c15 11

Commander Dylan was the reaper himself. That’s what Neal the scout had called him.
No matter how many of his men he let die, he always survived. He was a horrible man, but from his soldiers’ perspective there was this warped sense of trust, even relief that, “No matter what happens, the Commander will be alright.”
No one could remain standing after seeing their one support erased like that.
There wasn’t a single black-cloaked soldier who was still putting up a proper resistance. Three, maybe four of them were still breathing, but the goblins were whaling on them.
Haruhiro felt enervated, too. His eyes blurred, losing focus.
No, I can’t give up before it’s over, he tried to tell himself, but this wasn’t a situation that could be overcome by appeals to willpower anymore. If you threw someone from a height of 100 meters, and told them to survive somehow, it was just impossible. You can’t do what you can’t do.
There are times when there’s nothing you can do. You just have to accept it.
If Haruhiro were alone, he could have. The problem was, he had comrades. Even if he could write off his own death as inevitable, he didn’t want to see his comrades end up like Barbara. Wasn’t there anything he could do?
That aside, he could see well. This was different from constantly swiveling his head, moving his eyeballs, and looking. It was as if he had left his own body. To say he was looking down from the sky would be an exaggeration, but it was like he was seeing the area from an overhead angle.
He might not have been able to see the moves that the goblins, his team, or Anthony’s men were making, but he could sense them. Each moved around on their own, in a chaotic mess, and he had a vague sense of all of them.
Haruhiro was submerged in the middle of it all.
For whatever reason, now, at this moment, the goblins, and even his comrades, were paying Haruhiro no heed. Haruhiro was unquestionably here, but it was as if he was nowhere at all.
On this bloody, violent, chaotic battlefield, Haruhiro was the one person with a presence as faint as a corpse. Thanks to that, no one could notice him.
Wasn’t Barbara-sensei like this, too? thought Haruhiro.
Maybe it was because they were in the forest at the time, but she had felt like a plant to him. No, because he couldn’t sense Barbara was there, Haruhiro had thought it was strange, and his mind had interpreted her as a plant.
Is this what it’s like, Barbara-sensei?
This is what Sensei was showing me then. I never expected it to be her last gift.
The red-armored goblin was obviously better outfitted than the others, and noticeably bigger, too. That had to be Viceroy Bogg.
Bogg threw Commander Dylan’s head into the air and let out a cry that went something like, “Gugai, gugai, gaigaih!” He sheathed his knife, and drew the sword on his back. Its blade, as you would expect, was red, too.
The black-cloaked soldiers were all dead. The goblins led by Bogg began rushing towards the rest of the raid team who were still fighting the spear goblins.
Even when one or two of the goblins ran right past Haruhiro, he didn’t move. He slumped his shoulders, curved his back a little, and bent his knees slightly.
No one was noticing Haruhiro. The important thing was his goal. He needed to set an appropriate goal.
Bogg ran straight towards him. At this rate, he might run right into him. Even so, Haruhiro stayed put. Kill Bogg. That was the goal.
When Bogg got to within about 50 centimeters of Haruhiro, so close he could have reached out and touched him, he was finally able to register that there was something there.
“...!” Bogg came to a sudden stop, swinging his red sword with both hands.
Haruhiro stepped forward.
The red sword swung diagonally.
Haruhiro leaned to the left as he advanced.
He took a gash from the left side of his forehead to below his right eye, one that was not at all shallow, but he didn’t care.
Haruhiro passed by Bogg.
As he did, the dagger he held in a backhand grip thrust out behind him.
Maybe there was some meaning in showing his face, because Bogg was wearing no helmet. Haruhiro’s dagger did not stab into the back of Bogg’s head.
Bogg had twisted at the last second. Dodged it.
No, though he’d tried to dodge it, he hadn’t been able to get out of the way completely.
Haruhiro felt the blade gouge something hard. His dagger had carved a line in Bogg’s skull. That was all. He hadn’t taken him down.
He’d thought he could do it. But being frustrated wasn’t going to help. Things happened. He had to react accordingly. Haruhiro hadn’t achieved his goal yet. There was more to come.
Haruhiro turned around.
Bogg’s eyes went wide, and he glared at Haruhiro, holding the back of his head with his left hand.
