elapt1c/ElapticAI-512 · Datasets at Hugging Face

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A provisional capital referred to a city that temporarily functioned as the country s capital. The current provisional capital was also one of the cities to which the line of evacuees was headed. Of course, not all the evacuees could fit in one city, so we would prioritize finding shelter for people who needed a place quickly, like the ill and infirm. The plan was to have the line stop by different cities one by one, gradually dropping off its people.
Have any monsters or demons attacked? Claire asked.
Nothing worth noting so far. A number of wild monsters along the highway have engaged us, but not many. In fact, well Hilda seemed worried.
Is something amiss? Claire asked.
We ve seen far fewer wild monsters than we usually would at this time of year. It s strange.
Perhaps it s because we cleared many of them out for the pope s visit?
Even considering that, it s odd. I can t help but feel like we re walking into a trap.
No sooner had Hilda said that did it prove true.
Ha ha! So there s a sharp one among ya! A grating yet familiar voice rang out from above us. I looked up and saw a winged figure.
Platos! Claire yelled.
I m honored you remember me, Claire Fran ois. Not that it ll matter in a while.
What s that supposed to mean?
It means you re going to die, idiot. Platos slowly descended down to the earth.
You sure run your mouth, but you don t seem to realize the situation you ve put yourself in, Claire said.
Yeah? And what situation is that?
All of humanity s forces are gathered here. No matter how strong you think you might be, it was a foolish move to come alone.
Ha! You seem to have forgotten that time I half destroyed you and those soldiers all by myself. Platos cracked his neck and warmed up the wrist of his right hand, which held a club, by spinning it in a circle. But I guess you re kinda right. Fighting you, Rae Taylor, Manaria Sousse, and the Saint all at once might be a bit tough for me.
Then turn back. I ll allow you to flee just this once, as we have our hands full enough here.
Ha ha ha! What a joke! I d be killed if I turned back here, y know.
Huh ? By who?
Normally, the likes of you humans wouldn t even be allowed to lay eyes on her. But now? Know you stand before our queen.
At first, she appeared with neither form nor shadow.
No sooner had Platos dropped to a knee than a darkness began to gather beside him. Magic users were often accompanied by various kinds of light when they called on their craft, but this darkness was a first. It felt as though it held substance and that it actually filled the expanse before us, eerily so, as though a space in the shape of a globe had been carved out of the world itself.
Gradually, the darkness took human shape. Unlike Platos, with his huge frame, this person s stature was average. But as more of their body took form, the people around us started to drop to a knee, one after another.
The words overwhelming malice are too feeble to describe what I felt. She was nothingness. Void. The opposite of what defined humanity. A disavowal of what life was a thing that couldn t exist. All that and more. At last, she appeared before the people.
The Demon Queen has arrived. Despair, foolish humans. Then die.
As Platos words came to an end, her feet touched the earth.
She was far smaller than what I had imagined a Demon Queen would be, standing at about my height and just a bit taller than Claire. But the magic cloaking her body was incomparably dense. The mere sight of her in front of us, neither lifting a finger nor casting a spell, invoked more fear in my bones than when Claire fired her Magic Ray at me in full seriousness.
A black robe shrouded her entire body. It was ornate, somehow reminding me of the pope s vestments, and seemed hard to move in. But there was no doubt in my mind that they posed little problem to the Demon Queen.
Her face was covered by a veil, leaving her appearance a mystery; but her gaze caused a number of the evacuees to faint on the spot as she looked around. It seemed that only those with strong magic could withstand her attention.
She casually raised her right hand. Expecting an attack, I braced myself. A thunderous cacophony ensued.
My word Claire absently murmured.
I followed her gaze to see that, in the direction of the Demon Queen s hand, was nothing.
You re joking, right? My lips moved, but the words didn t register to my ears as my own.
To the right of the Demon Queen, there lay earth, greenery, hills, and a mountain, visible in the distance, and in a clear line from us to that mountain a chunk was missing, as though an enormous cylinder had bored clean through it all.
How are we supposed to defeat that? Claire breathed.
I could tell she had already lost all hope, for I had too.
The Three Great Archdemons were strong, yes, but they were within the realm of comprehension. This thing was different. I finally understood what Dorothea had meant when she said the Demon Queen wasn t something a human could hope to defeat.
It s time to finish this, the Demon Queen quietly announced in an odd voice, which was both old and young.
Most of us humans had already submitted, having dropped to one knee.

