by Ryota Hori
Asuka’s attire didn’t make her look like an adventurer or mercenary. But the weapon in her hand told a different story.
“Judging by her outfit, I’d assume she’s from Rearth,” one of the knights said, removing her helmet. “I don’t know if she somehow managed to cross to this side or if some country called for her, though.”
She had a soft, chime-like voice and sleek black hair. She looked to be the same age as the golden-hair leader.
“And what’s more... this girl looks like she’s Japanese.”
“Menea, are you serious?” the leader asked, his expression clouding over with surprise.
“Yes, Mother has told me much of that land, and I’ve seen people summoned from there as well. Her outfit should be typical of the Japanese... Except...”
“Except what?”
“The sword she’s holding is a weapon traditionally used in Rearth’s eastern regions. But in that world, carrying weapons is mostly prohibited, so I must wonder where she found it... And the way the Third Eye’s body’s been slashed is peculiar, too. Its fur is said to be like steel, but the cut goes as deep as the flesh.”
“So it’s some kind of exceptionally sharp sword?” the man asked.
“There’s no doubt that this katana is quite sharp, but the quality of a tool matters little...”
“So that girl is this skilled?”
“I can’t say... As weakened as it may have been, that is still a male Third Eye. The fact she slew it by herself and without any visible injuries means her skill is somewhere on the level of a captain of the Temple Knights. But honestly, if she were that skilled, she wouldn’t pass out from exhaustion like this.”
The leader looked down at Asuka’s body, confirming the woman’s words were true. Indeed, her body was covered in many scrapes and a good deal of dirt, but there were no serious wounds to be found. Her attire didn’t seem like something one might wear for an exploration of the forest, which made it likely she wasn’t in this forest of her free will.
And yet, the body of the Third Eye she slew was a problem.
Well, blast... What now...?
In truth, he couldn’t come up with any other way to describe his current predicament. Reality was about to become much more cruel, though.
“Leader, there’s another man here! He’s injured, and doesn’t seem to be conscious!”
“What in the world is going on today?!”
The situation was introducing one startling development after another, and the man had no recourse but to utter the name of the God he worshiped.
“Meneos, what is the meaning of this...?”
Nine days ago, at dusk, they received orders to return to the Church and left the town they were stationed in. It was a sudden order, but it was signed by both the knight captain commanding the Temple Knights and a cardinal, and so they couldn’t refuse.
And yet, the elder of the village they stayed in begged them to slay the Third Eye that made the forest its home. And so they spent the last nine days tracking the creature, and when they thought they finally cornered it, all they found was a corpse and this unfamiliar girl.
And now they found an unconscious, injured man. The leader couldn’t help but grumble.
“How do we approach this, Leader?” Menea asked, standing behind him.
“You’re asking me that...?”
“Considering when we’re supposed to return home, we don’t have time to go back to the village. It would take us too long.”
The man’s face hardened at her words.
“Then what do you suggest? That we just abandon them here?!”
“Of course not,” Menea said, a bitter smile on her lips. “I didn’t mean to imply that. Our God would never tolerate such an act... And even if I were to suggest it, you would never do so, Leader.”
This man’s unit had always been seen as heretics of sorts by the other members of the Temple Knights, who always prioritized the Church’s orders. This was despite the fact that, in a way, this man and his companions were the ones who abided by the Church’s teachings more closely than anyone else.
This man had never turned a blind eye to the troubles of the weak and the downtrodden. This was why he chose to help the village elder, even though they only stayed there for a single night. And he did so knowing it would delay his return, which was a military order.
Hearing Menea’s words quieted down the leader’s anger somewhat. He heaved a deep sigh.
“Then what are we supposed to do?”
“Have our men carry them until we return to the Church. If we’re lucky, we’ll find a town along the way, where we can leave them with some money.”
Since abandoning them wasn’t an option, Menea naturally suggested they take them along.
I guess that’s the only choice we can take here...
The man sighed again and looked up at the sky.
What is it that you seek of me, God...?
The sun, of course, didn’t answer his question. It simply shone in the heavens, the same as it always did, blessing the earth with its gentle warmth.
