Hyakuren no Haou to Seiyaku no Valkyria - Volume 17 - Chapter 3

ACT 3

“Our forces are in position.”

“Very good.”

Kuuga gazed down at his dependable army, nodding at his subordinate’s report. The day after arriving at Fort Gashina, the Fifth Division of the Flame Clan Army led by Kuuga was about to begin its efforts to conquer the fortress. He had been a bit concerned by the possibility of fatigue among his soldiers due to the relatively quick pace of their march, but after a night’s rest, so far as he could tell, the soldiers were fresh and motivated.

“Well then... Send in the siege chariot!”

“Yes sir!”

Upon Kuuga’s orders, the cavalryman serving as a messenger galloped off to give the word. A few moments later, a triangular-roofed hut with wheels attached to its sides appeared on the battlefield. There was a log attached to its front, which ended up looking very much like a pig’s snout poking out from within it.

“Heh, I can just imagine the panic among the Steel Clan’s ranks,” Kuuga said as he smiled sadistically.

In Yggdrasil, the most common siege weapon was the battering ram—a fancy name for a giant log. That was considered the most effective tactic and was the cutting edge in siege weaponry. However, the act of carrying a giant log with several soldiers to the enemy gate meant that, unless the defenders were utterly incompetent, the battering ram became the target of focused arrow fire and stone-throwing.

Because of this, Nobunaga had developed this siege chariot. It was a simple weapon—little more than a battering ram loaded onto a wheeled wagon and covered by a wooden roof—and there were countless variations of such covered rams in later years, but it was a revolutionary design given Yggdrasil’s current technology level. While it hadn’t seen use in the Siege of Glaðsheimr because Nobunaga had instead used siege castles, the siege chariot had been one of the driving forces behind the Flame Clan’s rapid expansion and conquest of countless enemy fortresses.

With a powerful war cry, the siege chariot charged toward the gate. Of course, the Steel Clan soldiers stationed on Fort Gashina’s walls responded with a hail of arrow fire.

“Heh, such pointless resistance.” Kuuga watched the hail of arrows rain down with a smugly confident smile. A moment later, the arrows landed on the siege chariot’s roof, making it appear like a pincushion.

The siege chariot showed no signs of slowing. That was completely natural, since all of the attacks by the defenders had been stopped by the chariot’s roof, and not a single arrow had reached the soldiers inside.

“Will they respond with their catapult? Though it’s not likely, they could hit the chariot.”

So far as Kuuga could tell based on his intelligence reports, the enemy’s catapults, while powerful, had a limited rate of fire and weren’t accurate enough to hit a moving target. Would they resort to explosives, then? That, too, wasn’t a problem. The siege chariot’s roof and walls were armored with iron plates. They could withstand most handheld explosives.

“It’s only a matter of time before the gate falls...”

It happened just as Kuuga was planning his next step...

Fwip! Fwip! Fwip!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

“Wh-What was that?!” Kuuga turned his gaze back to the fortress, his attention drawn by a set of completely new, but unsettlingly heavy noises coming from that direction. Kuuga’s main force was located some distance away from Fort Gashina. The fact that the noises carried this far meant they must have been much louder at their source.

“Wha?!” Kuuga fell mute at the sight unfolding before him. The invincible siege chariot’s roof had three gaping holes torn into it.

“Just what are they...”

Fwip! Fwip! Fwip!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The unsettlingly large sounds rang out again, followed by a blur of black objects hurtling toward the siege chariot, shattering its roof and walls with ease. The defending archers followed up with a second volley of arrows. With the walls and roof no longer serving any defensive function, the arrows plunged into the siege chariot, and it lurched to a halt.

“Th-That’s impossible! Wh-What in the blazes are those?!”

Casting his gaze in the direction of where the loud noises had come from, Kuuga saw that there were several wooden objects stationed along Fort Gashina’s walls. They were impressively large and gave off an ominous air. No doubt those were a new weapon that Kuuga had never encountered, but given they had easily pierced the iron-plated siege chariot, they must be incredibly powerful.

“Seems I’ll have to redo the plan from scratch,” Kuuga said irritably, scratching at his head. The fact the siege chariot had been so easily destroyed had thrown his plans into complete disarray.

“Well, I suppose this is just how it always goes,” Kuuga said with an exasperated sigh.

For him, this was indeed business as usual. Nothing ever went the way it should. There was always some unexpected wrinkle that sent his plans awry. It was something he had become very used to by this point. It was nothing to panic about, nor did it have much impact on his morale. All he had to do was keep trying until he succeeded.

“Sigh, such a bother,” Kuuga murmured in frustration and began plotting his next step.

“Lord Rasmus! The enemy is withdrawing.”

