1st day of the month of the gray dragon (March) 20:30 PM

  Hirashi reappeared under a tree, not far from the royal palace. She sat down on a nearby rock, causing it to crack under her weight. She raised a hand to her face and sighed bitterly.

  "It went better than expected. I only killed one of them, after all."

  She commented, recalling the little incident at the village. When the lizardman was about to strike her, she'd killed him without hesitation. It had been a reckless move, and she knew it: she could have taken the blow without even realizing it; it was highly likely that the attacker's club would have broken against her side, achieving the same intimidating effect as the kill, but without arousing resentment among the already alarmed lizardmen.

  Amateur mistake. It's funny how I told Almodea not to be impulsive, and then I was wrong. Calling it a mistake is a bit excessive, but that's how it is...

  She wanted to laugh at the irony of fate, if only she'd found it funny. Hirashi looked up at the sky and—as she watched the sun set on the horizon—the incident came back to her mind. Why had she acted like that? She knew the answer all too well, but it seemed like a stupid thing to say out loud.

  -She didn't want her jacket to get dirty.

  Hirashi was fully aware that killing for a piece of clothing was ironic and childish, but she couldn't help it. That jacket, like many of her clothes, had been given to her by her mother Nikusa after she was adopted by her, and Hirashi loved them more than life itself.

  “I was ultimately created to kill...it's in my nature.”

  She thought back to her adoption and her childhood. Hirashi squeezed her eyes shut, and had to contain the urge to press her palms against the rock she was sitting on, risking shattering it.

  She didn't have a happy childhood—in fact, she didn't have a childhood at all. Hirashi was born in a lab, cloned by demonic scientists who somehow managed to get their hands on Nikusa's genetic code. Her goal? To become a weapon, the Queen of Assassins: someone who obeyed orders without question; a killing machine in the true sense of the word.

  She had trained day and night since birth, with every weapon, magic, and fighting style known. Hirashi could go for months without stopping; her muscles regenerated automatically, so she was rarely tired and never needed to eat or sleep. However, she still did so to speed up her recovery. If she was given food, it wasn't because her creators cared about her well-being; to them, she was nothing more than a machine needing fuel. For nearly twenty years, Hirashi did nothing but train and kill whoever she was told to kill, nothing more: no recreation, no hobbies, no happiness.

  She found some measure of satisfaction only in training, not that she could do anything else. The pale woman discovered by pure chance that she had an innate passion for reading. One day, while examining the profile of one of the targets she was supposed to kill, Hirashi lingered over various points in the document—even after she had memorized it completely. For some reason, she felt a sense of satisfaction reading those words arranged into meaningful sentences. She loved learning the most useless details about her victims: their age, number of children, hobbies, illnesses, weaknesses, abilities and so on. She remembered that distant day well. For the first time in her life, Hirashi felt something within her; something she had never had before: willpower.

  Hirashi longed to read. She would have asked her creators to give her a book, but never did so. She knew all too well that they would deny her that and perhaps even deprive her of that one joy. For them, she served only to kill, not to waste time reading or imagining.

  And...

  -Now she wasn't doing anything too different.

  A messenger bearing a death sentence is not too different from a murderer, after all.

  The only difference was one small detail: herself. Hirashi had changed greatly in a short period of time. A few years earlier, Nikusa and Shockwave had raided the laboratory where she had been created. It was then that Hirashi finally encountered the one who had indirectly brought her into being: Nikusa, the Queen of Chaos. Obeying her creator's orders, she faced the other woman and held her own, but she could not defeat her—after all, Hirashi was nothing more than a inferior clone. Despite her incredible power, how could she hope to defeat the original? At the time, Hirashi thought it would all end there; that Nikusa would kill her in some unknown way.

  -But that didn't happen.

  Instead, she was shown something she'd never been offered before: affection. The Queen of Chaos took the clone under her wing, as her own beloved daughter.

  How things change...it's all so illogical.

