ACT I
“Your Majesty!”
The door flew open with a bang, and Fagrahvél rushed into the room.
She was a handsome woman with sharp features. She was the patriarch of the Sword Clan where Yuuto and company were currently residing and was the milk-sister of Sigrdrífa, þjóðann of the Holy Ásgarðr Empire.
Having heard that Rífa had regained consciousness, she had dropped everything to come to her side.
“A-Are you well?!”
“Ah, ’tis you, Fagrahvél. It’s been an age.”
Sigrdrífa smiled, her eyes narrowing into slits. That alone made tears well up in Fagrahvél’s eyes.
“A-Ah! That smile...”
Fagrahvél kneeled in place and took Rífa’s hand. They had known one another for as long as either of them could remember. There was just something Fagrahvél could see in her mannerisms.
“Hrmph, took you long enough. Sheesh, you really let that geezer pull the wool over your eyes.”
“Yes... On that matter, I can do nothing but offer my apologies...”
“It’s fine. After all, we were able to see one another again.”
Having said that, Rífa embraced Fagrahvél as she knelt before her.
Fagrahvél began to tremble.
“L-Lady Rífa... Sniff. Th-Thank the gods... Thank the gods you’re safe! Bwaaaah!”
Tears fell from Fagrahvél’s eyes, and she sobbed with such force it almost seemed as if she was having convulsions.
“H-Hey?! ...Oh dear.”
Rífa’s eyes initially widened in surprise at Fagrahvél’s reaction, but she soon smiled gently and softly patted Fagrahvél’s back.
“Mm... Such a troublesome big sister you are.”
“Ah?! L-Lady Rífa, what did you just say?!”
“Shush. I won’t say it a second time.”
“Sniff, sniff. For you to grant such an honor to one who has failed you so much is just...! Bwaaaah!”
Fagrahvél, once again overcome with emotion, began sobbing anew.
Yuuto, who just happened to be in the room as well, couldn’t help but find the display a bit overwhelming.
“So that’s what she’s really like.”
It was true that he had felt her loyalty to Rífa was far stronger than normal, but his impression was that she was a cool, unflappable warrior.
She was, by all accounts, an impressive figure who had served as the leader of the Anti-Steel Clan Alliance Army. She possessed Gjallarhorn, the Call to War, a rune said to be the rune of kings, and was a great general well known around her region, deeply respected and beloved by her retainers—the nine elite Einherjar known as the Maidens of the Waves.
He had never expected such a woman to break down in tears with no regard for who was watching.
“Sniff, sniff...”
The tears seemed infectious, as next to him, Mitsuki began to cry as well.
Was she moved by the reunion before her—
“Why am I crying?”
Evidently, that wasn’t it.
She herself seemed confused and surprised at the tears.
It seemed that there was, indeed, something that connected Mitsuki and Rífa, something far more profound than the bonds that tied any others.
“I know that I said I’d advance our armies upon the Holy Capital of Glaðsheimr, but honestly, I don’t think it’s going to be quite so simple as that.”
Having sensed that they probably had much to catch up on, Yuuto had left Rífa and Fagrahvél in the bedroom and was now lost in thought in the office he had commandeered for himself.
Considering the number of troops and supplies that Felicia had reported, the reality of just how impossible the task he was to undertake loomed over him.
“Continuing our advance at this time of year is certainly quite the gamble if I do say so myself.”
He chuckled self-deprecatingly and shrugged.
Autumn had passed and winter had arrived. The courtyard he had passed on the way to his office was already buried in snow.
Given that Sigtuna—a city on the plains—was this bad, there was no doubt that the supply lines that stretched between the mountains of the Bifröst region were even worse. It didn’t appear the snow would stop anytime soon either, meaning that the stream of supplies would continue to be slow throughout the season.
“And we’d be doing it with stretched supply lines, no less...”
Thinking about it made his head hurt.
Currently, the Steel Clan had used the momentum from its victory at the Battle of Vígríðr to quickly advance all the way to the Sword Clan capital of Sigtuna.
Newly-conquered territory was unfamiliar terrain and often had differing customs. With the added complications presented by that gap, it took a certain amount of time to win over the trust of the local residents.
It was common for the establishment figures who lost their privileged status to resort to banditry. With that came a substantial decline in law and order.
The Sword Clan patriarch Fagrahvél had sworn fealty to Yuuto, making the occupation of the territory far easier than usual, but he was skeptical that Fagrahvél’s new fealty extended to all of her subjects.
It was safer to consider that there’d be a certain number who disliked falling under the Steel Clan’s umbrella and would show outward loyalty while plotting behind his back.
To haul a massive amount of military supplies through such risky terrain was basically an invitation for looting.
“Um, do you still intend to advance upon the Holy Capital of Glaðsheimr?” the calm, blonde beauty next to him asked hesitantly.
It was Yuuto’s most trusted aide, Felicia.
Yuuto nodded confidently.
“Yeah, I don’t want to wait until spring.”
According to Mitsuki’s acquaintance, there was a high probability that Yggdrasil was in fact the legendary lost continent of Atlantis.
Yuuto hadn’t wanted to believe it at first, but the overwhelming circumstantial and material evidence, starting with the existence of Orichalcum in the form of álfkipfer, had removed all doubt.
