Chapter 100

However, because the two little ones turned into Sankta, the stress of some Mercenaries really put Nana in a bad mood... Nana realized that although these people said they were willing to accept leadership and get along peacefully, it was all just empty talk.

Even if they hesitated for two seconds before assuming a fighting stance, Nana assumed they had genuinely considered it.

Although, even the real church members felt that Nana's request was making things difficult for them.

"After all... they're Mercenaries... it's normal for them to start fighting as a reflex... Nana, look, they are indeed reflecting on their actions."

Following Mary's instructions, the Sarkaz who had been drained of blood and kicked by Nana to move goods quickly put on a few smiles, only to be glared at by W and then continue working as if fleeing for their lives.

"The key point... isn't it why they ended up like this?"

She searched for a suitable description, but after thinking for a long time, Frostleaf still couldn't figure out how to describe this sudden transformation. However, even though she hadn't finished compulsory education, Frostleaf understood that this was definitely due to Nana's influence...

After all, Nana is not only the priestess who presided over the ritual, but also the one who bestowed the name, and is also the 'accident' who can switch freely between the Sarkaz and Sankta forms... It's definitely more likely that Nana will know the truth than Elysia and the other two.

But the problem is... Nana has no idea what's really going on... She can't even tell whether her Halo is magic or bloodline... Just a few hours ago, she thought her 'Sankta' form was just an extension of Originium Arts.

We can't really believe that this is 'God' bestowing a blessing upon the Sarkaz, can we...?

Laterano has always kept the news of the Fallen Angel a secret... and the mutual hostility between the Sarkaz and Sankta is not just the enmity between one or two people or factions... but the result of countless years of fighting each other.

If Laterano found out that Sarkaz had received the 'Lord's' favor... Although Nana doesn't yet know if it's the complete version of Empathy, just the existence of Halo is enough to make Laterano have ulterior motives towards the two.

Nana didn't want to think about what Laterano thought about today's unexpected events; Nana was already quite overwhelmed just dealing with the Sarkaz situation.

This is still the Mercenaries who knows the two children were originally Sarkaz and that they even spent a night together... If it were someone more volatile, like those bandit Sarkaz who, as W mentioned, paid a toll... well, let's just go straight to the point and start demanding the Sarkaz Royal Court to carry out bloodline revenge.

"I can't let those people know that Aili, Xiya, and the others used to be Sankta..." That was Nana's first reaction.

How to ensure the information won't be leaked...? This was Nana's second thought.

As Nana immediately slid to the terrifying idea of 'simply killing all these hidden dangers... all those Sarkaz who are in a state of stress,' Nana quickly shook her head, banishing the thought from her mind... If she really did that, the Sarkaz who were originally willing to keep it a secret would have to tell other forces that came to inquire about what was going on here because too many people had died.

Putting everything else aside, the Mercenaries W belongs to and the thousands of people in the Reunion Movement alone are not enough to deal with them... not to mention that there are Pureblood Court members like 'Patriot' among them.

Nana, this imposter, has no intention of going head-to-head with the real thing...

With a sigh, Nana gestured to her companions that she didn't know why things had turned out this way, so our newly appointed Witchcraft and the Court noblewoman could only fast-forward through the topic again:

"Since it's my fault, I'll take care of them for now... If possible, I'll think of a way to conceal their identities..."

Because Halo have no physical form, they can't be hidden... and using Witchcraft to interfere... even for Rosemary, who has a group of spirits behind her and excellent sorcerers helping with her education, this method is a considerable challenge, let alone for Aili and Xiya, who haven't even received basic education yet... Where would you find so many geniuses who can easily master Witchcraft -level ritual spells... Nana mainly considers that physical disguise is the right way.

"Also, how are the follow-up preparations going? Let everyone get moving, so no one overthinks things..."

Hearing Nana's somewhat self-deprecating tone, W chuckled and twirled a strand of hair, saying:

"The moving work will probably continue until noon... then we can set off... But, after what happened, are you still going to come with us? Actually, for the sake of Aili and Xiya, your team should be as small as possible... If you really have something to say to that Dragon Lady, I can help you arrange for her to come out."

