—— And right now was observation time.
On the training grounds outside the shrine, the girl was having a match with weapons against Z. The girl was using a brilliant white short sword, which contrasted against Z"s large dark scythe that was covered in a black mist.
The girl leaped back after her blows were fended off by the scythe, pulling away from Z. She panted hard and used her sleeves to wipe her sweat from her brow.
It had been 30 minutes since he started his observation.
After battling for such a long time, the girl realized that her stamina was running out. Z rests his scythe on his shoulder, and asked calmly:
“What is it? Are you tired?”
He wasn"t being sarcastic. After all, Z was never sarcastic. This was just the conclusion he drew from observing the status of the girl.
— Even so...
After taking a deep breath, the girl charged forward. Her surroundings turned into thin lines, and Z was within range of her sword in an instant. The girl swung across at Z"s stomach. Unfortunately, the white blade didn"t touch Z"s body. The girl"s all out attack was parried easily by the scythe, and the sword was stabbed into the ground.
“Hmm. Your 『Fleet Footed Rush』 is fine, but your movements are too simple.”
Z muttered, then kicked with amazing speed. The girl pulled out her sword and used it as a shield. The girl couldn"t block it completely, and was sent flying.
“Ughh!”
Her brain went numb, and the girl almost lost consciousness. But she bit on her tongue to stop herself from blacking out, and landed after spinning a few rounds in the air.
“Ha, ha, ha…”
The girl slowly caught her breath, and wiped away the blood from the corner of her lips. She then noticed that her hands were cramping.
“It"s fine. I"m… still alright.”
The girl gripped the hilt tight to suppress the spasm, and swung the sword in a large arc. This was a barrier created with a sword. One of the sword techniques taught to her by Z, this defensive stance had no blindspots.
“Are you ready?”
The scythe twirled around Z"s hands like a stick. The girl didn"t answer the question, and tightened her grip.
“You seem ready.”
The moment Z said that, the girl felt a chill on her back.
She jumped sideways immediately, and evaded the attack that appeared out of nowhere by a hair"s breadth. The girl moved behind Z and swung her sword up to counter—— but she stopped. She had to, since the figure before her was just an after image. Z had already moved behind the girl, and held the blade of its scythe against her throat.
A drop of cold sweat rolled down the girl"s forehead.
“You can almost keep up with me. That"s all for today.”
With that, Z melted into the ground and disappears. The oppressive air around the shrine vanished with him, and the world reverted to its original tranquility.
“Thank you very much.”
The girl relaxed, looked at the ground where Z was, and offered her thanks.
—— The daily schedule of the girl was fixed.
She would learn the situation of the continent, language, military tactics, magic, swordsmanship, melee combat amongst other things. Occasionally, she would follow Z into the forest, and learn to hunt and cook. The education and training of the girl was what Z referred to as observation.
One day after the observation officially started, the girl was told that she was a life form called humans. The official term was more complicated, the third sentient life form. When the girl learned that, she got curious about Z who was completely different from her, and asked Z about it.
“Me? Well… To the humans of this world, I"m something akin to a G.o.d of Death.”
The unexpected answer made the girl"s eyes shine. That was because one of the many books Z gave her was written around the subject of the G.o.d of Death. According to the book, the G.o.d of Death was a terrifying existence that reaps the souls of humans indiscriminately.
—— Granting an equal death to all.
That was how the book ended.
The girl asked Z whether her soul would be reaped.
“That"s false. We will only reap the souls of humans that didn"t have a sense of self yet, or humans who had just died. I won"t reap your soul, since your ego had already formed.”
That was how Z answered.
The girl thought it was true. The Death G.o.d described in the book was a skeleton in tattered robes, while Z was a shadow that was wavering like a phantom flame. If the girl had to choose between Z or the book, the girl would definitely believe Z.
The girl lament in her heart that not everything written in books were true.
—— On another day in the near future.
After finishing swordsmanship training, the girl asked another question. Z had taught her swordsmanship and melee combat skills—— In other words, killing techniques. Would it ever be put to use? Z once told her that humans were combative and cruel creatures that would murder their own kind for reasons other than consuming food. But she was the only human in this shrine. There wasn"t anyone she could kill, so she felt it was strange that she had to undergo such training.
After a brief silence, Z answered curtly: “You will understand when the time comes.” Z was a shadow and couldn"t show any expression, which was obvious for an existence which was the manifestation of a shadow. And so, the girl couldn"t see how Z felt when it said that.
But at that moment—— the girl was certain that Z had a hint of a smile.
Recently, the girl started speaking with Z in human language. She didn"t know why, but since it was Z"s instruction, she had to obey. The observation days pa.s.sed uneventfully, and the girl and Z continued their queer living arrangements.
“Z. My head feels stuffy, and my back is cold. There"s something wrong with my body.”
After the usual lessons ended, the girl informed Z that she wasn"t feeling well.
“… Hmm, you are burning up. You might have caught a cold.”
Z said with his wavering hands on the girl"s forehead.
“What"s a cold?”
“Well… As an a.n.a.logy, it"s like bugs messing around in your body, causing discomfort for your body.”
“Ehh? Is it because I ate Mr Ant yesterday?”
The girl was regretting eating ants as a snack.
“I already told you not to eat ants. And the bugs I mentioned is just an a.n.a.logy.”
