Hyakuren no Haou to Seiyaku no Valkyria - Volume 19 - Chapter 4

ACT 4

“Hrmph. It seems the Steel Clan’s retreated,” Nobunaga observed with disappointment as his forces stepped into Gjallarbrú Fortress. It was empty—not a single soul in sight. “I suppose such leadership is to be expected from a man who conquered half of Yggdrasil in just a few short years,” he continued. It hadn’t taken Nobunaga much time to organize an offensive force in the aftermath of the giant earthquake. Managing to successfully carry out the evacuation of tens of thousands of soldiers in that time was quite a feat of organizational prowess.

“I agree, My Lord. It is certainly quite impressive, considering he’s not even twenty years of age. That said, they can’t be that far away. Shall we pursue them?” Ran replied.

“No question about it. Of course we will,” Nobunaga stated, nodding his head in a manner as to suggest the answer was quite obvious before spurring on his horse. A well-established rule of battlefield warfare was that pursuits were the place in which an army could inflict the most casualties upon their enemy.

Although the Steel Clan Army had retreated due to the great earthquake, all but announcing their defeat at Gjallarbrú Fortress, it was clear that, with time, they would recover their morale and present a renewed threat to the Flame Clan. Suoh Yuuto was also extremely unpredictable. It was impossible to tell what else he might have up his sleeve.

With his body ravaged by disease, Nobunaga had no time left to waste. He needed to take this opportunity to settle things.

“Mm?!”

A while after the Flame Clan forces had set out in pursuit of the retreating Steel Clan soldiers, Nobunaga’s nose detected a faint but recognizable scent. No sooner had he done so than his body practically moved on its own, well before his mind had even finished processing what the smell actually was. A moment after, a familiar thunderclap rang out, and Nobunaga felt a stinging sensation on his cheek as an object whipped past him.

“Tanegashimas!”

Nobunaga quickly identified the weapons used in the attack as he rubbed at his sore hip. If he hadn’t instinctively leaped off his horse, the bullet would have hit him in the head, instantly killing him. A small blessing, perhaps, that he was left only with a grazed cheek and an aching hip. He glared in the direction the bullet had come from and shouted out orders.

“Capture them!”

Though the shooter had been hidden behind shrubbery, the faint smoke rising from his burning matchlock gave away his position.

“My Lord! Are you oka...”

Another gunshot rang out from a completely different direction, and Ran, who had come over to check on his master, was thrown off his horse.

“Ran?!”

“I-I’m fine! They only caught my shoulder.”

Ran held his hand to his shoulder and immediately stood up, placing himself in front of Nobunaga and glancing around the area warily. He was trying to use his body to shield his lord, a habit from his time as Nobunaga’s squire. Soon after, several more thunderclaps rang out.

“Guh!”

“Gack!”

A number of nearby Flame Clan soldiers fell from their horses as more gunshots echoed through the air.

“Looks like they had several more lying in wait,” Nobunaga muttered angrily, clicking his tongue in frustration. The area they were currently in was covered with tall grasses and shrubs. It was extremely well-suited for an ambush.

“There he is!”

“Kill him!”

“They dare to attack the Great Lord?! Such flagrant disrespect!”

The Flame Clan soldiers quickly found the assailants and directed the full force of their hatred toward them. Unfortunately for the shooters, though tanegashimas were extremely powerful, they took a long time to reload.

It seemed as though it would only be a matter of time before they were caught, but then...

“Raaaah!”

Having run out of rounds, the shooters switched gears and started running desperately toward Nobunaga. It was a suicidal charge—they were intent on taking Nobunaga down with them. That said, there were only five of them. Ordinarily, they would stand no chance of success, but the objects they held in their hands would prove to be a significant issue.

Nobunaga began to issue his orders. “Men! Let loose your tetsuhau!” he yelled. His men quickly obliged. The oncoming attackers were deftly cut down by Flame Clan spears, but the dangerous objects in their hands had already been thrown.

“Begging your pardon, My Lord!” Ran charged into Nobunaga and shoved him to the ground. In the next instant, explosions sounded from all around them.

“Oomph!”

“Hot! M-My clothes!”

“Ahhh! My arm! My ARM!”

“I-I can’t see... I can’t see!”

Hellish screams filled the air in the wake of the explosions. While the tetsuhau weren’t particularly lethal, they had exploded at close range. They would have done their fair share of damage.

“My Lord, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, thanks to you. You’re the one I’m worried about.”

“I-I’m fine... Guh! Ngh!”

As Ran tried to get himself up, his face contorted in pain. Nobunaga forced Ran off of him and hurriedly checked on his injuries. The tetsuhau had seared parts of Ran’s clothing off, and several burn marks could be seen covering his back.

“Someone get Ran some treatment!”

“Yes, My Lord! Second, how are you holding up?”

“I’ve been better... There might still be enemies lurking nearby. I can’t leave the Great Lord’s side...”

Despite the fact that it must have been agonizing just to stand, Ran tried to stubbornly push aside the soldier’s hand as they tried to assist him. Although the teachings of Bushido that compelled Ran to risk his life for the sake of his master were something he personally lived by fervently, there weren’t many people who could actually consider giving their lives without the slightest hint of hesitation. Desperate situations like these were when people showed their true colors.

“Ran, your loyalty is worthy of the highest praise. However, that’s precisely why I can’t afford to lose you. There are plenty of soldiers around me now. Go get yourself treated.”