They had no idea when it would sink into the sea. It could very well happen tomorrow. There was no time to waste.
“Honestly, the only thing to do here is lean on Linnea’s skills.”
The image of the Steel Clan’s reliable second-in-command, skilled in the arts of governing and logistics despite still being in her teens, came to Yuuto’s mind. Without her, even Yuuto would have had to give up advancing his army under the current circumstances.
When he had first met her, she had always been wallowing in despair at her own lack of ability, but now she had become indispensable both for the Steel Clan and for Yuuto himself.
“I, too, am well aware of Lady Linnea’s great ability, but...”
Felicia looked faintly uncomfortable as she made her critique.
The fact that Felicia, who had a tendency to deify Yuuto and generally went along with whatever policy he would propose with a “If you say so, Big Brother,” was questioning his decision belied how difficult the situation was.
“Ordinarily it would be a matter of waiting for spring. Surely the various issues facing us would improve during that timeframe. Up until now, Big Brother, you would have definitely waited.”
“Well, yeah.”
Yuuto had never really been a gambler. He was cautious to the point of excess, pushing forward his plans with care, only committing when he knew he could be certain of victory.
While the wider world regarded him as a risk-taker who would often bet everything on an unusual stratagem, he was, at heart, a cautious individual.
As his aide, Felicia had seen just how much losing Fárbauti, his predecessor as Wolf Clan patriarch, due to his own carelessness had affected him, and just how much effort he had put into covering all contingencies in his planning.
The fact that he was pressing ahead now despite all the acknowledged risks seemed wrong to her and played up her anxiety.
“I suppose you won’t explain why you’re in such a hurry?”
Felicia sighed, the soft exhale condensing into a white puff in the cold, as she stared intently at him.
The problem was simply too large to talk about.
Given that news of Yggdrasil’s impending doom could send the populace into a panic if too well known, he had only told Linnea, the Steel Clan’s Second. He had not even told his wife Mitsuki or his aide Felicia.
There was no good that would come of knowing about it, just the burden that came with that knowledge, which had kept him from telling them.
“Before our advance into the Sword Clan’s territory, I had left it to Lady Linnea under the belief that you had your reasons, Big Brother, and that you would tell me in time.”
“...”
Yuuto fell silent, unsure of how to answer.
“However, this plan to advance upon the Holy Capital is far out of character for you, Big Brother. As a matter that involves the lives of twenty thousand soldiers, I’m obligated as your aide to ask why you’re in such a hurry.”
“Mm...”
This was the first time Felicia had ever questioned him so harshly.
Yuuto had been aware that the fact he was carrying a secret was obvious to both Felicia and Mitsuki, but there was a part of him that had been taking their kindness for granted.
Felicia’s remark laid out that fact in the open, and the guilt stung at him.
“Am I that untrustworthy? It’s true that I’m not a master of anything in particular, and that I am lacking in power to share a secret with you, Big Brother, but...”
“No, that’s not it. It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just... Mmph, I suppose it’s about time to tell you.”
“Oh?! R-Really?!”
Felicia’s eyes lit up. Her expression had gone from a pained sadness to heartfelt joy in an instant.
It seemed that the fact he’d kept this secret from her had been harder for her to bear than Yuuto had imagined.
“Well, it was something I’d have had to tell you eventually. Besides, I think you’d be able to handle it now.”
“Oh? Have I changed that much recently? I don’t really feel that I have.”
“I see. Well, then, maybe I shouldn’t tell you.”
“Wha?! Surely it’s beyond cruel to come this far and not tell me!”
“Heh, I’m kidding.”
“How awful. It’s not funny at all. It’s enough to make even me a bit angry. I believe I’ll refrain from serving you with my breasts that you love so much.”
“Whoa whoa whoa, hang on! I’m sorry. I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you, so please, anything but that!”
Yuuto hurriedly apologized without reservation.
Felicia’s technique when combined with her strong desire to please was amazing, and it was one of the biggest reliefs for Yuuto when he was nearly overwhelmed by his work. Losing that for a while would make for a crippling blow.
“So long as you tell me, I’ll do so without reservation.”
“Seems you’ve picked up a bit of sass along the way.”
Yuuto couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.
In the past, Felicia may have tried to seduce Yuuto, but she had never questioned or complained to him. She certainly would have never even jokingly have threatened to withhold something from him.
“The very fact that you’re able to make jokes like that with me is what makes me believe that you can handle what I’m about to tell you.”
While at a glance it seemed she was being playful and carefree, he had known her for long enough to know it was an act to hide just how delicate her feelings could be.
She had always struggled with the guilt of bringing Yuuto to this world and the betrayal of her brother Loptr, and one night she had confessed to him that she had constantly been worried that he’d eventually tire of her and toss her aside.
Thinking back upon it, that almost overwhelming sense of dread had been why she had been so loyal to Yuuto, never showing any sign of questioning him.
But it was an unnatural sort of loyalty, warped and fragile.
“I have to say it’s a bit of a complicated feeling to be told that I’m now trustworthy because I’m more insolent.”
Felicia furrowed her brow and puffed out her cheeks, as though she couldn’t quite accept the reasoning.
