Yeah, exactly. The castle was Lord Heydrich's Briah. And just like I explained. They can't remain active for long.
Even Gudōu, which doesn't influence much of the outside world, can be kept up for a few hours at most, while for Hadōu, the amount is only a few dozen minutes, if not less.
Though, I did say my Briah was cheap to uphold, it didn't stray far from those limits.
Basically, maintaining a Briah is hard as shit. Hell, it's a single person's craving versus the world. Of course it ain't a walk in the park.
That was exactly why Lord Heydrich's castle was on a whole other level. Despite being a prime example of Hadōu, by this point, it had been active for almost two months. And it didn't even show any signs of fading away to boot.
Back then, I didn't really know what that meant, but it works to explain why He was such an immense entity to us.
The man was charisma given human form. A single interaction with Him was enough to change a person beyond recognition. No one could escape His influence.
I always believe that. Fervently so. And that was exactly why...
"Huh...? That... That can't be true."
That was exactly why the thing we'd been told once we arrived at the castle surprised me so much. I am completely taken aback.
Lord Heydrich, sitting atop his Throne, was as extraordinary as always, and basking in His glorious presence made His words even harder to believe.
The others probably felt the exact same way.
"Christof disappeared...?"
"Indeed. Though unfortunate, that is naught but the truth. Valerian Trifa has absconded."
"..."
"What an idiot. What's eating him?"
It goes without saying that we weren't the types to be hurt by betrayal, so we were just bewildered by the impossible turn of events. Imagine seeing the sun rise from the west. That's how we felt.
Turning one's back on Lord Heydrich was bad enough already, but there was an extra factor that made it even more unbelievable.
"The way you are putting it makes it sound like you're unaware of his whereabouts. Is that true?"
"Again, indeed. Oh, how low of me."
"What...?"
Though only barely, I could actually accept that he'd just run away, but the fact that he'd actually escaped Lord Heydrich left me for lost. I felt like the world had turned upside-down.
Not only that, but the Gold Himself was smiling in a self-deriding manner, as if He actually believed that He'd been outwitted. A wave of unrest overwhelmed us all. We felt like we were in a nightmarish fever dream.
"My dear Knights, what exactly do you believe me to be? I am far from Omnipotent or Omniscient. There are things that escape my vision, and failure is certainly not below me. You must never allow your loyalty to become blindness. The priest once resonated with my flesh, making him worthy of being the Divine Vessel. In other words, he is capable of assuming my form. At the very least, he has a record of doing so. Thus, he slipped from my sight. They say that nothing is harder to understand than oneself. It appears there is some truth to those words."
"Then..."
The one to speak up first was Samiel. Though the news probably affected her more than anyone else, I couldn't feel a hint of emotion in her tone.
"Do you believe she knew that and used it to her advantage?"
"No, I would say she is wholly unaware. After all, she, too, does not know herself."
"In that case, finding Christof's location should be..."
"Indeed. It would not prove difficult. If I was so inclined, I could find her by her scent alone."
That could only refer to one thing.
Back when Lord Heydrich faked his assassination, Christof resonated with His body. So, regardless of whether he was conscious of it or not, he had the same scent as the Gold.
It wasn't a smell I could pick up, but if the man Himself said so, I could just assume that was how it worked.
It made sense, too. Hunters often covered themselves in the scent of their prey to keep them unaware.
Christof could only escape Lord Heydrich because he'd done something equivalent, and I could honestly praise the bastard for that. But if he did it while unaware, it had the exact opposite effect.
The man didn't even know he was running while spreading Lord Heydrich's scent everywhere he went. He might as well have been signaling for us to find him.
Because of that, I expected the problem to be solved like it didn't even exist.
"That said, we shall not pursue him. I will allow him to spend a while doing as he pleases, and I ask you to do the same."
"Huh, what...?"
"We will ignore him?"
"Yes. For a brief while."
We'd all expected to be given an order to find him, so Lord Heydrich's left us dumbfounded. Though most of us were already out of the army register, we still knew what kind of punishment was given to deserters.
Christof had to die. We have to give him the ultimate lesson in discipline. There was no room for compassion among our ranks, and Lord Heydrich wasn't the kind of person to give any.
