Reviving the Past
Intense flames burn the soldier's body. The wind rumbles as it rushes toward the soldiers, tearing at their bodies. People fall to the ground, struck by the raining rocks. The screams of soldiers pierced by the sharp blades of water echo through the air. The Black Iron Knights of the Luine Kingdom were overrun by the overwhelming magic attacks of the enemy.
The Black Iron Knights are facing the army of the Fasimir Kingdom.
The Black Iron Knights, which had marched into the Emil Kingdom, reached the royal capital without encountering any resistance. The Crown Prince of the Emil Kingdom, who was sent as a hostage immediately after entering the Emil Kingdom, was sent to the rear of the troops. They were marching with a hostage, a sign of vassalage. It is only natural that there is no resistance. The Commander of the Black Iron Knights, Hutton, did not let his guard down, but he did not question it.
After confirming King Emil's intention of vassalage once again, they disarmed the Emil Kingdom's army and seized the royal capital. It was not long after that that the invasion of the Fasimir Kingdom was reported.
The Emil Kingdom seemed upset, but the Black Iron Knights, which were planning to invade the Fasimir Kingdom, were grateful that they had come all the way out from the narrow border, which was difficult to attack.
The leader of the Black Iron Knights, Hutton, decided to lead his entire army to intercept them. There was an option of leaving some of the troops in the royal capital, but the Emil Kingdom could not be completely trusted. It was decided that it was better to have the entire army together than to leave a half-size force behind and spread out the forces. Even if the Emil Kingdom were to rebel, they would be able to respond adequately.
This decision was not mistaken. If the assumption was that they could win the battle against the Fasimir Kingdom overwhelmingly.
It should have been a crushing victory. The number of allies was three times as many as the enemy. Even in terms of quality, the army of the Luine Kingdom is reputed to be the strongest on the continent, and although it has now been taken over by the Nord Empire, it is still there. But in fact, instead of overwhelming them, they are being overwhelmed.
"......Has there been any mention of the existence of a powerful mage corps in the Fasimir Kingdom?"
"N-no. I've never heard of it."
The leader of the Black Iron Knights, Hutton, who asked the question to his subordinate, knows this. The small kingdom of Fasimir can't possibly have such a powerful Mage Order. Even if they did exist, the information would have been heard by the Luine Kingdom.
"...Was it a plot?"
"Whose plot?"
"Of course, it is the Izrim Empire. The only other country with such powerful mages is our own, the Izrim Empire, or perhaps even the Nord Empire......."
The Nord Empire also had powerful mages. Although the Commander of the Black Iron Knights, Hutton, does not know the actual situation, it is thought that the overall strength of the Nord Empire exceeds that of the Izrim Empire, which is based on the Izrim Magic Kingdom, which had the best mage corps on the continent. After all, the Nord Empire began as a nation of demons.
"Is it a betrayal of the Nord Empire?"
"No, it shouldn't be."
"But……"
Regardless of what King Albert and the upper echelons of the Luine Kingdom think, for knights and soldiers, the Nord Empire is a country to be on one's guard against. They have suffered a lot because of their scheming.
"The Nord Empire will keep its promises. Besides, there is no way that country would do anything that would benefit the Izrim Empire."
"Aren't they going to bring us down together?"
"......It's not a bad thing to be prepared for all possibilities. But what you're thinking now is a bit conceited."
"Conceited?"
His subordinate has no such intentions at all. He doesn't recall ever voicing such an opinion.
"The Izrim Empire is strong. Right now, the country is in turmoil, and there are plenty of opportunities to exploit it, but what will happen when it stabilizes…"
"...Does the Commander think it is stronger than our country?"
"That's what you call conceited. How was the battle with the Nord Empire? You don't think it's because of the civil war, do you? If so, you haven't learned anything from the battlefield."
The battle between them and the Nord Empire was interrupted when a ploy caused chaos in the countries. The idea that they would have won without it is held by those who do not properly understand that battle, in the opinion of the Commander of the Black Iron Knights, Hutton.
The Nord Empire Army was strong. Moreover, the Nord Empire was not at full strength.
"……I'm very sorry"
"......The Izrim Empire was also strong. I don't know how many of them joined the Fasimir Kingdom of 3,000, but they have not increased significantly in number. And here we are."
The 3,000 troops of the Fasimir Kingdom have not been multiplied many times by the addition of the Izrim Empire. The number of troops seen ahead does not appear to be so different from the 3,000 that was originally expected.
"......Will we lose?"
