elapt1c/ElapticAI-512 · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 149M
She paused for a short but no doubt deeply anguishing moment, then said, General, while our time together was short, it was an honor to fight alongside you.
The honor is all mine, he replied.
I will never forget your bravery and sacrifice, nor that of your soldiers.
Thank you, hero of the revolution. Now be off!
With his urging, Claire and I left.
Not so fast, Claire Fran ois. Aristo gave chase, knocking aside the soldiers standing in his way.
But his path was blocked by Sascha. I don t think so. You re not getting through me.
You ve already lost. What point is there in continuing to struggle?
You re right. As a general, this defeat is mine, and it is utter.
Then move out of my way.
That, I cannot do. As Sascha spoke, an intense magical force began to rise from his body. We may have lost this battle, but humanity will not lose the war.
Mmm This should prove amusing.
I looked back at Sascha one last time and beheld a warrior fighting for the fate of humanity.

When we delivered news of our failure to the temporary alliance, we caused quite a stir.
They ve put us in a real bind, Manaria said. Her tone was as light as ever, but her eyes couldn t conceal her worry.
The fault lies with me. Forgive me. The ever-arrogant Dorothea surprised us with an apology. She understood that if she had paid closer attention to her children s needs, this would never have happened. But we didn t have time to point fingers.
More importantly, we need to consider evacuating the capital. Is it possible? I asked. Capitals were the heart of a country. It d be one thing if it were just some provincial city or town, but the decision to abandon a capital wasn t made lightly.
As the empire borders demon territory, we do have a contingency plan for evacuation, said Philine. We even periodically hold emergency drills to practice in case of the event.
But an actual complete evacuation of the capital will be chaos, Dorothea said. Many citizens are attached to this land. Some would rather die as martyrs defending it than leave, particularly among the elderly.
In other words, getting absolutely everyone out was infeasible.
Well, we don t exactly have time to convince everyone, William said. Guess we ll just have to evacuate those willing to live.
They ll need someplace to go, said Thane. We may be enemies, but they can stay in Bauer.
No, Your Majesty, Dole said. The distance between Nur and Bauer is too great. It will be best to split them among the other cities of the empire.
Before we even think about that, we need to worry about how to tell the citizens, said Claire. If we handle the announcement poorly, panic may well ensue.
She was right. Ruhm was a big city and had a large population. If we were to evacuate, we needed the citizens to remain calm throughout the process.
Allow me to address the people, Dorothea said. The current empress may be Philine, but I fear this is too much of a burden for her to bear.
She d said something sensible for once. Perhaps this was her own way of taking responsibility for the failure of Inferno and the death of one of the imperial princes. But
No, I ll do it, said Philine, her expression brimming with determined confidence. I ll give the address.
The capital had a broadcast system for emergencies that made use of the wind magic spell Telepathy. It was rarely ever used outside of the yearly evacuation drills, so upon hearing the sound of its starting jingle, all the citizens of the capital perked up immediately.
My dear citizens, this is your empress, Philine Nur, speaking. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill.
Philine s voice resonated with a calm gravity. It wasn t an overwhelming voice, like Dorothea s, but one that made you sit upright in your chair and pay attention.
At present, demonic forces are advancing toward the capital from the east. The brave soldiers of the imperial army are doing their best to fight them, but there is no guarantee they will successfully repel the enemy.
By this point, the citizens knew exactly what this broadcast was about.
We of the imperial family have made the decision to evacuate the capital in the interest of preserving the lives of its people.
All around the city, people began to stir. Evacuate? Really? Was this actually happening?
Know that this is not a permanent evacuation. The scattered forces across the empire have been summoned to converge on the capital. Once they successfully repel the demons, the citizens will be able to return.
A small measure of calm returned to the people, but many were still reluctant to leave.
I repeat, this is not a permanent evacuation. But it is imperative that all citizens leave to allow our soldiers to focus on fighting the demons. To evacuate is not to flee but to support us in repelling the enemy.
Philine cleverly appealed to the hearts of the people by framing evacuation as a noble action that supported the nation s ultimate cause.
The empire has been at war with the demons for years, but never have we allowed their forces to breach this far beyond our border. We ve placed a burden on all your shoulders. Forgive me.
Philine did what Empress Dorothea had never been able to do she apologized. This moved the hearts of the people, for unlike Dorothea, who had been able to solve all their problems by herself, this empress needed their strength to persevere.
But do not fear. The empire will emerge victorious, and neither will I allow any harm to come to my citizens. Things may be difficult for some time to come, but in a few months, everyone will be able to return to their everyday lives. I swear this on my honor as empress.
Philine s declaration sent a wave of relief washing over the citizens. They trusted her. While Dorothea had been a ruler who reigned from above, Philine was a ruler who stood among her people.
For far too long, the empire has lived in fear of the demons. It is time to put an end to this menace once and for all. Citizens, please lend the imperial family your strength. Help us finish the demons for good.
The people waited with bated breath for the closing words of the broadcast.
I, Empress Philine Nur, hereby declare the beginning of our war to eradicate demon-kind.

