elapt1c/ElapticAI-512 · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 149M
She had a point. If Aristo was supposed to be commanding these enemy soldiers, it was odd that he hadn t shown his face. Of course, it was normal for a commander to be situated further back, but this specific demon had proved himself bold enough to sneak into the empire and attack on his own. It was definitely weird that he hadn t shown up directly after Claire identified herself.
There s no point in thinking about it now, I said.
You re right.
But knowing him, he might try to attack you while we re retreating. Don t let your guard down.
Ha ha, you needn t remind me. Claire put on a daring smile as she rode forward. She was the very definition of cool.
Miss Claire?
Yes?
I ve been charmed by you yet again.
Wh-what are you saying? And now, of all times! We re in the middle of a war!
I know, but I felt I had to say it anyway.
Jeez. She sulkily turned her head away. She was just the cutest, I tell you. She muttered, I ve been charmed as well.
Hm? Her voice had been too quiet to reach my ears. What was that, Miss Claire?
Nothing at all! Focus, we re about to rejoin the vanguard!
Okaaay.

***

While we d used Teleport to send us out, our return trip was to be done entirely by horse to eliminate any risk of the demon army losing sight of Claire and subsequently changing course.
The long distance was making Claire s rump grow sore, even with all her horse-riding experience. Maybe her skills had become rusty after spending time as a commoner?
And how was I holding up, you ask? Don t even wonder.
I cast healing magic on Claire and myself as we rode to the fifth stronghold. There, we were greeted by Sascha.
I heard. It was a resounding success. Like most military men, Sascha wasn t especially expressive. Even so, as he commended us, his narrow eyes narrowed even further into a slight smile.
It s all thanks to the soldiers you lent us, Claire replied. They protected us the entire way back.
Such is only to be expected from them. Her Imperial Majesty Dorothea pardon me. Her Imperial Majesty Philine entrusted you to us. No matter what, we won t let harm come your way.
You have our thanks.
The enemy is continuing to the stronghold as planned, so we shall begin drawing our forces back, he went on. You can go ahead and return to the capital, I ll send for someone who can use Teleport. You ve done well.
General would it be all right to make use of your soldiers for a while longer? Claire asked.
Sascha gave her a quizzical look. It poses no issue, but why?
I just have a bad feeling. I can t really explain it, as it s not based on anything concrete, however
Hm The general stroked his chin and thought for a moment. There are times in war when hunches like yours prove critical. What s more, I see nothing but upsides to having the heroes of the revolution join our forces. I ll allow it.
Thank you very much.
The general and Claire shook hands.
I m sorry for deciding this without your input, Rae, she said.
I don t mind. A feeling, was it?
Yes. I don t know if it s the fact that Aristo hasn t appeared or the fact that the monsters were so easily drawn in, but something doesn t feel right.
In other words, Claire felt things were going too well.
Hmm Aren t things just going according to plan? I asked.
Perhaps, but we have nothing to lose by being extra careful. She gave me a light smile.
Just like that, it was decided that we would join the ensuing retreat of the fifth stronghold. That said, there really wasn t much we could do to help. Claire and I were both skilled mages, but we didn t know the first thing about group combat or war tactics, much less how to fight a battle while retreating. So instead, we decided to wait on standby for Sascha s orders and act as needed.
The preparations for retreat had been completed beforehand, so it took no time at all for us to vacate the stronghold. Claire and I were with Sascha in the central file of the retreating army on the path back to the capital.
The demon army has entered the fifth fortress! reported a soldier who could use farsight magic.
It was finally time.
Good! Once every last one of them is within range, give me the signal and I ll activate Inferno! Sascha ordered, continuing the march all the while.
Time passed at a crawl.
After some minutes, the same soldier yelled, The last line of the demon army has entered Inferno s range!
All right, I m activating Inferno! Sascha concentrated magic into the magical tool in his palm. The magical tool was the activation key for Inferno and had an authentication system that allowed only certain people to use it. Hm?
Several moments passed. But nothing happened.
Wh-what s the meaning of this?!
Philine had explained Inferno to us beforehand. It was a magical tool that agitated the fire and earth essence in certain leylines, inducing an artificial eruption. If it activated, we d definitely have noticed by now.
Lookout, status report! Sascha barked.
I-Inferno has not activated! the soldier practically screamed.
I-I ll try it again! Sascha concentrated his magic into the magical tool once more. The activation key he held appeared to be working, and yet no eruption followed.
Mmm I never grow tired of seeing the moment humans fall to despair, a voice cooed from above.
Aristo, Claire said with disdain.
Why, hello there, Claire Fran ois. Please, enlighten me. How does it feel to have your last hope extinguished before your eyes? Aristo asked in a cheerful tone, his bat-like wings extending out from his frock coat.
So this was your doing? Claire asked.
That it was. With that, Aristo threw something bulky at us.
Thinking it was an attack, I braced myself, but it was something else entirely.
Y-Your Highness! Sascha cried.
What Aristo had thrown at us was a corpse with a single large stab wound through its chest. Given Sascha s reaction, I could surmise that it belonged to one of the imperial princes who had been residing outside the empire.
Oh, humans are unseemly things Truly, truly, unseemly, Aristo said.
You fiend! What did you do to His Highness?! Sascha drew his sword and leapt with incredible strength, slashing at Aristo overhead.
Aristo s nails grew into claws to meet Sascha s sword. Hardly anything at all. We simply had him tell us about the activation key for Inferno.
Nonsense! His Highness would never be deceived by the likes of you! Sascha denied Aristo s claims as he leapt and struck a second, then a third time.
Normally, perhaps. But we have someone who s an expert at finding the gaps in human minds.
Claire gasped. Salas!
How astute, Claire Fran ois, Aristo said. Our spies told us that your empire had a secret weapon a long time ago; I ve personally crossed the border a number of times in search of it. But we never could find it. That was when we happened across a human who appeared likely to know more.
That must have been the imperial prince.
He was quite stubborn about that secret. Not even Salas Lilium s hypnotic suggestions yielded much effect. That was, until a certain surprise made his guard drop just the other day.
His Highness would never give in to you! Sascha yelled as he unleashed a flurry of blows. But Aristo parried them all with ease.
Oh, but he did, Aristo said. After he heard of what had happened to the throne.
Ah, I gasped. All of a sudden, everything made sense.
Never in a million years did we think Dorothea would abdicate so easily nor did the boy. And to Philine Nur of all people! The poor boy s heart was rent open by disappointment.
Nonsense! Sascha yelled.
Aristo laughed low in his throat. Oh, not at all. With his mind weakened, he finally succumbed to Salas Lilium s abilities. Thanks to that, we were able to change the activation key of Inferno.
I knew it. I d seen it coming a mile away. This was all because Dorothea hadn t laid the proper groundwork before abdicating the throne. As an individual, she was perhaps as gifted as they came, but she lacked the ability to understand the finer subtleties of human beings. Perhaps it was her very strength that had left her unable to comprehend the weaknesses that lay in the hearts of those around her.
But you humans really are strange things, Aristo mused. That boy did spit out the activation key, but when pressed for more information, he plunged himself onto my nails. I suppose the mind control wasn t wholly complete.
I disagreed. Perhaps it wasn t so much that the mind control had been incomplete but that the prince s will had simply been stronger. This was nothing more than guesswork, but I believed that in the imperial prince s last moments, he had chosen to resist being the demon s puppet. They had found the weakness in his heart, but the strength of that same heart had ultimately triumphed.
Aristo looked as though he didn t care about the truth in the slightest, and he slowly descended to the earth. Facing us, he declared, Your secret trump card has been rendered moot. All that remains is your crushing defeat.

