But as the rest of us looked on, frozen, one woman took action.

Raising Lara until their eyes were level with each other, Roxy spoke
directly to her.
“I’ll go with Daddy and keep him safe.”
It was just a few simple words. But as she spoke them, my goddess
seemed as radiant as the sun.
Lara immediately stopped crying.

***

Roxy was coming with me.

I tried to stop her, of course. I told her in no uncertain terms that she
wasn’t coming and laid out my arguments. She didn’t flinch at a single one.
First, I tried emphasizing the danger, relaying to her that there was a
very good chance the Man-God had a trap ready and waiting; in a battle, I
reasoned, Roxy would only slow me down.
She responded, “Ah, so it’s a trap? That would explain why Lara was
so upset. Mind explaining why you didn’t mention that little detail
previously? And while I might not be much use in a fight, I think I’ll be
helpful in other ways.”
Since that blew up in my face, I made my next point—that Perugius
refused to let any demonfolk enter his floating fortress.
“If Perugius refuses me entrance to the fortress, I can head for
Shirone on another route by myself.”
Well, more importantly, I reasoned, she might lose her dream job as
an instructor at the university.
“Yes,” she said, “I always wanted to be an instructor. But I wouldn’t
trade my husband’s life for a satisfying career.”
With nothing else left in my arsenal, I had to resort to arguing that
this wasn’t the sort of decision you made simply because your baby cried at
you.
“Isn’t it my duty as a mother to comfort my child?”
Within a few minutes, all my arguments lay in tatters, and I had
nothing else I could say. It didn’t help that the rest of my family was
basically on Roxy’s side. It wasn’t that they were eager to put her in danger
or anything. But when I mentioned the possibility of a trap, the general
reaction was more “Ah-hah!” than “Oh, no.”
After they chewed me out for hiding the truth, Eris insisted that she
was coming along. Sylphie managed to talk her down, but then said she
wanted to join me, too. I think we’d all been a little unnerved by Lara’s
strange, desperate behavior.
“Should we really let Rudy go by himself? Can he manage this one
alone? This feels like such a bad omen. What if something happens to him
out there?”
In the end, it was Roxy who managed to calm everyone down and
bring them to a consensus. She did this by firmly asserting that she’d
accompany me as a representative for the others. And her reassurances
convinced Sylphie and Eris to back down.
The woman really knew her way around an argument. But of course,
that wasn’t working entirely to my advantage here. I had a bunch of
considerably mixed feelings about this idea. I preferred to have everything
and everyone I loved as safe as possible at any given moment. Roxy was
my treasure, and a part of me wanted to keep her locked up in a nice, secure
box.
But of course, Roxy was a determined woman with a will of her own.
She could be downright stubborn at times, in fact. If I outright tried to
refuse her, I had a bad feeling she really would just head for Shirone on her
own. In that case, it would be better to bring her with me. Having her
nearby would make it easier to protect her.
And on top of that…I was a bit nervous about this mission myself,
honestly. Orsted wasn’t going to be hanging around to save me from any
ambushes I blundered into. I didn’t have a clear idea of how I’d convince
Zanoba to come back home with me. I was stumbling into a foggy swamp
full of potential dangers.
 But now I was going to have Roxy there to help me navigate the
situation: the woman I respected more than anyone else in the entire world.
That was genuinely reassuring.

The next day, we began our preparations for the trip to Shirone. This
involved gathering the usual traveling gear and provisions, of course, but
I’ll skip most of the details there.
The first thing I wanted to address was Zanoba’s equipment. I wanted
to keep myself alive above all else, but I wasn’t about to let him die, either.
So I took some time to rummage through the little armory in Orsted’s
offices, looking for weapons and armor that could work for Zanoba.
First of all, I settled on a heavy suit of armor that I’d dismissed as too
bulky for my own use. It was a magic item that granted complete
invulnerability to fire magic. Perfect for Zanoba, since he had a natural
weakness to that element.
…It might sound a bit odd to describe him that way, I guess. Most
people don’t do well with being set on fire. This was just one area where he
wasn’t an exception to the norm.
Next, I needed to find him a weapon.
From what Orsted told me, there simply weren’t any capable of
enduring the raw physical strength of a Blessed Child like Zanoba. In his
hands, even the sturdiest of enchanted swords was the equivalent of a twig;
it would bend or break after a few battles at most.
With that in mind, I settled on making Zanoba a customized club. It
was basically a massive stone bat in terms of design, but I reinforced it
repeatedly with my magic to enhance its strength and durability.
At a glance, the thing looked too big for an average man to even lift
off the ground, but Zanoba could hold it easily with his fingers and swing it
around like a toy. For the most part, anything he actually hit with it was
going to die instantly. I’d transformed my buddy into your classic club-
wielding ogre.
Despite his awesome physical strength, however, Zanoba was a bit…
clumsy. And slow on his feet. So I also found him a supplementary item to
help address those weaknesses. Specifically, a magic item called the
Ravenous Fisher’s Throw Net. I didn’t know how it worked, but when you
hurled this thing at someone, it would lock on to the target and hunt it down
until it had them helplessly wrapped up. At that point, it was easy enough
for Zanoba to drag them down to the ground and pull them into punching
range.
These three items seemed like a decent toolkit to enhance Zanoba’s
combat capabilities. He wasn’t too happy about how he looked in his big,
clunky suit of armor, but apart from that, he sounded quite satisfied with my
suggestions.
I took some time to improve Roxy’s equipment, too. Obviously, I
wasn’t going to let her die either. I wanted something sturdy for her
defensive gear. A part of me wanted to seal her inside a big suit of plate
mail like Zanoba, but that wasn’t a practical option in her case. For one
thing, she was an experienced adventurer with her own combat style;
putting her in totally unfamiliar equipment was more likely to backfire by
throwing her off her game.
Given those restrictions, I picked out two lightweight magical items:
a ring that would automatically deploy a defensive barrier in response to
physical attacks, and a necklace that would absorb a single fatal blow for its
bearer before shattering. It seemed best to leave her robe and her staff as
they were.
I was still worried about her, of course. I’d have to make sure I stayed
on top of things if we found ourselves in battle. There was no telling what
kind of trap we’d be walking into, but I’d trained myself rigorously to deal
with anything the Man-God might throw at me.
We also informed the University of our plans. Zanoba would be
withdrawing as a student, while Roxy would be taking an indefinite leave of
absence. I didn’t want them firing her over this, so I had Zanoba write them
a letter explaining that he’d be taking her to Shirone to serve as a court
magician on a permanent basis.
The University objected to this plan, and Zanoba and Roxy had a
lengthy sit-down with the Principal himself to discuss the matter. They must
have been seriously reluctant to let such a talented instructor out of their
grasp. I would have done the same thing in the old man’s shoes, I’m sure.
 Zanoba started things off in an overbearing tone, using his status to
full effect: “Miss Roxy was appointed as a court magician of Shirone many
years ago. She resigned her post due to certain political developments, but
her worthiness as a mage was never in doubt. We’re quite determined to
bring her back to her rightful place.”
In contrast, Roxy protested in a careful, indirect way that she didn’t
really want to become a court magician. The Principal seized on this
immediately, insisting that she was an official member of the University
faculty, and therefore under its protection.
After an hour of carefully orchestrated debate, Zanoba finally
“folded,” backing off his initial demands. He would take Roxy with him to
help address the current situation, given her familiarity with the new king;
but once matters were settled, he would graciously permit her to return to
the University.
It was a simple enough tactic, really. We’d started off with an absurd
demand and negotiated him into giving us exactly what we wanted.
At least Roxy wouldn’t be sacrificing her career over this. That was a
relief.

Naturally, I also took some time to review my own equipment.

Compared to Roxy and Zanoba, I had no real need to change things up. As
always, I’d be bringing the Magic Armor Version One, the Magic Armor
Version Two, and my Gatling gun.
Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since I’d last used my
old buddy Aqua Heartia. I felt bad about letting a present from Eris gather
dust, but she herself had no issue with me using the best gear I possibly
could. That girl wasn’t exactly sentimental, you know? It made me kind of
sad sometimes. I still got all misty-eyed thinking about that night…the way
it felt when I touched her chest…
Ahem. In any case, my old staff was currently resting in a place of
honor on my bedroom wall.
I had considered maybe formally handing it down to Sylphie. Unlike
Eris, who was always ready to replace her swords, she’d been using the
same beginner’s rod that I’d gifted her for many years now.
 I wasn’t sure how she’d react if I gave her Aqua Heartia as a present,
though. Would she be overjoyed? Or annoyed? It had been a present from
another woman, after all… Then again, it was Roxy who’d originally given
me that rod, too.
In any case, I planned to do most of my fighting in the Magic Armor
Version Two, which was more mobile and practical for daily use. If we ran
into a particularly deadly enemy, I’d break out the Version One and hit them
with my full strength. It was the same strategy I always used.
Everything was going to be fine. I’d trained myself to go toe to toe
with even the strongest of opponents. I could handle this.
The Magic Armor Version One was a bulky piece of equipment, and
unlike the Version Two, I couldn’t wear it around all day long. We’d be
transporting it in pieces to our destination, then reassembling it once we got
there. It would make packing much easier, plus, the Man-God knew about
the armor’s existence; it couldn’t hurt to be a bit less obvious about the fact
that I was bringing it along.
We’d sorted out our party’s equipment. Now we had to figure out
how we were getting to Shirone.
Thus, Zanoba and I headed off to grovel at Perugius’s feet.

***

Upon our arrival at the floating fortress, the two of us were ushered
into a luxuriantly appointed room. It was one I’d never seen before, actually
—some kind of art gallery, from the look of things. The walls were lined
with paintings, and the shelves were occupied by a collection of palm-sized
sculptures.
Somehow, the artwork here felt different from anything else I’d seen
in this castle. The paintings in Perugius’s hallways and reception rooms
tended to look more valuable, while the work in here was more on the
striking or interesting side of things. They might have fetched less at
auction, but that didn’t make them inferior works of art.
“This is a pretty nice room, isn’t it?” I murmured to Zanoba.
 “Oh? Is this your first time here, Master?” he replied, sounding a bit
surprised.
“Yeah. I guess we usually talk in the reception rooms, or the
gardens…”
“Lord Perugius only invites his most valued confidants to this
particular room,” said Sylvaril from her place by the door.
Unless I was very much mistaken, she was implying that Perugius
had never fully trusted me up until now. Sometimes I got the feeling this
woman didn’t like me very much. But to be fair, it was probably my boss
she wasn’t too fond of.
“Please, Miss Sylvaril,” said Zanoba chidingly. “It’s rather rude of
you to imply that Master Rudeus is inferior to myself in any way.”
Just for the record, Zanoba… It’s also kind of rude to talk to someone
without even turning in their direction…
“It’s simply a fact that Lord Perugius has always instructed me to
bring you to this room, Lord Zanoba, and not your companion. Although it
seems he’s made something of an exception today, for some reason…”
Sylvaril’s tone was calm, but her words seemed to bother Zanoba.
Enough that he snapped his head around to face her, at least. “I suppose that
Master Rudeus had all but stopped making figurines by the time he met
Lord Perugius, so I can hardly blame you for underestimating his
worthiness. But let me assure you, his skills as a craftsman put my
academic expertise to shame. I’d never presume to call myself his equal.”
“However, Lord Perugius seems to think—”
“Rudeus Greyrat is my master. I’ll grant you that he lacks the depth
of artistic knowledge that Lord Perugius and I possess. But if it weren’t for
his guidance, I never would have become a man worthy of the great
Perugius’s regard.”
Sylvaril fell silent for a moment. I had a feeling she was scowling,
although it was hard to tell with that mask.
By this point I was used to Zanoba showering me with praise, but for
some reason, this latest bout left me feeling kind of touched. Of course, my
“talent” as an artist was mainly due to the fact that I’d brought some
knowledge about figurines with me from my previous life, so I wouldn’t let
it go to my head.
“I see. My apologies, Lord Zanoba.”
As Sylvaril bowed in our general direction, Zanoba accepted her
apology with a lordly “That’s quite all right.”
I didn’t really care if she treated me with respect or not, but this
probably wasn’t the time to bring it up.
“Ah, Zanoba. Good of you to come!”
Mere moments later, the door at the back of the room burst open, and
Perugius strode through. However, he paused after a few steps to study
Zanoba and Sylvaril in turn. Perhaps he’d sensed a lingering hint of
awkwardness in the air.
“…What’s the matter? Did Sylvaril displease you somehow?”
“Not at all,” replied Zanoba with a smile. “We were merely
discussing the fact that Master Rudeus had never set foot in this room
before today.”
Nice of him not to tattle to the boss. Zanoba really was a good guy at
heart.
“Ah, yes… I suppose I never found an opportune moment before.
Well, Rudeus? What do you think of my little collection?”
“I was just admiring it, actually. Compared to the work you have
hanging in your hallways, everything in here has a really…distinctive
style.”
“Oh?”
I couldn’t explain what it was exactly that I found appealing about
the art here, so my praise came out sounding kind of vague. Perugius
seemed quite pleased, though, so I decided to elaborate a little.
“The art you have on display elsewhere is clearly high-quality stuff,
in a way that appeals to almost anyone. But I think you chose the works in
here to suit your personal tastes, perhaps.”
“Exactly right.”
 With a broad smile, Perugius lowered himself into a chair at the
central table.
Wow, I actually got that right? Guess I’m not a totally tasteless
barbarian after all! Haha, Sylvaril looks so surprised…I think. Hard to tell
for sure, you know? What with the mask.
Zanoba and I joined Perugius at the table at his invitation. We sat
next to each other across the table from our host. It felt a bit like a parent-
teacher conference or something.
“Now then,” said Perugius, his voice warm with pleasure. “What can
I do for you today? Perhaps you’ve brought me another intriguingly unusual
figurine, hmm?”
Zanoba smiled happily, but shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Lord
Perugius. I’ve come to inform you that I will be returning to my homeland
shortly, and to bid you my farewells.”
“Hrm…”
Perugius furrowed his brow uncertainly and studied Zanoba’s face.
And as his gaze lingered, his expression quickly began to darken.
Despite Perugius’s silent stare, Zanoba smoothly proceeded to
describe the letter he’d received from Shirone, and the circumstances there
as he understood them. Perugius didn’t so much as nod at any point during
this recitation; he kept staring at Zanoba’s face and nothing more.
“…So as I’m sure you can appreciate, I will be returning to Shirone
at once.”
For a few seconds after Zanoba stopped talking, Perugius didn’t say
anything at all. He seemed to be thinking things over. But then he looked
his friend in the eyes and spoke.
“You intend to die, then.”
Zanoba stared back at Perugius with a blank expression. “What
makes you think so, if I might ask?”
“It’s written on your face,” said Perugius gruffly. “I’ve seen that look
on far too many faces in my time.”
 That seemed like a bit of a reach, but I wasn’t about to stop the man
from trying to talk Zanoba out of this. It would be the best-case scenario for
everyone involved if he chose to stay put. I wasn’t looking to hop into a trap
for the fun of it, you know?
“Let’s say you’re right, for the sake of argument,” said Zanoba, his
face still blank and unreadable. “What would you propose I do about it?”
Perugius grinned at that. “I’d lend you my aid, if you’re looking to
fight. I value our discussions on art greatly, after all. I wouldn’t hesitate to
eliminate anyone who threatened to disrupt them…such as a certain
pretender-king, perhaps.”
“I’m afraid I must decline that offer.”
“Hah! Yes, I supposed you would.”
At this point, Perugius’s eyes flashed in my direction. It felt like a
signal, but I wasn’t exactly sure what it meant. Did he want me to say
something?
Before I could make up my mind, though, he’d turned his focus back
to Zanoba.
“Tell me, Zanoba… Did this man give his blessing for your suicide
attempt?”
“Not exactly, but he did offer to accompany me…”
“Oh? And you accepted that offer?”
“I don’t believe I had much choice. It was within Master Rudeus’s
power to keep me from leaving by force, if he so chose.”
Oh. Was that why he hadn’t tried to argue when I told him I was
coming too? He figured I wouldn’t take no for an answer?
He wasn’t wrong. The man knew me too well.
“I see. Well, I expect that Rudeus would sacrifice his own life to
protect you, if it comes to that.”
“Haha! Don’t be absurd, Lord Perugius,” said Zanoba. He laughed
loudly, but it came out strangely hollow. “Master Rudeus is a married man
with children, and a mission he must fulfill. I’m quite certain he will
prioritize his own safety if it becomes necessary.”
 “Are you the pupil of a man who would abandon his own friend on
the battlefield, Zanoba?”
“Certainly not! However, Master Rudeus is a man of astonishing
talents. Surely, he will find a way to both protect me and ensure his safety!”
Uh, I’m not superhuman, Zanoba…
Sometimes it was hard to tell if my friend legitimately thought that I
was made of steel. But putting that aside for the moment…he was brushing
off Perugius’s references to his death in a weirdly casual way. It was pretty
clear that the option of not going to Shirone never once registered in his
thoughts.
Perugius seemed to realize this as well. Apparently losing interest in
the conversation, he propped his face against his fist and heaved a heavy
sigh. “Very well, then. I imagine you didn’t come here just to say goodbye.
Is there something you wish to ask of me?”
Zanoba nodded. “We would like to request access to a teleportation
circle to the Kingdom of Shirone, permission to bring the Magic Armor
inside your castle…and safe passage through its halls for Roxy Migurdia,
who is the wife of Master Rudeus and a demon by birth.”
“I’ll ready the circle for you at once. You may bring the Magic
Armor through my halls, as well. But I cannot permit a demon to set foot
within my castle.”
Perugius visibly grimaced at the very thought. I wasn’t surprised,
honestly. His familiar Arumanfi had already turned Roxy away from his
gates once, and his hatred of all demonkind was clearly deep.
“You would truly refuse her entrance, Lord Perugius?” said Zanoba
slowly. “Even at the personal entreaty of Zanoba Shirone?”
“Tell me this,” replied Perugius. “Who is Zanoba Shirone to me, that
I should be so pliable to his whims?”
“A fellow connoisseur of the arts, with tastes not unlike your own—
and your good friend, I hope.”
“You’d name yourself a friend of the Armored Dragon King? You,
the mere princeling of some minor desert nation?”
 “With the greatest possible respect, Lord Perugius…in matters of
friendship, neither rank nor race are particularly relevant.”
Perugius glared at Zanoba fiercely. Zanoba held his gaze without
flinching. From across the room, Sylvaril was also staring intently at
Zanoba. In other words, I was the only one in the room whose eyes were
darting around uncomfortably. The atmosphere in here was heavy. If I were
in Zanoba’s shoes, I would have broken down and started apologizing by
now.
And then, with a quick upward jerk of his chin, Perugius let out a
bark of laughter. “Very well then. I will permit the demon passage through
my halls.”
“My sincerest thanks for your kindness.”
“However, I must insist on certain conditions.”
Perugius laid out three rules we’d have to follow. Once she was
inside the castle walls, Roxy wouldn’t be allowed to speak a word, touch
anything at all, or see Perugius himself—none of which presented much
issue, since we’d only be passing through. Zanoba and I agreed on the spot.
“Very well then… Sylvaril, see to the preparation of the teleportation
circle.”
“Yes, my lord!”
As his familiar hurried off into the hall, Perugius paused one last time
to study Zanoba from across the table with a small frown of displeasure.
“Zanoba Shirone…”
“Yes?”
“I shall miss our conversations.”
Perugius and Zanoba rose from their seats simultaneously. And as
Perugius strode away, Zanoba bowed to him without a word.
Perugius walked as steadily as ever, but I thought I could see a hint of
sadness in the way he held his shoulders.

After disassembling the Magic Armor Version One into its

component pieces, we first took a trip to the Kingdom of Shirone to stash it
safely at our destination. A friend of Ginger’s who belonged to a
woodcutter’s guild helped us disguise the pieces as blocks of stone, and
arranged to have them carried to a warehouse close to the capital. I had no
time to accompany it, but Ginger went along ahead of us. I’d asked her to
spend a few days gathering information on the situation in Shirone. My
hope was that the supposed invasion from the north might turn out to be a
complete fabrication. It was our last chance to convince Zanoba to stay in
Sharia after all.
But as far as Ginger could tell, the Kingdom of Bista really was
gathering their forces along the border. All of Shirone was primed and
ready for war; the streets were full of mercenaries and scruffy-looking thugs
itching for a fight.
She’d picked up a few other details, as well: “It seems King Pax was
entrusted with ten of the King Dragon Realm’s most skilled knights. It was
they who butchered his enemies after the coup.”
A mere ten knights might not sound like much support, but it seemed
these knights were seriously formidable. Pax and those ten hadn’t been the
only ones to launch the coup, but it had succeeded due to their efforts. I
couldn’t discount that the Man-God’s plan involved them somehow.
“Did you happen to learn the names of those ten knights, Ginger?”
“Unfortunately, no. But I did hear rumors that a man with a gaunt,
skeletal face accompanies King Pax everywhere he goes. Some say he’s the
Death God, one of the Seven Great Powers.”
“Ah. I see.”
I grimaced at the thought, although I doubted the rumor could be true.
It was hard to imagine the King Dragon Realm would dispatch one of the
seven most powerful people in the world for Pax’s private use. Still,
I needed to tell Orsted about this, just in case.
A man with a “skeletal” face, though? What did that even mean?
When I reported Ginger’s findings to Zanoba, his only comment was
“Hrm. They’re already poised to invade, then? I suppose we’ll have to
make haste.”
 His tone was as calm as ever, but I saw a glimmer of anxiety in his
eyes. I’d run out of ways to try and talk him out of this, so we agreed to
leave within a few days. We’d be a party of four this time: me, Zanoba,
Ginger, and Roxy. Julie would stay with my family until the danger was
past.
 Chapter 3:
The Return to Shirone

T HE NIGHT BEFORE our planned departure, we had an unexpected

visitor.
I was just stepping into the hall to use the bathroom following an
evening of passionate marital bonding with Sylphie. All of a sudden, Leo
started barking his head off, and a few seconds later Eris burst out of her
room with murder in her eyes.
I had no idea what was going on.
“We’re under attack!” shouted Eris.
“Huh?!”
Had someone kicked in the front door or something?
Heart racing, I ducked back into my bedroom, grabbed my staff and a
torch…and paused to look outside the window for any signs of danger. It
was a dark night, but I could make out a familiar silhouette standing in front
of our gate.
“It’s all right, Eris. That’s not an enemy out there.”
“…Right. I guess not.”
Eris looked out the window from beside me, scowling down at the
shadowy figure.
I left my staff against the wall and stepped out into the hallway again.
After shooing my sleepy, confused family back into their rooms, I made my
way to the gate.
I opened the front door to find Orsted waiting patiently outside. Byt,
currently tangled around our front gate, had wrapped his vines around him
and was squeezing aggressively. It reminded me of certain…tentacle-
themed works of art.
“My apologies for the late-night visit.”
“Oh, that’s all right… Stop it, Byt! Let him go!”
 “I’m here because I’ve learned something that you must know.
Follow me. This shouldn’t take long.”
“Uhm, okay.”
Orsted smoothly ripped Byt’s thrashing vines off his body before
walking off into the shadowy street. I cast a quick healing spell on our loyal
Treant. Eris stood in the doorway with her arms folded. I hurried over, told
her I’d be back soon, and scampered along after Orsted.
Sadly, there weren’t any twenty-four-hour diners in my
neighborhood. We had to settle for the nearest empty plot of land. It was a
moonless night, so I’d brought my torch along. Its flickering light
illuminated our immediate surroundings, revealing nothing but an empty
patch of grass and earth.
Come to think of it, Orsted and I tended to have a lot of our
conversations in the dark. It made me feel like I was doing something evil,
you know? I should look into getting more lamps set up in his office…
“So…what was it you wanted to discuss?”
“The new pawn that the Man-God’s chosen.”
I had passed along all the information Ginger had gathered a few
days ago. He wasn’t in his office when I stopped by, though, so I had to
leave him a letter summarizing her report.
“I’ve developed a theory based on the information Ginger York
provided. I’ll explain it to you, and then give you a rough strategy to
follow.”
I wished we had more than a theory to go off at this point. Maybe the
smart move was to lock Zanoba in a cage until we’d gathered more
information…
Nah, he wouldn’t trust anything we said if we started treating him
like that. Things were never that easy.
“First of all, on the subject of these ten knights: I expect that nine of
them are not particularly notable or dangerous.”
“Okay…”
 “As for the tenth, the man with a face like a corpse—I believe I am
familiar with him.”
Ah, right. This was the guy who stuck with Pax everywhere he went.
“There’s only one knight of the King Dragon Realm with significant
skill and a skeletal face, you see.”
“Who is he, then?”
Orsted fixed his gaze on me. It seemed even sharper than usual
tonight. “Randolph Marianne, the Death God. Fifth among the Seven Great
Powers.”
The Death God. Fifth among the Seven Great Powers.
The words bounced around inside my head for a while as I tried my
best to digest their meaning. So those rumors were true, then?
“He’s the King Dragon Realm’s secret weapon.”
“…Why would they loan out their secret weapon to support a coup
d’état in some random country?”
“I don’t know, but it seems fairly likely that the Man-God arranged it
somehow.”
Yeah, that was the most obvious possibility, for sure. Kind of a stupid
question on my part…
“It is difficult to imagine that King Dragon would allow the Death
God to leave their service, and I did consider the possibility it was someone
else. But I don’t know of any other pawn on the board capable of killing me
or you. It seems safest to assume the worst. I’ll tell you what I know about
him.”
Okay. There was still a chance this skull-faced guy wasn’t the Death
God, but he was the most dangerous person who might be coming for me.
Yeah, might as well brace myself for that scenario.
“Randolph the Death God does not ascribe to any established school
of swordplay. His style is unique and self-taught.”
“So…he made all his moves up himself?”
“That’s correct. You can’t expect him to follow any of the familiar
patterns. He uses every trick and tool he can in the pursuit of victory.”
 Hmm. Sounded a bit like Ruijerd’s philosophy, actually. It was never
fun to fight people who were that unpredictable…
“However, he does possess a signature technique. It’s known as the
Enthralling Blade.”
Wow, okay. I bet I know how this one works. Does he move his sword
around in a big dramatic circle for no apparent reason, then stab you while
you’re admiring his moves?
“There are two distinct variations of this technique: the Enticing
Blade and the Arresting Blade.”
“Okay. How are they different?”
“The Enticing Blade convinces his enemies to advance when it’s
unwise, and counters their attack. The Arresting Blade convinces his
enemies to hold back when they ought to strike.”
That…seemed kind of vague. I was having trouble even picturing
those moves.
“The man is a master at manipulating his opponents’ thoughts in
battle. When you believe you should attack, do not attack. When you
believe you should defend, do not defend. You won’t so much as lay a
finger on him if you trust your instincts. I guarantee it.”
“Uhm, it sort of sounds like I’m not allowed to do anything at all…”
“Wrong. When you want to defend, simply attack instead. When you
want to attack, defend. But don’t blind yourself to the moments when an
attack is truly rational, or caution is purely necessary…”
Sorry? That makes no sense. Is this some kind of Zen koan? My head
hurts…
“Don’t fall for his acting, essentially. Stay focused and overwhelm
him.”
The thought “If this guy’s so good, why don’t you deal with him
instead of me?” flashed through my head, but I pushed it out of mind.
Orsted would head to the King Dragon Realm soon.
“Do you think I can actually defeat him?” I asked.
 “The man’s one of the Great Powers. As you might expect, he’s a
master of technique, with numerous ways of countering offensive magic. It
certainly won’t be easy. However, he has only recently returned to the
battlefield after an absence of many years; I doubt he could even compete
with the Gods of the three Great Styles at present. Now that you know the
theory behind his Enthralling Blade, you have every chance of victory—as
long as you can resist his feints and tricks.”
Nice to hear, although I didn’t feel entirely convinced. The mere idea
of fighting anyone with God in their title was as terrifying as ever to me,
frankly. It was hard to imagine myself actually winning.
Still, I’d put up a good fight against Auber, and he was a North
Emperor. Maybe I was ready for an opponent like this.
“You know, from what you’ve told me so far, this Death God’s style
sounds kind of similar to the North God approach.”
“As it should. He was originally considered a potential candidate to
assume the rank of North God.”
Oh. Interesting. A candidate, huh? So he didn’t make the cut for that
spot, in other words. Wasn’t he ranked above the current North God in the
Seven Great Powers, though? I seemed to remember that the North God
was number seven on that list… Weird.
“So how did someone like that end up getting the title Death God,
anyway?”
My curiosity got me asking for the guy’s life story, and Orsted was
kind enough to oblige me. Randolph Marianne was the grandson of the
second North God to hold that title. The early years of his childhood were
spent training under his grandfather, alongside the man who would become
the third North God.
However, Randolph had a dramatic falling out with his grandfather
soon after he came of age. Leaving everything he’d known behind, he went
out into the world alone and began to develop his own techniques
independently. In time, he grew powerful enough to defeat one of the Seven
Great Powers in a battle that took place on the Demon Continent. Claiming
his opponent’s title, Randolph began to call himself the Death God.
 But from that day on, he was subjected to relentless attacks from
those who dreamed of taking their place among the Seven Great Powers.
The duels and ambushes came on a daily basis. Randolph found himself
locked in an endless, pointless struggle against a sea of men and women
who found meaning only in battle.
After ten years of this, he grew thoroughly repulsed by his bloody
routine. Resolving to change his life completely, Randolph returned to his
homeland—the King Dragon Realm—and studied to become a cook. Once
he was ready, he took over a nearly bankrupt restaurant from a relative. A
new chapter in the legend of the Death God had begun.
Sadly, it turned out to be a brief one. The restaurant performed so
badly that it went out of business entirely. Randolph was a prodigy as a
swordsman, but a mediocre chef. Saddled with massive loans he had no
means to repay, he found himself recruited by a general of the King Dragon
Realm, and assumed his current position as a royal knight.
And that was the entire story of Randolph’s life so far, from birth
to…middle age, probably. What a heartwarming tale.
“So long as you approach the battle correctly, you’d match up
reasonably well against the Death God. But if he does come for you, don’t
fight him at close range. Use your Magic Armor’s mobility to maintain your
distance, like you did against me.”
“All right. Thank you, sir.”
I carefully committed the Death God’s name to memory and bowed
to Orsted.
“That’s all for now, Rudeus. Don’t get yourself killed out there.”
“Well, I’ll do my best.”
At least I had some information about the biggest threat I might face
in Shirone. That was better than nothing. Our departure was tomorrow. I
had to be ready to face anything the Man-God might throw at me.

The next morning, the whole family saw me off at our front door.
It was quite a crowd: Sylphie, holding Lara in her arms; Eris; Aisha;
Norn; Lilia; Zenith; Lucie; Leo; and Julie, who was staying with us.
 “You be careful out there, Rudy. I know you can handle anything, but
don’t get careless, okay? We want you back safe and sound.”
“Got it. Keep an eye on the family for me, Sylphie.”
“No problem.”
I gave Sylphie a big hug, and groped her butt a little while I had the
opportunity. It was a real pity I wouldn’t be seeing this charming little
backside again for a while.
“Eris, try to cut down on any strenuous exercise until the baby comes,
all right?”
“I know, I know.”
“And if it does turn out to be a girl, try to give her a name she won’t
resent.”
We’d been over this before, but with Eris, it never hurt to repeat
yourself. It wasn’t hard to imagine her insisting that her newborn daughter
was actually a boy, and raising her accordingly—whether she liked it or not.
It was a classic setup for a dramatic story, sure, but I wasn’t about to let my
own kid suffer that kind of treatment.
“Good luck out there, brother dear. Even more members of Ruquag’s
Mercenary Band will be waiting for you by the time you make it back.”
“Uh, right. Don’t use them for anything too shady, please.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
It was nice that Aisha’s mercenary company was growing smoothly,
but I didn’t want her forgetting that her employees were mostly rough and
violent people. Unless she kept a firm hand on the tiller, the group might
devolve into a lawless pack of thugs. It felt safer to keep their activities
totally above board.
“Rudeus, Prince Zanoba was quite kind to me during his time here. I
hope you’ll find some way to get him through this crisis safely.”
“That’s the idea. Don’t worry, I’ll figure something out.”
“Make sure you take care of yourself as well.”
“Thanks, Norn. You keep at it with the Student Council, okay?”
 Norn had taken the time out of her schedule to come see me off, but
she seemed a little stiff; I guessed it was a stressful time for her right now.
She was still trying to get her feet under her as the president of the student
council.
“Be well, Master Rudeus. I’ll pray for your fortune on the
battlefield.”
“Thank you, Lilia. I’ll come back safe, I promise.”
Lilia’s farewell felt a little melodramatic, but I appreciated the
sentiment. She’d truly taken to her role as the loyal matron of our
household lately. Sometimes I wanted to remind her that she was still a
relatively young woman, but this probably wasn’t the time. I returned her
bow with a smile.
Zenith took the opportunity to pat me on the head. Come to think of
it, her condition was probably the main thing that kept Lilia anchored
exactly where she was. A part of me felt like my family had stolen most of
Lilia’s life from her, but this was a road she’d chosen for herself.
“Come on, Lucie. Say bye-bye to Daddy.”
“…Bye-bye, Daddy.”
“Bye, Lucie. I’ll be home soon, I promise.”
My daughter fidgeted for a moment, stubby hand clutching at
Sylphie’s skirt. It seemed like she wanted to say something else, so I waited
patiently.
After a moment, she stepped forward and looked up at me. “Gimme
hug, Daddy.”
“You got it, kiddo! Come here. You be a good girl while I’m gone,
okay?!”
“Mm.”
It wasn’t every day that Lucie asked me for affection, so I jumped at
the chance to pick her up and nuzzle her little cheeks against mine.
This time she didn’t squirm away in protest. Maybe because I’d
shaved my stubble off this morning. I enjoyed myself for some time before
regretfully releasing her from my clutches.
 Finally, I turned to Julie, who was standing quietly off to one side of
my family.
“Hey, Julie…”
“Yes, Grandmaster?”
“Remember, you’re my apprentice. You seem like you’re thinking of
yourself as a slave, but, uh…try to make yourself at home, okay? You’re
our guest, so there’s nothing to be self-conscious about.”
“Of course, sir. I’ll try not to cause your family any trouble.”
Honestly, I wasn’t sure what Julie thought about her circumstances at
this point, but I tried my best to be reassuring anyway. Recent events
suggested she wasn’t exactly unhappy, at least…
“…Thank you for accompanying Master. Please keep him safe.”
“Absolutely, Julie. I won’t let him come to harm.”
But one way or the other, Zanoba was clearly important to her, and
she seemed to treasure her role as his pupil. I wasn’t sure why she was
compelled to ask me to look out for him, though. I cared about Zanoba as
much as she did.
“Okay, Leo, I’m leaving my family in your protection again. You
keep watch over the whole house, got it? Not just Lara.”
“Raruff!”
With a few final words of encouragement to our oversized guard dog,
I ran my gaze across my entire family one last time.
“All right then,” I said. “We’ll be going.”
“Goodbye for now,” said Roxy quietly.
I picked up our bags and walked out the front door. Roxy followed
close behind.

***
 A few minutes later, we met up with Zanoba and Ginger at the city’s
gates. We’d already sent most of our luggage to Shirone ahead of us, so
they weren’t carrying much today. Our bags primarily held spare clothes.
Me, I carried Roxy’s luggage for her. This unassuming trunk contained
perhaps seven vessels that might one day be enshrined as holy idols. I’d
maneuvered it through the city streets with the greatest of care.
Cliff and Elinalise waited by the gates as well. They’d come to see us
off.
“I’m sorry, Rudeus. I wish I could come with you, but…”
Cliff genuinely wanted to accompany us, but he had a family to
consider now, and a place in society he needed to maintain. You could
hardly expect him to run off on sudden months-long trips around the world
like I did. It was likely to get him kicked out of the University.
“That’s all right, Cliff. Can you keep an eye on my family for me
while I’m gone? Help them out if they get into trouble?”
“Of course, Rudeus. Take good care of Zanoba for us.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got it covered.”
Nodding, Cliff turned to face Zanoba. “I want to tell you something
before you go, Zanoba—I think your patriotism is truly admirable. Truly.”
“I see. I don’t know if I would call myself a patriot, in all honesty.”
“However, I want you to keep one thing in mind. As Saint Millis once
remarked—”
Studiously ignoring Zanoba’s attempts at protest, Cliff launched into
a speech that seemed more like a sermon. The word lecture also came to
mind. I’d been on the receiving end of these myself too many times to
count. This time, the subject concerned man’s obligation to value his life as
he would a precious gift. Zanoba listened politely enough, but the smile on
his face was obviously strained. You could practically see the words passing
in one ear and out the other.
I glanced around to distract myself from the awkward scene, and
noticed Elinalise and Roxy had stepped aside for a semi-private
conversation.
 “Try to keep a close eye on Rudeus this time, Roxy. The boy can be
surprisingly fragile when things go badly…”
“I’m well aware of that, believe me.”
Huh? Am I really the one they should be worried about here?
On second thought, it made some sense, given that I was voluntarily
jumping into a trap and all. That kind of rash decision-making tended to
inspire some concern.
“If he starts getting all mopey, you know what to do, right? Push him
into bed and make him forget all about his troubles. Just like last time.”
“Uh, well… I don’t think that should be necessary. Rudy doesn’t
usually make the same mistake twice, for one thing…”
“Ah, that reminds me. Why don’t you take a shot at making baby
number two while you’re on the road? You’re nursing at the moment, aren’t
you? That sort of thing can add a bit of excitement in bed, you know…”
“I’m sure Rudy would find it thrilling, but I’d really rather not.”
It was nice to hear that Roxy had such a high opinion of me, but the
fact of the matter was that I regularly repeated even my stupidest mistakes.
Even so, I’d have to try and brace myself for the worst this time around. I
didn’t want Zanoba to die…but if he did, I would be useless if I had another
nervous breakdown.
No comment on the rest of that conversation. Elinalise was trying to
help Roxy relax. Probably. The woman clearly hadn’t changed, despite her
new position as a wife and mother. Every other word out of her mouth
involved sex. She was going to be a terrible influence on her kid.
“All right, everyone. I think we’d best be on our way.”
“Right. Don’t get yourself killed out there, you understand?”
With those cheery words of farewell from Cliff, the four of us left the
city of Sharia behind.

It took a half-day of walking for us to reach the ruins nearby, from

which we entered Perugius’s floating fortress.
 As promised, they allowed Roxy to accompany us this time. But
Arumanfi grimaced visibly as he handed her the required magic item, and
the teleportation circle on the other side was guarded by both Sylvaril and
two other servants in Perugius’s employ. They were clearly on their guard
against Roxy, absurd as that might sound.
“Sir Rudeus, I do hope you appreciate how magnanimous Lord
Perugius was to grant this request. No demons are ever tolerated in this
fortress under ordinary circumstances.”
“Yes, I know. We’re thankful for his kindness, truly.”
I tried to express our gratitude, while Roxy bowed her head silently.
As one condition of her admittance to the floating fortress, she wasn’t
allowed to speak a word within its borders. She was also required to remain
under surveillance at all times, forbidden to touch any objects in the castle,
and refused the right to an audience with Perugius…and that wasn’t even all
of it.
Fortunately, we were passing through briefly, so none of those rules
were much of an issue. Roxy had agreed to all of them beforehand.
That said, she was clearly captivated by the majesty and splendor of
this place. She stared up at the towering central castle like some country
bumpkin, tugging at my sleeve in excitement. It was a real pity I wasn’t
allowed to give her a tour, or even tell her anything specific about the
fortress. Instead of saying anything, I dropped a hand on her shoulder and
rubbed it affectionately.
She turned to look up at me from beneath the wide brim of her hat,
blushing the slightest bit. I think she was a little embarrassed by the way
she’d been gawking.
Then Sylvaril cleared her throat loudly, interrupting the moment.
Come on, we weren’t even talking…
If they kept treating Roxy this way, word might get around that Good
King Perugius had a bunch of petty, surly jerks for servants. Oh, for sure the
rumors wouldn’t come from me, but my pet cat and dog could always do a
little gossiping on my behalf. Those two were scarily good at this sort of
thing.
 “This way, please…”
Flanked by the other two familiars, we followed Sylvaril down into
the fortress’s underground levels. It felt like we were prisoners being
marched off to the dungeons, honestly. But I kept that thought to myself.
We’d asked Perugius to allow Roxy entrance to his home, knowing
full well that he hated demons with a passion. I had to admit—I didn’t
understand why this was such a big deal to him. Still, it was obvious that
he’d only made this exception because of Zanoba. He didn’t want Zanoba
to die any more than we did.
“Hey, Sylvaril…”
“What is it, Sir Rudeus?”
“Can you tell Perugius I’ll come back to thank him properly for this,
once I get the chance?”
“Very well,” said the familiar, her tone of voice somehow conveying
“That’s the least that you could do.”

Nanahoshi was waiting for us in the teleportation chamber. She stood

beside the glowing circle, which had already been activated some time ago.
Belatedly, it occurred to me that I hadn’t said a word to her about our travel
plans. She must have caught wind of it somewhere and come to see us off.
“Hello, Zanoba,” Nanahoshi mumbled. “Uh, I heard you were
heading back home…”
Apparently, the girl hadn’t figured out what she wanted to say about
that. She was fidgeting with her hands, and looked distinctly uncomfortable.
Zanoba walked over to her slowly.
“That’s correct, Miss Nanahoshi. The time has come for me to return
to my homeland.”
An odd expression flashed across Nanahoshi’s face, somehow
conveying both envy and real sadness.
“Fear not. I’m sure the day of your own return will come in time.”
Oh, man. Did you have to go there, Zanoba? Nanahoshi couldn’t go
back home right now, even though she desperately wanted to. Thinking
about that fact had to be painful for her.
“Well… I hope you’re right,” murmured Nanahoshi.
“So long as you refuse to give up, you will make it back eventually.
Unless your homeland itself should disappear.” Stepping forward, Zanoba
wrapped his arms around Nanahoshi and thumped her gently on the back.
“For my own part, I will pray for your success—even if it must be from
afar.”
That bear hug might have qualified as sexual harassment back in
Japan. But Nanahoshi didn’t flinch or try to squirm away. After a moment’s
hesitation, she reached up and put her own arms around Zanoba. I saw tears
shining in her eyes.
“Uhm… Thank you…for…all your help, Prince Zanoba…”
“No need to call me Prince! Or to thank me, either. I’ll always
remember fondly the days I spent with you and Cliff, engrossed in our
research. Perhaps I’m the one who owes you a debt of gratitude.”
Come to think of it… Zanoba and Cliff had only grown so close
because of their work with Nanahoshi. The long hours they spent together
as her assistants had definitely played a part in establishing their bond.
Ah, man. Those were good times, weren’t they…
“Oh, please,” sniffled Nanahoshi. “You did so much for me…if it
wasn’t for your help, my research never would have gotten this far.”
“Maybe so! But had we not met, I would never have become
acquainted with Lord Perugius. In other words, it’s only thanks to you that I
can return to my homeland so quickly and easily. Let’s call it even, shall
we? Hah!”
With a loud chortle, Zanoba finally released Nanahoshi from his
embrace.
“Well then, Miss Nanahoshi. We’re unlikely to ever meet again, but
do take care.”
“Uhm, y-you too…”
Nanahoshi shot me a startled, anxious look. It wasn’t hard to guess
what she was thinking: What’s with these final farewells? I mean, he’s going
to teleport back here eventually, right? At least to visit?
I nodded firmly to reassure her. This wouldn’t be the last time they
met—not if I had anything to say about it, anyway. As far as I was
concerned, Zanoba was heading home for a little visit, and nothing more.
“Well then, Master Rudeus—let’s be on our way.”
At Zanoba’s prompting, our party stepped forward onto the
teleportation circle.

