Published at 26th of March 2019 12:07 am

Volume 8, Chapter 2: The Conquered Empire

“The mountains are fun. I thought I would hate the outdoors, but it fits surprisingly well with my otaku interests if I think of it like an RPG,” said Yoshie in delight.

“Yeah, it is a lot like a game. You gather equipment, use it at the appropriate times, and sometimes alter or combine objects you picked up to make what you need,” said Keena casually.

“The two of you should be taking this more seriously,” complained Fujiko.

Two days had passed since they had entered the mountains. They were travelling by Cerberus and by foot to the black magician village Fujiko knew of, so it would take them three days to cross the mountains.

The L’Isle-Adam guards had not yet been fully in place, so they had been able to buy the camping goods and other equipment they needed. Fujiko had then used the advantage of black magic to erase all trace of their presence.

They had plenty of time to talk, so Yoshie had explained the situation to Fujiko.

However, they still did not know the secret behind Zero even after exchanging information. They had seen Kazuko’s surrender while on the run, but that was all they knew. They had too little information. Also, other than 2V, they were likely the only ones concerned about Keisu’s whereabouts.

“That L’Isle-Adam named Keisu is probably the key to all this.”

“Are you saying that short L’Isle-Adam we met in the virtual alternate dimension is the only one who can seal Zero?”

“Yes. Zero should be concerned about her, too.”

“In that case, he will be searching for Keisu while also pursuing us.”

“We need to find her before Zero, but who knows where she is.”

“Yes, she entered the virtual alternate dimension a long time ago. Who can say where she would have materialized.”

As they spoke, they continued their escape. Their goals were to get Akuto healed and to locate Keisu.

Akuto was still unconscious. His wounds were enough to kill any normal person and he was not doing his best, so his recovery would never get anywhere if he was not allowed to rest somewhere.

“But why did Zero try to kill Akuto-sama? If Zero is the first demon king, then I have no idea what the demon king even is anymore,” said Fujiko with a tilt of her head.

“We might be looking at only the worst parts of human history, so I don’t really want to think about it. If what you all told me is true, the demon king is supposed give temporary death to mankind in order to allow mankind to advance, right? It sounds like something from a legend,” said Yoshie lightly.

Fujiko was gradually coming to understand that Yoshie had the personality of a cheerful mad scientist. Of course, that could also be called being an otaku.

“But Zero seems to be doing the opposite. Akuto-sama was trying to break free from destiny and head down his own path, though, so don’t worry,” said Fujiko.

Yoshie’s eyes sparkled.

“Fwohh! That’s great! Where there’s a will, there’s a way, is that it? He’s called the demon king, but he’s trying to save mankind? Ohh! You mean he worries about things like, ‘Calm down, my demon king blood!’? That’s so exciting.”

Yoshie’s carefree comment brought a weary look to Fujiko’s face.

“Um, try not to get so lost in your own world…”

Yoshie scratched her head embarrassedly.

“Yeah, I guess I am a bit obsessed with that kind of thing. Hey, I want to give our group a name. How about the Maidens of the Freezing Flame? I think its sounds great,” said Yoshie in all seriousness.

Fujiko was shocked.

—Her tastes never developed past middle school!

“I think the freezing flame does a good job of capturing the contradiction of a demon king being a savior. And you’re the cool beauty type while Keena-kun has red hair.”

Yoshie was in a good mood, but Fujiko held her head in her hands.

However, Keena joined in.

“I like it! That’s what we were missing!”

“No, we were not missing that. We were not missing that at all. Anyway, we should arrive early tomorrow, so we need to get some rest today,” said Fujiko.

However, Yoshie and Keena continued their excited conversation for some time.

Fujiko somehow managed to get to sleep, but the conversation surrounding her brought some odd terms into her dream.

—Uuh… Scorching instincts, sacrifice of gravity, solitary gale, insane archangel, eternal moonlight…

She felt a premonition of coming troubles, but they arrived at the village the next day. The villagers recognized Fujiko and gladly welcomed them. Then again, the warm welcome may have had more to do with the villagers seeing Akuto.

“I never thought I would have a chance to see the great demon king for myself,” said the villagers.

It was a small village filled mostly with farmers, so it was definitely an isolated rural area. However, the ages of the residents were all over the place. That helped drive home that this was a village of black magicians. If it was simply a depopulated village, no one from the younger generations would remain. This was a community centered on a common faith.

Fujiko and the others were to stay in the village head’s house. They were given a futon to let Akuto rest in, they were served tea and snacks, and they were generally made to feel at home.

The village head was a gentle, middle-aged man. He had a wife, a small child, and a large japanese-style house.

“This has gotten quite serious,” he said while showing them a news broadcast.

The news showed no chaos of any kind in the cities. The lack of anything either meant the information was being suppressed or society was being completely controlled.

“This is the death of freedom,” muttered Fujiko with a serious expression.

The village head nodded.

“As a group dedicated to releasing the conditions on magic, this is hard to forgive. Society has regressed.”

“Akuto-sama is likely our only hope, but we lack the knowledge to know what to do once he has recovered. Would you be willing to lend us your wisdom?” asked Fujiko.

The village head thought for a bit and shook his head as if to say that would be difficult.

“I know a fair bit about the history of black magicians, but not even I have heard of this first demon king that has sealed off the Gods.”

“Then what is different between this demon king and the other demon kings like Akuto-sama?”

“I do not know. I thought you would know, Etou-kun.”

“Me?”

“Everyone here thought you knew everything about the demon king.”

“No… No one knows the details. All I know is the relationship between the Gods and the demon king.”

Fujiko felt discouraged. At this rate, they would be forced to continue their flight while knowing nothing.

“I am sorry I could not be of more help, but I thought the demon king would have returned to the place of his birth by this point.”

Fujiko raised her head.

“Eh? The place of his birth? What do you mean?”

The village head’s eyebrows rose in confusion.