Z was dumbstruck.
“What should I do? Will I die? Will Z eat my soul?”
“You won"t die with just that. Humans aren"t that fragile. But let"s stop the training for now, you should go back to your room and rest. If you lie down quietly, your body will recover in no time.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The girl staggered back to her room, and got right into her bed. After sleeping for a short while, the girl felt a presence and opened her eyes. She turned and saw the wavering Z standing before her. The girl rubbed her eyes and check again. This was the first time Z came to her room.
“What is it, Z? You want to eat my soul after all?”
“I brewed soup for you. Drink.”
The girl then realized that there was a bowl in the tray Z was holding.
“Ehh~ but I"m not hungry.”
“Your lack of appet.i.te is because of your cold. Drink it even if you are not hungry. You will get better quicker that way.”
Z sat on the bed, propped the girl up, and scoop a spoonful of soup towards the girl"s mouth.
“……”
“What"s the matter? Open your mouth.”
“Y-Yes.”
She had a tingling feeling in her heart, but the girl still opened her mouth obediently. Z slowly sent the soup into the girl"s mouth, and a warmth soon spread throughout the girl"s tummy.
“How is it? I made it bland, so it will be easier on your stomach.”
“Yes, it taste good… Ehehe.”
“What"s so funny?”
“Nothing. Ahh~.”
“Hmm, it seems everything is fine.”
Z nimbly scoops soup into the girl"s mouth. In less than ten minutes, the bowl was empty.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“You ate everything. Now drink this.”
Z then put a silver gla.s.s cup into the girl"s hands. In it was a green gooey liquid. It reminded the girl of a monster shown in a drawing book.
“What"s this? It"s all gooey and smells weird. Can I really drink this?”
“It"s medicine. You will get well faster if you drink it.”
“Really?”
“Have I ever lied to you?”
“Well, no.”
The girl pinched her nose and drank all the medicine in one go. The bitterness lingered in her mouth, washing away the delicious taste of the soup from earlier.
“Z~, it"s so bitter~.”
“That"s how good medicine is. Well, I don"t know the taste though.”
With that, Z shifted a chair to the bed, and sat down. It then took out a book and quickly browsed through it.
“Are you going to stay here?”
“—Hmm? Yes, this is part of the observation. When you wake up, you will feel much better. If you understand, then go and sleep.”
“Yes, I understand… Ehehe. Good night, Z.”
“… Good night.”
For some reasons, the girl felt that she had a sweet dream.
—— Time flies, and it had been fifteen years since the girl met Z.
The girl"s life was the same as usual.
The only thing that changed was the standard of her studies and training. And she was given a name for convenience"s sake.
However, a body of a girl that turned fifteen changed drastically.
Under Z"s tutelage, the girl was as strong and intimidating as a feral beast. But she still looked the part of a proper lady. Her slender limbs and full bosoms were proof of that. Her delicate features would definitely turn the heads of everyone on the streets. The girl was an incredible beauty.
The day starts early for the girl.
She would open her eyes at dawn and leap up from her canopy bed. She would then start stretching with a yawn. The sounds of her bones cracking made her feel refreshed. She then draped the towel hanging on the wall over her neck, and walked out into the dim corridor. The girl likes the tranquility at dawn, and she woke up early just to enjoy it.
When she reached the courtyard, there would be a few stray beams of light pa.s.sing through the dense tree canopy illuminating the place. The girl squainted, then fetched water from the well. As she washed her face with a bucket of water, she drank a few mouthfuls. The water permeates her belly, and the girl smiled:
“Ahh, that taste great.”
She muttered satisfactory, and went to the kitchen c.u.m dining hall to make her breakfast. It had a simple layout, with a brick stove and a small table. The girl added firewood with practiced hands, then concentrate on her right index finger. She visualized the magic power in her body mixing with the minute amount of mana in the air.
Blue and white particles gathered at her index finger, proving that the combination was successful. When the particles congregate at one point, it created a fireball the size of a bean.
“Success.”
The girl smiled, and tossed the fireball towards the firewood. The blue flame burned intensely, and the girl used a poker stick to control the burning. In the beginning, the girl couldn"t control her power and destroyed the stove several times. But everytime she came back, she would find the stove in its original state, as good as new.
This phenomenon reminded the girl of the fairies featured in the book 『The mischievous fairy Comet』. The story was about a timid fairy Comet who plays all kinds of pranks on humans, and took pleasure in surprising them.
The girl decided to scare the fairy instead, and hid in a corner of the room for the entire night to keep watch. But Comet didn"t show up, and morning came. It was almost time for her lessons, so the girl had no choice but to leave the kitchen. But when she came back to check at noon, the stove had already been repaired.
The girl stubbornly stakes out the kitchen for a few days, but to no avail. Some time after that incident, the girl ran across Z using magic to repair the stove by chance, and felt really disappointed.
The bitter memories made the girl shake her head, and she wiped away the sweat on her brow. She put the pot of yesterday"s leftover soup on the stove, and waited for it to heat up. A short while later, a bubbling sound came from the pot, together with an appetizing aroma.
“Thank you for the meal.”
