A surgical blade was inserted into my arm, and my flesh was pulled open.

I didn’t realise just how bad my injury was until the battle was over.

“A-A-Ahh… mn. Okay, it’s not as bad. But it really hurts.”

An open reduction procedure to straighten out my right arm which broke.

Yes. In the end, I had to undergo surgery.

Normally, popping the ulna back in place before putting a cast over would’ve been an extremely painful procedure, to the point of requiring general anaesthesia. But for me who had experienced pain worse than this, it was bearable. Somewhat.

“You really are something.”

I convinced the surgeon that it wasn’t necessary to put me to sleep. Local anaesthesia was used of course, but it didn’t completely take the pain away.

I was still having my flesh sliced apart.

The part of the fracture was revealed.

“I’ll hold it in place.”

“Thanks.”

Using something like a scissor-tong to align my bone. I reached over with my left hand and hovered my finger over the site.

“Ugh…”

A sharp pain, worse than the already throbbing sensation, completely blew my mind white.

I took in a few deep breaths, and focused my mind. I can’t mess up here…

Healing magic.

A soft green glow appeared where the fracture line met. I was careful not to regenerate the flesh yet, otherwise, I would lose sight of the part I needed to heal.

If I hadn’t understood healing magic, one, the recovery process would’ve taken months, and two, I would require metal screws and plates embedded inside.

“Okay. It’s healed. You can stitch it back.”

I told the surgeon.

“There’s another fracture further down.”

“Ugh.”

Oh lucky me. I hate this!!

◤◢

The whole operation backed by magic lasted around an hour. When I came out, my right arm was cast in a splint.

Ms. Lili was outside working on some sort of report while waiting for me.

“Eh… you didn’t wait long did you?”

I asked.

“No. It wasn’t long. More importantly, how is your arm?”

“Magic did the trick.”

I winked.

Healing magic was by far one of the hardest magic types to learn. If there was anything I regret from my previous lives, it’s that maybe I should’ve studied this field of magic a little more.

That said, healing magic wasn’t omnipotent. Besides the huge mana costs, the most I could do is accelerate the regeneration of cells or remove contaminants. All magical abilities in this world are suppressed, so a lot of the more complex magic functions like ‘scan and aim’ can’t be performed with my current skill mastery.

Still, it’s fun to know that I can break science here.

“I’m sorry.”

Ms. Lili suddenly apologised.

“Ah? What?”

“I should’ve stopped her from straying too far.”

“You know it’s normal to hurt yourself in battle right? It’s not like you’re one to speak just because I’m injured. Relax.”

Ms. Lili showed a bitter smile.

“Still…”

“How is EunHa?”

“She got treatment, and now she’s asleep in her room.”

“Oh, sounds good.”

“Rize-chan, the issue about her lead executioner, maybe you should take it instead.”

Me? Really?!

“So you’re passing the role back to me?”

“Yes.”

“YES!! Thank you Ms. Lili!”

“Just… don’t try to scare her anymore?”

“Am I a ghost or something?”

“You aren’t a ghost, but you are the Black Siren.”

“Boo—”

Point taken Miss Lili. Point taken.

◃⊰⊱⊹. ⊹⌖Ω ⩏⊹ϑ ⊰⊱▹

◬ Origin Year 138, 17th of Hana.

Two days had passed since.

I was in EunHa’s room. We were playing cards. I continued my interrogation (masked as random questions). I wanted to learn more about the EunHa of this universe.

“Are you and the War Saint friends?”

I asked.

“Friends? Yes. We’re quite close actually.”

So she and the War Saint are besties? It feels kind of odd how a friend would agree to kill her friend. Maybe she has a crush on EunHa’s fiance.

Typical drama development in novels.

“You know, I’ve met the War Saint before.”

I said.

“Really…?”

It was quite a few years ago.

“She’s a weird person. While I can’t really remember much, I remember she has this air of desperation. It’s like the world is going to end or something… ta-da. I got an ace and queen.”

My explanation was interrupted by the progression of the round. I grinned at her.

She wasn’t surprised in the slightest. I only understood why when she revealed her hand.

“Here.”

“Wawawawawawhaa??! What the?!”

A double ace! The chance of getting something like this is uh? What again? I don’t know! It’s just super duper low!

…She sighed heavily.

“This always happens.”

Huh?

“What do you mean?”

“You know the saying that luck never comes when you need it the most…?”

“What?”

…What a bitter smile she’s showing right now. Ugh.

“That’s the kind of person I am.”

“Really…? Then that’s—sad.”

“Isn’t it…”

She looked so depressed saying that. Should I tell her she’s being delusional?

