Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 43 - Chapter 1

Koutarou and Ralgwin

Friday, November 4th

Thanks to Harumi freezing Ralgwin’s wound with her magic, there was no danger to his life. However, the wound was large and he had needed surgery to reconstruct the bones and close the wound. Anesthetics were used, so he didn’t wake up until a few days later.

The first thing Ralgwin said when he woke up was, “I never thought of myself as the kind of man with strong attachments, who would want it all to be a dream, but... it doesn’t seem too surprising...”

Upon waking, he had immediately confirmed the state of his shoulder and found himself disappointed when he discovered the injury. That disappointment was stronger than the pain.

Somebody answered Ralgwin’s muttering. “Those kinds of feelings tend to drag on. It took me a long time to break free from it.”

Naturally, Ralgwin hadn’t expected an answer, and he was even more surprised by who had spoken. “Blue Knight?!”

“Morning, Ralgwin.”

The voice belonged to Koutarou. He was standing at the entrance to the hospital room and slowly approached the bed after greeting Ralgwin.

“They were saying you would wake up soon, so I came to check up on you. Looks like I timed it perfectly.”

Despite visiting his enemy, Koutarou was wearing casual clothes and was unarmed. But such precautions weren’t necessary. Ralgwin was seriously injured and had no intention of resisting.

He did, however, still have the spirit for sarcasm. “Did you come to laugh at the loser?” He acknowledged his defeat but was still a leader. His rebellious spirit was alive and well.

Koutarou shook his head in response. “No, I just wanted to talk with you a little more.”

“That’s what coming to laugh at me means... So, what did you want to ask?”

There had to be a lot of things that Koutarou would want to pry out of Ralgwin, considering his position. So with a bitter smile, Ralgwin straightened his posture. His shoulder hurt a little as he did, but he didn’t let it show.

“What kind of a man was Vandarion to you?” Koutarou casually asked.

It was a completely unexpected question for Ralgwin, and the surprise was apparent on his face. He had been sure Koutarou would ask where his forces were hiding or something. “I’m... surprised. Did you really come here just to talk, Blue Knight?”

But with a wry smile, Ralgwin started talking, explaining what kind of a man Marswell Daora Vandarion had been to him.

Vandarion was typically known as a harsh and fierce general. He took to the front himself, leading a powerful army and achieving many deeds, such as putting down rebellions. There were times he’d been criticized for going too far, but his achievements were praised and had earned him respect.

Yet, hidden within him was a desire to take over Forthorthe for himself. With that revelation, his reputation became that of an ambitious and fierce general who rebelled against the royal families.

“No matter how evil the person, they are rarely cruel to all without exception. To me, Vandarion was a stern but kind teacher, as well as a goal to strive toward.”

Ralgwin was Vandarion’s nephew. Because of that, they’d known each other since Ralgwin was young. Vandarion had played with him and even taught him, and the sight of the rows of medals on the older man’s breast was something Ralgwin had admired. He couldn’t help but want to be like him.

“Yet, Vandarion rebelled. Why would someone of your caliber take part in that?” Koutarou could understand Ralgwin’s feelings. But he didn’t understand why he would join the rebellion. As far as Koutarou knew, Ralgwin wasn’t the type to do something so drastic without much consideration.

“At first, I was like the people, simply taking my uncle at his word.” Ralgwin hadn’t been aware of Vandarion’s ambitions at first. He’d fallen for his lies like everyone else, which was why he’d volunteered to join the battle.

“You should have noticed at some point.”

“Of course. I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it.”

Ralgwin wasn’t incompetent, so in the process of pursuing Elfaria, he had realized that Vandarion was actually rebelling. The surprise he had felt was like the ground at his feet breaking open.

“So, why continue?”

“I was already past the point of no return... but I also chose to follow my heart. I couldn’t betray my uncle. I wanted to help him win. After all... he was my idol.”

By the time that Ralgwin had caught on to reality, Vandarion was already launching a major operation with the military. Naturally, Ralgwin was one of its core members, so when he finally noticed, it was too late to turn back. And with Vandarion being the ringleader, he wanted to help him win, as defeat would no doubt mean a death sentence for his uncle. Although Vandarion had staked his life on his aspiration, to Ralgwin, he was his uncle and his hero. Ralgwin just couldn’t bring himself to betray him.