She ate her breakfast alone, put away the utensils swiftly, and headed for the cla.s.sroom. Aside from the girl"s bedroom, there were other rooms in the shrine, but they were all desolate. This was only natural since no one manages the place. It was the same for the cla.s.sroom.
She pushed open the door with a familiar magic circle, and it fell off the hinge with a heavy thud. It had finally broke off from the rotting edge.
The girl paid it no mind, stepping over the door and entered the room—— at the centre was a lone set of table and chair, where she sat. She just needed to wait for Z to appear out of thin air, and begin the lesson. The girl didn"t think there was any problems.
“Z is late today~.”
However, no matter how long the girl waited, Z didn"t show up. This was a first. Feeling something was wrong, the girl approached the lectern Z always uses. Because she saw a dark sword that wasn"t there before, something like a letter, and a ruby.
And as expected, it was really a letter, addressed to the girl. She read it numerous times, then dashed out of the shrine with the dark sword in her hands.
“Z!”
When she realized it, the girl was calling out Z"s name in a volume that even surprise herself. However, Z didn"t respond, leaving only the echo fading into the air. Even so, the girl kept calling for him until her voice grew hoa.r.s.e. But Z didn"t appear.
“Z… Z… Z…”
As the girl repeatedly called for Z, something warm welled up in the girl"s eyes. Her vision became blurred, and the girl touches something rolling on her cheek. She quickly learned that when humans felt sad, they would shed tears.
However, the girl didn"t understand why her chest hurts, as if something was squeezing it. The pain was different from what she felt during training. It wasn"t mentioned in the books.
After G.o.d knows how long.
The girl wiped away her tears with her sleeve and noticed something. Black mist was coming out of the sword in her left hand.
“This is…”
The form might be different, but this was something like the scythe used by Z.
The girl held the dark sword tightly in her arms, and looked down calmly.
She left the shrine that very day, never to return.
Chapter 1: The Fledgeling Leaves the Nest
Ⅰ
Lunar Calendar Year 995.
The peace that had lasted almost 40 years was over, and the Dubedirica continent was engulfed in the flames of war once again.
The embers of war was started by the large nation to the north.
The Emperor of the Arsbelt Empire, Ramza the 13th, suddenly declared that he would conquer the entire Dubedirica continent, and immediately invaded its neighbouring nation to the east, the Farnesse Kingdom, and started a war.
In the beginning, only the two great nations, the Empire and the Kingdom were at war. But the flames of war quickly spread to the small nations around them, and finally dragged the entire continent in as well.
Lunar Calendar Year 997.
With the war spreading to all the nations in the continent, the stalemate between the Empire and the Kingdom reached a turning point. The Empire seized the biggest stronghold in the central war theatre, the impregnable Fort Kiel.
After that, the Empire used the fort as a bridgehead, and coerced the minor nations around the kingdom with either the candy and the whip, annexing them at an alarming speed.
The Confederation of Sutherland, situated at the south of the continent, had always insisted on their neutrality. But with the change in situation, they colluded with the Empire in secret. Using the excuse of abysmally poor harvests in the southeast region of the continent, they drastically decrease their export of food to the Kingdom.
That sparked off large scale famine throughout the Kingdom, and resulted in riots. The Kingdom relied heavily on imports for food supply, with seventy percent of the Kingdom"s food coming from Sutherland. This made things worse for the Kingdom that couldn"t produce enough food to sustain itself.
At the same time, the Kingdom increased the food collected from the citizens to feed the soldiers on the frontlines, which incited more unrest. The Kingdom suppressed the riots with troops, which in turn intensified the riots, resulting in a vicious cycle. With civil unrest pressure from within and a foreign military threat from outside, the Kingdom"s powers quickly crumbled.
Lunar Calendar Year 998.
Reports of the Kingdom army"s struggles were sent to the capital one after another. The Kingdom couldn"t muster the effort to launch an effective counteroffensive, and could barely hold the frontlines. The Empire"s encirclement of the Kingdom was slowly tightening, and the reigning King of the Farnesse Kingdom, Alphonse Sem Garmund, made a painful decision.
He dispatched the capital"s last line of defence, the elite of the Kingdom"s military, the First Army to retake Fort Kiel.
Fort Gallia was situated in the south of the Kingdom, with the Est mountains separating it from the capital city Fizz.
It was a key stronghold in the Farnesse Kingdom"s defence line, and the closest fort to the capital. To Fort Gallia"s southwest and Fort Kiel"s south east, was Kaspar castle that had been seized by the Empire.
The villages and towns around Kaspar castle had fallen into the hands of the Empire, and soldiers guarded the main roads at all times. As they set their eyes on attacking Fort Gallia in the future, they had to be wary of the Kingdom"s movement.
And right now, Captain Samuel who was in charge of a key security checkpoint at Canaria road noticed a girl heading towards the Kingdom.
She was around 15 or 16 years old.
Her features were as delicate as a door, and she was wearing a reddish brown blouse, so she probably came from one of the villages. Her silver locks swayed with every step her slender legs took.
(Oh, that"s a great find…)
While Samuel was admiring the girl"s face, the item hanging on her waist caught his eye. The sheath on the girl"s waist seemed too expensive for a village girl. The black sheath was covered in an intrinsic pattern with gold and silver.
Something like this could only be found on wealthy n.o.bles or powerful veterans.
