Sven’s fall. Rebecca’s thin, elegant legs were now twisted in what would have been serious fractures to a human being.

“You’re not my daughter, but I hate to see a girl suffer. Even if you are a machine.” Meitzer’s tone was quiet, with heartfelt concern toward Rebecca.

But his meaning was completely inscrutable.

“You... Who are you?! What do you want?!” Sven sounded furious and astonished that the two mighty humanoid Hunter Units were beaten before they could even fight.

What was this man’s plan? If he attacked her master, she wouldn’t be able to protect him, and that terrified Sven the most.

“I told you. I’m your father. Can’t a father visit his daughter?”

“You’re still talking that nonsense?!” Sven grew angry once more at Meitzer’s brazen lies, but she couldn’t use force to question him.

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of harming your ‘master.’ That would make you sad, wouldn’t it? I would never want that.” His tone sounded like a father reassuring his daughter. “For now, let me stay at Tockerbrot. I have things I want to ask and learn.”

After this statement, Meitzer turned away from Sven and Rebecca, who were still lying on the ground.

“...............”

With his back turned, he was wide open. Sven thought she could finish him in one strike if she attacked now. But that was probably impossible. Her attack would never reach Meitzer.

“Very wise,” the mysterious man said with his back turned. He could sense Sven’s emotional conflict without looking at her.

“Ugh...” Sven moaned quietly but could do nothing more. Meitzer had demonstrated overwhelming superiority, and Sven could only grind her teeth.

I’ll have to wait for him to make a move.

Sven had no idea who Meitzer was or what he was thinking. There was no choice but to keep a close eye on the situation.

“Anyway, I need to return to the shop at once.”

It would soon be dawn. If she didn’t get back before Lud woke up, he would be suspicious.

“Oh...” Then she remembered something.

“Ungh...” With one leg bent unnaturally, Rebecca was moaning.

“What should I do with you?” Sven couldn’t leave Rebecca there—and that was a problem.

0955 26.04.921—

In Berun, the capital of the Principality of Wiltia and far away from Organbaelz, the military headquarters was under tight security and the atmosphere was tense.

“The day has finally come. I’ve been plagued this last month with shoulder pain and headaches!” Sophia von Rundstadt, a major in the Principality of Wiltia’s military, complained as she sighed with exhaustion. Today, she was wearing a full-dress uniform for a ceremony.

“But Major... today is the big day!”

“What’re you talking about? Everything until today was the big day!” Sophia replied to her adjutant Marissa in irritation at the correction.

“Noa’s idle general is a pain in my rear end!”

“Nonetheless, we can’t ignore him.”

Noa was a nation on another continent with different customs and rules from Europea. It was a strong nation, so it was said that if it had joined the forces allied against Wiltia during the recent Great War, the conflict’s outcome would have been very different. Noa had maintained a policy of complete noninterference until the end of hostilities.

“Neither enemy nor foe.” This policy had made the greatest contribution to Wiltia’s victory.

“But why now?”

“For goodwill between the two countries.”

“Ha! I wonder!” Sophia’s response was caustic.

The military leaders were anxious because a general from the great nation of Noa was making a goodwill visit to Wiltia. He occupied the highest rank in Noa and was recognized as the marshal designated to lead the entire military, both army and navy, in the future. So Wiltia wanted to maintain friendly relations with him. And this man would arrive in less than thirty minutes.

“To begin with, it hasn’t even been six months since the rebellion.”

Genitz’s rebellion, even though it lasted only a few days, had almost taken full control of the royal capital. The rebelling forces had been crushed, but confusion was still rampant.

“As you know, I am now in charge of security.”

Sophia was usually a captain of the guard at the Royal Weapons Development Bureau. However, even after the rebellion was eliminated, a pro-Genitz faction still existed inside the military.

Ironically, the Wiltian military had hundreds of thousands of soldiers, but there weren’t many leaders trusted by central headquarters.

“Tsk! What if that weirdo causes trouble in the meantime?”

The “weirdo” to whom Sophia referred was Daian Fortuner, the director of the Weapons Development Bureau. Sophia’s responsibilities as a guard extended beyond protection of the Bureau. She also had to watch over this heedless genius who, all on his own, was capable of upsetting the military balance of the world. Meanwhile, he could build a new weapon to erase entire nations from the map.