  In a short time, her entire life was turned upside down: Hirashi now found herself treated like a child, despite being twenty-five years old, by a woman almost identical to her. She was allowed to think, speak, and do whatever she wanted. To say she was spoiled by Nikusa would be an understatement. Hirashi had to learn to eat and sleep for pleasure, and to train as a hobby and no longer out of obligation. She was taught to express her opinion—or even have one in the first place—and she also had to learn to freely express her feelings, something she had almost never done until then. To someone new, it might seem like Hirashi's stoicism was just a mask to "act tough" but that wasn't the case: she truly struggled when it came to showing emotion; even just laughing or finding something funny was a feat. How many times would she sit down to watch anime with Almodea and the latter would burst into tears, while Hirashi just stood there, cold as a statue? The only bright side was that, by remaining stoic, she could console her overly emotional sister quite well.

  "Almodea..."

  The woman muttered, watching the sun finally set. She was worried and wanted to know how the other girl was doing. Thinking of Almodea, she remembered how their relationship hadn't started well...at all.

  Nikusa wanted to renovate her castle to suit the needs of her new "little girl," so she decided to send Hirashi to temporarily live with a friend of hers. That friend was C, Almodeus's wife. It was during those short months that Hirashi's life underwent a second exponential change: she began spending more time with her adoptive father, aka Shockwave, a robot in the service of the demon obsessed with the letter A.

  Hirashi still didn't fully understand the dynamics of her mother and father's relationship, but she felt a sense of attachment to both of them, even though she had no right to feel such feelings in the first place.

  Then came C, a kind of second mother. Despite being the wife of the most feared demon in hell, she was a good woman and an exceptional cook.

  -Hirashi feared her more than anything else.

  C had immediately shown herself to be extremely loving towards her, so much so that they had developed a mutual affection, which made Hirashi constantly afraid of doing something wrong and disappointing her. Was she worrying too much? Absolutely. Was she worrying too much about herself? Same as above.

  After a few days of talking with C, Hirashi managed to overcome this fear of not being enough, and then moved on to the next problem in her new life at the Fear Tower: Almodea Fearterror.

  For some reason, initially unknown to Hirashi, the daughter of Almodeus hated her with all her heart. She only discovered later that it was due to a mixture of insecurity and inferiority complex on the part of that immature crimson demoness. The two later made up and became so close they could call each other sisters. Hirashi couldn't deny that a protective instinct kicked in when she thought of Almodea. To her, she was a perverted and hyperactive little sister, the one to console whenever she cried over even the most idiotic things.

  I wonder how she is...I'd like to go and visit her, but it would go against my orders. I'd say is time to go to sleep.

  The woman stood up and conjured a small cube, furnished internally like a bedroom. She entered and sat on the mattress, turning on the bedside lamp. Even though she didn't need sleep, Hirashi slept anyway, as it allowed her to escape the negative thoughts, such as the fact that she didn't know what to do with her life.

  Luckily, the technology of our world seems to follow the same logic in this one.

  She picked up a book and decided to read to help herself sleep, but failed miserably. Around midnight, Hirashi remembered to report to the Fear Tower, telling C everything in detail, receiving praise and new information in return, such as the progress of other missions. It warmed her heart to know that Almodea was doing well, even though she hadn't accomplished anything concrete yet. She had subdued a troll, but that wasn't much in the grand scheme of things. If it had been up to her, she would have congratulated the little demoness anyway.

  “Everyone seems to be doing well.”

  She muttered aloud, setting the book down on a shelf. It was a classic, sappy fantasy, but she was more interested in the plot than the romance. Love was too complex for her, and Hirashi preferred to avoid talking about it, especially with her mother. Nikusa seemed truly obsessed with finding her a husband.

  Better not to think about it.

  She quickly returned her mind to the mission, trying to sleep as she did so. She cared little about having a mate right now—she had other interests.

  "I'd like to avoid being the only one to fail the mission, but with the orders I was given, everything will be as the lizardmen decide."

  Hirashi reasoned aloud, lying down on the bed and closing her eyes. Sleep came the same way as death: slowly.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  3rd day of the month of the gray dragon (March) 3:30 AM

  Like almost every society, the lizardmen were divided into social classes, usually determined by age: there were the youth, the veterans, the druids, and the elders. At that moment, the leading representatives of each class had gathered in a great hall of the royal palace, with Prince Gabiru seated on a specially erected throne.

  They had miraculously managed to summon the most influential members, given the limited time they had been given. It was an incomplete council, but some would have taken weeks to reach the palace, and they definitely didn't have that much time. They would have to make do.

  "Thank you for coming so quickly..."

  The Prince began, trying to appear stoic, confident, and authoritative. For him, this was also an opportunity to consolidate his power in preparation for his future ascension to the throne. He had to make a good impression on the various classes, otherwise he would face problems once he became king.

