There was a rustling noise nearby just as Sylvia and I were about to have lunch together on the school rooftop.
"Did you hear that?" Sylvia asked, puzzled.
"I thought I did too."
As I turned to check behind me, something huge suddenly leaped in front of me.
BRAKKK!!!
"Yoooo!!! You two!!! Hahaha!"
"Nico!?"
The one who jumped at us was Nico, and he looked like a total mess. His whole body was covered in bushes, and his hair was sticking out in all directions.
"Where have you been? Weren't you getting scolded by the school staff for climbing those pipes?"
"Yeah, yeah. They totally snapped at me—even though I didn't do anything wrong!"
You broke school rules, idiot.
"Nico!?" Sylvia said in disbelief. "I thought you were going to get expelled!"
"Hmmm? No way! Like this school would ever kick out a gardener who can do just about everything."
He said it smugly.
Yeah… let's hope that's true.
"Oh, right! More importantly, there's something I want to discuss with you two."
Nico plopped down between us, and right on cue, his stomach growled loudly.
"Before that though… mind sharing some of your lunch?"
Confused, I handed him a small portion from my lunchbox.
"Here."
"Thanks, Andri! You're the best!!"
With just one bite—one—he wiped out my entire lunch like it was nothing.
"Hey! Didn't you say a little?"
"Huh? I thought you wanted to share it with me!?"
"Well, yeah, but not all of it! You devoured everything! You're like a monster!"
"Sorry, sorry! Haha! I'll treat you tomorrow at the cafeteria!"
"Eh? For real? Okay fine, I'll let it slide today."
"So… what was it you wanted to talk about? Is something wrong again?" Sylvia asked.
"Ah, right! I've been thinking about this ever since I joined the alliance… I think there's something weird about it."
Suddenly, the atmosphere around Nico turned oddly serious.
Huh? What's that supposed to mean?
"Something just doesn't sit right in my head… Hey! You two feel it too, don't you?"
"W-what do you mean?" I asked, a little nervous.
"Are you kidding me? The name, of course!"
What?
"Our alliance needs a name! That's what's been bugging me. Hey Sylvia, don't tell me you haven't thought about that too?"
"No—I really don't care," Sylvia replied flatly.
"What!? You're the one who started this alliance, and you don't care? Are you serious!?"
"Isn't that kind of a minor detail? What matters is that we're all together, right?"
Nico suddenly stood up and pulled out a pair of glasses from… who knows where.
"Listen up, kids. When someone creates an organization, the first thing they do is give it a name. Once they have a name, they make a logo to symbolize the group. And once they have a name and a logo, they recruit new members. And once they've named it, made the logo, and gathered people, the next step is—"
"Okay, okay! We get it! You don't have to go that far!"
That was way too detailed. I had no idea he could be like this when explaining things.
"So? Isn't it important?" Nico asked again, looking at both of us.
"Nope—not important," Sylvia replied coldly.
Nico's eyebrows drooped, and he leaned his face closer to Sylvia's.
"Hey! Come on! You're the one who started this alliance, aren't you?"
"So what?"
"At least care a little! Listen to your fellow members!"
This has nothing to do with you, Nico! And besides, this was never even an official alliance to begin with. It just kind of… happened. You just got caught up in the moment!
"You just got caught up in the moment," Sylvia replied.
Nico started grumbling, clearly not happy with her answer. I stepped in between them to calm things down.
"That's enough. Nico, no need to go overboard. And Sylvia… maybe you could at least think about it. I mean, it wouldn't hurt to give our alliance a little touch of something official."
I tried my best to say it properly. If I didn't do something, this whole thing might become a hassle for me later.
"See!? Andri, you really are my best friend," Nico said, patting my shoulder.
Sylvia fell silent, as if she was starting to seriously consider something about the alliance.
"Hey, do you think the Saints out there are forming alliances too?"
Nico and I froze for a second, exchanging confused looks.
"If they're doing alliances just like us, wouldn't that be… dangerous?"
We both nodded slowly.
"And if they are forming alliances… what do you think they're really after?"
"That's a tough question…" Nico muttered, scratching his head.
"If the Saints or even other Servants are banding together and cooperating, that would be a serious problem, right?"
"Exactly! Just dealing with one Servant like Elizabeth was already a nightmare. If we had to face a whole alliance of them… it'd be chaos."
"…And innocent people could get hurt too…" Nico murmured.
Sylvia stood up and walked toward the rooftop door.
"If what you said turns out to be true, then maybe I will consider what you brought up, Nico. About naming the alliance and bringing in more members—But I won't agree to making a logo."
