Lenas Olscura 

Decapitation, brain trauma, burning alive, cleaving in half, defiling of corpses, trauma-based age regression, mental asylum settings.

Why? Why must I go through this?

Lenas continued running blindly through the dark forest. To escape the distant growls of beasts.

No, no, let me go back to Mama. I’m not prey…!

Everything appeared eerie to her, now consumed by terror.
Roots creeping across the ground looked like a woman’s arms wrapping around her legs. From a large hole in a tree trunk, she heard voices condemning her.
In the sky after sunset, the crescent moon seemed to mock her, gazing down.

No, no…! Help me, Mama… Mama, Mama, MAMA-

///////

“Congratulations! What a splendid little girl!”
“You did well, Sephi.”
“Thank you, my dear.”

Gazing at the infant held in the midwife’s arms, the mother, Sephirini, smiled gently.

“Thank you for being born… Lenas.”

Lenas Olscura was born into this world as the eldest daughter of a chosen marquis house in Aurun, the earth country.
Though the Olscura name was gradually losing its influence with the changing times, it remained a renowned noble house, still counted among the most powerful aristocrats.
The Olscura family handled political affairs related to divine rites, producing saints and clergy generation after generation.
Therefore, it was only natural that Lenas received an education worthy of her ancestors’ name.

“My dear, it’s too early for Lenas! You must give her much more love!”
“No, it’s rather late. Providing excellent education and guiding people is Olscura’s divine mission. You came here knowing that, didn’t you?”

Love is useless before tradition.
Sephirini felt as if she was being told that, and her heart grew sick, leading her to shut herself away in her room.

Oh, God of Fate.

Surrounded by many dolls meant for Lenas, Sephirini sang a song for her.

“Oh dear, this is why sheltered clergy are… Lenas, you were given the name Olscura. You are, in essence, a special child chosen by God. Your soul’s rank is different from that of commoners. Therefore, it is your destiny to guide the people.”
“Yes, Father.”
“You are a good listener. Now, shall we go?”

Forced out of her mother’s room, the sound of the bedside music playing alongside her mother’s song clung to Lenas’s ears forever.
One day, Lenas sneaked into her mother’s room, trying to meet her while avoiding her father’s gaze. But what awaited the girl there was an utterly changed woman.

“Lenas, where shall we go today?”

She held a doll she named “Lenas” close, cherishing it like her own child.

“Mama, I’m right here…?”
“Oh, I see. Lenas wants to go see the fountain, then?”
“No, that’s not me! Lenas is me!”

Lenas immediately tried to pry the doll away.
But it was held too tightly; her strength was no match for it.

“Then perhaps we should take a little nap first?”
“Mama, I’m over here! Look at me!”

No matter how desperately she pleaded, only the doll existed in Sephirini’s eyes.

“Lenas! I told you not to come in without permission!”
“Father!?”

Looking up, she saw her father and his attendants waiting beyond the door. Behind the attendants stood a woman gazing at them with a cold stare.

“Staying in a place like this will drive you mad too. Now, leave immediately.”
“No, I won’t. I want Mama-”
“What are you saying? She’s just the woman who bore you.”
“No, she is my Mama, the only Mama I have!”
“Then call out to her. Will she answer you?”

Lenas stared at Sephirini’s face and cried out.

“Mama! I’m here! Mama-”
“Hehe, Lenas, getting so excited just from a walk. Let’s go after we eat.”
“Mama…”
“Do you understand now? Hey, take her away.”

Forcibly scooped up by the servant, Lenas was led out of the room without ever exchanging a word with her mother.
The doll she had grabbed in a daze was the only thing connecting her mother and Lenas.

“Mama… Mama-”

After that, her father, who had distanced his beloved daughter from Sephirini, did not send Lenas to the boarding school attended by noble children. Instead, he hired private tutors to educate her all day long.
She had no time to herself.
She was constantly watched, feeling someone’s gaze even when she went to sleep.
It wasn’t long before Lenas began to think of this life as a prison.

“I will leave this place. And I will go to the Academy.”

After making that resolution, Lenas devoted all her time to her studies.
Her efforts paid off, and as she gradually demonstrated her talents, she walked through the Academy’s gates of her own accord.
The Academy gathered many descendants of influential families.
For the Olscura family, seeking to regain its former power, the Academy symbolized the clan’s revival.
Her father and new mother rejoiced greatly, blessing her departure.
But within her heart, Lenas continued to regard them both with a cold gaze.

You can laugh now, but not for long. I will seize power stronger than yours and swiftly remove you from that seat. And one day, Mama…

With this fierce resolve in her heart, Lenas left the capital of Aurun.