“Nugg, gahhhh...!”
He seemed enraged, but more than that, Bogg was confused. It felt to him like Haruhiro had appeared out of nowhere, right before his eyes, and nearly dealt him a fatal blow. It would be weirder if he wasn’t shocked by that.
The other goblins that had been about to attack the raid team were surprised, too.
But Haruhiro was surrounded by Bogg’s goblins, so if he messed up how he handled this, he was finished. He did feel some frustration and despair at the thought, Why couldn’t I have ended it with that one blow? He was uneasy, and frightened. He had to suppress that, and not lose the initiative.
“Kuzaaaaku! Anthonyyyy! Viceroy Bogg is over here...!”
As Haruhiro shouted, he drew his other dagger and swung at Bogg.
Bogg backed away. As he did, he blocked Haruhiro’s dagger with his sword. Haruhiro was dual wielding, and there wasn’t much distance between them. In his confused state, the best Bogg could do was to block a dagger with the crossguard of his sword. If they kept trading blows at such close range, the other goblins couldn’t intervene.
Haruhiro didn’t think he could push through. Naturally, he wanted to break through Bogg’s defenses, and end it with this one-on-one duel, but a strong wish had a way of making people spin their wheels, get tense, and rush things.
Besides, Bogg was stubborn. His body was tough, and he used his sword with skill. It was going to be hard to suddenly land a fatal blow on him in a fair fight. The goal was to kill Bogg, but Haruhiro would have to take a number of steps to reach it.
Bogg deflected Haruhiro’s dagger with the guard of his sword for more than the tenth time.
It was his left hand dagger, the flame one.
In that moment, Haruhiro brought out the dagger in his right hand.
Bogg was holding his sword in both hands. Haruhiro’s dagger gouged his left, severing fingers. Two of them, his little finger and ring finger, were gone completely.
Bogg cried, “Datts—!” or something close to that, and let go of his sword with his damaged limb.
Now he was holding it in one hand. Bogg’s power was guaranteed to be lower. Haruhiro was a step closer to his goal. He didn’t intend to push there all in one spurt. Was that a good thing, or a bad one? He didn’t know, but either way, Haruhiro couldn’t predict what Bogg was going to do.
Bogg used his left hand, the one that had lost two fingers, to draw a knife, and throw it.
“...!”
Haruhiro twisted unconsciously. If he hadn’t, Bogg’s knife would surely have hit him right in the face. So he’d had no choice, but still, the goblin had gotten him. The moment Bogg had thrown his knife, he turned heel.
“Ngyagah...!”
...And gave the order to retreat?
Bogg was running. It took him no time. He ran behind one of the objects and was out of sight.
Haruhiro ran after Bogg, not even wasting time to say, You think you can escape? Realizing his field of view had narrowed, he shook his head and moved his eyes around. The goblins retreated without delay. He couldn’t find Anthony and his men, but he could hear a battle cry from Kuzaku. He was pretty close. Bogg was still nowhere to be seen. But Haruhiro had an idea where he was going. It more or less had to be Tenboro Tower.
Haruhiro immediately spotted Bogg from behind. It was like he’d thought. Bogg was heading for Tenboro Tower. He apparently didn’t plan on making any detours first. He wouldn’t take a roundabout route, either. Well, obviously not. This was the plaza in front of Tenboro Tower. Bogg came out onto the road. The tower was already right in front of his nose.
The barricade they had erected in front of the main gate had an abatis — was that what those things were called? There was a line of sharpened pieces of lumber and metal pointing outwards, and they were bound together with string and wire, then reinforced with shields, iron plates, hides, and more. It looked like a confusing mess, but if it was manned and used properly, it would provide a considerable defensive advantage.
Bogg was about 15 meters from the barricade, and Haruhiro was maybe 18. This roughly three-meter gap felt both large but small, and small but large.
Bogg glanced behind him, at Haruhiro, basically. He didn’t seem surprised by how close Haruhiro was. It was like he was just verifying it, and also plotting something at the same time.
Haruhiro’s goal was to kill Bogg. What was Bogg’s? Was his goal to flee into Tenboro Tower? It was something else, wasn’t it?
“Haruhiro!” Kuzaku shouted from behind him.
