Dai Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu

Chapter 3 - The Burden I Shoulder

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Chapter 3 - The Burden I Shoulder

The horse galloped.

At full speed.

"My b.u.t.t huuurrrtttttsssssss!"

While yelling, Ryner rode, he rode, for four days, he rode.

Beside him, Ferris, who had also been galloping for the past four days without sleeping, went,

".................................. mumyu ~"

"Hey, don"t sleep while ridingggggggggg!"

Ryner yelled at the Ferris who seemed about to slip off her horse.

On hearing that, she opened her eyes suddenly, looked up, and wiped off the little drool from her mouth,

"Hm? What? It"s morning?"

"No, it"s evening though. Wait, that"s not the problem, don"t sleep on the horse! It"s dangerous."

"I wasn"t sleeping."

"I think you were sleeping with half of your body about to fall off."

"I was practicing body-bend riding."

"You"re lying!"

"Yeah. A big lie!"

"And you"re admitting to it so quickly!"

"Of course. I"m sleepy. And since I"m at my limits, I"m going to nap a little. Let me know when we reach."

"No, I was telling you not to sleep duh."

Ignoring Ryner"s holler, she closed her eyes, and with that, she seemed about to slip off the horse again.

"That"s why I was saying, don"t sleeepppppppppppppppppp!"

Ignoring him, she fell off the horse, and in a splendid manner, she spun a few times in the air and landed on the ground. On top of that, with a soft plod, good night, she said and entered the world of dreams.

Following that, the horse which Ferris had been riding on suddenly became energetic due to the lightened load, and whizzed off.

"Jeez, that fella"s such a botherrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

While yelling, he whipped his horse. With that, he caught up to the horse which Ferris had discarded, and grabbed hold of its reins. And pulled. He stopped the horse, turned it around, and returned to the place where Ferris was sleeping.

Then.

"Hey."

"............"

"Hey, we don"t really have time to tarry around. We"re already one day late from the appointed day that we"re supposed to link up with Kiefer."

"............"

"Hey, we only need to ride for another half a day before we reach our destination, so c"mon? Hey? Ferris. Please."

Without looking at him, she said,

"...... shut up. I"m sleepy. I"m sluggish. Bothersome. Go by yourself."

"Hey, are you me! I"m also sleepy to the point of dying, but, if we don"t get our act together, Toale"s life will be in danger. So let"s do our best for a little bit more, ok?"

On hearing that, Ferris finally got up. She looked up at him with a pained expression,

"But Ryner. For the past four days, I haven"t eaten a dango you know? As a person who is a hundred million, two thousand, eight hundred, and ninety-two percent made up of dango, do you think I can continue without any dango?"

At that question, Ryner, with a tired face,

"Wait, so how many percent does your entire body const.i.tute?"

He asked back squarely,

"Who cares about that, just listen to meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

She became really angry.

Ryner smiled wryly and said.

"...... erm, no, well, I know that it"s been hard on you to not have eaten any dango for four days, but right now, it"s an emergency so bear with it."

"I can"t bear with it."

"No, but......"

"I can"t bear ----------------------- it! By the way, there"s a nice dango shop nearby."

Upon saying that, she suddenly got up energetically, which was unthinkable for a person who was tired from going without sleep for four whole days.

Looking at that, Ryner exclaimed,

"Huuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhh!? Eh? Eh? What"s this? Is this that? All that ranting about being sleepy and falling off the horse was an act?"

Ferris promptly replied,

"Of course!"

"Don"t "of course" me!"

"Whatever you think about that is not the main issue here!"

Ferris said vehemently.

"............ hahh."

Ryner sighed out.

Even without that, he was already drained. Having fought with that red-haired monster, getting them horses, and riding crazily without sleep.

Riding crazily without sleep on the horses which he had sneaked out of a n.o.ble"s stables along the way.

He already felt like dying. Not just from the lack of sleep, but more from the pain in his b.u.t.t.

Indeed, it seems like they would need some rest soon, but......

So as to speak, after working so hard till this point, isn"t it ok for him to take about two hundred years" worth of afternoon naps right? Isn"t it ok for him to just disappear somewhere and take a long afternoon nap right? A temptation like this started to grow in him, but, Ryner stomped it out and said.

"...... b-but you know Ferris. At the appointed place, Iris will be waiting for us with Wynitt dango......"

But Ferris said.

"Nelpha dango and Roland dango are different things altogether."

Her tone became stronger than before,

"...... you"re right I guess. Then, erm...... let"s take a short break......"

Ryner gave in.

Let"s take a short break, Ryner relaxed.

Instantly.

"Woah."

As his strength left him, he almost fell off his horse. Ferris supported him with a hand.

Then.

"See. You"re also tired."

"Well...... it"s obvious that I"ll be tired after riding for four whole days......"

But, he had never thought that he would be so tired. He didn"t realize it since he had been keeping his body tensed up all this while, but his body had become abnormally heavy. He immediately understood how it came to be so. It was a consequence of the Estabul magic which he had used to accelerate his movements during his fight with Claugh. That magic, in exchange for granting a period of increased bodily reflexes and ability, will cause the user to feel its weariness later. On top of that, this time round, in order to do something about that red-haired monster, he had seriously overused his body. It was probably the burdens from that which had come to a.s.sail him.

However, even those words alone were not enough to convey how heavy his body currently was. Right now, his entire body was enveloped with a level of fatigue that could make him pa.s.s out.

Seeing that, Ferris said.

She looked up at him, and somehow, with a slightly angry face, she averted her eyes and said.

"Jeez...... you"ve overdone it this time. I understand how you feel, but even so, there"s a limit to what one person can do. Don"t push yourself too much."

In other words.

"............"

It seems to be that.

It seems like all of Ferris"s acting, and her willful behavior of wanting to go to a dango shop, were all for the purpose of saying this.

Aah ~, Ryner thought.

He stroked his disheveled bed-hair,

"Aah ~...... erm, sorry."

"Umu."

"Well then, let"s go to that dango shop and rest up in the village."

Ferris then said,

"Idiot. There"s no dango shop."

"Eh?"

"That"s why you"re a real idiot."

