Kanna's Angry / Rosemary, Rosemary...

After the helicopter returned to the battlefield, Kanna looked down from above, checked the direction of the traces left behind by Prayer for Rain, and immediately pointed in the direction ACE's group had gone. "That way!"

Old Man Saber from Blood Valley felt a chill in his heart as he looked that way.

In this rainy environment, many traces would be washed away by the rain, and visibility was limited. He had only noticed ACE's direction from the faint clues around the area after Kanna pointed it out. In other words, even with the answer right in front of him, it had still taken some effort. Yet Kanna had pointed out the location without hesitation. That proved one thing: there was a vast difference between his and Kanna's field of vision.

If they had been enemies, then with such a disparity in vision, he would have been little different from a blind man before Kanna.

Fortunately, Kanna stood on Rhodes Island's side.

Only then did Ranger understand why Scout treated Kanna so well and had declared that, if she was willing, he could make her Rhodes Island's best sniper operator.

While Ranger envied Kanna's innate range of vision, the helicopter arrived above ACE's group.

At that moment, they were steadily devouring the fleeing enemies bit by bit, like a pack of wolves hunting.

Whenever the enemy tried to fight back, someone would throw out one of Kanna's clones. Under the clone's powerful, fearless charge, just two rounds were enough to erase the last of their will to resist.

Those "elites" had now completely lost the will to fight. Even if they survived, that small purple figure would become an indelible nightmare that haunted them for the rest of their lives.

"My grandmother once told me a story. Two defenseless civilians encountered a wild bear that was feeding in the wilderness. One of them immediately started running, while the other was puzzled. No matter how fast they ran, they couldn't outrun a bear. But the one who ran said, 'I don't need to outrun the bear. I just need to outrun you.' ...Don't those people look just like that?"

Standing in the helicopter, Kanna looked at the fleeing enemies below and complained to Blackhorn beside her.

Blackhorn nodded deeply after hearing that. "That's absolutely right. You could say they're done for! But the grandmother you mentioned was Outcast?"

"Shut up, Blackhorn. Is Outcast someone you can just talk about however you like?" Seeing Blackhorn unable to stop himself from running his mouth, Yato slapped the horn on his forehead.

Durin had been sleeping peacefully nearby when she suddenly felt a burst of killing intent and a sharp gust sweep past her face. Startled, she shot upright and nearly stepped out of the cabin, only to be caught by the collar by the experienced Ranger.

Kal'tsit had originally been worried that ACE's and Misery's teams might suffer excessive losses during the pursuit, so she had sent A4 and Kanna to bring them back. But seeing how smoothly the pursuit below was going, they discussed it and decided that, rather than stopping now, they might as well join in. Since they had already fallen out with the enemy, they might as well hit them hard and make them hurt.

Ranger and Durin, one sniper and one caster, took up positions on either side of the helicopter door and began "bombarding" the enemy from above.

Kanna, meanwhile, used Lightning Wedge to move rapidly around the helicopter, intercepting any spells or crossbow bolts aimed at it.

Naturally, she became clearly visible to the enemy as well.

When they saw that nightmare-like figure appear on the battlefield again, the fleeing men were nearly in tears.

They had thought this would be an easy job: wipe out the armed forces of a pharmaceutical company and help the Grand Duke vent his anger. Instead, they had run into a Steel Plate—no, they had run into a landship.

Of their entire force, fewer than one in ten remained alive, while the enemy continued their relentless pursuit, seemingly determined not to stop until every last one of them was wiped out.

But what about turning around and fighting them, since they were going to die anyway?

Those who had previously entertained that thought had basically all died at Kanna's hands. These people were now scared out of their wits. Other than running, there was nothing left in their minds.

That was also why ACE's group had found the pursuit so effortless and had not even suffered any losses.

In the end, with attacks from both above and below, they spent over half an hour successfully annihilating all the enemies.

When they returned to the helicopter, the members of both teams slumped inside it. They had not felt it during the pursuit, but once the battle ended, it was as if every bit of energy had been drained from their bodies.

After examining the operators who had boarded the helicopter, A4's members were astonished to discover that only a few people from the two teams had sustained light injuries during the pursuit. There were no serious injuries and no deaths. Fewer than thirty people had chased and fought a force of several hundred for so long with only such minor losses. If they had not seen it with their own eyes, they would have thought it was a joke.

