Chapter 1
EARLY THE NEXT morning after the victory against Chimera Clausen, Pegasus flew gallantly through the sky far to the east of Sentopoli with Mira and Cyril on its back.
The battleground where Isuzu’s Emella, Diamond, and the rest had fought was clearly visible from the sky, still awash with charred blackness.
“What an awful mess…” Mira mused.
“Well, it was sort of a war, after all,” Cyril replied.
Burned-down homes and the corpses of countless Chimera Clausen soldiers littered the place. It seemed someone had already begun collecting the corpses; things had probably looked even worse immediately after the battle.
Hate the sin, not the sinner. Though it seemed cold comfort, Mira and Cyril offered a silent prayer to the wastes below.
The two were headed for a nearby campsite. A portion of it was now being used to treat the wounded—and the injured soldiers were plentiful. The sight was a testament to the harsh battle that had unfolded, yet there was light in the eyes of the people here.
Mira couldn’t imagine the joy they must be feeling to see this years-long struggle come to an end. She was only a temporary helper, but she could feel the deep emotion radiating from them.
“I suppose I should say, ‘Well done,’” Mira murmured quietly. She ordered Pegasus to land in an open area nearby. After dismissing the beast, she headed to the other side of the campsite, which was filled with the sounds of celebration of their victory.
“I found yooou! Miwaaah!” Suddenly, Flicker clawed her way through the crowd and seized Mira.
Cyril didn’t even try to stop her. He just shook his head and said, “Sorry. As usual.”
Mira was released a moment later as a gust of wind blew past. She watched in amazement as Emella sprinted after Flicker, who fled from the swordswoman just as quickly. It seemed Flicker had finally mastered the art of savoring Mira’s cuteness until the split second before Emella’s karate chop arrived. She ran in a wide circle, approached Mira once more and scooped her into a hug, took a deep huff, and moaned, “Ooh, the smell of sweat…”
Then, she zipped away just in time once more.
“…She’s getting awfully athletic.” Mira turned around and grinned wryly.
Cyril maintained a smile as he replied, “Thanks to you, Mira.” He mentioned that Flicker had become much stronger and faster as of late, all for the sake of embracing Mira just one moment longer.
However, she still had a ways to go. When she dared to attempt another squeeze, Emella finally caught up.
“You are incorrigible,” Mira said with a smile.
The bystanders in the campsite were captivated by this impromptu game of tag. Then, apparently having discerned the rules of the game, two men stepped forward. It was a nightmarish turn of events for Mira—it seemed they were going to try to see how many times they could hug the poor girl before getting caught.
The two men ran madly toward her, while others began to wager on the outcome. Emella was momentarily too perplexed to react, but Flicker screamed, “Nooo, that’s my Mira!”
Mira turned to run for it. “Settle down, you drunks!” she shouted, sprinting away from an approaching man. Between the booze and their victory, Isuzu’s people had fallen to excess—but she was compelled to join in their games for now.
***
When everyone had their fill of chasing, Mira slipped away. It was time to pay a visit to the place where the Isuzu leaders had gathered; they needed to discuss their next plans.
While it wasn’t as rowdy as the bigger party, the big shots’ celebration was surprisingly lively. If there was one difference, it was that none of the attendees were average party-goers in any aspect. Mira surveyed them; all were the veteran adventurers and Isuzu Alliance elites who had participated in the mission.
She soon found Aaron, who’d worked with the other forces. When he saw Mira, he exclaimed, “Ooh, Little Miss Mira! I hear you took down the big one. You’re a real MVP!” When he spoke up, the others all turned to Mira at once.
It seemed the story of Mira’s battle at Chimera HQ was well-known by now.
Mira took the full brunt of their quizzical, envious, and perhaps even frightened gazes, smirking proudly. “Of course. An easy feat for the power of summoning!” She puffed out her chest. Marketing came first, even among these veterans.
“You’re the same as ever. C’mon and eat, Little Miss. Even after a big job like that, we have more work waiting for us.” Aaron laughed her off as usual, shoving a grilled skewer and a glass from the table into her hands as he took another glass in his own. “To our little hero!” he toasted, knocking his drink against Mira’s before proceeding to down it in one gulp.
“Goodness. Getting hammered this early in the day?” Mira sighed.
The others around them offered their own “Cheers!” to the toast. Those that had led platoons into battle celebrated joyfully alongside their subordinates as equals.