“Urgh. Thinking about him gives me stomach cramps.”

Sophia’s most recent meeting with Daian was one week ago. She had warned him repeatedly to behave, keep quiet, and to be serious instead of acting like a clown. And that eccentric man’s response had been to reply theatrically, “Oh, Sophia! Are you that sad to be apart from me? Don’t worry! My heart is always with you!!”

“I should have killed him or at least sent him to the hospital!”

“What are you saying?” Her superior’s mumbled comment was so unsettling that Marissa paled.

“Anyway, today is a big day. We’ll show every hospitality and politely send him on his way.”

Sophia was never relaxed. Advance preparations for an important visit by a foreign dignitary were more difficult than handling matters after the fact. She had to expose rabble-rousers inside the country, and at the same time, prevent outside troublemakers from entering the country.

Acts of terrorism could be executed within a day, but they usually required careful planning, research and preparation. If terrorists wanted to shoot, they needed to purchase guns, so tracing the route of weapons acquisition was one way to uncover them. By repeating a process of searching, discovering, destroying, suppressing and arresting enemies over the past few weeks, they intended to discourage their opponents by demonstrating that while the prey was large, the risk was high.

It was impossible to completely eradicate terrorism. The only option was continued effort to make it hard to execute. And it was very tiring.

It was easier during the Great War.

After this was over, she would request a vacation and relax somewhere. As this thought crossed Sophia’s mind, a soldier approached.

“Major Rundstadt, the singer is here.”

“Ah... very good.”

A courier reported the arrival of the entertainer for today’s event.

“We need to meet before the performance.”

As a part of the welcoming ceremony, a Wiltian student would offer a “gift of song.” The student’s song would extol the friendship between the two nations. This student had just arrived.

“I heard she’s from a military academy.”

“Yes. We were originally going to use civilian children, but...”

They had changed the plan for security reasons. It was a horrible thought, but there were terrorists who would commit indiscriminate acts of violence using children. Even worse, sometimes the children’s parents assisted them. They would plant a bomb in their own child’s bag, and when the target’s guard was lowered around the child, the bomb would explode. Such an incident had happened only a few months ago.

“This child comes with good references. Her title is low, but she’s from a noble family.”

“This is ridiculous...” Sophia groaned at Marissa’s report.

As the title “von” suggested, Sophia was from a noble family too. Furthermore, she was from one of the more prominent families in Wiltia. Sophia was tired of showing respect for the power of a good family.

“The students are here.”

One of her subordinates escorted a pair of military academy students. One was a boyish girl with short hair. The other had long hair and a striking smattering of freckles on her face.

“Hm?” Sophia made a quizzical sound. “What? I was expecting only one.”

Sophia was told that there was only one military academy cadet who excelled at singing. However, two girls stood in front of her.

“I apologize. There are, um... circumstances.” One of the two students spoke apologetically.

“Um... what circumstances?” Sophia asked the student with black hair.

Her name was...

“I am Hildegard von Hessen.” Hilde continued awkwardly. “Um... I’m not sure myself how to explain, but...” Hilde was confused and glanced at the girl next to her, who wore a bright smile, and asked her, “Why did you follow me?”

The long-haired girl’s name was Lillie. Like Hilde, she was a student at the military academy.

“Love requires no reasons.”

“What?!” Sophia’s eyes popped wide at Lillie’s reply, offered with a big grin.

“I’m sorry! Please, ignore what she says... um... Major!” Hilde wore a tired expression and hung her head. Her face said that she had done everything she could, again and again, to shake off Lillie, but Lillie dogged her with an incredible tracking ability.

“Oh, I see...” There were circumstances here beyond Sophia’s understanding.

She didn’t know Hilde’s background. The girl standing before her was a former member of the Schutzstaffel who had served under Genitz and attempted more than once to murder Lud, who was Sophia’s former subordinate and like a brother to her. However, Hilde had also devoted effort to resolving the recent rebellion after Genitz abandoned her.

“Do you mean... she’s your friend?”