Upon saying that, for some reason, her face blushed, and in order to mask that, she made an angry face.

Looking intently at that.

"............"

Looking intently at her face,

"...... aah, I see."

Ryner smiled with a troubled look.

Ferris then jumped onto the horse, the horse that Ryner was now riding. With that, she took the reins away from his hand,

"Alright. If your overly stupid brain has understood, it"s time to move. We don"t have much time. Once we reach there, there will be work waiting for you again. That"s why, the idiot can just sleep. I"ll wake you when we reach there."

Upon saying that, she started to kick into the horse.

Ryner then frantically said,

"Eh, but Ferris, you haven"t slept a wink as well......"

But at that moment,

"Don"t worry about that, just sleep, idiot."

Upon saying that, she made a chopping stance with her hand and started sending it into the back of Ryner"s neck,

"Eh, no wait, that"s bad......"

"Shut up."

"Gyafu."

Instantly.

Ryner lost consciousness.

Darkness spread.

Deep darkness spread.

In that deep darkness.

Ryner was visited by dreams which had missed him for quite some time.

Strangely, they were cheerful dreams.

Sion appeared, and with a face full of mischief,

"Alright Ryner ~. Nap time"s over. It"s time to get working."

He said.

For some reason, Ferris, who was munching on dango beside him, drew her sword for no good reason,

"Die, you pervertttttttttttt."

She shouted and came beating him.

That was the scenery that was repeating again and again.

With Sion, and Ferris, the three of them.

A dream in which the three of them were making merry in that small office.

There was nothing to worry about there.

There were no lives nor troubles from others to shoulder.

Only a bunch of fools laughing happily.

And he thought.

It"d be nice if such days can go on forever, he thought.

No, he had believed that it would be so.

Such days would go on, even when he was complaining about how unpleasant or bothersome things were, as long as he worked hard, the world would be alright, he had thought.

That"s why he was laughing like that.

He had never thought that it would end.

Laughing like an idiot.

Even when he was made to work throughout the night. Even when he was bashed up by her sword.

Ryner had always been laughing happily.

"............"

And he felt a little blessed.

Even though up till now, he had only been laden with tiresome things.

But, after seeing that dream, he felt like doing his best for a little longer and looking forward.

Since in his dream, he had been laughing like an idiot with them.

He had been laughing like an idiot from the bottom of his heart.

But, the dream came to an end.

Suddenly, it ended, he realized.

No, perhaps he had realized that right from the start of the dream.

That dream.

"............"

Sadly, that dream was nowhere close to reality.

"............"

But, he wished, for a little bit.

Each time he saw that dream, he"d wish.

Ryner would wish that, if only this bothersome reality could be the dream instead when he open his eyes, and that he could wake up to that noisy office, he would be willing to pay any price.

If he were to open his eyes right now.

If he were to awake from his dream.

And the nightmare would have ended and he could wake up to that noisy office again.

He would not make the same mistake again.

He would not leave Sion to his solitude again.

In order to laugh together.

In order to move forward together, this time round, without feeling bothersome, he would do his best, he thought.

And so, Ryner opened his eyes.

Wishing that he could wake up to that office.

"............"

He opened his eyes......

♦

"............"

When he opened his eyes, they had already reached their destination.

On the land that was very near to the borders between Nelpha and Runa.

There, were gathered tens of thousands of people.

Ryner opened his eyes and straightened his body,

"...... hn? You"ve awakened?"

From behind him, Ferris, who had been doing the riding, said.

Ryner turned around,

"...... eh? Ah, yeah. I had a good sleep. Thanks, Ferris."

"Umu. I also had a good sleep."

"Hey, what would have happened if you have slept as well."

Upon making that jab, with a slightly tired face,

"Fufufu."

She laughed.

From her face, it was clear that she hadn"t really slept at all. Quite unbecoming of her, there were dark circles beneath her eyes. She was clearly very tired. Ryner then began,

"This time, it"s your turn to sleep. Leave the rest to......"

But, before he could finish,

"............"

She rested her head on the back of Ryner, and slept.

Ryner smiled, and without letting her body fall off, he supported her with his left hand and once again started the horse galloping.

However, with the throngs of people gathered, they couldn"t move very fast.

"............"

He then looked around him.

He looked at the faces of the people gathered here.

Clearly, the people here did not just comprise of soldiers.

Originally, Kiefer was supposed to guide the ten thousand soldiers, who were thrown away as sacrificial p.a.w.ns by Starnel and later saved by Toale, to this place.

"What on earth is this?"

Ryner said with a troubled face.

Clearly, the commoners who were present here greatly outnumbered the soldiers.

Women, children, as well as the elderly.

A throng of people who couldn"t contribute to the fighting strength.

Well, he could probably make a guess as to why they were here.

"...... Toale, that guy sure is popular."

While muttering that, he moved the horse forward.

The people all looked up in a dumbfounded manner at the riders on the advancing horse, at Ryner and the peerless golden hair beauty behind him.

He then asked a question to someone who was clad in military uniform among the people.

"...... ah ~, erm, you are one of the soldiers following Toale right? I have some business with Toale, so do you mind leading us to him?"

On hearing that, the soldier looked up. And he glared at Ryner.

A man who had a piercing gaze. With long light brown hair tied up at the back, and perhaps, due to his unshaven face, he looked to be in his mid-twenties.

He looked up at them and squinted his eyes.

"...... are you Ryner Lute?"

Ryner was surprised at hearing his own name.

"Oh? To know my name, am I perhaps famous around here?"

On hearing that, the man"s face contorted,

"I"m Kazaal Selues. A Major. I was given command of ten thousand troops from Prince Starnel and ordered to fend off Roland"s forces, but I went against that and am now following Toale-sama."

On hearing those words, Ryner looked again more carefully at this man called Kazaal Selues.

He was of medium build and medium height. A well-trained body with no opening. He"s probably quite strong. Well, of course, he can"t be compared to that abnormal killing intent from that red-haired muscled idiot though.

However, just from his appearance, he could tell that this fella has some ability. To elaborate on that, to have become a Major in his twenties, this fella must have achieved a number of accomplishments on the battlefield.