Yuuto had to admit that what he’d said wasn’t exactly complimentary and shrugged his shoulders as he offered a correction.
“I mean you’ve gotten a bit more flexibility to your mindset.”
“Hrm... Flexibility?”
“Yeah. In my country, there was some research into new recruits into the army.”
In Yggdrasil, where might made right, strengthening the army was a necessity, which was why he’d gone and read what he could on the subject, but there was something there that had stood out to him in particular.
“The model recruits that go along and do everything they’re told without complaint are the most likely to suddenly up and quit, while those who grumble about wanting to quit will generally tough it out in the end.”
“That’s... unexpected. I would have thought it would be the opposite.”
“Yeah, me too. That’s what it seems at first glance, right?”
As Felicia blinked in surprise, Yuuto nodded along in agreement.
“But, see, it’s because that sort of model student is kind of brittle. The ones that bottle up all their complaints and don’t tell anyone look strong from the outside, but break easily when stressed. I can be like that sometimes.”
The fact that he had vented his anger at Felicia in the worst way possible over being unable to return home when he was first summoned to Yggdrasil was still one of his most cringe-worthy memories.
He was usually able to get enough off his chest with regard to his patriarch-related problems by venting to Mitsuki, but on the matter of Yggdrasil sinking into the sea, even she wasn’t someone he could tell.
He had taken it all upon himself, and as a result of that, the enormous weight had created a huge sense of looming anxiety as well as insomniac episodes that were brought on from the nightmares about it all.
Those things had taken their toll on him over time. He had seemed fine on the surface, but inside he had been pushed to his breaking point.
Being able to tell Linnea had been an enormous relief, something that lingered in his memory.
“I see, I was the same way. When put that way, I can understand why you would think so.”
“Right?”
He had once secretly asked Sigrún, who had known Felicia since childhood and was her closest friend, whether she’d heard anything about Loptr or about bringing him to this world.
The answer had been no.
“But lately, well... You’ve started to be able to joke about things. I feel like you’ve stopped holding back, as though you’ve stopped hiding the deepest part of yourself from me.”
“Well... I believe that’s because you’ve made love to me over and over, Big Brother. Every day has been so fulfilling that I no longer feel any anxiety,” Felicia said and smiled shyly.
“A-Ah, I see.”
Yuuto stared at that smile and felt his heart skip a beat.
Despite the fact that they were well past that stage of their relationship and had known one another biblically for a while, she was just that cute in that instant.
She had always smiled, but thinking back upon it, there was always a bit of darkness shadowing those smiles. It was probably a bit of stiffness that came from a sense of guilt.
Her current expressions, whether it be the smile on her face now or that pout from earlier, had no such restrictions, which was probably why she was so much more attractive.
“N-Now, about the secret I’ve been carrying...”
Yuuto changed the subject back as he tried to project an aura of calm. He was rather eager to hide that he was flustered. It was a given that a man didn’t want to show his vulnerable side to a woman he loved.
Of course, Felicia had already seen straight through his façade, and she wished he would show her that vulnerability more often, as he did with Mitsuki and Linnea.
“What?! Yggdrasil is going to sink into the sea?!”
Felicia... wasn’t the one who exclaimed in surprise.
Turning to the direction of the voice, the office door was slightly ajar.
From the gap peered in...
“L-Lady Rífa?! Wh-When did you get here?!” Felicia, evidently completely surprised, shouted out.
It was understandable. In addition to being Yuuto’s aide, she was also his bodyguard. To not notice that someone had come so close... There was nothing to call this but a blunder on her part.
“Err, well, I hadn’t had the opportunity to properly show my gratitude, but you had disappeared, so I came to give you my thanks, but... it seemed you were a bit preoccupied.”
Rífa scratched at her cheek a touch uncomfortably as she strode into the room.
“I would not have expected someone like Her Majesty the þjóðann to resort to eavesdropping...”
“Well, it was an interesting subject, so I couldn’t help it.”
Rífa stuck out her tongue playfully.
She had probably used a galdr or seiðr to hide her presence.
There was a reason she had a reputation for using the immense power that came from her twin runes in oddly pointless ways.
“Then you started discussing something quite serious. I couldn’t keep quiet. Is it true, what you said?”
“Well, since you’ve heard already, I suppose there’s no choice...” Yuuto said with a resigned sigh before launching into his explanation.
He told her about how he had come from 3,500 years in the future, and that Yggdrasil didn’t exist in that time. That there was a legend that spoke of a continent called Atlantis—meaning Island of the Heretic Titan Atlas, having been swallowed by the sea, and that the rare metal álfkipfer, that could only be mined on Yggdrasil’s three central mountain ranges, also existed on Atlantis.
“I see. Ásgarðr in the ancient tongue means Land Shielded by the Gods. From the eyes of foreigners it would, in fact, be the isle of a heretic god.”
Sigrdrífa nodded in understanding.
While she didn’t have much in the way of common sense, this was the sort of situation where her intelligence shined through.
“I have no intention of doubting your words, Big Brother, but this is still difficult to believe.”
Felicia stared down at the ground and swallowed.
Ordinarily, of course, land was always there and didn’t just vanish.
To hear that it would disappear wasn’t a matter of belief; it was simply that it was impossible to imagine.
