Translator: Skythewood
Unlike their time on the streets, on the surface, the two of them had nothing in common in school.
The studious Yatori and Ikuta who put all his effort into slacking off, were on opposite ends of the student’s evaluation. The only thing similar about them was how famous they were in school. So they didn’t have to meet, and could learn about each other through the vineyard news.
「I heard Yatorishino-san took first place by a large margin in the exams again.」
「Ikuta got into trouble in Larnee sensei’s lessons again.」
News of these two would update often, and sometimes, they would even know what the other was doing in real time. It was no different from them studying in the same classroom.
「I heard you stripped naked in Larnee sensei’s class?」
「That old man would touch the body of girls when he explain the joints and muscles of a body, so I volunteered to be the model. By the way, I didn’t take off my underwear.」
Including the way the news got exaggerated, Ikuta and Yatori enjoyed this situation. Their strong nerves and the way they weren’t fazed by being the centre of attention was a unique quality possessed by the both of them.
「Matthew went to challenge Yatorishino again.」
「And she beat him off handedly. It always ends in the same way, he never learns at all.」
Other names would get mentioned in these news. The most common was definitely Matthew Tetzirich, of all the people that challenged the impregnable fortress known as Yatorishino Igsem, he was especially tenacious.
「Hey, Yatorishino! Let’s have a match for the next Military history test!」
「I don’t mind, but it will be wiser to challenge me to maths and science subjects instead. I don’t think I will make any mistakes in problems requiring memorization.」
Yatori handled the relentless challenge easily and displayed the dignity of a victor, reigning supreme in all the school subjects. Matthew had never won before, but another person got intrigued by his losing streak. That was Ikuta Solork.
「Hey, that plump youth over there, I have something to tell you.」
「Who are you calling plump? I’m busy, so don’t bother me!」
「Okay, okay～ don’t be so cold, this isn’t anything bad. I just want to give you the strength you need to win against Yatori, as you have been trying to do so tenaciously all this time.」
「When someone who just sleeps and skip lessons say that, it just sound like a scam!」
After challenging the top model student for some time, he was harassed by the number one problem child in the school, which confused Matthew. In contrast to his confusion, Ikuta liked Matthew. Matthew was one of the few people the youth would take the initiative to talk to.
Ever since he enrolled, Ikuta had avoided making close friends in school. Yatori understood that as being just natural, since Ikuta planned to leave the Empire one day── And that made how eager Ikuta approached the slightly pudgey youth more prominent. One day after school, she tried asking for the reason:
「I want to ask you something, why are you harassing Matthew Tetzirich? Is teasing him fun?」
The youth who was playing with a cat that wandered into school answered without any hesitation:
「That’s part of it, but the biggest reason is that he won’t submit to you. Even after failing so many times and understanding the gulf between you and him, he didn’t lose the will to fight, or allow his heart to get twisted from jealousy and sabotage you. That is really exemplary of him, and I sincerely respect his tenacious spirit.」
It was rare for him to be so serious, and he turned to Yatori.
「You should realize how precious he is. Those who give up on challenging you will savor the comfortable taste of submission, and will rely on you even more in the future. When you fall into a dire straits one day, that sort of person will never help you. Instead of yes man, your competitive rivals will be more reliable.」
Ikuta’s advice made Yatori stroke her chin in deep thought:
「You will only understand the importance of your rival when you lose them… Is that what you mean?」
「It’s a big problem because you are so outstanding. If you understand, then give Matthew props from time to time, and let him take the honor── I won’t demand too much, but acknowledge his efforts from time to time. Try not to hold the attitude of being above him.」
She tried to follow that advice in her mind, but it was really hard to do that against this stubborn schoolmate of hers. Especially the part about not being above him.
「I’m not confident, but I will try to keep that in mind… Now that I think about it, I didn’t expect that from you. Aren’t you planning to take me away from the Empire?」
Ikuta’s hand that was teasing the cat froze, and he crossed his arms with a troubled face:
「… That’s the problem. If I invite Matthew, will he come with me?」
Yatori laughed at his meek question. He would leave one day── but this youth wasn’t smart or heartless enough to reject interactions with the people before him.
「Back to the topic── Speaking of a rival, I also want to tell a certain someone. The quickest method is for you to get serious.」
「It’s difficult to skip lessons and avoid failing too.」
Their sighs overlapped each other. The cat that had grown tired from playing laid on the ground to sun tan.
Another day, Yatori headed to the 「nest」 deep within the woods on campus, and opened her eyes wide.
「── That’s really swollen, what happened?」
「… I was drinking tea with a beautiful lady, then her husband appeared suddenly… and punched me.」
The right side of the youth’s face lying in a hammock was completely swollen. Something similar happened in the past too, which made the vermillion haired girl tilted her head puzzledly:
「You definitely deserved it… You can keep your other bad habits in check, but why are you so clumsy with regards to women?」
「… I’m not sure. I don’t know when it started… whenever I see the lonely older woman by herself, my body will just move on its own.」
「That doesn’t sound healthy. Or rather, did you like older women in the past too?」
When she said that, Yatori understood from her instincts what prompted his urges. It’s because an older woman he wanted to protect had already passed on.
「… Anyway, don’t commit adultery. You will get knifed one day if you did that.」
After reminding him to not cross the minimal line, she ended the topic. It was up to the subject himself to decide how he would face his wounds.
Their daily lives continued with many tribulations.
At times, they would set a trap to deceive a conman that sells fake jewelries──
Or send a notorious bandit gang into prison after an intense struggle──
Uncovering the corruption of a government official with evidence──
Rescue 17 children abducted by human traffickers and return them to their parents.
And of course, not all of these incidents have a happy ending. When Ikuta proposed a 「mission」, there would be a heavy theme behind it.
The flaws in the social system. Abuse of authority and graft. The decline of industrial production. Exploitation by the upper classes. These incidents revealed the truth behind the Empire, and this was just the tip of the iceberg── with the dark haired youth as the guide, Yatori experienced first hand the true extent of the corruption that she had a faint inking of in her daily life.
「The worst thing isn’t the corruption, but the lack of a brake system to keep them in check.」
One evening, the youth said as he watched the city from the top of the school building. Yatori listened as she looked down at the same scene.
「The ironic thing is, the complacency of the royals and nobles stemmed from their trust of the military. Before things get out of hand, the soldiers would sort it out── with that in mind, they would continue governing with impunity until they are forced to face the music. Because they only have their own self interest in mind.」
Ikuta explained how hopeless this nation was with a heavy tone.
「There isn’t anyone in this country that could point out how retarded this was. Even if they could see it, no one can play this role. Most of the soldiers execute orders from the cabinet with Igsem leading them, but they couldn’t highlight the inadequacies of the orders. Questioning these orders would be overstepping their authority── this value was deeply rooted in their mind.」
His dark eyes stared at the city before him. Large numbers of pedestrians on their way home swarmed the roads that had been dyed red by the sun.
「The commoners think they are not qualified to participate in politics. To them, talking about politics is like chatting about the weather, they can only accept when it rains or snows. And the people also think the same thing── if something major happens, the soldiers will take care of it for them.」
This fact made the youth sighed, and he continued:
「If you think about this situation, there are only two fates awaiting the Empire. Destruction brought about by corruption, or a revolution to end the rot. Either commit suicide together with the system, or destroy the system and reinstate a new one.」
With these two cruel choices laid out, Ikuta stared at the girl beside him with a strong gleam.
「You already understand, Yatori. The Igsem will fall in either path. This is obvious if the Empire perish, but even if the country is reborn with a new establishment, your clan, which is the old guard of the previous establishment, will be the first to be purged. It will be a different matter if your clan is flexible enough to adapt to the new situation. It’s obvious your clan can’t do that, since the country isn’t ruled by a military junta now.」
Yatori stayed silent. She couldn’t refute anything the youth said.
「Destruction is inevitable for your clan. Since I know that, I can’t let you stay here.
