Freesia Bayard 

Mass death, general war-related themes .

Thick, inky black clouds, too warm to be called simply overcast, completely blanket the sky.
It should be as dark as night, but instead of the blocked-out sun, the flames of battle illuminate the surroundings.
Spread out before them is a brutal battlefield littered with countless piles of rubble and corpses.
Amid this surreal scene, thick with the stench of death, just two figures stood there, as if they were the only beings God had allowed to be there.
One looked up at the sky, spreading both hands as if offering a prayer.
The other knelt, reaching out as if seeking salvation… No, as if trying to save something.
Though the scene resembled a religious painting, there was no sense of divinity to be found there.
What existed was a desire too pure.
The moment when those who have nothing realize the truth always comes, without exception, in the midst of tragedy.
The outstretched hand reached no one.
Yet in the palm of that hand, a sliver of truth had been grasped…

Invasion, and then domination.
There was a nation that championed imperialism, swallowed up other countries, and charged forward relentlessly toward becoming a mighty state.
What is “evil” to some is “justice” to others.
Though feared and shunned by its neighbors, that empire continues to amass power to this day, fueled by the strong patriotism of its own people.
In preparation for the “next crisis.”

In this empire, the military is controlled by the royal family and effectively holds power. It goes without saying that military personnel enjoy a high social standing.
Having a “position of authority” connected to the upper echelons is a career that everyone aspires to.
Exploiting the envy of the common people, the empire had gathered those with the power of Singing Warrior, organized them into a unit known as the “Singing Knights,” and utilized them for military purposes. To cultivate future military strength, the empire also placed great emphasis on early childhood education.

“I… will definitely become a Singing Warrior and achieve great victories! For the sake of our Empire!!”

Freesia Bayard continues to train day and night as a Singing Warrior cadet.
She, too, was one of the young women aiming for a brilliant future as a soldier.

“Is Freesia at the top of the class again?”
“Of course she is. She’s been at the top of every course since she enrolled.”
“Elites really are different. A future officer destined for greatness must surely be someone just like her.”
“That’s right. By this time next year, she’ll surely be achieving great feats on the battlefield.”

Outstanding academic performance, graceful bearing befitting a soldier.
Freesia, who enjoyed the deep trust of those around her, was certain to become a beacon of hope as a Singing Knight. Everyone, including Freesia herself, believed this without a shadow of a doubt.
However… That hope was shattered.
As she completed the entire educational program and her classmates were assigned one after another to the Singing Knight Corps, Freesia was nowhere to be found.
Despite possessing rare natural talent, she was unable to manifest her true potential until the very end.
The talent to manifest the Song Power as a Singing Warrior.
No matter how outstanding one may be, without the Song Power, one cannot become a Singing Warrior.
Freesia’s intellect was recognized, and she was assigned to the General Staff Headquarters.
Although this assignment, unprecedented for someone who hadn’t risen through the ranks, could truly be called an elite track, it was a far cry from the future Freesia had envisioned.

“Why… why me, of all people…! Why didn’t the ‘Song Power’ choose me…!?”

The palace courtyard.
Freesia, who had come on official business to the branch office set up within the palace, was spending her downtime there.
Her own inadequacy, the unfairness of the talent known as the “Singing Power”.
Freesia was so despondent that she couldn’t help but voice her frustration aloud.

“Oh? Who… might you be?”

Unlike the bigger gardens, few people passed through here. That was why she had let her guard down.
The words Freesia had let slip reached the ears of a certain person.
Of all people, it was Stellalius Aeon Brillnova, the princess of this very country.
This was the first time the two had met face-to-face.
But there was no way Freesia wouldn’t recognize her as the princess of her own country.

“Y-Your Highness…! I am Freesia Bayard, an officer of the General Staff! I apologize for subjecting you to my unpleasant whining!”
“It’s all right, Freesia. More importantly, I’m so bored. Please tell me your story.”

Freesia hesitated for a moment, but since it was an order from the princess, she recounted everything that had happened to her so far.
How her dream of becoming a Singing Knight had been shattered because she couldn’t manifest her power.
Stellalius listened with an expression that betrayed no emotion, whether she found it amusing or simply wasn’t interested. Then she spoke, as if it were the most natural thing in the world:

“It’s a shame your Singing Power didn’t awaken… but aren’t there plenty of other ways to excel on the battlefield? If you don’t have the power, you can simply use those who do.”
“Use… those who have the power?”
“Yes. The one who leads and commands the Singing Knights… That’s it! You might actually be better suited for that role!”
“Um… what do you mean by that…?”
“Freesia Bayard! I hereby order your transfer to the position of Commander of the Singing Knights, effective immediately!”

