Episode 3: Wandering Armor

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Scene: Inside the Royal Palace.

At the same time... To investigate the incident, Jun had set foot inside the Royal Palace, where she was greeted by an unbelievable spectacle.

Knight?
Roaaaar!

Knight
W-What are you doing? Why are you attacking me -- could this be a mutiny... Gaaah!?

Knight?
Roaaaar!

Knight??
Roaaaar!

Jun
... What on earth is this?

Jun
The members of Nightmare are slashing at each other... killing each other? You're all comrades -- why?

Yuuki
1. "Miss Jun!"

Jun
... Huh? Ahh, young man, didn't I tell you to go home due to the danger? You should listen to your elders.

Yuuki
1. "I'm sorry."
2. "I was worried about you, Miss Jun..."

Option 1.

Jun
Good. You should reflect on your actions. If you were to be hurt, I would bear the regret for all my life.

Jun
Disobedience is one thing, but... For my own sake, I'd like you to value your own safety more.

Option 2.

Jun
... I see. While that does make me happy, your concern is unnecessary. This is my job, and facing danger is a part of it. Meanwhile, you're a civilian who should be living in peace, are you not?

End of branches.

Jun
... No, no. This is no time for idle chatter.

Jun
There are people rampaging left and right, so it would be best not to make any careless movements. Take cover behind me, young man.

Jun
I don't know what's happening, but before all else, we must stop all of this fighting.

Later.

Jun
All of you! What is this uproar? Halt this fighting immediately!

Jun
For the Royal Palace to be engulfed in such madness is inexcusable, a shame that will last for ages!

Knight Team Leader
Ahh, Captain! Are you really the captain? T-These guys, for some reason, they just started attacking... Eep!?

Jun?
......

Jun
... Huh?

Knight Team Leader
W-What? There are two captains...?

Jun?
Roaaaar!

Knight Team Leader
Eeep!?

Jun
Watch out! You, don't panic and run -- stand and fight!

Jun
What has all of your training up to this point been for, if not for an emergency situation like this!?

Knight Team Leader
R-Right! But I'm sorry, I just don't understand the situation...!?

Jun
Neither do I. But we can't stand idly by, can we?

Jun
Protecting the peace inside of the Royal Palace is the most important job of us from Nightmare.

Jun
Save your complaints for later! All members of Nightmare, if you can understand my words, then obey them!

Jun
For the sake of justice and peace, give your all!

Christina
Ahahaha! Always the serious honors student, saying such interesting things... eh, Captain?

Jun
Ah, Chris... I mean, Lieutenant Captain Christina! You always show your face in the middle of these chaotic situations -- is that something I'm meant to admire?

Christina
No, this was just by chance. It seems that chaos has a way of calling out to me.

Christina
You see, I was feeling quite angry after "Her Highness" interrupted my personal teatime.

Jun
Are you, uh... being serious?

Christina
You heard what I said. Honestly, who's to judge whether those words are serious or not?

Christina
How would you measure such a thing as "seriousness"? Such a thing would be impossible for even a god, ahaha!

Christina
Even a god would only be able to act based on its own measurements, its own idea of justice. Just like Nightmare, eh, Captain?

Jun
Ah... Perhaps. What a relief to see that you're still calm, Chris.

Christina
Hmph. I've told you over and over that only my friends may call me "Chris."

Christina
But moreover, now that I've heard you say that, I'm just itching for some more admiration.

Jun?
Roaaaar!

Christina
... Oh, my. What a boor, interrupting me in the middle of a rare opportunity to have some fun chatting with the poor-spoken Captain.

Christina
However, if you're going to imitate someone, then at least make it more convincing! How annoying -- not even worthy of applause!

Christina
Your sword arm and your stance are all unrefined and weak! How unsightly! How ridiculous ^[1] -- if this is your attempt at imitating the captain, then a monkey could have done better!^[2]

Christina
The suggestion that you could possibly pass as the Captain, or even as an ordinary knight, is an insult! I'll slice your head off -- I hope you feel shame as you kiss the floor!

Jun?
Roaaaar!

The fake Jun falls.

Christina
... Hm, hardly any resistance at all.

Jun
Ah... The sight of you beheading something with the same appearance as me makes me feel rather sick.

Jun
Further, Chris, we still don't know what exactly this enemy is, so you shouldn't go killing so summarily.

Christina
... How kind of you. But even such sensible concerns are secondary against such an enemy, don't you think?

Jun?
Roaaaar!

Christina
... It's revived? Even though it's been beheaded?

Knight?
Roaaaar!

Christina
Hmph. On top of that, even more of these strange-looking fellows are steadily gathering around.

Christina
Whatever they are, they're not strong, but... They're rather eerie, aren't they?

Jun
Hm... I'm not sure -- it's like something out of a bad dream. Could these be the "shadows" that we've been hearing about recently?

Christina
Ah, those monster-like beings that mimic the appearances of people... That's what you're talking about. But I've clashed with them several times, and I'd say these seem different.

Christina
Call it intuition. But at the very least, the "shadows" perish once they've taken an amount of damage that would kill a normal person. These creatures can have their heads chopped and their limbs lopped off, and yet still be just fine.

Christina
Further. I only caught a slight glimpse just now, but the armor was empty inside.

Christina
It may be somewhat amorphous, but the shadows should have something like a normal body. These things have nothing but an outer shell.

Christina
How dull. Battles are the most enjoyable when you can feel the resistance of flesh, listen to screams, and spill blood.

Jun
I can't say I share your preference, Chris... But if these aren't shadows, then what could they possibly be?

Christina
Who knows? I'm no scholar, so I'm not particularly interested.