… So, come away with me. Discard the Igsem name that bonds you to the Empire, and live freely as just Yatorishino── live together with me in this big wide world.」
The youth issued the same invitation he stated in their childhood, with long years of pent-up emotions behind his words.
Despite knowing how sincere his request was, the vermillion haired girl shook her head.
「Abandoning the Empire to save my own skin… That’s your request?」
「Yes, that’s my request. If you don’t run now, this country will ruin you.
When you care for the nation more than anyone else, and fought with all your heart and is exhausted and scarred── you will fail to resolve this flaw, and realize all your efforts are futile… Just imagining your life ending this way makes me go insane.」
The youth groaned as he seethed from anger. After being exploited, she would die without having her efforts rewarded── Ikuta couldn’t help overlapping the girl’s future with the fate of countless heroes from the past.
「… Some times, I wonder. Do I actually believe── that you will accept this request one day, where I can take you away from the Empire.」
His listless voice disappeared into the air. With the evening sun as the backdrop, his bluff could be seen through easily.
「I’m so vexed, Yatori. I could see how you would meet your demise, but I can’t think up a concrete plan for your salvation──」
Let’s just go shopping normally for today, Ikuta proposed. There were things the two of them could do at any time, but had not tried before.
「I had always thought that you should dress up properly if the chance arises. That would definitely be fun.」
On the youth’s request, they visited a famous tailor shop in the area. As they browsed the clothing displayed on poles, sewn together with cloth of various colors, Yatori looked a little baffled.
「Hmm…? Personally, I don’t see the point of non functional clothes.」
「I respect your opinion, but let’s not debate this today. Dressing up starts by sacrificing function for the sake of form── Hey, shop owner!」
Ikuta clapped, and a lady in elegant clothes walked over briskly.
「… As expected of Ikuta. You brought a lovely lady over today.」
「Long time no see, Sheui. As promised, I’m here as a customer today.」
「I have been waiting. That means── this is the Yatori-chan I have been hearing about.」
Sheui approached Yatori curiously, and spent some time checking her out.
「I see… this is definitely a top class unpolished gem. It would be worth the effort to dress her up.」
「I brought the best diamond in the world here, so go all out, Sheui.」
「That’s what I want to hear. Come, both of you.」
Ikuta and Yatori followed the owner on her gesture, going deep inside the store.
「By the way Yatori-chan, how long have you known Ikuta?」
After picking out some clothes, Yatori separated from the youth temporary, and was brought to the fitting room. She put on the dress and chatted with Sheui through the curtains.
「I only knew him for a few years. Sheui-san, how did you get acquainted with Ikuta?」
「When I was drinking at the bar, he tried to pick me up. I was confused at the start. After all… He is a boy in his teens, while I’m almost 40.」
Yatori felt the texture of the clothes, and was surprised by what she heard.
「Sheui-san looks much younger than that.」
「Fufu, thank you. I’m the owner of a clothing shop after all, so it will affect my business if I didn’t look young.」
Sheui answered and continued the conversation:
「Back to Ikuta, youthful appearances aside, he seemed to have dated older women in the past… It might sound strange for me to say this, doesn’t it make you uneasy?」
Sheui asked for her opinion, and the girl nodded without any hesitation:
「His face was swollen some time ago, I heard he got punched by the husband of someone he flirted with.」
「Ahaha, that did happen. It’s good Ikuta got off easy with a beating, it would be terrible if he got stabbed or something.」
Sheui said with a smile, then her tone suddenly turned serious.
「However── I think that child has a messy youth. Liking older women is fine… but it seems more serious for Ikuta.」
Yatori stopped her hands that were picking the clothes. The frail face of Yuka Sankrei flashed across her mind, and a mixture of nostalgia and pain tore at her heart.
「… You are probably right.」
「I know, right? I can feel that he is chasing after the shadow of someone. Ikuta doesn’t really like older woman, but someone else… Sigh, but it’s not convenient for me to probe too deeply.」
She sighed after saying that, and stared at the girl behind the curtain. Yatori could sense what she was doing too. A while later, Sheui said:
「But… right. To be honest, I’m relieved that you came here. Because Ikuta is looking straight at you, and not seeing the shadow of someone through you. From what I know, you are the only exception for him.」
That was the first time someone commented on her relationship with the youth in such a way. Yatori felt a little bashful, and sensing that the conversation was at an end, she started putting on her dress. Sheui voice came from behind the curtain one last time.
「He said he brought the best diamond in the world here. I’m envious──」
「How does it look? I match the entire set.」
Sheui lead the girl by the hand and walked to the youth sitting in a chair. When he turned his head, time froze for Ikuta.
She was wearing a Sari dress that covered her entire body. The top half was a tight fitting blouse that emphasize her breasts and waist. The long skirt was a matured reddish brown, paired with slippers. The colors brought out the girl’s charm nicely, and wasn’t too loud either.
「Well? I did heed your advice, and didn’t consider the functionality of the clothing.」
Yatori asked with a hand on the thin and smooth clothing. But after waiting for a while, the youth still didn’t speak.
「── Ah── Erm, ehh──」
Realizing the reason why Ikuta was dumbfounded, Sheui smiled smugly.
「Looks like I defended the honor of my shop.」
After satisfying her pride as an expert, the shop owner went around and pushed the two of them from behind:
「Alright── since you are all dressed up, go out and have fun. This isn’t your only destination for today, right? Then walk around while the day’s still bright.」
「Ah, Sheui, payment for the clothes──」
「No need, this is a present.」
Ikuta stared with his eyes wide at that nonchalant reply:
「N-No no── this is all top quality goods right?」
He said as he looked at the girl’s clothes. Yatori who thought the same thing wanted to speak too, but was stopped by Sheui who raised a hand. She said with a brilliant smile:
「Like I said, this is a present── to the first girl my son brought home.」
That stopped all the objections, and the two were pushed out of the tailor shop.
「… What did you and Sheui talked about while I was waiting?」
The two of them walked in the crowded street, and the youth asked as he was bothered by the conversation from earlier. Yatori didn’t hide anything and answered:
「We basically talked about your fetish for women. She is worried about you, and thinks it’s not healthy for you to only target older women.」
「I didn’t expect… Sigh, I have no words.」
Ikuta fell silent with a complicated expression. Not knowing what to say next, he forcefully changed the topic.
「Well then, let’s have some wholesome fun today. Are you hungry?」
「I am, let’s grab a bite.」
「Then I will buy something from a stall nearby. I’ll be back in a jiffy, wait here for me.」
「I can queue together with you.」
「You can’t do that now. You don’t want to dirty your new clothes right?」
Ikuta said with an awkward smile. Yatori looked down at her new clothes and frowned.
「… It is lacking in functionality.」
「That might be true, but I’m happy to see you dress up so nicely.」
The youth had an innocent smile, and could finally express his feelings honestly. Yatori watched him go with a warm feeling in her chest.
She had to wait for him to come back, but it would be unnecessarily prominent to just stand there. The girl walked to a stall nearby, planning to kill time by browsing the merchandize.
「H-Honey, there’s a customer!」「W-Welcome…!」
The moment she stood before a store facing the street, a young married couple rushed up to her. Yatori was surprised by their eagerness, and the husband started introducing his wares.
「What do you think? This is trending clothes from Tatsuku! Its colors suit you well!」
He took the most prominent roll of cloth in the shop and showed it to his customer. Without waiting for a response, he did the same thing with another merchandize.
「How about this one? The patterns are a little bold, but for a beautiful lady like you, anything will look good… Hahaha!」
Yatori took the Tatsuku cloth shoved into her hands, and her face turned tense. The married couple didn’t notice and took out other merchandize.
「── Sorry for the intrusion.」
A hoarse and intimidating voice boomed into the store. The couple stopped with a shiver, and turned around stiffly.
「B-Befork san…」
「Yo, shopkeep. You got the money ready?」
The man named Befork with a scary face entered the shop with several of his henchmen behind him. The young couple averted their faces, afraid of looking him in the eye.