  "I asked you to come here because a messenger arrived today with a very clear message: submission or war."

  Everyone was surprised by the frankness of the statement. No mincing words or half-measures from the Prince, just brutal honesty. This was no time for jokes, after all.

  "Of course, we won't submit...not without a fight! We're here to discuss what we know and gather information! I ask everyone for their full cooperation. All to lead our kingdom to victory!"

  The Prince’s words drew cheers of support from many of the young men, even some of the veterans, while the elders and the druids remained neutral. They shared his view, but showing direct and open support would have been unbecoming of the image of imperturbable sages they had built over the years.

  "First of all, has anyone by any chance heard of the name Hirashi? She was the messenger who arrived this morning. She has demonstrated remarkable abilities, such as weather magic and teleportation."

  Upon hearing that name, the various class members looked at each other, exchanging whispers. It was concluded that no one had the slightest idea who the mysterious messenger was, and they moved on. Time was limited, and they couldn't remain obsessed with who was who for too much.

  "Has anyone ever heard of the name Almodeus?"

  This time too, Gabiru didn’t get a clear answer.

  "He was called the Absolute and is said to be a demon, although we cannot verify the truthfulness of this information..."

  Druso commented, approaching his brother, who- as a hero- had been seated at the Prince's right. Despite being a hero himself, the younger brother was placed at the far end of the room, away from everyone, as if to exclude him given his reputation as a vagabond.

  "You said the name is Almodeus, right?"

  Everyone's gaze shifted to the area where the elders were sitting. One of them had just spoken, licking her plump, ancient lips.

  "Yes, exactly."

  Druso nodded promptly, eager to learn. The others also confirmed this, curious to know what the venerable woman knew. They were ready for war, and every piece of information, even the smallest, could had been crucial.

  "I've never heard that name. However..."

  The lizard began, licking her dry, wrinkled lips again.

  "If I remember correctly, one of the Twelve Gods of the Theocracy of Reia had a similar name. Arcadeus, if I'm not mistaken. He too was said to be non-human."

  A deathly silence fell in the room, immediately followed by an explosion of comments, both indignant and in agreement. It was the Prince who restored order with a resounding blow from his trident, authoritatively silencing everyone.

  That's how I like myself! Cool and firm! I'm a born ruler!

  Gabiru thought to himself, happy to see the respectful looks on the faces of his subjects present. He even saw a few elders nod in his direction. It was rare for them to show support, as they always had to give the impression of being wise and neutral. He was earning valuable points.

  "Well, now that we've calmed down, I think we should think about it..."

  Gabiru started, trying to shed light on the situation.

  "I personally rule out the possibility that Almodeus and Arcadeus are the same person. Does anyone have any more information?"

  "I have, Your Majesty!"

  One of the veterans raised his hand. The scars on his face were a testament of his military past. He looked like a man who knew what he was talking about, and no one would dare contradict him. Perhaps the elders could find a hair on the back of the head, but they would risk losing face if they acted impulsively.

  "I rule out the possibility that it's one of the Gods of the Theocracy. From what I understand, they were all killed over seven hundred years ago! Also, let's be serious, please! We're going to war against a God? Let's not kid ourselves! This Almodeus is just a guy who puts on too much airs! He even calls himself the Absolute!"

  Many nodded in agreement at those harsh, cold, gut-wrenching words. The general opinion was all too clear: this mysterious Almodeus was just a madman with a huge ego. Some even doubted that was his real name. The young people began calling him a coward, declaring that anyone who lies about their name is just a deceiver without any backbone or honor.

  "I rule out the possibility that it's all smoke and mirrors."

  Druso's comment brought him back into the spotlight—a negative one, of course. Most of those present respected him as a member of the Six Great Lizard Heroes, but they were reluctant to give him too much credit, especially the elders. He was a vagabond, after all. He was the same as those who desert during wartime for them.

  "And why do you believe this?"

  One of the elders asked, raising an irritated eyebrow.

  "Because I saw Lady Hirashi in action! I'm no expert sorcerer, but the magic she used was extremely powerful! Besides, I doubt anyone in their right mind would decide to attack without gathering information! Brother, do you remember the messenger's comment?"

  "Certainly."