A different organization had erased Hilde’s previous record for the sake of her future, but Sophia knew none of this.

Hilde also didn’t know that the officer in front of her had a connection to Lud.

“Well, I guess so...” Hilde agreed with Sophia’s characterization, but Lillie jumped in to deny it.

“No. I am her lover,” Lilly continued.

“What?!” Sophia’s eyes widened again.

“I’m sorry, Major! Please, ignore what she says! Don’t listen to her!!” Hilde shouted, nearly in tears.

Hilde was a former soldier of the Schutzstaffel, but she also had a rare singing gift. She sang during a lesson at the military academy and both the teachers and students were impressed and word had spread, resulting in her invitation to the friendship ceremony.

That was fine, but Lillie was obsessive in her love for Hilde and followed her around as if she couldn’t be away from Hilde for even a second.

“I am Lillie Grunschurter! This is a letter of introduction from my patron. I come with good references, so you may feel at ease.”

“Oh... okay.”

Lillie’s letter of introduction held the signature of a high-ranking official at the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Wiltia. It was enough to ensure her identity, but Hilde wanted to know more.

“Why do you have a connection with an officer at the Foreign Affairs Ministry?”

“Such details are not important. You are here and I am with you. This irrefutable fact is of greater importance.”

Hilde was suspicious, but Lillie dodged her question.

“Is this letter of introduction real?”

“Whether it is real is not important either. What is important is that our love is real.”

“Why won’t you give me a straight answer?!”

Neither Hilde nor Sophia, of course, knew that Lillie wasn’t human. She was a humanoid Hunter Unit, like Sven and Rebecca, that the Weapons Development Bureau, as part of a political deal, gave to the allied nation of Yamato.

She didn’t have a heart like the other two, so Daian had abandoned her as defective. Then, after meeting Hilde, a heart had blossomed within her. However, her heart had manifested feelings for Hilde that were stronger than friendship.

“..................” Speechless, Sophia stared at the two.

“N-No, you don’t understand, Major! She’s...”

“That’s enough. You don’t have to explain.” As Lillie clasped her, Hilde tried to undo the misunderstanding, but Sophia quietly stopped her.

“Love takes many forms.”

“Huh?”

“One person’s love for another, whatever form it takes, is precious.”

“Um... Major?”

“Live with your chest thrown out. I heartily approve!”

“No, wait!” Until now, Hilde was trying to be polite because Sophia was older and an officer in the military, but now her tone grew harsh at the woman’s misunderstanding. “You don’t understand!! She and I... It’s not like that!!”

Hilde thought of Lillie as a dear friend. That was an indubitable fact. She had saved Hilde from many crises. And when Hilde had been hurt, Lillie was as angry as if it happened to herself.

“Right, Lillie? We’re just friends, right?”

But Lillie’s love was deep. Too deep. Hilde even felt a threat to her chastity. When she awoke in the mornings, Lillie was asleep in her bed. Hilde was afraid of what Lillie might be doing while she slept, so she tried not to think about it.

“That is correct. I am Hilde’s friend...”

“Thank you!”

“... for now.” Then she whispered a few extra words.

“Hey! What’d you just say?!”

“Now, now... Calm down.” As the adult present, Sophia attempted to quiet the two squabbling girls.

“Hm? By the way... your name is Lillie?”

“Yes. Why do you ask, Major?” As if suddenly remembering something, Sophia looked at Lillie.

“Have we met somewhere before?”

“What?!” Now Lillie’s behavior was strange.

“I feel like we’ve met someplace, but where? I don’t have any acquaintances among officer candidates.”

“Hm? Huh? Huuuh?! Maybe it is your imagination?” In a panic, Lillie tried to evade the question, but of course it wasn’t Sophia’s imagination.

They had indeed met before. In the midst of a deadly struggle. During the recent rebellion, Lillie had not yet developed an ego. A unit under Genitz deployed her to pursue Sophia, who had escaped confinement within the royal palace. Later, when she was given to Yamato, Lillie had undergone exterior repairs of damage suffered during the battle. While her face remained the same, there were other changes in her appearance, such as her hair color.

