News of the declaration of an all-out war at the Footprint of the God of the Land was relayed back to the Zoran Tribe. The elders of the tribe took on stiffened expressions at the news, but the young warriors seemed rather welcoming. It was because the location held significant meaning for them.
“It seems that the Kochillas know honor,” said Ivatar with a grin. The Footprint of the God of the Land had long been used as a stage for wars to decide the fates of the great tribes. Although it was true that the God of the Land would guide the spirit of the warriors, regardless of where they perished, it was also true that a warrior who died in the Footprint of the God of the Land would lie in the Cradle of the Warrior in their death, in the arms of the God of the Land.
Ivatar's father, the former chief of Zoran, had fallen in battle against the Kochillas, succumbing to injuries sustained during their conflict. The battleground for their fateful encounter was the Footprint of the God of the Land, a sacred place that held great significance to the natives of Samar. Ivatar, fueled by his warrior spirit and driven by a desire to avenge his father's death and reclaim the souls of their fallen warriors, was determined to emerge victorious in this upcoming battle.
At the dawn of departure, the warriors of the Zoran Tribe and their allies gathered together for a solemn ceremony. At the heart of the capital, a temple was set ablaze, its flames reaching for the sky and spreading heat upon all those gathered. As the warriors readied themselves to depart, they each cast their personal belongings into the fiery inferno, accompanied by the sorcerers who added a mixture of potent herbs to the flames.
As the herbs incinerated, they produced smoke. The warriors who inhaled the smoke screamed or danced. Although the hallucinogenic herbs used were treated as a drug in many parts of the continent, for the natives of the Rainforest it was a common and accepted practice, a vital part of their preparation for battle.
The preparation for the upcoming battle wasn't limited to just burning herbs. The warriors were also provided with alcohol, although the taste was unpleasant. The liquor had been infused with psychedelic substances, which would allow the warriors to forget their pain and fear.
Eugene’s group did not participate in the raucous ceremony. Each of them was busy with preparations of their own. Kristina was at the water reservoir of the city, unleashing her divine power.
It wasn’t anything new or special for Eugene. He had seen Anise do the same thing many times, three hundred years ago. She was making holy water on the spot. If the psychedelic plants would rob the warriors of their pain and promote madness, the holy water would treat their wounds and clear their minds to bolster their courage. Eugene himself had relied on the holy water many times in his past life.
“If I knew this was going to happen, we should have brought some priests from Yuras,” grumbled Anise. Mass-producing holy water was her specialty, and she was sharing Kristina’s body while providing guidance.
In Yuras, there was a group of priests known as the Luminous Covenant, a group of battle clerics. After the Knight March, the pope had formed a special force within the Luminous Covenant with Kristina as their leader.
The special forces group, known as the Graceful Radiance, was formed from priests personally selected by Anise and Kristina. Although the group wasn’t yet officially established, the battle priests of the Graceful Radiance had begun their training under Raphael Martinez.
“Although I had my standards, they are still brats who don’t know anything about war. Even so, they could have lent me their divine power, so if we brought them here, it would have saved me a lot of trouble,” said Anise. She knew that even with her vast array of miracles, there was a limit to what she could do for her allies. The Saint's divine power was powerful but not limitless. If she could borrow power from other priests, however, the possibilities for miracles were endless.
Anise had earned the moniker of hell among the demons, for the mere presence of her on the battlefield made it almost impossible to slay humans. Her divine powers were unparalleled, allowing her to perform miracles beyond the capabilities of other priests. The radiance of her Light was all-encompassing, and wherever it reached, the wounds of her allies would miraculously heal, and they would become invincible. It was ironic, in a sense, that she could transform humans into living undead with her powers.
However, this time around, she would not play as big of a role. The natives here did not believe in the God of Light. As a result, Anise looked pale and exhausted. It was because she had poured out her divine power by repeating her prayers with minimum rest.
“I won’t care about the death of the natives,” Anise said while taking a large swig of alcohol. But contrary to her words, Eugene knew Anise wasn’t one to let anyone die.