When the helicopter returned to Rhodes Island's deck, Gavial was already waiting there with several Medical Operators.

"How is everyone? Are there any seriously injured? Do you need emergency treatment?"

The moment the cabin door opened, Gavial charged inside at the front.

Yato patted Gavial on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, Doctor Gavial. There are only a few light injuries. Everyone else is simply exhausted."

Gavial could now clearly see the situation in the cabin. Although the operators were sprawled all over the floor, there was no heavy smell of blood inside, and everyone looked fairly rosy. There did not seem to be any seriously injured people.

After letting out a sigh of relief, she asked Yato what had happened. The helicopter had returned far later than expected. If Kal'tsit had not been certain that nothing would happen with Kanna aboard, another helicopter would have already been prepared to depart.

Upon learning that there were no serious injuries or deaths aboard the helicopter, the doctors who had come over all smiled.

"Hey, hey, hey! Weren't you pursuing the enemy? How did you injure your butt?" a Medical Operator asked in confusion as she examined a guard operator with an injured backside.

"I charged too hard, and it was raining, and the road was slippery..." Everyone instinctively turned to look after hearing the Medical Operator's question. Feeling the social death in their stares, the guard's face turned bright red as he kept explaining how he had been injured.

"Hahahahaha!"

Everyone burst out laughing. The tense atmosphere on the deck vanished in an instant, and the air filled with cheerfulness.

Except for that operator with the injured butt. He had never expected that, after suffering only light injuries amid the chaos of battle, he would be so thoroughly stabbed in the back by his own teammates after returning to Rhodes Island. His heart took ten thousand points of damage, and he collapsed on the spot.

Kanna's Anger

Amid the laughter and chatter, Kanna said goodbye to ACE's group.

Misery and ACE headed to the Control Room to summarize and report on the battle, while Kanna hurried toward the Sanatorium Courtyard after asking Gavial about it.

She was very worried about Rosemary. It was just that ACE's group had still been fighting outside, avenging the operators who had died for Rosemary's team. Compared to being unable to do anything but stand by and watch, Kanna had chosen to support the battlefield.

Because she also trusted Rhodes Island's medical team, and believed Rosemary was not that fragile.

But after the battle ended, her concern for Rosemary surged once more.

Her familiarity with Rhodes Island's interior made Kanna's steps very quick. Before the crowd on the deck had even dispersed, Kanna had already reached the entrance to the Sanatorium Courtyard.

After opening the door and walking in, she immediately saw Perfumer preparing aromatherapy. Perfumer looked up when Kanna approached.

"You came to visit Rosemary, didn't you? She's in the third Infirmary Room, and Amiya is with her." Perfumer pointed toward the infirmary rooms and spoke gently.

Kanna quietly walked toward her destination after hearing that.

When she arrived, she gently pushed open the door and poked her head inside.

Hearing the door open, Amiya turned around. When she saw Kanna, she waved, signaling for her to come over.

Looking at Rosemary, who was still asleep, Kanna quietly asked, "How is Rosemary doing now?"

Amiya carefully wiped Rosemary's forehead with a handkerchief. Looking at Rosemary, whose brows occasionally furrowed as though she were having a nightmare, Amiya sighed softly.

"Her physical wounds have mostly been treated, but several operators died in front of her while protecting her during this attack. It had a major effect on her mental state. Since returning, she has been having nightmares constantly, and there are signs that her Originium Arts are becoming difficult to control. So after treating her wounds, I had the doctors leave to avoid anyone innocent being hurt if Rosemary lost control."

Kanna was helpless when it came to mental treatment. When it came to the mind, all she knew was how to use her innate instincts to suppress others. She knew nothing about healing.

"ACE and Misery are back, right? Was anyone hurt?" Amiya asked Kanna about the support teams.

Kanna shook her head. "No! Everyone came back safe and sound, completely intact."

A smile appeared on Amiya's small face when she heard Kanna's words. "That's good..."

Before long, Perfumer came in and adjusted the dosage of the room's aromatherapy.

