c16 4

He couldn’t imagine the woman was anything special.
She lost a comrade. That trauma had manifested as a personality disorder. As a priest, she became difficult to use. That changed for the better when she met a group of simple youths.
It was an all too common story.
There had to be a number of other volunteer soldiers who shared a similar experience.
“...Why just her?”
“That is completely unclear,” the monster said.
Was the wind starting to pick up?
No, that wasn’t it.
That sound was the monster’s breathing, or perhaps a groan.
“We must watch her.”
“You’re asking me to?”
“Who else could I ask?”
“Got it. I’ll pay attention to her.”
“The commander of the Expeditionary Force, or whatever they call it...”
“I met him. Jin Mogis. It sounds like he wants to be king of the frontier.”
“To be king.”
“He’s more than sly. The man never misses a trick. That’s for certain. He’s audacious, and he’s cold.”
“Should he be removed?”
“I wonder. He’s fundamentally lacking something.”
“What is that?”
“Power.”
“He is not deserving of our fear, then?”
“I’m sure there are uses for him.”
“How would you use him?”
“Depending on how things develop, even if it becomes difficult to control the Volunteer Soldier Corps, he can be used as a check on them.”
“The Volunteer Soldier Corps.”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t expect they would be too much for you to handle.”
“Soma, Akira, and Rock have yet to return from the depths of the
Wonder Hole. But even without them, the Corps managed to take Riverside Iron Fortress with ease.”
“If Soma returns...”
“I can’t control him. If he doesn’t come back, I won’t have to worry about it, but it’s dangerous to be too optimistic. He’ll return eventually. If Soma and Akira work together, they may produce a result you don’t want.”
“Jin Mogis. We should use him... you think?”
“I doubt you need my advice, but it’s an option.”
“You are one of us. Your opinion is always worth hearing.”
“You could manipulate the Expeditionary Force. Just like the late Margrave.”
The monster nodded.
He turned his back to Shinohara and walked away. His legs were like sticks, without a shred of flexibility in how they moved as he walked. Yet his head and shoulders barely moved up and down. There wasn’t even the sound of his clothes rustling with each step. If the monster hadn’t cast a shadow, you would have had to conclude he was some sort of ghost.
Shinohara suddenly felt compelled to look down at his own feet.
He had a shadow, like he should.
“I... Do I want to go back? Really...?”



6. The Blue Ring
With the goblin corpses incinerated, the organization of the soldiers of the Expeditionary Force noticeably deteriorated.
Half of them were posted to guard the walls or provide security at Tenboro Tower, while the remainder cleared rubble or repaired buildings to use as barracks or warehouses. It was only twenty, maybe thirty percent of all the soldiers, at best, that took the work seriously. The rest were just shirking as much work as they could, often squatting, sitting, or taking unauthorized breaks.
There was no shortage of men who abandoned their posts. They didn’t want to work, but even if they wanted to desert, they couldn’t leave Alterna. The best they could do was take a nap in some random building, chat among themselves, and gamble. If they went looking, there was plenty of booze to be found. More than a few were drinking in the middle of the day.
Haruhiro and his group were treated as a special unit under the direct command of General Jin Mogis. But had they received any special orders from him? Not really. He felt like he would get out of shape if they sat around in their room in Tenboro Tower all the time, so he spent most of the day wandering around Alterna.
Is it okay for me to be doing this? he wondered.
Not that he had anything else to do.
He had no orders, but there were limitations placed on what he could do. Neal and the scouts surreptitiously, and sometimes openly, kept a stubborn eye on Haruhiro and the others. If he were to try to get out of Alterna, he would be discovered immediately.
Alterna was a small town. After three days, there wasn’t a road he hadn’t been down. Even Haruhiro, who had no memories, felt like a local in no time.
The area around the volunteer soldier lodging house felt especially familiar, or maybe even comforting to him. Even though he didn’t have the ability to look at places and reminisce about how this happened here, or that happened there, when he was wandering idly he always seemed to end up at the lodging house. Merry said Haruhiro and the others had lived there for a long time, so maybe his body had grown accustomed to it.
Though the inside of the volunteer soldier lodging house was dusty, it was largely intact. Would it be possible for them to stay here rather than the room in Tenboro Tower?
Maybe I’ll ask the general. No, if I go to him asking for a favor, he might take advantage of me.
As Haruhiro was thinking about it, Neal came over, and told him the general was calling for him. He wanted him to come to dinner, but to come alone.
Though Haruhiro would really have preferred not to, he had no choice. He headed to the dining hall in Tenboro Tower.
“Hello, hello, helloooo.”
