A landscape like a dream lay before Hildegard Tirpitz. With a sky that was not quite red or pink, but maybe ‘rose’ colored.

  Rather than its color though, it was the lack of clouds that drew most of her attention. Especially when what floated in their stead was so… strange, not only in appearance but also in how looking at them felt.

  They were plants from what she had been told, or at least the closest equivalent this world had to them, and looks reminiscent of seaweed drifting across the ocean gave some extra merit to the comparison. Still, the way in which they branched out also brought to mind the image of a long-legged centipede, one with spots that glowed irregularly across its ‘trunk’.

  The idea of a plant that got all of its sustenance from the air, especially so high above, was unusual to her, but she held no doubts that it was simply natural for this world’s natives. After all, the landmass that Hildegard and her fellow deserters had arrived at was also floating.

  A flying ‘island’ one could even say, albeit she was not sure if its size was adequate for that term. She had almost passed out from exhaustion the moment the rift closed, and after being treated for the worst of her wounds, had done nearly nothing but rest at her assigned quarters until less than an hour ago.

  Now, she was sitting on a tall chair with cushioning of a strange material, gulping strange food and drinks, and silently musing over the strange ‘ordinary’ of this strange world.

  Nox… No, Einitra as it was called by its inhabitants, was a place very close to its sky. Hildegard could tell that from the other ‘sky islands’ visible in the horizon, like mountains in Tellus… or Ylissia, as she had recently heard. Despite a nature so distant from anything she knew of back home, she was somehow most curious about what the actual ‘land’ below may be like.

  … It may have been fun to talk about with Max, she briefly thought before turning her attention back to the conversation going on. One between the now armor-less Fei-hung Long and their… ‘sponsor’. Their one ally in Einitra, who now facilitated everything related to their stay, and had pushed back Mond… Veltis when they found themselves in an unexpected pinch.

  She had heard his words and requests with Fei-hung as a middleman, as well as a tad more about him, but this was her first time actually seeing the demon… syluxian Zurora. That is, if the figure dining alongside them was the real deal, rather than more smoke and mirrors.

  From the floor to almost three meters above, he was one long trunk made of cloth-like material, wound countless times around and over himself in grayish, raggedy straps blowing behind him. Like scarves with misty, seemingly gaseous ends. At the top was a large skull with antlers, long and heavy-set like a moose’s, though lacking both eye sockets, nostrils, and even a jaw. Instead of such openings, three lines ran parallel down the base to the snout, just barely allowing three whitish yellow lights to be noticed within.

  … Or maybe it was one single light? Hildegard could not ascertain, but she did appreciate at least having some ‘eyes’ to look into.

  “… Veltis aside, we planned to at least take Bryyor in as a prisoner, but between the fighting and all the delays to the rift opening…”

  “No matter. They would have been a pleasant bonus, but they can be easily done without. All four of you made it whole, so all in all, the operation was a success.”

  Whole, he said. It was a bit amusing at first, but Hildegard knew that was the most accurate way to put things.

  Their battle against the instructors had been rough enough; adding the Veltis incident right after worsened their condition far beyond what was expected. There was no need for anyone to say how difficult it was to just have this dinner, when everyone looked like such messes.

  But regardless of injuries, this was a meeting they needed to have as soon as possible.

  “A success, eh? Then I take it that there’s already a target for us to work on~?” Abel asked eagerly as he took some sort of chopped berry, showing layers like an onion that alternated in two colors, from Sirhan’s plate and bit into it without hesitation.

  How can he get used to that so easily?

  “If it is about targets being decided, then we have moved along in that regard. When it comes to actually taking action, however, it would be better to wait until you all have fully recovered. This would have all been for nothing if you were sent out in a weakened state and killed as a result. Moreover, you will have more time to acclimate to the implants.”

  Hildegard frowned, chewing on what seemed to be meat covered by a layer of gelatin. She could still clearly feel the sutured incision on her chest where that thing had been introduced. The small, yet dense adaptive core that allowed her to so much as breathe and sleep within Einitra.

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  From Zurora’s words, they would get used to its presence at some point? It seemed reasonable to assume, but how would he actually know? This was the first time they were being used beyond the testing stage. Such a dishonest sort of certainty really annoyed her.

  “So you want us to wait even longer?” Sirhan grumbled, having barely touched any of his food and somehow glaring at it rather than at Zurora.

  “It is only ideal. While we have become allies, no one outside of my circle must know that; frankly, it would be better if your presence itself is not known about outside of my territory. In order to keep such dangerous knowledge away from those who should not be aware of it, you four must act as efficiently as possible, so I will not risk sending you after a crucial target in anything less than your top form.”