"If your theory is right, then I'm with you too," I added.
"Alright! Then it's settled—the name of our alliance will be—"
"Hold it! Isn't it my job to name it?"
"Eh? Really? But you said you didn't care earlier."
"I said I'd consider it, you idiot! Don't go making decisions without my approval. I am the founder of this alliance, remember?"
"She's right, Nico. You gotta hold off on your ideas for now. Break time's over."
Nico slumped in defeat.
Sylvia and I headed downstairs. As for Nico… he climbed down the pipes again.
– –
The sky roared loudly. Thunder cracked as if signaling an incoming storm. The wind howled fiercely, followed by the shadows of birds flying above the clouds.
The members of Olosof were having another meeting. The six of them sat around a round table, staring at one another.
"So… why'd you call us back again?" Leonidas asked.
"I already explained in the last meeting—we're planning to attack the Kings' Alliance. But there's one big problem."
"What is it?" Leonidas asked.
Democritus stood up and began laying out the strategy before launching the assault on the Kings' Alliance.
"One thing we need to be cautious of before we make our move... is them."
A silhouette formed from clusters of atoms appeared on the table, revealing the faces of Adam, Jeanne d'Arc, and Lu Bu.
"Them…"
"Just like I mentioned last time, they're the alliance that defeated both Elizabeth Báthory and Cleopatra."
"Are they really that powerful?" asked Empedocles.
"I don't know their true identities, but I'm sure they're dangerous."
"And you want us to take them out first before we attack the Kings' Alliance?" Leonidas jumped in.
"Exactly! That's the plan. But there's something else that worries me…"
"What is it?" Empedocles asked.
"It's him!"
The atom-formed silhouette shifted, showing the face of a man none of them recognized.
"Him…" Leonidas muttered, puzzled.
"One of the greatest swordsmen from Japan's Edo period. He mastered the way of the sword and stood at the peak of its art. His name is Sasaki Kojiro."
"Sasaki Kojiro…" Mona Lisa murmured.
"Do you know anything about him, Mona?"
"No… all I know is… he's just some old drunk…"
"Useless! Can't you at least use your powers to dig up more real info?" snapped Empedocles.
"I… don't care… too much work…"
"WHAT did you just say!?"
Democritus raised his hand, trying to calm them down, and continued.
"Enough. Mona Lisa's powers can be used for something else. Mona, I want you to head to the real world and dig deeper into this 'Three Servants Alliance'."
"I… already did."
"Good!"
"What!? Since when!? All you've been doing is sitting there hiding your face!" Empedocles yelled.
"They're… just a bunch of regular high school students… and one of them… is just a gardener…"
"What!!! You're saying the ones who beat Elizabeth and Cleopatra… were just some teenagers? And a gardener!? You've lost it!"
"It's… the truth."
"Hey, Democritus! This woman's clearly lost her mind!" Empedocles barked.
"High schoolers, huh… That's interesting. Mona, do you know where they are now?" Democritus asked.
"In a town… somewhere in central Europe… they're in Germany…"
Empedocles was still ranting, refusing to believe Mona Lisa's claims about Adam, Jeanne, and Lu Bu. Meanwhile, Simo Häyhä and Leonidas exchanged confused, concerned glances.
"By the way, isn't he absent again?" Leonidas asked.
"Ah, yeah. He took leave for family matters. He might join the next meeting, but I also plan to bring him along for the battle."
"He… was the one… who gave me this information…" Mona Lisa explained.
"What!? So it wasn't even your power!?" Empedocles exclaimed.
"I… only used a little… to track their location… but he's the one… who told me their identities."
"See that?! Democritus, this woman is totally useless!"
"You're the one… who talks too much…"
Suddenly, the room shook violently—like the world itself was about to collapse.
"W-what's going on?!" Leonidas asked.
"T-the world's falling apart!!!" Empedocles screamed, running around in a panic.
"This dimension's crumbling! I must've picked the wrong atomic world!"
"W-what?! Then we need to get out of here—right now!!"
Empedocles froze, then started running again in circles, completely aimless.
"I'll keep this meeting brief. Mona Lisa has identified the three Servants. Once her family matters are settled, we'll bring her into the battle."
"So we're attacking soon? I've been looking forward to this!" Leonidas grinned.
"Yes. First, I'll send Mona Lisa—since she knows who they are. Second, I'm counting on you, Leonidas. I want you in this fight. And third… What about you, Simuna?"
"I'll observe… but bring that skeletal freak along too."
"Alright then! Empedocles, you're coming with us."