“Mm, yes, it’s all rather difficult to believe, but it matches the legend of the Black One. Not something one can simply laugh off,” Rífa said softly, as though there was something that it fell in line with in her mind.
“...The Black One?”
Yuuto parroted the unfamiliar term.
There was something about the term that bothered him.
“The founder of the Ásgarðr Empire, Wotan, concerned about the future of his empire, had the oracle Völva foretell the future. Her prophecy stated that a Black One would bring an end upon the empire and Yggdrasil itself.”
“Mm...”
It sounded like a common enough story.
While it was no longer considered a historical event, the New Testament’s Gospel of Matthew describes the Massacre of the Innocents, where King Herod the Great, being told that the stars foretold the coming of a New King—Jesus Christ—ordered that all infant males under the age of two be killed.
In Greek mythology, Kronos became ruler of the world after killing his father Uranus, but Uranus had foretold that Kronos himself would be overthrown by his son in turn.
He had thought it was that sort of legend.
“In the empire, it’s pretty much become accepted fact that you are that Black One.”
“Wha?! Me?!”
He couldn’t help but widen his eyes in shock and let out a note of surprise. That was just too much of a bolt out of the blue.
“Wait wait wait! I have no intention of destroying Yggdrasil!”
If anything he wanted more than anyone else for that to not happen, and if it couldn’t be avoided, he was hard at work making sure that at least its people would survive.
It was so far removed from the truth that the very thought made Yuuto angry.
“But, the Holy Ásgarðr Empire is about to end, is it not?”
“Well, uh, that’s through a peaceful transfer of power, though...”
“No matter how you phrase it, the world will still see it as a usurpation.”
“Well, yeah, I know that, sure.”
If at all possible, Yuuto wanted to perform that takeover without any bloodshed.
He had made doubly certain that his soldiers would do nothing to the people of Glaðsheimr.
He didn’t plan to depose Rífa, instead making her his second wife.
It honestly offended him that this was being called usurpation, or the destruction of the empire.
“At any rate, I’m not this Black One or whatever. Sure, my hair and eyes are black, but that’s the extent of it.”
There weren’t any black-haired people in all of Yggdrasil.
As far as Yuuto was aware, besides himself and Mitsuki, the only other one he could think of was the Flame Clan patriarch, Oda Nobunaga.
If anything, he was the one who’d brought down the old order by banishing Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the 15th Shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate, and massacring those who resisted his rule.
Yuuto thought that he was far more suited to the description of the Black One, but Rífa seemed to disagree.
“No, I, too, believe that you’re the Black One. Your path is the one that the prophecy foretold.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“‘At the time of Ragnarok, the Wolf will consume the Sun, and the stars will fall from the heavens. The Black One, wielding the sword of victory forged from the flames, will arrive on horseback across the heavenly bridge.’ Well? Does that sound familiar?”
“Not... particularly?”
No, none of it really seemed to ring a bell for Yuuto.
It wasn’t that none of it could apply to him; it was just that it sounded so dramatic that it didn’t quite make sense to him. He wasn’t a native speaker of the language after all.
“Oh! The Siege of Iárnviðr!” Felicia said, bringing her hand down on her palm.
“Eh?”
Even with that, Yuuto didn’t understand what they were talking about. He could only vaguely remember the events of four years ago.
That battle in particular had been overshadowed by Loptr’s betrayal and Fárbauti’s death, which had happened immediately after, leaving the memory of the battle itself as a vague one in his mind.
“Have you forgotten? You made use of the eclipse and threw rocks with a trebuchet to make it appear as though meteorites were falling. The sword of victory forged from the flames probably means the steel sword, while the heavenly bridge is probably Bifröst. And to appear from there upon horseback... It all matches the things you have done, Big Brother.”
“...Sure it’s not just a coincidence?”
Yuuto furrowed his brow, still skeptical.
He wanted more than anything to avoid being treated like some sort of destroyer.
“I don’t believe you’re here to destroy Yggdrasil, you know. Think about that prophecy again. It said that the Black One would arrive in the time of Ragnarok, but not that the Black One would bring it about.”
“Mm? Oh, sure...”
The whole prophetic phrase did make it seem like the Black One was going to bring about the end, but technically it didn’t say a word about that.
In fact, depending on how one read it—
“If anything, I believe that you were sent to us by the gods when the danger of the end was approaching. It’s you, after all; you don’t intend to just quietly sink into the sea do you?”
Yes, as Rífa said, it could also be read as a savior appearing.
Well, he didn’t think that was something that suited him either, but he was, in fact, doing his best to save people.
“I-I agree! Of course, knowing the truth does bring fear and anxiety, but I also believe that you’ll find some way of getting us through it, Big Brother. I’m honored to be able to work under you to that end.”
Felicia nodded firmly in agreement. She was, after all, a zealous follower of Yuuto, so she made it sound all the more natural.
“Heh, I guess women tend to be pretty strong when push comes to shove.”
The truth was that the situation was still dire, but the two of them didn’t seem overwhelmed with anxiety like Yuuto had initially feared.
When he’d first heard about the fate of Yggdrasil, he couldn’t sleep at night. He felt a little embarrassed by his fear.
“Oh, that’s not right, Big Brother.”
