Volume 1 – Following the Maze Drawn With Lines of Blood
The day after Romeo’s murder.
As the people were in confusion in the face of this great news shaking the world, House Slava’s principal residence was full of soldiers.
They were all equipped with sorcery guns, and armor and helmets with anti-mana coating.
Two soldiers stood by the Slava residence’s gates.
One of them, the young one, started talking.
“Do you think the ‘Death God’ is really coming here?”
“His Highness says so, so we gotta be careful.”
“They’re making too big of a deal, even if she is coming here. There’s more than a hundred people in this estate. They don’t have powered suits, but there are special forces here, right?”
“I heard when Lord Romeo was killed, that thing cut dozens of people in half, in one strike.”
“News like that are exaggerated, you know.”
“But if it’s true, maybe even a hundred people won’t be enough.”
“Isn’t she a girl? I mean….. Huh?”
“What is it?”
“Is that a girl coming this way?”
The soldier squinted and looked at the young girl.
“She’ll be chased off anyway.”
“Oh, you’re right. Someone with equipment is approaching her- whoa, he’s shouting so loudly.”
“He’s probably on edge.”
“Why is he raising his gun….. Wha?”
“What?”
“Umm, his head, just flew off…”
The head of the soldier approaching the girl bounced around like a toy.
Then, monster heads started coming out of her body, and devoured the corpses.
“T-T-That’s the Death God! The Death God is here!”
The junior soldier shouted with a shaking voice.
The senior soldier on the other hand quietly used the communication system installed in his helmet and reported to the commanding officer.
“Captain, Mary Pulsherima is here. One soldier is already dead, requesting reinforcements!”
“H-He’s coming!”
“Shoot it before it gets closer!”
The two aimed at Mary who was running at them with great speed.
Then, they pulled the trigger, and-
“If you’re firing at me, then I’m not going to show mercy.”
Mary suddenly disappeared.
“……Umm?”
“Ugh…… agh……”
The upper half of the soldier’s body slid off and dropped to the ground.
“What…… how…… ah, I’m also……”
The same thing happened to the other soldier as well after a small delay.
Mary had already passed by the two and broke into the estate grounds.
Bones quickly protruded from her heels, increasing her speed as she ran.
Before long, blades of bone around 50 centimeters long grew out of the palms of her hands.
Further, the skeletal beasts crawling out from her back were devouring the corpses of the fallen soldiers.
“What a nice welcome.”
Mary said after a glance at the state while devouring her prey.
Countless guns were aimed at her from the windows.
Among them, bigger ones that she had not seen before.
“I hope Duke Slava is here.”
Her eyes could see nothing but the object of her revenge.
Then, the commanding officer who was inside the state shouted through a microphone.
“Now, shooooooot!”
The guns aimed at Mary instantly fired after the order.
“Thank you.”
She laughed as massive arms grew out of her back and blocked the rain of bullets head on.
◇◇◇
A few minutes after that, somewhere inside the Slava Territory.
At a place that seemed to be the library of the estate, a man nearing his old age was sitting on a chair reading a book.
His hair was gray with a few whites, his well-structured face resembled Romeo’s, and he gave an intellectual impression due to his monocle.
The formal vest he was wearing suited his thin body well.
It was the Duke of Slava, Dugan Slava.
House Slava had a few bases inside the territory.
Starting with the building where Romeo died, there was the main house, the mansion’s share of the estate, and underground shelters like this one.
It was a shelter, but the spaciousness and the furniture inside was no different from anywhere else in the estate.
It was built with great money, making sure not to forget the mental wellbeing of those inside.
Footsteps approached closer as Dugan relaxed in the room.
He stopped turning the pages of his book and looked over at the door.
Knock, knock, he immediately answered, ‘enter.’
It was his butler, with long hair that covered the ears and an androgynous looking face.
The butler kneeled before Dugan, and reported.
“After the ‘Death God’s attack, all the soldiers at the main residence… there’s a high possibility they are all dead.”
“That’s a soft way of saying it.”
“The soldiers’ corpses are no longer there, so it’s difficult to determine the damage.”
“They were devoured, you say?”
“……Yes.”
“Maybe it’s an arcana power, the same thing happened to Romeo’s body too. How’s the chase going?”
“We…… We tried, but she showed much greater agility than we anticipated, and we lost her……”
“She’s too capable. But, we were right to believe she was searching for me. I made the right move by hiding myself here.”
Dugan smiled and closed his book.
Only a very limited number of people knew about the existence of the underground shelter.
Even his allies did not know, so there was no worry of the information being leaked.
“I think we’ll need all our soldiers to stop that thing, after all.”
