Vol 2 Chapter 3 (1/2)

Chapter 3 - Sacrifice/Sacrificial

Move

Part 1

In a suburb a short distance from the center of Elchea city The Great

National Library of Elchea

It had technically been won back from Jibril, but it was still under her control

Steph was in the kitchen that Jibril had arbitrarily installed in there

From her drawn out face, it was evident that she had not been sleeping well

”Maybe it would have been better if they had just stayed shut ins in the

RoyalBedroom”

After retaking the library, Sora and shi+ro had holed themselves up in there

instead

Whilst taking care of internal affairs, Steph had to come to the library to

report, and also to brew tea

”Why do I have to go this farI'm not a tea set, you know?”

However, as she grumbled

Her ht with Jibril

”Thanks, Steph”

--Kyun

”It's all because of these i used!!”

Crying and burying her head in the wall had become a daily routine for Steph

She abruptly heard a voice

”Ah, Dora-chan Thanks for your work”

”Didn't I tell you not to call et there!!”

The door had silently been opened, and Jibrilstood there as ifshe had been

there fro

”A e from master”

”Hah? Uo on”

”Uh--”There are things such as sugar and butter in Jibril's kitchen Well, it

seems like those're all mine now, so feelfree to use them as you like”--end

e”

”eh?”

She could use sugarand butter?

T-then, the variety ofsweets she could reate--

”Wait, isn't that just an indirect order to make sweets! How far must I be

used before he's satisfied!! AllI want is so like 'you can rest'!!”

Bangbangbang

”Sorry for agitating you to the point of you banging your head”

As Jibrilspoke, she took out a note

”This is from my recipe book collection that the master says he's particularly

keen on”

”Ah, I'll take it ♥ Thank yo--oh”

As Jibril eyed her with interest, Steph frantically waved her hands as her face

turned bright red

”It's not--this is”

”I've heard The ”

”Y, yeah, that's right! Not to mention, he totally tricked me into it!!

Unbelievable, right!?”

Steph jumped on the chance to excuse her own actions

On the other hand, Jibrilstill looked curious

”I wouldn't know I's Sorry

about that”

”Eh, is, is that so?”

”Yes We as a race do not breed unless there is a need If the

that is sufficient The subtleties of these ros which Imanity has

cannot be understood h hearsay”

Master--that being Sora

To Jibril, who had just flatly stated 'love'

”Eh, ahuhm, by lovedo you mean between master and servant?”

”I am not very clear on the distinction What is the difference from normal

love?”

”That, that would bewhen your chest hurts seeing the

anxious when you're not with thes like thhuh?”

Suddenly it came to her, her first love--was the one who had forcibly made

her fallfor him, Sora

--That being, she realised that all these things she had just described were

what she felt for Sora

She also realised that Jibril, grinning, had heard everything

As her face burned even redder, she quickly said,

”Th-that, that's, that's the general idea, just the idea! I, I certainly have not had

any such experience--”

As she atte words, Jibril

just smiled

”I see Then, since I've delivered e, I'll leave it at that”

”Ah, rightthank you for your--huh?”

She was gone

The moment she had looked awaywhere to?

--Flutter

The recipe of the cake Sora was interested in, now upon Steph's desk,

caught her view

”Oh, wellif I can use sugar, there are sweets I'd like to make myself It's

the saroup, so why not Yeah,

that's it Incidental, it's just incidental”

Steph began to bustle around Jibril's kitchen

”H is”

”About that”

”Hiiyaaa!?”

Again, Jibril had materialised behind her without a sound

”The necessary cooking utensils are over there Dishes are there Ingredients

and seasonings are on the top shelf The tea set is over there The oven is

from Avant Heim, so I've summarised the instructions for its use in your

language here Now then, please feelfree to use them”

”Eh, ah, yesyou're very gracious, thank you, very much”

Steph replied with confused emotions

”It's fine, everything is for the master Excuse me”

She vanished again

For the masterat those words, Steph felt uneasy

Was the feeling ofsoination?

She shook her head

”It's! For! Myself!! Alright, let'sso delicious it'll amaze even

me!!”

Again in her mind, a scene from after the battle with Jibrilflashed by

As he stroked her head--now the words were different

”You did well, Steph Thank you”

”That's・not・it!”