"I added a large amount of calming and sleep-inducing ingredients to the aromatherapy. If you stay for too long, you might fall asleep quickly too, so remember to be careful."

Perfumer said this to the two of them before leaving.

"Understood. We'll stay a little longer and leave once Rosemary stabilizes. After that, I'll leave Rosemary's recovery to you, Miss Lena," Amiya said gratefully.

Although Rosemary was a little absent-minded, most people on the island treated her with great respect. This Feline, who was close to Amiya's age and often could not remember things clearly due to amnesia, had become one of Amiya's rare friends.

On the way back, Amiya had sensed through her Arts Rosemary's confusion and turmoil during that battle, as well as her sorrow and fear after her teammates died before her.

She did not understand why those people had suddenly bared their fangs at her group and attacked with such viciousness.

Although she had reacted in time and used her Arts greatsword to block their subsequent attacks, her already frail body could no longer withstand the violently surging, unstable mental state brought on by the clash of Arts.

Her powerful will had allowed her to hold on until Kanna's group arrived. When she saw Kanna, her mind relaxed, and the emotions that burst forth in an instant made her lose consciousness.

The two sat for a while longer. Once Amiya felt Rosemary's condition stabilize under the aromatherapy, she led the swaying Kanna out of the infirmary room.

By the time they arrived at the Control Room, Kal'tsit had already returned. She was no longer wearing the outfit she had worn when meeting the helicopter, having changed into a clean white medical uniform.

Quite a few operators were bustling about inside.

When they saw Amiya enter with Kanna, they merely greeted them briefly.

"Kal'tsit, who was behind this?" Kanna's drowsiness gradually faded after leaving the infirmary room, and by the time she reached the Control Room, she was fully awake.

Walking up to Kal'tsit, she glared with wide eyes and asked angrily. She wanted to know whether the opponent was that Grand Duke from Victoria. Since there was still some distance before they reached Chernobog, she had enough time to go to Victoria and cause him trouble.

"I'll handle this matter!" Kal'tsit was not surprised by Kanna's reaction and decisively refused to let her get involved.

"Tell me, Kal'tsit!" Hearing Kal'tsit's words, Kanna slapped the table in dissatisfaction, startling everyone nearby. After all, within Rhodes Island, they had never seen any Champion dare do such a thing to Kal'tsit.

"What would telling you accomplish? Are you going to Victoria to cause a Catastrophe, or are you going to find that man and twist his head off?" Kal'tsit had learned from the earlier report that Kanna had more or less guessed who was behind it through ACE. That was precisely why she could not allow Kanna to recklessly go to Victoria and make trouble.

"The problems Rhodes Island faces cannot be solved by killing a few people. You want to get rid of that idiot, and so do I. But going there would be useless. Causing a Catastrophe would have no effect on the Grand Duke living aboard that Ironclad Ship. It would only cause more civilians to suffer. Killing him would be even more useless. Aside from letting his successor continue being hostile toward Rhodes Island, the only result would be making the upper classes of other nations even more wary of us. After all, if we can kill a Grand Duke of a nation, then we could threaten them as well. That is when Rhodes Island's future would become truly difficult."

Worried that Kanna would be unable to swallow her anger and secretly run off to cause trouble, Kal'tsit gave her an unusually detailed explanation.

Standing beside Kanna, Amiya listened to Kal'tsit's words as light flickered continuously in her eyes. She wondered how Rhodes Island would have handled the current situation if that person were here. Would it have been better, or worse?

At that moment, Amiya became even more eager to bring that person out from the coffin in Chernobog. Rhodes Island desperately needed someone outstanding in both strategy and tactics, and that person was the best choice Amiya could think of.

Kanna slapped the table several times, frightening everyone around her so badly that they did not dare move. She glared angrily at Kal'tsit, puffed out her cheeks, then turned and left the Control Room.

Rosemary, Rosemary

After leaving, Kanna knew that Kal'tsit was not to blame. She just felt very upset.

If she had been alone and had no sense of good or evil, she could simply turn Victoria into an eternal Catastrophe zone. That would not have been difficult for her.

But Victoria did not contain only that damned Grand Duke. There were also countless ordinary civilians who loved life, loved this land, and struggled to live. They had done nothing wrong. Even though Kanna was furious, she knew she should not direct that anger at them.