“Mm? Really? Considering how you two and Linnea reacted, you seem strong to me,” Yuuto said seriously, but Felicia simply chuckled.
She said with a beatific smile, “A woman can stand up to anything so long as she has the right man by her side.”
“There’s little reason to doubt you’ve come from the future. With that in mind, does that mean you know when Yggdrasil will sink into the sea?” Rífa asked point-blank.
The way she jumped straight to the subject at hand was worthy of her title of þjóðann, Yuuto thought to himself.
“It was too far in the past to know precisely...”
Furrowing his brow, Yuuto shook his head from side to side with a troubled expression.
It was something that took place 3,500 years ago. There were hardly any historical records worthy of the name left. More importantly, they weren’t certain when “now” actually was.
“However, in Plato’s Timaeus, it’s said that ‘violent earthquakes and floods occurred suddenly.’”
“Mm, at the very least, since my ascension to the throne there hasn’t been a single earthquake in Yggdrasil, which may mean we have some time to spare.”
Rífa let out a sigh of relief.
Yuuto nodded, but his expression remained tense.
“It’s true that nothing has happened yet. It could very well be something that happens decades in the future, but in the worst case it could happen tomorrow.”
“Urk...”
“As someone with responsibility for my people, I feel I can’t afford to view this with an optimistic lens.”
Yuuto’s back carried the fate of the hundred thousand subjects of the Steel Clan. He couldn’t afford to risk their lives hoping for the best. It was his responsibility as a leader to continually assume the worst and act upon the worst-case scenario.
“Mhm... So what precisely do you intend to do?”
“Right now, I’ve tasked Ingrid with building extremely large ships,” Yuuto answered, seeing no point in hiding it at this point.
“I see. Well, I suppose there’s no other choice.”
Rífa nodded in agreement.
Given that the continent itself was going to sink into the sea, it was obvious that the only solution was to move elsewhere.
“I’ve heard there’s another continent to the east of this one. I suppose you intend to head that way?”
“So there is one after all!”
Yuuto couldn’t help but lean forward toward Rífa.
Rífa blinked and said, “What, you were building ships without knowing this?”
“I was pretty sure there’d be something there, but this is the first time I’ve gotten any confirmation.”
The furthest he had reliable information on was the Jörmungandr Region in Eastern Yggdrasil, with only little snippets of rumors from anything beyond.
And that wasn’t anything particularly unusual.
It was during that same era that the ancient kings of the orient called themselves kings of the four corners of the Earth, that is, kings of the entire world, despite the fact that China and Europe were reachable by land.
Unlike the 21st century, it was extremely difficult to gather information on distant lands. In that sense, the confirmation from Rífa was a big find.
“Mm, still, there are quite a few problems left to solve. How to convince the people to move, for example,” Rífa said, stroking her chin.
That sort of thinking was worthy of her position as þjóðann, even if she had merely been a figurehead. It too was the point that Yuuto was most concerned about.
Obviously, humans have an attachment to the place they were born and raised in, particularly so in the case of their own ancestral family lands and houses.
Further, the people of the Steel Clan, under Yuuto’s governance, were in the midst of an unprecedented boom. There wouldn’t be many who’d be willing to abandon all of that to start from scratch elsewhere.
“Which is why I believe I need to become þjóðann.”
“Ah, you intend to use the divinity of the þjóðann to your advantage.”
Rífa chuckled self-deprecatingly.
Unlike in the 21st century, there was still a strongly rooted belief in the gods here in Yggdrasil. There were even people like the Einherjar who provided proof that the gods existed.
For these people of Yggdrasil, the þjóðann that have passed down the twin runes from generation to generation were an important symbol. Most believed that they were the family tasked by the gods themselves to rule over Yggdrasil. This faith was why the patriarchs of the various regions paid tribute to the þjóðann to justify their own regimes.
“I plan to do anything, even lie about a divine revelation, to get this across,” Yuuto said without a hint of hesitation.
It was, he admitted, a rather blasphemous attitude to hold, but if it would save his people, he had no qualms about lying in the name of the gods.
“Ah, Second. You oughtn’t look so serious at a time like this! This is a time to take the load off your shoulders and smile. Now, smile, smile! Bwahahaha!”
The one who was laughing boldly and affectionately smacking Linnea’s back was the Third of the Steel Clan and Yuuto’s successor as the patriarch of the Wolf Clan, Jörgen.
With a bald head and scars across his cheek and brow, he was a large man with a face that would make your average soldier flee just at the sight of him, but today, he was jovial and in a particularly good mood. His demeanor was completely at odds with his usual stern authority.
“You’ve had quite a bit to drink,” Linnea returned with a slightly tense smile.
A quick glance showed several casks lying empty next to Jörgen. They had all, of course, been filled with alcohol.
It was enough for even him, a man who could hold his liquor better than most, to start breaking out in jubilant laughter.
“Haha! If now isn’t a time to drink, then when is? Come now, Second, let us have another drink!”
“No, I’ve had enough, thanks!”
As he tried to force another pour upon Linnea, she sternly refused his offer.
She was a cute young woman with light auburn hair.
