The Champion's Return

by Hyougetsu

  I ordered my werewolves to remain on standby, then went in alone. There was a fire burning in the hearth, and numerous candles lit up the room. It really did seem like Lord Bolshevik had been expecting me. He was reclining alone on the sofa in the back of the room.

  “It’s been a while, Lord Veight. I had to rush preparations a little, so please forgive me if the hospitality is not to your liking.”

  I couldn’t sense any hostility from him, but he did look awfully haggard. I’d been expecting a few traps or a surprise attack at the very last, so I was kind of amazed he didn’t try anything. Still a little wary, I walked over and sat down on the sofa across from him.

  “I’m glad you seem to be in good health, Lord Bolshevik.”

  “I’ve been stripped of my title, so I’m no lord anymore. From what I understand, my brother inherited my position, so you can just call me Shallier.”

  “Shallier it is, then. I assume you know why I’m here?”

  “But of course,” Shallier replied with a smile. That smile unnerved me a little, but I kept my tone professional.

  “Procedure dictates that I should take you in for questioning, but...”

  I didn’t want to piss off the demons working for Shallier, so I decided to change my plans a little.

  “I’ve decided I’d like to hear your story first before deciding what to do with you. Would you be willing to share?”

  Shallier gave me a surprised look. “Are you sure about this?”

  “I am.”

  Had he wanted to run, he could have escaped while I was duking it out with Volka and her clan. Part of the reason I wanted to hear him out was because he hadn’t, but it wasn’t the main reason.

  “Your hideout is protected by werewolves, vampires, and humans,” I said with an exaggerated sigh. “The primary goal of the demon army that I serve is to create a world where humans and demons can live in harmony. You may be a threat to Rolmund, and perhaps even to Meraldia, but as a member of the demon army, what I see is potential.”

  For a moment Shallier looked taken aback, but then he chuckled. “I may have enlisted the help of demons, but I’m afraid I only did so to protect my own skin. I wasn’t chasing after any lofty ideals like you.”

  “But the fact remains that you are living together with werewolves and vampires.”

  It was obvious they weren’t his slaves either. They were trying to protect him of their own free will.

  “You’ve managed to earn the trust of demons, and that in turn has earned my respect,” I said. “I need to at least show you some courtesy, or the Demon Lord will be quite cross with me.”

  “Will he really?”

  “Oh yes, the Demon Lord is quite adamant about things like this.”

  To be honest, I wasn’t sure what Master would say if I let Shallier get executed, but I was at least certain she wouldn’t be mad if I decided to help him. Realizing that I was serious, Shallier smiled sadly and leaned back into the sofa.

  “Very well. Thank you for your mercy. So...where should I begin?”

  I already knew what I wanted to ask Shallier first.

  “Shallier, did you lose on purpose in order to manipulate me?”

  Because of my connection to the Sonnenlicht Church, the Sternenfeuer believers in Shallier’s old lands wouldn’t be hunted down. Plus the entire territory would be under Eleora’s management. There was no need to worry that they might get persecuted. If Shallier’s goal had just been to secure the safety of his religious followers, then he’d succeeded splendidly. Shallier scrutinized my expression for a few minutes, then shook his head with the same sad smile.

  “No, I wouldn’t say that I lost on purpose. It’s a bit of a long story, though. Are you sure you want to hear it?”

  “That’s fine. The night’s still young.”

  I leaned back into the sofa as well, making myself comfortable.

  Shallier grabbed a bottle of alcohol off a nearby shelf and poured us both a glass. It looked like one of the strong red whiskeys that North Rolmund was famous for.

  “My family, the Bolshevik family, initially started expanding its influence because my ancestors believed they needed wealth and status to protect the Sternenfeuer believers of this region,” he muttered as he swirled the contents of his glass.

  According to him, the Bolshevik family became big right around the time the war between the Sonnenlicht and Sternenfeuer was coming to a close. The Sonnenlicht Order was much more organized, and they’d been able to convert far more people than the Sternenfeuer adherents, so Sternenfeuer was at a disadvantage.