Even without turning around, Haruhiro could tell that it wasn’t just Kuzaku; a number of his comrades had come after Haruhiro.
Bogg shouted, “Higyahhah!” Was that an order of some sort?
Multiple goblins stuck their faces out from the abatis. They’d been hiding. With something in their hands.
Right in front of the abatis, Bogg lowered his posture, as if sliding across the cobblestones.
What the goblins on the abatis had in their hands were crossbows. There were more than ten of them.
“Get down!” Haruhiro said as he got down himself.
The goblins on the abatis fired their bolts. Haruhiro stayed down, with his head facing to the rear. Kuzaku was here. Taking point. Setora, and Kiichi, and Merry, and Shihoru, too. As well as Anthony and his men. They already knew the bolts were coming. Setora was crouching. Merry and Shihoru stood there, eyes wide. “Ohh!” said Anthony. It wasn’t clear what Kuzaku was thinking, but he spread his arms wide. His large katana still gripped in his right hand, his feet spread about as wide as his shoulders, and his chest puffed out. It looked almost like he was trying to block the way — no, that was exactly what he was doing. Kuzaku must have been trying not to let a single bolt pass. Because Kuzaku’s comrades were behind him. No matter how many bolts came flying, he was trying to block them all with his own body, and protect his comrades. I’m huge, you know? My body’s just way too big, and that gets in the way sometimes, but it can also be useful at times like this, huh? seemed like something Kuzaku might say with a laugh.
Man, that’s the thing about you... Haruhiro thought. The bolts pierced Kuzaku’s chest and belly one after another. It seemed almost excessive. Five or six bolts, no, even more than that easily penetrated Kuzaku’s armor. You’re too damn cool sometimes.

 
Anthony took a bolt in the right side of his chest. “Gah!” he groaned, and nearly doubled over before falling to one knee.
Kuzaku was still standing, but not fully upright, and unmoving. He coughed up blood, once, then twice, and blinked. Not wanting to spew any more blood, he shut his lips tight, but each time he coughed, blood gushed out of his nose.
What now? thought Haruhiro. What should I prioritize? I know I need to aim for the goal, but is that really important?
“Kuzaku...!” and “Kuzaku-kun...!” Setora and Shihoru shouted the name of their comrade. Merry was rushing to his side.
Haruhiro jumped to his feet and turned back.
No. Kuzaku. Ahhh. No. No, that’s not okay. It’s not. I’m sorry, Barbara-sensei, I can’t do this anymore. Kuzaku. Kuzaku can’t stand much longer. Those aren’t wounds you can stand with. It’s impossible. It’s crazy.
Kuzaku fell backwards. Merry caught him, but he was heavy. It looked like she was going to fall over. Haruhiro had to make it there, and support Kuzaku with Merry.
“Again...!” came a sharp warning from Setora.
Haruhiro looked at the abatis. The goblins there were looking out.
Bogg was on the other side. He’d climbed onto some sort of platform and was taking command.
The goblins on the abatis took aim with their crossbows. Had they already reloaded? Or maybe they’d had extra crossbows loaded in advance.
“Merry!” Haruhiro called out to her as he hurriedly carried Kuzaku to the side of the street. In the middle of the flying bolts, Haruhiro and Merry dragged Kuzaku into the shadow of one of the massive objects.
“...Haruhiro,” Kuzaku gasped.
Kuzaku was limp. He’d dropped his large katana at some point, because he wasn’t holding it now. There were three bolts in Kuzaku’s chest, another in his right shoulder, one more in his left arm, and two more buried deep in his stomach. He opened and closed his eyes, perhaps desperately trying to hold onto his fading consciousness. In a weak voice, “...Haruhiro,” he repeated.
“Wh-What? What is it, Kuzaku...?” Haruhiro brought his face closer to Kuzaku. Huh? What’s this? he thought.
I feel like I remember.
Kuzaku gripped Haruhiro’s left arm in his right hand with surprising strength.
“I’m... so-... rry...”
“Huh? What? S-Sorry? Why? What...?” I feel like this has happened before.
Kuzaku’s pallor was awful. Drained of blood; not white, or blue, but ashen.
Not with Kuzaku.
Someone else.
“...Manato,” Haruhiro whispered.
That’s right.
Kuzaku’s going to die like Manato. That can’t happen.