When he entered the dining hall, the woman who had already arrived before him waved and greeted Haruhiro.
It looked like the general wasn’t there yet. The only occupants of this large dining hall which the Margrave would once have used were Haruhiro, the woman in question, and Frontier Army Regimental Commander Anthony Justeen.
Anthony nodded to Haruhiro, a look of bewilderment on his face. Who’s the woman? Do you know her? it seemed to say.
Well, yes, he did know her. But it was still hard to say, Yes, we’re acquainted, or anything else along those lines.
“What... are you doing here...?”
“His Excellency the future king of the frontier called. Nyeheh!”
No, not ‘Nyeheh!’ I’m gonna punch you. That’s what Haruhiro would have said, if he were a little more prone to violence. That, or slug her, then say it.
Haruhiro sat down next to Anthony, then thought, Aw, crap. Hiyomu was directly across from him.
“How’ve you beeeen?”
Hiyomu was resting both her elbows on the table, which was large enough for twenty people to eat at, her smug, smirking face resting on top of her interlocked fingers. Haruhiro really hated that woman. He wasn’t the kind of guy who went around thinking of women as “that woman,” but he felt no hesitance in thinking of Hiyomu that way.
 
 

“You look like you’ve been doing fine.”
Yeah, I seriously loathe her. To an insane degree.
Once he realized that, he was able to calm himself down. It was ridiculous to let himself get emotional about dealing with this woman. Was she even worth it? No. It was a waste of sentiment.
“Just peeeeachy, okay? Hiyomu’s aaaalways peachy, peachy keen! A bundle of maidenly energy, okaaaay? Energy! Courage! Motivation! And seriousness to boot! Yayyyy!”
“...”
“What, what, what? Haruhiro-kuuun? Haruharu? Haruhirohiroharu?”
“...”
“You’re not giving much of a reaction, are you? Please respond.”
“...”
“The heeeell? Don’t just sit there with no expression. That pisses Hiyomu off more than anything, you knoooow?”
“...”
“Heyyyy. I said, heyyyy. Speak up, you absolute dumbass.”
“...”
“Ohhh. I see how it is. Are you sure you want to take that attitude? Are you really sure? Don’t blame me if you end up regretting it, okay? You reeeeally should bow to Hiyomu, though. Are you a complete and utter dipshit who can’t see what’s coming, huhhhh? I bet your feet stink, too, yeaaaah?”
Well, she clearly wasn’t going to hold back on the insults. Though, it didn’t make him mad so much as exasperated.
What was the woman doing here? He was curious about that, of course. But he didn’t really need to hear that from the horse’s mouth. There was no point in talking to her. He couldn’t imagine the woman telling him the truth. She clearly wasn’t thinking of anything but toying with him, deceiving him, and leading him astray. He wouldn’t play along.
Eventually, General Jin Mogis arrived with two of the black cloaks and Neal in tow.
Hiyomu hopped to her feet, and Anthony followed suit. For a moment, Haruhiro thought, Maybe I should stay sitting. But, well, acting stubborn here wasn’t going to serve much purpose. He decided to stand.
The general sat down at the head of the table, in what must have been the Margrave’s seat. The black cloaks and Neal did not sit, instead standing behind the general.
“You may sit,” the general said, and Hiyomu and Anthony were seated. Haruhiro sat down in his chair, too. But why did he need permission just to sit down?
The general looked at them in silence. Was this his usual way of controlling the mood? He used silence as a tool to dominate the room. Was that something the general had come by naturally? Or was it a technique he was employing deliberately?
Haruhiro grew thirsty as the time passed, and he was starting to feel restless. Eventually, none of them would be able to maintain their composure. That had to be what the general was waiting for.
The general placed his hands on the dining table, his right hand over his left.
The ring on his finger seized Haruhiro’s attention.
Had the general been wearing a ring like that before? Hmm. Haruhiro didn’t think so, but he couldn’t be sure. He’d never noticed it before now, at least.
It wasn’t an especially large ring. But despite that, it really drew the eye. The band and head must have been gold, or some alloy that contained it. But before that, the first thing he noticed was the blue stone mounted on the head.
What kind of jewel was it? It was a fairly light blue, but it didn’t give the impression of being pale. In fact, it was a vivid, imposing blue.
The stone itself was round. He wasn’t sure if it was the cut or the lighting, but he could see petal-like shapes floating inside it. There were probably three of them. Or it could have been three leaves.
“Our Expeditionary Force must grow ever more united,” the general said, turning his rusty eyes toward Anthony. “Isn’t that right, Anthony Justeen?”