She smacked both hands onto the table

”I said that's not the case alreadyyyyyyyyyyy!”

Bang bang, she started pounding her head against the table

Outside the door was Jibril

”'Fall in love with

request”

She atching soh

For Jibril who knew little about the es of Imanity, she

understood the concept of roe only

”If the order had been for just a moment, then the effect should have lasted

only abeen ordered to 'keep loving

more permanent effects? Fufu, curious

indeed”

S slyly, Jibril disappeared into the air

”Eh--redhyaaa, bloooood!? Uynn”

Having fainted at the sight of her own blood, the preparations took a

considerably longer time to complete

Part 2

Steph was now salved and bandaged

Coed back with tea and cakes for

four

”Fufufu, it's perfect this time, you know?”

Believing herself invincible after having recovered sugar and butter, Steph was

excited

Perhaps wanting praise from Sora, not that she would have admitted it to

herself, she headed towards the room in the very back of the library And

found out she couldn't open the door with both hands full

”For so a sense of deja vu from this”

If that were the case, the punch line when she opened the door would be that

there was no one thereshe thought

Fortunately, the scene which greeted her was not as she had sensed

”So, Jibril-kun”

With a fully serious face, aJibril

”Won't you tell dom I intend to conquer, the

'Eastern Union'?”

A man you really didn't want to believe held the fate of Imanity in his

hands

”Certainly The Eastern Union is a nation with complex circumstances”

The Eastern Union--country of the fourteenth ranked species, the

'Werebeasts'

Although they're all grouped under the na

by their physicalfeatures there were countless different tribes

For many years they had been locked in a cycle between civil wars and

negotiated peace, a small country of islands with little uniformity

Then one known as the 'Miko' had appeared, pacified the country in just half

a century, and now they had antic maritime nation counted

as one of the three world powers

”About the different physical characteristicsdoes that mean there are

things like fox ears and cat ears?”

Jibrilreplied to Sora's question with a straight face

”Yes Besides their appearances however, their abilities differ as well I do

not believe the naiven to them merely because of their

anith approaches

the physical lihts Those with that

capability are known as 'kekkai'”

”Heneral idea--now then”

”All the kemonomimikos are mine, so without further ado hoe set

about taking down the Eastern Union!”

--This king is no good at all

”As unfortunate as it is master, I think that is [impossible]”

The one who poured water on that idea was surprisingly the one who called

Sora master, Jibril

”Wh--Jibril, do you knoe recruited soent as

yourself!? It was allfor this perfect plan which met both my personal and the

national interest so well, that being the capture of all the keirls, so

just what is this you're saying!”

In face of this fluent confusion between self-interest and private and public

affairs, Jibril maintained her stance

”I am very sorry However--even if it's you two masters, I do not believe you

are able to win against the Eastern Union”

At those words not only Sora, but also shi+ro as next to hi a

book

Suddenly narrowed their eyes, and stared at Jibril

”Houare you i that 『 』 would lose?”

”No, that's not quite the rightI suppose a better expression would

be, I cannot meet your expectations”

Because--

”I too have once gone to challenge the Eastern Union--and [lost]”

What?

”Seriously? Eh, at shi+ratori?”

”No, that device is here after all”

There's a ga this eccentric, all-rounded peak

humanoid weapon?

”It is probably the game which they specified”

--[Probably]?

”In addition, the Elves--Elven Gard, have officially challenged the Eastern

Union four times these past 50 years to official[Territory Games], and lost

every time”

Jibril didn't seem to want to admit it, but she dutifully spoke the truth

More importantly however--

Sora understood thebehind those words

He also deduced why Jibril had said it was [impossible]

”I can hardly believe it, but”

If that really was the case--then it certainly explained things

”Did the Eastern Unionput 'erasure of ame' as

one of the conditions?”

--Thewas that as they were, they had no chance of victory

Jibril bowed her head respectfully and answered

”It is as you said, master For that reason, there is no one who knows just

what the game was or is”

Is that so The race with their excellent five senses and even a sixth, the

ability to read the heart

Their ga it from their opponents

memories

An investigative expedition would be i

strategies for the next time would also be impossible

Challenging without any information would be suicidalfor sure

--Thinking things over, however, there were sos which stuck out

”Elven Gard lost[four times]?”

