“This has nothing to do with me. As Master Claude’s faithful subordinate, I could never say something so dreadful. I intend to draw up an official record stating I was against it.”

  So who’s actually giving the orders here? Ernst is confused.

  Isaac’s gaze returns to him. “Never mind that. What comes next is more important. Timewise, I think finding your emperor is pretty close to impossible, so we’re discarding that plan. You’ve led Valkyries before, right?”

  Ernst nods, and Isaac opens a map. “If a huge army of demons gets past the wall and makes for the capital, and the Valkyries counterattack, point out the easiest battlefield that gives them the biggest advantage. The route, too. We’ll collect Emperor Kilvas there.”

  “Are you saying Vica’s going to appear there? Why would he be with the demons—?” Before Isaac answers, a certain premonition makes Ernst choke slightly. “Don’t tell me… Has Vica become a demon? Just as the legend says?”

  Tradition has it that a man with black hair and red eyes will be the reincarnation of the demon king, and that men of the imperial family of Kilvas turn into demons. Taken in combination with the warning that this man must never leave the capital, it’s a cleverly designed legend. Ernst never seriously believed it. Even Vica laughed and said life would be easier if he could become the demon king.

  However, Cattleya—and after a certain point, Diana—certainly believed it. As a result, both Vica and Ernst always felt that something wasn’t quite right. That was why Vica was determined to leave the capital.

  Ernst never imagined it could be real, though.

  Isaac, on the other hand, harbors no such preconceptions. “If nothing changes, I hear that’s what’s going to happen to him. Turns out your emperor really is a demon king.”

  “Even if that’s true, why would he become a demon?! Emperor Claude is properly human…” While Ernst is still speaking, it hits him: The Valkyries have captured Vica, and they’ve done something to him. Realizing what Diana and Cattleya are plotting, Ernst gasps. The thought, It can’t be true, runs around and around in his mind, but Isaac’s unflinching gaze instantly dispels that naive wish.

  Although he doesn’t want to believe it, those two have changed. It began the day Hausel fell.

  Elefas is watching Ernst and Isaac steadily. His eyes are soft, but he doesn’t look away. “This is the first question you should ask, Isaac: ‘If Emperor Kilvas becomes a demon king, can you still serve him?’”

  Ernst smacks his own cheeks sharply. Elefas and Isaac both blink.

  “I’m sorry. All sorts of things have happened at once, and I’m afraid it made me panic.”

  “…Well, yeah, panicking is a perfectly normal reaction. It’s just that we’re short on time, so…” Isaac isn’t unsympathetic, but the clock is ticking.

  “Yes, there’s no problem. Even if he is the demon king, Vica is the emperor of Kilvas. More importantly, he needs me. What could be better than being wanted by the demon king emperor and being able to serve him? I can’t wait. It sounds like fun.” Ernst laughs.

  Isaac looks turned off. “Do the demon king’s people all think about serving him like that?”

  “I’m under no obligation to tell you,” Elefas says brusquely.

  Ernst pauses for the space of a breath. “After I dragged you into our affairs this much, apologizing would probably be rude, wouldn’t it?”

  “Yes, perhaps. We’re doing what’s convenient for us anyway,” Elefas says.

  Clapping both hands onto his knees, Ernst sits down emphatically. Facing Isaac across the table, he looks him straight in the eye. “I am grateful to Ellmeyer. I vow we’ll repay this favor someday.”

  Both Isaac and Elefas seem startled. However, they quickly break into smiles.

  “Don’t worry about it too much. We fully plan to collect. Besides, the reason’s probably his face anyway,” Isaac explains.

  “His face… Emperor Claude’s? …No, Vica’s?”

  “That’s right. The face that has dazzled even our shadow commander in chief is what will save you and your people in the end.”

  “Who on earth is this shadow commander in chief? It can’t possibly be your wife, can it, Isaac?!”