It hadn’t been long since the sun rose. As drunks crowded the table, Mira gulped down another glass. It was the perfect drink to put her in high spirits.
Once Cyril had arrived as well, Aaron informed them of their next mission: important members and famous adventurers of the Isuzu Alliance were to ride a spirit airship into the sky above Sentopoli. After getting everyone’s attention, they would announce that they were a volunteer army—omitting their identity as Isuzu—and proclaim that they had defeated Chimera Clausen’s leader and elites.
They might’ve been a bunch of drunk hooligans at the moment, but Aaron and the other adventurers here were all famous—their story would be both newsworthy and trustworthy. The news of Chimera Clausen’s defeat would surely spread throughout the continent. And when it did, Aaron surmised, there would be two kinds of reactions—at least among those who knew about Chimera in the first place.
First, many would be overjoyed by the defeat of the world’s most vicious enemy. Chimera Clausen harmed the spirits that most of humanity loved as neighbors, after all; the organization was naturally hated by the majority of people everywhere.
The oldest countries—the Three Great Kingdoms Grimdart, Alisfarius, and Ozstein—had especially deep ties to the spirits, making them major stakeholders in this conflict. Depending on the circumstances, Aaron added with a chuckle, they might start giving out awards or throwing parades.
On the other hand, he estimated that there would be a different kind of reaction too: some would shudder at the news of Chimera’s defeat. Those who’d profited from Chimera Clausen’s existence would no doubt be thrown into panic. Chimera’s defeat would bring their profits to zero…though at this point, that would be the least of their worries. They were co-conspirators. Chimera Clausen’s shadowy troops might have made their problems disappear before, but now, nobody could protect them from the consequences coming for them.
“A whole lot of Isuzu spies have gathered in Sentopoli,” Aaron said. “First thing they’re gonna do is clean house.”
Organizations who had until now enjoyed the benefits of partnership with Chimera—as well as those who had worked with them—would erupt into chaos. They would surely move at once to gather information, contact allies, and make plans. Isuzu’s spies scattered throughout Sentopoli would monitor their actions and report in detail. Mopping up the remaining Chimera sympathizers crawling through Sentopoli was one of the primary goals of the show Isuzu had planned.
Once they captured said remnants and obtained their testimony, Isuzu would be able to drag conspirators from all over the continent into the light. It would take time, but the Isuzu Alliance was patient and unrelenting.
“And that’s about the size of it. We just gotta make our announcement as big and bombastic as possible. You might have just the thing for that, Little Miss Mira. Tell us more.”
The appearance of a large airship manned by famous adventurers was one thing, but flashy summoning magic would make the performance all the more powerful. The sooner they could convince Chimera they didn’t stand a chance against Isuzu and their allies, the sooner the co-conspirators would panic and make a move. That was Alioth’s theory, anyway.
As if summoned by the thought, Alioth appeared seemingly out of thin air. He picked up the explanation and looked at Mira expectantly. “Lady Uzume has asked me to request you use your most conspicuous summon. Would you do that for us?”
“Hrmm… Well. In that case—”
“Oh, but Lady Uzume has asked me to pass on one more request: ‘No Eizenfald.’”
“What…?” Mira’s jaw dropped. He was the strongest, most impactful, and coolest of all. Mira was dead certain he fit every possible demand Kagura could make, which only caused this prohibition to astound her more. “Eizenfald is absolutely the ideal summon!” Mira glared at Alioth spitefully, angry that her pride and joy wouldn’t get to take center stage.
“I’m sorry. Lady Uzume just told me to pass that on…” he stammered. Alioth didn’t know the reason himself, and now Mira was winding herself up to shoot the messenger. Even as she snarled at him, he asked in confusion, “Erm, what sort of summon is this Eizenfald of yours?”
Mira puffed out her chest proudly again and declared, “Eizenfald is an Imperial Dragon, and he is my greatest son!” She couldn’t possibly think of a more apt summon.
Alioth and Aaron grinned in apparent understanding and said in unison, “Ah.”
Mira didn’t care for that reaction. She frowned. How could they make light of her beloved summon?
“Mira! Mira!” Cyril interrupted. He leaned over and whispered the reason into her ear.
The common perception of Imperial Dragons was that they were harbingers of calamity. It would be like hanging a sword over the city’s head—more like an atomic bomb, really—and showing that she was ready to let it loose at any given moment. It might’ve been a different story back when famed summoners like Danblf worked openly, but in modern times, there was no immunity to the overpowering presence of an Imperial Dragon. The city could devolve into chaos before they could make their announcement.