  “The priests of the Sternenfeuer religion were all too busy pursuing the path of enlightenment to go out and proselytize.”

  But as a result, the Sternenfeuer religion began to decline. Shallier didn’t know whether the first Lord Bolshevik had been Sternenfeuer to begin with or if he’d been converted from Sonnenlicht. But either way, he pretended to be a Sonnenlicht believer in public. Eventually the Sonnenlicht Order won the war, and the old Rolmund Republic became the Rolmund Empire. During the transition, the first Lord Bolshevik sheltered the remaining followers of Sternenfeuer.

  “Then finally, things reached my generation,” Shallier’s smile went from sad to bitter as he talked. “But to be honest, I lacked confidence. I didn’t think I was capable of protecting the Sternenfeuer believers in my lands until the next generation took over.”

  “You, of all people, weren’t confident?”

  I couldn’t believe a master schemer like him had struggled with self-doubt. Shallier’s smile grew even more bitter.

  “No one was willing to follow me. I suppose I couldn’t blame them. I did betray the Doneiks family which had aided us for so long.”

  “If you knew your betrayal would lose the trust of your closest allies, why did you do it?”

  “It was the only option left to me...” Shallier shrugged his shoulders. It seemed that while he was smart, he wasn’t very good at planning ahead. He gulped down the contents of his glass and said, “My, or rather the Bolshevik family’s mission is to make sure the teachings of Sternenfeuer don’t die out. After wracking my brain for days, I was able to come up with only one possible way to ensure they endured.”

  “And that method was usurping the throne?”

  “Yes.”

  I can’t tell if you’re super cautious or super reckless. I picked up my own glass of whiskey and shook it a little.

  “Why did you have to go so far? Wouldn’t staying under Eleora’s protection have been enough?”

  “Princess Eleora may have a lot of influence with the Sonnenlicht Order now, but when I first made these plans it was Dillier and the Schwerin family who had the most power over the church.”

  Come to think of it, I only tried to make connections with the Sonnenlicht Order because he put all this in motion. Shallier poured himself another glass of whiskey and smirked at me.

  “I knew that if a Sternenfeuer believer like me started acting suspicious, you would be certain to make contact with the Sonnenlicht Order. Your diplomatic prowess was my greatest weapon. I knew you were capable of turning anyone into an ally by offering the right terms.”

  Just like how I did with Woroy and Ryuunie, huh?

  “So you figured the terms I’d bring to the Sonnenlicht Order would help Sternenfeuer out too?” I asked.

  “Yes. I knew you’d want to bring the remaining Sternenfeuer believers on my lands over to Eleora’s side, and I was confident you’d find a way to make that happen.”

  Damn, he saw right through me.

  “Of course, it was possible you might fail too,” Shallier said, the bitterness leaving his smile. “Which was why my backup plan was taking over the empire. I was serious about that coup.”

  “I take it your plan was to remove Ashley and have Dillier become empress?”

  “Indeed. Making her empress was my greatest and my only chance to expand Sternenfeuer’s influence beyond what the Sonnenlicht Order could control. Thou
gh...” Shallier gave me a troubled look. “I don’t think I’d be able to make Sternenfeuer the official religion of the empire, even with a Sternenfeuer empress. Had my coup succeeded, we’d have a religious war on our hands.”

  “Indeed.”

  I’d been a bit of a history buff back in my old life, so I could easily imagine what kind of result Shallier’s coup would have brought about. Unless someone with exceptional leadership skills stepped up, Rolmund would have been stuck in a long, painful civil war. However, the Sternenfeuer believers working for Shallier probably hadn’t known that. For better or worse, Shallier and I were the only people who knew what would have happened if his coup had succeeded.

  “Naturally, if I took into account the fact that you might fail to convince the church, I had to take into account the possibility that my coup might fail too. I had to make sure that no matter what happened, the Sternenfeuer religion would live on.”

  “So you used me?”