「E-Erm… J-Just wait a little while longer! We will get the money in a few more days! L-Look, Befork-san, the goods you sold us is being sold little by little…!」
「Are you kidding me, I gave you the ultimatum three days ago!」
Befork ignored these excuses and roared. The shopkeeper’s knees turned weak and he fell onto his butt.
「Since you can’t return the money, then we will take the building as per the contract── Hey, you lot.」
On his command, his henchmen attempted to enter the shop, some of them even had tools to demolish the shop. They probably intended to recover the valuables in the shop and tear it down, their movements were rushed and violent.
「S-Stop!」「Shop! Our shop!」
That couple held each other as they cried. Yatori stood before the two of them and said loudly:
「… Please wait. I have something to clarify with you.」
「What is it? Little miss, this has nothing to do with the patrons, please stand aside.」
「I want to do that too, but I’m puzzled by the fact that you are taking the shop just three days after your ultimatum. According to the provincial debt collection laws, you can only do so after one week.」
The girl stated her knowledge of the law. Befork frowned with a fierce glare.
「… Hah? If I wait four days, and those two flee in the middle of the night, will you take responsibility then, little miss?」
「If that really happens, you won’t lose anything except for time. From the beginning when you proposed that loan, your target is this piece of land, right?」
Yatori stood steadfast and retaliated. Befork started to sneer:
「… Mind your own business, little miss. Listen, I gave a loan to that stupid couple over there, and the contract states they have to return the loan to me with interest by the end of last month. But they didn’t cough up the money. So I’m here to take this shop that has been used as collateral, as per the contract. There’s no need to complicate matters further.」
「You don’t want them to clear the debt from the start, right? Since you arrange for this shop to sell such substandard wares.」
The girl showed the cloth she presented to her and said. The shopkeeper just said that these were the people who supplied these goods to them.
「The specialty from the south, Tatsuku cloth── it’s true that it is trending recently. Because of that, there are many nefarious people who want to make a killing by selling fakes with similar patterns. What an annoying coincidence, I dealt with a gang that did this recently.」
The man’s face turned blank. The young couple opened their eyes wide after hearing that.
「… Huh? F-Fake? This…?」
「I’m not an expert, but the structure of the patterns is clearly not right, and I don’t see the most prominent part of Tatsuku cloth, which is its artistic diagonal lines. I saw the real thing in another shop just now, so this sense of wrongness is even stronger. Displaying such wares won’t increase your sales. The seller is just dumping their excess goods onto you.」
Seeing that the couple running a shop here didn’t have eyes for goods, they loaned the couple money── seeing the exploitative structure of the entire thing, Yatori placed the cloth back onto the rack. Befork bared his crooked teeth in a smile.
「Hah── So what? That stupid couple just doesn’t have sharp enough eyes. Business is war, little girl. The one who misjudged the values of the good is in the wrong.」
「I’m an amateur, so I can’t refute that. Pushing for early repayment of debt might be a feasible method in the commercial world… But you have also admitted that you gave your ultimatum three days ago. They still have four days of grace period.」
「Damn you, watch it──」
Frustrated by the long argument, one of the henchmen reached forth to grab the girl. She quickly lock his arm in a standing position.
「Shyaa…?」
「If you going to break the laws so overtly, I can’t overlook this. Come again four days later. This is the law you must follow.」
Yatori pushed the screaming man out of the shop and expressed her unwavering will to her opponents. Pissed off by the little girl who was belittling them, the henchmen went forth one after another. But when the second got kicked in the balls, and the third got thrown out, Befork’s face turned pale.
「Hey── stop.」
He restrained his triggered henchmen, and glared at the girl. At this point, he realized that fighting any longer would just result in more casualties.
「… Since it has come to this, I don’t mind coming back another day.」
Befork retracted his words, and the couple behind Yatori looked happy.
「But── putting aside reason, there is the matter of our reputation to settle. You got that. You lot, do it.」
The group rushed outside the shop on command, and a few minutes later, gathered all the buckets of kitchen waste from the vicinity, and gathered back before the shop.
「────!」
With Yatori’s abilities, it was easy to dodge, but the couple behind her was a bondage to her feet. If she dodged, it would splash onto them── With that thought in mind, she made her choice.
The kitchen waste was thrown out. Leftover vegetables, bones with rotten meat, brownish fruit skin and goo that was impossible to identify── all that splashed onto the girl mercilessly.
Until the wave stopped, she didn’t move an inch. Yatori looked terrible after everything was over. Her beautiful translucent sari, the smooth shirt under it and the high cut and elegant skirt── Sheui’s well meaning gifts were completely ruined by the kitchen waste.
「Hee! ── Looks good on you.」
Befork sneered gleefully at her sullied sight.
「Just take this as a warning before we come to take the shop. There are four days left, if you can still do business like this, and do what you want.」
「……」
「Your pretty clothes are all ruined, little girl. If you learned your lesson, then don’t ── Fuwahh?」
The man was about to turn and leave after venting his anger, when a round object hit him in the face.
「I-I-It burns──?」
It was a bread covered in melted cheese. The gooey cheese stuck onto his skin, and the searing heat made Befork groped at his face.
「Water water! Give me water!」
「Here, water.」
A bottle was shoved into his hand groping for help, and thinking nothing aside from escaping the burning sensation on his face, Befork poured the content onto his head. The spicy content splashed onto him mercilessly.
「Shyyaaa! What is this, it stings! My eyes are burning～～!」
「D-Damn you!」「What did you do to the boss!」
All this happened too smoothly, and Befork’s henchmen only started acting now. The youth who had a headstart ran around to escape their grasps. The pedestrians stared in awe as the group chased each other in the streets. But it didn’t last long as the blinded Befork sought the help of his henchmen.
「I-I can’t see…! You lot, help me! Where’s the well!」
「B-But boss…」「That brat is still…」
「I’m telling you to help me! Damn it～～ my face hurts～～!」
With a deep bellow, Befork staggered away, led by his henchmen. After seeing them go, the youth rushed into the shop, and saw the terrible state of the vermillion haired girl.
「… Ikuta…」
Yatori felt a stabbing pain in her chest when she saw his eyes go wide. Not because of how unsightly she was, but because the youth would feel hurt when he sees her like this.
The moment he stopped, Ikuta decided on the next course of action and execute it. He picked up the bucket of kitchen waste and pour it over his head. The vermillion haired girl gasped, and was dumbfounded.
After sullying himself like Yatori, he pulled the girl to him by the arm, picked up a banana peel with his other hand and threw it into the shop with all his might. The young couple was shocked by that and yelled:
「Uwah! W-What are you doing!」
「This trash should have been splashed onto you!」
Ikuta drowned out their protest with a yell, and left. Yatori kept her head low as she followed quietly.
Ikuta brought the girl with soiled clothes to the best inn in the vicinity. When they passed through the entrance of the brick building, the owner receive them with a puzzled face. The youth demanded without any hesitation:
「There’s a public bath here, right!? I want to rent the place immediately.」
「We do have one──」
After confirming that, Ikuta took out his wallet. The money he got from tricking other con men were in there. He picked out about a dozen note, and handed them to the owner.
「I will rent the bath for an hour with this money. You don’t have to prepare hot water, but give me as much water as possible! And also soap and balm! I’m fine with simple indoor clothes, please prepare two sets for me! As soon as possible!」
「Y-Yes!」
The owner probably thought of them as eccentric guests, and acted quickly after taking the money. He brought them to the bath immediately, and the two of them stood before the rinsing point in the empty bathhouse, with buckets of water to clean themselves.
「I asked the owner to prepare some simple clothes, so take off your soiled ones. Want me to turn around?」
「It’s fine. Besides, you should take yours off too.」
「Yes… that’s true. I’m stripping too.」
They nodded at each other, placed their partner sprites onto the floor, and took all their clothes off. They had no qualms about being naked in front of each other, and this day felt like an extension of the times they spent together four years ago.
