The green plain undulated with the refreshing breeze of summer. The sun high in the sky rained his radiance on this land as far as the eye could see. It was blinding the viewers with an overwhelming tint of the keen flora, a distinctive trait of a ground that has not been dominated by the needs of a civilisation yet. Left untouched for many centuries, the wildlife grew abundantly with no one to limit their actions, metamorphosing into this quiet, beautiful little world.

Eventually, this rich land, which looked at first like a paradise you would visit to relinquish your daily stress, became a nest for feral animals. This in turn served as a convincing deterrent for curious merchants and adventurers alike, as the mere quest for gathering the local herbs was too dangerous without adequate preparation and skill. Moreover, the fauna living here did not produce hides or bones valuable enough to put one’s life on the line.

However, with the goddess’s protection, it was absolutely possible to go and fetch some things here and there. Maybe not for a living, but it should at least had encouraged archaeologists, dendrologists, ornithologists and many others to come and take a look at this incredibly interesting zoo. And yet it didn’t at all. The reason was simple when everyone heard about it. It was because demons inhabited this land too.

Those impure creatures did not seem impended despite the presence of the protection. Nobody could tell if it was an adverse effect of the protection itself, if demons liked to try the goddess’s benevolence or just pure unluck. But it was a fact that this land was particularly attractive to the demons.

Maybe the biome was rich in divine energy? Maybe they began to feed on the animals? In any case, their attendance was a bad omen, even if you only cared about the ecosystem that would eventually end up ravaged by the corruption. Of course, each kingdom were always watching with great care for any serious situation. And for the present situation, Biscotti sent their specialized squad to deal with such a foe.

Fortunately, the beast was still young and did not have time to grow stronger before they could subjugate it, they did not sweat too much on this one. However…

“Could you give me the gourd, Yukki?”

“Of course my Lady. There.”

The swordswoman thanked her companion before drinking a few gulp of the barely fresh water. Under this hot weather and without any shadows around here, it would be difficult to stay cool and focused. But she trusted her ally’s sharp sense of her surrounding, allowing herself a short break to sip some water, then she readied herself again for the long voyage that was laid before them.

“My Lady, could you tell me this story again please?”

The blond dog-kin had this spark full of vitality you could only find in an odd child that would not stop enjoying herself even if you told her to. That was because she was looking at a person she both admired for her strength and respected for her valour.

“Again? You must really love this one, don’t you?”

Even if she was officially the leader of the squad, the duo acted as close friends together, for they knew each other very well.

“But it is so cool! And your ancestor too was so cool back then! I wish he was alive so I could meet him!”

Being repeatedly told how much her grandfather was ‘cool’ gave her a strange feeling of embarrassment. She was well aware she didn’t have to feel any kind of shame about her family origins. Actually, she had many reasons to be proud of it, however something didn’t feel right when she did, settling for just a weak smile when facing such a scene.

“But it is what it is: a story. And it has been passed down since many generations. Maybe it is only a mess of lies and truths, or maybe everything is exaggerated for a memoir to marvel at.”

“But still, I’d like to hear it again, if you would be so kind my Lady.”

Ever since her young age, she wasn’t interested in anything but her family’s legacy. Just like her sibling, she was amazed by this tale, which gave her the courage to train harder with the wish to become one day as brilliant as her ancestor. However, midway in her search for success, she started to question herself too much, to such an extent that everything sounded… More convenient that they looked like.

Even the old family tale became a dubious heirloom, just like this armour she was wearing which was supposedly covering more parts in the past, or this sword that had such good compatibility with Emblem Arts. It was the same when a child learnt that Santa Claus was played by your parents to trick you. You took it easy, but you still hold this mark that recalled you how dull the world truthfully was.

However, while she was an adult, her friend was still one in becoming. She would one day ask herself the same questions, but for now she could continue nourishing this little child with more dreams.

“Alright, alright, ah ah. Then, as you already know, this story takes place centuries ago, when my great-great-great-grandfather, Paladron d’Arquien, was leading the biscottian army…”

 

***

 

At daytime, the outer castle was full of activities of all sort. Maids cleaning unoccupied rooms, servants rushing with many goods in their hands, nobles taking a walk in groups, guards on duty patrolling the many corridors. Everyone had their hands busy with work to do, responsibilities to handle or affairs to resolve. New recruits who joined to fill in the empty slots in the army were not spared for any free moment either.

As usual, the training was quite really harsh. Running around on muddy soil, while climbing over walls or crawling under obstacles as quickly as possible. The ones who finished last were ordered to start over five additional times. Then, when everyone was exhausted, the foreman who watched over their training brought several wooden swords and shields for combat practice.

