Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash: Volume 2

by Ao Jyumonji

  I need to calm down, thought Haruhiro. I don’t want to start a fight.

  Haruhiro sighed. “—You’re working in a group. There needs to be... what’s it called... a willingness to cooperate? We need that.”

  “And you’re saying I lack it?”

  “Do you think you have it?”

  “I don’t.”

  “So, you don’t...”

  “Hey, we’ve all got our strengths and weaknesses. If I’ve got weaknesses, what about the rest of you? You don’t have any? I’m the only bad one, and you’re all a bunch of saints?” Ranta demanded.

  “...No, that’s not true,” Haruhiro hesitated.

  “What’s my weakness?” Ranta asked. “That I’m selfish?”

  “And loud and annoying?” Haruhiro added.

  “Shut up, scumbag.”

  “You’re foul-mouthed. Also, you’re quick to blame others.”

  “Not everything can be entirely my fault. It’s a joint responsibility, a joint responsibility. That’s what it means to be in a party, you know.”

  “You’re always making pointless arguments like that,” Haruhiro objected.

  “It’s not a pointless argument, it’s a perfectly valid one!”

  “If I keep on listing your faults, we’ll be here all night,” Haruhiro said.

  “Then how about you, huh, Haruhiro? What are your faults?” Ranta snapped.

  “I’m...” Haruhiro went quiet.

  —Faults.

  My own faults.

  It’s not that nothing comes to mind. I’ve got them. In fact, it’s harder to think of my strengths.

  “Why should I have to talk about that in front of you?” Haruhiro said finally.

  “You’re always bringing up my faults, but when it comes to yourself, you’re gonna go quiet, huh? Yeah, I figured you would. That’s how you people operate.”

  “How... we people operate?”

  “Am I wrong?” Ranta demanded. “I’m an easy target, so you all attack me, and what comes of it? You get to build some sense of unity? You’re all banding together, you know that.”

  “No, we aren’t really.”

  “Can you deny it? You can’t, can you?”

  “...It’s not like we’re all conspiring to attack you.”

  “Yeah, you don’t have to conspire to do it. It’s an unspoken agreement, isn’t it? Basically, I’m your scapegoat for everything.”

  “I’m telling you, you’ve got a persecution complex.”

  “Do you seriously think that?” Ranta smirked sarcastically. “Well, it must be nice being you guys. Thanks to me, you’re able to turn a blind eye to each other’s faults. But, have I ever complained about that? I only said it now because you brought it up, Haruhiro. If you hadn’t, I had no intention of ever bringing it up myself. I’m not interested in trying to be buddy-buddy with the rest of you. I couldn’t stand playing at being friends like that. That’s why, if you guys want to hate me, well, hate away. I’ll gladly play the antagonist for you, or any other role you want. It doesn’t bother me: we’re a party, after all. I’ll play my role. That’s what it means to work in a group, doesn’t it?”

  Haruhiro tried to say something in response, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t find the words.

  Haruhiro had been trying to tell Ranta to please, get out of our party. That it was for the good of the party. Honestly, he hadn’t been confident he could say it without hesitating. If he hadn’t been able to say it, he’d wanted to at least talk things over. If you don’t fix your bad tendencies, we can’t work together anymore. That was what he had been thinking.

  Had Haruhiro been too one-sided about things? Were Haruhiro and the others using Ranta as a scapegoat, like Ranta said?

  I don’t think so, he thought.

  There were things about Ranta that deserved criticism. It was Ranta’s own fault that everyone blamed him.

  —We’re not wrong. Ranta’s wrong.

  If that was the case, shouldn’t he cut Ranta loose after all? It’d surely make him feel better. He could explain to everyone later. His comrades would probably support Haruhiro’s decision.

  He couldn’t say for certain he wouldn’t regret it, though. When the time came, the one to regret it most would probably be Haruhiro. Because, as the one who had thought about it, come to a decision, and cut Ranta loose, Haruhiro would be carrying the heaviest burden.

  —Why should it be me?

  Why only me?

  “I’m going to sleep.” Ranta stood up and went into the lodging house.

  Haruhiro couldn’t move from that spot.