Elven Gard

The craftiness of the Elves was already well known to theh the

events of the King Selection games

Even though they had only helped indirectly, without being forewarned they

would certainly have lost

They were strong opponents who could keep fighting even after being

breached two or three times

Moreover, they were the world's largest country Being able to stand against

them meant--

”Right, and so I--[suspected the involvereater power]”

Like what Elven Gard had attempted to do with Elchea

The reason the Eastern Union could brush off the attacks of the Elves was

because they were already the puppet government ofsomeone else

”I was not able to resist trying to find out if that were the case and ifso, who it

was--”

”So you challenged the the tables turned”

”As e as it is, that's true”

Right The reason for Jibril's 'impossible' was clear

Without knowing the ga unable to bluff, there were absolutely no

countermeasures

Against I as their sole

weapons, they could be said to be the perfect enemy

--However, there was still a snag

”In this world the overwheloes to those who are

'prepared'”

Fifth of the [Ten Oaths], the challenged party has the right to decide the

contents of the game

Being able to select a gaeous to you would obviously confer the

advantage

”If you erase everyone's ht, however--people would [stop

attacking you]”

That's right

In the world Sora cay would be 'nuclear deterrence'

No one would try to pick a fight against someone they absolutely couldn't

defeat

”Non-aggressive, nationalsecurity?”

shi+ro predicted the Eastern Union's stance from the results of their policy

Sora pointed so out, however

”shi+ro, this is why you lose to Onii-chan in strategy gah you're

so ]”

If they had an 'ace in the hole' capable of laying low both the Elves and the

Flugel, ould they focus only on defense

Because deliberately showing an opening, letting them use their tricks, and

then beating the

”Nii, yourplaying, styleannoying”

”If you call the strategy your onii-chan so desperately wracked his head to

co, I'll collapse, you know!?”

His point stood, however shi+ro admitted to her mistake

”A country, which suddenly expanded, 50 yearshaving a, nonaggressive

policystrange”

”R-right?”

Sora hugged shi+ro, his eyes filled with tears

These siblings truly are strange, Jibril thought as she tilted her head

”The fact of the ainst

the Eastern Union--”

Jibril then laughed

”Or rather, there was actuallyjust one country”

”nn”

”Eh, what, who?”

Only Jibril and shi+ro responded

shi+ro possibly already knew fro one ofJibril's books, but Sora was

still clueless

(--Ah, this is a pretty terrible development)

Sensing an ier, Steph quietly stood and tried to leave the

room

”It'll be quicker to show you Of course, Dora-chan has to come too ♪”

”Hau!?”

Caught by surprise and grabbed, Steph cried out

”Now then, everyone, please hold on to me”

”Hold on?”

As they spoke, both Sora and shi+ro took hold ofJibril's clothes

”Please o--now, let's be off”

The moment Jibril uttered those words

At the sound ofshattering glass, they squeezed their eyes shut--in one

instance

Sora slowly opened his eyes, and what stretched before himwas it his

iination?

Still, floating thousands of round, the vieas certainly

splendid

”It's nice and sunny today You should be able to see--”

”Wait, wait up, Jibril, before that--what did you do!?”

Sora held up Jibril who had continued speaking as if nothing had happened

Having just been thrown up incredibly high into thin air, Sora naturally sought

an explanation

However Jibrilreplied in a bewildered manner

”What, you askI merely shi+fted us”

Speaking of [teleportation] as if it were nothing, Sora understood,

Of course, no wonder she can randomly appear all over the place

So she was a teleporter It was so he had understood conceptually,

but noas convinced

”Just how far can you shi+ft?”

”Anywhere within sight Anywhere I've previously been to can also be

[traveled back to indefinitely]”

--Right now, Sora and shi+ro were pondering over one of the greatest

mysteries of this world

”--Hey shi+ro, how did Imanity survive the ancient war?”

”Who knows?”

The Werebeasts are physically supre

and beings like Jibril are pure hax, just hoere they fought?

All the inhabitants of this world had but one reply

”That is a mystery of Imanity's history”

Steph sighed

”Wasn't it simply because no one bothered to spare Imanity so much as a

second glance?”