“...Very well, My Lord. Please be careful.”

“Of course. Take him away.”

Nobunaga gestured with his chin, and two soldiers took Ran from either side, carrying him off for treatment. At a glance, Ran’s injuries didn’t appear to be fatal. He would likely be back in fighting shape before long. That wasn’t the main problem right now, however...

“Well, that was certainly quite the greeting.”

As the smoke filled the air, Nobunaga glanced down at the dead Steel Clan soldiers. Their expressions clearly displayed both their unwavering commitment and grim determination. He was also well aware that this particular incursion wouldn’t be the end of it. Even so, he couldn’t change course now. Nobunaga furrowed his brow as he considered the obstacles that awaited his army. “This is going to be a handful...” he remarked in mild frustration.

Nobunaga’s prediction turned out to be accurate. There were numerous groups of gunmen lying in wait for the Flame Clan Army as it advanced. The moment the Flame Clan Army’s units approached, they targeted their commanders with concentrated gunfire in an effort to dispatch them, and in the event that they failed, they then charged into the units with tetsuhaus in both hands. Three capable commanders had already been slain, and five more had been forced off the battlefield with serious injuries. As for the rank and file troops, their losses were much greater.

“This...isn’t Suoh Yuuto’s doing,” Nobunaga said as he furrowed his brow, having finally come to clearly grasp the situation he and his men found themselves in.

Although Suoh Yuuto was able to make the hard decisions needed of a ruler despite his youth, he was still not ruthless enough in Nobunaga’s view. Even if he was capable of being utterly merciless to his enemies, Suoh Yuuto wasn’t the sort of man who could order his own men to perform suicide attacks.

“Whatever the case may be, this tactic of theirs is impressively effective,” Nobunaga stated and ruffled his hair in frustration.

Of course, Nobunaga was by no means incompetent. He had sent cavalry units ahead as scouts. However, Yggdrasil’s terrain and flora provided countless places for ambushers to hide. It was nearly impossible to find small groups of enemies who were lying in wait, camouflaged to avoid detection. It was clear that if he pushed ahead with his pursuit, his army’s losses would continue to mount. Conversely, if they made absolutely certain to hunt down any potential ambushers and clear out the path ahead entirely, they would end up letting the main body of the Steel Clan Army escape unscathed. Unusually for the typically decisive Nobunaga, he was uncertain on the best course of action.

“There’s nothing to be done about it. Call off the pursuit. It’s over.”

After taking enough time to carefully consider the matter, Nobunaga let out a deep sigh and waved his hand to signal a halt. The ambushers were clearly focusing their efforts on taking down high-ranking Flame Clan Army officers.

Nobunaga was strictly meritocratic when it came to choosing his subordinates. Every single one of his commanders were exceptionally capable individuals. It made no sense for Nobunaga to continue to trade such valuable officers in exchange for the lives of a few enemy soldiers. The decision to call off his pursuit of the Steel Clan forces was a wise one.

The tactic Hveðrungr had utilized was a special kind of fighting retreat known in the Warring States Period as “Sutegamari.”

It was the tactic that the warlord Shimazu Yoshihiro, known by the nickname of the Demon Shimazu, had used after the Battle of Sekigahara to escape the persistent pursuit by the significantly stronger Tokugawa Army with a mere eighty soldiers and retreat to Satsuma.

Though they were up against such a small rear guard, Honda Tadakatsu, one of the four great Tokugawa generals, had his horse shot out from under him, while another of the four generals, Ii Nomasa, was wounded by a gunshot which ended up killing him several years later, and even Ieyasu’s son and renowned warrior Matsudaira Tadateru had been wounded.

There was, of course, no way that Hveðrungr was aware of that historical precedent. He had, instead, come up with the strategy after learning of the existence of arquebuses and gunpowder. Such a ruthless and heartless tactic wasn’t something that an ordinary person would decide upon. Even if they had managed to come upon the idea, their conscience would intervene and keep them from actually carrying it out in practice.

As Nobunaga had surmised, Yuuto had been aware of the tactic and was well aware of its effectiveness, but he had subconsciously removed it from his list of options. It was a tactic that only someone as ruthless and cold as Hveðrungr could have executed.

“Daddy, are you having trouble?” asked a young voice from below. It was Nobunaga’s beloved daughter, Homura, who had been riding along on his horse.

“Hm? Honestly, yes. We’re in something of a tight spot. If nothing changes, we’ll let the Steel Clan get away.”

Although that was what he said, Nobunaga had already moved on, thinking with a touch of anticipation that it made the Steel Clan an even worthier challenge. While he had won the recent standoff with Yuuto, it had been because of a fortuitous twist of fate—the great earthquake had done most of the work for him. Of course, Nobunaga was certain he would have brought down the fortress even without the assistance of the earthquake, but there was a part of him that knew it would leave questions surrounding the authority of his conquest. It wouldn’t be so bad to be able to start over and settle things against the Steel Clan with his own hands. That was what he had been thinking, but...

“I’ll take care of it for you then, daddy,” Homura said with a bright grin.

Homura hummed to herself as she ran along the terrain. She moved at a speed that was unbelievable for a ten-year-old girl—such speeds would be more adequately associated with four-legged beasts. However, she was an Einherjar, and on top of that, she was blessed with twin runes, which gave her access to a monstrous amount of power—far more than the average Einherjar. She was still young, but her physical abilities far exceeded those of ordinary people.