She looked, at first glance, to be rather young and sweet, but despite that deceptive appearance, she was the patriarch of the Horn Clan and the Second-in-Command of the Steel Clan, an extremely capable woman chosen by Yuuto himself to serve as Second of the largest power in Yggdrasil.
“Come now, you can have another! Or is it my drink that’s the problem?!”
It could be said that it was poor form for him to be drunk in the company of his superior. For the usually overly serious and even dour Jörgen to get this drunk, it must, by all accounts, have been quite an occasion to celebrate.
“I suppose I’ll let it go for today.”
With a dry laugh, Linnea let out a faintly exasperated sigh.
The Steel Clan capital of Gimlé was currently enveloped in an unprecedented air of celebration.
It started with the great victory at the Battle of Vígríðr, followed up by the capture and defection of the Sword Clan patriarch, Fagrahvél, and was topped off by the defeat of the Anti-Steel Clan Alliance Army and the subsequent engagement between the reginarch, Suoh-Yuuto, and the þjóðann, Sigrdrífa.
It would have been impossible to ask them not to celebrate.
“Still, to even make Her Majesty the þjóðann into his bride... Father really is an immeasurable man! To be able to regard such a man as our father, we truly are blessed!”
“Yes, in that sense I’m in complete agreement,” Linnea said and nodded.
As a woman, she wasn’t happy with the addition of another rival, but with Yggdrasil facing an existential crisis, she understood the importance of the title of þjóðann in gaining the trust of the people.
“With no one remaining to test our power, it seems the conflict that sprung from the subjugation order is at an end for now. Now, if Mother will safely bear an heir, the Steel Clan will be in great shape.”
“...Yes, you’re right.”
Her hesitation came from the fact that she knew the true danger was still to come and that they were a long way from security, but that was a secret she could share with no one, forcing her to muddle her answer to deflect from it.
“Oh, speaking of which, are you pregnant yet, Second?”
“Whaa?!”
Linnea let out a surprised squeak at suddenly being put on the spot.
In 21st-century Japan, even taking into account that this was a booze-fueled conversation in the midst of a huge celebration, such a question would be considered sexual harassment, but this was Yggdrasil in the 14th century BCE. Such a concept did not yet exist.
“Ever since you were elevated to becoming one of his wives, the talk amongst the ranks has been that you’ve gotten even prettier. Could that be related?”
“N-N-No, I mean, I want kids, b-but there’s no sign of that yet...”
Her partner Yuuto, after all, was out campaigning. No one gets pregnant without performing the act needed for it, but she would rather not say that part out loud.
S-Someone help me out here, she thought to herself, but there weren’t many who could speak their mind to the Steel Clan’s Third.
Just as she was about to resign herself to bearing that line of conversation, an unexpected helping hand appeared.
“Second. I, Skáviðr, patriarch of the Panther Clan, have arrived. Pardon my tardiness.”
“Oh! Brother Ská! It’s certainly been a while!” Linnea responded happily to the man who came to address her.
With his sunken features and pallid skin, many people viewed him as an eerie man, but Linnea herself felt that seeing his face was a sign of good fortune today.
“Well done on the western front. It was particularly impressive to have heard that you forced the Hoof Clan to surrender. That’s the sort of result I’d expect of the Níðhǫggr.”
Having moved to her office, Linnea started with lavish praise. His work had been quite worthy of it.
Having chased off the remnants of the old Panther Clan, he had then taken the opportunity to invade the Hoof Clan’s territory in concert with the Horn Clan’s Second, Haugspori, finally capturing the patriarch of the Hoof Clan and forcing their surrender within the past few days.
That meant all challengers to the Steel Clan’s rule had been cleared from the Álfheimr region.
“My strength is hardly worth noting. This victory is due to Lord Yuuto’s triumph at Vígríðr,” Skáviðr said plainly without so much as the corner of his lips twitching.
It seemed he truly believed that.
“I don’t think that’s the case. I’ve heard about how you fought like a lion from Haugspori.”
The letter she had received from him had been a continual list of praises of Skáviðr.
An excerpt had read thus...
“His will propagated to every corner of the army, and there was not a single soldier out of place. They reacted quickly to his every order. While he doesn’t possess the same flair as the reginarch, his tactics were apt and were decided upon quickly, and his command of the battlefield can only be described as masterful. He is worthy of being called a great general.”
For someone as cynical as Haugspori, it was unflinching praise. He must have been quite moved by Skáviðr’s command.
“Like a lion, huh... While I appreciate the praise, I feel it’s undeserved. Lord Yuuto is the one worthy of being called a lion. Next to him, I’m at best a house dog or cat.”
In the end, Skáviðr’s reaction was dry.
From Linnea’s point of view, Haugspori was a dependable general in his own right. For someone he praised so lavishly to view himself as not even worthy of comparison...
Linnea couldn’t help but be reminded of just how great her father was.
“You have heard that Father has been betrothed to the þjóðann?”
“Yes, I have.”
“The actual wedding will take place in the Holy Capital of Glaðsheimr. Father’s desire is to send the army on ahead during the winter and secure the Holy Capital.”
“...Mm, it appears he’s in quite a hurry. A departure from Lord Yuuto’s usual caution.”
“It seems he has some reasons for it.”
Linnea attempted to swerve the conversation away from the details of that particular topic as she spoke.