"... But some things you just have to see for yourself, don't you...?"

Not only the Dragon Lady, whom W described as 'abnormal,' but also the 'Patriot' is a key focus for Nana... After all, the former is merely an anomaly, while the latter, if he truly is, as Ah Fu claims, a member of the Sarkaz Royal Court serving Ursus, and has now defected again as the Infected... then it's quite normal for him to be under the Inner Guards's scrutiny.

Having thus prioritized the matters concerning Aili, Xiya, and Mary compared to her own, Nana sighed.

He had unwittingly provoked these strange young girls, and because of him, their unconsciousness was quite frustrating... Nana could only take them with her now; if they still didn't wake up, she could take them back to Kal'tsit... Even if things got really bad, the Doctor should be able to take a look.

After all, that's how I got better... Nine

And then, it was Mary's turn. (Seven)

As the orange cat girl continued practicing how to use the pistol, Nana, after hearing W's arrangements for departure, immediately turned the conversation to her. "Hey!"

"Perhaps you've realized... I'm not the real Sankta..."

"... It's alright, I had a feeling about it before, but you did help us after all... You even promised to help Frostleaf resolve the issue of her being trafficked by Columbia and having her compensation money embezzled... So, you're actually from Columbia, right?"

"... Yes... as you can see, I'm doing a part-time job... similar to an investigator... and at the same time, as W said, I'm an operator at Rhodes Island... currently mainly in charge of personnel management... and also working in the Emergency Medical Department of the Medical Department... and Rhodes Island is also a registered company of Columbia, so in every sense, I'm Columbia..."

As she spoke, Nana glared at Ah Fu... Sure enough, the best way to keep a secret is to have no secret at all. Now that the secret is out, you have to be prepared for everyone to know.

If I have a similar fluke mentality in the future, I will deserve to die!

However, there are advantages to taking off the disguise. Now Nana doesn't need to hide anything from others, and she doesn't conceal her intentions about controlling the people under her command.

Looking around at the group of people... Ah Fu was the refugee representative, W was the Mercenaries leader, Frostleaf was shrouded in the looming shadow of Columbia, and Mary... she brought news that Laterano wanted to get involved in his affairs.

Among them, there is a connection as followers of the White Emperor, as well as historical considerations of being enemies for thousands of years... There is someone like Frostleaf, whose misfortune is purely undeserved, and someone like W, who is a calamity in himself and wants nothing more than to chase after the people of the Court and blow them up... Finally, there is the new factor of being Sarkaz, which can be considered a characteristic of the Sankta... Nana just felt that her team was really bizarre.

In the past, when I had no entanglement or relationship with them, I kept secrets. When they suffered misfortune, I would just say "oh," mourn for a couple of seconds, and then go about my business...

But now things are different. He and the refugees have become individuals with intertwined fates. He cannot allow those who know the truth about Rhodes Island's attack on Ursus to wander around aimlessly, so he promises to lead them to a place to live.

The Mercenaries are the bridge for her to complete her mission, and they also learned the secret that she is both Sankta and Sarkaz... If these people talk nonsense, it will be troublesome. Nana plans to take them, along with W, to Rhodes Island to give to Kal'tsit for a headache.

Nana's promise to give Frostleaf an explanation stemmed from her sense of duty as a Columbia agent... But now, Nana could no longer simply view Mary as a humanitarian mission where her safety was guaranteed and she could do whatever she wanted after the mission was over.

"... As you can all see, secrets carry their weight... Knowing too much, I can no longer easily let you go... Even without the matter of Aili and Xiya, I would have taken good care of Ah Fu and the others. Frostleaf's matter is somewhat related to my part-time job, so I promised from the beginning that I wouldn't abandon her... But now, W... and Sister Mary... I need... to forge a closer relationship with you... Otherwise, given the threat of my identity being exposed, to ensure my personal safety, I will have no choice but to deal with you first..."

