Volume 1 Chapter 3 (1/2)
Chapter 3
Those Bound by Destiny
1
With a bright blue brilliance, it was frozen in ice
Just where in the world that was, his young self did not know Alongside the greatest swordsman in the E across the lands of the continent
‘The Eood look’
‘In ten years, or maybe even twenty, this will be a necessary experience for you’
In the middle of their journey─Iska became separated fro for the light far in the distance that was the Neutral City, he was advancing through the wasteland during the night aboard a trainAnd the train that Iska was riding in was assaulted by a crowd of beasts who dominated that land
He was caught in a dilemma where the small blade in his hand had broken And the one to save Iska’s life at that tiht blue wall of ice protected him, and stones of ice shot down the beasts
… A witch saved me?
… Me from the Empire?
A witch of ice He couldn’t see the face of the witch as a veil of darkness covered her She was likely a passenger on the sa
There was no doubt that the witch did not think that the boy riding the train from a land so far away from the Imperial Capital would be from the E the witch She defeated the beasts out of self defence, and it may have been that Iska was protected simply as a result of that
However, no matter the reason, the fact that he was ‘saved’ remained true
… Even though I was taught in the Empire that witches were cruel monsters
… She took action to save me and the people around me?
That was the beginning
That was the event which repainted Iska’s perception of witches
Witches… No, star es, may not be bad people If it was possible to hold talks with the
While being a part of the Empire, Iska believed in that hunch even now
In the I area
Aoff a hot wind that easily surpassed fifty Celsius
─Desert Field
Just as its narounds setup to siiant desert The sand at their feet was extre the heat from the sun, and in this facility, the te the winter
”Haa… Haa A-auuuu… W-water…!”
Four people were running around the peri at the back of the line, Mis as she screamed out
”Wateeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!”
”You can just take a drink can’t you? This is training to rehydrate while travelling after all”
Jhin turned around while running The rucksacks they were carrying were equipped with a water supply, and it was possible to take a drink through a strahile running
”Instead of carrying ar exercise that you can drink the water you’re carrying instead Aren’t you carrying a ton of water on your back?”
”I’ve already drank it all~ Jhin-kun, water, even just a sip, share some with me!”
”You’ll get bloated”
”Jhin-kun you bullyyyyyyy!”
While coh to let out a scream
”This training ground is just weird! There’s a sun lah te hot wind at our backs… We’re not laundry I’ you!”
”They’re both splendid heat weapons Nene re them”
Nene pointed to the jumbo ventilator behind them
”Since it can reproduce the conditions of a desert, it could be used for our training And the researchers fro data froain deal!”
”Nene-chan is scary for being able to think that way you know!?”
The fe about the use of the phrase hu
”Ah, aaah… L-look, Iska-kun… Over there… I see, an oasis… The angels are calling to me to come… Over…?”
”Captain wait! That angel is probably not a good person!”
Mismis ran over in a panic as Iska tried to stop her as she zealously aimed for the land of water
”Hooray! F-finally, my first victory over the desert field!”
Mise on her back as she jumped
”Captain, it used to be that you called for a stretcher only halfway through too”
”Right, right? I’ve been desperately building up just my stamina in this past year after all!”
Mis down like a waterfall froave off the sense that her joy bleay her fatigue
… But it really is a
… One way or another, Captain Mis
Quickly wiping away the sweat dripping frolance at Mismis behind him
She had a petite figure and child-like face which could only be seen as around thirteen, maybe fourteen years old at most Because she had such a child-like appearance, even the younger regular soldiers would look down on her, but Mis disheartened And that was on full display in the results of their training just now
”Aaah Iska-nii, you’re really staring at Captain Mismis”
Nene puffed out her cheeks
”Iska-nii likes that kind of thing~?”
”… What kind of thing?”
”A sexy lady”
Mishtly dressed Her exposed upper arms were flushed fro to her body fro the lines of her body quite distinct
Her two breasts poked out at her shi+rt and she had char with sweat created a gap with her childish figure and face, and was sensational enough to make one aware that she was in fact an ‘adult’
”… How nice~ Captain, despite being short, the places that stick out really stick out huh?”
With an envious look in her eyes, Nene frowned
”Eh? What places Nene-chan?”