"As I said, the priest does not know what he is. He merely needs time to discover himself. Worry not. He shall not take long. It will happen before you know it. We shall confront him then. For the time being refrain from taking any unnecessary action. We will wait for his craving to ripen and fall. Understood?"
"Sir, yes, Sir!"
I didn't really get it, but we weren't in a position to argue. We all nodded and agreed to not pursue Christof.
Though I didn't know Lord Heydrich's true motives, I assumed that the point of this gathering was to make sure we didn't interfere with the growth of the priest's craving.
But...
"This might be beyond many of you. What you should take from this is the fact that His Excellency The Gold did not use the name 'Christof' even once. Do reflect on that. That is all for the preamble. The true reason why you were summoned here is entirely different."
Mercurius, grinning as always, suddenly stopped standing around like a fucking prop and moved next to Lord Heydrich. We all simultaneously raised our heads.
We were wary. Everyone of us knew full well that nothing this bastard ever said was good news.
If the Christof thing wasn't the main deal here, then what was?
"Do you know of Katyn Forest?"
"Katyn...?"
"That is the name, yes. I believe you might have heard of the rumors regarding it while braving your battlefields."
Sadly, I couldn't recall anything like that. The others were nodding, though. And a few were making some pretty damn sour faces.
"The massacre. They say that thousands of Polish captives were executed while returning to their country."
"And now Katyn Forest is now a land of corpses. They're saying it's our side that did it, aren't they? I don't really care about the massacre itself, but I don't like people blaming us for things we didn't do. Though, it's not like I'm sure it wasn't our side."
"The circumstances point to it being an act by the Soviets."
"Indeed. Although, do not expect them to admit it. Ridiculous to consider it during wartime, but we have the concept of appearances on the front of humanity. Everyone desires the moral high ground. That is why our own Lord Goebbels produces his propaganda. However, these past few years, the lines have blurred so much that telling who did or did not do something is but a fool's errand. Admittedly, I am rather curious about the truth of the matter, but it is of no consequence to us. The problem lies elsewhere."
And we were the ones who'd do something about it. We all understood where he was getting at, so he made it brief.
"An anomaly is influencing Katyn Forest. Expel it. I need not tell you why, I assume?"
None of us said a word in response. This wasn't the first time we would be taking on such a mission.
"They are the death throes of the fading arcane. Karl called it a most excellent close to the opening performance. Bring us closer to our ambition. Remove what must not be."
"Jawohl."
We all nodded. This was a necessary mission for two primary reasons — training and prevention.
Since we'd also entered the realm of the arcane, fighting others of our kind helped us understand and evolve our powers.
It was also useful for removing anything that could mess up the main act that was about to begin. After all, if anything could stop us, it was other beings of the arcane.
Crushing anything that could get in our way was important, and I had no intention of speaking out against the idea.
Now, it was time to decide who actually went...
"Babylon, you are most apt for this. Go. I expect good results."
"Understood. I will not fail you."
An obvious choice. I didn't know the nature of the anomaly, but the place was a forest full of damn corpses. There was no better person for the job.
Even so, I didn't feel too good about it. This was a "closure to the opening performance," and just waiting around sounded hella boring.
Like, c'mon, considering they called us all here, I hoped they would've sent out more than just one.
"Heheh, hehehehehe..."
I looked up and saw Mercurius smiling at me. As always, her vast and vague appearance made my skin crawl.
"Is your ennui too much to bear, Bey.? Very well. You may partake in the journey to Katyn. However, since Babylon was the one assigned this task, you must go under her command. The rest of you may volunteer, as well. We shall allow it as long as Babylon permits. If you take pride in your status as the supreme arcane and wish to assert it to Gold, we shall not stop you. Do you agree, my dear friend?"
"Very much so. This is the final test of your skills. Feel free to bear your souls. Especially you, Bey. I am certain you will find this experience worth your while."
"Yes, sir."
I felt a surge of excitement rush through my body. To be frank, by this point, I'd completely forgotten the fact that I'd brought Claudia with me.
Wielding my fangs according to Lord Heydrich's will had always been my greatest honor and purpose in life.
