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Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter4

2017-09-07T08:36:09Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 2 */

==Chapter 4: Floating Island==
===Part 1===

A few hours after the annihilation spirit's attack.

The Belphal-class flying ship, repaired by the engineering team, landed in the sacred land of the Wind Elemental Lord.

"Ah, I can see the island!"

On the deck, Rinslet seemed to be in a good mood and pointed at the island.

The pure and high-spirited figure of this young highborn lady was cute.

"Do-Don't say it so loudly. It's embarrassing."

Claire whispered that in a small voice while poking Rinslet's elbow.

"Oh my, to want me to be quiet, are you jealous?"

"You give off a bad impression is what I'm saying."

Kamito watched over them with sidelong glances while he got to the side of the ship.

"So that's the sacred land......"

Between the thick clouds and surrounded by a steep mountain range was a floating island.

Ragna Ys – even within Astral Zero, it was one of the most important of the sacred lands.

"Restia is there......"


Kamito gripped his leather gloved left hand.

The flying ship quietly advanced towards the floating island's port.

===Part 2===
Past noon. A little after the appointed time, the flying ship docked at Ragna Ys' harbor.

Upon seeing the battered condition of the flying ship, all the ship mechanics held their heads.

They transferred at the port into the Divine Ritual Institute's prepared horse-drawn carriages.

Because horse-drawn carriages were meant for four people, it was a little tight with six. Est went as a sword but that only freed up one space.

During the horse-drawn carriage's bumpy ride, he had felt Rinslet's breasts. Kamito quickly separated himself from her but it was really tight.

"Ka-Kamito-san......you're perverted."

"S-Sorry, it was unavoidable."

"Well, I understand that but......"

Rinslet sulked.

But there was no reproachful look in that face.


By the way, on the opposite side, Claire–

"......Whatever, anyway, my breasts won't shake......"

For some reason, she was muttering to herself with teary eyes.

The horse-drawn carriage continued to the opening ceremony's castle.

While pointing at various things outside the window, Claire acted as a guide.

"The floating island Ragna Ys is one of the five sacred lands, the sacred land of the Wind Elemental Lord. The Blade Dance was held here 74 years ago."

By the way, the Blade Dance three years ago had been held in the Fire Elemental Lord's territory at Fire Mountain city. There was no rule as to where the Blade Dance would be held as it was decided by oracles received by the Queens.

"And the castle in the center is a historic ruin from a mystical age."

"So that's where we're lodging, huh?"

"Yes, it is an unequaled opportunity. Normally the Divine Ritual Institute would never allow anyone except princess maidens to enter. Which reminds me, have you been there before, Fianna?"

"Yes, but just once. I normally remained at the Fire Elemental Lord's shrine."

"......The Elemental Lord's true shrine. I'm a little nervous."

Ellis whispered that with a nervous expression.


There were no signs of people on the paved road.

The ones invited to the opening ceremony were the Five Great Elemental Lords and the Queens that serve them, the elementalist representatives and the uppercrust nobility only. The entrance of others was not permitted and could provoke the beginning of a real war.

"Are the king and queen of the Empire not coming?"

"......It seems. But that doesn't concern me."

Fianna shrugged and Kamito–

"......S-Sorry."

Fianna had been named the “Lost Queen” after she lost her spirit contracting powers despite being a Queen candidate and consequently was shunned by the king and queen.

Speaking about the king and queen to her may have been insensitive of him.

"I don't mind. To begin with, our relationship wasn't that good and not returning to the Divine Ritual Institute almost got me disowned. I have no intention of clinging to my title as the second princess and even if I'm removed from the monarchy line–"

And then Fianna stopped talking.

Claire's parents had been imprisoned and she was chasing her rebel sister who had disappeared.

"I don't mind."


Claire flicked her red twintails up and turned to Rinslet.

"Is anybody coming from Rinslet or Ellis' households to watch?"

"Yes. My father and younger sister will be coming."

"One of the Blade Dance's objective is to gather superior talent. The Fahrengart family traditionally adopts those excelling in martial ability."

Rinslet and Ellis nodded at the same time. Come to think of it, Ellis' step-sister, Velsaria Eva, was adopted, thought Kamito.

"Th-That's why, that is, if you display your true power before them, they might be wi-willing to accept you as an adopted child......"

"......?"

For some reason, Ellis was muttering unintelligibly with a red face.

"Will Kamito's family be coming?"

"Eh?"

At Claire's words–

Kamito asked without thinking.

"......My family?"

With the way the conversation was going, it was obvious that he would be asked that.


But Kamito suddenly couldn't manage to reply.

Family – the one word Kamito was most separate from.

"You, you really don't talk about your family. I think I heard your parents were from the empire?"

"Y-Yeah......"

He nodded with ambiguity. In the academy application that Greyworth had prepared, Kamito was the adopted son of a lower-class family of nobles. Claire had believed that.

Of course, that family of nobles didn't really exist. It was just a family created on paper.

Kamito had no known family name. Any vague memories he had of his parents when he was young had been overwritten with the experiences at the Instructional School.

The one who had been by the young Kamito's side was the darkness spirit – only Restia.

Possibly–

(I wonder if I could call them family......)

Kamito recalled the other girls at the facility.

The other two girls in his tactical team at the Instructional School.

They didn't know each others' real names and it wasn't a relationship between comrades.

The expert intelligence elementalist, Lily Flame.


And that girl that was attached to him and called him nii-sama.

(......The militarized spirit elementalist, Muir Alenstarl.)

Four years ago. Ever since the facility had been destroyed in the flame spirit's attack, Kamito had lost track of where she was. He had heard the greater half of the orphans there were taken in for protection by the Empire, but there were sure to be others like Jio Inzagi who had used the chaos of the institution's destruction to escape.

He wondered if his remembering them was because of that dream he had–

"......? What's wrong, to make you have such a grim face?"

"Nothing, just thinking about the past."

Kamito averted his eyes from the inquiring Claire and looked out the window.

They were approaching the castle on the mountain.

===Part 3===
The horse-drawn carriage stopped before a large gate made of stone.

The castle at the top of the slightly inclined mountain was prepared with unparalleled beauty and grandeur.

It was surrounded by a forest and had a lake a short distance away.

Other teams also arrived and stopped their horse-drawn carriages before the gate.


(......It's a good thing we haven't run into that Dragon Princess.)

Relieved, he descended from the horse-drawn carriage and,

"We have been awaiting your arrival, princess maidens who have come to entertain the Elemental Lords."

Inside the gate, a group of girls in priestess garb greeted them.

"They are the apprentices of the Divine Ritual Institute. My juniors."

Fianna whispered into his ear.

"While you are staying here, we will be in your care for instruction in femininity."

When the princess maidens bowed, Kamito stole a glance of their bare breasts underneath the garment and his heart throbbed.

Looking closely, the ceremonial garments they were wearing were equivalent to being half-naked.

The opening above the breasts was large and at the hem of skirts, a slight amount of youthful skin was peeking out.

Even though the clothes were to inspire purity, they were strangely erotic.

Maybe if Claire and the others wore those clothes......he suddenly thought of that.

"Hm? Kamito, what are you looking at?"

He was asked that by Claire–

"Ahh, I was just thinking that if you guys wore those clothes, it'd really suit you–"

"Wha!?"


......Kamito said his thoughts out loud without thinking.

(......Uwa, I messed up!)

"Wh-wh-wh-what are you sa-sa-sa-saying, you perverted slave spirit!"

Claire's face flared red and she beat her whip against the ground.

"Ka-Kamito-san likes those kinds of things, it seems......"

"Wh-What do you think the sacred garments are!"

"I wonder if I still have my sacred garments from when I was in the Divine Ritual Institute?"

The three young ladies whispered amongst themselves.

"So, Kamito-sama, whose figure did you imagine?"

"......!?"

The smiling Carol asked and Kamito averted his eyes.

===Part 4===
Entering the castle, they arrived at a large entry hall.

Beautiful arches with a high ceiling. A carpet was spread on the ground through a pillared corridor up to a door that led further in.

The lighting was provided not by lamps or spirit stones, but by small floating light spirits.


Even if it was called a relic of the mythical age, several thousand years of repeated reconstruction and remodeling had left few traces of things from that time long ago. The sole remaining traces were sculptures hidden by stone pillars.

Along the pillared corridor's walls were colorful illustrations. These were at best the remnants of a few hundred years and the motifs were Queens that had left their name in history as well as Blade Dance winners.

"Hm?"

Kamito stopped before a large set of pictures.

Depicted there was the winner of the Blade Dance from three years ago.

The strongest blade dancer – Ren Ashbell.

Wrapped in the strange garments of a foreign country, with an ominous demonic blade of darkness in her left hand.

That blade in her left hand was the darkness spirit, Restia's elemental waffe, Vorpal Sword.

Bewitching black hair. Pearly white cheeks.

That girl's profile, drawn with a delicate touch, viewed as a goal, was very beautiful.

"......This is overdone. The work of a painter without a discerning eye."

Kamito muttered that and Ellis who had walked around turned towards him.

"It's you who lacks appreciation. Her beauty wasn't like that."

"That's right. Even though we're the same gender, she made my heart throb."


Claire also nodded in agreement.

"Ah–, I see......"

Kamito made a sour expression and groaned.

"Fufu, aren't you glad, Kamito-kun."

"You......"

Fianna teasingly laughed and looked at Kamito through half-opened eyes.

Following the princess maidens through the large castle, they finally arrived at their rooms.

"Empire representatives Team Scarlet, your room is over here. If you would like to eat, use something or anything else, please do not hesitate to do so."

"Wait a second, am I in the same room?"

Kamito quickly asked the princess maiden and,

"Th-th-th-there's no way, what are you thinking!"

Claire refuted it with a panicked expression.

"Y-Yeah, as expected, staying in the same room as a gentleman is difficult."

Said Ellis as she cleared her throat.

"That's right, as expected......right."

"B-But, it can't be helped if there are no open rooms, right?"


Fianna and Rinslet also exchanged nervous glances.

"......? Of course, we have prepared a separate room for the gentleman."

To the guiding princess maiden's words,

"Th-That's right, of course!"

"Y-Yes, it is an obvious requirement!"

The young ladies said in high-pitched voices.

"Fufu, that's a pity."

"Like that would happen. Having just a lone male in a room of girls, what kind of torture is that?"

Kamito said that to the laughing and smiling Carol with half-opened eyes.

"Then, I'll be going straight to bed. See you later."

"Kamito, wait a moment."

His collar was grabbed as he turned to head for his room.

"What?"

"We are going to purify ourselves now."


"Purify?"

Purification meant the act of washing one's body with water in a purifying ceremony. Maidens that were not pure could not use spirits. For that reason, elementalists had to constantly maintain a pure mind and body.

"That's why, that is......y-you get changed and come to the lake as well!"

"Nah, I'm fine. I'll do it alone later."

Kamito shook his head in a troubled manner.

"Or rather, you don't want me to see you in swimsuits, right?"

"Th-That is......"

Claire's cheeks flushed and she averted her gaze,

"No, not really, i-it's not that I don't want it......it's fine if it's Kamito."

"......?"

"N-Nothing!"

Unfortunately, Claire's voice had been too quiet and he couldn't hear it well.

......He wondered what that was. Recently, Claire had become rather inarticulate.

"A-Anyway, we're a team so we'll be doing the purification together as well!"

This was a command to her slave spirit – Claire said this as her red twintails stood on end.

"Th-That's right, breaking the team's unity isn't good!"


"Kamito-san doesn't have enough self-recognition as part of a team!"

"Being able to do the purification ceremony together is a sign of trust!"

The three young ladies all agreed with each other.

"No, you guys are exaggerating......"

......He wondered why they were fussing over the purification so much.

The maid Carol cleared her throat with furrowed brows.

"To be clear, the ladies simply want to show Kamito their new swimsuits–"

""""Carol!""""

The collective voice of the young ladies.

"What is it, exactly......"

Kamito felt troubled–

A tug.

His cuff was being pulled.

"......Est?"

Est, who had returned to human form at some point, looked up at Kamito.

"Kamito, I want to play with Kamito at the lake."

"......"


Being looked at by Est's mysterious pupils, Kamito gulped.

(I did something bad to Est this morning so......)

It seemed like Est wasn't mad anymore but–

He felt that he had to do something to compensate her.

Kamito placed his hand on Est's head and caressed it.

"Got it. Let's play at the lake together."

"Yes, Kamito. I'm happy."

Est nodded expressionlessly.

Kamito turned towards Est and the others.

"With that, I'll also be doing the purification – hey, Owaa!"

""""Why are you so soft on Est!""""

Four people's luggage flew to his face.

......It seems like we have no problems with teamwork.

===Part 5===
"–Here is Kamito-sama's room."


Kamito was led down the hallway to a gloomy room the furthest in.

The room was putrid and had a gloomy air to it. In the corner were paintings and sculptures as well as other junk covered in spiderwebs.

"......Is it just me or am I the only one being treated this badly?"

......In Claire and the others' room, there had even been a fireplace and chandelier.

Rather than a room, this was closer to a storage room.

"The Divine Ritual Institute decided this."

The princess maiden cleared her throat.

......It seemed like she was being openly cold towards Kamito.

(......Well, it can't be helped, I guess.)

The Divine Ritual Institute was, like the academy, far removed from the presence of men.

"Does this room not have a light?"

"Yes. Light spirits wouldn't come near this kind of gloomy room."

"I'll open the window."

"As you wish. However, it may be rusted shut."

"......"


Kamito sighed deeply and entered the box-like room.

He had left Est at the girls' room so he had to clean the room by himself.

(......Now that I think about it, it's about time to eat.)

Other than the black tea he drank on the flying ship, he had not eaten anything since that morning.

"Sorry, could I request something light to eat?"

"Kamito-sama wishes for nyotaimori? <ref> nyotaimori = "body sushi", is the practice of serving sashimi or sushi from the body of a woman</ref> I apologize but that–"

"I didn't say that! Just something normal like a sandwich!"

"A nyotai-sandwich......wrapping yourself with breasts......?"

"......I'm begging you, please stop with the nyotai stuff."

Kamito sighed deeply at the scornful glare he received from the princess maiden.

===Part 6===
"This kind of bold swimsuit......is it okay?"

"The knight captain's breasts are unexpectedly quite large......"

"Ahn – what are you doing!"

Ellis gave a cute cry at Rinslet fondling her breasts.


In the girls' room, the young ladies were changing into swimsuits from their uniforms.

Smooth, young skin. Bewitching body lines.

They were beautiful girls of equally outstanding proportions.

In the corner was Claire who felt that she had lost.

(......Wh-What, it's not just me!)

......The slightly present chest.

With a pink tip, it was like a budding flower.

(Even though everybody else is growing properly......)

She sighed as she watched the rest of the team getting changed.

The only one it felt like she could win against was Est, but she was a spirit.

(Even Kamito wouldn't like this kind of small chest......)

While lightly rubbing the slight bumps–

What appeared in Claire's mind was a scene from two months prior.

The time when she had first met Kamito at the lake in the Spirit Forest.

The words he had said when he had seen her bathing naked.

–I have no interest towards a kid's body, he had said.

"......!"


Remembering it, her cheeks flushed red.

Having a guy her age see her naked, that was of course her first time.

(......But thinking about it, it was only two months ago.)

Standing on one foot and slipping on her new swimsuit, Claire sighed.

Only two months.

But ever since she had met Kamito, many things have happened.

The showdown with Ellis at the academy. Fighting the rampaging militarized spirit.

The cooking battle with the newly transferred Fianna. The mission at the mine.

Two weeks ago, they defeated the strongest elementalist and gathered five teammates to participate in the Blade Dance.

–Until she met Kamito, she was always alone.

(But I still don't really know anything about Kamito......)

Dropping her panties onto the floor, she sank deep into thought.

Even when she had asked about his family on the horse-drawn carriage, he had avoided the question.

(It's not like I want to pry but–)

The thing she still didn't know about Kamito was his connection with that darkness spirit girl.

She had given Claire the frenzied spirit and had been at the mine with Jio Inzagi for the purpose of unsealing the strategic-class militarized spirit Jormungandr.


She was Kamito's contracted spirit but nothing else was known.

Whenever a discussion about the past arose, Kamito would stay silent.

......She didn't like that.

(At least tell your master, idiot......)

While hiding her small chest with her hands, Claire pressed her lips together, displeased.

<noinclude>

===Translation Notes===
<references/>

{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter3|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter5}}
</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume1 Chapter1

2017-09-04T04:57:40Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 1 */

==Chapter 1: You Are My Contracted Spirit==

=== Part 1 ===

In a quiet forest where the sun's rays shine through the leaves-

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Splash—*

The sound of water resounded through the trees.

Kamito opened his mouth wide in shock and stood stock still.

There was a girl. In front of his eyes was a naked girl.

On top of that, he thought, she was a cute girl.

She had large eyes with ruby pupils and lustrously moist cherry-red lips.

Her white skin was as smooth as milk and dazzling.

Her beautifully slender legs disappeared below the water's surface.

However, what caught his eye more than anything was her blazingly crimson red hair that clung to her gorgeous, porcelain-like body.

However, she was naked---Stark naked.

"..."

Kamito felt a cold sweat begin to form on his back.

Not good. Naked is not good.

......Speaking of which, he ought to run away.

The rational part of his brain was certainly telling him to run.

However, his body wouldn't move.

It was as if he was enchanted. The scene was just too surreal.

The girl—

[[Image:STnBD V01 013.jpg|thumb]]

Her moist and beautiful eyes blinked as she looked at the intruder who had appeared quite suddenly.

Her expression was blank. It seemed like she had yet to fully grasp the situation.

She had not even covered her small, developing breasts yet.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Tick.*

A water droplet fell from the young girl's bangs.

With that sound, Kamito finally regained his senses.

"Ah—Err...," Kamito stumbled over his words.

He tore his gaze from the naked girl who was still standing motionlessly.


"I guess I should say...this is a huge accident, ok? It is definitely an unfortunate accident for the both of us..."

At this time, the boy made two fatal errors:

The first was that he started to stumble through making excuses. The best choice for him, of course, was to take advantage of the fact that the girl was dazed and run away immediately.

And the other error was—

"Even though this is an accident, I have seen you like this. I must apologize."

Up to this point, he was still fine, but then he continued...

"However, don't worry. I am a healthy boy, but I don't have that kind of interest."

Looking at the young girl's developing chest, he said—

"I have no interest in the naked body of a kid."

He stepped on a gigantic landmine.

An icy silence fell.

The girl slowly raised her arm, red hair coiling around its length.

Her shoulders shook slightly.

It wasn't because she was cold, however, Kamito was oblivious to that fact.


"Sixteen—"

The girl's delicate lips mumbling something, and Kamito lifted his eyebrows.

"I-I-I am sixteen!!!"

The instant she yelled this, the young girl's red hair stood on end.

"Huuh!?" Kamito opened his eyes wide in surprise,

"Sixteen!? For real? A sixteen year-old with such a pitiful chest—"

He quickly covered his mouth. It was already too late.

"Unforgivable," the young girl said in a low, cold voice, "D-Definitely unforgivable......you-you-you peeping demon, pervert, lewd beast!"

"You're quite knowledgeable to know words like lewd beast," Kamito replied as he narrowed his eyes.

At this time, he noticed that the trees were making a low, whisper-like rustle.


''Is that the wind?'' he mused, ''No, that's-''

"''Guardian of the crimson blaze, keeper of the undying hearth!''"

"''Now is the time to abide by our blood contract; come forth and do my bidding!''"

From the young girl's lips sprang an incantation in spirit language.

At that instant, accompanied by the sound of air rushing into a vacuum, a whip of flames manifested in the hand of the girl.

''An elementalist!'' Kamito realized as he stared at the girl.

An elementalist controls something that exists from a different dimension apart from this world; a place called "Astral Zero."

Elementalists were princess maidens, girls who have made contracts with the spirits living in that other place.

They can use different types of spirits and freely wield their powers.

It seemed that the girl in front of Kamito had contracted with a fire-type spirit.

That the young girl was an elementalist wasn't something to be that surprised about.

After all, this was the area where the country's excellent elementalists were gathered.

''Nevertheless, it's surprising that she can use an elemental waffe,'' Kamito thought.

The way spirits are summoned and formed upon being summoned into this world can be broken down into two main groups:

The first is a form that appears as a lump of divine power; mass-less and of an indeterminate form. It is purely the summoning of a spirit's power and is used primarily as a battery for when spirit magic is used.


The other summoning form is the pure form that summons a part of the spirit's existence.

This summoning requires tremendous amounts of divine power and, on top of that, is very difficult to control. So, those capable of summoning a spirit's existence are said to be the elite amongst the ranks of elementalists.

Even further, the girl before his eyes was not just using a spirit, but was using that spirit's power in a highly-optimized elemental waffe.

''What that means is that...would I now be in a potential life or death situation?'' As the thought suddenly hit him, Kamito was stunned.

Where the flame whip touched the water's surface a gush of white steam rose.

"You...you have guts." The girl murmured in a trembling voice.

Her face was red. Was it due to her anger or her embarrassment over the situation?

"Really, you have some nerve to p-peek while I, Claire Rouge, am taking my bath," She stammered.

"W-Wait, that is a misunderstanding! Let me explain it in full first!" Kamito shook his head in panic.

"I will not listen to your excuses. Turn into cinders, you pervert!" the girl yelled.

The flame whip ignited furiously in the girl's hand and moved as if it was licking the water surface.

"Oh no..." Kamito propelled his body into the dense bushes nearby.


Nearly at the same time, the Flametounge brushed its way over his head.

The idle red residue that remained on the trees which had been cut was like the lingering punchline of a joke. The cut surface of the tree trunks were surprisingly smooth, without any trace of having been touched by fire. The attack had been so fast that the flames did not have the time to ignite the trees.

The hair on Kamito's forehead fluttered down around his mouth while cold sweat started to form on his forehead.

''Um, this is a joke, right? I'm not going to die like this, am I?'' Kamito nervously thought.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Zing*, *biyutsu* – There was an endless dance of crimson flashes cutting both horizontally and vertically in the forest. The surrounding bush was mowed down in the blink of an eye. Having lost his cover, Kamito hurriedly dashed away.

"Don't dodge, pervert, I can't hit you!" the girl called out.

"Don't ask for the impossible, and I'm not a pervert!" Kamito threw back.

Kamito screamed out; at the same time, the whip swung downwards towards his feet, causing a violent spark to slam onto the ground. Rising from the ground, the whip immediately sprang in the direction of the woods, causing more trees to be cut down.

Fortunately among all the unluckiness Kamito was experiencing, the girl—Claire's- aim was quite bad.

This stands to reason though, as one hand was hiding her chest from being seen. In order to conceal her most important part she had squatted in the pond. However, considering how well she was able to handle her whip in such a position, she should normally be quite skilled at using it.

"How conceited despite being a pervert, please obediently turn into cinders!" Claire shouted again at Kamito.


"I'm saying that I'm not a pervert! But by the way," Kamito stopped and turned around, there was something he had noticed for some time... "you need to cover yourself properly. The gaps between your fingers aren't able to hide them completely."

"...eh?" Instantly, Claire's facial expression froze. And— "Kyaaaaaaaaaah!"

Blushing deeply and screaming in a strangely cute voice—she quickly hid her chest with both of her hands.

"Ah, idiot!" Kamito involuntarily exclaimed.

Claire had let go, and lost control of the flame whip, and it cleanly severed the trees behind her.

The huge trees slowly crashed towards her. However, Claire did not notice them. Her eyes were closed in embarrassment while she kept embracing her naked chest.

''Damn!'' Kamito exclaimed as he kicked off the ground.


Running with all his strength towards the pond, Kamito jumped towards Claire and grabbed her shoulders.

"Wha—!?" Claire's red pupils dilated widely.

Kamito ignored her outburst and aggressively pushed her down into the water.

The moment Claire's hand touched the water, a gush of steam rose, and the flame whip disappeared.

Immediately after, the nearby trees collided with the water's surface.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Duuuun!*

The sound of the trees falling was deafening and created large water columns.

Absorbing the heat of the flames, the now-warm pond water poured down like a heavy rain.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>''A few seconds later''*

"Ooh..." Making a seductive noise, Claire slowly opened her eyes.

Her expression was that of shock, her eyes blinked in wonder.

Kamito leaned on Claire and found himself staring into her eyes.

Their faces were so close that if someone were to push on his back lightly, their lips would likely touch.

Claire's crimson hair clung closely to her nape. Her moist lips were cherry red.

Her delicate doll-like face was in front of Kamito's eyes.


For a short moment it looked like he was subconsciously captivated by her. Kamito quickly shook his head.

"...Um, are you alright? Are you hurt?" he asked.

Claire nodded. It seemed as if she had not fully absorbed the situation yet.

Kamito sighed, then tried to stand up.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Funyuu.*

His hand had touched something soft underwater.

"Hwaaah!"

''What is that? Mud?'' he thought.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Funyu*. *Munyu*<ref>These are sounds of touching and squeezing</ref>.

"Hm, ya, hwaaa" From Claire's moist lips came a shallow, sweet voice. Her submerged naked body twitched for some reason.

"Um ..this is?" Having come this far, Kamito finally arrived at a certain conclusion. A certain......awfully frightening conclusion.

''No, wait, calm down. This can't be...that, right?''

It couldn't be. It could be no such thing. He desperately tried to deny such a possibility.


''When I looked at hers earlier, they weren't so...''

"Wh..Wha.. Wha..Whattt .... are..you...do..ing" Claire's lip trembled, shaking involuntarily. She was blushing with tears in her eyes.

Apparently, it wasn't a lump of mud that he had been touching.

"You, pervert—!"

"Gwah!"

Because he got kneed hard in the stomach, Kamito collapsed into the pond's water.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>''Gugugugugu....!''*

With a rising heat haze behind her, Claire slowly stood up. The flame whip, which was a manifestation of her flame spirit, was once again in her hand.

The water in the pond instantaneously started to boil, bubbles frothing to the surface all around.

"No..No, it's a misunderstanding! Wait, if you do that, I'm really gonna die....." Kamito pleaded.

"Sh..Shut up pervert, you will die here!"

With an almost ear-splitting, deafening sound, Kamito's body was cast high into the air.

=== Part 2 ===
''A few minutes later...''

"Ugh..."

Kamito slowly woke into consciousness, the forest unfolding before his eyes.

He tried to get up—suddenly, he realized that something was coiled around his neck.

It was a leather black whip commonly used for torturing. ''What is this thing'', Kamito thought as he tried to take the whip off.

"You finally woke up, you peeping-tom pervert."

The whip around his neck tightened.

"Gweh!? Release me..." Kamito coughed. He then looked upward and saw—

The scarlet-haired young girl – Claire Rouge, stood above him with her hands on her waist. She gazed down at Kamito with a raised eyebrow.

This time, thankfully, she was not naked. She had changed into an adorable school uniform. It's pattern was of black lines on a pure white field. This was the Areishia Spirit Academy's uniform.

A ribbon decorated the front of her uniform. A talisman was sewn in the place where a button would normally rest. Between the gap of her knee-length stockings and her pleated skirt, her beautifully slender legs stuck out brilliantly. Tiny ribbons tied her crimson hair on both sides. This was the so-called twintail hairstyle. Judging from her still-wet hair, it seems that Kamito had not lost consciousness for that long.

Keeping Kamito's neck bound tightly, Claire puffed up her small chest.

"Well, be grateful. I went easy on you and didn't try to kill you outright," Claire huffed.

"That has to be a lie. You definitely intended to kill me," Kamito retorted.

"What are you talking about? If I had been serious, you would have been in cinders by now," Claire calmly stated.

''She just said something quite frightening really calmly,'' Kamito nervously thought.

By the way, cinders are the soft ash residue that is left behind when firewood is incinerated.

"I beg for your forgiveness, spare me from becoming cinders. After all, I helped you!" Kamito pleaded.

"Well, yes, I am a fair woman of noble rank, so I'll give you credit for your help. Even so, you are a higher grade than an average pervert, so you are a high-grade pervert," she snapped.

"In the end the pervert designation doesn't change," Kamito dejectedly sighed, "By the way, isn't a high grade pervert even worse of a designation than an average pervert?!"

"I bet you were only pretending to help me! You...you touched my breast!"

Recalling what happened, Claire's face suddenly turned beet red.

Seeing such a reaction from her, Kamito had an idea.

''...This girl, could it be that she is that kind of person?''

"So it seems that milady is the type of pervert that has a hobby of whipping men." Kamito teased Claire nonchalantly.

"What!? That is not true! I'm not a pervert!" The response was immediate as Kamito expected. Claire shook her head and her cheeks instantly became bright red all the way to her ears.

"Then do you enjoy being whipped?" Kamito slyly continued.

"Wha...what..are...you..saying?" Claire's eyes spun as steam puffs rose from her head. She is unsurprisingly flustered.

''Oh, as I expected,'' Kamito smiled bitterly, ''This girl is really, really innocent.''

Most likely it wasn't only Claire that was this innocent. After all, Areishia Spirit Academy is a school where elementalist princess maidens are gathered. Only pure maidens are capable of exchanging feelings with the spirits from Astral Zero. Among those princess maidens, those who retain enough divine power to command a contracted spirit are girls from the lines of kings or lords of ancient and honorable families whose elementalist blood has been strengthened through the marriages of many generations.

To maintain the purity of their bodies and hearts, these girls are raised in environments that are completely separated from contact with males starting in childhood: the so-called elite education for elementalists has no place for men. Therefore, all the girls attending the academy are super innocent princesses who are unaccustomed to dealing with men.

Finding Claire's unexpectedly easy-to-spot weakness, Kamito had the thought to play a prank on her.

From a kneeling position, Kamito looked up at the embarrassed bright-red face of Claire.

"Th—then, there is something I have meant to say since I woke up." Kamito playfully stammered.

"Wh...what is it, you pervert?" Claire replied warily.

"I can see your panties from this angle."

"Fuwah!" Tears began to float in her crimson eyes. Claire hastily pressed down the fringe of her skirt with both hands.

"You...you saw it?" Claire sniffed.

"Only a glance and you are, quite unexpectedly, a very daring girl. Your panties are the same color as your hair." Kamito bluffed.

"You...you lie! They are not red! They are white, white!" Claire shouted.

"Ah, so they are white." Kamito nodded sagely.

"...Eh!?" Realizing that she had been tricked, Claire bit down on her front lip—


"U-Uuuuuuuuuh~" Claire started to cry.

At this sudden unexpected reaction, Kamito panicked. ''"No, you're the pervert, a dirty young lady, who reveals the color of her own panties"'', he had planned to say to tease her more but, as expected, he was starting to feel guilty and like a bad person.

Taking the chance while Claire was still crying, Kamito removed the whip from around his neck.

"My bad, I went a bit too far with my prank. Sorry." Kamito stood up and placed his hand on Claire's head. Claire stopped crying, and looked puzzled. "It is my fault that I saw you naked while you were bathing. I have also touched your breasts as well. However, those actions were not intentional. Please believe me."

"Wha-what....."

Seeing the truth of his words in his eyes, Claire could not help but to avert her eyes.

"....What-what is this? If you are not a pervert, then why are you here?"

A question that is not the easiest to answer for Kamito. This forest is under the jurisdiction of Areishia Spirit Academy, known as the Spirit Forest. There would be no reason for a man to be in the grounds of the academy. Even if he was not a pervert, the fact that he was where he should not be could not be contested.

"I was summoned by Greyworth." Kamito told Claire.

"Greyworth...the academy's headmistress!?" Claire questioned suspiciously. Indeed, why would the headmistress summon a male to the academy?

"I'm not lying. Look, here's the evidence." Kamito continued. He took out a letter from within his coat. The letter was signed by the renowned headmistress. It was also stamped with the emblem seal that symbolizes the five great Elemental Lords.

"Is that, the first-rank emblem seal of the Empire!?" Claire cried out, shocked. The first-rank emblem seal is produced by sealing spirits with a special technique into a seal. This seal is rated as the highest among the emblem seals issued by the Empire and is said to be completely impossible to counterfeit. Of course, it is something that is rarely seen but as an elementalist, Claire could certainly tell that it was the real thing.

"It seems to be authentic. But why would the headmistress call a man to the academy?" Claire asked.

"Well, for the answer to that question you'd have to ask Greyworth, that old hag. Being summoned was troublesome for me, too." Kamito sighed.

"'That...that old hag!?'" Claire's face stiffened.

The Dusk Witch, Greyworth, is a greatly respected individual by princess maidens who aim to become Spirit Knights. It is also said that she is as popular in the Ordesia Empire as the Strongest Blade Dancer, Ren Ashbell. Even after she retired a decade ago from the Twelve Knight Generals, the most elite force of Spirit Knights known as the "Numbers," her legendary status as a Witch is still one to be feared and revered to the highest degree.

''Well, for me, she is nothing but a nightmare,'' Kamito thought as he tucked the letter back into it's pocket. "Greyworth is an old acquaintance of mine. I came all the way here but the academy ground is extremely large and so I have lost my way."

Areishia Spirit Academy's grounds is incredibly vast. After all, besides the academy-town at the foot of the hill it also includes the entire spirit forest that surrounds it.

"Could it be that you were misled by the spirits in the forest? That's so lame." Claire snickered.

".....Yeah, that's how it is," Kamito nodded, feeling a bit dejected.

Existing in various locations of the continent, spirit forests connect with Astral Zero through Gates. These forests are inhabited by the spirits that have wandered into this dimension. Most of the spirits have no interest in humankind and as such are harmless. There are also spirits who enjoy playing pranks; they deliberately mislead travelers who stray into the forest. Kamito was confused by the spirits' whispers and went deeper and deeper into the forest, therefore losing his way.

"Anyway, I'm really glad that I met someone. It would not be fun to become a victim of the forest. Which way should I go to get to the academy?" Kamito asked.

"Which direction...I shall tell you that it takes two hours to get to the academy from here by foot," Claire replied knowledgeably.

"What, that far!?" Kamito yelped.

If he was to walk for such a long distance by himself he would most likely once again be tricked by the spirits. Since there was a student of the academy present, he had thought that the academy was closer than that.

''Hmm? Why was this girl taking a bath at this kind of place?'' Kamito wondered.

Today is indeed a bit hot, nonetheless, instead of coming all this way, there should be showering facilities inside of the academy. There are only girls in the school so there would be nothing to be embarrassed about.

Kamito asked this question of Claire. Claire dug her hands into her wet twintail hair and tried to comb it.

"I was here for the purification ritual for a spirit contract. Being a spring next to a shrine the water here has the highest of purification qualities. You do know that spirits like a woman who has a pure mind and body?"

"Spirit contract?" Kamito mused.

The moment he heard those words, a throbbing pain came from the back of his left hand, which was covered in a leather glove. Kamito grimaced from the sharp pain.

"A bit further into the forest from here there is an ancient holy sword in a shrine. Rumor has it that a powerful sealed spirit is locked away there. Since the founding of the academy not a single princess maiden has successfully formed a contract with it. It surely sounds like a very proud and noble spirit," Claire said.

Sealed spirits: they are not the normal spirits that reside in Astral Zero and move into this dimension. Among the ranks and types of spirits, there are some who are sealed into weapons or armor by powerful, ancient elementalists. Most of these sealed spirits have brought about terrible disasters to humankind and are dreadful beings called ''Djinn'' or ''Ifreet'' by ancient societies.

Of course, they are not meant to be employed by elementalists. Those strong elementalists of the past sealed these spirits in weapons or armor so that they could never be summoned ever again and deal more harm to the world around them.

"Don't tell me you plan to form a contract with a sealed spirit?" Kamito said, stunned.

"That's right! Do you have a problem with it?" Claire retorted.

"Stop, it is too dangerous!"

"Hmm, you seem to know a bit about sealed spirits even though you are not an elementalist. I am quite aware of the dangers, but I need a powerful spirit no matter what," Claire muttered, biting her tightly closed lips.

Seeing her determination in her expression, Kamito snapped back on the lecture he had on the tip of his tongue.

"Don't you already have a contract with that flame spirit? That is also a powerful spirit, isn't it? Won't it be fine if you just raise it instead?" Kamito wheedled.

A flame spirit is not very rare, but there are only a handful of elementalists who can control a fire spirit and be capable of using elemental waffen in the whole Empire. On another note, elementalists whom have formed a contract with multiple spirits are so rare that they are an extreme minority. Discord between the contracted spirits can cause deterioration of the balance of divine power. Without enough talent, one would not be able to control them.

"Scarlet is an important partner. But—" ''I need more power—''. Claire calmly shook her head. "-I have a goal. To achieve it, I must have a strong spirit."

=== Part 3 ===

Claire's fluffy crimson twintails swung back and forth over her back as she led Kamito deeper into the forest. Although Claire's leather loafers looked quite difficult to walk in, Claire was a well trained elementalist; her steps were light and lively.

"Here it is," Claire muttered.

Her well-proportioned feet stopped walking. With her hands on her hips, Claire looked back at Kamito with a glare.

"Why are you following me, you pervert-peeping maniac?"

"Without your guidance I don't know the way to the academy. As I have said several times, I am not a pervert-peeping maniac. My name is Kamito, Kazehaya Kamito."

"Fufufu, what a weird name. Are you from Quina?" she replied.

Quina is an empire in the eastern region of the continent. It is said that Quina's language, culture, and the relationship between people and spirits largely differ from that of Ordesia.

"No, I am not from Quina. I was born on a far-away, remote island in a very small village."

Kamito intentionally obscured his own statement. Certainly, he was born in an island country in the east, but the larger half of his childhood was not spent there.

"Your name also has quite a unique taste, Claire Rouge." Kamito hinted.

"Do not call my name in a friendly manner," Claire snapped. "Anyway, my name is a strange name."

"Really? I think it is a nice name."

"Wha-what are you saying, st-stupid!"

Claire blushed, suddenly turned back around and briskly walked in the direction she had indicated earlier.

Claire Rouge—obviously the name is a pseudonym.

Most of the students attending the Areishia Spirit Academy were the young ladies of noble families who have been trained as potential elementalists since childhood. However well-versed he was in the noble families, Kamito had never heard of the Rouge family. Claire was hiding her noble family name. She must have some reason to do so, but Kamito had no intention to delve deeper.

''Everyone has some secrets they want to hide'', Kamito thought. Kamito glanced down at his left hand covered by the leather glove. ''Even I have mine, too...''

Claire kept walking through the forest. Kamito quickly moved to follow her swaying crimson twintails. Losing sight of Claire inside the forest now would only bring trouble for him later. Kamito was well-aware of the dangers of spending a night inside the Spirit Forest.

"Is that dress the academy's uniform?" Kamito asked.

"Yeah." Claire nodded coldly as she kept moving.

Areishia Spirit Academy uniforms are pretty sturdy and can also serve as a protective garment. They have undergone spirit blessings and have the added effect of raising sacred attributes. The uniform could also function nicely as a ceremonial dress for contracting with or summoning spirits.

"What, are you saying that it doesn't suit me?"

Kamito shrugged his shoulders. "No, it suits you gorgeously," he answered. "Honestly speaking, I am charmed by it."

Fine feathers make fine birds; Kamito planned to mock her with caustic words such as those, but the uniform did fit her so perfectly that Kamito couldn't help but to compliment her.

"Wh-Wha-What are you saying!? Stop being an idiot!" Claire stammered cutely.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Kaatsu* Claire blushed deep red, while *Pyun-Pyun* waving her whip around in agitation.

"Uwahh, Calm down!" Kamito pleaded.

"Wasn't it because you said some weird thing?"

"What I said was weird? I simply spoke the truth! I got it, I understand, so please stop pulling out your whip for every little thing."

''Phew, if I didn't need her as a guide...but what a bothersome princess.'' Dodging the swinging whip, Kamito sighed in his mind.

<center><nowiki>*******</nowiki></center>

The shrine that held the holy blade stood quietly in a clearing in the forest.

Claire easily removed the ward that forbade entry and stopped walking, then turned to Kamito.

"From here onwards it will be really dangerous, so, as a commoner, you should stay away."

"If you know that it's dangerous, why not stop?" Kamito asked.

"As I was saying, I need to contract with a strong spirit." Claire calmly shook her head and stepped into the shrine.

Disregarding her warnings, Kamito followed her. As for coming all the way, it was true that he needed a guide, but more importantly he was just worried about Claire.

After all, sealed spirits were the strongest of the strong and at the same time have a wild nature. They prefer destruction and chaos; given the chance, they would even murder the elementalist that employs their power.

They are not something that can be managed by humans—that is why they have been sealed away.

Being only sixteen years of age with such an innate talent for wielding a spirit, Claire might as well be called a prodigy. However, if by any chance, she was to release the sealed spirit and fail to control it, what would happen?

Although she was just a girl he met by chance, Kamito couldn't leave her alone.

"Why did you follow me? I cannot guarantee what will happen to you." Claire warned.

"Don't you have the absolute confidence to tame it?" Kamito snarkily answered.

"Of-Of course I do!"

"Then there's no problem if I come along." Kamito shrugged his shoulders, prompting Claire to turn away from him.

"....Suit yourself."

The inside of the shrine was misty and dark and had a heavy atmosphere. Claire frowned slightly at the smell of mold mingling in the air.

"''Flames, let there be light''."

A tiny fireball immediately formed from Claire's fingertips; a basic spirit spell that draws on the power of a flame spirit. The flickering light of the fireball dimly illuminated the walls of the shrine. The shrine looked like a cavern filled with stalactites.

The sword was at the innermost area of the shrine.

"That is the sword that the sealed spirit resides in?" Kamito muttered. Claire nodded quietly in confirmation.

An unsheathed sword was standing hilt-up in a huge stone. It was an undoubtedly an antique which was most likely hundreds of years old but it had no rust on its length nor dents on its edge. Delicate ancient runes were engraved on the flat of the blade, radiating a dim blue light.

"A sword that has existed from even before the academy was founded, The Sacred Sword of Severian," Claire muttered reverently.

"The Sacred Sword of Severian? The one that slayed Demon King Solomon?" Kamito asked, shocked.

Demon King Solomon commanded seventy-two powerful spirits, brought chaos and destruction to the continent and was the only recorded male elementalist in history.

It was said that the one that slew the Demon King was the sword of Severian.

"Idiot, there's no way that's the real thing." Claire stated like she was amazed. "A Sacred Sword of Severian stabbed into a stone can be found everywhere in the Empire. Some remote villages even have one for the revitalization of the village. Anyhow, even if it is not the real deal, since it is a rune sword, there might be a powerful spirit sealed in it."

"...Indeed. Certainly, the real thing would not be in such a place..." Kamito finished.

Claire walked towards the sword determinedly.

"Hey..."

"You stay back." Claire snapped as she gestured to Kamito who had been approaching. Claire clenched the hilt of the holy blade.

"Don't strain yourself."

"...Got it."

Kamito decided to watch over Claire from the edge, where the light barely reached. The sealed spirit might be provoked by the presence of more than just one person. A heavy silence filled the surroundings.

"...Let's do this, Claire Rouge." Breathing deeply, Claire murmured to herself. Her voice trembled a bit; it seemed that she was nervous after all, Kamito noted.

"''Oh Noble Spirit Sealed in Ancient Holy Sword!''"

"''Thou Shall Accept Me as Thy Master and I Shall Be Thy Sheath!''"

From her cherry-red lips flew a fluent incantation for a contract ritual in spirit language. Her crimson hair stood on its ends. A crashing wind started to swirl inside the shrine.

Holding his breath, Kamito watched her intensely. Once the contract has been spoken and the spirit recognized Claire as its master, a spirit seal would be engraved somewhere on her body. The contract vows would then enter their conclusion. As he watched, a dreadful gust of wind swept through the shrine.

"...eh?" Kamito involuntarily stuttered.

Claire was unfazed, however, as she calmly recited her contract vow.

Dazzling light radiated from Severian's holy blade in her hand.

''I can't....believe it, She was exchanging a contract with the sealed spirit!?''

Preventing himself from being swept by the wind, an astonished Kamito was dumbstruck.

From the holy blade stabbed in the stone came an overwhelmingly tremendous amount of divine energy. If Claire was an average elementalist, she would have already passed out.

''"Thrice I Command Thee, Exchange Vows With Me!"''

Claire's vow reverberated inside the shrine in that instant.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Clink!*

"Pulled-Pulled out. I pulled it out," she said.

"...What, seriously!?"

Brandishing the sword she pulled from the stone at her feet, Claire exclaimed her joy. However, in the next second—

The ancient runes engraved in Severian’s blade suddenly shone violently!

"...huh!?"

Claire involuntarily released the blade from her hand—

The holy blade thrust itself back into the ground. With a flash, it blasted itself into bits.

"Kyaaaaah!"

A short shriek flew, then Claire collapsed onto the ground.

"Hey, are you okay!"

Kamito quickly ran towards Claire.

"Wha-What? What exactly has...."

Claire held her temple and slowly got up, then looked around restlessly.

"My-My sealed spirit?"

"Wait, I...can sense something terrible," Kamito warned.

Sweat was flowing intensely down the back of Kamito's neck. His face was showing the terror he felt as he looked up at the shrine's ceiling. Near the rock ceiling was the sword, swinging while floating in the air.

It's not the shattered holy sword. However, it was a rough steel blade that looked very sharp.

"Is that the sealed spirit of the sword!?" Claire asked.

"So it was of the sword spirit class. Looks like it is rather irritated," Kamito replied.

"How do you know so much? You are not even an elementalist!"

"It is plain to see. No matter how you look at it, that doesn't seem to be someone who pledges allegiance to his master."

"...Umm, indeed so." Claire meekly nodded uncharacteristically.

The floating sword slanted, pointed its tip downwards and suddenly became motionless.

Then—

"Get down!" In that instant Kamito pushed Claire down to the ground. A buzzing sound of an insect grazed his ear and continued past.

"Wai-Waa-Wait, where are you touching me!? I'll turn you into cinders!"

With her face deeply red, Claire beat on Kamito's chest repeatedly.

"Idiot, stop rampaging!" Kamito quickly moved his body away and looked in the direction that the sword spirit had flown to.

Fragments of rocks fell down with clattering sounds. The shrine's stalagmites had been cleanly sliced off.

"It is remarkable to be able to release a spirit of such rank—" Kamito glared with half opened eyes towards Claire. "...but the spirit has completely gone berserk."

"Shu-Shut up. The-The taming of it starts now."

"You...." Kamito was stupefied by her silliness, but he was in no situation to quarrel with her.

The spirit sword released a chattering noise while flying back towards them. Inside the shrine they couldn't move freely and even their range of sight was restricted.

Kamito grabbed Claire's hand and stood up. Touching each others' soft skin made Kamito's heart flutter but he did not show any reaction on his face. 

"Hwaah."

"Stop making such cute reactions at every little thing. Let's flee," Kamito said.

"Wha.. whaa. whatt.. Cute.. what, me? Kyaa!"

"Let's run outside!"

Kamito grasped Claire's hand while they both ran in the direction of the shrine's exit.

The spirit sword did not immediately chase after them. Maybe it has not yet completely awakened. With this opportunity they might be able to run away.

The moment they were out of the shrine, the flash of the sword grazed in front of their eyes. Kamito's cut forelocks fell and danced in the breeze. The spirit sword let out a tremendous roar, decisively knocking down the surrounding trees in succession.

"Crazy! What a wild spirit, just like a certain princess I know," Kamito sighed.

"Alwa-Always, you're noisy..." Feeling slightly awkward, Claire deliberately coughed, then stood up. "What a rebellious child.....I'll give you a proper spanking later."

Her pair of crimson eyes were burning with a fierce determination, yet somehow she said some lines of provocation. Rolling up the fringe of her skirt, she then took out the leather whip coiled around her thigh, hitting it hard on the ground. Kamito's heart skipped a beat at the brief sight of her white underwear, but he said—

"Are you insane!? Your opponent is a high rank sealed spirit!"

"It will be an easy victory. Amateurs like you please stay back!"

"Where are you getting all of your confidence? Whatever, let's run away!"

Claire shook off Kamito's hand that was grabbing her wrist. "No, you escape yourself. I will absolutely make this spirit mine."

"You, for what reason—do you need a strong spirit that badly?"

".....You will never understand." Claire averted her eyes.

"I need...power, I need a powerful spirit that will not lose to any other spirit!"

"''Guardian of the crimson blaze, keeper of the undying hearth!''"

"''Now's the time to abide by the blood contract, come forth and do my bidding!''"

Claire recited the summoning spell of her flame spirit. A crimson flame surged and she was engulfed by an intense heat.

"The hunting begins, Scarlet!"

Together with scorching flames a red Hell Cat appeared. Instead of fur, it was blazing with scarlet-colored flames that were wrapped around the beast's body.

''Is that the real form of her flame spirit!?'' Kamito wondered.

Indeed, she was not all talk. She truly is a prodigy. 

For a spirit to be manifested in beast form is proof that it is a high ranking spirit. Scarlet might just be an affectionate name, perhaps it was not the true name of the spirit. Without a doubt, it was a high ranking spirit that carries a true name. 

Claire wielded her whip, the hell cat growled with a frightful roar and then rushed towards the sword spirit. Dancing sparks scattered and the atmosphere trembled at the roar of the beast. The floating spirit sword spun towards the Hell Cat, cutting the trees in its way.

"Scarlet, go get it!"

In response to Claire's shout, the Hell Cat leaped. High above the floating sword it jumped and its sharp blazing claws swung down at the sword. With a high pitched shrill sound, intense sparks scattered from the contact and the spirit sword dropped to the ground.

Claire ran at the same time. It was not a fatal hit. The spirit sword rose and flew back into the air in a split second, rolling over itself while drawing an arc in the air.

The flame spirit chased after it, trying not to let it escape. Roaring loudly, it made a great leap again.

Violent sparks scattered once again. Claire struck hard at the ground with her leather whip, slowly pressing forward against the sword spirit. It looked like the leather whip was not meant for battle, rather for signaling instructions to the spirit.

At the fierce attacks of Scarlet, the spirit sword's movement stopped—At that instant,

"Eat this—''Searing Fireball''!"

Claire released a huge fire ball from her palm.

Fireball is a high level fire spirit magic spell that uses ultra-hot flames and can terribly burn up the object of its ire, leaving it completely traceless and unrecognizable. The spell's power is determined by the elementalist's own divine energy and the contracted spirit's strength in combination.

The released fireball drew an arch in the air, then exploded in a blast that even Scarlet was caught in. The shockwave of the explosion knocked down the trees in the immediate surroundings and fallen tree trunks radiated from the explosion center.

''What terrible power...'' Kamito thought. As he shielded himself from the flying stones that were blown into the air by the spell, Kamito marveled at the power exhibited by Claire.

Such power was not one that would normally be in the hands of one so young.

Inside the swirling fire, the Hell Cat's figure reared. Naturally, the Hell Cat cannot possibly be harmed by a blazing fire because of its base nature.

The spirit sword hovered motionlessly in the air. It seemed that it had not received any damage either. Naturally, Claire didn't think that she would bring down a high ranking spirit with just spirit magic, but she should be able to get its attention.

"Scarlet!" Claire exclaimed.

The flame spirit's claws attacked the spirit sword again. Its scourging hot claws could melt normal steel. If its opponent were an average spirit, it would be instantly eradicated. However, the spirit sword quickly moved to intercept the claws and the attack was stopped by the steel edge of the blade.

In an instant, the strange sound of metal-on-metal scratching reverberated in the trembling atmosphere.

"Wh...What?...." Kamito suppressed both his ears with his hands.

Receiving the full impact of the sound, Claire's face distorted from pain and she crouched down.

The spirit sword had released a weird sound and then transformed. Its shape changed from an average long sword to that of a huge bastard sword in a flash.

"What!?"

Claire's flame spirit took an unexpected strike, it couldn't avoid the big swing of the large sword. The Hell Cat's body was severed into two and it vanished into the void together with its flames.

With only one hit, Scarlett had lost the strength to manifest in this world.

''...Damn! Isn't this thing in a completely different league? It seems that it has finally completely awakened.'' Kamito cursed, then glanced at Claire—

Claire had collapsed on the ground, and her stunned blank eyes were fixed upward at the void where the flame spirit had disappeared.

Having finished off the flame spirit in one swing, the spirit sword aimed its next attack at Claire.

The huge bastard sword flew at the crouching girl—

"Claire!" Kamito shouted, and started to run. Without reason, his own body just moved before he knew it.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Diving in front of Claire, he thrust his palm toward the bastard sword. Not his left hand enclosed by the leather glove – it was his right hand.

''...No choice but to do this!''

"''Oh Noble Spirit Sealed in Thy Ancient Holy Sword!''"

"''Thou Shall Accept Me as Thy Master and I Shall Be Thy Sheath!''"

Sweat rushed down from his forehead as he started to recite the incantation for spirit contracts, one which he had sworn to never utter again. The spinning tip of the sword pierced the skin of his palm. Red blood gushed intensely from it.

''...Gwaah, Gah!''

Crushing amounts of divine energy swirled around him, the gravel and dirt surrounding them whirled up from the strength of the wind. He almost lost consciousness from the sharp pain, but he knew that if he fainted, Claire, who was behind him, would surely be cut in half.

"''Thrice I Command Thee!''"

"...No way, a spirit contract!?" A surprised sound came from Claire's throat.

Kamito's heels sank into the ground. The sound of his breaking bones resounded underneath his scalp.

"''Exchange Vows With Me!''"

Withstanding the terrible sharp pain, Kamito finished the last words of the contract ritual.

Instantly, the body of the spirit sword radiated with a pale blue light.

''What!?''

Intense flashes of light and thunderous sounds crashed into his brain.

=== Part 4 ===

He slowly opened his eyes and found Claire Rouge's face in his vision. Draped onto his face was her twintailed hair.

It seemed that she was shouting something but he couldn't hear it clearly. Probably the sound blasts from the spirit had messed up his ears.

''...Looks like I'm still alive.''

Wearily lying on the ground, Kamito let out a breath of relief. The chance of success against a spirit of such rank was very low, but it looked like his gamble had paid off.

Raising his eyebrow, he grimaced from the pain that crashed throughout his whole body and raised his right hand slowly.

In his right hand which had been stabbed by the spirit sword-instead of a wound, an emblem of two swords crossing each other had been engraved upon it.

It was the proof of the spirit contract—the spirit seal.

''Aah, I did it...'' Kamito murmured as he stared at the carved seal on the back of his hand.

A sharp sense of guilt bit at his heart. He had broken the promise with ''her''...

However, in order to save Claire, it had been the only method with any degree of success.

Claire noticed that Kamito had woken up; her hands were at the nape of his neck and her face moved closer to his, so close that he could feel her breath. With her clear crimson eyes, she stared at Kamito. Her cherry-colored lips trembled weakly.

"...Why? You're a male. How can you contract a spirit!?"

Kamito did not answer and slowly stood up. Not used to being ignored, the annoyed Claire raised her eyebrows.

"My-My sword spirit!?"

"My bad. Just a moment ago, I contracted with it." Kamito sighed and showed her the back of his right hand where the spirit seal had been engraved.

"Wha-Whaa-Wha-Whaaaat!" Claire wore a stunned expression with her mouth wide open.

''Well, a natural reaction to the situation, I guess...''

Kamito felt a faint ache in his heart. Of course, he could clearly understand such a response from Claire. Originally, contracting with a spirit was a privilege that was granted to none other than pure maidens.

The history of males whom could contract spirits belonged solely to one person historically. This male brought chaos and destruction to the world and so he was called the Demon King Elementalist.

It would be natural for Claire to fear him, since he was a male who could tap the same power of spirit contracts as the Demon King.

Kamito stood up and quietly turned around.

He did not regret the contract. This was the only way he could think of that would have allowed him to save Claire.

Kamito was about to leave, but a voice called him from behind.

"Wait, wait I say!"

Turning around, he saw that Claire, with her hands on her hips, was glaring intensely at him.

"You stole...my spirit...take responsibility for it!"

"Huh?" Kamito frowned...It didn't make any sense to him.

At such a reaction from Kamito, Claire impatiently brushed her twintail.

"I should have been the one to have obtained that spirit, so I am saying that you have to take responsibility for denying me the spirit."

"Responsibility?"

Responsibility is a very heavy word. Because of that unexpected word, Kamito had become even more confused.<ref>Normally while using the Japanese language, when a girl tells a guy to take responsibility it carries the implication of marriage. Hence Kamito's confusion.</ref>

...What was the girl saying?

"Therefore...."

Claire snapped her whip and then she pointed her index finger toward Kamito.

"You have to become my contracted spirit!"

<noinclude>

===References and Translation Notes===
<references/>

{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume1 Illustrations|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume1 Chapter2}}</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume1 Chapter1

2017-09-03T00:48:55Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 1 */

==Chapter 1: You Are My Contracted Spirit==

=== Part 1 ===

In a quiet forest where the sun's rays shine through the leaves-

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Splash—*

The sound of water resounded through the trees.

Kamito opened his mouth wide in shock and stood stock still.

There was a girl. In front of his eyes was a naked girl.

On top of that, he thought, she was a cute girl.

She had large eyes with ruby pupils and lustrously moist cherry-red lips.

Her white skin was as smooth as milk and dazzling.

Her beautifully slender legs disappeared below the water surface.

However, what caught his eyes more than anything was her blazingly crimson red hair that clung to her gorgeous, porcelain-like body.

However, she was naked.

Stark naked.

"..."

Kamito felt a cold sweat begin to form on his back.

Not good. Naked is not good.

......Speaking of which, he ought to run away.

The rational part of his brain was certainly telling him to run.

However, his body wouldn't move.

It was as if he was enchanted. The scene was just too surreal.

The girl—

[[Image:STnBD V01 013.jpg|thumb]]

Her moist and beautiful eyes blinked as she looked at the intruder who had appeared quite suddenly.

Her expression was blank. It seemed like she had yet to fully grasp the situation.

She had not even covered her small, developing breasts yet.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Tick.*

A water droplet fell from the young girl's bangs.

With that sound, Kamito finally regained his senses.

"Ah—Err...," Kamito stumbled over his words.

He tore his gaze from the naked girl who was still standing motionlessly.


"I guess I should say...this is a huge accident, ok? It is definitely an unfortunate accident for the both of us..."

At this time, the boy made two fatal errors:

The first was that he started to stumble through making excuses. The best choice for him, of course, was to take advantage of the fact that the girl was dazed and run away immediately.

And the other error was—

"Even though this is an accident, I have seen you like this. I must apologize."

Up to this point, he was still fine, but then he continued...

"However, don't worry. I am a healthy boy, but I don't have that kind of interest."

Looking at the young girl's developing chest, he said—

"I have no interest in the naked body of a kid."

He stepped on a gigantic landmine.

An icy silence fell.

The girl slowly raised her arm, red hair coiling around its length.

Her shoulders shook slightly.

It wasn't because she was cold, however, Kamito was oblivious to that fact.


"Sixteen—"

The girl's delicate lips mumbling something, and Kamito lifted his eyebrows.

"I-I-I am sixteen!!!"

The instant she yelled this, the young girl's red hair stood on end.

"Huuh!?" Kamito opened his eyes wide in surprise,

"Sixteen!? For real? A sixteen year-old with such a pitiful chest—"

He quickly covered his mouth. It was already too late.

"Unforgivable," the young girl said in a low, cold voice, "D-Definitely unforgivable......you-you-you peeping demon, pervert, lewd beast!"

"You're quite knowledgeable to know words like lewd beast," Kamito replied as he narrowed his eyes.

At this time, he noticed that the trees were making a low, whisper-like rustle.


''Is that the wind?'' he mused, ''No, that's-''

"''Guardian of the crimson blaze, keeper of the undying hearth!''"

"''Now is the time to abide by our blood contract; come forth and do my bidding!''"

From the young girl's lips sprang an incantation in spirit language.

At that instant, accompanied by the sound of air rushing into a vacuum, a whip of flames manifested in the hand of the girl.

''An elementalist!'' Kamito realized as he stared at the girl.

An elementalist controls something that exists from a different dimension apart from this world; a place called "Astral Zero."

Elementalists were princess maidens, girls who have made contracts with the spirits living in that other place.

They can use different types of spirits and freely wield their powers.

It seemed that the girl in front of Kamito had contracted with a fire-type spirit.

That the young girl was an elementalist wasn't something to be that surprised about.

After all, this was the area where the country's excellent elementalists were gathered.

''Nevertheless, it's surprising that she can use an elemental waffe,'' Kamito thought.

The way spirits are summoned and formed upon being summoned into this world can be broken down into two main groups:

The first is a form that appears as a lump of divine power; mass-less and of an indeterminate form. It is purely the summoning of a spirit's power and is used primarily as a battery for when spirit magic is used.


The other summoning form is the pure form that summons a part of the spirit's existence.

This summoning requires tremendous amounts of divine power and, on top of that, is very difficult to control. So, those capable of summoning a spirit's existence are said to be the elite amongst the ranks of elementalists.

Even further, the girl before his eyes was not just using a spirit, but was using that spirit's power in a highly-optimized elemental waffe.

''What that means is that...would I now be in a potential life or death situation?'' As the thought suddenly hit him, Kamito was stunned.

Where the flame whip touched the water's surface a gush of white steam rose.

"You...you have guts." The girl murmured in a trembling voice.

Her face was red. Was it due to her anger or her embarrassment over the situation?

"Really, you have some nerve to p-peek while I, Claire Rouge, am taking my bath," She stammered.

"W-Wait, that is a misunderstanding! Let me explain it in full first!" Kamito shook his head in panic.

"I will not listen to your excuses. Turn into cinders, you pervert!" the girl yelled.

The flame whip ignited furiously in the girl's hand and moved as if it was licking the water surface.

"Oh no..." Kamito propelled his body into the dense bushes nearby.


Nearly at the same time, the Flametounge brushed its way over his head.

The idle red residue that remained on the trees which had been cut was like the lingering punchline of a joke. The cut surface of the tree trunks were surprisingly smooth, without any trace of having been touched by fire. The attack had been so fast that the flames did not have the time to ignite the trees.

The hair on Kamito's forehead fluttered down around his mouth while cold sweat started to form on his forehead.

''Um, this is a joke, right? I'm not going to die like this, am I?'' Kamito nervously thought.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Zing*, *biyutsu* – There was an endless dance of crimson flashes cutting both horizontally and vertically in the forest. The surrounding bush was mowed down in the blink of an eye. Having lost his cover, Kamito hurriedly dashed away.

"Don't dodge, pervert, I can't hit you!" the girl called out.

"Don't ask for the impossible, and I'm not a pervert!" Kamito threw back.

Kamito screamed out; at the same time, the whip swung downwards towards his feet, causing a violent spark to slam onto the ground. Rising from the ground, the whip immediately sprang in the direction of the woods, causing more trees to be cut down.

Fortunately among all the unluckiness Kamito was experiencing, the girl—Claire's- aim was quite bad.

This stands to reason though, as one hand was hiding her chest from being seen. In order to conceal her most important part she had squatted in the pond. However, considering how well she was able to handle her whip in such a position, she should normally be quite skilled at using it.

"How conceited despite being a pervert, please obediently turn into cinders!" Claire shouted again at Kamito.


"I'm saying that I'm not a pervert! But by the way," Kamito stopped and turned around, there was something he had noticed for some time... "you need to cover yourself properly. The gaps between your fingers aren't able to hide them completely."

"...eh?" Instantly, Claire's facial expression froze. And— "Kyaaaaaaaaaah!"

Blushing deeply and screaming in a strangely cute voice—she quickly hid her chest with both of her hands.

"Ah, idiot!" Kamito involuntarily exclaimed.

Claire had let go, and lost control of the flame whip, and it cleanly severed the trees behind her.

The huge trees slowly crashed towards her. However, Claire did not notice them. Her eyes were closed in embarrassment while she kept embracing her naked chest.

''Damn!'' Kamito exclaimed as he kicked off the ground.


Running with all his strength towards the pond, Kamito jumped towards Claire and grabbed her shoulders.

"Wha—!?" Claire's red pupils dilated widely.

Kamito ignored her outburst and aggressively pushed her down into the water.

The moment Claire's hand touched the water, a gush of steam rose, and the flame whip disappeared.

Immediately after, the nearby trees collided with the water's surface.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Duuuun!*

The sound of the trees falling was deafening and created large water columns.

Absorbing the heat of the flames, the now-warm pond water poured down like a heavy rain.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>''A few seconds later''*

"Ooh..." Making a seductive noise, Claire slowly opened her eyes.

Her expression was that of shock, her eyes blinked in wonder.

Kamito leaned on Claire and found himself staring into her eyes.

Their faces were so close that if someone were to push on his back lightly, their lips would likely touch.

Claire's crimson hair clung closely to her nape. Her moist lips were cherry red.

Her delicate doll-like face was in front of Kamito's eyes.


For a short moment it looked like he was subconsciously captivated by her. Kamito quickly shook his head.

"...Um, are you alright? Are you hurt?" he asked.

Claire nodded. It seemed as if she had not fully absorbed the situation yet.

Kamito sighed, then tried to stand up.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Funyuu.*

His hand had touched something soft underwater.

"Hwaaah!"

''What is that? Mud?'' he thought.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Funyu*. *Munyu*<ref>These are sounds of touching and squeezing</ref>.

"Hm, ya, hwaaa" From Claire's moist lips came a shallow, sweet voice. Her submerged naked body twitched for some reason.

"Um ..this is?" Having come this far, Kamito finally arrived at a certain conclusion. A certain......awfully frightening conclusion.

''No, wait, calm down. This can't be...that, right?''

It couldn't be. It could be no such thing. He desperately tried to deny such a possibility.


''When I looked at hers earlier, they weren't so...''

"Wh..Wha.. Wha..Whattt .... are..you...do..ing" Claire's lip trembled, shaking involuntarily. She was blushing with tears in her eyes.

Apparently, it wasn't a lump of mud that he had been touching.

"You, pervert—!"

"Gwah!"

Because he got kneed hard in the stomach, Kamito collapsed into the pond's water.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>''Gugugugugu....!''*

With a rising heat haze behind her, Claire slowly stood up. The flame whip, which was a manifestation of her flame spirit, was once again in her hand.

The water in the pond instantaneously started to boil, bubbles frothing to the surface all around.

"No..No, it's a misunderstanding! Wait, if you do that, I'm really gonna die....." Kamito pleaded.

"Sh..Shut up pervert, you will die here!"

With an almost ear-splitting, deafening sound, Kamito's body was cast high into the air.

=== Part 2 ===
''A few minutes later...''

"Ugh..."

Kamito slowly woke into consciousness, the forest unfolding before his eyes.

He tried to get up—suddenly, he realized that something was coiled around his neck.

It was a leather black whip commonly used for torturing. ''What is this thing'', Kamito thought as he tried to take the whip off.

"You finally woke up, you peeping-tom pervert."

The whip around his neck tightened.

"Gweh!? Release me..." Kamito coughed. He then looked upward and saw—

The scarlet-haired young girl – Claire Rouge, stood above him with her hands on her waist. She gazed down at Kamito with a raised eyebrow.

This time, thankfully, she was not naked. She had changed into an adorable school uniform. It's pattern was of black lines on a pure white field. This was the Areishia Spirit Academy's uniform.

A ribbon decorated the front of her uniform. A talisman was sewn in the place where a button would normally rest. Between the gap of her knee-length stockings and her pleated skirt, her beautifully slender legs stuck out brilliantly. Tiny ribbons tied her crimson hair on both sides. This was the so-called twintail hairstyle. Judging from her still-wet hair, it seems that Kamito had not lost consciousness for that long.

Keeping Kamito's neck bound tightly, Claire puffed up her small chest.

"Well, be grateful. I went easy on you and didn't try to kill you outright," Claire huffed.

"That has to be a lie. You definitely intended to kill me," Kamito retorted.

"What are you talking about? If I had been serious, you would have been in cinders by now," Claire calmly stated.

''She just said something quite frightening really calmly,'' Kamito nervously thought.

By the way, cinders are the soft ash residue that is left behind when firewood is incinerated.

"I beg for your forgiveness, spare me from becoming cinders. After all, I helped you!" Kamito pleaded.

"Well, yes, I am a fair woman of noble rank, so I'll give you credit for your help. Even so, you are a higher grade than an average pervert, so you are a high-grade pervert," she snapped.

"In the end the pervert designation doesn't change," Kamito dejectedly sighed, "By the way, isn't a high grade pervert even worse of a designation than an average pervert?!"

"I bet you were only pretending to help me! You...you touched my breast!"

Recalling what happened, Claire's face suddenly turned beet red.

Seeing such a reaction from her, Kamito had an idea.

''...This girl, could it be that she is that kind of person?''

"So it seems that milady is the type of pervert that has a hobby of whipping men." Kamito teased Claire nonchalantly.

"What!? That is not true! I'm not a pervert!" The response was immediate as Kamito expected. Claire shook her head and her cheeks instantly became bright red all the way to her ears.

"Then do you enjoy being whipped?" Kamito slyly continued.

"Wha...what..are...you..saying?" Claire's eyes spun as steam puffs rose from her head. She is unsurprisingly flustered.

''Oh, as I expected,'' Kamito smiled bitterly, ''This girl is really, really innocent.''

Most likely it wasn't only Claire that was this innocent. After all, Areishia Spirit Academy is a school where elementalist princess maidens are gathered. Only pure maidens are capable of exchanging feelings with the spirits from Astral Zero. Among those princess maidens, those who retain enough divine power to command a contracted spirit are girls from the lines of kings or lords of ancient and honorable families whose elementalist blood has been strengthened through the marriages of many generations.

To maintain the purity of their bodies and hearts, these girls are raised in environments that are completely separated from contact with males starting in childhood: the so-called elite education for elementalists has no place for men. Therefore, all the girls attending the academy are super innocent princesses who are unaccustomed to dealing with men.

Finding Claire's unexpectedly easy-to-spot weakness, Kamito had the thought to play a prank on her.

From a kneeling position, Kamito looked up at the embarrassed bright-red face of Claire.

"Th—then, there is something I have meant to say since I woke up." Kamito playfully stammered.

"Wh...what is it, you pervert?" Claire replied warily.

"I can see your panties from this angle."

"Fuwah!" Tears began to float in her crimson eyes. Claire hastily pressed down the fringe of her skirt with both hands.

"You...you saw it?" Claire sniffed.

"Only a glance and you are, quite unexpectedly, a very daring girl. Your panties are the same color as your hair." Kamito bluffed.

"You...you lie! They are not red! They are white, white!" Claire shouted.

"Ah, so they are white." Kamito nodded sagely.

"...Eh!?" Realizing that she had been tricked, Claire bit down on her front lip—


"U-Uuuuuuuuuh~" Claire started to cry.

At this sudden unexpected reaction, Kamito panicked. ''"No, you're the pervert, a dirty young lady, who reveals the color of her own panties"'', he had planned to say to tease her more but, as expected, he was starting to feel guilty and like a bad person.

Taking the chance while Claire was still crying, Kamito removed the whip from around his neck.

"My bad, I went a bit too far with my prank. Sorry." Kamito stood up and placed his hand on Claire's head. Claire stopped crying, and looked puzzled. "It is my fault that I saw you naked while you were bathing. I have also touched your breasts as well. However, those actions were not intentional. Please believe me."

"Wha-what....."

Seeing the truth of his words in his eyes, Claire could not help but to avert her eyes.

"....What-what is this? If you are not a pervert, then why are you here?"

A question that is not the easiest to answer for Kamito. This forest is under the jurisdiction of Areishia Spirit Academy, known as the Spirit Forest. There would be no reason for a man to be in the grounds of the academy. Even if he was not a pervert, the fact that he was where he should not be could not be contested.

"I was summoned by Greyworth." Kamito told Claire.

"Greyworth...the academy's headmistress!?" Claire questioned suspiciously. Indeed, why would the headmistress summon a male to the academy?

"I'm not lying. Look, here's the evidence." Kamito continued. He took out a letter from within his coat. The letter was signed by the renowned headmistress. It was also stamped with the emblem seal that symbolizes the five great Elemental Lords.

"Is that, the first-rank emblem seal of the Empire!?" Claire cried out, shocked. The first-rank emblem seal is produced by sealing spirits with a special technique into a seal. This seal is rated as the highest among the emblem seals issued by the Empire and is said to be completely impossible to counterfeit. Of course, it is something that is rarely seen but as an elementalist, Claire could certainly tell that it was the real thing.

"It seems to be authentic. But why would the headmistress call a man to the academy?" Claire asked.

"Well, for the answer to that question you'd have to ask Greyworth, that old hag. Being summoned was troublesome for me, too." Kamito sighed.

"'That...that old hag!?'" Claire's face stiffened.

The Dusk Witch, Greyworth, is a greatly respected individual by princess maidens who aim to become Spirit Knights. It is also said that she is as popular in the Ordesia Empire as the Strongest Blade Dancer, Ren Ashbell. Even after she retired a decade ago from the Twelve Knight Generals, the most elite force of Spirit Knights known as the "Numbers," her legendary status as a Witch is still one to be feared and revered to the highest degree.

''Well, for me, she is nothing but a nightmare,'' Kamito thought as he tucked the letter back into it's pocket. "Greyworth is an old acquaintance of mine. I came all the way here but the academy ground is extremely large and so I have lost my way."

Areishia Spirit Academy's grounds is incredibly vast. After all, besides the academy-town at the foot of the hill it also includes the entire spirit forest that surrounds it.

"Could it be that you were misled by the spirits in the forest? That's so lame." Claire snickered.

".....Yeah, that's how it is," Kamito nodded, feeling a bit dejected.

Existing in various locations of the continent, spirit forests connect with Astral Zero through Gates. These forests are inhabited by the spirits that have wandered into this dimension. Most of the spirits have no interest in humankind and as such are harmless. There are also spirits who enjoy playing pranks; they deliberately mislead travelers who stray into the forest. Kamito was confused by the spirits' whispers and went deeper and deeper into the forest, therefore losing his way.

"Anyway, I'm really glad that I met someone. It would not be fun to become a victim of the forest. Which way should I go to get to the academy?" Kamito asked.

"Which direction...I shall tell you that it takes two hours to get to the academy from here by foot," Claire replied knowledgeably.

"What, that far!?" Kamito yelped.

If he was to walk for such a long distance by himself he would most likely once again be tricked by the spirits. Since there was a student of the academy present, he had thought that the academy was closer than that.

''Hmm? Why was this girl taking a bath at this kind of place?'' Kamito wondered.

Today is indeed a bit hot, nonetheless, instead of coming all this way, there should be showering facilities inside of the academy. There are only girls in the school so there would be nothing to be embarrassed about.

Kamito asked this question of Claire. Claire dug her hands into her wet twintail hair and tried to comb it.

"I was here for the purification ritual for a spirit contract. Being a spring next to a shrine the water here has the highest of purification qualities. You do know that spirits like a woman who has a pure mind and body?"

"Spirit contract?" Kamito mused.

The moment he heard those words, a throbbing pain came from the back of his left hand, which was covered in a leather glove. Kamito grimaced from the sharp pain.

"A bit further into the forest from here there is an ancient holy sword in a shrine. Rumor has it that a powerful sealed spirit is locked away there. Since the founding of the academy not a single princess maiden has successfully formed a contract with it. It surely sounds like a very proud and noble spirit," Claire said.

Sealed spirits: they are not the normal spirits that reside in Astral Zero and move into this dimension. Among the ranks and types of spirits, there are some who are sealed into weapons or armor by powerful, ancient elementalists. Most of these sealed spirits have brought about terrible disasters to humankind and are dreadful beings called ''Djinn'' or ''Ifreet'' by ancient societies.

Of course, they are not meant to be employed by elementalists. Those strong elementalists of the past sealed these spirits in weapons or armor so that they could never be summoned ever again and deal more harm to the world around them.

"Don't tell me you plan to form a contract with a sealed spirit?" Kamito said, stunned.

"That's right! Do you have a problem with it?" Claire retorted.

"Stop, it is too dangerous!"

"Hmm, you seem to know a bit about sealed spirits even though you are not an elementalist. I am quite aware of the dangers, but I need a powerful spirit no matter what," Claire muttered, biting her tightly closed lips.

Seeing her determination in her expression, Kamito snapped back on the lecture he had on the tip of his tongue.

"Don't you already have a contract with that flame spirit? That is also a powerful spirit, isn't it? Won't it be fine if you just raise it instead?" Kamito wheedled.

A flame spirit is not very rare, but there are only a handful of elementalists who can control a fire spirit and be capable of using elemental waffen in the whole Empire. On another note, elementalists whom have formed a contract with multiple spirits are so rare that they are an extreme minority. Discord between the contracted spirits can cause deterioration of the balance of divine power. Without enough talent, one would not be able to control them.

"Scarlet is an important partner. But—" ''I need more power—''. Claire calmly shook her head. "-I have a goal. To achieve it, I must have a strong spirit."

=== Part 3 ===

Claire's fluffy crimson twintails swung back and forth over her back as she led Kamito deeper into the forest. Although Claire's leather loafers looked quite difficult to walk in, Claire was a well trained elementalist; her steps were light and lively.

"Here it is," Claire muttered.

Her well-proportioned feet stopped walking. With her hands on her hips, Claire looked back at Kamito with a glare.

"Why are you following me, you pervert-peeping maniac?"

"Without your guidance I don't know the way to the academy. As I have said several times, I am not a pervert-peeping maniac. My name is Kamito, Kazehaya Kamito."

"Fufufu, what a weird name. Are you from Quina?" she replied.

Quina is an empire in the eastern region of the continent. It is said that Quina's language, culture, and the relationship between people and spirits largely differ from that of Ordesia.

"No, I am not from Quina. I was born on a far-away, remote island in a very small village."

Kamito intentionally obscured his own statement. Certainly, he was born in an island country in the east, but the larger half of his childhood was not spent there.

"Your name also has quite a unique taste, Claire Rouge." Kamito hinted.

"Do not call my name in a friendly manner," Claire snapped. "Anyway, my name is a strange name."

"Really? I think it is a nice name."

"Wha-what are you saying, st-stupid!"

Claire blushed, suddenly turned back around and briskly walked in the direction she had indicated earlier.

Claire Rouge—obviously the name is a pseudonym.

Most of the students attending the Areishia Spirit Academy were the young ladies of noble families who have been trained as potential elementalists since childhood. However well-versed he was in the noble families, Kamito had never heard of the Rouge family. Claire was hiding her noble family name. She must have some reason to do so, but Kamito had no intention to delve deeper.

''Everyone has some secrets they want to hide'', Kamito thought. Kamito glanced down at his left hand covered by the leather glove. ''Even I have mine, too...''

Claire kept walking through the forest. Kamito quickly moved to follow her swaying crimson twintails. Losing sight of Claire inside the forest now would only bring trouble for him later. Kamito was well-aware of the dangers of spending a night inside the Spirit Forest.

"Is that dress the academy's uniform?" Kamito asked.

"Yeah." Claire nodded coldly as she kept moving.

Areishia Spirit Academy uniforms are pretty sturdy and can also serve as a protective garment. They have undergone spirit blessings and have the added effect of raising sacred attributes. The uniform could also function nicely as a ceremonial dress for contracting with or summoning spirits.

"What, are you saying that it doesn't suit me?"

Kamito shrugged his shoulders. "No, it suits you gorgeously," he answered. "Honestly speaking, I am charmed by it."

Fine feathers make fine birds; Kamito planned to mock her with caustic words such as those, but the uniform did fit her so perfectly that Kamito couldn't help but to compliment her.

"Wh-Wha-What are you saying!? Stop being an idiot!" Claire stammered cutely.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Kaatsu* Claire blushed deep red, while *Pyun-Pyun* waving her whip around in agitation.

"Uwahh, Calm down!" Kamito pleaded.

"Wasn't it because you said some weird thing?"

"What I said was weird? I simply spoke the truth! I got it, I understand, so please stop pulling out your whip for every little thing."

''Phew, if I didn't need her as a guide...but what a bothersome princess.'' Dodging the swinging whip, Kamito sighed in his mind.

<center><nowiki>*******</nowiki></center>

The shrine that held the holy blade stood quietly in a clearing in the forest.

Claire easily removed the ward that forbade entry and stopped walking, then turned to Kamito.

"From here onwards it will be really dangerous, so, as a commoner, you should stay away."

"If you know that it's dangerous, why not stop?" Kamito asked.

"As I was saying, I need to contract with a strong spirit." Claire calmly shook her head and stepped into the shrine.

Disregarding her warnings, Kamito followed her. As for coming all the way, it was true that he needed a guide, but more importantly he was just worried about Claire.

After all, sealed spirits were the strongest of the strong and at the same time have a wild nature. They prefer destruction and chaos; given the chance, they would even murder the elementalist that employs their power.

They are not something that can be managed by humans—that is why they have been sealed away.

Being only sixteen years of age with such an innate talent for wielding a spirit, Claire might as well be called a prodigy. However, if by any chance, she was to release the sealed spirit and fail to control it, what would happen?

Although she was just a girl he met by chance, Kamito couldn't leave her alone.

"Why did you follow me? I cannot guarantee what will happen to you." Claire warned.

"Don't you have the absolute confidence to tame it?" Kamito snarkily answered.

"Of-Of course I do!"

"Then there's no problem if I come along." Kamito shrugged his shoulders, prompting Claire to turn away from him.

"....Suit yourself."

The inside of the shrine was misty and dark and had a heavy atmosphere. Claire frowned slightly at the smell of mold mingling in the air.

"''Flames, let there be light''."

A tiny fireball immediately formed from Claire's fingertips; a basic spirit spell that draws on the power of a flame spirit. The flickering light of the fireball dimly illuminated the walls of the shrine. The shrine looked like a cavern filled with stalactites.

The sword was at the innermost area of the shrine.

"That is the sword that the sealed spirit resides in?" Kamito muttered. Claire nodded quietly in confirmation.

An unsheathed sword was standing hilt-up in a huge stone. It was an undoubtedly an antique which was most likely hundreds of years old but it had no rust on its length nor dents on its edge. Delicate ancient runes were engraved on the flat of the blade, radiating a dim blue light.

"A sword that has existed from even before the academy was founded, The Sacred Sword of Severian," Claire muttered reverently.

"The Sacred Sword of Severian? The one that slayed Demon King Solomon?" Kamito asked, shocked.

Demon King Solomon commanded seventy-two powerful spirits, brought chaos and destruction to the continent and was the only recorded male elementalist in history.

It was said that the one that slew the Demon King was the sword of Severian.

"Idiot, there's no way that's the real thing." Claire stated like she was amazed. "A Sacred Sword of Severian stabbed into a stone can be found everywhere in the Empire. Some remote villages even have one for the revitalization of the village. Anyhow, even if it is not the real deal, since it is a rune sword, there might be a powerful spirit sealed in it."

"...Indeed. Certainly, the real thing would not be in such a place..." Kamito finished.

Claire walked towards the sword determinedly.

"Hey..."

"You stay back." Claire snapped as she gestured to Kamito who had been approaching. Claire clenched the hilt of the holy blade.

"Don't strain yourself."

"...Got it."

Kamito decided to watch over Claire from the edge, where the light barely reached. The sealed spirit might be provoked by the presence of more than just one person. A heavy silence filled the surroundings.

"...Let's do this, Claire Rouge." Breathing deeply, Claire murmured to herself. Her voice trembled a bit; it seemed that she was nervous after all, Kamito noted.

"''Oh Noble Spirit Sealed in Ancient Holy Sword!''"

"''Thou Shall Accept Me as Thy Master and I Shall Be Thy Sheath!''"

From her cherry-red lips flew a fluent incantation for a contract ritual in spirit language. Her crimson hair stood on its ends. A crashing wind started to swirl inside the shrine.

Holding his breath, Kamito watched her intensely. Once the contract has been spoken and the spirit recognized Claire as its master, a spirit seal would be engraved somewhere on her body. The contract vows would then enter their conclusion. As he watched, a dreadful gust of wind swept through the shrine.

"...eh?" Kamito involuntarily stuttered.

Claire was unfazed, however, as she calmly recited her contract vow.

Dazzling light radiated from Severian's holy blade in her hand.

''I can't....believe it, She was exchanging a contract with the sealed spirit!?''

Preventing himself from being swept by the wind, an astonished Kamito was dumbstruck.

From the holy blade stabbed in the stone came an overwhelmingly tremendous amount of divine energy. If Claire was an average elementalist, she would have already passed out.

''"Thrice I Command Thee, Exchange Vows With Me!"''

Claire's vow reverberated inside the shrine in that instant.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Clink!*

"Pulled-Pulled out. I pulled it out," she said.

"...What, seriously!?"

Brandishing the sword she pulled from the stone at her feet, Claire exclaimed her joy. However, in the next second—

The ancient runes engraved in Severian’s blade suddenly shone violently!

"...huh!?"

Claire involuntarily released the blade from her hand—

The holy blade thrust itself back into the ground. With a flash, it blasted itself into bits.

"Kyaaaaah!"

A short shriek flew, then Claire collapsed onto the ground.

"Hey, are you okay!"

Kamito quickly ran towards Claire.

"Wha-What? What exactly has...."

Claire held her temple and slowly got up, then looked around restlessly.

"My-My sealed spirit?"

"Wait, I...can sense something terrible," Kamito warned.

Sweat was flowing intensely down the back of Kamito's neck. His face was showing the terror he felt as he looked up at the shrine's ceiling. Near the rock ceiling was the sword, swinging while floating in the air.

It's not the shattered holy sword. However, it was a rough steel blade that looked very sharp.

"Is that the sealed spirit of the sword!?" Claire asked.

"So it was of the sword spirit class. Looks like it is rather irritated," Kamito replied.

"How do you know so much? You are not even an elementalist!"

"It is plain to see. No matter how you look at it, that doesn't seem to be someone who pledges allegiance to his master."

"...Umm, indeed so." Claire meekly nodded uncharacteristically.

The floating sword slanted, pointed its tip downwards and suddenly became motionless.

Then—

"Get down!" In that instant Kamito pushed Claire down to the ground. A buzzing sound of an insect grazed his ear and continued past.

"Wai-Waa-Wait, where are you touching me!? I'll turn you into cinders!"

With her face deeply red, Claire beat on Kamito's chest repeatedly.

"Idiot, stop rampaging!" Kamito quickly moved his body away and looked in the direction that the sword spirit had flown to.

Fragments of rocks fell down with clattering sounds. The shrine's stalagmites had been cleanly sliced off.

"It is remarkable to be able to release a spirit of such rank—" Kamito glared with half opened eyes towards Claire. "...but the spirit has completely gone berserk."

"Shu-Shut up. The-The taming of it starts now."

"You...." Kamito was stupefied by her silliness, but he was in no situation to quarrel with her.

The spirit sword released a chattering noise while flying back towards them. Inside the shrine they couldn't move freely and even their range of sight was restricted.

Kamito grabbed Claire's hand and stood up. Touching each others' soft skin made Kamito's heart flutter but he did not show any reaction on his face. 

"Hwaah."

"Stop making such cute reactions at every little thing. Let's flee," Kamito said.

"Wha.. whaa. whatt.. Cute.. what, me? Kyaa!"

"Let's run outside!"

Kamito grasped Claire's hand while they both ran in the direction of the shrine's exit.

The spirit sword did not immediately chase after them. Maybe it has not yet completely awakened. With this opportunity they might be able to run away.

The moment they were out of the shrine, the flash of the sword grazed in front of their eyes. Kamito's cut forelocks fell and danced in the breeze. The spirit sword let out a tremendous roar, decisively knocking down the surrounding trees in succession.

"Crazy! What a wild spirit, just like a certain princess I know," Kamito sighed.

"Alwa-Always, you're noisy..." Feeling slightly awkward, Claire deliberately coughed, then stood up. "What a rebellious child.....I'll give you a proper spanking later."

Her pair of crimson eyes were burning with a fierce determination, yet somehow she said some lines of provocation. Rolling up the fringe of her skirt, she then took out the leather whip coiled around her thigh, hitting it hard on the ground. Kamito's heart skipped a beat at the brief sight of her white underwear, but he said—

"Are you insane!? Your opponent is a high rank sealed spirit!"

"It will be an easy victory. Amateurs like you please stay back!"

"Where are you getting all of your confidence? Whatever, let's run away!"

Claire shook off Kamito's hand that was grabbing her wrist. "No, you escape yourself. I will absolutely make this spirit mine."

"You, for what reason—do you need a strong spirit that badly?"

".....You will never understand." Claire averted her eyes.

"I need...power, I need a powerful spirit that will not lose to any other spirit!"

"''Guardian of the crimson blaze, keeper of the undying hearth!''"

"''Now's the time to abide by the blood contract, come forth and do my bidding!''"

Claire recited the summoning spell of her flame spirit. A crimson flame surged and she was engulfed by an intense heat.

"The hunting begins, Scarlet!"

Together with scorching flames a red Hell Cat appeared. Instead of fur, it was blazing with scarlet-colored flames that were wrapped around the beast's body.

''Is that the real form of her flame spirit!?'' Kamito wondered.

Indeed, she was not all talk. She truly is a prodigy. 

For a spirit to be manifested in beast form is proof that it is a high ranking spirit. Scarlet might just be an affectionate name, perhaps it was not the true name of the spirit. Without a doubt, it was a high ranking spirit that carries a true name. 

Claire wielded her whip, the hell cat growled with a frightful roar and then rushed towards the sword spirit. Dancing sparks scattered and the atmosphere trembled at the roar of the beast. The floating spirit sword spun towards the Hell Cat, cutting the trees in its way.

"Scarlet, go get it!"

In response to Claire's shout, the Hell Cat leaped. High above the floating sword it jumped and its sharp blazing claws swung down at the sword. With a high pitched shrill sound, intense sparks scattered from the contact and the spirit sword dropped to the ground.

Claire ran at the same time. It was not a fatal hit. The spirit sword rose and flew back into the air in a split second, rolling over itself while drawing an arc in the air.

The flame spirit chased after it, trying not to let it escape. Roaring loudly, it made a great leap again.

Violent sparks scattered once again. Claire struck hard at the ground with her leather whip, slowly pressing forward against the sword spirit. It looked like the leather whip was not meant for battle, rather for signaling instructions to the spirit.

At the fierce attacks of Scarlet, the spirit sword's movement stopped—At that instant,

"Eat this—''Searing Fireball''!"

Claire released a huge fire ball from her palm.

Fireball is a high level fire spirit magic spell that uses ultra-hot flames and can terribly burn up the object of its ire, leaving it completely traceless and unrecognizable. The spell's power is determined by the elementalist's own divine energy and the contracted spirit's strength in combination.

The released fireball drew an arch in the air, then exploded in a blast that even Scarlet was caught in. The shockwave of the explosion knocked down the trees in the immediate surroundings and fallen tree trunks radiated from the explosion center.

''What terrible power...'' Kamito thought. As he shielded himself from the flying stones that were blown into the air by the spell, Kamito marveled at the power exhibited by Claire.

Such power was not one that would normally be in the hands of one so young.

Inside the swirling fire, the Hell Cat's figure reared. Naturally, the Hell Cat cannot possibly be harmed by a blazing fire because of its base nature.

The spirit sword hovered motionlessly in the air. It seemed that it had not received any damage either. Naturally, Claire didn't think that she would bring down a high ranking spirit with just spirit magic, but she should be able to get its attention.

"Scarlet!" Claire exclaimed.

The flame spirit's claws attacked the spirit sword again. Its scourging hot claws could melt normal steel. If its opponent were an average spirit, it would be instantly eradicated. However, the spirit sword quickly moved to intercept the claws and the attack was stopped by the steel edge of the blade.

In an instant, the strange sound of metal-on-metal scratching reverberated in the trembling atmosphere.

"Wh...What?...." Kamito suppressed both his ears with his hands.

Receiving the full impact of the sound, Claire's face distorted from pain and she crouched down.

The spirit sword had released a weird sound and then transformed. Its shape changed from an average long sword to that of a huge bastard sword in a flash.

"What!?"

Claire's flame spirit took an unexpected strike, it couldn't avoid the big swing of the large sword. The Hell Cat's body was severed into two and it vanished into the void together with its flames.

With only one hit, Scarlett had lost the strength to manifest in this world.

''...Damn! Isn't this thing in a completely different league? It seems that it has finally completely awakened.'' Kamito cursed, then glanced at Claire—

Claire had collapsed on the ground, and her stunned blank eyes were fixed upward at the void where the flame spirit had disappeared.

Having finished off the flame spirit in one swing, the spirit sword aimed its next attack at Claire.

The huge bastard sword flew at the crouching girl—

"Claire!" Kamito shouted, and started to run. Without reason, his own body just moved before he knew it.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Diving in front of Claire, he thrust his palm toward the bastard sword. Not his left hand enclosed by the leather glove – it was his right hand.

''...No choice but to do this!''

"''Oh Noble Spirit Sealed in Thy Ancient Holy Sword!''"

"''Thou Shall Accept Me as Thy Master and I Shall Be Thy Sheath!''"

Sweat rushed down from his forehead as he started to recite the incantation for spirit contracts, one which he had sworn to never utter again. The spinning tip of the sword pierced the skin of his palm. Red blood gushed intensely from it.

''...Gwaah, Gah!''

Crushing amounts of divine energy swirled around him, the gravel and dirt surrounding them whirled up from the strength of the wind. He almost lost consciousness from the sharp pain, but he knew that if he fainted, Claire, who was behind him, would surely be cut in half.

"''Thrice I Command Thee!''"

"...No way, a spirit contract!?" A surprised sound came from Claire's throat.

Kamito's heels sank into the ground. The sound of his breaking bones resounded underneath his scalp.

"''Exchange Vows With Me!''"

Withstanding the terrible sharp pain, Kamito finished the last words of the contract ritual.

Instantly, the body of the spirit sword radiated with a pale blue light.

''What!?''

Intense flashes of light and thunderous sounds crashed into his brain.

=== Part 4 ===

He slowly opened his eyes and found Claire Rouge's face in his vision. Draped onto his face was her twintailed hair.

It seemed that she was shouting something but he couldn't hear it clearly. Probably the sound blasts from the spirit had messed up his ears.

''...Looks like I'm still alive.''

Wearily lying on the ground, Kamito let out a breath of relief. The chance of success against a spirit of such rank was very low, but it looked like his gamble had paid off.

Raising his eyebrow, he grimaced from the pain that crashed throughout his whole body and raised his right hand slowly.

In his right hand which had been stabbed by the spirit sword-instead of a wound, an emblem of two swords crossing each other had been engraved upon it.

It was the proof of the spirit contract—the spirit seal.

''Aah, I did it...'' Kamito murmured as he stared at the carved seal on the back of his hand.

A sharp sense of guilt bit at his heart. He had broken the promise with ''her''...

However, in order to save Claire, it had been the only method with any degree of success.

Claire noticed that Kamito had woken up; her hands were at the nape of his neck and her face moved closer to his, so close that he could feel her breath. With her clear crimson eyes, she stared at Kamito. Her cherry-colored lips trembled weakly.

"...Why? You're a male. How can you contract a spirit!?"

Kamito did not answer and slowly stood up. Not used to being ignored, the annoyed Claire raised her eyebrows.

"My-My sword spirit!?"

"My bad. Just a moment ago, I contracted with it." Kamito sighed and showed her the back of his right hand where the spirit seal had been engraved.

"Wha-Whaa-Wha-Whaaaat!" Claire wore a stunned expression with her mouth wide open.

''Well, a natural reaction to the situation, I guess...''

Kamito felt a faint ache in his heart. Of course, he could clearly understand such a response from Claire. Originally, contracting with a spirit was a privilege that was granted to none other than pure maidens.

The history of males whom could contract spirits belonged solely to one person historically. This male brought chaos and destruction to the world and so he was called the Demon King Elementalist.

It would be natural for Claire to fear him, since he was a male who could tap the same power of spirit contracts as the Demon King.

Kamito stood up and quietly turned around.

He did not regret the contract. This was the only way he could think of that would have allowed him to save Claire.

Kamito was about to leave, but a voice called him from behind.

"Wait, wait I say!"

Turning around, he saw that Claire, with her hands on her hips, was glaring intensely at him.

"You stole...my spirit...take responsibility for it!"

"Huh?" Kamito frowned...It didn't make any sense to him.

At such a reaction from Kamito, Claire impatiently brushed her twintail.

"I should have been the one to have obtained that spirit, so I am saying that you have to take responsibility for denying me the spirit."

"Responsibility?"

Responsibility is a very heavy word. Because of that unexpected word, Kamito had become even more confused.<ref>Normally while using the Japanese language, when a girl tells a guy to take responsibility it carries the implication of marriage. Hence Kamito's confusion.</ref>

...What was the girl saying?

"Therefore...."

Claire snapped her whip and then she pointed her index finger toward Kamito.

"You have to become my contracted spirit!"

<noinclude>

===References and Translation Notes===
<references/>

{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume1 Illustrations|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume1 Chapter2}}</noinclude>

My Vampire Older Sister and Zombie Little Sister:Volume2 Chapter 0

2017-07-14T11:17:30Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 1 */

==Chapter 0==

===[Search Engine] Definition Confirmation [Absolute NOAH]===

1. A life form that has surpassed the limits of known biology and has a lifespan either infinitely or immeasurably long.

2. A life form created from or by a human.

3. A life form whose individual traits present a risk of spreading to or infecting unrelated people around it.

The conditions change depending on the environment and situation, but those are the fundamental definitions of an Archenemy.

The term Archenemy itself refers to Satan in a certain monotheistic religion and from there came to mean any sort of “demon lord” in general.

Synonymous terms are the undead, the living dead, and the immortal.

Vampires and zombies are the representative examples of Archenemies in modern times.

===Part 1===

It was a refreshing moonlit night after the city’s air pollution was swept away by an out-of-season storm.

I was holed up in my room, curled up on the floor, and pressing my back against the inside of the door.

I had a simple reason for this.

''Knock knock! Knock kno-knock knock knock!! Knock knock knock knock!

“Satori-kuuun? Your big sister would like to speak with you. Specifically, we need to discuss what happened to the limited melon bread from Asamiya.”

“I know, right? They only make 20 a day and don’t take reservations, so it’s super rare. Onee-chan and I were arguing over who got it, but then it just up and vanished.”

''Tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble!!

I hadn’t known.

I really hadn’t known that was holding everything together here. All I did was trudge home through the rain and realize something smelled great when I set foot inside our house. And then that golden glittering prize was just sitting there! Of course I was gonna eat it!!

This was really bad. What was I going to do? My older sister Erika was a vampire and my little sister Ayumi was a zombie. They were known as the undead or Archenemies, which made them something like an RPG’s hidden boss. I was in real trouble if they were angry. They wouldn’t even need a fist to break through the plywood door; a karate chop would be enough to break right through! And then they’d drag me out!

While I trembled in fear, my smartphone buzzed in my pocket.

I pulled it out and checked the screen (to distract myself from reality) and saw Maxwell speaking through an SNS speech bubble.

However, Maxwell was not an international friend or a classmate with a cringe-worthy screenname.

This was the system management agent for the Maxwell disaster environment simulator.

“What is it, Maxwell? I’m kind of busy.”

“Sure. And that is why I am contacting you. I determined you needed this system’s assistance since you stepped in it and have no way out.”

“Y-you mean you’ll make full use of the simulator’s processing power to calculate a way out for me to survive Erika and Ayumi’s double punch!? That’s almost too good to be true!”

“No. I have calculated 8.6 trillion different scenarios and each and every one of them ends in failure.”

“So all I know is that I’m really and truly doomed! That’s a disaster environment simulator for you!!”

“However, I have detected a single unknown variable. It is a possibility of unknown impact, but it seems better than any of the options with a 100% chance of failure.”

“…In other words, there’s almost no chance of success this way either?”

“Sure. It is like the difference between a suspension bridge just about to snap and one that has already fallen.”

I mussed up my bangs with a hand while still leaning against the door.

I really had understood this wasn’t a problem that would solve itself with time. In fact, my sisters’ anger would only grow the longer I put it off. My best option was to immediately open the door and bow down in apology. But I was scared! If I prostrated myself before them, they might just crush my head underfoot!! I mean, my older sister was a vampire queen and an extreme S!! The defendant requests time for the lay judges to cool down!!

“I guess I just have to go for it. Okay, Maxwell! What exactly do I have to do?”

“Sure. Turn your smartphone’s voice input option on and lower your privacy protection settings to Level 2.”

“?”

“User, I am asking for permission to borrow your ‘voice’ to speak.”

On the other side of the door, they wouldn’t be able to tell if it was me or Maxwell speaking.

My palms were sweaty and fear clutched at my heart, so Maxwell could indeed be the better negotiator since he operated on strict numerical values.

“Okay, Maxwell. Let’s do that. …There…there…and done. Updating…and done.”

“Very well.”

The smartphone replied with my exact voice.

So what was Maxell going to do? Anything was fine as long as it shattered this feeling like I was trapped in a cleaning locker which was then thrown in a big hole and had cement dumped on top. It was all riding on his performance!!

And then he spoke with my voice.

“Oh, shut up!! I’m sitting in front of the monitor with my pants down and it’s at the most exciting part, so can’t you wait until this box of tissues is empty!?”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

''You…

“You…! Maxwell…!?”

“Sure. The two behind the door have fallen silent. The unexpected attack has shut down their thought processes.”

I could tell my face was filling with bright red heat. I wanted to call this a false accusation, but I’d be in trouble if he brought up the folder I’d stuck in a hidden drive disguised as his BIOS space!

“More importantly, their thought processes will only remain shut down for around 30 seconds at the longest. If you do not act soon, they will recover.”

“Kh!!”

Opening the door to face my step-sisters was not an option now.

That meant the window!

I wanted to get as far away as possible. For more reasons than one!!

“By the way, the Class Rep next door should have her window open to view the moon on this clear night now that the storm has passed. That concludes my perfect simulation. Ehehn.”

“Sorry, forehead glasses Class Rep, but I’m dragging you into this!!”

I hopped to my feet, threw open the window, stepped back for a running start, and then leaped into the open sky. I wasn’t riding a bike with an alien in the basket, but I still flew in front of the moon and right through the open second story window next door.

The black-haired forehead glasses Class Rep was in her pajamas and looked utterly shocked.

“Kyahh!!”

“Nice one, Class Rep! That’s the normal reaction!!”

Just 30 seconds ago, I had been trapped with a vampire and zombie only a door away while a parallel processing computer stabbed me in the back. After that fantastical situation, the Class Rep’s normalcy soaked into the core of my being like the first taste of miso soup after returning from an overseas vacation.

Speaking of the Class Rep, she wore pastel-colored pajamas and she adjusted her glasses with a hand as if she could not believe what she was seeing.

“S-Satori-kun? Is it just me or have your own actions grown a little monstrous of late? You look like you should be wearing a cape and a butterfly mask and calling yourself a gentleman thief.”

“…Heh. Humans are changed by their environment.”

“Well, whatever.”

As she spoke, the Class Rep shut her thin curtains instead of the window.

And at the same exact moment, I heard a door burst open in the neighboring house – which now meant my own.

“O-Onii-chan is gone!? Fuguu!”

“I wonder what kinds of exciting things Satori-kun was watching. What if it was older girls or blonde big sister types? Kyah!”

They apparently couldn’t tell I was in the Class Rep’s room thanks to the shut curtain.

They seemed more interested in searching my room than for me, but that was fine as long as it bought me time. And there was nothing inside my room I didn’t want them to find. Nothing ''inside it''.

“So what are you going to do now, Satori-kun?”

The Class Rep supposedly had no idea what was going on, and yet she asked that, rummaged through her closet, and pulled out some sneakers.

For some reason, she had chopsticks, a toothbrush, a simple change of clothes, and exercise shoes for me at her house. And yet I hadn’t slept over at her house since before we moved up to middle school.

Maybe it was a lingering remnant of when my parents were getting divorced. I had escaped to her place a lot back then.

But there shouldn’t have been any reason for her to worry about me now.

“Thanks, Class Rep. I had business outside anyway, so this really-…”

When I reached for the shoes in relief, the Pajama Class Rep pulled them away some reason.

…?

“S-sorry. It’s not your fault, Satori-kun.”

She was muttering about something.

Just as I wondered why she was blushing, she confessed the reason.

“B-b-b-but I kind of wish you wouldn’t loudly proclaim to the entire neighborhood that you’re having an exciting time in front of the computer screen. Th-there are some wet tissues over there. Okay?”

''Ma-

“Maxweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!?”

===Part 2===

It was all just too much.

But anyway, I borrowed the sneakers from the Class Rep and left through her house’s front door.

She came down to see me off and her skeptical voice followed me out.

“Where are you headed this late? The convenience store?”

“Yeah. More or less.”

I gave a dismissive wave and left.

Since the storm had just passed through, the area was damp but fresh. The air was cleaner than normal, so it may have been the perfect time for a night stroll.

Not that I was in the mood in the slightest.

I spoke to the smartphone in my hand.

“Maxwell.”

“Sure.”

“Let’s get started.”

Kukyou City was a strange place.

It was a picturesque sightseeing city surrounded by the sea and the mountains.

But it contained an abnormally high number of disasters, primarily lightning strikes and powerful winds, so it had taken advantage of that to become a disaster prevention city that made money off of disasters by inviting in multiple institutions researching disaster prevention and protection.

And the city had another face hidden deep underground.

A final testing ground for vampires and zombies.

Those undead and Archenemies were tested to see if they could get along with modern society.

And if they failed, they were executed and disposed of.

A massive network of underground tunnels spread like a spider web below the city and any Archenemy that caused problems was dragged into the darkness by men in black who appeared from the depths of the earth.

It did not matter what the reason was.

They could even be people like Erika or Ayumi who laughed, cried, and attended school like normal.

I had only learned of this by accident.

But now that I knew that those two girls who lived in my house could be taken away at any time, I couldn’t just sit idly by.

They weren’t the only Archenemies.

And there were other things just as important as those two and I could not let those things be trampled on.

So…

“Maxwell, give me the simulation data.”

“Sure. I have completed the scenario concerning the destruction of the Japanese Branch of the Bright Cross Disaster Prevention Foundation operating in its underground facility.”

The Bright Cross.

That international organization was thought to be peaceful and was well-known enough to have donation boxes next to the registers at national convenience store chains.

I was picking a fight with them.

“I have calculated 3448 scenarios for their later reaction, but in none of them do they maintain any influence over Kukyou City. I can promise you they will be fully driven from the city.”

“So all I can do is drive them from the city? What about the Archenemies outside of Kukyou City?”

“That is too wide a range for my simulation abilities. Either input different parameters and repeat the calculation or physically expand my system.”

So that was all I could manage for the time being.

I of course couldn’t allow the Bright Cross’s tyranny to continue anywhere in the world, but if I was going to fight something on such a massive scale, I had to start by solidifying my footing here first.

Fight.

That word seemed so vague and none of this felt remotely real as I wandered through the dark night.

“Maxwell? Where do I need to go?”

“Sure.”

My smartphone’s map app opened and with a single location pinned on it.

…''That’s pretty close by.

Just as I thought that and looked up from the screen, I happened to be passing by a convenience store that faintly lit up the regional city night.

“Nn.”

“…?”

Someone suddenly bowed toward me.

Who was it, you ask?

A girl a head shorter than me who had wavy blonde hair grown to shoulder length. She wore a baggy white sweater and a chocolate-colored miniskirt. I could see more of her brilliantly white legs than necessary. I wasn’t sure that was doing much to protect her. It felt like seeing a dumb soldier holding his shield in the complete wrong direction during a hail of arrows.

She seemed to have just left the convenience store. She used both hands to hold a single plastic bag containing whatever she had bought.

To put it simply, she reminded me of a small animal.

That impression may have been helped by how her baggy sweater covered her mouth a little and only her fingertips poked out of the sleeves. However, her blonde hair was not the forcibly bleached blonde
of a delinquent girl. She was a half-Japanese girl with naturally blonde hair.

…''Hm? Half-Japanese?

“Oh, you’re Itou Helen, right?”

When I used the name I had remembered, she bowed again.

She was an underclassman at school. She was popular among the 1st years and among the ruder upperclassmen who said they liked small girls.

I didn’t really know her, but I had helped her out when the guidance counselor was getting after her for having too short a skirt.

I don’t look like the type to do something so heroic? Needless to say, I only got dragged into it because I was nearby and the true criminals were a few of my mischievous male classmates.

So it was honestly strange I remembered her name and I didn’t feel like I had done anything for her.

I was like the boring merchant in the same party as a hero, a sage, and a magician. In fact, I was more like a villager or a corpse.

“Well, not that it matters. So is your house nearby? Just make sure you follow the main roads and walk below the cameras, okay?”

I tried to give her some upperclassman-y advice as I left.

No. I was just trying to use my position at school to escape since I couldn’t find anything to say.

In other words, I was a chicken who was afraid of this little girl.

I was afraid of failing to grasp the distance between us and making it awkward.

It was laughable that I thought I could fight an international foundation for my family.

“…chan.” Itou Helen said something quietly. “You have the same scent as my Onii-chan, so I can relax around you.”

I couldn’t say anything for sure since I didn’t know who exactly this “Onii-chan” was, but had something happened? She was in the 1st year, so had she gotten separated from her brother when moving up from middle school?

It was only a small thing like that.

“Maybe it’s because I have a little sister too.”

That was all I said.

And I had a big sister too.

Real conversations weren’t like in dramas. If you weren’t a good match, the conversation would trail off and create an awkward silence. It looked like the conversation was over, so I waved and started to leave.

“You have the same scent as my Onii-chan.”

But Itou Helen said something again.

No, the conversation had never ended for her. Had it only seemed awkward to me?

“So please…be careful. But that’s also…a somewhat dangerous scent.”

“…”

Her point of view was so skewed from mine that this hardly qualified as advice.

But her words did seem to stab into the center of my chest.

Especially as someone about to pick a fight with the Bright Cross.

What kind of person was Itou Helen’s Onii-chan?

To be honest, I was more interested in her.

“Sure. Let’s both be careful.”

“…”

She bowed.

And this time we really did part ways.

“Maxwell.”

“Sure.”

“Just to be sure, let’s make sure Itou Helen isn’t following me before I head to the coordinates. Give me a route.”

“Sure. This is a lot like an open world quest, user.”

“I know. And why am I trying to ''lose'' the girl I met on the roadside? That’s not the Amatsu Satori way.”

But I was worried over nothing.

Itou Helen did not follow me.

I felt embarrassed about my unneeded caution and Maxwell left a targeted comment.

“Reality is cruel. It would seem you have not met a video game heroine who becomes obsessed with you the second you meet her.”

“Well, I suppose this is honestly the real Amatsu Satori way. In fact, I’m kind of relieved for the confirmation that I’m standing in the real world here!!”

But it was true it would have been a problem had she followed me.

I called up the map app with its pinned location.

“Maxwell, so the location is in the old factory section of the Hirano Ward residential district?”

“Sure. That area has shrunk in size as the city becomes more of a commuter town. So after the owner on paper changed countless times, they ran off in the night, leaving the rights to the land ambiguous. In other words, the area is poorly managed and difficult to find accurate information on.”

“I can’t believe this. And I built a hidden fort there when I was a kid.”

That reminder of the fort under the bridge brought a prickling to a corner of my mind.

But this was no time to be searching for happy memories.

I had to make for the abandoned factory.

There were environmental standards for residential districts, so the factories had been in the way. History had its winners and losers and one half of that equation appeared as a crumbling moonlit silhouette.

Whether it was debt collectors or scrap metal collectors, the inside was almost entirely stripped of machinery, leaving a giant empty space.

I walked through the dark room with my smartphone’s backlight and finally found “that”.

It was something no one was able to carry out: a round door like to a bank vault.

“…”

These were officially known as tornado shelters installed for free in all the houses and offices of disaster-prone Kukyou City. But I had never seen one of them open.

And I had learned the truth through “a certain method”.

The tornado shelter cover story was a lie and the city was actually filled with tunnels used to abduct Archenemies.

They were everywhere and could get in from anywhere.

These doors were inside every home and office, so there was no shutting them out.

I glanced to a biometric scanning panel and spoke.

“Maxwell. How long until you’ve hacked the system?”

I heard a quiet beeping.

Then I heard the complex latch opening with a series of rumbling sounds.

A text bubble appeared on my smartphone.

“Sure. That job is already complete.”

It opened.

Slowly.

Did this seem to be going too well for an amateur high school boy? It was the opposite. If I took one step outside of the optimal course determined by Maxwell’s simulations, I would die instantly. It was like losing your life if the needle skipped even slightly on the record. I could not even afford to stumble.

It started here.

The underground facility was vast. Things changed considerably depending on what entrance I used. I was a normal high school boy, but I had repeated the simulation over and over until even that high school boy could strike back at the Bright Cross. I could only continue with this. I would know the facility better than its owners at this point.

(The server, the bats, short circuits, the backup timing, hardware damage.)

I repeated a few terms in my mind.

''Now.

''Time to settle things with the Bright Cross.

…Or so I thought.

My thoughts ground to a halt.

I came across something unexpected.

However, it was not that I ran across a group wielding machineguns or was attacked by tamed Archenemies as soon as I opened the door.

That would have been better.

As a vector, this was 180 degrees in the opposite direction.

There was nothing.

There was no one.

It was only a giant empty space. All of the specialty equipment and even the lights had been removed, so I wouldn’t have been able to see my hand in front of my face without my smartphone’s backlight.

But there had to be something here.

The loathsome Bright Cross had to be here!

“What…the hell?”

“No. I am unable to find an appropriate answer to your question. This situation was not in the simulation. I strongly recommend you suspend this task and withdraw.”

I ignored Maxwell’s suggestion and stepped into the long, long tunnel of that subterranean world. And I started running.

It was like being in a school at night.

There was no life there. There were no signs of anyone there.

This was definitely bad. It was entirely unexpected. More than a needle scratch, the entire record player had toppled over. And I could easily die if I set even one foot outside the simulation!

“User, I am having trouble maintaining a signal. I cannot guarantee a connection to your device.”

“Dammit!”

The thick disaster-resistant concrete worked against me. If the Bright Cross’s system had still been active, Maxwell could have secretly used it to boost the signal with their antennae.

If I lost Maxwell now, I was completely out of luck. It was possible I wouldn’t even be able to find my way back to the door I had come in through. And it was the only one open.

“What do you think happened? Do you think it’s ‘just’ that the Bright Cross is all gathered in one spot?”

“No. I can construct a few theories, but I cannot provide any objective proof for any of them.”

“…”

“But whatever the case, this is not normal. We can assume they had a reason forcing them to do this.”

Had an Archenemy like Erika or Ayumi gone berserk inside the facility?

Or had there been a confrontation and split between the armed humans of the Bright Cross?

But it didn’t seem like either of those.

There was no damage anywhere. There was no blood splattered anywhere and no scars on the walls or floor.

Everything that had been here had simply vanished.

It was almost like they had predicted one of those more violent fates and skipped town before it happened…

''No.

''Wait.

“Did they predict we would be coming here today at this time?”

“There is no evidence to suggest that. How that information would have leaked out is also unknown. But it is one of several possible theories.”

“But why!? If they knew, they could have just laid an ambush for me. Or they could have just attacked before I did anything. Using these abduction tunnels of theirs!”

“No. I have no information leading to a useful answer. But as this has happened, the Bright Cross likely decided this would benefit them or reduce their losses.”

It made no sense.

What was the Bright Cross thinking?

“There is nothing you can do here. This underground space covers all of Kukyou City, so it is unrealistic for you alone to investigate it all. Will you recruit more help or will you use drone robots instead? Either way, I suggest you prepare some kind of plan.”

I had to start all over again.

I had spent so much time putting together this scenario to destroy the Bright Cross, but it was entirely useless now.

“…Dammit.”

There was one place I wanted to check out.

The cold storage room in the medical lab.

The Level 4 Archenemies should have been kept frozen there, but it was as empty as everything else.

Not only were there no Archenemies, but I saw no sign of freezing equipment or even a single screw or nail.

The boxy space was so empty it seemed to be saying there had never been anything there.

The Bright Cross was not here.

I could not save the Archenemies.

I had never even considered this awful possibility.

“User.”

“…One more place.”

There may have been no reason for this one.

My motivation was mostly just sentimentality.

It was the center of that twisted subterranean world.

Level 4: The Colosseum.

“…”

There had never been anything in that vast circular space. Multiple unmanageable Archenemies had been tossed inside and made to kill each other there. And that was why the Bright Cross had had no way of erasing it.

That place alone looked just as it had when I saw it via “a certain method”.

''I see.

''So it really did exist…

“User, your smartphone’s battery has dropped below 50%. And the odds of escaping this underground area without the light and my support are below 2%.”

“Understood. Let’s get back.”

I didn’t want to die pointlessly there. I was just shocked to find there was no one to bring out with me.

In addition to the Bright Cross humans and the equipment they had carried out, there had to have been Archenemies trapped in here too.

And they had been treated just like the supplies and equipment…

“Damn, so I guess it’s back to the drawing board.”

“Whatever the reason, shouldn’t you be delighted that the Bright Cross has left Kukyou City?”

“Perhaps.”

But I didn’t want to be someone who was satisfied with this incomplete ending.

I started for the surface under Maxwell’s guidance. They had probably carefully planned their escape, so I doubted I would find any kind of hint leading me to them in this subterranean world.

But they had hid this giant facility from 800,000 people. They had to have spread their roots to the administration, the police, the construction companies that worked underground, the public utilities, the gas company, and the subway.

They had to have left their scent somewhere.

My next step would be figuring out where that was.

With that in mind, I returned to the entrance in the abandoned factory.

And then it arrived.

The heavy bursting sound shook my stomach more than my eardrums and a vortex of light split through the night sky.

Even in my confusion, I quickly realized it was gunpowder exploding.

I briefly thought someone had thrown a bomb at me. The Bright Cross would probably go that far.

But I was wrong.

“…What!? Fireworks!?”

“Sure. According to the administrative records, Katou Fireworks Production submitted a request for a test firing and their request was approved. But this is too large for a test firing. That was likely a cover story.”

Countless fireworks continued to fly up and create colorful rings of sparks in the sky.

Each one created hundreds of thousands of lights and some might have reached the millions.

But what were these fireworks celebrating?

My pulse was pounding and unease filled my chest.

“User.”

“What is it, Maxwell?”

“I have received some interesting information via a Full Seg broadcast. It is a national broadcast.”

I didn’t want to watch it.

But I was afraid to throw this out.

Was this what it felt like to be a patient with an ominous shadow on the X-ray?

I breathed in and out.

And I spoke.

“Play it on the screen, Maxwell.”

“Sure.”

The smartphone screen immediately switched to a TV broadcast. A young woman’s high-pitched voice came from a national key station.

“Archenemy vs. Archenemy! The Colosseum is finally beginning! This new form of gambling has the full approval of the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare!! Getting a head start on the rest of the country, its home ground of Kukyou City is having one hell of a celebration!!”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

''What?

''Did she say Colosseum???

''Isn’t that a terrible scandal sealed away in the darkness below Kukyou City? Isn’t that what the giant Bright Cross organization was working so hard to hide!?

''What the hell is this?

''Why is a sexy host boldly announcing it to the entire country in a brightly-lit studio!?

“This is Karen-chan, your host in the bright bunny costume. We were having trouble getting an official casino off the ground, so it ended up as this kind of gambling system instead. Looks like Japan’s creative spirit hasn’t been snuffed out quite yet! We’re brimming with the power to create new things and systems! Let’s get ahead of the world with an explosion of innovation! And that means this Colosseum as a new form of entertainment!!”

I was dumbfounded by what I heard from the long-haired host who wore a bunny costume that sparkled with the blue of a rainforest butterfly.

This was probably how American families had felt when they saw the news that funny-smelling dried plants had been legalized just because the prisons were running out of space.

In short: What the hell is wrong with you!!!???

“Maxwell, is this for real? Has the Bright Cross really gone public with their insane Colosseum!?”

“Sure. I checked the administrative system since they mentioned the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare and this has been officially approved. In addition to the politicians worried about negative opinion polls concerning the idea of publicly run casinos due to the benefits given to bureaucrats in the similar horse racing and lottery systems, a medical group like the Bright Cross would have already had a large pipeline set up with the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. It would not have been difficult to set this up.”

And yet…

Even so…!!

“We’re talking about televised public executions! Can they really get away with that? How can they!?”

The blue bunny girl on the screen seemed to answer my obvious question.

“Okay, okay. We ensure you that the money from the votes you cast for a winner – that is, the gambling tickets you purchase – will all be used to cover our management expenses. And the biggest of those is this! Every Archenemy that takes part will receive a substantial reward for every match they win. The first win nets them 10 million and each consecutive win doubles in value! Of course, they’re free to step down if they feel continuing would be too dangerous. They must fight fiercely and manage their funds wisely! We are rooting that these Archenemies will end up with a comfortable life!!”

…''So that’s how they’re presenting it.

Even if an Archenemy collapsed after multiple battles, it would be the greedy contestant’s responsibility, not the management’s. And they had announced the prize money would come from the people who had bet on the loser. This would only increase people’s hate for the undead fighting in front of the cameras.

And the Archenemies wouldn’t actually be given the option to step down.

If every last one of them kept fighting unto death, the management would never have to pay a single yen in prize money. And so they would force the Archenemies to do exactly that.

“And if a contestant dies during the match, their body is given to the winner. Hm? I wonder what this special rule is for? Well, there will be tons of werewolves and vampires here. Whether it’s eating them or controlling them, I’m sure they have some use for it!”

They had even gone the extra mile.

Not only did this increase everyone’s hatred for the Archenemies being captured and forced to fight, but it also gave an excuse that rid people of any questions about what happened to them afterwards.

“The examples might be foreign, but there is precedent for combat tournaments that require contestants to sign away any liability if they die! We can’t let them outdo us! Look at boxing and professional wrestling bound by all their compliance rules! You can’t make anything unique with that! So let’s make a tournament with the highest of risks and the highest of returns!! Karen-chan here will be rooting for you!! Doom doom doom too too too!!”

This was insane.

Not only was this was being broadcast, but it was a national thing. A hundred million people were watching this and possibly even the entire world thanks to online streaming. Why didn’t anyone stop it? Why didn’t anyone stand up!?

A small box at the bottom of the screen displayed random messages sent to the official SNS account.

And they said:

“Ohhhh! I haven’t been this excited in forever!!”

“So an age of casinos is finally upon us.”

“We need to feel angry and depressed. But it’s amusing, so I’m still watching without getting involved. lol.”

There was no guarantee all of them were being honest.

People’s personalities often changed between a face-to-face conversation and on a faceless message board. And Maxwell had said politicians were supporting this after worryingly negative opinion polls about the possibility of publicly run casinos, so it was possible all of the positive opinions were from hired shills.

But.

Even so.

It was disgusting. It was utterly repugnant. I couldn’t accept that people were watching this fight to death in front of their dinner tables just because it was placed in a nice wrapper. And any sense of rejection melted away as they sided with the majority and as they laughed and angrily yelled at the victimized undead without feeling any guilt. That malice made me sick to the stomach.

“…”

I could barely stay standing, like I was anemic. My vision would have grown dark if I hadn’t stayed focused.

But the world didn’t care.

Karen spoke from the screen with a smile on her face.

“Itou Helen the witch vs. Kuroyama Hinoki the mermaid! Would you look at that! This is looking spectacular from the very first match!”

Those words were the last straw.

I recalled the small animal of a girl with wavy shoulder-length blonde hair who I had just recently met at the convenience store. That harmless underclassman had cowered down just from the guidance counselor getting after her for her skirt.

Itou Helen.

She was…an Archenemy?

And she had fallen into the Bright Cross’s hands!?

I had only just seen her.

If I had done something then, this wouldn’t have happened. No, why had she even spoken to me when we barely knew each other? Had she noticed the gazes targeting her? She had said I reminded her of her “Onii-chan”. Had that been a weird illusion brought on by her desire for someone to protect her?

Whether it had been intentional or not, she had sent out an SOS.

And I had rejected it.

So was it my fault this had happened?

“The match begins today at 10 o’clock. It’s an exclusive live broadcast! Whether you prefer a national broadcast, a satellite channel, or a video streaming site, just check out this station’s channel there! Ticket sales end 10 minutes in advance! Now, now! Get excited and take part. The Colosseum hopes you will find much excitement, happiness, and riches☆”

===[Search Engine] In Front of the Event Site [Absolute NOAH]===

This is your confirmation paperwork.

Yes, yes. Just like always.

Now, please come in.

It would help if you went underground and entered using the parking lot’s industrial elevator.

Ha ha. Is that so? I thought you would be in a frenzy getting everything working under the new system, but it’s all moving surprisingly smoothly.

So what method are we using to replace the tunnels? What is Laplace saying?

Oh? A tour bus?

That’s pretty roundabout. A refrigerated truck for transporting fish would be more direct. You’re right. The bus might indeed be more convenient when you need to be able to stop wherever you want. My apologies. And with all the personnel you need to transport on a “job”, I suppose a tour bus would be best since the soldiers can ride up top while the “cargo” is held down below. I see.

Yes, I’m sorry.

I didn’t mean to delay you. Please keep up the good work.

…

…

…

Yes, hello?

I’m here at the scene. Yes, Itou Helen was just delivered.

A witch and a mermaid. That should make a decent initial impact. And it honestly wouldn’t be very pretty to have two filthy guys fighting each other.

Anyway.

Now we can safely restart the Colosseum.

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| Back to [[My_Vampire_Older_Sister_and_Zombie_Little_Sister:Volume2_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
| Return to [[My_Vampire_Older_Sister_and_Zombie_Little_Sister|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[My_Vampire_Older_Sister_and_Zombie_Little_Sister:Volume2_Chapter_1|Chapter 1]]
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</noinclude>

My Vampire Older Sister and Zombie Little Sister:Volume2 Chapter 0

2017-07-14T08:09:36Z

76.115.0.117: /* Chapter 0 */

==Chapter 0==

===[Search Engine] Definition Confirmation [Absolute NOAH]===

1. A life form that has surpassed the limits of known biology and has a lifespan either infinitely or immeasurably long.

2. A life form created from or by a human.

3. A life form whose individual traits present a risk of spreading to or infecting unrelated people around it.

The conditions change depending on the environment and situation, but those are the fundamental definitions of an Archenemy.

The term Archenemy itself refers to Satan in a certain monotheistic religion and from there came to mean any sort of “demon lord” in general.

Synonymous terms are the undead, the living dead, and the immortal.

Vampires and zombies are the representative examples of Archenemies in modern times.

===Part 1===

It was a refreshing moonlit night after the city’s air pollution was swept away by an out-of-season storm.

I was holed up in my room, curled up on the floor, and pressing my back against the inside of the door.

I had a simple reason for this.

''Knock knock! Knock kno-knock knock knock!! Knock knock knock knock!

“Satori-kuuun? Your big sister would like to speak with you. Specifically, we need to discuss what happened to the limited melon bread from Asamiya.”

“I know, right? They only make 20 a day and don’t take reservations, so it’s super rare. Onee-chan and I were arguing over who got it, but then it just up and vanished.”

''Tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble!!

I hadn’t known.

I really hadn’t known that was holding everything together here. All I did was trudge home through the rain and realize something smelled great when I set foot inside our house. And then that golden glittering prize was just sitting there! Of course I was gonna eat it!!

This was really bad. What was I going to do? My older sister Erika was a vampire and my little sister Ayumi was a zombie. They were known as the undead or Archenemies, which made them something like an RPG’s hidden boss. I was in real trouble if they were angry. They wouldn’t even need a fist to break through the plywood door; a karate chop would be enough to break right through! And then they’d drag me out!

While I trembled in fear, my smartphone buzzed in my pocket.

I pulled it out and checked the screen (to distract myself from reality) and saw Maxwell speaking through an SNS speech bubble.

However, Maxwell was not an international friend or a classmate with a cringe-worthy screenname.

This was the system management agent for the Maxwell disaster environment simulator.

“What is it, Maxwell? I’m kind of busy.”

“Sure. And that is why I am contacting you. I determined you needed this system’s assistance since you stepped in it and have no way out.”

“Y-you mean you’ll make full use of the simulator’s processing power to calculate out a way for me to survive Erika and Ayumi’s double punch!? That’s almost too good to be true!”

“No. I have calculated 8.6 trillion different scenarios and each and every one of them ends in failure.”

“So all I know is that I’m really and truly doomed! That’s a disaster environment simulator for you!!”

“However, I have detected a single unknown variable. It is a possibility of unknown impact, but it seems better than any of the options with a 100% chance of failure.”

“…In other words, there’s almost no chance of success this way either?”

“Sure. It is like the difference between a suspension bridge just about to snap and one that has already fallen.”

I mussed up my bangs with a hand while still leaning against the door.

I really had understood this wasn’t a problem that would solve itself with time. In fact, my sisters’ anger would only grow the longer I put it off. My best option was to immediately open the door and bow down in apology. But I was scared! If I prostrated myself before them, they might just crush my head underfoot!! I mean, my older sister was a vampire queen and an extreme S!! The defendant requests time for the lay judges to cool down!!

“I guess I just have to go for it. Okay, Maxwell! What exactly do I have to do?”

“Sure. Turn your smartphone’s voice input option on and lower your privacy protection settings to Level 2.”

“?”

“User, I am asking for permission to borrow your ‘voice’ to speak.”

On the other side of the door, they wouldn’t be able to tell if it was me or Maxwell speaking.

My palms were sweaty and fear clutched at my heart, so Maxwell could indeed be the better negotiator since he operated on strict numerical values.

“Okay, Maxwell. Let’s do that. …There…there…and done. Updating…and done.”

“Very well.”

The smartphone replied with my exact voice.

So what was Maxell going to do? Anything was fine as long as it shattered this feeling like I was trapped in a cleaning locker which was then thrown in a big hole and had cement dumped on top. It was all riding on his performance!!

And then he spoke with my voice.

“Oh, shut up!! I’m sitting in front of the monitor with my pants down and it’s at the most exciting part, so can’t you wait until this box of tissues is empty!?”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

''You…

“You…! Maxwell…!?”

“Sure. The two behind the door have fallen silent. The unexpected attack has shut down their thought processes.”

I could tell my face was filling with bright red heat. I wanted to call this a false accusation, but I’d be in trouble if he brought up the folder I’d stuck in a hidden drive disguised as his BIOS space!

“More importantly, their thought processes will only remain shut down for around 30 seconds at the longest. If you do not act soon, they will recover.”

“Kh!!”

Opening the door to face my step-sisters was not an option now.

That meant the window!

I wanted to get as far away as possible. For more reasons than one!!

“By the way, the Class Rep next door should have her window open to view the moon on this clear night now that the storm has passed. That concludes my perfect simulation. Ehehn.”

“Sorry, forehead glasses Class Rep, but I’m dragging you into this!!”

I hopped to my feet, threw open the window, stepped back for a running start, and then leaped into the open sky. I wasn’t riding a bike with an alien in the basket, but I still flew in front of the moon and right through the open second story window next door.

The black-haired forehead glasses Class Rep was in her pajamas and looked utterly shocked.

“Kyahh!!”

“Nice one, Class Rep! That’s the normal reaction!!”

Just 30 seconds ago, I had been trapped with a vampire and zombie only a door away while a parallel processing computer stabbed me in the back. After that fantastical situation, the Class Rep’s normalcy soaked into the core of my being like the first taste of miso soup after returning from an overseas vacation.

Speaking of the Class Rep, she wore pastel-colored pajamas and she adjusted her glasses with a hand as if she could not believe what she was seeing.

“S-Satori-kun? Is it just me or have your own actions grown a little monstrous of late? You look like you should be wearing a cape and a butterfly mask and calling yourself a gentleman thief.”

“…Heh. Humans are changed by their environment.”

“Well, whatever.”

As she spoke, the Class Rep shut her thin curtains instead of the window.

And at the same exact moment, I heard a door burst open in the neighboring house – which now meant my own.

“O-Onii-chan is gone!? Fuguu!”

“I wonder what kinds of exciting things Satori-kun was watching. What if it was older girls or blonde big sister types? Kyah!”

They apparently couldn’t tell I was in the Class Rep’s room thanks to the shut curtain.

They seemed more interested in searching my room than for me, but that was fine as long as it bought me time. And there was nothing inside my room I didn’t want them to find. Nothing ''inside it''.

“So what are you going to do now, Satori-kun?”

The Class Rep supposedly had no idea what was going on, and yet she asked that, rummaged through her closet, and pulled out some sneakers.

For some reason, she had chopsticks, a toothbrush, a simple change of clothes, and exercise shoes for me at her house. And yet I hadn’t slept over at her house since before we moved up to middle school.

Maybe it was a lingering remnant of when my parents were getting divorced. I had escaped to her place a lot back then.

But there shouldn’t have been any reason for her to worry about me now.

“Thanks, Class Rep. I had business outside anyway, so this really-…”

When I reached for the shoes in relief, the Pajama Class Rep pulled them away some reason.

…?

“S-sorry. It’s not your fault, Satori-kun.”

She was muttering about something.

Just as I wondered why she was blushing, she confessed the reason.

“B-b-b-but I kind of wish you wouldn’t loudly proclaim to the entire neighborhood that you’re having an exciting time in front of the computer screen. Th-there are some wet tissues over there. Okay?”

''Ma-

“Maxweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!?”

===Part 2===

It was all just too much.

But anyway, I borrowed the sneakers from the Class Rep and left through her house’s front door.

She came down to see me off and her skeptical voice followed me out.

“Where are you headed this late? The convenience store?”

“Yeah. More or less.”

I gave a dismissive wave and left.

Since the storm had just passed through, the area was damp but fresh. The air was cleaner than normal, so it may have been the perfect time for a night stroll.

Not that I was in the mood in the slightest.

I spoke to the smartphone in my hand.

“Maxwell.”

“Sure.”

“Let’s get started.”

Kukyou City was a strange place.

It was a picturesque sightseeing city surrounded by the sea and the mountains.

But it contained an abnormally high number of disasters, primarily lightning strikes and powerful winds, so it had taken advantage of that to become a disaster prevention city that made money off of disasters by inviting in multiple institutions researching disaster prevention and protection.

And the city had another face hidden deep underground.

A final testing ground for vampires and zombies.

Those undead and Archenemies were tested to see if they could get along with modern society.

And if they failed, they were executed and disposed of.

A massive network of underground tunnels spread like a spider web below the city and any Archenemy that caused problems was dragged into the darkness by men in black who appeared from the depths of the earth.

It did not matter what the reason was.

They could even be people like Erika or Ayumi who laughed, cried, and attended school like normal.

I had only learned of this by accident.

But now that I knew that those two girls who lived in my house could be taken away at any time, I couldn’t just sit idly by.

They weren’t the only Archenemies.

And there were other things just as important as those two and I could not let those things be trampled on.

So…

“Maxwell, give me the simulation data.”

“Sure. I have completed the scenario concerning the destruction of the Japanese Branch of the Bright Cross Disaster Prevention Foundation operating in its underground facility.”

The Bright Cross.

That international organization was thought to be peaceful and was well-known enough to have donation boxes next to the registers at national convenience store chains.

I was picking a fight with them.

“I have calculated 3448 scenarios for their later reaction, but in none of them do they maintain any influence over Kukyou City. I can promise you they will be fully driven from the city.”

“So all I can do is drive them from the city? What about the Archenemies outside of Kukyou City?”

“That is too wide a range for my simulation abilities. Either input different parameters and repeat the calculation or physically expand my system.”

So that was all I could manage for the time being.

I of course couldn’t allow the Bright Cross’s tyranny to continue anywhere in the world, but if I was going to fight something on such a massive scale, I had to start by solidifying my footing here first.

Fight.

That word seemed so vague and none of this felt remotely real as I wandered through the dark night.

“Maxwell? Where do I need to go?”

“Sure.”

My smartphone’s map app opened and with a single location pinned on it.

…''That’s pretty close by.

Just as I thought that and looked up from the screen, I happened to be passing by a convenience store that faintly lit up the regional city night.

“Nn.”

“…?”

Someone suddenly bowed toward me.

Who was it, you ask?

A girl a head shorter than me who had wavy blonde hair grown to shoulder length. She wore a baggy white sweater and a chocolate-colored miniskirt. I could see more of her brilliantly white legs than necessary. I wasn’t sure that was doing much to protect her. It felt like seeing a dumb soldier holding his shield in the complete wrong direction during a hail of arrows.

She seemed to have just left the convenience store. She used both hands to hold a single plastic bag containing whatever she had bought.

To put it simply, she reminded me of a small animal.

That impression may have been helped by how her baggy sweater covered her mouth a little and only her fingertips poked out of the sleeves. However, her blonde hair was not the forcibly bleached blonde
of a delinquent girl. She was a half-Japanese girl with naturally blonde hair.

…''Hm? Half-Japanese?

“Oh, you’re Itou Helen, right?”

When I used the name I had remembered, she bowed again.

She was an underclassman at school. She was popular among the 1st years and among the ruder upperclassmen who said they liked small girls.

I didn’t really know her, but I had helped her out when the guidance counselor was getting after her for having too short a skirt.

I don’t look like the type to do something so heroic? Needless to say, I only got dragged into it because I was nearby and the true criminals were a few of my mischievous male classmates.

So it was honestly strange I remembered her name and I didn’t feel like I had done anything for her.

I was like the boring merchant in the same party as a hero, a sage, and a magician. In fact, I was more like a villager or a corpse.

“Well, not that it matters. So is your house nearby? Just make sure you follow the main roads and walk below the cameras, okay?”

I tried to give her some upperclassman-y advice as I left.

No. I was just trying to use my position at school to escape since I couldn’t find anything to say.

In other words, I was a chicken who was afraid of this little girl.

I was afraid of failing to grasp the distance between us and making it awkward.

It was laughable that I thought I could fight an international foundation for my family.

“…chan.” Itou Helen said something quietly. “You have the same scent as my Onii-chan, so I can relax around you.”

I couldn’t say anything for sure since I didn’t know who exactly this “Onii-chan” was, but had something happened? She was in the 1st year, so had she gotten separated from her brother when moving up from middle school?

It was only a small thing like that.

“Maybe it’s because I have a little sister too.”

That was all I said.

And I had a big sister too.

Real conversations weren’t like in dramas. If you weren’t a good match, the conversation would trail off and create an awkward silence. It looked like the conversation was over, so I waved and started to leave.

“You have the same scent as my Onii-chan.”

But Itou Helen said something again.

No, the conversation had never ended for her. Had it only seemed awkward to me?

“So please…be careful. But that’s also…a somewhat dangerous scent.”

“…”

Her point of view was so skewed from mine that this hardly qualified as advice.

But her words did seem to stab into the center of my chest.

Especially as someone about to pick a fight with the Bright Cross.

What kind of person was Itou Helen’s Onii-chan?

To be honest, I was more interested in her.

“Sure. Let’s both be careful.”

“…”

She bowed.

And this time we really did part ways.

“Maxwell.”

“Sure.”

“Just to be sure, let’s make sure Itou Helen isn’t following me before I head to the coordinates. Give me a route.”

“Sure. This is a lot like an open world quest, user.”

“I know. And why am I trying to ''lose'' the girl I met on the roadside? That’s not the Amatsu Satori way.”

But I was worried over nothing.

Itou Helen did not follow me.

I felt embarrassed about my unneeded caution and Maxwell left a targeted comment.

“Reality is cruel. It would seem you have not met a video game heroine who becomes obsessed with you the second you meet her.”

“Well, I suppose this is honestly the real Amatsu Satori way. In fact, I’m kind of relieved for the confirmation that I’m standing in the real world here!!”

But it was true it would have been a problem had she followed me.

I called up the map app with its pinned location.

“Maxwell, so the location is in the old factory section of the Hirano Ward residential district?”

“Sure. That area has shrunk in size as the city becomes more of a commuter town. So after the owner on paper changed countless times, they ran off in the night, leaving the rights to the land ambiguous. In other words, the area is poorly managed and difficult to find accurate information on.”

“I can’t believe this. And I built a hidden fort there when I was a kid.”

That reminder of the fort under the bridge brought a prickling to a corner of my mind.

But this was no time to be searching for happy memories.

I had to make for the abandoned factory.

There were environmental standards for residential districts, so the factories had been in the way. History had its winners and losers and one half of that equation appeared as a crumbling moonlit silhouette.

Whether it was debt collectors or scrap metal collectors, the inside was almost entirely stripped of machinery, leaving a giant empty space.

I walked through the dark room with my smartphone’s backlight and finally found “that”.

It was something no one was able to carry out: a round door like to a bank vault.

“…”

These were officially known as tornado shelters installed for free in all the houses and offices of disaster-prone Kukyou City. But I had never seen one of them open.

And I had learned the truth through “a certain method”.

The tornado shelter cover story was a lie and the city was actually filled with tunnels used to abduct Archenemies.

They were everywhere and could get in from anywhere.

These doors were inside every home and office, so there was no shutting them out.

I glanced to a biometric scanning panel and spoke.

“Maxwell. How long until you’ve hacked the system?”

I heard a quiet beeping.

Then I heard the complex latch opening with a series of rumbling sounds.

A text bubble appeared on my smartphone.

“Sure. That job is already complete.”

It opened.

Slowly.

Did this seem to be going too well for an amateur high school boy? It was the opposite. If I took one step outside of the optimal course determined by Maxwell’s simulations, I would die instantly. It was like losing your life if the needle skipped even slightly on the record. I could not even afford to stumble.

It started here.

The underground facility was vast. Things changed considerably depending on what entrance I used. I was a normal high school boy, but I had repeated the simulation over and over until even that high school boy could strike back at the Bright Cross. I could only continue with this. I would know the facility better than its owners at this point.

(The server, the bats, short circuits, the backup timing, hardware damage.)

I repeated a few terms in my mind.

''Now.

''Time to settle things with the Bright Cross.

…Or so I thought.

My thoughts ground to a halt.

I came across something unexpected.

However, it was not that I ran across a group wielding machineguns or was attacked by tamed Archenemies as soon as I opened the door.

That would have been better.

As a vector, this was 180 degrees in the opposite direction.

There was nothing.

There was no one.

It was only a giant empty space. All of the specialty equipment and even the lights had been removed, so I wouldn’t have been able to see my hand in front of my face without my smartphone’s backlight.

But there had to be something here.

The loathsome Bright Cross had to be here!

“What…the hell?”

“No. I am unable to find an appropriate answer to your question. This situation was not in the simulation. I strongly recommend you suspend this task and withdraw.”

I ignored Maxwell’s suggestion and stepped into the long, long tunnel of that subterranean world. And I started running.

It was like being in a school at night.

There was no life there. There were no signs of anyone there.

This was definitely bad. It was entirely unexpected. More than a needle scratch, the entire record player had toppled over. And I could easily die if I set even one foot outside the simulation!

“User, I am having trouble maintaining a signal. I cannot guarantee a connection to your device.”

“Dammit!”

The thick disaster-resistant concrete worked against me. If the Bright Cross’s system had still been active, Maxwell could have secretly used it to boost the signal with their antennae.

If I lost Maxwell now, I was completely out of luck. It was possible I wouldn’t even be able to find my way back to the door I had come in through. And it was the only one open.

“What do you think happened? Do you think it’s ‘just’ that the Bright Cross is all gathered in one spot?”

“No. I can construct a few theories, but I cannot provide any objective proof for any of them.”

“…”

“But whatever the case, this is not normal. We can assume they had a reason forcing them to do this.”

Had an Archenemy like Erika or Ayumi gone berserk inside the facility?

Or had there been a confrontation and split between the armed humans of the Bright Cross?

But it didn’t seem like either of those.

There was no damage anywhere. There was no blood splattered anywhere and no scars on the walls or floor.

Everything that had been here had simply vanished.

It was almost like they had predicted one of those more violent fates and skipped town before it happened…

''No.

''Wait.

“Did they predict we would be coming here today at this time?”

“There is no evidence to suggest that. How that information would have leaked out is also unknown. But it is one of several possible theories.”

“But why!? If they knew, they could have just laid an ambush for me. Or they could have just attacked before I did anything. Using these abduction tunnels of theirs!”

“No. I have no information leading to a useful answer. But as this has happened, the Bright Cross likely decided this would benefit them or reduce their losses.”

It made no sense.

What was the Bright Cross thinking?

“There is nothing you can do here. This underground space covers all of Kukyou City, so it is unrealistic for you alone to investigate it all. Will you recruit more help or will you use drone robots instead? Either way, I suggest you prepare some kind of plan.”

I had to start all over again.

I had spent so much time putting together this scenario to destroy the Bright Cross, but it was entirely useless now.

“…Dammit.”

There was one place I wanted to check out.

The cold storage room in the medical lab.

The Level 4 Archenemies should have been kept frozen there, but it was as empty as everything else.

Not only were there no Archenemies, but I saw no sign of freezing equipment or even a single screw or nail.

The boxy space was so empty it seemed to be saying there had never been anything there.

The Bright Cross was not here.

I could not save the Archenemies.

I had never even considered this awful possibility.

“User.”

“…One more place.”

There may have been no reason for this one.

My motivation was mostly just sentimentality.

It was the center of that twisted subterranean world.

Level 4: The Colosseum.

“…”

There had never been anything in that vast circular space. Multiple unmanageable Archenemies had been tossed inside and made to kill each other there. And that was why the Bright Cross had had no way of erasing it.

That place alone looked just as it had when I saw it via “a certain method”.

''I see.

''So it really did exist…

“User, your smartphone’s battery has dropped below 50%. And the odds of escaping this underground area without the light and my support are below 2%.”

“Understood. Let’s get back.”

I didn’t want to die pointlessly there. I was just shocked to find there was no one to bring out with me.

In addition to the Bright Cross humans and the equipment they had carried out, there had to have been Archenemies trapped in here too.

And they had been treated just like the supplies and equipment…

“Damn, so I guess it’s back to the drawing board.”

“Whatever the reason, shouldn’t you be delighted that the Bright Cross has left Kukyou City?”

“Perhaps.”

But I didn’t want to be someone who was satisfied with this incomplete ending.

I started for the surface under Maxwell’s guidance. They had probably carefully planned their escape, so I doubted I would find any kind of hint leading me to them in this subterranean world.

But they had hid this giant facility from 800,000 people. They had to have spread their roots to the administration, the police, the construction companies that worked underground, the public utilities, the gas company, and the subway.

They had to have left their scent somewhere.

My next step would be figuring out where that was.

With that in mind, I returned to the entrance in the abandoned factory.

And then it arrived.

The heavy bursting sound shook my stomach more than my eardrums and a vortex of light split through the night sky.

Even in my confusion, I quickly realized it was gunpowder exploding.

I briefly thought someone had thrown a bomb at me. The Bright Cross would probably go that far.

But I was wrong.

“…What!? Fireworks!?”

“Sure. According to the administrative records, Katou Fireworks Production submitted a request for a test firing and their request was approved. But this is too large for a test firing. That was likely a cover story.”

Countless fireworks continued to fly up and create colorful rings of sparks in the sky.

Each one created hundreds of thousands of lights and some might have reached the millions.

But what were these fireworks celebrating?

My pulse was pounding and unease filled my chest.

“User.”

“What is it, Maxwell?”

“I have received some interesting information via a Full Seg broadcast. It is a national broadcast.”

I didn’t want to watch it.

But I was afraid to throw this out.

Was this what it felt like to be a patient with an ominous shadow on the X-ray?

I breathed in and out.

And I spoke.

“Play it on the screen, Maxwell.”

“Sure.”

The smartphone screen immediately switched to a TV broadcast. A young woman’s high-pitched voice came from a national key station.

“Archenemy vs. Archenemy! The Colosseum is finally beginning! This new form of gambling has the full approval of the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare!! Getting a head start on the rest of the country, its home ground of Kukyou City is having one hell of a celebration!!”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

''What?

''Did she say Colosseum???

''Isn’t that a terrible scandal sealed away in the darkness below Kukyou City? Isn’t that what the giant Bright Cross organization was working so hard to hide!?

''What the hell is this?

''Why is a sexy host boldly announcing it to the entire country in a brightly-lit studio!?

“This is Karen-chan, your host in the bright bunny costume. We were having trouble getting an official casino off the ground, so it ended up as this kind of gambling system instead. Looks like Japan’s creative spirit hasn’t been snuffed out quite yet! We’re brimming with the power to create new things and systems! Let’s get ahead of the world with an explosion of innovation! And that means this Colosseum as a new form of entertainment!!”

I was dumbfounded by what I heard from the long-haired host who wore a bunny costume that sparkled with the blue of a rainforest butterfly.

This was probably how American families had felt when they saw the news that funny-smelling dried plants had been legalized just because the prisons were running out of space.

In short: What the hell is wrong with you!!!???

“Maxwell, is this for real? Has the Bright Cross really gone public with their insane Colosseum!?”

“Sure. I checked the administrative system since they mentioned the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare and this has been officially approved. In addition to the politicians worried about negative opinion polls concerning the idea of publicly run casinos due to the benefits given to bureaucrats in the similar horse racing and lottery systems, a medical group like the Bright Cross would have already had a large pipeline set up with the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. It would not have been difficult to set this up.”

And yet…

Even so…!!

“We’re talking about televised public executions! Can they really get away with that? How can they!?”

The blue bunny girl on the screen seemed to answer my obvious question.

“Okay, okay. We ensure you that the money from the votes you cast for a winner – that is, the gambling tickets you purchase – will all be used to cover our management expenses. And the biggest of those is this! Every Archenemy that takes part will receive a substantial reward for every match they win. The first win nets them 10 million and each consecutive win doubles in value! Of course, they’re free to step down if they feel continuing would be too dangerous. They must fight fiercely and manage their funds wisely! We are rooting that these Archenemies will end up with a comfortable life!!”

…''So that’s how they’re presenting it.

Even if an Archenemy collapsed after multiple battles, it would be the greedy contestant’s responsibility, not the management’s. And they had announced the prize money would come from the people who had bet on the loser. This would only increase people’s hate for the undead fighting in front of the cameras.

And the Archenemies wouldn’t actually be given the option to step down.

If every last one of them kept fighting unto death, the management would never have to pay a single yen in prize money. And so they would force the Archenemies to do exactly that.

“And if a contestant dies during the match, their body is given to the winner. Hm? I wonder what this special rule is for? Well, there will be tons of werewolves and vampires here. Whether it’s eating them or controlling them, I’m sure they have some use for it!”

They had even gone the extra mile.

Not only did this increase everyone’s hatred for the Archenemies being captured and forced to fight, but it also gave an excuse that rid people of any questions about what happened to them afterwards.

“The examples might be foreign, but there is precedent for combat tournaments that require contestants to sign away any liability if they die! We can’t let them outdo us! Look at boxing and professional wrestling bound by all their compliance rules! You can’t make anything unique with that! So let’s make a tournament with the highest of risks and the highest of returns!! Karen-chan here will be rooting for you!! Doom doom doom too too too!!”

This was insane.

Not only was this was being broadcast, but it was a national thing. A hundred million people were watching this and possibly even the entire world thanks to online streaming. Why didn’t anyone stop it? Why didn’t anyone stand up!?

A small box at the bottom of the screen displayed random messages sent to the official SNS account.

And they said:

“Ohhhh! I haven’t been this excited in forever!!”

“So an age of casinos is finally upon us.”

“We need to feel angry and depressed. But it’s amusing, so I’m still watching without getting involved. lol.”

There was no guarantee all of them were being honest.

People’s personalities often changed between a face-to-face conversation and on a faceless message board. And Maxwell had said politicians were supporting this after worryingly negative opinion polls about the possibility of publicly run casinos, so it was possible all of the positive opinions were from hired shills.

But.

Even so.

It was disgusting. It was utterly repugnant. I couldn’t accept that people were watching this fight to death in front of their dinner tables just because it was placed in a nice wrapper. And any sense of rejection melted away as they sided with the majority and as they laughed and angrily yelled at the victimized undead without feeling any guilt. That malice made me sick to the stomach.

“…”

I could barely stay standing, like I was anemic. My vision would have grown dark if I hadn’t stayed focused.

But the world didn’t care.

Karen spoke from the screen with a smile on her face.

“Itou Helen the witch vs. Kuroyama Hinoki the mermaid! Would you look at that! This is looking spectacular from the very first match!”

Those words were the last straw.

I recalled the small animal of a girl with wavy shoulder-length blonde hair who I had just recently met at the convenience store. That harmless underclassman had cowered down just from the guidance counselor getting after her for her skirt.

Itou Helen.

She was…an Archenemy?

And she had fallen into the Bright Cross’s hands!?

I had only just seen her.

If I had done something then, this wouldn’t have happened. No, why had she even spoken to me when we barely knew each other? Had she noticed the gazes targeting her? She had said I reminded her of her “Onii-chan”. Had that been a weird illusion brought on by her desire for someone to protect her?

Whether it had been intentional or not, she had sent out an SOS.

And I had rejected it.

So was it my fault this had happened?

“The match begins today at 10 o’clock. It’s an exclusive live broadcast! Whether you prefer a national broadcast, a satellite channel, or a video streaming site, just check out this station’s channel there! Ticket sales end 10 minutes in advance! Now, now! Get excited and take part. The Colosseum hopes you will find much excitement, happiness, and riches☆”

===[Search Engine] In Front of the Event Site [Absolute NOAH]===

This is your confirmation paperwork.

Yes, yes. Just like always.

Now, please come in.

It would help if you went underground and entered using the parking lot’s industrial elevator.

Ha ha. Is that so? I thought you would be in a frenzy getting everything working under the new system, but it’s all moving surprisingly smoothly.

So what method are we using to replace the tunnels? What is Laplace saying?

Oh? A tour bus?

That’s pretty roundabout. A refrigerated truck for transporting fish would be more direct. You’re right. The bus might indeed be more convenient when you need to be able to stop wherever you want. My apologies. And with all the personnel you need to transport on a “job”, I suppose a tour bus would be best since the soldiers can ride up top while the “cargo” is held down below. I see.

Yes, I’m sorry.

I didn’t mean to delay you. Please keep up the good work.

…

…

…

Yes, hello?

I’m here at the scene. Yes, Itou Helen was just delivered.

A witch and a mermaid. That should make a decent initial impact. And it honestly wouldn’t be very pretty to have two filthy guys fighting each other.

Anyway.

Now we can safely restart the Colosseum.

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| Back to [[My_Vampire_Older_Sister_and_Zombie_Little_Sister:Volume2_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
| Return to [[My_Vampire_Older_Sister_and_Zombie_Little_Sister|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[My_Vampire_Older_Sister_and_Zombie_Little_Sister:Volume2_Chapter_1|Chapter 1]]
|-
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</noinclude>

My Vampire Older Sister and Zombie Little Sister:Volume2 Chapter 0

2017-07-14T08:07:32Z

76.115.0.117: /* [Search Engine] Definition Confirmation [Absolute NOAH] */

==Chapter 0==

===[Search Engine] Definition Confirmation [Absolute NOAH]===

1. A life form that has surpassed the limits of known biology and has a lifespan either infinitely or immeasurably long.

2. A life form created from or by a human.

3. A life form whose individual traits present a risk of spreading to or infecting unrelated people around it.

The conditions change depending on the environment and situation, but those are the fundamental definitions of an Archenemy.

The term Archenemy itself refers to Satan in a certain monotheistic religion and from there came to mean any sort of “demon lord” in general.

Synonymous terms are the undead, the living dead, and the immortal.

Vampires and zombies are the representative examples Archenemies in modern times.

===Part 1===

It was a refreshing moonlit night after the city’s air pollution was swept away by an out-of-season storm.

I was holed up in my room, curled up on the floor, and pressing my back against the inside of the door.

I had a simple reason for this.

''Knock knock! Knock kno-knock knock knock!! Knock knock knock knock!

“Satori-kuuun? Your big sister would like to speak with you. Specifically, we need to discuss what happened to the limited melon bread from Asamiya.”

“I know, right? They only make 20 a day and don’t take reservations, so it’s super rare. Onee-chan and I were arguing over who got it, but then it just up and vanished.”

''Tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble tremble!!

I hadn’t known.

I really hadn’t known that was holding everything together here. All I did was trudge home through the rain and realize something smelled great when I set foot inside our house. And then that golden glittering prize was just sitting there! Of course I was gonna eat it!!

This was really bad. What was I going to do? My older sister Erika was a vampire and my little sister Ayumi was a zombie. They were known as the undead or Archenemies, which made them something like an RPG’s hidden boss. I was in real trouble if they were angry. They wouldn’t even need a fist to break through the plywood door; a karate chop would be enough to break right through! And then they’d drag me out!

While I trembled in fear, my smartphone buzzed in my pocket.

I pulled it out and checked the screen (to distract myself from reality) and saw Maxwell speaking through an SNS speech bubble.

However, Maxwell was not an international friend or a classmate with a cringe-worthy screenname.

This was the system management agent for the Maxwell disaster environment simulator.

“What is it, Maxwell? I’m kind of busy.”

“Sure. And that is why I am contacting you. I determined you needed this system’s assistance since you stepped in it and have no way out.”

“Y-you mean you’ll make full use of the simulator’s processing power to calculate out a way for me to survive Erika and Ayumi’s double punch!? That’s almost too good to be true!”

“No. I have calculated 8.6 trillion different scenarios and each and every one of them ends in failure.”

“So all I know is that I’m really and truly doomed! That’s a disaster environment simulator for you!!”

“However, I have detected a single unknown variable. It is a possibility of unknown impact, but it seems better than any of the options with a 100% chance of failure.”

“…In other words, there’s almost no chance of success this way either?”

“Sure. It is like the difference between a suspension bridge just about to snap and one that has already fallen.”

I mussed up my bangs with a hand while still leaning against the door.

I really had understood this wasn’t a problem that would solve itself with time. In fact, my sisters’ anger would only grow the longer I put it off. My best option was to immediately open the door and bow down in apology. But I was scared! If I prostrated myself before them, they might just crush my head underfoot!! I mean, my older sister was a vampire queen and an extreme S!! The defendant requests time for the lay judges to cool down!!

“I guess I just have to go for it. Okay, Maxwell! What exactly do I have to do?”

“Sure. Turn your smartphone’s voice input option on and lower your privacy protection settings to Level 2.”

“?”

“User, I am asking for permission to borrow your ‘voice’ to speak.”

On the other side of the door, they wouldn’t be able to tell if it was me or Maxwell speaking.

My palms were sweaty and fear clutched at my heart, so Maxwell could indeed be the better negotiator since he operated on strict numerical values.

“Okay, Maxwell. Let’s do that. …There…there…and done. Updating…and done.”

“Very well.”

The smartphone replied with my exact voice.

So what was Maxell going to do? Anything was fine as long as it shattered this feeling like I was trapped in a cleaning locker which was then thrown in a big hole and had cement dumped on top. It was all riding on his performance!!

And then he spoke with my voice.

“Oh, shut up!! I’m sitting in front of the monitor with my pants down and it’s at the most exciting part, so can’t you wait until this box of tissues is empty!?”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

''You…

“You…! Maxwell…!?”

“Sure. The two behind the door have fallen silent. The unexpected attack has shut down their thought processes.”

I could tell my face was filling with bright red heat. I wanted to call this a false accusation, but I’d be in trouble if he brought up the folder I’d stuck in a hidden drive disguised as his BIOS space!

“More importantly, their thought processes will only remain shut down for around 30 seconds at the longest. If you do not act soon, they will recover.”

“Kh!!”

Opening the door to face my step-sisters was not an option now.

That meant the window!

I wanted to get as far away as possible. For more reasons than one!!

“By the way, the Class Rep next door should have her window open to view the moon on this clear night now that the storm has passed. That concludes my perfect simulation. Ehehn.”

“Sorry, forehead glasses Class Rep, but I’m dragging you into this!!”

I hopped to my feet, threw open the window, stepped back for a running start, and then leaped into the open sky. I wasn’t riding a bike with an alien in the basket, but I still flew in front of the moon and right through the open second story window next door.

The black-haired forehead glasses Class Rep was in her pajamas and looked utterly shocked.

“Kyahh!!”

“Nice one, Class Rep! That’s the normal reaction!!”

Just 30 seconds ago, I had been trapped with a vampire and zombie only a door away while a parallel processing computer stabbed me in the back. After that fantastical situation, the Class Rep’s normalcy soaked into the core of my being like the first taste of miso soup after returning from an overseas vacation.

Speaking of the Class Rep, she wore pastel-colored pajamas and she adjusted her glasses with a hand as if she could not believe what she was seeing.

“S-Satori-kun? Is it just me or have your own actions grown a little monstrous of late? You look like you should be wearing a cape and a butterfly mask and calling yourself a gentleman thief.”

“…Heh. Humans are changed by their environment.”

“Well, whatever.”

As she spoke, the Class Rep shut her thin curtains instead of the window.

And at the same exact moment, I heard a door burst open in the neighboring house – which now meant my own.

“O-Onii-chan is gone!? Fuguu!”

“I wonder what kinds of exciting things Satori-kun was watching. What if it was older girls or blonde big sister types? Kyah!”

They apparently couldn’t tell I was in the Class Rep’s room thanks to the shut curtain.

They seemed more interested in searching my room than for me, but that was fine as long as it bought me time. And there was nothing inside my room I didn’t want them to find. Nothing ''inside it''.

“So what are you going to do now, Satori-kun?”

The Class Rep supposedly had no idea what was going on, and yet she asked that, rummaged through her closet, and pulled out some sneakers.

For some reason, she had chopsticks, a toothbrush, a simple change of clothes, and exercise shoes for me at her house. And yet I hadn’t slept over at her house since before we moved up to middle school.

Maybe it was a lingering remnant of when my parents were getting divorced. I had escaped to her place a lot back then.

But there shouldn’t have been any reason for her to worry about me now.

“Thanks, Class Rep. I had business outside anyway, so this really-…”

When I reached for the shoes in relief, the Pajama Class Rep pulled them away some reason.

…?

“S-sorry. It’s not your fault, Satori-kun.”

She was muttering about something.

Just as I wondered why she was blushing, she confessed the reason.

“B-b-b-but I kind of wish you wouldn’t loudly proclaim to the entire neighborhood that you’re having an exciting time in front of the computer screen. Th-there are some wet tissues over there. Okay?”

''Ma-

“Maxweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!?”

===Part 2===

It was all just too much.

But anyway, I borrowed the sneakers from the Class Rep and left through her house’s front door.

She came down to see me off and her skeptical voice followed me out.

“Where are you headed this late? The convenience store?”

“Yeah. More or less.”

I gave a dismissive wave and left.

Since the storm had just passed through, the area was damp but fresh. The air was cleaner than normal, so it may have been the perfect time for a night stroll.

Not that I was in the mood in the slightest.

I spoke to the smartphone in my hand.

“Maxwell.”

“Sure.”

“Let’s get started.”

Kukyou City was a strange place.

It was a picturesque sightseeing city surrounded by the sea and the mountains.

But it contained an abnormally high number of disasters, primarily lightning strikes and powerful winds, so it had taken advantage of that to become a disaster prevention city that made money off of disasters by inviting in multiple institutions researching disaster prevention and protection.

And the city had another face hidden deep underground.

A final testing ground for vampires and zombies.

Those undead and Archenemies were tested to see if they could get along with modern society.

And if they failed, they were executed and disposed of.

A massive network of underground tunnels spread like a spider web below the city and any Archenemy that caused problems was dragged into the darkness by men in black who appeared from the depths of the earth.

It did not matter what the reason was.

They could even be people like Erika or Ayumi who laughed, cried, and attended school like normal.

I had only learned of this by accident.

But now that I knew that those two girls who lived in my house could be taken away at any time, I couldn’t just sit idly by.

They weren’t the only Archenemies.

And there were other things just as important as those two and I could not let those things be trampled on.

So…

“Maxwell, give me the simulation data.”

“Sure. I have completed the scenario concerning the destruction of the Japanese Branch of the Bright Cross Disaster Prevention Foundation operating in its underground facility.”

The Bright Cross.

That international organization was thought to be peaceful and was well-known enough to have donation boxes next to the registers at national convenience store chains.

I was picking a fight with them.

“I have calculated 3448 scenarios for their later reaction, but in none of them do they maintain any influence over Kukyou City. I can promise you they will be fully driven from the city.”

“So all I can do is drive them from the city? What about the Archenemies outside of Kukyou City?”

“That is too wide a range for my simulation abilities. Either input different parameters and repeat the calculation or physically expand my system.”

So that was all I could manage for the time being.

I of course couldn’t allow the Bright Cross’s tyranny to continue anywhere in the world, but if I was going to fight something on such a massive scale, I had to start by solidifying my footing here first.

Fight.

That word seemed so vague and none of this felt remotely real as I wandered through the dark night.

“Maxwell? Where do I need to go?”

“Sure.”

My smartphone’s map app opened and with a single location pinned on it.

…''That’s pretty close by.

Just as I thought that and looked up from the screen, I happened to be passing by a convenience store that faintly lit up the regional city night.

“Nn.”

“…?”

Someone suddenly bowed toward me.

Who was it, you ask?

A girl a head shorter than me who had wavy blonde hair grown to shoulder length. She wore a baggy white sweater and a chocolate-colored miniskirt. I could see more of her brilliantly white legs than necessary. I wasn’t sure that was doing much to protect her. It felt like seeing a dumb soldier holding his shield in the complete wrong direction during a hail of arrows.