***

Stand! This isn t the end!
From amidst the despairing souls, a single voice of defiance rang clear.
Only a fool would roll over and accept death! If you re to die, die fighting!
It was Claire. While everyone else was on one knee, she alone stood proud with her arms crossed.
There she is. There s the Miss Claire I know and love.
You too, Rae! Pull yourself together! Where s your usual arrogance?! Claire slapped my back hard.
Ow. But even pain was a reward when it came from her.
Forgive me, Miss Claire. I m all right now, I said.
Good. She smiled, satisfied. I could always count on her to cheer me up when I lost heart.
Heh, so you re still able to put up a brave front. Not bad. Not even Platos could hide his genuine surprise. The Demon Queen was just that grand a will to defy.
Thank you, Claire. I ll fight to the end as well.
Sister! Claire exclaimed.
Count me in too. We have to at least try.
I ll fight with you, Lady Yu.
Manaria, Yu, and Misha joined us. They had originally been stationed elsewhere along the line, but they had run to the front upon noticing something was off.
You guys just keep swarming like flies. Well, whatever. I ll take ca
Platos. The one who interrupted Platos was none other than the Demon Queen herself. You needn t interfere. I ll handle this myself.
But that s Claire Fran ois. Are you
I ll call upon you to finish things. But let me break their spirits first. As she said that, she slowly began to walk toward us. Come. Fight me, if you dare. She beckoned us forward, her voice unnatural yet the way she spoke held a tinge of humanity.
Let s fight, everyone! Claire said. If we defeat the Demon Queen, the war between humanity and the demons will come to an end!
I ll back you up as best I can, Miss Claire! I cheered.
Don t count me out! Manaria cried.
Let s do this, Misha! Yu called.
Yes! Misha agreed.
Having overcome our despair, the battle began.
Sister, Lady Yu, take the front! Claire ordered.
On it!
Leave it to me!
We positioned ourselves with Manaria and Yu at the fore, Misha and I in the back, and Claire in between. On Claire s command, the vanguard closed the distance to the Demon Queen and attacked. Yu, known as the Princess of Ice, had impressive skills in the martial arts, but Manaria was even stronger.
How s this for starters?! Manaria created a cold, shimmering blade of ice and swung at the Demon Queen.
The Demon Queen didn t move an inch, but regardless, Manaria s blade shattered moments before impact. The intense magic energy shrouding the Demon Queen was acting as a thick barrier against all attacks.
I ll take that, if you don t mind, Yu said as she collected the shattered fragments of Manaria s sword and made them rain down on the Demon Queen as though they were alive.
I m not done yet! Manaria shouted.
Before Yu s attack made contact, she cast another spell, causing what looked to be a dragon s maw to form from the earth and clamp down on the Demon Queen.
I didn t think this would be easy Manaria said.
But who would have thought she d be impervious to all that? Yu finished.
The Demon Queen made no effort to block any of the attacks. She simply stood there and watched us struggle in vain.
Any luck, Misha? I asked.
No, not even my sound magic works on her.
I had hoped her special wind magic might be able to get through the Demon Queen s barrier, but no dice.
Sister, Lady Yu, please move aside! Claire yelled.
The pair quickly cleared the way.
Light! Figuring fire arrows and flame spears would have no effect, so Claire came hot out of the gates with Magic Ray instead. Four brilliant red beams of light fired directly at the Demon Queen.
Let s do this, Miss Claire! Matching Claire s timing, I used my strongest spell as well: Absolute Zero, a spell that would normally instantly freeze and shatter the target.
But the Demon Queen still stood. What was more
She hasn t a single scratch on her Claire muttered under her breath.
Our strongest attacks hadn t even made the Demon Queen flinch. The whole time, she d simply quietly watched us.
Are you satisfied? she said in a voice that somehow sounded both childlike and aged. Her tone wasn t one of mockery but pity as she asked whether we were ready to surrender.
Not even close! Claire said bravely. She whispered to Manaria, Sister, can you do something about that barrier with Spellbreaker?
No can do. I tried analyzing it earlier, but I can t figure it out. I ve never even seen such a complex magic structure before.
Manaria s signature skills, Spellbreaker and Dominator, were powerful, but they had difficult activation requirements. Victory was all but guaranteed if she managed to cast them, but first, she needed to analyze and completely understand her opponent s magic.
Rae, let s try tandem casting, Claire suggested. It s our only option left.
Right. I nodded.
I moved forward to meet with Claire in the middle of our formation and started to reach for her hand.
Rae, look out! she yelled.
I immediately bent backward, then felt a sharp pain on the upper part of my right arm. Ow!
Rae!

