Record of Wortenia War: Volume 3

by Ryota Hori

  The shout echoed through the small wooden cabin. The only people usually permitted entrance to this place were the five elders who decided the goings-on of the Igasaki clan. Even with Sakuya being Genou’s granddaughter, she was still a mere lower-ranking ninja and wasn’t permitted to be here.

  But she was involved with this incident, and thus her presence here was required. She would have to report on what happened, if nothing else. And still, angry shouts bore down on her one after another.

  “To start with, you...”

  Sakuya wanted nothing more than for them to quiet down and give her a chance to explain herself. Unable to watch Sakuya’s plight any longer, another elder who had been observing the conversation parted her lips to speak.

  “Now, now, Ryusai. No need to raise your voice. Sakuya was merely abiding by Genou’s orders, as any lower-ranking ninja should. Accusing her over that would be unjust.”

  It was an old woman clad in a reddish-brown garment, her face wrought with wrinkles and her white hair tied in the back.

  “It is just as Ume says...” another old woman sitting next to her nodded. “And I doubt Genou would act the way he did on a whim. Should we not hear his reason first, Jinnai?”

  With that said, the old woman looked around, her thread-like eyes shining sharply. Scrutinized by that glare, the old man who had shouted at Sakuya sat back down in annoyance.

  The women who placated the shouting old men were the two female elders, Ume and Sae. Along with Genou and the other two men, Ryusai and Jinnai, they formed the elder council.

  Unsatisfied as the two men were, they were mediated by fellow elders. Both Ryusai, who had raised his voice, and Jinnai, who blamed Sakuya, had no choice but to restrain themselves. Still, this wasn’t to say Sae and Ume blindly sided with Genou.

  “And still, Genou, Ryusai’s and Jinnai’s outrage is justified...” Ume said, directing a sharp glance in Genou’s direction. “We expect a convincing explanation.”

  “That we do.” Sae also looked in Genou’s direction. “Surely you didn’t act out of some manner of whim.”

  They were simply neutral and wanted to avoid not listening to the circumstances out of blind emotion; they certainly weren’t tacitly consenting to Genou’s actions.

  But even in the face of the cold gazes directed his way, Genou parted his lips calmly.

  “That man may be the one the first generation was looking for... At least, from what I’ve felt of him, it’s quite possible.”

  The air froze over at those words.

  “Genou... Is that...”

  “It cannot be...”

  The elders’ expression turned surprised.

  “Are you sure, Genou...?”

  “If that is true, we... No good! We must quickly go and greet him!” Ryusai said, and was met with a nod from Jinnai.

  Sakuya could hardly contain her shock as she watched the normally calm members of the council react with dismay.

  “Wait! I said it is just a possibility.”

  ““But—!””

  Ryusai and Jinnai’s voices overlapped as they spoke out against Genou’s attempt to restrain them.

  Their attitude was the opposite of how it had been earlier. But both Ryusai and Jinnai realized the grave importance of what Genou said.

  “Enough!” Genou raised his voice.

  “Just restrain yourselves, Genou merely brought it up as a possibility... Though we won’t deny we feel the same way as you two...” Ume turned her face to Genou, trying to placate the argument that broke out. “You have no doubt that he is of Hinomoto, like the ones of the first generation?”

  “His eyes and hair are black just like ours, and his skin is yellow. And he called Sakuya ‘Japanese’... There is no mistaking that he is a man of Hinomoto.”

  “I see, so there’s no problem with his bloodline...” Sae whispered softly. “The rest depends on his nature and heart... Though I suppose it’s not something we can conclude so quickly.”

  “Ume, Sae, don’t you think we should meet that person as soon as possible after all? It would be too late if anything should happen.”

  “Ryusai speaks the truth. He is currently in the midst of war with Duke Gelhart. Even if we give up on our contract, the duke might simply hire another assassin. What if something were to happen? Our chance to accomplish the clan’s goal would become all the more remote.”