“Oh... maybe it is just my imagination.” Sophia, having no idea that the girl before her was a mechanical doll rather than a human being, ended the conversation without pursuing the matter any further. The important representative of another nation was arriving soon, so she didn’t have time. Military officers need to be shrewd in focusing their attention.

“Well, we don’t have time to go over everything in detail, but you’ve heard the basics, right?”

“Um, yes! I hand flowers from the Foreign Affairs Ministry to General Douglas.”

“That’s right. Don’t flub it up.”

Flowers had been prepared for her to give to the general. And the bouquet had already been checked to make sure there were no weapons hidden inside, or an explosive device. Moreover, the flowers had been picked from a garden at the royal palace to ensure an attacker had not mixed in poisonous plants.

“Um, Major? May I ask something? What is General Douglas like?”

Sophia made a troubled face at Hilde’s question. “Well, I don’t really know.”

“Huh?” Hilde showed surprise at her answer.

In the military, it was unusual not to at least recognize someone with a rank of general, even one from a foreign country, and especially one received as a state guest.

“Apparently, General Douglas doesn’t like to have his photo taken. So even I don’t know what he looks like.”

“There isn’t a single photograph?”

“Not one. Not even a painted portrait.”

The Principality of Wiltia had requested images of General Douglas, partially for security, but they had been refused. Noa insisted that not even one image existed.

“Does the general believe that superstition about a camera stealing the soul of its subject?”

“No, that’s not it. I suppose he’s guarding against assassination.”

There were many reasons assassins might target an important officer in a great nation’s military.

“So it’s quite an event for him to show himself in public today.”

Sophia didn’t know the particulars, but the general was a highly charismatic figure in the Noa military and had incredible support among the soldiers throughout the armed forces.

“We must see that he has a safe visit. So I remind you, no matter what, no flub-ups.”

“Yes, Ma’am!”

Sophia didn’t want to pressure them unnecessarily, but as officer candidates, they would be responsible for the future of the nation’s military. Sophia wanted them to tackle challenges with a sense of duty, and Hilde listened and responded seriously.

“The general’s car has arrived.” At that moment, soldiers on standby at command headquarters reported the news.

“All right, let’s go!”

“Yes, Ma’am!”

A great warrior long ago once said that war was but one face of diplomacy. One might say that hospitality toward guests from other nations to strengthen diplomatic relations was important military activity in times of peace.

Sophia and the others braced themselves as if for battle as they headed for the front entrance to headquarters. A red carpet covered the long staircase, with an honor guard in ceremonial dress lining each side. A black luxury car carrying General Douglas was parked in front.

“He’s here.”

As even greater tension coursed through those assembled, the car door opened and a form slowly appeared.

“What?!” Hilde couldn’t stop herself from exclaiming.

She had imagined different features for the mysterious man based on soldiers of war throughout history and the generals of great nations. But none of those images was even close to the appearance of the figure that appeared.

“Skwawk!” The new arrival made a sound, neck tilted in perplexity before the stunned soldiers.

“That’s... General Douglas?”

“Is it... really?”

As Hilde and Sophia stood dumbfounded, he approached, waddling and wobbly and flapping his limbs.

“It’s a penguin.” Only Lillie remained calm, and she simply labeled what she saw.

And it wasn’t a metaphor. General Douglas had appeared, and he was a penguin.

1500 24.04.921—

A little earlier, about the same time the man claiming to be Sven’s father appeared at Tockerbrot, something else was happening.

“The train goes chug-a-chug-a-chug!♪” Daian Fortuner, the genius scientist known as the Sorcerer, was singing. “Ahh, travel by steam train is wonderful! I’m usually holed up in the laboratory. It feels good to take a rare outing!” Daian was in fine spirits as he enjoyed the view outside the window.

He was on board the Said Express, a transcontinental railroad crossing the national borders within central Europea. It took six days to trace a path over 2,500 kilometers from Parise, the capital of Filbarneu, to Busantion, on the eastern edge of the continent of Europea. The train’s interior was different from normal passenger trains. Inside, the cars looked like hotel rooms.

Since it traveled through many nations, the train’s service was stopped during the Great War, but then resumed after the conflict ended as further evidence of peaceful times.

