Unification of the South

by Hyougetsu

  “Both of us were busy with work so we only got to see each other occasionally, but every time we did, all he’d talk about was work still.”

  “Hah, now that’s a riot. I don’t know anyone like that. Tell me more about this guy.”

  “With pleasure. You should tell me more about that Petore guy too.”

  “You got it, kid.”

  Looks like it’s going to be a long night.

  ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

  —Monza’s Ramblings—

  Oh, what’re you doing here, Lacy? You want the boss? He went back to the viceroy’s manor. I’m not sure, but he’s probably doing business with the pirate guy or something. Why does everyone think I always have all the answers? I don’t spend my whole life tailing people you know. Anyway, best not bother him while he’s working. You can see the entrance from here, so let’s just kick back and relax until he comes out. Ahaha, yeah, it’s a habit of mine. When we go on hunts I’m always the lookout, so I’ve just gotten used to always keeping watch. Oh, I don’t drink. Alcohol tastes like crap, and it makes you dumb.

  Our boss is a pretty interesting guy, don’t you think? It doesn’t matter how crazy something is, if he says he can do it, I get the feeling he really can. Plus, he actually does it every time he says he will. Like this fight. Everyone thought he was insane for going after that Terror of the Deep, but he really killed it. What a guy. He does all these crazy things without batting an eyelid, like it’s totally normal. But he doesn’t even boast about it. Once he’s done he just goes on to do the next crazy thing. It’s like he loves danger or something. He’s a weird one, our boss.

  Huh? Oh no, I’m pretty sure I’m not in love with him. Though, I haven’t really ever been in love with anyone so I couldn’t tell you for sure. Besides, I’m pretty sure he isn’t interested in me at all. If anything, you’re a lot closer to the boss than I am, Lacy. You’re both mages, too. Well, I guess I’m a werewolf like he is, though. Ufufu.

  If anything, I guess I kinda respect how reckless boss is. There’s no telling what he’s gonna do next, and whenever he decides on something there’s no telling how it’s gonna turn out, so I never get bored following him. Though in hindsight, he’s always succeeded. Either way, I’m looking forward to seeing where he takes us next. Wherever it is, it’ll be interesting for sure.

  Course there’s no telling when he might screw up big time and get us all killed. Honestly, it’s a miracle none of us have died yet. But I don’t mind. Because the danger’s what makes it fun. And if there ever comes a time that the boss ends up dying, that’ll be when I die too. I’m pretty sure the rest of us werewolves feel the same.

  Back when we were hiding in our tiny village, our lives were miserable. We were scared of humans, and all we could do was cower in our forest. We were all alive, but we might as well have been dead. Compared to that, our lives now are way more fulfilling. Sure, we’re flirting with death, but thanks to that we get to do amazing things like kill giant octopuses. I’m glad I chose to follow the boss. We even started getting along with humans. And we got to try seafood for the first time. I didn’t know it was this delicious.

  Oh, but I hope we don’t become friends with all the humans out there. Boss needs to leave a few bad guys for me to kill. Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I guess to you guys we’re scary, but we’re just born hunters. We can’t help but want to hunt. Don’t worry though, Lacy. You’re one of our pack now. If anything happens to you, we’ll protect you.

  Oh hey, it’s Garbert. Hm? Yeah, of course I can tell them apart. The one who looks all “Graaah” is Garbert, and the other one’s Nibert. You don’t understand? Well, don’t worry about it. They’re basically the same person anyway. Oi, Garby! What’s wrong? You’re making a weirder face than usual. Boss did what now? He ate the Terror of the Deep? Wait, you’re asking me why? How the hell would I know? Haha, he’s an incomprehensible guy alright.

  ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

  “Alright, this looks perfect.”

  I nodded to myself as I looked down at the small shrine I’d had the canines build. It was a shrine honoring the deceased Island Kraken. We’d lost two kentauros and one mermaid to the Island Kraken. While casualties had been kept to a minimum, they hadn’t been zero. For those three demons, this mission had brought an end to their lives. Furthermore, plenty of Beluzan sailors had been killed by the Kraken before we’d killed it.