Stellalius’s transfer order, which seemed to have come on a whim, became a reality in the blink of an eye that very day.
Partly because Freesia had not yet been assigned to any important military role, but also because no one dared defy the Princess’s command.
However, this event would drastically change Freesia’s life.
The life of a soldier who charged across the battlefield as the commander of the Singing Knights.

A country that was once a neighbor but is now under Imperial occupation. Beyond that country to the west lies a dry, barren wilderness swept by sandstorms.
And beyond that wilderness lies the Western Kingdom, rich in natural resources.
Located in the center of the continent and serving as a hub for trade, capturing that land would provide the Empire with a major foothold for bringing the entire continent under its control.
However, the Western Kingdom is not about to surrender its territory so easily.
As it repelled the invading Empire, the wilderness had been transformed into a battlefield.

Amidst the battlefield, Freesia stands alone atop a small rocky hill.
In her hand, she holds the “Rapier Tact”, a weapon permitted only to the commander of the Singing Knights.
With its narrow blade modeled after a conductor’s baton, it is used less for directly striking enemies and more as a true “conductor’s baton.”
When swung, it instantly stirs up a wind that bestows healing power upon allies, both physically and mentally, but its true purpose lies elsewhere.
That purpose is to “unify the Sound Power.”
Sound Power transcends human understanding. She weaves each individual sound together, as if spinning threads.
When the Singing Knights combined their powers in time with Freesia’s Tact, their combat strength was on an entirely different level from anything seen before.
She was the very embodiment of a “conductor.”
Freesia had grown to the point where she could command the battlefield, that stage, with the Sound Power.

“Singing Knights! The time to charge has come! Protect the Princess!!”

The Imperial Army advanced with unstoppable momentum.
Though the Western Kingdom fought back desperately, they were no match for the Singing Knights led by Freesia, and their defensive lines crumbled before their very eyes.

“Well done, Freesia. Thanks to you all, this battle has become much easier.”
“Hah, I am deeply honored by your kind words.”

As the youngest princess of the Empire, Stellalius had joined the front lines a few days prior.
Freesia, who had been assigned to guard Stellalius, a complete novice in battle and, so to speak, merely a “figurehead”, had been rapidly growing closer to her.

“It’s all thanks to Your Highness. Without your advice, I would never have known that I could wield my power in this way while commanding the other Singing Warriors.”
“Your Highness is so formal. Call me Stellalius.”
“O-okay… S-Stella… Lady Stellalius.”
“Well, I’ll let that slide. I look forward to working with you from now on, Freesia.”

The person who had rescued her from the depths of despair.
Treated as if she were a friend by that person, Freesia trembled with joy.
She had always been a deeply patriotic citizen, but from that moment on, she vowed an even stronger loyalty.
For the Empire. For the royal house of Brillnova.
None of that was wrong.
But above all, for Stellalius.
Freesia engraved a vow deep within her heart: she would sacrifice her life for the princess.

It was only for a brief time that Stellalius served as a mere “ornament on the battlefield.”
One day, holding an instrument of unknown origin, Stellalius made this proposal to Freesia:
“Let me stand on the front lines.”

“I cannot allow it! It’s really dangerous… As your guardian, I could never permit-“
“Be quiet. If I say I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it! Or… do you intend to argue with me?”
“…No. But I will remain by your side at all times as your escort. As the commander of the Singing Knights, that much I cannot compromise on.”
“Do as you please! Though I doubt you’ll have much of a role to play! As long as I have this guitar!”
“That instrument… is it called a guitar…?”

Stellalius, clutching the guitar, seemed even more excited than usual.
She had often said the most outlandish things in the past, but Freesia had always accepted them all.
This time, however, the situation was different. The life of the princess, the most precious person to the country, was at stake.
Even so, Freesia could not deny her lady’s actions.
Stellalius’s will is everything to Freesia.
While she owes her birth to her biological mother, she owes her current self to Stellalius.

“No matter what danger looms… I will protect her, even if it costs me my life…”

With that resolve, she had set out on horseback with Stellalius just a while ago.
Now, a scene she could never have imagined stretched out before Freesia’s eyes.

“What… on earth is this…?”

With every strum of Stellalius’s guitar, thunder roared across the cloudless sky.
The lightning rained down in torrents upon the enemy soldiers, and as if singing in time with the sound of her guitar, screams filled the battlefield.
It was, quite literally, divine retribution.
As if a god were punishing humanity, the lightning scorched the earth and the enemy soldiers.