Just the sheath alone could fetch a handsome amount of gold coins. Anyway, it looked out of place on a mere village girl.
(Given the craftsmanship of the sheath, the sword must be incredible.)
Just imagining the sword inside was enough to make Samuel raise the corners of his lips. For a moment, he suspect that the girl was a bandit, but quickly dismiss that thought.
It was common knowledge that the Imperial army had control over the vicinity. Even if they weren"t soldiers from the military, bandits wouldn"t dare show their face here in broad daylight.
Samuel tapped the shoulder of a young soldier beside him—— Cliff, pointed to the girl and said:
“Be honoured, Cliff. This is your first mission. Do a security check on that girl.”
“Yes Sir!”
Cliff saluted smartly, then shouted at the girl with a strong tone:
“That girl over there, halt!”
“……”
However, the girl ignored Cliff and continued walking along the road. Given the distance, she must have heard Cliff, but the girl was nonchalant.
“Hey Cliff. Be more gentle when you talk to a girl. Didn"t your mother teach you that?”
“That"s right. What if you scare her off with your boorish tone?”
Seeing Cliff being ignored, the soldiers around started to tease him. Angered by his colleagues, Cliff walked up behind the girl and grabbed her shoulder.
“I said halt, didn"t you hear me!?”
“Ehh? You are calling me?”
The girl pointed at herself with her eyes wide open. She didn"t seem to be lying and was genuinely surprised. But Cliff didn"t think so. Pushed by his anxiety, he stepped closer menacingly.
“Are you kidding me? Do you see any other girls here?”
“Ehh~, you can"t tell boys apart from girls? I can do that much.”
The girl then pointed to a female soldier who was also performing roadblock inspections. The subject looked at Cliff and the girl in surprised and said: “Ehh? Are you referring to me?”.
Thinking he was being played a fool, Cliff turned red with anger, and grabbed the girl by her collar.
“How dare you mock an Imperial soldier! Are you eager to die? This area is under the Empire"s control, the flailing Kingdom"s army can"t help you!”
“Oh~ so you are Mr Imperial soldier. Humans in armour all look the same, so I can"t tell. It will be great if there are books to differentiate armour.”
The girl said with a serious face as she checked out Cliff"s armour. She showed no fear, and her firm dark eyes showed that clearly.
“Hahaha. Well, well, this is interesting. This girl sure got guts.”
Samuel raised his hand to restrain Cliff who wanted to draw his sword. But Cliff kept his hand on his hilt, continuing to give off a menacing aura.
“Please don"t stop me, Captain! She is obviously mocking us. Allow me to execute her on the spot!”
“Hey, don"t let it get to you. I never kill civilian women, and I won"t let you do so either. And such a good woman at that. This is the only iron clad rule in my unit, and one that I"m proud of. So remember it well.”
(But I did rape countless women.)
Samuel thought about his s.e.xual conquests from the villages, while the girl yawned out of boredom.
“Sorry about stopping you, but the sheath on your waist looks really valuable, so I"m wondering about your purpose in visiting the Royal capital. This place is full of ‘famished beasts", and is very dangerous. Would you like me to escort you?”
The moment Samuel said that, the soldiers laughed sinisterly. They ignored the icy glares of the few female soldiers cast their way. One of them even mimicked the clawing actions of a wolf and howled, drawing even more laughter.
“Is that so. I don"t need an escort, since I"m on the way to the Kingdom to sign up as a soldier. So don"t get in my way, okay?”
For an instant, Samuel didn"t understand what the girl was saying. Cliff stood there stiffly, and the soldiers around them were dumbfounded. Samuel was sure that his expression was no different from theirs.
The girl then said: “Ah~, how tiring”, then continued walking.
“d.a.m.n you!!”
When Cliff snapped out of it, he yelled and slashed at the girl with his sword.
At the same time, his right arm still holding a sword flew into the air.
It was Year 998 of the Lunar Calendar.
The endless sky and the blood splatters became the backdrop for the road of Canaria.
““Huh?””
A few of the soldiers blurt out in surprise, and they turned towards Cliff with necks that were as stiff as rusty gears. Cliff looked at his right arm in confusion, and his face started to contort.
“K-Kyaaa!!”
Blood splurt out from his right stump, and Cliff"s scream echoed across the road. Samuel looked at the girl, and a dark sword was in her right hand without him even noticing. It was dripping with blood.
The culprit behind this was as clear as day.
“That hurts! It really hurts!”
Cliff who was sniveling in pain clutched his right stump with his left hand, and ran away from the girl——
“Heave, ho~.”
The girl turned the dark sword horizontal to the ground, then tossed it while she hummed. The sword pierced Cliff"s armour mercilessly, like an arrow loose from a bow, stabbing right through his chest. An ominous mist was spreading from it.
“Hyaa! …Ah…”
Cliff"s body spasm, then collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. The girl"s cheerful voice echoed out loud along the silent Canaria road.
“Like I said, don"t get in my way. Humans sure are combative. Maybe I didn"t make myself clear? Human language is complicated~.”
The girl said something unfathomable, then stepped Cliff"s head to pull out her sword. She slowly shook off the blood on the sword, and looked at the spearman beside her.
“Waaarrghh!!”
The soldier that caught the gaze of the girl thrust his spear with a scream.