“Seems they’ve been scared off by the power of the ballistae.”

As the soldier on top of the rampart pointed at the retreating Flame Clan forces, Rasmus smiled with a look of triumph and patted the giant weapon next to him.

The ballista was essentially a giant crossbow. Several had been set up as permanent defensive weapons atop Fort Gashina’s walls. These devices had already been in use around the 4th century BCE, but the ballistae the Steel Clan had built used the same modern winding mechanism as the windlass crossbows that were wielded by the Steel Clan’s arbalest units. They had enormous draw weight that required the use of levers and winding wheels for a person to draw, and it was substantially more powerful than the portable arbalests wielded by infantry. Tests with the prototype had easily penetrated a steel shield.

Fort Gashina was a vital defensive fortification on the Flame Clan border. Sensing that they would be needed sooner than later, it had received the first allotment of ballistae.

“It would be nice if they’d give up after this,” Garve, the Second of Rasmus’s group, said with a shrug.

Garve was the most loyal of Rasmus’s followers. He had refused Linnea’s direct Chalice when Rasmus had tried to transfer him to Linnea after he retired as the Horn Clan’s Second. “You’re the only father for me,” Garve had said at the time.

“It won’t be that easy. According to Lady Kristina’s reports, the enemy general’s extremely tenacious and never backs down in the face of failure or bad circumstances. That’s the hardest type of enemy to fight.”

“Heh. It might be rude to state it this way, but that description sounds like the princess,” Garve said with a dry laugh. Even Rasmus couldn’t help but blink in surprise at his comment.

“Aha! That would explain why I felt like this’d be such a bothersome opponent!” Rasmus nodded in understanding and burst out laughing. He knew something about this opponent had felt familiar to him. That was because Rasmus had a large amount of firsthand experience with their exact sort of personality. It was identical to that of their ‘Princess,’ the girl who had faced countless failures and reverses, but had continually used them as lessons to learn from, and had eventually grown into one of the greatest patriarchs in all of Yggdrasil. He knew how dependable and strong such a presence could be as an ally, which was why it was easy for him to understand how frightening such a person could be as an enemy.

“Then we’ll have to put all our effort into this.” Rasmus nodded with renewed determination. The battle had just begun. If anything, this initial engagement was just the opening act.

It was just as the Steel Clan had crossed the Silk Clan border...

“Rún’s collapsed?!”

Yuuto was caught completely by surprise by the report. Given that he had thought Sigrún was the least likely individual in this world to collapse as a result of exhaustion, the news had come like a bolt out of the blue.

“All forces halt! We’ll take a rest here. Felicia, we’re going to see Rún.”

“Y-Yes, Big Brother!”

Yuuto, with Felicia in tow, hurriedly made his way toward Sigrún. When he arrived, he found Sigrún’s protégé Hildegard in a panic.

“Hilda! Where’s Rún?”

“Your Majesty! Mother Rún is over there...” Yuuto turned his gaze in the direction Hildegard was pointing and saw a wagon parked in the shade of a tree. Running over to the wagon, he found Sigrún with her cheeks flushed from heat exhaustion and struggling to breathe. Yuuto felt a sharp pain in his chest when he saw her in that state.

“Rún, are you okay?”

“F-Father?! I-I apologize for making an embarrassment of myself like this...”

“Oh, don’t get up. Lie down.” Yuuto took Sigrún by the shoulders and pushed her back down as she tried to sit up to greet him. He was shocked at how easily he was able to set her down. Ordinarily, Yuuto couldn’t budge her an inch. Her skin felt hot to the touch. Had she caught a cold?

“Tch. If I’d forced her to rest, this wouldn’t have...”

Yuuto was gripped with regret. He had noticed she was carrying far too much weight on her slender shoulders. She hadn’t quite been herself recently, so if he’d just been a little more careful, he felt he could have avoided this situation.

“That’s all in hindsight, Big Brother. I’ve known Sigrún for a long time, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen her collapse.”

“Y-Yes, Father, this is all my responsibility for neglecting my...”

“That’s it. What’s gotten you in such a panic? There must be something serious going on for you to forget to take care of yourself,” Yuuto asked as he gazed intently into Sigrún’s eyes. For a warrior, training was important, but just as vital was taking proper care of one’s health. This was particularly true given that the army was marching toward the Silk Clan’s territory. Although the Silk Clan patriarch Utgarda claimed that there weren’t any leaders left in the Silk Clan with any spirit, it was still possible they would refuse to surrender, and it would escalate into war. For a general to push themselves too hard in such circumstances and fall ill was an incredibly grave mistake. Sigrún had a stoic and rough-hewn personality, but she wasn’t a reckless warrior who took unnecessary risks. It was completely out of character for her.