”So you say~ Iska-nii is also looking at the Captain with a fishy… Muguu?”
”I am definitely not!”
Sealing Nene’s mouth in a fluster, Iska shook his head to the sides with all his strength as he replied
”It’s ayou, Nene”
”… Really?”
”Really I was just─”
Just as Iska was about to continue speaking, the wind roaring out of the high te exposed to that could render a raw egg cooked all on its own took a coentle wind
”… Ohas an electric fan”
Mismis tilted her head to the side in curiosity
”A malfunction?”
”There’s no way it would I’ mode just for Mismis’ sake”
”Kya!?”
The one to grab the shoulders of the captain sitting down on the bench, was another woman
”Wh-what, so it was Lyshi+a-chan?”
”Yaaaho! Iska-chi, Nene-tan, Jhin-jhin, it’s been about a year huh? Do ya remember me?”
The girl that Miserated bow She was a woraceful features which lasses well Coupled with her tall figure, even when she wore coood This woman with an exceptional appearance was someone Iska kneell
”Do you even need to ask? There aren’t any soldiers who don’t know any of the Holy Apostles in active service”
”Iska-chi was a colleague until a year ago after all huh?”
Lyshi+a winked through the lens of her glasses
Lyshi+a Ean Empire─
To describe her in a single phrase, she was an unparalleled ‘oenius’ boasted of by the E skill, survival skills and even strategic coraduated at the top of thevictory in the harsh co officer to a Holy Apostle in the blink of an eye
”Now… You’re a special guest of the defensive force headquarters right? It’s a”
”It’s not all thatya Iska-chi was also a Holy Apostle just up until last year”
Lyshi+a laughed it off lightly And behind her…
”Even if he was the youngest to rise to the status of a Holy Apostle, Iska was the lowest seat You who hold the fifth seat, are so to speak, one of the right hands of the E the Holy Apostles, you are on a different level”
Jhin, who had been cooling off in the shade of a tree, stood up with a tiresome expression
”So, what kind of troublesome role did you come to push on us?”
”It’s just a tiny request And that’s how it is, so Mismis”
Sticking her tongue out playfully, Lyshi+a then thrust her finger at Mismis
”For your nextunder ood to meet ya!”
”Eeeeh…”
”Oya, dissatisfied?”
”But you know, Lyshi+a-chan is too sies is all~”
”It’s oooookay Its me and Mismis after all”
Mismis looked at Lyshi+a with a frown As for Lyshi+a, she started rubbing her former classmate’s head
”I’ll get a paies just for Mismis’ use You can’t lose it you hear?”
”Really!? Then it’s okay!”
”So that’s how it is, I’ll leave the creation of the strategic pamphlet to you, okay Jhin?”
”I’ it?”
”I didn’t say I was gonna reet everyone Everyone here except for the captain are all elites after all”
”… Lyshi+a-chan?”
”Ahahah, it’s a joke, just a joke Mis it so there’s noit!”
Mismis puffed out her cheeks as Lyshi+a rubbed her head Was it because they were friendly classmates? A Holy Apostle under the direct cole squad captain likely wasn’t so that could be seen so frequently
─A strict doctrine of skill supremacy
To a young captain like Miset to knock down one day’ To a Holy Apostle, someone at the level of a captain was said to be ‘someone they already knocked down that was below them’
… The reason Lyshi+a-san and Captain Mis so well
… Is because our Captain has a character that is unrelated to knocking people down or any kind of competition
She had come by the squad aimlessly in the past as well, but at those tiy, he recalled that they would get heated up talking about things like shopping It also came down to Lyshi+a’s self confidence Precisely because she had unwavering confidence in her own talent and skill, she could get aith such an easygoing attitude
”But you sure arefast aren’t you?”
Facing off against soher position than him, Jhin spoke with a bold smile in a way that could be called defiant
”Seventeen hours after Iska’s release, we made an expedition to the Nelka forest In the past year, that would be the only mission any of us took part in Despite that, I’ment to pull us under your coer”
”Is this about getting a little bit of a better assessment of your abilities? Hmmmm, of course I have that intention But I think I already have a rough grasp of you guys anyways”
Behind those glasses, the eyes of the Holy Apostle contracted like a crescent moon
”The battle report from the Nelka forest ritten wasn’t it? Accurate and brief Of course there wasn’t a single typo or oht?”
