Interlude
Loggervia’s Rizlet
Loggervia Castle, Rit’s room.
“What do I do…?”
The princess sat hugging her knees. Her master, as well as the adventurers who she’d traveled with, were gone. They had been killed by the Asura demon, Shisandan.
The army looking to capture Loggervia Castle had stopped their offensive at the loss of their commander, but the castle was still surrounded by the demon lord’s troops. Supply lines had been severed.
The gradual depletion of supplies, particularly the decreases in food and fuel, was having a significant impact on the morale of the castle’s defenders. Loggervian winters were cold. Without fuel to burn to stay warm, many people would freeze to death. It went without saying what would happen without food.
Even if they held out, they couldn’t win. The military might of the Duchy of Loggervia had suffered several diplomatic problems with their neighboring countries. In particular, they had gotten into a small-scale squabble with the nearby country of Sunland over the rights to a quarry near the border before the demon lord’s army had invaded.
If Loggervia didn’t lower its head and send out a letter pleading for reinforcements, they could not hope for help from the outside. But with them surrounded, no envoy would survive. On top of that, it was clear that the demon lord’s army had more than enough supplies. The orcs who made up a significant chunk of the army were resistant to the cold of winter. Loggervia’s frozen climate was an ally to their enemy.
In order to break out of that deadlock, Rit had tried to lead a force of Loggervian adventurers in a surprise attack against the enemy’s main forces with the help of her master, Gaius, and his royal guard, but…
This is all I have to show for it…
Upon finding out that Gaius had already been killed, Rit’s father, the country’s sovereign, had fallen prey to depression. The two of them had been close friends from a young age. The reason he had left the education of his beloved daughter to Gaius was because of his confidence in Gaius’s character. He blamed himself because, despite his long kinship with the man telling him something was off, he had not been able to see through the fact that someone had taken Gaius’s place. That self-reproach and depression caused the leader of a dauntless military power to lose his will to fight.
It was the same for Rit, too. The fact that she had not realized the master she idolized had been replaced by someone else, that she had been deceived, and that she was responsible for so many people dying because of that had wounded her spirit.
I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…
Even though they had gotten revenge by defeating Shisandan, Rit’s heart was still shrouded in gloom, and all she could do was keep apologizing.
Then came a knock on the door.
I knocked on the door to Rit’s room. I could sense her presence behind the door, but there wasn’t a response.
“Rit, may I come in?”
“…Gideon?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Sure…”
Opening the door, I saw Rit sitting on her bed. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying.
“Is it okay if I sit?” Seeing the girl nod, I sat down next to her on the bed. “Today’s war council is over. Apparently, they intend to maintain the situation and hole up for a siege.”
“Uh-huh.”
“But everyone recognizes things will only get worse at this rate. With Gaius gone, the people are disorganized.”
“It can’t be helped.”
Rit’s expression was despairing, as if she’d already accepted the seemingly inevitable destruction of her home. The princess had given up, like so many others. At this rate, Loggervia really would be destroyed by the demon lord’s army.
As an outsider, I was reluctant to intrude too much in other people’s affairs, but I resolved myself to confront the blond girl.
“Rit.”
“…”
“Rit! Look at me!”
I grabbed both her shoulders and forced her to face me. Her eyes were damp with tears as they met mine.
“I know you’re hurting. I understand the country has lost its will to fight, too. But, Rit, you said you were going to protect this country, didn’t you?”
“Yeah…”
“If you tell me now that you really don’t want to fight anymore, I won’t make you. But that isn’t what this is. It’s not that you don’t want to fight. It’s that the sadness is weighing you down.”
“Maybe. But it’s hopeless. The swords I loved so much… I can’t even hold them anymore. I’m scared… I’m scared to lose anything else,” she admitted as her tears started flowing again.
I gently drew her toward me, and she buried her face in my chest and started crying, unable to hold it back.