That was the reason why Starnel had a.s.signed ten thousand troops to him, and abandoned them.

He had probably thought that this fella would be able to fend off the Roland forces for a while and buy him more time to escape.

Considering that.

A smile surfaced on Ryner.

"...... I"m grateful to Starnel"s idiocy."

On hearing that, Selues looked at him with a look of surprise,

"What did you say?"

"No, I was just giving thanks to Starnel"s idiocy for throwing away someone as capable as you without even batting an eyelid. Thanks to the foolishness of Starnel, the plan I came up with might just go well. By the way, are you popular among your subordinates?"

He asked.

"............"

Selues did not answer. However, even without answering, it was clear.

Ryner looked around him once more.

The soldiers around him all had brightly lit faces. There was not the slightest drop in morale.

After getting abandoned by Starnel, and on top of that having Roland"s soldiers on their heels, their current brightly lit faces could not just be attributed to Toale"s popularity alone.

Ryner"s grin broadened increasingly.

"Unexpectedly, things may just move ahead even without us doing anything."

Toale is popular with the commoners. If both Starnel and Toale were to claim their names to the throne, most of the people would probably follow Toale.

However, this Selues appeared to be very popular with the soldiers.

With this, if Starnel was to continue with his oppression, he would probably end up destroying himself.

If Toale were to rise up, supported by Selues at his side, there was a possibility that the rest of the power-wielding n.o.bles, soldiers, and people would follow him.

If that were to happen.

"............"

Starnel"s life would probably be no more. Even without Ryner, Toale, or Roland doing anything.

Thanks to his own foolishness, Starnel would be killed by Imperial Nelpha.

If that were to happen, then there would be no need for Ryner to take the trouble to capture Starnel.

However, the real problem will start from there.

After Starnel"s death.

After Toale becomes king.

At that time, Roland will probably be asking for Toale"s life.

The current Roland will definitely not allow Toale to live.

That"s why in order for Toale to live, there are two choices.

First.

Escape to outside of the country.

Second.

Lead Nelpha"s soldiers to fight Roland.

"............"

But the latter was out of the question.

Right now, there was no longer any country in the southern part of the continent with enough power to fight the military might of Roland.

Ryner was very well aware of that.

For the past one year, he had always hung around Sion"s side.

Working hard together in that office to strengthen Roland.

And in just one year, Roland was totally transformed to something different from before.

Roland was reborn.

Even though Ryner was not directly involved in the military affairs, he could still imagine roughly how much power the current Roland wielded.

To the Nelpha right now, it would be like hitting a rock with an egg.

Well, however, if they were to ally with Runa Empire to resist Roland, then it would be a different story.

"............"

Even for Roland, it would be difficult to face two countries as its opponents, he thought.

However, Runa was an ally of Roland.

As such, Nelpha no longer had any chance of winning. There was no other way other than to surrender.

In other words, for the short term, there was no way but for Toale to first capture Starnel, become the king, and issue a surrender, and before Roland catches him, escape out of the country.

As he unfolded the various development scenarios in his head,

"Aah, this is bothersome."

Upon groaning, Selues nodded.

"Yeah. It"s extremely bothersome. That"s why there"s not much time left. According to Kiefer Knolles, you are supposed to have arrived yesterday. What in the world were you doing?"

Ryner"s face turned serious at that and he looked at Selues.

"Sorry we"re late. Even though we were already rushing all the way here, it was my calculation mistake. But, I"m not going to make another mistake hereon. I"ll save this country, and save Toale"s life. So can you lead us to Toale?"

Selues then grabbed hold of the reins of Ryner"s horse and led them.

"Here."

"Right."

Once again, the horse started off slowly.

Ahead of where Selues was leading them, was a small tent. Outside of that tent, was a familiar group, made up of a golden hair girl, a black hair boy and his childhood girl friend, playing.

Iris, Arua, and Kuku.

At that moment, Iris noticed Ryner"s group.

"Ah ~! Wild Beast-kun ~!"

She shouted.

Arua then turned towards here as well,

"Ryner-sensei!"

Following that, the tent opened, and out came Kiefer, with her hand waving.

Ryner then waved back at her, and lastly......

A man around the same age of Ryner came out of the tent. With brown hair and a kind face. However, compared to the time he met him a year ago, the face was more drawn. It was filled with more fatigue.

Just from that, he could see what he had been through for the past few weeks.

Ryner smiled at Toale.

And in response to that.

"............"

Toale returned with a wry, troubled smile.

Ryner then turned around.

"Hey, Ferris."

"............"

"Ferris, wake up. We have reached. There should be a bed somewhere, go sleep there."

On hearing that, without opening her eyes,

"Hah ~, then, carry me there."

"Walk on your own."

"Carry me there like a princess."

"Huuuuhhhhhhhh? Huuhhhhhh? You, with so many people looking......"

But, upon saying that, she grabbed hold of Ryner"s neck. And while strangling him,

"You"re so annoying. If you dare wake me again...... I"ll kill you, get it?"

As she said that, her fingers seemed to be really crushing Ryner"s neck,

"Hey, I get itttttttt! Whether is it like a princess or groom, I"ll carry you so don"t kill me."

"Um. Then, please carry on. I"ll be going back to sleep."

"......................... jeez."

Ryner sighed out loudly, and following that, he dismounted the horse. After that, he brought down Ferris, who had descended into deep sleep.

Then, in her desired princess cradle fashion, he carried the bothersome princess,

"A princesssssssssssssss!"

Iris made a jab as she clung to Ferris"s chest.

The weight of the two people on Ryner"s hip. His hip seemed about to sprain. He really felt like killing the two troublesome sisters.

But.

"...... uhwu, I have to bear with it until I get her to a bed. Do your best, Ryner. I"ll be able to relax when she sleeps......"

He encouraged himself, and started walking.

Following that, Kiefer came to him.

"............"

While staring at him, she smiled kindly.

But, somehow, it was different from the smile just now. She was looking intently at him with a somewhat, transfixed, biting gaze, and softly,

"...... princess cradle."

"Eh? What?"

"Nothing."