***
"So you're not going to Katyn?"
"Correct. I'll be on standby in case they decide to do something about Christof. And the idea of working under Brenner makes my skin crawl. Though I am intrigued by the situation, I refuse to let Kraft sway me."
"I see. Well, can't say I don't get you."
Following the gathering, I went on to have a chat with Samiel. I still hadn't remembered Claudia or even the castle room I threw her into. My mind was completely focused on Katyn.
This woman's name is Eleonore von Wittenberg. Though our meeting was one of the shittiest you could imagine, neither of us really cared. We were far from friends, but she was the one I could relate to the most in the LDO.
She and I were both enchanted by Lord Heydrich and pledged unwavering loyalty to him. And besides that, she was the only one who got it.
"By the way, is it just me, or did the castle get bigger?"
"It's not just you. And it actually did. All those who die on the battlefield come to Lord Heydrich. They are what make up this structure, so it's only natural for it to grow. I can't begin to guess how many of them there are now. We can only wait until the war's casualties are calculated further down the line, and even then, they'd probably only be vague estimates. Counting them now is a fool's errand. As we currently are, we might as well assume they're infinite. In fact, Lord Heydrich's caliber might be limitless. It certainly wouldn't be strange if it was."
"True."
I, too, believed that His capacity was Infinite.
The only way His Briah could be active for almost two months was if it was supported by a vast amount of souls, which, just as Samiel'd said, was still growing.
Most would assume that it was because the number of dead "produced" by the battlefields throughout the land outmatched the amount that He'd used to uphold the castle, but I thought otherwise.
I had a hunch — no, was absolutely sure — that He had yet to consume a single soul for this.
Imagine a stupidly huge gymnastic formation. Since the stress was spread out all over, no one involved found it particularly difficult or saw the need to give up.
In military terms, it was an army with the absolute perfect formation. It was so well organized that you could call it work of art, and it became the castle's foundation in the most literal sense.
The efficiency involved was abnormal, and it was a prime example of His mystifying talent as a Commander. When following a leader who wielded a people so well, even the lowliest grunt could become a hero.
Lord Heydrich had the power to inspire His subjects and lead them without a flaw to name. The man took all the souls in His possession and uplifted them into legends, greatly improving their quality.
You see what I'm getting at? Lord Heydrich was already putting the idea I came up with into practice.
Not to mention that He had the quantity, as well. The man never stopped filling me with awe.
"All because of love. He loves all, so He will consume and destroy all. His army will be akin to the Einherjar of Valhalla. I wish to be among those ranks. What of you, Bey?"
Was that even a question?
"I was there when Machina was created. Becoming part of this castle... No, part of Lord Heydrich... Means being immortal. I don't know much about it, but that's what those 'Einherjar' are, right?"
"Right. Despite not having the slightest bit of education, you are decently perceptive. That's commendable. I'll ask again. This doesn't scare you, does it?"
"Like hell. There's no greater honor than this. What, you don't agree?"
"No. I feel the exact same way."
This was what I meant when I said that she got it. In the entire Longinus Dreizehn Orden, Samiel and I were the only ones who knew the nature of Lord Heydrich's blessing and continued seeking it regardless.
Machina seemed to know it as well, but he was rejecting it. Though, he wasn't opposing us and acted rationally, so I didn't intend to get in his face about it.
He did seem like a fucking idiot to me, but his death was his own dumb wish, and I didn't mind respecting that.
Christof had probably escaped 'cause Lord Heydrich's blessing scared him shitless, while Schreiber was just too fucking demented to piece it together.
The rest were probably interpreting it however they wanted. You know how it is — you focus too much on something and you just lose sight of the bigger picture. Though, in this case, it was more like they were just blinded by the Gold's light.
Whatever the case, they didn't know His true nature. Anyone who thought He was all about just giving love was downright fucking stupid, especially if they thought it was free.
You had to be braindead to believe Lord Heydrich would hand out immortality and infinity resurrection to anyone who asked nicely and just let them go on their way. No, they'd be taken in by Gladsheimr and become a part of Him.
