The Lumia Subjugation Operation (1)
“I'm really your fan. From the first time I saw you.”
Sisilia was with Riel. The others were attending a strategy meeting. Of course, that wasn't Sisilia-nyang's real job, so she'd snuck away. For Sisilia, grooming Riel was the higher priority.
“Have you seen me before?”
“...Yes. You probably don't remember, Sword Princess, but it was about ten years ago.”
At seven years old?
Back then, she'd been grinding levels nonstop, so there wasn't a place she hadn't visited. She'd dashed off at the mere whiff of demon mana.
“A demon called 'Sorrow' appeared in our village. Several people died.”
“I see...”
Sisilia fell silent, lost in sorrow.
“I'm sorry I couldn't save your family. If I'd been faster...”
“Pardon? My parents are still alive and well.”
Sisilia blinked. She couldn't even be seen as a total noob by a fan. She raised her index finger and pretended to know.
“People die eventually. Honor your parents like today might be their last.”
“Ah, yes! Thank you for the great advice!”
Anyway, Riel continued her story. She wanted to convey even a fraction of her gratitude from back then.
“The shock of seeing a child even smaller than me wielding a short sword and butchering a demon that even knights couldn't handle... I still can't forget it.”
Riel would probably never forget that moment. The swordsmanship displayed by a girl her age was beautiful, noble. Even after crossing the brink of death countless times, those silver eyes held no tremor.
That was the moment she decided to become a knight. Someday, Riel wanted to give others that same shock.
“You're my dream, Sword Princess. That's why I trained hard to become a knight. My skills are still lacking... but someday, I wanted to tell you. That among the many people you saved, there's at least one living every day with that dream you gave her.”
Being someone's inspiration was a good thing. Sisilia was a little touched.
“Do you have a wish? I'll grant one, whatever it is.”
...Actually, she was deeply moved.
Riel stopped walking.
“...Really?”
“Yes.”
Sisilia excluded just one thing.
“No money, though.”
“The Windsor Knights'Sword Princess offers to grant a wish—why would I ask for mere gold?”
Am I worth that much?
Sisilia smiled brightly.
“What's your wish, Riel?”
“...I want to get stronger.”
“How strong, exactly?”
“W-Well, when you put it like that...”
“It's important.”
As Sisilia asked seriously, Riel answered cautiously.
“...I want to be at least on equal footing with the knights out there.”
Sisilia glanced out the corridor window. Knights were training below.
“You're already stronger than those knights down there.”
Sisilia rated Riel's talent highly. Sure, she'd gone easy, but even Beatrice struggled to match blades with Sisilia to that extent. Beatrice, who always teased Sisilia for being a scrub, had dominated the Windsor Academy—gathering the kingdom's top talents—with overwhelming skill.
Yet for some reason, Riel lacked confidence.
“Your sword was plenty sharp. Be proud of your skills.”
“...That's not enough. I don't have an Aura.”
Only then did Sisilia understand.
Born with sword talent, but no Aura at all.
Auras were crucial. They could change a life even without talent. But that wasn't everything.
Sisilia smiled quietly.
“Do you know the former captain of the Windsor Knights?”
“Chiron, right?! Your father and the knight of knights!”
Riel's energy spiked.
“Chiron received no Aura from the goddess until he became a Sword Sovereign.”
Sisilia reached into the air. A sword of blue light materialized in her hand.
“But in the end, he seized one from the goddess herself.”
Riel felt Sisilia's presence growing heavier.
“Have you ever crossed death's boundary, Riel?”
“N-Not yet.”
“Then go meet the goddess for a bit. That will fulfill your wish.”
Sisilia stared intently at Riel. Time seemed to freeze; Riel went rigid, unable to twitch a finger.
It's coming.
In that instant, Riel envisioned her own head severed, rolling across the floor. Death. True death she'd never felt before stood right beside her.
Without time to think, Riel surged her mana to block.
Crash!
Sisilia's slash shattered every window lining the corridor. Riel collapsed in ruins.
“Oof.”
Sisilia scooped up the fallen Riel and started walking. Knights rushed in, baffled by the commotion.
“Hello.”
Sisilia greeted politely. A knight asked urgently,
“Seen anyone suspicious around here?”
“Nope. Hey, where's Riel's room?”
“Room 304! Damn it, must be a demon invasion.”
“Thanks for your hard work.”
Sisilia headed upstairs, thinking,
Santa must have it rough...
Imagining Santa smashing countless windows to deliver gifts brought tears to her eyes.
“Here it is.”
At Riel's door, Sisilia turned the knob.
“...”
Locked, so she broke it open.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
She gently laid Riel on the bed and rummaged her inventory.
“It should be around here... Found it.”
Sisilia pulled out a black cube. Infusing mana, it spun slowly, then furiously. Inside the opened cube pulsed a blue heart.
A dragon's mana heart.
Didn't expect to use this here.
Just two days ago, she wouldn't have wasted such an invincible treasure lightly. But.
“Hoarding makes you Betty.”
People like Riel—talented in swordsmanship but overlooked by the goddess—existed occasionally. Chiron was one, overcoming with sheer overwhelming talent to reach the realm of 'space' on his own. He'd literally stolen an Aura from the goddess.