“So, he was important enough to you that you were willing to turn a blind eye to what he was doing.”

“I’m sure you know how I felt.”

“Yeah. That would be Her Majesty Alaia to me.”

Koutarou wanted to help her, not because of her goal, but because he was moved by how she treasured the people above all else. That was why he wanted to help her win. He believed she was the kind of person who should lead a country. In the end, it was for Alaia’s sake. And while they had gone in a different direction, the same could be said for Vandarion and Ralgwin.

“In other words... our clash was inevitable,” Koutarou mused. If Vandarion failed halfway through his mission, Ralgwin would take up after him and continue the fight. Just like he continued to wield his sword as the Blue Knight even now.

“Yes, indeed.”

As two people holding the same feeling facing each other, all they could do was clash. It was inescapable. Either one of them would have to discard his belief, or they would have to settle things once and for all. Naturally, it had turned into a major battle, and it was a miracle that both were still alive afterward.

Koutarou nodded in understanding. “I’m satisfied with that; thank you.”

He had always wondered why Ralgwin had chosen to fight. Fasta’s support of the man had further cemented that feeling. But knowing Ralgwin’s motive now, Koutarou could understand.

“Hmph, I’ve done nothing to be thanked for.” Ralgwin remained calm, despite losing and facing a death sentence.

However, Koutarou didn’t find that strange. If he were caught by the enemy after fighting with all of his power for the sake of Alaia, Theia, or Elfaria, he would likely not make a scene either.

“Let me just tell you one more thing.” On his way out, Koutarou spoke up once more, as if suddenly recalling something. “Fasta-san left.”

Being someone who valued his subordinates, this should have been important information to Ralgwin, whose eyes opened wide upon hearing it.

“You didn’t arrest her?”

“The deal was that we would work together until we pulled you away from Grevanas and the Gray Knight.”

Koutarou and the others hadn’t captured Fasta and forced her to cooperate. She had come to them with a deal, and they had accepted it. Once their mutual task was done, Fasta had left and they were now back to being enemies.

“To pull me away, huh...” Ralgwin muttered.

“I’m sure you know why.”

“Yes. I rejected her suggestion, so this was the only option she had.”

Ralgwin recalled Fasta suggesting that they cut ties with Grevanas and the Gray Knight. She’d been desperate. He had rejected her, but she hadn’t given up. Having come to the conclusion that she couldn’t save Ralgwin from within the organization, she had made a deal with Koutarou and the others. If their roles had been reversed, Ralgwin might have done the same, so he understood.

“But she’s still hurt over many of her allies dying as a result,” Koutarou noted.

“If Grevanas had taken action, a lot would have died regardless. There’s no reason for her to worry about it. The only foolish thing was trying to save me.”

With Grevanas having successfully resurrected someone, it was only a matter of time before they became enemies. Ralgwin’s forces would fight against the other’s army of undead. Worst case, the dead would only add to Grevanas’s army. Ralgwin choosing to continue to fight despite the disadvantage meant that there would inevitably be a large number of casualties. If there was any problem, it was that Fasta was risking her life for Ralgwin.

“You underestimate yourself too much. You are to Fasta what Vandarion was to you,” said Koutarou.

“If that’s true, then she’ll come to try and save me.” Ralgwin looked out through the hospital window. All he could see was the blue sky, but his gaze was unexpectedly gentle.

“That’s all... Bye, Ralgwin.”

Koutarou turned his back on him. He’d gotten answers to all his questions. And he’d conveyed everything he wanted. He’d promised Theia and Kiriha that he’d leave right away after finishing everything that was necessary. Koutarou was forbidden from talking about too much, both to keep their secrets and to keep himself safe.

“Don’t tell me you came all this way just to tell me that.”

“Of course not. I came to laugh at you.”

“I’ll... leave it at that.” Ralgwin said and saw Koutarou off with a slight smile.

He knew that he couldn’t say too much either. After Koutarou left, he was alone in his hospital room. For a while, he looked out at the sights outside the window.