Two years had passed since Lenas enrolled in the academy.
She belonged to the officer corps.
It was a place to study subjects like military science and geopolitics, and learn how to operate alongside the infantry corps they would partner with.
Compared to the infantry corps, which primarily focused on firearm handling and controlling elemental power, the officer corps’s curriculum was complex and difficult to grasp.
Without a certain level of education, keeping up was hard, so students were screened even before enrollment.
This inevitably divided them into those who could keep up and those who couldn’t. Lenas belonged to the former group, reigning supreme at the top.

“Hey, Lenas, would you join us-”
“Our family has been merchants for generations, and we’d like to establish sales channels in Aurun-”

Followers began to spontaneously gather around Lenas.
Their motives varied: some tried to recruit her into their study groups or tea parties, others sought to strengthen ties between families.
Lenas consistently declined such invitations with gentle refusal, maintaining a certain distance without forming any particular faction.
Having connections with influential nobles was essential for achieving her goal. Yet, no matter how many ties she forged with them, she knew it wouldn’t yield the results she sought.
Therefore, Lenas continued to achieve results in this meritocratic academy, waiting for her to make contact.
Her being Aurelia, the head of the academy.
Establishing a strong connection with her was crucial to freeing her mother, Sephirini.
And she also thought this.

(These people who speak to me smell like Father. They only think of themselves. I… am different from you.)

Their souls were of different ranks.
Among the words her father had imparted, only that phrase remained alive within her.

“I will prove I am superior to everyone here.”

Clutching the doll she’d taken from her bag, Lenas made that resolution.
For her, who had scarcely left the mansion, a place where she could feel she was superior to others was perfect for proving that her soul was of a higher level.

After that, Lenas fully joined the fight against the Scourges.
While most gradually acclimated to the local battles, Lenas displayed veteran-level prowess from the start, rapidly accumulating achievements.
As her fame grew, so did her entourage, and proportionally, so did the number of jealous and hostile stares directed her way.

“Heh heh, you lot can keep wasting your time on such meaningless things.”

No matter how much they gossiped behind her back, it all merely served as a decoration proving the nobility of her soul.
She chose to remain aloof, deepening ties with no one.
Being alone was neither painful nor anything else.

Returning to the dormitory after another uneventful day, Lenas heard the excited chatter of girls.

“What is it?”

Peering cautiously, she saw a tall, blonde girl surrounded by many others.
The beautiful woman with an eyepatch, bearing a greatsword was named Elheim.
Though an officer, she was renowned for her formidable combat prowess.
Her stern manner, vast knowledge, and above all, her dignified, beautiful bearing captivated many.

“Elheim, we’ve heard of your exploits on the battlefield. Actually, Lady Lavis is about to open her salon. If you could share your stories there, she would surely be delighted.”
“…N-No, I’m-”
“Don’t say that. Please, please.”

Elheim, bombarded by the girls’ pleas, hesitated in her response. Ultimately, she succumbed to their persistence and was about to be led away somewhere.
Watching from behind cover, Lenas lifted the corners of her mouth in a slight smirk.

“How foolish. Doesn’t she realize she’s just being toyed with, wasting her own time-”

That was the moment. Her eyes met those of Elheim as she was being led away.
Startled by the sudden encounter, Lenas lowered her face as if to hide it, then fled the scene.
Returning to her room soon after, she flung her clothes and staff about haphazardly before collapsing onto the bed.

“Why did I…?”

She couldn’t understand why she’d done such a thing.
Only a faint, stinging ache seemed to pierce her chest, causing her to curl up, hugging her knees.

“I’m different… My soul’s rank is different from them… Why did I… Do this…”

Sucking her thumb, Lenas muttered words to calm herself.
The nail of her thumb was jagged and ragged, as if gnawed by a monster.

That day, Lenas held a piece of paper labeled “Transfer Order” and visited a certain place.
It was a famous location known to every Academy student, yet a place no one wanted to approach.
It was beyond a corridor echoing with cries from creatures she couldn’t identify.

“Monster Research Countermeasures Room…”

Staring at what appeared to be a sign with unusually neat calligraphy, Lenas entered the room, which exuded a peculiar atmosphere.
Compared to the gloomy corridor, the interior was surprisingly tidy, creating a starkly different impression.

“No one’s here…”

There was no sign of anyone in the room.
The official order only listed the name “Rial,” with no information indicating her whereabouts.
Finding someone who even knew she was here had been a hassle; this was going to take even more time.

“Ugh… I’ve heard about her, but I wish they wouldn’t dump problem children on our squad.”

Someone reacted to the words that slipped out of Lenas’s mouth, born of frustration and irritation.

“Now, now, Miss Human. How rude to judge someone you haven’t even met yet.”
“Huh?”