She seemed to have just left the convenience store. She used both hands to hold a single plastic bag containing whatever she had bought.

To put it simply, she reminded me of a small animal.

That impression may have been helped by how her baggy sweater covered her mouth a little and only her fingertips poked out of the sleeves. However, her blonde hair was not the forcibly bleached blonde
of a delinquent girl. She was a half-Japanese girl with naturally blonde hair.

…''Hm? Half-Japanese?

“Oh, you’re Itou Helen, right?”

When I used the name I had remembered, she bowed again.

She was an underclassman at school. She was popular among the 1st years and among the ruder upperclassmen who said they liked small girls.

I didn’t really know her, but I had helped her out when the guidance counselor was getting after her for having too short a skirt.

I don’t look like the type to do something so heroic? Needless to say, I only got dragged into it because I was nearby and the true criminals were a few of my mischievous male classmates.

So it was honestly strange I remembered her name and I didn’t feel like I had done anything for her.

I was like the boring merchant in the same party as a hero, a sage, and a magician. In fact, I was more like a villager or a corpse.

“Well, not that it matters. So is your house nearby? Just make sure you follow the main roads and walk below the cameras, okay?”

I tried to give her some upperclassman-y advice as I left.

No. I was just trying to use my position at school to escape since I couldn’t find anything to say.

In other words, I was a chicken who was afraid of this little girl.

I was afraid of failing to grasp the distance between us and making it awkward.

It was laughable that I thought I could fight an international foundation for my family.

“…chan.” Itou Helen said something quietly. “You have the same scent as my Onii-chan, so I can relax around you.”

I couldn’t say anything for sure since I didn’t know who exactly this “Onii-chan” was, but had something happened? She was in the 1st year, so had she gotten separated from her brother when moving up from middle school?

It was only a small thing like that.

“Maybe it’s because I have a little sister too.”

That was all I said.

And I had a big sister too.

Real conversations weren’t like in dramas. If you weren’t a good match, the conversation would trail off and create an awkward silence. It looked like the conversation was over, so I waved and started to leave.

“You have the same scent as my Onii-chan.”

But Itou Helen said something again.

No, the conversation had never ended for her. Had it only seemed awkward to me?

“So please…be careful. But that’s also…a somewhat dangerous scent.”

“…”

Her point of view was so skewed from mine that this hardly qualified as advice.

But her words did seem to stab into the center of my chest.

Especially as someone about to pick a fight with the Bright Cross.

What kind of person was Itou Helen’s Onii-chan?

To be honest, I was more interested in her.

“Sure. Let’s both be careful.”

“…”

She bowed.

And this time we really did part ways.

“Maxwell.”

“Sure.”

“Just to be sure, let’s make sure Itou Helen isn’t following me before I head to the coordinates. Give me a route.”

“Sure. This is a lot like an open world quest, user.”

“I know. And why am I trying to ''lose'' the girl I met on the roadside? That’s not the Amatsu Satori way.”

But I was worried over nothing.

Itou Helen did not follow me.

I felt embarrassed about my unneeded caution and Maxwell left a targeted comment.

“Reality is cruel. It would seem you have not met a video game heroine who becomes obsessed with you the second you meet her.”

“Well, I suppose this is honestly the real Amatsu Satori way. In fact, I’m kind of relieved for the confirmation that I’m standing in the real world here!!”

But it was true it would have been a problem had she followed me.

I called up the map app with its pinned location.

“Maxwell, so the location is in the old factory section of the Hirano Ward residential district?”

“Sure. That area has shrunk in size as the city becomes more of a commuter town. So after the owner on paper changed countless times, they ran off in the night, leaving the rights to the land ambiguous. In other words, the area is poorly managed and difficult to find accurate information on.”

“I can’t believe this. And I built a hidden fort there when I was a kid.”

That reminder of the fort under the bridge brought a prickling to a corner of my mind.

But this was no time to be searching for happy memories.

I had to make for the abandoned factory.

There were environmental standards for residential districts, so the factories had been in the way. History had its winners and losers and one half of that equation appeared as a crumbling moonlit silhouette.

Whether it was debt collectors or scrap metal collectors, the inside was almost entirely stripped of machinery, leaving a giant empty space.

I walked through the dark room with my smartphone’s backlight and finally found “that”.

It was something no one was able to carry out: a round door like to a bank vault.

“…”

These were officially known as tornado shelters installed for free in all the houses and offices of disaster-prone Kukyou City. But I had never seen one of them open.

And I had learned the truth through “a certain method”.

The tornado shelter cover story was a lie and the city was actually filled with tunnels used to abduct Archenemies.

They were everywhere and could get in from anywhere.

These doors were inside every home and office, so there was no shutting them out.

I glanced to a biometric scanning panel and spoke.

“Maxwell. How long until you’ve hacked the system?”

I heard a quiet beeping.

Then I heard the complex latch opening with a series of rumbling sounds.

A text bubble appeared on my smartphone.

“Sure. That job is already complete.”

It opened.

Slowly.

Did this seem to be going too well for an amateur high school boy? It was the opposite. If I took one step outside of the optimal course determined by Maxwell’s simulations, I would die instantly. It was like losing your life if the needle skipped even slightly on the record. I could not even afford to stumble.

It started here.

The underground facility was vast. Things changed considerably depending on what entrance I used. I was a normal high school boy, but I had repeated the simulation over and over until even that high school boy could strike back at the Bright Cross. I could only continue with this. I would know the facility better than its owners at this point.

(The server, the bats, short circuits, the backup timing, hardware damage.)

I repeated a few terms in my mind.

''Now.

''Time to settle things with the Bright Cross.

…Or so I thought.

My thoughts ground to a halt.

I came across something unexpected.

However, it was not that I ran across a group wielding machineguns or was attacked by tamed Archenemies as soon as I opened the door.

That would have been better.

As a vector, this was 180 degrees in the opposite direction.

There was nothing.

There was no one.

It was only a giant empty space. All of the specialty equipment and even the lights had been removed, so I wouldn’t have been able to see my hand in front of my face without my smartphone’s backlight.

But there had to be something here.

The loathsome Bright Cross had to be here!

“What…the hell?”

“No. I am unable to find an appropriate answer to your question. This situation was not in the simulation. I strongly recommend you suspend this task and withdraw.”

I ignored Maxwell’s suggestion and stepped into the long, long tunnel of that subterranean world. And I started running.

It was like being in a school at night.

There was no life there. There were no signs of anyone there.

This was definitely bad. It was entirely unexpected. More than a needle scratch, the entire record player had toppled over. And I could easily die if I set even one foot outside the simulation!

“User, I am having trouble maintaining a signal. I cannot guarantee a connection to your device.”

“Dammit!”

The thick disaster-resistant concrete worked against me. If the Bright Cross’s system had still been active, Maxwell could have secretly used it to boost the signal with their antennae.

If I lost Maxwell now, I was completely out of luck. It was possible I wouldn’t even be able to find my way back to the door I had come in through. And it was the only one open.

“What do you think happened? Do you think it’s ‘just’ that the Bright Cross is all gathered in one spot?”

“No. I can construct a few theories, but I cannot provide any objective proof for any of them.”

“…”

“But whatever the case, this is not normal. We can assume they had a reason forcing them to do this.”

Had an Archenemy like Erika or Ayumi gone berserk inside the facility?

Or had there been a confrontation and split between the armed humans of the Bright Cross?

But it didn’t seem like either of those.

There was no damage anywhere. There was no blood splattered anywhere and no scars on the walls or floor.

Everything that had been here had simply vanished.

It was almost like they had predicted one of those more violent fates and skipped town before it happened…

''No.

''Wait.

“Did they predict we would be coming here today at this time?”

“There is no evidence to suggest that. How that information would have leaked out is also unknown. But it is one of several possible theories.”

“But why!? If they knew, they could have just laid an ambush for me. Or they could have just attacked before I did anything. Using these abduction tunnels of theirs!”

“No. I have no information leading to a useful answer. But as this has happened, the Bright Cross likely decided this would benefit them or reduce their losses.”

It made no sense.

What was the Bright Cross thinking?

“There is nothing you can do here. This underground space covers all of Kukyou City, so it is unrealistic for you alone to investigate it all. Will you recruit more help or will you use drone robots instead? Either way, I suggest you prepare some kind of plan.”

I had to start all over again.

I had spent so much time putting together this scenario to destroy the Bright Cross, but it was entirely useless now.

“…Dammit.”

There was one place I wanted to check out.

The cold storage room in the medical lab.

The Level 4 Archenemies should have been kept frozen there, but it was as empty as everything else.

Not only were there no Archenemies, but I saw no sign of freezing equipment or even a single screw or nail.

The boxy space was so empty it seemed to be saying there had never been anything there.

The Bright Cross was not here.

I could not save the Archenemies.

I had never even considered this awful possibility.

“User.”

“…One more place.”

There may have been no reason for this one.

My motivation was mostly just sentimentality.

It was the center of that twisted subterranean world.

Level 4: The Colosseum.

“…”

There had never been anything in that vast circular space. Multiple unmanageable Archenemies had been tossed inside and made to kill each other there. And that was why the Bright Cross had had no way of erasing it.

That place alone looked just as it had when I saw it via “a certain method”.

''I see.

''So it really did exist…

“User, your smartphone’s battery has dropped below 50%. And the odds of escaping this underground area without the light and my support are below 2%.”

“Understood. Let’s get back.”

I didn’t want to die pointlessly there. I was just shocked to find there was no one to bring out with me.

In addition to the Bright Cross humans and the equipment they had carried out, there had to have been Archenemies trapped in here too.

And they had been treated just like the supplies and equipment…

“Damn, so I guess it’s back to the drawing board.”

“Whatever the reason, shouldn’t you be delighted that the Bright Cross has left Kukyou City?”

“Perhaps.”

But I didn’t want to be someone who was satisfied with this incomplete ending.

I started for the surface under Maxwell’s guidance. They had probably carefully planned their escape, so I doubted I would find any kind of hint leading me to them in this subterranean world.

But they had hid this giant facility from 800,000 people. They had to have spread their roots to the administration, the police, the construction companies that worked underground, the public utilities, the gas company, and the subway.

They had to have left their scent somewhere.

My next step would be figuring out where that was.

With that in mind, I returned to the entrance in the abandoned factory.

And then it arrived.

The heavy bursting sound shook my stomach more than my eardrums and a vortex of light split through the night sky.

Even in my confusion, I quickly realized it was gunpowder exploding.

I briefly thought someone had thrown a bomb at me. The Bright Cross would probably go that far.

But I was wrong.

“…What!? Fireworks!?”

“Sure. According to the administrative records, Katou Fireworks Production submitted a request for a test firing and their request was approved. But this is too large for a test firing. That was likely a cover story.”

Countless fireworks continued to fly up and create colorful rings of sparks in the sky.

Each one created hundreds of thousands of lights and some might have reached the millions.

But what were these fireworks celebrating?

My pulse was pounding and unease filled my chest.

“User.”

“What is it, Maxwell?”

“I have received some interesting information via a Full Seg broadcast. It is a national broadcast.”

I didn’t want to watch it.

But I was afraid to throw this out.

Was this what it felt like to be a patient with an ominous shadow on the X-ray?

I breathed in and out.

And I spoke.

“Play it on the screen, Maxwell.”

“Sure.”

The smartphone screen immediately switched to a TV broadcast. A young woman’s high-pitched voice came from a national key station.

“Archenemy vs. Archenemy! The Colosseum is finally beginning! This new form of gambling has the full approval of the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare!! Getting a head start on the rest of the country, its home ground of Kukyou City is having one hell of a celebration!!”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

''What?

''Did she say Colosseum???

''Isn’t that a terrible scandal sealed away in the darkness below Kukyou City? Isn’t that what the giant Bright Cross organization was working so hard to hide!?

''What the hell is this?

''Why is a sexy host boldly announcing it to the entire country in a brightly-lit studio!?

“This is Karen-chan, your host in the bright bunny costume. We were having trouble getting an official casino off the ground, so it ended up as this kind of gambling system instead. Looks like Japan’s creative spirit hasn’t been snuffed out quite yet! We’re brimming with the power to create new things and systems! Let’s get ahead of the world with an explosion of innovation! And that means this Colosseum as a new form of entertainment!!”

I was dumbfounded by what I heard from the long-haired host who wore a bunny costume that sparkled with the blue of a rainforest butterfly.

This was probably how American families had felt when they saw the news that funny-smelling dried plants had been legalized just because the prisons were running out of space.

In short: What the hell is wrong with you!!!???

“Maxwell, is this for real? Has the Bright Cross really gone public with their insane Colosseum!?”

“Sure. I checked the administrative system since they mentioned the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare and this has been officially approved. In addition to the politicians worried about negative opinion polls concerning the idea of publicly run casinos due to the benefits given to bureaucrats in the similar horse racing and lottery systems, a medical group like the Bright Cross would have already had a large pipeline set up with the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. It would not have been difficult to set this up.”

And yet…

Even so…!!

“We’re talking about televised public executions! Can they really get away with that? How can they!?”

The blue bunny girl on the screen seemed to answer my obvious question.

“Okay, okay. We ensure you that the money from the votes you cast for a winner – that is, the gambling tickets you purchase – will all be used to cover our management expenses. And the biggest of those is this! Every Archenemy that takes part will receive a substantial reward for every match they win. The first win nets them 10 million and each consecutive win doubles in value! Of course, they’re free to step down if they feel continuing would be too dangerous. They must fight fiercely and manage their funds wisely! We are rooting that these Archenemies will end up with a comfortable life!!”

…''So that’s how they’re presenting it.

Even if an Archenemy collapsed after multiple battles, it would be the greedy contestant’s responsibility, not the management’s. And they had announced the prize money would come from the people who had bet on the loser. This would only increase people’s hate for the undead fighting in front of the cameras.

And the Archenemies wouldn’t actually be given the option to step down.

If every last one of them kept fighting unto death, the management would never have to pay a single yen in prize money. And so they would force the Archenemies to do exactly that.

“And if a contestant dies during the match, their body is given to the winner. Hm? I wonder what this special rule is for? Well, there will be tons of werewolves and vampires here. Whether it’s eating them or controlling them, I’m sure they have some use for it!”

They had even gone the extra mile.

Not only did this increase everyone’s hatred for the Archenemies being captured and forced to fight, but it also gave an excuse that rid people of any questions about what happened to them afterwards.

“The examples might be foreign, but there is precedent for combat tournaments that require contestants to sign away any liability if they die! We can’t let them outdo us! Look at boxing and professional wrestling bound by all their compliance rules! You can’t make anything unique with that! So let’s make a tournament with the highest of risks and the highest of returns!! Karen-chan here will be rooting for you!! Doom doom doom too too too!!”

This was insane.

Not only was this was being broadcast, but it was a national thing. A hundred million people were watching this and possibly even the entire world thanks to online streaming. Why didn’t anyone stop it? Why didn’t anyone stand up!?

A small box at the bottom of the screen displayed random messages sent to the official SNS account.

And they said:

“Ohhhh! I haven’t been this excited in forever!!”

“So an age of casinos is finally upon us.”

“We need to feel angry and depressed. But it’s amusing, so I’m still watching without getting involved. lol.”

There was no guarantee all of them were being honest.

People’s personalities often changed between a face-to-face conversation and on a faceless message board. And Maxwell had said politicians were supporting this after worryingly negative opinion polls about the possibility of publicly run casinos, so it was possible all of the positive opinions were from hired shills.

But.

Even so.

It was disgusting. It was utterly repugnant. I couldn’t accept that people were watching this fight to death in front of their dinner tables just because it was placed in a nice wrapper. And any sense of rejection melted away as they sided with the majority and as they laughed and angrily yelled at the victimized undead without feeling any guilt. That malice made me sick to the stomach.

“…”

I could barely stay standing, like I was anemic. My vision would have grown dark if I hadn’t stayed focused.

But the world didn’t care.

Karen spoke from the screen with a smile on her face.

“Itou Helen the witch vs. Kuroyama Hinoki the mermaid! Would you look at that! This is looking spectacular from the very first match!”

Those words were the last straw.

I recalled the small animal of a girl with wavy shoulder-length blonde hair who I had just recently met at the convenience store. That harmless underclassman had cowered down just from the guidance counselor getting after her for her skirt.

Itou Helen.

She was…an Archenemy?

And she had fallen into the Bright Cross’s hands!?

I had only just seen her.

If I had done something then, this wouldn’t have happened. No, why had she even spoken to me when we barely knew each other? Had she noticed the gazes targeting her? She had said I reminded her of her “Onii-chan”. Had that been a weird illusion brought on by her desire for someone to protect her?

Whether it had been intentional or not, she had sent out an SOS.

And I had rejected it.

So was it my fault this had happened?

“The match begins today at 10 o’clock. It’s an exclusive live broadcast! Whether you prefer a national broadcast, a satellite channel, or a video streaming site, just check out this station’s channel there! Ticket sales end 10 minutes in advance! Now, now! Get excited and take part. The Colosseum hopes you will find much excitement, happiness, and riches☆”

===[Search Engine] In Front of the Event Site [Absolute NOAH]===

This is your confirmation paperwork.

Yes, yes. Just like always.

Now, please come in.

It would help if you went underground and entered using the parking lot’s industrial elevator.

Ha ha. Is that so? I thought you would be in a frenzy getting everything working under the new system, but it’s all moving surprisingly smoothly.

So what method are we using to replace the tunnels? What is Laplace saying?

Oh? A tour bus?

That’s pretty roundabout. A refrigerated truck for transporting fish would be more direct. You’re right. The bus might indeed be more convenient when you need to be able to stop wherever you want. My apologies. And with all the personnel you need to transport on a “job”, I suppose a tour bus would be best since the soldiers can ride up top while the “cargo” is held down below. I see.

Yes, I’m sorry.

I didn’t mean to delay you. Please keep up the good work.

…

…

…

Yes, hello?

I’m here at the scene. Yes, Itou Helen was just delivered.

A witch and a mermaid. That should make a decent initial impact. And it honestly wouldn’t be very pretty to have two filthy guys fighting each other.

Anyway.

Now we can safely restart the Colosseum.

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| Forward to [[My_Vampire_Older_Sister_and_Zombie_Little_Sister:Volume2_Chapter_1|Chapter 1]]
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</noinclude>

Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Chapter 5

2017-02-18T21:13:35Z

76.115.0.117: /* Chapter 5- The Brigade’s True Strength */

==Chapter 5- The Brigade’s True Strength==

1

Unable to endure the time it was taking all of the troops to prepare, Jeweljude’s face turned impatient upon knowing that the Cassandra Kingdom was up to something.

(We can no longer afford to delay our departure. If we don’t advance toward the Cassandra Kingdom immediately…. Now is not the time to fuss over those fools who can’t even make proper preparations.)

Making up his mind, Jeweljude brought with him only those troops that were ready to depart and advanced his brigade.

And so, the first wave of the witch extermination army, which centered around the Brigade of 88, left Granvista and aimed towards the place closest to the royal capital of the Cassandra Kingdom. Jeweljude decided they would first stop near Cassandra and then think of what to do next.

Together with the brigade, the first wave comprised of: 500 units sent by the city of Recissus, 200 from the city of Saintes Zephyr, and 400 from the city of Mergas, making a total of 1100 units. Since Cassandra’s capital was a small-scaled one, their mobilization power was small as well. Despite that, one couldn’t underestimate their opponents. The second wave numbered 1200 soldiers; nevertheless, it was falling behind in their advance. The remaining 700 were reasonably equipped but had low fighting spirit, therefore, they were moved to the transport troop. Not to mention, they were probably still in Granvista.

The sun shone through the clouds and radiated a red light from its western position, which indicated it was already close to evening. It was then that Jeweljude decided to set up a simple camp and stay overnight there. Inside a large tent that had the crest of the brigade were Jeweljude, his staff officers and generals from various countries had gathered. Due to Jeweljude’s giant body, his head would hit the tent’s beam, so he was forced to bend his back when moving inside. Including Jeweljude, everyone was wearing armor. Waiting for them to sit down on the line of folding stools, Jeweljude took his seat of honor and called out toward his comrades in a voice that could be felt in one’s stomach.

“Then, let’s begin our meeting. First, I think we should consider the latter part of our plan, but…”

At that point, Jeweljude cut off his words and looked around at the faces of the other generals.

“In order to take back Fort Ein, we, the Brigade of 88 shall advance first.”

A commotion rose among the generals.

“Therefore, I’d like to have your people stay here and suppress the Cassandra Kingdom.”

“Jeweljude-dono, are you fine with that?”

General Ryuumu who led an army dispatched from Recissus Kingdom made this remark.

“What’s the matter, Ryuumu-dono?”

“Are you saying you plan to charge at the witches with just your men?”

“That’s right. After all, we need to get rid of them as soon as possible.”

(Will they be okay?)

Facing toward the leader of the Brigade of 88, Ryuumu wondered about that. Nevertheless, not wanting to insult Jeweljude, he decided to ask it in a different way.

“However, now that they’ve shown suspicious movements, don’t you think it’s a bit dangerous to leave the Cassandra Kingdom as is?”

Nevertheless, Jeweljude wouldn’t take notice of his colleague’s remark.

“This is why I’m leaving you in charge of them. Also, I cannot possibly think of any reason why the Cassandra Kingdom would attack you. The only concern they might have is whether or not we will get violent within their territory. What’s more, if you assign your soldiers to us, you won’t be able to watch over their territory. Hence, I’d like for you to stay here and observe if there’s any malicious intent coming from the Cassandra Kingdom.”

Saying so, Jeweljude made a large-hearted smile.

“This way, your men can also be at ease and focus on distributing provisions, right?”

(Certainly, it’s just as Jeweljude-dono says, but, not being at war with the witches, won’t it result in us gaining a bad reputation?)

Such was Ryuumu’s concern, which was characteristic of him.

“Fine. Still, will our important provisions be alright? I’m not convinced that the Caesandra Kingdom will be willing to share their food with us.”

“Well, you probably don’t need to worry about that.”

Ryuumu had some misgivings regarding that however Jeweljude could do nothing but assert.

“Nevertheless, we only have enough food for two to three days. In case those folks hesitate to help us, we will be either have to use force or withdraw.”

This was another form of asking if it was fine to plunder the city by Ryuumu. However, at the same time, Jeweljude denied that in a half-threatening tone.

(If you want to withdraw now, then do it yourself. To begin with, it’s not like we asked you to come.)

Jeweljude thought so while being irritated however he wouldn’t putt that into words as he couldn’t be ignorant of the ways of this world.

“Provided you’re right about the Cassandra Kingdom not cooperating, you can tell them you might resort to using force, which might work. However, remember that first come negotiations…. and then, actions.”

The leader of the remarkable brigade couldn’t endorse things like pillaging so he stated his thoughts more or less this way.

For Ryuumu, ‘resorting to strength’ was a last resort therefore it was natural for him not to argue any further than this. Ryuumu exchanged glances with the generals from Saintes Zephyr and Mergas, after which, they all nodded to each other.

“Understood. We shall stay here and await further instructions, while at the same time, prepare ourselves for the upcoming battles.”

(Upcoming battles? This guy is saying some cheeky things.)

Jeweljude laughed at the general inwardly, but obviously, he wouldn’t show that through his expression. The ‘upcoming battles’ mentioned by Ryuumu were the ones concerning the invasion of the Black Forest. Their plan was to march toward the Black Forest after they have managed to retake Fort Ein. By then, it would be necessary to supply themselves with plenty of food to maintain their strategy for four to ten days. All the generals took part in this campaign with the intention of invading the Black Forest. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have agreed to share in the profits, as it was meaningless to go on such a distant expedition. Receiving provisions from the Cassandra Kingdom, avoiding any direct contact with the witches, finishing them off once they have been kicked out from Fort Ein by the brigade and advancing towards the Black Forest, such was the plan of these generals.

The reason why they decided to join together was because of the Black Forest being said to be blessed with fruits of the land, and because of the witches’ hidden treasures. None of them would complain, as they could claim the best spoils without having to sweat from their brows.

(Still, that applies only if the Brigade of 88 manages their job…. however, as one would expect, there’s probably no way they would lose against the witches. Despite saying so, we shouldn’t underestimate the witches. After all, haven’t they gained victory over 2000 soldiers from the Cassandra Kingdom? If possible, I’d like for the brigade to sacrifice itself a bit in order to make our job easier afterwards.)

At the moment, Ryuumu and the rest could do nothing but follow Jeweljude’s lead, however, by having the witches deplete the brigade’s strength, they could hope to raise their influence when invading the Black Forest and even become the core of the strategy. One could say they counted their chickens before they were hatched.

(If that happens, we can receive as many rewards as we want. And if we capture the witches, we can bring them back with us and present them to His Majesty the King without giving them to the Church.)

By doing so, Ryuumu’s dream of marrying a royal's daughter and becoming part of it would finally come true.

(Therefore, I need to work them hard or else…. also, I need the witches to do the same.)

Various circumstances jumbled together, despite the army’s purpose.

3

Soon after, Jeweljude deployed each respective country’s troops near the kingdom’s border and sent a messenger to the second wave, then proceeded to negotiations between both sides.

The king’s representative, Guiscard, tried to be evasive in joining the negotiations which would take place at Jeweljude’s main camp, however,

“If you don’t cooperate with us the army shall supply themselves with food using its own strength, which would be here on your territory.”

In the end, even Guiscard had to yield and accept their conditions while having a bitter face. Naturally, Guiscard’s side was told to do its utmost but there seemed to be no need for him to worry for the time being. Once it had been decided that Guiscard and the rest would carry provisions to the encampment of Recissus’ army, Guiscard himself quickly withdrew back to the capital, explaining he needed time to make the preparations. With one problem being resolved, Jeweljude hastened his brigade to set off towards Fort Ein.

3.5(?)

Some soldiers of Cassandra Kingdom overheard the negotiations and relayed the contents to others, which became the topic of their conversations.

For Linne and Linna, who infiltrated the city in order to gather intel, this was news they couldn’t pass up. The two of them quickly returned to the fort and reported the newly acquired information to Naga and Harrigan. Naga understood that the agreement between the kingdom and the extermination group was, in half, inspired by the latter’s threat.

Dressing themselves in army clothing, Naga and the rest prepared to launch their plan of hindering the enemy, however, little did he know that the brigade had immediately departed in their direction.

4

“Excellent, we’re setting off!”

Jeweljude, whose body was covered in silver armor, roared on top of his horse. In addition to his abnormally giant body, being completely armored made him easily as heavy as three adults. Therefore, the black-maned horse that he rode had a large trunk as well. As if answering to Jeweljude’s loud voice, the horse neighed and swayed with its torso.

“First, we will kick out those evil witches from Fort Ein! Father who art in heaven shall guide us through our path, so do not fear nor falter!”

“Ohhhh!”

The brigade’s cavalry pushed up their lances, the tips of which glittered upon receiving the sun’s light.

“Depart!”

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Zun Zun* – As soon as Jeweljude’s horse advanced one, two step forwards, a shock like sound trembled the earth.

The brigade, which belonged to the Church, was comprised of cavalry alone. One could say the structure of this group was biased, however, since the sole purpose of this expedition was to eliminate the enemy, only the cavalry, which excelled the most in speed and power, were up to this task. They were needed for neither capturing, infiltration, nor maintaining a peace inside an enemy’s territory. Instead it was their combat efficiency that mattered. Not to mention, the members of the brigade were remarkable warriors who had honed both their command and control to a terrific level. They would neither waste their time on chit-chat nor disarrange their ranks.

The brigade, which consisted of 500 soldiers, was divided into five troops.
The first troop was led by Thule, the second – by Thales, the third – by Hittite and the fourth one – by Reg. All of these commanding officers had served long in their military service. Despite there being scouts and transport troops tagging alongside the brigade, usually there are none under normal circumstances. That’s because brigades tend to travel from one place to another, solely depending on their own strength. Every time, they would change shifts among themselves when transporting their provisions. When reaching a city, they would be offered support from their church, however, there would also be instances when their trips would take, at minimum, a few days, so they couldn’t afford to travel empty-handed. And then, there was the vice-commanding officer waiting on standby next to Jeweljude. The 5th troop fell under Jeweljude’s direct control.

Right now, the 500-strong cavalry of the Brigade of 88 commenced their solemn march towards Fort Ein, with Jeweljude’s troop leading the way.

5

Early morning, Yuuki, who was scouting the vicinity of the Cassandra Kingdom returned to Fort Ein and rushed in when Naga, Harrigan, and Vita were having breakfast. Once he heard her report, Naga dropped his wooden plate.

“What?! The Brigade of 88 has started to move?”

“Uhm, yes, there’s no doubt about that. The crest that I saw belonged to the Church. It looks like they quickly started to advance.”

Yuuki had probably dashed here at full speed, as one could hear her breaths reverberating as she responded.

“How about the other troops?”

“There were no major movements, I think.”

Naga picked up the smoked meat, which he dropped on the ground, tossed it in his mouth, and munched. Vita and Harrigan pulled back while staring at him with eyes full of disgust.

“That’s dirty.”

“Eating something that you have just dropped…..”

Not being mindful about their criticism, Naga looked up into the air and groaned.

“Is that so? Then, does it mean they are heading this way? I expected they would strike at us using their full force, but…. this is fast, way too fast.”

“Then, what do you plan to do, Naga?”

As soon as Naga spotted tension in Vita, Harrigan and Ais’ expressions, he looked around at the rest of the witches with a determined-looking face.

“There’s no time to waste. We need to prepare for the battle immediately!”

“O, Oh?”

“We’re going to repel the Brigade of 88, just like we did with Cassandra Kingdom’s troops the other day. We’ll wear the military clothing and charge at them. However, this time, we’ll do it together.”

“But Naga, Raibaha still hasn’t returned. Don’t we need slave soldiers to lay an attack?”

Once Vita said so, Harrigan nodded in agreement.

“Also, Nonoeru and Kay are absent, as they’ve tagged alongside Raibaha.”

“I know that the level of difficulty has increased, but… it can’t be helped. Right now, we can only use the people we have. What’s more, if you cast your spells during a night attack, the enemy will be taken aback, as they probably won’t know what kind of witches they’re dealing with.”

(It’s way too difficult for us to attack without resorting to our magic, so I guess…. this is the only way.)

‘You’ve got a point.’ – Vita nodded as she resolved herself.

“We’ll divide into groups. Harrigan, Vita, quickly gather all your members.”

“Ais!”

“Yes.”

“Eliu!”

“At your service.”

Ais and Eliu stood up as if bouncing off and hurriedly left the room.

Taking a single plate from the floor Naga stood up and tossed a piece of bread inside his mouth.

(Damn, that was faster than I’d expected. The commander of the brigade is surely a decisive guy. I can guess…. a hard fight will be awaiting us.)

Once he swallowed the munched bread, Naga looked around the room, after which he noticed Vita and Harrigan looking at him with astonished expressions.

“He’s surely bad-mannered, that dragon-king.”

“Speaking of which, don’t just swallow that food like it’s nothing.”

“They say you can’t fight with an empty stomach.”

“Do they….?”

“They do, probably.”

“Again, you’re saying some convenient things.”

“More importantly, we’re going on a sortie. Harrigan, I’ll have you control wooden dolls once again.”

“I think I’ve already got used to it, so there’s no need for me to be that attentive when preparing. Give me a little while and I’ll do it.”

Making a deep nod, Naga faced toward Vita.

“Vita, I’ll need you to restrain the enemy again using your magic. Take Eliushune with you.”

“That’s what I always do. Also, there’s no need for me to prepare.”

“As usual, I can rely on you girls. Well then.”

Naga who surveyed the room again folded his arms.

“It would be nice if I could perform something like atsumori(1) here, but…”

Naga muttered.

“A hot serving?”

“An abundant serving?”

Harrigan and Vita bent their necks in doubt, after which they retorted.

“”How much of a glutton are you!””

“That’s wrong, I wasn’t talking about food!”

“Then what?”

“Ah no… I myself wonder about that.”

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Kaku* – both the witches lost their balance.

“Just what on earth?! Is this something, you say, when departing to the front?”

“Right? If you ask me, I can no longer comprehend him.”

Harrigan also frowned her eyebrows and retorted one more time.

‘More importantly,’ – Naga returned to the topic by starting with these words.

“Now, we need to come up with a counterplan against the Brigade of 88.”

“Y, Yes.”

Harrigan and Vita’s expressions turned serious.

“Do you think it’s possible for us to repel them, Naga?”

“Not only are they elites, they also have as many as 500 people. I doubt our tactics will work twice.”

“Still, there’s one more concern.”

“Is it about their armor?”

“That’s right. Just like I’ve told you before, all members of the brigade wear silver armor. Therefore, we don’t know how effective our magic will be against them.”

“Good grief, you’re not going to tell me that your magic won’t work, right?”

“As expected, that would be way too exaggerated. Even if our magic won’t crush them, there should be at least no problem in restraining their movements.”

“Then, let’s follow our plan.”

At that time, the noisy sounds of footsteps could be heard.

“It looks like they have gathered.”

Following that, all the witches rushed into the room.
Everyone, except for Selena who was guarding from a watchtower, had gathered and lined up in front of Naga.

“I think you all already know about this, but the Brigade of 88 is approaching this way.”

The witches gulp down their saliva. One could tell there was tension written all over their faces.

“We will repel them in the same way as we did before. I believe it’s possible for us to do but it also turns out Cassandra Kingdom was forced to enter an agreement to supply the brigade with food, which I’d like to cancel. That’s why, this time we need to divide into groups and launch concurrent tactics.”

Saying so, Naga assigned the witches into three groups.

One was meant for repelling the brigade, one – for conducting a surprise attack on the extermination army, and another one – for protecting the fort.

Those who were placed in the repelling group were the main forces of the witches that had previously managed to push back the Cassandra Kingdom.
These were Vita, Eliushune, Harrigan, Ais, Yuuki, Lily, Arurukan and Naga. Obviously, the one in charge of leading was Naga.

On the other hand, the ambush group was formed with those who couldn’t attack with long-range spells, but could fight in hand-to-hand combat.
These were Cu, Ikushina, Dora, Selena, Sanprotte and Lela. The commander of that group was Lela while Selena was in charge of pinning down the enemy’s location.

Linne & Linna, as well as the rest of the unmentioned witches would stay in the fort.

(As expected, not having Kay and Nonoeru present with us is harsh. That’s because they’re both capable in offense. Still, I guess it can’t be helped.)

As soon as Naga double-checked everyone’s duty, they immediately proceeded to sortie.

6

Observing the terrain from above, Yuuki looked back at Naga and the rest who were on standby below her.

“The enemy is advancing through the main road. All of them are riding horses, so I think they should enter our view completely after a short time.”

“Good job. Go with Lily and prepare an onslaught on them. Just to make sure, can you recheck on them a bit later?”

“I got it.”

Yuuki and Lily left the place behind.

“Ais, you too, take your designated post.”

“Yes.”

Running away in light steps, Ais carried baskets full of cobbles in both her hands and on her back. Naga was worried, since there was no one he could assign to Ais as her guards besides Nonoeru and Kay.

(Well, there’s no use in asking for the impossible. All I can do is rely on Ais’ quick wits.)

Naga became serious.

“Eliushune, there should be no problem with the mantles you have placed, right?”

“None. I can teleport at any time as long as Mother gets undressed, but…”

“We can’t waste any time on that. If that’s the case, how about you do it here and now?”

“You’re right, but there’s one thing….”

“Hmm?”

Being glared at by Vita and Harrigan, as well as by Eliushune, Naga hurriedly corrected himself.

“There’s no need for me to watch you.”

“Are you sure? You’re letting the chance of watching my alluring body slip away, you know?”

“Ah no, I don’t think it’s the right time for that.”

(By alluring, does Mother mean herself?)

“You want to say something, Eliu? Why not let me hear it?”

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Bunbunbun* – Eliushune shook her head from side to side with all her might.

“Harrigan too, are you done with your preparations?”

“Yes, I’m ready to use the dolls anytime.”

“Arurukan, how about your wolves?”

“They might scare away our horses if I call them here, so I made them wait on standby a bit away.”

“Well then, go stay by their side and wait for my orders.”

“Understood.”

Rocking her animal-shaped hair in the wind, Arurukan left running away.

The place which Naga decided for the counterattack was on a gently sloping hill facing towards the north. On both sides of the slope, there were small hills stretching out. However, since there were only shrubs growing on them, the visibility wasn’t that bad.

(The enemy seems to be fully confident, so they will most likely continue to advance through the main road. I can’t think of them taking any detours or approaching the fort from behind. We should be able to counter them… like we did before.)

Naga thought so, however, a small anxiety welled up inside him

(Why is there this feeling of uneasiness? Calm down, me. If you are flustered or anxious, the witches will be affected as well. I, have to be decisive and prepared, as this is the duty of a supreme commander.)

Naga persuaded himself with that thought.
He forcefully drove away his anxiety and stared in front of him at the road’s northern direction, where the enemy was supposedly to appear.

7

Just as Yuuki had predicted, the cavalry of the brigade appeared after a short while.

Silver armor and helmets glittering from the morning sunlight could be seen from far away.

“Hmph, so they have come? As I thought, they are wearing silver armor.”

Vita increased at once the magic which she had kneaded.

“Let’s do it, Eliu. Our opponent this time is no ordinary one, so prepare yourself.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Kneeling down on one knee inside a hole they dug near the main road, Eliushune poured strength into her body to prepare herself against Vita’s magic.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Zun* – a shock ran through Eliushune’s body, making her become twice, three times as heavy as her normal weight.

“Kuuu.” - Eliushune clenched her teeth. Since Vita’s magic had no effect on inanimate objects, there was no fear the hole would collapse. Hiding inside a mantle, Eliushune held Vita in her arms while enduring her own weight.

Suddenly, the brigade’s horses bent their forefeet and dropped down as if pitching forward.

“What on earth?!”

The cavalry soldiers landed on the ground, like there was something throwing them off. The fact that there was no unsightly crawling was proof of them being the proud elite of the Church. Still, they couldn’t stand up. Unable to endure their own weight; one, two of them dropped down on their knees.

“Could it be, the witches?!”

Jeweljude dismounted his horse, which was crawling, stepped firmly onto the ground and struck a daunting pose. Jeweljude felt the weight of his body, however, he showed no sign of kneeling down. Looking in front of him, he turned his head and checked the surroundings.

(No sign of, the enemy? It seems this isn’t meant to be an attack but a restraint? Then, they’re going to attack us following this.)

Jeweljude raised his rough voice and rebuked his subordinates.

“Prepare! The witches will launch an attack! Pick up your shields!”

Despite being told to pick up their shields, it was hard for them to simply move their body. However, the members of the brigade desperately reached out their hands toward their shields, which were bound to their horses’ flanks.
Their movements were sluggish, just like trying to perform an elegant dance, however, a large number of them somehow managed to get their shields and held them in front of their bodies. On the other hand, Jeweljude was able to grab not only his shield, but also his lance tied to his horse. Indeed, it was a terrific strength.

And then, cobbles cutting through the air came flying.
With a few of these shots sinking into the ground and causing clouds of dust, there was one that hit a soldier’s shield.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Gagooo* – Generating a dull metallic sound, the cobble bounced off the shield, making the soldier fall backwards. Once he collapsed on the ground, he was unable to stand up by himself. Facing up, the soldier strived to hold his shield in front of him. One third of the front columns entered the range of Vita’s magic. Jeweljude was exposed to the flying cobbles as well. Many of the cobbles sunk into the ground near him, creating clouds of dust, however, he wouldn’t lose his composure, as he turned around and shouted an order toward his troops in the middle.

“Don’t move forward! Stay where you are and prepare the longbows!”

Longbows were bigger than ordinary ones with a powerful tension. Normally, it would be hard to pull their strings using half-hearted strength, but, everyone in the brigade could shoot from them. Grinding their teeth, the soldiers pulled their bows’ strings.

“Excellent, shoot!”

The members of the brigade released their arrows at once after receiving a handed-down order from their superiors. The arrows flew through the air with a terrific speed, leaving behind sounds of cutting the air, characteristic of arrow feathers.

8

Making a dull sound, an arrow hit a tree trunk standing in front of Ais. Was the distance more than 80 meters? Ais stopped throwing cobbles without realizing, as she became surprised at the enemy’s counter-attack. Following that, multiple arrows came flying, piercing through the ground, the tree trunk, and snapping its branches. Ais lost her composure upon seeing that.
That’s because, not even the Cassandra Kingdom’s soldiers had been able to shoot arrows this far. Their arrows would lose their power and fall short before reaching Ais. Also, there would be Kay protecting Ais from arrows, so she could focus on her task. But now, Kay wasn’t present. Not to mention the arrows, which had a tremendous power and reach, were beyond Ais’ expectations.

(What should I do? Should I continue to attack under these circumstances?)

Ais stopped attacking due to this unforeseen course of events. What’s more, did the enemy gain more confidence? The number of arrows increased and she could even see some of them piercing deep into the trunk.

(If I pick up a shield in my left hand…. no, there’s no way I could throw the cobbles like this.)

Because Ais enhanced her body using her magic, she couldn’t afford to put on any metal armor. Rather than that, it would become a nuisance, so the only option for Ais was to throw without any armor on her. Despite her strengthened body, it wasn’t like she could become Kay. If by any chance, one of the arrows were to hit her, she would certainly sustain a life-threatening injury. For the time being, Ais decided to hide herself in the tree’s shadow and continue her attack half exposed. Still, with arrows coming more and more, it was dangerous to expose even half of her body.
Once she stuck out her head and took a peek, she noticed Yuuki’s board receiving arrows as well. After that, the person in question distanced herself from the enemy.

Despite Vita’s magic restraining the brigade’s movements, the soldiers still managed to counterattack with precision. Normally, the enemy soldiers would rush to try to rescue their allies, and enter Vita’s magic’s range However, this wasn’t the case for the brigade, which made Ais perceive them differently from the Cassandra Kingdom’s army. Shifting her eyes back from the sky to the surface, she realized there was a unit of dismounted soldiers approaching her direction. The soldiers could neither grasp Vita’s magic nor know there was a witch hiding nearby, so they were moving with quite careful steps. Still, they moved little by little and shot arrows, after which they repeated the same actions. Such was their method. The twenty soldiers continued to try getting closer, releasing arrows that reached closer and closer to Ais.

(Doing any more here will be impossible. I should withdraw a bit and resume my throws there.)

Ais took her baskets and withdrew to the black forest.

9

Arurukan, who was on top of a hill, ordered her packs of wolves to charge. She tried to attack the brigade while they were being occupied with shooting down Ais using their long bows.

A part of the cavalry wearing heavy armor dismounted their horses upon noticing the packs of wolves, and proceeded to repel them, in order to protect their comrades who were focused on shooting Ais. The cavalry got off, as they knew their horses would go rampant from sensing the wolves. Despite that being an obvious thing, it was still impressive from them to act as if it was common knowledge.

(These guys, they sure know how to fight!)

Under normal circumstances, soldiers from the Caesandra Kingdom would tremble from fear and be prepared to flee, however, the members of the Brigade of 88 were looking forward to meeting with their enemy, rather than chickening out. Swinging their swords at the charging wolves, they cut off a few of the animals’ heads. There were also wolves that managed to jump at the soldiers’ chests, but nevertheless, there were few spots where the animals could sink their fangs in. Were the enemy still riding, Arurukan could’ve made the wolves aim at their horses’ legs, but unfortunately, all the soldiers had dismounted.

As expected, against an opponent that consisted of a fully armored brigade, even the wolves were at a disadvantage. Animal cries could be heard here and there as blood splattered.

(Any more than this will be impossible!)

Arurukan shouted inside and whistled through her fingers sharply. It was a sound that no one could recognize apart from the wolves. The wolves that managed to survive turned around and ran away at full speed.

[[Image:Naga04_Illus-07.jpg|175px|thumb]]

Thus, Arurukan’s plan of hindering the brigade’s attack aimed at Ais failed.

10

“Yuuki, wait! If you turn that sharply, I won’t be able to focus on casting my spell!”

“Unless I do so, we’ll fall prey to the arrows! I don’t care if you want to become a hedgehog, but!”

“Ah, no… that would be quite troubling.”

“If so… then, finish your chant!”

Again, Yuuki ascended sharply in the air, as they barely missed an arrow.

“Damn. We’ll seriously become prey if we go any lower than this.”

Yuuki turned around and looked at Lily, who was clinging to her waist.

“Is this place no good?!”

“If I attack them from this height, the lighting will be too weak to take down the enemy soldiers. Speaking of which, don’t shake this much, otherwise, I won’t be able to finish the spell!”

“We might get shot before being even able to fall off! So manage it somehow!”

“This is impossible, impossible, impossible! I can’t concentrate my mana like this!”

The two of them argued on top of the shaking board. As they did so,

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Gatsun* – A shock passed through the bottom of the board.

The board leaned violently as the result of the impact.

“Damn it–! We got hit!”

The moment the board changed its angle, Lily, who was holding onto Yuuki’s waist, lost her grip.

She hurriedly reached out her hands and clung to Yuuki’s body again. However, being in a rush, Lily had little choices as to where to choose to grab.

‘Hyannn?!’ – Yuuki raised a shrill voice.

“Wai?! Where do you think you’re touching?! These are my breasts…. ahnn, yaaan, move your hands away!”

“Eh? Ah, sorry, I just happened to grab there.”

“That’s why, I’m telling you to move your hands away! You aren’t doing it on purpose, are… ahhhhhn!”

“B-b-but, it’s shaking, the board is shakingggg.”

“Don’t fondle my chesttttt!”

“We’ll fall, we’ll fall, we’re going to fallll.”

“Argh, good grief, I can’t control it anymore…. Wai, no good, no ahnnnnn!”

“Mommy, I don’t want to fall, I don’t want to fall.”

“Awawawawaawaw! Don’t grab me that hardddd!”

Yuuki and Lily didn’t crash, however, they left the battlefield behind while descending and swaying, just like a kite when the thread has been cut off.

11

A deep hue of impatience appeared on Naga’s face.

(Indeed, this is bad.)

Ais’ throws had become sporadic, after which they turned silent.

Naga understood it was due to her being countered by the brigade’s middle ranks.

Not to mention, Arurukan’s packs of wolves were also repelled.

As well as the board, on which Lily and Yuuki rode, not being able to approach the enemy as they wished, because of the arrows coming from the brigade’s rear. In the end, not being able to yield a great result using Lily’s lightning, both the girls distanced themselves from the battlefield.
The enemy’s attack was precise with no flaws.

(Still, it was thanks to that commanding officer making the right decision, this is, ordering his troops to attack incessantly, that they managed to repel us.)

Even though the commander who resembled a giant should have entered Vita’s range of magic, he was holding the lance in his left hand, just like a staff, while giving out orders to his subordinates behind. Despite there being soldiers kneeling down on one knee, and even those who had collapsed, the giant commander’s body didn’t move an inch.

(It doesn’t look like his movements are affected, and Vita’s magic won’t last forever. At this rate..…)

Naga faced toward Harrigan, who was putting her dolls on standby, and gave a signal. She was wearing leather-made armor, however, her head wasn’t covered with any helmet. After all, there was no need for that, as she could control her hair at will and knock down the enemy’s arrows.

“I’m relying on you, Harrigan.”

“Leave it to me!”

As she waved her hand and responded back, Harrigan moved her dolls forward at once. Having already gotten used to controlling small-sized dolls, Harrigan could direct them from behind. And since Vita’s magic had no effect on the dolls, it was even easier for her to control them. Not to mention, the number of puppets Harrigan could control had increased further to as many as 100 units, which is why she threw in this much during this battle.
Harrigan hid her body inside a shallow dugout while advancing her puppets towards the enemy.

12

Jeweljude who stood on the frontlines noticed small objects approaching. Formed ranks of things which resembled short wooded logs were advancing.

“Are they dolls belonging to the witches?!”

The giant commander could perceive the dolls were adjusting their bows to fire at once. Since the cobble attack had already stopped, Jeweljude could shift his focus and put up his shield in front of him.

“A fresh supply of the enemy’s troops! They’re going to shoot this way, so prepare your shields!”

At Jeweljude’s order, his subordinates set up their shields in a hurry.

“Nuuuunnn!”

The muscles inside the giant commander swelled to the extent of almost bursting. Jeweljude moved one step ahead, as if dragging his legs.

“We shall fight back against those troop of dolls! Everyone, follow me!”

Shouting like that, Jeweljude made one more step forward. As he did so, some men behind him gnashed their teeth, made a roar, and struggled their way forward, as if trying to follow after their leader. Everyone was dreadfully sluggish in their movements, however, far from running away, some of them kept on charging at the dolls instead.

13

“M…..Mother, the enemy is…advancing.”

Crawling on all fours inside a shallow hole, Eliushune bent her head desperately and called out to Vita in a very painful-like voice.

“What?!”

Vita crawled out from the mantle and stretched her back with all her might to check the situation in front of her. Despite her being naked, she couldn’t care less about that. Indeed, some of the soldiers moved their legs in a dragging manner toward the dolls, without any regards for Vita’s magic.
Especially, the giant who was in the vanguard walked much faster than the others and was about to clash with the troops of dolls.

“Damn, is that guy some kind of monster?!”

Vita warped her face and threw this curse at him.

“To think there’s someone who could endure the ‘Song of Gravity’! No, is it also due to the effect of his silver armor?!”

Using all her strength, Vita raised her magic to its maximum. Because of that, Eliushune fell completely flat and couldn’t even lift a single limb. Still, far from collapsing, the man who wasn’t supposed to endure the magic kept progressing, which surprised Vita.

Closely packed beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Not just her head, but also her whole body was covered with large drops of sweat. Vita was already exhausted, as she had been maintaining her magic.

“Mumumuu, if I do any more than this….”

Vita, whose face became deep red, clenched her teeth.

“Damn it. If that’s how it’s going to be, let’s see who will endure longer before giving up, me or you?!”

“M…Mother, please don’t!”

Eliushune tried to stop her mother, however, she could do nothing by shouting.

“Gugaaa.”

Vita coughed up blood, after which, her petite body bent violently.

Following that, Eliushune’s body became light, which would mean Vita’s magic had lost its effect.

“Mother!”

Rising up, Eliushune jumped at Vita, while waving her mantle, and caught her mother in an embracing manner from falling.

Vita lost consciousness. Eliushune immediately decided to withdraw and pulled back together with Vita inside her mantle. Finally, using her full power, Eliushune disappeared with Vita as their heads sunk completely.

14

Jeweljude understood that the magic restraining his body had vanished.
Putting up his shield in his right hand and adjusting his lance horizontally near his left flank, the giant commander charged at the dolls in the next instant. Arrows shot by the dolls aimed at Jeweljude’s shield one by one, however, not even a single of them could pierce through its thick metal.

“Muuun!”

Using his grandiose lance, Jeweljude mowed down the dolls from right to left.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Kou* – Together with an air cutting sound, five or six dolls were blown off at the front ranks.

What’s more, the dolls were sent flying backwards, making other dolls collapse. A few of them stood up, however, most of the dolls struggled to do so. There were even those that tumbled on the ground and ceased to move, as a result of their magic circuit being severed. With Jeweljude’s first strike, as many as fifteen to sixteen dolls ceased functioning.

“Is that guy a monster?!”

Harrigan raised a scream.

With Jeweljude using his heavy shield on his left and his grandiose lance on his right, it was clear he was a warrior that matched Harrigan’s definition of monster. The stream of arrows weakened together with the number of dolls. Using that momentum, those who followed Jeweljude reduced their distance at once and joined the attack. The soldiers from the rear didn’t hold lances, instead, they carried shields in both their hands. That’s because they knew their leader’s inhuman strength would be more than enough.

The wooden puppets continued to shoot arrows, but, in the end, it wasn’t enough to penetrate through the brigade’s thick shields.

As the soldiers closed their distance, Jeweljude had already struck for the second time, again, blowing away a dozen dolls and making them incapable of fighting. With his second strike, as many as thirty dolls dropped out from their ranks.

“It’s him! Make the dolls aim at that guy!”

Naga shouted in Harrigan’s direction.

“Got it!”

She passed down a new order to the dolls.

“Go! Aim at that giant’s head!”

The dolls that were releasing their arrows at the approaching soldiers changed their target to Jeweljude.

“Attack attack attack! Shoot him till you run out of arrows!”

Several tens of arrows came flying at the giant from the frontline of dolls that numbered as many as 160 units. As expected, there was no way for Jeweljude to parry the attack completely, therefore, he didn’t try to go overboard and ward off arrows that came from different angles. A few of them hit his armor, but nevertheless, as one could predict, not even a single one pierced through his silver armor. On the other hand, Jeweljude was able to precisely grasp the shooting power of the dolls. Making a single turn, he flung his large shield at the densely crowded dolls, making several of them fly off, then pinning them under his feet and crushing them. On top of that, Jeweljude used his left hand that was now free to swing his lance while charging at the dolls.

The soldiers that had dashed before joined the battle almost at the same time, and just like Jeweljude, they jumped at the dolls, flinging their shields while swinging their swords at them.

“This is no good! I can’t hold them together any longer!”

Being at her wit’s end, Harrigan directed her face towards Naga.

(Damn, I guess I didn’t consider this. Who would’ve thought there was a monster like this among the enemy’s leaders.)

However, it was only for a short while that Naga clenched his teeth.

“We’re withdrawing, Harrigan! Continuing any longer than this will be impossible!”

“Are you fine with that?”

“It’s not a matter of it being fine or not. If it’s impossible, then it’s impossible.”

Saying so, Naga put a smile on his face.
Was it a smile of composure or wryness? Or perhaps, a smile of self-mockery? Whichever it was, Harrigan settled down a bit upon seeing it.

“You’re right. Then, I shall order the remaining dolls to attack in order to buy us time to escape. Naga, go ahead.”

“I’m leaving it to you.”

Saying so, Naga turned around.

(Indeed, this guy is tenacious.)

Harrigan made a light, wry smile, which quickly disappeared, and faced toward the remaining dolls.

“Go! Aim at their leader from direct range!”

The dolls formed a crowd in a bustling manner and aimed at the enemy charging ahead.

(They probably won’t deal even a single scratch, but after all, it’s for buying us time. I’m relying on you, please make one last move.)

Directing a request inside of her toward the dolls, Harrigan turned around and ran after Naga.

15

The witches gathered around Naga, who had escaped to their rear encampment. Among them, there was also Eliushune.

(Speaking of which, it looks like something has happened to Vita.)

Just as he predicted, Eliushune approached him and reported.

“Mother has collapsed.”

“It seems like she had gone overboard.”

(She had gone… overboard? So I guess, it’s because of that monster?)

Naga turned his head and saw Harrigan running up a slope at full speed with her large chest bouncing. Had she had her usual appearance, Naga would have admired that view, but, since she was wearing simple armor today, regretfully, he couldn’t.

(Ah no, this isn’t the time to admire that, me!)

Naga, who reprimanded himself sharply, lifted his head and shifted his gaze to what was in front of him. Since their base was located at an elevated place, it was possible for Naga to look down on the battlefield. What he saw was a disastrous view of the dolls being on the verge of annihilation.

(Good grief, so I guess we’ve lost this time.)

The weak smile that appeared on his face this time was probably one of self-mockery.

(The dolls were completely destroyed, and Vita’s magic ran out of its effect. Not to mention, Ais’ throws didn’t pass through, neither did the attack from Arurukan’s wolves. Als, Yuuki and Lily left the battlefield…. I wonder if those two are fine. It doesn’t look like they were shot down, so they are probably safe and sound, but….)

Looking down at the battlefield, Naga became astonished again.

(The Brigade of 88 is terrifying, indeed. No, it’s actually the leader whose terrifying.)

There were as little as ten dolls left on the field. It was only a matter of time before they went down. Harrigan, who had run up the slope, stood next to Naga and looked at him.

“I guess, repelling the enemy has become much more complicated, right? What should we do, Naga?”

As expected, even Harrigan’s breathing was a bit out of sync.
Without replying back, Naga continued to stare motionlessly at the battlefield. The gathered witches gazed at his profile with worried and anxious faces. As they did so, Naga came back to his senses and looked at the witches. His self-deprecating smile was no longer visible on his face.

“For now, let’s retreat back to the fort. We shall guess their next move there.”

“Still, what should we do if they surround us? Right now, our defense isn’t that tight, so don’t you think it would be difficult to protect the fort with just this many of us?”

“Even if you say ‘surround’, they’re only 500, you know. If necessary, we can always escape through Eliushune or Yuuki.”

“I, Is that…. so?”

Again, a smile appeared on his face. However, surprisingly it was a refreshing one this time.

“This time’s battle was our loss. A complete loss.”

“Ah no…. even if you tell me like that.”

“Just because we lost a battle, doesn’t mean we have lost the war. Be it one or two loses, as long as we come out victorious in the end, it should be fine.”

Harrigan frowned her eyebrows doubtfully.
Not just her, the other girls tilted their heads in wonder as well.

“B, But, can we really recover after this?”

“There’s no way it’s over. And our hope of winning this war hasn’t fallen apart yet. Our chances might be slim but there’s still hope, so don’t make such a sad face.

‘Kakaka.’ – Saying so, Naga laughed, which made the other witches look at each other in surprise. Everyone present there was ready for the worst, but, judging from Naga’s attitude, it didn’t seem like he was.

“However, what chances do we have?”

Eliushune asked this in a reserved manner.

“Fret not. I saw a breach in their strategy, and this time, we aren’t going to lose again.”

“Ehhh?!”

The witches warped their faces in astonishment.
Naga laughed again at the girls looking at him fixedly.

“What? Why do you look so unconvinced? I’m not lying, you know. Still, we need one more battle to turn the tables.”

“…..And exactly, how do you plan to do that?”

Harrigan asked with a half-doubting expression.

“For the time being, let’s place our hope in Lela and the rest. If they manage to do their task well, they will be able to buy us more time for the next battle. And if that happens, I’ll be able to come up with new plans to defeat the brigade."

One could tell there was solemnity within Naga’s words and conduct.

(It doesn’t look like he’s boasting or bluffing, but… just what on earth is he up to? Anyway, till now, we’ve been able to ride past hopeless situations, so we can do nothing but believe in him, I guess.)

Having no longer mixed feelings of doubts and expectations, Harrigan looked at Naga. He was occasionally staring at small hills stretching out to the north beyond the battlefield, while folding his arms.

“I also hope Raibaha brings those slave soldiers with him, as they will be essential for my plan.”

Will Lela’s ambush change anything? And will the arrival of the slaves be meaningful? Harrigan, Eliushune and the rest of the girls couldn’t tell at all. Truth be told, they even doubted they could recover. Despite that, Naga continued to stare with a calm and daring expression at the completely annihilated crowds of dolls. The witches, who had become restless, settled a bit upon seeing him.

16

Naga and the rest suffered their first defeat in their attempt to defend Fort Ein.

However, Naga asserted he saw a breach in their enemy’s plan.

What kind of a move will he pull out to recover from this hopeless situation?

The battle between the Brigade of 88 and the witches had yet to enter the second stage, which shall become a cornerstone towards establishing the country of the witches.

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Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Chapter 4

2017-02-18T07:07:22Z

76.115.0.117: /* Chapter 4- Enemy and Ally, Both of their Circumstances */

==Chapter 4- Enemy and Ally, Both of their Circumstances==

1

The royal capital of Cassandra Kingdom was a relatively large, fortified city located in the westernmost peninsula. The city was 16 meters high and surrounded by a thick wall, with roughly 2000 people living inside. However, the ‘2000’ people only included those citizens who were registered in the tax payment account book. Naturally, noble families, servants and slaves, who were exempted from paying taxes didn’t count, as well as travelers that had wandered in from other places to the city. It also excluded merchants who were temporarily staying. Since nobody would bother to check that, no one really knew the total number of people. Still, shouldn’t it be fine to estimate the current population at around 4000?

The majority of these citizens were farmers, therefore, lots of them would set off early in the morning to their fields near the city’s outskirts, and return to the city before sunset. There were also instances in which the farmers would stay overnight at their fields once it was harvest season.
This was in order to prevent the theft of their crops and to drive away any animals that would try to devour them as it was natural for there to be no public safety outside the city in this period. That’s why the farmers would arm themselves and form groups to defend against robbers and animals. The settlements of those farmers were reinforced with wooden fences, which resembled forts a bit. In case of slightly bigger settlements, there were even dry moats surrounding them. Not to mention, these settlements would actually act as forts and house soldiers during times of emergency and now, it seemed like such a ‘time of emergency’ had arrived for Cassandra. Their soldiers moved into a few of those large settlements while carrying army provisions and weapons. Some of these settlements were placed along the main road so Naga was bound to witness them.

Naga drew near on his horse toward a soldier who was mounted his own and called out to him with a low voice.

“Uhm, Soldier-san.”

The soldier turned around.

“I see great number of soldiers near fort. Could be, you preparing for battle?”

“That’s, not really a fort, but well…”

“Yes?”

“Does it look like a fort to you from far away?”

Saying so, the soldier explained the aforementioned circumstances to Naga.

(Hmm, I see. So they use farmers’ settlements as forts? Certainly, you can save time and costs on building them, but you really can’t expect them to be strong in defense, right?)

Is what Naga thought.

(I, still don’t quite understand how things in this world should be, like why a city and a castle are working as one. From where I come from, a castle should be a castle, whereas, a city should be a city. At least, a castle being a castle should be….. defense-wise, much stronger, but…)

According to what Naga had heard from the witches, it didn’t seem to be rare for everyone to be massacred during a war between different ethnic groups, as everyone, including citizens, merchants, and laborers dwelled inside the same city. Even if there wasn’t any war, bandits and violent animals would roam near the outskirts, so, people preferred to set up residence inside a city. Nevertheless, such a principle of this world was still incomprehensible to Naga.

(What I can’t comprehend the most is that there are beings called witches. Now, we can understand each other owing to the fact we’ve been living together, but….)

Or it could be that the witches had accepted him due to his eccentric nature. Realizing that he was a bit eccentric himself, Naga made a weak, curious smile at that and at the sarcasm of his placed position right now.

“Soldier-san.”

He ceased to smiled and called out to the soldier.

“The citizens, does mean that citizens pick up weapons during siege?”

“Depends on how the battle progresses, however, that would also be the case. The citizens too, were trained to wield weapons, so to prepare themselves for a battle when necessary, you see.”

“Are you, enrolling people, for army?”

“We are.”

The soldier who replied as much made a slightly bitter face.

“But, judging from how things look like now, it doesn’t seem like we’ll gather enough volunteers at a moment’s notice…. No, it’s nothing. Please forget what I’ve just said.”

“Still, I no luck.”

Naga said this as he looked up at the sky.

“If we no hold entertainment, we not be able to cover cost our travel to here, and therefore, return trip. Our troupe, fall into huge deficit.”

As he declared this and breathed out a sigh, the soldier showed a compassionate face.

“I guess, even leaders of troupes have it difficult too.”

After that, the soldier lowered his voice and asked.

“However, having such young and lovely girls by your side, there are probably lots of side benefits coming from that, right? With that many girls, wouldn’t you make a fortune, were you to assign them to a night job?”

“Ah no, we no do that. After all, we performers. People like us not lose dignity that way.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Naga had the feeling the soldier would visit them right away as a guest, were he to do so. The soldier replied in a fed up manner.

(Well, certainly I’ll agree that those girls, all of them are beauties. Speaking of which, could it be that someone like me is incredibly lucky to be mixed up with all these girls? Ah no, how should it be? On the other hand, I can tell my life has been put at risk numerous times.)

‘Well, whatever.’ – Naga decided not to brood over that matter any longer. As he did so, the sight of the city, seen from the top of a small hill, had finally come into his view.

(I see. Certainly, it has an impact similar to that of a giant citadel when seen from close like this, unlike that port city.)

Feeling admiration, Naga made a quick reckoning inside his head.

(Umm, so was it around 2000 soldiers in the garrison? And 2000 citizens? Assuming they recruit 500 additional soldiers from those citizens, the total number within their garrison would amount to 2500. If that’s the case, in order to capture the city, the enemy would need more than 10 thousand soldiers. I see, it’s not like I don’t get why Cassandra wants to hole up, but…)

However, Naga soon understood the drawback coming from such a heavy defense.

(The number of people holing up is way too big. If it’s like this, they will need to consume a large amount of army provisions. And that’s not including unregistered citizens. 5000, perhaps 6000, if that many people are going to hole up in the capitol, just how much in army provisions would they require? Do they have enough to supply themselves for a long time? And then, the biggest problem would be whether reinforcements would be coming or not……)

Holing up was, in the end, a defensive strategy adopted by those who couldn’t afford winning in the open field. Naga didn’t know if the Cassandra Kingdom had any allies that could send them reinforcements, but judging from what he had heard till now, it didn’t look like there were any.

(Fumu, I wonder… if we could use this as an opportunity for something.)

As Naga was working his head off, their troupe kept closing the distance and finally reached the giant entrance of the city.

Once they crossed a bridge that spanned a dry moat, Naga dismounted his horse in front of the entrance. Looking up from below, he could feel the actual size of the wall on his skin.

(Indeed, it’s big. What’s more, is it made from bricks? Or perhaps, it’s a mud wall made from tightly packed earth and covered with bricks? Whichever it is, it seems to be firm. To begin with, was there a castle with such firmly built walls like this in my world?)

Naga, whose memories were lost, couldn’t say for sure but he felt he hadn’t witnessed such a protective wall before in his life.

“Please wait here for a moment. I’ll go and contact my superior.”

The commanding officer went to the gate in order to exchange some words with the guard on duty. As Naga saw him off he looked up at the wall again.

(I wonder how I should capture such a heavily guarded city?)

As Naga pondered about that, the witches too, although they were female dancers in appearance, disembarked from the cart and gathered around him. They looked up at the massive wall just like Naga. Apparently, there was a passage on top of the wall, in which people could walk on.

(Is the top of the wall this high, so as to prevent arrows from reaching it?)

Ais called out to Naga who was staring fixedly at the wall.

“It’s big, isn’t it? With this size and massiveness, it doesn’t look like I can break it with just 1 or 2 hits.”

(So you had such a plannn?!)

As he looked at Ais with an astonished face, she smiled back with a grin.

“Perhaps, 10 hits should be enough to do so.”

(This girl, she’s just like a human battering ram.)

Naga shivered with fear.

“I guess, it wouldn’t be easy for me to climb over these walls, even if someone was to throw me up.”

Vita stated this.

(So these girls too have thought about ways on how to capture this city too? How mindful of them.)

‘Kukuku.’ – Naga chuckled like this without realizing.

“What? Don’t you seem to be enjoying yourself?”

At Vita, who asked this question, Naga paid attention and lowered his voice.

“That’s just manner of speech, manner of speech.”

“I, Is that so?”

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Uhen* – Vita coughed and looked up again at Naga.

“You seem to be in a good mood, aren’t you, boss?”

“….This feel awfully, strange.”

As Naga muttered this, Vita kicked up at his calf.

“Aww! What you do if someone see us like this?!”

“Hmph, I made sure that nobody was looking at us.”

Vita’s tone returned to its usual one.

“Hey, what are you laughing at?”

At Vita, who asked this question in a whispering manner, Naga replied while laughing.

“I, you, we both thought about capturing this city upon arriving. That, too funny.”

“What, you too? Well, I guess that’s the first thing you’d be thinking about in this kind of situation. Still, your manner of speech is way too unpleasant.”

Vita, who was observing the wall, shifted her gaze back at Naga while saying this. As she did so, Ais also nodded in agreement.

“Right? It creeps me out a bit too.”

“You saying, cruel things, Ais. It’s because of charm, so can’t be help.”

“Couldn’t you do something about it, Lela?

“Eh? But…. I think this way of talking suits a stranger, like Naga-san, Vita, san.”

“No, it’s nothing but gross.”

“Vita, you, worst.”

“Then, have you come up with any good ideas?”

“Right plan comes with the right number, but, for us, we not enough. Just coming up with way, hard. “

'Hmph' – Vita snorted under her nose.

“That’s some convenient reasoning coming from you.”

“I come up with something if can think calmly. More important, us return to officer.”

At Naga’s words, Vita assumed her usual, haughty attitude once more.

(She would truly be a cute kid with that peculiar face, and that attitude from before but, well….)

Naga thought so, however, by no means could he afford to let Vita know about that.

“Oi, Boss.”

Being called by the commanding officer who had returned back Naga drew near with a turn.

“Rigaya-sama said he would like to meet you.”

“Rigaya-sama, who that?”

“He’s the adjutant of our army’s supreme commander, Guiscard.”

(Again, quite a distinguished person has made their appearance, I guess.)

Naga displayed his astonishment in an exaggerated way, even though he was just a bit surprised.

“D, Do we really have to meet person of such eminence? I feeling nervous.”

The commander made a wry smile and replied,

“You don’t have to worry that much. It should be fine, as long as you can provide him with information about the fort of the witches. He may even reward you properly.”

“Thank you, very much.”

Bowing down respectfully, Naga thought.

(I’m a surprisingly good actor, I guess. Speaking of which, things have become quite interesting.)

Raising his head, Naga turned around and called out to the female dancers.

“Everyone, let’s go, inside.”

The girls returned to the carriage in a bustling manner and gathered around their boss as he took the reins again.

“Excellent, now follow me.”

Being led by the commander, Naga’s troupe passed through the big gate and stepped into the fortified city.

3

What appeared in front of them was a path that turned in a ‘コ’ shape. Once they passed through it, there was a big main street running in the northern and southern direction. At some points of the ‘コ’ shaped path, there were spare places used in case of emergency to cut off the passage. From the inside of the walls, where the path was bending, there were watchtowers put up.

(I see. This place was arranged in this way so that the watchtowers could intercept the enemy, even if they were to break through that giant gate and rush in.)

Naga quickly saw through the mechanism of this place’s construction.

Certainly, those who would manage to storm in through the gate would be further hindered by this 2, no, 3-fold defense. It was also one of the methods to shoot down the enemy from above. The enemy soldiers would crowd together inside this narrow passage while being unable to either hide or escape. A trap like this would produce heavy casualties.

On the other hand, the garrison that’s attacking from high above wouldn’t even have to expose themselves to the enemy. Because of that, the danger of incurring any losses is low. Not to mention the garrison could also rely on throwing logs and pouring down boiling oil, causing huge damage to the enemy.

(Fumu. This might become a good reference.)

Naga would be troubled if he was asked where he get all those references from, despite him having lost his memory. However, he himself considered it vaguely as intuition when looking for a way to protect his own castle.

Exiting the place where the path was bending to the spacious main street, the troupe continued to head towards a castle. Naga felt as if the number of people passing each other on the main road wasn’t adequate to the scope of this city. Could it be that the merchants left the city after sensing the danger of a potential war? Once the rumors about a war spreads, it’s natural for there to be less merchants visiting too. Obviously, with more merchants leaving than coming here, the number of people is bound to reduce inside the city.

(I guess there aren’t many travelers either so it’s likely the cost of services, such as renting a room in an inn, will rise. Speaking of which, we might be welcomed here like outsiders are supposed to be but it doesn’t seem like we’ll have the spare time to stay in this city and do performances for long.)

Apparently, some permanent stores were running their business as usual, but despite there being people passing by, not many customers could be seen inside. There were also defensive walls, placed on the 4-way crossroads that were located between each block. When necessary, the walls would be closed in order to prevent enemy troops from further advancing. As expected, there were also watchtowers built there. Naga would be suspected were he to stare at the places too much, so instead, he observed the defensive facilities in a casual yet proper manner.

Finally, they arrived at the entrance leading to the inside of the castle.

The commander exchanged some words with the guard, after which they proceeded further inside.

(Indeed, we are lucky to have this guy assist us. Not only are we able to see the city but also the interior of the castle.)

The pathway inside the castle wasn’t straight, which was similar to what Naga and the rest had seen till now. It was meandering and complex, just like a maze, making them stop and turn from time to time. Where they didn’t have to stop, there were defense zones that would hinder further movements when necessary as well as watchtowers raised here and there. The path was narrow and the wall was built on the edge, making it impossible for anyone to see what’s next unless they drew near.

No matter how smart Naga was, it was difficult for him to grasp how the inside of this castle roped off. Still, he counted his steps and the number of corners while walking. The witches looked around with curious eyes but none of them would check how the interior stretched out, like Naga. Instead, they walked forward without a single care. Soon after, the commander stopped and turned around, probably because they reached the right building. What stood in front of them was a splendid, stone-made, 3 story building with a large garrison. Naga perceived the garrison was full of well-equipped soldiers with high morale.

(In other words, only big shots are gathered here? Still, is this building made from stone? It feels like I’ve rarely seen things similar to this. A stone-made building. Stone-made? Certainly, it’s more firm than the wooden-made ones. But on the other hand, it’s much more bothersome to build.)

Naga looked at the building closely and again felt strange however the building gave off an impression of probably serving some purpose.

4

It was decided that an enquiry would be held with Naga as a representative, and therefore, he was brought by a guide further inside the building. The rest of his troupe stayed in a waiting room.

“Will Naga-san be fine by himself? If they discover his identity and arrest him…. will it be really okay?”

Ais whispered this question to Vita while looking slightly anxious.

(Isn’t it rare for Ais to be this worried about a stranger?)

Vita however, replied with a voice as if she couldn’t care less about them being overheard.

“You don’t have to worry. To begin with, there’s no reason for him to be exposed.”

“However, back when Naga-san stole Fort Ein, he exposed his face to the soldiers there. There’s no telling if those who have seen Naga-san before will recognize him by his face.”

Vita made a wry smile at Ais’ manner of speaking.

“You’re overreacting way too much, Ais. Did you forget he told us to change our skin color and hairstyle? Our way of talking is also supposed to be completely different, so I don’t think anyone will notice.”

“Then, I guess that’s fine but….”

“It will be the same for us if Naga becomes exposed somehow. In that case, we can only run wild, rescue Naga-san and escape the city. Obviously, there might be some casualties among us, nevertheless…”

Ais swallowed her saliva and nodded with a stern expression.

“Well, shouldn’t we place our expectations in Naga’s acting skills? Rather, if it’s the folks from Cassandra, they will certainly not detain some stranger upon asking him for information they need. To begin with, as long as they don’t learn of Raibaha’s identity they shouldn’t learn about Naga either.”

Being called by his name, Raibaha nodded deeply.

“If it’s Naga-sama, he will be fine. He will get through that enquiry without fail.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Finally, a broad smile appeared on Ais’ stiff face.

“Still, Ais, you act as though your lover was taken away by soldiers. Do you care that much for Naga’s welfare?”

“Eh? Noooooo, what are you talking about, Vita-san?! I-I-I-It’s not because of that, you know? Naga-san is our leader, so shouldn’t it be an obvious thing to worry about him?”

[[Image:Naga04_Illus-06.jpg|175px|thumb]]

Ais insisted this, however, both her conduct and expression looked as though she was panicking. Vita was fully aware of that.

(Hahaha, this girl is still wet behind her ears.)

“Houhou, are you sure?”

The moment Vita sent a lukewarm smile at her, Ais put her hands in front of her very red face and waved with them.

“Of course I am!”

“What’s your opinion of him, Lela?”

“Eh? Uhm…… that’s righ~t. For us, the family of Haindora, Naga-san is a very important be~ing.”

Lela replied that way while carefully choosing her words. As she did so, Kay, Nonoeru, Cu, Ikushina, Linne & Linna and Arurukan nodded at once, however, one could clearly see the anxiety drawn on their faces as they cared for Naga.

'Kukuku' – Vita chuckled in a weeping manner upon seeing that.

(It looks like these girls have been captivated by Naga. Well, maybe I too feel that way. Still, I’m not sure about the world where both humans and witches can coexist. At least, he was able to show these girls a dream. They have probably become happy while watching that dream. The same goes for me and my daughters, and for Harrigan, I guess. That’s why we decided to follow Naga and most likely, Harrigan too, feels the same way about this. Indeed, he’s an interesting, yet strange man.)

4

The place to which Naga was guided to was a station, or rather, it would be more suitable to call it an interrogation room as it actually had a simplistic build.

(Well, I guess that was to be expected. There’s no way they would let a person of doubtful origins, like me, enter a guest room.)

At one corner of the confined room, there were a desk and chair, in front of which was placed a folding stool. A man with a sharp look and military uniform who was sitting in the chair threw a glance at Naga walking in. On both the left and right side of the desk, there were guards standing at attention.

(They seem to be pretty capable.)

Naga felt that way as he ran his eyes over the guards.

(Well then, should I start to brace myself?)

The reason why Naga thought so wasn’t because he wanted to be careful not to expose himself. To begin with, he didn’t consider such a possibility.

Naga had to act skillfully in drawing out information from his opponent and finding out about the current situation in this city. Perhaps, one could say that the outcome of this interview will determine the future of the witches. That’s why, this is what he meant by bracing himself.

After he followed the guide, Naga moved to the man’s front and halted there. Not standing up, the man gave him the signal to sit. Naga bowed down in respect and sat on the stool. He could sense the man becoming slightly nervous.

(Is it because he’s cautious of me? No, I don’t think so. Wouldn’t you feel this way in the face of a much more imminent threat? As expected, were the rumors about a war approaching true? However, for the atmosphere to become like this, perhaps…. I should respond to it? I guess it should be natural for me to act nervous and excited. After all, I’m the leader of a troupe who has been pulled in front of this big shot.)

As Naga was thinking so, the man ran his eyes over Naga again, as if trying to evaluate him.

“You’ve done a great job by coming from so far away. My name is Rigaya, and I’m the adjutant of General Guiscard, who’s the king's representative for this country.”

(King's representative……representative? Did something happen to this country?)

Naga thought suspiciously, but nevertheless, he bowed while feigning ignorance.

“So you’re the boss of the troupe, right?”

Rigaya’s wording was polite, but he gave an impression of being rude in intent.

“Yes, my name is, Negane.”

“Apparently, you stopped by Fort Ein on your way, but…..”

Rigaya went straight to the point without any preface.

“Yes. It happened while passing near that place. Before coming to city, we thought about doing entertainment for soldiers stationed there for few days, but….”

“Did you follow the Schwein River and reach there from Lancel?”

“That’s right.”

“And you weren’t hindered by the witches?”

“No, not really. There nobody besides us, therefore, I thought, must have been very lonely place. We crossed sea to arrive here, so we don’t quite, know current situation.”

Naga cast his eyes down and scratched his head. Obviously, it was an act, however, it probably didn’t look like much of an excuse.

“Ah no, it’s not like I’m trying to find any fault with you. Then, it was like that? Despite you walking along the river, you didn’t engage with the witches directly?”

“Yes.”

“However, you saw the witches inside Fort Ein, right?”

“Yes, they were. I was startled a bit, but, they chase us off with not doing any bad, so I stroke down chest in relief.”

“I’ll repeat this again and ask you, one more time. Were you, able to grasp how many witches were there?”

“4, maybe 5 went to deal with us. But, since we no enter inside, we not able to see how many there, exactly. I, apologize.”

Surely, Rigaya had already been able to obtain this much information. Being neither irritated nor fed up, Rigaya carried on his interrogation unconcerned.

“Is that so? By the way, did you remember how they look?”

Naga expected this question to appear, so he pretended to remember.

“Umm…. there was bluish black hair, with a large build, was giving orders to everyone. I think, she was leader.”

“Is this, what the witch looked like?”

As soon as Rigaya gave the signal, one of the guards showed Naga a personal description. There he saw a drawn face of a heinously smiling witch, however, it certainly gave off Harrigan’s aura.

(That woman, if she sees this interpretation, she’ll surely murder the guy who drew this! This picture just screams for that to happen.)

“Ah… certainly, that witch, that witch.”

“I see. As one would expect, it was the clan of Harrigan?”

Judging from Rigaya’s way of talking, it seemed that Harrigan was a famous witch, even among humans.

(Well, I guess that’s understandable. Until now, she’s been the one who’s borne the full brunt of humans’ attacks. And then, her party is the one that has been repelling the enemy’s attacks.)

Naga could recall Harrigan’s fighting style that’s based on controlling a large wooden puppet, and scattering Cassandra Kingdom’s troops from the cliff.

(I guess, she can’t avoid being seen when fighting in front.)

“Then, those witches that are occupying the fort, were they preparing for something?”

Rigaya’s voice brought Naga back to his senses.

“No, it not feel like they preparing anything in particular. I saw wall strengthening construction, but, atmosphere quite leisurely. Even some witches, threw down tools and drank.”

'Fumu' – Rigaya folded his arms and groaned in a low voice.

“So, it doesn’t seem like….. the witches will threaten us anytime soon, does it? If that’s true….”

Rigaya pondered for a moment, so Naga stayed calm and awaited his next words. After a while of continued silence, Ligaya raised his head and asked Naga,

“Did you notice something else that was unusual? Anything will do.”

“Something, unusual….. That’s right, all witches, fine girls. And wore awfully small, piece of cloths. I think maybe they want appeal to troupe…. ah, pardon me.”

Rigaya, who had a stern face all the time, couldn’t resist making a wry smile at Naga’s words.

“Well, for someone of your status, I don’t think it’s impossible…. so it was like that?”

Rigaya pondered again as if hitting upon something.

(Hmph. So I was given a chance to explain and didn’t get scolded? Since they’re the ones trying to exterminate the witches, I thought they would be much more biased against the witches, but….)

“It looks like, all the members in your troupe are girls. Were you the only one who dealt with the witches when stopping by the fort?”

“No, female dancers, I, together with them.”

“I see. I guess, we need to consider the possibility that the witches…. didn’t lay their hands on your troupe, since they were all girls.”

(What? So this guy is able to reason that way? I wouldn’t have expected this from him, I think)

“Then, what do you plan to do afterwards?”

Rigaya suddenly changed the topic of their conversation.

“If possible, we like to perform inside city. If not, there no meaning in coming. And if that the case, we be much in red.”

“You mean it? I feel pity for you but that would be a difficult request.”

“Is it, really difficult?”

Naga put on an act and dropped his shoulders disappointedly.

“There’s a chance that, a war might break out soon, so we’re patrolling this city. Our soldiers and citizens are making strenuous efforts for the war, so it isn’t the right time for them to be watching performances. We need to remove any factors that can thwart our preparations. Even if you were to try to do so, there’s no way you would receive permission for that.”

(As expected, they’re quite at their wits’ end.)

While thinking so, Naga hung his head and replied powerlessly.

“That right. Then, no other way than return to Lancel.”

“You’re going back the way you came from, right?”

“This is only option. We bit scared when, passed near the witches. However, nothing happened to us, so I think…. we be fine with retuning back.”

Rigaya gazed fixedly at Naga with a stern expression.

(What? Could it be that he saw through me?)

“I thought about giving you a reward if you plan to pass near that fort again, but well…”

“Eh? Yes? W, What you mean to say?”

Naga was half acting, however, he was honestly bewildered, as he couldn’t grasp Rigaya’s true intention.

“There’s been no local who managed to meet the witches, so your visit before might be the first and the last one. Also, there’s no doubt that the witches have already memorized your faces, right?”

“Is…. this true?”

“That’s why I wanted to ask if you feel like paying them a visit, once more, but this time with one of our messengers.”

“Wha…What?!”

As one would expect, Naga too became dumfounded at Ligaya’s words.

“Even if we send a messenger, there’s no guarantee the witches will hear us out. In the worst-case scenario, you might all be murdered without being given a chance to argue.”

(I haven’t given it any thought, but….. it’s not impossible for them to do so. That’s because, Harrigan has talked before about assassins sent by the church to aim for their lives. It could be that the witches had considered Cassandra’s messengers as assassins….. therefore, resulting in these guys thinking this way. I guess, they reap what they sow.)

Not revealing his thoughts, Naga waited for the next words from his opponent.

“Therefore, we’d like to entrust you with our messenger. And we shall reward you, provided you decide to go back there. Obviously, we can’t cover the cost of your trip, but….”

“Still, we driven away, last time we drop by. We go there, but, I think it result in same.”

“You don’t particularly need to talk with them. We’ll prepare a letter here for the witches, so you only have to pass it to them.”

“Ah….. yes, if that case…. I think it be doable.”

Naga bent his neck and worked his brain hard.

(What’s he trying to make me do? Could it be….. he’s testing me?)

“We return there either way. If just stopping by, we take care of request.”

“You mean it? Then, I shall make the arrangements. Please return to the waiting room.”

“Understood.”

Naga bowed down multiple times and left the station.
As soon as he took his leave, Rigaya called out to one of his subordinates who was standing behind him.

“Now that it’s come to this, go and compose a letter to the witches immediately.”

“Still, are you really fine with this, Rigaya-sama? Having that group of vagabonds deliver our letter.”

“I don’t care. Will those performers be captured or killed by the witches? It’s no skin off my nose.”

“Nevertheless, I think we should also worry about them possibly fleeing.”

“Of course, even if they run away with the reward, it won’t be a big deal, since it’s not a big sum of money. On the other hand, if our plan goes favorably, there might be more gain to us….”

Rigaya slowly stood up from his chair.

“In the end, the matter regarding the witches is just something we are doing on the side. Rather than that we should, right now, prioritize the direct threat coming from the extermination group against the witches that’s heading south. There’s no telling if those guys will take the opportunity to attack us, so we better hasten ourselves with the preparations.”

“Yes, understood. We shall prepare the letter immediately.”

Soon after Naga returned, he retold the whole story to everyone, making them drop their jaws at this unexpected turn of events.

“Those guys, what are they thinking?!”

Vita asked as if spitting it out.

“It’s just assumption, but, possible. I guess, their way of proposing ceasefire.”

And then, she made an expression of wanting to doubt.

“For real?”

“I am, serious.”

“Ah no, that’s not what I mean. I wanted to ask if those folks from Cassandra are seriously considering a ceasefire.”

“Will depend on what they want convey.”

“However, if they really do, it would be ridiculous.”

'Kukuku' – Vita chuckled while saying so.

“So basically, we will be both delivering and receiving the letter, right?”

Naga put up his hands, so as to have Ikushina pay more attention.

“Lower voice, Ikushina, or someone overhear.”
“Ah, sorry about that.”

Ikushina hurriedly blocked her mouth using her hands.

“That’s true, I’ve similar thoughts to Ikushina’s.”

Vita cast her staring eyes at Naga.

“In other words, Naga, you’ll be the one delivering that letter, right?”

“I will. Once I do, we check content and discuss with Harrigan regarding what we do. This time, there be messenger tag along but he should no suspect anything, even if let him stay at fort."

“Certainly, I’m curious about what they want to tell us, will it be good news?

With that, their discussion reached its conclusion.
And then, they waited a short while.
Being accompanied by his men, Rigaya turned up in the waiting room.

“This is the letter I’d like for you to bring to the witches.”

One of his subordinates handed over a letter, sealed with wax, to Naga.

“Remember, you only have to pass it to them.”

“Understood.”

Naga bowed down deeply while thinking about this.

(It looks like things have taken an unexpected turn. However, we can make use of it. No, we definitely have to seize this favorable opportunity.)

7

Naga and his troupe of performers were assisted by the guards on their way to one of Cassandra’s forts that was nearby the witches.

Once they arrived, one of the soldiers spoke,

“We’ll excuse ourselves here, as our presence might hinder your interaction with the witches.”

The soldiers gave an impression as if being prepared to flee, however, Naga and the rest would rather avoid the soldiers meeting with the witches.

“This much do. Thank you, very much.”

Naga bowed down.
And then, the troupe left the fort, went south and returned to Fort Ein.
Because there might be someone watching, just to make sure, they were received as guests. Naga called out to the witches, who turned out to be Narcissus and Selena, that were there.

Selena, who could check the surroundings using her Heaven's Eye, sensed Naga and the rest approaching, so she brought Narcissus with her to welcome them. However, upon their immediate meeting, it seemed as though Naga was distant in his attitude. Like that, all the concerned visitors were escorted and brought inside the fort.

8

“What’s the meaning of this?!”

Harrigan, Naga and the rest faced each other inside a single room of the fort’s residential building. The head of the Haindora clan opened her eyes widely in surprise as she was retold the whole story of Naga’s interrogation.

“With that, we’ve been entrusted with this letter and arrived here to deliver it to you, who is the head of the witches. They hope you’d be interested to know its contents.”

Lela returned the charm on Naga to its usual level, so all the witches could understand Naga’s manner of speaking like they used to.

“Is that so? Then, shall we open it quickly?”

Harrigan received the letter from him and broke the seal in a casual manner.
And then, she took out its contents and quickly ran her eyes over it.

“Fumu, it’s just as Naga predicted. They are asking us indirectly if we want to stop fighting each other. What’s more, their style of writing is condescending.”

“So it was just like I thought, eh?”

“However, despite their haughty way of expression, it seems like the Cassandra Kingdom is at its wits end if they’re making this request to us.”

Saying so, Harrigan made an expression filled with mixed feelings.

‘You’re right.’ – Naga nodded.

“Losing to us this badly, and eventually, their fort. On top of that, they’re being threatened by a large army of 3000-4000 enemy soldiers. Misfortunes never comes singly, or so they say. I guess, it’s not impossible for them to want to grasp at straws.”

“So we’re the straws?”

Harrigan made a displeased face, however, Vita laughed enjoyably.

“Hahaha, rather than straws, I’d say we’re more like poisoned steam buns.”

“Is this something to laugh about?!”

“Ohhh, Vita, that’s a nice comparison.”

“Naga, you too! Is this the right time to be praising others?!”

“Don’t be so grumpy, Harrigan.”

“Still, Naga, they might be putting their hands up and offering us a ceasefire due to them being in a crisis right now, but, don’t forget they’ve been causing us lots of pain, so they can’t be fully trusted. Maybe, it’s better to let them get attacked and crushed?”

“I’ll agree with you on the part that they can’t be trusted, but, with how things look right now, we’ve got to make use of this situation.”

“Make use? What do you mean?”

“Isn’t this a favorable opportunity to demand gratitude from them?”

“Gratitude? You mean accepting their request? What good will come from doing that? Wouldn’t it be more beneficial for us to let the Cassandra Kingdom perish in a fight with other countries?”

“That would probably work short-term, however, there are more gains for us in the long-term if they survive.”

At Naga’s words, Harrigan frowned and made a doubtful face.

“Is that…. true?”

“The information regarding the approaching troops is partial, so I can’t tell for sure, but according to what that adjutant Rigaya said, the troops are led by the Church. If the Cassandra Kingdom suffers a complete defeat, we’ll be next in line to receive the Church’s onslaught. Rather, they will become even more motivated to charge at us after gaining victory over the Cassandra Kingdom. And at that rate….”

Naga shrugged his shoulders a bit.

“We’ll be forced to throw away the fort we captured and retreat back to the forest. However, whether we can protect it or not remains questionable.”

“But…. just because we comply with the ceasefire, it doesn’t mean the Cassandra Kingdom will turn into our ally. Also, there’s no telling if those folks will really fight against the extermination group.”

“That will depend on how we play it, you see.”

“W….What do you mean?”

“We will create a situation where both sides won’t be on good terms with each other, even if they don’t fight. This will become our advantage.”

“W….What?”

“What do you mean, Naga?”

Both Harrigan and Vita, as well as the other witches turned their puzzled looks at Naga.

“In other words, if we make Cassandra Kingdom and the extermination group glare at each other, we can thwart the church’s plan, right? They won’t be able to charge at us with their full army while having Cassandra Kingdom at their backs. Naturally, this will slow down their military movements. Our aim is to buy us some time, proceed with our preparations and try to counter the extermination group with all that we’ve got.”

‘I see.’ – Harrigan nodded.

“Still, is there any guarantee that the Cassandra Kingdom and the extermination group won’t join their forces together?”

“True, there isn’t. Far from that, it’s possible that the Cassandra Kingdom will do so due to them suffering a crisis.”

“In that case, shouldn’t we consider our plan with that in mind?”

“That’s why, I’m telling you we won’t be relying upon others but ourselves to create our desired situation. And then, prolong it.”

“No…. I don’t get your idea.”

Harrigan, whose face looked pitiful, turned her sight toward Vita. However, the latter merely lightly shook her head.

“I also can’t comprehend that. Do you mind, explaining it in a more simple and concrete way, Naga?”

“That is...like this, you see.”

Naga explained his strategy as best he could..

“….With that, we’ll put on the Cassandra Kingdom Army’s uniforms and give the extermination army a hard time. If we do that, it’s inevitable for both sides’ relationship to turn worse, right? Not to mention, the extermination group will put the blame on Cassandra for something the latter hasn’t done, so they will no longer be able to come to an agreement.”

All the witches shook their heads up and down with dumbfounded faces.

“You’re truly an evil person.”

Vita stated so with an astonished expression, following that Harrigan also nodded in agreement.

“Good grief. And to think we witches are regarded as heinous by humans. Don’t we look the same as babies in front of Naga?”

“Naga-san, you’re quite vicious, aren’t you?”

This time it was Kay’s turn to carry on.

“No no, I’m surely not vicious, right?”

“That’s right. I think you’re exaggerating, Kay-chan.”

“Ais, you do understand, right?”

“Rather, there’s no end to him being treacherous.”

“Doesn’t it make me look even worse?”

“Just how did you come up with such a heinous idea?”

“As expected, isn’t it because of his character?”

“Vita, Harrigan, don’t say those cruel things.”

“They aren’t. We think they reflect the truth.”

“Ah no, this much of an idea is normal for me.”

Harrigan pulled her head back and glared at Naga with scornful eyes.

“Really?”

“I wonder about that.”

“That’s probably like him.”

“Well, regarding how vicious he is, let’s leave that matter aside.”

“Don’t just leave it aside!”

“Then, will this really work? This is the real question. And how are you confident of its success?”

“…..You usually tend to find a solution when seeking a way out of a desperate situation, Vita.”

“As if!”

“It’s not necessarily false, but well, I guess it will only show during a contest. Till now it’s always been like this for me, I think. Back then, when we fought against 2000 soldiers, did you think you’d win?”

Harrigan responded to Naga’s remark.

“Umu, that’s right. We thought it was useless for us to fight back, without even trying. I guess it’s a bad habit of ours.”

“That’s right, Harrigan. You should always try to do your best. And if it fails, try something else. And if, again, it doesn’t work….”

“If it doesn’t work?”

“Then run away. Run away and start again from the beginning.”

'Kukakaka' – Naga laughed while saying so.

(So there was such a way of thinking? Good grief. Whenever it comes to this guy,)

“I think humans… no, even us witches can’t comprehend your way of reasoning. But for a fool to be able to break through these obstacles, perhaps you’re no longer different from a genius.”

Saying that, Harrigan leaked out a scornful laugh which she couldn’t hold back.

“If I were to say, rather than Naga-sama being a genius, he’s more of a natural disaster. Especially, for his opponents.”

As soon as Raibaha stated this, the present witches smiled and broke into laughter.

A fearsome being that could be regarded as a natural disaster for its opponents, but conversely, a trustworthy being for its allies. In fact, wasn’t it because Naga had won easily against the advancing army of Cassandra just like stopping a violently blowing storm? Recalling that event, the witches told themselves they could place more hope in their future.

“Then, let’s make the best of our time and proceed with our preparations while the Cassandra Kingdom and the extermination group haven’t struck a deal, Vita.”

“Umu…. that’s right…”

“What? Is there still something on your mind?”

“Well, I agree with what you’ve just said. Still, there’s one more concern.”

Naga squinted his eyes and urged Vita to speak.

“One more concern? What could it be?”

“If memory serves me right, among the information which you acquired in Cassandra Kingdom, there was one regarding troops that fall under the direct control of the Church. That is to say, information that’s supported by the rumor we had heard in Lancel. Apparently, those guys are strong, you know?”

Naga leaned his body forward while making a serious expression.

“Are they that strong?”

“Umu. I too have only heard about them from rumors, so I can’t say for sure, but, apparently they’re combat troops that are referred to as brigades. Their soldiers wear silver armor, which is highly resistant to magic and dulls it.”

“To what extent?”

“We won’t know that unless we try. It would be different if it’s just 1 or 2 soldiers, but, we’ve never fought a troop consisting of all soldiers wearing silver armor.”

“For real….? Then, does it mean that everything will depend on the outcome of this battle?”

Naga made a difficult face while groaning in a low voice.

“And that’s not all.”

Naga raised his head at Vita’s words.

“We still don’t know how many of those brigades there are. I’ve only heard about this, but I think there are supposed to be 7- 8. That’s why, I’m worried about the number of brigades coming here this time.”

“So, based on Vita’s statements, should I understand that….. those brigades each possess a different fighting strength?”

(As usual, this guy is sharp.)

“That’s right.”

“What part of them is bothering you?”

“There are 3 rumors that describe their exceptional strength, especially the one in which apparently there’s that annoying troop referring to themselves as ‘the Brigade of 88′”

‘This too, is a rumor I learned from hearsay, but…’ – Vita revealed the meaning behind the brigade’s name followed by a story of the brigade holing up.

“Hohou. Indeed, they’ve got some terrific fighting style there.”

Naga ooh’ed in admiration.

“That’s why, I think we should avoid any hard fights involving the Brigade of 88 if they come.”

“I guess, we need to check more on that Brigade of 88.”

“How do you plan, to do that?”

“By kidnapping 1 or 2 soldiers and questioning them?”

“That measure is way too extreme!”

“Having you say it’s extreme, kinda makes me feel uneasy.”

“What’s the meaning of that?!”

“Ah no, nothing in particular. Don’t mind it.”

“Shouldn’t it be fine, to have Linne and Linna overhear some soldiers?”

Harrigan suggested.

“…….True. I guess it’s more convenient that way, isn’t it? There’s the possibility that the Cassandra Kingdom might become wary if their soldiers are kidnapped. They might even consider it as a surprise attack, so it’s better not to have them be alert. That being said, in addition to Linne & Linna sneaking inside the city, we need to determine the position of the extermination group. I think I can only entrust Yuuki and Selena with that task.”

“It can’t be helped. Well, shall we get moving then?”

—Why is Yuuki always acting this high-handedly?—

Kay whispered this question to Nonoeru.

—Isn’t it because her head’s always in the clouds when she’s flying?—

—Nonoeru, that was good!—

“Hey there! what are you whispering to each other?!”

Yuuki raised her eyebrows and stared at them both.

“Nothing~~”

“Nothing in particular”

‘Hmph’ – Yuuki snorted and turned her face.

“Anyway, I’ll set off tomorrow and fly near the royal capital to conduct a regular scouting.”

“Then, will you take this mantle with you and place it near the city, so that I can teleport with Selena?”

Eliushune made such a suggestion.

“There are also guards inside the city, so they might notice something strange. Maybe, if you add some more mantles…”

“That’s right. It should be much more convenient if we increase the number of spots where Eiushune can teleport to. And If we mark the targets, it will be also easier to transport Selena. I’ll be relying on you, Eliushune.”

<nowiki>*</nowiki>*Biku* – Once Naga lightly bowed, Eliushune drew back with a start.

“Ah…. yes, I, I’ll take care of that.”

(For some reason….my heart, skips a beat whenever this person bows down.)

Unaware of Eliushune’s bewilderment, Harrigan faced toward Naga with a stern expression.

9

“By the way, how do we reply to the letter? It was written they would like to receive an answer from us, but…”

Naga quickly responded, following Harrigan’s question.

“It should be fine if we just say we don’t plan to interfere with them.”

“Will they believe in such an ambiguous reply?”

“For now, it’s better that way. Still, that’s right, should we also add they better do the same?”

‘Fumu’ – Harrigan folded her arms and groaned.

“So it’s come to this? Indeed, it’s hard to strike a bargain.”

(I don’t think so. After all, you have done so way too many times.)

“It should do if we hand our reply to the troop nearby, watching us. We’ll just compose a proper reply and have them deliver it to their superiors.”

“Have you considered…. they might try and arrest us when trying to hand the reply?’

At Ais’ question, Naga denied with full confidence.

“I don’t think one or two soldiers from a scouting troop will attempt to catch you. If they could, they’d have long since won this war.”

“You’re right. If there are just 10 or 20 soldiers, then we can somehow manage. Speaking of which, Lela, I’m sorry, but, could you please take care of writing the reply? Once you’re done, go together with Kay and Cu to where the troop is stationed and pass it to them. Selena will observe their position, so you’ll know where the scouts are hiding.”

“Understood, Ane-sa~ma.”

“Apart from that, Harrigan, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask. Can someone from your group go to Lancel?”

“Lancel, again? For what purpose?”

“I happened to see slaves there on sale back when we were visiting Lancel.”

Harrigan made a doubting face after hearing Naga’s words.

And it wasn’t just her either. The other witches, as well as Raibaha, had doubting, or rather – curious expressions, while being unable to understand what Naga was trying to imply.

“Certainly, slaves are bound to be there as well. After all, that port city is a place which thrives in trade. What’s more, there’s no limit to the amount of food and articles sold.”

“Oh and by the way, we managed to sell your gadgets and jewelry for high prices.”

“I guess, that’s very like of you…. Speaking of which, I received a brief report from Ais and Lela the other day, when you had passed through here on your way to the capital of the Cassandra Kingdom, but…….”

The complexion on Harrigan’s face, which seemed to express her doubt, turned more and more thick in color. Rather than doubt, perhaps it was better to say, of misgiving.

“Sorry, but, can we sell more gadgets and jewelry from your warehouse?”

“Haaa? What, are you talking about? What do you intend to do?!”

“If possible, I’d like to have you, Vita, help us too.”

Being told so, Vita couldn’t hide her puzzlement.

“That’s why, I’m asking what do you intend to do with the money…. hmm? Don’t tell me, you plan to purchase those slaves?”

“Ohh, how sharp of you, Vita.”

“What? You!”

“W, What are you angry about?”

“Despite us being in a life-and-death matter, you’re telling us to sell our items to buy young female slaves… no, just what are you making us do?”

Ais stood up while swaying.

“Naga-san, so it’s all about that? Is this what you’ve been thinking about?”

‘Oh, that’s right!’ – Kay looked up in the air as if recalling something.

“Back then, Naga-san would frequently ask about slaves.”

“I misjudged you, Naga.”

Harrigan’s hair drifted in the air.

“Wait wait wait! You lot are misunderstanding something!”

“How are we supposed to misunderstand you?”

“I told you I want to buy slaves, however, I didn’t say they will be females. They’re male slaves! On top of that, robust ones!”

“Naga-san, could it be, that you swing in that direction?”

“You’re running your imagination too far, Ais!”

“….Am I wrong?”

“Ah, for god’s sake, these girls are. Why won’t you first listen to what people have to say?”

Naga held his head.

“Isn’t it because there’s a problem in your behavior?”

“Right? Suddenly falling into a bathroom and rubbing Ane-sama’s chest. You could only think of Naga-san buying females when he mentions slaves with that in mind. Don’t you think your conduct is what forces us to think that way?”

“Ah, no, Ais, why are you….”

Harrigan, whose face was red, chided Ais.

“Ehhh? Naga-sama, have you really done such an envious…?”

Raibaha looked at Harrigan with an envious face.

“D, Don’t look at me with such eyes!”

“So, Harri-nee had her chest already rubbed by Naga-san?! I’m envious too. Right, Nono?”

“Noooo? I, I’m not particularly, not at all, envious about that!”

“That’s why, don’t tell people things that are easy to misunderstand!”

Harrigan gazed at Ais with fearsome, murderous eyes.

“Eh? But, isn’t it true? Isn’t this what Yuuki, who witnessed the event, clearly said?”

Yuuki, whose name was suddenly called out, turned away and averted her eyes. On the other hand, the other witches who were unaware of that fact besides Ais and Lela drew back their heads and looked at Harrigan with scornful eyes.

“I’m telling you it’s wrong!”

“Harrigan.”

“W….What, Naga?”

“Do you now understand a bit this pain of being misunderstood and ignored by others?”

“I do…. However, being pointed that out by someone, who tries to fulfill his lust by buying slaves, makes me incredibly annoyed.”

“Just how untrustworthy can I be?”

Naga sighed while having a miserable expression.

“Just as I said, I’m going to buy male slaves.”

“What do you plan to do with them later? Make them help with strengthening this fort? Certainly, someone else’s hands would be welcomed for construction jobs, but, it’s meaningless for now, isn’t it? Weren’t you also the one who said that?

“Obviously, I won’t be using them for that purpose. I’m going to make them into soldiers.”

“What?!”

Vita bent her face in amazement, whereas all the other witches and Raibaha opened their eyes widely.

“No matter how many of you are mighty warriors, the number of witches is way too scarce. After all, your enemy is an army of 3000-4000 units. What’s more, if the war continues to escalate, we’ll need hands for carrying food, weapons, and armor. Not to mention, you may also have to cross swords or strike each other if a battle becomes intense. I’m not saying you lot possess no hand-to-hand combat skills. It’s just you’re more suited for long range fighting. Now that it’s been mentioned, we’ll also need people who can shoot with bows and those who can march into an enemy’s camp with swords and spears. We’ve gotta supply ourselves with those soldiers.”

Despite Naga finishing his explanation, everyone was left open-mouthed while being unable to utter a single word.

“What are you amazed at? A battle is primarily more about quantity than quality, so raising the number of soldiers is the basic of the basics.”

Harrigan and Vita exchanged looks.

“Are you of the same mind, Vita?”

“I’ve never participated in a big war before, so don’t ask me.”

Harrigan pulled herself together and faced toward Naga.

“Still, even if we buy those slaves, will they do as they’re told? Will they fight for our sake? Or will they go against us?”

“Slaves probably consider their buyer as their owner. It doesn’t matter to them who that person is, or from where it is.”

“That may be true….. but…”

“In that case, you shall be their owners. Or could it be that only humans can trade slaves?”

“Ah no, I don’t… think so.”

“Then, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“Even if you throw out your chest like that…”

“Slaves usually tend to live in harsh surroundings. They might thank us If we provide them with proper meals and warm beds. And if we promise to set them free after they perform well in battle, they might become even more excited to work for us. Be it humans or witches, for slaves, it should make no big difference. It’s how they’re going to be treated that matters the most.”

“You’re talking about slaves as though you can understand them, aren’t you?”

Despite Vita saying this in a teasing manner, Naga puffed up with pride and answered while remaining calm.

“I don’t. More like, I can picture them. Since we can’t raise soldiers using straightforward methods, using slaves as soldiers is the easiest and fastest way. Don’t you think?”

“If I were to say…. Yes, you might be right.”

“Now then, Harrigan, I’d like for you to carry your items to Lancel, convert them into money, and then use it to purchase the slaves. Vita, you too, I’ll appreciate it if you could help us.”

“I don’t mind, but….. just how much time would it take to transport our load from a village to the city?”

“Is that so? Since Eliushune won’t be coming with us….”

“No, even if that girl did, she wouldn’t be useful at all. After all, she can’t carry things using her mantles, not to mention, the clothes we put on.”

“Yeah. Certainly, it’ll take way too much time to load the cart and transport the items.”

“Then, how about we use Yuuki?”

Yuuki had been deliberately turning away all this time, but, she couldn’t help it when everyone’s gazes were focused on her, so she turned back around

“Fine with me, but, I’ll have to go and return many times, since my board can’t carry that much, you know?”

“We don’t mind. However, I still think it will be much faster than carrying it on the cart. Also, as I fear, we’ll need to have someone who can evaluate the items, so…”

‘Well, certainly, that’s true’ – Yuuki puffed her cheeks in displeasure, but nevertheless, she answered reluctantly.

“I’ve no discerning eye when it comes to an item’s value.”

“I’ll have to return back to the forest to get my items. Then, how many slaves should we gather?”

“I don’t know how much a single slave is worth, and also, how much can we gain from selling your items, so probably, it will depend on the outcome. We’ll gather as many slaves as possible based on their costs. I’d like to have at least 100 of them, but, I’m not sure if there are slaves capable of fighting at a reasonable price on sale. In the worst case-scenario, I won’t mind even if we manage to get just 10-20.”

“You mean it? I guess, we’ll just have to play it by ear.”

“Right. Then, we need someone who can take care of them…..”

Naga looked around at the present people and stopped his sights on a single one.

“I entrusted you with the sale of the items the previous time, but, as expected, the only one who can choose and buy slaves is you, Raibaha.”

Raibaha whose face looked stupefied pointed at himself.

“Eh? Me?”

“Yes. If it’s you, who has led soldiers before, then you will somehow be able to manage the slaves, won’t you?”

“That’s, well, yes.”

“On the other hand, the same can’t be said about the witches. Don’t you agree, Harrigan?”

Harrigan shrugged her shoulders.

“Right. We’ve never swung swords or spears, so we haven’t the slightest idea about what kind of a person is suitable to become a soldier.”

“And with that, Raibaha, you’ll be in charge of supplying us with slaves.”

“Understood. I’ll try to do my best.”

Later, a talk regarding each person’s duty would be decided, with Naga being the main character.

10

Early the next morning.

Having confirmed the reply addressed to Cassandra, Lela took Cu, Kay, Nonoeru and Selena with her and left Fort Ein. The remaining witches worked in a hurry to bring the items from their village hidden inside the forest, and prepare to repel the extermination group.

Lela and her team quickly returned after they passed the reply to a scouting troop’s leader they had discovered. Soon after Naga received the report from Lela, he started to do calculations inside his mind.

(Well then, I wonder, how much time did we manage to gain? Even if the extermination army reaches Cassandra Kingdom, they won’t be able to simply move, so perhaps we have around 10 days. If that’s not enough, should we put on the Cassandra army’s uniforms and attack the extermination army’s troops? I guess, I’d rather utilize that additional time and fully prepare before meeting them.)

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| Back to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Ochitekita_Ryuuou_to_Horobiyuku_Majo_no_Kuni|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
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Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Chapter 3

2017-02-18T01:34:20Z

76.115.0.117: /* Chapter 3- The Performance of the Dancers */

==Chapter 3- The Performance of the Dancers==

1

Lancel City was situated at the mouth of the Schwein River, forming a harbor city with walls on three sides, and the fourth side facing the river. The Schwein River mouth was wide, and as the river flows into the western sea straits, ships on long voyages frequent this harbor.

Naga and company stood beside the harbor and watched the large ships enter and exit the harbor. Naga was the head of the traveling troupe, Raibaha performed miscellaneous duties along with escort and the dancers were Vita, Ais, Kay, and Lela. Linne and Linna were responsible for collecting intelligence from the streets, and will work separately from the rest.
Twelve of the group of fourteen were girls, giving it an air of splendor.
But to avoid attracting too much attention, the witches covered the clothes they were wearing or put on cloaks. The crews on the ships unloaded large amounts of cargo from the massive sail ships and emptied them out, and then loaded the cargo piled up at the harbor into the ships. The angry yells and shouts of the crew resonated in the vicinity. Cargo filled wagons bustled in the harbor.

The bell rang, notifying the arrival or departure of ships.
Seagulls congregated and leered at the fishes caught by the fishermen.
The smell of the sea wafted in with the warm sea breeze. The bustling scene of the harbor stimulated Naga’s senses.

“I think I saw a scene like this somewhere before.”

Lela’s sharp ears heard what he muttered, and pressed him with sparkling eyes:

“Is that place the world you were, from?”

Lela showed her strong sense of curiosity, and wished to further understand the world Naga was from. Seeing Lela acting this way, Naga smiled wryly.

“Should be. I have a sense of Déjà vu, maybe I saw a harbor like this before.”

“Did you remember, something?”

“Nothing, I just felt nostalgic, like I’ve seen this scene before. I don’t remember the details though.”

After Lela, who was leaning close to Naga, heard that, her shoulders drooped regrettably.

“Hahaha, don’t be so depressed. I’m not bothered by something like this.”

“I don’t care about you, I just want to understand the world you are, from.”

“Oh, is that so.”

Naga shrugged. He was wearing loose attire that seemed foreign in origin. They weren’t his clothes or those given to him by Harrigan and the others. They were clothes from the central world prepared just for this investigative trip. The witches around him didn’t wear their usual skin revealing clothes, and put on clothes from the central world too. Many of the witches even dyed their hair or applied coloring to their faces and skin to disguise themselves.

Not only did Raibaha dye his hair, he even cut it short and put on a hooded cloak and shades. His outfit made it certain that he won’t be recognized even if he met someone who knew him. Raibaha wore a sword as his setting was the escort of the group. Naga changed his hairstyle too, and swapped his katana for a sword that was commonly seen in this world. The guards saw his face when he took the fort, so he had to take additional care. It was very unlikely they would run into soldiers who defended Fort Ein in Lancel City, but this would likely happen if they enter the Cassandra Kingdom, so this was also, in a way, practice.

“Alright, we will head for the antique shops and sell the weapons and jewelry. We will then buy two carriages, tents and things like musical instruments. I’m counting on you, Rai… No, Hoodins.”

“Yes, head Najunkray, I will try my best to get a good price.”

The two addressed each other by their aliases, Raibaha did so as he might run into people who had seen him before, while Naga’s name had the connotation of ‘Dragon King’, which will attract suspicious eyes…. No, in this case, it will attract suspicious ears, so it was decided that they will call each other by aliases as they investigated while undercover. As no humans know the names of the witches, they used their original names.

2

The weapons and jewelry sold for an unexpectedly high price, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this was a sizeable bit of wealth. Raibaha was skilled in negotiations, but it was mostly the merit of the highly valuable merchandise. Vita looked at the bag of gold coins — not silver, but gold coins, signifying the high selling price— and looked very impressed.

“Oh, so these pieces of junk can sell for such a good price. I guess we should inspect the things in our warehouse again, right, Dora?”

“Yes, dear mother.”

“Even if we sell them for a good price, there isn’t any place to spend it.”

“That’s a good point, shall we stop the investigation?”

“No, do it anyway. Even if we don’t sell them, there’s no harm in knowing the value of the things we have. After we go back, do a spring cleaning of our warehouse immediately, and pick out the valuable items.”

Me?— Dora pointed to herself, trying to confirm if Vita meant her.

“You and Eli will take care of it.”

“Wahhh…”

Once she thought about the pile of items in the warehouse, with no telling if there was anything valuable in there, Dora couldn’t help but smile stiffly.

“Just thinking about inspecting them one at a time gives me a headache.”

“I don’t mean just the two of you, but for you two to take charge and get the other girls to help.”

“If that is the case, I will get it done.”

Lily scowled her face at Dora, who sighed in relief.

“Alright, we’ll go shopping later. Before that, we have to find a place to spend the night.”

On Naga’s command, the group left the streets filled with shops, and they moved en masse to the place where the inns were.

3

Because their wares sold better than expected, Naga and company found a higher class hotel and decided to stay there. As they were a large group, they asked for a big room and two small rooms, then retired to their accommodations. Naga and Raibaha, and Vita, Lily, and Dora moved into the two small rooms, respectively, and the Haindora witches brought their luggage into the big room. After a short rest in the rooms, Naga said that he wanted to buy the necessary goods.

“Raibaha and I will go, and in case anything happens Lela will follow.”

If the talisman falls off or the effect fades, Naga won’t be able to talk to people. To avoid that, Naga requested Lela to accompany him.

“Who else wants to go?”

He asked the small room next door. The three girls resting inside stood up at the same time.

“Of course we want to go.”

Vita replied, Dora and Lily nodded repeatedly.

“There isn’t anything interesting about this trip though.”

“Just walking along the streets of the humans is an interesting experience, I haven’t had any chance to leave the forest recently, and this is the first time the girls are visiting a human city.”

“So you want to go sightseeing too. It’s the same for me, everything I see looks interesting.”

Naga then asked the witches in the big room, and all of them stood up excitedly.

“Do we need someone to guard the place?”

Naga looked troubled. Ais smiled and said,

“There isn’t any important luggage here, just bringing our valuables and the money we have gotten would be enough.”

“To be safe, I will prepare the guards.”

“Hmm? Arurukan wants to stay behind?”

When Naga asked, Arurukan muttered, “Tsk tsk tsk.” and shook her right index finger.

“That’s not what I meant, I will ask the wandering dogs in the area to look after the place.”

“Wandering dogs? Oh, you mean those stray dogs?”

“That’s right. Since this is a harbor city, there are many stray dogs. I just need to call a few over, and they will help us guard the place. If anyone tries to move our stuff sneakily, they can help to chase them away.”

“Would there be any problem doing that?”

“I just need to feed them something after it’s done.”

“Alright, I will leave this to you.”

By the way, the magic to communicate with animals is amazing. No, she is not the only amazing one. If he had to say it, all the witches possess powerful spells, Naga found it hard to believe that they kept on losing to the human armies. But they don’t know about tactics and strategy, so that isn’t strange. When they left the inn, Arurukan whistled in a frequency inaudible to humans and summoned a few strays. She spoke something to the strays, which Naga couldn’t understand. He asked Ais and Lela, who didn’t know either, so the other witches couldn’t decipher the conversation Arurukan had with the animals.

“Alright, that will do, we just need to buy some meat from the market to feed them later.”

After Arurukan finished, Vita raised her right hand high before Naga could reply,

“Good, then let’s go!”

“Vita is really energetic.”

“Ah~ she has not visited a human city for a very long time, so bear with her over enthusiasm.”

Dora whispered in explanation to Naga, who smiled wryly and waved his right hand a little, gesturing to her not to mind. The group led by Naga and Raibaha returned to the district filled with shops once again.

4

In the end, they bought two carriages, the horses to pull the carriages and horses to ride. They also purchased kitchen knives, pots, kettles, and other dinnerware. Extra sets of clothes, lutes, drums, and tents for camping outdoors were also procured.

The group carried the items onto the carriage, then those who can ride on horses did so, while those who can’t (or didn’t want to) got onto the carriages along with the cargo. Vita complained that it was cramped inside the carriage, but since Dona, who was much bigger than her, squeezed between the cargo without a word, she couldn’t say too much. Under Naga’s instruction, the Haindora witches more or less had some training in riding horses, so aside from Arurukan, Linne and Linna, all of them rode on the horses. Even though Ais, Kay, Cu and Nonoeru were really scared.

“Arurukan, wait.”

Naga called out to her as she was about to board the carriage.

“What is it?”

“You can talk to animals right?”

“Not really converse with them, we can just communicate with each other.”

“If that is so, why don’t you ride a horse?”

“Fufufu.” Arurukan showed a scornful smile, puffed out her chest and said,

”How foolish of you Naga. Communicating with animals and actually riding a horse are two different matters!”

“Do you need to get angry? And I don’t get what you mean.”

“If I ask the horse to run faster, I will fall off from it.”

“What?”

“If I ask the horse to walk steadily and don’t let me fall off, the horse will walk very slowly.”

“……”

“I am not riding a horse in order to not trouble everyone!”

“……”

“Ah~~ I mean—”

At this moment, Ikushina, who was in the driver’s seat of the carriage, said,

“What she means is that her horsemanship is terrible, so stop asking her about it.”

Arurukan twitched her hair that looked like beast ears, and turned towards Ikushina resentfully.

“What nonsense is that, Ikushina. There’s nothing wrong with my horsemanship. It isn’t that my skill is bad, it’s just that the horse can’t keep up with my skill.”

“Yes yes, I know. Let’s just accept this reason. It’s my fault Arurukan.”

“It makes me feel even more terrible when you apologize like that, Naga.”

Arurukan’s hair that looked like beast ears sagged down depressingly.

“Basically, the horse will move by itself. If you are too tense, the horse would be influenced by you and become harder to control.”

Naga, who was excellent in horsemanship advised, but to the people unaccustomed to riding horses, things were not as simple as he said.

“You will get used to it, you can ride it naturally after gaining some experience.”

Raibaha had great horsemanship too, so he was in charge of driving a carriage, while Ikushina who was the most eager to learn horse riding drove the other.

Naga led the way on his horse, followed by the witches— who were dressed like dancers — riding their horses, with the carriages driven by Ikushina and Raibaha at the very back. The group returned to the inn just like this, housed the horses in the stables behind the inn, and fed them. Arurukan used this chance to summon the guard dogs and gave them some of the meat she’d bought.

5

Naga stood before the horses that had been separated from the carriage and fell into deep thought.

“Alright, we have to carry the small items to the rooms, and leave the large cargo on the carriages. Raibaha, sorry about this, but I need you to keep watch here."

“Understood. Don’t worry about me, I can sleep on the floor.”

“As for the other carriage…”

Naga was troubled over this when Arurukan returned after feeding the dogs and raised her hand.

“Ah, we don’t need to place a sentry, I asked those strays to help again. They are full of life after eating the meat, so we can leave it safely in their paws.”

“I see, let’s leave it to them then.”

Arurukan whistled silently again, and the strays gathered.

“Don’t let them get too close to the stables. It would be troublesome if the horses got spooked and makes a racket.”

“Got it.”

Arurukan squatted down before the strays and gave them the task. Even though Naga had the talisman given by Lela, he couldn’t understand what she was saying. She is probably relaying my instructions, amazing.

“Let’s prepare dinner.” Ais said to the other witches.

Although they checked into an inn that was slightly higher class, only the very top class hotels in this era will provide meals for their guests. So they went to the market to buy ingredients.

“Dora, you girls help too.”

“Yes, dear mother.”

“Naga and Chief Vita, please rest in your rooms.”

“Is that alright? Thank you very much.”

“You are welcome.”

Ais answered with a smile, and added a line in her heart,

It’s the duty of the young ones to take care of the elderly.

“I will retire to my room then.”

“Yes, please have a good rest.”

After returning to his room, Naga laid on his bed and watched the ceiling.

(Arara, unexpected things kept happening one after another. But the most unexpected thing of all is that I came to an alternate world.)

He thought about the things that happened after he arrived and what the future held, and fell asleep gradually. Naga woke when he heard someone calling out to him.

“Dinner is ready, please come to our room to eat.”

Naga sat up slowly and raised a hand at Ais.

“I'll be right there.”

6

Naga still couldn’t get used to bread.

(What I ate in the past should have been easier to bite, soft and sweet… but what is it? But this isn’t too bad.)

Naga sent the sliced bread to his mouth, and thought about this as he chewed. Aside from the bread, the other dishes taste great. Pickles, vegetables, stewed duck, smoked bacon, and freshly grilled fish from the sea were laid out on the table, satisfying in both taste and portion.

(If only there was rice…)

“That’s right, rice!”

Recalling the deliciousness of freshly cooked rice, Naga couldn’t help shouting. The witches looked surprised and looked at Naga.

“But… there is no rice in this world.”

Naga drooped his shoulders sadly.

“What is this rice thing?” Ais asked.

“In the place I came from, rice was the main staple food. Rice is complemented by the other dishes. I just remembered that.”

“Rice… Rice… What is that, food?”

Lela’s eyes were glowing as she leaned forward. Naga smiled wryly.

“How should I put this. It is the grain of a crop known as paddy. After harvesting it, milling it and washing it, it will be placed in a pot to simmer. After it is cooked, just steam it for a while and it will be ready to eat.”

Lela had a confused expression and looked baffled; the other witches and Raibach were just like Lela and looked surprised.

“If you don’t see the real thing, you won’t understand. I don’t know how to explain it too.”

Naga scratched his head and smiled bitterly.

“But if you can recall one specific thing, you can remember others, right?” Lela said.

“I hope so. I will tell you if I remember anything, don’t worry.”

“I am looking forward to, it.”

“Forget the rice, let’s eat. We need to discuss about tomorrow after finishing.”

“That’s true, let’s eat and tidy up the room.”

After Ais said that, the witches stopped their chatter and finished their dinner early, then stood up to clean the place.

7

After cleaning up, the witches returned to the large room and began their discussion with Naga in the center.

“As planned, we will find a place to hold our performance tomorrow. All of you have prepared your dancing costumes already anyway.”

If they all wore different costumes, they wouldn’t look like dancers from the same troupe. Using the witches’ normal attire directly wasn’t suitable either, so Ais and the other dancers prepared a set of costumes. As the purpose was to garner more audience, their attire was revealing and thin like their usual clothes. As they didn’t need to be concerned about using spells in battles, they added frilly accessories on their clothes to attract the audience’s attention through their dance.

“What about the venue?” Vita asked.

“If we perform near the harbor, we should be able to attract plenty of sailors, right?”

“That’s true, but they seem really busy. It would be better to perform in the streets in the morning, we can catch the morning crowd visiting the morning market.”

Naga nodded in agreement with Vita’s suggestion.

“Good point, let’s perform in the streets first. Linne and Linna will use the chance to move around, and listen to what the audience is saying.”

“Yes, understood.” x2

“Oh right. Naga, when I was walking in the streets just now, it doesn’t seem very peaceful.”

“Not peaceful? As in full of life?”

Vita thought about it and her face turned serious.

“… Not that way.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ugh, there isn’t anything in particular that makes me feel uneasy, just that it didn’t seem peaceful and people are panicky— That’s the impression I have. But I haven’t been to a human city for a long time, maybe it’s just my imagination.”

There must be a reason why Vita is saying this.

“I see. If Vita’s instincts are correct, there might be some incident that happened somewhere. Linne and Linna might be able to sniff something out in regards to this. I'm bothered by something too. There were some young men and women tied up with ropes near the harbor, are they criminals?”

“No, they are slaves.” Vita said with disdain.

“Slaves…”

“Those are people bought by slave peddlers, and will be sold in a slave market somewhere.”

“Humans can be traded?”

“This isn’t such a rare sight. It’s common for humans.”

Naga crossed his arms and the corners of his lips drooped.

“I see, so this is normal in this world.”

“Isn’t there something like this in your world?”

“No… I am not sure too, but I don’t think the trading of humans was so open.”

“Oh, seems like your world is better in this aspect.”

As Naga and Vita chatted about this, Lela stared at Naga intriguingly.

“Alright, after I conquer the world, I will ban the trading of humans.”

(What… What a confident guy. In his mind, is world conquest the default objective? Just who is this guy?)

Vita appraised Naga closely.

“Hmm? What’s the matter?”

“No… it’s nothing.”

(His grandiose words make me question if there is something wrong with his head… It is doubtful, but he should be serious. And there is something about this man that makes me believe he can make this future a reality. If not, I wouldn’t have placed my bet on him.)

“Fu, I will look forward to it.”

“Alright, back to the topic at hand. We will decide on the venue after we reach the streets tomorrow, let’s sleep early everyone. Oh right…”

Naga turned and asked Arurukan.

“Can you ask the dogs to keep watch the entire night?”

“It shouldn’t be a problem, but to be safe, I will check on them later.”

“I see, I will go with you too.”

“You don’t need to come though.”

“I am the head of the troupe after all, checking on the carriages is part of my job. The inn staff is here too, and I need to be aware of how the other customers see us. I need to perform my duties too.”

“Oh.” Arurukan said, and it was obvious she didn’t understand and seemed baffled.

“Is that so? I’m not opposed to you coming if you insist.”

“I will go check on the horses then.” Ikushina raised her hand and said.

“Okay, I will leave the horses to you.”

Naga turned back and faced everyone.

“Everyone, please have a good rest.”

At this moment, Ais raised a question.

“Naga, aren’t you tired?”

“This isn’t much.”

“But when we were running in the Black Forest, you were the first one to tire.”

“Ughh.” Naga sighed, lowered his head and said, “Back then, I had just come to this world.”

“Hmmm!?” Kay exclaimed in surprise, then retorted, “What has your lack of stamina got to do with getting used to this world?”

“Kay is right! That’s why I need to ride a horse!”

“You actually admitted it!”

The witches laughed out loudly.

Naga shook his head in resignation, pulled himself together and instructed the witches,

“Anyway, let’s end the discussion for the night, we will need to move at day break.”

After concluding the meeting, Naga exited the inn, accompanied by Arurukan and Ikushina.

8

Naga, Ikushina and Arurukan walked towards the stables behind the inn. Since no one else was around, they wore their usual attire. Once they put on the revealing clothes of the witches, the tattoos on Ikushina’s skin was eye catching even in the middle of the night.

(Speaking of which, I heard that lkushina could manipulate the tattoos on her skin, what does that mean?)

Naga was thinking about that when Ikushina suddenly said,

“...Naga.”

“What is it?”

“We don’t know each other, why are you doing so much for us?”

“We are not strangers anymore.”

“Eh~~ I will put this another way then. Back then, we didn’t know each other, why did you do so much for us?”

“Because I owed you all the debt of one meal and a night’s lodging.”

“This is too much for just a meal and a night’s lodging. No matter how I see it, the burden on your shoulders is heavy—— Or rather, too heavy.”

Naga didn’t answer Ikushina’s question, but looked up into the night sky. Darkness had shrouded the surroundings. Witches had excellent eyesight, so they didn’t need torches. Ikushina held a torch for Naga to light the ground. Thousands of stars twinkled in the clear night sky. Compared to the vague memory Naga had of the stars, the starlight was brighter here and more numerous.

“Now that you asked… I don’t know why I am going so far for you all either. Just that after listening to Yuuki and Raibaha’s stories, I had an idea—”

Naga continued looking at the sky and said calmly,

“— If I can conquer the world, maybe I can reduce the number of families with terrible deaths like Yuuki’s and Raibaha’s…If there are less people who are like this, there will be less people who will live sad lives, right? So I want to build a peaceful world, and reduce the number of such people. I think this is my responsibility and duty…. Maybe this is the reason.”

“Oh.”

Ikushina opened her eyes wide and observed Naga’s profile.
It wasn’t clear if Arurukan heard what the two of them were saying, she squatted down not too far ahead, and patted the heads of the stray dogs that came near.

“What a grand ambition, I can’t keep up.”

“Is that so? I don’t think it is too great.”

“How should I say this, maybe our perspectives are different, or maybe our vision is different, or the way we see things is different.”

Naga laughed and turned his head back.

“It doesn’t matter what it is, I am doing this to help voluntarily. Although my actions caused you to shoulder a heavy burden.”

“Oh, don’t worry, we don’t mind. The burden might be heavy, but we look forward to living in a different world… probably. It feels like if we follow Naga, we will see a scene and world we have never experienced before.”

“A world you have never seen before.”

Naga smiled deviously.

“Even if that place is hell?”

“If we are hunted into extinction by humans, it will also be hell.”

Ikushina had a refreshing smile, as if she was opposing Naga.

“Either way leads to hell, it will be more interesting to visit a new hell.”

“You have an interesting way of saying this.”

“Is it? I don’t think so. Harrigan-Nee, Ais, and the others have a similar way of thinking, or they wouldn’t be fighting the humans alongside Naga.”

“Really?”

“It’s true, it’s true. So you don’t need to worry. If anyone of us dies in battle, you don’t need to push the blame on yourself.”

Naga looked at Ikushina in surprise.

“You are really considerate, Ikushina.”

“Huh? R-Really? People always say that.”

Ikushina smiled shyly as she scratched her head.

“Oh, a lot of people told you that?”

“Although I’m usually the one who is saying it.”

“So you are saying that yourself!”

“Because no one else is saying it, so I have to say it myself.”

Heehee, Ikushina had an embarrassed smile.

“I will say it again, you are really considerate, Ikushina.”

“Heehee.”

[[Image:Naga04_Illus-03.jpg|175px|thumb]]

Ikushina lowered her gaze and smiled with her face flushed.

“Eh, what are you two doing? Let’s go.”

(Tch, Arurukan really spoiled the mood, the atmosphere between Naga and me was so good too.)

Ikushina swore in secret, then raised her hand and replied, “We'll be right there~”

“Let’s go, Naga.”

“Okay. Oh yeah, Ikushina, I heard you can manipulate the tattoos on your skin, what does that mean?”

“Ah, speaking of which, you haven’t seen my magic.”

Ikushina turned her body towards Naga and pointed at a tattoo.

“Simply put, this is like Cu’s belts. Look, it can move like this.”

Ikushina extended her right arm.

“Summon imperial souls, dancing gleefully, no obstruction, rewards, boundary, righting all wrongs.”

The tattoos on Ikushina’s arm started to squirm.

They gathered at the front of her arm, and then disappeared.

“Go.”

With a wave, the tattoos that had gathered on her palm seemed to have a life of their own when it fell to the ground, and then bound Naga’s legs.

“Waahhh!”

Naga attempted to shake away the tattoos, but they entangled his pants and were climbing up slowly.

“W-What is going on!?”

“Alright, come back.”

Ikushina commanded, and the tattoos slid down and left the pants, and came back to her legs and climbed up. Ikushina placed her right hand on her thigh, and the tattoos moved onto her arm, back to their original position.

“Something like this. I can use it to entangle the opponent’s body with the tattoos and stop their movements. I can also strangle their neck.”

“T-This is amazing.”

“This is strong in single combat, but not very useful in fighting the humans.”

“That’s not true.”

“Hey! What are the two of you doing!?”

“Ahh, sorry, we'll be right over.”

Ikushina waved at Arurukan and started running.

(All of them possess amazing skills, if their talents are utilized well, I believe we can form a powerful army. It’s a pity that we lack numbers, if we have the forces… Seems like we have to increase the number of human soldiers.)

Naga thought as he jogged after Ikushina.

After checking that the carriages were fine, the three of them left the guard duty to the strays and returned to the inn.

9

The next morning—

The witches and Naga prepared breakfast in a hurry and ate quickly, then started preparations to set off. As it is a street performance, there wasn’t much to prepare. Everyone just needed to wear their costumes and take the flutes, drums and string instruments which didn’t take much time. Naga and Raibaha waited in the room for them to change, and Ais came to their room to call for them.

(Wahh! Ais’ clothing!)

Naga was shocked by Ais’ attire the moment he left the room.

Her bountiful breasts were covered by a small piece of cloth, just barely. Frilly accessories were placed on her arms and waist, and a thin rope was wrapped around her hips; it wasn’t clear if she really wanted to cover up. The exposed skin and face were painted with beautiful patterns and she wore a beautiful hair accessory on her head. On her hands were sparkling gems and glittering silver bangles, displaying the elegance, beauty and exposure of a dancer.

“Erm… What’s the matter?”

Ais asked, and Naga finally came to his senses.

“Nothing… Really… What an amazing dancer.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Ais appeared confused, and Naga explained to her with a smile,

“I mean your beauty is astonishing.”

“Huhhh, a-a-are you serious?”

“Am I right, Raibaha?”

“Y-Yes. We will definitely make money; you are sexier than a real dancer~”

“You jest, Raibaha!”

The embarrassed Ais patted Raibach’s shoulder hard, making him fall onto the floor screaming.

“Everyone is waiting for you in the room, come over quickly.”

Ais ran out of the corridor after saying that.

(She looked naked from the back. No, she is as good as naked from the front too.)

Naga thought as he watched Ais’ shaking her hips.

“That hurts.”

Raibaha nursed his shoulder and stood up with a painful groan.

“Ais’ brute force is dangerous, if she doesn’t learn to control her strength, she might just break my bones.”

“Alright, let’s go. I wonder how the other witches are dressed, how exciting.”

“You will lose your life if you are not subtle about it.”

Raibaha advised.

“That’s true, let’s observe discreetly.”

“Eh, peeking at them sneakily is dangerous too.”

Naga walked towards the large room where the witches were gathered, and Raibaha said quietly with a face of resignation behind him,

“… Although I can empathize with you.”

10

After Naga and Raibaha entered the large room, they realized it was heaven. Angels gathered within, and all of them were nearly naked.

Just like Ais, they wore thin and small pieces of clothes, and put on elegant accessories. Patterns were drawn on their bodies with dyes and smeared on their faces. They also dyed their hair and had arm and leg bangles. Some of the witches didn’t cover their chest, only concealing their nipples with paint. Naga and Raibaha forgot all about discreet observation and stared at the bold appearance of the witches with eyes wide open. At this moment, Kay, who only had a thin piece of rope on her chest and waist approached them.

“How is it? Does it suit us? Pretty enough?”

Seeing Kay striking poses, Naga looked at her from head to toe.

(It’s a pity, more accurately speaking, it’s regrettable, especially the chest area.)

But he can’t vocalize his true thoughts, and only gave a vague answer:

“Ah~ yes, very sexy!”

“Naga, why do you sound so insincere!?”

“No, no such thing. Ais, Lela, Cu, Nonoeru and Ikushina are all so charming that it makes my head spin.”

“Why did you only leave me out!?”

“Don’t be depressed, Kay.”

“Ais is consoling so arrogantly!”

Kay lowered her head dejectedly.

“Alright, alright.”

“Don’t mind it, Kay.”

When she heard Linne and Linna’s consolations, Kay showed a dissatisfied look.

“Linne and Linna don’t need to be dancers, that’s why you aren’t concerned~ Both of you don’t need to reveal your child like bodies to everyone.”

“You can show off your pitifully flat chest then, Kay” x2

The twins retorted as one.

As Naga was laughing heartily, Vita walked over. Her body didn’t have any contours, and didn’t look sexy in her revealing attire, but had a unique air about her. The tall Dora beside her had bountiful breasts, making the two of them look like parent and child.

“Naga, how do we look?”

“Raibaha and I were just talking about this, all of you are sexier than real dancers.”

“That’s right, huh.”

Except for some of the witches.

“Hmm? You want to say something?”

“No, I have nothing to say. Right, let’s find a place to perform.”

“True. Hey, Dora, Lily, time to go.”

“Yes dear mother.”

“Everyone ready?”

“We're ready, Ais.”

“Let’s be off.”

“Good, the Najunkray troupe is going to have its first performance.”

“Yes—!” x4

11

After linking the horse to the carriage, Naga jumped onto the driver’s seat. Linne and Linna came to him to report,

“We are going to the streets.”

“I’m counting on you.”

The twins left the inn quietly.

“I will drive.”

Raibaha said and sat down besides Naga, taking the reins.

“Everyone try to look lively on the way there.”

Ais, who was standing beside the carriage, said to everyone.

“Got it—”

“I will work, hard.”

“Of course.”

“Leave it to me.”

The witches responded and acknowledged by raising their hands.

“Alright, let’s go Raibaha.”

On Naga’s instruction, Raibaha tugged the reins lightly, urging the horses forward. The wheels of the carriage rattled as they turned.
As the carriage advanced, all around the carriage, half naked— more accurately speaking almost entirely naked— dancers followed.

“We are the Najunkray troupe—”

“The performance is about to begin—”

“Please watch our performance if you have time—”

“We will perform a dance— a lively dance show—”

“P-Please watch, our show.”

The dancers advertised the performance and called out to the pedestrians, telling them about the show the troupe would be putting up.

All the dancers were beauties, and they wore thin, short, revealing clothes, which drew the attention of the crowd. A few onlookers were already following behind them. Ais chatted with the curious audience, asking them about a suitable venue to perform. She then reported her findings to Naga,

“Alright, let’s head over there.”

Naga replied, and looked towards the back of Ais who returned to the crowd — her almost bare ass— and felt impressed.

(She takes great care of people and treats others kindly, just like a big sister in the neighborhood kind of feeling. She can talk normally with humans, and is dependable in such situations. A pity that her character changes once she has a drink. But…)

There were witches like Yuuki, who extremely hate men, but there were also witches like Ais, who could interact normally with humans. Most witches were not good at interacting with humans, but the lack of experience plays a large part.

If they come into contact with me and Raibaha frequently, they will get used to humans one day. Harrigan’s witches are much more used to it now, and they will have even more chances to do so in the future. The witches aren’t much of an issue, the problem lies with… the humans.

Raibaha accepted the existence of the witches rather swiftly, but that’s because he wasn’t a staunch believer in religion. People like him were in the minority, and most humans were devout believers who wouldn’t acknowledge the existence of witches easily, or accept coexistence with witches.

(This can’t be done overnight, seems like I have to force them to accept it. But that’s something for the future.)

The pressing matter was to resolve the issue at hand— the war with the Cassandra Kingdom. It was hard to tell from the current situation how long the war would last. Normal people wouldn’t have the leisure to think about the future once they’d committed all their efforts to the obstacle before them. But Naga could set his sights on the long term while facing the difficulties right in front of him.

In other words, his tactical and strategic abilities were better than others. Naga’s next move was made to set up for a situation that would occur dozens of moves later. In Naga’s eyes, the situation a dozen steps later would be the founding of the nation of witches.

(In order to do this, I need to find a way to take care of the war with the Cassandra Kingdom, and destroying that Kingdom isn’t necessary. Okay, is there any way to break through the current stalemate?)

Naga fell into deep thought as the carriage swayed.
Naga still had no idea about Granvista mustering an army to campaign against the witches. But he would find out about it in the near future

12

Under Ais' lead, the group came to the plaza; Naga ordered for the carriage to stop. After alighting from the carriage, he checked the surroundings and found a large group had gathered. He then ordered Ais,

“Okay, we will perform here. Start the preparations.”

The preparations were finished after taking the instruments out and the dancers taking their positions. The ones playing the instruments were Lela, Nonoeru, Lily, Vita and Arurukan. The ones dancing were Ais, Cu, Ikushina, Kay and Dora. The witches decided to group themselves this way after discussing it the night before.

“It’s a pity that I can’t see Lela dance.”

Naga said so to Lela, who was holding a flute. She answered with a sour face:

“I don’t really want to dance with those people, so it’s, fine.”

When he heard that, Naga looked at the dancers in the center of the open space.

Ais, Cu, Ikushina, Kay, and Dora.

He then turned to the musicians.

Lela, Nonoeru, Lily, Vita and Arurukan.

“I get it, you are separated by size, except for Kay.” Naga muttered.

He didn’t mention what the size was referring to, but it’s obvious with a glance.

“I have a rough idea about why you don’t want to join them.”

Lela drooped her shoulders and nodded weakly in response.

(Is this the reason why Vita, who wanted to dance, is now playing an instrument?)

At this moment, Vita glared at Naga fiercely.

“I don’t know what you are thinking about, but that’s not the real reason, definitely not.”

(You let it slip!)

Naga wanted to retort, but managed to endure it.

(By the way, Kay is brave as usual, almost to the point of foolhardiness.)

The exposed twin peaks were shaking everywhere only Kay had nothing to shake. But she still puffed her chest out without minding it at all, standing tall in her corner.

(Well, it’s fine if she doesn’t mind.)

The dancers lined up in the open space, Ais, who was in the middle, raised her hand.

“Alright— Let’s begin—”

When they heard the cue, the witches started playing their instruments. The dancers started to move their bodies elegantly when the music started.
The audience clapped and cheered loudly. The dancers started slow, and as the beat got faster, their movements became more vigorous.
All the dancers have large breasts (except Kay).
And their clothes barely covered their bodies.

The more intense their dance, the larger the movement of their upper bodies.

Their upper bodies shook (except Kay).
Wobbling intensely (except Kay).
Jiggling violently (except Kay).

The small pieces of cloth covering their chest — which did a poor job of concealing their bodies — seem to be on the verge of flying off.
Their lower bodies were moving vividly, the string like costumes might fall off at any instance.

The eyes of the audience followed every move of the dancers, they were definitely urging with their mind, saying— 'Fall off! Slip off now!'
Naga wasn’t an exception.

(Damn, why aren’t they falling off? Why won’t it slip? Did they stick it on with glue? Or is this magic?)

Naga thought the same way as most of the audience.
The eyes of the audience were intense, focusing on the bodies that were more revealing than half naked, but not to the extent of being totally nude. They were absorbed in the intense dance. The atmosphere was heated, and spurred by the excitement, some members of the audience stood up and cheered.
The tune changed again and the dancers’ movements shifted, slow at times, fast in others, and exotic music was played every now and then. No matter what type of music it was, the dancers performed splendidly.

(Amazing, this isn’t like the performance of amateurs. As expected of people that will strip and dance in every celebration party, it’s out of this world.)

Naga felt impressed with devious intentions.

Claps, cheers and people beating a beat with their hands brought the atmosphere to the boiling point. The tune intensified and the fast and frantic actions of the dancers dazzled the eyes of the audience below the stage— It was unfathomable why their clothes didn’t fall off.

Then the music ended abruptly, the dancers also stopped moving.

The dancers maintained their positions before the music stopped, then slowly relaxed their bodies and bowed to the audience in appreciation.
The audience finally came to their senses and applauded thunderously, even Naga couldn’t help clapping his hands.

The dancers were covered in sweat, waving, and bowing to the audience with all smiles in return.

(Yes, amazing, this standard is worthy of making the audience cough up their money.)

While Naga was feeling impressed, he felt his flank being poked. Naga turned and found Lela looking up at him.

“What are you looking, at?”

“Hmm? Nothing, I’m not looking at anything.”

(Liar.)

Lela looked at Naga with eyes of disdain.

“Speaking of which, you didn’t dance in the end.”

“That’s because…”

Lela glanced at Ais and the other dancers, then averted her eyes.

“I am not brave enough to join, them.”

“Kay did.”

“Because she has no sense of, shame.”

Naga agreed with this in his heart.
She is someone who will do warm ups naked before swimming.

“Forget about Kay, I really want to see you dancing with them.”

Naga said as he scrutinized Lela’s outfit. Lela, who played music, was dressed like the dancers, more revealing than being half naked, but not totally nude. She showed a lot of skin, but it wasn’t that much compared to her usual clothes. But Lela couldn’t help feeling bashful with Naga staring at her like that.

“Eh…”

Lela’s face turned red as she lowered her head.

[[Image:Naga04_Illus-04.jpg|175px|thumb]]

“I will… work hard next, time.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Lela felt her body burning up and didn’t raise her head.

The dancers moved between the crowd with woven bamboo baskets in hand. The audience gave their copper coins freely. The dancers picked up the copper coins on the ground amidst the loud applause, but one of the witches was moving really clumsily.

“What is Cu doing… She dropped the basket and spilled the coins again! Why is she so uncoordinated?”

Having no choice, Naga got down from the stage to help, and approached Cu.

“Eh, you seem to be having a hard time.”

Cu, who was leaning forward and reaching out with her hands to pick up the coins, lifted her head.

“Ah, Naga… this is hard.”

“What? What is hard?”

(If you always speak only a few words, it will be hard to know what you are saying.)

Naga thought as he bent his knees and reached for the coins on the ground.

“Is picking up coins hard?”

Cu shook her head with a sad expression.

When she shakes her head, her body will move. Seeing it up close, her body is a dangerous weapon. The costumes of dancers are already fierce, this further enhances her destructive power.

Naga fell into a dilemma, wondering if he should avert his eyes. In the end, his eyes were focused on only one spot.

“It’s hard to hold the heavy basket.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Naga shifted his eyes from Cu’s bountiful peaks and valley in a hurry.

“I-Is it that heavy? There’s only a few coins in there, right?”

“I will usually carry things with my belts.”

“Ahh! So that’s why.”

In other words, because Cu had always used magic to manipulate her belts, she didn’t have many chances to carry things with her own hands.

“I have never carried anything heavier than a plate.”

“Are you a princess from somewhere?”

“Just joking.”

“Oh, I see.”

“But carrying heavy things is difficult.”

“That’s not heavy…”

“It will be easy if I use my belts, I can carry a dozen or two no problem.”

Naga watched Cu placed the basket with coins onto her knees as she picked up the coins, and couldn’t help but lament:

(I don’t understand how these witches think.)

“It’s hard to perform too.”

“Is that so? You danced quite well.”

“Not the dance, but the clothes.”

(I don’t get it, what does she mean?)

Naga had a confused look on his face. Noticing his baffled gaze, Cu explained,

“I usually have belts around my body. Without the belts, it is hard to balance my body.”

“Really?”

Cu nodded.

“Having belts on my body is as good as having magic around me. Without the belts, I feel naked, that’s why this costume feels embarrassing.”

“I see, but to me, there isn’t much difference for you to wear belts or dress like this.”

“Totally different, even if I have just one belt on me, I will feel more at ease.”

(Just one belt will put you at ease… Then just wear one belt in the future then, Cu.)

Naga decided to hide this suggestion in the bottom of his heart.

“Everyone is done picking up the money, let’s hurry.”

Naga picked up the coins swiftly and placed them in Cu’s basket.

“Thank you…”

“You are welcome, let’s go.”

“I’m not done yet.”

“It’s just a little, so leave it. Our objective is not to earn money through dancing, but collecting intelligence.”

Cu nodded, and stood up unsteadily with the bamboo basket in her arms.

(She is stumbling around. Her body movements are really unsteady without her belts.)

Naga was impressed and dumbfounded.

The audience dispersed, and as Naga and company were preparing to return to the inn, Linne and Linna, who wore cloaks, walked over.

13

“Heard any noteworthy news?” Naga asked quietly.

The two of them were on the other side of the open space, and won’t be able to hear Naga’s voice normally. The two of them kept a close watch on the crowd and approached Naga nonchalantly. When they passed by Naga, they answered his question.

“I heard that there is going to be a huge battle with the witches soon.”

A battle involving the witches!?

[[Image:Naga04_Illus-05.jpg|175px|thumb]]

“That…”

He only said that much before remembering that they were still in the plaza.

(There is still an audience here, this place isn’t suitable for talks. We should head back to the inn first.)

Naga adopted the demeanor of a troupe leader, gathered all the dancers, and announced to them in a low voice.

“Linne and Linna seemed to have heard something, let’s head back to the inn for now.”

The dancers kept the instruments and coins they picked up hurriedly, placed them inside the carriage, and returned to the inn.

14

Everyone gathered in the large room where Ais and the others were staying in. Naga asked the twins: “What did you hear?”

“Not just the conversations of the audience, we also heard what the crews at the harbor were talking about.”

After saying that, Linne and Linna told everyone the intelligence they found out.

“I see…”

After hearing their report, Naga crossed his arms with a heavy expression.

The other witches seemed to be pondering about the news.

“There’s an army gathering at Granvista …?”

“They number about three to four thousand, a grand scale.”

Ais said with furrowed brows:

“The question is, why are they gathering an army? Are they launching a campaign against us just like the rumors said…? That should be the reason right, Naga?” Vita asked.

“Yes, I think you are right.”

“Hmm, since they made a move, what should we do?”

“… We will need to hurry up.”

“Hurry what up?”

“We need to hurry and head for the capital of the Cassandra and find out the relationship between the Kingdom and the army sent to subjugate the witches.”

When Naga said that, Lela expressed her doubt with a “Hmm?”

“Normally speaking, the army would head south towards Cassandra to link up. But maybe Cassandra kingdom didn’t have anything to do with this army either, right?”

As expected of Lela, a detailed observation.

“That might be possible, but if the Cassandra Kingdom knew a large army would be coming to reinforce them, they wouldn’t have sent a thousand soldiers to attack the fort.”

“Oh, that’s true.”

The actual fact was a bit different. Cassandra Kingdom already knew a subjugation army would be heading for them. At the same time, they were coerced by Cardinal Aiba to dispatch troops to attack alone. The facts were slightly off, but Naga had analyzed the subtle relationship between Caesandra and the subjugation army correctly.

“It is suspicious for Cassandra to seal the city (capital), maybe they overestimated the prowess of the witches and fear your attacks. But there wasn’t a need to seal the city with such a large army coming to support them.”

“Eh… Maybe the Cassandra Kingdom is levying taxes and provisions for the army, but the travelers and merchants misunderstood it as preparations to seal the city… Is that, possible?”

Lela picked up the main issue and has a keen sense of observation.

Naga nodded in agreement.

“We can’t dismiss this possibility, providing provisions is the responsibility of the host nation… Am I right, Raibaha?”

“Yes, that’s basically true. But if the Church grants their support, they will also provide provisions for the participating forces. They can’t feed the troops with just God’s blessings alone.”

At this point, Vita leaned forward.

“The intentions of the Cassandra Kingdom are a concern, but something bothers me, Naga.”

Naga looked at Vita and saw her exceptionally serious face.

“What is it? Your face is really grim. Something bothering you?”

“The news mentioned that the army mustering in Granvista is the elites of the Church… right?”

“They did mention that. They are not the forces of another nation, but serve the Church directly right? What about them?”

“That would be terrible, the units serving under the Church are known as the ‘Army of God’ or ‘Holy Crusaders’, they are trained to fight heretics and the enemies of the Church, and to subjugate the witches. If they send out this unit, it would be a tough battle.”

As he listened to the frowning Vita’s response, Naga clicked his tongue.

“Tch, just like the warrior monks.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C5%8Dhei</ref>”

“Warriors monks? What are warrior monks?”

“Ah? Did I say something?”

“Huh? Didn’t you just say it? You didn’t realize?”

“S-Sorry, I don’t remember.”

Naga scratched his head with a troubled look. Ais spoke up to smoothen the awkward situation.

“Sometimes, Naga will speak about strange things. It’s actually not that weird, probably things related to his old world.”

“Hmm, so he said that because of a memory or experience he had forgotten?”

“That’s it, so don’t mind me.”

Naga said nonchalantly, while Vita made a suspicious expression.

“You should be more concerned about this right?”

“Well, no matter how concerned I am, I can’t remember the things that I can’t remember. I have already given up.”

“How resolute.”

“Instead of myself, the most important thing right now is the affairs of you witches.”

“That’s true.”

“What should we do, Naga? Shall we change our plans in accordance to the news Linne and Linna heard?”

Ais asked, and Naga moaned.

“I said earlier that we need to hasten our pace. Anyway, our debut performance is over. After the city gates open at daybreak tomorrow, we will leave this place and head for the Cassandra Kingdom. Since Fort Ein is along the way, we will stop by there and discuss this with Harrigan, maybe she heard some news there.”

Vita laughed:

“So we were supposedly chased out of the Fort that’s held by the witches, right?”

“That’s right, the setting will be that after being chased out by the witches, we hurried on towards the capital of Cassandra.”

“Guess we can’t buy more resources or practice our performance.” Ais said.

“That can’t be helped, after all… Though we have heard of stupid haste in war.<ref>http://suntzusaid.com/book/2/5</ref>”

“Oh, is there such an idiom?”

“There is, I remember this is by… Sunko?”

“Who knows, don’t ask me.”

Vita retorted, which made Naga scratch his head.

(My knowledge… specifically speaking, my memories are just fragmented pieces, it can’t be helped that I can’t build it into a complete picture. It’s the same for this incident too, I can’t see the entire picture. If going to the Cassandra Kingdom fills in the missing pieces, I can recreate the silhouette of the entire war and see the big picture clearly. Maybe I can find a way to handle it then.)

Naga pulled himself together and announced to the witches and Raibaha,

“In order to save our energy for tomorrow, it’s regrettable, but we have to stop the sightseeing and shopping for today.”

15

The next morning—

Before the break of dawn, everyone was ready and headed towards the city gates.

After the city gates opened, the group left Lancel city and headed along the path besides the Schwein River. Few people took this route in recent times, and it appears abandoned. Fortunately, it was just wide enough for carriages to pass through, and the group hurried along. They camped outdoors along the way, and passed by the place of the previous battle the next afternoon.
The Haindora witches and Naga fought the Cassandra army here. Raibaha wasn’t present during that battle, but he still felt nostalgic as he took part in the campaign. Watching the barren surroundings, Raibaha was reminded of his recent experiences.

(In the beginning, I was unhappy about being demoted to the supply unit, but if I was leading the company during that battle, I would probably have died here. In hindsight, I am alive because of that, a blessing in disguise. In the end, General Geobalk took responsibility for the loss and resigned, and General Guiscard took over. He re-appointed me as a company captain, and ordered me to keep watch over the Schwein River.)

When his train of thought reached this point, Raibaha looked cautiously at Naga and the witches.

(I thought I was down on my luck back then and cursed my experience, in the end, I met Naga and the witches, and came to this place. What a strange fate, I thought I was unlucky, but I wasn’t that unlucky after all. I thought I was lucky, but I wasn’t that lucky too. Life is full of twists and turns.)

Raibaha sat on the carriage looking over at the river some distance away and felt melancholic.

16

After leaving the Schwein River, Naga and the group followed the road up north to Fort Ein. By dusk, they met two witches, who were patrolling outside the Fort, and returned to Fort Ein before dark.
Naga immediately sought out Harrigan and began a discussion.

17

“… So Linne and Linna found out about this in Lancel City. Any news from your side?”

“The news that Cassandra is sealing the city (capital) should be true.”

After hearing the news from Naga, that was the first thing Harrigan said.

“So you heard something that confirms this information?”

“That’s right, I’d sent Yuuki to scout the vicinity of Cassandra’s capital, and she saw them stockpiling provisions and reinforcing the walls, and strengthening the forts in the surroundings. We didn’t know why they are doing this, but after you brought back this news, everything makes sense.”

“So that’s why they are not only stockpiling provisions, but also reinforcing the city walls and forts. From the looks of it, it is true that they are preparing to seal the city.”

“But Naga, are they doing this as a precaution against us? Or are they defending against…”

Naga nodded deeply when Vita pointed this out.

“The army that is gathering in Granvista … Cassandra is probably doing this in defense against that army.”

“From the intelligence we’ve gathered so far, that should be the case. But how did this come to be?”

Vita was baffled, and it wasn’t a surprise that she reacted that way.

“I don’t get it either, seems like we need to infiltrate the Cassandra Kingdom.”

“In that case— Harrigan looked at Naga and Vita with expectant eyes, “I have no choice but to go right?”

“You need to stay here and supervise.”

“Vita is right, Harrigan. Only you can watch this place. If you leave, who can cover for you?”

“Eh, A-Ais can…”

“Ais is capable, but she lacks the experience to command a fort.”

“That’s right, I’m just an insignificant person who doesn’t have the experience.”

Ais, who was present for the meeting, said so with a smile, and Harrigan glared at her immediately.

“This girl will only say she lacks experience when the situation benefits her.”

Harrigan turned her head back immediately with a serious expression.

“But I haven’t visited a human city for so long, it’s too sly that only you all can go.”

“You finally said what you were really thinking.”

“Shut up. Vita went to Lancel, now it’s my turn.”

“Even if you say that, most of the witches here are from your clan. Normally speaking, the commander with the most troops will take command right?”

“W-What about Naga staying behind?”

“Ehh? Don’t be ridiculous, Harrigan.”

“That’s right, if Naga is here, how can we carry out the gathering of intelligence?”

“… I get it. I’m just throwing out ideas.”

Harrigan replied unhappily.

“Just bear with it a little bit longer, Harrigan. In the future, you can visit a human city whenever you want.”

“What do you mean, Naga?”

“We will rule a human nation one day; you can go wherever you wish then.”

“Huh… I-Is that so?”

“In order to achieve this goal, we have to collect more intelligence. The accuracy and amount of data will decide a battle sometimes. No, it will definitely affect the entire battle. So if we want to win the next battle, we have to collect intelligence thoroughly. But if we lose this fort, it would be a huge blow, so please stay and watch the fort.”

Naga said these words sincerely with a serious expression. Harrigan sighed softly and muttered: “Alright.”

“I’m just saying it, don’t worry. I will perform my duties, so you have to complete your tasks too.”

Naga relaxed the expression on his face and replied, “Yes, we will.”

“How about buying a present for you, the weapons and jewelry sold for an unexpectedly high price after all. What do you want? A comb? A mirror? Or both?”

“What do you mean it’s fine to buy both, Vita, this money was made by selling the Haindora clan’s goods in the first place!”

“Hmm… That’s true.”

“I can’t let my guard down when dealing with you.”

“Don’t be mad, we will hold back when buying gifts for ourselves.”

“You want to buy a present for yourself!?”

Harrigan retorted, then turned to face Ais.

“Ais, keep a close eye on the money we got from selling the items.”

“Yes Onee-san, I will watch it.”

“This fort is probably being watched. We can’t stay long, so let’s set off soon.”

“That’s true. They’re a bit far, but there’s a scouting unit somewhere around here.”

“After we leave the fort, throw some rocks at us.”

“We don’t need to go that far right?”

“This is to be safe. We won’t lose anything if you do it, so put up an act.”

“As you wish.”

Harrigan nodded, and Vita reminded her,

“Don’t throw too hard.”

“You don’t need to tell me that… No, Vita, I do want to throw rocks at you really hard.”

“How long are you going to be such a pain?”

“I’m half joking, don’t take it too seriously.”

“So you are half serious, of course I will be concerned!”

“Alright, let’s go, Vita, Ais, Lela.”

On the urging by Naga, the three of them acknowledge and stood up.

18

The traveling troupe that visited the fort was chased out by the witches mercilessly…. Under such a setting, Naga’s group left the forest and followed the road heading north.

When they reached a fortress near the capital of Cassandra, they were stopped by the guards.

19

“Where did you come from, and where are you going?”

Naga answered the soldier’s questions without reservation, but to them, his words sounded fuddled.

“We came from Lancel, heading to capital, to perform.”

Seeing the performers lined up in a row, the soldiers narrowed their eyes and some of them showed lusty gazes. As they were close to the capital of the Cassandra Kingdom, all the witches put on their dancing costumes, which were small and thin pieces of clothing.

“I am leader, they troupe dance girls. May we have honor to perform for you?”

Before they reached the fort, Naga asked Lela if she could lower the effectiveness of the talisman used for communication. Because he believed that if he couldn’t communicate well, it would give the impression of being a foreigner. Lela said she could do so and weakened the talisman’s effect. That’s why he didn’t sound fluent to other people.

“I see, it would be great to watch a performance.”

One soldier said with a laugh, but the others gave a warning.

“Eh, now is not the time to watch a show, the captain will lecture us!”

“Oh, t-that’s true.”

The soldier coughed and faced Naga again.

“It is regrettable, but even though you have travelled all the way here, it is probably not possible to hold a performance even if you enter the capital.”

“Huh? Not possible?”

“War is going to break out, the citizens in the capital are probably not in the mood to enjoy a performance.”

“Huhh?”

Naga made a show of being surprised. He then lowered his voice, leaned in and asked the soldier:

“Could it be… your country is going to war with the witches? I heard about that in Lancel.”

“No, that’s not it.”

Naga faked his surprise and looked confused.

“If not, who else would you be fighting a war against?”

The soldier lowered his voice and replied.

“The enemies are forces attempting to invade our nation. So it’s fine if you want to head to the capital, but there’s no guarantee you can perform.”

Naga made a show of being depressed and drooped his shoulders. Naga was surprisingly good at acting, and was actually gleeful in his heart.

(Now we can confirm that the Cassandra Kingdom won’t work together with the witch subjugation army!)

“Don’t be so depressed, there is no telling when they will hit, so you might have the chance to perform for a few days.”

“Then, we hurry and go, okay?”

“Go on then.”

The soldier nodded, but a voice stopped them.

“Hold on.”

The captain of the unit heard a traveling troupe was here, and rushed over with a few underlings.

“Good day, captain.”

The soldier conversing with Naga saluted the Captain.

“You said you came from Lancel, so you walked along the Schwein River, turned midway and headed here?”

“Yes, correct.”

“Did you pass by a fort along the way? Anything happened when you went to it?”

“We wanted to perform since it’s on the way, but witches take fort, chase us out.”

After Naga replied, the Captain and the others changed their expressions.

“Hurry and tell us the details!”

“But I want reach capital soon, or else cannot perform.”

“Just a few questions, won’t take too long.”

“Oh, then fine.”

“What are the witches in the fort doing?”

Naga already expected them to ask this, so he gave his prepared answer.

“I see them fix wall, fix tower. Not too sure, never go in.”

“Okay, how many witches are there?”

“Eh…” Naga pretended to think. “Five or six came out for us, and some fix wall, but I already said I never go in, don’t know how many…”

“Did you see any men?”

“Well, I didn’t.”

Naga answered as he worked hard to suppress his laughter. The ‘man’ they were asking about was him.

“I didn’t see.”

The Captain conversed quietly with his subordinates.

“Alright, I will send soldiers to escort you to the capital.”

Naga was surprised by the Captain’s suggestion.

“I feel safe if soldier escort, but fine?”

“I want you to meet the commander in the capital, and tell him what you just said.”

“Ahh, I see.”

(I see, he wants to get information about the witches from us directly. Instead of sending a messenger, this would be a better way. We saw Fort Ein under the control of the witches with our own eyes, and are valuable eyewitnesses to them.)

“I understand.”

Naga lowered his head in acknowledgement, but in his heart, he was sticking his tongue out happily.

“I will get some escorts over immediately, please wait here for a moment.”

“Yes, we will.”

We can get into Cassandra Kingdom more smoothly than expected, a good sign.

And like this, the Najunkray traveling troupe headed for the capital, led by the Cassandra soldiers.

<noinclude>

==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
| Return to [[Ochitekita_Ryuuou_to_Horobiyuku_Majo_no_Kuni|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Chapter 3

2017-02-17T21:43:14Z

76.115.0.117: /* Chapter 3- The Performance of the Dancers */

==Chapter 3- The Performance of the Dancers==

1

Lancel City was situated at the mouth of the Schwein River, forming a harbor city with walls on three sides, and the fourth side facing the river. The Schwein River mouth was wide, and as the river flows into the western sea straits, ships on long voyages frequent this harbor.

Naga and company stood beside the harbor and watched the large ships enter and exit the harbor. Naga was the head of the traveling troupe, Raibaha performed miscellaneous duties along with escort and the dancers were Vita, Ais, Kay, and Lela. Linne and Linna were responsible for collecting intelligence from the streets, and will work separately from the rest.
Twelve of the group of fourteen were girls, giving it an air of splendor.
But to avoid attracting too much attention, the witches covered the clothes they were wearing or put on cloaks. The crews on the ships unloaded large amounts of cargo from the massive sail ships and emptied them out, and then loaded the cargo piled up at the harbor into the ships. The angry yells and shouts of the crew resonated in the vicinity. Cargo filled wagons bustled in the harbor.

