This is a story from roughly one hundred years before Brendan entered Magias.
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Dragon King Calendar, March of 1921.
A message reached our battlefield press corps.
"I am looking for the whereabouts of someone who saved my life on the battlefield the other day. It was a talking stuffed animal in the shape of a small creature with a large tail."
Upon inquiring further with the sender, the existence of Anastasia, a mysterious princess who had recently begun appearing on the battlefields, and her pet, the unidentified creature Lou, came to light.
After managing to track down their location, we attempted to contact them and successfully secured permission for exclusive close-coverage reporting.
The realities of the battlefield that became clear through our reporting, the Duchy's conspiracy, the young girl Anastasia's objective—as all of these connected, the truth of the war between the two nations came into view.
This is the record of our press corps' eight-hundred-day close-coverage reporting.
And the conclusion to the mixer parties of the unidentified creature Lou.
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Arriving at the meeting place, what appeared before us was indeed a stuffed toy modeled after a small animal, just as the rumors had described.
"I'm Lou, yesh."
"Thank you very much for accepting our request for close-coverage reporting today."
Lou smiled gently, replying, "Think nothing of it, dechi."
Offered an invitation to a dinner party where numerous charming women would be gathered, Lou could not hide being in high spirits. It seemed our proposal was very much to Lou's liking.
Q: What do you normally do, Lou?
"Hm? Mixer parties."
Astonishingly, even amidst this wartime state, Lou was apparently setting up matchmaking venues while traveling around various regions.
"Mother and I are on a journey to reach out to influential figures across the land in order to stop this war."
The one who commented thus was a girl who, while still in her mid-teens, carried an air of nobility.
By the time we decided to report on them, they were already the subject of strange rumors.
According to our press team's investigation, her name was Anastasia Lutze Dravenia.
She claimed to be the Duchy's lost relic, once thought to have perished alongside Grand Duchess Melanna, possessing the legitimate right of succession to the Grand Ducal throne.
The tiara that served as her proof was composed entirely of Dragon King Stone, as revealed by atomic analysis. Her age also matched, making the possibility of her being genuine ducal royalty extremely high.
However, the Temcha government completely denied her existence, calling her an impostor. The reality was that, at present, few influential figures on Temcha's side believed in her.
Even so, she traveled to various front lines to propose peace negotiations and reportedly achieved several localized ceasefires.
Though a feat accomplished by one with noble blood flowing through her veins, it was a life-risking endeavor that no ordinary person could imitate.
Naturally, settling disputes across the regions had not been easy.
When negotiations hit a wall, it was Lou who supported her.
And on this very day, Lou had reportedly secured an appointment with Temcha's local commander to halt the fighting along the border. Today's negotiator was Lou.
Q: Regarding laying the groundwork for a ceasefire, what is the secret to negotiating?
"It'sh just like hitting on a girl, you know. The important thing is not to embarrass the other party, dechi."
Lou boasted grandly.
Lou had once been called the "Magician of Mixer Parties" by companions back home.
Lou then headed for the Duchy's military encampment alone.
"Mother, do your best~"
"Heh-heh-heh. Just watch from there, yesh."
Five minutes later, Lou returned beaten black and blue.
Q: How did it go?
"How the hell do you think it went?"
Lou wore a grim expression.
The negotiations had ended in failure, it seemed.
"Well, I didn't think it would go well from the start, though."
The one who shrugged was Lorelei (pseudonym), the contract mage hired by Anastasia.
Though still in her teens, she was renowned as a prodigy mage and was assisting Anastasia's group through a strange turn of events.
"If it'sh come to this, we're going with Plan B, yesh."
"I have always wondered, Lou, what do you mean by 'B'?"
"Anyway, we're gonna make those baldies regret it, dechi!"
We inquired with Lorelei, who served as the tactical strategist.
Q: What is Plan B?
"Ah, it's basically just destroying their facilities and stuff so they can't continue fighting..."
Q: Is it like that every time?
"It's pretty much like this every time."
Anastasia's party brought both camps under bloodless subjugation within that very day.
They practically forced the leaders of both sides to the negotiation table, establishing a localized ceasefire throughout the entire region.
In hindsight, this allowed the nearby residents to prepare for evacuation to safer areas, and Anastasia's group was said to have received the gratitude of many common citizens.
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One year since reporting began.
On the front lines, there was no longer anyone who did not know the name of Princess Anastasia.
The ceasefires they had won exceeded ten.
Moved by Anastasia's sincere demeanor, the number of those willing to agree to negotiations without relying on force of arms had increased. The movement of the front lines had visibly slowed.
Sympathizing with those ideals, powerful figures such as the wandering swordsman Hinoe and the martial artist Nanakuma joined their forces, growing the group into what could truly be called a neutral faction in both name and deed.
When the White Princess comes, the fighting ends.
Before long, such whispers were exchanged among the soldiers like a prayer.
Q: Do you feel the spread of your support?
"I am merely reaching out to them. The ones who found the courage to sheath their swords have always been everyone on the front lines."
With the rise of the Princess, opinions within the Duchy gradually began to divide, and recently she had even drawn the interest of the King of Gleefia.