She won the game at the very end you know?

◤◢

EunHa had every intention to die.

Meanwhile, I had every intention for her to live.

I left EunHa’s room to go to the office, Cinnamon stayed behind to keep watch. I needed to check if I had any work assigned to me.

As a freeloader of the company, even I had to do paperwork sometimes.

When I looked out the window, I saw streaks of altostratus clouds below the Fortress. Meanwhile, the twilight sky above was relatively clear with a few cirrocumulus clouds here and there.

I reached the office, failed to knock on the door and entered the dimly lit room.

Tud.

It was a hit.

“Ow…”

Ms. Lili raised her body from behind the table, rubbing her head.

“Hello, Ms. Lili!”

“Rize-chan. Hahh… you scared me there.”

“Are you doing something sneaky?”

“Possibly?”

She’s a thief!

I shut the door behind me and turned on the lights.

“So, what kind of sneaky work are you doing exactly?”

“How about you? What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to check if I have any paperwork I need to do.”

“I don’t think you do.”

“Really? That’s great! Let’s be criminals together. What are you doing exactly?”

“Can you lock the door?”

Definitely.

With the coast clear, she beckoned me over.

I got down on my knee, she pointed at papa’s drawer which had been locked. I noticed silver wires, so she must’ve wanted to crack the safe.

“On it.”

I extended a shadow inside and wiggled it around.

Click.

“We’re in!”

I have no idea what illegal things Ms. Lili was going to do with the secret documents inside. But I’m an accomplice!

“Thank you Rize-chan.”

“Oh! It’s EunHa’s file!”

Ms. Lili nodded.

We opened it on the table and spread it out. I watched her scan the materials one by one.

Papa had let me read it once before. So I was familiar with most of the details inside.

“Have you read it before?”

“I have.”

“When?”

“Papa showed it to me a few days ago.”

“…Did he say anything?”

“He told me to stay away from her if possible.”

“What was his stance?”

“Stance?”

Though questions from Ms. Lili. I had an inkling where she wanted to take this.

“I think it’s neutral.”

Ms. Lili nodded, her eyes sharpened.

She carefully put the documents back in the file. Taking a deep breath, she turned to me.

Her calm, dark blue eyes reflected mine.

Her gaze drifted down to my arm, then back to my face.

With a smile,

“Rize-chan. Can you guess what I’m thinking?”

“You’re going to start a coup and become the next queen of England.”

She burst out laughing.

“Hahaha, no what? What England? Isn’t that ancient civilization? That’s going too far. Come on, a serious answer. I’m sure you already know by now.”

“You want to save EunHa.”

We both stared at each other for a while. Our matching sentiments were transmitted.

“I need your help with this okay, Rize-chan?”

She reached out and patted my head.

“I don’t want her to die either.”

◃⊰⊱⊹. ⊹⌖Ω ⩏⊹ϑ ⊰⊱▹

◬ Origin Year 138, 18th of Hana.

I yelled in the meeting.

“I think it’s unreasonable! We should just fake her death and have her live here.”

“Judging from the reports, it’s likely a political scandal.”

Politics and bad upbringing. The combination of these two was the most likely cause of EunHa’s negative perspective.

She can’t return home either. Not when the people were rooting for her death.

It’s confidential information now, but I’m sure it’ll be all over the radio and papers when it gets out that EunHa, the talented daughter of Lieutenant Commander Hwang JaeHyun was sentenced to death.

Whatever the case may be, to keep her alive, it would require sufficient preparations to save her from destitution.

“It seems unreasonable, yes, but have we considered it from her angle?”

Gunnery Sergeant Shun Kato voiced his thoughts.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I was never one to believe in the supernatural, or superstition.”

Yup. Mr. Shun was a rationalist. Logical, a true-to-earth realist.

“But, a lot of those assumptions were shattered having met you.”

“Geh. Seriously?”

“That’s actually a good point.”

“I’ll have to agree.”

What?

Am I a unicorn or something?

“Rize-chan has a tendency to turn disaster into miracles. If someone like her exists, couldn’t someone be living on the opposite spectrum?”

“I don’t know how to believe in coincidences. But, if I had to judge from that perspective, then what’s described in the documents could be true.”

A cursed child.

A natural disaster in the flesh.

If there were super lucky people in the world, why wouldn’t there be unlucky ones? That kind of logic.

It was superstition layered onto maths. Just look at the normal distribution if you need proof.

“Then all I need to do is stay by her side to counter each other’s energy right?”

So based on maths, 1 plus -1 equals zero. It offsets the bad luck.

