by Ennki Hakari
Prologue
Vittelvarlay, capital of Revlon, sat in the center of the great empire, which spanned the entire northwest area of the northern continent.
In the days of the unified Revlon Empire, this massive capital had been the seat of power for the entire northern continent, and it had managed to maintain its splendor even after the country was divided in two.
Towering buildings constructed of beautifully polished stones, broken up by expansive roads and parks, sat behind the capital’s colossal wall. The city gave off a festive atmosphere, as people dressed in all manner of clothing passed through or stopped to chat with one another.
In the center of the capital sat the majestic Dyonburgh palace, which completely dwarfed the city surrounding it.
Off in a far-flung corner of the palace, several people—who, together, essentially ran the Great West Revlon Empire—were talking animatedly among themselves. At the front of the intricately decorated parliamentary chambers, Emperor Gaulba Revlon Selziofebs sat atop the throne, giving him a commanding view of the room.
The emperor’s forehead was creased with deep wrinkles below his delicately combed, soft, white hair, which matched the long beard sprouting from his chin. His eyes were sharp, intense, and piercing. Atop his head he wore a golden circlet, practically buried in precious gems—the imperial crown. Dressed in luxurious clothes and a flowing cape, the emperor sat with his chin propped on his fist, the intricately designed royal scepter by his side, making it known to all who entered the kind of power he wielded.
A sloppily dressed, though handsome, young man stood next to the displeased emperor. Five consuls sat in designated seats in front of these two. Facing them all was a room full of senatorial seats, arranged like an amphitheater. However, all fifty senators were currently standing, yelling as loudly as they could to be heard above one another.
“The number of monsters in Wetrias has increased dramatically as of late, and they’ve taken heavy losses. The town itself is practically closed off! We should send the imperial army at once. Wetrias borders the river, and while the eastern empire currently seems content to wait on the far shore, it’s only a matter of time until they cross!”
“What are you saying?! We already have a contingent of the Northern Imperial Army permanently stationed in Wetrias! They should easily be able to wipe out whatever little monsters are bothering them!”
“He speaks the truth! We’ll be the laughingstock of the east if we mobilize the Northern Imperial Army—2,000 soldiers if you count the surrounding domains—to provide support. To say nothing of the financial burden it will put on the nobility. You don’t think they’ll simply pay with a smile, do you?”
“Watch your tongue! It must be nice to stay walled off between the forests surrounding the Urat and Siana mountain ranges down south! Would now be a good time to bring up the stories I’ve heard about soldiers from the Southern Imperial Army being dispatched to slay monsters and perform other menial work?”
The senators were evidently out for themselves, each only interested in securing whatever was best for their own faction. The argument continued as the men hurled insults at one another. Since the Great West Revlon Empire was broken up into four regions, scenes like this were common, with the senators constantly jockeying for power.
The emperor glanced at the handsome man beside him as the unpleasant argument continued. Salwis du Ohst was the steward of the royal palace, charged with assisting the emperor in both public and private affairs. He rarely ever showed any emotion, save for the simple grin that permanently graced his face.
Emperor Gaulba leaned over to Salwis, whispering so the nearby consuls couldn’t hear him. “What do you make of these monsters?”
The consuls and senators were too busy arguing among themselves to pay any attention. Salwis continued to face forward as he spoke in a low voice.
“My guess is that the east finally secured the beast tamer ability our spies previously caught wind of. I’d imagine they’re planning to make their way down from Wetrias to the port of Bulgoh.”
The emperor grimaced at this.
“According to reports, ogres and giant basilisks have been sighted around Wetrias. If this is true, it’s a threat we can’t afford to ignore.”
“But the east hasn’t responded to this threat, meaning we can’t be certain they’re not the ones behind the attacks. What if they’re just trying to tie up our forces?”
The emperor shifted on his throne, his eyes never leaving the scene in front of him.
“Hmph. If the eastern brat was that simpleminded, we’d have swallowed him up long ago. Maybe they just haven’t been able to muster their full forces yet. Maybe they’re planning a surprise attack.”
“So, should we leave the defense of Wetrias up to the Northern Imperial Army?”
The Northern Imperial Army was led by Lieutenant General Minzaya du Orberoid. He was charged with defending the entire northeast region of the Great West Revlon Empire, and was currently stationed where the Aegene and Siary rivers met, forming the boundaries with the Soowin Kingdom to the north and the Holy East Revlon Empire to the east.
“No. If we do nothing and things escalate in Wetrias, we could very well be inviting Jeroyna to attack us as well. We need to avoid further driving a wedge between the north and the south.”
The emperor drummed his fingers on one of the throne’s armrests.
“However, if we leave this up to Minzaya and his aggressive posturing, he might just abandon Februent and make a mad dash to Wetrias. We can’t leave the north undefended.”
Emperor Gaulba let out a heavy sigh.
Salwis continued. “I imagine the events in Rhoden pushed the east to act now.”
The emperor’s brow furrowed at this offhand remark.