Lenas jumped and spun around to find a woman standing there, staring down at her intently.
Her eyes behind the glasses gleamed strangely.

“I-Instructor Besty!? If you were here, you could have said something!”
“I wasn’t called.”
“Huh?”
“If you have business, you should call my name. I have no interest in humans.”
“H-Huh…”

Known by the nickname “Odd Besty,” she was the foremost authority on Scourge biology.
Her personality was a bit peculiar, but her skills were undeniable.

“So, what brings you here?”
“I came because I heard that girl was here. Do you know where she is?”

Peering at the appointment letter presented to her, Besty murmured only “Ah” and pointed toward a room in the back.

“Miss Rial is in there. Follow me. Oh, and whatever you do, don’t touch my collection, okay?”

Led by Besty, Lenas passed through a door in the corner of the room.
They walked down a corridor lined with countless jars filled with shredded, unidentifiable flesh fragments, eventually reaching a laboratory.

“Miss Rial, you have a visitor.”

As the door opened with those words, a suffocating stench wafted out. Even pinching her nose couldn’t quell the odor. Lenas scowled and pressed closer to the instructor.

“W-What is this smell…?”
“I had her help with the dissection.”
“D-Dissection? What-”

The alarming words made her involuntarily step back.

“Yes, to study a Scourge’s structure, we have to dissect it thoroughly!”

Her face bore an enraptured smile as she spoke. Lenas sensed part of the reason she was called by that disgraceful nickname.

“…Um, Instructor… Did you call for me?”

A petite, dark-skinned girl approached timidly. It was Rial.

“Yes, I did. This human said she needed to speak with you, so I brought her.”
“Er… Wh-What do you need-Oh.”
“Oh?”

Suddenly, Rial pointed behind the two of them.
But when they turned around, there was nothing there.
Thinking she was being teased, Lenas’ tone grew sharp.

“What? What do you mean?”
“Ah, um… I… I thought I saw a woman.”
“There’s nothing there. Don’t suddenly start saying weird things.”
“I-I’m sorry…”

Frustrated by her hesitant response, Lenas voiced her dissatisfaction despite the instructor being present.

“Ugh, why did they assign this kid to my squad?”
“…I’m, I’m sorry.”
“Sigh… Humans are just like this.”

Besty yawned widely, watching the two with utter boredom. Her gaze seemed to say, “Hurry up and leave.”

“I-I beg your pardon, but having someone like her in my squad will lower the unit’s evaluation!”
“How could you possibly know that? This girl is a master archer. I think she’ll be reliable… Right?”
“Huh? Ah… Y-Yes.”

Even hearing that from her, who wouldn’t even meet Lenas’ gaze, didn’t ease her unease.

“Sigh… Anyway. Rial, since you’re now part of my squad, you need to get your act together.”
“I-I’ll do my best… Captain Lenas.”
“…Ahhhhh! So you’re Miss Lenas!”
“Whoa… Don’t yell like that all of a sudden! What’s with the sudden outburst?”

Lenas showed her the appointment letter with her name on it. Just as those words were about to leave her mouth, Lenas remembered that Besty had said she wasn’t interested in humans.

“Oh, right! I just remembered I was consulting with Aurelia about asking you, since you have such excellent grades.”
“Eh…? This request… Is it from Lady Aurelia!?”
“Well, it’s something like that.”
“But Miss Aurelia… She’s not your friend, you know? How can you say that to the head of the academy?”
“Well, I’m on good terms with her.”

It’s definitely just her one-sided feeling.
She considered pointing it out, but sensing it would lead to a fruitless exchange, Lenas decided to say nothing.

“So, what exactly is this request for me?”
“Well, I want you to retrieve the Scourge known as the Blue Knight.”

A particular Scourge specimen, commonly called the “Blue Knight.”
It was a Scourge that had begun to be whispered about on the battlefield at some point.
Scourges are typically classified by size and appearance, but this specimen defied all categorization.
Its body was shrouded in azure flames, and it was said to have earned its name from the way it fought, wielding only a single sword.
While Besty’s desire for this specimen was likely driven mostly by pure curiosity, it seemed indispensable for studying Scourge biology.

After summoning her squad members to the early morning operations room and explaining the mission to hunt and capture the Blue Knight, Lenas asked them.

“We still have time before the operation begins. Any questions?”
“…Um, may I ask one?”
“What is it?”
“We’ve heard stories about the Blue Knight killing several squads. Can we really fight such a monster?”