  After a brief pause, Elefas bursts out laughing, and Isaac massages the spot on his forehead right above his nose. “Never mind that,” he says, shoving the map at Ernst, and in the end, Isaac and Elefas refuse to tell Ernst who it is.

  The world is filled with inconsiderate people. Crumpling the newspaper, Diana tosses it away. She’s in a spire of the imperial castle, below the bell tower, and the wind catches the paper, sweeping it into the streets of the capital. She sighs. “…That was a waste of my time.”

  The newspapers are still filled with hilarious stuff about the empress.

  Diana simply made a justifiable complaint. She explained in scrupulous detail, and yet nobody in this empire was even trying to understand—although she’d known they wouldn’t.

  Staring at the newspaper Diana discarded, Cattleya speaks mildly. “It will all change drastically tomorrow.”

  “What about that woman? Has she repented in the dungeon?”

  “No. She insists she believes the emperor. She always was a conservative.”

  “Ha! Without even knowing the emperor’s a substitute? Well, why not? An incompetent middle-aged lady who’s getting on in years and beginning to feel uneasy about her future kissed up to a man, that’s all. She wouldn’t be much in a fight, and I wasn’t counting on her anyway.”

  “However, since we’re against the retirement system, the wind has begun to turn against us. People are wondering if we intend to use the Valkyries until they’re dead.”

  Those are words people have thrown at the empire, at the world.

  It doesn’t matter. It’s a trivial thing. Diana has no need to even object to it.

  “They still haven’t found Ernst, but I doubt he can do anything. Do you have any other concerns about proceeding?”

  “None. You’re too cautious, Cattleya. No matter whose side Kilvas takes, it’s just part of the process. And yet you keep saying things that demand patience, like ‘Until we find the sacred sword.’”

  “I do regret that. I misjudged Emperor Claude’s brilliance. I never dreamed he’d drive a wedge between the Valkyries. I bet both sides have been influencing each other, making it more likely for irregularities to occur. He can’t do anything now, though, and Ellmeyer has no Maid of the Sacred Sword. There is no way to stop us.”

  “What about Ashmael? Things have gone strange over there as well, haven’t they? The holy king is still alive.”

  “They have no reason to meddle with us this time.”

  That kingdom must still see everything happening as a distant event in a land across the sea.

  “Most of all, Ashmael hasn’t so much as hinted that they’ll do anything. There’s very little possibility that they’ll interfere.”

  “I suppose not. All right, let’s get started.” Diana stretches. It’s partly due to the cold, but her movements are dull. “What will it be, twenty-four hours from now? Or do we have a bit longer? I may be a little rusty.”

  “It’s been a while since I was on a battlefield myself.”

  The demons will soon break through the Warrior Maidens’ Great Wall, and the first reports will reach the imperial capital. Irena’s Valkyrie unit has been stationed partway down the route. The demon horde will naturally overwhelm them and wipe out the unit. They should be grateful. They’ll have the privilege of laying their lives down in honorable combat.

  Once the demons reach the capital and cause some mayhem, the Valkyries will kill them and the demon king.

  The end result will be a tale of heroism even a child can understand.

  Will this card be playable in a world where Hausel has fallen? It’s worth a try.

  Diana’s magic lance is lying on the floor haphazardly. She reaches down for it. When her hand closes around the haft, the center of her chest glows. It’s responding to the divine stone that’s set in the lance.

  Pointing the tip of the lance at the flagstone floor, she raises it high.

  “…Vica, I’m sorry.”

  She doesn’t reproach Cattleya for her soft murmur. Instead, she brings the lance down. There is no way to save that man. That character was doomed from the start. She pitied him for that, if nothing else.

  Pierced by the lance, the magic array that runs all through the castle develops a crack. Now the massive wall that imprisoned the demons for so long will lose its magic. In the space of a few hours, it will become mere stone. When it does, the communication lines to the capital will stop functioning as well, but the Valkyries have made their preparations already.

  A bell begins to toll with almost perfect timing.