On the other side, we emerged into the interior of a crumbling

building. It was a typical enough teleportation ruin among the many
scattered all across the world. This particular structure was hidden in a
forest near Shirone’s eastern border. It would take us around five days of
travel to reach the capital from here.
“Phew…”
Finally freed from her vow of silence, Roxy let out a small sigh of
relief. Then she curiously glanced down at the magic circle beneath her
feet.
“These teleportation circles never get any less interesting to me.
They’re such fascinating pieces of work…”
“Hmm. I guess I’m kind of used to them by now.”
“You know, if I could learn more about their design, I think I might
be able to create one myself.”
“Wait, really? You want to try?”
Roxy shook her head at my reflexive question. “No. I think the
reason Perugius won’t let demons in his castle is to prevent our kind from
learning the secrets of teleportation magic. It would make us dangerous
opponents when Laplace is reborn, I suppose. He’d likely have me killed if
I made any progress.”
That sounded fairly plausible. Personally, I didn’t think it was the
main reason for that rule, but it was probably a factor. I had to imagine that
Laplace himself knew all about teleportation, though; it struck me as a little
pointless.
 “Enough chit-chat,” called Zanoba. “Let’s get going. We need to
collect our provisions and equipment, first of all.”
Following his lead, our party left the crumbling ruin. We made our
way to a small cabin outside the woods where most of our luggage was
awaiting us.
Soon enough, we were on the road to the capital.

***

After several long days on the road, we arrived at the capital city of
Latakia barely before sundown. As we passed through its front gates,
Zanoba was visibly moved by the familiar sights all around him. I felt a
small twinge of nostalgia myself. It had been many years since my last visit
to this city, but it hadn’t changed much. The streets were as brimming with
adventurers to challenge the local labyrinths as ever, for one thing.
On closer inspection, though, I started to pick up on some subtle
differences. The people seemed a bit on edge, the streets weren’t as clean…
and some of those “adventurers” looked a bit more like thugs.
“Hmm. More mercenaries out and about than there used to be, I must
say,” said Zanoba cheerfully. “But I suppose that’s not surprising, with a
war on the horizon!”
The man sounded almost pleased about it. I couldn’t begin to
understand why. I didn’t exactly get the sense he was putting on a brave
front…
“Sounds like you’re in a good mood, Zanoba.”
“But of course, Master Rudeus. Regardless of the circumstances, the
thought of war is always thrilling.”
“You think?”
“Indeed. Any red-blooded man would surely feel the same.”
I wasn’t about to argue his point, but I had no idea what Zanoba was
talking about. Were these the same kind of thrills you got from looking at a
giant robot, or what?
 In any case, we made our way straight to the inn where Ginger had
reserved a room for us in advance. The plan was to spend a single night
here, then put on some clean clothes so we could present ourselves at the
castle. There we would report Zanoba’s return and request an audience with
the king.
Given that we’d never crossed the border, we were expecting a
certain amount of scrutiny from the guards—but we’d already thought up a
good explanation in case they chose to press us on the matter.

“Now then, Prince Zanoba…by your leave, I think it prudent that I

blend into the crowds for a time and gather any information that I can.”
Ginger was ready to go off on her own as soon as we arrived at the
inn. Before she could walk out into the street, however, Zanoba raised an
objection.
“Hrm? Ginger, you are a knight of Shirone. Shouldn’t you first
present yourself at the palace with me and report your return?”
“…I am a knight, yes, but your personal bodyguard above all else.
And my instincts tell me that all may not be well within this city.”
“I see. Very well, go and investigate.”
“Yes, sir!”
As Ginger saluted Zanoba, she shot me a meaningful look. Guessing
it meant something like “Keep an eye on Prince Zanoba for me,” I gave her
a small nod in reply.
We’d made it this far without a hitch, but now things were going to
get a lot more interesting.
Zanoba and I planned to present ourselves to Pax together. Hopefully,
that audience would give us some hints as to what the Man-God was trying
to accomplish here.
There was a possibility the Death God would try to murder me on the
spot. In that scenario, I’d flee the castle with Zanoba in tow. Roxy would be
waiting outside to support us as we retreated outside the city; I’d equip the
Magic Armor there, and then decide whether to fight or just keep running.
 I was planning to follow Orsted’s advice to the letter and keep my
distance from the Death God if I ever had to fight him. From the sound of
things, that fancy Enthralling Blade technique wouldn’t be much use if I
was blasting him with my Gatling gun from half a mile away.
Assuming we didn’t find ourselves fighting for our lives tomorrow,
Zanoba and I would probably be dispatched directly to the battlefield. I had
no idea what a war against this country to the north would actually look
like. And apart from getting us through that in one piece, I needed to find
some way to convince Zanoba not to stay here.
I had no clue what might change his mind at this point. I wasn’t even
sure he’d reconsider if Pax blatantly attempted to assassinate him…
Ah well. Time enough to worry about this stuff after our audience
with the king.
In all honesty, I was still a bit reluctant to strut right into such an
obvious trap. A part of me almost wanted to station myself a mile away and
blow Pax and his castle to bits. But I knew that wasn’t an option. Orsted
ordered me to spare the king, and even if he hadn’t, Zanoba would never
forgive me. The castle was hardly a symbol of Shirone or anything, but
destroying it would definitely send shock waves through the kingdom. Oh,
and those guys up north would come pouring across the border as soon as
they heard the news.
The simplest option wasn’t realistic here, and nothing but uncertainty
lay ahead. Made me want to sigh just thinking about it.
For the moment, I had to stay focused on getting through this
audience. One way or another, it would at least give me something to work
with.
“Rudy.”
A little tap on my shoulder pulled me out of my reverie. I turned to
find Roxy standing directly behind me.
“You’re all tensed up, you know.”
“Oh. Really?”
“Really. Try to let your body relax a bit, okay? I know you’ve got to
stay alert right now, but you won’t be much good in an emergency if all
your muscles are too stiff to move.”
As if to emphasize her point, Roxy started to massage my shoulders.
Her hands were small, but surprisingly strong. I sat there and let myself
enjoy it for a while.
She was right, of course. I had to stay loose and flexible. As long as I
kept myself pointed in the right direction, I could go with the flow. At the
end of the day, it would be enough to get Zanoba and Roxy out of this mess
alive. Ideally, Ginger and I would make it out in one piece too. That was my
bare minimum goal. Nothing too complicated, right?
Yeah. That sounded doable enough.
“Thanks, Roxy. You really worked out the knots there.”
When I turned back I found Roxy staring down at me with affection
in her sleepy-looking eyes. “Oh, I don’t know about that. If you were really
relaxed, you would have said something utterly ridiculous by now.”
“Like what?”
“Well, let’s see…maybe ‘Thanks, Roxy. Mind massaging my little
buddy down here next?’ You’d also be pulling down your pants—that goes
without saying…”
“H-hey! I only say that kind of stuff in the privacy of our home…”
“Ah, yes. You do behave like an animal in that house, don’t you?”
Smiling, Roxy leaned down to poke at my cheek with her finger.
I felt like my character was being defamed here, somehow. Was it
such a crime to be horny? Surely everyone says some stupid stuff in the
bedroom at night, under similar circumstances. I couldn’t be the only one!
“I’m only kidding, Rudy. Looks like you’ve relaxed a little, though.
At last.”
“Oh… Huh. Yeah, I guess I have.”
My shoulders felt a lot less tense than they had a few minutes earlier,
although a hint of energy lingered in my muscles. I was relaxed, but alert,
and ready for action.
It was a good feeling.
 “All right, I better get to bed so I’m well-rested for the audience
tomorrow. Thanks again, Roxy.”
“Any time. Goodnight, Rudy.”
I can do this. One step at a time.
Holding these simple thoughts in my mind, I turned in for the night.
 Chapter 4:
King Pax

T HE NEXT MORNING, we walked right up to the castle’s front gate.

At first, the guards on duty studied Zanoba’s face suspiciously. They
hadn’t expected him to come, and he’d sent no word in advance. Even
stranger: he’d come on foot instead of by carriage, and his one bodyguard,
Ginger, was nowhere to be seen. It was hard to blame them for having their
doubts.
After a bit of questioning, however, they seemed to realize Zanoba
wasn’t an impostor. Straightening their backs respectfully, they stepped
aside to allow us passage.
The stiff formality of their movements really made clear the lofty
status enjoyed by the royal family in Shirone. Zanoba was only the brother
of the king, but you wouldn’t know it from the looks on their faces.
Then again…maybe they were a bit on edge. The other royals were
purged in a bloody massacre quite recently, after all.
In any case, we asked for an audience with King Pax, and were
ushered to a waiting room. After about an hour, our request was granted.
The two of us were promptly escorted to the throne room.

Five people waited for us within that chamber.

I recognized the man seated on the throne of Shirone immediately. He
hadn’t changed much in appearance…or in height. And judging from the
way he leaned back arrogantly in his seat, his personality seemed
unchanged as well.
It was the same Pax Shirone that I remembered.
On closer examination, he looked a bit more mature, and there was a
subtle hint of strength in his eyes. But those were the only real differences I
saw.
 Next to him sat a beautiful girl who looked young enough to be a
middle schooler. She had slightly curly blue hair and wore a sleek white
dress. I could almost have mistaken her for a Migurd, but the shade of her
hair was notably different from Roxy’s. She must have been from a
different race.
The girl’s eyes were vacant and unfocused. Judging from the coronet
on her head, though, I assumed that she was Pax’s queen. Pax had one arm
draped casually behind her. At a glance, it almost looked like an innocent
display of affection, but I knew better. The man was clearly fondling her
butt right now. Did he think he was being subtle or something?
Well, whatever. I didn’t have time to be critiquing his treatment of
some random concubine right now. My attention turned to the person
standing at the woman’s side—and that was where it stayed. I couldn’t tear
my eyes away.
It was a man who looked to be in his mid-forties. He was solidly built
and carried a sword at his hip, but he wore only the lightest of defensive
gear. Nothing about him looked remotely imposing, and his attitude seemed
mild enough. I would have walked right past him in the street without a
second thought.
Unless I got a good look at his face, anyway.
To call him gaunt would have been an understatement. His
cheekbones seemed likely to push their way out of his papery skin at any
moment. An eyepatch covered his right eye; his left, sunken deeply in its
socket, looked as lifeless as a glass bead. I felt like I was staring at a
zombie. Or maybe a demonic pirate captain from some old movie.
In other words: this was a man with a skeletal face.
I had no doubt that I was face to face with the Death God, Randolph
Marianne.
A pair of armored knights flanked this central group of three. I
assumed they were among those who’d been dispatched here from the King
Dragon Realm along with Randolph.
“Your Majesty. It is I, Zanoba Shirone. I have returned from the
Magic City of Sharia in answer to your summons.”
 As he spoke, Zanoba stepped forward and dropped to one knee. From
the looks of things, he didn’t have any issue bowing and scraping before his
little brother. I kneeled as well but made sure to keep the Gatling gun
hidden underneath my robe fixed on Randolph.
Pax studied Zanoba from above for a moment, then pulled his hand
off his consort’s backside and licked it. “You certainly made excellent
time.”
“The matter clearly called for urgency, so I made the utmost haste.”
“Oh, did you, now? And here I was, thinking you must have been
lurking somewhere inside Shirone in the first place. I never got word that
you’d crossed our borders, you see…”
We’d made it to Shirone a mere month after receiving Pax’s letter.
Normally, the trip from Sharia would take an entire year. You couldn’t
blame the guy for having his suspicions.
“Indeed,” replied Zanoba. “I came under attack repeatedly during my
journey, so it seemed wisest to make my way here in disguise.”
“Even after entering Shirone?”
“It was then that I grew more cautious.”
“Ah. I see.”
Pax snorted quietly, but appeared content to let the subject drop. It
seemed he wasn’t going to press too hard for an explanation of Zanoba’s
quick arrival. After settling back on his throne, the king pointed at me with
a jerk of his thumb. “And what about your companion here?”
“His name is Rudeus Greyrat, Your Majesty—as you may
remember.”
“I wasn’t asking you for his name.”
“What were you asking, in that case?”
“I’d like to know what he’s doing here, obviously.”
“I recruited him to our service in the city of Sharia. He is a powerful
mage, so I thought he might prove useful in the coming war.”
This was another explanation we’d worked out in advance. In this
world, magicians were highly valuable weapons of war. Even Intermediate-
or Advanced-tier mages were effective at creating fortifications, and large-
scale attack spells could wipe out entire legions of troops. In a simple one-
on-one duel, swordsmen held the advantage over mages of equal skill. But
as the scale of a battle grew larger, so did the importance of magic. In times
of war, even the haughtiest of kings would lower themselves to flattery if it
meant earning the services of a Saint- or King-tier mage.
And yet, Pax responded with a snort. He studied me for a moment
with a cold sneer on his face, then turned his attention back to his brother.
“Is that so? To be frank, Zanoba, I rather assumed you brought him
here to kill me.”
As soon as those words left Pax’s mouth, I could feel a sudden ripple
of hostility from the two armored knights who flanked the throne. It seemed
the knights the King Dragon Realm had loaned Pax were relatively loyal to
him. He supposedly had ten at his disposal; including Randolph, there were
three in this room. I found myself wondering where the other seven were.
In all honesty, though, maybe it wasn’t that important. This pair
didn’t look too dangerous.
“Certainly not, Your Majesty,” said Zanoba sharply. “I haven’t the
slightest intention of opposing you.”
“Hmm. So it doesn’t bother you that I seized the throne by force?”
“I can’t say that it does. I pledged my loyalty to Shirone, not its
former king.”
“But I’m sure you don’t intend to pledge yourself to me, either.”
Zanoba didn’t say anything in response to that.
Pax let out another snort, looking more bored than anything else.
Another man might have interpreted Zanoba’s silence as evidence of
disloyalty, but it didn’t seem to bother him too badly.
“Enough of this. To be frank, brother, I don’t particularly care what
your real intentions are.” Pax paused to gesture with his chin at the armored
men who stood behind his throne on either side. “Take a good look at these
gentlemen. These are the elite knights I brought back with me from the
King Dragon Realm.”
 The two armored men bowed deeply at Pax’s words, although the
Death God stifled a yawn and nothing more.
“This man here is particularly fearsome. His name is Randolph
Marianne, known also as the Death God. Ranked fifth among the Seven
Great Powers.”
Starting slightly as Pax gestured toward him, the Death God
apparently decided to introduce himself. He took a single step forward with
a strained expression on his face, cleared his throat, and began to speak.
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, sirs. I am indeed Randolph
Marianne. I was born in the King Dragon Realm, but raised on the Demon
Continent. I am of mixed race—part Human, part Elf, and part Immortal
Demon, among other things. I earn my living as a knight, serving in the
King Dragon Realm’s Blackwyrm Knights under the command of High
General Shagall Gargantis. Murder is my area of expertise. I can kill quite
literally anyone. Although I follow no specific style, I’ve dabbled in both
the North God and the Water God traditions. I am commonly referred to as
the Death God, which leads some to take me for a crazed serial killer, but I
assure you that nothing could be further from the truth. I’m a gentle soul
with a passion for cooking. I do hope we can be friends.”
Having rattled off this little speech without a moment’s hesitation,
Randolph offered us a half-hearted attempt at a smile before stepping back
into his former place. I got the sense that he badly wanted to be somewhere
else.
“Quite a character, isn’t he? But I’d encourage you not to
underestimate him. He’s the one who cut down my brother’s finest guards
in the blink of an eye and secured me the throne.”
It sounded like Randolph had basically handled the whole thing all on
his own. Not that surprising, given his place on the Great Powers list.
Orsted seemed to think he’d lost some of his edge over the years, but that
clearly didn’t mean he was a pushover.
“How about it, Zanoba? Shall we face him off against that mage of
yours and see which one comes out on top?”
…Ah. So that’s how they’re going to play it?
 They had a clear chance for the Death God to kill me right here and
now. It struck me as an absurdly simplistic trap, but that meant nothing. The
Man-God had never been good at coming up with fancy strategies.
“Surely you jest, Your Majesty. It would hardly be advisable to
deprive ourselves of a valuable weapon with war on the horizon…”
I glanced over at Zanoba and realized there were beads of sweat
forming on his brow. Was he…actually trying to protect me? It seemed that
way.
Pax looked down on his brother with an expression of sincere
amusement. He clearly took a lot of pleasure in making people flinch and
stammer. It brought back some memories of the time I’d spent as his
prisoner on my first visit to Shirone. This was the kind of guy who loved
reminding you of the fact he had the upper hand. Once he saw the panic
spread across your face, he’d usually back down and insist that he was only
joking.
But if the Man-God was manipulating him, all bets were off. Finding
some way to pit me against Randolph would be his top priority.
I’d braced myself for the possibility in advance, of course. I knew
going in that it might come to this. Still, if I had to fight the Death God, I
wanted to do it in the Magic Armor Version One…and that was currently in
storage on the outskirts of the city. I would have to lead off with a
smokescreen, not an offensive spell. Then I’d grab Zanoba, flee the castle,
and return in my full suit of Magic Armor. That was my best chance to
survive.
Just as I reached this conclusion, however, Pax leaned back lazily in
his seat.
“Hmph. I was only joking, obviously.”
Oh. Uh, I guess we’re not doing this after all?
A bit surprised, I glanced over at Randolph to find him stifling yet
another yawn. From all appearances, he wasn’t even paying attention to the
conversation. I was starting to wonder if that man might be sleep-deprived
or something. He yawned as often as a college kid who wanted everyone to
know he’d pulled another all-nighter. I’d never seen someone look so
profoundly bored before.
 “I’ve heard the rumors about your Rudeus Greyrat myself,” said Pax
with an indifferent shrug. “Although aided by the Armored Dragon King,
he supposedly defeated both the Water God Reida and the three blades of
the North God in the Kingdom of Asura. And Randolph here is a precious
asset on loan to me from the King Dragon Realm. I’m sure he wouldn’t lose
the fight, but if I got him badly injured I’d be too ashamed to face His
Majesty.”
Apparently this was all Pax had to say about me.
He repositioned himself on his throne and fixed a sharp glare on his
brother, abruptly changing the subject. “On another note…if I’m not
mistaken, brother, you seem to be quite wary of me.”
“In my defense, Your Majesty,” replied Zanoba, “our last parting
wasn’t on the best of terms.”
“Ah, yes. I suppose that’s true enough. You may rest assured,
however: I’m not interested in picking a fight with you after all these
years.”
Pax crossed his legs and rested his elbow on one knee, then leaned
his cheek against his fist. Hmm. Was he trying to look as arrogant as
humanly possible, or did it come naturally to him?
“I grant you my forgiveness for your trespasses.”
“My sincerest thanks, Your Majesty,” said Zanoba, bowing his head.
“It is far more than I deserve.”
“Think nothing of it.”
Smug was probably the best word for the smile on Pax’s face in that
moment. It was the smile of a man who felt utterly confident in his
superiority. There was no doubt in his mind that he could crush Zanoba if
he wanted to, but he would generously decline to do so.
“In fact, Zanoba,” Pax continued, “perhaps I owe you a debt of
gratitude.”
“Hm?”
“You see, it was that unfortunate incident which provided me with a
chance to change.”
 I really wasn’t sure what kind of change Pax was referring to. In
appearance, he was still the same rotund little man as ever. At a glance, at
least.
Yet, as I studied him more carefully, I realized he’d actually lost a
decent amount of weight. It was hard to tell from a distance, especially with
him leaning back on that throne, but his waist and chin were a bit less
flabby than before. His neck was thick, but looked more muscular than
anything else. It seemed like he’d actually gotten in shape.
…Of course, I gathered he was talking about something a little more
profound.
“I won’t deny it—when they shipped me off to the King Dragon
Realm to serve as a hostage, I wept with anger at the unfairness of it all. For
many days, I bitterly cursed your name, and that of Rudeus Greyrat.”
Zanoba swallowed audibly.
“But then, I was changed.”
Pax looked over at the girl sitting at his side. She turned to meet his
gaze. There was something in their eyes that almost looked like trust.
“I hope you won’t mind if I reminisce out loud for a moment.”
Silence. Without waiting for us to reply, Pax launched immediately
into his tale.
“The story begins some time after my arrival in the King Dragon
Realm. Largely ignored by my hosts, I grew increasingly sullen and
withdrawn. But then, I met a certain girl.”
Not that I minded. There was always a chance he’d start blabbering
about his new best friend the Man-God.
“This girl seemed to spend all her time alone in the gardens, doing
nothing in particular, with a melancholy expression on her face. No one
spoke to her, and she spoke to no one. When I asked her what she was
doing, her reply was always ‘Nothing, really.’”
Over time, Pax developed an interest in this strange, quiet girl. He
made a habit of speaking to her in the gardens every single day. The girl
wasn’t talkative, but she always replied when Pax spoke to her. She knew
almost nothing of the world, and seemed to take great pleasure in hearing
him describe it. Her happiness proved infectious, and Pax began to
consciously look for topics of conversation that might interest her.
“But then, one day, I happened to overhear a bit of palace gossip.
Rumor had it that the shame of Shirone had grown close to the half-wit
girl.”
They were thought to be a fitting couple. But there was much concern
expressed about the dreadful possibility they might reproduce, and fill the
palace with children just as worthless as they were. It was a rumor meant to
inspire malicious laughter.
“In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to cut the heads of
those vicious gossips from their shoulders.”
Back in Shirone, it would have been trivially easy to arrange. Anyone
who slandered a member of the royal family, no matter how drunk they
might be, would suffer dearly for their mistake. Here, however, Pax could
do nothing.
“In the King Dragon Realm, I had no authority. No power.”
It was a moment of bitter, painful frustration. He yearned desperately
for some way to take revenge. But the only thing he could do was cry bitter
tears into his pillow. When the tears stopped coming, he tried to dismiss
their words as the opinions of fools—best forgotten entirely.
It didn’t work.
From that day forth, Pax approached his life with newfound diligence
and determination. He’d put his self-indulgent ways behind him forever.
“I don’t even know myself why I changed so suddenly, but I suppose
I wasn’t a particularly stupid boy to begin with. And I wanted to prove that
there was nothing worthless about me.”
Dropped into an unfamiliar environment, he met unfamiliar people,
experienced unfamiliar feelings…and began to act in unfamiliar ways. Just
like that, he’d turned over a new leaf.
I understood exactly what he was talking about, of course. It sounded
a lot like my first years in this world.
In any case, Pax began working very hard to improve himself. He
threw himself into the study of magic, along with his other academic
subjects. Apparently, his build limited what he could accomplish with the
sword or on the playing fields, but he clearly hadn’t lived a sedentary
lifestyle either.
Then, a year and a half before the present, Pax had participated in a
grand academic tournament of sorts (which sounded vaguely like a mock
exam) and produced results that placed him among the most promising
young scholars in the King Dragon Realm.
This achievement caught the eye of the king himself. He was said to
have remarked, “That boy was sent to this kingdom as a hostage in all but
name, and he still strives to make a better future for himself. Truly
admirable. Such efforts warrant recognition.”
In other words, he took a liking to Pax on the spot. Summoned to the
throne room, Pax was offered his choice of a reward.
“You’ve earned it, my boy. What will it be? Gold? An appointment? If
you wish, I’ll even permit you to defect from Shirone and become one of my
subjects.”
The king’s suggestions were generous enough. But without a
moment’s hesitation, Pax responded, “I would have your Eighteenth
Princess.”
His beloved’s name was Benedikte Kingdragon, and she was one
among the king’s many daughters. Her mother was a demon of unknown
origin. The king had employed her on a whim and impregnated her on
another.
Benedikte herself wasn’t even in the line of succession. Though
officially granted the title of Eighteenth Princess, no one truly treated her as
royalty. Quiet and inexpressive by nature, she’d acquired a reputation as a
half-wit. And yet, Pax asked for her hand in marriage.
The king hesitated briefly before accepting his request. “I might have
denied you one of my other daughters, but Benedikte is no great loss.
However, she is a royal princess—at least in name. You’ll need to secure
your own position first.”
He proposed that the King Dragon Realm should send Pax back to his
homeland of Shirone. Once he had assumed a suitably prestigious office
there, Princess Benedikte would be sent to join him as his wife. Shirone
could offer up another prince to take his place as a hostage. This way, the
marriage could be arranged without appearing irregular.
However, the Kingdom of Shirone politely declined to accept the
king’s proposal. Pax had caused no end of trouble back home in his youth.
They likely wanted him to stay in the King Dragon Realm for the rest of his
life, and they certainly didn’t want to hand over another of their princes in
exchange for him.
The king was enraged by this reply. The Kingdom of Shirone was
something very close to a vassal state of the King Dragon Realm, and their
refusal to obey him would be punished. He loaned Pax his realm’s strongest
weapon, the Death God Randolph Marianne, along with nine other knights
who seemed amenable to serving Pax—and sent them off to launch a coup
d’état.
By arranging for the slaughter of Shirone’s royal family, he had
seated Pax on the kingdom’s bloodstained throne.
“…And so, it all simply fell into my lap. I have my rank, my prestige,
the woman I love, and the finest underling any king could ask for.”
As he spoke these words, Pax wrapped one arm around the girl
beside him, and glanced meaningfully at the Death God. A blush spread
across the girl’s expressionless face; Randolph shrugged. Apparently the
girl was this Princess Benedikte Pax had spoken of in his story.
Hmm? Hold on a second, though. He rattled off his whole life story
for us, and I didn’t hear a single word about the Man-God.
Initially, I’d assumed Pax was guided to the throne by a few
convenient “prophecies.” Maybe I jumped to conclusions on that one. I
mean, his sudden transformation into a diligent young man did sound a little
fishy, but…the single most suspicious character in that story was definitely
the king of the King Dragon Realm. He’d popped up out of nowhere to
offer Pax a huge reward, then flipped out on an allied kingdom over
something that seemed incredibly minor. It would make sense if he was
acting on the advice of the Man-God.
Then again, it wasn’t like it had to be either him or Pax. They could
both be disciples for all I knew.
 “Do you understand now, Zanoba? At this point, I don’t have any
reason to resent you.”
“I do indeed! A most impressive tale, Your Majesty. I’m overcome
with admiration!”
Zanoba bowed his head yet again, seemingly overwhelmed with
emotion. As he lifted his face from the ground, he gingerly posed a single
question.
“But I do wonder…given that you have the finest of knights at your
disposal, why did you feel the need to recall me to Shirone?”
“Hah!” snorted Pax disdainfully. “I should think it would be
obvious.”
Did the man have to be so pompous about everything? It was
seriously slowing down the conversation. Didn’t help that Zanoba spoke
just as formally, mind you…
“To be sure, Randolph could deal with this invasion easily enough.
But while he is my underling for now, he is a knight of King Dragon, and in
time I must return him to its king. What would His Majesty think, to learn I
was incapable of defending my own borders without relying on a borrowed
blade?”
Ridiculous as that sounded, he had a point. The only reason he was
sitting on this throne was that he’d impressed the king of the King Dragon
Realm. If he wanted to stay there, he needed to keep doing that.
“A man like me must prove his usefulness continually. Surely you
can see that?”
I knew where he was coming from. I was constantly trying to
demonstrate my usefulness to Orsted, after all.
“In any case, br—Zanoba, I believe I’ve explained myself
sufficiently. You may suspect I called you here to take my revenge, but that
simply isn’t true. The situation is exactly as I described it in your summons
—my coup has left our armies weakened, and the northerners wish to take
advantage. Under such circumstances, I need warriors like you. We have
put the past behind us; all I would ask now is that you serve me well.”
 As he spoke those words, Pax jerked his chin down slightly. The
movement could hardly be called a bow, but it seemed like a gesture in that
general direction.
I wasn’t sure why he’d stopped himself from calling Zanoba brother,
though. Was it more kingly to pretend you weren’t related to your family?
“But of course, Your Majesty,” replied Zanoba with a nod. “It was for
this very purpose that I was kept alive for all these years.”
He hadn’t hesitated. His answer came so quickly, in fact, that it
caused Pax to raise a dubious eyebrow.
“Do you truly mean that, brother?” he asked. “I am a usurper, who
took this throne by force. Does that not bother you in the slightest?”
He was blatantly testing Zanoba, but I understood his reasons for
doing so. Pax had massacred all of their other siblings. Perhaps he no longer
held a grudge against Zanoba, but that didn’t mean the feeling was mutual.
It would have been perfectly understandable for Zanoba to come here
looking for revenge.
Zanoba looked up at Pax and hesitated for a moment, then lowered
his head again in silence.
Watching his brother struggle to find an answer to his question, Pax
jerked his chin upward to a more imposing angle. “You may speak freely.”
This was an important moment. Zanoba’s answer would probably
determine whether I found myself fighting for my life against the Death
God. Randolph looked completely disinterested in everything taking place
around him, but he would doubtless spring into action with ferocious speed
at a single word from Pax. I would need to blind him, slow him down, and
blast through the castle walls to make our escape route.
As I braced myself for the worst, Zanoba opened his mouth to speak
at long last.
“Whoever holds the throne of Shirone, and however they might rule
—the fact remains that my life’s purpose is to protect this kingdom from her
enemies.”
For a moment, there was silence in the throne room. Zanoba hadn’t
answered Pax’s questions directly. But his implied message was clear
enough: he would obey the new king’s orders, and make no moves against
him.
Pax frowned slightly, perhaps uncertain what to make of this. Was
Zanoba an ally or an enemy in the making?
He ultimately seemed to give up on trying to decide. “Hmph,” he
muttered. “Well, it’s all the same in the end.”
And then, in a voice far louder and more confident, he issued his
commands.
“Zanoba Shirone, I order you to organize the defense of Fort Karon.
Your troops have already been deployed there. Take up your post as their
commander, and hold back the invaders from the north.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
After drawing himself up to his full height, Zanoba bowed deeply one
last time, and our audience came to an end. I followed my friend out of the
throne room, feeling like a man who’d just dodged a bullet.

***

After our conversation with the king, the two of us were shown to our
room for the night. Zanoba’s own bedroom no longer existed, so we’d be
staying in a guest room on the second floor of the palace. A guard,
presumably another knight from the King Dragon Realm, was posted
outside the door. Supposedly, this was for our protection, but he was clearly
there to keep an eye on us. Pax had his lurking suspicions about Zanoba.
Zanoba and I would be departing for Fort Karon in the north first
thing the next morning. I wanted to explain the situation to Roxy, but we
were under surveillance at the moment. Sneaking out to see her could be
risky. There’d be time enough to fill her in once we met up on the road.
I followed Zanoba into the room, deciding I’d try my best to relax for
now. Despite Zanoba’s royal status, he was sharing a single room with me
tonight. I guessed Pax thought it would be easier to monitor our movements
if he kept us in one place. We sank down onto the room’s facing sofas and
took a moment to catch our breath.
 “Well, that was something of a surprise. Pax seems to be a worthy
king.”
It was Zanoba who eventually broke the silence. His tone of voice
was the same as ever, and there was actually a hint of happiness on his face.
“You think?”
“Understanding that the Kingdom of Shirone should be protected by
its people, he asked me for my help despite our personal differences. A
most admirable attitude, wouldn’t you agree?”
Well, sure, when you put it that way. He’d more demanded help
rather than asked nicely, in my opinion, but maybe that wasn’t worth getting
into.
“I know you were quite concerned about his intentions, Master
Rudeus, but people do change. And they do make mistakes.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“Pax’s methods may be violent, and his tactics sometimes incorrect.
But I believe he’s doing the very best he can for the kingdom.”
I couldn’t deny Zanoba’s thoughts altogether. Pax really had changed
for the better, at least to some degree. He was at least trying to move things
in the right direction. But his intentions weren’t the only thing I had to
worry about. Or even the most important thing.
“Okay, but what if he’s being manipulated by someone?” I said,
trying to keep my tone light. “Like, I don’t know…an evil god.”
Zanoba responded with surprising seriousness. “Hrm. You refer to
your own sworn enemy, I presume?”
“Huh? Did I tell you about this?”
“I was at the table when you discussed it with Sir Cliff.”
Oh, right… Zanoba was present for that conversation, wasn’t he? But
as I remembered it, he didn’t believe anything I was saying…
“At the time, I rather thought that you had made the whole thing up,”
Zanoba continued. “However, once I witnessed Orsted’s curse weakening
under the effect of Sir Cliff’s magical implement, I realized the truth in
what you said—that you and he were allied against a most malicious foe.”
 Well, this was news to me. But if he’d figured out that much, it
couldn’t hurt to tell him the rest. He was already mixed up in this, after all.
“All right. I guess I should tell you the whole story, then.”
“My thanks, Master Rudeus.”
I proceeded to give Zanoba a more detailed summary of my history
with the Man-God.
After covering all our past encounters, I explained my concerns about
the current situation. I made it clear there was a chance that Pax was
currently under the Man-God’s direct control.
“Hrm… I see. However, Pax never so much as mentioned this Man-
God in his tale. Perhaps there’s no connection whatsoever?”
“This god manipulated me for years, Zanoba. He’s slippery. There’s
no telling what strings he might be pulling behind the scenes.”
Even if Pax wasn’t a disciple himself, someone close to him might be
—like the Death God or Benedikte, for starters. At the moment, I was most
suspicious about the king of the King Dragon Realm. Since the Man-God
could control up to three disciples at once, however, it felt safe to assume
he’d position at least one of them in Shirone itself.
“Ah, yes. He deceived you into doing battle with Orsted, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“And now, you’re concerned that he might deceive Pax into coming
for your life.” Zanoba cupped his chin in one hand thoughtfully, then
continued in a murmur. “I suppose I’ll have to protect him, in that case.”
Uhm…pardon?
“Sorry, does that mean you’re going to fight for him if it comes to
that? Against me?”
“What? No, no,” said Zanoba with a laugh. “I could never raise my
hand against you, Master Rudeus. You’re hardly a threat to Pax in any case
—you were instructed to spare his life, weren’t you?”
“Yeah, but you said…”
“I meant I would protect him from the Man-God, naturally.”
 Phew. Okay, that makes more sense. He’d startled me there for a
minute. The last thing I wanted to think about was Zanoba changing sides
on me at the last moment. That would really leave me out of options…
All that aside, it felt pretty odd to hear him talk about “protecting” his
brother. “You know, Zanoba, I didn’t think you actually cared what
happened to Pax.”
For a moment, Zanoba looked at me in blank surprise. Then he
propped his chin back on his hand and pondered my remark.
“I suppose I didn’t, up until today. After all, I hadn’t even seen the
man for many years.” Zanoba furrowed his brow thoughtfully, humming
under his breath. “But now that I think about it, this may be the first time
he’s ever turned to me for help like that!”
All of a sudden, Zanoba’s frown gave way to a cheerful smile. Weird.
He had to know that Pax was only using him, right? He’d never been the
kind of guy to take pride in his dependability before. Well, maybe some of
his determination to protect Shirone was carrying over to its king. They
were relatively similar goals, after all.
In any case… I was having a lot of trouble guessing what the Man-
God’s plan was this time. It wasn’t clear who any of his disciples were, and
there was no sign of anyone trying to kill me at the moment. It felt like I
was missing something—overlooking some crucial piece of the puzzle.
It was always possible that this “trap” was a mere figment of Orsted’s
imagination. I couldn’t afford to be too optimistic about that possibility,
though. Most likely, there was a trap here, and I simply hadn’t yet
discovered it.
The list of possible dangers was basically infinite, so I knew it
wouldn’t be productive to spend my time considering them one by one.
Regardless, I couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
Convincing Zanoba to come back home was clearly going to be a
challenge, too. Pax wasn’t threatening him in any way at the moment, or at
least, there’d been no sudden assassination attempts. If he asked Zanoba to
stay here permanently in some key military position, it was hard to imagine
that Zanoba would refuse.
 Frankly, unless Pax tried to have him killed, my chances of
convincing him to leave seemed dim at best. So long as his life wasn’t in
danger, he’d essentially moved back home to take a job, you know? A boss
like Pax was likely to demand a lot of mandatory overtime…but at the end
of the day, Zanoba had the right to choose his own employer as he pleased.
Still, there was a good chance Pax would change his attitude
eventually and try to dispose of Zanoba. At the moment I had no evidence
he was planning anything, but that didn’t rule out the possibility. It wouldn’t
do much good to have my suspicions confirmed after my friend was
murdered. I needed to find some sign of Pax’s real intentions in advance.
On top of that, even if Pax had no interest in harming Zanoba right
now, he could change his mind at any moment. And right now, I had
nothing solid to go off either way. Somehow, I had to search for evidence
that might not even exist.
God, I think I might go bald from stress…
Resigned to the fact I wouldn’t reach any useful conclusions on my
own, I resolved to ask Roxy for her thoughts tomorrow.
 Chapter 5:
Fort Karon

T HE MORNING AFTER our audience with the king, I headed back to

our inn to pick up Roxy, while Zanoba stayed at the palace to make the
preparations for our journey.
I found Roxy waiting in her room, fully equipped and ready for
action. From the looks of things, she must have been awake all night, but
when I walked in the door, she jumped to her feet and ran over to me.
“Is everything all right? I was a little worried not to hear from you…”
“Yeah, it actually went fine.”
Roxy hadn’t eaten breakfast, so we headed down to the first floor of
the inn for a quick meal. I described our audience with King Pax as we ate.
I had three main takeaways: it was unlikely that Pax was a disciple, the
Man-God’s plans were still unclear, and the king of the King Dragon Realm
was a potential enemy. Nevertheless, I made sure to describe every detail
that had caught my attention.
Roxy sipped her soup as I rambled on, listening in silence. When I
asked for her thoughts, she frowned thoughtfully. “Hmm. To be honest,
Rudy, I’m a bit sleep-deprived at the moment…”
“Ah. Right, sorry.”
There were bags under Roxy’s eyes, and she moved sluggishly. A
single all-nighter wouldn’t usually leave her this exhausted, but she’d been
braced for battle the whole time and on the road the entire day before.
A combination like that was enough to wear out even an experienced
adventurer.
“Well, let’s see. There was no battle, Prince Pax seemed rational, and
the Man-God’s name never came up… Hmm. That really isn’t much to go
off, is it? I’m not sure I have any firm conclusions either.”
That wasn’t too surprising. Clever as Roxy was, we didn’t have all
the information we needed right now.
 “It’s a shame we were so worried about an ambush,” she murmured
thoughtfully. “I should have come along as well.”
“Uhm, why?” Was my summary too vague or something?
“I might have picked up on something from the tone of Prince Pax’s
voice, or perhaps his body language.”
She had a point there. I’d spent most of our audience with the king
worrying about the Death God and the possibility we were all in mortal
danger. The conversation kept going off in directions I hadn’t expected and
leaving me totally disoriented. Maybe we’d needed another pair of eyes in
that room. Someone with her own unique perspective. Someone like Roxy.
There wasn’t much we could do about it now, of course.
“…I wish we had some idea where the Man-God is planning to set
his trap.”
“Hmm,” murmured Roxy. “Maybe Orsted read too much into things?
It’s possible the Man-God isn’t behind any of this, you know.”
“Maybe so, but let’s plan for the worst. The safety of our whole
family might be on the line here.”
The memory of Lara’s screaming fit disturbed me, even now. The
Man-God might not be involved, but some other kind of danger could be
waiting for us here.
“You’re right. My apologies, that comment wasn’t very helpful.”
Roxy ducked her head slightly, then paused with a thoughtful expression on
her face. “Either way, attacking you the moment we showed up in Shirone
would hardly qualify as a trap. Assuming there is one, it’ll probably be a bit
less obvious.”
“Okay…but do you have any idea what that might look like?”
“One possibility does come to mind, given some information that
Ginger shared with me earlier this morning.”
“Oh?”
Ginger was nowhere to be seen right now, but she’d apparently been
hard at work behind the scenes.
 “At present, it seems that only five hundred soldiers are stationed at
Fort Karon.”
“Hmm…”
In isolation, that number didn’t mean much to me. Was that a large
garrison, or a small one? Probably on the smaller side, given how she’d said
it was only that much.
“From the looks of things,” Roxy continued, “they will be facing an
army of five thousand.”
Whoa. What? We’re outnumbered ten to one? Those don’t sound like
reasonable odds.
“Did Prince Pax mention any of this yesterday?” asked Roxy.
“…Nope.”
He hadn’t said a peep that I’d heard, anyway. All I remembered was
him giving us our marching orders.
“Now, I’m only repeating what Ginger told me…but it seems Prince
Pax has deployed this token force to Fort Karon to delay the enemy’s
advance. This will buy him time to gather an army of mercenaries behind
the front lines at Fort Rikon, which he can then lead into the field. Did he
mention this strategy in your audience?”
“No.”
This was the first I’d heard about any of this. So they were planning
to let Fort Karon fall? For all his talk of welcoming Zanoba back, Pax was
basically sending him off to die. Zanoba would contribute to the war effort
by keeping the enemy occupied for a while, until they inevitably killed him.
In the meantime, Pax would be gathering his own strength for a heavy
counterstrike. Assuming he viewed Zanoba as a threat, he’d be killing two
birds with one stone.
“This could also be the Man-God’s trap for you,” Roxy continued.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve never been to war myself, but I’ve read a historical account
describing a single Saint-tier mage holding back a thousand men in battle.”
 I’d have to look that up sometime. The idea of someone fighting off a
thousand soldiers sounded absurd at first, but given the wide-range effects
of saintly magic, it wasn’t that implausible…
“I’m a King-tier mage, and you’re on the Emperor level,” Roxy said.
“With the two of us defending Fort Karon, we should be able to resist the
enemy for quite some time.”
Hmm. Well, I couldn’t see us wiping out an army of five thousand all
at once. I mean, if they all came charging at us across an open field in a
glut, a few well-placed spells might do the trick. But this army would do
plenty of intelligence-gathering before they made a move, and I had a
feeling that news of our arrival at the fort would disseminate quickly. The
enemy wouldn’t be stupid enough to attack our fort head-on, in other words.
Then again—with a force of that size, they’d probably have a decent
number of mages themselves. If they combined all their efforts, it was
possible they could ward off a Saint-tier spell or two. I could always cast
another one immediately, though, so that approach might not work out too
well for them.
“Unfortunately, our supply of mana isn’t infinite, and we’ll both grow
fatigued in time.”
I couldn’t picture myself running out of mana in this scenario, but
yeah—I’d get worn out if I had to fight for days on end. They might try
launching raids at night, too, so we’d have to be on alert at all times. My
mana wouldn’t do me much good if I was too exhausted to use it.
“Once we’re both worn out, Pax could send the Death God after us,”
Roxy continued. “I don’t think we’d stand a chance in that condition. What
do you think? Sounds more like a proper trap, doesn’t it?”
“Ooh. Yeah, for sure.”
“Additionally…”
Pausing for dramatic effect, Roxy jabbed her spoon out like a finger.
At some point, she’d switched over into Professor Roxy mode. “The Man-
God can possess three disciples at any given time, correct?”
“That’s right.”
 “Now, the king of the King Dragon Realm basically forced Pax onto
his throne, so it’s safe to assume he’s one of them. But consider this—how
could the Man-God be sure that a rival kingdom would immediately invade
Shirone? Where would you place your second disciple, in his shoes?”
Oh…of course. The rival kingdom!
Shirone was basically a vassal state of the King Dragon Realm. That
meant invading it carried real risks, so there would have been significant
opposition to the plan. The disciple would be there to crush that opposition,
ensuring the invasion went forward. Odds were high it was some member
of their royal family, or maybe an influential general.
“So they march at Fort Karon on the Man-God’s orders, wear us
down for a while, then wait for Randolph to come finish the job… Yeah, I
guess that would make sense.”
Hearing Roxy’s speculations helped me pull my thoughts together
somewhat. We’d identified two likely disciples of the Man-God: the king of
the King Dragon Realm, and some powerful general in the country that was
invading Shirone. That only left the third.
During the events in Asura, the Man-God chose Luke for his
proximity to me. Based on that, Zanoba seemed like the most likely third
candidate. Judging from our conversation yesterday, though, it was hard to
imagine he had the Man-God whispering in his ear.
Maybe it was Ginger, then? Or the Death God? That would be more
consistent with his choice of Reida back in Asura. It could even be that
quiet princess seated at Pax’s side.
On the other hand, the Man-God hadn’t employed all three of his
disciples at once since our clash in Asura. Maybe his final pawn was
somewhere else entirely, preparing for an unrelated scheme.
There were plenty of reasonable possibilities, so I couldn’t draw firm
conclusions about the identity of disciple number three yet. But at least
we’d more or less pinned down the other two. That was more than I could
have managed on my own. Good thing I had such a clever wife to help me
out.
“Okay, Roxy, let’s say you’re right—Fort Karon is where they want
to kill us. What should we do about it?”
 “Good question,” said Roxy slowly. “I suppose we’d want to avoid
doing what they expect.”
“Right. I guess the best option would be not to go there in the first
place…”
Unfortunately, Zanoba had every intention of marching up there to do
his duty, and there was no chance that we could talk him out of it. He’d go
alone if necessary. Still, the fact that Pax had sent Zanoba off to lead a
hopelessly outnumbered garrison should prove useful in my attempts to
change his mind. Maybe Pax didn’t hate Zanoba enough to try and murder
him, but he clearly wouldn’t mind seeing Zanoba die. He was trying to use
his own brother as a sacrificial pawn.
I knew that wouldn’t be enough to convince Zanoba, even so. He felt
he had some sacred obligation to protect this kingdom. With Shirone’s
enemies massing on the border, turning tail and running away was the last
thing on his mind.
Hmm… Wait a minute. Does that mean he might reconsider if we
manage to take out that army of five thousand?
Pax would be gathering a large force of his own while we held the
line at Fort Karon. In other words, if we managed to repel the enemy’s
attack completely, Shirone would no longer be in any real danger. In a
sense, Zanoba’s duty would be done.
“…I think we have to go to Fort Karon, Roxy. It’s our only chance to
save Zanoba.”
“Very well then.”
“Too bad we’re probably walking right into a trap.”
Roxy nodded with a grimace. It wasn’t clear what we could do about
that possibility. I’d have to bring the Magic Armor Version One along at the
very least. Maybe I could find a way to smash through our problems with
brute force; that would certainly be easiest.
“Well, we have some time to think it over before we get there. Let’s
consider our options carefully.”
“Yes, Miss Roxy!”
 As we wrapped up our discussion, a carriage pulled up to the inn, and
Zanoba stepped out from within it.