Anthony lowered his chin to nod. “...Yes, sir,” he responded.
“I...” The general used the index finger of his ring-bearing left hand to tap the back of his other two, three times, as if scratching it. “Have no intent of returning south of the Tenryu Mountains, to what they call the mainland of the Kingdom of Arabakia. We will become natives of the frontier, and build a paradise in this land. To accomplish that, it goes without saying that a powerful leader, and wise and loyal men who support him, will be essential. Do you have any objection to that, Haruhiro?”
“...Me?” Haruhiro murmured despite himself.
“Yes, you,” the general pressed him without delay. “If you believe my ideas are incorrect, you may say so.”
“No...” Haruhiro nearly lowered his eyes, but managed to stop himself somehow. But it was really tough answering with the general’s gaze on him. “...I don’t think your words are wrong.”
“Then you are in agreement?”
“I... guess I am. If we’re just talking in general, sure.”
“I intend to dissolve the Expeditionary Force entrusted to me by King Idelta of Arabakia, and reorganize it as a new Frontier Army. The reborn Frontier Army will throw off the yoke of the Kingdom of Arabakia, and act as an independent force.”
The general used weighty words without hesitation. If Haruhiro interrupted him, he would likely be crushed.
“The frontier was never Arabakia’s to begin with. The frontier belongs to us. When I say ‘us,’ I mean not just us humans, but all of the races. If we can just find common cause, I believe that we should join hands with any race, and any faction. In order for our newborn Frontier Army to survive in this land, put down firm roots, establish a domain, and attain independence as a nation, we must not hesitate to take the options that are available to us. We must probe every possibility. Even if it defies common sense, if there is some hope of realizing it, there is nothing we should not attempt. Is it not a truly strong leader who can make decisions like that?”
I, myself, am like that. That was probably what the general wanted to say. Actually, he pretty much had. He would become a leader, basically a king, and lead not the Kingdom of Arabakia’s Expeditionary Force, but a new Frontier Army.
Hiyomu had said something to the effect of the general having called her here. When she did, if Haruhiro recalled, she’d called the general the future king of the frontier.
Had Hiyomu been connected to the general all this time? Or had she made contact in the last few days, and rapidly gained his confidence?
Whatever the case, Hiyomu had been told about the general’s intentions in advance for sure.
Jin Mogis might have decided to join hands with Hiyomu, or rather her boss, the master of the Forbidden Tower.
“E-Excuse me...” Haruhiro opened his mouth, then regretted it.
Hiyomu isn’t trustworthy. I’d like you to reconsider.
If the general were his friend, he’d have offered that advice. If he respected the general and was loyal to him, he ought to warn him. But neither of those things were true. Besides, even if Haruhiro told him something with complete sincerity, he didn’t think the general would accept it.
“What?” the General asked with a blank expression.
Haruhiro looked down and shook his head.
“...It’s nothing.”
Hiyomu wore a knowing smirk. Damn her. He felt the blood rushing to his head, but he didn’t let that get the better of him. This was no time to snap.
Haruhiro and his party belonged to Jin Mogis’s faction for now. He might not have liked it, but that was how things were. He had to acknowledge it.
Hiyomu, or rather the master of the Forbidden Tower, had stolen their memories. There was no way they were on his side. They had to be enemies.
However, it looked like those enemies had made a deal with the general.
But we’re volunteer soldiers. That’s what he wanted to think, but he didn’t identify with that job enough for him to use it as a source of emotional support. Honestly, he didn’t care that much for it. He had accepted Shinohara’s request to play the role of a spy. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand why he’d had to, but he didn’t like the way that felt, either.
This was turning into a serious hassle, wasn’t it?
“If you have something to say, you may speak freely.” The general smiled at Haruhiro. “I am counting on you people. There is something I need you to do, too.”
If he could have, Haruhiro would have rolled his eyes into the back of his head and passed out right there. No joke. Haruhiro seriously wanted to run away. What was it that the general needed him to do? It was absolutely going to be a pain. And the general meant to have them do it, like it or not, didn’t he?
“The meal.”
When the general raised his right hand, the black cloaks left the dining hall. They must have gone to get the serving staff.
After retaking Alterna, the general had selected about twenty people from the logistics unit and reassigned them to Tenboro Tower. They weren’t soldiers anymore. They cooked, cleaned, and did laundry. The general probably wanted to make Tenboro Tower his palace. Though, considering how short-handed they were, the outlook for that was not exactly positive.
“I’ve heard that Alterna was trading with the free city of Vele.” When the general turned to her, Hiyomu nodded.