“Or maybe, if I try to turn myself into 2, 2 plus -1 makes 1. Then it makes us both lucky.”

“That makes sense and no sense.”

Mr. Shun nodded.

“Are you really sure you want to take the risk to take care of that girl that has been ordered to die?”

Mr. Chen was in protest though.

“If I can help save a life, why not?”

“Rize-chan, if all this is true, you might lose your life in the process.”

“Sounds like a good deal.”

“What?!”

“I’ve lived enough times to know that you need something to die for to truly live. Life would be purposeless without something like that. If I die because of her, so be it.”

“No, but… you just met her… why would you go so far for her?”

“It’s no different from how papa picked me up. He didn’t know me, yet here we are now. Right, papa?”

“It’s embarrassing when you put it that way.”

“Hehe. Love you papa!”

“Shut up, shut up.”

The discussion had been held, the decision was in the air.

EunHa’s life was in her own hands.

That was the conclusion everyone came to except me.

“Thank you Rize-chan.”

“No problems!”

“So you two have been in cahoots huh?”

Ms. Lili and I turned to Mr. Chen.

“Yeah! Ms. Lili and I are criminals.”

Mr. Chen shook his head in resignation.

“So, how do you two intend to deal with the consequences? Even if she survives, we can’t let her stay here.”

“To be honest, I’m considering temporary resignation.”

“Resigning?”

“Ah?!”

Ms. Lili is resigning?!

“I feel guilty for abandoning my three children for the sake of work. I’m thinking of taking a break for a few years to take care of them.”

“I suppose that makes sense.”

“Are you not going to start a family anytime soon? Vice Admiral Chen?”

“A family…”

There was a sense of hesitance in his words.

“I’m still waiting for the right time.”

“Oh. But don’t wait too long sir. You don’t know when your opportunity will fly away.”

Ms. Lili showed a flat, suggestible smile.

“Come on. Don’t say that.”

Mr. Chen was flustered by her remark.

Suspicious!

“So do you have someone you’re looking at Mr. Chen?”

Tell me. Tell me.

“Not telling you.”

“Wow, so you do!”

He rolled his eyes, then continued.

“So how does this retirement relate to helping that girl? You’re going to bring her with you?”

“Yes. That’s what I’m thinking.”

“That’s risky.”

“I’m willing to take it.”

“That’s perfect! Then I want to visit you home too once this is over.”

“Yes, you’re always welcome, Rize-chan. Just don’t corrupt my children with your bad influence.”

“What?”

Ms. Lili simply responded by poking my cheeks.

Unfair!

◃⊰⊱. ϕ⊹ ⋈⊶⌖⊹⊰⊱▹

◬ Origin Year 138, 19th of Hana.

A swarm so big and voluminous that even the sun was blocked out.

Our fleet was maintaining position, expending minimal resources against the Hive.

The plan was to conserve as much firepower as possible for the blitzkrieg when Admiral Lan arrives with the mothership alongside the rest of the fleet.

The battle of attrition between the Category 5 Cloud Hive and Fortress didn’t look too good.

We received many requests for assistance.

The death toll was rising.

Troops were falling further towards the core of the Fortress.

Demonica running rampant within the interior of the Castle.

The Dome which housed the prana crystal core had been captured.

Krakens were digging into the side of the fortress, some tearing apart castle walls.

I couldn’t help but worry about everyone’s safety.

Suddenly changing plans and switching to defence would probably help alleviate some damage.

But following that emotional judgement would result in an ultimate loss.

We had to do what we must, even if those at the Fortress would hate us for it.

Wait for the chance, and strike the heart.

[“Admiral Lan Shina speaking. An updated strategy data has been sent to your decks, all captains follow orders.”]

Yes!

She’s here! We can begin our operation!

Control over the fleet had transferred from Mr. Chen to his boss, Admiral Lan Shina.

[“All guns deploy.”]

[“Adjust for wind, aim bearing -3∘, all ships engage.”]

I watched from the cockpit the battle which unfolded.

From the left to right, the massive airships filled the sky. Their bodies shimmered in the shadowy skies, long hulls stained by the blood of dead sea demons.

Position right at the centre of the formation was the one and only mothership!

Accelerate.

Engage.

The now complete fleet of over 20 ships commanded by Admiral Lan Shina dove into the outer zone of the Cloud Hive.

Conserving nothing, all special ammunition was used to blast through the Cloud Hive.

Grand explosions and shockwaves could be felt even from inside the ship.

The fireworks of dead corpses shower the sky in pools of ash and flesh. Some of them splashed onto the viewing window.

