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Gate - Thus The JSDF Fought There! - Volume 08 - All Out Attack (Second Half)
Gate - Thus The JSDF Fought There! - Volume 08 - All Out Attack (Second Half)
Story Description:
When a portal from another world appears in Ginza, Tokyo, a legion
of soldiers and monsters emerge to attack the city. Thanks to their far
more advanced weaponry and tactics, the Japan Self-Defense Forces
(JSDF) easily repels the enemy, passes through the gate and establish
a forward base of operations to force the Roman-styled empire of the
other world to open peace negotiations. Yōji Itami is a JSDF officer
sent to investigate the other world, where magic, dragons and elves
are real, using his knowledge of fantasy stories to make his way in
this new environment.
This was the JSDF Central Hospital. Itami was warded in the
Contagious Diseases block.
Given the pathogens it was designed to handle, all the windows in the
building were sealed shut. The interior was kept at a lower air pressure
than the outside so airborne bacteria and viruses would not flow to the
outside.
Entry in and out of it was heavily regulated. Itami in particular was
practically imprisoned, followed and observed by powerful-looking
security troopers around the clock.
Why did these men carry Ithaca shotguns and other non-standard issue
weapons? Why were NBC suits and man-portable flamethrowers
permitted within a hospital? Anyone would wonder out loud about those
things. In contrast, Itami spent his days lying lazily on his bed, his face
buried in some manga or light novel which had been obtained through an
online shopping service named after a certain South American rainforest.
“So, why are you wasting your time here~?”
Rory sat on a round cushion stool, looking at the big guy beside her.
His uniform had a black badge with “MP” stitched on it. He stood in the
corner, unmoving and silent, like some kind of decoration.
“Ahh, well, the truth is I decided to pass the time with a joke…”
While walking along the hallway, Itami decided to see what would
happen if he suddenly doubled over, clutched his belly and rolled around
while screaming, “Ah, dammit, it’s coming out! Fuck! Gwaaaargh!” and
before he knew it, he was already doing it. Naturally, it caused a big
ruckus and everyone got mad at him. Very mad, in fact. Thus, he was
currently repenting his sins here. Except, he did not feel repentant at all.
The reason was because he was overjoyed.
As one might expect, that prank had lasting consequences. The hospital
had passed their judgement on Itami. The nurses gave him the stink-eye,
and the doctors constantly subjected him to painful examinations with
nothing remotely resembling patient care.
This was an age where “Try Again” and “A Society Where One Can Start
Afresh” were trumpeted as big things, but Itami had personally
experienced the fact that there were some things from which one could
not recover.
More specifically, Itami’s prank highlighted the fact that a conventional
security posture could not deal with emergencies of this nature.
The people around him had panicked and could not respond effectively.
Once they knew it was just a prank, they were angry of course. But at the
same time, they were greatly relieved. The people in charge had watched
many sci-fi movies featuring alien parasites, and they demanded
increased security.
This was the result.
The security troopers escorting Itami were fully outfitted in bullet and
knife-proof body armor, carrying shotguns loaded with buckshot, and they
paid attention to even the smallest abnormalities. Itami was never left
unattended during his two weeks in this place. They waited for him in
front of the door even when he went to the bathroom or showered.
“Objective has reached toilet!”
He could not remain still once he heard the voice from outside.
They gave a report any time he spent more than 5 minutes in the same
place. In addition, the security troopers refused to respond to him no
matter how he tried to chat them up. It was clear that they did not intend
to open up to someone they might have to execute if the situation went
bad.
“H~m… so why not treat him as an ornament~?”
“I think that would be too much.”
“But can he really stay like that without moving a muscle~”
“I’ve tried ways and means, but none of them worked.”
Itami told Rory that he had told jokes and danced in front of him. It
would seem he had been very free.
“H~m~”
An evil gleam filled Rory’s eyes as she looked over the security trooper.
Then she suddenly drew close to Itami and kissed him.
“Ah…”
Even the security trooper’s expression changed, to one of surprise.
“Mmm…”
Rory smiled to herself, as if to say, he gave in.
Itami touched his lips as well, replaying what had just happened to
him. However, Rory continued holding on to him, pressing her body
against his, and her breathing grew rapid and ragged as she guided him
towards the bed.
“I say, how long are you going to be here? It’s been so looooong, I can’t
take it any more…”
Her sweet voice and hot breath washed over Itami’s ear.
The security trooper looked at Itami like he was a criminal. Well, that
was only to be expected; Rory might be over 900 years old, but from the
outside she looked like she was 12 or 13. Sexual contact with a girl of that
age, even if it was consensual, was still a form of statutory rape. Said rape
was currently in progress, so even the JSDF MP could not help but react to
this.
“What, what do you mean by ‘so loooong’, I don’t get it. We don’t have
this sort of lewd relationship, right?”
“Why are you trying to hide it? Haven’t we come all this way already?”
Itami glanced at the security trooper every now and then.
The man’s face was flushing red, and he was clearly uncomfortable as
he tried to fix his eyes elsewhere. Judging by the way he was gulping, he
was trying to think of something else. His conscience and duty were
probably warring within him.
“Ah, no, you see, there’s someone else here, Rory-san…”
“It’s not as though he’s looking this way…”
Rory mounted Itami, eyeing him like a carnivore sizing up its soon-to-be
prey.
“But, but he can hear us…”
“So let him listen, it’s not like it’s a bad thing. All this time, Lelei and
Yao and Tuka have always been by your side, so I can’t cut loose and have
fun. Now that it’s just the two of us, it should be okay, right~?”
“Like I was saying, it’s not just the two of us…”
“There’s nobody else here~”
“No, there is.”
“Just the two of us~”
With that excuse which barely even counted as such, Rory leaned in and
licked Itami’s neck.
The security trooper finally made his move. Unable to stay still any
longer, he dashed out into the corridor, trailed by the sound of footsteps.
“Yay, we win!”
Itami and Rory exchanged a high-five of “Victory!”
After savoring the peace and calm the two of them shared, they realised
exactly what kind of situation they were in.
Rory was mounted on Itami’s thigh, facing him with her arms around
his neck. Since there was a blanket between the two of them it was not
too bad, but psychologically speaking, they could not possibly be closer.
Rory blushed and lowered her face in embarrassment.
“Ah, well… see, maybe it’s time you… got off?”
“Your arm~”
“What?”
“If you don’t move your arm… I can’t get off.”
At some point, he had put an arm around Rory’s back. Itami
immediately let go and raised his hands, as though in surrender.
After that, Rory pressed her lips to Itami’s. Unlike the gentle fluttering
of earlier, this was a savage, hungry kiss.
However, just as Itami was about to put his arm around Rory again, she
broke away and got off the bed.
She smoothed out her bunched-up skirt and rearranged her messed-up
clothing and hair. Then, she acted as though nothing had happened. If
someone asked her about it, her reply would be “I have no idea.”
This was one of Rory’s tricks. Even though he knew it, Itami was still
hard-pressed to hide the pangs of longing regret within him.
“Alright… this is what you asked for~”
Rory nonchalantly dumped a bag on Itami’s knee.
...Ggk.
Unwilling to admit defeat, Itami pretended as though nothing had
happened and glanced at the package on his knee.
“Thank you, that was a great help. Did you successfully cut it in two?”
“They’re not exact halves. I just split it.”
“That’s fine. Thanks.”
Saying so, Itami peeled off the sticker from the delivery service and
pasted it on the bag.
“What are you going to do with this diamond?”
“I have no idea what’s going to happen to it, so I wanted to send it to my
mom’s guardian. After all, I’m being used as political capital and might
be given to somebody at any time, right?”
Itami was trying to make a dig at her, but Rory neatly ignored it.
“What’s a guardian?”
“It’s someone who manages finances for people whose judgement is
impaired. He handles the hospital fees and other expenses.”
“Hmm… that’s pretty handy.”
“With people like him around, my mom can live without difficulty and
worries, right?”
“Looks like you’ll need to make more change, then,” Rory replied.
“Speaking of which, how long are you going to stay here?”
“Personally speaking, I don’t mind staying here forever. After all, I
might be infected with some sort of unknown pathogen or parasite, right?
It’s my duty as a JSDF trooper to minimize that sort of risk to the nation,
right? Hahaha…”
“You say that, but it looks like you’re just slacking off here.”
Rory looked around as she said that. The area around Itami’s bed was
littered with mountains of doujins, manga, light novels. There were some
PET bottles and snacks too. It would seem he was having it pretty good
here.
“Still, even if they ask me to work hard here, there’s nothing I can do.”
Indeed, all Itami could do here was submit to a battery of tests.
They ran erythrocyte counts, biochemical assays, CT, X-Ray and PET
scans on him, took cell samples and cultured them, and after the full
course of those examinations, all they could do was observe him every
day. Since he was still being paid for this, Itami was beside himself in joy.
Rory sighed at Itami’s state, and rubbed her left arm.
One of the nurses had drawn a blood sample from Itami’s arm with a
thick needle. The process made Rory wince as she saw it, as though she
were the one in pain. Perhaps that sensation still lingered.
“Speaking of which, what are you guys up to? What’s everyone doing?”
“Mm. Lelei’s conducting magical experiments. Tuka and Yao returned to
Arnus and they’re explaining the situation to the ALC.”
“How about Pina and Hamilton?”
“They’ve been having fun everywhere. I think they’ve been visiting Lisaa
every day now.”
…Lisaa? Ah, it must be Risa, Itami thought. The lightbulb above his
head flickered two or three times like a fluorescent lamp before springing
to life.
“Does she really not want to be involved in politics anymore?”
“She said something about art being enough for her.”
“Ah yes, about that, how’s the handling of the Gate going? Has everyone
agreed on shutting it down yet?”
Rory sighed depressedly at Itami’s question.
“Frankly speaking, keeping Lelei’s situation a secret is very difficult. The
Japanese won’t give us a concrete answer. There’s only one way to close
the Gate, but they haven’t quite resolved themselves yet.”
“Ahh, that’s politics for you. Even if it’s an open and shut case, they
can’t rush into it. Life would be much easier if we could make choices so
easily.”
It was true that the Gate-opening experiment was a success, but it was
no guarantee of the permanent link between worlds. This was the first
time humanity had tried to manipulate the unknown phenomenon which
was the Gate. It was only natural for people to be wary of things they
were not sure about.
“Still, we can’t just leave it be. We have to convince them to close the
Gate.”
Rory frowned at Itami’s phrasing, which sounded as though he was
talking about somebody else.
This man always seemed to think that things like these did not concern
him.
Loneliness filled Rory, as though she had been abandoned. Granted, it
was their fault that they had used Itami as leverage without discussing
the matter with him, but was it too much to have him understand their
reasons for doing so? They knew well that this was infatuation on their
parts, but even so, that was a girl’s heart for you.
This loneliness only grew stronger because Itami was only worrying
about Lelei, who was responsible for the opening, closing and
management of the Gate.
“Personally speaking, I don’t like the idea of Lelei becoming a device to
open and close the Gate.”
As Rory agonized over whether to speak, she puffed up her cheeks, and
Itami proceeded to lightly poke them as she went “Hmmph~”. Eventually,
she decided to explain herself to him.
“Well, I guess there’s no need to worry about that.”
“Why do you say that? Isn’t Lelei going to be tied down for the rest of
her life?”
Itami felt that in Lelei’s case, a life of being responsible for connecting
Japan to the Special Region was not worth living.
“I’ve discussed the matter with Lelei. In the end, we came to the
conclusion that, ‘we’ll think of something~’
“Really?”
Rory nodded slightly.
“We plan to talk to Belnago Shrine and have them take over the
responsibility for opening and closing the Gate.”
“How are you going to sell the idea to them? Hardy’s relic can’t be used
by anyone other than Lelei, right?”
“The power of the Gate falls under Hardy’s jurisdiction, Because of that,
anyone with that power will become a vassal of the Queen of the
Underworld. But Lelei is an outsider who is not connected to Hardy. To
the priestesses of Belnago Shrine, this is highly irregular.”
“Mmm.”
“Bringing Lelei to their side would be the best way to correct that
irregularity, am I wrong?”
“But Lelei hates Hardy. Could it be that they’re going to force…”
After being possessed by Hardy, Lelei was still trying to lose the weight
she had put on. There was no way she would bear any goodwill for Hardy.
“As if I would allow them to use force. It’s because of that point that we
can make a deal. We allow them to manage the opening and closing of
the Gate, and in exchange, we will give Belnago Shrine the relic and the
right to use it...”
Itami clapped his hands in understanding.
“I see… but can you even transfer the rights to use it?”
“This way, Lelei will be freed from having to administer the Gate.”
Rory sighed.
“And then, Hardy’s shrine will be able to proselytize as the price of their
passage.”
Giselle had followed them from Kunapnui to Arnus, where she was
currently roaming around town, so all the Shrine had to do was give her
orders to that effect, Rory said,
“Well, on the other hand, it just means that if we can put up with that,
we won’t have to worry about Lelei being bound by the Gate.”
“Is that so. But will she have her movements restricted or something?”
Rory smiled and nodded.
“Still, if that’s the case, couldn’t we have had the Belnago Shrine run the
Gate instead? According to what you said, anyone could use Hardy’s relic,
not just Lelei, right?”
Rory commented that he was making too light of the situation.
“That won’t work. What I’ve said since just now will only happen after
Lelei begins managing the Gate. After all, that sort of thing isn’t Hardy’s
true intention; she would never help us like that from the start~”
“...Isn’t it strange, though?”
“The priestesses are quite proud of themselves. They dislike being
ordered around by others, and they do worship that Hardy.”
That Hardy… Itami could not approve of those words.
“I see. But doesn’t that mean the Gate will be fine? All we have to do
next is convince everyone.”
However, Rory put on a vulnerable, worried expression and threw
herself on the blanket on Itami’s knee.
“That’s going to be haaaard~”
“Why is that?”
Rory sighed again, and looked lazily at Itami.
“We’ve been running around like mad to protect our darling Youji, but
we aren’t very persuasive when it comes to making them give up their
livelihoods. The ALC trades with the JSDF and sells high to the
merchants of the Special Region. In other words, everyone makes a living
with the Gate. If we take the Gate away, we take away their livelihoods.”
“How do people who live without troubles and who already have their
most precious thing squared away work up the audacity to tell others to
“give up your way of life?”
Rory sighed.
“Then just cancel the demand for me.”
“I don’t want to!”
Rory did not say it was impossible, but that she was unwilling, and thus
she revealed her feelings.
“Why is that? How could that be?”
“It’s nothing,” Rory said in a tone of what appeared to be anger.
“You blockhead! You dummy!”
She smacked Itami.
“Tell me, what’s so good about me?”
