Episode 47

In the dim underground, he felt a chill in the air. Instead of sunlight from the surface, another light source illuminated the space. He found himself captivated by that mysterious place.

“As I thought, I was not mistaken. It is just as Zeke said.”

This had been the residence used as a hideout by the noble faction. The building itself had been destroyed, but only the underground section bearing the crest in question remained perfectly intact.

“I was shocked when the pendant started glowing, but with this, just carrying the token lets me come and go freely.”

It looked like an ordinary pendant. It was hard to imagine it being connected to teleportation. Precisely because of that, they had likely been able to operate for years without anyone noticing.

“Still… this is amazing. If it were not an emergency, I would have liked to take my time here.”

Right now, there was something he had to do. He needed to bring back as much information as possible and entrust it to people he could truly trust. As a soldier of this country, he would protect its people.

“This is a surprise. To think things would turn out exactly as Lord Zepha foretold…”

“!? Wh-who is there!?”

A young man strolled slowly toward him from what appeared to be a garden. He looked to be in his twenties, and the clothes he wore bore the old crest from the principality days. That alone was enough to make his position clear.

“The fact that you came here must mean you are one of our comrades. Allow me to welcome you.”

“Tracing my bloodline back, that might be true… but I came here as a soldier of this republic.”

“There is no need to rush. You have a lot of questions, do you not?”

Ahead of Kratz’s gaze, a massive jewel had been enshrined. Even someone as ignorant of magic as Kratz could tell: the mana it radiated was anything but normal.

“I am Jirk. I come from a noble family like you. Now then, where should I begin?”

“…Right now, all I want to know is what you people are trying to do.”

He always carried a sword at his hip, but that did not change the fact that he was here alone. A tension unlike anything he had felt before wrapped around Kratz.

“To put it briefly, we are returning things to the shape they were meant to have. Lord Hofran spoke of it, did he not?”

“A revolution… carried out by one-sided military force.”

“How harsh. Have you not studied history?”

He spun his words with the flair of a stage actor, yet his eyes never once left Kratz.

Experience told Kratz everything he needed to know: this man was far above him.

“I could throw that line right back at you. There are still plenty of countries ruled by nobles even now. That is your answer.”

“How tragic. Even excellent bloodlines can degenerate depending on their bearers. Just like you now.”

(I cannot let him get to me. It is them who are cornered.)

Kratz was alone here, but Jirk should not know how he had gotten in. If so, Kratz resolved inwardly to use that misunderstanding, to draw as much information out of him as he could.

“Even if you grow strong through some strange power, you are still outnumbered. You cannot possibly maintain rule over a country with time-limited military might.”

“Quite right. With Lord Hofran alone, that would be impossible. But we are different. Our power and our resolve are not half-hearted.”

(…So this is not just bluster.)

“By the way, this jewel behind me… do you know anything about it?”

Jirk pointed to the gigantic jewel. Its presence drew Kratz’s gaze to it almost against his will.

“We have succeeded in fully controlling this jewel. That is the answer you are seeking.”

“I do not understand. Are you saying that is where you get your power?”

“In short, yes. …Long ago, in ancient times, there was a god called the Water God who ruled these lands. This jewel is a relic of that god.”

Jirk continued his explanation as if reciting a myth, saying that it held crucial meaning for the birth of Ignote.

“A city of water built at the heart of the canals. There is no way ordinary people could control such overwhelming natural power.”

They controlled the canals using the power of the jewel. That, he said, was why the country had survived for so many years without suffering devastating floods.

“…I have never heard anything like that. The barriers spread over the city and the magic tools are supposed to fulfill that role.”

“Exactly. That crucial truth has been buried along with history. It is the price you pay for staging a grand purge without thinking things through.”

Only the nobles had known the true roots of the country. That secrecy was precisely what had allowed them to prepare their plans in the shadows, Jirk said.

“With this power, we can manipulate the canals as we please. For example… on a whim, we could sink an entire island.”

“!?That is insane. If you did that, so many people would…”

“You said yourself we are outnumbered, did you not? It does not matter. We can adjust things however we like.”