“Oh dear. You appear to be in a bad mood. What’s wrong, Major?”

In contrast to Daian, who was singing happily, the man seated in front of him wore an expression that was impossible to describe as bright, even to be polite.

“Of course I’m not happy. I’m not Rundstadt, but you pressed me into service as your guard.” The man in a red coat spoke with a sour look on his face.

He looked young, but he was in his mid-thirties and had a child. His name was Erich Blitzdonner. He was the most powerful man in the Wiltian military, bore the moniker of the Crimson Hawk, and was a hero of the Great War.

“Please, don’t say that. I’m important to Apuvea too, aren’t I? What if I just happened to head on over to the other side?”

“............!” Daian’s comment, although said jokingly, made Blitzdonner’s eyes narrow. His glare was clouded with hostility suggesting caution and even a willingness to do harm.

“Doctor, you must not say that even in jest.”

“Ooh... scary, scary!” Daian shrugged.

Blitzdonner belonged to a special intelligence organization called Apuvea, which meant “shield.” His job was putting out fires before they spread, thereby preventing a new war. In fact, it would be better to kill Daian, who was superior in all ways, rather than let his brain fall into the service of other nations. The fact was that Blitzdonner could pierce Daian’s heart and take his life in less than five seconds if he felt like it.

“Hmph! Getting killed by one of the mechanical soldiers I created wouldn’t be funny!”

“So don’t make me do it!”

Blitzdonner’s arms and legs were mechanical. But they weren’t merely prosthetics. He was connected to Hunter Unit limbs decreased to human size. In other words, he was a cyborg.

“I am thankful to you. So don’t test me.”

“Fine, fine. Thanks to your strong sense of duty, Major, I can live a long life.”

Daian and Blitzdonner had known each other for a surprisingly long time. Early in the Great War, beginning with the development of the Hunter Units, the two were acquainted as a developer and a test pilot. And it was Daian who gave Blitzdonner his new arms and legs. After that, they hadn’t seen each other often, so while they had long been acquainted, that acquaintance wasn’t deep.

“You-know-who isn’t here today.”

By “you-know-who,” Blitzdonner meant the humanoid Hunter Unit Rebecca, who was usually at Daian’s side.

“I had her go to Organbaelz. I want people to think I can’t act unless she’s with me.”

Like Sven, Rebecca’s existence was a top-secret matter within the Weapons Development Bureau. But people talk. Her name was not public knowledge, but it was very possible she was known to a number of organizations employing people with the requisite ability to gather information, inside or outside the nation.

“Anyway, she was too visible during the recent rebellion. She is now also known to members of the Security Department.”

“Those guys... Urgh...” Blitzdonner exhaled in exasperation when Daian mentioned the name of that department.

Officially, the Sicherheitsdienst—aka the Security Department—carried out security for the Principality of Wiltia’s public facilities. In reality, it also used its principality-wide network for secret police actions. Furthermore, there were rumors that it served as a cover for remnants of Genitz’s faction, which had been expelled from the military and the government.

“Apparently, under Genitz’s control, they excelled in information warfare. It’s difficult to get a lead on them, and they were recently at work behind-the-scenes in Pelfe. In the end, however, no proof was obtained.”

“Sounds hard.” Daian acknowledged Blitzdonner’s effort, but he wasn’t actually very interested in affairs between top-secret organizations. Right now, he needed to handle something else right away. That’s why he was on this train.

“Anyway, that’s the situation. I purposely sent Rebecca away so I wouldn’t be watched and requested cooperation from Apuvea. When it comes to this matter, our goals at least are the same.”

No matter what, he had to take care of this in utmost secrecy. Daian had decided on quality over quantity when it came to his security, and he needed a single man with combat power comparable to one hundred fighters. He chose Blitzdonner, whose strength as a mechanical soldier far surpassed that of a regular human being.

“But don’t you have affection for your former partner? You should go see her. If you want, I could return her to her original form and give her back to you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Doctor.”

Daian had created Rebecca with the AI from Blitzdonner’s beloved Hunter Unit. He was her master who had given her a heart. He was more important to her than her own life, just as Lud was to Sven.

