====== If: A Successful Flame-Chase ======

> Sender: Cyrene
> Recipient: ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

//*This page of the story comes from the 4,048,128th Eternal Recurrence, an almost perfect Flame-Chase Journey. Imagine if the war to conquer the oceans had not failed, if the Impress of Flame-Chase had not fallen, but instead achieved her grand ambition...*//

"General."

Cheers and chatter ebbed and flowed throughout the tavern. The girl playing chess yawned and tossed the Queen piece onto the board.

"As agreed, 100,000 Balance Coins. Pay up."

"No way... a little girl like you? You must be cheating!

The candlelight flickers, casting the shadow of a towering opponent. In the corner, the musician stops playing the violin, revealing a subtle smile.

"You seem unfamiliar with proper etiquette, sir? Fortunately, I know a thing or two about swordplay."

The sore loser roared in rage, snatched up a stool and lunged forward. In the ensuing chaos, bystanders who got caught in the crossfire joined the brawl with gleeful laughter. The musician weaved through the crowd like a predatory fish — of course, no one was seriously hurt, as she didn't see any reason to use her real strength here.

Only when the tavern floor was littered with bodies did the chess-playing girl finally emerge from behind the sofa, skipping merrily towards the counter.

"Do you understand now? This here is the Princess of Sea Sirens, Nemesis of the Black Tide, and I am her loyal chess master. Now, prepare our rooms and meals."

The girl glanced from the corner of her eye at the news clipping posted on the counter. It had already yellowed with age. After all, it was from years ago. The headline was brief and to the point:

"The Flame-Chase Journey Comes to a Perfect Close."

Yes, we won that war called Flame-Chase.

The nobles pacified the roaring tide of Ocean, healed the scars of Earth, followed by Strife, Death, Sky... People united as never before, and the Council of Elders proclaimed that the perfect Era Chrysea had returned once more.

However, the Era Nova never came. And the Imperator, along with her loyal Gladius, vanished without a trace... No one knows where they are now...

"Now that we've won all this travel money, where to next? I suggest Paphas. I heard they're starting up the golden apple beauty pageant again. Epos isn't bad either, with those majestic mountains... we should make it a point to conquer them every now and then."

The blue-haired girl brought over a basin of water, washed her hands, then sat down on a chair and broke a loaf of bread in half.

"I want to take a break for a while." The sea siren princess stroked the strings through her globes. "I'm planning to write a book. I've already collected quite a few musical phrases."

"Looks like my days as a wandering chess master end here. I look forward to your melody, since you're a genuine princess as well as a fake bard."

Fire crackles and dances in the eharth.

"The hostage's clones remain unscathed, the golden trout's weaving workshop is a sight to behold, and the four dukes carry their duties with honor and revered by all... Yet you and I have kept our identities hidden, as if forgotten by the world... Which Law did you modify back then to achieve such prosperity?"

Fire crackles and dances in the hearth. The silence was only broken when another piece of bread was finished.

"Likek I said, all I want is fairness." The girl leaped down from her chair. "The sacrificed for the Flame-Chase, and now they each got their happiness. That's fairness. You once pledged loyalty to me, and now I serve as your follower, isn't that fair too?"

"Yeah, that's fair," the princess mumbled, slumped over the bed, her hair falling down.

"Well then, my beloved Highness, if you have no other commands, I actually have a question of my own."

"What question?"

"This chair's too tall. I need a footstool..."

...