meakashi
patreon
Chapter 135 - The Enemy of My Enemy
🕑 Added 2020-01-18 21:47:28 +0000 UTCSo, some of you may have already heard that volume 4 is delayed for a while due to cover artwork problems. This is my last update before leaving on vacation for a month, but during that time I'll try my best to finish the book.
Maybe you'll even get a new chapter in that time, too ;)
_________________________
Crisis meeting.
All my girls are in the meeting room, and so are Rewera and most of the maids. Aside from my core group, they're currently the only other people in the Dominion who know the truth about the Imagination Engine. Maybe their ideas could help foil this doomsday plan.
I did spend some time to explain that the moon is about one-fourth the size of our planet and that if it's allowed to impact the ground, everything will end. Of course, I left out the fact that some like Aurelia or me could survive even if the entire planet were to be shattered. That would only make them worry that I could abandon them if things don't work out. Though I doubt anybody would think that at this point.
"Can we destroy it?" Rewera asks in all seriousness.
"Unless we erase it completely, the pieces will still rain down on us in a hail of meteorites." I played with that thought before, but I don't think there's anything on this planet with that kind of firepower. Not even Alverost's small Death S*ar would have been able to achieve that.
"Leaving aside the fact that it will cause many problems if the moon just disappeared." Senka comments with a shrug. She knows this stuff better than I do, it seems.
"I heard about the crisis, Chloe." Suddenly, Rolan and his party bursts into the room. He and the others have been freeloading in the castle ever since our heart-to-heart shortly before my official coronation. We worked things out between us; while there's no more bad blood, it's still awkward.
That's why we've been avoiding each other for the most part until circumstances would bring us back together. Circumstances such as this one, it would seem.
"This is not something you can help with." Hestia declares in a commanding tone that causes Rolan to duck in surprise.
"Now now." I'm not particularly interested in what humans who have been indoctrinated in the Old Humans' magic system could contribute here. Especially ones who don't know about the Imagination Engine. But Luna was the one operating the Death S*ar laser, so maybe she knows some of Alverost's plans.
"Let's blow it up." Halthor comes to the forefront from behind Gram and makes this suggestion.
"Already out." Korenga crosses her arms and remarks in a sharp tone. She, of all people, shouldn't be judging others for their ideas. After all, she brought up the idea of letting me launch her in the Godslayer Cannon and explode the moon from the inside as she did against Roamukao. But as expected of two muscleheads, when one makes a statement while filled with conviction, the other accepts it without a shred of doubt.
"Could you not stop it as you did with Alverost's flying fortress?" The bard suggests. He's referring to how Tokomaha grew gigantic trees, and with the help of Aurelia slowing its fall, stopped it in midair. Even now, it's still looming over Zohigal, but the lizardfolk are slowly dismantling it with the technologically advanced tools they found inside the sphere.
"The moon is many times larger than that sphere." Senka explains while pointing out the window of the meeting room. The number on the celestial body's surface has shifted to a twelve, signaling that we only have half a day left. I wonder how Chaos-Juzual is doing it, as the astrology lab in what was formerly Mithra's tower reported that it seems to be actual paint.
"Even with the power of the Imagination Engine, I can't imagine anything that could stop this." I finally admit. After all, the Imagination Engine isn't all-powerful, and things are limited by the laws of physics. Not the ones I know, but the ones future humanity discovered long after my death.
And the only things I can imagine involve destroying the moon, which is so vital for the planet's stability, as Senka explained earlier. With every passing hour, the approach of the moon will cause more massive tidal waves and earthquakes that could be incredibly destructive on their own.
"Have you contacted Exla yet?" The doll girl asks me, and I shake my head in thoughtfulness. Chaos-Juzual said that even she wouldn't be able to stop this, but maybe it was just a trick to prevent me from going to her right away. Even then, I don't know where exactly she is on the Dark Continent, so finding her will take precious time. "And this may be an unpopular suggestion, but maybe you should ask that Mataku for help."
I stare at Senka with my eyes nearly popping out. His goal is the same as Chaos-Juzual's, so he's definitely my enemy. Why would he have any reason to stop this? I'd think that having the planet shatter from being hit by its own moon is even flashier of an end than what he had planned for himself.
"Is that a serious suggestion?" I give her the benefit of the doubt and ask. That's also meant as a request for her to explain in more detail.
"Well, the way you explained Mataku to me, it sounded like he wouldn't like somebody one-upping him. For his plan to work, he will have to do something about the moon-fall." Senka sounds nonchalant in her explanation of something as grave as ending the world.
