Meanwhile, on Nostramo.
Camilla had only just gotten out of bed and hadn't even had time to collect herself before a notice was delivered to her.
[Important Notice: Following a unanimous decision by the organization, Camilla, you have been appointed "Acting Legion Master II." Details are as follows…]
"…Huh?!"
Camilla rubbed her eyes and checked again and again to make sure she hadn't misread it.
This was insane.
Where was the Scarlet Devil Mansion? Where was Captain Sevatar? Where was the great Night Lords council?
In utter despair, Camilla read the notice three full times, then tracked people down to verify it before she finally understood what had happened to the Eighth Legion and to Nostramo while she'd been asleep.
The primarch had run off. No one knew how, only that she was gone.
The Scarlet Devil Mansion had been temporarily closed. Other than the servitors handling cleaning duties, entry was forbidden, and the whole place had been shrouded in red mist.
Since the primarch had left, Captain Sevatar had naturally gone with her. And since the First Captain had gone, the Atramentar had followed as well. As for Meiling, she'd taken one look at the situation and thought, If they're all leaving, what exactly am I supposed to eat here? So she ran off too.
Then there was the rest of the Night Haunter council.
Krul didn't need explaining. She was still out with the expeditionary fleet, helping keep an eye on the Acting Commander in the field.
Captain Katy of the 27th was busy maintaining the Warp routes and the long-distance trade lines Doraemon had laid out. The movement of supplies throughout legion territory depended on her now.
The War Sage, Shinobu Oshino, was even more outrageous. She'd gone off to fight to her heart's content. The xenos and mutant abhumans in the Ghoul Stars had all been handed over to her for "persuasion," and she was currently very busy performing what could only be called planetary-scale surgery—determined to excise every parasite clinging to the Legion's body.
Captain Shalltear of the 114th had been sent to "negotiate" with the Mechanicus studying xenos technology. Curze's order to her had been simple: either the Mechanicus submitted, or it sank. To support her mission, the Legion's heavy firepower had practically all been concentrated in her hands.
And then there was Seras, who had always handled intelligence work. She'd gone off to Guilliman's Five Hundred Worlds on some secret assignment.
Which meant that Camilla—who had been staying on Nostramo doing infrastructure work and cleaning up the remnants of traitors—had become the face of the Legion.
With everyone else gone, she was the only real power left.
In the blink of an eye, over a hundred thousand Night Lords had become her underlings.
She was now the absolute queen of the entire Legion. Anyone who refused her could be hanged at any moment.
"…No, wait!"
After sorting through the situation, Camilla suddenly felt that something was off.
Then she went over the list again. After checking it several more times, she finally found the loophole.
Damn it.
Wasn't Kiske of the 13th still around? She could drag her over here to suffer too!
With that thought, Camilla immediately contacted the only other Night Haunter council member who still seemed to have free time, using the paper-cup phone. The other woman picked up without delay.
"Kiske Bell! Where are you right now? The Legion's in trouble—we need your help!"
Camilla tried her best not to let her voice sound panicked.
"Hm? The trouble you're talking about wouldn't happen to be the fact that the Primarch and Captain Sevatar both left the Scarlet Devil Mansion, would it?"
"…You knew about that?"
"…Wait, how are you only finding out now?"
"…What?"
Hearing Kiske's baffled response, Camilla froze. For one terrible moment, she felt like she was the extra one in the Legion.
So they'd all gone off to have fun without taking her?!
"Much as I'd like to help you," Kiske said with a laugh, "I really can't. I've got a more important mission."
"What mission do you have? Didn't the territory under the Thirteenth Company's supervision already get handed over to Shinobu?"
The Thirteenth Company used to handle tax collection from abhumans and xenos, but that role hardly mattered now. Shinobu had basically gone through them like a tidal wave and slaughtered the lot.
"Yeah, I handed most of my troops over to her. But my job's something else now."
Kiske sighed and explained, "I've got to keep an eye on that blue round-headed raccoon. You know how he likes to slack off. So when that happens, I have to go up and… stroke him a bit. Specifically by pressing the two completely unnecessary mounds on my chest against him."