“There’s no rhyme or reason behind liking someone. Feelings which
exist for a reason vanish when that reason does… Strength?
Attractiveness? Might is ultimately a momentary thing, while looks fade
with age. Even a super-intelligent man will lose the keenness of his
intellect as he grows older. Liking anyone for those reasons implies that it
will be a short-lived infatuation.”
“Still, I don’t think I deserve to be with a woman like you.”
Rory smiled brightly, and brought her face closer to Itami’s as she
whispered:
“When we were young, we could declare our love freely and openly,
because we did not need to worry about many things. But as we grow
older, that particular trait vanishes. The important thing is what you feel
when you glimpse a person’s soul, but people have gradually come to
forget its importance. I say, put your faith in that miracle.”
“Miracle?”
Rory pointed to Itami’s chest. “Correct.”
“I’ve been searching the world over for a soul like yours. I’ve waited too
long, far too long for something like it,” she said.
Itami could not help but get embarrassed. He could not even come up
with a witty retort.
“I’m glad to hear that, but I can’t give you an answer right now. It may
be that I cannot separate myself from Tuka, Lelei or Yao. Like now.”
“Someone aiming to be a goddess of love would be unworthy of that
position if she demanded that of her partner. That is our problem, so
please, don’t worry about it.”
The church of Rory taught: One had to keep one’s beloved by their side,
never letting them go, never letting the chance slip away. One had to
fight for them and win them. Rory had even exhorted Lelei, Tuka and Yao
to live by these words in their daily life.
“There’s a song in the story Galaxy Express 999, where one of the lyrics
says “parting is a form of love too” or something along those lines.”
Rory raised her face and glared angrily at Itami.
“Life is not a play. Praying for the other person to be happy? How stupid
is that? The story doesn’t end after the curtain falls. No, in fact, that’s
when life begins!”
Having said that much, Rory lay down on Itami’s knees again and
cupped her head.
“How can I criticize people for being greedy when I’m spouting sappy
romantic lines like these…”
It would seem the topic had returned to persuading the members of the
ALC.
Be they the Japanese or members of the ALC, everyone knew the
importance of closing the Gate. However, they did not understand the
vulnerability of having the Gate, so they were not on their guard. Thus,
they chose to maintain their present lifestyles. It was a natural decision.
“So because of that, we have to open the Gate again?”
It was for that reason that Lelei had come to Japan to conduct research.
By increasing the reliability of Gate-opening techniques, she could dispel
their unease.
“We might be able to convince the Japanese government like this, but it
won’t work on the ALC’s members. We’re hinting at it in a roundabout
way, but we can’t actually say anything which they can get behind.”
“...Yeah.”
Once people learned about Lelei, she would become a target. If that
were the case, even hinting about her would be out of the question. Still,
if they did not even do that much, they would not be able to begin making
progress on convincing them.
In other words, there was no way out.
“Tell me… what should I do?”
This was a rarely-seen side of Rory — her vulnerable side. Itami patted
the hair of the girl on his lap and encouraged her:
“It’s fine. There’ll be a way.”
“I hope you can convince everyone of that.”
“Me? Don’t, ow!”
Itami’s patting hand had slid down and tweaked Rory’s nose before she
bit his fingers.
Rory slowly say back up, looking at the man who refused to return her
advances with an expression of vague disgust. “Hmmmph~” she smirked.
“How can we chase them out~?”
“What? Chase who? Where to?”
As Rory saw this, coming as it was from Itami, the eternal runner, Rory
pouted and said, “As I thought” before telling him in an exaggerated
manner:
“The legitimate Imperial government approves of the closure of the
Gate, but they hope it can wait until after dealing with Zorzal. But where
did they learn this from?”
If Tuka had told the ALC members about the situation, then it would
have spread from there. Even so, the news had spread too fast. However, it
was an open secret that House Formal of Italica had sent spies to Arnus,
so Itami felt that it had probably leaked through them instead.
Even Itami felt the matter had to be handled carefully.
“So they’re telling us to deal with that Zorzal… huh. Has news about
Lelei gotten out as well?”
Once people had their eyes on Lelei, she would be forced to flee
constantly. Even Itami had picked up on that.
As she saw the look on his face, Rory smiled darkly, as if to say, “great!”
and proceeded to fan the flames further.
“For the time being, I’ll watch over Lelei. Still, word is going to get out~”
After the experiment at Tsuchiura, Lelei had remained in Japan. This
was because she was cooperating with Japan to research magic and the
Gate. Realizing her importance, the Japanese had increased their guard
over her, but given Japan’s current anti-espionage stance, that would only
invite scrutiny from other nations. Because of that, Japan was unsure
whether to strengthen or soften their stance. Komakado must surely be
agonizing about this.
“According to Lelei, she wants you to protect her, Youji~”
“The problem is Arnus. I understand, I’ll try to go back as soon as I can
so until then…”
He grabbed Rory’s hands.
“I’m counting on you. The fact is, I’m feeling very uneasy about all this.
It makes me want to escape from here right away. Something tells me
that if I don’t, terrible things will happen. Ah, look, the goosebumps are
rising up on me...”
Rory stared at Itami, and Itami stared at Rory. They looked into each
other’s eyes, holding hands.
And then, at that moment, the ward door crashed open. A line of stout
security troopers were lined up outside.
“Wha-what?!”
“First Lieutenant Itami Youji! You are under suspicion of sexual
misconduct involving a minor! Confess!”
“What?! I didn’t do nothing!”
“Aren’t you at it right now?!”
Dozens of fingers pointed at Itami and Rory’s hands.
“These hands are the proof of your guilt!” the troopers shouted as one.
“Ro-Rory’s not a minor!” Itami shouted. Incidentally, the Child Welfare
Act designated anyone under 18 as a minor.
“That’s right, I’m not a child~” Rory replied.
“It’s okay now. Were you afraid?”
However, a female police officer protectively embraced Rory and carried
her out of the ward in an instant. That was a movement which would
have earned top marks when it came to protecting an abused child. In
addition, she had done so purely out of kindness, so Rory was reluctant
about forcefully resisting her.
“Do, do you guys not watch the news!”
The incident where Rory had come before the Diet and revealed her true
age as being over 900 had become quite famous. However, there were
quite a few people in the world who cared nothing for such things.
Perhaps the security troopers of the MPs harbored many such
boneheaded people.
“We don’t know anything about that!” they replied in unison.
“I didn’t do nothing!”
After all, it was not a prank this time. The security people were all
deadly serious.
Itami was dragged to another room, where he was brutally questioned.
“What did you say?”
Diabo lay on a bed that occupied more than half the room it was in. On
his chest was Panache, her pure white body entwined with his, as she
narrated the details of the actions taken by the official Imperial
administration.
“I see. So things have already developed to that extent… how
interesting.”
Diabo smiled to himself.
“His Majesty is now begging the Nihonjin to subdue Zorzal.”
“So it’s come to that. Still, that is only a natural development. Without
the Jayesdeef, Zorzal would crush Italica like he would an ant. The
Nihonjin aren’t happy, are they?”
“Still, the Nihonjin are starting to tire of the extended negotiations.
They might be eager to conclude the proceedings and offer help.”
“Is that so… then the problem will be the terms offered… currently, the
government has no funds. All they can do is promise the moon to them.
Even if they retake the treasuries, there will not be much gold and silver
currency to reclaim. So they must give up their land and sign an
unbreakable treaty. They will surely be forced to turn over the rights to
the mines.”
“It is as you say, Diabo-sama. Thus, I feel that if you make your move
now, you will be able to play an important role within the official
administration.”
“Are you kidding me? I’m not laughing. I’ll be Pina’s slave until the end
of time if that happens. I’m not interested in that sort of thing.”
“Still, what else can you do here?”
Ever since Diabo had fled to Arnus, he had remained hidden in
Panache’s room.
He could only rule over this room. This place alone was his domain.
His followers were Panache and his attendant Metmes. He could not
count the cleaning maids as part of them, and more importantly, Panache
was still loyal to Pina.
Diabo seemed to believe that a woman could be tamed by romantic
relationships, but Panache did not consider herself such a woman. Her
heart and body might have been female, but her mind and heart had been
honed in a masculine fashion.
“Really now. I have a card up my sleeve.”
“What would that be?”
Diabo seemed to realize that he could not fully conquer women, so he
had not laid all his cards on the table. Slowly, painstakingly, he revealed
his plans, like he was a stage magican.
“First, I’ll inform Zorzal about this.”
“Is, is that really advisable?”
“Aye, just keep quiet and watch.”
Personally speaking, Panache hoped that Diabo would rein in his
ambitions.
She hoped that Diabo would take his rightful place in the loyalist
administration and then live a peaceful life with him. It was not simply
because of the relationship they had. She believed that she and Diabo
could assist Pina in her capacity as Empress and support her rule,
flourishing in her government. Of course, part of that also came from the
fact that she did not mind becoming Pina’s sister-in-law.
However, men’s ambitions led them to aim for the top. This made
Panache uneasy.
A strategem like this which could return him to power was fiercely
addictive. Panache sensed this, and she could not contain the discomfort
surging forth from her heart as a result.
Could she control a man like this?
Could she return this man to reality?
The knowledge that she could not stop this man who was rushing
towards destruction frustrated her, and the despair-filled woman buried
her face into his chest.
“Your Highness, please reconsider. I beg you.”
The pleading which Panache loathed had finally slipped out.
“There’s no need to worry. The situation will change dramatically soon.
It may be dangerous, but we will be able to ride the rising tide to a high
place. I’m betting on that.”
However, if you plot your course poorly, the waves will devour you.
Panache wanted to persuade Diabo with that.
Perhaps he felt sorry for the troubled look on her face, but Diabo
decided to elaborate on his scheme.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. Zorzal will surely attempt to eliminate that
magician girl. Japan will also try to stop them, but what if there is a third
or fourth party? The situation will be thrown into chaos. At that point,
the one who can protect the girl will control the situation.”
“Please, please don’t do this!”
Panache wanted to shout that and stop him, but the man whose eyes
were clouded by the flames of ambition was smiling to himself, and not
looking at her.
And so, even though she was in a physical relationship with him, the
knowledge that her words could not reach his heart filled Panache with a
sense of powerlessness.
At the same time, the major media outlets released online exposes
about the ongoing debates concerning the unusual phenomena, taken
from the outgoing House Budget Committee.
“Excuse me, Mr. Prime Minister. What countermeasures are you
implementing against the problem of the Apocryph in the Special
Region? Popular opinion seems opposed to closing the Gate, but there is
no way to deal with the strange phenomena besides closing the Gate, am
I wrong? I am compelled to state that it would be a big mistake to decide
hastily without properly verifying the link between the Gate and the
Apocryph. This is a prime opportunity to make contact with another
world. I feel that we would lose much by letting this chance pass us by. I
beg you to reconsider.”
That was the beginning of the questions from the head of the Socialist
Party, Funamoto Mitama.
After being addressed by the committee leader, Prime Minister Morita
rose to answer him.
“Ah~ let me explain. We do not fully understand the circumstances and
mechanisms of the occurrences within the Special Region. However… ah,
well, it’s not certain whether we can leave the matter be. I feel that there
is a high chance these occurrences have taken place due to the existence
of the Gate. Thus, it is only natural that the deliberation of any
countermeasures taken must also include the possibility of closing the
Gate,
The Prime Minister’s reply, read by rote off the notes below him, were
naturally low-energy.
Funamoto rose once more.
“Still, we have not yet received reparations for the Ginza Incident, have
we? So what exactly have we allocated so much of our budget and risked
so many of our people’s lives for? Is it wise to not ask the people about
their opinion before making a decision like this?”
“Our stance regarding the reparations is that we are currently at a
critical moment in talks. In addition, we wish to deal with the Gate from
a risk-management point of view. I hope you will wait to see the results
before submitting them to the judgement of the people.”
This was ridiculous. Making the decision without consulting the people
was utterly ridiculous. The opposition party councillors were agreed on
this, and noises to that effect could be heard from the ranks of the
incumbents as well.
After the catcalls died down, speaker Funamoto asked:
“If we close the Gate, we will not be able to interact with the Special
Reason. It will incur tremendous losses both within and outside the
country. How do you feel about this problem?”
Defense Minister Natsume rose to answer in PM Morita’s place.
“Regarding this topic, I feel it is necessary to consider the danger which
might result if the situation is left unattended. The Gate is believed to be
the source of the phenomena which are occurring in the Special Region,
and now they are no longer limited to that area. Even in our country, there
has been a slight increase in earthquake frequency over the past few
days. Mt. Azama is showing signs of activity, and the astronomers are
starting to report that the positions of stars in the sky are beginning to
deviate from their usual positions. The astronomers believe that it is not
the stars which are moving, but the Earth or more precisely, the space
around it which is warping and thus producing a gravitational lensing
effect. If that is the case, these phenomena may well develop into a
disaster of worldwide proportions. At that point, we, as the controllers of
the Gate, will receive stern censure.”
Funamoto would not let the matter be.
“It may be as you say. But if nothing happens, who will take
responsibility for the loss of the Special Region?”
“Well, if nothing happens, would that not be good as well? The principle
of risk management is to plan ahead and foresee events which might
come to pass. If we do not receive a payout from an insurance policy, we
do not lament that we have paid for nothing, but feel relieved that
nothing happened. This is a necessary expense.”
“Which is why I am asking; haven’t we invested too much in this
already? The expectations of the Special Region have grown beyond the
people, no, beyond this nation, but have spread to the entire world!”
“Well, hindsight is always 20/20 when it comes to deciding whether or
not we have spent too much, right? Since we cannot see the future, we
cannot calculate the exact amount needed. For instance, people have
recently criticized us for investing too much in countermeasures against
the new influenza strains, like vaccines. But I feel that risk management
needs to be excessive to be effective. While aiming for a sweet spot in
preparations might appear to eliminate waste, if a sudden, acute outbreak
occurs and other variables are factored in, the situation will become
worse and possibly irrecoverable. Thus, I feel the term ‘exact’ implies that
we will be abandoning lives which we could have saved.”
Just then, the speaking time allocated to Funamoto expired. The other
councillors were rubbing their hands in anticipation. Some even shouted
“Hurry and wrap this up”, among other things.
Funamoto ended by saying that “The disposition of the Gate should be a
subject of national referendum” before leaving the speaker’s pulpit.
In the end, the debate in the Diet was merely a microcosm of public
opinion.
Said public opinion was divided into the “Close” camp which wanted to
close the Gate and the “Preserve” camp, which held that there was no
proof linking the phenomena and so they should not act hastily.
The media and philosophers and scholars joined in the debate as well.