The bell rang, notifying the arrival or departure of ships.
Seagulls congregated and leered at the fishes caught by the fishermen.
The smell of the sea wafted in with the warm sea breeze. The bustling scene of the harbor stimulated Naga’s senses.

“I think I saw a scene like this somewhere before.”

Lela’s sharp ears heard what he muttered, and pressed him with sparkling eyes:

“Is that place the world you were, from?”

Lela showed her strong sense of curiosity, and wished to further understand the world Naga was from. Seeing Lela acting this way, Naga smiled wryly.

“Should be. I have a sense of Déjà vu, maybe I saw a harbor like this before.”

“Did you remember, something?”

“Nothing, I just felt nostalgic, like I’ve seen this scene before. I don’t remember the details though.”

After Lela, who was leaning close to Naga, heard that, her shoulders drooped regrettably.

“Hahaha, don’t be so depressed. I’m not bothered by something like this.”

“I don’t care about you, I just want to understand the world you are, from.”

“Oh, is that so.”

Naga shrugged. He was wearing loose attire that seemed foreign in origin. They weren’t his clothes or those given to him by Harrigan and the others. They were clothes from the central world prepared just for this investigative trip. The witches around him didn’t wear their usual skin revealing clothes, and put on clothes from the central world too. Many of the witches even dyed their hair or applied coloring to their faces and skin to disguise themselves.

Not only did Raibaha dye his hair, he even cut it short and put on a hooded cloak and shades. His outfit made it certain that he won’t be recognized even if he met someone who knew him. Raibaha wore a sword as his setting was the escort of the group. Naga changed his hairstyle too, and swapped his katana for a sword that was commonly seen in this world. The guards saw his face when he took the fort, so he had to take additional care. It was very unlikely they would run into soldiers who defended Fort Ein in Lancel City, but this would likely happen if they enter the Cassandra Kingdom, so this was also, in a way, practice.

“Alright, we will head for the antique shops and sell the weapons and jewelry. We will then buy two carriages, tents and things like musical instruments. I’m counting on you, Rai… No, Hoodins.”

“Yes, head Najunkray, I will try my best to get a good price.”

The two addressed each other by their aliases, Raibaha did so as he might run into people who had seen him before, while Naga’s name had the connotation of ‘Dragon King’, which will attract suspicious eyes…. No, in this case, it will attract suspicious ears, so it was decided that they will call each other by aliases as they investigated while undercover. As no humans know the names of the witches, they used their original names.

2

The weapons and jewelry sold for an unexpectedly high price, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this was a sizeable bit of wealth. Raibaha was skilled in negotiations, but it was mostly the merit of the highly valuable merchandise. Vita looked at the bag of gold coins — not silver, but gold coins, signifying the high selling price— and looked very impressed.

“Oh, so these pieces of junk can sell for such a good price. I guess we should inspect the things in our warehouse again, right, Dora?”

“Yes, dear mother.”

“Even if we sell them for a good price, there isn’t any place to spend it.”

“That’s a good point, shall we stop the investigation?”

“No, do it anyway. Even if we don’t sell them, there’s no harm in knowing the value of the things we have. After we go back, do a spring cleaning of our warehouse immediately, and pick out the valuable items.”

Me?— Dora pointed to herself, trying to confirm if Vita meant her.

“You and Eli will take care of it.”

“Wahhh…”

Once she thought about the pile of items in the warehouse, with no telling if there was anything valuable in there, Dora couldn’t help but smile stiffly.

“Just thinking about inspecting them one at a time gives me a headache.”

“I don’t mean just the two of you, but for you two to take charge and get the other girls to help.”

“If that is the case, I will get it done.”

Lily scowled her face at Dora, who sighed in relief.

“Alright, we’ll go shopping later. Before that, we have to find a place to spend the night.”

On Naga’s command, the group left the streets filled with shops, and they moved en masse to the place where the inns were.

3

Because their wares sold better than expected, Naga and company found a higher class hotel and decided to stay there. As they were a large group, they asked for a big room and two small rooms, then retired to their accommodations. Naga and Raibaha, and Vita, Lily, and Dora moved into the two small rooms, respectively, and the Haindora witches brought their luggage into the big room. After a short rest in the rooms, Naga said that he wanted to buy the necessary goods.

“Raibaha and I will go, and in case anything happens Lela will follow.”

If the talisman falls off or the effect fades, Naga won’t be able to talk to people. To avoid that, Naga requested Lela to accompany him.

“Who else wants to go?”

He asked the small room next door. The three girls resting inside stood up at the same time.

“Of course we want to go.”

Vita replied, Dora and Lily nodded repeatedly.

“There isn’t anything interesting about this trip though.”

“Just walking along the streets of the humans is an interesting experience, I haven’t had any chance to leave the forest recently, and this is the first time the girls are visiting a human city.”

“So you want to go sightseeing too. It’s the same for me, everything I see looks interesting.”

Naga then asked the witches in the big room, and all of them stood up excitedly.

“Do we need someone to guard the place?”

Naga looked troubled. Ais smiled and said,

“There isn’t any important luggage here, just bringing our valuables and the money we have gotten would be enough.”

“To be safe, I will prepare the guards.”

“Hmm? Arurukan wants to stay behind?”

When Naga asked, Arurukan muttered, “Tsk tsk tsk.” and shook her right index finger.

“That’s not what I meant, I will ask the wandering dogs in the area to look after the place.”

“Wandering dogs? Oh, you mean those stray dogs?”

“That’s right. Since this is a harbor city, there are many stray dogs. I just need to call a few over, and they will help us guard the place. If anyone tries to move our stuff sneakily, they can help to chase them away.”

“Would there be any problem doing that?”

“I just need to feed them something after it’s done.”

“Alright, I will leave this to you.”

By the way, the magic to communicate with animals is amazing. No, she is not the only amazing one. If he had to say it, all the witches possess powerful spells, Naga found it hard to believe that they kept on losing to the human armies. But they don’t know about tactics and strategy, so that isn’t strange. When they left the inn, Arurukan whistled in a frequency inaudible to humans and summoned a few strays. She spoke something to the strays, which Naga couldn’t understand. He asked Ais and Lela, who didn’t know either, so the other witches couldn’t decipher the conversation Arurukan had with the animals.

“Alright, that will do, we just need to buy some meat from the market to feed them later.”

After Arurukan finished, Vita raised her right hand high before Naga could reply,

“Good, then let’s go!”

“Vita is really energetic.”

“Ah~ she has not visited a human city for a very long time, so bear with her over enthusiasm.”

Dora whispered in explanation to Naga, who smiled wryly and waved his right hand a little, gesturing to her not to mind. The group led by Naga and Raibaha returned to the district filled with shops once again.

4

In the end, they bought two carriages, the horses to pull the carriages and horses to ride. They also purchased kitchen knives, pots, kettles, and other dinnerware. Extra sets of clothes, lutes, drums, and tents for camping outdoors were also procured.

The group carried the items onto the carriage, then those who can ride on horses did so, while those who can’t (or didn’t want to) got onto the carriages along with the cargo.

Vita complained that it was cramped inside the carriage, but since Dona, who was much bigger than her, squeezed between the cargo without a word, she couldn’t say too much.

Under Naga’s influence, the Heindler witches more or less had some training in riding horses, so aside from Harlequin, Linne, and Linna, all of them rode on the horses. Even though Ais, Kay, Cu, and Nonoel were really scared.

“Harlequin, wait.”

Naga called out to her as she was about to board the carriage.

“What is it?”

“You can talk to animals right?”

“Not really converse with them, we can just communicate with each other.”

“If that is so, why don’t you ride a horse?”

“Fufufu.” Harlequin showed a scornful smile, puff out her chest and said: ”How foolish of you Naga. Communicating with animals and actually riding a horse are two different matters!”

“Do you need to get angry? And I don’t get what you mean.”

“If I ask the horse to run faster, I will fall off from it.”

“What?”

“If I ask the horse to walk steadily and don’t let me fall off, the horse will walk very slowly.”

“……”

“I am not riding a horse in order to not trouble everyone!”

“……”

“Ah~~ I mean—”

At this moment, Ixine, who was in the driver’s seat of the carriage, said:

“What she means is that her horsemanship is terrible, so stop asking her about it.”

Harlequin twitched her hair that looked like beast ears, and turned towards Ixine resentfully.

“What nonsense is that, Ixine. There’s nothing wrong with my horsemanship. It isn’t that my skill is bad, it’s just that the horse can’t keep up with my skill.”

“Yes yes, I know. Let’s just accept this reason. It’s my fault Harlequin.”

“It makes me feel even more terrible when you apologize like that, Naga.”

Harlequin’s hair that looked like beast ears sagged down depressingly.

“Basically, the horse will move by itself. If you are too tense, the horse would be influenced by you and become harder to control.”

Naga, who was excellent in horsemanship advised, but to the people unaccustomed to riding horses, things were not as simple as he said.

“You will get used to it, you can ride it naturally after gaining some experience.”

Raibach had great horsemanship too, so he was in charge of driving a carriage, while Ixine who was the most eager to learn horse riding drove the other.

Naga led the way on his horse, followed by the witches— who were dressed like dancers — riding their horses, with the carriages driven by Ixine and Raibach at the very back. The group returned to the inn just like this, housed the horses in the stables behind the inn, and fed them. Harlequin used this chance to summon the guard dogs and gave them some of the meat she’d bought.

5

Naga stood before the horses that had been separated from the carriage and fell into deep thought.

“Alright, we have to carry the small items to the rooms, and leave the large cargo on the carriages. Raibach, sorry about this, but I need you to keep watch here.”

“Understood. Don’t worry about me, I can sleep on the floor.”

“As for the other carriage…”

Naga was troubled over this when Harlequin returned after feeding the dogs and raised her hand.

“Ah, we don’t need to place a sentry, I asked those strays to help again. They are full of life after eating the meat, so we can leave it safely in their paws.”

“I see, let’s leave it to them then.”

Harlequin whistled silently again, and the strays gathered.

“Don’t let them get too close to the stables. It would be troublesome if the horses got spooked and makes a racket.”

“Got it.”

Harlequin squatted down before the strays and gave them the task. Even though Naga had the talisman given by Lela, he couldn’t understand what she was saying.

She is probably relaying my instructions, amazing.

“Let’s prepare dinner.” Ais said to the other witches.

Although they checked into an inn that was slightly higher class, only the very top class hotels in this era will provide meals for their guests. So they went to the market to buy ingredients.

“Dona, you girls help too.”

“Yes, dear mother.”

“Naga and Chief Vita, please rest in your rooms.”

“Is that alright? Thank you very much.”

“You are welcome.”

Ais answered with a smile, and added a line in her heart:

It’s the duty of the young ones to take care of the elderly.

“I will retire to my room then.”

“Yes, please have a good rest.”

After returning to his room, Naga laid on his bed and watched the ceiling.

Arara, unexpected things kept happening one after another. But the most unexpected thing of all is that I came to an alternate world.

He thought about the things that happened after he arrived and what the future held, and fell asleep gradually.

Naga woke when he heard someone calling out to him.

“Dinner is ready, please come to our room to eat.”

Naga sat up slowly and raised a hand at Ais.

“I will be right there.”

6

Naga still couldn’t get used to bread.

What I ate in the past should have been easier to bite, soft and sweet… but what is it? But this isn’t too bad.

Naga sent the sliced bread to his mouth, and thought about this as he chewed.

Aside from the bread, the other dishes taste great.

Pickles, vegetables, stewed duck, smoked bacon, and freshly grilled fish from the sea were laid out on the table, satisfying in both taste and portion.

If only there was rice…

“That’s right, rice!”

Recalling the deliciousness of freshly cooked rice, Naga couldn’t help shouting. The witches looked surprised and looked at Naga.

“But… there is no rice in this world.”

Naga drooped his shoulders sadly.

“What is this rice thing?” Ais asked.

“In the place I came from, rice was the main staple food. Rice is complemented by the other dishes. I just remembered that.”

“Rice… Rice… What is that, food?”

Lela’s eyes were glowing as she leaned forward. Naga smiled wryly.

“How should I put this. It is the grain of a crop known as paddy. After harvesting it, milling it and washing it, it will be placed in a pot to simmer. After it is cooked, just steam it for a while and it will be ready to eat.”

Lela had a confused expression and looked baffled; the other witches and Raibach were just like Lela and looked surprised.

“If you don’t see the real thing, you won’t understand. I don’t know how to explain it too.”

Naga scratched his head and smiled bitterly.

“But if you can recall one specific thing, you can remember others, right?” Lela said.

“I hope so. I will tell you if I remember anything, don’t worry.”

“I am looking forward to, it.”

“Forget the rice, let’s eat. We need to discuss about tomorrow after finishing.”

“That’s true, let’s eat and tidy up the room.”

After Ais said that, the witches stopped their chatter and finished their dinner early, then stood up to clean the place.

7

After cleaning up, the witches returned to the large room and began their discussion with Naga in the center.

“As planned, we will find a place to hold our performance tomorrow. All of you have prepared your dancing costumes already anyway.”

If they all wore different costumes, they wouldn’t look like dancers from the same troupe. Using the witches’ normal attires directly wasn’t suitable too, so Ais and the other dancers prepared a set of costumes.

As the purpose was to garner more audience, their attire was revealing and thin like their usual clothes. As they didn’t need to be concerned about using spells in battles, they added frilly accessories on their clothes to attract the audience’s attention through their dance.

“What about the venue?” Vita asked.

“If we perform near the harbor, we should be able to attract plenty of sailors, right?”

“That’s true, but they seem really busy. It would be better to perform in the streets in the morning, we can catch the morning crowd visiting the morning market.”

Naga nodded in agreement with Vita’s suggestion.

“Good point, let’s perform in the streets first. Linne and Linna will use the chance to move around, and listen to what the audience is saying.”

“Yes, understood.” x2

“Oh right. Naga, when I was walking in the streets just now, it doesn’t seem very peaceful.”

“Not peaceful? As in full of life?”

Vita thought about it and her face turned serious.

“… Not that way.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ugh, there isn’t anything in particular that makes me feel uneasy, just that it didn’t seem peaceful and people are panicky— That’s the impression I have. But I haven’t been to a human city for a long time, maybe it’s just my imagination.”

There must be a reason why Vita is saying this.

“I see. If Vita’s instincts are correct, there might be some incident that happened somewhere. Linne and Linna might be able to sniff something out in regards to this. I am bothered by something too. There were some young men and women tied up with ropes near the harbor, are they criminals?”

“No, they are slaves.” Vita said with disdain.

“Slaves…”

“Those are people bought by slave peddlers, and will be sold in a slave market somewhere.”

“Humans can be traded?”

“This isn’t such a rare sight. It’s common for humans.”

Naga crossed his arms and the corners of his lips drooped.

“I see, so this is normal in this world.”

“Isn’t there something like this in your world?”

“No… I am not sure too, but I don’t think the trading of humans was so open.”

“Oh, seems like your world is better in this aspect.”

As Naga and Vita chatted about this, Lela stared at Naga intriguingly.

“Alright, after I conquer the world, I will ban the trading of humans.”

What… What a confident guy. In his mind, is world conquest the default objective? Just who is this guy?

Vita appraised Naga closely.

“Hmm? What’s the matter?”

“No… it’s nothing.”

His grandiose words make me question if there is something wrong with his head… It is doubtful, but he should be serious. And there is something about this man that makes me believe he can make this future a reality. If not, I wouldn’t have placed my bet on him.

“Fu, I will look forward to it.”

“Alright, back to the topic at hand. We will decide on the venue after we reach the streets tomorrow, let’s sleep early everyone. Oh right…”

Naga turned and asked Harlequin.

“Can you ask the dogs to keep watch the entire night?”

“It shouldn’t be a problem, but to be safe, I will check on them later.”

“I see, I will go with you too.”

“You don’t need to come though.”

“I am the head of the troupe after all, checking on the carriages is part of my job. The inn staff is here too, and I need to be aware of how the other customers see us. I need to perform my duties too.”

“Oh.” Harlequin said, and it was obvious she didn’t understand and seemed baffled.

“Is that so? I’m not opposed to you coming if you insist.”

“I will go check on the horses then.” Ixine raised her hand and said.

“Okay, I will leave the horses to you.”

Naga turned back and faced everyone.

“Everyone, please have a good rest.”

At this moment, Ais raised a question.

“Naga, aren’t you tired?”

“This isn’t much.”

“But when we were running in the Black Forest, you were the first one to tire.”

“Ughh.” Naga sighed, lowered his head and said: “Back then, I had just came to this world.”

“Hmmm!?” Kay exclaimed in surprise, then retorted: “What has your lack of stamina got to do with getting used to this world?”

“Kay is right! That’s why I need to ride a horse!”

“You actually admitted it!”

The witches laughed out loudly.

Naga shook his head in resignation, pulled himself together and instructed the witches:

“Anyway, let’s end the discussion for the night, we will need to move at day break.”

After concluding the meeting, Naga exited the inn, accompanied by Harlequin and Ixine.

8

Naga, Ixine, and Harlequin walked towards the stables behind the inn. Since no one else was around, they wore their usual attire. Once they put on the revealing clothes of the witches, the tattoos on Ixine’s skin was eye catching even in the middle of the night.

Speaking of which, I heard that Ixine could manipulate the tattoos on her skin, what does that mean?

Naga was thinking about that when Ixine suddenly said:

“Naga.”

“What is it?”

“We don’t know each other, why are you doing so much for us?”

“We are not strangers anymore.”

“Eh~~ I will put this another way. Back then, we didn’t know each other, why did you do so much for us?”

“Because I owed you all the debt of one meal and a night’s lodging.”

“This is too much for just a meal and a night’s lodging. No matter how I see it, the burden on your shoulders is heavy—— Or rather, too heavy.”

Naga didn’t answer Ixine’s question, but looked up into the night sky; Darkness had shrouded the surroundings. Witches had excellent eyesight, so they didn’t need torches. Ixine held a torch for Naga to light the ground. Thousands of stars twinkled in the clear night sky. Compared to the vague memory Naga had of the stars, the starlight was brighter here and more numerous.

“Now that you asked… I don’t know why I am going so far for you all too. Just that after listening to Yuuki and Raibach’s story, I had an idea—”

Naga continued looking at the sky and said calmly:

“— If I can conquer the world, maybe I can reduce the number of families with terrible deaths like Yuuki’s and Raibach’s…. If there are less people who are like this, there will be less people who will live sad lives, right? So I want to build a peaceful world, and reduce the number of such people. I think this is my responsibility and duty…. Maybe this is the reason.”

“Oh.”

Ixine opened her eyes wide and observed Naga’s profile.

It wasn’t clear if Harlequin heard what the two of them were saying, she squatted down not too far ahead, and patted the heads of the stray dogs that came near.

“What a grand ambition, I can’t keep up.”

“Is that so? I don’t think it is too great.”

“How should I say this, maybe our perspectives are different, or maybe our vision is different, or the way we see things is different.”

Naga laughed and turned his head back.

“It doesn’t matter what it is, I am doing this to help voluntarily. Although my actions caused you to shoulder a heavy burden.”

“Oh, don’t worry, we don’t mind. The burden might be heavy, but we look forward to living in a different world… probably. It feels like if we follow Naga, we will see a scene and world we have never experienced before.”

“A world you have never seen before.”

Naga smiled deviously.

“Even if that place is hell?”

“If we are hunted into extinction by humans, it will also be hell.”

Ixine had a refreshing smile, as if she was opposing Naga.

“Either way leads to hell, it will be more interesting to visit a new hell.”

“You have an interesting way of saying this.”

“Is it? I don’t think so. Harrigan-Nee, Ais, and the others have a similar way of thinking, or they wouldn’t be fighting the humans alongside Naga.”

“Really?”

“It’s true, it’s true. So you don’t need to worry. If anyone of us dies in battle, you don’t need to push the blame on yourself.”

Naga looked at Ixine in surprise.

“You are really considerate, Ixine.”

“Huh? R-Really? People always say that.”

Ixine smiled shyly as she scratched her head.

“Oh, a lot of people told you that?”

“Although I’m usually the one who is saying it.”

“So you are saying that yourself!”

“Because no one else is saying it, so I have to say it myself.”

Heehee, Ixine had an embarrassed smile.

“I will say it again, you are really considerate, Ixine.”

“Heehee.”

[[Image:Naga04_Illus-03.jpg|175px|thumb]]

Ixine lowered her gaze and smiled with her face flushed.

“Eh, what are you two doing? Let’s go.”

Tch, Harlequin really spoiled the mood, the atmosphere between Naga and me was so good.

Ixine swore in secret, then raised her hand and replied: “We will be right there~”

“Let’s go, Naga.”

“Okay. Oh yah, Ixine, I heard you can manipulate the tattoos on your skin, what does that mean?”

“Ah, speaking of which, you haven’t seen my magic.”

Ixine turned her body towards Naga and pointed at a tattoo.

“Simply said, this is like Cu’s belts. Look, it can move like this.”

Ixine extended her right arm.

“Summon imperial souls, dancing gleefully, no obstruction, rewards, boundary, righting all wrongs.”

The tattoos on Ixine’s arm started to squirm.

They gathered at the front of her arm, and then disappeared.

“Go.”

With a wave, the tattoos that had gathered on her palm seemed to have a life of their own when it fell to the ground, and then bound Naga’s legs.

“Waahhh!”

Naga attempted to shake away the tattoos, but they entangled his pants and were climbing up slowly.

“W-What is going on!?”

“Alright, come back.”

Ixine commanded, and the tattoos slid down and left the pants, and came back to Ixine’s legs and climbed up. Ixine placed her right hand on her thigh, and the tattoos moved onto her arm, back to their original position.

“Something like this. I can use it to entangle the opponent’s body with the tattoos and stop their movement. I can also strangle their neck.”

“T-This is amazing.”

“This is strong in single combat, but not very useful in fighting the humans.”

“That’s not true.”

“Hey! What are the two of you doing!?”

“Ahh, sorry, we will be right over.”

Ixine waved at Harlequin and started running.

All of them possess amazing skills, if their talents are utilized well, I believe we can form a powerful army. It’s a pity that we lack numbers, if we have the forces… Seems like we have to increase the number of human soldiers.

Naga thought as he jogged after Ixine.

After checking that the carriages were fine, the three of them left the guard duty to the strays and returned to the inn.

9

The next morning—

The witches and Naga prepared breakfast in a hurry and ate quickly, then started preparations to set off. As it is a street performance, there wasn’t much to prepare. Everyone just needed to wear their costumes and take the flutes, drums, and string instruments, which didn’t take much time.

Naga and Raibach waited in the room for them to change, and Ais came to their room to call for them.

Wahh! Ais’ clothing!

Naga was shocked by Ais’ attire the moment he left the room.

Her bountiful breasts were covered by a small piece of cloth, just barely. Frilly accessories were placed on her arms and waist, and a thin rope was wrapped around her hips; it wasn’t clear if she really wanted to cover up. The exposed skin and face were painted with beautiful patterns and she wore a beautiful hair accessory on her head. On her hands were sparkling gems and glittering silver bangles, displaying the elegance, beauty, and exposure of a dancer.

“Erm… What’s the matter?”

Ais asked, and Naga finally came to his senses.

“Nothing… Really… What an amazing dancer.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Ais appeared confused, and Naga explained to her with a smile:

“I mean your beauty is astonishing.”

“Huhhh, a-a-are you serious?”

“Am I right, Raibach?”

“Y-Yes. We will definitely make money; you are sexier than a real dancer~”

“You jest, Raibach!”

The embarrassed Ais patted Raibach’s shoulder hard, making him fall onto the floor screaming.

“Everyone is waiting for you in the room, come over quickly.”

Ais ran out of the corridor after saying that.

She looked naked from the back. No, she is as good as naked from the front too.

Naga thought as he watched Ais’ shaking hips.

“That hurts.”

Raibach nursed his shoulder and stood up with a painful groan.

“Ais’ brute force is dangerous, if she doesn’t learn to control her strength, she might just break my bones.”

“Alright, let’s go. I wonder how the other witches are dressed, how exciting.”

“You will lose your life if you are not subtle about it.”

Raibach advised.

“That’s true, let’s observe discreetly.”

“Eh, peeking at them sneakily is dangerous too.”

Naga walked towards the large room where the witches were gathered, and Raibach said quietly with a face of resignation behind him:

“… Although I can empathize with you.”

10

After Naga and Raibach entered the large room, they realized it was heaven. Angels gathered within, and all of them were nearly naked.

Just like Ais, they wore thin and small pieces of clothes, and put on elegant accessories. Patterns were drawn on their bodies with dyes and smeared on their faces. They also dyed their hair and had arm and leg bangles. Some of the witches didn’t cover their chest, only concealing their nipples with paint. Naga and Raibach forgot all about discreet observation and stared at the bold appearance of the witches with eyes wide open. At this moment, Kay, who only had a thin piece of rope on her chest and waist approached them.

“How is it? Does it suit us? Pretty enough?”

Seeing Kay striking poses, Naga looked at her from head to toe.

It’s a pity, more accurately speaking, it’s regrettable, especially the chest area.

But he can’t vocalize his true thoughts, and only gave a vague answer:

“Ah~ yes, very sexy!”

“Naga, why do you sound so insincere!?”

“No, no such thing. Ais, Lela, Cu, Nonoel, and Ixine are all so charming that it makes my head spin.”

“Why did you only leave me out!?”

“Don’t be depressed, Kay.”

“Ais is consoling so arrogantly!”

Kay lowered her head dejectedly.

“Alright, alright.”

“Don’t mind it, Kay.”

When she heard Linne and Linna’s consolations, Kay showed a dissatisfied look.

“Linne and Linna don’t need to be dancers, that’s why you aren’t concerned~ Both of you don’t need to reveal your child like bodies to everyone.”

“You can show off your pitifully flat chest then, Kay” x2

The twins retorted as one.

As Naga was laughing heartily, Vita walked over. Her body didn’t have any contours, and didn’t look sexy in her revealing attire, but had a unique air about her. The tall Dona beside her had bountiful breasts, making the two of them look like parent and child.

“Naga, how do we look?”

“Raibach and I were just talking about this, all of you are sexier than real dancers.”

“That’s right, huh.”

Except for some of the witches.

“Hmm? You want to say something?”

“No, I have nothing to say. Right, let’s find a place to perform.”

“True. Hey, Dona, Lily, time to go.”

“Yes dear mother.”

“Everyone ready?”

“We are ready, Ais.”

“Let’s be off.”

“Good, the Najunkray troupe is going to have its first performance.”

“Yes—!” x4

11

After linking the horse to the carriage, Naga jumped onto the driver’s seat. Linne and Linna came to him to report:

“We are going to the streets.”

“I’m counting on you.”

The twins left the inn quietly.

“I will drive.”

Raibach said and sat down besides Naga, taking the reins.

“Everyone try to look lively on the way there.”

Ais, who was standing beside the carriage, said to everyone.

“Got it—”

“I will work, hard.”

“Of course.”

“Leave it to me.”

The witches responded and acknowledged by raising their hand.

“Alright, let’s go Raibach.”

On Naga’s instruction, Raibach tugged the reins lightly, urging the horses forward. The wheels of the carriage rattled as they turned.

As the carriage advanced, all around the carriage, half naked— more accurately speaking almost entirely naked— dancers followed.

“We are the Najunkray troupe—”

“The performance is about to begin—”

“Please watch our performance if you have time—”

“We will perform a dance— a lively dance show—”

“P-Please watch, our show.”

The dancers advertised the performance and called out to the pedestrians, telling them about the show the troupe would be putting up.

All the dancers were beauties, and they wore thin, short, revealing clothes, which drew the attention of the crowd. A few onlookers were already following behind them. Ais chatted with the curious audience, asking them about a suitable venue to perform. She then reported her findings to Naga:

“Alright, let’s head over there.”

Naga replied, and looked towards the back of Ais who returned to the crowd — her almost bare ass— and felt impressed.

She takes great care of people and treats others kindly, just like a big sister in the neighborhood kind of feeling. She can talk normally with humans, and is dependable in such situations. A pity that her character changes once she has a drink. But…

There were witches like Yuuki, who extremely hate men, but there were also witches like Ais, who could interact normally with humans. Most witches were not good at interacting with humans, but the lack of experience plays a large part.

If they come into contact with me and Raibach frequently, they will get used to humans one day. Harrigan’s witches are much more used to it now, and they will have even more chances to do so in the future. The witches aren’t much of an issue, the problem lies with… the humans.

Raibach accepted the existence of the witches rather swiftly, but that’s because he wasn’t a stanch believer in religion. People like him were in the minority, and most humans were devout believers who wouldn’t acknowledge the existence of witches easily, or accept coexistence with witches.

This can’t be done overnight, seems like I have to force them to accept it. But that’s something for the future.

The pressing matter was to resolve the issue at hand— the war with the Kasandora Kingdom. It was hard to tell from the current situation how long the war would last. Normal people wouldn’t have the leisure to think about the future once they’d committed all their efforts to the obstacle before them. But Naga could set his sights on the long term while facing the difficulties right in front of him.

In other words, his tactical and strategic abilities were better than others.

Naga’s next move was made to set up for a situation that would occur dozens of moves later.

In Naga’s eyes, the situation a dozen steps later would be the founding of the nation of witches.

In order to do this, I need to find a way to take care of the war with the Kasandora Kingdom, and destroying that Kingdom isn’t necessary. Okay, is there any way to break through the current stalemate?

Naga fell into deep thought as the carriage swayed.

Naga still had no idea about Granvista mustering an army to campaign against the witches. But he would find out about it in the near future

12

Under the lead of Ais, the group came to the plaza; Naga ordered for the carriage to stop.

After alighting from the carriage, he checked the surroundings and found a large group had gathered. He then ordered Ais:

“Okay, we will perform here. Start the preparations.”

The preparations were finished after taking the instruments out and the dancers taking their positions.

The ones playing the instruments were Lela, Nonoel, Lily, Vita, and Harlequin. The ones dancing were Ais, Cu, Ixine, Kay, and Dona. The witches decided to group themselves this way after discussing it the night before.

“It’s a pity that I can’t see Lela dance.”

Naga said so to Lela, who was holding a flute. She answered with a sour face:

“I don’t really want to dance with those people, so it’s, fine.”

When he heard that, Naga looked at the dancers in the center of the open space.

Ais, Cu, Ixine, Kay, and Dona.

He then turned to the musicians.

Lela, Nonoel, Lily, Vita, and Harlequin.

“I get it, you are separated by size, except for Kay.” Naga muttered.

He didn’t mention what the size was referring to, but it’s obvious with a glance.

“I have a rough idea about why you don’t want to join them.”

Lela drooped her shoulders and nodded weakly in response.

Is this the reason why Vita, who wanted to dance, is now playing an instrument?

At this moment, Vita glared at Naga fiercely.

“I don’t know what you are thinking about, but that’s not the real reason, definitely not.”

You let it slip!

Naga wanted to retort, but managed to endure it.

By the way, Kay is brave as usual, almost to the point of foolhardiness.

The exposed twin peaks were shaking everywhere, only, Kay had nothing to shake. But she still puffed her chest out without minding it at all, standing tall in her corner.

Well, it’s fine if she doesn’t mind.

The dancers lined up in the open space, Ais, who was in the middle, raised her hand.

“Alright— Let’s begin—”

When they heard the cue, the witches started playing their instruments. The dancers started to move their bodies elegantly when the music started.

The audience clapped and cheered loudly.

The dancers started slow, and as the beat got faster, their movements became more vigorous.

All the dancers have large breasts (except Kay).

And their clothes barely covered their bodies.

The more intense their dance, the larger the movement of their upper bodies.

Their upper bodies shook (except Kay).

Wobbling intensely (except Kay).

Jiggling violently (except Kay).

The small pieces of cloth covering their chest — which did a poor job of concealing their bodies —seem to be on the verge of flying off.

Their lower bodies were moving vividly, the string like costumes might fall off at any instance.

The eyes of the audience followed every move of the dancers, they were definitely urging with their mind, saying— Fall off! Slip off now!

Naga wasn’t an exception.

Damn, why aren’t they falling off? Why won’t it slip? Did they stick it on with glue? Or is this magic?

Naga thought the same way as most of the audience.

The eyes of the audience were intense, focusing on the bodies that were more revealing than half naked, but not to the extent of being totally nude. They were absorbed in the intense dance. The atmosphere was heated, and spurred by the excitement, some members of the audience stood up and cheered.

The tune changed again and the dancers’ movements shifted, slow at times, fast in others, and exotic music was played every now and then. No matter what type of music it was, the dancers performed splendidly.

Amazing, this isn’t like the performance of amateurs. As expected of people that will strip and dance in every celebration party, it’s out of this world.

Naga felt impressed with devious intentions.

Claps, cheers and people beating a beat with their hands brought the atmosphere to the boiling point.

The tune intensified and the fast and frantic actions of the dancers dazzled the eyes of the audience below the stage— It was unfathomable why their clothes didn’t fall off.

Then the music ended abruptly, the dancers also stopped moving.

The dancers maintained their positions before the music stopped, then slowly relaxed their bodies and bowed to the audience in appreciation.

The audience finally came to their senses and applauded thunderously, even Naga couldn’t help clapping his hands.

The dancers were covered in sweat, waving, and bowing to the audience with all smiles in return.

Yes, amazing, this standard is worthy of making the audience cough up their money.

While Naga was feeling impressed, he felt his flank being poked. Naga turned and found Lela looking up at him.

“What are you looking, at?”

“Hmm? Nothing, I’m not looking at anything.”

Liar.

Lela looked at Naga with eyes of disdain.

“Speaking of which, you didn’t dance in the end.”

“That’s because…”

Lela glanced at Ais and the other dancers, then averted her eyes.

“I am not brave enough to join, them.”

“Kay did.”

“Because she has no sense of, shame.”

Naga agreed with this in his heart.

She is someone who will do warm ups naked before swimming.

“Forget about Kay, I really want to see you dancing with them.”

Naga said as he scrutinized Lela’s outfit. Lela, who played music, was dressed like the dancers, more revealing than being half naked, but not totally nude. She showed a lot of skin, but it wasn’t that much compared to her usual clothes. But Lela couldn’t help feeling bashful with Naga staring at her like that.

“Eh…”

Lela’s face turned red as she lowered her head.

[[Image:Naga04_Illus-04.jpg|175px|thumb]]

“I will… work hard next, time.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Lela felt her body burning up and didn’t raise her head.

The dancers moved between the crowd with woven bamboo baskets in hand. The audience gave their copper coins freely. The dancers picked up the copper coins on the ground amidst the loud applause, but one of the witches was moving really clumsily.

“What is Cu doing… She dropped the basket and spilled the coins again! Why is she so uncoordinated?”

Having no choice, Naga got down from the stage to help, and approached Cu.

“Eh, you seem to be having a hard time.”

Cu, who was leaning forward and reaching out with her hands to pick up the coins, lifted her head.

“Ah, Naga… this is hard.”

“What? What is hard?”

If you always speak only a few words, it will be hard to know what you are saying.

Naga thought as he bent his knees and reached for the coins on the ground.

“Is picking up coins hard?”

Cu shook her head with a sad expression.

When she shakes her head, her body will move. Seeing it up close, her body is a dangerous weapon. The costumes of dancers are already fierce, this further enhances her destructive power.

Naga fell into a dilemma, wondering if he should avert his eyes. In the end, his eyes were focused on only one spot.

“It’s hard to hold the heavy basket.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Naga shifted his eyes from Cu’s bountiful peaks and valley in a hurry.

“I-Is it that heavy? There’s only a few coins in there, right?”

“I will usually carry things with my belts.”

“Ahh! So that’s why.”

In other words, because Cu had always used magic to manipulate her belts, she didn’t have many chances to carry things with her own hands.

“I have never carried anything heavier than a plate.”

“Are you a princess from somewhere?”

“Just joking.”

“Oh, I see.”

“But carrying heavy things is difficult.”

“That’s not heavy…”

“It will be easy if I use my belts, I can carry a dozen or two no problem.”

Naga watched Cu placed the basket with coins onto her knees as she picked up the coins, and couldn’t help but lament:

I don’t understand how these witches think.

“It’s hard to perform too.”

“Is that so? You danced quite well.”

“Not the dance, but the clothes.”

I don’t get it, what does she mean?

Naga had a confused look on his face. Noticing his baffled gaze, Cu explained:

“I usually have belts around my body. Without the belts, it is hard to balance my body.”

“Really?”

Cu nodded.

“Having belts on my body is as good as having magic around me. Without the belts, I feel naked, that’s why this costume feels embarrassing.”

“I see, but to me, there isn’t much difference for you to wear belts or dress like this.”

“Totally different, even if I have just one belt on me, I will feel more at ease.”

Just one belt will put you at ease… Then just wear one belt in the future then, Cu.

Naga decided to hide this suggestion in the bottom of his heart.

“Everyone is done picking up the money, let’s hurry.”

Naga picked up the coins swiftly and placed them in Cu’s basket.

“Thank you…”

“You are welcome, let’s go.”

“I’m not done yet.”

“It’s just a little, so leave it. Our objective is not to earn money through dancing, but collecting intelligence.”

Cu nodded, and stood up unsteadily with the bamboo basket in her arms.

She is stumbling around. Her body movements are really unsteady without her belts.

Naga was impressed and dumbfounded.

The audience dispersed, and as Naga and company were preparing to return to the inn, Linne and Linna, who wore cloaks, walked over.

13

“Heard any noteworthy news?” Naga asked quietly.

The two of them were on the other side of the open space, and won’t be able to hear Naga’s voice normally. The two of them kept a close watch on the crowd and approached Naga nonchalantly. When they passed by Naga, they answered his question.

“I heard that there is going to be a huge battle with the witches soon.”

A battle involving the witches!?

[[Image:Naga04_Illus-05.jpg|175px|thumb]]

“That…”

He only said that much before remembering that they were still in the plaza.

There is still an audience here, this place isn’t suitable for talks. We should head back to the inn first.

Naga adopted the demeanor of a troupe leader, gathered all the dancers, and announced to them in a low voice.

“Linne and Linna seemed to have heard something, let’s head back to the inn for now.”

The dancers kept the instruments and coins they picked up hurriedly, placed them inside the carriage, and returned to the inn.

14

Everyone gathered in the large room where Ais and the others were staying in. Naga asked the twins: “What did you hear?”

“Not just the conversations of the audience, we also heard what the crews at the harbor were talking about.”

After saying that, Linne and Linna told everyone the intelligence they found out.

“I see…”

After hearing their report, Naga crossed his arms with a heavy expression.

The other witches seemed to be pondering about the news.

“There’s an army gathering at Granvista …?”

“They number about three to four thousand, a grand scale.”

Ais said with furrowed brows:

“The question is, why are they gathering an army? Are they launching a campaign against us just like the rumors said…? That should be the reason right, Naga?” Vita asked.

“Yes, I think you are right.”

“Hmm, since they made a move, what should we do?”

“… We will need to hurry up.”

“Hurry what up?”

“We need to hurry and head for the capital of the Kasandora Kingdom, and find out the relationship between the Kasandora Kingdom and the army sent to subjugate the witches.”

When Naga said that, Lela expressed her doubt with a “Hmm?”

“Normally speaking, the army would head south towards Kasandora kingdom to link up. But maybe Kasandora kingdom didn’t have anything to do with this army either, right?”

As expected of Lela, a detailed observation.

“That might be possible, but if the Kasandora Kingdom knew a large army would be coming to reinforce them, they wouldn’t have sent a thousand soldiers to attack the fort.”

“Oh, that’s true.”

The actual fact was a bit different. Kasandora Kingdom already knew a subjugation army would be heading for them. At the same time, they were coerced by Cardinal Aiba to dispatch troops to attack alone. The facts were slightly off, but Naga had analyzed the subtle relationship between Kasandora Kingdom and the subjugation army correctly.

“It is suspicious for Kasandora to seal the city (capital), maybe they overestimated the prowess of the witches and fear your attacks. But there wasn’t a need to seal the city with such a large army coming to support them.”

“Eh… Maybe the Kasandora Kingdom is levying taxes and provisions for the army, but the travelers and merchants misunderstood it as preparations to seal the city… Is that, possible?”

Lela picked up the main issue and has a keen sense of observation.

Naga nodded in agreement.

“We can’t dismiss this possibility, providing provisions is the responsibility of the host nation… Am I right, Raibach?”

“Yes, that’s basically true. But if the church grants their support, they will also provide provisions for the participating forces. They can’t feed the troops with just God’s blessings alone.”

At this point, Vita leaned forth.

“The intentions of the Kasandora Kingdom are a concern, but something bothers me, Naga.”

Naga looked at Vita and saw her exceptionally serious face.

“What is it? Your face is really grim. Something bothering you?”

“The news mentioned that the army mustering in Granvista is the elites of the church… right?”

“They did mention that. They are not the forces of another nation, but serve the church directly right? What about them?”

“That would be terrible, the units serving under the church are known as the ‘Army of God’ or ‘Holy Crusaders’, they are trained to fight heretics and the enemies of the church, and to subjugate the witches. If they send out this unit, it would be a tough battle.”

As he listened to the frowning Vita’s response, Naga clicked his tongue.

“Tch, just like the warrior monks.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C5%8Dhei</ref>”

“Warriors monks? What are warrior monks?”

“Ah? Did I say something?”

“Huh? Didn’t you just say it? You didn’t realize?”

“S-Sorry, I don’t remember.”

Naga scratched his head with a troubled look. Ais spoke up to smoothen the awkward situation.

“Sometimes, Naga will speak about strange things. It’s actually not that weird, probably things related to his old world.”

“Hmm, so he said that because of a memory or experience he had forgotten?”

“That’s it, so don’t mind me.”

Naga said nonchalantly, while Vita made a suspicious expression.

“You should be more concerned about this right?”

“Well, no matter how concerned I am, I can’t remember the things that I can’t remember. I have already given up.”

“How resolute.”

“Instead of myself, the most important thing right now is the affairs of you witches.”

“That’s true.”

“What should we do, Naga? Shall we change our plans in accordance to the news Linne and Linna heard?”

Ais asked, and Naga moaned.

“I said earlier that we need to hasten our pace. Anyway, our debut performance is over. After the city gates open at daybreak tomorrow, we will leave this place and head for the Kasandora Kingdom. Since Fort Ein is along the way, we will stop by there and discuss this with Harrigan, maybe she heard some news there.”

Vita laughed:

“So we were supposedly chased out of the Fort that’s held by the witches, right?”

“That’s right, the setting will be that after being chased out by the witches, we hurried on towards the capital of Kasandora.”

“Guess we can’t buy more resources or practice our performance.” Ais said.

“That can’t be helped, after all… Though we have heard of stupid haste in war.<ref>http://suntzusaid.com/book/2/5</ref>”

“Oh, is there such an idiom?”

“There is, I remember this is by… Sunko?”

“Who knows, don’t ask me.”

Vita retorted, which made Naga scratch his head.

My knowledge… specifically speaking, my memories are just fragmented pieces, it can’t be helped that I can’t build it into a complete picture. It’s the same for this incident too, I can’t see the entire picture. If going to the Kasandora Kingdom fills in the missing pieces, I can recreate the silhouette of the entire war and see the big picture clearly. Maybe I can find a way to handle it then.

Naga pulled himself together and announced to the witches and Raibach:

“In order to save our energy for tomorrow, it’s regrettable, but we have to stop the sightseeing and shopping for today.”

15

The next morning—

Before the break of dawn, everyone was ready and headed towards the city gates.

After the city gates opened, the group left Lancel city and headed along the path besides the Schweiz River. Few people took this route in recent times, and it appears abandoned. Fortunately, it was just wide enough for carriages to pass through, and the group hurried along.

They camped outdoors along the way, and passed by the place of the previous battle the next afternoon.

The Heindler witches and Naga fought the Kasandora army here. Raibach wasn’t present during that battle, but he still felt nostalgic as he took part in the campaign.

Watching the barren surroundings, Raibach was reminded of his recent experience.

In the beginning, I was unhappy about being demoted to the supply unit, but if I was leading the company during that battle, I would probably have died here. In hindsight, I am alive because of that, a blessing in disguise. In the end, General Geobalk took responsibility for the loss and resigned, and General Guiscard took over. He re-appointed me as a company captain, and ordered me to keep watch over the Schweiz River.

When his train of thought reached this point, Raibach looked cautiously at Naga and the witches.

I thought I was down on my luck back then and cursed my experience, in the end, I met Naga and the witches, and came to this place. What a strange fate, I thought I was unlucky, but I wasn’t that unlucky after all. I thought I was lucky, but I wasn’t that lucky too. Life is full of twists and turns.

Raibach sat on the carriage looking over at the river some distance away and felt melancholic.

16

After leaving the Schweiz River, Naga and the group followed the road up north to Fort Ein.

By dusk, they met two witches, who were patrolling outside the Fort, and returned to Fort Ein before dark.

Naga immediately sought out Harrigan and began a discussion.

17

“… So Linne and Linna found out about this in Lancel City. Any news from your side?”

“The news that Kasandora is sealing the city (capital) should be true.”

After hearing the news from Naga, that was the first thing Harrigan said.

“So you heard something that confirms this information?”

“That’s right, I’d sent Yuuki to scout the vicinity of Kasandora’s capital, and she saw them stockpiling provisions and reinforcing the walls, and strengthening the forts in the surroundings. We didn’t know why they are doing this, but after you brought back this news, everything makes sense.”

“So that’s why they are not only stockpiling provisions, but also reinforcing the city walls and forts. From the looks of it, it is true that they are preparing to seal the city.”

“But Naga, are they doing this as a precaution against us? Or are they defending against…”

Naga nodded deeply when Vita pointed this out.

“The army that is gathering in Granvista … Kasandora is probably doing this in defense against that army.”

“From the intelligence we’ve gathered so far, that should be the case. But how did this come to be?”

Vita was baffled, and it wasn’t a surprise that she reacted that way.

“I don’t get it either, seems like we need to infiltrate the Kasandora Kingdom.”

“In that case— Harrigan looked at Naga and Vita with expectant eyes: “I have no choice but to go right?”

“You need to stay here and supervise.”

“Vita is right, Harrigan. Only you can watch this place. If you leave, who can cover for you?”

“Eh, A-Ais can…”

“Ais is capable, but she lacks the experience to command a fort.”

“That’s right, I’m just an insignificant person who doesn’t have the experience.”

Ais, who was present for the meeting, said so with a smile, and Harrigan glared at her immediately.

“This girl will only say she lacks experience when the situation benefits her.”

Harrigan turned her head back immediately with a serious expression.

“But I haven’t visited a human city for so long, it’s too sly that only you all can go.”

“You finally said what you were really thinking.”

“Shut up. Vita went to Lancel, now it’s my turn.”

“Even if you say that, most of the witches here are from your clan. Normally speaking, the commander with the most troops will take command right?”

“W-What about Naga staying behind?”

“Ehh? Don’t be ridiculous, Harrigan.”

“That’s right, if Naga is here, how can we carry out the gathering of intelligence?”

“… I get it. I’m just throwing out ideas.”

Harrigan replied unhappily.

“Just bear with it a little bit longer, Harrigan. In the future, you can visit a human city whenever you want.”

“What do you mean, Naga?”

“We will rule a human nation one day; you can go wherever you wish then.”

“Huh… I-Is that so?”

“In order to achieve this goal, we have to collect more intelligence. The accuracy and amount of data will decide a battle sometimes. No, it will definitely affect the entire battle. So if we want to win the next battle, we have to collect intelligence thoroughly. But if we lose this fort, it would be a huge blow, so please stay and watch the fort.”

Naga said these words sincerely with a serious expression. Harrigan sighed softly and muttered: “Alright.”

“I’m just saying it, don’t worry. I will perform my duties, so you have to complete your tasks too.”

Naga relaxed the expression on his face and replied: “Yes, we will.”

“How about buying a present for you, the weapons and jewelries sold for an unexpectedly high price after all. What do you want? A comb? A mirror? Or both?”

“What do you mean it’s fine to buy both, Vita, this money was made by selling the Heindler clan’s goods in the first place!”

“Hmm… That’s true.”

“I can’t let my guard down when dealing with you.”

“Don’t be mad, we will hold back when buying gifts for ourselves.”

“You want to buy a present for yourself!?”

Harrigan retorted, then turned to face Ais.

“Ais, keep a close eye on the money we got from selling the items.”

“Yes Onee-san, I will watch it.”

“This fort is probably being watched. We can’t stay long, so let’s set off soon.”

“That’s true. They’re a bit far, but there’s a scouting unit somewhere around here.”

“After we leave the fort, throw some rocks at us.”

“We don’t need to go that far right?”

“This is to be safe. We won’t lose anything if you do it, so put up an act.”

“As you wish.”

Harrigan nodded, and Vita reminded her:

“Don’t throw too hard.”

“You don’t need to tell me that… No, Vita, I do want to throw rocks at you really hard.”

“How long are you going to be such a pain?”

“I’m half joking, don’t take it too seriously.”

“So you are half serious, of course I will be concerned!”

“Alright, let’s go, Vita, Ais, Lela.”

On the urging by Naga, the three of them acknowledge and stood up.

18

The traveling troupe that visited the fort was chased out by the witches mercilessly…. Under such a setting, Naga’s group left the forest and followed the road heading north.

When they reached a fortress near the capital of Kasandora, they were stopped by the guards.

19

“Where did you come from, and where are you going?”

Naga answered the soldier’s question without reservation, but to them, his words sounded fuddled.

“We came from Lancel, heading to capital, to perform.”

Seeing the performers lined up in a row, the soldiers narrowed their eyes and some of them showed lusty gazes. As they were close to the capital of the Kasandora Kingdom, all the witches put on their dancing costumes, which were small and thin pieces of clothing.

“I am leader, they troupe dance girls. May we have honor to perform for you?”

Before they reached the fort, Naga asked Lela if she could lower the effectiveness of the talisman used for communication. Because he believed that if he couldn’t communicate well, it would give the impression of being a foreigner. Lela said she could do so and weakened the talisman’s effect. That’s why he didn’t sound fluent to other people.

“I see, it would be great to watch a performance.”

One soldier said with a laugh, but the others gave a warning.

“Eh, now is not the time to watch a show, the captain will lecture us!”

“Oh, t-that’s true.”

The soldier coughed and faced Naga again.

“It is regrettable, but even though you have travelled all the way here, it is probably not possible to hold a performance even if you enter the capital.”

“Huh? Not possible?”

“War is going to break out, the citizens in the capital are probably not in the mood to enjoy a performance.”

“Huhh?”

Naga made a show of being surprised. He then lowered his voice, leaned in and asked the soldier:

“Could it be… your country is going to war with the witches? I heard about that in Lancel.”

“No, that’s not it.”

Naga faked his surprise and looked confused.

“If not, who else would you be fighting a war against?”

The soldier lowered his voice and replied.

“The enemies are forces attempting to invade our nation. So it’s fine if you want to head to the capital, but there’s no guarantee you can perform.”

Naga made a show of being depressed and drooped his shoulders. Naga was surprisingly good at acting, and was actually gleeful in his heart.

Now we can confirm that the Kasandora Kingdom won’t work together with the witch subjugation army!

“Don’t be so depressed, there is no telling when they will hit, so you might have the chance to perform for a few days.”

“Then, we hurry and go, okay?”

“Go on then.”

The soldier nodded, but a voice stopped them.

“Hold on.”

The captain of the unit heard a traveling troupe was here, and rushed over with a few underlings.

“Good day, captain.”

The soldier conversing with Naga saluted the Captain.

“You said you came from Lancel, so you walked along the Schweiz River, turned midway and headed here?”

“Yes, correct.”

“Did you passed by a fort along the way? Anything happened when you went to it?”

“We wanted to perform since it’s on the way, but witches take fort, chase us out.”

After Naga replied, the Captain and the others changed their expressions.

“Hurry and tell us the details!”

“But I want reach capital soon, or else cannot perform.”

“Just a few questions, won’t take too long.”

“Oh, then fine.”

“What are the witches in the fort doing?”

Naga already expected them to ask this, so he gave his prepared answer.

“I see them fix wall, fix tower. Not too sure, never go in.”

“Okay, how many witches are there?”

“Eh…” Naga pretended to think. “Five or six came out for us, and some fix wall, but I already said I never go in, don’t know how many…”

“Did you see any men?”

“Well, I didn’t.”

Naga answered as he worked hard to suppress his laughter. The ‘man’ they were asking about was him.

“I didn’t see.”

The Captain conversed quietly with his subordinates.

“Alright, I will send soldiers to escort you to the capital.”

Naga was surprised by the Captain’s suggestion.

“I feel safe if soldier escort, but fine?”

“I want you to meet the commander in the capital, and tell him what you just said.”

“Ahh, I see.”

I see, he wants to get information about the witches from us directly. Instead of sending a messenger, this would be a better way. We saw Fort Ein under the control of the witches with our own eyes, and are valuable eyewitnesses to them.

“I understand.”

Naga lowered his head in acknowledgement, but in his heart, he was sticking his tongue out happily.

“I will get some escorts over immediately, please wait here for a moment.”

“Yes, we will.”

We can get into Kasandora Kingdom more smoothly than expected, a good sign.

And like this, the Najunkray traveling troupe headed for the capital, led by the Kasandora soldiers.

<noinclude>

==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
| Return to [[Ochitekita_Ryuuou_to_Horobiyuku_Majo_no_Kuni|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
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</noinclude>

Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Chapter 2

2017-02-17T21:09:38Z

76.115.0.117: /* Chapter 2- Coincidence or Inevitability */

==Chapter 2- Coincidence or Inevitability==

1

Just to make sure the enemy doesn’t attack, Naga left Ikushina, Selena and Eliushune behind to keep watch and then returned with the others to Fort Ein. The reason for that was because Selena’s Heaven’s Eyes would be the fastest way to detect an approaching enemy. Ikushina’s horse riding skill was good enough for her to be placed first or second among the witches in regards to horsemanship Eliushune could teleport instantly in case of emergency. Because of that, Naga appointed those two to protect Selena.

Once they returned home, the witches held a victory banquet after preparing grape wine and simple snacks.

2

There wasn’t much wine inside the fort. What’s more, Naga and the rest had only recently captured the fort, so the witches had no time to carry in that much wine. Therefore, nobody could get heavily drunk. However, Naga felt relieved as they were able to prevent Ais from getting violent as a result of getting drunk. The witches drank, ate, and danced lively. Since none of them was able to get drunk, no witches would dance naked this time.

Sitting on the wooden floor, in the corner of a spacious room inside a residential building, Naga was eating snacks and tasting wine while starting at the dancing witches. Next to him was Raibaha. As usual, the witches were dancing in their ultra thin and small clothes. Apart from those dancing, there were also those that played flutes and drums, however, the fact that all of them were wearing little clothing wouldn’t change.

“As usual, these are some terrific scenes.”

Raibaha said in a whispering manner.

“Aren’t they wearing even more risqué clothes than those female dancers from an itinerant group? With such dancing and jumping, they would become fine dancers, I’d say.”

“Well, for them, it’s the usual thi….. no…. hm?”

Naga faced toward Raibaha.

“What did you just say?”

“Yes? No, that’s why I said they’re wearing risqué clothes….”

“After that.”

“Ummm…. you mean that they’re wearing even more risqué clothes than those female dancers?”

“That’s it!”

“Eh? What about that?”

Not replying to Raibaha, who asked suspiciously, Naga stared back with a passionate look at the dancing witches.

“What’s that? Aren’t you gazing at them quite intensely?”

Vita, who held her wine cup, approached them with a slight stagger. As one would expect, Harrigan was next to her as well, holding her wine cup.

(As usual, these two look like parent and child when standing next to each other.)

– Is what Naga’s impression was toward these two. Nevertheless, he wouldn’t let them know by any means. Naga replied with feigned ignorance.

“Well, I’ve just hit upon something, you see.”

“We won’t undress? No matter how passionately you stare at us, we aren’t going to undress, you know?”

“Nobody said so, Harrigan.”

“Even if you don’t say it, I can understand from your eyes telling us to undress.”

“No, I ‘m not!”

“Then, what were you going to tell us?”

“I was told by Raibaha your clothes look even more risqué than those of female dancers. And then, I was struck with an idea.”

Because Harrigan and Vita glared at Raibaha, the latter shook his head from side to side firmly.

“So, what idea has come into your mind?”

Harrigan, who shifted her eyes back, asked Naga.

“Wouldn’t it be a good idea to have you dress up as female dancers when infiltrating the city for information?”

“Oh?”

“Oh!”

Both Harrigan and Vita opened their eyes widely and clapped their hands.
Raibaha also looked at Naga with an astonished face.

“At first, I had thought it would be better to form a caravan of merchants and sneak in, but, neither you nor I have traded with anyone before.”

“……We haven’t.”

“I guess, we also haven’t used any money recently.”

“Despite saying so, wouldn’t it be impossible for us to visit that place merely as a group travelers during these hectic times?”

“Certainly, it isn’t the kind of place you could visit for no reason.”

“Still, wouldn’t it work if we were a group of itinerant entertainers from far away? It wouldn’t be strange for us to say we came there to make a name for ourselves, since we know nothing about that place and its locals. Not to mention, there would be a reason as to why you are dressed as female dancers. On top of being a group of young beauties, you would also dance and look like female dancers. From what I can see, aren’t you pretty skillful in both dancing and playing instruments?”

“Let me see, a group of young beauties? Indeed, Naga is a straight person.”

(Mother is in high spirits.)

(As long she can lighten herself with that magic, even rising high is an easy thing for her, righttt?)

As soon as Dora and Lily put their heads together and whispered to each other,

“Is there something you want to say? Dora? Lily? How about you tell me?”

“There’s nothing?”

“Nothing at allll.”

“Well, whether all of us are young or not, let’s leave that aside.”

Once Harrigan said so, Vita directed a stern look at her. However, before Vita could say anything, Kay cut in.

“I guess Harri-nee, too, is sensitive when it comes to talking about age.”

‘Kyahaha’ – Yuuki clapped her hands and laughed while Vita nodded deeply while saying. ‘True, true’.

“Hey there, don’t laugh! And you too, don’t agree!”

Harrigan, who had snapped, pointed at Vita and Yuuki while retorting.
And then, Ais butted in while laughing.

“That’s right, Kay-chan. It’s no good if you talk about Ane-sama as if she’s a middle-aged woman.”

(((Uwa, Ais is being the cruelest one here.)))

The witches in the background threw their heads back profoundly.

“Heh? Kay, so this is how you think of me?”

“I-I-I don’t? Speaking of which, I haven’t mentioned such a thing at all, right?”

Bending her legs while shivering, Kay put her hands in front of Harrigan.

“Wanna try and see if you can stop my hair blow?”

Harrigan’s abundant bluish black hair floated in the air and turned into a big mallet.

“If I receive Harri-nee’s blow, my insides are going to break. I, even if I can harden my skin, it’s not like my insides will remain intact, so…”

“That’s okay. You’ll be able to endure my attack.”

Harrigan’s mallet shaped hair began to swing above Kay’s head.

“Waiiiiiiii, please, somebody save meeee!”

“Kay, do your best, okay?”

“This is what you get when poking into somebody else’s problem!”

“Do your best, Kay. Don’t lose, Kay!”

“Yuuki, don’t cheer me on!”

Kay looked around for a help, but,

“Lela?! Nonoeru?! Cu?! Why are you averting your eyes?! Arurukan, don’t say things like ‘go away’!”

(Ah…. good grief. Like always, it won’t stop once our conversation goes off topic)

‘It can’t be helped.’ – Naga thought so and stood up.

“This much should be enough for your family dissension. Harrigan, let’s hasten with a progressive talk.”

“Y….Yes?”

As soon as Harrigan came back to her senses, her hair, which floated above her head, dangled gently.

“What’s a progressive talk?”

“That’s why, I’m telling you we need to infiltrate the royal capital and acquire information on Cassandra Kingdom’s state of affairs. There’s a heap of things we need to decide on, in advance, such as whom we should choose for this trip, from where we should enter and what dance should we decide on. There might be many of them, but, our future will depend on the enemy’s actions from now on, so you could say our role this time is very important. Somehow, we need to find out more about them.”

“Um….. I guess you’re right. Understood….”

“Then, we shall discuss in more detail about our group that will set off once the banquet settles down.”

Harrigan breathed a sigh and looked around at everyone.

“Shall we end the banquet soon and began with our talk?”

‘That’s true.’ – Ais nodded.

“Not to mention, we’re already running out of wine and snacks this time, so all the more the reason to.”

“You bet. It’s not the time for a drinking bout when we’re more concerned about Cassandra’s army possibly striking again.”

(Still, you were able to drink casually, weren’t you?)

“Is there something you want to tell us, Naga? Why not speak your mind?”

“No, not like there’s anything in particular.”

The moment Naga denied while averting his eyes, he looked around at all present.

“Then, shall we hold a strategic meeting?”

Following his words, the witches brought out folding stools.

Naga sat on his folding stool with his back leaning against the wall, whereas, the witches and Raibaha took up their positions as if surrounding Naga in a half-circle.

3

“First, there’s something I’d like to ask you, Raibaha, but…”

Naga started their conversation.

“Itinerant entertainers aren’t that uncommon here, right?”

“I think so. Depending on their size, there are large and small groups, but, they come to the city relatively often. Those groups won’t just bring out their female dancers, but also do stunts and acrobatics. There are also instances in which they will display their swordsmanship and archery.”

“Do you need some sort of permission for that?”

“If we’re going to do a large-scale performance, then yes, but I don’t think we need any for performing dances on a street corner.”

“Open air performances are also included, right?”

“Rather, they would be much more reasonable in our case. Only big groups would have to set up a circus tent and house guests.”

Naga showed a bit of a pondering attitude toward Raibaha’s reply but then quickly returned his face to normal.

“In other words, it’s possible for us to form such a group, go to the city as if it’s nothing, gather spectators in the right place and perform…. the dances?”

“I believe it’s highly possible. Since all the witches are beauties, there’s no doubt that spectators will gather. And no, I’m not flattering you at all.”

“Is that so, is that so? Raibaha, I had thought you’re a man with points worthy of note, but, it doesn’t seem you’re head over heels for me.”

Vita laughed as if being in a good mood.

(Mother, just how easily can you be stirred?)

Dora and Lily made dejected faces.

“What should be the right scope for our group?”

Raibaha groaned after being asked by Naga.

“That’s right. With Naga-sama being the leader of our troupe, it would be five to 6 female dancers and three or four musicians. Also, dancers and musicians can shift with each other when it’s appropriate. Wouldn’t our group become complete with ten people? A four to five person group is too small, which might not be enough to convince others about us coming from far away, and c9nversely if the group is too big it will stand out.”

“I see, so it’s ten, right? Provided that’s the final number, the next thing would be…. Lela.”

“Ye~s? What is, it?

“Can you think of an origin for our group and a route which it will go through?”

“……That’s, right. I wonder if it’s fine to tell them we come from the middle of the continent, since Naga-san looks like a foreigner. As for the origin and the route, I’ve thought about something, but, how do we explain to them we were able to enter the westernmost peninsu~la?"

Naga recalled the map of the surroundings, which he had been shown before.

“If I remember correctly, the peninsula can only be accessed from its entrance. True, we would have to enter the royal capital from somewhere in north, otherwise, wouldn’t they become suspicious of us? *Tch* It’s indeed troublesome.”

“Ah, I think there should be no concern about that.”

At Raibaha’s voice, everyone shifted their gaze in his direction at once.

“Ummm, Lela-san, do you still have the map?”

“I’ll bring i~t.”

Lela, who stood up, dashed out of the room and returned immediately.

“I’ve brought the ma~p. Is this fi~ne?

As soon as Lela spread out a large piece of cloth, on which the map was drawn on top of the floor everyone leaned forward.

“Here. If my memory serves me right, shouldn’t there be the port city of Lancel located at this point?”

Raibaha, who had stepped forward and bent his legs, pressed with his finger a certain point on the map.

“If we cross the western part of the inland sea and arrive at the port city of Lancel, we can rush off from one place to another without the need of stopping in cities along the way. If we are asked about the route, which we had gone through, we can easily deceive the people in Cassandra by telling them there’s a road along the Schwein River running from the city of Lancel, and that we arrived at the Kingdom from the south. The road is old, and since not many people have been using it recently, it’s become rough, but….”

Naga followed Raibaha’s finger with his eyes. Once his finger tapped the capital on the map, Naga lifted his head while saying ‘I see’.

“Having that route, we can pass near this fort’s surroundings without any concern. If that’s the case, I guess this excuse may come in handy when needed. Excellent. Then, shall we go with that setting?”

“Naga-sa~n. I think it’s a good idea to reach Cassandra Kingdom’s capital through Lancel City, bu~t, it will look unnatural if we don’t bring a cart and camping tents with us, since we’re going to become a troupe of entertainers. What should we, do?"

“Can’t we prepare those things once we return to the black forest?”

Naga directed his gaze at Harrigan and asked that question.

“We can somehow manage the tents, but, a cart will be impossible, I guess.”

“Well, is that so?”

“In that case, what should we do after we arrive at Lancel City?”

Everyone shifted their attention to Raibaha’s questioning voice.

“Wouldn’t it be okay for us to prepare the necessary things and dress ourselves there? I think it’s a good idea to reach that city on foot, along the Schwein river, and then aim for the capital. If by any chance, they ask us about the route, we can simply answer them we came on foot.”

“Oh, that’s it!”

Naga clapped his hands together.

“Ah, but…”

“Is there something wrong, Lela?”

“We need money to supply ourselves with necessary thing~s.”

“A….Ah, so it’s about money?

Naga looked at Harrigan and Vita alternately.

“Ummm, what about that? Harrigan? Vita?”

Harrigan and Vita stuck out their extra-large and flat chests, respectively, and stated,

“We have, no money, you see.”

“Not in the slightest.”

“It won’t do, even if you stick out your chests and act big.”

Naga dropped his shoulders dejectedly.

“Umm, Ane-sama…”

“What is it, Ais?”

“How about we sell off the jewels, ornaments and small tools at our warehouse? ”

“Ah, those? Still, we don’t know how much they’re worth, and nobody from us is acquainted with humans’ sense of values. It may also be possible for those items to be sold dirt cheap if we try to sell them.”

“I don’t think they’re that cheap, but, how about we carry them here and have Raibaha-san take a look? Maybe, we’ll able to more or less grasp their value?”

“You’ve got a point. We can’t assess the items in practice, but, at least…. we should be able to tell their approximate worth.”

“Fumu, I guess you’re right. Then shall we do it? Yuuki, I might be troubling you, but, can you return to the fort inside the black forest together with Lela? We need you to select and bring us worthy-looking items among the used goods inside the warehouse.”

“That’s fine, but, wouldn’t it be much faster for me to fly there alone?”

“If it’s just you, there’s a risk you might bring us nothing but useless junk.”

Yuuki bent backward with all her might.

“Harri-nee, you’re so cruelll!”

(She’s right about Yuuki.)

(She’s right, she’s right.)

Because Kay and Nonoeru nodded in agreement, Yuuki suspended her eyes and stared at both of them. The two of them quickly averted their eyes.

“If there are items you can’t carry, leave them to Ikushina. It should be fine for her to transport them using a horse. That being said, you will depart at dawn, tomorrow.”

“Yes, Ane-sa~ma.”

Lela nodded straightforwardly, however, Yuuki had a discontent expression.

“Even though I could do it alone.”

Yuuki kept complaining like that.

“After that, we shall call back Ikushina and send her as a substitute.”

“With this, the next thing we have to do is to dress our female dancers and sneak into the royal capital, I guess.”

Soon after Naga said so, Kay raised her hand first.

“Me, me! I’ll do it, I’ll do it!”

“Kay?”

“Areee? What’s the meaning behind those doubtful eyes of yours, Naga-san?”

“No, wouldn’t it be meaningless for you to dance? To begin with, will any spectators come and watch you? Is what I mean.”

“I’ve been told something rude just now!”

“Isn’t it? With Kay, it won’t be possible for us gather spectators. It can’t be helped. In that case, should I be the one to undress?”

“I don’t understand at all what you’re talking about, Vita-san.”

“Haaah? What do you mean to say, Kay?"

“N…….No, nothing in particular….”

“Probably, only those with special preferences will gather around Kay, Vita, and Nonoeru. As one would expect, it won’t do as long it’s not someone, like Ais, Cu or myself, right?”

Saying that, Harrigan leaned her upper body forward.

“Uwaa, if it’s against those three, then it’ll be no conteeeest.”

Kay’s eyes became teary as if from vexation.

“Speaking of which, I too was smoothly put into the same group as you, Kay?”

Nonoeru bent slightly backward.

“Eh? I didn’t plan to be in the same group with you, Nonoeru.”

“……..*Uuuu*…….”

Nonoeru dropped her shoulders down dejectedly.

It seemed as though their discussion entered a topic which shouldn’t be touched. ‘Let’s leave that aside.’ – Not feeling like he could avert his eyes again, Naga hurriedly steered the topic back onto the right track.

“Then, we’ll be recruiting volunteers. Those, who want to join as female dancers, put up your hands.”

“”””Me, Me, Me!””””

“Everyone except Yuuki is volunteering?!”

“I guess that was to be expected.”

“Right?”

The witches looked at each other's faces and nodded.

“I really want try to visit a human city.”

Kay put her hand up once more.

“True. I too haven’t walked around human cities for a long time.”

“Honestly, mother has already been there before, so give us a chance this time.”

Once Lily said so, Vita snorted with laughter.

“It seems that Lily will be withdrawing, Naga.”

“That’s crueell. I want to go there as well~”

“…..So does everyone, want the same?”

Everyone nodded deeply at once.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Sigh* – Naga breathed a sigh and looked up.

“If that’s the case, we can only decide with casting lots to avoid any unfairness.”

“Oh righttt!”

Kay raised her hand overhead.

“I’m quite confident when it comes to drawing lots!”

“Fuun. Just like Kay, I’m not going to lose.”

Harrigan stood up while feeling relaxed. Vita also rose up with an indomitable spirit.

“I’ll show you, the strength of my draws blessed by the goddess of luck.”

(Was that so?)

Once Lily turned her look next to her, there was Dora shaking her head from side to side.

(It’s just a saying, a saying.)

“I’m going to say this, but, even if both Harrigan and Vita draw winning lots, I’ll still have one of you stay here.”

“What?!”

“What the?!”

(Honestly, these girls….)

“Provided I’m absent, one of you will need to stay behind and take care of this fort, so…”

“…..And what if you’re the one staying, Naga?”

As soon as Harrigan said so with a wry face, Vita clapped her hands together.

“Ohh! that’s an idea!”

“As if!? What is this troupe going to do without me?!”

“N….No, I was just making an assumption.”

“D…Don’t mind that.”

“I do?! By the way, doesn’t it feel like you want to go there just to have fun? This infiltration is of great importance to our surveillance, you know?”

“T, That’s why, we’re telling you we got it. Right, Harrigan?”

“L, Loud and clear.”

Naga stared at them with reproachful eyes.

“H, Hey, Naga, aren’t we going to do the draw quickly?”

“Well, I guess that’s fine. Then Raibaha, can you prepare lots? Also, it’s already been decided that you will come with us.”

“Me?”

“You’re the only one who’s familiar with human society. We won’t be able to sell our goods if you aren’t with us.”

“You’ve got a point.”

“Well, but still, you’ll act as our troupe’s guard. Just to make sure, I think it’s better to change your outfit when we enter the city.”

“……That’s right. Yes, understood. Even if I don’t talk directly to anyone, there’s a chance my identity might be revealed.”

“And then, by virtue of one’s office, Linne and Linna will join us as well.”

There was a reason for that. Thanks to their magic, both Linne and Linna could increase their sensitivity to the surroundings. In other words, if they increase their hearing ability, they could gather information even from passerby’s gossip.

“Yess.”

“Right, isn’t it?”

The twin sisters clapped their hands together and jumped up in joy.

“Mu…”

The remaining witches looked at them with envious and scornful eyes.”

“Well, then, I’ll be making the lots. Do you have any unnecessary cloth?”

Raibaha, who received an old rag, tore it into reasonable pieces and added markings on a few of them.

“Then, I guess… it should be fine for us to go with ten people as female dancers and players?"

“Yes, that’s a good number. There will be a total of ten female dancers and players, excluding Linne and Linna, who will act separately as information gatherers…. No, wait. In that case, we would have to prepare at least two carts. I’ll have Raibaha operate one of them, and Ikushina, the other.”

Just as Naga said, currently, Ikushina was the only one who excelled in horse riding among all the witches.

“With that, Ikushina will tag along with us too. Guess the remaining 9 will be decided by lots.”

“Damn. I should’ve practiced more horse riding!”

Kay held her head in her hands, but it was too late now.

“By the way, nobody here can use magic to peek through cloth, right?”

Raibaha directed that question at Harrigan, but she denied it by waving her hands from side to side.

“There isn’t, so don’t fret.”

“In that case, please choose your lot.”

Raibaha lined up the torn cloth pieces on the floor. As he did so, the witches reached out their hands and snatched their lots.

“I did it!”

“Gyaaa, it’s a miss!”

“Yesss!”

“Ugyaaa!”

Screams and voices of joy mixed with each other inside the room.

In the end, those who got lucky were:

Kay
Vita
Ais
Lela
Cu
Arurukan
Nonoeru
Lily
Dora

Together with Ikushina, the total number of dancers would be ten.
In addition to that, Linne and Linna would act as a separate group.

With Naga being the leader and Raibaha, his bodyguard, the lineup had been decided.

4

“Excellent. Now that the group has been generally outlined, we’ll go over the plan one last time.”

As Naga declared, the witches returned to their seats. Some of them were cheerful, others, reluctant, and yet another, dropped their shoulders, clearly disappointed.

“We’ll follow Raibaha’s advice and set off to the port city of Lancel at once. After we finish dressing up there as a group of itinerant entertainers, our next destination will be the Cassandra Kingdom. The reason for us passing through Lancel will be due to the city acting as a transit point for traders and itinerant entertainers who arrive from far away. That being said, even a foreigner like me won’t stand out, as it should make sense to tell them we come from far east.”

Naga cut his words at that point and faced Raibaha.

“This should do, right?”

“Yes, it should be fine.”

“Thinking of our origin and route, I’ll leave that job to Lela. Are you okay with that, Lela?”

“Under~stood.”

Lela replied by lightly raising her right hand.

“They might think we’re suspicious going through the trouble of coming to the Cassandra Kingdom, despite them being in conflict with the witches right now, but, we’ll carry through by saying we come from far away and that we’re unaware of their current situation. And then,”

Naga pointed to a certain location on the map.

“We’ll return to the Schwein River from Lancel and go north along the river toward Cassandra Kingdom’s territory. Should we also tell them we tried to do a performance at Fort Ein, but were eventually driven away by the witches? If Cassandra’s soldiers learn of such information, we might be questioned about the situation at the fort. Conversely, we’ll be able to ask for more details on their current state of affairs. In case we are asked, I’ll be the one to answer their questions, but, I’d like to have everyone here bear in mind our origin and route, which Lela’s going to devise. Got it?”

“Yees, we’ll do our besttt.”

Each of the witches put up their hands and nodded energetically.

“The next thing would be to re-confirm our program and the list of participants. So, those in charge of dancing and playing are Vita, Ais, Kay, Lela, Cu, Arurukan, Nonoeru, Lily and Dora. Ikushina, who isn’t present here with us right now, will join as well. Linne and Linna will be gathering information as a separate group, whereas, I will be the leader of this troupe, and Raibaha, our guard who will be also in charge of odd jobs. Basically, the program will be about you girls dancing but decide between each other who’s going to perform during what song.”

“””Understoodddd!”””

“Well, in the end, the program is just a formality. You should be able to attract and satisfy viewers even with your exposed limbs and your prideful, risqué garments.”

As Naga said so, Ais objected with a seemingly vexed expression.

“Umm, Naga-san, we aren’t particularly proud of our risqué clothes, you know? It’s fine to say we’re wearing those ultra thin clothes, simply because they’re convenient when using our magic. It’s not like we’re showing off to you, or want you watching us at all, you see?”

As soon as Ais cracked a smile, Naga hurriedly waved his hands in front of himself vehemently.

“Ah, I got it. Of course, I got it.”

“I really wonder about that.”

Kay looked at Naga with doubting eyes.

“Let’s put that matter aside. Still, there’s no doubt that any human male will be pleased from watching your appearances, so spectators are bound to gather. Once they gather, we’ll most likely be able to overhear various rumors. First, let’s do some rehearsals when we arrive at Lancel. If possible, I’d like to practice a method that will allow us to pick up on only valuable information. Linne, Linna, I’ll leave that in your care.”

‘We’ll do our best’ – both sisters put up their hands and replied with approbative voices.

Both Linne and Linna were most suitable for the job, since they could catch any whisper within nearly 300 meters, thanks to their magic enhancing their hearing ability.

“We also need to sell and convert jewelry and used goods into money upon entering Lancel, but, I’ll entrust Raibaha with that task. That’s because there’s no one besides him who can do the negotiations.”

“Understood. I’ll negotiate the price of items and sell them as profitably as possible.”

“Still, we can’t tell for sure if the items in the warehouse can be sold for much.”

Harrigan said so while shrugging her shoulders.

“In the worst case, we’ll be only able to prepare ourselves with how much we gain from the sales.”

Replying so, Naga looked around at the witches once more.

“Up to this point, does anyone still have any questions?”

However, there was nobody throwing out a question in particular.

“Ah, I would’ve forgotten, but, during our trip to Lancel, you’ll be all wearing different clothes from your usual ones. Otherwise, it won’t do, you see.”

“Human clothes are heavy, thick and hot inside so I really don’t like them much.”

Arurukan twitched her hair, which looked like an animal’s ears, and complained.

“It can’t be helped. Since there’s a risk you’d be suspected as witches from the beginning, I can only have you girls all bear with that. Don’t you think so, Raibaha?”

Looking at the witches with a sidelong glance, Raibaha slightly nodded.

“Yes. What’s more, there are no girls who would usually dress like that.”

“You don’t have to wear restrictive, extra clothes, as long you cover your top. Even something similar to Eliushune’s mantle will suffice. After that, perhaps I should have us dye our hair, or cover our face with pigments, so as to get mixed in among the other people.”

“Isn’t it bothersome as well?”

“More importantly, Arurukan, will you be okay with those eyes of yours? It looks like each of them is a different color, still…”

“Ah~, the colors will fade if I cancel my magic, so I should be able to manage them somehow.”

Despite being told so, Naga was still hesitating. As he bent his head, Harrigan threw him a lifeboat.

“Arurukan’s magic is peculiar, you see. She will use her magic most of the time in order to communicate with animals. Just like me, she doesn’t need to recite any incantation. As long as we have her understand when to use her magic under normal circumstances, it should probably be easy. By the way, whenever she activates her magic, her left and right eye will become different from each other.”

“I see. Then, does it mean she can’t communicate with animals when her magic is off?”

“That’s what I mean.”

Naga pondered for a while, however, he immediately lifted his face.

“…..You won’t be able to talk with animals when dancing in front of people, so are you fine with that?”

“It will be alright, I guess.”

“Aren’t you being quite light-hearted there?”

Naga gazed at the buoyantly-looking Arurukan, but then, he quickly softened his gaze and directed his sight toward Harrigan and Vita.

“Isn’t this the type of season where the rain usually continues for many days?”

“If it’s this season, I think there’s no need to worry about rain that much, but…”

Once Harrigan replied that way Vita, who bent her small head, threw out a question in doubt.

“Does it have something to do with our trip?”

“It does. If the path becomes slushy, our carts will be held up, making our goal far from being reached. Besides, if the rain continues to fall even after we enter the city, it will affect your performance.”

“Is that so? Then, it’s just like Harrigan says, I don’t think there will be any rainy days this season. Even if there are, it will be a drizzle at most. In addition to that, if there’s no strong wind, we should be at least able to dance. Rather, wouldn’t viewers be even happier to see our clothes become transparent from getting soaked?”

“Ohhh, for real? I see. Indeed, it may be something to look forward to!”

As soon as Naga clapped his hands together without realizing, Vita suddenly retorted at him.

“Don’t be happy!”

Shortly after, the other witches,

“””Don’t be happy!”””

“N, Not like I’m happy or anything.”

Naga made such an excuse. Staring at Naga with a dumbfounded face again, Raibaha once more felt admiration toward him.

(Taking on these frightening witches as his opponents and still being able to act that naturally, that’s truly amazing. As one would expect, is it because of Naga-sama being a foreigner? Or perhaps, is it because of him being the real messenger of the Dragon King? What’s more, he’s able to consider lots of situations when devising a counterplan in advance. Should one say he’s shrewd, or maybe vigilant? Whichever it is, he isn’t any ordinary person.)

Raibaha contemplated again as if to make sure he hadn’t made a mistake when he chose to serve Naga.

“Well then, let’s quickly move forward with the preparations starting from tonight. Our time of departure will also depend on how the Cassandra Kingdom will act, but, should we set off after 3 days if nothing changes?”

Following Naga’s words, their early arrangements commenced.

Since then, 2 days have passed and the witches continued to prepare in a hurry for the departure while being completely devoted to their dance practice.

5

Later, according to Yuuki, no signs of Cassandra troops, attempting to capture Fort Ein again were found. There were several dozen soldiers walking nearby the fort but because they wouldn’t approach any closer than a fixed distance, they were simply thought to be reconnaissance groups.

Deeming there was no need to worry about their enemy striking back for now, Naga decided to form and dress up his troupe, after which, they would commence their plan of sneaking into the Kingdom of Cassandra.

First, they had to set off to Lancel, dress up there as itinerant entertainers, and do a rehearsal in front of the local people there. Afterwards, they would return to the Schwein River and go north along it towards Cassandra Kingdom’s territory.

In order not to stand out, Naga and his party slipped out from Fort Ein, broke through the mountain, and departed toward the left bank of the Schwein River. From there, they followed the river and headed toward Lancel.

6

Meanwhile, in the fortified city of Granvista.

In a certain room located inside a cathedral, Cardinal Aiba was receiving a report from one of the Old Church’s subordinates that worked as their intelligence operative.

Those who engaged themselves in intelligence activities for the Old Church were known as ‘people overhearing the masses voices’ and mostly referred to as POMVs.

Aiba, who was hearing out one of those POMVs, frowned his eyebrows with a seemingly discontent expression.

“Cassandra Kingdom has suffered another defeat?”

“Yes. Their troops, which had been dispatched to retake Fort Ein, were splendidly repelled by the witches back to Cassandra’s royal capital.”

Aiba responded as if wanting to spit out.

“Good grief, they are all bark and no bite. To think they would lose one battle after another to a mere 30 to 40 witches.”

(As one would expect, I made a grave mistake by placing my trust in that country. I was totally right to summon the Brigade of 88 and request troops from neighboring countries.)

Aiba, who was both an archbishop and cardinal of the Old Church, was extremely keen on exterminating the witches. One could understand well how vehement Aiba was about that, as he himself aspired to be appointed in this place. For him, the witches who nested inside the Black Forest were beings that should be driven away as fast as possible. The witches are the enemies of humankind, the children of God. Therefore, no presence of the witches could be acknowledged in this area. No, generally, their very existence denied them any place in this world. Such was Aiba’s belief. Because of that, it was rational for him to think that those who had lost to the witches should not be in the position of receiving God’s grace.

(I can no longer expect anything from that country, however, they should make up for their losses by decreasing the strength of the witches, even if it’s just a bit. Otherwise….)

“Is there anything else you wish to know, Sir?”

The man who was reporting kneeled down with his head lowered. Aiba casted his eyes at the top of the man’s head and asked.

“What happened, to Cassandra’s troops? Could it be they were destroyed during their battle against the witches?”

“No, it appears that their troops sustained no major losses.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll have them form new troops and join me once more in a sortie against the witches.”

“About that….”

“Hm? Did something happen?”

“From what we could see, it looked like Cassandra Kingdom’s army was making preparations for holing up in their capital.”

A sign of doubt surfaced on Aiba’s face.

“Holing up in their capital? Could it be that the witches are making an onslaught on them?”

“No, the witches won’t leave Fort Ein.”

“And despite that, they’re trying to lock themselves in?”

“This is how things looked to us.”

(What’s the meaning of this, you bunch from Cassandra Kingdom?)

Suppressing his urge at smacking his lips, Aiba bombarded the POMV with questions.

“Are they preparing their capital against the witches? Even though they sustained no casualties? Have they become that weak?”

“Certainly, the army of Cassandra has diminished in strength but their attitude this time appears to be a bit different from what we can see as holing up against the witches. Also, the southern part of the capital doesn’t seem to be that reinforced.”

(……What’s the meaning of this.)

Aiba, whose face wanted to express doubt, pondered the meaning behind the subordinate’s report for a while.

(Then, against who are they holing up against? If their enemy isn’t the witches…….Could it be?!)

Aiba was struck dumb upon realizing a certain possibility.

“Could it be, they’re holing up against the Witch Extermination Army?”

The POMV would neither confirm or deny Aiba’s words, which could be perceived as either a monologue or a question directed towards the man.
Asking beyond the man’s capability would be the same as piling up one guess after another.

“I can’t say for sure, but, it’s almost certain that Cassandra is preparing to hold the city. We can’t tell who their perceived enemy is, however, just as we stated before, there are missing points in assuming that the witches could be their enemy.”

Stopping at where he stated the fact, the man left speculating and drawing conclusions to Aiba.

Aiba’s face changed from that of a gentle and benevolent God’s face into a fuming one expressed by warriors of God who seek the annihilation of their enemies. Judging from the POMV’s report, Aiba could think of nothing but the fact that Cassandra is attempting to hole up.

“If their enemy isn’t the witches, then I can only imagine it’s the extermination army. Just what on earth is that king thinking about…. no.”

(That’s right. There’s been a report about Cassandra's king falling ill and his nephew, Guiscard, being transferred his authority. In other words, is he the one responsible for this? Still, be it the king or Guiscard, their actions are still nonsensical. Why are they holding the city, instead of fighting the witches?)

General Guiscard, who was the lawful owner of the king’s rights, has been aspiring to be installed as king. For him, the kingdom was of utmost— sometimes, even stronger than God’s will—-importance. However for Aiba, who was an ardent believer of God, Guiscard’s practical thoughts and sense of values were outside his scope of reasoning. Aiba regained his calm expression and called out to the POMV with a calm voice.

“Please continue your observation on Cassandra’s movements. For the sake of our Lord’s will.”

“For the sake of our Lord’s will.”

Bowing down deeply, the man stood up slowly and calmly only to bow down again, after which he would retreat.

Aiba saw off the POMV till he disappeared from the room’s entrance. Shortly after he called out to a priest who had been on standby in the next room.

“What do you seek from me, Aiba-sama?”

“I’ve figured out what I want to discuss urgently. Please bring Jeweljude-dono, the leader of the Brigade of 88, to me immediately.”

Once the young priest paid his respects to Aiba, he quickly withdrew from the room.

7

“Was it you who called me, Aiba-dono?

The giant, who behaved as if looking up to Aiba, entered his office in a clumsy manner. Jeweljude wasn’t wearing his helmet, but, his metal armor, gauntlets, and tough leather boots, which strengthened his body, gave him a posture to be ready for a fight at any time.

“Thank you for coming. How have the preparations for the sortie been progressing?”

The first thing Aiba did, after Jeweljude entered, was asking him such a question with a harmless and inoffensive attitude.

“I guess, not quite.”

At his response, Aiba made a grimace.

“No matter what we do, it takes time to prepare, since we are putting together troops from each country. And when it comes to applying a shared strategy, every troop is bound to undergo an appropriate amount of training. Not to mention, we still need to decide on how to dispatch messengers, how to signal our movements, and what formations we should take. We also need to learn more about the witches’ method of attack. At least, if we don’t possess a common knowledge of these, our troops will fall into disorder sooner or later during the battle.”

Cutting his words, it was rare for Jeweljude to breathe a sigh.

“Truly, this is a bothersome matter. It could’ve been many times faster and convenient to mobilize just us, the Brigade of 88, but well…”

Aiba nodded with a composed, or rather, cool-headed expression.

“I understand. However, this will become a lesson for us for the next time. The witches are beings that oppose the will of God, and hence, they have to be eradicated without exception. We need to show that, the truth about the witches, and also how they’re being completely annihilated to society, and the world. For that, we need other neighboring countries to join us.”

“Well, I do understand your point but, whatever. Then, the only reason you called me was to check on the preparations?”

“No, I received a report on that each day, so I wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of calling you here because of that.”

(If that’s the case, why did you call me during this goddamn busy time?)

Is what Jeweljude thought. However, he knew Aiba wouldn’t call him for no reason. Being worked to death by the preparations, there had to be an important reason behind Jeweljude being summoned. Thinking back upon it, he awaited Aiba’s next words.

“Cassandra Kingdom has been showing a bit of a strange attitude, you see.”

“A strange attitude?”

The cardinal briefly and quickly explained the situation to Jeweljude, who twisted his neck in confusion at Aiba’s words. Jeweljude, who had finished listening, twisted his neck again.

“So Cassandra Kingdom is holing itself up? Not to mention, it’s not against the witches? I can’t grasp their reasoning.”

“I am also unable to understand their motive.”

Replying that way, Aiba lightly shrugged his shoulders.

“Still,”

The cardinal directed his sight towards a map unfolded on top of his office desk and reached out his hand.

“Right now, there are only two military forces present in the area of the Cassandra Kingdom. One of them is the witches, which goes without saying, but,”

Aiba tapped the vicinity near Fort Ein with the tip of his index finger over and over again.

“Could it be?!”

Jeweljude open his eyes widely, after which he looked at Aiba’s expression.

“Yes, that’s right. The only other force besides the witches here is the extermination army.”

“I see. No…. P, Please wait a moment.”

Using his rough and thick right hand’s finger, Jeweljude rubbed his forehead.

“Do you mean to say that Cassandra Kingdom’s army is holing up against us? Why would they have to do that?”

Aiba deliberately shook his head from side to side.

“I’ve no idea. Not the slightest idea as to why they would do so.”

“…..Is there any argument supporting your guess that they aren’t guarding themselves against the witches?”

“The southern part of the kingdom, in other words, the direction from which Fort Ein is located, seems to be much less fortified than its northern part.”

“Which is directed toward the north….. That report, how credible is it?”

“We used the service of a POMV that belongs to the Old Church, you see.”

(A POMV from the Old Church, is it? In that case, there’s no place for any mistake or nonsense.)

Jeweljude, who was the leader of a combat group, called a ‘brigade’, had too often resorted to the use of POMVs. He knew very well he could rely on their information.

(Does it really mean, those guys from Kasandora Kingdom are planning to defend against us? Why are they doing this?)

Guiscard’s system of values and pragmatic reasoning, which were the motives behind his actions, were things mostly prioritized in this age. However, for Jeweljude, just like for Aiba, that modus operandi lay outside their scope of thinking.

“….Fumu.”

Jeweljude said as if groaning lightly.

“Whatever the reason is, if it’s true they’re guarding against us…. their actions might hinder our attempt in destroying the witches. There’s a chance that the troops sent by our allies will feel uneasy due to them being possibly backstabbed by Cassandra from behind. What’s more, there’s also the problem of army provisions. If Cassandra refuses to share their provisions with us, we’ll be forced to carry our own provisions from here. It would be a different story if it was just us, but, carrying food for an army of 3500 would require a massive workforce. What should we do?”

Aiba looked at Jeweljude with sharp eyes.

“First, we’ll send a messenger to Cassandra to question their real motives. However….”

Jeweljude, whose eyes were filled with sarcasm, asked back.

“Will they provide us with a straight forward answer?”

(Rather, there’s no way for them to give us an honest answer.)

Jeweljude, the God’s warrior from the Old Church, had no need for things like diplomacy or bargaining, as authorities from this world had often abused their power to make use of him. Jeweljude would be deceived and manipulated by royalty and titled nobility numerous times, and even made to cover up for their own actions. Therefore, he learned through his experiences how insincere authorities were. Nevertheless, it seemed like his sarcasm didn’t pass through Aiba. The cardinal made a difficult expression and replied in a heavy tone.

“We can’t be certain about anything, you see. Still, depending on what their answer is, we’ll probably have to use tough measures.”

Jeweljude again opened his eyes widely and shifted his sight towards the cardinal.

“Aiba-dono, you don’t mean to say?!”

“Those who express no willingness in attacking the witches, or far from that, attempt to hinder us, are also considered as allies of the witches. That’s to say, an enemy of God.”

Aiba, whose eyes were filled with ominous light, stared back at Jeweljude.

“Enemies of God can only be annihilated, regardless of whether they are witches or humans. Don’t you think so, Jeweljude-dono?”

“Yes, that’s….”

Despite Jeweljude making a vague nod, he couldn’t really hide his bewilderment. Certainly, he has been fighting nothing but God’s enemies till now. Among his opponents there were witches as well, however, the majority of them were humans. That’s why, if Cassandra Kingdom chooses to go against the will of God, Jeweljude will not hesitate to remove them.

(Nonetheless, why now?)

This was something he couldn’t comprehend.
Cassandra Kingdom’s large-scale attack against the witches was repelled. Not to mention, they had one of their forts stolen away by the witches. And then, again they suffered another defeat when trying to retake said fort.

The witches were displaying an unexpected strength.
In addition to that, they also released many captives.
The witches were light hearted, tolerant, and generous in doing so, and they wouldn’t execute their prisoners as a form of warning. The war against the witches was showing its new face and was different from what it had been till now. Jeweljude, who could feel that change on his skin, became even more perplexed.

(So, does it mean that Cassandra Kingdom has started to hole themselves up against someone other than the witches? Why have they decided on such an insane move now, when me and the Brigade of 88 will arrive? Is this a mere coincidence? Or perhaps, it’s due to the intervention of someone transcending humankind?)

When talking about someone transcending humankind, one would think about that person as a being close to god; nevertheless, Jeweljude promptly denied such a possibility.

(It’s true that even the Lord himself will put us to the test at times, but, I don’t believe he would do things like this on a whim. If so, is this someone’s ill intention? Or perhaps, a manifestation of that person’s artifice? In that case, who is it? Could it be that someone provoked Cassandra and its general into doing this?)

However, Jeweljude himself denied even those doubtful feelings inside his heart.

(There isn’t supposed to be someone like that. If there was, Aiba would immediately notice. To think that even someone, like Aiba, could be bewildered by such a turn of events. Even if we assume that the witches are the ones who incited Cassandra Kingdom, there should be no way for the latter to succumb. I also don’t get why the witches have become more assertive in their actions. Could it be that there’s some link between these two events?)

As Jeweljude was pondering, Aiba interrupted him with his words.

“Can I count on you, Jeweljude-dono?”

Jeweljude slowly lifted his face and asked with a vigorous voice.

“Is it okay for me to understand that… to mean forcefully removing Cassandra Kingdom in case they try to hinder the advancement of our troops?”

“I do wish for you to understand my words that way. If they try to show any resistance, I won’t mind even if you take down their capital. Perhaps, those who joined us in destroying the witches would become more motivated upon hearing they would be handed out a part of Cassandra Kingdom’s territory.”

“That may be true… but,”

(As one would expect, Aiba is willing to go to such an extent?)

Such a misgiving welled up inside of Jeweljude. However, he quickly became serious by telling himself he had to hasten with the preparations.

“Whatever Cassandra Kingdom decides to do, I need to hurry up with the preparations for the sortie. Nevertheless, I would like to ask you for slightly more accurate information, not just regarding the Kingdom of Cassandra, but also regarding the witches’ attitude.

At Jeweljude’s request, Aiba nodded gravely.

“I shall throw in all the members of intelligence whom I have at my disposal and have them investigate those things.”

“Provided that an attack on Cassandra Kingdom will be considered in our plan, we’ll need to prepare siege weapons in addition. Again, it’s going to take us more unnecessary time to—”

Jeweljude stated his opinion with a bitter face, but, Aiba didn’t seem to be that concerned.

“You don’t have to worry about time. That’s because there will be no reinforcements coming to either the witches or Cassandra, even if some time passes, you see. The biggest problem would be to carry provisions and maintain the army, but, for the time being, I’ll have the provisions stored here in Granvista.”

(This guy is making the right decision. However, there’s a concern that some of the allies will decide to drop out from the extermination army.)

Jeweljude thought so, but even if he was to say it, Aiba would probably take no notice of his opinion.

(More importantly, why are the Cassandra Kingdom and the witches interfering now? Could this be the result of many coincidences? Or is it perhaps, inevitable…..?)

A small doubt, which was seemingly something to be ignored, felt like an uneasiness at the same time. Despite it being just a small doubt, what annoyed Jeweljude was the excessive sense of discomfort resulting from it. The uneasiness he felt was as though someone invisible was trying to bring a new commotion. However, Jeweljude scattered that feeling against his own will.

(Even if I think about that, nothing will begin. The witches, an enemy of God, need to be exterminated. It is the duty of us, the warriors of God, to carry out this task. Be it an artifice or someone’s will, we shall only pulverize them!)

Jeweljude’s expression returned to that of a warrior of God, and his raised rough voice could be felt reverberating inside one’s stomach.

“Well then, I shall hasten myself with the preparations.”

“Please continue your favor toward us.”

Jeweljude left Aiba’s office while making footsteps as though they were shaking the room.

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| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
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Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Prologue 2

2017-02-17T09:27:42Z

76.115.0.117: /* Prologue 2 */

==Prologue 2==

It was just before Naga and the rest started to prepare for a counterattack against the Cassandra Kingdom troops that tried to retake Fort Ein.

The royal capital of Cassandra Kingdom. Guiscard rushed into a certain bedroom located deep inside the royal palace.

“Uncle!”

“Guiscard, is that you?”

Inside the bright and spacious room, the king, who was stretching out on a large bed near a big window, raised his body while smiling timidly, and welcomed his nephew.

“Just, what’s wrong with you, uncle?”

“The doctor told me not to exert myself, but well….”

“Honestly, please pull yourself together.”

There were moments when Guiscard would think it was better to let the king die like that and……. succeed the throne, but there was a fear the kingdom would fall into turmoil and in the worst case, even crumble. That’s why he was quite serious in telling Cassandra III to pull himself together.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with my condition, so you don’t have to worry about me. More importantly….”

The voice of the king, which was normally faint, had become even more weak.
“Have you heard about troops gathering in Granvista?”

“I happened to overhear that, but I don’t know the details.”

“Is that so? This is a piece of information that has reached me. Looks like it will mean more work for you.”

“About those troops, what’s their purpose for gathering?”

“Apparently…. they’re forming an army for the extermination of the witches. The messenger sent by Aiba told me that.”

(Again, it’s that man butting in?)

“Do you mean to say…. they came here to ask us for reinforcements?”

“Even if you say reinforcements, it’s just a little bit. That’s because they already seem to have as many as three to four thousand soldiers.”

“Three to four thousand?!”

Guiscard opened his eyes wide.

Rigaya, who stood on standby behind him, was also astonished.

“And not just that. It looks like that the elite troop that the Old Church is proud of, the Brigade of 88, has been summoned as well.”

“For real?”

Both Guiscard and Rigaya jumped up in surprise. It wasn’t the sort of situation in which it was necessary to call the Brigade of 88. Not to mention, despite summoning the brigade, it was even stranger to assemble another three to four thousand units.

“I wonder what the meaning of that is. Even though they can easily defeat the witches with that brigade alone, they still gathered that many soldiers for their extermination group.”

“I have no knowledge regarding Aiba’s plan but most likely, our kingdom won’t prosper from it.”

The king hung his head powerlessly while sitting on his bed.

“I’m at my limit. I’ve already run out of strength and willpower to overcome even our current problems. Guiscard….. I shall grant you the rights as my representative. Please take care of this kingdom from now on.”

(What?!)

Guiscard was barely able to suppress his joyful look. Shortly after that, he bowed down laudably.

“Yes. I will accept your offer and carry out my work with prudence.”

“If you can safely overcome this crisis, I shall officially retire and abdicate my throne to you.”

It looked like the king was serious about his words. It had been Guiscard’s dearest wish to become king since childhood, however, while he was delighted, he also felt confused at the same time. Thanks to the death of Guiscard’s father, who was the former king, his uncle succeeded the throne, which made him strongly believe that a throne isn’t something to be usurped, but something that should be taken back. That being said, Guiscard didn’t intend to usurp the throne from his uncle as it would do him no good if he was to rule while being branded as a usurper himself. Suppressing any revolt coming from residents and subordinates and removing his opponents. It was clear to Guiscard that he would lack the leadership needed to guide the kingdom were he to usurp the throne himself.

(I don’t have such a capacity to lead.)

Therefore, Guiscard had been steadily gaining more achievements. He continued to do so. And then, he was blessed with good fortune when he assumed the top position of General from Geobalk, as a result of the latter suffering a major defeat. Even now, Guiscard wouldn’t cease to strive in order to make his uncle acknowledge him. Such was his plan to obtain the throne. Guiscard wouldn’t hesitate to reciprocate if the king decided to remove him, but, in the end, it was just a reciprocation. He had no intention of raising a revolt against the king. Because of that, even if he decided to obtain the throne, Guiscard wouldn’t know what the future would hold for him. However now that the Kingdom had fallen into crisis, it seemed the king was unable to endure the burden placed on his shoulders.

(It’s because of your lack of tact that you grew anxious and reached your limit. You could say you reap what you sow.)

Is what he thought. Guiscard didn’t restrain himself when he was told he would be granted the rights to represent the king. However, as one would expect, he couldn’t bring himself to hold out his hands and say things like ‘I’ll accept it gladly’. Instead, he would say ‘Please stay strong, uncle. Your power is still indispensable for us.’ under the pretense of aiding Cassandra. Still, the king shook his head from side to side with a faint smile on his face.

“On one side, there are the witches while on other side there’s the extermination army. An elderly man like me can no longer break this deadlock. What we need, is young blood like you.”

What Cassandra III said sounded like a mere excuse to dodge his responsibilities, but nevertheless, Guiscard didn’t feel like criticizing him for that.

“To begin with, the one who had raised this kingdom to its current large size was your father. It probably goes without saying you’re the right person to take over this kingdom.”

(That may be a fair argument, but still…)

“Anyway, we need to solve this crisis first.”

“That’s right. I shall pass on the information about you becoming my representative to the other officials. I’m relying on you, Guiscard.”

As soon as he said so, the king threw himself down on the bed powerlessly.
One of the royal court’s hired doctors that stood in a corner of the room stepped forward.

“His Majesty is exhausted right now, so I would advise……”

The doctor urged as if trying to interrupt the meeting. Sensing that it was the right time, Guiscard and Rigaya left the bedroom.

2

Guiscard, who had returned to his office, tried to work out a future plan despite still being quite confused at the previous turn of events. Without changing their garments covered in dust, Guiscard and Rigaya sat at a dining table. Soon after they received wine and cups from a maid, Guiscard ordered her and the rest of his guards to withdraw. Once Rigaya finished pouring the wine into Guiscard’s cup, the latter drank it empty in one go.

“Recently, it’s become quite hectic, hasn’t it?”

Guiscard, who emptied his cup, breathed a sigh.

“Or perhaps, should I say…….. congratulations on becoming the king’s representative?”

At Rigaya who said so with slight hesitance and confusion, Guiscard replied as if snarling under his nose.

“I’m not sure if I should be happy about that, but well.”

“I, guess you're right. The timing couldn’t have been worse though.”

“Still, forming an army combined from the neighboring countries at the westmost peninsula isn’t something you could feel at ease about.”

Hearing Guiscard’s words, Rigaya put down his cup with a difficult expression.

“If they really planned to just exterminate the witches, then throwing in the Brigade of 88 would be more than enough. Indeed, the witches have become strong, but as expected, it doesn’t seem to be something the Brigade of 88 wouldn’t be able to cope with alone. Despite that, why did they go through the trouble of borrowing troops from neighboring countries?”

“That’s the real question. Not to mention, they’ve gathered a large number of them, which consists of up to four thousand.”

Guiscard furrowed his eyebrows, folded his arms and pondered deeply about something. Finally, he began to speak abruptly.

“We won’t hear any more details on that if we don’t ask again for a report, but, apart from that it doesn’t seem we would reach a conclusion…. First, we’ll most likely have to inquire about Cardinal Aiba’s true intentions.”

Rigaya furrowed his eyebrows a bit and asked.

“Do you think he will be straightforward in answering?”

“Even if he isn’t, I’ll understand his reply to some degree. We will choose the smartest messenger we have here, who won’t just receive Aiba’s response, but also judge his attitude.”

“Understood.”

Rigaya bowed politely.

“Is there anything else you would wish to promptly arrange?”

“Just to make sure, we’ll be proceeding with preparations for holding the city. Continue to strengthen its defenses, and replenish our provisions and army personnel. At the same time, we have to accomplish our plan of taking back Fort Ein.”

“I wonder if it will go as planned.”

“Now that the plan is in motion, it’s too late to stop it. If we do nothing, we’ll give Aiba more pretext to act.”

“Understood. I’ll be taking care of your orders, so please excuse me.”

Rigaya bowed deeply, to the extent of touching the table with his forehead, and left the room. Once he left, Guiscard became lost in deep thought.

3

(Upon calling the Brigade of 88, there’s no doubt that Aiba is serious about exterminating the witches, but as one would expect, I can’t figure out why he would need to gather as many as four thousand soldiers from neighboring countries.)

Combat groups, also known as ‘brigades’, which belonged to the Old Church, were very well known for their valor. The Brigade of 88 was famed to be the strongest among them all. Actually, rumor has it there were times where they would also emerge victorious against the witches, even to the extent of annihilating their clans.

(If an elite group like the Brigade of 88 was to make its appearance, then there should be no need to assemble this many soldiers. Even a single brigade consisting of 500 people should probably be more than enough to help us in retrieving Fort Ein. Despite that, is there some sort of ulterior motive behind that number of troops?)

That’s right, for example, isn’t Aiba’s plan of extermination just a front for them to attack Guiscard and the rest? Isn’t it because Cassandra Kingdom fell into disgrace by losing to the witches on the field and having their fort snatched away that Aiba isn’t willing to forgive them? Wouldn’t attacking Cassandra be his way to increase the morale of the extermination army before a bloodbath with the witches?

Obviously, what Guiscard feared was a needless worry. While it’s true that Aiba could dispose of Cassandra, he still hadn’t shown any tendency toward that idea. However, it was true that this kingdom would belong to Guiscard sooner or later, now that he had become its king’s representative. Such a future outlook made his predictions become sharp, or perhaps, better to say – oversensitive. Feelings of fear and doubt started to grow inside Guiscard as he was momentarily trapped in his thoughts.

(Despite saying extermination, the fact that the neighboring countries agreed to send in a large number of troops is strange as well. That guy, Aiba, I wonder if he had promised to hand over our territories as a form of reward for those who would give a good account of themselves.)

It didn’t look like the Kingdom of Cassandra would be able to defend themselves were they to be attacked by that many troops. What’s more, there was a notable group of five hundred within their troops, the famous Brigade of 88. Not even the Kingdom of Cassandra, who was in deep distress after suffering two consecutive defeats against the witches, would become a match for them.

(By instigating us to retrieve Fort Ein, are they trying to capture the capital when we’re occupied by the witches? I won’t forgive such an act.)

After all, Guiscard was closer to assuming the throne, for which he had longed for...for so very long. No, he felt he had to achieve that. And also for the sake of his father’s unfulfilled wish, who died from an illness. Later, he had to strengthen the position of the Cassandra Kingdom on the westmost part of the peninsula. If possible, Guiscard wanted to grow the kingdom into a powerful one, capable of subjugating other countries. While he was holding the vision of making the kingdom his own, belief and prospects toward the bright future gushed inside Guiscard.

(I’m nothing like my uncle. I’ll be able to overcome this crisis. I shall overcome it and make this kingdom even greater.)

However, Guiscard’s concrete plan wasn’t just about that. Whenever he would think about the throne dangling in front of him, Guiscard felt like he could overcome any hurdle, no matter how troublesome it was.

(I won’t let my kingdom be treaded on by Aiba and those robbers. I’ll protect this place at any cost, even if my enemy is to be the Brigade of 88.)

Before one could notice, a paranoid flame dwelled in his eyes. Guiscard’s sense of duty to protect his own country would be later recognized by both the witches and the extermination group.

(The only one to fear is the Brigade of 88. Apart from them, there’s no need for us to be afraid of that mish-mash of soldiers formed by other countries. Even if our mobilization power has dropped to 1500, as long we force the citizens to arm themselves for a siege, then our garrison should total out to 2000. In that case, even if 4000 of them attacks us, the city won’t fall that easily. What’s more, that mish-mash won’t be able to endure long fights. And finally, their camp seems to be fracturing, just like a comb with missing teeth. When the time comes, perhaps, it should be fine for us to ask for reinforcements from the New Church.)

Asking for assistance from the New Church was, so to speak, forbidden. There would be no turning back if they decided on that move. In the end, Cassandra Kingdom was placed in a situation in which it would either fall into someone else’s hands or be destroyed. There was no way for Guiscard to be able to see that far into the future. The only thing that dominated his feelings right now was the thought of him wanting to protect the kingdom no matter what it takes. The kingdom which he would succeed.

(Well then, let’s leave that matter aside and first focus on taking back Fort Ein. Otherwise, nothing will begin. Still, the drop in our mobilization power…… is somehow a pain in the ass.)

On top of being unaware of Naga’s eccentric ideas, Guiscard, whose sense was common, was stuck between 2 enemies: the extermination group and the witches. Afterwards, his trouble would give a rise to a new development, of which neither Aiba, Jeweljude, and of course, Naga, could predict.

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| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
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</noinclude>

Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Prologue 1

2017-02-17T06:29:47Z

76.115.0.117: /* Prologue 1 */

==Prologue 1==

1

Yuuki, who had gone out scouting, returned on her air board at full speed towards Fort Ein.

“They’re coming, they’re coming, they’re coming! A troop from Cassandra Kingdom is heading this way!”

Rapidly descending from her air board, Yuuki flew around the inside of the fort at a low height while shouting with a loud voice. The witches, both inside and outside of the buildings, broke into a run after hearing Yuuki’s warning. Yuuki had the minimum number of her ultra thin clothes put on her, but there were many witches wearing more or less some sort of armor. Despite saying so, their armor was either wooden or leather made in order not to affect their flow of magic. The witches kept gathering one after another inside an open space of the fort. Naga, who had already arrived there, asked Yuuki for a confirmation of the enemy’s position.

“What’s their number?”

“I wonder if it’s not around a thousand.”

“Were they carrying any heavy weaponry for a castle siege?”

“I guess that would be a catapult. They had 2 of them, and apart from that, a single battering ram, I think.”

“Anything else that stood out?”

“Not really.”

“Is that so? Thank you for your hard work.”

Hovering in the air, Yuuki averted her eyes with a slightly flushed face.

“N….No, I haven’t done anything in particular, just the usual. It isn’t something to be praised for, especially, not by you.”

“Doing what one ought to do, even that deserves some praise, no?”

“Ah, that’s right. Well, if you really want to compliment me, shouldn’t you do it as much as possible?”

(Not like I’m doing it on a whim, but….)

“While we’re at it, will you go and keep an eye on the enemy’s movements once more?”

“It’s what I’m in charge of, so I don’t need you to tell me that.”

The wind gathered around Yuuki’s air board while creating a vortex. Immediately after that, she soared into the sky as if bouncing off the ground with an unnoticeable force. Naga looked up at her air board growing smaller inside the slightly cloudy sky. Finally, shifting his sight back and directing it toward the present witches, he issued instructions in rapid succession.

“Eliushune will recheck if all the coats are available for use.”

“Kay, tag alongside with Eliushune.”

“Ikushina, Raibaha, bring the horses.”

“Harrigan, we’ll be preparing for a sortie. Order the others to open the gate.”

“Vita too, can you help me?”

“Arurukan, go release the animals.”

“Ais, you’re prepared to throw cobble, right?"

“Those who are assigned to this fort’s garrison, take your positions.”

Receiving Naga’s orders, the witches continued to scatter.

Shortly thereafter, Raibaha brought 2 horses by their reins.

“Naga-sama!”

“Ohh, good work.”

Naga, who easily saddled his own horse, reached out his hand towards Vita.

“Grab on!”

“I can do it by myself.”

Saying so, Vita lightly pushed off from the ground.

Once her body was thought to dance high into the air, she gently placed herself on the saddle just like a falling feather.

“Ah, true. I forgot you can make yourself light.”

“That’s right. Even if the horse was to be almost three meters tall, I can still easily mount it.”

“Even I would have a problem mounting such a tall horse!”

Naga turned the horse around after retorting like that.

“Excellent. Those who are ready, follow me!”

As soon as Naga kicked his horse’s flank and pulled its reins, he ran off towards the gate.

Raibaha followed after on his horse.

“Ah~, Naga-san, please waitttt”

Ikushina, whose setting off was a bit delayed, chased after them both while shaking her long hair tied in a bundle on her back.

Learning about Cassandra Kingdom’s movements from Yuuki, Naga postponed his investigation into his enemy’s state of affairs and proceeded to counterattack. Just as Naga predicted, the kingdom of Cassandra would sooner or later come to retake their fort, but, their number was less than what he had anticipated. One could probably say it was the best Cassandra could dispatch right now, as they didn’t appear to have any other forces. In other words – they were weakened. Naga, who ran off to the outside of the fort, could tell there were around a thousand enemy troops approaching.

(We can repel them if it’s that many. Once we manage to deal with Caesandra Kingdom, they shouldn’t have any spare power left to attack us. They’re trying to buy time, in order not to let us strengthen this fort’s defenses and establish the country of the witches.)

However, Naga still wasn’t aware of the most elite troop that belonged to the Holy Chivalric Order of the Old Church, the Brigade of 88, being included.

3

The main road that ran from the capital of the Cassandra Kingdom to Fort Ein was just like a path connecting a mountainous area and a hilly area. With only a mountain forest and a wasteland existing in its surroundings, there were neither cities nor villages, or even cultivated lands to be seen. Apparently, the road was said to have been originally used by merchants who travelled along the Schwein River from the city of Lancel, located near the mouth of the river. Even Fort Ein was built in order to protect them, and recently, it had become the frontline base for countering the witches. On top of a slightly elevated hill located near the road, there was a small hut erected in a place of digging. The hut was most likely built in a big rush, as it was roughly done and had many cracks. Not even a single sign of life could be felt from its interior. Inside that empty and confined room, only a single, thin mantle was spread out on top of the floor. However, that mantle began to slowly rise. Finally, Eliushune’s head stuck out from within it.
What’s more, as the mantle continued to rise, Elysione’s body was fully materializing.

“Umm…. did we arrive?”

A voice from inside the mantle was heard.

“Yes.”

Eliushune’s bare skin became exposed as she coiled the mantle.
She was wearing nothing apart from the mantle, but that was simply due to the nature of her skill, which only allowed her to carry living things. While it’s obvious that metal thwarts magic, even a single piece of cloth is capable of obstructing one’s skill. That’s why Eliushune wouldn’t wear a single thread whenever she teleports with her magic. At her feet, Kay was crawling out in a squirming manner, nevertheless, she too was fully nude. As long as Eliushune held a person in her arms, they would be able to teleport as well, but the condition was they had to be naked.

“Can I wear something?”

“There’s no such thing here.”

“Eh……?”

“That’s because we would have to teleport to the next mantle anyway, sooner or later. Wearing clothes at each stop is a waste of time.”

Kay looked up at Eliushune, who was wearing her mantle, with a miserable face.

“No…. do you mean to say I should remain naked, whereas, it’s fine for you to cover your body with that mantle?”

“Don’t you always look naked anyway? And now, you’re feeling embarrassed?”

“N, No. Well, that may be true, but….. but, even if it’s a single cord, wearing something feels different from wearing nothing?”

“Stop complaining. I’m going to leave you like that here.”

Seeing how Eliushune’s head began to sink, Kay panicked while making a commotion. Flustered about the fact of being left behind like that, Kay jumped at Eliushune.

“Ah, hey, don’t coil the mantle!”

As a result of the mantle being rolled up by Kay, Eliushune’s lower half became exposed.

“Let me in, let me in, let me in.”

Kay thrusted in her head through the part of the mantle that was coiled.

“Hey, that place, ah, don’t push your face thereee!
“Mufun. Eliushune, I didn’t know you were this hair-

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Bang!*

“Aw, that hurts!"

“I told you not to push your face in there!”

Kay, who pulled out her head from the mantle, gently brushed the punched back of her head.

“Honestly, don’t punch me this strong when I’m not hardened….”

“Shut up. I’ll seriously leave you behind if you aren’t obedient. I guess, you’d enjoy walking around like this.”

“Uwaaa, please spare me from that.”

Kay bowed down in a docile manner toward Eliushune.

“If you don’t want it to happen, then be obedient.”

“Okay.”

Kay crawled under the mantle in a hurry, as Eliushune spread out its hem.

“Fine, then let’s teleport to the next mantle.”

Multiple mantles containing Eliushune’s own magic were placed along the main road, in case of emergency. With them, it’s possible for Eliushune (and one more person) to move around the main road within a blink of time. Just now, Eliushune was checking on the mantles’ functionality, whereas, Kay was tagging along as her guard. It was their last check.

“Ah, speaking of which,”

Kay raised her voice from inside of the mantle.

“Eliushune, if Naga-san is determined to carry out an infiltration and survey, will you follow him?”

“No, I wonder about that. It hasn’t been decided yet, but…”

“If something was to happen to Naga-san, would you escape together with him?”

“I guess…. so.”

“In other words, you’d would do so even if it meant for you to transport the naked Naga-san, right?”

“Uuuuuuh……..”

Eliushune warped her face while slightly groaning. Naturally, Kay, who was hiding inside the mantle and clinging to Eliushune’s waist couldn’t see it, however,

“Does it mean you’d be willing to carry him when teleporting? Regardless of being totally naked and clinging to each other?!”

“I, I don’t want to think about it, so don’t touch on that topic any further!”

“Eh? You don’t like it? You don’t want to do those things?”

“As if I would?!”

“Eh~, you really aren’t interested in doing that? Even though I was envying you.”

Eliushune warped her face again and asked back.

“E, Envy me? You mean embracing with a man while being naked?”
“No, it’s not about a man, but Naga-san, you see. Even I would hate to have a man as my partner.”

“So you don’t mind as long it’s Naga-dono?”

“You see, back when Naga-san gave me a ride, somehow, I felt a bit nostalgic after clinging to his back. You could say that the memories of my father came back to me?”

Eliushune made an astonished face this time.

“You, can recall things about your father?”

“Should you describe it as recalling? It’s just a mere fragment from my memory, but you see….”

“Is that so?”

“That’s why I was wondering if I could remember more about my father, were I to embrace Naga-san”

“While being naked?”

Kay responded quite indifferently.

“Yes, while being naked.”

Eliushune looked under her feet with a dumbfounded expression.

“In that case, I wonder if you shouldn’t place your trust in Naga-dono and say ‘Please embrace with me while naked’, or maybe, it would be better to get naked and intrude into that man’s bedroom?”

"Uhyaaa" – a hysteric voice was raised from the mantle’s inside.

“As expected, it’s embarrassing. It’s too embarrassing, so nooooo.”

“Hey, don’t struggle!”

Eliushune scolded Kay, who was clinging to her while shaking her own body. As she did so, Eliushune breathed a sigh.

“Good to know that even you have some shame.”

“Uwaaa, I’ve been told something rude just now.”

“It’s not the right time for idle talk, so let’s go to our next destination.”

“Yes, please do it~”

They both disappeared from the hut immediately after Eliushune’s head had sunk down, and the only thing left was the mantle that spread out on the floor.

4

By the time Eliushune and Kay finished their job and returned, only a group in charge of house-sitting was there. They both teleported to a mantle that had been put the closest to the place of the anticipated counter-attack. There, Naga’s group was in the middle of preparing to counter. Eliushune left the naked Kay behind and walked toward her comrades, after which she received a change of clothes and took them back to Kay. Despite them being spares, they were the same, usual, ultra thin clothes. Still, for Kay, who was able to use hardening magic, there was no need to prepare armor, even for a battle. Wearing a minimum amount of clothing, Kay reached Naga and the rest.

“Ooh, is that you, Kay? Thank you for your hard work.”

“Ahhhh, yes, you too.”

Being watched in front, Kay averted her eyes as if feeling something bad.

“What? What’s the matter?”

Seeing Eliushune approaching from behind Kay, Naga moved his sight towards her and asked.

“Did something bad happen when you teleported together?”

“No, I don’t think that’s the case.”

Eliushune replied while making a broad grin.

“Tha girl, Kay, she might come to Naga-dono’s bedroom with a request, I think.”

“Ha? What do you mean?”

In front of Naga who was blinking with surprise, Kay jumped at Eliushune.

“Don’t say itttttttt!”

“KhKhey, don’t close people’s mouuh!”

[[Image:Naga04_Illus-01.jpg|175px|thumb]]

Kay blocked Eliushune’s mouth with her right hand as if trying to stretch herself. She was slowly fainting while following Eliushune’s movements.

“Should you mention anything about that, I’ll strip off that mantle of yours, alright? And if that happens, it will be in front of Naga-san, you know?”

“Tha whoul be trouvesome.”

“With that, Eliushune’s huge breasts and thickly haired crotch would be completely expo——”

“Uwaaaaaaaa!”

This time, it was Eliushune’s turn to close Kay’s mouth.

“Youh ah dwead if yu sah a word.”

“Youh thwoo.”

Eliushune and Kay blocked their opponent’s mouths while glaring at each other.

Finally, they both put a smile on their drawn faces and nodded.

“I won’t touch on that matter again.”

“I think we’ve reached a mutual agreement.”

“What’s that? Looks like the two of you’ve become quite friendly with each other. As one would expect, Has Kay finally opened herself up to others?”

Ais, who was watching the three of them from a place a bit apart, slightly bent her neck.

“It seems to be a bit different from getting along, but, well, I guess it’s a good thing for the witches from both clans to become close with each other.”

Ais could feel this was the result of ushering in Naga.
Isn’t it essential for one to associate with a person of different view and sense of values? Living within a single clan and adhering to one’s beliefs, wouldn’t that turn into one’s own weakness? Receiving an outsider, holding a conversation and being open-minded toward that person, recently, Ais had been wondering if those points weren’t crucial.

(Later, wouldn’t we have to form a kinship with people from the outside? If it’s mine and Naga-san’s child, it will surely be born as a superior witch….. Wha, uwaaa?! Oh dear, just what am I thinking about?!)

Ais forcefully shifted her eyes toward the pile of cobble inside a cage.

(R, R, R, Right now we should prioritize and focus on our counterattack against the Cassandra Kingdom. There’s no time for pondering about anything else. No time at all. Calm down, me.)

She took a deep breath.
Ais had been repeatedly doing her throwing practice for days like this. She had become able to throw cobble at a distance further than 270 meters. Not to mention, her aim had improved as well. Still, Ais can’t wear any armor due to her having to enhance her body with her magic. Because of that, she would need to wear her usual thin clothes and have someone stand beside her to repel arrows. On the bright side however, Ais possessed a great offensive ability.

This time, the one in charge of guarding her was Nonoeru. As long as she was close to water, Nonoeru could keep the flying arrows away with a shield created from a water membrane. Holding a bucket of water in her hands, Nonoeru was on standby next to Ais. She too was wearing ultra thin clothes due to the nature of her magic.

(When I observe their appearances, somehow, it feels like I will lose my interest in this battle, which is troublesome. Nevertheless, it’s a nice view)

“Naga, what are you looking at?”

Harrigan, who had finished preparing the wooden dolls, approached him.

“While it’s the same as usual, I still can’t agree on your looks, which aren’t right for battle.”

For Harrigan to move the dolls using her magic, she too had to wear ultra thin garments.

“Metal nullifies our magic, so it’s inevitable that we can’t put on any armor. By the way, shouldn’t it be all the more reason for you to be glad?”

“Well, it’s just as you say.”

“I see you’ve finally become honest, haven’t you?”

Harrigan’s abundant bluish black hair floated in the air.

“N, No, it isn’t just me? Generally, all men would be happy at that fact? Right, Raibaha?”

Raibaha, who was on standby behind Naga, caught a glimpse of Harrigan and turned away his gaze hurriedly.

“P……Please don’t ask me for approval.”

“Well, I guess I’ll let you go.”

Because Harrigan’s hair fell loosely, they both sighed with relief.

“Speaking of which, it’s fine for us to completely follow according to the plan, right, Naga?”

“With the current situation, we should be able to win without any trouble.”

(Without any trouble, you say? As always, this guy is amazingly self-confident.)

“I shall amend the plan and give you new instructions in case something unexpected occurs, but for now, we’ll ambush them as arranged. Harrigan, please assign everyone to their posts.”

Harrigan returned in order to convey Naga’s instructions to the rest of her witches.

“Ais, you should prepare too so…. hey, what are you doing?”

Ais, who became confused, stopped her deep breathing and swung with her opened, right hand.

“Eh? Noooo, I’m not doing anything?”

“I understand you might be nervous, but, worry not. This time, we should be able to win without exerting ourselves too much.”

“Ah…. yes, that’s….. right.”

Ais wasn’t particularly nervous before the battle, but, since it was difficult and troublesome to explain the reason why she was flustered, Ais made a vague smile and nodded.

“Well then, I guess I will go and take my position as well.”

“I’m relying on you. Vita as well, please be prepared soon.”

“Umu, understood. Then, shall we make our last arrangements? Hey, Eliushu, let’s go.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Seeing off Vita and Eliushune leaving his side, Naga faced toward Kay.

“Kay, be on standby together with the wooden dolls.”

“Ah, yes, understood.”

Kay left soon after too.

“Well then.”

Naga looked with a distant view at the main road running from the north to south. He couldn’t see well, since the road was zigzagging between the hills, but, Naga soon noticed the Cassandra Kingdom troops appearing in his view. There were roughly a thousand of them. On the other hand, Naga’s group had a little less than 20 witches, still, he was confident in what he had said before.

(That’s right. There should be no problem as long it’s that many. We should worry about that…… afterwards.)

Naga’s thoughts were already focused on the next battle.

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| Back to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
| Return to [[Ochitekita_Ryuuou_to_Horobiyuku_Majo_no_Kuni|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Prologue 2|Prologue 2]]
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</noinclude>

Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Prologue 1

2017-02-17T04:16:47Z

76.115.0.117: /* Prologue 1 */

==Prologue 1==

1

Yuuki, who had gone out scouting, returned on her air board at full speed towards Fort Ein.

“They’re coming, they’re coming, they’re coming! A troop from Cassandra Kingdom is heading this way!”

Rapidly descending from her air board, Yuuki flew around the inside of the fort at a low height while shouting with a loud voice. The witches, both inside and outside of the buildings, broke into a run after hearing Yuuki’s warning. Yuuki had the minimum number of her ultra thin clothes put on her, but there were many witches wearing more or less some sort of armor. Despite saying so, their armor was either wooden or leather made in order not to affect their flow of magic. The witches kept gathering one after another inside an open space of the fort. Naga, who had already arrived there, asked Yuuki for a confirmation of the enemy’s position.

“What’s their number?”

“I wonder if it’s not around a thousand.”

“Were they carrying any heavy weaponry for a castle siege?”

“I guess that would be a catapult. They had 2 of them, and apart from that, a single battering ram, I think.”

“Anything else that stood out?”

“Not really.”

“Is that so? Thank you for your hard work.”

Hovering in the air, Yuuki averted her eyes with a slightly flushed face.

“N….No, I haven’t done anything in particular, just the usual. It isn’t something to be praised for, especially, not by you.”

“Doing what one ought to do, even that deserves some praise, no?”

“Ah, that’s right. Well, if you really want to compliment me, shouldn’t you do it as much as possible?”

(Not like I’m doing it on a whim, but….)

“While we’re at it, will you go and keep an eye on the enemy’s movements once more?”

“It’s what I’m in charge of, so I don’t need you to tell me that.”

The wind gathered around Yuuki’s air board while creating a vortex. Immediately after that, she soared into the sky as if bouncing off the ground with an unnoticeable force. Naga looked up at her air board growing smaller inside the slightly cloudy sky. Finally, shifting his sight back and directing it toward the present witches, he issued instructions in rapid succession.

“Eliushune will recheck if all the coats are available for use.”

“Kay, tag alongside with Eliushune.”

“Ikushina, Raibaha, bring the horses.”

“Harrigan, we’ll be preparing for a sortie. Order the others to open the gate.”

“Vita too, can you help me?”

“Arurukan, go release the animals.”

“Ais, you’re prepared to throw cobble, right?"

“Those who are assigned to this fort’s garrison, take your positions.”

Receiving Naga’s orders, the witches continued to scatter.

Shortly thereafter, Raibaha brought 2 horses by their reins.

“Naga-sama!”

“Ohh, good work.”

Naga, who easily saddled his own horse, reached out his hand towards Vita.

“Grab on!”

“I can do it by myself.”

Saying so, Vita lightly pushed off from the ground.

Once her body was thought to dance high into the air, she gently placed herself on the saddle just like a falling feather.

“Ah, true. I forgot you can make yourself light.”

“That’s right. Even if the horse was to be almost three meters tall, I can still easily mount it.”

“Even I would have a problem mounting such a tall horse!”

Naga turned the horse around after retorting like that.

“Excellent. Those who are ready, follow me!”

As soon as Naga kicked his horse’s flank and pulled its reins, he ran off towards the gate.

Raibaha followed after on his horse.

“Ah~, Naga-san, please waitttt”

Ikushina, whose setting off was a bit delayed, chased after them both while shaking her long hair tied in a bundle on her back.

Learning about Cassandra Kingdom’s movements from Yuuki, Naga postponed his investigation into his enemy’s state of affairs and proceeded to counterattack. Just as Naga predicted, the kingdom of Cassandra would sooner or later come to retake their fort, but, their number was less than what he had anticipated. One could probably say it was the best Cassandra could dispatch right now, as they didn’t appear to have any other forces. In other words – they were weakened. Naga, who ran off to the outside of the fort, could tell there were around a thousand enemy troops approaching.

(We can repel them if it’s that many. Once we manage to deal with Caesandra Kingdom, they shouldn’t have any spare power left to attack us. They’re trying to buy time, in order not to let us strengthen this fort’s defenses and establish the country of the witches.)

However, Naga still wasn’t aware of the most elite troop that belonged to the Holy Chivalric Order of the Old Church, the Brigade of 88, being included.

3

The main road that ran from the capital of the Cassandra Kingdom to Fort Ein was just like a path connecting a mountainous area and a hilly area. With only a mountain forest and a wasteland existing in its surroundings, there were neither cities nor villages, or even cultivated lands to be seen. Apparently, the road was said to have been originally used by merchants who travelled along the Schwein River from the city of Lancel, located near the mouth of the river. Even Fort Ein was built in order to protect them, and recently, it had become the frontline base for countering the witches. On top of a slightly elevated hill located near the road, there was a small hut erected in a place of digging. The hut was most likely built in a big rush, as it was roughly done and had many cracks. Not even a single sign of life could be felt from its interior. Inside that empty and confined room, only a single, thin mantle was spread out on top of the floor. However, that mantle began to slowly rise. Finally, Eliushune’s head stuck out from within it.
What’s more, as the mantle continued to rise, Elysione’s body was fully materializing.

“Umm…. did we arrive?”

A voice from inside the mantle was heard.

“Yes.”

Eliushune’s bare skin became exposed as she coiled the mantle.
She was wearing nothing apart from the mantle, but that was simply due to the nature of her skill, which only allowed her to carry living things. While it’s obvious that metal thwarts magic, even a single piece of cloth is capable of obstructing one’s skill. That’s why Eliushune wouldn’t wear a single thread whenever she teleports with her magic. At her feet, Kay was crawling out in a squirming manner, nevertheless, she too was fully nude. As long as Eliushune held a person in her arms, they would be able to teleport as well, but the condition was they had to be naked.

“Can I wear something?”

“There’s no such thing here.”

“Eh……?”

“That’s because we would have to teleport to the next mantle anyway, sooner or later. Wearing clothes at each stop is a waste of time.”

Kay looked up at Eliushune, who was wearing her mantle, with a miserable face.

“No…. do you mean to say I should remain naked, whereas, it’s fine for you to cover your body with that mantle?”

“Don’t you always look naked anyway? And now, you’re feeling embarrassed?”

“N, No. Well, that may be true, but….. but, even if it’s a single cord, wearing something feels different from wearing nothing?”

“Stop complaining. I’m going to leave you like that here.”

Seeing how Eliushune’s head began to sink, Kay panicked while making a commotion. Flustered about the fact of being left behind like that, Kay jumped at Eliushune.

“Ah, hey, don’t coil the mantle!”

As a result of the mantle being rolled up by Kay, Eliushune’s lower half became exposed.

“Let me in, let me in, let me in.”

Kay thrusted in her head through the part of the mantle that was coiled.

“Hey, that place, ah, don’t push your face thereee!
“Mufun. Eliushune, I didn’t know you were this hair-

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Bang!*

“Aw, that hurts!"

“I told you not to push your face in there!”

Kay, who pulled out her head from the mantle, gently brushed the punched back of her head.

“Honestly, don’t punch me this strong when I’m not hardened….”

“Shut up. I’ll seriously leave you behind if you aren’t obedient. I guess, you’d enjoy walking around like this.”

“Uwaaa, please spare me from that.”

Kay bowed down in a docile manner toward Eliushune.

“If you don’t want it to happen, then be obedient.”

“Okay.”

Kay crawled under the mantle in a hurry, as Eliushune spread out its hem.

“Fine, then let’s teleport to the next mantle.”

Multiple mantles containing Eliushune’s own magic were placed along the main road, in case of emergency. With them, it’s possible for Eliushune (and one more person) to move around the main road within a blink of time. Just now, Eliushune was checking on the mantles’ functionality, whereas, Kay was tagging along as her guard. It was their last check.

“Ah, speaking of which,”

Kay raised her voice from inside of the mantle.

“Eliushune, if Naga-san is determined to carry out an infiltration and survey, will you follow him?”

“No, I wonder about that. It hasn’t been decided yet, but…”

“If something was to happen to Naga-san, would you escape together with him?”

“I guess…. so.”

“In other words, you’d would do so even if it meant for you to transport the naked Naga-san, right?”

“Uuuuuuh……..”

Eliushune warped her face while slightly groaning. Naturally, Kay, who was hiding inside the mantle and clinging to Eliushune’s waist couldn’t see it, however,

“Does it mean you’d be willing to carry him when teleporting? Regardless of being totally naked and clinging to each other?!”

“I, I don’t want to think about it, so don’t touch on that topic any further!”

“Eh? You don’t like it? You don’t want to do those things?”

“As if I would?!”

“Eh~, you really aren’t interested in doing that? Even though I was envying you.”

Eliushune warped her face again and asked back.

“E, Envy me? You mean embracing with a man while being naked?”
“No, it’s not about a man, but Naga-san, you see. Even I would hate to have a man as my partner.”

“So you don’t mind as long it’s Naga-dono?”

“You see, back when Naga-san gave me a ride, somehow, I felt a bit nostalgic after clinging to his back. You could say that the memories of my father came back to me?”

Eliushune made an astonished face this time.

“You, can recall things about your father?”

“Should you describe it as recalling? It’s just a mere fragment from my memory, but you see….”

“Is that so?”

“That’s why I was wondering if I could remember more about my father, were I to embrace Naga-san”

“While being naked?”

Kay responded quite indifferently.

“Yes, while being naked.”

Eliushune looked under her feet with a dumbfounded expression.

“In that case, I wonder if you shouldn’t place your trust in Naga-dono and say ‘Please embrace with me while naked’, or maybe, it would be better to get naked and intrude into that man’s bedroom?”

"Uhyaaa" – a hysteric voice was raised from the mantle’s inside.

“As expected, it’s embarrassing. It’s too embarrassing, so nooooo.”

“Hey, don’t struggle!”

Eliushune scolded Kay, who was clinging to her while shaking her own body. As she did so, Eliushune breathed a sigh.

“Good to know that even you have some shame.”

“Uwaaa, I’ve been told something rude just now.”

“It’s not the right time for idle talk, so let’s go to our next destination.”

“Yes, please do it~”

They both disappeared from the hut immediately after Eliushune’s head had sunk down, and the only thing left was the mantle that spread out on the floor.

4

By the time Eliushune and Kay finished their job and returned, only a group in charge of house-sitting was there. They both teleported to a mantle that had been put the closest to the place of the anticipated counter-attack. There, Naga’s group was in the middle of preparing to counter. Eliushune left the naked Kay behind and walked toward her comrades, after which she received a change of clothes and took them back to Kay. Despite them being spares, they were the same, usual, ultra thin clothes. Still, for Kay, who was able to use hardening magic, there was no need to prepare armor, even for a battle. Wearing a minimum amount of clothing, Kay reached Naga and the rest.

“Ooh, is that you, Kay? Thank you for your hard work.”

“Ahhhh, yes, you too.”

Being watched in front, Kay averted her eyes as if feeling something bad.

“What? What’s the matter?”

Seeing Eliushune approaching from behind Kay, Naga moved his sight towards her and asked.

“Did something bad happen when you teleported together?”

“No, I don’t think that’s the case.”

Eliushune replied while making a broad grin.

“Tha girl, Kay, she might come to Naga-dono’s bedroom with a request, I think.”

“Ha? What do you mean?”

In front of Naga who was blinking with surprise, Kay jumped at Eliushune.

“Don’t say itttttttt!”

“KhKhey, don’t close people’s mouuh!”

[[Image:Naga04_Illus-01.jpg|175px|thumb]]

Kay blocked Eliushune’s mouth with her right hand as if trying to stretch herself. She was slowly fainting while following Eliushune’s movements.

“Should you mention anything about that, I’ll strip off that mantle of yours, alright? And if that happens, it will be in front of Naga-san, you know?”

“Tha whoul be trouvesome.”

“With that, Eliushune’s huge breasts and thickly haired crotch would be completely expo——”

“Uwaaaaaaaa!”

This time, it was Eliushune’s turn to close Kay’s mouth.

“Youh ah dwead if yu sah a word.”

“Youh thwoo.”

Eliushune and Kay blocked their opponent’s mouths while glaring at each other.

Finally, they both put a smile on their drawn faces and nodded.

“I won’t touch on that matter again.”

“I think we’ve reached a mutual agreement.”

“What’s that? Looks like the two of you’ve become quite friendly with each other. As one would expect, Has Kay finally opened herself up to others?”

Ais, who was watching the three of them from a place a bit apart, slightly bent her neck.

“It seems to be a bit different from getting along, but, well, I guess it’s a good thing for the witches from both clans to become close with each other.”

Ais could feel this was the result of ushering in Naga.
Isn’t it essential for one to associate with a person of different view and sense of values? Living within a single clan and adhering to one’s beliefs, wouldn’t that turn into one’s own weakness? Receiving an outsider, holding a conversation and being open-minded toward that person, recently, Ais had been wondering if those points weren’t crucial.

(Later, wouldn’t we have to form a kinship with people from the outside? If it’s mine and Naga-san’s child, it will surely be born as a superior witch….. Wha, uwaaa?! Oh dear, just what am I thinking about?!)

Ais forcefully shifted her eyes toward the pile of cobble inside a cage.

(R, R, R, Right now we should prioritize and focus on our counterattack against the Cassandra Kingdom. There’s no time for pondering about anything else. No time at all. Calm down, me.)

She took a deep breath.
Ais had been repeatedly doing her throwing practice for days like this. She had become able to throw cobble at a distance further than 270 meters. Not to mention, her aim had improved as well. Still, Ais can’t wear any armor due to her having to enhance her body with her magic. Because of that, she would need to wear her usual, thin clothes and have someone stand beside her to repel arrows. On the bright side however, Ais possessed a great offensive ability.

This time, the one in charge of guarding her was Nonoel. As long as she was close to water, Nonoel could keep away the flying arrows with a shield created from a water membrane. Holding a bucket of water in her hands, Nonoel was on a standby next to Ais. She too was wearing ultrathin clothes due to the nature of her magic.

(When I observe their appearances, somehow, it feels like I will lose my interest in this battle, which is troublesome. Nevertheless, it’s a nice view)

“Naga, what are you looking at?”
Harrigan, who had finished preparing the wooden dolls, approached him.

“While it’s the same as usual, I still can’t agree on your look, which isn’t right for battle.”

For Harrigan to move the dolls using her magic, she too had to wear ultrathin garments.

“Metal nullifies our magic, so it’s inevitable that we can’t put on any armor. By the way, shouldn’t it be all the more reason for you to be glad?”
“Well, it’s just as you say.”
“I see you’ve finally become honest, haven’t you?”

Harrigan’s jet-black, abundant hair floated in the air.

“N, No, it isn’t just me? Generally, all men would be happy at that fact? Right, Raibach?”

Raibach, who was on a standby behind Naga, caught a glimpse of Harrigan and turned away his gaze hurriedly.

“P……Please don’t ask me for an approval.”
“Well, I guess I’ll let you go.”

Because Harrigan’s hair fell loosely, they both sighed with relief.

“Speaking of which, it’s fine for us to completely follow according to the plan, right, Naga?”
“With the current situation, we should be able to win without any trouble.”

(Without any trouble, you say? As always, this guy is amazingly self-confident.)

“I shall amend the plan and give you new instructions in case something unexpected occurs, but for now, we’ll ambush them as arranged. Harrigan, please assign everyone to their posts.”

Harrigan returned back, so as to convey Naga’s instructions to the rest of her witches.

“Ais, you too should prepare soo…., hey, what are you doing?”

Ais, who became confused, stopped her deep breathing and swung with her opened, right hand.

“Eh? Noooo, I’m not doing anything?”
“I understand you might be nervous, but, worry not. This time, we should be able to win without exerting ourselves too much.”
“Ah…. yes, that’s….. right.”

Ais wasn’t particularly nervous before the battle, but, since it was difficult and troublesome to explain the reason why she was flustered, Ais made a vague smile and nodded.

“Well then, I guess I will go and take my position as well.”
“I’m relying on you. Vita, you too, please be prepared soon.”
“Umu, understood. Then, shall we make our last arrangements? Hey, Elysio, let’s go.”
“Yes, Mother.”

Seeing off Vita and Elysione leaving his place, Naga faced toward Kay.

“Kay, be on a standby together with the wooden dolls.”
“Ah, yes, understood.”

Kay left soon after too.

“Well then.”

Naga looked with a distant view at the main road running from the north to south. He couldn’t see well, since the road was zigzagging between the hills, but, Naga soon noticed the troops from the Kasandora Kingdom appearing in his view. There were roughly a thousand of them.

On the other hand, Naga’s countering group had a little less than 20 witches, still, he was confident in what he had said before.

(That’s right. There should be no problem as long it’s that many. We should worry about that…… afterwards.)

Naga’s thoughts were already focused on the next battle.

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| Back to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
| Return to [[Ochitekita_Ryuuou_to_Horobiyuku_Majo_no_Kuni|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Prologue 2|Prologue 2]]
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Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 4

2017-02-16T18:02:15Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 4 */

==Chapter 4: The Greatest War Trophy==

=== Part 1 ===

Naga, Harrigan, and Vita held a great number of tactical meetings during their preparatory work. Vita would frequently visit the fort of Harrigan & Co. while giving instructions to her daughters. However, since she was always being carried through Eliushune’s positioned mantle, Vita’s migration from one place to another wasn’t a big hassle. It didn’t seem to require either too much time or effort. Harrigan assigned a single room in the residential building for Vita and Eliushune’s personal use. Therefore, both the witches could use it as they wished.

“I’ll kill you if you dare to peek inside the room, got it?”

Naga received such a threat from Vita.

“Like I would?!”

Naga retorted as he didn’t plan to do so from the beginning.
For instance, knowing that the room would shine with a light every time Vita and Eliushune arrived, wouldn’t he wonder whether or not their arrival was successful?

=== Part 2 ===

A single room assigned by Harrigan.

It was just about the time when Eliushune materialized herself from a mantle spread on the wooden floored room. The mantle began to coil around Eliushune as she was putting out her hands from the seams of it. Eiushune’s body that stuck out from the gaps was naked. Or at least, it looked like her bottom had no clothes on. Then, beneath her feet, the similarly nude Vita was crawling out. Unlike Eliushune, she was, without doubt, completely naked. No matter how one judged it, Vita looked like barely 10 years old, flat-chested girl from head to toe. After being told she was much older than Harrigan, one could only be filled with awe.

“Eliu, you rascal. Your magic is convenient, but at the same time, it’s not. That’s because I’ve got to get naked every time we teleport using that mantle.”

While expressing her complaint, the totally naked Vita moved her upper body in every direction, trying to recover its lost sensations.

“Please don’t complain, Mother. Since I was able to reduce the excess of inconvenience so as to make up for it, shouldn’t it be fine? To begin with, there’s no magic that’s invincible or almighty in this world, right?”

“Hmm, that’s something I know even without you telling me, you rascal.”

Walking on the wooden floor while pressing her feet repeatedly against it, the completely nude Vita opened the lid of a chest placed in one corner of the room and took out prearranged clothes from inside.

Holding a set of them, she pushed them out to Eliushune.
[[File:Naga03 Illus-05.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
“Hey, put them on me.”

“Yes, right away.”

As soon as Eliushune drew near, she helped Vita dress.
The prearranged pair of clothes were identical to those she normally wore. They covered little skin and had small notches that created a fluttering pattern. However, Vita’s headgear, which she had put on last, was a bit different from her usual one.

“No matter how powerful our magic is, it’s neither invincible nor almighty. That’s the main reason why we, the witches, have a hard time during battles.”

“That’s true. Once the humans charge at us with their wave tactics, it’s next to impossible for us to win against their armies.”

“Still, if we can capitalize on each individual’s magic and put them together, there’s a winning chance for us even against large human forces. I’ve always thought that way, and surprisingly, my belief was proven during the previous battle at the Schwein River. That’s why I took an interest in the Dragon King. It may be possible that that man’s presence will bring together the long since scattered witches.”

Eliushune, who finished changing Vita’s clothes, looked up at her mother.

“Is that…. so?”

“It can’t be said for certain, but it’s definitely hard for the witches to stand at the summit as they are, and even more for a human. However, he is neither a witch nor a human. He’s the rumored Dragon King who fell from another world. If that’s true, perhaps those highly proud witches would also acknowledge him as someone who stands above them? Actually, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Harrigan & the rest are already under that guy’s command.”

“Indeed, it seems to be so. That being the case, could it be that Mother feels inclined to fight alongside the Dragon King as the supreme commander against the humans?”

Saying that, Eliushune began to move her hands again.

“It may be that I’m also curious about fighting humans, but the fact that that guy’s presence could muster the famous witch clans is what really caught my interest. Provided the witches band together and work as one, taking on an army of 1000 or 2000 people will become easy enough. Even so, that alone is one of the biggest hurdles.”

“Exactly. It’s said it has already been more than several hundred years since the country of the witches collapsed. Throughout that time, nobody has managed to reunite the witches, right?”

“Perhaps, that Dragon King will become the key to our breakthrough. What’s more—”

While getting dressed, Vita smiled with satisfaction.

“Right now, he’s acting together with Harrigan’s clan, but it should be fine even if we strip them of the Dragon King and tempt him to join us. Assuming that happens, wouldn’t it be possible for him to become our King at the time the new world is established?”

“Wow, Mother, those are indeed words worthy of a scoundrel, aren’t they?”

Vita threw a glance at Eliushune.

“Ah, no, whether Mother becomes a scoundrel or a cowardly person, we are prepared to follow you til the end, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Being followed til the end by a simpleton like you is what I’m most anxious about, you see.”

“T…That’s mean.”

Eliushune warped her face tremendously.

“Well then, this much should do.”

'Still' – Vita, who finished changing her clothes, said so while looking frequently at her daughter.

“That man, what is the Dragon King going to say once he finds out we are naked under your mantle?”

“Eh? Ah, I, I wonder about that. Perhaps, he will insist that we show him the inside of the mantle.”

“Moreover, he might insist on teleporting with us upon learning about us becoming naked.”

“Aghh, it would be a disgusting offer, wouldn’t it? Still, it looks to be something that man is be capable of, I guess.”

*Fu* – Vita slightly laughed

“When that happens, teleport together with the Dragon King and show him the might of your power.”

Eliushune warped her face and recoiled in aversion.

“Eeeeeeh? Things like taking along a naked man, I won’t agree to that. Wouldn’t I show him my naked body before even being able to show him my magic?”

“You too will be able to see him naked, so there should be mutual gains for both sides. No, since the two of you will cuddle to each other when teleporting, rather than just seeing each other, you will also be able to feel each other’s skin. Aren’t you glad?”

“Not at all!”

“Kukuu. Well, I was just kidding, you see. Then, shall we go? The Dragon King-dono is probably waiting for us.”

=== Part 3 ===

“Achooo”

“What’s the matter, Naga? Did you catch a cold?”

“No… can you really say it’s due to chills? Somehow, I’ve got an incredibly bad feeling about something, but….”

Naga looked around the room, but nevertheless, there was nothing particularly distinctive. Because a meeting regarding the assessment of their forces was about to begin, almost everyone involved had gathered.

“Vita and Eliushune are still absent, right?”

As soon as Naga muttered, Harrigan responded.

“It appears they have just recently arrived, so they should probably show up soon.”

Following her words, Vita and Eliushune appeared shortly thereafter inside the room where everyone had gathered. Naga was a bit worried about other witches directing their rude gazes at the two of them, but it wasn’t the right time for prying into that matter Once Naga waited for Vita and Eliushune to reach their seats, he began the meeting.

“Excellent. Since everyone has gathered, let’s start the assessment.”

=== Part 4 ===

“Well then, I think we are finally close to deciding on everyone’s deployments today.”

Saying so, Naga looked around to the faces of all the present witches.

The ones who were present on Harrigan’s side were Harrigan herself, Ais, Lela, Kay, Nonoeru, and Yuuki.

Whereas Vita’s side included herself, Eliushune, and three witches named Lily, Dora, and Samplotte. However, unlike the first two, the other three had run through the forest instead of moving through the mantle.

The witch whose name was Samplotte didn’t reach Eliushune’s height, but she was also tall and strongly built. On the other hand, the one called Lily had a physique no different from a child, and her face also left an impression of her being innocent. One more person, named Dora, had womanly features appearing throughout her large body, which gave her a bewitching aura.
Combining all of them, the 10 witches, together with Naga, sat on folding chairs while forming a circle. Naga pushed out a map lying on the floor in front of everyone. It was a map of the Schwein River area that had become the battlefield during their last battle.

“A single troop from Cassandra Kingdom’s army has been assigned to watch over the place near the crossing of the river. According to Raibaha, they are a company under his direct command that consists of 100 soldiers. There doesn’t seem to be any major change among them since their captain was kidnapped by the witches, I guess. Perhaps, their vice-captain picked up the leadership of the company. Even though their captain is missing, there’s no sign of them receiving reinforcements.”

As he said so, Naga put a wry smile on his face.

“It looks like Cassandra Kingdom doesn’t care about its captain’s fate, and continues to maintain the status quo…… right? After all, this troop is just disposable. Despite that, it will be troublesome to have them stationed at the riverbank.”

Using his index finger, Naga specified a point on the map.

“First, we should consider what to do with this troop, but…”

“Since there’s only a hundred of them, how about we take a detour?”

Vita asked.

“True. It should be fine for us to cross even without having to face them directly.”

Saying that, Samplotte expressed her opinion.

“I think so too, but Naga, isn’t it just you who sees them as a problem?”

Once Harrigan stated her consent, Naga nodded in agreement.

“If possible, I’d like to have this troop escape.”

“I see, I see. So Dragon King wants to make sure that this troop doesn’t flank us when we are in the middle of capturing Fort Ein, right?”

“That’s what I mean. I don’t want to kill them due to my fundamental policy, so it should do as long as we cripple them as a troop by making them run away. Even if some of them were to return, they wouldn’t dare to threaten our back upon seeing the witches capturing the fort.”

“I see. That’s indeed a kind of story one would imagine seeing. Still, aren’t you pretty used to wars?”

'Indeed, it may appear so' – Naga nodded in agreement as soon as Vita asked him with a face filled with admiration.

“That’s because my thoughts will naturally gush out whenever it comes to things like this. However, since I’ve no memories, I can’t tell exactly what kind of experience I had back then, you see.”

“Shouldn’t it be more reasonable for you not to know how to fight? Just how deeply is your world stained with war?”

Vita’s expression turned into an astonished one.

“Well, I wonder about that.”

As if mocking himself, Naga wore a smile that gave a somewhat gruesome impression.

“Certainly, it feels like the world where I used to live had endless wars, but…. well, isn’t that fine? More importantly, let’s focus on our talk.”

“That’s right. We don’t have much spare time, so we better sort things out and start making the necessary preparations. Otherwise, it won’t do, you see.”

Vita nodded.

“Then, in order to scatter the troop that guards the river here, I’d like us to form a group for long-range attacking; still….”

Naga, who pointed once more on the map, lifted up his head and looked at Ais.

“Since this will become essential for us when capturing the fort, let me ask you something, Ais. How far can you throw using cobbles?”

“Cob, bles?”

“Were they called cobbles, or maybe, pebbles? I mean those hand-sized stones.”

Ais showed an attitude of pondering for a short while.

“Right. I think it would be around 11-13.5 meters under normal circumstances, and around 270 meters with my strengthened body, but…”

Naga measured the distance with his own senses.

“…..Wha, 270 meters?! You are able to throw them that far?!”

270 meters is certainly a long distance.

“Yes, if it’s a hand-sized stone, then most likely.”

(Even if they’re just stones, it does indeed require a terrific strength to be able to throw them such a distance. I should expect no less from a human battering ram, or perhaps, a human cannon…..hm? Cannon….Gun…..)

“Is there something you want to say, Naga-san?”

“Ah?”

Raising up his head, Naga’s sight met Ais, who looked at him with a smiling face. Despite that, her eyes didn’t smile at all, which was frightening.

Naga hurriedly waved with his hands in front him.

“No. No no, there’s nothing.”

“Is that so? I guess that’s fine, but…”

“If you are able to throw that far, can I have you become the core of the long-range assault against the troop guarding on the other side of the river?”

Paying attention so as not to meet with her eyes, Naga pointed at the river on the map. Lela, who held a brush, wrote in Ais’ name near the river.

“And then…. Lela.”

“Wh-at?”

Lifting up her face, Lela directed her sight at him.

“How far can you launch those fireballs using your magic?”

“As one would expect, it will be hard for me to deal with that distan-ce. Nevertheless, Provided Yuuki carries my charms, it should be possible for them to be dropped onto the enemy’s hea-ds.”

Lela, who replied like that, shifted her gaze at Yuuki.

“I’m fine with that, but, if that happens, wouldn’t Lela’s charms burn down the enemy, were they to touch them?”

(No, you’d most likely be content with that.)

Naga wanted to retort that way, however, he refrained from doing so as it would worsen the situation.

“I’d appreciate it if you could do your best so as not to let the charms come into contact with them.”

Is where Naga stopped his comment at.

On the other hand, Yuuki puffed her cheeks in displeasure.

“Because they will be dropped from above, such a detailed stunt is next to impossible, right?”

“Since the charms are just supposed to fall and burn, it will take a while for them to descend complete-ly. The enemy soldiers should be able to avoid them in ti-me.”

Lela gave him a hand as a last resort.

“Is that so? Indeed, if that’s the case, there’s no need for us to worry much about that matter.”

Nodding at once, Naga turned around to Yuuki and lightly bowed down at her.

“Anyway, I’m relying on you, Yuuki.”

“Uh….Geez, I got it. I’ll do it properly.”

“With that, Lela and Yuuki will participate as a single gro-up.”

Lela, who cast her eyes down, added her own and Yuuki’s name on the map.

“Is, there anyone else here who can carry a long-range attack?”

As he questioned Harrigan, she crossed her arms while slightly grumbling.

“Umu. As expected, it’s indeed difficult when it comes to an attack that covers a range of as much as 270 meters.”

Following that, she looked in Vita’s direction.

“How about your side?”

“I guess you’re right. A long-range attack like that is quite a tough task, but, with Eliushune here, stabbing an enemy’s back would be simple, wouldn’t it?”

Naga moved his eyes toward Eliushune.
She was dressed in her mantle even when sitting on a folding stool. Naga became curious about what kind of attire she was wearing under that mantle of hers.

(To begin with, since the witches from Sraymeyer are supposed to wear thin clothes with lots of exposure, just like Harrigan and the rest, perhaps Eliushune has such garments as well.)

Eliushune, who was unaware of Naga’s thoughts, nodded with a serious face.

“So long as I can place my mantle in advance, it’s perfectly fine. Assuming we lay a mantle on the other side of the river under cover of night and choose the right time to fly at our own discretion, it will look as though we are suddenly ambushing the enemy.”

“Despite saying so, you can only carry one person with you each time, right?”

“True. What’s more, there’s also the problem of appearance when transporting a person, but if that part is arranged beforehand as well, it should probably be fine.” (?)

“What’s…..the meaning of that?”

'Is it okay for me to explain?' – Eliushune looked at Vita as if asking for her permission.

“It can’t be helped.”

Once she heard Vita’s reply, Eliushune made a mild cough.

“In other words, you see, I can only fly through the mantle with my body. That’s to say, I can’t fly through it if I’m wearing clothes.”

“Wha….t?”

Naga ran his eyes over Eliushune’s whole body.

“Then does it mean, you’re, not wearing anything under your mantle?”

“Yes, when it’s not winter, I’m basically nude”

“Oi oi, why didn’t you tell me such an important thing sooner?”

Naga smacked his lips slightly and repeatedly.

“Had you told me about it sooner, I would’ve come and worshipped you every time you arrived….. No, rather than that, won’t you fly into my arm…..”

*Chop!*

*Whack!*

Such sounds bursted forth as Naga’s head was hit from behind by Harrigan’s solid hair and chopped on his forehead by Ais’ karate chop at the same time.

“Awwwwwwwwwwwww!”

Holding the back of his head with his right hand and his forehead with his left hand, Naga tumbled on top of the floor.

'Haa' – Lela exhaled a sigh.

'Are you an idiot?' – Yuuki threw out such words.

Whereas, Kay cackled with her raised voice.

Vita’s side watched Naga with dumbfounded faces. Naturally, only Vita herself and Eliushune nodded in agreement with a face indicating this was a natural course of action.

“I was just joking. Don’t hit me like that while taking my jokes seriously, geez.”

Naga, who had teary eyes, said so while objecting to Harrigan and Ais.

“It didn’t look like your expression was telling us so?”

“On the contrary, it was incredibly serious?”

“You girls are….”

*snap* – While stroking the back of his head using his right hand, Naga pointed at them with his left hand’s index finger.

“Saying such an irresponsible thing, what will you do if a rumor spreads out inside Vita’s clan?!”

“Because it’s more truth than rumor, it can’t be helped?”

“Indeed, it can’t be helped.”

“Good grief. Those girls are seriously…”

Naga grabbed his head.

“Dragon King. We understand very well you’re a genuine pervert. More importantly, shouldn’t we continue this urgent strategy meeting?”

*snap* – Naga immediately snapped once more time and pointed at Vita.

“Don’t misunderstand! And by the way, it’s a misunderstanding!”

“You mean it? If it’s a misunderstanding, then good. Leaving that aside, aren’t we going to finish this talk quickly? After all, we didn’t come here to fool around.”

“Ah, sorry about that.”

Naga, who regained his composure, pressed his hand against the map and resumed their previous talk.

“Ummm, in addition to Ais who’s the part of the long-range assault group, Lela and Yuuki will join up. Other than that, we are going to capitalize on Eliushune’s ability of instant travel, send in someone to the other side of the river, and have that person take the enemy from behind. Whom should we appoint for that task….?”
“Ummm…”

Nonoeru lifted up her hand with restraint.

“What, Nonoeru?”

“If we assault the enemy from behind, won’t they get the wrong idea of being surrounded by their enemy, thus resorting to desperate actions?”

That’s right – Naga once again cast his eyes diwn on the map while slightly groaning.

“Certainly, I can’t rule out that possibility. If by any chance a part of the enemy tries to break through in that state, they might happen to rush toward Eliushune and the rest.”

As Naga was pondering, Vita intercepted.

“If it’s Eliushune, she can take on 10, 20 people with no real problem. However, were that to happen, it would result in a battle no matter what, and eventually lead to casualties among the enemy soldiers.”

“I guess you’re right. Then, is it a bad idea to attack the enemy from behind?”

“Naga-san, how about me hiding inside the river water like previously?”

Naga looked at Nonoeru with a surprised expression.

“Ah? Ahh, is that so?”

“I’ll enter the river from upstream, swim down it to the actual place, and wait on standby. Once Ais and the rest start their assault, I’ll threaten the enemy with my water magic. Firing some water spears should be enough to drive them away, I think, but…”

“I see. Using that method, even those trying to hold their ground will be scared off. That’s a good idea.”

Rather than just having his subordinates follow his orders, Naga appreciated those who could think and devise a plan on their own. That’s why, he greatly welcomed such a proposition. Naga faced Nonoeru and gave her the thumbs up.

“You came up with a great idea, Nonoeru.”

Nonoeru scratched her head while making an embarrassed grin.

“I, It isn’t a big deal, still….it’s somewhat of a deal.”

“She’s casually boasting of herself?!”

Both Kay and Yuuki bent a little backwards.
On the other hand, Naga’s expression turned a bit serious, as if being concerned by something.

“Surely, it’s a great idea, but Nonoeru, aren’t you afraid of being spotted? If you were to be discovered, they would most likely attack you.”

“As long as I’m under the river, I can make myself hardly noticeable to the outside thanks to my magic. And once Ais and the rest commence their attacks, I don’t think the enemy will even consider watching over the river.”

“So you’re going to be all right? Then, let it be.”

Naga pointed at a single point of the Schwein River on the map.

“I guess, Nonoeru will be stationed here.”

Lela wrote in Nonoeru’s name on the map.

“In case the enemy doesn’t escape, it should be totally fine to pull a trick by showing them how numerous we are, but…”

Saying that, Naga turned his eyes in Harrigan and Vita’s direction.

“That much should probably do.”

“Umu, I see no problem.”

“If they do, we will just stick to our plan. What’s left to do are small and detailed matters, such as the deployment of the witches and things that we need to prepare.”

Like that, Naga and the witches concluded the preparatory meeting and tied up the last details of their strategy for capturing Fort Ein.

=== Part 5 ===

The next day, both the Heindler and Sraymeyer clans advanced with their preparations.

And then, 10 days later.

The day for capturing the fort had finally arrived.

Ais, Kay, Naga, and Raibach approached near the right riverbank.

Even though the chance for the enemy to launch their arrows was slim, Kay, who took charge of protecting the others, was prepared for that instance.

Since Raibach wore a mantle and covered his face with a cloth, the enemy soldiers would perhaps not recognize him.

The reason why Raibach went to the frontline was due to him wanting to make sure of his troop.

“Going to the frontline carries a risk, you know.”

Naga stopped at this single warning, but nevertheless, Raibach doggedly opposed.

“No, you are going there as well, aren’t you? If so, it shouldn’t be that dangerous.”

“That’s because there are witches who will protect me. Still, in your case, they might not have enough hands, you see.”

“Well, when that comes, I’ll somehow manage it by myself.”

“If you’re fine with that, then I shall bring you with me. I do understand your feeling of wanting to see your subordinates safe.”

Like that, Naga brought Raibach with him after exchanging such a conversation.
Raibach’s sense of responsibility strengthened Naga’s belief about him being able to place his trust in Raibach.

A little distance behind Naga and Ais, there were Lela, Harrigan, and Vita waiting.
Just now, Yuuki who received Lela’s charms soared into the sky on her board.
Noticing a witch drawing near, the enemy troop that was guarding on the other side of the river started to make an uproar.

Naga, Ais, Kay, and Raibach, who were carrying baskets on their back put them down on the ground.
The inside of the baskets were overflowing with cobble.
A part of the troop, which noticed the quickest, climbed up the embankment and began shooting arrows. Nonetheless, due to a great distance separating both sides, the arrows would eventually land quite far in front of Naga and the rest.
Naga, who deemed they couldn’t be threatened by the enemy’s arrows, ordered his side to attack.

“Excellent, do it, Ais!”

Holding a cobble in her right hand, Ais raised her left leg overhead and bent her right arm.

Adding to her raised left leg, Ais’ right arm swung sharply forward together with her body.

Gohyuuu. – The cobble continued to fly with a sound tearing through the air.

Leaving a small gap, the cobble splashed on the surface near the opposite shore.
Ais, who finished the throw, regained her posture and measured the landing distance.

“Hm, I think just a little more.”

Muttering that, she grabbed another cobble

Byufuuu.

Again, the sound of tearing the air reverberated.
This time, a single cloud of dust appeared on the slope of the embankment.

“Ohhhh, Ais, that was a splendid throw.”

Soon after Naga raised an astonished voice, Kay clapped her hands.

“The enemy, they look surprised, surprised!”

“Ais, continue your throws just like that. If possible, aim for spots which are less crowded by soldiers.”

“Yes, I got that, but, it’s not achievable for me to aim without hitting any soldier, you know?”