“You can’t, Kuzaku!”
“I’m... so-...”
Is that why Kuzaku’s apologizing? “Looks like I’m going to die, sorry for dying,” is that it?
“Don’t be stupid!”
“Move!” Merry pulled Haruhiro away from Kuzaku.
Merry pressed her right hand to Kuzaku. Then, using her left hand to check the bolts sticking out of his body, “He can still make it!” she decided. “Pull those bolts out! As fast as you can! All of them!
There’s no point healing him with magic while they’re still there! Haru! Setora! Shihoru, you help, too!”
Up until that point, Haruhiro hadn’t noticed that Setora, Shihoru, and Kiichi were right beside them. What were Anthony and his men doing? That crossed his mind for a second, but Kuzaku came first. Merry said he was going to make it. Magic. That was right. Merry could heal him with magic. But the wounds couldn’t close with bolts inside them. There was going to be massive bleeding when they pulled them out, and that was dangerous, but they’d do it. Pull all the bolts out at once, then, without missing a beat, Merry would use her magic. They had to do it. There were seven of them. He wanted Merry to prepare her magic. Haruhiro would do two, Setora would do two, Shihoru would do two, and Kiichi would do the last one. They’d need Kiichi to help, too. Kuzaku was already unresponsive, his closed eyes twitching. It wasn’t clear how much longer he’d last, and there wasn’t time. There was no other way. But could the nyaa do it?
“It’s okay!” Setora was on the job.
Merry pressed her fingers to her forehead, and the rest of the group gripped their respective bolts.
“O Light, may Lumiaris’s divine protection be upon you,” Merry began chanting a prayer.
“Ready, go!” Haruhiro shouted.
Haruhiro, Setora, Shihoru, and Kiichi all pulled the bolts out of Kuzaku in unison.
Merry turned both hands towards Kuzaku.
“Sacrament...!”
Because he looked at that intense light, Haruhiro was temporarily blinded.
“Aw, yeah!” he heard Kuzaku say.
This is not an, “Aw, yeah!” situation, thought Haruhiro.
He rubbed his eyes. Kuzaku was already standing up.
“I live again! Thanks, everyone!”
“...You live again?” Merry sounded exasperated. “You never even died.”
“Let’s not sweat the small stuff!” Kuzaku said with a smile.
Haruhiro rubbed his eyes again.
“Man, you are such a...”
“Huh, Haruhiro, are you crying...?” Kuzaku said something he really shouldn’t have.
“I am not!” Haruhiro said back, sticking his face out from behind the massive object and looking towards the abatis. Bogg was up on his platform, waving his red sword around and screeching wildly. The goblins on the abatis seemed to be working on something. Probably loading crossbows.
Anthony was taking shelter behind the massive object directly across the street from them. Just Anthony. Two of Anthony’s men were collapsed in the street. Anthony himself had a bolt in his right breast, and probably couldn’t move properly. Having Merry heal Anthony with magic was sadly going to have to wait.
“Kuzaku, charge straight in! Everyone, back him up!”
“On it!” Kuzaku said, energetically licking his lips. “When you know that anything that doesn’t kill you instantly can be fixed, it’s crazy how brave you can be!”
“You idiot!” Setora whacked Kuzaku on the back of the head. “I won’t tolerate you getting yourself half-killed again!”
“It’s not good for my heart!” Shihoru said in a rare accusatory tone.
“Heh,” Kuzaku bashfully bowed his head. “...Sorry.” “I won’t let you cross that final line!” Merry said firmly.
Then, she looked to Haruhiro.
That dignified smile, he remembered it.
There were times when Merry was just too beautiful, crossing into otherworldly.
“We’re counting on you!” was all Haruhiro said before rushing out.
He didn’t need to look. Kuzaku would jump out into the road, pick up his large katana, and charge the abatis. His comrades would follow Kuzaku. Shihoru would launch Dark. Merry would protect Shihoru, and Setora and Kiichi would support Kuzaku.
Haruhiro ran off on his own, threading between the massive objects, and headed towards Tenboro Tower.
“Oorahhhh! Bring it!” Kuzaku was in the street, provoking the enemy.
It seemed the goblins on the abatis hadn’t finished reloading their crossbows yet. If they had, they’d long since have fired them.