They drew up battle lines and declaimed the worthiness of their causes,
and began a war of words and advertising to secure support and
agreement.
However, perhaps it was because they wanted to censure the
government or because they were angry about the fact that all this had
been covered up before it was exposed, but much of the media took the
side of the Preserve faction. Their position was sold on the premise that
closing the Gate would violate national interests and it would be a hasty
decision.
Thus, the neutral faction which held no strong feelings about the
matter either way began to be strongly influenced by the media.
And so, it became a situation where many voted to preserve the Gate
and only a few wanted to close it.
During televised debates, there were even cases where Professor Youmei
and those who opposed him shouted at each other and even came to
blows.
In addition, there were many who took direct action to maintain the
existence of the Gate.
These people belonged to groups who demanded that there should be an
international effort to migrate through the Gate. They swarmed Ginza
with signs reading “DON’T CLOSE THE GATE” and so on, while
protesting in parking lots around Ginza. Some of them even planned to
form a human wall around the Gate, but were dispersed by the police for
obstructing traffic.
They shouted over their megaphones, “Japan has a history of being
conquerors. They have caused much damage to many developing nations.
Because of that, developing nations should know what to do now. Thus,
Japan cannot be allowed to take unilateral action and should consider the
opinions of the developing nations.”
The Chinese government released a statement along those lines.
“Japan has the right to demand reparations from the Empire for the
Ginza Incident. Similarly, our country has the right to demand
reparations from the Empire. This is because there were Chinese citizens
in Ginza as tourists during the Ginza Incident. Our country would like to
open talks with the Empire to discuss the appropriate damages. This is in
the fundamental interests of the Chinese people and our government
strongly opposes this course of action which infringes on our rights. If
the Japanese government insists on closing the Gate and interfering with
our negotiations with the Empire, then our country feels that the
Japanese government should instead pay compensation in place of the
Empire.”
Naturally, the Japanese reply was “Go fuck yourself.”
(TL Note: おとといきやがれ!)
To be precise, they said, “Our country has no intention of interfering in
talks between China and the Empire. However, our country had no
obligation to mediate for them either. If they wish to speak, they should
go ahead. If they wish to declare war on the Empire, they should do so as
well. However, please do so directly, without using Japan as an
intermediary. The problem of the Gate is an entirely domestic matter.”
“How will you allow us to negotiate directly?” the Chinese newscasters
shouted on a television broadcast.
The Japanese speaker replied, “How about shouting in their direction
from Beijing? Who knows, you might be able to break the wall between
worlds and reach them. At the very least, Japan will not open a path for
you, nor do we have the obligation to help you either.”
As opinions went back and forth, the surprising thing was the silence of
the financial world on the matter.
Many believed that they would be strongly against the closing of the
Gate, but they seemed to have adopted a wait-and-see attitude instead.
This attitude was shared by the United States. Thus, there were rumors
that “Japan knows how to open the Gate” circulating around Kabuto-cho.
Taking the hint, the leadership of various countries around the world did
not show their opposition. These rumors caused the market to fluctuate
violently.
(TL Note: Where the Tokyo Stock Exchange is located)
In order to verify the truth of this rumor, the reporters pointed their
mikes to the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister.
“Prime Minister! Is it true that Japan has the technology to open the
Gate?”
Morita smiled, and then replied: “Well, if Japan did have that
technology, it would be great. I think it would be a wonderful thing if we
did.”
“In other words, the rumor is false?”
“Sadly, Japan does not have that technology. It’s true.”
Indeed, Morita was not lying.
After all, it was Lelei who could open Gates, and not the Japanese
government. If the reporters had asked, “Do you know of someone who
can open the Gate?” or “Are you working with her?” then Morita -- who
could not act to save his life -- would not have been able to answer. Then
he would have lied and tripped himself up. However, one could only ask
questions like that after learning the truth. Thus, Morita easily evaded
the reporters’ questions.
***
“Then, Mister Kanou… the news that Japan has gained the technology to
open a Gate leading to the Special Region is just a lie, then?”
“Correct, President Dirrel. Calling it technology is actually somewhat
problematic. It might be better described as a ‘miracle’, or a ‘special
power’. It is not something which anyone can control. All we can do is ask
the person who possesses this ability to help us.”
“What is all this? I hope you will go into further detail.”
“There is a person who possesses the technology to open Gates in the
Special Region. It was because of that our country… Ginza was attacked.
Of course, the person who opened the Gate did not originally intend to let
the Empire invade Japan. Whatever the case, the Empire made use of this.
Our country is considering a temporary closure of the Gate in order to
prevent the strange phenomena occurring around the globe from turning
disastrous. It is not so much that we are going to analyze and understand
the Gate and then shut it down, but more that we are going to destroy the
maintenance device the Empire built to sustain the Gate.”
“Your country will, of course, introduce this person who can open the
Gate to our nation, of course? We should consider elevating this special
ability to a science that will serve all mankind.”
“The person who opened the Gate to Ginza seems to be called the
Goddess Hardy.”
Kanou was telling the truth, but not the whole truth.
“A goddess? Please be aware that I, as the American president, will only
recognize the Lord as my God.”
Incidentally, Allah in Islam and the God which the President was
speaking of were actually the same entity under different names.
(TL Note: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrahamic_religions)
“Indeed. President-kakka, I believe that when you were sworn in, you
placed your hand on the Bible and swore to the one true God?”
“Indeed. My country respects freedom of religion, but there is a place
and time for all things to be said. That aside, I cannot find it in myself to
condone the misuse of the word ‘God’.”
The power of the Christian Church in America was such that no
politician could disregard it. The debate on whether Creationism should
be taught in schools was the subject of much debate and even lawsuits.
“Still, will this not cause problems for your country? The fact is that the
goddess Hardy resides in the Special Region. Declaring that you do not
acknowledge her existence and at the same time trying to get in her good
books might be difficult, to say the least. In particular, Hardy is a goddess,
and displeasing a woman will make things very difficult in all sort of
ways.”
“So you want me to abandon my faith?”
“That would be your choice, Mr. President… Our country is one which is
home to thousands, if not millions of gods. We visit shrines every month
we call upon priests at funerals, we pledge our love to each other before a
pastor at weddings, and recently even All Saint’s Day has been recognized
as a religious day for pagans… no, for the open-minded. We can accept
them all as gods. It doesn’t matter to us what kind of gods the Special
Region has. For all we know, that might be why the Gate opened in our
country.”
“Kanou, I believe you’re a Christian?”
“Yes, but I am also a Japanese citizen.”
“Hmm… then let me ask, is that goddess Hardy a person who is real and
can speak, like that girl in the black gothic outfit who claims to be over
900 years old?”
“No. She seems to be an incorporeal being who requires a human as an
intermediary to interact with the world. I don’t think sending your
vaunted special forces to the Special Region to abduct… no, forcefully
invite her would be effective.”
It took about 30 seconds before the reply came. The President bared his
heart in those words.
“That was a pretty annoying incident. Forget it; it’s too risky a venture.
So if we close the Gate for the time being, the Apowhatever and space
distortions will calm down? That’s fine. As long as Japan doesn’t
monopolize it, we can put up with it. Our country doesn’t want to be
fingered as the ones who put the world in danger to make use of the Gate.
We’ll wait until the Ginza Gate opens up once more.”
“I am very grateful that you understand us.”
“Ahh. I look forward to you becoming Prime Minister, Kanou.”
With that, the line to the White House hung up.
Kanou exhaled deeply, sprawling himself on his desk in exhaustion. His
secretary nervously asked the Foreign Minister, “Does President Dirrel
understand us?”
“As if. He must be pretending to go along before he grabs us by the
short hairs. Better be on your guard.”
“Sir… the Indian Prime Minister is calling.”
“So it’s India now. Doesn’t he normally call PM Morita instead?”
“People are bothering the Prime Minister for explanation from all over,
mainly the financiers.”
“...Is that so. Well, it can’t be helped… put him on.”
With that, Kanou picked up the handset with an annoyed look on his
face.
***
The Special Region Problem Countermeasures Vice-Minister Shirayuri
felt faint as she beheld the Imperial ambassador. Her jaw dropped and
she was unable to speak for a time.
“What, what is His Majesty thinking?”
She knew it was rude, but she could not help asking.
Of course, she also knew it might be followed by a “How rude!” from the
person she was addressing. However, the person who stood before
Shirayuri in the capacity of one who possessed the Emperor’s trust
replied, “I understand how you feel, because even I find it difficult to get
used to my present circumstances.”
“Then, what happened, Sherry-san?”
“Well, the fact is, my inheritance of the Tuery estate has been formally
recognized.”
“Congratulations are in order… I believe?”
Shirayuri knew well that Sherry could only have succeeded to the
position of family head upon the deaths of her parents, so she was very
careful with her choice of words.
“Of course. I am grateful for your kind words. Although my home and
all my property in the Imperial Capital are lost and I lack any lands to
inherit, my family is a pedigreed member of the Imperial nobility. Thus,
while it is a shame to lose my estate, it is through His Majesty’s grace
that I am in this present situation.”
The use of the word “situation” implied that she was not happy with her
present circumstances and that things were developing poorly. Upon
hearing this. Shirayuri considered that Sugawara might have taught
Sherry in error. However, she had her doubts about how easily she
corrected her own perceptions of her opposite number as an ambassador.
It might also be Sherry’s own style of humor, for all she knew.
“In addition, His Majesty has elevated me to the rank of Countess.
Apparently, it is meant to be a substitute for a dowry.”
Sherry sighed lifelessly.
“A, a dowry, you say?”
“Yes. I do not know if a noble title without any lands or holdings
attached to it will delight Sugawara-sama. However, there has been a
change in my place within the Imperial government, or perhaps it is just
that my situation has changed, In addition, one has to consider that one
has to be a Count at minimum to be considered for the position of
emissary, and other reasons… Well, there were many reasons at work
there which I did not fully grasp, given my youth, so I had no choice but
to become the representative for the Empire during these negotiations.”
And so, many things happened.
Shirayuri said, “It must have been hard on you” and nodded between
sighs. Then, she decided to look at things from a different point of view.
In truth, it was she who had to conduct negotiations with a child who was
having a hard time.
“I have had enough of the myriad changes in politics. I lack learning
and experience in this field, so in truth I wish to hand the real work to
Cicero-sama, Pulconius-sama and so on. Please bear that in mind as you
treat with me, Shirayuri-dono.”
Sherry turned to face the two lines of Imperial Senators as she said this.
All of them were pro-peace members of the nobility, who were skilled in
the field of diplomacy. They had all appeared at similar meetings before,
so they were largely familiar faces.
“Is that so? I understand, Countess-dono, you are quite astute.”
The tips of Sherry’s ears flushed red as Shirayuri praised her.
“There is no need to flatter me so. I will be embarrassed.”
“I understand. Then, what do we have to discuss, gentlemen?” Shirayuri
asked Pulconius, who was seated beside Sherry. Even if I know, I won’t say
it; that was a basic tactic of diplomacy. In addition this would let her
know who was in charge by who answered the question.
Surprisingly, it was Sherry who answered.
“It concerns the matter Sugawara-sama brought up earlier; petitioning
your country to defeat the Zorzal faction. Can we expect the Nihon
government’s cooperation?”
“My, my country would be glad to help, but that will need to wait after a
proper treaty has been ratified. How about negotiations? Can we conduct
them here?”
“Yes. I have heard that the peace talks have gone on for a long time, and
both sides have listed pretty much all their demands. It seems that the
terms for this endeavour are all out in the open, so let us waste no time in
signing the treaty.”
She’s speaking far too plainly. Shirayuri could hardly believe her ears.
“...S-Sherry-san?”
“What is it, Shirayuri-dono?”
“I believe you said just now that you were a nominal representative and
the actual work of the negotiations would be handed to the gentlemen
beside you…”
“Yes. As I said, I am but a humble representative in name only. That
said, if I say nothing at this formal occasion, my father’s departed spirit
would surely chide me for playing around here. Thus, I have practiced the
lines which I must speak.”
Saying so, Sherry looked around her once more. Cicero had a mocking
expression on his stiff face. It was plain to see how he felt about having
his time to shine stolen away. However, if he brought it up he would be
viewed as being immature, so he was bearing with it for now.”
“...I see. Then, I take it that the contents of your speech are the product
of discussion by your side and can be taken to be an official position on
the matter. Am I correct in assuming that?”
“Yes, that is correct… I am currently seated here as one who has been
invested with all the rights and power of the legitimate imperial
government.”
Sherry punctuated her statement by looking Shirayuri in the eye.
In that instant, what Shirayuri had taken to be a cute little girl had
swelled up to be a towering monster in her eyes.
I must be tired, she thought as she rubbed her eyes and verified that
there was, in fact, a petite little girl seated in front of her.
“If I misspeak, I am sure the gentlemen here will correct me without
delay.”
“Is that so. Then, let us continue.”
Perhaps Shirayuri should have trusted her instincts. Perhaps she should
have recalled Sugawara from Italica and had him sit in on this. After all,
only Sugawara understood that the person before her might appear to be
a child, but she was in fact something else entirely. Shirayuri and the
others were deluded by her appearance and could not heed the alarm
bells clanging within their hearts. Until the end, they could not
understand why they were sweating buckets when a little girl turned her
gaze on them.
And so, the talks went as the Emperor had foreseen.
Shirayuri and the skilled diplomats with her could not make harsh
demands of Sherry.
“If Nihon abandons us, then Zorzal-sama will surely annihilate us. And
it is not just we, but the people and many others who will be exposed to
the storm that swept through the Imperial Capital. After considering that
point, we can only throw ourselves upon your mercy. Thus, I pray that
your country will not close the Gate.”
How many people could coldly cast aside a cute girl pressing her palms
together while looking at them with pleading eyes?
And so, they swiftly secured cooperation in defeating Zorzal. And then,
Cicero and Pulconius added, “We should also discuss terms for a peace
treaty”, following on that logic to ask for more relaxed terms.
When the Japanese presented a staunch refusal, Sherry stepped up. “We
had not prepared for this,” she said in a deeply apologetic tone. “The
legitimate government is currently penniless. We will pay, of course, but
before we retake our Empire, I hope we can benefit from your leniency.”
She said so with her eyes brimming with tears.
“In exchange, we will grant you the mineral rights you desire and the
area around Arnus. Our side has no objections to these terms, and we
hope you will accept them.”
The way she said it, like it was the first time conceding to them, made
the Japanese want to cry foul.
The Japanese valued consensus. With that point in mind, they were
willing to make small concessions for the sake of agreement. In addition,
they adopted a stance of “don’t make a mountain out of a molehill” and
strongly promoted an attitude of humility and largesse, calling it
magnanimity. However, they were caught between a rock and a hard
place during these talks, as though someone had stepped on their toes
while shaking their hands. These many small concessions added up,
leading to them being forced to accept very disadvantageous terms.