Though the squad members spoke thus, their skills were undeniable.
Lenas’s accumulated achievements weren’t solely due to her command alone.
One of the pillars supporting them was their high morale.
Within the squad, some revered Lenas, while others sought connections to her house.
Their various motives interacted, maintaining the unit’s delicate equilibrium through an exquisite balance.
Even with such women, they couldn’t shake their unease about what kind of monster the Blue Knight truly was.

“Do you think there’s a problem with my command?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“As long as you follow my orders, there won’t be any problems. That’s how it’s always been, hasn’t it?”

She fixed her sharp gaze upon the squad members.

“That won’t change going forward.”
“Y-Yes! We have Lady Lenas with us! We’ll never lose to the Blue Knight!”
“Hmm… That’s right.”
“Let’s defeat the Blue Knight!”

Lenas smirked inwardly.
In moments like this, her devotees were always the first to speak up. They believed themselves to be her greatest supporters, rushing to act first to prove themselves in such moments.
That was precisely why she had mixed a handful of such devotees into the squad.
For Lenas, trained in how to stir the masses, this was merely a predictable spectacle.
Judging the squad’s morale sufficiently raised, Lenas announced the departure time and dismissed them for now.
As each member left the room to prepare, Lenas let out a small sigh.

“Well then, I should prepare too-”
“Le-Lenas… Captain.”

Suddenly addressed from behind, she snapped to attention and turned. There stood Rial.
Perhaps it was due to her being a Wind Sibyl, but she gave off almost no presence whatsoever.

“Oi, don’t startle me like that.”
“Ah… Uh, s-sorry.”

Lenas didn’t quite know how to handle Rial, who spoke with her eyes downcast.
Her archery skills were indeed excellent, as Besty had said, standing out among the squad members. She followed orders precisely as instructed.
But Lenas couldn’t shake the feeling that Rial’s true nature lay elsewhere.

“Aren’t you going to prepare?”
“I-I’m fine with just my bow.”
“Then you can relax until it’s time. Or do you have a question?”
“Ah… y-yes, I do.”

Saying that, Rial took Lenas’s hand.

“Wh-What?”
“Because you looked… worried.”
“…!”

Rial’s words struck at the core of Lenas’s being.

“I-I wanted to calm you down.”
“What could you possibly understand?”
“I-I will tell you. A woman…”

Rial gently stroked the thumb of Lenas’s gloved hand. The instant her fingertips brushed the nail, Lenas violently shook her hand away and cried out.

“Don’t talk like you know everything!”
“Ugh… I-I’m sorry.”

Rial fled the scene as if escaping.
Left alone in the room, Lenas tossed her gloves onto the floor and sucked her thumb.
She couldn’t calm down until she bit her nails to shreds.

Two hours had passed since the armored transport carrying Lenas and her squad departed the Academy.
They were intensively searching for their target, the Blue Knight, around the location of the latest sighting, but perhaps because it was wandering the battlefield, they couldn’t lock onto it.
Sitting in the rear seat of the vehicle, Lenas tapped her foot impatiently, feeling like they were wasting time.

“Where… exactly is it?”

Hunting a single target across this vast land meant they wouldn’t find it easily.
Just as a frustrated Lenas unconsciously raised her thumb to her mouth, a squad member monitoring the distance through the canopy on the vehicle’s roof shouted.

“Captain Lenas! It’s a Scourge!”

The vehicle suddenly grew restless.
All the members waiting in the rear seats turned their gaze toward Lenas.

“…And its class?”
“Two… No, that’s a One!”
“Then let’s ignore it!”
“Huh?”

Unable to grasp the meaning immediately, another member asked back in confusion.

“B-But… exterminating Scourges is our assigned-”
“Sigh… Quit it. Okay? Our mission is to defeat and capture the Blue Knight! Anything else is none of our business.”

Eliminate Scourges upon sight.
It was a phrase every Academy student heard. Low-class Scourges posed little threat; even without a Sibyl wielding elemental power, they could be eliminated.
But that didn’t justify overlooking the enemies before them.
Naturally, those who believed Lenas would do the same voiced their objections.

“The city I came from suffered many deaths because people neglected to deal with them. There’s no guarantee that one won’t head for the city. A Class 1 wouldn’t take long so, if we-”

The vehicle halted at Lenas’s command.
To the crew member who flashed a relieved smile, thinking her reasoning had been accepted, Lenas stated flatly.

“Are you… stupid?”
“…Huh?”
“If you want to go that badly, go by yourself.”
“But…”
“Anyone who can’t accept my orders has no place in my squad. Get off the vehicle immediately and go fight! Open the door!”

The crew member hurriedly opened the door.
Beyond it lay nothing but open fields.
Getting dropped off in a place like this would make getting back to the Academy a real struggle.

“What are you dawdling for? Get moving already!”
“…”
“You too! If you can’t follow my orders, feel free to get out!”