“Well... Erm... I don’t really understand it either. It’s just... I feel uneasy when I’m not swinging my sword... And by the time I realize what’s happened, it’s been several hours...” Sigrún said hesitantly and apologetically. She had always had an almost puppy-like demeanor, but right now she looked very much the part of a chided puppy, slumping and curling her tail up.

“Sorry. It sounded like I was interrogating you, didn’t it? I’m not angry. I’m just worried.”

“I-I understand. I’m sorry for causing you concern.”

Yuuto patted Sigrún’s head and spoke to her reassuringly, but Sigrún tensed even further and her frown deepened. She was always hard on herself, and the circumstances meant she blamed herself all the more. Even Yuuto’s words of reassurance had the opposite of their intended effect. She was in a bad state. Not physically, but mentally. Then, just as Yuuto fell silent in thought, Kristina appeared before him.

“Father, there’s a messenger for you from the Silk Clan,” she reported. Yuuto had to restrain himself from clicking his tongue in irritation, but he eventually suppressed the urge and managed to maintain his composure. His reaction could very well have made Sigrún blame herself even further.

“...I see. Then I’ll have to go attend to that. Felicia, take a look at Rún, will you?” With that, he added a nod and gestured to Felicia with his eyes.

Felicia was a generalist Einherjar with a good knowledge of medicine and who also wielded a galdr that calmed the spirit. She was also one of Sigrún’s oldest friends. Felicia was the one best suited to treat Sigrún and coax out what had been bothering her.

“Certainly. Leave her to me.” Felicia nodded firmly. The fact that she added a wink to her nod seemed to indicate she understood what he wanted to tell her. She was an extremely reliable adjutant.

“Ah, so you, the Silk Clan, intend to surrender to us, the Steel Clan?” Yuuto said coolly to the messenger prostrated before him. He rested his face on his hand and looked upon the messenger with boredom, but that was a calculated act on his part. Currently, the Steel Clan was facing the threat of the Flame Clan from the rear, and the key to their army, Sigrún, was unwell both physically and mentally, which left her unable to wield a sword or even command her forces. Yuuto wanted to avoid fighting as much as possible under the circumstances, and he was more than happy to accept the Silk Clan’s surrender, but in negotiations, he couldn’t afford to let them see how pleased he was at the prospect.

“Y-Yes. H-However, we would require that you guarantee the lives of the leadership of the Silk Clan, and while we don’t ask for the same ranks as before, we would like to play a meaningful role within the Steel Clan and be granted fair ranks in its leadership.”

“I see...” Yuuto said with an uninterested look as he went over the possibilities in his head. The messenger’s requests were well within the range of outcomes he had anticipated. If anything, it was exactly what he was expecting.

“U-Um... If you can guarantee those two things, we of the Silk Clan will happily serve under you, Your Majesty.”

It seemed that the messenger was unnerved by Yuuto’s demeanor as he attempted to provide reassurance with a trembling voice. A heavy silence descended upon the meeting. The messenger was clearly thoroughly shaken. Yuuto gave the messenger plenty of time to squirm under his scrutiny before speaking.

“I’m not unwilling to accept your surrender, but I’d like to add a few conditions of my own.”

He felt a bit sorry for the messenger, but psychologically wearing down the opponent and dulling their judgment was a key part of negotiations. While Yuuto himself would have liked nothing more than to quickly settle the matter and return to Sigrún’s side, the fates of many people hung in the balance in negotiations at this level. More than anything, it was vital to the Ark Project for him to properly place the Silk Clan’s territories under his control. He couldn’t afford to loosen the reins in the slightest.

“I’m currently planning to make one of my most trusted children, Ingrid, the patriarch of the Silk Clan.”

This was something he had decided long in advance. To successfully execute his plan to emigrate to Europe, it was most rational to mass-produce galleons in the Silk Clan’s territory. That would proceed much more smoothly if he gave Ingrid, who would oversee that production, as much authority as possible in that particular location.

“I intend to fill the leadership with members of the Steel Clan as well. I promote based on merit. I’ll prepare roles for those with a certain amount of ability, but for the others, they’ll be starting out as Ingrid’s subordinates.”

This was also a necessary step for the Ark Project. Ordinarily, the Steel Clan tended to respect local traditions, only telling subordinate clans to follow broad-strokes policies and leaving the details to local leaders, but as the plan progressed, Yuuto knew there would be a great deal of confusion and chaos. It was far too risky to place newcomers that he couldn’t fully trust in important roles. Of course, he also couldn’t afford to simply jettison them and have them potentially lead rebellions against him. It would be simplest to make the old Silk Clan leaders direct children of the new patriarch. While it wasn’t a leadership role, the position would at least guarantee their livelihoods.

