Record of Wortenia War: Volume 1

by Ryota Hori

  His gaze fell on an unfamiliar, silver-haired girl.

  “Are you unharmed, Master?” The girl said, swinging her sword to cut away Ryoma’s shackles.

  “Yeah. Your timing was perfect. You saved me, Sara. What about Laura?” Ryoma asked, rubbing his now freed wrists.

  “Laura is disposing of the other soldiers. Just as you said, she’s capable of taking care of them without any trouble.”

  As those words were spoken, a second voice spoke from behind Saitou.

  “I’m already finished, Master.”

  It was a young girl’s voice.

  “Your Majesty!”

  At Saitou’s cry, Shardina took a swift step back behind him, so they stood back to back.

  “You’re not hurt, are you, Laura?” He asked with a voice of gratitude and concern.

  “Yes, I’m fine. I simply needed to fire spells at them. These people were wary of an animal’s attack, but didn’t expect thaumaturgy.”

  “It can’t be... thaumaturgy?!” Saitou cried out angrily at Laura’s words.

  That was something neither Saitou nor Shardina had anticipated. The fact that Ryoma even had allies in this world was unpredictable, but it was particularly shocking that they could even use thaumaturgy. Few people could employ it in this world; those who served the empire were at least at the rank of a knight, and only the most skilled of adventurers or mercenaries were capable of it.

  That was why this very scarcity stood at the foundation of this world’s structure of power. Just by being able to employ thaumaturgy, one was twice as strong as those who weren’t, and one’s skill could make that power all the more dangerous.

  With the right preparations, Gaius, the man Ryoma slew, was capable of leveling entire armies. But having great destructive power didn’t mean one would always win. His murder at Ryoma’s hands stood as grave proof of that.

  Still, that did not change the meaning of holding the power of thaumaturgy. And whatever the case, there was no way that a man who’d just been summoned from another world would be capable of using it, and it was extremely unlikely he would gain the company of someone else who could. At least, it had been until now.

  “Who in the world are you...?!”

  “We are servants of our Master.” Laura said, answering Shardina’s question while pointing her sword in her direction. “Enemies of our Master are our enemies.”

  This girl’s skilled! And...

  Seeing Laura’s stance made Shardina’s intuition cry out in warning. The two girls stood before them, their bloodlust and aggressiveness palpable. Only a handful of the thousands of soldiers under Shardina’s command were a match for them.

  Still, in terms of skill, Shardina herself was higher than them. All the same, the eyes of the girl standing before her burned with deathly resolve. She would kill Shardina, even if she had to die trying. Saitou felt an equal measure of resolve from Sara.

  What’s going on here... Why are such skilled thaumaturgists on his side? He’s only been in this world for a few days...

  Capturing Ryoma was an absolute order from the Emperor to Shardina and her subordinates, but that only applied if their lives weren’t at risk. They weren’t obligated to take him alive if it meant Saitou or Shardina would be killed or injured in the process.

  They were both in extremely important positions for the Empire. Perhaps it would be different if this were a battlefield where the fate of the Empire hung in the balance, but they couldn’t afford to die at the hands of some unknown otherworlder.

  “Saitou... We need to retreat...” That was Shardina’s conclusion after much deliberation, which she whispered to Saitou so Ryoma and his group wouldn’t hear it.

  “Yes. With so many unpredictable factors at play, we need to pull back and reassess the situation... Assuming they let us go...”

  “Yes... But we can’t afford for either of us to die here. With Sir Gaius dead, either of us dying would strike a blow to the Empire’s war potential. And if that happens...”

  “The surrounding countries and occupied territories would see this as an opportunity to rebel.”

  That was the price the Empire had to pay for conquering their neighbors with brute force. It was obvious that if the Empire were to lose its superior strength, the oppressed citizens and nobles under their control would rise up in revolt. Several thoughts ran through Shardina’s and Saitou’s minds.

  “If you want to retreat, feel free to. I don’t mind.” Ryoma’s words swayed the stalemate.