"…That works?!"
Camilla almost laughed.
"So far? Yeah, it's been pretty effective."
"Then where are you now?"
"On the Remilia, obviously. I told you already, I have to go wherever that round-headed raccoon goes, so I really can't help you."
"But… you all just dumped the whole Legion on me… hahahaha…"
Camilla finally broke. She laughed—because there were times when laughter was the only possible response to utter speechless fury.
The others had all either gone off with the Primarch, gone out to fight, taken what amounted to a public-paid vacation, or ended up babysitting a pet.
Easy assignments, every one of them.
And what did she get?
Managing the Legion. Running the homeworld. Overseeing construction projects.
She was an Astartes! Her duty was to fight on the battlefield until death—not act like some labor overseer, staking off land one day, ordering foundations poured the next, then inspecting and commissioning the whole thing.
At this point, maybe they should just rename the Night Lords the Iron Warriors!
"…This really can't go on," Camilla muttered through clenched teeth.
"Come on, Acting Legion Master II," Kiske said cheerfully. "Don't look at it so negatively."
"Negative? Everyone but me got to run off! They're all out there enjoying themselves while I'm the one left here to take the hit! Their hearts are black!"
Camilla had every reason to suspect Sevatar had done this on purpose. Everyone else had been informed in advance. Only she had been left to discover the result after the fact.
"Well… what if you think about it from another angle?" Kiske said, realizing it was time to stop poking and start steering the conversation. "It's not as terrible as you think."
"I don't see how."
"For one thing, it's not like you're the real Acting Legion Master. You're more the public-facing one. Just the person who handles appearances and fends off the Council of Terra's idiots."
"And besides, now that you hold absolute authority, why not take the opportunity to spread your own ideas a little? Release the deepest desires in your heart."
"…What are you implying?"
Camilla became wary at once.
She replied, word by word, "I would never betray Father."
"…I meant changing the mentality of the people in the Legion. What are you talking about?"
Kiske burst out laughing.
"…Huh?!"
Then, slowly, Camilla's face relaxed.
Oh.
Ohhh.
Now she understood.
"Like… the portraits of the Primarch hanging in each company's quarters," Kiske said patiently, "they could stand to be updated. A slight shift in style, perhaps. Of course, I can accept both versions. As long as it's Father, I'm happy."
"But you? You can have your own views. Can't you?"
Camilla listened, utterly stunned.
Then, little by little, a liberated smile spread across her face.
Ohoho.
Sevatar. And all those damn Little-Mother faction types.
Your good days are over.
"Now do you get it?" Kiske said. "This is actually a pretty great assignment."
"…Yeah. I get it now."
"That's right, that's right."
The call ended.
Camilla sat down before her dressing mirror in an excellent mood and began combing through her messy hair, already gritting her teeth as she thought about how best to purge the increasingly degenerate tendencies within the Legion.
Big-mother supremacy was the only correct path.
Under her rule, the Eighth Legion would return to the proper road.
Exactly as the great Acting Commander's ideology had intended.
She was Acting Legion Master II.
Naturally, she was obligated to inherit his will.
"Someone!"
A human girl pushed open the door and stepped inside a moment later, immediately puzzled by how invigorated Camilla looked today.
Why was Lady Camilla in such a good mood?
"Send word! Summon all company captains across the Legion! One hour from now, we're convening an emergency meeting."
"I have something very important to announce."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Let the Eighth Legion become great again under her command.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 138)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter160)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter98)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter175)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 163
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 150
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 100
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 170
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 145
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 125
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 69
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 90
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 100
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 70
Uma Musume: I Want All 90
I Can Copy Unique Skills 65
Summoning an Evil God, but the 52
Supernatural Multiverse 65
My Harem Is Indescribable 55
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 55
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 66
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 55
Still playing traditional Honk 35
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 35
What Should I Do After Switchi 24
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 35
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 27
Transmigrated as Sukuna 27
Checking In in Demon Slayer 32
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 44
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