Her Majesty’s Swarm - Volume 4 - Chapter 19

Overseers

Sérignan and Lysa weren’t the only ones who’d watched Georgius take Grevillea away. Two other presences had observed the scene.

“So Queen Grevillea fell captive. The Nyrnal Empire is sending this war in such a dull direction... I was expecting a huge clash between the dragons and the Swarm.”

Samael spoke to no one in particular.

“Are they going to have a little discussion as two players? Seeing them join forces would simply be insufferable. The game must be fair, and the players must play according to the rules. Ending this war with a diplomacy win would surely feel like an empty victory, wouldn’t it, Maximillian?”

Here, Samael spoke of Nyrnal’s emperor.

“Blade to blade. Flame to flame. Destruction to destruction and death to death. Hate each other, fight each other, kill each other. That is how the game will come to its conclusion. An alliance will bring you nowhere. As scared as you might be of the Necrophage’s menace, an allied victory isn’t an option. We must use our units to kill one another. We must hate each other, destroy each other.”

After saying so, Samael stomped down on the map of the continent. However, south of the continent she stepped on was another continent.

“From the south the Necrophage hail,

Across the sea the Necrophage sail.

Leaving the scent of decay in their trail,

Their every step howls like terror’s gale,

Their trumpets herald the ending of the world’s tale.”

Reciting this, Samael danced upon the map. Her words were a mad cadence, her movements a crazed frolic, her thoughts a manic buzz.

Producing a knife out of nowhere, she nicked her finger on it, allowing droplets of blood to spill onto the parchment. The red stain spread over the southern continent. It washed over the southern continent like a conflagration, extending over the sea toward the continent where the Arachnea was fighting the Nyrnal Empire.

“How many days will it take for everything to be consumed? How many days until everything is over? How many more days before Maximillian goes mad with terror? Until the Arachnea’s queen, until Grevillea, until _________ learns of her true enemy? Tell me, tell me!”

Samael whispered half in song, her expression euphoric.

“Aaah, I can’t wait. How will the Arachnea’s queen react when she meets an opponent she really can’t defeat? How will Maximillian struggle with his wounded Empire? They’re bound to entertain me.”

A chair appeared out of nowhere, and Samael took a seat.

“Will catastrophe emerge the victor, or will salvation come a-calling? After all, Sandalphon seems quite devoted to _________. Yes, yes. A boring life needs the spice of excitement.”

Samael alluringly licked the gash on her finger.

“The taste of blood. Who will taste of it, _________ or Maximillian? Either way, this is bound to be a real show. Excitement is all that keeps me entertained in my eternal hell.”

With that, Samael let out a dark chuckle.

♱

“_________,” a girl in white whispered.

It was Sandalphon.

“I promised I would save your soul,” she said, as if in prayer. “Forgive me for failing to keep my promise so far. Forgive me for being unable to help you out now. Forgive me for being so powerless... But there is salvation. So long as you remain strong, you’re never outside salvation’s reach.”

Sandalphon brought her hands together, interlacing her fingers.

“You have shown great mercy. You have even managed to teach mercy to the mad, the butcherers, and the abusers. That is a great feat, enough to earn you the right for salvation. You have proven that even a soul as _________ as yours deserves to be saved.”

She gripped her hands tighter and tighter, until her nails drew blood.

“But you’re still trapped in the devil’s game, and I cannot save you there yet. You deserve salvation, but I cannot give it to you. I cannot express how alarmed, angry, and tormented I am by this. I won’t ask you to understand me, but I do want you to know this: if I could save you right now, I would not hesitate to reach out and help you.”

Once those words left her lips, Sandalphon sighed.

“_________. I will save you, no matter what. So you must remain firm. No matter how merciless things become, bear it. Do not let your emotions get the better of you, even if a rage strong enough to make you forget your humanity overcomes you.”

Sandalphon prayed.

“’Tis cruel. ’Tis merciless. ’Tis even coldhearted. And yet, and still, never forget your human heart. That is what shall bring you salvation.”

Sandalphon prayed so that her wish would surely be granted. So that she could make it happen.

“I pray for you, _________. I pray for the many victims to come. I pray that this will lead to your salvation.”

As she spoke, tears quietly slid down her cheeks.

♱

A maelstrom of war has run over the continent for years. The last peacetime feels like it was in the distant, long-forgotten past. The war runs deep through this land, which has sipped on the blood of the war dead for too long. No one knows when the war will end.

But the war is definitely approaching its endgame. Through the abduction of the Arachnea’s queen, Grevillea, the war reaches a crossroads that may lead to hope. Perhaps the war will finally end. Whether the winner is the Nyrnal Empire or the Arachnea, this war has lasted for far too long.

Will the war end? No war lasts forever. Eventually, the war must end, and peace will settle over the land. The people can only pray for that peace to come.

The endgame draws near.