“Is that enough in terms of a ‘meaningful role’?” Yuuto asked, his tone cold as he gazed intently at the messenger. By taking an intimidating stance, he was trying to convince the messenger that he had no choice but to accept Yuuto’s terms. It would be troublesome to have the Silk Clan leaders complain afterward. It was necessary to set the conditions in stone.

“Y... Yes, Your Majesty! M-More than enough! I-I thank you for your merciful treatment!” The messenger bowed his head, pressing his forehead against the floor as he let out words of gratitude. There was a strong note of relief in his voice. It seemed he had expected Yuuto to press far more onerous terms upon him.

“Seems Utgarda was right. Not anyone with a spine left,” Yuuto murmured to himself in a tone that the messenger couldn’t hear.

In their most recent battle, the Steel Clan had decimated the Silk Clan Army and captured the clan’s patriarch, Utgarda, in an overwhelming victory, but a clan as powerful as the Silk Clan should still have had a fair amount of strength left in reserve. Strangely, however, the remaining leadership was only concerned with saving their own hides and were willing to essentially sell out their clan in exchange. It was, frankly, anticlimactic. He felt like a fool for having tricked himself into thinking this was some sort of key moment that he’d needed to steel himself for, and had ended up setting aside his concern for Sigrún’s well-being to prepare himself for it. That said, things had gone well. Perhaps that was worthy of celebration, at least.

“Then, just to be certain, we’ll be carving these terms into tablets and will archive them as official documents. I don’t want any disputes about the terms later.”

“Yes. That would be fine. That would be a great relief to us as well,” the messenger said brightly in agreement.

Yuuto’s secretary quickly prepared the tablet with the terms. Yuuto and the messenger then stamped the seals of their clans into the tablet, making everything official. The Silk Clan had now become a subordinate clan of the Steel Clan, and the Steel Clan had finally acquired the eastern ports that had been its long-standing goal.

“Gasp, wheeze...”

Immediately after settling the treaty with the Silk Clan, Yuuto ran breathlessly to the Múspell Unit’s camp. His expression was tense, and he seemed like a completely different person from the conqueror that had so breezily dealt with the Silk Clan’s messenger moments earlier. Such was his concern for Sigrún that, during the negotiations, the right hand he had rested his face upon had been clenched tightly in a fist, and his left hand, resting on his knee at a glance, was gripping his knee so tightly that he had dug his nails into his leg.

The cold and calculating conqueror was part of his personality, but another part of it—the young man known as Suoh Yuuto—was his extremely strong attachment to his family.

“Felicia! Rún... Gasp... How is she?!” Yuuto asked between labored breaths as soon as he caught sight of his adjutant. Felicia’s eyes narrowed into a smile as though she were gazing at a particularly bright object, and she spoke gently to him. “It seems her anxiety was keeping her from sleeping. I was finally able to get her to sleep using a soothing galdr.”

“I see... Well done... Thank god,” Yuuto said, letting out a great sigh of relief. He was familiar with those particular kinds of feelings himself. Anxiety made it harder to sleep, and whatever sleep he could get when he was anxious was fitful. That wasn’t enough to properly rest a person’s body and soul. Right now, what Sigrún needed more than anything was rest.

“So where is she?”

“She’s inside that tent.”

Yuuto nodded before running over to the tent at the end of Felicia’s pointing finger and peering into it. In the dimly lit tent, Sigrún was breathing softly, her chest rising and falling as she slept. It seemed she was sleeping peacefully, and Yuuto felt a deep sense of relief. He didn’t want to risk waking her from her slumber, so he turned away from the tent and looked at Felicia.

“So, did you figure it out? What’s got Rún so troubled?”

At this rate, it was likely the same thing would happen again. Losing one of the army’s pillars in Sigrún would be a heavy blow to the Steel Clan, but more than anything, Yuuto was concerned about her personal well-being.

Felicia glanced around before lowering her voice. “As for that... Shall we find someplace a bit more private?”

It was an understandable request. There were plenty of Sigrún’s children—the Múspells—around the camp, after all. It was likely something that they shouldn’t hear.

“Sure. Let’s head back to the main camp.”

“Yes. I apologize for making you come and go.”

“That’s fine. Rún’s recovery comes first,” Yuuto said simply. If it was for Sigrún, Yuuto was more than prepared to walk as far as he needed to, even if he walked his soles to a bloody mess in the process. That would be a price he’d be more than willing to pay if it meant Sigrún would get better.

After returning to the main camp and dismissing everyone around them, Felicia spoke hesitantly. “This isn’t something I wanted to tell you, Big Brother, but...”