After returning from the hospital, Koutarou was deep in thought. He had tried to do a number of different things, but ultimately ended up stopping and thinking. Even now he was sitting on a sofa and drinking tea while pondering. His head was full of thoughts about Ralgwin and Fasta. They were both enemies who had done unforgivable things, but after meeting them away from the battlefield, Koutarou found that they weren’t all that different.

It’s only natural. This isn’t some story or fairy tale. There aren’t many who are pure villains...

Koutarou was sure that he wasn’t in the wrong, but he wasn’t convinced that the other side was entirely wrong either. Sure, their actions and methods were bad, but he didn’t think the root cause of their actions was necessarily so. Supporting somebody who meant a lot to them, be it Ralgwin or Fasta, wasn’t a bad thing at its core. That was the kind of enemy Koutarou and the others had been fighting. It had been the case since Forthorthe had made contact with Earth. Only a few enemies were completely evil. Was it really right to fight against such normal people? But what other methods were there?

Thoughts like that were rushing through Koutarou’s head. That was when a hand reached out and pressed on his nose.

“Huh?!” Koutarou leaned back in surprise.

“Gyah?!” The culprit also leaned back, startled by his surprise.

There, the unique rainbow hair entered Koutarou’s field of view.

“Wait, what’s the matter, Nalfa-san?”

The nose-pressing culprit was Nalfa. When she heard Koutarou, she froze.

“Ah, uh, uhm... I lost at rock-paper-scissors, so I came to play a prank on you, Koutarou-sama...” She shrank back with an apologetic look.

Rock-paper-scissors?

That rang a bell for Koutarou. “Rock-paper-scissors” meant other people, and Koutarou looked behind Nalfa.

“Good job, Nal-chan! That kind of thing is important!”

“That’s a true samurai! A real man—I mean, a perfect woman!”

“You’re very brave, Nalfa-saaan.”

He saw Kotori, Sanae, and Yurika.

So that’s how it is. I need to keep it together...

Upon seeing them, Koutarou immediately understood what was going on. They were worried about him.

“Don’t make Nalfa-san do stupid things,” he told them.

“Koutarou, I object to this unfair criticism!” Sanae protested.

“Kou-niisan, it was actually Nal-chan who said she wanted to do something about your scary expression,” Kotori interjected.

“And then she lost at rock-paper-scissors, so she mustered all of her courage,” Yurika explained.

“I see. Then I guess it can’t be helped... I’m sorry about my scary expression, Nalfa-san,” Koutarou replied. He’d have been angry if the other girls had forced her, but there was no problem if Nalfa herself had suggested it. After a small sigh, Koutarou smiled at Nalfa.

“Oh, no... I just...” Nalfa began.

“I know. Thank you.” Koutarou smacked his face and got up from the sofa. Considering why Nalfa had done what she did, nothing good would come from him being deep in thought. He walked up to Kotori and the others and asked, “So, what are you guys doing?”

Nalfa timidly followed behind him, a smile on her face. A few others were looking at Koutarou and Nalfa—Clan, Harumi, and Ruth. They’d also noticed Koutarou’s state but had been relatively passive and hesitated to make a move. However, once they sensed the change in Koutarou’s bearing, they tore their eyes away from him. He was back to normal, so they returned to their own jobs in relief.

“Hmm hmm...” Kenji was the same. In his case, he’d gotten to see an example of the girls protecting Koutarou’s heart, so he was relieved in a different sense. And with a slight laugh he got back to reading his book.

Kotori and Nalfa had met with Sanae and the others in April this year. Strictly speaking, they’d met before, but that was the first time they had properly interacted, so they knew what had happened since April but hadn’t heard more than a rough explanation of the two years before that.

“That’s why you’re feeling a sense of urgency, right, Nal-chan? You’ll eventually have to get in between Kou-niisan and the others? At the very least to get him to cheat on them with you,” Kotori commented.

“Wha— Kotori?!”

It was the truth. But with Kotori so casually exposing her, Nalfa practically had tears in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Koutarou was somewhat unsatisfied with part of what Kotori had said. “I’m not going to cheat on anyone. Even if I did end up dating Nalfa-san, I would do so sincerely.”

“Now, now. I understand what you’re trying to say, but that’s not the point here, Kou-niisan. So bear with me,” said Kotori.