“It can’t be helped, right? Raibach too, would probably not wish for that to happen.”

Ais took a short glimpse at Raibach’s direction.

“It should be enough as long you’re considerate.”

Hearing his reply, Ais felt relieved and picked up another cobble.

“Then, I shall continue.”

The cobbles continued to cut through the air with no intervals.

Paa, Paa, Paa – clouds of dust rose up here and there.

Even from this great distance, one could understand that the soldiers began to panic.
Since the cobble flew and sunk with a terrific power into the slope’s surface, it was guaranteed that the soldiers would consider them a life-threatening danger, were they to hit.

Should they fight back? Perhaps, with their arrows not reaching their target, it should better for them to escape? The soldiers loitered around, being unable to reach a conclusion. At that time, Yuuki, who took a detour, drew near with her hoverboard above their heads.
Noticing her charms being scattered by Yuuki, Lela began to cast a chant.
Following that, the charms began to flare up at once in the air.

Yuuki left the scene at full speed.
Looking up at a bunch of flames floating down from the air, the soldiers began to scream loudly.
Meanwhile, clouds of dust continued to appear on the slope’s surface.
Just when the enemy soldiers broke up in confusion, a large wave built up on the surface of the river.
Its height exceeded more than 3 meters. Despite its size being unusual, what was strange about the wave was that it elevated on the spot, instead of battering the shore. The large wave looked as though it was the neck of a water dragon that emerged from the water. As the neck started to move left and right in a manner if searching for its prey, the enemy soldiers were no longer able to endure. They threw away their bows and dodged each other while aiming for the opposite side of the embankment.

Immediately after that, the top of the embankment became clear of any soldier.

“Ais, just to make sure, I’d like you to make the cobble reach a bit further, near the other side of the embankment.”

Naga, Ais, Kay, and Raibach who were carrying the baskets on their backs covered a distance of more than 54 meters, after which they put down their baskets again.
Once more, Ais began to throw with the cobble.
No clouds of dust could be seen as the bank intercepted their view, however, it was certain, the cobble reached beyond the bank. Provided there were still some soldiers left, they would probably not wish to stay there any longer.

As the four of them continued to progress, the group that waited behind them moved too.
With his doubt of any possible arrow attack being cleared away, Naga summoned Selena and made her check the other side of the shore using her magic- Heaven’s Eye(?).

“It’s safe. At least, there’s no sign of enemy soldiers near the left bank.”

Excellent! – Naga clapped his hands after hearing her response.

“It’s just how I imagined. With this, a part of the guarding troop will run back to Ein Fort and inform their comrades about an attack coming from the witches. Ais, you can stop throwing cobble now.”

Being called out by Naga, Ais released the cobble in her hand and took a deep breath.

“As one would expect, even throwing constantly with all of your strength will make you a bit exhausted, won’t it?”

(Firing cobble in rapid succession at more than 270 meters, you call that a bit?)

“Is something wrong?”

“No, I just wanted to say ‘good work’.”

“I’m glad I was able to fulfill my duty.”

Ais made a pleasant smile.

Just then, Yuuki returned on her hoverboard.

“Yuuki!”

“What?”

“We’re going to cross the river. We can confirm the situation using Selena’s Heaven’s Eye, but just to be on the safe side, can you go ahead and check the opposite bank for us?”

“Well, if I’m told to do something, then I’ll do it.”

Once she stated so while hovering a little over a meter above the ground, Naga suddenly bowed down.

“I beg you, please do it.”

“Whaaa?!”

Yuuki, who bent backwards, nearly fell off from her board.

“You’re gross, so stop it! Speaking of which, don’t surprise people like that! What will you do if someone falls off because of that?!”

“No, no matter how you look at it, I can’t think of anyone dying from that height. To begin with, I only lowered my back and made a kind request. To think you would be startled by something like this, just what’s wrong?”

“I’m saying that such an attitude, doesn’t suit you.”

Saying that over her shoulder, Yuuki rose up and left on her board.
Naga, who smiled wryly, called out to Ais, Kay, and Selena.

“Let’s move to the other side.”

Naga & Co. progressed to the right bank while paying attention to their surroundings.
Immediately after, Harrigan and the others followed.

A group consisting of Naga and more than 10 witches linked up with Nonoel, who was waiting inside the river, and quickly proceeded to the left bank on the other side.
Nobody from the witches had received a single scratch, and no fallen soldiers were found.

One could say that Naga’s plan of capturing the fort without yielding any casualty was going smoothly.

=== Part 7 ===

The capture of Ein Fort was within hailing distance.
During that time, the soldiers who escaped back to the fort relayed the information about their patrol troop being scattered by the witches and about the enemy’s probable attempt of crossing over the river. Upon learning about that, the guards of Ein Fort partially fell into panic, however, not even Naga could have foreseen that far. Despite saying so, Selena was able to confirm some of the guards located at a watchtower becoming restless.

(Looks like we won’t have to seize all the enemy soldiers. Even apprehending half of them should probably be enough to make the rest run away on their own.)

Is what Naga thought.

Just as he predicted, they managed to clear out the north side of the fort.
So as to inform other companions about this part being clear, as well as to show off to their enemy, Naga and the rest hoisted a blatant flag that was prepared beforehand.
The flag had a pattern drawn on it that was once used for the united kingdom of the witches.
With the flag depicting the forces of the witches being supposedly visible, there’s no doubt about their enemy considering that as a deployment of the witches.

(The strategy this time is especially difficult, isn’t it? Still, the wind is already blowing in our favor. I see no other option than to attack the fort and take it down just as we planned. Yet if a problem arises, will we be able to seize the fort without producing any sacrifice? I guess this is what worries me the most.)

Naga and the rest of the witches took their posts and waited for the right chance.

=== Part 8 ===

Ais launched her attack of cobble throwing, whereas Yuuki carried Lela’s charms on her hoverboard atop Ein fort.
As they were attracting the guards’ attention, Kay, who used that momentum to solidify her body, run up to the fort’s walls while wearing a mantle and holding a shield for protecting against arrows.
The reason why Kay held the shield even though she could reach the place without getting harmed was so as to keep the arrows away from Elysione, who would be defenseless while she was coming out of the mantle. Nevertheless, it was a needless worry as the enemy soldiers came off the fort’s watchtower without trying to shoot down the running Kay, and escaped inside. There was also a chance that most of those soldiers left the fort behind.

“That’s, a big letdown, isn’t it?”

Muttering those words, Kay put down the shield and spread out the mantle she was entrusted with by Elysione on the ground.
The location of that was right at the bottom middle of the wall near the east side of the fort.
Kay, who stood up, raised her shield overhead just to ensure there was no attack coming.
Following that, the top of Elysione’s head, which stuck out from a hole, began to rise gradually.

“Yuck! It really looks like as though you’re welling up. Indeed, an obscene magic.”

Because Elysione, whose face was half submerged, gazed at Kay with a glaring look, the latter averted her eyes hurriedly.
Taking the opportunity of that, Kay looked around.

As one would expect, there was not a single sign of the enemy in the surroundings.

(Should you say it’s a letdown or no response coming from the enemy? Well, still, they were done in by us previously, so perhaps, this is just bound to happen. I see, this is what Naga-san meant by saying ‘The wind is already blowing in our favor. Capturing the fort might turn out unexpectedly quick’. At first, I was only half-convinced about that, but, seeing how smoothly this plan is going, it appears that person was right.)

Kay had been taught that the result of a battle didn’t just amount to the battlefield. Depending on the winning side and losing side, further battles would be affected as well.

At the time Kay was looking aside, Elysione continued to rise up little by little from the inside of her mantle.
Finally, once the top of her head reached higher than Kay’s, she stopped ascending. In other words, Elysione’s body fully appeared from the inside of the mantle. That being said, Vita’s appearance also emerged from the inside.

*thud* – While Kay was putting herself on guard, a shock ran through her body.

“…! So heavyy.”

Kay, who threw away her shield tried to keep the balance of her several times heavier body by putting more strength into her feet. however, being unable to stand firmly, she kneeled down on one knee.

What came next were voices of screaming and anger heard from the guards, from the fort’s interior. Nevertheless, they quickly turned into sounds of groaning.

“Even though we made thorough preparations, it’s still messy like this? Still, there’s no doubt… about the soldiers inside being….. unable to move.”

In fact, it happened just like that.
As soon as Yuuki watched from the above of the fort, she noticed every single soldier lying on the ground. Some of them were crawling, others – lying on their belly, and yet, other ones – lying face up.

One could see them struggling while trying to move their bodies, but nonetheless, far from being able to stand up, the soldiers had a hard time even crawling.

Yuuki clapped her hands and laughed without realizing it.

“Somehow, it looks like birds being trapped in birdlime.”

As far as she could see from above, there were no soldiers standing and moving.

“Well then, eat this!”

Rapidly descending down on her board, Yuuki tossed something above the heads of the soldiers who were lying in a crowd.
The thing she had released spread out in the air and continued to fall on top of the soldiers.

“Uwaa, what’s this?!”

“A, a net?”

What spread out greatly from overhead was a solidly knitted net.
Crawling on all fours while desperately fighting against their weight, the soldiers could neither ward off or pass through the net. Even if they tried to crawl out from under it, the net would just wind together.

Yuuki moved to the next spot and released another net in the same manner

With the number of enemy entwined in nets increasing, the open space in the fort’s interior became buried with soldiers that were unable to move. the situation looked as though miserable fishes were caught in a big haul and pulled up on land.

Yuuki flew out of the fort and returned back to others, who were waiting upon outside the range of Vita’s magic. There, she picked up Nonoel and hovered again.

“Two people riding is surely quite the load. It makes my control of wind more complicated, and thus, harder to launch the hoverboard.”

As she complained while desperately trying to operate the hoverboard, Nonoel, who was holding onto Yuuki’s waist, apologized.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s not that bad since you’re quite light. Were it to be Ais, it would be much more troublesome. I would probably be unable to hov…..”

Kooo!

The board swayed from a shock caused by something passing next to them with a frightening power.

“Eeeekk?”

Yuuki, who somehow managed to keep the balance of the board, raised up her eyes and looked around, after which, she noticed Ais’ appearance entering her view. Ais, who had just finished her throw, regained her posture.

“Wait, Ais, what are you doing?! If I get hit with a cobble, won’t my hoverboard turn into dust and splinters?!”

Yuuki let her voice as if objecting.

“Yuuki, Nonoel, do your best, okay?!”

With a smile on her face, she waved her left hand. However, Nonoel couldn’t overlook another cobble in Ais’ right hand.

Nonoel who broke into a cold sweat tapped Yuuki’s back.

“Y, Yuuki, escape fas….no, let’s fly over the, fort and finish our task.”

“R, Right!”

Yuuki controlled the unsteady board and moved back above the fort.
Nonoel, who looked down at the scene below, raised her voice in admiration.

“Uwaa, Vita-san’s magic is, amazing, isn’t it?”

The top of the ground was full of soldiers putting up a resistance and struggling in vain, trying to move themselves hopelessly, despite being entwined in nets.

“Don’t just admire, quickly do what you’re supposed to! I have a hard time controlling this board with the two of us!”

“Ah, understood. I’ll do it right away.”

As Nonoel was forming an incantation, moisture started to gather in the air.
And a rain fell constantly without having to wait long.
Once the sky was filled with enough rain to soak the ground, Yuuki returned with her board and put Nonoel down. After that, she gave a ride to one of the witches from Sraymeyer’s clan, named Lilly, hovered back to her previous spot.

=== Part 9 ===

Yuuki felt a bit anxious as she had no experience in transporting other witches. However, because Lilly had a small physique, steering the board wasn’t as difficult as what she had initially thought.
The moment they both reached their destination, Lilly began to chant her incantation while clapping her hands numerous of times.

“The hand whose god’s words echoes, the radiance born from the god. Prostrate, prostrate. Shine, become angry, run down. Oh furious God of thunder, pass down your judgement on this hill, pass it down on this hill. Come, come, come.”

And then,
A small flash of lightning ran down from the sky into the ground.

“Gyaaaaaaa”

Screams and shouts coming from electrocuted soldiers echoed here and there.
the flash of lighting kept running down numerous times.
And each time, a scream would be raised.
In addition to every soldier wearing metal armor and being soaked with rain created by Nonoel, not a single one of them could avoid getting electrocuted.
After the very last flash, not a single soldier seemed to be moving.

Yuuki waved with her hand so as to give a signal to others.
Kay, who saw that while stretching out her neck, shouted.

“Vita-san, it seems to be over!”

Shortly thereafter, Kay could suddenly sense her body becoming light again. Despite that, she had the feeling her body lost half of its weight.

“Uwaa, my body feels lighttt.”

Feeling that she was able jump over the wall, Kay leaped with all her might. Unfortunately, her body didn’t reach even 1.35 meters.

“As expected, my body returned back to its original weight, eh?”

Once she muttered so, Kay approached Elysione and brought a mantle, the hem of which she coiled into a roll.

“Vita-san, here.”

What Kay held out toward her was a small sized, makeshift mantle for Vita who stayed inside Elysione’s mantle to bear with for the time being.(?)

“I appreciate your efforts.”

Vita, who reached out her hands and received the mantle, creeped inside of it.
At that time, Elysione stood around with a stern expression, making it seem weird to Kay.

Finally, as Vita finished putting it on her, she crawled out from Elysione’s mantle.

The little witch adjusted her breathing and turned around to Elysione.

“Well then, you can go now, Elysione.”

“Yes, Mother!”

Elysione placed her foot on Vita’s held out palms and made a big leap.
It looked like the petite Vita wouldn’t be able to throw her largely built daughter into the air; nevertheless, Elysione gently whirled up into the sky as though she had feathers and jumped over the wall.

“Wow, incredible!”

“Do you want to leap as well?”

“Is that okay with you? Aren’t you tired?”

“My power won’t be exhausted by this much.”

“Is that so? In other words, is it fine for me to harden my body just like this?”

“I don’t mind. Jump on my palms.”
[[File:Naga03 Illus-06.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
“Well then, I’m going”

Kay, who was about to leap with all her might touched Vita’s palms with the back of her heels.
Soon after that, she could truly feel her body rapidly losing its weight. No, rather than ‘rapidly losing’, it felt more like it had no weight at all.
Moving her palms casually, Vita released Kay into the air.
And her body floated high into the air.

Soaring high in the air like this, Kay wondered whether or not she was dreaming. Obviously, shortly after she passed over the wall, Kay’s body returned to its original weight just like an illusion.
Vita’s magic can reduce one’s body weight, however, as soon the effect runs out, the weight will return to its previous state.

“Ooopps”

Kay adjusted her posture in a hurry and prepared for the landing.
Since she could feel her weight returning back gradually, rather than spontaneously, there didn’t…. seem to be any worry about Kay crashing headfirst against the ground.
Holding the ground firmly with the back of her heels, Kay absorbed the impact from the landing by folding her knees.
By the time she extended her legs, her body weight had returned back completely.

“Hmm, this is….. a somewhat enjoyable magic indeed.”

Kay, who thought about that optimistically looked around her surroundings.
There were soldiers lying everywhere in lumps. Several, or perhaps, a dozen of them, were trapped inside nets while being unconscious.

“It’s most likely due to them being hit by thunderbolts.”

Kay approached one of the soldiers and peeked inside his eyes. Without having to check, it was clear both his armor and clothes were wet.

“I guess it’s because of them getting soak that the thunderbolts were so effective. It doesn’t look like they’re going to wake up anytime soon. Despite that, it will be trouble if they wake up by any chance, so, shouldn’t I quickly make sure they don’t?”

Kay took stakes attached to a net in her hand and knocked them into the ground using her hardened fist.

Once she plugged them deeply into the ground on all 4 sides of the net, Kay stood up and checked its firmness by pulling.

“Hm, I think it’s okay. Even if some of these soldiers wake up and struggle, they shouldn’t be able to come out.”

Moving from net to net, she continued to fix them with stakes.

While she was doing so, the other witches also crossed over the fort’s walls one after another and began to go around its interior in small groups.

=== Part 10 ===

“Thanks for your hard work, Kay.”

Kay turned around at Ais’ praise.

Today, because their plan was to embark on Ein fort, Ais put on leather armor on top of her thin garments as it had a lower effect on her magic than metal armor. Even if it was true, the leather armor merely covered the minimum number of places, revealing as much of her skin as usual.

Will that really increase her protection? – The first time Naga saw that armor, he wanted to retort unintentionally that way.

(Back in my world, people would supposedly go to the battlefield…. fully armored. Certainly, this feels off somehow. Well, it’s probably still better than wearing nothing, so…)

But considering that matter again, Naga restrained himself from retorting.

“Ais, you did a great job too, right?!”

“It appears that the remaining soldiers have already made off from the fort, doesn’t it? The exploration of this building isn’t over yet, but at least, I can’t spot any of them still moving.”

“How about Hari-nee and Naga-san?”

“We’ve just opened the gate, so they should be here soon, together with Raibach as well.”

“You mean it? Speaking of which,”

Kay looked frequently at Ais’ body.

“Ais, don’t tell me you also got over the wall thanks to Vita-san’s magic?”

Ais tilted her head while smiling cheerfully.

“Ara? Kay-chan, what do you mean by ‘don’t tell me’? I’m trying to figure out your ‘don’t tell me’, but, you don’t mean to say something like ‘No matter how strong Vita-san’s magic is, don’t tell me that someone as massive as Ais could fly through the air’, right?”

Kay realized her dull gaffe, however, it was too late to take it back. With her knees becoming wobbly, Kay shook her head energetically from side to side.

“O, o, o, o, o, o, obviously not. Not even for a moment did that idea cross my mind.”

“…Is that so? Then, what’s the meaning behind the ‘don’t tell me’ just now?”

Wrapping her right first with her left palm, Ais inserted more power into her left hand while making a grin. *knuckle knuckle* – the joints in her right hand’s fingers generated a loud sound like that.

“I, still need to put more stakes, so let’s talk some other time, okay….?”

Kay ran away from the place just like a startled hare.

As Ais stared at Kay’s distancing back, Naga’s voice reached Ais from her back.

“Yo Ais, good work.”

Once she turned around, there were Naga and Harrigan standing there. Naga had his armor put on him, whereas, Harrigan used the same, small leather armor similar to Ais’ one. Behind them, Raibach, who wore a mantle with his face covered with cloth, stood. It wasn’t clearly visible due to the mantle, but, his hands were supposedly tied up. Originally, there should’ve probably been no need for worry as one couldn’t feel the slightest intention of escaping coming from Raibach.

“Naga-san, and Ane-sama too, thank you for your hard work.”

Soon after she replied like that, Harrigan nodded down as if being content.

“It looks like we nicely managed to capture the fort.”

“Right I wouldn’t have thought it would be this easy. As expected of Naga-san’s splendid tactic.”

“It wasn’t that much. That’s because the flow of this battle was already decided. Reversely, the enemy was prepared to flee from the very beginning, so I didn’t consider this plan to be that difficult.”

(Being, able to read the flow of a battle is a feat that we, the witches, cannot recreate. However, in this man’s case, pulling it off this lightly is something of a big deal.)

Harrigan greatly admired Naga inside her heart.

Not being aware of Harrigan’s thoughts, Naga ran his eyes over Ais’ whole body.

“More importantly, Ais, to think you would also be able to leap into the air thanks to Vita’s….”

Ais suddenly stomped against the floor and pushed out her right hand with unnoticeable speed.

“magi-gubooabaah?!”

Her fist sunk into Naga’s armor. Despite him wearing one, a large impact hit his stomach.
As soon as Ais calmly withdrew her right hand, Naga fell down with a thud to both his knees. His lower back bent so much that his forehead almost touched the surface of the floor. While holding his stomach, Naga slightly groaned and said.

“W…What are you doing out of sudd…en”

“I have no idea.”

Ais puffed her cheeks in discontent and walked away at a brisk pace.

“O, Oi, Dragon King, are you alright?”

Raibach called out to him in a concerned tone, but Naga lifted up his right hand so as to calm him down.

“Yea… I’ll manage it somehow……”

Harrigan exhaled a big sigh.

“Naga, shouldn’t you be a bit more considerate toward girls?”

“No, that was just a little…. joke, but well.”

“That’s why, I’m telling you that the other party might interpret it like this if you intend to make jokes.”

“Y, You mean it? Got it. I shall be more careful from now on.”

Holding his stomach, Naga grit his teeth and stood up.

“Still, that girl, Ais, to think she would hit me this seriously.”

The moment he complained, Harrigan looked at him pitifully.

“Perhaps not. Were she to get serious, she would’ve probably made a hole in both your armor and stomach, or maybe, pulverize all the bones in your body”

“No… way. For real?”

Naga thought he should be more careful from now on.

“Let’s leave that matter aside. We’ve brought down the fort, so starting from today, it’s our property. Should we walk around and check out its interior?”

I guess you’re right – Naga took an extensive view and nodded down in agreement, but,

“…….no, before doing so, we should first remove the armaments from the apprehended soldiers. I’ll have the scouting group check the building, whereas the rest of the members will progress with the removal of the armaments.”

“And more precisely, how should we do it?”

“Firstly, we will gather everyone in a single spot and remove nets from them one by one. We’re going to take away the armaments from those who regain their consciousness before doing the same with unconscious ones. All the stuff will be carried and put in the open space before the gate. By the time we are done, those who have become aware of the situation will try to escape on their own. As for the unconscious people, we will wake them up and tell them it’s okay to flee. They will most likely do the remaining thing.”

Harrigan furrowed her eyebrows and asked to confirm something.

“About the unconscious soldiers, shouldn’t it be better to place them in front of the gate?”

“True, it might be faster for their informed comrades to call out to them. With that, the soldiers should actually learn they were spared and released by the witches. Okay then, Harrigan, won’t you call others?”

“Understood. Lela!”

Nodding down deeply, Harrigan ordered Lela, who had tagged along with them, to raise a smoke signal.
Following that, a green-colored smoke arose from burned charms, after which the witches appeared in succession.

=== Part 11 ===

Naga and Harrigan gave quick instructions to the gathered witches from Harrigan’s clan. Soon after, the clan of Sraymeyer joined in, after their leader arrived at Naga’s spot, and helped with the removal of the enemy’s armaments.
Several of the soldiers had already run away after regaining consciousness. On the other hand, the still unconscious ones were transported to the open space before the fort’s gate using a cart brought from a warehouse. The one to pull it was obviously Ais, but, Naga decided to go through a bit of a trouble so as to motivate her.

Finally, being able to soothe Ais’ anger and encourage her to pull the cart, Naga thought.

(Yes, being considerate is serious matter. Especially, toward girls.)

Such was his strengthened belief.

=== Part 12 ===

The time for commencement of the tactic took place in the morning; nonetheless, the sun was already heading west. It was still too early for dusk, and shadows of watchtowers and other buildings inside the fort were still of considerable length, however, it was quite dark.

A big and a small half-moon resurfaced on a blue sky, close to the ground, while shining with a dim light.
Naga’s voice echoed through the open space located before the gate, at the north side of the fort.

“Oh, you guys are awoke? Once you regain your mobility it’s okay for you to escape.”

At his voice, some of the awake soldiers pointed their nervous sights at Naga, and then, looked around with a frightened expression. A dozen of the witches were surrounding them with the intention of guarding.
The soldiers trembled with fear as they felt they were caught by the witches.

“Oi, what’s the matter? I’m telling you it’s fine to escape. Speaking of which, it will be meddlesome if you don’t leave quickly.”

For some reason, an armored man was ordering them from atop a footstool in a self-important manner.

(Why is there a man among the witches?)

(Who’s that guy?)

The soldiers looked at each other’s face with a strange expression while whispering together.

“You don’t feel like running away? Then, shall you become slaves of the witches? Or perhaps, you would prefer to be sliced off here?”

The strange looking man pulled out his strange looking sword. At its sight, the soldiers came back to their senses and remembered their fear.

“Uwaaaaaaa!”

One of them stood up abruptly and ran off in a tumbling manner.
Following him, the rest of the soldiers who had regained their consciousness did the same one after another.
As this kept repeating, the number of the enemy reduced to half.
In the end, those remaining asleep would be waken up against their will by tapping and shaking, and set free as if being shooed away.
Only 20 people consisting of officers and vice-officers were left in the open space. Some of them who had been selected from the rest had their hands and legs bound together. Classifying them as commanding officers was an easy task since Raibach was present there.
In front of the remaining people, Naga got on the footstool and raised his voice.
He sheathed his sword back into his scabbard, put down its tip on the footstool, and placed his hands together on the sword’s pommel.

“How about this, you scoundrels. You have probably learned of the witches’ strength, right? Now that you’re apprehended like this, it’s fine to say your lives are in hands of the witches.”

Eeek?! – Some of the soldiers raised a shriek and turned stiff.

“But, fret not. We won’t be taking away your lives!”

At Naga’s loud and remarkable voice, the soldiers who tensed their bodies sighed with relief.

“Instead, we’re going to set you free!”

Naga, who cut off his words here, looked out over their faces.
Once he confirmed all the soldiers were holding their breath while concentrating their gazes on him, Naga once again raised his voice loudly.

“The reason why you scoundrels are caught is the result of you trying to attack and dispossess the witches from their land. You could say you reaped what you sowed, but, the witches are merciful this time, and therefore, your foolish act shall be ignored. Got it? You bastards are saved thanks to the benevolent and compassionate witches! You better engrave that in your hearts! And then, once you have learned your lesson, don’t you ever dare to fight them again!”

They watched Naga with a doubtful, or rather, a strange expression. Nevertheless, many of them nodded down enthusiastically.

“I’m going to release you at once. Does anyone have any questions?”

He observed them once more with his composed attitude. And then, a single soldier timidly lifted his hand.

“I allow you to speak. So, what do you want?”

As soon as Naga pointed the tip of his scabbard toward that person, the man straightened up with fear. However, he quickly pulled himself together and asked.

“Y…..You seem to be affiliated with the witches, but, just who on earth are you?”

Naga directed his cold gaze at the soldier who asked. Because of that, the man felt his body going numb and becoming sweaty.

“You’re asking me who I am? That’s a good question. I’m, well, I wonder about that, you see.”

At his vague reply, the man darted his eyes about; nevertheless, Naga carried on.

“I don’t exactly know who I am, but for now, I’m being referred to as this by the witches:”

Leaving a break in his speech, he continued.

“Naga [written as Dragon King]”

The soldiers exchanged looks with each other and buzzed noisily.

“I don’t care if you want to inquire who I am, but more importantly, shouldn’t you focus on how to return safely? Since we won’t give you back the confiscated weapons, you better be careful on your way back to your city so as not to encounter wild animals or bandits.”

Hearing Naga’s words, all of them came back to their senses.

“I will repeat it just once, but, make sure you remember this generous treatment as you won’t be forgiven the next time you’re caught. If that happens, you will probably have your stomach split open, your blood poured out, or your internal organs eaten while you are still alive. Got it!?”

“Eeek?!…”

“Understoodddd!”

The soldiers prostrated themselves with a pale face; nonetheless, Harrigan and the witches from her clan looked dissatisfied.
Drawing out his sword, Naga came near to the enemy.
Once he stood next to them who trembled with fear, Naga cut off ropes binding their limbs.
Having finished doing so, he pointed the tip of his sword toward the gate.

“Hey, you can go now.”

Despite him telling them, nobody moved with their body.
Is he going to slash me from behind the moment I try to escape? – is what they doubted.

“What’s wrong, aren’t you going to run away? If you bastards don’t want to, then perhaps we should work you to death as slaves of the witches….”

“Uwaaaaaa!”

A single person screamed loudly while dashing out. The remaining soldiers understood that as a sign and dashed off one after another.

Naga shouted behind their backs.

“If you return back safely, you may tell your families about how humane the witches are!”

However, it wasn’t clear whether or not his words reached their ears, as they all went at full speed toward the gate without looking behind, just like startled hares.

=== Part 13 ===

By the time the soldiers disappeared, Naga called together Harrigan and Vita.

“It’s regarding what we intend to do from now on, but……. speaking of which, even though we managed to capture the fort, why do you look this displeased?”

“I wonder if it’s not due to your way of speaking, Naga. With what you had said before, didn’t you give them the wrong impression about us?”

Harrigan gazed at him.
Her abundant, bluish black hair that wriggled in the air looked fearsome.

“Good grief. It’s not nice to speak about us in a way that makes us look like beasts sucking humans’ blood and eating their live flesh, you know?”

Vita was in bad mood as well.
Even if the witches got angry, their appearance shouldn’t have been enough for Naga to be as afraid as he was towards Harrigan right now. Nevertheless, having already learned how frightening their magic is, he hurriedly shook his hands in front of them.

“No no, I just told the soldiers a lie so as to make them feel scared. Look, don’t people say ‘the end justifies the means’?”

“…….Do they?”

Naga suddenly lost his self-confidence as both Harrigan and Vita looked at him with doubtful eyes.

“Eh? Umm yes…I believe this is what people used to say, but…”

“Is this a part of your lost memories?”

“It looks to be so, I guess. Sometimes, these sorts of proverbs will jump into my mind.”

Because he made a bit of a miserable face, neither Harrigan nor Vita felt inclined to press him any further. With that, Naga was released from a difficult situation.

“Then, what are you going to do now, Naga?”

Naga who sighed with a relief inside his heart first looked at both of them.

“We will survey the exterior. Selena will check the nearby surroundings, whereas, Yuuki will explore the main road. After all, I want to confirm whether or not all the soldiers managed to run away, or if some of them are still left hiding.”

“Umu, I’ll take care of the preparations.”

Harrigan replied.

“And after that, we should inspect the interior, especially, what’s inside the warehouse.”

“Fumu. Then, shall we entrust Ais with that task?”

Saying so, she turned around toward Ais.

“Yes, leave it to me”

“Is there anything else we need to do?”

“That’s right. There’s a chance that the Kasandora Kingdom will try to retrieve this place. About that, we better strengthen this fort’s defense. Still, I don’t think it will happen any time sooner, so we don’t have to worry for today.”

“Naga, what are the chances for their army to come and strike at us?”

It felt as though some tension showed through in Harrigan’s questioning voice.
Since Harrigan gave off that impression, it wasn’t impossible for the witches around here to display anxiety and tension on their faces.

“Adding up their defeat at the Schweiz River, today as well, they were quickly deprived of their fort, you see. Is their commanding officer(General?) willing to carry out another battle? More importantly, will their soldiers feel inclined to fight? Considering those facts, I don’t think they will quickly decide on recapturing this fort, you see.”

After hearing his answer, some of the witches felt relieved.
Naga, who looked at them with a side glance, gave a warning.

“However, we can’t rest assured. There are probably other enemies besides the Kasandora Kingdom, right?”

Fumu, indeed that’s true. – Vita nodded in agreement.

“With them losing a majority of their war potential, it can also mean…. that other countries will move with ease.”

“Sooner or later, I’d like to hear more about other sides’ military strength in comparison with this one here.”

“Umu, that’s fine.”

“We can tell you anytime.”

“Well, enough of that. We have yet to do the most important thing for today.”

“Oh? There’s still something left?”

“Oi oi, Harrigan, don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten. We are victorious, we’ve captured Ein fort without sustaining any damage. In that case, there’s one thing we ought to do.”

Harrigan and Vita looked at each other while wondering what it could be.
The witches around them also tilted their heads at Naga’s words.

“Good grief, you surely are slow, aren’t you?”

Naga, who shook his head, drew out his sword and raised it high.

“When it comes to this, we ought to shout from victory and hold a banquet!”

“Ohh, you mean that?”

“I see. Certainly, we can’t omit this part.”

Both Naga and Vita nodded in agreement, and other witches expressed their approval as they became radiant, clapped their hands, and stamped with their feet.

=== Part 14 ===

(Oh my, indeed, this person is a big fish. As expected of someone who’s referred to as the Dragon King.)

While the witches were filled with enthusiasm, Raibach watched Naga with deep admiration on his face.

(Just as he said, they managed to capture the fort without producing any casualty on the side of the guards. Surely, he was neither boasting or making a random speech as a temporary measure.)

Being able to see lots of familiar faces escaping safely, Raibach felt a great relief and admiration. He was amazed and deeply astonished at Naga’s actual leadership ability.

(Perhaps, this person is really capable of creating a world where both humans and the witches can live together. If such a world comes true, there may no longer be any harsh and miserable war, I guess.)

The face of his young child resurfaced in his mind.

(That’s right. I wonder if we could save more pitiful children like her.)

Raibach, began to think he wanted to see a world like that.
Therefore, he also started to think if there was anything he could do.

=== Part 15 ===

The witches began to make merry, but as soon as Naga left some words to Harrigan, he took Raibach and moved together with him to a separate room.
One could say it was his method of being considerate so as not to spoil the fun of the witches and let them feel at home when there were no men around.

Sorry for this. – Having sensed his intention, Harrigan lowered her head.
Naga smiled and lifted his right hand.

“Don’t fret. This won’t be our last victory banquet. Rather, there will be plenty more occasions like this one, you see.”

“I’ll bring you some alcohol and appetizer.”

“Oh, please do so.”

Saying this, both Naga and Raibach left to a smaller room and prepared to drink in silence.

=== Part 16 ===

“Why, didn’t you run away?”

Naga threw such a question at Raibach while holding his wine cup filled with grape wine inside. However, since a moment ago, he would just limit himself with tasting it.
Naga restrained himself to this way of drinking, not due to him disliking the taste, but because of him being aware he was weak towards alcohol.
On the other hand, Raibach emptied his metal wine cup many times, as if being good at drinking.

“No, asking me why is…”

Putting down the wine cup on the floor, Raibach looked at Naga with a slightly red-face.

“I’m your prisoner. Wouldn’t you kill me, were I to run away at my own convenience?”

“Back then, you probably saw me releasing all the captives, right? I planned to let you go too, but well. Had you slipped into the crowd with your friends and escaped, I would have neither chased you nor have any complaint, although the witches might have said something, but…”

“Is that so? So I could just run away? I didn’t consider that far.”

In Raibach’s tone no remorse or disappointment was felt, which was a bit unexpected for Naga.

“What’s wrong? It feels as though you couldn’t care less about that.”

“Ah, well, perhaps you could say so. Anyway, I no longer have a family left.”

“You mean it? Then, what are your plans from now on? If you remain like this, you will end as a slave of the witches. I’ve got the feeling that neither you nor the witches would wish for something unpleasant as that. As expected, maybe I should seize the opportunity and release you.”

As Naga said that, Raibach directed a serious look at him.

“Hey, Dragon King.”

“What? Why are you being formal?”

“I wonder if you can make me into your subordinate.”

At his words, Naga opened his eyes slightly wide.

“Are you serious?”

“Uh, no, how should I put it…. I’m not even sure myself about that.”

Was Raibach, who replied, mocking himself or hiding his embarrassment? Perhaps, he was filled with something else? Somehow, a smile with mixed feelings appeared on his face.

Naga talked to such a Raibach in a nice and cold manner.

“Becoming my subordinate would mean, at the same time, being on the side of the witches, i.e., becoming an ally of your god’s enemy. In other words, you too will be considered as one and fight against humans as ‘god’s enemy’. Are you okay with that?”

“To begin with, I wasn’t much of a fanatical believer. What’s more…..”

Raibach reached out his hand toward the cup and brought it near his mouth, after which, he drank up the remaining wine in one go.

*Sigh* – Once he exhaled and put the cup back down, Raibach carried on as he made eye contact with Naga.

“I don’t plan on becoming a subordinate of the witches, but you. That is to say, Dragon King’s underling.”

“That would probably be the same. After all, I’ve befriended the witches, which makes me an enemy of humans. As expected, by becoming my underling, and therefore, an ally of the witches, you would turn humanity into your enemy?”

At Naga’s remark, Raibach shook his head from side to side composedly.

“No, it’s certainly not the same. At least, this is what I believe.”

A shade of confusion appeared on Naga’s face for the first time.

“……What do you mean?”

“Simply serving Dragon King doesn’t make me a subordinate of the witches. Even if I’m to work for them, in the end, it’s Dragon King who’s giving them orders. Now that I think about that, don’t I sound like making an excuse to myself?”

Haha – Hearing his words, Naga laughed.

“That’s indeed an unexpected quibble coming from you.”

“I don’t particularly mind, so it’s fine. Didn’t you say before that the end justifies the means?”

“Yeah, I think that’s what I said.”

“What’s more, there’s no reason for me to tell you a lie. Since my youth, I’ve been constantly serving in the army, so I’ve gained a mass of experience. Back then, I used to fight with the witches, but the majority of my battles were against other human soldiers.”

*Chuckle* – Raibach chuckled under his nose.

“Human have been killing each other in the name of god. Regardless of whether they were humans or the witches, I-, we, would continue to swing with swords, shoot arrows, kill our enemy, and die from their hands. There would be no time for us to ponder on things like who was our enemy or what was right in what we did. Just as being told, we would pick our weapons and fight for survival. That’s it. If you order me to pick a weapon and fight your enemy, then it’s no different from what I’ve been doing until now.”

As soon as he paused after speaking loudly in one breath, Raibach scratched his head as if feeling a bit shy.

“…..Guess I’ve made another excuse to myself.”

“You mean it?” – Naga, who replied, fixed his gaze upon Raibach.

Was it due to him being unable to endure the pressure coming from Naga’s sight? Raibach extended his hand and poured more red liquid into his cup.

The moment he brought the cup near to his mouth, Naga uttered with dignity.

“Fine, got it. I shall make you into my underling.”

Raibach’s face rose up energetically and looked as though brimming with expectations.

“For real?!”

“I’m not lying, but, let me ask you once again.”

Standing up while having a grave expression, Naga looked down at Raibach and said:
[[File:Naga03 Illus-07.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
“By becoming my underling you agree to fight against the humans til my vision of the new world is fulfilled. Perhaps, there will be another battle waiting after the previous one. You’re telling me you can continue to swing your sword at humans, right? And endure slanders such as being labeled as ‘god’s enemy’, right?”

“Y, Yes.”

“I’m going to tell you this, but, it’s not like I’ll always resort to this type of kindhearted fighting style, you see? This time, I only saved all of your comrades because I deemed it would serve a purpose in the future. On the other hand, if I consider killing them all to be more convenient, then I may not hold back, you know?”

At Naga’s sharp glint in his eyes and intimidating air overflowing from his body, Raibach felt an unintentional urge to move back while he was sitting. Nevertheless, he somehow endured that and strained his voice.

“Y….Yes, I don’t care about that.”

The fighting spirit dwelling inside of Naga suddenly disappeared.

“Understood. I’ll make you into my subordinate, therefore, work your fingers to the bone for my sake.”

After that, Naga gave a broad smile.

“That’s because I properly reward those who serve me.”

Naga was pleased. He hadn’t thought he would be able to make a subordinate this quick.

He, who possessed an eye for anticipating the future, had a premonition that his subordinates would become a breakthrough for realizing his plan.

Raibach faced toward the smiling Naga and bowed down instinctively.

“I, I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“If that’s settled, we shall let the witches now about you becoming my underling. Follow me.”

Being in good mood and in high spirits, Naga took Raibach along with him and left the room.

=== Part 17 ===

“Oi, Harrigan, there’s something I’d like to discuss with….”

Once Naga and Raibach stepped inside a large room where the merrymaking of the witches had been held, most of the witches were drunk and dancing while being naked.

“Eh?”

“Ah….”

As soon as the witches noticed Naga and Raibach, they ceased their dancing and singing, and a strange, or rather, ominous silence dominated in the room.

“Umm, we will be back later.”

“I, I guess it’s much better that way.”

Naga and Raibach turned right with stiff faces as they planned to leave at a quick pace. Despite that,

The moment they stepped out with one foot, their bodies turned instantly heavy, making them stumble.

“Uooooh?”

Raibach and Naga recovered back their weight immediately after falling on their knees.
They both tried to stand up hurriedly and break up, however, they couldn’t make it in time as the witches were already surrounding them.

“You have some guts to peek at us and think you can get away with that, don’t you, Naga?”

Harrigan, whose hair went around in circles, was nude.

“Geez, Naga-san, as expected, it should’ve been better to gouge out your eyes, right?”

Ais, who pushed out her hands, was naked as well.

“I think gouging out their eyes is too clement for them. It would be better for us if we cut off both their legs and arms so that they can’t peek again.”

The air surrounding Yuuki jumbled together and her 2 bundles of long hair fluttered. Obviously, she too was naked.

“I shall burn the-m. So that not a single trace of them remain-s.”

Lela, who held a charm in her hand, was nude as well.

“How about punching? Punching them to death? Until all their bones are completely broken? Haaaaa!”

Putting up her fist, which released its metallic gloss, Kay too was nude. Not just her fist but also her whole body – including her nipples as well – was radiating with a metallic luster. Should one describe that as strange or perhaps uncanny? Either way, it was a mysterious view.

“I think drowning them to death will be the most painful method.”

While expanding and contracting lumps of red liquid in the air – most likely grape wine – Nonoel approached in a staggering manner. She too was naked.

“Kukuku, so you wanted to see me naked that badly, Dragon King? If so, you should have come and made a request like a real man in front of me. To think you would peek on me sneakily like that, it’s indeed a disgrace even for someone known as the Dragon King.”

Placing her hand on her waist and bending her chest backward, Vita laughed while being naked like the rest.
Originally, if a girl was to bend backward, there would be clear unevenness protruding, however, in Vita’s case, none could be found.

The other witches, who looked much the same as the previous ones, or perhaps less, surrounded Naga and Raibach in multitude – although it wasn’t such a great number – while looking at them with an ominous light dwelling inside their eyes.

“Oi, you girls, come back to your senses! To begin with, I wasn’t the one to peek. It was you who showed me your appearance!”

Despite Naga criticizing and objecting, no truth nor justice would reach someone who was drunk.

“He’s making excuses, isn’t he?”

“He’s evading, right?”

“He’s trying to deceive us, right?”

“He’s turning on us, isn’t he?”

While shouting one by one, the witches rushed at Naga and Raibach.

The two of them tried to stand up, but nevertheless, they would quickly tumble back.

“Forget about what you saw here!”

“Forget it completely!”

“If you can’t do that, then die!”

The witches approached en masse and kicked the rolling Naga and Raibach using their feet.

For the time being, they both covered their heads with their hands, trying to protect themselves from a swarm of dispatched kicks. Thanks to that, they were able to keep their heads safe, however, the witches didn’t spare other parts of their body.

Naga somehow tried to stop them by looking up, but,

(Huh? T, This angle is?!)

“Wai, girls, this angle is no good! It’s no good awaawaaw!”

“Errrk! I’m going to be killed. Even though I went through the trouble of becoming the Dragon King’s subordinate, I’m going to be killed from being kiiicked.”

“Eh?”

At Raibach’s shriek, Harrigan ceased to move.

“Oi, everyone, wait.”

Harrigan, who calmed down the other witches, directed her question at Raibach.

“You, what just did you say just now?”

“N, No, that’s why I’m saying I’ve become the Dragon King’s subordinate….”

Curling up on the floor and holding his head in his hands, Raibach, who resisted the kicks, looked with a glimpse at Harrigan after which he hurriedly turned away his sight.

“What’s the meaning of that, Naga?”

“That’s why I’m telling you I have to let you know about that!”

Naga released his hands from his head and lifted his eyes toward the witches who were surrounding him.

“Speaking of which, I think I mentioned about this angle being honestly no good but, are you fine with that?”

Naga averted his eyes similarly to Raibach.

“…..Hmm?”

Harrigan, who looked down at them both, shifted her eyes a bit at her own body.
She was nude.
Completely nude.
So nude it was terrific.

In case of Raibach, it wasn’t half as bad, as he held down his head and averted his eyes, however, Naga was laying on the floor face up. Certainly, it was an angle which couldn’t be more dangerous.

“Whatttttt?!”

Rather than coming back to their senses, the witches who realized the situation they were put in forgot about their shame, and instead, were besides themselves with rage.

“Die Die Die!”

“Erase all the memory of what you saw and die!”

“Throw out all your brain tissues and die!”

*Dosu, kosu, doka, geshi*

A further and more harsh swarm of kicks were sent at Naga.

“Uwaa, you, wai, awwawawaww, I’ll die, I’ll seriously die!”

Twisting his body, Naga tried to escape, but, there was nowhere to run away as the witches surrounded them closely packed.

(This is bad; this is honestly bad. I’m seriously going to die from these kicks.)

Were he to oppose a drunkard who had lost any means of reasoning, Naga would most likely worsen his situation, but nonetheless, he had the feeling it was the only option for him to survive.

By the time Naga resolved himself and tried to move his hand,

“Wait a moment! He’s going to die! The Dragon King is really going to die! Are you fine with killing him like that?!”

Raibach, who shouted, covered Naga with his whole body as if trying to protect him.

“This person is your ally! The who who’s supposed to create your world!”

“Umm…”

With that, Harrigan and the rest stopped their kicking.

“Raibach, seems like you don’t understand what’s being talked about, do you?”

“That’s why, the Dragon King has been telling you that all the time.”

“It’s the first time I hear about what you say.”

“No, he has been telling you that countless of times for a while, you know?”

“You mean it? Then, I wonder if you can’t let us know.”

“B, Before that, could everyone please put something on? Otherwise, the talk won’t proceed.”

“A…Ah, that’s right. It’s just as you say.”

The witches who came to their senses a little pulled back their legs and turned around.

“By the way, you didn’t see it, right?”

Raibach waved his hands with all might and shook his head at his best after being stared by Harrigan.

“I didn’t, I didn’t.”

“If you had seen it, I thought about gouging out your eyeballs, dismembering your body after smashing all of its bones, and throwing it to wolves as a pet food, but—-”

“I didn’t see even a tiny little bit, so honestly, rest assured.”

“Then, I guess that’s fine. Still, what about you Naga?”

“No, I haven’t seen anything, so don’t worry.”

“I wonder who should be the one to say that.”

Despite her thinking that, Harrigan also thought her carelessness was partially responsible for what had happened, so she ceased any further inquiring.

“Ah… since we’ll be changing, go outside and wait.”

(Rather than changing, you should already be putting something on you!)

Naga wanted to retort that way, but he thought he would only annoy them at this late hour. Together with Raibach, he silently went outside to the hallway and waited for them to be called in.

=== Part 18 ===

After a while of waiting,

“You can come in.”

Being called out to, Naga and Raibach entered in once again.
Both of them could feel relieved as everyone was properly wearing their clothes.

(I’ve always thought their small clothes are as good as being naked, but, looking back at what happened, I can understand it’s far better for them to wear something.)

Naga exhaled a sigh of relief inside of him.

“Naga, come and sit here. Same goes for you, Raibach.”

Naga and Raibach sat down at prearranged seats near a wall after being urged by Harrigan.
As they leaned against the wall, the witches also sat down while surrounding the two in a half-circle.

“Then, what’s the meaning of him becoming your subordinate?”

Harrigan asked as if being eager.

Among the other witches, there were those who looked at Naga and Raibach curiously, those who looked strangely, others – doubtfully, and yet another – reproachfully. Besides them, witches who averted their eyes in shame were also present, however, those were a minority.

“Ah, that would be, you see—”

Naga revealed his exchange with Raibach, as well as the whole story behind him deciding to make Raibach into his underling.

“I knew you would later approve of the idea, but I deemed it was necessary to make the decision on the spot.”

“Hm, is that so?”

“I also had thought it would benefit you, which was the reason why I decided to do so, you see. That’s all I wanted to convey.”

“I guess you’re right. When it comes to establishing a world for both us and the humans, having allies is an indispensable thing.”

Saying that, Harrigan nodded in agreement.
Because the majority of the witches from the Heindler clan, such as Ais, Lela, Kay, and Nonoel, agreed too, nobody seemed to particularly complain or object. Except for one person.
Naturally, that person was Yuuki. She was the only one to stare blatantly and pretentiously at Naga and Raibach with a much displeased face

“Is there something you want to say, Yuuki? If so, say it now.”

“Not really. Isn’t it fine as long as Hari-nee approves of your decision?”

Should one say that Yuuki had become more mature too? She wasn’t the same blind and stubborn person, whom she was when they first met.

(If that’s true, then great. Still, I wonder.)

Not letting anyone else learn about his thoughts, Naga,

“Is that so? Sorry about that.”

He lowered his head.
And Raibach bowed down deeply as well.
Harrigan exchanged a somewhat warm look with Yuuki

“T, That’s why, you’re greatly mistaken if you think I’m glad of becoming that guy’s ally!”

Yuuki, who couldn’t bear that situation uttered those words with an abusive-like tone.

“Yuuki, you’re going too far with your words. Raibach is already…”

“Ah, that’s okay, Ane-san, I don’t mind about that.”

Since Raibach shook his head on sides, Harrigan held her tongue, but then, she immediately looked at him with doubtful eyes.

“By the way…. you’re calling me Ane-san? Do you think I’m older than you?”

“Ah, no, I’m sorry about that, Somehow, it feels like you’re giving off a strong appeal, so….”

“W, Well, I wonder if it’s fine to consider it that way.”

Harrigan coughed at once and stated.

“If it’s Naga’s decision, then I won’t be the one to judge. We shall approve you becoming Naga’s underling.”

“Thank you, Harrigan. Speaking of which,”

Naga moved his face toward Vita, who had been silent for a while.

“How about you, girls? Do you mind if that’s guy becomes my subordinate?”

“Well, I wonder about that.”

Raibach stirred his muscle uncomfortably as Vita threw a glance at him.

“After all, it’s what you’ve decided. I don’t plan to look for any excuse, and the same goes for my daughters.”

“You mean it? I appreciate that.”

However – Saying this, Vita threw a challenging look at Naga.

“But, provided that man betrays us, we won’t have any mercy on him, you know? If that happens, I shall make him so heavy that all the bones and joints in his body get smashed and his muscles get torn.”

“Rest assured. Not even I will forgive those who plan on becoming my ally just to betray me. Absolutely not. I’ll tear this guy apart even before Vita does.”

“Then, fine. I shall acknowledge this man as Dragon King’s underling. Are you okay with that, my daughters?”

One couldn’t tell whether their answers were optimistic or pessimistic, but, they all were of the same opinion.

“Excellent. From now on, Raibach is officially my subordinate. Since I am an ally of the witches, Raibach too has become one. Having this guy is truly delightful! Speaking of which, Harrigan. Now that you’ve acquired your first human ally, what’s your thoughts on that?”

“H…hm, that’s right.”

“If things go well like this, perhaps creating the world we wish for might be easier than what we had thought.”

Harrigan put a slightly wry smile on her face after listening to Naga’s words.

(There’s no way for it to be that simple. But, perhaps one should be more bold and optimistic when putting their life into something. Be that as it may, even if it’s just for giving my daughters more hope, should I accept his offer?)

Harrigan, who was thinking this, leaned her body forward and replied vigorously.

“True. For the sake of creating a new world, we have to rise and make more allies like Raibach. If we increase them one by one like this, then establishing a new country of the witches isn’t that far from being realized.”

“Agreed. Well then, now that Raibach has become my underling, let’s celebrate! Let’s celebrate a new chapter in your future! Drink, sing, get undressed, and dance!”

“Ohh, that’s right. Let’s become lively at onc…Wha? No no no, wait wait! Why are you bringing that topic back up?!”

“E, Eh? Am I wrong?”

“You are! If you want to get undressed and dance that badly, then do it together with Raibach!”

At Harrigan’s retort, sounds of whistles and jeering came from the direction of other witches.

“No, even if I was to dance naked with this guy, I won’t enjoy it at all, you know?”

“This is what I’m trying to tell you.”

“That’s why, we will no longer undress. And even if we decide to, we’ll smash your eyes before doing so.”

“Ah, shall I smash them? I, can do it, completely.”

“Because Ais extended her hands and stepped forward, Naga fervently waved both his hands in front of him.

“No no, I won’t do that, so don’t worry. Even if you girls were to denote your intention of doing so, I and Raibach will leave the place straight away.”

“Huh…..? That’s so boringg.”

Ais, who moved both her thumbs in the air, in a manner of squeezing something, looked to be much unsatisfied.

“No no, don’t say it like you’re regretting not being able to smash my eyes. More importantly, you too shouldn’t drink any more than that, right? Right, Ais?”

“What are you talking about? I’m not drinking at all?”

Ais stared at Naga.

Naga turned his sight at Harrigan as if seeking for a help; nonetheless, he was flatly refused by her.

“You should be okay as long you don’t come near Ais.”

(No, rather than that, it’s more troublesome to have her approach me while being drunk.)

Naga looked around him for help, but, nobody would lend him a hand. Rather, nobody wanted to end up like him.

“Ah… well, I think I’ll go and stay in my room silently.”

“I too will keep you a company.”

In the end, not being able to participate in the banquet or watch the witches dancing and singing, the two of them ate and drank obediently inside their room.

=== Part 19 ===

Like that, Naga acquired his new subordinate, Raibach.
In other words, he was the first ever human ally of the witches, who had been repeatedly opposing humans for 2-300 years of both their history. Nevertheless, lots of the witches were still unaware of that, or couldn’t understand it yet.
On the other hand, Naga knew, as well as Raibach himself, that Raibach had become an existence that would become a breakthrough, or rather, a bridgehead, for establishing a new world where both the witches and humans can live together.

(The biggest spoil of this battle isn’t Ein Fort but this man. This guy is also a tremendously big asset for the witches.)

Naga believed this to be true.

<noinclude>
==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 4

2017-02-16T17:36:40Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 3 */

==Chapter 4: The Greatest War Trophy==

=== Part 1 ===

Naga, Harrigan, and Vita held a great number of tactical meetings during their preparatory work. Vita would frequently visit the fort of Harrigan & Co. while giving instructions to her daughters. However, since she was always being carried through Eliushune’s positioned mantle, Vita’s migration from one place to another wasn’t a big hassle. It didn’t seem to require either too much time or effort. Harrigan assigned a single room in the residential building for Vita and Eliushune’s personal use. Therefore, both the witches could use it as they wished.

“I’ll kill you if you dare to peek inside the room, got it?”

Naga received such a threat from Vita.

“Like I would?!”

Naga retorted as he didn’t plan to do so from the beginning.
For instance, knowing that the room would shine with a light every time Vita and Eliushune arrived, wouldn’t he wonder whether or not their arrival was successful?

=== Part 2 ===

A single room assigned by Harrigan.

It was just about the time when Eliushune materialized herself from a mantle spread on the wooden floored room. The mantle began to coil around Eliushune as she was putting out her hands from the seams of it. Eiushune’s body that stuck out from the gaps was naked. Or at least, it looked like her bottom had no clothes on. Then, beneath her feet, the similarly nude Vita was crawling out. Unlike Eliushune, she was, without doubt, completely naked. No matter how one judged it, Vita looked like barely 10 years old, flat-chested girl from head to toe. After being told she was much older than Harrigan, one could only be filled with awe.

“Eliu, you rascal. Your magic is convenient, but at the same time, it’s not. That’s because I’ve got to get naked every time we teleport using that mantle.”

While expressing her complaint, the totally naked Vita moved her upper body in every direction, trying to recover its lost sensations.

“Please don’t complain, Mother. Since I was able to reduce the excess of inconvenience so as to make up for it, shouldn’t it be fine? To begin with, there’s no magic that’s invincible or almighty in this world, right?”

“Hmm, that’s something I know even without you telling me, you rascal.”

Walking on the wooden floor while pressing her feet repeatedly against it, the completely nude Vita opened the lid of a chest placed in one corner of the room and took out prearranged clothes from inside.

Holding a set of them, she pushed them out to Eliushune.
[[File:Naga03 Illus-05.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
“Hey, put them on me.”

“Yes, right away.”

As soon as Eliushune drew near, she helped Vita dress.
The prearranged pair of clothes were identical to those she normally wore. They covered little skin and had small notches that created a fluttering pattern. However, Vita’s headgear, which she had put on last, was a bit different from her usual one.

“No matter how powerful our magic is, it’s neither invincible nor almighty. That’s the main reason why we, the witches, have a hard time during battles.”

“That’s true. Once the humans charge at us with their wave tactics, it’s next to impossible for us to win against their armies.”

“Still, if we can capitalize on each individual’s magic and put them together, there’s a winning chance for us even against large human forces. I’ve always thought that way, and surprisingly, my belief was proven during the previous battle at the Schwein River. That’s why I took an interest in the Dragon King. It may be possible that that man’s presence will bring together the long since scattered witches.”

Eliushune, who finished changing Vita’s clothes, looked up at her mother.

“Is that…. so?”

“It can’t be said for certain, but it’s definitely hard for the witches to stand at the summit as they are, and even more for a human. However, he is neither a witch nor a human. He’s the rumored Dragon King who fell from another world. If that’s true, perhaps those highly proud witches would also acknowledge him as someone who stands above them? Actually, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Harrigan & the rest are already under that guy’s command.”

“Indeed, it seems to be so. That being the case, could it be that Mother feels inclined to fight alongside the Dragon King as the supreme commander against the humans?”

Saying that, Eliushune began to move her hands again.

“It may be that I’m also curious about fighting humans, but the fact that that guy’s presence could muster the famous witch clans is what really caught my interest. Provided the witches band together and work as one, taking on an army of 1000 or 2000 people will become easy enough. Even so, that alone is one of the biggest hurdles.”

“Exactly. It’s said it has already been more than several hundred years since the country of the witches collapsed. Throughout that time, nobody has managed to reunite the witches, right?”

“Perhaps, that Dragon King will become the key to our breakthrough. What’s more—”

While getting dressed, Vita smiled with satisfaction.

“Right now, he’s acting together with Harrigan’s clan, but it should be fine even if we strip them of the Dragon King and tempt him to join us. Assuming that happens, wouldn’t it be possible for him to become our King at the time the new world is established?”

“Wow, Mother, those are indeed words worthy of a scoundrel, aren’t they?”

Vita threw a glance at Eliushune.

“Ah, no, whether Mother becomes a scoundrel or a cowardly person, we are prepared to follow you til the end, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Being followed til the end by a simpleton like you is what I’m most anxious about, you see.”

“T…That’s mean.”

Eliushune warped her face tremendously.

“Well then, this much should do.”

'Still' – Vita, who finished changing her clothes, said so while looking frequently at her daughter.

“That man, what is the Dragon King going to say once he finds out we are naked under your mantle?”

“Eh? Ah, I, I wonder about that. Perhaps, he will insist that we show him the inside of the mantle.”

“Moreover, he might insist on teleporting with us upon learning about us becoming naked.”

“Aghh, it would be a disgusting offer, wouldn’t it? Still, it looks to be something that man is be capable of, I guess.”

*Fu* – Vita slightly laughed

“When that happens, teleport together with the Dragon King and show him the might of your power.”

Eliushune warped her face and recoiled in aversion.

“Eeeeeeh? Things like taking along a naked man, I won’t agree to that. Wouldn’t I show him my naked body before even being able to show him my magic?”

“You too will be able to see him naked, so there should be mutual gains for both sides. No, since the two of you will cuddle to each other when teleporting, rather than just seeing each other, you will also be able to feel each other’s skin. Aren’t you glad?”

“Not at all!”

“Kukuu. Well, I was just kidding, you see. Then, shall we go? The Dragon King-dono is probably waiting for us.”

=== Part 3 ===

“Achooo”

“What’s the matter, Naga? Did you catch a cold?”

“No… can you really say it’s due to chills? Somehow, I’ve got an incredibly bad feeling about something, but….”

Naga looked around the room, but nevertheless, there was nothing particularly distinctive. Because a meeting regarding the assessment of their forces was about to begin, almost everyone involved had gathered.

“Vita and Eliushune are still absent, right?”

As soon as Naga muttered, Harrigan responded.

“It appears they have just recently arrived, so they should probably show up soon.”

Following her words, Vita and Eliushune appeared shortly thereafter inside the room where everyone had gathered. Naga was a bit worried about other witches directing their rude gazes at the two of them, but it wasn’t the right time for prying into that matter Once Naga waited for Vita and Eliushune to reach their seats, he began the meeting.

“Excellent. Since everyone has gathered, let’s start the assessment.”

=== Part 4 ===

“Well then, I think we are finally close to deciding on everyone’s deployments today.”

Saying so, Naga looked around to the faces of all present witches.

The ones who were present on Harrigan’s side were Harrigan herself, Ais, Lela, Kay, Nonoel, and Yuuki.

Whereas Vita’s side included herself, Elysione, and three witches named Lilly, Dora, and Samplotte. However, unlike the first two, the other three had run through the forest instead of moving through the mantle.

The witch whose name was Samplotte didn’t reach Elysione’s height, but she was also tall and strongly built.
On the other hand, the one called Lilly had a physique no different from a child, and her face also left an impression of her being innocent.
One more person, named Dora, had womanly features appearing throughout her large body, which gave her a bewitching aura.
Combining all of them, the 10 witches, together with Naga, sat on folding chairs while forming a circle.
Naga pushed out a map lying on the floor in front of everyone. It was a map of the Schweiz River area that had become the battlefield during their last battle.

“A single troop from Kasandora Kingdom’s army has been assigned to watch over the place near the crossing of the river. According to Raibach, they are a company under his direction that consists of 100 soldiers. There doesn’t seem to be any major change among them since their captain was kidnapped by the witches, I guess. Perhaps, their vice-captain picked up the leadership of the company. Even though their captain is missing, there’s no sign of them receiving reinforcements.”

As he said so, Naga put a wry smile on his face.

“It looks like Kasandora Kingdom doesn’t care about its captain’s fate, and continues to maintain its status quo…… right? After all, this troop is just disposable. Despite that, it will be troublesome to have them stationed at the riverbank.”

Using his index finger, Naga specified a point on the map.

“First, we should consider what to do with this troop, but…”

“Since there’s only a hundred of them, how about we take a detour?”

Vita asked.

“True. It should be fine for us to cross even without having to face them directly.”

Saying that, Samplotte expressed her opinion.

“I too think so, but Naga, isn’t it just you who see them as a problem?”

Once Harrigan stated her consent, Naga nodded in agreement.

“If possible, I’d like to have this troop escape.”

“I see, I see. So Dragon King wants to make sure that this troop doesn’t flank us when we are in the middle of capturing Fort Ein, right?”

“That’s what I mean. I don’t want to kill them due to my fundamental policy, so it should do as long as we cripple them as a troop by making them run away. Even if some of them were to return, they wouldn’t dare to threaten our back upon seeing the witches capturing the fort.”

“I see. That’s indeed a kind of story one would imagine seeing. Still, aren’t you pretty used to wars?”

Indeed, it may appear so – Naga nodded in agreement as soon as Vita asked him with a face filled with admiration.

“That’s because my thoughts will naturally gush out whenever it comes to things like this. However, since I’ve no memories, I can’t tell exactly what kind of experience I had back then, you see.”

“Shouldn’t it be more reasonable for you not to know how to fight? Just how deeply is your world stained with war?”

Vita’s expression turned into an astonished one.

“Well, I wonder about that.”

As if mocking himself, Naga wore a smile that gave a somewhat gruesome impression.

“Certainly, it feels like the world where I used to live had endless wars, but…. well, isn’t that fine? More importantly, let’s focus on our talk.”

“That’s right. We don’t have much spare time, so we better sort things out and start making the necessary preparations. Otherwise, it won’t do, you see.”

Vita nodded.

“Then, in order to scatter the troop that guards the river here, I’d like us to form a group for long-range attacking; still….”

Naga, who pointed once more on the map, lifted up his head and looked at Ais.

“Since this will become essential for us when capturing the fort, let me ask you something, Ais. How far can you throw using cobbles?”

“Cob, bles?”

“Were they called cobbles, or maybe, pebbles? I mean those hand-sized stones.”

Ais showed an attitude of pondering for a short while.

“Right. I think it would be around 11-13.5 meters under normal circumstances, and around 270 meters with my strengthened body, but…”

Naga measured the distance with his own senses.

“…..Wha, 270 meters?! You are able to throw them that far?!”

270 meters is certainly a long distance.

“Yes, if it’s a hand-sized stone, then most likely.”

(Even if they’re just stones, it does indeed require a terrific strength to be able to throw them such a distance. I should expect no less from a human battering ram, or perhaps, a human cannon…..hm? Cannon….Gun…..)

“Is there something you want to say, Naga-san?”

“Ah?”

Raising up his head, Naga’s sight met Ais, who looked at him with a smiling face. Despite that, her eyes didn’t smile at all, which was frightening.

Naga hurriedly waved with his hands in front him.

“No. No no, there’s nothing.”

“Is that so? I guess that’s fine, but…”

“If you are able to throw that far, can I have you become the core of the long-range assault against the troop guarding on the other side of the river?”

Paying attention so as not to meet with her eyes, Naga pointed at the river on the map.

Lela, who held a brush, wrote in Ais’ name near the river.

“And then…. Lela.”

“Wh-at?”

Lifting up her face, Lela directed her sight at him.

“How far can you launch those fireballs using your magic?”

“As one would expect, it will be hard for me to deal with that distan-ce. Nevertheless, Provided Yuuki carries my charms, it should be possible for them to be dropped onto the enemy’s hea-ds.”

Lela, who replied like that, shifted her gaze at Yuuki.

“I’m fine with that, but, if that happens, wouldn’t Lela’s charms burn down the enemy, were they to touch them?”

(No, you’d most likely be content with that.)

Naga wanted to retort that way, however, he refrained from doing so as it would worsen the situation.

“I’d appreciate it if you could do your best so as not to let the charms come into contact with them.”

Is where Naga stopped his comment at.

On the other hand, Yuuki puffed her cheeks in displeasure.

“Because they will be dropped from above, such a detailed stunt is next to impossible, right?”

“Since the charms are just supposed to fall and burn, it will take a while for them to descend complete-ly. The enemy soldiers should be able to avoid them in ti-me.”

Lela gave him a hand as a last resort.

“Is that so? Indeed, if that’s the case, there’s no need for us to worry much about that matter.”

Nodding down at once, Naga turned around to Yuuki and lightly bowed down at her.

“Anyway, I’m relying on you, Yuuki.”

“Uh….Geez, I got it. I’ll do it properly.”

“With that, Lela and Yuuki will participate as a single gro-up.”

Lela, who casted down her eyes, added her own and Yuuki’s name on the map.

“Is, there anyone else here who can carry a long-range attack?”

As he questioned Harrigan, she crossed her arms while slightly grumbling.

“Umu. As expected, it’s indeed difficult when it comes to an attack that covers a range of as much as 270 meters.”

Following that, she looked in Vita’s direction.

“How about your side?”

“I guess you’re right. A long-range attack like that is quite a tough task, but, with Elysione here, stabbing an enemy’s back would be simple, wouldn’t it?”

Naga moved his eyes toward Elysione.

She was dressed in her mantle even when sitting on a folding stool. Naga became curious about what kind of attire she was wearing under that mantle of hers.

(To begin with, since the witches from Sraymeyer are supposed to wear thin clothes with lots of exposure, just like Harrigan and the rest, perhaps Elysione has such garments as well.)

Elysione, who was unaware of Naga’s thoughts, nodded with a serious face.

“So long as I can place my mantle in advance, it’s perfectly fine. Assuming we lay a mantle on the other side of the river under cover of night and choose the right time to fly at our own discretion, it will look as though we are suddenly ambushing the enemy.”

“Despite saying so, you can only carry one person with you each time, right?”

“True. What’s more, there’s also the problem of appearance when transporting a person, but if that part is arranged beforehand as well, it should probably be fine.” (?)

“What’s…..the meaning of that?”

Is it okay for me to explain? – Elysione looked at Vita as if asking for her permission.

“It can’t be helped.”

Once she heard Vita’s reply, Elysione made a mild cough.

“In other words, you see, I can only fly through the mantle with my body. That’s to say, I can’t fly through it if I’m wearing clothes.”

“Wha….t?”

Naga run his eyes over Elysione’s whole body.

“Then does it mean, you’re, not wearing anything under your mantle?”

“Yes, when it’s not winter, I’m basically nude”

“Oi oi, why didn’t you tell me such an important thing sooner?”

Naga smacked his lips slightly and repeatedly.

“Had you told me about it sooner, I would’ve come and worshipped you every time you arrived….. No, rather than that, won’t you fly into my arm…..”

*Chop!*

*Whack!*

Such sounds bursted forth as Naga’s head was hit from behind by Harrigan’s solid hair and chopped on his forehead by Ais’ karate chop at the same time.

“Awwwwwwwwwwwww!”

Holding the back of his head with his right hand and his forehead with his left hand, Naga tumbled on top of the floor.

Haa – Lela exhaled a sigh.

Aren’t you an idiot? – Yuuki threw out such words.

Whereas, Kay cackled with her raised up voice.

Vita’s side watched Naga with dumbfounded faces. Naturally, only Vita herself and Elysione nodded in agreement with a face indicating this was a natural course of action.

“I was just joking. Don’t hit me like that while taking my jokes seriously, geez.”

Naga, who had teary eyes, said so while objecting to Harrigan and Ais.

“It didn’t look like your expression was telling us so?”

“On the contrary, it was incredibly serious?”

“You girls are….”

*snap* – While stroking the back of his head using his right hand, Naga pointed at them with his left hand’s index finger.

“Saying such an irresponsible thing, what will you do if a rumor spreads out inside Vita’s clan?!”

“Because it’s more truth than rumor, it can’t be helped?”

“Indeed, it can’t be helped.”

“Good grief. Those girls are seriously…”

Naga grabbed his head.

“Dragon King. We understand very well you’re a genuine pervert. More importantly, shouldn’t we continue this urgent strategy meeting?”

*snap* – Naga immediately snapped once more time and pointed at Vita.

“Don’t understand! And by the way, it’s a misunderstanding!”

“You mean it? If it’s a misunderstanding, then good. Leaving that aside, aren’t we going to finish this talk quickly? After all, we didn’t come here to fool around.”

“Ah, sorry that.”

Naga, who regained his composure, pressed his hand against the map and resumed their previous talk.

“Ummm, in addition to Ais who’s the part of the long-range assault group, Lela and Yuuki will join up. Other than that, we are going to capitalize on Elysione’s ability of instant travel, send in someone to the other side of the river, and have that person take the enemy from behind. Whom should we appoint for that task….?”
“Ummm…”

Nonoel lifted up her hand with restraint.

“What, Nonoel?”

“If we assault the enemy from behind, won’t they get the wrong idea of being surrounded by their enemy, thus resorting to desperate actions?”

That’s right – Naga once again casted down his eyes on the map while slightly groaning.

“Certainly, I can’t rule out that possibility. If by any chance a part of the enemy tries to break through in that state, they might happen to rush toward Elysione and the rest.”

As Naga was pondering, Vita intercepted.

“If it’s Elysione, she can take on 10, 20 people with no bigger problem. However, were that to happen, it would result in a battle no matter what, and eventually lead to casualties among the enemy soldiers.”

“I guess you’re right. Then, is it a bad idea to attack the enemy from behind?”

“Naga-san, how about me hiding inside the river water like previously?”

Naga looked at Nonoel with a surprised expression.

“Ah? Ahh, is that so?”

“I’ll enter the river from upstream, swim down it to the actual place, and wait on standby. Once Ais and the rest start their assault, I’ll threaten the enemy with my water magic. Firing some water spears should be enough to drive them away, I think, but…”

“I see. Using that method, even those trying to hold their ground will be scared off. That’s a good guarantee.”

Rather than just having his subordinates follow his orders, Naga appreciated those who could think and devise a plan on their own. That’s why, he greatly welcomed such a proposition.

Naga faced Nonoel and gave her the thumbs up.

“You came up with a great idea, Nonoel.”

Nonoel scratched her head while making an embarrassed grin.

“I, It isn’t a big deal, still….it’s somewhat of a deal.”

“She’s casually boasting of herself?!”

Both Kay and Yuuki bent a little backwards.
On the other hand, Naga’s expression turned a bit serious, as if being concerned by something.

“Surely, it’s a great idea, but Nonoel, aren’t you afraid of being spotted? If you were to be discovered, they would most likely attack you.”

“As long as I’m under the river, I can make myself hardly noticeable to the outside thanks to my magic. And once Ais and the rest commence their attacks, I don’t think the enemy will even consider watching over the river.”

“So you’re going to be all right? Then, let it be.”

Naga pointed at a single point of the Schweiz River on the map.

“I guess, Nonoel will station here.”

Lela wrote in Nonoel’s name on the map.

“In case the enemy doesn’t escape, it should be totally fine to pull a trick by showing them how numerous we are, but…”

Saying that, Naga turned his eyes in Harrigan and Vita’s direction.

“That much should probably do.”

“Umu, I see no problem.”

“If they do, we will just stick to our plan. What’s left to do are small and detailed matters, such as the deployment of the witches and things that we need to prepare.”

Like that, Naga and the witches concluded the preparatory meeting and tied up the last details of their strategy for capturing Ein fort.

=== Part 5 ===

The next day, both the Heindler and Sraymeyer clans advanced with their preparations.

And then, 10 days later.

The day for capturing the fort had finally arrived.

Ais, Kay, Naga, and Raibach approached near the right riverbank.

Even though the chance for the enemy to launch their arrows was slim, Kay, who took charge of protecting the others, was prepared for that instance.

Since Raibach wore a mantle and covered his face with a cloth, the enemy soldiers would perhaps not recognize him.

The reason why Raibach went to the frontline was due to him wanting to make sure of his troop.

“Going to the frontline carries a risk, you know.”

Naga stopped at this single warning, but nevertheless, Raibach doggedly opposed.

“No, you are going there as well, aren’t you? If so, it shouldn’t be that dangerous.”

“That’s because there are witches who will protect me. Still, in your case, they might not have enough hands, you see.”

“Well, when that comes, I’ll somehow manage it by myself.”

“If you’re fine with that, then I shall bring you with me. I do understand your feeling of wanting to see your subordinates safe.”

Like that, Naga brought Raibach with him after exchanging such a conversation.
Raibach’s sense of responsibility strengthened Naga’s belief about him being able to place his trust in Raibach.

A little distance behind Naga and Ais, there were Lela, Harrigan, and Vita waiting.
Just now, Yuuki who received Lela’s charms soared into the sky on her board.
Noticing a witch drawing near, the enemy troop that was guarding on the other side of the river started to make an uproar.

Naga, Ais, Kay, and Raibach, who were carrying baskets on their back put them down on the ground.
The inside of the baskets were overflowing with cobble.
A part of the troop, which noticed the quickest, climbed up the embankment and began shooting arrows. Nonetheless, due to a great distance separating both sides, the arrows would eventually land quite far in front of Naga and the rest.
Naga, who deemed they couldn’t be threatened by the enemy’s arrows, ordered his side to attack.

“Excellent, do it, Ais!”

Holding a cobble in her right hand, Ais raised her left leg overhead and bent her right arm.

Adding to her raised left leg, Ais’ right arm swung sharply forward together with her body.

Gohyuuu. – The cobble continued to fly with a sound tearing through the air.

Leaving a small gap, the cobble splashed on the surface near the opposite shore.
Ais, who finished the throw, regained her posture and measured the landing distance.

“Hm, I think just a little more.”

Muttering that, she grabbed another cobble

Byufuuu.

Again, the sound of tearing the air reverberated.
This time, a single cloud of dust appeared on the slope of the embankment.

“Ohhhh, Ais, that was a splendid throw.”

Soon after Naga raised an astonished voice, Kay clapped her hands.

“The enemy, they look surprised, surprised!”

“Ais, continue your throws just like that. If possible, aim for spots which are less crowded by soldiers.”

“Yes, I got that, but, it’s not achievable for me to aim without hitting any soldier, you know?”

“It can’t be helped, right? Raibach too, would probably not wish for that to happen.”

Ais took a short glimpse at Raibach’s direction.

“It should be enough as long you’re considerate.”

Hearing his reply, Ais felt relieved and picked up another cobble.

“Then, I shall continue.”

The cobbles continued to cut through the air with no intervals.

Paa, Paa, Paa – clouds of dust rose up here and there.

Even from this great distance, one could understand that the soldiers began to panic.
Since the cobble flew and sunk with a terrific power into the slope’s surface, it was guaranteed that the soldiers would consider them a life-threatening danger, were they to hit.

Should they fight back? Perhaps, with their arrows not reaching their target, it should better for them to escape? The soldiers loitered around, being unable to reach a conclusion. At that time, Yuuki, who took a detour, drew near with her hoverboard above their heads.
Noticing her charms being scattered by Yuuki, Lela began to cast a chant.
Following that, the charms began to flare up at once in the air.

Yuuki left the scene at full speed.
Looking up at a bunch of flames floating down from the air, the soldiers began to scream loudly.
Meanwhile, clouds of dust continued to appear on the slope’s surface.
Just when the enemy soldiers broke up in confusion, a large wave built up on the surface of the river.
Its height exceeded more than 3 meters. Despite its size being unusual, what was strange about the wave was that it elevated on the spot, instead of battering the shore. The large wave looked as though it was the neck of a water dragon that emerged from the water. As the neck started to move left and right in a manner if searching for its prey, the enemy soldiers were no longer able to endure. They threw away their bows and dodged each other while aiming for the opposite side of the embankment.

Immediately after that, the top of the embankment became clear of any soldier.

“Ais, just to make sure, I’d like you to make the cobble reach a bit further, near the other side of the embankment.”

Naga, Ais, Kay, and Raibach who were carrying the baskets on their backs covered a distance of more than 54 meters, after which they put down their baskets again.
Once more, Ais began to throw with the cobble.
No clouds of dust could be seen as the bank intercepted their view, however, it was certain, the cobble reached beyond the bank. Provided there were still some soldiers left, they would probably not wish to stay there any longer.

As the four of them continued to progress, the group that waited behind them moved too.
With his doubt of any possible arrow attack being cleared away, Naga summoned Selena and made her check the other side of the shore using her magic- Heaven’s Eye(?).

“It’s safe. At least, there’s no sign of enemy soldiers near the left bank.”

Excellent! – Naga clapped his hands after hearing her response.

“It’s just how I imagined. With this, a part of the guarding troop will run back to Ein Fort and inform their comrades about an attack coming from the witches. Ais, you can stop throwing cobble now.”

Being called out by Naga, Ais released the cobble in her hand and took a deep breath.

“As one would expect, even throwing constantly with all of your strength will make you a bit exhausted, won’t it?”

(Firing cobble in rapid succession at more than 270 meters, you call that a bit?)

“Is something wrong?”

“No, I just wanted to say ‘good work’.”

“I’m glad I was able to fulfill my duty.”

Ais made a pleasant smile.

Just then, Yuuki returned on her hoverboard.

“Yuuki!”

“What?”

“We’re going to cross the river. We can confirm the situation using Selena’s Heaven’s Eye, but just to be on the safe side, can you go ahead and check the opposite bank for us?”

“Well, if I’m told to do something, then I’ll do it.”

Once she stated so while hovering a little over a meter above the ground, Naga suddenly bowed down.

“I beg you, please do it.”

“Whaaa?!”

Yuuki, who bent backwards, nearly fell off from her board.

“You’re gross, so stop it! Speaking of which, don’t surprise people like that! What will you do if someone falls off because of that?!”

“No, no matter how you look at it, I can’t think of anyone dying from that height. To begin with, I only lowered my back and made a kind request. To think you would be startled by something like this, just what’s wrong?”

“I’m saying that such an attitude, doesn’t suit you.”

Saying that over her shoulder, Yuuki rose up and left on her board.
Naga, who smiled wryly, called out to Ais, Kay, and Selena.

“Let’s move to the other side.”

Naga & Co. progressed to the right bank while paying attention to their surroundings.
Immediately after, Harrigan and the others followed.

A group consisting of Naga and more than 10 witches linked up with Nonoel, who was waiting inside the river, and quickly proceeded to the left bank on the other side.
Nobody from the witches had received a single scratch, and no fallen soldiers were found.

One could say that Naga’s plan of capturing the fort without yielding any casualty was going smoothly.

=== Part 7 ===

The capture of Ein Fort was within hailing distance.
During that time, the soldiers who escaped back to the fort relayed the information about their patrol troop being scattered by the witches and about the enemy’s probable attempt of crossing over the river. Upon learning about that, the guards of Ein Fort partially fell into panic, however, not even Naga could have foreseen that far. Despite saying so, Selena was able to confirm some of the guards located at a watchtower becoming restless.

(Looks like we won’t have to seize all the enemy soldiers. Even apprehending half of them should probably be enough to make the rest run away on their own.)

Is what Naga thought.

Just as he predicted, they managed to clear out the north side of the fort.
So as to inform other companions about this part being clear, as well as to show off to their enemy, Naga and the rest hoisted a blatant flag that was prepared beforehand.
The flag had a pattern drawn on it that was once used for the united kingdom of the witches.
With the flag depicting the forces of the witches being supposedly visible, there’s no doubt about their enemy considering that as a deployment of the witches.

(The strategy this time is especially difficult, isn’t it? Still, the wind is already blowing in our favor. I see no other option than to attack the fort and take it down just as we planned. Yet if a problem arises, will we be able to seize the fort without producing any sacrifice? I guess this is what worries me the most.)

Naga and the rest of the witches took their posts and waited for the right chance.

=== Part 8 ===

Ais launched her attack of cobble throwing, whereas Yuuki carried Lela’s charms on her hoverboard atop Ein fort.
As they were attracting the guards’ attention, Kay, who used that momentum to solidify her body, run up to the fort’s walls while wearing a mantle and holding a shield for protecting against arrows.
The reason why Kay held the shield even though she could reach the place without getting harmed was so as to keep the arrows away from Elysione, who would be defenseless while she was coming out of the mantle. Nevertheless, it was a needless worry as the enemy soldiers came off the fort’s watchtower without trying to shoot down the running Kay, and escaped inside. There was also a chance that most of those soldiers left the fort behind.

“That’s, a big letdown, isn’t it?”

Muttering those words, Kay put down the shield and spread out the mantle she was entrusted with by Elysione on the ground.
The location of that was right at the bottom middle of the wall near the east side of the fort.
Kay, who stood up, raised her shield overhead just to ensure there was no attack coming.
Following that, the top of Elysione’s head, which stuck out from a hole, began to rise gradually.

“Yuck! It really looks like as though you’re welling up. Indeed, an obscene magic.”

Because Elysione, whose face was half submerged, gazed at Kay with a glaring look, the latter averted her eyes hurriedly.
Taking the opportunity of that, Kay looked around.

As one would expect, there was not a single sign of the enemy in the surroundings.

(Should you say it’s a letdown or no response coming from the enemy? Well, still, they were done in by us previously, so perhaps, this is just bound to happen. I see, this is what Naga-san meant by saying ‘The wind is already blowing in our favor. Capturing the fort might turn out unexpectedly quick’. At first, I was only half-convinced about that, but, seeing how smoothly this plan is going, it appears that person was right.)

Kay had been taught that the result of a battle didn’t just amount to the battlefield. Depending on the winning side and losing side, further battles would be affected as well.

At the time Kay was looking aside, Elysione continued to rise up little by little from the inside of her mantle.
Finally, once the top of her head reached higher than Kay’s, she stopped ascending. In other words, Elysione’s body fully appeared from the inside of the mantle. That being said, Vita’s appearance also emerged from the inside.

*thud* – While Kay was putting herself on guard, a shock ran through her body.

“…! So heavyy.”

Kay, who threw away her shield tried to keep the balance of her several times heavier body by putting more strength into her feet. however, being unable to stand firmly, she kneeled down on one knee.

What came next were voices of screaming and anger heard from the guards, from the fort’s interior. Nevertheless, they quickly turned into sounds of groaning.

“Even though we made thorough preparations, it’s still messy like this? Still, there’s no doubt… about the soldiers inside being….. unable to move.”

In fact, it happened just like that.
As soon as Yuuki watched from the above of the fort, she noticed every single soldier lying on the ground. Some of them were crawling, others – lying on their belly, and yet, other ones – lying face up.

One could see them struggling while trying to move their bodies, but nonetheless, far from being able to stand up, the soldiers had a hard time even crawling.

Yuuki clapped her hands and laughed without realizing it.

“Somehow, it looks like birds being trapped in birdlime.”

As far as she could see from above, there were no soldiers standing and moving.

“Well then, eat this!”

Rapidly descending down on her board, Yuuki tossed something above the heads of the soldiers who were lying in a crowd.
The thing she had released spread out in the air and continued to fall on top of the soldiers.

“Uwaa, what’s this?!”

“A, a net?”

What spread out greatly from overhead was a solidly knitted net.
Crawling on all fours while desperately fighting against their weight, the soldiers could neither ward off or pass through the net. Even if they tried to crawl out from under it, the net would just wind together.

Yuuki moved to the next spot and released another net in the same manner

With the number of enemy entwined in nets increasing, the open space in the fort’s interior became buried with soldiers that were unable to move. the situation looked as though miserable fishes were caught in a big haul and pulled up on land.

Yuuki flew out of the fort and returned back to others, who were waiting upon outside the range of Vita’s magic. There, she picked up Nonoel and hovered again.

“Two people riding is surely quite the load. It makes my control of wind more complicated, and thus, harder to launch the hoverboard.”

As she complained while desperately trying to operate the hoverboard, Nonoel, who was holding onto Yuuki’s waist, apologized.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s not that bad since you’re quite light. Were it to be Ais, it would be much more troublesome. I would probably be unable to hov…..”

Kooo!

The board swayed from a shock caused by something passing next to them with a frightening power.

“Eeeekk?”

Yuuki, who somehow managed to keep the balance of the board, raised up her eyes and looked around, after which, she noticed Ais’ appearance entering her view. Ais, who had just finished her throw, regained her posture.

“Wait, Ais, what are you doing?! If I get hit with a cobble, won’t my hoverboard turn into dust and splinters?!”

Yuuki let her voice as if objecting.

“Yuuki, Nonoel, do your best, okay?!”

With a smile on her face, she waved her left hand. However, Nonoel couldn’t overlook another cobble in Ais’ right hand.

Nonoel who broke into a cold sweat tapped Yuuki’s back.

“Y, Yuuki, escape fas….no, let’s fly over the, fort and finish our task.”

“R, Right!”

Yuuki controlled the unsteady board and moved back above the fort.
Nonoel, who looked down at the scene below, raised her voice in admiration.

“Uwaa, Vita-san’s magic is, amazing, isn’t it?”

The top of the ground was full of soldiers putting up a resistance and struggling in vain, trying to move themselves hopelessly, despite being entwined in nets.

“Don’t just admire, quickly do what you’re supposed to! I have a hard time controlling this board with the two of us!”

“Ah, understood. I’ll do it right away.”

As Nonoel was forming an incantation, moisture started to gather in the air.
And a rain fell constantly without having to wait long.
Once the sky was filled with enough rain to soak the ground, Yuuki returned with her board and put Nonoel down. After that, she gave a ride to one of the witches from Sraymeyer’s clan, named Lilly, hovered back to her previous spot.

=== Part 9 ===

Yuuki felt a bit anxious as she had no experience in transporting other witches. However, because Lilly had a small physique, steering the board wasn’t as difficult as what she had initially thought.
The moment they both reached their destination, Lilly began to chant her incantation while clapping her hands numerous of times.

“The hand whose god’s words echoes, the radiance born from the god. Prostrate, prostrate. Shine, become angry, run down. Oh furious God of thunder, pass down your judgement on this hill, pass it down on this hill. Come, come, come.”

And then,
A small flash of lightning ran down from the sky into the ground.

“Gyaaaaaaa”

Screams and shouts coming from electrocuted soldiers echoed here and there.
the flash of lighting kept running down numerous times.
And each time, a scream would be raised.
In addition to every soldier wearing metal armor and being soaked with rain created by Nonoel, not a single one of them could avoid getting electrocuted.
After the very last flash, not a single soldier seemed to be moving.

Yuuki waved with her hand so as to give a signal to others.
Kay, who saw that while stretching out her neck, shouted.

“Vita-san, it seems to be over!”

Shortly thereafter, Kay could suddenly sense her body becoming light again. Despite that, she had the feeling her body lost half of its weight.

“Uwaa, my body feels lighttt.”

Feeling that she was able jump over the wall, Kay leaped with all her might. Unfortunately, her body didn’t reach even 1.35 meters.

“As expected, my body returned back to its original weight, eh?”

Once she muttered so, Kay approached Elysione and brought a mantle, the hem of which she coiled into a roll.

“Vita-san, here.”

What Kay held out toward her was a small sized, makeshift mantle for Vita who stayed inside Elysione’s mantle to bear with for the time being.(?)

“I appreciate your efforts.”

Vita, who reached out her hands and received the mantle, creeped inside of it.
At that time, Elysione stood around with a stern expression, making it seem weird to Kay.

Finally, as Vita finished putting it on her, she crawled out from Elysione’s mantle.

The little witch adjusted her breathing and turned around to Elysione.

“Well then, you can go now, Elysione.”

“Yes, Mother!”

Elysione placed her foot on Vita’s held out palms and made a big leap.
It looked like the petite Vita wouldn’t be able to throw her largely built daughter into the air; nevertheless, Elysione gently whirled up into the sky as though she had feathers and jumped over the wall.

“Wow, incredible!”

“Do you want to leap as well?”

“Is that okay with you? Aren’t you tired?”

“My power won’t be exhausted by this much.”

“Is that so? In other words, is it fine for me to harden my body just like this?”

“I don’t mind. Jump on my palms.”
[[File:Naga03 Illus-06.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
“Well then, I’m going”

Kay, who was about to leap with all her might touched Vita’s palms with the back of her heels.
Soon after that, she could truly feel her body rapidly losing its weight. No, rather than ‘rapidly losing’, it felt more like it had no weight at all.
Moving her palms casually, Vita released Kay into the air.
And her body floated high into the air.

Soaring high in the air like this, Kay wondered whether or not she was dreaming. Obviously, shortly after she passed over the wall, Kay’s body returned to its original weight just like an illusion.
Vita’s magic can reduce one’s body weight, however, as soon the effect runs out, the weight will return to its previous state.

“Ooopps”

Kay adjusted her posture in a hurry and prepared for the landing.
Since she could feel her weight returning back gradually, rather than spontaneously, there didn’t…. seem to be any worry about Kay crashing headfirst against the ground.
Holding the ground firmly with the back of her heels, Kay absorbed the impact from the landing by folding her knees.
By the time she extended her legs, her body weight had returned back completely.

“Hmm, this is….. a somewhat enjoyable magic indeed.”

Kay, who thought about that optimistically looked around her surroundings.
There were soldiers lying everywhere in lumps. Several, or perhaps, a dozen of them, were trapped inside nets while being unconscious.

“It’s most likely due to them being hit by thunderbolts.”

Kay approached one of the soldiers and peeked inside his eyes. Without having to check, it was clear both his armor and clothes were wet.

“I guess it’s because of them getting soak that the thunderbolts were so effective. It doesn’t look like they’re going to wake up anytime soon. Despite that, it will be trouble if they wake up by any chance, so, shouldn’t I quickly make sure they don’t?”

Kay took stakes attached to a net in her hand and knocked them into the ground using her hardened fist.

Once she plugged them deeply into the ground on all 4 sides of the net, Kay stood up and checked its firmness by pulling.

“Hm, I think it’s okay. Even if some of these soldiers wake up and struggle, they shouldn’t be able to come out.”

Moving from net to net, she continued to fix them with stakes.

While she was doing so, the other witches also crossed over the fort’s walls one after another and began to go around its interior in small groups.

=== Part 10 ===

“Thanks for your hard work, Kay.”

Kay turned around at Ais’ praise.

Today, because their plan was to embark on Ein fort, Ais put on leather armor on top of her thin garments as it had a lower effect on her magic than metal armor. Even if it was true, the leather armor merely covered the minimum number of places, revealing as much of her skin as usual.

Will that really increase her protection? – The first time Naga saw that armor, he wanted to retort unintentionally that way.

(Back in my world, people would supposedly go to the battlefield…. fully armored. Certainly, this feels off somehow. Well, it’s probably still better than wearing nothing, so…)

But considering that matter again, Naga restrained himself from retorting.

“Ais, you did a great job too, right?!”

“It appears that the remaining soldiers have already made off from the fort, doesn’t it? The exploration of this building isn’t over yet, but at least, I can’t spot any of them still moving.”

“How about Hari-nee and Naga-san?”

“We’ve just opened the gate, so they should be here soon, together with Raibach as well.”

“You mean it? Speaking of which,”

Kay looked frequently at Ais’ body.

“Ais, don’t tell me you also got over the wall thanks to Vita-san’s magic?”

Ais tilted her head while smiling cheerfully.

“Ara? Kay-chan, what do you mean by ‘don’t tell me’? I’m trying to figure out your ‘don’t tell me’, but, you don’t mean to say something like ‘No matter how strong Vita-san’s magic is, don’t tell me that someone as massive as Ais could fly through the air’, right?”

Kay realized her dull gaffe, however, it was too late to take it back. With her knees becoming wobbly, Kay shook her head energetically from side to side.

“O, o, o, o, o, o, obviously not. Not even for a moment did that idea cross my mind.”

“…Is that so? Then, what’s the meaning behind the ‘don’t tell me’ just now?”

Wrapping her right first with her left palm, Ais inserted more power into her left hand while making a grin. *knuckle knuckle* – the joints in her right hand’s fingers generated a loud sound like that.

“I, still need to put more stakes, so let’s talk some other time, okay….?”

Kay ran away from the place just like a startled hare.

As Ais stared at Kay’s distancing back, Naga’s voice reached Ais from her back.

“Yo Ais, good work.”

Once she turned around, there were Naga and Harrigan standing there. Naga had his armor put on him, whereas, Harrigan used the same, small leather armor similar to Ais’ one. Behind them, Raibach, who wore a mantle with his face covered with cloth, stood. It wasn’t clearly visible due to the mantle, but, his hands were supposedly tied up. Originally, there should’ve probably been no need for worry as one couldn’t feel the slightest intention of escaping coming from Raibach.

“Naga-san, and Ane-sama too, thank you for your hard work.”

Soon after she replied like that, Harrigan nodded down as if being content.

“It looks like we nicely managed to capture the fort.”

“Right I wouldn’t have thought it would be this easy. As expected of Naga-san’s splendid tactic.”

“It wasn’t that much. That’s because the flow of this battle was already decided. Reversely, the enemy was prepared to flee from the very beginning, so I didn’t consider this plan to be that difficult.”

(Being, able to read the flow of a battle is a feat that we, the witches, cannot recreate. However, in this man’s case, pulling it off this lightly is something of a big deal.)

Harrigan greatly admired Naga inside her heart.

Not being aware of Harrigan’s thoughts, Naga ran his eyes over Ais’ whole body.

“More importantly, Ais, to think you would also be able to leap into the air thanks to Vita’s….”

Ais suddenly stomped against the floor and pushed out her right hand with unnoticeable speed.

“magi-gubooabaah?!”

Her fist sunk into Naga’s armor. Despite him wearing one, a large impact hit his stomach.
As soon as Ais calmly withdrew her right hand, Naga fell down with a thud to both his knees. His lower back bent so much that his forehead almost touched the surface of the floor. While holding his stomach, Naga slightly groaned and said.

“W…What are you doing out of sudd…en”

“I have no idea.”

Ais puffed her cheeks in discontent and walked away at a brisk pace.

“O, Oi, Dragon King, are you alright?”

Raibach called out to him in a concerned tone, but Naga lifted up his right hand so as to calm him down.

“Yea… I’ll manage it somehow……”

Harrigan exhaled a big sigh.

“Naga, shouldn’t you be a bit more considerate toward girls?”

“No, that was just a little…. joke, but well.”

“That’s why, I’m telling you that the other party might interpret it like this if you intend to make jokes.”

“Y, You mean it? Got it. I shall be more careful from now on.”

Holding his stomach, Naga grit his teeth and stood up.

“Still, that girl, Ais, to think she would hit me this seriously.”

The moment he complained, Harrigan looked at him pitifully.

“Perhaps not. Were she to get serious, she would’ve probably made a hole in both your armor and stomach, or maybe, pulverize all the bones in your body”

“No… way. For real?”

Naga thought he should be more careful from now on.

“Let’s leave that matter aside. We’ve brought down the fort, so starting from today, it’s our property. Should we walk around and check out its interior?”

I guess you’re right – Naga took an extensive view and nodded down in agreement, but,

“…….no, before doing so, we should first remove the armaments from the apprehended soldiers. I’ll have the scouting group check the building, whereas the rest of the members will progress with the removal of the armaments.”

“And more precisely, how should we do it?”

“Firstly, we will gather everyone in a single spot and remove nets from them one by one. We’re going to take away the armaments from those who regain their consciousness before doing the same with unconscious ones. All the stuff will be carried and put in the open space before the gate. By the time we are done, those who have become aware of the situation will try to escape on their own. As for the unconscious people, we will wake them up and tell them it’s okay to flee. They will most likely do the remaining thing.”

Harrigan furrowed her eyebrows and asked to confirm something.

“About the unconscious soldiers, shouldn’t it be better to place them in front of the gate?”

“True, it might be faster for their informed comrades to call out to them. With that, the soldiers should actually learn they were spared and released by the witches. Okay then, Harrigan, won’t you call others?”

“Understood. Lela!”

Nodding down deeply, Harrigan ordered Lela, who had tagged along with them, to raise a smoke signal.
Following that, a green-colored smoke arose from burned charms, after which the witches appeared in succession.

=== Part 11 ===

Naga and Harrigan gave quick instructions to the gathered witches from Harrigan’s clan. Soon after, the clan of Sraymeyer joined in, after their leader arrived at Naga’s spot, and helped with the removal of the enemy’s armaments.
Several of the soldiers had already run away after regaining consciousness. On the other hand, the still unconscious ones were transported to the open space before the fort’s gate using a cart brought from a warehouse. The one to pull it was obviously Ais, but, Naga decided to go through a bit of a trouble so as to motivate her.

Finally, being able to soothe Ais’ anger and encourage her to pull the cart, Naga thought.

(Yes, being considerate is serious matter. Especially, toward girls.)

Such was his strengthened belief.

=== Part 12 ===

The time for commencement of the tactic took place in the morning; nonetheless, the sun was already heading west. It was still too early for dusk, and shadows of watchtowers and other buildings inside the fort were still of considerable length, however, it was quite dark.

A big and a small half-moon resurfaced on a blue sky, close to the ground, while shining with a dim light.
Naga’s voice echoed through the open space located before the gate, at the north side of the fort.

“Oh, you guys are awoke? Once you regain your mobility it’s okay for you to escape.”

At his voice, some of the awake soldiers pointed their nervous sights at Naga, and then, looked around with a frightened expression. A dozen of the witches were surrounding them with the intention of guarding.
The soldiers trembled with fear as they felt they were caught by the witches.

“Oi, what’s the matter? I’m telling you it’s fine to escape. Speaking of which, it will be meddlesome if you don’t leave quickly.”

For some reason, an armored man was ordering them from atop a footstool in a self-important manner.

(Why is there a man among the witches?)

(Who’s that guy?)

The soldiers looked at each other’s face with a strange expression while whispering together.

“You don’t feel like running away? Then, shall you become slaves of the witches? Or perhaps, you would prefer to be sliced off here?”

The strange looking man pulled out his strange looking sword. At its sight, the soldiers came back to their senses and remembered their fear.

“Uwaaaaaaa!”

One of them stood up abruptly and ran off in a tumbling manner.
Following him, the rest of the soldiers who had regained their consciousness did the same one after another.
As this kept repeating, the number of the enemy reduced to half.
In the end, those remaining asleep would be waken up against their will by tapping and shaking, and set free as if being shooed away.
Only 20 people consisting of officers and vice-officers were left in the open space. Some of them who had been selected from the rest had their hands and legs bound together. Classifying them as commanding officers was an easy task since Raibach was present there.
In front of the remaining people, Naga got on the footstool and raised his voice.
He sheathed his sword back into his scabbard, put down its tip on the footstool, and placed his hands together on the sword’s pommel.

“How about this, you scoundrels. You have probably learned of the witches’ strength, right? Now that you’re apprehended like this, it’s fine to say your lives are in hands of the witches.”

Eeek?! – Some of the soldiers raised a shriek and turned stiff.

“But, fret not. We won’t be taking away your lives!”

At Naga’s loud and remarkable voice, the soldiers who tensed their bodies sighed with relief.

“Instead, we’re going to set you free!”

Naga, who cut off his words here, looked out over their faces.
Once he confirmed all the soldiers were holding their breath while concentrating their gazes on him, Naga once again raised his voice loudly.

“The reason why you scoundrels are caught is the result of you trying to attack and dispossess the witches from their land. You could say you reaped what you sowed, but, the witches are merciful this time, and therefore, your foolish act shall be ignored. Got it? You bastards are saved thanks to the benevolent and compassionate witches! You better engrave that in your hearts! And then, once you have learned your lesson, don’t you ever dare to fight them again!”

They watched Naga with a doubtful, or rather, a strange expression. Nevertheless, many of them nodded down enthusiastically.

“I’m going to release you at once. Does anyone have any questions?”

He observed them once more with his composed attitude. And then, a single soldier timidly lifted his hand.

“I allow you to speak. So, what do you want?”

As soon as Naga pointed the tip of his scabbard toward that person, the man straightened up with fear. However, he quickly pulled himself together and asked.

“Y…..You seem to be affiliated with the witches, but, just who on earth are you?”

Naga directed his cold gaze at the soldier who asked. Because of that, the man felt his body going numb and becoming sweaty.

“You’re asking me who I am? That’s a good question. I’m, well, I wonder about that, you see.”

At his vague reply, the man darted his eyes about; nevertheless, Naga carried on.

“I don’t exactly know who I am, but for now, I’m being referred to as this by the witches:”

Leaving a break in his speech, he continued.

“Naga [written as Dragon King]”

The soldiers exchanged looks with each other and buzzed noisily.

“I don’t care if you want to inquire who I am, but more importantly, shouldn’t you focus on how to return safely? Since we won’t give you back the confiscated weapons, you better be careful on your way back to your city so as not to encounter wild animals or bandits.”

Hearing Naga’s words, all of them came back to their senses.

“I will repeat it just once, but, make sure you remember this generous treatment as you won’t be forgiven the next time you’re caught. If that happens, you will probably have your stomach split open, your blood poured out, or your internal organs eaten while you are still alive. Got it!?”

“Eeek?!…”

“Understoodddd!”

The soldiers prostrated themselves with a pale face; nonetheless, Harrigan and the witches from her clan looked dissatisfied.
Drawing out his sword, Naga came near to the enemy.
Once he stood next to them who trembled with fear, Naga cut off ropes binding their limbs.
Having finished doing so, he pointed the tip of his sword toward the gate.

“Hey, you can go now.”

Despite him telling them, nobody moved with their body.
Is he going to slash me from behind the moment I try to escape? – is what they doubted.

“What’s wrong, aren’t you going to run away? If you bastards don’t want to, then perhaps we should work you to death as slaves of the witches….”

“Uwaaaaaa!”

A single person screamed loudly while dashing out. The remaining soldiers understood that as a sign and dashed off one after another.

Naga shouted behind their backs.

“If you return back safely, you may tell your families about how humane the witches are!”

However, it wasn’t clear whether or not his words reached their ears, as they all went at full speed toward the gate without looking behind, just like startled hares.

=== Part 13 ===

By the time the soldiers disappeared, Naga called together Harrigan and Vita.

“It’s regarding what we intend to do from now on, but……. speaking of which, even though we managed to capture the fort, why do you look this displeased?”

“I wonder if it’s not due to your way of speaking, Naga. With what you had said before, didn’t you give them the wrong impression about us?”

Harrigan gazed at him.
Her abundant, bluish black hair that wriggled in the air looked fearsome.

“Good grief. It’s not nice to speak about us in a way that makes us look like beasts sucking humans’ blood and eating their live flesh, you know?”

Vita was in bad mood as well.
Even if the witches got angry, their appearance shouldn’t have been enough for Naga to be as afraid as he was towards Harrigan right now. Nevertheless, having already learned how frightening their magic is, he hurriedly shook his hands in front of them.

“No no, I just told the soldiers a lie so as to make them feel scared. Look, don’t people say ‘the end justifies the means’?”

“…….Do they?”

Naga suddenly lost his self-confidence as both Harrigan and Vita looked at him with doubtful eyes.

“Eh? Umm yes…I believe this is what people used to say, but…”

“Is this a part of your lost memories?”

“It looks to be so, I guess. Sometimes, these sorts of proverbs will jump into my mind.”

Because he made a bit of a miserable face, neither Harrigan nor Vita felt inclined to press him any further. With that, Naga was released from a difficult situation.

“Then, what are you going to do now, Naga?”

Naga who sighed with a relief inside his heart first looked at both of them.

“We will survey the exterior. Selena will check the nearby surroundings, whereas, Yuuki will explore the main road. After all, I want to confirm whether or not all the soldiers managed to run away, or if some of them are still left hiding.”

“Umu, I’ll take care of the preparations.”

Harrigan replied.

“And after that, we should inspect the interior, especially, what’s inside the warehouse.”

“Fumu. Then, shall we entrust Ais with that task?”

Saying so, she turned around toward Ais.

“Yes, leave it to me”

“Is there anything else we need to do?”

“That’s right. There’s a chance that the Kasandora Kingdom will try to retrieve this place. About that, we better strengthen this fort’s defense. Still, I don’t think it will happen any time sooner, so we don’t have to worry for today.”

“Naga, what are the chances for their army to come and strike at us?”

It felt as though some tension showed through in Harrigan’s questioning voice.
Since Harrigan gave off that impression, it wasn’t impossible for the witches around here to display anxiety and tension on their faces.

“Adding up their defeat at the Schweiz River, today as well, they were quickly deprived of their fort, you see. Is their commanding officer(General?) willing to carry out another battle? More importantly, will their soldiers feel inclined to fight? Considering those facts, I don’t think they will quickly decide on recapturing this fort, you see.”

After hearing his answer, some of the witches felt relieved.
Naga, who looked at them with a side glance, gave a warning.

“However, we can’t rest assured. There are probably other enemies besides the Kasandora Kingdom, right?”

Fumu, indeed that’s true. – Vita nodded in agreement.

“With them losing a majority of their war potential, it can also mean…. that other countries will move with ease.”

“Sooner or later, I’d like to hear more about other sides’ military strength in comparison with this one here.”

“Umu, that’s fine.”

“We can tell you anytime.”

“Well, enough of that. We have yet to do the most important thing for today.”

“Oh? There’s still something left?”

“Oi oi, Harrigan, don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten. We are victorious, we’ve captured Ein fort without sustaining any damage. In that case, there’s one thing we ought to do.”

Harrigan and Vita looked at each other while wondering what it could be.
The witches around them also tilted their heads at Naga’s words.

“Good grief, you surely are slow, aren’t you?”

Naga, who shook his head, drew out his sword and raised it high.

“When it comes to this, we ought to shout from victory and hold a banquet!”

“Ohh, you mean that?”

“I see. Certainly, we can’t omit this part.”

Both Naga and Vita nodded in agreement, and other witches expressed their approval as they became radiant, clapped their hands, and stamped with their feet.

=== Part 14 ===

(Oh my, indeed, this person is a big fish. As expected of someone who’s referred to as the Dragon King.)

While the witches were filled with enthusiasm, Raibach watched Naga with deep admiration on his face.

(Just as he said, they managed to capture the fort without producing any casualty on the side of the guards. Surely, he was neither boasting or making a random speech as a temporary measure.)

Being able to see lots of familiar faces escaping safely, Raibach felt a great relief and admiration. He was amazed and deeply astonished at Naga’s actual leadership ability.

(Perhaps, this person is really capable of creating a world where both humans and the witches can live together. If such a world comes true, there may no longer be any harsh and miserable war, I guess.)

The face of his young child resurfaced in his mind.

(That’s right. I wonder if we could save more pitiful children like her.)

Raibach, began to think he wanted to see a world like that.
Therefore, he also started to think if there was anything he could do.

=== Part 15 ===

The witches began to make merry, but as soon as Naga left some words to Harrigan, he took Raibach and moved together with him to a separate room.
One could say it was his method of being considerate so as not to spoil the fun of the witches and let them feel at home when there were no men around.

Sorry for this. – Having sensed his intention, Harrigan lowered her head.
Naga smiled and lifted his right hand.

“Don’t fret. This won’t be our last victory banquet. Rather, there will be plenty more occasions like this one, you see.”

“I’ll bring you some alcohol and appetizer.”

“Oh, please do so.”

Saying this, both Naga and Raibach left to a smaller room and prepared to drink in silence.

=== Part 16 ===

“Why, didn’t you run away?”

Naga threw such a question at Raibach while holding his wine cup filled with grape wine inside. However, since a moment ago, he would just limit himself with tasting it.
Naga restrained himself to this way of drinking, not due to him disliking the taste, but because of him being aware he was weak towards alcohol.
On the other hand, Raibach emptied his metal wine cup many times, as if being good at drinking.

“No, asking me why is…”

Putting down the wine cup on the floor, Raibach looked at Naga with a slightly red-face.

“I’m your prisoner. Wouldn’t you kill me, were I to run away at my own convenience?”

“Back then, you probably saw me releasing all the captives, right? I planned to let you go too, but well. Had you slipped into the crowd with your friends and escaped, I would have neither chased you nor have any complaint, although the witches might have said something, but…”

“Is that so? So I could just run away? I didn’t consider that far.”

In Raibach’s tone no remorse or disappointment was felt, which was a bit unexpected for Naga.

“What’s wrong? It feels as though you couldn’t care less about that.”

“Ah, well, perhaps you could say so. Anyway, I no longer have a family left.”

“You mean it? Then, what are your plans from now on? If you remain like this, you will end as a slave of the witches. I’ve got the feeling that neither you nor the witches would wish for something unpleasant as that. As expected, maybe I should seize the opportunity and release you.”

As Naga said that, Raibach directed a serious look at him.

“Hey, Dragon King.”

“What? Why are you being formal?”

“I wonder if you can make me into your subordinate.”

At his words, Naga opened his eyes slightly wide.

“Are you serious?”

“Uh, no, how should I put it…. I’m not even sure myself about that.”

Was Raibach, who replied, mocking himself or hiding his embarrassment? Perhaps, he was filled with something else? Somehow, a smile with mixed feelings appeared on his face.

Naga talked to such a Raibach in a nice and cold manner.

“Becoming my subordinate would mean, at the same time, being on the side of the witches, i.e., becoming an ally of your god’s enemy. In other words, you too will be considered as one and fight against humans as ‘god’s enemy’. Are you okay with that?”

“To begin with, I wasn’t much of a fanatical believer. What’s more…..”

Raibach reached out his hand toward the cup and brought it near his mouth, after which, he drank up the remaining wine in one go.

*Sigh* – Once he exhaled and put the cup back down, Raibach carried on as he made eye contact with Naga.

“I don’t plan on becoming a subordinate of the witches, but you. That is to say, Dragon King’s underling.”

“That would probably be the same. After all, I’ve befriended the witches, which makes me an enemy of humans. As expected, by becoming my underling, and therefore, an ally of the witches, you would turn humanity into your enemy?”

At Naga’s remark, Raibach shook his head from side to side composedly.

“No, it’s certainly not the same. At least, this is what I believe.”

A shade of confusion appeared on Naga’s face for the first time.

“……What do you mean?”

“Simply serving Dragon King doesn’t make me a subordinate of the witches. Even if I’m to work for them, in the end, it’s Dragon King who’s giving them orders. Now that I think about that, don’t I sound like making an excuse to myself?”

Haha – Hearing his words, Naga laughed.

“That’s indeed an unexpected quibble coming from you.”

“I don’t particularly mind, so it’s fine. Didn’t you say before that the end justifies the means?”

“Yeah, I think that’s what I said.”

“What’s more, there’s no reason for me to tell you a lie. Since my youth, I’ve been constantly serving in the army, so I’ve gained a mass of experience. Back then, I used to fight with the witches, but the majority of my battles were against other human soldiers.”

*Chuckle* – Raibach chuckled under his nose.

“Human have been killing each other in the name of god. Regardless of whether they were humans or the witches, I-, we, would continue to swing with swords, shoot arrows, kill our enemy, and die from their hands. There would be no time for us to ponder on things like who was our enemy or what was right in what we did. Just as being told, we would pick our weapons and fight for survival. That’s it. If you order me to pick a weapon and fight your enemy, then it’s no different from what I’ve been doing until now.”

As soon as he paused after speaking loudly in one breath, Raibach scratched his head as if feeling a bit shy.

“…..Guess I’ve made another excuse to myself.”

“You mean it?” – Naga, who replied, fixed his gaze upon Raibach.

Was it due to him being unable to endure the pressure coming from Naga’s sight? Raibach extended his hand and poured more red liquid into his cup.

The moment he brought the cup near to his mouth, Naga uttered with dignity.

“Fine, got it. I shall make you into my underling.”

Raibach’s face rose up energetically and looked as though brimming with expectations.

“For real?!”

“I’m not lying, but, let me ask you once again.”

Standing up while having a grave expression, Naga looked down at Raibach and said:
[[File:Naga03 Illus-07.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
“By becoming my underling you agree to fight against the humans til my vision of the new world is fulfilled. Perhaps, there will be another battle waiting after the previous one. You’re telling me you can continue to swing your sword at humans, right? And endure slanders such as being labeled as ‘god’s enemy’, right?”

“Y, Yes.”

“I’m going to tell you this, but, it’s not like I’ll always resort to this type of kindhearted fighting style, you see? This time, I only saved all of your comrades because I deemed it would serve a purpose in the future. On the other hand, if I consider killing them all to be more convenient, then I may not hold back, you know?”

At Naga’s sharp glint in his eyes and intimidating air overflowing from his body, Raibach felt an unintentional urge to move back while he was sitting. Nevertheless, he somehow endured that and strained his voice.

“Y….Yes, I don’t care about that.”

The fighting spirit dwelling inside of Naga suddenly disappeared.

“Understood. I’ll make you into my subordinate, therefore, work your fingers to the bone for my sake.”

After that, Naga gave a broad smile.

“That’s because I properly reward those who serve me.”

Naga was pleased. He hadn’t thought he would be able to make a subordinate this quick.

He, who possessed an eye for anticipating the future, had a premonition that his subordinates would become a breakthrough for realizing his plan.

Raibach faced toward the smiling Naga and bowed down instinctively.

“I, I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“If that’s settled, we shall let the witches now about you becoming my underling. Follow me.”

Being in good mood and in high spirits, Naga took Raibach along with him and left the room.

=== Part 17 ===

“Oi, Harrigan, there’s something I’d like to discuss with….”

Once Naga and Raibach stepped inside a large room where the merrymaking of the witches had been held, most of the witches were drunk and dancing while being naked.

“Eh?”

“Ah….”

As soon as the witches noticed Naga and Raibach, they ceased their dancing and singing, and a strange, or rather, ominous silence dominated in the room.

“Umm, we will be back later.”

“I, I guess it’s much better that way.”

Naga and Raibach turned right with stiff faces as they planned to leave at a quick pace. Despite that,

The moment they stepped out with one foot, their bodies turned instantly heavy, making them stumble.

“Uooooh?”

Raibach and Naga recovered back their weight immediately after falling on their knees.
They both tried to stand up hurriedly and break up, however, they couldn’t make it in time as the witches were already surrounding them.

“You have some guts to peek at us and think you can get away with that, don’t you, Naga?”

Harrigan, whose hair went around in circles, was nude.

“Geez, Naga-san, as expected, it should’ve been better to gouge out your eyes, right?”

Ais, who pushed out her hands, was naked as well.

“I think gouging out their eyes is too clement for them. It would be better for us if we cut off both their legs and arms so that they can’t peek again.”

The air surrounding Yuuki jumbled together and her 2 bundles of long hair fluttered. Obviously, she too was naked.

“I shall burn the-m. So that not a single trace of them remain-s.”

Lela, who held a charm in her hand, was nude as well.

“How about punching? Punching them to death? Until all their bones are completely broken? Haaaaa!”

Putting up her fist, which released its metallic gloss, Kay too was nude. Not just her fist but also her whole body – including her nipples as well – was radiating with a metallic luster. Should one describe that as strange or perhaps uncanny? Either way, it was a mysterious view.

“I think drowning them to death will be the most painful method.”

While expanding and contracting lumps of red liquid in the air – most likely grape wine – Nonoel approached in a staggering manner. She too was naked.

“Kukuku, so you wanted to see me naked that badly, Dragon King? If so, you should have come and made a request like a real man in front of me. To think you would peek on me sneakily like that, it’s indeed a disgrace even for someone known as the Dragon King.”

Placing her hand on her waist and bending her chest backward, Vita laughed while being naked like the rest.
Originally, if a girl was to bend backward, there would be clear unevenness protruding, however, in Vita’s case, none could be found.

The other witches, who looked much the same as the previous ones, or perhaps less, surrounded Naga and Raibach in multitude – although it wasn’t such a great number – while looking at them with an ominous light dwelling inside their eyes.

“Oi, you girls, come back to your senses! To begin with, I wasn’t the one to peek. It was you who showed me your appearance!”

Despite Naga criticizing and objecting, no truth nor justice would reach someone who was drunk.

“He’s making excuses, isn’t he?”

“He’s evading, right?”

“He’s trying to deceive us, right?”

“He’s turning on us, isn’t he?”

While shouting one by one, the witches rushed at Naga and Raibach.

The two of them tried to stand up, but nevertheless, they would quickly tumble back.

“Forget about what you saw here!”

“Forget it completely!”

“If you can’t do that, then die!”

The witches approached en masse and kicked the rolling Naga and Raibach using their feet.

For the time being, they both covered their heads with their hands, trying to protect themselves from a swarm of dispatched kicks. Thanks to that, they were able to keep their heads safe, however, the witches didn’t spare other parts of their body.

Naga somehow tried to stop them by looking up, but,

(Huh? T, This angle is?!)

“Wai, girls, this angle is no good! It’s no good awaawaaw!”

“Errrk! I’m going to be killed. Even though I went through the trouble of becoming the Dragon King’s subordinate, I’m going to be killed from being kiiicked.”

“Eh?”

At Raibach’s shriek, Harrigan ceased to move.

“Oi, everyone, wait.”

Harrigan, who calmed down the other witches, directed her question at Raibach.

“You, what just did you say just now?”

“N, No, that’s why I’m saying I’ve become the Dragon King’s subordinate….”

Curling up on the floor and holding his head in his hands, Raibach, who resisted the kicks, looked with a glimpse at Harrigan after which he hurriedly turned away his sight.

“What’s the meaning of that, Naga?”

“That’s why I’m telling you I have to let you know about that!”

Naga released his hands from his head and lifted his eyes toward the witches who were surrounding him.

“Speaking of which, I think I mentioned about this angle being honestly no good but, are you fine with that?”

Naga averted his eyes similarly to Raibach.

“…..Hmm?”

Harrigan, who looked down at them both, shifted her eyes a bit at her own body.
She was nude.
Completely nude.
So nude it was terrific.

In case of Raibach, it wasn’t half as bad, as he held down his head and averted his eyes, however, Naga was laying on the floor face up. Certainly, it was an angle which couldn’t be more dangerous.

“Whatttttt?!”

Rather than coming back to their senses, the witches who realized the situation they were put in forgot about their shame, and instead, were besides themselves with rage.

“Die Die Die!”

“Erase all the memory of what you saw and die!”

“Throw out all your brain tissues and die!”

*Dosu, kosu, doka, geshi*

A further and more harsh swarm of kicks were sent at Naga.

“Uwaa, you, wai, awwawawaww, I’ll die, I’ll seriously die!”

Twisting his body, Naga tried to escape, but, there was nowhere to run away as the witches surrounded them closely packed.

(This is bad; this is honestly bad. I’m seriously going to die from these kicks.)

Were he to oppose a drunkard who had lost any means of reasoning, Naga would most likely worsen his situation, but nonetheless, he had the feeling it was the only option for him to survive.

By the time Naga resolved himself and tried to move his hand,

“Wait a moment! He’s going to die! The Dragon King is really going to die! Are you fine with killing him like that?!”

Raibach, who shouted, covered Naga with his whole body as if trying to protect him.

“This person is your ally! The who who’s supposed to create your world!”

“Umm…”

With that, Harrigan and the rest stopped their kicking.

“Raibach, seems like you don’t understand what’s being talked about, do you?”

“That’s why, the Dragon King has been telling you that all the time.”

“It’s the first time I hear about what you say.”

“No, he has been telling you that countless of times for a while, you know?”

“You mean it? Then, I wonder if you can’t let us know.”

“B, Before that, could everyone please put something on? Otherwise, the talk won’t proceed.”

“A…Ah, that’s right. It’s just as you say.”

The witches who came to their senses a little pulled back their legs and turned around.

“By the way, you didn’t see it, right?”

Raibach waved his hands with all might and shook his head at his best after being stared by Harrigan.

“I didn’t, I didn’t.”

“If you had seen it, I thought about gouging out your eyeballs, dismembering your body after smashing all of its bones, and throwing it to wolves as a pet food, but—-”

“I didn’t see even a tiny little bit, so honestly, rest assured.”

“Then, I guess that’s fine. Still, what about you Naga?”

“No, I haven’t seen anything, so don’t worry.”

“I wonder who should be the one to say that.”

Despite her thinking that, Harrigan also thought her carelessness was partially responsible for what had happened, so she ceased any further inquiring.

“Ah… since we’ll be changing, go outside and wait.”

(Rather than changing, you should already be putting something on you!)

Naga wanted to retort that way, but he thought he would only annoy them at this late hour. Together with Raibach, he silently went outside to the hallway and waited for them to be called in.

=== Part 18 ===

After a while of waiting,

“You can come in.”

Being called out to, Naga and Raibach entered in once again.
Both of them could feel relieved as everyone was properly wearing their clothes.

(I’ve always thought their small clothes are as good as being naked, but, looking back at what happened, I can understand it’s far better for them to wear something.)

Naga exhaled a sigh of relief inside of him.

“Naga, come and sit here. Same goes for you, Raibach.”

Naga and Raibach sat down at prearranged seats near a wall after being urged by Harrigan.
As they leaned against the wall, the witches also sat down while surrounding the two in a half-circle.

“Then, what’s the meaning of him becoming your subordinate?”

Harrigan asked as if being eager.

Among the other witches, there were those who looked at Naga and Raibach curiously, those who looked strangely, others – doubtfully, and yet another – reproachfully. Besides them, witches who averted their eyes in shame were also present, however, those were a minority.

“Ah, that would be, you see—”

Naga revealed his exchange with Raibach, as well as the whole story behind him deciding to make Raibach into his underling.

“I knew you would later approve of the idea, but I deemed it was necessary to make the decision on the spot.”

“Hm, is that so?”

“I also had thought it would benefit you, which was the reason why I decided to do so, you see. That’s all I wanted to convey.”

“I guess you’re right. When it comes to establishing a world for both us and the humans, having allies is an indispensable thing.”

Saying that, Harrigan nodded in agreement.
Because the majority of the witches from the Heindler clan, such as Ais, Lela, Kay, and Nonoel, agreed too, nobody seemed to particularly complain or object. Except for one person.
Naturally, that person was Yuuki. She was the only one to stare blatantly and pretentiously at Naga and Raibach with a much displeased face

“Is there something you want to say, Yuuki? If so, say it now.”

“Not really. Isn’t it fine as long as Hari-nee approves of your decision?”

Should one say that Yuuki had become more mature too? She wasn’t the same blind and stubborn person, whom she was when they first met.

(If that’s true, then great. Still, I wonder.)

Not letting anyone else learn about his thoughts, Naga,

“Is that so? Sorry about that.”

He lowered his head.
And Raibach bowed down deeply as well.
Harrigan exchanged a somewhat warm look with Yuuki

“T, That’s why, you’re greatly mistaken if you think I’m glad of becoming that guy’s ally!”

Yuuki, who couldn’t bear that situation uttered those words with an abusive-like tone.

“Yuuki, you’re going too far with your words. Raibach is already…”

“Ah, that’s okay, Ane-san, I don’t mind about that.”

Since Raibach shook his head on sides, Harrigan held her tongue, but then, she immediately looked at him with doubtful eyes.

“By the way…. you’re calling me Ane-san? Do you think I’m older than you?”

“Ah, no, I’m sorry about that, Somehow, it feels like you’re giving off a strong appeal, so….”

“W, Well, I wonder if it’s fine to consider it that way.”

Harrigan coughed at once and stated.

“If it’s Naga’s decision, then I won’t be the one to judge. We shall approve you becoming Naga’s underling.”

“Thank you, Harrigan. Speaking of which,”

Naga moved his face toward Vita, who had been silent for a while.

“How about you, girls? Do you mind if that’s guy becomes my subordinate?”

“Well, I wonder about that.”

Raibach stirred his muscle uncomfortably as Vita threw a glance at him.

“After all, it’s what you’ve decided. I don’t plan to look for any excuse, and the same goes for my daughters.”

“You mean it? I appreciate that.”

However – Saying this, Vita threw a challenging look at Naga.

“But, provided that man betrays us, we won’t have any mercy on him, you know? If that happens, I shall make him so heavy that all the bones and joints in his body get smashed and his muscles get torn.”

“Rest assured. Not even I will forgive those who plan on becoming my ally just to betray me. Absolutely not. I’ll tear this guy apart even before Vita does.”

“Then, fine. I shall acknowledge this man as Dragon King’s underling. Are you okay with that, my daughters?”

One couldn’t tell whether their answers were optimistic or pessimistic, but, they all were of the same opinion.

“Excellent. From now on, Raibach is officially my subordinate. Since I am an ally of the witches, Raibach too has become one. Having this guy is truly delightful! Speaking of which, Harrigan. Now that you’ve acquired your first human ally, what’s your thoughts on that?”

“H…hm, that’s right.”

“If things go well like this, perhaps creating the world we wish for might be easier than what we had thought.”

Harrigan put a slightly wry smile on her face after listening to Naga’s words.

(There’s no way for it to be that simple. But, perhaps one should be more bold and optimistic when putting their life into something. Be that as it may, even if it’s just for giving my daughters more hope, should I accept his offer?)

Harrigan, who was thinking this, leaned her body forward and replied vigorously.

“True. For the sake of creating a new world, we have to rise and make more allies like Raibach. If we increase them one by one like this, then establishing a new country of the witches isn’t that far from being realized.”

“Agreed. Well then, now that Raibach has become my underling, let’s celebrate! Let’s celebrate a new chapter in your future! Drink, sing, get undressed, and dance!”

“Ohh, that’s right. Let’s become lively at onc…Wha? No no no, wait wait! Why are you bringing that topic back up?!”

“E, Eh? Am I wrong?”

“You are! If you want to get undressed and dance that badly, then do it together with Raibach!”

At Harrigan’s retort, sounds of whistles and jeering came from the direction of other witches.

“No, even if I was to dance naked with this guy, I won’t enjoy it at all, you know?”

“This is what I’m trying to tell you.”

“That’s why, we will no longer undress. And even if we decide to, we’ll smash your eyes before doing so.”

“Ah, shall I smash them? I, can do it, completely.”

“Because Ais extended her hands and stepped forward, Naga fervently waved both his hands in front of him.

“No no, I won’t do that, so don’t worry. Even if you girls were to denote your intention of doing so, I and Raibach will leave the place straight away.”

“Huh…..? That’s so boringg.”

Ais, who moved both her thumbs in the air, in a manner of squeezing something, looked to be much unsatisfied.

“No no, don’t say it like you’re regretting not being able to smash my eyes. More importantly, you too shouldn’t drink any more than that, right? Right, Ais?”

“What are you talking about? I’m not drinking at all?”

Ais stared at Naga.

Naga turned his sight at Harrigan as if seeking for a help; nonetheless, he was flatly refused by her.

“You should be okay as long you don’t come near Ais.”

(No, rather than that, it’s more troublesome to have her approach me while being drunk.)

Naga looked around him for help, but, nobody would lend him a hand. Rather, nobody wanted to end up like him.

“Ah… well, I think I’ll go and stay in my room silently.”

“I too will keep you a company.”

In the end, not being able to participate in the banquet or watch the witches dancing and singing, the two of them ate and drank obediently inside their room.

=== Part 19 ===

Like that, Naga acquired his new subordinate, Raibach.
In other words, he was the first ever human ally of the witches, who had been repeatedly opposing humans for 2-300 years of both their history. Nevertheless, lots of the witches were still unaware of that, or couldn’t understand it yet.
On the other hand, Naga knew, as well as Raibach himself, that Raibach had become an existence that would become a breakthrough, or rather, a bridgehead, for establishing a new world where both the witches and humans can live together.

(The biggest spoil of this battle isn’t Ein Fort but this man. This guy is also a tremendously big asset for the witches.)

Naga believed this to be true.

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==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Ochitekita_Ryuuou_to_Horobiyuku_Majo_no_Kuni|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Epilogue 1|Epilogue 1]]
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Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 4

2017-02-16T17:34:01Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 2 */

==Chapter 4: The Greatest War Trophy==

=== Part 1 ===

Naga, Harrigan, and Vita held a great number of tactical meetings during their preparatory work. Vita would frequently visit the fort of Harrigan & Co. while giving instructions to her daughters. However, since she was always being carried through Eliushune’s positioned mantle, Vita’s migration from one place to another wasn’t a big hassle. It didn’t seem to require either too much time or effort. Harrigan assigned a single room in the residential building for Vita and Eliushune’s personal use. Therefore, both the witches could use it as they wished.

“I’ll kill you if you dare to peek inside the room, got it?”

Naga received such a threat from Vita.

“Like I would?!”

Naga retorted as he didn’t plan to do so from the beginning.
For instance, knowing that the room would shine with a light every time Vita and Eliushune arrived, wouldn’t he wonder whether or not their arrival was successful?

=== Part 2 ===

A single room assigned by Harrigan.

It was just about the time when Eliushune materialized herself from a mantle spread on the wooden floored room. The mantle began to coil around Eliushune as she was putting out her hands from the seams of it. Eiushune’s body that stuck out from the gaps was naked. Or at least, it looked like her bottom had no clothes on. Then, beneath her feet, the similarly nude Vita was crawling out. Unlike Eliushune, she was, without doubt, completely naked. No matter how one judged it, Vita looked like barely 10 years old, flat-chested girl from head to toe. After being told she was much older than Harrigan, one could only be filled with awe.

“Eliu, you rascal. Your magic is convenient, but at the same time, it’s not. That’s because I’ve got to get naked every time we teleport using that mantle.”

While expressing her complaint, the totally naked Vita moved her upper body in every direction, trying to recover its lost sensations.

“Please don’t complain, Mother. Since I was able to reduce the excess of inconvenience so as to make up for it, shouldn’t it be fine? To begin with, there’s no magic that’s invincible or almighty in this world, right?”

“Hmm, that’s something I know even without you telling me, you rascal.”

Walking on the wooden floor while pressing her feet repeatedly against it, the completely nude Vita opened the lid of a chest placed in one corner of the room and took out prearranged clothes from inside.

Holding a set of them, she pushed them out to Eliushune.
[[File:Naga03 Illus-05.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
“Hey, put them on me.”

“Yes, right away.”

As soon as Eliushune drew near, she helped Vita dress.
The prearranged pair of clothes were identical to those she normally wore. They covered little skin and had small notches that created a fluttering pattern. However, Vita’s headgear, which she had put on last, was a bit different from her usual one.

“No matter how powerful our magic is, it’s neither invincible nor almighty. That’s the main reason why we, the witches, have a hard time during battles.”

“That’s true. Once the humans charge at us with their wave tactics, it’s next to impossible for us to win against their armies.”

“Still, if we can capitalize on each individual’s magic and put them together, there’s a winning chance for us even against large human forces. I’ve always thought that way, and surprisingly, my belief was proven during the previous battle at the Schwein River. That’s why I took an interest in the Dragon King. It may be possible that that man’s presence will bring together the long since scattered witches.”

Eliushune, who finished changing Vita’s clothes, looked up at her mother.

“Is that…. so?”

“It can’t be said for certain, but it’s definitely hard for the witches to stand at the summit as they are, and even more for a human. However, he is neither a witch nor a human. He’s the rumored Dragon King who fell from another world. If that’s true, perhaps those highly proud witches would also acknowledge him as someone who stands above them? Actually, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Harrigan & the rest are already under that guy’s command.”

“Indeed, it seems to be so. That being the case, could it be that Mother feels inclined to fight alongside the Dragon King as the supreme commander against the humans?”

Saying that, Eliushune began to move her hands again.

“It may be that I’m also curious about fighting humans, but the fact that that guy’s presence could muster the famous witch clans is what really caught my interest. Provided the witches band together and work as one, taking on an army of 1000 or 2000 people will become easy enough. Even so, that alone is one of the biggest hurdles.”

“Exactly. It’s said it has already been more than several hundred years since the country of the witches collapsed. Throughout that time, nobody has managed to reunite the witches, right?”

“Perhaps, that Dragon King will become the key to our breakthrough. What’s more—”

While getting dressed, Vita smiled with satisfaction.

“Right now, he’s acting together with Harrigan’s clan, but it should be fine even if we strip them of the Dragon King and tempt him to join us. Assuming that happens, wouldn’t it be possible for him to become our King at the time the new world is established?”

“Wow, Mother, those are indeed words worthy of a scoundrel, aren’t they?”

Vita threw a glance at Eliushune.

“Ah, no, whether Mother becomes a scoundrel or a cowardly person, we are prepared to follow you til the end, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Being followed til the end by a simpleton like you is what I’m most anxious about, you see.”

“T…That’s mean.”

Eliushune warped her face tremendously.

“Well then, this much should do.”

'Still' – Vita, who finished changing her clothes, said so while looking frequently at her daughter.

“That man, what is the Dragon King going to say once he finds out we are naked under your mantle?”

“Eh? Ah, I, I wonder about that. Perhaps, he will insist that we show him the inside of the mantle.”

“Moreover, he might insist on teleporting with us upon learning about us becoming naked.”

“Aghh, it would be a disgusting offer, wouldn’t it? Still, it looks to be something that man is be capable of, I guess.”

*Fu* – Vita slightly laughed

“When that happens, teleport together with the Dragon King and show him the might of your power.”

Eliushune warped her face and recoiled in aversion.

“Eeeeeeh? Things like taking along a naked man, I won’t agree to that. Wouldn’t I show him my naked body before even being able to show him my magic?”

“You too will be able to see him naked, so there should be mutual gains for both sides. No, since the two of you will cuddle to each other when teleporting, rather than just seeing each other, you will also be able to feel each other’s skin. Aren’t you glad?”

“Not at all!”

“Kukuu. Well, I was just kidding, you see. Then, shall we go? The Dragon King-dono is probably waiting for us.”

=== Part 3 ===

“Achooo”

“What’s the matter, Naga? Did you catch a cold?”

“No… can you really say it’s due to chills? Somehow, I’ve got an incredibly bad feeling about something, but….”

Naga looked around the room, but nevertheless, there was nothing particularly distinctive.
Because a meeting regarding the assessment of their forces was about to begin, almost everyone involved had gathered.

“Vita and Elysione are still absent, right?”

As soon as Naga muttered, Harrigan responded.

“It appears they have just recently arrived here, so they should probably show up soon.”

Following her words, Vita and Elysione appeared shortly thereafter inside the room where everyone had gathered.
Naga was a bit worried about other witches directing their rude gazes at the two of them, but it wasn’t the right time for prying into that matter.

Once Naga waited for Vita and Elysione to reach their seats, he began the meeting.

“Excellent. Since everyone has gathered, let’s start the assessment.”

=== Part 4 ===

“Well then, I think we are finally close to deciding on everyone’s deployments today.”

Saying so, Naga looked around to the faces of all present witches.

The ones who were present on Harrigan’s side were Harrigan herself, Ais, Lela, Kay, Nonoel, and Yuuki.

Whereas Vita’s side included herself, Elysione, and three witches named Lilly, Dora, and Samplotte. However, unlike the first two, the other three had run through the forest instead of moving through the mantle.

The witch whose name was Samplotte didn’t reach Elysione’s height, but she was also tall and strongly built.
On the other hand, the one called Lilly had a physique no different from a child, and her face also left an impression of her being innocent.
One more person, named Dora, had womanly features appearing throughout her large body, which gave her a bewitching aura.
Combining all of them, the 10 witches, together with Naga, sat on folding chairs while forming a circle.
Naga pushed out a map lying on the floor in front of everyone. It was a map of the Schweiz River area that had become the battlefield during their last battle.

“A single troop from Kasandora Kingdom’s army has been assigned to watch over the place near the crossing of the river. According to Raibach, they are a company under his direction that consists of 100 soldiers. There doesn’t seem to be any major change among them since their captain was kidnapped by the witches, I guess. Perhaps, their vice-captain picked up the leadership of the company. Even though their captain is missing, there’s no sign of them receiving reinforcements.”

As he said so, Naga put a wry smile on his face.

“It looks like Kasandora Kingdom doesn’t care about its captain’s fate, and continues to maintain its status quo…… right? After all, this troop is just disposable. Despite that, it will be troublesome to have them stationed at the riverbank.”

Using his index finger, Naga specified a point on the map.

“First, we should consider what to do with this troop, but…”

“Since there’s only a hundred of them, how about we take a detour?”

Vita asked.

“True. It should be fine for us to cross even without having to face them directly.”

Saying that, Samplotte expressed her opinion.

“I too think so, but Naga, isn’t it just you who see them as a problem?”

Once Harrigan stated her consent, Naga nodded in agreement.

“If possible, I’d like to have this troop escape.”

“I see, I see. So Dragon King wants to make sure that this troop doesn’t flank us when we are in the middle of capturing Fort Ein, right?”

“That’s what I mean. I don’t want to kill them due to my fundamental policy, so it should do as long as we cripple them as a troop by making them run away. Even if some of them were to return, they wouldn’t dare to threaten our back upon seeing the witches capturing the fort.”

“I see. That’s indeed a kind of story one would imagine seeing. Still, aren’t you pretty used to wars?”

Indeed, it may appear so – Naga nodded in agreement as soon as Vita asked him with a face filled with admiration.

“That’s because my thoughts will naturally gush out whenever it comes to things like this. However, since I’ve no memories, I can’t tell exactly what kind of experience I had back then, you see.”

“Shouldn’t it be more reasonable for you not to know how to fight? Just how deeply is your world stained with war?”

Vita’s expression turned into an astonished one.

“Well, I wonder about that.”

As if mocking himself, Naga wore a smile that gave a somewhat gruesome impression.

“Certainly, it feels like the world where I used to live had endless wars, but…. well, isn’t that fine? More importantly, let’s focus on our talk.”

“That’s right. We don’t have much spare time, so we better sort things out and start making the necessary preparations. Otherwise, it won’t do, you see.”

Vita nodded.

“Then, in order to scatter the troop that guards the river here, I’d like us to form a group for long-range attacking; still….”

Naga, who pointed once more on the map, lifted up his head and looked at Ais.

“Since this will become essential for us when capturing the fort, let me ask you something, Ais. How far can you throw using cobbles?”

“Cob, bles?”

“Were they called cobbles, or maybe, pebbles? I mean those hand-sized stones.”

Ais showed an attitude of pondering for a short while.

“Right. I think it would be around 11-13.5 meters under normal circumstances, and around 270 meters with my strengthened body, but…”

Naga measured the distance with his own senses.

“…..Wha, 270 meters?! You are able to throw them that far?!”

270 meters is certainly a long distance.

“Yes, if it’s a hand-sized stone, then most likely.”

(Even if they’re just stones, it does indeed require a terrific strength to be able to throw them such a distance. I should expect no less from a human battering ram, or perhaps, a human cannon…..hm? Cannon….Gun…..)

“Is there something you want to say, Naga-san?”

“Ah?”

Raising up his head, Naga’s sight met Ais, who looked at him with a smiling face. Despite that, her eyes didn’t smile at all, which was frightening.

Naga hurriedly waved with his hands in front him.

“No. No no, there’s nothing.”

“Is that so? I guess that’s fine, but…”

“If you are able to throw that far, can I have you become the core of the long-range assault against the troop guarding on the other side of the river?”

Paying attention so as not to meet with her eyes, Naga pointed at the river on the map.

Lela, who held a brush, wrote in Ais’ name near the river.

“And then…. Lela.”

“Wh-at?”

Lifting up her face, Lela directed her sight at him.

“How far can you launch those fireballs using your magic?”

“As one would expect, it will be hard for me to deal with that distan-ce. Nevertheless, Provided Yuuki carries my charms, it should be possible for them to be dropped onto the enemy’s hea-ds.”

Lela, who replied like that, shifted her gaze at Yuuki.

“I’m fine with that, but, if that happens, wouldn’t Lela’s charms burn down the enemy, were they to touch them?”

(No, you’d most likely be content with that.)

Naga wanted to retort that way, however, he refrained from doing so as it would worsen the situation.

“I’d appreciate it if you could do your best so as not to let the charms come into contact with them.”

Is where Naga stopped his comment at.

On the other hand, Yuuki puffed her cheeks in displeasure.

“Because they will be dropped from above, such a detailed stunt is next to impossible, right?”

“Since the charms are just supposed to fall and burn, it will take a while for them to descend complete-ly. The enemy soldiers should be able to avoid them in ti-me.”

Lela gave him a hand as a last resort.

“Is that so? Indeed, if that’s the case, there’s no need for us to worry much about that matter.”

Nodding down at once, Naga turned around to Yuuki and lightly bowed down at her.

“Anyway, I’m relying on you, Yuuki.”

“Uh….Geez, I got it. I’ll do it properly.”

“With that, Lela and Yuuki will participate as a single gro-up.”

Lela, who casted down her eyes, added her own and Yuuki’s name on the map.

“Is, there anyone else here who can carry a long-range attack?”

As he questioned Harrigan, she crossed her arms while slightly grumbling.

“Umu. As expected, it’s indeed difficult when it comes to an attack that covers a range of as much as 270 meters.”

Following that, she looked in Vita’s direction.

“How about your side?”

“I guess you’re right. A long-range attack like that is quite a tough task, but, with Elysione here, stabbing an enemy’s back would be simple, wouldn’t it?”

Naga moved his eyes toward Elysione.

She was dressed in her mantle even when sitting on a folding stool. Naga became curious about what kind of attire she was wearing under that mantle of hers.

(To begin with, since the witches from Sraymeyer are supposed to wear thin clothes with lots of exposure, just like Harrigan and the rest, perhaps Elysione has such garments as well.)

Elysione, who was unaware of Naga’s thoughts, nodded with a serious face.

“So long as I can place my mantle in advance, it’s perfectly fine. Assuming we lay a mantle on the other side of the river under cover of night and choose the right time to fly at our own discretion, it will look as though we are suddenly ambushing the enemy.”

“Despite saying so, you can only carry one person with you each time, right?”

“True. What’s more, there’s also the problem of appearance when transporting a person, but if that part is arranged beforehand as well, it should probably be fine.” (?)

“What’s…..the meaning of that?”

Is it okay for me to explain? – Elysione looked at Vita as if asking for her permission.

“It can’t be helped.”

Once she heard Vita’s reply, Elysione made a mild cough.

“In other words, you see, I can only fly through the mantle with my body. That’s to say, I can’t fly through it if I’m wearing clothes.”

“Wha….t?”

Naga run his eyes over Elysione’s whole body.

“Then does it mean, you’re, not wearing anything under your mantle?”

“Yes, when it’s not winter, I’m basically nude”

“Oi oi, why didn’t you tell me such an important thing sooner?”

Naga smacked his lips slightly and repeatedly.

“Had you told me about it sooner, I would’ve come and worshipped you every time you arrived….. No, rather than that, won’t you fly into my arm…..”

*Chop!*

*Whack!*

Such sounds bursted forth as Naga’s head was hit from behind by Harrigan’s solid hair and chopped on his forehead by Ais’ karate chop at the same time.

“Awwwwwwwwwwwww!”

Holding the back of his head with his right hand and his forehead with his left hand, Naga tumbled on top of the floor.

Haa – Lela exhaled a sigh.

Aren’t you an idiot? – Yuuki threw out such words.

Whereas, Kay cackled with her raised up voice.

Vita’s side watched Naga with dumbfounded faces. Naturally, only Vita herself and Elysione nodded in agreement with a face indicating this was a natural course of action.

“I was just joking. Don’t hit me like that while taking my jokes seriously, geez.”

Naga, who had teary eyes, said so while objecting to Harrigan and Ais.

“It didn’t look like your expression was telling us so?”

“On the contrary, it was incredibly serious?”

“You girls are….”

*snap* – While stroking the back of his head using his right hand, Naga pointed at them with his left hand’s index finger.

“Saying such an irresponsible thing, what will you do if a rumor spreads out inside Vita’s clan?!”

“Because it’s more truth than rumor, it can’t be helped?”

“Indeed, it can’t be helped.”

“Good grief. Those girls are seriously…”

Naga grabbed his head.

“Dragon King. We understand very well you’re a genuine pervert. More importantly, shouldn’t we continue this urgent strategy meeting?”

*snap* – Naga immediately snapped once more time and pointed at Vita.

“Don’t understand! And by the way, it’s a misunderstanding!”

“You mean it? If it’s a misunderstanding, then good. Leaving that aside, aren’t we going to finish this talk quickly? After all, we didn’t come here to fool around.”

“Ah, sorry that.”

Naga, who regained his composure, pressed his hand against the map and resumed their previous talk.

“Ummm, in addition to Ais who’s the part of the long-range assault group, Lela and Yuuki will join up. Other than that, we are going to capitalize on Elysione’s ability of instant travel, send in someone to the other side of the river, and have that person take the enemy from behind. Whom should we appoint for that task….?”
“Ummm…”

Nonoel lifted up her hand with restraint.

“What, Nonoel?”

“If we assault the enemy from behind, won’t they get the wrong idea of being surrounded by their enemy, thus resorting to desperate actions?”

That’s right – Naga once again casted down his eyes on the map while slightly groaning.

“Certainly, I can’t rule out that possibility. If by any chance a part of the enemy tries to break through in that state, they might happen to rush toward Elysione and the rest.”

As Naga was pondering, Vita intercepted.

“If it’s Elysione, she can take on 10, 20 people with no bigger problem. However, were that to happen, it would result in a battle no matter what, and eventually lead to casualties among the enemy soldiers.”

“I guess you’re right. Then, is it a bad idea to attack the enemy from behind?”

“Naga-san, how about me hiding inside the river water like previously?”

Naga looked at Nonoel with a surprised expression.

“Ah? Ahh, is that so?”

“I’ll enter the river from upstream, swim down it to the actual place, and wait on standby. Once Ais and the rest start their assault, I’ll threaten the enemy with my water magic. Firing some water spears should be enough to drive them away, I think, but…”

“I see. Using that method, even those trying to hold their ground will be scared off. That’s a good guarantee.”

Rather than just having his subordinates follow his orders, Naga appreciated those who could think and devise a plan on their own. That’s why, he greatly welcomed such a proposition.

Naga faced Nonoel and gave her the thumbs up.

“You came up with a great idea, Nonoel.”

Nonoel scratched her head while making an embarrassed grin.

“I, It isn’t a big deal, still….it’s somewhat of a deal.”

“She’s casually boasting of herself?!”

Both Kay and Yuuki bent a little backwards.
On the other hand, Naga’s expression turned a bit serious, as if being concerned by something.

“Surely, it’s a great idea, but Nonoel, aren’t you afraid of being spotted? If you were to be discovered, they would most likely attack you.”

“As long as I’m under the river, I can make myself hardly noticeable to the outside thanks to my magic. And once Ais and the rest commence their attacks, I don’t think the enemy will even consider watching over the river.”

“So you’re going to be all right? Then, let it be.”

Naga pointed at a single point of the Schweiz River on the map.

“I guess, Nonoel will station here.”

Lela wrote in Nonoel’s name on the map.

“In case the enemy doesn’t escape, it should be totally fine to pull a trick by showing them how numerous we are, but…”

Saying that, Naga turned his eyes in Harrigan and Vita’s direction.

“That much should probably do.”

“Umu, I see no problem.”

“If they do, we will just stick to our plan. What’s left to do are small and detailed matters, such as the deployment of the witches and things that we need to prepare.”

Like that, Naga and the witches concluded the preparatory meeting and tied up the last details of their strategy for capturing Ein fort.

=== Part 5 ===

The next day, both the Heindler and Sraymeyer clans advanced with their preparations.

And then, 10 days later.

The day for capturing the fort had finally arrived.

Ais, Kay, Naga, and Raibach approached near the right riverbank.

Even though the chance for the enemy to launch their arrows was slim, Kay, who took charge of protecting the others, was prepared for that instance.

Since Raibach wore a mantle and covered his face with a cloth, the enemy soldiers would perhaps not recognize him.

The reason why Raibach went to the frontline was due to him wanting to make sure of his troop.

“Going to the frontline carries a risk, you know.”

Naga stopped at this single warning, but nevertheless, Raibach doggedly opposed.

“No, you are going there as well, aren’t you? If so, it shouldn’t be that dangerous.”

“That’s because there are witches who will protect me. Still, in your case, they might not have enough hands, you see.”

“Well, when that comes, I’ll somehow manage it by myself.”

“If you’re fine with that, then I shall bring you with me. I do understand your feeling of wanting to see your subordinates safe.”

Like that, Naga brought Raibach with him after exchanging such a conversation.
Raibach’s sense of responsibility strengthened Naga’s belief about him being able to place his trust in Raibach.

A little distance behind Naga and Ais, there were Lela, Harrigan, and Vita waiting.
Just now, Yuuki who received Lela’s charms soared into the sky on her board.
Noticing a witch drawing near, the enemy troop that was guarding on the other side of the river started to make an uproar.

Naga, Ais, Kay, and Raibach, who were carrying baskets on their back put them down on the ground.
The inside of the baskets were overflowing with cobble.
A part of the troop, which noticed the quickest, climbed up the embankment and began shooting arrows. Nonetheless, due to a great distance separating both sides, the arrows would eventually land quite far in front of Naga and the rest.
Naga, who deemed they couldn’t be threatened by the enemy’s arrows, ordered his side to attack.

“Excellent, do it, Ais!”

Holding a cobble in her right hand, Ais raised her left leg overhead and bent her right arm.

Adding to her raised left leg, Ais’ right arm swung sharply forward together with her body.

Gohyuuu. – The cobble continued to fly with a sound tearing through the air.

Leaving a small gap, the cobble splashed on the surface near the opposite shore.
Ais, who finished the throw, regained her posture and measured the landing distance.

“Hm, I think just a little more.”

Muttering that, she grabbed another cobble

Byufuuu.

Again, the sound of tearing the air reverberated.
This time, a single cloud of dust appeared on the slope of the embankment.

“Ohhhh, Ais, that was a splendid throw.”

Soon after Naga raised an astonished voice, Kay clapped her hands.

“The enemy, they look surprised, surprised!”

“Ais, continue your throws just like that. If possible, aim for spots which are less crowded by soldiers.”

“Yes, I got that, but, it’s not achievable for me to aim without hitting any soldier, you know?”

“It can’t be helped, right? Raibach too, would probably not wish for that to happen.”

Ais took a short glimpse at Raibach’s direction.

“It should be enough as long you’re considerate.”

Hearing his reply, Ais felt relieved and picked up another cobble.

“Then, I shall continue.”

The cobbles continued to cut through the air with no intervals.

Paa, Paa, Paa – clouds of dust rose up here and there.

Even from this great distance, one could understand that the soldiers began to panic.
Since the cobble flew and sunk with a terrific power into the slope’s surface, it was guaranteed that the soldiers would consider them a life-threatening danger, were they to hit.

Should they fight back? Perhaps, with their arrows not reaching their target, it should better for them to escape? The soldiers loitered around, being unable to reach a conclusion. At that time, Yuuki, who took a detour, drew near with her hoverboard above their heads.
Noticing her charms being scattered by Yuuki, Lela began to cast a chant.
Following that, the charms began to flare up at once in the air.

Yuuki left the scene at full speed.
Looking up at a bunch of flames floating down from the air, the soldiers began to scream loudly.
Meanwhile, clouds of dust continued to appear on the slope’s surface.
Just when the enemy soldiers broke up in confusion, a large wave built up on the surface of the river.
Its height exceeded more than 3 meters. Despite its size being unusual, what was strange about the wave was that it elevated on the spot, instead of battering the shore. The large wave looked as though it was the neck of a water dragon that emerged from the water. As the neck started to move left and right in a manner if searching for its prey, the enemy soldiers were no longer able to endure. They threw away their bows and dodged each other while aiming for the opposite side of the embankment.

Immediately after that, the top of the embankment became clear of any soldier.

“Ais, just to make sure, I’d like you to make the cobble reach a bit further, near the other side of the embankment.”

Naga, Ais, Kay, and Raibach who were carrying the baskets on their backs covered a distance of more than 54 meters, after which they put down their baskets again.
Once more, Ais began to throw with the cobble.
No clouds of dust could be seen as the bank intercepted their view, however, it was certain, the cobble reached beyond the bank. Provided there were still some soldiers left, they would probably not wish to stay there any longer.

As the four of them continued to progress, the group that waited behind them moved too.
With his doubt of any possible arrow attack being cleared away, Naga summoned Selena and made her check the other side of the shore using her magic- Heaven’s Eye(?).

“It’s safe. At least, there’s no sign of enemy soldiers near the left bank.”

Excellent! – Naga clapped his hands after hearing her response.

“It’s just how I imagined. With this, a part of the guarding troop will run back to Ein Fort and inform their comrades about an attack coming from the witches. Ais, you can stop throwing cobble now.”

Being called out by Naga, Ais released the cobble in her hand and took a deep breath.

“As one would expect, even throwing constantly with all of your strength will make you a bit exhausted, won’t it?”

(Firing cobble in rapid succession at more than 270 meters, you call that a bit?)

“Is something wrong?”

“No, I just wanted to say ‘good work’.”

“I’m glad I was able to fulfill my duty.”

Ais made a pleasant smile.

Just then, Yuuki returned on her hoverboard.

“Yuuki!”

“What?”

“We’re going to cross the river. We can confirm the situation using Selena’s Heaven’s Eye, but just to be on the safe side, can you go ahead and check the opposite bank for us?”

“Well, if I’m told to do something, then I’ll do it.”

Once she stated so while hovering a little over a meter above the ground, Naga suddenly bowed down.

“I beg you, please do it.”

“Whaaa?!”

Yuuki, who bent backwards, nearly fell off from her board.

“You’re gross, so stop it! Speaking of which, don’t surprise people like that! What will you do if someone falls off because of that?!”

“No, no matter how you look at it, I can’t think of anyone dying from that height. To begin with, I only lowered my back and made a kind request. To think you would be startled by something like this, just what’s wrong?”

“I’m saying that such an attitude, doesn’t suit you.”

Saying that over her shoulder, Yuuki rose up and left on her board.
Naga, who smiled wryly, called out to Ais, Kay, and Selena.

“Let’s move to the other side.”

Naga & Co. progressed to the right bank while paying attention to their surroundings.
Immediately after, Harrigan and the others followed.

A group consisting of Naga and more than 10 witches linked up with Nonoel, who was waiting inside the river, and quickly proceeded to the left bank on the other side.
Nobody from the witches had received a single scratch, and no fallen soldiers were found.

One could say that Naga’s plan of capturing the fort without yielding any casualty was going smoothly.

=== Part 7 ===

The capture of Ein Fort was within hailing distance.
During that time, the soldiers who escaped back to the fort relayed the information about their patrol troop being scattered by the witches and about the enemy’s probable attempt of crossing over the river. Upon learning about that, the guards of Ein Fort partially fell into panic, however, not even Naga could have foreseen that far. Despite saying so, Selena was able to confirm some of the guards located at a watchtower becoming restless.

(Looks like we won’t have to seize all the enemy soldiers. Even apprehending half of them should probably be enough to make the rest run away on their own.)

Is what Naga thought.

Just as he predicted, they managed to clear out the north side of the fort.
So as to inform other companions about this part being clear, as well as to show off to their enemy, Naga and the rest hoisted a blatant flag that was prepared beforehand.
The flag had a pattern drawn on it that was once used for the united kingdom of the witches.
With the flag depicting the forces of the witches being supposedly visible, there’s no doubt about their enemy considering that as a deployment of the witches.

(The strategy this time is especially difficult, isn’t it? Still, the wind is already blowing in our favor. I see no other option than to attack the fort and take it down just as we planned. Yet if a problem arises, will we be able to seize the fort without producing any sacrifice? I guess this is what worries me the most.)

Naga and the rest of the witches took their posts and waited for the right chance.

=== Part 8 ===

Ais launched her attack of cobble throwing, whereas Yuuki carried Lela’s charms on her hoverboard atop Ein fort.
As they were attracting the guards’ attention, Kay, who used that momentum to solidify her body, run up to the fort’s walls while wearing a mantle and holding a shield for protecting against arrows.
The reason why Kay held the shield even though she could reach the place without getting harmed was so as to keep the arrows away from Elysione, who would be defenseless while she was coming out of the mantle. Nevertheless, it was a needless worry as the enemy soldiers came off the fort’s watchtower without trying to shoot down the running Kay, and escaped inside. There was also a chance that most of those soldiers left the fort behind.

“That’s, a big letdown, isn’t it?”

Muttering those words, Kay put down the shield and spread out the mantle she was entrusted with by Elysione on the ground.
The location of that was right at the bottom middle of the wall near the east side of the fort.
Kay, who stood up, raised her shield overhead just to ensure there was no attack coming.
Following that, the top of Elysione’s head, which stuck out from a hole, began to rise gradually.

“Yuck! It really looks like as though you’re welling up. Indeed, an obscene magic.”

Because Elysione, whose face was half submerged, gazed at Kay with a glaring look, the latter averted her eyes hurriedly.
Taking the opportunity of that, Kay looked around.

As one would expect, there was not a single sign of the enemy in the surroundings.

(Should you say it’s a letdown or no response coming from the enemy? Well, still, they were done in by us previously, so perhaps, this is just bound to happen. I see, this is what Naga-san meant by saying ‘The wind is already blowing in our favor. Capturing the fort might turn out unexpectedly quick’. At first, I was only half-convinced about that, but, seeing how smoothly this plan is going, it appears that person was right.)

Kay had been taught that the result of a battle didn’t just amount to the battlefield. Depending on the winning side and losing side, further battles would be affected as well.

At the time Kay was looking aside, Elysione continued to rise up little by little from the inside of her mantle.
Finally, once the top of her head reached higher than Kay’s, she stopped ascending. In other words, Elysione’s body fully appeared from the inside of the mantle. That being said, Vita’s appearance also emerged from the inside.

*thud* – While Kay was putting herself on guard, a shock ran through her body.

“…! So heavyy.”

Kay, who threw away her shield tried to keep the balance of her several times heavier body by putting more strength into her feet. however, being unable to stand firmly, she kneeled down on one knee.

What came next were voices of screaming and anger heard from the guards, from the fort’s interior. Nevertheless, they quickly turned into sounds of groaning.

“Even though we made thorough preparations, it’s still messy like this? Still, there’s no doubt… about the soldiers inside being….. unable to move.”

In fact, it happened just like that.
As soon as Yuuki watched from the above of the fort, she noticed every single soldier lying on the ground. Some of them were crawling, others – lying on their belly, and yet, other ones – lying face up.

One could see them struggling while trying to move their bodies, but nonetheless, far from being able to stand up, the soldiers had a hard time even crawling.

Yuuki clapped her hands and laughed without realizing it.

“Somehow, it looks like birds being trapped in birdlime.”

As far as she could see from above, there were no soldiers standing and moving.

“Well then, eat this!”

Rapidly descending down on her board, Yuuki tossed something above the heads of the soldiers who were lying in a crowd.
The thing she had released spread out in the air and continued to fall on top of the soldiers.

“Uwaa, what’s this?!”

“A, a net?”

What spread out greatly from overhead was a solidly knitted net.
Crawling on all fours while desperately fighting against their weight, the soldiers could neither ward off or pass through the net. Even if they tried to crawl out from under it, the net would just wind together.

Yuuki moved to the next spot and released another net in the same manner

With the number of enemy entwined in nets increasing, the open space in the fort’s interior became buried with soldiers that were unable to move. the situation looked as though miserable fishes were caught in a big haul and pulled up on land.

Yuuki flew out of the fort and returned back to others, who were waiting upon outside the range of Vita’s magic. There, she picked up Nonoel and hovered again.

“Two people riding is surely quite the load. It makes my control of wind more complicated, and thus, harder to launch the hoverboard.”

As she complained while desperately trying to operate the hoverboard, Nonoel, who was holding onto Yuuki’s waist, apologized.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s not that bad since you’re quite light. Were it to be Ais, it would be much more troublesome. I would probably be unable to hov…..”

Kooo!

The board swayed from a shock caused by something passing next to them with a frightening power.

“Eeeekk?”

Yuuki, who somehow managed to keep the balance of the board, raised up her eyes and looked around, after which, she noticed Ais’ appearance entering her view. Ais, who had just finished her throw, regained her posture.

“Wait, Ais, what are you doing?! If I get hit with a cobble, won’t my hoverboard turn into dust and splinters?!”

Yuuki let her voice as if objecting.

“Yuuki, Nonoel, do your best, okay?!”

With a smile on her face, she waved her left hand. However, Nonoel couldn’t overlook another cobble in Ais’ right hand.

Nonoel who broke into a cold sweat tapped Yuuki’s back.

“Y, Yuuki, escape fas….no, let’s fly over the, fort and finish our task.”

“R, Right!”

Yuuki controlled the unsteady board and moved back above the fort.
Nonoel, who looked down at the scene below, raised her voice in admiration.

“Uwaa, Vita-san’s magic is, amazing, isn’t it?”

The top of the ground was full of soldiers putting up a resistance and struggling in vain, trying to move themselves hopelessly, despite being entwined in nets.

“Don’t just admire, quickly do what you’re supposed to! I have a hard time controlling this board with the two of us!”

“Ah, understood. I’ll do it right away.”

As Nonoel was forming an incantation, moisture started to gather in the air.
And a rain fell constantly without having to wait long.
Once the sky was filled with enough rain to soak the ground, Yuuki returned with her board and put Nonoel down. After that, she gave a ride to one of the witches from Sraymeyer’s clan, named Lilly, hovered back to her previous spot.

=== Part 9 ===

Yuuki felt a bit anxious as she had no experience in transporting other witches. However, because Lilly had a small physique, steering the board wasn’t as difficult as what she had initially thought.
The moment they both reached their destination, Lilly began to chant her incantation while clapping her hands numerous of times.

“The hand whose god’s words echoes, the radiance born from the god. Prostrate, prostrate. Shine, become angry, run down. Oh furious God of thunder, pass down your judgement on this hill, pass it down on this hill. Come, come, come.”

And then,
A small flash of lightning ran down from the sky into the ground.

“Gyaaaaaaa”

Screams and shouts coming from electrocuted soldiers echoed here and there.
the flash of lighting kept running down numerous times.
And each time, a scream would be raised.
In addition to every soldier wearing metal armor and being soaked with rain created by Nonoel, not a single one of them could avoid getting electrocuted.
After the very last flash, not a single soldier seemed to be moving.

Yuuki waved with her hand so as to give a signal to others.
Kay, who saw that while stretching out her neck, shouted.

“Vita-san, it seems to be over!”

Shortly thereafter, Kay could suddenly sense her body becoming light again. Despite that, she had the feeling her body lost half of its weight.

“Uwaa, my body feels lighttt.”

Feeling that she was able jump over the wall, Kay leaped with all her might. Unfortunately, her body didn’t reach even 1.35 meters.

“As expected, my body returned back to its original weight, eh?”

Once she muttered so, Kay approached Elysione and brought a mantle, the hem of which she coiled into a roll.

“Vita-san, here.”

What Kay held out toward her was a small sized, makeshift mantle for Vita who stayed inside Elysione’s mantle to bear with for the time being.(?)

“I appreciate your efforts.”

Vita, who reached out her hands and received the mantle, creeped inside of it.
At that time, Elysione stood around with a stern expression, making it seem weird to Kay.

Finally, as Vita finished putting it on her, she crawled out from Elysione’s mantle.

The little witch adjusted her breathing and turned around to Elysione.

“Well then, you can go now, Elysione.”

“Yes, Mother!”

Elysione placed her foot on Vita’s held out palms and made a big leap.
It looked like the petite Vita wouldn’t be able to throw her largely built daughter into the air; nevertheless, Elysione gently whirled up into the sky as though she had feathers and jumped over the wall.

“Wow, incredible!”

“Do you want to leap as well?”

“Is that okay with you? Aren’t you tired?”

“My power won’t be exhausted by this much.”

“Is that so? In other words, is it fine for me to harden my body just like this?”

“I don’t mind. Jump on my palms.”
[[File:Naga03 Illus-06.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
“Well then, I’m going”

Kay, who was about to leap with all her might touched Vita’s palms with the back of her heels.
Soon after that, she could truly feel her body rapidly losing its weight. No, rather than ‘rapidly losing’, it felt more like it had no weight at all.
Moving her palms casually, Vita released Kay into the air.
And her body floated high into the air.

Soaring high in the air like this, Kay wondered whether or not she was dreaming. Obviously, shortly after she passed over the wall, Kay’s body returned to its original weight just like an illusion.
Vita’s magic can reduce one’s body weight, however, as soon the effect runs out, the weight will return to its previous state.