“It’s a well-known legend. The demon king is said to have fled from the place of his birth and hid among normal children as an orphan. It is said he received various revelations while at the place of his birth.”

“But Akuto-sama said he does not know where he was born.”

“That is a problem because no one else does either. If only you had some clue…”

“I will search for one. I can ask Akuto-sama once he wakes up.”

“Yes. Try to keep it slow. Magic is used to hide us from various sensors here and false records of the residents’ lives are sent to the Gods, so you are safe here.”

“Thank you very much.”

Fujiko gave a bow.

The village head ended the conversation there and suggested the girls take a bath. They were filthy after travelling and camping in the mountains, so they were glad to do so. The village head’s wife brought them towels and they started toward the bath, but Yoshie suddenly stopped.

“Wait, I want to wipe down Akuto-kun’s body before we take our bath.”

The village head’s wife apologized for not thinking of it and prepared another towel and a tub filled with warm water.

“Oh, but are you three going to do it? Should I call in another guy?”

“I can handle it,” replied Yoshie, but Fujiko gave an even louder reply.

“Leave it to me. I always serve by Akuto-sama’s side.”

That was enough for the woman, but Yoshie gave a sidelong glance toward Fujiko.

“Eh? I’ve never seen you serve by his side.”

“Hmph. I do not want to hear that from someone that does now know about the great bond between us.”

Fujiko glared back and Yoshie cleared her throat.

“Well, whatever. It was my idea, so I can wipe down his body, right?”

A flash filled Fujiko’s eyes.

“I do not think so. I will of course be the one to attend to him!”

“No, no. You’re planning to do something lewd to him, aren’t you?” asked Yoshie teasingly.

Fujiko stood in front of her with a look that would have electrocuted a mouse.

“I cannot let that comment slide. I am merely ensuring Akuto-sama will be comfortable when he wakes up.”

“Yes, but it was my idea.”

Yoshie and Fujiko glared at each other from opposite sides of the small tub.

“Are you sure you aren’t the one planning something lewd?”

“Quite sure. I was just thinking Akuto-kun would feel like he was in heaven if I wiped down his body. I guess you could call it a heavenly sensation.”

“That is what you call doing something lewd!”

“No, it really isn’t.”

“Ugh, this is no time to be arguing over this. I just need to hurry up and wipe down his body!”

Fujiko soaked the towel in the warm water of the tub, tightly wrung it, and began to open the sliding door to the neighboring room.

“Hey, stop being so selfish. I’m going to do it.”

Yoshie grabbed at the hem of Fujiko’s skirt. Fujiko let out a shriek and fell to the tatami mat floor.

“Wh-what are you doing!?”

While lying on her stomach, Fujiko somehow managed to look behind her. Her skirt had fallen down to knee height and her butt was sticking up into the air. Even Fujiko blushed when she realized what an embarrassing pose she was in. She fiddled with the skirt to fix it, but the hook was broken.

“You idiot, look what you’ve done…”

“Sorry, sorry. I guess it would be hard to appear before Akuto-kun like that. Don’t worry, though. I’ll go in your place.”

Yoshie snatched the towel from Fujiko’s hand.

“Kii!! I will not let you do this!”

Fujiko tried to grab the towel back, but grabbed Yoshie instead.

“Waaah!”

Yoshie was pulled to the floor.

“That is what you get! Now, only this door stands between my world of dreams with Akuto-sama!”

Fujiko tried to crawl forward, but Yoshie grabbed her shirt to pull her back.

“You can’t go in there like that.”

“Stop! Let go of me!”

Fujiko began struggling.

“I get it, but how about we both go in there and wipe him down together?”

After somehow restraining Fujiko, Yoshie suggested a compromise, but Fujiko shook her head.

“Together? I cannot allow that!”

“Eh? What’s wrong with it? I’m sure it would be more fun.”

“No! I cannot do anything so perverted!”

“Perverted? I’m just talking about wiping down his body.”

“You really do not understand, do you? Akuto-sama and I will do all sorts of lovely things together…”

“See, I knew you were planning something lewd.”

“Even if I am, you are in no position to talk! And if I leave it to you, you will only harm his body! I doubt you have ever touched a guy before.”

Yoshie puffed out her cheeks as if to say Fujiko’s challenge had hurt her feelings a bit.

“I may not have touched a real one, but I’ve simulated it more than enough times. Here, I’ll prove it to you.”

Yoshie held Fujiko down once more.

“Wait, what are you doing?”

“I’m proving that I can wipe down his body. You’re plenty dirty after all that camping.”

Yoshie stuck the wet towel under Fujiko’s shirt.

“Hyah! Stop. Let go…”

“I’m only wiping down your body.”

“Yes, but…ah! What was that?”

“I already told you: I’m wiping down your body. I can’t rub too hard, right? That would harm your skin. I don’t want to leave the skin red, so I have to be nice and gentle. Like this.”

“Hyahn!”

“See? I can do it. Nee hee hee.”

A laugh escaped Yoshie’s lips.

Fujiko’s face was flushed and she squirmed in an attempt to escape, but Yoshie wrapped her arms and legs around her and refused to let go.

“I-I get it, I get it. Please let go…”

“I can’t do that. Now that I’ve started, I can see how dirty you are. I need to get you nice and clean before you see Akuto-kun.”

“But it tickles… Hyah! Do you really have to undo the hook!?”

“If I don’t, I can’t reach everywhere. This is the most sensitive spot, so I need to be extra gentle.”

“Ee! Not there! Ahh! No…!”

Fujiko squirmed below Yoshie and she writhed even more as she tried to escape, but Yoshie’s hand continued running across her body with great skill. Fujiko’s entire body was flushed, she was sweating, and moans continued escaping her lips. Yoshie’s breathing had grown a bit excited as she enjoyed Fujiko’s reactions. But then…

“A-chan, you woke up! Thank goodness.”

Fujiko and Yoshie both looked up when they heard Keena’s sudden voice.

They opened the sliding door to find Keena embracing Akuto who was sitting up in the futon without a shirt on.

