Last Drop of Hope Chapter 21 (Patreon)

Beta’d and edited by the Grand Cogitator and Dr_Feelgood

When she had been a little girl, Iris’ father had taken her out to open fields, and showed her the great planet hanging in the sky.

“That is Belzerg. It is who we are. And where we must return one day, to free the people,” her father had said, his beard tickling Iris’ cheek as they looked up at the world neither of them had ever set foot on. In her memory, she could see her father’s reddish blonde beard, but she could not hear his voice, nor see his face. They were indistinct, muted, her memory faded and damaged.

But she recalled looking up at the smudged skies and lifeless gray seas, and Iris shivered in the cool night air. There had been the scent of eris blossoms on the wind. “It looks so…dead…”

“We don’t know much of what is happening there, our scrying spells struggle to cross such a vast distance,” her father said, shaking his head. “But it’s our home. Where so many of our people still live. Some day, we’ll be strong enough, and we will reconquer it. Perhaps it shall be you and your brother who do so.”

Iris had nodded solemnly, and applied herself daily to her studies in the way of the blade, the ways of war. There had been about 10,000 souls on the moon at that time, all of them training or working towards reconquering Belzerg one day.

Then, a few short years later, when she’d been only nine, the ships had arrived in the skies of Eris. They didn't know what they were at first. But they had quickly learned. Magic might have been dead on Belzerg, but they had other ways. Her father and brother had fought off no fewer than five invasions, slaughtering thousands of troops, and striking ships from the skies with powerful legendary items.

They had not fought off the sixth.

Even a Belzerg had their limits on the battlefield.

Kneeling down, Iris cupped some of the dead earth in her hands, lifting it up to look at it. As she gazed upon it, the soil trembled, and she whispered, “Grow.”

A tiny green shoot began to sprout, and Iris placed the plant back in the ground. She didn’t know if it would survive, but it seemed the land was already responding to her. She could well remember the Fertility Rites her father and mother had performed together. It had been about sex, yes, Iris wasn’t unaware of that aspect of fertility rites, but also about blessing the land and crops, as well as the herds and fields. Royal Mana was potent, and it along with the blessings of Eris had transformed what had once been a mostly lifeless barren desert of a moon into a verdant oasis in the void.

Iris would have to find a husband eventually. Now wasn’t the time, but if she survived, she’d need to be married by 16. While Kazuma would serve well enough as heir apparent for now, he was no Royal. There were certain ceremonies that could be performed to grant him that status in more than just words, but Iris didn’t recall them.

Besides, you needed a goddess for that, Iris was fairly sure. It wasn’t like she was simply going to bump into one of those.

“Hi! Are you Iris? I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

Iris turned, then blinked as a smiling blue haired woman strode towards her. Behind her came Darkness, along with three red eyed young women straight out of legend.

“Crimson Demons!?” Iris gasped, stepping around and past the blue haired woman to gawk at the girls.

“Yeah, what about it?” one, dressed in the garb of a Rune Knight, demanded, folding her arms over her chest and scowling at Iris.

The other, this one dressed in very traditional magic robes, flushed and posed. “BEHOLD! I AM YUNYUN! FOREMOST CHIEFTAIN OF THE CRIMSON DEMON CLAN, AND SHE WHO WILL RESTORE MY PEOPLE TO GLORY!”

“And I’m Komkekko! The cutest little sister of the Crimson Demon Clan!” the youngest declared, posing herself, her red eyes twinkling as she grinned. Atop her head perched a giant purple bird, who actually flexed his wings like they were muscles.

“What up! HOOST IS IN THE HIZZOUSE!”

His mistress giggled at her familiar’s antics, while the first girl to speak sighed as the other two girls looked at her expectantly. “Behold, I am Megumin, Foremost Badass of the Crimson Demon Clan, and she who will one day slay the CEOs.”

“And I am Iris Stylish Sword Belzerg, last of the House of Belzerg, rightful ruler of this realm,” Iris said, drawing her blade and saluting. She lowered the sword, then grinned. “I cannot believe it! I have heard legends of the Crimson Demon Clan, but to actually meet you in the flesh! Truly, it is an honor! Have you come to fight alongside me, as our ancestors did of old?!”