  Well, not that I mind all that much. Shallier just smiled quietly at me so I smiled back and lifted my glass in a toast. He mimicked the gesture and said, “I knew from the start that the Sternenfeuer sect doesn’t have the numbers to eliminate the Sonnenlicht Order in a war. But now, the other Sternenfeuer believers have been forced to accept that as well. I needed them to see that, or they would never allow themselves to be ruled by a Sonnenlicht noble.”

  “Still, that was one risky gamble you took.”

  “Oh, I know. Though I’d like to think I managed the odds pretty well. Of course, not well enough to win against you.”

  Shallier seemed oddly at ease, as if admitting defeat had taken a weight off his shoulders.

  “Now the remaining Sternenfeuer believers won’t attempt any more revolts, and Eleora and the Sonnenlicht Order will guarantee their safety.” He looked me in the eyes, his smile growing wider. “Since the official story is that I deceived Dillier and am solely to blame for the coup, I’ll be the only one to be executed. And with that, everything will be settled.”

  “So that’s why you didn’t run?”

  My meeting with Dillier had taught me that Sternenfeuer believers weren’t allowed to commit suicide. So Shallier had manipulated events in such a way that I’d be the architect of his demise. He replied, “I never once wanted to inherit the title of Lord Bolshevik, protector of the heretics. That responsibility was too great for me. But I couldn’t afford to just abandon it either.”

  Shallier sighed in relief.

  “Once the coup ended, I went into hiding so I could keep an eye on the situation and make sure things didn’t take a turn for the worse. Now I know there’s no need to worry. Sternenfeuer will fare just fine without me. I’ve done my duty; now I can rest.”

  I thought about everything he’d told me for a few seconds, then replied, “I realize it’s a bit late to be asking this, and maybe it doesn’t matter anymore, but was there really no other way?”

  “True, there might have been other solutions. But I wanted to see if the light of the stars could eclipse the sun, even if only for a moment.”

  Shallier’s smile was triumphant. He didn’t look like the failed ringleader of a coup, but rather a victor who’d achieved everything he set out to do. This guy really is something.

  Suddenly Shallier’s smile vanished and he asked, “By the way, where is Dillier now? I no longer have the means to investigate her whereabouts.”

  “Why do you care? She isn’t of any use to you anymore, right?”

  I purposely phrased my question as callously as possible, and Shallier frowned.

  “Don’t tell me you thought I approached her solely because I wanted to use her?”

  “Am I wrong?”

  Shallier idly swirled his glass around, his expression sorrowful.

  “Had she succeeded in usurping the throne, I would have been spending the rest of my life with her. I may be a schemer, but even I wouldn’t ask a woman I didn’t like to marry me.”

  “So you truly loved her?”

  “Yes. I was quite enamored by her determination to fight her fate, no matter how perilous a road that might be. Besides, she is quite beautiful.”

  You’ve got some weird tastes, man. Sighing, I got to my feet.

  “Princess Dillier is currently being confined in Creech Castle. She’s being held on the top floor of the castle’s northwest tower. I doubt her life is in danger, but I also doubt she will ever be released.”

  “I see...thank you very much. Wait, are you leaving, Lord Veight?”

  I turned my back to Shallier and said, “I have just now carried out the execution of Duke Shallier Bolshevik. As my business here is done, I shall be taking my leave.”

  Shallier got to his feet in surprise. “You’re letting me go!? Wouldn’t that be betraying Princess Eleora?”

  “I serve not Eleora, but the Demon Lord. And as the Demon Lord’s Vice-Commander, I will not kill a man who has earned the trust of demons.”

  If the werewolves and the vampires living here liked Shallier, that made him an ally of demons. No way I could kill someone like that. Though I would need some concessions from him.

  “Eleora will definitely protect the demons living in Rolmund. So I would like you to convince them to swear fealty to her. That’s my condition for letting you live.”

  “Honestly, I’d prefer it if they did that too...”

  If Eleora could get the support of Rolmund’s werewolves and vampires, her power would grow exponentially. Demons made for perfect spies, as well as perfect bodyguards. As far as official records were concerned, Shallier died here. So if sparing him would bring the demons over to Eleora’s side, that was a small price to pay.