  Tiberio nodded, crossing his arms and continuing in the younger’s place.

  “She said that if we don't surrender, we will be exterminated..."

  "I think she took that stance because her lord knows the limits of our war potential. I believe—or rather, I fear—that they may have a larger or better-equipped army."

  Druso's words struck a chord, and many of the veterans began nodding in agreement. The elders, however, shook their heads in denial, misinterpreting their comrade's words.

  "Are you suggesting to give up? I hope you're kidding!"

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  One of them muttered, trying to put words into Druso' mouth.

  "Of course not! I'm just saying it's best not to underestimate them. We have to think about it from the perspective of being at a disadvantage from the start!"

  For a proud people like the lizardmen, those words hurt like salt on a wound, but they had to swallow their egos in silence, knowing that the vagabond was absolutely right. Getting carried away before the start of hostilities would only have led to needless deaths and a disastrous defeat.

  "Your Majesty, I would ask to the druids about Lady Hirashi. Perhaps we can gain some insight into her magic! Once we know its type, we can adapt accordingly."

  Druso proposed, appealing to Prince Gabiru, who gave his consent with a nod of the head.

  "Does anyone, druid or otherwise, happen to know if there are spells to summon purple lightning or clouds?"

  A deathly silence fell again, signifying the ignorance of those present. It was only after a few minutes that one of the druids stepped forward: a young lizard woman with green eyes and pale gray skin—a rarity among their species.

  "I know something."

  "Are you going to speak, Lady...?"

  "Lulu, my name is Lulu Horatia. I am one of the Six Great Heroes."

  The girl declared, slightly moving the sleeves of her ceremonial dress.

  “You probably don't know me since I inherited the title from my mother, after the Great War."

  Druso, and many others, gaped in surprise; they hadn't expected such a revelation. They realized immediately that Lulu's mother was the Great Kaire, a highly skilled druid said to be capable of casting spells up to level 4.

  "Forgive my ignorance, Lady Horatia!"

  Druso apologized, bowing his head. He had fought alongside the Great Kaire in the past, despite being of different generations. Lizardmen lived on average two hundred and fifty years, so they were considered adults at forty. At the time of the war, Kaire was already to the venerable age of two hundred and twelve, while Druso was approximately forty-two. Judging by her appearance, he and Lulu would have been around the same age.

  "No need, Sir Druso. Just call me Lulu."

  "Certainly, Lulu. You can just call me with my name too..."

  The female smiled and nodded, moving closer to the center of the room.

  "So, do you know anything about that magic?"

  "I know of the existence of a level 4 spell called Wehter Control. However, the one used by this Hirashi may be even superior..."

  "Above level 4?!"

  The Prince's words were followed by further roars of amazement. The fourth level was extremely high even for the best druids of their kind—knowing that the enemy had access to even higher magic caused quite the agitation. The elders seemed to lose their composure for the first time. Fear was written all over their decrepit faces. It was a feeling so strong that it was capable of overshadowing their famous pride.

  "Are you sure of that, Lady Lulu?"

  Tiberio asked, secretly hoping that the druid was exaggerating things to get the prince to choose a diplomatic approach.

  "Unfortunately, not Sir Tiberio...I'm 100% sure."

  "Do you happen to know if there's a spell to kill someone without moving? Like an instant slash?"

  Druso's question was primarily intended to distract the attention from the weather magic for a few minutes, to allow the various members of the social classes to recover from their surprise. Weather magic was effective in battle up to a certain point. He was more curious to know how that giant woman had managed to kill one of them without even moving. He reasoned that perhaps discovering how that attack worked was the key to defeating her.

  "I only know instant death spells, but that's from heard say. That's extremely powerful and complex magic."

  "I understand. I rule out instant death, since the man I’m referring to was cut in half."

  "I'm sorry to interrupt this discussion, but I think it's best to decide what to do now that we have more information about the enemy. Even if many points remain a mystery..."

  The Prince's proposal caused silence in the great hall, followed by murmurs among members of the various social classes. After half an hour, the situation became clear: the majority of the elders were opposed to the conflict and proposed seeking a diplomatic solution; the young men, instead, were opposed to the elders' position, as they believed such action would be tantamount to surrendering without a fight; the veterans, however, had conflicting opinions: some wanted the conflict to maintain the peace achieved after the Great War twenty years earlier, and others wanted to avoid it for the same reason; the druids declared themselves neutral, admitting that both options were unfavorable to them and that they would therefore simply support the majority. All this led to a stalemate.