No one dared defy Lenas’s words, which felt like a bucket of cold water being dumped over them.

“I, I take back what I said. My apologies…”
“You should have said so from the start. Understand that you are not in a position to talk back to me. Don’t waste my time.”

When Lenas briefly told the pilot, “Move out,” the vehicle began to advance slowly.
How many more hours must they endure in this heavy atmosphere? Within the cabin, where the air had completely changed, the girl crew member who had talked back to Lenas received both sympathetic and reproachful glances simultaneously.

“Haa… I wonder if the Blue Knight really exists.”

An involuntary sigh escaped her at the tedious mission.
Lenas considered distracting herself by planning how to welcome her mother, but suddenly noticed the vehicle swaying strangely.

“What… was that just now?”

The sway was merely a slight tilt on one side of the vehicle, followed by no further change. Even when she asked the person beside the pilot who was watching the front, they confirmed it hadn’t collided with anything.
Just as Lenas, feeling an uneasy foreboding, stood up to have someone report to the upper deck as a precaution…

*GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH!!*

A sword burst through the canopy section and appeared inside the vehicle.
The crew members, stunned by the suddenness of it, couldn’t react immediately. Only when a large amount of red liquid dripped down the sword and spread across the floor did they finally snap back to their senses.
And the moment Lenas gave her command to the pilot, the liquid burst into blue flames.

“Pilot! Knock that thing off the roof!!”
“But there are crew members up there-”
“Too late! Knock the Blue Knight off!!”

Immediately after the Blue Knight’s sword pierced the vehicle, the death screams of a female crew member echoed through the cabin from the gap in the canopy.
It spread through the crew, followed by the screams of the terrified members.
Unaware of the situation inside the vehicle, the Blue Knight’s sword was pulled out with a jarring sound. With the sword, which had been acting as a stopper, removed, the crew’s blood and bits of flesh flowed into the vehicle, accelerating their terror.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
“Pilot! Hurry up!!”
“Yes!!”

The pilot turned the steering wheel, swinging the rear of the vehicle left and right.
At that moment, a high-pitched, scraping sound echoed as something rolled down.
There were two sounds: the corpse of a slain trooper and the Blue Knight.

“Full speed ahead! Put distance between us and that thing!”
“Roger that!”

The vehicle surged forward. They couldn’t risk letting the Blue Knight, which had easily pierced the vehicle’s walls, get close again. The walls were strong enough to withstand a Class 3 Scourge attack.
Lenas had judged, after just one encounter, that the Blue Knight’s threat level far exceeded Class 3.

“Besty… Did you really expect us to handle that monster alone?”

No amount of complaining would change the situation.
The enemy was like a natural disaster that had suddenly struck. But if they didn’t defeat it, Lenas’s plan would be reduced to nothing.

“I… I! I can’t die here!”

Her thoughts jolted by the vibrations, Lenas revised her strategy to confront the Blue Knight.
Inside the vehicle, it remained a hellish scene of screams and chaos.
First, she had to restore her squad’s morale.
Stepping on a piece of flesh that had become one of the dim lights illuminating the gloomy interior, she extinguished the flame and shouted at her squad.

“Calm yourselves! We’re executing the operation now!”
“C-Captain, are we… fighting that thing? I-It’s impossible…!”
“Can’t you obey your superior’s orders? Unless we capture that monster, this will just keep happening!”
“…!”

Having just protested about not defeating the weaker Scourges moments ago, the crew member fell silent.

“The Blue Knight certainly possesses terrifying power. But it’s not an enemy we cannot defeat!”

Lenas predicted the Blue Knight was an individual highly specialized for close combat. And so, if they could completely immobilize its movements or maintain distance while launching a concentrated long-range assault to wear it down, they could capture it with minimal casualties.

“Basically, it’s no different from our basic tactics against Scourges. Just concentrate fire from a distance. Anyone could do something this simple, right?”
“Y-Yes… Now that I think about it, it’s obvious… As expected of Lady Lenas!”
“We can do this!”

Though still somewhat hesitant, her followers were eager to change the situation.
Even those who had lost their will to fight began slowly changing their minds.
Just one more push.

“Now, the Blue Knight-”

At that moment, a dull thud echoed. A sword had pierced through the rear wall of the vehicle then impaled the head of a crew member standing right next to the wall.

“…H… l p…”

The crew member, head severed from the nose up, collapsed to the floor, emitting an incoherent sound like a broken toy. The splattered flesh and blood on the other soldiers was enough to shatter their will to fight at its core.

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!”

The fact that Lenas’ squad had never suffered a casualty before now proved disastrous. Witnessing the gruesome remains of their comrade, the soldiers couldn’t withstand the terror of death.
Even for Lenas, there was nothing they could do now.

