by Ryota Hori
The old man nodded.
“I know. But for now, it’s too early to say... Whatever the case, we can’t make a move yet. I’m sorry, Yulia.”
The old man then rose from his seat and embraced Yulia, who remained silent. It was a strong embrace full of silence, like that of a parent trying to calm a crying child.
♱
“Everything’s gone as planned so far.” Ryoma said.
Everyone seated around the table nodded firmly in affirmation, with indomitable, savage smiles on their lips.
A territory of their own. A kingdom of their own. And aside from the craving and aspiration for this wish, they were full of absolute confidence that they had successfully braved this dangerous region.
They’d entered the peninsula and were attacked by monsters dozens of times. Even a hunter that assertively pursues their prey rarely encounters their mark within a day. Compared to that, the rate with which they encountered the monsters was alarmingly high.
In addition, the monsters that attacked them were all dangerous ones, categorized as medium-level or even high-level by the Adventurer’s Guild. Those encounters did result in a few injured people, but the fact they wiped them all out without any casualties was a tangible accomplishment they took pride in. They couldn’t help but be elated.
“Tomorrow we finally... we finally get to that spot, right?” Ryoma asked.
“Yes, at our current speed we should arrive around tomorrow at noon.” Gennou nodded.
It had been three days since they entered Wortenia. The trail extending from Epirus had long since disappeared, and Ryoma’s convoy was walking through unpopulated hinterlands. The grass grew tall and the foliage was thick, as if to impede people from progressing. As the convoy marched, they had to constantly cut branches that got in their way and step carefully.
But as harsh as the environment was, they had no shortage of water sources, nor did they struggle to find suitable campsites. This would normally be the hardest part of such a journey, but Ryoma had spent months researching the topography of the Wortenia Peninsula’s inner regions. Thanks to that they knew to pick efficient routes to march across, and through making stops to rest every now and then, they successfully managed to reach the back regions of the peninsula.
Right now, they sat around a map Gennou made of the Wortenia region as they planned their policy going forward.
“We owe our progress through the peninsula to the quality of our soldiers, of course, but your orders to look into the region’s topography were also important. The information from Epirus’s guild would have been insufficient.” Sara said, to which everyone nodded in agreement.
The depths of the peninsula were indeed unexplored regions, but that wasn’t to say no one had ever been there before. Some adventurers did enter the peninsula in search of a way to make quick money. The information they provided was collected by Epirus’s Adventurer’s Guild.
But owing to Gennou’s advice, Ryoma requested the Igasaki ninja clan to conduct a thorough investigation of the Wortenia Peninsula. The results of that request were clearly evident now. The map spread out before everyone now detailed forests, valleys and rivers. It was hard to imagine how much harder their march would have been without this map. If nothing else, they would not have gotten this far without losing a single soul.
“Yeah, the fact Gennou and his group found all the good sources of water and locations for campsites was a pretty big boon. We owe you big time, Gennou.”
The fact of the matter was that groups of a dozen adventurers didn’t look for things an army — albeit a small one of several hundred — might be on the lookout for. Like large sources of water. A trickle of water flowing from between the rocks would do little to satisfy all of Ryoma’s forces. The same held true for campsites for when they stopped for the night. Larger numbers naturally required bigger campsites.
Gennou gathered that information ahead of time and planned an ideal route for them to march through. Everyone was as thankful as Ryoma was toward the old ninja. Of course, they could produce a stable supply of drinking water through verbal thaumaturgy. That could also be done to secure a large enough space for a campsite, but even so, it saved them the trouble and bother of having to do so.
“I’ve had the most skilled members of my clan handle this matter...” Gennou replied. “But even so, getting through this land is no simple matter. Two of them were injured upon investigating the depths of the peninsula and have yet to recover. The same holds true for the pirates, but we will have to be wary of... them.”
“Them...? You mean the demi-humans?” Sara asked.
At that question, everyone present seemed to tense up. They were already aware of the demi-humans’ existence, but hearing of them a second time after entering Wortenia shocked everyone once again.
“The demis, eh...” Boltz said, rubbing his chin. “I’ve heard they’re still alive somewhere, but I didn’t really think they still existed.”
“Same here, Boltz,” Lione nodded grimly. “Those things are still alive... And apparently they even have a colony here.”
Boltz and Lione were in charge of teaching the slave children, and had only heard of their future plans in broad terms so far. Aside from that role, they had many other issues to handle, like matters of managing the supply line, choosing where to set up campsites and deciding which routes they were going to take. As such, the two of them didn’t know how Ryoma was going to handle the demi-humans.
To begin with, what even were demi-humans? Demi-humans, or demis for short, was a general term given to bipedal, non-human species that seemed to uphold what was ostensibly a civilization. One could describe them like beastmen, that had an animal’s head but a human’s body, or elves and dwarves. All of those civilized species could be generically categorized as demi-humans.
But while in the fantasy novels Ryoma knew those kinds of species were considered famous and popular, most of the people in this world hardly ever left their cities, and had never so much as seen a demi. In fact, aside from adventurers that braved the unexplored regions of the western continent, it was safe to say hardly anyone had seen them.