  There’s a heavy weight in my stomach. I’m sick of this, I think. I don’t want to deal with it anymore. I don’t want to think. I’m just not suited for it. It’s too much. Being a leader. I can’t take responsibility. Help me, Manato. Yeah, I know. I can’t turn to Manato for help with this anymore.

  “...It’s so lonely,” Haruhiro said out loud.

  I shouldn’t have become the leader.

  I don’t have the capacity for it.

  6. Even If It’s a Detour

  You know, humans sure are mysterious, Haruhiro thought.

  Even after all that agonizing, to the point that everything seemed like too much effort, and to the point that he’d have been happier if tomorrow just never came, after he went to sleep and woke up he felt a little refreshed.

  Ranta didn’t seem any different than usual, so for now, things were the same as ever.

  There was only one thing to do. Today, they would go to the Cyrene Mines again. And if they were going, they had to make a good profit from it.

  With that in mind, Haruhiro and the party dove into the Cyrene Mines, putting down lesser kobolds and low workers without any real risk as they steadily proceeded to the second level. They had turned back at the second level yesterday, so today their goal was the third level.

  Haruhiro felt they weren’t used to the kobolds enough yet, but compared to the day before, he could follow their movements and predict them, as well.

  This seems pretty workable...? he thought. Although that sort of optimistic outlook could easily lead to a nasty fall.

  The well came into sight. Beside it, there was a kobold. No.

  “That’s—a kobold...?”

  Because he had spotted what looked like an enemy in the distance, Haruhiro had everyone hold up while he went ahead to scout, and what he saw made him doubt his eyes.

  It’s huge.

  Could that be an elder? But—normal kobolds are about 150 cm tall, and elders are around 170, I’ve heard. Is that difference enough? Isn’t that one even taller? The really big one is dragging around three smaller kobolds with it, but the big one’s one or two sizes bigger than the smaller ones.

  Even those small ones, though, I feel like they’re taller than the normal kobolds. They’ve got armor that looks like it’s got high defensive power, they’re wearing helmets, and they’re carrying swords and round shields. If that guy’s two sizes larger than them, is he two meters tall?

  —Hold on, that guy’s...

  “White and black...” Haruhiro murmured to himself. There was something white mixed in with its black fur, giving it a spotted appearance.

  My heart just skipped a beat. Oh, crap. It doesn’t seem to have noticed me yet, though. If it notices me, I’m in serious trouble. It’s scary. Way too scary. What’s with that sword it has? It’s probably a meter or two long. It’s thick. Like a massive carving knife. If it gets a good hit in with that, it’d probably cut me clean in two. That weapon looks damn heavy, but it’s carrying it like it’s light. What monstrous strength.

  Merry’s party fought that thing? They were crazy, Haruhiro thought, despite himself. Yeah, they’d die. Of course they’d die.

  There was no comparing it to the armored goblin and hobgoblin that had been such formidable enemies for Haruhiro and his party. It was a completely different sort of thing. It was clearly powerful and dangerous.

  Haruhiro turned back t
o where the others were. He couldn’t see his own face, but the expression on it must have been terrible.

  “...It was Death Spots.”

  “Huh...?” Shihoru was at a loss or words.

  “Muh!” burst out Moguzo. It seemed he was, too.

  Hold on, what does “muh” mean, anyway? What’s “muh”?

  Perhaps Merry had anticipated this to some degree. She furrowed her brow, just giving a slight nod.

  “It’s Red Splotch, huh,” Yume whispered.

  “You mean Death Spots...” Haruhiro dutifully corrected her, which helped him to calm down a little. Haruhiro looked to Ranta.

  “We’ve gotta do it,” Ranta said, laughing. He probably thought he had a dauntless grin on his face, but he just looked like a moron.

  Well, I knew he’d say that, Haruhiro thought.

  “Okay. Fine, Ranta, go take him on alone. Do your best.”

  “...So that’s how it’s gonna be, huh? You’ve got no blood or tears, do you, pal?”

  “Yeah, say whatever you want. So? What’ll it be? You gonna go? Or not? Which is it? Choose fast.”