”Of course”
”Just fro that, I can tell your senses haven’t dulled at all”
Leaving them a wink, Lyshi+a turned around and faced Iska
”By the way Iska-chi, can I interview you a little?”
”Interview?”
”How’s your condition? I’ve heard about it from Mis-chi you see? After the expedition to the Nelka forest, you haven’t been sleeping well right?”
”… Just a little”
It was the duty of a soldier to report to one’s captain As long as it was so passed on to Mismis, as a Holy Apostle, Lyshi+a would be able to confirm it However, Iska himself didn’t knohy he was unable to sleep well lately either
The Ice Witch of Calamity Alice
For some reason, her face would cross his mind and he would be unable to sleep
”Well that’s quite the iave huh I heard froe of pace fro?”
”It was enjoyable Ummm, it was also a while since I’ve been to the Neutral City”
Iska greatly shook his head
… Saying that I met Alice in the Neutral City
… Is really so I can’t say here huh
”Ah, that’s right Captain Mis”
”Wasn’t it? Wasn’t it~? That kind of blighted love is nice once in a while too right? It’s painful for the heart, but it feels kind of fulfilling right?”
Mishtedly
”Lyshi+a-chan said it was boring though”
”I’et that artsy stuff When it co since the beginning after all”
”Yeah But Lyshi+a-san, did I ever talk to you about my hobbies?”
”That kinda intelligence gathering is ossip of my subordinates are my favourite meals”
Lyshi+a then put her finger into her chest pocket
”Iska-chi, do you know Vibran Salil?”
”He was a court painter for the Eht? Froo, he was an oil painter as active before the hundred years war”
”As expected Then it sounds like you’ll take these off me”
His superior officer wasan impish sle small ticket
”Seems there’ll be an exhibition”
”… Of Vibran’s paintings? In the Neutral City?”
”Yup yup I hoisted it fro, but it seems Vibran would enjoy it more if Iska went to see it instead of me”
”But I only just got a day off the other day…”
”I’ll make you work in proportion to how much you rested, so it’s fine Iska-chi is important in the next mission after all”
Lishi+a rubbed Mismis’ head, and contrary to expectations, she stopped and turned around on the spot
”That’s how it is, so Mis undernextuntil then, or just like Iska-chi, it’s fine for Jhin-jhin and Nene-tan to take a break too”
”What about me? Can I take a break too?”
”Miss with me”
”Cheapo!”
Mismis puffed her cheeks out like a child as Lishi+a teased her cheerfully And setting the two of them aside…
”Back to Ayin huh…”
What cao As one would expect, another such coincidence would not happen again This ti to the solo exhibition for the Imperial artist Vibran It was also later in the day There was no reason for hiain in such a place
… In the end, Alice still has my handkerchief
… Wait, what a about?
As if to bloay such idle thoughts froreatly
2
The Nebulis Royal Palace
It was the castle positioned in the deepest part of the Ies The castle was divided into three sharp spires, and each and every spire was open to the public all year round In other words, the populace could inspect the entire castle That was the established faith between the royal family and the citizens
─There was nothing to hide
─We are all co the Empire
However, there was a place within the royal palace that was not open to the public It was a region that was restricted to even those of the palace unless they had the express permission of royalt
”Sorry I’?”
”No I have also just arrived”
As Rin stood in the darkness lit by candlelight, Alice ca over
”Every time I look at this place, it’s quite eerie isn’t it?”
It was an underground passage that made use of a natural limestone cave The air was damp and lukewarm A wind that came from soently brushed Alice’s nape as it went by Every time it did, she couldn’t help but feel it was the chill of some kind of curse
”… Rin, save me”
”Alice-salue yourself to me so timidly You are not a child after all”
”B-but, what do I do if a ghost comes out…?”
”Alice-sahost Besides─”
As Rin walked next to her, she continued speaking as if i ‘why after all this time?’