A provisional capital referred to a city that temporarily functioned as the country s capital. The current provisional capital was also one of the cities to which the line of evacuees was headed. Of course, not all the evacuees could fit in one city, so we would prioritize finding shelter for people who needed a place quickly, like the ill and infirm. The plan was to have the line stop by different cities one by one, gradually dropping off its people.

Have any monsters or demons attacked? Claire asked.

Nothing worth noting so far. A number of wild monsters along the highway have engaged us, but not many. In fact, well Hilda seemed worried.

Is something amiss? Claire asked.

We ve seen far fewer wild monsters than we usually would at this time of year. It s strange.

Perhaps it s because we cleared many of them out for the pope s visit?

Even considering that, it s odd. I can t help but feel like we re walking into a trap.

No sooner had Hilda said that did it prove true.

Ha ha! So there s a sharp one among ya! A grating yet familiar voice rang out from above us. I looked up and saw a winged figure.

Platos! Claire yelled.

I m honored you remember me, Claire Fran ois. Not that it ll matter in a while.

What s that supposed to mean?

It means you re going to die, idiot. Platos slowly descended down to the earth.

You sure run your mouth, but you don t seem to realize the situation you ve put yourself in, Claire said.

Yeah? And what situation is that?

All of humanity s forces are gathered here. No matter how strong you think you might be, it was a foolish move to come alone.

Ha! You seem to have forgotten that time I half destroyed you and those soldiers all by myself. Platos cracked his neck and warmed up the wrist of his right hand, which held a club, by spinning it in a circle. But I guess you re kinda right. Fighting you, Rae Taylor, Manaria Sousse, and the Saint all at once might be a bit tough for me.

Then turn back. I ll allow you to flee just this once, as we have our hands full enough here.

Ha ha ha! What a joke! I d be killed if I turned back here, y know.

Huh ? By who?

Normally, the likes of you humans wouldn t even be allowed to lay eyes on her. But now? Know you stand before our queen.

At first, she appeared with neither form nor shadow.

No sooner had Platos dropped to a knee than a darkness began to gather beside him. Magic users were often accompanied by various kinds of light when they called on their craft, but this darkness was a first. It felt as though it held substance and that it actually filled the expanse before us, eerily so, as though a space in the shape of a globe had been carved out of the world itself.

Gradually, the darkness took human shape. Unlike Platos, with his huge frame, this person s stature was average. But as more of their body took form, the people around us started to drop to a knee, one after another.

The words overwhelming malice are too feeble to describe what I felt. She was nothingness. Void. The opposite of what defined humanity. A disavowal of what life was a thing that couldn t exist. All that and more. At last, she appeared before the people.

The Demon Queen has arrived. Despair, foolish humans. Then die.

As Platos words came to an end, her feet touched the earth.

She was far smaller than what I had imagined a Demon Queen would be, standing at about my height and just a bit taller than Claire. But the magic cloaking her body was incomparably dense. The mere sight of her in front of us, neither lifting a finger nor casting a spell, invoked more fear in my bones than when Claire fired her Magic Ray at me in full seriousness.

A black robe shrouded her entire body. It was ornate, somehow reminding me of the pope s vestments, and seemed hard to move in. But there was no doubt in my mind that they posed little problem to the Demon Queen.

Her face was covered by a veil, leaving her appearance a mystery; but her gaze caused a number of the evacuees to faint on the spot as she looked around. It seemed that only those with strong magic could withstand her attention.

She casually raised her right hand. Expecting an attack, I braced myself. A thunderous cacophony ensued.

My word Claire absently murmured.

I followed her gaze to see that, in the direction of the Demon Queen s hand, was nothing.

You re joking, right? My lips moved, but the words didn t register to my ears as my own.

To the right of the Demon Queen, there lay earth, greenery, hills, and a mountain, visible in the distance, and in a clear line from us to that mountain a chunk was missing, as though an enormous cylinder had bored clean through it all.

How are we supposed to defeat that? Claire breathed.

I could tell she had already lost all hope, for I had too.

The Three Great Archdemons were strong, yes, but they were within the realm of comprehension. This thing was different. I finally understood what Dorothea had meant when she said the Demon Queen wasn t something a human could hope to defeat.

It s time to finish this, the Demon Queen quietly announced in an odd voice, which was both old and young.

Most of us humans had already submitted, having dropped to one knee.

***

Stand! This isn t the end!

From amidst the despairing souls, a single voice of defiance rang clear.

