It was something I had not experienced in over a decade.

An earthquake.

A natural phenomenon that I had to deal with on a regular basis in my first life, sparingly in my second, even then only on deployments abroad, and seemingly now in this one as well.

Which is beyond strange.

As far as I was aware, earthquakes were not a common thing in this part of the continent. They were found in the south, the north, and the west, but not here.

But that was hardly my immediate concern.

The clinking and crashing of plates and glass echoed across the chamber as the objects wobbled off their tables or fell from on high.

Cracks snaked their way up the walls and foundations of the room.

And then things began to fall.

The first to die were the ones who huddled up to pillars for support, the debris crushing any caught beneath them. Jagged pieces of mosaics rained down from above, cutting and embedding themselves into anyone below. Guests screamed, cowered, ran for the exits, or just stood dumbfounded.

It was pure pandemonium.

For my part, I only had a moment of warning before I noticed debris coming down on me.

Acting on instincts over a decade old, I raised a magical barrier above myself and the Japanese.

Bits of ceiling smashed against my shield, pelting it like a hail of rocks and glass. Thankfully, each chunk was slow and small, with none carrying the same kinetic force that I was used to holding off in the Great War.

Evenso, I was so out of practice that I actually felt the impacts through my shield against my palms.

It was embarrassing.

While I wasn't so out of shape that there was any risk of my barrier failing (I would die of embarrassment before the actual debris crushed me) but I know for a fact that in my Germanian days I would not even be registering any kinetic impact hitting my barrier if this was what was crashing into it.

I've taken artillery shells, bombs, magically enhanced munitions, and yet damn rocks and glass felt more impactful than those things!

The only good thing was that there was no one around who could tell just how poor this barrier was.

Out of the corner of my eye, I realized that my little display of magic had caught the Japanese officials by surprise; more so the civilians than the Defense Force members.

"Please move," I spoke up, breaking the soldiers out of whatever trance they were in and dragging Mr. Sugawara out of the way so I could 'drop' what I was holding.

Moments later my barrier was back up, blocking a stray rock from crushing Gaius. The eunuch flinched just before contact with the barrier. He paled slightly at how close he came to dying, but no other exaggerated movements.

More debris rained down around us. Glass shattered, bits of ceiling crunch against bodies, and the screams of the injured slowly started to ring out all around me.

Glancing across the room for a quick headcount, I noted Pina was nowhere to be seen, the Emperor was unceremoniously shoved beneath a trio of praetorians who were using their shields, and bodies, to protect their charge, and Diabo was racing out the door with a throng of other guests.

Even as the shaking subsided, people continued to pour out of the chamber, some falling and being trampled by the mob's desperate attempt to get outside.

Yet amidst all the sounds and cries, even as the earth continued to shake all around me, one sound stood out from the rest: the deep bass drumming of a barrier coming up.

Across the chamber from me, now that it was cleared of guests and the like, I saw an unusual pair; a giant in armor and a mage casting the barrier. No, not a mage, it was Selene's father, Governor Clovis.

The girl never mentioned her father could use magic. Yet there he was blocking falling debris with a barrier conjured by magic via his scepter.

But something seemed…off.

That barrier, that magic, looked very familiar…

That was a barrier formula!

Sure, the circle's color hue was off, the dimensions smaller then how I used, but everything else: shape, composition, it all lined up with a computation orb's barrier formula!

But how?

The answer, it turned out, was in front of me..

The scepter. Or more specifically, the gem at its head.

While I had initially thought the ruby head of it was glowing, that wasn't quite accurate. The blood red gem wasn't glowing as much as it was 'pulsing'. These 'pulses' came in the shape of tiny, almost miniscule lights that raced up and down the precious stone's surface in straight lines. Bobbing and weaving to create perfect right angles as they zig zagged up and down the stone.

In fact, it reminded me of the crude gems used by mages before the mainstream adoption of computation orbs back in my previous life. Mages before the industrial revolution would literally etch their spells onto the stones, then just funnel mana through them to cast. It was a time intensive, expensive, laborious, process that only let the gem hold a handful of spells, but they could be cast quickly and with minimal mana draw.

While a mainstay of mages for centuries, it eventually fell out of fashion when mechanical computation devices started popping up capable of doing everything the gems could do, and more, with only a fraction of the labor involved.

But how the hell does someone from an alternate reality Roman Empire seemingly have the formula for a modern Germanian Barrier spell?

