18. The Hero Kazami
After finishing the clean-up of the blood and corpses, Isshi mutters,
“Well, let’s start the strategy meeting…”
“Right away, master!”
Just as he was about to begin talking, sniffling and half formed words of apology were heard from Nacht.
She regretted that she had allow the leader of the mercenaries, Guregin, escape.
“It was quite a good getaway. There were no unreasonable aspects to it. But, you have to decide a punishment Isshi-sama.”
“It is as onee-san says. However, I think Nacht had done the best she could, too”
The two sister type homunculi say their piece on the matter.
By the way no. 998 and no. 999 were give names a while ago.
Although the two have yet to be a.s.signed a specific task, the names were rewards for taking part in this operation.
Respectively, they are named Mallon and Claire.
“So you say, however…”, said the princess like beauty with drill hair, no.468
She has been given the name Marigold.
“Letting Guregin-san escape was a failure. It would’ve been most desirable if the town didn’t realize that Deanne-san had been replaced with Amarillo. But since that has failed, we will have to overthrow the military forces here and cease control of the town immediately.”
Nacht’s shoulders drop with every word, but Premier,
“No, doesn’t have to.”
And I said.
“Guregin will surely return to challenge us to a decisive battle. In other words, we will need to pool the scattered fighting power in this town together.”
Isshi nods at this revelation.
“It would certainly be helpful. We still don’t know how much of a fighting force is here. Uniting the war potential in town against Guregin’s forces, would be the most effective way of annihilating them.”
“Such a thought is possible” Marigold muttered admiringly.
“I would certainly be unfit to govern this region, if I am able to defeat Guregin; the know enemy, but fall at the hands of an invisible internal threat.”
“It is like that” said the nodding Isshi as he gently put his hand on Nacht’s shoulder.
“Oh, because it’s like this, don’t be so depressed. The first casualty of any battle is the strategy. Since we have declared war with a nation, battles will have a variety of circ.u.mstances behind them. But, they will not go smoothly each time. So there is no reason to get depressed over each and every mishap.”
When Nacht stopped crying and bore a lively smile on her face, I simply nodded.
・・・
・
“Well if it isn’t Guregin? What are you doing in a place like this?”
When Guregin entered the mercenary’s office, he was called out by a man that had an indecent smile. It was none other than the hero Kazami, the last man he wanted to meet.
(d.a.m.n! Having to meet such an a.s.shole now of all times.)
While spitting curses in his heart, he replies to the hero wearing a polite smile.
“If it isn’t Kazami? For you to be so close to the frontier, what happened? It’s surprising, I thought you were off fighting the war with the empire.”
At those words, Kazami snorted and said,
“It has nothing to do with an incompetent man like you. 100 kills Guregin, how has selling that name around been going for ya? It’s a laughingstock. When you fought me once, you begged please don’t kill me, while crying and apologizing.”
At those word, Guregin’s smiling mask almost broke, but he bared it somehow.
It was a story from when he was employed as a mercenary of the empire.
Guregin had been the leader of a mercenary corps, dispatched to attack the Ibuhl kingdom.
At that time the hero Kazami, who was famed as the kingdoms strongest man appeared.
When Kazami kicked around the empires forces consisting of tens of thousands, with a mere seven people, he was able to turn the tides and invaded the empire, he even was able to cut off the general’s head.
Thanks to that, the march of the empire’s army stopped.
When my troops began to withdraw, Kazami began to kill the straggling troops for fun.
It was truly a scene right out of h.e.l.l
Of course, the empire was the one that incited the attack, and there was no convenient rule about not attacking retreating soldiers, but the willing ma.s.sacre of humans had to have been the work of devils.
Fortunately, Guregin was spared in exchange for revealing the location of the empire’s general.
My life was spared, but because of that I can never return to my home in the empire.
(Such things do not matter now!!)
More importantly, I need to get past kazami.
(This evil b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Homunculi have attacked, and I bet he would be willing to start a war. Well, so far so good. But that Deanne-san was killed, for me, it’s a serious matter. This guy would destroy the whole town for recreation or to pursue his own twisted joy! h.e.l.l for fun he might reveal how he got the general’s location. That would be the worst possible outcome, and should that happen I would never be able to out run the hate filled soldiers of the empire!!) This is not a direct translation, it is the best interpretation I could make.
“Hey, answer the first question I asked. Why are you in a place like this?”
I wear a smile on my face, and answered the hero, that spoke in such a rough tone.
Oh, if it’ll ease you worrying. I just came here to see the condition of one of my subordinates and check up on a few things.”
“Really, the condition of a subordinate. Deanne your employer should be a governmental officer. Yet, you can leave your post.”
Thought it was a sound question, Guregin desperately pretended ignorance.
“Be at ease someone else is watching him now. Recently, people say that I cling to him too much. Besides that, in this back-watered countryside finding a descent healer is borderline impossible. So I came to check up on my subordinate myself, although I’m far from beautiful woman you’d normally wait to see.” It’s the same here
[Hahaha] Guregin laughed at his own joke, and hero Kazami snorts as he lost interest.
“Hun, so boring. I certainly thought Deanne was killed and you came running here”
So he said.