“…Scared. I’m so frightened… I knew the people who died. Clive had a wife. They only just got married last year, and he was always talking about how great his bride was. Danny had a sick father. He always worked so hard to pay for his father’s medicine. Old man Soret was going to retire in another year. He said he was going to bake tons of cookies for his grandson once he retired. Bobby was an orphan who I helped once when he got involved with some delinquents. He ended up becoming an adventurer after that because he wanted to be like me. I…I…told him, ‘Do your best; I-I’m sure you’ll become a strong adventurer someday.’ If I hadn’t said that…he’d still be alive now. The royal guard and the adventurers…all of them… I…”
“They were good people.”
“There were bad people, too. And folk somewhere in between. But I talked to them all. I knew their faces. I knew what sort of personalities they had! What sort of lives they led! Why they were willing to fight with me! I knew it all! But they’re all gone now. Because of me, they’re all dead. I’ll never see them again. It’s scary, and it’s lonely.” Rit sobbed.
Hugging her shoulders, I tried to share as much of the pain in her heart as I could. I felt her sobs as she kept talking, saying just enough to let her keep going and occasionally nudging her to continue.
I had no idea how much time had passed. Exhausted from crying, Rit leaned limply against me.
“…”
“We’ll put together a concrete plan by the day after tomorrow, but we intend to break through the siege and go call for reinforcements. We’re going to go through the bewitching woods.”
“The bewitching woods?”
“Normally, it would be impossible to get through there, but we’re in luck. A high elf named Yarandrala whom we’ve adventured with before is in a village nearby. They’re still fighting the demon lord’s army there, so I’d guess Yarandrala has probably taken command of their defensive forces. Her blessing allows her to communicate with plants, and she can make it through that dangerous forest. We’re going to save the village where Yarandrala is, meet up with her, and then travel through the woods.”
The demon lord’s army wouldn’t go all out against some tiny little village. Their forces there were likely to be weaker.
“I’ll leave it to you all, then. Even if I don’t do anything, I’m sure the Hero will be able to resolve it,” Rit responded, hardly roused, with her eyes averted. The determined woman hailed as a hero in her own right was nowhere to be found in that face.
“Maybe. But that way won’t lead to the best result.”
“Why not? It’s best for the Hero to save the day, right? All of you are strong. Much stronger than I am. Wouldn’t it go smoother than if I fought?”
“Maybe, but if that happened, it would just end up being another case of the Hero passing by and happening to save the day before leaving again.”
“What’s the difference?”
“I’m sure Ruti could pass through the bewitching woods, lead reinforcements back here, and defeat the demon lord’s army. But if she did, then the victor would just be her and her party. It wouldn’t be a victory for Loggervia.”
“If reinforcements were to come, we’d be glad to fight, too.”
“That’s not what I mean. What’s important here is whether Loggervia’s resolve—their pride—is part of it.”
Rit’s shoulders trembled slightly, but she was still looking down.
“Rit, please listen to me. This is really important.”
“…Okay.”
“You need to endure the sadness you’re feeling and stand back up. You need to break through the bewitching woods with us, be there to request the reinforcements, and fight the demon lord’s army side by side with our party.”
“Why?”
“If you don’t, this battle will only be remembered in Loggervia as the day the great head of the royal guard was lost. Even if the demon lord’s army is pushed back, that bitter memory will leave a scar in this country’s heart that will never heal.”
“…”
“Rit, I’ve said it before, but you are my comrade. You are one of the Hero’s comrades.”
The girl looked up slowly. Her expression now hardened with determination. Her blue eyes, still wet with tears, met my own.
“It would be simple enough for Ruti to force your father to write the letter. But it would be even better if you persuaded him. I want Loggervian determination behind the victory in this battle. Without that, even if the country makes it through this hardship, once the Hero is gone, they won’t be willing to fight should the enemy return.”
“Because we weren’t the ones who won.”
“Exactly.”
“…I got it,” Rit said, nodding.
Tears still stained the young woman’s face, but a heroic resolve had returned to her expression.
We rose to leave. The remaining things to discuss were better covered in the council room, not her bedroom. Rit walked ahead of me but suddenly stopped and turned around.
“Gideon…truly, thank you. For coming to this country with the Hero, for meeting me, for being willing to call me a comrade…for saving me… Truly, thank you.”
There was a gentle smile on her face.
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