Kuzaku and the others would play their part well. They’d draw the enemy’s attention.
Haruhiro approached the abatis in front of Tenboro Tower from the side.
Submerge.
Submerge it. My own presence. My very existence.
No, don’t submerge.
Sink.
Just sink in smoothly.
Bogg kicked another goblin off the platform. He insulted and rushed his troops, like he was saying, “Hurry up, you slow idiots!”
The goblins on the abatis gave up on reloading their crossbows, and cast them aside, picking up long spears instead. They thrust the spears through the abatis, likely trying to keep Kuzaku in check. As if to show them it was futile, “Zeahhh! Hah!” Kuzaku swung his large katana and cut a number of the spears apart.
Bogg must have given up on the goblins manning the abatis, because he jumped down from the platform and moved to rush inside Tenboro Tower through the doorless main gate. Bogg never even suspected it.
That Haruhiro had crept up right behind him.
Haruhiro silently climbed over the abatis and grappled Bogg from behind. That was the first moment that Bogg registered his existence. Haruhiro slit Bogg’s throat with his dagger. When he was this close, he couldn’t possibly screw it up. Bogg may have wanted to hurl some hateful invective at him as he died, but his windpipe was torn open. The goblin wasn’t going to be saying anything.
Haruhiro pushed Bogg to the ground, seizing the goblin’s head with his left hand. Haruhiro then used the dagger in his right hand to quickly sever everything but the goblin’s spine, which he twisted and broke with brute force.
If he said he wasn’t emotional, he’d be lying, but he did his best to keep it under control. The truth was, he wanted to carve Bogg’s corpse up right now, kick it around, and reduce it to mincemeat, but Barbara would probably have laughed at him, saying, “Now, listen. What good is that going to do, Old Cat? That’s not what you should be doing, right?”
Haruhiro didn’t get disturbed easily. Barbara-sensei had told him he wasn’t the type that could do things if he tried, he was the type that tried until he could do them. If that was true, and he had no doubt it was, as her humble student, that was how he wanted to be.
If he could become a thief who never missed a trick, always living on his own terms, like an old cat, then maybe that would let him repay her in some small way.
Haruhiro stood up, Bogg’s severed head in his left hand.
We’ve won, he thought, but he didn’t say it out loud. For someone like him, with the sleepy eyes of an old cat, those words didn’t seem right.


15. In the Gap Between Desire and Despair

When they learned of the death of Viceroy Bogg, the goblins of
Alterna instantly lost the will to fight. The suicide squad, who had somehow not been completely annihilated, opened the south gate, and the main body of the Expeditionary Force flooded into Alterna. Haruhiro and the others opened the north gate, as per General Jin Mogis’s strategy. Everything went as planned. The main force caught the goblins as they were massed at the north gate, trying to get out, and massacred a great number of them. In the meantime, Haruhiro and the others carried the bodies of Barbara, Anthony Justeen’s subordinates, and even Dylan Stone and his men while they were at it, into Tenboro Tower. The battle had long since been decided. General Mogis ordered one of his close associates to carry out a cleanup operation, and came to Tenboro Tower.
There had been female goblins in Tenboro Tower, but they had already either fled or been killed in the process. Before they set foot inside, it was clear that there wasn’t a person, no, a goblin to be found in the whole place.
When General Mogis saw the bodies lined up in the entrance hall, including Commander Dylan, he made the sign of the hexagram with his fingers, then smiled a little.
“...Is something funny?” Anthony asked, his voice shaking.
To be honest, Haruhiro wanted to ask the general the same thing, so he was grateful Anthony did it for him. Though he didn’t expect a proper answer to be forthcoming. It wasn’t.
The general put a hand on Anthony’s shoulder.
“I’ll need to do an inspection. Of our castle. Come with me.”
It was as if those rusty eyes of his were fake, and he saw nothing with them. Just how insensitive was this man? He was harder to read than the goblins, and they were a completely different race. This was why Barbara-sensei had been suspicious of and distrusted the general, too.
Haruhiro’s group and Anthony followed the general as he toured the first floor where the entrance hall and the storage were located, then the second floor which contained the great hall, the audience room, the kitchens, and more. There was no sign of them being torn apart, so perhaps Viceroy Bogg and those under him had lived a vaguely human-like lifestyle here.