“Um, yes!” Yunyun said, blushing and smiling shyly. “Were…were our Introductions appropriate?”

That caught Iris off guard. “Well, they sounded like the stories my mother would tell me of the Crimson Demons, the greatest spellcasters in the world. Is it true you are marked by fate at birth?”

“You mean the bar codes?” Megumin asked.

“Yep! Mine’s on my belly button!” Komekko informed, puffing out her chest.

“Bar…code?” Iris frowned at that. “I am…uncertain as to what that is, but I am honored to have you fight at my side. We have need of great spell casters.”

“Do you really think you’re going to just take over this world?” Megumin asked, frowning at Iris. “I mean, you’d probably be better than the CEOs, but I don’t know if I really want to replace one bunch of assholes with a new one.”

“M-Megumin!” Yunyun gasped. “You can’t just say that!”

“A queen’s like a princess, right?” Komekko asked, frowning up at Iris. “Princesses are good guys! Plus, she’s pretty! I think we can trust her.”

“It is a fair question, Megumin,” Iris said with a weary shake of her head. “I am untested as a ruler, true. And, well…I do not know what sort of governance I could give to these lands, for I have never led. But I do know this: were I to rule, I would never allow such barbarity and desolation upon my lands and people.”

She nodded to the field behind her, where they were burying the dead. The Faitifore was still smoldering, even a full day later. But there were hundreds of bodies here. Men. Women. Children. And these “corpos” who seemed to be the same as those Iris had fought in space.

“I’m sorry. I was too late to save them,” a quiet voice said, and Iris turned to see the blue woman silently weeping as she looked at the burial details. “After more than eight hours or so, the spirit leaves the body, and passes on. I still haven’t sorted out the mess that is all the waiting souls, but…”

Iris blinked at that. “Resurrection? That is a very powerful spell. Only Lady Eris and her high priestess could cast it. Not even my father could manage it, for he was a Rune Knight, not a cleric.”

“You knew Eris?!” the blue woman forgot her tears, smiling as she spun to face Iris. “I just talked with her when I brought back Kazuma! She’s still alive! She was my kohai, you know! I recruited her, way back when she was just a mortal! She’s how I made Senior Goddess!”

“Goddess?” Iris gasped, and she found herself on her knees stunned. “But, then you…you are Aqua, Goddess of Water and Healing, Muse of the Arts!”

“Yep! And you’re Alice Blazing Axe Belzerg’s Great Great Great, uh, a lot of Grearts, Granddaughter!” Aqua said, smiling as she came over. “Come on, get up! We should be friends, you don’t have to kneel.”

Iris tried to rise, but found she was weeping. She buried her face in Aqua’s bosom and sobbed, clinging to her tightly. “Oh Goddess…where were you? We needed you so badly.”

Aqua stiffened, then reached up, stroking Iris’ head. “I’m sorry. I…I wasn’t strong enough. But I’m back now. And we’ll fix things. Together.”

“Yes,” Iris managed, wiping her very unqueenly tears from her cheeks and blowing her nose with the pocket handkerchief Yunyun pressed on her. “Yes. I begin to think perhaps we can win. When figures of legend take the field, nothing seems impossible anymore.”

“Does she mean us?” Komekko said in a very loud whisper to Megumin and Yunyun. “I think she means us.”

“I…I’m just happy to finally make friends,” Yunyun said, giving Iris a shy smile. “I-I always hoped there would be outsiders who didn’t hate us, but…”

“I swear this now, any who would attack the Crimson Demon Clan attack the Throne,” Iris declared, putting a hand to her heart. “By the right of my name and the power of my blood, I reaffirm the ancient friendship between the House of Belzerg and the Crimson Demon Clan.”

Beaming, Yunyun put her own hand over her heart. “A-and I reaffirm our friendship as well! We will tear down the corrupt corporate structure, and restore f-freedom to all people!”

“So mote it be,” Aqua said solemnly, and took both Iris and Yunyun’s hands, joining them together. There was the hum of magic in the air, and Iris could feel the oath settle upon her, like a comforting weight, and she shivered slightly.