As Second, Yuuto had shared the details with her, but she couldn’t tell anyone else about it.
“Which is why I have a request for you.”
“For me?” Skáviðr asked.
“Yes. To advance upon the Holy Capital of Glaðsheimr, they’ll need additional supplies. Our supply lines are stretched thin, making such an operation dangerous. I have no one else I can ask but you.”
They required enough supplies to keep an army of twenty thousand fed until spring. It was easy enough to imagine how large of a burden it would be.
Even carrying such a load would be difficult in itself, and losing it would end with catastrophic consequences for the frontline. Food, after all, is a necessity for survival.
There was no room for failure. There was no one better suited for the task than the man in front of her.
People tend to be more motivated to do something when they know the reason behind it. The fact that Felicia, the commander in charge of all preparations, seemed far more motivated than earlier, quickly spread to those around her. The days proceeded rapidly, and the day the Steel Clan would resume its march soon arrived.
“So, I can finally return to the Holy Capital of Glaðsheimr...”
With that, Sigrdrífa looked up at the special carriage prepared just for her.
Because of her sensitivity to sunlight, the passenger compartment had been painted white with lacquer to shut out the sun, and the exterior had been decorated with a tasteful, but not excessive, amount of detail.
It was an elegant vehicle that showed at a glance that the passenger was of some importance.
“To me, it feels as though I was there not long ago, but that was over six months ago, yes? An odd sensation indeed.”
Rífa tilted her head as she reflected.
“Kind of like a mini Urashima Taro, I suppose.”
“Hm? What’s this ‘mini Urashima Taro’?”
Yuuto had meant it as a harmless comment to himself, but it seemed that Rífa had heard him. Since it wasn’t something worth hiding, Yuuto simply shrugged his shoulders and began to explain it to her.
“It’s an old story from my country. After saving a turtle, Urashima was taken to a castle underneath the sea to celebrate, but when he returned to the surface, several hundred years had passed.”
“Mm, that does sound very much like my situation. Though I suppose six months is nothing compared to that.”
“Yes, hence the ‘mini.’ Where I come from, it means small or to a lesser extent.”
“Mmhm, I see. Foreign words are quite interesting. Which reminds me, Hildólfr was quite mini last time I saw him. I suppose he’s not mini any longer.”
“Um, that’s not quite the right way to use it.”
“Mm? But it means small, does it not?”
“Well, yes, but it doesn’t sound quite right.”
He couldn’t describe it, but her usage felt off.
“Mm, it’s all rather difficult.”
Rífa furrowed her brow and tilted her head, but then immediately let out a soft chuckle.
“Regardless, we have plenty of time on the road. Teach me the proper way to use mini whilst we travel. Now, go on in.”
“Huh?! I was planning to get on a chariot...”
“Hm? I can’t let that go without comment. To think, we’re soon to be wed, yet you can’t even stay around and reassure your bride like a proper groom...?”
“Well... Mmph...”
Yuuto figured Rífa was hardly the sort who needed reassuring, but he fell silent when he noticed there was truth in her words lurking within her expression. She appeared afraid of something.
“All right.”
“T-Truly?!”
“Yes, I’ll come with you.”
“I-Indeed? Thank you, Lord Yuuto!”
Rífa’s face lit up with a heartfelt smile. Just that expression showed how anxious she had been. It was understandable in hindsight.
Although she had been controlled by Hárbarth, the Steel Clan subjugation order had been issued from the þjóðann Sigrdrífa herself. As such, she was the one who had led the Steel Clan Encirclement, and was the ruler of the enemy country. It was natural to be frightened of traveling among what had been enemy soldiers with only a handful of companions.
On the other hand, if she was traveling with the Steel Clan reginarch Yuuto, there was no chance of any abuse.
“In that case, hurry up and get on, before you change your mind!”
“All right, all right, you don’t need to push.”
Rífa gave Yuuto a hard push into the carriage. As a twin-runed Einherjar, she was much stronger than she looked.
“Huh, it’s pretty large inside.”
Glancing around the interior, Yuuto let out an impressed exhale.
It was perhaps expected of something made for the þjóðann. Soon after, he was joined by Sigrdrífa, Fagrahvél, Felicia, and Mitsuki, but even with all five of them inside, there was still plenty of space.
The interior had been decorated with care, making it entertaining to look at.
There was something that looked like a window, but perhaps in consideration of Rífa’s health, it was covered up.
“Isn’t it? Ah, but to think I’d be riding in this next to you, betrothed as we head to Glaðsheimr. My dream from that time has come true,” Rífa said with profound reflection as she crossed her arms.
“That time?”
“Have you forgotten?”
At Yuuto’s question, Rífa stared at him questioningly. He edged backward at her questioning glance.
“I can’t quite figure it out from that remark alone...”
“It was when I gave you my first kiss and said goodbye to you, of course. Just how often do you think a maiden gives her first to a man? Mmph!”
Rífa huffed a bit angrily, but Yuuto couldn’t quite accept that.
Thinking back on it, if she had said she’d had a dream that she couldn’t achieve, he would have understood given the situation, but he felt it was asking a bit much to expect him to just read that from her words.
