Outer Ragna: Volume 2

by Kasugamaru

  And here I am, in such a blessed land, not going to work... I would if I could, to be honest. All I’m doing is playing video games from sunup to sunset. What do I have to be afraid of? I’m not going to die; no one’s out to murder me. I have no struggles. My life’s not even comparable to the ones inside my monitor.

  “Potatoes, eh? An excellent taste. I’ll boil a whole bunch of them during our next break. It’s just like setting up a bath. Oh! Look that way, Lady Kuroi.” Beyond the rows of cavalry and foot soldiers is a group of people, not blocking our progress but still unmissable. “They’re citizens that were forced to evacuate their once-peaceful homes.”

  An old man in a tattered cloak; an old lady with a cloth over her head; a man pulling his belongings on a large two-wheeled wagon; a woman carrying a baby; a pregnant woman thickly clad in clothes; injured men, carried on the backs of others; muddy children holding their siblings’ hands.

  “As you can see, it’s not just one or two places that have been affected. They must have come from the west. The vampires really had their way with them...”

  Tens, no, hundreds of people, young and old, male and female, with only the clothes on their backs. I’ve seen and experienced this before; this is the look of people who have been through a disaster. They’ve lost their normal lives, but their expressions say they’re still fighting to survive. DDR gets too real with its details sometimes, man.

  “Lord Willow and I shall go speak with them. Lady Ange, please prepare some supplies to share. Son Peine, prepare a guard force from our foot soldiers. Odysson, give them a little show,” orders the fat priest.

  “And me? What can I do?” Sira pipes up.

  “Go get the rabbits, then. Make sure they’re exquisitely fluffy.”

  The hot knight and black-hearted priest head out towards them. Y’know, this event seems like it’s calling to me. See? It’s my time to shine. I don’t even have to get off my horse and a group comes, surrounding me and offering prayers.

  “G-Great Apostle, please accept our humble gift. It is our best product.”

  “Mm.”

  “Oh! Why, she’s eating it raw! Such a blessing!”

  Hm, the Devil God’s faith points are shooting up. Up, up, up! Our limited provisions are going down, down, down, though. The biggest requirement in a relief operation is, of course, food. I see some people handing out blankets, too.

  And so, led by a group of ten soldiers, the evacuees head north—probably to the fort. We have a lot of food there. I hear there’s even more food stored in the mountains.

  How many more similar events will we go through before arriving at the palace? Lots of in-game time has passed since we left the fort. We’ve been charting a direct path, but even so we haven’t even made it halfway yet. Unlike last time, we’re not making a superhuman drive. Instead, we’re going at a steady pace with plenty of breaks each day.

  Huh, my system seems to be performing well today. Time to turn on high-speed mode. If I don’t actively use it, I could spend untold hours on marching. This isn’t a game about traveling, man.

  Mmh, that vegetable juice hit the spot. Maybe I’ll check the news for a change of pace. Whoa, another bad day for planet Earth. Terrorism, refugees, poverty, starvation, civil war, environmental destruction, a financial crisis... and that atomic submarine is still missing. As usual, the headlines are dominated by American stories. Isn’t that weird? Why are all the top stories on an international news site from the same country?

  Every now and again, I’m reminded of how odd the internet is. Every bit of information is at our fingertips, so why doesn’t any of it feel real? The super AI’s perfect service has really made so much of our modern lives more convenient. I like to believe that I think and care about international affairs, but nothing moves my heart. Honestly, DDR seems way more realistic... Oh, dear. My system’s acting weird again. Time to switch to observation mode. We’ve got a lot of marching left to do.

  Huh, another event. The rows of soldiers part to make way for a man in ancient armor. He looks very heroic.

  “Hare of Flame, I thank thee for granting me this audience. I am Donte, a warrior from Green Hills. My fellow warriors and I come bringing every vassal available to us. We ask that you allow us the honor of fighting at the very edge of your great army, O Great Savior.”