From then on, it took no more than the blink of an eye for the Western Kingdom to fall.
While the Empire’s military might certainly played a role, the primary factor was Stellalius’s power.
No nation could stand up to an army possessing power rivaling that of the gods.
In this battle, the Western Kingdom was destined to become a vassal state.
And the Empire secured a fleeting peace.

“Let’s celebrate our Empire’s victory!!”

The jubilant voices of Imperial military officers echoed through the royal castle of the conquered Western Kingdom.
A party to celebrate the victory. For this moment alone, even the battle-hardened soldiers were smiling broadly and reveling in the fine cuisine.
Start a war and win. Win, seize what you’ve conquered, and start another war.
The Empire had expanded to this scale through an extremely simple method.
Therefore, there was no greater joy than victory in battle. After all, that was simply a given for the people of the Empire.
However, amidst the party, there was one person whose expression seemed out of place.
It was Stellalius.
Despite being the key figure behind this latest victory, there was no sign of joy on her face.
Although she was seated in the place of honor as a member of the royal family, she looked bored, not engaging in conversation with anyone.
Some noticed this, but everyone simply gave an awkward, wry smile, thinking, “She’s probably just tired of parties.”
However, there was one person.
Only Freesia, standing by the door on guard duty, was trying to grasp the true meaning behind that expression.

“You’re bored, aren’t you, Lady Stellalius… No, that’s not it… Those eyes aren’t “bored”… They are… “dry”?”

Freesia had seen several people in the military with the same eyes as Stellalius had now.
What they all had in common was that they were the kind of people who “could only find their place in battle.”
Ever since she started playing the guitar, Stellalius had definitely changed.
But she didn’t know exactly what had changed.
Feeling an unpleasant flutter in her chest, Freesia peered out the window leading to the balcony at the town spreading out below the royal castle.
In stark contrast to the castle, which had suffered little damage and was ablaze with the festivities of the part, the town was scorched by the lightning Stellalius had unleashed and had been reduced to a pile of rubble.
Those who had lost their lives, those who were injured, those trying to rebuild, and those who had given up.
She could see people in all sorts of states, but the atmosphere that permeated it all was one of “despair.”
This was Freesia’s first time experiencing it.
No matter how outstanding a cadet Freesia was, this was her first time in battle.
It was also the first time she had witnessed “the other side” of the victories the Empire had enjoyed.

“…What are you hesitating about, Freesia Bayard? Lady Stellalius and our Empire are the embodiment of justice… Why should there be any need to doubt that?”

Freesia murmured those words softly, as if trying to convince herself.

The Empire’s fierce invasion. There was no way other countries would simply stand by and watch.
Nations that had formed alliances and dramatically expanded their military power were now advancing against the Empire.
To defeat their common “enemy.”
Amid the armies of these other nations, figures possessing powers never seen before began to appear.
Though their forms varied, they all held guitars identical to Stellalius’ in their hands.
That mysterious instrument, which harbors power rivaling that of the gods.

“Ugh… what immense power…!”
“Lady Freesia! Our Sound Power alone is simply not enough!”
“Come on, don’t back down! We’re the Imperial Singing Knights, this is nothing to us!”

Though Freesia roared defiantly, the fact remained that they were on the defensive.
She racked her brain for a way out, but no brilliant solution came to mind.
Just then, someone suddenly tapped Freesia on the shoulder.

“Step back. I’ll take care of that one myself!”
“Lady Stellalius!?”
“To think there’s someone else besides me who plays the guitar… How wonderful…!”

All Stellalius could see now was the enemy guitarist.
Paying no heed to the stunned Freesia, she charged into the front lines and strummed her guitar with all her might, as if to drown out the enemy’s sound.

“Is this… a battle between those who possess divine power…?”

The clash of these immense powers was so fierce that it whipped up a storm of catastrophic proportions.
But maintaining such an extreme state was difficult.
One by one.
All her opponents fell to their knees before Stellalius.
As Stellalius eliminated the guitarists one after another, she showed no interest in their backgrounds.
Her only interest lay in the guitars they possessed.
Stellalius gathered up the guitars left behind as spoils of war.
As if she were bewitched by a demon.

“Lady Stellalius. Why not propose peace negotiations at this point? The allied nations will surely accept the terms. If so, the war will effectively end as a victory for the Empire.”