  Ryusai and Jinnai were both the proactive type. By contrast, the two women, Sae and Ume, were more cautious.

  “Oh, we have no need to hurry. If he is the one the first generation sought, he will surely survive by his own strength.”

  “Truly... We’ve already waited for five hundred years... We can introduce him to the clan once we’ve confirmed his nature...”

  With three of the five elders advocating a cautious approach, Ryusai and Jinnai couldn’t object any further.

  “For now, Sakuya and I will return to his side. I doubt it would take much time for his worth to become evident. What say you we use his war with Duke Gelhart to ascertain his prowess, my friends? Will you lend me your aid this time?”

  Genou looked around.

  “If you say so, Genou, I have no objection.”

  “I agree with Ume.”

  Since Ume and Sae were in agreement, the matter was all but decided. But Jinnai parted his lips to speak again.

  “If you are that confident in his abilities that you have seen, I suppose that it is fine. But will you and Sakuya be alright on your own? We could send the rest of the clan’s younglings.”

  “I concur with Jinnai. There’s no telling what might happen on the battlefield! Better to have safety in numbers, don’t you agree, Genou?”

  Ryusai and Jinnai held no grudge against Genou. The two proposed the idea entirely out of concern for Ryoma’s well-being, and it was because he knew this that Genou didn’t coldly refuse their words.

  “No... Considering the situation, he would have no reason to trust us. Bringing the younglings along without his knowledge and approval would be foolish. And since it is all still in the realm of possibility, letting the younglings know of him would be premature.”

  “Fair points,” Ume gave a light nod. “If we bring such large numbers to him, he would surely become cautious of us.”

  “Aye, it is as Ume says. First, we must allow Genou to serve him loyally, so he gradually learns to trust us.”

  “That sounds reasonable...” Jinnai nodded deeply at her words, turning his gaze to Ryusai. “What say you, Ryusai?”

  With that much said, Ryusai couldn’t object much longer.

  “I was a bit short-tempered, it seems.” Ryusai scratched his head with a wry smile. “Hearing the man the first generation hoped for may finally be upon us seems to have made me flare up somewhat.”

  “We cannot fault you for it.” Genou regarded him with a calm smile. “Our clan’s most ardent wish may be on the cusp of being realized, after all.”

  At that moment, someone knocked on the door to their hut.

  “Who is it?! We are in the middle of an important discussion right now!”

  Jinnai swiftly rose to his feet and opened the door.

  “It is you, Kojirou...” Jinnai’s expression changed when he saw the middle-aged man before him gasping for air. “Why so pale?”

  “There is urgent news I must relay to you...”

  It must have been quite important, Jinnai thought as he brought his ears to Kojirou’s lips.

  “Yes... Mmm, mmm... What?!” Jinnai exclaimed. “The Divine Sword has hummed?!”

  Raising one’s voice like that was unacceptable for a ninja, but no one present could find in themselves to chastise Jinnai for it. They could all simply feel the heavy silence bearing down on them as they struggled to process what Jinnai had just said.

  It had been several days since Genou Igasaki spoke to the elder council.

  Ryoma stood in his tent at the center of the camp, his heart absolutely mesmerized by the katana Genou had given
him. It was no famous blade, but swords that had gained any kind of fame mostly owed that fame not so much to their quality, but rather to the person who wielded the blade, or to the history given to it.

  For instance, the Dojigiri Yasutsuna, one of the blades celebrated as the Five Greatest Swords Under the Heavens, was known for the legend of how Watanabe no Tsuna, a warrior of the Minamoto clan, used it to sever an Oni’s hand. Dubious authenticity of the tale aside, famous swords tend to have such legends attached to them.

  But unfortunately, the katana in Ryoma’s hands had no such history. In that regard, it couldn’t be called a famous or excellent sword. But even if Ryoma did have that kind of sword in hand to start with, he’d be too awestruck to use it.

  It doesn’t have much in terms of artistic value, but it’s certainly the best kind of weapon I could hope to find.