***

All units, advance.
Aristo s command was followed by an ear-piercing roar heard all the way from where the monsters were about to break through the fifth stronghold.
Miss Claire, Miss Rae! Sascha yelled after managing to put some distance between himself and Aristo.
We can assist! Claire said.
No, leave this battle to us! You must return to the capital!
Why?! We can fight!
Not only was the difference in numbers between the demon army and the frontline troops too great, but engagements during a retreat almost always favored the pursuers. As things stood, Sascha s forces would be crushed.
Our forces are already doomed, and at this rate, so is the capital, he said. You must go convince Her Imperial Majesty Philine to evacuate the city.
That can t be Claire murmured. Even I understood the significance of such an action. But isn t the capital protected by a barrier?
That only works on demons. It will do nothing against the lower-ranked monsters.
The majority of the demon forces were just such fiends. The capital would be helpless against their numbers.
This is a battle against time, he continued. If we do nothing, tens of thousands of citizens will be killed. We need to evacuate as many as we can.
Claire bit her lip in frustration.
I ll send a number of soldiers who can use Teleport with you, he said. If you chain Teleports together, you should be able to reach the capital far faster than any horse could take you, and we won t have to worry about you being attacked and killed along the way either. The two of you are our best bet.
But what about all of you? Claire asked.
Sascha smiled. His eyes shone with resolve. It is the duty of an imperial soldier to protect the lives of the empire s citizens. After causing nothing but harm to the citizens of other countries, we can finally fulfill our purpose. Please allow us to carry out our duty.
Claire was at a loss for words. She probably knew nothing she could say would sway Sascha s mind.
I moved in front of her and put my hands on her shoulders. Let s go, Miss Claire, I said as I stared into her eyes. If we stay here, everything will be for naught.