  The man kneels and offers up his equally ancient sword. It’s nicely polished, but contains no special qualities or bonuses to speak of. Hm, the item description says it’s a family heirloom. Kuroi, still on horseback, takes the sword and strokes it—it disappears. Gone to her vault, I guess. So she can increase her stores that way, huh?

  “Ohh... That the pride of my house would be welcomed as God’s strength... Ohh...!”

  The man backs up, and my army’s numbers increase by thirty cavalry and a hundred and fifty soldiers. How many events like this have I seen? I’m gaining more soldiers this way than I’m losing them to refugee assistance, so my army is steadily increasing. Its numbers doubled from ten to twenty thousand strong. Total faith points are also still rising.

  See? Here come some more. This time they’re waving a very colorful banner from a different area. Their army seems to be made up of half soldiers, half support units. Today I learned that units carrying supplies are very rare.

  Strategy gamers will insist that war is all about numbers and supplies. War, huh? The casualties they read out on the news always felt like they were nothing special, like the traffic accident report bulletin at the local police station. Although, of course, it is a bit humbling to see. In contrast, this is... There are no unnamed characters in DDR, and the game is high quality, so their deaths are more shocking. I remember every enemy and ally’s face. There’s no way to redo things, either.

  I’m also pretty attached to this playthrough. It’s so nice to see Kuroi leading all these familiar faces that she met at the Frontier; they’re all working so hard. There’s the soldiers that have followed me since the beginning; the ones that joined us at the fort; and the various groups that joined us in our march towards the palace. You can feel how unique all of them are. I even wish that there were no battle events in this game. Maybe they should make it more suitable for a younger audience and go with sports duels or something instead? Then I could still play as Kuroi, and no one would have to die. It’s a game. Just a game. So why is my heart pounding so hard?

  Hm? My intercom just rang. Who could that be? ...Yes, I’ll be right there. Sigh, a delivery?

  Uh, what the hell is this?! Hello?! Something crazy just happened. It’s honestly mindblowing, but as a gamer I’m overjoyed. I’m so excited! A VR machine just got sent to me! Then again, I am a gamer, so I already have one... However, this thing’s got way better specs. It’s the latest and greatest model, with the price tag of an import luxury car. I’ve seen one at work, so I’m sure I’m not mistaken, but... Wow, I’m even afraid to take off the plastic.

  So... what does this mean? Was it Santa Claus? Although, to be honest, I don’t really need this at the moment. I’m exclusively focused on DDR, after all. VR isn’t suitable for long play sessions, either.

  Oh! There’s also a message card. What’s it say... Oh, God, not this again. And since it’s physical, this time I can’t copy and paste it into a translation site. Come on, these weird Romanian letters don’t show up when I type normally on my keyboard!

  63 Bewilderment at the Pentagon / The Acolyte Leaves, Shouldering Hope

  As I get closer to the palace, God’s presence gets stronger.

  Is this because of humanity’s prayers? Or is it because our enemy is fierce?

  -****, the Dragon God II-

  The smell of dust and silicone oil. Ozone stings at the back of my nose, eating away at it.

  Why does the air in the strategy room corner a person so much? The only source of color in the middle of this bland tranquility is a print out of the elven flag, the Ewlogond Republic’s banner. It’s white, to represent air; and blue, to represent water. It r
eminds me of the sky.

  I pour a cup of water from the pitcher. It’s clear and dull. I take a sip, merely to maintain my water intake, and it stings my parched throat... Whoa! Shoot! It tips, but by some miracle of centrifugal force or surface tension, I manage not to spill any. I almost ruined our electronics. If our mission failed because of me spilling some water, I’d never be able to live it down.

  Phew... Gotta focus. On the monitor is a view of the parallel world. The flow of time there is uncertain. The scene on display is the continent’s central field. It’s like viewing the hustle and bustle of the street from a high rise; I cannot smell even the slightest stench from the elven army. They’re so far away, they almost look like a pattern.

  Damn the Air Force. How am I supposed to learn anything from this high up? The readings on the submonitor tell me way more. The super AI is quite competent.