Homura suddenly stopped mid-stride, turned her head, and gazed intently at one spot in particular. What she saw was an overgrown field of grass. By all accounts, there was no trace of anyone or anything concealed in it. It would be a perfect spot for someone to hide in, and since the grass stretched in every direction, it would be impossible to tell that particular spot from any other—for anyone other than Homura, that is.

“Foouund you!” Homura said gleefully, a smile spreading across her face as she resumed running, splitting the grass apart in her wake. She showed no sign of hesitation as she made her way toward her target. Her movements made it clear she was completely certain that she knew where her quarry lay.

In reality, even Homura couldn’t see the enemy, and since she was upwind of her target, she also had no way of sniffing them out. No doubt they were lying in wait, meaning there was nothing to hear. Despite all that, she could still feel their presence; she was able to instinctively detect some semblance of life in the spot she was headed toward—something much more complex than the grass and the small animals she could see and hear around her.

Homura’s runes gave her the ability to control and strengthen living creatures. By manipulating those powers, she was able to use them to guide her. She sensed life—even if her eyes couldn’t see it, her nose couldn’t smell it, and her ears couldn’t hear it. It resulted in her being able to read the presence of opponents with a level of clarity that even surpassed that of Hildegard and Albertina of the Steel Clan.

“There you are.”

“Wha?! Oh, a child. Phew... Don’t surprise me like that. It’s dangerous here, so—Urk!”

The Steel Clan soldier tensed briefly but soon let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Homura...before she mercilessly drove her dagger into his throat. Since he had been caught completely off guard, the soldier collapsed into a pool of his own blood.

“One dowwwn!”

Homura flicked her dagger to dislodge the soldier’s blood from it. She showed no signs of regret or fear, despite having just killed a person. It was as though she had merely stepped on a bug.

Homura didn’t see most human beings as people. She sincerely felt that, while they were similar in shape and appearance, they were a different form of life entirely. That was because what they saw, what they felt, and what they could do were nothing alike to the things she was capable of. Why, then, would she consider any of them to be her equals? Her viewpoint was much the same as how any ordinary person might view monkeys. Historically, Europeans even treated other humans as animals simply because of the color of their skin. As one might suspect, in Yggdrasil, the concept of human rights didn’t yet exist. So to Homura, she saw those she considered lesser to her as little more than livestock.

“Oh! Found another one!” Homura turned to look behind her and chuckled gleefully. To her, this was just a fun game of hide-and-seek. Children her age weren’t able to put up even a semblance of a challenge, but hunting for prey that was lurking in this wide plain was just challenging enough to be entertaining.

“If I kill a bunch of them, then I bet daddy will be pleased!” Homura’s grin widened as she imagined her father patting her head. Her father, Nobunaga, was the only other person she considered to be human. Though he couldn’t see the world in the way that she did, he wholly believed that she did perceive the things around her differently. Unlike her mother, he never pretended to know what she felt, nor did he pretend that the things she saw didn’t exist. Unlike the others, he wasn’t afraid of her. He never furrowed his brow in displeasure at her, either. He simply accepted Homura for who and what she was. He always offered her his heartfelt praise whenever she did something. Nobunaga was the only person who treated her that way, and that was why she loved him so much. He was irreplaceable to her. Without him, Homura would end up being alone in this world.

“Okay! Time to hunt!”

To accomplish her father’s dream of conquering the world, she would continue to wield her dagger against his enemies. She wanted to remove his burdens and to be able to spend as much time as she could with him.

“What?! The Flame Clan’s already made it that far?! What are the suicide squads doing?!” Hveðrungr asked with annoyance as he listened to the scout’s report.

The Flame Clan Army was much closer to the Holy Capital than he had anticipated. His plan had worked almost too well over the first two days, and the Flame Clan Army had crept cautiously forward, but they were now marching as though there were no obstacles left.

“You made sure to assign useful men along the route, yes?” Hveðrungr asked the suicide company’s commander as he pointed to a specific location on the map in front of them.

It had been less than six months since Hveðrungr had inherited several covert operations companies from Skáviðr. During that time, Hveðrungr had participated in the conquest of the Silk Clan as one of the Steel Clan’s many generals, and he also had to deal with many other military units besides the suicide company. He had yet to fully grasp the personalities of every member of that particular company.

“The suicide company’s members were chosen carefully by Father Skáviðr. Given what the scheme entails, I can’t guarantee that none of them would have second thoughts before doing their part, but even then, it’s hard to believe they’d all lose their nerve.”

“Indeed...”

Hveðrungr nodded faintly and fell silent into thought. There was no denying that things had played out rather well for the first two days, meaning the members of the suicide company had done their jobs according to plan. It just wasn’t plausible that they’d all just coincidentally lose their nerve on this particular day. This conclusion was backed up by the commander’s assurances that there hadn’t been any mistakes in the selection process.

“Then it would appear that the enemy’s found some way to deal with it,” Hveðrungr concluded. That was the only explanation that he could think of. That only served to raise another question in Hveðrungr’s mind: What was their solution?

Hveðrungr was confident that his plan was almost flawless. While it wasn’t hard to find several dozen soldiers hiding in groups, finding individuals spread out over a vast plain was a much harder proposition. If the Flame Clan took the time and effort to search for them, they’d be found, of course, but that would take a non-trivial amount of time to achieve, and that, in itself, would serve the plan’s purpose just as well. However, given that the Flame Clan infantry was marching toward the Holy Capital at breakneck speeds, it was highly unlikely they were committing any meaningful amount of their resources toward searching for the ambushers.