She had a point. If Aristo was supposed to be commanding these enemy soldiers, it was odd that he hadn t shown his face. Of course, it was normal for a commander to be situated further back, but this specific demon had proved himself bold enough to sneak into the empire and attack on his own. It was definitely weird that he hadn t shown up directly after Claire identified herself.

There s no point in thinking about it now, I said.

You re right.

But knowing him, he might try to attack you while we re retreating. Don t let your guard down.

Ha ha, you needn t remind me. Claire put on a daring smile as she rode forward. She was the very definition of cool.

Miss Claire?

Yes?

I ve been charmed by you yet again.

Wh-what are you saying? And now, of all times! We re in the middle of a war!

I know, but I felt I had to say it anyway.

Jeez. She sulkily turned her head away. She was just the cutest, I tell you. She muttered, I ve been charmed as well.

Hm? Her voice had been too quiet to reach my ears. What was that, Miss Claire?

Nothing at all! Focus, we re about to rejoin the vanguard!

Okaaay.

***

While we d used Teleport to send us out, our return trip was to be done entirely by horse to eliminate any risk of the demon army losing sight of Claire and subsequently changing course.

The long distance was making Claire s rump grow sore, even with all her horse-riding experience. Maybe her skills had become rusty after spending time as a commoner?

And how was I holding up, you ask? Don t even wonder.

I cast healing magic on Claire and myself as we rode to the fifth stronghold. There, we were greeted by Sascha.

I heard. It was a resounding success. Like most military men, Sascha wasn t especially expressive. Even so, as he commended us, his narrow eyes narrowed even further into a slight smile.

It s all thanks to the soldiers you lent us, Claire replied. They protected us the entire way back.

Such is only to be expected from them. Her Imperial Majesty Dorothea pardon me. Her Imperial Majesty Philine entrusted you to us. No matter what, we won t let harm come your way.

You have our thanks.

The enemy is continuing to the stronghold as planned, so we shall begin drawing our forces back, he went on. You can go ahead and return to the capital, I ll send for someone who can use Teleport. You ve done well.

General would it be all right to make use of your soldiers for a while longer? Claire asked.

Sascha gave her a quizzical look. It poses no issue, but why?

I just have a bad feeling. I can t really explain it, as it s not based on anything concrete, however

Hm The general stroked his chin and thought for a moment. There are times in war when hunches like yours prove critical. What s more, I see nothing but upsides to having the heroes of the revolution join our forces. I ll allow it.

Thank you very much.

The general and Claire shook hands.

I m sorry for deciding this without your input, Rae, she said.

I don t mind. A feeling, was it?

Yes. I don t know if it s the fact that Aristo hasn t appeared or the fact that the monsters were so easily drawn in, but something doesn t feel right.

In other words, Claire felt things were going too well.

Hmm Aren t things just going according to plan? I asked.

Perhaps, but we have nothing to lose by being extra careful. She gave me a light smile.

Just like that, it was decided that we would join the ensuing retreat of the fifth stronghold. That said, there really wasn t much we could do to help. Claire and I were both skilled mages, but we didn t know the first thing about group combat or war tactics, much less how to fight a battle while retreating. So instead, we decided to wait on standby for Sascha s orders and act as needed.

The preparations for retreat had been completed beforehand, so it took no time at all for us to vacate the stronghold. Claire and I were with Sascha in the central file of the retreating army on the path back to the capital.

The demon army has entered the fifth fortress! reported a soldier who could use farsight magic.

It was finally time.

Good! Once every last one of them is within range, give me the signal and I ll activate Inferno! Sascha ordered, continuing the march all the while.

Time passed at a crawl.

After some minutes, the same soldier yelled, The last line of the demon army has entered Inferno s range!

All right, I m activating Inferno! Sascha concentrated magic into the magical tool in his palm. The magical tool was the activation key for Inferno and had an authentication system that allowed only certain people to use it. Hm?

Several moments passed. But nothing happened.

Wh-what s the meaning of this?!

Philine had explained Inferno to us beforehand. It was a magical tool that agitated the fire and earth essence in certain leylines, inducing an artificial eruption. If it activated, we d definitely have noticed by now.

Lookout, status report! Sascha barked.

I-Inferno has not activated! the soldier practically screamed.

I-I ll try it again! Sascha concentrated his magic into the magical tool once more. The activation key he held appeared to be working, and yet no eruption followed.

Mmm I never grow tired of seeing the moment humans fall to despair, a voice cooed from above.

Aristo, Claire said with disdain.

Why, hello there, Claire Fran ois. Please, enlighten me. How does it feel to have your last hope extinguished before your eyes? Aristo asked in a cheerful tone, his bat-like wings extending out from his frock coat.

