ACT 1
“Well, it certainly looks like him, but it’s someone else.”
Looking down at the severed head on the table before him, Jorgen smiled bitterly. He was in the middle of inspecting the head to verify its authenticity.
Jorgen had known Yuuto for nearly twenty years now—if anyone could tell whether the head truly did belong to the great Suoh-Yuuto, it’d be him. For that reason, if he announced that the head really was Yuuto’s there could be no greater proof—which had been the plan all along.
“Father sure has given me a hell of a job this time.” With an exhausted sigh, Jorgen shook his head from side to side.
He recalled the events that had transpired half a year ago—
“You’re retiring?!”
One day, upon being summoned to Yuuto’s office, Jorgen had responded in an incredulous tone after hearing some shocking news. His surprise was understandable—Yuuto was only a little over thirty, an age said by some to be the prime of one’s life when it came to mental and physical prowess.
“Yeah, I’ve been here ten years, and now that the food situation’s finally stabilized I’d say it’s about time for me to take my leave.” His elbows on the desk and head resting on his palms, Yuuto gave a small shrug. Despite his face still retaining the youth of someone in their mid-twenties, he exuded an aura of dignity and majesty, doubtless due to the sheer number of gory battles he’d overcome. Jorgen understood why so many of the greenhorn soldiers cowered and became tongue-tied in his presence. Naturally, it had never been Yuuto’s intent to frighten his subjects, but he was now such a prominent figure that his very existence was unavoidably imposing, automatically intimidating those under his rule. However, as one who’d served under Yuuto for many years now, Jorgen was of course immune to this.
“Don’t you think it’s a little early for you to retire? Unlike an old codger like me, you still have many, many prosperous years ahead of you!” Jorgen replied.
“And it’s precisely because I have ‘many, many prosperous years ahead of me’ that I want to be free from this burden already,” Yuuto explained. A bitter half-smile appeared on his lips.
“I see. Come to think of it, you didn’t exactly become a ruler because you wanted to, did you?” Jorgen recalled the first time they’d met. Yuuto was such a natural-born leader that it was easy to forget, but he’d never aspired to be a king in the first place. He was completely uninterested in attaining wealth, power, or status.
“That’s right, and now that we’ve weathered the storm and are finally on track to prosperity, I think I’ve done enough.”
“Indeed, you’ve done an incredible amount of work.” Jorgen nodded sagely. After becoming the patriarch of the quaint mountain-vallev clan known as the Wolf Clan, he’d made half of Yggdrasil his in the span of only a few years and rescued over a million Yggdrasilians from an unprecedented calamity.
Even upon migrating to the New World, he had done everything in his power to prevent his subjects from starving, and did so without making use of any of his knowledge from the land beyond the heavens whatsoever. It wasn’t simply flattery—Jorgen honestly believed that Yuuto was an incredible man.
“So I’ve been thinking, shouldn’t I just go ahead and let my successor take the reins already? After all...” Yuuto paused, a grin of self-deprecation appearing on his face. “I’m not gaining any more popularity with my subjects by sticking around, am I?”
“...I suppose not.” After a small pause of his own, Jorgen reluctantly agreed. Ever since moving to the New World, Yuuto’s approval rating hadn’t exactly been favorable. As a matter of fact, it was the lowest it had ever been. Upon touching down on the New World, Yuuto had forbidden himself from using any of his modern-era knowledge, including letters and characters. That was because he was afraid that if he carelessly changed the future, he might inadvertently cause a time paradox and make it so that their great escape from Yggdrasil never happened.
However, the lack of advanced technology meant a decreased standard of living for his subjects. Naturally, the public were unsatisfied with being forced to live under conditions that were clearly more inconvenient and harrowing than Yggdrasil’s had been, but faced with Yuuto’s overwhelming military might, they were unable to resist.
Yuuto’s approval among the people had plummeted—in fact, it was currently at rock bottom. They now saw “Suoh-Yuuto” as a demonic tyrant that struck fear in the hearts of all his subjects.
On the other hand, Jorgen didn’t think a change in rulership was going to do anything to improve the people’s living conditions. Still, he understood the necessity of at least temporarily quelling their dissatisfaction.
“Then who do you propose as your successor? Your son Nozomu?” Jorgen asked.
Hereditary ties hadn’t meant much under Yggdrasil’s Chalice system, but it was a different story when it came to the J)jodann. Regardless of the actual circumstances, Nozomu was the only child of Yuuto’s that carried the blood of the previous J)jodann Sigrdrifa, which meant that he was automatically the most suitable successor to the throne. However, Yuuto didn’t seem to be too keen on the idea.