  We’d created a separate memorial epitaph honoring the dead and celebrating our victory over the Island Kraken already, but I’d also wanted to make a small shrine for the monster. The Japanese part of me wanted to at least pray for every creature, even our enemies. There was also a superstitious side of me that was worried the Kraken would come back to haunt us if we didn’t honor it. Hence why I’d asked the canines to make a shrine for it. Though while I called it a shrine, it was really just a small box I could carry in my arms. I wasn’t expecting anyone to understand my beliefs anyway, so I’d had the canines design it like a shinto shrine. Though my memories of shrines were a little vague, so I wasn’t sure how accurately I’d reproduced it. As for the spiritual symbol that needed to go into each shrine, I’d used one of the harpoon’s arrowheads.

  “Lord Veight, what exactly is this?”

  The canine who’d made it for me gave me a confused look.

  “It’s a ritual to pray that the Island Kraken never comes back. I’m not that well versed in religion though, so I guess it’s more for my peace of mind than anything.”

  Alright, I’ll call this the Island Kraken Shrine. I dipped my paintbrush in black ink, and wrote on the small signboard “Island Kraken Shrine.” Rest in peace, you damn octopus. If you get reincarnated, I recommend being a werewolf next time.

  Once I was done praying, I boarded the warship Friedensrichter. The ship was back under the Beluzan navy’s command. I was no longer an admiral, but a simple passenger. Honestly, I was glad to be free of the responsibility.

  “Admiral! We’re ready to depart anytime! Are these all the men you’re bringing?”

  I’m not an admiral anymore, you know. Well, whatever. I turned to the sailors and shouted, “This is everyone! I’m only taking my werewolves and a few of my trusted men this time!”

  “Aye-aye, admiral!”

  Seriously, I’m not an admiral anymore. Since I was going to Lotz to negotiate, I’d only brought a few guards and a few other people I trusted. Specifically, I’d brought eight werewolves, Lacy, and, because I had to, Parker.

  “Am I imagining things, or are you thinking something rude about me right now?”

  I ignored Parker’s outburst.

  “By the way, Veight. Are you certain it’s wise to leave rowing to the Beluzan sailors? If you need manpower, I can summon as many undead as necessary.”

  Garsh smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Beluza’s got soldiers to spare too!”

  Lacy tilted her head quizzically.

  “But according to the Senate’s documents, Beluza’s population is only two thousand. They’ve only allotted a hundred soldiers for the city’s protection... though I can see you’ve obviously recruited more men than that.”

  As Lacy had said, Beluza’s garrison was clearly larger than 100 men. The city had grown to the point where buildings crowded the bay, and its busy streets were patrolled by burly men armed with sabers. Those men had been recruited by Garsh, and it was their job to solve disputes by force. Looking down, Parker muttered, “The city’s population appears to be more than ten thousand, and I believe its garrison numbers a few hundred.”

  Garsh’s grin grew wider.

  “Your documents aren’t wrong, lassie. Beluza’s population is two thousand. That is, of course, assuming you only count the bit on land as part of the city. We just happen to have a lot of moored ships, and some of them just happen to have buildings on them.”

  “So everyone just lives on those boats, huh?”

  Garsh shook his head smugly.

  “Not at all, kid. I’m sure they’
ll weigh anchor as soon as the wind and the tide’s right! Ya can’t blame them for waiting for the right opportunity.”

  The sailors guffawed. Even among the southern cities, Beluza’s hatred for the north was exceptional. Meraldia had purposely stunted Beluza’s growth by limiting the number of residential districts it could build, and building walls around them to stop them from expanding. However, they hadn’t been able to stop Beluza from expanding seaward. By claiming that the ships were just anchored here temporarily or in for repairs, Beluza’s viceroys had been able to build houses onto the man-made island while skirting Meraldia’s regulations. Hence why everyone pretended the ships were going to leave someday.

  “Thanks to that, we’ve gotten a bunch of immigrants coming to the city. But hey, they’re all really just passengers waiting to depart.”