"The enemy of my enemy, huh? You're the specialist in psychology and the likes. If that's your verdict..." I sigh and lower my gaze.
"You ask help from Mataku?" Korenga inquires in a dangerously low tone of voice. Her history with him is so bad that she would try to kill him on sight even though she knows that she stands no chance.
"I don't know." Returning her gaze, I answer truthfully. Considering I've essentially pardoned Rolan despite the fact that he swung the sword that killed my mother - even if the effect came from Zenlith's battleship - I'm not one to dismiss the possibility to work with former enemies if it benefits me. And afterward, I would backstab Mataku and take him down if he was in any way weakened from this.
"Should I help You decide, Your Majesty?" Suddenly, Flann asks in her usual neutral tone. Her eyes are their normal blue, so she isn't under anybody's control. None that express themselves in her physical appearance at least.
"What do you mean?" I narrow my eyes and look at the androgynous girl. We can't be certain that Chaos-Juzual isn't monitoring us through her, so I'm cautious about saying anything important in front of her. In either case, we'll need a solution that can't be counteracted. After all, if it could be, it wouldn't be a solution.
"I can contact my father." The blonde girl reveals, deadpan as ever. That's a huge revelation I would have liked to have known about a long time ago. There are many things I wanted to ask Mithra. "Shall I?"
I exchange a glance with everybody in the room. Rewera and the maids have a bone to pick with him for seemingly abandoning Maou-mama and leaving her to fight against the Old Humans alone. I, on the other hand, just want to know the reasons for his actions.
However, we don't have time for any of that right now.
"Do it." I come to a decision. Although I'm the queen of a nation now, dealing with things as they come is still a legitimate course of action.
"As You wish." With a nod, Flann stares into nothingness for a moment. Then, space behind her warps in a vortex before snapping back, adding the familiar form of Mithra in his usual blue robes to the foreground.
The instant he appears, many weapons and claws are pointed straight at him from all sides, as the maids make sure he doesn't make a wrong move. Bandaged as always, the former Court Magician's expression at this treatment can't be seen, but he doesn't react at all. I can feel his gaze on me as he leans on his staff.
"Your Majesty." He remarks with a nod, no hint of irony in his voice.
"There are many things I want to talk to you about, but now isn't the time." I gesture out of the window, but he doesn't turn his head as if already understanding what this is about. "What does your master plan to do against this?"
Flann told me that Mithra has to serve the most powerful Crawling Chaos in the universe, which happens to be Mataku - whenever the cosmic-scale one doesn't peek in on us. So the Primordial Terror isn't his actual master but rather the bratty kid he needs to obey by default. In other words, his true agenda in all this is still unknown to me.
"He thinks of temporarily stopping the moon and dealing with the one responsible for it." The magician in blue replies without hesitation.
"How does he want to achieve that?" Some ideas buzz around in my mind, but I'd rather hear what the other side has planned.
"By gathering enough mass to do it physically." And once again, Mithra answers with no doubt in his voice.
"Hold up." I rub the bridge of my nose. For having lived that long, that's what Mataku came up with? Could there ever be enough biomass on this entire planet for him to ingest that he could grow to a size that would allow him to hold up the moon? "Is he serious?"
"He is still working on it." For the first time, I hear a hint of wryness in Mithra's voice. It seems that he's not very happy with the Crawling Chaos he has to follow.
"I could do it." Tokomaha suddenly comments. She has been silent during the whole meeting, and only now speaks up. I stare at her, wondering what she means.
"Do what exactly?" I seriously doubt that she can grow a tree capable of stopping the moon. There's a massive difference between a diameter of ten kilometers and one of over three thousand kilometers. And she only managed to stop the one over Zohigal because Aurelia was able to hold it still for a moment.
"Grow to the size that allows me to stop the moon." She replies with an expression that suggests her answer is obvious. Everybody stares at her, unsure what to think of her words that brim with nonchalant confidence.
"Are you sure about that? We only have one shot." If she misjudges things, everything will end. After all, this plan involves letting the moon come close enough that something standing on the surface of this planet can contact it. Usually, the moon is nearly four hundred thousand kilometers away, but that plan would require it to come within a few thousand kilometers.
"I can only tell for sure when the time comes." Tokomaha shrugs in a total lack of responsibility. If she can't do it, then the planet is going to be destroyed.
"How will you do it?" Leaning over toward her, I inquire with a skeptical expression. I don't know how her personal imagination works, but it doesn't seem to obey any laws of physics. The clones she creates only require a little matter to be fully flesh and blood humans. They have all of her physical characteristics but return to the dirt and leaves they're made of when taking too much damage.