“Hm... I can’t think of how they’d figure out the trick quite so quickly. That leaves only two conclusions: They have knowledge from the future, or they’re making use of an Einherjar’s powers.” In Hveðrungr’s experience, conventionally extraordinary circumstances tended to stem from one of those two causes, and he was, again, correct in this case.

“So, what do we do...?” he muttered, pondering his options.

They had already bought the Steel Clan two days to widen the distance between them and the Holy Capital. In that sense, he and his men had already fulfilled their role as the rear guard. There was nothing wrong with considering their mission completed and choosing to withdraw. However, reorganizing his men after a desperate retreat and getting them battle-ready would probably take a bit more time.

“It’s not as if I have any responsibility to do that much for him though...”

While he and Yuuto had exchanged chalices as brothers, he hadn’t sworn fealty to him. He had agreed to do so simply so he could see what would happen to the man who had defeated him. He had no strong attachment to the Steel Clan, so he saw no reason for him to risk his life for its survival. While he had ordered the soldiers of the suicide company to march to their deaths, Hveðrungr himself had no intention of doing the same. He felt no remorse over making that decision, nor was he particularly concerned about the fact that they were a precious inheritance from his mentor or that they were people he had known for the last six months. To Hveðrungr, they were simply pawns for him to use for his own ends. After all, the members of the suicide company were all volunteers, and thanks to them—just a few soldiers lying in ambush—he had managed to slow down an army of a hundred thousand and wound or kill several enemy commanders in the process. They hadn’t died in vain. If anything, this was one of the most cost-effective tactics he could have possibly chosen. He had given purpose to the deaths of a handful of lowly soldiers. Hveðrungr sincerely believed that, if anything, those soldiers owed him their thanks. This rational and pitiless mindset of his was why Skáviðr had left the handling of the Steel Clan’s covert operations to him.

“Oh, that reminds me. She’s going to be a mother, isn’t she?” As he was about to turn his men around and prepare for the journey back to the Holy Capital, Hveðrungr stopped in his tracks.

While he cared very little for people in general, his younger blood sister was the sole exception. Since their mother had died early on in their lives, and their father, as Second of the Wolf Clan, had spent most of his time in the palace, it had been Hveðrungr, or rather Loptr as he had been at the time, who had cared for the young Felicia. In fact, he felt he was the one who had raised her. That had been why he had been enraged at the fact that she had abandoned him and taken Yuuto’s side. It was perhaps easiest to understand if described as a father’s emotions when his daughter chose someone over him.

“She’s that old now, huh?” Hveðrungr murmured to himself as he thought back to the day she had been born...

“You absolute moron!”

The man slapped Loptr’s cheek with all of his might, and Loptr clutched at his face in pain, quickly sinking to the ground. Had he been over twenty years or so of age, he would have never taken such a blow to his face, but at the time, he had only been eight years old. While he was blessed with vastly greater physical abilities than children of the same age, he was still a child. He could do nothing against a grown man. That was all the more true given that the man was his birth father.

“Why did you mention your rune?! I made you swear to silence!”

“B-Because he was my best friend... We promised we’d be brothers when we grew up...”

Another loud slap silenced Loptr’s attempt at a defense.

“You fool! This is what happens when you trust a so-called ‘friend.’”

“Huh?” Loptr blinked in surprise. He had no idea what his father was talking about. Why was telling his friend the reason he was getting slapped?

“You still haven’t realized? Why do you think I know that you told him about your rune?”

“Oh!”

This was when Loptr finally figured it out. He had made his friend swear not to tell anyone, since his father had told him not to tell anyone. Despite that, the news had reached his father’s ears—meaning his friend had blabbed.

“Didn’t I tell you that it’s dangerous for people to find out you have a rune?!”

“B-But... Everyone says that they want to be Einherjar and that they’re treasured by their clans...”

“Many desperately yearn to become Einherjar. By that same measure, they come to envy those who are blessed with such a gift.”

‘Yearn’? ‘Envy’? The words didn’t mean anything to the eight-year-old Loptr. Still, he wasn’t going to say that out loud. Though he was still young, he understood that speaking back to his father like that would simply be pouring more fuel onto his fiery rage.

“Listen, Loptr. We’re outsiders. We weren’t born as members of the Wolf Clan. You must always remember that.”

Loptr had heard that his father had originally been Second of the Hoof Clan, but had lost the succession battle to his little brother Yngvi and had ended up in this backwater between the mountains as a result.

“Outsiders...?”

It didn’t quite click for him. Loptr considered himself a member of the Wolf Clan who was growing up as part of his clan. According to his father, however, Loptr had been born in Hoof Clan lands, making him an outsider.

“Exactly. If outsiders like us, who hail from a different land, make their homes in a new clan and push aside those who originally lived here and gain status, it’ll only serve to breed resentment on their part.”

“...Yes sir.”

Loptr hung his head as he nodded. Even at his age, he understood what those words meant. Loptr was a talented boy who was able to fight on more than even terms with children several years his senior at an age when a single year made a world of difference. The things his father was suggesting likely explained why the boy that had bossed around the local kids until recently had started to treat him like an enemy—even though Loptr had no interest in leading the boys and just wanted to be friends with everyone.