"But you know, these two people are really heavy...... hey, Kiefer, can you help me?"

Ryner asked, to which Kiefer said,

"Nope."

"Eh?"

"No way."

"Erm......"

But, at that moment, she grinned,

"Just kidding ~. It was a joke, a joke. I"ll help you. The past few days have been tough on you guys right? You"re tired right?"

While saying that, she supported Ryner"s arms, and pushed upwards. With that, his burden lessened.

"Oh, that really helps."

"That"s great."

"Thanks."

"Yeah!"

Kiefer acknowledged happily.

Following that, Ryner once again looked in front of him, at Toale.

For some reason, with a seemingly bad mood, he was looking at him --- rather, at Kiefer.

"Hn? What"s wrong, Toale?"

On hearing Ryner"s words, his face turned to one of surprise,

"Eh? Umm...... ah ~, no, nothing. Long time no see, Ryner-san."

"Long time no see."

Upon saying that, Ryner wanted to wave his hands, but realizing that both his arms were enc.u.mbered, he merely nodded his head at him.

Toale then rushed up to him.

"Do you need help?"

"Yeah, can you help me with the top one."

Toale nodded, and lifted up Iris, who had been clinging to Ferris"s chest.

Iris"s face then lit up,

"Wah! It"s high, are you bringing me higher!? Iris loves that!"

On hearing that, Toale lifted Iris up and down. Following that, he looked at Ryner,

File:DDnYnD v03 183.jpg

"Well Ryner-san, I would have never expected to reunite with you under such circ.u.mstances."

Ryner nodded as well. He smiled wryly at the tight-fitting, seemingly unsuitable military uniform that Toale was wearing.

"Yeah. I"ve never thought so either. So to speak, it became something real bothersome."

Following that, Toale opened the entrance to the tent. Inside was a simple bed, and he pointed to it,

"Over there."

"Yeah."

Ryner nodded as he carried Ferris there. He put Ferris down on the bed, and hugging the pillow, she slept comfortably.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Ryner then said smilingly.

Following that, once again, Kiefer looked at him with a slightly angry face.

Ryner c.o.c.ked his head to the side.

"So, what"s wrong?"

"N-o-t-h-i-n-g."

"Hey, those words sounded rather th.o.r.n.y."

"No they don"t."

"Yes they do."

"I said no, they don"t"

"Really?"

"Yup."

"Well ok...... forget it then."

"No way."

"Eeeehhh?"

"Humph."

Kiefer turned her face away from him and went out of the tent.

With an incomprehensible look on his face,

"...... what the h.e.l.l was that?"

Ryner asked Toale.

On hearing that, for some reason, he also made an unpleasant face,

"Please don"t ask me."

"Toale, why are you angry as well?"

"I"m not angry."

"Really?"

"Yes. More importantly......"

Upon saying that, he looked at Ryner.

And smiled.

"Really, long time no see. Ryner-san, I"m really happy to hear that you are coming here to help me. I"m coming here to save you. The reason is because we"re friends. Ok?, those words, frankly speaking, made me want to cry."

He said, to which Ryner smiled.

"Was that a little too mushy?"

"Nope. It was a great thing to me, who was depressed from getting cornered in all directions."

"Is that so. That"s great then."

Ryner nodded, pulled up a nearby chair and sat down.

Toale then said,

"Should I brew some tea like what we did in the past?"

"Ah ~, the tea you brewed was really good. But, forget it now. There"s really not much time left. Erm, so the situation we are now in......"

"I have already heard everything from Kiefer-san. As to where did you come from, and why are you here now......"

Upon saying that, Toale looked at Ryner with a pair of somewhat reproachful eyes,

"...... jeez, Ryner-san, you really had me with all those lies. You are a person from Roland right. And on top of that, the best friend of that hero king, Sion Astal. And to top if off, a year ago, you introduced that Sion-san as your cousin and ate in my house......"

On hearing that, Ryner nodded with a somewhat apologetic face.

That"s right, that"s how it was.

Ryner had met Toale and withheld his true ident.i.ty then.

During that time, as a spy from Roland, he had to hide his ident.i.ty while searching for the Heroes" Relics together with Ferris.

They had then visited Imperial Nelpha, Runa Empire, and Iyet Republic before returning back to Roland again.

On top of that, Toale had met Sion.

At that time, Sion was on a formal visit, calling on the grandfather of Toale, the previous king of Imperial Nelpha, Gread Nelphi, and had asked Ryner to become his bodyguard.

And so, Sion then went to the place where Ryner was at, which was Toale"s house, and they had dined together on the same table.

"............"

During that time, he couldn"t possibly have imagined that the relationship between Sion and Toale would have become such a bothersome thing.

Ryner nodded, and said.

"...... yeah. When we met you, Sion was masquerading as my cousin."

Toale then smiled vexedly.

"That fine young man is the hero king huh...... a powerful enemy indeed."

"Well, yeah. He"s really a workaholic...... it will be a troublesome thing to surpa.s.s him."

"But we"re going to surpa.s.s him right?"

"If not, you will be dead."

"Yeah. But, can I trust you? Ryner-san, you are the best friend of Sion-san right? I am a little doubtful that you will betray him and truly come here to help me. Perhaps, this is just Sion-san"s ploy......"

However, Ryner shook his head immediately,

"No way."

He denied it outright.

But still,

"Even if you say that, I don"t have enough information to make an a.s.sessment though. Now, with the lives of tens of thousands of people on my shoulder, will I be able to see this through correctly......?"

Said Toale.

Ryner then looked intently at Toale,

"Are you pressuring me to explain everything to you?"

Toale nodded.

"Yes, that"s right. Even if it"s me, I can"t move too carelessly while carrying the lives of so many others."

"Well, you"re right though. So, what do you want to know?"

"The first thing I want to ask is about the time when you first made contact with me. Was all that an act? Did you send that hoodlum to put up an act in order to get to me, who has royal blood flowing inside my veins?"

Said Toale.

When he said that.

Ryner felt a number of extraordinary killing intent from the surroundings outside of the tent. The tent was probably surrounded by soldiers.