This made me think of the women. Bitches in general tended to see things how they wanted them to be. Malleus and Babylon in particular seemed blissfully unaware, and I had no idea what they'd do if they found out. Not like I planned on telling them, but I did hope they'd figure it out themselves.
There was nothing to hate about someone who reached the same epiphany as Samiel and I.
"That said, I have no idea what to make of Beatrice. She's a dumb bitch, sure, but she's also a soldier. There's no way she won't see it. Knowing how much of a pure little lady she is, you'd expect her to bitch about it non-stop, and yet she's not saying a word. Honestly, that freaks me out a bit."
"..."
Samiel fell silent, probably because it was a mystery to her, too. Still, this wasn't something that could be unpacked and solved with just her and I.
"She will come to understand sooner or later. Or perhaps I will reveal it to her. I've been taking care of that girl for a long time. It's almost a job by now."
"All right, I'll leave it to you, then. Though, I imagine she probably thinks it's her job to take care of you."
"Shut up. This doesn't concern you."
In fact, over half a century later, we came to know Beatrice's goal, but whatever, it's unrelated to the story.
"Focus on your task. Travel to Katyn if you want, but don't disgrace us. And speaking of 'taking care' of people, you, too, have a noisy girl with you. What will you do with the nun? Bring her?"
"Huh? Well, yeah. Is that even a question?"
Thanks to her words, I finally remembered Claudia. And yeah, she was coming with me to Katyn.
Why? Just because I didn't want her to die while I was away. We were at war, she was dumb and careless, and I couldn't really ask anyone else to look after her. Especially not Samiel.
Most of all, I figured it was possible that getting a taste of battle might make her change into what I wanted her to be. I didn't know much about the anomaly at Katyn, but the situation there probably wasn't something a person with normal psyche could bear.
When it made her mind burn out and blow up, she would awaken, and that was all I really wanted of her.
"In a way, she's basically my field ration."
"I see. Very well. Then take this as a parting gift from me."
"Huh? What the hell is this?"
Samiel gave me some sort of envelope. From its appearance, I could tell the thing inside was official.
"I happened upon it while taking care of extra business. This might seem meddlesome of me, but do read it. It might be the key to helping you gain what you desire."
"..."
I couldn't even begin to understand what she was getting at, but I had no real intention to refuse.
"Oh, so this is where you are, Wilhelmina. I've looking for you."
"You dumbass! I told you to just sit and wait! Why the fuck are you walking around?"
"Well, but I just..."
"Until next time."
When we accidentally found the idiot, the situation got all messed up.
Samiel left without telling me more about the envelope, but more than that...
"What the hell were you doing?"
"Eheheh. That's a secret."
I should've forced her to answer.
Of course, I'd remembered that Lord Heydrich had called for her and I let them meet. A single exchange was enough for me to lose interest, but at the very least, it was clear Mercurius wasn't lying.
Still, the anomaly at Katyn was just so big in my mind that didn't spare a thought.
I do look back and think I should've examined the situation more thoroughly.
Not like I want to make excuses here, but the circumstances just didn't allow me to consider everything.
Basically, it was a turbulent time.
"Wow! Look over there! Tanks! So many of them, too!"
"Yes. It's quite a majestic sight. Though war is something to be despised and we would all be off without it, rejecting all that pertains to it is wrong. One thing I think is really important are all the feelings of the soldiers. Friends or foes, each and every one of them serves with something important in their hearts. Thoughts for their country, friends, or lovers... Wishes for peace for their family — none of that should be looked down upon. They certainly don't want to leave their mark on history as the madmen of the era, and being looked at as pitiable victims would likely make them scowl. After all, that's basically the same as saying that the people of this age were simple fools that couldn't think or act for themselves."
The naïve woman "blessed " us with her outlook, while Claudia nodded like she was moved. I, on the other hand, was completely fed up with it.
"All right, you dumb whore. Why the fuck are you here?"
As we rode the train toward Katyn, I asked her the same thing I'd already asked many times. Of course, I already knew the answer and was aware that it wouldn't change a damn thing, but I wasn't magnanimous enough to conveniently look at it the right way and act accordingly.
It pissed me off and annoyed me like fuck, so I just kept complaining. Simple as that.