“Yeah, yeah. Why bother saving them? It’ll only be burdensome for you. Just let them die,” responded Eugene.
Anise glanced at Eugene after hearing his response, slowly massaging her stiff temple.
“…What a horrible thing to say, Hamel. I guess that’s the kind of person you thought of me as?” said Anise.
“On the contrary, I know you too well, and I trust you too much. Anise, we both know it’ll be the same this time as well. I can’t even imagine you being indifferent to someone’s… anyone’s death,” responded Eugene. His words were evidenced by her actions. Even though she was complaining and grumbling, Anise continued to make holy water. She was doing so on behalf of Kristina, who was exhausted.
Anise Slywood hoped to save all humans. She sympathized with those who died in the terrible times of the past.
“The dead will become a sacrifice for the ritual in this war. If too many of them die, it might complete the ritual, so I should make sure that doesn’t happen.” Anise whispered under her breath while standing up. She felt slightly dizzy, possibly from exerting too much divine power in a short period.
But she wasn’t tired to the point of collapsing. Her legs felt slightly weak, and she was a bit light-headed, but that was it. She could maintain her balance, but she chose not to.
“Are you okay?” asked Eugene after immediately coming to her aid. Instead of giving an answer, Anise allowed Eugene to help her. However, she didn’t feel that it was sufficient.
Anise wasn’t the only one who thought so, either. She felt Kristina’s emotions, then, with a wry smile, slightly retreated back, allowing Kristina to take over.
“Ehem…”
“Anise” leaned her head against Eugene's chest, wordlessly seeking comfort in his embrace. Eugene felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment, knowing full well that Anise enjoyed this kind of physical contact. Though she had not acted like this in their previous lives, her current mischievous and greedy behavior was likely influenced by the fact that she had already experienced death once before.
Eugene knew why she acted like this.
“…I think this much is fine,” muttered “Anise.”
…Was it really Anise? For a moment, Eugene couldn’t be sure. It had never been difficult for him to differentiate between Anise and Kristina. Even if they shared the same face and the same voice, there were minor differences.
But it was hard to tell right now.
“When this war is over, you will go to rescue Lady Sienna. I believe you will be able to save her, Sir Eugene.”
It was Kristina.
“I am grateful that Sienna is not dead. I would like to see Sienna. However…. I can’t help but think that I can be by your side Hamel, right here, right now, because Sienna is not here.”
It was Anise.
“…I know it’s not right for me to think this way. I know I should not be having such thoughts. However, I can’t help myself, and I get absorbed in it. Then I end up feeling guilty and miserable.”
“Hamel, I know you were more conscious of Sienna than me. From a long time ago, I was nothing but a piteous comrade .”
“You saved me, Sir Eugene. I wanted to believe that I would have been special to you. It was…. The reality made me miserable. I knew the truth but didn’t want to admit it. Even so, I was happy because it felt like I was chosen by you, Sir Eugene. I tried not to become greedy as I stayed by your side…. No, I tried to settle by following behind you.”
Kristina’s and Anise’s voices quivered.
“I could not be satisfied. Hamel, I do not know what you saw me as, but I am a selfish woman. I cannot be satisfied by simply looking at you by your side.”
“I am afraid. I am frightened. When Lady Sienna is resurrected and returns to your side, Sir Eugene. At that time… c-could I still stay by your side like now? Can I still look at you as I do now?”
“I did not want to leave behind any regrets. At first, I tried to settle for a first kiss. I thought I was used to holding myself back. But I wasn’t. My heart and greed only grew bigger, and it’s slipping out of my hands.”
“When Lady Sienna returns… I….”
The quivering voice trailed off. Kristina felt disgusted and ashamed. Anise could not bring herself to look up, thinking that her sincerity was simply ingratitude.
“…There’s no way that anything will change with you two just because Sienna comes back.”
Eugene felt pity at her trembling shoulders. At the same time, he also felt confused. Anise’s heart? He knew about it since she could not have made it more obvious. He had also guessed the same about Kristina. However, he had never imagined that the two of them were conscious of Sienna in this way.