“If she returns to her original form, wouldn’t it mean a state of war?”

He didn’t show himself to Rebecca or his family because, unlike Lud, he was still engaged in hostilities. What if his opponents targeted those close to him? What if the hands of evil reached out for his son Jacob or his wife Charlotte? The best way to prevent that was to fake his death and hide that he was the boy’s father. So he didn’t reveal himself to his family or even inform them he was alive.

“But she’s a real beauty now! I’d like to give her a fitting life!”

And his protective feelings extended to his former Hunter Unit, with her young girl’s heart and body. If she learned he was alive and engaged in secret intelligence work during peacetime, she would rush to his side. And she would try to protect him even at the cost of her own life. He didn’t want to expose her to such danger.

“But didn’t you expose yourself during the rebellion?”

“That was only because I had to! I had no choice!” With a sour expression, Blitzdonner barked back at Daian, who was grinning maliciously.

During the rebellion, Rebecca was caught in a trap by the rebelling army, and her life had been in danger. So Blitzdonner intervened, rescuing her and revealing his existence.

“Why don’t you get out of the business, like a certain former captain?”

“I want to, but I can’t. As long as you-know-what remains, war will come again.” Blitzdonner waved his hand to signal an end to the topic.

“Yeah. Genitz sure left behind a pesky legacy.”

“That man is more of a problem dead!”

That problem was the reason for this journey. They intended to secretly remove it from existence.

“Uh-huh. If word got out to other countries, Wiltia wouldn’t escape condemnation.”

“And worse. It could spark another Great War.” Blitzdonner spluttered vehemently to Daian, who looked as if the matter wasn’t his concern. “I can’t believe he thought of and then actually did it. What was in his brain to come up with something so absurd?!”

Genitz’s “legacy” was a secret plan he was working on before he died. The Great War had ended and public opinion in Europea and around the world was directed toward preventing another war. The decade-long war had scarred the world in many ways.

“No one knew until it happened that repeated technological and systemic upheaval, combined with enforced conscription in wealthy nations, would give humanity the power to destroy its own civilization.” Daian chuckled.

So the nations around the world had further developed the existing International Conference through the establishment of the Society of Nations. And they had embarked on a policy of worldwide disarmament to prevent future war.

“But humankind won’t learn wisdom that easily. Or more accurately, it’s too clever. People will find an excuse to create devices for their own benefit.”

An international treaty for disarmament proposed restrictions on arms stockpiles. It included regulations on new warships and the prohibition of inhumane weapons such as toxic gas, but also certain provisions that Wiltia could not overlook.

“Wiltia was told to regulate the number of Hunter Units. At that time, Wiltia had a veritable monopoly on them. In the name of disarmament for peace, the Society of Nations tried to reduce Wiltia’s military power.”

Wiltia’s victory in the Great War was due to the Hunter Units. Attacked simultaneously from opposite sides—by the great nations of Filbarneu in the west and August in the east—Wiltia would otherwise have had no choice but to continue a defensive war ending in defeat.

But, all at once, the Hunter Units—each equal to a hundred foot soldiers—changed the face of war. Steel giants strode the battlefields, fighting on two fronts with strength left to spare. They trampled enemy combatants, forcing enemy soldiers to retreat and the aggressor nations to raise white flags.

“That’s because you were so effective on the eastern front.” Blitzdonner responded to Daian as if it were of no importance.

“That was a long time ago.”

The Wiltian army, drastically outnumbered, met August’s army as it advanced from the eastern border. The Hunter Units, having just been introduced to actual combat, blocked August’s way. And Blitzdonner, who boasted an outstanding battle record, was there. He singlehandedly destroyed an entire division, then pursued and trampled August’s combatants faster than they could flee, making his nickname the Crimson Hawk a synonym for the devil in August.

“Hunter Units are essential for the Wiltian military. Restricting them was equivalent to ripping off the nation’s arms and legs. Greyten and Filbarneu acted wisely.”

Both nations were opponents of Wiltia during the Great War, and they had lost. So they had secretly collaborated to draw Wiltia into a disarmament treaty. They created a situation whereby, if Wiltia objected, the international community would believe it intended to start another war.