This is bad. I need to think of a solution immediately.

Lenas’s gaze darted frantically around the vehicle interior, until she noticed something.
She ordered Rial, the only member not overcome by panic, to check the rear of the vehicle.

“Rial! Check the back!”
“…Ah, y-yes!”

Rial peered outside through the door not pierced by the sword, but the Blue Knight was nowhere to be seen. It had merely thrown its sword and killed a crew member.

“I-It’s not here!”

This means… there’s still a chance!

Lenas gave orders to the crew.

“The Blue Knight dropped its sword! Now we can subdue it! Everyone, take down the Blue Knight-“

Lenas’s voice was cut off again by the Blue Knight’s flames, unleashed toward the door.
The flames pouring through the open doorway unfortunately engulfed a nearby squad member, instantly transforming her into a pillar of fire. Without understanding what had happened, she tumbled from the vehicle.

“There’s no way we can fight something like that! Let’s get out of here!”
“Isn’t that my order!? If you want to live, attack the Blue Knight!”
“Then you try it!! How the hell are we supposed to handle something like that?!”

Another crew member closed in on Lenas, shouting at her.

“Nobody wants to fight that thing! Isn’t a captain’s job supposed to be protecting everyone’s lives?!”

Faced with this critical situation, the squad members instantly grasped it.
The way out of this situation.

“D-Don’t be ridiculous! If we don’t defeat it… we’re disobeying orders! We’ll be put on trial, and worst case, face capital punishment-”

At that moment, Lenas’s enraged body was blown flying toward the rear of the vehicle.

“Gah…!”

Lenas raised her head weakly.
She realized someone had slammed her against the wall.
The woman before her hadn’t moved an inch. That meant the culprit was one of the squad members here.
As Lenas, too shaken to move, lay there, the woman she’d been arguing with slowly approached.
Her hand gently rested on Lenas’s chest.

“Thanks for everything.”

The next instant, a sensation of floating enveloped Lenas’s body.
She had been pushed out of the vehicle by the very squad members she had led.
The last thing Lenas saw were the relieved expressions on their faces.

“What just happened was an accident! The Captain lost her life to the sword thrown by the Blue Knight, and we had no choice but to flee!”

Some of the crew never imagined they’d actually sacrifice Lenas to the Blue Knight.
Placing a hand on the shoulder of a crew member who’d collapsed, unable to bear the mistake they’d made, the woman whispered in their ear.

“If you tell the truth, I’ll kill you. Understand?”

Terror and madness reigned over the scene.
The die was cast. Those left behind had no choice but to keep running until someone stopped this rampage.
They were forced to help erase Lenas’s traces as the woman commanded. Rial, silently watching luggage being thrown from the vehicle, was questioned by the woman who had committed the atrocity.

“You seemed close to Lenas… You know what happens if you talk, right?”

Her hand touched Rial’s chest, as if threatening to push her off at any moment. But Rial, unfazed, replied in her usual tone.

“Y-Yeah… Captain Lenas will be… fine.”
“There’s no way she’ll be fine. The enemy is the Blue Knight, you know?”
“B-Because… Her mom is… with her.”
“Huh? What the hell…”

No one present could understand her words.

///////

“…Ugh… …Ugh…”

Thrown to the ground, Lenas realized she had been unconscious for some time.
The sun should have been at its zenith, and it had already begun to set.
If they didn’t meet with the vehicle immediately, it would become night, the battlefield where Scourges excelled most.

“Right, I…!”

She checked her body for damage, but the elemental power flowing within her seemed to have softened the impact of the collision.
There was no pain in her body, nor any marks of injury from anything.

“Even though I was unconscious… I avoided being targeted by both the Blue Knight and Scourges…”

A blessing in disguise. A cruel twist of fate.
Not knowing how to feel about being saved by her own devilish luck, Lenas continued along the road marked by vehicle tracks.

A little while later, Lenas found her personal items lying on the road. She picked up the staff, rushed over to her bag, and peered inside. There lay the monster doll she’d brought from her mother’s room.

“Thank goodness… Mama… Mama…”

Hugging the doll tightly, she felt the anxiety threatening to crush her heart begin to ease.
Lenas continued down the road. The sky was already turning toward dusk. Returning to the Academy on foot would be difficult now.
The only place she could think of to hide from the Scourges was the forest visible to her right.

“It’s a relief this area’s cleared… The Scourges would find me quickly here.”
“…Ugh… I… Stop…”

Just then, Lenas thought she heard someone moaning.
The sound came from beyond the rocky outcrop ahead.
She advanced cautiously, staff at the ready. A trail of blood, as if someone had been dragged, led to the rocks.
Peering through a gap in the rocks, she saw a woman pinned down by a small Scourge creature, its mouth tearing at her belly.

