Volume 9 Chapter 3 The Witch of Revolution, Livia
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Roshima, Minister of War for the Quvarian Empire, stepped into the chamber and faltered. He had been told this was to be a confidential council, yet Princess Sheryl was present—with only her young knight as escort. And then, there was another.
”You will attend as well, Livia?” he asked.
”I will. Does that displease you, Lord Roshima?” she replied.
”No… not displeasure. Only surprise. You, who scorn the royal house.”
Livia, the so-called Witch of Revolution, was famed for her unflinching tongue. That she was tolerated at all came from her rank—eighth among the Empire’s mightiest—and her rare bloodline, descended from the Eternal Witch Cartera. With her poised expression, raven-dark hair, and austere bearing, she seemed the very embodiment of a witch from the old tales.
”Sheryl has asked me to explain our plan,” she said. “I was giving her the unvarnished truth.”
Roshima’s brow furrowed. To bring down McGaref, they must launch a sudden strike, forcing collaborators to unbar the gates. This knowledge was meant to remain locked away, shared only among the highest circles. Even for a princess, and even for one aligned with reform, it was dangerous to reveal such secrets. Sheryl’s behavior of late had stirred whispers—but she was also one of the few royals trusted as sincere.
”Please, be seated,” Sheryl said.
”Forgive me,” Roshima answered.
As she sat, her crimson hair cascaded over her shoulders, her face set in grave lines.
”I understand your design to destroy McGaref,” she said. “But I have also learned from Livia the peril in harnessing the labyrinth’s magic power.”
”You are uncharacteristically talkative,” Roshima muttered.
”This is no trifling matter,” Livia cut in. “Were it possible, I would proclaim it to every nation and bid them stop it at once.”
Her warning carried weight. Roshima himself had dismissed it at first, until her arguments forced him to grasp its enormity.
”Once, the First Emperor—the Knight-King—founded this realm with Cartera at his side, leading tens of thousands of the dead,” Livia explained. “Their bodies, built of magic stone, now lie sealed within the labyrinth. If the key is turned and they march again, the world’s magic power will bleed away into endless war.”
Sheryl nodded. “So long as they endure, the natural cycle halts. Stones will dwindle. They may even vanish entirely. That is what Livia taught me.”
”I too was taught by her,” Roshima admitted. “And I believe the theory sound.”
The weight of it chilled him. Tens of thousands of husks, many witches among them—the energy needed to sustain such an army would be incalculable.
”The world would starve of its most precious resource,” Livia said. “And when nations ask why, they will find the truth.”
”By then,” Roshima replied, “McGaref will already have fallen.”
”And will those ghosts meekly return to stone?” she snapped. “I think not. It is madness.”
Roshima hesitated. The one who had ordered the labyrinth opened was none other than Emperor Quvar himself. Who could gainsay the sovereign? Livia’s protest was born of loyalty, yet the Emperor had spurned it.
”We are cornered,” he murmured. “Such is Quvar’s reality.”
”Could we not recognize McGaref’s independence?” Sheryl asked softly.
Roshima gave a bitter smile. “That is the least possible option. For His Majesty to yield land would be to maim himself. And besides—the army grows daily in the depths.”
”Then you believe there is but one course,” Livia said.
His glance flicked toward Sheryl. By now she had heard enough.
”Yes. When McGaref falls, the revenant host must be struck down at once and returned to stone.”
”A tool to be used and discarded,” Livia said coldly. “So be it. Then take me with you, Lord Roshima. None but I can lay Cartera to rest.”
”That is why you abandoned the eastern front?” he asked.
”I have spoken with Princess Neige of the Northern Kingdom,” she said. “The East has already agreed to a secret truce. Both sides will watch in silence.”
The presumption made Roshima want to clutch his head. Yet if the East held still, the Empire could spare her. That was Quvar’s curse and blessing alike—its strength lay in individuals who acted as they pleased. To pull Livia, their sharpest weapon, from the front was fortune indeed.
”But hear me,” Livia said, her voice low and shaking. “I despise this Empire. Neige’s sister Lilus was my dearest friend. When she was driven to suicide, I nearly unleashed ritual magic upon the palace itself. I march on McGaref not for Quvar—but for the world.”
She bit her lip, trembling, and the hatred that spilled from her words made Roshima’s spine run cold, as if the absent Emperor’s life were already forfeit.
”Livia… we depend on your strength,” Sheryl soothed.
Her fury ebbed. Livia bowed her head. “Forgive me. I lost myself. McGaref must be sacrificed. Only through collision can that power be broken.”
”A sacrifice,” Sheryl whispered. “And McGaref’s chances?”
”Bleak,” Roshima said. “Their army is scarcely fifteen hundred. They face tens of times that number, and lack witches. To guard their borders day and night, they need at least two—but only Scaya, the Witch of Inferno, remains.”
At that, Livia’s eyes widened. “Wait—what of Clarice, the Witch of Plenty? Without her, they cannot endure a siege.”
”She has gone to Seron, escorting Takumi Nasu for his marriage to Princess Nyx. A fleeting absence, yet fatal.”
The intelligence was solid. Even Kanare, the Phantom Spear, and Weed had feared this gap, but the recent attempt on Takumi’s life—an attack so vast it summoned whole battalions—had clouded their judgment.
”Then we cannot delay,” Livia said. “Every day strengthens the revenants.”
”A message will be sent,” Roshima answered. “But the First Emperor will not heed the words of his vassals. The witches’ absence we conceal.”
”Then I will go myself,” Sheryl declared. “Perhaps as his descendant, my plea will be heard.”
”Your aid would be most welcome, Princess.”
And so the secret council ended, heavy and unresolved. Each slipped away at staggered times, by different doors, as was custom in Quvar’s court. Here, no one could ever say with certainty who was friend—or foe.
Notes:
• Quvarian Empire – Ruling kingdom. Harsh world, restricted freedom.
• McGaref – Fortress city, adventurer hub.
• Scaya – The ‘Flame Witch,’ employed by the Dark Elves; captured after the battle where the Celon Dukedom army was defeated.
• Clarice – The ‘Witch of Abundance’ from Lesta Kingdom.
• Nyx – The First Princess of Celon Dukedom, who escapes to McGaref; next in line to the throne after the Queen’s expected death.
• Kanare – The stern battalion commander, who once led Chinatsu, shares a solemn mission, his eyes reflecting battlefield memories.
• Weed – He is a retired knight and martial arts master, appeared as a sword seller, known for his bloodthirsty grin and elite ‘Sword Master’ skill.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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