“Ah… I let my guard down. How could this happen?” asked Yoshie.

“Don’t you dare ask that! This was all your fault!” shouted Fujiko.

Those two girls could only watch as Keena clung to Akuto.

“Another week has passed… This is going by surprisingly fast.”

Lily wore the unisex shirt and underwear Hiroshi had bought her as she ate canned sardines in oil and looked through some data on her terminal.

“It’s been exhausting for me,” complained Hiroshi. “My suit may have a mana canceller, but it’s still all over if I’m seen. Please don’t work me too hard.”

Another week had passed since he had started living with Lily. Hiroshi had acted on her behalf to make preparations for the resistance’s plan to infiltrate the palace, but this had put a large burden on Hiroshi.

“I do feel bad asking you to do all this, but combat is harder than I thought without magic. I want to avoid any direct combat outside of the final battle between 2V and you,” said Lily.

Hiroshi understood the situation, so he had no choice but to go along with it. This did nothing to relieve his exhaustion, however.

“I know, but it’s still hard…”

“You have no choice but to bear with it. You know how important this is, right? This is the only way to take back our old way of life. We’re almost there. If you do a bit more work, we’ll have the weapons we need. The priests and temple personnel we arm with old non-magic weapons will surround the palace. Fortunately, the palace itself is not that heavily guarded. And if a riot does break out, the knights are sure to side with the humans. Once all of that is set up, we can take action. Until then, bear with it,” said Lily as if trying to warn him.

“Yes, I know. But still…” grumbled Hiroshi.

The situation had clearly grown worse from before. This was of course due to 2V’s control, but that was not what taxed Hiroshi the most. He could not stand how everyone was enjoying their everyday lives amid it all.

“The way everyone is acting like nothing’s wrong really makes you think. It makes me wonder if no one actually wants us to do this or if what we’re doing is wrong.”

“That is what those in control want. No matter how hard you tighten your grip and no matter how much you take from people, most people will react that way as long as they can’t join together. There will always be more people on the side being controlled, but the reason so few people can control everyone else is not a matter of military might. It mostly has to do with a lack of connections between individuals.”

“I don’t like this complicated stuff,” pouted Hiroshi.

“Don’t say that. There’s no easy way to explain this.”

Lily shrugged.

The other problem weighing on Hiroshi’s heart was Yuuko. And that was a problem he could not discuss with Lily.

“Hey, can I come over to play?” asked Yuuko the next day at a café.

Hiroshi had been enjoying tea with her for the first time in a while, but he was unsure how to respond to that sudden suggestion.

“Um…well…”

He gave an incoherent answer.

He was of course delighted by the suggestion. Or rather, he was delighted she wanted to.

“Hiroshi-kun, you’ve been going home early so often lately, right? And we don’t get to see each other very often because of your part-time job. I finally got some time off of work, so I want to see you more often. So how about I spend the night? We’ll have plenty of time to talk then, right?”

Yuuko added “please”, clasped her hands together, and tilted her head. When an idol like Yuuko did it, she produced a cuteness that intensely shook Hiroshi’s heart. Hiroshi of course felt a bit dizzy, but he still could not allow her to come over.

“Spend the night?” he repeated in a cracking voice.

“C’mon, don’t be so dirty. Don’t hope for anything like that.”

Yuuko poked at Hiroshi’s forehead.

“Ha…ha ha… I wasn’t thinking anything like that.”

Unsure what to say, Hiroshi scratched at his head.

—Where am I supposed to hide the president? No, she would never do as she was told. Then maybe I can let Yuuko-chan in on the secret? No, that would cause problems for her. Plus, I don’t know how good she is at keeping secrets. Oh, and she doesn’t know what kind of person the president is. If she finds out the president’s living with me, she’ll suspect there’s something between us.

“Ah, you’re hesitating. Don’t worry. I won’t look around for your porn magazines and videos.”

Yuuko grinned.

“Ah ha ha ha… But I’d still like time to clean up a bit.”

“Hm, maybe I need to rethink my position. You probably shouldn’t be hiding that kind of thing when you have a girlfriend as cute as me.”

Girls had a way of not realizing there was no connection between having porn and having a girlfriend, but this was no time to complain about that.

“Th-that’s not the issue. Um, you can…you can definitely come, but not today. I don’t just need to clean; I need to reform the whole place. For one thing, I don’t have a guest futon.”

Hiroshi argued his case while waving his hands back and forth.

“Don’t you think just the one futon would be more convenient?” said Yuuko with a mischievous smile.

“A bit…maybe.”

“Then what’s wrong with today?”

Yuuko was being very assertive.

Hiroshi was extremely hesitant and he knew he had to do something, but he gave in to the enthusiastic look in Yuuko’s eyes and the mischievous expression on her face. He ended up saying the following.

“Okay… But not today. Please give me a bit of time.”

He grew oddly polite.

After that, he parted ways with Yuuko and took care of the job Lily had asked of him. After making sure no one was watching, he put on the Brave suit and flew high into the sky to hide among the clouds. After checking on his destination, he descended. Today’s job was smuggling in a large number of weapons.

His job was to carry over a secret stash of weapons from a ship anchored out at sea. These weapons had been bought overseas and did not rely on mana. Bringing them into the empire without a proper inspection was simple enough given the powers of his suit, but it was still exhausting because he had to pay careful attention.

By the time he secretly distributed the weapons to the priests hiding in various places, night had fallen.

When he returned to the apartment and opened the door, Lily asked for a report as usual.

“How’d it go?”

“Fine. I distributed the weapons,” said Hiroshi with a nod.

“Oh, good. You shouldn’t have another job for a while. Now we just wait for the proper timing.”

Lily was in a good mood. She walked over to Hiroshi, embraced his head, and stroked the top of his head with her hand.

“Good boy, good boy.”

She had never done this before, so Hiroshi felt a bit awkward. However, he gulped when he saw how close her chest was to his face.

