Her helmet was open-faced. That was to raise the troops’ morale with her beauty.
However, that beautiful face was now a mass of fresh blood. It would seem the bridge of her nose had been crushed flat, because that part of her face was a smooth expanse now.
“You son of a bitch!”
“You idiot! Stop!”
One of her men — a paladin — could not stop himself from drawing his sword and charging out. She wanted to stop him, but it was too late.
Jaldabaoth swung his weapon at the paladin, with a speed that did not seem like he was holding a human body
The two of them collided, and the paladin was sent flying with a thunderous crash of metal.
His armor was staved in like he had been hit by a giant, showing how intense the collision with Calca had been.
Remedios’s eyes could not leave Calca’s body.
Humans might have softer skins than other species, but strong humans could enfold their bodies in ki or magic, and if they were still conscious, they might be able to be endure a slash without being hurt.
Indeed. If they were conscious.
Perhaps it had been knocked loose by the impact, because her helmet had flown off and her long hair played wildly in the wind. Her inverted face was a bloody mess, her nose smashed and her front teeth shattered, her eyes rolled up and a faint moan leaking from her throat. Her beauty, regarded as a national treasure, had vanished without a trace. Her present state was too tragic for words.
“What should we do, Isandro!? How can we save Calca!?”
“I, I don’t know!”
“What the hell are you good for, then!? Doesn’t that brain of yours exist for times like these!?”
“I never imagined something like this could happen! There’s nothing we can do but pull back!”
“So you want me to abandon my sister and Calca here!?”
“What else can we do!?”
And Remedios had nothing to say.
“Good grief. The sight of humans squabbling before their enemy is a fearsome sight. Well, it is about time. Playtime is over.”
“What?”
Jaldabaoth slowly looked to the sky.
“It is about time that my army arrived at this city. I need to smash the gates and usher in a storm of slaughter and carnage.”
“Do, do you think we’ll let you do that?”
“Allow me?I do not need you to allow me anything. All you need to do is accept it. Like say, the gift of a star.”
Jaldabaoth raised the hand that was not holding Calca, and then, like he was searching for something — he pointed to the sky.
“—STOP!!!” Remedios shouted because she did not know what he was going to do.
However, everyone was frozen in place, their hands tied. That was because they could not attack Jaldabaoth, who held the Holy Queen hostage.
No, everyone was afraid that if they attacked him, he would block it with Calca’s body. What would they do if Calca died from their blows?
Heedless to the confusion of Remedios and the others — the star fell.
CHAPTER 2
SEEKING SALVATION
Part 1
A lone girl walked the Kingdom’s streets.
There was nothing adorable about her face. There was nothing about her looks that made observers want to do a double take. However, she still drew attention, albeit in a negative sense.
Her beady black eyes slanted upwards, giving the impression that she was constantly glaring at others, while the dark circles around her eyes made people think that she was the kind of person who hung around with criminals in seedy back alleys.
It was useful for walking among crowds, but once she reached city gates and other such places, she would receive intensive scrutiny and searches from the local authorities.
That girl, Neia Baraja, looked to the sky.
Above her, the sky was covered in dark clouds, giving observers the wrong impression that it was close to dusk when it was still daytime.
The heart of winter had passed, but spring was still a long way off.
Neia sighed tiredly, then marshalled the keen senses she had inherited from her parents and walked toward the street which led to the inn where she was staying.
The reason why she had to be so wary even in a city was because she felt a powerful sense of exclusion towards herself, an outsider, ever since she had entered this city.
Naturally, it was nothing more than the girl’s imagination.
After all, when she wore a cloak with the hood drawn up over her head, there was no way to tell whether she was a foreigner. However, she had not been mistaken about the heaviness in the air. She peeked at the passers-by and saw that their faces were downcast and their footsteps were heavy. It was as though they wore the gloominess of winter around themselves.
Under normal circumstances, she might have thought it was because of the overcast weather. However, she felt that the sense of entrapment — or perhaps a nameless melancholy — which she felt here, in the capital of the Re-Estize Kingdom, ought to have stemmed from some other source.
Maybe it’s because they were defeated in battle not long ago. Still, compared to the people of the Holy Kingdom, they’re practically jumping for joy.
Although the southern bay region of the Holy Kingdom was still relatively safe, the northern reaches were essentially hell now.
To the Liberation Army — formed from the remnants of the Northern Holy Kingdom’s army — and to her, who had come here as a member of an ambassadorial delegation, such news was of little comfort.
The more she thought about it, the more depressed she became, and Neia reached to her waist in search of salvation. The cool sensation of steel travelled up her hand.
It was the sword she carried, emblazoned with the crest of the Holy Kingdom’s knight order, which served as proof of her identity.
Usually, a paladin’s sword would be imbued with minor enchantments, but hers was not. That was because this was a sword of the sort issued to trainee soldiers.
Only after completing her training and being officially ordained as a paladin would her trusty blade be enchanted with magic. That was one of the rituals involved in donning the mantle of a paladin. While it was little more than a sharpened slab of steel until she officially became a paladin, it was still a personal weapon which had accompanied her through long years of training and practice. One could not fault her developing the habit of caressing it when she felt uneasy.
The sensation of steel calmed Neia down slightly, and she sighed a cloud of white vapor. Then she opened her cape and quickened her pace.
Her feet dragged every time she thought that she had to report bad news. However, it was because she disliked such things that she had to move quickly, to get this over with as soon as possible.
Finally, the inn where their delegation resided came into view.
It was a high class inn, with prices as lofty as its reputation. It was said to be among the top five in the Kingdom.
As she thought about the tragic state of her homeland, the northern Holy Kingdom, she could not help but feel guilty over how she was basking in such luxury while her countrymen were suffering. The truth was, the female leader of the ambassadorial delegation had opposed staying here precisely due to its decadence. She felt that they ought to reduce their expenses on this journey and use the leftover money elsewhere.
However, her opinion had been rejected, thanks to the suggestion of the male assistant leader.