“I’ve never fancied myself a man who has to be a guardian of a child. But, I’ll do my best. I’ll never let this cruel world touch her again, I hope.”

- Excerpt from Lieutenant Hans Hoffman’s Journal Entries.

+++

+++ Lieutenant Hans Hoffman +++

Near Lotagne

You’re such a mean boy.

Hans retracted his hand as he opened his eyes. Pain flared throughout his body, as the pain of being vaporized ate through him. But by wincing for a few seconds, Hans was back. He was back. He looked at the displays in front of him, as he breathed in and breathed out, hand on his chest.

I’m back.

Hans breathed out.

I’m back.

He smiled, briefly.

And it seems that I’ve found some useful stuff about her.

Hans tried to recall everything. About the fact that she was a lunatic who professed to ‘only deliver people’s desires’, or that she was connected to Laura and Alizée quite deeply. Nay, his most important finding was how much the woman seemed obsessed with Alizée. The fact that she could ‘smell’ the Angel of Purity whenever Alizée partially manifested her ideal.

I wonder how I can exploit this.

“I essentially have two options now,” Hans said to himself. “I can get us moving to search for her directly. Catch her before she turns fully into the Calamity of Desire, and kill her. But that probably will fail and we’ll probably be too late at catching her…”

He breathed in again.

“Or we can get Alizée to partially manifest her ideal and lure her into an ambush.”

Hans looked back up into the displays. He turned his turret to Adelyn’s mech. Then straight into the upcoming Duke’s Army on the horizon. Captain Strobel. Captain Weibel. He nodded. Father Olbrich. The 4th Imperial Ygeia Regiment. He smiled to himself. I just need to get them into the best ambush roles. Then we can lure her in using Alizée.

When he looked down at his gloved hand, it was still shaking profusely. His deaths…these endless deaths. It was bearing down on him hard. But Hans needed to soldier on. He was getting close to purging off the calamity that terrorized Ygeia. And perhaps, free a crazy woman from her madness.

Time to move out. He opened the line between him and Adelyn.

“Captain, I hope you’re having a good morning. But it seems like they’re here,” he reported. “We gotta move out now.”

+++

“What? You need the 4th Regiment following you directly?” the Duke of Lignon asked, quite surprised by Hans' proposal. Hans immediately turned to the equally surprised Captain Strobel, who hadn’t been notified of his plans. “That’s quite the tall order when you’re merely planning for a recon mission. Remember, we cannot let any area be unprotected. The 4th Holy Ygeia Regiment is assigned with the battle group that shall form up in Rignon.”

“Sir, the 4th Regiment is downsized and lighter than most other peers,” Hans said, trying his best to remain respectful. “Captain Strobel’s men also have a modicum of experience at combating demons with us, which means they might be useful. Their horse artillery is also of good quality. I believe they can keep up with us, and go into a very proper position to delay the Calamity of Desire once we find it.”

“Delay?” the Duke leaned forward. “What are you planning?”

“Search and destroy, sir. We shall set out to search for the Calamity of Desire and engage it at once. But to do that we need forces capable of holding out for extended periods of time. Perhaps, to whittle the demon down as well. That way, once the sounds of the fighting have notified the rest of the Army, they can move in fast and join.”

Captain Weibel crossed his arms, nodding in agreement.

“I see his plan,” the IYC mercenary said, grinning to himself. “Doing that will allow us to overwhelm her at once. That, I believe, can work.”

“Hmm…I see then,” the Duke breathed in calmly, before looking at Captain Strobel. “Then, Captain Strobel of the 4th, you are to set out with this man. Search for the demon and pin her in place until the rest of the Army has reached you. It is a tall task. I hope that your regiment can do it.”

“I assure you, we will do our best, Your Grace,” Captain Strobel slightly bowed out of respect. “I need to inform my men and prepare them at once.”

“Then this meeting is dismissed,” the Duke declared. “Gentlemen, ladies, return to your posts. Let’s set out to battle. Glory to the Imperium.”

“For the Holy Empress!”

The shout from the gathered officers ended the meeting, as they finally left for their respective units.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

+++

“Father Olbrich?” Hans asked. “Captain Weibel? Lieutenant Preisner?”

“Of course, we’re coming,” Captain Weibel stubbornly said with a cocky smirk. “You seem mighty prepared for this one, huh? I can’t help but like the atmosphere. You got a plan and all that, don’t you?”

Hans chuckled awkwardly. The four immediately walked in the direction of their parked Wanderfalkes. In the background, the cavalrymen, horse artillery, and gathered musketeers of the 4th Holy Ygeia Regiment were being quartered quickly to their marching positions. Hans liked the view of it. It felt nicer to have a professional backup this time.

Especially those artillery pieces. I need them to deal with the giants.

“I’m not sure yet,” Hans said. “But yeah, you’re right. I have an idea I’m cooking up.”

“The Calamity of Desire is the progenitor of all demons in Ygeia,” Father Olbrich said. “That’s what my findings suggest. It seems that there’s a common theme with the victims that she pulled to her spells. Ultimately, they had something they desired and failed to attain. The Calamity of Desire thus manipulates them into turning it into something twisted, in exchange for great power. Then, they fall under her control.”

“How do you know this?” Hans curiously asked the priest.