Then Aqua grinned. “But we just won a battle! We should totally have a party!”

That took Iris aback. “A battle we have won, but there is yet a war to wage. We have the enemy at our doorstep: Hans the Poison Slime and his forces could attack at any moment. We must be ready to…”

Iris trailed off as Aqua started pouting and sniffling. She sighed heavily. “Perhaps…a small feast? Do we have the supplies for that?”

“I’ll make them!” Aqua said excitedly, popping up and displaying two paper fans as water squirted out of them. It looked like a party trick, but where the water fell, Iris could sense the land healing, and spotted small sprouts growing eagerly at the touch of mana.

“I wanna have a cake!” Komekko said eagerly, bouncing up to Iris with a wide grin on her face. “I’ve never had a cake before! Can we have a cake?!”

“We should be preparing our weapons and getting ready to launch an assault before the enemy suspects us,” Megumin said, scowling fiercely.

“No,” Iris said with a shake of her head. She gestured to the battlefield. “Our troops are wearied and bloodied. We must stall for time and rest as long as we can to gather our strength. There is also the matter of folding as many of the NyteTech forces into our own as we can. Many of them are willing to join our side, such as my aide, Claire. Ah, there she is now.”

Claire was approaching from the direction of the wrecked Faitifore, along with a much bedraggled Lan. Aqua and the Crimson Demons turned to face her, and Megumin let out a cry and drew her sword, while Komekko growled deep in her throat like an animal. Hoost let out a raucous cry and took off, hovering over his Mistress. The only ones who were not immediately hostile were Yunyun and Aqua, though Yunyun did shove the goddess behind herself and try to stare down Claire.

“Highness, there is little to salvage from the ship,” Claire said, bowing as she approached. “Was there something in particular you were looking for?”

“Hello there,” Megumin purred, stalking forward with her sword held at the ready. Now that Iris got a better look at it, she noticed that the sword was clearly a Sacred Treasure, one of the legendary weapons forged by the gods. She had once held such a treasure, the Stylish Sword itself, Caliber. Now, she had only her machete, which was but crude dark metal. She would need a suitable replacement, but Legendary treasures were hardly common.

Claire regarded Megumin coolly, then glanced at Iris. “Friends of yours, my Lady?”

“The Crimson Demons are staunch allies of the crown,” Iris said, stepping forward to put herself between the two groups. She gave the Crimson Demons a chilling look, then frowned at Claire. “As is Lady Symphonia. She is my sworn retainer. I would not have my friends fight. We have enough enemies in the world as it is.”

“She shot Yunyun!” Komekko said, pointing an accusatory finger at Claire. “She’s a pig!”

“I…was, Claire admitted, her expression softening. She bowed deeply, putting her hands to her heart. “I can only apologize. At the time…I was deceived. I knew in my heart it was wrong to hunt young girls simply for the color of their eyes…but you had killed four friends of mine. They were…well. They were not the noblest sorts, it’s true, but I will try not to hold their deaths against you.”

“Megumin…you should forgive her,” Aqua said quietly.

The young woman, actually, she looked like she was several years older than Iris, looked to the goddess, grimacing. Then she sighed and sheathed her sword. “If you’re on Aqua’s side, then I guess we can bury the hatchet. It’s a weird world when Crimson Demons and corpsec get along, but…”

“I am no longer a Corporate Security officer,” Claire said, straightening and puffing out her chest. “I now serve a true leader, one who gives justice and rules with virtue. I serve Queen Iris!”

“And the queen serves at the pleasure of the gods, and, well, it seems Lady Aqua is their representative now.” Iris turned towards Aqua, feeling thoughtful. “Actually, you mentioned a party. I can think of a good reason to have one, if you would agree.”

“I always agree to parties!” Aqua said brightly, pushing past the somewhat mollified Yunyun. “Why are we having this one?”

“To commemorate our victory over Beldia, but also, my coronation,” Iris said, tapping her chin. “We have not the royal jewels, nor the crown itself, but to be coronated by a goddess…there is meaning in such an act. And power. If I recall correctly, doing so will grant me the class of Monarch, one of the most powerful unique classes.”