“To be honest, I don’t know what Sienna will be like. However, there’s no way I would look at you differently just because Sienna returns,” said Eugene.
“That means….” She raised her head. It was clearly Anise. Although he did not doubt the tears that brimmed in her eyes, Eugene could also feel a crafty snake behind her eyes.
“Sir Eugene, can I take that as a sign that you have me in your heart as well?” But before Eugene could respond, Kristina added her tearful plea, making the weight of her words heavier than even Molon’s fists. Eugene felt overwhelmed and tried to take a step back unconsciously, but a hand firmly held onto the hem of his clothing, preventing him from moving away. He couldn't tell whether it was Kristina or Anise who held him in place.
“Even if Sienna comes back, I can keep doing this, right?”
“If Lady Sienna treats me like a thief and tries to harm me, will you stand in the way and protect me?”
“Wait… wait. Anise, even if Sienna returns, you… uh, you’re free to do as you please. Well, actually, I don’t think you would change just because Sienna returns…,” Eugene scuttled on. “And…. Kristina…. I… don’t think Sienna would… treat you like a thief… and she probably won’t try to harm you either…. Well, if she does try, then, of course, I will protect you, but…. Umm… shouldn’t we talk more about this after Sienna returns…?”
“What a trashy thing to say with a handsome face.”
“Hamel, you are trash.”
The same accusation came from the same face and same voice. Eugene trembled with a red face.
“What the fuck do you want me to do!?” Eugene felt that their words were unjustified. Both Kristina and Anise stared at Eugene, embarrassed and helpless, with narrowed, thin eyes. It caused stagnant tears to flow from her eyes once more.
“Hmm…. I’m saying this in case you misunderstand, Sir Eugene, but these tears are real. I’m not the only one who cried, either. Lady Anise cried first.”
“Kristina!”
“It’s better to admit these things, Sister.” After saying so, Kristina leaned against Eugene once more, embracing him. “…If you don’t know what to do, just don’t say anything and hug me.”
Eugene lowered his awkwardly positioned arms around Kristina’s back. He had thought Kristina’s personality had become rather loose because of Anise, but he could no longer think so. Come to think of it, Kristina had shown a subtle, insidious madness from their first meeting that set her apart from Anise.
“I can feel you shivering. I often thought about this, but you are quite cute.”
“Is it you, Anise…?”
“I wonder who it is?” The Saint smiled without giving a proper answer. Afraid of discovering the truth, Eugene quietly patted her back.
***
Cyan had drank only alcohol, not wanting to use the hallucinogen. However, he was having difficulties falling asleep. After tossing and turning for a long time, he eventually sat up with a long sigh. The scene he saw earlier kept on playing in his head. There had been too many dead bodies and beating hearts being removed as sacrifices. Such things were too terrible for Cyan to accept.
“If you’re scared, you can just stay here.” A voice came from his side. It was Eugene. He was busily fiddling with Akasha, absorbed in something. Cyan pressed his fingers against his temple as he turned his gaze toward Eugene.
Eugene was sitting on the floor, and next to him was Raimira. She was curled into a ball, sleeping. She had been struggling to stay awake due to a nightmare that plagued her mind, but Kristina’s divine magic had managed to lull her into slumber.
“Are you still doing that?” grumbled Cyan instead of answering Eugene’s question. He knew what Eugene was up to. He was trying to create space inside the Cloak of Darkness that could house Raimira. Since dragons could survive on mana alone, Eugene was attempting to isolate a subspace inside the cloak to create a place where Raimira could stay.
It wasn’t an easy feat by any means. He had to meddle with the Cloak of Darkness, which was already a finished artifact, and alter the existing magic imbued into the object. Since Raimira could not utilize high-level Draconic as a hatchling, Eugene had to complete the task himself.
“You could just ask Sir Lovellian or Lady Melkith for help,” said Cyan.
“They’re both busy. And this is mine, so I should do it on my own,” responded Eugene.
“Didn’t you technically borrow it from Lady Melkith?” said Cyan.