“Ooopps”

Kay adjusted her posture in a hurry and prepared for the landing.
Since she could feel her weight returning back gradually, rather than spontaneously, there didn’t…. seem to be any worry about Kay crashing headfirst against the ground.
Holding the ground firmly with the back of her heels, Kay absorbed the impact from the landing by folding her knees.
By the time she extended her legs, her body weight had returned back completely.

“Hmm, this is….. a somewhat enjoyable magic indeed.”

Kay, who thought about that optimistically looked around her surroundings.
There were soldiers lying everywhere in lumps. Several, or perhaps, a dozen of them, were trapped inside nets while being unconscious.

“It’s most likely due to them being hit by thunderbolts.”

Kay approached one of the soldiers and peeked inside his eyes. Without having to check, it was clear both his armor and clothes were wet.

“I guess it’s because of them getting soak that the thunderbolts were so effective. It doesn’t look like they’re going to wake up anytime soon. Despite that, it will be trouble if they wake up by any chance, so, shouldn’t I quickly make sure they don’t?”

Kay took stakes attached to a net in her hand and knocked them into the ground using her hardened fist.

Once she plugged them deeply into the ground on all 4 sides of the net, Kay stood up and checked its firmness by pulling.

“Hm, I think it’s okay. Even if some of these soldiers wake up and struggle, they shouldn’t be able to come out.”

Moving from net to net, she continued to fix them with stakes.

While she was doing so, the other witches also crossed over the fort’s walls one after another and began to go around its interior in small groups.

=== Part 10 ===

“Thanks for your hard work, Kay.”

Kay turned around at Ais’ praise.

Today, because their plan was to embark on Ein fort, Ais put on leather armor on top of her thin garments as it had a lower effect on her magic than metal armor. Even if it was true, the leather armor merely covered the minimum number of places, revealing as much of her skin as usual.

Will that really increase her protection? – The first time Naga saw that armor, he wanted to retort unintentionally that way.

(Back in my world, people would supposedly go to the battlefield…. fully armored. Certainly, this feels off somehow. Well, it’s probably still better than wearing nothing, so…)

But considering that matter again, Naga restrained himself from retorting.

“Ais, you did a great job too, right?!”

“It appears that the remaining soldiers have already made off from the fort, doesn’t it? The exploration of this building isn’t over yet, but at least, I can’t spot any of them still moving.”

“How about Hari-nee and Naga-san?”

“We’ve just opened the gate, so they should be here soon, together with Raibach as well.”

“You mean it? Speaking of which,”

Kay looked frequently at Ais’ body.

“Ais, don’t tell me you also got over the wall thanks to Vita-san’s magic?”

Ais tilted her head while smiling cheerfully.

“Ara? Kay-chan, what do you mean by ‘don’t tell me’? I’m trying to figure out your ‘don’t tell me’, but, you don’t mean to say something like ‘No matter how strong Vita-san’s magic is, don’t tell me that someone as massive as Ais could fly through the air’, right?”

Kay realized her dull gaffe, however, it was too late to take it back. With her knees becoming wobbly, Kay shook her head energetically from side to side.

“O, o, o, o, o, o, obviously not. Not even for a moment did that idea cross my mind.”

“…Is that so? Then, what’s the meaning behind the ‘don’t tell me’ just now?”

Wrapping her right first with her left palm, Ais inserted more power into her left hand while making a grin. *knuckle knuckle* – the joints in her right hand’s fingers generated a loud sound like that.

“I, still need to put more stakes, so let’s talk some other time, okay….?”

Kay ran away from the place just like a startled hare.

As Ais stared at Kay’s distancing back, Naga’s voice reached Ais from her back.

“Yo Ais, good work.”

Once she turned around, there were Naga and Harrigan standing there. Naga had his armor put on him, whereas, Harrigan used the same, small leather armor similar to Ais’ one. Behind them, Raibach, who wore a mantle with his face covered with cloth, stood. It wasn’t clearly visible due to the mantle, but, his hands were supposedly tied up. Originally, there should’ve probably been no need for worry as one couldn’t feel the slightest intention of escaping coming from Raibach.

“Naga-san, and Ane-sama too, thank you for your hard work.”

Soon after she replied like that, Harrigan nodded down as if being content.

“It looks like we nicely managed to capture the fort.”

“Right I wouldn’t have thought it would be this easy. As expected of Naga-san’s splendid tactic.”

“It wasn’t that much. That’s because the flow of this battle was already decided. Reversely, the enemy was prepared to flee from the very beginning, so I didn’t consider this plan to be that difficult.”

(Being, able to read the flow of a battle is a feat that we, the witches, cannot recreate. However, in this man’s case, pulling it off this lightly is something of a big deal.)

Harrigan greatly admired Naga inside her heart.

Not being aware of Harrigan’s thoughts, Naga ran his eyes over Ais’ whole body.

“More importantly, Ais, to think you would also be able to leap into the air thanks to Vita’s….”

Ais suddenly stomped against the floor and pushed out her right hand with unnoticeable speed.

“magi-gubooabaah?!”

Her fist sunk into Naga’s armor. Despite him wearing one, a large impact hit his stomach.
As soon as Ais calmly withdrew her right hand, Naga fell down with a thud to both his knees. His lower back bent so much that his forehead almost touched the surface of the floor. While holding his stomach, Naga slightly groaned and said.

“W…What are you doing out of sudd…en”

“I have no idea.”

Ais puffed her cheeks in discontent and walked away at a brisk pace.

“O, Oi, Dragon King, are you alright?”

Raibach called out to him in a concerned tone, but Naga lifted up his right hand so as to calm him down.

“Yea… I’ll manage it somehow……”

Harrigan exhaled a big sigh.

“Naga, shouldn’t you be a bit more considerate toward girls?”

“No, that was just a little…. joke, but well.”

“That’s why, I’m telling you that the other party might interpret it like this if you intend to make jokes.”

“Y, You mean it? Got it. I shall be more careful from now on.”

Holding his stomach, Naga grit his teeth and stood up.

“Still, that girl, Ais, to think she would hit me this seriously.”

The moment he complained, Harrigan looked at him pitifully.

“Perhaps not. Were she to get serious, she would’ve probably made a hole in both your armor and stomach, or maybe, pulverize all the bones in your body”

“No… way. For real?”

Naga thought he should be more careful from now on.

“Let’s leave that matter aside. We’ve brought down the fort, so starting from today, it’s our property. Should we walk around and check out its interior?”

I guess you’re right – Naga took an extensive view and nodded down in agreement, but,

“…….no, before doing so, we should first remove the armaments from the apprehended soldiers. I’ll have the scouting group check the building, whereas the rest of the members will progress with the removal of the armaments.”

“And more precisely, how should we do it?”

“Firstly, we will gather everyone in a single spot and remove nets from them one by one. We’re going to take away the armaments from those who regain their consciousness before doing the same with unconscious ones. All the stuff will be carried and put in the open space before the gate. By the time we are done, those who have become aware of the situation will try to escape on their own. As for the unconscious people, we will wake them up and tell them it’s okay to flee. They will most likely do the remaining thing.”

Harrigan furrowed her eyebrows and asked to confirm something.

“About the unconscious soldiers, shouldn’t it be better to place them in front of the gate?”

“True, it might be faster for their informed comrades to call out to them. With that, the soldiers should actually learn they were spared and released by the witches. Okay then, Harrigan, won’t you call others?”

“Understood. Lela!”

Nodding down deeply, Harrigan ordered Lela, who had tagged along with them, to raise a smoke signal.
Following that, a green-colored smoke arose from burned charms, after which the witches appeared in succession.

=== Part 11 ===

Naga and Harrigan gave quick instructions to the gathered witches from Harrigan’s clan. Soon after, the clan of Sraymeyer joined in, after their leader arrived at Naga’s spot, and helped with the removal of the enemy’s armaments.
Several of the soldiers had already run away after regaining consciousness. On the other hand, the still unconscious ones were transported to the open space before the fort’s gate using a cart brought from a warehouse. The one to pull it was obviously Ais, but, Naga decided to go through a bit of a trouble so as to motivate her.

Finally, being able to soothe Ais’ anger and encourage her to pull the cart, Naga thought.

(Yes, being considerate is serious matter. Especially, toward girls.)

Such was his strengthened belief.

=== Part 12 ===

The time for commencement of the tactic took place in the morning; nonetheless, the sun was already heading west. It was still too early for dusk, and shadows of watchtowers and other buildings inside the fort were still of considerable length, however, it was quite dark.

A big and a small half-moon resurfaced on a blue sky, close to the ground, while shining with a dim light.
Naga’s voice echoed through the open space located before the gate, at the north side of the fort.

“Oh, you guys are awoke? Once you regain your mobility it’s okay for you to escape.”

At his voice, some of the awake soldiers pointed their nervous sights at Naga, and then, looked around with a frightened expression. A dozen of the witches were surrounding them with the intention of guarding.
The soldiers trembled with fear as they felt they were caught by the witches.

“Oi, what’s the matter? I’m telling you it’s fine to escape. Speaking of which, it will be meddlesome if you don’t leave quickly.”

For some reason, an armored man was ordering them from atop a footstool in a self-important manner.

(Why is there a man among the witches?)

(Who’s that guy?)

The soldiers looked at each other’s face with a strange expression while whispering together.

“You don’t feel like running away? Then, shall you become slaves of the witches? Or perhaps, you would prefer to be sliced off here?”

The strange looking man pulled out his strange looking sword. At its sight, the soldiers came back to their senses and remembered their fear.

“Uwaaaaaaa!”

One of them stood up abruptly and ran off in a tumbling manner.
Following him, the rest of the soldiers who had regained their consciousness did the same one after another.
As this kept repeating, the number of the enemy reduced to half.
In the end, those remaining asleep would be waken up against their will by tapping and shaking, and set free as if being shooed away.
Only 20 people consisting of officers and vice-officers were left in the open space. Some of them who had been selected from the rest had their hands and legs bound together. Classifying them as commanding officers was an easy task since Raibach was present there.
In front of the remaining people, Naga got on the footstool and raised his voice.
He sheathed his sword back into his scabbard, put down its tip on the footstool, and placed his hands together on the sword’s pommel.

“How about this, you scoundrels. You have probably learned of the witches’ strength, right? Now that you’re apprehended like this, it’s fine to say your lives are in hands of the witches.”

Eeek?! – Some of the soldiers raised a shriek and turned stiff.

“But, fret not. We won’t be taking away your lives!”

At Naga’s loud and remarkable voice, the soldiers who tensed their bodies sighed with relief.

“Instead, we’re going to set you free!”

Naga, who cut off his words here, looked out over their faces.
Once he confirmed all the soldiers were holding their breath while concentrating their gazes on him, Naga once again raised his voice loudly.

“The reason why you scoundrels are caught is the result of you trying to attack and dispossess the witches from their land. You could say you reaped what you sowed, but, the witches are merciful this time, and therefore, your foolish act shall be ignored. Got it? You bastards are saved thanks to the benevolent and compassionate witches! You better engrave that in your hearts! And then, once you have learned your lesson, don’t you ever dare to fight them again!”

They watched Naga with a doubtful, or rather, a strange expression. Nevertheless, many of them nodded down enthusiastically.

“I’m going to release you at once. Does anyone have any questions?”

He observed them once more with his composed attitude. And then, a single soldier timidly lifted his hand.

“I allow you to speak. So, what do you want?”

As soon as Naga pointed the tip of his scabbard toward that person, the man straightened up with fear. However, he quickly pulled himself together and asked.

“Y…..You seem to be affiliated with the witches, but, just who on earth are you?”

Naga directed his cold gaze at the soldier who asked. Because of that, the man felt his body going numb and becoming sweaty.

“You’re asking me who I am? That’s a good question. I’m, well, I wonder about that, you see.”

At his vague reply, the man darted his eyes about; nevertheless, Naga carried on.

“I don’t exactly know who I am, but for now, I’m being referred to as this by the witches:”

Leaving a break in his speech, he continued.

“Naga [written as Dragon King]”

The soldiers exchanged looks with each other and buzzed noisily.

“I don’t care if you want to inquire who I am, but more importantly, shouldn’t you focus on how to return safely? Since we won’t give you back the confiscated weapons, you better be careful on your way back to your city so as not to encounter wild animals or bandits.”

Hearing Naga’s words, all of them came back to their senses.

“I will repeat it just once, but, make sure you remember this generous treatment as you won’t be forgiven the next time you’re caught. If that happens, you will probably have your stomach split open, your blood poured out, or your internal organs eaten while you are still alive. Got it!?”

“Eeek?!…”

“Understoodddd!”

The soldiers prostrated themselves with a pale face; nonetheless, Harrigan and the witches from her clan looked dissatisfied.
Drawing out his sword, Naga came near to the enemy.
Once he stood next to them who trembled with fear, Naga cut off ropes binding their limbs.
Having finished doing so, he pointed the tip of his sword toward the gate.

“Hey, you can go now.”

Despite him telling them, nobody moved with their body.
Is he going to slash me from behind the moment I try to escape? – is what they doubted.

“What’s wrong, aren’t you going to run away? If you bastards don’t want to, then perhaps we should work you to death as slaves of the witches….”

“Uwaaaaaa!”

A single person screamed loudly while dashing out. The remaining soldiers understood that as a sign and dashed off one after another.

Naga shouted behind their backs.

“If you return back safely, you may tell your families about how humane the witches are!”

However, it wasn’t clear whether or not his words reached their ears, as they all went at full speed toward the gate without looking behind, just like startled hares.

=== Part 13 ===

By the time the soldiers disappeared, Naga called together Harrigan and Vita.

“It’s regarding what we intend to do from now on, but……. speaking of which, even though we managed to capture the fort, why do you look this displeased?”

“I wonder if it’s not due to your way of speaking, Naga. With what you had said before, didn’t you give them the wrong impression about us?”

Harrigan gazed at him.
Her abundant, bluish black hair that wriggled in the air looked fearsome.

“Good grief. It’s not nice to speak about us in a way that makes us look like beasts sucking humans’ blood and eating their live flesh, you know?”

Vita was in bad mood as well.
Even if the witches got angry, their appearance shouldn’t have been enough for Naga to be as afraid as he was towards Harrigan right now. Nevertheless, having already learned how frightening their magic is, he hurriedly shook his hands in front of them.

“No no, I just told the soldiers a lie so as to make them feel scared. Look, don’t people say ‘the end justifies the means’?”

“…….Do they?”

Naga suddenly lost his self-confidence as both Harrigan and Vita looked at him with doubtful eyes.

“Eh? Umm yes…I believe this is what people used to say, but…”

“Is this a part of your lost memories?”

“It looks to be so, I guess. Sometimes, these sorts of proverbs will jump into my mind.”

Because he made a bit of a miserable face, neither Harrigan nor Vita felt inclined to press him any further. With that, Naga was released from a difficult situation.

“Then, what are you going to do now, Naga?”

Naga who sighed with a relief inside his heart first looked at both of them.

“We will survey the exterior. Selena will check the nearby surroundings, whereas, Yuuki will explore the main road. After all, I want to confirm whether or not all the soldiers managed to run away, or if some of them are still left hiding.”

“Umu, I’ll take care of the preparations.”

Harrigan replied.

“And after that, we should inspect the interior, especially, what’s inside the warehouse.”

“Fumu. Then, shall we entrust Ais with that task?”

Saying so, she turned around toward Ais.

“Yes, leave it to me”

“Is there anything else we need to do?”

“That’s right. There’s a chance that the Kasandora Kingdom will try to retrieve this place. About that, we better strengthen this fort’s defense. Still, I don’t think it will happen any time sooner, so we don’t have to worry for today.”

“Naga, what are the chances for their army to come and strike at us?”

It felt as though some tension showed through in Harrigan’s questioning voice.
Since Harrigan gave off that impression, it wasn’t impossible for the witches around here to display anxiety and tension on their faces.

“Adding up their defeat at the Schweiz River, today as well, they were quickly deprived of their fort, you see. Is their commanding officer(General?) willing to carry out another battle? More importantly, will their soldiers feel inclined to fight? Considering those facts, I don’t think they will quickly decide on recapturing this fort, you see.”

After hearing his answer, some of the witches felt relieved.
Naga, who looked at them with a side glance, gave a warning.

“However, we can’t rest assured. There are probably other enemies besides the Kasandora Kingdom, right?”

Fumu, indeed that’s true. – Vita nodded in agreement.

“With them losing a majority of their war potential, it can also mean…. that other countries will move with ease.”

“Sooner or later, I’d like to hear more about other sides’ military strength in comparison with this one here.”

“Umu, that’s fine.”

“We can tell you anytime.”

“Well, enough of that. We have yet to do the most important thing for today.”

“Oh? There’s still something left?”

“Oi oi, Harrigan, don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten. We are victorious, we’ve captured Ein fort without sustaining any damage. In that case, there’s one thing we ought to do.”

Harrigan and Vita looked at each other while wondering what it could be.
The witches around them also tilted their heads at Naga’s words.

“Good grief, you surely are slow, aren’t you?”

Naga, who shook his head, drew out his sword and raised it high.

“When it comes to this, we ought to shout from victory and hold a banquet!”

“Ohh, you mean that?”

“I see. Certainly, we can’t omit this part.”

Both Naga and Vita nodded in agreement, and other witches expressed their approval as they became radiant, clapped their hands, and stamped with their feet.

=== Part 14 ===

(Oh my, indeed, this person is a big fish. As expected of someone who’s referred to as the Dragon King.)

While the witches were filled with enthusiasm, Raibach watched Naga with deep admiration on his face.

(Just as he said, they managed to capture the fort without producing any casualty on the side of the guards. Surely, he was neither boasting or making a random speech as a temporary measure.)

Being able to see lots of familiar faces escaping safely, Raibach felt a great relief and admiration. He was amazed and deeply astonished at Naga’s actual leadership ability.

(Perhaps, this person is really capable of creating a world where both humans and the witches can live together. If such a world comes true, there may no longer be any harsh and miserable war, I guess.)

The face of his young child resurfaced in his mind.

(That’s right. I wonder if we could save more pitiful children like her.)

Raibach, began to think he wanted to see a world like that.
Therefore, he also started to think if there was anything he could do.

=== Part 15 ===

The witches began to make merry, but as soon as Naga left some words to Harrigan, he took Raibach and moved together with him to a separate room.
One could say it was his method of being considerate so as not to spoil the fun of the witches and let them feel at home when there were no men around.

Sorry for this. – Having sensed his intention, Harrigan lowered her head.
Naga smiled and lifted his right hand.

“Don’t fret. This won’t be our last victory banquet. Rather, there will be plenty more occasions like this one, you see.”

“I’ll bring you some alcohol and appetizer.”

“Oh, please do so.”

Saying this, both Naga and Raibach left to a smaller room and prepared to drink in silence.

=== Part 16 ===

“Why, didn’t you run away?”

Naga threw such a question at Raibach while holding his wine cup filled with grape wine inside. However, since a moment ago, he would just limit himself with tasting it.
Naga restrained himself to this way of drinking, not due to him disliking the taste, but because of him being aware he was weak towards alcohol.
On the other hand, Raibach emptied his metal wine cup many times, as if being good at drinking.

“No, asking me why is…”

Putting down the wine cup on the floor, Raibach looked at Naga with a slightly red-face.

“I’m your prisoner. Wouldn’t you kill me, were I to run away at my own convenience?”

“Back then, you probably saw me releasing all the captives, right? I planned to let you go too, but well. Had you slipped into the crowd with your friends and escaped, I would have neither chased you nor have any complaint, although the witches might have said something, but…”

“Is that so? So I could just run away? I didn’t consider that far.”

In Raibach’s tone no remorse or disappointment was felt, which was a bit unexpected for Naga.

“What’s wrong? It feels as though you couldn’t care less about that.”

“Ah, well, perhaps you could say so. Anyway, I no longer have a family left.”

“You mean it? Then, what are your plans from now on? If you remain like this, you will end as a slave of the witches. I’ve got the feeling that neither you nor the witches would wish for something unpleasant as that. As expected, maybe I should seize the opportunity and release you.”

As Naga said that, Raibach directed a serious look at him.

“Hey, Dragon King.”

“What? Why are you being formal?”

“I wonder if you can make me into your subordinate.”

At his words, Naga opened his eyes slightly wide.

“Are you serious?”

“Uh, no, how should I put it…. I’m not even sure myself about that.”

Was Raibach, who replied, mocking himself or hiding his embarrassment? Perhaps, he was filled with something else? Somehow, a smile with mixed feelings appeared on his face.

Naga talked to such a Raibach in a nice and cold manner.

“Becoming my subordinate would mean, at the same time, being on the side of the witches, i.e., becoming an ally of your god’s enemy. In other words, you too will be considered as one and fight against humans as ‘god’s enemy’. Are you okay with that?”

“To begin with, I wasn’t much of a fanatical believer. What’s more…..”

Raibach reached out his hand toward the cup and brought it near his mouth, after which, he drank up the remaining wine in one go.

*Sigh* – Once he exhaled and put the cup back down, Raibach carried on as he made eye contact with Naga.

“I don’t plan on becoming a subordinate of the witches, but you. That is to say, Dragon King’s underling.”

“That would probably be the same. After all, I’ve befriended the witches, which makes me an enemy of humans. As expected, by becoming my underling, and therefore, an ally of the witches, you would turn humanity into your enemy?”

At Naga’s remark, Raibach shook his head from side to side composedly.

“No, it’s certainly not the same. At least, this is what I believe.”

A shade of confusion appeared on Naga’s face for the first time.

“……What do you mean?”

“Simply serving Dragon King doesn’t make me a subordinate of the witches. Even if I’m to work for them, in the end, it’s Dragon King who’s giving them orders. Now that I think about that, don’t I sound like making an excuse to myself?”

Haha – Hearing his words, Naga laughed.

“That’s indeed an unexpected quibble coming from you.”

“I don’t particularly mind, so it’s fine. Didn’t you say before that the end justifies the means?”

“Yeah, I think that’s what I said.”

“What’s more, there’s no reason for me to tell you a lie. Since my youth, I’ve been constantly serving in the army, so I’ve gained a mass of experience. Back then, I used to fight with the witches, but the majority of my battles were against other human soldiers.”

*Chuckle* – Raibach chuckled under his nose.

“Human have been killing each other in the name of god. Regardless of whether they were humans or the witches, I-, we, would continue to swing with swords, shoot arrows, kill our enemy, and die from their hands. There would be no time for us to ponder on things like who was our enemy or what was right in what we did. Just as being told, we would pick our weapons and fight for survival. That’s it. If you order me to pick a weapon and fight your enemy, then it’s no different from what I’ve been doing until now.”

As soon as he paused after speaking loudly in one breath, Raibach scratched his head as if feeling a bit shy.

“…..Guess I’ve made another excuse to myself.”

“You mean it?” – Naga, who replied, fixed his gaze upon Raibach.

Was it due to him being unable to endure the pressure coming from Naga’s sight? Raibach extended his hand and poured more red liquid into his cup.

The moment he brought the cup near to his mouth, Naga uttered with dignity.

“Fine, got it. I shall make you into my underling.”

Raibach’s face rose up energetically and looked as though brimming with expectations.

“For real?!”

“I’m not lying, but, let me ask you once again.”

Standing up while having a grave expression, Naga looked down at Raibach and said:
[[File:Naga03 Illus-07.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
“By becoming my underling you agree to fight against the humans til my vision of the new world is fulfilled. Perhaps, there will be another battle waiting after the previous one. You’re telling me you can continue to swing your sword at humans, right? And endure slanders such as being labeled as ‘god’s enemy’, right?”

“Y, Yes.”

“I’m going to tell you this, but, it’s not like I’ll always resort to this type of kindhearted fighting style, you see? This time, I only saved all of your comrades because I deemed it would serve a purpose in the future. On the other hand, if I consider killing them all to be more convenient, then I may not hold back, you know?”

At Naga’s sharp glint in his eyes and intimidating air overflowing from his body, Raibach felt an unintentional urge to move back while he was sitting. Nevertheless, he somehow endured that and strained his voice.

“Y….Yes, I don’t care about that.”

The fighting spirit dwelling inside of Naga suddenly disappeared.

“Understood. I’ll make you into my subordinate, therefore, work your fingers to the bone for my sake.”

After that, Naga gave a broad smile.

“That’s because I properly reward those who serve me.”

Naga was pleased. He hadn’t thought he would be able to make a subordinate this quick.

He, who possessed an eye for anticipating the future, had a premonition that his subordinates would become a breakthrough for realizing his plan.

Raibach faced toward the smiling Naga and bowed down instinctively.

“I, I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“If that’s settled, we shall let the witches now about you becoming my underling. Follow me.”

Being in good mood and in high spirits, Naga took Raibach along with him and left the room.

=== Part 17 ===

“Oi, Harrigan, there’s something I’d like to discuss with….”

Once Naga and Raibach stepped inside a large room where the merrymaking of the witches had been held, most of the witches were drunk and dancing while being naked.

“Eh?”

“Ah….”

As soon as the witches noticed Naga and Raibach, they ceased their dancing and singing, and a strange, or rather, ominous silence dominated in the room.

“Umm, we will be back later.”

“I, I guess it’s much better that way.”

Naga and Raibach turned right with stiff faces as they planned to leave at a quick pace. Despite that,

The moment they stepped out with one foot, their bodies turned instantly heavy, making them stumble.

“Uooooh?”

Raibach and Naga recovered back their weight immediately after falling on their knees.
They both tried to stand up hurriedly and break up, however, they couldn’t make it in time as the witches were already surrounding them.

“You have some guts to peek at us and think you can get away with that, don’t you, Naga?”

Harrigan, whose hair went around in circles, was nude.

“Geez, Naga-san, as expected, it should’ve been better to gouge out your eyes, right?”

Ais, who pushed out her hands, was naked as well.

“I think gouging out their eyes is too clement for them. It would be better for us if we cut off both their legs and arms so that they can’t peek again.”

The air surrounding Yuuki jumbled together and her 2 bundles of long hair fluttered. Obviously, she too was naked.

“I shall burn the-m. So that not a single trace of them remain-s.”

Lela, who held a charm in her hand, was nude as well.

“How about punching? Punching them to death? Until all their bones are completely broken? Haaaaa!”

Putting up her fist, which released its metallic gloss, Kay too was nude. Not just her fist but also her whole body – including her nipples as well – was radiating with a metallic luster. Should one describe that as strange or perhaps uncanny? Either way, it was a mysterious view.

“I think drowning them to death will be the most painful method.”

While expanding and contracting lumps of red liquid in the air – most likely grape wine – Nonoel approached in a staggering manner. She too was naked.

“Kukuku, so you wanted to see me naked that badly, Dragon King? If so, you should have come and made a request like a real man in front of me. To think you would peek on me sneakily like that, it’s indeed a disgrace even for someone known as the Dragon King.”

Placing her hand on her waist and bending her chest backward, Vita laughed while being naked like the rest.
Originally, if a girl was to bend backward, there would be clear unevenness protruding, however, in Vita’s case, none could be found.

The other witches, who looked much the same as the previous ones, or perhaps less, surrounded Naga and Raibach in multitude – although it wasn’t such a great number – while looking at them with an ominous light dwelling inside their eyes.

“Oi, you girls, come back to your senses! To begin with, I wasn’t the one to peek. It was you who showed me your appearance!”

Despite Naga criticizing and objecting, no truth nor justice would reach someone who was drunk.

“He’s making excuses, isn’t he?”

“He’s evading, right?”

“He’s trying to deceive us, right?”

“He’s turning on us, isn’t he?”

While shouting one by one, the witches rushed at Naga and Raibach.

The two of them tried to stand up, but nevertheless, they would quickly tumble back.

“Forget about what you saw here!”

“Forget it completely!”

“If you can’t do that, then die!”

The witches approached en masse and kicked the rolling Naga and Raibach using their feet.

For the time being, they both covered their heads with their hands, trying to protect themselves from a swarm of dispatched kicks. Thanks to that, they were able to keep their heads safe, however, the witches didn’t spare other parts of their body.

Naga somehow tried to stop them by looking up, but,

(Huh? T, This angle is?!)

“Wai, girls, this angle is no good! It’s no good awaawaaw!”

“Errrk! I’m going to be killed. Even though I went through the trouble of becoming the Dragon King’s subordinate, I’m going to be killed from being kiiicked.”

“Eh?”

At Raibach’s shriek, Harrigan ceased to move.

“Oi, everyone, wait.”

Harrigan, who calmed down the other witches, directed her question at Raibach.

“You, what just did you say just now?”

“N, No, that’s why I’m saying I’ve become the Dragon King’s subordinate….”

Curling up on the floor and holding his head in his hands, Raibach, who resisted the kicks, looked with a glimpse at Harrigan after which he hurriedly turned away his sight.

“What’s the meaning of that, Naga?”

“That’s why I’m telling you I have to let you know about that!”

Naga released his hands from his head and lifted his eyes toward the witches who were surrounding him.

“Speaking of which, I think I mentioned about this angle being honestly no good but, are you fine with that?”

Naga averted his eyes similarly to Raibach.

“…..Hmm?”

Harrigan, who looked down at them both, shifted her eyes a bit at her own body.
She was nude.
Completely nude.
So nude it was terrific.

In case of Raibach, it wasn’t half as bad, as he held down his head and averted his eyes, however, Naga was laying on the floor face up. Certainly, it was an angle which couldn’t be more dangerous.

“Whatttttt?!”

Rather than coming back to their senses, the witches who realized the situation they were put in forgot about their shame, and instead, were besides themselves with rage.

“Die Die Die!”

“Erase all the memory of what you saw and die!”

“Throw out all your brain tissues and die!”

*Dosu, kosu, doka, geshi*

A further and more harsh swarm of kicks were sent at Naga.

“Uwaa, you, wai, awwawawaww, I’ll die, I’ll seriously die!”

Twisting his body, Naga tried to escape, but, there was nowhere to run away as the witches surrounded them closely packed.

(This is bad; this is honestly bad. I’m seriously going to die from these kicks.)

Were he to oppose a drunkard who had lost any means of reasoning, Naga would most likely worsen his situation, but nonetheless, he had the feeling it was the only option for him to survive.

By the time Naga resolved himself and tried to move his hand,

“Wait a moment! He’s going to die! The Dragon King is really going to die! Are you fine with killing him like that?!”

Raibach, who shouted, covered Naga with his whole body as if trying to protect him.

“This person is your ally! The who who’s supposed to create your world!”

“Umm…”

With that, Harrigan and the rest stopped their kicking.

“Raibach, seems like you don’t understand what’s being talked about, do you?”

“That’s why, the Dragon King has been telling you that all the time.”

“It’s the first time I hear about what you say.”

“No, he has been telling you that countless of times for a while, you know?”

“You mean it? Then, I wonder if you can’t let us know.”

“B, Before that, could everyone please put something on? Otherwise, the talk won’t proceed.”

“A…Ah, that’s right. It’s just as you say.”

The witches who came to their senses a little pulled back their legs and turned around.

“By the way, you didn’t see it, right?”

Raibach waved his hands with all might and shook his head at his best after being stared by Harrigan.

“I didn’t, I didn’t.”

“If you had seen it, I thought about gouging out your eyeballs, dismembering your body after smashing all of its bones, and throwing it to wolves as a pet food, but—-”

“I didn’t see even a tiny little bit, so honestly, rest assured.”

“Then, I guess that’s fine. Still, what about you Naga?”

“No, I haven’t seen anything, so don’t worry.”

“I wonder who should be the one to say that.”

Despite her thinking that, Harrigan also thought her carelessness was partially responsible for what had happened, so she ceased any further inquiring.

“Ah… since we’ll be changing, go outside and wait.”

(Rather than changing, you should already be putting something on you!)

Naga wanted to retort that way, but he thought he would only annoy them at this late hour. Together with Raibach, he silently went outside to the hallway and waited for them to be called in.

=== Part 18 ===

After a while of waiting,

“You can come in.”

Being called out to, Naga and Raibach entered in once again.
Both of them could feel relieved as everyone was properly wearing their clothes.

(I’ve always thought their small clothes are as good as being naked, but, looking back at what happened, I can understand it’s far better for them to wear something.)

Naga exhaled a sigh of relief inside of him.

“Naga, come and sit here. Same goes for you, Raibach.”

Naga and Raibach sat down at prearranged seats near a wall after being urged by Harrigan.
As they leaned against the wall, the witches also sat down while surrounding the two in a half-circle.

“Then, what’s the meaning of him becoming your subordinate?”

Harrigan asked as if being eager.

Among the other witches, there were those who looked at Naga and Raibach curiously, those who looked strangely, others – doubtfully, and yet another – reproachfully. Besides them, witches who averted their eyes in shame were also present, however, those were a minority.

“Ah, that would be, you see—”

Naga revealed his exchange with Raibach, as well as the whole story behind him deciding to make Raibach into his underling.

“I knew you would later approve of the idea, but I deemed it was necessary to make the decision on the spot.”

“Hm, is that so?”

“I also had thought it would benefit you, which was the reason why I decided to do so, you see. That’s all I wanted to convey.”

“I guess you’re right. When it comes to establishing a world for both us and the humans, having allies is an indispensable thing.”

Saying that, Harrigan nodded in agreement.
Because the majority of the witches from the Heindler clan, such as Ais, Lela, Kay, and Nonoel, agreed too, nobody seemed to particularly complain or object. Except for one person.
Naturally, that person was Yuuki. She was the only one to stare blatantly and pretentiously at Naga and Raibach with a much displeased face

“Is there something you want to say, Yuuki? If so, say it now.”

“Not really. Isn’t it fine as long as Hari-nee approves of your decision?”

Should one say that Yuuki had become more mature too? She wasn’t the same blind and stubborn person, whom she was when they first met.

(If that’s true, then great. Still, I wonder.)

Not letting anyone else learn about his thoughts, Naga,

“Is that so? Sorry about that.”

He lowered his head.
And Raibach bowed down deeply as well.
Harrigan exchanged a somewhat warm look with Yuuki

“T, That’s why, you’re greatly mistaken if you think I’m glad of becoming that guy’s ally!”

Yuuki, who couldn’t bear that situation uttered those words with an abusive-like tone.

“Yuuki, you’re going too far with your words. Raibach is already…”

“Ah, that’s okay, Ane-san, I don’t mind about that.”

Since Raibach shook his head on sides, Harrigan held her tongue, but then, she immediately looked at him with doubtful eyes.

“By the way…. you’re calling me Ane-san? Do you think I’m older than you?”

“Ah, no, I’m sorry about that, Somehow, it feels like you’re giving off a strong appeal, so….”

“W, Well, I wonder if it’s fine to consider it that way.”

Harrigan coughed at once and stated.

“If it’s Naga’s decision, then I won’t be the one to judge. We shall approve you becoming Naga’s underling.”

“Thank you, Harrigan. Speaking of which,”

Naga moved his face toward Vita, who had been silent for a while.

“How about you, girls? Do you mind if that’s guy becomes my subordinate?”

“Well, I wonder about that.”

Raibach stirred his muscle uncomfortably as Vita threw a glance at him.

“After all, it’s what you’ve decided. I don’t plan to look for any excuse, and the same goes for my daughters.”

“You mean it? I appreciate that.”

However – Saying this, Vita threw a challenging look at Naga.

“But, provided that man betrays us, we won’t have any mercy on him, you know? If that happens, I shall make him so heavy that all the bones and joints in his body get smashed and his muscles get torn.”

“Rest assured. Not even I will forgive those who plan on becoming my ally just to betray me. Absolutely not. I’ll tear this guy apart even before Vita does.”

“Then, fine. I shall acknowledge this man as Dragon King’s underling. Are you okay with that, my daughters?”

One couldn’t tell whether their answers were optimistic or pessimistic, but, they all were of the same opinion.

“Excellent. From now on, Raibach is officially my subordinate. Since I am an ally of the witches, Raibach too has become one. Having this guy is truly delightful! Speaking of which, Harrigan. Now that you’ve acquired your first human ally, what’s your thoughts on that?”

“H…hm, that’s right.”

“If things go well like this, perhaps creating the world we wish for might be easier than what we had thought.”

Harrigan put a slightly wry smile on her face after listening to Naga’s words.

(There’s no way for it to be that simple. But, perhaps one should be more bold and optimistic when putting their life into something. Be that as it may, even if it’s just for giving my daughters more hope, should I accept his offer?)

Harrigan, who was thinking this, leaned her body forward and replied vigorously.

“True. For the sake of creating a new world, we have to rise and make more allies like Raibach. If we increase them one by one like this, then establishing a new country of the witches isn’t that far from being realized.”

“Agreed. Well then, now that Raibach has become my underling, let’s celebrate! Let’s celebrate a new chapter in your future! Drink, sing, get undressed, and dance!”

“Ohh, that’s right. Let’s become lively at onc…Wha? No no no, wait wait! Why are you bringing that topic back up?!”

“E, Eh? Am I wrong?”

“You are! If you want to get undressed and dance that badly, then do it together with Raibach!”

At Harrigan’s retort, sounds of whistles and jeering came from the direction of other witches.

“No, even if I was to dance naked with this guy, I won’t enjoy it at all, you know?”

“This is what I’m trying to tell you.”

“That’s why, we will no longer undress. And even if we decide to, we’ll smash your eyes before doing so.”

“Ah, shall I smash them? I, can do it, completely.”

“Because Ais extended her hands and stepped forward, Naga fervently waved both his hands in front of him.

“No no, I won’t do that, so don’t worry. Even if you girls were to denote your intention of doing so, I and Raibach will leave the place straight away.”

“Huh…..? That’s so boringg.”

Ais, who moved both her thumbs in the air, in a manner of squeezing something, looked to be much unsatisfied.

“No no, don’t say it like you’re regretting not being able to smash my eyes. More importantly, you too shouldn’t drink any more than that, right? Right, Ais?”

“What are you talking about? I’m not drinking at all?”

Ais stared at Naga.

Naga turned his sight at Harrigan as if seeking for a help; nonetheless, he was flatly refused by her.

“You should be okay as long you don’t come near Ais.”

(No, rather than that, it’s more troublesome to have her approach me while being drunk.)

Naga looked around him for help, but, nobody would lend him a hand. Rather, nobody wanted to end up like him.

“Ah… well, I think I’ll go and stay in my room silently.”

“I too will keep you a company.”

In the end, not being able to participate in the banquet or watch the witches dancing and singing, the two of them ate and drank obediently inside their room.

=== Part 19 ===

Like that, Naga acquired his new subordinate, Raibach.
In other words, he was the first ever human ally of the witches, who had been repeatedly opposing humans for 2-300 years of both their history. Nevertheless, lots of the witches were still unaware of that, or couldn’t understand it yet.
On the other hand, Naga knew, as well as Raibach himself, that Raibach had become an existence that would become a breakthrough, or rather, a bridgehead, for establishing a new world where both the witches and humans can live together.

(The biggest spoil of this battle isn’t Ein Fort but this man. This guy is also a tremendously big asset for the witches.)

Naga believed this to be true.

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==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Ochitekita_Ryuuou_to_Horobiyuku_Majo_no_Kuni|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Epilogue 1|Epilogue 1]]
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</noinclude>

Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 4

2017-02-16T17:27:26Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 2 */

==Chapter 4: The Greatest War Trophy==

=== Part 1 ===

Naga, Harrigan, and Vita held a great number of tactical meetings during their preparatory work. Vita would frequently visit the fort of Harrigan & Co. while giving instructions to her daughters. However, since she was always being carried through Eliushune’s positioned mantle, Vita’s migration from one place to another wasn’t a big hassle. It didn’t seem to require either too much time or effort. Harrigan assigned a single room in the residential building for Vita and Eliushune’s personal use. Therefore, both the witches could use it as they wished.

“I’ll kill you if you dare to peek inside the room, got it?”

Naga received such a threat from Vita.

“Like I would?!”

Naga retorted as he didn’t plan to do so from the beginning.
For instance, knowing that the room would shine with a light every time Vita and Eliushune arrived, wouldn’t he wonder whether or not their arrival was successful?

=== Part 2 ===

A single room assigned by Harrigan.

It was just about the time when Eliushune materialized herself from a mantle spread on the wooden floored room. The mantle began to coil around Eliushune as she was putting out her hands from the seams of it. Eiushune’s body that stuck out from the gaps was naked. Or at least, it looked like her bottom had no clothes on. Then, beneath her feet, the similarly nude Vita was crawling out. Unlike Eliushune, she was, without doubt, completely naked. No matter how one judged it, Vita looked like barely 10 years old, flat-chested girl from head to toe. After being told she was much older than Harrigan, one could only be filled with awe.

“Eliu, you rascal. Your magic is convenient, but at the same time, it’s not. That’s because I’ve got to get naked every time we teleport using that mantle.”

While expressing her complaint, the totally naked Vita moved her upper body in every direction, trying to recover its lost sensations.

“Please don’t complain, Mother. Since I was able to reduce the excess of inconvenience so as to make up for it, shouldn’t it be fine? To begin with, there’s no magic that’s invincible or almighty in this world, right?”

“Hmm, that’s something I know even without you telling me, you rascal.”

Walking on the wooden floor while pressing her feet repeatedly against it, the completely nude Vita opened the lid of a chest placed in one corner of the room and took out prearranged clothes from inside.

Holding a set of them, she pushed them out to Eliushune.
[[File:Naga03 Illus-05.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
“Hey, put them on me.”

“Yes, right away.”

As soon as Eliushune drew near, she helped Vita dress.
The prearranged pair of clothes were identical to those she normally wore. They covered little skin and had small notches that created a fluttering pattern. However, Vita’s headgear, which she had put on last, was a bit different from her usual one.

“No matter how powerful our magic is, it’s neither invincible nor almighty. That’s the main reason why we, the witches, have a hard time during battles.”

“That’s true. Once the humans charge at us with their wave tactics, it’s next to impossible for us to win against their armies.”

“Still, if we can capitalize on each individual’s magic and put them together, there’s a winning chance for us even against large human forces. I’ve always thought that way, and surprisingly, my belief was proven during the previous battle at the Schwein River. That’s why I took an interest in the Dragon King. It may be possible that that man’s presence will bring together the long since scattered witches.”

Eliushune, who finished changing Vita’s clothes, looked up at her mother.

“Is that…. so?”

“It can’t be said for certain, but it’s definitely hard for the witches to stand at the summit as they are, and even more for a human. However, he is neither a witch nor a human. He’s the rumored Dragon King who fell from another world. If that’s true, perhaps those highly proud witches would also acknowledge him as someone who stands above them? Actually, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Harrigan & the rest are already under that guy’s command.”

“Indeed, it seems to be so. That being the case, could it be that Mother feels inclined to fight alongside the Dragon King as the supreme commander against the humans?”

Saying that, Elysione began to move her hands again.

“It may be that I’m also curious about fighting humans, but the fact that that guy’s presence could muster the famous witch clans is what really caught my interest. Provided the witches band together and work as one, taking on an army of 1000 or 2000 people will become easy enough. Even so, that alone is one of the biggest hurdles.”

“Exactly. It’s said it has already been more than several hundred years since the country of the witches collapsed. Throughout that time, nobody has managed to reunite the witches, right?”

“Perhaps, that Dragon King will become the key to our breakthrough. What’s more—”

While getting dressed, Vita smiled with satisfaction.

“Right now, he’s acting together with Harrigan’s clan, but it should be fine even if we strip them of the Dragon King and tempt him to join us. Assuming that happens, wouldn’t it be possible for him to become our King at the time the new world is established?”

“Wow, Mother, those are indeed words worthy of a scoundrel, aren’t they?”

Vita threw a glance at Elysione.

“Ah, no, whether Mother becomes a scoundrel or a cowardly person, we are prepared to follow you til the end, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Being followed til the end by a simpleton like you is what I’m most anxious about, you see.”,

“T…That’s mean.”

Elysione warped her face tremendously.

“Well then, this much should do.”

Still – Vita, who finished changing her clothes, said so while looking frequently at her daughter.

“That man, what is the Dragon King going to say once he finds out we are naked under your mantle?”

“Eh? Ah, I, I wonder about that. Perhaps, he will insist that we show him the inside of the mantle.”

“Moreover, he might insist on teleporting with us upon learning about us becoming naked.”

“Aghh, it would be a disgusting offer, wouldn’t it? Still, it looks to be something that man is be capable of, I guess.”

*Fu* – Vita slightly laughed

“When that happens, teleport together with the Dragon King and show him the might of your power.”

Elysione warped her face and recoiled in aversion.

“Eeeeeeh? Things like taking along a naked man, I won’t agree to that. Wouldn’t I show him my naked body before even being able to show him my magic?”

“You too will be able to see him naked, so there should be mutual gains for both sides. No, since the two of you will cuddle to each other when teleporting, rather than just seeing each other, you will also be able to feel each other’s skin. Aren’t you glad?”

“Not at all!”

“Kukuu. Well, I was just kidding, you see. Then, shall we go? The Dragon King-dono is probably waiting for us.”

=== Part 3 ===

“Achooo”

“What’s the matter, Naga? Did you catch a cold?”

“No… can you really say it’s due to chills? Somehow, I’ve got an incredibly bad feeling about something, but….”

Naga looked around the room, but nevertheless, there was nothing particularly distinctive.
Because a meeting regarding the assessment of their forces was about to begin, almost everyone involved had gathered.

“Vita and Elysione are still absent, right?”

As soon as Naga muttered, Harrigan responded.

“It appears they have just recently arrived here, so they should probably show up soon.”

Following her words, Vita and Elysione appeared shortly thereafter inside the room where everyone had gathered.
Naga was a bit worried about other witches directing their rude gazes at the two of them, but it wasn’t the right time for prying into that matter.

Once Naga waited for Vita and Elysione to reach their seats, he began the meeting.

“Excellent. Since everyone has gathered, let’s start the assessment.”

=== Part 4 ===

“Well then, I think we are finally close to deciding on everyone’s deployments today.”

Saying so, Naga looked around to the faces of all present witches.

The ones who were present on Harrigan’s side were Harrigan herself, Ais, Lela, Kay, Nonoel, and Yuuki.

Whereas Vita’s side included herself, Elysione, and three witches named Lilly, Dora, and Samplotte. However, unlike the first two, the other three had run through the forest instead of moving through the mantle.

The witch whose name was Samplotte didn’t reach Elysione’s height, but she was also tall and strongly built.
On the other hand, the one called Lilly had a physique no different from a child, and her face also left an impression of her being innocent.
One more person, named Dora, had womanly features appearing throughout her large body, which gave her a bewitching aura.
Combining all of them, the 10 witches, together with Naga, sat on folding chairs while forming a circle.
Naga pushed out a map lying on the floor in front of everyone. It was a map of the Schweiz River area that had become the battlefield during their last battle.

“A single troop from Kasandora Kingdom’s army has been assigned to watch over the place near the crossing of the river. According to Raibach, they are a company under his direction that consists of 100 soldiers. There doesn’t seem to be any major change among them since their captain was kidnapped by the witches, I guess. Perhaps, their vice-captain picked up the leadership of the company. Even though their captain is missing, there’s no sign of them receiving reinforcements.”

As he said so, Naga put a wry smile on his face.

“It looks like Kasandora Kingdom doesn’t care about its captain’s fate, and continues to maintain its status quo…… right? After all, this troop is just disposable. Despite that, it will be troublesome to have them stationed at the riverbank.”

Using his index finger, Naga specified a point on the map.

“First, we should consider what to do with this troop, but…”

“Since there’s only a hundred of them, how about we take a detour?”

Vita asked.

“True. It should be fine for us to cross even without having to face them directly.”

Saying that, Samplotte expressed her opinion.

“I too think so, but Naga, isn’t it just you who see them as a problem?”

Once Harrigan stated her consent, Naga nodded in agreement.

“If possible, I’d like to have this troop escape.”

“I see, I see. So Dragon King wants to make sure that this troop doesn’t flank us when we are in the middle of capturing Fort Ein, right?”

“That’s what I mean. I don’t want to kill them due to my fundamental policy, so it should do as long as we cripple them as a troop by making them run away. Even if some of them were to return, they wouldn’t dare to threaten our back upon seeing the witches capturing the fort.”

“I see. That’s indeed a kind of story one would imagine seeing. Still, aren’t you pretty used to wars?”

Indeed, it may appear so – Naga nodded in agreement as soon as Vita asked him with a face filled with admiration.

“That’s because my thoughts will naturally gush out whenever it comes to things like this. However, since I’ve no memories, I can’t tell exactly what kind of experience I had back then, you see.”

“Shouldn’t it be more reasonable for you not to know how to fight? Just how deeply is your world stained with war?”

Vita’s expression turned into an astonished one.

“Well, I wonder about that.”

As if mocking himself, Naga wore a smile that gave a somewhat gruesome impression.

“Certainly, it feels like the world where I used to live had endless wars, but…. well, isn’t that fine? More importantly, let’s focus on our talk.”

“That’s right. We don’t have much spare time, so we better sort things out and start making the necessary preparations. Otherwise, it won’t do, you see.”

Vita nodded.

“Then, in order to scatter the troop that guards the river here, I’d like us to form a group for long-range attacking; still….”

Naga, who pointed once more on the map, lifted up his head and looked at Ais.

“Since this will become essential for us when capturing the fort, let me ask you something, Ais. How far can you throw using cobbles?”

“Cob, bles?”

“Were they called cobbles, or maybe, pebbles? I mean those hand-sized stones.”

Ais showed an attitude of pondering for a short while.

“Right. I think it would be around 11-13.5 meters under normal circumstances, and around 270 meters with my strengthened body, but…”

Naga measured the distance with his own senses.

“…..Wha, 270 meters?! You are able to throw them that far?!”

270 meters is certainly a long distance.

“Yes, if it’s a hand-sized stone, then most likely.”

(Even if they’re just stones, it does indeed require a terrific strength to be able to throw them such a distance. I should expect no less from a human battering ram, or perhaps, a human cannon…..hm? Cannon….Gun…..)

“Is there something you want to say, Naga-san?”

“Ah?”

Raising up his head, Naga’s sight met Ais, who looked at him with a smiling face. Despite that, her eyes didn’t smile at all, which was frightening.

Naga hurriedly waved with his hands in front him.

“No. No no, there’s nothing.”

“Is that so? I guess that’s fine, but…”

“If you are able to throw that far, can I have you become the core of the long-range assault against the troop guarding on the other side of the river?”

Paying attention so as not to meet with her eyes, Naga pointed at the river on the map.

Lela, who held a brush, wrote in Ais’ name near the river.

“And then…. Lela.”

“Wh-at?”

Lifting up her face, Lela directed her sight at him.

“How far can you launch those fireballs using your magic?”

“As one would expect, it will be hard for me to deal with that distan-ce. Nevertheless, Provided Yuuki carries my charms, it should be possible for them to be dropped onto the enemy’s hea-ds.”

Lela, who replied like that, shifted her gaze at Yuuki.

“I’m fine with that, but, if that happens, wouldn’t Lela’s charms burn down the enemy, were they to touch them?”

(No, you’d most likely be content with that.)

Naga wanted to retort that way, however, he refrained from doing so as it would worsen the situation.

“I’d appreciate it if you could do your best so as not to let the charms come into contact with them.”

Is where Naga stopped his comment at.

On the other hand, Yuuki puffed her cheeks in displeasure.

“Because they will be dropped from above, such a detailed stunt is next to impossible, right?”

“Since the charms are just supposed to fall and burn, it will take a while for them to descend complete-ly. The enemy soldiers should be able to avoid them in ti-me.”

Lela gave him a hand as a last resort.

“Is that so? Indeed, if that’s the case, there’s no need for us to worry much about that matter.”

Nodding down at once, Naga turned around to Yuuki and lightly bowed down at her.

“Anyway, I’m relying on you, Yuuki.”

“Uh….Geez, I got it. I’ll do it properly.”

“With that, Lela and Yuuki will participate as a single gro-up.”

Lela, who casted down her eyes, added her own and Yuuki’s name on the map.

“Is, there anyone else here who can carry a long-range attack?”

As he questioned Harrigan, she crossed her arms while slightly grumbling.

“Umu. As expected, it’s indeed difficult when it comes to an attack that covers a range of as much as 270 meters.”

Following that, she looked in Vita’s direction.

“How about your side?”

“I guess you’re right. A long-range attack like that is quite a tough task, but, with Elysione here, stabbing an enemy’s back would be simple, wouldn’t it?”

Naga moved his eyes toward Elysione.

She was dressed in her mantle even when sitting on a folding stool. Naga became curious about what kind of attire she was wearing under that mantle of hers.

(To begin with, since the witches from Sraymeyer are supposed to wear thin clothes with lots of exposure, just like Harrigan and the rest, perhaps Elysione has such garments as well.)

Elysione, who was unaware of Naga’s thoughts, nodded with a serious face.

“So long as I can place my mantle in advance, it’s perfectly fine. Assuming we lay a mantle on the other side of the river under cover of night and choose the right time to fly at our own discretion, it will look as though we are suddenly ambushing the enemy.”

“Despite saying so, you can only carry one person with you each time, right?”

“True. What’s more, there’s also the problem of appearance when transporting a person, but if that part is arranged beforehand as well, it should probably be fine.” (?)

“What’s…..the meaning of that?”

Is it okay for me to explain? – Elysione looked at Vita as if asking for her permission.

“It can’t be helped.”

Once she heard Vita’s reply, Elysione made a mild cough.

“In other words, you see, I can only fly through the mantle with my body. That’s to say, I can’t fly through it if I’m wearing clothes.”

“Wha….t?”

Naga run his eyes over Elysione’s whole body.

“Then does it mean, you’re, not wearing anything under your mantle?”

“Yes, when it’s not winter, I’m basically nude”

“Oi oi, why didn’t you tell me such an important thing sooner?”

Naga smacked his lips slightly and repeatedly.

“Had you told me about it sooner, I would’ve come and worshipped you every time you arrived….. No, rather than that, won’t you fly into my arm…..”

*Chop!*

*Whack!*

Such sounds bursted forth as Naga’s head was hit from behind by Harrigan’s solid hair and chopped on his forehead by Ais’ karate chop at the same time.

“Awwwwwwwwwwwww!”

Holding the back of his head with his right hand and his forehead with his left hand, Naga tumbled on top of the floor.

Haa – Lela exhaled a sigh.

Aren’t you an idiot? – Yuuki threw out such words.

Whereas, Kay cackled with her raised up voice.

Vita’s side watched Naga with dumbfounded faces. Naturally, only Vita herself and Elysione nodded in agreement with a face indicating this was a natural course of action.

“I was just joking. Don’t hit me like that while taking my jokes seriously, geez.”

Naga, who had teary eyes, said so while objecting to Harrigan and Ais.

“It didn’t look like your expression was telling us so?”

“On the contrary, it was incredibly serious?”

“You girls are….”

*snap* – While stroking the back of his head using his right hand, Naga pointed at them with his left hand’s index finger.

“Saying such an irresponsible thing, what will you do if a rumor spreads out inside Vita’s clan?!”

“Because it’s more truth than rumor, it can’t be helped?”

“Indeed, it can’t be helped.”

“Good grief. Those girls are seriously…”

Naga grabbed his head.

“Dragon King. We understand very well you’re a genuine pervert. More importantly, shouldn’t we continue this urgent strategy meeting?”

*snap* – Naga immediately snapped once more time and pointed at Vita.

“Don’t understand! And by the way, it’s a misunderstanding!”

“You mean it? If it’s a misunderstanding, then good. Leaving that aside, aren’t we going to finish this talk quickly? After all, we didn’t come here to fool around.”

“Ah, sorry that.”

Naga, who regained his composure, pressed his hand against the map and resumed their previous talk.

“Ummm, in addition to Ais who’s the part of the long-range assault group, Lela and Yuuki will join up. Other than that, we are going to capitalize on Elysione’s ability of instant travel, send in someone to the other side of the river, and have that person take the enemy from behind. Whom should we appoint for that task….?”
“Ummm…”

Nonoel lifted up her hand with restraint.

“What, Nonoel?”

“If we assault the enemy from behind, won’t they get the wrong idea of being surrounded by their enemy, thus resorting to desperate actions?”

That’s right – Naga once again casted down his eyes on the map while slightly groaning.

“Certainly, I can’t rule out that possibility. If by any chance a part of the enemy tries to break through in that state, they might happen to rush toward Elysione and the rest.”

As Naga was pondering, Vita intercepted.

“If it’s Elysione, she can take on 10, 20 people with no bigger problem. However, were that to happen, it would result in a battle no matter what, and eventually lead to casualties among the enemy soldiers.”

“I guess you’re right. Then, is it a bad idea to attack the enemy from behind?”

“Naga-san, how about me hiding inside the river water like previously?”

Naga looked at Nonoel with a surprised expression.

“Ah? Ahh, is that so?”

“I’ll enter the river from upstream, swim down it to the actual place, and wait on standby. Once Ais and the rest start their assault, I’ll threaten the enemy with my water magic. Firing some water spears should be enough to drive them away, I think, but…”

“I see. Using that method, even those trying to hold their ground will be scared off. That’s a good guarantee.”

Rather than just having his subordinates follow his orders, Naga appreciated those who could think and devise a plan on their own. That’s why, he greatly welcomed such a proposition.

Naga faced Nonoel and gave her the thumbs up.

“You came up with a great idea, Nonoel.”

Nonoel scratched her head while making an embarrassed grin.

“I, It isn’t a big deal, still….it’s somewhat of a deal.”

“She’s casually boasting of herself?!”

Both Kay and Yuuki bent a little backwards.
On the other hand, Naga’s expression turned a bit serious, as if being concerned by something.

“Surely, it’s a great idea, but Nonoel, aren’t you afraid of being spotted? If you were to be discovered, they would most likely attack you.”

“As long as I’m under the river, I can make myself hardly noticeable to the outside thanks to my magic. And once Ais and the rest commence their attacks, I don’t think the enemy will even consider watching over the river.”

“So you’re going to be all right? Then, let it be.”

Naga pointed at a single point of the Schweiz River on the map.

“I guess, Nonoel will station here.”

Lela wrote in Nonoel’s name on the map.

“In case the enemy doesn’t escape, it should be totally fine to pull a trick by showing them how numerous we are, but…”

Saying that, Naga turned his eyes in Harrigan and Vita’s direction.

“That much should probably do.”

“Umu, I see no problem.”

“If they do, we will just stick to our plan. What’s left to do are small and detailed matters, such as the deployment of the witches and things that we need to prepare.”

Like that, Naga and the witches concluded the preparatory meeting and tied up the last details of their strategy for capturing Ein fort.

=== Part 5 ===

The next day, both the Heindler and Sraymeyer clans advanced with their preparations.

And then, 10 days later.

The day for capturing the fort had finally arrived.

Ais, Kay, Naga, and Raibach approached near the right riverbank.

Even though the chance for the enemy to launch their arrows was slim, Kay, who took charge of protecting the others, was prepared for that instance.

Since Raibach wore a mantle and covered his face with a cloth, the enemy soldiers would perhaps not recognize him.

The reason why Raibach went to the frontline was due to him wanting to make sure of his troop.

“Going to the frontline carries a risk, you know.”

Naga stopped at this single warning, but nevertheless, Raibach doggedly opposed.

“No, you are going there as well, aren’t you? If so, it shouldn’t be that dangerous.”

“That’s because there are witches who will protect me. Still, in your case, they might not have enough hands, you see.”

“Well, when that comes, I’ll somehow manage it by myself.”

“If you’re fine with that, then I shall bring you with me. I do understand your feeling of wanting to see your subordinates safe.”

Like that, Naga brought Raibach with him after exchanging such a conversation.
Raibach’s sense of responsibility strengthened Naga’s belief about him being able to place his trust in Raibach.

A little distance behind Naga and Ais, there were Lela, Harrigan, and Vita waiting.
Just now, Yuuki who received Lela’s charms soared into the sky on her board.
Noticing a witch drawing near, the enemy troop that was guarding on the other side of the river started to make an uproar.

Naga, Ais, Kay, and Raibach, who were carrying baskets on their back put them down on the ground.
The inside of the baskets were overflowing with cobble.
A part of the troop, which noticed the quickest, climbed up the embankment and began shooting arrows. Nonetheless, due to a great distance separating both sides, the arrows would eventually land quite far in front of Naga and the rest.
Naga, who deemed they couldn’t be threatened by the enemy’s arrows, ordered his side to attack.

“Excellent, do it, Ais!”

Holding a cobble in her right hand, Ais raised her left leg overhead and bent her right arm.

Adding to her raised left leg, Ais’ right arm swung sharply forward together with her body.

Gohyuuu. – The cobble continued to fly with a sound tearing through the air.

Leaving a small gap, the cobble splashed on the surface near the opposite shore.
Ais, who finished the throw, regained her posture and measured the landing distance.

“Hm, I think just a little more.”

Muttering that, she grabbed another cobble

Byufuuu.

Again, the sound of tearing the air reverberated.
This time, a single cloud of dust appeared on the slope of the embankment.

“Ohhhh, Ais, that was a splendid throw.”

Soon after Naga raised an astonished voice, Kay clapped her hands.

“The enemy, they look surprised, surprised!”

“Ais, continue your throws just like that. If possible, aim for spots which are less crowded by soldiers.”

“Yes, I got that, but, it’s not achievable for me to aim without hitting any soldier, you know?”

“It can’t be helped, right? Raibach too, would probably not wish for that to happen.”

Ais took a short glimpse at Raibach’s direction.

“It should be enough as long you’re considerate.”

Hearing his reply, Ais felt relieved and picked up another cobble.

“Then, I shall continue.”

The cobbles continued to cut through the air with no intervals.

Paa, Paa, Paa – clouds of dust rose up here and there.

Even from this great distance, one could understand that the soldiers began to panic.
Since the cobble flew and sunk with a terrific power into the slope’s surface, it was guaranteed that the soldiers would consider them a life-threatening danger, were they to hit.

Should they fight back? Perhaps, with their arrows not reaching their target, it should better for them to escape? The soldiers loitered around, being unable to reach a conclusion. At that time, Yuuki, who took a detour, drew near with her hoverboard above their heads.
Noticing her charms being scattered by Yuuki, Lela began to cast a chant.
Following that, the charms began to flare up at once in the air.

Yuuki left the scene at full speed.
Looking up at a bunch of flames floating down from the air, the soldiers began to scream loudly.
Meanwhile, clouds of dust continued to appear on the slope’s surface.
Just when the enemy soldiers broke up in confusion, a large wave built up on the surface of the river.
Its height exceeded more than 3 meters. Despite its size being unusual, what was strange about the wave was that it elevated on the spot, instead of battering the shore. The large wave looked as though it was the neck of a water dragon that emerged from the water. As the neck started to move left and right in a manner if searching for its prey, the enemy soldiers were no longer able to endure. They threw away their bows and dodged each other while aiming for the opposite side of the embankment.

Immediately after that, the top of the embankment became clear of any soldier.

“Ais, just to make sure, I’d like you to make the cobble reach a bit further, near the other side of the embankment.”

Naga, Ais, Kay, and Raibach who were carrying the baskets on their backs covered a distance of more than 54 meters, after which they put down their baskets again.
Once more, Ais began to throw with the cobble.
No clouds of dust could be seen as the bank intercepted their view, however, it was certain, the cobble reached beyond the bank. Provided there were still some soldiers left, they would probably not wish to stay there any longer.

As the four of them continued to progress, the group that waited behind them moved too.
With his doubt of any possible arrow attack being cleared away, Naga summoned Selena and made her check the other side of the shore using her magic- Heaven’s Eye(?).

“It’s safe. At least, there’s no sign of enemy soldiers near the left bank.”

Excellent! – Naga clapped his hands after hearing her response.

“It’s just how I imagined. With this, a part of the guarding troop will run back to Ein Fort and inform their comrades about an attack coming from the witches. Ais, you can stop throwing cobble now.”

Being called out by Naga, Ais released the cobble in her hand and took a deep breath.

“As one would expect, even throwing constantly with all of your strength will make you a bit exhausted, won’t it?”

(Firing cobble in rapid succession at more than 270 meters, you call that a bit?)

“Is something wrong?”

“No, I just wanted to say ‘good work’.”

“I’m glad I was able to fulfill my duty.”

Ais made a pleasant smile.

Just then, Yuuki returned on her hoverboard.

“Yuuki!”

“What?”

“We’re going to cross the river. We can confirm the situation using Selena’s Heaven’s Eye, but just to be on the safe side, can you go ahead and check the opposite bank for us?”

“Well, if I’m told to do something, then I’ll do it.”

Once she stated so while hovering a little over a meter above the ground, Naga suddenly bowed down.

“I beg you, please do it.”

“Whaaa?!”

Yuuki, who bent backwards, nearly fell off from her board.

“You’re gross, so stop it! Speaking of which, don’t surprise people like that! What will you do if someone falls off because of that?!”

“No, no matter how you look at it, I can’t think of anyone dying from that height. To begin with, I only lowered my back and made a kind request. To think you would be startled by something like this, just what’s wrong?”

“I’m saying that such an attitude, doesn’t suit you.”

Saying that over her shoulder, Yuuki rose up and left on her board.
Naga, who smiled wryly, called out to Ais, Kay, and Selena.

“Let’s move to the other side.”

Naga & Co. progressed to the right bank while paying attention to their surroundings.
Immediately after, Harrigan and the others followed.

A group consisting of Naga and more than 10 witches linked up with Nonoel, who was waiting inside the river, and quickly proceeded to the left bank on the other side.
Nobody from the witches had received a single scratch, and no fallen soldiers were found.

One could say that Naga’s plan of capturing the fort without yielding any casualty was going smoothly.

=== Part 7 ===

The capture of Ein Fort was within hailing distance.
During that time, the soldiers who escaped back to the fort relayed the information about their patrol troop being scattered by the witches and about the enemy’s probable attempt of crossing over the river. Upon learning about that, the guards of Ein Fort partially fell into panic, however, not even Naga could have foreseen that far. Despite saying so, Selena was able to confirm some of the guards located at a watchtower becoming restless.

(Looks like we won’t have to seize all the enemy soldiers. Even apprehending half of them should probably be enough to make the rest run away on their own.)

Is what Naga thought.

Just as he predicted, they managed to clear out the north side of the fort.
So as to inform other companions about this part being clear, as well as to show off to their enemy, Naga and the rest hoisted a blatant flag that was prepared beforehand.
The flag had a pattern drawn on it that was once used for the united kingdom of the witches.
With the flag depicting the forces of the witches being supposedly visible, there’s no doubt about their enemy considering that as a deployment of the witches.

(The strategy this time is especially difficult, isn’t it? Still, the wind is already blowing in our favor. I see no other option than to attack the fort and take it down just as we planned. Yet if a problem arises, will we be able to seize the fort without producing any sacrifice? I guess this is what worries me the most.)

Naga and the rest of the witches took their posts and waited for the right chance.

=== Part 8 ===

Ais launched her attack of cobble throwing, whereas Yuuki carried Lela’s charms on her hoverboard atop Ein fort.
As they were attracting the guards’ attention, Kay, who used that momentum to solidify her body, run up to the fort’s walls while wearing a mantle and holding a shield for protecting against arrows.
The reason why Kay held the shield even though she could reach the place without getting harmed was so as to keep the arrows away from Elysione, who would be defenseless while she was coming out of the mantle. Nevertheless, it was a needless worry as the enemy soldiers came off the fort’s watchtower without trying to shoot down the running Kay, and escaped inside. There was also a chance that most of those soldiers left the fort behind.

“That’s, a big letdown, isn’t it?”

Muttering those words, Kay put down the shield and spread out the mantle she was entrusted with by Elysione on the ground.
The location of that was right at the bottom middle of the wall near the east side of the fort.
Kay, who stood up, raised her shield overhead just to ensure there was no attack coming.
Following that, the top of Elysione’s head, which stuck out from a hole, began to rise gradually.

“Yuck! It really looks like as though you’re welling up. Indeed, an obscene magic.”

Because Elysione, whose face was half submerged, gazed at Kay with a glaring look, the latter averted her eyes hurriedly.
Taking the opportunity of that, Kay looked around.

As one would expect, there was not a single sign of the enemy in the surroundings.

(Should you say it’s a letdown or no response coming from the enemy? Well, still, they were done in by us previously, so perhaps, this is just bound to happen. I see, this is what Naga-san meant by saying ‘The wind is already blowing in our favor. Capturing the fort might turn out unexpectedly quick’. At first, I was only half-convinced about that, but, seeing how smoothly this plan is going, it appears that person was right.)

Kay had been taught that the result of a battle didn’t just amount to the battlefield. Depending on the winning side and losing side, further battles would be affected as well.

At the time Kay was looking aside, Elysione continued to rise up little by little from the inside of her mantle.
Finally, once the top of her head reached higher than Kay’s, she stopped ascending. In other words, Elysione’s body fully appeared from the inside of the mantle. That being said, Vita’s appearance also emerged from the inside.

*thud* – While Kay was putting herself on guard, a shock ran through her body.

“…! So heavyy.”

Kay, who threw away her shield tried to keep the balance of her several times heavier body by putting more strength into her feet. however, being unable to stand firmly, she kneeled down on one knee.

What came next were voices of screaming and anger heard from the guards, from the fort’s interior. Nevertheless, they quickly turned into sounds of groaning.

“Even though we made thorough preparations, it’s still messy like this? Still, there’s no doubt… about the soldiers inside being….. unable to move.”

In fact, it happened just like that.
As soon as Yuuki watched from the above of the fort, she noticed every single soldier lying on the ground. Some of them were crawling, others – lying on their belly, and yet, other ones – lying face up.

One could see them struggling while trying to move their bodies, but nonetheless, far from being able to stand up, the soldiers had a hard time even crawling.

Yuuki clapped her hands and laughed without realizing it.

“Somehow, it looks like birds being trapped in birdlime.”

As far as she could see from above, there were no soldiers standing and moving.

“Well then, eat this!”

Rapidly descending down on her board, Yuuki tossed something above the heads of the soldiers who were lying in a crowd.
The thing she had released spread out in the air and continued to fall on top of the soldiers.

“Uwaa, what’s this?!”

“A, a net?”

What spread out greatly from overhead was a solidly knitted net.
Crawling on all fours while desperately fighting against their weight, the soldiers could neither ward off or pass through the net. Even if they tried to crawl out from under it, the net would just wind together.

Yuuki moved to the next spot and released another net in the same manner

With the number of enemy entwined in nets increasing, the open space in the fort’s interior became buried with soldiers that were unable to move. the situation looked as though miserable fishes were caught in a big haul and pulled up on land.

Yuuki flew out of the fort and returned back to others, who were waiting upon outside the range of Vita’s magic. There, she picked up Nonoel and hovered again.

“Two people riding is surely quite the load. It makes my control of wind more complicated, and thus, harder to launch the hoverboard.”

As she complained while desperately trying to operate the hoverboard, Nonoel, who was holding onto Yuuki’s waist, apologized.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s not that bad since you’re quite light. Were it to be Ais, it would be much more troublesome. I would probably be unable to hov…..”

Kooo!

The board swayed from a shock caused by something passing next to them with a frightening power.

“Eeeekk?”

Yuuki, who somehow managed to keep the balance of the board, raised up her eyes and looked around, after which, she noticed Ais’ appearance entering her view. Ais, who had just finished her throw, regained her posture.

“Wait, Ais, what are you doing?! If I get hit with a cobble, won’t my hoverboard turn into dust and splinters?!”

Yuuki let her voice as if objecting.

“Yuuki, Nonoel, do your best, okay?!”

With a smile on her face, she waved her left hand. However, Nonoel couldn’t overlook another cobble in Ais’ right hand.

Nonoel who broke into a cold sweat tapped Yuuki’s back.

“Y, Yuuki, escape fas….no, let’s fly over the, fort and finish our task.”

“R, Right!”

Yuuki controlled the unsteady board and moved back above the fort.
Nonoel, who looked down at the scene below, raised her voice in admiration.

“Uwaa, Vita-san’s magic is, amazing, isn’t it?”

The top of the ground was full of soldiers putting up a resistance and struggling in vain, trying to move themselves hopelessly, despite being entwined in nets.

“Don’t just admire, quickly do what you’re supposed to! I have a hard time controlling this board with the two of us!”

“Ah, understood. I’ll do it right away.”

As Nonoel was forming an incantation, moisture started to gather in the air.
And a rain fell constantly without having to wait long.
Once the sky was filled with enough rain to soak the ground, Yuuki returned with her board and put Nonoel down. After that, she gave a ride to one of the witches from Sraymeyer’s clan, named Lilly, hovered back to her previous spot.

=== Part 9 ===

Yuuki felt a bit anxious as she had no experience in transporting other witches. However, because Lilly had a small physique, steering the board wasn’t as difficult as what she had initially thought.
The moment they both reached their destination, Lilly began to chant her incantation while clapping her hands numerous of times.

“The hand whose god’s words echoes, the radiance born from the god. Prostrate, prostrate. Shine, become angry, run down. Oh furious God of thunder, pass down your judgement on this hill, pass it down on this hill. Come, come, come.”

And then,
A small flash of lightning ran down from the sky into the ground.

“Gyaaaaaaa”

Screams and shouts coming from electrocuted soldiers echoed here and there.
the flash of lighting kept running down numerous times.
And each time, a scream would be raised.
In addition to every soldier wearing metal armor and being soaked with rain created by Nonoel, not a single one of them could avoid getting electrocuted.
After the very last flash, not a single soldier seemed to be moving.

Yuuki waved with her hand so as to give a signal to others.
Kay, who saw that while stretching out her neck, shouted.

“Vita-san, it seems to be over!”

Shortly thereafter, Kay could suddenly sense her body becoming light again. Despite that, she had the feeling her body lost half of its weight.

“Uwaa, my body feels lighttt.”

Feeling that she was able jump over the wall, Kay leaped with all her might. Unfortunately, her body didn’t reach even 1.35 meters.

“As expected, my body returned back to its original weight, eh?”

Once she muttered so, Kay approached Elysione and brought a mantle, the hem of which she coiled into a roll.

“Vita-san, here.”

What Kay held out toward her was a small sized, makeshift mantle for Vita who stayed inside Elysione’s mantle to bear with for the time being.(?)

“I appreciate your efforts.”

Vita, who reached out her hands and received the mantle, creeped inside of it.
At that time, Elysione stood around with a stern expression, making it seem weird to Kay.

Finally, as Vita finished putting it on her, she crawled out from Elysione’s mantle.

The little witch adjusted her breathing and turned around to Elysione.

“Well then, you can go now, Elysione.”

“Yes, Mother!”

Elysione placed her foot on Vita’s held out palms and made a big leap.
It looked like the petite Vita wouldn’t be able to throw her largely built daughter into the air; nevertheless, Elysione gently whirled up into the sky as though she had feathers and jumped over the wall.

“Wow, incredible!”

“Do you want to leap as well?”

“Is that okay with you? Aren’t you tired?”

“My power won’t be exhausted by this much.”

“Is that so? In other words, is it fine for me to harden my body just like this?”

“I don’t mind. Jump on my palms.”
[[File:Naga03 Illus-06.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
“Well then, I’m going”

Kay, who was about to leap with all her might touched Vita’s palms with the back of her heels.
Soon after that, she could truly feel her body rapidly losing its weight. No, rather than ‘rapidly losing’, it felt more like it had no weight at all.
Moving her palms casually, Vita released Kay into the air.
And her body floated high into the air.

Soaring high in the air like this, Kay wondered whether or not she was dreaming. Obviously, shortly after she passed over the wall, Kay’s body returned to its original weight just like an illusion.
Vita’s magic can reduce one’s body weight, however, as soon the effect runs out, the weight will return to its previous state.

“Ooopps”

Kay adjusted her posture in a hurry and prepared for the landing.
Since she could feel her weight returning back gradually, rather than spontaneously, there didn’t…. seem to be any worry about Kay crashing headfirst against the ground.
Holding the ground firmly with the back of her heels, Kay absorbed the impact from the landing by folding her knees.
By the time she extended her legs, her body weight had returned back completely.

“Hmm, this is….. a somewhat enjoyable magic indeed.”

Kay, who thought about that optimistically looked around her surroundings.
There were soldiers lying everywhere in lumps. Several, or perhaps, a dozen of them, were trapped inside nets while being unconscious.

“It’s most likely due to them being hit by thunderbolts.”

Kay approached one of the soldiers and peeked inside his eyes. Without having to check, it was clear both his armor and clothes were wet.

“I guess it’s because of them getting soak that the thunderbolts were so effective. It doesn’t look like they’re going to wake up anytime soon. Despite that, it will be trouble if they wake up by any chance, so, shouldn’t I quickly make sure they don’t?”

Kay took stakes attached to a net in her hand and knocked them into the ground using her hardened fist.

Once she plugged them deeply into the ground on all 4 sides of the net, Kay stood up and checked its firmness by pulling.

“Hm, I think it’s okay. Even if some of these soldiers wake up and struggle, they shouldn’t be able to come out.”

Moving from net to net, she continued to fix them with stakes.

While she was doing so, the other witches also crossed over the fort’s walls one after another and began to go around its interior in small groups.

=== Part 10 ===

“Thanks for your hard work, Kay.”

Kay turned around at Ais’ praise.

Today, because their plan was to embark on Ein fort, Ais put on leather armor on top of her thin garments as it had a lower effect on her magic than metal armor. Even if it was true, the leather armor merely covered the minimum number of places, revealing as much of her skin as usual.

Will that really increase her protection? – The first time Naga saw that armor, he wanted to retort unintentionally that way.

(Back in my world, people would supposedly go to the battlefield…. fully armored. Certainly, this feels off somehow. Well, it’s probably still better than wearing nothing, so…)

But considering that matter again, Naga restrained himself from retorting.

“Ais, you did a great job too, right?!”

“It appears that the remaining soldiers have already made off from the fort, doesn’t it? The exploration of this building isn’t over yet, but at least, I can’t spot any of them still moving.”

“How about Hari-nee and Naga-san?”

“We’ve just opened the gate, so they should be here soon, together with Raibach as well.”

“You mean it? Speaking of which,”

Kay looked frequently at Ais’ body.

“Ais, don’t tell me you also got over the wall thanks to Vita-san’s magic?”

Ais tilted her head while smiling cheerfully.

“Ara? Kay-chan, what do you mean by ‘don’t tell me’? I’m trying to figure out your ‘don’t tell me’, but, you don’t mean to say something like ‘No matter how strong Vita-san’s magic is, don’t tell me that someone as massive as Ais could fly through the air’, right?”

Kay realized her dull gaffe, however, it was too late to take it back. With her knees becoming wobbly, Kay shook her head energetically from side to side.

“O, o, o, o, o, o, obviously not. Not even for a moment did that idea cross my mind.”

“…Is that so? Then, what’s the meaning behind the ‘don’t tell me’ just now?”

Wrapping her right first with her left palm, Ais inserted more power into her left hand while making a grin. *knuckle knuckle* – the joints in her right hand’s fingers generated a loud sound like that.

“I, still need to put more stakes, so let’s talk some other time, okay….?”

Kay ran away from the place just like a startled hare.

As Ais stared at Kay’s distancing back, Naga’s voice reached Ais from her back.

“Yo Ais, good work.”

Once she turned around, there were Naga and Harrigan standing there. Naga had his armor put on him, whereas, Harrigan used the same, small leather armor similar to Ais’ one. Behind them, Raibach, who wore a mantle with his face covered with cloth, stood. It wasn’t clearly visible due to the mantle, but, his hands were supposedly tied up. Originally, there should’ve probably been no need for worry as one couldn’t feel the slightest intention of escaping coming from Raibach.

“Naga-san, and Ane-sama too, thank you for your hard work.”

Soon after she replied like that, Harrigan nodded down as if being content.

“It looks like we nicely managed to capture the fort.”

“Right I wouldn’t have thought it would be this easy. As expected of Naga-san’s splendid tactic.”

“It wasn’t that much. That’s because the flow of this battle was already decided. Reversely, the enemy was prepared to flee from the very beginning, so I didn’t consider this plan to be that difficult.”

(Being, able to read the flow of a battle is a feat that we, the witches, cannot recreate. However, in this man’s case, pulling it off this lightly is something of a big deal.)

Harrigan greatly admired Naga inside her heart.

Not being aware of Harrigan’s thoughts, Naga ran his eyes over Ais’ whole body.

“More importantly, Ais, to think you would also be able to leap into the air thanks to Vita’s….”

Ais suddenly stomped against the floor and pushed out her right hand with unnoticeable speed.

“magi-gubooabaah?!”

Her fist sunk into Naga’s armor. Despite him wearing one, a large impact hit his stomach.
As soon as Ais calmly withdrew her right hand, Naga fell down with a thud to both his knees. His lower back bent so much that his forehead almost touched the surface of the floor. While holding his stomach, Naga slightly groaned and said.

“W…What are you doing out of sudd…en”

“I have no idea.”

Ais puffed her cheeks in discontent and walked away at a brisk pace.

“O, Oi, Dragon King, are you alright?”

Raibach called out to him in a concerned tone, but Naga lifted up his right hand so as to calm him down.

“Yea… I’ll manage it somehow……”

Harrigan exhaled a big sigh.

“Naga, shouldn’t you be a bit more considerate toward girls?”

“No, that was just a little…. joke, but well.”

“That’s why, I’m telling you that the other party might interpret it like this if you intend to make jokes.”

“Y, You mean it? Got it. I shall be more careful from now on.”

Holding his stomach, Naga grit his teeth and stood up.

“Still, that girl, Ais, to think she would hit me this seriously.”

The moment he complained, Harrigan looked at him pitifully.

“Perhaps not. Were she to get serious, she would’ve probably made a hole in both your armor and stomach, or maybe, pulverize all the bones in your body”

“No… way. For real?”

Naga thought he should be more careful from now on.

“Let’s leave that matter aside. We’ve brought down the fort, so starting from today, it’s our property. Should we walk around and check out its interior?”

I guess you’re right – Naga took an extensive view and nodded down in agreement, but,

“…….no, before doing so, we should first remove the armaments from the apprehended soldiers. I’ll have the scouting group check the building, whereas the rest of the members will progress with the removal of the armaments.”

“And more precisely, how should we do it?”

“Firstly, we will gather everyone in a single spot and remove nets from them one by one. We’re going to take away the armaments from those who regain their consciousness before doing the same with unconscious ones. All the stuff will be carried and put in the open space before the gate. By the time we are done, those who have become aware of the situation will try to escape on their own. As for the unconscious people, we will wake them up and tell them it’s okay to flee. They will most likely do the remaining thing.”

Harrigan furrowed her eyebrows and asked to confirm something.

“About the unconscious soldiers, shouldn’t it be better to place them in front of the gate?”

“True, it might be faster for their informed comrades to call out to them. With that, the soldiers should actually learn they were spared and released by the witches. Okay then, Harrigan, won’t you call others?”

“Understood. Lela!”

Nodding down deeply, Harrigan ordered Lela, who had tagged along with them, to raise a smoke signal.
Following that, a green-colored smoke arose from burned charms, after which the witches appeared in succession.

=== Part 11 ===

Naga and Harrigan gave quick instructions to the gathered witches from Harrigan’s clan. Soon after, the clan of Sraymeyer joined in, after their leader arrived at Naga’s spot, and helped with the removal of the enemy’s armaments.
Several of the soldiers had already run away after regaining consciousness. On the other hand, the still unconscious ones were transported to the open space before the fort’s gate using a cart brought from a warehouse. The one to pull it was obviously Ais, but, Naga decided to go through a bit of a trouble so as to motivate her.

Finally, being able to soothe Ais’ anger and encourage her to pull the cart, Naga thought.

(Yes, being considerate is serious matter. Especially, toward girls.)

Such was his strengthened belief.

=== Part 12 ===

The time for commencement of the tactic took place in the morning; nonetheless, the sun was already heading west. It was still too early for dusk, and shadows of watchtowers and other buildings inside the fort were still of considerable length, however, it was quite dark.

A big and a small half-moon resurfaced on a blue sky, close to the ground, while shining with a dim light.
Naga’s voice echoed through the open space located before the gate, at the north side of the fort.

“Oh, you guys are awoke? Once you regain your mobility it’s okay for you to escape.”

At his voice, some of the awake soldiers pointed their nervous sights at Naga, and then, looked around with a frightened expression. A dozen of the witches were surrounding them with the intention of guarding.
The soldiers trembled with fear as they felt they were caught by the witches.

“Oi, what’s the matter? I’m telling you it’s fine to escape. Speaking of which, it will be meddlesome if you don’t leave quickly.”

For some reason, an armored man was ordering them from atop a footstool in a self-important manner.

(Why is there a man among the witches?)

(Who’s that guy?)

The soldiers looked at each other’s face with a strange expression while whispering together.

“You don’t feel like running away? Then, shall you become slaves of the witches? Or perhaps, you would prefer to be sliced off here?”

The strange looking man pulled out his strange looking sword. At its sight, the soldiers came back to their senses and remembered their fear.

“Uwaaaaaaa!”

One of them stood up abruptly and ran off in a tumbling manner.
Following him, the rest of the soldiers who had regained their consciousness did the same one after another.
As this kept repeating, the number of the enemy reduced to half.
In the end, those remaining asleep would be waken up against their will by tapping and shaking, and set free as if being shooed away.
Only 20 people consisting of officers and vice-officers were left in the open space. Some of them who had been selected from the rest had their hands and legs bound together. Classifying them as commanding officers was an easy task since Raibach was present there.
In front of the remaining people, Naga got on the footstool and raised his voice.
He sheathed his sword back into his scabbard, put down its tip on the footstool, and placed his hands together on the sword’s pommel.

“How about this, you scoundrels. You have probably learned of the witches’ strength, right? Now that you’re apprehended like this, it’s fine to say your lives are in hands of the witches.”

Eeek?! – Some of the soldiers raised a shriek and turned stiff.

“But, fret not. We won’t be taking away your lives!”

At Naga’s loud and remarkable voice, the soldiers who tensed their bodies sighed with relief.

“Instead, we’re going to set you free!”

Naga, who cut off his words here, looked out over their faces.
Once he confirmed all the soldiers were holding their breath while concentrating their gazes on him, Naga once again raised his voice loudly.

“The reason why you scoundrels are caught is the result of you trying to attack and dispossess the witches from their land. You could say you reaped what you sowed, but, the witches are merciful this time, and therefore, your foolish act shall be ignored. Got it? You bastards are saved thanks to the benevolent and compassionate witches! You better engrave that in your hearts! And then, once you have learned your lesson, don’t you ever dare to fight them again!”

They watched Naga with a doubtful, or rather, a strange expression. Nevertheless, many of them nodded down enthusiastically.

“I’m going to release you at once. Does anyone have any questions?”

He observed them once more with his composed attitude. And then, a single soldier timidly lifted his hand.

“I allow you to speak. So, what do you want?”

As soon as Naga pointed the tip of his scabbard toward that person, the man straightened up with fear. However, he quickly pulled himself together and asked.

“Y…..You seem to be affiliated with the witches, but, just who on earth are you?”

Naga directed his cold gaze at the soldier who asked. Because of that, the man felt his body going numb and becoming sweaty.

“You’re asking me who I am? That’s a good question. I’m, well, I wonder about that, you see.”

At his vague reply, the man darted his eyes about; nevertheless, Naga carried on.

“I don’t exactly know who I am, but for now, I’m being referred to as this by the witches:”

Leaving a break in his speech, he continued.

“Naga [written as Dragon King]”

The soldiers exchanged looks with each other and buzzed noisily.

“I don’t care if you want to inquire who I am, but more importantly, shouldn’t you focus on how to return safely? Since we won’t give you back the confiscated weapons, you better be careful on your way back to your city so as not to encounter wild animals or bandits.”

Hearing Naga’s words, all of them came back to their senses.

“I will repeat it just once, but, make sure you remember this generous treatment as you won’t be forgiven the next time you’re caught. If that happens, you will probably have your stomach split open, your blood poured out, or your internal organs eaten while you are still alive. Got it!?”

“Eeek?!…”

“Understoodddd!”

The soldiers prostrated themselves with a pale face; nonetheless, Harrigan and the witches from her clan looked dissatisfied.
Drawing out his sword, Naga came near to the enemy.
Once he stood next to them who trembled with fear, Naga cut off ropes binding their limbs.
Having finished doing so, he pointed the tip of his sword toward the gate.

“Hey, you can go now.”

Despite him telling them, nobody moved with their body.
Is he going to slash me from behind the moment I try to escape? – is what they doubted.

“What’s wrong, aren’t you going to run away? If you bastards don’t want to, then perhaps we should work you to death as slaves of the witches….”

“Uwaaaaaa!”

A single person screamed loudly while dashing out. The remaining soldiers understood that as a sign and dashed off one after another.

Naga shouted behind their backs.

“If you return back safely, you may tell your families about how humane the witches are!”

However, it wasn’t clear whether or not his words reached their ears, as they all went at full speed toward the gate without looking behind, just like startled hares.

=== Part 13 ===

By the time the soldiers disappeared, Naga called together Harrigan and Vita.

“It’s regarding what we intend to do from now on, but……. speaking of which, even though we managed to capture the fort, why do you look this displeased?”

“I wonder if it’s not due to your way of speaking, Naga. With what you had said before, didn’t you give them the wrong impression about us?”

Harrigan gazed at him.
Her abundant, bluish black hair that wriggled in the air looked fearsome.

“Good grief. It’s not nice to speak about us in a way that makes us look like beasts sucking humans’ blood and eating their live flesh, you know?”

Vita was in bad mood as well.
Even if the witches got angry, their appearance shouldn’t have been enough for Naga to be as afraid as he was towards Harrigan right now. Nevertheless, having already learned how frightening their magic is, he hurriedly shook his hands in front of them.

“No no, I just told the soldiers a lie so as to make them feel scared. Look, don’t people say ‘the end justifies the means’?”

“…….Do they?”

Naga suddenly lost his self-confidence as both Harrigan and Vita looked at him with doubtful eyes.

“Eh? Umm yes…I believe this is what people used to say, but…”

“Is this a part of your lost memories?”

“It looks to be so, I guess. Sometimes, these sorts of proverbs will jump into my mind.”

Because he made a bit of a miserable face, neither Harrigan nor Vita felt inclined to press him any further. With that, Naga was released from a difficult situation.

“Then, what are you going to do now, Naga?”

Naga who sighed with a relief inside his heart first looked at both of them.

“We will survey the exterior. Selena will check the nearby surroundings, whereas, Yuuki will explore the main road. After all, I want to confirm whether or not all the soldiers managed to run away, or if some of them are still left hiding.”

“Umu, I’ll take care of the preparations.”

Harrigan replied.

“And after that, we should inspect the interior, especially, what’s inside the warehouse.”

“Fumu. Then, shall we entrust Ais with that task?”

Saying so, she turned around toward Ais.

“Yes, leave it to me”

“Is there anything else we need to do?”

“That’s right. There’s a chance that the Kasandora Kingdom will try to retrieve this place. About that, we better strengthen this fort’s defense. Still, I don’t think it will happen any time sooner, so we don’t have to worry for today.”

“Naga, what are the chances for their army to come and strike at us?”

It felt as though some tension showed through in Harrigan’s questioning voice.
Since Harrigan gave off that impression, it wasn’t impossible for the witches around here to display anxiety and tension on their faces.

“Adding up their defeat at the Schweiz River, today as well, they were quickly deprived of their fort, you see. Is their commanding officer(General?) willing to carry out another battle? More importantly, will their soldiers feel inclined to fight? Considering those facts, I don’t think they will quickly decide on recapturing this fort, you see.”

After hearing his answer, some of the witches felt relieved.
Naga, who looked at them with a side glance, gave a warning.

“However, we can’t rest assured. There are probably other enemies besides the Kasandora Kingdom, right?”

Fumu, indeed that’s true. – Vita nodded in agreement.

“With them losing a majority of their war potential, it can also mean…. that other countries will move with ease.”

“Sooner or later, I’d like to hear more about other sides’ military strength in comparison with this one here.”

“Umu, that’s fine.”

“We can tell you anytime.”

“Well, enough of that. We have yet to do the most important thing for today.”

“Oh? There’s still something left?”

“Oi oi, Harrigan, don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten. We are victorious, we’ve captured Ein fort without sustaining any damage. In that case, there’s one thing we ought to do.”

Harrigan and Vita looked at each other while wondering what it could be.
The witches around them also tilted their heads at Naga’s words.

“Good grief, you surely are slow, aren’t you?”

Naga, who shook his head, drew out his sword and raised it high.

“When it comes to this, we ought to shout from victory and hold a banquet!”

“Ohh, you mean that?”

“I see. Certainly, we can’t omit this part.”

Both Naga and Vita nodded in agreement, and other witches expressed their approval as they became radiant, clapped their hands, and stamped with their feet.

=== Part 14 ===

(Oh my, indeed, this person is a big fish. As expected of someone who’s referred to as the Dragon King.)

While the witches were filled with enthusiasm, Raibach watched Naga with deep admiration on his face.

(Just as he said, they managed to capture the fort without producing any casualty on the side of the guards. Surely, he was neither boasting or making a random speech as a temporary measure.)

Being able to see lots of familiar faces escaping safely, Raibach felt a great relief and admiration. He was amazed and deeply astonished at Naga’s actual leadership ability.

(Perhaps, this person is really capable of creating a world where both humans and the witches can live together. If such a world comes true, there may no longer be any harsh and miserable war, I guess.)

The face of his young child resurfaced in his mind.

(That’s right. I wonder if we could save more pitiful children like her.)

Raibach, began to think he wanted to see a world like that.
Therefore, he also started to think if there was anything he could do.

=== Part 15 ===

The witches began to make merry, but as soon as Naga left some words to Harrigan, he took Raibach and moved together with him to a separate room.
One could say it was his method of being considerate so as not to spoil the fun of the witches and let them feel at home when there were no men around.

Sorry for this. – Having sensed his intention, Harrigan lowered her head.
Naga smiled and lifted his right hand.

“Don’t fret. This won’t be our last victory banquet. Rather, there will be plenty more occasions like this one, you see.”

“I’ll bring you some alcohol and appetizer.”

“Oh, please do so.”

Saying this, both Naga and Raibach left to a smaller room and prepared to drink in silence.

=== Part 16 ===

“Why, didn’t you run away?”

Naga threw such a question at Raibach while holding his wine cup filled with grape wine inside. However, since a moment ago, he would just limit himself with tasting it.
Naga restrained himself to this way of drinking, not due to him disliking the taste, but because of him being aware he was weak towards alcohol.
On the other hand, Raibach emptied his metal wine cup many times, as if being good at drinking.

“No, asking me why is…”

Putting down the wine cup on the floor, Raibach looked at Naga with a slightly red-face.

“I’m your prisoner. Wouldn’t you kill me, were I to run away at my own convenience?”

“Back then, you probably saw me releasing all the captives, right? I planned to let you go too, but well. Had you slipped into the crowd with your friends and escaped, I would have neither chased you nor have any complaint, although the witches might have said something, but…”

“Is that so? So I could just run away? I didn’t consider that far.”

In Raibach’s tone no remorse or disappointment was felt, which was a bit unexpected for Naga.

“What’s wrong? It feels as though you couldn’t care less about that.”

“Ah, well, perhaps you could say so. Anyway, I no longer have a family left.”

“You mean it? Then, what are your plans from now on? If you remain like this, you will end as a slave of the witches. I’ve got the feeling that neither you nor the witches would wish for something unpleasant as that. As expected, maybe I should seize the opportunity and release you.”

As Naga said that, Raibach directed a serious look at him.

“Hey, Dragon King.”

“What? Why are you being formal?”

“I wonder if you can make me into your subordinate.”

At his words, Naga opened his eyes slightly wide.

“Are you serious?”

“Uh, no, how should I put it…. I’m not even sure myself about that.”

Was Raibach, who replied, mocking himself or hiding his embarrassment? Perhaps, he was filled with something else? Somehow, a smile with mixed feelings appeared on his face.

Naga talked to such a Raibach in a nice and cold manner.

“Becoming my subordinate would mean, at the same time, being on the side of the witches, i.e., becoming an ally of your god’s enemy. In other words, you too will be considered as one and fight against humans as ‘god’s enemy’. Are you okay with that?”

“To begin with, I wasn’t much of a fanatical believer. What’s more…..”

Raibach reached out his hand toward the cup and brought it near his mouth, after which, he drank up the remaining wine in one go.

*Sigh* – Once he exhaled and put the cup back down, Raibach carried on as he made eye contact with Naga.

“I don’t plan on becoming a subordinate of the witches, but you. That is to say, Dragon King’s underling.”

“That would probably be the same. After all, I’ve befriended the witches, which makes me an enemy of humans. As expected, by becoming my underling, and therefore, an ally of the witches, you would turn humanity into your enemy?”

At Naga’s remark, Raibach shook his head from side to side composedly.

“No, it’s certainly not the same. At least, this is what I believe.”

A shade of confusion appeared on Naga’s face for the first time.

“……What do you mean?”

“Simply serving Dragon King doesn’t make me a subordinate of the witches. Even if I’m to work for them, in the end, it’s Dragon King who’s giving them orders. Now that I think about that, don’t I sound like making an excuse to myself?”

Haha – Hearing his words, Naga laughed.

“That’s indeed an unexpected quibble coming from you.”

“I don’t particularly mind, so it’s fine. Didn’t you say before that the end justifies the means?”

“Yeah, I think that’s what I said.”

“What’s more, there’s no reason for me to tell you a lie. Since my youth, I’ve been constantly serving in the army, so I’ve gained a mass of experience. Back then, I used to fight with the witches, but the majority of my battles were against other human soldiers.”

*Chuckle* – Raibach chuckled under his nose.

“Human have been killing each other in the name of god. Regardless of whether they were humans or the witches, I-, we, would continue to swing with swords, shoot arrows, kill our enemy, and die from their hands. There would be no time for us to ponder on things like who was our enemy or what was right in what we did. Just as being told, we would pick our weapons and fight for survival. That’s it. If you order me to pick a weapon and fight your enemy, then it’s no different from what I’ve been doing until now.”

As soon as he paused after speaking loudly in one breath, Raibach scratched his head as if feeling a bit shy.

“…..Guess I’ve made another excuse to myself.”

“You mean it?” – Naga, who replied, fixed his gaze upon Raibach.

Was it due to him being unable to endure the pressure coming from Naga’s sight? Raibach extended his hand and poured more red liquid into his cup.

The moment he brought the cup near to his mouth, Naga uttered with dignity.

“Fine, got it. I shall make you into my underling.”

Raibach’s face rose up energetically and looked as though brimming with expectations.

“For real?!”

“I’m not lying, but, let me ask you once again.”

Standing up while having a grave expression, Naga looked down at Raibach and said:
[[File:Naga03 Illus-07.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
“By becoming my underling you agree to fight against the humans til my vision of the new world is fulfilled. Perhaps, there will be another battle waiting after the previous one. You’re telling me you can continue to swing your sword at humans, right? And endure slanders such as being labeled as ‘god’s enemy’, right?”

“Y, Yes.”

“I’m going to tell you this, but, it’s not like I’ll always resort to this type of kindhearted fighting style, you see? This time, I only saved all of your comrades because I deemed it would serve a purpose in the future. On the other hand, if I consider killing them all to be more convenient, then I may not hold back, you know?”

At Naga’s sharp glint in his eyes and intimidating air overflowing from his body, Raibach felt an unintentional urge to move back while he was sitting. Nevertheless, he somehow endured that and strained his voice.

“Y….Yes, I don’t care about that.”

The fighting spirit dwelling inside of Naga suddenly disappeared.

“Understood. I’ll make you into my subordinate, therefore, work your fingers to the bone for my sake.”

After that, Naga gave a broad smile.

“That’s because I properly reward those who serve me.”

Naga was pleased. He hadn’t thought he would be able to make a subordinate this quick.

He, who possessed an eye for anticipating the future, had a premonition that his subordinates would become a breakthrough for realizing his plan.

Raibach faced toward the smiling Naga and bowed down instinctively.

“I, I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“If that’s settled, we shall let the witches now about you becoming my underling. Follow me.”

Being in good mood and in high spirits, Naga took Raibach along with him and left the room.

=== Part 17 ===

“Oi, Harrigan, there’s something I’d like to discuss with….”

Once Naga and Raibach stepped inside a large room where the merrymaking of the witches had been held, most of the witches were drunk and dancing while being naked.

“Eh?”

“Ah….”

As soon as the witches noticed Naga and Raibach, they ceased their dancing and singing, and a strange, or rather, ominous silence dominated in the room.

“Umm, we will be back later.”

“I, I guess it’s much better that way.”

Naga and Raibach turned right with stiff faces as they planned to leave at a quick pace. Despite that,

The moment they stepped out with one foot, their bodies turned instantly heavy, making them stumble.

“Uooooh?”

Raibach and Naga recovered back their weight immediately after falling on their knees.
They both tried to stand up hurriedly and break up, however, they couldn’t make it in time as the witches were already surrounding them.

“You have some guts to peek at us and think you can get away with that, don’t you, Naga?”

Harrigan, whose hair went around in circles, was nude.

“Geez, Naga-san, as expected, it should’ve been better to gouge out your eyes, right?”

Ais, who pushed out her hands, was naked as well.

“I think gouging out their eyes is too clement for them. It would be better for us if we cut off both their legs and arms so that they can’t peek again.”

The air surrounding Yuuki jumbled together and her 2 bundles of long hair fluttered. Obviously, she too was naked.

“I shall burn the-m. So that not a single trace of them remain-s.”

Lela, who held a charm in her hand, was nude as well.

“How about punching? Punching them to death? Until all their bones are completely broken? Haaaaa!”

Putting up her fist, which released its metallic gloss, Kay too was nude. Not just her fist but also her whole body – including her nipples as well – was radiating with a metallic luster. Should one describe that as strange or perhaps uncanny? Either way, it was a mysterious view.

“I think drowning them to death will be the most painful method.”

While expanding and contracting lumps of red liquid in the air – most likely grape wine – Nonoel approached in a staggering manner. She too was naked.

“Kukuku, so you wanted to see me naked that badly, Dragon King? If so, you should have come and made a request like a real man in front of me. To think you would peek on me sneakily like that, it’s indeed a disgrace even for someone known as the Dragon King.”

Placing her hand on her waist and bending her chest backward, Vita laughed while being naked like the rest.
Originally, if a girl was to bend backward, there would be clear unevenness protruding, however, in Vita’s case, none could be found.

The other witches, who looked much the same as the previous ones, or perhaps less, surrounded Naga and Raibach in multitude – although it wasn’t such a great number – while looking at them with an ominous light dwelling inside their eyes.

“Oi, you girls, come back to your senses! To begin with, I wasn’t the one to peek. It was you who showed me your appearance!”

Despite Naga criticizing and objecting, no truth nor justice would reach someone who was drunk.

“He’s making excuses, isn’t he?”

“He’s evading, right?”

“He’s trying to deceive us, right?”

“He’s turning on us, isn’t he?”

While shouting one by one, the witches rushed at Naga and Raibach.

The two of them tried to stand up, but nevertheless, they would quickly tumble back.

“Forget about what you saw here!”

“Forget it completely!”

“If you can’t do that, then die!”

The witches approached en masse and kicked the rolling Naga and Raibach using their feet.

For the time being, they both covered their heads with their hands, trying to protect themselves from a swarm of dispatched kicks. Thanks to that, they were able to keep their heads safe, however, the witches didn’t spare other parts of their body.

Naga somehow tried to stop them by looking up, but,

(Huh? T, This angle is?!)

“Wai, girls, this angle is no good! It’s no good awaawaaw!”

“Errrk! I’m going to be killed. Even though I went through the trouble of becoming the Dragon King’s subordinate, I’m going to be killed from being kiiicked.”

“Eh?”

At Raibach’s shriek, Harrigan ceased to move.

“Oi, everyone, wait.”

Harrigan, who calmed down the other witches, directed her question at Raibach.

“You, what just did you say just now?”

“N, No, that’s why I’m saying I’ve become the Dragon King’s subordinate….”

Curling up on the floor and holding his head in his hands, Raibach, who resisted the kicks, looked with a glimpse at Harrigan after which he hurriedly turned away his sight.

“What’s the meaning of that, Naga?”

“That’s why I’m telling you I have to let you know about that!”

Naga released his hands from his head and lifted his eyes toward the witches who were surrounding him.

“Speaking of which, I think I mentioned about this angle being honestly no good but, are you fine with that?”

Naga averted his eyes similarly to Raibach.

“…..Hmm?”

Harrigan, who looked down at them both, shifted her eyes a bit at her own body.
She was nude.
Completely nude.
So nude it was terrific.

In case of Raibach, it wasn’t half as bad, as he held down his head and averted his eyes, however, Naga was laying on the floor face up. Certainly, it was an angle which couldn’t be more dangerous.

“Whatttttt?!”

Rather than coming back to their senses, the witches who realized the situation they were put in forgot about their shame, and instead, were besides themselves with rage.

“Die Die Die!”

“Erase all the memory of what you saw and die!”

“Throw out all your brain tissues and die!”

*Dosu, kosu, doka, geshi*

A further and more harsh swarm of kicks were sent at Naga.

“Uwaa, you, wai, awwawawaww, I’ll die, I’ll seriously die!”

Twisting his body, Naga tried to escape, but, there was nowhere to run away as the witches surrounded them closely packed.

(This is bad; this is honestly bad. I’m seriously going to die from these kicks.)

Were he to oppose a drunkard who had lost any means of reasoning, Naga would most likely worsen his situation, but nonetheless, he had the feeling it was the only option for him to survive.

By the time Naga resolved himself and tried to move his hand,

“Wait a moment! He’s going to die! The Dragon King is really going to die! Are you fine with killing him like that?!”

Raibach, who shouted, covered Naga with his whole body as if trying to protect him.

“This person is your ally! The who who’s supposed to create your world!”

“Umm…”

With that, Harrigan and the rest stopped their kicking.

“Raibach, seems like you don’t understand what’s being talked about, do you?”

“That’s why, the Dragon King has been telling you that all the time.”

“It’s the first time I hear about what you say.”

“No, he has been telling you that countless of times for a while, you know?”

“You mean it? Then, I wonder if you can’t let us know.”

“B, Before that, could everyone please put something on? Otherwise, the talk won’t proceed.”

“A…Ah, that’s right. It’s just as you say.”

The witches who came to their senses a little pulled back their legs and turned around.

“By the way, you didn’t see it, right?”

Raibach waved his hands with all might and shook his head at his best after being stared by Harrigan.

“I didn’t, I didn’t.”

“If you had seen it, I thought about gouging out your eyeballs, dismembering your body after smashing all of its bones, and throwing it to wolves as a pet food, but—-”

“I didn’t see even a tiny little bit, so honestly, rest assured.”

“Then, I guess that’s fine. Still, what about you Naga?”

“No, I haven’t seen anything, so don’t worry.”

“I wonder who should be the one to say that.”

Despite her thinking that, Harrigan also thought her carelessness was partially responsible for what had happened, so she ceased any further inquiring.

“Ah… since we’ll be changing, go outside and wait.”

(Rather than changing, you should already be putting something on you!)

Naga wanted to retort that way, but he thought he would only annoy them at this late hour. Together with Raibach, he silently went outside to the hallway and waited for them to be called in.

=== Part 18 ===

After a while of waiting,

“You can come in.”

Being called out to, Naga and Raibach entered in once again.
Both of them could feel relieved as everyone was properly wearing their clothes.

(I’ve always thought their small clothes are as good as being naked, but, looking back at what happened, I can understand it’s far better for them to wear something.)

Naga exhaled a sigh of relief inside of him.

“Naga, come and sit here. Same goes for you, Raibach.”

Naga and Raibach sat down at prearranged seats near a wall after being urged by Harrigan.
As they leaned against the wall, the witches also sat down while surrounding the two in a half-circle.

“Then, what’s the meaning of him becoming your subordinate?”

Harrigan asked as if being eager.

Among the other witches, there were those who looked at Naga and Raibach curiously, those who looked strangely, others – doubtfully, and yet another – reproachfully. Besides them, witches who averted their eyes in shame were also present, however, those were a minority.

“Ah, that would be, you see—”

Naga revealed his exchange with Raibach, as well as the whole story behind him deciding to make Raibach into his underling.

“I knew you would later approve of the idea, but I deemed it was necessary to make the decision on the spot.”

“Hm, is that so?”

“I also had thought it would benefit you, which was the reason why I decided to do so, you see. That’s all I wanted to convey.”

“I guess you’re right. When it comes to establishing a world for both us and the humans, having allies is an indispensable thing.”

Saying that, Harrigan nodded in agreement.
Because the majority of the witches from the Heindler clan, such as Ais, Lela, Kay, and Nonoel, agreed too, nobody seemed to particularly complain or object. Except for one person.
Naturally, that person was Yuuki. She was the only one to stare blatantly and pretentiously at Naga and Raibach with a much displeased face

“Is there something you want to say, Yuuki? If so, say it now.”

“Not really. Isn’t it fine as long as Hari-nee approves of your decision?”

Should one say that Yuuki had become more mature too? She wasn’t the same blind and stubborn person, whom she was when they first met.

(If that’s true, then great. Still, I wonder.)

Not letting anyone else learn about his thoughts, Naga,

“Is that so? Sorry about that.”

He lowered his head.
And Raibach bowed down deeply as well.
Harrigan exchanged a somewhat warm look with Yuuki

“T, That’s why, you’re greatly mistaken if you think I’m glad of becoming that guy’s ally!”

Yuuki, who couldn’t bear that situation uttered those words with an abusive-like tone.

“Yuuki, you’re going too far with your words. Raibach is already…”

“Ah, that’s okay, Ane-san, I don’t mind about that.”

Since Raibach shook his head on sides, Harrigan held her tongue, but then, she immediately looked at him with doubtful eyes.

“By the way…. you’re calling me Ane-san? Do you think I’m older than you?”

“Ah, no, I’m sorry about that, Somehow, it feels like you’re giving off a strong appeal, so….”

“W, Well, I wonder if it’s fine to consider it that way.”

Harrigan coughed at once and stated.

“If it’s Naga’s decision, then I won’t be the one to judge. We shall approve you becoming Naga’s underling.”

“Thank you, Harrigan. Speaking of which,”

Naga moved his face toward Vita, who had been silent for a while.

“How about you, girls? Do you mind if that’s guy becomes my subordinate?”

“Well, I wonder about that.”

Raibach stirred his muscle uncomfortably as Vita threw a glance at him.

“After all, it’s what you’ve decided. I don’t plan to look for any excuse, and the same goes for my daughters.”

“You mean it? I appreciate that.”

However – Saying this, Vita threw a challenging look at Naga.

“But, provided that man betrays us, we won’t have any mercy on him, you know? If that happens, I shall make him so heavy that all the bones and joints in his body get smashed and his muscles get torn.”

“Rest assured. Not even I will forgive those who plan on becoming my ally just to betray me. Absolutely not. I’ll tear this guy apart even before Vita does.”

“Then, fine. I shall acknowledge this man as Dragon King’s underling. Are you okay with that, my daughters?”

One couldn’t tell whether their answers were optimistic or pessimistic, but, they all were of the same opinion.

“Excellent. From now on, Raibach is officially my subordinate. Since I am an ally of the witches, Raibach too has become one. Having this guy is truly delightful! Speaking of which, Harrigan. Now that you’ve acquired your first human ally, what’s your thoughts on that?”

“H…hm, that’s right.”

“If things go well like this, perhaps creating the world we wish for might be easier than what we had thought.”

Harrigan put a slightly wry smile on her face after listening to Naga’s words.

(There’s no way for it to be that simple. But, perhaps one should be more bold and optimistic when putting their life into something. Be that as it may, even if it’s just for giving my daughters more hope, should I accept his offer?)

Harrigan, who was thinking this, leaned her body forward and replied vigorously.

“True. For the sake of creating a new world, we have to rise and make more allies like Raibach. If we increase them one by one like this, then establishing a new country of the witches isn’t that far from being realized.”

“Agreed. Well then, now that Raibach has become my underling, let’s celebrate! Let’s celebrate a new chapter in your future! Drink, sing, get undressed, and dance!”

“Ohh, that’s right. Let’s become lively at onc…Wha? No no no, wait wait! Why are you bringing that topic back up?!”

“E, Eh? Am I wrong?”

“You are! If you want to get undressed and dance that badly, then do it together with Raibach!”

At Harrigan’s retort, sounds of whistles and jeering came from the direction of other witches.

“No, even if I was to dance naked with this guy, I won’t enjoy it at all, you know?”

“This is what I’m trying to tell you.”

“That’s why, we will no longer undress. And even if we decide to, we’ll smash your eyes before doing so.”

“Ah, shall I smash them? I, can do it, completely.”

“Because Ais extended her hands and stepped forward, Naga fervently waved both his hands in front of him.

“No no, I won’t do that, so don’t worry. Even if you girls were to denote your intention of doing so, I and Raibach will leave the place straight away.”

“Huh…..? That’s so boringg.”

Ais, who moved both her thumbs in the air, in a manner of squeezing something, looked to be much unsatisfied.

“No no, don’t say it like you’re regretting not being able to smash my eyes. More importantly, you too shouldn’t drink any more than that, right? Right, Ais?”

“What are you talking about? I’m not drinking at all?”

Ais stared at Naga.

Naga turned his sight at Harrigan as if seeking for a help; nonetheless, he was flatly refused by her.

“You should be okay as long you don’t come near Ais.”

(No, rather than that, it’s more troublesome to have her approach me while being drunk.)

Naga looked around him for help, but, nobody would lend him a hand. Rather, nobody wanted to end up like him.

“Ah… well, I think I’ll go and stay in my room silently.”

“I too will keep you a company.”

In the end, not being able to participate in the banquet or watch the witches dancing and singing, the two of them ate and drank obediently inside their room.

=== Part 19 ===

Like that, Naga acquired his new subordinate, Raibach.
In other words, he was the first ever human ally of the witches, who had been repeatedly opposing humans for 2-300 years of both their history. Nevertheless, lots of the witches were still unaware of that, or couldn’t understand it yet.
On the other hand, Naga knew, as well as Raibach himself, that Raibach had become an existence that would become a breakthrough, or rather, a bridgehead, for establishing a new world where both the witches and humans can live together.

(The biggest spoil of this battle isn’t Ein Fort but this man. This guy is also a tremendously big asset for the witches.)

Naga believed this to be true.

<noinclude>
==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Ochitekita_Ryuuou_to_Horobiyuku_Majo_no_Kuni|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Epilogue 1|Epilogue 1]]
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</noinclude>

Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 4

2017-02-16T17:20:46Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 1 */

==Chapter 4: The Greatest War Trophy==

=== Part 1 ===

Naga, Harrigan, and Vita held a great number of tactical meetings during their preparatory work. Vita would frequently visit the fort of Harrigan & Co. while giving instructions to her daughters. However, since she was always being carried through Eliushune’s positioned mantle, Vita’s migration from one place to another wasn’t a big hassle. It didn’t seem to require either too much time or effort. Harrigan assigned a single room in the residential building for Vita and Eliushune’s personal use. Therefore, both the witches could use it as they wished.

“I’ll kill you if you dare to peek inside the room, got it?”

Naga received such a threat from Vita.

“Like I would?!”

Naga retorted as he didn’t plan to do so from the beginning.
For instance, knowing that the room would shine with a light every time Vita and Eliushune arrived, wouldn’t he wonder whether or not their arrival was successful?

=== Part 2 ===

A single room assigned by Harrigan.

It was just about the time when Elysione materialized herself from a mantle spread on the wooden floored room.
The mantle began to coil around Elysione as she was putting out her hands from the seams of it.
Elysione’s body that stuck out from the gaps was naked. Or at least, it looked like her bottom had no clothes on.
Then, beneath her feet, the similarly nude Vita was crawling out. Unlike Elysione, she was, without doubt, completely naked. No matter how one judged it, Vita looked like a barely 10 years old, flat-chested girl from head to toe. After being told she was much older than Harrigan, one could only be filled with awe.

“Elysio, you rascal. Your magic is convenient, but at the same time, it’s not. That’s because I’ve got to get naked every time we teleport using that mantle.”

While expressing her complaint, the totally naked Vita moved her upper body in every direction, trying to recover its lost sensation.

“Please don’t complain, Mother. Since I was able to reduce the excess of inconvenience so as to make up for it, shouldn’t it be fine? To begin with, there’s no magic that’s invincible or almighty in this world, right?”

“Hmm, that’s something I know even without you telling me, you rascal.”

Walking on the wooden floor while pressing her feet repeatedly against it, the completely nude Vita opened the lid of a chest placed in one corner of the room and took out prearranged clothes from inside.

Holding a set of them, she pushed them out to Elysione.
[[File:Naga03 Illus-05.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
“Hey, put them on me.”

“Yes, right away.”

As soon as Elysione drew near, she helped Vita dress.
The prearranged pair of clothes were identical to those she normally wore. They covered little skin and had small notches that created a fluttering pattern. However, Vita’s headgear, which she had put on last, was a bit different from her usual one.

“No matter how powerful our magic is, it’s neither invincible nor almighty. That’s the main reason why we, the witches, have a hard time during battles.”

“That’s true. Once the humans charge at us with their wave tactics, it’s next to impossible for us to win against their armies.”

“Still, if we can capitalize on each individual’s magic and put them together, there’s a winning chance for us even against large human forces. I’ve always thought that way, and surprisingly, my belief was proven during the previous battle at the Schweiz River. That’s why I took an interest in the Dragon King. It may be possible that that man’s presence will bring together the long since scattered witches.”

Elysione, who finished changing Vita’s clothes, looked up at her mother.

“Is that…. so?”

“It can’t be said for certain, but it’s definitely hard for the witches to stand at the summit as they are, and even more for a human. However, he is neither a witch nor a human. He’s the rumored Dragon King who fell from another world. If that’s true, perhaps those highly proud witches would also acknowledge him as someone who stands above them? Actually, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Harrigan & the rest are already under that guy’s command.”

“Indeed, it seems to be so. That being the case, could it be that Mother feels inclined to fight alongside the Dragon King as the supreme commander against the humans?”

Saying that, Elysione began to move her hands again.

“It may be that I’m also curious about fighting humans, but the fact that that guy’s presence could muster the famous witch clans is what really caught my interest. Provided the witches band together and work as one, taking on an army of 1000 or 2000 people will become easy enough. Even so, that alone is one of the biggest hurdles.”

“Exactly. It’s said it has already been more than several hundred years since the country of the witches collapsed. Throughout that time, nobody has managed to reunite the witches, right?”

“Perhaps, that Dragon King will become the key to our breakthrough. What’s more—”

While getting dressed, Vita smiled with satisfaction.

“Right now, he’s acting together with Harrigan’s clan, but it should be fine even if we strip them of the Dragon King and tempt him to join us. Assuming that happens, wouldn’t it be possible for him to become our King at the time the new world is established?”

“Wow, Mother, those are indeed words worthy of a scoundrel, aren’t they?”

Vita threw a glance at Elysione.

“Ah, no, whether Mother becomes a scoundrel or a cowardly person, we are prepared to follow you til the end, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Being followed til the end by a simpleton like you is what I’m most anxious about, you see.”,

“T…That’s mean.”

Elysione warped her face tremendously.

“Well then, this much should do.”

Still – Vita, who finished changing her clothes, said so while looking frequently at her daughter.

“That man, what is the Dragon King going to say once he finds out we are naked under your mantle?”

“Eh? Ah, I, I wonder about that. Perhaps, he will insist that we show him the inside of the mantle.”

“Moreover, he might insist on teleporting with us upon learning about us becoming naked.”

“Aghh, it would be a disgusting offer, wouldn’t it? Still, it looks to be something that man is be capable of, I guess.”

*Fu* – Vita slightly laughed

“When that happens, teleport together with the Dragon King and show him the might of your power.”

Elysione warped her face and recoiled in aversion.

“Eeeeeeh? Things like taking along a naked man, I won’t agree to that. Wouldn’t I show him my naked body before even being able to show him my magic?”

“You too will be able to see him naked, so there should be mutual gains for both sides. No, since the two of you will cuddle to each other when teleporting, rather than just seeing each other, you will also be able to feel each other’s skin. Aren’t you glad?”

“Not at all!”

“Kukuu. Well, I was just kidding, you see. Then, shall we go? The Dragon King-dono is probably waiting for us.”

=== Part 3 ===

“Achooo”

“What’s the matter, Naga? Did you catch a cold?”

“No… can you really say it’s due to chills? Somehow, I’ve got an incredibly bad feeling about something, but….”

Naga looked around the room, but nevertheless, there was nothing particularly distinctive.
Because a meeting regarding the assessment of their forces was about to begin, almost everyone involved had gathered.

“Vita and Elysione are still absent, right?”

As soon as Naga muttered, Harrigan responded.

“It appears they have just recently arrived here, so they should probably show up soon.”

Following her words, Vita and Elysione appeared shortly thereafter inside the room where everyone had gathered.
Naga was a bit worried about other witches directing their rude gazes at the two of them, but it wasn’t the right time for prying into that matter.

Once Naga waited for Vita and Elysione to reach their seats, he began the meeting.

“Excellent. Since everyone has gathered, let’s start the assessment.”

=== Part 4 ===

“Well then, I think we are finally close to deciding on everyone’s deployments today.”

Saying so, Naga looked around to the faces of all present witches.

The ones who were present on Harrigan’s side were Harrigan herself, Ais, Lela, Kay, Nonoel, and Yuuki.

Whereas Vita’s side included herself, Elysione, and three witches named Lilly, Dora, and Samplotte. However, unlike the first two, the other three had run through the forest instead of moving through the mantle.

The witch whose name was Samplotte didn’t reach Elysione’s height, but she was also tall and strongly built.
On the other hand, the one called Lilly had a physique no different from a child, and her face also left an impression of her being innocent.
One more person, named Dora, had womanly features appearing throughout her large body, which gave her a bewitching aura.
Combining all of them, the 10 witches, together with Naga, sat on folding chairs while forming a circle.
Naga pushed out a map lying on the floor in front of everyone. It was a map of the Schweiz River area that had become the battlefield during their last battle.

“A single troop from Kasandora Kingdom’s army has been assigned to watch over the place near the crossing of the river. According to Raibach, they are a company under his direction that consists of 100 soldiers. There doesn’t seem to be any major change among them since their captain was kidnapped by the witches, I guess. Perhaps, their vice-captain picked up the leadership of the company. Even though their captain is missing, there’s no sign of them receiving reinforcements.”

As he said so, Naga put a wry smile on his face.

“It looks like Kasandora Kingdom doesn’t care about its captain’s fate, and continues to maintain its status quo…… right? After all, this troop is just disposable. Despite that, it will be troublesome to have them stationed at the riverbank.”

Using his index finger, Naga specified a point on the map.

“First, we should consider what to do with this troop, but…”

“Since there’s only a hundred of them, how about we take a detour?”

Vita asked.

“True. It should be fine for us to cross even without having to face them directly.”

Saying that, Samplotte expressed her opinion.

“I too think so, but Naga, isn’t it just you who see them as a problem?”

Once Harrigan stated her consent, Naga nodded in agreement.

“If possible, I’d like to have this troop escape.”

“I see, I see. So Dragon King wants to make sure that this troop doesn’t flank us when we are in the middle of capturing Fort Ein, right?”

“That’s what I mean. I don’t want to kill them due to my fundamental policy, so it should do as long as we cripple them as a troop by making them run away. Even if some of them were to return, they wouldn’t dare to threaten our back upon seeing the witches capturing the fort.”

“I see. That’s indeed a kind of story one would imagine seeing. Still, aren’t you pretty used to wars?”

Indeed, it may appear so – Naga nodded in agreement as soon as Vita asked him with a face filled with admiration.

“That’s because my thoughts will naturally gush out whenever it comes to things like this. However, since I’ve no memories, I can’t tell exactly what kind of experience I had back then, you see.”

“Shouldn’t it be more reasonable for you not to know how to fight? Just how deeply is your world stained with war?”

Vita’s expression turned into an astonished one.

“Well, I wonder about that.”

As if mocking himself, Naga wore a smile that gave a somewhat gruesome impression.

“Certainly, it feels like the world where I used to live had endless wars, but…. well, isn’t that fine? More importantly, let’s focus on our talk.”

“That’s right. We don’t have much spare time, so we better sort things out and start making the necessary preparations. Otherwise, it won’t do, you see.”

Vita nodded.

“Then, in order to scatter the troop that guards the river here, I’d like us to form a group for long-range attacking; still….”

Naga, who pointed once more on the map, lifted up his head and looked at Ais.

“Since this will become essential for us when capturing the fort, let me ask you something, Ais. How far can you throw using cobbles?”

“Cob, bles?”

“Were they called cobbles, or maybe, pebbles? I mean those hand-sized stones.”

Ais showed an attitude of pondering for a short while.

“Right. I think it would be around 11-13.5 meters under normal circumstances, and around 270 meters with my strengthened body, but…”

Naga measured the distance with his own senses.

“…..Wha, 270 meters?! You are able to throw them that far?!”

270 meters is certainly a long distance.

“Yes, if it’s a hand-sized stone, then most likely.”

(Even if they’re just stones, it does indeed require a terrific strength to be able to throw them such a distance. I should expect no less from a human battering ram, or perhaps, a human cannon…..hm? Cannon….Gun…..)

“Is there something you want to say, Naga-san?”

“Ah?”

Raising up his head, Naga’s sight met Ais, who looked at him with a smiling face. Despite that, her eyes didn’t smile at all, which was frightening.

Naga hurriedly waved with his hands in front him.

“No. No no, there’s nothing.”

“Is that so? I guess that’s fine, but…”

“If you are able to throw that far, can I have you become the core of the long-range assault against the troop guarding on the other side of the river?”

Paying attention so as not to meet with her eyes, Naga pointed at the river on the map.

Lela, who held a brush, wrote in Ais’ name near the river.

“And then…. Lela.”

“Wh-at?”

Lifting up her face, Lela directed her sight at him.

“How far can you launch those fireballs using your magic?”

“As one would expect, it will be hard for me to deal with that distan-ce. Nevertheless, Provided Yuuki carries my charms, it should be possible for them to be dropped onto the enemy’s hea-ds.”

Lela, who replied like that, shifted her gaze at Yuuki.

“I’m fine with that, but, if that happens, wouldn’t Lela’s charms burn down the enemy, were they to touch them?”

(No, you’d most likely be content with that.)

Naga wanted to retort that way, however, he refrained from doing so as it would worsen the situation.

“I’d appreciate it if you could do your best so as not to let the charms come into contact with them.”

Is where Naga stopped his comment at.

On the other hand, Yuuki puffed her cheeks in displeasure.

“Because they will be dropped from above, such a detailed stunt is next to impossible, right?”

“Since the charms are just supposed to fall and burn, it will take a while for them to descend complete-ly. The enemy soldiers should be able to avoid them in ti-me.”

Lela gave him a hand as a last resort.

“Is that so? Indeed, if that’s the case, there’s no need for us to worry much about that matter.”

Nodding down at once, Naga turned around to Yuuki and lightly bowed down at her.

“Anyway, I’m relying on you, Yuuki.”

“Uh….Geez, I got it. I’ll do it properly.”

“With that, Lela and Yuuki will participate as a single gro-up.”

Lela, who casted down her eyes, added her own and Yuuki’s name on the map.

“Is, there anyone else here who can carry a long-range attack?”

As he questioned Harrigan, she crossed her arms while slightly grumbling.

“Umu. As expected, it’s indeed difficult when it comes to an attack that covers a range of as much as 270 meters.”

Following that, she looked in Vita’s direction.

“How about your side?”

“I guess you’re right. A long-range attack like that is quite a tough task, but, with Elysione here, stabbing an enemy’s back would be simple, wouldn’t it?”

Naga moved his eyes toward Elysione.

She was dressed in her mantle even when sitting on a folding stool. Naga became curious about what kind of attire she was wearing under that mantle of hers.

(To begin with, since the witches from Sraymeyer are supposed to wear thin clothes with lots of exposure, just like Harrigan and the rest, perhaps Elysione has such garments as well.)

Elysione, who was unaware of Naga’s thoughts, nodded with a serious face.

“So long as I can place my mantle in advance, it’s perfectly fine. Assuming we lay a mantle on the other side of the river under cover of night and choose the right time to fly at our own discretion, it will look as though we are suddenly ambushing the enemy.”

“Despite saying so, you can only carry one person with you each time, right?”

“True. What’s more, there’s also the problem of appearance when transporting a person, but if that part is arranged beforehand as well, it should probably be fine.” (?)

“What’s…..the meaning of that?”

Is it okay for me to explain? – Elysione looked at Vita as if asking for her permission.

“It can’t be helped.”

Once she heard Vita’s reply, Elysione made a mild cough.

“In other words, you see, I can only fly through the mantle with my body. That’s to say, I can’t fly through it if I’m wearing clothes.”

“Wha….t?”

Naga run his eyes over Elysione’s whole body.

“Then does it mean, you’re, not wearing anything under your mantle?”

“Yes, when it’s not winter, I’m basically nude”

“Oi oi, why didn’t you tell me such an important thing sooner?”

Naga smacked his lips slightly and repeatedly.

“Had you told me about it sooner, I would’ve come and worshipped you every time you arrived….. No, rather than that, won’t you fly into my arm…..”

*Chop!*

*Whack!*

Such sounds bursted forth as Naga’s head was hit from behind by Harrigan’s solid hair and chopped on his forehead by Ais’ karate chop at the same time.

“Awwwwwwwwwwwww!”

Holding the back of his head with his right hand and his forehead with his left hand, Naga tumbled on top of the floor.

Haa – Lela exhaled a sigh.

Aren’t you an idiot? – Yuuki threw out such words.

Whereas, Kay cackled with her raised up voice.

Vita’s side watched Naga with dumbfounded faces. Naturally, only Vita herself and Elysione nodded in agreement with a face indicating this was a natural course of action.

“I was just joking. Don’t hit me like that while taking my jokes seriously, geez.”

Naga, who had teary eyes, said so while objecting to Harrigan and Ais.

“It didn’t look like your expression was telling us so?”

“On the contrary, it was incredibly serious?”

“You girls are….”

*snap* – While stroking the back of his head using his right hand, Naga pointed at them with his left hand’s index finger.

“Saying such an irresponsible thing, what will you do if a rumor spreads out inside Vita’s clan?!”

“Because it’s more truth than rumor, it can’t be helped?”

“Indeed, it can’t be helped.”

“Good grief. Those girls are seriously…”

Naga grabbed his head.

“Dragon King. We understand very well you’re a genuine pervert. More importantly, shouldn’t we continue this urgent strategy meeting?”

*snap* – Naga immediately snapped once more time and pointed at Vita.

“Don’t understand! And by the way, it’s a misunderstanding!”

“You mean it? If it’s a misunderstanding, then good. Leaving that aside, aren’t we going to finish this talk quickly? After all, we didn’t come here to fool around.”

“Ah, sorry that.”

Naga, who regained his composure, pressed his hand against the map and resumed their previous talk.

“Ummm, in addition to Ais who’s the part of the long-range assault group, Lela and Yuuki will join up. Other than that, we are going to capitalize on Elysione’s ability of instant travel, send in someone to the other side of the river, and have that person take the enemy from behind. Whom should we appoint for that task….?”
“Ummm…”

Nonoel lifted up her hand with restraint.

“What, Nonoel?”

“If we assault the enemy from behind, won’t they get the wrong idea of being surrounded by their enemy, thus resorting to desperate actions?”

That’s right – Naga once again casted down his eyes on the map while slightly groaning.

“Certainly, I can’t rule out that possibility. If by any chance a part of the enemy tries to break through in that state, they might happen to rush toward Elysione and the rest.”

As Naga was pondering, Vita intercepted.

“If it’s Elysione, she can take on 10, 20 people with no bigger problem. However, were that to happen, it would result in a battle no matter what, and eventually lead to casualties among the enemy soldiers.”

“I guess you’re right. Then, is it a bad idea to attack the enemy from behind?”

“Naga-san, how about me hiding inside the river water like previously?”

Naga looked at Nonoel with a surprised expression.

“Ah? Ahh, is that so?”

“I’ll enter the river from upstream, swim down it to the actual place, and wait on standby. Once Ais and the rest start their assault, I’ll threaten the enemy with my water magic. Firing some water spears should be enough to drive them away, I think, but…”

“I see. Using that method, even those trying to hold their ground will be scared off. That’s a good guarantee.”

Rather than just having his subordinates follow his orders, Naga appreciated those who could think and devise a plan on their own. That’s why, he greatly welcomed such a proposition.

Naga faced Nonoel and gave her the thumbs up.

“You came up with a great idea, Nonoel.”

Nonoel scratched her head while making an embarrassed grin.

“I, It isn’t a big deal, still….it’s somewhat of a deal.”

“She’s casually boasting of herself?!”

Both Kay and Yuuki bent a little backwards.
On the other hand, Naga’s expression turned a bit serious, as if being concerned by something.

“Surely, it’s a great idea, but Nonoel, aren’t you afraid of being spotted? If you were to be discovered, they would most likely attack you.”

“As long as I’m under the river, I can make myself hardly noticeable to the outside thanks to my magic. And once Ais and the rest commence their attacks, I don’t think the enemy will even consider watching over the river.”

“So you’re going to be all right? Then, let it be.”

Naga pointed at a single point of the Schweiz River on the map.

“I guess, Nonoel will station here.”

Lela wrote in Nonoel’s name on the map.

“In case the enemy doesn’t escape, it should be totally fine to pull a trick by showing them how numerous we are, but…”

Saying that, Naga turned his eyes in Harrigan and Vita’s direction.

“That much should probably do.”

“Umu, I see no problem.”

“If they do, we will just stick to our plan. What’s left to do are small and detailed matters, such as the deployment of the witches and things that we need to prepare.”

Like that, Naga and the witches concluded the preparatory meeting and tied up the last details of their strategy for capturing Ein fort.

=== Part 5 ===

The next day, both the Heindler and Sraymeyer clans advanced with their preparations.

And then, 10 days later.

The day for capturing the fort had finally arrived.

Ais, Kay, Naga, and Raibach approached near the right riverbank.

Even though the chance for the enemy to launch their arrows was slim, Kay, who took charge of protecting the others, was prepared for that instance.

Since Raibach wore a mantle and covered his face with a cloth, the enemy soldiers would perhaps not recognize him.

The reason why Raibach went to the frontline was due to him wanting to make sure of his troop.

“Going to the frontline carries a risk, you know.”

Naga stopped at this single warning, but nevertheless, Raibach doggedly opposed.

“No, you are going there as well, aren’t you? If so, it shouldn’t be that dangerous.”

“That’s because there are witches who will protect me. Still, in your case, they might not have enough hands, you see.”

“Well, when that comes, I’ll somehow manage it by myself.”

“If you’re fine with that, then I shall bring you with me. I do understand your feeling of wanting to see your subordinates safe.”

Like that, Naga brought Raibach with him after exchanging such a conversation.
Raibach’s sense of responsibility strengthened Naga’s belief about him being able to place his trust in Raibach.

A little distance behind Naga and Ais, there were Lela, Harrigan, and Vita waiting.
Just now, Yuuki who received Lela’s charms soared into the sky on her board.
Noticing a witch drawing near, the enemy troop that was guarding on the other side of the river started to make an uproar.

Naga, Ais, Kay, and Raibach, who were carrying baskets on their back put them down on the ground.
The inside of the baskets were overflowing with cobble.
A part of the troop, which noticed the quickest, climbed up the embankment and began shooting arrows. Nonetheless, due to a great distance separating both sides, the arrows would eventually land quite far in front of Naga and the rest.
Naga, who deemed they couldn’t be threatened by the enemy’s arrows, ordered his side to attack.

“Excellent, do it, Ais!”

Holding a cobble in her right hand, Ais raised her left leg overhead and bent her right arm.

Adding to her raised left leg, Ais’ right arm swung sharply forward together with her body.

Gohyuuu. – The cobble continued to fly with a sound tearing through the air.

Leaving a small gap, the cobble splashed on the surface near the opposite shore.
Ais, who finished the throw, regained her posture and measured the landing distance.

“Hm, I think just a little more.”

Muttering that, she grabbed another cobble

Byufuuu.

Again, the sound of tearing the air reverberated.
This time, a single cloud of dust appeared on the slope of the embankment.

“Ohhhh, Ais, that was a splendid throw.”

Soon after Naga raised an astonished voice, Kay clapped her hands.

“The enemy, they look surprised, surprised!”

“Ais, continue your throws just like that. If possible, aim for spots which are less crowded by soldiers.”

“Yes, I got that, but, it’s not achievable for me to aim without hitting any soldier, you know?”

“It can’t be helped, right? Raibach too, would probably not wish for that to happen.”

Ais took a short glimpse at Raibach’s direction.

“It should be enough as long you’re considerate.”

Hearing his reply, Ais felt relieved and picked up another cobble.

“Then, I shall continue.”

The cobbles continued to cut through the air with no intervals.

Paa, Paa, Paa – clouds of dust rose up here and there.

Even from this great distance, one could understand that the soldiers began to panic.
Since the cobble flew and sunk with a terrific power into the slope’s surface, it was guaranteed that the soldiers would consider them a life-threatening danger, were they to hit.

Should they fight back? Perhaps, with their arrows not reaching their target, it should better for them to escape? The soldiers loitered around, being unable to reach a conclusion. At that time, Yuuki, who took a detour, drew near with her hoverboard above their heads.
Noticing her charms being scattered by Yuuki, Lela began to cast a chant.
Following that, the charms began to flare up at once in the air.

Yuuki left the scene at full speed.
Looking up at a bunch of flames floating down from the air, the soldiers began to scream loudly.
Meanwhile, clouds of dust continued to appear on the slope’s surface.
Just when the enemy soldiers broke up in confusion, a large wave built up on the surface of the river.
Its height exceeded more than 3 meters. Despite its size being unusual, what was strange about the wave was that it elevated on the spot, instead of battering the shore. The large wave looked as though it was the neck of a water dragon that emerged from the water. As the neck started to move left and right in a manner if searching for its prey, the enemy soldiers were no longer able to endure. They threw away their bows and dodged each other while aiming for the opposite side of the embankment.

Immediately after that, the top of the embankment became clear of any soldier.

“Ais, just to make sure, I’d like you to make the cobble reach a bit further, near the other side of the embankment.”

Naga, Ais, Kay, and Raibach who were carrying the baskets on their backs covered a distance of more than 54 meters, after which they put down their baskets again.
Once more, Ais began to throw with the cobble.
No clouds of dust could be seen as the bank intercepted their view, however, it was certain, the cobble reached beyond the bank. Provided there were still some soldiers left, they would probably not wish to stay there any longer.

As the four of them continued to progress, the group that waited behind them moved too.
With his doubt of any possible arrow attack being cleared away, Naga summoned Selena and made her check the other side of the shore using her magic- Heaven’s Eye(?).

“It’s safe. At least, there’s no sign of enemy soldiers near the left bank.”

Excellent! – Naga clapped his hands after hearing her response.

“It’s just how I imagined. With this, a part of the guarding troop will run back to Ein Fort and inform their comrades about an attack coming from the witches. Ais, you can stop throwing cobble now.”

Being called out by Naga, Ais released the cobble in her hand and took a deep breath.

“As one would expect, even throwing constantly with all of your strength will make you a bit exhausted, won’t it?”

(Firing cobble in rapid succession at more than 270 meters, you call that a bit?)

“Is something wrong?”

“No, I just wanted to say ‘good work’.”

“I’m glad I was able to fulfill my duty.”

Ais made a pleasant smile.

Just then, Yuuki returned on her hoverboard.

“Yuuki!”

“What?”

“We’re going to cross the river. We can confirm the situation using Selena’s Heaven’s Eye, but just to be on the safe side, can you go ahead and check the opposite bank for us?”

“Well, if I’m told to do something, then I’ll do it.”

Once she stated so while hovering a little over a meter above the ground, Naga suddenly bowed down.

“I beg you, please do it.”

“Whaaa?!”

Yuuki, who bent backwards, nearly fell off from her board.

“You’re gross, so stop it! Speaking of which, don’t surprise people like that! What will you do if someone falls off because of that?!”

“No, no matter how you look at it, I can’t think of anyone dying from that height. To begin with, I only lowered my back and made a kind request. To think you would be startled by something like this, just what’s wrong?”

“I’m saying that such an attitude, doesn’t suit you.”

Saying that over her shoulder, Yuuki rose up and left on her board.
Naga, who smiled wryly, called out to Ais, Kay, and Selena.

“Let’s move to the other side.”

Naga & Co. progressed to the right bank while paying attention to their surroundings.
Immediately after, Harrigan and the others followed.

A group consisting of Naga and more than 10 witches linked up with Nonoel, who was waiting inside the river, and quickly proceeded to the left bank on the other side.
Nobody from the witches had received a single scratch, and no fallen soldiers were found.

One could say that Naga’s plan of capturing the fort without yielding any casualty was going smoothly.

=== Part 7 ===

The capture of Ein Fort was within hailing distance.
During that time, the soldiers who escaped back to the fort relayed the information about their patrol troop being scattered by the witches and about the enemy’s probable attempt of crossing over the river. Upon learning about that, the guards of Ein Fort partially fell into panic, however, not even Naga could have foreseen that far. Despite saying so, Selena was able to confirm some of the guards located at a watchtower becoming restless.

(Looks like we won’t have to seize all the enemy soldiers. Even apprehending half of them should probably be enough to make the rest run away on their own.)

Is what Naga thought.

Just as he predicted, they managed to clear out the north side of the fort.
So as to inform other companions about this part being clear, as well as to show off to their enemy, Naga and the rest hoisted a blatant flag that was prepared beforehand.
The flag had a pattern drawn on it that was once used for the united kingdom of the witches.
With the flag depicting the forces of the witches being supposedly visible, there’s no doubt about their enemy considering that as a deployment of the witches.

(The strategy this time is especially difficult, isn’t it? Still, the wind is already blowing in our favor. I see no other option than to attack the fort and take it down just as we planned. Yet if a problem arises, will we be able to seize the fort without producing any sacrifice? I guess this is what worries me the most.)

Naga and the rest of the witches took their posts and waited for the right chance.

=== Part 8 ===

Ais launched her attack of cobble throwing, whereas Yuuki carried Lela’s charms on her hoverboard atop Ein fort.
As they were attracting the guards’ attention, Kay, who used that momentum to solidify her body, run up to the fort’s walls while wearing a mantle and holding a shield for protecting against arrows.
The reason why Kay held the shield even though she could reach the place without getting harmed was so as to keep the arrows away from Elysione, who would be defenseless while she was coming out of the mantle. Nevertheless, it was a needless worry as the enemy soldiers came off the fort’s watchtower without trying to shoot down the running Kay, and escaped inside. There was also a chance that most of those soldiers left the fort behind.

“That’s, a big letdown, isn’t it?”

Muttering those words, Kay put down the shield and spread out the mantle she was entrusted with by Elysione on the ground.
The location of that was right at the bottom middle of the wall near the east side of the fort.
Kay, who stood up, raised her shield overhead just to ensure there was no attack coming.
Following that, the top of Elysione’s head, which stuck out from a hole, began to rise gradually.

“Yuck! It really looks like as though you’re welling up. Indeed, an obscene magic.”

Because Elysione, whose face was half submerged, gazed at Kay with a glaring look, the latter averted her eyes hurriedly.
Taking the opportunity of that, Kay looked around.

As one would expect, there was not a single sign of the enemy in the surroundings.

(Should you say it’s a letdown or no response coming from the enemy? Well, still, they were done in by us previously, so perhaps, this is just bound to happen. I see, this is what Naga-san meant by saying ‘The wind is already blowing in our favor. Capturing the fort might turn out unexpectedly quick’. At first, I was only half-convinced about that, but, seeing how smoothly this plan is going, it appears that person was right.)

Kay had been taught that the result of a battle didn’t just amount to the battlefield. Depending on the winning side and losing side, further battles would be affected as well.

At the time Kay was looking aside, Elysione continued to rise up little by little from the inside of her mantle.
Finally, once the top of her head reached higher than Kay’s, she stopped ascending. In other words, Elysione’s body fully appeared from the inside of the mantle. That being said, Vita’s appearance also emerged from the inside.

*thud* – While Kay was putting herself on guard, a shock ran through her body.

“…! So heavyy.”

Kay, who threw away her shield tried to keep the balance of her several times heavier body by putting more strength into her feet. however, being unable to stand firmly, she kneeled down on one knee.

What came next were voices of screaming and anger heard from the guards, from the fort’s interior. Nevertheless, they quickly turned into sounds of groaning.

“Even though we made thorough preparations, it’s still messy like this? Still, there’s no doubt… about the soldiers inside being….. unable to move.”

In fact, it happened just like that.
As soon as Yuuki watched from the above of the fort, she noticed every single soldier lying on the ground. Some of them were crawling, others – lying on their belly, and yet, other ones – lying face up.

One could see them struggling while trying to move their bodies, but nonetheless, far from being able to stand up, the soldiers had a hard time even crawling.

Yuuki clapped her hands and laughed without realizing it.

“Somehow, it looks like birds being trapped in birdlime.”

As far as she could see from above, there were no soldiers standing and moving.

“Well then, eat this!”

Rapidly descending down on her board, Yuuki tossed something above the heads of the soldiers who were lying in a crowd.
The thing she had released spread out in the air and continued to fall on top of the soldiers.

“Uwaa, what’s this?!”

“A, a net?”

What spread out greatly from overhead was a solidly knitted net.
Crawling on all fours while desperately fighting against their weight, the soldiers could neither ward off or pass through the net. Even if they tried to crawl out from under it, the net would just wind together.

Yuuki moved to the next spot and released another net in the same manner

With the number of enemy entwined in nets increasing, the open space in the fort’s interior became buried with soldiers that were unable to move. the situation looked as though miserable fishes were caught in a big haul and pulled up on land.

Yuuki flew out of the fort and returned back to others, who were waiting upon outside the range of Vita’s magic. There, she picked up Nonoel and hovered again.

“Two people riding is surely quite the load. It makes my control of wind more complicated, and thus, harder to launch the hoverboard.”

As she complained while desperately trying to operate the hoverboard, Nonoel, who was holding onto Yuuki’s waist, apologized.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s not that bad since you’re quite light. Were it to be Ais, it would be much more troublesome. I would probably be unable to hov…..”

Kooo!

The board swayed from a shock caused by something passing next to them with a frightening power.

“Eeeekk?”

Yuuki, who somehow managed to keep the balance of the board, raised up her eyes and looked around, after which, she noticed Ais’ appearance entering her view. Ais, who had just finished her throw, regained her posture.

“Wait, Ais, what are you doing?! If I get hit with a cobble, won’t my hoverboard turn into dust and splinters?!”

Yuuki let her voice as if objecting.

“Yuuki, Nonoel, do your best, okay?!”

With a smile on her face, she waved her left hand. However, Nonoel couldn’t overlook another cobble in Ais’ right hand.

Nonoel who broke into a cold sweat tapped Yuuki’s back.

“Y, Yuuki, escape fas….no, let’s fly over the, fort and finish our task.”

“R, Right!”

Yuuki controlled the unsteady board and moved back above the fort.
Nonoel, who looked down at the scene below, raised her voice in admiration.

“Uwaa, Vita-san’s magic is, amazing, isn’t it?”

The top of the ground was full of soldiers putting up a resistance and struggling in vain, trying to move themselves hopelessly, despite being entwined in nets.

“Don’t just admire, quickly do what you’re supposed to! I have a hard time controlling this board with the two of us!”

“Ah, understood. I’ll do it right away.”

As Nonoel was forming an incantation, moisture started to gather in the air.
And a rain fell constantly without having to wait long.
Once the sky was filled with enough rain to soak the ground, Yuuki returned with her board and put Nonoel down. After that, she gave a ride to one of the witches from Sraymeyer’s clan, named Lilly, hovered back to her previous spot.

=== Part 9 ===

Yuuki felt a bit anxious as she had no experience in transporting other witches. However, because Lilly had a small physique, steering the board wasn’t as difficult as what she had initially thought.
The moment they both reached their destination, Lilly began to chant her incantation while clapping her hands numerous of times.

“The hand whose god’s words echoes, the radiance born from the god. Prostrate, prostrate. Shine, become angry, run down. Oh furious God of thunder, pass down your judgement on this hill, pass it down on this hill. Come, come, come.”

And then,
A small flash of lightning ran down from the sky into the ground.

“Gyaaaaaaa”

Screams and shouts coming from electrocuted soldiers echoed here and there.
the flash of lighting kept running down numerous times.
And each time, a scream would be raised.
In addition to every soldier wearing metal armor and being soaked with rain created by Nonoel, not a single one of them could avoid getting electrocuted.
After the very last flash, not a single soldier seemed to be moving.

Yuuki waved with her hand so as to give a signal to others.
Kay, who saw that while stretching out her neck, shouted.

“Vita-san, it seems to be over!”

Shortly thereafter, Kay could suddenly sense her body becoming light again. Despite that, she had the feeling her body lost half of its weight.

“Uwaa, my body feels lighttt.”

Feeling that she was able jump over the wall, Kay leaped with all her might. Unfortunately, her body didn’t reach even 1.35 meters.

“As expected, my body returned back to its original weight, eh?”

Once she muttered so, Kay approached Elysione and brought a mantle, the hem of which she coiled into a roll.

“Vita-san, here.”

What Kay held out toward her was a small sized, makeshift mantle for Vita who stayed inside Elysione’s mantle to bear with for the time being.(?)

“I appreciate your efforts.”

Vita, who reached out her hands and received the mantle, creeped inside of it.
At that time, Elysione stood around with a stern expression, making it seem weird to Kay.

Finally, as Vita finished putting it on her, she crawled out from Elysione’s mantle.

The little witch adjusted her breathing and turned around to Elysione.

“Well then, you can go now, Elysione.”

“Yes, Mother!”

Elysione placed her foot on Vita’s held out palms and made a big leap.
It looked like the petite Vita wouldn’t be able to throw her largely built daughter into the air; nevertheless, Elysione gently whirled up into the sky as though she had feathers and jumped over the wall.

“Wow, incredible!”

“Do you want to leap as well?”

“Is that okay with you? Aren’t you tired?”

“My power won’t be exhausted by this much.”

“Is that so? In other words, is it fine for me to harden my body just like this?”

“I don’t mind. Jump on my palms.”
[[File:Naga03 Illus-06.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
“Well then, I’m going”

Kay, who was about to leap with all her might touched Vita’s palms with the back of her heels.
Soon after that, she could truly feel her body rapidly losing its weight. No, rather than ‘rapidly losing’, it felt more like it had no weight at all.
Moving her palms casually, Vita released Kay into the air.
And her body floated high into the air.

Soaring high in the air like this, Kay wondered whether or not she was dreaming. Obviously, shortly after she passed over the wall, Kay’s body returned to its original weight just like an illusion.
Vita’s magic can reduce one’s body weight, however, as soon the effect runs out, the weight will return to its previous state.

“Ooopps”

Kay adjusted her posture in a hurry and prepared for the landing.
Since she could feel her weight returning back gradually, rather than spontaneously, there didn’t…. seem to be any worry about Kay crashing headfirst against the ground.
Holding the ground firmly with the back of her heels, Kay absorbed the impact from the landing by folding her knees.
By the time she extended her legs, her body weight had returned back completely.

“Hmm, this is….. a somewhat enjoyable magic indeed.”

Kay, who thought about that optimistically looked around her surroundings.
There were soldiers lying everywhere in lumps. Several, or perhaps, a dozen of them, were trapped inside nets while being unconscious.

“It’s most likely due to them being hit by thunderbolts.”

Kay approached one of the soldiers and peeked inside his eyes. Without having to check, it was clear both his armor and clothes were wet.

“I guess it’s because of them getting soak that the thunderbolts were so effective. It doesn’t look like they’re going to wake up anytime soon. Despite that, it will be trouble if they wake up by any chance, so, shouldn’t I quickly make sure they don’t?”

Kay took stakes attached to a net in her hand and knocked them into the ground using her hardened fist.

Once she plugged them deeply into the ground on all 4 sides of the net, Kay stood up and checked its firmness by pulling.

“Hm, I think it’s okay. Even if some of these soldiers wake up and struggle, they shouldn’t be able to come out.”

Moving from net to net, she continued to fix them with stakes.

While she was doing so, the other witches also crossed over the fort’s walls one after another and began to go around its interior in small groups.

=== Part 10 ===

“Thanks for your hard work, Kay.”

Kay turned around at Ais’ praise.

Today, because their plan was to embark on Ein fort, Ais put on leather armor on top of her thin garments as it had a lower effect on her magic than metal armor. Even if it was true, the leather armor merely covered the minimum number of places, revealing as much of her skin as usual.

Will that really increase her protection? – The first time Naga saw that armor, he wanted to retort unintentionally that way.

(Back in my world, people would supposedly go to the battlefield…. fully armored. Certainly, this feels off somehow. Well, it’s probably still better than wearing nothing, so…)

But considering that matter again, Naga restrained himself from retorting.

“Ais, you did a great job too, right?!”

“It appears that the remaining soldiers have already made off from the fort, doesn’t it? The exploration of this building isn’t over yet, but at least, I can’t spot any of them still moving.”

“How about Hari-nee and Naga-san?”

“We’ve just opened the gate, so they should be here soon, together with Raibach as well.”

“You mean it? Speaking of which,”

Kay looked frequently at Ais’ body.

“Ais, don’t tell me you also got over the wall thanks to Vita-san’s magic?”

Ais tilted her head while smiling cheerfully.

“Ara? Kay-chan, what do you mean by ‘don’t tell me’? I’m trying to figure out your ‘don’t tell me’, but, you don’t mean to say something like ‘No matter how strong Vita-san’s magic is, don’t tell me that someone as massive as Ais could fly through the air’, right?”

Kay realized her dull gaffe, however, it was too late to take it back. With her knees becoming wobbly, Kay shook her head energetically from side to side.

“O, o, o, o, o, o, obviously not. Not even for a moment did that idea cross my mind.”

“…Is that so? Then, what’s the meaning behind the ‘don’t tell me’ just now?”

Wrapping her right first with her left palm, Ais inserted more power into her left hand while making a grin. *knuckle knuckle* – the joints in her right hand’s fingers generated a loud sound like that.

“I, still need to put more stakes, so let’s talk some other time, okay….?”

Kay ran away from the place just like a startled hare.

As Ais stared at Kay’s distancing back, Naga’s voice reached Ais from her back.

“Yo Ais, good work.”

Once she turned around, there were Naga and Harrigan standing there. Naga had his armor put on him, whereas, Harrigan used the same, small leather armor similar to Ais’ one. Behind them, Raibach, who wore a mantle with his face covered with cloth, stood. It wasn’t clearly visible due to the mantle, but, his hands were supposedly tied up. Originally, there should’ve probably been no need for worry as one couldn’t feel the slightest intention of escaping coming from Raibach.

“Naga-san, and Ane-sama too, thank you for your hard work.”

Soon after she replied like that, Harrigan nodded down as if being content.

“It looks like we nicely managed to capture the fort.”

“Right I wouldn’t have thought it would be this easy. As expected of Naga-san’s splendid tactic.”

“It wasn’t that much. That’s because the flow of this battle was already decided. Reversely, the enemy was prepared to flee from the very beginning, so I didn’t consider this plan to be that difficult.”

(Being, able to read the flow of a battle is a feat that we, the witches, cannot recreate. However, in this man’s case, pulling it off this lightly is something of a big deal.)

Harrigan greatly admired Naga inside her heart.

Not being aware of Harrigan’s thoughts, Naga ran his eyes over Ais’ whole body.

“More importantly, Ais, to think you would also be able to leap into the air thanks to Vita’s….”

Ais suddenly stomped against the floor and pushed out her right hand with unnoticeable speed.

“magi-gubooabaah?!”

Her fist sunk into Naga’s armor. Despite him wearing one, a large impact hit his stomach.
As soon as Ais calmly withdrew her right hand, Naga fell down with a thud to both his knees. His lower back bent so much that his forehead almost touched the surface of the floor. While holding his stomach, Naga slightly groaned and said.

“W…What are you doing out of sudd…en”

“I have no idea.”

Ais puffed her cheeks in discontent and walked away at a brisk pace.

“O, Oi, Dragon King, are you alright?”

Raibach called out to him in a concerned tone, but Naga lifted up his right hand so as to calm him down.

“Yea… I’ll manage it somehow……”

Harrigan exhaled a big sigh.

“Naga, shouldn’t you be a bit more considerate toward girls?”

“No, that was just a little…. joke, but well.”

“That’s why, I’m telling you that the other party might interpret it like this if you intend to make jokes.”

“Y, You mean it? Got it. I shall be more careful from now on.”

Holding his stomach, Naga grit his teeth and stood up.

“Still, that girl, Ais, to think she would hit me this seriously.”

The moment he complained, Harrigan looked at him pitifully.

“Perhaps not. Were she to get serious, she would’ve probably made a hole in both your armor and stomach, or maybe, pulverize all the bones in your body”

“No… way. For real?”

Naga thought he should be more careful from now on.

“Let’s leave that matter aside. We’ve brought down the fort, so starting from today, it’s our property. Should we walk around and check out its interior?”

I guess you’re right – Naga took an extensive view and nodded down in agreement, but,

“…….no, before doing so, we should first remove the armaments from the apprehended soldiers. I’ll have the scouting group check the building, whereas the rest of the members will progress with the removal of the armaments.”

“And more precisely, how should we do it?”

“Firstly, we will gather everyone in a single spot and remove nets from them one by one. We’re going to take away the armaments from those who regain their consciousness before doing the same with unconscious ones. All the stuff will be carried and put in the open space before the gate. By the time we are done, those who have become aware of the situation will try to escape on their own. As for the unconscious people, we will wake them up and tell them it’s okay to flee. They will most likely do the remaining thing.”

Harrigan furrowed her eyebrows and asked to confirm something.

“About the unconscious soldiers, shouldn’t it be better to place them in front of the gate?”

“True, it might be faster for their informed comrades to call out to them. With that, the soldiers should actually learn they were spared and released by the witches. Okay then, Harrigan, won’t you call others?”

“Understood. Lela!”

Nodding down deeply, Harrigan ordered Lela, who had tagged along with them, to raise a smoke signal.
Following that, a green-colored smoke arose from burned charms, after which the witches appeared in succession.

=== Part 11 ===

Naga and Harrigan gave quick instructions to the gathered witches from Harrigan’s clan. Soon after, the clan of Sraymeyer joined in, after their leader arrived at Naga’s spot, and helped with the removal of the enemy’s armaments.
Several of the soldiers had already run away after regaining consciousness. On the other hand, the still unconscious ones were transported to the open space before the fort’s gate using a cart brought from a warehouse. The one to pull it was obviously Ais, but, Naga decided to go through a bit of a trouble so as to motivate her.

Finally, being able to soothe Ais’ anger and encourage her to pull the cart, Naga thought.

(Yes, being considerate is serious matter. Especially, toward girls.)

Such was his strengthened belief.

=== Part 12 ===

The time for commencement of the tactic took place in the morning; nonetheless, the sun was already heading west. It was still too early for dusk, and shadows of watchtowers and other buildings inside the fort were still of considerable length, however, it was quite dark.

A big and a small half-moon resurfaced on a blue sky, close to the ground, while shining with a dim light.
Naga’s voice echoed through the open space located before the gate, at the north side of the fort.

“Oh, you guys are awoke? Once you regain your mobility it’s okay for you to escape.”

At his voice, some of the awake soldiers pointed their nervous sights at Naga, and then, looked around with a frightened expression. A dozen of the witches were surrounding them with the intention of guarding.
The soldiers trembled with fear as they felt they were caught by the witches.

“Oi, what’s the matter? I’m telling you it’s fine to escape. Speaking of which, it will be meddlesome if you don’t leave quickly.”

For some reason, an armored man was ordering them from atop a footstool in a self-important manner.

(Why is there a man among the witches?)

(Who’s that guy?)

The soldiers looked at each other’s face with a strange expression while whispering together.

“You don’t feel like running away? Then, shall you become slaves of the witches? Or perhaps, you would prefer to be sliced off here?”

The strange looking man pulled out his strange looking sword. At its sight, the soldiers came back to their senses and remembered their fear.

“Uwaaaaaaa!”

One of them stood up abruptly and ran off in a tumbling manner.
Following him, the rest of the soldiers who had regained their consciousness did the same one after another.
As this kept repeating, the number of the enemy reduced to half.
In the end, those remaining asleep would be waken up against their will by tapping and shaking, and set free as if being shooed away.
Only 20 people consisting of officers and vice-officers were left in the open space. Some of them who had been selected from the rest had their hands and legs bound together. Classifying them as commanding officers was an easy task since Raibach was present there.
In front of the remaining people, Naga got on the footstool and raised his voice.
He sheathed his sword back into his scabbard, put down its tip on the footstool, and placed his hands together on the sword’s pommel.

“How about this, you scoundrels. You have probably learned of the witches’ strength, right? Now that you’re apprehended like this, it’s fine to say your lives are in hands of the witches.”

Eeek?! – Some of the soldiers raised a shriek and turned stiff.

“But, fret not. We won’t be taking away your lives!”

At Naga’s loud and remarkable voice, the soldiers who tensed their bodies sighed with relief.

“Instead, we’re going to set you free!”

Naga, who cut off his words here, looked out over their faces.
Once he confirmed all the soldiers were holding their breath while concentrating their gazes on him, Naga once again raised his voice loudly.

“The reason why you scoundrels are caught is the result of you trying to attack and dispossess the witches from their land. You could say you reaped what you sowed, but, the witches are merciful this time, and therefore, your foolish act shall be ignored. Got it? You bastards are saved thanks to the benevolent and compassionate witches! You better engrave that in your hearts! And then, once you have learned your lesson, don’t you ever dare to fight them again!”

They watched Naga with a doubtful, or rather, a strange expression. Nevertheless, many of them nodded down enthusiastically.

“I’m going to release you at once. Does anyone have any questions?”

He observed them once more with his composed attitude. And then, a single soldier timidly lifted his hand.

“I allow you to speak. So, what do you want?”

As soon as Naga pointed the tip of his scabbard toward that person, the man straightened up with fear. However, he quickly pulled himself together and asked.

“Y…..You seem to be affiliated with the witches, but, just who on earth are you?”

Naga directed his cold gaze at the soldier who asked. Because of that, the man felt his body going numb and becoming sweaty.

“You’re asking me who I am? That’s a good question. I’m, well, I wonder about that, you see.”

At his vague reply, the man darted his eyes about; nevertheless, Naga carried on.

“I don’t exactly know who I am, but for now, I’m being referred to as this by the witches:”

Leaving a break in his speech, he continued.

“Naga [written as Dragon King]”

The soldiers exchanged looks with each other and buzzed noisily.

“I don’t care if you want to inquire who I am, but more importantly, shouldn’t you focus on how to return safely? Since we won’t give you back the confiscated weapons, you better be careful on your way back to your city so as not to encounter wild animals or bandits.”

Hearing Naga’s words, all of them came back to their senses.

“I will repeat it just once, but, make sure you remember this generous treatment as you won’t be forgiven the next time you’re caught. If that happens, you will probably have your stomach split open, your blood poured out, or your internal organs eaten while you are still alive. Got it!?”

“Eeek?!…”

“Understoodddd!”

The soldiers prostrated themselves with a pale face; nonetheless, Harrigan and the witches from her clan looked dissatisfied.
Drawing out his sword, Naga came near to the enemy.
Once he stood next to them who trembled with fear, Naga cut off ropes binding their limbs.
Having finished doing so, he pointed the tip of his sword toward the gate.

“Hey, you can go now.”

Despite him telling them, nobody moved with their body.
Is he going to slash me from behind the moment I try to escape? – is what they doubted.

“What’s wrong, aren’t you going to run away? If you bastards don’t want to, then perhaps we should work you to death as slaves of the witches….”

“Uwaaaaaa!”

A single person screamed loudly while dashing out. The remaining soldiers understood that as a sign and dashed off one after another.

Naga shouted behind their backs.

“If you return back safely, you may tell your families about how humane the witches are!”

However, it wasn’t clear whether or not his words reached their ears, as they all went at full speed toward the gate without looking behind, just like startled hares.

=== Part 13 ===

By the time the soldiers disappeared, Naga called together Harrigan and Vita.

“It’s regarding what we intend to do from now on, but……. speaking of which, even though we managed to capture the fort, why do you look this displeased?”

“I wonder if it’s not due to your way of speaking, Naga. With what you had said before, didn’t you give them the wrong impression about us?”

Harrigan gazed at him.
Her abundant, bluish black hair that wriggled in the air looked fearsome.

“Good grief. It’s not nice to speak about us in a way that makes us look like beasts sucking humans’ blood and eating their live flesh, you know?”

Vita was in bad mood as well.
Even if the witches got angry, their appearance shouldn’t have been enough for Naga to be as afraid as he was towards Harrigan right now. Nevertheless, having already learned how frightening their magic is, he hurriedly shook his hands in front of them.

“No no, I just told the soldiers a lie so as to make them feel scared. Look, don’t people say ‘the end justifies the means’?”