And that was because legend had it that the demi-humans that were residents of this continent were driven to extinction many years ago by human hands. There were several reasons that led to the presumed extinction of the demi-humans, but the biggest one was believed to be the Church of Light and its faith in the God of Light, Menios.
According to the faith, six gods created this Earth. Of the six, Menios was considered the chief deity. And the religious group that worshiped the God of Light Menios was the Church of Light. Their doctrine was simple. The God of Light and creator of mankind was the chief deity of this world. And as such, humans, being the chief deity’s creations, were the supreme species.
This could be said to be true of all religions to some extent. One could very well say religion was a convenient tool developed by people, meant to position themselves as a special existence in this world. This normally wasn’t much of a problem. Religion inspiring a sense that one’s group is the chosen people usually posed no issue in itself.
And indeed, according to the Church of Light’s documents, the organization had existed for over a thousand years. The extermination of the demi-humans, on the other hand, only took place four hundred years prior to Ryoma’s generation. Which was to say that the Church of Light didn’t make any moves to exterminate the demi-humans until several centuries following its founding.
Yes, had two men not surfaced and changed the history of the western continent four hundred years or so ago, perhaps the kinds of elves and beastmen the modern Japanese idea of fantasy seems to romanticize would have existed and flourished on this land.
But things were not so, and the reality of things was that the demi-humans were driven to near-extinction many years ago. The only traces of them still existing were rumors that claimed that small numbers of them still lived in the most remote regions of the continent.
It felt like a natural question to her, but Ryoma shook his head in denial.
“We’ll be keeping a careful watch on the demi-humans for now. We don’t intend to voluntarily engage them for the time being. I’ve already told this to Gennou, but I’m not interested in attacking their village in the northern forest.”
Lione and Boltz’s eyes widened with surprise. Regardless of the circumstances, the subordinates they sent to investigate the peninsula returned injured. Lione and Boltz couldn’t help but feel that choosing not to do anything about that was an odd choice.
Judging by Ryoma’s personality, they assumed that even if he didn’t resort to force, he’d at least send a messenger to complain.
“And honestly, I don’t think provoking them now is a good idea... We’re better off keeping an eye on Count Salzberg and Epirus, so I don’t want us to have more enemies on our hands for now. Besides, the blame is on us for sneaking into their village. So for now I figured we should leave them alone.”
Concluding his words, Ryoma drew a large red circle on the map around Wortenia’s north — a circle that surrounded roughly one fourth of the peninsula. In other words, this circle was their border with the demi-humans’ territory.
“I guess that makes sense...” Lione nodded deeply. “The Kingdom of Xarooda’s in a state of chaos right now, so we’re better off not going around and making enemies, eh? And I guess we can’t be too angry when we’re the ones that walked into their territory...”
The Church of Light’s teachings posited that the demi-humans were tainted existences that were to be killed on sight, but Lione didn’t harbor any particular dislike for them. She was willing to fight the demi-humans if the need called for it, but had no intentions of voluntarily antagonizing them.
And most of all, Ryoma’s way of thinking was very rational and impartial. The way he admitted that they were wrong in this case and didn’t seek retribution for what was done to his subordinates was a decision Lione viewed favorably. With the matter of the demi-humans put aside, Lione touched on the next problem they had to resolve.
“What about the pirates, though? We’ll be in trouble if Simone finishes her preparations but we don’t have a port to accept it, won’t we?”
The pirates’ presence was a major hindrance to Ryoma’s secret pact with Simone. Handling them was a major problem, regardless of if they were to be persuaded to leave or forcibly removed. Lione didn’t have the leisure to ask Ryoma about it because of her workload, but she did want to hear about how he’d decided to deal with the pirates.
“I can only say one thing about that. Honestly speaking, my country has no need for pirates.” Ryoma answered her question with a slight shrug.
There was a small fire lit within the large tent, which helped keep the place warm — but despite that, everyone felt a cold shiver run down their spines at Ryoma’s words. This was despite the fact he was as calm and collected as ever. But none of the people in this tent mistook the meaning behind what he’d said.
“So we’re gonna have to wipe them out, huh...” Lione murmured.
It was a whisper, but everyone heard it all too clearly.
♱
“You all right, Melissa?” Coile asked her with concern in his voice, noticing the girl was restlessly stirring the stew in her bowl without ever carrying it into her mouth.
They were sitting around a bonfire as they ate their warm dinners. The sense of pressure that hung over them during their march had mellowed down already, and the area was full of the kind of laughter one might expect out of a large group of children.
But in contrast to the joyful tumult around her, Melissa was sitting quietly. No... a bit too quietly.
“I’m... I’m fine.” Melissa replied gloomily.
“Fine, huh...?” Coile directed a questioning glance at Melissa. “Lemme guess. You’re thinking about Hanna.”
“How did you...?!” Melissa looked back at him with surprised eyes, as if shocked he’d seen into her heart.