  It appeared all of the southern cities had population limits forced onto them by Meraldia. The northern cities didn’t want their southern rivals growing in power. Because of that, whenever any of the other cities grew too crowded, their people immigrated to Lotz or Beluza. The Senate’s power was weaker this far south.

  “My grandpa came from Shardier, you know.”

  “Yeah, my old man’s from Ryunheit. His cousin’s still in Ryunheit’s merchant’s guild.”

  “Oh, I’m from Thuvan. I moved here a decade ago with my family.”

  Beluza’s sailors took this opportunity to introduce themselves to me. It looked like almost everyone was from somewhere else. Garsh added, “Since we take in any vagabond who comes to our gates, our city’s got a bit of a public safety issue though. We’ve got houses popping up all over too. But thanks to our increased population, the Senate’s making us maintain an army of six thousand.”

  “Six thousand!?”

  Lacy glanced around in shock.

  “That’s what they asked us to do, at least. Technically it might be a bit more than that.”

  The fact that Beluza was supposedly raising troops for Meraldia meant they hadn’t completely cut ties with the north. Though in truth, every member of the “army” was actually just a fisherman or shipwright who’d signed on to be a soldier on paper. Amazed, I shook my head.

  “You guys are scoundrels alright.”

  “We’re pirates, remember?”

  Garsh grinned and shouted to his sailors, “Alright, ya louts, it’s time to set sail! Set our course for Lotz!”

  “Aye-aye, captain!”

  The ships’ respective drummers began pounding out a rhythmical beat, and the rowers got to work.

  As we left the bay, a few mermaids swam over. After the Island Kraken operation, they had started to meet regularly with the demon army.

  “Hello there, Mister Veight, Mister Parker.”

  “Where are you two headed?”

  “If you would like, we can accompany you to your destination.”

  I saw no reason to refuse, so I gratefully accepted their proposal.

  “I was thinking of going to Lotz, while making sure that the sea route’s actually safe. If you don’t mind tagging along, I’d be grateful for the assistance.”

  “A journey like that is no problem for us. We’d be glad to.”

  Having the aquatic mermaids with us would make confirming the sea lanes’ safety much easier. With a galley this size, the trip to Lotz would take around two days. Rowing ships like these were slower than sailboats and needed to stop at regular intervals to let the rowers rest; in exchange, they could travel even when the winds weren’t in their favor. Though sailboats could too, by zigzagging through the headwind.

  “Are you certain you don’t want my undead doing the rowing instead? They can work all day and all night without rest.”

  I firmly shook my head.

  “Garsh offered to take charge of negotiations for us. The demon army is still feared in the other cities, so we have to make this look like we’re just part of his retinue.”

  “Humans sure are troublesome creatures.”

  “You used to be human yourself, you know.”

  Parker smiled sadly and shrugged his shoulders.

  “I no longer need to eat or sleep, and I have long since forgotten the sensations of pain and love. Whatever humanity I once possessed has faded away.”

  “Oh, I see...”

  It was easy to forget, but Parker’s circumstances were far from enviable. However, Parker’s frown quickly disappeared, replaced by his usual frivolous smile.

  “But thanks to that, I can come up with new ways to toy with you even as you sleep.”

  “Seriously, how many times have I told you to stop that!? Do you want me to stick oranges into your eye sockets!?”

  “Oh, that sounds like a wonderful idea. Would you mind if I used that for my next joke?”

  Do whatever you want, I don’t care anymore.

  Two days later we arrived at our destination. I could see Lotz’s harbor in the distance. Garsh folded his arms and grinned.

  “Men, prepare your landing parties!”

  A group of fierce-looking men piled out of the cabin. They were all either bald or had mohawks, and they were all equipped with large maces or battleaxes.

  “You got it, cap’n!”

  “Hahahaha, is it finally our time to shine!?”

  “I can’t wait!”

  Did these guys come from the wrong century?

  “Oi, Garsh, who the hell are those guys?”

  Garsh shrugged.

  “If you’re trying to convince that stubborn bastard Petore to do anything, ya gotta bring at least this much negotiating power.”