Seeing that Nana didn't seem to be joking, Sister Mary was quite nonchalant:

"As for me, as long as you're willing to wait until I've finished handling my companions' funerals, I... well, I don't care about myself... After all, I was rescued by you, and you are a nun... If you want me to disappear, then all I need to do is allow me to submit a report saying that I've embarked on a journey to find myself... After all, I'm just a minor administrative staff member in the Laterano Organization, so no one will care even if I disappear."

"... It won't be that bad... As long as you're willing to cooperate, I'll take good care of everyone... My promise is here... And if anything unexpected happens to me later, you only need to go to the Rhodes Island office, contact the Rhodes Island headquarters Landship, and tell the head of the Rhodes Island Medical Department about our situation. She will also help make arrangements for everyone..."

Hearing Nana say this, Frostleaf, who had been being taken care of, didn't have anything to say. Seeing Mary's obedience, the Little Fox only said, "I will follow Mary," and then fell silent.

As for W, who was being stared at by Nana...

"... So, what you want isn't just cooperation... but also... to take me under your wing... not even sparing my men?"

"We won't let anyone here escape..."

With this added thought, Nana realized that it was only because all the Reunion Movement teams that were different from W's were already dead that she would have had to find a way to bribe those people... Her assassin persona was almost turning into that of a spy who specialized in bribing people.

And W... this Sarkaz, who supposedly inherited the name of the previous Mercenaries, looked at Nana after much deliberation:

"My need for you... seems to be merely to investigate His Highness's death... After all, I've already eliminated all the assassins from the Court... To need anything more from you would be tantamount to declaring war on the False King..."

"... If there is a good reason, I will not be absent..."

"A proper reason... that kind of thing..."

Seeing that W didn't seem very interested, Nana considered her needs and offered a suggestion:

"How about this, I'll recommend you to Rhodes Island... How about you investigate Kal'tsit yourself? That way you should be able to sense both credibility and sincerity... Most importantly, by doing this, I'm not just bringing in one person, but an entire Sarkaz Mercenaries squad under your command..."

"... As if a whole squad could defeat you... If I wanted to kill that old woman, would you just stand by and do nothing?"

"If... she really is the murderer of her best friend... and if your revenge is truly righteous, then I won't interfere..."

Seeing Nana say that, W tilted his head curiously:

"Huh? This isn't quite what I expected... I thought you were the kind of pure, subservient company dog..."

"No, I serve my the Law, my ideals... Kal'tsit made me serve because they shared similar ideals... And if she were the two-faced woman you described, then I would naturally leave... and there would be no question of stopping you from taking action..."

"... In other words, if I'm in the wrong and I make a move, you'll beat me to a pulp..."

Seeing W's "I see" expression, Nana thought for a moment:

"... If it were a colleague, they wouldn't have knocked you flying like that... at most, they'd just give you a punch to calm you down..."

"... Who the hell could take a punch from you?!"

After this angry rebuke, W laughed out loud, then the white-haired, black-dressed Sarkaz, adorned with red spots like blood, smiled at Nana:

"Alright, I agree..."

"Which part are you agreeing to? I'm recording this as evidence for future administrative actions... Please clearly state the conditions you've agreed to and the responsibilities you will fulfill."

"You're really serious~ Okay... I'm willing to join Rhodes Island... Dear Kal'tsit ~ wait for me!~"

PS: This is actually the content of the previous chapter, but I didn't have enough time to revise it, so I simply wrote a little more and made it a separate chapter... From our God's perspective, the Sarkaz are the Sankta, which is easy to understand, and the two little ones suddenly having halos is due to a combination of factors... I can only say that... Sarkaz Witchcraft is not purely feudal superstition, Nana fulfilled her mission as AMA-77 very well.

It seems like I've suddenly spoiled something... But it's okay, even if it's just a replica, as long as everyone remembers that Nana is very special.

PS2: Meow Meow Cat

Fold-eared rabbit!

Although Amiya's ear structure shouldn't allow it to fold...

4th Crimson Warm Winter: 105 Each Person's Encounter

Once the war begins, no one can easily stop it... When His Highness told me this before, I didn't understand its meaning.

The decision to behead Princess Theresa was extremely painful.

Just as the princes tacitly raised their weapons against each other... using each other's deaths to end the war seemed to be part of that tacit understanding.