“…!”

Their eyes met.
It was the woman who had pushed her off.

“You…!”

The memory of that moment flashed through her mind, anger welling up.
But oblivious to Lenas’s feelings, once the woman saw her face, she reached out toward her with eyes full of hope.
Her arm revealed a clean, sharp edge from the elbow down, as if severed by a blade.

“He… Help… me…”

Help her? Me?
How dare this woman even ask for “help”?
Lenas was Academy-trained, but she possessed no outstanding Sibyl talent. Her elemental power was clearly inferior compared to infantry cadets. That was why she had no choice but to pursue an officer’s path.
Fortunately, the Scourge devouring the woman was a lowly first-class trash mob.
She could defeat it by amplifying her own power through the crystal embedded in her staff.
But this was the woman who had humiliated her.
Why should she be the one to save her?

“Help me… Lenaaaaaas!!”
“Guh… AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!”

Driven by fury, Lenas leapt from the rocks and frantically eliminated the Scourge.

“Ha… Haa…”
“Ah… Le-na… Thank… you…”
“I’ll move this thing now, just wait!”

She pushed aside the carcass to rescue the woman pinned beneath the Scourge. But the lower half of the woman’s body, which she had assumed was still there, was cleanly severed just like her arm.

“…Ugh-”

The stench of death hung heavy.
Unable to look directly at the mangled, unrecognizable organs, Lenas covered her mouth and looked away.

“My… body… won’t… move… Am I… dying…?”
“Can’t you see? There’s no way you can live with a body like that…”

This was the first time she had ever witnessed a living human dying before her eyes. Though she always strove to maintain a cold, detached demeanor, Lenas was still a young maiden.

“-elp… me…”

As she froze, unable to move, the woman reached out with her uninjured hand.
Her blood clung thickly to the black boots.
Terrified by the woman who dragged herself closer on one arm, Lenas unconsciously kicked her away.

“…Hii! D-Don’t come near me!”
“Uu… Ahh… Lena… Lenaas… Why… Why are you… still alive…?”

The woman’s desperate expression was nothing but rage.
It was no longer in words.
But no matter how much anger she hurled, it didn’t affect Lenas in the slightest.

“Shut up!”

Her own rage drove Lenas forward.
Why should she be the target of anger from someone who betrayed her?
Such injustice couldn’t possibly be right!

“All of this is the fate you chose! This is punishment for disobeying my orders! You deserve to die!”

With that, Lenas turned her back on the woman and began to run.
From behind her, the woman’s screams gradually faded away.

Why? Why must I go through this?

Lenas continued running blindly through the dark forest. To escape the distant growls of beasts.

No, no, let me go back to Mama. I’m not prey…!

After abandoning the woman who tried to kill her, Lenas saw countless corpses of her subordinates strewn along the path.
Each bore the unmistakable marks of the Blue Knight’s hand, their deaths gruesome and brutal.
Confronted by such overwhelming death, Lenas’s mind was on the verge of collapse.
Then, a swarm of first-class Scourges appeared before her. Their numbers were small, easily repelled with her staff if she were her normal self.
But she, trembling at the shadow of the Blue Knight who wasn’t even there, fled into the dimly lit forest.
The world filled with darkness is the Scourges’ domain.
By driving herself into this disadvantageous situation, her terror doubled.
Everything appeared eerie to her, now consumed by terror.
Roots creeping across the ground looked like a woman’s arms wrapping around her legs. From a large hole in a tree trunk, she heard voices condemning her.
In the sky after sunset, the crescent moon seemed to mock her, gazing down.

No, no…! Help me, Mama, I wanna go home! Mama, Mama, MAMA-

Running frantically, Lenas’s foot caught on a tree root and she fell hard.
Her belongings scattered around her, wet dirt filling her mouth.
The foreign sensation spreading in her mouth made her nauseous, and she tried to get up reflexively. But in that instant, a dull pain made her writhe and collapse back to the ground.

“Ow-!?”

Her right ankle, badly twisted where she’d landed, bent at an unnatural angle. She clenched her teeth, trying to endure it, but the pain relentlessly gnawed at her.

“Ugh…! Aaaaaahhhhhhh!!”

She felt she’d lose her mind if she didn’t scream.
Screaming eased the pain slightly, but the cost was far too great.

“…!”
“Hii…!?”

From beyond the darkness, a Scourge’s growl shook the ground.
Melting into the shadows, its size was unclear, but it seemed at least a Class 2.
As the Scourge drew nearer, death loomed unmistakably close.