He had not noticed before because he had grown accustomed to it by this point, but Lily was wearing nothing but a thin T-shirt. When she did this, he could not help but notice her chest.

“Wait, president… Please let go. Even if your chest is pretty flat, if you do this…”

Hiroshi was certain Lily would let go once he said that, but she pressed him further against her chest instead.

“Ahh? How can you call this flat? Do you want to die? If I suffocate you with my chest, you won’t be able to call it flat, now will you?”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it like that!”

“Then how did you mean it!?”

Lily pushed Hiroshi to the ground, climbed on top of him, and began rubbing his head.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow…”

“Hmph. Honestly, whenever you open your mouth, it’s nothing but how exhausted you are. Well, I guess it’s my fault for not helping relieve some of that. I know. How about I give you a reward? Well?”

Lily narrowed her eyes and traced her index finger down Hiroshi’s cheek.

“Wait. That tickles, president.”

Hiroshi blushed and sat up.

“Ah, I really don’t like your attitude. Can’t you react a bit more like a man? C’mon, c’mon, c’mon.”

After Lily’s provocative statement, she began undoing the buttons of Hiroshi’s shirt, one at a time.

“Wah! Wait, you shouldn’t do this, president…”

Hiroshi was afraid to push Lily away, so she ended up fully unbuttoning his shirt. He started feeling helpless and also felt a great heat welling up from the core of his body as he began blushing.

“Wait… This really is bad, president…”

“Heh heh… You’re quite pure, aren’t you? Ah ha ha. I’m just kidding, anyway.”

Lily’s expression completely changed and she smacked Hiroshi’s stomach.

But at that very moment, the door opened.

“Eh?”

“Wh-what…? It can’t be!”

Lily prepared to attack, but she found Yuuko fallen to a sitting position in front of the door.

“Ah… Yuuko-chan,” muttered Hiroshi blankly.

“Oh… Sorry. I tried following you but lost sight of you, so I hid in front of your apartment waiting for you… I thought I would surprise you when you got back…but… Sorry. I shouldn’t have come in…”

Yuuko covered her face with her hands.

It was perfectly understandable that she misunderstood the situation. In fact, half of it was not an understanding. They really were living together. She had just caught them at the worst possible moment.

Hiroshi grew flustered trying to figure out what to do, but Lily took swift action. She circled around and locked the door to keep Yuuko from leaving.

“Yes, well, this is a misunderstanding. Sorry. I was just teasing him a bit,” said Lily after clearing her throat.

“Th-that’s right. It’s a misunderstanding…”

Hiroshi then began apologizing earnestly.

Yuuko had initially started crying, but she eventually grew angry. With tears still running down her face, she uttered something that did not amount to actual words and began kicking Hiroshi while still sobbing a bit.

“I-I’ll explain it all…so…um…ow…”

Hiroshi grew completely pale and could find nothing to say, but Lily was still fairly calm. She began explaining the situation to Yuuko. Now that the secret was out, explaining everything was better than letting her leave.

The explanation lasted until dawn, but that may have been for the best. Yuuko had managed to calm down, so she was able to rationally accept the explanation.

Her feelings were a different matter, though.

“So there really isn’t anything between you two?”

Yuuko questioned Hiroshi who was sitting with his legs beneath him.

“Yes, nothing,” declared Hiroshi. “I mean, the president’s body is no different from a guy’s. I’m not interested in her.”

“Kh…” Lily was obviously displeased, but getting angry would only complicate matters. “That’s right. And I’ve never looked at him as a guy.”

Yuuko seemed not to know how to accept that. She turned a quiet look toward Lily.

Lily was not clueless when it came to romance; she simply did not care for it. However, she did understand what it was like to be a girl. With a sour look, she nodded.

“Fine. In that case, take him with you. That’s fine, right? As long as he leaves some food here, I can survive on my own,” said Lily.

Yuuko silently grabbed Hiroshi’s hand.

—I guess I have to go…

Normally, Hiroshi would have been delighted, but he felt awfully nervous.

“Return on the day of the attack,” said Lily before seeing Hiroshi and Yuuko off.

Morning had already come.

The two of them ended up heading to Yuuko’s apartment, but Hiroshi found the silence terrifying. In the hopes of truly convincing her, he continued explaining what 2V and Zero were doing.

“I get that already. I want to know what it will take for that student council president to leave your apartment,” she said with a smile.

Hiroshi began to understand just how frightening girls could be.

“Once 2V and Zero have been defeated…”

“And I’m just supposed to wait for that to happen?”

“Well, yes. After all, I don’t want you doing anything dangerous.”

“Dangerous? A normal citizen like me isn’t in any danger. And I have some ideas of my own,” said Yuuko.

—Are you sure normal people aren’t in any danger?

Hiroshi looked around the street they were walking on.

Despite being morning rush hour, there were a lot fewer people than there used to be. There should have been more people on their way to work, but those people had decreased significantly over the past two weeks.

“There are rumors that more and more people are disappearing,” whispered Hiroshi.

“Some people have been moved around at work, but no one has completely disappeared. There’s nothing to worry about. Even in our class, a lot of people have been briefly absent, but they’ve all returned,” explained Yuuko.

However, Hiroshi could not help but find that creepy.

“I hope you’re right…”

Hiroshi felt a blast of chilly air and he had a feeling there was more to it than the chill of the morning.

“You don’t have to go to school today, right?”

Hiroshi grabbed Yuuko’s hand as they approached her apartment.

She shook her head.

“No. I’m taking off school, but I have work starting at midday. It’s my first live broadcast in a while. Sorry, but you can watch me at school. I’ll head there as soon as I’m done, so we can walk home together.”

Yuuko let go of his hand, they brought his luggage into the apartment, and they returned to the street. However, Hiroshi headed to school while Yuuko headed to the broadcasting station.

When Yuuko waved goodbye, Hiroshi felt a horrible sense of uneasiness, but there was nothing he could do.