Salwis was referring to the coup d’état currently underway in Rhoden. The Holy East Revlon Empire had supported the second prince, Dakares, as the successor to the throne, while the Great West Revlon Empire was backing the first prince, Sekt. Prince Dakares had attempted to assassinate both Prince Sekt and Princess Yuriarna, another possible successor to the throne. However, they had recently received reports that Prince Sekt had managed to turn the tables on Dakares. Still, with Princess Yuriarna dead, it left Sekt as the heir apparent to the Rhoden Kingdom.
With Prince Sekt’s support, the Great West Revlon Empire planned to join forces with the Rhoden Kingdom to invade the Holy East Revlon Empire. If all went well, the two sides would once again be reunited.
But before they could act, the attacks in Wetrias had begun.
Gaulba figured that the Holy East Revlon Empire had decided now was the time to draw first blood, before Prince Sekt could take the throne and formalize his relationship with the Great West Revlon Empire.
“Without a doubt. We need to get that little Rhoden runt to hurry up and put himself in power.”
Emperor Gaulba stood, grabbing his scepter and stamping it on the ground several times. The squabbling senators immediately went quiet and turned their attention toward the emperor. He cast an angry gaze across the room.
“Quiet!” The emperor’s voice boomed throughout the chamber. “If we leave Wetrias to fend for itself, it will only be a matter of time before those insurgents to the east make their way across the river. In addition to dispatching the Northern Imperial Army to Wetrias to secure a swift victory, I will also be dispatching troops from the Southern Imperial Army, based in Tarbol.”
A wave of groans rippled through the gathered senators. An older man within the crowd raised his hand. The emperor tilted his chin, inviting the man to step forward. The man bowed briefly before speaking.
“The Ta
rbol region is frequently under attack by monsters from the Urat and Behyon mountain ranges. Excuse my insolence, but I fear that…were we to dispatch the Southern Imperial Army to Wetrias, this could have an impact on trade between the north and south.”
Several other senators nodded in agreement. The emperor stroked his beard, contemplating the situation.
“Send Lieutenant General Keeling’s army in Hartbahlk to Tarbol. The Tarbol militia will have to suffice until they arrive.”
“But that will leave Hartbahlk undefended…”
The ridiculing voices of the other senators cut the old man off.
“That region is protected by forests on either side. What is there to defend?”
Several senators laughed at this.
“Have you said your piece? If there are any other objections, let them be known now.”
The senators exchanged glances before returning to their seats. Only the old man remained standing.
Salwis looked around the room, declared the issue settled, and moved on to the next agenda item.
Chapter 1:
Travel Companions
Two figures walked west along the dark road, the sun barely cresting the horizon behind them, turning the eastern sky an almost imperceptible shade of blue.
A cool wind blowing through the Calcut mountain range to the north brought with it a dense fog, obscuring their vision of the forests and plains off in the distance, almost as if intentionally trying to send the travelers down the wrong path.
I was one of these travelers, and the woman to my left, dressed in a charcoal-gray cloak, walked jauntily through the fog. As her cloak billowed, I caught glimpses of the intricately detailed leather corset she wore underneath, providing her with protection without impeding her movement. Despite the rather complete coverage of her armor, her well-rounded figure managed to show through.
Even the briefest glance at her face made it apparent that she was not human.
Between her smooth, amethyst-colored skin, her long, snow-white hair tied back in a ponytail, her golden eyes locked straight ahead, and her long, pointy ears, her appearance was rather distinct.
She was a dark elf, a species unique to this world. She was also my boss. Her name was Ariane Glenys Maple—a resident of the Great Canada Forest and a soldier of the capital city of Maple—and she’d hired me to join her on her journey.
She wore a long sword at her waist, its hilt adorned with a lion. Her swordsmanship would put even the best-trained mercenary to the test. She was also well versed in spirit magic, a skill often mentioned in ancient tomes, though completely inaccessible to humans.
As for me, I’d woken up in this strange world, suddenly inhabiting the body of a character I’d been playing in a video game.
The wind snapped at my cloak—as dark as night, the inside glimmering like stars ripped straight out of the sky—revealing gleaming, silver armor, its intricate patterns ornamented in blue and white. It was the type of armor a knight of legend might wear. On my back I wore a large, elaborately decorated shield and a massive sword—which inspired awe in all who caught sight of it.
Most noteworthy of all, however, was the fact that inside this armor, I was nothing but a skeleton.
A bright blue flame—my soul—flickered deep within my skull, where my eyes should have been. Fortunately, I had thus far been able to avoid frightening people by staying in my armor.
Ariane was the first person I’d revealed myself to who’d accepted me for what I was. Given that I could count the people who’d seen my true form on one hand, I wasn’t in any hurry to take my helmet off in front of just anyone.
Still, despite the small number of people who knew about my predicament, I felt blessed to have found so many who had accepted me. I’d always had awful luck in games of chance, so I felt quite lucky to have ended up in another world surrounded by such great people.
Ariane turned to me with a thoughtful expression, breaking my train of thought.
“Arc, what did you think of the magic we saw that Chiyome girl perform back in the capital?”