  Everyone turned to the Prince, the one with the final say. Gabiru began to sweat under the sudden pressure. He certainly wanted to push for the war, but thinking back to Hirashi and the testimonies quickly made him change his mind. He no longer thought armed conflict was the best idea, but couldn’t say it out loud—he would be seen as a coward. Crushed by the pressure, Gabiru was forced to call a short break. The Prince hurried out of the underground palace to get some fresh air and wipe the sweat from his brow, hoping the night stars might bring him advise.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  I'm in a thorny situation! The survival of my people is at stake here, not just the throne...

  Gabiru brought a cloth to his forehead, wiping away the sweat that had accumulated there from the stress. He took out a rudimentary handkerchief and blew his nose. The lizard was trying his best to stall, hoping to come up with an idea that would bring everyone together and simultaneously save the lizardmen race.

  "What to do? I don't know what to do!"

  The Prince sneezed a couple of times. The pollen from the few flowers in the area, combined with the stress, sent him into a complete panic. Gabiru was having a full-blown allergy attack, and with no one around to help him. He wished he'd had a lady-in-waiting, but despite being the Prince of the lizardmen and the only male heir to the throne, no woman had ever paid him any attention.

  Damn allergy! Damn pollen!

  "Do you need a handkerchief?"

  An unfamiliar voice chilled the lizard's blood. Gabiru whirled around and saw a mysterious figure neck-deep in the swamp water. He didn't recognize him as one of his subordinates, nor did he look like a lizardman.

  "And who the hell are you?!"

  "Right, I didn't introduce myself..."

  Gabiru watched in astonishment as the figure emerged from the water, leaning toward him. It was a tall, snake-like man, wearing a black tunic and a royal red cloak, complete with two golden cobra heads on his shoulders and a helmet.

  "A Snakeman?! I thought you had ventured into the darkest depths of the forest."

  In the past, two races inhabited the Dark Jade Swamp: the lizardmen and the Snakemen. A bitter war raged for control of the territory, and thanks to the leadership of Lizard Magnus, the Snakemen were defeated once and for all. The latter retreated underground to survive—since then, all trace of the elusive species had disappeared. Occasionally, a few were seen hunting, but it was an extremely rare occurrence.

  "Uh-Uh! I see you haven't forgotten your distant cousins."

  The mysterious figure replied amusedly.

  "What did you come here to do? And who even are you?"

  "I forgot to introduce myself again. Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I am Vennominon! A servant of the Troll King."

  The Prince couldn't believe his ears. Was this a subordinate of the Troll King? From the way he was dressed, he seemed to belong to the royal family of the Snakemen tribe; his name was quite long, and—according to the tradition of his race—a long name meant that one was born into a royalty or important families.

  Despite his innate hatred for the other, Gabiru still tried to remain impassive. He coughed forcefully and stood up straight, hunching his shoulders. His heroic pose was meant to let the snake know who was in charge there.

  "Nice to meet you, Vennominon. My name is Gabiru Abiru Magnus! It seems you already know who I am, so let's skip further pleasantries and tell me why you're here."

  "Your father sent me."

  "My father?!"

  The Prince nearly fainted at the revelation. He had been right to suppress his aggression, if that man had truly been sent by his father. He still had his doubts; he thought it unlikely that the proud Lizardmen King would trust an enemy race, but he gave the other time to explain himself.

  "That's right! Negotiations with the Troll King are going well. However, a last-minute problem arose! Someone evil has allied with the orcs to conquer the entire forest!"

  "Almodeus..."

  Gabiru spoke the name almost instinctively; now it all made sense to him. This Almodeus had subdued the orcs and was now trying to use them to encircle the lizardmen in a pincer grip.

  That's the only explanation. Those damned pigs would never ally themselves with anyone, they're too stupid.

  His opinion of the orcs was very low. In his opinion, they were the most useless race in the entire forest. That they had been subdued by someone smarter perfectly explained the motive behind their recent attacks, that were too organized to be the work of their own limited intellect.

  "If this being is strong enough to subdue the orcs, I'm not surprised your King has decided to ask for an alliance with us. It all makes sense now!"

  "Yeah! That Almodeus is a problem for King Yeddu!"