But... this tacit understanding only exists between the two princes...

The other Sarkaz still hold their own positions, and even though this beheading has been narrowed down to His Highness personally as much as possible, the war is not over.

Even after the commander disappeared, the resistance at Babel did not cease... in fact, the resistance of a few members became increasingly brutal.

They were meaninglessly, numbly, and fanatically increasing the death toll of the war.

'Kazdel' seems to have become a curse binding everyone... Now that His Highness Theresis hopes to end the chaos in Kazdel as soon as possible, some... quite a few people are almost self-destructively immersing themselves in a trivial desire for revenge.

Everyone knows that without the symbol of unity, they can't win anything, yet they still pathologically reap the lives of all those involved.

Persuasion and reason were futile for them, and the labels of committee and Council members began to blur... The committee began to pursue stability, while the Council soldiers began to seek revenge.

To achieve our goals, we have to appease the original perpetrators of hatred and spread even greater hatred... To achieve our goal of revenge, we throw everything else to the wind... It seems that only our positions have been reversed, but nothing has changed in essence.

Your Highness Theresis, please give me guidance...

I have confirmed the truth about why all the Assassin Group have not returned.

Mercenaries named W... and a former Council member... my classmate, Azkaron... Under the influence of similar out-of-control rampages by supporters of the princess, all the soldiers abandoned their chance to return to the Court during the subsequent pursuit.

They were inevitably influenced by that prince during the assassination attempt... They hoped that this shameful infighting would end with them.

But... just as the Court wouldn't allow hatred to be forgotten or history to be betrayed... the other side finally came to understand the Sarkaz spirit advocated by the Court...

The bad news is that the hatred and historical hostility are now beginning to fixate on the Court itself.

Similar to this mission objective... more and more nameless, unidentified Sarkaz are leaving Kazdel... and worse, they may not be as pure as any of His Highnesses.

They are like the dregs left after being exploited by the 'civil war,' or like rotting flesh in a wound... foreign objects that cannot contain their own side, pus that hinders the healing of the wound.

Although they remain members of the Sarkaz, they have become a real obstacle to the reconstruction of Kazdel.

Your Highness Theresis, please give me guidance...

How can we escape this memory of hatred? How can we break free from this cycle of fate?

Put down the pen, confirm what you have written, then seal it with wax, and finally affix your seal... That is both a seal of magic and proof of your identity.

"Then, please take care of this letter as well..."

"Mission accomplished, Colonel!"

The Court messenger of Kazdel accepted the wax-sealed letter, gave a solemn salute, then shakily pulled on his hood. The Sarkaz, as if fleeing for their lives, mounted their motorcycle and quickly disappeared.

Before him sat on a shield floating in mid-air, his Feline constantly shifting between scrutiny, curiosity, and drowsiness.

The young girl herself was expressionless, as if she were just a machine performing a surveillance mission, but her tail rhythmically slapped against the shield. Because Manfred insisted on inspecting the vehicle, they and the Exploration Vehicle had been stuck in this frozen ground for a full two and a half weeks... Anyone who didn't know better would have thought that Rhodes Island's Exploration Vehicle had broken down here.

"It's over? All of it?"

"Yes, all the documents and reports have been completed..."

"Then let's go quickly."

As if chasing away something unclean, the Little Cat made a gesture befitting its childlike nature:

"Go quickly, don't be a nuisance anymore."

"... Although I probably know I'm unpopular... but for some investigative reasons, could I know why you hate me so much? Is it because of the Dead Soul within me?"

"... Those are my family members... please be polite."

"Dead Soul are a type of Sarkaz; I'm just using the term academically... So, you don't hate Sarkaz because you're burdened by the oppression of Witchcraft..."

Hearing the confirmation in the other person's tone, the Little Cat put its hands on its hips and raised its tail upwards:

"I don't hate the Sarkaz, I just hate you... Your soldiers are advancing north, causing Ursus to flee south..."

"... How will this affect our relationship?"

"The refugees heading south are harassing my troops; more than half of the Ursus refugees say they have been subjected to rude inspections by Sarkaz soldiers."