It wouldn't be funny if she does catch the moon, but her body comes undone because of the impact.
"I could show you." The little goddess stands up from her seat and points outside the window toward the grassy Fields of Huwinn. Exla didn't have much time here, so all she managed to do was make grass sprout where the land used to be completely arid.
"The moon is far beyond the scope of this immediate area." I know from maps that the Fields of Huwinn are a few dozen kilometers across, with the entire Herelier desert being about ten times that size. That's only a small area on the surface of the moon.
"I can imagine that much." Tokomaha remarks with a click of her tongue, which I would have almost flared up at. Then I realize her wording and chuckle to myself. "Huh, what is it?"
Maybe she didn't notice it herself, or she thinks I'm making fun of her, but I extend a hand and pet her leaf hair. She doesn't push me away but still looks at me with an inquisitive gaze, not letting me off the hook.
"It's alright. I trust you." Putting all my confidence into it, I give the little goddess a warm smile. Then I turn to the others. "Alright, we need to figure out where the moon is going to land. Senka, go to the astronomy lab and help them figure it out. Keep in contact."
The doll girl nods wordlessly, knowing that this isn't the time for one of her quips. Without waiting for anything more from me, she jumps up from her seat and rushes out of the room to fulfill her role.
"Maid Corps." I turn to Rewera and address the maids in general. They nod in affirmation, but I pause for a moment to think about my words carefully. I can't go back on my trust in Tokomaha moments after agreeing to place everything on her little shoulders, but preparing for the worst isn't a sign of weakness. "Deploy the shield array around Arkaim."
Everybody's faces turn aghast, as they realize the implication in my words. But not a single one complains. They know that twelve hours - or half a day as I explained it to them - is too little time for much else. There's no way we can warn all of the Dominion, let alone the rest of the world. My order is for at least the capital and its inhabitants to be protected in case our countermeasures fail.
"As You command, Your Majesty." Rewera declares with a bow, not a hint of worry on her face. The members of the Maid Corps are inspired by her attitude and follow her example.
Over the past half a year, the maids have learned to use the light magic barrier, as ironic as that is. They each can shield enough space to cover the entire castle, and with seventy-three of them, the whole city can be covered under a dome. They've been practicing it in case Alverost comes here with a new Death S*ar and tries to hit me where I can actually be hurt.
This way, at least this city can be protected from the wave of death that will roll across the planet no matter where the moon impacts. Who knows what else will happen after, but at least Arkaim should survive the initial shockwave.
To my surprise, Tokomaha doesn't complain. She believes me when I said that I trust her. Even then, her stopping the moon could still cause a shockwave or any other sort of aftereffect on the surface of the planet.
"I'm going to tell Exla." I stand up from my seat and ready myself to leave through the window, but Kamii's crab arm grabs my wrist.
"What about me?" She asks with upturned eyes. Hestia is looking at me as well, wondering what her role in all this should be. It's sad to say, but neither of the two can contribute to this. The angel girl does understand that this is a scale far beyond what she can handle. Aurelia's closed eyes imply that she has come to the same conclusion about herself.
But then I realize that Kamii isn't asking about how she can help stop the moon or protect the city. She simply wants to be by my side during all this, no matter how it turns out. I glance at Hestia and Aurelia, and then Tokomaha. One could say that their individual power levels are a reflection of the leaps and bounds that my opposition took during my life in this world so far.
Only the little goddess is capable of lending a definite hand in this particular matter.
"All of you should come with me." I declare with a warm smile. It pains me to deceive them like this. When I meet Exla, I'm going to leave those who won't be able to survive if things go wrong to be protected by her. I'm sure she can keep them safe even when the planet is destroyed. "We'll do this together."
"What shall I tell Mataku?" Mithra suddenly asks, causing everybody's attention to shift onto him.
"That we have completed his plan. He can sit back and prepare himself for the time when I'm going to end him." Turning to the bandaged man, I state with a determined expression. Korenga smiles at my words.
"What about the being on the moon?" He counters with this question, causing me to pause for a moment.
If Chaos-Juzual is really the Primordial Crawling Chaos that terrorized the Dominion over twenty years ago, then she should have far more mass than I do - unless she has been starving since then. Even now, I have no idea how to deal with another Crawling Chaos but to swallow them.
"You will not be able to defeat that one just yet." As if having read my mind, he announces in an entirely neutral tone. "Not on the moon."