“Kin-chan... Okay, I guess...”

“It takes a lot of courage to treat Koutarou-sama like that, Kotori...” Nalfa told her.

Kotori so casually silencing Koutarou had come as a shock to a Forthorthian like Nalfa, who looked at Kotori with her eyes wide open.

“Anyway,” Kotori continued, “that’s why we should talk to everyone. There’s nothing you can do unless you know how tall the mountain you need to climb is.” She spoke with an unconcerned smile.

Even her own brother, Kenji, watched her with an expression of bemusement. It’s about time Kotori realizes there won’t be any other man who can make her look like that... he thought to himself.

While she was improving, Kotori was typically introverted. But when she was with Koutarou, she seemed so unrestrained. The reason was that she was absolutely convinced that it was okay to show her real self to him. So Kenji was sure the answer was staring her in the face. Yet she herself was saying that she didn’t understand love, and Kenji couldn’t help but find that gap in perception funny.

“Love is war! Learn yourself and learn your enemy—those are the ironclad principles of battle! That’s the spirit!” Theia cried.

“Your love is a little suspicious... Is that really ‘love’?” asked Koutarou.

“Haaah?! You shouldn’t have said that! How could a man suspect the love of his own woman?!”

“What kind of woman attacks anything she doesn’t like?!”

Bang, punch, crash!

A fight suddenly broke out between Koutarou and Theia. When they began, Sanae and Yurika moved the tea table in a fashion that suggested they were accustomed to this. Naturally, that was just to avoid getting caught up in the fight. They then started talking again as if nothing was happening.

“All right, so who should we ask next?” Sanae asked, holding a cup of hot chocolate. Nalfa’s eyes, however, were locked on Koutarou and Theia doing battle. The sight of a hero and princess engaging in a fistfight was quite shocking, even if it wasn’t new to her.

“Nalfa?” Kotori prompted her.

“Ah, s-sorry... I was just a little overwhelmed by the sight...”

“Then, Nal-chan, why not ask about Theiamillis-san?”

“Ah, y-yes. Sanae-sama, please tell me about Princess Theia.” Nalfa was overwhelmed by the fight because she didn’t really understand, so it made sense to clarify the situation for her.

“Well, you see, Theia was super selfish at the start,” Sanae explained. She continued on to recall their first encounter with Theia, who had only seen herself and thought of Earthlings as nothing but Neanderthals back then. “She tried to solve everything with violence, sometimes breaking the Earth.”

Kotori was shocked. “Was Theiamillis-san really trying to invade?!” That was the first time she had heard about it, and her eyes opened wide.

“Yeah. But that was only because she was worried about her mom and wanted to finish up her trial as soon as possible.”

“She was as hasty then as she is now...” said Yurika.

“Trial?” Kotori’s eyes opened wide once more. This was another word she hadn’t expected.

Nalfa knew the answer this time, though. “Kotori, in order to earn succession rights, Forthorthe royalty have to complete a trial.”

“I see... So that’s why she came to Earth?”

“Yeah. Apparently her trial was to take over Koutarou’s room,” said Sanae.

“But Theia-san was terrible at explaining so she was ridiculous,” Yurika added.

“So were you.” Sanae could vividly remember when Yurika had first appeared. That was partially because Koutarou and Sanae didn’t believe in magic, but also because Yurika wasn’t very “magical girl-like.” As a result, nobody listened to her explanation, and she was largely ignored.

“That’s enough about me!” Yurika replied. That said, she now knew that she needed to continue believing and doing what she had to. Not bringing her magic out whenever it was convenient was a sure sign of her growth.

“They’ve always been like that, getting into a fight whenever something happens,” Sanae noted.

“I see...” Nalfa murmured.

The original relationship that had formed between Koutarou and Theia continued even now. It wasn’t the simple relationship between a knight and a princess. That was a surprising truth to Nalfa, but she could understand after learning about their history.

“Back then, Satomi-san was calling Theia-chan ‘Tulip,’” Yurika said.

“That’s a pretty cute nickname,” said Kotori.

“Kotori, what is a tulip?”

“It’s a flower on Earth,” she told Nalfa.

“It looks like this, ho!”