Coile sighed. They’d lived and worked together as part of the same group for months, so he could handily pick up on the way her emotions swung.
“It’s not like thinking about someone who bailed on us is gonna help anyone, right?” Coile spat out in a slightly disgusted tone. “If she’s lucky, she found her way back to some city and she’s safe now.”
In his eyes, Hanna was an ingrate and a traitor. He didn’t intend to go after the girl and kill her, but he did resent her enough to not care if she had died on the roadside. That emotion seeped into his words somewhat.
“Don’t say that...” Melissa raised her voice somewhat at those words.
Hanna was a slave girl who was part of the same team as Melissa. But there was no sight of her nearby anymore. She couldn’t bear the strain of their training and fled the group with a few other children. No one doubted that Hanna was at fault, and Melissa knew this.
And yet she couldn’t carry this warm stew to her lips right now. An escaped slave’s fate was set in stone.
“I mean, what can you do? She ran away because she couldn’t handle the training, right?” Melissa’s angry words only made Coile’s emotions flare up in turn. “Or did you forget our debt to Master Mikoshiba for setting us free and want to side with the ones who ran?”
It was the night before they reached their objective in the Wortenia peninsula, a turning point for their leader Ryoma Mikoshiba’s aspirations. This was clear from the ingredients in the stew they were given, along with the fact that everyone was permitted to drink alcohol that night.
And during what was a day of celebration, Melissa ignored her master’s goodwill and worried over a girl who escaped and betrayed their group. Coile found that difficult to tolerate.
“They’re traitors, Melissa!” He shouted, as if spitting the words out.
He’d probably been too loud, because the tumult around them suddenly cut off and everyone directed a questioning gaze at him. Coile ignored those stares, though, and let the emotions he’d kept hidden so far bubble to the surface because of Melissa’s attitude.
The training was harsh. The slaves had to overcome the fear of being in real combat, and it wasn’t something every single one of them could reasonably clear. Coile understood that. But the one that elevated them out of their status as slaves was Ryoma. Of course, he knew this wasn’t done purely out of good intentions, but he still gave them the chance they needed to claw their way out of slavery.
In this world, chances to rise up from weakness were few and far between. And that only made it harder for Coile to forgive the ones who chose to run. They were granted this precious chance, and still chose to turn their back on the one who gave it to them...
“I...” Melissa couldn’t find the words to talk back against Coile’s cold reasoning.
“Hey, Coile, leave her alone.”
“Kevin...”
Kevin, who had stayed out of their exchange so far, stepped in. He likely felt Coile had grown too emotional. Kevin was the leader of their team, which meant Coile had to stop. He didn’t intend to blame Melissa, after all.
“Sorry, I went too far...” Coile said and stood up.
“Where are you going?” Kevin eyed him suspiciously.
“I’ll go sit with people from some other teams.” Coile replied and stared back at Kevin with an unflinching gaze.
Kevin immediately understood what those eyes were trying to convey.
“Fine... Cran, you go with Coile, all right?” Kevin turned the conversation over to Cran, who was the only one to sit quietly by and eat his stew.
Kevin thought he needed to speak to Melissa privately right now. Prompted by his firm gaze, Cran got to his feet and walked off, following Coile. Confirming the two had left, Kevin turned to Melissa and gathered the courage needed to ask that question.
It was a suspicion he hesitated to even put into words. Even if this doubt was wrong and off the mark, if
the others were to learn he suspected Melissa like this, it would make them lose everything they’d built up together so far...
“Are you... holding a grudge?” Kevin’s expression was far too stern for her to assume this was some kind of a joke.
“Huh?” Melissa asked back.
But she clearly heard what he said. He’d spoken quietly, so everyone else wouldn’t hear him, but his words reached her ears. Still, she couldn’t quite understand what he’d meant, so she could only answer his question with a question of her own.
“Are you... holding a grudge against Master Mikoshiba because of the people that ran away?” he said with a hint of hesitance in his voice.
Melissa looked at Kevin with surprise. She clearly didn’t expect this question, but the meaning of what he’d just said was registering in her mind.
“No! Why would I?” Melissa raised her voice.
Why? Why would I hold a grudge against him for that?
Melissa truly asked herself that question. In her eyes, Ryoma was a kind king, a savior that freed her and her friends from their life as slaves. She couldn’t imagine holding a grudge against him. Her body trembled with anger at the very notion of it. A greater anger than anything she’d likely felt in her entire life.
Kevin looked at her expression wordlessly. It was as if his gaze was sharply, unflinchingly trying to look into her very heart. The two kept looking at each other for a long moment, during which the sound of the fire crackling in the kindling felt that much louder to Melissa’s ears.
“I guess you really don’t hold a grudge against him.” Kevin eventually said, the tension draining from his face.
He’d likely judged, by looking at her expression, that those were her true feelings. But Melissa ignored his words and shouted at him. And she couldn’t be faulted for it. The accusation he’d just leveled against her was that sudden and appalling.
“Why? Why would you ask me that?!” She raised her voice with an indignation one wouldn’t expect out of her usual demeanor.