Fully turning around to regard him, I close my eyes at the futility to see through his bandages. Then I look at Flann, whose expression is just as inscrutable despite openly showing her face. Do I believe him here and strike a bargain with the devil known as Mataku to fight Chaos-Juzual?
"What does your master want in return?" I ask with a sideways glance at Korenga, whose eyebrows furrow at my hint of willingness to work with the Primordial Terror.
"There is nothing left on this world for him to desire." Mithra replies, and I imagine hearing him sigh. "He does not even wish for you to stand aside as he performs his final banquet. He looks forward to you opposing him at the time."
Turning his head to look at the maids still pointing their weapons and claws at him, he then regards his daughter. She doesn't show even a hint of emotion at meeting her father, whom she hasn't seen in a long time, and only returns the gaze. Her eyes are fixated on where his should be under the bandages.
"So nothing at all?" I can't believe Mataku would do anything out of goodwill. But then again, he's doing this out of pure selfishness; after all, if he doesn't stop Chaos-Juzual, he can't do his thing.
"Meet him on the dark side of the moon before the end of things." With these ominous words, Mithra disappears in his teleportation vortex, leaving the maids keeping their eyes on him peeved at his easy escape.
"You heard Her Majesty. Get into position around the city." Rewera claps her hands and relays my orders. They didn't move all this time because the element of danger that the former court magician posed remained in the room. Now that he's gone, they immediately spring into action and leave one after the other while bowing to me. I see them off with a reassuring smile until the maid leader herself stops before me. "I wish You good fortune, Chaos-sama."
"I hope you won't need to use the shield array." I look up at her and state, not letting my unease show. I've decided to trust Tokomaha to stop the moon, but what happens then?
"Be careful." Senka's voice suddenly echoes in my mind even though she isn't in the room. I've grown used to her speaking to me like this though, so I don't let it trip me up while I see off Rewera. "Mataku might be working with the Chaos on the moon."
"I assume you think that either of them is spying on us, so you aren't saying this out loud." I reply in my mind as I walk across the room toward Flann. "Can you help me determine something then?"
"Go." Without wasting time, Senka asks me to pose my question.
"I want to find out whether or not Flann is working with either Chaos-Juzual or Mataku. How should I go about doing that?"
One would think that as Mithra's daughter, she's subjected to the same rules that he is in terms of who to obey. But she seems to have some degree of free will - or it's all an act. Finding out what is the case is the point of my question.
"That's hard. She's expressionless, has no idiosyncrasies, and generally shows no emotions. And I doubt there would be anything physical for me to detect either way even if I had the best equipment."
"Aren't there any questions one could ask which could determine whether or not she's under their command?" It's obvious that Flann's poker face won't give anything away.
"If such a question existed, I would have asked it already." Senka replies, and I can picture her shrugging even though she has opted not to show her astral body in my vision.
"Then, I can only let my judgment guide me, I guess." Suppressing the urge to shrug as well, I turn to Flann. She returns my gaze without blinking, waiting for me to address her. "Is your father watching?"
"Yes." She replies with what I'd rather assume is the truth. If she had answered in the negative, I would have had reason to doubt her. "Shall I block him out?"
"You can do that?" I catch myself staring at her before quickly averting my doubtlessly excited gaze. A smacking sound in my mind tells me that Senka just brought a palm to her forehead. "Shush."
"Shall I do it?" She asks, not showing on her face what she thinks about my apparent interest. Having her act as if she didn't notice only makes me more embarrassed than if she had laughed out loud.
"Can you also block the Chaos on the moon? What about the big one?" The latter isn't important right now, but that could give me insight into whether or not she's telling the truth.
"I already have. She will no longer take command of me. As for the big one, I have no connection to it." With a simple nod, Flann states in a matter of fact tone. But I glean a hint of pride in her deadpan expression and determine that this must be the truth then. Unlike her father, she must be free of their influence. Maybe only her youth is what allowed Chaos-Juzual to find an opening. Then again, I have no idea how old she is.
"Alright. I'll believe you." I pet the blonde girl's hair, who looks surprised at the sudden caress. "Then there's one more thing I need to know."
Flann doesn't shy back from my touch and looks up into my eyes, wordlessly waiting for me to pose my question.
"Can you transport people without a circle?" Asking in a lowered voice so that only she can hear me, I ask her this all-important question.
"As long as you are with me." In any other situation, this would have sounded somewhat romantic, but I immediately understand what she means. Her ability to teleport is limited by needing a Crawling Chaos to accompany her.
"That's good enough." With these words, I separate from Flann and turn to Korenga next. "Alright, how long can you hold your breath?"