The other soldiers wield their weapons in a panic. In contrast, the girl was unfazed, and parried the attacks with the slightest of movements. Her short reddish brown skirt fluttered in the air, as if she was dancing elegantly.
Samuel clicked his tongue internally. Even a veteran soldiers couldn"t match her skills. His men weren"t capable of harming her. Samuel was on maximum alert, he didn"t know who she was, but she definitely wasn"t just some village girl.
“Hmm~ It"s my turn, right?”
The soldiers movement became dull due to fatigue, and the girl lopped off their heads, smashed their faces, dismembered their limbs and pierced their hearts. Screams, blood and chunks of meat flew everywhere. This was a one sided ma.s.sacre only possible for the powerful. In no time at all, corpses and blood covered the surroundings, and the blood stench entered Samuel"s nasal cavity.
The soldiers who didn"t join the fray dropped their weapons and backed away from the terrifying girl. Their eyes were wide open and filled with horror, as if they were looking at a Death G.o.d.
Their fighting spirit had been crushed. The girl covered in blood looked at the soldiers overwhelmed with fear—— and showed a smile as bright as the sun.
“H-Hiee! Monster! It"s a monster!!”
“D-Don"t mess with me! I don"t want to die here!!”
“M-Mommy, save me!!”
The soldiers started to flee with a scream.
Some of them crawl on the ground like worms.
Others ran with their teeth clattering loudly.
And a few were laughing creepily while they fled, there were all kinds of people.
This was unsightly for the honorable imperial army. But Samuel didn"t blame them. It was only natural for them to react this way after witnessing such a terrible scene.
The girl didn"t pursue the escaping troops, and just watched them go. She probably meant to spare anyone who didn"t point a weapon her way, Samuel a.s.sumed.
“Erm~ Mr Captain, is it? You can run too. If you don"t get in my way, I don"t have to kill you.”
The girl suddenly turned to Samuel, giving him the choice of fleeing with the others. Her blood stained lips had a strange sense of charm.
“… I know you are not a mere peasant. With that in mind, I have a question for you.”
“Yes, go on.”
“Where did you learn your swordsmanship and fighting techniques? It"s not something that can be mastered at such a young age, and by a woman too.”
“Ehh~ even if you ask me, I can"t do anything about that~ And I was taught by Z.”
“…Z?”
“That"s right, Z. Do you know where Z is?”
The girl asked with an innocent smile. Her childish expression made it hard to imagine that this girl just ma.s.sacre those soldiers without a shed of mercy— but she was still covered in blood.
“— Sorry, I don"t have any clue.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. If he is famous, then I should have heard about him already.”
“Hmm~ Oh, aren"t you fleeing? Don"t worry, I won"t pursue you.”
Samuel wasn"t so docile that he would follow her instructions. In response to the girl"s shooing gesture, he shook his head.
“Huh? You don"t want to run?”
“Hahaha, why should I run? I"m quite skilled myself.”
“Really?—— I can"t tell though.”
After a short silence, the girl gave her sa.s.sy evaluation. Samuel said with a sinister smile:
“Haha! This is the first time someone told me that in my life. The longer I stay on the battlefield, the more chance I will have to fight monsters, what a joy.”
“Are you calling me a monster? My name is Olivia, you know.”
Olivia put her hands on her waist, and introduce herself proudly.
“I see, I will remember that. This is the first time I"m fighting a woman not from the army— No, since my opponent is a monster, I"m not breaking my rules, right…? Yes, that"s right.”
Samuel mumbled to himself as he slowly drew the large sword from his back. The blade was extremely thin, a double edged sword that was flexible and tough at the same time. His favourite that had never been snapped, and had accompanied him through countless h.e.l.lish battles.
He licked the edge of the sword, took a deep breath, and took a stance with the sword horizontal to the ground. Olivia was looking at Samuel before her with a smile. He leaned slightly, breathed out, then charged at Olivia. This was a killing thrust that combined the speed that didn"t seem possible for his huge body, with his heavy body weight.
“Violent Thrust”, a move feared by many. Samuel used this move to kill countless enemies. It will be the same this time, and the monster before him would be slaughtered.
(My only target—— is the heart!)
The tip of the sword sliced through the air, and was about to pierce Olivia"s heart.
“It"s mine now!!”
Confident of his victory, Samuel roared. But the next moment, the scenery before him looked different from what he expected. He didn"t see Olivia collapsing with blood gurgling from her mouth from her heart being pierced. Instead, he saw a strange sight of his own body from an incredibly low angle.
As Samuel"s consciousness faded, he heard someone saying confusedly “Did he steal something?”
Ⅱ
Imperial Army, Main Camp of the Farnesse Kingdom southern war theatre, Kaspar castle
——Captain Samuel was killed in action.
The urgent report sent by the soldiers guarding the Canaria road caused a stir in the Kaspar castle that night. The bonfire at the main gate was burning more intensely than usual, and all the patrols had tensed faces. The side gate was open, and the corpse of the dead soldiers were brought into the castle.
“Is it true that Captain Samuel died in battle?”
General Osborne who was in his fifties asked in a confused tone. He held a position of high authority within the Arsbelt Empire, and was the commander in chief of the southern war theatre. He was a general famous for being adept in both offence and defence.