Her expression and tone were both heavy, and it was easy for Yuuto to tell that she was being honest when she said she didn’t want to bring up the subject. Yuuto steeled himself for what she might say.

“Rún isn’t originally from the Wolf Clan. She was born far off in northern Miðgarðr.”

“Huh, is that so?” Yuuto blinked in surprise. This was the first he’d ever heard of that. Sigrún had known Felicia from a very young age, so Yuuto had thought she had been born and raised in the Wolf Clan. However, now that Felicia mentioned it, it occurred to him that Sigrún’s appearance—from her hair color to her skin tone—was unique among the Wolf Clan’s members. That all made sense if she was actually from a different region.

“Yes. And, um... Rún was originally a slave purchased by my father.”

“Wha?!” Yuuto was thoroughly shocked by this next revelation. While he had experienced the horrors of countless battlefields and had been inured to most surprises, he was caught so thoroughly off guard that he briefly froze in place, left utterly dumbstruck with shock. For now, he encouraged Felicia to continue with a glance.

“I wasn’t aware of it at the time, but from what my brother told me later, it seems my father treated her quite harshly,” Felicia said sadly, her brow furrowed in pain. The two were close friends, despite their dissimilar personalities. It seemed Felicia was blaming herself for not noticing how her birth father had treated the young Sigrún.

“...I see,” Yuuto said after a pained silence. He was angry to discover that someone had once abused his dear daughter, but learning that it was Felicia’s birth father made it all the more difficult for him to process.

“But things changed when she turned ten years of age. A rune appeared on her right hand.” Felicia’s voice brightened as she mentioned the rune. It was clear she recalled that memory fondly.

“Your predecessor, Lord Fárbauti, heard about her rune and immediately exchanged a Chalice with Rún, freeing her from bondage.”

“Hrmph! So that old coot could be useful after all.” Yuuto couldn’t help but smile at the memory of his unconventional sworn father.

Those that were blessed with a rune often showed remarkable talents as an Einherjar. It was much better for a clan to liberate and elevate an Einherjar to a position as one of its full members, rather than oppress that Einherjar and risk having them turn against the clan at a later date. While Fárbauti tended to value harmony and wasn’t one to force through his opinions, an Einherjar was a precious talent that could benefit the entire clan. It must have been easy for him to overcome any objections to his decision.

“Sigrún blossomed under Skáviðr’s and my brother’s instruction and became one of the most powerful warriors in the clan. She got so good that my father, who had once been her master and was serving as the clan’s Second at the time, came to regret his past actions and formally apologized to her.”

“I see. So that’s what’s behind Sigrún’s personality.” Yuuto nodded in understanding, but his smile was bitter. He had never really questioned why, but Sigrún’s personality and values were on the extreme end of the spectrum, even in the anarchic and power-based society of Yggdrasil. When she decided Yuuto had little in the way of physical skill, she steadfastly refused to accept that he was the Gleipsieg—the Child of Victory—who had been sent by the gods. When he showed his ability, however, she had sworn absolute loyalty to him. Her extreme personality and changes in attitude made perfect sense given her background. She had escaped slavery by way of her ability, and she had obtained her current position and respect through improving upon it. To her, ability was everything.

“Yeah, I can see why she’d be anxious.”

She had been shown the gulf in ability between her and the Flame Clan’s warrior general Shiba, and with her dominant arm injured, she couldn’t fight, meaning she had temporarily lost that all-important thing. Even if, objectively, that loss was temporary, to Sigrún it was like the very foundation of her being had been taken away from under her. It was perhaps unavoidable that she’d be in a panic. No matter how stoic and calm she appeared—and although she was by far the most famous and powerful member of the Steel Clan—she was still only twenty years old by Yggdrasil’s reckoning, which in modern-day measurements meant she was just nineteen.

“Okay then. Now that I know the reason, let’s head back to Rún.” Yuuto scratched his head and then stood up. He didn’t know what he could do if he went to her. Still, he wanted to be near her.

“Mm... Mm? F-Father?!” When Sigrún woke, Yuuto sat dozing at the head of her bed. Evidently, he had come to watch over her and had dozed off in the process. A part of her was happy to see him go to the trouble of visiting her, but her sense of guilt for making Yuuto, who was extremely busy, set aside his duties because of her overshadowed that happiness.

“Mm? Ah, Rún, you’re awake.” Yuuto had apparently only been dozing. He sat up, a happy, reassuring smile on his lips.

Sigrún felt another swirl of emotions in her chest. Happiness, affection, and guilt.

“I sincerely thank you for coming to visit me, Father, but I’m all better now...”

“You’re not convincing anyone with a face like that.”