The threat and wariness felt by other nations toward the ever-victorious Empire swelled day by day.
Unwilling to let the Empire run rampant, they increased their number of allies, and as a result, the battles on the front lines grew increasingly fierce.
Even for the Empire, with its superior military strength, signs of exhaustion were becoming evident in the face of overwhelming numerical superiority; eventually, citizens even began attempting to flee the country.
If they were to call a ceasefire while still holding the upper hand, this was the absolute latest they could do so.
But as if oblivious to such circumstances, Stellalius replied with a carefree air.

“No, I wouldn’t have it that way. Then I wouldn’t be able to hunt down those guitarists with impunity.”
“But then, what about the people of our Empire…!”
“Since when did you start giving me advice, Freesia?”
“W-well…”
“I’ve come up with a brilliant idea! It’s no fun just sitting here waiting to be attacked! If they want to defeat me, I’ll do them the favor of marching out to meet them!”

Having declared this in high spirits, Stellalius left Freesia behind and walked away.
Freesia reached out toward her back as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, no words came out, and she simply let her arm fall limply to her side.

“I am one who serves Lady Stellalius… but if things continue like this, the Empire will… What on earth am I to do…”

The Imperial Army, led by Stellalius, continued to rack up victories.
But the sacrifices and costs accompanying those victories were also steadily increasing.
Soldiers falling wounded, supply lines stalling, and domestic chaos caused by the protracted, fierce battles.
Under Stellalius’s command, which seemed to charge headlong through a field of thorns without regard for the tearing of her own flesh, voices of dissent were beginning to rise, not only from the military high command but also from the nobles serving the Brillnova family.

One day on the battlefield, cracks began to appear in the Empire. A nation that had once boasted an impenetrable military, a monolithic force united with the monarchy.
Freesia saw it reflected in her eyes. She couldn’t help but see it.
The figure of a “flame giant”, tearing through the sky and descending upon the earth, shrouded in ominous flames.

“A god… no, a demon…?”

As the flame giant unleashed its power, the earth split open, and everything, regardless of whether it belonged to the Empire or the allied forces, was blown away.
All that remained was silence.
The battlefield, which until moments ago had been filled with the war cries and screams of soldiers, had fallen completely silent, as if an opera were about to begin.
Freesia described the flame giant as a demon. She had sensed it the moment she saw it.
That its very essence was pure, unadulterated rage.
It wasn’t just Freesia. A single emotion began to fill the hearts of everyone present.
That emotion was “fear.”
They couldn’t help but realize that in the face of an absolute ruler, any resistance was futile.
Except for one person.

“Are you all right? Here, hold on to me.”
“Guh… Thank you… Are you all right, Lady Stellalius?”

Stellalius, who had fortunately escaped unharmed, pulled Freesia out from under the rubble.
Though she felt ashamed that, far from protecting her lady, she had been the one saved, Freesia breathed a sigh of relief upon learning she was safe.
Before she knew it, the flame giant had vanished. But she couldn’t let her guard down.
“We must evacuate immediately,” Freesia was about to say when Stellalius, her eyes sparkling, spoke first.

“You saw it, didn’t you!? That magnificent giant!! That must be exactly what I’ve been searching for!!”
“Lady Stellalius…?”
“That almost ominous rage… Could it have been led here by the call of battle…? If so… then if we clash with even more intense power…!!”
“You mustn’t!!”

Unable to bear it any longer, Freesia raised her voice, cutting off the rest of her words.
It was a clear act of defiance against her lady.
But Stellalius paid it no mind, cheerfully devising a plan.
A way to face the flame giant once more.
If it had manifested to punish humans who hated and fought one another…
Then all they had to do was engage in an even fiercer battle for survival than ever before.
With that in mind, Stellalius, going against the wishes of both the army and the people, threw herself into yet another battle.
The figure of the princess to whom Freesia had sworn allegiance was nowhere to be seen.

It is no longer a war fought for the nation’s interests.
It’s all to summon the flame giant.
A war waged solely to sow blood and despair is being perpetuated by Stellalius.
There is no room for tactics, diplomacy, or any kind of strategic maneuvering.
And yet, through domination by sheer violence, the Empire has won. It has continued to win.
Literally shedding blood and wearing itself down in the process.

And so, the final battle for continental supremacy has begun.
When facing the “final battle,” people and organizations generally fall into two categories.
Those who are “completely exhausted from the journey to get there,” and those who “intend to use up every last ounce of their strength without holding back, simply because it’s the end.”
Right now, the former is the Empire, and the latter is the allied forces.
It’s nothing short of a miracle that the Empire has managed to advance this far; its forces have been whittled down to the point of near-exhaustion, and they are on the verge of burning out.