"The question of victory or defeat is not something to be spoken about in the middle of a battle. We fight to the end, not to lose."
To win, did not come out of Hutton's mouth. There is no way to reverse the current war situation. If that is the case, the only way is to stop the damage and end the battle.
"Organize a unit that will serve as a rear."
"...Ha"
Troops to help others withdraw. Preparing it means that they have decided to retreat. After all, the knight thought that they had lost. His subordinates were worried about how many of their allies would make it out safely, but they were naive.
"News! An army has appeared from behind!"
"What!?"
Another subordinate informed them that an army had appeared behind them as they retreated. If it is an enemy, it means that the escape route has been blocked.
"...Emil Kingdom! It's the Emil Kingdom's army!"
The words of the subordinate who shouted this contained a feeling of joy. But it's too early.
"You fool... why is the disarmed Emil Kingdom army appearing on the battlefield?"
"Are they betraying us..."
"They might have planned to do this from the beginning. It seems that the Izrim Empire is more adept at plotting than I thought."
The Emil Kingdom was going to betray them from the beginning. A vassalage is a lie to trick the Black Iron Knights. They had been set up for it.
"Put down your weapons and surrender! I guarantee your life if you don't resist!"
A voice calling for surrender resounds on the battlefield. It is immediately recognizable that it is a female voice.
"...No way... a person from another world... a being that we can't understand."
The possibility that the voice is Mei. Hutton, the Commander of the Black Iron Knights, muttered it. The Emperor of the Izrim Empire herself came out to the front lines of battle, and perhaps only to bring a small army with her. Have they not considered the possibility that the Fasimir Kingdom would try to join the Luine Kingdom with the head of the Emperor of the Izrim Empire as a souvenir? This is a reckless action that the Commander of the Black Iron Knights, Hutton, cannot understand.
"Surrender! If you don't obey, we will exterminate you! Put down your weapons if you do not wish to die!"
"...Commander."
"Surrender. Tell all troops to stop resisting and lay down their weapons."
Many soldiers have already lost their will to fight. Any further resistance will only result in more casualties. He will not let the soldiers continue to fight recklessly and create suspicion in their hearts toward the Luine Kingdom.
Hutton, the Commander of the Black Iron Knights decided to surrender.
◆◆◆
A shadow running through a forest covered in darkness. The shadow, which runs with tremendous speed without colliding with the trees stretching into the sky, is not that of an ordinary person. The shadow is a demon that works together with Baat. He was gathering information for the Luine Kingdom.
The abilities of the demons, especially the vampire race, are suitable for intruding. No matter how much humans train, they have abilities that humans cannot acquire. It was supposed to be that way.
"Haa, ha, ha"
Even though he was running as fast as he could, it was not enough to make him out of breath. It is not his physical strength that is disrupting his breathing, but his mind. It is the fear that is rising up.
"...I have to convey this information somehow."
He has obtained information that he did not expect. He was trying to bring this information back to the country. He is trying to bring it back somehow.
"I can't allow that."
"Kuh..."
Even if he ran desperately, he couldn't shake it off. The pursuer.
"I don't care what you know about me, but I can't let you go."
"...Monster."
"Huh? I don't want a demon to say that. I'm a hero. I'm on the side of exterminating monsters."
The one who chased after him was Yuya. He can catch up with the fleeing vampire who is running with all his might.
"I won't let you escape!"
Seeing an opening, Yuya chases after his opponent, who has started moving again. His speed is not that of the Yuya of the past. His abilities are even better than before.
Yuya turns around in front of the fleeing Vampire. The Vampire flew to the side to avoid him, but Yuya followed his movement without delay.
Two overlapping shadows. One of them fell to the ground.
"...Alright. The hunt was a success. But I've had enough. I'll give this... to Jin. He'll be depressed if he finds out that I'm much stronger than him again. I'll make him a little stronger."
Yuya carries the corpse of the vampire. His figure also became a shadow running in the darkness.
◆◆◆
Back in his own country, Ren has been busy moving around. He has had meetings with the heads of the various tribes back in his home country, he has moved around to check on the state of maintenance in the former Saint Miriam Kingdom = Nordben territory, and on the other hand, he has visited the countries that swore vassalage in the former Northern Alliance to hear from the kings of those countries. In any case, he is busy every day.
The reason why it is not a big problem even though Ren, the emperor, moves around so much is not only because each head and king understands their role and acts accordingly, but also because there is an information organization that can promptly obtain the latest information wherever they are. It is an excellent organization that, at this point, no other country can match, let alone surpass, the Nord Empire.