But the 'one person, one Aura' rule applied. No matter how far Riel pushed sword mastery, she couldn't become another Chiron.
In other words, the sole light Riel had seen—Chiron—was an illusion.
To live diligently and find an oasis, only for it to be a mirage... That was too tragic.
“Did Santa ever hesitate to give gifts...?”
If so, Santa was just a mortal. Sisilia felt no regret at all.
Riel would surely shine in a critical moment. After all, clones' calculations wouldn't account for her existence.
Sisilia smiled and implanted the dragon heart into Riel.
“She'll freak when she wakes up and finds her mana capacity boosted.”
Of course, it'd stay secret. Edward's nagging already terrified her.
Still, Riel no longer needed an Aura. How strong she'd grow was up to her—but it'd be fine. Her room brimmed with traces of hard work: dozens of worn wooden swords, swordsmanship books worn to tatters.
“...But what's that? A hidden room?”
A small side room piqued her curiosity. Unable to resist, she headed there—then Riel twitched.
“Sorry. But I gave you my only mana heart.”
Sisilia opened the secret room. A tiny chamber. Lighting it up with bated breath, she saw...
“...”
Small drawings plastered everywhere. Figurines galore. All portraits of Sisilia, figurines of Sisilia.
Feeling like she'd glimpsed an abyss she shouldn't, Sisilia broke into cold sweats.
“Sh-She really is a fan.”
**
“To strike Lumia's castle, we must cross this area. We call it the Line of Death. Countless lives are sacrificed just to advance one kilometer.”
Captain Roland Ritter of the Eisenriter Knights.
Captain Edward Windsor of the Windsor Knights.
The meeting, attended by high knights from each front, proceeded in solemn atmosphere.
“So it's realistically impossible?”
“We'll open the path, no matter what.”
Lumia's castle was in a headache-inducing position. Closer to the Demon King's territory than Liannen's own lands. Reaching it required pushing the front lines with full force.
Anticipating this, the Windsor Knights had been dispatched in force, but the Demon King's army resisted fiercely.
“We couldn't expand the northern front due to Lumia. If Windsor handles her, it's doable.”
After deep thought, Edward said,
“Not a decision to make lightly. Let's fine-tune tomorrow.”
“Agreed.”
After the meeting, Edward gathered the Windsors separately.
“Not easy.”
Beatrice nodded tensely.
“Definitely a different league from the other Four Heavenly Kings.”
“So, did you do what I asked?”
“Y-Yes...”
Beatrice, who'd been acting cool, placed a bundle on the table.
“Ooh, not bad, Betty. You really got all these?”
Leo Ric marveled, unwrapping it. Figurines of famous Windsors.
He picked up one resembling himself, then frowned.
“It captures none of my handsomeness.”
“...This.”
Edward lifted Sisilia's figurine with a pathetic look. Its quality was suspiciously high.
“Discriminating against Sisilia's adjutant?!”
Hyter fumed at his own low-quality one.
“But is this thing normally this small?”
Jerryway puzzled over a tiny one in his hand.
“S-Sorry. Sisilia-nyang's so popular... her figurines are top quality.”
“Is figurine quality the issue now?”
Edward sighed.
“Let's war-game it.”
That was why he'd sent Beatrice for figurines and gathered the Windsors.
“Captain's Apocalypse should be held back first.”
Jerryway placed Edward's piece, clearing space and lining up demon models.
“No other knight matches the captain's wide-range Extreme Art.”
Edward placed the Lumia piece.
“Then Lumia uses the dead demons for grand magic.”
“I'll intercept. My spear can reach. Can't kill her, but canceling magic's doable.”
Leo Ric advanced his piece to the front.
“No—the distance won't work. Knight Roland said Lumia's never been pinpointed during spells.”
“Eisenriter's elite, sure. But not Windsor level.”
Hyter said gravely; Edward nodded.
“War-game, so assume best case first. Then?”
“If Leo Ric's spear hits, she'll reposition. I'll pin her.”
Jerryway said confidently. Hyter placed beside Leo Ric.
“Cut off reinforcements with me and local forces... Leaves...”
Without hesitation, Edward placed Sisilia's beside Lumia.
“Wind Shear.”
“...So it comes down to Sisilia after all?”
“Only she handles domains and one-on-ones.”
“Betty deploys Valhalla—drop Sisilia at the spot and joint strike?”
“Best case. But this assumes Sisilia beats Lumia one-on-one. Wind Shear isn't that convenient.”
Per Sisilia, drop points required 'initiative'.
Beatrice hesitated.
“I've never seen Sisilia-nyang lose. Even to a mage, she'll seize initiative, right?”
“Unknown. Lumia's records are scarce. Anything could happen—and if this fails...”
Leo Ric crossed arms casually.
“Exhausted from Extreme Arts, we're wiped. Demon King would strike then. Eisenberg Duchy falls, no surprise.”
Risks too high. Enemy wasn't just Lumia.
As they groaned in thought—
Bam.
“Sisilia-nyang incoming.”
Sisilia burst into the secret meeting room, toddling over to sit primly by Beatrice.
Edward narrowed his eyes.
Jerryway extended a hand.
“Told you? Act serious war-gaming, she'll appear like the wind. Pay up, ten gold.”
“Damn it.”
Edward lost money again today.