"Father! Sister!" Pina's voice drew my attention away from the newly discovered mage. She raced into the main chamber with a Japanese officer in tow. While the young man seemingly tried to rein in the headstrong princess, it was to no avail.

Honestly that girl-

A chain snapped above them, and I watched a massive chandelier fall towards the pair.

The Japanese officer noticed it as well, grabbing Pina by the arm to throw her out of the way.

But I was faster.

The falling glass and crystals smashed into my hastily created barrier. All the sounds of shattering and breaking caused the girl to flinch in his arms, then look dumbfounded at the sight of my magic.

"Please be careful, sister," I comment, waking over to them, "just because the shaking has stopped does not mean the danger has passed."

"I- uh…right," she nodded. Straightening herself, she looked to the Japanese officer with a hint of embarrassment from the position she was held in.

"Wow," the man commented from the display, "Pina, your sister's like a blonde Leilei."

I was a blonde what?

--
--

The palace slowly emptied out as fears of subsequent quakes died down. Some courtiers remained behind, either too scared to leave or wishing to ingratiate themselves with the Emperor. Even in a time of disaster, politics waits for no one.

I missed the governor and his giant guard leaving in the commotion with Pina, but I doubt he's going anywhere the other nobles aren't; home to sleep off the stress of the evening.

Or what was left of their homes.

The architecture of this city was hardly brittle, but it was never designed to withstand an earthquake. Even a cursory glance out the windows showed massive fires raging across Sadera proper. And this is before you take into account the vast devastation in the slums.

I had the small comfort of knowing my villa's foundations and structure were reinforced with magic years ago when I was practicing my more destructive spells. Still, out of an abundance of caution, I sent Gaius off to see for himself how it was. While the interior will no doubt be a mess, I doubt the actual structure has been compromised.

I overheard the Japanese talking about providing relief assistance, with Pina jumping to the occasion and beginning to coordinate the efforts with some of the servants and guards. For his part, the Emperor just watched it all. He was hardly out of the loop, he simply left the particulars for Pina to manage.

If I had to guess, I would say he is looking to see how the Japanese reacted to a 'weakened' enemy. Would they be 'honorable' or pounce at the first sign of weakness? Not that he had any idea that the JSDF could bomb this city into rubble regardless of the condition it was in.

I-

"Tanya!" a new voice cried out over the quiet discussions between Pina and the Japanese. All heads turned to the source-
Oh for the love of….

I felt the beginnings of a migraine from his voice alone.

Zorzal strode into the room, scowling as he scanned the room, only to light up when he saw me. "Thank the Gods you're safe!"

It was then I noticed he wasn't alone. A gaggle of his retinue marched beside him, their shoes crushing bits of glass and tiles beneath them. Behind them was a girl, dragged along the same glass riddled ground behind Zorzal by a leash. She wore nothing but bruises and welts.

She must be one of his…

My eyes quickly glanced from the girl to the Japanese, the disgust and revulsion at her condition clear as day.

Oh dear.

"Zorzal…" I had to rein in the slow creeping dread as I watched him drag his half beaten slave across the room to where I was, all in clear view of the Japanese, and associating himself with me! "What are you doing here?"

"Yes, Zorzal," the Emperor chimed in after me, clearly displeased with his presence. "Why are you here?"

"Sister, Father," the feeling was clearly mutual, "we need to get out of here. It's not safe."

"Oh? Do we?" the Emperor scoffed, dismissing Zorzal outright.

"Yes, we do! Noriko said there might be aftershocks, and they could finish what the first quake started!"

Noriko?

Why would he be talking about some Japanese-

My mind raced to a halt.

Japanese…

As father and son argued, I looked over at the girl, truly taking in her features. Through the blood, scaring, and bruises, I made out very distinct asiatic features.

Oh fuck….

And as Pina's voice chimed into the argument, her voice muffled by how little I cared about what they were saying, I could just about hear the girl muttering under her breath.

"Help me…help me….help me….."

Quickly glancing back, I saw that they heard…

Without saying a word, one of the JSDF, the man Pina arrived with earlier, approached Zorzal.

"Ser Itami?" Pina questioned, clearly confused by his sudden movement. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," the lieutenant commented in his native tongue, just loud enough for me to hear, "there is."