“Oh yeah, that’s true! It’s settled, we’ll have a big party then!” Aqua said eagerly.

“Uh, no offense, Alice, but who the hell are these people?” Lan asked, looking around in confusion. “I get that the Crimson Demons are our buddies now, makes sense, but who’s the blue chick?”

“That is not how one speaks to her majesty!” Claire snapped, her eyes boring into Lan, who rolled her eyes in response.

“Claire, Lan is a personal friend of mine, who helped rescue me from the clutches of the Flesh Shaper. As my personal pilot, she has the right to speak frankly in front of me,” Iris said firmly. She smiled at Lan, taking her by the hand and bringing her forward. “This is Lady Aqua, the Goddess of Water and Healing. These are Megumin, Komekko, and Yunyun of the Crimson Demon Clan.”

“Uh, hi?” Lan said, looking uncomfortable. “I’m just an Ensign with ShopWiz, and I was the only one to make it off the Guild Hauler. C-Captain Luna, my boyfriend Morgan, a-and all my friends w-went…went down in…”

Even Claire’s expression softened as Lan tried desperately to hold it together, and clearly failed, breaking down in sobs. “T-there isn’t e-even anything f-from the ship to remember them by! T-there just gone, a-and I’m the only one…the only one…”

“I understand,” Iris said quietly, giving Lan a hug. “I too am the last of my people. We go on, for them.”

“I think that’s a story we all understand,” Megumin agreed, looking morose herself. “Our parents…the rest of the Crimson Demon Clan…they’re all…”

“That changes here, and now,” Iris said firmly, passing Lan over to Claire who gave the poor woman a handkerchief. “From now on, there will be no meaningless losses. We turn the war around, starting from this battlefield.”

She looked over at the Faitifore, and on impulse, strode across the field towards it, the others coming behind. When she reached the ship, Iris set a hand on the shattered hull. “Rest well, faithful steed. You carried us to freedom and gave hope back to the living. You will be remembered, along with those who laid down their lives, that we might stand here today.”

Lan started sobbing again, blowing into Claire’s tissue and moaning, “My baby girl!”

There were footsteps, and then Aqua was beside Iris, looking morose herself. She put a hand on the hull as well, closing her eyes. “It’s strange, it’s just a machine, but-”

“YOU SHUT YOUR-!” Lan shrieked, until Claire managed to shut her up.

“-but I was going to say she has a spirit!” Aqua said, turning over her shoulder to glare at Lan, who was crying again. Aqua turned back to the ship, frowning. “I dunno how to build one of these things or fix it, but, if it’s a royal mount…”

“She was,” Iris agreed, not sure where Aqua was going with this.

“Then she should get to keep being a mount!” Aqua suddenly stuck her hand into the metal hull, which was quite shocking, as there were no holes in this section, and the metal was rippling like water as she did so. Comically, Aqua actually closed her eyes and grunted, planting both feet against the hall and bracing herself against it as she strained. “Nnnngg! Come out!”

“...but I’m scared,” a soft voice said.

“Faitifore?!” Lan gasped, and rushed forward, grabbing Aqua’s back and heaving with all her might. “Hold on baby, I’m coming!”

“Lan?” the voice said again, and suddenly, Aqua and Lan flew backward into the mud and muck, a small girl flying right out of the ship as they did so. In fact, as the girl passed out of the metal hull, the ship shuddered and groaned, folding up suddenly and collapsing into the girl as she came out of the hull, until only a few bits of scouring on the ground and debris and remained, tumbling to the ground with a thud.

“What on Eris?” Iris breathed, then stepped forward as everyone crowded around Aqua, Lan, and the strange little girl.

“Ta da!” Aqua cried, jumping up and holding the girl over her head. She had silver hair and golden eyes, and looked to be about Komekko’s age. She was wearing a white smock, barefoot, and looked very confused. “Tee hee! You can praise me now, aren’t I amazing?”

“Aqua, what did you do this time?” Megumin groaned in exasperation. “Why is it every time I turn my back you do something dumb!?”