Anastasia's eloquence melted people's hearts.
It was undeniably a feat that could only be achieved by someone with the caliber of a monarch.
The end of the long-standing war.
What was once supposed to be a pipe dream was gradually becoming reality.
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And then, Dragon King Calendar, year 1923.
The spring when Anastasia turned seventeen.
The accumulated localized ceasefires finally surpassed several dozen, and the moderates of both nations agreed to sign a formal ceasefire treaty in the neutral zone along the border.
Anastasia was, naturally, the one who would witness this.
The day before the signing ceremony.
The encampment of Anastasia's faction was just like the eve of a festival.
Without anyone asking, food and drink were brought together, and gathered around the bonfire, everyone talked of the journey they had shared so far.
Two years since reporting began.
It was a deeply moving sight for us as well.
"Come to think of it, I only started helping out because of how things played out," Lorelei said with deep emotion, illuminated by the fire.
Q: Lorelei, what will you do once the war is over?
"I'll aim to become a teacher. I want to build a place where anyone can learn, regardless of where they were born or their bloodline."
Q: And what about you, Nanakuma?
"Since my name's spread, maybe I'll seriously found my own school of martial arts. What do you think, Hinoe-san?"
Q: Hinoe?
"..."
As always, Hinoe said nothing, but on this day alone, he smiled and accepted a cup from his companion.
Q: Anastasia?
"I plan to ascend the throne as the Grand Duchess of Temcha. If everything continues to go well, that is."
Anastasia smiled, stroking Lou on her lap.
"If I lose the political struggle, I shall open an orphanage together with Mother. Above all, I wish to help everyone regain what they have lost in this war."
Q: And Lou?
"A national mixer, yesh."
A national mixer?
"The name of a mixer changes depending on the scale, dechi. Once the war is over, I'm planning a mixer for the entire country, yesh."
"In that case, Mother, let us ask the King of Gleefia and my uncle."
"Kyah-kyah-kyah! That'sh a nice idea! It'll definitely be fun, dechi!"
"It is a promise, then."
The bonfire never went out.
Everyone spoke only of tomorrow.
This was the final footage remaining on our recording magic device.
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For the few days following this, no physical records remain due to the destruction of equipment.
Accordingly, the following is a record reconstructed based on survivor testimonies.
During the ceasefire treaty signing ceremony, a massive terrorist attack occurred.
The venue was engulfed in explosive flames, leaving seventeen dead, centered on royalty and nobility who had attended the signing.
Among them were His Majesty the King of Gleefia and the current Grand Duke, who was also Anastasia's uncle.
The ringleaders were the Duchy of Temcha's military leadership.
It was the work of extremists who had been lying low until now.
Anastasia's party was held responsible on the spot and nearly detained by the Kingdom's army, but escaped the crisis thanks to Lou's quick wits.
However, all the efforts toward peace built up over two years were wiped clean.
And amid the chaos, Anastasia was abducted by the extremists.
The following day.
A magical weapon of mass destruction was observed in the coastal urban region of Gleefia.
The entire area vanished overnight without a trace.
At the same time, a statement was broadcast across the entirety of the Kingdom of Gleefia via mysterious communication technology.
"The pretender has fallen.
We, the Duchy, shall bring this war to an end through victory.
By the power of the ancient Irvion."
◇
"...It is an old fairy tale passed down in Temcha."
With an utterly exhausted face, Lorelei addressed everyone.
"It is said that deep beneath the Duchy sleeps the 'Avatar of Fire' from the era of genesis. According to legend, the key to awakening the avatar is the blood of the Grand Ducal family. More precisely, the dragon vein inherited solely within that lineage."
That was the reason the extremists had "recovered" Anastasia.
While declaring the princess an impostor, they intended to use her blood, which was the genuine article.
"...It's hard to believe, but according to our spies, that thing operates using the life force of Temcha's citizens as fuel. After blockading the ducal capital, Dravena, it draws indiscriminately through the Great Dragon Vein."
Apparently, multiple unexplained deaths from debilitation had already been confirmed.
In other words, if things continued like this, the people of Gleefia would be incinerated and wiped out.
The people of Temcha would be drained dry and wiped out.
The only ones to survive would be the extremists claiming to be the true rulers.
"Still, you don't intend to give up, right?"
"Naturally. We cannot let everything Anastasia has done go to waste."
To Nanakuma's question, Lorelei responded resolutely.
Beside her, Lou shrugged with a laugh.
"Good grief. She really is a handful right to the very end, dechi."
"Well then, shall we do that thing for the first time in a while?"
Q: What is 'that thing'?
"Commence Plan B, yesh! We're gonna bring Anastashia right back and end this whole thing, dechi!"
Operation to Neutralize the Duchy's Ultimate Weapon.
Operation Name: "B."
An elite force led by Hinoe and Nanakuma would hold back the avatar's advance, while Lorelei used her Sacred Array Barrier to seal off the mana supply to the avatar during the opening.
Every mage gathered from across borders would serve as the cornerstone of the barrier.
The curtains were now raised on the final battle that would decide the fate of the continent.