"...... woah, Toale-chan I say, you"re pretty cautious."

Ryner said in a light manner.

Following that, Ferris"s eyes opened in response to that killing intent,

"...... hey Ryner."

But immediately, Ryner said,

"Go sleep, Ferris. There"s no problem. I just need to explain things a little."

"But."

"I said it"s fine. You"re tired right? Just sleep. In the first place, with this level of opponents, I can take care of them myself. In the worst case, I"ll take Toale hostage."

Ferris then replied,

"...... well, you have a point."

"That"s right."

"Got it. But, if something......"

"I said it"s fine. You should know that Toale and I are good buddies right? So, don"t worry and sleep."

After Ryner said that, Ferris nodded and went back to sleep.

After ascertaining that, Ryner looked at Toale. With a troubled face. Then,

"Withdraw your troops. I told you I"m your ally right?"

However, without taking his eyes off him, Toale said,

"...... but you"re the best friend of Sion."

Best friend --- Toale had said.

Ryner made a sad face on hearing that,

"Yeah."

And he nodded.

"Yeah, that"s right. But, for Sion"s sake as well, I won"t let him kill you."

"For Sion"s sake, you say?"

"Yeah. His way of thinking is already different from mine. We"re looking in different directions now."

While saying that, but, isn"t it because we have been looking in different directions right from the start, Ryner thought.

Even when he was shouldering everything, suffering, and on the verge of tears, he was a fool who would not even confide in his best friend.

Even when he had already been looking in a different direction, he had hidden his weeping face, and had kept on smiling perhaps.

That"s why this had happened.

That"s why things had progressed to this unrecoverable state.

However, he could more or less understand his thought process.

"...... he...... Sion probably wants to use the shortest amount of time to eradicate fighting in the world. Choosing the path with the least number of sacrifices, and advancing along that path. But I"m a little different. I can"t distinguish between many lives and few lives, I think. Whether it is sacrificing you to save hundreds of thousands of lives, or sacrificing Sion to save millions of lives, I can"t forgive something as stupid as that. At the very least, I don"t want that. If you die, I"ll cry, if Sion dies, I"ll cry. But I hate crying."

Toale then smiled wryly.

"You"re so willful."

"...... perhaps. But, that"s probably what"s different between me and him."

"Ryner-san, because you"re too willful right?"

Ryner smiled,

"That"s right."

He said.

"But, he should have the same kind of thinking as me. At any rate, he"s the type of person who hates fighting, a person who hates crying, but yet, since there was no one who could save that rotten country, he became king even though he didn"t really want to you know? So there"s no way a gentle person like him, could kill you, or the people of Nelpha without batting an eyelid, just because this is something necessary, he isn"t the kind of person who can decide this so easily with a smiling face, you know?"

Well, the truth was that he wasn"t the kind of person who can come to such decisions easily. Otherwise, Ryner would not no longer be alive by now.

An Alpha Stigma bearer is an accursed creature who would end up killing others. Then, in order to save many other lives, he should have killed the Ryner, who"s in danger of going berserk anytime, right away, in order to avoid such a calamity.

But yet, he didn"t kill him.

Holding a knife while yelling how he would kill him, but yet, in the end, he didn"t kill Ryner.

"He"s really...... a fool. He"s always carrying everything by himself and weeping by himself. But still, he started moving forward...... because he had no choice. But, I want to stop him. And I want to look for another way with him. I want to tell him that he"s not alone, and doesn"t need to shoulder everything by himself. But, I"m no longer by his side. My voice can no longer reach him. That"s why I"m aiming higher. I want to reach a place where my loud voice can reach him. For that purpose, I......"

At that juncture, while looking intently at Ryner, Toale began,

"For that purpose, you"ve come to save me."

Ryner nodded.

"...... both of you are my friends. I"ve already said this earlier, but I hate to see my friends cry or die."

"...... I see. But I heard that Sion-san wants to kill you...... and you still want to save Sion-san in spite of that?"

But, to that question,

"Don"t make me repeat myself please."

Ryner replied promptly.

Toale then smiled.

"......even when you are faced with that, you hate to see your friend cry...... and because I"m a friend, you will risk your life to protect me? That"s quite rea.s.suring huh."

Ryner shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, if you keep annoying me by making me say those lines again and again, I won"t be your friend anymore."

On hearing that, haha, Toale laughed out loud. Following that,

"Then, during the first time we met......"

"That was purely a coincidence. I didn"t know about your ident.i.ty then, and even if I did, it didn"t matter. However, that"s not the case with Roland. They see your popularity as a threat. You were asleep then so you didn"t know this, but a year ago, when we were putting up at your house, Roland had sent an a.s.sa.s.sin, but got driven off by us. Well, during then, I didn"t know that he was an a.s.sa.s.sin from Roland as well......"

At that moment, Ryner recalled the time when the a.s.sa.s.sin came to kill Toale.

He remembered the unpleasant guy called Miran Froaude, who had eyes cold like the devil, and wielded a Heroes" Relic.

The first time he fought him was in the backyard of Toale"s house.

He never would have thought that Froaude was the subordinate of Sion.

Was that also.

Was that a.s.sa.s.sination attempt also carried out on the orders of Sion? If that"s true, then right from the start, he was already looking in a different direction from Sion.

"............"

Well, even if he worried about it now, there was nothing he could do about it, so he brushed those thoughts aside.

Meanwhile, Toale had an expression of surprise on his face at hearing that.

"I didn"t hear about it."

"We didn"t tell you."

"You should have told me."

"Even if I had told you, it wouldn"t amount to anything."

"Eh? No, that"s true but...... but doesn"t that mean my life got saved twice by you guys?"

But, Ryner waved his hand to brush that aside.

"You gave us food, a place to sleep, and on top of that let us into the library, we are even."

"Erm no, that can"t make us even right."

"You think so?"

"Yeah."

"Then, trust me this time. That will make us even."

"But, aren"t you doing this to save me......"

However, Ryner shook his head.

"That"s not it. I"m also asking you to lend me a hand to save Sion."

Upon saying that, Ryner held his hand out to Toale.

And said.

"Can you lend me a hand?"