Only a fool would roll over and accept death! If you re to die, die fighting!

It was Claire. While everyone else was on one knee, she alone stood proud with her arms crossed.

There she is. There s the Miss Claire I know and love.

You too, Rae! Pull yourself together! Where s your usual arrogance?! Claire slapped my back hard.

Ow. But even pain was a reward when it came from her.

Forgive me, Miss Claire. I m all right now, I said.

Good. She smiled, satisfied. I could always count on her to cheer me up when I lost heart.

Heh, so you re still able to put up a brave front. Not bad. Not even Platos could hide his genuine surprise. The Demon Queen was just that grand a will to defy.

Thank you, Claire. I ll fight to the end as well.

Sister! Claire exclaimed.

Count me in too. We have to at least try.

I ll fight with you, Lady Yu.

Manaria, Yu, and Misha joined us. They had originally been stationed elsewhere along the line, but they had run to the front upon noticing something was off.

You guys just keep swarming like flies. Well, whatever. I ll take ca

Platos. The one who interrupted Platos was none other than the Demon Queen herself. You needn t interfere. I ll handle this myself.

But that s Claire Fran ois. Are you

I ll call upon you to finish things. But let me break their spirits first. As she said that, she slowly began to walk toward us. Come. Fight me, if you dare. She beckoned us forward, her voice unnatural yet the way she spoke held a tinge of humanity.

Let s fight, everyone! Claire said. If we defeat the Demon Queen, the war between humanity and the demons will come to an end!

I ll back you up as best I can, Miss Claire! I cheered.

Don t count me out! Manaria cried.

Let s do this, Misha! Yu called.

Yes! Misha agreed.

Having overcome our despair, the battle began.

Sister, Lady Yu, take the front! Claire ordered.

On it!

Leave it to me!

We positioned ourselves with Manaria and Yu at the fore, Misha and I in the back, and Claire in between. On Claire s command, the vanguard closed the distance to the Demon Queen and attacked. Yu, known as the Princess of Ice, had impressive skills in the martial arts, but Manaria was even stronger.

How s this for starters?! Manaria created a cold, shimmering blade of ice and swung at the Demon Queen.

The Demon Queen didn t move an inch, but regardless, Manaria s blade shattered moments before impact. The intense magic energy shrouding the Demon Queen was acting as a thick barrier against all attacks.

I ll take that, if you don t mind, Yu said as she collected the shattered fragments of Manaria s sword and made them rain down on the Demon Queen as though they were alive.

I m not done yet! Manaria shouted.

Before Yu s attack made contact, she cast another spell, causing what looked to be a dragon s maw to form from the earth and clamp down on the Demon Queen.

I didn t think this would be easy Manaria said.

But who would have thought she d be impervious to all that? Yu finished.

The Demon Queen made no effort to block any of the attacks. She simply stood there and watched us struggle in vain.

Any luck, Misha? I asked.

No, not even my sound magic works on her.

I had hoped her special wind magic might be able to get through the Demon Queen s barrier, but no dice.

Sister, Lady Yu, please move aside! Claire yelled.

The pair quickly cleared the way.

Light! Figuring fire arrows and flame spears would have no effect, so Claire came hot out of the gates with Magic Ray instead. Four brilliant red beams of light fired directly at the Demon Queen.

Let s do this, Miss Claire! Matching Claire s timing, I used my strongest spell as well: Absolute Zero, a spell that would normally instantly freeze and shatter the target.

But the Demon Queen still stood. What was more

She hasn t a single scratch on her Claire muttered under her breath.

Our strongest attacks hadn t even made the Demon Queen flinch. The whole time, she d simply quietly watched us.

Are you satisfied? she said in a voice that somehow sounded both childlike and aged. Her tone wasn t one of mockery but pity as she asked whether we were ready to surrender.

Not even close! Claire said bravely. She whispered to Manaria, Sister, can you do something about that barrier with Spellbreaker?

No can do. I tried analyzing it earlier, but I can t figure it out. I ve never even seen such a complex magic structure before.

Manaria s signature skills, Spellbreaker and Dominator, were powerful, but they had difficult activation requirements. Victory was all but guaranteed if she managed to cast them, but first, she needed to analyze and completely understand her opponent s magic.

Rae, let s try tandem casting, Claire suggested. It s our only option left.

Right. I nodded.

I moved forward to meet with Claire in the middle of our formation and started to reach for her hand.

Rae, look out! she yelled.

I immediately bent backward, then felt a sharp pain on the upper part of my right arm. Ow!

Rae!