「I will pour water onto your head, it will be a bit cold.」
「Yes, it’s fine.」
Yatori nodded, and the youth slowly scooped up water to rinse her body. Feeling the filth washed away from her body, the girl looked to the clothes she took off earlier.
「… I got it stained with kitchen waste in less than an hour, I wonder how I should apologize to Sheui.」
「We can always make new clothes, what’s important now is your body.」
After repeatedly rinsing away the obvious filth, the youth put down the bucket, and picked up the soap and towel he got from the owner. He placed a bottle of balm by his feet, soaked the towel in water, and lather it with soap.
「If you leave it alone for too long, the rotten stench of the kitchen waste would be hard to get off. Before using the balm, you will need to wash it yourself carefully with soap, especially your hair.」
「Yes, got it… by the way, Ikuta.」
「Yes, what is it?」
After taking the towel covered in soap, the vermillion haired girl lowered her gaze and apologized softly.
「… Sorry for ruining the clothes.」
When he heard that, the youth grit his teeth loudly. He was frustrated that she had to apologize. He had never seen Yatori so depressed since the first time they met.
As he lathered more soap, Ikuta said firmly:
「There is only one thing I want to say. There isn’t anything in this world that you need to apologize for.」
「I’m done… How is it?」
The youth and the girl were brought to a room after cleansing themselves, and sat shoulder to shoulder on one of the beds, wearing indoor robes. On Yatori’s request, Ikuta leaned close to the body of the vermillion haired girl and sniffed.
「… Hmm, it’s good. There’s only the smell of balm and your own nice scent.」
「I see, that’s great── next is your turn.」
The girl nodded with a smile, grabbed Ikuta’s shoulder and leaned in to check his smell too. She frowned:
「…? There’s no stench of kitchen waste, but what’s this? Smell like roasted leaves…」
「Oh, that’s probably the lingering smell from my visit to the tobacco shop two days ago. I got cocky and inhaled quite a bit of it.」
「You picked up more bad habits? I think you are getting addicted to them.」
Yatori said with a bewildered face, but didn’t pull her face away. Ikuta retaliated by tickling her armpits, and for a while, the two of them played around like intimate puppies.
「… How did you get involved with those people?」
The sunlight shining through the windows grew dim, and the youth laid down beside the girl on the bed and asked. Yatori recounted everything about the incident before that shop, including the background. After hearing everything, Ikuta’s face turned gloomy.
「The landlord pushing for repayment ahead of the deadline… They are scum just like I thought. But that couple is bad too, they are too inattentive and trusting, so half of their troubles is their own doing.」
「I feel the same way. Even without the debtors rushing for repayment early, that shop won’t last long.」
「Then just leave them be. They are just losing the shop four days early.」
In contrast to his cold way of putting it, he was worried about the girl. Yatori smiled when she sensed that, but still shook her head.
「Things might be different with four days. It will be enough for them to pack their bags, and prepare themselves mentally for their next phase of life. This buffer time is a right granted to them by the law. So I have to defend that right── That’s what I thought back then, and my body acted first.」
Her way of life had not changed since four years ago. Ikuta grit his teeth with a bitter face.
「… As a result, you got splashed with filth.」
「It got on you too.」
「Of course. How can I let you get humiliated alone!?」
The youth raised his voice and sat up. He looked at Yatori with a sad face.
「… If you encounter the same thing, will you stand up for others again?」
「I think so. Protecting lives and properties of the citizen is the duty of a soldier── of an Igsem.」
「Even if the thing splashed onto you… isn’t kitchen waste, but bullets?」
「I will still step up. Doing so will protect the most number of people.」
「……!」
He already knew that. Ikuta understood the vermillion haired girl’s way of life better than anyone, and how precious she was, that she would never change from the day he met her.
That was why he couldn’t stand it at this moment── When he heard her answer, the youth lost his self control.
「── It’s because── you are like this!」
Compelled by his despair── the next moment, he pinned the girl below him.
「……Ikuta?」
Yatori looked baffledly at the youth before her.
「────」
His hands were on the sheets above her shoulders, and Ikuta said with gloomy eyes:
「── Since I can’t bend your will── I will bind you instead.」
「……」
「There’s a saying that a child is a wedge, which means the existence of a child maintains the feelings between married couples. I always hated that way of putting it… But looking at it from the other way, that means the bonds are so weak that it will break without the child, right?」
The youth said detestedly, then showed a self mocking smile.
「I hate it── but I’m desperate enough to use that. I can’t help thinking, if I can convince you with a wedge, then I will use any despicable method that I can.」
Their faces were close enough to feel each other's breath, and he finally said the decisive line:
「Right here, and now, I will impregnate you.」
「──」
Thump! The girl’s heart pounded hard. With their eyes locked together, the youth squeezed out his voice and continued:
「This is the worst method I can think of. I was impressed by how stupid this method is. But, but── it might work. The unfavorable conditions and scandal will force you away from the path of the soldier.」
Ikuta couldn’t stop his voice from trembling. He understood how foolish his action was, a vulgar act of an unscrupulous beast── however, he didn’t have any other options. No matter how he tried, the youth couldn’t find any way to take the vermillion haired girl away from the Empire, and separate her life from that of an Igsem.
「The scandal of unwed pregnancy, and cast aside from the path of a soldier and an Igsem── will you come with me then? Even if you hate me and bear a grudge… will you live on as just Yatorishino? And leave behind your fate of dying together with the Empire?」
The fingers on his right hand sunk into the girl’s shoulder. Her robes were open, revealing her delicate skin, and exposing her bountiful breasts. However, Yatori didn’t move. Her crimson eyes showed no sign of rejection as she looked straight at him.
「── Push me away, Yatori. You understand, right? I’m being crazy right now.」
Ikuta was the one who pleaded for help. The girl finally answered quietly:
「… I already thought about it. If that really happened, how I will live my life.」
「……」
「After being impregnated with your child, the news will spread, and I will either withdraw from school temporarily, or for good── the tribulations will continue even after giving birth. I can’t predict how my father will act, or what the main house will do to me. Disowning me is easy, but the Igsem lacks an heir… They might even accept me along with the scandals.」
Yatori described the future she imagined in detail. As she imagined the days that might be, she soon arrived at an answer.
「But all those are just trivial details. I realized as I imagine all this── even if that happens, I won’t stop being an Igsem.」
The vermillion haired girl said with a pain that tore at her chest. Because she was aware that this answer would deepen the youth’s despair.
「It would take two years at most for my body to recover enough to resume schooling. I never cared much about my reputation── and having a child with you isn’t a scandal to me. I will be swamped with raising the child and my busy schedule, but the Igsem main house will probably help too. That child is a precious heir, and compared to the flawed me, they will take more care in nurturing that child── Oh, or you want to raise that child? Then convincing the main house will be difficult…」
Yatori said calmly, with a sense of powerlessness in her heart. Why couldn’t she say something more apt for the situation? No, she should say something to respond to his feelings, instead of all this.
「But, no matter what── that child won’t become the wedge that you want. Your wish of taking me away from the Empire won’t come true. So this method is a failure from the start… Even so, there’s something I want to tell you.」
She finally thought of something that could answer his feelings. This fact made her relieved, and she said with a smile:
「I will definitely give birth and raise that child. No matter what anyone says, I will not abort my pregnancy. You don’t have to worry about that.」
Complicated feelings wavered in Ikuta’s dark eyes. Her fingers brushed against the cheeks of the youth, and Yatori relaxed her body and closed her eyes.
「I won’t push you away. I’m the one who made you insane in the first place. If you are going to do it── be gentle. This is my first time.」
It was fine even if this was meaningless. The girl was sure there was a point to this, even if it was meaningless.
As he looked at the girl who had given her consent and closed her eyes── Ikuta breathed out softly.
「… Yatori…」
「What?」
「… You are too mean…」
It was a voice of someone who sounded completely crushed. He stopped pinning her down, and sat down with his back to the girl.
「… I give up, I realized a long time ago that I can’t pull you away from the Igsem. That was impossible from the start, and most importantly, I don’t want that either.