(This feeling… he is serious. He does not care about human life at all.)

“So you plan to rule through sheer terror…? A country like that can never work.”

“If they dislike it, they can leave. We will not force them to stay.”

Their arguments ran on in parallel, never meeting.

“It seems this is a waste of time. …So then, what is it that you want?”

“I am here to stop your selfish actions. That is my purpose.”

(There is no time to call for reinforcements. I have to do this…)

Kratz drew his sword. It was a standard-issue one-handed blade given to soldiers: well-balanced and easy to handle.

“I have been entrusted with this place, but… suppose you managed to kill me. What then? Our comrades will not stop.”

“I will defeat you and take you into custody. I can figure out the rest afterward.”

Blue light gathered in Jirk’s right arm. He shaped a one-handed sword of water mana, its form the same as the weapon Kratz held.

(I am going to do this. Right now… I am the one who will…)

“It is a magic sword. Beautiful, is it not…? Let us hope this blue does not turn red with your blood.”

“I have been drilled as a soldier. I absolutely will not lose…!”

In spite of his words, his arms and legs trembled. The tip of his sword shook, and his legs refused to find strength.

(I am not scared. The drill sergeant from hell was far more terrifying.) [TN: “Drill sergeant from hell” renders “oni instructor,” a harsh, demon-like trainer.]

He had failed the enlistment exam, but due to numbers he had been taken on as a reserve and allowed to join the soldiers.

In training—swordplay, magic, stamina, willpower, even classroom lessons—he had come dead last by a landslide in everything. He had been shouted at over and over, sometimes even urged to quit the army.

Because of his birth, unfair treatment had followed him even after he became a soldier.

(Thinking back, it is almost nothing but bad memories…)

He could have run. There was no rule that said he had to risk his life. Yet he refused to back down because he wanted to protect the people who were important to him.

(If they learn I actually helped this country, Father and Mother will be so happy…)

“My lord told me to treat you with courtesy. I will be your opponent.”

(I will protect them. I am not the useless Kratz I used to be.)

“H-here I come…! Waaaaahhh!”

A battle he could not afford to lose began.

In the assembly hall of the Republic of Ignote, the head of state and other national representatives had gathered for a parliamentary session.

That was when a group barged in: the very rebels causing chaos in Wartel.

“That concludes our demands—or rather, perhaps I should call them our proposal?”

Declaring their position, their plans, and how the country ought to be, as if delivering a speech, was Zepha Fonravchino, leader of the noble faction rebel organization.

“A proposal, is it? That is quite a way to phrase it… you terrorist scum.”

Opposite Zepha stood a sharp-eyed man with white hair tied back: the head of state, representative of the Republic of Ignote.

“Looking back through history, it is obvious which of us is more barbaric. For the sake of your honor, I will refrain from listing the details. Now then, Lord Riedel, will you give me your answer?”

“…We will not bow to threats. Your claims have no basis whatsoever.”

Zepha and his comrades had barged into the session as if they owned the place.

The guards assigned to protect the chamber tried to respond, but they were helpless before the noble faction, whose power had been boosted to supernatural levels.

“Joining hands for the sake of this country’s future… It is a shame we could not see eye to eye.”

“You say you will sink an island if we do not obey? Do you fancy yourself a god, you fiend?”

The noble faction extended beyond those who had stormed the chamber with Zepha. Their roots reached even into the ranks of the legislators and the soldiers who served as guards.

Even veteran soldiers could not predict betrayal from their own comrades, and once their backs were taken, the tide of battle shifted all at once.

“With this many comrades, do you not think the outcome reflects the people’s answer?”

“I have memorized every one of your faces. I will see that you all are made to pay.”

Riedel rejected him with unshakable resolve. As the representative of the nation and of its people, he could not afford to yield.

“!? What is this shaking…?”

As the two continued their exchange, the ground shook violently and the building groaned. People on both sides panicked, but Zepha alone smiled—a smile tinged with madness.