  It was about 70 cm in length. The katana was of the typical variant used in normal combat, curved along the center of the blade. Since it was meant to be used on the battlefield, its guard and grip were entirely unadorned, in what was called Satsuma workmanship, and the blade was about twice as thick as an ordinary blade.

  The rivets on the grip of a katana were usually bamboo, but this one used steel that would not bend easily. The grip, normally constructed to prevent it slipping out of the hand due to sweat, wasn’t coated with silk, but rather with some kind of animal leather. In terms of devotion to practicality, it was no work of art, but more akin to a blade designed for manslaughter.

  “Master Ryoma... Are you sure you can trust them?” Laura asked her master in a concerned, timid manner, as he eyed the sword adoringly.

  She honestly couldn’t recall many times she’d seen Ryoma in this much of a good mood. She didn’t want to ask anything too contrary of him, but on the other hand, Ryoma was acting so unlike himself that she couldn’t help but do so.

  “Huh...? Oh, you mean Genou?” Ryoma said, drawing the sword in his hands.

  He was seated on a carpet spread over the ground, swinging the sword upward.

  “What do you think? Isn’t this glint just beautiful?”

  Without answering Laura’s question, Ryoma eyed the light shining off the blade.

  “Master Ryoma!”

  “What? Are you that worried about them?” Ryoma asked, wincing at Laura’s angry rebuke.

  “Yes... You do remember they were assassins who came for your life, yes? There’s no telling whether they might double cross you...”

  This was a possibility Ryoma had considered, of course. There was no reason to believe what Genou Igasaki and his granddaughter said. But even with that obvious doubt pointed out, Ryoma simply smiled with composure.

  “That’s been obvious from the get-go. I was going to let them go free from the start, at least for the moment... But I guess things did go a bit off schedule.”

  “Be serious about this! Is it not that sword which occupies your full attention?!” Her eyes glared at the katana Genou had presented to Ryoma.

  “Well, I suppose you got me there. It’s not exactly inconsequential,” Ryoma admitted unapologetically.

  He probably knew there was no point in trying to pretend otherwise.

  “But in their defense, they did come back by the appointed time.”

  Laura couldn’t argue back much more than she already had at that response. After all, of all the leading forces, Ryoma was alone in his belief that Genou would return.

  On that night, Genou and Sakuya said they wanted to leave the camp so they could report the situation to their clan, and Ryoma allowed it. Laura and Sara were vehemently against it, as were Lione and Boltz, but Ryoma didn’t lend their apprehensions any concern.

  Ryoma couldn’t tell if Genou truly intended to serve him at the time, but he also thought that the one thing they wouldn’t do was just up and disappear somewhere. They wouldn’t flee if they gave up on the assassination, and if they didn’t give up on it, they had all the more reason to stay by their target’s side.

  “That much is true, but...” Laura responded to Ryoma’s words with dissatisfaction.

  And that dissatisfaction was understandable. The Malfist sisters had now spent six months at Ryoma’s side, and their loyalty to him was all the more rigid for it, but that didn’t mean their obedience to him was blind.

  The two certainly thought and acted of their own wills; while they respected Ryoma, and certainly wouldn’t do anything to harm him, they would actively warn and remonstrate with him. Ryoma Mikoshiba was a strong and wise man, but they both knew he was no invincible hero.

  I don’t care if he despises or shuns us for it... Our role is to point out whenever he overlooks something.

  That was the role the sisters imposed on themselves, and Ryoma understood this very well. That was why he trusted them.

  “Well, your concerns are definitely valid and understandable. I don’t trust them very much either. You two are the only subordinates I have absolute trust in... You know that, right?”

  Laura nodded. The twins both realized this wasn’t a situation where they could view their position optimistically. It was in this regard that gaining more subordinates he could use couldn’t be seen as a mistake.

  “That said, however... You say you can’t trust the soldiers, but does the same not hold true for them as well?”

  The soldiers Princess Lupis lent him and the assassins dispatched to assassinate her master were all untrustworthy. But from Laura’s perspective, the knights were the more dependable party in this situation. Sara was of similar mind, though she was currently away, showing Sakuya and Genou around the camp.