“Wiltia was forced to reduce its Hunter Units by 30 percent. It resisted strongly, but that was the most it could do. As a victorious nation, its territory had increased, but it didn’t have enough manpower to guard it all. On top of that, the number of Hunter Units was restricted. It took one hit after another.”

Wiltia had sent Hunter Units to its forces in every direction, thereby leaving defenses for the crucial homeland understaffed.

“That’s why Genitz devised this reckless plan and set it in motion.” With his mechanical hand inside a leather glove, Blitzdonner made a tight fist.

“I can’t believe he was developing weapons jointly with August.”

Genitz’s plan used methods that no other country’s military would have expected at the time.

Wiltia’s ability to develop and manufacture new Hunter Units was restricted within the nation. So Genitz planned to simply do it outside Wiltia. If he used a satellite nation, it would come to light. So he devised a scheme to develop and manufacture Hunter Units within the territory of a rival nation.

“August has vast territory, immense resources and a large population. However, it’s a revolutionary government, so successive purges have drained its intellectual class and left it short on technical minds.”

The intellectual class included technicians and scientists, who were generally under the nation’s protection because securing such human resources helps preserve the nation’s technological strength. However, the revolutionary government of August took the lives of many intellectuals at the same time as it destroyed the monarchy. August was now like a giant child that had resources and equipment but no idea how to use them.

“It’s actually a good plan. Wiltia is technologically advanced, but it’s scarce in resources. Mutual provision of what each side lacks is the basis of negotiation.”

Without informing the government or military, Genitz had negotiated with August for proprietary development and production of new Hunter Units in one of August’s satellite nations using Wiltia’s technology and August’s resources.

“Only members in the Society of Nations have to obey the international disarmament treaty. As a non-participating nation, August is not subject to inspections and is under no obligation to submit reports. Genitz may have also intended to train pilots.”

“I could hardly believe my ears when I heard about it. I’d rather he had made a deal with the devil.”

And Genitz’s plan didn’t stop at simply maintaining Wiltia’s military power. He intended to start the next war—the Second Great European War—and was increasing armaments.

“What happens if we give Hunter Unit tech to August? In six months, the number of dead in the next Great War could surpass all the deaths in the ten years of the last one! And I doubt he was unaware of that.”

Genitz was known for his genius, so he would have calculated all of that. He had based his plan on the expectation that if Wiltia’s opponents grew in strength, then Wiltia would grow even stronger.

“I suppose he was serious about conquering the world. That’s why Wiltia’s military strength before disarmament wasn’t enough.”

“And worse still, he discovered something powerful enough to guarantee the success of this reckless idea.”

Even if August doubled its current military strength, with this additional element, Wiltia would have ten times its current strength. Genitz had discovered something that could ensure that.

“Indeed. And I’ve come all the way from Noa to investigate it.” Suddenly, another voice joined theirs. It was a woman’s voice, sultry and enchanting.

“Oh, Fianna! You’re back?”

The owner of the voice was Fianna Libera, the third person to join the outing.

“Hey... Why are you half-dressed like that?!” Blitzdonner’s voice sounded surprised.

“Don’t you know? The Said Express has a restaurant, café, bar and even a shower!”

“I know! But that isn’t the problem. I’m asking why you’re in nothing but a bathrobe!”

Fianna’s hair was still wet, and her full bust was in danger of spilling out from her robe.

“Oh dear... Don’t you like my body?”

“I’m asking why you aren’t embarrassed!”

Of course, she wasn’t wearing anything underneath her robe. Returning from the shower room, she had walked along the corridor to their private room barely dressed.

“Hmf! I’m not the least bit ashamed of my body! I can show it off to anyone!”

“That isn’t what I meant...” Unable to get his point across, Blitzdonner held his head.

“It’s no use. Fianna doesn’t live according to the standards of ordinary people.”

“You should talk! You’re the Sorcerer!”

“Which is why I know what I’m talking about!”

Fianna shot a miffed look at Daian, but he paid no mind.

“Tch! You scientists are all alike!”

Blitzdonner’s lack of common sense had once led to many legends. But looking at Daian and Fianna, he realized all over again that he was only slightly outside the bounds of common sense. The woman, Fianna Libera, was a scientist like Daian. And, according to Daian, she possessed a world-class scientific mind.