Because── when we first met, you are already Yatorishino Igsem. That is the perfect and beautiful form of the girl that I consider to be my other half. No matter how stubborn or insane I am, I will never want to … tarnish your very existence.」
Yatori slowly got up behind him. The youth continued.
「I can’t accept this fact, and had been lying to myself. Because── I won’t be able to move if I did face it. I can solve this problem by taking you away from the Empire, but I will sink into the darkness without finding the solution if I faced that fact. Then what should I do? I want to save you, but I can’t even find a way. This is a dead end…」
The girl gently touched his trembling back. There was only one thing she could say.
「I have you. There’s no greater salvation for me than that.」
The youth shook his head like a stubborn child, refusing to accept this conclusion.
「Don’t give in. We are both too young to treat a dead end alley as a paradise──」
A few days later, after morning classes were over, Yatori headed deep into the 「nest」 in the forest to search for the youth. Ikuta who was in his hammock as usual glanced at her, then said unhappily with a pout:
「── I have reviewed my strategy.」
He started with the conclusion. The girl waited under the hammock.
「The goal of pulling you away from the Igsem is wrong. I have to admit, that I can’t bring Yatorishino alone from the Empire. It will be pointless if the one I take with me isn’t Yatorishino Igsem.」
The strategic review came too late, the youth grumbled. Yatori nodded seriously.
「Is that so… Then, what will you do?」
Under the watchful gaze of her crimson eyes, Ikuta scratched his cheeks bashfully.
「Well, about that… I don’t have a specific plan in mind yet, so I’m giving myself some buffer time. I will be careful and not rush myself, and will use the time until graduation to rework my plan.」
It seems that he had not found a way out of this dead end. Yatori accepted this fact with complicated feelings, then said after hesitating for a few seconds:
「In that case, I have a suggestion.」
「Hmm?」
Ikuta looked stiffly at her. The vermillion haired girl tried her best to stay calm and continued calmly:
「You know about the officer cadet selection test two years later, right? I plan to participate, but according to the rumours, the Remeon house will send a strong competitor for that year.」
In contrast to the stagnant guilt in her heart, the lines she prepared flowed out smoothly. She always felt that was the uncute part about her, and she never stuttered at all.
「As the daughter of the Igsem house, I have to get top candidate medal. So I want to borrow your strength. The written test portion is fine, but the second phase will be a competition between the candidates. I want to find a ringer to give me the edge in the exam.」
Yatori stopped after saying that, and Ikuta asked after thinking about it:
「So, you want me to take the exams too?」
「I have prepared a reward for you, of course. I will introduce you to a job in the Empire, within the limits of the Igsem’s connections. You can choose any venue and career as you wish. How about that?」
The youth thought for a moment, and stated his wish.
「… Even an imperial librarian?」
「I will confirm it again later, but that should be fine. Librarians are viewed as pushover jobs anyway.」
Yatori nodded. After troubling over it for a long while, Ikuta returned his gaze to the girl.
「Then I will accept. It will be some time before I settle on a plan, so having a slack working environment to think it over isn’t bad either.」
「It’s decided then. Let’s have a drink to toast our cooperative relationship?」
The girl took out two wine glasses from the bag on her shoulder, and handed one to Ikuta. She took out a small bottle of wine, which made the youth open his eyes wide.
「… Is it fine? No one else is here, but we are still on campus.」
「I’m proposing a nefarious scheme here, so what’s wrong with breaking the rules a little?」
Yatori said mischievously, and poured milky white fruit wine into the glasses.
「I had been poisoned by you and your father so much that I can pull off such a scheme. You also said that you will do everything you can to tempt me to depravity. So to a certain extent, it worked.」
「I see, then all those trips we made to the shady areas were worth it.」
Ikuta got down from his hammock, and smiled boldly. They faced each other in the forest, and raise their glasses high.
「To your depravity and our victory.」
「Yes── Cheers.」
Clink, the glasses clinked hard together. The wine tasted sweet with a bitter aftertaste.
On the way back to the school building through the forest, Yatori thought── it was too obvious that I had ulterior motives.
If he accepted the proposal to assist with the officer cadet selection test, that would mean maintaining Ikuta Solork’s connection to the Imperial Army. That would retain the possibility of him joining the military, and recruiting him when a chance arises.
It was obvious that this was the hidden agenda of the Igsem. Their whimsical hope that the Imperial Army could revive the Sankrei line, and find a breath of fresh air to ventilate the stagnant future… The purpose of the Igsem was to stay consistent throughout the times, so they couldn’t change anything by themselves. That was why they would reach out unconsciously for someone to lead the revolution. Just like how Bada Sankrei was to Solvenares Igsem.
However── Yatori sighed. Even the Igsem’s hidden agenda was just an excuse for her.
Her other half that reunited with her after four years. The youth who stayed in the Empire that had no future just to save her from the fate of destruction. His feelings and actions filled the girl’s heart with guilt and glee. Yatorishino could never give up by herself or leave him── even though she knew she couldn’t cross that final line in her heart and answer the youth’s wishes.
That day when her new clothes were sullied, the youth pinned her down and proclaimed he would impregnate her. Back then, she thought, that was fine too. Even though it was meaningless, it was precious to her as this was the method the youth chose after troubling over it for so long. That might be a terrible method, and would leave a scar── she wanted to embrace that pain.
「In the end── I’m so hopelessly greedy.」
The girl concluded, then stopped and looked up to the sky… Two in one, like a left and right hand. The promise they made were still rooted deep in their hearts, and didn’t fade one bit──
「Yes, that’s right. So── I won’t let this go again.」
── In that instant, the surrounding went dark, and a freezing voice came from behind.
「…?」
Yatori turned around with a chilling feeling in her heart── and stopped breathing.
A vermillion haired figure with dual swords. An Igsem in the same attire as her stood there. However, her crimson eyes had pure murderous lust.
「Good bye, Yatorishino.」
With an icy farewell, that figure drew out her saber and short sword. Before Yatori could react, the two blades pierced her breasts.
「Ah────」
The blade flashed without giving any chance for a scream. Severing the arms, legs, and head. The dual blades cut her to pieces, robbing the very existence of that vermillion haired girl.
But that was just the start. After chopping her beyond recognition, the vermillion haired figure slashed at even more things.
Cutting the rainbow bridge across the sky. The scientists in white smiling gently. The silly smile of Bada Sankrei. The frail smile of Yuka Sankrei. The joy she felt when she stole food from the kitchen. The excitement when she pulled out the lord of the swamp. The debate that turned intense as both sides refused to back down. The frustration of leading a battalion on missions and the glee of achieving the objective. The thrill of the deadly battle with the wolves. The irreplaceable promise she had with her other half.
She severed the memories of the Knight Corp. The taste of Haro’s tea that soothe her soul. The respect for Matthew’s forthright challenge. The friendship and rivalry she had towards Torway. The grateful feelings she had towards Sazarf. The concern and emotions she invested in Princess Chamille beyond her position as her vassal.
She slashed her feelings for Ikuta. His hopes, frustrations, struggles── everything he said. All the shining things that warm Yatorishino’s heart, were all cut up forever.
She gathered all the shreds she cut── and threw them into the fire.
「── Ugh── Ahh──」
As she leaned against the closed furnace door, a part of her burning into ashes suffocates her.
「── Ah── Ahhh──」
The elements that made her human slowly faded away into dust.
The pain was beyond words. The death throes of her soul being ripped apart was the ultimate punishment tormenting her.
She couldn’t withstand it. She wanted to scream. If she could cast aside her pride and senses, and reach out for the intense flames── and grab the remnants of everything she discarded, it would be so easy.
But she was not permitted to do so. The obligation she shouldered didn’t allowed her to. All her paths had been sealed by blades, with only one left.
The girl closed her eyes and stood before the furnace. Like a criminal whose legs were chained. Like a sword stabbed securely to the ground.
「────」
At the end of the torment that she thought would last forever, she realized── that she was in an empty darkness.