  “Fool...” Saitou responded to Ryoma’s words promptly. “We have no reason to withdraw here! We’ll be taking you, and those women, to the capital!”

  “Oh? You’re gonna risk your life to capture us?” Ryoma smiled coldly at Saitou’s shout.

  Ryoma could already see Shardina and Saitou had lost the will to fight.

  “I can tell by your eyes that you have no intent to lose your lives here.”

  Eyes were more honest than words. One’s gaze and gestures, the glint in their eyes, were windows into a person’s heart and intent. Just like Saitou could tell Sara was resolved to fight to the death from the look in her eyes, Ryoma could read into Saitou’s intentions.

  “So what are you getting at? Isn’t your objective to kill us?”

  “Well, yeah, that’s my intent, but... look at this situation.” Ryoma answered Shardina’s question with a shrug.

  I knew it... He got himself caught so he could kill us. No wonder he was so docile...

  A chill ran down Shardina’s spine. This was the anxiety Shardina had been feeling for a while now; the dread an animal feels when the murderous intent of a predator is fixed upon it.

  It’s certainly a viable method. We would assume he’s only running, and wouldn’t expect him to try and strike back against us.

  And this was the end result. The majority of her soldiers were spread out in the forest, and all those stationed in the camp were killed by the spell; had it not been for Saitou’s quick thinking, Shardina would have died in the surprise attack, too.

  But this situation... It’s three to two in their favor. He might be able to kill us if he were to use these girls as discardable pawns. Why is he telling us to run... Is it a trap?

  Shardina knew full well what kind of person the boy smirking coldly in front of her was. He would always put his own survival first, and he would not hesitate to take any measure, no matter how vile, to ensure that survival. This boy may have said he’d spare them, but she’d never believe it.

  “I see... You don’t want to kill them.” Saitou whispered, and Shardina’s eyes opened wide in shock.

  He didn’t want to kill them. But who was “them?” It couldn’t have been Saitou and Shardina, so that only left the girls.

  “Yeah. These two are willing to put down their lives for me.” Ryoma turned his gaze to Sara and Laura. “So no matter how much killing you two here would up my chances at surviving in the long run, I can’t sacrifice these girls so readily to do it.”

  Self-interest. Affection. Those words were a mixture of many emotions mingled together.

  I see, so if he were to use them as a shield... No, that’s impossible in this situation. And I can’t see this man putting their lives ahead of his own.

  It just meant he valued these faithful sisters’ lives more than killing Saitou and Shardina— in no way was this supposed to mean he prioritized them over his own survival.

  “I don’t think we have much of a choice here, Your Majesty...”

  Saitou’s words matched Shardina’s thoughts on the matter. Think as she might, there was no other way out but this one.

  “Fine... We’ll retreat. Saitou, put away your sword.”

  Hearing Shardina’s words, Ryoma gave an order to the sisters.

  “Laura, Sara, pull back.”

  The two put away their swords at Ryoma’s order, rushing to his side. They were intent on serving as Ryoma’s shield at a moment’s notice, should Shardina try to attack.

  �
�No need to be so high-strung. I swear on my name as the Empire of O’ltormea’s first princess that we will retreat from this place.”

  Shardina’s words may have been honest, but the sisters didn’t so much as stir. They simply gazed at her sharply.

  “Sorry.” Ryoma apologized to Shardina for the sisters’ attitudes.

  That wasn’t to say Ryoma wasn’t wary and vigilant even now. He wasn’t foolish or gullible enough to blindly believe the enemy’s words at this point in the game.

  “Well, no matter. We’ll retreat from here, but our pursuit of you will not end here. You do realize that, yes?”

  That much was obvious. Shardina was only relinquishing the chance to capture Ryoma here because the current situation put her at a disadvantage. Put conversely, if Shardina’s dozens of soldiers were present, they wouldn’t be making the choice to retreat.

  “Obviously. I’m a criminal for all you’re concerned, after all.” Ryoma said calmly.