***

Zanoba didn’t even flinch when I told him how small his garrison
would be. In fact, he nodded while smiling and said, “Ah, yes. That sounds
about right.”
His nonchalant attitude struck me as bizarre. Did he even understand
the concept of being massively outnumbered? Did I need to explain?
“Okay, Zanoba. Listen carefully, because I have some words of
wisdom to share. ‘If you outnumber the opponent ten to one, surround
them; five to one, attack; two to one, divide. If equally matched, you can
offer battle; if slightly outnumbered, you can avoid the enemy; and if
greatly outnumbered, you must flee. Thus, obstinacy in a smaller force
guarantees its capture.’ You got all that? Basically, it means war is all about
the numbers. The guy with the bigger army always has the upper hand.”
Our forces would be holed up in a fort, yes. But even then, holding
out against an army ten times larger than ours would be very difficult.
When I finished up my slightly roundabout explanation of these facts,
Zanoba stared at me with a puzzled expression on his face. “Master Rudeus,
I’m well aware that a large army will generally defeat a smaller one.”
“Great. Okay. Why do you look so damn cheerful, then? We’re going
to be outnumbered ten to one at that fort.”
“What? Don’t be absurd! It won’t be nearly as bad as that.”
…Did this guy have a problem with basic math or something? I was
starting to have some serious doubts about the Kingdom of Shirone’s
educational system.
“Were you not listening to me, Zanoba? We have five hundred
soldiers at Fort Karon, and the enemy is going to send five thousand. Five
hundred times ten is five thousand. With me so far?”
 “Hrm. Are you attempting to test me, Master Rudeus?” said Zanoba
with a condescending smirk.
Grrr. Don’t you smirk at me like that! I’m not the one who needs to
learn his multiplication tables!
“Very well. Allow me to elaborate.” Zanoba drew a deep breath, and
then launched into an entire diatribe.
“Your figures fail to account for the presence of yourself and Miss
Roxy. A Saint-tier magician can be worth a thousand soldiers in the field,
when they are properly utilized. By that reckoning, we have the strength of
twenty-five hundred men at minimum. But given that you are both King-
tier or higher, it might be fairer to say we have the equivalent of three
thousand men—or more. The usual rule of thumb is that a besieging force
should outnumber the defenders of a fort by three to one, but Fort Karon
occupies a particularly strong defensive position, so they will require an
even greater numerical advantage. Finally, there’s the matter of your
enormous mana capacity, and my status as a Blessed Child. All in all, one
might well argue that we possess the stronger force.”
I found myself at a loss for words. I hadn’t expected anything like
that. Not from him. “V-very impressive, Zanoba. Where did you learn all
that?”
“I received an extensive education in military matters as a child. They
planned to make me a general of Shirone, you see.”
Zanoba was kept alive for the sole purpose of defending this
kingdom, but that didn’t mean they’d planned to carelessly toss him into
battle. Which made sense. Even if his main role was simply to thrash
around causing chaos, you’d want him to have some degree of tactical
knowledge and situational awareness. I guess I’d underestimated the
educational standards of Shirone’s royal family.
“I understand this will be your first real war, Master Rudeus, but fear
not. I have a fair bit of battlefield experience from the days of my youth.
With you and Miss Roxy at my disposal, I should be quite capable of
holding this fort indefinitely.”
He sure sounded confident. Was it really going to be that easy,
though? Somehow, I doubted it. Our best option was still avoiding this fort
entirely.
Hmm. Might as well try to persuade him, right?
“Okay, Zanoba…but Pax assigned you to Fort Karon without even
knowing about Roxy, right?”
“Yes, I suppose that’s true.”
“And I don’t think he knows I have an unusually large supply of
mana, either.”
“What are you getting at, Master Rudeus?”
I was building up to that, but apparently Zanoba wasn’t in a patient
mood. Time to cut to the chase, then. “It seems to me like Pax is sending
you out there to die.”
Zanoba stared at me with the expression of a man who’d been
pinched. Not that your average pinch would do much of anything to him.
You know what I mean.
“Maybe Pax doesn’t want revenge on you anymore. But I don’t think
he cares one bit if you get killed, either.”
“…I suppose you may be right, yes.” Scratching at his cheek with
one finger, Zanoba waited for me to continue.
“Do you really need to obey the orders of a king like that?”
Zanoba smiled in amusement at my question. The words “Oh, is that
all?” were practically written on his face. “In war, sacrifices are often
necessary. It is the common soldiers who are usually offered up first, but at
times, even the lives of princes must be used as a tactical resource.”
“Look, Pax made this mess, and now he wants you to die so he can
wriggle out of it,” I said. “He murdered the rest of your family, Zanoba—I
don’t see why you have any obligation to fight for him.”
“As you’re always telling me, Master Rudeus: it doesn’t matter who
caused the problem. The only thing that matters is who can fix it.”
Zanoba’s gaze drifted to the window as he spoke. On the street
outside, ordinary townsfolk came and went, mingling with the mercenaries.
They were going about their ordinary daily lives for now, but there was a
visible hint of tension and fear in the way they held themselves.
 When we left Sharia, Zanoba made it clear that he saw fighting the
enemies of his kingdom as his purpose in life. To him, it simply didn’t
matter that Pax was the king of Shirone, much less what Pax thought of
him. Nothing I said could possibly change his mind right now.
“All right, you win. Sorry for badgering you like that.”
“No need for apologies,” said Zanoba. “I understand that you only
spoke out of concern for my safety.”
“Since you feel so strongly about it, let’s defend Fort Karon together.
I’m a total amateur at war, so I’ll do whatever you tell me out there. Order
me around to your heart’s content.”
The last thing I wanted was Zanoba heading off for the front lines
alone. I tried to make it clear that I was ready to cooperate, despite my
misgivings.
“My thanks, Master Rudeus! Your company alone will be worth a
hundred men.”
“Thought it was more like a thousand?”
All right then…
At least our first objective was clear enough. We’d defend Fort Karon
from the enemy’s attempts to seize it. Pax would be gathering his own army
while we held them off, so there was a chance the invasion would collapse
completely if we succeeded.
Over time, the Kingdom of Shirone would grow stronger and more
stable. Once he saw that the danger had passed, Zanoba might be more
willing to consider returning to Sharia. I could convince him that Pax and
his allies in the King Dragon Realm had things well under control here.

We decided that only Zanoba, Roxy, and I would head for the fort.
Ginger would stay behind in the royal capital. She looked a bit conflicted
when she learned that Zanoba was departing for the front lines, but
ultimately decided she’d be more useful continuing her investigations in
Latakia. It seemed there were still a few things she wanted to look into here.
Before we parted, she told me in no uncertain terms that it was my
job to keep the prince safe and sound.
 Our departure wasn’t exactly ceremonious. Despite Zanoba’s status
as a royal prince, it was just the three of us inside the carriage; we had no
guards, no send-off at the gates, and no troops marching behind us. The
coachman sitting out in front was apparently a soldier, but he didn’t seem
too friendly.
I got the feeling I’d been right—Pax was sending Zanoba off to die. I
couldn’t help feeling angry. Zanoba had risked everything to rush back here
and defend his homeland. He’d kneeled obediently at Pax’s feet and sworn
to fight with all his strength. He didn’t deserve this kind of treatment.
There was no point dwelling on it, though.
We arranged to have the Magic Armor Version One transported to
Fort Karon in parts, under the pretense that they were parts of Zanoba’s
figurine collection. Odds were, it would arrive a few days after we did.
Shipping services in this world tended to be a lot less consistent and reliable
than the ones back in Japan, sadly.
I had to admit that I was concerned. Something might well happen
between our arrival and the Magic Armor’s delivery. The thought worried
me so much that I’d briefly considered putting it on and taking it to the fort
myself, but then I remembered my battle with Orsted. The thing drained so
much mana from me in that one fight that I almost died. I wanted to
preserve as much of my mana as possible, so that I could use the Magic
Armor when I really needed it.

No major roads lead to Fort Karon. Most of our journey was spent
bumping along narrow dirt trails through long stretches of farmland. We
passed some small villages on the way, but nothing you could really call a
town. Some nights we even had to sleep out in the open.
I spent most of my time on the first stretch of the trip speculating
about the Man-God’s plans. But at some point, it suddenly sunk in that we
were heading off to war. The thought instantly made me queasy with
anxiety.
War. Even just repeating the word in my mind made my muscles
tense up. I’d grown fairly used to killing in the years since my arrival in this
world, but the concept of war frightened me in a way I found difficult to
describe. It wasn’t the thought of us killing our enemies, or them killing us,
that scared me so much—it was war as a whole, as a phenomenon. I guess
I’d always felt this way, but the fear felt a hundred times more real now that
I was heading into battle.
Could we even win this fight? Zanoba’s arguments had convinced me
that we wouldn’t be completely outmatched, but the fact remained that this
would be my first time on the battlefield.
“Look over there, Master Rudeus! It’s a band of adventurers, if I’m
not mistaken. I wonder what they’re doing out here in the middle of
nowhere with all that gear?”
In contrast to my growing anxiety, Zanoba seemed to be enjoying
himself greatly. Any time he spotted something along the road, he would
loudly point it out to me with a big grin on his face. The man was so damn
chipper, you would think we were on our way to an amusement park or
something.
“It looks like a party on their way to explore a labyrinth. There are
quite a few in this region, but not all of them are located near a town.
Parties with a serious interest in reaching the bottom floors will often head
out to the more remote, less crowded options.”
Roxy seemed perfectly calm as well. She wasn’t as cheerful as
Zanoba, but her demeanor was the same as ever. This would also be her
first experience with war, but that didn’t seem to bother her in the slightest.
“Aha!” said Zanoba with a grin. “I should have known you’d have
the answer ready for us, Miss Roxy.”
“Well, I spent some time poking around the labyrinths here myself,
you know?”
So I was the only one all hung up on our situation. I didn’t
understand how the two of them could be so relaxed. Was I missing
something? Was there some reason that we shouldn’t be worried?
Oh, wait. Maybe they figured I could handle anything that came at
us. I couldn’t exactly let them realize how terrified I was right now, in that
case…
 “Come to think of it, I recall you earned your appointment as court
magician by completing several labyrinths single-handedly.”
“That’s right. Goodness, it feels like ages ago…”
“They say it’s no small feat to challenge a labyrinth without any
companions. Perhaps such boldness is expected from the master of my
master, but tell me—why risk life and limb in such a manner?”
“Huh? Uhm, well… you might say I was looking for something, I
guess. It was all quite childish, honestly…”
“I see. Did you find what you were searching for?”
“Not back then. Later, yes…but it was more like it found me, really.”
As she spoke, Roxy shot a few bashful glances in my direction from
beneath the wide brim of her hat.
Oh, right. She said she was looking for romance in those labyrinths,
didn’t she?
“Ah, now I see,” said Zanoba with a nod. “So the rumors of a blue-
haired master mage hunting for a husband in our labyrinths were true.”
“I was being vague for a reason, thank you very much!” cried Roxy.
“Do you have any idea how embarrassing it feels to remember this?”
“Surely there’s no cause for you to blush. Why, it seems Master
Rudeus here was pining for you from afar for many years, even before he
enrolled at the University.”
“Was he really? I thought he only had eyes for Sylphie back then.”
“Oh, far from it. I only learned this some time later, but throughout
his years of travel, it seems he carried something of y—”
And now the two of them were reminiscing about the good old days
for some reason. Under normal circumstances here’s where I might have
felt a twitch of jealousy, but right now I couldn’t even muster the energy to
keep listening.
“Goodness, really? He carried those around for all that… Uhm,
Rudy? Is something the matter?”
All of a sudden, Roxy leaned over to study my face up close. I had an
impulse to lean forward and kiss her, but decided against it.
 “Not really,” I said. “I was just thinking about how cheerful Zanoba
seems, considering we’re heading off to war.”
“Hahaha! Well, I am a typical young man in some respects, Master
Rudeus. The mere thought of battlefields and deadly duels is enough to
make my heart pound!”
God, my stomach hurts.

After nine days on the road, we arrived at Fort Karon. It turned out to
be a more impressive structure than I’d imagined.
My first impression wasn’t great. From a distance, it looked like a
typical small stone castle with an unremarkable design. After a moment,
though, I realized it was considerably well positioned.
For one thing, it stood nestled in the fork of two rivers, just like that
famous castle Toyotomi Hideyoshi built in a single night.
For another, the area beyond those rivers was covered in dark, thick
forest. It would be simple enough to enter the Kingdom of Shirone by
traveling through those woods, but leading an army through a place like that
was a very risky proposition. Forests here were infested with monsters, after
all. As your forces struggled along, any nearby enemy could march around
to meet you on the far side, pincering you between their forces and the
monsters. This point was a strategic stronghold for that reason.
As we drew closer to the fort, it seemed to grow progressively more
solid and intimidating. I spotted the watchtowers and catapults positioned
along its ramparts. I’d expected something smaller after hearing that it only
held five hundred men, but this was definitely a proper fortress.
On the other hand, the soldiers manning it all bore gloomy
expressions. Morale was clearly an issue at the moment. They must have
learned how badly they were outnumbered.
“Master Rudeus, Miss Roxy—this way, please.”
We stayed a few steps behind Zanoba and made our way through the
fort to the chambers of its commanding officer. We found him in what
looked to be a war room, studying a large map on a table with a number of
his captains.
 “Who are you supposed to be?”
“I am Zanoba Shirone, Third Prince of Shirone.”
The officers had been sizing up Zanoba dubiously at first, but at the
sound of his title, they all fell to their knees.
“I am Garrick Babriti of the Shirone Royal Knights, Your Highness—
Commander of the Fort Karon Garrison.”
“My thanks for your efforts to this point, Sir Garrick. The king sent
word of my coming, I presume?”
“Yes, Your Highness! A message arrived several days ago.”
“Good. No need for further explanations, then. As of tomorrow, I will
assume formal command of this Fort. Is that understood?”
“…Yes, Your Highness!”
I could sense that Garrick was none too pleased about this
development. Losing his command was one thing, but handing it to some
pompous prince was another. He probably took real pride in the fact that
he’d defended this fort up until now.
I feel like we should throw the guy a bone here, right? We don’t want
our own troops holding any grudges…
“However, it’s been some time since my last foray into battle. I
would prefer to play the role of something like an adjutant, leaving the
actual command of our forces in your hands. Do you accept?”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Oh, okay. I guess Zanoba was way ahead of me. Sounds like a good
call to me. Might as well leave the commanding to the veterans, right?
“In that case, Sir Garrick, let us get to work at once. I wish to bolster
our troops’ morale. Would you gather the entire garrison for me?”
“At once, Your Highness!”
Zanoba’s first official order set the fort into a flurry of activity.

About one hour later, some four hundred and fifty armored troops
stood in neat rows before a platform set up outside the fort. Of the
remaining fifty, ten were in position at the lookout towers, watching for the
enemy. The rest of them were largely out on scouting duty or securing
provisions.
The troops lined up before us were muscular and imposing, with the
rugged faces of seasoned warriors. The boldness in their eyes caught me by
surprise; this was a much more impressive group than I’d expected. I’d
thought of five hundred men as a tiny army, but it hardly seemed that way
when you had them standing right in front of you. It felt like we had all the
troops we needed.
Although, the enemy forces were ten times greater, so…
“Hey, get a load of him.”
“Who the hell is that?”
“Uh…looks like some kind of prince, maybe?”
As Zanoba stepped onto the platform in front of them, the troops
studied him with openly dubious expressions. Morale was low across the
board. Some of the troops were even whispering to each other, despite
standing face to face with royalty.
“I am Zanoba Shirone, Third Prince of the Kingdom of Shirone.”
“Welcome, Prince Zanoba!” called out the commander, straightening
his back respectfully. “We are honored to have the opportunity to fight
alongside you!”
Obvious lip service. You could tell the man wasn’t especially happy
about Zanoba’s presence here. The words “Want to tell us what you’re
doing here?” were all but written on his face.
“My thanks.” With a lordly nod, Zanoba scanned the rows of troops
before him. He looked relatively imposing, thanks to his bulky suit of armor
and the massive club I’d made for him.
“Now then! Your report on our current situation, Commander
Babriti?”
“Sir! At present, contact with the enemy has been limited to small-
scale skirmishes. However, interrogation of our prisoners has confirmed
that they will soon launch a major offensive.”
 “I see,” said Zanoba with another nod. “It seems we have no time to
waste, then.”
The commander was starting to look a little worried at this point; I
assumed he couldn’t tell how well Zanoba understood the situation.
And then, with no warning whatsoever, Zanoba drew himself up to
his full height and raised his voice to a bellow.
“First of all, troops—allow me to introduce our reinforcements!”
As those words rang through the air, the faces of the soldiers
brightened the slightest bit.
Nice to see everyone’s morale rising! Uh…what reinforcements,
though? Pax sure as hell didn’t send any.
Before I could make any sense of his announcement, Zanoba looked
back and signaled to me and Roxy with his eyes. A little startled, the two of
us stepped up onto the stage behind him.
“Hey, isn’t that…”
“I’ve seen that face before…”
“But I thought…”
A murmur ran through the troops. Many of them seemed to be
looking specifically in Roxy’s direction.
Well, there weren’t too many women to be found in forts like this.
Maybe they were licking their chops at the sight of her? Roxy was adorable,
and beautiful, and a divine embodiment of all goodness, so I could certainly
understand such a reaction. But it seemed to me that some female soldiers
in the crowd were also staring at her as intently as the male ones. And it
was the older-looking individuals who seemed the most captivated…people
in their thirties or their forties.
“Our numbers are few, our enemies legion! Their offensive will come
soon! Perhaps it seems that all is lost, and our position hopeless. But fear
not—for I bring you formidable reinforcements from the Magic City of
Sharia!”
Zanoba looked back at us again and winked. Yeah, okay. Apparently,
we were the reinforcements. Which made sense, if Roxy and I were
supposed to be worth a thousand troops apiece. If we ever launched a
wrestling career, we’d have to call our tag team the Terrible Two Thousand.
“Hello, everyone,” said Roxy, taking off her hat.
The murmuring in the audience immediately grew louder.
“I knew it! That’s the one who used to be a court mage…”
“Didn’t she reach the King tier?”
“She developed all the theory behind our drills, right?”
Grinning from ear to ear, Zanoba launched into a more detailed
introduction. “This woman is Roxy Migurdia, a former court magician of
our own kingdom. I imagine many of you recognize her name, as it was she
who essentially created our current anti-magic training program. She is
accompanied by her star disciple, Rudeus Greyrat. Both have reached the
King tier in their art!”
Sounds of surprise and admiration rippled through the crowd.
A bit belatedly, I realized what was going on here. Roxy had been a
prominent figure in Shirone for some time, as a mage employed directly by
the royal family. Some of the older soldiers must have recognized her from
back then.
That said, I wasn’t too pleased about the way Zanoba had called her
Roxy Migurdia. She was Roxy M. Greyrat these days, thank you very
much. Okay, he’d probably just used the name they would recognize, but
still!
“Troops, I’m sure you’ve heard it said that a Saint-tier mage is worth
a thousand men in battle. Now consider the value of a King of magic!
Perhaps some of you have never heard the tale—but in the Laplace War of
old, a single King-tier mage once pushed back an army of ten thousand!”
Zanoba paused, savoring the startled silence of his audience.
I’d never heard about this “tale” myself, and it sounded like a load of
crap, frankly. The figure of ten thousand had to be an exaggeration, right?
More than a few of the soldiers seemed to be buying it, though—I noticed a
hint of awe in the way they looked at us.
 “In addition to these two mighty mages, I offer you my strength as
well. Perhaps some of you are familiar with the Blessed Child known as the
Head-Ripping Prince? I am he, and I shall lead you from the vanguard!”
The soldiers’ eyes lit up at the words Blessed Child and the mention
of Zanoba’s nickname. On my first visit to Shirone, people had spoken the
words Head-Ripping Prince with revulsion in their voices. In the context of
a war, that same moniker sounded almost reassuring.
“I promise you this, and this alone: You shall have victory!”
Zanoba balled his outstretched hand into a fist as his voice rang out
across the crowd. And his soldiers answered in kind. Punching their own
fists in the air, they roared their approval in unison.
It seemed fair to say morale had improved somewhat. I had to admit,
the man had a talent for getting people fired up. Strange as it might sound,
maybe Zanoba had the makings of a leader.
Then again—the troops had a nice solid fort to hole up in, and two
powerful mages to defend it. Charging out to crush the enemy might not
work out too well, but defending their position should be simple. You could
understand why Zanoba seemed so confident, and why so many soldiers
were looking at Roxy as they cheered.
Looking out at all those upraised fists, I felt my own anxiety
lessening somewhat.
Thanks, guys. I’ll do what I can, all right?
 Chapter 6:
Preparations for War

T HE NEXT DAY, I went out on a date with Zanoba. Our destination

was an open plain just to the north of Fort Karon, which also happened to
be the most likely site for the coming battle.
Zanoba had delivered his invitation by barging into my room first
thing in the morning and announcing, “There’s somewhere I’d like to take
you.” Since he evidently wanted the details of his plans to be a surprise,
I tagged along without asking any questions—only to end up here.
To be fair, my heart was racing at the moment, just not in a pleasant
way. This area was contested territory. There was no telling when we might
encounter some enemy detachment.
“Hey, are you sure it’s a good idea for us to be out here?”
“Hm? Why so jumpy, Master Rudeus?”
“We might run into the enemy at any moment, right? Aren’t they
sitting right on our doorstep?”
“Strange words, coming from a fearless warrior who challenged the
Dragon God himself! We can simply annihilate any force we happen to
encounter.”
I’m sorry, did you just call me a fearless warrior? I think that’s
literally the last thing I would call myself. Perhaps you have me confused
with my lovely wife, Eris? Though…I do have the Magic Armor Version
Two on underneath this robe. I guess getting ambushed by some random
grunts wouldn’t be too much of a problem…
“In any case,” Zanoba continued, “I highly doubt we’ll stumble on
their scouts here, close enough to be visible from Fort Karon.”
“Uh, don’t you have that backwards? I feel like they’d have to get in
close enough to see the fort, if they want to bring back any useful
information.”
 “A reasonable argument, but according to Garrick, the enemy already
knows our exact numbers. One or two men may be monitoring our
movements from the shadows, but surely not an entire scouting party.”
Hmm. Well, all right then. If you say so. Can’t say I’m too happy that
they know how small the garrison is, though…
“Good to hear, Zanoba. I guess. But would you mind telling me what
we’re doing out here in the first place? You gonna get down on one knee
and confess your love for me?”
“Haha! I’m terribly fond of you, Master Rudeus, but I can’t say I
have any romantic interest in men. Ah, but I understand such tastes are
quite common among the nobles of Asura, aren’t they?”
“Uh, maybe…but my family seems to turn out nothing but
womanizers.”
The Notos clan had a history of producing sons who loved extremely
busty women in particular. Although I suppose that wasn’t the rarest of
fetishes in general. Now, don’t get me wrong—I was an exception to this
rule! I enjoyed breasts in all their shapes and sizes…just like half the other
men in this world.
“That aside, allow me to explain. We believe this area is where the
enemy’s forces will array themselves when they launch their attack in
earnest.”
“Oh, yeah?”
I surveyed our surroundings again. It didn’t take long, because there
wasn’t much to see.
A rolling field spread before us, dotted with patches of tall wild grass
and sizable boulders. There were dips and hills in the terrain, but overall, it
sloped downward as you moved away from Fort Karon. From our current
position, we had to look up at the fort from below. Plus, the nearby river
flowed from south to north, so you’d have to fight the current to make any
progress on the water. They really had placed that fort in the perfect spot.
“How do we know they’re going to position themselves right here?”
“Because this area is just close enough for the archers’ volleys to
reach us.”
 “Hmm…”
The fort looked pretty far away from here, but I had to take Zanoba’s
word for it. It sounded like those archers had impressive range. Of course,
our guys would be shooting down at them from the ramparts of the fort, so
we’d still have the advantage there no matter what.
“Accordingly, I would like to alter the terrain here to make it
impossible for them to properly array their troops.”
“Ah, okay. Now I get it.”
If I made the terrain out here difficult to traverse, the enemy would be
forced to deploy their forces a little further from the fort. That would leave
them in an awkward spot where our archers could still hit them, but their
archers couldn’t fire back. And if I could make it difficult for them to move
forward through this area, it would be much easier to pick them off from
above as they advanced.
All in all, it was a smart preemptive move.
“Well then, Master Rudeus—have at it, if you please.”
“Sure thing. What kind of terrain can I get you today?”
“A mountain would be lovely. Or perhaps a valley.”
“Okay, one valley coming up…”
In the end, I spent most of the day out in that field, thoroughly
reshaping its terrain. I started by opening a number of yawning trenches in
the ground—each about ten meters deep, five meters long, and twenty
meters wide. Then I covered some of them with a thin ‘lid’ of soil, turning
them into simple pitfall traps. The trenches were too huge to be easily filled,
and I’d placed them fairly close together. If the enemy was planning on
hitting us with catapults or something, they’d have a hell of a time rolling
them into range. Oh, and the walls were far too steep to climb, naturally.
They had little hope of clambering inside them to use as defensive positions
or anything.
While I was at it, I whipped up a stone wall, enclosing the natural
rivers that already surrounded Fort Karon, and created an extra moat on the
outside for more layered protection. This would make it tough for the
enemy to see what we were up to from a distance. Even if they managed to
push past my pitfalls, they’d have a slightly harder time getting at the fort
itself.
“Phew. Okay, I think that’s an improvement.”
“My thanks, Master Rudeus. Your work is as superb as ever.”
It took a solid day of work to get everything completed, but I had
been very thorough. It sure as hell wasn’t going to be easy for anyone to
march an army through this field.
“Maybe we can relax a little now, huh?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” said Zanoba calmly. “I’d imagine you
could destroy our fort from the far side of these traps, couldn’t you?”
“True enough.” I could see the fort from here. That meant it was well
inside my effective range.
“Then,” he said, “it seems prudent to assume that other mages could
attack us from that range as well.”
True, I didn’t actually know what kind of range your average
magician had on their spells, but any higher-ranked mage could manage it
for sure. And it was possible the Man-God had arranged to send some
King- or Saint-tier mage our way.
“Alternatively, our opponent might put their mages to work filling in
your traps,” Zanoba suggested.
Most of my work today had consisted of constructing those pitfall
trenches. For a bunch of holes in the ground, they were effective obstacles.
But they were also…nothing but a bunch of holes in the ground. They
might be dealt with almost instantly if the other army happened to have an
earth mage in their ranks.
“In either scenario,” Zanoba continued, “I believe the first phase of
the battle will require you and Miss Roxy to counter or disrupt the enemy’s
spells.”
“Oh. Yeah, that makes sense.”
We did have two excellent mages on our own side, didn’t we? If the
enemy tried to mess with my landscaping efforts, the two of us could just
counter their spells from a distance.
 “I hope to elaborate further at a later date,” said Zanoba, “but
essentially, the traps you laid today form one part of our larger plan.”
When the enemy saw my traps, they would array their forces on the
other side and try to find some way to advance. Basically, they could either
use mages to alter the terrain or try to push through with a massive human
wave. In the former case, I’d counter their spells; in the latter, our archers
would pick them off from the fort.
It seemed like a solid strategy. I couldn’t imagine the enemy would
overwhelm us easily, at least.
I was starting to feel almost confident about our chances here.

The next three days or so passed uneventfully.

The Magic Armor Version One had been delivered to the fort, and I
took the time to piece it together. It was fundamentally designed for close-
range combat, though, so I probably wouldn’t equip it unless the enemy
made it to the fort’s walls. I didn’t want to burn through all my mana
stomping around in it, given that I might have to fight one of the Seven
Great Powers right after this.
After all that, I spent most of my time reinforcing the fort under
Zanoba’s direction. Mostly, this just involved sealing holes and
strengthening the walls. None of these were jobs that required a lot of mana,
so I was happy to help out.
While I was patching things up, Roxy gave magic lessons to the
troops—not only the combat mages, but the ordinary foot soldiers as well.
Even if they just managed to learn a basic spell or two, it might save their
life in a pinch.
Perhaps because of her reputation as a former court magician, Roxy
seemed to be pretty popular with the garrison in general. The troops treated
her with obvious respect. On the other hand, I felt like people were starting
to avoid me. Not like they were hostile or anything; they were more
intimidated. I guess they’d been a bit spooked by the way I’d totally
transformed the terrain in a single day. Every time I strolled around the fort,
soldiers would jump out of my way like startled rabbits. When I asked
someone a question, they’d answer politely; but it was really rare for
anyone to speak to me first.
It was kind of depressing, honestly. Especially since Zanoba and
Roxy already seemed to have earned their trust. Maybe they just had better
social skills than me? There was always the aggressively talkative
approach, but I wasn’t sure if it would help this time…
Well, I hadn’t come here to make friends or anything, so it wasn’t the
end of the world. Just kind of a downer.
It wasn’t all bad here, anyway. The people weren’t too friendly, but
the food was delicious. That was actually a side effect of Pax’s close ties
with the King Dragon Realm. Although they hadn’t sent him an army of
reinforcements, they provided material support for Shirone’s war effort. For
the most part, it came in the form of food supplies. Sanakia rice was the
staple of the King Dragon Realm diet. You could find it in Shirone as well,
but in this fort it was the main component of our meals. Its flavor was a bit
different from the “Aisha rice” we were developing back in Sharia. To put it
bluntly, it wasn’t quite as good. Aisha had been experimenting to improve
our home-grown variety according to my tastes, after all.
Still, rice was rice, and I got to eat it every single day. I was half-
tempted to enlist as a soldier of Shirone, if this was how they fed them.
Too bad that would mean having Pax for a boss.
Anyway…on the fourth day, we got word from our forward scouts
that the enemy army had deployed from their own fort.

The enemy would be coming for us soon. Their fort was about a five-
day march from ours. I wasn’t sure how quickly our scouts could make that
journey, but I had to guess they also hadn’t made it back here in a single
day.
We had three days at most, then. Maybe two.
The fort launched into a frenzy of activity. Zanoba and Garrick
hurriedly reorganized the troops, while Roxy began inscribing a magic
circle on the ramparts of the fort. The soldiers were sharpening their
weapons, tending to their armor, and double-checking their exact number of
arrows. Some were even writing last-minute wills.
Awkwardly enough, I found myself with nothing much to do. It sure
felt like I should be doing something, but I’d already finished my
assignments in the previous days. For lack of any better ideas, I ended up
helping out Roxy with her work.
She explained that we were making the magic circle for the Saint-
level spell Flashover. Roxy had never officially mastered this spell herself.
She wasn’t good with fire magic, and couldn’t have controlled it effectively.
She had, however, memorized the design for its magic circle. Instead of
using this thing herself, she planned to have a group of the garrison’s
combat mages do so by pumping all their mana into it. Roxy would stick to
her specialty: Saint-level water spells.
Generally speaking, fire magic didn’t get much use when you were
fighting monsters. The spells were powerful, but in a labyrinth you ran the
risk of suffocating yourself, and spewing flames everywhere was dangerous
for the people around you. Most adventurers stuck to other elements.
When you were fighting other people, however, it was extremely
effective. Normal human beings tended not to survive a ball of fire to the
face.
During the battle, I would be right next to Roxy on the ramparts,
blasting spells down at the enemy. We had a detailed plan for the
engagement, and my job was pretty simple for the most part.
There was one thing that concerned me, though.
Was I actually capable of doing this?
Killing people was never something that came easily to me.
Throughout my new life in this world, it was something I always hesitated
to do. Not like I had some principled moral stance against violence. I had
plenty of blood on my hands by now. And if I felt a twinge of guilt when I
told my children killing is wrong, well, I could live with that. The only
thing that nagged at my conscience sometimes was the fact I’d told Ruijerd
not to kill anyone, many years ago.
Up till now, though, High Minister Darius of Asura was the only
person I’d deliberately murdered in cold blood. And, well…I guess you
could add Auber to that list too. I wasn’t the one who finished him off, but I
played a major part in his death.
That experience left me nauseated, but I knew that both of them had
to die. This time around, however, I would be killing people who’d
basically done nothing wrong. There was no clear reason that I needed to
murder any of them. I was doing this for Zanoba’s sake, sure. But that was a
choice that I was making, not something I’d been forced into. It was my
choice to rain down spells from a distance on a crowd of soldiers who were
just following orders. This wasn’t going to be like how it was with Auber. I
wouldn’t even see their faces.
Could I do it? Yes, I could.
Was I going to do it? Yes, I was.
But once it was all over, I wasn’t sure how I might react. I doubted I
could keep myself from puking on the spot. Would I be in any shape to fight
the Death God, if he came for us then?
“What’s the matter, Rudy?”
Roxy was looking at me curiously. There was a little blotch of ink on
her cheek.
She seemed weirdly nonchalant about this whole business compared
to me. She’d spent most of her life as an adventurer, so this was probably
her first experience with war too. And now that I thought about it, I wasn’t
sure she’d even killed someone before. I couldn’t remember ever discussing
it with her.
“Well, Roxy…uhm…I was wondering…”
This wasn’t an easy thing to ask. How were you even supposed to
phrase this? Hey, you ever killed someone? Sounded like the kind of
question that would get you reported to the cops back in Japan.
“Ohhh…I see. Goodness, what am I going to do with you? Well,
there’s a room in the fort that seems to be unoccupied, so let’s head there.”
“Huh?”
“Men tend to vent their passions rather vigorously on the eve of
battle, from what I understand. I’d like to be capable of standing up
tomorrow, but I’d prefer that you turn to me instead of—”
 “Uh, wait, no. Sorry, that’s not what I was going to ask.”
“Oh. Really?”
Come on, sex isn’t literally the only thing I think about. Hmm.
Though…is it just me, or does Roxy look a little disappointed? I mean, if
she’s up for it, I’d be happy to oblige…
No, no. Priorities, please! Ask the damn question already!
“Roxy, have you…ever killed someone before?”
“Yes, I have.”
Her response came instantly. It startled me, to put it plainly. Roxy had
killed someone? My Roxy? The woman who’d already made friends with
half the fort?
“There’s nothing unusual about that, really,” she continued. “I was an
adventurer for many years, remember?”
“Uhm…how did it happen?”
“Let’s see… I think the first time was in my early years as an
adventurer on the Demon Continent. Someone thought I was a child and
tried to take advantage of me. We got into a fight, and it turned violent
quickly…”
Ah. Maybe she’d hit them with a stronger spell than she intended?
“Were there any others?”
“A few, yes, while I was traveling on my own… I had to fight off
kidnappers quite a few times back in those days, actually. Given my size, I
suppose they took me for an easy target. I soon disabused them of that
notion.”
Yeah. None of this was really that surprising. We lived in a violent
world. Some people didn’t have the option of keeping their hands nice and
clean.
“You seem really calm about this situation…but you’ve never been in
a war before, right?”
“That’s right. However, I’ve come very close to death on multiple
occasions,” said Roxy crisply. “We should be at a safe distance from the
enemy this time, and we have the option of fleeing if the battle turns against
us. I’m not overly concerned.”
“Wait, you want to run away if we start losing?”
“If things seem hopeless, certainly. I’ll carry you away from here if I
have to. The whole reason I came along was to protect you, remember?”
With her brush still in her hand, Roxy flexed for me like a
bodybuilder. Her forearm looked more squishy than stout, but the gesture
was oddly reassuring.
“Rudy, are you afraid of killing people?”
“Yeah. It scares me.”
“Why is that?”
“I honestly don’t know.”
Roxy nodded thoughtfully and wiped the sweat off her brow with her
sleeve. Ink smudged on her forehead. Maybe she’d dripped some on her
robe when she did that silly pose.
“Well, you’ve always been a bit timid, I suppose. I still remember
how terrified you were to get on a horse for the first time…”
Yeah. Fifteen years ago, I was too scared to even leave my house,
wasn’t I? Man, that really takes me back…
“What is it about your fear that you don’t understand? Try to describe
it for me in detail, please.”
Sounds like I’m dealing with Instructor Roxy now. Haven’t seen her
in a while.
“When I try to kill someone, I sort of…stop myself at the last
moment.”
“I see. And why do you think that might be?”
I mean, if I knew the reason why, we wouldn’t be having this
conversation… But I guess I shouldn’t give up just because nothing comes
to mind immediately. Think, Rudeus. When did you start having trouble
killing people, and why?
 “When I traveled across the Demon Continent as a child, I started
consciously modifying my magic to make it less lethal,” I said slowly. “I
was trying really hard not to kill anyone by accident.”
It was starting to come back to me now. I originally reduced the
power of my Stone Cannon to help Eris gain more combat experience
against the monsters we encountered. But I later took up tinkering with my
spells even further, trying to make them non-lethal against humans. Dead
End, our party with Ruijerd, had a strict policy when it came to murder.
“My party back then had this…rule about not killing people. And I
was the leader, so I felt like I had to set a good example. I kept that up for
so long that I guess it just…became second nature to me.”
Basically, I’d given myself a fear of killing. When you’re strictly
forbidden from doing something as a child, the very thought of it can
become terrifying. Often, you’ll carry that trauma with you into your adult
years. The details were a little different in my case, but the principle was the
same.
“I see,” said Roxy, brushing her bangs out of her eyes in a gesture
that left a smudge of ink on her nose. “And how do you feel about that habit
now, Rudy? Do you want to lose this tendency to hold back?”
“…No. That idea scares me even more.”
In this world I was a person with incredible power. Enough power to
kill most people with just a flick of my fingers. I was capable of killing
everyone who annoyed or inconvenienced me, and then killing anyone who
tried to punish me for doing so. Without this reflex, I could easily turn into
that callous, vicious murderer who’d visited me from the future.
That wasn’t the kind of person I wanted to be. It just…wasn’t.
“Then I don’t think you have a problem,” said Roxy with a smile.
I don’t? Really? I feel like this is gonna keep causing me some major
headaches, though…
“Now, I could argue that you’re not responsible for the deaths you
cause in this battle, since you’re only acting on Prince Zanoba’s orders. But
I get the sense that would only upset you.”
 In the context of a war, soldiers were sanctioned to commit murder
by their country. All responsibility lay with their army, and the nation that
controlled it. In that sense, the killing I committed on this battlefield
wouldn’t really count as murder. Pax was the one responsible for my
actions.
But of course, that was little but a convenient excuse.
“If you can’t bring yourself to cast any spells when the enemy
arrives, I’ll fight in your place. You can stand by and carry me to safety if I
run out of mana.”
“…Sounds like a better plan than you carrying me, at least.”
“Exactly!” With a big smile, Roxy reached out for a new pot of ink…
and grimaced as she spotted a patch of wet black liquid on her sleeve.
“Uhm, Rudy? Is there ink on my face?”
“Oh, yeah. I think your forehead might start casting spells at any
moment.”
Roxy pulled a handkerchief out of her robe and rubbed it vigorously
over her face. Fortunately, it didn’t spit out any fireballs, although her skin
had turned rather red.
“Ugh. Where is it?”
“Your cheek, your forehead, and the tip of your nose.”
“…Wipe it off for me. If I’m seen like this, my marriage prospects
will be ruined.”
“You know, I could have sworn you were already married…”
I took Roxy’s handkerchief from her and dampened it with water
magic. She closed her eyes and leaned in close. I wiped off her forehead,
and then wiped off her nose, and then kissed her on the cheek.
Roxy held her breath. She had opened her eyes at some point and was
staring into mine. Her face was still a vivid shade of red.
“I-I’ll be done with this magic circle soon, all right?” she stammered.
“We can, uhm…continue this later.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Well, now I have something to look forward to.
 After that, I sat around waiting for Roxy to finish her work like a dog
impatient for his walk. Then we headed to a private room to vent off some
passion.