"What, this again? Why do you grumble so much? You're such an a irritating man. In the first place, you have no right to say anything about what I do. Riza allowed it, so it's fine."
"Well, Babylon's not here now, so the chain of command's pretty vague. No, it's downright fucked. I mean... Seriously..."
"Heh heh heh. I am your commander here."
Claudia chuckled and puffed her chest, and it honestly made me want to fucking kill her right then and there.
"That's why you two have to get along. That is an order."
"No chance in hell."
The actual person in charge over us in this mission — and the one with the highest rank — was Babylon. She wasn't with us at the moment, though. She'd said she would scout ahead — gather information and whatnot — and went on to Katyn ahead of us.
Normally, that was a job for the underlings, but we couldn't argue against it because she was the most normal-looking and least menacing of us all.
In all honesty, it was hard to deny that she had the aura of your common modest lady. And I thought that even while knowing the truth about her.
Because of all that, I saw no problem with Babylon going there first. Katyn was Soviet territory and a controversial place in general, and I knew full well that strolling around there in army uniforms wasn't the best idea. You had to pick the right people for the right task.
But what the fuck was I supposed to make of the shitty situation that left me in?
"Quit being a child, Bey. It's unsightly. Not to mention it's the reason why this is happening. Despite appearances, Riza can be quite mean-spirited. I don't enjoy this either, but I figured that Claudia would keep you on a leash better than me. Also, all things considered, this is purely your own fault for bringing her with you. You reap what you sow."
"Shut the fuck up. That's bullshit and you know it. Might as well say that you pissing me off is all your fault for joining this trip. And what was that shit you were just spouting? Madmen of the era? Their feelings and the actions they choose? If that's so fucking important to you, then quit talking shits about the relationship we have here. Practice what you preach, you bitch."
"That has nothing to do with this. I simply cannot ignore a girl in danger of straying from the path because of a woman as terrible as you. I will do all I can to prevent that. By my knightly honor and pride, I shall not allow it."
"Hey, Claudia. Since you're in charge here, can you just fire this bitch? Come on, tell her to fuck off."
"Are you stupid? You're the one who should be going. Claudia, could you please open your eyes already? You should know by now just how much of a scumbag she is."
"Oh dear, what a predicament."
"That's my line!"
"Fuck off, it's mine."
So yeah, this situation was the result of Beatrice finding out I was taking Claudia and furiously volunteering to tag along. It was really fucking annoying. Like, Holy shit.
And if that wasn't enough, we were passing a bunch of battlefields, too. Wouldn't have been weird if we were bombed or gunned down the very next moment.
Of course, it didn't mean shit to me and Beatrice, but the fact that the one most endangered here was so nonchalant about it put me on edge.
We weren't really in any position to pretend this was some fun trip.
"Please calm down, you two. If you quarrel too much, you might negatively affect our plans. I hear the train will soon stop and we'll switch to automobiles. That means we're approaching a heated battlefield, does it not?"
"...Yes, that's certainly true. Apparently, the railroad ahead is broken, and going through there wouldn't be wise even if it wasn't. Lisa had everything planned out for us, so we'll have to rely both on her help and our own skills."
Beatrice smiled wryly. There was a certain weight to her tone that I couldn't resist mocking in my head.
At that point, the so-called Russo-German War was going really badly for Germany. So much that turning the tides was fucking impossible. Felt like it wouldn't take long for Berlin to fall.
Germany had never done anything for me, so the fact it was getting fucked over even made me feel a bit of glee. Beatrice, though, looked pretty damn miserable. She clearly didn't share my opinion, which I found pretty fucking funny.
Claudia, apparently, wanted to cheer her up.
"Speaking of that 'Riza' lady... I must say, she seems like a very cool and capable woman. She reminds me of Mata Hari."
"Mata Hari? Ah, the famous spy woman from the Great War. I'm impressed you know of her."
"I'm actually an avid fan of action novels and films. I was often scolded for it too, since it's improper for a servant of God. This journey has had a number of spy-like events, and again, though it's inappropriate, I find it very exciting. It's wholly different from the time we left Warsaw."
"Is that why you have that smile glued to your face? That's just fucking stupid."