[“Target Found. Phase 2 begins, all ships hold current position—”]

Leaving all but the Colossal-class demonica, we bought time for the mothership to charge the artillery. That was the focus of phase 2.

We were completely surrounded on all sides.

Our airships moved into a new circle formation.

Demonica closed in on us like a thick black fog.

[“Hold—”]

Demonica began eating into the ship’s hull. The windows overflowed with their squishy bodies desperately trying to make their way in.

From between the gaps of the demonica that covered the view, the earlier cloud of explosion began to clear…

[“Fire!”]

An impact of an unknown source rippled through my body. For a moment, my head went completely white. As the world dimmed slightly at the end of recoil, I once again renewed my awe for such an incredible weapon.

The railgun.

[“Again, fire!”]

The same intense sensation was felt again.

And again. And again. And…

The demonica turned frantic sometime between the sixth and seventh rounds. The skies began to clear.

[“Phase 3 to begin. To all captains, you are given free control. Exterminate and assist the Fortress defences against demonica immediately.”]

A sense of accomplishment spread through the team in the cockpit.

[“The queen is dead.”]

The delayed announcement by the Admiral marked our victory.

…Or so I thought.

◃⊰⊱ϑ⊹ ⨞⋅⫝⫘⌖ ⊹⊹⊰⊱▹

“Where is she?”

“This way.”

The medics guided us to a corner of the room. A white cloth covered her body.

“Mr. Chen, Rize-chan.”

Papa, Mr. Shun and Mr. Shang were already there.

Mr. Chen and I were the last to arrive.

We immediately headed to the infirmary, receiving the news of her death a few hours earlier.

“No, why…”

Late.

A sense of emptiness which I had not felt in a long time pervaded me—a sense of loss that I didn’t think would shake my strong will.

“Ms. Lili. How…”

We’ve been through numerous life-and-death situations. Never once in my six years of service had any one of our squad members died.

Ms. Lili was the first among us to have a proper family. She had a husband and two children.

They were waiting for her.

The thought of it completely fried my brain.

Why…

Why did she…

I started noticing all the other white sheets all around.

A small number of the ones that died in battle.

I hadn’t realised it before.

The tragedy of war, and the value of life.

And finally, the girl who sat lifelessly on the ground.

She wasn’t dead.

“You…”

Mr. Chen grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up.

She didn’t resist, not a single sound was made.

He threw her over the nearby table.

“Chen QiangWei!”

Papa yelled.

“Fucking… fucking die already?! Weren’t you the one who said you caused this?! Why are you still alive! Why did it have to be you! Why did she have to die!”

He managed to kick her three times before the medics, papa, and Mr. Shang restrained him.

“Let go…!”

Everyone in the infirmary was on their toes.

Limp on the ground, her body shivered uncontrollably. She looked like a broken rag doll.

“I heard she tried to save you.”

I squatted down before her.

“She saved you, right?”

She refused to raise her head, remaining frozen in that position.

“Right?”

I grabbed her neck and forced her to look at me.

“Answer me.”

I had no idea what kind of expression I was making. My emotions were a mess too. Terror painted her eyes.

“EunHa~ you caused her death right~?”

“Y-Ye…”

“Rize—!”

“Vice Admiral Chen! Stop it!”

“Kill her before she causes another calamity! Rize-chan, get the fuck away from her!”

“Rize, enough!”

I felt the blood moving through my heart, pulsing throughout my veins at every heartbeat. A cold calmness washed over me.

I smiled, touched her swollen cheeks and lifted her chin.

“You feel guilty don’t you?”

Her sweet tears didn’t stop pouring.

“After everything she has done… do you perhaps still feel like dying?”

Her lips trembled.

“You do, don’t you?”

She pushed away my hand. Her hair scattered and fell, veiling her face.

“Don’t you want to atone for your sins? For her death?”

“… Yes.”

“Come on. Tell me. Tell me what you’re going to do. How are you going to repent?”

“… Kill me.”

“Kill you? Isn’t that funny? She sacrificed herself for you to live, and you’re going to throw it away? How ironic!”

I grabbed her by her hair.

“EunHa~ I won’t let you get away with it so easily~”

And whispered into her ear.

“Okay? OKaY? Right, EunHa? You shouldn’t ever forget that she died for you okay? I know you want to die but I won’t let you! You know why? Because dying is easy! I can kill you if I wanted to. But it’s dull! Let me at least play with you first. That way Ms. Lili’s death isn’t wasted. You’ll pay with your guilt. I’ll make sure you suffer. You’ll listen to me, right? I’ll make you regret ever thinking of dying. You’ll—”