He looked intently at Toale with a serious expression on his face.

Then, wasn"t this how Sion held his hand out to me?, Ryner thought in the corner of his mind.

Let"s go together, Ryner thought back to the time when Sion had held his hand out to him.

That really saved him. Having been engulfed in loneliness and thinking that he was better off dead, that one line really saved him.

But it was different now.

He was no longer the one being saved, but the one who will try to save, he thought.

Of course, he didn"t think that he could do it as well as Sion.

"............"

That"s why Ryner held his hand out to Toale. Moreover, he didn"t know whether he could be saved. No, to have taken this path, he didn"t know whether he could save Toale, and after that Sion.

But, he could no longer bear seeing others get hurt and not do anything about it.

He had to move forward.

Whatever the result might be, he shall shoulder all that and move forward, Ryner thought.

Just like what Sion did.

Just like how he has saved the me who has been running away all this while.

That"s why Ryner stretched his hand straight out to Toale.

Toale then looked at that hand. He looked intently at it with a troubled face.

It was difficult to make a determined decision. He was carrying tens of thousands of lives on his back. If he made a mistake, there was a possibility that all those lives would be lost.

He was probably fearful of that.

He was fearful of carrying all that.

A weight that was as heavy as the one as Sion, who was enduring everything like an idiot and screaming in anguish.

That was why Toale looked at Ryner"s hand silently for a while.

But in the end,

"...... jeez, you got me. Coming at me straight in that manner with my troops surrounding the tent, doesn"t that make me feel embarra.s.sed?"

While saying that, he took Ryner"s hand. And then,

"I understand. I shall trust you. You won"t be falsifying your ident.i.ty again, right?"

He smiled upon saying that.

To which Ryner smiled as well,

"No, I"m still fake this time you know? The truth is the hardworking me you"re seeing now is a fake, the real me really wants to dump everything and take an afternoon nap."

On hearing that, Toale said,

"I know that, you know? I also want to dump everything and take a nice afternoon nap."

"You said it."

"Yes. But, we can"t run away from troublesome things...... and what should our future plans be?"

On hearing that question, Ryner released Toale"s hand. He scratched his head and started thinking again.

Originally, Ryner"s plan was like this.

To look for valuable, capable people to protect the commoners with the soldiers.

In the meantime, Ryner will bring along Toale to subdue Starnel.

If however, Roland breaks its agreement and attacks while Ryner and Toale are not around, then the plan will change.

The Nelpha troops will carry the flags of Roland and attack Runa, then pretend to lose and run away.

This act should create a powerful threat to Roland.

At any rate, if things go badly, the alliance relationship between Runa and Roland could sour terribly.

Of course, since Runa and Roland are allies, there was a possibility that Runa has already been alerted to this plan of Ryner"s, but that would not pose a problem.

The problem was how other countries would view the troops carrying Roland"s flags getting beaten off by Runa.

Say for an example, what will happen if that is known to Ca.s.sla?

No, even if not other countries.

What will happen if this news reach the troops led by Starnel?

What if the soldiers of Runa were misled into thinking that their ally, Roland, was fearful of them?

The rumor would spread easily.

It"s even better if it"s a bad rumor.

And if that kind of rumor were to spread, the image of a mighty Roland that Sion was trying to paint would crumble. In this way, the image of n.o.body being able to resist against Roland who held an absolute amount of overbearing power, would easily crumble.

The other countries in the south would form an alliance and there was a possibility that Roland would no longer be able to advance northwards easily.

That"s why the plan should work easily.

Since Sion is a gentle person who will choose the path with the lowest number of sacrifices.

That"s why, just by doing the things they ought to do, even without attacking Runa, the plan should succeed.

Ryner was then about to explain the plan to Toale.

It"s fine.

File:DDnYnD v03 203.jpg

He was about to explain it to him and tell him it"s okay to follow him.

But, at that moment.

Before Ryner could explain the plan to Toale.

"............"

Abruptly, everything started going crazy.

Suddenly, the entrance to the tent opened.

"Hn?"

Ryner turned his gaze there.

Standing there, was the face of a familiar man.

Golden hair tied up behind him, a calm face.

That was the man who Ferris took hostage when Ryner attacked Claugh a few days ago.

His name was Shuss Shirazz, if he remembered correctly.

An excellent vice-commander of Claugh.

Ryner looked at Shuss with tinge of surprise,

"Oh, they sent a messenger at a surprisingly early time. Have you already told Sion my suggestion?"

On hearing that, Shuss nodded. Then,

"...... we did."

As he said that, for some reason, his face looked dark and a little pained.

On seeing that, Ryner asked with a puzzled look.

"...... so, what did he say? You"ve come here to give a reply because he accepted right? At any rate, he should not have any a choice other than to accept this plan......"

But, cutting his words off, Shuss said.

"No. The reply has not come yet."

"Huh? There"s no reply?"

"Yes."

"Then, what did you come here for? If there"s no reply, there"s no meaning in you coming here right?"

On hearing Ryner"s words, Shuss made an even more pained expression,

"...... the truth is that I came here not on His Majesty"s orders, but to pa.s.s a message to you from Field Marshal Claugh Klom."

"From red-hair?"

"Yes."

On hearing that, Ryner face became increasingly more puzzled.

As if he had entirely no clue.

He had never expected that in this situation, it was not a reply from Sion, but a message from Claugh. That"s why he could not guess what kind of message it would be.

But.

He knew that it would not be something good. He knew that immediately just by looking at Shuss"s face.

Looking at the dark expression on Shuss"s face, Ryner asked.

"So, what is it? What did that muscle idiot red-hair want to tell me? Did he say I"m annoying and that he wanted to kill me?"

Following that, in a grave voice unmatching of that light tone of Ryner, Shuss said.

"No. Field Marshal, his Honor, told you to...... "Run away"......"

Run away.

Ryner c.o.c.ked his head at those words.

"Huh? Run away? What is the meaning of that? Why do I have to run away? We are the ones threatening Roland right? Right now, you shouldn"t be able to take on both Runa and Nelpha right. In order to prevent that, Sion definitely has to accept my idea......"

