1

—“Goodness me, was that close!”

Early in the following morning, the summoned hero from planet Earth woke up again to the familiar presence of a radiant intruder.

The sleeping hall downstairs was too crowded, so Izumi and the princess had been given a room of their own. The Imperial Colonel stayed with them, but being a light sleeper on top of an early riser, she was already gone by the time the Divine Lord chose to make her appearance. Izumi had expected to be able to finally sleep her fill but was shown no mercy.

The other beds in the room were left vacant. The angelic form of the Lord of Light had jumped onto Izumi's, as was her dangerous habit. Perhaps it was only Izumi's imagination, but the shine surrounding that celestial being appeared even brighter than before. Just looking at the spirit, Izumi's eyes ached.

“That makes it yet another trial overcome, my champion,” Aiwesh announced with unusual glee, poking Izumi’s nose. “To be frank, you have exceeded even my high expectations by far! Not to mention that your new looks rather suit you, in my opinion.”

“And where were you hiding?” the woman grumpily asked while the spirit played with her dramatically shortened curls. “It never occurred to you to lend a hand?”

“Why, I gave you the Amygla and the power of runes,” Aiwesh lightly replied. “What more do you demand of me? Am I not already pampering you rotten! I understand my mighty presence consoles you but try not to grow too complacent in my brilliance. Why do you think I told you to flee? Because you had no hope of overcoming this foe, whether I stood by your side or not. Those unpleasant beings are resistant to magic and in my present state, I cannot amass enough power to destroy even one. Not without reducing my beloved vessel to ashes in the effort. Do you not see that you were merely being toyed with? The only reason you retain your fair head is that the daemon remained ignorant of my presence. Had I shown myself at any point, it would not have stopped before devouring me and slaying all. Still, it was much too close for comfort! It could sense me, that foul pest. Ever it lurked near me, without rest.”

“So it didn't follow Yule around only because it was part of the roleplay?” Izumi asked. “But because it was drawn to you?”

“Why else? Why do you suppose it chose that young man as its disguise to begin with? In a group where the majority were Imperials, would not replacing one of their lot have been a better idea? Hiding behind their armors would have made things only too easy. But no. The identity of Brian Mallory was convenient to it. It allowed the creature to approach me without arousing suspicion. Beasts are drawn to sources of magic and I am a Lord; no matter how I try, the luster of my splendor cannot be fully concealed. So many times it came close to deceiving and destroying my foolish chalice, I had all but resigned. Yet in the end, it failed.”

“So, what will it do now?”

“Goodness, I am not all-knowing, Izumi dear,” Aiwesh replied with a dismissing gesture. “I do not presume to understand what goes on in their twisted minds. Nor do I care. It is not here now and that is all that matters. Yes, you shooed it away most splendidly! As expected of my champion, should I say? Though, I was certain you were going to die.”

“Well, the thought crossed my mind too,” Izumi mumbled.

“I am glad you finally understand where you stand,” the Divine said, bringing her face uncomfortably close to the woman's. “You would do well to keep this experience in mind. I shall let it slide this once since you worked hard, and all's well that ends well, but try to be more careful the next time. When I make a personal request to you, no matter how trifling it may seem, you should see to it with utmost swiftness and finesse. If that proves too much asked of you, I may have to look for a replacement champion soon.”

“Don't say that. I thought you were starting to warm up to me already. In fact, you're warming up a bit too much, maybe.”

“Oh, I am! I would not forgive so easily, were it anyone but you. But, with all the more reason. Remember that your God is a jealous and angry God. What I love, I will not let slip from my grasp. And what betrays me, I will...punish.”

“Didn't you say you weren't a God yet?” Izumi pointed out.

“I am not.” Aiwesh's smile widened. “But it is fine to get it wrong every once in a while.”

Her form quickly hidden by a brilliant glow, the Divine Lord disappeared in a flurry of illusory feathers, in her trademark fashion, leaving only the naked form of the sleeping princess behind. Gently brushing the girl's silky hair, Izumi covered her with a blanket and left her to sleep.

2

Not feeling especially tired anymore, Izumi got dressed and headed downstairs. There weren't many others awake yet, due to the timing. A couple of knights who were equally sleepless had gone to tend to the horses, or clean their gear, in the lack of better things to do. A few were going through the inventory outside on the street, to see if any supplies had to be restocked before the long ride back home to Tratovia. The town clinic's sickbeds were all taken. A few less injured had recovered to the point that they would be able to join on the march today. The rest had to stay behind in Varnam until their wounds had sufficiently healed.

In the tavern's spacious dining hall sat the Imperial Colonel by herself.

“Morning,” Izumi greeted Miragrave. “You're up early.”