“…….Do they?”

Naga suddenly lost his self-confidence as both Harrigan and Vita looked at him with doubtful eyes.

“Eh? Umm yes…I believe this is what people used to say, but…”

“Is this a part of your lost memories?”

“It looks to be so, I guess. Sometimes, these sorts of proverbs will jump into my mind.”

Because he made a bit of a miserable face, neither Harrigan nor Vita felt inclined to press him any further. With that, Naga was released from a difficult situation.

“Then, what are you going to do now, Naga?”

Naga who sighed with a relief inside his heart first looked at both of them.

“We will survey the exterior. Selena will check the nearby surroundings, whereas, Yuuki will explore the main road. After all, I want to confirm whether or not all the soldiers managed to run away, or if some of them are still left hiding.”

“Umu, I’ll take care of the preparations.”

Harrigan replied.

“And after that, we should inspect the interior, especially, what’s inside the warehouse.”

“Fumu. Then, shall we entrust Ais with that task?”

Saying so, she turned around toward Ais.

“Yes, leave it to me”

“Is there anything else we need to do?”

“That’s right. There’s a chance that the Kasandora Kingdom will try to retrieve this place. About that, we better strengthen this fort’s defense. Still, I don’t think it will happen any time sooner, so we don’t have to worry for today.”

“Naga, what are the chances for their army to come and strike at us?”

It felt as though some tension showed through in Harrigan’s questioning voice.
Since Harrigan gave off that impression, it wasn’t impossible for the witches around here to display anxiety and tension on their faces.

“Adding up their defeat at the Schweiz River, today as well, they were quickly deprived of their fort, you see. Is their commanding officer(General?) willing to carry out another battle? More importantly, will their soldiers feel inclined to fight? Considering those facts, I don’t think they will quickly decide on recapturing this fort, you see.”

After hearing his answer, some of the witches felt relieved.
Naga, who looked at them with a side glance, gave a warning.

“However, we can’t rest assured. There are probably other enemies besides the Kasandora Kingdom, right?”

Fumu, indeed that’s true. – Vita nodded in agreement.

“With them losing a majority of their war potential, it can also mean…. that other countries will move with ease.”

“Sooner or later, I’d like to hear more about other sides’ military strength in comparison with this one here.”

“Umu, that’s fine.”

“We can tell you anytime.”

“Well, enough of that. We have yet to do the most important thing for today.”

“Oh? There’s still something left?”

“Oi oi, Harrigan, don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten. We are victorious, we’ve captured Ein fort without sustaining any damage. In that case, there’s one thing we ought to do.”

Harrigan and Vita looked at each other while wondering what it could be.
The witches around them also tilted their heads at Naga’s words.

“Good grief, you surely are slow, aren’t you?”

Naga, who shook his head, drew out his sword and raised it high.

“When it comes to this, we ought to shout from victory and hold a banquet!”

“Ohh, you mean that?”

“I see. Certainly, we can’t omit this part.”

Both Naga and Vita nodded in agreement, and other witches expressed their approval as they became radiant, clapped their hands, and stamped with their feet.

=== Part 14 ===

(Oh my, indeed, this person is a big fish. As expected of someone who’s referred to as the Dragon King.)

While the witches were filled with enthusiasm, Raibach watched Naga with deep admiration on his face.

(Just as he said, they managed to capture the fort without producing any casualty on the side of the guards. Surely, he was neither boasting or making a random speech as a temporary measure.)

Being able to see lots of familiar faces escaping safely, Raibach felt a great relief and admiration. He was amazed and deeply astonished at Naga’s actual leadership ability.

(Perhaps, this person is really capable of creating a world where both humans and the witches can live together. If such a world comes true, there may no longer be any harsh and miserable war, I guess.)

The face of his young child resurfaced in his mind.

(That’s right. I wonder if we could save more pitiful children like her.)

Raibach, began to think he wanted to see a world like that.
Therefore, he also started to think if there was anything he could do.

=== Part 15 ===

The witches began to make merry, but as soon as Naga left some words to Harrigan, he took Raibach and moved together with him to a separate room.
One could say it was his method of being considerate so as not to spoil the fun of the witches and let them feel at home when there were no men around.

Sorry for this. – Having sensed his intention, Harrigan lowered her head.
Naga smiled and lifted his right hand.

“Don’t fret. This won’t be our last victory banquet. Rather, there will be plenty more occasions like this one, you see.”

“I’ll bring you some alcohol and appetizer.”

“Oh, please do so.”

Saying this, both Naga and Raibach left to a smaller room and prepared to drink in silence.

=== Part 16 ===

“Why, didn’t you run away?”

Naga threw such a question at Raibach while holding his wine cup filled with grape wine inside. However, since a moment ago, he would just limit himself with tasting it.
Naga restrained himself to this way of drinking, not due to him disliking the taste, but because of him being aware he was weak towards alcohol.
On the other hand, Raibach emptied his metal wine cup many times, as if being good at drinking.

“No, asking me why is…”

Putting down the wine cup on the floor, Raibach looked at Naga with a slightly red-face.

“I’m your prisoner. Wouldn’t you kill me, were I to run away at my own convenience?”

“Back then, you probably saw me releasing all the captives, right? I planned to let you go too, but well. Had you slipped into the crowd with your friends and escaped, I would have neither chased you nor have any complaint, although the witches might have said something, but…”

“Is that so? So I could just run away? I didn’t consider that far.”

In Raibach’s tone no remorse or disappointment was felt, which was a bit unexpected for Naga.

“What’s wrong? It feels as though you couldn’t care less about that.”

“Ah, well, perhaps you could say so. Anyway, I no longer have a family left.”

“You mean it? Then, what are your plans from now on? If you remain like this, you will end as a slave of the witches. I’ve got the feeling that neither you nor the witches would wish for something unpleasant as that. As expected, maybe I should seize the opportunity and release you.”

As Naga said that, Raibach directed a serious look at him.

“Hey, Dragon King.”

“What? Why are you being formal?”

“I wonder if you can make me into your subordinate.”

At his words, Naga opened his eyes slightly wide.

“Are you serious?”

“Uh, no, how should I put it…. I’m not even sure myself about that.”

Was Raibach, who replied, mocking himself or hiding his embarrassment? Perhaps, he was filled with something else? Somehow, a smile with mixed feelings appeared on his face.

Naga talked to such a Raibach in a nice and cold manner.

“Becoming my subordinate would mean, at the same time, being on the side of the witches, i.e., becoming an ally of your god’s enemy. In other words, you too will be considered as one and fight against humans as ‘god’s enemy’. Are you okay with that?”

“To begin with, I wasn’t much of a fanatical believer. What’s more…..”

Raibach reached out his hand toward the cup and brought it near his mouth, after which, he drank up the remaining wine in one go.

*Sigh* – Once he exhaled and put the cup back down, Raibach carried on as he made eye contact with Naga.

“I don’t plan on becoming a subordinate of the witches, but you. That is to say, Dragon King’s underling.”

“That would probably be the same. After all, I’ve befriended the witches, which makes me an enemy of humans. As expected, by becoming my underling, and therefore, an ally of the witches, you would turn humanity into your enemy?”

At Naga’s remark, Raibach shook his head from side to side composedly.

“No, it’s certainly not the same. At least, this is what I believe.”

A shade of confusion appeared on Naga’s face for the first time.

“……What do you mean?”

“Simply serving Dragon King doesn’t make me a subordinate of the witches. Even if I’m to work for them, in the end, it’s Dragon King who’s giving them orders. Now that I think about that, don’t I sound like making an excuse to myself?”

Haha – Hearing his words, Naga laughed.

“That’s indeed an unexpected quibble coming from you.”

“I don’t particularly mind, so it’s fine. Didn’t you say before that the end justifies the means?”

“Yeah, I think that’s what I said.”

“What’s more, there’s no reason for me to tell you a lie. Since my youth, I’ve been constantly serving in the army, so I’ve gained a mass of experience. Back then, I used to fight with the witches, but the majority of my battles were against other human soldiers.”

*Chuckle* – Raibach chuckled under his nose.

“Human have been killing each other in the name of god. Regardless of whether they were humans or the witches, I-, we, would continue to swing with swords, shoot arrows, kill our enemy, and die from their hands. There would be no time for us to ponder on things like who was our enemy or what was right in what we did. Just as being told, we would pick our weapons and fight for survival. That’s it. If you order me to pick a weapon and fight your enemy, then it’s no different from what I’ve been doing until now.”

As soon as he paused after speaking loudly in one breath, Raibach scratched his head as if feeling a bit shy.

“…..Guess I’ve made another excuse to myself.”

“You mean it?” – Naga, who replied, fixed his gaze upon Raibach.

Was it due to him being unable to endure the pressure coming from Naga’s sight? Raibach extended his hand and poured more red liquid into his cup.

The moment he brought the cup near to his mouth, Naga uttered with dignity.

“Fine, got it. I shall make you into my underling.”

Raibach’s face rose up energetically and looked as though brimming with expectations.

“For real?!”

“I’m not lying, but, let me ask you once again.”

Standing up while having a grave expression, Naga looked down at Raibach and said:
[[File:Naga03 Illus-07.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
“By becoming my underling you agree to fight against the humans til my vision of the new world is fulfilled. Perhaps, there will be another battle waiting after the previous one. You’re telling me you can continue to swing your sword at humans, right? And endure slanders such as being labeled as ‘god’s enemy’, right?”

“Y, Yes.”

“I’m going to tell you this, but, it’s not like I’ll always resort to this type of kindhearted fighting style, you see? This time, I only saved all of your comrades because I deemed it would serve a purpose in the future. On the other hand, if I consider killing them all to be more convenient, then I may not hold back, you know?”

At Naga’s sharp glint in his eyes and intimidating air overflowing from his body, Raibach felt an unintentional urge to move back while he was sitting. Nevertheless, he somehow endured that and strained his voice.

“Y….Yes, I don’t care about that.”

The fighting spirit dwelling inside of Naga suddenly disappeared.

“Understood. I’ll make you into my subordinate, therefore, work your fingers to the bone for my sake.”

After that, Naga gave a broad smile.

“That’s because I properly reward those who serve me.”

Naga was pleased. He hadn’t thought he would be able to make a subordinate this quick.

He, who possessed an eye for anticipating the future, had a premonition that his subordinates would become a breakthrough for realizing his plan.

Raibach faced toward the smiling Naga and bowed down instinctively.

“I, I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“If that’s settled, we shall let the witches now about you becoming my underling. Follow me.”

Being in good mood and in high spirits, Naga took Raibach along with him and left the room.

=== Part 17 ===

“Oi, Harrigan, there’s something I’d like to discuss with….”

Once Naga and Raibach stepped inside a large room where the merrymaking of the witches had been held, most of the witches were drunk and dancing while being naked.

“Eh?”

“Ah….”

As soon as the witches noticed Naga and Raibach, they ceased their dancing and singing, and a strange, or rather, ominous silence dominated in the room.

“Umm, we will be back later.”

“I, I guess it’s much better that way.”

Naga and Raibach turned right with stiff faces as they planned to leave at a quick pace. Despite that,

The moment they stepped out with one foot, their bodies turned instantly heavy, making them stumble.

“Uooooh?”

Raibach and Naga recovered back their weight immediately after falling on their knees.
They both tried to stand up hurriedly and break up, however, they couldn’t make it in time as the witches were already surrounding them.

“You have some guts to peek at us and think you can get away with that, don’t you, Naga?”

Harrigan, whose hair went around in circles, was nude.

“Geez, Naga-san, as expected, it should’ve been better to gouge out your eyes, right?”

Ais, who pushed out her hands, was naked as well.

“I think gouging out their eyes is too clement for them. It would be better for us if we cut off both their legs and arms so that they can’t peek again.”

The air surrounding Yuuki jumbled together and her 2 bundles of long hair fluttered. Obviously, she too was naked.

“I shall burn the-m. So that not a single trace of them remain-s.”

Lela, who held a charm in her hand, was nude as well.

“How about punching? Punching them to death? Until all their bones are completely broken? Haaaaa!”

Putting up her fist, which released its metallic gloss, Kay too was nude. Not just her fist but also her whole body – including her nipples as well – was radiating with a metallic luster. Should one describe that as strange or perhaps uncanny? Either way, it was a mysterious view.

“I think drowning them to death will be the most painful method.”

While expanding and contracting lumps of red liquid in the air – most likely grape wine – Nonoel approached in a staggering manner. She too was naked.

“Kukuku, so you wanted to see me naked that badly, Dragon King? If so, you should have come and made a request like a real man in front of me. To think you would peek on me sneakily like that, it’s indeed a disgrace even for someone known as the Dragon King.”

Placing her hand on her waist and bending her chest backward, Vita laughed while being naked like the rest.
Originally, if a girl was to bend backward, there would be clear unevenness protruding, however, in Vita’s case, none could be found.

The other witches, who looked much the same as the previous ones, or perhaps less, surrounded Naga and Raibach in multitude – although it wasn’t such a great number – while looking at them with an ominous light dwelling inside their eyes.

“Oi, you girls, come back to your senses! To begin with, I wasn’t the one to peek. It was you who showed me your appearance!”

Despite Naga criticizing and objecting, no truth nor justice would reach someone who was drunk.

“He’s making excuses, isn’t he?”

“He’s evading, right?”

“He’s trying to deceive us, right?”

“He’s turning on us, isn’t he?”

While shouting one by one, the witches rushed at Naga and Raibach.

The two of them tried to stand up, but nevertheless, they would quickly tumble back.

“Forget about what you saw here!”

“Forget it completely!”

“If you can’t do that, then die!”

The witches approached en masse and kicked the rolling Naga and Raibach using their feet.

For the time being, they both covered their heads with their hands, trying to protect themselves from a swarm of dispatched kicks. Thanks to that, they were able to keep their heads safe, however, the witches didn’t spare other parts of their body.

Naga somehow tried to stop them by looking up, but,

(Huh? T, This angle is?!)

“Wai, girls, this angle is no good! It’s no good awaawaaw!”

“Errrk! I’m going to be killed. Even though I went through the trouble of becoming the Dragon King’s subordinate, I’m going to be killed from being kiiicked.”

“Eh?”

At Raibach’s shriek, Harrigan ceased to move.

“Oi, everyone, wait.”

Harrigan, who calmed down the other witches, directed her question at Raibach.

“You, what just did you say just now?”

“N, No, that’s why I’m saying I’ve become the Dragon King’s subordinate….”

Curling up on the floor and holding his head in his hands, Raibach, who resisted the kicks, looked with a glimpse at Harrigan after which he hurriedly turned away his sight.

“What’s the meaning of that, Naga?”

“That’s why I’m telling you I have to let you know about that!”

Naga released his hands from his head and lifted his eyes toward the witches who were surrounding him.

“Speaking of which, I think I mentioned about this angle being honestly no good but, are you fine with that?”

Naga averted his eyes similarly to Raibach.

“…..Hmm?”

Harrigan, who looked down at them both, shifted her eyes a bit at her own body.
She was nude.
Completely nude.
So nude it was terrific.

In case of Raibach, it wasn’t half as bad, as he held down his head and averted his eyes, however, Naga was laying on the floor face up. Certainly, it was an angle which couldn’t be more dangerous.

“Whatttttt?!”

Rather than coming back to their senses, the witches who realized the situation they were put in forgot about their shame, and instead, were besides themselves with rage.

“Die Die Die!”

“Erase all the memory of what you saw and die!”

“Throw out all your brain tissues and die!”

*Dosu, kosu, doka, geshi*

A further and more harsh swarm of kicks were sent at Naga.

“Uwaa, you, wai, awwawawaww, I’ll die, I’ll seriously die!”

Twisting his body, Naga tried to escape, but, there was nowhere to run away as the witches surrounded them closely packed.

(This is bad; this is honestly bad. I’m seriously going to die from these kicks.)

Were he to oppose a drunkard who had lost any means of reasoning, Naga would most likely worsen his situation, but nonetheless, he had the feeling it was the only option for him to survive.

By the time Naga resolved himself and tried to move his hand,

“Wait a moment! He’s going to die! The Dragon King is really going to die! Are you fine with killing him like that?!”

Raibach, who shouted, covered Naga with his whole body as if trying to protect him.

“This person is your ally! The who who’s supposed to create your world!”

“Umm…”

With that, Harrigan and the rest stopped their kicking.

“Raibach, seems like you don’t understand what’s being talked about, do you?”

“That’s why, the Dragon King has been telling you that all the time.”

“It’s the first time I hear about what you say.”

“No, he has been telling you that countless of times for a while, you know?”

“You mean it? Then, I wonder if you can’t let us know.”

“B, Before that, could everyone please put something on? Otherwise, the talk won’t proceed.”

“A…Ah, that’s right. It’s just as you say.”

The witches who came to their senses a little pulled back their legs and turned around.

“By the way, you didn’t see it, right?”

Raibach waved his hands with all might and shook his head at his best after being stared by Harrigan.

“I didn’t, I didn’t.”

“If you had seen it, I thought about gouging out your eyeballs, dismembering your body after smashing all of its bones, and throwing it to wolves as a pet food, but—-”

“I didn’t see even a tiny little bit, so honestly, rest assured.”

“Then, I guess that’s fine. Still, what about you Naga?”

“No, I haven’t seen anything, so don’t worry.”

“I wonder who should be the one to say that.”

Despite her thinking that, Harrigan also thought her carelessness was partially responsible for what had happened, so she ceased any further inquiring.

“Ah… since we’ll be changing, go outside and wait.”

(Rather than changing, you should already be putting something on you!)

Naga wanted to retort that way, but he thought he would only annoy them at this late hour. Together with Raibach, he silently went outside to the hallway and waited for them to be called in.

=== Part 18 ===

After a while of waiting,

“You can come in.”

Being called out to, Naga and Raibach entered in once again.
Both of them could feel relieved as everyone was properly wearing their clothes.

(I’ve always thought their small clothes are as good as being naked, but, looking back at what happened, I can understand it’s far better for them to wear something.)

Naga exhaled a sigh of relief inside of him.

“Naga, come and sit here. Same goes for you, Raibach.”

Naga and Raibach sat down at prearranged seats near a wall after being urged by Harrigan.
As they leaned against the wall, the witches also sat down while surrounding the two in a half-circle.

“Then, what’s the meaning of him becoming your subordinate?”

Harrigan asked as if being eager.

Among the other witches, there were those who looked at Naga and Raibach curiously, those who looked strangely, others – doubtfully, and yet another – reproachfully. Besides them, witches who averted their eyes in shame were also present, however, those were a minority.

“Ah, that would be, you see—”

Naga revealed his exchange with Raibach, as well as the whole story behind him deciding to make Raibach into his underling.

“I knew you would later approve of the idea, but I deemed it was necessary to make the decision on the spot.”

“Hm, is that so?”

“I also had thought it would benefit you, which was the reason why I decided to do so, you see. That’s all I wanted to convey.”

“I guess you’re right. When it comes to establishing a world for both us and the humans, having allies is an indispensable thing.”

Saying that, Harrigan nodded in agreement.
Because the majority of the witches from the Heindler clan, such as Ais, Lela, Kay, and Nonoel, agreed too, nobody seemed to particularly complain or object. Except for one person.
Naturally, that person was Yuuki. She was the only one to stare blatantly and pretentiously at Naga and Raibach with a much displeased face

“Is there something you want to say, Yuuki? If so, say it now.”

“Not really. Isn’t it fine as long as Hari-nee approves of your decision?”

Should one say that Yuuki had become more mature too? She wasn’t the same blind and stubborn person, whom she was when they first met.

(If that’s true, then great. Still, I wonder.)

Not letting anyone else learn about his thoughts, Naga,

“Is that so? Sorry about that.”

He lowered his head.
And Raibach bowed down deeply as well.
Harrigan exchanged a somewhat warm look with Yuuki

“T, That’s why, you’re greatly mistaken if you think I’m glad of becoming that guy’s ally!”

Yuuki, who couldn’t bear that situation uttered those words with an abusive-like tone.

“Yuuki, you’re going too far with your words. Raibach is already…”

“Ah, that’s okay, Ane-san, I don’t mind about that.”

Since Raibach shook his head on sides, Harrigan held her tongue, but then, she immediately looked at him with doubtful eyes.

“By the way…. you’re calling me Ane-san? Do you think I’m older than you?”

“Ah, no, I’m sorry about that, Somehow, it feels like you’re giving off a strong appeal, so….”

“W, Well, I wonder if it’s fine to consider it that way.”

Harrigan coughed at once and stated.

“If it’s Naga’s decision, then I won’t be the one to judge. We shall approve you becoming Naga’s underling.”

“Thank you, Harrigan. Speaking of which,”

Naga moved his face toward Vita, who had been silent for a while.

“How about you, girls? Do you mind if that’s guy becomes my subordinate?”

“Well, I wonder about that.”

Raibach stirred his muscle uncomfortably as Vita threw a glance at him.

“After all, it’s what you’ve decided. I don’t plan to look for any excuse, and the same goes for my daughters.”

“You mean it? I appreciate that.”

However – Saying this, Vita threw a challenging look at Naga.

“But, provided that man betrays us, we won’t have any mercy on him, you know? If that happens, I shall make him so heavy that all the bones and joints in his body get smashed and his muscles get torn.”

“Rest assured. Not even I will forgive those who plan on becoming my ally just to betray me. Absolutely not. I’ll tear this guy apart even before Vita does.”

“Then, fine. I shall acknowledge this man as Dragon King’s underling. Are you okay with that, my daughters?”

One couldn’t tell whether their answers were optimistic or pessimistic, but, they all were of the same opinion.

“Excellent. From now on, Raibach is officially my subordinate. Since I am an ally of the witches, Raibach too has become one. Having this guy is truly delightful! Speaking of which, Harrigan. Now that you’ve acquired your first human ally, what’s your thoughts on that?”

“H…hm, that’s right.”

“If things go well like this, perhaps creating the world we wish for might be easier than what we had thought.”

Harrigan put a slightly wry smile on her face after listening to Naga’s words.

(There’s no way for it to be that simple. But, perhaps one should be more bold and optimistic when putting their life into something. Be that as it may, even if it’s just for giving my daughters more hope, should I accept his offer?)

Harrigan, who was thinking this, leaned her body forward and replied vigorously.

“True. For the sake of creating a new world, we have to rise and make more allies like Raibach. If we increase them one by one like this, then establishing a new country of the witches isn’t that far from being realized.”

“Agreed. Well then, now that Raibach has become my underling, let’s celebrate! Let’s celebrate a new chapter in your future! Drink, sing, get undressed, and dance!”

“Ohh, that’s right. Let’s become lively at onc…Wha? No no no, wait wait! Why are you bringing that topic back up?!”

“E, Eh? Am I wrong?”

“You are! If you want to get undressed and dance that badly, then do it together with Raibach!”

At Harrigan’s retort, sounds of whistles and jeering came from the direction of other witches.

“No, even if I was to dance naked with this guy, I won’t enjoy it at all, you know?”

“This is what I’m trying to tell you.”

“That’s why, we will no longer undress. And even if we decide to, we’ll smash your eyes before doing so.”

“Ah, shall I smash them? I, can do it, completely.”

“Because Ais extended her hands and stepped forward, Naga fervently waved both his hands in front of him.

“No no, I won’t do that, so don’t worry. Even if you girls were to denote your intention of doing so, I and Raibach will leave the place straight away.”

“Huh…..? That’s so boringg.”

Ais, who moved both her thumbs in the air, in a manner of squeezing something, looked to be much unsatisfied.

“No no, don’t say it like you’re regretting not being able to smash my eyes. More importantly, you too shouldn’t drink any more than that, right? Right, Ais?”

“What are you talking about? I’m not drinking at all?”

Ais stared at Naga.

Naga turned his sight at Harrigan as if seeking for a help; nonetheless, he was flatly refused by her.

“You should be okay as long you don’t come near Ais.”

(No, rather than that, it’s more troublesome to have her approach me while being drunk.)

Naga looked around him for help, but, nobody would lend him a hand. Rather, nobody wanted to end up like him.

“Ah… well, I think I’ll go and stay in my room silently.”

“I too will keep you a company.”

In the end, not being able to participate in the banquet or watch the witches dancing and singing, the two of them ate and drank obediently inside their room.

=== Part 19 ===

Like that, Naga acquired his new subordinate, Raibach.
In other words, he was the first ever human ally of the witches, who had been repeatedly opposing humans for 2-300 years of both their history. Nevertheless, lots of the witches were still unaware of that, or couldn’t understand it yet.
On the other hand, Naga knew, as well as Raibach himself, that Raibach had become an existence that would become a breakthrough, or rather, a bridgehead, for establishing a new world where both the witches and humans can live together.

(The biggest spoil of this battle isn’t Ein Fort but this man. This guy is also a tremendously big asset for the witches.)

Naga believed this to be true.

<noinclude>
==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Ochitekita_Ryuuou_to_Horobiyuku_Majo_no_Kuni|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Epilogue 1|Epilogue 1]]
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</noinclude>

Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 3

2017-02-16T17:12:46Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 7 */

==Chapter 3: Future Outlook==

=== Part 1 ===

Kay brought dinner in, and ate it together with Naga and Raibaha.
Kay tried to chat with Raibaha as they ate, but his replies were halfhearted.

“Tch. How boring.” Kay complained and kept the cutlery.

“Don’t hold back on your requests, Raibaha. Aside from undoing your ropes or letting you escape, anything else would be fine.”

“No… I don’t have any requests.”

“Nothing?”

“How about massaging my feet, Kay?”

“What? I am asking Raibaha, why are you making such overboard demands as if this was natural, Naga? That is so strange.”

Naga laughed in response to Kay’s retort.

“Just kidding, don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad.”

“Then help me massage.”

“Huh? Are you joking with me!?”

“Of course I’m kidding.”

“How irritating.”

Kay snatched Naga’s plate away.

“Alright, I’m cleaning up.”

“Ah, there’s still a bit left…”

“I. am. cleaning. up.”

“Alright, alright.”

As Naga was smiling wryly, thumping footsteps came from the corridor outside.

“Hmm? Harrigan Nee-san?”

“Harrigan wouldn’t be walking so agitatedly.”

“That’s true, did Ais get angry?”

“Eh, wait.”

Naga waved his hand with his face turning green.

“We didn’t do anything to anger Ais.”

“That’s true, then…”

When Kay turned to the entrance, the footfalls stop. The door was then opened violently; revealing Yuuki with the corners of her eyes raised greatly.

“I heard that we captured a soldier of the Cassandra Army!?”

Kay responded affirmatively because of the pressure from Yuuki.

“I will kill him.”

Yuuki’s expression turned into rage and a strange light shone from her eyes.

“I will kill him in the cruelest way possible.”

Raibaha opened his eyes wide and stared at the vile-mouthed Yuuki. He knew that Yuuki wasn’t joking, but he wasn’t afraid as he stared at Yuuki with a lost expression.

“Eh, what the hell are you saying, Yuuki?”

“You are the one speaking nonsense, Kay. Why didn’t you kill the enemy immediately!?”

“In order to gather intel.”

“Do you need to treat him like a guest when doing that?”

“I’m not doing that.”

“Yes you are, you’re letting him stay here and even prepared an entire set of bedding. If you are trying to get intel, why not torture him!? Did he spill the beans already?”

“No, he is still thinking about it.”

“Huh? Why give him that choice? We don’t have the time to wait, let me handle it. I will make him spit out the information we need. Let me think… I will cut off his fingers one by one. To prevent him from dying because of blood loss, I will cauterize the wounds with a burning iron plate. He will definitely give in after cutting off two or three fingers. If he won’t, I will cut off all his fingers and toes, and he will beg me to kill him. When he spills everything, I will take his life if he asks, and it’ll all be settled.”

The agitated Yuuki spoke passionately as she took a couple of steps forward.

“I will handle this, so back off, Kay.”

“Eh, don’t decide that on your own, Yuuki.”

Kay also took a step forward to block Yuuki.

“Are you planning to stop me? Kay?”

“If Harrigan Nee-san and Naga don’t give you permission, I advise you not to be reckless.”

Yuuki cast a glance at Naga who had crossed his arms with a serious expression and showed no intention to speak. After confirming that, Yuuki turned back and faced Kay again.

“You… are helping the humans?”

“I don’t mean to do so, and don’t do anything that will spoil the image of witches.”

“If you don’t back off, I will cut you to pieces.”

“Hmmpf! Do it if you can. Your wind blades can’t harm me!”

The skin on Kay’s exposed limbs started turning grey.

“You think you are tough enough to take my wind blades!?”

“Go on, try me.”

“Why are you protecting that guy!?”

Yuuki was furious as she pointed to Raibach, behind Kay.

“This man is one of the soldiers who are always trying to kill us! Why let him live!?”

At this moment, Raibaha suddenly asked,

“Ah, let me ask you.”

Yuuki’s body stiffened.

“W-What!? Don’t think of begging for your life!”

“Was your family killed by us… by the Army of the Caesandra Kingdom?”

“Not by the soldiers of the Kingdom, but…” Yuuki answered softly, but then lost her composure. “It’s humans! Humans gathered everyone and massacred them!”

Raibaha watched Yuuki and his brow twitched.

“I see, you have a tragic past too. No wonder you hate humans. If you are bent on killing me… Please do so.”

Bafflement flashed across Yuuki’s face for a moment, but she puffed her chest with an arrogant look in no time.

“Look, even the subject himself said so. So let me do it.”

“Eh, why did you say that, Raibaha!?”

“Kay, you don’t need to protect him, get out of the way.”

“You two… Kay, Yuuki- you two are comrades, so don’t quarrel over someone like me.”

“Ahhh, that’s why… Ahhh—! So troublesome!” Kay grabbed her head exasperatedly. “My head isn’t that good; I can’t process something so complicated~~”

After holding her head and squatting for a while, she stood up. “I still think Yuuki shouldn’t kill this man. I will stop you.”

“Damn it…” Yuuki cursed angrily. “If you dare to stop me, I will really cut you to shreds.”

“Try it if you can.”

Kay’s grey skin turned silver with a metallic luster.

“What’s with the din? I have a morning shift tomorrow and need to sleep early, so stop with the noise.”

Arurukan said so casually when she popped up at the door. Noticing the tense atmosphere in the room, she stood stiff on the spot.

“Y-Y-You two, what are you doing?”

Yuuki and Kay glared at each other and ignored the baffled Arurukan. An intense fighting aura welled up about them.

“Yuuki.”

Naga said all of a sudden.

“W-What is it. Even if you try to lecture me… Eh, what are you doing?”

Yuuki turned her face towards Naga and found him kneeling on the floor with his forehead on the ground. She was shocked and took a large step back.

“What… the hell are you doing!?”

“I don’t know why you hate humans so much, and cannot understand how you feel. But in order to create a world where witches can live a happy life, this man is necessary. So can you please bear with it? I’m begging you.” Naga pleaded with her while on his knees.

“W… What…”

Yuuki looked down at the back of Naga’s head with a shocked face. She didn’t expect Naga to kneel down to her for a man he didn’t even know.
“I-Is the information this guy has that important!?”

Naga raised his head slowly and looked up at Yuuki.

“I will only know if it is important after hearing it, but it might be very important. If I can gain critical intel, we will be able to seize Fort Ein without sacrificing any witches or humans.”

Yuuki looked at Naga with a face of doubt, but her anger had been soothed a lot.

“W-Why do you care about the lives of those inhuman soldiers!? If we kill all of them, we can cut down the enemy’s numbers.”

“That might be true for the current situation, but taking the future into consideration, not having any sacrifices would be advantageous for us.”

Yuuki showed a troubled expression.

“I-I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“It’s fine if you don’t understand, but can you trust me this once?”

“How could I trust someone like you!?”

“Ehh, that’s too harsh, Yuuki.” Kay interjected. “Naga saved us when we were in danger. If not for him, we would have been chased out of the black forest long ago.”

“Eh… T-That’s true.”

“My head isn’t good, and I can’t analyze the situation, nor predict future developments. But I trust Naga. Since he said so, let’s leave this to him.”

Yuuki glared first at Kay as she said that, then Naga, and finally Raibaha. She then turned around abruptly and left in a huff.

“Move, Aru!”

“Nyaa?”

Yuuki’s fierce expression intimidated Arurukan, and she made way for her.

Just like the time she came, Yuuki stomped through the corridor when she left. Seeing her back disappear into the distance, Arurukan turned back and asked Kay, “What happened?”

“Well, it’s a long story. Where do I start…?”

Kay looked towards Naga for help.

“I will explain this to Arurukan later. I have something to ask Raibaha, and it would be better if Harrigan and Ais are present. They didn’t show up even after that ruckus. Did they turn in already?”

“Eh, I think Ais is out on patrol.”

“I see, she would have stopped Yuuki if she was here.”

(Or maybe not, she might even escalate things. Ais can’t control herself when she loses her temper, it would be an explosive scene if Yuuki retaliates.)

Kay thought about it, but didn’t say it out loud, afraid that someone would snitch on her.

“Harrigan nee-san should be in the fort, should I bring her over?” After Kay said that, Harrigan’s voice could be heard saying, “Why is Yuuki in the First Fort!?”

“Ohh, speak of the devil.”

Kay sighed in relief, thinking that she had washed her hands clean of the troublesome matter.

=== Part 2 ===

Most of the witches garrisoned here had gathered in the biggest room inside the fort. Naturally, Naga and Raibaha were also present.
The witches around Raibaha were:

Harrigan.

Ais.

Kay.

Nonoeru.

Arurukan.

Eleonortha.

Lela.

Mimone.

And of course, Yuuki was absent. The sisters, Linne and Linna, were on guard duty, thus not in the room. After receiving Harrigan’s pigeon message, Lela immediately rushed to the First Fort on horseback behind Mimone.
Harrigan sighed softly after hearing Kay’s report.

“That’s why I didn’t want Yuuki to know about this.”

When Lela received the pigeon message, Yuuki was just setting off from the Third Fort. In the confusion, she found out about Kay capturing a human soldier, so she rushed here on her air board alone.

“Forget it… No, we are not done yet. Getting detailed intelligence from that man takes priority… right, Naga?”

“That’s true.” Naga replied with a troubled face.

“Didn’t that man say he would consider giving us information about the fort? Did something change while we were gathering?”

“Aside from the detailed information about the fort, there is one thing I am very concerned with.”

“What is that?”

Harrigan prompted him to continue. Naga shifted his stool and faced Raibaha.

“Raibaha, you seemed surprised when Yuuki appeared just now. There are plenty of witches here that are unknown to you, but why did Yuuki surprise you so much?”

“Ah… Huh~~ you have sharp eyes.”

Raibaha’s vision wavered and he stretched out his right hand to scratch his head. He then recounted his tale slowly.

“I had a daughter.”

Raibaha said something unrelated, making Naga and the other witches to look at him puzzledly.

“If she were still alive, she would probably be about the age of you two.” Raibaha said as he pointed at Nonoeru and Kay. “It doesn’t sound convincing for a parent to say this, but she really was a cute kid.”

“……”

They were actually not interested in Raibaha’s personal affairs. Naga and Harrigan looked at each other, hesitating about whether to stop him or not.

“When I was out on a campaign once, barbarians invaded the city I lived in, ravaged the streets and killed the citizens.”

Naga and Harrigan were shocked and turned their heads away.

“I couldn’t find the remains of my wife and daughter in the end. There were thousands of charred corpses in the streets, and I think my family was probably murdered there.”

“I can empathize with you, but right now we are…”

Raibaha continued in a calm tone as if he didn’t hear what Harrigan said:

“That witch just now, the one who was shouting about wanting to kill me, is Yuuki, right?”

“Yuuki is hard to get along with, but she has her circumstances. If she made you feel uncomfortable, let me apologize…”

“No, that’s not it.” Raibaha raised his head, his expression strange and complicated. “That girl looks really similar to my dead daughter.”

He looked up to the roof, his eyes far away.

“My dead daughter is actually alive and appeared before me. That thought occurred to me for an instant, surprising me.”

Raibaha said sadly, but Harrigan’s reply was cold.

“My condolences for your loss, but she is a witch, not your daughter.”

“That’s true, I know that very well too, but… They really look identical, it’s like my daughter who survived somewhere appeared, so I…”

Raibaha said passionately, but stopped midway.

“…I …I” He turned his gaze back from the ceiling, tears falling from his eyes.

“I won’t have any complaints if that girl kills me, my daughter must have hated me the same way. If I didn’t go off to fight a war in that dangerous time, and stayed with my wife and daughter, they would still be alive today.”

Harrigan wasn’t sure how to respond and kept quiet. Naga couldn’t say anything and watched him without a word. It was the same for the other witches. The entire room fell silent.

“Dragon King, you mentioned about creating a world where humans and witches coexist in peace. If it succeeds, will the fighting between humans cease?”

Naga said confidently with a gentle smile on his face, “What a silly question.”

“If Witches and humans can be at peace, so can humans and humans.”

“That make sense. If you can create such a world and craft such a future, there won’t be children like Elena, who are killed at such a young age.”

“Your daughter is named Elena?”

“Yes, her name’s Elena. Ahh, Elena.”

Raibaha buried his face in his hands.

“She must have been so scared, and suffered so much and… been hoping I would come to save them. But… I…”

Raibaha curled up and sniffling sounds escaped from his lips. Naga, Harrigan, and the other witches did not say anything to console him, and his cries filled the entire room. A short time later, Raibaha put down his hands. He turned to Naga with tears on his face.

“Hey, Dragon King. Can you really create a world where Humans and Witches can live in harmony? A place where humans and humans won’t fight with each other?”

“Of course I can… is what I want to say, but regrettably, I can’t make this promise lightly. I can only say that I will do my best. Doing all we can is important. If we don’t work hard, we won’t be able to make this brand new world a reality, and pave our future.”

(Can’t make this promise lightly, huh? That means he views this very seriously. Maybe this man can really create a world like that.)

Raibaha didn’t have or want a dream. Maybe it’s because his memories of his family made him sad, or maybe he was compelled by the hope that doing this will lessen his self reproach. Raibaha wiped away the tears on his face.

“If I tell you the details of the fort, there won’t be any sacrifices?”

Naga didn’t nod; he just puffed his chest out.

“I can’t guarantee that there wouldn’t be any, but the chances are high.”

“I am not hoping for zero deaths, but can you promise to keep casualties to a minimum?”

When he heard that, Naga nodded firmly.

“Alright, I promise. I will seize the fort by utilizing a method without deaths.”

“In that case… I will tell you.”

Raibaha provided them with the required intel regarding the fort. But after the witches heard his tragic past, none of them showed any signs of glee.

=== Part 3 ===

Raibaha explained the structure of the fort and the placement of the guards in great detail. Lela noted down the important points on a parchment as he spoke.

After he was done, Raibaha added,

“The guard commander of the fort is a man named Baldkeist; he was one of the close subordinates of former General Geobalk, who took responsibility for the failed campaign and resigned. Similar to me, he was assigned to garrison the fort as cannon fodder. On the other hand, he isn’t too loyal to the new general, Guiscard, and won’t fight to the end if something does happen… That’s how I feel.”

“I see; this information is a great help.”

Naga smiled and turned his head.

“Harrigan, I have something to discuss with you.”

“Hmm? Oh, alright.”

Harrigan nodded, faced Kay and ordered:

“Bring that man back to his room. Nonoeru will stand guard with you, so Yuuki won’t come and stir up trouble.”

“Understood, Harrigan Nee-san.”

Kay and Nonoeru left the room with Raibaha while Naga and Harrigan moved into another room. They sat on stools and faced each other.

=== Part 4 ===

“Do you think his words can be trusted?”

After sitting down, Naga asked. Harrigan crossed her arms as she sat on the stool, answering thoughtfully:

“He doesn’t seem to be lying, at least he is not lying to us blatantly. What do you think, Naga?”

“I agree with your opinion. When he was talking about his daughter, his tears were real.”

“That’s right. Assuming everything he said was true, do you have any good ideas?”

Naga nodded seriously.

“It should work.”

“It will work? Really!?”

“The most important part of the plan is to get Eliushune or Vita near the fort. From what we heard about the structure of the fort, there isn’t a need to infiltrate the it; just being near the walls would be enough.”

“That would mean sending Eliushune first, right?”

“This is the safest and simplest way, but letting Vita approach the fort herself, without Eliushune, is also an option.”

“That is true, but Vita doesn’t have much defense. She could manipulate weight to guard herself, but if she does that, even we won’t be able to go near the fort.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“How do you plan to solve this?”

“We have people who can launch ranged attacks. I plan to use this method to tie up the enemy’s forces, then distract them, and use the chances to approach.”

Harrigan thought about it for a moment and turned her face back.
“The long range attacker is Ais?”

“That’s right, Ais’ stone throwing attack is very powerful, and she can attack from outside the range of normal bows. It would be hard for the defending soldiers to handle her.”

“Won’t they leave the fort and sally forth?”

“The enemy are witches, and you think they would dare to send two hundred soldiers to counterattack?”

Harrigan shook her head, as that made sense.

“I don’t think they have the guts.”

“If they move out in full force and leave the fort empty, that will play into my hands. If Ais, Lela and Yuuki keep attacking from a distance, they should be able to intimidate them and keep their attention. Vita can use the chance to approach.”

“Is doing that alright? Vita is a crucial figure in this operation, isn’t she? If she gets injured, wouldn’t the entire plan be ruined?”

“You're right, but logically speaking, Vita won’t be taking too big of a risk.”

“…I hope so.”

“But just to be safe, we should prepare Eliushune’s mantle so it can be used at a moment’s notice.”

Harrigan leaned forward and asked:

“Specifically speaking, how are you planning to take the fort?”

“Here’s what I plan to do.”

Naga then explained to Harrigan the details of the strategy to capture the fort.

“First will be Ais and the duo of Yuuki and Lela, who will attack at long range from two different places. Let’s set them to the west and south. Ais will throw rocks and Yuuki will carry Lela and her talismans into the sky above the fort, before making them burst into flames as she tosses them down. That way, the defending soldiers will fall into confusion.”

“Once the soldiers focus their attention on them, Kay will use this chance to charge to the eastern wall, and of course, bring Eliushune’s mantle with her. If she hardens her body, the soldiers won’t be able to harm her no matter how many arrows they shoot. Once she has reached the wall, she needs to place the mantle down. The soldiers in the fort won’t leave the fort just to take it, since they'll be under the witches’ attack.”

“When Vita uses her spell, it will be best to gather the defending forces in the east. So after Kay puts down the mantle, the participating witches will need to show themselves. Ais will stop and Yuuki will retreat. That should get the soldiers, who still have the strength to defend, to gather on the eastern walls.”

“Once Kay has put down the mantle, Eliushune will immediately bring Vita to the wall. Kay will then withdraw temporarily… No, I figure she should stay put, and act as Eliushune and Vita’s guard.”

“Once Vita teleports to the wall, she will begin her spell immediately. As for the structure of the fort, assuming the information given by Raibaha is correct, almost all of the soldiers should be unable to move. If not all, then at least 80% of them should be incapacitated. When Vita uses her spell, Eliushune won’t be able to move either, she’ll have to bear with it then.”

“We will leave the north alone, and attack from the west and the south. We will then close in from the east. This is to show the fort soldiers that there are no threats from the north. This is to give the soldiers the impression that, ‘we won’t be able to escape if we are completely surrounded, let’s run while we are still able to do so.’”

“When Vita uses the spell ‘Song of Gravity’ and captures all the soldiers gathered on the eastern side, we need to find a way to tie up these soldiers, so they won’t be able to move freely when the spell is released. To prevent Vita from being attacked by soldiers outside her range, Ais would need to attack more fiercely.

“Wait a moment, Naga.”

Harrigan raised her hand to stop Naga’s explanation.

“You mentioned tying up the soldiers while they are immobile, but how do you do that specifically? We witches can’t resist Vita’s magic and enter the range of her spell. Our bodies will become heavy and we won’t be able to move if we go in, so how can we tie up the soldiers… Why are you staring so intensely at my body!?”

“Vita’s magic will increase a person’s original weight by two or three times, correct? Compared to Lela and Kay, it would be hard for you to move…”

*Knock*

“That hurts!”

*Knock knock knock*

“That really hurts! Don’t keep hitting me with your hair!”

The teary Naga leapt backwards from his stool to dodge the attack. Harrigan pulled her head of hardened hair back, but her eyes were full of fury as she glared at Naga.

“You are not considerate towards girls at all.”

“No such thing, I am famous for being considerate… probably.”

“You actually have the nerve to say that.”

Harrigan blew her top once again and Naga waved his hands in front of him hurriedly.

“Alright, I know, it’s my fault.”

“Sorry”— Naga lowered his head in apology, and Harrigan’s hair fell onto her shoulders. Naga returned to his seat when he saw that.

“Alright, back to the topic.” Harrigan said grudgingly, after Naga sat properly.

“Ais might be able to move after Vita casts her spell, but that would take all her strength. It will also take a long time to bind the three hundred soldiers in the fort, and I don’t think Vita’s spell can last that long.”

“Speaking of which, she didn’t mention how long her spell could last.”

“This is her personal secret. The better known one’s magic is, the bigger the disadvantage. Not all witches live harmoniously with each other. More accurately speaking, most of us see each other as enemies.”

“I see, so even while facing the threat of being invaded by other nations, there are inter-tribe battles as well. I think I have heard something so regrettable in the past too.”

Naga was troubled.

(By the way, I have a feeling that this is something I experienced personally.)

“Something the matter?”

Naga looked at the ceiling deep in thought, and shook his head when Harrigan asked.

“There is a way to solve this problem.”

“There is!?”

Harrigan was shocked, and made an impressed expression.

“I see, as expected of Dragon King-sama.”

“Don’t mock me.”

“I’m not mocking you. Since there is a way, isn’t Fort Ein is as good as ours?”

Harrigan said confidently and Naga’s face turned serious.

“But there is a serious problem with this.”

“You mean there is a risk? But there is always some risk if we want to succeed, and our target is to take the fort without anyone dying or damaging the fort.”

“No, not that kind of danger.”

“???”

“The danger I am referring to is Yuuki. Specifically speaking, I am going to entrust her with a mission, but if I do that now, my life will probably be in danger…”

Naga sighed after saying that, and Harrigan laughed,

“What, so it’s that thing. I will order Yuuki to do it then.”

“I don’t think she will disobey if you give the word. No, that’s hard to say. Maybe she will resist strongly this time, since the main strategy involves sparing the lives of the Cassandra soldiers. Even if she agrees, she might screw things up as it goes against her will.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

Harrigan, who didn’t get it in the beginning, finally raised her head.

“By the way—”

She asked Naga:

“What mission are you giving her? Is it difficult? Why must it be Yuuki? Her magic is powerful, it will be hard for her not to harm the enemies while suppressing them.”

“The mission I want to assign her isn’t difficult, and I have no plans to use her magic to subdue the enemy.”

Harrigan frowned and tilted her head.

“What… do you mean by that?”

“This is what I mean.”

Naga leaned towards the side of Harrigan’s face and whispered.

After finishing, Naga returned to his seat.

“I… I see, only Yuuki could do it.”

Harrigan groaned and was impressed.

“Not only will this method subdue the enemy soldiers without them resisting, it will also resolve the issue quickly, so there is no need to worry about how long her magic will hold out.”

(It was the same last time, with Naga proposing a well-thought-out strategy. Normally, one wouldn’t even think of utilizing Yuuki’s ability in such a way.)

Harrigan was becoming more impressed.

“But there is also a problem, since this method couldn’t be used against the soldiers inside the buildings.”

“Ahh!” Harrigan pounded her thigh with her fist.

“That’s true; this method won’t stop the soldiers inside the buildings.”

“If we can push as many soldiers as possible into Vita’s magic range, the problem would be solved.”

“And so, you need us to reveal ourselves at this point, so the enemy will think we are going to attack the fort?”

“That’s right.” Naga said with a nod.

“The plan is to induce most of the soldiers to gather near the walls or towers in their attempt to disrupt our attack, but I am not confident that we can draw all of them out. Maybe we have to subdue the soldiers inside the buildings by force, and this is something I don’t wish to see. It would be for the best if they run away the first chance they get, because of the fear of being rendered immobile by magic.”

When she heard Naga say that, Harrigan answered confidently:

“Even if they don’t run, we have about forty witches here; handling a hundred soldiers would not be a problem.”

“With your combat prowess, subduing half of the troops wouldn’t take much time. But I hope to minimize the losses as much as possible, for both the witches and the enemy.”

Harrigan seemed a little troubled.

“In that battle earlier, you showed no mercy to the enemy, but you insist on not harming the enemy this time. In order to get the intelligence from Raibach, you promised him that…. The reason doesn’t seem to be this simple, so can you explain why are you insisting on this?”

“Because—” Naga leaned forward and said:

“The goal of this battle is to seize Fort Ein intact, and to change how the humans evaluate witches.”

“Our… evaluation?”

Harrigan blinked.

“The evaluation of most people about how witches is that they are ‘violent and cold blooded’.”

“But that’s…”

Naga raised his right hand and stopped Harrigan who wanted to defend herself.

“I know. Anyone who has actually interacted with you all would know that isn’t true, barring those with extreme prejudice. But the humans who have never met you all before wouldn’t know.”

“Eh… t-that’s right.”

“This mindset has been ongoing for many years. The truth isn’t important anymore, since humans already have a deep-rooted belief that this is the truth. And there are also things in this world that spread lies about the cruelty of the witches, for example: the Church abusing the authority of God. This evaluation is already firmly set in their mind, am I right?”

Harrigan sighed heavily.

“Unfortunately… that is so.”

“So we just need to turn this evaluation around, for the sake of building a peaceful world for humans and witches.”

(T-This guy has a grand vision as usual.)

“The fort was taken; most of the soldiers were captured but did not lose their lives and were even released safely. I want to create this fact. Even if the Cassandra Kingdom tries to hush things up, the news will spread sooner or later as they can’t stop the people’s grapevines. Just the fact that the witches didn’t kill the soldiers would be enough to make the humans doubt their impression that the witches are ‘violent, cruel and merciless’. It might just be doubt in the beginning, and they might even question if that was the truth, but if this accumulates over time, it will overturn the current evaluation one day.”

Harrigan answered with a soft mutter.

“You vision is wide, and you can see the future very well. I feel impressed every time I see this.”

“That’s too exaggerated; anyone can understand if they think about it in detail.”

(The problem is that no one can think about it in such detail.)

“But things aren’t so simple, we can’t just wait idly and hope the prevailing evaluation will be overturned someday. We have to actively spread this truth that runs contrary to their evaluation, and disperse the news widely.”

“W-We have to do something like that too?”

“Of course. In a way, war is a battle of intelligence. Obtaining accurate enemy intelligence and spreading news that is beneficial to our army, all of these are crucial factors in winning the final victory.”

“Dragon King-sama is good with tactics, and is underhanded in doing so.”

“I wasn’t expecting that.”

Naga wasn’t happy about that comment. Just then, Harrigan shouted “Alright!” and clapped her hands.

“I understand; we will proceed as you proposed. I will beg Yuuki to help us, and do my best to convince her.”

“I will accompany you and ask her too.”

“In that case…”

“What? Did you think of a good idea?”

“Let’s bring Vita along to plead with her.”

“…Is it fine to ask her for something like this?” Naga was confused.

“The future of both our clans depends on this, so she has to show up too.”

(Your personality is bad too.)

“You have any objections?”

“Eh, I want to confirm if we have that important thing.”

“We should have one or two of them, but their durability and toughness aren’t enough to subdue the enemy. And we will need multiple, so I’m thinking of remaking them.”

“Can you do that? This part requires intricate work to be done on it.”

“We have basically been providing for ourselves all this time, so making something like that is no big deal.”

“I will leave it to you then. So, how should we start?”

“Let me think. Let’s find Vita, and work from the outside in.”

Naga laughed.

“With you, Vita, and me lowering our heads to ask her, I don’t think Yuuki can reject us.”

“But like you said, it would be problematic if she did this unwillingly, so we have to really convince her, don’t we?”

“If it’s up to me…” Naga’s face became sullen.

“Who else can we entrust with this mission?”

“Ugh…. That’s true.”

“We will be going to Vita’s side tomorrow, let’s ask her then.”

“Alright, it’s settled then.”

=== Part 5 ===

The next day—

Naga and Harrigan visited Sraymeyer Fort right before noon, and had a conference with Vita in one of the rooms of the residential block.
Naga sat on a stool and explained his strategy, while Vita, who was also on a stool, didn’t say anything and listened carefully.

“… And this is the strategy I plan to use to take Fort Ein.”

After finishing his explanation, Naga stared at Vita as he finished speaking.

“Hmm, I see.” Vita crossed her arms and answered in a soft voice.

“If we used this method, not just us, even the enemy won’t suffer any casualties, and we can take the fort undamaged for our own use. It is a well-thought-out plan. But there are some elements of uncertainty.”

“That’s right, we have to confirm if the structure in the fort is just as Raibaha described. Which is meant to clarify if the range of your magic can cover more than half of the fort. If there are any problems, we have to reconsider the entire plan.“

“And where to place Eliu’s mantle, as well as whether the enemy will fall for the trick and gather in the eastern part…”

“We can’t confirm where the enemy will be positioned, so we have to adjust our plan accordingly.”

“That’s… true.”

“There’s another thing to confirm with you. Eliushune mentioned she can teleport with one more person, right? This means she can teleport together with you?”

“Hmm? Oh, that can be done, it’s just that we never tried it before.” Vita said with a solemn face.

“That doesn’t sound confident, will it be harder to move if there’s two people? Or is there some other danger?”

“That’s not what I mean; it’s just that I will encounter something unpleasant along the way.”

Naga made a strange expression and pressed Vita:

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t mind it; anyway, Eli can teleport together with me, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

“In that case…”

Naga and Harrigan exchanged a look.

“The only problem left is Yuuki.”

“Yes, only Yuuki is left.”

“Yuuki is indeed a big problem. If we are to capture the enemy alive by using my magic, Yuuki’s participation is very important.”

Naga turned his face towards Vita and asked with a serious expression,

“Regarding this matter, I have a request for you, Vita.”

“What is it, why so serious?”

“Can you ask Yuuki for her help together with Harrigan and me?”

“What do you mean?”

Seeing Vita looking at him, Naga scratched his head.

“Actually, I am not very sure, but I heard her family was killed by the humans, and she really hates human men.”

“I have heard about her hating humans, but there are no witches who welcome men; Yuuki is no exception.”

Vita shifted her eyes towards Harrigan, who sighed softly and said,

“Her childhood experience left a deep trauma in her heart, so her hatred towards humans is exceptional among us. If the mission were to kill human soldiers, she would accept it, no matter how dangerous. But if it is to capture them alive, I’m not sure that she will cooperate.”

“Eh, so the two of you are planning to beg her?”

“Yes. Actually, we are hoping you could join us.”

Naga said. Vita pulled a long face of annoyance when she heard that.

“As the Sraymeyer Clan Head, why must I do that for a witch from your side?”

“This battle doesn’t only concern the fate of the Haindora Clan; it will also decide the future of your clan.”

“That’s true.”

Vita looked into the distance and pondered for a moment. She then turned her head back.

“Alright, I am not very willing, but I will lower my head along with you two and ask for her help.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Sorry for troubling you, Vita.”

Naga and Harrigan lowered their heads to Vita and thanked her.

“You mentioned the future of our clan, which is correct. If enduring for a moment will lead to a bright future for my clan, I won’t mind the hardships.”

“My apologies.”

“When do you plan to ask her?”

“Time is short; I hope to settle this tomorrow.”

“I see. I will visit your fort tomorrow morning to ask Yuuki then.”

“Thanks for the help.”

After that, the three continued discussing the strategy of attacking Fort Ein. After finishing for the day, Naga and Harrigan bid Vita farewell and returned to their fort.

=== Part 6 ===

The next morning—

Vita showed up at the fort as promised, bringing Eliushune and another witch named Lily.

She ordered Eliushune and Lily to standby in another room, and headed to the room where Naga, Harrigan, and Ais were waiting. As they would be asking Yuuki for help, Naga and Harrigan requested for Ais’ presence in case anything happened.

At this moment, Naga, Harrigan, Ais, and Vita sat in a circle, surrounding Yuuki, who was summoned to the room.

“Hmm? What is going on? Harrigan Nee-san and Naga are here as usual, but why are Ais and Vita also here? Did I do something wrong? Or rather, are you going to do something to me?”

After entering the room, Yuuki had been stealing glances at the four of them repeatedly.

“Why am I sitting on a stool, but all of you are sitting on the ground? Are you asking me to look down on the four of you?”

Yuuki’s face was deathly pale, and sweat glistened on her forehead. Even the defiant Yuuki felt a lot of pressure when she faced these four people.

“Yuuki, we have something to tell you.” Harrigan said in a serious tone.

“I-I-I think so too. I would have run away if the four of you didn’t have any business with me.”

Yuuki broke out in cold sweat all over her body as she replied, and the four of them knelt down without any warning.

“Hyaa?” Yuuki jumped from surprise and backed away.

“W-W-What is this!? What does this mean!? Are you all joking with me!? Is this a new way of pulling a prank!?”

Harrigan lifted her head and soothed her, “Calm down, Yuuki.”

But Yuuki was still shocked and suspicious.

“Aren’t you all… angry?”

“Of course not.”

“Aren’t you going to punish me for trying to kill the prisoner?”

“We have no intention of doing that. We called for you today because we have a request for you. Please take a seat.”

Under the watchful gaze of Harrigan, Ais, and Vita, Yuuki appeared really timid as she returned to her seat, and sat down fearfully on the stool.

“We want to attack Fort Ein while avoiding damage to the fort itself and preventing casualties for both the witches and humans, so we will need your help, Yuuki. Please lend us your aid.”

After she finished, Harrigan lowered her head earnestly once more. Not just her, Naga, Ais, and even Vita, who was the head of another clan, pressed their foreheads to the floor, begging for her help.

“This…”

Yuuki couldn’t say anything for a moment.

She understood that an important task would be entrusted to her, but if that was it, Harrigan could just issue a direct order. She might not be willing to follow the command, but Yuuki wouldn’t outright reject Harrigan’s orders. But Harrigan didn’t do that, and even asked Vita to beg with her. Yuuki tried to think about what this meant. She couldn’t understand and gave up immediately, deciding to ask directly instead.

“Why didn’t you just give me the order? And what kind of mission will be given to me? Will I be in danger of losing my life?”

“No, it’s not that dangerous.” Harrigan raised her head and replied.

“I don’t understand. Since it’s not dangerous, why not just issue a command? But instead of doing that, you ask me like this. And while surrounded by the four of you, being asked is much scarier than being ordered. Also, isn’t Clan Head Vita an outsider? Why is Clan Head Vita lowering her head too?”

“Fufu”, Vita laughed cheerfully.

“I’m here to ask for your help on the Dragon King-sama’s request. He thinks you will find it harder to reject if I am present too.”

“T-That really makes it hard for me to reject, but I won’t refuse if it’s Harrigan Nee-san’s order anyway. Why go so far as to lower your head and ‘ask’ for my help?”

“Naga will explain this part. As for the mission we need you to undertake, he will explain that too. You see, Naga is the one who came up with the proposal to seize the fort.”

After hearing Harrigan say that, Yuuki scowled.

“So it’s because of you.”

“You don’t need to make such a face for me.”

“I don’t understand why we have to spare the enemies’ lives. After all, wouldn’t it be easier in the future if we kill more of them?”

Yuuki’s critique might be reasonable, but Naga just shook his head lightly when he heard that.

“Conquering Tenka is not a simple matter of how large your army is.”

“Ten… Ka?”

Yuuki wasn’t alone, as Harrigan, Ais, and Vita also had a look of confusion. Lela’s talisman couldn’t accurately translate the term ‘Tenka’, so Naga tried to say it in a way the witches could understand.

“Hmm, eh… oh, if I use the term ‘take over the world’, will you understand?”

“Take over the world?” Yuuki still couldn’t get it, and kept blinking her eyes.

“How is that possible; is that a metaphor?”

“Just think of it as a metaphor for overturning the common sense of the world that thinks witches and humans are sworn enemies, which requires revolutionizing the entire world order. Doing that is related to seizing a new world.”

Yuuki had a look of wonder on her face.

The new world Naga envisioned and his goal for the future of the witches had not taken concrete form in her mind yet. But she understood that Naga wanted to create a new world where witches and humans live in harmony, and knew he was acting in order to build this ideal world.

(He mentioned this in the past; seems like he was serious, and he really wants to build a world like that.)

“If we can build such a world, then there wouldn’t be witches with painful memories like me?”

Yuuki muttered softly.
Naga laughed gently.

“Yuuki, so you have the same ideas as Raibaha.”

“W-What?”

“He said ‘can you really create a world where Humans and Witches can live in harmony, a place where humans and humans won’t fight with each other?’ and ‘If you can create such a world and craft such a future, there won’t be children like Elena who are killed at such a young age.’”

“W-Who is Elena?”

“That was Raibaha’s child. Ten years ago, the place he lived in was invaded by barbarians; his wife and daughter were murdered.”

This seemed to have struck a chord with Yuuki, and she showed a rare face of sadness.

“…I-Is that so?”

“If Raibaha’s child was still alive, she would be about your age. He said his deceased daughter looked very much like you.”

Yuuki sneered and reverted back to her usual face and attitude.

“He is just trying to get on my good side because he almost died by my hands, right?”

“He looked surprised when you appeared in the room, right? I don’t think he was faking his reaction.”

“I didn’t watch that closely.”

“Forget about Raibaha for now, back to the topic. In order to build a new world, and overturn the common sense that ‘witches and humans are sworn enemies, I want to avoid killing any enemy soldiers whenever possible.”

“How is not killing the enemy soldiers related to building a new world? I can’t understand.” Yuuki puffed her cheeks unhappily and asked a sarcastic question.

“Witches are not violent and cold blooded, but are instead kind, benevolent, and merciful… I want the humans to learn these facts. It is not easy to overturn their values and perceptions, but we need to make such views waver. With time, their common sense will be proven wrong. When that time comes, humans will be willing to stand on the same side as us.”

Yuuki lowered her head and seemed to be thinking about something. Harrigan and Ais looked at Yuuki with eyes filled with kindness, while Vita observed her curiously. Shortly thereafter, Yuuki lifted her head and mumbled:

“I still don’t understand, but I don’t mind cooperation for the sake of building a new world.”

Harrigan’s and Ais’ faces brightened, Vita laughed, and Naga was all smiles.

“That is wonderful, as there is something only you can do after all.”

“Hold it! Tell me what I need to do first, or I won’t be able to give you a definite answer.”

“Oh, this is what we want to ask of you.”

Naga explained how to use Vita’s magic to seize the fort, and how the strategy will not harm the soldiers or damage the fort.

“Oh, so that’s it… That’s why Clan Head Vita is here?” Yuuki looked towards Vita.

“That’s right.” Vita nodded in acknowledgement.

“There is no problem in using my magic to subdue the soldiers, but there isn’t any witch in either tribe who can withstand my spell and bind the soldiers. The only one who can still move would probably be Ais.”

Ais showed a proud face.

“Aside from having a huge body, Ais also has lots of fat, her breasts and butt looks really heavy. No matter how strong she is, she might not be able to overcome the increased weight.”

Ais had a smile on her face, but her veins were showing on her temple. But no matter how gutsy Ais was, she wouldn’t dare rebuke Vita, so that smile on her face just turned stiffer and stiffer.

“Which is to say, the Dragon King-sama is giving up on binding the soldiers in the fort, and will be entrusting these things to you.”

Yuuki turned her gaze to Naga.

“Your head is always full of strange ideas.”

“Isn’t my head really good?”

“To think you can devise such a plan. I don’t think your head is good, it’s just that your personality is evil.”

“That’s so mean.” Naga grumbled.

Harrigan and Vita couldn’t help their snickering, and Ais finally relaxed her stiff smile and laughed gently.

Never mind, Naga lifted his spirits.

“How about it, are you willing to cooperate?”

After hearing his question, Yuuki puffed her chest out and said arrogantly:

“Piece of cake. And the soldiers will be subdued by Clan Head Vita, so I won’t have to worry about getting hit by arrows. It won’t be a problem.”

Hearing Yuuki’s response, Naga shouted “Alright!” agitatedly.

“Since Yuuki is willing to work with us, we will begin the operation to seize Fort Ein immediately.”

=== Part 7 ===

And so, the Haindora and Sraymeyer Clans worked together and began preparations to take Fort Ein.

The date that they would attack was tentatively set to be ten days later.

<noinclude>

==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
| Return to [[Ochitekita_Ryuuou_to_Horobiyuku_Majo_no_Kuni|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
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</noinclude>

Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 3

2017-02-16T17:10:39Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 6 */

==Chapter 3: Future Outlook==

=== Part 1 ===

Kay brought dinner in, and ate it together with Naga and Raibaha.
Kay tried to chat with Raibaha as they ate, but his replies were halfhearted.

“Tch. How boring.” Kay complained and kept the cutlery.

“Don’t hold back on your requests, Raibaha. Aside from undoing your ropes or letting you escape, anything else would be fine.”

“No… I don’t have any requests.”

“Nothing?”

“How about massaging my feet, Kay?”

“What? I am asking Raibaha, why are you making such overboard demands as if this was natural, Naga? That is so strange.”

Naga laughed in response to Kay’s retort.

“Just kidding, don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad.”

“Then help me massage.”

“Huh? Are you joking with me!?”

“Of course I’m kidding.”

“How irritating.”

Kay snatched Naga’s plate away.

“Alright, I’m cleaning up.”

“Ah, there’s still a bit left…”

“I. am. cleaning. up.”

“Alright, alright.”

As Naga was smiling wryly, thumping footsteps came from the corridor outside.

“Hmm? Harrigan Nee-san?”

“Harrigan wouldn’t be walking so agitatedly.”

“That’s true, did Ais get angry?”

“Eh, wait.”

Naga waved his hand with his face turning green.

“We didn’t do anything to anger Ais.”

“That’s true, then…”

When Kay turned to the entrance, the footfalls stop. The door was then opened violently; revealing Yuuki with the corners of her eyes raised greatly.

“I heard that we captured a soldier of the Cassandra Army!?”

Kay responded affirmatively because of the pressure from Yuuki.

“I will kill him.”

Yuuki’s expression turned into rage and a strange light shone from her eyes.

“I will kill him in the cruelest way possible.”

Raibaha opened his eyes wide and stared at the vile-mouthed Yuuki. He knew that Yuuki wasn’t joking, but he wasn’t afraid as he stared at Yuuki with a lost expression.

“Eh, what the hell are you saying, Yuuki?”

“You are the one speaking nonsense, Kay. Why didn’t you kill the enemy immediately!?”

“In order to gather intel.”

“Do you need to treat him like a guest when doing that?”

“I’m not doing that.”

“Yes you are, you’re letting him stay here and even prepared an entire set of bedding. If you are trying to get intel, why not torture him!? Did he spill the beans already?”

“No, he is still thinking about it.”

“Huh? Why give him that choice? We don’t have the time to wait, let me handle it. I will make him spit out the information we need. Let me think… I will cut off his fingers one by one. To prevent him from dying because of blood loss, I will cauterize the wounds with a burning iron plate. He will definitely give in after cutting off two or three fingers. If he won’t, I will cut off all his fingers and toes, and he will beg me to kill him. When he spills everything, I will take his life if he asks, and it’ll all be settled.”

The agitated Yuuki spoke passionately as she took a couple of steps forward.

“I will handle this, so back off, Kay.”

“Eh, don’t decide that on your own, Yuuki.”

Kay also took a step forward to block Yuuki.

“Are you planning to stop me? Kay?”

“If Harrigan Nee-san and Naga don’t give you permission, I advise you not to be reckless.”

Yuuki cast a glance at Naga who had crossed his arms with a serious expression and showed no intention to speak. After confirming that, Yuuki turned back and faced Kay again.

“You… are helping the humans?”

“I don’t mean to do so, and don’t do anything that will spoil the image of witches.”

“If you don’t back off, I will cut you to pieces.”

“Hmmpf! Do it if you can. Your wind blades can’t harm me!”

The skin on Kay’s exposed limbs started turning grey.

“You think you are tough enough to take my wind blades!?”

“Go on, try me.”

“Why are you protecting that guy!?”

Yuuki was furious as she pointed to Raibach, behind Kay.

“This man is one of the soldiers who are always trying to kill us! Why let him live!?”

At this moment, Raibaha suddenly asked,

“Ah, let me ask you.”

Yuuki’s body stiffened.

“W-What!? Don’t think of begging for your life!”

“Was your family killed by us… by the Army of the Caesandra Kingdom?”

“Not by the soldiers of the Kingdom, but…” Yuuki answered softly, but then lost her composure. “It’s humans! Humans gathered everyone and massacred them!”

Raibaha watched Yuuki and his brow twitched.

“I see, you have a tragic past too. No wonder you hate humans. If you are bent on killing me… Please do so.”

Bafflement flashed across Yuuki’s face for a moment, but she puffed her chest with an arrogant look in no time.

“Look, even the subject himself said so. So let me do it.”

“Eh, why did you say that, Raibaha!?”

“Kay, you don’t need to protect him, get out of the way.”

“You two… Kay, Yuuki- you two are comrades, so don’t quarrel over someone like me.”

“Ahhh, that’s why… Ahhh—! So troublesome!” Kay grabbed her head exasperatedly. “My head isn’t that good; I can’t process something so complicated~~”

After holding her head and squatting for a while, she stood up. “I still think Yuuki shouldn’t kill this man. I will stop you.”

“Damn it…” Yuuki cursed angrily. “If you dare to stop me, I will really cut you to shreds.”

“Try it if you can.”

Kay’s grey skin turned silver with a metallic luster.

“What’s with the din? I have a morning shift tomorrow and need to sleep early, so stop with the noise.”

Arurukan said so casually when she popped up at the door. Noticing the tense atmosphere in the room, she stood stiff on the spot.

“Y-Y-You two, what are you doing?”

Yuuki and Kay glared at each other and ignored the baffled Arurukan. An intense fighting aura welled up about them.

“Yuuki.”

Naga said all of a sudden.

“W-What is it. Even if you try to lecture me… Eh, what are you doing?”

Yuuki turned her face towards Naga and found him kneeling on the floor with his forehead on the ground. She was shocked and took a large step back.

“What… the hell are you doing!?”

“I don’t know why you hate humans so much, and cannot understand how you feel. But in order to create a world where witches can live a happy life, this man is necessary. So can you please bear with it? I’m begging you.” Naga pleaded with her while on his knees.

“W… What…”

Yuuki looked down at the back of Naga’s head with a shocked face. She didn’t expect Naga to kneel down to her for a man he didn’t even know.
“I-Is the information this guy has that important!?”

Naga raised his head slowly and looked up at Yuuki.

“I will only know if it is important after hearing it, but it might be very important. If I can gain critical intel, we will be able to seize Fort Ein without sacrificing any witches or humans.”

Yuuki looked at Naga with a face of doubt, but her anger had been soothed a lot.

“W-Why do you care about the lives of those inhuman soldiers!? If we kill all of them, we can cut down the enemy’s numbers.”

“That might be true for the current situation, but taking the future into consideration, not having any sacrifices would be advantageous for us.”

Yuuki showed a troubled expression.

“I-I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“It’s fine if you don’t understand, but can you trust me this once?”

“How could I trust someone like you!?”

“Ehh, that’s too harsh, Yuuki.” Kay interjected. “Naga saved us when we were in danger. If not for him, we would have been chased out of the black forest long ago.”

“Eh… T-That’s true.”

“My head isn’t good, and I can’t analyze the situation, nor predict future developments. But I trust Naga. Since he said so, let’s leave this to him.”

Yuuki glared first at Kay as she said that, then Naga, and finally Raibaha. She then turned around abruptly and left in a huff.

“Move, Aru!”

“Nyaa?”

Yuuki’s fierce expression intimidated Arurukan, and she made way for her.

Just like the time she came, Yuuki stomped through the corridor when she left. Seeing her back disappear into the distance, Arurukan turned back and asked Kay, “What happened?”

“Well, it’s a long story. Where do I start…?”

Kay looked towards Naga for help.

“I will explain this to Arurukan later. I have something to ask Raibaha, and it would be better if Harrigan and Ais are present. They didn’t show up even after that ruckus. Did they turn in already?”

“Eh, I think Ais is out on patrol.”

“I see, she would have stopped Yuuki if she was here.”

(Or maybe not, she might even escalate things. Ais can’t control herself when she loses her temper, it would be an explosive scene if Yuuki retaliates.)

Kay thought about it, but didn’t say it out loud, afraid that someone would snitch on her.

“Harrigan nee-san should be in the fort, should I bring her over?” After Kay said that, Harrigan’s voice could be heard saying, “Why is Yuuki in the First Fort!?”

“Ohh, speak of the devil.”

Kay sighed in relief, thinking that she had washed her hands clean of the troublesome matter.

=== Part 2 ===

Most of the witches garrisoned here had gathered in the biggest room inside the fort. Naturally, Naga and Raibaha were also present.
The witches around Raibaha were:

Harrigan.

Ais.

Kay.

Nonoeru.

Arurukan.

Eleonortha.

Lela.

Mimone.

And of course, Yuuki was absent. The sisters, Linne and Linna, were on guard duty, thus not in the room. After receiving Harrigan’s pigeon message, Lela immediately rushed to the First Fort on horseback behind Mimone.
Harrigan sighed softly after hearing Kay’s report.

“That’s why I didn’t want Yuuki to know about this.”

When Lela received the pigeon message, Yuuki was just setting off from the Third Fort. In the confusion, she found out about Kay capturing a human soldier, so she rushed here on her air board alone.

“Forget it… No, we are not done yet. Getting detailed intelligence from that man takes priority… right, Naga?”

“That’s true.” Naga replied with a troubled face.

“Didn’t that man say he would consider giving us information about the fort? Did something change while we were gathering?”

“Aside from the detailed information about the fort, there is one thing I am very concerned with.”

“What is that?”

Harrigan prompted him to continue. Naga shifted his stool and faced Raibaha.

“Raibaha, you seemed surprised when Yuuki appeared just now. There are plenty of witches here that are unknown to you, but why did Yuuki surprise you so much?”

“Ah… Huh~~ you have sharp eyes.”

Raibaha’s vision wavered and he stretched out his right hand to scratch his head. He then recounted his tale slowly.

“I had a daughter.”

Raibaha said something unrelated, making Naga and the other witches to look at him puzzledly.

“If she were still alive, she would probably be about the age of you two.” Raibaha said as he pointed at Nonoeru and Kay. “It doesn’t sound convincing for a parent to say this, but she really was a cute kid.”

“……”

They were actually not interested in Raibaha’s personal affairs. Naga and Harrigan looked at each other, hesitating about whether to stop him or not.

“When I was out on a campaign once, barbarians invaded the city I lived in, ravaged the streets and killed the citizens.”

Naga and Harrigan were shocked and turned their heads away.

“I couldn’t find the remains of my wife and daughter in the end. There were thousands of charred corpses in the streets, and I think my family was probably murdered there.”

“I can empathize with you, but right now we are…”

Raibaha continued in a calm tone as if he didn’t hear what Harrigan said:

“That witch just now, the one who was shouting about wanting to kill me, is Yuuki, right?”

“Yuuki is hard to get along with, but she has her circumstances. If she made you feel uncomfortable, let me apologize…”

“No, that’s not it.” Raibaha raised his head, his expression strange and complicated. “That girl looks really similar to my dead daughter.”

He looked up to the roof, his eyes far away.

“My dead daughter is actually alive and appeared before me. That thought occurred to me for an instant, surprising me.”

Raibaha said sadly, but Harrigan’s reply was cold.

“My condolences for your loss, but she is a witch, not your daughter.”

“That’s true, I know that very well too, but… They really look identical, it’s like my daughter who survived somewhere appeared, so I…”

Raibaha said passionately, but stopped midway.

“…I …I” He turned his gaze back from the ceiling, tears falling from his eyes.

“I won’t have any complaints if that girl kills me, my daughter must have hated me the same way. If I didn’t go off to fight a war in that dangerous time, and stayed with my wife and daughter, they would still be alive today.”

Harrigan wasn’t sure how to respond and kept quiet. Naga couldn’t say anything and watched him without a word. It was the same for the other witches. The entire room fell silent.

“Dragon King, you mentioned about creating a world where humans and witches coexist in peace. If it succeeds, will the fighting between humans cease?”

Naga said confidently with a gentle smile on his face, “What a silly question.”

“If Witches and humans can be at peace, so can humans and humans.”

“That make sense. If you can create such a world and craft such a future, there won’t be children like Elena, who are killed at such a young age.”

“Your daughter is named Elena?”

“Yes, her name’s Elena. Ahh, Elena.”

Raibaha buried his face in his hands.

“She must have been so scared, and suffered so much and… been hoping I would come to save them. But… I…”

Raibaha curled up and sniffling sounds escaped from his lips. Naga, Harrigan, and the other witches did not say anything to console him, and his cries filled the entire room. A short time later, Raibaha put down his hands. He turned to Naga with tears on his face.

“Hey, Dragon King. Can you really create a world where Humans and Witches can live in harmony? A place where humans and humans won’t fight with each other?”

“Of course I can… is what I want to say, but regrettably, I can’t make this promise lightly. I can only say that I will do my best. Doing all we can is important. If we don’t work hard, we won’t be able to make this brand new world a reality, and pave our future.”

(Can’t make this promise lightly, huh? That means he views this very seriously. Maybe this man can really create a world like that.)

Raibaha didn’t have or want a dream. Maybe it’s because his memories of his family made him sad, or maybe he was compelled by the hope that doing this will lessen his self reproach. Raibaha wiped away the tears on his face.

“If I tell you the details of the fort, there won’t be any sacrifices?”

Naga didn’t nod; he just puffed his chest out.

“I can’t guarantee that there wouldn’t be any, but the chances are high.”

“I am not hoping for zero deaths, but can you promise to keep casualties to a minimum?”

When he heard that, Naga nodded firmly.

“Alright, I promise. I will seize the fort by utilizing a method without deaths.”

“In that case… I will tell you.”

Raibaha provided them with the required intel regarding the fort. But after the witches heard his tragic past, none of them showed any signs of glee.

=== Part 3 ===

Raibaha explained the structure of the fort and the placement of the guards in great detail. Lela noted down the important points on a parchment as he spoke.

After he was done, Raibaha added,

“The guard commander of the fort is a man named Baldkeist; he was one of the close subordinates of former General Geobalk, who took responsibility for the failed campaign and resigned. Similar to me, he was assigned to garrison the fort as cannon fodder. On the other hand, he isn’t too loyal to the new general, Guiscard, and won’t fight to the end if something does happen… That’s how I feel.”

“I see; this information is a great help.”

Naga smiled and turned his head.

“Harrigan, I have something to discuss with you.”

“Hmm? Oh, alright.”

Harrigan nodded, faced Kay and ordered:

“Bring that man back to his room. Nonoeru will stand guard with you, so Yuuki won’t come and stir up trouble.”

“Understood, Harrigan Nee-san.”

Kay and Nonoeru left the room with Raibaha while Naga and Harrigan moved into another room. They sat on stools and faced each other.

=== Part 4 ===

“Do you think his words can be trusted?”

After sitting down, Naga asked. Harrigan crossed her arms as she sat on the stool, answering thoughtfully:

“He doesn’t seem to be lying, at least he is not lying to us blatantly. What do you think, Naga?”

“I agree with your opinion. When he was talking about his daughter, his tears were real.”

“That’s right. Assuming everything he said was true, do you have any good ideas?”

Naga nodded seriously.

“It should work.”

“It will work? Really!?”

“The most important part of the plan is to get Eliushune or Vita near the fort. From what we heard about the structure of the fort, there isn’t a need to infiltrate the it; just being near the walls would be enough.”

“That would mean sending Eliushune first, right?”

“This is the safest and simplest way, but letting Vita approach the fort herself, without Eliushune, is also an option.”

“That is true, but Vita doesn’t have much defense. She could manipulate weight to guard herself, but if she does that, even we won’t be able to go near the fort.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“How do you plan to solve this?”

“We have people who can launch ranged attacks. I plan to use this method to tie up the enemy’s forces, then distract them, and use the chances to approach.”

Harrigan thought about it for a moment and turned her face back.
“The long range attacker is Ais?”

“That’s right, Ais’ stone throwing attack is very powerful, and she can attack from outside the range of normal bows. It would be hard for the defending soldiers to handle her.”

“Won’t they leave the fort and sally forth?”

“The enemy are witches, and you think they would dare to send two hundred soldiers to counterattack?”

Harrigan shook her head, as that made sense.

“I don’t think they have the guts.”

“If they move out in full force and leave the fort empty, that will play into my hands. If Ais, Lela and Yuuki keep attacking from a distance, they should be able to intimidate them and keep their attention. Vita can use the chance to approach.”

“Is doing that alright? Vita is a crucial figure in this operation, isn’t she? If she gets injured, wouldn’t the entire plan be ruined?”

“You're right, but logically speaking, Vita won’t be taking too big of a risk.”

“…I hope so.”

“But just to be safe, we should prepare Eliushune’s mantle so it can be used at a moment’s notice.”

Harrigan leaned forward and asked:

“Specifically speaking, how are you planning to take the fort?”

“Here’s what I plan to do.”

Naga then explained to Harrigan the details of the strategy to capture the fort.

“First will be Ais and the duo of Yuuki and Lela, who will attack at long range from two different places. Let’s set them to the west and south. Ais will throw rocks and Yuuki will carry Lela and her talismans into the sky above the fort, before making them burst into flames as she tosses them down. That way, the defending soldiers will fall into confusion.”

“Once the soldiers focus their attention on them, Kay will use this chance to charge to the eastern wall, and of course, bring Eliushune’s mantle with her. If she hardens her body, the soldiers won’t be able to harm her no matter how many arrows they shoot. Once she has reached the wall, she needs to place the mantle down. The soldiers in the fort won’t leave the fort just to take it, since they'll be under the witches’ attack.”

“When Vita uses her spell, it will be best to gather the defending forces in the east. So after Kay puts down the mantle, the participating witches will need to show themselves. Ais will stop and Yuuki will retreat. That should get the soldiers, who still have the strength to defend, to gather on the eastern walls.”

“Once Kay has put down the mantle, Eliushune will immediately bring Vita to the wall. Kay will then withdraw temporarily… No, I figure she should stay put, and act as Eliushune and Vita’s guard.”

“Once Vita teleports to the wall, she will begin her spell immediately. As for the structure of the fort, assuming the information given by Raibaha is correct, almost all of the soldiers should be unable to move. If not all, then at least 80% of them should be incapacitated. When Vita uses her spell, Eliushune won’t be able to move either, she’ll have to bear with it then.”

“We will leave the north alone, and attack from the west and the south. We will then close in from the east. This is to show the fort soldiers that there are no threats from the north. This is to give the soldiers the impression that, ‘we won’t be able to escape if we are completely surrounded, let’s run while we are still able to do so.’”

“When Vita uses the spell ‘Song of Gravity’ and captures all the soldiers gathered on the eastern side, we need to find a way to tie up these soldiers, so they won’t be able to move freely when the spell is released. To prevent Vita from being attacked by soldiers outside her range, Ais would need to attack more fiercely.

“Wait a moment, Naga.”

Harrigan raised her hand to stop Naga’s explanation.

“You mentioned tying up the soldiers while they are immobile, but how do you do that specifically? We witches can’t resist Vita’s magic and enter the range of her spell. Our bodies will become heavy and we won’t be able to move if we go in, so how can we tie up the soldiers… Why are you staring so intensely at my body!?”

“Vita’s magic will increase a person’s original weight by two or three times, correct? Compared to Lela and Kay, it would be hard for you to move…”

*Knock*

“That hurts!”

*Knock knock knock*

“That really hurts! Don’t keep hitting me with your hair!”

The teary Naga leapt backwards from his stool to dodge the attack. Harrigan pulled her head of hardened hair back, but her eyes were full of fury as she glared at Naga.

“You are not considerate towards girls at all.”

“No such thing, I am famous for being considerate… probably.”

“You actually have the nerve to say that.”

Harrigan blew her top once again and Naga waved his hands in front of him hurriedly.

“Alright, I know, it’s my fault.”

“Sorry”— Naga lowered his head in apology, and Harrigan’s hair fell onto her shoulders. Naga returned to his seat when he saw that.

“Alright, back to the topic.” Harrigan said grudgingly, after Naga sat properly.

“Ais might be able to move after Vita casts her spell, but that would take all her strength. It will also take a long time to bind the three hundred soldiers in the fort, and I don’t think Vita’s spell can last that long.”

“Speaking of which, she didn’t mention how long her spell could last.”

“This is her personal secret. The better known one’s magic is, the bigger the disadvantage. Not all witches live harmoniously with each other. More accurately speaking, most of us see each other as enemies.”

“I see, so even while facing the threat of being invaded by other nations, there are inter-tribe battles as well. I think I have heard something so regrettable in the past too.”

Naga was troubled.

(By the way, I have a feeling that this is something I experienced personally.)

“Something the matter?”

Naga looked at the ceiling deep in thought, and shook his head when Harrigan asked.

“There is a way to solve this problem.”

“There is!?”

Harrigan was shocked, and made an impressed expression.

“I see, as expected of Dragon King-sama.”

“Don’t mock me.”

“I’m not mocking you. Since there is a way, isn’t Fort Ein is as good as ours?”

Harrigan said confidently and Naga’s face turned serious.

“But there is a serious problem with this.”

“You mean there is a risk? But there is always some risk if we want to succeed, and our target is to take the fort without anyone dying or damaging the fort.”

“No, not that kind of danger.”

“???”

“The danger I am referring to is Yuuki. Specifically speaking, I am going to entrust her with a mission, but if I do that now, my life will probably be in danger…”

Naga sighed after saying that, and Harrigan laughed,

“What, so it’s that thing. I will order Yuuki to do it then.”

“I don’t think she will disobey if you give the word. No, that’s hard to say. Maybe she will resist strongly this time, since the main strategy involves sparing the lives of the Cassandra soldiers. Even if she agrees, she might screw things up as it goes against her will.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

Harrigan, who didn’t get it in the beginning, finally raised her head.

“By the way—”

She asked Naga:

“What mission are you giving her? Is it difficult? Why must it be Yuuki? Her magic is powerful, it will be hard for her not to harm the enemies while suppressing them.”

“The mission I want to assign her isn’t difficult, and I have no plans to use her magic to subdue the enemy.”

Harrigan frowned and tilted her head.

“What… do you mean by that?”

“This is what I mean.”

Naga leaned towards the side of Harrigan’s face and whispered.

After finishing, Naga returned to his seat.

“I… I see, only Yuuki could do it.”

Harrigan groaned and was impressed.

“Not only will this method subdue the enemy soldiers without them resisting, it will also resolve the issue quickly, so there is no need to worry about how long her magic will hold out.”

(It was the same last time, with Naga proposing a well-thought-out strategy. Normally, one wouldn’t even think of utilizing Yuuki’s ability in such a way.)

Harrigan was becoming more impressed.

“But there is also a problem, since this method couldn’t be used against the soldiers inside the buildings.”

“Ahh!” Harrigan pounded her thigh with her fist.

“That’s true; this method won’t stop the soldiers inside the buildings.”

“If we can push as many soldiers as possible into Vita’s magic range, the problem would be solved.”

“And so, you need us to reveal ourselves at this point, so the enemy will think we are going to attack the fort?”

“That’s right.” Naga said with a nod.

“The plan is to induce most of the soldiers to gather near the walls or towers in their attempt to disrupt our attack, but I am not confident that we can draw all of them out. Maybe we have to subdue the soldiers inside the buildings by force, and this is something I don’t wish to see. It would be for the best if they run away the first chance they get, because of the fear of being rendered immobile by magic.”

When she heard Naga say that, Harrigan answered confidently:

“Even if they don’t run, we have about forty witches here; handling a hundred soldiers would not be a problem.”

“With your combat prowess, subduing half of the troops wouldn’t take much time. But I hope to minimize the losses as much as possible, for both the witches and the enemy.”

Harrigan seemed a little troubled.

“In that battle earlier, you showed no mercy to the enemy, but you insist on not harming the enemy this time. In order to get the intelligence from Raibach, you promised him that…. The reason doesn’t seem to be this simple, so can you explain why are you insisting on this?”

“Because—” Naga leaned forward and said:

“The goal of this battle is to seize Fort Ein intact, and to change how the humans evaluate witches.”

“Our… evaluation?”

Harrigan blinked.

“The evaluation of most people about how witches is that they are ‘violent and cold blooded’.”

“But that’s…”

Naga raised his right hand and stopped Harrigan who wanted to defend herself.

“I know. Anyone who has actually interacted with you all would know that isn’t true, barring those with extreme prejudice. But the humans who have never met you all before wouldn’t know.”

“Eh… t-that’s right.”

“This mindset has been ongoing for many years. The truth isn’t important anymore, since humans already have a deep-rooted belief that this is the truth. And there are also things in this world that spread lies about the cruelty of the witches, for example: the Church abusing the authority of God. This evaluation is already firmly set in their mind, am I right?”

Harrigan sighed heavily.

“Unfortunately… that is so.”

“So we just need to turn this evaluation around, for the sake of building a peaceful world for humans and witches.”

(T-This guy has a grand vision as usual.)

“The fort was taken; most of the soldiers were captured but did not lose their lives and were even released safely. I want to create this fact. Even if the Cassandra Kingdom tries to hush things up, the news will spread sooner or later as they can’t stop the people’s grapevines. Just the fact that the witches didn’t kill the soldiers would be enough to make the humans doubt their impression that the witches are ‘violent, cruel and merciless’. It might just be doubt in the beginning, and they might even question if that was the truth, but if this accumulates over time, it will overturn the current evaluation one day.”

Harrigan answered with a soft mutter.

“You vision is wide, and you can see the future very well. I feel impressed every time I see this.”

“That’s too exaggerated; anyone can understand if they think about it in detail.”

(The problem is that no one can think about it in such detail.)

“But things aren’t so simple, we can’t just wait idly and hope the prevailing evaluation will be overturned someday. We have to actively spread this truth that runs contrary to their evaluation, and disperse the news widely.”

“W-We have to do something like that too?”

“Of course. In a way, war is a battle of intelligence. Obtaining accurate enemy intelligence and spreading news that is beneficial to our army, all of these are crucial factors in winning the final victory.”

“Dragon King-sama is good with tactics, and is underhanded in doing so.”

“I wasn’t expecting that.”

Naga wasn’t happy about that comment. Just then, Harrigan shouted “Alright!” and clapped her hands.

“I understand; we will proceed as you proposed. I will beg Yuuki to help us, and do my best to convince her.”

“I will accompany you and ask her too.”

“In that case…”

“What? Did you think of a good idea?”

“Let’s bring Vita along to plead with her.”

“…Is it fine to ask her for something like this?” Naga was confused.

“The future of both our clans depends on this, so she has to show up too.”

(Your personality is bad too.)

“You have any objections?”

“Eh, I want to confirm if we have that important thing.”

“We should have one or two of them, but their durability and toughness aren’t enough to subdue the enemy. And we will need multiple, so I’m thinking of remaking them.”

“Can you do that? This part requires intricate work to be done on it.”

“We have basically been providing for ourselves all this time, so making something like that is no big deal.”

“I will leave it to you then. So, how should we start?”

“Let me think. Let’s find Vita, and work from the outside in.”

Naga laughed.

“With you, Vita, and me lowering our heads to ask her, I don’t think Yuuki can reject us.”

“But like you said, it would be problematic if she did this unwillingly, so we have to really convince her, don’t we?”

“If it’s up to me…” Naga’s face became sullen.

“Who else can we entrust with this mission?”

“Ugh…. That’s true.”

“We will be going to Vita’s side tomorrow, let’s ask her then.”

“Alright, it’s settled then.”

=== Part 5 ===

The next day—

Naga and Harrigan visited Sraymeyer Fort right before noon, and had a conference with Vita in one of the rooms of the residential block.
Naga sat on a stool and explained his strategy, while Vita, who was also on a stool, didn’t say anything and listened carefully.

“… And this is the strategy I plan to use to take Fort Ein.”

After finishing his explanation, Naga stared at Vita as he finished speaking.

“Hmm, I see.” Vita crossed her arms and answered in a soft voice.

“If we used this method, not just us, even the enemy won’t suffer any casualties, and we can take the fort undamaged for our own use. It is a well-thought-out plan. But there are some elements of uncertainty.”

“That’s right, we have to confirm if the structure in the fort is just as Raibaha described. Which is meant to clarify if the range of your magic can cover more than half of the fort. If there are any problems, we have to reconsider the entire plan.“

“And where to place Eliu’s mantle, as well as whether the enemy will fall for the trick and gather in the eastern part…”

“We can’t confirm where the enemy will be positioned, so we have to adjust our plan accordingly.”

“That’s… true.”

“There’s another thing to confirm with you. Eliushune mentioned she can teleport with one more person, right? This means she can teleport together with you?”

“Hmm? Oh, that can be done, it’s just that we never tried it before.” Vita said with a solemn face.

“That doesn’t sound confident, will it be harder to move if there’s two people? Or is there some other danger?”

“That’s not what I mean; it’s just that I will encounter something unpleasant along the way.”

Naga made a strange expression and pressed Vita:

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t mind it; anyway, Eli can teleport together with me, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

“In that case…”

Naga and Harrigan exchanged a look.

“The only problem left is Yuuki.”

“Yes, only Yuuki is left.”

“Yuuki is indeed a big problem. If we are to capture the enemy alive by using my magic, Yuuki’s participation is very important.”

Naga turned his face towards Vita and asked with a serious expression,

“Regarding this matter, I have a request for you, Vita.”

“What is it, why so serious?”

“Can you ask Yuuki for her help together with Harrigan and me?”

“What do you mean?”

Seeing Vita looking at him, Naga scratched his head.

“Actually, I am not very sure, but I heard her family was killed by the humans, and she really hates human men.”

“I have heard about her hating humans, but there are no witches who welcome men; Yuuki is no exception.”

Vita shifted her eyes towards Harrigan, who sighed softly and said,

“Her childhood experience left a deep trauma in her heart, so her hatred towards humans is exceptional among us. If the mission were to kill human soldiers, she would accept it, no matter how dangerous. But if it is to capture them alive, I’m not sure that she will cooperate.”

“Eh, so the two of you are planning to beg her?”

“Yes. Actually, we are hoping you could join us.”

Naga said. Vita pulled a long face of annoyance when she heard that.

“As the Sraymeyer Clan Head, why must I do that for a witch from your side?”

“This battle doesn’t only concern the fate of the Haindora Clan; it will also decide the future of your clan.”

“That’s true.”

Vita looked into the distance and pondered for a moment. She then turned her head back.

“Alright, I am not very willing, but I will lower my head along with you two and ask for her help.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Sorry for troubling you, Vita.”

Naga and Harrigan lowered their heads to Vita and thanked her.

“You mentioned the future of our clan, which is correct. If enduring for a moment will lead to a bright future for my clan, I won’t mind the hardships.”

“My apologies.”

“When do you plan to ask her?”

“Time is short; I hope to settle this tomorrow.”

“I see. I will visit your fort tomorrow morning to ask Yuuki then.”

“Thanks for the help.”

After that, the three continued discussing the strategy of attacking Fort Ein. After finishing for the day, Naga and Harrigan bid Vita farewell and returned to their fort.

=== Part 6 ===

The next morning—

Vita showed up at the fort as promised, bringing Eliushune and another witch named Lily.

She ordered Eliushune and Lily to standby in another room, and headed to the room where Naga, Harrigan, and Ais were waiting. As they would be asking Yuuki for help, Naga and Harrigan requested for Ais’ presence in case anything happened.

At this moment, Naga, Harrigan, Ais, and Vita sat in a circle, surrounding Yuuki, who was summoned to the room.

“Hmm? What is going on? Harrigan Nee-san and Naga are here as usual, but why are Ais and Vita also here? Did I do something wrong? Or rather, are you going to do something to me?”

After entering the room, Yuuki had been stealing glances at the four of them repeatedly.

“Why am I sitting on a stool, but all of you are sitting on the ground? Are you asking me to look down on the four of you?”

Yuuki’s face was deathly pale, and sweat glistened on her forehead. Even the defiant Yuuki felt a lot of pressure when she faced these four people.

“Yuuki, we have something to tell you.” Harrigan said in a serious tone.

“I-I-I think so too. I would have run away if the four of you didn’t have any business with me.”

Yuuki broke out in cold sweat all over her body as she replied, and the four of them knelt down without any warning.

“Hyaa?” Yuuki jumped from surprise and backed away.

“W-W-What is this!? What does this mean!? Are you all joking with me!? Is this a new way of pulling a prank!?”

Harrigan lifted her head and soothed her, “Calm down, Yuuki.”

But Yuuki was still shocked and suspicious.

“Aren’t you all… angry?”

“Of course not.”

“Aren’t you going to punish me for trying to kill the prisoner?”

“We have no intention of doing that. We called for you today because we have a request for you. Please take a seat.”

Under the watchful gaze of Harrigan, Ais, and Vita, Yuuki appeared really timid as she returned to her seat, and sat down fearfully on the stool.

“We want to attack Fort Ein while avoiding damage to the fort itself and preventing casualties for both the witches and humans, so we will need your help, Yuuki. Please lend us your aid.”

After she finished, Harrigan lowered her head earnestly once more. Not just her, Naga, Ais, and even Vita, who was the head of another clan, pressed their foreheads to the floor, begging for her help.

“This…”

Yuuki couldn’t say anything for a moment.

She understood that an important task would be entrusted to her, but if that was it, Harrigan could just issue a direct order. She might not be willing to follow the command, but Yuuki wouldn’t outright reject Harrigan’s orders. But Harrigan didn’t do that, and even asked Vita to beg with her. Yuuki tried to think about what this meant. She couldn’t understand and gave up immediately, deciding to ask directly instead.

“Why didn’t you just give me the order? And what kind of mission will be given to me? Will I be in danger of losing my life?”

“No, it’s not that dangerous.” Harrigan raised her head and replied.

“I don’t understand. Since it’s not dangerous, why not just issue a command? But instead of doing that, you ask me like this. And while surrounded by the four of you, being asked is much scarier than being ordered. Also, isn’t Clan Head Vita an outsider? Why is Clan Head Vita lowering her head too?”

“Fufu”, Vita laughed cheerfully.

“I’m here to ask for your help on the Dragon King-sama’s request. He thinks you will find it harder to reject if I am present too.”

“T-That really makes it hard for me to reject, but I won’t refuse if it’s Harrigan Nee-san’s order anyway. Why go so far as to lower your head and ‘ask’ for my help?”

“Naga will explain this part. As for the mission we need you to undertake, he will explain that too. You see, Naga is the one who came up with the proposal to seize the fort.”

After hearing Harrigan say that, Yuuki scowled.

“So it’s because of you.”

“You don’t need to make such a face for me.”

“I don’t understand why we have to spare the enemies’ lives. After all, wouldn’t it be easier in the future if we kill more of them?”

Yuuki’s critique might be reasonable, but Naga just shook his head lightly when he heard that.

“Conquering Tenka is not a simple matter of how large your army is.”

“Ten… Ka?”

Yuuki wasn’t alone, as Harrigan, Ais, and Vita also had a look of confusion. Lela’s talisman couldn’t accurately translate the term ‘Tenka’, so Naga tried to say it in a way the witches could understand.

“Hmm, eh… oh, if I use the term ‘take over the world’, will you understand?”

“Take over the world?” Yuuki still couldn’t get it, and kept blinking her eyes.

“How is that possible; is that a metaphor?”

“Just think of it as a metaphor for overturning the common sense of the world that thinks witches and humans are sworn enemies, which requires revolutionizing the entire world order. Doing that is related to seizing a new world.”

Yuuki had a look of wonder on her face.

The new world Naga envisioned and his goal for the future of the witches had not taken concrete form in her mind yet. But she understood that Naga wanted to create a new world where witches and humans live in harmony, and knew he was acting in order to build this ideal world.

(He mentioned this in the past; seems like he was serious, and he really wants to build a world like that.)

“If we can build such a world, then there wouldn’t be witches with painful memories like me?”

Yuuki muttered softly.
Naga laughed gently.

“Yuuki, so you have the same ideas as Raibaha.”

“W-What?”

“He said ‘can you really create a world where Humans and Witches can live in harmony, a place where humans and humans won’t fight with each other?’ and ‘If you can create such a world and craft such a future, there won’t be children like Elena who are killed at such a young age.’”

“W-Who is Elena?”

“That was Raibaha’s child. Ten years ago, the place he lived in was invaded by barbarians; his wife and daughter were murdered.”

This seemed to have struck a chord with Yuuki, and she showed a rare face of sadness.

“…I-Is that so?”

“If Raibaha’s child was still alive, she would be about your age. He said his deceased daughter looked very much like you.”

Yuuki sneered and reverted back to her usual face and attitude.

“He is just trying to get on my good side because he almost died by my hands, right?”

“He looked surprised when you appeared in the room, right? I don’t think he was faking his reaction.”

“I didn’t watch that closely.”

“Forget about Raibaha for now, back to the topic. In order to build a new world, and overturn the common sense that ‘witches and humans are sworn enemies, I want to avoid killing any enemy soldiers whenever possible.”

“How is not killing the enemy soldiers related to building a new world? I can’t understand.” Yuuki puffed her cheeks unhappily and asked a sarcastic question.

“Witches are not violent and cold blooded, but are instead kind, benevolent, and merciful… I want the humans to learn these facts. It is not easy to overturn their values and perceptions, but we need to make such views waver. With time, their common sense will be proven wrong. When that time comes, humans will be willing to stand on the same side as us.”

Yuuki lowered her head and seemed to be thinking about something. Harrigan and Ais looked at Yuuki with eyes filled with kindness, while Vita observed her curiously. Shortly thereafter, Yuuki lifted her head and mumbled:

“I still don’t understand, but I don’t mind cooperation for the sake of building a new world.”

Harrigan’s and Ais’ faces brightened, Vita laughed, and Naga was all smiles.

“That is wonderful, as there is something only you can do after all.”

“Hold it! Tell me what I need to do first, or I won’t be able to give you a definite answer.”

“Oh, this is what we want to ask of you.”

Naga explained how to use Vita’s magic to seize the fort, and how the strategy will not harm the soldiers or damage the fort.

“Oh, so that’s it… That’s why Clan Head Vita is here?” Yuuki looked towards Vita.

“That’s right.” Vita nodded in acknowledgement.

“There is no problem in using my magic to subdue the soldiers, but there isn’t any witch in either tribe who can withstand my spell and bind the soldiers. The only one who can still move would probably be Ais.”

Ais showed a proud face.

“Aside from having a huge body, Ais also has lots of fat, her breasts and butt looks really heavy. No matter how strong she is, she might not be able to overcome the increased weight.”

Ais had a smile on her face, but her veins were showing on her temple. But no matter how gutsy Ais was, she wouldn’t dare rebuke Vita, so that smile on her face just turned stiffer and stiffer.

“Which is to say, the Dragon King-sama is giving up on binding the soldiers in the fort, and will be entrusting these things to you.”

Yuuki turned her gaze to Naga.

“Your head is always full of strange ideas.”

“Isn’t my head really good?”

“To think you can devise such a plan. I don’t think your head is good, it’s just that your personality is evil.”

“That’s so mean.” Naga grumbled.

Harrigan and Vita couldn’t help their snickering, and Ais finally relaxed her stiff smile and laughed gently.

Never mind, Naga lifted his spirits.

“How about it, are you willing to cooperate?”

After hearing his question, Yuuki puffed her chest out and said arrogantly:

“Piece of cake. And the soldiers will be subdued by Clan Head Vita, so I won’t have to worry about getting hit by arrows. It won’t be a problem.”

Hearing Yuuki’s response, Naga shouted “Alright!” agitatedly.

“Since Yuuki is willing to work with us, we will begin the operation to seize Fort Ein immediately.”

=== Part 7 ===

And so, the Heindler and Sraymeyer Clans worked together and began preparations to take Fort Ein.

The date that they would attack was tentatively set to be ten days later.

<noinclude>
==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
| Return to [[Ochitekita_Ryuuou_to_Horobiyuku_Majo_no_Kuni|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
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</noinclude>

Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 3

2017-02-16T16:58:06Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 5 */

==Chapter 3: Future Outlook==

=== Part 1 ===

Kay brought dinner in, and ate it together with Naga and Raibaha.
Kay tried to chat with Raibaha as they ate, but his replies were halfhearted.

“Tch. How boring.” Kay complained and kept the cutlery.

“Don’t hold back on your requests, Raibaha. Aside from undoing your ropes or letting you escape, anything else would be fine.”

“No… I don’t have any requests.”

“Nothing?”

“How about massaging my feet, Kay?”

“What? I am asking Raibaha, why are you making such overboard demands as if this was natural, Naga? That is so strange.”

Naga laughed in response to Kay’s retort.

“Just kidding, don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad.”

“Then help me massage.”

“Huh? Are you joking with me!?”

“Of course I’m kidding.”

“How irritating.”

Kay snatched Naga’s plate away.

“Alright, I’m cleaning up.”

“Ah, there’s still a bit left…”

“I. am. cleaning. up.”

“Alright, alright.”

As Naga was smiling wryly, thumping footsteps came from the corridor outside.

“Hmm? Harrigan Nee-san?”

“Harrigan wouldn’t be walking so agitatedly.”

“That’s true, did Ais get angry?”

“Eh, wait.”

Naga waved his hand with his face turning green.

“We didn’t do anything to anger Ais.”

“That’s true, then…”

When Kay turned to the entrance, the footfalls stop. The door was then opened violently; revealing Yuuki with the corners of her eyes raised greatly.

“I heard that we captured a soldier of the Cassandra Army!?”

Kay responded affirmatively because of the pressure from Yuuki.

“I will kill him.”

Yuuki’s expression turned into rage and a strange light shone from her eyes.

“I will kill him in the cruelest way possible.”

Raibaha opened his eyes wide and stared at the vile-mouthed Yuuki. He knew that Yuuki wasn’t joking, but he wasn’t afraid as he stared at Yuuki with a lost expression.

“Eh, what the hell are you saying, Yuuki?”

“You are the one speaking nonsense, Kay. Why didn’t you kill the enemy immediately!?”

“In order to gather intel.”

“Do you need to treat him like a guest when doing that?”

“I’m not doing that.”

“Yes you are, you’re letting him stay here and even prepared an entire set of bedding. If you are trying to get intel, why not torture him!? Did he spill the beans already?”

“No, he is still thinking about it.”

“Huh? Why give him that choice? We don’t have the time to wait, let me handle it. I will make him spit out the information we need. Let me think… I will cut off his fingers one by one. To prevent him from dying because of blood loss, I will cauterize the wounds with a burning iron plate. He will definitely give in after cutting off two or three fingers. If he won’t, I will cut off all his fingers and toes, and he will beg me to kill him. When he spills everything, I will take his life if he asks, and it’ll all be settled.”

The agitated Yuuki spoke passionately as she took a couple of steps forward.

“I will handle this, so back off, Kay.”

“Eh, don’t decide that on your own, Yuuki.”

Kay also took a step forward to block Yuuki.

“Are you planning to stop me? Kay?”

“If Harrigan Nee-san and Naga don’t give you permission, I advise you not to be reckless.”

Yuuki cast a glance at Naga who had crossed his arms with a serious expression and showed no intention to speak. After confirming that, Yuuki turned back and faced Kay again.

“You… are helping the humans?”

“I don’t mean to do so, and don’t do anything that will spoil the image of witches.”

“If you don’t back off, I will cut you to pieces.”

“Hmmpf! Do it if you can. Your wind blades can’t harm me!”

The skin on Kay’s exposed limbs started turning grey.

“You think you are tough enough to take my wind blades!?”

“Go on, try me.”

“Why are you protecting that guy!?”

Yuuki was furious as she pointed to Raibach, behind Kay.

“This man is one of the soldiers who are always trying to kill us! Why let him live!?”

At this moment, Raibaha suddenly asked,

“Ah, let me ask you.”

Yuuki’s body stiffened.

“W-What!? Don’t think of begging for your life!”

“Was your family killed by us… by the Army of the Caesandra Kingdom?”

“Not by the soldiers of the Kingdom, but…” Yuuki answered softly, but then lost her composure. “It’s humans! Humans gathered everyone and massacred them!”

Raibaha watched Yuuki and his brow twitched.

“I see, you have a tragic past too. No wonder you hate humans. If you are bent on killing me… Please do so.”

Bafflement flashed across Yuuki’s face for a moment, but she puffed her chest with an arrogant look in no time.

“Look, even the subject himself said so. So let me do it.”

“Eh, why did you say that, Raibaha!?”

“Kay, you don’t need to protect him, get out of the way.”

“You two… Kay, Yuuki- you two are comrades, so don’t quarrel over someone like me.”

“Ahhh, that’s why… Ahhh—! So troublesome!” Kay grabbed her head exasperatedly. “My head isn’t that good; I can’t process something so complicated~~”

After holding her head and squatting for a while, she stood up. “I still think Yuuki shouldn’t kill this man. I will stop you.”

“Damn it…” Yuuki cursed angrily. “If you dare to stop me, I will really cut you to shreds.”

“Try it if you can.”

Kay’s grey skin turned silver with a metallic luster.

“What’s with the din? I have a morning shift tomorrow and need to sleep early, so stop with the noise.”

Arurukan said so casually when she popped up at the door. Noticing the tense atmosphere in the room, she stood stiff on the spot.

“Y-Y-You two, what are you doing?”

Yuuki and Kay glared at each other and ignored the baffled Arurukan. An intense fighting aura welled up about them.

“Yuuki.”

Naga said all of a sudden.

“W-What is it. Even if you try to lecture me… Eh, what are you doing?”

Yuuki turned her face towards Naga and found him kneeling on the floor with his forehead on the ground. She was shocked and took a large step back.

“What… the hell are you doing!?”

“I don’t know why you hate humans so much, and cannot understand how you feel. But in order to create a world where witches can live a happy life, this man is necessary. So can you please bear with it? I’m begging you.” Naga pleaded with her while on his knees.

“W… What…”

Yuuki looked down at the back of Naga’s head with a shocked face. She didn’t expect Naga to kneel down to her for a man he didn’t even know.
“I-Is the information this guy has that important!?”

Naga raised his head slowly and looked up at Yuuki.

“I will only know if it is important after hearing it, but it might be very important. If I can gain critical intel, we will be able to seize Fort Ein without sacrificing any witches or humans.”

Yuuki looked at Naga with a face of doubt, but her anger had been soothed a lot.

“W-Why do you care about the lives of those inhuman soldiers!? If we kill all of them, we can cut down the enemy’s numbers.”

“That might be true for the current situation, but taking the future into consideration, not having any sacrifices would be advantageous for us.”

Yuuki showed a troubled expression.

“I-I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“It’s fine if you don’t understand, but can you trust me this once?”

“How could I trust someone like you!?”

“Ehh, that’s too harsh, Yuuki.” Kay interjected. “Naga saved us when we were in danger. If not for him, we would have been chased out of the black forest long ago.”

“Eh… T-That’s true.”

“My head isn’t good, and I can’t analyze the situation, nor predict future developments. But I trust Naga. Since he said so, let’s leave this to him.”

Yuuki glared first at Kay as she said that, then Naga, and finally Raibaha. She then turned around abruptly and left in a huff.

“Move, Aru!”

“Nyaa?”

Yuuki’s fierce expression intimidated Arurukan, and she made way for her.

Just like the time she came, Yuuki stomped through the corridor when she left. Seeing her back disappear into the distance, Arurukan turned back and asked Kay, “What happened?”

“Well, it’s a long story. Where do I start…?”

Kay looked towards Naga for help.

“I will explain this to Arurukan later. I have something to ask Raibaha, and it would be better if Harrigan and Ais are present. They didn’t show up even after that ruckus. Did they turn in already?”

“Eh, I think Ais is out on patrol.”

“I see, she would have stopped Yuuki if she was here.”

(Or maybe not, she might even escalate things. Ais can’t control herself when she loses her temper, it would be an explosive scene if Yuuki retaliates.)

Kay thought about it, but didn’t say it out loud, afraid that someone would snitch on her.

“Harrigan nee-san should be in the fort, should I bring her over?” After Kay said that, Harrigan’s voice could be heard saying, “Why is Yuuki in the First Fort!?”

“Ohh, speak of the devil.”

Kay sighed in relief, thinking that she had washed her hands clean of the troublesome matter.

=== Part 2 ===

Most of the witches garrisoned here had gathered in the biggest room inside the fort. Naturally, Naga and Raibaha were also present.
The witches around Raibaha were:

Harrigan.

Ais.

Kay.

Nonoeru.

Arurukan.

Eleonortha.

Lela.

Mimone.

And of course, Yuuki was absent. The sisters, Linne and Linna, were on guard duty, thus not in the room. After receiving Harrigan’s pigeon message, Lela immediately rushed to the First Fort on horseback behind Mimone.
Harrigan sighed softly after hearing Kay’s report.

“That’s why I didn’t want Yuuki to know about this.”

When Lela received the pigeon message, Yuuki was just setting off from the Third Fort. In the confusion, she found out about Kay capturing a human soldier, so she rushed here on her air board alone.

“Forget it… No, we are not done yet. Getting detailed intelligence from that man takes priority… right, Naga?”

“That’s true.” Naga replied with a troubled face.

“Didn’t that man say he would consider giving us information about the fort? Did something change while we were gathering?”

“Aside from the detailed information about the fort, there is one thing I am very concerned with.”

“What is that?”

Harrigan prompted him to continue. Naga shifted his stool and faced Raibaha.

“Raibaha, you seemed surprised when Yuuki appeared just now. There are plenty of witches here that are unknown to you, but why did Yuuki surprise you so much?”

“Ah… Huh~~ you have sharp eyes.”

Raibaha’s vision wavered and he stretched out his right hand to scratch his head. He then recounted his tale slowly.

“I had a daughter.”

Raibaha said something unrelated, making Naga and the other witches to look at him puzzledly.

“If she were still alive, she would probably be about the age of you two.” Raibaha said as he pointed at Nonoeru and Kay. “It doesn’t sound convincing for a parent to say this, but she really was a cute kid.”

“……”

They were actually not interested in Raibaha’s personal affairs. Naga and Harrigan looked at each other, hesitating about whether to stop him or not.

“When I was out on a campaign once, barbarians invaded the city I lived in, ravaged the streets and killed the citizens.”

Naga and Harrigan were shocked and turned their heads away.

“I couldn’t find the remains of my wife and daughter in the end. There were thousands of charred corpses in the streets, and I think my family was probably murdered there.”

“I can empathize with you, but right now we are…”

Raibaha continued in a calm tone as if he didn’t hear what Harrigan said:

“That witch just now, the one who was shouting about wanting to kill me, is Yuuki, right?”

“Yuuki is hard to get along with, but she has her circumstances. If she made you feel uncomfortable, let me apologize…”

“No, that’s not it.” Raibaha raised his head, his expression strange and complicated. “That girl looks really similar to my dead daughter.”

He looked up to the roof, his eyes far away.

“My dead daughter is actually alive and appeared before me. That thought occurred to me for an instant, surprising me.”

Raibaha said sadly, but Harrigan’s reply was cold.

“My condolences for your loss, but she is a witch, not your daughter.”

“That’s true, I know that very well too, but… They really look identical, it’s like my daughter who survived somewhere appeared, so I…”

Raibaha said passionately, but stopped midway.

“…I …I” He turned his gaze back from the ceiling, tears falling from his eyes.

“I won’t have any complaints if that girl kills me, my daughter must have hated me the same way. If I didn’t go off to fight a war in that dangerous time, and stayed with my wife and daughter, they would still be alive today.”

Harrigan wasn’t sure how to respond and kept quiet. Naga couldn’t say anything and watched him without a word. It was the same for the other witches. The entire room fell silent.

“Dragon King, you mentioned about creating a world where humans and witches coexist in peace. If it succeeds, will the fighting between humans cease?”

Naga said confidently with a gentle smile on his face, “What a silly question.”

“If Witches and humans can be at peace, so can humans and humans.”

“That make sense. If you can create such a world and craft such a future, there won’t be children like Elena, who are killed at such a young age.”

“Your daughter is named Elena?”

“Yes, her name’s Elena. Ahh, Elena.”

Raibaha buried his face in his hands.

“She must have been so scared, and suffered so much and… been hoping I would come to save them. But… I…”

Raibaha curled up and sniffling sounds escaped from his lips. Naga, Harrigan, and the other witches did not say anything to console him, and his cries filled the entire room. A short time later, Raibaha put down his hands. He turned to Naga with tears on his face.

“Hey, Dragon King. Can you really create a world where Humans and Witches can live in harmony? A place where humans and humans won’t fight with each other?”

“Of course I can… is what I want to say, but regrettably, I can’t make this promise lightly. I can only say that I will do my best. Doing all we can is important. If we don’t work hard, we won’t be able to make this brand new world a reality, and pave our future.”

(Can’t make this promise lightly, huh? That means he views this very seriously. Maybe this man can really create a world like that.)

Raibaha didn’t have or want a dream. Maybe it’s because his memories of his family made him sad, or maybe he was compelled by the hope that doing this will lessen his self reproach. Raibaha wiped away the tears on his face.

“If I tell you the details of the fort, there won’t be any sacrifices?”

Naga didn’t nod; he just puffed his chest out.

“I can’t guarantee that there wouldn’t be any, but the chances are high.”

“I am not hoping for zero deaths, but can you promise to keep casualties to a minimum?”

When he heard that, Naga nodded firmly.

“Alright, I promise. I will seize the fort by utilizing a method without deaths.”

“In that case… I will tell you.”

Raibaha provided them with the required intel regarding the fort. But after the witches heard his tragic past, none of them showed any signs of glee.

=== Part 3 ===

Raibaha explained the structure of the fort and the placement of the guards in great detail. Lela noted down the important points on a parchment as he spoke.

After he was done, Raibaha added,

“The guard commander of the fort is a man named Baldkeist; he was one of the close subordinates of former General Geobalk, who took responsibility for the failed campaign and resigned. Similar to me, he was assigned to garrison the fort as cannon fodder. On the other hand, he isn’t too loyal to the new general, Guiscard, and won’t fight to the end if something does happen… That’s how I feel.”

“I see; this information is a great help.”

Naga smiled and turned his head.

“Harrigan, I have something to discuss with you.”

“Hmm? Oh, alright.”

Harrigan nodded, faced Kay and ordered:

“Bring that man back to his room. Nonoeru will stand guard with you, so Yuuki won’t come and stir up trouble.”

“Understood, Harrigan Nee-san.”

Kay and Nonoeru left the room with Raibaha while Naga and Harrigan moved into another room. They sat on stools and faced each other.

=== Part 4 ===

“Do you think his words can be trusted?”

After sitting down, Naga asked. Harrigan crossed her arms as she sat on the stool, answering thoughtfully:

“He doesn’t seem to be lying, at least he is not lying to us blatantly. What do you think, Naga?”

“I agree with your opinion. When he was talking about his daughter, his tears were real.”

“That’s right. Assuming everything he said was true, do you have any good ideas?”

Naga nodded seriously.

“It should work.”

“It will work? Really!?”

“The most important part of the plan is to get Eliushune or Vita near the fort. From what we heard about the structure of the fort, there isn’t a need to infiltrate the it; just being near the walls would be enough.”

“That would mean sending Eliushune first, right?”

“This is the safest and simplest way, but letting Vita approach the fort herself, without Eliushune, is also an option.”

“That is true, but Vita doesn’t have much defense. She could manipulate weight to guard herself, but if she does that, even we won’t be able to go near the fort.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“How do you plan to solve this?”

“We have people who can launch ranged attacks. I plan to use this method to tie up the enemy’s forces, then distract them, and use the chances to approach.”

Harrigan thought about it for a moment and turned her face back.
“The long range attacker is Ais?”

“That’s right, Ais’ stone throwing attack is very powerful, and she can attack from outside the range of normal bows. It would be hard for the defending soldiers to handle her.”

“Won’t they leave the fort and sally forth?”

“The enemy are witches, and you think they would dare to send two hundred soldiers to counterattack?”

Harrigan shook her head, as that made sense.

“I don’t think they have the guts.”

“If they move out in full force and leave the fort empty, that will play into my hands. If Ais, Lela and Yuuki keep attacking from a distance, they should be able to intimidate them and keep their attention. Vita can use the chance to approach.”

“Is doing that alright? Vita is a crucial figure in this operation, isn’t she? If she gets injured, wouldn’t the entire plan be ruined?”

“You're right, but logically speaking, Vita won’t be taking too big of a risk.”

“…I hope so.”

“But just to be safe, we should prepare Eliushune’s mantle so it can be used at a moment’s notice.”

Harrigan leaned forward and asked:

“Specifically speaking, how are you planning to take the fort?”

“Here’s what I plan to do.”

Naga then explained to Harrigan the details of the strategy to capture the fort.

“First will be Ais and the duo of Yuuki and Lela, who will attack at long range from two different places. Let’s set them to the west and south. Ais will throw rocks and Yuuki will carry Lela and her talismans into the sky above the fort, before making them burst into flames as she tosses them down. That way, the defending soldiers will fall into confusion.”

“Once the soldiers focus their attention on them, Kay will use this chance to charge to the eastern wall, and of course, bring Eliushune’s mantle with her. If she hardens her body, the soldiers won’t be able to harm her no matter how many arrows they shoot. Once she has reached the wall, she needs to place the mantle down. The soldiers in the fort won’t leave the fort just to take it, since they'll be under the witches’ attack.”

“When Vita uses her spell, it will be best to gather the defending forces in the east. So after Kay puts down the mantle, the participating witches will need to show themselves. Ais will stop and Yuuki will retreat. That should get the soldiers, who still have the strength to defend, to gather on the eastern walls.”

“Once Kay has put down the mantle, Eliushune will immediately bring Vita to the wall. Kay will then withdraw temporarily… No, I figure she should stay put, and act as Eliushune and Vita’s guard.”

“Once Vita teleports to the wall, she will begin her spell immediately. As for the structure of the fort, assuming the information given by Raibaha is correct, almost all of the soldiers should be unable to move. If not all, then at least 80% of them should be incapacitated. When Vita uses her spell, Eliushune won’t be able to move either, she’ll have to bear with it then.”

“We will leave the north alone, and attack from the west and the south. We will then close in from the east. This is to show the fort soldiers that there are no threats from the north. This is to give the soldiers the impression that, ‘we won’t be able to escape if we are completely surrounded, let’s run while we are still able to do so.’”

“When Vita uses the spell ‘Song of Gravity’ and captures all the soldiers gathered on the eastern side, we need to find a way to tie up these soldiers, so they won’t be able to move freely when the spell is released. To prevent Vita from being attacked by soldiers outside her range, Ais would need to attack more fiercely.

“Wait a moment, Naga.”

Harrigan raised her hand to stop Naga’s explanation.

“You mentioned tying up the soldiers while they are immobile, but how do you do that specifically? We witches can’t resist Vita’s magic and enter the range of her spell. Our bodies will become heavy and we won’t be able to move if we go in, so how can we tie up the soldiers… Why are you staring so intensely at my body!?”

“Vita’s magic will increase a person’s original weight by two or three times, correct? Compared to Lela and Kay, it would be hard for you to move…”

*Knock*

“That hurts!”

*Knock knock knock*

“That really hurts! Don’t keep hitting me with your hair!”

The teary Naga leapt backwards from his stool to dodge the attack. Harrigan pulled her head of hardened hair back, but her eyes were full of fury as she glared at Naga.

“You are not considerate towards girls at all.”

“No such thing, I am famous for being considerate… probably.”

“You actually have the nerve to say that.”

Harrigan blew her top once again and Naga waved his hands in front of him hurriedly.

“Alright, I know, it’s my fault.”

“Sorry”— Naga lowered his head in apology, and Harrigan’s hair fell onto her shoulders. Naga returned to his seat when he saw that.

“Alright, back to the topic.” Harrigan said grudgingly, after Naga sat properly.

“Ais might be able to move after Vita casts her spell, but that would take all her strength. It will also take a long time to bind the three hundred soldiers in the fort, and I don’t think Vita’s spell can last that long.”

“Speaking of which, she didn’t mention how long her spell could last.”

“This is her personal secret. The better known one’s magic is, the bigger the disadvantage. Not all witches live harmoniously with each other. More accurately speaking, most of us see each other as enemies.”

“I see, so even while facing the threat of being invaded by other nations, there are inter-tribe battles as well. I think I have heard something so regrettable in the past too.”

Naga was troubled.

(By the way, I have a feeling that this is something I experienced personally.)

“Something the matter?”

Naga looked at the ceiling deep in thought, and shook his head when Harrigan asked.

“There is a way to solve this problem.”

“There is!?”

Harrigan was shocked, and made an impressed expression.

“I see, as expected of Dragon King-sama.”

“Don’t mock me.”

“I’m not mocking you. Since there is a way, isn’t Fort Ein is as good as ours?”

Harrigan said confidently and Naga’s face turned serious.

“But there is a serious problem with this.”

“You mean there is a risk? But there is always some risk if we want to succeed, and our target is to take the fort without anyone dying or damaging the fort.”

“No, not that kind of danger.”

“???”

“The danger I am referring to is Yuuki. Specifically speaking, I am going to entrust her with a mission, but if I do that now, my life will probably be in danger…”

Naga sighed after saying that, and Harrigan laughed,

“What, so it’s that thing. I will order Yuuki to do it then.”

“I don’t think she will disobey if you give the word. No, that’s hard to say. Maybe she will resist strongly this time, since the main strategy involves sparing the lives of the Cassandra soldiers. Even if she agrees, she might screw things up as it goes against her will.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

Harrigan, who didn’t get it in the beginning, finally raised her head.

“By the way—”

She asked Naga:

“What mission are you giving her? Is it difficult? Why must it be Yuuki? Her magic is powerful, it will be hard for her not to harm the enemies while suppressing them.”

“The mission I want to assign her isn’t difficult, and I have no plans to use her magic to subdue the enemy.”

Harrigan frowned and tilted her head.

“What… do you mean by that?”

“This is what I mean.”

Naga leaned towards the side of Harrigan’s face and whispered.

After finishing, Naga returned to his seat.

“I… I see, only Yuuki could do it.”

Harrigan groaned and was impressed.

“Not only will this method subdue the enemy soldiers without them resisting, it will also resolve the issue quickly, so there is no need to worry about how long her magic will hold out.”

(It was the same last time, with Naga proposing a well-thought-out strategy. Normally, one wouldn’t even think of utilizing Yuuki’s ability in such a way.)

Harrigan was becoming more impressed.

“But there is also a problem, since this method couldn’t be used against the soldiers inside the buildings.”

“Ahh!” Harrigan pounded her thigh with her fist.

“That’s true; this method won’t stop the soldiers inside the buildings.”

“If we can push as many soldiers as possible into Vita’s magic range, the problem would be solved.”

“And so, you need us to reveal ourselves at this point, so the enemy will think we are going to attack the fort?”

“That’s right.” Naga said with a nod.

“The plan is to induce most of the soldiers to gather near the walls or towers in their attempt to disrupt our attack, but I am not confident that we can draw all of them out. Maybe we have to subdue the soldiers inside the buildings by force, and this is something I don’t wish to see. It would be for the best if they run away the first chance they get, because of the fear of being rendered immobile by magic.”

When she heard Naga say that, Harrigan answered confidently:

“Even if they don’t run, we have about forty witches here; handling a hundred soldiers would not be a problem.”

“With your combat prowess, subduing half of the troops wouldn’t take much time. But I hope to minimize the losses as much as possible, for both the witches and the enemy.”

Harrigan seemed a little troubled.

“In that battle earlier, you showed no mercy to the enemy, but you insist on not harming the enemy this time. In order to get the intelligence from Raibach, you promised him that…. The reason doesn’t seem to be this simple, so can you explain why are you insisting on this?”

“Because—” Naga leaned forward and said:

“The goal of this battle is to seize Fort Ein intact, and to change how the humans evaluate witches.”

“Our… evaluation?”

Harrigan blinked.

“The evaluation of most people about how witches is that they are ‘violent and cold blooded’.”

“But that’s…”

Naga raised his right hand and stopped Harrigan who wanted to defend herself.

“I know. Anyone who has actually interacted with you all would know that isn’t true, barring those with extreme prejudice. But the humans who have never met you all before wouldn’t know.”

“Eh… t-that’s right.”

“This mindset has been ongoing for many years. The truth isn’t important anymore, since humans already have a deep-rooted belief that this is the truth. And there are also things in this world that spread lies about the cruelty of the witches, for example: the Church abusing the authority of God. This evaluation is already firmly set in their mind, am I right?”

Harrigan sighed heavily.

“Unfortunately… that is so.”

“So we just need to turn this evaluation around, for the sake of building a peaceful world for humans and witches.”

(T-This guy has a grand vision as usual.)

“The fort was taken; most of the soldiers were captured but did not lose their lives and were even released safely. I want to create this fact. Even if the Cassandra Kingdom tries to hush things up, the news will spread sooner or later as they can’t stop the people’s grapevines. Just the fact that the witches didn’t kill the soldiers would be enough to make the humans doubt their impression that the witches are ‘violent, cruel and merciless’. It might just be doubt in the beginning, and they might even question if that was the truth, but if this accumulates over time, it will overturn the current evaluation one day.”

Harrigan answered with a soft mutter.

“You vision is wide, and you can see the future very well. I feel impressed every time I see this.”

“That’s too exaggerated; anyone can understand if they think about it in detail.”

(The problem is that no one can think about it in such detail.)

“But things aren’t so simple, we can’t just wait idly and hope the prevailing evaluation will be overturned someday. We have to actively spread this truth that runs contrary to their evaluation, and disperse the news widely.”

“W-We have to do something like that too?”

“Of course. In a way, war is a battle of intelligence. Obtaining accurate enemy intelligence and spreading news that is beneficial to our army, all of these are crucial factors in winning the final victory.”

“Dragon King-sama is good with tactics, and is underhanded in doing so.”

“I wasn’t expecting that.”

Naga wasn’t happy about that comment. Just then, Harrigan shouted “Alright!” and clapped her hands.

“I understand; we will proceed as you proposed. I will beg Yuuki to help us, and do my best to convince her.”

“I will accompany you and ask her too.”

“In that case…”

“What? Did you think of a good idea?”

“Let’s bring Vita along to plead with her.”

“…Is it fine to ask her for something like this?” Naga was confused.

“The future of both our clans depends on this, so she has to show up too.”

(Your personality is bad too.)

“You have any objections?”

“Eh, I want to confirm if we have that important thing.”

“We should have one or two of them, but their durability and toughness aren’t enough to subdue the enemy. And we will need multiple, so I’m thinking of remaking them.”

“Can you do that? This part requires intricate work to be done on it.”

“We have basically been providing for ourselves all this time, so making something like that is no big deal.”

“I will leave it to you then. So, how should we start?”

“Let me think. Let’s find Vita, and work from the outside in.”

Naga laughed.

“With you, Vita, and me lowering our heads to ask her, I don’t think Yuuki can reject us.”

“But like you said, it would be problematic if she did this unwillingly, so we have to really convince her, don’t we?”

“If it’s up to me…” Naga’s face became sullen.

“Who else can we entrust with this mission?”

“Ugh…. That’s true.”

“We will be going to Vita’s side tomorrow, let’s ask her then.”

“Alright, it’s settled then.”

=== Part 5 ===

The next day—

Naga and Harrigan visited Sraymeyer Fort right before noon, and had a conference with Vita in one of the rooms of the residential block.
Naga sat on a stool and explained his strategy, while Vita, who was also on a stool, didn’t say anything and listened carefully.

“… And this is the strategy I plan to use to take Fort Ein.”

After finishing his explanation, Naga stared at Vita as he finished speaking.

“Hmm, I see.” Vita crossed her arms and answered in a soft voice.

“If we used this method, not just us, even the enemy won’t suffer any casualties, and we can take the fort undamaged for our own use. It is a well-thought-out plan. But there are some elements of uncertainty.”

“That’s right, we have to confirm if the structure in the fort is just as Raibaha described. Which is meant to clarify if the range of your magic can cover more than half of the fort. If there are any problems, we have to reconsider the entire plan.“

“And where to place Eliu’s mantle, as well as whether the enemy will fall for the trick and gather in the eastern part…”

“We can’t confirm where the enemy will be positioned, so we have to adjust our plan accordingly.”

“That’s… true.”

“There’s another thing to confirm with you. Eliushune mentioned she can teleport with one more person, right? This means she can teleport together with you?”

“Hmm? Oh, that can be done, it’s just that we never tried it before.” Vita said with a solemn face.

“That doesn’t sound confident, will it be harder to move if there’s two people? Or is there some other danger?”

“That’s not what I mean; it’s just that I will encounter something unpleasant along the way.”

Naga made a strange expression and pressed Vita:

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t mind it; anyway, Eli can teleport together with me, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

“In that case…”

Naga and Harrigan exchanged a look.

“The only problem left is Yuuki.”

“Yes, only Yuuki is left.”

“Yuuki is indeed a big problem. If we are to capture the enemy alive by using my magic, Yuuki’s participation is very important.”

Naga turned his face towards Vita and asked with a serious expression,

“Regarding this matter, I have a request for you, Vita.”

“What is it, why so serious?”

“Can you ask Yuuki for her help together with Harrigan and me?”

“What do you mean?”

Seeing Vita looking at him, Naga scratched his head.

“Actually, I am not very sure, but I heard her family was killed by the humans, and she really hates human men.”

“I have heard about her hating humans, but there are no witches who welcome men; Yuuki is no exception.”

Vita shifted her eyes towards Harrigan, who sighed softly and said,

“Her childhood experience left a deep trauma in her heart, so her hatred towards humans is exceptional among us. If the mission were to kill human soldiers, she would accept it, no matter how dangerous. But if it is to capture them alive, I’m not sure that she will cooperate.”

“Eh, so the two of you are planning to beg her?”

“Yes. Actually, we are hoping you could join us.”

Naga said. Vita pulled a long face of annoyance when she heard that.

“As the Sraymeyer Clan Head, why must I do that for a witch from your side?”

“This battle doesn’t only concern the fate of the Haindora Clan; it will also decide the future of your clan.”

“That’s true.”

Vita looked into the distance and pondered for a moment. She then turned her head back.

“Alright, I am not very willing, but I will lower my head along with you two and ask for her help.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Sorry for troubling you, Vita.”

Naga and Harrigan lowered their heads to Vita and thanked her.

“You mentioned the future of our clan, which is correct. If enduring for a moment will lead to a bright future for my clan, I won’t mind the hardships.”

“My apologies.”

“When do you plan to ask her?”

“Time is short; I hope to settle this tomorrow.”

“I see. I will visit your fort tomorrow morning to ask Yuuki then.”

“Thanks for the help.”

After that, the three continued discussing the strategy of attacking Fort Ein. After finishing for the day, Naga and Harrigan bid Vita farewell and returned to their fort.

=== Part 6 ===

The next morning—

Vita showed up at the fort as promised, bringing Elysione and another witch named Lilly.

She ordered Elysione and Lilly to standby in another room, and headed to the room where Naga, Harrigan, and Ais were waiting. As they would be asking Yuuki for help, Naga and Harrigan requested for Ais’ presence in case anything happened.

At this moment, Naga, Harrigan, Ais, and Vita sat in a circle, surrounding Yuuki, who was summoned to the room.

“Hmm? What is going on? Harrigan Nee-san and Naga are here as usual, but why are Ais and Vita clan head also here? Did I do something wrong? Or rather, are you going to do something to me?”

After entering the room, Yuuki had been stealing glances at the four of them repeatedly.

“Why am I sitting on a stool, but all of you are sitting on the ground? Are you asking me to look down on the four of you?”

Yuuki’s face was deathly pale, and sweat glistened on her forehead. Even the defiant Yuuki felt a lot of pressure when she faced these four people.

“Yuuki, we have something to tell you.” Harrigan said in a serious tone.

“I-I-I think so too. I would have run away if the four of you didn’t have any business with me.”

Yuuki broke out in cold sweat all over her body as she replied, and the four of them knelt down without any warning.

“Hyaa?” Yuuki jumped from surprise and backed away.

“W-W-What is this!? What does this mean!? Are you all joking with me!? Is this a new way of pulling a prank!?”

Harrigan lifted her head and soothed her: “Calm down, Yuuki.”

But Yuuki was still shocked and suspicious.

“Aren’t you all… angry?”

“Of course not.”

“Aren’t you going to punish me for trying to kill the prisoner?”

“We have no intention of doing that. We called for you today because we have a request for you. Please take a seat.”

Under the watchful gaze of Harrigan, Ais, and Vita, Yuuki appeared really timid as she returned to her seat, and sat down fearfully on the stool.

“We want to attack Fort Ein while avoiding damage to the fort itself and preventing casualties for both the witches and humans, so we will need your help, Yuuki. Please lend us your aid.”

After she finished, Harrigan lowered her head earnestly once more. Not just her, Naga, Ais, and even Vita, who was the head of another clan, pressed their foreheads to the floor, begging for her help.

“This…”

Yuuki couldn’t say anything for a moment.

She understood that an important task would be entrusted to her, but if that was it, Harrigan could just issue a direct order. She might not be willing to follow the command, but Yuuki wouldn’t outright reject Harrigan’s orders. But Harrigan didn’t do that, and even asked Vita to beg with her. Yuuki tried to think about what this meant.

She couldn’t understand and gave up immediately, deciding to ask directly instead.

“Why didn’t you just give me the order? And what kind of mission will be given to me? Will I be in danger of losing my life?”

“No, it’s not that dangerous.” Harrigan raised her head and replied.

“I don’t understand. Since it’s not dangerous, why not just issue a command? But instead of doing that, you ask me like this. And while surrounded by the four of you, being asked is much scarier than being ordered. Also, isn’t Clan Head Vita an outsider? Why is Clan Head Vita lowering her head too?”

“Fufu”, Vita laughed cheerfully.

“I’m here to ask for your help on the Dragon King-sama’s request. He thinks you will find it harder to reject if I am present too.”

“T-That really makes it hard for me to reject, but I won’t refuse if it’s Harrigan Nee-san’s order anyway. Why go so far as to lower your head and ‘ask’ for my help?”

“Naga will explain this part. As for the mission we need you to undertake, he will explain that too. You see, Naga is the one who came up with the proposal to seize the fort.”

After hearing Harrigan say that, Yuuki scowled.

“So it’s because of you.”

“You don’t need to make such a face for me.”

“I don’t understand why we have to spare the enemies’ lives. After all, wouldn’t it be easier in the future if we kill more of them?”

Yuuki’s critique might be reasonable, but Naga just shook his head lightly when he heard that.

“Conquering Tenka is not a simple matter of how large your army is.”

“Ten… Ka?”

Yuuki wasn’t alone, as Harrigan, Ais, and Vita also had a look of confusion. Lela’s talisman couldn’t accurately translate the term ‘Tenka’, so Naga tried to say it in a way the witches could understand.

“Hmm, eh… oh, if I use the term ‘take over the world’, will you understand?”

“Take over the world?” Yuuki still couldn’t get it, and kept blinking her eyes.

“How is that possible; is that a metaphor?”

“Just think of it as a metaphor for overturning the common sense of the world that thinks witches and humans are sworn enemies, which requires revolutionizing the entire world order. Doing that is related to seizing a new world.”

Yuuki had a look of wonder on her face.

The new world Naga envisioned and his goal for the future of the witches had not taken concrete form in her mind yet. But she understood that Naga wanted to create a new world where witches and humans live in harmony, and knew he was acting in order to build this ideal world.

(He mentioned this in the past; seems like he was serious, and he really wants to build a world like that.)

“If we can build such a world, then there wouldn’t be witches with painful memories like me?”

Yuuki muttered softly.

Naga laughed gently.

“Yuuki, so you have the same ideas as Raibach.”

“W-What?”

“He said ‘can you really create a world where Humans and Witches can live in harmony, a place where humans and humans won’t fight with each other?’ and ‘If you can create such a world and craft such a future, there won’t be children like Elena who are killed at such a young age.’”

“W-Who is Elena?”

“That was Raibach’s child. Ten years ago, the place he lived in was invaded by barbarians; his wife and daughter were murdered.”

This seemed to have struck a chord with Yuuki, and she showed a rare face of sadness.

“…I-Is that so?”

“If Raibach’s child was still alive, she would be about your age. He said his deceased daughter looked very much like you.”

Yuuki sneered and reverted back to her usual face and attitude.

“He is just trying to get on my good side because he almost died by my hands, right?”

“He looked surprised when you appeared in the room, right? I don’t think he was faking his reaction.”

“I didn’t watch that closely.”

“Forget about Raibach for now, back to the topic. In order to build a new world, and overturn the common sense that ‘witches and humans are sworn enemies, I want to avoid killing any enemy soldiers whenever possible.”

“How is not killing the enemy soldiers related to building a new world? I can’t understand.” Yuuki puffed her cheeks unhappily and asked a sarcastic question.

“Witches are not violent and cold blooded, but are instead kind, benevolent, and merciful… I want the humans to learn these facts. It is not easy to overturn their values and perceptions, but we need to make such views waver. With time, their common sense will be proven wrong. When that time comes, humans will be willing to stand on the same side as us.”

Yuuki lowered her head and seemed to be thinking about something. Harrigan and Ais looked at Yuuki with eyes filled with kindness, while Vita observed her curiously.

Shortly thereafter, Yuuki lifted her head and mumbled:

“I still don’t understand, but I don’t mind cooperation for the sake of building a new world.”
Harrigan’s and Ais’ faces brightened, Vita laughed, and Naga was all smiles.

“That is wonderful, as there is something only you can do after all.”

“Hold it! Tell me what I need to do first, or I won’t be able to give you a definite answer.”

“Oh, this is what we want to ask of you.”

Naga explained how to use Vita’s magic to seize the fort, and how the strategy will not harm the soldiers or damage the fort.

“Oh, so that’s it… That’s why Clan Head Vita is here?” Yuuki looked towards Vita.

“That’s right.” Vita nodded in acknowledgement.

“There is no problem in using my magic to subdue the soldiers, but there isn’t any witch in either tribe who can withstand my spell and bind the soldiers. The only one who can still move would probably be Ais.”

Ais showed a proud face.

“Aside from having a huge body, Ais also has lots of fat, her breasts and butt looks really heavy. No matter how strong she is, she might not be able to overcome the increased weight.”

Ais had a smile on her face, but her veins were showing on her temple. But no matter how gutsy Ais was, she wouldn’t dare rebuke Vita, so that smile on her face just turned stiffer and stiffer.

“Which is to say, the Dragon King-sama is giving up on binding the soldiers in the fort, and will be entrusting these things to you.”

Yuuki turned her gaze to Naga.

“Your head is always full of strange ideas.”

“Isn’t my head really good?”

“To think you can devise such a plan. I don’t think your head is good, it’s just that your personality is evil.”

“That’s so mean.” Naga grumbled.

Harrigan and Vita couldn’t help their snickering, and Ais finally relaxed her stiff smile and laughed gently.

Never mind, Naga lifted his spirits.

“How about it, are you willing to cooperate?”

After hearing his question, Yuuki puffed her chest out and said arrogantly:

“Piece of cake. And the soldiers will be subdued by Clan Head Vita, so I won’t have to worry about getting hit by arrows. It won’t be a problem.”

Hearing Yuuki’s response, Naga shouted “Alright!” agitatedly.

“Since Yuuki is willing to work with us, we will begin the operation to seize Fort Ein immediately.”

=== Part 7 ===

And so, the Heindler and Sraymeyer Clans worked together and began preparations to take Fort Ein.

The date that they would attack was tentatively set to be ten days later.

<noinclude>
==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
| Return to [[Ochitekita_Ryuuou_to_Horobiyuku_Majo_no_Kuni|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
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</noinclude>

Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 3

2017-02-16T16:48:51Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 4 */

==Chapter 3: Future Outlook==

=== Part 1 ===

Kay brought dinner in, and ate it together with Naga and Raibaha.
Kay tried to chat with Raibaha as they ate, but his replies were halfhearted.

“Tch. How boring.” Kay complained and kept the cutlery.

“Don’t hold back on your requests, Raibaha. Aside from undoing your ropes or letting you escape, anything else would be fine.”

“No… I don’t have any requests.”

“Nothing?”

“How about massaging my feet, Kay?”

“What? I am asking Raibaha, why are you making such overboard demands as if this was natural, Naga? That is so strange.”

Naga laughed in response to Kay’s retort.

“Just kidding, don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad.”

“Then help me massage.”

“Huh? Are you joking with me!?”

“Of course I’m kidding.”

“How irritating.”

Kay snatched Naga’s plate away.

“Alright, I’m cleaning up.”

“Ah, there’s still a bit left…”

“I. am. cleaning. up.”

“Alright, alright.”

As Naga was smiling wryly, thumping footsteps came from the corridor outside.

“Hmm? Harrigan Nee-san?”

“Harrigan wouldn’t be walking so agitatedly.”

“That’s true, did Ais get angry?”

“Eh, wait.”

Naga waved his hand with his face turning green.

“We didn’t do anything to anger Ais.”

“That’s true, then…”

When Kay turned to the entrance, the footfalls stop. The door was then opened violently; revealing Yuuki with the corners of her eyes raised greatly.

“I heard that we captured a soldier of the Cassandra Army!?”

Kay responded affirmatively because of the pressure from Yuuki.

“I will kill him.”

Yuuki’s expression turned into rage and a strange light shone from her eyes.

“I will kill him in the cruelest way possible.”

Raibaha opened his eyes wide and stared at the vile-mouthed Yuuki. He knew that Yuuki wasn’t joking, but he wasn’t afraid as he stared at Yuuki with a lost expression.

“Eh, what the hell are you saying, Yuuki?”

“You are the one speaking nonsense, Kay. Why didn’t you kill the enemy immediately!?”

“In order to gather intel.”

“Do you need to treat him like a guest when doing that?”

“I’m not doing that.”

“Yes you are, you’re letting him stay here and even prepared an entire set of bedding. If you are trying to get intel, why not torture him!? Did he spill the beans already?”

“No, he is still thinking about it.”

“Huh? Why give him that choice? We don’t have the time to wait, let me handle it. I will make him spit out the information we need. Let me think… I will cut off his fingers one by one. To prevent him from dying because of blood loss, I will cauterize the wounds with a burning iron plate. He will definitely give in after cutting off two or three fingers. If he won’t, I will cut off all his fingers and toes, and he will beg me to kill him. When he spills everything, I will take his life if he asks, and it’ll all be settled.”

The agitated Yuuki spoke passionately as she took a couple of steps forward.

“I will handle this, so back off, Kay.”

“Eh, don’t decide that on your own, Yuuki.”

Kay also took a step forward to block Yuuki.

“Are you planning to stop me? Kay?”

“If Harrigan Nee-san and Naga don’t give you permission, I advise you not to be reckless.”

Yuuki cast a glance at Naga who had crossed his arms with a serious expression and showed no intention to speak. After confirming that, Yuuki turned back and faced Kay again.

“You… are helping the humans?”

“I don’t mean to do so, and don’t do anything that will spoil the image of witches.”

“If you don’t back off, I will cut you to pieces.”

“Hmmpf! Do it if you can. Your wind blades can’t harm me!”

The skin on Kay’s exposed limbs started turning grey.

“You think you are tough enough to take my wind blades!?”

“Go on, try me.”

“Why are you protecting that guy!?”

Yuuki was furious as she pointed to Raibach, behind Kay.

“This man is one of the soldiers who are always trying to kill us! Why let him live!?”

At this moment, Raibaha suddenly asked,

“Ah, let me ask you.”

Yuuki’s body stiffened.

“W-What!? Don’t think of begging for your life!”

“Was your family killed by us… by the Army of the Caesandra Kingdom?”

“Not by the soldiers of the Kingdom, but…” Yuuki answered softly, but then lost her composure. “It’s humans! Humans gathered everyone and massacred them!”

Raibaha watched Yuuki and his brow twitched.

“I see, you have a tragic past too. No wonder you hate humans. If you are bent on killing me… Please do so.”

Bafflement flashed across Yuuki’s face for a moment, but she puffed her chest with an arrogant look in no time.

“Look, even the subject himself said so. So let me do it.”

“Eh, why did you say that, Raibaha!?”

“Kay, you don’t need to protect him, get out of the way.”

“You two… Kay, Yuuki- you two are comrades, so don’t quarrel over someone like me.”

“Ahhh, that’s why… Ahhh—! So troublesome!” Kay grabbed her head exasperatedly. “My head isn’t that good; I can’t process something so complicated~~”

After holding her head and squatting for a while, she stood up. “I still think Yuuki shouldn’t kill this man. I will stop you.”

“Damn it…” Yuuki cursed angrily. “If you dare to stop me, I will really cut you to shreds.”

“Try it if you can.”

Kay’s grey skin turned silver with a metallic luster.

“What’s with the din? I have a morning shift tomorrow and need to sleep early, so stop with the noise.”

Arurukan said so casually when she popped up at the door. Noticing the tense atmosphere in the room, she stood stiff on the spot.

“Y-Y-You two, what are you doing?”

Yuuki and Kay glared at each other and ignored the baffled Arurukan. An intense fighting aura welled up about them.

“Yuuki.”

Naga said all of a sudden.

“W-What is it. Even if you try to lecture me… Eh, what are you doing?”

Yuuki turned her face towards Naga and found him kneeling on the floor with his forehead on the ground. She was shocked and took a large step back.

“What… the hell are you doing!?”

“I don’t know why you hate humans so much, and cannot understand how you feel. But in order to create a world where witches can live a happy life, this man is necessary. So can you please bear with it? I’m begging you.” Naga pleaded with her while on his knees.

“W… What…”

Yuuki looked down at the back of Naga’s head with a shocked face. She didn’t expect Naga to kneel down to her for a man he didn’t even know.
“I-Is the information this guy has that important!?”

Naga raised his head slowly and looked up at Yuuki.

“I will only know if it is important after hearing it, but it might be very important. If I can gain critical intel, we will be able to seize Fort Ein without sacrificing any witches or humans.”

Yuuki looked at Naga with a face of doubt, but her anger had been soothed a lot.

“W-Why do you care about the lives of those inhuman soldiers!? If we kill all of them, we can cut down the enemy’s numbers.”

“That might be true for the current situation, but taking the future into consideration, not having any sacrifices would be advantageous for us.”

Yuuki showed a troubled expression.

“I-I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“It’s fine if you don’t understand, but can you trust me this once?”

“How could I trust someone like you!?”

“Ehh, that’s too harsh, Yuuki.” Kay interjected. “Naga saved us when we were in danger. If not for him, we would have been chased out of the black forest long ago.”

“Eh… T-That’s true.”

“My head isn’t good, and I can’t analyze the situation, nor predict future developments. But I trust Naga. Since he said so, let’s leave this to him.”

Yuuki glared first at Kay as she said that, then Naga, and finally Raibaha. She then turned around abruptly and left in a huff.

“Move, Aru!”

“Nyaa?”

Yuuki’s fierce expression intimidated Arurukan, and she made way for her.

Just like the time she came, Yuuki stomped through the corridor when she left. Seeing her back disappear into the distance, Arurukan turned back and asked Kay, “What happened?”

“Well, it’s a long story. Where do I start…?”

Kay looked towards Naga for help.

“I will explain this to Arurukan later. I have something to ask Raibaha, and it would be better if Harrigan and Ais are present. They didn’t show up even after that ruckus. Did they turn in already?”

“Eh, I think Ais is out on patrol.”

“I see, she would have stopped Yuuki if she was here.”

(Or maybe not, she might even escalate things. Ais can’t control herself when she loses her temper, it would be an explosive scene if Yuuki retaliates.)

Kay thought about it, but didn’t say it out loud, afraid that someone would snitch on her.

“Harrigan nee-san should be in the fort, should I bring her over?” After Kay said that, Harrigan’s voice could be heard saying, “Why is Yuuki in the First Fort!?”

“Ohh, speak of the devil.”

Kay sighed in relief, thinking that she had washed her hands clean of the troublesome matter.

=== Part 2 ===

Most of the witches garrisoned here had gathered in the biggest room inside the fort. Naturally, Naga and Raibaha were also present.
The witches around Raibaha were:

Harrigan.

Ais.

Kay.

Nonoeru.

Arurukan.

Eleonortha.

Lela.

Mimone.

And of course, Yuuki was absent. The sisters, Linne and Linna, were on guard duty, thus not in the room. After receiving Harrigan’s pigeon message, Lela immediately rushed to the First Fort on horseback behind Mimone.
Harrigan sighed softly after hearing Kay’s report.

“That’s why I didn’t want Yuuki to know about this.”

When Lela received the pigeon message, Yuuki was just setting off from the Third Fort. In the confusion, she found out about Kay capturing a human soldier, so she rushed here on her air board alone.

“Forget it… No, we are not done yet. Getting detailed intelligence from that man takes priority… right, Naga?”

“That’s true.” Naga replied with a troubled face.

“Didn’t that man say he would consider giving us information about the fort? Did something change while we were gathering?”

“Aside from the detailed information about the fort, there is one thing I am very concerned with.”

“What is that?”

Harrigan prompted him to continue. Naga shifted his stool and faced Raibaha.

“Raibaha, you seemed surprised when Yuuki appeared just now. There are plenty of witches here that are unknown to you, but why did Yuuki surprise you so much?”

“Ah… Huh~~ you have sharp eyes.”

Raibaha’s vision wavered and he stretched out his right hand to scratch his head. He then recounted his tale slowly.

“I had a daughter.”

Raibaha said something unrelated, making Naga and the other witches to look at him puzzledly.

“If she were still alive, she would probably be about the age of you two.” Raibaha said as he pointed at Nonoeru and Kay. “It doesn’t sound convincing for a parent to say this, but she really was a cute kid.”

“……”

They were actually not interested in Raibaha’s personal affairs. Naga and Harrigan looked at each other, hesitating about whether to stop him or not.

“When I was out on a campaign once, barbarians invaded the city I lived in, ravaged the streets and killed the citizens.”

Naga and Harrigan were shocked and turned their heads away.

“I couldn’t find the remains of my wife and daughter in the end. There were thousands of charred corpses in the streets, and I think my family was probably murdered there.”

“I can empathize with you, but right now we are…”

Raibaha continued in a calm tone as if he didn’t hear what Harrigan said:

“That witch just now, the one who was shouting about wanting to kill me, is Yuuki, right?”

“Yuuki is hard to get along with, but she has her circumstances. If she made you feel uncomfortable, let me apologize…”

“No, that’s not it.” Raibaha raised his head, his expression strange and complicated. “That girl looks really similar to my dead daughter.”

He looked up to the roof, his eyes far away.

“My dead daughter is actually alive and appeared before me. That thought occurred to me for an instant, surprising me.”

Raibaha said sadly, but Harrigan’s reply was cold.

“My condolences for your loss, but she is a witch, not your daughter.”

“That’s true, I know that very well too, but… They really look identical, it’s like my daughter who survived somewhere appeared, so I…”

Raibaha said passionately, but stopped midway.

“…I …I” He turned his gaze back from the ceiling, tears falling from his eyes.

“I won’t have any complaints if that girl kills me, my daughter must have hated me the same way. If I didn’t go off to fight a war in that dangerous time, and stayed with my wife and daughter, they would still be alive today.”

Harrigan wasn’t sure how to respond and kept quiet. Naga couldn’t say anything and watched him without a word. It was the same for the other witches. The entire room fell silent.

“Dragon King, you mentioned about creating a world where humans and witches coexist in peace. If it succeeds, will the fighting between humans cease?”

Naga said confidently with a gentle smile on his face, “What a silly question.”

“If Witches and humans can be at peace, so can humans and humans.”

“That make sense. If you can create such a world and craft such a future, there won’t be children like Elena, who are killed at such a young age.”

“Your daughter is named Elena?”

“Yes, her name’s Elena. Ahh, Elena.”

Raibaha buried his face in his hands.

“She must have been so scared, and suffered so much and… been hoping I would come to save them. But… I…”

Raibaha curled up and sniffling sounds escaped from his lips. Naga, Harrigan, and the other witches did not say anything to console him, and his cries filled the entire room. A short time later, Raibaha put down his hands. He turned to Naga with tears on his face.

“Hey, Dragon King. Can you really create a world where Humans and Witches can live in harmony? A place where humans and humans won’t fight with each other?”

“Of course I can… is what I want to say, but regrettably, I can’t make this promise lightly. I can only say that I will do my best. Doing all we can is important. If we don’t work hard, we won’t be able to make this brand new world a reality, and pave our future.”

(Can’t make this promise lightly, huh? That means he views this very seriously. Maybe this man can really create a world like that.)

Raibaha didn’t have or want a dream. Maybe it’s because his memories of his family made him sad, or maybe he was compelled by the hope that doing this will lessen his self reproach. Raibaha wiped away the tears on his face.

“If I tell you the details of the fort, there won’t be any sacrifices?”

Naga didn’t nod; he just puffed his chest out.

“I can’t guarantee that there wouldn’t be any, but the chances are high.”

“I am not hoping for zero deaths, but can you promise to keep casualties to a minimum?”

When he heard that, Naga nodded firmly.

“Alright, I promise. I will seize the fort by utilizing a method without deaths.”

“In that case… I will tell you.”

Raibaha provided them with the required intel regarding the fort. But after the witches heard his tragic past, none of them showed any signs of glee.

=== Part 3 ===

Raibaha explained the structure of the fort and the placement of the guards in great detail. Lela noted down the important points on a parchment as he spoke.

After he was done, Raibaha added,

“The guard commander of the fort is a man named Baldkeist; he was one of the close subordinates of former General Geobalk, who took responsibility for the failed campaign and resigned. Similar to me, he was assigned to garrison the fort as cannon fodder. On the other hand, he isn’t too loyal to the new general, Guiscard, and won’t fight to the end if something does happen… That’s how I feel.”

“I see; this information is a great help.”

Naga smiled and turned his head.

“Harrigan, I have something to discuss with you.”

“Hmm? Oh, alright.”

Harrigan nodded, faced Kay and ordered:

“Bring that man back to his room. Nonoeru will stand guard with you, so Yuuki won’t come and stir up trouble.”

“Understood, Harrigan Nee-san.”

Kay and Nonoeru left the room with Raibaha while Naga and Harrigan moved into another room. They sat on stools and faced each other.

=== Part 4 ===

“Do you think his words can be trusted?”

After sitting down, Naga asked. Harrigan crossed her arms as she sat on the stool, answering thoughtfully:

“He doesn’t seem to be lying, at least he is not lying to us blatantly. What do you think, Naga?”

“I agree with your opinion. When he was talking about his daughter, his tears were real.”

“That’s right. Assuming everything he said was true, do you have any good ideas?”

Naga nodded seriously.

“It should work.”

“It will work? Really!?”

“The most important part of the plan is to get Eliushune or Vita near the fort. From what we heard about the structure of the fort, there isn’t a need to infiltrate the it; just being near the walls would be enough.”

“That would mean sending Eliushune first, right?”

“This is the safest and simplest way, but letting Vita approach the fort herself, without Eliushune, is also an option.”

“That is true, but Vita doesn’t have much defense. She could manipulate weight to guard herself, but if she does that, even we won’t be able to go near the fort.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“How do you plan to solve this?”

“We have people who can launch ranged attacks. I plan to use this method to tie up the enemy’s forces, then distract them, and use the chances to approach.”

Harrigan thought about it for a moment and turned her face back.
“The long range attacker is Ais?”

“That’s right, Ais’ stone throwing attack is very powerful, and she can attack from outside the range of normal bows. It would be hard for the defending soldiers to handle her.”

“Won’t they leave the fort and sally forth?”

“The enemy are witches, and you think they would dare to send two hundred soldiers to counterattack?”

Harrigan shook her head, as that made sense.

“I don’t think they have the guts.”

“If they move out in full force and leave the fort empty, that will play into my hands. If Ais, Lela and Yuuki keep attacking from a distance, they should be able to intimidate them and keep their attention. Vita can use the chance to approach.”

“Is doing that alright? Vita is a crucial figure in this operation, isn’t she? If she gets injured, wouldn’t the entire plan be ruined?”

“You're right, but logically speaking, Vita won’t be taking too big of a risk.”

“…I hope so.”

“But just to be safe, we should prepare Eliushune’s mantle so it can be used at a moment’s notice.”

Harrigan leaned forward and asked:

“Specifically speaking, how are you planning to take the fort?”

“Here’s what I plan to do.”

Naga then explained to Harrigan the details of the strategy to capture the fort.

“First will be Ais and the duo of Yuuki and Lela, who will attack at long range from two different places. Let’s set them to the west and south. Ais will throw rocks and Yuuki will carry Lela and her talismans into the sky above the fort, before making them burst into flames as she tosses them down. That way, the defending soldiers will fall into confusion.”

“Once the soldiers focus their attention on them, Kay will use this chance to charge to the eastern wall, and of course, bring Eliushune’s mantle with her. If she hardens her body, the soldiers won’t be able to harm her no matter how many arrows they shoot. Once she has reached the wall, she needs to place the mantle down. The soldiers in the fort won’t leave the fort just to take it, since they'll be under the witches’ attack.”

“When Vita uses her spell, it will be best to gather the defending forces in the east. So after Kay puts down the mantle, the participating witches will need to show themselves. Ais will stop and Yuuki will retreat. That should get the soldiers, who still have the strength to defend, to gather on the eastern walls.”

“Once Kay has put down the mantle, Eliushune will immediately bring Vita to the wall. Kay will then withdraw temporarily… No, I figure she should stay put, and act as Eliushune and Vita’s guard.”

“Once Vita teleports to the wall, she will begin her spell immediately. As for the structure of the fort, assuming the information given by Raibaha is correct, almost all of the soldiers should be unable to move. If not all, then at least 80% of them should be incapacitated. When Vita uses her spell, Eliushune won’t be able to move either, she’ll have to bear with it then.”

“We will leave the north alone, and attack from the west and the south. We will then close in from the east. This is to show the fort soldiers that there are no threats from the north. This is to give the soldiers the impression that, ‘we won’t be able to escape if we are completely surrounded, let’s run while we are still able to do so.’”

“When Vita uses the spell ‘Song of Gravity’ and captures all the soldiers gathered on the eastern side, we need to find a way to tie up these soldiers, so they won’t be able to move freely when the spell is released. To prevent Vita from being attacked by soldiers outside her range, Ais would need to attack more fiercely.

“Wait a moment, Naga.”

Harrigan raised her hand to stop Naga’s explanation.

“You mentioned tying up the soldiers while they are immobile, but how do you do that specifically? We witches can’t resist Vita’s magic and enter the range of her spell. Our bodies will become heavy and we won’t be able to move if we go in, so how can we tie up the soldiers… Why are you staring so intensely at my body!?”

“Vita’s magic will increase a person’s original weight by two or three times, correct? Compared to Lela and Kay, it would be hard for you to move…”

*Knock*

“That hurts!”

*Knock knock knock*

“That really hurts! Don’t keep hitting me with your hair!”

The teary Naga leapt backwards from his stool to dodge the attack. Harrigan pulled her head of hardened hair back, but her eyes were full of fury as she glared at Naga.

“You are not considerate towards girls at all.”

“No such thing, I am famous for being considerate… probably.”

“You actually have the nerve to say that.”

Harrigan blew her top once again and Naga waved his hands in front of him hurriedly.

“Alright, I know, it’s my fault.”

“Sorry”— Naga lowered his head in apology, and Harrigan’s hair fell onto her shoulders. Naga returned to his seat when he saw that.

“Alright, back to the topic.” Harrigan said grudgingly, after Naga sat properly.

“Ais might be able to move after Vita casts her spell, but that would take all her strength. It will also take a long time to bind the three hundred soldiers in the fort, and I don’t think Vita’s spell can last that long.”

“Speaking of which, she didn’t mention how long her spell could last.”

“This is her personal secret. The better known one’s magic is, the bigger the disadvantage. Not all witches live harmoniously with each other. More accurately speaking, most of us see each other as enemies.”

“I see, so even while facing the threat of being invaded by other nations, there are inter-tribe battles as well. I think I have heard something so regrettable in the past too.”

Naga was troubled.

(By the way, I have a feeling that this is something I experienced personally.)

“Something the matter?”

Naga looked at the ceiling deep in thought, and shook his head when Harrigan asked.

“There is a way to solve this problem.”

“There is!?”

Harrigan was shocked, and made an impressed expression.

“I see, as expected of Dragon King-sama.”

“Don’t mock me.”

“I’m not mocking you. Since there is a way, isn’t Fort Ein is as good as ours?”

Harrigan said confidently and Naga’s face turned serious.

“But there is a serious problem with this.”

“You mean there is a risk? But there is always some risk if we want to succeed, and our target is to take the fort without anyone dying or damaging the fort.”

“No, not that kind of danger.”

“???”

“The danger I am referring to is Yuuki. Specifically speaking, I am going to entrust her with a mission, but if I do that now, my life will probably be in danger…”

Naga sighed after saying that, and Harrigan laughed,

“What, so it’s that thing. I will order Yuuki to do it then.”

