* * *
For Anima, if she were to recall her most radiant period—it would be during her youth.
She could count the time spent at Fiviola Academy with her most precious childhood friend.
"Yuuri!"
"Anima, you're here. How was today?"
"Well, academy life is all the same, you know."
Yuuri was already quite famous among her peers.
Fiviola Academy, one of the top three prestigious academies in the Aingart Empire.
Yuuri was a talented genius, already a notable figure at this prestigious academy.
The only daughter of the noble Aishers family.
She didn't discriminate much against someone of humble birth like herself.
Moreover, compared to herself who was merely a martial artist who knew a little about swordplay, Yuuri was accomplished in many fields.
For Anima, being Yuuri's childhood friend was itself a great source of pride.
"Yuuri. Your skills have improved again."
"Thank you, Instructor Epinel."
The young academy instructor Epinel Rosenkroz was one of the people who particularly kept an eye on Yuuri.
"How about learning more about combat techniques? People say you're destined to become an outstanding chancellor of the empire, but I think your physical abilities are quite good too."
"I appreciate your words, but I'm not confident in physical activities."
"Is that so? I think that might be excessive modesty... Well, if you ever change your mind, I'll support you anytime, just say the word."
"Yes!"
Then one day.
News of the emperor's suspicious death reached them.
With no designated successor before his death, the entire nation became somewhat unsettled during that period.
And not long after, shocking news arrived at Fiviola Academy.
"I heard Orlando Brands, who was once the emperor's closest confidant, has started a rebellion at Anel Castle?"
"What? Rebellion? Why would he declare independence? Does he have a death wish?"
With news that Orlando Brands, who held power close to being the empire's second-in-command, had raised an army, the academy became even more unsettled.
But at that time, everyone thought it would be just a momentary flame.
Not a single person realized it was the signal flare announcing the beginning of an era of chaos.
After all, even without a designated successor—
Wouldn't the eldest son, Algot von Aingart, naturally take control of the situation, ascend to the throne, and quickly calm the chaos?
However.
What came was not news of Algot's ascension, but rather different kinds of news.
News of General Ohana's uprising in the southern region.
News of General Walnut's uprising in the western region.
Additionally, others who held important positions in the empire began to successively rise up, declaring themselves lords and establishing their own nations across the continent.
The beginning of chaos.
The Aingart Empire, which had unified the continent, began to irreversibly fragment.
The flames of chaos that had already ignited fiercely extended their reach to Fiviola Academy.
Imperial forces with an unknown commander launched an invasion of the academy while armed.
Various conspiracy theories circulated, such as "Because the headmaster was affiliated with Algot von Aingart, one of the other siblings made a move to eliminate him"—
But there was no way for Anima and Yuuri, who were merely students at the academy, to know.
No matter how excellent the academy students were, and despite having a few instructors—
They couldn't defeat properly trained imperial forces.
It was a one-sided massacre. The imperial forces began killing everyone enrolled at the academy, regardless of gender or status.
"Yuuri! We need to escape!"
"B-but... I haven't found Seira yet...!"
"It's too late! We need to get out of here now!"
At that moment.
A soldier wearing imperial armor began approaching them.
"Damn it...!"
There was no proper escape route in this situation.
"D-don't come any closer!"
Despite Yuuri's cry, the soldier said nothing.
From the beginning, his expression couldn't be seen as he wore a helmet stained with fresh blood.
Anima gripped a sword in her right hand while looking around Yuuri for any escape route.
Even with a 2:1 advantage, they couldn't defeat the soldier. Objectively, neither of them was particularly skilled in combat.
"I need to at least help Yuuri escape alone if possible...!"
With that thought, she adjusted her grip on the sword.
The soldier's blade came down on them with overwhelming speed.
"Huh!"
Without even properly exchanging a few blows, Yuuri's weapon flew far away.
"...!!!"
Then, as the soldier raised his sword high.
As the shadow of death flickered in Yuuri's eyes at that moment.
"Yuuri!!!"
Anima instinctively threw her body forward.
After that.
Anima couldn't understand what had happened.
"Huh...?"
When she regained consciousness, her vision was rapidly fading.
An impossible pain was overwhelming her body.
"Anima...! No, Anima...!!!!"
Beside her, Yuuri was embracing her and crying.
And watching that scene was Instructor Epinel.
"Instructor Epinel...?"
"Are you conscious, Anima?!"
Ah.
That's right.