I still wasn’t sure if I’d be of any use in this war. But I had Roxy with
me, so I knew I’d be all right either way.

***

The next day, we received word that the enemy army was
approaching.
The soldiers rushed to their positions, their faces tight with tension,
and I hurried to my own place on the ramparts.
Roxy and I had a simple job: to fling spells at the enemy from above,
under the command of the combat mage squad captain. Until the army came
into range, we’d basically be twiddling our thumbs.
I had the Magic Armor Version Two under my robes. The Version
One was leaning against a wall in the rear of the fort, just in case I needed
it. I could reach it quickly enough by hopping down from above.
Up till this point, it seemed like the Man-God hadn’t made a single
move against us. Would his first strike come immediately after this battle?
Maybe during it, right as things got chaotic? There could well be a disciple
in that army, or even lurking somewhere in this fort. And Pax or Randolph
might hit us from behind at any moment.
As I struggled to control a growing sense of anxiety, I noticed
something moving out of the corner of my eye.
“Hm?”
It was a group of armored soldiers. They were crossing the river to
the back of Fort Karon, in the opposite direction from the enemy, and
heading for the woods.
There looked to be maybe a hundred of them. Surely they weren’t
deserting…?
 “Uh, Captain? Do you know what’s going on there?”
“Yes, sir!” replied the mage squad captain, a man named Billy. He
followed my gaze and nodded at the sight of the soldiers. “That’s the unit
Prince Zanoba put together the other day. They will defeat any units that try
slipping through the forest, and look for an opportunity to launch a surprise
attack on the main enemy force. The prince hopes to sever their chain of
command at the head.”
“What?!” I’m sorry, what?! “I didn’t hear a word about any of this!”
“Uh, yes, sir… The Prince expressed some concern that the fort
would be left too lightly defended if you accompanied him.”
“Okay, but he could have told me about this plan!” I insisted.
“It was his belief that you would insist on coming with him,
prompting Miss Roxy to insist on coming with you,” he said, by way of
explanation.
Look, I got that Zanoba was trying to be thoughtful, in his way. And
it was hard to argue with his logic. If he’d told me about this crazy plan to
head out with a tiny force, I probably would have decided it had to be the
Man-God’s trap. And if I’d insisted on coming, Roxy probably would have
too. You could use magic effectively from anywhere on a battlefield, but it
would be hard for us to cast the right spells at the right time if we were
trudging through a forest.
I understood his reasoning, okay? I really did.
But what was the point of any of this if that moron got himself killed
out there? Did he even remember what I was doing here? I’d come all the
way out here to fight in someone else’s war because I wanted to protect
Zanoba. He could at least have said something to me beforehand, right?
God, what if we hit him with some spell accidentally? What if the
enemy found out our commander was wandering around in the woods with
only a hundred soldiers?
Maybe there was still time for me to jump down there and—
“There!”
But no. Before I could take action one way or another, a sudden
murmur ran across the ramparts, and the fort’s alarm bell began clanging a
warning. Everyone had their eyes fixed on the same spot: a cloud of dust to
the north, obscuring the horizon.
The enemy had arrived.
 Chapter 7:
The Battle

O KAY, SO… Zanoba had wandered off to god-knows-where. He

wanted to find and kill the enemy’s commander. Which didn’t make any
sense to me. Not one damn bit of sense. But I couldn’t leave my post at this
point. I didn’t like the idea of throwing spells onto a battlefield where
Zanoba could be hiding anywhere…but from the sound of things, he’d at
least worked out his plan with the commander and the captains. I had to
trust he wasn’t careless enough to blunder right into our line of fire.
He’d thought this through, right? Right?
I mean, he’d brought a hundred troops with him. They must have
planned out this operation as a part of the overall battle strategy. The best
thing I could do for him right now was to play my own part well.
“…Hooo.”
Calm down, Rudeus. Zanoba’s not an idiot. He’s doing this for a
reason. You just focus on doing your job, and everything will work out fine.
“Hooo…haaa…”
All right. First of all, let’s get a look at the enemy.
In the time it had taken for me to clear my head, the opposing army
had marched into view and arrayed themselves in formation beyond my
field of traps. They were barely far enough away that our archers couldn’t
reach them yet. Naturally, they couldn’t hit us with theirs, either. The battle
wouldn’t begin in earnest until the majority of them had pushed their way
into the zone I’d filled with pitfalls.
“Yep, sure are a lot of ’em…”
“Hmm. Only looks like three thousand or so to me.”
“There’s a whole bunch more waiting in line behind.”
The soldiers on the ramparts were busy guessing at the exact size of
the force in front of us. Hmm, weren’t you supposed to count the number of
enemy flags or something?
 “Rudy, we need a counterspell!”
“Huh?”
Startled by the urgency in Roxy’s voice, I looked out across the
battlefield. Something like a tornado was taking shape near the middle of
the enemy’s formation.
“They’re going to fill in all the traps at once with earth magic!”
Ah, right. That’s the Saint-level spell Sandstorm, isn’t it?
They sure hadn’t wasted any time coming for my traps. They’d
probably learned about them in advance from scouts or spies, and worked
out a plan to neutralize them with a single massive spell.
Needless to say, we’d been anticipating this possibility ourselves.
“All right. I’m going to counter that with Violent Storm.”
With those words, I held out both hands toward the steadily growing
funnel of dust and earth.
 I’d chosen to respond with a Saint-level wind spell. Despite its rank,
its effects weren’t particularly fancy. But they were very powerful. A
number of Saint-level spells, such as Cumulonimbus and Sandstorm, were
combined magic that used wind plus some other element. Violent Storm, on
the other hand, was a pure burst of wind. While it cost the same amount of
mana as something like Sandstorm, all of that power was devoted to a
single purpose.
In practice, that meant it was capable of totally erasing the more
complex phenomena created by water or earth spells. It was also
devastatingly effective against flying monsters of all kinds, for the record.
But other spells were better choices if your enemies were on the ground; the
wind would lose some of its force at longer range as it pushed past trees and
other obstacles.
There was a theory that pure wind magic had been developed as a
way to counter other elemental spells, just like how this one would work on
the battlefield. That was only a theory, though, and I wasn’t sure I believed
it.
While Violent Storm might lose some power as it traveled, it was
strong enough to rip out massive trees by the roots if you used sufficient
mana. And again—that fall-off in power only happened when it moved
across the ground. In the air, it wasn’t an issue at all. This spell could easily
have been designed to bring down flying dragons.
Hmm. I had a feeling dragons used a bit of wind magic themselves,
though. I mean, how else would they keep those massive bodies airborne,
right?
On another note, some claimed that the overuse of spells like this
could make you bald. The theory was that all those sharp gusts of wind
would eventually start to rip out hairs by the roots. Sounded plausible to
me, given that the toupee-toting principal of our university was a King-tier
wind mage.
Okay, okay. I’m nice and calm now. Niiice and calm!
By the time I finished running through all that trivia in my mind, my
heart rate had returned to normal and my spell had blown apart the enemy’s
dust tornado. The soldiers around us broke out in a spontaneous cheer.
 I hadn’t dealt any meaningful damage to the army itself, though.
They were still pretty far from us, but you’d expect a blast strong enough to
break up a Saint-tier spell to have a major effect on the ground, too. Was it
because I’d aimed it so directly at the tornado? Or maybe the mana from
our spells had interacted somehow?
Well, it didn’t matter that much either way. Now we could focus on—
“Rudy, they’re trying it again!”
“Huh? Really?”
That seemed kind of pointless. I could just counter their spell again,
right?
Oh, wait…they don’t know about my mana capacity.
Most mages would run dry in no time if they kept casting Saint-level
magic. And since the enemy outnumbered us ten to one, they probably had
ten times as many mages, too. They probably thought they could sit there
firing off the exact same spell from a magic circle until we ran out of juice.
Huh. Wouldn’t that mean there’s no disciple of the Man-God over
there?
Anyone working for the Man-God would know about me. Surely
they wouldn’t let the mages waste their time and mana like this, right?
…No, I couldn’t jump to conclusions. The Man-God might be giving
them advice, but that didn’t mean their commander would always listen.
“For now, I’m gonna keep countering their spells until they give up.
Does that sound like a plan?”
“Uh, yes, of course. Are you…all right on mana?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
The captain seemed a bit awestruck at this point. Or maybe terrified.
Well, my mana capacity was probably the single most reliable thing
about me. If these people wanted to make me fire off ten Saint-tier spells, I
could handle it, no problem.
 In the end, the enemy mages cast their Sandstorm spell another five
times, but I countered every single one of them in the exact same way. It
was a shame I couldn’t use Disturb Magic to save myself some mana. That
wasn’t an option at such long range.
After their sixth failed attempt, the enemy forces seemed to put a
pause to their attacks. They might have run out of mages capable of using
Saint-tier spells. It was also possible that their magic circle had faded away,
or they’d realized they were getting nowhere with this strategy.
“Do you think they’ll try a charge?” I asked, looking over at the mage
squad captain.
“Hard to say,” he replied, frowning at the distant enemy lines.
I didn’t think I’d risk sending all those troops charging onto a field
full of pitfalls, if I were their commander. The best option would be to
withdraw, right? If you realize early on that you’ve misjudged your enemy,
why not retreat to gather more information? Seemed like it would be the
smart move to me.
“Ah…looks like they’re going for it.”
There was movement in the enemy lines once again. They were
rippling slowly forward—almost like they were dragging something heavy
along behind them.
Well, I guess that figures.
The commanders of that army had probably hashed out all sorts of
tactical options and contingency plans before they showed up on our
doorstep. They’d expended valuable food and resources to come this far—
and they had their troops’ morale to consider, too. They probably couldn’t
back off after one failed exchange of spells.
I mean…for all they knew, at this point our mages could be running
on empty too. Maybe they were hoping that would allow them to cross the
pitfall zone without taking too many casualties.
“Archers, ready!”
At a bellowed command from their captain, our line of archers
stepped forward. They nocked their arrows and pulled back their bows,
aiming at the lines of soldiers picking their way through the pitfall zone.
 “Fire!”
The first volley of arrows zipped into the air.
It was a modest barrage; we only had fifty or so archers up here, and
there were at least a few thousand enemy soldiers moving toward us. Any
effect would obviously be minimal.
The enemy commander seemed to have reached the same conclusion.
A few moments later, we heard the sound of trumpets from below, and the
enemy’s advance immediately grew more rapid. I saw soldiers tumbling
into my traps here and there. Others, however, were laying crude bridges
across the trenches, and yet more made their way safely around them. They
were making steady progress forward.
From the looks of things, they’d interpreted our volley of arrows as a
sign that we didn’t have any mages still capable of casting offensive spells.
Which was a miscalculation, of course.
“Combat mages, ready!”
The soldier-mages readied their staves in response to their captain’s
command.
The squad numbered twenty. Eight of them stepped forward to the
edge of the rampart. Another eight stood by behind them. The last four
positioned themselves in front of Roxy’s magic circle.
“Don’t get jumpy! Hold until we’ve drawn them further in!”
The mages tightened their grips on their staves. Roxy followed suit,
closing her eyes to concentrate. Not wanting to be left out, I balled my
hands into fists and stared intently down at the enemy.
The majority of their troops were now inside the pitfall zone.
“Incantations! Now!”
At the captain’s order, the eight mages in the front line began the
chant for a fire spell in perfect unison. As their incantation reached its
halfway point, the eight behind them began to chant as well.
“—Fireball!”
Eight balls of flame flew from the staves of the mages out in front.
Arcing down onto the battlefield, they hit the enemy line right at its center,
leaving a handful of charred bodies behind.
The front line immediately stepped back and began to chant all over
again.
“—Fireball!”
A few moments later, the second line of mages had fired off their
own volley. By staggering their incantations, they effectively cut the time
between their attacks in half.
The Fireballs kept flying steadily. But as the second volley began,
they were answered by a huge flurry of Waterballs from the enemy. While
they couldn’t reach us at the top of the fort, they were smacking into the
Fireballs and reducing them to steam.
It was a counterspell, in other words. Apparently, they hadn’t wasted
all of their mages’ mana on our earlier exchanges.
Well, yeah. Obviously they wouldn’t.
“There, Miss Roxy. Do you see that scorpion flag on the right wing?”
“Yes. I see it.”
With a nod to the mage squad captain, Roxy turned to look my way.
That scorpion flag was right around where the barrage of Waterballs
was coming from. The enemy mages were concentrated in that area. In
other words, if we blew everything in that area to smithereens, we wouldn’t
have any more counterspells to worry about.
“Let’s get started, Rudy… Uhm, or would you rather observe?”
“No. I’m with you.”
“All right then.”
With a small smile, Roxy turned away and began her incantation. I
took one deep breath, then began to channel mana into my hands.
A moment later, I killed a lot of people.

***
 After that, the battle devolved into one-sided slaughter.
Wiping out the vast majority of their mages rendered them
defenseless against our spells. Most of those who died were burnt to ashes
by the Saint-level fire spell unleashed by our combat mages. But then, as
their charge gave way to a rout, the survivors found it all but impossible to
retreat across the field of traps behind them. Some units seemed to have lost
their commanders; their movements grew panicked and disorganized. And
then Roxy and I hit them with more Saint-level magic.
It felt like we’d stepped on an anthill. Soldiers ran in all directions,
terrified and disoriented. Gusts of wind blew them into pitfalls, and bolts of
lightning fried them where they stood. They died by the dozens.
I could finally understand that famous line from Castle in the Sky.
From this distance, people looked exactly like so many scraps of stray
garbage.
Still, not all of them panicked in the face of death. Some made it past
the pitfall zone, escaping our spells’ area of effect. A few of these were
mages who managed to get close enough to launch spells at us. We
countered almost all of their attacks, but a few still landed, and we suffered
casualties.
Some of the encroaching enemies were archers, who dropped their
bows and drew their swords as they approached. The rest were foot
soldiers. Together, they pushed their way to the fort’s walls, where a force
of three hundred well-rested defenders waited for them. Meanwhile, we
rained magic upon them like a hail of stones.
In the end, only a bare handful survived. Some had lost their will to
fight; others struggled fiercely. Some were taken as captives, and others
killed, but I couldn’t tell you why.
In comparison, I could count our losses on my fingers. We beat back
the enemy so soundly that the words historic victory came to mind.
When it was all over, Commander Babriti let out a roar that seemed
to shake the fort to its foundations. The mages and archers on the ramparts
answered him in kind, their eyes shining with elation.
I shouted right along with them, although I wasn’t sure if I felt the
same kind of joy they did. It didn’t feel real that I’d killed so many people,
or that we’d won the battle. Still, the people around me more than made up
for my lack of excitement. Soldiers who’d treated me with wariness and
stiff formality ran over to thump me on the back. Some threw their arms
around my shoulders, and others hugged me. One of those was a young
female archer. She looked up at me and said something like “We did it! You
saved us! Thank you so much!” with tears in her eyes. At that point, a surge
of pride and happiness washed over me at last.
Finally, Roxy threw herself into my arms and kissed me on the lips.
That wasn’t the sort of thing Roxy ever did in public, so she must have been
as fired up as the others. We received a mixture of cheers and good-natured
whistling from the soldiers as we embraced.
I was happy in that moment. Truly happy.
To be clear, it wasn’t solely because a charming woman had thrown
herself at me. There was some group psychology at work too. The sheer
delirium around me had overwhelmed my brain completely. Not a bad
feeling, you know? Kept me from thinking about all the people I’d just
murdered with a snap of my fingers. At the end of the day, we’d won the
battle with virtually no casualties. That was something worth celebrating.
No reason to think too hard about the ugly details, right? When I looked
back on this day, all I had to think was: Hey, that wasn’t too bad for my first
time. Guess it wasn’t such a big deal after all.
Maybe that was how you had to live in a world like this. I didn’t have
to keep judging everything that happened here by the moral standards I’d
picked up in my first life. I didn’t have to drag some old arbitrary rule
around forever like a ball and chain. I could kill when I needed to, and hold
back when I didn’t. One battle wasn’t going to turn me into a bloodthirsty
maniac. I had more self-control than that.
“Prince Zanoba has returned!”
The cry of a messenger from below startled me out of my thoughts.
Once the battle had begun in earnest, I’d completely forgotten about Zanoba
and his unit.
I rushed down into the fort, taking the stairs as quickly as I could. But
I froze in astonishment when I reached the bottom.
 A crowd of soldiers had formed around a group of roughly ten people
who seemed to have dropped in from another planet. Their bodies were
covered in twigs and leaves, their faces were smeared with dirt and soot,
and their hair was slick with blood and sweat. One of them, an imposing
man clad in a bulky suit of armor, called out cheerfully at the sight of me:
“Greetings, Master Rudeus!”

Wait, who are you supposed to be?

No, seriously. I honestly didn’t recognize him at first.

His hair was crusty with dried blood, his armor was covered with
gashes that weren’t there that morning, and his glasses were smudged where
he’d wiped…some sort of red liquid off them.
“Zanoba?”
Yeah, that’s definitely Zanoba. He looks like someone else entirely,
but it has to be him. Oh. I guess I should, uh…chew him out for
disappearing on us without a word of warning.
“What the—”
As I approached Zanoba, the crowd of soldiers parted in front of me,
and I lost my train of thought in mid-sentence.
Someone lay on his knees at Zanoba’s feet. He was covered in mud
himself, but he was also wrapped inside a net. I recognized that net. It was
the magic item I’d given Zanoba right before we left.
“Thanks to your splendid efforts, our surprise attack went off
perfectly. Behold—we have captured the enemy’s commander!”
“Uhm… Wow…”
I glanced around and realized that the soldiers around us were
cheering the filthy band of ten. They no longer looked at Zanoba with
wariness or uncertainty; their eyes shone with admiration.
Wait. Ten? Why are there so few of them? I was fairly positive I’d
seen about a hundred leaving the fort earlier. “Uh, where are the others?”
 “Lying on the battlefield,” replied Zanoba. “They died bravely, every
one of them.”
Oh. Right. I guess that’s what happens when you attack an army that
big with only a hundred soldiers.
Though… I’m not sure I understand. We didn’t need this sneak attack
to win that battle, right? We were winning anyway. I can’t be the only one
who’s picking up on that. Am I missing something here?
“S-so, uh…this guy’s…worth the loss of ninety soldiers, right?”
“Unquestionably. He is a member of the Bista royal family. With him
as our hostage, it should be simple to negotiate a conclusion to this war.”
Ohhh. Okay… Yeah, I get it now. If he’s that valuable, I guess Zanoba
made the right call.
Beating back one enemy advance didn’t mean you’d won the war.
But Zanoba’s raid turned our tactical victory into a huge strategic one. From
that angle, maybe the lives of ninety soldiers were a small price to pay.
Wait, no. Why was I falling for this line of thought? We’d knocked
the hell out of that army. They must have lost a thousand troops, maybe
even two or three. If they’d had someone with a functional brain in charge,
they would have quit trying to invade.
Or maybe I was overestimating our victory a little. Maybe all the
troops we saw only amounted to a few thousand. And the majority of the
enemy force had retreated. If they really did have more soldiers waiting in
the rear, maybe we’d only taken out something like five hundred?
“Ah, what a joy to have succeeded,” said Zanoba, beaming at me
cheerfully. “I could hardly have asked you and Miss Roxy to sit around this
fort indefinitely, after all!”
Okay, yeah. I think I get it now.
The enemy might not have given up after a single disastrous battle.
Who knew how rational their commander was, anyway? We might have
given them a bloody nose today, but they still had the numerical advantage.
If their next attack came when Roxy and I weren’t around, Fort Karon
might well fall. And the two of us didn’t have the option of staying in
Shirone for years. By capturing an enemy prince and negotiating some sort
of a truce, we could end the war in one decisive stroke, before any of that
became a problem.
Still, couldn’t we have found some other way? Maybe I could have
blasted one of their forts to pieces, or something?
…Nah. It would be stupid to entrust a job like that to a guy who spent
the last few days whimpering about killing people…
“I must say, everything went off according to plan. You and Miss
Roxy offered us a superb diversion with your magic! And this enchanted
throw net? What a splendid tool! I’d been hoping it might enable me to
capture an enemy commander from the start, but it worked even better than
I’d imagined.”
Zanoba had cut into the ranks of the enemy as the wind and rain
raged, taking advantage of the general confusion to capture their leader. The
risks had been horrific. He had gambled with his life. But he came away a
winner. He turned the chaos Roxy and I created into an opportunity, pushed
himself to the very limit, and made our victory count.
“You know, Master Rudeus—I’ve seen Saint-tier spells at a distance
before, but they’re something else entirely when you charge right into one!”
“Oh…yeah, I’d imagine so…”
A nasty shiver ran down my spine. Cumulonimbus had a wide area of
effect. It was a spell designed to wipe out large numbers of enemies
indiscriminately. Which might mean…
“Uh, hey, Zanoba…you guys didn’t get hit by lightning out there or
anything, right?”
“Hrm…”
Zanoba put a hand to his chin and seemed to consider his reply
carefully. After a moment, he delivered it with a serious expression on his
face.
“No war is won without sacrifice, Master Rudeus.”
We’d hit them.
Bolts of lightning from our Cumulonimbus spells had struck our own
allies. Maybe we’d knocked others into those pitfalls with gusts of wind. I
might have killed someone who ate dinner next to me yesterday. Roxy
might have killed someone she’d taught a little magic to.
Odds were I’d never even spoken to most of them. But at the very
least, I knew some people whose faces had grown familiar to me were gone
forever now.
“And of course,” Zanoba continued, “I bear the full responsibility for
every soldier who we lost this day, as the man who commanded them in
battle. You have nothing to feel guilty about in the slightest.”
In theory, that made sense. But theory wasn’t doing much for me
right now.
“You must be weary after all your labors, I’m sure. Promise me
you’ll take the remainder of this day to rest.” Zanoba patted me gently on
the shoulder, then dragged his captive further inside the fort, issuing rapid
commands to the surrounding soldiers as he went.
I stood in a daze and watched him go. At some point, I’d completely
run out of words.
Oh, right. I’ve got to get ready for that attack from the Death God…
No time to stand around like an idiot. No time to rest. Not yet. I should
just…stand near the Version One. I’ll be ready for him, if he shows…

That evening, a raid was launched on the fort.

It wasn’t the Death God, though. And I wasn’t the target. It was the
enemy, and they came in an attempt to free our royal hostage.
I didn’t kill any of them. They weren’t dangerous enough for that.
Instead, I knocked them all unconscious and handed them over to the fort’s
garrison.
What happened to them after that? No idea. But at least I exercised
restraint instead of casually murdering them. That was a good sign, right? It
felt that way. Despite my emotions being all over the place, I could control
myself. I still had that reflex against killing.
I was going to be just fine. Or so I kept telling myself, over the
course of that entire night.
 The Death God never came.
There was no sneak attack.

***

The next day, I questioned the hostage after getting approval from
Zanoba. He was, in fact, a royal from Shirone’s rival to the north.
I asked him if he recognized the name Man-God. His answer was no.
I asked him if anyone in his kingdom had been going around making
suspiciously accurate predictions or prophecies. His answer was no.
I asked him how they’d gathered an army of five thousand on
Shirone’s border so quickly after the coup d’état. He said it hadn’t happened
quickly. They’d been looking for a chance to invade for several years.
All that pointed to one conclusion: the kingdom to the north was
clean. There was no ally of the Man-God running things up there. I mean,
the Man-God might have manipulated events to get them to invade…but I
felt confident this guy wasn’t a disciple, at least. He was your typical puffed
up, clueless commanding officer, and nothing more.
The Death God hadn’t come for me, and the invaders were simple
invaders. Nothing was turning out the way that I’d anticipated. For the first
time in a while, I felt like I’d been jumping at a lot of shadows. I was
starting to think I had misunderstood this whole situation on a very
fundamental level. Maybe there was no trap. Hell, maybe the Man-God
wasn’t involved in any of this.
I refused to let down my guard, even so. Half-convinced that it was
pointless, I forced myself to stay alert and ready for anything.
And then, ten days later…the ground shifted underneath us.
 Chapter 8:
An Urgent Message, and Zanoba’s True Feelings

T EN DAYS HAD PASSED since the battle of Fort Karon. In that time,
Zanoba had proposed a ceasefire with the enemy, using our royal hostage as
a bargaining chip. I didn’t know the specific details, but it sounded like the
war would officially be over soon.
We’d also sent a messenger to the capital on a fast horse to inform
them of our victory, the captive we’d secured, and our efforts to strike a
truce. Zanoba had proceeded with the peace talks without waiting on orders
from the king, but Shirone was in no condition to fight a drawn-out war, so
it was hard to imagine Pax objecting. The man wasn’t stupid, after all.
Although it felt a little worrisome when we didn’t hear back immediately.
Even after more than a week, the fort echoed with passionate
commentary on our victory in battle. Roxy and I had left a big impression
with our huge, flashy spells, while Zanoba’s bold performance on the front
lines was just as talked about. Some of the troops were still riding that
adrenaline high, I guess.
Perhaps because of my performance in the battle, or the way I’d dealt
with that sneak attack, the soldiers were finally warming up to me a bit.
They’d always treated me with politeness, but their faces used to clam up
every time they saw me. These days I was getting actual smiles from the
people I ran into. Even a bit of cheerful small talk. I guess they’d
reclassified me from “a dangerous foreign mage who popped up out of
nowhere ” to something like “a comrade in arms.” No one gave me a hard
time about the soldiers I’d killed accidentally with my magic, at least.
Between that, my regular counseling sessions with Roxy, plus
Zanoba’s attempts to cheer me up, I managed to pull myself together
emotionally. At this point I could look back on my actions without viewing
them as crimes or terrible mistakes.
Honestly, I’d beat myself up about it way too much. This was not a
peaceful world in general, and I was a direct subordinate of Orsted. To
protect my family, I’d picked a fight against a vicious god. I must have
known this day would come. At some level I must have accepted that, even
if half-heartedly.
But even so—I felt pretty sure I wouldn’t sign up for any more wars
after this one, no matter who tried to recruit me. War was like…a whole
different world. I preferred the one I usually lived in. I wasn’t going to kill
anyone unless I absolutely had to. I’d decided to stick with my old policy
on that one after all. For one thing, all this anguish about it after the fact
was exhausting. Hardly felt worth taking lives if all I got out of it was a
bunch of week-long nervous breakdowns, you know?
I was trying to put all that behind me now, anyway. Moving on…
I’d stayed alert for signs of danger in the ten days since the battle, but
nothing much had happened. My mana capacity had fully replenished by
this point, so I was in peak combat condition. I also had the Magic Armor
Version One close at hand, and I wasn’t allowing myself to get careless. It
was hard to imagine the Death God coming for us now. His advantage
would have been greater if he’d attacked during our audience with Pax.
The possibility that the Man-God wasn’t actually pulling the strings
here got more plausible by the day. Maybe it was like Orsted said. Maybe
these events had taken place in the other timeline and simply weren’t
mentioned in the diary. Zanoba might have dealt with this problem without
my help, or he might never have been summoned in the first place.
I wouldn’t call this whole trip a waste of time, though. My friend’s
life had genuinely been in very serious danger. But the war was over now,
in any case. There were no more enemy armies lurking on Shirone’s
borders. Surely that accomplishment would be enough to satisfy Zanoba’s
sense of duty. Now we just had to talk him into coming back home to
Sharia. I wasn’t about to leave him here under Pax’s thumb.
“Hnnngh!”
I stretched out the kinks in my arms and back as I basked in the
morning sun. I had no solid proof the Man-God wasn’t up to something, but
given that we’d been left alone this long, the odds he’d laid a trap for me
were low. Thanks to that reassuring thought, I’d gotten a good night’s sleep
for once. I woke up with a spring in my step, and decided to go wash my
face in the nearby river. A bit of magic would have done the job just fine,
but I was in the mood for a stroll.
 By the time I got there, a few small groups of soldiers were already at
the riverbank, splashing water on their faces and brushing their teeth.
“Hey, it’s Rudeus! Good morning, sir!”
“Thanks for keeping watch again last night!”
“You know, I just assumed that huge metal suit was some toy of
Prince Zanoba’s or something. Quite the impressive magical implement!”
I was surrounded before I could even reach the water’s edge. I had
really become popular in this fort all of a sudden. This daily barrage of
flattery sure took some getting used to.
Incidentally, the soldiers were all dressed in light brown shirts and
pants, the standard clothing they wore when off duty. The outfit was the
same for men and women. And it seemed the women didn’t wear bras to
bed, judging from the visible perkiness currently being displayed by that
archer who’d given me a hug the other day. What a lovely way to start my
morning.
“Ah, I was wondering what this crowd was about. Good morning,
Master Rudeus.”
Turning, I saw Zanoba had come strolling up to us as well. He wore
the exact same outfit as his soldiers. Thanks to his height and oddly skinny
limbs, he looked a bit like some unwashed NEET leaving his room for the
first time in a year.
“Prince Zanoba!”
Despite his less than regal appearance, all the soldiers dropped to
their knees at the sight of him.
“There’s no need for that. Go on, get back to your washing up.”
“B-but Your Highness…”
“At the moment, I’m a drowsy soldier like the rest of you,” said
Zanoba, emphasizing his point with a big yawn. “And surely you don’t
expect me to act all high and mighty in this outfit?”
The man had been absurdly busy lately. I couldn’t tell you all the
details, but evidently there were a thousand different tasks that needed
seeing to after such a large-scale battle.
 Incidentally, although the fallen were left lying on the battlefield, a
group of tough-looking customers showed up within a few days to strip
them of their equipment and incinerate the bodies. It seemed there were
people who hung around in war zones and made their living off this kind of
work. Sort of professional versions of the peasants who hunted down
deserting samurai for cash.
Zanoba and I made our way to the riverbank together, and kneeled
down to splash our faces with water.
“…So how’s it going with the negotiations? You think they’re going
to sign off on the truce?”
Instead of jumping straight into persuasion mode, I led off with a
light jab. Once we got that truce signed and implemented, there would be
no real need for Zanoba to keep hanging around in Shirone. The war would
be over, after all.
“They will. We received a provisionary reply just yesterday, in fact.
While no official decision has been made, all indications are they will soon
accept a truce. There should be no further incursions for…oh, at least the
next three years.”
At those words, several of the soldiers within earshot murmured in
excitement.
Whoops. Maybe that wasn’t a question I should have asked in
public…but I guess the news was good, so it shouldn’t be too much of a
problem.
That tidbit about “three years” was interesting, though. Given the
way he’d phrased the sentence, Zanoba thought the Kingdom of Bista
hadn’t fully abandoned their hopes of conquering Shirone, despite that
crushing defeat the other day.
I had to assume they would dismiss most of their current command
structure, which meant they’d have to find new generals who were
competent. Replenishing their forces would take time, as well. And they’d
have to find some halfway-plausible excuse for breaking the truce they
were about to sign. At a bare minimum, it would take three years to sort out
all of the logistics. In practice, it might well be far longer before they were
ready to make another move…
 “That should be time enough for our purposes, however,” said
Zanoba. “Given three years of peace, I’m sure our kingdom will grow
strong and stable once again.”
While Bista was regrouping, Shirone would have a chance to fully
rebuild its own government and armies.
“You think King Pax can pull it off, though?” I asked.
“I don’t doubt it for a moment,” replied Zanoba with a firm,
confident nod.
I wasn’t sure where his certainty was coming from, but maybe there
was some plan in the works. One way or another, it sounded like this war
was over. That sure hadn’t taken long.
“Good to hear. Hope they sign off soon so he can get started,” I said.
“Indeed…”
There was happiness on Zanoba’s face in that moment, but a hint of
melancholy, too. I guess I could understand that. He wouldn’t have much of
a role to play around here once things were nice and peaceful.
This seemed like a good opportunity to change gears.
“Hey, Zanoba…what are you planning to do next, once this war is
over?”
I led off with a second light jab, although the question came out
sounding more ominous than I’d intended. Hopefully Zanoba didn’t have
any plans to propose marriage to his sweetheart, which was the surest
foreshadowing for his death. If he hit me with “I’ve already bought the
bouquet,” it might be beyond my power to save his life.
“I suppose I’ll return to the capital to receive new orders from His
Majesty, first of all. Although he might also opt to keep me posted at this
fort for now…”
“You mean you’re staying here? In Shirone?”
“…Hm? Well, yes. Naturally.”
To be fair, that was the reply I’d been expecting. But it almost
seemed like the thought of returning to the Magic City of Sharia had never
crossed his mind. The Magic Armor hadn’t been fully perfected yet, our
study of the automated doll was stalled halfway through, and our plans to
sell figurines produced by Julie were only now beginning to come together.
Wouldn’t he regret leaving any of those projects unfinished?
Well, of course he would. He was passionate about them all.
“Look, Zanoba…”
“Yes, Master Rudeus?”
“Once that truce gets signed, how about you come back home to
Sharia with me? Let’s keep making figurines together.”
Damn, that kind of sounded like a proposal. And I didn’t even buy a
bouquet first.
You know…maybe it is a proposal, in a way. I’m not looking to get
married or anything, but I’m basically asking him to choose me over his
homeland.
Zanoba looked over at me expressionlessly, water continuing to drip
from his face. All the emotion had drained right out of him. It was hard to
believe he’d been smiling so cheerfully just a moment earlier.
Not good. He was clearly going to shoot me down. I’d messed this up
completely, hadn’t I? I should have gotten him in the right mood before I
declared how I felt. All of my well-calibrated rejection sensors were
screaming brace for impact. This guy was about to break my heart.
“Uh, I mean…it’s not like I’m asking you to abandon the kingdom or
anything, just…Hmm?”
At that moment, I heard a commotion coming from the fort, and the
loud sounds of hooves against the earth. There was no cavalry stationed at
Fort Karon. Who could that be?
I looked back toward the fort in time to see a single rider turn the
corner and head in our general direction.
“Hmm. A messenger from the capital, perhaps?” said Zanoba as we
rose to our feet. “I expect they carry a letter from Pax regarding our
negotiations.”
“So what’s the plan if he tells you to stay out here fighting until the
enemy’s completely crushed?”
 “Ah, now there’s a question. I suppose it may be possible, if you were
kind enough to accompany us…”
As we bantered, the horse had grown steadily closer. I realized that I
recognized its rider. It was someone we both knew well.
“Ginger?”
It was her, all right. And she was driving her horse forward with a
look of pure desperation on her face. What was going on here?
She spotted us and turned the horse sharply, spurring it directly up to
us. The nearby soldiers stepped in between us, forming a protective wall.
“That is my personal guard!” Zanoba shouted. “Make way at once!”
An expression of relief flashed across Ginger’s face as the troops
stepped aside and Zanoba strode forward to meet her. Then she slipped out
of her saddle and tumbled to the ground.
“Ginger! What’s happened?! Speak to me!”
“Haaah…haaa…”
Zanoba lifted her off the ground in his arms. She was in clear
distress, and her breathing sounded harsh and labored. She had no obvious
external injuries, but her face was clouded with exhaustion. It looked like
she’d been riding at top speed for days without a moment’s rest.
“A-an uprising in Latakia, Your Highness. Jade, the former general,
rose in the name of the Eleventh Prince. His army has…surrounded the
royal palace!”
Managing to barely gasp out her message, Ginger promptly fell
unconscious.
“The Eleventh Prince? But there were only ten of us! What’s the
meaning of this, Ginger?! Explain yourself…you must explain at once!”
“Calm down, Zanoba. She obviously needs some rest…”
After I got Zanoba to stop shaking Ginger frantically in his arms, we
brought her to a room inside the fort to recover.

The Eleventh Prince was a boy named Haruha Shirone.

 He was a child three years of age, sired by the former king Palten
Shirone quite late in life. His mother came from a farming family, a lineage
that should have disqualified her completely as a potential royal consort.
For that reason, Haruha’s existence was never publicly acknowledged.
Officially “finding employment” with a provincial lord, his mother was
granted an isolated mansion in a distant corner of the kingdom in which to
raise her son in secret.
Precious few within the kingdom even knew of Haruha’s existence.
There was the king himself; the minister who procured the mansion; and
General Jade, who happened to be the brother of Haruha’s mother.
Two of these men died in Pax’s bloody purge, but General Jade did
not.
Jade had sworn an oath of undying loyalty to the former king.
Despite his humble origins, Palten recognized the man’s uncommon talents
and raised him steadily through the ranks to his position. And that position
allowed Jade to lift his family from a life of grinding poverty into one of
comfort and indulgence. Jade owed the king everything, and his gratitude
was great. So great that when the king’s eye settled on his younger sister, he
offered her up willingly.
At the time of Pax’s coup d’état, Jade had been stationed at Fort
Karon. The fort’s garrison numbered nearly a thousand back then. Jade took
half that number and rushed back to Latakia. But by the time he arrived, it
was too late: he learned the king was already dead, along with the rest of
the royal family.
There were around two thousand soldiers stationed at the capital, now
under the command of Pax. Jade’s own army was now fifteen hundred
strong, swelled by the troops of local lords who’d sent reinforcements along
the way. They were outnumbered, but given Jade’s great skills as a
commander, they could potentially have triumphed.
But in the end, Jade opted not to fight. The reason for this was
simple: his own army was now internally divided into a pair of rival
factions. Half of his allies wanted to drag the usurper Pax off the throne.
The other half wanted to recognize him as king at once. Watching the
nobles squabble viciously with one another, Jade realized he had no real
hope of victory. He surrendered without a fight, and swore his allegiance to
the new king of Shirone.
There was, of course, more to this decision than met the eye. Jade had
learned for a fact that his sister’s child, the Eleventh Prince Haruha Shirone,
was still alive.
He would wait patiently for the right moment. He would bide his
time. And in the end, he would avenge the king’s death in the name of his
nephew. This was the true oath he swore that day.
In the weeks that followed, Jade made his arrangements quietly. He
sought out those who resented Pax’s rule, and unified them into a secret
alliance. He searched for the Eleventh Prince. He made the necessary
bargains with the local lords…and before long, he had raised an entire rebel
army, ready and eager to strike at his command.
Victory was now a real possibility.
And then, the perfect opportunity presented itself.
Bista’s armies were preparing to invade, and Pax began to send his
troops to garrison the northern fortresses against this threat. Thanks to
Jade’s departure and the chaos of the coup d’état, Shirone’s military had
been severely weakened, and the King Dragon Realm wasn’t sending
reinforcements. In all likelihood, this war would not go well. Once the
enemy pushed past Fort Karon, the most defensible of Shirone’s border
forts, Pax would have little choice but to use his trump card and send the
Death God to the north. And with Randolph gone, even a smaller force
could succeed in murdering the king.
Jade had failed to account for one crucial factor: the sudden return of
the Third Prince Zanoba Shirone. His appearance on the scene was
shocking enough, but he’d also brought along the former court magician
Roxy Migurdia—and a mage named Rudeus Greyrat, said to have felled
both the North Emperor Auber and the Water God Reida in battle.
Perhaps Jade had considered reaching out to Zanoba, on the chance
he’d returned to take revenge on Pax. But Zanoba showed every sign of
loyalty to his brother, and set out to defend Fort Karon on his orders.
Jade’s plan soon careened off course. Shirone beat back the invaders
at Fort Karon in a historic victory, and the Death God stayed put at Pax’s
side.
The armies of Shirone were currently weakened, but would recover
in due time. And there was a good chance Pax might recall the forces he’d
moved north to the area around the capital. In particular, if Prince Zanoba,
Roxy Migurdia, and this Rudeus returned, any attack would be doomed to
failure.
Jade’s window of opportunity was closing fast. And so, for lack of
any other option—he launched his uprising. Gathering his rebel troops, he
seized the capital in one lightning-fast strike and besieged the royal castle.
This was Ginger’s outline of the incident, which she gave to us when
she woke up after several hours of exhausted sleep. She was in Latakia
itself when the rebellion began, but managed to slip out the gates in the first
chaotic hours of its occupation. The very next moment, she rode straight to
Zanoba as fast as her horse would carry her.