Such is the case with Ren, but today he is spending an unusually leisurely time. He was forced to spend such time by those around him who were concerned that he was working too much.
"…………"
Ren, who is aware that he is overworking, accepts it and goes to bed early, but then he suddenly notices a presence and opens his eyes. He had not been asleep to begin with.
Ren slowly wakes up. The bedsheet is rolled up, revealing Emily's white skin in the moonlight. Normally, Emily would have dressed herself up and returned to her room after finishing her work, but today she had no time to do so and had fallen asleep on Ren's bed. It was due to the fact that it had been a long time since Ren had worked hard.
Ren got off the bed while being careful not to wake up Emily. He hides his footsteps and approaches the window.
"...What are you angry about?"
The person he called out to was Claudia. Sitting by the window and adorably dangling her legs, but her expression is stern.
"...I'm not angry."
"But you don't look happy."
"...I was remembering the old days."
"There's no need to force yourself to remember bad memories. If you want to remember, why not just remember the fun ones?"
Ren knows that Claudia's life before she died was not a good one. He believed that it was this dark past that kept her in this world.
"At first, it was a pleasant memory, but in the end, it's a bad one."
Claudia also has happy memories. But she destroyed it all by herself. The more pleasant the memories are, the more regrets will spread in her heart.
"...Then, why don't you just think about the present and the future?"
As long as she clings to the past, Claudia will continue to stay in this world. Thinking so, Ren recommended that she throw away her past.
"…Now is fun. Ren is here. But...... I'm not allowed to throw away the regrets of the past."
"I don't think so..."
Ren doesn't even know what Claudia is carrying. He can't see it either.
"Ren, who says so, is also obsessed with the past."
"I wonder? I honestly don't know right now. I think it will be a break, but it won't be the end of everything."
Kazuki's revenge can no longer be said to be everything for Ren now. He carries a lot.
"That's right... After all, Ren looks like someone I know, you know? That person also carried various things on his back."
"It's not just me and that person who is special. We all carry something on our backs."
"That's right, but there aren't many people who carry the thoughts of a complete stranger."
"Yes... Well, I'm still the emperor."
Who was this person that Claudia said was the same as himself, the emperor? Ren wondered if their positions might also have been the same. If so, what was Claudia's position, being acquainted with that person?
"…Unfortunately, I wasn’t taken care of. That person had someone else who was important to him."
"Ah, I'm sorry."
Knowing that Claudia read his imagination, Ren apologized.
"It's my fault. I know that. But... Is it wrong to want people to recognize me?"
"Did you want that person to recognize you?"
"...Not just that person. I wanted everyone to recognize me."
Not just Kamui. Claudia wanted recognition from many people. She wanted to be recognized for her abilities, for her attractiveness as a woman, and for being a superior human being.
"I see... that may have been selfish."
"Selfish?"
Being said to be selfish, Claudia's expression turned sullen. Claudia knows that she has problems with her emotions and personality. That's why she doesn't want people pointing it out.
"I think it's hard to get people to accept you."
"But Ren accepted me."
Claudia's biggest problem. Jealousy even rears its ugly head.
"Maybe so, but there are just as many or more people who disapprove of you. If there are more people who like you, there are just as many people who dislike you. Were you prepared for this?"
"...No."
Claudia's ill feelings immediately receded. Ren's point is right. Claudia wanted all people to recognize her. She could not tolerate people ignoring her, hating her, or moving away from her.
However, it is impossible to be recognized by everyone. Claudia didn't understand that.
"The happiest thing is to be accepted only by the people you love the most. And for that, you have to find someone you care about, someone who doesn't mind if everyone hates you, right?"
"……I agree."
There was someone important. That person recognized Claudia more than anyone else. And yet, Claudia hurt him and kept him away in order to be recognized by others.
There were people who could have taken her place even if she had disappeared. But Claudia was unaware of their existence. He was by her side all along, right up until the end, but she never turned her thoughts to him or even looked at him.
"...I told you to think about something happy, but you turned it into a dark story, you know?"
"No. It's not a fun story, but I think it's an important story. I'm glad I got to talk to you."
"I see. Then that's good."
"…Then, I think I should disappear soon. I think she woke up."
"Eh?"
When Claudia told him to turn around, he saw Emily, her face slightly peeking out from the bedsheet.
"Ren has a lot of important people, right? You're the same as him to the point where I disliked him."
"Huh?"
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