The Japanese demand that the Emperor apologize for his actions and
take responsibility for the war was met in such a way. When Sherry said
in a hesitant tone, “His Majesty Emperor Molt is a bedridden old man. I
feel that he does not even have the energy to travel to Arnus, let alone
Japan,” they could not press him too hard.
“Instead, how would you feel about having the Crown Princess who is
currently in Japan express her regret for the incident during the signing of
the treaty?”
Both sides could agree on this more realistic settlement.
After that, both sides agreed that after the matter was resolved, they
would arrange to have Pina crowned Empress, so as to show that she
would take responsibility for the matter.
That said, the Japanese were not always on the defensive during this
exchange. While their plan to add more conditions had been set back, the
Japanese had already been amply rewarded. Thus, the contents of the
peace treaty were quite satisfactory to them. However, the people present
at the negotiations had the feeling that they had been defeated.
In any case, the girl made them all deeply uncomfortable. That sense of
unease only got worse when the girl went on to say:
“I heard that the kidnapped person has safely returned. Zorzal-sama is
truly a despicable man. I hope your country will soundly thrash him.”
Still, because she shrank like a student anticipating a scolding from a
teacher, Shirayuri and the others could not bring themselves to resent
her.
Incidentally, during this time:
Pina took advantage of her stay in Japan to spend her days drowning in
“art”.
“How wonderful!”
Every page she turned drew a cry of delight from her.
She had lost herself in her delight. Much like a weeaboo who had
learned Japanese to read manga and watch anime, Pina had mastered the
language in order to understand doujinshi. However, her conversational
Japanese was still fragmented.
“Kuh… so that’s what they do here? Manly love should be like this.”
“Oi~ Pina-san. Don’t stop~”
She had already spent two weeks in Risa’s home. Risa and her friends
were rushing to complete their manuscripts in time to be printed and
bound for the impending doujin flea market. They were so busy that even
Pina the passing-by guest had been roped into the whole mess like it was
her natural place. This allowed the Imperial Crown Princess to personally
experience what it was like to create what she called “art”.
“This, this title, “Mercurius, Fernan X Ku”, it’s outrageous! It’s terribly
outrageous!” Pina squealed as she once more began the work of making a
book.
(TL Note: けしからん)
“Shut up!” (lol)
“Be quiet!” (lol)
“Pervert!” (lol)
The playful scolding of the gathered fujoshi as they wrote blended with
the snipping and clicking of scissors as they cut out pictures. After all,
there was no author who would not be delighted to hear the sound of
their readers being enthralled by their work.
However, Pina’s mouth opened and closed, like it had been hurt. She
seemed baffled by their tone, and took their words at face value.
Risa practically had her face pressed to the screen of the tablet she was
holding. In this state, she translated everyone’s intentions for Pina.
“So you do like it, Pina-san.”
“Yes, yes.”
“Why not live here?’
“That’s right, that’s right, let’s do it.”
One of the fujoshi, who was finally asleep after burning the midnight
oil for three nights running, reached an arm out of the blankets like a
zombie crawling from a crypt. Then, she poked her face out to express
her approval. Her hair was a mess due to her terrible sleeping posture.
Perhaps it was because she had not fully awoken, but her face looked like
she was still half-asleep.
Then, Pina answered:
“Nono, I was intending to extend the invitation to you all instead. Why
not move to the Empire?”
“Ehh~”
“I’m glad for the invitation, but I’ll need to think about it.”
“Mm. I’d like to go to the Special Region, but staying there… didn’t they
say they had to close the Gate?”
“If I can’t go back…”
Their responses echoed the sentiments of people the world over. The
media constantly broadcast the need to keep the Gate open, reports about
how the Gate was not the source of the various phenomena happening
around the world, but there was once a show which stated the Gate to be
the cause of such things, which everyone firmly believed.
And then, after prefacing her words with a “this is a secret”, Pina
whispered:
“Actually, the Gate can be opened, even if it’s closed.”
“Ehhh, so that rumor’s true?”
“Then… maybe it would be okay to go.”
“It’s just that there’s almost certain to be some kind of time difference…
even if they decided to open the Gate the next day on the other side, a
year might have passed here. And if you’re unlucky, maybe ten years
might have passed.”
“Is, is that so?”
The fujoshi ground to a halt.
“A difference of about a decade is pretty much the same as bidding
farewell to your family here. Maybe it would still be easy to deal with if it
were just among ourselves, but asking others to wait that long might be
too much to hope for.”
“Y-yeah…”
Ten years was really that long. Murmurs of “so we can’t do it after all”
filled the air around them.
“Still, on the other hand, I could look forward to enjoying a decades’
worth of your artwork. The thought of that is quite delightful.”
“That… well, that’s quite enviable.”
As this conversation was taking place, a sharp rapping rang out from
the door, and then it crashed open without giving anyone time to answer.
“Is Her Highness here?!”
The person calling breathlessly to her was Hamilton. There were men in
black visible behind her, most likely plainclothes police officers.
“Hamilton, you again,” Pina exclaimed in surprise. But her secretary
continued in a plaintive tone:
“Please, your Highness. You have to go back.”
“I believe I have indicated my disinclination towards that. It is quite
troublesome.”
“But, but you are the Crown Princess, your Highness.”
“And I do not want to return. I never accepted my position as Crown
Princess in the first place.”
“But His Majesty designated you…”
“Ahhhhh, shut up! I’m busy now! Look, everyone’s stopped because of
you. Tell Italica not to bother about me anymore and figure something
out themselves!”
“Your, your Highness…”
It might have been a plea from her long-suffering adjutant Hamilton,
but Pina’s attitude remained cold and aloof.
“I no longer wish to involve myself with politics. Only bad things have
happened every time I have done so, be it for me or the Empire.”
“But, you’re here, as the Crown Princess, and if you don’t show up to the
signing of the peace treaty, the Nihonjin might take it as an insult...”
“Nobody ever informed me about that.”
And then, a voice came from behind Hamilton: “Please allow me to pass,
Hamilton-sama. I will speak directly to Pina-sama.”
Hamilton replied in the affirmative, and stepped out of the narrow
threshold to the cramped apartment, clearing a path for the owner of that
voice.
“Oya, and you would be…?”
Pina frowned at the sight of the girl-child who had showed herself. She
was apparently the heiress of the Tuery family. What was she doing in
Japan?”
“Your Highness, we have been long parted. This one is called Sherry.”
“Indeed, it has been a while. But why are you here? If you wish to join
the knight bands, you need only speak to Bozes at Italica.”
“It is not my intention to enlist in the knight bands.”
“Then what do you want of me?”
“I am here today to beseech your Highness to return to her station.”
“And why must a child do such a thing?”
“This is because the terms we have negotiated may not be finalized due
to your Highness’ selfishness.”
“You speak as though everything were already decided.”
“Your Highness, that is precisely the case.”
Hamilton interrupted from the side.
“What did you say?”
“Sherry-san no, Countess Sherry has already settled matters with the
Japanese.”
“Is that so…”
Pina laughed coldly.
“Well, it seems Father has finally decided to discard his pride. Any
negotiations can be concluded if you but give ground. And then, he’ll pin
it all on a little girl and make excuses. That must be it. How shameless of
him!”
However, Sherry chuckled heartily.
“His Majesty appointed me as his emissary because most of the difficult
negotiations were concluded. Of course, I cannot guarantee that His
Majesty was not thinking along the lines of what your Highness implies,
but I believe that is not the case.”
“And what would you know, given that you are the living personification
of a child in curls?”
“I may be a child, but I am also the official emissary of His Majesty. If
talks with the Nihonjin were potentially beneficial, he would not pay
them no heed. Thus, I did my best in the process.”
Hamilton added, “Your Highness. The fact is that the terms secured for
the Empire were quite favorable. We are now at the practical stage of
discussing how to eradicate his Highness Zorzal by military means.”
“Ah, so you’re saying that we will fight shoulder to shoulder with Nihon
against Onii-sama?”
Given the state of Italica, their current situation qualified as exactly
that.
That situation came into being thanks to the existence of House Formal.
However, that was also as far as it could go. Since Japan and the Empire
were officially at war, fighting together was out of the question. In
addition, the idea of both side deploying their forces to fight Zorzal was
essentially turning yesterday’s enemy into today’s friend, and Pina could
not imagine that.
“We came to discuss peace for that reason.”
After hearing Sherry’s words, Pina could not conceal her surprise.
“How surprising… if Japan fights in earnest, Onii-sama will not last a
second.”
The hellish scenes of carnage which she had witnessed while fighting
bandits at the Battle of Italica replayed themselves before Pina’s eyes.
They might be aligned with Zorzal, but they were all still Imperial
troopers. They would be subjected to an utter massacre. It would be a
one-sided slaughter, with no room to retaliate, without any hope or
mercy.
Pina’s chest ached, the way her stomach did when it cramped up. It was
a familiar sensation; one she had experienced many times when she
worried about the Empire’s future.
“What do you think, Princess Pina? Can you return?”
Hamilton seemed to be peeking at her expression as she said that.
However, Pina replied: “No, I’ve decided not to get involved with this
sort of thing anymore,” and then she turned her face from them.
Hamilton shouted: “Why?! Isn’t this the chance for you to take the
Empire into your hands, your Highness?”
And then, Pina glared at her secretary.
“I don’t want the Empire!”
“What, what are you saying, at this point?”
“I’m saying, Hamilton, that ever since the war started, I do not believe
anyone has run around and racked their brains about the Empire’s future
the way I have. Am I wrong about that?”
“No. Your Highness has probably worked the hardest here among all of
us.”
“See? I struggled so hard for the Empire. I suffered and agonized to
defend the Empire. I ran back and forth and strove to open fronts and
avenues for negotiation. I bore all the shame and insults heaped upon me.
And then all my efforts were denied. I was strung up as a scapegoat and
all their frustrations were heaped upon me! I’ve had it. I say, rather than
harboring high-sounding ideals about saving the nation and the people,
why not pretend to be an airheaded political tool to be married off to
some royal family in the boondocks? Wouldn’t that be better?!”
“Your, your Highness…”
“I say, Hamilton. You were the only one who protected me then. Did you
not find it painful? Did you not find it sad?”
“At that time, all I thought of was defending you, your Highness.”
“At that time, all I thought of was protecting the Empire, and so I strove
with all my effort. But then, the Empire said that it no longer needed me?
Can you understand how I felt back then? You endured the slings and
jibes of many to protect me back then; can you imagine how it would feel
if your charge turned around and berated you? It felt like I was being
stabbed in the back.”
“Not everyone in the Senate felt that way. It was only the pro-war
faction which said so. The pro-peace faction would never think that they
did not need you.”
“Then how about the other half? Even if they disagreed with my
political views, they should have at least recognized my efforts and
feelings.”
Even political enemies should acknowledge their rivals’ sacrifice and
effort, Pina said. Perhaps this was an expression of her political ideals.
Since she was the sort of person who had come up with the idea of her
knight band after watching a play, it was only natural that she might
think that way. Still, this idealism only deepened the shock and despair
she felt at being betrayed.
Pina messed up her beautiful red hair and clutched her forehead like
she was cradling it.
“I was abandoned by everyone. How do you think I felt when Diabo-
niisama cast me aside and when I looked at Bozes flying off into the sky?
Who saved me from that hellish palace? In the end, the only one who
reached a hand out to me was Itami-dono, was it not?“
“Your Highness. At that time, it was all everyone could do to save
themselves.”
“And you expect me to accept that? And you expect me to take the lead
in committing fratricide? I’m done! I’m finished! Hamilton, don’t you
think I’ve been fighting too long? While I was struggling, wasn’t everyone
taking it easy? Then what’s wrong with me idling this time round?”
And Hamilton had nothing to say.
After all, nothing could sap the will to fight more than being censured
and rejected by the very people one was striving to protect.
The answer to the question “What am I fighting for?” was the only
thing which allowed a warrior to overcome the pain and suffering they
felt every day. Was it for someone else? Was it for themselves? Even a
childish dream or mundane desire would suffice. One needed something
to prop themselves up.
However, the blame and shame from behind shook that pillar of
support, and robbed them of their will to fight.
I was betrayed. I have no obligation to fight on after being covered in
wounds. I have fully discharged my duties as a member of the Imperial
household. So I will now take my leisure. What is wrong with that?
Pina could understand the thrust of Pina’s argument. It was a very
compelling one. Being that she understood her, Hamilton could not bring
herself to persuade Pina to take the field once more.
However, Hamilton was not the only one here.
The petite girl stepped forward.
“I pray your Highness will not speak as though you were the only one
who went through hardship.”
As she heard what was apparently the starting bell of a calamity-
comparing contest, Pina shot back with a “Say what?” She had anticipated
someone would use the old chestnut of, “there’s people worse off than
you” and she had mentally prepared herself to systematically shoot down
every single point which was raised.
However, the girl’s words did not go in the direction Pina had predicted.
“I do not wish to draw a comparison to the pain your Highness has
suffered, but I hope you will understand that at the time, everyone was
being targeted and many people died.”
Pina felt like she had raised a spear, only to have it snatched away. She
went, “And so?” while showing that she wanted to hear what Sherry had
to say.
She did not realize this was what Sherry was aiming for.
Battle was a means of convincing others of the righteousness of one’s
cause.
Of course, there was a difference between explaining with words and
resorting immediately to violence to force an understanding, but at heart,
once one was convinced of the other side’s validity, they would concede.
The Japanese lost the Pacific theatre of World War 2. Thus, they had
the mindset of the victors forced upon them, and they were made to
acknowledge the righteousness of their cause. Their own ideals were
branded as “imperialism” and “invasion of others”, painted in the blackest
shades and rejected. Of course, imperialism and the invasion of others
were still regarded as vile by today’s standards, but everything they
touched was similarly stained in sinful colours.
The secret of persuasion was to make the other party listen to you.
However moving one’s words were, they counted for nothing if they were
not heard.
Pina was the founder of the knight bands, and to some extent she was a
professional warrior. However, she was not adept at the dance of words.
Or rather, it was because she was a professional combatant that she
disdained the art of verbal persuasion. While the combat curriculum she
had studied was essentially diplomacy and governance in a different form,
she did not understand that ultimately, the purpose of politics and
diplomacy was to convince the other party through the medium of
negotiation.
Therefore, in this battle of words, Pina had started in an unfavorable
position.
“Did you know? Bozes-sama charged into the Imperial Capital by
herself to rescue you, Pina-sama.”
The work of persuading Pina would have to start from nullifying the
source of her stubbornness.
