The Asterisk War, Vol. 5: Battle for the Crown

by Yuu Miyazaki

  “Good grief— Are you two all right? They certainly did a number on you.” Julis, following on Ayato’s heels, wore a worried expression that belied her harsh words.

  “…No real damage. We could have kept going, if they hadn’t gotten our crests,” muttered Saya, looking sullen. She turned her head toward them.

  Having watched the match, Ayato recognized Saya’s bravado. It was more or less a one-sided affair once Ardy had combined parts with Rimcy. Not that Saya and Kirin didn’t stand a chance, but the outcome had been all but decided after Kirin’s injury and Saya’s Waldenholt breaking down. The pair had fought fiercely after that, but Ardy’s awesome strength overwhelmed them.

  Still, Saya had spoken the truth, in a sense. The two had kept getting back up no matter how many times they were knocked down. If their crests had not been destroyed, they might well have kept on fighting until their bodies were.

  “I never imagined the Linked Cranes could be broken like that…” Kirin sighed with a weak smile, her voice filled with frustration. “I’m sorry you had to see such a disappointing match. I don’t know how to face Flora— She was rooting for us…”

  Flora had watched the match from the general admission seats but hadn’t arrived in the prep room yet.

  “It wasn’t disappointing at all,” Ayato said. “Besides, I don’t think anyone human could break the Linked Cranes that way.”

  As someone who had firsthand experience being on the receiving end of the technique, he could say that much. Kirin’s katana strikes were heavy to begin with, and it was all that anyone defending against the Linked Cranes could do to just deflect her attacks. Ayato couldn’t even imagine how much physical strength it would take to send Kirin herself flying.

  “No—I’ve never been as painfully aware of my own inexperience as I am now. In the end, I was relying too much on the Cranes. I have to rethink my strategy from a more fundamental level…” Kirin’s voice was tight with self-recrimination as her fists clenched.

  Ayato made himself swallow the words of comfort he was about to offer. Sometimes, careless consolation could drive a defeated fighter further into despair. “Anyway, you two have to rest and heal,” he said instead. “Your medical exams didn’t turn up anything, right?”

  Those who lost a Festa match were required to go through medical examinations (while this was optional for the winners). Serious injuries could result in hospitalization, but since Genestella were such quick healers, usually only first aid was necessary.

  “Nothing major,” Kirin replied. “Although if I had to say, my right leg is a little…”

  “Oh—does it hurt badly?” Ayato asked.

  “Oh, no. The medicine is working now… But thank you for your concern.” Kirin waved him off idly.

  She really is brave, Ayato thought. “What about you, Saya?”

  “…I hurt all over. But wrecking so many of my Luxes is far more painful.”

  It was an answer he might well have expected from his childhood friend.

  “We’ll avenge you in the final, so rest easy,” Julis said. “Right, Ayato?”

  “Well, sure, I’d really like to…but I can’t make any promises after seeing that match.” Ayato turned to her, grave.

  Indeed, when it came to swordplay, Kirin was far superior to Ayato. It would not be that simple to beat an opponent who could overwhelm her—even with an Orga Lux.

  “How valiant of you, Riessfeld,” Saya said in mock amazement as she sat up. “If you can say that after seeing our match, you’d have to be a real idiot, or have something up your sleeve—”

  “I don’t have any ideas, not against a monster like that,” Julis said plainly.

  “…So what you’re saying is you are a real idiot?”

  “I may well be. It’s a grand slam I’m after, remember? Wouldn’t I have to be an idiot to consider a crazy fantasy like that?”

  Saya’s eyes widened at that, but then she smiled drily. “…No argument from me. You can’t slip up in your first Festa, then.”

  “That’s right.”

  Julis offered her outstretched fist, and Saya bumped her own against it.

  “…So it’s up to you,” Saya said.

  “Right. We’ve got this.”

  Ayato smiled faintly as he watched their exchange from the corner of his eye—then his expression quickly became serious again.

  After combining with Rimcy, Ardy’s strength in the semifinal match had been otherworldly. He seemed too strong.