“Is that...so? I don’t really understand it myself,” Sigrún said as she patted her face in an attempt to confirm what Yuuto was saying. She didn’t think there was anything odd with her face. While there was still a bit of lethargy in her body, she felt much better than when she had collapsed. As far as she was concerned, there wasn’t anything particularly wrong with her.

“Yeah, you wouldn’t know it yourself. It’s easy to be the last one to notice when it comes to your own health. Even when it’s obvious to everyone else.” Yuuto shrugged and let out a chuckle. Sigrún knew at once that Yuuto was referring both to herself and, with a self-deprecating note, to his own history.

“Do I really seem that off to everyone at the moment? I admit that I’ve been a little out of sorts.”

“Yes, you’re definitely off. Anyone can see it.”

“I... I see.” Sigrún dropped her gaze as Yuuto replied without a trace of hesitation. She felt another swirl of emotions building up within her. Sigrún’s heart ached at the fact that she had lost some of Yuuto’s respect. More than anything, though, what she felt was anxiety. Given that she was broken, would Yuuto want to use her anymore? Would he even bother to keep her by his side if she could no longer fight? She couldn’t bear to continue sitting still and tried to stand. Yuuto reached out and firmly grabbed her by the wrist.

“That’s exactly what I mean when I say you’re off. I keep telling you. You need to rest.”

“...Yes, Father.” With Yuuto’s hand on her shoulder, Sigrún slumped back and laid down on the bed without any resistance. It was true, he had told her that several times. Tears welled up in her eyes as she admonished herself. Why couldn’t she follow such a simple command?

“Felicia told me about your past.”

“Mine?”

“Yes. You were a slave, weren’t you? Oh, don’t blame Felicia; I forced her to tell me.”

“Yes, I was... And blame Felicia? For what?” Sigrún tilted her head quizzically, blinking in confusion. She couldn’t think of why she’d blame Felicia for anything.

“Ah, I guess I didn’t need to worry about that. Well, I thought it was something you didn’t want to tell me.”

“Ah, I see. So that’s what you meant.” Sigrún nodded as though she finally understood.

“Now that you mention it, Father, it certainly is true that I never told you about it. But I wasn’t trying to hide anything. It’s just that I thought something from so long ago wasn’t even worth mentioning.”

“Is that so? I was really happy to hear about your past, Rún.”

“O-Oh? I see... I don’t think it’s all that interesting.”

“You’re wrong there. It told me more about you, Rún. Like why you’re so focused on strength and ability,” Yuuto stated.

Sigrún once again tilted her head, as she couldn’t quite follow where Yuuto was going. She had no conscious awareness that she was focused on strength or ability. The weak are oppressed and the strong take what they wish—that was the law of nature, so far as she understood it. Without strength, without ability, one couldn’t gain anything—one couldn’t protect anything. That was why she needed to be strong. To her, it was a natural rule of law, something as obvious as the fact that it was necessary to kill other living things in order to survive.

“Is there something off about how I think?”

“No, no. I have no intention of denying your values or your thoughts. That’s who you are, Rún. I’ve been saved by your strength countless times. I appreciate your focus on strength.”

“I’m relieved to hear that. I’m glad to be of use to you, Father.”

“Yep, in that sense, you’ve been really useful to me. Enough to make me want to pat your head for three days and nights straight,” Yuuto said with a joking smile, patting Sigrún’s head. His hand was extremely gentle and reassuring. His touch was enough to dispel the fog of anxiety swirling in her heart. Though at the same time, she also felt a hurried need bloom within her—a need to hurry up and recover so that she could regain Yuuto’s confidence and have him pat her head again.

“Tsk. You’re beating yourself up again, aren’t you?”

Sigrún had no words to offer as Yuuto’s observation had hit the mark. Yet, at the same time, she was curious.

“How could you tell?”

It was true that Yuuto had all sorts of knowledge that no one else on Yggdrasil had. He also had the smarts to make use of that knowledge, but even he shouldn’t be able to read people’s minds.

“Well, that’s simple. I can see it in your face.”

“My face? I’m often told by people that I’m not really that expressive and that I’m hard to read. Even Felicia points that out.”

“Even Felicia, huh? That’s unexpected. Well, sure, you’re harder to read than most people, but it’s just a matter of watching you more closely.”

Yuuto furrowed his brow and tilted his head, as though to say that he couldn’t understand why others couldn’t see Sigrún’s emotions in her expression. Sigrún once again found herself thinking that was part of the reason he made such a great ruler. He always watched people carefully. He had probably developed that skill after he regretted being unable to see the darkness that had been eating away at his trusted big brother, Loptr.

“Well, anyway. I’m just trying to say one thing: try to relax a bit more.”