“Um,” the little girl said, then looked up towards the hole in the ceiling. “There, I think.”

“Faitifore?! Is it really you?!” Lan cried, jumping up and snatching the girl from Aqua to pull her into a tight hug.

“I think so,” Faitifore the Girl said, blinking owlishly. “I’m not sure. You’d just woken me up, and then I got hurt and went to sleep again, and now I’m little and have a body. I don’t really know what’s happening…”

“You turned the ship into a little girl,” Megumin said, giving Aqua a perplexed look. “That’s, uh, something…but why?”

“Not a little girl!” Aqua huffed. She waved her arms excitedly. “Faitifore, show them! You’re not just little!”

The girl looked down at herself. “...but I am.”

“You can get big though! You’re a mount, remember!” Aqua insisted.

Megumin smacked Aqua upside the back of her head. “People aren’t mounts, Aqua!”

Faitifore, however, had scrunched up her face. “Oh yeah. I remember now.”

Then everyone was knocked back as the little girl transformed into an enormous silver dragon.

SEE? The giant dragon rumbled. YOU CAN STILL FLY WITH ME, LAN!

“Megumin?” Yunyun said worriedly, her eyes wide as everyone picked themselves up off the ground.

“Y-yeah?” Megumin stammered, staring at the giant dragon.

“Maybe, uh, maybe you should give Aqua the benefit of the doubt next time you think she’s being dumb…”

For her part, Iris had jumped up, grinning with delight. “A real dragon! I have never seen one! Faitifore, you’re gorgeous!”

OH, THANK YOU, MY QUEEN, the dragon rumbled, blushing despite being a fifteen-meter behemoth. She lowered her head to be even with Iris, even resting on the ground her eyes were now nearly as tall as Iris was in power armor. I NEVER SAW A QUEEN BEFORE I MET YOU.

“I am glad you did not perish. We have lost too many friends,” Iris said, rubbing the frill on Faitifor’s head with her gauntlet, and earning a pleased rumble from the dragon.

I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW I WAS ALIVE UNTIL LAN WOKE ME UP. IT WAS VERY STRANGE AT FIRST, BUT I LIKE BEING ALIVE. Suddenly, Faitifore’s nostrils flared and her pupils dilated, and she reared up on her hind legs again, her great wings beating once, though that was enough to send Hoost tumbling through the air and knock Komekko and Lan off their feet, while Aqua somehow ended up tumbling across the ground until she hit a bit of rubble with a thud.

WHERE’S MOMMY AND DADDY!? ARE THEY OK!? I REMEMBER THEY HAD TO LEAVE AND THEY WERE HURT! I COULDN’T PROTECT THEM! Faitifore roared, which was loud enough to be deafening.

“You mean…Dust and Rin?” Lan gasped, picking herself up. “They’re alive, but hurt. They’re in the hospital over there.”

DADDY! MOMMY! WHERE ARE YOU!? Faitifore roared again, lifting off with another flap of her wings and gliding across the cavern to where the hospital was.

Iris jogged over to Aqua and helped the goddess up, who mostly just seemed to be embarrassed and upset that she’d been flung away.

“Goddess, are you well?” Iris asked, helping the weeping goddess up.

“Y-yes. S-so rude!” Aqua huffed, scrubbing her eyes with her hands.

“She does not seem used to her new body, I am sure it was unintentional,” Iris offered consolingly.

“No! I should get to be her mommy,” Aqua harrumphed, folding her arms over her chest and pouting. “I’m the one who brought her to life!”

Iris decided that it would be impolite to point out that a goddess was behaving like a spoiled brat, and passed Aqua over to Megumin. Perhaps the young Crimson Demon did not simply have a chip on her shoulder. It seemed that Aqua was the sort who needed a minder.

Iris raced over to the hospital, where Darkness was sitting atop an abashed dragon, who appeared to have been put in a headlock by the former security officer.

“Your majesty!” Darkness gasped, looking up from her submission hold. How she’d gotten the giant dragon in a headlock, Iris had no idea. “Stay back, I have the beast contained!”