The angry Kanna shut herself in her room. Not even Amiya could get her to open the door.

Kal'tsit, who knew of the matter, offered no explanation. After Kanna's earlier commotion, the entire central control area became cautious, afraid of angering Kal'tsit. No one dared ask about it.

Meanwhile, Kal'tsit had sent Outcast on a secret mission, so when Amiya was at a loss, Rhodes Island went several days without even seeing Kanna's shadow.

Kal'tsit could clearly sense Amiya's distraction while they worked together. After finishing her work, she called Amiya over.

"Are you worried about Kanna?"

Amiya nodded cautiously.

"You don't need to worry about Kanna. She's just throwing a childish tantrum. Once she gets over it, she'll be fine. How is Rosemary recovering?" Kal'tsit had a firm grasp on Kanna's thoughts. She knew Kanna was not sulking with her, but probably with herself. So after a few days, Kanna would think it through on her own and be fine.

"Much better. She can already get out of bed and walk by herself, but her amnesia has become more severe. She often forgets everything that happened the day before." After finishing work each day, Amiya had been visiting Rosemary.

She had discovered that even if she told Rosemary something one day, Rosemary would no longer remember it the next. After consulting Lena, Lena confirmed that Rosemary's amnesia had worsened.

Fortunately, Amiya herself was still in Rosemary's memories.

A few days later, Kanna lay on her bed, boredly scrolling through videos...

She had thought Amiya Bunny would persist for a few more days, so after her anger faded, she could take the offered way out and leave her room. Yet Amiya stopped coming after knocking for only two days, leaving Kanna in an awkward position.

If she went out now, she would look insufficiently "dignified." If she remained in the room, it was unbearably boring. In short, she was suffering for the sake of saving face.

Suddenly, she heard a knock at the door. Kanna's eyes immediately lit up, and tears welled in them. Her savior had finally arrived. Which little sweetheart had come to give her a "way out"?

She rushed to the door in two steps and was about to open it when she suddenly stopped. Stay composed. I have to stay composed!

Kanna kept reminding herself internally.

"Ahem! Who is it?"

"Me!"

With a click, the door flew open. Kanna stared in surprise at the frail yet familiar figure before her.

"Rosemary! Why are you here? Come, come, sit down!" Seeing the confused look in the girl's eyes, Kanna excitedly took her hand and helped her over to a chair.

Rosemary tilted her head and carefully studied Kanna's face. Only after a long while did she ask uncertainly, "Kanna?"

Kanna also noticed that something was wrong with Rosemary. She looked toward the doorway, where Amiya stood with delight on her face.

"Although Rosemary was successfully rescued, her amnesia has become increasingly severe. Without using a recorder, she can barely remember any of the operators.

"She was only recently allowed to leave the sanatorium. I followed her and found that she walked directly here. I had never told her where you were during this time. She found the place herself, and she still remembers you. That means that even though her amnesia has worsened, you remain in her memories. This is a good thing."

Rosemary looked at Kanna in confusion. She did not know why she had come here, or why her heart began pounding when she saw the girl before her, but she knew Kanna had to be someone important to her.

Kanna wrapped her arms around Rosemary's shoulders. "Waaah... Rosemary, I shouldn't have been so willful. I should have come to see you sooner!"

Rosemary's face was still somewhat pale, but she raised her hand and gently patted Kanna's cheek. "I don't remember, but seeing you makes Rosemary very happy."

Amiya walked to the door and took out her communicator to contact Rosemary's attending physician and Miss Lena. Although they had suggested letting Rosemary go outside, saying it might help her amnesia recover, Amiya had been doubtful before.

After all, many people had visited Rosemary during this time, including members of her team. But aside from Amiya, Rosemary said she had no impression of anyone else.

Still, considering that Rosemary had been lying in the infirmary room for so long, Amiya agreed with the doctors' suggestion that it would be good for her to walk around Rhodes Island and relax. She had even followed personally.

From the moment Rosemary left the infirmary room, Amiya noticed that she was not wandering at random. She had a strong destination in mind. Although she stumbled along the way because she could not remember the route, she still accurately traveled from Rhodes Island's upper level to the middle section and found Kanna's room.