“When I fled the capital, it seemed like the king was holed up in the
palace with a small force of defenders…but I couldn’t say where things
stand at this point.”
Ginger brought her lengthy story to a close with a calm and steady
voice.
The royal palace was a solidly defensible position. But days had
passed since Jade’s forces surrounded it. Pax might well be dead, and his
castle occupied by the rebels.
But why had he chosen to hole up inside its walls? His “small force of
defenders” included the Death God, Randolph Marianne. They could have
broken through the enemy’s encirclement and fled.
There was so much we didn’t know yet. The best option, I assumed,
was to move carefully and gather—
“I see. Let us head for the capital at once, then,” said Zanoba, in the
tone of someone proposing a quick stop at the convenience store. He rose
from his seat before he even finished speaking.
Ginger seemed relieved by this pronouncement. But at Zanoba’s next
words, her face froze up with shock.
 “If His Majesty has escaped, we can bring him back to this fort for
his protection. If he’s been unable to flee, we can enter the castle through a
secret passage known only to the royal family, and escort him out to safety.”
“W-wait, Your Highness!”
Pushing herself up in her bed, face filled with desperation, Ginger
grabbed Zanoba’s sleeve before he could stride away.
Zanoba smiled over at her reassuringly. “We’ll be quite all right on
our own, Ginger, I assure you. Stay here and rest up while we’re gone.”
“Do you truly mean to take King Pax’s side in this?!” cried Ginger.
Her tone was one of utter disbelief.
Zanoba turned back to face her, quirking one eyebrow quizzically.
“Naturally. Who is this Eleventh Prince to me? I’ve never seen the boy’s
face, and have heard nothing of his birth until now. I’m somewhat skeptical
that he’s even my father’s son.”
He did have a point. It was possible General Jade just loathed Pax for
other reasons, and had fabricated this new prince to serve as his puppet.
Assuming the king really had been intimate with his sister, it would be easy
enough to make the story sound convincing.
Ginger was having none of this, however. The bewildered frown on
her face was only growing deeper.
“So you intend to come to King Pax’s aid, rescue him from the
palace…and then do what, exactly?”
“Our course of action will be a matter for His Majesty to decide. But
if he orders me to defeat the rebel army, I suppose that will be my next
priority.”
“You can’t mean that, Your Highness. Why would you go so far to
help that vile creature?!”
Zanoba’s eyebrow twitched at that. There was anger on his face now.
“Did you just call our king a creature, Ginger? Is that truly what I heard you
say?”
“I’m aware I overstep my bounds! But Prince Zanoba, please—have
you forgotten what Prince Pax did to me?”
 “What on earth are you talking about?!”
“He took my family hostage, Prince Zanoba!”
Zanoba’s eyebrow twitched again.
I’d almost forgotten about that ugly detail myself, after all these
years, but you could understand why the memory stayed fresh for Ginger.
She suffered Pax’s cruelty directly, and such memories stayed with you
forever. I had to assume Lilia and Aisha would back her up right now, if
they were here.
“What sort of a king coerces the obedience of his personal guard by
threatening their families?! Why lift a finger to keep him on his throne?!”
I recalled that the Edo-era shoguns built a whole system around that
concept. Too bad Ginger hadn’t been around to chew them out. Though
from what I remembered, the royal family’s personal guards were a big deal
in this kingdom. The more knights a prince had under his direct control, the
higher they moved in the order of succession…or something like that. The
guards probably took pride in their vaunted position. They weren’t ordinary
lackeys.
“Hrm,” said Zanoba after a moment. “Well, Ginger, I have a question
of my own. Why do you protect a prince such as Zanoba Shirone?”
“What…do you mean?”
“I sold you to my brother, as you may recall. Hardly the deed of a
worthy prince, or one deserving of protection. Why do you serve me
nonetheless?”
A very reasonable point. It was Zanoba who’d put Ginger at Pax’s
mercy in the first place. He’d literally traded her for a figurine of Roxy that
Pax had purchased somewhere. Why was she so damn loyal to this guy,
anyway?
Oh, right. She’d promised his mother to look after him…
“Well, I…I know that you’re far wiser than you let on…”
Ginger didn’t bring that up, though. I guess it wouldn’t help her case
that Zanoba was any less crappy of a boss than Pax.
 “Pax is quite a clever man in his own right, wouldn’t you say?”
replied Zanoba.
“Perhaps clever, but not wise. He gives no thought to the
consequences of his actions, only the pleasure they bring him in the
moment. It’s the behavior of a fool…”
“And I’m a fool who’s devoted my life to dolls and figurines. It
seems that Pax and I are much the same.”
“That’s not true,” said Ginger, locking eyes with Zanoba without
moving from her kneeling position. “You are a Blessed Child, Prince
Zanoba. To reveal that you possessed both strength and wisdom would have
put a target on your back. You played the fool to avoid your rivals’ notice…
I’m certain of it.”
Zanoba said some oddly profound things from time to time. He’d
deciphered that bizarre ancient writing we found on the automaton’s core—
he made the Magic Armor for me. Since returning to Shirone, he’d also
proven himself a quick-witted commander with real strategic vision. There
were plenty of reasons to believe Ginger might be on to something here.
That said, his obsession with dolls was…clearly genuine. There was
no way to fake that kind of passion. If anything, I guessed he wasn’t that
interested in showing off his intelligence in front of people.
“I have no need to play the fool, Ginger,” Zanoba said. “I’m the very
definition of one. All I want from life is to drown myself in my absurd
interests.”
“In that case, let’s head back to the Magic City of Sharia
immediately. You could devote the rest of your life to your passions there.”
“I’m afraid that’s not an option. A puppet like myself can only move
as it’s directed.”
“I…don’t understand…”
At this point, Ginger turned to look at me. The message in her eyes
was clear enough: Say something to him! You know I’m right about this.
I agreed that Pax had done some truly unforgivable things. He’d
captured Lilia and Aisha, lured me into a trap, and tried to make Roxy into
his own personal slave. I’d seen him punch Lilia in the face. I kept my cool
at the time, but it sure as hell pissed me off to think about that now.
“Listen, Zanoba…I don’t like this plan either.”
“…Oh?”
“Maybe Pax did change a little during his stay in the King Dragon
Realm. But that doesn’t mean he’s someone worth risking your life for.”
Zanoba turned to face me now, pouting irritably. “I hardly expected
this from you, Master Rudeus. As I’ve explained before, my life is the
property of this kingdom. And of course, this kingdom is its king. With his
life in danger, I can hardly sit back and—”
“Do you remember what you told me before we left, Zanoba? ‘It’s
my duty to protect Shirone against her enemies. That is the reason I’m
alive…and was permitted to indulge myself for all these years.’ That sound
right to you?”
Zanoba made no reply to that. I’d memorized every word perfectly.
“Why would you care if it’s Pax or this Eleventh Prince sitting on the
throne? Your job is to protect Shirone from invasion, not to sort out all its
ugly power struggles. Once that truce is signed, the war with Bista will be
over. Seems to me like you did your duty perfectly.”
“Master Rudeus, please…”
“Can’t you call it a day for now? Maybe I shouldn’t say this out loud,
but the trip over here isn’t exactly grueling. You could go right back to your
normal life in Sharia, and pop over whenever it seems like a war might
break out.”
“Hrm.”
Zanoba brought his hand to his chin and looked up at the ceiling.
After a moment’s contemplation, he turned his gaze back to me.
“It’s quite an appealing idea, I must admit…but I can’t accept.”
“Okay, but why not?”
It was getting harder to keep my cool. Much harder. I knew I had to
try, though. Shouting at someone was the last way you’d ever change their
mind.
 I knew there were flaws in my reasoning, of course. The Kingdom of
Shirone wasn’t likely to let Zanoba just wander off because his job was
done for now. And if he kept popping up out of nowhere to take command
at the last possible moment, it would cause all sorts of headaches and
complications.
I could see all that. I knew my arguments were flimsy. But he could
still use them as excuses to come back home with us, to the place where he
was happiest.
“Can you at least give me an explanation, Zanoba?”
“Hmm… I’m not entirely sure I understand it myself.”
Oh, come on! Are you serious?!
Ugh. Okay, calm down. Gotta stay patient. He has to have a reason.
There has to be something that’s making him this stubborn. Just stick with it
and keep poking, and we’ll get there eventually…
“Listen, Zanoba… You do understand Pax must be terrified of you,
right?”
“Terrified of me? But why?”
“I mean, he killed the rest of your family, remember? And you’re a
Blessed Child.”
Zanoba bore the man no grudge, but Pax had plenty of reason to feel
guilty about his actions. Kings in that position tended to get paranoid.
“If you show up in the palace to help him escape, he could easily
assume you’re there to kill him. You might end up getting murdered by the
Death God on the spot.”
I was met with silence.
“The same thing could happen later on,” I continued. “You could
save his life a dozen times, and I still don’t think Pax will trust you.
Eventually, he’ll find some convenient excuse to have you killed. It makes
no damn sense for you to stay with him.”
Zanoba said nothing. He gazed at me, his face impassive and
unreadable.
 “You told me that if your kingdom wants you to die, then you’ll
accept that. And I can understand why you’d be willing to die in battle,
okay? It’s your duty. It’s the reason they let you live. But why would you let
Pax murder you out of paranoia? What good would that do for Shirone,
exactly?”
Zanoba closed his eyes and drew a long, slow breath, as if trying to
digest my words. As he exhaled, he opened his eyes halfway.
“Despite it all, he’s still my little brother…and the only family I have
left,” he said.
And just like that, he’d knocked all the wind out of my sails. The man
was fighting dirty now. What was I supposed to say to that?
Seemingly unaware that he’d already won the argument, Zanoba kept
going.
“Perhaps it sounds absurd, coming from a man who’s never spoken of
such things before…but Pax is my brother, Master Rudeus.”
His face was blank. There were none of the usual theatrics—no
laughter, no shouting, no pompous posturing. Zanoba was merely staring at
me. Or maybe through me.
I let out a long, audible sigh. It seemed I had to add persuasion to my
list of his skills and gifts. By introducing the “he’s family” angle, he’d
kneecapped my ability to oppose his plans altogether. His stubbornness
suddenly seemed understandable.
I found myself wondering what I would do in his shoes. If Aisha
murdered Norn, or vice-versa, I’d obviously be furious. It was hard to see
myself forgiving that.
But what if I barely even knew one of them, or maybe both? And
what if the killer was mixed up in something much bigger than her? What if
she was trying to move forward, to accomplish something meaningful,
despite her mistakes and crimes?
I’d still give her a piece of my mind. But I’d probably try to help her,
too.
“All right, Zanoba.”
 Zanoba had no intention of coming back home to Sharia with us.
None whatsoever. I finally understood that now. I didn’t know how honest
he was being about his motives. But even if he was just manipulating me,
he’d used the word family to do it. That was the strongest possible weapon
you could use in an argument with me.
He’d made his decision, and he clearly wasn’t going to bend.
Sorry, Cliff. Sorry, Julie. Looks like I won’t be dragging Zanoba home
to you after all.
The only thing I could do here, realistically, was to protect and
support Zanoba until he somehow managed to win King Pax’s trust.
“To be honest, I was planning to bring you back home with me even
if it meant groveling in the dirt and blubbering. But since you put it that
way…I guess I’ll stick around for just a little longer.”
“My sincere thanks, Master Rudeus, and I’m glad it didn’t come to
that. The sight of your tears would certainly have weakened my resolve.”
“Damn. Maybe I should have started off with that.”
“Spare me, please!”
For the first time in a while, Zanoba and I grinned at each other in
amusement.
Cliff would probably understand once I explained the whole story to
him. As for Julie, well…I could ask her what she wanted, and bring her
safely to Zanoba if she chose to join him.
The Ruijerd figurine plan would have to be scrapped. That was
rough, considering we’d already gotten Perugius’s permission for it, secured
Ariel’s cooperation, and put Aisha to work looking for employees… It did
hurt to know that those years of preparations would amount to nothing,
honestly.
Still, I wouldn’t complain. I couldn’t. Not if Zanoba was doing this
for his family.
He wasn’t…exactly on good terms with Pax at the moment. But that
was something that could change with time. They could apologize for the
past and find a way to forgive each other. Slowly, bit by bit, they could
build a relationship based on trust and respect. Their mistakes could be
corrected.
I didn’t like Pax one bit, but he was capable of change. He’d proven
that much already.
Anybody could change.
“No…you can’t be serious…”
Ginger stared up at us, her face pale with horror.
I could understand where she was coming from. She hadn’t been
there at our audience with King Pax, had she? In her mind, he was still the
same Prince Pax she’d known many years ago—a vicious, petty little
bastard, in other words.
“I’m sorry, Ginger. Zanoba’s made his feelings pretty clear, and I
think I have to respect that at this point.”
Under the circumstances, it was hard to imagine Pax maintaining his
hold on the throne for long, but we’d have to see what we could do. The
first step was obvious enough, at least. Plus, there was some room for
optimism. When Zanoba showed up to rescue him, maybe Pax would
actually reconsider his mistrust.
“I believe that concludes our conversation, Ginger. My apologies for
everything I’ve put you through.”
With a gentle pat to his loyal bodyguard’s shoulder, Zanoba stepped
past her toward the door.
“Y-Your Highness, wait! Please!”
Half-falling out of her bed, Ginger grabbed Zanoba by the leg. She
made no move to release him, or to rise up off the floor, and there was total
desperation in her eyes.
“I understand there’s no stopping you, Prince Zanoba. But at least
allow me to make one small request of you!”
“What request would that be?”
“Don’t die, even if King Pax orders you to do so! Please…just don’t
die!”
 Her choice of words was clumsy. She probably hadn’t thought this
out beforehand. Still, her meaning was plain enough. At the end of the day,
all she wanted was for Zanoba to stay alive.
“Hrm. That seems a potentially unreasonable—”
I cut Zanoba off and accepted her request on his behalf. “You have
my word on that, Ginger. I’ll make sure Zanoba survives this, no matter
what.”
I understood Zanoba felt that he owed Pax his loyalty, but his death
wouldn’t help either of them. If their relationship fell apart and there was no
salvaging the situation, I’d have to drag Zanoba back to safety myself. That
was the job I originally came here to do. I wasn’t going to let myself lose
sight of it, no matter what else happened.
“Thank you so much, Sir Rudeus. You have my sincere gratitude…”
Ginger bowed her head deeply and said no more.
 Chapter 9:
To Pax’s Side

W E USED THE MAGIC ARMOR as our means of transportation to the

capital.
Disassembling it for transport by carriage would have been tedious
and time-consuming, and I wanted it for the battles that might await us in
the capital. Wearing it along the way seemed like the easiest solution. It
would mean wasting a good amount of mana, but I could justify that at the
moment.
We considered having Roxy and Zanoba ride on my shoulders, but
the experience would be horribly bumpy and uncomfortable. This was no
single day’s journey, either. They needed some sort of vehicle to sit in.
We ended up employing the bed of a wagon for that purpose. After
adding stabilizers with my earth magic to reduce the risk of it tipping over, I
hooked it securely to the Magic Armor, allowing me to pull it behind me.
Unfortunately, my efforts to improve the ride didn’t work too well.
By the time we made it to the capital, Zanoba was puking everywhere;
Roxy had her hands clamped over her mouth. Clearly not the sort of
transportation we wanted to be using regularly—but we’d managed to make
it to the capital in only five days.
I wasn’t sure how much mana I had left. My body felt a little
sluggish, so I definitely wasn’t working with a full tank. At least I hadn’t
needed to use it in combat, which hopefully meant I hadn’t drained myself
too badly.
Our entire mission here was to rescue Pax. In theory, the Death God
would be on our side this time, but there was no way to guarantee how
things would actually play out. I sure as hell wasn’t going to let down my
guard, anyway.

We arrived at Latakia, only to find it tightly sealed.

 The gates into the city were closed and barred. Soldiers of the rebel
army manned its walls. The surrounding area was crowded with
bewildered, anxious people who’d been locked out. I saw merchants,
adventurers, mercenaries…and even soldiers in uniform, who camped out at
a wary distance from the walls. Maybe they’d marched here from nearby
cities, or were out on patrol when the rebellion took place.
“Hrm. I suppose they don’t want anyone interfering until they’ve
settled things decisively,” Zanoba observed.
“Well,” I said, “I guess that means Pax is still alive, at least.”
Roughly ten days had passed since the rebellion seized this city. From
the looks of things, the royal palace was holding out against their siege. It
wasn’t clear exactly how badly Pax was outnumbered, but he was really
hanging in there. Probably didn’t hurt to have one of the Seven Great
Powers on his side.
Then again, there was still a chance he was already dead, and the
rebels were sealing off the city for some other reason.
We approached Latakia in a cautious, roundabout way, careful to
make sure no one got a good look at us. There would be a commotion if
Zanoba was recognized as a prince, and that would probably catch the
attention of Jade’s soldiers. Jade had already identified us as allies of King
Pax, so it was much safer for us to remain undetected.
We had considered carrying out a frontal assault, but ultimately
decided against it.
“This way, Master Rudeus. The entrance to the hidden path lies on
the riverbank ahead.”
Following Zanoba’s lead, we made our way along a quiet stretch of
riverbank not far from the city’s walls. It felt oddly peaceful here. The river
flowed gently, fish shone in the sun as they swam within it, and vaguely
duck-like birds paddled around on the surface. You never would have
thought there was a battle taking place so close nearby. How well-defined
was the border between peace and war, anyway?
“That’s it right there.”
 As we rounded a slight turn in the river, a watermill came into view.
We’d apparently reached our destination, so I deactivated the Magic Armor
and stepped out of it.
“There should be a passage that leads underground somewhere inside
that building,” Zanoba remarked. His tone was cheerful enough, but his
face was deathly pale. I’d temporarily soothed the symptoms of his motion-
sickness with my magic, but all that nausea had left him physically drained.
“How about we take a break first?” I asked.
“I think not,” replied Zanoba. “The situation could be critically
urgent. Let us infiltrate the palace at once.”
Yet we had no way of knowing what we’d find waiting for us. This
little mill might be the last safe spot for us to take a breather. And this secret
passage would probably be too small to accommodate the bulk of my
Magic Armor, so I wanted us to go in prepared for anything. Taking a break
would allow me to regenerate at least a fraction of my mana, but more
importantly, Roxy and Zanoba could use it to recuperate from their
miserable wagon ride.
“Slow down and think about this, Zanoba. We should really catch our
breath before we go charging in there. You and Roxy both look terrible
right now, and I could use a bit more mana in my tank.”
“Hrm…”
“Haste makes waste, as the saying goes.”
After a moment, Zanoba nodded reluctantly. “I’m not familiar with
the expression, but…very well.”
I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. The last thing I needed was us
wandering into danger with our eyelids drooping.
“Before that, I think we ought to make sure there really is a passage
in there,” said Roxy.
“Ah, yeah. Good idea.”
We made our way inside the little building and began to poke around.
It was stacked with wooden boxes and barrels, like some kind of storage
shed, and Zanoba and I had to move them out of the way so we could tap at
the floors and the walls.
 Eventually we found something on the far side of the mill, directly
underneath a heavy wooden box. It was a metal plate of some kind. It could
be classified as some kind of door, but it completely lacked handles.
“Ah, this must be it!” cried Zanoba.
“Well, let’s not jump to conclusions,” I said, although I honestly felt
the same way. “Might be a basement storage room or something.”
Careful scrutiny of the plate revealed no keyholes nor carefully
disguised handles. It seemed to be little more than a solid sheet of metal.
How were you supposed to open this?
After a moment, I remembered that this passage was intended as an
escape route. Maybe they’d deliberately made it impossible to open from
here, and so you had to push it up from the other side.
“All right, Zanoba. Can you pry this open?”
“Hrrmph!”
Within moments, Zanoba had ripped the thing out with brute force,
revealing a ladder leading down a dark hole. With a bit of fire magic, I
illuminated the bottom of the shaft about three or four meters below us. A
hole in one wall pointed in the general direction of the capital.
Still, that didn’t rule out a storage cellar. Just to be sure, I clambered
down the ladder and cast light directly into the hole. No boxes. Just an
empty, narrow tunnel that vanished into the distance.
“What do you think?” Roxy’s voice resounded.
“This is it all right!” I called back.
“Excellent. Now climb back up here and let’s get some rest.”
“Sounds good!”

***

After a three-hour nap, I headed outside and fetched the Magic

Armor Version Two from our wagon. There was no chance of squeezing the
Version One through that passage, unfortunately.
 The Version Two was highly effective in its own right, unless I
happened to be fighting someone on the level of the Seven Great Powers.
Given that the Death God Randolph was almost certainly waiting on the
other end of this passage, however, I couldn’t help feeling a little anxious.
That said—bringing in the Mark One would probably require
blasting my way straight through the palace walls. I wasn’t shy about
causing a bit of property damage now and again, but Zanoba didn’t approve
of the idea.
The secret passage was so narrow that two people would have found
it challenging to walk abreast. There were also no lights whatsoever, so I
used one of my Lamplight Spirit scrolls to illuminate our way. It was a
dark, empty tunnel, nothing more. About as basic a passage as you could
get. The three of us moved through it in single file, with Zanoba in the lead,
me behind him, and Roxy bringing up the rear.
“Quite the tight squeeze,” murmured Roxy from behind me. “Brings
back some unpleasant memories.”
I tried to think of something comforting or considerate to say in
response, but drew a total blank. “Ah. Right.”
Those were the last words anyone spoke for quite some time.
Silently, steadily, we made our way deeper into the darkness. After
something like an hour of walking, a door finally came into view. It was a
simple metal plate, much like the one back in the mill. Again, there was no
doorknob. It wasn’t made to be opened from this side.
“Hrnngh!”
Somehow wedging his fingertips into the tiny gap between the plate
and the wall around it, Zanoba violently ripped it out. We’d made the right
call having him take the lead, for sure.
“Oh? My goodness…”
As he tried to step forward through the doorway, Zanoba let out a
strange little grunt and stopped dead in his tracks. Leaning over so I could
peer around him, I saw that the passage ahead was packed solid with
something like earth or sand.
 We’d hit a dead end. There hadn’t been a single fork in the road along
the way. Which meant, uh…
“Either the passage collapsed in an earthquake,” said Roxy, “or
General Jade knew about it, and sealed it off well ahead of time.”
Yeah, those seemed like the most plausible possibilities. There was a
chance that Pax had done this himself during his coup, but in any case, this
was probably a major reason he hadn’t been able to escape.
“Master Rudeus, do you think you could get rid of this dirt for us
somehow?”
“Well…I’ll give it a shot.”
Squeezing past Zanoba, I took his place in front of the open doorway.
Fortunately, I was pretty comfortable working with earth and sand at this
point. I was the guy who’d dug out a nice little basement under Orsted’s
office, after all. My basic approach was to compress the dirt under intense
pressure, while simultaneously hardening sections of the walls and ceiling.
It was a bit like building a big rock pipe, one segment at a time. The result
this time was somewhat rushed, but it was solid enough not to collapse on
us. I’d picked up an intuitive feel for that sort of thing now.
After about an hour of slow, steady “digging,” the wall of earth ahead
crumbled noisily away all on its own. I’d reached the other side after
tunneling about five meters. Could have been worse, I suppose. And it
would have taken an absurd amount of time to dig through all that without
the use of magic.

Another hour of walking followed, bringing us to a total of four hours

spent in this tunnel. Zanoba, who didn’t spend a lot of time on his feet, was
starting to look a bit worn out by the end. Thankfully, this time we reached
the exit.
Initially, we found ourselves in what looked to be a basement. We’d
stumbled out of a door that was hidden in this room’s far wall. It was a
chamber with a well-built stone ceiling and walls, maybe ten square meters
in size. The walls were largely featureless, except for a few candle fixtures;
a staircase in the corner spiraled upward.
 It didn’t take me long to realize that we were in the royal palace of
Shirone. I recognized this chamber, after all. It happened to be an old
apartment of mine.
“Uh, Zanoba, isn’t this…”
“Indeed. The very room in which we first met each other.”
When you put it that way, it sounded almost romantic…but this was
the place where Pax had held me captive within a magic barrier, in other
words. The room seemed weirdly empty at the time, but apparently it did
have a purpose. It was the palace’s emergency exit. That explained well
enough why it was set up to power magical booby traps…although the
circle for that barrier seemed to be gone.
“Ah, what a pleasant memory. On that day, when I met the artisan
who’d created that wondrous figurine, I was positive my life had reached its
high point. Who could have known that even happier days lay—”
“Let’s save the nostalgia trip for later, please?”
Cutting off Zanoba’s apparent attempt to narrate some strange
documentary, I headed over for the staircase in the corner. It led us up into a
hallway. We proceeded cautiously.
The castle was quiet, and darkness lay outside its windows. The sun
had apparently set while we were crawling along that secret passage. Not a
single light illuminated the hall. Maybe the maids were all gone too. You
could have heard a pin drop in this place, seriously. Where were Pax’s
troops? Had he positioned them outside or something?
“Any idea where Pax might be?”
“I would expect to find him in our father’s room.”
Which meant…the royal bedchamber or something, probably?
After a quick look around, Zanoba took the lead and set off down the
hallway. He clearly knew this place like the back of his hand, but didn’t
seem sentimental about it; his eyes were fixed firmly on the path ahead. We
followed him silently.
“…Oh.”
 Roxy came to a sudden halt. She’d stopped right in front of a specific
room.
“You notice something, Roxy?”
“No, not really. I just realized this used to be my room.”
The door to the room was hanging open. There was nobody inside,
and little furniture except an ordinary bed and desk. It looked like its
occupant left in a hurry not too long ago; the bed was a rumpled mess, and a
jumble of personal items were spread across the desk and floor. Someone
else had apparently started living in here at some point after Roxy left
Shirone—it looked more like an apartment than a hotel room. But even
though it was clearly someone else’s space now, the thought that Roxy had
once lived here too made me feel weirdly…sentimental, I guess.
So this was the room where Roxy was staying way back when I was
tutoring Eris…
“Master Rudeus? Miss Roxy?” Zanoba asked. “Is something the
matter?”
I shook my head. “Nah, not really. Roxy just spotted her old room
and got a little nostalgic, that’s all…”
“What happened to saving that for later? Good grief…” Zanoba
walked back to join us, looking a bit exasperated. He glanced at the room,
hummed, and turned to Roxy. “The room you stayed in was the next door
over, actually.”
“Huh?!”
Visibly flustered, Roxy rushed over to the next room and threw its
door open. After comparing it to the first one, she looked up and down the
hallway for a moment…and blushed fiercely in embarrassment.
“I-It was too dark for me to tell, I guess.”
Curse you, Zanoba. You’ll pay for this… No one embarrasses my
precious, perfect Roxy like that. If she calls a circle a square, who are we to
disagree?
“Master Rudeus,” Zanoba murmured, “why are you stepping on my
foot?”
 “Oh, sorry! This carpet’s a little slippery, huh?”
“I’m quite aware of your love and admiration for Miss Roxy, but
would it truly be right to let her reminisce over the wrong room?”
A reasonable point. I decided to hold off on further foot-stomping.
In any case, it was kind of nice to get a little glimpse into Roxy’s past
like this. If it wasn’t for the Teleportation Incident, maybe this place would
have ended up as her home.
“Let’s just…keep moving, please,” said Roxy. The three of us
resumed our progress down the hallway.

In the end, we didn’t run into anyone as we made our way through
the palace. There was nobody in here at all, and it wasn’t clear why.
“Now, the formal entrance hall of this palace is actually located on its
second story, meaning any guests from the outside enter on that floor. The
third floor is largely devoted to more practical functions, such as—”
Zanoba was very chatty the whole way, for whatever reason. Maybe
he was trying to fill the silence.
The first floor was mostly living quarters for the troops and servants
who kept this place functional. The second floor held the entrance hall, the
throne room, and various other waiting rooms and chambers where guests
might be received. The third floor contained the offices and conference
rooms where domestic administrative matters of all kinds were attended to,
as well as passages leading to the castle’s ramparts and main defensive
tower. The fourth floor was where the princes and princesses of the
kingdom resided. Their personal guards also had their quarters here. And
finally, the fifth floor was where we’d find the king’s chambers.
There had been no one on the first floor. Or the second. Or the third.
As we came to the fourth floor, I glanced outside the windows once
again. There were bonfires burning all around the palace; it was clear the
rebel army had it closely surrounded. But I saw no sign of Pax’s own forces
whatsoever. It sure didn’t look like there was any fighting going on. I
couldn’t see a single silhouette on the ramparts, and I didn’t think the
darkness was to blame. This castle was deserted.
 Zanoba seemed to have picked up on these ominous signs as well.
After we reached the fourth floor, his chattering came to an abrupt halt, and
his face grew tight with tension. Something strange was happening in this
palace. By the time we reached the final flight of stairs, you could almost
feel it in the air.

Finally, we arrived on the fifth floor—the equivalent of this castle’s

keep. That was where we found the king’s own bedchambers, the most
valuable room in all Shirone in both monetary and symbolic terms.
A single man waited for us in front of its door.
It was the Death God, Randolph Marianne. For some reason, he sat in
a chair, casually leaning forward like a man taking a break. Elbows on
knees, hands folded together, head tilted to one side. The one uncovered eye
in his pallid skull of a face stared fixedly in our direction.
“I don’t get it. I really don’t. Why would a king build his bedroom all
the way up here, anyway?”
The moment he spotted us, Randolph began to speak.
“Seems ridiculous to me. Just makes his own life worse, really. Isn’t
it a nuisance, going down all those stairs every time he has to do his duties?
Isn’t the food always a little cold by the time it reaches him from the
kitchens on the first floor? Isn’t it sure to be a struggle just to make it up
here, once he starts getting old and frail? Isn’t he ensuring he will burn to
death if this building ever catches fire?”
Randolph cocked his gaunt head as he muttered these thoughts,
gazing steadily in our direction. His body language was like that of an
exhausted middle-aged office worker’s. And yet, a chill ran down my spine.
“Now, I would have built my chambers right down on the first floor.
Attending to my duties would be easier, my food would reach me piping
hot, and I could emerge whenever I pleased… But I suppose that’s the logic
of a commoner, isn’t it?”
Randolph giggled shrilly to himself as he babbled on. Somehow, the
man’s face looked even more skull-like when he was smiling. Roxy
swallowed audibly at the sight.
 “To be fair, the spot does have its advantages. It’s an ideal place to
hole up in if you find yourself under siege like this. They used plenty of
magic-resistant brick when they made this place, after all—no need to
worry about any long-range spells. And every floor has strong defensive
chokepoints, so it would pose challenges for anyone storming their way up
here. They built this place for war, to be certain.”
What was Randolph even getting at? He was just…sitting there.
Maybe we could walk right around him?
To tell the truth, I didn’t want to take a single step closer.
“Sir Randolph.”
As I hesitated, Zanoba moved forward instead. Randolph didn’t even
straighten up, much less rise from his seat, but he did favor Zanoba with
another unsettling smile.
I really wished he’d stop doing that. That face of his was even
creepier at night.
“Good evening to you, Prince Zanoba,” said Randolph. “What brings
you all the way out here?”
“Something odd appears to be taking place in this castle. Do you
know anything about the situation?”
“Why, naturally! It’s all my doing, after all.”
Randolph reached up and lifted his eyepatch. Beneath it, his eye
glowed with an ominous red light, a star-like symbol clearly visible at its
center.
It was a demon eye, beyond the shadow of a doubt.
“On the orders of His Majesty, I made use of my Eye of Severance to
produce a makeshift wall around the palace. Thanks to its power, I have
kept the enemy’s army at bay.”
An Eye of Severance? I hadn’t heard of that before. Orsted had never
even mentioned its existence. Honestly, that man was always leaving out
the most important details…
Still, if Randolph had to wear an eyepatch over that thing, it probably
meant he couldn’t control too well, right? Maybe I shouldn’t be worried?
 “I see,” said Zanoba. “What of the others?”
“All slain or fled, regrettably.”
“…And where is His Majesty?”
“Within his chambers.”
“Ah. Good. My thanks, Randolph. You’ve done well to keep him
safe.” Zanoba stepped forward, trying to make his way past Randolph to the
door.
Abruptly unfolding his hands, Randolph reached out to bar the way.
“Why do you block my path?” asked Zanoba sharply.
“His Majesty ordered me to allow no one entrance.”
“But I have urgent business with him!”
“However urgent it may be, I’m afraid His Majesty is terribly busy at
the moment.”
Busy? Busy doing what? There wasn’t anyone left in this castle for
him to be ordering around.
“I must ask you to step aside, Randolph. I came here to rescue His
Majesty, and that’s what I intend to do.”
“That’s quite thoughtful of you, but he evidently has no intention of
leaving this palace.”
The irritation on Zanoba’s face was growing stronger by the second.
Was it just me, or was Randolph being suspiciously vague right now?
“I would hear this from His Majesty’s own mouth!”
Zanoba moved to push his way past to the door…and Randolph rose
to his feet. It was a slow, subtle motion. It almost seemed as if his pale,
gaunt face had floated into the air, carrying the rest of him along with it.
“Now, now, let’s all take a few deep breaths,” said the Death God
mildly. “King Pax is rather anguished at the moment, you see. He needs a
little…space.”
“Anguished? Why?”
 “These rooms offer an excellent view of the city around this castle.
He can see the hostile soldiers within his own walls, glaring his way with
hatred in their eyes. And the soldiers gathering beyond—who simply watch
and wait, making no move to save him…” Randolph’s gaze moved behind
us for a moment.
I followed his gaze and saw that he was right. A massive window on
the landing offered a sweeping, panoramic view of Latakia and her
surroundings. The rebel army was camped around the palace, yes. But you
could also see the crowds and campfires clustered around the city’s sealed-
off outer walls. From up here, it did look like a huge army was sitting out
there with no interest in attacking the rebels. But I knew that the majority of
those people were simple merchants, adventurers, or ordinary travelers.
They were never going to storm the city’s walls.
“Until His Majesty comes to terms with these events, I won’t move
from this spot,” concluded Randolph.
“And how long will that take?” asked Zanoba through gritted teeth.
“Ah, how I wish I had the answer to that question. I do expect it
won’t take too much longer…”
“Enough of this! I have no time for your obstinacy!” Zanoba had
finally reached his breaking point. He reached out for Randolph’s shoulder
to shove him physically out of the way—
“Huh?!”
—and was instantly sent tumbling back down the hallway.
The momentum carried him all the way down the stairs behind us.
The back of his head slammed against the far wall, dislodging a sizable
chunk of masonry.
“My sincere apologies for the hackneyed line, but—you shall not
pass. Unless it’s over my dead body.”
As he spoke, Randolph drew the sword at his waist halfway from its
sheath. The blade glowed a sickly shade of green, casting an eerie light into
the darkness of the hallway. There was no doubt it was enchanted somehow.
Ah, shit. This is very, very bad. I don’t have the Version One…we
really shouldn’t be fighting him.
 “Calm down, Zanoba! Picking a fight is not a good idea right now,” I
warned him.
“But Master Rudeus…!” he protested.
Based on what Randolph said, he was simply protecting Pax and
following his orders. Zanoba had come here to help Pax as well. We had no
reason to be enemies. Of course, that logic wouldn’t apply if he was a
disciple of the Man-God, but the odds of that were low. This was way too
convoluted to be a trap designed to kill me. And if the objective was to
murder Pax and prevent Shirone’s transformation into a republic, the Death
God could have accomplished it a long time ago. Like…back when Pax was
staying in the King Dragon Realm.
It couldn’t hurt to ask, though. Just to be sure.
“Sir Randolph, we’re willing to wait if you really think it’s
necessary,” I said. “But I do have just one question for you first.”
“By all means, go right ahead.”
“Does the name Man-God mean anything to you?”
Randolph grinned at my question. It was a spine-chilling smile,
worthy of the dark and silent castle that he stood in.
“Yes, I’m familiar with the name. What of it, might I ask?”
With a harsh, rattling chuckle, he admitted it. He admitted it.
We had a reason to fight now.
Randolph was a disciple of the Man-God—acting on his orders,
furthering his schemes. I didn’t know what that scheme was yet, but
Randolph had caused this situation, and its outcome would work to the
Man-God’s benefit somehow. That made him my enemy. An enemy I had to
defeat while I still had the chance.
I had to kill him—and I think he saw it in my eyes.
“So it comes to this after all? What a pity.”
Randolph drew his sword, illuminating the hallway with its greenish
glow. Zanoba took up his club in response; Roxy raised her staff as well.
 And so, without further ado, it began. Our battle against one of the
Seven Great Powers was underway.
 Chapter 10:
Wasted Effort All Around