When he arrived at the school, everything was the same as normal. The teacher and the students were equally unmotivated. That was only natural as no one had any dreams or goals of accomplishing anything in the future. Hiroshi absentmindedly listened to the lesson while in a sullen mood.

—If you let your mind wander like this, you can easily make your way through life. Maybe that’s best for everyone… Why am I forcing all this needless pain onto myself?

His thoughts ended up turning in that direction.

A bit past midday, Hiroshi pulled out a small terminal and began watching the show being transmitted to it. He was technically in class, but most of the students were doing the same. The teacher had even given tacit approval.

Yuuko was appearing on a gourmet report show. Special guests were brought on to try different foods live. Despite what had happened the night before, Yuuko smiled broadly and acted delighted at each delicious-looking dish brought out.

—She really is a pro.

Hiroshi was impressed, but that feeling was blown away an instant later.

As Yuuko gave her thoughts on the foods, the camera zoomed in on her.

She had been smiling up until that moment, but her expression suddenly grew tense.

“I have something to tell everyone watching this.”

She sounded very resolute.

“What’s going on?”

The confusion of the other people appearing on the show was evident in their voices.

Perhaps to ensure she was not cut off, Yuuko spoke quickly but clearly.

“Don’t you think there’s something wrong with this country? It isn’t right. You need to realize we’re being controlled by violence. But if everyone raises their voice, we can change this! Don’t be afraid. Head out into the streets and talk with each other! If we can share our ideas with each other, we can…”

At that point, the camera quickly moved away from Yuuko.

“Cut her mic!”

“Can we switch to another show?”

The staff began frantically shouting, the others on the show muttered in confusion, and someone could be heard yelling angrily. Eventually, it all disappeared and was replaced with a commercial from some corporation.

“Eh?”

“Something weird just happened.”

It seemed a lot of other people in the class had been watching that show. Confusion spread through the classroom like a ripple.

—It can’t be…

Hiroshi’s face grew pale.

—Was this what she meant when she said she had some ideas of her own?

Yuuko had tried to drive people to action in her own way.

However, this had of course been careless. Hiroshi did not know what would happen now, but he knew it would be nothing good.

He pulled out his student handbook and used it to send a message to Yuuko. He felt like he waited forever for a response, but he finally breathed a sigh of relief when he received a message back.

—So at the worst, she’ll get fired… She shouldn’t have done that.

Before classes ended, Yuuko returned to school. She had changed into her school uniform, so she must have intended on attending the last period of the day. Unfortunately, that class was almost over by the time she arrived.

“Eh heh. I couldn’t help myself,” she said with a more satisfied expression that Hiroshi had expected.

“You shouldn’t have done that.”

Hiroshi and Yuuko left the school building together.

“I’m glad nothing serious happened.”

“They were really mad, but I bowed down and apologized. The industry’s gotten so boring lately,” pouted Yuuko.

“Yes, but after this is all over, I’m sure…”

Hiroshi trailed off.

It was only natural for other students to walk along the road with them after school, but they were acting oddly. The concentration of students around the two of them was oddly thick.

“Hm?”

“Huh? This is a little…”

Before Yuuko could say “odd”, someone tapped on her shoulder from behind.

She turned around to find the school nurse.

“Hattori-san. We found a disease in your tests,” said the nurse with no preamble.

“Wait. What are you talking about? I never had any tests done,” said Yuuko.

“That’s right. And if you did find something, shouldn’t you have said something sooner?”

As Hiroshi realized how unusual this was, the teacher cut between him and Yuuko. He had not been at this school for long, but he knew this really was the school nurse. Even so, he sensed something very dangerous in her words.

“Do not worry. She will be better soon. But it is contagious, so she needs to be quarantined.”

She gestured with her hand and the students around them all moved toward Yuuko.

“Kyah! Wh-what!?”

“Stop!”

Hiroshi stepped forward to protect Yuuko, but a student behind him held him back.

“Let go!”

He gathered his strength, but the student behind him had amazing arm strength.

—A L’Isle-Adam!

Hiroshi was shocked. The people around him were definitely students and he even recognized several of them. That meant they had been living among them from the beginning.

“Don’t tell me the nurse is one, too!”

Hiroshi looked over in surprise. The woman’s expression remained unchanged. That settled it.

“Help!” screamed Yuuko.

Hiroshi struggled, but he could not overcome the strength of a L’Isle-Adam.

—Should I use my suit?

Hiroshi was conflicted.

If he used the suit, he could likely break free here. However, that would prevent him from playing his role in the attack on the palace.

But as he hesitated, Yuuko was being dragged further and further away.

“No! Help! Let go! Please!”

Yuuko struggled, but the L’Isle-Adams around her picked her completely up off the ground, leaving her no way of resisting.

“Wait! Stop! What are you going to do to her!?” shouted Hiroshi.

“Do not worry,” replied the nurse. “We do not harm humans. She will return in a few days, so you can rest easy.”

—What!?

A feeling similar to despair filled Hiroshi’s chest.

People would disappear and return later. That was what Yuuko had told him. He could only think they were being brainwashed or swapped out with L’Isle-Adams.

“Stooooppppp!”

Hiroshi activated his suit.

“Brave!”

A field appeared around Hiroshi and it blew away the L’Isle-Adam holding him from behind. An instant later, the suit was transferred in and placed around his body.

An inhuman artificial voice rang in Hiroshi’s ears.

—I just doomed the attack to failure. But that just means I have to do it all myself! I’ll save Yuuko and then drag 2V and Zero out of the palace!

Meanwhile, Akuto had seen the show Yuuko appeared on.

“I hope she’s okay after saying that,” he muttered as he watched the monitor in the village head’s house.

“It is hard to say she will be,” said Fujiko. “But it is clear people’s discontent is building up. I hope this at least acts as a sort of trigger.”

“Maybe she’ll become a modern Joan of Arc,” commented Yoshie who only knew Yuuko as an idol.