Empedocles froze and looked at Democritus in disbelief.
"What!? M-me? Fine. I guess you've got no one else to count on. I'll guide these two fools. Leave it to me! Hahaha!"
"Ha! Who're you calling a fool, you bony freak?!"
"You, of course! You Spartan monkey!"
"Then it's settled. The attack on the Three Servants will begin very soon."
"Mona Lisa, Leonidas, Empedocles—I'm entrusting this mission to you. Bring them back alive."
The Olosof Alliance had begun their plot to strike against Adam, Jeanne d'Arc, and Lu Bu. But what can these three do when facing off against Servants whose powers far surpass their own?
– –
"Think again! That's way too cringe!" Sylvia snapped.
"Cringe? Isn't your taste just too girly!? You even used your own last name for the name of this alliance!" Nico shot back.
"Of course I did. I'm the one who created this alliance!"
"Well, that's true, but that doesn't mean you can just do whatever you want!"
"What do you think, Andri?!"
They both talked at the same time and turned to me, eyes full of hope. Honestly, I had no idea what name to pick either—especially since I'm not exactly a social butterfly.
"Uhh… how about we just combine both names? Nico called it Servant Garden, and Sylvia named it Angeles Forte. What if we mix them and call it Servant Angeles?"
"Listen, Andri," said Nico as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "This is one of the things I don't like about you."
Sylvia nodded in agreement.
"You can't just mash things together like that on a whim. It's like you're ignoring your teammates and trying to fix things all on your own."
Sylvia nodded again, as if Nico's words were absolute truth.
Then why ask me in the first place?!
"So... what am I supposed to do? I've never even been part of a gang before," I said, looking a little down.
"Why don't you suggest a name too? Who knows, it might actually be the perfect one," said Sylvia, grabbing a slice of strawberry cake that had just arrived.
I started thinking about it. A name, huh? It's tough for someone like me to come up with something like that. I mean, I've never formed a group or anything. Even with Keant and Ghoell, we never cared about names, and we've been friends forever.
I thought about what kind of name would fit our alliance. Jeanne d'Arc was a warrior from France. Lu Bu, one of the most powerful generals in Chinese history. And Adam—the pure soul inside of me—is the first human to ever exist.
Maybe I could take parts of their titles: The Warrior, The General, and The First. But nothing was clicking. I couldn't think of anything besides their nicknames.
"Well?" Sylvia asked.
"Hmm… H-how about The Aether Alliance?"
"What does that mean?" Nico raised an eyebrow.
"W-well… we're kinda like elements, right? I'm unsure and tend to go my own way—like the wind. Nico, you're like stone—you always act with brute force. And Sylvia, with your mix of gentleness and sudden bursts of fiery emotion… you're definitely fire. So I think all we need now is water to complete the balance. That's why I chose Aether—it's like the bond that unites us all."
"So… you're saying we need to find one more person who fits the 'water' vibe?" Nico asked.
"Y-yeah… something like that."
"Not bad. I actually like the philosophy behind it. Let's go with that," Nico nodded.
"S-so… what do you think?" I asked, nervously.
They both nodded. And just like that, our alliance officially became The Aether Alliance.
"Now all that's left is to choose a leader, and then find one more member, right?"
"In that case, I nominate Sylvia as our leader. I mean, she did create the alliance after all," I suggested.
"Eh? M-me?"
"Then it's settled! Now we just need to find someone who matches the water element!" Nico cheered.
I totally made that up… I didn't think they'd take it so seriously.
"Hey! Hold up! You're making decisions without me again! I haven't even agreed to this yet!" Sylvia protested.
"You don't want to?" I asked, looking at her hopefully.
"I-it's not that I don't want to… it's just…"
"Sylvia, you're the founder of this alliance. That means you've got to take responsibility for it. From now on, we're counting on you."
I bowed my head to her—and Nico followed my lead.
"Okay, okay! I get it, stop pressuring me like that, idiots! If that's what you want, I'll do my best," she said, finally giving in.
She's so easy to read. Honestly, with her tsundere attitude, it's kind of surprising. If she could just be honest with herself, she'd be pretty much perfect.
"Alright! So now all we need is one more member!" Nico was hyped again.
"But we can't just recruit anyone randomly. We have to think this through properly," Sylvia chimed in.
"Yeah, yeah, leave that part to me. Hahaha!!"
Nooo, I'm not sure you should be in charge of that, Nico...
"So from now on, let's work together to return all the sacred souls to where they belong."
Right. That's the true goal of our alliance—to return the sacred souls back to the universe and restore peace to the world.