W E’D STUMBLED OUR WAY into a battle against the Death God. I
hadn’t planned to fight him without the Mark One, but it was too late to
back down now. I couldn’t let myself hesitate.
“Raaaaaah!”
Zanoba made the first move, rushing forward down the hall.
We were facing one of the seven most powerful fighters in the world,
but he didn’t seem to give a damn. With all the tactical sophistication of a
wild boar, he sprinted straight at Randolph and swung that massive club at
him, shouting as he did so.
“Goodness,” remarked the Death God as he neatly sidestepped the
attack. Exactly as I expected that he would. You couldn’t shrug off
Zanoba’s attacks; when he landed one, it was always going to be a bone-
crunching crit. The problem was that he didn’t stand much chance of hitting
Randolph.
It was my job to change that. I’d already summoned a Quagmire on
the exact spot Randolph had hopped over to.
“Oh, my…”
As his feet sunk into the muck, the Death God’s body swayed.
“Ice Smash!”
In that same moment, Roxy fired off a well-timed offensive spell.
The Death God deflected it with a flick of his sword, but the motion left
him even more off-balance than before.
Zanoba’s follow-up attack was already on its way. With all the
strength that had enabled him to hold the Immortal Demon King immobile,
he swung his club with stone-shattering force.
Despite his awkward posture, the Death God managed to nimbly
evade this second blow, but it was plain for all to see that he was in no
position to counter-attack. He’d fallen on his rear—the soles of his feet in
the air, sword pointing in the wrong direction, weight on his left elbow.
The look on his face was one of pure astonishment.
“What on earth? This can’t be…”
We had a chance to finish this. I shot a look at Roxy, then stepped
forward.
Zanoba, for his part, was already charging for the kill. I held both
hands out toward the Death God and channeled mana into them. If Zanoba
landed his attack, we’d won. If he didn’t, I’d use my Eye of Foresight to fire
off Electric in whatever direction Randolph moved toward. Once I had him
paralyzed, I’d use the magical weapon on my left arm to hit him with a
deadly Stone Cannon barrage. Even if he somehow managed to avoid all of
that, Roxy and I could keep up the pressure steadily until he lost his balance
again. Eventually, he’d get unlucky.
We hadn’t worked out this strategy in advance or anything, but we
ended up coordinating perfectly. We backed Randolph into a corner.
“Hrrngh!”
Once again, Zanoba swung his club viciously at the Death God.
But this time, something unbelievable happened.
The Death God blocked his strike. He blocked Zanoba’s club, swung
with the inhuman might of a Blessed Child. And he did so with his bare
hand.
It was an incredible feat of strength. The man had clearly earned his
place among the Seven Great Powers.
In the end, though, that wasn’t going to save him. His arm broke
under the strain. This was it—checkmate.
“Move, Zanoba!” I shouted.
Zanoba leapt reflexively to one side, and a purple flash of lightning
burst from my right hand. With a crackle that lingered in the air behind it,
the bolt of electricity struck the Death God and danced over his body.
I’d landed a direct hit.
 Randolph’s body stiffened in shock and slumped over like a falling
tree. He stared at me, pallid face twisted with bewilderment. His Battle
Aura might have prevented my spell from frying him, but it couldn’t
prevent the paralysis it caused.
Now all I had to do was finish him off. Mana coursed into the
weapon mounted on my left arm, and I fired off my follow-up attack.
“Shotgun Trigger!”
A hail of Stone Cannon spells, each with the power of a King- or
Emperor-tier attack, flew toward the Death God. This Stone Cannon was
my killing move, my specialty. Orsted himself had complimented its power;
when I landed it squarely on target, it was even capable of harming him. My
timing was perfect, the opportunity too beautiful to pass up. The Death God
had no way to dodge this. This was no attack you could just shrug off.
We’ve won.
“…Huh?”
And then, a split-second after I’d convinced myself that it was over—
all my Stone Cannons disappeared. Reduced to puffs of sand in midair, they
fell harmlessly against my target.
I couldn’t make any sense of it.
“Oh! Sir Death God!” cried Randolph, his gaze turning to something
behind me. “Have you come to save me?!”
What?! The Death God?! Isn’t that who we’re fighting right now?!
Was he misleading us from the very start?!
Heart pounding fiercely, I spun around in search of this sudden new
arrival. And in the hall behind us, I saw—
No one at all.
The only thing back there was an empty staircase, illuminated by the
moon.
“Rudy!”
By the time I heard Roxy shout my name, I was already falling. As I
pitched backward, I caught a glimpse of blue hair down at my waist. She’d
thrown herself against me. With no time to wonder why, I turned in midair
to wrap my arms around her protectively.
I hit the stairs back-first an instant later. My Magic Armor creaked in
complaint, but I hadn’t been injured.
“Wha—”
I looked back up toward the hallway and saw a very startled-looking
Zanoba…and the Death God, who had clearly just swung his sword.
The man was moving just fine. Hadn’t I paralyzed him with Electric?
Hadn’t he been crumpled on the floor? It made no sense. What the hell was
going on?
“Word to the wise, Sir Rudeus—a Death God always stands behind
his prey.”
His face was perfectly composed, his tone completely confident.
And finally, finally, I understood. It had been an act. He’d allowed
me to shock him with my spell. He’d deliberately stumbled, deliberately
fallen. All of that, just to coax me into turning back.
Damn it! Orsted warned me about the way Randolph fights! I should
have seen that coming half a mile away!
Still, how had he managed that trick earlier? Why did my Stone
Cannons just disappear like that? Had he used Demon Eye somehow?
…No. On second thought, I’d seen this one before. It was the same as
when I’d used magic on that Manatite Hydra. Which meant—
“You’ve got a Stone of Absorption on you, huh?”
“My, my,” he said. “You saw through that quite quickly… It seems
your reputation was well-earned.”
The Death God held out his hand, fingers spread wide. A Stone of
Absorption was embedded in the palm of his leather gauntlet. I hadn’t
noticed it before, but he must have used it to drain the mana from my spells.
Orsted never mentioned anything about him having one of these…
Could that be one of the stones we’d brought back from that labyrinth
in Begaritt? It wouldn’t be surprising for an elite knight of the King Dragon
Realm to collect items of that kind…and that was the sort of thing Orsted
might not even know about.
Well, whatever. I got a little cocky there at first, but I never expected
to beat one of the Seven Great Powers easily. It would be tough to beat
someone capable of totally canceling out my magic, but I knew exactly how
those absorption stones worked. You had to extend your hand in the
direction of the incoming spell and feed the stone a bit of mana. I just had to
make that impossible.
Getting behind him seemed like the way to go. This landing didn’t
give us a lot of room to maneuver, but with the three of us working
together, there had to be some way to get it done. From the looks of things,
he only had one of those stones on him. Maybe if Roxy and I cast spells at
him simultaneously from in front and behind, while Zanoba charged in to
attack…
Well, I knew it wasn’t going to be that simple. But if it didn’t work
out, we could try something else. Trial and error was our only real option
here. He’d have to go down eventually, right?
“Roxy, I need you to slip behind Zanoba, please.”
Silence. There was no reply. Come to think of it, Roxy hadn’t moved
a muscle since we came tumbling down here, had she?
Wait. Was my hand wet? It felt like her shoulder was a little damp or
something…
“…Hm?”
What the hell? It’s all red…
“Roxy? Wh—oh, god. What is this?”
There was a long gash in Roxy’s robe, and blood seeped from
underneath it.
My heart pounded in my ears. Memories of the past flashed vividly
before me—images of a man who died pushing me to safety. Images of his
body lying lifeless on the ground.
Paul had died saving me. And now history was repeating itself…
Roxy! No! What?! No, I have to be dreaming!
 “No, no! This can’t be happening! Roxy!”
“…I’m afraid it is happening,” she grumbled. “Would you please stop
poking at my wound? It hurts.”
I jerked my gaze away from her injuries and I found Roxy glaring
with the narrowed eyes of a fairly irritated woman.
“Uhm, right. Sorry.”
I’d overreacted somewhat. When I released Roxy from my arms, she
murmured a healing spell that stopped the bleeding immediately.
Thank goodness. She scared the hell out of me for a second there…
“What’s this?” murmured Randolph from above, stroking his chin
quizzically. “I was quite sure I’d struck a fatal blow…”
I admit I shivered a little at those words, but my wife was obviously
fine. It seemed a bit weird that a guy who called himself the Death God
couldn’t tell whether he’d killed someone or not, but hey, even monkeys fall
out of trees sometimes. Instead of taking Roxy’s life, he’d cost me a few
years of mine.
Better luck next time, you bastard. Let’s get back to it.
“Hm?”
Just then, there was an audible series of cracks from around Roxy’s
neck. I saw the necklace I’d given her before we left break apart and fall in
fragments to the floor. A moment later, the ring she wore on her finger
shattered too.
As I recalled…that ring was supposed to deploy a barrier in response
to physical attacks. And the necklace was designed to absorb a single lethal
blow.
“Ah, so that’s what did it,” said Randolph lightly. “Now I see.”
I shuddered involuntarily. It felt like a blizzard was howling through
my body, draining all the warmth and confidence from me as it went. And I
could have sworn that frigid wall of wind was descended from where the
Death God stood.
I knew this feeling—I’d lost my nerve. But recognizing the problem
didn’t mean I could do anything about it. Reflexively, I wrapped one arm
around Roxy and held her tightly to me.
“R-Rudy…?”
This was it. We had to stop. I hadn’t planned beyond this. I’d made
that necklace as an insurance policy against this scenario. It wasn’t luck that
had kept Roxy alive, in other words—it was my foresight. But there would
be no more safety nets from this point on. The man we were fighting could
kill us instantly with a single strike.
Trial and error? How many trials could you really hope for, against a
monster like this? We had no Continues left. If we kept this fight going, one
of us was going to die.
What the hell had I been thinking, anyway, picking a fight with one
of the Seven Great Powers at close range with no plan or preparations?
Orsted had warned me to keep my distance unless I had the Magic Armor
on. This whole thing had been a massive mistake from the outset.
“Zanoba, back off! Now! We need to get out of here!”
“Master Rudeus?!”
“We can’t beat him like this, all right?! We need to get the Version
One if we’re going to stand a chance!”
Zanoba didn’t lower his club, but he did take two steps backward and
frown at me over his shoulder.
“Oh, I think you’re putting up a respectable fight,” murmured the
Death God. “In particular, that last attack was very nasty. I’m not sure I
could ward that off again, now that I’ve revealed my trump card…”
Not gonna lie, I thought we had him in the first half. But I wasn’t
buying this crap now. Randolph was lying to me. Orsted had explained it
clearly enough. The Death God lured you into attacking or defending.
These words were another part of his technique, that was all.
Then again…could I be sure of that? Maybe he’d turned off his
Enthralling Blade mode and spoken his actual thoughts. That comment
wasn’t exactly subtle, after all. What if he was trying to make me think he—
Arrrrgh! To hell with this!
 Bottom line, nothing this man said was trustworthy. And there was at
least one thing I knew for sure: I couldn’t beat the Death God. Not like this.
That had been drilled into my head in a single terrifying moment.
Zanoba seemed to feel differently, however.
“If you won’t fight, Master Rudeus, just stay right there and watch.
I’ll face this man alone, force my way past him, and see my brother face-to-
face!”
Once again, he charged at the Death God.
For me, the next few seconds played out in slow motion. Zanoba took
one step, then another, his progress maddeningly sluggish; all the color
drained out of the world, and sounds faded into silence.
In my Eye of Foresight, the Death God was already moving—far
faster than the stumbling man we’d fought a little earlier. He was a blur, too
quick even for my superpowered senses to follow.
Time snapped back to normal.
The flash of a blade left an afterimage in the air.
“Zanoba!”
Randolph’s sword had caught Zanoba low on the flank and cut
diagonally to his shoulder. Zanoba’s suit of armor shattered, and his body
was sent flying upward; he hit the ceiling hard, and plummeted to the
ground just in front of me.
The world was still strangely quiet. It felt like I was having some
surreal nightmare.
“Huff…huff…”
My heart was pounding so hard it hurt.
Was he still alive? That strike had pulverized his armor. Its thick
breastplate and pauldron had broken like they were made of glass. How was
it even possible to shatter metal like that with a single swing of your sword?
I couldn’t begin to guess.
“To think my Armor-Crushing Slice could be endured…”
With those words from the Death God, my hearing finally returned to
normal.
 It was true. Upon closer inspection, there wasn’t a scratch on Zanoba.
The tunic under his armor was slashed cleanly through, but there was
nothing but a bluish bruise on the skin beneath.
“Urgh… Ggh…”
With a groan, Zanoba pushed himself to a sitting position and glared
fiercely up the stairs at Randolph.
“You’re quite the impressive specimen, oh, Blessed one. It would
seem that slicing you to pieces may not be practical.”
The Death God met his gaze from above, that horrific smile stretched
firmly across his face. Then he slowly slipped his sword back into its
sheath.
“That said, I’m no adherent of the Sword God Style…I feel no
pressing need to use my blade exclusively. You’re quite vulnerable to fire
magic, as I recall? King Pax mentioned something of the sort.”
Oh, hell. He can use magic too? But at least Zanoba’s armor should
nullify any fire…wait. Damn. There’s no way that enchantment’s gonna
work when it’s all smashed up like this.
Zanoba was back on his feet. The man still hadn’t given up. He
picked up his club and put one foot on the stairs, tensing for another charge.
Roxy got up as well. She stepped forward with her staff raised, ready
to support Zanoba—and placing herself protectively in front of me.
Finally, I got to my feet. Zanoba was one very stubborn man. He
might keep fighting until Randolph literally killed him. I couldn’t sit back
and let that happen. Plus, I couldn’t allow any harm to come to Roxy. If she
died here, I’d die too—in spirit, at the very least.
“You haven’t given up, then?” said Randolph, studying us with no
particular emotion in his eyes. He hadn’t assumed any stance, nor was he
chanting the incantation for a spell; he was just standing there, confident
and relaxed. It seemed he had no intention of launching an attack before we
did.
He’d claimed we were putting up a “respectable fight.” What a joke.
It felt like he was taking it easy on us. The man had nullified my entire
barrage of Stone Cannon spells; he could have canceled out all our magic
from the very start. But instead, he’d let us cast at him and teased me into
carelessness. He could very well have other tricks up his sleeve as nasty as
the first one.
What had Orsted told me again? When you want to defend, attack
instead…when you want to attack, defend? Could that mean my current
hesitation was exactly what the Death God wanted?
I couldn’t tell. I had no idea how to proceed. He had me second-
guessing every single thought. Roxy’s necklace was gone. So was Zanoba’s
armor. We had no idea what kind of tricks our enemy was capable of, and
even the Version Two might not protect me from even one attack.
This wasn’t going to work. It just wasn’t. We needed to back off, at
least for now.
But what about Zanoba?
I had to talk him down. If that didn’t work, I’d have to knock him
senseless from behind. Then we could fall back to the Version One and
regroup for another try.
“You understand now, Zanoba? This is hopeless. If you keep charging
straight at him, you’re going to die.”
“But Master Rudeus, Pax could be—”
“The Death God was waiting for something here,” I interrupted.
“We’ve got some time to work with! Let’s regroup and come back with a
plan.”
I saw Zanoba hesitate. On some level, he had to know we stood no
chance right now.
“Oh, are you leaving now?” said Randolph. “What a pity… I think
His Majesty will be finished up quite soon.”
Ignore him. It’s another trap…
“Yeah. We’ll be back soon, though,” I called up, watching the Death
God warily. The only question now was how easily he’d let us go. “I’m
sorry for attacking you so suddenly, all right? I guess we got a little carried
away. Do you think you could find it in your heart to let us leave for now?”
 I wasn’t expecting this pathetic whimpering to work, of course. Even
as I spoke, I was steadying my breathing and looking for some sign of how
he might react. Most likely, we’d have to fight to retreat back to the Magic
Armor along the route we’d taken here; once we got to it, we could finally
turn on our heels and battle. If he chose not to chase us all the way, so much
the better.
“Well, if that’s what you want…go right ahead.”
Huh? Wait, he’s just gonna let us walk away?
That was a bit anticlimactic. Randolph’s actions didn’t seem
especially…coherent. What was his objective here?
“Uh, Sir Randolph,” I said, “what instructions did the Man-God give
you, anyway?”
“Hm? None whatsoever. I’ve never met him in my life.”
What?! “But…you said you knew his name!”
“A relative of mine was acquainted with him some time ago, and I
learned the name from him,” Randolph explained. “That’s all there is to it,
really. I’ve never seen this Man-God or communicated with him in any
way.”
Oh, hell. So that means… “You’re not one of his disciples?”
“I’m not sure exactly what the term implies, but I suppose not.”
Goddammit, I jumped to conclusions! What is the matter with me
lately?!
I asked for further clarification. “Does that mean you’re not an enemy
of King Pax, either?”
“I am a staunch ally of both King Pax and his Queen Benedikte, I
assure you. They were the only ones to ever compliment my cooking, you
see…”
Exasperated, I continued pressing him. “So there isn’t some weird
ritual going on inside there or anything? And you’re not just buying time
until it’s over?”
“Well…I suppose you could call it a ritual of sorts. But I’d rather not
elaborate with such a young lady present.”
 The Death God’s eyes darted in Roxy’s direction as he spoke, and she
scowled at the patronizing comment. To be fair to Randolph, she really
didn’t look like a woman with a husband and a child.
Anyway. As much trouble as I was having with processing all this, it
seemed this fight had been totally unnecessary. And in that case…I
probably owed the Death God an apology, didn’t I?
Yeah. Sure felt that way.
“Uhm… Okay then. I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions. It sounds
like we’re on the same side here… Let me apologize again for attacking
you like that.”
“No. It was my fault as well,” replied Randolph, bowing his head to
us. “I should have explained myself more clearly.”
Wow, what a nice guy. Glad we got all that cleared up…
Ugh. Wait a second. What if all of this is just another part of his act?
What if he’s just buying time while he charges up his super instakill move or
something? Okay, dumb example. But you never know!
Damn it, I can’t even think straight anymore. If this really is the next
number in his puppet-master act, he’s got me doing the tango on his palm…
“Oh?”
Just as I was getting myself all worked up again, Randolph glanced
backward and visibly relaxed. I didn’t let my guard down a bit, of course. I
wasn’t about to let myself get careless now.
“It seems it’s over…” Randolph muttered.
Over? What’s over, Randolph? Our lives?!
“Come now, there’s no need to be so wary,” he said, glancing my
way. “I have no intention of killing you three.”
“…Uh-huh, very believable. Didn’t you say something about a fatal
blow before? Maybe I was hearing things?”
“Haha, I suppose you’ve got me there… I must say, you’re quite the
wit, Sir Rudeus.”
Oh, good. I’d amused Mister Skull-Face. Not that I’d been trying to.
 “In any case, King Pax ordered me to let no one enter until the thing
was finished. And now it is, so I’ve fulfilled my task.” Returning his sword
to its place at his hip, Randolph settled back onto his chair with a little sigh.
“Please feel free to enter.”
Could this be another trap? Maybe he planned to cut us all in half the
moment we walked past him. Seemed plausible to me.
Randolph studied us before asking, “Does the thought of showing me
your back disturb you? I suppose I could excuse myself for a moment…”
“That won’t be necessary,” said Zanoba, securing his club back to his
waist. “We’ll take you at your word.”
And so, inspired by my friend’s brave example, I finally decided to
believe that the fight was truly over. Our battle against the Death God had
ended as awkwardly as it began.

***

The king’s chambers occupied the top floor of the royal palace. It was
the finest suite anyone could have asked for, an extravagant testament to the
Kingdom of Shirone’s wealth. The walls were lined with paintings.
Beautiful statues stood on finely crafted desks. And near the back of the
room, there was an enormous, canopied bed—the thing had to be almost
five meters wide.
The sheets were rumpled. In the middle of the bed, a blue-haired girl
was wrapped in them, sleeping quietly. It was Queen Benedikte, and
judging from the clothing scattered carelessly on the floor nearby, she was
lying there naked.
A familiar scent hung in the air. Two people had very recently been
loving each other very much…in a way you can’t describe within earshot of
a child. So Pax and his queen had been getting busy up until just a moment
ago. The man was aware his kingdom was falling apart around him, right?
Talk about nonchalant.
Pax himself was out on the balcony at the moment, leaning on its
railing and gazing out at the capital below. His stubby limbs and large head
made him look almost childlike, and his features were more homely than
regal. He was clad in only his underwear, showing off a back that was
moderately muscular. It was also covered in scars and faded bruises.
The story of his life was written on his body.
“I was wondering what all that commotion was about. So you’ve
returned, brother?”
The instant Pax turned back toward us, I realized how wrong I’d been
about his state of mind. He had the face of an exhausted man. A man on the
verge of giving up entirely. But he seemed oddly calm as well. Randolph
had said something about Pax “coming to terms” with his situation.
Apparently, there had been some actual…coming involved in the process.
I mean, I’ve been there. Sometimes you’ve got to let it all out…
“Yes, Your Majesty. I’m here to rescue you. Let us abandon the
palace and make our way to Fort Karon together.”
Zanoba strode up to the balcony, and extended his hand to his brother.
Pax looked at it dubiously for a moment, then snorted. “You want to rescue
me? Surely you’re not serious.”
“Your Majesty, it would be wisest to surrender this position for now
and gather our strength elsewhere. You can take the palace back at any time
once we’ve gathered an army of sufficient size.”
“…And then what? Do I repeat the cycle once again?”
Pax met Zanoba’s gaze with eyes so cold I nearly shuddered. If you’d
told me he was the real Death God, it would have seemed almost plausible
in that moment.
“Repeat…what cycle, Your Majesty?”
The reply to Zanoba’s question was another disdainful snort.
Muttering “as if you’d understand” under his breath, Pax’s gaze flicked out
over the balcony once again.
“Comical as it may sound now, I did my best to rule this kingdom
well. I dismissed the corrupt ministers my father left behind, and gave their
posts to others more deserving. I gathered mercenaries to guard against the
threat of war. I won’t deny that public safety suffered as a result…but I was
trying to secure a future for Shirone.”
 Pax slumped back against the balcony’s railing, then pointed at
Zanoba.
“That was the same reason I allowed your return, brother, and gave
you that unreasonable task. It seemed the wisest choice available. In all
honesty, I still hate you—but I do respect your usefulness as a Blessed
Child.”
“I’m well aware, Your Majesty. And I understand how difficult these
decisions were for you.”
Zanoba’s reply sounded calm and reasonable to me. But for some
reason, it seemed to infuriate his brother. Clenching both hands tightly into
fists, Pax glared at him with bitter fury in his eyes.
“You don’t understand a thing! No one understands me, and no one
cares to try. Just look, you fool. The proof is right before your eyes!”
With a wide sweep of his arm, the king gestured at the world beyond
his balcony. The city far below us lay silent in the night, despite the ring of
rebel bonfires burning all around the palace. You could barely make out the
huge crowd massed around the city’s walls; their campfires and tents were
visible even from here. At this distance, it really did look like Latakia was
surrounded by a massive army.
“A horde of soldiers, my own troops, and yet they make no move to
crush these rebels!”
“You’re mistaken, Your Majesty. The large majority of that crowd
consists of ordinary citizens, not soldiers. Many among them are simply
merchants or adventurers of unclear origin.”
“What difference does that make?!” shouted Pax bitterly, slamming
his fist against the railing. “It’s still proof that everyone in this kingdom has
rejected me!”
I was starting to feel a bit alarmed, but forced myself to keep looking
on in silence. This wasn’t the time for me to speak. Zanoba was the only
person here who might be able to calm his brother down.
“That’s simply not true. Not all your subjects have turned against—”
“Don’t patronize me! You yourself could have led an army to this
city, but instead there’s only three of you. And the other two are here to
keep you safe, not me! Isn’t that right?!”
“Well, er…”
Pax wasn’t wrong about that. I’d been opposed to helping him in the
first place. In all honesty, I didn’t care much what happened to him, or even
to Shirone—I was here because I didn’t want Zanoba to die. Period.
“That’s what I thought! It’s always been this way. No matter how
hard I try, no one gives a damn. Whenever I convince myself I’ve
succeeded, everything crumbles apart mere moments later. My efforts
always backfire in the end! Always!”
Pax paused his diatribe for a moment. Just long enough to jab an
accusing finger in Roxy’s direction.
“Roxy!”
Startled by the sudden attention, Roxy froze in alarm and made no
reply.
“You know what I mean, don’t you? Or have you forgotten entirely
by now?”
“Wh-what—”
“Think back to the moment when I mastered my first Intermediate-
level spell!”
Roxy’s eyes darted around uncertainly. Did she even know what he
was talking about?
“I studied to the best of my ability! I practiced, and I practiced! And
when I finally succeeded, what was your reaction?!”
“Uhm…well…”
From what I could see out of the corner of my eye, Roxy seemed
completely flustered by this question. I couldn’t tell if it was because she’d
forgotten all about this, or because she remembered all too well.
“You sighed, damn you!” cried Pax.
“Wha…”
“As I celebrated my accomplishment, you sighed at me!”
“I…uh…”
 “You might as well have come out and said it: About time. Took you
long enough. Do you have any idea how crushed I was?!”
Roxy’s eyes went wide, and she bit her lower lip. Was this story
actually true? It was incredibly hard to believe. She’d always been so happy
for me every time I made the slightest progress…
“And still, despite it all, I adored you! You treated me less
dismissively than almost anyone I knew. Even after that awful moment, I
desperately strove to catch your interest. But to no avail! Your mind was
always elsewhere, and your eyes looked right through me! You were too
busy writing letters—to some man I’d never heard of—to so much as
glance in my direction! Why, I began to ask myself, was I even bothering?
Why work so hard, when all my efforts were so clearly wasted?! My
motivation waned and failed. So then you gave up on me entirely! You
looked at me like I was a rotting piece of garbage, and your lessons grew
more half-hearted by the day! In the end, you shrugged and left Shirone for
good!”
Pax tore at his hair with both hands as he ranted on and on. The
memories must have been flashing vividly through his mind. His eyes were
rimmed with tears, and grew more bloodshot by the second.
“I…I’m sorry, Pax. Back then, I was—”
“Shut up! I don’t want to hear your excuses!”
Roxy fell silent. The expression on her face was one of deep regret.
I guess some people might have stepped in here to say “No effort is
ever wasted” or something equally cliché, but I had no right to be lecturing
him on that subject. Since my arrival in this world, at least, I’d gotten plenty
of external validation for my efforts. When I tried my hardest, I usually got
results. Not to say I never failed, of course—but when I succeeded, there
were people there to compliment me.
How would I know if effort was its own reward? I’d never been in
this guy’s shoes.
“Oh, never mind. It’s not like you were wrong about me, clearly.”
Abruptly, Pax deflated before our eyes. His shoulders slumped; his
voice grew softer.
 “His Majesty handed me the Kingdom of Shirone on a platter, and
look what I’ve made of it. No one accepts me as the king. No one rallies to
my banner. Instead, they flock to join a rebel army in the name of some
random child who may not even be a prince. And in their uprising, I’ve lost
all the knights the King Dragon Realm entrusted to me. I can only imagine
His Majesty’s disappointment.”
Pax smiled in bitter amusement. Tears flowed freely down his face.
“In the end, I suppose it was only Benedikte who ever truly cared for
me. She loved me as I was, for what I am. Words never came naturally to
her, but she smiled for me, and that meant the world.”
It seemed that Pax’s earlier bellowing had been audible from the
ground. I was starting to hear the murmurs of distant conversation from the
bonfires around the palace. Maybe some of the soldiers had spotted Pax up
on the balcony.
Pax glanced down at them with a look of dull disinterest. “Tell me,
brother…what should I have done?”
“I would not presume to say. However, I imagine killing all our
siblings went a bit too far.”
“Yes. Yes, I suppose that’s true. But if I’d let them live, I think they
would have started another rebellion much like this one.”
“You…may be right.” Zanoba paused for a moment, then shook his
head as if to chase the thought away. “In any case, everyone makes
mistakes. And once you’ve reflected on them, you can apply the lessons
you’ve learned to your next endeavors!”
The words echoed through the king’s chambers, filling the entire
floor with Zanoba’s cheerful voice. You had to hand it to him—the man had
an amazing ability to ignore even the heaviest of moods.
“It seems I’m incapable of that. All I ever do is repeat the same
mistakes, over and over again.”
The slow, steady way Pax shook his head in that moment looked
exactly like the way Zanoba did it sometimes. The two of them were
completely different in appearance, but they had a lot of mannerisms in
common, at least.
 Raising his head, Pax glanced at something behind me. “Randolph?”
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
I startled. Just a little. The man was standing right behind me, and I
hadn’t even noticed his approach. Kind of unnerving, you know? What with
the whole always stands behind his prey thing?
“Proceed as I instructed earlier, please.”
“Your wish is my command, Your Majesty.”
“Good, good…”
What were these instructions he’d given earlier? Were we about to
find ourselves back in battle with the Death God? Our positioning was
terrible, if so. He had gotten way too close. Without the Version One it
would be a tough fight anyway, but if the fight started at point blank range,
we didn’t stand a chance.
All these thoughts flashed through my head instantaneously. But
before I could react in any way—
Pax hopped up and over the railing of his balcony.
“Wh—”
Wait, this is the fifth floor. Is he— Huh? He jumped off the damn
balcony?!
“Aaaaaaaaah!”
Zanoba sprinted forward. There wasn’t the slightest chance he’d
make it in time, but he ran anyway, his hand outstretched desperately. He
grabbed hold of the railing with both hands, and leaned forward…and his
momentum ripped the metal off the balcony, sending him tumbling into the
air.
“Zanoba!”
My heart pounding with panic, I spun around and ran out of that
room as fast I could.

We found them in the palace gardens.

 Zanoba was kneeling in the dirt, his face blank with shock, cradling
his brother’s lifeless body in his arms.
“H-hurry, Master Rudeus,” he croaked as I approached. “Use your
healing magic…”
Kneeling, I retrieved a scroll from within my robe and placed it
against Zanoba. The fall from the fifth floor had left him visibly bruised and
battered.
“No, no…use it on Pax…”
I shook my head without a word.
Pax was already dead.
It looked like he had hit the ground head-first. It was a gruesome
sight. I wanted to believe he hadn’t felt any pain, at least.
“He’s…gone?” asked Zanoba quietly.
“Yeah. I’m sorry, Zanoba.”
 I hadn’t even considered that he might suddenly leap to his death like
that. But in retrospect, it might have been his intention from the start. Pax
had been surrounded by his enemies, and felt he had no allies he could turn
to. Maybe that was why he’d never tried to flee the palace—he thought he
had nowhere to go.
Maybe he’d anguished over the situation for days on end, ultimately
deciding he was a complete failure as a king. Maybe he was ready to die
from the moment we walked in that door.
“Master Rudeus…”
Still cradling his brother’s body, Zanoba looked up into the night sky.
The top floor of the palace was visible far above; a beautiful full moon
hung in the sky beyond it.
There was no king in that majestic castle now. It was nothing but an
empty shell.
“How could I have failed so completely?” Zanoba asked.
I didn’t know what to say.
“Were all my efforts simply meaningless?”
“No,” I answered. “You did everything you could, Zanoba. I mean
it.”
Pax hadn’t recognized his brother’s efforts for what they were. He
was desperate for others to acknowledge his own hard work, but couldn’t
do the same for Zanoba.
I mean…in all honesty, it felt like the man was barely even aware of
Zanoba as anything except another piece on his chessboard. But that could
have changed over time. Pax could have eventually learned to trust Zanoba.
I’d always thought of Pax as an irredeemable scumbag, but even so…I felt
like Zanoba would have gotten through to him eventually.
“Why… Why did it have to come to this?”
“…I wish I knew, Zanoba.”
For a little while after that, Zanoba brooded wordlessly. He
eventually looked up at me with the expression of a man who’d just
remembered something.
 “Could it be…that this too was the Man-God’s doing?”
I still had no idea what strings the Man-God had been pulling. None
of his disciples had revealed themselves. But in the normal flow of history,
Pax was destined to turn this kingdom into a republic eventually, following
a few twists and turns. Now those events were never going to happen; if the
Man-God was involved, that was probably the reason. Maybe his one and
only goal this time had been to cause the death of Pax.
That pixelated bastard could see the future. He didn’t have to send
someone to murder you if he could set off some series of events that he
knew would drive you to despair and suicide, right?
Well…maybe. To be honest, that sounded like a really slow,
roundabout way of doing things. Maybe the Man-God had played no direct
part in anything that occurred here over the last few weeks.
But in hindsight, there was one thing I knew for sure: he’d arranged
for my first visit to this kingdom, many years ago. That directly resulted in
Pax’s exile to the King Dragon Realm. And according to Orsted, the
Republic of Shirone would cause the Man-God problems in the future. He’d
acted to prevent it from coming into existence at least once. It seemed safe
to assume that he’d always been looking for ways to deal with Pax, one way
or the other.
What a disaster. I should have realized all this from the start. I’d
jumped to all sorts of conclusions, some of them less than reasonable,
because I hated Pax too much to think the damn thing through.
“Yeah,” I finally replied. “It’s possible.”
“I see…”
Zanoba gently lowered his brother’s body to the ground, then exhaled
very slowly. His expression suggested he was crying, but no tears ran down
his face. I don’t think I would have been so stoic in his shoes.
After a long silence, he turned to me and murmured “Let’s go home.”
I nodded. There wasn’t much more to be said.
 Chapter 11:
Aftermath

I SUGGESTED WE CREMATE Pax; incinerating what was left of his

remains and burying him seemed the best choice to me. That was, after all,
one of the most universally common ways in this world to hold a memorial
service for someone who’d passed.
Zanoba shook his head and stopped me before I could go through
with it. He reasoned the rebellion wouldn’t end if they didn’t have Pax’s
remains. His voice was flat and unaffected as he elaborated that it would be
better to leave him intact instead, so that chaos reigning within Shirone
could finally subside.
Pax had been a king, for however short his reign had lasted. I didn’t
think it was right to hand his corpse over to the rebels, but there was
something indescribably persuasive about the way Zanoba talked me down.
In the end, I made no further argument, instead using my water magic to at
least clean Pax up before we carried him back up to the fifth floor.
By the time we arrived, we found Randolph with Benedikte draped
over his back and luggage in his hands. Roxy had apparently helped him;
per Randolph’s request, she had dressed the naked girl and fashioned the
sheets into straps to keep her safely secured to his back. Once she was done,
she’d snatched the clothes from the closet and stuffed them into a bag for
Randolph to take with him. She did this all without uttering a word.
“What of His Majesty?” Randolph asked. Those were the first words
out of his mouth when he saw us.
“Dead,” Zanoba answered flatly. “I will hand his remains over to the
insurrectionists in order to put an end to their rebellion.”
Randolph’s expression remained placid, revealing nothing. That was
the biggest indication to me that he already knew before he’d even asked.
“His Majesty requests I take his queen with me and escape, that I
might deliver her safely back to the King Dragon Realm,” Randolph
explained.
 I was even more confident now that he had to have known that Pax
was contemplating suicide. Much as I wanted to demand why he hadn’t
stopped Pax, I had no right to drill him about it.
“In that case,” said Zanoba, “it would probably be best that you come
with us. We know the way out.”
“Very well, Your Highness. Your consideration is deeply
appreciated.” Randolph bowed his head to end their brief exchange.
We had been at each other’s throats only moments ago, fighting to the
death, and now Randolph was accompanying us peacefully. Normally, I
would have kept my guard up, suspicious that this could be the very trap the
Man-God had laid out—that the last battle was still lingering just on the
horizon. But I knew better than that. It was clear that Randolph had no
desire to battle us. It was strange how I knew that, but I did.
Randolph Marianne, the Death God, ranked fifth among the Seven
Great Powers. His strength put him on a level that far exceeded my own,
and yet even he looked fatigued. Not that he was the only one, of course;
Roxy and I were bone-tired, too. If someone suddenly barged in and
pleaded with me to fight with him again, I would probably limply shake my
head. Not a single one of us had any energy left. Zanoba was no exception.
He stayed deathly quiet.
In total our group numbered four—five, if you counted Benedikte.
We lumbered down the stairs, our footsteps heavy as we made it through the
exit tunnel and its narrow passages to make our escape.
It was still pitch-black outside, hours away from dawn breaking,
when we made it back to the watermill. My Lamplight Spirit raced through
the darkness, illuminating the way until its light hit upon the Magic Armor
we’d left sitting beside the watermill.
“Is this…the Fighting God’s armor?” Randolph asked abruptly. He
stared up at it, dumbfounded.
“No, this is something Zanoba and I put together,” I said. “It’s a
magical implement—Magic Armor, as we call it—used for intense battles.”
“Oh, is that so…?” he murmured thoughtfully. “Yeah, if you’d used
this thing, I might have been in a bad way.”
 I shook my head. “I’m not so sure. Ultimately, I was powerless in the
face of your Enthralling Blade.”
Randolph grinned. “You had me cornered before I even had a chance
to use it.”
“Sorry?”
“Your synchronized attack left me pretty battered, and the last of my
mana was pretty much drained getting rid of those Stone Cannons you
launched at me,” he explained, as if trying to comfort me.
In other words, perhaps his real Enthralling Blade had been him
pretending he still had plenty of fight left. My own cowardice convinced me
not to press the attack, but if I had, we could have won. That’s what it
sounded like, anyway, but who knew if his words now were genuine.
No, either way… I started to say to myself, unable to do anything but
sigh. I guess not fighting was the best option anyway. Win or lose, it
wouldn’t have mattered. And now I only feel more exhausted from thinking
about it.
“By the way, Sir Randolph, you said you knew about the Man-God,
right?” I decided to ask the question while it was on my mind. It was a rare
thing for anyone to know of the Man-God, and after all my efforts here, I’d
let Pax die anyway. It would be pathetic to walk away from this with
nothing to show for all my trouble.
“Yeah, not that I know much of anything about him,” Randolph
answered.
“Well, would you mind telling me what you do know?”
“Sure, I guess. All I heard was that a relative borrowed his power
long ago to face an extremely powerful foe.”
I furrowed my brows. “An extremely powerful foe, you say?”
“He did it to protect his fiancée. At the Man-God’s suggestion, he
stole the Fighting God’s armor, wore it himself, and went into battle with
the Dragon God Laplace—who, at the time, was said to be the strongest in
the world. Poor sod wasn’t able to protect his betrothed in the end, though,
and the battle nearly took them both out.” There was a brief pause as he
finished before he chuckled and tacked on, “Who knows if any of it’s
even true.”
I was pretty sure I had heard a story like that before. Yes, come to
think of it, Kishirika and Orsted had said something similar—about how the
Dragon God and Fighting God had battled.
“It was a story I heard a lot when I was younger, when alcohol was
involved. Figure it’s probably complete fiction, but…I grew up hearing it
all the time, so naturally, the Man-God’s name stuck with me,” Randolph
continued.
This was, in fact, pretty valuable information. He was recounting a
story about one of the Man-God’s previous disciples. Though I suspected
Orsted already knew about this, following up on it couldn’t hurt.
“So, who was the name of this relative?” I asked.
“The Demon King of the Biegoya Region, Badigadi.”
Oh. Uh, hmm. Maybe it was complete fiction then. The Badigadi I
knew was heroic, if not a bit half-hearted at times. I could imagine someone
making up such a story about him. Not that I thought Orsted was lying
about the story at all, but people often claimed other people’s valorous
deeds for their own.
“Thank you,” I said, voice trailing off at the end.
After all was said and done, I was totally wiped. I didn’t even have
the energy to say anything else. To think I’d been on the edge all this time
over nothing.
Sigh.
I didn’t want to think anymore. I just wanted to go home and crash. I
had not slept for an entire day, to be fair.
“Randolph, what do you plan to do now?” Zanoba asked.
“I plan to return to the King Dragon Realm.”
“After that?”
“I’ll protect Her Majesty till she gives birth. Then, I’ll teach her kid
—academics, swordsmanship, and culinary skills too.”
 “Gives birth”? So Benedikte was pregnant, then? It was hard to tell
by looking at her.
“I was told to give the kid lots of praise as they grow up, so they may
end up spoiled rotten,” Randolph confessed with a shrug.
“I see,” Zanoba murmured.
Benedikte would birth the child, and Randolph would raise it. I
wondered if Benedikte knew that Pax was planning to die. Perhaps the
natural thing to ask them was why they hadn’t stopped him if they knew,
but I wasn’t about to pose that question to either of them. They couldn’t
have stopped him. And it was likely that they were the ones who felt the
most miserable about his passing.
“Sir Randolph, would you permit me one last question?” Zanoba
asked, as if something had suddenly crossed his mind.
Surrounded by darkness, Randolph tilted his skull-like face as he
waited for Zanoba to make his query.
“Why did you stick by Pax for so long? Because the king of the King
Dragon Realm ordered you to do so?”
Randolph wore a thin smile. “Nope. I did it because I liked the guy.”
“Very well, then allow me to extend my gratitude.”
“Gratitude,” Randolph echoed, as if testing the word on his lips.
“Prince Zanoba, you are an intriguing man.” His faint smile remained as he
turned to me and said, “Oh, by the way, Sir Rudeus…”
“Yes? What is it?”
“From what I hear, it’s best not to involve yourself with that Man-
God. My relative said as much—doesn’t matter whether you’re on his side
or against him, it won’t end well for you either way.”
“Wise words,” I said. A bit too late, though. If only Randolph could
have told me that ten years earlier.
“Thanks to his relationship to this Man-God, my relative had a rough
time of it himself,” Randolph continued.
Right, Badigadi. It did occur to me that Badigadi had once said
something which implied he did know of the Man-God. Unfortunately, I
had absolutely no idea where he was right now.
“Well, everyone, be safe,” Randolph said, bidding us farewell.
“You as well.”
He exchanged a handshake with Zanoba before turning on his heel
and leaving. His skull-like face faded into the darkness.
Left on our own, no one spoke a word. We dragged ourselves inside
the watermill and passed out, sleeping like a couple of logs.

***

We awoke by noon the next day and made our way back to the
capital. The rebel army already moved into the palace, and the groups
camped outside the walls had vanished. The chain once holding the gate
shut was nowhere to be seen.
The Eye of Severance. That was what Randolph had called the
Demon Eye he possessed, but I had no idea how it had kept the king’s
enemies from infiltrating the palace. In any case, the effects had worn off at
some point, either because Randolph had strayed too far from the castle or
because enough time had passed since he activated it.
Pillars of smoke rose from inside the castle, likely from cooking fires.
You could almost feel the elation from afar. Those inside were bound to be
drunk on victory, much like the soldiers of Fort Karon were in the wake of
our battle. And the atmosphere wasn’t confined to the palace. The
celebratory mood pervaded all corners of the city, as if people were
cheering for the fall of the foolish king and the bright future that now
awaited them. There was no sign of mourning or despair anywhere.
Pax’s remains were put on display in the city’s main plaza. The rebels
declined to show him any decency, having stripped him of all his clothes.
For some reason, there was an ugly cut on his shoulder, and he was covered
in dirt. That, too, was the work of the rebels, who presumably wanted to
present his death as though they had orchestrated it.
General Jade had made his proclamation: “Pax was an irrational
tyrant. My nephew is the true king!”
 Typical propaganda. Without an education in politics, I couldn’t
really say if Pax had been truly a tyrant. The label probably would have fit
him years ago, but the man I’d met in recent days seemed neither irrational
nor a tyrant. Sure, if you focused on the part where he massacred the
entirety of the royal family, you could argue that he was a despot.
But even with these disgraceful rumors circulating, only a tiny group
could be seen slinging stones at the former king’s corpse. People hadn’t
loved him, but neither had they hated him. He had spent too long abroad
and ruled for far too short of a period. If anything, most people probably
thought, So who the hell was that guy, anyway? In other words, most were
indifferent to his death. That was the impression I got.
Zanoba trembled as he watched. His eyes stayed wide open, fists
shaking at his sides. Even I could feel bile rise in my throat. Perhaps it
would have been better for us to cremate him after all. Maybe handing his
body over to the rebel army wasn’t the best idea. They probably knew
they’d secured victory the moment they took control of the palace.
In fact, before all of that—I could have probably saved Pax from his
fate. I could not have anticipated that he would leap from the balcony, but I
could have sailed over the edge with him and deployed my magic from
midair. Maybe then I—
No. It was no good entertaining such thoughts.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think he would jump. By the time
he did, it was already too late. If anything, I should have realized that he
was contemplating suicide sooner, but even that seemed like I was asking
too much of myself.
“Did I make the wrong call again?” Zanoba suddenly blurted as I was
lost in thought.
I had no idea what he was feeling. It was impossible to know how
much he really thought of Pax, as his brother. All I knew from studying his
face right now was that he had held some kind of special feeling for the
man. Perhaps something in their past—something that I didn’t know about
—that spurred such emotions in him.
“I don’t know,” I confessed honestly. “But seeing this should
discourage people from trying to oppose the next king. And, I guess…the
country will be more stable now?”
I couldn’t remember the name of this supposed thirteenth prince, but
if I remembered right, he was only three. There was no way he could have
incited all of this. General Jade must have been the instigator. I understood
why he did it, but that didn’t mean I liked it.
I wondered if General Jade had actually been the Man-God’s disciple.
Was I supposed to kill him then? But if his whole aim had been to kill Pax,
those cows had already left the barn. Everything was already over. It was
possible the Man-God had already withdrawn from here.
Best to leave things be, I decided.
There was no use spinning my wheels here. Whatever I did seemed
unlikely to help our overarching goal. In fact, I’d lost all confidence in my
own decision-making. The best thing to do would be returning home for
further orders from Orsted. I needed to inform him about Pax’s untimely
demise…but I couldn’t leave without Zanoba.
“Zanoba, I’m thinking about going back to Sharia as soon as
tomorrow. What about you? Do you plan to stick around a bit longer?” I
asked.
“I intend to go back with you, but before we do, could we wait here
for Ginger? I suspect she’s already headed this way,” he said.
“Oh, right. Okay, then.”
Whoops. I’d completely forgotten about Ginger. We did need to
rendezvous with her first; we could leave once she’d rejoined us.
So we went and found an inn where we stayed for three days. We’d
decided against heading toward Fort Karon to meet Ginger on the road. I
was eager to head back home, but I also wanted to take in a little more of
this country before we departed. I didn’t think we’d come across any
groundbreaking revelations in the few extra days we were spending here,
but I made sure to gather what information I could, nonetheless.
The hot topic of the town was, of course, the most recent incident.
People spoke of how the rebel army surrounded the city, clashing with
Pax’s royal forces. They described how the Death God Randolph had
engaged General Jade in a death match that lasted several days. There was
also talk of how wise and noble their new king was. It was all people talked
about, from the markets to the mess room in the inn, to the wells where
people gathered. It was hard to tell truth from fiction in these tales, and
most seemed to be fabrications. History is written by the victors, as they
say, cruel as that reality may be.
Of course, not all of these rumors were invented by General Jade.
Some might have started as jokes, with eavesdroppers taking that humor as
fact. Judging by how quickly the rumor mill worked, these whispers had
probably already started while the enemy army was still camped outside the
palace. People loved theatrics, after all. They do say truth is stranger than
fiction. From my experience, reality was strange, but also mercilessly and
depressingly unforgiving.
Among the intel I gathered, some rumors suggested that the next king
would sell off half of the kingdom’s territory to its northern neighbor.
Whatever happened to the ceasefire negotiations, I wonder? Did the guys at
the fort continue what we had started, or had all our effort amounted to
nothing in the end?
I had no idea, and Zanoba no longer seemed to care. He spent most of
each day in the inn lost in thought, sitting in his chair and spacing out. It
occurred to me that he had lost all of his family now. His brothers, his
fathers—everyone. He’d called this country his home, but his place here
was gone. Maybe he no longer felt like this place was worth protecting.
He wasn’t particularly depressed or brooding, though. He simply
spent most of his time in quiet contemplation. Perhaps thinking about what
he’d do from here.
The person who got depressed was in fact someone else entirely—
Roxy. She had hardly spoken for the past few days. She barely touched her
food. When night came around, she spent her time staring into the fireplace
with a despondent look on her face.
Pax’s death, it seemed, had come as a great shock to her. I could see
why. At the very end, Pax only had words of reproach for her. It was as if
he blamed her for his suicide. If I were in Roxy’s shoes, I’d probably be at a
loss too.
“I’m back,” I called out.
 After a long pause, Roxy responded, “Welcome back.” She hugged
her knees as she stared vacantly at the fire, as she had for several days now.
I took my seat beside her as usual.
“Hey, um, Roxy…”
The conversation died there as usual. Everything I could think of
saying to her seemed so cliché and insensitive. I couldn’t bring myself to
force the words out, even if they could assuage whatever guilt she felt.
“It’s true,” she murmured, speaking for the first time. “I did sigh at
him back then.”
Roxy didn’t look at me as she spoke, but I could tell she was
speaking to me. Her lament didn’t stop there.
“I mean, the day that Prince Pax mastered that intermediate spell. He
was so elated when he came to show me, and I just sighed at him. I may
have even muttered to myself, ‘It sure took you long enough.’”
“That would be hurtful,” I acknowledged.
Roxy clutched tightly at the hem of her robe. “Honestly, I think when
I was teaching him, I kept comparing his progress to yours. I found myself
thinking things like, ‘Rudy could have grasped this instantly,’ or, ‘Rudy
would have learned this at the snap of my fingers.’ And because of that, I
saw him as being beneath you. Maybe I really did look down on him.”
I had learned intermediate magic almost instantly. Roxy herself
picked it up just as quickly, I assumed. Not everyone found it so intuitive,
though. I’d found that out the hard way by teaching Eris and Ghislaine. Pax
had probably done the best he could. He put in effort, contrived his own
methods for using the magic, practiced them, and finally reached the next
level. He was probably hoping Roxy would shower him in praise for his
accomplishment, but to his disappointment, she’d sighed. If Roxy had done
the same thing to me back when I was living in Buena Village, then…well,
I probably wouldn’t respect her the way I do now. I might not have married
her either.
“At the time, I was more focused on the power and spells I hadn’t
mastered. Even after I reached the King tier, I had my sights set on
something even greater. Perhaps I was arrogant, and ignored those who
weren’t on my level.” Roxy chewed on her lip, squeezing her knees tightly.
I reached over and stroked her back. She trembled slightly under my
touch.
“I thought I had learned from my past mistakes. I knew that I’d
messed up and swore to do better,” she said, eyes welling up with tears.
“But it seemed like I didn’t learn a thing. It occurred to me, if only faintly,
that maybe I had failed as an instructor, but I tried to defend myself by
insisting that no, it was the environment at the palace that was the
problem.”
Tears began trickling down her cheeks as she continued, “I never
realized it was my attitude that warped him. It never occurred to me—not
once—not until he said so that day.”
As she broke into a sob, she pressed her face into her knees, as if
trying to shut off her tears. She curled in on herself, shrinking even as I
continued rubbing her back.
“I always thought I could just do better with the next student, but…
Pax only had one chance to learn for the first time. And I blew it.”
Roxy continued to weep. I kept comforting her, letting silence fall
between us. The only sound in the room was her sobbing. She was still
trembling under my touch, but I didn’t let that stop me.
After a while, the tears subsided. When she lifted her head, her eyes
were red and bloodshot.
“Rudy, do you really think it’s okay for me to continue being a
teacher after this?” she asked.
How was I supposed to respond to that? I didn’t know. I wasn’t a
teacher. The only thing I thought of was the one word I’d used to address
her so long ago.
 “Teacher,” I said.
The next words I had were superficial, plucked right from the pages
of some manga or a video game, I couldn’t remember which. Maybe it was
self-aggrandizing for me to say it. Maybe it would only provide empty
consolation. And maybe I was only trying to obfuscate the problem.
“My teacher, you haven’t failed. You’ve only gained more
experience.”
Others might judge differently, but I didn’t think it was wrong to say
this.
“As long as you don’t repeat the same mistakes, then your other
students will grow into amazing adults and find happiness of their own, just
as I did,” I said.
Roxy stared at me. I studied her—the blue hair, the blue lashes, and
those tiny, trembling lips. These were all things that I couldn’t have at one
point in my life, but now things were different.
“Rudy, are you happy?” she asked me.
“Yes. I’ve been through some awful things, but thanks to your
teachings, I’ve found happiness.”
“Rudy…you always say that.”
Of course I did. Because it was the truth. That wouldn’t change.
“I can’t explain it very well,” I admitted, “but the only reason I was
able to take my first real step in this life is because you pulled me onto that
horse with you.”
She shook her head. “You’re being overdramatic. I’m sure that’s
because it was so long ago, and you’ve convinced yourself it’s a bigger deal
than it really was.”
“True, maybe I am exaggerating a bit. But one thing is for certain:
every time I failed, I remembered how you would keep moving forward
even when you didn’t succeed. That gave me strength,” I said earnestly.
Yes, maybe having Roxy as a teacher did lead one of her students to
choose the wrong path in life. I could have told her that she wasn’t the only
factor that led to his demise, but since she already felt personally
responsible, as far as she was concerned, she may as well have pushed him
over that balcony herself.
However, I could argue that there were other students who were still
alive because she’d been their teacher. I was certainly one such example.
She wasn’t the only one who had kept me going, sure, but she had definitely
been an important influence.
“I have no intention of telling you to just forget what happened,” I
said. “If anything, I think it’s better if you don’t. But at the same time, I
don’t want you to overlook the fact that there are other students whose lives
you have saved, like mine.”
I knew I sounded pompous saying that, but that was genuinely how I
felt. I didn’t want Roxy to dismiss her career as a teacher.
Roxy’s jaw dropped as she stared at me. She seemed to be having
some kind of epiphany. Her body trembled, and thanks to all the sobbing
she’d done, snot was now trailing down her upper lip. In a panic, she buried
her face back into the folds of her robe.
“Rudy,” she murmured.
“Yes?”
“I’m certain Lara must have been trying to set things up so I would
meet Prince Pax once again.”
Who was to say either way? Only Lara knew for sure. Roxy might be
convinced that was the case, but I wasn’t so sure.
Yet, despite my reservations, I said, “…Yeah, I’m sure that must be
it.”
Roxy continued weeping for a while after that. I stayed beside her the
entire time. But by the time the sun rose the next day, she was in better
spirits than she had been for a while.