“You mentioned that before. Not to shoulder everything myself.” Even Sigrún herself could tell that her tone fell in disappointment as she said those words. She had started to notice that her tendency to shoulder every burden wasn’t a good thing based on Yuuto’s comments, but she just couldn’t help it. Her heart wouldn’t listen to her. She couldn’t control it. She was embarrassed and ashamed of the fact that she couldn’t do what she was told to do. Yuuto once again patted her head.

“Yeah, true. It wouldn’t be such a big deal if you could just relax when you were told to relax, right? I was the same way not too long ago,” Yuuto said with a self-deprecating chuckle. The laugh was familiar. Yuuto had laughed in a similar way at the beginning of their conversation.

“If protecting the people closest to you means putting yourself on the line, then of course you’re gonna do it.”

“Are you referring to the time when you had just returned from the land beyond the heavens?”

“Yep, that’s it. I see you noticed it back then.”

“Yes, you always seemed so worried. Lady Mitsuki, Felicia, Ingrid, and the others were all concerned for you.”

“So it seems. In that, I really do feel bad about making you all worry,” Yuuto said with a tone of embarrassment as he scratched at his head. While she knew it was disrespectful, Sigrún thought it was cute of him. Of course, she wasn’t ever going to say something like that out loud and instead chose to say something else.

“There was a time like that for you, too, Father.”

“If anything, that’s more the default for me, I think.”

“Yes, true.”

Now that he mentioned it, Sigrún had to agree. While Yuuto had been overly hard on himself when he returned from the present, he had always shouldered as much of the burden as possible, pushing himself over his four years in Yggdrasil. Sigrún and the others around him had always worried he’d push himself too far.

“You know, it kind of hurts to have you state that so clearly.”

“Oh. M-My apolo...”

“Oh quiet, I’m kidding. It’s a joke. I’m not so easily hurt.” Yuuto ruffled Sigrún’s hair.

It was true. Sigrún felt that Yuuto had changed in that regard. While she still felt his intense dedication to protecting his people, his sense of responsibility, and his sheer determination to succeed every day, he was also able to laugh at his own expense, look after others, and even engage in a little self-mockery to get his point across. It was at that moment that Sigrún felt a weight lift from her shoulders. Even her great father, a man whom she respected and even worshipped, had taken four years to reach that state. She honestly felt it couldn’t be helped that she wasn’t there yet either.

“Besides, you can tell by my tone, can’t you? I mean, my voice was pretty exaggerated, wasn’t it?”

“I-I’m afraid I’m not quite that socially observant...”

“C’mon, even a child would notice.”

Sigrún couldn’t find a response to Yuuto’s comment. It was true that, upon reflection, Yuuto’s tone was clearly in jest. She felt like screaming at her past self for not noticing.

“See? When someone’s shouldering too much of a burden, they find themselves missing the things going on around them. They can even become blind to stuff that’d normally be totally obvious to them.”

“...I see.” Sigrún nodded, her jaw half-slack with shock. She hadn’t realized it, but it definitely seemed she had lost sight of her surroundings.

“Of course, there are times when people have to put all their effort into something. That also leads to growth, after all. That said, if you run into a wall and can’t find any way around it, then sometimes it’s good to relax and take a look around.”

“...Take a look around?”

“Yep. And it’s at those times that you often find that the answer might have been right in front of you the whole time.” Yuuto closed one eye in a wink. “Mm? What is it? Was I too vague?” Yuuto asked worriedly at Sigrún’s mute stare. Sigrún hurriedly shook her head in denial.

“No, I was just overcome with emotion.” There was no lie to her words. It was as though she had suddenly had a veil lifted from her eyes. Sigrún was moved by Yuuto’s words.

“It’s as you say, Father. Even though I had the greatest possible teacher in front of me, I couldn’t see it. What a fool I must be.”

“Ah, are you talking about Ská? Yeah, he really was a great teacher.” Yuuto nodded along in agreement. For a moment Sigrún thought he was joking, but it seemed he meant it. Suoh Yuuto was a young man who, despite his usual sharp senses and keen observational skills, would often miss the most obvious of hints in situations like these.

“Father, you really do watch others around you very carefully, but respectfully, I believe you should pay more attention to yourself.”

“Huh?! Am I really that oblivious about myself?!” he responded with concern, prompting Sigrún to nod gravely.

“Yes, at times. On very particular subjects, most certainly.”

“Wh-What is that supposed to mean?! Now that’s going to keep me up all night!”

“Heh. Yes, I suppose it can be hard to notice your own faults.” Sigrún covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled. That reminded her that she hadn’t laughed in some time. Sigrún realized at that moment what it truly meant to relax and take a look around. She felt her heart relax, and she was able to see her surroundings more clearly. Even if she couldn’t find the way over the wall she found placed before her, it at least felt like she now had some idea of how she could overcome it.