“Yep, yep. And Vele trades with the Red Continent, too. Obviously they have tasty, tasty seafood.”
“There are many people, men and women alike, living there.”
“You might be better off saying ‘of all races’ there, but weeeell...
Vele isn’t just a city, it’s more of a city-state, you coooould say?”
The general started using the fingers of his right hand to repeatedly fiddle with his ring.
Eventually, the cooking staff came wearing white aprons and white head-coverings. They served lightly flavored meat and vegetables, bread, and some sort of dumplings. Simple dishes that made the most of their ingredients. The only seasonings they had were salt and a small quantity of spices, so perhaps it was worth noting that the natural flavor of the ingredients was all that they could rely on.
The servers brought a bottle of alcohol, and poured it into the glasses in front of Haruhiro and the others. When they did, they always managed to spill a little on the table, but the general showed no sign of caring.
“First come the goblins of Damuro,” the general said, taking his glass in hand and raising it.
Hiyomu and Anthony reached for their glasses, too. Haruhiro couldn’t.
The goblins of Damuro... Wait, what...?
“What’s wrong?” The general cocked his head to the side. He was looking at Haruhiro.
“Oh... No, it’s nothing.”
Haruhiro hurriedly picked up his glass.
Nothing.
Nothing?
No, this isn’t nothing, is it?
“...The goblins?” he asked.
“I believe...” The general narrowed his eyes. “We can form an alliance with the goblins of Damuro. At the very least, there is room for it to happen.”
“Huh?!” Anthony’s eyes went wide. “Hold on... A-An alliance?! An alliance with goblins?!”
“That is correct,” the general replied matter-of-factly. “We will need to send an envoy. First, we must inform the king of the goblins in the New City of Damuro, Gwagajin, I believe his name was, of our intentions.”
Haruhiro set his glass down on the table.
Hiyomu’s shoulders shook as she chuckled.
She’s the worst.
“What is it?” the general addressed Haruhiro again.
No, there’s no two ways about it. The thing he needs us to do. It had to be this, of all things?
When Haruhiro remained silent, the general raised his glass.
“To our beloved frontier.”
He tilted back his glass without directly saying “cheers.” Hiyomu did likewise. Anthony was still dumbfounded, so he took one sip before returning his glass to the table.
“Now, you know what they say about an empty stomach.”
Even at the general’s urging, Haruhiro couldn’t bring himself to touch the food. He had no appetite. He wanted to leave his seat at once, but would that be a bad idea after all? It wasn’t only a problem for him. His comrades were here, too. If Haruhiro screwed up, he might drag them down with him. He had to avoid that no matter what.
My head’s a mess.
What should he do? He didn’t know. Not immediately.
Haruhiro thought the general might give specific orders during the meal, but he didn’t say anything in particular. That was a little disappointing, but Haruhiro barely touched the food he was served.
He sat in his chair, biding his time until the general finished devouring everything in front of him and dismissed them. That was all he could do.
When he left the dining hall and returned to his room, Kuzaku practically sprang on him, a look of alarm on his face.
“Haruhiro!”
“Wh-What? What happened?”
“It’s Shihoru-san!”
“Huh?!”
He looked around the room, and saw only Kuzaku, Merry, Setora, and Kiichi.
Merry was white as a sheet. Kiichi was uncharacteristically at Merry’s side, not Setora’s, so was he trying to cheer her up? Setora had her arms crossed and her brow furrowed.
“Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What do we do?!” Kuzaku grabbed Haruhiro’s arm and shook him. “Shihoru-san went to the washroom ages ago, and she hasn’t come back! I probably shouldn’t say it like this, but I thought she just had the shits or something at first! But it’s been too long for that! I went looking for her, and she’s gone!”
“Okay. Okay, I get it. Just calm down.”
“S-Sorry! Yeah, you’re right, I’ll calm down!”
Kuzaku moved away from Haruhiro and took a few deep breaths, in and out.
“S-S-So?! Wh-Wh-Wh-What do we do?! Haruhiro, what are we supposed to do?! Shihoru-san is missing! This is bad, right?! I have no clue what we’re supposed to do...!”
“Man, you didn’t calm down at all...”
“I couldn’t! Sorry!”
Haruhiro had Setora and Merry tell him about what happened, too.
Shihoru had left the room alone. Kuzaku had the annoying habit of inviting Haruhiro along any time he had to go to the washroom, but according to the women, Shihoru didn’t do anything like that. It wasn’t that Shihoru had come out and said she needed to go. But it was the only reason he could think of. Merry and Setora agreed on that. They said there hadn’t been anything out of the ordinary about her.