Five more days passed. General Jade made arrangements for the
coronation. He planned to make a grand affair of it. Though I doubted if the
country’s coffers could fund it, after all the financial strain between the
coup and the hostilities with their northern neighbors, I understood the
importance of putting on a show to make the change in leadership clear.
 As whispers of the coronation plans spread, we finally managed to
rendezvous with Ginger. After we left Fort Karon, she’d remained until she
recovered enough of her stamina to catch up with us. Since she had exerted
her horse well past its limits, she needed to find a new mount, which slowed
her journey to rejoin us.
As she figured out what happened—in between seeing the situation in
the capital and hearing our version of events—her expression stiffened, as if
she thought it natural how things panned out. But almost as quickly, her
face turned blank once more and she muttered an innocuous, “Oh, I see.”
I couldn’t blame her for not being torn up about Pax’s death; he’d
done horrible things to her. But that didn’t make it any less depressing.
“Well then, Your Highness, what do you plan to do now?” she asked.
Zanoba hummed thoughtfully, considering the question.
“I assume…you most likely intend to continue protecting the
Kingdom?”
Although Ginger’s expression betrayed no emotion, her voice
trembled slightly. Pax was dead. There was no longer anyone here who
might threaten Zanoba’s life. Yes, the next monarch might view him as a
potential threat, but General Jade was a shrewd man. He wouldn’t hold a
personal grudge against Zanoba for his brother’s misdeeds, and he would
see the usefulness of having a Blessed Child on their side. There were still
risks, but at least General Jade was someone who could be reasoned with.
He would be much easier to handle and serve than Pax, if that’s what
Zanoba chose.
“No.” Zanoba shook his head weakly. “I will be returning to Sharia.”
After a short pause, Ginger nodded emphatically, suppressing a smile
as she said, “Understood.”
I always thought she wanted him to be a shining example of royalty
and abide by the duties that entailed, but her reaction told me she was more
interested in seeing him healthy and whole.
I was relieved, honestly. I’d managed to achieve my initial objective
—keeping Zanoba alive. Yet as I gazed at his face, my stomach twisted.
 “Ginger,” he said, face firm with resolve. It was the same look of
determination he’d worn when he first set off on this journey to Shirone. “I
am considering…abandoning my country.”
“Abandoning your country?” Ginger repeated, confused. “Oh, you
mean defecting? A fine idea. Ranoa Kingdom would surely welcome you
with open arms. Perhaps if Lord Rudeus were to put in a good word, Asura
Kingdom might even—”
Zanoba shook his head. “No, I don’t mean defecting.” He gazed
down at her as she continued kneeling before him and said, “I am
considering relinquishing my status as royalty. We’ll let people think I died
in the course of this rebellion, and I will return to Sharia not as Third Prince
Zanoba Shirone of Shirone Kingdom, but simply as Zanoba. And that, I
believe, is how I shall spend the rest of my days.”
Ginger’s face clouded over. She probably disapproved. I had no idea
what it really meant to discard your status like that, since I’d never
possessed that kind of status to begin with.
After another short pause, she finally said, “I think that is also a fine
idea.”
To my surprise, she didn’t oppose him.
Zanoba had lived a good life in Sharia. He would only lose face by
returning to Shirone now. Even if he defected to another country, they
would most likely use him for the power he had as a Blessed Child. If those
were his only options, perhaps it was best to abandon his status so he could
live the way he wanted. Not being royalty anymore might be financially
difficult, but I could help him there. He could become a specialized
mechanic for my Magic Armor, and I could pay him a salary to maintain it.
If that didn’t appeal to him, he could do some kind of job in our mercenary
company instead.
“Indeed,” Zanoba said. “Ginger, you have been a faithful retainer.”
“You honor me with those words.”
Zanoba nodded, looking pleased with himself. For her part, Ginger
seemed relieved.
“Having said all that, what do you plan to do now?” he asked her.
 She stared back at him. “Why, I plan to continue serving you the way
I always have.”
His brow furrowed. “You may be my personal guard, but you are a
knight of Shirone. If I’m no longer part of the royal family, then you have
no reason to serve me any longer.”
“For me, it’s hardly relevant whether you’re part of the royal family
or not.”
“Hm, but I won’t be able to pay you, you realize? If I remember
correctly, you have been forwarding your payments to your family, yes?”
“They have all since grown and become independent. There’s no one
I need to financially support anymore,” she answered.
The sharpness in Zanoba’s tone dulled as they continued arguing
back and forth.
“You also realize that if you remain in my services for much longer,
your chances of finding a suitable partner for marriage will wane, don’t
you?”
Come to think of it, how old is Ginger anyway? I’m pretty sure she’s
already missed the prime marriage age, at least as far as this world is
concerned.
“Marriage?!” Ginger snapped, losing her patience. Her chin rose as
she lifted herself so that she was on both knees, then she threw her arms
open wide. At first I wondered what she was doing, but then she threw
herself forward, slamming her fists against the ground. It looked like she
was prostrating herself. Perhaps this was the biggest sign of respect one
could show in Shirone. It would make sense, given that Zanoba often did
the same thing.
“Lady Minerva made a direct request that I look after you! It doesn’t
matter whether you’re royalty or not. Nor do I care if I stay at your side in
the capacity of a mistress instead of a knight. But I beg of you! If you’re
truly concerned for me, please, keep me with you!”
Her declaration was so sudden that I couldn’t hide my confusion.
Minerva…if I remember right, that’s the name of Zanoba’s mother.
 “Hm.” Zanoba cupped his chin, as if considering her plea. He slowly
crouched down and responded, “I hear you, Ginger. Lift your head.”
Ginger did as she was commanded, eyes shimmering with unshed
tears.
“If you’re truly that insistent, I will not push you away against your
will. However, I will also not treat you as a knight or even a retainer. From
now on, you will be my supporter. Understood?”
The tears finally spilled over, racing down her cheeks as she
answered, “Yes, sir!” And then she lowered her head, prostrating herself
once more.
I couldn’t decide if it was a beautiful sight or not. From the outside, it
seemed so surreal.
In any case, Zanoba had decided he would return home. Our mission
here was done. I couldn’t say we’d pulled it off without a hitch; we hadn’t
really solved any problems. The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth.
Not only was I despondent over my failure to save Pax, but it also seemed
like all the effort we’d put in had been for naught, leaving only stress.
Lingering sentiments aside, it was over and done with. Time to go
home.
 Chapter 12:
Zanoba’s Chosen Path

Zanoba

T HERE WAS A TIME when I couldn’t discern the difference between

humans and dolls. The only difference was that one spoke while the other
didn’t. When I grew a little older, I was able to distinguish between them a
little more, but they still felt the same to me. If you grabbed a human and
swung them around a bit, their arm or their head would pop off, just like a
wooden puppet.
I loved dolls. All dolls. Yes, there were some that were better made
than others, but I adored even the inferior ones. In fact, the only type of doll
I didn’t like were humans. Despite being exactly like dolls, all they did was
complain and try to rob me of my freedoms. I hated them.
It wasn’t until I met my master that my view of them began to
change. Even then, the shift was gradual. After he left, I headed for the
Magic City of Sharia where the two of us reunited. At some point in the
years after that, I stopped hating every single human.
I suspect Julie was the catalyst for that. She was a slave we—Master,
Lady Sylphie, and I, that is—picked out together, one whom we intended to
teach to craft figurines. At first, she could neither speak nor take care of
herself at all, making her a burden.
But Master entrusted me with the task of looking after her. Though it
was troublesome, it was no different from crafting a figurine; to craft one,
you had to first whittle down a regular piece of wood until it took shape.
Naturally, I resolved myself to be diligent with Julie’s care and taught her
everything one step at a time.
At some point during that process, Julie stopped being a burden. It
made sense: she listened obediently and absorbed the skills that Master
taught her quickly. I watched as she gradually transformed into exactly the
kind of human that I do like, so of course, I couldn’t hate her.
 I didn’t realize that until Ginger came into the picture, though. From
my perspective, Ginger was someone who always found fault in everything,
and never stayed quiet about it. She’d call the most banal and irrelevant
things “important.” For example, if we were talking about a tree, she would
keep fussing about the state of its leaves or branches, and even though I’d
argue with her that solid roots—or a solid foundation—was what made a
healthy tree, she would never get the point I was trying to make. Honestly,
she was a pain in the neck.
It wasn’t until we met again in Sharia that I stopped seeing her that
way. She still complained incessantly, but somehow it didn’t get under my
skin. Why? Why had my feelings changed so much?
I knew it had to be my master’s influence. He would never have
abandoned me for any reason. It didn’t matter that I was clumsy, that all I
had going for me was my physical strength, or that I would destroy a
figurine as soon as I created it. It didn’t matter to him that I lacked mana
and that I couldn’t live up to his expectations. Nor did he seem to resent me
for all the desperate, wasted effort he’d poured into trying to teach me his
secret figurine-crafting techniques.
I had nearly given up on my dream. I was convinced I could never
make figurines myself, that it was a skill reserved for gods alone. Master
didn’t throw in the towel. He tried all kinds of methods to teach me. He
tried to find some way to include me in the process. I was grateful. Up to
that point, not a single person in my life had ever truly looked at me as a
person.
Had it not been for Master, I probably never would have realized that
Ginger also looked at me for me.
Foolish as I was, it was only then that I finally understood the
difference between humans and dolls. I knew it was important to make that
distinction, but once again, being a fool, I didn’t understand why. I only
knew that it was. Master didn’t spell it out for me. Instead, he led by
example and helped me realize it myself.
I owed Master for guiding me, and I respected him for it too. In fact, I
was even proud of myself for having the foresight to recognize him as my
master.
 Ever the buffoon, I unfortunately didn’t understand some of my
master’s actions. Lady Nanahoshi—the girl known as Silent Sevenstar,
Shizuka Nanahoshi—was one such example. She appeared to be studying
summoning magic as a method of returning to her home. No one had ever
elaborated on where exactly that home was, but I had no interest in
knowing. Personally, I only had bad memories of my own home. I couldn’t
empathize at all with her intense desire to return to where she came from.
From what I’d heard, Master’s own memories of his home in Asura
Kingdom were largely bitter. In spite of that, he devoted himself to helping
Lady Nanahoshi. When she broke down, he dragged her to his own home
and looked after her. When she was deathly sick, he traveled all the way to
the Demon Continent to search for a way to heal her.
I helped too, but only because it didn’t bother me to do so. If Master
was doing something and it meant helping him, I didn’t have to think twice.
But that didn’t change the fact that I didn’t understand why he was helping
her.
It was in the midst of all of this that something within me changed.
At some point, I began developing some attachment to my own birthplace.
There were some days when I’d find myself intensely nostalgic for
Shirone’s palace, in spite of how awful it had been. Nanahoshi was always
talking about her home, so I could only assume that had rubbed off on me.
That was likely why I immediately felt compelled to answer Pax’s
summons when I received the letter from him requesting aid. I did
genuinely love my country and wanted to protect it if the need ever arose,
so when it did, I felt like I had to go.
I was wrong.
When Master tried to persuade me to return home with him at Fort
Karon, my heart wavered. I considered it. My days were so fulfilling and
enjoyable back in Sharia, making figurines with Master, enough that I
honestly considered abandoning my homeland for it. But I couldn’t do it. It
was like a wall went up, saying I couldn’t go back.
“Pax is my brother, so I want to save him.”
That was nothing more than an excuse I blurted out in the moment. It
was a calculated move, since I knew it was the one thing that would surely
convince him. Yet somehow, that answer also resonated with me. I didn’t
know why. I’d heard before that if you speak a lie, sometimes you end up
believing it yourself. I thought at first maybe that was it, but no, it wasn’t.
It wasn’t until after Pax jumped from the balcony and I saw his
remains that I realized the truth. It brought a memory from the distant past
back to the forefront of my mind.
My elder brother, the second prince, had been hosting a party, and I
was invited. I don’t remember now what the party was for, but it was the
type where attendance was mandatory. But I didn’t remember if I had
actually even attended or not.
The one thing I did remember was that, by pure coincidence, the
young Pax had been seated right beside me. This was before Lady Roxy
began serving at the palace. Pax could not have been older than ten at the
time.
We didn’t talk. We only sat beside each other. I sensed that he wanted
to speak with me, but I couldn’t be bothered to engage in small talk. I didn’t
even glance his way. And he never worked up the courage to speak to me.
Even though he’d never said anything to me, in a way, I had ignored him.
As I cradled his dead body in my arms, I couldn’t help but think, Why
didn’t I say anything to him back then? Even a word or two.
That dispelled any doubt I had. I finally understood. My own
puzzling actions mirrored that of my master’s. It made sense to me why he
helped Lady Nanahoshi now—he’d likely seen her as a little sister.
Why hadn’t I realized it sooner? Master had two biological sisters,
and the way he interacted with Lady Nanahoshi was nearly identical to how
he treated the older of his two siblings. He kept a watchful eye on her, and
if there was any trouble, he jumped in to help. He took care of her as
tenderly as he did his real sisters.
I had been asking so many questions of myself. Why did I help
Master in the Demon Continent? Why did I find myself recalling my
homeland afterward? Why, when Pax’s letter arrived, did I shake off the
opposition of all those around me and resolve myself to return home? In the
wake of the battle at Fort Karon, why did I feel compelled to rescue Pax?
Why did I blurt out that lie about wanting to save him because we were
family? And finally, why did that lie resonate so much?
 I finally understood the answers. It all made sense to me. The puzzle
pieces fell into place.
But it was too late. That was my folly—realizing it all too late. Pax
was dead. We weren’t able to save him like we did Nanahoshi.
Even so, there was still something left that I could do.

Rudeus

W E MADE IT BACK to Sharia. People often say things like, “Going is

the easy part, it’s coming back that’s hard.” That didn’t really apply to us;
we had a smooth return trip. I used my Magic Armor to draw our carriage
back to the woods, where we had a teleportation circle prepared to take us
back. Zanoba and I worked together to disassemble my armor, then hauled
it back to the floating fortress. Roxy went on ahead while Zanoba and I
stayed behind to pay our respects to Perugius.
He said a curt “I see,” when he first saw us, and we filled him in on
what had happened. Afterward, he guided us to the room we’d last spoken
in and offered his own words of wisdom: “It’s foolish to let any country tie
you down.”
Zanoba nodded earnestly and told Perugius he was abandoning his
royal status, which left Perugius looking pleased. He even offered me some
words of encouragement, saying, “You did well.” Honestly, I was relieved
that I hadn’t lost a friend I enjoyed sipping tea with.
We also stopped by to visit Nanahoshi, who reacted to our return with
a drawn-out sigh. I could understand her exasperation; Zanoba coming back
like this ruined any sentimentality she’d felt during her teary-eyed, heartfelt
farewell.
Anyway, Eris was due to deliver within the next month. The least I
could do was be with her for the birth. The problem was that although I
wanted to head straight home, I needed to do something else first. Namely,
report to Orsted.
 The Man-God had really pulled the carpet out from under me this
time. On the plus side, I had succeeded in my goal of bringing Zanoba
home safely, and I hadn’t died or been maimed. On the downside, we
learned nothing about the Man-God’s goals this time around, and we failed
to keep Pax alive. Orsted had already told me that someone pivotal to his
plans would be born in the Shirone Republic, which meant he’d lost a
powerful piece on the board because of this. It was an utter defeat.
Perhaps our return had been a bit premature. Maybe it would have
been better to stay for a little longer and influence things so that Shirone
would still wind up becoming a republic.
Nah, if it was that easy to turn the nation into a republic, then Orsted
wouldn’t have ordered me to keep Pax alive.
Regardless, it was probably best to be completely honest about how it
all turned out. If there was a way to compensate for this setback, I would do
so.
“Okay, Roxy, I’m going to head to the office for a few. I’d like to
stow the Magic Armor,” I said.
“All right. I’ll head on home and let everyone know we’re safe.”
The two of us parted at the entrance to the city, and I made my way
toward the office. For some reason, Zanoba had decided to tag along with
me.
“Something wrong?” I asked him.
“No, but that armor helped keep me alive, so I thought I would thank
Orsted for lending it to me and apologize to him for having destroyed it
during our journey.”
“Oh, okay.”
It was odd that Zanoba wanted to thank Orsted directly. I figured
Orsted’s curse would be potent enough to snuff out any positive emotions
Zanoba had. Perhaps this sudden change was courtesy of Cliff’s painstaking
research. Maybe Zanoba might start throwing punches once he actually
came face-to-face with Orsted, but as long as I held him back, everything
would work out, surely.
 Feeling confident, the two of us walked together the rest of the way
to the office. I stowed my Magic Armor, locked the door to the storage, and
headed into the main building. We passed through the deserted lobby and
made our way straight to the boss’s office.
I sucked in a deep breath before going inside. I was about to report
that I’d failed, after all. Not like I hadn’t failed numerous times before (I
had) but this one was a considerably larger failure than the others. He might
reprimand me for it.
Maybe I’ll be lucky and he won’t be in today?
Nah. It would be better to get it done and over with.
Okay. Well, first thing’s first…time to knock.
Indeed, a courteous knock could put one in a good mood. I needed to
keep mine calm and polite. I raised my fist and very lightly tapped it against
the door.
“Rudeus, hm?” echoed a voice on the other side.
So much for the hope that he wouldn’t be in.
Despite my anxiety, I had already mapped out an explanation in my
head. All I had to do was stick to the truth and be honest with him.
“Pardon the intrusion! I, Rudeus Greyrat, have at last made my return
from Shirone Kingdom!” I threw the door open, barged in, and bowed
deeply. When I straightened up, a strangled cry escaped my throat. “Gah?!”
Orsted was wearing a black, full-face helmet. I could only assume
this new face—er, magical implement, I guess—had been newly crafted by
Cliff.
“Seems you have returned safe and sound,” Orsted observed.
“Uh, y-yes.”
His appearance had taken the wind out of my sails, but I carried on. I
had resolved to give a most sincere, accurate report about my mission’s
failure. Yes, indeed. All I had to do was say, “Sir Orsted, I achieved
absolutely, positively nothing!”
Hold up, that doesn’t seem right…
 “Allow me to give you my report,” I said, and launched into a matter-
of-fact overview of the events that transpired. I noted all the things I had
been wary of, plus whatever signs I hadn’t noticed at the time. As I spoke,
I was careful to keep a level head and lay out every detail one by one, so it
wouldn’t be a problem if he wanted to be nitpicky. My report had a rhythm
to it: first, I described an event, then what I felt about it, what I thought
about it, who I consulted about it, what conclusions I drew and what actions
I took. Then, I told him what the results were. I also included what I
suspected the Man-God’s motivations were, and how I thought best to
proceed in relation to that. I didn’t leave anything out.
“I offer my most sincere apologies. I failed to fulfill my duty, thereby
allowing Prince Pax’s death.”
A suffocating gloom filled the air. I couldn’t read his expression
beneath the helmet, and that only made it several times more terrifying than
usual. Frankly, I preferred him without the helmet.
Actually, while we’re on the subject, why is he wearing that thing
anyway? Couldn’t he just—I don’t know—take it off for me?
“The King Dragon Realm’s King, Leonardo Kingdragon, is one of
the Man-God’s disciples. Most likely, General Jade of Shirone Kingdom is
one as well. He manipulated the two of them in order to drive Pax into a
corner, forcing him to commit suicide,” Orsted said.
So there were two disciples involved this time. The Man-God had
used the King Dragon Realm’s monarch to support Pax, which then instilled
in Pax the idea that he had to live up to the king’s expectations, lest he
become a failure again. The king gifted him a queen and the Death God,
which gave him every advantage. But at the height of it, the Man-God used
Jade to orchestrate Pax’s fall.
That was my read of the situation, anyway. If the Man-God really
could see the future, then he knew exactly which pieces on the board he had
to move to coax Pax into taking his own life. Who knew if my
interpretation was correct, but it seemed the most direct conclusion to draw.
“So who was the last disciple, then?” I asked.
“Perhaps the king of the Bista Kingdom, although there’s also a good
possibility he didn’t employ a third.”
 “Oh, come to think of it, the Death God did mention that Demon
King Badigadi might have once been one of his disciples.”
There was a short pause before Orsted responded, “If he were a
disciple this time, it wouldn’t make sense for him not to show himself.”
True. Badigadi was the type who liked to be in the spotlight.
As far as the Man-God was concerned, I was an irregularity. So it
was likely he’d actively pick people I wasn’t likely to have met. Alas, I had
failed to figure him out this time. I felt pathetic.
“We could still take Jade out, if you want?” I offered.
“It’s too late.” Orsted’s voice betrayed no emotion.
“Um… I really am very sorry about this.”
“I made an incorrect prediction from the start. After I disposed of
Leonardo, I should have gone to Shirone Kingdom personally, rather than
leaving everything up to you. That was my mistake. However…” His voice
trailed off. It didn’t seem like he was going to comfort me and tell me not to
worry about it. Apparently my failure in this was rather far-reaching.
“Um, isn’t there anyone else who could serve as a replacement for
Pax?” I asked.
“No.”
“There’s really no other option?”
He didn’t respond.
Was the Shirone Republic really that important to his plans? I had
tried pushing him to consider another path, but he’d dismissed me twice.
Now what? How was I supposed to salvage this?
“Sir Orsted, would you mind if I spoke?”
A voice broke in from behind me. I glanced backwards and found
Zanoba standing there. How long had he been there? Err, from the
beginning, I guess, right? He hadn’t spoken the whole time, so I figured he
was waiting outside.
“Zanoba Shirone, hm?” Orsted murmured as though he hadn’t
noticed Zanoba until now either.
 No, there’s no “as though”—I think he really didn’t notice him until
now. He probably couldn’t see anything in front of him with that helmet on.
In fact, the realization just hit me that he was finally able to speak with that
thing on. That had to mean he could actually breathe with it, unlike before.
“Firstly, allow me to extend my heartfelt gratitude to you for lending
me armor to use during our foray to my homeland. It was unfortunately
destroyed in the process, but happily, it preserved my life.” Zanoba took a
step forward and bowed.
I still couldn’t read Orsted’s expression beneath the helmet, but that
helmet probably helped mitigate whatever menacing aura he would have
otherwise given off. Right. I guess that’s probably why he’s wearing it. He
had probably sensed Zanoba’s approach and put it on for that very reason.
“If you wish to thank anyone, it should be Rudeus. Is that all you
wish to say?”
“No, it isn’t.”
Strange. A moment ago, I was under the impression that was his only
intention in speaking to Orsted, but now he advanced a step, as if trying to
exude his own intimidating air.
“Judging by your conversation with Master just now, I take it that
Pax was caught in the middle of your battle with this enemy? Is that
interpretation correct?”
Uh-oh. Did he think that this was all Orsted’s doing? If so, perhaps it
would be better to stop him now?
“It sounded to me as though you were the one trying to save my
younger brother, though. Is that correct?” Zanoba went on.
“I wasn’t particularly trying to save him, no. What I wanted was a
person who would be born in the country your brother would build.”
Confused, Zanoba echoed, “The country he would build? And you
wanted someone who would be born there?”
Orsted was being more cryptic than usual. Honestly, I wanted to
know more about all of this too. Without all the information, it would be
impossible for us to rectify the situation.
 “Sir Orsted,” I cut in, “if at all possible, I think we would appreciate a
more detailed explanation, please.”
Orsted didn’t respond immediately. Silence dominated the room, only
broken when I heard him suck in a deep breath from inside his helmet.
Under any other circumstances, that might have eased some of the tension
in the room, but I sensed anger in the way he gulped in the air. My anxiety
ratcheted up.
“After becoming king, Pax Shirone would have created a republic,”
he explained.
He’d told me that part before. What I wanted to know was what
happened after that.
“After Shirone became a republic, a man who had once been a slaver
would rise to prominence. A man by the name of Bolt Macedonius. Pax
would have appointed this man to an important position.”
Huh. So the key person we needed here was Bolt Macedonius then.
“Bolt Macedonius would go on to be an authority in the Republic and
put down roots there.”
“So what role does he play?” I asked.
“Bolt himself plays no role in my plans. But one of his descendants
gives birth to the Demon God Laplace.”
Laplace? So that’s where he came in, huh?
“Now that Pax is dead,” Orsted explained, “I have no idea where
Laplace will be born.”
In other words, Shirone becoming a republic was a precursor to
Laplace’s rebirth.
“In that case, we could still make Shirone into a republic. Or we
could at least make sure that Bolt Macedonius meets the partner he’s
supposed to, so that he can marry and have kids,” I proposed.
“It’s pointless. Do you truly think I haven’t tried that before?”
No doubt Orsted had tried all sorts of things in the long loops he’d
been stuck in. Apparently Laplace’s rebirth was a really unpredictable wild
card, which was why Orsted had hoped to pin it down, making it easier to
locate him. I suspected the Shirone Republic wasn’t the only domino
required for this part of Orsted’s plan. He’d probably been orchestrating
things for a hundred years just to make sure Laplace was reborn there.
Perhaps some of my other missions had played a hand in that. But with one
element gone awry, the entire house of cards had collapsed.
“Reaching the Man-God requires that I first kill Laplace,” Orsted
explained. “After he reincarnates, he’ll spend a little while lying low before
gathering his comrades and starting a war. At that point it would require
significant effort and mana to dispose of him and his followers, and then I’ll
have to face the Man God immediately afterward.”
“Um, so there’s no option to defeat Laplace, take some time to
recover your mana, and then face off with him?” I asked for clarification.
“Laplace’s reincarnation is largely set in stone. It always happens
near the end of a loop. I have attempted to usher in his rebirth sooner, but to
no avail.” Orsted let out a breathy sigh. “Going through a war like that
means I won’t be able to reach the Man-God. This loop is a failure.”
A failure. The word echoed in my brain, bouncing around. The
scumbag inside of me screamed back, Well then, why didn’t you come to
Shirone if it was so damn important? But I kept silent. He’d entrusted this
mission to me, and I had failed. This had been a test to see how useful I
was.
I guess that means I’m done for then, huh? He’s probably already fed
up with me, isn’t he? I assume that means he’s going to give up on this loop.
But if he does, where does that leave me? And what about my family?
“It’s a bit hasty to call it a failure at this point,” Zanoba cut in
cheerfully.
Zanoba, did you actually comprehend everything he just said? I
wondered if perhaps he was confused after all that talk of the future and
what was to come.
He said, “If a war is coming and we must take down Laplace and his
followers, then that means we should start preparing forces of our own to
combat them.”
“Oh?” Orsted said.
 “We don’t have to put together an entire army, but surely, we could
begin gathering comrades powerful enough to stand toe-to-toe with
Laplace.”
Ooh, Zanoba actually said something good there. His plan made
sense, too. If the main issue was that all of this would sap Orsted of mana,
then all we had to do was make it so that Orsted didn’t have to fight.
“I understand that your curse makes it hard to gather such comrades
yourself, but you have my master to assist you. And I will aid you as well.”
Zanoba took a few more steps forward and then went down on one knee,
lowering his head. “Though my proposal is based only on what I
understood from our short conversation, I won’t deny that it may be off-
base.”
It sounded like a good idea, even if we didn’t know if it would pan
out or not. If, as Orsted claimed, Laplace’s rebirth was fairly consistent in
all loops, then we had about eighty years, give or take a few. In the interim,
we could gather a group of strong allies—people like the Death God or
Perugius—who we could then pit against Laplace when he returned. That
would leave Orsted unscathed for the battle to follow.
“I don’t know the precise details of the situation,” Zanoba continued,
“but I have heard that the two of you have combined forces to battle this
‘Man-God,’ as you call him. This Man-God…” Zanoba paused and lifted
his chin, staring directly up at Orsted. Then he slapped his hands against the
ground. “He’s the one who killed my younger brother!” He pressed his
forehead to the floor, prostrating himself. At least he did it less violently
than usual, maintaining some grace even as he kowtowed. “I beg of you,
allow me to be one of your subordinates as well, Sir Orsted.”
Silence.
“I want to avenge my brother!”
Orsted’s neck turned ever so slightly, as if he was glancing in my
direction. I was pretty sure he couldn’t see anything while wearing that
helmet, but perhaps he wanted me to weigh in.
“With Zanoba on our side, we could make better progress with the
Magic Armor. I think the suggestion he made a moment ago was smart, too.
This failure has admittedly increased our future workload, and even one
more pair of helping hands would—”
“Very well,” Orsted interrupted, not bothering to let me finish. He
nodded and rose to his feet, gazing (or at least it looked like he was) at
Zanoba. “In that case, I would have you work under Rudeus and take orders
from him. If you propose we make more allies, then that is what we shall
do.”
“Yes, sir!”
Orsted made his declaration without bothering to take off his helmet.
Zanoba kept his forehead pinned to the floor the entire time. Just like that, I
suddenly had a new co-worker and Orsted had a new subordinate.

Pax was dead, and Shirone would not become a republic. These two
facts had largely derailed Orsted’s plan. We’d lost an enormous amount of
progress. All because I hadn’t made the correct decisions.
On the flipside, we’d gained Zanoba as an ally. I had no idea what
that meant for the larger picture, but at least my Magic Armor would see
steady improvement with Zanoba on our side.
I had to wonder if I was proving to be beneficial to Orsted or not.
From what he’d told me, all my efforts till this point had given him
considerable breathing room, but I felt like my failure this time had undone
it all. Perhaps I was becoming less of a help and more of a hindrance.
Would my efforts in the future ever be enough to compensate for this?
No, they have to be. I need to make sure they are. Otherwise there
would be no meaning in Orsted rescuing me from the Man-God’s clutches.
Besides, while Orsted might be able to casually abandon one loop for
the next, I had only this single lifetime. It was a miracle that I got this do-
over. I was unlikely to be lucky enough to get another.
And even if I was granted another chance to live as Rudeus Greyrat
all over again, I wanted to live the life I had right now to the fullest. I’d
already burdened Orsted with this screw up. If I impeded him any further,
he might start seeing me as a destructive interloper instead of simply a
useless nitwit—not that that was much better—and cut me out completely.
 If I didn’t suck it up and do a good job now, there wouldn’t be a next
time. Should Orsted decide I did more harm than good, then in the next
loop, I might be used by the Man-God again and try to find a way back to
the past, only for my younger self to be pitted against Orsted and killed.
Assuming he didn’t decide to kill me sooner, that is. He could snuff me out
when I was still a child in Buena Village, or after I started working as Eris’s
home tutor, or even when we ventured back to Asura Kingdom after being
teleported off to the Deon Continent. What he decided to do with me next
time depended on what happened this time.
Orsted was being kind to me now. I was sure there were a multitude
of reasons for that, but it was probably a calculated move on his part. I
couldn’t forget that he was always contemplating his next loop, and that it
was perfectly possible he was feeling me out to see what pleased me and
what didn’t.
During this mission, I’d been too dependent upon him as usual.
Somewhere inside of me, I’d convinced myself that as long as I obeyed his
commands, he’d swoop in to rescue me if I got myself into a tight spot and
needed help. That things would just magically work out. A part of me
genuinely believed that.
I couldn’t keep leaning on Orsted like a crutch. I swore to myself that
I wouldn’t anymore.
 Chapter 13:
It’s All Right to Be Happy

W ITH THAT OUT OF THE WAY, it was time to return to my family. Eris
was close to giving birth so she might not be in the best mental state. She
had times when she got depressed too, just like anyone else.
I decided to have Zanoba stop by our house too. I wanted to entrust
Julie into his care again. Not that she had outstayed her welcome, but I
figured she’d be happier with him.
Incidentally, Ginger was out scouting for a place they could live in—
Zanoba had vacated his dorm room and it was no longer an option for them.
Even if he decided not to go back to a dorm, though, wasn’t there some way
he could resume his studies at the university? He was only a few months
from graduation. It seemed a waste. Perhaps if we put in a request with
Jenius, he could pull some strings for us. Honestly, I was pretty sure that
many went into research upon graduation as members of the Magicians’
Guild.
“Well, Zanoba, I look forward to working with you,” I said.
“As do I, Master.”
At least Zanoba would stay with me from here on out. That was
something to celebrate. Our research on the Magic Armor would proceed
apace, and we didn’t have to give up on selling those figurines either. Since
Zanoba had lost his home here, I could always lend him money until he got
back on his feet. Getting money involved usually led to unnecessary
trouble, but I wouldn’t hesitate if it was for Zanoba.
We arrived at the house as I was lost in thought. Byt was tangled
around the gatepost. Between him and the green roof, our house looked like
an ecologically conscious one.
As we approached, Byt opened the gate for us, as he always did.
“I can only hope that Julie hasn’t caused any unnecessary trouble for
your family,” Zanoba muttered.
 “I’m sure she did fine. She gets along well with Aisha and—”
Fwish!
As we entered the estate’s grounds, the air whistled as something cut
through it. I instantly knew what it was; I’d heard this same sound hundreds
and thousands of times before. Someone was practicing with their sword.
I could only assume Norn had come back to visit.
Fwish!
Huh. Weird. Norn’s swings sounded more confident and sure than I’d
ever heard before. I hadn’t overseen her training for a while, but the sound
of it hadn’t been quite so sharp back when I was teaching her. It was more
of a fwoom, and not a fwish, which signaled that the blade was moving
straight and true. My own swings never made such a pleasant noise.
Yeah. In fact, this sound kind of reminds me of Eris’s—
I turned my gaze in the direction of the noise, and I couldn’t believe
what I was seeing at first.
A lone woman stood there, wielding the stone sword I’d made for her
to practice her swings. Her hair was such a vibrant red it looked like
someone had dumped a paint can over her head. And despite the weight of
the weapon—given it was stone—she handled it with ease, using only one
hand.
Th-that’s my pregnant wife! Eris!
“Oh, Rudeus,” she remarked upon noticing me. “Welcome home.
You got back kind of late.”
“H-h-hold up just a s-second!” I squeaked, stuttering uncontrollably.
“Eris! What are you doing?!” I raced over to her.
You can’t be doing this, okay? You’re about to give birth. Yeah, yeah,
I get you’re strong enough to handle your sword with ease, but that thing is
heavy! Flexing your stomach like that is…
Wait a minute. Her stomach…?
I glanced down at her abdomen and found it unexpectedly smooth
and trim.
Um… Where is my little baby?
 “Huh?” I blurted. Just to be sure, I tested my hand against her
stomach.
Ooh, amazing. She’s got a six-pack, and her muscles are super tight.
This is definitely not the kind of pregnant tummy I’ve seen before.
“Uh?”
What in the world was going on? Had her sinewy six-pack somehow
compressed our baby like shrink wrap? Oh, god.
No, stop it, I chided myself. This is no time to be panicking. Perhaps
the baby had been pushed lower because of the six-pack. “Is it here
instead?”
“What do you think you’re doing?!” Eris snapped, socking me in the
face after I groped her bottom.
I gazed up at her, having been knocked onto my own bottom. Eris
had taken up a wide stance, crossing her arms over her chest. Her chin
jutted out as she gazed down at me and finally said, “It’s out now.”
“What’s out?” The words left my mouth before I could think them
through, even though the answer was already obvious.
“The baby.”
“Whose baby?”
“Mine, of course!”
Eris…had given birth…to our baby.
I pursed my lips as I digested this information and sat up straight,
legs neatly folded beneath me. “Um, pardon me for asking, but
approximately when did this event take place?”
“Ten days ago! It was super late at night, but I got through it!”
Ten days ago? What was I doing then? Oh, right. I was still in
Shirone. I was probably in an inn with Roxy, and the two of us were
probably— No, there was no need to recount that part. Basically, what this
meant was…
“I didn’t…make it in time for the birth?”
 “Yeah. It would’ve been nice if you could’ve gotten back sooner, but
it’s too late now!” A cocky grin spread across her face, as if she was trying
to rub it in my face that she was perfectly capable of doing it all by herself.
Well now what? Should I prostrate myself? No, it wasn’t like I’d
done anything wrong. We’d known this was a possibility before I left. I still
couldn’t shake the guilt, though.
While I was too perplexed to properly respond, Eris furrowed her
brows. “Wh-what’s with you? Aren’t you happy?”
No, that definitely wasn’t the case. “I-I am happy, but I feel a little…
conflicted.”
“Oh! Right. It was a boy, of course! His name is Arus, just like the
historic human hero!”
Was joy an appropriate emotion right now? I’d failed to fulfill the
mission Orsted gave me. I’d let Zanoba’s younger brother, Pax, die. We’d
managed to scrape by without the whole thing coming undone, but I’d
screwed up so much of what we’d wanted to accomplish. My son’s birth
was heartening news—if a bit sudden—but was I allowed to be happy about
it, all things considered?
“Master!”
While I waffled back and forth over my emotions, the entrance flew
open. A tiny figure with orange hair came darting out. She streaked right
past me and launched herself at Zanoba, clinging to his thigh.
“Ah, Julie! My dearest apprentice, I have returned home!” Zanoba
reached down, slipping his hands beneath her arms and lifting her into the
air.
Tears streamed down Julie’s cheeks. Her tiny fingers clutched at his
sleeves. “I…I’ve been waiting patiently for your return this whole time,
Master!”
“I know,” he said.
 It was a heartfelt reunion. In fact, Julie showed so much emotion at
his return I almost started to question whether my family had been cruel to
her while he was gone.
The next words to come out of Julie’s mouth were jaw-dropping.
“You know, I…I love you from the bottom of my heart, Master!”
“Oh, you do, do you? I never realized—”
Before he could finish, she cut him off and kept babbling. “Please…
don’t ever leave me behind like this again! Please let me stay with you until
your dying breath! I beg you. Please…!” she pleaded, voice heavy with
sorrow. The way she spoke made it crystal clear how much she had worried.
Zanoba stared back, initially dumbfounded, but his lips soon gave
way to a gentle smile. “You needn’t worry anymore,” he said. “From now
on, I’ll be with you. Forever.”
“Master! Waah!” Her cry for him devolved into a fresh wave of tears.
Zanoba pulled her close and pulled her head against his shoulder. He
seemed quite happy with her reaction to his return.
Oh, yeah, I realized. It’s true that Pax died, my mission was a flop,
and the Man-God seized victory from our hands this round. But we came
back alive. Zanoba, Roxy, Ginger, and I are all healthy and whole. We didn’t
lose any of them.
That, at least, was something to celebrate. It was all right to be happy.
“Eris!”
I wasn’t about to fight the sudden flood of emotion that washed over
me. I threw my arms around Eris and planted a kiss on her. She was
shocked at first, but responded by returning my embrace and kissing me
back. My hands slipped down her back, finding their way back to her butt.
When I squeezed, she tightened her arms around me and deepened our kiss.
Taking this as an invitation, I slipped a hand around to her chest and began
groping. The next instant I found myself kissing not her lips but the ground
after her fist smashed into my face again.
“You went too far!”
“Sorry!”
 She squeaked in surprise when I leaped to my feet again and lifted
her, cradling her in my arms like a princess. I couldn’t wait any longer. I
wanted to see my baby’s face ASAP.
“So? Where’s our boy? Where is he?” I asked eagerly.
“In the house!” Strangely, Eris didn’t try to fight her way out of my
grasp. She wrapped her arms around my neck, pausing only once to point at
the house in response to my question.
“Hm…Master!” Zanoba bellowed.
“Yes, Zanoba!”
“I will respectfully take my leave for today! I shall see you again
tomorrow! Be sure to convey my gratitude to Lady Roxy as well!”
“You got it!”
After that brief exchange, Zanoba spun around and left. Apparently
he didn’t want to impose on our harmonious little family gathering.
I raced straight into the house, through the front entrance and into the
living room where we found two girls seated on the sofa. One of them was
cradling a baby in her arms.
“Look, Miss Norn, look! He just smiled!”
“Aisha! Come on, let me hold him!”
“Aw, fine,” Aisha grumbled back. “I guess you have held Lucie and
Lara before. Oh, he’s touching my breasts. I guess he must be hungry?”
Norn shrugged. “Hard to say. We both know what his father is like.”
The two fourteen-year-old girls cradled my little man and fawned
noisily over him. Hold up. My “little man”? That sounded like a
euphemism for something dirty…
“Okay, Eris, I’m going to put you down now,” I announced.
“’Kay.”
My sisters noticed us the moment I set my wife down. They glanced
up at me, smiles on their faces.
“Welcome home,” said Norn.
 “Good to see you back,” said Aisha.
They were smiling. Both of them were really smiling. I had a sudden
flashback to Pax’s face, to the self-deprecating, resigned grin he wore
before the end.
“Miss Roxy told us what happened,” Norn said. “About how rough it
was for you guys.”
“Forget that. Here, take him,” Aisha insisted.
“Oh, yes. Right. Elder Brother, this is your baby, little Arus.” After
taking the little bundle into her arms, Norn quickly passed him off to me.
I held him delicately and drank in his features. The little tuft of hair
on his head was red, and his eyes were exactly like Eris’s. This is my son…
Perhaps it felt so surreal because I hadn’t been present for the birth. Anxiety
swelled in the pit of my stomach. My little boy gazed up at me, stretching
his stubby little arms toward my chest. He patted his hands against me, like
he was trying to grope at something soft, but sadly for him, my pecs were
rock-hard.
“Gwaaah! Aaaah!” He immediately broke into tears.
All the tension in me faded, relief sweeping in to take its place. Yeah,
there’s no doubt in my mind now. This is definitely my kid—Paul’s
grandbaby.
“Um, Arus? That’s your daddy,” Norn supplied. “He’s not a
stranger.”
“B-Big Brother, are you okay?” Aisha asked. Both she and Norn
were eyeing me with worry.
Only moments before, the two of them had been holding him, calling
him cute, smiling as they did so. It was clear how much they loved him
already. I knew that they loved me too, as family.
Again, my mind drifted back to Pax. Zanoba had no children, but I
figured some of his siblings probably did. Pax had murdered them all.
Every single one. He couldn’t love them. Chose not to. Wasn’t loved
himself, either.
Oh, I realized. Maybe this was the kind of relationship that Zanoba
wanted with Pax.
 My eyes heated, shimmering with tears.
“Hey! Why are you crying?!” Eris demanded.
“I don’t know. I can’t help it.”
“Fine, you leave me no choice, then,” she said. “Give me the baby.
I’ll hold him, so quit your crying.”
“I don’t wanna.” I shook my head like a petulant child, continuing to
cradle our baby as I sat on the sofa between Aisha and Norn. Tears kept
trickling down my cheeks for a while.
I wondered why I could not give Pax the recognition he so desired,
even at the very end. I thought, at the time, that I understood how he felt.
Warped though his reasons were, I should have been able to grasp his
justification for being unable to love others. The environment he was in was
so harsh that putting in effort seemed ridiculous. I should have realized that
too. I should have seen that, in spite of the cards being stacked against him,
he’d clawed his way to the throne. I could have given him recognition for
his hard work. That kind of recognition had the power to change people’s
attitudes. Sure, maybe I wouldn’t have forgiven him immediately for all
he’d put Lilia and Aisha through, but I should have been able to do
something to dissuade him from taking his own life.
Someone must have heard my sobs because footsteps came echoing
down the stairs. After a few moments, Sylphie and Lucie popped their
heads in. Roxy followed close behind, holding Lara in her arms. Lilia and
Zenith, who’d likely been in the kitchen, came through the doorway as well.
Sylphie had probably heard what happened from Roxy. She saw me
weeping and silently began stroking my head. Lucie decided to mimic her
mother, climbing into my lap before reaching out her little fingers to pat me
on the head.
“Honestly, you’re such a crybaby,” Eris said even as she joined in
with the head patting. Every single one of them was being so kind.
“Aisha… Norn…” I muttered, as the tears kept falling. “No matter
what happens, I’ll always support you. If you’re ever in trouble, don’t think
twice about turning to me for help. You might think I’m not very
dependable, but I swear to you, I will do everything in my power to help.”
 The two traded glances. Judging by the looks on their faces, they
seemed to be thinking, If anything, we’re troubled right now because you
won’t stop bawling.
I had to pull myself together. If I kept this up, they really wouldn’t
turn to me for help when the need arose.
“Okay,” Aisha said, “got it.”
“Yes, we’ll be sure to heed what you said,” Norn agreed.
They nodded in unison.
Good. It looks like there’s no problems with our family, then.
I sniffled as I glanced at Roxy and Lara. Nestled in her mother’s
arms, Lara looked as impudent as ever.
It was fortunate that my life hadn’t been in serious danger this time.
Although, it might have been a different story if Roxy hadn’t been there.
Roxy was so dependable! No matter how hard I tried, I was always weak.
Without her at my side, I could easily have faltered partway through our
journey. I had Lara to thank for throwing a fit and coaxing Roxy to tag
along. No amount of gratitude toward the two of them would ever be
enough.
“Roxy…you were amazing on this trip,” I said.
“You were too, Rudy.”
Our journey was over. It had been a rough ride. I’d found myself
doubting things I shouldn’t have, and it had taken a serious toll on me
mentally. All I had to show for my efforts was failure and lingering trauma.
I’d let Pax die. The whole thing felt like a nightmare, but it was over now.
Tomorrow would surely bring new things.
Before it did, there were some things we needed to talk about.
“Everyone,” I said, “I want you to listen closely to what I am about to
say.”
That day, I told my family everything about the Man-God. About
him, about Orsted, about the war raging between the two of them, and
everything that had happened to me in the past. I mentioned that Lara might
be a savior in the future and even explained why I was cooperating with
Orsted. I shared every detail. And once I said my piece, I asked them for
their support. When the time finally came, I wanted them to stand up for me
—and by extension, Orsted.
Every single one of them nodded. Every single one of them—Eris,
Sylphie, Roxy, Lilia, and of course Norn and Aisha, too—were dumbstruck
by this sudden flood of information. Lucie in particular didn’t seem to
really understand what was being said. But they all wore earnest
expressions and bobbed their heads.
It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

***

Okay, let’s review the steps required to defeat the Man-God.