The Non Commissioned Officer (NCO) raised his head and answered:
“Yes, your excellency, The guards from Canaria city went on scene urgently to confirm, and found the headless corpse of Captain Samuel. There were more than ten corpse in a similar state. We are recovering the bodies as we speak.”
“Headless corpse?… They were probably taken to collect a bounty. It"s only natural, since Captain Samuel"s fame has spread amongst the Royal Army.”
“Pardon my insolence, but this wasn"t the doing of the Royal Army.”
When he heard that, Osborne furrowed his brows.
“It"s not the Royal Army? Then who killed Captain Samuel? Don"t tell me it"s bandits.”
“Well… Erm…”
The NCO suddenly stammered. Seeing him like this, a man with icy eyes and his hair combed back neatly urged the soldier to continue with a gesture from his chin. He was the general"s Strategist, Colonel Paris.
“According to the survivors, Captain Samuel was cut down by a monstrous girl with a black sword in one strike.”
“A monstrous girl killed him?”
Paris couldn"t help asking.
“Yes Sir. And that monstrous girl was supposedly on her way to the capital to sign up for the Royal Army.”
The nonsensical report from the NCO was dismissed by Paris with a laugh. The stories made up by bards sounded more plausible. Paris was from the intelligence division, and he would never acknowledge the nonsensical report of a monstrous girl so easily. He judged that the information must have deviated somewhere along the line.
“Enough with the nonsense—— Never mind, I will ask the soldiers involved directly, bring them in.”
The NCO trembled when he heard that, and shook his head weakly:
“Unfortunately, the survivors are all mentally unsound, and couldn"t converse properly. After seeing the state they were in, there were rumours amongst the men that a monster had allied with the Kingdom.”
“Oh~, it had reached such an extent… So the reports are true then?”
Osborne said as he cast his eyes on Paris.
“My lord, why do you believe that drivel. Besides—”
“Paris, it"s a waste of time to say anything more.”
Osborne raised his left hand to cut off Paris. Paris wanted to say a lot more, but it was as...o...b..rne said, since the soldiers had lost control of their emotions, it wasn"t possible to gather further information. Continuing would be a waste of time, and they couldn"t afford to waste anymore of that.
“Yes Sir, pardon me for losing my cool.”
“It"s fine— I understand the situation. Thank you for your hard work, you are dismissed—”
“Pardon my intrusion, may I have a moment?”
Osborne was about to dismiss the NCO when a man saw an opportunity to interject. He wore a robe that looked like it had been dyed by the darkness of the night, and a hood covered his head. In a word, he looked incredibly suspicious. He was just in the later half of his thirties, but had the look of someone in his sixties. His face under the hood was abnormally thin, but his eyes were bright.
He was Chancellor Dalmes, who was here on inspection duty on behalf of the Emperor..
Paris heard Dalmes used to be part of the a.n.a.lysis Division which was a dead end career. However, he rose through the ranks with incredible speed in the last few years. In the prosperous Arsbelt Empire which had risen to great heights, he held the post of chancellor, only second to the Emperor.
The popular view was that the Emperor trust Dalmes deeply, and his position as Chancellor was unshakable. There were even rumours that Dalmes advice was the reason behind the Emperor"s declaration of conquering the entire continent. Dalmes seldom speaks, and was thus called the silent Chancellor.
“… Lord Chancellor, is there something troubling you?”
Osborne probed. Dalmes shrugged with a suspicious smile.
“No no, it"s not a big deal. I"m just curious about the black sword that was mentioned… About that sword, can you describe it in further details?”
Dalmes asked the NCO. Surprised by the sudden question, the NCO"s eyes started to waver.
“Relax, just explain whatever you know.”
Dalmes said in a soothing tone. Under the candlelight in the room, the cold sweat on the NCO was clear and prominent. It couldn"t be helped that he was so nervous, since it was rare for the Imperial Chancellor to ask an NCO a question directly. However, the NCO"s tardiness in responding broke Paris" patience.
“How long do you want to make the Lord Chancellor wait? Hurry up and answer!”
“— No, no Sir. I-I don"t know! I only know that the sword is black!”
The NCO finally answered, and Dalmes smiled when he heard that.
“I see. I understand now, you may leave.”
“Yes Sir! E-Excuse me!”
The NCO saluted, and left the room quickly. Dalmes used this chance to stand up from his chair.
“I will take my leave then. Please don"t hesitate to contact me if you need anything.”
“It"s getting late, thank you for honoring us with your visit.”
“You are too kind.”
Paris lowered his head and Dalmes waved his hand gently. He then smoothed out the crease on his robes, and left the room calmly. For some reason, Osborne was watching Dalmes leave the room with a pale face.
“Your Excellency, what"s wrong? You don"t look well.”
“…………”
“Your Excellency!”
Paris reached out and shook Osborne"s shoulder, and finally got his attention.
“You have recovered. What happened?”
“N-No, it"s nothing, don"t mind me.”
Osborne replied with a forced smile.
“I see. Very well… Oh about that monster—— that girl, if it"s true, the spies I dispatched out will definitely report to us about her.”
“Erm, y-yes. We have to tighten the castle"s security for now.”
“Of course. I have to take care of matters with regards to Captain Samuel, please excuse me.”