  “Looks like I’ve got no choice.” Ranta rubbed the tip of his chin with his thumb. “I’ll save it for next time. Though it just means Death Spots dies a little later, that’s all.”

  “Yeah, yeah, good for you.”

  “You ought to say that to Death Spots. Because it’s the one that had its life spared.”

  “You go tell it that yourself. I’ve got better things to do,” Haruhiro retorted.

  Haruhiro tried not to banter with Ranta any more after that. It seemed even Yume, who’d always been ready to tell off Ranta up until yesterday, had gotten completely sick of it, too. Haruhiro noticed only he and Ranta were talking, which almost made it seem like they got along.

  I really don’t like that, he thought as they headed for a different well. There were five wells that went down to the third level from the second level, so it wasn’t much of an inconvenience.

  At this well, there was no sign of any person—no, any kobold—around. Haruhiro tried peeking into the well, but there didn’t seem to be anything down below, either. Though, that said, there was a limit to how much he could see from above.

  “I’ll go down first,” he told the party. “If there’s no trouble, I’ll call, so come down.”

  “What’ll you do if there’s trouble?” Yume asked, blinking.

  “Yeah... In that case, I’ll call, so come save me.”

  Yume grinned. “Sure thing.”

  That’s kind of soothing. Haruhiro returned Yume’s smile. “Well, I’m off, then.”

  There were rope ladders going down the well. The ropes looked old, but they didn’t seem like they’d break under a person’s weight.

  Even if he wasn’t much of one, Haruhiro was still a thief, so he slid down one of the rope ladders quickly. When he reached the third level and turned around, there were kobolds there.

  “Oh, hello there,” he said.

  “Grrrrrrr...”

  “—Wait, this isn’t the time to be saying hello!” Haruhiro leapt back as one of the kobolds came at him.

  This kobold’s big! Not as big as Death Spots, though. An elder, huh?

  This was an elder. It was wearing chain mail and armed with a single-edged sword. There was one elder and two normal kobolds. The two normal ones were dressed like the elder, as well.

  “B-Below! Here! Enemies! Whoa! Help...!” Haruhiro’s speech ended up fragmented.

  Haruhiro ran around trying to get away from the elder and normal kobolds. However, he couldn’t leave the bottom of the well. Until his comrades came down, he had to stay here.

  But there were three of them. If it had been one, he might have been fine, but racing against three opponents was pretty hard on him. Wherever he ran, there was a kobold. If he turned around, there was a kobold. If he leapt to the side, there was a kobold. Kobold, kobold, kobold. It was like a kobold festival.

  “Urkh...!”

  Haruhiro tried to slip past the elder’s blade, but he took a deep cut to his cheek. He couldn’t really feel the pain, but knowing he’d been hit frightened Haruhiro.

  I can’t tell the enemies’ positions, if my comrades are coming, anything. If I see a kobold, I run. That’s all I can do. Not moving away from the bottom of the well isn’t going to be possible. I don’t have that kind of leeway. There’s no way I do.

  “Take that!” Ranta’s voice bellowed.

  Have I ever been so glad to hear Ranta’s voice? I don’t think so. No, I definitely have not.

  Ranta came straight down and, even though he probably shouldn’t have, he attacked the elder.

  This is Ranta we’re talking about, so I doubt there’s any deep thought behind it. Probably it was the closest when he came down, and it was the biggest, so it caught his eye first, or something like that. The reason he was the first to come help probably wasn’t that he wanted to save a comrade who’s in a pinch and acted immediately because of that, either. He’s fundamentally thoughtless, but that lets him act on the spur of the moment. It’s a weakness that’s also a strength—I guess...?

  “Urgh!” Moguzo grunted.

  “Haru-kun...!” Yume shouted.

  “Ohm, rel, ect, vel, darsh...!” Shihoru chanted.

  “Haru!” And Merry appeared.

  One after another they came down, and soon, Haruhiro had regained his composure. At first, Ranta had been keeping the elder busy, but now he had swapped out with Moguzo. Ranta and Yume took one each, Kobold A and Kobold B.

  “Haru, are you injured...?!” Merry asked.