  There wasn’t a trace of regret or fear in his eyes.

  “But I’m not going to roll over and let you catch me. I don’t think killing the geezer or trying to kill you were the wrong things to do, either. So if you intend to come after me, be prepared to lay down your lives.”

  “Did you commit crimes back in Japan, too?” Saitou asked, honestly curious.

  People who’d just been summoned from Earth to this world didn’t acclimate to its rules so easily. This was a world of survival of the fittest, where might made right, and there was no such lenient idea of ‘human rights’ to shield people from that nature. One would have to be strong if they didn’t want to be trampled upon, even if it meant stomping out others to do it.

  That was something Saitou only realized years after being summoned by Gaius and being thrown into a battlefield he never wished to be in, forced to fight through mud and blood. Life on Earth and this world were simply so far removed. And that was why he was suspicious upon seeing Ryoma’s line of thinking, since he hadn’t even been in this world for a whole week.

  “Huh? Crimes? I guess I took a piss outside once or twice, but that’s about it.”

  ‘Crime’ was a word that could mean many things in different contexts. If one were to be extreme enough about it, crossing the street at a red light was certainly a crime. But that wasn’t what Saitou meant.

  “No, I meant more heavy crimes. Like... murder.”

  Those words made Ryoma exclaim in exasperation. Ryoma only ever saw himself as a normal high school student, so that was a natural reaction.

  “You say some screwed up things, you know...? I’m just an average high schooler. I have some experience in martial arts, yeah, but that doesn’t mean I have a criminal record!”

  “Then why? How could you kill people so easily? Aren’t you afraid?”

  “...Let me ask you, then.” Ryoma said after pausing for thought. “Should I worry or care for someone who tried to infringe on my rights so much that they put themselves at risk over it?” After regarding the surprise in Saitou’s face, Ryoma continued. “This is what I think: you’re free to try and take advantage of me, and I’m free to defend myself. I’m not dumb enough to think that if I hit someone they won’t try to hit back, though. And it’s exactly because I know they’ll hit back that I try not to hit anyone, unless I’m prepared for them to retaliate... And when I’m resolved to kill anyone who dared pick a fight with me.”

  As Ryoma spoke, his eyes shone with a strong light. The only thing that enabled a normal high schooler like Ryoma to kill Gaius was the strength of his heart. He believed in his justice ardently from the bottom of his heart. And in many ways, it was the most haughty ideology of all... But it was the most kind of all at the same time.

  “But, anyway... We really don’t have the time to sit around discussing my life philosophy. Laura.” He jerked his chin in the direction of the tent’s entrance. “If we keep talking, the other soldiers might return to camp. I’ll be crossing the border.”

  Laura stayed at the tent’s entrance, keeping Shardina and Saitou in check. They didn’t trust her words entirely.

  “Fine. Go on, then. But remember this: now that we know what you look like, you will never step foot in the Empire’s borders again.” Shardina said, her gaze turning sharp. “And you’d do well to run as hard and far as you can. The western continent will belong to the Empire before long. And when it does, you won’t have anywhere left to live in peace.”

  Shardina’s words were like a dagger thrown in Ryoma’s direction, as he made his way out of the tent, accompanied by Sara.

  “Is that right... Guess I’ll have to find my way back home before that happens, then.” And with that, Ryoma disappeared into the forest without a word, not bothering to look back at her...

  Epilogue

  “What is the meaning of this?!” A shout of anger reverberated through the audience chamber.

  It was the voice of the Iron-Blooded Minister, Durnest. The Emperor who lorded over the audience chamber listened to Shardina’s words, his elbow resting on his throne’s armrest.

  “That concludes my report. You may do as you will.”

  Standing before the Emperor were Shardina and Saitou, along with Celia, Rolfe and Orlando; the commanders of the search party.