“I don’t think she will disobey if you give the word. No, that’s hard to say. Maybe she will resist strongly this time, since the main strategy involves sparing the lives of the Cassandra soldiers. Even if she agrees, she might screw things up as it goes against her will.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

Harrigan, who didn’t get it in the beginning, finally raised her head.

“By the way—”

She asked Naga:

“What mission are you giving her? Is it difficult? Why must it be Yuuki? Her magic is powerful, it will be hard for her not to harm the enemies while suppressing them.”

“The mission I want to assign her isn’t difficult, and I have no plans to use her magic to subdue the enemy.”

Harrigan frowned and tilted her head.

“What… do you mean by that?”

“This is what I mean.”

Naga leaned towards the side of Harrigan’s face and whispered.

After finishing, Naga returned to his seat.

“I… I see, only Yuuki could do it.”

Harrigan groaned and was impressed.

“Not only will this method subdue the enemy soldiers without them resisting, it will also resolve the issue quickly, so there is no need to worry about how long her magic will hold out.”

(It was the same last time, with Naga proposing a well-thought-out strategy. Normally, one wouldn’t even think of utilizing Yuuki’s ability in such a way.)

Harrigan was becoming more impressed.

“But there is also a problem, since this method couldn’t be used against the soldiers inside the buildings.”

“Ahh!” Harrigan pounded her thigh with her fist.

“That’s true; this method won’t stop the soldiers inside the buildings.”

“If we can push as many soldiers as possible into Vita’s magic range, the problem would be solved.”

“And so, you need us to reveal ourselves at this point, so the enemy will think we are going to attack the fort?”

“That’s right.” Naga said with a nod.

“The plan is to induce most of the soldiers to gather near the walls or towers in their attempt to disrupt our attack, but I am not confident that we can draw all of them out. Maybe we have to subdue the soldiers inside the buildings by force, and this is something I don’t wish to see. It would be for the best if they run away the first chance they get, because of the fear of being rendered immobile by magic.”

When she heard Naga say that, Harrigan answered confidently:

“Even if they don’t run, we have about forty witches here; handling a hundred soldiers would not be a problem.”

“With your combat prowess, subduing half of the troops wouldn’t take much time. But I hope to minimize the losses as much as possible, for both the witches and the enemy.”

Harrigan seemed a little troubled.

“In that battle earlier, you showed no mercy to the enemy, but you insist on not harming the enemy this time. In order to get the intelligence from Raibach, you promised him that…. The reason doesn’t seem to be this simple, so can you explain why are you insisting on this?”

“Because—” Naga leaned forward and said:

“The goal of this battle is to seize Fort Ein intact, and to change how the humans evaluate witches.”

“Our… evaluation?”

Harrigan blinked.

“The evaluation of most people about how witches is that they are ‘violent and cold blooded’.”

“But that’s…”

Naga raised his right hand and stopped Harrigan who wanted to defend herself.

“I know. Anyone who has actually interacted with you all would know that isn’t true, barring those with extreme prejudice. But the humans who have never met you all before wouldn’t know.”

“Eh… t-that’s right.”

“This mindset has been ongoing for many years. The truth isn’t important anymore, since humans already have a deep-rooted belief that this is the truth. And there are also things in this world that spread lies about the cruelty of the witches, for example: the Church abusing the authority of God. This evaluation is already firmly set in their mind, am I right?”

Harrigan sighed heavily.

“Unfortunately… that is so.”

“So we just need to turn this evaluation around, for the sake of building a peaceful world for humans and witches.”

(T-This guy has a grand vision as usual.)

“The fort was taken; most of the soldiers were captured but did not lose their lives and were even released safely. I want to create this fact. Even if the Cassandra Kingdom tries to hush things up, the news will spread sooner or later as they can’t stop the people’s grapevines. Just the fact that the witches didn’t kill the soldiers would be enough to make the humans doubt their impression that the witches are ‘violent, cruel and merciless’. It might just be doubt in the beginning, and they might even question if that was the truth, but if this accumulates over time, it will overturn the current evaluation one day.”

Harrigan answered with a soft mutter.

“You vision is wide, and you can see the future very well. I feel impressed every time I see this.”

“That’s too exaggerated; anyone can understand if they think about it in detail.”

(The problem is that no one can think about it in such detail.)

“But things aren’t so simple, we can’t just wait idly and hope the prevailing evaluation will be overturned someday. We have to actively spread this truth that runs contrary to their evaluation, and disperse the news widely.”

“W-We have to do something like that too?”

“Of course. In a way, war is a battle of intelligence. Obtaining accurate enemy intelligence and spreading news that is beneficial to our army, all of these are crucial factors in winning the final victory.”

“Dragon King-sama is good with tactics, and is underhanded in doing so.”

“I wasn’t expecting that.”

Naga wasn’t happy about that comment. Just then, Harrigan shouted “Alright!” and clapped her hands.

“I understand; we will proceed as you proposed. I will beg Yuuki to help us, and do my best to convince her.”

“I will accompany you and ask her too.”

“In that case…”

“What? Did you think of a good idea?”

“Let’s bring Vita along to plead with her.”

“…Is it fine to ask her for something like this?” Naga was confused.

“The future of both our clans depends on this, so she has to show up too.”

(Your personality is bad too.)

“You have any objections?”

“Eh, I want to confirm if we have that important thing.”

“We should have one or two of them, but their durability and toughness aren’t enough to subdue the enemy. And we will need multiple, so I’m thinking of remaking them.”

“Can you do that? This part requires intricate work to be done on it.”

“We have basically been providing for ourselves all this time, so making something like that is no big deal.”

“I will leave it to you then. So, how should we start?”

“Let me think. Let’s find Vita, and work from the outside in.”

Naga laughed.

“With you, Vita, and me lowering our heads to ask her, I don’t think Yuuki can reject us.”

“But like you said, it would be problematic if she did this unwillingly, so we have to really convince her, don’t we?”

“If it’s up to me…” Naga’s face became sullen.

“Who else can we entrust with this mission?”

“Ugh…. That’s true.”

“We will be going to Vita’s side tomorrow, let’s ask her then.”

“Alright, it’s settled then.”

=== Part 5 ===

The next day—

Naga and Harrigan visited Sraymeyer Fort right before noon, and had a conference with Vita in one of the rooms of the residential block.

Naga sat on a stool and explained his strategy, while Vita, who was also on a stool, didn’t say anything and listened carefully.

“… And this is the strategy I plan to use to take Fort Ein.”

After finishing his explanation, Naga stared at Vita as he finished speaking.

“Hmm, I see.” Vita crossed her arms and answered in a soft voice.

“If we used this method, not just us, even the enemy won’t suffer any casualties, and we can take the fort undamaged for our own use. It is a well-thought-out plan. But there are some elements of uncertainty.”

“That’s right, we have to confirm if the structure in the fort is just as Raibach described. Which is meant to clarify if the range of your magic can cover more than half of the fort. If there are any problems, we have to reconsider the entire plan.“

“And where to place Elysio’s cloak, as well as whether the enemy will fall for the trick and gather in the eastern part…”

“We can’t confirm where the enemy will be positioned, so we have to adjust our plan accordingly.”

“That’s… true.”

“There’s another thing to confirm with you. Elysione mentioned she can teleport with one more person, right? This means she can teleport together with you?”

“Hmm? Oh, that can be done, it’s just that we never tried it before.” Vita said with a solemn face.

“That’s doesn’t sound confident, will it be harder to move if there’s two people? Or is there some other danger?”

“That’s not what I mean; it’s just that I will encounter something unpleasant along the way.”

Naga made a strange expression and pressed Vita:

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t mind it; anyway, Vita can teleport together with me, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

“In that case…”

Naga and Harrigan exchanged a look.

“The only problem left is Yuuki.”

“Yes, only Yuuki is left.”

“Yuuki is indeed a big problem. If we are to capture the enemy alive by using my magic, Yuuki’s participation is very important.”

Naga turned his face towards Vita and asked with a serious expression:

“Regarding this matter, I have a request for you, Vita.”

“What is it, why so serious?”

“Can you ask Yuuki for her help together with Harrigan and me?”

“What do you mean?”

Seeing Vita looking at him, Naga scratched his head.

“Actually, I am not very sure, but I heard her family was killed by the humans, and she really hates human men.”

“I have heard about her hating humans, but there are no witches who welcome men; Yuuki is no exception.”

Vita shifted her eyes towards Harrigan, who sighed softly and said:

“Her childhood experience left a deep trauma in her heart, so her hatred towards humans is exceptional among us. If the mission were to kill human soldiers, she would accept it, no matter how dangerous. But if it is to capture them alive, I’m not sure that she will cooperate.”

“Eh, so the two of you are planning to beg her?”

“Yes. Actually, we are hoping you could join us.”

Naga said. Vita pulled a long face of annoyance when she heard that.

“As the Sraymeyer Clan Head, why must I do that for a witch from your side?”

“This battle doesn’t only concern the fate of the Heindler Clan; it will also decide the future of your clan.”

“That’s true.” Vita looked into the distance and pondered for a moment. She then turned her head back. “Alright, I am not very willing, but I will lower my head along with you two and ask for her help.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Sorry for troubling you, Vita.”

Naga and Harrigan lowered their heads to Vita and thanked her.

“You mentioned the future of our clan, which is correct. If enduring for a moment will lead to a bright future for my clan, I won’t mind the hardships.”

“My apologies.”

“When do you plan to ask her?”

“Time is short; I hope to settle this tomorrow.”

“I see. I will visit your fort tomorrow morning to ask Yuuki then.”

“Thanks for the help.”

After that, the three continued discussing the strategy of attacking Fort Ein. After finishing for the day, Naga and Harrigan bid Vita farewell and returned to their fort.

=== Part 6 ===

The next morning—

Vita showed up at the fort as promised, bringing Elysione and another witch named Lilly.

She ordered Elysione and Lilly to standby in another room, and headed to the room where Naga, Harrigan, and Ais were waiting. As they would be asking Yuuki for help, Naga and Harrigan requested for Ais’ presence in case anything happened.

At this moment, Naga, Harrigan, Ais, and Vita sat in a circle, surrounding Yuuki, who was summoned to the room.

“Hmm? What is going on? Harrigan Nee-san and Naga are here as usual, but why are Ais and Vita clan head also here? Did I do something wrong? Or rather, are you going to do something to me?”

After entering the room, Yuuki had been stealing glances at the four of them repeatedly.

“Why am I sitting on a stool, but all of you are sitting on the ground? Are you asking me to look down on the four of you?”

Yuuki’s face was deathly pale, and sweat glistened on her forehead. Even the defiant Yuuki felt a lot of pressure when she faced these four people.

“Yuuki, we have something to tell you.” Harrigan said in a serious tone.

“I-I-I think so too. I would have run away if the four of you didn’t have any business with me.”

Yuuki broke out in cold sweat all over her body as she replied, and the four of them knelt down without any warning.

“Hyaa?” Yuuki jumped from surprise and backed away.

“W-W-What is this!? What does this mean!? Are you all joking with me!? Is this a new way of pulling a prank!?”

Harrigan lifted her head and soothed her: “Calm down, Yuuki.”

But Yuuki was still shocked and suspicious.

“Aren’t you all… angry?”

“Of course not.”

“Aren’t you going to punish me for trying to kill the prisoner?”

“We have no intention of doing that. We called for you today because we have a request for you. Please take a seat.”

Under the watchful gaze of Harrigan, Ais, and Vita, Yuuki appeared really timid as she returned to her seat, and sat down fearfully on the stool.

“We want to attack Fort Ein while avoiding damage to the fort itself and preventing casualties for both the witches and humans, so we will need your help, Yuuki. Please lend us your aid.”

After she finished, Harrigan lowered her head earnestly once more. Not just her, Naga, Ais, and even Vita, who was the head of another clan, pressed their foreheads to the floor, begging for her help.

“This…”

Yuuki couldn’t say anything for a moment.

She understood that an important task would be entrusted to her, but if that was it, Harrigan could just issue a direct order. She might not be willing to follow the command, but Yuuki wouldn’t outright reject Harrigan’s orders. But Harrigan didn’t do that, and even asked Vita to beg with her. Yuuki tried to think about what this meant.

She couldn’t understand and gave up immediately, deciding to ask directly instead.

“Why didn’t you just give me the order? And what kind of mission will be given to me? Will I be in danger of losing my life?”

“No, it’s not that dangerous.” Harrigan raised her head and replied.

“I don’t understand. Since it’s not dangerous, why not just issue a command? But instead of doing that, you ask me like this. And while surrounded by the four of you, being asked is much scarier than being ordered. Also, isn’t Clan Head Vita an outsider? Why is Clan Head Vita lowering her head too?”

“Fufu”, Vita laughed cheerfully.

“I’m here to ask for your help on the Dragon King-sama’s request. He thinks you will find it harder to reject if I am present too.”

“T-That really makes it hard for me to reject, but I won’t refuse if it’s Harrigan Nee-san’s order anyway. Why go so far as to lower your head and ‘ask’ for my help?”

“Naga will explain this part. As for the mission we need you to undertake, he will explain that too. You see, Naga is the one who came up with the proposal to seize the fort.”

After hearing Harrigan say that, Yuuki scowled.

“So it’s because of you.”

“You don’t need to make such a face for me.”

“I don’t understand why we have to spare the enemies’ lives. After all, wouldn’t it be easier in the future if we kill more of them?”

Yuuki’s critique might be reasonable, but Naga just shook his head lightly when he heard that.

“Conquering Tenka is not a simple matter of how large your army is.”

“Ten… Ka?”

Yuuki wasn’t alone, as Harrigan, Ais, and Vita also had a look of confusion. Lela’s talisman couldn’t accurately translate the term ‘Tenka’, so Naga tried to say it in a way the witches could understand.

“Hmm, eh… oh, if I use the term ‘take over the world’, will you understand?”

“Take over the world?” Yuuki still couldn’t get it, and kept blinking her eyes.

“How is that possible; is that a metaphor?”

“Just think of it as a metaphor for overturning the common sense of the world that thinks witches and humans are sworn enemies, which requires revolutionizing the entire world order. Doing that is related to seizing a new world.”

Yuuki had a look of wonder on her face.

The new world Naga envisioned and his goal for the future of the witches had not taken concrete form in her mind yet. But she understood that Naga wanted to create a new world where witches and humans live in harmony, and knew he was acting in order to build this ideal world.

(He mentioned this in the past; seems like he was serious, and he really wants to build a world like that.)

“If we can build such a world, then there wouldn’t be witches with painful memories like me?”

Yuuki muttered softly.

Naga laughed gently.

“Yuuki, so you have the same ideas as Raibach.”

“W-What?”

“He said ‘can you really create a world where Humans and Witches can live in harmony, a place where humans and humans won’t fight with each other?’ and ‘If you can create such a world and craft such a future, there won’t be children like Elena who are killed at such a young age.’”

“W-Who is Elena?”

“That was Raibach’s child. Ten years ago, the place he lived in was invaded by barbarians; his wife and daughter were murdered.”

This seemed to have struck a chord with Yuuki, and she showed a rare face of sadness.

“…I-Is that so?”

“If Raibach’s child was still alive, she would be about your age. He said his deceased daughter looked very much like you.”

Yuuki sneered and reverted back to her usual face and attitude.

“He is just trying to get on my good side because he almost died by my hands, right?”

“He looked surprised when you appeared in the room, right? I don’t think he was faking his reaction.”

“I didn’t watch that closely.”

“Forget about Raibach for now, back to the topic. In order to build a new world, and overturn the common sense that ‘witches and humans are sworn enemies, I want to avoid killing any enemy soldiers whenever possible.”

“How is not killing the enemy soldiers related to building a new world? I can’t understand.” Yuuki puffed her cheeks unhappily and asked a sarcastic question.

“Witches are not violent and cold blooded, but are instead kind, benevolent, and merciful… I want the humans to learn these facts. It is not easy to overturn their values and perceptions, but we need to make such views waver. With time, their common sense will be proven wrong. When that time comes, humans will be willing to stand on the same side as us.”

Yuuki lowered her head and seemed to be thinking about something. Harrigan and Ais looked at Yuuki with eyes filled with kindness, while Vita observed her curiously.

Shortly thereafter, Yuuki lifted her head and mumbled:

“I still don’t understand, but I don’t mind cooperation for the sake of building a new world.”
Harrigan’s and Ais’ faces brightened, Vita laughed, and Naga was all smiles.

“That is wonderful, as there is something only you can do after all.”

“Hold it! Tell me what I need to do first, or I won’t be able to give you a definite answer.”

“Oh, this is what we want to ask of you.”

Naga explained how to use Vita’s magic to seize the fort, and how the strategy will not harm the soldiers or damage the fort.

“Oh, so that’s it… That’s why Clan Head Vita is here?” Yuuki looked towards Vita.

“That’s right.” Vita nodded in acknowledgement.

“There is no problem in using my magic to subdue the soldiers, but there isn’t any witch in either tribe who can withstand my spell and bind the soldiers. The only one who can still move would probably be Ais.”

Ais showed a proud face.

“Aside from having a huge body, Ais also has lots of fat, her breasts and butt looks really heavy. No matter how strong she is, she might not be able to overcome the increased weight.”

Ais had a smile on her face, but her veins were showing on her temple. But no matter how gutsy Ais was, she wouldn’t dare rebuke Vita, so that smile on her face just turned stiffer and stiffer.

“Which is to say, the Dragon King-sama is giving up on binding the soldiers in the fort, and will be entrusting these things to you.”

Yuuki turned her gaze to Naga.

“Your head is always full of strange ideas.”

“Isn’t my head really good?”

“To think you can devise such a plan. I don’t think your head is good, it’s just that your personality is evil.”

“That’s so mean.” Naga grumbled.

Harrigan and Vita couldn’t help their snickering, and Ais finally relaxed her stiff smile and laughed gently.

Never mind, Naga lifted his spirits.

“How about it, are you willing to cooperate?”

After hearing his question, Yuuki puffed her chest out and said arrogantly:

“Piece of cake. And the soldiers will be subdued by Clan Head Vita, so I won’t have to worry about getting hit by arrows. It won’t be a problem.”

Hearing Yuuki’s response, Naga shouted “Alright!” agitatedly.

“Since Yuuki is willing to work with us, we will begin the operation to seize Fort Ein immediately.”

=== Part 7 ===

And so, the Heindler and Sraymeyer Clans worked together and began preparations to take Fort Ein.

The date that they would attack was tentatively set to be ten days later.

<noinclude>
==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
| Return to [[Ochitekita_Ryuuou_to_Horobiyuku_Majo_no_Kuni|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
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</noinclude>

Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 3

2017-02-16T10:59:45Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 4 */

==Chapter 3: Future Outlook==

=== Part 1 ===

Kay brought dinner in, and ate it together with Naga and Raibaha.
Kay tried to chat with Raibaha as they ate, but his replies were halfhearted.

“Tch. How boring.” Kay complained and kept the cutlery.

“Don’t hold back on your requests, Raibaha. Aside from undoing your ropes or letting you escape, anything else would be fine.”

“No… I don’t have any requests.”

“Nothing?”

“How about massaging my feet, Kay?”

“What? I am asking Raibaha, why are you making such overboard demands as if this was natural, Naga? That is so strange.”

Naga laughed in response to Kay’s retort.

“Just kidding, don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad.”

“Then help me massage.”

“Huh? Are you joking with me!?”

“Of course I’m kidding.”

“How irritating.”

Kay snatched Naga’s plate away.

“Alright, I’m cleaning up.”

“Ah, there’s still a bit left…”

“I. am. cleaning. up.”

“Alright, alright.”

As Naga was smiling wryly, thumping footsteps came from the corridor outside.

“Hmm? Harrigan Nee-san?”

“Harrigan wouldn’t be walking so agitatedly.”

“That’s true, did Ais get angry?”

“Eh, wait.”

Naga waved his hand with his face turning green.

“We didn’t do anything to anger Ais.”

“That’s true, then…”

When Kay turned to the entrance, the footfalls stop. The door was then opened violently; revealing Yuuki with the corners of her eyes raised greatly.

“I heard that we captured a soldier of the Cassandra Army!?”

Kay responded affirmatively because of the pressure from Yuuki.

“I will kill him.”

Yuuki’s expression turned into rage and a strange light shone from her eyes.

“I will kill him in the cruelest way possible.”

Raibaha opened his eyes wide and stared at the vile-mouthed Yuuki. He knew that Yuuki wasn’t joking, but he wasn’t afraid as he stared at Yuuki with a lost expression.

“Eh, what the hell are you saying, Yuuki?”

“You are the one speaking nonsense, Kay. Why didn’t you kill the enemy immediately!?”

“In order to gather intel.”

“Do you need to treat him like a guest when doing that?”

“I’m not doing that.”

“Yes you are, you’re letting him stay here and even prepared an entire set of bedding. If you are trying to get intel, why not torture him!? Did he spill the beans already?”

“No, he is still thinking about it.”

“Huh? Why give him that choice? We don’t have the time to wait, let me handle it. I will make him spit out the information we need. Let me think… I will cut off his fingers one by one. To prevent him from dying because of blood loss, I will cauterize the wounds with a burning iron plate. He will definitely give in after cutting off two or three fingers. If he won’t, I will cut off all his fingers and toes, and he will beg me to kill him. When he spills everything, I will take his life if he asks, and it’ll all be settled.”

The agitated Yuuki spoke passionately as she took a couple of steps forward.

“I will handle this, so back off, Kay.”

“Eh, don’t decide that on your own, Yuuki.”

Kay also took a step forward to block Yuuki.

“Are you planning to stop me? Kay?”

“If Harrigan Nee-san and Naga don’t give you permission, I advise you not to be reckless.”

Yuuki cast a glance at Naga who had crossed his arms with a serious expression and showed no intention to speak. After confirming that, Yuuki turned back and faced Kay again.

“You… are helping the humans?”

“I don’t mean to do so, and don’t do anything that will spoil the image of witches.”

“If you don’t back off, I will cut you to pieces.”

“Hmmpf! Do it if you can. Your wind blades can’t harm me!”

The skin on Kay’s exposed limbs started turning grey.

“You think you are tough enough to take my wind blades!?”

“Go on, try me.”

“Why are you protecting that guy!?”

Yuuki was furious as she pointed to Raibach, behind Kay.

“This man is one of the soldiers who are always trying to kill us! Why let him live!?”

At this moment, Raibaha suddenly asked,

“Ah, let me ask you.”

Yuuki’s body stiffened.

“W-What!? Don’t think of begging for your life!”

“Was your family killed by us… by the Army of the Caesandra Kingdom?”

“Not by the soldiers of the Kingdom, but…” Yuuki answered softly, but then lost her composure. “It’s humans! Humans gathered everyone and massacred them!”

Raibaha watched Yuuki and his brow twitched.

“I see, you have a tragic past too. No wonder you hate humans. If you are bent on killing me… Please do so.”

Bafflement flashed across Yuuki’s face for a moment, but she puffed her chest with an arrogant look in no time.

“Look, even the subject himself said so. So let me do it.”

“Eh, why did you say that, Raibaha!?”

“Kay, you don’t need to protect him, get out of the way.”

“You two… Kay, Yuuki- you two are comrades, so don’t quarrel over someone like me.”

“Ahhh, that’s why… Ahhh—! So troublesome!” Kay grabbed her head exasperatedly. “My head isn’t that good; I can’t process something so complicated~~”

After holding her head and squatting for a while, she stood up. “I still think Yuuki shouldn’t kill this man. I will stop you.”

“Damn it…” Yuuki cursed angrily. “If you dare to stop me, I will really cut you to shreds.”

“Try it if you can.”

Kay’s grey skin turned silver with a metallic luster.

“What’s with the din? I have a morning shift tomorrow and need to sleep early, so stop with the noise.”

Arurukan said so casually when she popped up at the door. Noticing the tense atmosphere in the room, she stood stiff on the spot.

“Y-Y-You two, what are you doing?”

Yuuki and Kay glared at each other and ignored the baffled Arurukan. An intense fighting aura welled up about them.

“Yuuki.”

Naga said all of a sudden.

“W-What is it. Even if you try to lecture me… Eh, what are you doing?”

Yuuki turned her face towards Naga and found him kneeling on the floor with his forehead on the ground. She was shocked and took a large step back.

“What… the hell are you doing!?”

“I don’t know why you hate humans so much, and cannot understand how you feel. But in order to create a world where witches can live a happy life, this man is necessary. So can you please bear with it? I’m begging you.” Naga pleaded with her while on his knees.

“W… What…”

Yuuki looked down at the back of Naga’s head with a shocked face. She didn’t expect Naga to kneel down to her for a man he didn’t even know.
“I-Is the information this guy has that important!?”

Naga raised his head slowly and looked up at Yuuki.

“I will only know if it is important after hearing it, but it might be very important. If I can gain critical intel, we will be able to seize Fort Ein without sacrificing any witches or humans.”

Yuuki looked at Naga with a face of doubt, but her anger had been soothed a lot.

“W-Why do you care about the lives of those inhuman soldiers!? If we kill all of them, we can cut down the enemy’s numbers.”

“That might be true for the current situation, but taking the future into consideration, not having any sacrifices would be advantageous for us.”

Yuuki showed a troubled expression.

“I-I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“It’s fine if you don’t understand, but can you trust me this once?”

“How could I trust someone like you!?”

“Ehh, that’s too harsh, Yuuki.” Kay interjected. “Naga saved us when we were in danger. If not for him, we would have been chased out of the black forest long ago.”

“Eh… T-That’s true.”

“My head isn’t good, and I can’t analyze the situation, nor predict future developments. But I trust Naga. Since he said so, let’s leave this to him.”

Yuuki glared first at Kay as she said that, then Naga, and finally Raibaha. She then turned around abruptly and left in a huff.

“Move, Aru!”

“Nyaa?”

Yuuki’s fierce expression intimidated Arurukan, and she made way for her.

Just like the time she came, Yuuki stomped through the corridor when she left. Seeing her back disappear into the distance, Arurukan turned back and asked Kay, “What happened?”

“Well, it’s a long story. Where do I start…?”

Kay looked towards Naga for help.

“I will explain this to Arurukan later. I have something to ask Raibaha, and it would be better if Harrigan and Ais are present. They didn’t show up even after that ruckus. Did they turn in already?”

“Eh, I think Ais is out on patrol.”

“I see, she would have stopped Yuuki if she was here.”

(Or maybe not, she might even escalate things. Ais can’t control herself when she loses her temper, it would be an explosive scene if Yuuki retaliates.)

Kay thought about it, but didn’t say it out loud, afraid that someone would snitch on her.

“Harrigan nee-san should be in the fort, should I bring her over?” After Kay said that, Harrigan’s voice could be heard saying, “Why is Yuuki in the First Fort!?”

“Ohh, speak of the devil.”

Kay sighed in relief, thinking that she had washed her hands clean of the troublesome matter.

=== Part 2 ===

Most of the witches garrisoned here had gathered in the biggest room inside the fort. Naturally, Naga and Raibaha were also present.
The witches around Raibaha were:

Harrigan.

Ais.

Kay.

Nonoeru.

Arurukan.

Eleonortha.

Lela.

Mimone.

And of course, Yuuki was absent. The sisters, Linne and Linna, were on guard duty, thus not in the room. After receiving Harrigan’s pigeon message, Lela immediately rushed to the First Fort on horseback behind Mimone.
Harrigan sighed softly after hearing Kay’s report.

“That’s why I didn’t want Yuuki to know about this.”

When Lela received the pigeon message, Yuuki was just setting off from the Third Fort. In the confusion, she found out about Kay capturing a human soldier, so she rushed here on her air board alone.

“Forget it… No, we are not done yet. Getting detailed intelligence from that man takes priority… right, Naga?”

“That’s true.” Naga replied with a troubled face.

“Didn’t that man say he would consider giving us information about the fort? Did something change while we were gathering?”

“Aside from the detailed information about the fort, there is one thing I am very concerned with.”

“What is that?”

Harrigan prompted him to continue. Naga shifted his stool and faced Raibaha.

“Raibaha, you seemed surprised when Yuuki appeared just now. There are plenty of witches here that are unknown to you, but why did Yuuki surprise you so much?”

“Ah… Huh~~ you have sharp eyes.”

Raibaha’s vision wavered and he stretched out his right hand to scratch his head. He then recounted his tale slowly.

“I had a daughter.”

Raibaha said something unrelated, making Naga and the other witches to look at him puzzledly.

“If she were still alive, she would probably be about the age of you two.” Raibaha said as he pointed at Nonoeru and Kay. “It doesn’t sound convincing for a parent to say this, but she really was a cute kid.”

“……”

They were actually not interested in Raibaha’s personal affairs. Naga and Harrigan looked at each other, hesitating about whether to stop him or not.

“When I was out on a campaign once, barbarians invaded the city I lived in, ravaged the streets and killed the citizens.”

Naga and Harrigan were shocked and turned their heads away.

“I couldn’t find the remains of my wife and daughter in the end. There were thousands of charred corpses in the streets, and I think my family was probably murdered there.”

“I can empathize with you, but right now we are…”

Raibaha continued in a calm tone as if he didn’t hear what Harrigan said:

“That witch just now, the one who was shouting about wanting to kill me, is Yuuki, right?”

“Yuuki is hard to get along with, but she has her circumstances. If she made you feel uncomfortable, let me apologize…”

“No, that’s not it.” Raibaha raised his head, his expression strange and complicated. “That girl looks really similar to my dead daughter.”

He looked up to the roof, his eyes far away.

“My dead daughter is actually alive and appeared before me. That thought occurred to me for an instant, surprising me.”

Raibaha said sadly, but Harrigan’s reply was cold.

“My condolences for your loss, but she is a witch, not your daughter.”

“That’s true, I know that very well too, but… They really look identical, it’s like my daughter who survived somewhere appeared, so I…”

Raibaha said passionately, but stopped midway.

“…I …I” He turned his gaze back from the ceiling, tears falling from his eyes.

“I won’t have any complaints if that girl kills me, my daughter must have hated me the same way. If I didn’t go off to fight a war in that dangerous time, and stayed with my wife and daughter, they would still be alive today.”

Harrigan wasn’t sure how to respond and kept quiet. Naga couldn’t say anything and watched him without a word. It was the same for the other witches. The entire room fell silent.

“Dragon King, you mentioned about creating a world where humans and witches coexist in peace. If it succeeds, will the fighting between humans cease?”

Naga said confidently with a gentle smile on his face, “What a silly question.”

“If Witches and humans can be at peace, so can humans and humans.”

“That make sense. If you can create such a world and craft such a future, there won’t be children like Elena, who are killed at such a young age.”

“Your daughter is named Elena?”

“Yes, her name’s Elena. Ahh, Elena.”

Raibaha buried his face in his hands.

“She must have been so scared, and suffered so much and… been hoping I would come to save them. But… I…”

Raibaha curled up and sniffling sounds escaped from his lips. Naga, Harrigan, and the other witches did not say anything to console him, and his cries filled the entire room. A short time later, Raibaha put down his hands. He turned to Naga with tears on his face.

“Hey, Dragon King. Can you really create a world where Humans and Witches can live in harmony? A place where humans and humans won’t fight with each other?”

“Of course I can… is what I want to say, but regrettably, I can’t make this promise lightly. I can only say that I will do my best. Doing all we can is important. If we don’t work hard, we won’t be able to make this brand new world a reality, and pave our future.”

(Can’t make this promise lightly, huh? That means he views this very seriously. Maybe this man can really create a world like that.)

Raibaha didn’t have or want a dream. Maybe it’s because his memories of his family made him sad, or maybe he was compelled by the hope that doing this will lessen his self reproach. Raibaha wiped away the tears on his face.

“If I tell you the details of the fort, there won’t be any sacrifices?”

Naga didn’t nod; he just puffed his chest out.

“I can’t guarantee that there wouldn’t be any, but the chances are high.”

“I am not hoping for zero deaths, but can you promise to keep casualties to a minimum?”

When he heard that, Naga nodded firmly.

“Alright, I promise. I will seize the fort by utilizing a method without deaths.”

“In that case… I will tell you.”

Raibaha provided them with the required intel regarding the fort. But after the witches heard his tragic past, none of them showed any signs of glee.

=== Part 3 ===

Raibaha explained the structure of the fort and the placement of the guards in great detail. Lela noted down the important points on a parchment as he spoke.

After he was done, Raibaha added,

“The guard commander of the fort is a man named Baldkeist; he was one of the close subordinates of former General Geobalk, who took responsibility for the failed campaign and resigned. Similar to me, he was assigned to garrison the fort as cannon fodder. On the other hand, he isn’t too loyal to the new general, Guiscard, and won’t fight to the end if something does happen… That’s how I feel.”

“I see; this information is a great help.”

Naga smiled and turned his head.

“Harrigan, I have something to discuss with you.”

“Hmm? Oh, alright.”

Harrigan nodded, faced Kay and ordered:

“Bring that man back to his room. Nonoeru will stand guard with you, so Yuuki won’t come and stir up trouble.”

“Understood, Harrigan Nee-san.”

Kay and Nonoeru left the room with Raibaha while Naga and Harrigan moved into another room. They sat on stools and faced each other.

=== Part 4 ===

“Do you think his words can be trusted?”

After sitting down, Naga asked. Harrigan crossed her arms as she sat on the stool, answering thoughtfully:

“He doesn’t seem to be lying, at least he is not lying to us blatantly. What do you think, Naga?”

“I agree with your opinion. When he was talking about his daughter, his tears were real.”

“That’s right. Assuming everything he said was true, do you have any good ideas?”

Naga nodded seriously.

“It should work.”

“It will work? Really!?”

“The most important part of the plan is to get Eliushune or Vita near the fort. From what we heard about the structure of the fort, there isn’t a need to infiltrate the it; just being near the walls would be enough.”

“That would mean sending Eliushune first, right?”

“This is the safest and simplest way, but letting Vita approach the fort herself, without Eliushune, is also an option.”

“That is true, but Vita doesn’t have much defense. She could manipulate weight to guard herself, but if she does that, even we won’t be able to go near the fort.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“How do you plan to solve this?”

“We have people who can launch ranged attacks. I plan to use this method to tie up the enemy’s forces, then distract them, and use the chances to approach.”

Harrigan thought about it for a moment and turned her face back.
“The long range attacker is Ais?”

“That’s right, Ais’ stone throwing attack is very powerful, and she can attack from outside the range of normal bows. It would be hard for the defending soldiers to handle her.”

“Won’t they leave the fort and sally forth?”

“The enemy are witches, and you think they would dare to send two hundred soldiers to counterattack?”

Harrigan shook her head, as that made sense.

“I don’t think they have the guts.”

“If they move out in full force and leave the fort empty, that will play into my hands. If Ais, Lela and Yuuki keep attacking from a distance, they should be able to intimidate them and keep their attention. Vita can use the chance to approach.”

“Is doing that alright? Vita is a crucial figure in this operation, isn’t she? If she gets injured, wouldn’t the entire plan be ruined?”

“You are right, but logically speaking, Vita won’t be taking too big of a risk.”

“…I hope so.”

“But just to be safe, we should prepare Eliushune’s mantle so it can be used at a moment’s notice.”

Harrigan leaned forward and asked:

“Specifically speaking, how are you planning to take the fort?”

“Here’s what I plan to do.”

Naga then explained to Harrigan the details of the strategy to capture the fort.

“First will be Ais and the duo of Yuuki and Lela, who will attack at long range from two different places. Let’s set them to the west and south. Ais will throw rocks and Yuuki will carry Lela and her talismans into the sky above the fort, before making them burst into flames as she tosses them down. That way, the defending soldiers will fall into confusion.”

“Once the soldiers focus their attention on them, Kay will use this chance to charge to the eastern wall, and of course, bring Elysione’s cloak with her. If she hardens her body, the soldiers won’t be able to harm her no matter how many arrows they shoot. Once she has reached the wall, she needs to place the cloak down. The soldiers in the fort won’t leave the fort just to take the cloak, since they are under the witches’ attack.”

“When Vita uses her spell, it will be best to gather the defending forces in the east. So after Kay puts down the cloak, the participating witches will need to show themselves. Ais will stop and Yuuki will retreat. That should get the soldiers, who still have the strength to defend, to gather on the eastern walls.”

“Once Kay has put down the cloak, Elysione will immediately bring Vita to the wall. Kay will then withdraw temporarily… No, I figure she should stay put, and act as Elysione and Vita’s guard.”

“Once Vita teleports to the wall, she will begin her spell immediately. As for the structure of the fort, assuming the information given by Raibach is correct, almost all of the soldiers should be unable to move. If not all, then at least 80% of them should be incapacitated. When Vita uses her spell, Elysione won’t be able to move either, she’ll have to bear with it then.”

“We will leave the north alone, and attack from the west and the south. We will then close in from the east. This is to show the fort soldiers that there are no threats from the north. This is to give the soldiers the impression that, ‘we won’t be able to escape if we are completely surrounded, let’s run while we are still able to do so.’”

“When Vita uses the spell ‘Song of Gravity’ and captures all the soldiers gathered on the eastern side, we need to find a way to tie up these soldiers, so they won’t be able to move freely when the spell is released. To prevent Vita from being attacked by soldiers outside her range, Ais would need to attack more fiercely.

“Wait a moment, Naga.”

Harrigan raised her hand to stop Naga’s explanation.

“You mentioned tying up the soldiers while they are immobile, but how do you do that specifically? We witches can’t resist Vita’s magic and enter the range of her spell. Our bodies will become heavy and we won’t be able to move if we go in, so how can we tie up the soldiers… Why are you staring so intensely at my body!?”

“Vita’s magic will increase a person’s original weight by two or three times, correct? Compared to Lela and Kay, it would be hard for you to move…”

*Knock*

“That hurts!”

*Knock knock knock*

“That really hurts! Don’t keep hitting me with your hair!”

The teary Naga leapt backwards from his stool to dodge the attack. Harrigan pulled her head of hardened hair back, but her eyes were full of fury as she glared at Naga.

“You are not considerate towards girls at all.”

“No such thing, I am famous for being considerate… probably.”

“You actually have the cheeks to say that.”

Harrigan blew her top once again and Naga waved his hands in front of him hurriedly.

“Alright, I know, it’s my fault.”

“Sorry”— Naga lowered his head in apology, and Harrigan’s hair fell onto her shoulders. Naga returned to his seat when he saw that.

“Alright, back to the topic.” Harrigan said grudgingly, after Naga sat properly.

“Ais might be able to move after Vita casts her spell, but that would take all her strength. It will also take a long time to bind the three hundred soldiers in the fort, and I don’t think Vita’s spell can last that long.”

“Speaking of which, she didn’t mention how long her spell could last.”

“This is her personal secret. The better known one’s magic is, the bigger the disadvantage. Not all witches live harmoniously with each other. More accurately speaking, most of us see each other as enemies.”

“I see, so even while facing the threat of being invaded by other nations, there are inter-tribe battles as well. I think I have heard something so regrettable in the past too.”

Naga was troubled.

(By the way, I have a feeling that this is something I experienced personally.)

“Something the matter?”

Naga looked at the ceiling deep in thought, and shook his head when Harrigan asked.

“There is a way to solve this problem.”

“There is a way!?”

Harrigan was shocked, and made an impressed expression.

“I see, as expected of Dragon King-sama.”

“Don’t mock me.”

“I’m not mocking you. Since there is a way, isn’t Fort Ein is as good as ours?”

Harrigan said confidently and Naga’s face turned serious.

“But there is a serious problem with this.”

“You mean there is a risk? But there is always some risk if we want to succeed, and our target is to take the fort without anyone dying or damaging the fort.”

“No, not that kind of danger.”

“???”

“The danger I am referring to is Yuuki. Specifically speaking, I am going to entrust her with a mission, but if I do that now, my life will probably be in danger…”

Naga sighed after saying that, and Harrigan laughed:

“What, so it’s that thing. I will order Yuuki to do it then.”

“I don’t think she will disobey if you give the word. No, that’s hard to say. Maybe she will resist strongly this time, since the main strategy involves sparing the lives of the Kasandora soldiers. Even if she agrees, she might screw things up as it goes against her will.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

Harrigan, who didn’t get it in the beginning, finally raised her head.

“By the way—”

She asked Naga:

“What mission are you giving her? Is it difficult? Why must it be Yuuki? Her magic is powerful, it will be hard for her not to harm the enemies while suppressing them.”

“The mission I want to assign her isn’t difficult, and I have no plans to use her magic to subdue the enemy.”

Harrigan frowned and tilted her head.

“What… do you mean by that?”

“This is what I mean.”

Naga leaned towards the side of Harrigan’s face and whispered.

After finishing, Naga returned to his seat.

“I… I see, only Yuuki could do it.”

Harrigan groaned and was impressed.

“Not only will this method subdue the enemy soldiers without them resisting, it will also resolve the issue quickly, so there is no need to worry about how long her magic will holdout.”

(It was the same last time, with Naga proposing a well-thought-out strategy. Normally, one wouldn’t even think of utilizing Yuuki’s ability in such a way.)

Harrigan was becoming more impressed.

“But there is also a problem, since this method couldn’t be used against the soldiers inside the buildings.”

“Ahh!” Harrigan pounded her thigh with her fist.

“That’s true; this method won’t stop the soldiers inside the buildings.”

“If we can push as many soldiers as possible into Vita’s magic range, the problem would be solved.”

“And so, you need us to reveal ourselves at this point, so the enemy will think we are going to attack the fort?”

“That’s right.” Naga said with a nod.

“The plan is to induce most of the soldiers to gather near the walls or towers in their attempt to disrupt our attack, but I am not confident that we can draw all of them out. Maybe we have to subdue the soldiers inside the buildings by force, and this is something I don’t wish to see. It would be for the best if they run away the first chance they get, because of the fear of being rendered immobile by magic.”

When she heard Naga say that, Harrigan answered confidently:

“Even if they don’t run, we have about forty witches here; handling a hundred soldiers would not be a problem.”

“With your combat prowess, subduing half of the troops wouldn’t take much time. But I hope to minimize the losses as much as possible, for both the witches and the enemy.”

Harrigan seemed a little troubled.

“In that battle earlier, you showed no mercy to the enemy, but you insist on not harming the enemy this time. In order to get the intelligence from Raibach, you promised him that…. The reason doesn’t seem to be this simple, so can you explain why are you insisting on this?”

“Because—” Naga leaned forward and said:

“The goal of this battle is to seize Fort Ein intact, and to change how the humans evaluate witches.”

“Our… evaluation?”

Harrigan blinked.

“The evaluation of most people about how witches are ‘violent and cold blooded’.”

“But that’s…”

Naga raised his right hand and stopped Harrigan who wanted to defend herself.

“I know. Anyone who has actually interacted with you all would know that isn’t true, barring those with extreme prejudice. But the humans who have never met you all before wouldn’t know.”

“Eh… t-that’s right.”

“This mindset has been ongoing for dozens of years. The truth isn’t important anymore, since humans already have a deep-rooted belief that this is the truth. And there are also things in this world that spread lies about the cruelty of the witches, for example: the church abusing the authority of god. This evaluation is already firmly set in their mind, am I right?”

Harrigan sighed heavily.

“Unfortunately… that is so.”

“So we just need to turn this evaluation around, for the sake of building a peaceful world for humans and witches.”

(T-This guy has a grand vision as usual.)

“The fort was taken; most of the soldiers were captured but did not lose their lives and were even released safely. I want to create this fact. Even if the Kasandora Kingdom tries to hush things up, the news will spread sooner or later as they can’t stop the people’s grapevines. Just the fact that the witches didn’t kill the soldiers would be enough to make the humans doubt their impression that the witches are ‘violent, cruel and merciless’. It might just be doubt in the beginning, and they might even question if that was the truth, but if this accumulates over the years, it will overturn the current evaluation one day.”

Harrigan answered with a soft mutter.

“You vision is wide, and you can see the future very well. I feel impressed every time I see this.”

“That’s too exaggerated; anyone can understand if they think about it in detail.”

(The problem is that no one can think about it in such detail.)

“But things aren’t so simple, we can’t just wait idly and hope the prevailing evaluation will be overturned someday. We have to actively spread this truth that runs contrary to their evaluation, and disperse the news widely.”

“W-We have to do something like that too?”

“Of course. In a way, war is a battle of intelligence. Obtaining accurate enemy intelligence and spreading news that is beneficial to our army, all of these are crucial factors in winning the final victory.”

“Dragon King-sama is good with tactics, and is underhanded in doing so.”

“I wasn’t expecting that.”

Naga wasn’t happy about that comment. Just then, Harrigan shouted “Alright!” and clapped her hands.

“I understand; we will proceed as you proposed. I will beg Yuuki to help us, and do my best to convince her.”

“I will accompany you and ask her too.”

“In that case…”

“What? Did you think of a good idea?”

“Let’s bring Vita along to plead with her.”

“…Is it fine to ask her for something like this?” Naga was confused.

“The future of both our clans depends on this, so she has to show up too.”

(Your personality is bad too.)

“You have any objections?”

“Eh, I want to confirm if we have that important thing.”

“We should have one or two of them, but their durability and toughness aren’t enough to subdue the enemy. And we will need multiple, so I’m thinking of remaking them.”

“Can you do that? This part requires intricate work to be done on it.”

“We have basically been providing for ourselves all this time, so making something like that is no big deal.”

“I will leave it to you then. So, how should we start?”
“Let me think. Let’s find Vita, and work from the outside in.”

Naga laughed.

“With you, Vita, and me lowering our heads to ask her, I don’t think Yuuki can reject us.”

“But like you said, it would be problematic if she did this unwillingly, so we have to really convince her, don’t we?”

“If it’s up to me…” Naga’s face became sullen.

“Who else can we entrust with this mission?”
“Ugh…. That’s true.”

“We will be going to Vita’s side tomorrow, let’s ask her then.”

“Alright, it’s settled then.”

=== Part 5 ===

The next day—

Naga and Harrigan visited Sraymeyer Fort right before noon, and had a conference with Vita in one of the rooms of the residential block.

Naga sat on a stool and explained his strategy, while Vita, who was also on a stool, didn’t say anything and listened carefully.

“… And this is the strategy I plan to use to take Fort Ein.”

After finishing his explanation, Naga stared at Vita as he finished speaking.

“Hmm, I see.” Vita crossed her arms and answered in a soft voice.

“If we used this method, not just us, even the enemy won’t suffer any casualties, and we can take the fort undamaged for our own use. It is a well-thought-out plan. But there are some elements of uncertainty.”

“That’s right, we have to confirm if the structure in the fort is just as Raibach described. Which is meant to clarify if the range of your magic can cover more than half of the fort. If there are any problems, we have to reconsider the entire plan.“

“And where to place Elysio’s cloak, as well as whether the enemy will fall for the trick and gather in the eastern part…”

“We can’t confirm where the enemy will be positioned, so we have to adjust our plan accordingly.”

“That’s… true.”

“There’s another thing to confirm with you. Elysione mentioned she can teleport with one more person, right? This means she can teleport together with you?”

“Hmm? Oh, that can be done, it’s just that we never tried it before.” Vita said with a solemn face.

“That’s doesn’t sound confident, will it be harder to move if there’s two people? Or is there some other danger?”

“That’s not what I mean; it’s just that I will encounter something unpleasant along the way.”

Naga made a strange expression and pressed Vita:

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t mind it; anyway, Vita can teleport together with me, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

“In that case…”

Naga and Harrigan exchanged a look.

“The only problem left is Yuuki.”

“Yes, only Yuuki is left.”

“Yuuki is indeed a big problem. If we are to capture the enemy alive by using my magic, Yuuki’s participation is very important.”

Naga turned his face towards Vita and asked with a serious expression:

“Regarding this matter, I have a request for you, Vita.”

“What is it, why so serious?”

“Can you ask Yuuki for her help together with Harrigan and me?”

“What do you mean?”

Seeing Vita looking at him, Naga scratched his head.

“Actually, I am not very sure, but I heard her family was killed by the humans, and she really hates human men.”

“I have heard about her hating humans, but there are no witches who welcome men; Yuuki is no exception.”

Vita shifted her eyes towards Harrigan, who sighed softly and said:

“Her childhood experience left a deep trauma in her heart, so her hatred towards humans is exceptional among us. If the mission were to kill human soldiers, she would accept it, no matter how dangerous. But if it is to capture them alive, I’m not sure that she will cooperate.”

“Eh, so the two of you are planning to beg her?”

“Yes. Actually, we are hoping you could join us.”

Naga said. Vita pulled a long face of annoyance when she heard that.

“As the Sraymeyer Clan Head, why must I do that for a witch from your side?”

“This battle doesn’t only concern the fate of the Heindler Clan; it will also decide the future of your clan.”

“That’s true.” Vita looked into the distance and pondered for a moment. She then turned her head back. “Alright, I am not very willing, but I will lower my head along with you two and ask for her help.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Sorry for troubling you, Vita.”

Naga and Harrigan lowered their heads to Vita and thanked her.

“You mentioned the future of our clan, which is correct. If enduring for a moment will lead to a bright future for my clan, I won’t mind the hardships.”

“My apologies.”

“When do you plan to ask her?”

“Time is short; I hope to settle this tomorrow.”

“I see. I will visit your fort tomorrow morning to ask Yuuki then.”

“Thanks for the help.”

After that, the three continued discussing the strategy of attacking Fort Ein. After finishing for the day, Naga and Harrigan bid Vita farewell and returned to their fort.

=== Part 6 ===

The next morning—

Vita showed up at the fort as promised, bringing Elysione and another witch named Lilly.

She ordered Elysione and Lilly to standby in another room, and headed to the room where Naga, Harrigan, and Ais were waiting. As they would be asking Yuuki for help, Naga and Harrigan requested for Ais’ presence in case anything happened.

At this moment, Naga, Harrigan, Ais, and Vita sat in a circle, surrounding Yuuki, who was summoned to the room.

“Hmm? What is going on? Harrigan Nee-san and Naga are here as usual, but why are Ais and Vita clan head also here? Did I do something wrong? Or rather, are you going to do something to me?”

After entering the room, Yuuki had been stealing glances at the four of them repeatedly.

“Why am I sitting on a stool, but all of you are sitting on the ground? Are you asking me to look down on the four of you?”

Yuuki’s face was deathly pale, and sweat glistened on her forehead. Even the defiant Yuuki felt a lot of pressure when she faced these four people.

“Yuuki, we have something to tell you.” Harrigan said in a serious tone.

“I-I-I think so too. I would have run away if the four of you didn’t have any business with me.”

Yuuki broke out in cold sweat all over her body as she replied, and the four of them knelt down without any warning.

“Hyaa?” Yuuki jumped from surprise and backed away.

“W-W-What is this!? What does this mean!? Are you all joking with me!? Is this a new way of pulling a prank!?”

Harrigan lifted her head and soothed her: “Calm down, Yuuki.”

But Yuuki was still shocked and suspicious.

“Aren’t you all… angry?”

“Of course not.”

“Aren’t you going to punish me for trying to kill the prisoner?”

“We have no intention of doing that. We called for you today because we have a request for you. Please take a seat.”

Under the watchful gaze of Harrigan, Ais, and Vita, Yuuki appeared really timid as she returned to her seat, and sat down fearfully on the stool.

“We want to attack Fort Ein while avoiding damage to the fort itself and preventing casualties for both the witches and humans, so we will need your help, Yuuki. Please lend us your aid.”

After she finished, Harrigan lowered her head earnestly once more. Not just her, Naga, Ais, and even Vita, who was the head of another clan, pressed their foreheads to the floor, begging for her help.

“This…”

Yuuki couldn’t say anything for a moment.

She understood that an important task would be entrusted to her, but if that was it, Harrigan could just issue a direct order. She might not be willing to follow the command, but Yuuki wouldn’t outright reject Harrigan’s orders. But Harrigan didn’t do that, and even asked Vita to beg with her. Yuuki tried to think about what this meant.

She couldn’t understand and gave up immediately, deciding to ask directly instead.

“Why didn’t you just give me the order? And what kind of mission will be given to me? Will I be in danger of losing my life?”

“No, it’s not that dangerous.” Harrigan raised her head and replied.

“I don’t understand. Since it’s not dangerous, why not just issue a command? But instead of doing that, you ask me like this. And while surrounded by the four of you, being asked is much scarier than being ordered. Also, isn’t Clan Head Vita an outsider? Why is Clan Head Vita lowering her head too?”

“Fufu”, Vita laughed cheerfully.

“I’m here to ask for your help on the Dragon King-sama’s request. He thinks you will find it harder to reject if I am present too.”

“T-That really makes it hard for me to reject, but I won’t refuse if it’s Harrigan Nee-san’s order anyway. Why go so far as to lower your head and ‘ask’ for my help?”

“Naga will explain this part. As for the mission we need you to undertake, he will explain that too. You see, Naga is the one who came up with the proposal to seize the fort.”

After hearing Harrigan say that, Yuuki scowled.

“So it’s because of you.”

“You don’t need to make such a face for me.”

“I don’t understand why we have to spare the enemies’ lives. After all, wouldn’t it be easier in the future if we kill more of them?”

Yuuki’s critique might be reasonable, but Naga just shook his head lightly when he heard that.

“Conquering Tenka is not a simple matter of how large your army is.”

“Ten… Ka?”

Yuuki wasn’t alone, as Harrigan, Ais, and Vita also had a look of confusion. Lela’s talisman couldn’t accurately translate the term ‘Tenka’, so Naga tried to say it in a way the witches could understand.

“Hmm, eh… oh, if I use the term ‘take over the world’, will you understand?”

“Take over the world?” Yuuki still couldn’t get it, and kept blinking her eyes.

“How is that possible; is that a metaphor?”

“Just think of it as a metaphor for overturning the common sense of the world that thinks witches and humans are sworn enemies, which requires revolutionizing the entire world order. Doing that is related to seizing a new world.”

Yuuki had a look of wonder on her face.

The new world Naga envisioned and his goal for the future of the witches had not taken concrete form in her mind yet. But she understood that Naga wanted to create a new world where witches and humans live in harmony, and knew he was acting in order to build this ideal world.

(He mentioned this in the past; seems like he was serious, and he really wants to build a world like that.)

“If we can build such a world, then there wouldn’t be witches with painful memories like me?”

Yuuki muttered softly.

Naga laughed gently.

“Yuuki, so you have the same ideas as Raibach.”

“W-What?”

“He said ‘can you really create a world where Humans and Witches can live in harmony, a place where humans and humans won’t fight with each other?’ and ‘If you can create such a world and craft such a future, there won’t be children like Elena who are killed at such a young age.’”

“W-Who is Elena?”

“That was Raibach’s child. Ten years ago, the place he lived in was invaded by barbarians; his wife and daughter were murdered.”

This seemed to have struck a chord with Yuuki, and she showed a rare face of sadness.

“…I-Is that so?”

“If Raibach’s child was still alive, she would be about your age. He said his deceased daughter looked very much like you.”

Yuuki sneered and reverted back to her usual face and attitude.

“He is just trying to get on my good side because he almost died by my hands, right?”

“He looked surprised when you appeared in the room, right? I don’t think he was faking his reaction.”

“I didn’t watch that closely.”

“Forget about Raibach for now, back to the topic. In order to build a new world, and overturn the common sense that ‘witches and humans are sworn enemies, I want to avoid killing any enemy soldiers whenever possible.”

“How is not killing the enemy soldiers related to building a new world? I can’t understand.” Yuuki puffed her cheeks unhappily and asked a sarcastic question.

“Witches are not violent and cold blooded, but are instead kind, benevolent, and merciful… I want the humans to learn these facts. It is not easy to overturn their values and perceptions, but we need to make such views waver. With time, their common sense will be proven wrong. When that time comes, humans will be willing to stand on the same side as us.”

Yuuki lowered her head and seemed to be thinking about something. Harrigan and Ais looked at Yuuki with eyes filled with kindness, while Vita observed her curiously.

Shortly thereafter, Yuuki lifted her head and mumbled:

“I still don’t understand, but I don’t mind cooperation for the sake of building a new world.”
Harrigan’s and Ais’ faces brightened, Vita laughed, and Naga was all smiles.

“That is wonderful, as there is something only you can do after all.”

“Hold it! Tell me what I need to do first, or I won’t be able to give you a definite answer.”

“Oh, this is what we want to ask of you.”

Naga explained how to use Vita’s magic to seize the fort, and how the strategy will not harm the soldiers or damage the fort.

“Oh, so that’s it… That’s why Clan Head Vita is here?” Yuuki looked towards Vita.

“That’s right.” Vita nodded in acknowledgement.

“There is no problem in using my magic to subdue the soldiers, but there isn’t any witch in either tribe who can withstand my spell and bind the soldiers. The only one who can still move would probably be Ais.”

Ais showed a proud face.

“Aside from having a huge body, Ais also has lots of fat, her breasts and butt looks really heavy. No matter how strong she is, she might not be able to overcome the increased weight.”

Ais had a smile on her face, but her veins were showing on her temple. But no matter how gutsy Ais was, she wouldn’t dare rebuke Vita, so that smile on her face just turned stiffer and stiffer.

“Which is to say, the Dragon King-sama is giving up on binding the soldiers in the fort, and will be entrusting these things to you.”

Yuuki turned her gaze to Naga.

“Your head is always full of strange ideas.”

“Isn’t my head really good?”

“To think you can devise such a plan. I don’t think your head is good, it’s just that your personality is evil.”

“That’s so mean.” Naga grumbled.

Harrigan and Vita couldn’t help their snickering, and Ais finally relaxed her stiff smile and laughed gently.

Never mind, Naga lifted his spirits.

“How about it, are you willing to cooperate?”

After hearing his question, Yuuki puffed her chest out and said arrogantly:

“Piece of cake. And the soldiers will be subdued by Clan Head Vita, so I won’t have to worry about getting hit by arrows. It won’t be a problem.”

Hearing Yuuki’s response, Naga shouted “Alright!” agitatedly.

“Since Yuuki is willing to work with us, we will begin the operation to seize Fort Ein immediately.”

=== Part 7 ===

And so, the Heindler and Sraymeyer Clans worked together and began preparations to take Fort Ein.

The date that they would attack was tentatively set to be ten days later.

<noinclude>
==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
| Return to [[Ochitekita_Ryuuou_to_Horobiyuku_Majo_no_Kuni|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
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</noinclude>

Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 3

2017-02-16T10:54:59Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 3 */

==Chapter 3: Future Outlook==

=== Part 1 ===

Kay brought dinner in, and ate it together with Naga and Raibaha.
Kay tried to chat with Raibaha as they ate, but his replies were halfhearted.

“Tch. How boring.” Kay complained and kept the cutlery.

“Don’t hold back on your requests, Raibaha. Aside from undoing your ropes or letting you escape, anything else would be fine.”

“No… I don’t have any requests.”

“Nothing?”

“How about massaging my feet, Kay?”

“What? I am asking Raibaha, why are you making such overboard demands as if this was natural, Naga? That is so strange.”

Naga laughed in response to Kay’s retort.

“Just kidding, don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad.”

“Then help me massage.”

“Huh? Are you joking with me!?”

“Of course I’m kidding.”

“How irritating.”

Kay snatched Naga’s plate away.

“Alright, I’m cleaning up.”

“Ah, there’s still a bit left…”

“I. am. cleaning. up.”

“Alright, alright.”

As Naga was smiling wryly, thumping footsteps came from the corridor outside.

“Hmm? Harrigan Nee-san?”

“Harrigan wouldn’t be walking so agitatedly.”

“That’s true, did Ais get angry?”

“Eh, wait.”

Naga waved his hand with his face turning green.

“We didn’t do anything to anger Ais.”

“That’s true, then…”

When Kay turned to the entrance, the footfalls stop. The door was then opened violently; revealing Yuuki with the corners of her eyes raised greatly.

“I heard that we captured a soldier of the Cassandra Army!?”

Kay responded affirmatively because of the pressure from Yuuki.

“I will kill him.”

Yuuki’s expression turned into rage and a strange light shone from her eyes.

“I will kill him in the cruelest way possible.”

Raibaha opened his eyes wide and stared at the vile-mouthed Yuuki. He knew that Yuuki wasn’t joking, but he wasn’t afraid as he stared at Yuuki with a lost expression.

“Eh, what the hell are you saying, Yuuki?”

“You are the one speaking nonsense, Kay. Why didn’t you kill the enemy immediately!?”

“In order to gather intel.”

“Do you need to treat him like a guest when doing that?”

“I’m not doing that.”

“Yes you are, you’re letting him stay here and even prepared an entire set of bedding. If you are trying to get intel, why not torture him!? Did he spill the beans already?”

“No, he is still thinking about it.”

“Huh? Why give him that choice? We don’t have the time to wait, let me handle it. I will make him spit out the information we need. Let me think… I will cut off his fingers one by one. To prevent him from dying because of blood loss, I will cauterize the wounds with a burning iron plate. He will definitely give in after cutting off two or three fingers. If he won’t, I will cut off all his fingers and toes, and he will beg me to kill him. When he spills everything, I will take his life if he asks, and it’ll all be settled.”

The agitated Yuuki spoke passionately as she took a couple of steps forward.

“I will handle this, so back off, Kay.”

“Eh, don’t decide that on your own, Yuuki.”

Kay also took a step forward to block Yuuki.

“Are you planning to stop me? Kay?”

“If Harrigan Nee-san and Naga don’t give you permission, I advise you not to be reckless.”

Yuuki cast a glance at Naga who had crossed his arms with a serious expression and showed no intention to speak. After confirming that, Yuuki turned back and faced Kay again.

“You… are helping the humans?”

“I don’t mean to do so, and don’t do anything that will spoil the image of witches.”

“If you don’t back off, I will cut you to pieces.”

“Hmmpf! Do it if you can. Your wind blades can’t harm me!”

The skin on Kay’s exposed limbs started turning grey.

“You think you are tough enough to take my wind blades!?”

“Go on, try me.”

“Why are you protecting that guy!?”

Yuuki was furious as she pointed to Raibach, behind Kay.

“This man is one of the soldiers who are always trying to kill us! Why let him live!?”

At this moment, Raibaha suddenly asked,

“Ah, let me ask you.”

Yuuki’s body stiffened.

“W-What!? Don’t think of begging for your life!”

“Was your family killed by us… by the Army of the Caesandra Kingdom?”

“Not by the soldiers of the Kingdom, but…” Yuuki answered softly, but then lost her composure. “It’s humans! Humans gathered everyone and massacred them!”

Raibaha watched Yuuki and his brow twitched.

“I see, you have a tragic past too. No wonder you hate humans. If you are bent on killing me… Please do so.”

Bafflement flashed across Yuuki’s face for a moment, but she puffed her chest with an arrogant look in no time.

“Look, even the subject himself said so. So let me do it.”

“Eh, why did you say that, Raibaha!?”

“Kay, you don’t need to protect him, get out of the way.”

“You two… Kay, Yuuki- you two are comrades, so don’t quarrel over someone like me.”

“Ahhh, that’s why… Ahhh—! So troublesome!” Kay grabbed her head exasperatedly. “My head isn’t that good; I can’t process something so complicated~~”

After holding her head and squatting for a while, she stood up. “I still think Yuuki shouldn’t kill this man. I will stop you.”

“Damn it…” Yuuki cursed angrily. “If you dare to stop me, I will really cut you to shreds.”

“Try it if you can.”

Kay’s grey skin turned silver with a metallic luster.

“What’s with the din? I have a morning shift tomorrow and need to sleep early, so stop with the noise.”

Arurukan said so casually when she popped up at the door. Noticing the tense atmosphere in the room, she stood stiff on the spot.

“Y-Y-You two, what are you doing?”

Yuuki and Kay glared at each other and ignored the baffled Arurukan. An intense fighting aura welled up about them.

“Yuuki.”

Naga said all of a sudden.

“W-What is it. Even if you try to lecture me… Eh, what are you doing?”

Yuuki turned her face towards Naga and found him kneeling on the floor with his forehead on the ground. She was shocked and took a large step back.

“What… the hell are you doing!?”

“I don’t know why you hate humans so much, and cannot understand how you feel. But in order to create a world where witches can live a happy life, this man is necessary. So can you please bear with it? I’m begging you.” Naga pleaded with her while on his knees.

“W… What…”

Yuuki looked down at the back of Naga’s head with a shocked face. She didn’t expect Naga to kneel down to her for a man he didn’t even know.
“I-Is the information this guy has that important!?”

Naga raised his head slowly and looked up at Yuuki.

“I will only know if it is important after hearing it, but it might be very important. If I can gain critical intel, we will be able to seize Fort Ein without sacrificing any witches or humans.”

Yuuki looked at Naga with a face of doubt, but her anger had been soothed a lot.

“W-Why do you care about the lives of those inhuman soldiers!? If we kill all of them, we can cut down the enemy’s numbers.”

“That might be true for the current situation, but taking the future into consideration, not having any sacrifices would be advantageous for us.”

Yuuki showed a troubled expression.

“I-I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“It’s fine if you don’t understand, but can you trust me this once?”

“How could I trust someone like you!?”

“Ehh, that’s too harsh, Yuuki.” Kay interjected. “Naga saved us when we were in danger. If not for him, we would have been chased out of the black forest long ago.”

“Eh… T-That’s true.”

“My head isn’t good, and I can’t analyze the situation, nor predict future developments. But I trust Naga. Since he said so, let’s leave this to him.”

Yuuki glared first at Kay as she said that, then Naga, and finally Raibaha. She then turned around abruptly and left in a huff.

“Move, Aru!”

“Nyaa?”

Yuuki’s fierce expression intimidated Arurukan, and she made way for her.

Just like the time she came, Yuuki stomped through the corridor when she left. Seeing her back disappear into the distance, Arurukan turned back and asked Kay, “What happened?”

“Well, it’s a long story. Where do I start…?”

Kay looked towards Naga for help.

“I will explain this to Arurukan later. I have something to ask Raibaha, and it would be better if Harrigan and Ais are present. They didn’t show up even after that ruckus. Did they turn in already?”

“Eh, I think Ais is out on patrol.”

“I see, she would have stopped Yuuki if she was here.”

(Or maybe not, she might even escalate things. Ais can’t control herself when she loses her temper, it would be an explosive scene if Yuuki retaliates.)

Kay thought about it, but didn’t say it out loud, afraid that someone would snitch on her.

“Harrigan nee-san should be in the fort, should I bring her over?” After Kay said that, Harrigan’s voice could be heard saying, “Why is Yuuki in the First Fort!?”

“Ohh, speak of the devil.”

Kay sighed in relief, thinking that she had washed her hands clean of the troublesome matter.

=== Part 2 ===

Most of the witches garrisoned here had gathered in the biggest room inside the fort. Naturally, Naga and Raibaha were also present.
The witches around Raibaha were:

Harrigan.

Ais.

Kay.

Nonoeru.

Arurukan.

Eleonortha.

Lela.

Mimone.

And of course, Yuuki was absent. The sisters, Linne and Linna, were on guard duty, thus not in the room. After receiving Harrigan’s pigeon message, Lela immediately rushed to the First Fort on horseback behind Mimone.
Harrigan sighed softly after hearing Kay’s report.

“That’s why I didn’t want Yuuki to know about this.”

When Lela received the pigeon message, Yuuki was just setting off from the Third Fort. In the confusion, she found out about Kay capturing a human soldier, so she rushed here on her air board alone.

“Forget it… No, we are not done yet. Getting detailed intelligence from that man takes priority… right, Naga?”

“That’s true.” Naga replied with a troubled face.

“Didn’t that man say he would consider giving us information about the fort? Did something change while we were gathering?”

“Aside from the detailed information about the fort, there is one thing I am very concerned with.”

“What is that?”

Harrigan prompted him to continue. Naga shifted his stool and faced Raibaha.

“Raibaha, you seemed surprised when Yuuki appeared just now. There are plenty of witches here that are unknown to you, but why did Yuuki surprise you so much?”

“Ah… Huh~~ you have sharp eyes.”

Raibaha’s vision wavered and he stretched out his right hand to scratch his head. He then recounted his tale slowly.

“I had a daughter.”

Raibaha said something unrelated, making Naga and the other witches to look at him puzzledly.

“If she were still alive, she would probably be about the age of you two.” Raibaha said as he pointed at Nonoeru and Kay. “It doesn’t sound convincing for a parent to say this, but she really was a cute kid.”

“……”

They were actually not interested in Raibaha’s personal affairs. Naga and Harrigan looked at each other, hesitating about whether to stop him or not.

“When I was out on a campaign once, barbarians invaded the city I lived in, ravaged the streets and killed the citizens.”

Naga and Harrigan were shocked and turned their heads away.

“I couldn’t find the remains of my wife and daughter in the end. There were thousands of charred corpses in the streets, and I think my family was probably murdered there.”

“I can empathize with you, but right now we are…”

Raibaha continued in a calm tone as if he didn’t hear what Harrigan said:

“That witch just now, the one who was shouting about wanting to kill me, is Yuuki, right?”

“Yuuki is hard to get along with, but she has her circumstances. If she made you feel uncomfortable, let me apologize…”

“No, that’s not it.” Raibaha raised his head, his expression strange and complicated. “That girl looks really similar to my dead daughter.”

He looked up to the roof, his eyes far away.

“My dead daughter is actually alive and appeared before me. That thought occurred to me for an instant, surprising me.”

Raibaha said sadly, but Harrigan’s reply was cold.

“My condolences for your loss, but she is a witch, not your daughter.”

“That’s true, I know that very well too, but… They really look identical, it’s like my daughter who survived somewhere appeared, so I…”

Raibaha said passionately, but stopped midway.

“…I …I” He turned his gaze back from the ceiling, tears falling from his eyes.

“I won’t have any complaints if that girl kills me, my daughter must have hated me the same way. If I didn’t go off to fight a war in that dangerous time, and stayed with my wife and daughter, they would still be alive today.”

Harrigan wasn’t sure how to respond and kept quiet. Naga couldn’t say anything and watched him without a word. It was the same for the other witches. The entire room fell silent.

“Dragon King, you mentioned about creating a world where humans and witches coexist in peace. If it succeeds, will the fighting between humans cease?”

Naga said confidently with a gentle smile on his face, “What a silly question.”

“If Witches and humans can be at peace, so can humans and humans.”

“That make sense. If you can create such a world and craft such a future, there won’t be children like Elena, who are killed at such a young age.”

“Your daughter is named Elena?”

“Yes, her name’s Elena. Ahh, Elena.”

Raibaha buried his face in his hands.

“She must have been so scared, and suffered so much and… been hoping I would come to save them. But… I…”

Raibaha curled up and sniffling sounds escaped from his lips. Naga, Harrigan, and the other witches did not say anything to console him, and his cries filled the entire room. A short time later, Raibaha put down his hands. He turned to Naga with tears on his face.

“Hey, Dragon King. Can you really create a world where Humans and Witches can live in harmony? A place where humans and humans won’t fight with each other?”

“Of course I can… is what I want to say, but regrettably, I can’t make this promise lightly. I can only say that I will do my best. Doing all we can is important. If we don’t work hard, we won’t be able to make this brand new world a reality, and pave our future.”

(Can’t make this promise lightly, huh? That means he views this very seriously. Maybe this man can really create a world like that.)

Raibaha didn’t have or want a dream. Maybe it’s because his memories of his family made him sad, or maybe he was compelled by the hope that doing this will lessen his self reproach. Raibaha wiped away the tears on his face.

“If I tell you the details of the fort, there won’t be any sacrifices?”

Naga didn’t nod; he just puffed his chest out.

“I can’t guarantee that there wouldn’t be any, but the chances are high.”

“I am not hoping for zero deaths, but can you promise to keep casualties to a minimum?”

When he heard that, Naga nodded firmly.

“Alright, I promise. I will seize the fort by utilizing a method without deaths.”

“In that case… I will tell you.”

Raibaha provided them with the required intel regarding the fort. But after the witches heard his tragic past, none of them showed any signs of glee.

=== Part 3 ===

Raibaha explained the structure of the fort and the placement of the guards in great detail. Lela noted down the important points on a parchment as he spoke.

After he was done, Raibaha added,

“The guard commander of the fort is a man named Baldkeist; he was one of the close subordinates of former General Geobalk, who took responsibility for the failed campaign and resigned. Similar to me, he was assigned to garrison the fort as cannon fodder. On the other hand, he isn’t too loyal to the new general, Guiscard, and won’t fight to the end if something does happen… That’s how I feel.”

“I see; this information is a great help.”

Naga smiled and turned his head.

“Harrigan, I have something to discuss with you.”

“Hmm? Oh, alright.”

Harrigan nodded, faced Kay and ordered:

“Bring that man back to his room. Nonoeru will stand guard with you, so Yuuki won’t come and stir up trouble.”

“Understood, Harrigan Nee-san.”

Kay and Nonoeru left the room with Raibaha while Naga and Harrigan moved into another room. They sat on stools and faced each other.

=== Part 4 ===

“Do you think his words can be trusted?”

After sitting down, Naga asked. Harrigan crossed her arms as she sat on the stool, answering thoughtfully:

“He doesn’t seem to be lying, at least he is not lying to us blatantly. What do you think, Naga?”

“I agree with your opinion. When he was talking about his daughter, his tears were real.”

“That’s right. Assuming everything he was true, do you have any good ideas?”

Naga nodded seriously.

“It should work.”

“It will work? Really!?”

“The most important part of the plan is to get Elysione or Vita near the fort. From what we heard about the structure of the fort, there isn’t a need to infiltrate the it; just being near the walls would be enough.”

“That would mean sending Elysione first, right?”

“This is the safest and simplest way, but letting Vita approach the fort herself, without Elysione, is also an option.”

“That is true, but Vita doesn’t have much defense. She could manipulate weight to guard herself, but if she does that, even we won’t be able to go near the fort.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“How do you plan to solve this?”

“We have people who can launch ranged attacks. I plan to use this method to tie up the enemy’s forces, then distract them, and use the chances to approach.”

Harrigan thought about it for a moment and turned her face back.
“The long range attacker is Ais?”

“That’s right, Ais’ stone throwing attack is very powerful, and she can attack from outside the range of normal bows. It would be hard for the defending soldiers to handle her.”

“Won’t they leave the fort and sally forth?”

“The enemy are witches, and you think they would dare to send two hundred soldiers to counterattack?”

Harrigan shook her head, as that make sense.

“I don’t think they have the guts.”

“If they move out in full force and leave the fort empty, that will play into my hands. If Ais, Lela and Yuuki keep attacking from a distance, they should be able to intimidate them and keep their attention. Vita can use the chance to approach.”

“Is doing that alright? Vita is a crucial figure in this operation, isn’t she? If she gets injured, wouldn’t the entire plan be ruined?”

“You are right, but logically speaking, Vita won’t be taking too big of a risk.”

“…I hope so.”

“But just to be safe, we should prepare Elysione’s cloak so it can be used at a moment’s notice.”

Harrigan leaned forward and asked:

“Specifically speaking, how are you planning to take the fort?”

“Here’s what I plan to do.”

Naga then explained to Harrigan the details of the strategy to capture the fort.
“First will be Ais and the duo of Yuuki and Lela, who will attack at long range from two different places. Let’s set them to the west and south. Ais will throw rocks and Yuuki will carry Lela and her talismans into the sky above the fort, before making them burst into flames as she tosses them down. That way, the defending soldiers will fall into confusion.”

“Once the soldiers focus their attention on them, Kay will use this chance to charge to the eastern wall, and of course, bring Elysione’s cloak with her. If she hardens her body, the soldiers won’t be able to harm her no matter how many arrows they shoot. Once she has reached the wall, she needs to place the cloak down. The soldiers in the fort won’t leave the fort just to take the cloak, since they are under the witches’ attack.”

“When Vita uses her spell, it will be best to gather the defending forces in the east. So after Kay puts down the cloak, the participating witches will need to show themselves. Ais will stop and Yuuki will retreat. That should get the soldiers, who still have the strength to defend, to gather on the eastern walls.”

“Once Kay has put down the cloak, Elysione will immediately bring Vita to the wall. Kay will then withdraw temporarily… No, I figure she should stay put, and act as Elysione and Vita’s guard.”

“Once Vita teleports to the wall, she will begin her spell immediately. As for the structure of the fort, assuming the information given by Raibach is correct, almost all of the soldiers should be unable to move. If not all, then at least 80% of them should be incapacitated. When Vita uses her spell, Elysione won’t be able to move either, she’ll have to bear with it then.”

“We will leave the north alone, and attack from the west and the south. We will then close in from the east. This is to show the fort soldiers that there are no threats from the north. This is to give the soldiers the impression that, ‘we won’t be able to escape if we are completely surrounded, let’s run while we are still able to do so.’”

“When Vita uses the spell ‘Song of Gravity’ and captures all the soldiers gathered on the eastern side, we need to find a way to tie up these soldiers, so they won’t be able to move freely when the spell is released. To prevent Vita from being attacked by soldiers outside her range, Ais would need to attack more fiercely.

“Wait a moment, Naga.”

Harrigan raised her hand to stop Naga’s explanation.

“You mentioned tying up the soldiers while they are immobile, but how do you do that specifically? We witches can’t resist Vita’s magic and enter the range of her spell. Our bodies will become heavy and we won’t be able to move if we go in, so how can we tie up the soldiers… Why are you staring so intensely at my body!?”

“Vita’s magic will increase a person’s original weight by two or three times, correct? Compared to Lela and Kay, it would be hard for you to move…”

*Knock*

“That hurts!”

*Knock knock knock*

“That really hurts! Don’t keep hitting me with your hair!”

The teary Naga leapt backwards from his stool to dodge the attack. Harrigan pulled her head of hardened hair back, but her eyes were full of fury as she glared at Naga.

“You are not considerate towards girls at all.”

“No such thing, I am famous for being considerate… probably.”

“You actually have the cheeks to say that.”

Harrigan blew her top once again and Naga waved his hands in front of him hurriedly.

“Alright, I know, it’s my fault.”

“Sorry”— Naga lowered his head in apology, and Harrigan’s hair fell onto her shoulders. Naga returned to his seat when he saw that.

“Alright, back to the topic.” Harrigan said grudgingly, after Naga sat properly.

“Ais might be able to move after Vita casts her spell, but that would take all her strength. It will also take a long time to bind the three hundred soldiers in the fort, and I don’t think Vita’s spell can last that long.”

“Speaking of which, she didn’t mention how long her spell could last.”

“This is her personal secret. The better known one’s magic is, the bigger the disadvantage. Not all witches live harmoniously with each other. More accurately speaking, most of us see each other as enemies.”

“I see, so even while facing the threat of being invaded by other nations, there are inter-tribe battles as well. I think I have heard something so regrettable in the past too.”

Naga was troubled.

(By the way, I have a feeling that this is something I experienced personally.)

“Something the matter?”

Naga looked at the ceiling deep in thought, and shook his head when Harrigan asked.

“There is a way to solve this problem.”

“There is a way!?”

Harrigan was shocked, and made an impressed expression.

“I see, as expected of Dragon King-sama.”

“Don’t mock me.”

“I’m not mocking you. Since there is a way, isn’t Fort Ein is as good as ours?”

Harrigan said confidently and Naga’s face turned serious.

“But there is a serious problem with this.”

“You mean there is a risk? But there is always some risk if we want to succeed, and our target is to take the fort without anyone dying or damaging the fort.”

“No, not that kind of danger.”

“???”

“The danger I am referring to is Yuuki. Specifically speaking, I am going to entrust her with a mission, but if I do that now, my life will probably be in danger…”

Naga sighed after saying that, and Harrigan laughed:

“What, so it’s that thing. I will order Yuuki to do it then.”

“I don’t think she will disobey if you give the word. No, that’s hard to say. Maybe she will resist strongly this time, since the main strategy involves sparing the lives of the Kasandora soldiers. Even if she agrees, she might screw things up as it goes against her will.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

Harrigan, who didn’t get it in the beginning, finally raised her head.

“By the way—”

She asked Naga:

“What mission are you giving her? Is it difficult? Why must it be Yuuki? Her magic is powerful, it will be hard for her not to harm the enemies while suppressing them.”

“The mission I want to assign her isn’t difficult, and I have no plans to use her magic to subdue the enemy.”

Harrigan frowned and tilted her head.

“What… do you mean by that?”

“This is what I mean.”

Naga leaned towards the side of Harrigan’s face and whispered.

After finishing, Naga returned to his seat.

“I… I see, only Yuuki could do it.”

Harrigan groaned and was impressed.

“Not only will this method subdue the enemy soldiers without them resisting, it will also resolve the issue quickly, so there is no need to worry about how long her magic will holdout.”

(It was the same last time, with Naga proposing a well-thought-out strategy. Normally, one wouldn’t even think of utilizing Yuuki’s ability in such a way.)

Harrigan was becoming more impressed.

“But there is also a problem, since this method couldn’t be used against the soldiers inside the buildings.”

“Ahh!” Harrigan pounded her thigh with her fist.

“That’s true; this method won’t stop the soldiers inside the buildings.”

“If we can push as many soldiers as possible into Vita’s magic range, the problem would be solved.”

“And so, you need us to reveal ourselves at this point, so the enemy will think we are going to attack the fort?”

“That’s right.” Naga said with a nod.

“The plan is to induce most of the soldiers to gather near the walls or towers in their attempt to disrupt our attack, but I am not confident that we can draw all of them out. Maybe we have to subdue the soldiers inside the buildings by force, and this is something I don’t wish to see. It would be for the best if they run away the first chance they get, because of the fear of being rendered immobile by magic.”

When she heard Naga say that, Harrigan answered confidently:

“Even if they don’t run, we have about forty witches here; handling a hundred soldiers would not be a problem.”

“With your combat prowess, subduing half of the troops wouldn’t take much time. But I hope to minimize the losses as much as possible, for both the witches and the enemy.”

Harrigan seemed a little troubled.

“In that battle earlier, you showed no mercy to the enemy, but you insist on not harming the enemy this time. In order to get the intelligence from Raibach, you promised him that…. The reason doesn’t seem to be this simple, so can you explain why are you insisting on this?”

“Because—” Naga leaned forward and said:

“The goal of this battle is to seize Fort Ein intact, and to change how the humans evaluate witches.”

“Our… evaluation?”

Harrigan blinked.

“The evaluation of most people about how witches are ‘violent and cold blooded’.”

“But that’s…”

Naga raised his right hand and stopped Harrigan who wanted to defend herself.

“I know. Anyone who has actually interacted with you all would know that isn’t true, barring those with extreme prejudice. But the humans who have never met you all before wouldn’t know.”

“Eh… t-that’s right.”

“This mindset has been ongoing for dozens of years. The truth isn’t important anymore, since humans already have a deep-rooted belief that this is the truth. And there are also things in this world that spread lies about the cruelty of the witches, for example: the church abusing the authority of god. This evaluation is already firmly set in their mind, am I right?”

Harrigan sighed heavily.

“Unfortunately… that is so.”

“So we just need to turn this evaluation around, for the sake of building a peaceful world for humans and witches.”

(T-This guy has a grand vision as usual.)

“The fort was taken; most of the soldiers were captured but did not lose their lives and were even released safely. I want to create this fact. Even if the Kasandora Kingdom tries to hush things up, the news will spread sooner or later as they can’t stop the people’s grapevines. Just the fact that the witches didn’t kill the soldiers would be enough to make the humans doubt their impression that the witches are ‘violent, cruel and merciless’. It might just be doubt in the beginning, and they might even question if that was the truth, but if this accumulates over the years, it will overturn the current evaluation one day.”

Harrigan answered with a soft mutter.

“You vision is wide, and you can see the future very well. I feel impressed every time I see this.”

“That’s too exaggerated; anyone can understand if they think about it in detail.”

(The problem is that no one can think about it in such detail.)

“But things aren’t so simple, we can’t just wait idly and hope the prevailing evaluation will be overturned someday. We have to actively spread this truth that runs contrary to their evaluation, and disperse the news widely.”

“W-We have to do something like that too?”

“Of course. In a way, war is a battle of intelligence. Obtaining accurate enemy intelligence and spreading news that is beneficial to our army, all of these are crucial factors in winning the final victory.”

“Dragon King-sama is good with tactics, and is underhanded in doing so.”

“I wasn’t expecting that.”

Naga wasn’t happy about that comment. Just then, Harrigan shouted “Alright!” and clapped her hands.

“I understand; we will proceed as you proposed. I will beg Yuuki to help us, and do my best to convince her.”

“I will accompany you and ask her too.”

“In that case…”

“What? Did you think of a good idea?”

“Let’s bring Vita along to plead with her.”

“…Is it fine to ask her for something like this?” Naga was confused.

“The future of both our clans depends on this, so she has to show up too.”

(Your personality is bad too.)

“You have any objections?”

“Eh, I want to confirm if we have that important thing.”

“We should have one or two of them, but their durability and toughness aren’t enough to subdue the enemy. And we will need multiple, so I’m thinking of remaking them.”

“Can you do that? This part requires intricate work to be done on it.”

“We have basically been providing for ourselves all this time, so making something like that is no big deal.”

“I will leave it to you then. So, how should we start?”
“Let me think. Let’s find Vita, and work from the outside in.”

Naga laughed.

“With you, Vita, and me lowering our heads to ask her, I don’t think Yuuki can reject us.”

“But like you said, it would be problematic if she did this unwillingly, so we have to really convince her, don’t we?”

“If it’s up to me…” Naga’s face became sullen.

“Who else can we entrust with this mission?”
“Ugh…. That’s true.”

“We will be going to Vita’s side tomorrow, let’s ask her then.”

“Alright, it’s settled then.”

=== Part 5 ===

The next day—

Naga and Harrigan visited Sraymeyer Fort right before noon, and had a conference with Vita in one of the rooms of the residential block.

Naga sat on a stool and explained his strategy, while Vita, who was also on a stool, didn’t say anything and listened carefully.

“… And this is the strategy I plan to use to take Fort Ein.”

After finishing his explanation, Naga stared at Vita as he finished speaking.

“Hmm, I see.” Vita crossed her arms and answered in a soft voice.

“If we used this method, not just us, even the enemy won’t suffer any casualties, and we can take the fort undamaged for our own use. It is a well-thought-out plan. But there are some elements of uncertainty.”

“That’s right, we have to confirm if the structure in the fort is just as Raibach described. Which is meant to clarify if the range of your magic can cover more than half of the fort. If there are any problems, we have to reconsider the entire plan.“

“And where to place Elysio’s cloak, as well as whether the enemy will fall for the trick and gather in the eastern part…”

“We can’t confirm where the enemy will be positioned, so we have to adjust our plan accordingly.”

“That’s… true.”

“There’s another thing to confirm with you. Elysione mentioned she can teleport with one more person, right? This means she can teleport together with you?”

“Hmm? Oh, that can be done, it’s just that we never tried it before.” Vita said with a solemn face.

“That’s doesn’t sound confident, will it be harder to move if there’s two people? Or is there some other danger?”

“That’s not what I mean; it’s just that I will encounter something unpleasant along the way.”

Naga made a strange expression and pressed Vita:

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t mind it; anyway, Vita can teleport together with me, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

“In that case…”

Naga and Harrigan exchanged a look.

“The only problem left is Yuuki.”

“Yes, only Yuuki is left.”

“Yuuki is indeed a big problem. If we are to capture the enemy alive by using my magic, Yuuki’s participation is very important.”

Naga turned his face towards Vita and asked with a serious expression:

“Regarding this matter, I have a request for you, Vita.”

“What is it, why so serious?”

“Can you ask Yuuki for her help together with Harrigan and me?”

“What do you mean?”

Seeing Vita looking at him, Naga scratched his head.

“Actually, I am not very sure, but I heard her family was killed by the humans, and she really hates human men.”

“I have heard about her hating humans, but there are no witches who welcome men; Yuuki is no exception.”

Vita shifted her eyes towards Harrigan, who sighed softly and said:

“Her childhood experience left a deep trauma in her heart, so her hatred towards humans is exceptional among us. If the mission were to kill human soldiers, she would accept it, no matter how dangerous. But if it is to capture them alive, I’m not sure that she will cooperate.”

“Eh, so the two of you are planning to beg her?”

“Yes. Actually, we are hoping you could join us.”

Naga said. Vita pulled a long face of annoyance when she heard that.

“As the Sraymeyer Clan Head, why must I do that for a witch from your side?”

“This battle doesn’t only concern the fate of the Heindler Clan; it will also decide the future of your clan.”

“That’s true.” Vita looked into the distance and pondered for a moment. She then turned her head back. “Alright, I am not very willing, but I will lower my head along with you two and ask for her help.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Sorry for troubling you, Vita.”

Naga and Harrigan lowered their heads to Vita and thanked her.

“You mentioned the future of our clan, which is correct. If enduring for a moment will lead to a bright future for my clan, I won’t mind the hardships.”

“My apologies.”

“When do you plan to ask her?”

“Time is short; I hope to settle this tomorrow.”

“I see. I will visit your fort tomorrow morning to ask Yuuki then.”

“Thanks for the help.”

After that, the three continued discussing the strategy of attacking Fort Ein. After finishing for the day, Naga and Harrigan bid Vita farewell and returned to their fort.

=== Part 6 ===

The next morning—

Vita showed up at the fort as promised, bringing Elysione and another witch named Lilly.

She ordered Elysione and Lilly to standby in another room, and headed to the room where Naga, Harrigan, and Ais were waiting. As they would be asking Yuuki for help, Naga and Harrigan requested for Ais’ presence in case anything happened.

At this moment, Naga, Harrigan, Ais, and Vita sat in a circle, surrounding Yuuki, who was summoned to the room.

“Hmm? What is going on? Harrigan Nee-san and Naga are here as usual, but why are Ais and Vita clan head also here? Did I do something wrong? Or rather, are you going to do something to me?”

After entering the room, Yuuki had been stealing glances at the four of them repeatedly.

“Why am I sitting on a stool, but all of you are sitting on the ground? Are you asking me to look down on the four of you?”

Yuuki’s face was deathly pale, and sweat glistened on her forehead. Even the defiant Yuuki felt a lot of pressure when she faced these four people.

“Yuuki, we have something to tell you.” Harrigan said in a serious tone.

“I-I-I think so too. I would have run away if the four of you didn’t have any business with me.”

Yuuki broke out in cold sweat all over her body as she replied, and the four of them knelt down without any warning.

“Hyaa?” Yuuki jumped from surprise and backed away.

“W-W-What is this!? What does this mean!? Are you all joking with me!? Is this a new way of pulling a prank!?”

Harrigan lifted her head and soothed her: “Calm down, Yuuki.”

But Yuuki was still shocked and suspicious.

“Aren’t you all… angry?”

“Of course not.”

“Aren’t you going to punish me for trying to kill the prisoner?”

“We have no intention of doing that. We called for you today because we have a request for you. Please take a seat.”

Under the watchful gaze of Harrigan, Ais, and Vita, Yuuki appeared really timid as she returned to her seat, and sat down fearfully on the stool.

“We want to attack Fort Ein while avoiding damage to the fort itself and preventing casualties for both the witches and humans, so we will need your help, Yuuki. Please lend us your aid.”

After she finished, Harrigan lowered her head earnestly once more. Not just her, Naga, Ais, and even Vita, who was the head of another clan, pressed their foreheads to the floor, begging for her help.

“This…”

Yuuki couldn’t say anything for a moment.

She understood that an important task would be entrusted to her, but if that was it, Harrigan could just issue a direct order. She might not be willing to follow the command, but Yuuki wouldn’t outright reject Harrigan’s orders. But Harrigan didn’t do that, and even asked Vita to beg with her. Yuuki tried to think about what this meant.

She couldn’t understand and gave up immediately, deciding to ask directly instead.

“Why didn’t you just give me the order? And what kind of mission will be given to me? Will I be in danger of losing my life?”

“No, it’s not that dangerous.” Harrigan raised her head and replied.

“I don’t understand. Since it’s not dangerous, why not just issue a command? But instead of doing that, you ask me like this. And while surrounded by the four of you, being asked is much scarier than being ordered. Also, isn’t Clan Head Vita an outsider? Why is Clan Head Vita lowering her head too?”

“Fufu”, Vita laughed cheerfully.

“I’m here to ask for your help on the Dragon King-sama’s request. He thinks you will find it harder to reject if I am present too.”

“T-That really makes it hard for me to reject, but I won’t refuse if it’s Harrigan Nee-san’s order anyway. Why go so far as to lower your head and ‘ask’ for my help?”

“Naga will explain this part. As for the mission we need you to undertake, he will explain that too. You see, Naga is the one who came up with the proposal to seize the fort.”

After hearing Harrigan say that, Yuuki scowled.

“So it’s because of you.”

“You don’t need to make such a face for me.”

“I don’t understand why we have to spare the enemies’ lives. After all, wouldn’t it be easier in the future if we kill more of them?”

Yuuki’s critique might be reasonable, but Naga just shook his head lightly when he heard that.

“Conquering Tenka is not a simple matter of how large your army is.”

“Ten… Ka?”

Yuuki wasn’t alone, as Harrigan, Ais, and Vita also had a look of confusion. Lela’s talisman couldn’t accurately translate the term ‘Tenka’, so Naga tried to say it in a way the witches could understand.

“Hmm, eh… oh, if I use the term ‘take over the world’, will you understand?”

“Take over the world?” Yuuki still couldn’t get it, and kept blinking her eyes.

“How is that possible; is that a metaphor?”

“Just think of it as a metaphor for overturning the common sense of the world that thinks witches and humans are sworn enemies, which requires revolutionizing the entire world order. Doing that is related to seizing a new world.”

Yuuki had a look of wonder on her face.

The new world Naga envisioned and his goal for the future of the witches had not taken concrete form in her mind yet. But she understood that Naga wanted to create a new world where witches and humans live in harmony, and knew he was acting in order to build this ideal world.

(He mentioned this in the past; seems like he was serious, and he really wants to build a world like that.)

“If we can build such a world, then there wouldn’t be witches with painful memories like me?”

Yuuki muttered softly.

Naga laughed gently.

“Yuuki, so you have the same ideas as Raibach.”

“W-What?”

“He said ‘can you really create a world where Humans and Witches can live in harmony, a place where humans and humans won’t fight with each other?’ and ‘If you can create such a world and craft such a future, there won’t be children like Elena who are killed at such a young age.’”

“W-Who is Elena?”

“That was Raibach’s child. Ten years ago, the place he lived in was invaded by barbarians; his wife and daughter were murdered.”

This seemed to have struck a chord with Yuuki, and she showed a rare face of sadness.

“…I-Is that so?”

“If Raibach’s child was still alive, she would be about your age. He said his deceased daughter looked very much like you.”

Yuuki sneered and reverted back to her usual face and attitude.

“He is just trying to get on my good side because he almost died by my hands, right?”

“He looked surprised when you appeared in the room, right? I don’t think he was faking his reaction.”

“I didn’t watch that closely.”

“Forget about Raibach for now, back to the topic. In order to build a new world, and overturn the common sense that ‘witches and humans are sworn enemies, I want to avoid killing any enemy soldiers whenever possible.”

“How is not killing the enemy soldiers related to building a new world? I can’t understand.” Yuuki puffed her cheeks unhappily and asked a sarcastic question.

“Witches are not violent and cold blooded, but are instead kind, benevolent, and merciful… I want the humans to learn these facts. It is not easy to overturn their values and perceptions, but we need to make such views waver. With time, their common sense will be proven wrong. When that time comes, humans will be willing to stand on the same side as us.”

Yuuki lowered her head and seemed to be thinking about something. Harrigan and Ais looked at Yuuki with eyes filled with kindness, while Vita observed her curiously.

Shortly thereafter, Yuuki lifted her head and mumbled:

“I still don’t understand, but I don’t mind cooperation for the sake of building a new world.”
Harrigan’s and Ais’ faces brightened, Vita laughed, and Naga was all smiles.

“That is wonderful, as there is something only you can do after all.”

“Hold it! Tell me what I need to do first, or I won’t be able to give you a definite answer.”

“Oh, this is what we want to ask of you.”

Naga explained how to use Vita’s magic to seize the fort, and how the strategy will not harm the soldiers or damage the fort.

“Oh, so that’s it… That’s why Clan Head Vita is here?” Yuuki looked towards Vita.

“That’s right.” Vita nodded in acknowledgement.

“There is no problem in using my magic to subdue the soldiers, but there isn’t any witch in either tribe who can withstand my spell and bind the soldiers. The only one who can still move would probably be Ais.”

Ais showed a proud face.

“Aside from having a huge body, Ais also has lots of fat, her breasts and butt looks really heavy. No matter how strong she is, she might not be able to overcome the increased weight.”

Ais had a smile on her face, but her veins were showing on her temple. But no matter how gutsy Ais was, she wouldn’t dare rebuke Vita, so that smile on her face just turned stiffer and stiffer.

“Which is to say, the Dragon King-sama is giving up on binding the soldiers in the fort, and will be entrusting these things to you.”

Yuuki turned her gaze to Naga.

“Your head is always full of strange ideas.”

“Isn’t my head really good?”

“To think you can devise such a plan. I don’t think your head is good, it’s just that your personality is evil.”

“That’s so mean.” Naga grumbled.

Harrigan and Vita couldn’t help their snickering, and Ais finally relaxed her stiff smile and laughed gently.

Never mind, Naga lifted his spirits.

“How about it, are you willing to cooperate?”

After hearing his question, Yuuki puffed her chest out and said arrogantly:

“Piece of cake. And the soldiers will be subdued by Clan Head Vita, so I won’t have to worry about getting hit by arrows. It won’t be a problem.”

Hearing Yuuki’s response, Naga shouted “Alright!” agitatedly.

“Since Yuuki is willing to work with us, we will begin the operation to seize Fort Ein immediately.”

=== Part 7 ===

And so, the Heindler and Sraymeyer Clans worked together and began preparations to take Fort Ein.

The date that they would attack was tentatively set to be ten days later.

<noinclude>
==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
| Return to [[Ochitekita_Ryuuou_to_Horobiyuku_Majo_no_Kuni|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
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</noinclude>

Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 3

2017-02-16T10:52:15Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 2 */

==Chapter 3: Future Outlook==

=== Part 1 ===

Kay brought dinner in, and ate it together with Naga and Raibaha.
Kay tried to chat with Raibaha as they ate, but his replies were halfhearted.

“Tch. How boring.” Kay complained and kept the cutlery.

“Don’t hold back on your requests, Raibaha. Aside from undoing your ropes or letting you escape, anything else would be fine.”

“No… I don’t have any requests.”

“Nothing?”

“How about massaging my feet, Kay?”

“What? I am asking Raibaha, why are you making such overboard demands as if this was natural, Naga? That is so strange.”

Naga laughed in response to Kay’s retort.

“Just kidding, don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad.”

“Then help me massage.”

“Huh? Are you joking with me!?”

“Of course I’m kidding.”

“How irritating.”

Kay snatched Naga’s plate away.

“Alright, I’m cleaning up.”

“Ah, there’s still a bit left…”

“I. am. cleaning. up.”

“Alright, alright.”

As Naga was smiling wryly, thumping footsteps came from the corridor outside.

“Hmm? Harrigan Nee-san?”

“Harrigan wouldn’t be walking so agitatedly.”

“That’s true, did Ais get angry?”

“Eh, wait.”

Naga waved his hand with his face turning green.

“We didn’t do anything to anger Ais.”

“That’s true, then…”

When Kay turned to the entrance, the footfalls stop. The door was then opened violently; revealing Yuuki with the corners of her eyes raised greatly.

“I heard that we captured a soldier of the Cassandra Army!?”

Kay responded affirmatively because of the pressure from Yuuki.

“I will kill him.”

Yuuki’s expression turned into rage and a strange light shone from her eyes.

“I will kill him in the cruelest way possible.”

Raibaha opened his eyes wide and stared at the vile-mouthed Yuuki. He knew that Yuuki wasn’t joking, but he wasn’t afraid as he stared at Yuuki with a lost expression.

“Eh, what the hell are you saying, Yuuki?”

“You are the one speaking nonsense, Kay. Why didn’t you kill the enemy immediately!?”

“In order to gather intel.”

“Do you need to treat him like a guest when doing that?”

“I’m not doing that.”

“Yes you are, you’re letting him stay here and even prepared an entire set of bedding. If you are trying to get intel, why not torture him!? Did he spill the beans already?”

“No, he is still thinking about it.”

“Huh? Why give him that choice? We don’t have the time to wait, let me handle it. I will make him spit out the information we need. Let me think… I will cut off his fingers one by one. To prevent him from dying because of blood loss, I will cauterize the wounds with a burning iron plate. He will definitely give in after cutting off two or three fingers. If he won’t, I will cut off all his fingers and toes, and he will beg me to kill him. When he spills everything, I will take his life if he asks, and it’ll all be settled.”

The agitated Yuuki spoke passionately as she took a couple of steps forward.

“I will handle this, so back off, Kay.”

“Eh, don’t decide that on your own, Yuuki.”

Kay also took a step forward to block Yuuki.

“Are you planning to stop me? Kay?”

“If Harrigan Nee-san and Naga don’t give you permission, I advise you not to be reckless.”

Yuuki cast a glance at Naga who had crossed his arms with a serious expression and showed no intention to speak. After confirming that, Yuuki turned back and faced Kay again.

“You… are helping the humans?”

“I don’t mean to do so, and don’t do anything that will spoil the image of witches.”

“If you don’t back off, I will cut you to pieces.”

“Hmmpf! Do it if you can. Your wind blades can’t harm me!”

The skin on Kay’s exposed limbs started turning grey.

“You think you are tough enough to take my wind blades!?”

“Go on, try me.”

“Why are you protecting that guy!?”

Yuuki was furious as she pointed to Raibach, behind Kay.

“This man is one of the soldiers who are always trying to kill us! Why let him live!?”

At this moment, Raibaha suddenly asked,

“Ah, let me ask you.”

Yuuki’s body stiffened.

“W-What!? Don’t think of begging for your life!”

“Was your family killed by us… by the Army of the Caesandra Kingdom?”

“Not by the soldiers of the Kingdom, but…” Yuuki answered softly, but then lost her composure. “It’s humans! Humans gathered everyone and massacred them!”

Raibaha watched Yuuki and his brow twitched.

“I see, you have a tragic past too. No wonder you hate humans. If you are bent on killing me… Please do so.”

Bafflement flashed across Yuuki’s face for a moment, but she puffed her chest with an arrogant look in no time.

“Look, even the subject himself said so. So let me do it.”

“Eh, why did you say that, Raibaha!?”

“Kay, you don’t need to protect him, get out of the way.”

“You two… Kay, Yuuki- you two are comrades, so don’t quarrel over someone like me.”

“Ahhh, that’s why… Ahhh—! So troublesome!” Kay grabbed her head exasperatedly. “My head isn’t that good; I can’t process something so complicated~~”

After holding her head and squatting for a while, she stood up. “I still think Yuuki shouldn’t kill this man. I will stop you.”

“Damn it…” Yuuki cursed angrily. “If you dare to stop me, I will really cut you to shreds.”

“Try it if you can.”

Kay’s grey skin turned silver with a metallic luster.

“What’s with the din? I have a morning shift tomorrow and need to sleep early, so stop with the noise.”

Arurukan said so casually when she popped up at the door. Noticing the tense atmosphere in the room, she stood stiff on the spot.

“Y-Y-You two, what are you doing?”

Yuuki and Kay glared at each other and ignored the baffled Arurukan. An intense fighting aura welled up about them.

“Yuuki.”

Naga said all of a sudden.

“W-What is it. Even if you try to lecture me… Eh, what are you doing?”

Yuuki turned her face towards Naga and found him kneeling on the floor with his forehead on the ground. She was shocked and took a large step back.

“What… the hell are you doing!?”

“I don’t know why you hate humans so much, and cannot understand how you feel. But in order to create a world where witches can live a happy life, this man is necessary. So can you please bear with it? I’m begging you.” Naga pleaded with her while on his knees.

“W… What…”

Yuuki looked down at the back of Naga’s head with a shocked face. She didn’t expect Naga to kneel down to her for a man he didn’t even know.
“I-Is the information this guy has that important!?”

Naga raised his head slowly and looked up at Yuuki.

“I will only know if it is important after hearing it, but it might be very important. If I can gain critical intel, we will be able to seize Fort Ein without sacrificing any witches or humans.”

Yuuki looked at Naga with a face of doubt, but her anger had been soothed a lot.

“W-Why do you care about the lives of those inhuman soldiers!? If we kill all of them, we can cut down the enemy’s numbers.”

“That might be true for the current situation, but taking the future into consideration, not having any sacrifices would be advantageous for us.”

Yuuki showed a troubled expression.

“I-I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“It’s fine if you don’t understand, but can you trust me this once?”

“How could I trust someone like you!?”

“Ehh, that’s too harsh, Yuuki.” Kay interjected. “Naga saved us when we were in danger. If not for him, we would have been chased out of the black forest long ago.”

“Eh… T-That’s true.”

“My head isn’t good, and I can’t analyze the situation, nor predict future developments. But I trust Naga. Since he said so, let’s leave this to him.”

Yuuki glared first at Kay as she said that, then Naga, and finally Raibaha. She then turned around abruptly and left in a huff.

“Move, Aru!”

“Nyaa?”

Yuuki’s fierce expression intimidated Arurukan, and she made way for her.

Just like the time she came, Yuuki stomped through the corridor when she left. Seeing her back disappear into the distance, Arurukan turned back and asked Kay, “What happened?”

“Well, it’s a long story. Where do I start…?”

Kay looked towards Naga for help.

“I will explain this to Arurukan later. I have something to ask Raibaha, and it would be better if Harrigan and Ais are present. They didn’t show up even after that ruckus. Did they turn in already?”

“Eh, I think Ais is out on patrol.”

“I see, she would have stopped Yuuki if she was here.”

(Or maybe not, she might even escalate things. Ais can’t control herself when she loses her temper, it would be an explosive scene if Yuuki retaliates.)

Kay thought about it, but didn’t say it out loud, afraid that someone would snitch on her.

“Harrigan nee-san should be in the fort, should I bring her over?” After Kay said that, Harrigan’s voice could be heard saying, “Why is Yuuki in the First Fort!?”

“Ohh, speak of the devil.”

Kay sighed in relief, thinking that she had washed her hands clean of the troublesome matter.

=== Part 2 ===

Most of the witches garrisoned here had gathered in the biggest room inside the fort. Naturally, Naga and Raibaha were also present.
The witches around Raibaha were:

Harrigan.

Ais.

Kay.

Nonoeru.

Arurukan.

Eleonortha.

Lela.

Mimone.

And of course, Yuuki was absent. The sisters, Linne and Linna, were on guard duty, thus not in the room. After receiving Harrigan’s pigeon message, Lela immediately rushed to the First Fort on horseback behind Mimone.
Harrigan sighed softly after hearing Kay’s report.

“That’s why I didn’t want Yuuki to know about this.”

When Lela received the pigeon message, Yuuki was just setting off from the Third Fort. In the confusion, she found out about Kay capturing a human soldier, so she rushed here on her air board alone.

“Forget it… No, we are not done yet. Getting detailed intelligence from that man takes priority… right, Naga?”

“That’s true.” Naga replied with a troubled face.

“Didn’t that man say he would consider giving us information about the fort? Did something change while we were gathering?”

“Aside from the detailed information about the fort, there is one thing I am very concerned with.”

“What is that?”

Harrigan prompted him to continue. Naga shifted his stool and faced Raibaha.

“Raibaha, you seemed surprised when Yuuki appeared just now. There are plenty of witches here that are unknown to you, but why did Yuuki surprise you so much?”

“Ah… Huh~~ you have sharp eyes.”

Raibaha’s vision wavered and he stretched out his right hand to scratch his head. He then recounted his tale slowly.

“I had a daughter.”

Raibaha said something unrelated, making Naga and the other witches to look at him puzzledly.

“If she were still alive, she would probably be about the age of you two.” Raibaha said as he pointed at Nonoeru and Kay. “It doesn’t sound convincing for a parent to say this, but she really was a cute kid.”

“……”

They were actually not interested in Raibaha’s personal affairs. Naga and Harrigan looked at each other, hesitating about whether to stop him or not.

“When I was out on a campaign once, barbarians invaded the city I lived in, ravaged the streets and killed the citizens.”

Naga and Harrigan were shocked and turned their heads away.

“I couldn’t find the remains of my wife and daughter in the end. There were thousands of charred corpses in the streets, and I think my family was probably murdered there.”

“I can empathize with you, but right now we are…”

Raibaha continued in a calm tone as if he didn’t hear what Harrigan said:

“That witch just now, the one who was shouting about wanting to kill me, is Yuuki, right?”

“Yuuki is hard to get along with, but she has her circumstances. If she made you feel uncomfortable, let me apologize…”

“No, that’s not it.” Raibaha raised his head, his expression strange and complicated. “That girl looks really similar to my dead daughter.”

He looked up to the roof, his eyes far away.

“My dead daughter is actually alive and appeared before me. That thought occurred to me for an instant, surprising me.”

Raibaha said sadly, but Harrigan’s reply was cold.

“My condolences for your loss, but she is a witch, not your daughter.”

“That’s true, I know that very well too, but… They really look identical, it’s like my daughter who survived somewhere appeared, so I…”

Raibaha said passionately, but stopped midway.

“…I …I” He turned his gaze back from the ceiling, tears falling from his eyes.

“I won’t have any complaints if that girl kills me, my daughter must have hated me the same way. If I didn’t go off to fight a war in that dangerous time, and stayed with my wife and daughter, they would still be alive today.”

Harrigan wasn’t sure how to respond and kept quiet. Naga couldn’t say anything and watched him without a word. It was the same for the other witches. The entire room fell silent.

“Dragon King, you mentioned about creating a world where humans and witches coexist in peace. If it succeeds, will the fighting between humans cease?”

Naga said confidently with a gentle smile on his face, “What a silly question.”

“If Witches and humans can be at peace, so can humans and humans.”

“That make sense. If you can create such a world and craft such a future, there won’t be children like Elena, who are killed at such a young age.”

“Your daughter is named Elena?”

“Yes, her name’s Elena. Ahh, Elena.”

Raibaha buried his face in his hands.

“She must have been so scared, and suffered so much and… been hoping I would come to save them. But… I…”

Raibaha curled up and sniffling sounds escaped from his lips. Naga, Harrigan, and the other witches did not say anything to console him, and his cries filled the entire room. A short time later, Raibaha put down his hands. He turned to Naga with tears on his face.

“Hey, Dragon King. Can you really create a world where Humans and Witches can live in harmony? A place where humans and humans won’t fight with each other?”

“Of course I can… is what I want to say, but regrettably, I can’t make this promise lightly. I can only say that I will do my best. Doing all we can is important. If we don’t work hard, we won’t be able to make this brand new world a reality, and pave our future.”

(Can’t make this promise lightly, huh? That means he views this very seriously. Maybe this man can really create a world like that.)

Raibaha didn’t have or want a dream. Maybe it’s because his memories of his family made him sad, or maybe he was compelled by the hope that doing this will lessen his self reproach. Raibaha wiped away the tears on his face.

“If I tell you the details of the fort, there won’t be any sacrifices?”

Naga didn’t nod; he just puffed his chest out.

“I can’t guarantee that there wouldn’t be any, but the chances are high.”

“I am not hoping for zero deaths, but can you promise to keep casualties to a minimum?”

When he heard that, Naga nodded firmly.

“Alright, I promise. I will seize the fort by utilizing a method without deaths.”

“In that case… I will tell you.”

Raibaha provided them with the required intel regarding the fort. But after the witches heard his tragic past, none of them showed any signs of glee.

=== Part 3 ===

Raibach explained the structure of the fort and the placement of the guards in great detail.

Lela noted down the important points on a parchment as he spoke.

After he was done, Raibach added:

“The guard commander of the fort is a man named Baldkeist; he was one of the close subordinates of former General Geobalk, who took responsibility for the failed campaign and resigned. Similar to me, he was assigned to garrison the fort as cannon fodder. On the other hand, he isn’t too loyal to the new general, Guiscard, and won’t fight to the end if something does happen… That’s how I feel.”

“I see; this information is a great help.”

Naga smiled and turned his head.

“Harrigan, I have something to discuss with you.”

“Hmm? Oh, alright.”

Harrigan nodded, faced Kay and ordered:

“Bring that man back to his room. Nonoel will stand guard with you, so Yuuki won’t come and stir up trouble.”

“Understood, Harrigan Nee-san.”

Kay and Nonoel left the room with Raibach while Naga and Harrigan moved into another room. They sat on stools and faced each other.

=== Part 4 ===

“Do you think his words can be trusted?”

After sitting down, Naga asked. Harrigan crossed her arms as she sat on the stool, answering thoughtfully:

“He doesn’t seem to be lying, at least he is not lying to us blatantly. What do you think, Naga?”

“I agree with your opinion. When he was talking about his daughter, his tears were real.”

“That’s right. Assuming everything he was true, do you have any good ideas?”

Naga nodded seriously.

“It should work.”

“It will work? Really!?”

“The most important part of the plan is to get Elysione or Vita near the fort. From what we heard about the structure of the fort, there isn’t a need to infiltrate the it; just being near the walls would be enough.”

“That would mean sending Elysione first, right?”

“This is the safest and simplest way, but letting Vita approach the fort herself, without Elysione, is also an option.”

“That is true, but Vita doesn’t have much defense. She could manipulate weight to guard herself, but if she does that, even we won’t be able to go near the fort.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“How do you plan to solve this?”

“We have people who can launch ranged attacks. I plan to use this method to tie up the enemy’s forces, then distract them, and use the chances to approach.”

Harrigan thought about it for a moment and turned her face back.
“The long range attacker is Ais?”

“That’s right, Ais’ stone throwing attack is very powerful, and she can attack from outside the range of normal bows. It would be hard for the defending soldiers to handle her.”

“Won’t they leave the fort and sally forth?”

“The enemy are witches, and you think they would dare to send two hundred soldiers to counterattack?”

Harrigan shook her head, as that make sense.

“I don’t think they have the guts.”

“If they move out in full force and leave the fort empty, that will play into my hands. If Ais, Lela and Yuuki keep attacking from a distance, they should be able to intimidate them and keep their attention. Vita can use the chance to approach.”

“Is doing that alright? Vita is a crucial figure in this operation, isn’t she? If she gets injured, wouldn’t the entire plan be ruined?”

“You are right, but logically speaking, Vita won’t be taking too big of a risk.”

“…I hope so.”

“But just to be safe, we should prepare Elysione’s cloak so it can be used at a moment’s notice.”

Harrigan leaned forward and asked:

“Specifically speaking, how are you planning to take the fort?”

“Here’s what I plan to do.”

Naga then explained to Harrigan the details of the strategy to capture the fort.
“First will be Ais and the duo of Yuuki and Lela, who will attack at long range from two different places. Let’s set them to the west and south. Ais will throw rocks and Yuuki will carry Lela and her talismans into the sky above the fort, before making them burst into flames as she tosses them down. That way, the defending soldiers will fall into confusion.”

“Once the soldiers focus their attention on them, Kay will use this chance to charge to the eastern wall, and of course, bring Elysione’s cloak with her. If she hardens her body, the soldiers won’t be able to harm her no matter how many arrows they shoot. Once she has reached the wall, she needs to place the cloak down. The soldiers in the fort won’t leave the fort just to take the cloak, since they are under the witches’ attack.”

“When Vita uses her spell, it will be best to gather the defending forces in the east. So after Kay puts down the cloak, the participating witches will need to show themselves. Ais will stop and Yuuki will retreat. That should get the soldiers, who still have the strength to defend, to gather on the eastern walls.”

“Once Kay has put down the cloak, Elysione will immediately bring Vita to the wall. Kay will then withdraw temporarily… No, I figure she should stay put, and act as Elysione and Vita’s guard.”

“Once Vita teleports to the wall, she will begin her spell immediately. As for the structure of the fort, assuming the information given by Raibach is correct, almost all of the soldiers should be unable to move. If not all, then at least 80% of them should be incapacitated. When Vita uses her spell, Elysione won’t be able to move either, she’ll have to bear with it then.”

“We will leave the north alone, and attack from the west and the south. We will then close in from the east. This is to show the fort soldiers that there are no threats from the north. This is to give the soldiers the impression that, ‘we won’t be able to escape if we are completely surrounded, let’s run while we are still able to do so.’”

“When Vita uses the spell ‘Song of Gravity’ and captures all the soldiers gathered on the eastern side, we need to find a way to tie up these soldiers, so they won’t be able to move freely when the spell is released. To prevent Vita from being attacked by soldiers outside her range, Ais would need to attack more fiercely.

“Wait a moment, Naga.”

Harrigan raised her hand to stop Naga’s explanation.

“You mentioned tying up the soldiers while they are immobile, but how do you do that specifically? We witches can’t resist Vita’s magic and enter the range of her spell. Our bodies will become heavy and we won’t be able to move if we go in, so how can we tie up the soldiers… Why are you staring so intensely at my body!?”

“Vita’s magic will increase a person’s original weight by two or three times, correct? Compared to Lela and Kay, it would be hard for you to move…”

*Knock*

“That hurts!”

*Knock knock knock*

“That really hurts! Don’t keep hitting me with your hair!”

The teary Naga leapt backwards from his stool to dodge the attack. Harrigan pulled her head of hardened hair back, but her eyes were full of fury as she glared at Naga.

“You are not considerate towards girls at all.”

“No such thing, I am famous for being considerate… probably.”

“You actually have the cheeks to say that.”

Harrigan blew her top once again and Naga waved his hands in front of him hurriedly.

“Alright, I know, it’s my fault.”

“Sorry”— Naga lowered his head in apology, and Harrigan’s hair fell onto her shoulders. Naga returned to his seat when he saw that.

“Alright, back to the topic.” Harrigan said grudgingly, after Naga sat properly.

“Ais might be able to move after Vita casts her spell, but that would take all her strength. It will also take a long time to bind the three hundred soldiers in the fort, and I don’t think Vita’s spell can last that long.”

“Speaking of which, she didn’t mention how long her spell could last.”

“This is her personal secret. The better known one’s magic is, the bigger the disadvantage. Not all witches live harmoniously with each other. More accurately speaking, most of us see each other as enemies.”

“I see, so even while facing the threat of being invaded by other nations, there are inter-tribe battles as well. I think I have heard something so regrettable in the past too.”

Naga was troubled.

(By the way, I have a feeling that this is something I experienced personally.)

“Something the matter?”

Naga looked at the ceiling deep in thought, and shook his head when Harrigan asked.

“There is a way to solve this problem.”

“There is a way!?”

Harrigan was shocked, and made an impressed expression.

“I see, as expected of Dragon King-sama.”

“Don’t mock me.”

“I’m not mocking you. Since there is a way, isn’t Fort Ein is as good as ours?”

Harrigan said confidently and Naga’s face turned serious.

“But there is a serious problem with this.”

“You mean there is a risk? But there is always some risk if we want to succeed, and our target is to take the fort without anyone dying or damaging the fort.”

“No, not that kind of danger.”

“???”

“The danger I am referring to is Yuuki. Specifically speaking, I am going to entrust her with a mission, but if I do that now, my life will probably be in danger…”

Naga sighed after saying that, and Harrigan laughed:

“What, so it’s that thing. I will order Yuuki to do it then.”

“I don’t think she will disobey if you give the word. No, that’s hard to say. Maybe she will resist strongly this time, since the main strategy involves sparing the lives of the Kasandora soldiers. Even if she agrees, she might screw things up as it goes against her will.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

Harrigan, who didn’t get it in the beginning, finally raised her head.

“By the way—”

She asked Naga:

“What mission are you giving her? Is it difficult? Why must it be Yuuki? Her magic is powerful, it will be hard for her not to harm the enemies while suppressing them.”

“The mission I want to assign her isn’t difficult, and I have no plans to use her magic to subdue the enemy.”

Harrigan frowned and tilted her head.

“What… do you mean by that?”

“This is what I mean.”

Naga leaned towards the side of Harrigan’s face and whispered.

After finishing, Naga returned to his seat.

“I… I see, only Yuuki could do it.”

Harrigan groaned and was impressed.

“Not only will this method subdue the enemy soldiers without them resisting, it will also resolve the issue quickly, so there is no need to worry about how long her magic will holdout.”

(It was the same last time, with Naga proposing a well-thought-out strategy. Normally, one wouldn’t even think of utilizing Yuuki’s ability in such a way.)

Harrigan was becoming more impressed.

“But there is also a problem, since this method couldn’t be used against the soldiers inside the buildings.”

“Ahh!” Harrigan pounded her thigh with her fist.

“That’s true; this method won’t stop the soldiers inside the buildings.”

“If we can push as many soldiers as possible into Vita’s magic range, the problem would be solved.”

“And so, you need us to reveal ourselves at this point, so the enemy will think we are going to attack the fort?”

“That’s right.” Naga said with a nod.

“The plan is to induce most of the soldiers to gather near the walls or towers in their attempt to disrupt our attack, but I am not confident that we can draw all of them out. Maybe we have to subdue the soldiers inside the buildings by force, and this is something I don’t wish to see. It would be for the best if they run away the first chance they get, because of the fear of being rendered immobile by magic.”

When she heard Naga say that, Harrigan answered confidently:

“Even if they don’t run, we have about forty witches here; handling a hundred soldiers would not be a problem.”

“With your combat prowess, subduing half of the troops wouldn’t take much time. But I hope to minimize the losses as much as possible, for both the witches and the enemy.”

Harrigan seemed a little troubled.

“In that battle earlier, you showed no mercy to the enemy, but you insist on not harming the enemy this time. In order to get the intelligence from Raibach, you promised him that…. The reason doesn’t seem to be this simple, so can you explain why are you insisting on this?”

“Because—” Naga leaned forward and said:

“The goal of this battle is to seize Fort Ein intact, and to change how the humans evaluate witches.”

“Our… evaluation?”

Harrigan blinked.

“The evaluation of most people about how witches are ‘violent and cold blooded’.”

“But that’s…”

Naga raised his right hand and stopped Harrigan who wanted to defend herself.

“I know. Anyone who has actually interacted with you all would know that isn’t true, barring those with extreme prejudice. But the humans who have never met you all before wouldn’t know.”

“Eh… t-that’s right.”

“This mindset has been ongoing for dozens of years. The truth isn’t important anymore, since humans already have a deep-rooted belief that this is the truth. And there are also things in this world that spread lies about the cruelty of the witches, for example: the church abusing the authority of god. This evaluation is already firmly set in their mind, am I right?”

Harrigan sighed heavily.

“Unfortunately… that is so.”

“So we just need to turn this evaluation around, for the sake of building a peaceful world for humans and witches.”

(T-This guy has a grand vision as usual.)

“The fort was taken; most of the soldiers were captured but did not lose their lives and were even released safely. I want to create this fact. Even if the Kasandora Kingdom tries to hush things up, the news will spread sooner or later as they can’t stop the people’s grapevines. Just the fact that the witches didn’t kill the soldiers would be enough to make the humans doubt their impression that the witches are ‘violent, cruel and merciless’. It might just be doubt in the beginning, and they might even question if that was the truth, but if this accumulates over the years, it will overturn the current evaluation one day.”

Harrigan answered with a soft mutter.

“You vision is wide, and you can see the future very well. I feel impressed every time I see this.”

“That’s too exaggerated; anyone can understand if they think about it in detail.”

(The problem is that no one can think about it in such detail.)

“But things aren’t so simple, we can’t just wait idly and hope the prevailing evaluation will be overturned someday. We have to actively spread this truth that runs contrary to their evaluation, and disperse the news widely.”

“W-We have to do something like that too?”

“Of course. In a way, war is a battle of intelligence. Obtaining accurate enemy intelligence and spreading news that is beneficial to our army, all of these are crucial factors in winning the final victory.”

“Dragon King-sama is good with tactics, and is underhanded in doing so.”

“I wasn’t expecting that.”

Naga wasn’t happy about that comment. Just then, Harrigan shouted “Alright!” and clapped her hands.

“I understand; we will proceed as you proposed. I will beg Yuuki to help us, and do my best to convince her.”

“I will accompany you and ask her too.”

“In that case…”

“What? Did you think of a good idea?”

“Let’s bring Vita along to plead with her.”

“…Is it fine to ask her for something like this?” Naga was confused.

“The future of both our clans depends on this, so she has to show up too.”

(Your personality is bad too.)

“You have any objections?”

“Eh, I want to confirm if we have that important thing.”

“We should have one or two of them, but their durability and toughness aren’t enough to subdue the enemy. And we will need multiple, so I’m thinking of remaking them.”

“Can you do that? This part requires intricate work to be done on it.”

“We have basically been providing for ourselves all this time, so making something like that is no big deal.”

“I will leave it to you then. So, how should we start?”
“Let me think. Let’s find Vita, and work from the outside in.”

Naga laughed.

“With you, Vita, and me lowering our heads to ask her, I don’t think Yuuki can reject us.”

“But like you said, it would be problematic if she did this unwillingly, so we have to really convince her, don’t we?”

“If it’s up to me…” Naga’s face became sullen.

“Who else can we entrust with this mission?”
“Ugh…. That’s true.”

“We will be going to Vita’s side tomorrow, let’s ask her then.”

“Alright, it’s settled then.”

=== Part 5 ===

The next day—

Naga and Harrigan visited Sraymeyer Fort right before noon, and had a conference with Vita in one of the rooms of the residential block.

Naga sat on a stool and explained his strategy, while Vita, who was also on a stool, didn’t say anything and listened carefully.

“… And this is the strategy I plan to use to take Fort Ein.”

After finishing his explanation, Naga stared at Vita as he finished speaking.

“Hmm, I see.” Vita crossed her arms and answered in a soft voice.

“If we used this method, not just us, even the enemy won’t suffer any casualties, and we can take the fort undamaged for our own use. It is a well-thought-out plan. But there are some elements of uncertainty.”

“That’s right, we have to confirm if the structure in the fort is just as Raibach described. Which is meant to clarify if the range of your magic can cover more than half of the fort. If there are any problems, we have to reconsider the entire plan.“

“And where to place Elysio’s cloak, as well as whether the enemy will fall for the trick and gather in the eastern part…”

“We can’t confirm where the enemy will be positioned, so we have to adjust our plan accordingly.”

“That’s… true.”

“There’s another thing to confirm with you. Elysione mentioned she can teleport with one more person, right? This means she can teleport together with you?”

“Hmm? Oh, that can be done, it’s just that we never tried it before.” Vita said with a solemn face.

“That’s doesn’t sound confident, will it be harder to move if there’s two people? Or is there some other danger?”

“That’s not what I mean; it’s just that I will encounter something unpleasant along the way.”

Naga made a strange expression and pressed Vita:

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t mind it; anyway, Vita can teleport together with me, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

“In that case…”

Naga and Harrigan exchanged a look.

“The only problem left is Yuuki.”

“Yes, only Yuuki is left.”

“Yuuki is indeed a big problem. If we are to capture the enemy alive by using my magic, Yuuki’s participation is very important.”

Naga turned his face towards Vita and asked with a serious expression:

“Regarding this matter, I have a request for you, Vita.”

“What is it, why so serious?”

“Can you ask Yuuki for her help together with Harrigan and me?”

“What do you mean?”

Seeing Vita looking at him, Naga scratched his head.

“Actually, I am not very sure, but I heard her family was killed by the humans, and she really hates human men.”

“I have heard about her hating humans, but there are no witches who welcome men; Yuuki is no exception.”

Vita shifted her eyes towards Harrigan, who sighed softly and said:

“Her childhood experience left a deep trauma in her heart, so her hatred towards humans is exceptional among us. If the mission were to kill human soldiers, she would accept it, no matter how dangerous. But if it is to capture them alive, I’m not sure that she will cooperate.”

“Eh, so the two of you are planning to beg her?”

“Yes. Actually, we are hoping you could join us.”

Naga said. Vita pulled a long face of annoyance when she heard that.

“As the Sraymeyer Clan Head, why must I do that for a witch from your side?”

“This battle doesn’t only concern the fate of the Heindler Clan; it will also decide the future of your clan.”

“That’s true.” Vita looked into the distance and pondered for a moment. She then turned her head back. “Alright, I am not very willing, but I will lower my head along with you two and ask for her help.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Sorry for troubling you, Vita.”

Naga and Harrigan lowered their heads to Vita and thanked her.

“You mentioned the future of our clan, which is correct. If enduring for a moment will lead to a bright future for my clan, I won’t mind the hardships.”

“My apologies.”

“When do you plan to ask her?”

“Time is short; I hope to settle this tomorrow.”

“I see. I will visit your fort tomorrow morning to ask Yuuki then.”

“Thanks for the help.”

After that, the three continued discussing the strategy of attacking Fort Ein. After finishing for the day, Naga and Harrigan bid Vita farewell and returned to their fort.

=== Part 6 ===

The next morning—

Vita showed up at the fort as promised, bringing Elysione and another witch named Lilly.

She ordered Elysione and Lilly to standby in another room, and headed to the room where Naga, Harrigan, and Ais were waiting. As they would be asking Yuuki for help, Naga and Harrigan requested for Ais’ presence in case anything happened.

At this moment, Naga, Harrigan, Ais, and Vita sat in a circle, surrounding Yuuki, who was summoned to the room.

“Hmm? What is going on? Harrigan Nee-san and Naga are here as usual, but why are Ais and Vita clan head also here? Did I do something wrong? Or rather, are you going to do something to me?”

After entering the room, Yuuki had been stealing glances at the four of them repeatedly.

“Why am I sitting on a stool, but all of you are sitting on the ground? Are you asking me to look down on the four of you?”

Yuuki’s face was deathly pale, and sweat glistened on her forehead. Even the defiant Yuuki felt a lot of pressure when she faced these four people.

“Yuuki, we have something to tell you.” Harrigan said in a serious tone.

“I-I-I think so too. I would have run away if the four of you didn’t have any business with me.”

Yuuki broke out in cold sweat all over her body as she replied, and the four of them knelt down without any warning.

“Hyaa?” Yuuki jumped from surprise and backed away.

“W-W-What is this!? What does this mean!? Are you all joking with me!? Is this a new way of pulling a prank!?”

Harrigan lifted her head and soothed her: “Calm down, Yuuki.”

But Yuuki was still shocked and suspicious.

“Aren’t you all… angry?”

“Of course not.”

“Aren’t you going to punish me for trying to kill the prisoner?”

“We have no intention of doing that. We called for you today because we have a request for you. Please take a seat.”

Under the watchful gaze of Harrigan, Ais, and Vita, Yuuki appeared really timid as she returned to her seat, and sat down fearfully on the stool.

“We want to attack Fort Ein while avoiding damage to the fort itself and preventing casualties for both the witches and humans, so we will need your help, Yuuki. Please lend us your aid.”

After she finished, Harrigan lowered her head earnestly once more. Not just her, Naga, Ais, and even Vita, who was the head of another clan, pressed their foreheads to the floor, begging for her help.

“This…”

Yuuki couldn’t say anything for a moment.

She understood that an important task would be entrusted to her, but if that was it, Harrigan could just issue a direct order. She might not be willing to follow the command, but Yuuki wouldn’t outright reject Harrigan’s orders. But Harrigan didn’t do that, and even asked Vita to beg with her. Yuuki tried to think about what this meant.

She couldn’t understand and gave up immediately, deciding to ask directly instead.

“Why didn’t you just give me the order? And what kind of mission will be given to me? Will I be in danger of losing my life?”

“No, it’s not that dangerous.” Harrigan raised her head and replied.

“I don’t understand. Since it’s not dangerous, why not just issue a command? But instead of doing that, you ask me like this. And while surrounded by the four of you, being asked is much scarier than being ordered. Also, isn’t Clan Head Vita an outsider? Why is Clan Head Vita lowering her head too?”

“Fufu”, Vita laughed cheerfully.

“I’m here to ask for your help on the Dragon King-sama’s request. He thinks you will find it harder to reject if I am present too.”

“T-That really makes it hard for me to reject, but I won’t refuse if it’s Harrigan Nee-san’s order anyway. Why go so far as to lower your head and ‘ask’ for my help?”

“Naga will explain this part. As for the mission we need you to undertake, he will explain that too. You see, Naga is the one who came up with the proposal to seize the fort.”

After hearing Harrigan say that, Yuuki scowled.

“So it’s because of you.”

“You don’t need to make such a face for me.”

“I don’t understand why we have to spare the enemies’ lives. After all, wouldn’t it be easier in the future if we kill more of them?”

Yuuki’s critique might be reasonable, but Naga just shook his head lightly when he heard that.

“Conquering Tenka is not a simple matter of how large your army is.”

“Ten… Ka?”

Yuuki wasn’t alone, as Harrigan, Ais, and Vita also had a look of confusion. Lela’s talisman couldn’t accurately translate the term ‘Tenka’, so Naga tried to say it in a way the witches could understand.

“Hmm, eh… oh, if I use the term ‘take over the world’, will you understand?”

“Take over the world?” Yuuki still couldn’t get it, and kept blinking her eyes.

“How is that possible; is that a metaphor?”

“Just think of it as a metaphor for overturning the common sense of the world that thinks witches and humans are sworn enemies, which requires revolutionizing the entire world order. Doing that is related to seizing a new world.”

Yuuki had a look of wonder on her face.

The new world Naga envisioned and his goal for the future of the witches had not taken concrete form in her mind yet. But she understood that Naga wanted to create a new world where witches and humans live in harmony, and knew he was acting in order to build this ideal world.

(He mentioned this in the past; seems like he was serious, and he really wants to build a world like that.)

“If we can build such a world, then there wouldn’t be witches with painful memories like me?”

Yuuki muttered softly.

Naga laughed gently.

“Yuuki, so you have the same ideas as Raibach.”

“W-What?”

“He said ‘can you really create a world where Humans and Witches can live in harmony, a place where humans and humans won’t fight with each other?’ and ‘If you can create such a world and craft such a future, there won’t be children like Elena who are killed at such a young age.’”

“W-Who is Elena?”

“That was Raibach’s child. Ten years ago, the place he lived in was invaded by barbarians; his wife and daughter were murdered.”

This seemed to have struck a chord with Yuuki, and she showed a rare face of sadness.

“…I-Is that so?”

“If Raibach’s child was still alive, she would be about your age. He said his deceased daughter looked very much like you.”

Yuuki sneered and reverted back to her usual face and attitude.

“He is just trying to get on my good side because he almost died by my hands, right?”

“He looked surprised when you appeared in the room, right? I don’t think he was faking his reaction.”

“I didn’t watch that closely.”

“Forget about Raibach for now, back to the topic. In order to build a new world, and overturn the common sense that ‘witches and humans are sworn enemies, I want to avoid killing any enemy soldiers whenever possible.”

“How is not killing the enemy soldiers related to building a new world? I can’t understand.” Yuuki puffed her cheeks unhappily and asked a sarcastic question.

“Witches are not violent and cold blooded, but are instead kind, benevolent, and merciful… I want the humans to learn these facts. It is not easy to overturn their values and perceptions, but we need to make such views waver. With time, their common sense will be proven wrong. When that time comes, humans will be willing to stand on the same side as us.”

Yuuki lowered her head and seemed to be thinking about something. Harrigan and Ais looked at Yuuki with eyes filled with kindness, while Vita observed her curiously.

Shortly thereafter, Yuuki lifted her head and mumbled:

“I still don’t understand, but I don’t mind cooperation for the sake of building a new world.”
Harrigan’s and Ais’ faces brightened, Vita laughed, and Naga was all smiles.

“That is wonderful, as there is something only you can do after all.”

“Hold it! Tell me what I need to do first, or I won’t be able to give you a definite answer.”

“Oh, this is what we want to ask of you.”

Naga explained how to use Vita’s magic to seize the fort, and how the strategy will not harm the soldiers or damage the fort.

“Oh, so that’s it… That’s why Clan Head Vita is here?” Yuuki looked towards Vita.

“That’s right.” Vita nodded in acknowledgement.

“There is no problem in using my magic to subdue the soldiers, but there isn’t any witch in either tribe who can withstand my spell and bind the soldiers. The only one who can still move would probably be Ais.”

Ais showed a proud face.

“Aside from having a huge body, Ais also has lots of fat, her breasts and butt looks really heavy. No matter how strong she is, she might not be able to overcome the increased weight.”

Ais had a smile on her face, but her veins were showing on her temple. But no matter how gutsy Ais was, she wouldn’t dare rebuke Vita, so that smile on her face just turned stiffer and stiffer.

“Which is to say, the Dragon King-sama is giving up on binding the soldiers in the fort, and will be entrusting these things to you.”

Yuuki turned her gaze to Naga.

“Your head is always full of strange ideas.”

“Isn’t my head really good?”

“To think you can devise such a plan. I don’t think your head is good, it’s just that your personality is evil.”

“That’s so mean.” Naga grumbled.

Harrigan and Vita couldn’t help their snickering, and Ais finally relaxed her stiff smile and laughed gently.

Never mind, Naga lifted his spirits.

“How about it, are you willing to cooperate?”

After hearing his question, Yuuki puffed her chest out and said arrogantly:

“Piece of cake. And the soldiers will be subdued by Clan Head Vita, so I won’t have to worry about getting hit by arrows. It won’t be a problem.”

Hearing Yuuki’s response, Naga shouted “Alright!” agitatedly.

“Since Yuuki is willing to work with us, we will begin the operation to seize Fort Ein immediately.”

=== Part 7 ===

And so, the Heindler and Sraymeyer Clans worked together and began preparations to take Fort Ein.

The date that they would attack was tentatively set to be ten days later.

<noinclude>
==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
| Return to [[Ochitekita_Ryuuou_to_Horobiyuku_Majo_no_Kuni|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
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</noinclude>

Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 3

2017-02-16T10:40:58Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 1 */

==Chapter 3: Future Outlook==

=== Part 1 ===

Kay brought dinner in, and ate it together with Naga and Raibaha.
Kay tried to chat with Raibaha as they ate, but his replies were halfhearted.

“Tch. How boring.” Kay complained and kept the cutlery.

“Don’t hold back on your requests, Raibaha. Aside from undoing your ropes or letting you escape, anything else would be fine.”

“No… I don’t have any requests.”

“Nothing?”

“How about massaging my feet, Kay?”

“What? I am asking Raibaha, why are you making such overboard demands as if this was natural, Naga? That is so strange.”

Naga laughed in response to Kay’s retort.

“Just kidding, don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad.”

“Then help me massage.”

“Huh? Are you joking with me!?”

“Of course I’m kidding.”

“How irritating.”

Kay snatched Naga’s plate away.

“Alright, I’m cleaning up.”

“Ah, there’s still a bit left…”

“I. am. cleaning. up.”

“Alright, alright.”

As Naga was smiling wryly, thumping footsteps came from the corridor outside.

“Hmm? Harrigan Nee-san?”

“Harrigan wouldn’t be walking so agitatedly.”

“That’s true, did Ais get angry?”

“Eh, wait.”

Naga waved his hand with his face turning green.

“We didn’t do anything to anger Ais.”

“That’s true, then…”

When Kay turned to the entrance, the footfalls stop. The door was then opened violently; revealing Yuuki with the corners of her eyes raised greatly.

“I heard that we captured a soldier of the Cassandra Army!?”

Kay responded affirmatively because of the pressure from Yuuki.

“I will kill him.”

Yuuki’s expression turned into rage and a strange light shone from her eyes.

“I will kill him in the cruelest way possible.”

Raibaha opened his eyes wide and stared at the vile-mouthed Yuuki. He knew that Yuuki wasn’t joking, but he wasn’t afraid as he stared at Yuuki with a lost expression.

“Eh, what the hell are you saying, Yuuki?”

“You are the one speaking nonsense, Kay. Why didn’t you kill the enemy immediately!?”

“In order to gather intel.”

“Do you need to treat him like a guest when doing that?”

“I’m not doing that.”

“Yes you are, you’re letting him stay here and even prepared an entire set of bedding. If you are trying to get intel, why not torture him!? Did he spill the beans already?”

“No, he is still thinking about it.”

“Huh? Why give him that choice? We don’t have the time to wait, let me handle it. I will make him spit out the information we need. Let me think… I will cut off his fingers one by one. To prevent him from dying because of blood loss, I will cauterize the wounds with a burning iron plate. He will definitely give in after cutting off two or three fingers. If he won’t, I will cut off all his fingers and toes, and he will beg me to kill him. When he spills everything, I will take his life if he asks, and it’ll all be settled.”

The agitated Yuuki spoke passionately as she took a couple of steps forward.

“I will handle this, so back off, Kay.”

“Eh, don’t decide that on your own, Yuuki.”

Kay also took a step forward to block Yuuki.

“Are you planning to stop me? Kay?”

“If Harrigan Nee-san and Naga don’t give you permission, I advise you not to be reckless.”

Yuuki cast a glance at Naga who had crossed his arms with a serious expression and showed no intention to speak. After confirming that, Yuuki turned back and faced Kay again.

“You… are helping the humans?”

“I don’t mean to do so, and don’t do anything that will spoil the image of witches.”

“If you don’t back off, I will cut you to pieces.”

“Hmmpf! Do it if you can. Your wind blades can’t harm me!”

The skin on Kay’s exposed limbs started turning grey.

“You think you are tough enough to take my wind blades!?”

“Go on, try me.”

“Why are you protecting that guy!?”

Yuuki was furious as she pointed to Raibach, behind Kay.

“This man is one of the soldiers who are always trying to kill us! Why let him live!?”

At this moment, Raibaha suddenly asked,

“Ah, let me ask you.”

Yuuki’s body stiffened.

“W-What!? Don’t think of begging for your life!”

“Was your family killed by us… by the Army of the Caesandra Kingdom?”

“Not by the soldiers of the Kingdom, but…” Yuuki answered softly, but then lost her composure. “It’s humans! Humans gathered everyone and massacred them!”

Raibaha watched Yuuki and his brow twitched.

“I see, you have a tragic past too. No wonder you hate humans. If you are bent on killing me… Please do so.”

Bafflement flashed across Yuuki’s face for a moment, but she puffed her chest with an arrogant look in no time.

“Look, even the subject himself said so. So let me do it.”

“Eh, why did you say that, Raibaha!?”

“Kay, you don’t need to protect him, get out of the way.”

“You two… Kay, Yuuki- you two are comrades, so don’t quarrel over someone like me.”

“Ahhh, that’s why… Ahhh—! So troublesome!” Kay grabbed her head exasperatedly. “My head isn’t that good; I can’t process something so complicated~~”

After holding her head and squatting for a while, she stood up. “I still think Yuuki shouldn’t kill this man. I will stop you.”

“Damn it…” Yuuki cursed angrily. “If you dare to stop me, I will really cut you to shreds.”

“Try it if you can.”

Kay’s grey skin turned silver with a metallic luster.

“What’s with the din? I have a morning shift tomorrow and need to sleep early, so stop with the noise.”

Arurukan said so casually when she popped up at the door. Noticing the tense atmosphere in the room, she stood stiff on the spot.

“Y-Y-You two, what are you doing?”

Yuuki and Kay glared at each other and ignored the baffled Arurukan. An intense fighting aura welled up about them.

“Yuuki.”

Naga said all of a sudden.

“W-What is it. Even if you try to lecture me… Eh, what are you doing?”

Yuuki turned her face towards Naga and found him kneeling on the floor with his forehead on the ground. She was shocked and took a large step back.

“What… the hell are you doing!?”

“I don’t know why you hate humans so much, and cannot understand how you feel. But in order to create a world where witches can live a happy life, this man is necessary. So can you please bear with it? I’m begging you.” Naga pleaded with her while on his knees.

“W… What…”

Yuuki looked down at the back of Naga’s head with a shocked face. She didn’t expect Naga to kneel down to her for a man he didn’t even know.
“I-Is the information this guy has that important!?”

Naga raised his head slowly and looked up at Yuuki.

“I will only know if it is important after hearing it, but it might be very important. If I can gain critical intel, we will be able to seize Fort Ein without sacrificing any witches or humans.”

Yuuki looked at Naga with a face of doubt, but her anger had been soothed a lot.

“W-Why do you care about the lives of those inhuman soldiers!? If we kill all of them, we can cut down the enemy’s numbers.”

“That might be true for the current situation, but taking the future into consideration, not having any sacrifices would be advantageous for us.”

Yuuki showed a troubled expression.

“I-I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“It’s fine if you don’t understand, but can you trust me this once?”

“How could I trust someone like you!?”

“Ehh, that’s too harsh, Yuuki.” Kay interjected. “Naga saved us when we were in danger. If not for him, we would have been chased out of the black forest long ago.”

“Eh… T-That’s true.”

“My head isn’t good, and I can’t analyze the situation, nor predict future developments. But I trust Naga. Since he said so, let’s leave this to him.”

Yuuki glared first at Kay as she said that, then Naga, and finally Raibaha. She then turned around abruptly and left in a huff.

“Move, Aru!”

“Nyaa?”

Yuuki’s fierce expression intimidated Arurukan, and she made way for her.

Just like the time she came, Yuuki stomped through the corridor when she left. Seeing her back disappear into the distance, Arurukan turned back and asked Kay, “What happened?”

“Well, it’s a long story. Where do I start…?”

Kay looked towards Naga for help.

“I will explain this to Arurukan later. I have something to ask Raibaha, and it would be better if Harrigan and Ais are present. They didn’t show up even after that ruckus. Did they turn in already?”

“Eh, I think Ais is out on patrol.”

“I see, she would have stopped Yuuki if she was here.”

(Or maybe not, she might even escalate things. Ais can’t control herself when she loses her temper, it would be an explosive scene if Yuuki retaliates.)

Kay thought about it, but didn’t say it out loud, afraid that someone would snitch on her.

“Harrigan nee-san should be in the fort, should I bring her over?” After Kay said that, Harrigan’s voice could be heard saying, “Why is Yuuki in the First Fort!?”

“Ohh, speak of the devil.”

Kay sighed in relief, thinking that she had washed her hands clean of the troublesome matter.

=== Part 2 ===

Most of the witches garrisoned here had gathered in the biggest room inside the fort. Naturally, Naga and Raibach were also present.

The witches around Raibach were:

Harrigan.

Ais.

Kay.

Nonoel.

Harlequin.

Eleonortha.

Lela.

Mimone.

And of course, Yuuki was absent. The sisters, Linne and Linna, were on guard duty, thus not in the room.

After receiving Harrigan’s pigeon message, Lela immediately rushed to the First Fort on horseback behind Mimone.

Harrigan sighed softly after hearing Kay’s report.

“That’s why I didn’t want Yuuki to know about this.”

When Lela received the pigeon message, Yuuki was just setting off from the Third Fort. In the confusion, she found out about Kay capturing a human soldier, so she rushed here on her hoverboard alone.

“Forget it… No, we are not done yet. Getting detailed intelligence from that man takes priority… right, Naga?”

“That’s true.” Naga replied with a troubled face.

“Didn’t that man say he would consider giving us information about the fort? Did something change while we were gathering?”

“Aside from the detailed information about the fort, there is one thing I am very concerned with.”

“What is that?”

Harrigan prompted him to continue. Naga shifted his stool and faced Raibach.

“Raibach, you seemed surprised when Yuuki appeared just now. There are plenty of witches here that are unknown to you, but why did Yuuki surprised you so much?”

“Ah… Huh~~ you have sharp eyes.”

Raibach’s vision wavered and he stretched out his right hand to scratch his head. He then recounted his tale slowly.

“I had a daughter.”

Raibach said something unrelated, making Naga and the other witches to look at him puzzledly.

“If she were still alive, she would probably be about the age of you two.” Raibach said as he pointed at Nonoel and Kay. “It doesn’t sound convincing for a parent to say this, but she really was a cute kid.”

“……”

They were actually not interested in Raibach’s personal affairs. Naga and Harrigan looked at each other, hesitating about whether to stop him or not.

“When I was out on a campaign once, the barbarians invaded at the city I lived in, ravaged the streets and killed the citizens.”

Naga and Harrigan were shocked and turned their heads away.

“I couldn’t find the remains of my wife and daughter in the end. There were thousands of charred corpses in the streets, and I think my family was probably murdered there.”

“I can empathize with you, but right now we are…”

Raibach continued in a calm tone as if he didn’t hear what Harrigan said:

“That witch just now, the one who was shouting about wanting to kill me, is Yuuki, right?”

“Yuuki is hard to get along with, but she has her circumstances. If she made you feel uncomfortable, let me apologize…”

“No, that’s not it.” Raibach raised his head, his expression strange and complicated. “That girl looks really similar to my dead daughter.”

He looked up to the roof, his eyes far away.

“My dead daughter is actually alive and appeared before me. That thought occurred to me for an instant, surprising me.”

Raibach said sadly, but Harrigan’s reply was cold.

“My condolences for your loss, but she is a witch, not your daughter.”

“That’s true, I know that very well too, but… They really look identical, it’s like my daughter who survived somewhere appeared, so I…”

Raibach said passionately, but stopped midway.

“…I …I” He turned his gaze back from the ceiling, tears falling from his eyes.

“I won’t have any complaints if that girl kills me, my daughter must have hated me the same way. If I didn’t go off to fight a war in that dangerous time, and stayed with my wife and daughter, they would still be alive today.”

Harrigan wasn’t sure how to respond and kept quiet. Naga couldn’t say anything and watched him without a word. It was the same for the other witches. The entire room fell silent.

“Dragon King, you mentioned about creating a world where humans and witches cohabit in peace. If it succeeds, will the fighting between humans cease?”

Naga said confidently with a gentle smile on his face: “What a silly question.”

“If Witches and humans can be at peace, so can humans and humans.”

“That make sense. If you can create such a world and craft such a future, there won’t be children like Elena, who are killed at such a young age.”

“Your daughter is named Elena?”

“Yes, her name’s Elena. Ahh, Elena.”

Raibach buried his face in his hands.

“She must have been so scared, and suffered so much and… been hoping I would come to save them. But… I…”

Raibach curled up and sniffling sounds escaped from his lips. Naga, Harrigan, and the other witches did not say anything to console him, and his cries filled the entire room. A short time later, Raibach put down his hands. He turned to Naga with tears on his face.

“Hey, Dragon King. Can you really create a world where Humans and Witches can live in harmony? A place where humans and humans won’t fight with each other?”

“Of course I can… is what I want to say, but regrettably, I can’t make this promise lightly. I can only say that I will do my best. Doing all we can is important. If we don’t work hard, we won’t be able to make this brand new world a reality, and pave our future.”

(Can’t make this promise lightly, huh? That means he views this very seriously. Maybe this man can really create a world like that.)

Raibach didn’t have or want a dream. Maybe it’s because his memories of his family made him sad, or maybe he was compelled by the hope that doing this will lessen his self reproach.

Raibach wiped away the tears on his face.

“If I tell you the details of the fort, there won’t be any sacrifices?”

Naga didn’t nod; he just puffed his chest out.

“I can’t guarantee that there wouldn’t be any, but the chances are high.”

“I am not hoping for zero deaths, but can you promise to keep casualties to a minimum?”

When he heard that, Naga nodded firmly.

“Alright, I promise. I will seize the fort by utilizing a method without deaths.”

“In that case… I will tell you.”

Raibach provided them with the required intel regarding the fort. But after the witches heard his tragic past, none of them showed any signs of glee.

=== Part 3 ===

Raibach explained the structure of the fort and the placement of the guards in great detail.

Lela noted down the important points on a parchment as he spoke.

After he was done, Raibach added:

“The guard commander of the fort is a man named Baldkeist; he was one of the close subordinates of former General Geobalk, who took responsibility for the failed campaign and resigned. Similar to me, he was assigned to garrison the fort as cannon fodder. On the other hand, he isn’t too loyal to the new general, Guiscard, and won’t fight to the end if something does happen… That’s how I feel.”

“I see; this information is a great help.”

Naga smiled and turned his head.

“Harrigan, I have something to discuss with you.”

“Hmm? Oh, alright.”

Harrigan nodded, faced Kay and ordered:

“Bring that man back to his room. Nonoel will stand guard with you, so Yuuki won’t come and stir up trouble.”

“Understood, Harrigan Nee-san.”

Kay and Nonoel left the room with Raibach while Naga and Harrigan moved into another room. They sat on stools and faced each other.

=== Part 4 ===

“Do you think his words can be trusted?”

After sitting down, Naga asked. Harrigan crossed her arms as she sat on the stool, answering thoughtfully:

“He doesn’t seem to be lying, at least he is not lying to us blatantly. What do you think, Naga?”

“I agree with your opinion. When he was talking about his daughter, his tears were real.”

“That’s right. Assuming everything he was true, do you have any good ideas?”

Naga nodded seriously.

“It should work.”

“It will work? Really!?”

“The most important part of the plan is to get Elysione or Vita near the fort. From what we heard about the structure of the fort, there isn’t a need to infiltrate the it; just being near the walls would be enough.”

“That would mean sending Elysione first, right?”

“This is the safest and simplest way, but letting Vita approach the fort herself, without Elysione, is also an option.”

“That is true, but Vita doesn’t have much defense. She could manipulate weight to guard herself, but if she does that, even we won’t be able to go near the fort.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“How do you plan to solve this?”

“We have people who can launch ranged attacks. I plan to use this method to tie up the enemy’s forces, then distract them, and use the chances to approach.”

Harrigan thought about it for a moment and turned her face back.
“The long range attacker is Ais?”

“That’s right, Ais’ stone throwing attack is very powerful, and she can attack from outside the range of normal bows. It would be hard for the defending soldiers to handle her.”

“Won’t they leave the fort and sally forth?”

“The enemy are witches, and you think they would dare to send two hundred soldiers to counterattack?”

Harrigan shook her head, as that make sense.

“I don’t think they have the guts.”

“If they move out in full force and leave the fort empty, that will play into my hands. If Ais, Lela and Yuuki keep attacking from a distance, they should be able to intimidate them and keep their attention. Vita can use the chance to approach.”

“Is doing that alright? Vita is a crucial figure in this operation, isn’t she? If she gets injured, wouldn’t the entire plan be ruined?”

“You are right, but logically speaking, Vita won’t be taking too big of a risk.”

“…I hope so.”

“But just to be safe, we should prepare Elysione’s cloak so it can be used at a moment’s notice.”

Harrigan leaned forward and asked:

“Specifically speaking, how are you planning to take the fort?”

“Here’s what I plan to do.”

Naga then explained to Harrigan the details of the strategy to capture the fort.
“First will be Ais and the duo of Yuuki and Lela, who will attack at long range from two different places. Let’s set them to the west and south. Ais will throw rocks and Yuuki will carry Lela and her talismans into the sky above the fort, before making them burst into flames as she tosses them down. That way, the defending soldiers will fall into confusion.”

“Once the soldiers focus their attention on them, Kay will use this chance to charge to the eastern wall, and of course, bring Elysione’s cloak with her. If she hardens her body, the soldiers won’t be able to harm her no matter how many arrows they shoot. Once she has reached the wall, she needs to place the cloak down. The soldiers in the fort won’t leave the fort just to take the cloak, since they are under the witches’ attack.”

“When Vita uses her spell, it will be best to gather the defending forces in the east. So after Kay puts down the cloak, the participating witches will need to show themselves. Ais will stop and Yuuki will retreat. That should get the soldiers, who still have the strength to defend, to gather on the eastern walls.”

“Once Kay has put down the cloak, Elysione will immediately bring Vita to the wall. Kay will then withdraw temporarily… No, I figure she should stay put, and act as Elysione and Vita’s guard.”

“Once Vita teleports to the wall, she will begin her spell immediately. As for the structure of the fort, assuming the information given by Raibach is correct, almost all of the soldiers should be unable to move. If not all, then at least 80% of them should be incapacitated. When Vita uses her spell, Elysione won’t be able to move either, she’ll have to bear with it then.”

“We will leave the north alone, and attack from the west and the south. We will then close in from the east. This is to show the fort soldiers that there are no threats from the north. This is to give the soldiers the impression that, ‘we won’t be able to escape if we are completely surrounded, let’s run while we are still able to do so.’”

“When Vita uses the spell ‘Song of Gravity’ and captures all the soldiers gathered on the eastern side, we need to find a way to tie up these soldiers, so they won’t be able to move freely when the spell is released. To prevent Vita from being attacked by soldiers outside her range, Ais would need to attack more fiercely.

“Wait a moment, Naga.”

Harrigan raised her hand to stop Naga’s explanation.

“You mentioned tying up the soldiers while they are immobile, but how do you do that specifically? We witches can’t resist Vita’s magic and enter the range of her spell. Our bodies will become heavy and we won’t be able to move if we go in, so how can we tie up the soldiers… Why are you staring so intensely at my body!?”

“Vita’s magic will increase a person’s original weight by two or three times, correct? Compared to Lela and Kay, it would be hard for you to move…”

*Knock*

“That hurts!”

*Knock knock knock*

“That really hurts! Don’t keep hitting me with your hair!”

The teary Naga leapt backwards from his stool to dodge the attack. Harrigan pulled her head of hardened hair back, but her eyes were full of fury as she glared at Naga.

“You are not considerate towards girls at all.”

“No such thing, I am famous for being considerate… probably.”

“You actually have the cheeks to say that.”

Harrigan blew her top once again and Naga waved his hands in front of him hurriedly.

“Alright, I know, it’s my fault.”

“Sorry”— Naga lowered his head in apology, and Harrigan’s hair fell onto her shoulders. Naga returned to his seat when he saw that.

“Alright, back to the topic.” Harrigan said grudgingly, after Naga sat properly.

“Ais might be able to move after Vita casts her spell, but that would take all her strength. It will also take a long time to bind the three hundred soldiers in the fort, and I don’t think Vita’s spell can last that long.”

“Speaking of which, she didn’t mention how long her spell could last.”

“This is her personal secret. The better known one’s magic is, the bigger the disadvantage. Not all witches live harmoniously with each other. More accurately speaking, most of us see each other as enemies.”

“I see, so even while facing the threat of being invaded by other nations, there are inter-tribe battles as well. I think I have heard something so regrettable in the past too.”

Naga was troubled.

(By the way, I have a feeling that this is something I experienced personally.)

“Something the matter?”

Naga looked at the ceiling deep in thought, and shook his head when Harrigan asked.

“There is a way to solve this problem.”

“There is a way!?”

Harrigan was shocked, and made an impressed expression.

“I see, as expected of Dragon King-sama.”

“Don’t mock me.”

“I’m not mocking you. Since there is a way, isn’t Fort Ein is as good as ours?”

Harrigan said confidently and Naga’s face turned serious.

“But there is a serious problem with this.”

“You mean there is a risk? But there is always some risk if we want to succeed, and our target is to take the fort without anyone dying or damaging the fort.”

“No, not that kind of danger.”

“???”

“The danger I am referring to is Yuuki. Specifically speaking, I am going to entrust her with a mission, but if I do that now, my life will probably be in danger…”

Naga sighed after saying that, and Harrigan laughed:

“What, so it’s that thing. I will order Yuuki to do it then.”

“I don’t think she will disobey if you give the word. No, that’s hard to say. Maybe she will resist strongly this time, since the main strategy involves sparing the lives of the Kasandora soldiers. Even if she agrees, she might screw things up as it goes against her will.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

Harrigan, who didn’t get it in the beginning, finally raised her head.

“By the way—”

She asked Naga:

“What mission are you giving her? Is it difficult? Why must it be Yuuki? Her magic is powerful, it will be hard for her not to harm the enemies while suppressing them.”

“The mission I want to assign her isn’t difficult, and I have no plans to use her magic to subdue the enemy.”

Harrigan frowned and tilted her head.

“What… do you mean by that?”

“This is what I mean.”

Naga leaned towards the side of Harrigan’s face and whispered.

After finishing, Naga returned to his seat.

“I… I see, only Yuuki could do it.”

Harrigan groaned and was impressed.

“Not only will this method subdue the enemy soldiers without them resisting, it will also resolve the issue quickly, so there is no need to worry about how long her magic will holdout.”

(It was the same last time, with Naga proposing a well-thought-out strategy. Normally, one wouldn’t even think of utilizing Yuuki’s ability in such a way.)

Harrigan was becoming more impressed.

“But there is also a problem, since this method couldn’t be used against the soldiers inside the buildings.”

“Ahh!” Harrigan pounded her thigh with her fist.

“That’s true; this method won’t stop the soldiers inside the buildings.”

“If we can push as many soldiers as possible into Vita’s magic range, the problem would be solved.”

“And so, you need us to reveal ourselves at this point, so the enemy will think we are going to attack the fort?”

“That’s right.” Naga said with a nod.

“The plan is to induce most of the soldiers to gather near the walls or towers in their attempt to disrupt our attack, but I am not confident that we can draw all of them out. Maybe we have to subdue the soldiers inside the buildings by force, and this is something I don’t wish to see. It would be for the best if they run away the first chance they get, because of the fear of being rendered immobile by magic.”

When she heard Naga say that, Harrigan answered confidently:

“Even if they don’t run, we have about forty witches here; handling a hundred soldiers would not be a problem.”

“With your combat prowess, subduing half of the troops wouldn’t take much time. But I hope to minimize the losses as much as possible, for both the witches and the enemy.”

Harrigan seemed a little troubled.

“In that battle earlier, you showed no mercy to the enemy, but you insist on not harming the enemy this time. In order to get the intelligence from Raibach, you promised him that…. The reason doesn’t seem to be this simple, so can you explain why are you insisting on this?”

“Because—” Naga leaned forward and said:

“The goal of this battle is to seize Fort Ein intact, and to change how the humans evaluate witches.”

“Our… evaluation?”

Harrigan blinked.

“The evaluation of most people about how witches are ‘violent and cold blooded’.”

“But that’s…”

Naga raised his right hand and stopped Harrigan who wanted to defend herself.

“I know. Anyone who has actually interacted with you all would know that isn’t true, barring those with extreme prejudice. But the humans who have never met you all before wouldn’t know.”

“Eh… t-that’s right.”

“This mindset has been ongoing for dozens of years. The truth isn’t important anymore, since humans already have a deep-rooted belief that this is the truth. And there are also things in this world that spread lies about the cruelty of the witches, for example: the church abusing the authority of god. This evaluation is already firmly set in their mind, am I right?”

Harrigan sighed heavily.

“Unfortunately… that is so.”

“So we just need to turn this evaluation around, for the sake of building a peaceful world for humans and witches.”

(T-This guy has a grand vision as usual.)

“The fort was taken; most of the soldiers were captured but did not lose their lives and were even released safely. I want to create this fact. Even if the Kasandora Kingdom tries to hush things up, the news will spread sooner or later as they can’t stop the people’s grapevines. Just the fact that the witches didn’t kill the soldiers would be enough to make the humans doubt their impression that the witches are ‘violent, cruel and merciless’. It might just be doubt in the beginning, and they might even question if that was the truth, but if this accumulates over the years, it will overturn the current evaluation one day.”

Harrigan answered with a soft mutter.

“You vision is wide, and you can see the future very well. I feel impressed every time I see this.”

“That’s too exaggerated; anyone can understand if they think about it in detail.”

(The problem is that no one can think about it in such detail.)

“But things aren’t so simple, we can’t just wait idly and hope the prevailing evaluation will be overturned someday. We have to actively spread this truth that runs contrary to their evaluation, and disperse the news widely.”

“W-We have to do something like that too?”

“Of course. In a way, war is a battle of intelligence. Obtaining accurate enemy intelligence and spreading news that is beneficial to our army, all of these are crucial factors in winning the final victory.”

“Dragon King-sama is good with tactics, and is underhanded in doing so.”

“I wasn’t expecting that.”

Naga wasn’t happy about that comment. Just then, Harrigan shouted “Alright!” and clapped her hands.

“I understand; we will proceed as you proposed. I will beg Yuuki to help us, and do my best to convince her.”

“I will accompany you and ask her too.”

“In that case…”

“What? Did you think of a good idea?”

“Let’s bring Vita along to plead with her.”

“…Is it fine to ask her for something like this?” Naga was confused.

“The future of both our clans depends on this, so she has to show up too.”

(Your personality is bad too.)

“You have any objections?”

“Eh, I want to confirm if we have that important thing.”

“We should have one or two of them, but their durability and toughness aren’t enough to subdue the enemy. And we will need multiple, so I’m thinking of remaking them.”

“Can you do that? This part requires intricate work to be done on it.”

“We have basically been providing for ourselves all this time, so making something like that is no big deal.”

“I will leave it to you then. So, how should we start?”
“Let me think. Let’s find Vita, and work from the outside in.”

Naga laughed.

“With you, Vita, and me lowering our heads to ask her, I don’t think Yuuki can reject us.”

“But like you said, it would be problematic if she did this unwillingly, so we have to really convince her, don’t we?”

“If it’s up to me…” Naga’s face became sullen.

“Who else can we entrust with this mission?”
“Ugh…. That’s true.”

“We will be going to Vita’s side tomorrow, let’s ask her then.”

“Alright, it’s settled then.”

=== Part 5 ===

The next day—

Naga and Harrigan visited Sraymeyer Fort right before noon, and had a conference with Vita in one of the rooms of the residential block.

Naga sat on a stool and explained his strategy, while Vita, who was also on a stool, didn’t say anything and listened carefully.

“… And this is the strategy I plan to use to take Fort Ein.”

After finishing his explanation, Naga stared at Vita as he finished speaking.