This was the reason behind picking a topic which could not fail to make
Pina change her mind.
Pina replied, “What, is that true?”
She looked at Hamilton, and her adjutant nodded silently.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Bozes isn’t the sort of woman who would excuse herself of defeat by
saying she tried her best. The fact is, being unable to save your Highness
was equivalent to abandoning you, in her eyes. Thus, she was deeply
ashamed and could not bring herself to face you…”
Pina sighed deeply.
“Is that so. Back then, Bozes… so that was how it was.”
Pina had not met Bozes and the others after that.
She could not bear to stay in Italica, and had withdrawn from the
temporary Imperial Palace.
By the time Bozes and Beefeater had recovered from their wounds and
returned, Pina was no longer in Italica.
“My parents are both no longer in this world. All this is the fault of your
Highness’ brother.”
“My… oh?”
Zorzal was Pina’s elder brother. That said, she was hoping that Sherry
would not emphasise that fact. This was because saying so falsely
implied that Pina was at least partially responsible for Zorzal’s sins.
However, Sherry’s direction was not clear. She wanted to emphasise the
fact that Zorzal was Pina’s brother to induce a sense of responsibility
within her, and thus motivate her to take part in the treaty ratification.
Pina put on a front. This is just the shallow thinking of a child. How
could I fall for it?
“Let me get this straight; I have severed ties between Ani-ue and
myself.”
And then, Sherry laughed.
“Really now? What a relief.”
Her relieved expression was once again counter to expectations,
throwing Pina’s mind into chaos.
“W-Why is that?”
“I swore an oath to exact revenge upon Zorzal-sama. Ever since I have
been praying for his demise.”
Pina could not say anything in the face of Sherry’s blunt and direct
statement.
Any Imperial noble would have their doubts about saying such things.
The pro-peace faction wanted to support Pina’s cause, but from another
point of view, it was because they wanted to make her responsible for the
murder of a member of the Imperial family.
“Well, you said that you had severed your ties to Zorzal-sama, so that’s
fine right, Pina-denka?”
Sherry’s lips had curved up into a crescent moon, and one could
practically hear her going “fufufu” or perhaps “kekeke”. It was a spine-
chilling smile.
Pina could not help but lean back.
“But… but how will you avenge yourself on Ani-ue?”
“Well, the strong must be dealt with by those who are stronger.”
“Which is the reason for this peace treaty, right?”
“Yes. I intend to borrow Japan’s power. This is what we discussed.”
“But, but if that happens…”
“Pina-sama. The ladies of the knight band suffered great losses while
battling the oprichniki. They fought, bled and died to defend me, who fled
into the Emerald Palace. And Zorzal-sama went on to denounce their
actions as treason. If Zorzal-sama continues winning, the people who
gave their lives to obey your command will be branded as traitors to the
Empire. Pina-sama, can you remain unmoved after seeing the names of
your knights and your soldiers trampled into the dust like that?”
“No… how could I not be moved?”
Pina bit her lip in agony.
“Because of him, we could not conduct proper peace negotiations and
the war continues. That man has stained the honor of the Empire by
involving the innocent in war. Can you really ignore that, your Highness?”
“How could I?!”
“Then, where will you go from here?”
“I… I will not take sides. Ani-ue… is still my older brother!”
“Did you not say you had broken your bonds with Zorzal-sama?”
“Which means you intend to have us kill each other, then?”
Ultimately, Pina was hesitating over having to fight her brother.
Looking back on history, power struggles between brothers for the
throne were hardly an uncommon sight, but Pina did not think it was
proper. To some extent, she had the most common sense of all of them.
“I do not desire your Highness to cross blades with your esteemed
brother. The Japanese gentlemen can handle that. These people are
deeply offended by Zorzal-sama’s actions. However, they have been
reining themselves in for political reasons. I wish to strip off the shackles
of their self-restraint. In that way, they will inherit the will of we who
were rescued from the Imperial Capital and destroy Zorzal-sama.”
“...S-Sherry. Who, who…”
Who are you? Pina did not dare ask that question. She was afraid that if
she actually did bring it up, she would hear a terrifying answer.
“I do not wish your Highness to do much. No, in fact, I hope that your
Highness will do nothing at all. When the treaty is ratified, I pray you will
play the role of an airheaded political marriage piece and simply sit
down. I will handle e~verything else. That much should be fine for
yourself, am I right, your Highness?”
Pina could not respond. She was like a frog under the eyes of a snake,
crushed by Sherry’s presence.
“Then, Pina-sama. Come, this way, please.”
Pina had no reason to reject the hand Sherry offered.
Chapter 8
In truth, Zorzal had learned that the legitimate Imperial army was
amassing an army for an offensive quite some time back.
If his foe had sent written denunciations and other correspondence
everywhere, that much would have been expected. However, even without
that, Zorzal had a firm grasp of the timing and the scale of their
operations from the way his enemy was gathering their forces and
preparing for battle.
Naturally, this was because of the spies led by Bouro
However, this information was not something they had been aiming to
obtain from the start. Rather, they had stumbled upon it by accident.
This was because their original aim had been to infiltrate Chateau
Formal, but they had been discovered and apprehended instead. The
spyhunters had worked backward from there and found their hiding
places inside and outside the city, and as a result their painstakingly
established spy network had been destroyed in the blink of an eye. After
receiving the reports on that matter from Bouro, Tyuule agonized over the
loss of their talented people and the need to replace them.
Common opinion held that money was all that was needed to hire
people to do shady work like this, but that was not the case.
It was precisely because the work was shady that it attracted a lot of
sloppy, crude and deviant people who could not hold down normal work
otherwise.
Even a simple informant could betray them by leaking valuable
information. In other words, sifting through gathered information was
like panning for gold in river silt.
No, there was practically no gold to find in the first place. After all, they
were the people who talked up simple rumors and unresearched
conjectures as though they had stolen all sorts of treasure from the
storehouses of the enemy.
Thus, the paymasters in charge of a spy ring had to be very strict.
They were given to dispensing appropriate rewards and punishments;
lies and betrayal would be met with stern, cruel and frightening measures
which were cold-blooded in the extreme and directed at their targets’
weaknesses.
This inclination grew stronger the more these people realised the value
of information. Most people would say, “It’s done, pay up” after reporting
news gained from listening around in an unguarded bar. It took a special
kind of paymaster to gain leverage on people — be it through intimidation
or some other cruel means — and tell them “You, go into the tiger’s den
and scout it out.”
Punishing carelessness and betrayal aside, those people who found it
hard to bear this guilt instead exaggerated their organization’s strictness,
ruthlessness and inhumanity in order to justify their actions. Such
exaggerations were taken as the truth about spy rings by the general
public, and thus espionage agents were often treated coldly by the world
at large.
In order to understand why the members of a spy ring — organizations
known for their insidious and inhuman nature — would paint their
organization in such a manner, one would need to start by understanding
the personalities of the people involved with such a business.
Reliable agents were like diamonds in the rough. Capable and reliable
people were even more precious.
The word “reliable” referred to those who understood the significance of
intelligence work, and who delivered their information without holding
anything back. People like this often had a strong sense of belonging and
loyalty to their society or people. They would not mess up or quit because
it was painful or tiring, but strive hard for the sake of the greater good,
their friends, and their families.
Capable people were those who could infiltrate the enemy and spy out
their hidden abilities and resources.
Bouro was currently drawing his talent pool from the race called the
Haryo.
Incidentally, there was no actual demihuman tribe known as the Haryo.
This was not a fact known to the common man, but the word Haryo
referred to the mongrel offspring that came from a world populated by
numerous demihuman races.
Societies in this world were largely homogenous. Elves lived with elves,
humans lived in communities of humans, and so on. However, all sorts of
mixed-blooded beings were born, possibly due to interbreeding. Most of
these offspring were raised by either their parents, but quite a few of
them stood apart from these tribes, becoming the “Lost”.
There were many reasons for that, but the most common reasons were
difficulties in living with others due to looking different and differences in
lifespan. Thus, these “Lost” people banded together and forged a group
identity, and soon they called themselves the Haryo.
Their line of thinking was: “Elves, humans, Dwarves or Warrior
Bunnies, none of them were originally residents of this world. They were
outsiders from other worlds. However, we’re different. We are the unique
residents born to this world. We are truly native to this world. In other
words, this world belongs to us.”
Nobody knew who started that line of thinking, but the Lost — who
suffered and struggled in daily life — gradually united under the motto of
“We are the master race”. That thought singlehandedly validated the
disgust and hatred they felt towards everything around them.
People who were driven by such negative emotions had two paths to
choose from; embrace reality and live openly in sin like the residents of
Akusho, or cling to a delusion of false pride.
The Haryo were those who relied on a twisted form of democracy to
reinforce their egos, and thus their vain glory.
However that, false pride was, as the name implied, ultimately false.
This was because they had to claim that up was down and black was
white.
The root of all this was the notion that “it was always someone else’s
fault”. It was the idea that they could not be happy and prosperous
because of other people. It put forward that because of society and the
world, all the things which should have been rightfully theirs had been
unjustly taken; no, had been stolen from them. However, that line of
thinking only bred hatred. When one lurked in the dark and looked at
those who lived proudly in the light with hateful eyes, it only intensified
their feelings of guilt. Their anger and resentment intensified, and the
Haryo looked for a way to vent their ever-swelling emotions.
It was Bouro who gave them a concrete means of ameliorating the guilt
they felt.
“First, we will infiltrate the Empire from the shadows. Then, we will
increase our station, and soon we will devour the Empire from the inside.”
One might call this a foolhardy aim, but the Haryo were hooked on the
insidious idea of claiming the Empire from within. They gathered under
Bouro’s banner and formed a secret society, gathered funds, trained the
young, and began espionage activities.
Bouro succeeded in becoming Zorzal’s agent in the shadows. It might
not have been official, but soon they were transformed into the Crown
Prince’s intelligence apparatus.
However, they had lost many talented people as a result. This was not
just a depletion of the Haryo’s strength, but it threatened to shake the
very core of their sense of unity.
To break out of that, they plotted to use the Japanese kidnappees as bait
for a trap.
But that failed too.
The trap they had set had instead been chewed through, and even the
painstakingly-acquired bait had been taken.
They had not sneered at their foe. They thought of them as being on the
level of griffins or sabertooth tigers, and devoted maniacal amounts of
effort to laying a trap for them. But the enemy that did come for them
was like unto an Ancient Dragon, which far outstripped their
imaginations.
Even Bouro could do nothing but kowtow before Tyuule. And Tyuule, in
turn, could only prostrate herself before Zorzal.
“...You should have thought of your opponents as entities of that level of
power.”
In the past, Zorzal had thought of the Emperor and the pro-peace
faction’s attitude towards Japan as being those of defeatists. However, he
realized that he could no longer fault them for that anymore.
He had lost so badly that he could not even resent it. Or rather, he had
grown so used to losing that he had abandoned all hope.
“No. I am not used to defeat or whatnot. Let this defeat be a lesson on
what to do to fight the enemy, what to do in order to win. That defeat was
not a defeat.”
After cheering himself up, Zorzal ordered the Haryo (through Tyuule)
to continue their intelligence operations.
However, there was no way to operate covertly and continue infiltrating
the tiger’s den due to most of their people having been wiped out.
Therefore, they decided to have their reliable but not very capable people
masquerade as traders. From there, they would buy and sell and also
observe the changes in prices, thus spying on them from the outside.
This was not a very effective course of action, but it was better than
doing nothing. They needed to buy themselves time to recruit and
properly train reliable recruits.
However, their luck turned.
Perhaps the JSDF and House Formal had expended too much effort on
hunting down those spies who took a direct approach, but posing as a
merchant removed suspicion of being a spy, and they could come and go
from Italica.
They watched with interest as the soldiers practiced at sliding down
ropes. Apparently, one of them even asked, “What are they doing?”
The answer they got was, “Oh, this is practice for a new way of taking
cities”, without even an attempt at hiding it.
Then, they collated information on the delivery dates and quantities of
arms, armor and rations from their daily banter with other merchants.
From those, they could determine the operational plans of the legitimate
Imperial Army.
The loyalist forces had not prepared much food. This implied that the
enemy did not expect to fight for long, and from there they could surmise
that the enemy was aiming for a series of quick battles.
In addition, the amount of horse fodder was an important clue as to how
many horses they were committing to operations.
After Tyuule gave her report, Zorzal grew furious and interrupted her:
“Those damn traitors! They bring in foreign armies to fight me?! Looks
like they’re not even trying to hide their true nature!”
The senators seated in the audience chamber shouted as well.
Said Count Woody: “Your Highness! We can finally add inviting foreign
aggression to their tally of crimes!”
Baron Clayton added: “Since these people crave death, we shall give it to
them!”
Then, Attorney-General Upson produced a copy of the letters sent from
Italica and showed it to the senators.
“Everyone, please read this! The traitors have whored themselves out to
the savages and recruited troops from them. All I can conclude from this
is that the traitors have discarded their pride, not only as senators, but as
Imperial nobles and even human beings!”
The senators studied the contents of the denunciation closely, and then
they laughed.
“Are they such a degenerate lot? Then why fight us in the first place?”
“They are shameless indeed!”
“Well, that’s all you can expect of them. They’ve sold their country and
their pride, all for the sake of filling their bellies and enriching
themselves.”
“It pisses me off just to think that they used to be lords like me!”
After a round of hurling abuse, the senators looked back to Zorzal.
“Your Highness. War is inevitable at this point, but what exactly do you
intend?”
“Umu. I intend to meet the enemy with all our might, and I hope I can
count on you to lead your men as well.”
As though anticipating those words, the militarily experienced senators
nodded in excitement.
“There’s no need to speak of what tactics to use. I’ve had many
discussions in preparation for this day. The Empire’s future rests on the
upcoming battle. If you think a course of action will be effective, pursue it
with all your might.”
On Zorzal’s command, courtiers unfurled a gigantic map which seemed
to cover the entire floor. Generals Helm, Mutra and Karasta stood beside
him, and Helm advanced, holding a swagger stick.
“The enemy intends a pincer attack on us from Arnus and Italica.
Unfortunately, we can only surrender the fortresses Mare, Fyue, Rekki and
so on to them.”
“So we’re abandoning them? Still, it can’t be helped if it’s for victory’s
sake.”
After hearing the senators’ questions, Helm pointed the tip of his
swagger stick at the fortresses and nodded. Then, he swung it over to the
Imperial Capital.
“Of course, our troops are fighting fiercely to weaken the enemy’s
fighting power. We have reinforced Mare with infantry and Fyue with
Wyvern cavalry to meet the attack. However, we are the main force. Once
the enemy grows overconfident and advances too deeply into our territory,
it will be our turn to fight.”