It was over. She realized that her soul had been completely consumed by the flame.
「……」
There was no more pain, and her dead heart was silent. She felt hollow inside.
A voice echoed in that emptiness── Follow your orders, do what you must.
「── Yes.」
The girl nodded stoicly, and opened her eyes. She used the back of her hand to crudely rub away the liquid on the corners of her eyes── that furnace had already disappeared.
In its place was the bed in the corner, a plain chair and desk, and luggage placed neatly around her. The vermillion haired girl turned around quietly in her familiar tent.
「… Yatori…」
Her partner Shia called out to its mistress from the pouch with concern. The girl shook her head.
「That woman is no more.」
She declared with a steel-like voice, and walked to the entrance of the tent. After seeing the emotionless profile of its mistress’ face, Shia couldn’t say anything else.
The night breeze caressed her cheeks when she was outside. Her tears dried up quickly with that. After completely discarding her humanity, the Igsem that was left marched on forward.
To fulfil her duty. To slay Ikuta Solork.
Chapter 4: Promise
In a shallow cave created by the jutting rocks, all the officers above the rank of First Lieutenant in the 「Rising Sun Regiment」 search team stood in neat ranks.
「I will explain the strategy.」
With the members of the Knight Corps standing beside him, the commander-in-chief Ikuta kicked things off.
「Our entire forces will head into the Kugurosaebo rocky terrain, and deploy our men in suitable places. The rocky hills in this open rocky terrain are tightly packed together── and looks roughly like this.」
He gestured with his gaze, and four soldiers slowly put the long table with a hand drawn map laid on it onto its side. Ikuta pointed to the map and explained its content:
「As you can see, our base consists of eight rocky . Three in the center, and five on the outside, for a total of eight. To make it easy, I will call each of these rocky hills as blocks.We will deploy our forces in each block, and work together with the forces in other blocks to fend off the enemy until reinforcements arrive── everything clear so far?」
Ikuta looked to his subordinates to confirm. No one raise any questions, so the youth returned his gaze back to the map.
「The blocks are numbered to make it easier to reference, and also to represent their priority. Let me explain the reason for ranking them this way.
First off── this place here is the first block, the center of the blocks cluster. This is the deepest area, and surrounded by steep cliffs. And this is where the command headquarters is. We will lose if this place falls.
On the right is block two. It will shield the headquarters against attacks from the east. If it falls, it will just be a matter of time before we lose the entire thing.」
The officers gulped. After glancing at their tense faces, the youth continued:
「Beneath the first and second block, is block three. It is the smallest block, but is as important as the second block in shielding the headquarters and supporting the two blocks to the south. And of course, we can’t let the enemy capture it.」
After emphasizing the importance of the first three blocks, he moved on to the outer blocks.
「Block four to eight don’t have any priority over each other, and their importance would depend on how the enemy moves. block eight is the lowest because it is the furthest from the center block, and is the most difficult to support when attacked from the west. It is very likely that the enemy will target it, and make a foothold.
The sixth and seventh block face the same issue. In other words, if we can hold on to these blocks, the enemy won’t be able to infiltrate in.」
Ikuta drew a line to link the five outer blocks, then slapped the map with his palm:
「The fourth to eighth blocks are to maintain the defence line as long as possible, and keep the enemy away from the first to third blocks. Keep up your fighting capabilities and hold on until reinforcements arrives in four days── that’s our winning condition.
The Igsem search team number around 5,000, while we have 2,400, so they outnumber us two to one── Since we are defending in a stronghold, it is very possible for us to complete this defence mission. With the rocky terrain around here, we don’t have to worry about the enemy cavalry.」
The youth promised with a firm tone, then looked to his men again.
「The conclusion of the coup will be decided by this battle, so hear me out here.
Listen up, we aren’t fighting because we have been pushed to the brink, but because victory here will open our path to the future. The divided Imperial Army will be reunited, and the nation on the verge of collapse will be righted── We will be fighting this last battle to make all this come true. Defend safely until the end, and end the chaos.」
His eyes were filled with determination as Ikuta said in a strong tone. He raised their morale by pointing out the reason they were fighting── aside from doing his due diligence as the commander-in-chief, the youth also spurred his subordinates with his pep talk.
「That’s the plan and objective. If there are no further questions, I will now assign the commanders for each block.
The First block── will be commanded by me, since I have to consider the situation and issue orders for the whole unit. The Princess and other important political figures will stay in the headquarters.」
Ikuta paused here, then looked at the pudgey youth beside him.
「The second block── Matthew, I will leave it to you.」
「M-Me? … Wouldn’t Torway be better?」
「It has to be you. I want Torway and his sniper team to move freely between the blocks. Coordinating with the neighbouring sixth and seventh block, and command the melee battle against the enemy── with all that in mind, you are the only one capable of adapting to the situation and taking command of the eastern defences.」
After listening to Ikuta explain the reason he was chosen, Matthew nodded firmly after a slight hesitation:
「… Leave it to me. I will defend the block to the bitter end, so don’t worry.」
Matthew made a show of looking confident to express his determination. Ikuta looked at his display of dignity gratefully, and turned his gaze back to the front:
「Next will be the Third Block── less troops will be deployed here, so the commander has to deploy them swiftly and accurately. I will leave this to the seasoned veteran Captain Sezoi.」
「By your command!」
The appointee was an old officer who used to serve in the Rising Sun Regiment. The commanders have been supportive of Ikuta. The commanders for the 4th to 6th block were also selected with this criteria.
「And the seventh block── it will depend on how the battle goes, and its importance will rise as the battle drags on, and the burden of the troops will increase with that. With that in mind──」
He paused for a moment, then looked at the woman standing meekly at the far end of the officers and selected her.
「Sergeant Major Suya Mittokarifu, you will be in command. Your rank isn’t high enough, so you are hereby promoted to brevet First Lieutenant.」
She was confused for a moment, and stood there with a dumb face. Until this moment, she didn’t know the reason why she was summoned here.
「… H-Huh? P-Please wait! I’m just a Non Commissioned Officer?」
「Not waiting. Each block has 300 men on average, and you are usually commanding my unit in my stead, so don’t tell me you can’t do it. If you want to enrol into the Military Academy for further studies, I will arrange it for you after all this is over.」
Suya wanted to say that’s not the problem, but Ikuta’s drowned her out with his strong words.
「I want to correct something. You are not just an NCO, but my deputy── and disciple.」
He stopped her refute with that. The youth continued with a serious face:
「My personal judgement is that you are capable of taking on this task. Any complaints?」
「…… No Sir.」
Suya lowered her head a little after a few seconds of silence, and answered. Ikuta smiled:
「Great, I will leave that to you── Continuing with the assignments, the last eighth block is──」
The War Council got back on track. With that last assignment, the deployment was all done.
「── That’s the commander for each block. Aside from that, Captain Torway’s sniper team and Captain Haroma’s medic team will move between each blocks depending on the situation. From now until the defensive battle ends, there won’t be any idle time to rest.」
「… Yes!」「Yes!」
Torway and Haro nodded at the same time. After that, Ikuta turned his gaze to the woman in light armour.
「Warrant Officer Lucanti’s team will continue to guard the Princess and headquarters. You are the last line of defence, so don’t act hastily. No matter what happens, act with the Princess’ safety as your priority.」
「Yes Sir!」
She answered energetically. With that as the conclusion, the dark haired youth raised his voice.
「We will start the plan now── everyone, get to work!」
The soldiers rushed off, making the headquarters less crowded, Princess Chamille approached the dark haired youth with hesitation, as he watched his men go with a thoughtful face.
「Solork… Can I have a moment?」
「Hmm? What is it, Your Highness? The toilet is that way.」
「No! No… There’s something I have to tell you now.」
The Princess said seriously, and lowered her head while biting her lips.
「… Sorry. It’s all my fault that you are forced into this position…」
「It’s not your fault at all. From the very beginning, it was that fox who had been acting from behind the scene and played us like a damn fiddle.」
The youth shrugged, dismissing her words, but the blonde girl shook her head.