When they ascended the spiral staircase to the third floor, they heard a faint voice.
“Heyyyy... Heyyyy... Anyoooone... Is anyoooone theeere... Heeeelp meeee...”
The voice was clearly human.
Unlike the first and second floors, which were exactly what you might expect from a lord’s keep, from the third floor up, the building was totally a tower. The stairs and hallways ate up more than half the floor space on each level, and there were only three or four rooms, none of which were especially big. Some doors were closed, but others were open.
Finding nothing unusual on the third floor, they moved up to the fourth.
“Heyyyy. Heyyyy. Is anyone there? I’m in heeeere. Come heeeelp. Heyyyy...”
Haruhiro walked into a room on the fourth floor. The door was wide open.
“...Oh.”
This had probably been the bedroom of a person of high status. But the marvelous bed had been lifted up and leaned against the wall, replaced, if you can call it that, with an iron cage that now dominated the center of the room. The person inside it was probably a human man. He was naked, too, so that wasn’t really in question.
“Wh-Who are you?! No, it doesn’t matter! Save me!” the naked man shouted, pressing his nose up against the bars. “I am the Lord of Alterna, the representative of the Kingdom of Arabakia in the frontier! You must know the name of Margrave Garlan Vedoy! Now, hurry, and let me out of here!”
The man was emaciated, his hair and beard overgrown, and his entire body covered with grime. His eyes were bloodshot, and he made no attempt to hide his genitals. There was a pot in the corner, probably meant for him to use as a toilet. Though it had a lid on it, there was a beastly stench in the air. It didn’t matter who he was; he seemed pitiful, and Haruhiro wanted to let him out. That said, it was also a fact that he was off-putting. Haruhiro wasn’t the only one to feel that way.
“Whoa...” Kuzaku said when he entered the room, and backed away.
“Ugh!” Setora, who had Kiichi on her shoulders, gulped, and Merry and Shihoru both screamed.
Anthony, the one who might have once been in a position to serve the Margrave, said, “This is...” before falling silent, unable to say any more.
Finally, General Mogis shoved Haruhiro aside and stepped forward.
“Ohh!” The Margrave’s eyes widened. “That cape! Are you one of the Black Hounds, from the mainland?!”
“I am Jin Mogis, Margrave,” the general introduced himself, putting his hand on the hilt of his sword for some reason.
“I see! Jin Mogis, is it? I don’t know you, but let me out! That’s an order!”
“This is a sad state for the man who is supposed to represent the Kingdom of Arabakia in the frontier to be in.”
“S-Silence! You dare mock me?! I am Garlan Vedoy!”
“I am aware. The House of Vedoy has been famous since George I, also known as Theodore George, established the Kingdom of Arabakia.”
“I can see you’re different from the ignorant trash of the frontier! Someone from the mainland like you can see that not only am I a noble, but I also bear noble blood!”
“You are noble, yes, but also incompetent.”
“Wha—”
“Defeated by another race, you languished in prison, naked and dripping feces. I am aghast that you survived this long without taking your own life.”
“...Do you think I feel no shame at this?!”
“If you feel ashamed, then die at once.”
“Th-That’s absurd.”
“Give up. You should thank me for this.”
“...Thank you?”
“I am saying I will defend your honor.”
General Mogis drew his sword. The caged Margrave didn’t run. He might have simply never imagined this could happen. Haruhiro had half-predicted it, but he couldn’t stop it. The general ran the Margrave through.
“You were long dead.”
“Lo-...” The Margrave looked down at the sword in his chest, then back to the general and tried to repeat the words again. “Long... dead...”
“The way I see it,” the general spoke plainly. “The proud Margrave, unable to submit to imprisonment by the lesser races, ended his own life.”
“I-I...”
“This is better than living in shame. I have saved you, Garlan Vedoy.”
The Margrave was still trying to say something. However, when the general pulled his sword out, he collapsed against the bars of his cage. He was quivering, so he wasn’t dead yet, but it was only a matter of time.
When Merry rushed forward, the general turned towards them, bloody sword still in hand.
“Do you wish to offer a prayer for the Margrave, priest of Lumiaris? If so, there’s no need to hurry. He’s not dead yet

Chapter end