“The Rat of Pestilence once only wanted to save his mother by acquiring the green powder. That never happened. His mother died as a result. And so, he grew to hate medicine of all forms when it was kept out of him. The Calamity of Desire manipulated him into the reverse of who he is. A monster that spreads disease and death.”

“And the Tentacled Eel clearly wanted revenge of some sort,” Captain Weibel said, crossing his arms. “Definitely against the Imperium. He appeared to be a republican resistance fighter. I would bet that he was corrupted by the Calamity of Desire in exchange for her promising him the right to achieve revenge against the Imperium.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Hans said. “She’s the ‘Calamity of Desire’, ultimately, what she’ll want to do is to corrupt people using their base desires. Twist them if they want something good. Amplify them if it’s a bad yearning. It seems scary.”

“It makes you question why many fell to her spells, and why it grants them great power,” Father Olbrich said. “More concerning is if these creatures are connected to the Archdemons in the scriptures. Quite frankly, while many called them demons, it’s unofficial. Officially, they’re just monsters that are less understood than normal monsters.”

“And the Calamities?”

“Their names come from the victims. Or from other sources. What we do know though, is that there’s a high possibility that these ‘Calamities’ are using the names of the Archdemons to represent themselves. Perhaps to entrap their victims more easily? My mind is quite frankly boggled. And I’ve only had the pleasure to look deeply at two victims. And one of them is my old personal friend. I’m afraid I have way too many gaps in my knowledge.”

Hans turned back to Father Olbrich and smiled.

“I think your theories are helpful, Father,” Hans said. “Keep at it. It seems like people from the church trying their best to understand this crisis are way too few. Ultimately, the only way for mankind to triumph is if we figure out what these things are.”

“I understand…”

“But I’ve also discovered something,” Hans said. “Ideals. And Angels. I want to show it to the three of you at once. And…well, I’m also going to go grab Captain Strobel. But I need you all to keep this information in the lie low for now.”

“Why?” Captain Weibel seemed confused.

“Because it’s connected to the safety of my two most valued people here,” Hans said. “And I don’t want them to get in trouble just because of loose lips.”

+++

“So…what really happened, Alizée?” Hans gently asked.

The little girl looked at herself. Watching her were Hans, Adelyn, Laura, Mathieu, Charles, Captain Strobel, Captain Weibel, Father Olbrich, and Lieutenant Preisner. An array of adults from many walks of life, all looking at her expectantly after what she did. Hans felt extremely bad for the little girl because of the embarrassment he subjected her to. But he had no choice.

This is the only way I’ll get things to work. Hans reminded himself. I need to make sure everyone knows what’s happening in a controlled manner.

It was the upside of his countless deaths. The ability to reveal the truth to people right in the best manner possible. With this, they wouldn’t be shocked by Alizée suddenly manifesting her ideal in the middle of a battle. That, and they would be able to fully plan the path ahead.

“I manifested my ideal,” Alizée blurted out, embarrassed. “I…I’m the Angel of Purity. And this is my special ability. To summon ‘Crosslight’ when I need to. It’s only partial though. I don’t know how to manifest the rest.”

“Knew it,” Father Olbrich said, nodding to himself. “That’s what happened to her in Rousselot. She became an Angel. Oh…it came from the most unlikeliest of sources.”

The priest kneeled in front of Alizée and began praying. Hans naturally groaned and pulled him back up.

“Oi, oi, oi, don’t turn the kid into an altar or something,” Hans said, shaking his head as he looked at the embarrassed little girl. “She didn’t ask for this, so let’s not turn this into something even weirder. The only reason we’re letting her do this is to defeat the Calamity of Desire. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“But if she’s an Angel, that must mean that she’s a representative ordained by the Goddess of Purity in the mortal realm,” Father Olbrich insisted. “She’s a saintly being.”

“The church isn’t hearing of this unless I’m sure she’s safe. Absolutely not, Father. Absolutely not.”

Captain Weibel smiled as he looked at Alizée up and down.

“Fine armor on her. I haven’t imagined little girls rocking such ornate plate armor, but alas, I think I’ve seen enough insanity to find this less surprising.”

“We’ve seen it before in Rousselot anyway,” Lieutenant Preisner said. “Quite frankly, I don’t understand why we skirted around the issue. This girl is clearly special. No one can just fire an arrow from a magical crossbow that appeared out of thin air and kill a demon. No one.”

“That’s why it’s our chief duty to protect her,” Adelyn insisted. “That’s why I’m not very confident about this. She’s not supposed to do any of this. She’s just a child. Special or not.”

“I’m afraid we have to use everything we have at our disposal, Captain,” Hans declared. “Not that, I’ll let Alizée be hurt by our plans. We’ll do our best to keep the demon away from her. And just…just let her get the final shot.”

“He’s right,” Laura butted in. “The Calamity of Desire is so strong, I imagine an Angel is the only one who can truly counter her.”

Hans stared back at Alizée as she turned ever stiffer at the attention aimed at her.

“We’ll do our best, Alizée,” Hans said. “Trust me on that.”

I’ll die before I fail at protecting you, even when I need you.

Even if he was technically the weaker man, he was still her guardian, after all.

And he’d serve that responsibility dutifully.