  Three hours later, the first reports of a vast horde of demons breaching the Warrior Maidens’ Great Wall spreads through the capital.

  “In honor of our bond as former comrades.”

  That’s what the Valkyries said as they gave Irena’s group pitying looks and magic lances that had their divine stones removed before they left.

  About thirty of her subordinates were captured and brought here along with her. For a moment, Irena looks around, lance in hand.

  “Lady Irena, where…?”

  “All I know is that we’re near the wall.”

  She can see the fortifications in the distance. It’s a familiar sight, though currently the wall is only as tall as her thumb. Unfortunately, there’s no way they’ll be welcomed with open arms even if they can reach it. They’d simply be thrown on the other side. She has nothing but questions about why Diana’s followers haven’t done that already.

  Survival comes first, though.

  “If I recall, we’ll reach a village if we backtrack a bit. Let’s go impose on them.”

  Irene’s Valkyries were given lances, but they have no money to pay their way or for equipment to make camp. In this season, even with the Valkyries’ advanced physical abilities, spending the night with nothing but the clothes on their backs would be hard. If we can borrow a barn, at least, we’ll be set, Irena thinks. She checks the direction, and then she and her several dozen subordinates start back the way they came. If they leave now, even if they’re walking, they should make it there by nightfall somehow.

  However, as they march, they can’t keep their feet from dragging a bit.

  “Diana’s group may have authority over personnel affairs, but treating Lady Irena like this… Is Diana planning to set the Valkyries against one another?”

  “If she were, she’d have had us killed already. I heard from a guard that they caught Captain Ernst as well.”

  “Then they’ve probably got His Majesty, too.” Irena’s remark makes the others fall silent. “I wonder if I misjudged him… I may not look it, but my instincts have never been wrong in a pinch before.”

  That’s how Irena managed to survive this long. However, surviving in the political arena probably requires different instincts compared to surviving on the battlefield. If it were just her own life at stake, Irena could be more cavalier about it and leave it at, These things happen. She can’t help but feel bad for the subordinates who’ve followed her and share her fate. Some of them are still very young.

  “…Why do you suppose they released us, though? Especially in a weird, in-between place like this.”

  “They even gave us weapons. Even if the divine stones are gone, we’ll be able to fight… Although I imagine fighting demons will be a lot harder.”

  “They can’t be trying to make us attack the village up ahead, can they?”

  Irena turns back to her indignant comrades. “There really wouldn’t be any point in doing something that convolu—”

  Then she sees it. The long, long wall that seems to crawl along the entire horizon shines with a light as red as the evening sun.

  “Wha—? Lady Irena, what’s that?!”

  She doesn’t have an answer. It’s the first time she’s ever seen this. The red light shoots high into the sky, then silently fades away.

  As they watch, holding their breath, they begin to hear a low, distant rumble. It’s easy to guess that it’s the work of the demons on the other side. Before long, with an enormous crash, a section of the wall collapses.

  The magically reinforced wall has always repelled demons and attacks from magic lances without any trouble. Now it’s been obliterated by the demons as if it were just a regular wall of rock and stone.

  It can’t be—did they break the spell?!

  The spell that maintains the Warrior Maidens’ Great Wall is in the imperial capital. Every Valkyrie knows that. There’s no need to hide it. After all, no Valkyrie would attempt to break it.

  At this point, too late, Irena understands just how naive that assumption was.

  So far, the empire has been protected by exploiting the Valkyries’ goodwill, their sense of duty, and their lives.

  Diana’s criticisms were about to confront the nation in a visceral, violent way.

  “L-Lady Irena! The demons are going to get out!”

  “…I guess we know why they dumped us here, then.” Irena smiles wryly.

  Gripping her lance, one of her subordinates speaks up. “There’s no telling how long we’ll last with magic lances that don’t have divine stones.”

  “You’re not wrong, but the village, lots of towns, and the capital are behind us.”

  Everyone gasps and pales. Irena feels bad for them. However, she’s proud of each and every one of them as well.