Everyone already wore their maximal protection, a full suit of leather armour, light enough to allow rapid and swift manoeuvers, but here they would only learn how to hit hard with their sticks until they would receive the captain’s validation to become a true soldier. For now, they were only trite citizens who came because they had no other talents to show off.

However, this was not true for her.

The wooden weapon was lighter than her usual equipment, and the shield seemed so frail she was afraid it would shatter at the first impact. Only an ignorant could decently fight in those conditions. But it was all a training, she decided to not mind those small details as she only needed to succeed in one thing: to pass the examination.

“On guard! Fight!”

Then, the recruits duelled each other to practice the basics of a direct confrontation with swords. Burning with enthusiasm, she charged at her opponent with all her might, looking for a way to end this fight in one swoop. But she was quickly repelled with a swing that almost snapped her shoulder. Unfortunate as she always was, her adversary was twice as big as her. This meant his range went further than hers, and his strength would obviously be scoring higher score too.

Clenching her teeth in frustration, she hastily dodged the attack with a crouch. In general, this kind of opponent was slow and easy to evade, making the job easier for nimbler personas. However, that was only a common prejudice. The sword flew over her head, then quickly re-approached her from the other side. The options left was either to manoeuver a short jump, or to block the weapon with her shield. She choose the second, and raised her arm while sealing the air in her lungs to better withstand the shock.

The sword and the shield met with a frightening clamour, the impact still reverberating in her limb, leaving her in a short daze. That was a terrible mistake. Maybe her opponent was less influenced by the clash, he still could rose his sword above his head and deliver a slash at her. She was about to take a serious hit on the skull, which would undoubtedly leave her unconscious. Defeat was knocking at the door of her life.

But not this time.

With an agile roll on the side, she dodged the sword coming from above her. Then, using the momentum from her somersault, launched a powerful blow to his flank. Because he hadn’t the time to rebalance himself, he wasn’t able to raise his shield in time, meaning a direct hit that could not be avoided. A painful cry was heard, then a dense smoke covered the body before replacing it with a ball of fur. She did it.

“Recruit down!” Shouted the captain in charge of the training, followed by a medical team responsible for leading the injured out of here.

She won, there was no doubt about this result. However, she still felt it wasn’t enough to prove her value. Sure she did won, but it was against an amateur who invited himself in the army not for the honour, but for the money. Such simple-minded characters were not meant for greater things. She knew she was different from them… Actually, she was better than them. Thanks to her family’s traditions, she had undergone many trainings way harder than this walk in the park.

But still, was this how you were supposed to feel, when you beat someone? This strange emotion was an unpleasant one that she hoped to quickly get rid of.

A few days later, she was asked to pass a verbal examination, which mainly consisted of questions about her objectives, her expectations and other related subjects. She answered them all honestly, proving both her love for her homeland, and her desire to strive for peace. Receiving the examiners’ congratulations, she left the room and walked out of the castle.

However, before leaving the place before evening, she looked for an item in her pocket. It was an old relic from her family, a piece of paper damaged by the passage of time. Even thought it was badly degraded, it was still part of the tradition she strictly followed to ensure her victory. It was said that it was a letter given to a long-dated predecessor of her from a remarkable man. Unfortunately, both names were already forgotten, only the will remained.

According to the sayings, it was supposed to act as a good charm for anyone wishing to join the army. Her big brother held it during his examination, and it granted him a place in the knighthood of the kingdom. That was why she hoped to at least stay on the same tracks as him. That was why she checked her pocket to take a look at the old treasure.

She checked her pocket again, becoming more and more nervous as she did. Her hand found nothing inside, no matter how many times she verified. She looked in another, then another, but she was still met with inconclusiveness. Did she… Did she lost it? No way. How will she become a knight without her good luck charm?

 

***

 

Everyone had their own method to clear a cloudy mood, be it going out for a jog, drinking two glasses of weak alcohol or reading a book by himself. When they felt down, some people tended to long for solitude, a break time to reorganize their thoughts about their current situation, while others preferred to advert their mind from those cumbersome matters with something else. In her case, her work was actually what played a role of consolation. It was a fact she was half-embarrassed to tell others as she feared onlookers might think she was a loner.

She wanted some company, she wanted to have people around her to talk about random subjects. But again, it was too embarrassing to ask others for her. In the end, the serenity of her workplace was her favourite refuge, a place where she could accomplish her ideas and dreams with the force of science. However, today she wasn’t currently trying to avoid facing such simple obstacles.