“Kuh… kuhahahahaha! At last, the moment has come! You played the clown to perfection, you foolish foreign boy—my perfect pierrot!”

“It would seem this is as far as you go.”

Both sides continued their battle belowground. Jirk looked just the same as before the fight, but Kratz lay collapsed on the floor. His clothes had been shredded, and he was bleeding from countless wounds.

“W-wait…”

The outcome was obvious.

Even so, Kratz crawled across the floor and grabbed Jirk’s leg.

“Why not give it up? You did well enough.”

His sword had broken cleanly at the base, and his mana had run dry. The only weapon he had left was his own body, and that too had reached its limit.

“I… will… protect… everyone…”

With the one eye he could still force open, he glared up at Jirk. Sheer stubbornness kept his fading consciousness from going out.

“…Enough already, you traitor!”

Jirk kicked Kratz away. Kratz rolled across the floor and only stopped when he slammed into the wall.

“We were told to welcome any of our brethren who came to us… but I suppose this is fine. I feel no noble dignity from this man.”

He formed a water spell by fusing his own mana with the power he called a blessing. As the spell stabilized, it took on the shape of a shark.

“True magic, it is said, carries life within it. Whether my magic has gained a life of its own… experience it with your whole body! ―Aqualcanna!”

(It really… ends here…)

The spell, packed with immense mana, rushed toward Kratz.

He tried desperately to stand, but his body refused to move. His stamina and willpower had both reached their limit.

(I am sorry, Father, Mother. In the end, I was the same as always.)

What rose in his mind were memories of childhood.

Bullying and being left out had been an everyday occurrence. Even when he did manage to make friends, as soon as his origins came to light, everyone around him drifted away.

He had fought desperately, trying to change his own weakness. He studied, built up his stamina, and learned magic. The results had been abysmal, but he had never given up.

His desire to be recognized by those around him had, before he knew it, turned into a desire to protect the people who were dear to him.

As an adult, he had finally realized how much support he had had without noticing—and that, though they were few, there were people who understood him.

(That is right. This is the chance he gave me…)

Despite only having known him for a few days, the self-proclaimed noble boy had etched himself deeply into Kratz’s memory.

Unlike Kratz, he was always bold and unflinching. He did not care what anyone thought of him. Kratz had sensed an unshakable will in him.

(He gave me the chance to protect everyone. He saw me as a person—just another human being.)

His body felt heavy. His vision had almost entirely gone dark. Yet his consciousness refused to break—because that boy had given him courage.

“I… I absolutely… will not lose.”

The spell loomed just before him. The massive shark’s jaws closed in. Under its razor-sharp teeth, Kratz was shattered to pieces.

“Eh? Is… that me…?”

“If that is what you think, you really are running on fumes.”

Kratz had been kicked away by Jirk and sent flying into the wall. There were bloodstains on that wall. He was sure he had been right there a moment ago—yet now he was lying several meters away. And in front of him stood a foul-mouthed foreign boy.

“Why… are you… here…?”

“Do not misunderstand. I move only for my own sake.”

“You really… have a nasty way of talking…”

Kratz lost consciousness. His expression, somehow, looked a little relieved.

“My, my, another guest already. …But have you forgotten? My spell is still active!”

Like a living creature, the gigantic shark had been circling gracefully through the air. Now it charged straight toward Zeke and the others, its great jaws ready at last to crush its prey.

Yet those jaws never reached Zeke. He merely glanced at it, as if only mildly interested—and the shark froze solid and scattered into mist.

“Did you say something?”

“…Impossible. What did you do?”

It had been his trump card. The spell he had unleashed to erase Kratz from existence had been wiped out in an instant.

“I am just returning it.”

He had not been careless. He had always kept the mindset of being on a battlefield. Yet he lost sight of Zeke, and by the time he realized it, the boy was right in front of him.

With a powerful kick delivered by the “villain,” Jirk was sent flying to the edge of the garden and only stopped when he was driven deep into the wall.

It had not even been a contest.

“And you think you can take over a country with that? Pathetic.”

No one answered that murmur.

In the space bathed in blue light, something glinted dully.