WAAAAAAA! The giant dragon wailed, sounding for all the world like an upset child as tears streamed down the scales of her muzzle. I-I JUST WANTED TO SEE MOMMY AND DADDY!

“Darkness, let her up, Faitifore didn’t mean any harm,” Iris sighed. She knelt by the dragon, which Darkness was very definitely not letting out of the submission hold. “Faitifore, your mommy and daddy are sick and resting. Can you be small again? If you’re very quiet, I can take you to meet them.”

Darkness let out a cry and fell to the ground with a splat as the giant dragon vanished, replaced by the little girl once more. “Y-You promise?”

“I promise,” Iris agreed, taking the now tiny hand in her gauntlet. “Come. Let’s see how they’re doing.”

They found Dust and Rin on their feet, looking concerned, but perfectly healthy, having changed into their normal clothes. Iris supposed Aqua had visited the tent, which made sense.

“DADDY! MOMMY!” Faitifore shrieked, and threw herself into Dust’s arms. “I was so scared when you left me!”

“Uhhh,” Dust said, blinking down at the little girl, then turning abashed to Rin. “S-she’s not mine, I promise!”

“I know,” Rin said, frowning at the girl herself. She knelt down, putting her head on a level with Faitifore’s. “Sweetie, I don’t think we’re your parents…do you know who they are?”

“You,” Faitifore insisted. “Even when I wasn’t alive, I remember that daddy was my master, and you were my mommy! You took care of me, and I kept you safe!”

“Um, Dust, Rin…this is Faitifore,” Iris said, motioning to the girl. The two of them blinked, then looked down at the girl, who grinned up at them.

“She’s…my ship?” Dust asked, sounding confused.

“I’m not a ship now, I’m a dragon!” Faitifore said eagerly.

“Uh, perhaps you should not demonstrate inside,” Iris said hastily, putting a hand on Faitifore’s head. She nodded to Dust and Rin, who still looked confused. “She is your ship, given life as a dragon as a reward by Aqua. She seems to be a high dragon: when they attain a certain amount of power, they can take human form.”

“Aqua…saved Faitifore?” Rin asked, swaying slightly. Tears sprang up in her eyes, and she hugged Faitifore tightly. “That…that sounds too good to be true!”

“My baby!” Dust bawled, and hugged both of them.

At that, Iris smiled. Perhaps things really were getting better.

“Iris?”

She looked up, and found Kazuma shuffling forward, supported by Lolisa, who was looking concerned herself. The succubi was looking rather hale, considering the last time Iris had seen her, she’d been doused in holy water and near death. As for Kazuma, he looked like ten kilometers of bad road, but even though he had dark circles under his eyes, he looked remarkably well.

“You’re awake! Both of you!” Iris said with a grin, and had to fight back tears of her own as she drew both of them into a hug. “I was so worried…”

“Kazuma saved me,” Lolisa said, looking rather uncomfortable. “I, um, I sort of, accidentally…”

“Don’t worry about it, it was an accident, and I would have done it even if I’d known it’d kill me,” Kazuma said hastily.

Iris’ eyes narrowed. She was fully aware of how succubi killed mortal men. She liked Lolisa and wanted to trust her, but…

“I-it was just a kiss, your Majesty,” Lolisa said hastily. “Um, h-he thought to give me mana to heal me, but, um…I was near death, and couldn’t control myself. I-I did warn him not to…”

“Of course,” Iris sighed, then frowned. “Wait, if you died…”

“Aqua brought me back,” Kazuma said, then sobered. “I got a message from Eris. There’s something you should know.”

It didn’t take long to tell the story of Kazuma meeting the Goddess of the Moon, and Iris sat on the chair that had been brought for her, pondering this. So, that was what had happened to her, and to Eris. Hope fluttered in her breast. Perhaps her father, her mother, her brother, they were still alive!

“But no,” Iris whispered, tears coming into her eyes. “They cannot be…”

“Iris? What’s wrong? This is good news, isn’t it?” Kazuma asked from where he was sitting on his cot, Lolisa at his side.