With that, Zorzal rose and said, “Listen well, everyone. I have a sure fire
method of victory. I shall immediately take command of a unit to carry it
out.”
“Ohhh, the troops’ morale will surely soar if your Highness personally
takes the field.”
“However, executing that stratagem will need some time. I urge you to
think only of delaying the enemy at your posts, even for just a little.”
Helm pointed at the forested areas outlined in brown and green. Those
represented dangerous terrain, dark forests and treacherous ground.
“This is the absolute defensive line, where we will halt the enemy
advance. It is anchored on Marais and its surroundings.”
***
The pro-war senators practically ran from the Crown Prince’s audience
chamber in their excited rush to prepare for battle.
Furuta moved against the flow of people and looked around the
chamber. Zorzal and his lackeys were already heading toward his office,
while the courtiers were rolling up the map from the ground and tidying
up.
Under the guise of pretending to see if the fruits in the corner of the
audience chamber had gone bad, he silently studied the map. The
essential elements of information (EEIs) which Furuta sought were what
Zorzal was planning on doing. Would he stay here in Telta? Would he
deploy? And if he did deploy, where would he be heading?
If Zorzal was not defeated, the war would not end. Therefore, he had to
pinpoint Zorzal’s location.
However, he was a moment too late. The map was already rolled up and
the courtiers were bringing it out of the room. Furuta was left alone on
the room, and as he collected the overripe fruits — which looked like they
would burst if they were so much as touched — he muttered:
“Why not assassinate Zorzal and be done with it?”
Of course, stabbing him or poisoning his food would be difficult, but if
all he had to do was install a bomb onto his chair in the audience
chamber, that would settle things quite neatly. He felt that it was far
better than wasting lives in battle.
“That won’t work.”
However, Furuta’s thoughts were interrupted by the feminine voice
which came from behind him.
“Assassination won’t solve anything. Even if you eliminate your political
rivals through assassination, it won’t make the ruling afterwards any
easier. Rather, it will destabilize the situation. Somebody will take his
Highness’ place. Also, I will be the one to kill that man. I will not allow
anyone else to do it.”
He looked back, and saw Tyuule standing there.
“Tyuule-san?!”
“Marais.”
“Marais?”
“Mm. His Highness is heading toward Marais. He said something about
a sure fire method of victory.”
“Is that really all right?”
Is it really alright to tell something like this to a man who claims to be
an enemy spy? Furuta almost asked.
“It’s fine. You already knew I intend to betray his Highness, right?”
As Tyuule said this, she tossed a small button-like object to Furuta. It
was the microphone he had planted on Tyuule’s body.
“I don’t know how this device works, but it seems it can tell what the
enemy is thinking, no? You put this on me, and you knew the battle of
Tanska was a trap. Yet you went anyway.”
“...”
It was not quite correct, but the observation was almost on the mark.
Furuta shrugged.
“You probably don’t know, but I wash everything I wear. Nobody will
wash a demihuman’s clothes in the Crown Prince’s palace, especially not
the clothes of a pleasure slave. So it wouldn’t have helped even if you had
paid off the washerwomen.”
Furuta raised his hands in surrender. Then, he looked around to make
sure there was nobody there before asking:
“Where’s that Bouro fellow?”
Tyuule stared at him, as though to say, “You even knew about him?”
“I had him run an errand for me, so for now it’s just the two of us. Also,
let me get this out of the way first, Bouro isn’t human.”
“Ahh. A demihuman, then?”
Perhaps she was bothered by having to explain so much, but Tyuule did
not bother elaborating.
“Still, why did you tell me that?”
“I want to make that man taste defeat. I want everything he tries to end
in failure. Sure fire victory or whatnot, if nothing ends up going his way,
he will be tormented by his powerlessness. I want him to feel how
impotent he is and drown in despair. I will mock him for it, and then
finish him off once and for all.”
Uwah… How much does Tyuule hate him?
A wave of cold swept through Furuta and he nearly groaned. He knew
that she was capable of great hatred, but to think it was to that extent…
That said, Furuta had heard of how she had come to be this way, so he
felt that it was only to be expected. After all, she must have an
extraordinary amount of hatred for the murderer of her siblings and close
friends.
“I understand. I’ll leave that task to you then, Tyuule-san.”
“Mm, thanks. Although, you’re a pretty good spy yourself.”
“Good? Me?”
Furuta did not feel that he had excelled in any way, and he scratched his
head to hide his embarrassment.
“Yes. I found it really hard to believe you were a spy. Up till now, Bouro
still insists that you’re not one. Your acting was really convincing.”
“By acting, you mean…?”
“Oh, no need to play dumb. You’ve said so much, but you’re quite the
thespian, Furuta.”
There seemed to be something like resentment in Tyuule’s words, but it
felt like she was taking a shot at Furuta.
Furuta had no idea why she would do that, so he asked: “An actor?!
Me?”
“Indeed. Because if you weren’t that way, then those lies… Maybe you’re
the sort of person who can say that sort of thing without any
compunction at all. If that’s the case, maybe you were born to be a spy.”
“Hang on a moment. For some reason, it feels like you’re scolding me.”
“I’m sorry if you feel that way. However, I’m the real idiot here.”
For just a moment, I’d thought that it would be okay if it were you. But I
guess I was mistaken.
She could not say that, of course.
“What?”
She could not bring herself to say “When I thought of your dream, I was
reminded of mine, Furuta.” So instead, she replied, “Forget it. I was just
being foolish.”
“So, why did you say that?”
“Because all that stuff about your little restaurant was a lie too, right?
You had me completely fooled.”
Furuta’s despondent reply interrupted hers.
“How dare you. How dare you!”
Furuta had declared himself to be a chef all his life. He had only
become a spy by chance, because Zorzal had taken a shine to him.
“This might be a bit disrespectful to people who do this sort of thing for
a living, but I have to say it anyway. I didn’t say I wanted to open my own
place to deceive anyone!”
Tyuule realized that she had struck a nerve with Furuta, and she
waggled her hands in panic.
“I’m sorry!”
“What do you mean, you’re sorry?! You call people liars, call people
idiots, treat them like villains and jump to conclusions all on your own?!
You’d better watch your tongue! I haven’t told a single lie ever since I
came here! It’s just that nobody ever asked me if I was an enemy or a
spy!”
Furuta’s anger overflowed, and he shouted at Tyuule.
Tyuule was fiercely proud despite being a slave, and she would not
tolerate being shouted at by a mere chef. However, Tyuule was not angry,
but ashamed. When she heard Furuta’s reply, it all came together.
This man had never once come off as shifty or come under suspicion of
being a spy because he had never told a lie. It was because he had only
told the truth that Zorzal trusted him and Bouro — a man with keen
senses — was adamant that he was not a spy.
Are you a spy? Are you an enemy agent? Perhaps if she had asked those
questions, things might have been different. But actually asking those
questions to his face would have been foolish.
“Then, then… you weren’t lying about your shop? You really meant it?”
“That’s right. Thanks to this mission, I’ve got the seed capital for it, and
I can open up my own place right away. At first, I was planning to invite
you to help, even if I had to kidnap you to do it, Tyuule-san. But you
disappointed me.”
“Eh?!”
“Tyuule-san, if you’re going to suspect people, then go suspect yourself!”
After those harsh words, Furuta pushed brusquely past Tyuule, as
though she were nothing more than a hindrance, before leaving.
Tyuule stood there, frozen in place.
Soon, Bouro’s voice came from the shadows.
“Tyuule-sama, I’ve returned… Is something wrong?”
Tyuule’s looked like she was drunk as she replied:
“Quiet. Let me enjoy the lingering sound of his voice.”
“Lingering… what do you mean? Did something happen?”
“Something wonderful,” Tyuule muttered.
“Get ready to go before those damn traitors move out! Hurry!”
Helm, who had been appointed the highest commanding officer in the
Imperial Army, rushed his men through their preparations.
The weapons and rations had come from Mutra, while their funds had
been commandeered by Karasta from the nearby provinces and
merchants. They had sent all the fighting strength they could gather from
across the land to Marais, without holding anything back.
In addition, they were skirmishing around the outskirts of Italica and
Arnus. These attacks were targeted at the units of the coalition,
merchants and the resource prospectors.
“Then, we ought to be moving out soon.”
After that, Zorzal and Helm selected 10’000 elite troops and set out
from Telta.
“You even prepared a carriage?”
Tyuule, who was accompanying Zorzal, gasped in awe at the decorated
interior.
“Umu. Those bastards who infiltrated the Empire seem to have used
disguised cargo wagons. While the guards were completely taken in, it
was still a good idea, so I had them prepare some.”
On the surface, it appeared to be a wagon carrying firewood and hay,
but in truth, it was a carriage fit for a nobleman.
“You, take this one. I may join you in it from time to time. Oi, take a
seat and see how it feels.”
Zorzal shoved Tyuule aboard as he said so.
“Do you mean want me to see how it feels to sit aboard this carriage?
Or how it feels to have me sit on you?”
“Yes.”
In truth, visibility was poor from the disguised carriage, but it felt quite
comfortable to ride in. Granted, their field of view was poor, but if one
turned that around and said that they would not need to worry about
being spied upon, then even that flaw vanished.
If there were any problems, it would be the soundproofing. Everyone
outside could hear Tyuule’s lewd moans.
One could see soldiers disguised as farmers and merchants through the
cracked-open door. However, it would seem her moans were giving them a
hard time, judging by how often they peeked over at them. It was just too
bad for them, considering that they would soon be fighting in bloody
battle soon.
The Centaurs who made up the vanguard tilted their ears to listen,
making no secret of doing so.
The soldiers broke up into smaller groups after the sun went down.
In the darkness of the night, the soldiers accepted the lead of the
monsters — who had superior night vision — while travelling the forest
paths and mountain trails which only the locals would know.
After satisfying himself of the comfort of the carriage, Zorzal left,
leaving Tyuule to mutter to herself while rearranging her clothing.
“Bouro… You’re following us, right?”
“Yes.”
Since he could not speak from under the bed, Bouro’s voice instead
came from the driver’s seat. Somehow, he had changed places with the
driver.
“The Empire’s been divided in half and they’re about to start murdering
each other. Our hard work up till now has finally borne fruit.”
“Father, brother and sister, all killing each other. Whoever wins, the
Empire loses. It will be very difficult for them to return to their previous
prosperity.”
“Let’s push them a little to lengthen the chaos and increase the number
of deaths. I’m quite interested in Zorzal’s little secret. Can you help me
find it out?”
“What will you do once I learn of it?”
“Tell Furuta.”
“Furuta the chef? What do you plan to do?”
“Make sure it gets to the enemy. That man is an enemy spy. Didn’t he
flat-out say so?”
“Tyuule-sama, I don’t know how many times I’ve said this, but Furuta
isn’t an enemy spy. He is simply saying that to deceive you.”
“Kukukukuku. What do you mean by deceiving me?”
“That Furuta fellow is in love with you, Tyuule-sama. So he is inventing
a tall tale to keep your interest in him.”
“You really think so?! That man loves me… But even so… Still, yes. So
what? There’s no need to mind, right?”
“Still, you have lowered your guard against him, Tyuule-sama. That man
speaks nothing but nonsense. Granted, his cooking really is good, but
nothing he says make sense. He goes on and on about opening a
restaurant and larders that chill food without ice and signboards which
shine as bright as day and other such nonsense.”
“He’s not lying!”
“...”
“He’s an honest man. Someone like you wouldn’t understand.”
“Please pull yourself together, Tyuule-sama. How could there be such an
honest spy? In all honesty, you sounded like you’ve been taken in by him.”
“I know. I’ll be careful. But Bouro, you must go and learn his Highness’
secret. Understood?”
“It shall be done. However, once I leave your side, coming back will be
somewhat difficult. Are you alright with that?”
The fact is that even the troops following them did not know where
Zorzal was heading.
He had even gone so far as to personally hand over heavily-encoded
orders to each unit. Not even their commanders would know where they
were going until those soldiers who had been briefed with the decoding
keys appeared at their doorstep.
In addition, they had practiced a cruel version of operational security by
massacring every single person they had come across, be they travellers
or residents. Thus, even his allies did not know the location of the main
force which Zorzal led.
“No matter which way we go, our final destination ought to be Marais.
Meet up with me there.”
“That means that until then, you’ll be alone, Tyuule-sama.”
“It’s fine. If you can reveal Zorzal’s secret, we’ll be able to see him in
absolute despair.”
“...His Highness will be in despair?”
“Correct. I want to see his disappointed face. Is that wrong?”
“Of course not. But Tyuule-sama, have you considered the consequences
of that?”
“Why should I care?”
“...Indeed, there is no need for you to consider that. I hear and obey. I
shall now do as you wish.”
With that, Bouro’s presence vanished.
Zorzal’s main force had started moving just as Italica’s allies had
started mobilizing their own manpower.
In addition, the JSDF had been forced to deploy most of their
reconnaissance elements to track down the areas with guerilla activity.
Thus, the cameras on their recon planes had not spotted Zorzal’s forces
moving in the rear echelons.
***
Marais was a land of precipitous peaks and foreboding forests.
The First Combat Group led by Colonel Kuze was progressing well, but
they had encountered stiff resistance from the enemy in the forest.
Amidst the sounds of distant gunfire and earth-shaking artillery, Kuze
emerged from his Type 82 command vehicle, looking through his
binoculars at the source of the noise.
“So, they blocked it off, huh.”
“Yes. While we were trying to clear the obstacles, five ‘Scopedogs’ came
at us,” the frontline commander said over the wireless.
“Scopedog” was the nickname for armored Ogres among the JSDF. They
resembled humanoid combat vehicles from a certain anime, and the
name for them stuck.
(TL Note: Armored Trooper VOTOMS.)
“So, how’s it going?”
“Just as we were about to sweep them with the heavy machine guns, the
enemy fled back into the forest.”
“You should know, right? Don’t let your men pursue them.”
The feigned retreat to lure enemies into a waiting ambush was an age-
old tactic. Then again, one could say that Zorzal’s men had no other
tactics to use. In addition, during this contact with the enemy, the main
force was advancing to bypass Beza. The objective of this battle was to
destroy Zorzal. Fighting and annihilating the enemy was only a step in
achieving that aim.
Still, they could not leave hidden enemies in the forest unattended. In
order to remove their ability to mount any organized resistance, they had
to reveal and destroy the ambushers.
“The enemy’s coming. Wake up your bloody ideas!”
Until now, the First Combat Group’s columns had been led by tanks,
which destroyed the enemy’s scattered resistance as they advanced.