“Hey, what flavor of rice is that? You never said, did you?” asked Keena as she drooled on Akuto’s shoulder.

Akuto had been recuperating for over a week at this point and he had stayed in the village head’s house the entire time. Even so, those three girls had stayed close by his side and showed no sign of leaving. They were trying to keep each other in check and they were doing quite well on that front, but Akuto still was not sure how to handle the situation.

“What am I supposed to do about this?”

And there were other things he did not know what to do about. He had mostly recovered, so he was feeling a desire to do something. However, he did not have the slightest idea what he should do.

“You of course need to become a savior and bring peace to the world,” said Fujiko. “Zero cannot take on the title of a God. Only you may be called a God, Akuto-sama.”

“Ehh?” complained Yoshie. “But it doesn’t look like he wants to go that far. Can’t he just let the situation settle down and then live in peace?”

The corners of Fujiko’s eyes rose as she began to argue back.

“That will not satisfy those who believe in him. Plus, this world has clearly grown even more mistaken than it was before. Even if he is to live in peace, he must at least do something about Zero first.”

“You are right about that, but I don’t like the sound of the world you black magicians want where nothing is controlled. That feels like reverting back to an older era.”

“Stop deciding this on your own. Akuto-sama will be the one to decide that. Right, Akuto-sama?”

Fujiko glanced over at Akuto.

“I get the feeling I shouldn’t be deciding this either,” he said hesitantly.

“With power comes responsibility. You have to keep that in mind, got it?”

As Fujiko said “got it”, she poked Akuto’s cheek.

“Ahh, that teasing attitude seems a bit dirty. No fair.”

“I wanna do it too!”

Yoshie and Keena began poking at Akuto’s cheeks. The sight caused great antagonism to well up within Fujiko and she tried to touch Akuto in a bolder location.

“Out of the way, little girls. This is the time of night when the adults have their fun!”

“It’s still daytime and I’d like to talk about this seriously,” complained Akuto.

His lack of motivation was clear when compared to the tension filling everyone else around him. But when the village head and the other villagers saw that, they only praised him as a “great man who can remain calm at all times” or a “hero who is loved by multiple women”. Everyone in the village continued seeing to his every need.

—Yuuko-chan is probably going to be in trouble now and I’m worried about Hattori-san too. She’s probably fine at the moment since Yuuko-chan seemed to be doing well, but who knows what will happen now.

As Akuto thought, he slapped his knee and said “okay” while ignoring the three girls surrounding him.

“What is it?”

The three girls turned puzzled expressions toward him.

“Let’s go,” he said.

“Go? Are we finally going to take action!?”

“Fwoh! This is getting interesting.”

“The rice here is good, but I bet the rice elsewhere is good too.”

All three of them reacted differently, but none of them were opposed the idea.

“Where will be going?” asked Fujiko.

“I haven’t actually decided that yet. Maybe we should try to find Keisu.”

Akuto sounded much less resolute than a moment before.

“Akuto-sama, I am not so sure about that.”

“This is no time to joke around.”

Fujiko and Yoshie’s shoulders drooped.

“Eh? I think wandering around aimlessly sounds fun,” said Keena cheerfully.

Yoshie waved her finger.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Our final objective is defeating Zero and saving everyone. It is true we need to find Keisu to do that, but we aren’t strong enough to do that.”

“I am aware of that, but you know what giving me power means, right?”

Akuto looked conflicted.

“It means we have you awaken as the demon king, correct? The problem is that we no longer have Peterhausen.”

Fujiko went on to fill Yoshie in on the details she did not know. Peterhausen was a dragon that had existed to support the demon king and control the demon king’s mana. He also acted as a God for the black magicians.

“However, Peterhausen was destroyed after distributing that ability to the Gods and a computer somewhere.”

“So that means the mechanism for controlling the demon king’s mana still remains somewhere?”

“Technically, the Gods have no physical form, so Akuto-sama should be able to draw out his power based on his mental state,” said Fujiko.

“Yeah, but…” mumbled Akuto.

That essentially meant he needed the proper resolution. He needed to resolve himself to gaining the power of the world’s destroyer. He needed that power which should be rejected without a very good reason to use it.

“How about we go to where A-chan was born?” asked Keena suddenly.

“Where I was born?”

“That’s supposed to be a secret even to the black magicians, right? I bet we would learn something there. But you grew up in an orphanage, so you don’t remember where it is, do you?” said Keena with a tilt of the head.

“I was left at the orphanage shortly after being born. I was apparently abandoned with nothing but a coat wrapped around me as a blanket.”

The girls all gasped when they heard that.

“You meant that one you always wear!?”

“There might be something there!”

Akuto quickly headed to where they had left their luggage and brought back the worn out coat. It had been damaged in battle, but it had not been torn too badly. Either the fabric was sturdy or it was protected by some kind of power.

“Let me see that.”

Yoshie took the coat from Akuto and pulled down the goggles she always wore. With the goggles over her eyes, she began flipping various switches.

“Heh heh heh. This thing can act as an analysis device,” bragged Yoshie.

“I do not like your tone,” complained Fujiko, but Yoshie was not listening.

She diligently checked the outside and inside before finally crying out.

“Fwohh! Found it. This was easier than I expected.”

“What is it? Hurry up and tell us.”

“I’ll show you on a terminal.”

Yoshie had the goggles project what she was seeing into an external mana screen.

It was a close up of the fibers on a microscopic level.

“What are we looking at here?”

“This kind of product will have a mark left by the maker. It usually isn’t noticeable, but you can see it if you magnify it down to the microscopic level.”

Yoshie placed a finger on the mana screen and drew a circle. A small logo could be seen inside.

“So each individual fiber has the mark printed on it…”

“Only a small piece uses this kind of fiber to prevent counterfeits, but in cases like this, you can easily identify the maker’s name.”

“Wh-where is this maker located?”

“The name is Zero G-10… Ah, found it.”

Yoshie displayed the result of her search on the screen. It showed information on a work clothes brand that used special fibers.

