Chapter 11: The Last War of the Scouts

Anna woke up and noticed that Helena had fallen asleep while gently stroking her hair. She gave a small smile and softly woke her.

Anna: “Good morning, Helena.”

Helena: “Is it already morning? Good morning, Master.”

They got dressed and headed toward the front of the castle to escort the High Priest. As they walked down the corridor, Helena asked:

Helena: “Master, I forgot to ask… what was your daughter’s name?”

Anna: “It was Violet.”

Helena: “What a beautiful name.”

She gave a faint smile, but she could feel the sadness hidden in her master’s voice.

Gray: “There you are. Today we’re heading to the Council of Priests. It’s not far from here, so I expect it to be a peaceful walk. We leave in five minutes. In the meantime, I’ll speak with my alchemists.”

Alphonse and Irineia were given orders to investigate an old mine and extract its remaining resources, collecting as much human blood as possible if the opportunity arose. Irineia accepted the command with her usual neutral expression, while Alphonse looked suspicious, though he ultimately complied.

When Alphonse spotted Helena, he called out to her:

Alphonse: “It’s good to see you, Helena. I heard you became a Shield of the Priests. I’m glad, now we’ll be working more closely together again.”

Helena: “Yes… it almost feels nostalgic.”

Alphonse: “When you return, we could go out for some coffee, or anything you prefer.”

Just as Helena was about to reply, Mary grabbed her by the arm, pulling her away and saying it was time to leave. She shot Alphonse a mocking, mischievous smirk, as if she were stealing something precious from him. Alphonse clenched his fist in anger.

Irineia: “Once again, she’s stealing Helena from you.”

Alphonse: “I don’t care. They’re just carrying out the mission they were given, nothing more.”

Irineia: “You lie to yourself. You know very well this isn’t the first time she’s done that. She always gives you that look.”

Alphonse fell silent, but the long sigh he let out was enough to show he agreed with her, at least a little.

Irineia: “Have you ever heard the saying that the eyes are the gateway to the soul?”

Alphonse: “Yes, but what are you getting at?”

Irineia: “She always stares straight into your eyes… and she enjoys it. Haven’t you been studying the Bestiary of Saint Gorb? One of the strongest entities described there is the Lady of Illusions. She grants ‘conquest’ to those whose souls burn with the desire to achieve something grand. Perhaps you should attempt some kind of magic, try to form a pact.”

Alphonse: “Don’t be ridiculous, Irineia. I have no intention of profaning my magic.”

Irineia: “Fine. They say that when the Lady of Illusions wants someone, either that person will eventually come to her… or she herself will make sure to convince them.”

Alphonse fell silent, lost in thought about that unsettling conversation, and the group set out toward the mine.

Kana: “Hey, you two! I’m coming with you. I was told there might be explosives down there, so I’m here to help.”

Alphonse: “As if Irineia and I needed your help.”

Kana gave him a sharp stare. Kana: “Either way, this is the mission I was assigned. So now you’ll just have to put up with me. Haha.”

Upon arriving at the mine, Irineia immediately spotted gunpowder and other materials useful for potioncraft and spell creation. The damp, dark air of the tunnels seemed to make her strangely comfortable.

A man stepped out of the mine entrance, saying the mine wasn’t abandoned, just short on workers. Irineia activated the power of her bracelet relic and snapped both of his arms with a single gesture.

Man: “Why are you doing this?! Aren’t you alchemists from the Church?! AHHHHHHHH!”

Irineia crushed every bone in his body, extracted his blood, mixed it with a magical powder, and continued deeper into the mine without looking back.

Alphonse encountered another miner who, startled, attacked out of fear.

Miner (terrified): “Y-You’re not going to kill me, are you?!”

Alphonse: “Why would I kill you? I’m only here to gather the materials High Priest Gray ordered us to collect.”

The miner grit his teeth when he heard the name. Miner: “Gray…?!” He lunged forward in rage. “You damned murderers!”

Alphonse reacted instantly, binding the man with his chains. Alphonse: “What is wrong with you?!”

Irineia: “Kill him, Alphonse.”

Alphonse hesitated,but Irineia’s earlier words echoed in his mind. Someone always takes what’s yours. A sudden, primal urge to crush the man surged inside him.

But before he could act, Kana Boom blasted apart the chains with an explosion of light.

Kana: “What are you doing, Alphonse?! There was a dead man at the entrance and I—”

Irineia: “I killed him.”

She said it coldly, her stare cutting straight through Kana.

Kana: “What do you mean?!”

Irineia: “He had the symbol of a Voice. I knew he would become a problem in the future.”

Kana went to check the symbol at the entrance of the mine, where the man’s body lay in pieces.

Alphonse used a spell to lift the miner into the air.