The conversation was so pointless I couldn't help but comment. During war, it was normal for a country's transportation network to become military-focused, and the trains like the one we were riding weren't an exception.
That made traveling harder for every civilian, but the soldiers were even less free in that regard. After all, we couldn't go anywhere unless we were on a mission or something.
Because of that, traveling long distances using standard means was impossible for us. We'd have to avoid the tons of identity checks along the way, and the fact I didn't do that when I was taking Claudia from Warsaw had caused tons of trouble.
This time, however, Babylon went ahead and prepared an uneventful journey for us. I didn't know or care about the details, but apparently, we were now recognized as a group going on a super important mission.
Not like that was a lie, though. The only difference was that the order came from Lord Heydrich, not the Führer.
"Well, whatever, just don't spill the beans. We're still far from Katyn. Going there on foot would be a real pain in the ass."
"Yes, I understand. But if I may ask... What exactly is happening in Katyn?"
"No clue. Don't really give a fuck, either. Why're you asking? Wanna do your nun thing and help us with prayers or something? Think you can exorcise the grudge of those sad little souls that got executed? Hah, good one."
"Bey, can you just stop already? You're the one who brought her here, so don't talk to her like that."
Seemingly tired of mouthing off, Beatrice heaved a sigh. To be frank, I'd only said what I'd thought, so I had no fucking clue why she talked down to me.
"I'm sorry, Claudia. Are you upset?"
"No, I'm quite used to this by now, and I understand what he's trying to say. For one who has experience as a soldier, those who do nothing but pray when faced with death must be thoroughly unpleasant. Even I myself believe it to be somewhat insincere. Of course. I do wish to mourn those who perished at Katyn, but more than that, I simply wish to avoid being a hindrance to you. To that end, I need to learn a few things. For example, what is an 'anomaly?' from what I heard you say, this isn't a first for you, correct?"
"Ah, yes, well... Uh..."
I couldn't tell if Beatrice just didn't want to say it or just couldn't explain right, but she clearly couldn't find the words, so I spoke up.
"It's a magician hunt."
"Magician?"
"Yeah. Well, at least that's how it was the previous times."
We used the word "anomaly" to describe strange events. Supernatural phenomena, basically.
The fact that something like that was happening could only mean there was something abnormal involved.
"Though, we weren't killing actual, real life magicians. From what I hear, they pretty much went extinct over the last century. As far as I know, the only ones still alive are Malleus and Mercurius... Can't really put them on the same level, but yeah."
"And then there's the United Kingdom's Crowley. Those three are about the only real magicians still alive."
Despite falling silent a moment ago, Beatrice joined the conversation again. Bitch just didn't seem to like letting me say what I wanted.
"It began with the industrial revolution. As industries developed and grew, the arcane of old faded proportionally."
"I see. I think I understand. With there being less believed, you have less of those who dabble in it, correct?"
"Well, a world where planes soar through the skies leaves little room for dreams, after all. From what I can tell magicians are running against the times."
"Of course they are. You're talking about old farts who think anything older is better."
They're the kind of people who rejected phones and telegrams and chose to waste time and energy sending messages themselves, all while acting like hot shit because of it. They'd also fuck around with nature's elementals or whatever instead of using a fucking match.
On average, that's how most magicians and those influenced by them were. Malleus wasn't too big when it came to this, but she also wasn't different enough to be an exception.
"Not like that mentality is that rare. You have plenty of modern people who are about as good with machines as the clueless grandpas. They just don't give enough of a shit to learn. 'The good old days' and all that crap. Most of that's bullshit, by the way."
The word "traditionalism" came to mind, but I didn't know if that fit. Basically, these people believed the past was always better than the present.
Sure, that was probably right in some cases, and I didn't reject the notion of lost technology, but the magicians' worship of the past was fucking insane.
"In their mind, the people of old used some strange powers to wage wars that'd make modern people pale. Dumbass bullshit. They were fucking cavemen throwing rocks at each other, nothing more. If those powers really existed, then why the fuck aren't pyramids flying fortresses?"
The fact they didn't survive into the modern day meant that, at best, the powers had existed, but were defeated and vanished. And it was stupid to believe that some shitheads who'd lost were superior.