“Ah… Ahaha, ahahahaha!!”

No matter how far I run, I can’t truly escape my fate of death.
I was supposed to be blessed by God, chosen by him.
So why must God have abandoned me… No, is that monster itself the god of fate?

“Ahaha… I don’t know, I don’t know…!”

Lenas could no longer even pray to God.
Above her, now drenched in despair, the Scourge’s arm swung upward.
In that instant, as Lenas weakly reached behind her, she felt something soft.
It was the monster doll.
The very doll she had brought from her mother’s room.

MOM!!

Twisting her body, Lenas barely dodged the Scourge’s claws, but slammed her broken leg hard against the ground.
But the pain in her leg no longer mattered.
She had to kill the enemy before her and survive, before other Scourges arrived.
Lenas grabbed the crystal sealing the elemental’s power from her waist ornament and released it all at once.
A blinding light enveloped the area, blinding the Scourge and halting its movement.
Seizing that instant, she picked up the staff and thrust its tip toward the Scourge’s head.
Then, she unleashed every ounce of her power.

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!”

Consumed by a torrent of elemental power, the Scourge’s head was shattered into pieces.

“Aha, ahaha! I did it, I did it…!”

Her face was a mess with blood, tears, and the Scourge’s bodily fluids.
Her anger had subsided, and the pain in her leg was getting worse. There was no way she could move.
The growls of Scourges following Lenas were closing in fast.

“Ha… Ha… Ha…”

Gasping for breath, Lenas desperately searched for any chance to survive this dire situation.
And then it hit her-

“…WAAAAAAAAAAH!!”

Suddenly, Lenas thrust her staff into the Scourge’s belly and ripped it out with force. Then, cupping her hands in the overflowing black fluid, she began to drench herself in it from head to toe.
Over and over. As if to erase her very existence.
Covering herself completely in the beastly-smelling fluid until she was pitch black, Lenas scooped out the Scourge’s entrails and crawled inside.
Using a Scourge’s corpse to hide was a desperate measure.
Immediately after Lenas entered the Scourge, multiple footsteps echoed around her.
Feeling the sickeningly warm, clammy sensation on her skin, she hugged the monster doll with all her might.

“No… No… I don’t want to die…”

The footsteps continued endlessly.
They eventually stopped, surrounding Lenas, and began raising beast-like roars in unison.

“…, …!!”

Death awaited on the other side, separated by only a single layer of skin.
An immeasurable terror mercilessly trampled Lenas’s heart.

“No… Mama… Mama-”

The corpses of her comrades, each meeting a tragic end, floated before her mind again and again.
The sound of the woman who tried to kill her having her entrails torn out wouldn’t leave her ears.
The moment she was discovered, she too would join them. Just the thought made her breathing rough and a loud ringing filled her ears.
Her heart pounded violently, as if it might leap out of her mouth at any moment.

“I’m scared… I’m so scared… Mama… Help me… Mamaaaaa-“

///////

Later, Lenas Olscura was found by a recovery team tasked with collecting bodies and belongings to deliver to the bereaved families.
She was covered in blood, entrails, excreta.
She had hidden among the corpse of a Scourge for three days and nights without sleep, and emitting a stench so foul it made one want to turn away.
Her appearance bore little resemblance to her former self, her vacant gaze fixed only on an empty space.
Just how much terror had she endured?
A man from the recovery team tried out of curiosity to pry what had happened from her, but upon seeing her nailless fingers and hearing her mutter incoherently, he quickly gave up.

She is now in a certain facility.
A war casualty reception center… the Asylum.
Located in a section of the city under Academy control, this facility stands out distinctly. It houses those who cannot return to the battlefield and have lost the ability to manage daily life.
Those confined here live controlled lives until the day they fulfill their purpose.

“It’s lunchtime, little Lenas.”

Lenas, who had been staring blankly at the sky visible through the window, suddenly smiled and ran toward the staff member.

“…Maamaa, maaamaa”
“Hehe, you’re jumping up and down. You must be really happy. The weather’s nice today, shall we go for a walk together?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, alright, but first, let’s eat lunch.”

While the female facility staff member prepared lunch behind the lattice door, Lenas was distracted by the rattling sound of the bed mobile and wandered back into the room.

“Ah… Hehe. You are such a little tomboy.”

The white room where she lived strangely resembled the room where her mother had given birth to her.
There were piles of building blocks, dolls, a bed mobile playing bouncy tunes.
And the monster doll, with its original colors long lost beneath stains.
Holding the doll close, Lenas spoke with a beaming smile.

“Maamaa, together.”

Feeling the lingering presence of her beloved mother, she lived on.
An eternity just for the two of them, untainted by anyone else.