Junior Lieutenant Sugawara Chiaki is a weapon, and she has the frilly, lacy combat dress to prove it. The amethyst color of her eyes and hair she's had since she awakened her magic are an indelible marker of her status as a member of the Union Mage Corps.
But when the Baichuan Treaty Union is dragged into total war with the Republic of Ordova, she quickly discovers a cruel irony: a weapon that is too effective is more valuable as a symbol than as a soldier. To her superiors, she's the "heroine" of the propaganda posters, a tool to rally the nation; to the Republic, she's a high-priority target to be neutralized no matter the cost.
As the enemy advances, with her home under threat and her nation at war, Chiaki must survive the battlefield: a slaughterhouse where magic meets modern artillery, and a place where "heroine" is just another word for "mission objective."
Disclosure:
AI has been used during the writing process for proofreading, beta reading, and assistance with some aspects of setting construction. Caveat lector.
But when the Baichuan Treaty Union is dragged into total war with the Republic of Ordova, she quickly discovers a cruel irony: a weapon that is too effective is more valuable as a symbol than as a soldier. To her superiors, she's the "heroine" of the propaganda posters, a tool to rally the nation; to the Republic, she's a high-priority target to be neutralized no matter the cost.
As the enemy advances, with her home under threat and her nation at war, Chiaki must survive the battlefield: a slaughterhouse where magic meets modern artillery, and a place where "heroine" is just another word for "mission objective."
Disclosure:
AI has been used during the writing process for proofreading, beta reading, and assistance with some aspects of setting construction. Caveat lector.