  His words were simply logical, to the point even the irascible Sirhan quieted down afterward. Everyone had their own reasons for wanting to go on the move as soon as possible, but none of them would gain anything from rushing into this mission right after such a painful battle.

  No one seemed to disagree with this reasoning, and thus silence remained for several more seconds afterward, until Zurora broke it all on his own…

  “Your frustration is obvious, but you are still not speaking up. What is your concern?”

  … by addressing Hildegard directly, for the first time.

  “… It’s something I’d rather bring up one on one.”

  “Is that absolutely necessary? You must know, as personal as each of your ambitions may be, the position of you four in Einitra is one of shared risk. If this is something that may affect the mission, or be of such importance as to take a similar amount of focus, I would rather you reconsider whether it can be shared.”

  … Prissy shitter. Continuing to hear a veritable monster speaking so politely was so close to making her laugh out loud.

  “Veltis’ arrangement with Mond… the boy from Ylissia. What should I do, or what can I do for you to link up with me in that same way?”

  “Tirpitz!?”

  Fei-hung was the one to voice out his shock, but Hildegard also heard a dining utensil being dropped at pretty much the same time. Probably Sirhan, but it could have also been Abel. She did not know for sure, as her attention did not drift away from Zurora.

  Just like his did not drift from her. The glow behind that white ‘skull’ flickered for a moment, then he replied.

  “Why do you wish for that type of partnership?”

  “As you say, we all have our personal ambitions. When it comes to mine, I’m sure it’ll end up with me battling him again at some point. I may have beat him last time, but… it wasn’t enough. Next time, I will make sure to break his spirit for good.”

  “… And so, you need an equalizer to counter Veltis when the time comes?”

  That… was really annoying. It was a rude assumption, honestly. So belittling…

  “I don’t ‘need’ it, but it would be extremely useful. I want to crush him so decisively that he’ll have nothing else to rely on. To tear down each and every option he thinks he has… Now I know that’s the only way he’ll stay down.”

  Hildegard’s fist under the table was almost tight enough to bleed. She remembered Mondi’s broken body under her, one she still continued to tear apart despite his defeat being obvious… and how not even that was enough to stop him.

  She needed to do more, prepare for more. She had to make sure that next time, there would be no chances for some ridiculous turnaround.

  Next time… she would make him give up.

  “…”

  Zurora had done a good job of replying timely and properly whenever addressed, but now, he remained quiet for an unusually long time. Hildegard honestly preferred this to an angry reaction to some perceived insolence, but could it be that such quiet was his way of showing displeasure?

  “… I understand. Your wishes are respectable, but I am not able to comply.”

  His next words made it clear he was not actually bothered, but instead they displeased Hildegard herself.

  “You haven’t even heard me out! Look, I can do a lot. I’m also not talking about doing this shit tomorrow or anything, so let’s just try to discuss it and—”

  “You misunderstand. It is not a matter of me being unwilling to bargain, but rather I do not believe I am the one best suited to this task. I do, however, know of someone who is.”

  Zurora’s recent silence was soon joined by another ‘first’, that being his tone changing compared to anything else Hildegard had heard from him.

  A little more relaxed, amused, even playful. Or rather… expectant.

  “… Go on?”

  “I allied with you four so that you would become something of a ‘trump card’ of mine. The majority of syluxians, especially those of us with high-ranking status, have little to no experience combating powers from Ylissia. Thus, it is my hope that you will become an edge that no adversaries I may confront can match. But no matter how peculiar the weapon, it will still be worthless if it cannot cause damage.”

  It did not take a genius to know where Zurora was going with this conversation, and surprisingly it was the cordial Fei-hung who showed the displeasure all four former cadets likely felt.

  “So you think while our abilities are unique enough, we’re still too weak to get the job done?”

  “I said no such thing.” Zurora shut him down very decisively, however. His voice and words alike so heavy, so strict. “I am confident that you are competent enough to perform as I need you to. Still, if you can succeed in what I have in mind, it will not only serve as proof of that fact, but that you are capable of more. Beyond that… you will find something that will more than satisfy this request of yours.”

  Hildegard’s brow furrowed, her maroon eyes focused, yet wary. For some reason, she felt that Zurora was willing to gamble their very lives on this.

  “Be specific. What would we be doing?”

  “You could call it an unofficial first mission: one to recruit another important asset to my side. Below this skyward land, from within Einitra’s black crust, a special one reigns in silence. If you wish to crush the ‘Onyx Rebellion’—

  —then few will do better than that ‘Ruby Extinction’.”