“Then… the soldiers at the border zone?”
“The territory border soldiers as well.”
“Wha-!? The Kingdom’s army will invade!”
“No problem.”
“But!”
“I said no problem.”
Dugan expressionlessly stared at the butler.
The butler’s cheek started twitching as he backed off.
“……I-I’m very sorry.”
“We have to crush the ‘Death God’, no matter what. Kill Mary Pulsherima, no matter how many soldiers you need and what you have to do.”
“Yes!”
“Also, I want you to be very careful. Don’t use telecommunications, I want you to convey my orders to the army.”
“Understood.”
The butler politely bowed and left the room.
Then, she noticed a blonde woman standing before the room.
Her unique twisting twin tail drew the most attention.
On the other hand however, her attire was formal, and she wore a tight skirt.
“Oh, I didn’t know you were coming too, Platy.”
“Cutie Majoram…..”
“Don’t be so formal. You can just call me Cutie.”
“Is that so, Cutie?”
“You actually……”
“I just finished talking to him. Do whatever you want.”
“Wait. I want to talk to you.”
The butler, Platy, peeked at Dugan in the room.
She did not want Dugan to hear her conversation with Cutie.
Understanding this, Cutie pulled Platy by the hand and left the room to chat with her in a guest room nearby.
They sat on couches facing each other, and Platy spoke first.
“So, what do you want to talk to me about? I’m busy, so please make it short.”
“It’s about King Henry. Why was the king, who is on bad terms with uncle Dugan, here with his queen and prince?”
The three who ruled over the Kingdom were at the party venue where Mary’s crimes came up.
The top people of the Kingdom, which could be said to be on hostile terms with the Duchy of Slava, openly made an appearance.
What was the Duke of Slava’s intention when he invited them? Cutie was in a position where she absolutely had to know this.
“Are you the one who wants to know? Or-“
“Yes, including the director.”
“So I can say it’s the collective will of Majoram?”
“Yes. You may check with my father if you want.”
Majoram Technologies was a military affairs company based inside the Slava Territory.
The sorcery guns manufactured by Majoram made up for 80% of all sorcery guns in the Kingdom.
Of course, the Kingdom’s army also heavily relied on this company for its military power.
This is one of the reasons that Duke Slava could be said to hold as much authority as King Henry.
Cutie Majoram was the president’s daughter, currently working as the executive director.
“No… At any rate, I know your father will allow you to do anything you want. Understood, let’s talk.”
“I like obedience. So, what’s the situation?”
Cutie grinned, and Platy replied with an honest expression.
“I don’t know.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t know. Not why King Henry showed up there, and not why His Highness invited him. I also don’t know why they imprisoned Mary Pulsherima.”
“W-What!? Aren’t you the closest human being to Uncle Dugan!?”
“I said I don’t know. However, that means…”
“Nobody else knows either..?”
“Indeed.”
“Oh come on…”
Cutie let her body go limp and sunk into the couch.
Platy loudly sighed.
“This is still a mere rumor, but there are talks that the first princess, Francis Pulsherima is also dead.”
“Huuh? Francis is dead too!? How did the Slava Army kill that fox without employing any arcana users!?”
“I don’t understand either.”
“Wait, so, Romeo is dead because-“
“Yes, it might be revenge.”
“The plan was to kill both sisters, but the little one survived somehow, and awakened arcana powers within her…… That’s no coincidence…… haha, ahaha……!”
Cutie was extremely surprised at first, but her expression gradually turned into a smile.
Yet, it was not a beautiful smile.
It was one full of desire.
It was an impure, evil smile which made Platy feel cold by just looking at it.
“Phew…… Hey, Platy, that means this is war, right?”
“Something like that.”
“You need weapons, don’t you?”
“……”
“Don’t you?”
“…..Yes, we do.”
“Heh, hehe, hehehehe! I don’t know what’s going on, but we can sell more weapons if the fighting gets more fierce! My company will profit! Good, bring it on! We have to increase production of the necessary weapons immediately! I’ll be waiting for your order, Platy!”
Cutie left while cheerfully skipping.
“I won’t be the one making the order, though……”
Platy saw her off with an exasperated expression.
She had probably come here because she had business with Dugan, but she either forgot about it or decided that it was pointless to talk with him.
At any rate, if Cutie was happy about something, then things were probably not going well.
“Revenge. War. Massacre…… I don’t care what happens, I will protect His Highness the Duke. Mary Pulsherima, I’m not going to let you do as you will.”
Platy’s eyes looked different now.
After a while, the tens of thousands of soldiers deployed at the national border and the territorial borders began transferring to the territorial capital, Captis.