However, it was hard for them to continue doing so in the poor visibility
and unstable terrain of mountainous and forested regions. If they decided
to employ human wave tactics in terrain like this which hampered
movement, even the JGSDF would have a hard time.
In addition, the Scopedogs were heavily armored.
Nothing short of .50 cal (fired by 12.7mm machine guns) rounds could
bring them down. They were quite dangerous to the average infantryman,
who only carried a Type 64 rifle. Then, what could they do? The best
option was to tear apart their cover and reveal them. To achieve that aim,
they conducted reconnaissance in force.
The sounds of mortars firing and mortar bombs exploding echoed from
everywhere. The impact points changed constantly, guided by the
telemetry from an OH-1 reconnaissance helicopter.
“Colonel. All units have been contacted by the enemy. We’re in a
combat situation.”
“Umu. Make sure you keep the lines of communications clear.”
Men could only see what was ahead of them. The most dangerous
situation for them would be if they were engaged by the enemy in front
and behind. Thus, they could not let the enemy through. Even so, it was
hard to deal with guerillas, regardless of how advanced one’s technology
and weapons were.
They would fight off the enemy’s attacks, run them down as they fled
and root them out of their hiding places, then rain down artillery fire and
destroy their ability to function as a coordinated group before mopping
up the survivors. This was broadly comparable to “de-lousing”, and it was
the only way to be assured of victory against guerillas and special forces.
(TL Note: the word used is 虱溃, i.e. the systematic and thorough
removal of lice)
The infantrymen advanced slowly through the forest, rifles at the ready.
“The Scopedogs have come out to play. Ready grenades!”
With a whoosh, an arrow flew out at a trooper who was distracted by
pulling out a grenade in response to his squad commander’s orders.
The man went down, and his friends proceeded to return fire. After that,
an Imperial trooper leapt down from a tree.
As if on cue, the Imperial troopers who were lying prone on the ground
while covered with leaves leapt up as one, savage, murderous looks on
their faces.
This was close combat, fought at ranges measured in yards.
The JSDF troopers stood firm, firing away into the enemy which charged
them without regard to their losses.
When the machine gun swept across the enemy line, the effect was like
a chainsaw ripping away at a tree’s bark and sending the chunks flying
away.
The Giant Ogres revealed themselves, sheathed from head to toe in
heavy steel armor. Several huge humanoids wielding equally huge clubs
approached the troopers
“The Scopedogs aren’t fast! Don’t panic, fall back slowly and fire
grenades!”
The troopers fell back as one. On the command of “Fire!” they launched
their grenades.
Not all of them hit. However, the armored Ogres were still drowned in a
wave of explosions and went down.
Of course, not every engagement went that smoothly.
There were soldiers who entered the enemy’s kill zone, and ended up
being flanked and destroyed by Ogre clubs. However, the overall
encirclement was solid and slowly shrinking, and the Empire’s organized
counterattacks began faltering.
Kuze turned to ask his executive officer, who was studying a map, “Have
we verified the enemy’s position?”
“Yes. The enemy isn’t scattering, but advancing to a single location,
somewhere between the closest and next closest peaks on the forward left
front. They seem to be planning to lure us in there.”
After drawing the axes of the enemy’s retreat on the map, they formed
an intersection in the valley between what was designated Peak One and
Peak Two. After considering their movement speed...
“Hit them with arty in five to six minutes’ time,” Kuze said as he tapped
at the map.
“It’ll be more effective if we can narrow the bombardment radius. We’ll
have a Ninja confirm.”
(TL Note: The OH-1 is nicknamed “Shinobi”; the text uses OH-1 but the
furigana is “Shinobi”)
The OH-1 orbited overhead. The artillery gunners recomputed their
impact points based on the information it supplied.
“Commence bombardment!”
The Type 75 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzers opened fire, and every
round they sent downrange was packed with the equivalent of 7 kilos of
TNT. Said rounds rained down on the valley. The bombardment set the
forest ablaze, and the shockwaves threw up chunks of earth and stone
like someone was stirring up the very land. Most of the Imperial soldiers
caught in this lost their lives, while the ones who had miraculously
survived began an actual retreat. This was not an organized movement to
draw the enemies into a trap, but a flight for their lives.
***
“Count Woody, the enemy has come,” Baron Clayton panted as he and
his scouts surmounted a hill near Beza.
“Ahh, the iron dragonflies are flying too.”
They looked up, and saw that the recon helicopter was looking down
upon them from a height that bows and catapults could never reach.
Only the count and some of his men were on the top of the hill.
Count Woody thought, How does this place look from the air? Can they
see me? If they can see me, then how do I look in their eyes?
“Many of the enemy are riding in metal boxes.”
The land here was nothing but boulders and the weeds which grew
between them. A path had been cut through the terrain, as though to
split open the wilderness, and the enemy was travelling along it.
“Umu. I see them now.”
Indeed, Count Woody had a direct view of the enemy as they drew close.
After verifying the reports from his scouts, Woody ordered, “Just as
expected. Commence the operation!”
Beza was south of Marais, roughly a day’s travel by horse.
It was an important travel passage If the enemy wanted to bypass the
strongpoint of Marais.
Woody gave orders to the soldier beside him.
“Listen up. Haste makes waste. Repeat and emphasize to the soldiers
that they must wait for orders.”
The clattering of armor trailed the man as he ran down the slope. Each
step threw up pebbles and dust as he broke into a sprint. Then, he
suddenly fell flat to the ground and shouted, “Don’t be hasty! Wait for
orders!”
Then, he stood up, and ran somewhere else.
At a closer look, the earth was cracked there. And if one looked into that
dark space, they would find several pairs of eyes shining back.
“Wait for orders!”
This was not like Marais where there was a forest for them to hide.
However, there were huge boulders everywhere and the terrain was
uneven. Woody planned to use them as weapons.
With the aid of Goblins and Trolls, they had excavated large trenches in
the ground and piled vast quantities of dirt and mud on top of them to
deceive the eyes in the sky. He had then ordered his men to hide within.
Once the enemy was fully engaged, they would ambush them.
Naturally, this was not limited to just one or two locations. Trenches
like these covered Beza, and roughly 10’000 men and monsters were
hidden in them.
Their plan was to lure the enemy into overextending themselves deep
into their formation before falling on them at once and turning it into a
chaotic melee.
However, something took place that Woody had not expected.
What the Imperial soldiers called “metal boxes” left the road and
charged straight at the trenches.
One of them broke through the trench’s camouflage and fell in.
They had lured the enemy into a pitfall. They could have proudly
declared the success of their tactic if this had been their aim from the
start. However, it was precisely because they had not expected the enemy
to fall into the trench that the hidden Imperial troops were briefly
paralyzed by indecision and did not react. In addition, since they had been
repeatedly warned not to take independent action and wait for a signal,
both sides ended up blinking at each other.
The JGSDF servicemen thought they had fallen into a trap and shouted,
“What?! What happened?!” Then, as they dismounted from their Type 87
reconnaissance and patrol vehicle (RCV), they found that the “trap” was
full of enemy soldiers and they were shocked.
“Ah…”
“Ah.”
Something like this had happened in World War 2. The Americans
allowed what they thought to be friendlies to get close, but they were
actually German troops. Both sides parted ways without combat, because
they had assumed each other to be friendlies. Thus, when they got a close
look at each other and realised they were enemies, they were at a loss for
what to do. In the end, they brushed past each other continued on to their
respective destinations.
Now, the Imperial soldiers in the trench and the JSDF troopers were
experiencing something similar.
One of the JSDF troopers raised a hand and went, “Ah, hi.”
Following which, an Imperial soldier raised a hand and confusedly
responded with an, “Ah, yes.”
Clearly, both sides were baffled.
However, a light armored vehicle drove by and the commander within
shouted, “What the fuck are you doing?!”
That broke the stupefied mood in the air.
“Idiots! They’re the enemy! Fire! Fire!”
The orders snapped the JSDF troopers back to their senses and they
pulled their triggers. The sounds of their gunshots brought the nearby
Imperial troops out of hiding, and thus the skirmish began.
Count Woody gnashed his teeth from his perch atop the hill.
“Gods dammit!”
“What should we do, Count?”
“What else can we do?! Fight! Fight hard!”
In accordance with Count Woody’s orders, the ambushing Imperial
troops rushed out at once. They had failed to completely encircle the
enemy, but the plan of forcing them into hand-to-hand combat had not
yet failed.
“Forward! Forward!”
As the bullets began raining down, the battering rams disguised as
rocks were rolled out.
Wagons piled high with kindling were lit and then rolled down the
slopes in unison. Monsters that looked like war elephants and rhinos
emerged from the trenches, pounding the ground underfoot with mighty
thumps, and they exuded a fearsome presence as they pushed forward.
Fire wagons, battering rams, and then hordes and hordes of monsters
surged forward.
***
Goblins and Trolls swarmed onto the Type 74 MBTs like ants, climbing
onto their main guns. Then, they hacked with their swords at the sturdy
armor plating that was designed to repel anti-tank rounds, making a
shrill, screeching noise. They destroyed everything they could, like
searchlights and so on.
“Enemies everywhere!”
“R-Requesting support! We can’t fight back!”
Wails of panic came over the wireless from the tanks, who were
defenseless once their enemies got close. Some of them were driving
around wildly, in an attempt to shake off their attackers.
While some of the enemies clinging on to them were shaken off, it
brought them out of formation, and they were swallowed up by the enemy
troops.
The JSDF troopers were shocked at the massive amount of enemies who
had appeared before their eyes all of a sudden, and all they could do was
fire wildly at the foes before them.
“Don’t panic. Stay calm. Don’t try to shake them off. Let your allies kill
them!”
After hearing their commander’s calm voice, the troopers swiftly
regained their composure.
However, the densely-packed waves of battering rams, war elephants
and rhinos did not let up. They crashed into the flanks of the armored
vehicles with bone-crunching force, making the vehicles shudder. Armor
plates were deeply dented and the troopers within were tossed out. The
men hastily reorganized into fighting squares to gun down the enemies
which rushed in to take advantage.
Type 60 Self-Propelled Recoilless Guns fired, and the rhinos hit by them
collapsed like they had been winded and breathed their last.
The Type 74 main guns roared, and the hordes of Goblins clinging to
them were blasted several meters away.
Even so, the Imperial Army continued to leverage on their superior
numbers and enveloped the JSDF forces.
“Good! Forward, forward, march the men forward! We must hold the
line until Zorzal-denka arrives!”
Zorzal said he had a sure fire way of victory. All Woody could do was
believe in that, and lock the enemy down here, no matter what.
***
Countless Wyverns waited within the caves dug into the narrow passes.
All of them were fitted with saddles and barding, their riders lying flat
on top of them, holding their breath as they awaited their commanders’
order.
Commander Podawan mopped at the sweat which kept beading on his
bald head, and kept an eye in the direction of the horizon from his place
near the cave entrance.
The enemy's’ scouts had very sharp eyes. He did not know how they did
it, but if they revealed themselves, even if just a little, they would be found
and attacked. Thus, Podawan had ordered his men and his Wyverns to be
covered in mud. The Wyvern riders naturally resented this, given that
they were a proud lot and they were literally painting their faces with
mud. However, they had to bear with it for the sake of victory.
(TL Note: The JP saying is 顔に泥を塗る, “painting one’s face with mud”
or disgracing oneself)
An aerial reconnaissance Wyvern orbited high in the sky.
After being spotted by the enemy’s scouts, it gyrated wildly in the air
and frantically flew up and down.
“Looks like it’s been spotted.”
The Wyvern fell. However, in the fleeting moment before it hit the
ground, it managed to flash a message using reflected sunlight. This was
a signalling method they had developed from their experience in
defending the Imperial Capital’s airspace.
“Count Podawan. Four flashes, and then four flashes again.”
“Umu. Enemy approaching, then. I salute his ability to complete his
mission even on the verge of death. Listen up, everyone. This may be the
site of our last battle. If they break through here, we’re done. May that
stiffen your resolve! Move out now!”
The Wyverns spread their wings as one.
***
“Your Majesty, we’ll be able to see Fortress Fyue soon,” the co-pilot told
King Duran.
The helicopters of the Fourth Combat Group transited from the plains
into the highlands that were ringed by mountainous forests. It flew
between the steep peaks. The fortress would be located somewhere ahead,
in order to block the pass.
The troopers stuck their bodies out, looking at the receding green of the
forests.
“Amazing,” they breathed, marvelling at their speed. Now that they
were used to the view from above, they could be properly impressed by
the awesome spectacle that was flight.
Even Duran found it hard to control the swelling in his chest as he
beheld that magnificent sight.
“All right, we’ll show those Imperials our might!”
He could not help but clutch the hilt of his sword tightly.
“Mm? What’s wrong?”
However, swarms of Wyverns boiled out of the narrow peaks to either
side of them.
“Watch out!”
Waves of nets made of chain links fell from the sky. Although most of
them missed their mark, some of them managed to tangle up the
propellers of several helicopters. These helicopters lost their lift and
stability, spinning wildly around as they descended rapidly.
“What happened!?”
It was all the troopers could do to hang on to something within the
wildly shaking cabin in order not to be thrown out. One of them glimpsed
the enemy and shouted: “It’s Zorzal’s Wyvern riders!”
Shots came from all around them, and the helicopters swerved back and
forth to avoid being hit.
“Your, your Majesty! Is, is, is this really all right?!” shouted a soldier as
he clung to his seat to avoid being thrown off.
“The hell should I know?! Don’t talk, you’ll bite your tongue!”
That was all Duran could say. After all, this was not just a matter of
turbulence.
***
“All right, the ambush worked! Bring them all down at once!”
As Podawan gave his order, the Wyvern riders pounced on the
helicopter squadron.
***
After Zorzal’s ten thousand men formed up, they donned their armor,
distributed weapons, formed up in ranks, and resumed the look of a
proper army before marching out.
Initially, their marching order had resembled a serpent, but after
reaching the plains, they had spread like floodwaters spilling over a dyke.
The soldiers left the path and opened up their formation.
“All ranks! Right turn!”
The sub-commanders echoed the command with shouts of “Carry on!”,
and the infantry turned like an intricate machine, changing their
formation from that of a snake into squares. They took dressing from
their flagbearers and formed ranked spear lines with their shields
perfectly aligned, marching in unison like a single organism.
“Adjust formation!”
Upon hearing Mutra’s order, these fighting squares lined up, like the
black and white grid of a chessboard.
Helm and Mutra were in Zorzal’s command unit. Karasta and his men
followed them, trailing the flagbearers who carried the Imperial flag, the
Imperial Army’s flag, the Crown Prince’s flag, and various other colorful
banners. In addition, the signallers and battle musicians were with them.
The disguise on Tyuule’s wagon had been discarded, and a noble’s
carriage now travelled beside Zorzal.