  Was it really possible to become that strong simply by combining some equipment?

  Something about it is familiar somehow…

  As his thoughts raced, Ayato turned his gaze to the entrance. At that exact moment, in the press room down the hall, the winners’ interview was taking place.

  “Sheesh, those reporters are so pushy, I can’t believe it. And when I have to get back to repair Ardy and Rimcy, no less,” Ernesta grumbled, skipping down the corridor to the prep room.

  “…”

  Even as she complained, she was smiling—in stark contrast to the silent and sullen Camilla beside her, whose shoes clacked along at a brisk pace.

  Camilla had been like this since the winners’ interview began. The press must have been confused as to why a member of the winning team would be in such a foul mood.

  “Come on, Camilla, aren’t you ready to cheer up yet? There wasn’t much of a choice. We might have lost if we didn’t use it.”

  “…”

  Ernesta stepped ahead of her tight-lipped companion and spun around to peer into her face.

  But Camilla did not slow down and walked past Ernesta instead, intent on ignoring her.

  Ernesta let out a deep sigh, the smile fading from her face. “…Camilla, you always knew this day would come, didn’t you?”

  At that, Camilla’s steps finally paused.

  It wasn’t very fair of Ernesta to bring this up, but she had to. “You and me, we’re trying to get to two different places. Sure, we’ll travel together for a while, but in the end we’ll have to go our separate ways. You knew that, and you helped anyway. Right?”

  “That’s not—” Camilla turned and started to say something, but then decided against it.

  Ernesta sighed again. She was grateful for her friend’s kindness, but it was time to put things out in the open. “Your ultimate objective is perfect versatility. Which is to say, you want to make weapons that anyone—any human at all—can wield with ease. Isn’t that right?”

  “It is.” Camilla nodded after a short pause.

  “But weapons like that don’t exist. They can’t. In the end, all weapons rely to some extent on the person wielding them.”

  What was the solution, then? It was simple: Create a new entity—something not human—to handle the weapon.

  Puppets were the answer.

  A Puppet could expertly wield any weapon, no matter how complex. All a human had to do was give an order.

  “To achieve that, however,” Ernesta went on, “the Puppets don’t need human-level sentience. Actually, they must not have it. If they did, they’d be just the same as humans.”

  Ernesta’s objective was different.

  What she wanted was to create with her own hands entities equal to humans in every way—autonomous Puppets that could laugh, cry, rejoice, and grow.

  So she trembled with emotion, watching the growth of Ardy during the semifinal match, knowing that was exactly what she’d been pursuing all this time.

  Ernesta’s ultimate objective was that, someday, Puppets like hers would earn the same rights as human beings.

  With a sad, wry smile, Camilla looked at Ernesta, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes. “Do you remember the first time we met?” she asked.

  “Sure I do. I mean, half your body had been blown away, Camilla. That’s not the kind of thing you forget,” Ernesta replied with a high laugh.

  Camilla had been accompanying her parents on a business excursion to a conflict zone when they were attack
ed by a group of anti-government insurgents. Camilla’s parents had hired armed escorts, but they were badly outnumbered. Her parents lost their lives, and Camilla herself suffered life-threatening injuries. Her parents had been dealing with Frauenlob at the time, and she was transported to one of their labs.

  Ernesta, already widely known as a peerless prodigy, happened to be researching Puppets in that very laboratory. While the technology for regenerating human body parts was widely available, the time it took to cultivate organs meant it had no application in emergencies. And so Ernesta applied her expertise to save Camilla’s life.

  Although she had not asked in so many words, Ernesta was sure it was because of this past that her friend was so insistent on developing weapons that anyone could use. Camilla’s parents had tried to fight with the weapons their guards carried, but they weren’t even able to activate them properly.

  Moreover, Camilla’s parents had been ordinary civilians. Even with the use of those weapons, they would have been no match for combat-trained insurgents. In the end, weapons depended entirely on their users. No matter how versatile the device, that would remain an inescapable truth.

  That was why Camilla pursued Puppets as a solution.

  More than anyone in the world, Camilla mistrusted human beings.