***

Our war to eradicate demon-kind Well said, Philine.
We were in a conference room in the imperial castle. Important personnel from every country in our temporary alliance were hard at work on one thing or another.
Philine met my praise with an embarrassed look. I just figured everyone would panic if I said they were fleeing because it s too dangerous. Making it sound like it was to help defeat the demons ought to make them more willing as well as lend some calm.
I had to agree. Running away from danger and clearing the way for war felt vastly different. It was hard to believe this was all coming from the same girl who hadn t even been able to muster the willpower to make Hilda stop and listen not too long ago. It just went to show that people could be full of surprises.
I actually had help, though. Hilda drafted the speech with me. Philine stuck her tongue out bashfully, having revealed the secret to her little trick. She looked a bit guilty about it, but I truthfully didn t think any less of her.
Even so, it was a wonderful delivery, I said. You commanded a presence that rivaled even Dorothea.
How strange I usually hate being compared to Mother, but right now, I don t mind it at all.
I had an idea why: Philine had gained confidence. Being exiled from the empire had been a significant mental setback for her, but she d overcome it, defeated Dorothea, and had now buoyed her citizens spirits. Her shy, introverted self was a thing of the past.
The real challenge begins here, my lady, said Hilda, who was waiting at Philine s side.
I understand. We need to proceed quickly with our evacuation plan and do something about the approaching army.
About that last one, Dorothea cut in. I ll lead the rearguard of our retreat.
The rearguard of a retreat would inevitably suffer the highest death rate.
I can t allow that! Philine said.
Abandon your feelings, Philine. This is what s best. Who else but I could hold the rear?
Certainly there weren t many who could match Dorothea in terms of fighting prowess. If we counted magic users, then Manaria was about equal with her, but I knew no one else even came close. She was the ideal person to hold the rear, just as she said.
But you do understand that if you were to die, the consequences would be dire? Claire said. Dorothea was one of humanity s greatest weapons. Losing her this early on in our battle against the demons would be a harsh blow. But the problem went even further than that.
Dorothea, I said, you are aware that if you die, the morale of the imperial army will plummet? Even though she had abdicated the throne, she remained an emotional pillar for the empire. Philine had grown greatly as a person, but Dorothea still commanded a presence in the country.
Of course I m aware. I have no intention of dying. But a battle cannot be won without the guts to challenge death itself, she said.
I could tell nothing would sway her.
Very well, said Philine after a pause. We ll leave the rearguard to you, Mother.
Good.
In exchange, promise me one thing.
What?
Philine took Dorothea s hand in both of her own. Please, promise me you ll return alive. No as empress, I command you to return alive.
Hah. How bold of you. Very well, I promise.
And so the retreat from the capital began.