Iris didn’t quite like having a succubi so close to her big brother, but Lolisa’s situation was…unique. Iris had never really met a demon before, though she had heard in sermons that they were wicked. Lolisa though…she seemed like any other being. A dangerous one, yes, but Iris was dangerous. She wanted to believe that even this demon would rally to her cause, and set her wicked ways behind her.

Besides, she clearly cared about Kazuma, though not in a sisterly fashion unless Iris was showing the ignorance of her youth.

“Your story is good news, it’s just, for a moment…I thought perhaps my family was still alive,” Iris said quietly, looking down at her hands and feeling as powerless as she had been for all those years in a tank.

“What, that’s great news! Maybe they are! I mean, there were a lot of tanks down there, so…” Kazuma trailed off, giving Iris a hopeful grin.

She shook her head, however. “Impossible. I felt the Crown pass to me. It would not have done so if my family yet lived. Perhaps there are others alive on the moon, but my family is not among them…”

“Maybe…maybe they’re just cut off, and the planet recognized it just needed a Belzerg, any Belzerg?” Lolisa offered. “O-or one of your parents could live, if they’re not in the line of succession…”

For that comment alone, Iris would have forgiven Lolisa nearly anything. “Thank you. But do not give me false hope. It is enough the goddess yet lives, and perhaps some of those I knew in my youth. We will endeavor to free them, at the earliest possible chance.”

“Hey, no matter what…your family would be proud you’re alive,” Kazuma said, swallowing, tears in his own eyes. “I know, as a big brother…if Lia had lived, and I’d had to give my life to do it…that would have been a fair trade.”

“Thank you. Though I do not wish for you to sacrifice yourself for me, Kazuma,” Iris said, managing a somewhat ironic smile.

He snorted at that thought. “Keep Aqua around. Maybe I can get multiple takes on that one.”

That made Iris giggle and Lolisa look horrified, which was probably a more appropriate take. Death, however, was a Belzerg’s trade and business, and dark humor ran in the family.

Before she could ruminate on that more, Claire poked her head in, eyes wide. “Your Majesty! Y-You have to see this! I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“Is it more remarkable than a little girl being pulled out of a ship and turning into a dragon?” Iris asked philosophically.

“Uh, no, perhaps not,” Claire admitted. “But it is nonetheless rather shocking. You’d best come see, explaining would take too long.”

Iris followed Claire out, with Kazuma and Lolisa tagging along, despite Kazuma’s obvious frailty. When they got to the entrance, all the hospital patients were whispering and staring in awe. It was hard to tell who was who at first glance, as all wore gowns or smocks, but Iris hazarded that the malnourished looking ones had been the rebels, and the healthier looking ones had been Beldia’s minions. Something to keep note of, but not to hold against anyone. This land had been too long without a true ruler.

However, when Iris caught sight of what everyone was staring at, she could only blink in astonishment herself.

Sometime in between her going into the hospital tent not ten minutes ago and now, a great outdoor kitchen had been set up. Steam, smoke, and delicious smells wafted above the kitchen, where dozens of cooks were sweating and laboring. Great tables with bright blue table clothes and hundreds of places to eat had appeared out of nowhere, and people were already being seated.

At the center of it all was Aqua, who had on a tall chef's hat, and was carrying around a giant spoon, which she was using to sample the various dishes that were being cooked. It didn’t look like fine dining, as Iris could see that most of the food was being fried or roasted, but it did smell wonderful.

“Where…where did it all come from?” Claire asked no one in particular as she stepped up next to Darkness.

Laughing, Iris strode forward, the crowd making way for her. Perhaps due to her rank, or maybe because only an idiot stood in the way of someone even her size in full battle rattle. “The goddess has decreed there to be a party! Come, my loyal subjects! Today, we feast our victory!”

There were wild cheers, and the crowd descended on the party, even as great trays of french fries, tuna-mayo-rice, fried chicken, hot dogs, roasted pork, and yes, cakes, were served up at miraculous speeds.

The road ahead was dark and perilous, but today? Today, they were alive, they were together, and they had just won a mighty victory. Iris ignored the hole in the ceiling above them, where war was yet raging in the skies and heavens.

Eat, drink, and be merry. For tomorrow, they could die.

But not today.