  Haruhiro softly rubbed his cheek. There was a jolt of pain, but so long as he didn’t touch it, it was fine. “I’m fine! It can wait!”

  Haruhiro went to support Yume, taking aim at Kobold B’s back.

  At the same time, I need to take stock of the situation around us.

  —I can’t imagine I have the ability or qualifications for it, but, technically, I’m the leader.

  Ranta, well, he’s doing pretty well. He uses Exhaust to retreat quickly, then looks for a chance to use Avoid, and, if he can put some distance between them, he attacks with Hatred or Anger from outside the enemy’s reach. I feel like he’s moving around too much, but maybe that’s just how a dread knight fights. Though, when Ranta does it, you can’t help but get annoyed at him for running all over the place.

  Moguzo and the elder are evenly matched, I guess. Moguzo hasn’t been able to strike a fatal blow yet, and the elder’s blade occasionally manages to hit Moguzo, but—No, that’s not it. I’m pretty sure he’s letting it hit him.

  Moguzo wears plate armor, so a light cut won’t deal any damage to him at all. It’ll scratch his armor, that’s all. The strong slashes he dodges or blocks with his bastard sword, while the weak ones he lets through to be stopped by his armor. Moguzo’s able to distinguish between them like that.

  “You’re no hobgob...!” Moguzo suddenly bellowed, stepping in closer.

  Moguzo’s bastard sword collided with the elder’s sword. Their blades locked.

  “Hungh...!” Moguzo shouted.

  Quickly, Moguzo wound his sword around his opponent’s blade, slashing at the elder’s face with Wind.

  The elder took a cut to its cheek like Haruhiro had and jumped back in a hurry. Moguzo roared and followed up with another strike. “Hungh!”

  A shiver ran down Haruhiro’s spine.

  It’s amazing how stable Moguzo is in battle. And, on top of that—it really does help that Ranta can handle one of them. He looks like he’s able to fight with more composure than yesterday, too. Is it experience?

  Because Ranta had pushed himself the day before, maybe he had found some trick or rhythm to it.

  In anything, there are things you just don’t know until you’ve tried it for yourself, Haruhiro thought. Approaching everything carefully, only doing things you’re sure you can do. If you just keep choosing the safe plan like that, you either don’t move forwa
rd, or if you do, you move slowly. For instance, if I were to act as the party’s helmsman, and everyone just did as I said, they would probably only move forward a little at a time.

  —Do we need Ranta...? I have trouble seeing it that way.

  Or is it that I don’t want to think that?

  Though, Manato probably recognized that we need Ranta. That said, it wasn’t that Manato liked Ranta all that much. If it wasn’t about liking or disliking him, did he decide based on something else? It felt like Ranta didn’t oppose Manato quite so often. And when Manato died, Ranta seemed to take it pretty hard in his own way.

  What’s different between me and Manato? What is it...?

  Well, of course, there were lots of things. Especially when it came to their abilities, there was just too great a difference.

  Manato had been able to get along with Ranta, while Haruhiro couldn’t. So what was different? Was it okay to write it off as a matter of ability, or aptitude?

  Suddenly, Haruhiro saw a line.

  It was dim, but he saw a faintly shining line.

  It connected Haruhiro’s dagger and a point on the kobold’s back. It wasn’t a straight or even a curved line. It turned and twisted.

  Somehow, he knew that he just needed to follow that line.

  He wished he could see the line all the time, but that just wasn’t how it worked. He didn’t even see it one time in a hundred. No, the odds were even lower than that.

  Whenever Haruhiro encountered an enemy, the first thing he tried to do was get behind them. Actually, it wasn’t just the first thing—he was always moving to try to get behind them.

  Then, every second—perhaps more often than that—he would ceaselessly look for that moment. If you were to count the number of times he’d done it, it was thousands, perhaps more by now.

  Because Haruhiro felt like it was all that he had. Fighting an enemy head-on was impossible for him. He’d felt that keenly after his first fights against the pit rats and the mud goblin. No matter what enemy he faced, in a straight-up, fair contest of strength, he didn’t have the power to win.

  That was why, unfair as it might be, he hit them in their backs where they were the most vulnerable.