Chapter 01: The Extremity of Extravagance

Just a few moments before the crimson flames enveloped Ritona—

In the midst of the sparks, Koko ran and ran.

All around her was the smell of fire; of burnt things, both living and otherwise.

Any normal girl no older than 12 or 13 would have just grimaced at the scene. Koko on the other hand, had an eerie grin on her face, her hair done into twintails swaying as she raced up the spiral staircase towards the Rughzenhaide Castle’s Sky Terrace.

“First… to the Sky Terrace!!”

She opened her eyes wide and gripped the staff in her hand. 

Holding her breath, she surveyed the surroundings.

However, there wasn’t a soul around.

There’s… no one here?

For a moment, Koko is puzzled.

According to her companions’ information, there were no soldiers on the Sky Terrace – she knew that much.

And indeed, there were no soldiers on the Sky Terrace.

However, the girl that Koko was looking for was here, there was no doubt about it. 

"Path-down successor of the country of Rughzenhaide, Selphine Rughzenhaide! Show yourself! You know there's nowhere for you to hide now! "

Koko’s voice echoed through the deserted Sky Terrace.

There were no soldiers around, but Koko continued to keep her guard up.

Her numerous experiences on the field told her to do so.

With practiced and mechanical movements that contradicted her small frame and flashy outfit, Koko approached the center of the Sky Terrace.

She once again surveyed the area. There were of course no soldiers, but her objective, Selphine, wasn’t anywhere to be found either.

Is there really no one here…?

The doubt surfaced in the back of her mind.

Does that mean her team’s information was wrong?

Koko pondered the situation for a moment and used commkravte to contact her teammates, who were busy blocking off any reinforcements.

“Sian… Can you hear me?”

However, this “Sian” didn’t reply.

“Sian, if you can hear me, respond.”

Koko tried to page her again, but there was no answer.

“Damn! Still fighting…”

Koko spat out the words in frustration and looked around once more.

No matter how much she searched, she couldn’t find a trace of anyone anywhere.

“There’s no one here…”

She muttered to no one in particular and lowered her guard.

Koko relaxed and took a deep breath. Once more, she let her eyes wander around.

“Hm?”

Something caught her attention.

What Koko saw was a huge wooden dining table deep in the Terrace. 

Further into the Terrace, there was an observation deck built to look out into the castle town below. The large table was placed on the deck as a form of decoration.

On it laid an elegant tablecloth.

Encircling it were heavy-looking chairs.

Various ornate decorations were here and there.

The entire set made for a work of art suitable for the magnificent terrace.

“Hmm…”

A thought crossed Koko’s mind – she stood up one of the fallen chairs and sits her small self down on it.

She looked down at the view – the castle town was now in a sorry state of affairs.

Rughzenhaide was the very epitome of peace. If everything weren’t surrounded in an inferno, anyone seeing it would have been able to see the resplendent townscape. 

Her view from the head of the table was so majestic, she couldn’t even begin to imagine what it was like from her humble upbringing.

“Heheh…”

Seeing the scenery unfold before her, Koko laughed, then—

Thud! She slammed her feet down as she rested her legs against the table and leaned back against the chair.

Still reclined, Koko slowly closed her eyes and laughed “Ahaha” once more.

Experiencing firsthand the huge gap between this place and her own upbringing, she couldn’t hold her laughter back.

Whose seat was this?

Just what star would you have to be born under for you to be able to sit on a chair like this?

The answer was patently obvious:

It’s nobody’s.

Just like how this crumbling castle soon won’t be anyone else’s either.

“I bet it would be great to eat at a place like this…”

Koko spoke to herself and looked at the castle town below once more.

Beneath her laid not a beautiful townscape, but crumbling buildings and people trying to escape surrounded by crimson flames.

“Boy, what a sight.”

This conclusion was all wrought by the extremity of extravagance—

To Koko, she couldn’t have asked for a better spectacle.

“This is so…”

—Stupid.

Leaving with words of apathy, she stood up from the chair, then suddenly—

“Ah—”

Koko felt a presence behind her – she slowly turned around.

There stood a silver-haired girl who – just like her – was bathed in splatters of blood.