“It’d be too cruel to force this burden onto a mere fourteen-year-old.”
“ You certainly managed it, didn't you?”
“I’m not the sort of parent that wants their kid to go through the same crap they did.” Yuuto shrugged his shoulders in apparent self-derision. It seemed he really did consider the throne nothing more than a nuisance.
“Then I suppose the next choice would be Linnea, your second-in-command?” Going by the Chalice system, the second-in-command was next in line to inherit the position of patriarch. What’s more, Linnea’s potential was so great that even Jorgen could recognize it. In addition to her business acumen and high popularity, she had a gentle heart and was always looking out for her clan’s people—in some respects, she was the optimal candidate to lead the Steel Clan as the next reginarch.
Despite this, Yuuto shook his head. “As far as her potential as a ruler goes, there’s no one better, it’s true. But if I’m going to take all my other wives with me, I can’t just leave her here in the lurch. It’d be too sad.” He scratched his cheek embarrassedlv. Jorgen felt the corners of his mouth loosen in amusement.
“Popular as always, eh? After being your most trusted advisor for over ten years now I would’ve thought that you would have at least divulged some of your techniques to me.”
“If I had any techniques to speak of, I would. If I’m being honest, I have no idea why they’re all so fond of someone like me. That’s the biggest mystery of all in my eyes.”
“There you go again with the whole ‘someone like me’ schtick. Humility is in your nature, it seems.” Yuuto had ascended to the rank of reginarch in a matter of years, and was always surrounded by a bevy of women. However, in Jorgen’s opinion, while Yuuto certainly had spirit and ambition, he still had aspects that were lacking, especially when it came to his personal life and taking care of himself. “Perhaps his unreliability in those areas stoked the girls'maternal instincts, and they felt like they simply couldn't leave him alone/' Jorgen thought. The fact that Yuuto was able to attract them like a magnet without even trying couldn’t have made Jorgen more envious.
“At any rate, looks like we’ve gotten off topic. I trust Sigrun and Kristina will be joining you as well?”
“Yeah, I asked them and it seems like they want to follow me wherever I go.”
“My, you would take all the suitable candidates for reginarch with you and leave us high and dry?”
“In my opinion, I think you’d be the most suitable candidate of all, Jorgen.”
“Are you serious? What could an old fart like me accomplish?” Jorgen gave a wry smile. He was already pushing sixty. At this stage he’d quit being the advisor to the Steel Clan, relinquished the position of patriarch of the Wolf Clan to his successor, and was now taking it easy in retirement. He had already tied up all the loose ends in his life and had neither the desire nor the stamina to take the stage once more.
“I figured you’d say that. Well, who would you nominate, then? No need to hold back, give your honest opinion.”
“Lady Homura, I’d say. With the blood of Nobunaga running through her veins, I believe she’s got what it takes.”
“Homura’s a no-go. She doesn’t have my Chalice, first off. And if she became the reginarch, she wouldn’t hesitate to use gunpowder and steel weaponry.”
“I suppose you’re right. Well, that leaves only three more that I can think of. Mustafa, Barr, or perhaps Babel...” Over the past ten years, each of them had shown great promise, at least.
Yuuto gave a small smile. “I noticed you didn’t include Gendo.”
“Regrettably, my grandson has a long, long way to go before he’d be reginarch material,” Jorgen explained.
“Now who’s the humble one?” Yuuto replied teasingly.
“No, I’m being serious,” Jorgen said solemnly. From an objective, unbiased standpoint, he could at least acknowledge that his grandson Gendo had an uncanny knack for politics, a talent perhaps inherited from Jorgen himself. Unfortunately, however, he lacked the necessary grit. Jorgen’s honest assessment was that he might do well under a capable patriarch, but he just didn’t have the qualities to shine brightly enough to become the sun itself.
“I see. So who do you think is the most capable out of those three?” Yuuto asked.
“Probably Babel. He’s got some work to do on the political side of things, but he’s got the fighting spirit and drive for sure. He’s also an Einherjar, so that puts him at the head of the pack,” Jorgen replied.
“...Hmm.” Yuuto crossed his arms in thought, seemingly unconvinced.
“Is there a problem?” Jorgen asked.
“Well, it's just that he can be a bit...ambitious. That concerns me,” Yuuto replied.
“Is ambition not a necessary trait for a king? I would think that makes him even more of a mark for the position. In fact, unselfish rulers like you are few and far between,” Jorgen said.