You didn t have to force yourselves to tag along, Rae Taylor, Claire Fran ois! Dorothea yelled as she sliced an ogre in two.
Don t misunderstand! We re not here to help you or anything! Claire fired off a number of fire spears and burnt a group of orcs to a crisp.
Yeah! Not everything s about you, Dorothea! I yelled as I froze the area around her.
Heh. Fine, let s go with that. She grinned as she annihilated two more ogres. The way she cleanly bisected the orc s large bodies was insane, reminding me that her sword skills were truly inhuman.
Dorothea, Claire, and I were fighting at the point where humanity s army and the demon army met. Dorothea had ultimately refused to budge from the rearguard, but Claire and I had offered to lighten her load.
The empire was still in mid-evacuation at this point. We didn t see what we know-nothings could do to help with the evacuation, so we d come here to help fight instead. But there were far more monsters than we d anticipated.
Miss Claire, take this!
Thank you, Rae!
I tossed Claire a potion, which she quickly caught and drank dry. Unlike Dorothea, who could fight with her swords until her stamina gave out, Claire and I were limited by our magic reserves. We had brought quite a few potions with us, but we were going through them fast, already down to a fourth of our stores. It was about time we considered retreat, but
Mmm I believe you humans call this not knowing when to give up ?
A frock coat-wearing demon with bat-like wings appeared.
Aristo!
Why, hello there, Claire Fran ois. Are you going to flee with your tail between your legs again, coward? he sneered.
What was that? Claire seethed.
Don t, Miss Claire, I said. You can t fall for his cheap provocations.
You re right.
Under normal circumstances, Claire would have laughed off such an obvious attempt to goad her, and perhaps would even have fired back a few scathing remarks of her own. But right now, she was too exhausted even for that. The situation boded poorly for us.
You might have escaped me yesterday, but you will not escape me tod oh?
Something large flew toward Aristo mid-speech. It was an ogre corpse, which he dodged with ease. The one who threw it was, of course, Dorothea.
So you re the demon who killed Dietfried? she said. She swung her black swords to flick blood off of them and began to slowly pace toward Aristo. A few monsters attacked her as she walked, but she chopped them to pieces without slowing down.
Dietfried I cannot say I recall the name. But then again, I can t remember many human names, Aristo answered placidly.
Is that so? Then die. As soon as the words left her mouth, Dorothea vanished.
Oh, how dangerous, Aristo said idly.

She paused for a short but no doubt deeply anguishing moment, then said, General, while our time together was short, it was an honor to fight alongside you.

The honor is all mine, he replied.

I will never forget your bravery and sacrifice, nor that of your soldiers.

Thank you, hero of the revolution. Now be off!

With his urging, Claire and I left.

Not so fast, Claire Fran ois. Aristo gave chase, knocking aside the soldiers standing in his way.

But his path was blocked by Sascha. I don t think so. You re not getting through me.

You ve already lost. What point is there in continuing to struggle?

You re right. As a general, this defeat is mine, and it is utter.

Then move out of my way.

That, I cannot do. As Sascha spoke, an intense magical force began to rise from his body. We may have lost this battle, but humanity will not lose the war.

Mmm This should prove amusing.

I looked back at Sascha one last time and beheld a warrior fighting for the fate of humanity.

When we delivered news of our failure to the temporary alliance, we caused quite a stir.

They ve put us in a real bind, Manaria said. Her tone was as light as ever, but her eyes couldn t conceal her worry.

The fault lies with me. Forgive me. The ever-arrogant Dorothea surprised us with an apology. She understood that if she had paid closer attention to her children s needs, this would never have happened. But we didn t have time to point fingers.

More importantly, we need to consider evacuating the capital. Is it possible? I asked. Capitals were the heart of a country. It d be one thing if it were just some provincial city or town, but the decision to abandon a capital wasn t made lightly.

As the empire borders demon territory, we do have a contingency plan for evacuation, said Philine. We even periodically hold emergency drills to practice in case of the event.

But an actual complete evacuation of the capital will be chaos, Dorothea said. Many citizens are attached to this land. Some would rather die as martyrs defending it than leave, particularly among the elderly.

In other words, getting absolutely everyone out was infeasible.

Well, we don t exactly have time to convince everyone, William said. Guess we ll just have to evacuate those willing to live.

They ll need someplace to go, said Thane. We may be enemies, but they can stay in Bauer.