When Paris" footsteps grew distant, Osborne rests his head on the table. He felt a chill rise up his spine, and his heart was racing.
He took out a cigar with trembling hands, and lit it after several tries. After blowing out a deep drag, Osborne thought back on the scene he saw earlier.
—— That nightmarish scene.
(Paris didn"t seem to notice… What was that? Chancellor Dalmes"s shadow was squirming like a living being…)
Ⅲ
Olivia who beat off the Imperial Soldiers at Canaria road walked on the road towards the capital with a spring in her steps. People who pa.s.sed her by from time to time all gasped in surprise. It was only natural for them to react this way, since Olivia was covered in blood. Normally, people would ask the girl what happened when they saw her like this. And a few pa.s.serbys did think about asking her.
But in the end, no one spoke to Olivia. They averted their gazes to avoid any trouble, and quietly gave way to her. The reason was simple. They all saw the bloodstained sword on Olivia"s waist.
—— There was another reason.
“How long until I reach the capital~.”
Olivia was oblivious to the gazes of other pedestrians, and looked at the other end of the rope on her shoulder— which was a large hemp bag. The bottom of the bag was now dark red.
(Hmm~.It"s not heavy, but this is quite a ha.s.sle.)
She thought about throwing the hemp bag away. If she tossed it into the gra.s.s, feral beasts will happily take over. Without any baggages, Olivia would be able to use 《Fleet Footed Rush》. It took a heavy toll on her body so she couldn"t use it too much, but it would allow Olivia to reach the capital faster.
However, Olivia immediately dismiss it and shook her head. “I can"t.” She remembered Z"s teachings.
“Do you remember that a long time ago, I told you that humans are a combative and cruel race?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“Very good. An example would be the tendency of humans hunting the heads of their enemies.”
“Why? Does human head taste good?”
“No. Unless they had no other choice, humans won"t cannibalize their own kind.”
“I see. Then why do they do that?”
“One of the reasons is to prove their ‘martial prowess".”
“‘Martial prowess"…? I don"t understand.”
“Well… Simply put, it"s a way to show off their strength.”
“… Humans will hunt the heads of their own kind for such a silly reason?”
“That"s right? Aren"t they cruel?”
“Hmm~. What other reasons might there be?”
“If they cut off the head of the enemy, their allies will be happy. Depending on the situation, there might be rewards.”
“Rewards? Is it delicious food? Or maybe books?”
“Regarding that, I"m not too sure…”
(Humans likes to receive the heads of their enemies. Z told me that. In that sense, getting attacked by the Imperial Soldiers is a stroke of good luck. I don"t like human heads, but the people from the Kingdom will definitely be happy if I gave them these heads. They will then let me join the army.)
The gleeful Olivia clenched her fist with a smile, started dragging the rope on her shoulders along as she walked forth with renewed determination.
After veering off the Canaria road, she reached a green plain on a high plateau. There was no trace of humans in the vicinity, and in their place were small critters peering at her from the bushes. They were probably drawn in by the blood stench. They all fled with one look from Olivia.
(They ran. I"m not hungry, or thinking about eating them…)
Olivia thought as she continued forth with light steps. After pa.s.sing through a field of flowers, she walked down a gentle slope and reached the bank of a wide river. After filling her canteen, Olivia followed the river downstream, and saw a huge fort. It had several walls, and was a firm stronghold.
“Wow! It"s big!”
Olivia thought it was much bigger than the Gate to the Underworld. At the top of the fort was a huge red flag fluttering in the wind. Olivia looked carefully, and saw a gold and a silver lion supporting a silver from both sides.
“Silver cup, gold lion and silver lion…”
Olivia felt the coat of arms was familiar, and thought about it.
“Hmm~… I got it! That"s the banner of the Kingdom! So that"s a fort of the Royal Army, huh…”
Satisfied with her memory, Olivia looked at her hemp bag. She could smell a rotten stench.
(What should I do. Will it last until I make it to the capital?)
Olivia cast her gaze towards the fort, then crossed her arms in deep thought.
“—— Okay, I have decided! Before I head to the capital, I will give these to the fort as a souvenir. They won"t be able to tell these are the heads of Imperial Soldiers if they rot.”
Olivia nodded to herself, and started walking towards the fort in a great mood. The sun was at its peak, and at this pace, she should reach before dusk.
Ⅳ
Royal Army, southern war theatre Base Camp, Fort Gallia
After the fall of Fort Kiel in the central war theatre, a large amount of money was urgently invested into the expansion of Fort Gallia. It could garrison a hundred thousand soldiers, and was the largest fort in the Kingdom.
Inside Fort Gallia"s commander office was Lieutenant General Paul, a man in his 60s. He was seated at a desk made of ebony, and was the commander of the Seventh Army and its 40,000 soldiers.
Paul leaned heavily in his leather chair as he listened to the report from his adjutant.
“An urgent report came from the capital this morning. His Majesty had decided to dispatch the First Army garrisoned in the capital to recover Fort Kiel.”
“Sigh. If His Majesty made this wise decision one year earlier, the war would have turned out differently. Now that the Empire had us completely surrounded, there was no strategic value in making this move. And even if they sent the elite of the Royal military, the First Army, the chance of success is small…”
Paul sighed, took out a cigar from his chest pocket and lit it. It was now a luxury item even high ranking officers had trouble getting. Paul took out another one and placed it on his desk, but his adjutant turned him down with a gentle wave.
His Adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Otto, was like a friend to Paul, having worked with him for 20 years. He was talented, but his personality was too rigid.
“The will of His Majesty isn"t something a mere mortal like me can decipher. Speaking of which, His Majesty has a message for Your Excellency.”
“A message, huh… Let"s hear it.”
“Yes Sir. Lieutenant General Paul is to garrison the fort and defend it to the last. End of message.”
“Fufu. Don"t look so bitter. If Fort Gallia falls, that will be the end of the Kingdom. His Majesty understands that too, and had to make it clear.”
Paul comforted Otto who looked vexed. Otto cleared his throat and replied:
“No matter what, our duty is to defend this fort. That aside, Your Excellency, do you know a man named Samuel in the Imperial Army?”
“Samuel? Hmm, that sounds familiar… Right, I remember now. He is the man who cut down Major General Lance of the Fifth Army.”
Just 27 years old, Major General Lance was a rising star known for his wits and fighting prowess.
However, he was defeated by Samuel and died in the intense Battle of Arschmitz. His body was crucified, and left to rot beneath Fort Kiel for three days and three nights.
Days later, the Fifth Army led by Lieutenant General Belma was wiped out in battle.
“It is as you say. That Samuel died in battle recently.”
“Oh~! An exploit by a brave warrior from our army? Which unit is that warrior from?”
“Well, actually…”
At this point, Otto"s eyes started wavering.
“You brought this topic up yourself, so why are you hesitating? It"s fine, just speak your mind.”
“My apologies. The truth is, Samuel wasn"t slain by our soldier, but a traveling girl.”
“—— I think I"m hearing things because of my age. Can you please say that again?”
Paul dug his ears, and the unfazed Otto repeated himself.
“Samuel was slain by a girl who was traveling.”
“I see. So Otto can crack jokes too. There is no telling when a storm will brew…”
Paul looked out the windows, and dark clouds had covered the sky that was still clear moments earlier. But he didn"t seem to be referring to the weather.
“Your Excellency, unfortunately, that wasn"t a joke. Days ago, that girl brought the heads of more than ten Imperial Soldiers to us, including that of Samuel.”
—— A few days earlier.
Otto was working in his office, when the guards at the door gave an urgent report, saying that a girl had brought in the heads of a large number of Imperial Soldiers. It was a girl covered in blood. By her feet was a bloodstained bag.
He checked the contents, and found it full of heads wearing the helmets of the Empire. He asked the girl what happened, and she replied that she got attacked by Imperial Soldiers when she pa.s.sed by Canaria road, so she killed them. That was already shocking, but a bigger surprise awaits.
After checking the heads, Otto found one belonging to Samuel.
“Is it really Samuel"s head?”
“There is no doubt it belongs to Samuel of the ‘Violent Thrust".”
“… This is unbelievable.”
If it was a boy instead of a girl, he could still believe it. After all, heroes were men who displayed extraordinary battle prowess from a young age.
Paul took a deep drag of his cigar, and slowly exhaled.
“I wouldn"t have believed it if I didn"t see it for myself.”
“So, what"s her goal for bringing those things to the fort? She wants the bounty?”
That was a reasonable goal. No one hates money. After Paul asked that question with that in mind, Otto shook his head.
“No. She wants to use this accomplishment to become a soldier in the capital. She came across this fort on her way there, so she decided to gift us the heads before they rot away.”
“Haha, how bold. And she wants to join us under such circ.u.mstances, this is unfathomable… You have been calling her a girl, just how old is she?”
“When I asked her, she said 15.”
The unexpected answer almost made Paul drop his cigar. That was his granddaughter"s age. From the perspective of the world, she was barely an adult. To Paul she was just a child.
Paul looked at Otto in disbelief, but Otto just shook his head quietly, and that the answer would be the same no matter how many times he was asked.
“Hah… Then, where is the girl now?”
“She should be in the mess. By the way, considering her merit of presenting the enemies head when she enlisted, I gave her the rank of Warrant Officer.”
The cigar fell for real this time.
Paul ignored the cigar and glared at Otto, but Otto wasn"t fazed. This was too much, so Paul admonished him directly:
“Adjutant Otto. No matter how shorthanded we are, you have gone too far.”
“Is that so?”
Even so, Otto"s face remained unchanged. This was why the men called him the iron mask.
“It is. Killing Samuel is a great accomplishment, if she was a soldier, she would be bestowed with the medal of the ‘Silver Lion". But regrettably, she wasn"t enlisted back then. But enlisting a girl who didn"t reach the minimum age… This is off putting not just as a soldier, but also as a normal person.”
“Pardon me Your Excellency, but we can"t spare the effort on such trivialities. Be it a girl or an old lady, if she can kill Imperial Soldiers, then I will make full use of her. I do understand your concerns— If there is nothing else, I have business to attend to, and take my leave.”
Otto saluted smartly, then left the Commander"s office. Paul picked up his dropped cigar, and put it back in his mouth slowly.
(It is as Otto says, we can"t take things easy. But to send a girl to war just because of her martial prowess, that"s unbecoming for an adult… How shameless.)
Paul sighed deeply, and the smoke he exhaled hung in the air.