Miner: “I-It’s her… she’s the—”

Alphonse blew the man’s head apart, a rush of power coursing through him. He looked straight into Irineia’s eyes and said she was right. Kana apologized, saying he hadn’t known the miner carried a mark, but Alphonse replied that it didn’t matter, the man would have been useless anyway.

Kana said he had forgotten something inside the mine and went back to inspect the corpse. Only then did he notice that the man Alphonse killed did not have the mark.

When they returned to the capital’s dome, Kana said he would take a short vacation since Grey wasn’t in the city and would take a while to return. He added that he would take the chance to enjoy the women of the capital.

Irineia and Alphonse ignored him, merely warning him not to stay away too long. Then the two locked themselves inside a dark alchemy chamber, covered in magical, alchemical, and forbidden symbols. Irineia revealed three powerful spells to Alphonse, who asked how she was able to do such things.

Irineia explained she had already forged pacts with two Voices from the Abyss. Alphonse grew curious and desired to make a pact of his own.

Irineia marked Alphonse using the blood of the dead miners and a blue powder matching her eyes. It stung faintly on his skin, but the burning powder brought a strange comfort, intensified by Irineia’s piercing gaze as she drew the Mark of Illusions.

She told him that from that moment on, everything he desired would be within reach, because he possessed a blazing soul, something the higher entities were drawn to. Alphonse felt immense power surge through him and declared that Irineia had been right to use their enemies to grow stronger.

Irineia smiled. Irineia: “Finally, a true alchemist.”

She kissed the corner of Alphonse’s lips and left the room. Alphonse collapsed from the overwhelming power and woke up later, confused.

Kana Boom did not go on vacation. Instead, he went to the port to speak with Edward about what he had witnessed.

Kana: “Hey Edward, how’s it going? Got a lot of cargo runs this week?”

Edward: “What are you doing here, Kana? Aren’t you supposed to be working or something?”

Kana: “Nah, the boss left the city, so I decided to take a break and check out the ladies in the capital, hahaha. You got a minute to talk?”

Edward: “Go ahead.”

Kana: “Edward… your father was a privateer, right? Did he ever tell you stories about alchemists making pacts with entities? Or using blood for magic?”

Edward: “What kind of weird conversation is this? Hahaha. Alchemists are supposed to be ethical, but yeah… I’ve heard stories like that. Why?”

Kana: “I might be crazy,well, I am crazy, hahaha,but I think Alphonse and Irineia are planning something like that.”

Edward froze. Edward: “You’re joking.”

Kana: “I wish I was. We went to investigate a mine, supposedly abandoned. There were miners there… and those two killed them. Irineia said they had a mark from an entity, but that mark was recent, made with gunpowder. I studied my whole life at the academy, and one thing I know is that gunpowder does not conjure pact sigils.”

Edward: “Why don’t you write a report and warn the priests, or someone from the academy?”

Kana: “I think they already know. Alphonse and Irineia are the best alchemist-knights we’ve got… someone’s backing them. And I think it might be Grey.”

Edward: “Why do you think that?”

Kana: “Echoes travel far in mines… I overheard them talking about him. And Irineia was collecting things under his orders. I’m not completely sure, but—”

Edward: “Be careful. If they find out you know, they’ll kill you.”

Kana: “I know. That’s why I’m telling you. Nobody believes pirates, right? So you’re my wild card. If anything happens… you’ll know why. Well, I’m off. Needed to unload that info somewhere.”

Kana left, leaving Edward worried and deeply disturbed.

Meanwhile, on the scouts’ battlefield, the survivors had been training for the past four years. Isz had discovered his Mark and its true nature. The Butcher revealed that he had once been part of the same group as Isz’s parents, tasked with investigating sightings of undead wolves in the region.

Isz’s father had died fighting the Voice of Imponence, but the Lightning Beast Lord had assisted them for unknown reasons and saved Isz’s mother, who was pregnant, though she did not yet know. The Beast Lord marked her during the battle to protect her. They retreated when the Voice of Lust approached. It had been a brutal fight, but some survived. Isz’s mother died in childbirth, and the Butcher had assumed Isz died too.

Isz, overwhelmed but mature, absorbed every word.

Butcher: “Isz, I only told you now because you’re strong enough to handle the truth. These years weren’t for nothing and you know that. In two years, if all goes as planned, we’ll face the last war of the Scouts. I don’t know what that Beast will do… but you must learn to control your powers.”

Isz: “Thank you for telling me. I was afraid of this Mark… and I still am. But knowing all this helps. Is there anything else I should know?”

Butcher: “Yeah. Don’t trust the Church. And don’t obey absurd orders. I’ve seen them send knights to their deaths without hesitation. Your father… my friend… If you’re not careful, you’ll be next.