“Is this the end…? But I won’t stop fighting until the very end… So many Imperial soldiers have died to get us this far… For their sake, I will fight to the bitter end…!!”

Though Freesia is fired up, the Singing Knights under her command are falling one by one.
Before she knew it, the front lines had long since collapsed, and the Empire, which was supposed to be on the offensive, found itself being pushed back.
The moment Freesia, who possessed no Sound Power, would meet her end was drawing ever closer.

It was then…
Just as the sky, which had been clear to the point of being infuriating, was suddenly covered by black clouds, lightning rained down upon the battlefield as if tearing through space itself.
It struck down upon the enemy soldiers, reaping lives and setting the earth ablaze.
The lightning… No, the power emanating from Stellalius’s guitar continued to rain down upon the battlefield.
Upon the enemy soldiers. And upon the Imperial Army she was supposed to protect as well.
Indiscriminately, without exception.
Freesia realized this fact just before she was blown away and lost consciousness.

Was it luck or misfortune?
Buried beneath the rubble, the flame of Freesia’s life still flickered feebly.
But it was no more than a candle in the wind.
Excruciating pain coursed through her entire body, while her right leg, conversely, felt no pain at all.
Enduring the agony, Freesia immediately realized: she was beyond recovery.

“Ah, where is it!? That flame giant!”

A young woman’s voice reached Freesia’s ears.
The voice sounded desperate, sorrowful, and yet filled with joy.
Recognizing it immediately as her lady’s voice, Freesia gritted her teeth, forced her dying body to act, and managed to sit up.
Spreading out before her eyes was a sky shrouded in black clouds and heavy with smoke. Fires of battle blazed here and there.
With one exception, there was no one left standing on their own two feet.

“Lady… Stella… lius…”

Managing to squeeze out the words, Freesia reached out toward her lady.
Though her body was torn like a rag, her loyalty was still strong enough to worry for Stellalius’s safety.
She wasn’t crazy. It was simply the only reason Freesia had to live.
But Stellalius, glancing briefly in the direction of the voice, toward Freesia… Walked away without a second thought.
Without reaching out, without even calling out to her.
As if “nothing had been there at all.”
Freesia, who had worshipped her more than anyone else, understood in that instant.
That she had never been reflected in Stellalius’s eyes to begin with.
And that her recommendation to appoint her as a commander and assign her a bodyguard was no more significant than casually plucking a berry she’d found in a field… Nothing more than that.

Suddenly, she noticed corpses scattered across the battlefield, which had been reduced to a mountain of rubble.
That was the spark; one after another, her eyes took in the vast number of bodies strewn among the debris.
Imperial Army, Alliance Army, it no longer mattered.
Everyone was simply someone who had fought and perished for some cause.

(What were we… what was I fighting for? For the Empire? For the Brillnova family? For Lady Stellalius…? Is “this” what the justice I swore allegiance to has brought about? What did I leave behind after risking my life in battle?)

There were quite a few who objected to Stellalius’s atrocities, as she became increasingly consumed by battle, and chose to defect.
Though she understood their arguments, Freesia had secretly despised them and chosen to walk the path alongside Stellalius.
She, who had idolized Stellalius to such an extent, found herself questioning her own beliefs for the first time.
“Could I have been wrong?”
Now she had begun to doubt her loyalty, the very reason for her existence and her driving force.
Now she had uncovered the “truth,”
The very foundation that had shaped Freesia’s heart began to crumble into pieces.
It was as if she were tearing her own body apart with her own hands.

Left alone on the battlefield, Freesia slowly drew the Rapier Tact she carried at her waist.
No one remains to play a song guided by this tact. Even those who had survived the battle had all met their end at the hands of Stellalius.

“Countless lives have been lost… at the hands of those I trusted. And those hands belong to me, a believer…”

Freesia, who had been holding the tip of the blade aloft toward the heavens, switched the grip to a reverse hold and thrust it forcefully through her own heart.
She had, quite literally, brought her story to a close.
With no one to witness the first and last large tears that streamed from her eyes, Freesia collapsed where she stood and soon breathed her last.

Immediately afterward….
Just as a rumbling seemed to echo across the battlefield, where only a gentle breeze had been blowing, the earth split open.
The fissure swallowed up rubble, fire, rocks, and Freesia’s remains.
At the bottom of the abyss, a blinding light shone so brightly it seemed on the verge of spilling over.
Was that light the flame of Purgatory, or the hope of a festival?
No one was there to witness it.
And so, the Fool’s Opera drew to a close.
Without a curtain call, or even a single sound of applause…