”The ones who is sleeping here, is not yet dead”
”… I know that”
As they progressed in silence down the uneven path, a diht
─The Golden Altar
A cri atop a treasure stand was a seven pronged brass candlestick, scriptures written in ancient words, and many holy urns put in place of people whose names Alice did not know
”I have arrived late, mother”
”You are just on time”
The woarments turned around Her hair that was illue of brown Her ruby coloured eyes showed both kindness and strictness, as well as her noble pride
This was Mirabelle Lou Nebulis XIII ─ Alice’s mother and the current queen of Nebulis
However, it was strange for her mother to call her somewhere other than the audience chamber
”Alice, about the other day, you said that you fought with a swordsh he was not a Holy Apostle, he held strength that approached that of a Holy Apostle correct?”
”Yes”
It was about Iska Alice had made that report about the battle that day in the Nelka forest Alice’sainst the Holy Apostles, and she was very faanization of the Imperial army If it was her, it was possible that she knew of his identity However Even her mother did not seem to be sure of who the swordsman known as Iska was
”… Is that so?”
”Mother? Is so the matter?”
The queen moved behind the altar
”Please come here, both of you”
”This is… The estees…!?”
Within the limestone cave, Rin’s voice which approached a screa before her, the young attendant stepped back as if in fear
─The Founder Nebulis
The black pillar upon which that great witch was crucified was right there
Her tanned skin and wavy pearl grey hair was ies’ paradise, the Nebulis Ie endoith the ultimate star spirit Her outward appearance appeared no older than a woman in her thirties or forties
”One hundred years ago, our dear Founder stood against an I in the tens of thousands all on her own And even now, she is still alive”
The current queen of Nebulis spoke with a meek tone
”The Founder had a twin sister That was Nebulis the First Includingof the royal bloodline The Empire did not know that the Founder that they feared as the ‘Great Witch’ had a little sister That is hen Nebulis the First was lost, the Empire rejoiced that the Great Witch had vanished”
The Great Witch Nebulis was alive This was a fact that was only known by the royal fae which had served the royal faer twin sister served as the queen of the Iency, had a child, and was later called Nebulis the First
However, the elder sister was different The Founder who held the star spirit that was said to be the oldest in the world was even able to isolate herself from the flow of ti for the opportunity to enact vengeance on the Empire
”Alice-saed!”
What was supporting the sleeping woman’s body in the air, were latches in the shape of chains tied to the pillar And they were somewhat chipped
”The change in our dear Founder, Alice, happened at the saht with the Imperial swordsman in the Nelka forest”
”… What does this mean?”
”Star spirits react to danger that threatens their host For example, when the Iency, it is said that many star spirits all reacted at once This is the same for the Founder’s star spirit”
Nebulis’ queen drew closer to the black pillar It reached all the way to the ceiling of the limestone cave, and the woman known as the Founder was in a crucified position well above ten metres in the air
”It is like an o Do you not think so?”
Hearing the queen’s words, Alice and Rin exchanged glances in silence This phenoht on the Iht with Iska?
”Even noe have not determined the conditions for the Founder’s star spirit to react”
The queen shook her head to the sides
”Though, it is said that star spirits resonate with other star spirits Because the star spirit in Alice’s body is powerful, it is in question whether the Founder’s star spirit is influenced when that power is manifested ─ that is the hypothesis of the researchers at the Star Spirit Institute”
”Certainly, it was the first time that Alice-sama manifested her power to that level”
Nebulis XIII and Rin exchanged words While listening to their conversation, Alice looked up at the star e known as the Founder
… Reacting to my power?
… There’s no way that’s true I mean…
To ascertain the limits of her star spirit, Alice secretly repeated experiments at an abandoned arena on the outskirts of the Iency Naturally, she also unleashed power at the level that she did in the fight against Iska
But, at that time, the Founder did not react In other words, she only reacted when Alice fought with Iska That was the only thing she could think of
”… Iska, just who is he?”
”Did you say so Alice?”
”N-no! Nothing!”
She tried to pass off the fact that she was seriously thinking about the fight with Iska
… I definitely, can’t say it can I
… That I just ain the other day in the Neutral City
Not only that, she ended up being seen wailing in appreciation of an opera, and even shared a ht of as a prank by destiny… It would be better to forget it She had to forget it But even so, as it that the et it, the more his face came to mind?
”At any rate”
Nebulis VIII folded her arms