"I'm sorry but I didn't quite catch what you said-"

"It looks like your pet barbarian is barking at me," Zorzal mocked, completely oblivious to the catastrophe he had just instigated. "You might want to muzzle him if you plan to bring him out in public."

"Show some respect, Zorzal," Pina came to the officer's defense. "Ser Itami and his retinue have-"

Itami ignored the conversation between the pair, marching right up to Zorzal and landing a solid hit on the prince's jaw, throwing him to the ground.

Shock and gasps rang out all around at the sight as the 'barbarian' struck the crown prince of the Empire

For my part, I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from screaming every obscenity from every language I knew.

"Ser Itami!"

"Ambassador Sugawara, you will control your escort."

I barely registered the argument going on around me. It was all just noise to me.

"That woman is a citizen of Japan."

"You bastard! I'll have your head on a pike for that!"

I probably could have tried to mend. Interject in support of the Japanese, maybe spin a tale of how this was beyond the usual for how slaves were treated. Not that I think such an argument would go over well with them given how incensed they were at the sight of their brutalized countrywoman.

Yet I just couldn't form the words.

"...we do not break our pledges of non aggression while under a banner of peace."

"This is an extenuating circumstance, your majesty. One of our citizens was dragged out here by your son. You can hardly say this was unprovoked."

A culture clash of catastrophic proportions. Back and forth it went and all I could do was stand there like a stump.

Because it was taking every ounce of self control to not incinerate the man child for how much he was fucking me over right now!

After everything I went through to find each and every Japanese person here, to get them away from possible harm to no inflame the situation this idiot has the fucking gall to parade one before the them in the worst possible condition!

It took less than a minute before any hope of a conditional surrender went 'poof', gone!

If I wasn't on the receiving end of it, I would actually applaud how ridiculous the situation is. I'd even be tempted to think Zorzal was actually a Japanese plant to cause more tension to destroy the peace process in as spectacular a way as possible.

"You think you can just walk away after that!?"

"Yes."

And now, thanks to him I can hardly just come out and say 'hey, here are all these Japanese citizens I saved, please don't drag me along with the royal family before an international court on human rights violations'. The questions of why I had all these Japanese people specifically on hand would no doubt crop up, and a vigorous prosecution could fabricate some narrative that I was the one responsible for this girl's state!

Yes, it was not very likely given the goodwill I have earned with my humanitarianism over the years, but it is possible. And what would be more thematic for the media then a headline like young princess's true nature revealed!'?

No, no, I couldn't think like that.

There's always a way out, and I've mauvered myself through the worst crisis.

I just…I just need time to get my house in order. Come up with a new story, fabricate some breadcrumb trail to exonerate myself of any connection to Japanese slaves. I could still come out ahead of this-

The sudden shuffling of armor brought me out of my downward spiral of a mental state. In the time I had been musing my own situation, the Japanese had recovered the girl, given her a jacket to cover herself, and been surrounded by Zorzal's men; the Emperor's own guards seemingly staying out for now.

"I'm gonna kill you all and feed you to my dogs!" the prince yelled, as if Zorzal couldn't make the situation any worse…

"Kuribayashi," that man, Itami turned to the woman with the ambassador from before, "care to show the prince why we'll be allowed to leave?"

"Gladly," the woman drew her sidearm and leveled it at Zorzal.

"Do you have any shame?" he laughed at the sight of the JSDF servicewoman. "Having a woman fight your battles for you?"

Itami didn't answer, handing over Noriko to his comrade; giving the girl his full attention.

"Bastard!" Zorzal drew his blade and pointed it at the servicewoman. "And you! If you're half as good as Noriko is, I'll-"

Rather than continue the exchange, she simply shot Zorzal in the arm and then used the man's pain-filled panic to kick his legs out from under him.

Reminds me of that old American movie where the main character who just shoots a guy that wanted to get into a sword fight.

With him distracted, she used her own body to pin him down and proceeded to beat him into a bloody pulp.

It was…quite the display.

"Father, shouldn't we do something?" Pina whispered to the Emperor, clearly distressed about the whole situation. Her face wincing with every blow Zorzal suffered, more from the sight of it then caring he was harmed.

"This is a delicate situation," the Emperor answered calmly, showing no outward reaction to the sight of his heir in distress. "We need to consider the perspectives here."

"Perspectives?"