  The situation seems decent; our battle lines are stable. It’s not a bad idea to simply wait out the vampires’ aggression like this. Their attacks used to be so fierce that we’d been forced into continuous battles day and night, but recently they’ve been quite passive. It’s a sign that, despite their numbers, their morale is dwindling. Now, if only a storm would bring some heavy wind and rain, we could wipe them out... No, it’s dangerous to leave things to chance.

  Imagine the worst-case scenario. Prepare yourself to make the best choices against the strongest opponent. They could be waiting until the time is ripe to unleash a second offensive. Absolute did say to be extremely careful. Overconfidence is our greatest enemy; we must be completely prepared at all times. If the situation is unnatural, that should set off alarm bells.

  Besides, an extended battle is not even possible. The vampires’ creed is to be extremely aggressive in battle. However, losing Golden could have caused them to switch to some clever scheme in order to recover. That was the main thing we agreed to be on guard for during the strategy meeting.

  In other words, a side attack from the southern corner of the battlefield will be the key to their second strike. This is unconfirmed, but I suspect it will be the force of thirty thousand led by Thunderstorm. If this is true, then Ten Thousand Bells’ defensive properties combined with Deep Sea’s suppression abilities should allow us to defeat Thunderstorm with relative efficiency. Once that’s done, the balance of power should tip greatly in our favor; we will be able to invade the vampire lands with impunity.

  Right now, the problem is the information I’ve received concerning the subhuman lands. I shouldn’t bother myself with things that are happening on the fringes of this war, but I can’t get over how strange this is. Apparently, Crumbling Mountain invaded them from the southwest and marched on the subhuman capital. The vampires might be sturdy marchers, but it’s still a crazy ask. Even the elves, with their flying units, would have a difficult time breaching that mountain range.

  And then there’s the news that a unique unit might have spawned amidst the subhumans... With the power of fire, of all things. This cannot be allowed. Someone calling themself the Devil God went through the crazy trouble of interfering in a parallel world in order to gain this power... this is truly the work of evil. Of all the things that no one must not be allowed to possess, the power of fire is top on the list.

  Fire—in many mythologies, it’s the beginning of culture. A great, holy power. It’s even at the base of our culture, in various forms. The evil power of lightning was controlled by the vampires, and yet somehow we managed to gain control of the power of water, but already an unprecedented great sin begins to move. The world is in danger.

  If the subhumans have the power of fire... they would be capable of violence on the scale of the nuclearized Asian countries. If it’s true, we must seize it at once before the vampires get their hands on it.

  Yes. Yes, that’s how it should be. It will be easy to wipe out the subhumans, and with the power of fire, the elves will be able to smoothly take over the vampire territory. A good strategy, if I do say so myself. It seems roundabout, but it’s extremely efficient. I’ll bring it up right away at the next meeting.

  Gotta note this down on my phone... Hm? A message? What could it be? I’m busy communicating with the parallel world; the slightest disturbance could invite an irreversible disaster.

  The sender is that Air Force first lieutenant. For a cyber officer, he sure lacks common sense...

  Wh-what?! It’s possible the subhuman god is a Japanese citizen?! What... What the hell?!

  -Acolyte Hikurina I-

  “Is everything ready, Acolyte Hikurina?”

  “Yes...”

  “Oh, you don’t look so good. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to put this burden on you.”

  When I think of what that burden is, I can hardly look them in the face. It takes everything I have to respond. Before me is a carriage drawn by four horses. It’s been given every sort of reinforcement possible, and looks like a sort of portable fort. The wheels are specially made, as well. A separate carriage was prepared just to carry the spares.

  “You will have a mix of cavalry and foot soldiers as your guard. I realize it is meager considering the importance of your mission, but you’ll have to make do.” He sighs, grumbling about having to give away too many soldiers in order to evacuate the estate. What am I supposed to say to that?

  Lord Nazarus, heir to House Willow. Over his armor he wears a white robe, and on his sword belt is inscribed his last will. His neck is covered in pure white powder, while his lips are colored a light crimson... he’s dressed like he’ll never come back alive. His smart looks add a cold sharpness to his fighting spirit.