It was Setora who first said she was taking too long. Merry and Setora went to look for her in the washroom, and then Kuzaku joined the search after that. They had checked all of the first level of Tenboro Tower, where their room was, but they had yet to find her. “Do you think... anyone saw Shihoru?” Haruhiro asked.
There were around fifty people — black cloaks and soldiers from the Expeditionary Force — in Tenboro Tower at all times.
“We tried asking.” Kuzaku frowned. “Everyone says they haven’t seen her, or they don’t know. Some of them even blatantly ignored us. They weren’t cooperating at all. What’s with those guys? They seriously piss me off.”
“Honestly, I don’t know enough to decide what to think.” Setora turned to Merry and asked, “Is Shihoru the sort of person who would suddenly disappear by herself?” Merry shook her head.
“I don’t think so. She wouldn’t want to cause trouble for everyone. She feels that more strongly than anyone.” “In that case...” Setora looked at Haruhiro.
It seemed improbable that Shihoru would disappear on her own.
Shihoru had left the room to go to the washroom, or something like that. She had meant to come back right away, but someone prevented her. Now, at this very moment, Shihoru was in a situation that meant she couldn’t return to the room where her comrades were waiting for her.
Haruhiro ground his teeth. He touched the spot where his neck and shoulders met. It was really stiff.
“...Hiyomu was there. In the dining hall.”
“Hiyo...?!” Kuzaku shouted. “Wait, her?! Huhhhh?!”
“The general teamed up with Hiyomu at some point. Also, the general... apparently plans to form an alliance with the goblins.”
“Go-Go-Gob...? Wh-Wh-Wh-What? What the hell is that about?!”
“This is related to Shihoru’s disappearance. Is that what you’re thinking?” Setora was as calm as ever.
“I don’t know,” Haruhiro answered truthfully. “But I think the general plans to send us to Damuro. He only hinted at it, never said it outright. The general wants to use us as pawns. But... he doesn’t trust us.”
Merry inhaled sharply.
“You don’t mean... he’s taken Shihoru hostage?”
“That makes sense,” Setora said dispassionately. “If it’s true, we’ll have no choice but to do as the general says, even if we don’t like it.”
Haruhiro and the others rushed out of the room. The general would either be in the great hall, the room with the fireplace that the Margrave had used as his living room, or perhaps the lord’s bedroom on the third floor.
However, four black cloaks had sealed off the stairs to the second floor.
“The general is upstairs, right? We have something to ask, so we want to see him.”
“We’re in a hurry here!”
No matter how Haruhiro or Kuzaku pressed them, the black cloaks would only say that the general had ordered that no one be allowed to pass. If he was left to his own devices, Kuzaku would have tried to bust his way through, but Haruhiro obviously had to stop him. Shihoru might have been taken hostage. They couldn’t act recklessly.
“Could you pass a message to the general, at least? Tell him I want to see him. Just that will do.”
“The general tasked us to be guards, not messengers. If we do things we haven’t been ordered to, we’ll incur the general’s wrath.” The black cloaks were smiling faintly, even seeming to enjoy this.
“Fine, I get it!” Kuzaku sat down on the floor and crossed his arms. “I’m not moving from here until you let me through! I’ll sit here forever, so get used to it!”
The black cloaks roared with laughter.
“Well, now that you’ve said it, don’t you dare move.”
“I told you, I’m not gonna! You guys can change shifts, but I can’t. I’m gonna stick this out all on my own.”
“What is the point in doing that?” Setora asked in exasperation, and Kuzaku turned around.
“The point? The point is... Uh, I dunno. I just sort of thought I would? I wonder why. Like, I’m showing them my spirit, maybe...?” Haruhiro put a hand on Kuzaku’s shoulder.
“We’re going, Kuzaku.”
“Huh? What do you mean we’re going?”
“Let’s head back to the room for now.”
“No, but...”
“We’re going.”
“...Okay.”
Kuzaku stood up. He slumped his shoulders and hung his head... and arched his eyebrows and pursed his lips.
If you’re going to look that depressed, you’ll make me feel down, too, so I wish you’d cut it out.
“Cheer up. ...I’ll think of something.”
“...’Kay.”
However, no matter how Haruhiro thought, no solution presented itself, and the time just slipped by.
Halfway through the night, Kuzaku was snoring. Setora was lying down with Kiichi in her arms. Merry looked like she couldn’t sleep.
Haruhiro left the room to check the situation at the stairs a number of times. There were always three to four black cloaks posted there. Was there some way he could use all the thief skills that Barbara had beaten into him to slip past them? He seriously considered it, but it was obviously too difficult.

Chapter end