Jibril answered with a broad smile

”We of the Heavenly Winged warred ants and

old Gods It took around 50 of us Flugel to take on a dragon, and 200 to

challenge one of the Gods”

The race which needed a supernova to finally kill, could teleport around,

and soared freely through the sky

They had fought monsters which even 200 of them could not defeat

”Then a different question”

”--Why did this world not keep its originalform?”

Jibril could only reply with a wry smile

”That answer lies with the [sole surviving God and default victor]”

A changedworld

”More importantly, please look over there”

S to shake away the bitter memories, Jibril pointed

Looking carefully from the sky, they were near the border of Elchea

Within the border, in Elchean territory, a majestic tower rose into the air

Amajestictower

Meaning--it clearly was not built by human hands

”Uh]?”

It rese in America

”Huge”

Even shi+ro's eyes widened

It was just barely possible to make out the foundations

It was located in a gap between the buildings of a human street

”Dora-chan, please go ahead and explain”

Dropping her shoulders as if to say 'I kneould come down to this',

Steph spoke

”That's the Eastern Union's [Elchean Embassy]”

”Hou, the Eastern Union”

Stealing a glance at Sora, Steph averted her face

”T-to be accurate, it's--the site of our [former] Royal Palace”

”What”

Sora trained his eyes on Steph

Trying to escape that gaze, Steph craned her neck even further away

”M-randfather, betthe Royal Palace”

”And, lost”

His ruthless sister uttered one word

””

Both Sora and shi+ro were at a loss for words, and Jibril wore a pleasant

s at a puppy

”W-why are you looking at me with those eyes!”

”The Royal Palace of our [Capital] is someone else's embassy”

”Uguuu”

HmmSora considered

”So, as the palace taken by the Eastern Union?”

”Actually--that entire area was taken over, if I recall correctly”

”---Hah?”

Sora's eyes widened at Jibril's s words

His sister had to explain the information she had memorized

”This decade, the previous kingchallenged the Eastern Union [eight

times]and, lost”

”Eightell, I get the intentions of the Eastern Union If it's that state-ofthe-art

'maritime nation'--”

One of the drawbacks of a maritime nation was the lack ofstone and iron; the

dearth of resources not found in the marine environment

Seeing the architecture of that building, it was evident that they were a fairly

advanced civilization

They would require many rare metals and other resources not found in an

archipelago

It would only be a matter of course to search for them in the continent--

however

”The challengers would have been the Eastern Union, right? Why answer?”

At that, shi+ro shook her head

And Jibrilreplied

”Master, have you forgotten? The sole country which challenged the Eastern

Union this past decade”

”The challenger, was[Elchea]”

Just, what?

”First was that mountain Then that plain, thenand so on and so forth, until

finally they reached the royal palace in the center of the country, and the result

is as you see now”

Jibril had taken them into the sky precisely to show them this

”Nonono, wait, back then that was the center of the country?”

Sora spoke while pointing to the E (temporarily named)

”Are you kidding ainst

somebody Elven Gard lost to 4 times? Imanity did this? That's just beyond

stupid Please stop with the jokes--”

shi+ro sihed, yet Sora continued to shake his head

”Wait, wait a minute? Then Elchea's territory was over that it is now?”

Jibril and shi+ro nodded

Sora placed a hand to his brow as Steph became silent

”Jibril, please take us back to the library for a bit”

”I ahts?”

”No, it's just I can't think clearly up here, I need the floor for that”

Part 3

Back in the library

Sora sat cross-legged upon the table, cradling his head

All that left his hs

Perched in his lap, shi+ro looked at Sora anxiously

”Niiall, right?”

”Ahh, my bad, shi+ro, I was just in despair for a bit”

It pained him to cause worry for his sister, but even so, he couldn't help

speaking

”I had thought the previous king was terrifyingly idiotic, but now I have to

consider whether he was an alcoholic or so as well”

Sighhhhhh~~~~~~

”T-that's so rude!!”

She smacked down on the table Sora sat on

”Earlier, didn't you say what !!”

Sora, however, h

”--Just how do I cover for a guy who threay half the country in futile

challenges?”

Sora pointed out thein the direction of the 'dispossessed territory'

”If we had that land, just howand industry could we achieve? If

your grandfather had been able to keep betting like those moron nobles who

eventually lost even their underwear, would we even have any territory left

today?”