  “The road north is rough, but you should pass the worst of it after ten days. At that point, you shouldn’t have to worry about anyone following you. The only thing left will be to be utterly certain you don’t lose your cargo. If your horses die, carry it by hand. It’ll be like you’re parading around an enshrined deity.”

  What’s that smile for? Why does he grin? And so cheerfully, too. He’s protected us this far on our way to the fort, but now he’s turning back towards the palace, isn’t he? To rendezvous with his father, the head of House Willow, and their army... to intercept the vampires.

  Nevertheless, the plan was never to win, was it? Only to tie. Their army is a motley crew of older officers, warriors who desire vengeance, knights wishing to clear their besmirched names, death-crazed mercenaries, wounded soldiers who can’t survive a long journey, sinners, and broke adventurers. They mean to use the estate as bait, so they can eliminate the incoming vampire army. They’ll light it all ablaze, I’m certain. The fifty cavalry going with Nazarus are dressed just like him: for battle and death. Their empty eyes silently reflect the state of the world.

  “Heh... Don’t look so distressed. It would not be good for my honor to make a beautiful woman cry.”

  “I-I...!”

  “I’ve reveled in sin for long enough. I’ve done things unworthy of my house, from dawn till dusk, and covered myself in the mud of human desire. Even so, I was at least decent in my treatment of women and children. Can’t bring shame to my mother, can I?”

  So he wants me to stop crying? What a selfish request. This man and his compatriots no longer look towards the future. They gaze at the past, and are satisfied. They’ve accepted their deaths. Putting on airs, I call it, to die bravely and with a smile. Exactly what sort of expression am I supposed to make when I watch them throw their lives away, then?

  “Reinforcements! Request reinforcements from the Apostle’s army! If you send your swiftest messenger now, surely... Perhaps not the Apostle herself, but some of her warriors that are capable of their new fire magic spells...”

  “Don’t make me laugh. It would be strategic folly to split up one’s main army for a simple diversion. There is also your cargo to consider. It would be the height of stupidity to move the final battlefield or, heaven forbid, split it.”

  “Even so! Even if it is foolish! It could save lives!”

  “T
his way will save the most lives. Think of those who are yet to be born. Sacrifice a few to save the whole.”

  “No... There must be another way!”

  “Listen to me: this diversion also serves the purpose of purging the chains and rot of the previous generation. The king’s sister’s crazed actions have forced our hand.”

  “But why? Why... Huh?”

  Is he... stroking my head?

  “It is a difficult thing, I’m sure, to be a warrior of the Church. One must be gentle, yet strong... forced to cry many more times than allowed to smile.”

  He’s so cruel. He’s smiling again, isn’t he? Quietly and peacefully, though he goes to his death.

  “You’re kind too,” I say.

  “No, I’m not. I’ve pushed the burden of surviving at all costs onto my brothers, for their deaths would mean the end of everything. They will probably hate me for being so unreasonable.”

  “I doubt your brothers will accept this.”

  “Agias will. He’s a natural military man; he will see no other way. Origis will make a fuss, I’m sure, but Marius will be there to calm him down. He takes after our mother, that one.”

  It’s no use. No matter what I say, I can’t reach his heart, I can’t stop their battle. The tears come, one after another with no end in sight. I do, however, manage to at least keep from sobbing.

  “Acolyte Hikurina, don’t be mistaken. It is you all who are the unfortunate ones.”

  Unfortunate. Life, death—this world is filled with misfortune. One can grit their teeth and work desperately, only to see those most precious to them die the next minute. Such is the world we live in.

  “Yes, the palace will most likely burn. Me, my father, the archbishop, even the king—we will all turn to ash, no exceptions. But there is a seed of hope—the nation’s demise will be a pillow that provides the most tranquil sleep.” His eyes close slightly as he looks somewhere far away. Sighing deeply, his next words spill out. “There can be no greater end for the exhausted than this.”