"He caused this situation by his own actions," I almost wanted to laugh when he motioned for his glass to be refilled, his face still stoic. "Even if I did help him, can you imagine how emasculating it would be if I had to save him from a woman?"

"She might kill him!"

"He seemingly insulted them a great deal with that slave," he continued to watch his eldest be beaten. Hit after hit, he showed no outward reaction to his son's state. "Who am I to scrutinize what barbarian cultures believe is right and wrong for themselves?"

I was almost tempted to say this was the Emperor's way of punishing Zorzal for causing this…everything…. without actually punishing him.

The beating went on for some time, Zorzal's own men too skittish at the sight to intervene.

Eventually, Itami called off his woman. "Right, that's enough Kuribyashi! He'll need some of his teeth to testify at his trial, we'll find something to restrain him with and head on out."

"Got it!" The woman nodded, getting off the bloodied prince while another serviceman walked over to them.

"His trial…" I mumble to myself.

This…this could be my way out! Just throw Zorzal under the bus! Meaning I can still spin this in my favor! I didn't collect Japanse to give them to Zorzal, I was saving them from him!

Yes! That could work!

While it is a bit concerning that this was happening at all, this is probably the best way for me come out looking-

"Trial?" Pina perked up at my off hand comment, looking back at the lieutenant, "for what?"

"Crimes against humanity to start," Itami answered, looking down at the prince, "though, I doubt it'll stop at just that."

"Crimes against humanity?" Pina parroted, looking between the lieutenant and her brother.

"I was unaware one could commit a crime against every human," the Emperor chimed in, finding the concept amusing.

"It's a catch-all term, your majesty," Mr Sugawara said. "Specifically, it is used for a broad collection of crimes including murder, torture, enslavement, and large scale targeting of civilians."

"It sounds more like you've outlawed war itself," he scoffed at the ambassador's words.

"Even war has rules."

"What nonsense. Mr. Sugawara, I took you for an intelligent man, don't tell me you actually believe what you just said?" The Emperor sounded genuinely confused by the statement. "The very concept of rules, what is right and wrong, are enforced by the strong on the weak. Your laws, if I understand your words, seem to be imposed upon the strong by the weak."

"In Japan, it's the duty of the strong to protect the weak"

"And thus have proven my point," the Emperor gestured around. "Your laws exist because you have the strength to impose them. It's a mandate built upon the exercise of power upon others."

"That is certainly one interpretation, your majesty," Sugawara conceded, "regardless, your son will stand trial in Japan for his crimes against our citizen, or any other of our citizens."

"Enough of this," the Emperor almost seemed to wave away the issue, "just take the girl. But you think I will allow you to drag away my eldest son and heir back to your homeland to stand trial for such outlandish laws, you're mistaken." He leaned towards a nearby praetorian, "bring that boy back over here."

"I would strongly advise you to reconsider that, your majesty," the diplomat watched as the guard walked towards the service woman still holding Zorzal down. "Beyond your initial unprovoked attack on Japan and the death and abduction of our nationals, we could easily have you charged with crimes against humanity after everything our forces have seen and reported of your nation."

"Is that a threat, ambassador?"

"No, Emperor Augustus, just the situation as it is."

"Father- Your Majesty! Mr. Sugawara please!" Pina pleaded with the ambassador. "We have a real chance at peace here! To end the senseless fighting between our nations. Please, you can't-"

She was cut off by a single shot from the servicemen's sidearm.

However, I knew without a doubt that the lone noise just after it would herald a new phase of this conflict.

The sound of a round bouncing off metal.

Not going through metal, not embedding itself in metal, but failing to penetrate.

For the first time since the conflict with the Empire began, the modern small arms of the Self Defense Force were found lacking before an Imperial soldier.

A praetorian's shield in this case.

I had heard their shields were enchanted to repel penetrating weapons like ballista bolts, but I chalked that up more to PR spin than actual fact. If they were magically treated in a way that could stop the penetrating power of something like a massive bolt tearing through the metal, then a bullet of such a small caliber would be like throwing rocks at it.

The praetorian, realizing his shield would protect him, abandoned his cautious approach and closed the distance between himself and the Japanese servicewoman with all the grace and control enchanted armor would allow.

The woman fired again, and again, and again. Each successive round failed to penetrate just as the first had.

"Hey! Since when did these guys have bullet proof shields!" the woman called out to her comrades, changing out her magazine and firing several more rounds into the guard's shield. "Gonna need a little help- damn!"