“There’s plenty of people in this clan who are displeased by the fact that an outsider has managed to climb up to the rank of Assistant Second. If they learn that you, my son, are an Einherjar, that’ll only enrage them further. There might be some who will think of nipping the problem in the bud while you’re still a child.”

“So they would choose to kill someone who could become a great boon for their clan?”

Einherjar are substantially more powerful than ordinary people. They were a presence that practically promised prosperity and stability to the clan as adults. To frame the point differently, choosing to kill one would mean causing grievous harm to the clan’s future success. It would be like stamping down on shoots that had sprouted out of farmland. Doing so would, of course, mean no food in the future. Even if he was only eight years old, Loptr was a smart boy—he couldn’t understand why anyone would take such an illogical course of action.

“Yes. They’d kill you. However great a benefit you might provide to the clan as a whole, and whatever oaths you might swear to it, they’d still get rid of people like us if they decided that we’d get in their way. They would do so without a second thought. That’s what people are like,” his father said flatly.

There was no way that was true. Surely there were people who valued loyalty and compassion. People who valued those things above all else certainly had to exist. However, people only believed what they’ve seen and experienced for themselves, and having been driven from the Hoof Clan, that belief about the fallibility of human nature was Loptr’s father’s primary driving force.

“Listen and listen well, Loptr. Don’t believe in others. The only one worth trusting is yourself. The fact of the matter is, you’re being punished and lectured because your best friend betrayed you.”

“...”

He was right. If Loptr hadn’t trusted his friend and told him, his cheek wouldn’t be swelling with pain right now. No doubt his friend hadn’t thought such a thing would happen, which was why he had so casually told his parents. From there, the news had spread as a rumor and eventually reached Loptr’s father’s ears. According to his father, Loptr now faced the risk of death from jealous people in the clan. All of this because he had decided to trust someone.

“But surely you can’t live without trusting others. I have no choice but to trust that you’ll earn silver and raise me, for example. And then there’s an even more wide-reaching example: if we couldn’t trust that the clan’s farmers would produce food, then the clan as a whole wouldn’t be able to exist,” Loptr explained.

“You are indeed a smart one.” His father appeared to appreciate some of the reasoning behind Loptr’s words and nodded. Loptr was happy that his father had praised him, but that only lasted for a moment. Soon after, more darkness began to fill his young heart.

“You’re absolutely right, Loptr. People can’t live alone. So use them. Don’t trust them, and don’t believe in them; simply use them as tools.”

“Will anyone follow such a terrible person...?”

“Just smile—pleasantly and kindly. Listen to what others are saying, find the words they want to hear, and say exactly those. Doing that is more than enough to get people on your side; you don’t even have to mean it.”

“Will that really work...?”

“Of course. All the talk about sincerity and truthfulness being important is little more than theatrics. You don’t need to actually be either of those things, you just have to appear that way. Even if you don’t feel those things, they’ll believe it if your act’s good enough, so make sure you’re convincing.”

“...”

Loptr, who would come to be known as a mercilessly ruthless tyrant, was still only eight years old when his father had taught him this valuable life lesson. He fell silent at the sheer brutality of his father’s words.

“Loptr, even ignoring the fact that you are my son, you’ve got a quick mind and a talent for fighting. You’re sensitive to people’s feelings, and you’re good-looking. With all these boons at your disposal, I do not doubt that, in time, you’ll become the patriarch of this Wolf Clan, which is why you must learn what it takes to be the person who stands above all others.”

“...”

“Watch others carefully, Loptr. What pleases people, what enrages them, what saddens them, what they seek. With that knowledge, craft a mask that others will like and use it to manipulate them.”

As Loptr fell into a shocked silence, his father continued to push his beliefs into him. His father was probably trying to make sure that Loptr would avoid the fate that had befallen him. Part of it was likely due to his expectations as a father of a talented child. That, in itself, was a sort of curse, because whether Loptr wanted it or not, and whether he loved his father or not, the values of a child’s parents, for better or for worse, end up taking root in the child’s mind.

After this lecture, Loptr would begin to construct his facade, a smiling and gentle personality—and proceed to don it so often that he would end up losing sight of himself, but that is a story for another time.

“My Lord! I bring urgent news!” a servant yelled in a panic as he hurriedly ran into the room.

Loptr’s father barked at the unwanted visitor. “What is it?! I’m in the middle of an important talk. Come back later!”

“B-But sir, her ladyship has gone into labor...”

“Whaaat?! The midwife said it would take another ten days!”

“I-I understand that, but it is actually happening...”

“Tch! Call the midwife! Make sure you call a second one as well. I can’t trust my child to one who could make such poor observations of my wife’s pregnancy!”

With that, his father hurriedly left the room. He was probably going to the side of his wife—Loptr’s mother. Despite holding a rank senior enough for him to be able to take more wives or concubines, his father remained wholly committed to his wife. Even from a child’s eyes, it was clear he was smitten with her. It would turn out that this was because she was the only one who had followed him after he was exiled from the Hoof Clan. Recalling that, a question was raised in Loptr’s young mind.

“Father. You said not to trust others, but do you not trust Mother?” Loptr asked his father after he had been driven out of the room by the women once the labor had gone into full swing. His father blinked his eyes in surprise.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Your mother is family. Not a stranger!”

“So family is okay, but Chalice parents and siblings are not?” Loptr asked in apparent confusion.