Afterword
I doubt there are many remaining, but I welcome any new readers who took up Record of Wortenia War with this volume. And to those of you who have been following the series since volume 1, it’s been four months since we last met.
This is Ryota Hori, the author.
According to the calendar, we’re at the end of autumn and edging into winter, but the days have been so hot, only to suddenly turn cold. It’s rather easy to get sick in this climate. I myself caught the flu and several colds, forcing me to frequent the hospital more often than I would like this year. Do take care of your health, kind readers.
Now, for those of you that start reading from the afterword, here’s our customary digest of the book’s story.
Firstly, the most striking point regarding volume 5 is that the protagonist’s grandfather, Kouichirou Mikoshiba, and his cousin, Asuka Kiryuu, become much more involved in the plot. This is one big departure the Hobby Japan novels have in comparison to the web novel. And yet, they will only reunite with the protagonist later down the line.
Truth be told, this was mostly included because this part of the story, where our protagonist gains dominion over the Wortenia Peninsula, has so much more scheming and negotiation than before. This ends up making it much less exciting. That may be the appeal of a “war record” story, but too much plotting and negotiation becomes tiresome after a while... For both the readers and the author.
But Kouichirou Mikoshiba and Asuka Kiryuu ended up being characters with much more latent potential than I had originally thought, and I ended up writing much more detail into them than I first expected to. That may well have been another trigger. In the future, I intend to write more of how Kouichirou and Asuka grow used to this world, while making use of new characters introduced into the story.
The other remarkable point about this volume is of course, the protagonist and his group’s actions. It already appeared at the end of the previous volume, but the titular Wortenia is brought to the forefront of the story.
Thinking back to the web novel days, when readers often asked when Wortenia would finally figure into the plot, is by now a pleasant memory. There were many direct and blunt opinions at the time, and I wondered if I should reply to them, even at the risk of going into spoiler territory.
With this volume, Ryoma Mikoshiba begins to set in motion his plan to turn the no-man’s-land known as the Wortenia Peninsula into his territory, but as one might expect, things won’t go as easily as he might hope. I don’t like torturing Ryoma too much as the author, but perhaps thanks to him being such a harsh character, I tend to set him hard conditions to conquer. Just like his grandfather, Ryoma is quite the idiosyncratic one, after all.
But he’s a protagonist who always finds a way to break through, which I think balances out the story...
Also, I’d like to take this chance to announce Record of Wortenia War’s manga vers
ion. The art style is serious but not too heavy, which helps bring the story out in a new light. As the author, I was quite impressed with it. At the time of this afterword’s writing, it hadn’t been published yet, but it should be published on Hobby Japan’s site by the time this book reaches your hands. Do give it a look. I’ve already seen chapter 2’s drafts, so I’m sure it will also be out shortly.
At this rate, we might even live to see a TV anime for the series, which is something I’ll admit I’ve been secretly looking forward to. But given the work’s themes and the brutality of the descriptions, an anime might lead to a lot of things being changed. Still, as an author, I would love to get a peek into the world of anime production.
The work on volume 5 came during a very busy time both personally and professionally, but I was able to deliver it to you on time. And I owe a lot of that to my editors who helped to lengthen my deadlines, and the many people who offered their cooperation to me. I would like to take this chance to extend my warmest gratitude to them.
And the only reason I can continue to work on this series is thanks to your support, kind readers. I will strive to bring volume 6 to you as soon as possible, so do continue giving your support to Record of Wortenia War in the future as well.
After all, the conclusion I’ve foreseen for the plot is still quite a good distance away...
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Copyright
Record of Wortenia War: Volume 5
by Ryota Hori
Translated by ZackZeal
Edited by Nathan Redmond
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 Ryota Hori
Illustrations Copyright © 2016 bob
Cover illustration by bob
All rights reserved.
Original Japanese edition published in 2016 by Hobby Japan
This English edition is published by arrangement with Hobby Japan, Tokyo
English translation © 2020 J-Novel Club LLC
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.
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The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
Ebook edition 1.0: March 2020