“As are you,” the woman replied.

“I have an alarm clock that's simply too good.”

“And what is that?”

"Never mind.”

Izumi took a seat at the table opposite of the Colonel. She didn't feel hungry. She did feel like talking, but had no idea what she should say. What could she say? Was there any topic that she, an outsider, could choose, that would've made sense to anyone else?

In the end, the Imperial was the one to interrupt the silence.

“You saved my life,” Miragrave noted.

“I hope you're not the type who keeps count?” Izumi returned her a cautious look.

“What if I'm not?” the woman asked. “Had you waited just a little more, all your troubles would've disappeared. No, I am not like Yornwhal. I put my country above myself and my conscience, always. And because of that, I will have you and Yuliana come with me to Tratovia, where you will find no reward or gratitude. No one to praise your heroics. No one to call a friend. So long as there is life in me, I will carry out my duty, one way or another, for I have nothing else left. What say you to that?”

“Well, I don't mind,” Izumi said. “I was going to come along, even if you didn't ask me. Having someone who knows the way will save me a lot of trouble. And besides...”

“Besides?”

“I can't forgive anyone who bullies beautiful ladies, so I moved without thinking. Since I was only defending my personal values back there, I don’t expect any thanks or favors, okay?”

For a moment, the weight of her rank disappeared from Miragrave's countenance and she blinked at Izumi in surprise, the tops of her cheeks turning faint red. Then, her expression quickly broke into a spontaneous laughter, faint but wholehearted.

“...Last night, a lot happened, so I forgot,” the Colonel said after recovering. “Why don’t we have that cup of coffee now?”

“I can agree to that,” Izumi replied. “It tastes best in the morning, after all.”

“Is that how they have it in your world?”

“Yeah. Can't get the day started without some.”

“I'm still not certain if it's a good habit to get into. Then again, is any?”

“That's the right idea.”

Izumi borrowed a pot from the kitchen. The chef had yet to get to work, so she had to light a fire in the stove too, and wait for it to warm up before getting the pot to it. Once again, she was reminded of the modern electric conveniences of her old world. Strange how she had only remembered now.

Not that there was anything wrong with waiting. She was in no hurry. All the rush and stress she had left behind in her old home.

“What do you mean to do?” Miragrave asked her, appearing to wait in the kitchen doorway. “Will you truly come as far as Bhastifal with me? As things stand, if you don't want to give Yuliana to us, there is little we can do about it.”

“Well,” Izumi replied after a moment of thought, “the big boss wants to see Yule, Yule wants to see him, and there's that annoying magic gimmick going on, so no two ways about it, I suppose.”

“And what is it that you want?”

“Me?”

“Are you following Yuliana for her sake? Or your own sake?”

Listening to the crackling of flames behind the iron lid, Izumi eventually answered.

“A knight of yours killed someone important to me.”

“They had their orders,” Miragrave said. “I doubt it was personal.”

“That's right,” Izumi replied. “That's what they always say. 'I was only following orders'. Well, unlike a lot of people, I do think it's a valid excuse. If it's kill or be killed, then you'll obviously rather take your own side than the side of a complete stranger. When someone tells you to put an arrow into another person, you do it, so that nobody would put an arrow into you. I can't say it's wrong with a good conscience when what I'm doing is essentially the same. I can understand why he did it. But, in the end, I'm still angry. There's a voice inside me saying, 'this isn't enough, I can't leave it at that'. What am I to do?”

“Regardless of who was at fault, you've slain your friend's killer. And everyone else along with him. Wouldn't you say that you've avenged her many times over by now? If that isn't enough, then what is? Or is anything?”

“You're right. That's what I thought on the way back. But then I realized, it's not only about simple revenge. I'm not the eye-for-eye kind of a person, anyway. It's nothing that simple. There are ordinary people who only follow orders, and those giving orders have their own justifications too, don't they? It's not any single person in particular that I can blame. Instead, the fault lies with the system that makes it possible for such people to be running things and be rewarded for what they do. This isn't the first time I've killed an obnoxious jerk who insisted he was doing it for the good of his Empire. No matter how many spies, viziers, knights, or colonels I were to kill, I doubt anything would change just by keeping at it. There'd always come more and more, wouldn't there?”

“Probably so.”

“Then there's only one thing I can do. What I really need to do is to flip that whole stupid pyramid upside down in one go. Which is why I'm going to skip the middle-management and take my business straight to the top.”

“Meaning?”

Watching the water in the pot heat up, little bubbles rising to the surface one by one, not all that unlike the steady fury boiling within her, Itaka Izumi answered with a resolution,

“That Emperor of yours is going to have to die.”

Paradise Lost | END