“Hey, stop laughing and tell me.”

“It’s a secret. When I think about it, that’s one of the things that I really love about you, Father.” Sigrún placed her index finger over her lips and smiled shyly. She would have never believed she could take this sort of tone with her beloved father, but she didn’t dislike this aspect of her own personality. Thanks to this conversation, she understood herself a lot better now. She could see that Yuuto wouldn’t get angry or stop loving her because of such things. Not only that, she now knew full well that Yuuto would, if anything, smile happily at her giving him those sorts of responses, much like he was doing right now.

“Well, it seems like you’re feeling a lot better if you can tease me like that.”

“Well done, Father.” Yuuto was greeted with gentle words of thanks as he left Sigrún’s tent. When he turned back, his trusted and beloved adjutant was smiling at him. Yuuto scrunched his face up in a frown. Ordinarily, he felt relief when he saw her, but this time was a notable exception.

“I knew you had many talents, but I never knew eavesdropping was one of them,” Yuuto noted sarcastically and glared at Felicia. The things he had just told Sigrún were an embarrassing part of his own history, and the one who had been listening from outside the tent was one of the people who had been worried sick during that time. He was embarrassed and bashful and felt the need to lash out with a little bit of venom.

“Oh, well, I am your adjutant and bodyguard, Big Brother, so of course I’m always somewhere nearby,” Felicia said breezily without a trace of remorse.

She did have a point. He had been so worried about Sigrún that he had forgotten that fact. Despite all of his lecturing to Sigrún to watch her surroundings, he had fallen into the same trap. This was what it meant to be so embarrassed that he wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.

“Besides... Whatever else she might be, Rún is a precious friend of mine. Of course I’d be worried.”

“Hrmph.” Yuuto snorted in displeasure and began rapidly walking away. He couldn’t complain or needle her now that she had said those words. Yuuto wasn’t happy about the fact that he’d have to let her go on the eavesdropping, so he decided to offer a token bit of resistance by hurrying off.

“Oh! Please wait, Big Brother!”

“No.”

“Heh. Even when you’re blushing and pouting, you’re adorable. I love that part of you as well.”

“Tch!”

Yuuto felt his cheeks flush with heat. Felicia had seen right through him. He had just dug himself deeper into his hole. He couldn’t help but turn and glare at her. As he turned around, however, he noticed Felicia’s head was bowed so deeply that her forehead could have touched her knees.

“Thank you so very much for saving Rún.” Her voice was filled with gratitude. Though the two often squabbled, Sigrún was her best friend. Felicia had stated as much earlier. Indeed, considering Sigrún’s upbringing as a slave in Felicia’s household, they were more like sisters than friends. Yuuto scratched his head for a moment and sighed before turning his back on Felicia.

“You don’t need to thank me for it. Besides, Rún’s precious to me too.”

“Even so... Thank you. I really couldn’t bear to watch her lately.”

“...Agreed.” Yuuto nodded, and although he didn’t turn back to face Felicia, he agreed with her sentiment. It had been hard to watch Sigrún struggle. When he considered that he had once made others feel the same way about him, he felt even greater shame over his past behavior.

“You’re as impressive as always, Big Brother, to have so easily melted that stubborn Rún’s heart.”

“And like always, you’re vastly overstating my efforts.”

“Such modesty.”

“No, it really was just luck. I’d made the same mistake before her. That’s all.”

When he had been stuck under the crushing weight of responsibility—a weight that was too much for him to bear—the fact that there were people around him to support him was the greatest gift to him even as he struggled to find his way in the darkness. That experience was why he could empathize with Sigrún’s struggles and offer his support to her in turn. That’s really all it was.

“If anything, you all are the ones who saved Rún.”

“Hm? What do you mean?” Felicia tilted her head quizzically, as though she wasn’t sure who Yuuto was referring to. Yuuto chuckled as he realized there was no way for her to understand what he meant.

“What does—” Felicia’s question was cut off by a sharp call.

“Father!” Kristina appeared at the end of that voice. It was easy to tell based on her tone and expression that she brought bad news. Unfortunately, Yuuto’s observation was indeed accurate.

“We’ve just gotten word from Gimlé. The Flame Clan is on the move.”

“Tch. It would have been ideal if they’d stayed put until autumn, but they came after all.” Yuuto couldn’t help but click his tongue in frustration. He had suspected something like this would happen and had prepared several contingency plans just in case, but he had still hoped that the Flame Clan would have waited. However, it seemed that it was his fate to face off against the Demon King of the Warring States Period.