No, Your Majesty, Dole said. The distance between Nur and Bauer is too great. It will be best to split them among the other cities of the empire.

Before we even think about that, we need to worry about how to tell the citizens, said Claire. If we handle the announcement poorly, panic may well ensue.

She was right. Ruhm was a big city and had a large population. If we were to evacuate, we needed the citizens to remain calm throughout the process.

Allow me to address the people, Dorothea said. The current empress may be Philine, but I fear this is too much of a burden for her to bear.

She d said something sensible for once. Perhaps this was her own way of taking responsibility for the failure of Inferno and the death of one of the imperial princes. But

No, I ll do it, said Philine, her expression brimming with determined confidence. I ll give the address.

The capital had a broadcast system for emergencies that made use of the wind magic spell Telepathy. It was rarely ever used outside of the yearly evacuation drills, so upon hearing the sound of its starting jingle, all the citizens of the capital perked up immediately.

My dear citizens, this is your empress, Philine Nur, speaking. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill.

Philine s voice resonated with a calm gravity. It wasn t an overwhelming voice, like Dorothea s, but one that made you sit upright in your chair and pay attention.

At present, demonic forces are advancing toward the capital from the east. The brave soldiers of the imperial army are doing their best to fight them, but there is no guarantee they will successfully repel the enemy.

By this point, the citizens knew exactly what this broadcast was about.

We of the imperial family have made the decision to evacuate the capital in the interest of preserving the lives of its people.

All around the city, people began to stir. Evacuate? Really? Was this actually happening?

Know that this is not a permanent evacuation. The scattered forces across the empire have been summoned to converge on the capital. Once they successfully repel the demons, the citizens will be able to return.

A small measure of calm returned to the people, but many were still reluctant to leave.

I repeat, this is not a permanent evacuation. But it is imperative that all citizens leave to allow our soldiers to focus on fighting the demons. To evacuate is not to flee but to support us in repelling the enemy.

Philine cleverly appealed to the hearts of the people by framing evacuation as a noble action that supported the nation s ultimate cause.

The empire has been at war with the demons for years, but never have we allowed their forces to breach this far beyond our border. We ve placed a burden on all your shoulders. Forgive me.

Philine did what Empress Dorothea had never been able to do she apologized. This moved the hearts of the people, for unlike Dorothea, who had been able to solve all their problems by herself, this empress needed their strength to persevere.

But do not fear. The empire will emerge victorious, and neither will I allow any harm to come to my citizens. Things may be difficult for some time to come, but in a few months, everyone will be able to return to their everyday lives. I swear this on my honor as empress.

Philine s declaration sent a wave of relief washing over the citizens. They trusted her. While Dorothea had been a ruler who reigned from above, Philine was a ruler who stood among her people.

For far too long, the empire has lived in fear of the demons. It is time to put an end to this menace once and for all. Citizens, please lend the imperial family your strength. Help us finish the demons for good.

The people waited with bated breath for the closing words of the broadcast.

I, Empress Philine Nur, hereby declare the beginning of our war to eradicate demon-kind.

***

Our war to eradicate demon-kind Well said, Philine.

We were in a conference room in the imperial castle. Important personnel from every country in our temporary alliance were hard at work on one thing or another.

Philine met my praise with an embarrassed look. I just figured everyone would panic if I said they were fleeing because it s too dangerous. Making it sound like it was to help defeat the demons ought to make them more willing as well as lend some calm.

I had to agree. Running away from danger and clearing the way for war felt vastly different. It was hard to believe this was all coming from the same girl who hadn t even been able to muster the willpower to make Hilda stop and listen not too long ago. It just went to show that people could be full of surprises.

I actually had help, though. Hilda drafted the speech with me. Philine stuck her tongue out bashfully, having revealed the secret to her little trick. She looked a bit guilty about it, but I truthfully didn t think any less of her.

Even so, it was a wonderful delivery, I said. You commanded a presence that rivaled even Dorothea.

How strange I usually hate being compared to Mother, but right now, I don t mind it at all.