”T-that's---!!”

Perhaps unable to stop now that he had started, Sora just kept going

”Ah, right, he was [your grandfather] after allprobably believing in [luck],

that if he tried enough he'd definitely win somedaythe opponent was a

[nation], did he seriously not understand the implications?”

Coames, [national warfare] was on a completely

different level

One entrusted with full authority, responsible for the lives of others, thus

fought with those very lives at stake

That was national warfare--[territorial ga]

Fighting over the border which would define all that the people, the nation

possessed; [total war]

To challenge those aware of that eight times--

”Bla it on drink may be one of the kinder interpretations here”

Steph, however, stood stock still, looking down at the ground with shoulders

tre

”My grandfather--certainlywas bad at games”

And yet--lifting her head, she cried out

”Carrying the lives of millions of Imanity on his shoulders, he never did

anything that would affect his thinking! Unlike you two, he was a man of

common sense!”

That adht them to this, however

”If negligently throwing away half the country is 'common sense', then I'd

gladly be abnormal any day”

”~Whatever!!”

Shaking, yet unable to refute Sora's words, Steph ran from the room with

tears in her eyes

Looking at her retreating back, shi+ro spoke

”Niitoo, far”

”After showinglike that, just hoas I supposed to

react”

The tension from earlier evaporated

Perhaps because he had much to consider, Sora's depression switch seemed

to have been completely turned off

--Suddenly

They finally noticed the tea and sweets Steph had placed on the table earlier

Faster than Sora, shi+ro crammed one into her mouth

”De, licious♪”

Hearing shi+ro speak in a voice different from her normalflat tone, Sora

reluctantly picked one up too

”shi+t, it really is good”

Sweet, yet not overbearingly so, and fluffy

The sweets Steph hadas well, but this

eclipsed those by far

She had probably followed the recipe painstakingly

He i even to ement

perfect

shi+ro stared at Sora Jibrilinstructions

Tearing at his head, Sora gave up

”Ahhhhhhhhhhh----fine I get it, [I'll try]!”

Part 4

Elchea royal palace, for's bedroom

Sora had actually gone ahead and begun construction on a house in the

courtyard, returning the bedroom to Steph

In that titanic, literally king-sized bed

Steph lay sobbing

”Liarand you had even said you'd prove that grandfather was right”

Lying face down, Steph wet the pilloith her tears

”Grandfatherwasn't a, bad king!”

She squeezed the key she always carried on her and recalled her grandfather

”Grandfather, what is this key?”

”H-he~ey Stephanie, you can't touch that”

”Why? What is it for?”

”This key is for entering a place precious to grandpa”

”Precious? Ah, father mentioned that”

”Grandfather has some books that he 'cannot show to people'”

”W, ait, Stephanie! That's totally different!”

”T,this is--the [key of hope]”

”Hope? Of what?”

”Hohosoive this to you, Stephanie”

”Really!?”

”Yeahbut, Stephanie, listen carefully”

”One day, when you meet the ones who you believe from your heart you can

entrust Elchea to, give this key to them in turn”

She suddenly reo

She had received this key froo as his death

approached

She still didn't knohat it was for, but she had never let it go

Just why did she recall that now

--Sora Hirandfather

Even though there should be no way she would pass it on to him

”Dora-chan, do you have a moment?”

”Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Jibrilsuddenly appeared out of thin air to peek at her from the bedside

Letting out a cry, Steph jumped up in surprise

”W-hat the heck!? This is trespassing, you know!?”

”There's so I'd like to tell you, so please don't mind”

No, that's not the problem here

”From now, I think you can return to the library”

”--Hah? From now? Just when--”

It didn't see

She simply bowed and continued at her own pace

”I determined this would be best for master, and came of my own accord

What you will do is likewise up to you”

Having arbitrarily said her piece, she disappeared again

The thought processes of the Flugelreally are different from those of

Imanity

Stillrather confused, Steph nonetheless thought over Jibril's words

You can go back to Sora noas probably what she was trying to convey

”Don't joke around, after that, how could I forgive him!”

She threw a blanket over herself as she said so

Yet the steady ticking of the clock in the room made her suddenly aware of