“It’s a member of the lily family and blooms in early spring, with a lot of people planting them in their flower beds, ho!”

The haniwas projected an image into the air. The lights shooting out from their eyes showed a flower bed where red tulips were planted. Nalfa broke out into a smile when she saw it.

“Ah, I’ve seen that flower on Earth!”

“But, Sanae-san, why a tulip? I can’t imagine it’s the kind of name he would use when they were on bad terms...” Kotori tilted her head in confusion. She couldn’t imagine a tulip in a negative sense. If anything, it sounded like a compliment. A dainty tulip was a nickname that would be used by a pair that got along.

“That was because of my Special Attack, Sanae-chan Tulip,” Sanae explained.

“Sanae-chan Tulip?” Kotori and Nalfa asked in unison, and looked at each other.

“Theia was rampaging around, so I lifted up her skirt and tied it up above her to keep her from moving.”

“It looked like this, ho!”

“It looks like a tulip bud, ho!”

The haniwas changed the image they were projecting. The new image was the Sanae-chan Tulip of two years ago. Since the haniwas had been present at the time, they had recorded it.

“Ah, that does look like a tulip,” Kotori admitted.

“Right?!”

“So, the princess’s dress would turn into a white tulip,” Nalfa continued.

“Hehehe, but Theia was unhappy with it. Right, Theia?” said Sanae.

“N-No comment!” Theia, out of breath, answered in the middle of her fight against Koutarou, although she wasn’t unhappy about being turned into a tulip, but rather with her past self. Yet, it was true that she was immature, so she couldn’t force Sanae and the others to shut up.

“I think the bunny-print underwear she was wearing then was cute, though,” Yurika noted.

“No comment!” Theia’s face turned a little red. That was mostly because of the physical strain, but it was also an embarrassing discussion in a lot of ways.

“Let us show mercy. Why don’t we end this conversation here, everyone,” Sanae announced.

Out of consideration for Theia’s state of mind, she suggested that they change the topic. Sanae wasn’t the same as she had been two years ago either. She wasn’t childish enough to continue while knowing that it troubled Theia.

“Your consideration is much appreciated.” Theia smiled, then got back to fighting Koutarou in high spirits.

“Hm, very good.” Sanae pompously leaned back. That adorable part of her was the same as always.

Nalfa timidly asked her a different question. “Then... what were you like at first, Sanae-sama?” She had no objection to changing the topic. It was only natural that a Forthorthian like her would want to help Theia if she was troubled.

“I was pretty bad too.” Sanae nodded with a knowing look on her face. She had said it as if it were someone else’s problem. “Before Koutarou showed up, I was chasing out people who were trying to rent the room, so I probably caused a lot of trouble for Shizuka.”

“Sanae-chan, that’s not something you should say with so much confidence...” The Sanae-san being astral projected scolded her. Yet Sanae-chan seemed unconcerned.

“Oh yeah, what were you doing back then?”

“I was going back and forth between the hospital and my home.”

“Oh, right; back then there were two Sanae-chans and we just didn’t know about it.”

The conversation turned to the subject of Sanae. Kiriha and Ruth were working on politics, but when they heard Sanae and the others talking, they stopped to take a break.

“Back then, I never could have imagined working in Forthorthe like this.” Kiriha said and smiled before bringing the cup in her hand to her mouth. In it was tea that Ruth had only just poured.

Meanwhile, Ruth returned the cup she held to its saucer and smiled like Kiriha. “I was hoping something like this would happen from the start.”

Not long after their first meeting, Ruth had hoped that they would be able to win over Koutarou and the other girls. As Theia had a lot of enemies, she’d needed allies she could trust. While their origin and the circumstances that had led to this were completely unexpected, Ruth had gotten what she wanted.

“So, I guess you really got us, Ruth,” Kiriha replied.

“It wasn’t intentional, it just appears that way when you look at the result.”

Kiriha and Ruth exchanged peaceful smiles. There were still a lot of problems, but there was a big difference in heart and soul compared to two years ago. There was a strange sense of relief as everything fit into place.

Clan, however, didn’t agree with their opinion. “Kii, Pardomshiha, I believe our results will take a stranger turn.”

She was being serious. She used the computer that she’d been working on to show the girls the basis for her belief.