  "Not just for him! One of his messengers gave us an ultimatum, and to be honest, I don't know what to do."

  The snake smiled at those words. Gabiru had unwittingly exposed himself too much. Simply mentioning his father's name had made the Prince automatically see Vennominon as an ally he could trust above all else.

  "That's why I'm here, Your Majesty! Your father told me to tell you that negotiations with the Troll King will take many more weeks. However, you won't be left alone in the fight against the orcs and Almodeus! The Troll Kingdom is ready to provide you with all the support it can!"

  "Really?!"

  Gabiru couldn't help but smile at this news. If their victory alone had been uncertain, with the trolls' support, the success in battle was already a sure thing. He could hardly believe it.

  "Certainly! Your father has already prepared a defense plan! You will have to divide the troops into two large groups: one to the north and one to the south! We will provide support starting from the north and moving down until we reach you on the southern front! This secret alliance will be ace up our sleeve against this Almodeus!”

  Gabiru was surprised by the brilliant plan, but not too much; it had been orchestrated by his father, after all. With his worries about the battle almost entirely gone, his focus on the throne began again- now his thoughts were much clearer: he would win the war and be acclaimed by all for bringing peace to the forest. Gabiru could already imagine himself shaking hands with the commander of the troll forces who would come to their aid.

  It will be a historic moment! One that will be remembered by all generations!

  "I will do as you say. Please come inside and carry the message to the others, Sir Vennominon!"

  Gabiru urged him, but received a denial in response.

  "Forgive me, but I must refuse your generous offer. I must return immediately before Almodeus's spies discover I'm here! The longer I stay, the greater the risk of our secret alliance being discovered!"

  "I understand. Then have a safe journey and say hello to my father! Tell him that victory is assured and that he doesn't have to worry! Let him just handle about signing the treaties, I'll take care of the battle!"

  "Thank you, Prince. In that regard, I advise you to keep this conversation of ours a secret."

  "Wait, what? Why?"

  "Because then everyone will believe you're going to war without the knowledge of another nation's support! Simply put, you'll be seen as a brave, wise, and strong king! Everyone will give you the credit for the operation's success!"

  Gabiru didn't seem convinced at first, but he gave in to the flattery and agreed to keep the conversation a secret. Hiding things seemed like a dirty way to play, but the thought of being acclaimed by everyone—especially his father—blinded him to any possible danger.

  "Okay, I accept! Thanks for your help, Sir Vennominon!"

  "You're welcome, Your Majesty!"

  Vennominon gave a curt bow and began to wade into the swamp, not even trying to hide the sinister grin on his face.

  "Everything went according to plan..."

  The Snakeman muttered, once he was immersed in the grayish water. Gabiru might have heard him, had he not rushed into the palace as soon as the conversation ended.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Once back in the meeting room, Gabiru sat on the throne, attracting everyone's attention with a few flicks of his tail. He had a more haughty and majestic stance, almost as if he were a different man.

  "My subjects! I have made my decision!"

  He declared loudly, with disarming pride. Everyone turned to face the Prince, eager to hear the final verdict on the situation.

  "I have decided that this Almodeus's demands are completely unacceptable! We will fight!"

  The declaration caused quite a stir among the elders and some veterans, but was applauded by the young. It was clear that only the latter had the will to fight to prove their honor and earn a place of honor in their society.

  "We will divide our defenses in two! One along the northern front, to defend against the orcs, who remain a threat. The rest of the forces will be positioned in the southern area, where the messenger known as Hirashi appeared. I believe it highly likely that Almodeus's army will attack from there..."

  "But sire, if we divide our forces don't we risk giving the enemy an advantage?"

  The motion advanced by one of the veterans received some support from his faction; it was a common sentiment among them, given that they were the most experienced in the military field. Their army was numerous, but not enough to cover two fronts—especially when it came to defending against the orcs. The damned pigs were large and strong: it would take at least three lizardmen to take down a single one of those with minimal casualties.

  "True, but it's the only way to avoid being crushed in a pincer grip! If anyone has a better idea, please come forward! I'd love to hear it!"

  No one spoke at those words, a sign that there were insufficient arguments to oppose the Prince's decision. Although not everyone agreed with the agreed-upon lineup, there was no dissent.

  "Very well, for now I say we get ready. Tiberio, Druso and Lulu! Come forward!"