In order to reach him, we needed five hidden treasures passed down
by the Dragonfolk, treasures that were originally created by their distant
ancestors. Each of the Five Dragon Generals possessed one, and by using
the Dragon God’s secret art, the door to the world could be opened.
My future self had despaired upon realizing that he wouldn’t be able
to get his hands on the last treasure. I suspected Laplace was the one who
held this final piece. Judging by what Orsted said about needing to kill him,
I surmised that we would need to defeat each general to obtain their
treasure. The Maniacal Dragon King Chaos was already dead, likely done
in by Orsted, which meant we already had the item he held.
Therefore, only four Dragon Generals remained: Holy Dragon
Emperor Shirad, Abyssal Dragon King Maxwell, Armored Dragon King
Perugius, and Demonic Dragon King Laplace. It was possible that Shirad
and Maxwell were also already dead; Orsted wouldn’t share that
information with me. Perhaps because he was concerned about me—not
wanting me to know of his actions when they could be construed as killing
his own kind—or perhaps he actually felt guilty about what he’d done.
Especially since he didn’t seem to be on particularly bad terms with
Perugius.
 In any case, Laplace’s rebirth was an absolutely essential part of this
plan. He would eventually come back, reborn as a child. Orsted’s objective
had been to pin down exactly where he’d be born; it would be easier to
strangle him in the cradle.
Unfortunately, we had failed to accomplish that this time. We no
longer knew the location of Laplace’s return, only that he would again
launch himself into a war against the humans. Orsted needed to navigate
that conflict and take his life. It seemed as though getting that last treasure
would prove to be quite the trial, even for Orsted. Enough that it would
leave him severely weakened going into his fight with the Man-God
afterward.
Orsted had thus declared this loop to be a bust. Yet I felt that he
hadn’t entirely resigned himself to failure. Discouraged by this setback,
definitely, but he hadn’t given up. In fact, the more I thought about it, it was
almost as if he’d predicted this outcome.
Take the situation with Ariel, for example. Orsted said that Asura
Kingdom would face a great crisis a hundred years from now, but that it
could be averted if Ariel became king. He also mentioned something about
someone useful being born into Asura Kingdom afterward—I wasn’t clear
on the details of that—but I suspected he wanted stability in Asura
Kingdom for the war against Laplace. Asura Kingdom was chief amongst
the world powers. If they could put up a good resistance and wear Laplace
down, Orsted would have an easier time finishing him off.
It was also possible that Orsted may have suspected that his rebirth
would be different in this loop from the moment he learned about me. There
was plenty of reason to believe that the mere fact of my existence threw a
wrench into the usual flow of events that led to his rebirth in Shirone.
I did find it somewhat odd that the Man-God had messed around with
Laplace’s return to begin with, but my doubts were quickly dispelled. The
more I thought about it, the more I realized that while the Man-God’s
precognition couldn’t account for Orsted’s movements, he already saw
Dragon Gods as enemies. If anyone had been waving the anti-Man-God
flag for centuries, it had to be Laplace. He probably suspected Orsted would
revive Laplace to try something with him. Somewhere in Orsted’s loop,
which spanned several hundred years, there must have been a moment
where the Man-God realized what he might be up to, which led to him
proactively obstructing Orsted’s efforts. That would make sense. Anything
the Dragon God tried to accomplish would only be to the Man-God’s
detriment, after all.
In any case, this iteration of the world was headed down a different
path than the one Orsted knew from his many, many loops. My days of
obediently doing Orsted’s bidding and trying to set dominos in motion for
him were over. If his plans were already completely derailed, there was no
point in continuing to pursue them.
Laplace was going to reincarnate. There was going to be a war. If we
didn’t take Laplace down, we wouldn’t be able to reach the Man-God. And
it would be pointless if Orsted needed to spend the bulk of his power doing
so. There was no way he could defeat the Man-God in such a depleted state.
This was where Zanoba’s proposal came in. We needed to gather
allies. Working separately from Orsted, we could freely seek out powerful
companions to build our forces. We had about eighty to a hundred years
until the war. That was time enough to set up an anti-Man-God faction and
bring in allies to support Orsted—or lay the groundwork for such a group at
the very least. Orsted would have his own troops by the time we were
through.
In all likelihood, I wouldn’t live long enough to see the war. I
wouldn’t be able to take part in person. But I could still leave behind those
companions and the organization we built together, trusting they would
carry on my will. I was sure Orsted would go on to beat the Man-God for
me as well.
This would be my goal for the rest of my days.
 Extra Chapter:
The Death God and the Gluttonous Prince

M ANY ROYALS RESIDED in the King Dragon Realm’s royal villa.

They were not, however, specifically King Dragon Realm royalty: these
were princes and princesses from vassal states. Officially, they were
studying here or had been brought in as foster children, but in truth, they
were essentially hostages held to ensure said vassal states didn’t rebel. This
system resembled that of the daimyo shonin seido employed in feudal Japan
to ensure followers remained loyal.
At any rate, these princes and princesses weren’t very conscious of
their position as hostages. As long as their home countries stayed
compliant, their safety and continued stay were guaranteed, allowing them
to live in leisure. Not all of them were so carefree, however. An ambitious
few spent that time improving themselves and keeping a sharp eye out for
any opportunity to climb the social ladder.
Pax was one such person. He had a sudden change of heart one day
and threw himself into studying sword fighting, magic, and academia. He
would exercise as much as he could in the morning, leaving the latter half
of the day for magic and books. Pax swore he would keep up this daily
regiment, but such a drastic change in schedule couldn’t stay consistent for
long. Lately, he’d started dedicating his hours in the morning to a wholly
different pursuit. Namely, he started visiting the gardens close to the royal
villa.
“That’s when I told him—‘Unhand that slave! I’ll be the one
purchasing him.’” As Pax practiced with his wooden sword, he regaled a
nearby girl with a tale. “A scuffle ensued after that. Thugs came charging at
me and cut each man down, one by one! Their big boss was the last one to
approach me. He had a battle axe at least twice my size. He let out a roar so
intimidating even the most hardened warrior would shake in his boots, and
then he lunged at me! I skillfully evaded his attack and unleashed my most
powerful magic on him, hitting him right in the face! The man stumbled a
few steps, and without missing a beat, I was immediately on him with my
blade. Slash! And down he went!”
Pax made exaggerated gestures with his blade, even employing magic
as he illustrated his fight in real time. Once his story drew to a close, he
paused to glance at the girl. Her eyes were vacant, giving him no indication
whatsoever of what she was thinking. But for some reason, Pax was able to
read her expression. He hadn’t been able to at first, but over time he’d
begun to notice the tiniest changes on her face. Right now, her eyes shone
more brightly than usual and her cheeks had colored. She looked as though
she was genuinely enjoying his story.
Sweat dripped down Pax’s brow. He remained quiet, frozen in the
pose he’d struck at the end of his story, signifying he’d laid his enemy low.
But after a few moments, he resigned himself and straightened up.
“Well, such a turnout would have been ideal, but nothing ever goes as
perfectly as you picture in your head,” he admitted. “All I did was provide
backup to my bodyguards with my wind magic.”
The girl looked no less impressed than before.
“But still, my lord, you became the leader of the slums,” she said.
“Indeed. Regardless of how it happened, that much is certainly true—
having defeated their leader, I now rule over the slums.”
“Amazing.”
Pax grinned. “Isn’t it?! I may have had a slight case of cold feet
during all the commotion, but that doesn’t change the fact that I
consolidated Shirone’s ruffians! Go on, I will permit you to shower me with
even more praise!”
“Amazing. Truly amazing.”
Benedikte was the sixteenth princess of the King Dragon Realm. Her
expressions were muted, giving little indication of her emotion, and her
tone was flat with little inflection. Yet the way she eagerly listened made it
clear how excited she was about his story.
To be frank, Pax had dramatized his story more than a little. In a
desperate bid to retain some dignity, he slipped in the part about him using
magic to support his bodyguards, but the truth was he hadn’t even done that
much. It pained him to fib like this, but not a single soul in the realm
listened to his stories as earnestly. It was only natural to get a little carried
away.
“Tell me…more,” Benedikte muttered.
In all honesty, the truth didn’t matter to her. Since her family had
largely given up on her education, she couldn’t read, and no one else spoke
to her like Pax did. She was locked away in the cramped confines of the
royal villa; anywhere she went, they treated her like an eyesore. She woke
in the morning, ate her food, and then wandered off to find a deserted place
to waste away the time until her next meal. Then bedtime would come, and
she’d start the whole dull routine again the next day. Amid all of this
exhausting monotony, Pax’s exciting tales were like a breath of fresh air.
She enjoyed it.
“More,” she repeated. “Tell me…”
“Very well then. Next, I suppose, I can regale you with the tale of
when I visited Spring of the Faeries. Or at least, I’d like to, but we’ll save
that for tomorrow. This afternoon I have my studies and magic practice to
attend to.”
“…Okay.”
“Wahahaha, such an admirable listener. But you needn’t frown so!
All you need to do is wait. Tomorrow will come whether you will it to or
not!”
Anyone observing Pax these days would agree he was a diligent
worker. Once he finished his morning training, he would dedicate his
afternoon to his studies and magic practice. Admittedly he did slack off
quite frequently in the mornings, yes. But he practiced his sword swings
dutifully even as he shared his stories with Benedikte, so he was gradually
honing his skills.
As for his normal education, he no longer had the luxury of a private
tutor since he was abandoned by Shirone. He was left to continue his
studies on his own based on what he remembered learning. His persistent
efforts had slowly improved his reputation at the villa.
“But before any of that, we must eat! It’s time to return to the villa!”
Pax announced.
 “…I’ll see you off.”
“Wahahaha! There’s no need for that. No need at all.”
Pax parted ways with her and headed for his room. The gardens were
located at the edge of the estate, meaning that Benedikte’s room was close,
but Pax’s was quite far away. Benedikte was always reluctant to part with
him, so she would walk with him partway. Despite the way people treated
her, she was still the princess of a large nation, and one who actively tried to
spend more time with him. That was enough to put Pax in high spirits,
which inevitably led to him rambling.
“During my magic studies yesterday, I came upon a realization. It
was nothing more than a thought, but when I looked into it, I found out my
assumptions were correct. Which means that, from time immemorial, magic
has been…”
From the outside, Benedikte looked like she was disinterested and
spacing out. Her eyes, by comparison, were filled with curiosity and interest
as she listened to him speak. The maids who served the royal villa—and the
occasional aristocratic guest—would give them cold, disapproving looks.
“Would you look at that? The worthless worm from Shirone is
clinging to the deadbeat princess,” one of the nobles scoffed in passing.
Pax froze. He felt the urge to turn around and get a good look at this
naysayer, but he stopped himself. Each time he heard remarks like that, it
made him queasy—made the bile crawl up his throat. He wanted to whip
around, curse the culprit and behead them for their insolence. But those
hideous desires remained wishful thoughts. He knew better than anyone that
he had no power here.
“Just wait, you cur. You’ll see,” he muttered under his breath,
seething.
Benedikte’s expression clouded. She hadn’t received much education
at all, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t think for herself. She understood
her circumstances, and she knew that Pax was being denigrated for sticking
close to her.
“Your Highness,” she said. “I’ll…”
“Enough! Don’t say it, you’ll only irritate me!”
 Pax, meanwhile, didn’t see it the same way she did. He was used to
being disparaged. He’d faced the same kind of talk all the time in Shirone.
“Look at me,” he insisted. “Look at my body, at these arms and legs.
This is how I have looked since I was born. No matter what I do, people
will always belittle me. I guarantee you this: they are not saying it because
of you.”
He’d lost count of the times they’d had this conversation. Despite his
reassurances, Benedikte grew despondent. She had never left the palace, so
she didn’t quite understand. She didn’t see what was so different about his
short, stumpy body or his stubby arms and legs. She couldn’t imagine how
much ridicule he suffered through because of that.
In a way, they were both in the same boat. That was precisely what
drew her to Pax. Despite his constant complaints about the odds stacked
against him, he still pushed himself to fight them.
“Hm?” Pax paused just as they crossed the boundary between the
main palace and the neighboring villa. “What’s the smell?”
A pungent odor hung in the air, its origin unknown. It was deeply
unpleasant, like someone was cremating a corpse. Yet there was also
something almost fragrant about it, too, like someone was cooking. The
more Pax breathed it in, the more it stirred his appetite. But he had to
wonder: could something that stank this much be edible? His curiosity
couldn’t ignore the bizarre balance of this scent.
“Seems to be coming from the parade grounds,” he muttered. “I’m
intrigued. Shall we check it out?”
“But,” Benedikte started to protest.
“Hmph. Would anyone really reprimand you for wandering a little
from the royal villa? If they wish to monitor your behavior to that extent,
they ought to at least appoint one person to observe you. Now, let’s go!”
“Okay,” Benedikte answered, sounding a little happy despite herself.

***
 There was a painting in Shirone Kingdom entitled Hell’s Banquet. It
depicted five morbidly obese nobles throwing a dinner party. Which wasn’t
so strange, but if one looked closely, they’d notice the nobles had a skeleton
serving them. Three of the aristocrats seemed to be none the wiser, locked
in cheerful conversation. One of them had noticed and wore a shocked look
as he frantically turned to the person seated beside him. The last member of
their group was collapsed on the table. It was unclear whether they were
sleeping or dead.
Pax didn’t know much about this particular painting, but he did
remember his older brother, Zanoba Shirone, standing in front of it and
mumbling to himself as he studied the scene. Had the men there wanted to
be a part of that banquet? If they hadn’t, then why were they forced to sit
there? And who was it that had prepared the food they were being served,
anyway? Zanoba had been asking such questions aloud. Perhaps it was
because of that encounter that Pax remembered the painting so well.
Perhaps the painting was depicting a scene like the very one I’m
seeing now, Pax thought.
A makeshift outdoor kitchen had been set up on the edge of the
parade grounds to teach new recruits how to cook. Five squires were at the
nearby table. Each of them was deathly pale, their eyes wandering
constantly to the kitchen. The pungent odor that emanated from there was
the same one that Pax had caught earlier. The smell only grew worse as one
got closer to the point that even Pax felt the urge to pinch his nose.
Most intriguing of all, however, was the man who was working in the
kitchen. He was a skeleton…or at least, his face greatly resembled one. He
wore a chilling smile as he stood over an enormous pot, stirring the
contents.
“Heh heh heh,” he snickered to himself. “Just a little longer and it’ll
be ready.”
The knights’ expressions contorted into looks of despair, as if they
genuinely thought their lives were forfeit—that there was no running from
this.
Perhaps the men in that painting had been in a similar type of
situation. They were right about being unable to run. After all, the man
concocting this macabre meal was someone Pax knew well.
 “Death God Randolph,” he murmured.
Randolph Marianne was indeed known as the Death God, fifth
among the Seven Great Powers. He served directly under High General
Shagall as a member of the Blackwyrm Knights. He had no subordinates of
his own and always worked solo. He was the strongest knight in the realm
and had pretty much secured the highest possible position for himself.
Despite his towering station, he’d personally gathered the squires to serve
them a meal. It was no wonder they couldn’t run; Randolph had them
literally and figuratively outmatched.
Nonetheless, Pax couldn’t help but wonder what all of this was about.
“You men there, what is going on?” he asked.
“And you are…?”
“Seventh Prince of Shirone Kingdom, Pax.”
Despite being a foreigner, Pax was still royalty, putting him leagues
above the men here. The men started to rise from their chairs to get on one
knee.
“No need,” Pax interrupted them. “You are permitted to stay seated
and speak as you are.”
They glanced between themselves before settling back down. Slowly,
they began to explain the situation.
“Well, you see, we made a rather…uh, fatal mistake during the
drills.”
Three days ago, the King Dragon Realm had conducted large-scale
drills for their forces. These men were squires for High General Shagall
Gargantis himself. While the drills had proceeded smoothly, these boys had
screwed up spectacularly. They hadn’t properly secured the saddle on
Shagall’s horse. Seconds before he made the command to charge, he took a
humiliating fall into the dirt. Fortunately, the healers nearby tended to him
immediately, which meant the rest of the drill went on without incident.
That was the only reason they got off with a scolding instead of a more
severe punishment. Shagall, meanwhile, was not spared the embarrassment
of having his fall witnessed by every member of the royal family present to
oversee the drills.
 It was little wonder the squires were so depressed. Their mistake had
brought shame on the very man they so revered. If the circumstances had
been different, they might have been fired on the spot. They had gotten off
relatively scot-free. In their guilt, they pleaded with the High General for
some kind of punishment, but he only smiled magnanimously and refused.
At first, the squires had thought his reaction discomforting, but it wasn’t
until today that they learned the reason why.
“Lord Randolph suddenly came to visit us today, saying he would
cook for us.”
“And? What is the problem with that?” Pax questioned.
“You mean you don’t know?”
Rumors were rampant among the knights. It was a curious thing.
Why would one of the Seven Great Powers, the strongest knight in all of the
realm, become a direct subordinate of the High General? Under ordinary
circumstances, Randolph Marianne should have been granted his own
region to rule over, with hundreds of men at his command. So why was it
that he always worked alone?
That was because High General Shagall had trained him to be an
assassin from early on. Shagall was mixed-race, with elven and human
blood, and his extended lifespan had seen him serve at the apex of the King
Dragon Realm’s military for many years. He had a bit of a crude side, but
he was loyal to a fault and widely known for his honesty and integrity. No
one spoke ill of him.
But how could that even be possible? How could a man remain
spotless while in charge of an enormous organization like the King Dragon
Realm’s military? Well, that was because he wasn’t spotless. He had any
man who earned his ire killed behind the scenes, using the very assassin
he’d reared himself—Randolph. As proof of this, only a few short years
after Randolph became widely known to the public, every single one of
Shagall’s political rivals were wiped out. Several among them died from
illnesses of unknown origin or tragically passed after being caught in an
“accident.”
“We’re…going to be killed…because we humiliated His
Excellency!” one of the men blurted, white as a sheet.
 The other four began violently trembling in their seats.
“No… No! I don’t wanna die!”
“Your Highness, please save us. I…I have a girl I love back home. I
haven’t even gotten to tell her how I feel yet… I can’t die like this…”
“I at least wanted to meet my end on the battlefield. Now I’m going
to be killed ’cause of a little screw-up during a practice drill? You gotta be
kidding me…”
“And to think my mom was so happy to see me become a squire…”
While the squires lamented their fates, a creepy, chilling voice called
over to them, “You lot sure are being awful rude. I heard you were down in
the dumps after being scolded, so I decided to make you some of my
delicious cuisine. That’s all.”
Pax tensed and turned. The knight with the skeletal face wore a
chilling smile as he hauled over the enormous pot. The smell was so putrid
it almost seemed otherworldly.
“Now then, dig in everyone. Delicious food is the best cure when
you’re feeling depressed,” Death God Randolph said with a grin that almost
seemed to declare his intent to rob them of their lives.
“Urk.” Pax gulped and retreated a step, too intimidated not to. His
heel bumped against something. Someone tugged at his sleeve. He glanced
over his shoulder and glimpsed an expressionless Benedikte pinching his
clothes. Even though her face conveyed no emotion, he could read what she
was thinking—Please save them.
Why do I have to save these fools?!
Were Pax not a changed man, he might have said that. But this plea
came from a girl who’d listened to his heroic sagas daily. She was someone
he wanted to impress.
“Randolph,” he said.
“Yeees? What is it? Uh…who are you, by the way?”
“My name is Pax Shirone, Seventh Prince of Shirone Kingdom.
Since I was fortuitous enough to find my way here, I would like to partake
in this repast of yours as well.”
 “…Oh?”
Personally, Pax didn’t really intend to put that stuff in his mouth. He
was a prince, after all. If this “food” was actually poison, he was certain
Randolph would back down.
“Yes! Yes, of course, Your Highness!”
On the contrary, Randolph beamed in delight at his offer.
“A-as you can clearly see, I am quite the gourmet,” Pax said. “You’ll
regret it if you serve me a lackluster meal.”
“Ehehe,” the man snickered. “I might not look it, but I used to run a
restaurant myself, you see. I am quite confident in the flavor.”
“You do understand what I am saying, don’t you?” Pax said.
“Yes, I most certainly do understand.”
This man is out of his damn mind, Pax thought.
If his poison killed Pax, the matter wouldn’t be solely between the
King Dragon Realm and Shirone Kingdom; there were royals here from a
wide array of countries. A knight couldn’t get away with senselessly
murdering one of them. The other vassal states wouldn’t stand for it. If the
King Dragon Realm indiscriminately and randomly killed their hostages,
then what was the point in keeping them? The other vassal states would rise
in rebellion.
In spite of this, Randolph looked perfectly composed. In fact, he
seemed to be challenging Pax: If you think you can eat it, then eat it. We
both know you’re only saying you will. You won’t actually do it.
Or perhaps, Pax thought, having heard that I’m a prince of Shirone
and having seen what I look like, he thinks no one will care one whit
whether I live or die. Dammit! I don’t care if he is one of the Seven Great
Powers—he’s looking down his nose at me!
Pax couldn’t afford to die here, yet he couldn’t allow himself to be
treated with such contempt. Besides, Benedikte was watching. He couldn’t
meekly back down simply because he knew the other party cared nothing
for his welfare.
 “Fine! Move aside!” he roared. He shoved one of the squires aside
and plunged himself down. “Go on, then! It isn’t every day one gets the
opportunity to sample the cooking of someone as famous as the Death God.
My stomach has been rumbling since the moment I caught wind of your
dish’s fragrant scent!”
Pax was being defiant now. If Randolph didn’t think he would
actually eat the food, then he would do exactly that. He’d guzzle it down,
let the poison kill him, and thereby bring chaos to the entire realm.
Obstinate as he was, he’d resolved himself to his fate—and everything else
that came with it.
“Oh? You’re the first person that’s ever said something like that to
me.” Randolph wore an eerie smile as he went about serving the food. It
didn’t take long before the piping hot dish was sitting right in front of Pax.
It was a stew, with enormous chunks of veggies and meat, but the
liquid itself was purple. That was…worrying. What could one possibly put
into stew to make it turn that color? It didn’t look the least bit appetizing,
nor did it smell appetizing. The odor was so rank, it was hard to believe it
came from something edible. Pax knew of nothing edible that smelled like
this. His mind screamed, That’s not food!
“Urgh…” He had managed to grab his spoon, but his hand wouldn’t
move further.
The squires who were present eyed him, their own faces deathly pale.
Even Benedikte looked somewhat worried for him.
Oh, screw it!
Pax plucked up his courage, jammed the spoon into the gloppy
concoction in front of him, scooped up a chunk of unidentifiable meat, and
shoved it into his mouth.
“Mmph!”
He chewed, then swallowed. The squires gawked. Not a soul present
honestly believed he would actually try the dish. Anyone could tell at a
glance that it had to be poison.
After gulping down the mouthful, Pax sat frozen solid for a few
moments before he finally mumbled, “That was surprisingly good.”
 “Huh?!”
“It’s seasoned in a style associated with the Demon Continent, so it
likely won’t appeal to people around here, but it’s palatable to me,” Pax
said.
Yes, it looked as bad as it smelled. Yet strangely, once you put it in
your mouth, its rich fragrance tickled the nose, and the complex flavors of
the vegetables lingered on the tongue. The meat was so tender as to
instantly melt, filling the mouth with a delectable, savory flavor.
It was a puzzling dish. He’d never had something remotely similar in
Shirone. As he ate, he noticed a numbness on his tongue. That was likely
poison. But more importantly, the look on Randolph’s face when he ate it
and complimented the flavor was truly a sight to behold. Pax could tell the
Death God didn’t genuinely think he’d eat it, much less praise it.
Hah! Even if I die in agony moments from now, I can at least say I
outplayed one of the Seven Great Powers. I’ll be bragging about that from
my seat in hell, Pax thought bitterly to himself as his tongue continued to
tingle.
There were still so many things he still wanted to do. But he’d never
done anything in his life worth bragging about, so at least he had something
he could be proud of with this one last act. That gave him some satisfaction.
Without that as consolation, he might just fling the plate to the ground and
start bawling.
“I want seconds,” Pax said, shoving his plate at Randolph.
“Um, but, Your Highness, I made this for the squires—”
“Do you truly believe these men can appreciate the quality of this
stew?! I am having it all for myself!”
“Your Highness,” the squires gasped, moved by his merciful
intercession.
Pax thumped his fist against his chest and roared, “Enough! What are
you gawking at? Do the Realm’s squires make it a habit of staring at royalty
as they eat? Or do you have some issue with me eating all of this cuisine for
myself? Well, I shan’t hear it! If you have any complaints, take them to
your master, Shagall. Tell him that Shirone’s prince robbed you of your
chance to sample Randolph’s food!”
The squires bowed and hastily fled the scene, but their expressions
were full of gratitude, which was something entirely foreign to Pax.
“Hmph.”
Pax, of course, didn’t care if they appreciated what he was doing. He
assumed they thought him a gluttonous prince who, on a mere whim,
deigned to eat this poison-filled food in their stead.
When Pax glanced up, he noticed Benedikte had taken a seat beside
him. Her expression was placid as ever, her eyes darting back and forth
from the plate to Pax.
“Benedikte, do you wish to eat this as well?” Pax asked.
She nodded.
“You understand, don’t you? What this food is, I mean.”
Again, she nodded.
Pax paused in thought, but almost immediately he remembered the
cruel environment Benedikte found herself in. He was the only friend she
had. She was always alone, spending her time in the gardens, staring at the
flowers—the ostracized, solitary princess with whom no one bothered to
interact. Every day was surely miserable for her. Even Pax wouldn’t be able
to withstand that kind of treatment in her place.
With that in mind Pax could find no reason to stop her. Perhaps she’d
decided to join him because he was her one and only friend, and if he was
going to die, she figured she may as well too.
Finally, Pax nodded. “All right, then, Randolph. Prepare a serving for
her as well.”
“Yes, yes, of course! Ahh, what a fine day it is today.” Randolph
continued eerily smiling as he plated more of his bizarre stew for
Benedikte.
Benedikte gracefully took up her spoon and slowly began to dig in.
Although she’d never been given instruction on etiquette, she held her
utensil beautifully. She was probably mimicking what she’d seen others do.
 “…Delicious,” Benedikte mumbled as she continued eating.
“Indeed, it is.” Pax resumed his dining as well. Being a voracious
eater, he requested extra helpings several times until the pot was completely
empty. “Hmph, what do you think of that, Death God Randolph? We
finished your entire stew. It was delectable.”
“Yes, it is a great honor indeed to have you both polish off the entire
pot.”
Pax narrowed his eyes. “And? When will it kick in?”
“When will what kick in?”
“Do you truly think I didn’t notice? With that numb tingling on my
tongue?”
“Ooh! That. Yes, well, you should notice the effects any moment
now,” Randolph answered with a snicker.
Any moment, huh?
Pax leaned back, gazing up at the sky. How long had it been since he
last dined outside? Perhaps it had been the first time ever for Benedikte. No
matter how coldly a member of the royal family was treated by their kin, it
didn’t change how suffocating their life was. If anything, the ostracism
meant the family was reluctant to let them outside at all, instead confining
them to the walls of the palace.
At least his last moments were beneath a sunny, blue sky, and he’d
eaten a delicious meal before the end. There could be no more pleasant way
to go. It was as if his very soul had been cleansed.
“Feeling relaxed now, aren’t you?” Randolph asked. “Sanshok seeds
have a strong tranquilizing effect.”
“Sanshok?” Pax repeated, bewildered.
“Yes. It’s the best spice for calming one’s emotions when they’re
depressed or irritated. I truly did want the squires to try it as well…”
“So it’s not poison?”
“Poison?” Randolph blinked at him. “Oh, well, Sanshok seeds do
have a poisonous color to them. Many people tend to avoid consuming it
for that reason, yes. But you needn’t worry. Not a single soul has perished
from eating it. Hm? But you mentioned the tingling sensation on your
tongue—does that mean you knew I had used Sanshok?”
“N-no, I had a feeling you’d used something, but not quite that!”
As Randolph tilted his head, the realization finally hit Pax—this man
had truly only intended to treat those squires to a meal, nothing more.
“Yes, I see, Sanshok!” Pax nodded to himself. “I was almost certain
you’d taken the skin of a Kiban and added that to the stew.”
“Ohh, yes, Kiban skin does make the tongue tingle as well. But you
see, Kiban skin can’t give the stew that delectable purple hue, now can it?”
Pax nodded thoughtfully. “True enough. Yes, your ingenuity was
quite impressive!”
“Heh heh, I appreciate you saying that. It was worth having that
ingredient brought in all the way from the Demon Continent.” The way
Randolph smiled almost seemed to suggest he had completely seen through
Pax’s bravado.
“Well, enough of this! Benedikte, let us be off!” Unable to withstand
the man’s penetrating gaze, Pax shot to his feet. “I have my studies and
magic practice to attend to this afternoon. I have no time to dawdle here,
engaging in small talk!”
“All right,” she mumbled.
Pax straightened his shoulders and began to totter off with Benedikte
close behind him. They didn’t make it too far before Randolph called after
them.
“Um, Prince Pax?”
“What is it?” Pax glanced over his shoulder.
Randolph sported his usual creepy smile. Yet he seemed a bit
anxious, rubbing his hands together as he worked up the courage to ask,
“Would it be at all possible for me to serve you a meal again in the future?”
“Very well. Your cooking is delicious, after all.” Pax quickly
delivered his answer and turned away to leave. Although he’d been
unnecessarily anxious about the meal being poisoned, the stew itself was
scrumptious. Those unusual flavors were unlikely to suit most people’s
palates, but Pax had never had anything like it. If Randolph was keen on
serving him something like that again, he had no reason to refuse. He
wasn’t lying when he said he was a gourmet with finicky tastes.
“Thank you,” said Randolph, bowing his head low.
After that, Pax began periodically eating Randolph’s cooking.

***

“In hindsight, I really had resigned myself to death back then,” Pax
mumbled, as he revisited the distant past in his head.
He currently stood on a staircase landing. The nearby window gave
him a glimpse of the world outside the castle. Fires dotted the landscape,
smoke signals rising like pillars here and there. He heard no voices from
here, but he could sense the crowds below.
Pax was inside Shirone Castle, a place he’d arrived at after recklessly
plunging ahead until he’d clawed his way onto the throne.
“I would have preferred not to hear the truth until my dying days,”
Randolph replied, standing beside the king and gazing down at the world
below. He’d removed his eyepatch, and the eye underneath emitted a
glaring light. “I was really happy, you know? To hear you say my cooking
was delicious.”
“Don’t start that. It may not have looked appetizing, but I wasn’t
lying to you when I said it was good,” Pax said.
“Hehe, it’s hard to believe you when I now know you thought I meant
to poison you.”
Their voices swelled with emotion as they conversed, gazing through
the glass. Inconsequential happenstance had brought them together, and
even after their initial meeting, nothing particularly exciting or significant
took place. All that happened was that each time Pax and Benedikte
sampled Randolph’s cooking, they praised its taste. They would chat a bit
while he was concocting his odd dishes, but they’d go their separate ways
once the meal was over. The cycle repeated numerous times until Randolph
realized how often he was in Pax’s company. It would be a stretch to call
Pax his pupil or apprentice, but he did offer some advice on swordsmanship
and magic.
“In the end, you and Benedikte are my only allies,” Pax said as he
watched the people gathered outside.
They knew not all of the people out there were enemies; a knight had
risked his life to venture out and bring back a scouting report. Yes, not all of
them were against him, but Pax knew that they weren’t in support of him
either. The vast majority of Shirone hadn’t welcomed his ascension to the
throne. They could be his enemies under the right circumstances, but they
could never be his allies.
“Why do people hate me so?”
It had been that way his entire life. No one ever allied themselves
with him. Perhaps his appearance repulsed them; perhaps he simply had no
talent for finding comrades. Pax honestly had no clue. He had tried his best
in his own way, but for all his efforts, only Benedikte and Randolph had
come to his side. Maybe if he had conducted himself better, Zanoba and
Rudeus—and maybe even the knights that had died—might have been
willing to stand with him. It was too late to reflect on that now.
“Good question. People are often terrified of me as well, and I
haven’t the faintest idea why either,” Randolph said, as if trying to comfort
him. But in Randolph’s case, it was no doubt because of his appearance. If
only he could do something about that skeletal face and that unsettling
smile, things might change a little.
Actually, even with those problems, Randolph had still gained the
respect of the King Dragon Realm’s High General and numerous
swordsmen. Pax had nothing like that. He’d become king, and now had
both a wife he loved and an excellent subordinate. But alas, that was no
way to run a country. He couldn’t win the recognition of the masses.
Maybe he’d gone about this the wrong way, but the fact remained
that had too few people in his corner. He no longer knew what to do to
bolster his supporters. He needed comrades, but he had no clue how to get
them. Pax was now at a loss for what to do.
“Randolph,” he said.
“Yes?”
 “When I die, take Benedikte with you and escape from here.”
Randolph swallowed a breath. In the dozen or so years he’d lived
through numerous battles, never once had another person made him
cognizant of his own breathing, but he suddenly found his awareness
heightened now.
“Go back to the King Dragon Realm. When my child is born, impart
to them your swordsmanship and culinary talents.”
Randolph said nothing.
“Academia as well,” Pax added. “Given the parentage of our child,
there’s no way they’ll appoint them a tutor. I’m entrusting their care to
you.”
Again, Randolph was silent.
“And I’d ask you to compliment them as much as possible. I doubt
Benedikte will be able to do that herself. Neither of us was ever
complimented much.”
Finally he found his voice and said, “Um, Your Majesty?”
A rare expression crossed Randolph’s face, one he never displayed to
others, neither before nor after he came to be called the Death God. In fact,
after becoming one of the Seven Great Powers, he’d killed so many men—
tens of thousands of them—that he stopped seeing them as people. In all his
long years he had only made such a face on a select few occasions. This
was the look of someone who didn’t want the other person to die.
“What is it?” Pax asked.
“You know, I like you,” Randolph said.
But he couldn’t bring himself to ask Pax not to die. He was the Death
God, after all. Being fifth of the Seven Great Powers, he’d seen countless
men die. He’d seen numerous people choose a noble death over a
meaningless life. He’d paid his respects to every one of them.
The man before Randolph was a king. He had a stunted body, was
unloved by his people, had suffered civil war immediately after his
ascension, and would probably be forgotten in the long term, snuffed out
from the annals of history. But he was a king, nonetheless. He’d done his
part to earn the people’s acknowledgement and ascended to the throne. It
made sense that he wanted to die as a king. His pride compelled him.
“That’s why I’ll be sure to carry out your order, even at the cost of
my own life,” Randolph finished.
“I trust you will.”
Randolph Marianne may have been called a Death God by others, but
a true god of death he was not. He knew of the man who’d carried the title
before him. The former Death God would always listen to the words of the
dying before they passed. He would honor their dignity and protect it until
their last breath. This was why he had come to be called a Death God.
Randolph had followed his example, because Randolph respected him more
than any other—and had even inherited his name.
“Well, it seems the sun is about to set.” Having gotten the answer he
wanted, Pax tore his gaze from the scenery outside and headed toward his
bedroom. “I’m going to go bid my farewell to Benedikte. It’ll be our last
tryst. Will you make sure no one interrupts before we are finished?”
“As you wish, Your Majesty.”
Pax disappeared inside the room, and Randolph took up his position
outside. After a while, he got tired of standing and went downstairs to fetch
a chair. One he was seated, he propped his elbows against his knees and
interlaced his fingers, resting his chin upon them. He kept his gaze locked
on the stairs and the window that sat just beyond them. It was as though he
wanted to burn the sight—Pax’s last glimpse at the city he’d ruled—into his
mind’s eye.
“To be honest, I rather wish you wouldn’t die,” Randolph muttered as
he slowly closed his eyes.
 About the Author:
Rifujin na Magonote

Resides in Gifu Prefecture. Loves fighting games and cream puffs.

Inspired by other published works on the website Let’s be Novelists, they
created the web novel Mushoku Tensei. They instantly gained the support of
readers, hitting number one on the site’s combined popularity rankings
within one year of publication.
“Never put your public image ahead of your own happiness,” advises
the author wisely.
 Thank you for reading!
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Color Inserts
Title Page
Copyrights and Credits
Table of Contents Page
Chapter 1: Zanoba’s Decision
Chapter 2: Bad Omens
Chapter 3: The Return to Shirone
Chapter 4: King Pax
Chapter 5: Fort Karon
Chapter 6: Preparations for War
Chapter 7: The Battle
Chapter 8: An Urgent Message, and Zanoba’s True Feelings
Chapter 9: To Pax’s Side
Chapter 10: Wasted Effort All Around
Chapter 11: Aftermath
Chapter 12: Zanoba’s Chosen Path
Chapter 13: It’s All Right to Be Happy
Extra Chapter: The Death God and the Gluttonous Prince
About the Author: Rifujin na Magonote
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