A few weeks ago, Galette Lion Territory declared war upon the Biscotti Republic.

It was a baseless and bold declaration, even from the one ruling the neighbouring country. Not so long ago, they were friendly and all, the princesses got along pretty well with no disputes. Then, things started to slowly change. The princesses saw each other less often, until one completely cut the bridges linking them. And finally, this declaration of war between their country.

She couldn’t believe the galettean princess would willingly abandon everything she had built up with Biscotti. Unfortunately, that was only a foolish way of thinking. She had to face reality: Galette crushed several fortresses already, and were still marching on Biscotti’s territory. As she wanted to spend some time pondering on this mystery, she actually couldn’t at all because she recently received a specific order from Her Highness.

“Please, find a way to summon a hero.”

That was truly a drastic measure, one you would be hesitant to take for many reasons. First, connecting two separate worlds was as interesting as it was dangerous. For example, if the alien world’s fundamental laws were different from their own, who could tell what could happen? If two identic equations were suddenly giving different results, how much changes both world would undergo in one swoop? On the bright side, there were a few records about summoning heroes, which meant there was already a way to avoid such cataclysmic scenario.

Second, and most important point: how would they know if the summoned hero would accept to join their side? After all, it was a plain truth that they were losing this war. Who in their right mindset would willingly join the losing side? Maybe the princess haven’t thought about it, or maybe she did and prepared a gift sufficient to allure the hero. Whatever the case was, she received her order, and had to execute them.

Right now, the knowledge about summoning was partially forgotten. The data were here, hidden somewhere in this grand reservoir of books. She only needed to fetch the book containing such information and she could begin the ritual right away. Assisted with many colleagues, they started searching for any clue a few days ago, however they only found some lines about divine energy they were already aware of, about the goddess’s protection they were already enjoying on a daily basis, and even some ancient but obsolete methods to manipulate said divine energy.

During their searching, they dig up many familiar historical events, many names as well that they could recognize due to the role they played for Biscotti in the past. It somehow thrilled the scientists as some began reading the books more for learning about the history of their country than looking for the summoning’s requirements. It couldn’t be helped, she thought deeply with a sigh, but she still wished they would not forget what their job consisted of.

The library was a quiet sanctuary for anyone desiring to learn something, or just to appreciate some peaceful moments in this serene atmosphere. Yet, the assistant’s mumbling grew louder and louder despite the presence of other unconcerned parties. They too couldn’t force them to be silent as they were high graded of the National Research School. Nobody would dare to disrespect their senior, even if they were at fault.

“Hey, look at that! Did you know that about the d’Arquien’s family?”

“Oh, so the Tremper started to distinguish themselves only recently?”

“But who is this Trellia? I can’t find any family name about her…”

“Don’t know. Surely a nobody.”

As the Chief Researcher, she should reprimand those dissidents. However, that would only help at making herself look too severe. Besides, they did were more or less doing their job, as they were only lucky enough to discover those little stories about their country’s history. When you were looking for something in such a big pile of knowledge, it was bound to happen that you would find everything but what you wanted.

That was why she didn’t really mind it, and just kept looking at the book in her hand. Summoning someone from another world was feasible, but it wasn’t only about the technical issues. A person from a different world, this meant a different culture, a different way of looking about the same things, different morals, and different ethics. And worse of all… What if the hero was also different in appearance? The thought sent shiver in her spine, imagining herself summoning a monstrous being by mistake… Or by pure unluck.

“But if it succeeds… I hope it’ll be a nice person.”

The hero was bound to become an important figure in the Biscotti Republic, maybe even in the world. As the one who played a major role in his future summoning, it was inevitable that they would spend some time together. She didn’t know how to behave if they summoned a… Let’s just hope it was going to be a nice person.

She closed the book and sighed again. This one too didn’t contain anything useful. Feeling a bit dejected, she went and put it back on the shelf then started to look for another bundle of papers which too would prove itself to be useless. Her finger stopped on a worn cover, brown certainly due to its age.

“Another old grimoire…”

At first, she didn’t felt encouraged to pick it among the other choices. However, she was reminded that they were still locked in this stalemate. As anything could be valuable, she still picked it up, looking at the first pages just to check if it really was about summoning-related theme.

But… Something surprised her.

It was indeed a mere grimoire of the past… Actually, it was just a diary. But the author’s name was what shocked her the most. She read slowly each character, trying to delude herself of this confusing illusion. However, no matter how many time she re-read it, it was still written with the same letters. This long gone person held the same family name as her. He went with the name “Friture Elmar”.