After I threw myself forward, shortly after... Instructor Epinel had inflicted a deep wound on the soldier's abdomen.
Before that, what happened was...
"Urgh...!!!"
With the pain surging again, I slowly turned my head.
My right arm.
The right arm that should have been holding the sword... was nowhere to be found.
No, to be precise—
Far away, an arm was lying on the ground.
"...!!!!!"
After realizing that, well.
Thinking back now, I don't remember clearly what I thought.
Only fragmented scenes come to mind.
"For now, let's go somewhere safe to hide! There are medicines there for treatment too."
Instructor Epinel temporarily hid us in a basement deep within the academy building.
That's all I remember—that we received basic first aid there and somehow managed to survive.
"Sob sob... Anima, I'm sorry. Because of me... because of me."
"Yuuri..."
At first, when I lost my arm, I did wonder what I would do from now on—
But honestly, if it meant Yuuri could survive, I was satisfied with that.
"Anima. I'm sorry. This is all the treatment I can provide..."
"No, Instructor. I'm alive thanks to you. Thank you."
After spending some time like that.
When we went outside during a quiet moment, what we saw was—
"...My God."
Countless bodies of academy instructors and students.
A hellish scene where those bodies were piled up like mountains.
"Damn those Aingart bastards... What the hell is happening?!"
Epinel cursed in anger, but nothing changed.
For whatever reason, Fiviola Academy had been targeted by someone and marked for elimination.
"Sob sob... everyone..."
Yuuri knelt and wept for a long time.
There were... no survivors.
As we spent time among the bodies in a daze, at that moment.
"Lady Yuuri!"
From far away, a woman and a man were approaching us.
"Emma... Erinandorf...!"
"You're alive, Lady Yuuri..."
Emma and Erinandorf.
Faces that Anima knew as well.
They were retainers serving the Aishers family. Certainly.
"What happened? Our house? Father and... Mother?"
"..."
At Yuuri's words, Emma and Erinandorf couldn't answer and just lowered their heads.
She seemed to understand what their silence meant, as she collapsed to the ground again with a pale face.
"...Ah...ah."
And so—
Anima and Yuuri lost everything in an instant.
The peaceful daily life they had taken for granted, the fruits of their efforts, ordinary happiness and such things.
All of them were swept away by the empire's karma.
*
After that day.
"Yuuri."
"Anima... sob, hic."
Whenever she saw Anima, she would only make a sad expression and whimper.
Was it because of guilt over the arm that had already been lost?
Or was it sympathy for themselves, who had been unable to do anything and were just swept along by the flow of history?
Without being able to do anything properly, they were continuing their lifeline by depending on Emma and Erinandorf for basic necessities.
Anima, if anything, felt that they couldn't continue living like this.
The Aishers family had suffered a near-extinction level blow, but Yuuri, who carried their bloodline, was still alive, and two retainers had survived.
Almost everyone from the academy had died, but three people were still alive: herself, Instructor Epinel, and Yuuri.
Five survivors.
We who survived must take revenge on the empire.
In an era where lords were rising to power across the land, we had Yuuri, the legitimate heir of the Aishers family.
If others could do it, why couldn't we?
"Yuuri."
"..."
"Snap out of it, Yuuri!"
Anima grabbed the collar of the sniffling girl with her left hand.
"How long are you going to stay like this?!"
"B-but. Anima... because of me... you... sob."
"If you're truly sorry to me, don't just sit here like this, move forward."
"...Huh?"
"Let's establish a nation. With your own hands."
Yuuri's eyes widened at those words.
Anima didn't avoid those trembling eyes.
She continued to stare. She projected all the aspirations of how she had lived until now, and how she had survived, directly into those two eyes.
"The Aingart Empire is already finished. You've seen countless lords declaring independence, haven't you? A new era has begun."
"I, I..."
"Yuuri. We can do it. No. Let me be precise."
Anima recalled the past.
The peaceful days at the academy.
Now was the moment to leave that unreturnable fantasy.
"You can do it."
"Me...?"
"And."
-----I'll be your wings.
From this moment on, Anima Ingram—
Decided to entrust her fate to her childhood friend before her.
* * *
Even as Anima recalled memories that had now become old tales,
It was as if that moment was vividly before her eyes.
"Yuuri. Epinel. Emma. Erinandorf. And myself... these five people. From that moment on, we became blood brothers transcending age and status—and engraved the name of Aishers in each of our hearts."
That was the dawn of the Aishers army.