I had an idea why: Philine had gained confidence. Being exiled from the empire had been a significant mental setback for her, but she d overcome it, defeated Dorothea, and had now buoyed her citizens spirits. Her shy, introverted self was a thing of the past.

The real challenge begins here, my lady, said Hilda, who was waiting at Philine s side.

I understand. We need to proceed quickly with our evacuation plan and do something about the approaching army.

About that last one, Dorothea cut in. I ll lead the rearguard of our retreat.

The rearguard of a retreat would inevitably suffer the highest death rate.

I can t allow that! Philine said.

Abandon your feelings, Philine. This is what s best. Who else but I could hold the rear?

Certainly there weren t many who could match Dorothea in terms of fighting prowess. If we counted magic users, then Manaria was about equal with her, but I knew no one else even came close. She was the ideal person to hold the rear, just as she said.

But you do understand that if you were to die, the consequences would be dire? Claire said. Dorothea was one of humanity s greatest weapons. Losing her this early on in our battle against the demons would be a harsh blow. But the problem went even further than that.

Dorothea, I said, you are aware that if you die, the morale of the imperial army will plummet? Even though she had abdicated the throne, she remained an emotional pillar for the empire. Philine had grown greatly as a person, but Dorothea still commanded a presence in the country.

Of course I m aware. I have no intention of dying. But a battle cannot be won without the guts to challenge death itself, she said.

I could tell nothing would sway her.

Very well, said Philine after a pause. We ll leave the rearguard to you, Mother.

Good.

In exchange, promise me one thing.

What?

Philine took Dorothea s hand in both of her own. Please, promise me you ll return alive. No as empress, I command you to return alive.

Hah. How bold of you. Very well, I promise.

And so the retreat from the capital began.

You didn t have to force yourselves to tag along, Rae Taylor, Claire Fran ois! Dorothea yelled as she sliced an ogre in two.

Don t misunderstand! We re not here to help you or anything! Claire fired off a number of fire spears and burnt a group of orcs to a crisp.

Yeah! Not everything s about you, Dorothea! I yelled as I froze the area around her.

Heh. Fine, let s go with that. She grinned as she annihilated two more ogres. The way she cleanly bisected the orc s large bodies was insane, reminding me that her sword skills were truly inhuman.

Dorothea, Claire, and I were fighting at the point where humanity s army and the demon army met. Dorothea had ultimately refused to budge from the rearguard, but Claire and I had offered to lighten her load.

The empire was still in mid-evacuation at this point. We didn t see what we know-nothings could do to help with the evacuation, so we d come here to help fight instead. But there were far more monsters than we d anticipated.

Miss Claire, take this!

Thank you, Rae!

I tossed Claire a potion, which she quickly caught and drank dry. Unlike Dorothea, who could fight with her swords until her stamina gave out, Claire and I were limited by our magic reserves. We had brought quite a few potions with us, but we were going through them fast, already down to a fourth of our stores. It was about time we considered retreat, but

Mmm I believe you humans call this not knowing when to give up ?

A frock coat-wearing demon with bat-like wings appeared.

Aristo!

Why, hello there, Claire Fran ois. Are you going to flee with your tail between your legs again, coward? he sneered.

What was that? Claire seethed.

Don t, Miss Claire, I said. You can t fall for his cheap provocations.

You re right.

Under normal circumstances, Claire would have laughed off such an obvious attempt to goad her, and perhaps would even have fired back a few scathing remarks of her own. But right now, she was too exhausted even for that. The situation boded poorly for us.

You might have escaped me yesterday, but you will not escape me tod oh?

Something large flew toward Aristo mid-speech. It was an ogre corpse, which he dodged with ease. The one who threw it was, of course, Dorothea.

So you re the demon who killed Dietfried? she said. She swung her black swords to flick blood off of them and began to slowly pace toward Aristo. A few monsters attacked her as she walked, but she chopped them to pieces without slowing down.

Dietfried I cannot say I recall the name. But then again, I can t remember many human names, Aristo answered placidly.

Is that so? Then die. As soon as the words left her mouth, Dorothea vanished.

Oh, how dangerous, Aristo said idly.