  The three named reptiles advanced towards Gabiru, surprised to have been called into question so suddenly.

  "I have decided to give command of the southern defenses to the Six Great Heroes or their descendants! You will have to find the others and regroup!"

  Those words caused a huge stir. Everyone knew that the heroes of the past had retired, and recalling them would be seen as disrespectful to such noble veterans who had earned a peaceful life. However, no one would ever deny that their presence at the battlefront would bring great security, resulting in a boost to the troops' morale.

  That said, this was a double-edged sword, as the death of even one of those legendary warriors would have the effect of reducing the troops' morale to an all-time low. The Prince knew this, but he was willing to take the risk: heroes were like finely crafted swords, and they had to be used as such.

  "You are charged with calling the others to arms! Can I entrust you with this task?"

  "Certainly, sire..."

  Tiberio nodded, knowing he had no other answer. The Prince's orders were law, and only the King could do anything about it, but he wasn't present at the moment.

  "The meeting is adjourned! When she returns, we will give Lady Hirashi our response and begin preparing our defenses immediately! Clear the room and prepare for war!"

  With that statement, the room began to empty. Only Druso and Tiberio remained, along with Lulu. Even Gabiru had left, retreating to his private quarters. To say he was positive about the conflict would be an understatement. He seemed so confident of winning, even though he was visibly shitting himself before the break.

  "I'm going back to my rooms. Would it be okay if we discussed our mission tomorrow morning, noble heroes?"

  The druid asked, bowing slightly to the two brothers.

  "Certainly. However, you can use simply our names. I don't think the honorific is necessary, Lady Lulu."

  Druso replied, slapping his tail aggressively on the ground. He seemed almost embarrassed by the action himself, and hoped Lulu wouldn't notice.

  "Thank you very much. As I said before, the same goes for you, Druso. I give you my best regards."

  With that, the druid bowed and departed, leaving the brothers alone. The room fell silent—the only sound audible was Druso's tail thumping violently against the floor, uncontrollably. The elder observed the scene and smiled slightly.

  "You like that female, don't you?"

  Tiberio watched, noticing how his brother's tail kept wagging. The eldest wasn't the only one in the family with an overly honest tail, it seemed.

  "What? No! I mean...you know how I feel about it! I can't fall in love! I'm a vagabond, what would happen if we were to have a child? It would be seen as a disgrace by the elders."

  Druso replied, shaking his head and blushing slightly. He was really terrible at lying to his older brother.

  "Are you already thinking about having a baby with her? Wow, bro! Calm down the hormones! I thought you were a dead mouse down there."

  The other laughed, teasing him. It was the first time he'd seen his brother embarrassed when talking about a girl. The mere thought of him having children was inconceivable. It was also a good way to distract themselves from the anxiety caused by recent events. They would return to their serious thoughts the next day, when their mission would truly begin.

  "Is this revenge for what I said about your wife and the too-honest tail?"

  "Perhaps, Uh-Uh..."

  "I knew it! Anyway, now I have one more reason not to lose."

  "You're really smitten with her! Love at first sight... I didn't think that was like you, Druso."

  "Oh, shut up!"

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  4th day of the month of the gray dragon (March) 11:30 AM

  The sun was high when Hirashi emerged from her cube. She made it disappear and stretched slightly, ready to resume her mission. She'd woken up early and trained to pass the time. She felt it was pointless to go at six in the morning to ask the lizardmen for their answer.

  "Did you sleep well, Lady Hirashi?"

  A woman in white armor with black hair asked her, appearing out of nowhere. She held a battle axe in her right hand and the helmet of her armor in the left one. She was about six feet tall, and her superhuman beauty would have made any man in the vicinity drop his jaw, if there had been any. Not that Hirashi wasn't beautiful herself, but compared to the newcomer she was definitely a lot more intimidating.

  "I slept perfectly, Yor. Thanks for asking...what are you doing here, anyway? Weren't you supposed to be protecting C while you were in the Empire?"

  "I have been sent by Lady C herself. I know of your undeniable power, but I believe it is right to provide you with an escort. It would be an honor for me to sacrifice myself for you, my Queen."

  Hirashi sighed at those words. She knew that Yor, as her creation, had no other desire than to serve her until death. In her opinion, that loyalty was too stifling. Perhaps she'd made a mistake in summoning an Esoterica following her mother's procedure. Nikusa loved the toxic loyalty of her servants—see how Albedo had turned out—but Hirashi truly couldn't stand such ass-kissing behavior.