Indeed, kings such as Yuuto were rare. Botvid of the Claw Clan, Yngvi of the Hoof Clan, SteinJ>orr of the Lightning Clan, Hvedrungr of the Panther Clan, Harbarth of the Spear Clan, and Oda Nobunaga of the Flame Clan had all been possessed by the burning ambition within their hearts to dominate and conquer Yggdrasil. Anyone without that ambition was simply unfit to lead their people.
“The previous patriarch of the Wolf Clan, Farbauti, was a kind and benevolent man. However, I daresay that generosity of his made him too soft,” Jorgen noted.
Yuuto had no rebuttal to that point. He understood all too well...
Jorgen continued, “For that reason, he had his territory usurped by other clans until the Wolf Clan was nearly extinct. More than generosity, strength is necessary to stand above others, and ambition is what fuels that strength.”
“...I can’t argue with that.” Letting out a sigh, Yuuto gazed up at the ceiling. It seemed he still had some reservations, but he understood that Jorgen had the right of it. That was likely the cause of his hesitation. However, it was a ruler’s duty to make swift decisions. “When I look into those determined eyes of his, I can’t help but feel concerned. However, it’s as you say—the Steel Clan needs a harsh but powerful ruler more than a gentle but weak one.”
“I’ve announced that there’s no doubt the severed head belongs to Suoh-Yuuto, just as you ordered.” Jorgen said.
“Sweet, thanks,” Yuuto replied cheerfully. He and his entourage had gathered at a harbor located far to the east of the Steel Clan’s new home Tarshish.
Every single one of his wives and children were present, with none left behind.
“That was a bold move, though, I must say,” Jorgen said, half-exasperated and half-impressed.
“Well, I figured that setting Babel up as my killer would give him the credibility and approval he needs to make his transition to king easier.” Yuuto grinned mischievously, like a kid up to no good.
In other words, the entire coup d’etat had been a ruse from start to finish.
After filling the palace with criminals who were already slated for execution, Yuuto had ordered Babel to storm it. The troops guarding the palace, too, had all received Yuuto’s Chalice and were made up of a select few7 that Yuuto felt he could trust. Thus the truth of the matter would be hidden within darkness forever, leaving only what the people were able to witness with their own eyes, which was that Babel had felled the demonic tyrant Suoh-Yuuto.
“Sorry to leave you with the cleanup, but be sure to watch over him for me. Make sure he doesn’t use anything from Yggdrasil or make a writing system,” Yuuto said.
“Rest assured, I’ll take care of it. I had to drill the same thing into Gendo, so I’m practically an expert at this point,” Jorgen replied.
“That so? Man... Now that I think about it, ever since becoming the patriarch of the Wolf Clan I’ve always saddled you with the troublesome stuff, haven’t I? I’m really sorry for that, honestly.” Yuuto bowred his head in apology.
“Ha ha ha, don’t you worry about that.” Jorgen just laughed it off. “I’m proud to be able to support the great Suoh-Yuuto.”
“Well, that makes me feel better. Honestly, I’m proud to be thought of so highly bv such an incredible man.”
“Wh-What...?! I don’t deserve that kind of praise! I’ll be taking that compliment with me all the way to Valhalla, I hope you know!” Clearly beside himself with emotion, Jorgen scrunched up his face as if to hold back the tears in his eyes.
“Whoa, whoa, don’t talk like you're gonna kick the bucket,” Yuuto said hastily. “You’ve still got plenty of life in you, so go on and enjoy yourself for a bunch more years.”
Even though his original role had been to keep an eye on Yuuto, Jorgen had been Yuuto’s companion for nearly twenty years. They’d rarely fought alongside each other on the battlefield, but had weathered countless battles together within the mystifying world of politics, so Yuuto had always wanted to give Jorgen his due.
“Ha ha, I suppose you’re right. I’ve got to live long enough to gaze upon Lord Nozomu’s child, at least.”
“Please do, by all means.”
“Father...” Jorgen straightened up suddenly and unsheathed the sword at his hip. Pointing the tip of the blade toward the sky, he held the hilt of the sword in front of his chest.
The Offering of the Sword—one of Yggdrasil’s customary displays of respect, much like a military salute.
“I thank you for your tireless twenty years of service to the Wolf Clan. While you’re still a bit young to say you dedicated your entire life to us, you’ve finally been relieved of duty. I wish you good health and freedom in the hereafter.”
None of Jorgen’s words were mere formalities. He was being completely earnest from the bottom of his heart. As all the memories of the past flashed through his mind, Yuuto felt his chest grow hot.
But he couldn’t cry here. That went against his own creed. Instead, he gave an impish grin and raised his hand in farewell.
“Yeah. You take care too, Jorgen.”
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