  The memories of the few days that followed the incident surfaced in Saitou’s mind. After Ryoma and his group got away, Shardina waited until dawn and gathered the soldiers dispatched to the forest. She gambled on the faint hope that they would yet catch up to Ryoma, and threw all her forces to that pursuit. She would only let him get away as long as she didn’t have the forces to hunt him down, and once her soldiers were gathered, the situation had changed. However, Shardina didn’t find Ryoma in the end.

  “So it was all for naught, then...”

  “I don’t think this could have been avoided...” Saitou replied to her whisper. “It took us too long to gather the troops...”

  Ryoma likely assumed he’d be pursued. A normal person who interpreted his opponent’s words however he would was convenient for them, and such a person would believe they wouldn’t be pursued until they left the border. It was the fact that Ryoma never made those kinds of naive mistakes which made him so formidable.

  “Let’s head back to the capital.”

  Those words made Saitou grimace. Now that they’d failed to capture Ryoma, they had no reason to loiter around in the forest. They’d have to lift the blockade on the border checkpoint too, or it might strike a blow to their economy. That applied to Celia’s group in the south, too.

  But while he understood that perfectly well, Saitou couldn’t easily agree to this decision, because he wasn’t pleased with how Shardina dealt with the situation. Failing to apprehend Ryoma was a huge blunder, and the worst part wasn’t that they had failed to catch him, but the fact they had succeeded and he still got away in spite of that. There were even casualties among their knights. Even if they couldn’t anticipate Ryoma having collaborators, there was no getting around the fact Shardina had failed at her duty.

  “Durnest’s gonna steam like a kettle over this.”

  Saitou could easily imagine the minister shouting them down in the Emperor’s audience chamber. As his name implied, he was a statesman with a will of steel and the resolve to spill his own blood if need be. Even a royal like Shardina wouldn’t make him change his attitude.

  “Lady Celia will be problematic, too.”

  Having her family killed made her the most zealous out of everyone involved in this mission. How would they explain this to her?

  “Well... We’ll think of something. Celia is no fool. If we explain the situation, I doubt she’d try to find any more fault.”

  That might be true if this was Celia in any other situation...

  Saitou doubted she’d keep the same levelheadedness with her family killed. Perhaps reading his thoughts from his expression, Shardina shrugged her shoulders.

  “I’ll take care of it. Whatever the case, we have no choice but to r
eturn to the Emperor.”

  With that said, Shardina left the forest behind and regrouped with Celia. And now, she could only wait for her judgment after explaining all that happened.

  “Even an Imperial princess cannot be forgiven for such failure!”

  “Durnest. Shut up for a while.” The Emperor’s voice cut down Durnest’s words as he prepared to scold her even more severely.

  Saitou shook off the thoughts in his mind and turned his concentration to the Emperor.

  “I have no intention of finding fault in Shardina’s handling of the situation.” His grave voice reverberated through the throne room.

  “But... Your Grace!” Durnest’s face was washed over with surprise.

  “Obey me, Durnest!” The Emperor said, pounding on the armrest with his elbow. “True, Shardina failed to fulfill my order. That much is fact. But the man’s skill was beyond prediction. What could she have done differently?”

  The Emperor’s words left Durnest at a loss for words. And he was right. If anything, the fact that they had caught him once was close to a miracle considering they didn’t have a name or a face to go by. Durnest knew this.

  “But we cannot let the otherworlder get away.”

  The empire’s dignity was at stake, and that was the most important part of all for Durnest.

  “I know. However. Shardina and Saitou are both crucial members of my Empire’s forces. Even if it is for the sake of killing the despicable man who slew Gaius, I could not afford to have them sacrificed for it and weaken my Empire in so doing.”

  No matter how low the probability, they couldn’t afford to lose the captain and vice-captain of the Succubus Knights, the pride and joy of the Empire. It was exactly now, when they were weakened by Gaius’s death, that losing more people who could make up for that loss would hamper their plans for domination.

  Considering the many factors at play, Shardina’s choices were apt ones.

  “However...” The Emperor’s gaze fell to Shardina.

  These were not the eyes of a father looking upon his daughter, but of a king ordering a vassal.