  "I'm not a Queen, not yet at least...don't call me one, please."

  "Of course, Lady Hirashi! Forgive me!"

  "Good. If you want to stay with me, fine. Follow me to the lizardmen, but don't do anything without my permission."

  Yor nodded promptly and followed his mistress through the swamp, remaining in religious silence. However, it was clear that she was happy as a kid to be able to even just be in the company of her mistress. Hirashi, meanwhile, tried her best not to think about what Yor had just said.

  Queen...Me? How silly... A clone shouldn't be a queen.

  She'd called her Queen, but Hirashi didn't feel like one at all. She might have been called the Queen of Assassins, but that was more of a title of effect than an honorific. She didn't feel worthy of being compared to her mother, who was the Queen of Queens.

  It's pointless to think about it, but I'm curious to know what title Almodea will give herself when she becomes a queen. I can already imagine her calling herself Absolute Queen...so banal.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  "Welcome, Lady Hirashi..."

  Gabiru declared, sitting on his throne. He looked at Yor, confused and interested. It was clear in the Prince's eyes that he thought she was beautiful, and no one could argue with that: the raven-haired woman was an undeniable beauty.

  Yor, for her part, frowned at the use of that honorific toward her mistress. In her opinion, the Prince should have used Your Majesty or Supreme One. “Lady” seemed far too low-class for a great being like her Queen and too colloquial for such an inferior one like Gabiru. Yor herself felt unworthy of addressing her lady with that low honorific, but it had been granted to her by Hirashi herself, so it would have been a deadly sin to disobey her will.

  "Thank you, Your Majesty. This is Yor, one of my squires. Please forgive her sudden arrival."

  The Esoterica's heart almost stopped at those words. Being called a squire by her mistress had brought Yor an unimaginable amount of joy, but she had to keep quiet and composure, to avoid embarrass Hirashi before such inferior beings as those lizardmen.

  "No problem. I can't blame you for bringing such a beauty."

  Gabiru stated, exposing himself slightly. Yor simply ignored him, while Hirashi remained indifferent. Realizing he'd said too much, the Prince coughed a few times and became serious again. To be honest, he was quite awkward around women. Despite being the King's son, he was rarely lusted after by the females of his species. The only one he spoke to was his younger sister, but she was always quite cold toward him; not out of malice, but more out of professional deformation.

  “I’m sure you’re here to get our answer, right?”

  "Right."

  Gabiru took a deep breath and stood up, holding his father's trident, trying to appear as valiant and authoritative as possible in front of a foreign messenger. Image was everything in that moment.

  However, in front of two women like Hirashi and Yor, he could only appear pathetic at best. Especially in the eyes of the latter, who considered most living beings not connected to her Queen's circle to be without any right to exist in the first place.

  "We have decided to fight!"

  He roared loudly, though it sounded like a faint bark to the two women, who were unfazed by the statement. once again, Gabiru appeared more like an idiot than a great leader who faced enemies head on.

  "Our warrior pride prevents us from surrendering to you without a fight. We must fight."

  "Even if surrender benefits you?"

  Hirashi's question didn't dent the prince's confidence, and he promptly shook his head. This action made the giant woman's eyes open a few centimeters. Was she surprised or bored? No one knows.

  "All in the name of this thing you call pride, right?"

  "Yes. It may seem disrespectful, but—"

  "No, not at all. I can understand you, Your Majesty."

  Hirashi's gaze became more understanding, only to suddenly become a thousand times colder and more indifferent than before.

  "This choice will lead us to a war. Are you fully aware of that?"

  "Yes! We will fight to the death, if necessary!"

  "So be it, then."

  Hirashi returned to her usual stoicism, bowed briefly, and began walking toward the exit of the room. Yor followed close behind, ignoring the interested glances Gabiru was casting at her curves. Honestly, she would have been angrier if the sovereign had looked at her mistress with the same expression. Yor was a servant, so for her that was acceptable. But Hirashi? She was off limits.

  "In two weeks, our troops will be here and then..."

  Hirashi turned one last time to face the Prince, maintaining a serious, cold gaze, with a hint of slight pity that was almost entirely imperceptible.

  "...There will be a full-on war."