The Chalice was supposed to make those who aren’t related by blood into members of your family. So was the difference simply down to blood? That didn’t make sense though; his father and mother weren’t related by blood. Even so, his father trusted his mother because she was family. So what, then, made their relationship so special? Loptr couldn’t understand what differentiated the two types of people.

“Precisely. You may be too young to understand, but Chalice siblings are engaged in a constant struggle for power under the surface. It’s an utterly worthless bond.”

“Oh, I see.”

The act of exchanging Chalices with people you trust made you family with them. It created a bond that was thicker than blood. You then worked with that new family to bring prosperity to and protect the Wolf Clan. That had been Loptr’s childish dream. But that dream had just been completely shattered by his father. Try as he might, however, his father had no way of understanding Loptr’s feelings.

“So now you understand. The only people I can trust are my real family—you and your mother.”

“The baby that’s about to be born is also family, right?” Loptr asked his father hesitantly.

His father had failed to consider it because Loptr was so smart and talented, but most people needed something to believe in—something to trust in. That was particularly true when they were young. Having suddenly lost that thing, Loptr was struck with extreme anxiety. What about the baby that was about to be born? Was it going to be part of their family? If they aren’t, then he’d have to look at the baby with suspicion and wear a mask of lies when interacting with them, despite them being a younger sibling born of the same father and mother.

“Of course. They’ll be your brother or sister. That makes them your family—there is no doubt about that. Make sure you take care of them!”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

Loptr felt a surge of relief and nodded firmly. That was exactly what he had hoped to hear. There was no way he wouldn’t take care of his new sibling.

“Waaah! Waaah!”

The cry of a baby echoed from the bedroom. It seemed his mother had safely given birth.

“She’s done wonderfully! Let’s go, Loptr!”

“Yes sir!”

The father and son hurriedly entered the bedroom. Loptr’s beautiful mother’s face was soaked with sweat, and she was slumped on the bed. As tired as she appeared, there was a certain satisfaction and sense of accomplishment clearly present on her features. The newborn baby was being washed and cleaned in warm water by the midwife.

“Ah, My Lord! Her ladyship has safely given birth to an adorable girl!”

“Wonderful! Brilliant work indeed! I’ve already decided on a name. Felicia! Your name is Felicia!”

Having named her, his father took the baby from the midwife and held her. The fact that he was properly supporting her neck with his arm showed his experience as a father.

“Felicia... This girl...is my sister...”

Peering into her face, Loptr was engulfed by a strange emotion. The midwife had called her adorable, but objectively speaking, it was hard to describe her as cute. He had seen babies from other families before, and compared to those infants, Felicia’s skin was wrinkled from water, and her face looked terrible. Even so, Loptr felt an intense love for her. He couldn’t help but feel a responsibility to protect her. She was his one and only younger sister. She was one of the few people in the world that he could trust without reservation. He swore to himself that he would value her above all else—that he would do anything to secure her happiness.

“Heh. I did swear such a thing as a child, didn’t I...?” As he recalled that day, Loptr—Hveðrungr—snorted derisively at himself. The idea that family wouldn’t betray him, that family needed to be valued, was now an absurd notion that he dismissed out of hand. Back then, however, Loptr had believed it from the bottom of his heart.

“Bah, fine then. I’d hate to do something for Yuuto, but I suppose I can give Felicia a gift to celebrate her pregnancy.”

He wasn’t doing this because he had remembered his oath or anything so cheap as that. He knew all too well that even family couldn’t be fully trusted—that there were times when even family would betray you. Hveðrungr was well aware that his father’s words were a mirage built on sand. The fact of the matter was that Felicia had chosen Yuuto over him. He had no responsibility to do anything for a sister who had done that to him. While he understood that in his head, there was a part of him that simply couldn’t abandon his sister. The childhood oath he had taken was too deeply rooted in him.

“I suppose I can’t mock Yuuto while I’m being like this.”

He knew he was being too sentimental. Strangely enough, though, he didn’t dislike that part of himself, nor did it feel at all unpleasant.

“Brilliant. We have a perfect vantage point. We can easily see the entire area from here.” Hveðrungr nodded from atop a small rocky outcropping as he glanced down at the plains that stretched out under him. Since he was in a relatively high location, it was likely enemy scouts would search the area, given that it was so strategically valuable. He wouldn’t have minded that happening though. He was confident he could at least secure his own survival, and it might be useful to have a Flame Clan soldier to interrogate to see how they were fending off one of his greatest tactical creations to date.

“Well then, let’s see what they’ve got.”

Since they were lying prone on the ground, he couldn’t see them from his position, but he had already sent five members of the suicide company to conceal themselves in the grass. All that remained was to wait for the Flame Clan to approach.

“Hm?”

About an hour later, he saw a young girl walking down the dirt path that had been cut through the grassy plain. There were a fair number of bandits and raiders outside of fortified cities. It was extremely strange to see a girl of that age wandering around on her own. What caught his attention more than anything else was the girl’s clothing. Her garments didn’t look like they came from anywhere in Yggdrasil. Of course, Yggdrasil was a large continent, and there was some difference in culture between each region, but even then, the clothing that she wore struck Hveðrungr as odd. More than anything, however...

“Looks like there’s our target.”

“Huh? That girl?” the suicide company commander said and blinked. While he probably also noticed that she was oddly dressed, he seemed unable to abandon his preconceptions—he couldn’t bring himself to believe that a girl of about ten years old could possibly be a threat. Hveðrungr, however, was certain that she was the one. In fact, the moment he saw her, he had realized with a shudder of dread that she was the reason for their plan’s reduced effectiveness. There was no other possible explanation.