  While neither group was trustworthy, the knights would at least refrain from harming Ryoma unless they were ordered to by the princess. Ryoma, however seemed to suspect the opposite, thinking Genou was more worthy of trust than the knights were.

  “They are, but... Laura, you’re misunderstanding something... Well, never mind. I’ll just make this into your homework, so once you figure out what I mean, tell me.”

  “Homework...?”

  “Yeah, think about it with Sara and Lione... Oh, but not Boltz. He’d understand what I mean.”

  Ryoma had recently taken to saying things like this, as if to teach Laura and Sara how to think more independently. He only had a few dependable subordinates, so he chose to make each individual one stronger.

  Trying to understand the reasons behind Ryoma’s actions would not only teach them how to think, it would also allow them to understand his nature as a person better, thus killing two birds with one stone.

  Boltz, however, had lifelong experience that granted him such wisdom. He was a commander on the field, and thus, Ryoma couldn’t pull him back from the frontlines, but he did want to have Boltz by his side and hear his opinions; almost as much so as he relied on the twins.

  “Very well... But are you quite sure that katana isn’t the reason?” Laura glared at the sword in his hands again.

  “Sigh... Don’t you trust me? I mean... I’m not dumb enough to put my trust in someone just because they gave me a sword.” Ryoma shook his head in exasperation.

  Laura didn’t back down, however, her gaze bursting with sarcasm as she turned towards a spear propped up in the corner of Ryoma’s tent.

  “I do believe they also presented you with that spear over there, yes?”

  That spear had a shape unlike anything Ryoma saw before. Most of the spears used commonly in the western continent had straight tips, not unlike swords. Some were halberds, which had axe-like spearheads attached to them, but they weren’t the most accepted type.

  But he’d never seen a cross-shaped spear with hooks on both sides of the blade before. Inspecting it more closely, some kind of metallic tube dangled from its hilt.

  “Ah... Yeah, they did give me that cross-shaped spear, but, uh... Seriously, just because they gave me stuff doesn’t mean I trust them. Honest.”

  Laura only barely managed to hold back a smile over how Ryoma’s words sounded like p
oor excuses. The more he pressed those claims, the less credible they sounded.

  “Well, never mind. I have no objections, as long as you’ve thought your decisions through before making them.” Laura said before bowing her head and leaving the tent.

  It seemed she had nothing more to say on the matter. At worst, even if Ryoma was fooled, the twins were prepared to defend Ryoma with their own bodies if they had to.

  “Is she mad or something?” Ryoma, left alone in the tent, muttered to himself.

  He’d only realized it recently, but Laura and Sara were vaguely similar to his cousin, Asuka. Or rather, they were exactly the same as her when the time came to make a statement against him.

  “Well, no big deal, I guess... I can’t deny that this is a pretty sweet gift...”

  Ryoma understood that the sword Genou presented him with was more impressive than he’d ever imagined. The blade was thicker than standard, and the length was suited for fighting on the battlefield.

  But the sweetest part of the deal wasn’t the gift itself, but the fact that Genou promised to handle the everyday maintenance of the katana. Ryoma could have handled it, but he didn’t have the means to fix any nicks in the blade or keep it whetted. In particular, the latter required the aid of an expert.

  A sword used in real combat would suffer regular chips and nicks, with the blood of its victims sticking to the blade and dulling it over time. The hilt itself was covered in yarn to prevent slips in the hand, but spatters of blood could very well seep into the yarn and cause it to decay.

  The sword wasn’t made to be an object of art, and so it didn’t have any coat of arms or any signs of unique craftsmanship. Its appearance was, in all honesty, trivial, but one couldn’t take a sword bereft of its edge to the battlefield.

  With that in mind, a sword that one couldn’t properly maintain wasn’t a truly viable weapon. But Genou had resolved that problem, and Ryoma couldn’t help but feel grateful for it.