Arc was the name of my character in the game. I continued pretending I was the avatar I’d played as in so many sessions back home. Though, I wasn’t sure “pretend” was the right word anymore. It all felt natural at this point.
The Chiyome girl Ariane spoke of had recently asked for our help in freeing her enslaved comrades from Rhoden’s capital. She belonged to a species known in this world as mountain people—or, more pejoratively, as “beastmen”—marked by their animal ears and tails.
About six hundred years ago, someone like myself had also come to this world and brought them together as the Jinshin clan, a group of ninjas who roamed across the northern continent. The mountain people, like Chiyome, and the elves, like Ariane, were commonly hunted and enslaved throughout this continent.
This alternate world seemed to be mirroring the same conflicts we had back in my own world based on skin color. Being Asian myself, I found all kinds of complexions appealing, but my worldview was probably coming from a more modern place than this world’s. Come to think of it, I used to become tanned easily, though that wasn’t the same as having naturally dark skin of course.
Realizing my mind had wandered pretty far off track, I tilted my head to the side as I tried recalling whatever important detail I seemed to have forgotten. I knew there was something I was forgetting; it was just a matter of what that something was…
I shook my head to try to refocus and turned my gaze to Ariane.
I assumed Ariane was referring to the ninjutsu techniques she had seen Chiyome use during the assault. Here in this world, where magic was commonplace, it made sense to refer to such techniques as magic.
“Is there something bothering you, Miss Ariane?”
“That thing she called ninjutsu…it’s really just spirit magic.”
I let out a gasp of surprise. “I thought only elves were able to use spirit magic. Is that not the case?”
Ariane shook her head. “Spirit magic isn’t restricted to any one species. Even humans would be able to use it if they entered into a binding compact with a spirit. But, of course, it’s incredibly difficult for humans to communicate with spirits.”
That all sounded like semantics. It amounted to the same thing in the end. But then I remembered something and hit my fist into my open palm.
“Now that you mention it, I heard that the mountain people are also able to bond with spirit creatures.”
“Spirit creature” was a general term referring to any animal that had spirit energy running through it. They were incredibly cautious and usually kept their distance from humans. Apparently, the elves and mountain people were among the few species who were easily able to bond with them.
“That’s right. However, the mountain people typically have a low affinity for magic, so even when they’re able to communicate with spirit creatures, it’s rare that they’d enter into a compact. Rare, but not unheard of. Still…”
Ariane looked off into the distance, as if recalling something that had happened back in the capital.
“It almost seemed like I was watching a spirit creature itself…”
Her golden eyes locked on Ponta, the foxlike spirit creature perched atop my head.
Ponta was sixty centimeters long, though its fluffy, almost dandelion-like tail took up over about half its length, which was why it was known as a cottontail fox. A thin membrane stretched between its front and back legs, giving it the appearance of a Japanese flying squirrel. Except for its white stomach, the rest of its body was covered in light green fur.
Ponta and I had become fast friends when I saved it from a bandit hideout.
By summoning up magical gusts of wind with its spirit abilities, Ponta could glide freely through the air. It was the kind of animal you’d read about in fantasy books.
Ponta looked back inquisitively at Ariane. “Kyii?”
Could it be that Ponta and Chiyome were both spirit creatures? I deci
ded to ask this exact question.
“What do you mean?” Ariane looked straight ahead again, as if to collect her thoughts before speaking. “Though they may seem similar, there’s a difference between the spirit magic we elves use and that used by spirit creatures. We transfer the mana within ourselves to the spirit, who turns that into magic based on our compact. Spirit creatures, however, have spirit energy within themselves. They’re able to directly convert their own mana into magic.”
“I’m still not sure I understand. Are you saying that Miss Chiyome didn’t make a compact with any sort of spirit, but is actually a spirit herself?”
“That’s correct.”
Ponta let out a deep yawn from atop my helmet.
Another question sprang to mind. “Can you and other elves see things like that?”
Ariane nodded firmly in response. “Unlike humans, elves are able to see mana. This allows us to see spirits, and probably makes it easier for us to enter into compacts with them. Do you remember what happened when we entered the Great Canada Forest?”
I assumed she was referring to when we’d visited the elven village of Lalatoya, her home. I nodded as the image of the massive forest came to mind.
“We were able to minimize the chance of encountering any sort of powerful monsters by choosing a path where there was relatively little mana. While dark elves might be superior in terms of physical strength, light elves have better sight.”
It was all starting to come together. When we’d first entered the forest, the women had cut a long, snaking path through the trees rather than heading straight to their destination. I’d thought it was an attempt to confuse me, an outsider.
“Oooh, so you weren’t just trying to keep me from memorizing the route to your village?”
Ariane made a face and slumped her shoulders as she realized what I was saying.
“Arc, you can use teleportation magic. The route wouldn’t matter.”
She was right.
I had the ability to teleport both short and long distances. So long as I could see or picture the exact location I wanted to go, the route to get there was meaningless. This power was incredibly useful to me, since I normally couldn’t navigate my way out of a paper bag.