“Don’t be fooled by appearances. She is a terrifying monster.”

“Is that so...?”

“You may not be able to tell, but the ásmegin flowing from that girl is comparable to Steinþórr.”

“The Dólgþrasir?!” Upon hearing that name, the commander’s expression changed.

A few moments later, he appeared to have pulled himself together somewhat, but his eyes still seemed to say that Hveðrungr had to be exaggerating. Evidently, the idea that there was another person who was even remotely as strong as that outrageously overpowered monster was too implausible for him. He had interpreted Hveðrungr’s observation to be an exaggeration designed to get him to take the situation seriously. In response, Hveðrungr let out a slow sigh.

“Let me make sure we’re clear. I’m not exaggerating in the slightest. That girl’s ásmegin really is similar to that monster’s.”

As a seiðr wielder, Hveðrungr was able to perceive ásmegin to some extent. Still, the fact that he was able to see it so clearly at this distance meant the girl’s ásmegin was exceptionally powerful. An absurd amount was emanating from her, and it was unbelievably dense, at that.

“So you’re serious, huh...? Still, to suggest it’s at that level...” the commander replied as his expression twisted into a sour grimace.

Hveðrungr fully understood what he was feeling. Truthfully, he would have preferred to avoid fighting that monster, especially because they were on a covert mission where he only had five other men with him. Even if he included the men still hidden away in the grass, there were only ten of them. That wasn’t nearly enough to take down a monster who was comparable to Steinþórr.

“Whatever the case may be, she’s still a child. I find it unlikely that she’s able to make full use of that much ásmegin,” Hveðrungr stated.

“Even if that’s true, we’re still in trouble. The rumor is that Steinþórr single-handedly conquered a fortress when he was thirteen.”

“That’s not a rumor, that’s exactly what happened,” Hveðrungr replied flatly.

“You’ve gotta be kidding...”

“Unfortunately not. Ah, hold on. She’s moving.”

The girl below spun her head around, and a moment later, dashed into the grass from the road. The grass rustled as she pushed through it. She was moving toward one of the soldiers’ hiding spots.

“Guh!”

A short death cry rang out and blood sprayed into the air. While the grass had obstructed their view, it was safe to assume that the girl was responsible. The grass rustled again—she was on the move once more. She was clearly headed toward another concealed soldier.

“Tch. So she can tell where our soldiers are hiding.”

If that wasn’t the case, then she wouldn’t be able to so unflinchingly head to her targets. Once might be a coincidence, but given that it had happened twice in succession, it was safer to assume that she was capable of detecting them in some way. Given the absurd ásmegin that enveloped her, it was clearly some sort of ability granted to her by a rune.

“The plan had even accounted for an Einherjar showing up... Ugh,” Hveðrungr spat out sourly.

He had planned for the possibility of an Einherjar with sharp senses—someone like Sigrún, Hildegard, or the Claw Clan twins—showing up by positioning his troops downwind and having them remain completely still. Even someone as observationally gifted as Hveðrungr would find it incredibly difficult to find soldiers lying prone in this wide grass plain. Even making use of an ability similar to the one granted by the late Spear Clan patriarch Hárbarth’s rune—Skilfingr, the Watcher from on High—would barely make it any easier.

“That settles it. There’s little doubt in my mind that she possesses twin runes. What a blasted nuisance.”

She had used brute force to overcome a strategy that had required every ounce of his intelligence to produce. There was nothing more frustrating to a tactician.

“...Hm?”

He felt a strong gaze in his direction and turned to face it. It was then that he saw that the girl had returned to the road and was staring in his direction. She then began dashing toward them like a loosed arrow.

“Hrmph. She’s noticed us. What shall we do...?”

If they chose to run now, he would survive for the time being. No matter how superhuman her physical abilities were, she wouldn’t be able to match the speed of a trained horse.

However, letting that girl run free was extremely dangerous for the Steel Clan. The Flame Clan Army numbered a hundred thousand, while the Steel Clan numbered only thirty thousand. Given that there wasn’t a great deal of difference in the quality of their weapons and armor, it would be no contest in a direct battle, meaning that it would require some mix of tactics and guile to win. The problem was that the enemy had a method of knowing the precise location of their soldiers—meaning any clever tactics he could conjure up were likely to fail.

“Now, the issue I face is whether I can come up with something that can deal with her detection capabilities...”

Hveðrungr couldn’t help but smirk bitterly. While he considered himself a tactician and trickster first and foremost, he also considered himself one of the top ten individual warriors on Yggdrasil. He was probably being modest in that estimation, and if he was to be brutally honest, he would say he was one of the three greatest warriors on the continent. With Steinþórr and Skáviðr now dead, he felt he wouldn’t lose to anyone but Sigrún and the Flame Clan’s Berserker General Shiba. His intuition told him that even if his opponent had twin runes, he couldn’t see himself losing against such a young opponent. Of course, twin-runed Einherjar were creatures that surpassed most common sensibilities. Having once been allied with Steinþórr, Hveðrungr knew just how absurd a twin-runed Einherjar could be.

“Right then. You lot, return to the Holy Capital on horseback and tell Yuuto—Uncle about her,” finishing his thought process, Hveðrungr immediately issued orders to the commander. Accurate information was the most important factor in deciding victory or defeat. Informing Yuuto about the existence of a twin-runed Einherjar was the highest priority under the current circumstances.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’ll fight her here. Nothing wagered, nothing gained. As the saying goes: you need to venture into the tiger’s den to claim a tiger cub,” Hveðrungr quirked his lips into a grin as he quoted something Yuuto had once told him.