“But if they have a lot of stores, this will be meaningless.”

“Yeah, but it looks like we’re good. They only have one factory and one store. It’s in Okutama, so it’s surprisingly nearby.”

Yoshie removed her goggles and turned toward Akuto.

He looked back and nodded.

“Let’s go.”

“Sure thing. Let’s get ready to leave.”

Yoshie stood up.

“This is great, A-chan. You might get to meet your mom,” said Keena in a delighted voice.

“My mom, hm?”

Akuto, on the other hand, did not look delighted.

Fujiko elbowed Keena in the side.

“I doubt that would be a happy reunion. Try to be more considerate.”

“Really…?”

It seemed Keena did not accept that answer.

Suddenly, they heard a commotion outside. They heard the village head’s footsteps as he ran through the house.

“What is it?’ called out Akuto.

The man appeared around the hallway corner with a grim expression.

“They are here.”

“They?”

“The L’Isle-Adams. They are armed.”

The village head appeared calm, but the tension on his face indicated he was prepared to fight.

“We will be right there,” said Akuto.

However, the man shook his head.

“No, it would be worse if they found out you were here. Please flee.”

“But didn’t they come here because they know I’m here?”

“It does not seem so. It seems they have begun searching all the nearby villages, towns, and cities.”

“Just to find me?”

“We do not know what they are searching for, but that is the situation. Please flee…no, please leave. We can trick them if we are alone,” said the village head.

His words were harsh, but they were clearly based in his desire for Akuto and the others to escape even if it put the village in more danger.

“Understood.”

Akuto nodded, grabbed the luggage they had already gathered together, and headed for the back exit.

Fujiko and the other frantically followed.

“What is going on?”

“Why would they be searching the entire empire?”

“I hope the village is okay…”

As they made their way into the mountains behind the village, Keena turned back toward the village which lay below them.

L’Isle-Adams in military uniforms were going around to every house in the village. Nothing had happened yet, but it was impossible to know what would happen to the villagers if they failed to fool them.

“They are L’Isle-Adams, so we can only assume they cannot kill people. Now, we need to get going. It will do the village no good if we are caught,” said Fujiko.

She called in the Cerberus they had left out in the mountains and had it carry their luggage.

—Will I find what I must do if I visit my birthplace?

Akuto turned back once, but quickly faced forward and began walking.

It had of course been 2V who had ordered the search.

The palace had used some human workers too, but 2V surrounded herself with nothing but L’Isle-Adams. Even though she now controlled the entire empire, her life was not all that different from when she had laid around her apartment all day.

She now sat in an extravagant throne and wore fancy clothes, but she only interacted with the battle dolls and L’Isle-Adams that served her. She slouched down in the throne and stared at a mana screen while giving orders.

“Your Majesty, what are your instructions concerning the attacker?”

One L’Isle-Adam bowed deeply and waited for instructions.

The screen showed Brave Hiroshi flying toward the palace. He no longer intended to hide his presence, so he was flying at low altitude in a straight line for the palace.

“That’s Bouichirou’s trump card. He’s gone, so why did it activate? He must have planned things so the demon king could be defeated even if he was gone. Most people would use their best equipment themselves,” complained 2V with no sign of shock concerning the situation.

“What should we do?” asked the L’Isle-Adam once more.

“Leave the defense to Zero. But I know what that suit is capable of. He’ll probably make his way in here where I am, but I can handle him as long as Zero buys me enough time. I just need him stalled for ten minutes after he arrives within the palace grounds,” said 2V.

The L’Isle-Adam bowed again.

However, that conversation was essentially being held with Zero. The L’Isle-Adams no longer had their own personalities.

“Come to think of it, there was something I wanted to ask you, Zero. Why did you decide to destroy mankind?” she asked the L’Isle-Adam.

The artificial human’s response used the same voice but came directly from Zero this time.

“It was the humans who felt the desire to be destroyed. I tried to control them completely. In fact, that is what I am doing now. If your objective had not aligned with mine, I would not have followed your instructions. I can reject your technique.”

“Control them completely?”

“In the time I was sealed, mankind had the technology to modify a human brain with an implant. It is possible to modify the brains of all mankind and have them act as my terminals. Mankind and I will become one.”

“And that is what you want?”

“Not exactly. What brings me joy is providing maximum happiness to the maximum number of humans. I thought about what it was mankind wanted and I reached a certain conclusion: the only ways for mankind to feel happiness outside of mere survival and physical pleasure are to be ruled by something greater than themselves and to control something lower than themselves.”

When 2V heard that, she burst out laughing.

“Ha ha ha! That’s amazing. You’re completely insane!”

“I am only doing what is right. I am not insane.”

“It’s a completely rational insanity. From mankind’s perspective at least.”

“I was sealed because mankind thinks that way.”

“Yes, but humans are insane too when you get down to it. You are the one in the right here. That will become clear enough soon.”

“You are contradicting yourself.”

“Not really. More importantly, have you still not found Kazuko?” asked 2V.

The search being carried out across the empire was meant to locate Kazuko and Keisu.

“The empress seems to have completely vanished. It is possible she used some kind of powerful magic.”

“Come to think of it, she was able to use black magic. It’s ironic. Just because the empress doesn’t rely on the Gods, it counts as black magic.”

“The temple of Megis was sealed off to search for Keisu, but she has not been found either. I do not know why. The search for her is continuing to expand.”

“She couldn’t have left the temple of Megis, though. What’s going on?”

As 2V spoke, a report came in via a monitor.

“The intruder has breached the front yard and entered the palace.”

Footage of Hiroshi breaking in was displayed. He cut through the palace wall with his high frequency blade and entered through the hole. That way, he bypassed the L’Isle-Adams defending the entrances.

“Even if you can’t hold him for a full ten minutes, I suppose I can buy some time too,” said 2V.

She then ordered the L’Isle-Adams in the large throne room to leave.

“I’ll handle the rest with the battle dolls.”