  “Yes. Half my body is a Puppet that you made for me. And I swore to give you half of my life in return.”

  “Yup, and I took it.” Ernesta nodded innocently.

  “That’s why…I won’t criticize your dream. True, my objective isn’t the same—but that’s another conversation.”

  “Then why were you so mad?”

  Camilla’s eyes lit up at those words. “That was my anger as an engineer! How many times did I tell you? That thing is too dangerous to use in actual combat! And I was right to be afraid! Just look at the abnormal spikes in these readings!” Camilla jabbed at her mobile device, opening an air-window that displayed many graphs. “There’s no way we can manage this much output! We were one step away from losing control!”

  “Aw, c’mon. We didn’t really have a choice. If we lose now, then all our work will be for nothing.” Ernesta pouted like a child receiving a scolding.

  “If you wanted results, we have more than enough—”

  “Nope. I’ve been telling you from the start. My only goal is the championship. And then I’ll have them make Ardy and Rimcy official students at our school.” Unable to contain her excitement, Ernesta began twirling around. Yes, and that’ll be the first step to spreading awareness about autonomous Puppets. That’s why I simply have to win the Phoenix.

  “But that’s what I’m saying—,” Camilla protested just as a call came to the mobile device in her hand. “It’s me. Yes, it— What?”

  The tone of her voice changed mid-reply.

  As Ernesta wondered what the call could be about, Camilla gave her a troubled look.

  “There’s a call for you—from Dirk Eberwein.”

  “Huh… Well, what do you know. Okay, put him through.”

  “Right.” Camilla touched her mobile, and a new air-window opened to show a slightly overweight young man.

  “…Hey. So you’re Ernesta Kühne?”

  Ernesta laughed. “That’s some way to greet someone you’re meeting for the first time. Yup. I’m Ernesta Kühne, leader of the Pygmalion faction. Nice to meet you, Tyrant.” Ernesta spoke in her usual tone and gave a small bow.

  Dirk scoffed. “You’re even more obnoxious than they say.”

  “And you’re even less likable than they say,” Ernesta replied. “So? What do you want? I thought you guys were all buddy-buddy with Magnum Opus?”

  For a moment, an unsettling gleam showed in Dirk’s eyes. “You’re better informed than I thought. But let me set you straight. We agreed with that crazy broad not to get in each other’s way, and that’s it. We’re not friendly and we’re not working together.”

  “Hmm… I didn’t know that. But I guess it makes sense, now that I think about it. No way would she forgive you after you stole Erenshkigal from her.”

  “Never mind that. I’ll get straight to the point. Join forces with us.”

  “Ugh, that’s why you called? What a complete waste of time…!” Camilla glared at Dirk with open hatred, but the red-haired youth paid her no mind.

  “Hmm, isn’t that an awfully blunt way to propose a relationship?” Ernesta said. “I mean, first of all, we barely know anything about you guys. Shouldn’t we explore this after we get to know each other better?”

  “Why bother? I said ‘join forces,’ but all I want is your cooperation, whenever and however we need it. You’ll be compensated accordingly.”

  “Compensated?”

  Dirk sniffed disdainfully. “We prepared a little gift as a gesture. You can make a decision after you see it.”

  “Excuse me.”

  After a knock and a polite greeting, Claudia entered the prep room. “Miss Sasamiya, Miss Toudou, I know the outcome of your match disappoints you. But finishing in the top four is something you should be truly proud of. For Seidoukan Academy, the prospects for this Festa season are considerably brighter, thanks to you. I’ll make sure the two of you are rewarded accordingly for your achievement.”

  She gave them a gracious bow, to which Saya and Kirin responded somewhat bashfully.

  “N-no, really, that’s…!”

  “…Don’t bother. We fought for ourselves.”

  Ayato had heard that students who placed high in the Festa received significant rewards, although not as much as the winners. Sometimes it was simply money, or sometimes they would be granted privileges similar to the ones extended to Page One students. The latter sort of reward sounded appealing, considering that the privileges would not be revoked due to a drop in rank.