  “Are you certain you want to do this?” Shallier stared intently at me.

  “Positive. Even if by some chance I misjudged you and you’re planning another coup, it doesn’t matter. If I didn’t think Eleora was capable of handling anything you throw at her, she wouldn’t deserve the throne anyway.”

  I had absolute faith in Eleora. As she was now, I had no doubt she could handle an attempted coup by a disgraced former Duke no problem. Shallier gave me an exasperated smile.

  “You truly are a strange man. Who are you, really?”

  “Just an ordinary vice-commander.”

  With this, Duke Shallier Bolshevik had disappeared from the world. Never again would he appear on the political stage. My work in Rolmund was finally done. I hope I can make it back in time.

  As I strode out of the parlor, I suddenly noticed the door across from it had a nameplate that read “Viscount Schmevinsky.” That’s the same Count of Slaughter I beat in a duel all those months back, isn’t it? I knocked on the door, then opened it when I got no reply. As expected, the room was empty. In fact, it looked like it had never been used.

  “What’s up, boss?”

  “Is there something special about this room?”

  Monza and Jerrick peered over my shoulders to see what I was looking at. Without turning back, I explained, “This is where one of the guys I beat in a duel is supposedly staying. Though in reality he’s been dead for months.”

  “Aha, I see. Man, that’s funny.”

  It is? Lord Doneiks, the man responsible for killing Schmevinsky, was dead too. That meant that no one alive knew that Viscount Schmevinsky was really dead. History books would probably say that he died much later due to natural causes or maybe disease. As I stared at the empty room, it suddenly struck me how strange the whole situation was. Just then, I heard someone else approaching. With Jerrick’s chin still resting on my shoulder, I muttered, “Don’t try to sneak up on me like that. You’ll put my guards on edge.”

  Two figures stepped out of the shadows of a nearby pillar. They were the young vampires who’d been dressed as butlers. Like werewolves, vampires were demons that fed on humans, so they were skilled at sneaking up on people. Of course, they couldn’t deceive a werewolf’s nose. One of the vampires bowed slightly to me.

  “Thank you for
showing Shallier mercy.”

  “We’re part of Meraldia’s demon army. Our goal is to create a country for demons to live in. In that sense, Shallier is our ally. There’s no need to thank me.”

  Besides, I was partly doing this to bring Rolmund’s demons over onto Eleora’s side. Though of course I wasn’t gonna say that. The other vampire glared provocatively at me and said, “Just so you know, if Lord Bolshevik had ordered us to, we would have sucked the blood of every noble we could get our hands on and turned them all into vampires before starting another revolt. So if you ever go back on your word...”

  “Stop it, Thuka.”

  “But Thura...”

  The vampire known as Thura shook his head and the one called Thuka reluctantly backed off. Thura turned back to me and bowed once more.

  “Please forgive my brother. He’s just devoted to Lord Bolshevik.”

  “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” I smiled and waved my hand dismissively. “I can tell Rolmund’s demons owe the Bolshevik family a great deal. As someone whose home was saved by the demon army, I can understand your feelings.”

  Unlike in Meraldia, the human presence in Rolmund was overwhelming. The Bolshevik family must have gone to great lengths to protect these vampires and their families. I could see why they were so loyal to Shallier. The question was, how could I use that loyalty to turn them into allies?

  I tried to come up with some good ideas as I walked through the villa. The moment I strode out the front door, I saw there were 200 men and women of all ages gathered outside. Volka was standing at their head. It seemed this was all of the werewolves and vampires living in the forest. My werewolves filed out behind me and I declared, “This villa and the surrounding hunting grounds now belong to Princess Eleora. You will all henceforth be under her jurisdiction. But fear not, she will protect you just as the Bolshevik family has done.”

  The demons of Rolmund remained silent, but I could tell they were unhappy. So I smiled reassuringly and said, “I understand that you all owe the Bolshevik family a great debt. However, Shallier Bolshevik is now a wanted man. In order to protect him, I will make it so that officially, he was executed by me.”