  “This is what you call negotiating power?”

  Seems more like brute force to me.

  “Don’t worry, just leave things to us. We owe you a debt, so the least we can do is make diplomacy easier for ya. Let’s go, boys!”

  “Woohoo!”

  “URAAAAH!”

  Is it really okay to leave things to these guys? Despite my misgivings, I decided to wait and see for now.

  As we approached Lotz’s harbor, a score of four galleys that had been moored there unfurled their sails and headed toward us. All four them bore Lotz’s official crest.

  “Tch! That damn old geezer’s eyesight’s as good as always,” Garsh cursed cheerfully and barked out commands to his men. “Listen up, you louts! Right now we’re allies of the demon army! Lotz’s troops are nothing before our new might! Slaughter anyone who gets in our way!”

  “Oi, wait.”

  But before I could say anything the situation grew even more incomprehensible. Lotz’s ships continued closing in on ours. Naval warfare in this world was mostly conducted by ships lining up next to each other while boarding parties tried to eliminate the other ship’s crew. Are those guys seriously trying to board us? Right as I thought that, I heard a yell from Lotz’s flagship.

  “Garsh, you fucking braaaat!”

  It was loud enough that I could hear it even over the waves and the wind. Undaunted, Garsh yelled back, “Shut up, you damn geezer!”

  “What was thaaat!? I can’t hear you, kid!”

  “You sure as hell can, you old fart!”

  What kind of comedy skit was this? As Lotz’s ships grew closer, I could see an old man lounging on their flagship. What little hair he had left was white, but he was surprisingly spry for his apparent age.

  “You fucking braaaaat! Beluza’s only allowed four warships! Who d’ya think you are, building one extra!?”

  “Shaddap! I ain’t listening to anything those northern fucks say anymore! You should join the demon army too, you stubborn old man!”

  “Don’t fuck with me, the demon army’s got nothing on us!”

  The two viceroys were screaming at each other. The Beluzan landing party, which looked like a bunch of delinquents from the nineties, raised their crossbows. On the other side, Lotz’s hardened sailors readied their throwing spears. Were they seriously trying to spear us to death? If this is the welcome we get, I can see why we need a bunch of sold
iers as “negotiating power.” In order not to get mixed up in their brawl, I took Lacy and the others to the back of the ship where it was safe. The viceroys were still in the middle of their shouting match.

  “Ya damn moron! I thought ya finally settled down some, but now I hear ya went and joined up with the motherfucking demon army!?”

  “Yer the one who’s gone senile, ya old mutt! I can’t believe you’ve become the Senate’s lapdog! I can’t believe they used to call you Lotz’s Great White Shark!”

  “Stop getting ahead of yerself, kid! Yer still a brat who’s wet behind the ears! Just you wait, I’ll kick you off that mast and drop ya into the sea!”

  “What’s an old man with one foot in the grave gonna do to me, huh!?”

  This could hardly be called negotiating. Fortunately, despite my exasperation, things didn’t escalate any further. No one fired any shots, and both fleets were able to peacefully enter Lotz’s harbor. Once the ships were moored, we were finally able to disembark into the city of Lotz. Seriously though, what the heck was that?

  I, Lacy, Parker, and my werewolf bodyguards followed Garsh’s party down the gangplank. He led us straight to the viceroy’s manor. While Beluza had grown famous due to its unorthodox housing methods and its leniency towards pirates, Lotz was a more traditional port city. The buildings had the same Mediterranean architecture that Beluza’s had, but this city seemed much safer. It was the kind of place you’d want to go sightseeing. The viceroy’s manor was impressive too. Judging by how ostentatious its decorations were, the city was doing well financially. We were led to the manor’s audience hall and found ourselves face to face with Petore, Lotz’s viceroy. He scrutinized us carefully, examining each face in turn. At a glance we all looked human, so his eyes shouldn’t have been able to tell who was a werewolf and who wasn’t. But when he reached my face he straightened up and said, “I am Petore Orio Fikartze, Viceroy of Lotz. I take it you’re the demon army’s representative?”