“I say! Wiltian men! They’re all so serious... and boring! Much too insignificant and tame for me!”

“Yeah, only a great nation the size of a continent could handle you!”

Fianna had once been a Wiltian herself, but she had emigrated to the nation of Noa on the new continent.

“I’ve seen your film.”

“Oh! Really? Want my autograph?”

“No!”

Fianna wasn’t going to go easy on Blitzdonner, and he sighed. She was a scientist, but she was an actress before that. Actually, she was still an actress. She had once swept the Wiltian cinematic world as one of the most beautiful actresses.

“No wonder there was an uproar!”

When she had resided in Wiltia, one of her films had rocked the nation.

“The only real problem is that such a thing would cause an uproar!”

She had performed a love scene—a sexual love scene—in one of her films. According to her, “If there’s artistic merit, then there’s no reason to refuse,” and the exposure of her voluptuous, naked body had packed theaters for days.

“Beautiful things are themselves works of art. My body, like lovely flowers, is a work of art! Critics who object by claiming that it’s dirty or obscene only prove that they are driven by evil emotions!”

“Yeah, but... isn’t that why you couldn’t remain in Wiltia?”

“Don’t get the wrong idea! It’s not that I couldn’t stay there! Wiltia just isn’t a suitable country for me!”

The film had been a huge hit as well as a social problem. Critics had labeled it pornography and called Fianna a whore. But instead of backing down, she just moved to a country where her artistic expression was permitted.

“There, there, Fianna. For now, come here,” Daian said.

To calm her down, he took a bottle of beer from their cooler and handed it to her.

“Oh my! How considerate of you!” Flushed from her shower, Fianna happily gulped the cold beer.

“In beer alone, Wiltia is the best! This is the only thing I miss!”

Fianna Libera was a beautiful woman who wouldn’t back down against an entire nation—she was a goddess.

“I doubt Wiltia expected that the actress it drove away would return as a scientist,” Blitzdonner responded sincerely.

When Fianna Libera lived in Wiltia, she was known as a woman of many love affairs. And that hadn’t changed since her move to Noa. She loved and was loved by many men. However, she liked slightly unusual men.

“That’s because there were so many great men in Noa.” Fianna let out an alluring titter.

Her taste in men had nothing to do with looks, money, physique or influence. It was all about intelligence. She adored smart men.

“I like brainy dudes! I want to know everything about them! And the next thing I knew, I was brainy myself!”

She had absorbed a volume of knowledge commensurate with the number of men she had loved. She had already been a gifted genius in mechanical engineering, but her unusual ability to absorb knowledge put her in a whole new category of scientific intelligence.

“If you like eggheads so much, how about the Sorcerer right here?”

“Hunh?” Fianna glared at Blitzdonner, who was ironically pointing at Daian.

“I like geniuses! And he’s in the highest class! But... am I right, Mr. Crimson Hawk?” Fianna knew Blitzdonner’s background. Wickedly, as if to test him, she stared into his eyes. “A dish may look tasty but still be poisonous. So no thank you! I’ll have none of that!” Having had her say, she drained her bottle.

“I don’t understand how you two think,” Blitzdonner said, but he knew Fianna indeed owned a brain equal to Daian’s.

She was a doctor of electrical engineering, and the advanced radio technology she invented with the knowledge she gained from two famous musicians had revolutionized the world’s communications net. And it led to the successful development of a radiolocation device that was expected to take another fifty years before it found military use. Both technologies would be crucial to the world’s information and communication technology for the next one hundred years.

“So two of the world’s most treasured brains are going to investigate this.”

“Yes, that’s right.” Fianna grinned and smiled.

She truly was beautiful. She had no doubt stolen the hearts of countless men with that smile. She wasn’t Blitzdonner’s type, and he suspected she wasn’t Daian’s either, so she was just plying her charms naturally.

“In any case, that one object has the potential for unimaginable impact.”

“Genitz found a new Door and even the government of August doesn’t know about it.”

The lips of this beauty just confirmed the existence of a relic that could determine the fate of the world.