  So the exploitation never ends, hmm?

  She’s sure Diana’s faction is right. More and more places along the wall are beginning to break. The demons had been pretty well behaved lately, but Diana’s people must have done something to them, because they’re all trying to break through.

  If she and her Valkyries fight here, they’ll be lucky if they manage to hold the demons back for an hour. They’ll die for nothing. Or rather, they’ll die honorably in battle, as Valkyries.

  They can’t flee from it, though. This is how they’ve always lived.

  “Anyone who wants to run, go warn the village. Everyone else, stay with me. Will you follow me?”

  When Irena raises her head, the entire group nods.

  “Looks like we’re destined to always get the short end of the stick, huh? Thanks to that, we’ll be able to die thinking this was a good life.”

  That probably counts as being lucky.

  A horde of demons is already hurtling straight at them, kicking up a cloud of dust.

  They don’t stand their ground and wait for them. Irena gives the order, and they charge, refusing to give up a single inch of ground to the demons—and that’s when it happens.

  “Irena!”

  A horse gallops toward them from the village. On its back is the undependable commanding officer she’d once taught the ways of the battlefield.

  “Ernst! What, they didn’t catch you after all?”

  “Your whole unit’s still safe. Thank goodness we made it in time… It’s all right. Reinforcements are on the way!”

  All the Valkyries stare at him in confusion.

  “So please lend me your strength! Help me find Vica.”

  “His Majesty? What do you mean?”

  “He’s become a demon. According to a certain individual, as long as we can rescue Vica and restore his humanity, it will stop the rampaging demons.”

  “No, wait, what do you mean by ‘reinforcements’? And who do you mean by ‘a certain individual’? Don’t tell me they’ve got you on the ropes so badly you’ve gone delusional. Listen— there’s no one in this country besides the Valkyries who can fight a horde of demons. And—”

  “All personnel, condition one battle stations!” calls a loud voice above Irena’s group, and a large shadow falls over them. Wondering if it’s an enormous bird, they look up, and immediately realize their mistake. It’s a massive flock of crows, flying in a bow-shaped formation.

  “Search party, move out! Objective: Find the demon king’s little brother. Looks exactly like him! Poor thing!”

  “Rescue mission, rescue mission! Reward is fruit tarts!”

  There are some rather dim-sounding yells now and then, but that isn’t the problem. The birds are clearly rousing one another with words.

  “Th-those crows are…talking?!”

  “I hear they’re Ellmeyer’s demons.”

  “Demons talk?! That’s ridiculous.”

  “Hey, you over there! Humans! Do you want to die? Get out of the way now, or you’ll get dragged into this.”

  This time, there’s a human in the sky—no, he only looks human at first glance. Horns protrude from his head, and wings sprout from his back. He’s something inhuman that wears a human form. Is this also one of Ellmeyer’s demons?

  “Beelzebuth!” Ernst shouts, “They’re allies. Valkyries from my country.”

  Beelzebuth looks Irena’s group over from the sky. He seems unimpressed. “Fine. Just don’t hold us back.”

  “We’re grateful for your aid. Even though we were the ones who dragged Emperor Claude into this…”

  “I’ll overlook it. After all, I’m currently the shadow chief of staff! I must fulfill my contract… More than anything, I’ll prove I’m not like the nobodies who can’t do a thing unless the king orders them!”

  His tone is far too boastful for what he’s actually saying. He spreads his arms wide, nostrils flaring. “That said, those numbers are impressive. We won’t lose. But, humans, if you want to run, go now while you still can.”

  He turns away, but before he can fly off, Irena shouts after him. “Wait! Why would demons help humans?”

  Demons are the enemy. That’s how it has always been in Kilvas, at least. She can’t believe that they’re genuinely trying to help them, so she asks something she probably shouldn’t. But she’s sure the other Valkyries feel the same way. That’s how much pain demons have caused them. At the same time, they’ve hunted demons as well.