“Zorzal-sama. Is this really Marais?” Tyuule asked in puzzlement.
They should have been heading toward a region of steep cliffs and grim
forests, but the land here was flat and green as far as the eye could see.
Her surprise was only to be expected.
However, Zorzal replied: “Who said we were going to Marais?”
“Ah?”
“I merely said we had a sure fire way to win, but I never said we were
going to Marais.”
The pro-war generals and soldiers were currently fighting for their lives
at Marais because they believed Zorzal would save them. But why was
that? Tyuule could not hide her confusion and worriedly asked:
“...Then, where is this?”
“Italica, of House Formal’s domain. Look.”
Zorzal’s troops had marched across the mountains in formation.
And then, the land opened up before them, and on the other side of the
gentle slope they could see the town of Italica.
“This is the weakness of the enemy. If we bring down the enemy’s
stronghold and seize the Emperor, then we have won. That is my sure fire
means of victory.”
“We have caught the enemy unawares. Lions and dragons have keen
eyes and noses, but they can only see forward when they’re stalking their
prey. This allows us an opening which we can exploit,” one of Zorzal’s
commanders said.
Helm responded on Zorzal’s behalf.
“As you can see, Italica is undefended. That makes our task an easy one.
Ideally, we would have launched an attack before they built up a defense,”
he said. “It would be even better if we could have rushed in before the city
gates were closed, but that would be too much to ask for, so we couldn’t
count on that. After all, the enemy aren’t mindless marionettes.”
Thus, the best strategy was an assault. If they could swiftly scale the
walls while the enemy was confused, they would be able to take the keep
and moat, despite some losses.
“I don’t want to waste too much time on this.”
“Yes, sir. If this drags on too long, the enemy’s main body will return.”
That was the main reason why they could not drag their feet. Helm’s
challenge was to take the keep within a short period of time.
Of course, Zorzal had not planned to bet everything on Helm. His
intention was to match his scheme with a frontal attack, to boost the
chances of success.
“Bouro… I’ll leave capturing the Emperor to you.”
The driver of Tyuule’s carriage turned towards him.
“Ha, kuhihihihi. This battle is the decisive one for us. I shall throw the
full might of the Haryo people into this.”
“Bo-Bouro! Why are you here?”
Bouro should not have been here.
“Answer me, Bouro. Why are you here?”
Bouro shrunk away as Tyuule spoke, while Zorzal and Helm chuckled
coldly.
“Tyuule. Tell me, what is so inconvenient about having Bouro around?”
She shuddered at Zorzal’s question.
“N-nothing.”
“You were nothing more than a point of contact with Bouro. I’ve been
saying that from the beginning. Now, I am assuming direct control and
relaying my orders in person. What is wrong with that?”
Tyuule violently shook her head.
“Did you feel Bouro could not be here because you wanted him to
overhear something?”
“No, no. No-nothing of that sort.”
“Don’t lie to me. When I heard you were betraying me, I was shocked
too. I found it hard to sleep, and I was so angry that I even took it out on
my slaves. I killed a few, if I’m not wrong.”
Zorzal’s words grew angrier as he continued speaking.
“What a tragedy, don’t you think? How sad. Those poor, sad slaves. I
even killed the women. That was how angry I was.”
Tyuule held her breath.
Zorzal dismounted from his horse, and slowly walked towards Tyuule’s
carriage.
Petrified with fear, Tyuule could not move. Zorzal reached out and
pulled her out.
“Your, your Highness, it’s not like that.”
“Enough of that. Be quiet. Shut up. Shut up!”
“Ahh, your Highness, please believe me—”
“Didn’t I tell you to shut up!”
Zorzal’s furious shout set Tyuule trembling, and she shut up. Then,
Zorzal smiled smugly.
“Come to think of it, I did betray you too. After all, when I heard your
wish to save your tribe, not only did I not fulfil it, I destroyed it. I was the
one who captured your friends, your people, and sold them all as slaves.
And I never once mentioned it. When would you find out? What kind of
face would you make when you found out? Would you sigh in despair?
Would you demand answers of me in anger? The thought of seeing you
like that set my heart racing. Would you murder me in my sleep? Would
you approach me with a hidden knife? I was looking forward to
something like that all this time.”
“That, that sort of thing—”
“But no matter how long I waited, you didn’t react. You looked like you
didn’t care, so I put the documents detailing the fate of your race in
places where you could see. Things like how many bunnies I sold, and so
on. You read them, right? You should have read them, didn’t you?”
“Hiiii…”
“Even then, you didn’t change your attitude. So I was deceived. I thought
you were in love with me. I thought you had decided to forget your pain
and anger. I thought you were a cold, cruel woman. In truth, I was terribly
disappointed. But then, I realised that I had a very useful slave in my
hands, so I let you off. You cheered me up when I was hurt and helped me
regain my confidence. You did anything to make me happy. And it did
make me happy. I took those to be your true feelings. I trusted you. I gave
you a lot of responsibility. And you betrayed me. How should I punish you
for that?”
“You never trusted me. You were simply looking down on me. I have no
reason to repay your trust.”
Tyuule pulled at Zorzal’s arm with desperate speed, but it was thick and
brawny, so she was the one pulled back instead.
“That’s right. That’s how it should be. You have the right to hate me.
You have the right to point your blade of vengeance at me. Your anger is
righteous. However, the way you showed it was wrong. You betrayed me.
You betrayed my expectations, and then you betrayed my trust. And now,
you were about to betray me as well. How did you end up in such a
pathetic state, Tyuule? Someone like you shouldn’t beg for their life when
their treachery is revealed, but show a more dignified side of themselves,
no? You beg for your life, and when that doesn’t work you shout at me?
What a shameful display.”
“And why do I have to meet your expectations?”
“Ah? Say that again?!”
“Like I said, why do I have to meet your expectations?” Tyuule shouted.
It felt like she was trying to slap him with her voice. Even Zorzal frowned,
“...I see, I see. So you mean that you were planning to take revenge on
me by betraying my expectations, then.”
“Correct. I will never move as you expect of me!”
“Kuku, then let’s see how far you can keep betraying my expectations. I
want to see how long that stubbornness of yours holds out!”
After that, Bouro got down from the carriage and bowed.
“Kuhihihihihihihihi, your Highness. I beg you to give this bunnygirl to
me.”
“Of course. I don’t wish to have my troops tired out before the battle.
People like you will do just fine.”
Not everyone on the battlefield was a soldier. People like Zorzal had
runners and servants trailing them. Bouro had taken all these slaves
under his wing.
“Oi, what the hell are you doing?”
“I want to see you cry and beg for mercy. I want to see you scream
‘Hurry up and kill me already’.”
Upon that signal, seven to eight men, led by Bouro, approached her.
Upon seeing their lascivious gazes, Tyuule swallowed as she realised
what would happen to her, and boldly shouted. “Hmph! As if that many
would be enough. If you want to make me beg, bring ten times the
amount, Zorzal. And if they’re all the same size as your crude little prick,
then you’ll need a hundred times as much!”
“What, what did you say?”
Even Zorzal was stunned by her words.
“I’m not that…”
Crude, he wanted to say. But Tyuule shouted to drown him out:
“If I’m wrong, then drop your pants right now and show it to me! I’ll
compare them all to yours! After all, you’ shrivel up after squeezing it
once or twice, right? If you want to make me cry for mercy, you’d better
bring more! Even if you say, ‘please stop, I can’t do it any more’, I won’t let
you off! So you’d better prepare yourselves! I’ll drain you all so dry you
won’t even be able to get hard when you see a woman anymore!”
Perhaps they were repulsed by this woman, but the men backed off as
one, clutching their groins as Tyuule’s presence crushed them.
Someone muttered, “Shit, she’s scary. She might really suck us dry.”
Even Zorzal backed off as he realized that.
“Your Highness. Now is not the time for this sort of thing,” General
Karasta said.
This was a rare opportunity. A defenceless city stood before them, and
the troops were awaiting Zorzal’s order.
If they wasted time here, Italica would be able to mount a proper
defense.
And as expected, the city gates opened and troops streamed forth. At a
closer look, they had their backs to the city. It would seem they were
preparing to mount a line formation.
“Cheh,” Helm and his officers scoffed.
“The traitors intend to take the field against us?”
Helm looked over to Zorzal and shouted, “Your Highness! We can still
make it. Please order an attack immediately! If we manage to execute a
surprise attack before they fully form up, the enemy will be unable to
fight back. Thrown into disarray, they will retreat into the city. It’s not
what we hoped for, but it’s still favorable to us.”
However, Zorzal shook his head.
“No, wait. If they want to fight an open-field battle, then we shall
oblige. It’ll be faster than a siege, after all.”
The fact was that sieges were not only time-consuming, but would
result in many casualties. Even if they committed to one, there was no
guarantee that they would win. In contrast, an open-field battle favored
the side with greater numbers.
Numbers were the fundamental element of determining fighting
strength. Upon those you had force multipliers like weapon quality,
combat tactics, terrain, troop morale, the quality of the chain of
command, and so on.
The most important of these force multipliers was the fortifications
offered by a castle.
With that as a linchpin of a well-thought out defense, even a large army
would have a hard time winning a siege. They should be thanking the
heavens that they had decided to abandon that advantage for open battle.
Zorzal’s forces and Italica’s forces were roughly even when it came to
weapon quality and their chain of command. Thus, the key factors would
be tactics, troop morale, and troop quantity. Since they far exceeded the
enemy in numbers, Zorzal concluded that a field battle would be quite
reasonable.
Attorney-General-to-be and Head Oprichniki Upson said, “General
Helm, as you can see, the enemy numbers 6’000 while our forces number
10’000. Even a head-on clash should prove to be in our favor.”
Karasta and Mutra agreed with that assessment. They summoned the
buglers and had them give the order to prepare for a field battle.
The horns of the buglers echoed all around. The soldiers cast aside their
siege equipment and reorganized their formation.
They shifted from a siege formation to one better suited for open field
combat. The archers and the shield-bearing infantry exchanged positions.
The men drew their swords, braced their lances, drew their bows, and
steeled themselves for a field battle.
“Tyuule, after this battle is over, I’ll give you ten times the number of
men, as you hoped for. You can look forward to it! Bouro, I’ll deal with
Tyuule later. First, lock her up somewhere. The Emperor’s more
important than that. This should be easier than trying to take their keep.
Failure will not be tolerated!”
“Yes, I understand.”
Bouro had his men tie up Tyuule and bowed to Zorzal.
“Then, let the battle begin.”
Zorzal raised his finger as a signal. Helm saw this and gave an order.
“Forward!”
Horns rang all round.”
“Forward — march!”
The soldiers marched forward with wordless coordination, and the
sound of pounding caligae rang forth. They slowly advanced, their shields
in one hand and their swords or spears in the other.
(TL Note: カリガ = caliga = Roman combat boots that look like sandals)
In contrast, the legitimate Imperial army remained motionless in front
of Italica.
Perhaps they had elected a defensive stance due to their fewer numbers.
“But if they’re on the defensive, then why did they come out?”
Helm muttered to himself, as though cursing the stupidity of their
commander.
“First rank, jog!”
At this command, the buglers’ horns echoed throughout the formation.
The foremost line of soldiers immediately quickened their pace.
The distance between the two frontlines shrank in an instant. A
startling number of arrows spewed forth from the backlines of both
armies, almost blotting out the sun for an instant, and then they fell like
rain on their opposite numbers.
“Testudo!”
The soldiers raised their shields above their heads to protect
themselves.
Arrows thudded into the oblong shields, and the arrowheads which
penetrated wounded the arms on the soldiers.
Shouts and groans of pain came from all around, and the men who had
taken arrows to the body and the knee through the gaps of their shields
went down, one after the other.
“Break formation! Advance!”
Zorzal’s forces advanced again.
As the distance between the two armies shrank, they could now see
each others’ faces. It was only then that Zorzal’s men realised that the
people before them were not human, but composed of troops from
various species.
“Charge!”
The soldiers readied their swords, braced their spears, and a vicious
melee began.
Steel clashed against steel, and sparks flew off blades.
The hafts of thrusting spears bent and snapped, and shields were
shattered by battle axes.
Heads were crushed with the helmets upon them, and the blood of
soldiers flowed across the land and splattered everywhere. Roars of anger
blended with cries of pain, and naked violence became a storm that swept
across the battlefield.
“Vanguard, change!”
The centurions sounded their horns, and the men at the head of the
formation swapped places with the soldiers waiting behind them. As
though in response, the enemy brought their frontline to the rear as well.
Was it their blood, or that of the enemies? Whatever it was, it covered
the bodies of the soldiers who fell back through the gaps in their fellows’
ranks. They were replaced by fresh troops, who began the slaughter once
more. They hammered, threw, hacked and deflected. The sounds of
destruction rang forth.
“Fuck! Why are we fighting Dwarves?!” Zorzal’s men wailed.
This was a collision of strength against strength, an exchange of blows,
a mutual murder. Throughout this melee, the short yet stout Dwarves
swung their axes with enough force to split the ground open. They threw
their entire weight into their strikes, so even though they were clumsy, in
an intense melee, they hit hard enough to smash away several people at
once. Dwarves were thus excellent combatants in this sort of face-to-face
slugging match.
Zorzal’s offensive finally ground to a halt in the face of the
outnumbered yet overpowering Dwarves.
***
“Pina-denka’s flag had been sighted in the enemy camp!”
Zorzal arched his right eyebrow as he heard the scout’s report. Given
Pina’s personality, he had expected her to lead from the front, so he was
quite surprised.
“What? Their commander is Pina?”
“Yes.”
“Helm. Can you still fight?”
Helm was one of the founding members of Pina’s knight band. The fact
that he had risen to this level could be attributed to the foundation he
had gained in the knight band.
“There’s no better foe for me than Pina-denka. If I don’t fight well, Pina-
denka will reprimand me.”
Zorzal chuckled as he heard this.
“Really now. Then, show Pina your strength in full.”
“Yes sir!”
Helm nodded and said to the signallers: “Continue rotating in fresh
troops! Cavalry! Centaurs! Forward!”
The trumpets sounded again.
“Retreat 100 steps!”
As they heard this, the frontline troops ran off in an instant.
The Dwarves left their formation to pursue, lost in the thrill of battle.
However, they were ponderous and clumsy, and could not catch up with
the Imperial forces.
No matter how hard they ran, the distance between them only grew
further. They were panting, tired and their formation was in ruins.
Thunder rumbled under the Centaurs and cavalry, and they charged them
from the flanks, lances ready.
The Dwarves were immediately knocked over by the lances and sent
flying by their hooves.
Afterword
Translator: Skythewood