"That's why I think that—"
"Bey, you keep going off on a tangent. That's not at all what Claudia wants to hear. Anyway, modern magicians are few and far between. I hear the strongest of them have the means of prolonging their lives, but even then, there are limits. Malleus recently told me that people who can live beyond their first century are extremely rare."
"A century? But that isn't much different from a normal person's lifespan."
"I hear she's been around for about two centuries, though."
"Really?"
"Yes, that's what we've been told. Still, she may have just been talking herself up, so don't dwell on it. What I want to say is that both the anomalies from before and the one in Katyn are not caused by magician themselves. They're but the remains. Much like the flying pyramids Bey mentioned."
"Excuse me?"
Claudia tilted her head in confusion, and no one could blame her. What I'd said and what Beatrice added didn't click at all.
"But Wilhelm just claimed that flying pyramids do not exist."
"I tried to explain, but this bitch just had to open her mouth. Fuckin' bimbo can't shut her trap for a second."
"I merely wished to prevent your warped outlook from being imprinted in her mind."
"The fuck'd you just say?"
"What? Was I not clear enough?"
"Oh, please stop it already, you two. Of course I would find it hard to understand if you fight while explaining. So I'll ask you to do it, Wilhelm. Please tell me all you wanted to."
"Man, being told that makes it seem like such a bother."
"Bey..."
"Again, 'please.'"
I was being urged by two women. I had no intention of giving in, but resisting seemed like an even bigger pain in the ass.
"All right, all right. I'll explain. Magicians are usually just some old farts romanticizing the good old days, but what makes them a real pain is that their ideas conflict with reality."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that their precious magic is actually improving day by day. Modern magicians are way stronger than those from a thousand years ago. Back to pyramids again. Those things don't fly — everyone knows that. But the fuckers just refuse to believe that. They think that they did fly. That of course they flew. After all, modern airplanes fly, and there's just no way that modern things can be better than ancient things, right? Cause of that, they think, 'Then I will make it fly.' See what I'm getting at? As civilization advances, so does the standard for the arcane."
In the ancient past, even a magician who could light a simple fire was a cut above the rest. And knowing how to cure diseases could probably make you a God of some shitty settlement.
These days, though, no one gives a rat's piss about that. Thus, the past-worshiping old fucks are constantly trying to surpass the reality before them.
"The sublimed and refined past, full of supreme arcane, just cannot lose to this machine-based civilization. I am a proud inheritor of their will — a magician with a duty to show the greatness of old to the world. That's probably more or less what they think. Fucking braindead morons, right there."
"And that is why it's constantly improving?"
"Yeah."
From what I can tell, magicians went extinct because they became unable to compete with civilization's progress. Back then, you probably had magicians of all skill levels all over the place, but when the times changed, only the best of the best remained.
"Obviously, just like with science, the new stuff is stronger. The hurdle they gotta leap is bigger, after all."
Mercurius was the prime example of that. Though, I didn't know whether his whole thing counted as "magic," since it could even involve fusion with machines.
Still, though this was an age where tanks cracked the earth, airplanes soared the skies, and bombs could reduce hundreds to dust, the manifestation of his arcane surpassed even that.
Listen, I'm the last man who'd wanna praise him, but I wasn't stupid enough to deny that he was the real deal. If he wasn't, we wouldn't be like this.
"Well, I more or less share his viewpoint, but this is merely the way we see it. Magic isn't our field,so we don't know how it really is. Even so, going by this logic, the anomaly at Katyn is surely the work of a relatively new magician."
"Because it's something that's odd even in this day and age?"
"Exactly. You know how I said the last century was a turbulent time for magicians? This was probably left by someone from that period. We still don't know how it functions, but we believe it was activated by the mass execution. And so, it's now our job to eliminate it."
"And that's how it is. Satisfied?"
Claudia momentarily fell silent before nodding.
"Yes. I understand the relevant history and share your sentiment. Though it is important to respect the past, revering it so much that you ignore history is contradictory. It's not right to disregard all that humanity has built and assume that we are already past the zenith."