The praetorian jabbed at her with his short blade, failing to make contact but driving the woman back.

More gunfire rang out as another serviceman, armed with a rifle, let loose controlled bursts at the guard. While the impacts seemed to take the pretorian by surprise, with the shield jerking in his grip, they too failed to penetrate.

"Are you kidding me!?" the soldier exclaimed, changing out his magazine to resume firing.

Pina looked on in astonishment, no doubt this was the first time she's ever seen Japanese weapons fail to kill.

The Emperor however, I did not like that glint in his eyes. The eyes of a man whose mind is racing with ideas.

The guard grabbed Zorzal by his shirt's bloodied collar and dragged the fool towards our end of the room; shrugging off more rounds as he went.

"You've taken your pound of flesh and your citizen is in your care," the Emperor announced, from his tone I think this little display gave him a wellspring of newly found confidence. "I suggest we convene for the time being to let cooler heads prevail. Unless you wish to force the issue further."

The Praetorians began to move around them, shields ready, confident that they could repeat what their brother in arms just accomplished.

Sugawara looked as if he felt vulnerable, nervously looking at the lieutenant. Itami took in his situation, and frowned.

In the end, they left without any issue; a helicopter flying in to take them back to Alnus.

And I had no doubt that the events of tonight would ring out across the content soon enough.

--
--

With the Japanese gone, there was no real point of remaining together.

I last saw Zorzal skulking like a child while the healers repaired the damage and grew his teeth back. All I could make out was how 'unfair' something was. He has a lot of nerve talking about being unfair after all the shit he's caused me.

The Emperor left with what I could only describe as a spring in his step, no doubt pleased he had found something to challenge the JSDFs overwhelming advantage in battle.

Pina was beside herself, worrying that her dreams for peace would be snatched away by circumstance and tragedy. No doubt she'll rush over to the Jade Palace in the morning and throw herself at Sugawara's feet to apologize for everything, even though I am absolutely certain she has no idea why they care so much about a 'slave'.

As for myself?

"That could not have gone any worse!" my bedroom's doors nearly flung off their hinges with how hard it swung open. From this high up in the Palace, I could see fires still smoldering across the city.

This disaster was easily going to last the night and beyond at this rate.

"Your brother could have raped the girl then and there before the Japanese," Gaius shrugged when I shot him a glare. He had arrived back well after the Japanese departed with word that the villa was as I thought' structurally fine, but otherwise a mess. "A poor joke, your Highness. I am grasping at straws myself to find a silver lining to this storm. The only things I can even think of are only slightly more outlandish than what actually happened."

The words caused a thought to stir in my head.

"Yes it was outlandish…" I absently note.

An earthquake that causes mass destruction, apparently emanating from ground near the Gate itself, that somehow makes that idiot Zorzal come in to try and show off how proactive he can be with a Japanese slave of all people.

"This has Being X written all over it."

"I'm sorry, your highness, what 'being' are you referring to-"

"Okay," I sighed, putting a plan together in my head. "We are going to wait a few days, then hand over all the Japanese. We need to salvage whatever goodwill we can from this mess."

"And since we are waiting some days, it looks like you found them and returned them out of the kindness of your heart due to the incident in the throne room," Gaius followed along, humming in agreement. "It could work, with an appropriately groveling apology."

"That's the hope."

"The only issue I can see right now is how do we answer the awkward question of why these people may report being in our custody for some time, rather than just a few days when we would have been made 'aware' of their existence in the capital?"

Fuck, there is always something…

"We'll figure that out as we go," while I stared out over the city, the thought occurred to me. "We could always use memory altering magic to make whatever our story is line up with their perspectives."

"True", Gaius agreed, "but do we take the chance that the Japanese don't have ways to undo whatever alterations we make?"

"They might…" I swear to myself, remembering Lieutenant Itami mentioning I was a 'blonde Leilei'. If he was referring to a mage, that means they can screen for that sort of magic.

Fuck…

"...we'll figure it out tomorrow," I repeated myself, dismissing the eunuch to get some sort of plan in motion.

I will be the first to admit there is no 'best' plan for this situation.There is simply 'the best available'.

All I needed right now was a good night's rest to refresh me for the tasks to come and put some 'distance' to the disaster earlier.

…

…

And then I was awoken the next morning by explosions as a Japanese airstrike leveled the Senate building.