“Really, even during that time, a man worthy of being considered a legend would, you’d think, grab me by the shoulder and tell me to stay by his side.”
“I think you’ve been reading too many myths,” Yuuto slumped his shoulders and said in reply.
That was right before he was going to set out to fight the Lightning Clan army. The other enemy clan, the Panther Clan, had also been planning their campaign against him.
To have tried to claim the þjóðann in such a way and make an enemy of the entirety of Yggdrasil’s clans... It would have spelled the end of the Wolf Clan under their circumstances at that particular moment.
Of course, it would have been too much to expect Rífa to understand that.
“You still have a long way to go as a man! If you keep minimizing a woman’s needs, someday you’re going to regret it!”
With that line, Rífa spent the next while in an angry huff.
“It’s a revolution!”
“Wha?! To come this far and have this happen?!”
“Mwahaha! The time is ripe! Even the War God Suoh-Yuuto can’t find his way out of this one, can he? Heh, it was worth enduring all of that to get to this moment. Mwahahaha!”
Sigrdrífa slapped four cards down and cackled as though she had just won a great victory.
Yuuto pursed his lips into a frown and looked at the card left in his hand.
It had the number “2” written in runic script.
“Hehehe, I can see the panic in your expression. Could it be that I’ve won?”
Rífa quirked her lips into a grin.
“Heh, leave it to me, Big Brother! Counter-revolution!”
“Wh-Whaaat?!”
Felicia plopped down four cards with the number “3” upon them, causing Rífa to widen her eyes and shout out in surprise.
“G-Good work, Felicia!”
“Wait, I already said teaming up was against the rules!”
“Regardless of the time or place, I’m always Big Brother’s ally!”
“Grrr! That’s cheating!”
“All right, my turn. And I’m out.”
“Graaaaah! I lost again!”
Rífa slammed her palms against her seat in frustration.
It seemed that she was holding back, given that even that seat wouldn’t stand up to the power of a twin-runed Einherjar’s full power, but she was still quite upset.
“That now makes for ten games in which you haven’t lost, Father. I would like to say that I’m impressed at your strength, but isn’t using Lady Felicia a bit cheap?” Fagrahvél said reservedly, but bluntly.
While she had taken Yuuto’s chalice and become his child, she had no issue with pushing back to help her little sister.
“Yeah, you’re right. We won’t count this one. Felicia, if you do stuff like that, it ruins the game, so none of that from here on, okay?”
“...I understand.”
Felicia agreed, though clearly with reservations.
While she no longer felt bound to him by guilt, it seemed she found purpose in serving Yuuto.
“Then let us start again. Fagrahvél, mix the cards!”
“Aye!”
Fagrahvél, following orders, gathered the cards and began to shuffle them.
While the very first time she had failed and sent them flying in all sorts of directions, she was now shuffling with skill. It seemed she was pretty good with her hands in that regard.
“But this card game, Tycoon, is quite entertaining! I could play it for hours!”
“It is, isn’t it?”
Seeing Rífa’s satisfied expression, Yuuto responded with a smile of his own.
It wasn’t as though Yuuto had invented the game, but it was always nice when someone enjoyed a game he liked.
“This is a great way of avoiding boredom on the road.”
“Well, yes, that’s why I made the cards, after all!”
Yuuto’s method of travel in this world was generally by carriage.
There were plenty of times when he’d spend an entire day inside one. It could get incredibly boring. He wouldn’t have been able to handle the monotony without his cards.
“It may be an odd time to bring this up, but is bringing Mitsuki a good idea? Isn’t this part of her pregnancy kind of difficult? Will she be fine?”
“Hehe. I’m pretty stable right now, so I should be fine! Besides, in the end, being at Yuu-kun’s side is the place I feel safest.”
Mitsuki smiled and glanced over at Yuuto.
He had gone back and forth on taking Mitsuki with him, but he couldn’t very well leave his first wife alone in territory that had been enemy terrain just weeks prior, and Mitsuki wanted to accompany him, which was why she was here.
“Oh, what a doting husband.”
“Ow!”
“Wh-What is it?!”
As Mitsuki suddenly narrowed her eyes and tensed in pain, Rífa hurriedly moved over to see if she was okay, but Mitsuki just laughed softly.
“Oh, the baby kicked. This one’s a bit of a kicker.”
“Don’t scare me like that. Mm, you think it’s a boy?”
“Hm... I wonder what it’ll be. Well, I don’t care either way, so long as they’re healthy.”
“...Mm, you’re right. Health is the most important thing.”
Rífa nodded intently.
She herself was born without a particularly strong constitution and had suffered the inconvenience of that weakness for many years now. No doubt she had her share of thoughts on that matter.
“May I touch it?”
“Go ahead.”
“Oh... Ah, it really is kicking! Quite the restless one!”
Placing her hand on Mitsuki’s stomach, Rífa smiled happily.
After that, she spent some time touching Mitsuki’s stomach, not being bored in the slightest.
“I would like Lord Yuuto’s child as well,” she said under her breath.
“Heh, you’re going to be marrying Yuu-kun, too, so you’ll eventually have one yourself.”
“...Mm, yes, I suppose. I’m looking forward to it.”
With that, Rífa smiled softly.
There was an ounce of fragility and sadness buried within that smile, however...
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