"Yes, I feel much the same. And from what I've heard, many magicians had apprentices, which makes it all even more absurd. They were basically building toward the future. What they were doing was clearly evolution with tomorrow in mind, but all they were thinking of was the past — 'the supreme glory of the ancient times,' and all that. I don't even know what to make of them. Honestly, I'm inclined to call them insane."
"Pff, ahahah!"
Claudia's sudden burst of laughter surprised both me and Beatrice. I looked at her face and saw her wiping the edges of her eyes.
"You two truly despise magicians. Despite fighting all the time, you badmouth them in a very similar fashion."
"Nh..."
"You two actually get along quite well, don't you?"
"Like hell!"
"Certainly not!"
It was less about magicians and more about just Mercurius for me. I couldn't stomach the man, and everyone besides Lord Heydrich felt the same way.
This matter was on a different level than "getting along." Beatrice and I said everything we could to fix Claudia's demeaning evaluation, but she just smiled and nodded all the way through.
At that moment, the train suddenly stopped.
"Ah, we're here. Now, onward to the next mission!"
I could only hope that we'd meet up with Babylon as soon as possible.
I knew it was my own fault for dragging her along, but taking care of the "substitute leader" was about to make me snap.
After getting off the train, we traveled to Katyn by car, constantly switching vehicles along the way.
Even with Babylon's prep work, the fastest route was unusable, so it took us pretty damn long to get there. About two days or so, I think.
Oh yeah, we went without stopping ever once. Sure, we took turns driving, but we weren't in a situation where we could chill in a hotel camp, or sleep in the car.
I wanted to get there ASAP, while Beatrice said something about not wanting to let me see a woman while she's sleeping. I thought that the knightly thing to do in that case would be to let the women get a good night's rest, but fuck, what do I know about that?
Anyway, Claudia didn't complain at all, so we went all the way without a proper rest. Though she looked like a walking corpse during daytime, she was all smiles, as usual.
The woman was a dim idiot who really loved the sun despite the fact that it burned her.
Claudia saw herself as "half person," 'desperately lacking,' so she probably just really wanted to feel the world she didn't have.
Or maybe she just wanted to feel like she was walking toward what she believed to be her bliss.
Even if her means and their results made her look like a dumbass, I decided to stop ridiculing her beliefs. Though, that sentiment came further down the line.
Anyway, after two or so days of travel, we met up with Babylon. Our meeting point was at the side of a nameless lake not too far from the town of Smolensk.
It was shortly after dusk.
"I would say 'welcome,' but that might not be apt. Nevertheless, I've been waiting for you. Was the journey troublesome?"
"You fucking bet it was. I'm doubting your ability as a leader already, I swear. Like, come the fuck on. At least pick a proper substitute. Fucking hell."
"This again? You are much more bothersome than you look."
"Truly. I worked really hard, you know?"
"Oh yeah, you sure as shit did. When we didn't fucking need it! No one told you to try and seduce that one sentry, yet our venerable leader here insisted and made a fucking mess of things."
"B-but I wanted to be like Mata Hari."
"Shut up. I don't give a rat's ass about whatever hag that is."
"Ohh... I know that I ended up failing, but..."
"Ended up? What? The fact you ever thought you could succeed makes me cringe. What kinda man would ever give a shit about those tits and that ass!? There ain't nothing there, you fucking idiot!"
"H-How mean! Even I can be hurt by this, you know?"
"Truly. You went a bit too far just now."
"I don't really understand what's happening here, but basically, Bey is jealous, right?"
"Fucking what? Are you nuts?!"
I snapped at them, but quickly concluded that my logic was too weak a force against three women. Claudia had pulled tons of other shits, but I figured that dawn would break before I was done naming it all, so I decided to change the subject.
"Anyway, the hell's going on here?"
"Wow, look at that. The one who complained is running away."
"Huh? The fuck'd you just say?"
"All right, you two. Don't cause a ruskus now. That is an order."
"How long are you gonna act like you're the leader here, you dumb bitch?!"
"Hehehe. Well, I'm glad you three had an exciting journey."
Well, I'll just leave all that pointless bullshit aside. Let's get to the meat of the matter.
Babylon's smirk faded as she coughed and began acting like the leader she was supposed to be.