「That’s exactly why… I should have prioritized getting rid of him… and eliminated Trisnai. No matter what unsculptous means I had to do, I should have eliminated him.」
The Princess continued saying to the frowning Ikuta:
「Up until today, I should have plenty of opportunities to do so. I can do it with my position. I just need to approach him nonchalantly with a knife behind my back, and stab it into his chest── that would solve everything. The citizens and Sprites wouldn’t be held hostage, and his schemes would be destroyed. Even if I have to die within, things won’t have turned out this way── and you won’t be forced to fight Yatori──」
The girl lamented her mistake. Ikuta laughed off her worries.
「I was wondering what you want to say, so you want to apologizing for not doing something that risky? I should compliment you instead── you did great to survive, Princess. Your cautiousness and wits── all that has become our hope.」
The youth patted the Princess’ head as he said that firmly. The girl’s shoulder trembled a little.
「Why are you treating me so kindly…? In the first place, I’m the one who made you a soldier against your own will! My family ravaged your home and took away your family! You should hate me so much that you will want to punch me! If not── if not…!」
As the Princess pressed in close with tears in her eyes, Ikuta suddenly showed a serious face:
「… That’s true. About that, I have something to tell you too. Thank you, Princess. Thank you for giving me a push back then.」
He didn’t respond with accusation or admonishment. It was the opposite instead. The Princess looked up at him with a gasp.
「What…」
「When I was taking the Officer Cadet exams── I was stuck. I stayed in the Empire for the sake of taking Yatori away with me, but as I struggled in doing so, I realized my methods were fundamentally wrong… and got into a dead end.
I wanted to save her, but I don’t know how. Not just cutting Yatorishino off from the Igsem and taking her with me. But it is pointless if I don’t save her from her fate of destruction── Faced with this contradiction, I was completely lost.」
Thinking back on his past struggles, Ikuta looked at the blonde girl.
「And then, you showed up. You ram through thick walls blocking the dead end, and dragged me into the path of a career soldier by force── I was angry at the start. Not joining the military was one of the promises I made with my mother before she died. So I hated you for making me break that promise.」
The youth heaved a long sigh, then looked up into the sky with a chirpy expression.
「But── that’s fine. The more I think, the more I realized that there was no other way. To save Yatori, I can only change the country itself by joining the army. It was just a matter of time before I realized that, so this was just executing the plan before making this decision.
However… if the Princess didn’t push me, I would have wasted several years. This blank period would have a fatal effect on the present times. When I think about that possibility── I feel nothing but gratitude towards you.」
Ikuta knelt down on the rocky terrain to match her height, and said:
「I can say this as many times as you like. Thank you for giving me that push, Princess. Thanks to you── I am in a position to save her.」
These words made the girl stood still. She didn’t know what kind of face she was making.
「… Before the battle ends, please hide inside the headquarters. We have a base, but this is a real battlefield, and there’s no telling when a stray bullet might come flying.
Oh, and one more thing── no matter what, don’t go near that end of the headquarters. As you know, there are people more terrible than stray bullets.」
Ikuta warned as he pointed to the northern corner of the cave, where the Emperor and fox was quarantined. He then slapped his knee and said:
「I need to concentrate and think. I’m not thinking hard enough for an all out battle against her.」
Torway left the headquarters after the war council was over, and climbed up to the top of the First Block.
「Hmm… This is rather high.」
After surveying the surroundings, the youth stated his thoughts. However, the First Block was about as tall as the other blocks. It was shorter than the second, fourth and seventh block, and around the same height of the eighth block. He didn’t have a clear view of the surroundings── which was natural, as there were blind spots because of the other blocks. Communications were crucial to grasping the overall flow of battle.
As the sky grew dim at 4pm in the afternoon, the troops had been deployed to the five outer blocks, with the final adjustments made as per the war council. Soldiers were bustling around the three blocks in the center too, as they transported ammunition and other supplies.
「What about Yatori-san…?」
The youth looked to the right with his telescope, observing the enemy camp that had twice their numbers. The Igsem search team deployed to the west northwest, east northeast, and the south remained unchanged since a few hours ago, and showed no signs of changing.
If the enemy weighed the risk and given up on the fight── the youth hoped, and another telescop came from the side.
「Unfortunately, they will definitely attack. Probably after dusk, so brace yourself.」
Ikuta said, as if he had seen through Torway’s mind. Torway curled the corners of his lips and put down the telescope.
「… We can’t avoid this battle?」
「That’s right. If the enemy’s intent is to reach a compromise through negotiations, they would have stated so already. Since there had not been any communications, we can only acknowledge their resolve.」
「They might still be deliberating on it, or maybe they are waiting for instructions from the top.」
「Given the distance from the Hunger Castle and the timing of the Jewel Voice Broadcast, they should have received their instructions. Since all the elements are in place, I don’t think she will waste more time. Hence, she must be waiting for a good chance to attack.」
The youth stated calmly. Torway tried his best to listen to the prickling words, and cleared the naive thoughts out of his mind.
「… That’s right. Your prediction about a night raid make sense. Since they know our main forces are windgunners, they would take measures against our sniping.」
「I will send the Luminous troops to work with them, and ensure a clear field of vision for night battles. However, we can’t light up the entire place. If a small mobile unit infiltrates under the cover of darkness, it will be terrible. Wreaking havoc on the battlefield with a small elite team── That’s Yatori’s forte.」
Ikuta kept his telescope, and turned to the youth beside him.
「Before the fight breaks out, I’m telling this only to you── Given the situation, it will be easy to hold out if the enemy commander is mediocre. They have twice our number, but with our makeshift defences, we can hold on for four days easily.」
「… Yes, I think so too. If their commander isn’t Yatori-san.」
Torway said stiffly. The dark haired youth nodded heavily.
「That’s how it is… I have to put my all into this battle. And don’t even hope we can best her tactically. I have never beaten her in terms of talent as a soldier. In all senses, I have never won against her before.」
After looking at the Igsem units deployed in the three directions, Ikuta continued with a stoic face.
「Not just you, Matthew, Haro, and maybe even the Princess is mistaken. Listen carefully── I can only act as the leader of the 『Knight Corp』 not because my tactical insight and planning abilities are better than Yatori. It’s the opposite, I’m only second rate as a frontline commander, while Yatori is top class, so she is best suited to be the frontline commander.」
The jade eyed youth was surprised by that and shook his head.
「… I don’t think so. Be it the northern territories or on the sea, we only overcome those obstacles because of your leadership. No── we only survived thanks to your strategic insights and Yatori’s tactical abilities. That’s the war chronicles of the 『Knight Corp』.」
「I’m happy to hear that, and I’m fairly confident of my past results── But I still have to say this. Just like how I can overcome difficulties with my methods, Yatori has her own way too. She gave me overall command in the past── but she is as capable in that aspect too.」
The youth stated his conclusion again, and stared at Torway.
「So it will be dangerous for me to go all out alone. If you don’t show your hands too, we won’t be able to make it.
… Listen, Torway, we have to win. Be the flag bearer that pioneers the next era of the battlefield, and crush Yatorishino Igsem. With your cutting edge shooting technique, change the way war is fought, and replace the Igsem.
Only this result── can liberate her from her crimson fate and grant her freedom.」
Phew～ a gust of wind blew dust and sand between the two of them. As the youth stared at him, Ikuta lowered his gaze in self mockery.
「That is my only wish… now that I think about it, that’s really awful of me. It’s the bet of a lifetime, with the lives of my subordinates and companions on the line too.
So you can look down on me or curse me, I have been exploiting you all this while. I’m coercing you to shoulder the role of vanguard in the next generation of warfare── For the sake of my own goal, I’m forcing Torway Remeon to stay on the battlefield. The you who is so kind that you can’t even bear to kill an animal in front of you.」
On the eve of the battle with her, the youth couldn’t help sharing his true feelings. Torway could empathize with him and showed an unwavering smile.