So this was your doing? Claire asked.

That it was. With that, Aristo threw something bulky at us.

Thinking it was an attack, I braced myself, but it was something else entirely.

Y-Your Highness! Sascha cried.

What Aristo had thrown at us was a corpse with a single large stab wound through its chest. Given Sascha s reaction, I could surmise that it belonged to one of the imperial princes who had been residing outside the empire.

Oh, humans are unseemly things Truly, truly, unseemly, Aristo said.

You fiend! What did you do to His Highness?! Sascha drew his sword and leapt with incredible strength, slashing at Aristo overhead.

Aristo s nails grew into claws to meet Sascha s sword. Hardly anything at all. We simply had him tell us about the activation key for Inferno.

Nonsense! His Highness would never be deceived by the likes of you! Sascha denied Aristo s claims as he leapt and struck a second, then a third time.

Normally, perhaps. But we have someone who s an expert at finding the gaps in human minds.

Claire gasped. Salas!

How astute, Claire Fran ois, Aristo said. Our spies told us that your empire had a secret weapon a long time ago; I ve personally crossed the border a number of times in search of it. But we never could find it. That was when we happened across a human who appeared likely to know more.

That must have been the imperial prince.

He was quite stubborn about that secret. Not even Salas Lilium s hypnotic suggestions yielded much effect. That was, until a certain surprise made his guard drop just the other day.

His Highness would never give in to you! Sascha yelled as he unleashed a flurry of blows. But Aristo parried them all with ease.

Oh, but he did, Aristo said. After he heard of what had happened to the throne.

Ah, I gasped. All of a sudden, everything made sense.

Never in a million years did we think Dorothea would abdicate so easily nor did the boy. And to Philine Nur of all people! The poor boy s heart was rent open by disappointment.

Nonsense! Sascha yelled.

Aristo laughed low in his throat. Oh, not at all. With his mind weakened, he finally succumbed to Salas Lilium s abilities. Thanks to that, we were able to change the activation key of Inferno.

I knew it. I d seen it coming a mile away. This was all because Dorothea hadn t laid the proper groundwork before abdicating the throne. As an individual, she was perhaps as gifted as they came, but she lacked the ability to understand the finer subtleties of human beings. Perhaps it was her very strength that had left her unable to comprehend the weaknesses that lay in the hearts of those around her.

But you humans really are strange things, Aristo mused. That boy did spit out the activation key, but when pressed for more information, he plunged himself onto my nails. I suppose the mind control wasn t wholly complete.

I disagreed. Perhaps it wasn t so much that the mind control had been incomplete but that the prince s will had simply been stronger. This was nothing more than guesswork, but I believed that in the imperial prince s last moments, he had chosen to resist being the demon s puppet. They had found the weakness in his heart, but the strength of that same heart had ultimately triumphed.

Aristo looked as though he didn t care about the truth in the slightest, and he slowly descended to the earth. Facing us, he declared, Your secret trump card has been rendered moot. All that remains is your crushing defeat.

***

All units, advance.

Aristo s command was followed by an ear-piercing roar heard all the way from where the monsters were about to break through the fifth stronghold.

Miss Claire, Miss Rae! Sascha yelled after managing to put some distance between himself and Aristo.

We can assist! Claire said.

No, leave this battle to us! You must return to the capital!

Why?! We can fight!

Not only was the difference in numbers between the demon army and the frontline troops too great, but engagements during a retreat almost always favored the pursuers. As things stood, Sascha s forces would be crushed.

Our forces are already doomed, and at this rate, so is the capital, he said. You must go convince Her Imperial Majesty Philine to evacuate the city.

That can t be Claire murmured. Even I understood the significance of such an action. But isn t the capital protected by a barrier?

That only works on demons. It will do nothing against the lower-ranked monsters.

The majority of the demon forces were just such fiends. The capital would be helpless against their numbers.

This is a battle against time, he continued. If we do nothing, tens of thousands of citizens will be killed. We need to evacuate as many as we can.

Claire bit her lip in frustration.

I ll send a number of soldiers who can use Teleport with you, he said. If you chain Teleports together, you should be able to reach the capital far faster than any horse could take you, and we won t have to worry about you being attacked and killed along the way either. The two of you are our best bet.

But what about all of you? Claire asked.

Sascha smiled. His eyes shone with resolve. It is the duty of an imperial soldier to protect the lives of the empire s citizens. After causing nothing but harm to the citizens of other countries, we can finally fulfill our purpose. Please allow us to carry out our duty.

Claire was at a loss for words. She probably knew nothing she could say would sway Sascha s mind.

I moved in front of her and put my hands on her shoulders. Let s go, Miss Claire, I said as I stared into her eyes. If we stay here, everything will be for naught.