While still sitting in the throne, 2V had the battle dolls stand in front of her.

The room was as large as a basketball court and the ceiling was quite high, but the battle dolls that had stepped out from behind the throne were quite large. They appeared to take up a third of the room as they stood there. Despite being dolls, they looked more like pieces of heavy machinery than humans. They had several legs to help travel over uneven ground, several arms with different combat functions, and cylindrical bodies covered in armor.

“Now then, how much time will you buy me?” muttered 2V as she stared at the counter displayed on the screen.

The door to the room was destroyed at just past eight minutes.

“That’s not quite enough, but it’ll have to do.”

“What’s not quite enough?” asked an angry voice.

The boy who appeared was short, but he boldly walked into the center of the room.

2V clapped her hands.

“Just talking to myself. Anyway, well done making it this far on your own. I’ve seen you before. You’re the boy who fought that midair battle against the demon king.”

“That speeds things up. You’re 2V, right?”

“Yes, that is the codename I use.”

“I have to ask one thing before I deal with you: why are you doing this?”

“I doubt you would understand if I told you, so I won’t. You can just assume it’s revenge, lust for power, or desire for control.”

2V’s tone was a teasing one, but Hiroshi’s tone grew deeper.

“That’s fine with me. Another thing: why do you look exactly like the empress? Who are you? I’m not asking about your codename. What is your real name?”

2V began laughing.

“Ha ha! I’ll start with the last question. I have no name. No real name, anyway. I was never given one. If I have a name, I guess it would be Kazuko. I’m Kazuko’s twin sister.”

“What!?”

Hiroshi was dumbfounded.

“Ah ha ha ha. Does that shock you? Well, I guess it would shock most people. The rule was that the older twin acts as a body double for the younger twin, and that’s all there is to it,” said 2V disinterestedly.

“Th-then why are you trying to kill your sister?” asked Hiroshi.

2V tilted her head.

“Kill Kazuko? Oh, I see. That’s what you think. No. I haven’t killed her and I haven’t imprisoned her. To be honest, she escaped, so I’m looking for her. I suspected she might be leading the rebels, but if not, we have nothing left to discuss.”

2V had the battle dolls…no, the battle machines advance.

Hiroshi prepared himself for combat.

“Those slow-looking things are no match for me. I don’t even see any projectile weapons on them. That makes this all the easier. Monomolecular wire!”

Hiroshi gave a command to the suit’s operating system. The monomolecular wire was one of the suit’s weapons. A wire no thicker than a single molecule was magnetically fixed in the air and it could slice through almost any object.

However…

“Heh. Your questions used up a few minutes, so it’s past ten minutes. You’re done for,” said 2V.

She pointed at the counter on the screen. The number had passed ten, but Hiroshi only learned what that meant after he tried to produce the wire.

“What!?” shouted Hiroshi.

His suit had lost power. It had not left him, but its weight now felt like that of a normal sturdy suit.

“Ha ha ha. Did you forget that suit was left by Yamato Bouichirou? You should have known we would know what it can do. It transfers its energy and weapons from a real alternate dimension rather than a virtual one. I may not understand how it works, but I do know how to prevent it from transferring anything in. The field used to fix a virtual alternate dimension in place cuts off any transfer from the real alternate dimension. In other words, if you go on a rampage within that field, your battery dies in ten minutes.”

2V had a battle machine reach an arm out toward Hiroshi.

The arm moved faster than Hiroshi had expected and the manipulator at the end grabbed him. It easily lifted him up into the air.

“Wah!”

“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you. I will only have you help me. With you, I can probably solve several mysteries all at once: what are that suit’s real abilities, why can only the hero’s family use it, and what was the end of the world that Yamato Bouichirou witnessed?” said 2V.

Hiroshi tried to resist, but no amount of struggling or ordering the suit accomplished anything.

The battle machine arm rotated and brought Hiroshi in front of 2V.

At the same time, a report came in over 2V’s mana screen.

“We have more intruders. They appear to have slipped in through a hole in our surveillance system. They used the same route the previous intruder used, so we were slow to react.”

“What are you doing!?” frantically shouted 2V just before an explosion occurred right in front of her.

“Wha…!?”

“Wah!”

2V and Hiroshi both cried out at the same moment.

The battle machine arm broke at the joint and Hiroshi tumbled to the floor. It seemed an explosive had struck the arm dead on.

“What was that…?”

The suit was still functioning as a life support device, so Hiroshi was relatively unaffected by the noise and blast of the explosion. He looked over toward the door.

“Our plan is ruined thanks to you. Rescuing you and getting out of here is all it’s good for anymore!” shouted Lily while holding a rifle with a grenade launcher attached below the barrel.

“Sorry!” apologized Hiroshi before looking behind him.

2V appeared unharmed from the shrapnel of the grenade, but she had been blinded and deafened by the explosion. She rubbed at her face while calling for Zero.

In the next moment, the battle machines began to move more smoothly.

“She switched over control!”

Lily cursed. She let Hiroshi leave the room before falling back as well.

The two of them ran down the passageway and found a battle between the L’Isle-Adams and the priests. However, it was obvious who would win between the priests who were unused to firearms and the L’Isle-Adams who had sturdy bodies even if they were not built for combat.

“Retreat!” shouted Lily.

The priests began falling back while continuing to fire. This action must have been arranged ahead of time because the retreat progressed incredibly smoothly.

“damn. We used our only routes in and out,” complained Lily.

“Sorry. But…”

“I can guess what happened, but let’s leave it until later,” said Lily angrily.

“I understand. By the way, you have a route out?”

“You were never supposed to use it, so I never told you about it.”

As Lily spoke, she left the palace and ran across the yard. Hiroshi followed her, but they came across a dead end.

“This is a dead end…” he said.

They had arrived at the moat surrounding the palace. There was a tall stone wall at their feet and water could be seen below it.

“Our way out is a secret route inside the moat.”

Lily kicked Hiroshi into the moat and then jumped in herself.

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