「I chose to live this way by myself, Ik-kun. It’s thanks to you that I can make this choice. I won’t look down on you or curse you. Because── we are all standing here for the same reason. For the sake of getting back the good times we spent together with Yatori-san.」
After stating his unwavering resolve, the youth put his hand onto his chest. Seeing that Torway had no complaints at all, Ikuta raised the corners of his lips awkwardly.
「… I have been relying on your kindness since the first time we met.」
His sincere words spilled out from the gaps. Torway answered with a smile:
「You are only strict, cold and harsh to me── I always like that Ik-kun.」
His every move had a sincerity that Ikuta could never imitate… This youth had faced his weakness, and walked a perilous path all this way. Respecting his way of life, the dark haired youth raised his right arm.
「Let’s win this one, partner.」
「── Yes!」
They bump their arms together. The cross formed by the two of them remained sturdily in place.
After 6pm in the evening, as the dark haired youth suspected, the Igsem troops started moving when the dark red sunlight faded from the west.
「All units, forward.」
The girl said quietly in the dark. The first to move was the units to the west northwest of the rocky terrain. The terrain was hard to traverse, but they still moved in orderly formation, closing in on the eighth block.
The strange thing about them was obvious at a glance. All of them covered one eye with an eyepatch, reducing the most important 「vision」 on the battlefield by half as they marched forth.
「Wind gunners, crossbowmen── squat. Front rank, get in cover.」
The unit stopped 150m away on command, and lowered their bodies as ordered. The front rank soldiers piled up rocks around them to set up a makeshift cover.
「Ready range weapons.」
The soldiers raised their weapons. The windguns and crossbow were spread orderly, as they aimed at the enemy formation.
Their enemy was aware of this, and search light shot out from the rocky zone before them. Afraid of revealing their positions, the soldiers all lowered their heads.
「Luminous troops, spread out. Platoons one to three── light them up.」
In contrast to everyone else, the commander was firm and steady. The Luminous troop behind the windgunners and fire troops shot out searchlight from the Luminous sprite on their crossbows as ordered. The entire place was brightly lit.
「Windgunners, crossbowmen── open fire.」
The troops squeezed their triggers on order── the battle on the first night started in the chilling silence.
「── The eighth block has engaged the enemy! It’s a shootout with ranged attacks! Gauging by the number of searchlight and firepower, we estimate them to be about one battalion of 600 men!」
The messenger reported the situation after receiving the light signals. Ikuta received the report in the first block, and crossed his arms with a tense face.
「… It’s good that they are attacking the eighth block as expected, but this is too weak of an attack for Yatori.」
「Yes, I feel the same way too.」
Torway beside him nodded, with a cautious gleam in his eyes.
「It might look like a force recon, but that’s impossible. They already know our numbers, so there’s no point in probing us now. But if they are serious about taking that block, they should send 2 or more battalions in one go.」
「That’s true. This has to be a diversion.」
With that in mind, Ikuta said to the messenger:
「Tell the 4th and 5th block to stay alert. Even if their neighbouring block is being attacked, don’t let the troops get too distracted. The enemy might attack while their guard is down. Their first priority is to hold their assigned position.」
「Yes! Repeating your orders──」
After confirming the contents, the messenger relayed the youth’s instruction. But before he could leave, another messenger came from the other direction and shouted:
「The 6th and 7th block has engaged the enemy! The sixth are under fire from the south, while the seventh is being shot at from the north! The blocks are retaliating independently! The enemy is about 2 companies, 400 men!」
As he processed the new information, Ikuta put his hand on his chin and fell into deep thoughts.
「They are coming from the east too… Their forces are very spread out. That’s not her style.」
「Should we warn Ma-chan? Attacking the 6th and 7th block might be a diversion to assault the 2nd block between them…」
「No need, Matthew definitely noticed too. We have deployed more forces in those blocks, so it’s unlikely for them to attack the second block. They would get picked off by the crossfire from the 6th and 7th blocks, and if need be, we can send reinforcements from the 1st block.」
He didn’t worry unnecessary. Ikuta had already included his trust of the pudgey youth into his strategy.
「Yatori knows this too. Which means, the action over there is just a side event.」
With a vague sense of danger biting at him, Ikuta bit on his thumbnail.
「… Oh no. I can’t tell what’s her goal.」
With the enemy staying passive for unknown reasons, the soldiers in the 8th block kept up the fight steadily.
「Open fire! Dwindle their fire as much as possible!」
The frontline commander, a middle aged officer, Captain Maniga Shei projected his voice around him. It had been 20 odd minutes since the battle started, and casualties were still minimal. Since they had the high ground and had the cover of the boulders, it was easy to protect themselves from the shots from below.
「Okay, start firing from here too! Don’t just depend on the guys up top!」
The soldiers fighting down below in the rocky terrain had the advantage too. They didn’t have the high ground, but the support fire from above gave them the edge. They hid behind cover as they fought, and the enemy would pull back after a probing attack. They worked together with their allies above to pelt the enemy with projectiles.
This was the ideal situation. If they carried on like this, the losses would be minimal, while the enemy would get exhausted.
「… But the enemy won’t let this situation stall out here.」
Captain Shei cautioned himself quietly. He didn’t think the enemy would follow through with this foolish plan and head into their own demise. They were imperial soldiers too, so they also knew what he had learned before. With that in mind, the Captain didn’t see any reason to expect the situation to stay the same.
「It won’t matter, if the enemy charges… Then it is time to show our grit.」
Aren’t I right, Lieutenant General Rikan── The Captain muttered to himself as he gripped the crossbow in his hands. In the past, he served under Bada Sankrei in the Rising Sun Regiment, and worked under Haakan Rikan in the former eastern territories. This situation was enough reason for him to fight. Because his morale was high, the commander Ikuta placed him in charge of the block that was relatively more dangerous.
「Please watch, General Sankrei… I will protect your will and your son.」
In the Captain’s mind, the face of the General he deeply respected appeared. He glared towards the enemy with renewed vigor── and the scene before him made him frown.
「… Huh? Something… is off. Compared to earlier, something…」
Before him was the scene of his men targeting the enemy with searchlights. Something seemed off, but he couldn’t really tell.
The Captain looked carefully, and found the reason. Two, three… the number of lights from the enemy started to increase.
「The number of lights is slowly increasing…?」
That was the reason behind his sense of dissonance. However, he didn’t know the reason behind this. As the Captain tried to fathom the scene before him, the number of enemy searchlights kept increasing.
「… Something is wrong. Messenger, report the increase in searchlights to headquarters.」
「Yes Sir!」
「This might be a sign of an impending charge. We might need the commander’s judgement── Ugh…」
When he decided that this might be a problem, the lights increased to a dazzling intensity. The soldiers around him all frowned, and would want to cover their faces, if not for the enemy before them.
「This… Are they trying to blind us? No matter, at this distance──」
When the captain was about to speak── it suddenly turned dark.
「─ Huh?」
The countless lights before him all disappeared at the same time.
「Report from the Eighth block! The searchlight from the enemy is gradually increasing!」
The moment they received that report, Ikuta and Torway tilted their head puzzledly.
「… Are they trying to improve the effectiveness of their shots by made it brighter…?」
「Doing that would just make it easier for our windgunners to pick them off. Even if the lights dazzle their eyes, it’s meaningless if not done from up close──」
The youth realized something mid sentence, and shouted as he stood up.
「── Tell the Eighth block to not look at those lights!」
「You can take off your eyepatch. All units, fix bayonets.」
The troops took off their eyepatch as ordered, and fixed bayonets and short spears onto their weapons.
「The flanks will move out first. Walk briskly until the foot of the hill, then start to jog. Follow this order strictly.」
The commander issued the order with the rocky terrain in mind. With an intense battle looming before them, everyone gulped.
「Begin the charge.」
In contrast to her tense subordinates, their commander showed no hesitation in issuing her orders. The soldiers started walking over the rocks, with the one eye they hid behind an eyepatch just now staring into the dark enemy formation.
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