However, Shuss cut him off there,

"...... Roland has already started invading Runa Empire."

He said.

Ryner"s eyes widened at that,

"...... what."

He could only utter.

But, Shuss continued.

"His Majesty made no reply to your message. He ignored it totally. And, Roland has already pa.s.sed the southern borders of Runa, and advancing northwards at an overwhelming speed. The commander is Marshal Bayuuz White and, Lieutenant General Miran Froaude. Without accepting Runa"s surrender, they are now ma.s.sacring people. And we have also received our orders. Until we have killed both Starnel Nelphi and Toale Nelphi, do not relax on your attacks. Show them Roland"s might --- it said."

On hearing that.

On hearing that, Ryner.

"............"

Was at a loss for words.

He then desperately turned over what Shuss had said in his head. Unable to breathe, his face pale, he thought desperately.

Shuss had said.

"His Majesty made no reply to your message."

Shuuss had said that.

But, he thought otherwise.

The reply had already come.

Sion had already made his stand on Ryner"s plan.

I"ll not accede to your wise plan. Roland shall, without borrowing your power, challenge the world with its might, speed, fearsomeness, and ma.s.siveness.

In order to do that, I don"t care how much sacrifices there will be. Even if it amounts to hundreds of thousands, or even millions of lives.

The balance Sion was using has become a gigantic one.

On realizing that, Ryner uttered,

"............ d.a.m.n."

He spat.

He had made another mistake.

He had made another mistake in his calculations.

Because of that, large numbers of people will die.

Because of my stupidity, foolishness, and my lack of consideration, many people will die.

Because my resolve has yet reached the level of Sion"s, large numbers of people will die once again.

Upon thinking that,

"...... d.a.m.n d.a.m.n d.a.m.n."

He wanted to cry.

He wanted to run away.

He wanted to run away to a faraway place right now.

But there was no place to run to. He was already shouldering large numbers of lives.

Even if he was slapped with sudden despair, and wanted to scream in anguish.

"............"

He could only move forward like what Sion did.

He could only move forward like him.

Since the gears were spinning.

Since they were spinning crazily, intensely.

That"s why Ryner.

"............"

Looked up.

He glared at Shuss, and with a low, cracked voice,

"...... Roland already has the power to crush both Nelpha and Runa at the same time?"

He asked.

However, that was a foolish question.

The results had been proven.

Runa had already declared their surrender, but Roland did not accept it and continued to raze them.

And that performance was probably creating a dramatic effect. As a result of having razed and crushed two countries, Nelpha and Runa, with overwhelming might, Roland has created an image of itself to other countries as a fearsome country that will not accept any kind of surrender once it starts waging war.

It would be able to make other countries tremble in fear with that image.

So the next time when it moves again, others will proclaim a surrender without even putting up a resistance, allowing Roland to proceed unhindered.

For that purpose.

"............"

For that purpose, there was meaning to the ma.s.sacre this time.

This was the best choice to minimize the number of sacrifices in the future.

In order to take the path of least sacrifices, Sion had again taken the lives of large numbers of people.

In order to take the shortest path, Sion had again chosen the lives of large numbers of people.

The one who had yet the resolve.

The one who had yet to make his resolve,

"...... is me."

Ryner said groaningly with a face that was on the verge of crying.

But, he had really never thought that Roland would be able to acquire such overwhelming power to be able take on both Nelpha and Runa at the same time. It was beyond his expectations.

"...... d.a.m.n. That"s also my calculation mistake."

Ryner muttered.

Even when he had been spending that same time with Sion, he had never noticed it.

He had never once noticed the depth of the darkness he bore.

He regretted it.

Even when the regrets did not help him, he regretted.

Ryner said.

"...... I understand now what Sion is doing. So, Claugh is asking me to run away?"

Shuss nodded.

"In two more days, we"ll start advancing our troops again. The next time we meet on the battlefield, we intend to kill all of you. But for just two days...... we"ll stop at our current location. In the meantime......"

Ryner continued from there.

"...... in the meantime, you want us to run away? In other words, this time, Claugh is unsatisfied with Sion"s order?"

But, Shuss said.

"No, he didn"t say that. Field Marshal, His Honor, will definitely not go against the orders of His Majesty."

Even if he said that, Claugh would not be setting off immediately, and would be delaying things for two days. On top of that, he even told Ryner about the current situation, where Sion had started attacking Runa.

If this is not going against his orders, then what else is?

But Ryner instead said,

"I see."

Shuss nodded again.

"That"s right. And my mission ends here. The next time we meet will be......"

"On the battlefield?"

"Yes. The next time I will be killing you. I won"t be so easily defeated like the last time, so brace yourself."

Upon saying that, Shuss turned on his heel. With that, he started exiting the tent.

To his back,

"...... tell Claugh thanks for his help."

On hearing that, Shuss merely waved lightly and left the tent.

Looking after his departing figure,

"............"

Ryner took a deep breath and breathed out. As if he were letting go of the built up despair in his body, he breathed out with all his strength.

And once again, he looked at the Toale beside him.

Toale was making a complicated face. Looking at that face,

"I"m sorry Toale. The plan"s all messed up."

"I"ve heard."

"So, with regards to what"s next......"

Upon saying that, a tired smile surfaced on Toale"s lips,

"I shall show myself to Roland, and get executed publicly......?"

But Ryner shook his head.

"That"s useless. Roland is not even willing to accept the surrender of Runa, we don"t know how far they will go with the ma.s.sacring until they are satisfied...... well, at the very least, the soldiers who followed you will be killed."

Toale then smiled sadly.

"Uwah, that is a little...... too much for me. It"s all because of my fault to have led these soldiers......"

"No, that"s not it. If you hadn"t stopped these soldiers, they would have already been killed by Claugh. You have saved their lives."

"It"s just for a few days though...... but, then, what should we do?"

On hearing those words, Ryner kept quiet again.

As he pondered, he looked up at the roof part of the tent. The sunlight that was pa.s.sing through the tent top was red.

The sun was already setting.

Night was falling.

When night comes, they won"t be able to move.

However, there was not much time left.