  “By the way, Claudia,” Julis asked, “did you happen to see Flora on the way here?”

  “No, I’m sorry to say I didn’t.” Claudia shook her head slowly.

  “We said we would meet here after the match…”

  But considerable time had passed since the match ended. Ayato and Julis’s match was not until evening, so they were in no hurry—but it worried them that Flora was so late.

  “You can’t reach her on her mobile device?” Claudia asked.

  “We’ve been trying,” Julis fretted.

  Ayato stood up. “I’ll go check our prep room again. Maybe Flora got the meeting place wrong.”

  “Right… I’ll go ask reception if they’ve got any lost children.”

  As if on cue, her mobile device signaled an incoming call just before Julis could leave the room. Seeing who it was from, she smiled.

  “It’s Flora. What on earth could she be up to?” But then her smile faded, quickly replaced by a more serious expression. “A voice-only call…?”

  Frowning suspiciously, she opened an air-window. The visual was pitch-black nothingness, and a deep, gloomy voice said, “Julis-Alexia von Riessfeld?”

  “Who are you? Why do you have this phone?!” Julis shouted, fury and panic rising.

  “The owner of this mobile device is in our custody,” the voice replied dispassionately. “Is Ayato Amagiri with you?”

  “Yeah, that’s me— Is Flora safe?” Ayato was surprised to hear his name but responded immediately to the matter at hand.

  Then, after a short silence—

  “Your Highness! Master Amagiri! I’m okay!” an excited child called to them.

  There was no mistaking it. The voice was Flora’s.

  “If you agree to our demand, we will guarantee her safety.”

  “And what are you demanding?”

  “Apply for an emergency freeze on the Ser Veresta. We’ll free the girl once we confirm the request has been received.”

  “An emergency freeze…?”

  “If we determine that our demand was not carried out, or if you contact the city guard or Seidoukan’s covert ops apparatus, then we can’t guarantee her safety. The same goes if you forfeit or withdr
aw from the Festa. That is all.”

  “Hey, wait—!”

  The air-window closed after the voice had had its say. Ayato quickly snatched the mobile device from Julis’s hand and called back. But of course, there was no answer. The caller had turned off the power, or perhaps destroyed the device to avoid being traced.

  “Flora…kidnapped…?” Julis mumbled, her face pale. The strength was gone from her voice. She hardly seemed like herself.

  It was Claudia who spoke next. “Stay calm, Julis. They’re after Ayato, not you. We can’t do anything if you panic. That would be exactly what they want.”

  “Claudia…”

  “First, we have to get a firm grasp on the situation, and then we can decide what needs to be done.”

  Julis took a deep breath, exhaled, then slapped both of her cheeks with her hands. “Yes, you’re right. Sorry.”

  A fierce anger still burned in her eyes, but she no longer seemed to be panicking. The exchange made Ayato remember what a dependable friend Claudia was.

  “Claudia, what’s this emergency freeze that they wanted?” he asked.

  The kidnappers’ demand was directed at him. He was prepared to follow it immediately if possible. Whatever it involved, there was no way it was worth more than Flora’s life.

  “An emergency freeze is requested when a wielder of a school-owned Orga Lux senses danger from the weapon.” Turning to Ayato, Claudia slightly lowered her eyes. “As you already know, using an Orga Lux entails certain kinds of risks. If there is a real danger, in many cases, it would be recognizable only to the wielder. So an Orga Lux wielder can, at his or her discretion, apply to have the weapon forcibly sealed away.”

  “So—the kidnappers want to make the Ser Veresta unusable?”

  “It would seem so.”

  “B-but then,” Kirin interjected timidly, “can’t you just have the freeze lifted once Flora is freed? It doesn’t have to be sealed forever, does it?”

  With an expression that neither confirmed nor denied, Claudia shrugged her shoulders. “Yes, that’s true, as far as the procedure itself is concerned. An emergency freeze is meant for just that—emergencies. After the Orga Lux is sealed away, a detailed inspection is carried out. If that reveals no danger, then the freeze on the Ser Veresta can be lifted immediately. However…”