“How could this have happened…?” Mira suddenly recalled that something similar had happened before. She cursed the pitiable position her summon had been put in, and swore to be kinder to him.
Her flawless plan ruined, Mira dejectedly munched through the food laid before her, then decided to take a nap in a tent set up for the purpose. When she’d last woken, it had been to go into battle. Now, this moment of calm allowed her sleepiness to creep back over her.
Though many others were in the same state, their drowsiness was drowned out by the day’s joy. Very few others slept in the tent.
Mira chuckled at the commotion outside. She grumbled, “Can’t be intoxicated by the victory alone, can they?” With that thought, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
***
“Mira! We gotta get going!” A voice rang through her sleepy mind as a gentle hand shook her awake. It took several repetitions for Mira to finally crack open her heavy eyelids.
“Nngh… Morning already?”
“It’s noon, Mira. Still sleepy, huh?”
“No… I remember now…” She rubbed the sleep out of her vacant eyes and looked up.
Emella smiled sweetly down at her while Flicker wriggled like a worm in the next bed over. Her arms and legs had been bound—obviously apprehended during an attempted late-night snuggle with the little summoner.
After confirming that Mira was awake, Emella slung Flicker over her shoulder and exited the tent. “I’m gonna go ahead. I’ll be waiting for you at the airship.”
“Hrmm… I must’ve slept for quite a while.”
It was just before noon. The rowdy voices that Mira had fallen asleep to were gone; in their place, she heard orders being given in the distance. She stood and walked straight out of the tent, narrowing her eyes in the dazzling sunlight.
“Such organized soldiers…”
The people who’d been singing and dancing just last night while flushed with intoxication were nowhere to be found; they’d all been replaced by disciplined troops. The tent was struck in the blink of an eye, and they promptly packed up tables and cookware.
Impressed by how much had changed in so little time, Mira began walking toward the spirit airship parked nearby. It had just landed, and cargo was still being unloaded. But she noticed that something was off.
Mira spotted Aaron standing next to the spirit airship. “Say, what in the world is this cargo?” Carriages were rolling down a ramp to the cargo compartment, but for some reason, all of them were empty.
Aaron turned to greet her. “Finally awake, sleepyhead? Well, as you can see, it was hauling carriages.”
According to Aaron, the majority of people at this campsite would split up, travel to the neighboring countries, and hunt down Chimera Clausen remnants. The carriages would serve as transportation. They were empty now so they could be stocked with the ample food stored in the village that had been Chimera’s control center.
Although Isuzu had shattered the enormous organization known as Chimera Clausen, their battle wouldn’t truly be over until they’d hunted down all of the remaining pieces. How many years would such a thing take?
“I see. Then there is still much to do. No rest for the weary, hrmm?” Mira murmured.
A man listening in answered, “There may be no end in sight, but it’ll be smoother sailing from here on out. Bet we’ll get a ton of clues from this next mission, too.”
He was right; their most intense battle was over. All that was left were remnants that could no longer hide under the umbrella of Chimera. Isuzu’s declaration of victory would flush the stragglers out, allowing Isuzu to capture them. That, in turn, would get them more information and expose many more of Chimera’s hiding spots.
Chimera might’ve been slippery before, but now they had lost that advantage. It was only a matter of time before they were completely destroyed.
“Wounded beasts can still be dangerous. Be careful out there,” Mira warned. They had room to breathe, but they couldn’t be careless.
“I know it. Thanks.” The man accepted Mira’s warning, put a hand on one of the carriages, and guided it to where his team waited.
“Meh, I wouldn’t worry too much.” Aaron shrugged. “The hunter teams will have spirits working with ’em.”
“Well, at least that’s reassuring.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Little Miss Mira, and those other two. Production of the white weapons is on track, and soon we’ll have enough for everyone. It’s the weapons that make it safe for us to add spirits to our fighting forces.”
“I see. I’m glad I could help.”
To spirits, the black mist ore weapons and their oni curses were an unbeatable foe. But now, the Isuzu Alliance had a way to neutralize those threats, making it possible to bring spirits to the front lines. This would flip the power dynamic considerably, to Isuzu’s overwhelming advantage.
The man was right; the rest of this war would be smooth sailing.
Mira prayed for their success as she watched the carriages leave, one after another.
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