Roland"s troops were pressing in from the south, as well as from Runa"s side.

If they don"t run, they"ll get killed.

Everyone"ll get killed.

Realizing that.

"............"

Realizing that, Ryner called out,

"Major Selues."

The entrance to the tent opened. Selues entered.

"What is it?"

Ryner said to the solemn face of his.

"My plan has failed. Roland"s troops will be attacking from Runa"s side. We need to escape now. So mobilize the troops. We"re running."

Selues then stared at him,

"What about the commoners?"

"Scatter them, to the west. We shall go north, straight through the Autonomous Holy City of Ca.s.sla. Roland"s forces will probably come after us."

"I see. So we are the decoy for the commoners to get away. That"s a great way to die."

On hearing his words, Ryner"s face contorted.

"...... sorry."

However, on the solemn face of Selues, a thin smile surfaced for the first time.

"No, you made the right choice. I can trust you a little more with this."

Upon saying that, he turned around. Then,

"The situation has changed! We need to change locations again!"

While yelling, he went outside.

After ascertaining that, Ryner turned towards Toale.

"Then, let"s go, Toale. There"s already no more time left. Let"s get going quickly. Since you are the one being targeted, you should be moving right at the front."

However, for some reason, Toale smiled sadly,

"....... no, I can"t do that. I shall stay back."

As he said that, Ryner"s face contorted again.

"Huh? Why? What are you going to do here?"

Toale then said,

"...... I shall remain here and buy some time by negotiating with Roland......"

However, before he could finish, Ryner said,

"Idiot!"

He yelled.

"Use your head Toale! If you were to remain here, most of the troops who have followed you will also remain here right. What will then happen to them? Do you want everyone to die with you? You"re leaving. Take the soldiers and flee to Ca.s.sla."

To which Toale made an unsettled face,

"Will Ca.s.sla take in the soldiers of Nelpha?"

However, Ryner promptly replied,

"I don"t know. But, other than that, there"s no other way. At any rate, if you stay here, everyone will get killed. We have no choice but to try. Now that we"re going to do it...... now that we"re going to do it, I"ll...... definitely not let you die. Even though we were talking about decoys earlier there"s no need to die. Before Roland catches up to us, we"ll pa.s.s through Ca.s.sla. You"ll live and get away. Everyone will get away and laugh in the end. So don"t foolishly talk about dying again. Get it?"

In response to that strong tone of Ryner, Toale looked intently at him and said,

"....... got it."

And nodded. Then, with a somewhat delighted smile,

"And thanks for coming here to help me...... Ryner."

He said.

Not Ryner-san, he dropped the honorifics and called him Ryner.

On hearing that, with a somewhat embarra.s.sed and vexed face, Ryner began,

"Aah jeez, don"t worry about stuff like that. Now, go to where Major Selues is. If you take command, the soldiers will probably move faster. Get a thousand troops to remove their military uniforms to protect the commoners and disperse them. The remaining soldiers shall head north......"

But, at that moment before he could finish ---

Instantly.

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa."

Screams rang out from their surroundings.

Following that, a thunderous roaring noise which made their heads spin sounded.

In response to that.

"............"

In response to that, Ryner"s eyes widened in shock.

"No way......"

He murmured.

But, once again.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllppp."

Screams rang out.

Following by another thunderous roar, again and again.

Ryner then said again,

"...... no way, how could this......."

He murmured dumbfoundedly.

This shouldn"t be happening.

So quickly.

There was no way the enemies could have reached them so quickly.

But, as before, thunderous roars reverberated.

Flickering lights that dazzled even the eyes of those in the tent.

Following that, another thunderous roar.

Ryner knew about all that.

It was a large-scale magic used by Roland.

"...... what the h.e.l.l is happening!?"

Ryner yelled as he rushed out of the tent.

At the instant he exited the tent.

The night sky, the dark night sky was lit up.

Before Ryner"s eyes, tens of people.

"............"

Were reduced to ashes in an instant.

Screams were heard from men, women, children, and the elderly who were roasted from the high temperatures caused by magic.

Screams rang out.

And then they got roasted.

The people who were roasted by the intense fire died.

"...... uwah...... d.a.m.n, s.h.i.t......"

Ryner trembled as he saw that. He couldn"t move.

However, from the h.e.l.l-like scene, Kiefer came dashing over.

"Ryner! Roland"s troops are approaching from the borders at Runa"s side......"

She was also on the verge of tears. In her arms was a four, five year old girl who was injured.

Looking at that.

Looking at Kiefer"s teary face,

Ryner was brought back to his senses. Looking intently at her,

"...... I got it. Let"s run away immediately. Selues! Protect everyone and make for the north! Move the troops! Get them to counter Roland"s large-scale magic attack!"

File:DDnYnD v03 223.jpg

At that voice of Ryner, Selues gave out orders and the soldiers started moving.

Following that, Toale came out of the tent as well and he told him.

"Toale, you go lead the people and escape."

"But."

"No buts. If you"re not there, no one will move. Don"t just stand there and get moving! I"ll do something about the rear somehow, you just focus on getting everyone out of here!"

On hearing that, Toale wanted to say something again, but he relented, nodded once, and ran off.

Ryner looked at his departing figure, then said to the unsettled Kiefer beside him,

"Kiefer."

"Yes."

"Take Iris, Arua, and Kuku with you and follow Toale."

She then made an anguished face. She made a face as if wanting to say that she wants to fight with him here. But instead, her face contorted painfully and she said,

"...... got it."

She then carried the girl in a hugging fashion, and said,

"I"ll do my best in supporting Toale to help him get into Ca.s.sla. But, Ryner also......"

However, at that juncture, he stopped paying attention to her words. He didn"t have the luxury of time to listen to that anymore.

If he tarried further, the next large-scale magic attack would come. If that were to happen, tens of people, hundreds of people would die again.

He needed to defend against that.

Ryner looked in the direction of where the magic came from.

He looked in that direction and widened his eyes.

Following that, red pentacle shapes surfaced on the center of his black pupils and glowed.

Cursed eyes known as Alpha Stigma.

With those eyes of his, he tried to locate the faraway large-scale magic spell

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