An important individual who posed an extreme risk to the Steel Clan Army was out here alone with no escort. In an actual decisive battle, if she were located in the heavily-defended command area, killing her would be next to impossible. Simply put, this was an opportunity that was too good to pass up.

“I wasn’t planning to go this far,” Hveðrungr muttered to himself as he watched the commander depart on horseback.

The reason Hveðrungr had joined Yuuto was simply that he had wanted to see how far the man who had defeated him could go. That, and because he wanted to watch over his beloved younger sister. He would have been fine with doing just enough to make sure that he and his subordinates didn’t want for anything and could live comfortably. He had no intention of willingly exposing himself to danger.

Of course, when he had faced off against the Anti-Steel Clan Alliance Army and, more recently, against Nobunaga, he had inadvertently exposed himself to danger, but that had just been because the enemy’s tactics had been better than he had anticipated. But this? Facing off against a twin-runed Einherjar? This was going too far, even to celebrate Felicia’s pregnancy. Fighting a twin-runed monster like Homura, even if she was only young, was essentially the same as going up against a tiger or bear by himself.

“This is mad, even by my own standards.”

Hveðrungr wasn’t quite certain why he had made this choice. The only way he was able to describe it was that he had been struck by the impulse to do so. If he was forced to put it into words, it was because the thought was irritating—the thought of Yuuto losing to Nobunaga, that is. He had made all sorts of excuses up to this point, but that was simply something that he couldn’t bear. But again, admitting that was also rather irritating.

“I suppose this is a good opportunity to repay everything I owe my mentor too. It’s a bit gross to feel like I’m still in his debt.”

After voicing another excuse to himself, convincing himself of his reasoning, Hveðrungr drew his sword from his hip. Standing in front of him was a black-haired girl blinking in surprise as she looked at him.

“Wow! It’s some weird old guy in a mask!” Homura couldn’t help but blink and shout out in surprise. She had felt the presence of a much stronger opponent than those she had been easily dispatching so far, and she had come expecting a big find, only to be presented with an odd-looking man donning a butterfly-design mask and long hair—perhaps not the appearance one would typically associate to a warrior of such power.

“Did you really just call me old? I’ll have you know I’m still in my twenties, you brat.”

“I’m not a brat! I’m ten years old! My daddy even held me a coming of age ceremony!” Homura shot back with indignation.

His comment reminded her of just how useless adults truly were. They possessed not an ounce of ability to see or feel the world for what it really was, nor did they command any true strength. However, despite this, they still had the nerve to look down upon Homura because of her age. Every adult besides her daddy was worthless—this she knew well.

“You made me mad, so I sentence you to death. Though it’s not like I was gonna spare you anyways.”

Homura lightly kicked at the ground to lunge forward and thrust out the dagger in her hand. However, her lightning-quick thrust was easily deflected, and in response...

“Eeep!”

A mercilessly sharp slash came down toward her. She hurriedly jumped backward to avoid it, but even then, the blade took a few of her bangs.

“Unbelievable, given your age. As I suspected, you really do possess twin runes,” the man said calmly as he slowly drew back his sword.

While his expression was hard to read—his face being hidden under his mask—his eyes clearly showed that he had no intention of underestimating her. The blow she had just avoided, despite being aimed at a child, was completely merciless. She could tell he had fully intended to kill her. Homura smiled happily.

“Oh wow! That’s impressive! The only ones who could tell how strong I am at a glance were Shiba and that weirdo Vassar.”

“Then the Flame Clan’s full of blind men, it would seem. It’s plain to see that you’re a monster.”

“Calling a girl a monster is mean!” Despite her words, Homura’s face and voice showed no signs of displeasure whatsoever. If anything, she seemed to be enjoying this whole experience.

“Hey, if you know how strong I am, then why don’t you surrender? I’ll make you my lackey.” Homura asked with a smile.

This man could “see” like she could. Given how rare such people were, it would be a pity to kill him. She definitely wanted to keep him as a pet.

“Heh. You think to propose that I, Hveðrungr, become your lackey? Ignorance truly is frightening.”

“Hve...what? That’s way too hard to say, so I’m just gonna call you Hve.”

“Tch. This is why I hate children...” Hve...something clicked his tongue in displeasure.

As far as Homura was concerned, she felt that he was petty for an adult. He was getting mad just because she couldn’t remember his name.

“So, what’ll it be? Will you be my lackey or not?”

“I don’t have any intention of serving under a child, especially if that child is some bratty weakling who knows nothing.”

“Did you just...call me weak? I thought you could see the world exactly like I do, but I guess I was wrong...”

Homura sighed as disappointment spread over her features. This “Hvesomething” was, in fact, quite strong, but he was far weaker than Shiba, and he was nothing compared to her. The fact that he didn’t understand that disappointed Homura more than anything. Still, someone who could see the things that most others couldn’t was a valuable asset.

“Looks like you need a bit of a lesson.”

“Hrmph, that’s my line, brat. I’ll teach you how scary grown-ups can be. Unfortunately, you’ll be paying for that lesson with your life.”

They exchanged taunts and glared at one another; then, in the very next moment, the sharp sound of metal clashing with metal could be heard ringing through the air.