“Technically, yes, but it’s essentially mine,” Eugene answered with a shameless expression. It was true that both wizards were busy. Lovellian was working on a combination of summons for the upcoming war while Melkith was away from the capital. It was so she could attempt to make a contract with Ifrit in the spirit-filled, mana-dense forest.
Eugene was trying to modify the cloak so that he could protect Raimira. He couldn’t leave her here or anywhere else. Since Edmund had discovered her existence, it was entirely possible that he would try to take her if she were left alone.
“I’m telling you. If you’re scared, you can just stay back.” Eugene repeated himself while looking up at Cyan. He was almost done with the cloak.
Cyan hesitated without giving an answer. Although he was born into the Lionheart family, a family of warriors, he did not know war. It wasn’t just him, either. For the people of this era, war was only a vague concept.
It wasn’t just war either. Cyan had always been a skilled fighter, able to take down monsters and demons with ease. But he had never killed a human before, and the thought of it weighed heavily on him. He had never been fond of the Samar natives, but seeing their lifeless bodies scattered around him had shaken him to his core. He would see many more corpses in the upcoming war, and he knew he would be responsible for some of it as well.
“Killing people isn’t a good experience,” Eugene said. Cyan remained silent. Eugene had such experiences. Eward had died at Eugene’s hands as well. “If possible, it’ll be better to never experience such things for the rest of your life.”
“How did you feel when you first killed someone?” asked Cyan.
“It didn’t really feel like anything,” Eugene answered with a nonchalant expression. “It was a situation where I had to kill them, and it was someone I had to kill. If I didn’t, they would have killed me. What was I supposed to feel? Guilt? There was nothing like that. I guess I was thinking along the lines of, that’s what you get, bastard, or something similar.”
Cyan laughed after hearing Eugene’s answer.
“That’s just like you,” he commented.
“What about you? How do you think you’ll feel?” asked Eugene.
“Wouldn’t it be something similar? It’s a war, so it’s natural that I have to kill someone to live. Those bastards will be trying to kill me as well, right?” said Cyan.
“Well, I suppose so, but there’s still no need to have to experience something like that.”
“I’m the next head of the Lionheart family,” answered Cyan. “Now that I know about the ritual, I won’t step down. This all stemmed from the Lionhearts… from Eward. As the next head of the family, I will take responsibility. I’m obliged to get involved. I have no intention of putting you in charge as well.”
“You’ve matured, brat.”
“I get that you might be a little bit more mature than me, but I’m still your brother. I’m not much younger than you,” said Cyan, shaking his head. His words weren’t addressed only to Eugene but to himself as well.
“I didn’t want to say this because I thought it might put you on a pedestal, but I think you’ll make a better head than I thought,” said Eugene.
“…Ha. Don’t say the obvious. I have been trained for this ever since I was young. I was faithful to the training, too,” replied Cyan.
“I think you have me to thank more than Lady Ancilla,” said Eugene.
“And what did you ever do for me besides beating me up and cursing at me?” Cyan spat with embarrassment, preparing himself for a smack from Eugene. But contrary to his expectation, Eugene only smirked.
“You shouldn’t die with your skills but try to be careful. Don’t get hurt,” said Eugene.
“Speak for yourself.”
“I’m being serious. Be careful. Lady Ancilla will try to kill me if you get hurt anywhere.”
“Like I said, worry about yourself,” grumbled Cyan before lying down. There were many things he could not understand. He didn’t know how Eugene could be so calm. Regardless of how strong he was, this would be Eugene’s first time participating in a war of this size.
‘…But that’s more like you.’
Cyan felt reassured that Eugene would be fine, even in a war of this size. Cyan could not imagine Eugene getting hurt or falling down.
He knew that he needed to be careful, knowing that he could be a burden to his brother. Even so, he wanted to be Eugene’s equal. That’s what it meant to be brothers.
‘If you think about it, I’m the older brother.’
But he knew voicing the complaint would only result in a smack.
Such thoughts helped calm his mind.
He remembered how Eugene had faced the Death Knight with malice and killing intent.
No matter how scary the war was, he didn’t think it would be as scary as angry Eugene.