“Hmm, I see.” Vita crossed her arms and answered in a soft voice.

“If we used this method, not just us, even the enemy won’t suffer any casualties, and we can take the fort undamaged for our own use. It is a well-thought-out plan. But there are some elements of uncertainty.”

“That’s right, we have to confirm if the structure in the fort is just as Raibach described. Which is meant to clarify if the range of your magic can cover more than half of the fort. If there are any problems, we have to reconsider the entire plan.“

“And where to place Elysio’s cloak, as well as whether the enemy will fall for the trick and gather in the eastern part…”

“We can’t confirm where the enemy will be positioned, so we have to adjust our plan accordingly.”

“That’s… true.”

“There’s another thing to confirm with you. Elysione mentioned she can teleport with one more person, right? This means she can teleport together with you?”

“Hmm? Oh, that can be done, it’s just that we never tried it before.” Vita said with a solemn face.

“That’s doesn’t sound confident, will it be harder to move if there’s two people? Or is there some other danger?”

“That’s not what I mean; it’s just that I will encounter something unpleasant along the way.”

Naga made a strange expression and pressed Vita:

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t mind it; anyway, Vita can teleport together with me, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

“In that case…”

Naga and Harrigan exchanged a look.

“The only problem left is Yuuki.”

“Yes, only Yuuki is left.”

“Yuuki is indeed a big problem. If we are to capture the enemy alive by using my magic, Yuuki’s participation is very important.”

Naga turned his face towards Vita and asked with a serious expression:

“Regarding this matter, I have a request for you, Vita.”

“What is it, why so serious?”

“Can you ask Yuuki for her help together with Harrigan and me?”

“What do you mean?”

Seeing Vita looking at him, Naga scratched his head.

“Actually, I am not very sure, but I heard her family was killed by the humans, and she really hates human men.”

“I have heard about her hating humans, but there are no witches who welcome men; Yuuki is no exception.”

Vita shifted her eyes towards Harrigan, who sighed softly and said:

“Her childhood experience left a deep trauma in her heart, so her hatred towards humans is exceptional among us. If the mission were to kill human soldiers, she would accept it, no matter how dangerous. But if it is to capture them alive, I’m not sure that she will cooperate.”

“Eh, so the two of you are planning to beg her?”

“Yes. Actually, we are hoping you could join us.”

Naga said. Vita pulled a long face of annoyance when she heard that.

“As the Sraymeyer Clan Head, why must I do that for a witch from your side?”

“This battle doesn’t only concern the fate of the Heindler Clan; it will also decide the future of your clan.”

“That’s true.” Vita looked into the distance and pondered for a moment. She then turned her head back. “Alright, I am not very willing, but I will lower my head along with you two and ask for her help.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Sorry for troubling you, Vita.”

Naga and Harrigan lowered their heads to Vita and thanked her.

“You mentioned the future of our clan, which is correct. If enduring for a moment will lead to a bright future for my clan, I won’t mind the hardships.”

“My apologies.”

“When do you plan to ask her?”

“Time is short; I hope to settle this tomorrow.”

“I see. I will visit your fort tomorrow morning to ask Yuuki then.”

“Thanks for the help.”

After that, the three continued discussing the strategy of attacking Fort Ein. After finishing for the day, Naga and Harrigan bid Vita farewell and returned to their fort.

=== Part 6 ===

The next morning—

Vita showed up at the fort as promised, bringing Elysione and another witch named Lilly.

She ordered Elysione and Lilly to standby in another room, and headed to the room where Naga, Harrigan, and Ais were waiting. As they would be asking Yuuki for help, Naga and Harrigan requested for Ais’ presence in case anything happened.

At this moment, Naga, Harrigan, Ais, and Vita sat in a circle, surrounding Yuuki, who was summoned to the room.

“Hmm? What is going on? Harrigan Nee-san and Naga are here as usual, but why are Ais and Vita clan head also here? Did I do something wrong? Or rather, are you going to do something to me?”

After entering the room, Yuuki had been stealing glances at the four of them repeatedly.

“Why am I sitting on a stool, but all of you are sitting on the ground? Are you asking me to look down on the four of you?”

Yuuki’s face was deathly pale, and sweat glistened on her forehead. Even the defiant Yuuki felt a lot of pressure when she faced these four people.

“Yuuki, we have something to tell you.” Harrigan said in a serious tone.

“I-I-I think so too. I would have run away if the four of you didn’t have any business with me.”

Yuuki broke out in cold sweat all over her body as she replied, and the four of them knelt down without any warning.

“Hyaa?” Yuuki jumped from surprise and backed away.

“W-W-What is this!? What does this mean!? Are you all joking with me!? Is this a new way of pulling a prank!?”

Harrigan lifted her head and soothed her: “Calm down, Yuuki.”

But Yuuki was still shocked and suspicious.

“Aren’t you all… angry?”

“Of course not.”

“Aren’t you going to punish me for trying to kill the prisoner?”

“We have no intention of doing that. We called for you today because we have a request for you. Please take a seat.”

Under the watchful gaze of Harrigan, Ais, and Vita, Yuuki appeared really timid as she returned to her seat, and sat down fearfully on the stool.

“We want to attack Fort Ein while avoiding damage to the fort itself and preventing casualties for both the witches and humans, so we will need your help, Yuuki. Please lend us your aid.”

After she finished, Harrigan lowered her head earnestly once more. Not just her, Naga, Ais, and even Vita, who was the head of another clan, pressed their foreheads to the floor, begging for her help.

“This…”

Yuuki couldn’t say anything for a moment.

She understood that an important task would be entrusted to her, but if that was it, Harrigan could just issue a direct order. She might not be willing to follow the command, but Yuuki wouldn’t outright reject Harrigan’s orders. But Harrigan didn’t do that, and even asked Vita to beg with her. Yuuki tried to think about what this meant.

She couldn’t understand and gave up immediately, deciding to ask directly instead.

“Why didn’t you just give me the order? And what kind of mission will be given to me? Will I be in danger of losing my life?”

“No, it’s not that dangerous.” Harrigan raised her head and replied.

“I don’t understand. Since it’s not dangerous, why not just issue a command? But instead of doing that, you ask me like this. And while surrounded by the four of you, being asked is much scarier than being ordered. Also, isn’t Clan Head Vita an outsider? Why is Clan Head Vita lowering her head too?”

“Fufu”, Vita laughed cheerfully.

“I’m here to ask for your help on the Dragon King-sama’s request. He thinks you will find it harder to reject if I am present too.”

“T-That really makes it hard for me to reject, but I won’t refuse if it’s Harrigan Nee-san’s order anyway. Why go so far as to lower your head and ‘ask’ for my help?”

“Naga will explain this part. As for the mission we need you to undertake, he will explain that too. You see, Naga is the one who came up with the proposal to seize the fort.”

After hearing Harrigan say that, Yuuki scowled.

“So it’s because of you.”

“You don’t need to make such a face for me.”

“I don’t understand why we have to spare the enemies’ lives. After all, wouldn’t it be easier in the future if we kill more of them?”

Yuuki’s critique might be reasonable, but Naga just shook his head lightly when he heard that.

“Conquering Tenka is not a simple matter of how large your army is.”

“Ten… Ka?”

Yuuki wasn’t alone, as Harrigan, Ais, and Vita also had a look of confusion. Lela’s talisman couldn’t accurately translate the term ‘Tenka’, so Naga tried to say it in a way the witches could understand.

“Hmm, eh… oh, if I use the term ‘take over the world’, will you understand?”

“Take over the world?” Yuuki still couldn’t get it, and kept blinking her eyes.

“How is that possible; is that a metaphor?”

“Just think of it as a metaphor for overturning the common sense of the world that thinks witches and humans are sworn enemies, which requires revolutionizing the entire world order. Doing that is related to seizing a new world.”

Yuuki had a look of wonder on her face.

The new world Naga envisioned and his goal for the future of the witches had not taken concrete form in her mind yet. But she understood that Naga wanted to create a new world where witches and humans live in harmony, and knew he was acting in order to build this ideal world.

(He mentioned this in the past; seems like he was serious, and he really wants to build a world like that.)

“If we can build such a world, then there wouldn’t be witches with painful memories like me?”

Yuuki muttered softly.

Naga laughed gently.

“Yuuki, so you have the same ideas as Raibach.”

“W-What?”

“He said ‘can you really create a world where Humans and Witches can live in harmony, a place where humans and humans won’t fight with each other?’ and ‘If you can create such a world and craft such a future, there won’t be children like Elena who are killed at such a young age.’”

“W-Who is Elena?”

“That was Raibach’s child. Ten years ago, the place he lived in was invaded by barbarians; his wife and daughter were murdered.”

This seemed to have struck a chord with Yuuki, and she showed a rare face of sadness.

“…I-Is that so?”

“If Raibach’s child was still alive, she would be about your age. He said his deceased daughter looked very much like you.”

Yuuki sneered and reverted back to her usual face and attitude.

“He is just trying to get on my good side because he almost died by my hands, right?”

“He looked surprised when you appeared in the room, right? I don’t think he was faking his reaction.”

“I didn’t watch that closely.”

“Forget about Raibach for now, back to the topic. In order to build a new world, and overturn the common sense that ‘witches and humans are sworn enemies, I want to avoid killing any enemy soldiers whenever possible.”

“How is not killing the enemy soldiers related to building a new world? I can’t understand.” Yuuki puffed her cheeks unhappily and asked a sarcastic question.

“Witches are not violent and cold blooded, but are instead kind, benevolent, and merciful… I want the humans to learn these facts. It is not easy to overturn their values and perceptions, but we need to make such views waver. With time, their common sense will be proven wrong. When that time comes, humans will be willing to stand on the same side as us.”

Yuuki lowered her head and seemed to be thinking about something. Harrigan and Ais looked at Yuuki with eyes filled with kindness, while Vita observed her curiously.

Shortly thereafter, Yuuki lifted her head and mumbled:

“I still don’t understand, but I don’t mind cooperation for the sake of building a new world.”
Harrigan’s and Ais’ faces brightened, Vita laughed, and Naga was all smiles.

“That is wonderful, as there is something only you can do after all.”

“Hold it! Tell me what I need to do first, or I won’t be able to give you a definite answer.”

“Oh, this is what we want to ask of you.”

Naga explained how to use Vita’s magic to seize the fort, and how the strategy will not harm the soldiers or damage the fort.

“Oh, so that’s it… That’s why Clan Head Vita is here?” Yuuki looked towards Vita.

“That’s right.” Vita nodded in acknowledgement.

“There is no problem in using my magic to subdue the soldiers, but there isn’t any witch in either tribe who can withstand my spell and bind the soldiers. The only one who can still move would probably be Ais.”

Ais showed a proud face.

“Aside from having a huge body, Ais also has lots of fat, her breasts and butt looks really heavy. No matter how strong she is, she might not be able to overcome the increased weight.”

Ais had a smile on her face, but her veins were showing on her temple. But no matter how gutsy Ais was, she wouldn’t dare rebuke Vita, so that smile on her face just turned stiffer and stiffer.

“Which is to say, the Dragon King-sama is giving up on binding the soldiers in the fort, and will be entrusting these things to you.”

Yuuki turned her gaze to Naga.

“Your head is always full of strange ideas.”

“Isn’t my head really good?”

“To think you can devise such a plan. I don’t think your head is good, it’s just that your personality is evil.”

“That’s so mean.” Naga grumbled.

Harrigan and Vita couldn’t help their snickering, and Ais finally relaxed her stiff smile and laughed gently.

Never mind, Naga lifted his spirits.

“How about it, are you willing to cooperate?”

After hearing his question, Yuuki puffed her chest out and said arrogantly:

“Piece of cake. And the soldiers will be subdued by Clan Head Vita, so I won’t have to worry about getting hit by arrows. It won’t be a problem.”

Hearing Yuuki’s response, Naga shouted “Alright!” agitatedly.

“Since Yuuki is willing to work with us, we will begin the operation to seize Fort Ein immediately.”

=== Part 7 ===

And so, the Heindler and Sraymeyer Clans worked together and began preparations to take Fort Ein.

The date that they would attack was tentatively set to be ten days later.

<noinclude>
==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
| Return to [[Ochitekita_Ryuuou_to_Horobiyuku_Majo_no_Kuni|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
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</noinclude>

Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 2

2017-02-16T10:27:17Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 11 */

==Chapter 2: An Unexpected Prisoner==

=== Part 1 ===

Puffing her cheeks and displaying her discontent, Kay called out to Naga with a loud voice and tried to draw his attention and have him turn his horse’s neck.

“Ah, wait a moment, Naga-san!”

“What? Is there something bothering you?”

“That’s not what I mean. We’ve gone through the trouble of coming here, so can’t we at least enjoy a little swimming?”

“We didn’t come here to play, but…”

“That’s why, I’m telling you it’s just for a change of mood before we start our duties.”

“Ah, isn’t it fine? Naga-san, let’s swim together.”

Ikushina expressed her consent.

“Umm, when it comes to swimming, there’s no witch better at it than I am.”

Nonoeru lifted her hand.

“No, I don’t get why you’re boasting about being the best swimmer among us, Nono.”

“Eh? So it was no good?”

“No no, it’s not about that. I think it’s good to have Nono teach Naga-san since you’re most proficient in that.”

“Good grief. It can’t be helped, I guess.”

While saying so, Naga dismounted his horse. Nevertheless, he didn’t dislike it so much that he would complain. Naga decided to see Nonoeru, Kay and Ikushina off half-way from the Schwein River where those 3 had been posted to keep watch. At the same time, he also decided to carry out some horse-riding practice. Rather than him practicing by himself, teaching Ikushina horse-riding was much more meaningful. Descending from the great cliff towards the plain, Naga galloped on his horse while aiming upstream.
Kay was saddled on the back of Naga’s horse, whereas Nonoeru sat behind Ikushina. Nonoeru, who was extremely frightened, clung to Ikushina’s lower back. On the other hand, Kay was, somewhat happily, glued to Naga’s back.
Running at full speed, Naga created some space between his and Ikushina’s horse. Continuing on like that, he called out to Kay, who was seated behind him.

“Oi, Kay.”

“Whaat, Naga-san?”

“You, weren’t you fine riding behind Ikushina the other day? Why did you decide to cling to me today? You’re not going to say that my riding skills are better than Ikushina’s, right?”

“Of course not. But that’s not the reason. Somehow, it feels nostalgic, you see.”

“Ha? What? Riding on a horse?”

“Wrong, wrong. It’s not that. A man’s back, is what I mean.”

Kay snapped and struck Naga’s back with her right hand.

“I don’t get it. Speaking of which, stop hitting me with all your strength. It hurts.”

Today, Naga didn’t put his armor on. Since he was wearing a kimono with tight sleeves, which he had received from Harrigan and the rest, it felt quite painful for him when he was hit forcefully on his back.

“Ahaha, sorry, sorry.”

Kay withdrew her hand while laughing.

“Saying that a man’s back feels nostalgic….. Could it be that you’re talking about your father?”

Naga tried to ask this.

“Umm, well I guess you could say so.”

“It’s been on my mind since before, but where and what are each of your fathers doing?”

“We don’t have a father.”

“W, What? It’s impossible for such an absurd thing to exist. Or could it be, that in case of the witches, children are born from just a mother?”

“Honestly, there’s no way for that.”

Ahaha – Kay laughed.

“That’s not it. Umm, perhaps it’s better to say we don’t have any fathers or brothers?”

“What’s the meaning…. of that?”

“Because explaining the story would take too long, I’ll tell you about it again on another occasion. You see, the witches basically know nothing about their fathers. They’re not informed about them. That’s why, it’s the same as saying they don’t exist.”

Naga didn’t understand the meaning behind Kay’s words, however, he understood her words were quite significant for the witches.

(Somehow, it’s become hard to ask them casually.)

Not being aware of Naga’s hesitant face, Kay continued her story.

“Therefore, nobody from the witches knows their fathers, and so they have no memories about them. But you see, I’ve got some memories about my father.”

“Would that be…. his back?”

“Yes. Despite them being faint memories, should you say I remember them? It seems like he used to carry me on his back and walk with me. I don't have the slightest idea about where or when he disappeared, but with just your large, warm back in front of my eyes, I can recall those times.”

“…..Hm.”

“Because of that, it suddenly felt nostalgic when I saw Naga-san’s back. Hehe.”

Wearing an embarrassed grin on her face, Kay once again put her strength into her arms around Naga’s waist and glued her face to his back.

“Honestly, I’m not at the age to have a big daughter like you.”

Kay, who loosed her face from Naga’s back, again hit it with her right hand.

“Even though I was able to immerse myself in some nostalgic feelings, don’t say things like that. Aren’t you a kill-joy?”

“That’s why, I’m telling you not to hit me. Listen to me!”

“Ah, this, somehow feels like whipping a horse. Yes, doesn’t it give a sound similar to fw-chi?”

Since Kay, was carried away and wouldn’t stop hitting him, Naga became annoyed.

“S, Seriously, this girl. Hey, stop it!”

While messing around with each other, they finally reached their destination and Naga halted the horse.

“Hey, we're here so get down.”

“Alreadyyy?”

Kay made a displeased face, however, she wouldn’t complain any further and lightly descended from the horse. Soon after, Ikushina and Nonoeru arrived on their horse.

=== Part 2 ===

Both banks of the river, where Naga and the rest had made a dam, turned into a rocky area. It was convenient for hiding one’s presence, and enemy soldiers would most likely not reach this far. Even if they were to do so, it would be easy to spot them as Nonoeru and Kay would camp there and watch over the river.

“Ikushina, hasn’t you horse-riding skill improved quite significantly?”

“I did it! I was praised by Naga-san!”

Sitting on her horse, Ikushina clenched her right hand in victory.
Ikushina, who was fired up, had on a leather-made and slender tube skirt similar to those found among equestrian tribes. On her feet, she wore a pair of shin high boots. Her outfit was unlike those commonly used by the witches, but nevertheless such an appearance was relatively fitting to Ikushina’s tall stature.

“Well then, I’ll be heading back. Take good care of yourself while standing guard. Especially you, Kay. Don’t make any rash decisions, got it?”

“Ehh, you’re saying some cruel things there. I’m not the type of person who would act recklessly, you know?”

“Yes, I know. I was just kidding.”

“Well, having some refreshment and taking a breather are important as well, right?”

“True, true. It’s important, important.”

Being in high spirits, Kay dashed down toward the dry river bank. After that, Ikushina and Nonoeru followed. Naga, too, sped his horse to a nearby rock using the reins and ran after the three witches. As soon as he got down to the river bed with rocks scattered around, the three of the were already doing warm-up exercises. Since Nonoeru wore thin clothes on the assumption that her garments would get soaked, there was no particular need for her to change or take them off. Unlike her, Ikushina wore the tube skirt for horse-riding, so she had to take her clothes off in order to be able to swim. Her top as well was covered by a coat, which also needed to be taken off. Once she took off her top and bottom, only a small breast wrap and a loincloth were left on her body. However, despite that risqué appearance of hers, Ikushina still moved her body with composure. Tattoo-like, complex patterns that appeared on her whole body caught Naga’s attention. And then, if one was to describe Kay,
[[File:Naga03 Illus-03.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
She was doing gymnastics while being totally naked, with no loincloth or breast cover.

“Oi, Kay!”

“What? Naga-san too, isn’t it better for you to properly warm-up before entering the water?”

Kay responded while bending her body left and right.

“That’s not what I mean. I’m asking: why are you naked?!”

“Hm?”

Ceasing to move, she looked down on her body.

“A….Ah…oops, I forgot that we are together with Naga-san.”

Saying ‘oops’ lightly, Kay scratched her head without feeling shy or embarrassed.

“You’re not supposed to forget that! Speaking of which, at least put on your loincloth.”

“Ah no, that’s because I’ve always been taking off my clothes when playing in water with my friends. Recently, I’ve been told by Ais to value myself more, but…”

Kay said so while turning around, picking up her loincloth, and putting it on while squirming.

(That’s an amazing view, indeed. Are you really fine with changing yourself there, Kay? Speaking of which, should I really be watching, but…. well, since I was neither told to go away nor avert my eyes, let’s consider this as OK.)

“Wai, Kay, you’re way too bold!”

Rather, it was Ikushina and Nonoeru who became red-faced.
Both of them moved in front of Kay and stood with their arms spread as if trying to hinder Naga’s gaze. Finally, understanding it was no good by their reaction, Naga shifted his gaze away. Kay finished putting on her loincloth and chest cover, turned around and asked them both.

“Hm? What are you two doing?”

Ikushina and Nonoeru collapsed to their knees.

“Even though we were protecting you from Naga-san’s eyes.”

“Is that so? Thanks.”

“Kay, you’re too defenseless…”

At Nonoeru pointing that out, Naga too, couldn’t help but nod.

“Right. Shouldn’t you have some shame as well?”

“No you see, til now, there’s been nobody besides girls, so we have no custom of paying attention to that.”

“I wonder if I should consider you as being exceptional. Well, still if you insist that you want me to watch at all costs I won’t refuse to do so, but…”

“No no, as one would expect, I wouldn’t go that far.”

“In that case, you better pay more attention.”

“I’ll be careful from now on.”

“Indeed, you’re one easy-going fellow.”

Naga was astonished; Ikushina and Nonoeru started to laugh.

“Kay is that sort of girl.”

“Isn’t she? Despite Kay-chan not minding other people’s sight like this, she also has good qualities.”

“Eh? I don’t feel like I’m being praised.”

As Kay spoke up with a slightly hysterical voice, Ikushina waved her hands in denial.

“No, we weren’t particularly praising you.”

Naga was infected by the sound of their laughter and smiled broadly.

(Being so relaxed, overfamiliar, and positive toward other witches, indeed, Kay is an interesting fellow.)

Not being aware of Naga’s thoughts, Kay spoke up.

“Well then, let’s swim!”

After they enjoyed themselves in the water for a short time, the four of them came ashore and dressed themselves.

“Well, now that we have refreshed ourselves, shall we take up our posts? Even if I say so, it’s actually Nono who’s in charge of guarding.”

“I know, right?”

“We are relying on you, Nonoeru.”

“Yesss, I’ll do my best.”

“Kay and Ikushina too, do your best, okay?”

“Leave it to us.”

“You can count on me.”

“If anything happens, Ikushina will run back on her horse.”

“Understood.”

Like this, Nonoeru, Kay and Ikushina took up the duty of watching for movements from the Cassandra Kingdom’s army near the Schwein River.

=== Part 3 ===

The army in question would turn out to be Raibaha’s company.
His company, which set up camp on the left side of the riverbank, was divided into 4 groups in order to guard the river. Gathering 2 platoons and 5 more people from company headquarters, Raibaha formed groups consisting of 25 people each as units for tactical mobilization. Assuming the witches came to this side of the river, there was no telling if they would only cross where the path was. Consequently, Raibaha’s troops had to watch over a certain area. Still, there was also a limit to how well 100 soldiers could accomplish this task. With that, Raibaha divided his company into 4 units, each placed at a set distance from one another and spread out along the river. However, in all honesty, he really didn’t want to split his forces.

(Originally, it should’ve been 4-5 companies lined up along the river…. No, even with that amount it wouldn’t be enough. Still, to think that that youngster would only send my company for this dangerous post.)

Whenever Raibaha tried to recall the prim looking face of General Guiscard, he couldn’t help himself from getting angry. Even if they were told to temporarily observe the enemy, a unit that consisted of only 25 people could do very little. Providing they face a clan of the witches that had as many as 20 people, they would have practically the same numbers. 25 soldiers would stand no chance against 20 witches. Not to mention, they would probably be unable to even stall the witches until their allies arrived. As soon as they were attacked, they would just run away. However, were they to move together as a company, they would only be able to watch over a single place. If that was the case, the enemy could choose a location freely and cross the river at any time.

(That youngster. Saying things like ‘hinder them at all costs’. If so, send us more soldiers! Well, even without hindering the witches, we should at least be able to report once we see them coming, but….)

Regardless of that, Raibaha’s company, which was the only one appointed for guarding this wide area, was put in quite a dangerous situation.

(Indeed, recently I’ve been encountering nothing but bad omens since the time we attacked the witches’ fort. As I thought, nothing good comes from being involved with them. Rather, should I retire from the army? After all, I no longer have a family to support. I wonder if I could somehow…. afford living by myself. No, I still can’t be certain about that, I guess.)

Even if Raibaha, who has been serving devotedly in the army since his youth, was to try his luck in some other jobs, he possessed no special skills whatsoever. If there was something he could take pride in, it would be his swordsmanship. Other things he could boast about were his military commanding ability and his eye trained for tactics, which he gained through experience, still…

(Guess those skills won’t come in handy if I change my occupation. Were I to make the best use of my swordsmanship, wouldn’t I be only able to serve as a guard for a caravan of merchants? Nevertheless, considering my age right now, it would still probably be quite harsh.)

Contemplating on his own future, Raibaha could only let out a sigh.

“Captain. Captain Raibaha.”

At his subordinate’s voice, Raibaha came back to his senses.

“What? Did something happen?”

“No, it’s not that. I came here to inform you about the newly arrived army provisions.”

“Again? Just how many days has it been since we came here?”

The adjutant replied seriously as Raibaha spat out his question.

“We’ve been staying here for about 6-7 days, I think.”

(That bastard, Guiscard. In the end, he just wants us to stay here! Speaking of which, if you have time to send us that much food, at least provide us with reinforcements!)

“Have you already confirmed its contents?”

“Yes, it’s done. I’d like to ask for your signature.”

Taking the receipt and feather pen presented by the adjutant, Raibaha quickly signed.

“Here.”

“Thank you very much for your efforts.”

Once he handed over the receipt, Raibaha called out to the same man who was about to retreat.

“Oi, Sirius”

The adjutant stopped and turned around.

“Yes?”

“I’m going to take around 10 people with me and patrol the river(?).”

Since there was some distance between their units, it was decided that each of them would assign some people to walk along and patrol the riverbank. Raibaha was the one who suggested this.

“Captain, you plan to go personally?”

“Yeah, for a change of pace.”

“Will it be alright? If something were to happen to you…”

It wasn’t unreasonable for the adjutant to worry about his superior.
Unlike in modern times, an army in this world had no distinct class system. If something were to happen to a commanding officer, there was a distinct possibility that it would cease to function. And if someone like the general in command, or a royal family member, was to be killed, it was possible for the entire army to desert. One could say that the same applied for single units. In the case that this occurred, there was also a vice-commanding officer in charge of every unit, however, the death of one’s commanding officer would cause quite a shock to the soldiers. Still, Raibaha replied with a buoyant look.

“We have a good insight into the surroundings, so it should be fine. Generally, this task is dangerous in itself. No matter where we go, the danger will still be the same.”

“That….might be true, but…”

“Don’t fret. I’m just doing it on a whim.”

(Saying that he wants to carry a patrol because of a whim, isn’t it a bit reckless of him to do so as a commanding officer?)

As an adjutant, it was only natural for him to think so. Nonetheless, it didn’t appear to be a matter big enough for him to strongly object.

Despite it being a hazardous duty, right now, no signs indicated that the witches would appear.

(I guess, the general’s caution about the possibility of the witches striking was a needless worry.)

The adjutant thought so.
Because the witches have been isolating themselves inside the black forest for several dozens of years, it wasn’t irrational.

“Understood. Then, please bring the 1st platoon along with you.”

“I’ll leave the camp in your care.”

Like that, Raibaha led a single platoon and went for a patrol along the riverside.

=== Part 4 ===

Nonoeru travelled through the river while submerged.
With water magic being her main strength, she could breathe by gathering air inside the water. At the same time, it was possible for her to expand the gathered air and wrap it around her skin, allowing her to maintain a steady body temperature. Thanks to that, she could easily stay active for more than half an hour inside the water. And if it was just the submerging alone, even for a whole hour. Since Nonoeru was also able to refract the light from the water’s surface whenever she was diving, she could easily conceal her presence. Capitalizing on that ability, she searched for any sign of Cassandra’s army from beneath the river’s surface.

Nonoeru had already grasped that there were 4 units from Cassandra’s army dispatched along the river, with each of them having around 20 soldiers.
She was currently near the place where the path was intersected by the river, where there were footprints still visible. Nevertheless, the area didn’t appear to be heavily guarded.

(Guess it’s like this. It’s not like they have to walk near the path)

Despite there being some hills in the surroundings, the area was basically a plain with no wetlands or big forests. It would be different in the case of a big unit, however, if one was to consider just a few people walking around, they could go anywhere and not just guard a fixed area. Even so, there was a mountainous area ahead of the river. Since it was far more comfortable to walk on the path instead of covering the distance by crossing the mountains, Cassandra’s troops would usually walk this path and cross the river here.

After going downstream for a moment and confirming there was no particular change in the Cassandra Army’s troops, Nonoeru prepared to swim back upstream andreturn to where Kay and Ikushina were hiding. Being capable of controlling the water, she had no difficulty in swimming against the flow of the river. Nonoeru continued to move upstream while sometimes taking a peek above to observe her surroundings. In the middle of doing so, she discovered a troop of only 10 people, who were walking on the river bank.

(Is it the usual patrol group…..? No, it’s not them?)

Among the troops that walked on top of the embankment upstream, Nonoeru recognized one person wearing a different outfit from the rest.

(He’s wearing a more refined helmet and armor than the others. Could he be… a commanding officer?)

Back then, Nonoeru did a meritorious deed by taking down a battalion commander as a result of her noticing the difference in the soldiers’ outfits. Therefore, it was just a natural course of action for her to recall that time.

(Why did a commanding officer go through the trouble of patrolling?)

Nonoeru thought doubtfully.

(Is it a sign of them being about to launch some sort…. of new tactic? Or maybe, they are searching for a plausible location to cross so they can counterattack? The danger doesn’t seem to be imminent, but wouldn’t it be better if I made sure just in case?)

Thinking to check out the intentions of the newly discovered unit, she drew near the riverbank. As soon as she approached a point where she was barely able to hide herself, Nonoeru positioned her face right below the water surface while looking up at the shallows. It was a posture where you would question whether or not her nose would stick out from the water’s surface.
Under normal circumstances, it would be easy to tell if something was hiding inside the water, even from a more distant place. However, as long as Nonoeru was in control of light refraction, unless someone peered into the water right above her, there was no chance they would see her. On the other hand, she was able to observe the surroundings to a certain degree.
Ceasing her movements, Nonoeru began to spy on the troop.

=== Part 5 ===

“There’s been nothing unusual taking place, right?”

The 1st platoon leader addressed Raibaha.

“Well, I guess so. It would be nice if we can finish our duty just like this without any problems, but you see…”

“When do you think it will be over?”

A shade of concern appeared on the leader’s face.
Considering that it was possible for the witches to attack, his anxiety wasn’t unreasonable. Even Raibaha felt uneasy. But, there was no way for him to display that in front of his subordinates.

“Well, it’s hard for me to tell as it depends on General Guiscard’s mood.”

Raibaha answered in a casual manner.

“That’s because the witches might come, right?”

The platoon leader asked once more.

“That too, remains unclear to me. Til now, the witches have been staying inside the black forest. It’s difficult to imagine them leaving it today, tomorrow, or any time soon, but well….”

“Still” – Lowering his tone, the platoon leader said.

“Based on the fact that our troops suffered a big loss the other day, won’t the witches consider that….as an opportunity?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Raibaha began to walk.

“I still don’t understand the witches’ reasoning.”

“Captain, where are you going?”

“I’ll wash my face a bit so as to keep myself awake.”

“Ah….okay.”

The platoon leader was taken aback, however,

(Despite being assigned to such a dangerous task, our captain is indeed a daredevil. As one would expect, he hasn’t worked his way up to become a captain for nothing. His battle experience is rich, and he’s also dealt with the witches. I think we might be able to return alive as long we have this person by our side.)

Being filled with admiration, the man thought that Raibaha seemed reliable.

“Should I have someone accompany you?”

“I’ll be back quickly. More importantly, stay on guard and watch over the other side of the river properly. If you spot something, inform everyone with a loud voice and run back as fast as you can.”

“Got it.”

Putting a wry smile on his face, the platoon leader saluted.

=== Part 6 ===

(Is somebody approaching?)

Nonoeru lifted her face up close to the water's surface, which was hard to tell whether it was sticking it out or not. Certainly, there was someone drawing close. What’s more, that person was coming towards her direction.

(Could it be that he sensed my presence? No, I don’t think that’s possible, still…)

It would be better if that person were to go straight along the embankment of the river stream, but instead, he walked diagonally across a sand bar.
Nonoeru saw that and was a bit confused.

Despite thinking it shouldn’t be possible for her to be exposed, she had heard from Harrigan that there were rare instances in which experienced swordsmen would be able to grasp the witches’ hidden presence.

'Could it be that this man….?' – she thought.

Nevertheless, Nonoeru was overthinking.
Considering it calmly, there was a high chance that this event was just coincidental. But Nonoeru, who was still young and inexperienced in battle, panicked a bit, and as a result, assumed too much.

(If I move right now, it will place me in danger instead. Should I let this person pass?)

Even if the enemy was able to sense something doubtful for a moment, Nonoeru didn’t think he would be able to confirm her position. Because of that, rather than running away, she deemed it was better to hold her breath silently in that place. Despite that, the person continued to approach the shallows in which she’d hidden herself.

(T, That person is walking as if he knows I’m here.)

While thinking so, Nonoeru became a little restless.

(W, What should I do? Should I carry out a preemptive attack…? No, by doing so, I’ll reveal myself to other soldiers behind this person. If they learn about us spying on this place, it might affect our plan of capturing their fort. As expected, it’s better to let him pass…no, perhaps it’s better to flee?)

'What should I do?' – Nonoeru couldn’t make up her mind.

At the same time, the man descended down to the riverbank.

“Good grief, isn’t today quite peaceful? It would be nice if such days could always continue like this.”

The soldier, who approached, looked around and said so with an easy-going attitude. Once he did so, he crouched down on the spot and extended both his hands toward the water’s surface.

His intention was to wash his face by scooping some water, but Nonoeru felt confused and reacted reflexively.

(Was my location exposed?!)

Nonoeru, who tried to counter attack, unconsciously loosened her control of the light refraction. The sudden appearance of a person below the water surprised Raibaha. Not to mention, it was a girl who wore thin clothes with lots of skin exposure.

“No, it isn’t a human, but, a witch!?”
[[File:Naga03 Illus-04.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
Opening his eyes widely, Raibaha stood up as if being flicked.

(He saw meee!)
Nonoru’s body reacted before she could think.

*Splashhh*

The moment he thought that the river surface became choppy, the water rose up. And then, stretched out just like tentacles, the water coiled around Raibach’s arms, body, and feet.

“Whhhhhhhat is thisssssssssss!?”

(This is bad. I don’t know what it is, but it feels incredibly bad!)

Having a frantic expression, Raibaha tried to tear off the water tentacles, but unfortunately, he was unable to move. It was as though he was seized by steel, rather than water.

“What’s the matter, Captain?!”

Sensing something wrong, the platoon leader and his men tried to descend to the river bank. Raibaha noticed that, turned his head and shouted.

“Don’t come, it’s a witch!”

With the word ‘witch’, they immediately stopped moving.

“What are you doing?! Quickly, run awa…”

Raibaha’s body was suddenly pulled inside the water.

“Uwaaaaa?!”

The next instance.

*plop*

Leaving a small sound behind, Raibaha vanished.
Naturally, his body was inside the water. Since Nonoeru controlled light refraction with her magic, it looked as if Raibaha disappeared. Or so they thought.

(W, was Captain kidnapped by the witches?)

“Eeeek?!”

The other soldiers ran up the embankment without a second glance and escaped at full speed. Raibaha, who was pulled inside the water, was struggling desperately. However, it was as if his body was restrained by huge invisible hands. He couldn’t move.

*Blub blub bluuuu-*

Raibaha’s breath continued to turn into bubbles and float up.

(This is bad, I’m running out of air….. Damn, really, nothing good comes from being involved with…Gahaa)

With a part of his consciousness fading away, Raibaha awaited his death.

=== Part 7 ===

“What should we do, Kay-chan, Shi-chan?”

“No, I wonder about that too.”

Looking down at the unconscious enemy soldier dragged ashore, Ikushina and Kay bent their heads. The complex, tattoo-like patterns drawn on Ikushina looked as though they were squirming on her skin.
Finally, Kay lifted up her head and said swiftly.

“Since its bothersome, shouldn’t we just kill him?”

Nonoeru as well, nodded in agreement.

“Guess you’re right. 2-3 minutes should be enough for him to die if we leave him to soak. How about that?”

“Oioioioi!”

Smack – Kay faced toward Nonoeru and hit her in a chopping manner.

“I was joking, Nono. Don’t take it that seriously.”

“Ah, is that, so?”

Nonoeru tried to ask Ixine for an opinion by looking in her direction.

“Because we caught him, shall we take him back with us for the time being? In the first place, why did you capture this person? Nonoeru, was there some sort of a motive?”

“Ah, no, that’s….. you see, I did it on the spur the moment and had no time to think ahead.”

Beginning from that time, Nonoeru explained the whole story in general

“Really? So he isn’t just a soldier but a commanding officer of that troop? Now that you mention it, he’s certainly wearing high-class armor, unlike those regular soldiers.”

Saying that, Kay nodded.

“If that’s the case” – Ikushina raised her right hand.

“I wonder if he doesn’t know about that.”

“Yes? About what?”

“I’m talking about Fort Ein.”

“Ah!”

“Wouldn’t Naga-san want to know about that? He said that if there’s detailed information about the fort, capturing it would be much easier.”

“Right? Speaking of which, it means that we’ve caught a fine prisoner, right? Does it mean I’ve once again made a glorious achievement?”

“You’re really singing your own praises, aren’t you, Nono? Well, there’s no doubt that it’s a great achievement, but getting your head gently stroked by Naga-san is indeed nice.”

'Ehehe' – Nonoeru smiled timidly once Kay said so in a half joking manner.

“What? So you really want to be stroked by Naga-san? If that’s the case, you should have your chest stroked as well.”

“….That would be a bit troublesome. wouldn’t you say it’s still too early for…..”

“So the problem is age? Are you saying it’s fine when you become more mature?”

As Kay retorted, Ikushina continued to speak.

“Are you saying you won’t be satisfied with just being caressed? Could it be that you want to be groped as well?”

“Uhmm, how should we bring this person with us?”

“Don’t try to dodge my question!” x2

(Nono…. I wonder if you were surprisingly this bold. No, rather than that.)

Kay turned her attention to the problem in front of their eyes.

“It appears to be quite difficult to carry him on one’s back, so…. by the way, when it comes to things like this, perhaps I could be of help, so… no. On second thought, let’s make him walk.”

As soon as Kay said so, Nonoeru once again looked in Ikushina’s direction.

“Will it do if we place him on the horse?”

“No, you see, I’d rather not have a human guy ride behind me.”

“….Guess you’re right.”

“Well then Nono, let’s wake him up.”

“I think it will be fastest for Kay to hit him two or three times on the cheek.”

“Eh? Are you fine with that?”

“Since he has lost consciousness from drowning, giving him a shock should be the right thing to do.”

“Ah, that’s right. Well, fine.”

Kay said a small chant.

“Harden, harden. Become an unrivalled hardness. Oh Thee, become a body, become an embodiment of hardness.”

Her right hand which turned silver in color, was hardened.

“Pay attention so as not to overdo it. If you hit him too seriously, you will probably crush his cheekbones.”

“Got it. I’ll hit him gently, like brushing him, so don’t fret.”

“What type of a hitting method is that?!”

Ikushina retorted.

“No, I get what you want to say, but…”

Kay’s strengthened body was solid to the extent of repelling sharp swords. If she hit him in that state, the man would most likely not avoid bone fractures.

"Ah, that’s right." – Kay said after lowering her raised hand.

“Nono, it will troublesome if this man wakes up and becomes violent.”

“Yes. I’ll restrain him.”

Once Nonoeru chanted in a grumbling manner, she inserted her right hand into the river and ladled out some water.

Soon after the scooped water covered the man, turning into fine strings and wrapping around his wrists and ankles.

“This will do.”

“Then, shall we start?”

Raising her right hand once more, Kay grabbed the enemy soldier by his collar and lifted his upper body.

“Okay, wake up, wake upppp.”

Slap slap slap – she delivered repeated slaps to his cheeks.

“Uu…..Uuuug…”

Nonoeru and Ikushina looked at the man.

“Seems like he’s regaining consciousness.”

“He doesn’t have any broken cheekbones, right?”

Using her strengthened right hand, Kay tried to caress his cheeks.

“Hm, should be fine.”

=== Part 8 ===

A strange sensation, which was somewhat hard but warm, passed through his cheeks. And then,

“Hm, should be fine.”

Such a voice reverberated inside his head.

(What…. I haven’t died yet?)

Right after he opened his eyes slightly, Raibaha coughed and choked repeatedly.

“Kuh-ack-kuh”

Despite him choking, Raibaha somehow managed to open his eyes. As he did so, the faces of unfamiliar witches unfolded before him.

“Uwaaaaaa?!”

“What the—?!”

At his shout, Kay, who became surprised, released him unintentionally from her grasp, making his head fall straight down on top of a stone.

“Awwwwww!”

Folding his knees and arching his back, Raibaha tried to hold the back of his head using his hands, but they wouldn’t move freely.

“Awawawawa, what the heck is this, awawaawawa, what’s happening, awawawaawa—”

Raibaha attempted to move his body by kicking and struggling, but his limbs still wouldn’t regain their freedom. It felt as though his ankles and wrists were tightly bound by rope-like things.

“Are you in pain or in amazement? Decide which.”

Hearing a voice pouring from above his head, he looked up with teary eyes.

“…….”

“……”

For a while, he and Kay stared at each other from close range.

“Witcheeeeeeeessss!?”

Raibaha screamed with a loud voice, making her lean backwards in astonishment.

“Uwaaa!?”

Raibaha tried to escape desperately, but it shouldn’t be possible with his limbs restrained. In the end, he would just tumble heavily onto the river bed.

“Awwawaw.”

With a stone from the river bed cutting into his body, he completely recovered his senses thanks to the pain.

Raibaha stopped moving around and looked around his surroundings, trying to confirm the situation. He was situated on a bank with the flowing stream most likely being the Schwein River. Since the area was rocky and the river was narrow, unlike his previous location, there was no doubt about this one being upstream. And then, the ones looking down on him were three witches.
Conducting a quick survey from that little information, Raibaha reached a conclusion.

(In other words, I was caught by the witches. Because of that, my body is tied up with their magic and thrown down on the river bed…… or so I think?)

As one would expect, Raibaha, who had plenty of battle experience, could still judge a situation with composure, despite finding himself in peril.
Releasing all the strength in his body, Raibaha fell on his back and observed the three witches, who looked down on him, once again.

(So these are…the witches? Looking closely, they seem to be different from what I’ve thought.)

The three girls in front his eyes appeared to be quite dissimilar from how they had been commonly portrayed as ‘vicious and inhuman’.

(Speaking of which, aren’t they just normal girls? Even if they can use magic, they look no different from normal girls.)

The figure of his long deceased daughter resurfaced in his mind.

(Were she to be alive, that girl too would probably be around this age and appearance.)

Being immersed in a sentiment that wasn’t appropriate to his situation, Raibaha ceased any thought of putting up resistance or attempts of escaping.

“Hey, you.”

“Eh? What?”

“You’re, witches, right?”

Nonoeru and Kay looked at each other’s faces.
A moment later, Kay, who had returned her gaze to him, responded,

“That’s right.”

“Is that so? Well, guess that was an obvious thing. Still…..”

“Why are you asking such a question?”

“….You look different from what I had imagined.”

“What kind of imagination was that?”

“I’ve heard stories about you being atrocious, heinous, wicked, and brutal existences, which made me think you’re indeed fearsome in appearance. Like the ones with a mouth splitting til their ears, narrowed eyes, and protruding fangs.”

The three of them bent backward without realizing.

“That’s cruel.”

“It’s cruel, right?”

“Indeed, that’s cruel!”

“When I look at you close up like this, you certainly have unusual hair color and clothing. Still, your look is no different from that of normal girls.”

“Not just our looks but our insides too are similar to normal girls, you know?”

Raibaha’s eyes stopped at Kay’s right hand.

“I guess, you can’t call that normal.”

“Ah, no, this is….”

She released her magic.
The metallic-like luster vanished and her skin color turned back to normal.

“What’s more, this is….”

Raibaha tried to put up both his hands.
String-shaped cords, which couldn’t be torn off no matter how much strength he applied, coiled around his wrists.

“Is this magic as well?”

“Yes, that’s… true.”

“As one would expect, witches aren’t common beings, I guess.”

But, not feeling any disgust or contempt toward his tone of speaking, the three of them looked again at each other’s faces.

“Then, what do you plan to do with me from now on? If I’m going to be killed either way, it would be nice if you could do it using painless and instant methods, so as to ease my death, but well…”

“We won’t kill you!”

Kay shouted.

“Had we simply planned to kill you, we wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of catching you.”

“Is that so?”

Raibaha breathed a big sigh.

“So I’ll be tormented to death? Indeed, a horrifying end.”

“We won’t be doing that either!”

“You mean it?”

“….No, there seems to be one person capable of that, but at least, we won’t do such things.”

“Then, what are you going do with me?”

“We thought about discussing that matter with Naga-san first, and so we wanted to bring you with us. Still…”

“Naga? Who’s that?”

“No, Naga-san is Naga-san. But the meaning behind his name appears to be ‘Dragon King’, you see?”

“Na….Naga?” [written as Dragon King]

Raibaha widely opened his eyes, as if not believing the words he had just heard.

“Naga-san is a human guy and a member of our household. No, to begin with, it’s not clear to us whether or not we should call him ‘human’.”

(Oi, oi, what’s the meaning of that? Naga-san [Dragon King]… What’s wrong with the overfamiliarity in that name?)

“Yes, it was thanks to Naga-san’s tactics that we were able to repel 2000 of your soldiers.”

“For real?”

“There’s no reason for us to lie at this point.”

Raibaha wasn’t directly involved with the battle, but he was still related to it since he led the supply troops. That’s why, he knew more than enough about his friendly troops suffering an utter defeat from the hands of ‘the witches who resorted to an unheard of style of fighting’.

(If there’s someone like the Dragon King, then certainly, it wouldn’t be strange for the witches to change their fighting style…. no, I still can’t believe it.)

“We are going to discuss your matter with Naga-san. It would be much appreciated if you could follow us obediently, but….”

“…….Will I become prey for the Dragon King? Am I going to be munched on by him starting from my head?”

“Ha? No no, what are you talking about? Naga-san won’t devour you. If they’re young girls, he would most likely do so, however….”

“Really? So the Dragon King prefers young human girls? Well, guess that’s understandable.”

Raibaha felt a small relief inside his heart.

Therefore – While being unaware that he wasn’t understanding their conversation, Kay replied.

“Follow us obediently. If you decide to pick a fight or run away, I’ll have to bring you by force.”

Kay, who peered at his eyes, continued to speak.

“It would be quite bothersome, and you also probably don’t want to suffer, right?”

Raibaha exhaled a sigh once again.

“Yeah, I’d hate that. Understood, I’ll follow along.”

“Uuuuu”

Looking down on Raibaha, who folded up his arms, Kay groaned lightly.

“What? Is something matter?”

“No, how should I say it, I think you’re also different from what I had imagined about humans.”

At Kay’s words, Nonoeru and Ikushina slightly nodded.

“While we're at it, what kind of human did you picture me as?”

“Look. Don’t humans detest the witches just like snakes and scorpions? In that case, they wouldn’t even bother to lend an ear to us. Despite that, I thought it was strange for you to talk with us that conventionally.”

“Even among humans, there are different people.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

For some reason, Kay watched Raibaha with a face showing curiosity.

“Ah, that’s right. What’s your name?”

“Me? I’m Raibaha.”

“I see. My name is Kay. It’s fine for you to call me Kay for now.”

“O….Oh, you mean it?”

“And then, here’s Nonoeru.”

Being pointed out, Nonoeru moved swiftly behind Kay’s back as if trying to conceal herself. With only her face peeking through, she said with a small voice,

“It’s……. Nonoeru.”

“This person here is Ikushina.”

“Uhmm, I’m Ikushina. Nice to meet you.”

“It’s Raibaha. Please treat me well.”

“Well then, let’s not waste any more time on chit-chat. Ikushina, gallop back first and inform Harri-nee and Naga-san.”

“Hm, that’s right. Got it. Then, I'll go ahead of you.”

Saying so, Ikushina returned to the place where the horse was tied up.

“Take care.”

Kay who saw Ikushina off with her hand, finally turned around.

“Then, shall we go ahead, Raibaha?”

(You’re going to address me without any honorifics? Well, it’s not like I’m in a position to complain since I’m your prisoner, but even if you’re witches, your girlish appearance and age give off a very bad feeling.)

“Can you stand up?”

“Hm? Yeah, more or less…”

Raibaha cast down his gaze to the water strings that bound his ankles.

“Oh, is that so? Nonoeru, you can remove them.”

“U, Understood.”

Uhee? – Removing the bonds on his ankles, Raibaha gave out a voice which could have equally been from astonishment or admiration.

Heave-ho – Raibaha stood up and stuck out his bound wrists.

“I’m going to be like this…. for the whole time, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I thought it would be nice if I wasn’t.”

“Then, you should give up and walk with us. If you try to escape, Nonoeru will bind your ankles once more. Speaking of which, perhaps it would be better to constrain your neck too?”

“Yeah, I won’t. To begin with, I don’t think it’s even possible for me to run away from you.”

Nonoeru, who heard their conversation, felt it was strange.
The fact that a human and witch could talk casually, judging from her common sense, was an unthinkable thing.

(No, well, it might be that Kay is just a bit eccentric among all of us. She would start talking even with Naga-san in an overfamiliar manner. However, I wouldn’t imagine for this human guy to talk this carefreely with us. I don’t think it’s due to Kay’s speaking style, but I’ve always believed all humans detest the witches.)

Raibaha’s speech and conduct was an unexpected and refreshing experience that made Nonoeru a little bit happy.

(Could it be it’s possible for both the witches and humans to understand each other……?)

Nonoeru considered Naga as someone exceptional. Also, the fact that he fell from another dimension without being bound by this world’s ties of obligation, customs, or common sense was the reason he could give them a fair evaluation. This is what she thought. Nevertheless, looking at this man called Raibaha, especially as somebody who wasn’t just an ordinary man, but an enemy soldier, Nonoeru actually felt that not all the humans are hostile against the witches, or that they shun them.

(Could it be that such a day might come?)

She carried that wish inside her.

(No, I wonder about that. If I was to say such lines around Ane-sama, she would most likely chuckle at me saying it’s an empty dream, whereas Yuuki would abuse me by saying ‘you traitor!’. Despite that…)

It may be that Naga’s evaluation wasn’t due to him coming from a different world, but instead due to his own viewpoint and way of thinking, just like this person, called Raibaha.

While walking behind Raibaha, who was led by Kay, Nonoeru felt that their small light of hope had, yet again, shone a bit brighter.

=== Part 9 ===

With Naga supposedly being in the 1st fort, Ikushina galloped while aiming for that place. Kay and Nonoeru, who were bringing Raibaha with them, walked toward the 1st fort as well. It wouldn’t take them long if they were to dash, but when it comes to taking along a prisoner, only walking was an option. With Ais being forwarded by Harrigan after the latter had received a report from Ikushina, the three of them linked up with Ais on their way and finally reached 1st fort just before sunset.

Witnessing a small fort dyed in the color of the sunset and enclosed by a wooden fence in front of his eyes, Raibaha had a strange feeling while reflecting on the few days he had spent here before.

(……So it’s here? Good grief. Somehow, it feels a bit nostalgic. I suffered a defeat by trying to attack this place, was demoted from being a company captain to a commander of the supply troops, and was then reinstated as a captain. Considering all of that, to think I’m here now as a prisoner of the witches. My life has changed drastically over the past few days, which makes me want to laugh.)

Once Ais and Kay talked with the witches on security, Naga and Harrigan appeared in front of them, having been brought by Ikushina.

“Oi, Kay, so you managed to catch a soldier from Cassandra’s army?!”

“Ah, umm, actually it was Nonoeru who did it, but…. Look, it’s this person I was talking about.”

Seeing Naga who came out of the fort, Raibaha became surprised.

(So there was a man among the witc– wha, speaking of which, is this guy the rumored Dragon King? Rather than the Dragon King… he looks no different from a normal human. His attire is certainly unusual, but…… Not to mention, he gives off a distinct feeling from us.)

“Oh! So this guy is the captive?”

Naga walked straight toward Raibaha.
Raibaha was a bit taller in comparison with Naga.

(Watching him like this from up close, as expected, his appearance is strange. His sword is inserted near his waist, and its shape itself is different too. Still, assuming he’s the Dragon King, he is indeed young.
Such was his first impression towards Naga. On the other hand, Naga thought.

(I see. Certainly. it’s as they say. Despite him being brought along to a fort of the witches, this sort of composure doesn’t appear to be the same as that of an ordinary soldier.)

Naga judged with a calm attitude.

“You…Your name…Wha…is called?”

Naga asked.

There were some difficult to catch words, but Raibaha understood.

(Is he talking with our language…? No, rather than talking, it feels as though his words are reverberating inside my head.)

“Umm, I’m Raibaha. Raibaha Lantier.”

“Is that so? My name is…… Naga.”

(Is he really the Dragon King? Or perhaps, he’s just referring to himself that way…?)

Naga who gave his name, talked to the witch next to him.

“I can’t ask him while standing, so how about we enter inside, Harrigan?”

The witch replied.

“I guess that’s the only option.”

(Huge, and by that I mean various things.)

Concealing his amazement inside his heart, Raibaha ran his sight indirectly over Harrigan.

“Ah, Harri-nee, Yuuki isn’t here, right?”

Once Kay asked.

“She isn’t.”

“Ah, that’s lucky. Were we to take this man in front of that girl, she would make a fuss while shouting ‘kill kill kill!’.”

Ahahaha – Harrigan laughed.

“If it’s her, she will most likely do so.”

“Oi oi, you, I don’t think it’s something to laugh about.”

Raibaha retorted without thinking ahead.

“Hahaha, certainly… it isn’t a laughing matter… I guess.”

“You too! I told you it’s not something to laugh about!”

He also retorted at Naga.
Because Naga and Harrigan directed their sights at him, Raibaha shrugged his shoulders in a hurry and turned his face away.

“Should we first let him rest inside a room? He must be tired from all the walking to this place.”

Raibaha became astonished at Harrigan’s words.

(To think that the witches would be considerate about my fatigue. I thought they would put me into a room for interrogation without any arguing, but…. Or maybe they’re going to drive me into a dungeon?)

True – At Harrigan’s words, Kay nodded.

“Raibaha, come this way.”

She showed him a building inside the fort.

“What’s that? That girl, Kay, has she already started to call him without honorifics? Certainly, she will try to be familiar with anyone when coming in contact. Well, guess that’s her main forte.”

As Naga muttered so, Ais nodded with a slightly glad expression.

“You’re right.”

“Well, shall we go too? I’m looking forward to what he has to offer.”

Naga, Ais, Nonoeru, and Ikushina reentered the fort.

=== Part 10 ===

Naga, Harrigan, Ais, Kay, Nonoeru, and Ikushina had gathered inside a single room of the residential building. Obviously, Raibaha was also there.
Besides them, there were also other witches inside the fort, like the sisters Linna and Linne, Cu and Arurukan, stationed at their posts.
Raibaha was released from Nonoeru’s water binding, however in turn, he had his wrists and waist tied up in ropes that were linked to Ais’ wrist.
By the time Nonoeru released Raibaha, Kay whispered silently into his ears.

“That Onee-san, you see-”

Kay pointed at Ais while speaking.

“Unlike her appearance, she’s incredibly scary, so you better not make her angry by any means. If she delivered a single hit to your body, you’d die from having all your bones smashed, or your internal organs ruptured. And if you’re hit in the head, it will blow up together with your neck, you know? I’m neither joking nor trying to threaten you, but giving you honest advice.”

Having an awfully loathsome face, Raibaha nodded in agreement.

“Ugh… you mean it? Understood. I’ll pay attention to that, but…”

”What?”

“You’re surprisingly kind, aren’t you?”

“Hm? Is that so?”

Kay, who tilted her head in wonder, turned her face back with a cheerful smile.

“Well, isn’t it fine? If you’re aware that I’m kind to you, you better repay it properly.”

(This girl…. Somehow, it feels like talking with my daughter’s friends. It makes me want to believe she isn’t a witch.)

At any rate, Raibaha didn’t feel like running. Even if he tried, he would most likely not manage to do so from the witches. Were he to be caught, they would certainly kill him this time. Rather, it was much better to remain a prisoner. What’s more, it didn’t seem like he had to worry about being tortured for the time being. And more than anything, being able to talk with the witches was, surprisingly for Raibaha, somehow a little bit fun.

(I wonder if I could have talked like this, were my daughter still alive.)

Is what he thought.

(Then, speaking of which, I wonder what kind of questions I will have to answer. It’s not like I know anything of great value.)

Raibaha, who felt a bit tense, was made to sit on a folding stool placed near the wall, and surrounded in a half-circle by the rest of the people. Naga sat in front of him, whereas Harrigan was on Naga’s left, with Ikushina being on the furthest left. Similarly, on his right side, Ais and Nonoeru sat. Naga began to speak.

“Well then, I’m not fancy of tedio….talks, so how about we go stra…to the point? Yo…., kno…something about Fort Ein, right?”

As one would expect, some words were hard to catch, but Raibaha could still understand what he meant.

“I do possess the knowledge, but….”

“Do you als… know wha.. inside the fort?”

“I do.”

“Then how about, yo….tell me something about it, like its territory?”

“…..Why are you asking me such things?”

“I’m thin….about capturing that fort.”

“Whaa?”

Raibaha became at loss for words, and the interrogation stopped for a while
Naga looked at him with a bit of a curious expression.

“What’s the matte…? Why are you tha…surprised?”

Being thrown a question, Raibaha finally regained his senses.

“Ummm…. Dragon King, I wonder if it’s fine for me to ask you something."

“I don’t mi…d”

“Is that so? If that’s the case. I’ve heard that there’s about 20 witches on this side, but is that true?”

“That would be Harrigan’s clan, you see. Since, this time, we have received a support from anot…household, the number has increased a bit. It would probably be aroun… 40, 50 people.”

“N, No, saying probably around, and on top of that, 40 to 50 people. Right now, there are as many as 300 guards stationed inside Fort Ein. Just how on Earth do you plan to capture it?”

“I wanted to consider that after I have ques…you for some information on the fort’s interior.”

“What are you talking about…. In the first place, do you think I’d leak out such information?”

Naga’s expression turned into an unexpected one.

“So yo…are not going to tell us?”

Once he was told so, Raibaha responded in a yelling manner.

“Don’t be silly. I may look like a single person with no family or relatives, but I’ve got friends in that fort. Knowing that they might be killed, there’s no way for me to spill the beans. Don’t try to torture me or do anything similar to that, or I’ll pass you false details.”

Listening to his words and observing his expression, Naga made a decision in the end.

“This guy, isn’t he quite a formidable man? He looks to be someone worthy of being trusted.”

“It’s just reasonable for you to be concerned. But, you don’t have to go that far.”

“W, What do you mean?”

“We are thinking about capturing the fort without making any casualties among your soldiers.”

“Wha? You can’t be serious! Do you think I’d believe such nonsense?!”

Because Raibaha lifted himself unintentionally Ais put herself on guard, however, Naga held her back and leaned forward. He fixed his eyes on Raibach’s face in front of him as if looking into it.

“You too, do you think I’m talking nonsense?”

Being seized by Naga’s gushing spirit coming from his whole body, and scorched by the strong-willed light dwelling inside his eyes, Raibaha became unable to move.

(W, what’s, this bizarre force coming from this guy?)

“During the previous battle, we had to do things like that, otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to repel the human army. After all, it was 20 against 2000 people. Still, I was reluctant about using that method since there was a chance for the witches to die. For the sake of our future, I’d rather prevent as many sacrifices as possible.”

Was it due to Naga’s words being filled with vigor? Or perhaps, him getting used to conversing with Naga? Raibaha became able to grasp his words clearly.

“F…Future? What do you mean by future? And why do you want to take over Fort Ein?”

“It’s the first step toward establishing the country of the witches.”

“The country of the witches? What do you intend to do once you’re done with that? You mean to say, that the witches are trying to rule over humanity?”

“No, I don’t. In the end, we want to create a world where humans and the witches can both coexist. This is what I mean to say.”

(Is this guy, a fool? There’s no way for such a thing to happen. Is he serious about that?)

Not trying to hide his thoughts of being utterly amazed, Raibaha opened his eyes widely and gazed at Naga. Perhaps, there was a hue of contempt displaying in Naga’s expression, however it didn’t look like he was making fun of Raibaha or bragging about anything. If it was true, then he was honest. Naga was honestly talking about creating a new world. Raibaha could sense the magnitude of Naga’s caliber, the difference which separated him and that person.

(The Dragon King, who commands the witches, and me, who can’t even fulfill my duty as a Captain. Is it natural for there to be such a difference between us? Despite that, saying he wants to create a world where both humans and the witches can live together….)

What they both looked at was far too divergent.
As well as Naga’s range of vision.
And even their aims were contrasting with each other.

(If I were to say, unlike me, who can only think within my own scope as a captain, this man possesses an overhead view, just like a bird flying at the highest altitude, and can grasp every position and movement of his enemies and allies. Is this how it feels?)

Raibaha, who had devoted himself to military service, suddenly thought that way.

“……Hey, you, Dragon King. Do you honestly believe it’s possible for you to create such a world?”

“Ha? No, obviously, we should be able to do so. That’s because I’m going to live together with the witches too, and I’m not a witch myself, you see. There’s nothing that should be impossible.”

“No, you’re most likely the Dragon King, rather than a human.”

“I may be holding a grandiose name like that, but I’m actually a human, or at least an existence that’s closer to a human than that of a witch. Still, it’s not like I feel any sort of inconvenience from that, you see.”

“However…”

“You as well, haven’t you been walking together with them before reaching this place? Did you feel anything unpleasant? You were able to hold a conversation with them, right?”

“No, No……”

Kay smiled at Raibaha as soon as she noticed his glimpse.
He turned his face away in a hurry.

“….There was no such thing, but…”

“Right? Be it humans or the witches, both sides can understand each other in a proper way. If that’s the case, then creating a world where they both can coexist isn’t far from reality, and we may be able to live together. Unless you see it for yourself, you shouldn’t decide on your own.”

At Naga’s words, Raibach kept silent.
Certainly, Kay, Nonoeru, and Ikushina, whom he had met before, were far removed from the humans' concept of ‘vicious and inhuman witches’. Rather, they appeared to be more like girls no matter how you looked at them. Were he not to consider these three as peculiar and extraordinary witches, Raibaha felt he could agree with Naga to a certain point. And looking at the other witches, such as Harrigan and Ais, it was all the more reason for him to believe they weren’t extraordinary. In addition to him being taught a biased belief, and their appearance being far different from what he had imagined before, Raibaha became confused and perplexed.

“Then, shall we return back to our topic?”

“Eh? W, What was that again?”

“That’s why, I’m telling you we want to capture Fort Ein. Of course, without making any sacrifices to either side. Furthermore, we need some information about its interior. So the talk was regarding whether or not you would provide us with any information.”

“I’m not fully sure about that myself, but even if you gain the information, it’s impossible to seize that fort with just 40-50 people.”

“Have you forgotten we were able to defeat 2000 people from your army, even though we weren’t supposed to win?”

“No wa….t, that’s true. In other words, this time do you have a secret plan as well?”

“I wouldn’t go so far so far as to call it a secret plan, but I think it’s feasible to do so since we have magic here.”

“If you attack using magic, there’s no way for you to avoid casualties!”

“Honestly, there won’t be any. As long we follow my plan, neither humans nor the witches should suffer casualties.”

“T, Then, how?”

“I can’t tell you much regarding our magic, but how about we assume there’s one that can immobilize people? If you use it, there will be no need to fight. With that, we can boldly march into the fort from the entrance and tie up the crippled soldiers.”

“Hm… does magic like this really exist?”

“Indeed. However, for that to happen, we have to decide on the right place. And to do so, it’s necessary for us to know, in advance, how it looks inside and where the guards are deployed. Because of that, we are questioning you.”

Naga, who finished talking while brimming with self-confidence, pierced Raibaha with his gaze.

“If you don’t pass us the information and force us to use violent methods, both sides will suffer losses. However, there might be more on the human side. I’d rather avoid that scene this time.”

Naga’s promise about not creating any sacrifices among the guards was a pretext for him to quickly get hold of the fort with no injuries. Nonetheless, he wasn’t bothered with that.

“W….Will you let me think for a while?”

“Fine. Still, we don’t have all the time in the world. Give me a clear reply within the next couple of days.”

“U, Understood.”

With that the interrogation concluded.
Rather than saying interrogation, if one was to say, the content of their talk was far closer to a conversation.
This experience provided Raibaha with a huge impact.
Harrigan and Naga decided to confine him inside a small room.

“Is it okay to leave him without anyone watching? Even if he’s tied up, the walls in the room are just single-layered. Don’t you think he might be able to break through them? Shall I keep an eye on him?”

Once she expressed her concern, Naga uttered something unexpected.

“It’s okay. But, just to make sure, I’ll stay together with him in that room.”

“Eh? Are you sure?”

“In whichever case, there’s no way for me to sleep with you guys in the same room. Or perhaps, you’d prefer to sleep with me?”

“Ah no, as expected, that’s a bit—”

“That’s right. Were I to sleep in a separate room, we would be occupying 2 rooms. It will be much more efficient for me to sleep in the same one with that guy. I may be troubling you, but please prepare bedding for 2 people.”

“I don’t mind that, but, I wonder if he won’t start acting violently.”

“As long as his legs and arms are bound, there should be no problem. Even without it, that guy doesn’t seem to have any intention of running away.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. He doesn’t appear to have a strong grudge against the witches. Perhaps, him not having a family or relatives in Cassandra is also one of the main reasons for that. Well, if you still insist on helping, I won’t reject it, but…”

“Then, I shall assist you a bit. Is it fine, Harrigan-nee?”

“If you want to do so, then fine. However, don’t cause any commotion. Got it?”

“I’m not like Ais, who would do that when getting drunk.”

Ais cracked a smile.

“Well well. I wonder, what’s the meaning of that, Kay-chan?”

Ais’ face was smiling except for her eyes.

“Ah…. ummm, nothing in particular. Yes, not at all.”

Being aware of her sight, Kay’s forehead became covered in a cold sweat.
Still…- Ais, who was grinning, stared at Kay for a while, soon, the latter shifted her gaze. Ahead of her, there was Raibaha sitting in the corner of the room.

“That’s a bit strange, isn’t it? I’ve always thought that every human would loath us and keep their distance. To think that such people still exist.”

That’s exactly what I think – As soon she uttered that with a small voice, Naga said so while nodding in agreement.

“Since there are guys like him among humans, perhaps our wish of creating a world for humans and the witches isn’t just a pipe dream?”

“True. I’ve got the feeling it’s fine to place our trust in what Naga-san says.”

“Oi, wait a moment. Ais, do you mean to say you haven’t been trusting in my words until now?”

”Eh? Honestly, I’ve been doing that all this time, you know?”

Naga made a pathetic expression.

“No, just now….”

Or, maybe not… – As he was about to say, he changed his mind.

“Whatever. I’ll be sleeping together with him in the same room, so fret not. I’ll let you know when he’s in the mood for speaking.”

“Yes, understood. But before that, let’s have dinner. I’ll make a portion for him as well. Kay, I’m going to call you once I’m done, so please bring it to him, okay?”

“Got it.”

=== Part 11 ===

Naga and Kay brought Raibaha into a plain-looking room that resembled a storage shed. Having done everything he had to do, Naga removed his sword from his waist belt, pushed away a mess on the floor into the corner, and spread out a quilt in an open space. Then, he sat on it and leaned his back against the wall. Next to him, Kay also sat down. Owing to the fact that Raibaha was tied up in ropes and fastened to a pillar, they didn’t have to fear an attack by him, even if they decided to nod off.
Not being mindful of Raibaha’s presence, Kay spoke to Naga.

“Naga-san, shall we continue our talk from earlier today?”

“Ah? What talk?”

“That’s why, I’m telling you it’s the talk about the witches not knowing their fathers.”

“Ahh, that’s right, you’ve mentioned about it before. Oops, my bad.”

Naga took a short glimpse at Raibaha, and shook his head in agreement.

“Let’s do it on some other occasion. This may be not something a human should hear, right?”

“I guess so…. Still, if that’s the case,”

“Is there something that troubles you?”

“Not really, but I thought it would be nice to chat since we have some free time.”

“Free time? Seriously, you are…”

Naga put a wry smile on his face without realizing.

“I’ve got an idea. Naga-san, how about we wrestle with our arms? I may not be as strong as Ais, but I’m quite proud of my strength. Look, I’m an athletic type of person, you know? Therefore—”

“Athletic type?”

Naga ran his eyes over Kay’s body without any reservation.

“You don’t really appear as such. Well, perhaps you do, but–”

“I was told something rude just now.”

“Then, Kay, my dear representative of athletes. Will you take me as your opponent?”

Naga lay on his belly and put his right elbow on the floor. Soon after that, Kay moved to his front and did the same thing.
They grasped each other’s right hand.

“Let’s go?”

“Come at me anytime.”

“Three, two, one, goooo!”

“Hm?”

It was a close-fought contest of strength, but
Naga’s hand was finally pushed down by Kay’s own.

“I lostttt!”

“It’s a hundred years too early for you to win against me.”

“One more!”

“Fine by me, but you see, it won’t change much.”

While smiling wryly, Naga kept competing numerous times.

Raibaha watched them both with a dumbfounded expression.

(Those guys. Could it be they’ve been ignoring me from the beginning? Or perhaps, they are trusting me? Whichever it is, they sure have some guts. As for me, just the fact that I’m inside a fort of the witches doesn’t let me rest at ease.)

Watching, with a sidelong glance, how Kay and Naga were enthusiastically competing with each other, Raibaha exhaled a sigh.

(Good grief, I wonder what fate is going to await me. It doesn’t look like I’ll be killed any time soon, but If I continue to insist about not wanting to talk, they too will eventually lose their temper. Had I known about this, I’d have long resigned from the army and become a guard of some merchant caravan. Anyway, I don’t have any family left, so travelling from one place to another while doing precarious trades would also be worth considering, I guess.)

The appearance of Raibaha’s deceased wife and daughter resurfaced in his mind.

(Risa……Erina……)

He remembered his beautiful, gentle wife together with their good-natured and cute daughter.

About the time he first married his wife.

About Erina’s birth.

About the time she turned 2 years old.

About the time she turned 5 years old.

And then, 8 in age.

Back then, his wife was still healthy.
They lived a frugal life, but despite being fairly hungry and feeling little freedom, the three of them huddled together and lived happily. Their joyful moments as a family floated one by one in his head, and then disappeared.
However, such a blissful scene wouldn’t last forever. Raibaha knew that more than anyone as he tried not to recall his memories. But, once they started to overflow, it wasn’t easy to stop them. It happened one day when his daughter was looking after his ill wife at home. Being overjoyed and full of spirit, Raibaha returned to his city after committing a meritorious deed. Nevertheless, by the time he arrived, the city had already become scorched earth Some savage tribe had decided to attack when the city’s garrison was short-handed. Invading the city, they killed, burned, stole randomly, and then escaped. It was over by the time Raibaha’s assigned troop returned.
Raibaha, who was at a loss for words, looked at the city that was no different from a burnt field. He tried to search for his wife and daughter desperately, but could find no trace of them. There were lots of scorched corpses, lying in burned houses and on the streets, all of which were hard to tell apart. For that reason, Raibaha couldn’t manage to hold a mourning for his family in the end. Provided they were taken away as a prize, it was possible they would still be alive, even as slaves. He wanted to think that way, however, with his wife being ill and his daughter still being a child, Raibaha knew the chance of that was slim. Even now, his body would tremble and his heart would throb whenever he thought back at his despair, hatred, and remorse from that day. His mind still haunted by his regret from that time. Why didn’t the army increase the garrison stationed to defend against barbarians? Why did it have to be his troop that left the city at that time?
Why did he aspire to join a mission troop? To begin with, why did he enter into military service? Why Why Why Why Why Why! Why! WHY!

Later, Raibaha would contemplate on that repeatedly each day.
Having lost his hometown and his family, he wandered through borderlands, after which he was finally admitted into Cassandra’s army. Nevertheless, he later decided not to marry and remained a bachelor. From his eyes that looked up at the bottom of the roof, a stream of tears spilled over.

(Good grief. If I can’t even protect my wife and my daughter, then becoming a soldier was meaningless.)

Rubbing his tears, Raibaha released the strength from his body and lay down on his quilt. Before anyone could notice, Naga and Kay, who had stopped arm wrestling, looked at him with a sidelong glance. However, in the end, they wouldn’t speak to him.

<noinclude>

==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
| Return to [[Ochitekita_Ryuuou_to_Horobiyuku_Majo_no_Kuni|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 2

2017-02-16T10:14:36Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 10 */

==Chapter 2: An Unexpected Prisoner==

=== Part 1 ===

Puffing her cheeks and displaying her discontent, Kay called out to Naga with a loud voice and tried to draw his attention and have him turn his horse’s neck.

“Ah, wait a moment, Naga-san!”

“What? Is there something bothering you?”

“That’s not what I mean. We’ve gone through the trouble of coming here, so can’t we at least enjoy a little swimming?”

“We didn’t come here to play, but…”

“That’s why, I’m telling you it’s just for a change of mood before we start our duties.”

“Ah, isn’t it fine? Naga-san, let’s swim together.”

Ikushina expressed her consent.

“Umm, when it comes to swimming, there’s no witch better at it than I am.”

Nonoeru lifted her hand.

“No, I don’t get why you’re boasting about being the best swimmer among us, Nono.”

“Eh? So it was no good?”

“No no, it’s not about that. I think it’s good to have Nono teach Naga-san since you’re most proficient in that.”

“Good grief. It can’t be helped, I guess.”

While saying so, Naga dismounted his horse. Nevertheless, he didn’t dislike it so much that he would complain. Naga decided to see Nonoeru, Kay and Ikushina off half-way from the Schwein River where those 3 had been posted to keep watch. At the same time, he also decided to carry out some horse-riding practice. Rather than him practicing by himself, teaching Ikushina horse-riding was much more meaningful. Descending from the great cliff towards the plain, Naga galloped on his horse while aiming upstream.
Kay was saddled on the back of Naga’s horse, whereas Nonoeru sat behind Ikushina. Nonoeru, who was extremely frightened, clung to Ikushina’s lower back. On the other hand, Kay was, somewhat happily, glued to Naga’s back.
Running at full speed, Naga created some space between his and Ikushina’s horse. Continuing on like that, he called out to Kay, who was seated behind him.

“Oi, Kay.”

“Whaat, Naga-san?”

“You, weren’t you fine riding behind Ikushina the other day? Why did you decide to cling to me today? You’re not going to say that my riding skills are better than Ikushina’s, right?”

“Of course not. But that’s not the reason. Somehow, it feels nostalgic, you see.”

“Ha? What? Riding on a horse?”

“Wrong, wrong. It’s not that. A man’s back, is what I mean.”

Kay snapped and struck Naga’s back with her right hand.

“I don’t get it. Speaking of which, stop hitting me with all your strength. It hurts.”

Today, Naga didn’t put his armor on. Since he was wearing a kimono with tight sleeves, which he had received from Harrigan and the rest, it felt quite painful for him when he was hit forcefully on his back.

“Ahaha, sorry, sorry.”

Kay withdrew her hand while laughing.

“Saying that a man’s back feels nostalgic….. Could it be that you’re talking about your father?”

Naga tried to ask this.

“Umm, well I guess you could say so.”

“It’s been on my mind since before, but where and what are each of your fathers doing?”

“We don’t have a father.”

“W, What? It’s impossible for such an absurd thing to exist. Or could it be, that in case of the witches, children are born from just a mother?”

“Honestly, there’s no way for that.”

Ahaha – Kay laughed.

“That’s not it. Umm, perhaps it’s better to say we don’t have any fathers or brothers?”

“What’s the meaning…. of that?”

“Because explaining the story would take too long, I’ll tell you about it again on another occasion. You see, the witches basically know nothing about their fathers. They’re not informed about them. That’s why, it’s the same as saying they don’t exist.”

Naga didn’t understand the meaning behind Kay’s words, however, he understood her words were quite significant for the witches.

(Somehow, it’s become hard to ask them casually.)

Not being aware of Naga’s hesitant face, Kay continued her story.

“Therefore, nobody from the witches knows their fathers, and so they have no memories about them. But you see, I’ve got some memories about my father.”

“Would that be…. his back?”

“Yes. Despite them being faint memories, should you say I remember them? It seems like he used to carry me on his back and walk with me. I don't have the slightest idea about where or when he disappeared, but with just your large, warm back in front of my eyes, I can recall those times.”

“…..Hm.”

“Because of that, it suddenly felt nostalgic when I saw Naga-san’s back. Hehe.”

Wearing an embarrassed grin on her face, Kay once again put her strength into her arms around Naga’s waist and glued her face to his back.

“Honestly, I’m not at the age to have a big daughter like you.”

Kay, who loosed her face from Naga’s back, again hit it with her right hand.

“Even though I was able to immerse myself in some nostalgic feelings, don’t say things like that. Aren’t you a kill-joy?”

“That’s why, I’m telling you not to hit me. Listen to me!”

“Ah, this, somehow feels like whipping a horse. Yes, doesn’t it give a sound similar to fw-chi?”

Since Kay, was carried away and wouldn’t stop hitting him, Naga became annoyed.

“S, Seriously, this girl. Hey, stop it!”

While messing around with each other, they finally reached their destination and Naga halted the horse.

“Hey, we're here so get down.”

“Alreadyyy?”

Kay made a displeased face, however, she wouldn’t complain any further and lightly descended from the horse. Soon after, Ikushina and Nonoeru arrived on their horse.

=== Part 2 ===

Both banks of the river, where Naga and the rest had made a dam, turned into a rocky area. It was convenient for hiding one’s presence, and enemy soldiers would most likely not reach this far. Even if they were to do so, it would be easy to spot them as Nonoeru and Kay would camp there and watch over the river.

“Ikushina, hasn’t you horse-riding skill improved quite significantly?”

“I did it! I was praised by Naga-san!”

Sitting on her horse, Ikushina clenched her right hand in victory.
Ikushina, who was fired up, had on a leather-made and slender tube skirt similar to those found among equestrian tribes. On her feet, she wore a pair of shin high boots. Her outfit was unlike those commonly used by the witches, but nevertheless such an appearance was relatively fitting to Ikushina’s tall stature.

“Well then, I’ll be heading back. Take good care of yourself while standing guard. Especially you, Kay. Don’t make any rash decisions, got it?”

“Ehh, you’re saying some cruel things there. I’m not the type of person who would act recklessly, you know?”

“Yes, I know. I was just kidding.”

“Well, having some refreshment and taking a breather are important as well, right?”

“True, true. It’s important, important.”

Being in high spirits, Kay dashed down toward the dry river bank. After that, Ikushina and Nonoeru followed. Naga, too, sped his horse to a nearby rock using the reins and ran after the three witches. As soon as he got down to the river bed with rocks scattered around, the three of the were already doing warm-up exercises. Since Nonoeru wore thin clothes on the assumption that her garments would get soaked, there was no particular need for her to change or take them off. Unlike her, Ikushina wore the tube skirt for horse-riding, so she had to take her clothes off in order to be able to swim. Her top as well was covered by a coat, which also needed to be taken off. Once she took off her top and bottom, only a small breast wrap and a loincloth were left on her body. However, despite that risqué appearance of hers, Ikushina still moved her body with composure. Tattoo-like, complex patterns that appeared on her whole body caught Naga’s attention. And then, if one was to describe Kay,
[[File:Naga03 Illus-03.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
She was doing gymnastics while being totally naked, with no loincloth or breast cover.

“Oi, Kay!”

“What? Naga-san too, isn’t it better for you to properly warm-up before entering the water?”

Kay responded while bending her body left and right.

“That’s not what I mean. I’m asking: why are you naked?!”

“Hm?”

Ceasing to move, she looked down on her body.

“A….Ah…oops, I forgot that we are together with Naga-san.”

Saying ‘oops’ lightly, Kay scratched her head without feeling shy or embarrassed.

“You’re not supposed to forget that! Speaking of which, at least put on your loincloth.”

“Ah no, that’s because I’ve always been taking off my clothes when playing in water with my friends. Recently, I’ve been told by Ais to value myself more, but…”

Kay said so while turning around, picking up her loincloth, and putting it on while squirming.

(That’s an amazing view, indeed. Are you really fine with changing yourself there, Kay? Speaking of which, should I really be watching, but…. well, since I was neither told to go away nor avert my eyes, let’s consider this as OK.)

“Wai, Kay, you’re way too bold!”

Rather, it was Ikushina and Nonoeru who became red-faced.
Both of them moved in front of Kay and stood with their arms spread as if trying to hinder Naga’s gaze. Finally, understanding it was no good by their reaction, Naga shifted his gaze away. Kay finished putting on her loincloth and chest cover, turned around and asked them both.

“Hm? What are you two doing?”

Ikushina and Nonoeru collapsed to their knees.

“Even though we were protecting you from Naga-san’s eyes.”

“Is that so? Thanks.”

“Kay, you’re too defenseless…”

At Nonoeru pointing that out, Naga too, couldn’t help but nod.

“Right. Shouldn’t you have some shame as well?”

“No you see, til now, there’s been nobody besides girls, so we have no custom of paying attention to that.”

“I wonder if I should consider you as being exceptional. Well, still if you insist that you want me to watch at all costs I won’t refuse to do so, but…”

“No no, as one would expect, I wouldn’t go that far.”

“In that case, you better pay more attention.”

“I’ll be careful from now on.”

“Indeed, you’re one easy-going fellow.”

Naga was astonished; Ikushina and Nonoeru started to laugh.

“Kay is that sort of girl.”

“Isn’t she? Despite Kay-chan not minding other people’s sight like this, she also has good qualities.”

“Eh? I don’t feel like I’m being praised.”

As Kay spoke up with a slightly hysterical voice, Ikushina waved her hands in denial.

“No, we weren’t particularly praising you.”

Naga was infected by the sound of their laughter and smiled broadly.

(Being so relaxed, overfamiliar, and positive toward other witches, indeed, Kay is an interesting fellow.)

Not being aware of Naga’s thoughts, Kay spoke up.

“Well then, let’s swim!”

After they enjoyed themselves in the water for a short time, the four of them came ashore and dressed themselves.

“Well, now that we have refreshed ourselves, shall we take up our posts? Even if I say so, it’s actually Nono who’s in charge of guarding.”

“I know, right?”

“We are relying on you, Nonoeru.”

“Yesss, I’ll do my best.”

“Kay and Ikushina too, do your best, okay?”

“Leave it to us.”

“You can count on me.”

“If anything happens, Ikushina will run back on her horse.”

“Understood.”

Like this, Nonoeru, Kay and Ikushina took up the duty of watching for movements from the Cassandra Kingdom’s army near the Schwein River.

=== Part 3 ===

The army in question would turn out to be Raibaha’s company.
His company, which set up camp on the left side of the riverbank, was divided into 4 groups in order to guard the river. Gathering 2 platoons and 5 more people from company headquarters, Raibaha formed groups consisting of 25 people each as units for tactical mobilization. Assuming the witches came to this side of the river, there was no telling if they would only cross where the path was. Consequently, Raibaha’s troops had to watch over a certain area. Still, there was also a limit to how well 100 soldiers could accomplish this task. With that, Raibaha divided his company into 4 units, each placed at a set distance from one another and spread out along the river. However, in all honesty, he really didn’t want to split his forces.

(Originally, it should’ve been 4-5 companies lined up along the river…. No, even with that amount it wouldn’t be enough. Still, to think that that youngster would only send my company for this dangerous post.)

Whenever Raibaha tried to recall the prim looking face of General Guiscard, he couldn’t help himself from getting angry. Even if they were told to temporarily observe the enemy, a unit that consisted of only 25 people could do very little. Providing they face a clan of the witches that had as many as 20 people, they would have practically the same numbers. 25 soldiers would stand no chance against 20 witches. Not to mention, they would probably be unable to even stall the witches until their allies arrived. As soon as they were attacked, they would just run away. However, were they to move together as a company, they would only be able to watch over a single place. If that was the case, the enemy could choose a location freely and cross the river at any time.

(That youngster. Saying things like ‘hinder them at all costs’. If so, send us more soldiers! Well, even without hindering the witches, we should at least be able to report once we see them coming, but….)

Regardless of that, Raibaha’s company, which was the only one appointed for guarding this wide area, was put in quite a dangerous situation.

(Indeed, recently I’ve been encountering nothing but bad omens since the time we attacked the witches’ fort. As I thought, nothing good comes from being involved with them. Rather, should I retire from the army? After all, I no longer have a family to support. I wonder if I could somehow…. afford living by myself. No, I still can’t be certain about that, I guess.)

Even if Raibaha, who has been serving devotedly in the army since his youth, was to try his luck in some other jobs, he possessed no special skills whatsoever. If there was something he could take pride in, it would be his swordsmanship. Other things he could boast about were his military commanding ability and his eye trained for tactics, which he gained through experience, still…

(Guess those skills won’t come in handy if I change my occupation. Were I to make the best use of my swordsmanship, wouldn’t I be only able to serve as a guard for a caravan of merchants? Nevertheless, considering my age right now, it would still probably be quite harsh.)

Contemplating on his own future, Raibaha could only let out a sigh.

“Captain. Captain Raibaha.”

At his subordinate’s voice, Raibaha came back to his senses.

“What? Did something happen?”

“No, it’s not that. I came here to inform you about the newly arrived army provisions.”

“Again? Just how many days has it been since we came here?”

The adjutant replied seriously as Raibaha spat out his question.

“We’ve been staying here for about 6-7 days, I think.”

(That bastard, Guiscard. In the end, he just wants us to stay here! Speaking of which, if you have time to send us that much food, at least provide us with reinforcements!)

“Have you already confirmed its contents?”

“Yes, it’s done. I’d like to ask for your signature.”

Taking the receipt and feather pen presented by the adjutant, Raibaha quickly signed.

“Here.”

“Thank you very much for your efforts.”

Once he handed over the receipt, Raibaha called out to the same man who was about to retreat.

“Oi, Sirius”

The adjutant stopped and turned around.

“Yes?”

“I’m going to take around 10 people with me and patrol the river(?).”

Since there was some distance between their units, it was decided that each of them would assign some people to walk along and patrol the riverbank. Raibaha was the one who suggested this.

“Captain, you plan to go personally?”

“Yeah, for a change of pace.”

“Will it be alright? If something were to happen to you…”

It wasn’t unreasonable for the adjutant to worry about his superior.
Unlike in modern times, an army in this world had no distinct class system. If something were to happen to a commanding officer, there was a distinct possibility that it would cease to function. And if someone like the general in command, or a royal family member, was to be killed, it was possible for the entire army to desert. One could say that the same applied for single units. In the case that this occurred, there was also a vice-commanding officer in charge of every unit, however, the death of one’s commanding officer would cause quite a shock to the soldiers. Still, Raibaha replied with a buoyant look.

“We have a good insight into the surroundings, so it should be fine. Generally, this task is dangerous in itself. No matter where we go, the danger will still be the same.”

“That….might be true, but…”

“Don’t fret. I’m just doing it on a whim.”

(Saying that he wants to carry a patrol because of a whim, isn’t it a bit reckless of him to do so as a commanding officer?)

As an adjutant, it was only natural for him to think so. Nonetheless, it didn’t appear to be a matter big enough for him to strongly object.

Despite it being a hazardous duty, right now, no signs indicated that the witches would appear.

(I guess, the general’s caution about the possibility of the witches striking was a needless worry.)

The adjutant thought so.
Because the witches have been isolating themselves inside the black forest for several dozens of years, it wasn’t irrational.

“Understood. Then, please bring the 1st platoon along with you.”

“I’ll leave the camp in your care.”

Like that, Raibaha led a single platoon and went for a patrol along the riverside.

=== Part 4 ===

Nonoeru travelled through the river while submerged.
With water magic being her main strength, she could breathe by gathering air inside the water. At the same time, it was possible for her to expand the gathered air and wrap it around her skin, allowing her to maintain a steady body temperature. Thanks to that, she could easily stay active for more than half an hour inside the water. And if it was just the submerging alone, even for a whole hour. Since Nonoeru was also able to refract the light from the water’s surface whenever she was diving, she could easily conceal her presence. Capitalizing on that ability, she searched for any sign of Cassandra’s army from beneath the river’s surface.

Nonoeru had already grasped that there were 4 units from Cassandra’s army dispatched along the river, with each of them having around 20 soldiers.
She was currently near the place where the path was intersected by the river, where there were footprints still visible. Nevertheless, the area didn’t appear to be heavily guarded.

(Guess it’s like this. It’s not like they have to walk near the path)

Despite there being some hills in the surroundings, the area was basically a plain with no wetlands or big forests. It would be different in the case of a big unit, however, if one was to consider just a few people walking around, they could go anywhere and not just guard a fixed area. Even so, there was a mountainous area ahead of the river. Since it was far more comfortable to walk on the path instead of covering the distance by crossing the mountains, Cassandra’s troops would usually walk this path and cross the river here.

After going downstream for a moment and confirming there was no particular change in the Cassandra Army’s troops, Nonoeru prepared to swim back upstream andreturn to where Kay and Ikushina were hiding. Being capable of controlling the water, she had no difficulty in swimming against the flow of the river. Nonoeru continued to move upstream while sometimes taking a peek above to observe her surroundings. In the middle of doing so, she discovered a troop of only 10 people, who were walking on the river bank.

(Is it the usual patrol group…..? No, it’s not them?)

Among the troops that walked on top of the embankment upstream, Nonoeru recognized one person wearing a different outfit from the rest.

(He’s wearing a more refined helmet and armor than the others. Could he be… a commanding officer?)

Back then, Nonoeru did a meritorious deed by taking down a battalion commander as a result of her noticing the difference in the soldiers’ outfits. Therefore, it was just a natural course of action for her to recall that time.

(Why did a commanding officer go through the trouble of patrolling?)

Nonoeru thought doubtfully.

(Is it a sign of them being about to launch some sort…. of new tactic? Or maybe, they are searching for a plausible location to cross so they can counterattack? The danger doesn’t seem to be imminent, but wouldn’t it be better if I made sure just in case?)

Thinking to check out the intentions of the newly discovered unit, she drew near the riverbank. As soon as she approached a point where she was barely able to hide herself, Nonoeru positioned her face right below the water surface while looking up at the shallows. It was a posture where you would question whether or not her nose would stick out from the water’s surface.
Under normal circumstances, it would be easy to tell if something was hiding inside the water, even from a more distant place. However, as long as Nonoeru was in control of light refraction, unless someone peered into the water right above her, there was no chance they would see her. On the other hand, she was able to observe the surroundings to a certain degree.
Ceasing her movements, Nonoeru began to spy on the troop.

=== Part 5 ===

“There’s been nothing unusual taking place, right?”

The 1st platoon leader addressed Raibaha.

“Well, I guess so. It would be nice if we can finish our duty just like this without any problems, but you see…”

“When do you think it will be over?”

A shade of concern appeared on the leader’s face.
Considering that it was possible for the witches to attack, his anxiety wasn’t unreasonable. Even Raibaha felt uneasy. But, there was no way for him to display that in front of his subordinates.

“Well, it’s hard for me to tell as it depends on General Guiscard’s mood.”

Raibaha answered in a casual manner.

“That’s because the witches might come, right?”

The platoon leader asked once more.

“That too, remains unclear to me. Til now, the witches have been staying inside the black forest. It’s difficult to imagine them leaving it today, tomorrow, or any time soon, but well….”

“Still” – Lowering his tone, the platoon leader said.

“Based on the fact that our troops suffered a big loss the other day, won’t the witches consider that….as an opportunity?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Raibaha began to walk.

“I still don’t understand the witches’ reasoning.”

“Captain, where are you going?”

“I’ll wash my face a bit so as to keep myself awake.”

“Ah….okay.”

The platoon leader was taken aback, however,

(Despite being assigned to such a dangerous task, our captain is indeed a daredevil. As one would expect, he hasn’t worked his way up to become a captain for nothing. His battle experience is rich, and he’s also dealt with the witches. I think we might be able to return alive as long we have this person by our side.)

Being filled with admiration, the man thought that Raibaha seemed reliable.

“Should I have someone accompany you?”

“I’ll be back quickly. More importantly, stay on guard and watch over the other side of the river properly. If you spot something, inform everyone with a loud voice and run back as fast as you can.”

“Got it.”

Putting a wry smile on his face, the platoon leader saluted.

=== Part 6 ===

(Is somebody approaching?)

Nonoeru lifted her face up close to the water's surface, which was hard to tell whether it was sticking it out or not. Certainly, there was someone drawing close. What’s more, that person was coming towards her direction.

(Could it be that he sensed my presence? No, I don’t think that’s possible, still…)

It would be better if that person were to go straight along the embankment of the river stream, but instead, he walked diagonally across a sand bar.
Nonoeru saw that and was a bit confused.

Despite thinking it shouldn’t be possible for her to be exposed, she had heard from Harrigan that there were rare instances in which experienced swordsmen would be able to grasp the witches’ hidden presence.

'Could it be that this man….?' – she thought.

Nevertheless, Nonoeru was overthinking.
Considering it calmly, there was a high chance that this event was just coincidental. But Nonoeru, who was still young and inexperienced in battle, panicked a bit, and as a result, assumed too much.

(If I move right now, it will place me in danger instead. Should I let this person pass?)

Even if the enemy was able to sense something doubtful for a moment, Nonoeru didn’t think he would be able to confirm her position. Because of that, rather than running away, she deemed it was better to hold her breath silently in that place. Despite that, the person continued to approach the shallows in which she’d hidden herself.

(T, That person is walking as if he knows I’m here.)

While thinking so, Nonoeru became a little restless.

(W, What should I do? Should I carry out a preemptive attack…? No, by doing so, I’ll reveal myself to other soldiers behind this person. If they learn about us spying on this place, it might affect our plan of capturing their fort. As expected, it’s better to let him pass…no, perhaps it’s better to flee?)

'What should I do?' – Nonoeru couldn’t make up her mind.

At the same time, the man descended down to the riverbank.

“Good grief, isn’t today quite peaceful? It would be nice if such days could always continue like this.”

The soldier, who approached, looked around and said so with an easy-going attitude. Once he did so, he crouched down on the spot and extended both his hands toward the water’s surface.

His intention was to wash his face by scooping some water, but Nonoeru felt confused and reacted reflexively.

(Was my location exposed?!)

Nonoeru, who tried to counter attack, unconsciously loosened her control of the light refraction. The sudden appearance of a person below the water surprised Raibaha. Not to mention, it was a girl who wore thin clothes with lots of skin exposure.

“No, it isn’t a human, but, a witch!?”
[[File:Naga03 Illus-04.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
Opening his eyes widely, Raibaha stood up as if being flicked.

(He saw meee!)
Nonoru’s body reacted before she could think.

*Splashhh*

The moment he thought that the river surface became choppy, the water rose up. And then, stretched out just like tentacles, the water coiled around Raibach’s arms, body, and feet.

“Whhhhhhhat is thisssssssssss!?”

(This is bad. I don’t know what it is, but it feels incredibly bad!)

Having a frantic expression, Raibaha tried to tear off the water tentacles, but unfortunately, he was unable to move. It was as though he was seized by steel, rather than water.

“What’s the matter, Captain?!”

Sensing something wrong, the platoon leader and his men tried to descend to the river bank. Raibaha noticed that, turned his head and shouted.

“Don’t come, it’s a witch!”

With the word ‘witch’, they immediately stopped moving.

“What are you doing?! Quickly, run awa…”

Raibaha’s body was suddenly pulled inside the water.

“Uwaaaaa?!”

The next instance.

*plop*

Leaving a small sound behind, Raibaha vanished.
Naturally, his body was inside the water. Since Nonoeru controlled light refraction with her magic, it looked as if Raibaha disappeared. Or so they thought.

(W, was Captain kidnapped by the witches?)

“Eeeek?!”

The other soldiers ran up the embankment without a second glance and escaped at full speed. Raibaha, who was pulled inside the water, was struggling desperately. However, it was as if his body was restrained by huge invisible hands. He couldn’t move.

*Blub blub bluuuu-*

Raibaha’s breath continued to turn into bubbles and float up.

(This is bad, I’m running out of air….. Damn, really, nothing good comes from being involved with…Gahaa)

With a part of his consciousness fading away, Raibaha awaited his death.

=== Part 7 ===

“What should we do, Kay-chan, Shi-chan?”

“No, I wonder about that too.”

Looking down at the unconscious enemy soldier dragged ashore, Ikushina and Kay bent their heads. The complex, tattoo-like patterns drawn on Ikushina looked as though they were squirming on her skin.
Finally, Kay lifted up her head and said swiftly.

“Since its bothersome, shouldn’t we just kill him?”

Nonoeru as well, nodded in agreement.

“Guess you’re right. 2-3 minutes should be enough for him to die if we leave him to soak. How about that?”

“Oioioioi!”

Smack – Kay faced toward Nonoeru and hit her in a chopping manner.

“I was joking, Nono. Don’t take it that seriously.”

“Ah, is that, so?”

Nonoeru tried to ask Ixine for an opinion by looking in her direction.

“Because we caught him, shall we take him back with us for the time being? In the first place, why did you capture this person? Nonoeru, was there some sort of a motive?”

“Ah, no, that’s….. you see, I did it on the spur the moment and had no time to think ahead.”

Beginning from that time, Nonoeru explained the whole story in general

“Really? So he isn’t just a soldier but a commanding officer of that troop? Now that you mention it, he’s certainly wearing high-class armor, unlike those regular soldiers.”

Saying that, Kay nodded.

“If that’s the case” – Ikushina raised her right hand.

“I wonder if he doesn’t know about that.”

“Yes? About what?”

“I’m talking about Fort Ein.”

“Ah!”

“Wouldn’t Naga-san want to know about that? He said that if there’s detailed information about the fort, capturing it would be much easier.”

“Right? Speaking of which, it means that we’ve caught a fine prisoner, right? Does it mean I’ve once again made a glorious achievement?”

“You’re really singing your own praises, aren’t you, Nono? Well, there’s no doubt that it’s a great achievement, but getting your head gently stroked by Naga-san is indeed nice.”

'Ehehe' – Nonoeru smiled timidly once Kay said so in a half joking manner.

“What? So you really want to be stroked by Naga-san? If that’s the case, you should have your chest stroked as well.”

“….That would be a bit troublesome. wouldn’t you say it’s still too early for…..”

“So the problem is age? Are you saying it’s fine when you become more mature?”

As Kay retorted, Ikushina continued to speak.

“Are you saying you won’t be satisfied with just being caressed? Could it be that you want to be groped as well?”

“Uhmm, how should we bring this person with us?”

“Don’t try to dodge my question!” x2

(Nono…. I wonder if you were surprisingly this bold. No, rather than that.)

Kay turned her attention to the problem in front of their eyes.

“It appears to be quite difficult to carry him on one’s back, so…. by the way, when it comes to things like this, perhaps I could be of help, so… no. On second thought, let’s make him walk.”

As soon as Kay said so, Nonoeru once again looked in Ikushina’s direction.

“Will it do if we place him on the horse?”

“No, you see, I’d rather not have a human guy ride behind me.”

“….Guess you’re right.”

“Well then Nono, let’s wake him up.”

“I think it will be fastest for Kay to hit him two or three times on the cheek.”

“Eh? Are you fine with that?”

“Since he has lost consciousness from drowning, giving him a shock should be the right thing to do.”

“Ah, that’s right. Well, fine.”

Kay said a small chant.

“Harden, harden. Become an unrivalled hardness. Oh Thee, become a body, become an embodiment of hardness.”

Her right hand which turned silver in color, was hardened.

“Pay attention so as not to overdo it. If you hit him too seriously, you will probably crush his cheekbones.”

“Got it. I’ll hit him gently, like brushing him, so don’t fret.”

“What type of a hitting method is that?!”

Ikushina retorted.

“No, I get what you want to say, but…”

Kay’s strengthened body was solid to the extent of repelling sharp swords. If she hit him in that state, the man would most likely not avoid bone fractures.

"Ah, that’s right." – Kay said after lowering her raised hand.

“Nono, it will troublesome if this man wakes up and becomes violent.”

“Yes. I’ll restrain him.”

Once Nonoeru chanted in a grumbling manner, she inserted her right hand into the river and ladled out some water.

Soon after the scooped water covered the man, turning into fine strings and wrapping around his wrists and ankles.

“This will do.”

“Then, shall we start?”

Raising her right hand once more, Kay grabbed the enemy soldier by his collar and lifted his upper body.

“Okay, wake up, wake upppp.”

Slap slap slap – she delivered repeated slaps to his cheeks.

“Uu…..Uuuug…”

Nonoeru and Ikushina looked at the man.

“Seems like he’s regaining consciousness.”

“He doesn’t have any broken cheekbones, right?”

Using her strengthened right hand, Kay tried to caress his cheeks.

“Hm, should be fine.”

=== Part 8 ===

A strange sensation, which was somewhat hard but warm, passed through his cheeks. And then,

“Hm, should be fine.”

Such a voice reverberated inside his head.

(What…. I haven’t died yet?)

Right after he opened his eyes slightly, Raibaha coughed and choked repeatedly.

“Kuh-ack-kuh”

Despite him choking, Raibaha somehow managed to open his eyes. As he did so, the faces of unfamiliar witches unfolded before him.

“Uwaaaaaa?!”

“What the—?!”

At his shout, Kay, who became surprised, released him unintentionally from her grasp, making his head fall straight down on top of a stone.

“Awwwwww!”

Folding his knees and arching his back, Raibaha tried to hold the back of his head using his hands, but they wouldn’t move freely.

“Awawawawa, what the heck is this, awawaawawa, what’s happening, awawawaawa—”

Raibaha attempted to move his body by kicking and struggling, but his limbs still wouldn’t regain their freedom. It felt as though his ankles and wrists were tightly bound by rope-like things.

“Are you in pain or in amazement? Decide which.”

Hearing a voice pouring from above his head, he looked up with teary eyes.

“…….”

“……”

For a while, he and Kay stared at each other from close range.

“Witcheeeeeeeessss!?”

Raibaha screamed with a loud voice, making her lean backwards in astonishment.

“Uwaaa!?”

Raibaha tried to escape desperately, but it shouldn’t be possible with his limbs restrained. In the end, he would just tumble heavily onto the river bed.

“Awwawaw.”

With a stone from the river bed cutting into his body, he completely recovered his senses thanks to the pain.

Raibaha stopped moving around and looked around his surroundings, trying to confirm the situation. He was situated on a bank with the flowing stream most likely being the Schwein River. Since the area was rocky and the river was narrow, unlike his previous location, there was no doubt about this one being upstream. And then, the ones looking down on him were three witches.
Conducting a quick survey from that little information, Raibaha reached a conclusion.

(In other words, I was caught by the witches. Because of that, my body is tied up with their magic and thrown down on the river bed…… or so I think?)

As one would expect, Raibaha, who had plenty of battle experience, could still judge a situation with composure, despite finding himself in peril.
Releasing all the strength in his body, Raibaha fell on his back and observed the three witches, who looked down on him, once again.

(So these are…the witches? Looking closely, they seem to be different from what I’ve thought.)

The three girls in front his eyes appeared to be quite dissimilar from how they had been commonly portrayed as ‘vicious and inhuman’.

(Speaking of which, aren’t they just normal girls? Even if they can use magic, they look no different from normal girls.)

The figure of his long deceased daughter resurfaced in his mind.

(Were she to be alive, that girl too would probably be around this age and appearance.)

Being immersed in a sentiment that wasn’t appropriate to his situation, Raibaha ceased any thought of putting up resistance or attempts of escaping.

“Hey, you.”

“Eh? What?”

“You’re, witches, right?”

Nonoeru and Kay looked at each other’s faces.
A moment later, Kay, who had returned her gaze to him, responded,

“That’s right.”

“Is that so? Well, guess that was an obvious thing. Still…..”

“Why are you asking such a question?”

“….You look different from what I had imagined.”

“What kind of imagination was that?”

“I’ve heard stories about you being atrocious, heinous, wicked, and brutal existences, which made me think you’re indeed fearsome in appearance. Like the ones with a mouth splitting til their ears, narrowed eyes, and protruding fangs.”

The three of them bent backward without realizing.

“That’s cruel.”

“It’s cruel, right?”

“Indeed, that’s cruel!”

“When I look at you close up like this, you certainly have unusual hair color and clothing. Still, your look is no different from that of normal girls.”

“Not just our looks but our insides too are similar to normal girls, you know?”

Raibaha’s eyes stopped at Kay’s right hand.

“I guess, you can’t call that normal.”

“Ah, no, this is….”

She released her magic.
The metallic-like luster vanished and her skin color turned back to normal.

“What’s more, this is….”

Raibaha tried to put up both his hands.
String-shaped cords, which couldn’t be torn off no matter how much strength he applied, coiled around his wrists.

“Is this magic as well?”

“Yes, that’s… true.”

“As one would expect, witches aren’t common beings, I guess.”

But, not feeling any disgust or contempt toward his tone of speaking, the three of them looked again at each other’s faces.

“Then, what do you plan to do with me from now on? If I’m going to be killed either way, it would be nice if you could do it using painless and instant methods, so as to ease my death, but well…”

“We won’t kill you!”

Kay shouted.

“Had we simply planned to kill you, we wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of catching you.”

“Is that so?”

Raibaha breathed a big sigh.

“So I’ll be tormented to death? Indeed, a horrifying end.”

“We won’t be doing that either!”

“You mean it?”

“….No, there seems to be one person capable of that, but at least, we won’t do such things.”

“Then, what are you going do with me?”

“We thought about discussing that matter with Naga-san first, and so we wanted to bring you with us. Still…”

“Naga? Who’s that?”

“No, Naga-san is Naga-san. But the meaning behind his name appears to be ‘Dragon King’, you see?”

“Na….Naga?” [written as Dragon King]

Raibaha widely opened his eyes, as if not believing the words he had just heard.

“Naga-san is a human guy and a member of our household. No, to begin with, it’s not clear to us whether or not we should call him ‘human’.”

(Oi, oi, what’s the meaning of that? Naga-san [Dragon King]… What’s wrong with the overfamiliarity in that name?)

“Yes, it was thanks to Naga-san’s tactics that we were able to repel 2000 of your soldiers.”

“For real?”

“There’s no reason for us to lie at this point.”

Raibaha wasn’t directly involved with the battle, but he was still related to it since he led the supply troops. That’s why, he knew more than enough about his friendly troops suffering an utter defeat from the hands of ‘the witches who resorted to an unheard of style of fighting’.

(If there’s someone like the Dragon King, then certainly, it wouldn’t be strange for the witches to change their fighting style…. no, I still can’t believe it.)

“We are going to discuss your matter with Naga-san. It would be much appreciated if you could follow us obediently, but….”

“…….Will I become prey for the Dragon King? Am I going to be munched on by him starting from my head?”

“Ha? No no, what are you talking about? Naga-san won’t devour you. If they’re young girls, he would most likely do so, however….”

“Really? So the Dragon King prefers young human girls? Well, guess that’s understandable.”

Raibaha felt a small relief inside his heart.

Therefore – While being unaware that he wasn’t understanding their conversation, Kay replied.

“Follow us obediently. If you decide to pick a fight or run away, I’ll have to bring you by force.”

Kay, who peered at his eyes, continued to speak.

“It would be quite bothersome, and you also probably don’t want to suffer, right?”

Raibaha exhaled a sigh once again.

“Yeah, I’d hate that. Understood, I’ll follow along.”

“Uuuuu”

Looking down on Raibaha, who folded up his arms, Kay groaned lightly.

“What? Is something matter?”

“No, how should I say it, I think you’re also different from what I had imagined about humans.”

At Kay’s words, Nonoeru and Ikushina slightly nodded.

“While we're at it, what kind of human did you picture me as?”

“Look. Don’t humans detest the witches just like snakes and scorpions? In that case, they wouldn’t even bother to lend an ear to us. Despite that, I thought it was strange for you to talk with us that conventionally.”

“Even among humans, there are different people.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

For some reason, Kay watched Raibaha with a face showing curiosity.

“Ah, that’s right. What’s your name?”

“Me? I’m Raibaha.”

“I see. My name is Kay. It’s fine for you to call me Kay for now.”

“O….Oh, you mean it?”

“And then, here’s Nonoeru.”

Being pointed out, Nonoeru moved swiftly behind Kay’s back as if trying to conceal herself. With only her face peeking through, she said with a small voice,

“It’s……. Nonoeru.”

“This person here is Ikushina.”

“Uhmm, I’m Ikushina. Nice to meet you.”

“It’s Raibaha. Please treat me well.”

“Well then, let’s not waste any more time on chit-chat. Ikushina, gallop back first and inform Harri-nee and Naga-san.”

“Hm, that’s right. Got it. Then, I'll go ahead of you.”

Saying so, Ikushina returned to the place where the horse was tied up.

“Take care.”

Kay who saw Ikushina off with her hand, finally turned around.

“Then, shall we go ahead, Raibaha?”

(You’re going to address me without any honorifics? Well, it’s not like I’m in a position to complain since I’m your prisoner, but even if you’re witches, your girlish appearance and age give off a very bad feeling.)

“Can you stand up?”

“Hm? Yeah, more or less…”

Raibaha cast down his gaze to the water strings that bound his ankles.

“Oh, is that so? Nonoeru, you can remove them.”

“U, Understood.”

Uhee? – Removing the bonds on his ankles, Raibaha gave out a voice which could have equally been from astonishment or admiration.

Heave-ho – Raibaha stood up and stuck out his bound wrists.

“I’m going to be like this…. for the whole time, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I thought it would be nice if I wasn’t.”

“Then, you should give up and walk with us. If you try to escape, Nonoeru will bind your ankles once more. Speaking of which, perhaps it would be better to constrain your neck too?”

“Yeah, I won’t. To begin with, I don’t think it’s even possible for me to run away from you.”

Nonoeru, who heard their conversation, felt it was strange.
The fact that a human and witch could talk casually, judging from her common sense, was an unthinkable thing.

(No, well, it might be that Kay is just a bit eccentric among all of us. She would start talking even with Naga-san in an overfamiliar manner. However, I wouldn’t imagine for this human guy to talk this carefreely with us. I don’t think it’s due to Kay’s speaking style, but I’ve always believed all humans detest the witches.)

Raibaha’s speech and conduct was an unexpected and refreshing experience that made Nonoeru a little bit happy.

(Could it be it’s possible for both the witches and humans to understand each other……?)

Nonoeru considered Naga as someone exceptional. Also, the fact that he fell from another dimension without being bound by this world’s ties of obligation, customs, or common sense was the reason he could give them a fair evaluation. This is what she thought. Nevertheless, looking at this man called Raibaha, especially as somebody who wasn’t just an ordinary man, but an enemy soldier, Nonoeru actually felt that not all the humans are hostile against the witches, or that they shun them.

(Could it be that such a day might come?)

She carried that wish inside her.

(No, I wonder about that. If I was to say such lines around Ane-sama, she would most likely chuckle at me saying it’s an empty dream, whereas Yuuki would abuse me by saying ‘you traitor!’. Despite that…)

It may be that Naga’s evaluation wasn’t due to him coming from a different world, but instead due to his own viewpoint and way of thinking, just like this person, called Raibaha.

While walking behind Raibaha, who was led by Kay, Nonoeru felt that their small light of hope had, yet again, shone a bit brighter.

=== Part 9 ===

With Naga supposedly being in the 1st fort, Ikushina galloped while aiming for that place. Kay and Nonoeru, who were bringing Raibaha with them, walked toward the 1st fort as well. It wouldn’t take them long if they were to dash, but when it comes to taking along a prisoner, only walking was an option. With Ais being forwarded by Harrigan after the latter had received a report from Ikushina, the three of them linked up with Ais on their way and finally reached 1st fort just before sunset.

Witnessing a small fort dyed in the color of the sunset and enclosed by a wooden fence in front of his eyes, Raibaha had a strange feeling while reflecting on the few days he had spent here before.

(……So it’s here? Good grief. Somehow, it feels a bit nostalgic. I suffered a defeat by trying to attack this place, was demoted from being a company captain to a commander of the supply troops, and was then reinstated as a captain. Considering all of that, to think I’m here now as a prisoner of the witches. My life has changed drastically over the past few days, which makes me want to laugh.)

Once Ais and Kay talked with the witches on security, Naga and Harrigan appeared in front of them, having been brought by Ikushina.

“Oi, Kay, so you managed to catch a soldier from Cassandra’s army?!”

“Ah, umm, actually it was Nonoeru who did it, but…. Look, it’s this person I was talking about.”

Seeing Naga who came out of the fort, Raibaha became surprised.

(So there was a man among the witc– wha, speaking of which, is this guy the rumored Dragon King? Rather than the Dragon King… he looks no different from a normal human. His attire is certainly unusual, but…… Not to mention, he gives off a distinct feeling from us.)

“Oh! So this guy is the captive?”

Naga walked straight toward Raibaha.
Raibaha was a bit taller in comparison with Naga.

(Watching him like this from up close, as expected, his appearance is strange. His sword is inserted near his waist, and its shape itself is different too. Still, assuming he’s the Dragon King, he is indeed young.
Such was his first impression towards Naga. On the other hand, Naga thought.

(I see. Certainly. it’s as they say. Despite him being brought along to a fort of the witches, this sort of composure doesn’t appear to be the same as that of an ordinary soldier.)

Naga judged with a calm attitude.

“You…Your name…Wha…is called?”

Naga asked.

There were some difficult to catch words, but Raibaha understood.

(Is he talking with our language…? No, rather than talking, it feels as though his words are reverberating inside my head.)

“Umm, I’m Raibaha. Raibaha Lantier.”

“Is that so? My name is…… Naga.”

(Is he really the Dragon King? Or perhaps, he’s just referring to himself that way…?)

Naga who gave his name, talked to the witch next to him.

“I can’t ask him while standing, so how about we enter inside, Harrigan?”

The witch replied.

“I guess that’s the only option.”

(Huge, and by that I mean various things.)

Concealing his amazement inside his heart, Raibaha ran his sight indirectly over Harrigan.

“Ah, Harri-nee, Yuuki isn’t here, right?”

Once Kay asked.

“She isn’t.”

“Ah, that’s lucky. Were we to take this man in front of that girl, she would make a fuss while shouting ‘kill kill kill!’.”

Ahahaha – Harrigan laughed.

“If it’s her, she will most likely do so.”

“Oi oi, you, I don’t think it’s something to laugh about.”

Raibaha retorted without thinking ahead.

“Hahaha, certainly… it isn’t a laughing matter… I guess.”

“You too! I told you it’s not something to laugh about!”

He also retorted at Naga.
Because Naga and Harrigan directed their sights at him, Raibaha shrugged his shoulders in a hurry and turned his face away.

“Should we first let him rest inside a room? He must be tired from all the walking to this place.”

Raibaha became astonished at Harrigan’s words.

(To think that the witches would be considerate about my fatigue. I thought they would put me into a room for interrogation without any arguing, but…. Or maybe they’re going to drive me into a dungeon?)

True – At Harrigan’s words, Kay nodded.

“Raibaha, come this way.”

She showed him a building inside the fort.

“What’s that? That girl, Kay, has she already started to call him without honorifics? Certainly, she will try to be familiar with anyone when coming in contact. Well, guess that’s her main forte.”

As Naga muttered so, Ais nodded with a slightly glad expression.

“You’re right.”

“Well, shall we go too? I’m looking forward to what he has to offer.”

Naga, Ais, Nonoeru, and Ikushina reentered the fort.

=== Part 10 ===

Naga, Harrigan, Ais, Kay, Nonoeru, and Ikushina had gathered inside a single room of the residential building. Obviously, Raibaha was also there.
Besides them, there were also other witches inside the fort, like the sisters Linna and Linne, Cu and Arurukan, stationed at their posts.
Raibaha was released from Nonoeru’s water binding, however in turn, he had his wrists and waist tied up in ropes that were linked to Ais’ wrist.
By the time Nonoeru released Raibaha, Kay whispered silently into his ears.

“That Onee-san, you see-”

Kay pointed at Ais while speaking.

“Unlike her appearance, she’s incredibly scary, so you better not make her angry by any means. If she delivered a single hit to your body, you’d die from having all your bones smashed, or your internal organs ruptured. And if you’re hit in the head, it will blow up together with your neck, you know? I’m neither joking nor trying to threaten you, but giving you honest advice.”

Having an awfully loathsome face, Raibaha nodded in agreement.

“Ugh… you mean it? Understood. I’ll pay attention to that, but…”

”What?”

“You’re surprisingly kind, aren’t you?”

“Hm? Is that so?”

Kay, who tilted her head in wonder, turned her face back with a cheerful smile.

“Well, isn’t it fine? If you’re aware that I’m kind to you, you better repay it properly.”

(This girl…. Somehow, it feels like talking with my daughter’s friends. It makes me want to believe she isn’t a witch.)

At any rate, Raibaha didn’t feel like running. Even if he tried, he would most likely not manage to do so from the witches. Were he to be caught, they would certainly kill him this time. Rather, it was much better to remain a prisoner. What’s more, it didn’t seem like he had to worry about being tortured for the time being. And more than anything, being able to talk with the witches was, surprisingly for Raibaha, somehow a little bit fun.

(I wonder if I could have talked like this, were my daughter still alive.)

Is what he thought.

(Then, speaking of which, I wonder what kind of questions I will have to answer. It’s not like I know anything of great value.)

Raibaha, who felt a bit tense, was made to sit on a folding stool placed near the wall, and surrounded in a half-circle by the rest of the people. Naga sat in front of him, whereas Harrigan was on Naga’s left, with Ikushina being on the furthest left. Similarly, on his right side, Ais and Nonoeru sat. Naga began to speak.

“Well then, I’m not fancy of tedio….talks, so how about we go stra…to the point? Yo…., kno…something about Fort Ein, right?”

As one would expect, some words were hard to catch, but Raibaha could still understand what he meant.

“I do possess the knowledge, but….”

“Do you als… know wha.. inside the fort?”

“I do.”

“Then how about, yo….tell me something about it, like its territory?”

“…..Why are you asking me such things?”

“I’m thin….about capturing that fort.”

“Whaa?”

Raibaha became at loss for words, and the interrogation stopped for a while
Naga looked at him with a bit of a curious expression.

“What’s the matte…? Why are you tha…surprised?”

Being thrown a question, Raibaha finally regained his senses.

“Ummm…. Dragon King, I wonder if it’s fine for me to ask you something."

“I don’t mi…d”

“Is that so? If that’s the case. I’ve heard that there’s about 20 witches on this side, but is that true?”

“That would be Harrigan’s clan, you see. Since, this time, we have received a support from anot…household, the number has increased a bit. It would probably be aroun… 40, 50 people.”

“N, No, saying probably around, and on top of that, 40 to 50 people. Right now, there are as many as 300 guards stationed inside Fort Ein. Just how on Earth do you plan to capture it?”

“I wanted to consider that after I have ques…you for some information on the fort’s interior.”

“What are you talking about…. In the first place, do you think I’d leak out such information?”

Naga’s expression turned into an unexpected one.

“So yo…are not going to tell us?”

Once he was told so, Raibaha responded in a yelling manner.

“Don’t be silly. I may look like a single person with no family or relatives, but I’ve got friends in that fort. Knowing that they might be killed, there’s no way for me to spill the beans. Don’t try to torture me or do anything similar to that, or I’ll pass you false details.”

Listening to his words and observing his expression, Naga made a decision in the end.

“This guy, isn’t he quite a formidable man? He looks to be someone worthy of being trusted.”

“It’s just reasonable for you to be concerned. But, you don’t have to go that far.”

“W, What do you mean?”

“We are thinking about capturing the fort without making any casualties among your soldiers.”

“Wha? You can’t be serious! Do you think I’d believe such nonsense?!”

Because Raibaha lifted himself unintentionally Ais put herself on guard, however, Naga held her back and leaned forward. He fixed his eyes on Raibach’s face in front of him as if looking into it.

“You too, do you think I’m talking nonsense?”

Being seized by Naga’s gushing spirit coming from his whole body, and scorched by the strong-willed light dwelling inside his eyes, Raibaha became unable to move.

(W, what’s, this bizarre force coming from this guy?)

“During the previous battle, we had to do things like that, otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to repel the human army. After all, it was 20 against 2000 people. Still, I was reluctant about using that method since there was a chance for the witches to die. For the sake of our future, I’d rather prevent as many sacrifices as possible.”

Was it due to Naga’s words being filled with vigor? Or perhaps, him getting used to conversing with Naga? Raibaha became able to grasp his words clearly.

“F…Future? What do you mean by future? And why do you want to take over Fort Ein?”

“It’s the first step toward establishing the country of the witches.”

“The country of the witches? What do you intend to do once you’re done with that? You mean to say, that the witches are trying to rule over humanity?”

“No, I don’t. In the end, we want to create a world where humans and the witches can both coexist. This is what I mean to say.”

(Is this guy, a fool? There’s no way for such a thing to happen. Is he serious about that?)

Not trying to hide his thoughts of being utterly amazed, Raibaha opened his eyes widely and gazed at Naga. Perhaps, there was a hue of contempt displaying in Naga’s expression, however it didn’t look like he was making fun of Raibaha or bragging about anything. If it was true, then he was honest. Naga was honestly talking about creating a new world. Raibaha could sense the magnitude of Naga’s caliber, the difference which separated him and that person.

(The Dragon King, who commands the witches, and me, who can’t even fulfill my duty as a Captain. Is it natural for there to be such a difference between us? Despite that, saying he wants to create a world where both humans and the witches can live together….)

What they both looked at was far too divergent.
As well as Naga’s range of vision.
And even their aims were contrasting with each other.

(If I were to say, unlike me, who can only think within my own scope as a captain, this man possesses an overhead view, just like a bird flying at the highest altitude, and can grasp every position and movement of his enemies and allies. Is this how it feels?)

Raibaha, who had devoted himself to military service, suddenly thought that way.

“……Hey, you, Dragon King. Do you honestly believe it’s possible for you to create such a world?”

“Ha? No, obviously, we should be able to do so. That’s because I’m going to live together with the witches too, and I’m not a witch myself, you see. There’s nothing that should be impossible.”

“No, you’re most likely the Dragon King, rather than a human.”

“I may be holding a grandiose name like that, but I’m actually a human, or at least an existence that’s closer to a human than that of a witch. Still, it’s not like I feel any sort of inconvenience from that, you see.”

“However…”

“You as well, haven’t you been walking together with them before reaching this place? Did you feel anything unpleasant? You were able to hold a conversation with them, right?”

“No, No……”

Kay smiled at Raibaha as soon as she noticed his glimpse.
He turned his face away in a hurry.

“….There was no such thing, but…”

“Right? Be it humans or the witches, both sides can understand each other in a proper way. If that’s the case, then creating a world where they both can coexist isn’t far from reality, and we may be able to live together. Unless you see it for yourself, you shouldn’t decide on your own.”

At Naga’s words, Raibach kept silent.
Certainly, Kay, Nonoeru, and Ikushina, whom he had met before, were far removed from the humans' concept of ‘vicious and inhuman witches’. Rather, they appeared to be more like girls no matter how you looked at them. Were he not to consider these three as peculiar and extraordinary witches, Raibaha felt he could agree with Naga to a certain point. And looking at the other witches, such as Harrigan and Ais, it was all the more reason for him to believe they weren’t extraordinary. In addition to him being taught a biased belief, and their appearance being far different from what he had imagined before, Raibaha became confused and perplexed.

“Then, shall we return back to our topic?”

“Eh? W, What was that again?”

“That’s why, I’m telling you we want to capture Fort Ein. Of course, without making any sacrifices to either side. Furthermore, we need some information about its interior. So the talk was regarding whether or not you would provide us with any information.”

“I’m not fully sure about that myself, but even if you gain the information, it’s impossible to seize that fort with just 40-50 people.”

“Have you forgotten we were able to defeat 2000 people from your army, even though we weren’t supposed to win?”

“No wa….t, that’s true. In other words, this time do you have a secret plan as well?”

“I wouldn’t go so far so far as to call it a secret plan, but I think it’s feasible to do so since we have magic here.”

“If you attack using magic, there’s no way for you to avoid casualties!”

“Honestly, there won’t be any. As long we follow my plan, neither humans nor the witches should suffer casualties.”

“T, Then, how?”

“I can’t tell you much regarding our magic, but how about we assume there’s one that can immobilize people? If you use it, there will be no need to fight. With that, we can boldly march into the fort from the entrance and tie up the crippled soldiers.”

“Hm… does magic like this really exist?”

“Indeed. However, for that to happen, we have to decide on the right place. And to do so, it’s necessary for us to know, in advance, how it looks inside and where the guards are deployed. Because of that, we are questioning you.”

Naga, who finished talking while brimming with self-confidence, pierced Raibaha with his gaze.

“If you don’t pass us the information and force us to use violent methods, both sides will suffer losses. However, there might be more on the human side. I’d rather avoid that scene this time.”

Naga’s promise about not creating any sacrifices among the guards was a pretext for him to quickly get hold of the fort with no injuries. Nonetheless, he wasn’t bothered with that.

“W….Will you let me think for a while?”

“Fine. Still, we don’t have all the time in the world. Give me a clear reply within the next couple of days.”

“U, Understood.”

With that the interrogation concluded.
Rather than saying interrogation, if one was to say, the content of their talk was far closer to a conversation.
This experience provided Raibaha with a huge impact.
Harrigan and Naga decided to confine him inside a small room.

“Is it okay to leave him without anyone watching? Even if he’s tied up, the walls in the room are just single-layered. Don’t you think he might be able to break through them? Shall I keep an eye on him?”

Once she expressed her concern, Naga uttered something unexpected.

“It’s okay. But, just to make sure, I’ll stay together with him in that room.”

“Eh? Are you sure?”

“In whichever case, there’s no way for me to sleep with you guys in the same room. Or perhaps, you’d prefer to sleep with me?”

“Ah no, as expected, that’s a bit—”

“That’s right. Were I to sleep in a separate room, we would be occupying 2 rooms. It will be much more efficient for me to sleep in the same one with that guy. I may be troubling you, but please prepare bedding for 2 people.”

“I don’t mind that, but, I wonder if he won’t start acting violently.”

“As long as his legs and arms are bound, there should be no problem. Even without it, that guy doesn’t seem to have any intention of running away.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. He doesn’t appear to have a strong grudge against the witches. Perhaps, him not having a family or relatives in Cassandra is also one of the main reasons for that. Well, if you still insist on helping, I won’t reject it, but…”

“Then, I shall assist you a bit. Is it fine, Harrigan-nee?”

“If you want to do so, then fine. However, don’t cause any commotion. Got it?”

“I’m not like Ais, who would do that when getting drunk.”

Ais cracked a smile.

“Well well. I wonder, what’s the meaning of that, Kay-chan?”

Ais’ face was smiling except for her eyes.

“Ah…. ummm, nothing in particular. Yes, not at all.”

Being aware of her sight, Kay’s forehead became covered in a cold sweat.
Still…- Ais, who was grinning, stared at Kay for a while, soon, the latter shifted her gaze. Ahead of her, there was Raibaha sitting in the corner of the room.

“That’s a bit strange, isn’t it? I’ve always thought that every human would loath us and keep their distance. To think that such people still exist.”

That’s exactly what I think – As soon she uttered that with a small voice, Naga said so while nodding in agreement.

“Since there are guys like him among humans, perhaps our wish of creating a world for humans and the witches isn’t just a pipe dream?”

“True. I’ve got the feeling it’s fine to place our trust in what Naga-san says.”

“Oi, wait a moment. Ais, do you mean to say you haven’t been trusting in my words until now?”

”Eh? Honestly, I’ve been doing that all this time, you know?”

Naga made a pathetic expression.

“No, just now….”

Or, maybe not… – As he was about to say, he changed his mind.

“Whatever. I’ll be sleeping together with him in the same room, so fret not. I’ll let you know when he’s in the mood for speaking.”

“Yes, understood. But before that, let’s have dinner. I’ll make a portion for him as well. Kay, I’m going to call you once I’m done, so please bring it to him, okay?”

“Got it.”

=== Part 11 ===

Naga and Kay brought Raibach into a plain-looking room that resembled a storage shed. Having done everything he had to do, Naga removed his sword from his waist belt, pushed away a mess on the floor into the corner, and spread out a quilt in an open space. Then, he sat on it and leaned his back against the wall.
Next to him, Kay also sat down.

Owing to the fact that Raibach was tied up in ropes and fastened to a pillar, they didn’t have to fear an attack by him, even if they decided to nod off.

Not being mindful of Raibach’s presence, Kay spoke to Naga.

“Naga-san, shall we continue our talk from earlier today?”

“Ah? What talk?”

“That’s why, I’m telling you it’s the talk about the witches not knowing their fathers.”

“Ahh, that’s right, you’ve mentioned about it before. Oops, my bad.”

Naga took a short glimpse at Raibach, and shook his head in agreement.

“Let’s do it on some other occasion. This may be not something a human should hear, right?”

“I guess so…. Still, if that’s the case,”

“Is there something that troubles you?”

“Not really, but I thought it would be nice to chat since we have some free time.”

“Free time? Seriously, you are…”

Naga put a wry smile on his face without realizing.

“I’ve got an idea. Naga-san, how about we wrestle with our arms? I may be not as strong as Ais, but I’m quite proud of my strength. Look, I’m an athletic type of person, you know? Therefore—”

“Athletic type?”

Naga ran his eyes over Kay’s body without any reservation.

“You don’t really appear as such. Well, perhaps you do, but–”

“I was told something rude just now.”

“Then, Kay, my dear representative of athletes. Will you take me as your opponent?”

Naga lay on his belly and put his right elbow on the floor. Soon after that, Kay moved to his front and did the same thing.

They grasped each other’s right hand.

“Let’s go?”

“Come at me anytime.”

“Three, two, one, goooo!”

“Hm?”

It was a close-fought contest of strength, but
Naga’s hand was finally pushed down by Kay’s own.

“I lostttt!”

“It’s a hundred years too early for you to win against me.”

“One more!”

“Fine by me, but you see, it won’t change much.”

While smiling wryly, Naga kept competing numerous times.

Raibach watched them both with a dumbfounded expression.

(Those guys. Could it be they’ve been ignoring me from the beginning? Or perhaps, they are trusting me? Whichever it is, they sure have some guts. As for me, just the fact that I’m inside a fort of the witches doesn’t let me rest at ease.)

Watching, with a sidelong glance, how Kay and Naga were enthusiastically competing with each other, Raibach exhaled a sigh.

(Good grief, I wonder what fate is going to await me. It doesn’t look like I’ll be killed any time soon, but If I continue to insist about not wanting to talk, they too will eventually lose their temper. Had I known about this, I’d have long resigned from the army and become a guard of some merchant caravan. Anyway, I don’t have any family left, so travelling from one place to another while doing precarious trades would also be worth considering, I guess.)

The appearance of Raibach’s deceased wife and daughter resurfaced in his mind.

(Risa……Erina……)

He remembered his beautiful, gentle wife together with their good-natured and cute daughter.

About the time he first married his wife.

About Erina’s birth.

About the time she turned 2 years old.

About the time she turned 5 years old.

And then, 8 in age.

Back then, his wife was still healthy.

They lived a frugal life, but despite being fairly hungry and feeling little freedom, the three of them huddled together and lived happily.

Their joyful moments as a family floated one by one in his head, and then disappeared.
However, such a blissful scene wouldn’t last forever. Raibach knew that more than anyone as he tried not to recall his memories. But, once they started to overflow, it wasn’t easy to stop them.

It happened one day when his daughter was looking after his ill wife at home. Being overjoyed and full of spirit, Raibach returned back to his city after committing a meritorious deed. Nevertheless, by the time he arrived, the city had already become scorched earth.

Some savage tribe had decided to attack when the city’s garrison was short-handed.
Invading the city, they killed, burned, stole randomly, and then escaped.
It was over by the time Raibach’s assigned troop returned.
Raibach, who was at a loss for words, looked at the city that was no different from a burnt field.
He tried to search for his wife and daughter desperately, but could find no trace of them.
There were lots of scorched corpses, lying in burned houses and on the streets, all of which were hard to tell apart. For that reason, Raibach couldn’t manage to hold a mourning for his family in the end.
Provided they were taken away as a prize, it was possible they would still be alive, even as slaves. He wanted to think that way, however, with his wife being ill and his daughter still being a child, Raibach knew the chance of that was slim.
Even now, his body would tremble and his heart would throb whenever he thought back at his despair, hatred, and remorse from that day. His mind still haunted by his regret from that time.

Why didn’t the army increase the garrison stationed to defend against barbarians?

Why did it have to be his troop that left the city at that time?
Why did he aspire to join a mission troop?
To begin with, why did he enter into military service?
Why Why Why Why Why Why! Why! WHY!

Later, Raibach would contemplate on that repeatedly each day.
Having lost his hometown and his family, he wandered through borderlands, after which he was finally admitted into Kasandora’s army. Nevertheless, he later decided not to marry and remained a bachelor.

From his eyes that looked up at the bottom of the roof, a stream of tears spilled over.

(Good grief. If I can’t even protect my wife and my daughter, then becoming a soldier was meaningless.)

Rubbing his tears, Raibach released the strength from his body and lay down on his quilt.
Before anyone could notice, Naga and Kay, who had stopped arm wrestling, looked at him with a sidelong glance. However, in the end, they wouldn’t speak to him.

<noinclude>
==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
| Return to [[Ochitekita_Ryuuou_to_Horobiyuku_Majo_no_Kuni|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 2

2017-02-16T09:51:05Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 9 */

==Chapter 2: An Unexpected Prisoner==

=== Part 1 ===

Puffing her cheeks and displaying her discontent, Kay called out to Naga with a loud voice and tried to draw his attention and have him turn his horse’s neck.

“Ah, wait a moment, Naga-san!”

“What? Is there something bothering you?”

“That’s not what I mean. We’ve gone through the trouble of coming here, so can’t we at least enjoy a little swimming?”

“We didn’t come here to play, but…”

“That’s why, I’m telling you it’s just for a change of mood before we start our duties.”

“Ah, isn’t it fine? Naga-san, let’s swim together.”

Ikushina expressed her consent.

“Umm, when it comes to swimming, there’s no witch better at it than I am.”

Nonoeru lifted her hand.

“No, I don’t get why you’re boasting about being the best swimmer among us, Nono.”

“Eh? So it was no good?”

“No no, it’s not about that. I think it’s good to have Nono teach Naga-san since you’re most proficient in that.”

“Good grief. It can’t be helped, I guess.”

While saying so, Naga dismounted his horse. Nevertheless, he didn’t dislike it so much that he would complain. Naga decided to see Nonoeru, Kay and Ikushina off half-way from the Schwein River where those 3 had been posted to keep watch. At the same time, he also decided to carry out some horse-riding practice. Rather than him practicing by himself, teaching Ikushina horse-riding was much more meaningful. Descending from the great cliff towards the plain, Naga galloped on his horse while aiming upstream.
Kay was saddled on the back of Naga’s horse, whereas Nonoeru sat behind Ikushina. Nonoeru, who was extremely frightened, clung to Ikushina’s lower back. On the other hand, Kay was, somewhat happily, glued to Naga’s back.
Running at full speed, Naga created some space between his and Ikushina’s horse. Continuing on like that, he called out to Kay, who was seated behind him.

“Oi, Kay.”

“Whaat, Naga-san?”

“You, weren’t you fine riding behind Ikushina the other day? Why did you decide to cling to me today? You’re not going to say that my riding skills are better than Ikushina’s, right?”

“Of course not. But that’s not the reason. Somehow, it feels nostalgic, you see.”

“Ha? What? Riding on a horse?”

“Wrong, wrong. It’s not that. A man’s back, is what I mean.”

Kay snapped and struck Naga’s back with her right hand.

“I don’t get it. Speaking of which, stop hitting me with all your strength. It hurts.”

Today, Naga didn’t put his armor on. Since he was wearing a kimono with tight sleeves, which he had received from Harrigan and the rest, it felt quite painful for him when he was hit forcefully on his back.

“Ahaha, sorry, sorry.”

Kay withdrew her hand while laughing.

“Saying that a man’s back feels nostalgic….. Could it be that you’re talking about your father?”

Naga tried to ask this.

“Umm, well I guess you could say so.”

“It’s been on my mind since before, but where and what are each of your fathers doing?”

“We don’t have a father.”

“W, What? It’s impossible for such an absurd thing to exist. Or could it be, that in case of the witches, children are born from just a mother?”

“Honestly, there’s no way for that.”

Ahaha – Kay laughed.

“That’s not it. Umm, perhaps it’s better to say we don’t have any fathers or brothers?”

“What’s the meaning…. of that?”

“Because explaining the story would take too long, I’ll tell you about it again on another occasion. You see, the witches basically know nothing about their fathers. They’re not informed about them. That’s why, it’s the same as saying they don’t exist.”

Naga didn’t understand the meaning behind Kay’s words, however, he understood her words were quite significant for the witches.

(Somehow, it’s become hard to ask them casually.)

Not being aware of Naga’s hesitant face, Kay continued her story.

“Therefore, nobody from the witches knows their fathers, and so they have no memories about them. But you see, I’ve got some memories about my father.”

“Would that be…. his back?”

“Yes. Despite them being faint memories, should you say I remember them? It seems like he used to carry me on his back and walk with me. I don't have the slightest idea about where or when he disappeared, but with just your large, warm back in front of my eyes, I can recall those times.”

“…..Hm.”

“Because of that, it suddenly felt nostalgic when I saw Naga-san’s back. Hehe.”

Wearing an embarrassed grin on her face, Kay once again put her strength into her arms around Naga’s waist and glued her face to his back.

“Honestly, I’m not at the age to have a big daughter like you.”

Kay, who loosed her face from Naga’s back, again hit it with her right hand.

“Even though I was able to immerse myself in some nostalgic feelings, don’t say things like that. Aren’t you a kill-joy?”

“That’s why, I’m telling you not to hit me. Listen to me!”

“Ah, this, somehow feels like whipping a horse. Yes, doesn’t it give a sound similar to fw-chi?”

Since Kay, was carried away and wouldn’t stop hitting him, Naga became annoyed.

“S, Seriously, this girl. Hey, stop it!”

While messing around with each other, they finally reached their destination and Naga halted the horse.

“Hey, we're here so get down.”

“Alreadyyy?”

Kay made a displeased face, however, she wouldn’t complain any further and lightly descended from the horse. Soon after, Ikushina and Nonoeru arrived on their horse.

=== Part 2 ===

Both banks of the river, where Naga and the rest had made a dam, turned into a rocky area. It was convenient for hiding one’s presence, and enemy soldiers would most likely not reach this far. Even if they were to do so, it would be easy to spot them as Nonoeru and Kay would camp there and watch over the river.

“Ikushina, hasn’t you horse-riding skill improved quite significantly?”

“I did it! I was praised by Naga-san!”

Sitting on her horse, Ikushina clenched her right hand in victory.
Ikushina, who was fired up, had on a leather-made and slender tube skirt similar to those found among equestrian tribes. On her feet, she wore a pair of shin high boots. Her outfit was unlike those commonly used by the witches, but nevertheless such an appearance was relatively fitting to Ikushina’s tall stature.

“Well then, I’ll be heading back. Take good care of yourself while standing guard. Especially you, Kay. Don’t make any rash decisions, got it?”

“Ehh, you’re saying some cruel things there. I’m not the type of person who would act recklessly, you know?”

“Yes, I know. I was just kidding.”

“Well, having some refreshment and taking a breather are important as well, right?”

“True, true. It’s important, important.”

Being in high spirits, Kay dashed down toward the dry river bank. After that, Ikushina and Nonoeru followed. Naga, too, sped his horse to a nearby rock using the reins and ran after the three witches. As soon as he got down to the river bed with rocks scattered around, the three of the were already doing warm-up exercises. Since Nonoeru wore thin clothes on the assumption that her garments would get soaked, there was no particular need for her to change or take them off. Unlike her, Ikushina wore the tube skirt for horse-riding, so she had to take her clothes off in order to be able to swim. Her top as well was covered by a coat, which also needed to be taken off. Once she took off her top and bottom, only a small breast wrap and a loincloth were left on her body. However, despite that risqué appearance of hers, Ikushina still moved her body with composure. Tattoo-like, complex patterns that appeared on her whole body caught Naga’s attention. And then, if one was to describe Kay,
[[File:Naga03 Illus-03.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
She was doing gymnastics while being totally naked, with no loincloth or breast cover.

“Oi, Kay!”

“What? Naga-san too, isn’t it better for you to properly warm-up before entering the water?”

Kay responded while bending her body left and right.

“That’s not what I mean. I’m asking: why are you naked?!”

“Hm?”

Ceasing to move, she looked down on her body.

“A….Ah…oops, I forgot that we are together with Naga-san.”

Saying ‘oops’ lightly, Kay scratched her head without feeling shy or embarrassed.

“You’re not supposed to forget that! Speaking of which, at least put on your loincloth.”

“Ah no, that’s because I’ve always been taking off my clothes when playing in water with my friends. Recently, I’ve been told by Ais to value myself more, but…”

Kay said so while turning around, picking up her loincloth, and putting it on while squirming.

(That’s an amazing view, indeed. Are you really fine with changing yourself there, Kay? Speaking of which, should I really be watching, but…. well, since I was neither told to go away nor avert my eyes, let’s consider this as OK.)

“Wai, Kay, you’re way too bold!”

Rather, it was Ikushina and Nonoeru who became red-faced.
Both of them moved in front of Kay and stood with their arms spread as if trying to hinder Naga’s gaze. Finally, understanding it was no good by their reaction, Naga shifted his gaze away. Kay finished putting on her loincloth and chest cover, turned around and asked them both.

“Hm? What are you two doing?”

Ikushina and Nonoeru collapsed to their knees.

“Even though we were protecting you from Naga-san’s eyes.”

“Is that so? Thanks.”

“Kay, you’re too defenseless…”

At Nonoeru pointing that out, Naga too, couldn’t help but nod.

“Right. Shouldn’t you have some shame as well?”

“No you see, til now, there’s been nobody besides girls, so we have no custom of paying attention to that.”

“I wonder if I should consider you as being exceptional. Well, still if you insist that you want me to watch at all costs I won’t refuse to do so, but…”

“No no, as one would expect, I wouldn’t go that far.”

“In that case, you better pay more attention.”

“I’ll be careful from now on.”

“Indeed, you’re one easy-going fellow.”

Naga was astonished; Ikushina and Nonoeru started to laugh.

“Kay is that sort of girl.”

“Isn’t she? Despite Kay-chan not minding other people’s sight like this, she also has good qualities.”

“Eh? I don’t feel like I’m being praised.”

As Kay spoke up with a slightly hysterical voice, Ikushina waved her hands in denial.

“No, we weren’t particularly praising you.”

Naga was infected by the sound of their laughter and smiled broadly.

(Being so relaxed, overfamiliar, and positive toward other witches, indeed, Kay is an interesting fellow.)

Not being aware of Naga’s thoughts, Kay spoke up.

“Well then, let’s swim!”

After they enjoyed themselves in the water for a short time, the four of them came ashore and dressed themselves.

“Well, now that we have refreshed ourselves, shall we take up our posts? Even if I say so, it’s actually Nono who’s in charge of guarding.”

“I know, right?”

“We are relying on you, Nonoeru.”

“Yesss, I’ll do my best.”

“Kay and Ikushina too, do your best, okay?”

“Leave it to us.”

“You can count on me.”

“If anything happens, Ikushina will run back on her horse.”

“Understood.”

Like this, Nonoeru, Kay and Ikushina took up the duty of watching for movements from the Cassandra Kingdom’s army near the Schwein River.

=== Part 3 ===

The army in question would turn out to be Raibaha’s company.
His company, which set up camp on the left side of the riverbank, was divided into 4 groups in order to guard the river. Gathering 2 platoons and 5 more people from company headquarters, Raibaha formed groups consisting of 25 people each as units for tactical mobilization. Assuming the witches came to this side of the river, there was no telling if they would only cross where the path was. Consequently, Raibaha’s troops had to watch over a certain area. Still, there was also a limit to how well 100 soldiers could accomplish this task. With that, Raibaha divided his company into 4 units, each placed at a set distance from one another and spread out along the river. However, in all honesty, he really didn’t want to split his forces.

(Originally, it should’ve been 4-5 companies lined up along the river…. No, even with that amount it wouldn’t be enough. Still, to think that that youngster would only send my company for this dangerous post.)

Whenever Raibaha tried to recall the prim looking face of General Guiscard, he couldn’t help himself from getting angry. Even if they were told to temporarily observe the enemy, a unit that consisted of only 25 people could do very little. Providing they face a clan of the witches that had as many as 20 people, they would have practically the same numbers. 25 soldiers would stand no chance against 20 witches. Not to mention, they would probably be unable to even stall the witches until their allies arrived. As soon as they were attacked, they would just run away. However, were they to move together as a company, they would only be able to watch over a single place. If that was the case, the enemy could choose a location freely and cross the river at any time.

(That youngster. Saying things like ‘hinder them at all costs’. If so, send us more soldiers! Well, even without hindering the witches, we should at least be able to report once we see them coming, but….)

Regardless of that, Raibaha’s company, which was the only one appointed for guarding this wide area, was put in quite a dangerous situation.

(Indeed, recently I’ve been encountering nothing but bad omens since the time we attacked the witches’ fort. As I thought, nothing good comes from being involved with them. Rather, should I retire from the army? After all, I no longer have a family to support. I wonder if I could somehow…. afford living by myself. No, I still can’t be certain about that, I guess.)

Even if Raibaha, who has been serving devotedly in the army since his youth, was to try his luck in some other jobs, he possessed no special skills whatsoever. If there was something he could take pride in, it would be his swordsmanship. Other things he could boast about were his military commanding ability and his eye trained for tactics, which he gained through experience, still…

(Guess those skills won’t come in handy if I change my occupation. Were I to make the best use of my swordsmanship, wouldn’t I be only able to serve as a guard for a caravan of merchants? Nevertheless, considering my age right now, it would still probably be quite harsh.)

Contemplating on his own future, Raibaha could only let out a sigh.

“Captain. Captain Raibaha.”

At his subordinate’s voice, Raibaha came back to his senses.

“What? Did something happen?”

“No, it’s not that. I came here to inform you about the newly arrived army provisions.”

“Again? Just how many days has it been since we came here?”

The adjutant replied seriously as Raibaha spat out his question.

“We’ve been staying here for about 6-7 days, I think.”

(That bastard, Guiscard. In the end, he just wants us to stay here! Speaking of which, if you have time to send us that much food, at least provide us with reinforcements!)

“Have you already confirmed its contents?”

“Yes, it’s done. I’d like to ask for your signature.”

Taking the receipt and feather pen presented by the adjutant, Raibaha quickly signed.

“Here.”

“Thank you very much for your efforts.”

Once he handed over the receipt, Raibaha called out to the same man who was about to retreat.

“Oi, Sirius”

The adjutant stopped and turned around.

“Yes?”

“I’m going to take around 10 people with me and patrol the river(?).”

Since there was some distance between their units, it was decided that each of them would assign some people to walk along and patrol the riverbank. Raibaha was the one who suggested this.

“Captain, you plan to go personally?”

“Yeah, for a change of pace.”

“Will it be alright? If something were to happen to you…”

It wasn’t unreasonable for the adjutant to worry about his superior.
Unlike in modern times, an army in this world had no distinct class system. If something were to happen to a commanding officer, there was a distinct possibility that it would cease to function. And if someone like the general in command, or a royal family member, was to be killed, it was possible for the entire army to desert. One could say that the same applied for single units. In the case that this occurred, there was also a vice-commanding officer in charge of every unit, however, the death of one’s commanding officer would cause quite a shock to the soldiers. Still, Raibaha replied with a buoyant look.

“We have a good insight into the surroundings, so it should be fine. Generally, this task is dangerous in itself. No matter where we go, the danger will still be the same.”

“That….might be true, but…”

“Don’t fret. I’m just doing it on a whim.”

(Saying that he wants to carry a patrol because of a whim, isn’t it a bit reckless of him to do so as a commanding officer?)

As an adjutant, it was only natural for him to think so. Nonetheless, it didn’t appear to be a matter big enough for him to strongly object.

Despite it being a hazardous duty, right now, no signs indicated that the witches would appear.

(I guess, the general’s caution about the possibility of the witches striking was a needless worry.)

The adjutant thought so.
Because the witches have been isolating themselves inside the black forest for several dozens of years, it wasn’t irrational.

“Understood. Then, please bring the 1st platoon along with you.”

“I’ll leave the camp in your care.”

Like that, Raibaha led a single platoon and went for a patrol along the riverside.

=== Part 4 ===

Nonoeru travelled through the river while submerged.
With water magic being her main strength, she could breathe by gathering air inside the water. At the same time, it was possible for her to expand the gathered air and wrap it around her skin, allowing her to maintain a steady body temperature. Thanks to that, she could easily stay active for more than half an hour inside the water. And if it was just the submerging alone, even for a whole hour. Since Nonoeru was also able to refract the light from the water’s surface whenever she was diving, she could easily conceal her presence. Capitalizing on that ability, she searched for any sign of Cassandra’s army from beneath the river’s surface.

Nonoeru had already grasped that there were 4 units from Cassandra’s army dispatched along the river, with each of them having around 20 soldiers.
She was currently near the place where the path was intersected by the river, where there were footprints still visible. Nevertheless, the area didn’t appear to be heavily guarded.

(Guess it’s like this. It’s not like they have to walk near the path)

Despite there being some hills in the surroundings, the area was basically a plain with no wetlands or big forests. It would be different in the case of a big unit, however, if one was to consider just a few people walking around, they could go anywhere and not just guard a fixed area. Even so, there was a mountainous area ahead of the river. Since it was far more comfortable to walk on the path instead of covering the distance by crossing the mountains, Cassandra’s troops would usually walk this path and cross the river here.

After going downstream for a moment and confirming there was no particular change in the Cassandra Army’s troops, Nonoeru prepared to swim back upstream andreturn to where Kay and Ikushina were hiding. Being capable of controlling the water, she had no difficulty in swimming against the flow of the river. Nonoeru continued to move upstream while sometimes taking a peek above to observe her surroundings. In the middle of doing so, she discovered a troop of only 10 people, who were walking on the river bank.

(Is it the usual patrol group…..? No, it’s not them?)

Among the troops that walked on top of the embankment upstream, Nonoeru recognized one person wearing a different outfit from the rest.

(He’s wearing a more refined helmet and armor than the others. Could he be… a commanding officer?)

Back then, Nonoeru did a meritorious deed by taking down a battalion commander as a result of her noticing the difference in the soldiers’ outfits. Therefore, it was just a natural course of action for her to recall that time.

(Why did a commanding officer go through the trouble of patrolling?)

Nonoeru thought doubtfully.

(Is it a sign of them being about to launch some sort…. of new tactic? Or maybe, they are searching for a plausible location to cross so they can counterattack? The danger doesn’t seem to be imminent, but wouldn’t it be better if I made sure just in case?)

Thinking to check out the intentions of the newly discovered unit, she drew near the riverbank. As soon as she approached a point where she was barely able to hide herself, Nonoeru positioned her face right below the water surface while looking up at the shallows. It was a posture where you would question whether or not her nose would stick out from the water’s surface.
Under normal circumstances, it would be easy to tell if something was hiding inside the water, even from a more distant place. However, as long as Nonoeru was in control of light refraction, unless someone peered into the water right above her, there was no chance they would see her. On the other hand, she was able to observe the surroundings to a certain degree.
Ceasing her movements, Nonoeru began to spy on the troop.

=== Part 5 ===

“There’s been nothing unusual taking place, right?”

The 1st platoon leader addressed Raibaha.

“Well, I guess so. It would be nice if we can finish our duty just like this without any problems, but you see…”

“When do you think it will be over?”

A shade of concern appeared on the leader’s face.
Considering that it was possible for the witches to attack, his anxiety wasn’t unreasonable. Even Raibaha felt uneasy. But, there was no way for him to display that in front of his subordinates.

“Well, it’s hard for me to tell as it depends on General Guiscard’s mood.”

Raibaha answered in a casual manner.

“That’s because the witches might come, right?”

The platoon leader asked once more.

“That too, remains unclear to me. Til now, the witches have been staying inside the black forest. It’s difficult to imagine them leaving it today, tomorrow, or any time soon, but well….”

“Still” – Lowering his tone, the platoon leader said.

“Based on the fact that our troops suffered a big loss the other day, won’t the witches consider that….as an opportunity?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Raibaha began to walk.

“I still don’t understand the witches’ reasoning.”

“Captain, where are you going?”

“I’ll wash my face a bit so as to keep myself awake.”

“Ah….okay.”

The platoon leader was taken aback, however,

(Despite being assigned to such a dangerous task, our captain is indeed a daredevil. As one would expect, he hasn’t worked his way up to become a captain for nothing. His battle experience is rich, and he’s also dealt with the witches. I think we might be able to return alive as long we have this person by our side.)

Being filled with admiration, the man thought that Raibaha seemed reliable.

“Should I have someone accompany you?”

“I’ll be back quickly. More importantly, stay on guard and watch over the other side of the river properly. If you spot something, inform everyone with a loud voice and run back as fast as you can.”

“Got it.”

Putting a wry smile on his face, the platoon leader saluted.

=== Part 6 ===

(Is somebody approaching?)

Nonoeru lifted her face up close to the water's surface, which was hard to tell whether it was sticking it out or not. Certainly, there was someone drawing close. What’s more, that person was coming towards her direction.

(Could it be that he sensed my presence? No, I don’t think that’s possible, still…)

It would be better if that person were to go straight along the embankment of the river stream, but instead, he walked diagonally across a sand bar.
Nonoeru saw that and was a bit confused.

Despite thinking it shouldn’t be possible for her to be exposed, she had heard from Harrigan that there were rare instances in which experienced swordsmen would be able to grasp the witches’ hidden presence.

'Could it be that this man….?' – she thought.

Nevertheless, Nonoeru was overthinking.
Considering it calmly, there was a high chance that this event was just coincidental. But Nonoeru, who was still young and inexperienced in battle, panicked a bit, and as a result, assumed too much.

(If I move right now, it will place me in danger instead. Should I let this person pass?)

Even if the enemy was able to sense something doubtful for a moment, Nonoeru didn’t think he would be able to confirm her position. Because of that, rather than running away, she deemed it was better to hold her breath silently in that place. Despite that, the person continued to approach the shallows in which she’d hidden herself.

(T, That person is walking as if he knows I’m here.)

While thinking so, Nonoeru became a little restless.

(W, What should I do? Should I carry out a preemptive attack…? No, by doing so, I’ll reveal myself to other soldiers behind this person. If they learn about us spying on this place, it might affect our plan of capturing their fort. As expected, it’s better to let him pass…no, perhaps it’s better to flee?)

'What should I do?' – Nonoeru couldn’t make up her mind.

At the same time, the man descended down to the riverbank.

“Good grief, isn’t today quite peaceful? It would be nice if such days could always continue like this.”

The soldier, who approached, looked around and said so with an easy-going attitude. Once he did so, he crouched down on the spot and extended both his hands toward the water’s surface.

His intention was to wash his face by scooping some water, but Nonoeru felt confused and reacted reflexively.

(Was my location exposed?!)

Nonoeru, who tried to counter attack, unconsciously loosened her control of the light refraction. The sudden appearance of a person below the water surprised Raibaha. Not to mention, it was a girl who wore thin clothes with lots of skin exposure.

“No, it isn’t a human, but, a witch!?”
[[File:Naga03 Illus-04.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
Opening his eyes widely, Raibaha stood up as if being flicked.

(He saw meee!)
Nonoru’s body reacted before she could think.

*Splashhh*

The moment he thought that the river surface became choppy, the water rose up. And then, stretched out just like tentacles, the water coiled around Raibach’s arms, body, and feet.

“Whhhhhhhat is thisssssssssss!?”

(This is bad. I don’t know what it is, but it feels incredibly bad!)

Having a frantic expression, Raibaha tried to tear off the water tentacles, but unfortunately, he was unable to move. It was as though he was seized by steel, rather than water.

“What’s the matter, Captain?!”

Sensing something wrong, the platoon leader and his men tried to descend to the river bank. Raibaha noticed that, turned his head and shouted.

“Don’t come, it’s a witch!”

With the word ‘witch’, they immediately stopped moving.

“What are you doing?! Quickly, run awa…”

Raibaha’s body was suddenly pulled inside the water.

“Uwaaaaa?!”

The next instance.

*plop*

Leaving a small sound behind, Raibaha vanished.
Naturally, his body was inside the water. Since Nonoeru controlled light refraction with her magic, it looked as if Raibaha disappeared. Or so they thought.

(W, was Captain kidnapped by the witches?)

“Eeeek?!”

The other soldiers ran up the embankment without a second glance and escaped at full speed. Raibaha, who was pulled inside the water, was struggling desperately. However, it was as if his body was restrained by huge invisible hands. He couldn’t move.

*Blub blub bluuuu-*

Raibaha’s breath continued to turn into bubbles and float up.

(This is bad, I’m running out of air….. Damn, really, nothing good comes from being involved with…Gahaa)

With a part of his consciousness fading away, Raibaha awaited his death.

=== Part 7 ===

“What should we do, Kay-chan, Shi-chan?”

“No, I wonder about that too.”

Looking down at the unconscious enemy soldier dragged ashore, Ikushina and Kay bent their heads. The complex, tattoo-like patterns drawn on Ikushina looked as though they were squirming on her skin.
Finally, Kay lifted up her head and said swiftly.

“Since its bothersome, shouldn’t we just kill him?”

Nonoeru as well, nodded in agreement.

“Guess you’re right. 2-3 minutes should be enough for him to die if we leave him to soak. How about that?”

“Oioioioi!”

Smack – Kay faced toward Nonoeru and hit her in a chopping manner.

“I was joking, Nono. Don’t take it that seriously.”

“Ah, is that, so?”

Nonoeru tried to ask Ixine for an opinion by looking in her direction.

“Because we caught him, shall we take him back with us for the time being? In the first place, why did you capture this person? Nonoeru, was there some sort of a motive?”

“Ah, no, that’s….. you see, I did it on the spur the moment and had no time to think ahead.”

Beginning from that time, Nonoeru explained the whole story in general

“Really? So he isn’t just a soldier but a commanding officer of that troop? Now that you mention it, he’s certainly wearing high-class armor, unlike those regular soldiers.”

Saying that, Kay nodded.

“If that’s the case” – Ikushina raised her right hand.

“I wonder if he doesn’t know about that.”

“Yes? About what?”

“I’m talking about Fort Ein.”

“Ah!”

“Wouldn’t Naga-san want to know about that? He said that if there’s detailed information about the fort, capturing it would be much easier.”

“Right? Speaking of which, it means that we’ve caught a fine prisoner, right? Does it mean I’ve once again made a glorious achievement?”

“You’re really singing your own praises, aren’t you, Nono? Well, there’s no doubt that it’s a great achievement, but getting your head gently stroked by Naga-san is indeed nice.”

'Ehehe' – Nonoeru smiled timidly once Kay said so in a half joking manner.

“What? So you really want to be stroked by Naga-san? If that’s the case, you should have your chest stroked as well.”

“….That would be a bit troublesome. wouldn’t you say it’s still too early for…..”

“So the problem is age? Are you saying it’s fine when you become more mature?”

As Kay retorted, Ikushina continued to speak.

“Are you saying you won’t be satisfied with just being caressed? Could it be that you want to be groped as well?”

“Uhmm, how should we bring this person with us?”

“Don’t try to dodge my question!” x2

(Nono…. I wonder if you were surprisingly this bold. No, rather than that.)

Kay turned her attention to the problem in front of their eyes.

“It appears to be quite difficult to carry him on one’s back, so…. by the way, when it comes to things like this, perhaps I could be of help, so… no. On second thought, let’s make him walk.”

As soon as Kay said so, Nonoeru once again looked in Ikushina’s direction.

“Will it do if we place him on the horse?”

“No, you see, I’d rather not have a human guy ride behind me.”

“….Guess you’re right.”

“Well then Nono, let’s wake him up.”

“I think it will be fastest for Kay to hit him two or three times on the cheek.”

“Eh? Are you fine with that?”

“Since he has lost consciousness from drowning, giving him a shock should be the right thing to do.”

“Ah, that’s right. Well, fine.”

Kay said a small chant.

“Harden, harden. Become an unrivalled hardness. Oh Thee, become a body, become an embodiment of hardness.”

Her right hand which turned silver in color, was hardened.

“Pay attention so as not to overdo it. If you hit him too seriously, you will probably crush his cheekbones.”

“Got it. I’ll hit him gently, like brushing him, so don’t fret.”

“What type of a hitting method is that?!”

Ikushina retorted.

“No, I get what you want to say, but…”

Kay’s strengthened body was solid to the extent of repelling sharp swords. If she hit him in that state, the man would most likely not avoid bone fractures.

"Ah, that’s right." – Kay said after lowering her raised hand.

“Nono, it will troublesome if this man wakes up and becomes violent.”

“Yes. I’ll restrain him.”

Once Nonoeru chanted in a grumbling manner, she inserted her right hand into the river and ladled out some water.

Soon after the scooped water covered the man, turning into fine strings and wrapping around his wrists and ankles.

“This will do.”

“Then, shall we start?”

Raising her right hand once more, Kay grabbed the enemy soldier by his collar and lifted his upper body.

“Okay, wake up, wake upppp.”

Slap slap slap – she delivered repeated slaps to his cheeks.

“Uu…..Uuuug…”

Nonoeru and Ikushina looked at the man.

“Seems like he’s regaining consciousness.”

“He doesn’t have any broken cheekbones, right?”

Using her strengthened right hand, Kay tried to caress his cheeks.

“Hm, should be fine.”

=== Part 8 ===

A strange sensation, which was somewhat hard but warm, passed through his cheeks. And then,

“Hm, should be fine.”

Such a voice reverberated inside his head.

(What…. I haven’t died yet?)

Right after he opened his eyes slightly, Raibaha coughed and choked repeatedly.

“Kuh-ack-kuh”

Despite him choking, Raibaha somehow managed to open his eyes. As he did so, the faces of unfamiliar witches unfolded before him.

“Uwaaaaaa?!”

“What the—?!”

At his shout, Kay, who became surprised, released him unintentionally from her grasp, making his head fall straight down on top of a stone.

“Awwwwww!”

Folding his knees and arching his back, Raibaha tried to hold the back of his head using his hands, but they wouldn’t move freely.

“Awawawawa, what the heck is this, awawaawawa, what’s happening, awawawaawa—”

Raibaha attempted to move his body by kicking and struggling, but his limbs still wouldn’t regain their freedom. It felt as though his ankles and wrists were tightly bound by rope-like things.

“Are you in pain or in amazement? Decide which.”

Hearing a voice pouring from above his head, he looked up with teary eyes.

“…….”

“……”

For a while, he and Kay stared at each other from close range.

“Witcheeeeeeeessss!?”

Raibaha screamed with a loud voice, making her lean backwards in astonishment.

“Uwaaa!?”

Raibaha tried to escape desperately, but it shouldn’t be possible with his limbs restrained. In the end, he would just tumble heavily onto the river bed.

“Awwawaw.”

With a stone from the river bed cutting into his body, he completely recovered his senses thanks to the pain.

Raibaha stopped moving around and looked around his surroundings, trying to confirm the situation. He was situated on a bank with the flowing stream most likely being the Schwein River. Since the area was rocky and the river was narrow, unlike his previous location, there was no doubt about this one being upstream. And then, the ones looking down on him were three witches.
Conducting a quick survey from that little information, Raibaha reached a conclusion.

(In other words, I was caught by the witches. Because of that, my body is tied up with their magic and thrown down on the river bed…… or so I think?)

As one would expect, Raibaha, who had plenty of battle experience, could still judge a situation with composure, despite finding himself in peril.
Releasing all the strength in his body, Raibaha fell on his back and observed the three witches, who looked down on him, once again.

(So these are…the witches? Looking closely, they seem to be different from what I’ve thought.)

The three girls in front his eyes appeared to be quite dissimilar from how they had been commonly portrayed as ‘vicious and inhuman’.

(Speaking of which, aren’t they just normal girls? Even if they can use magic, they look no different from normal girls.)

The figure of his long deceased daughter resurfaced in his mind.

(Were she to be alive, that girl too would probably be around this age and appearance.)

Being immersed in a sentiment that wasn’t appropriate to his situation, Raibaha ceased any thought of putting up resistance or attempts of escaping.

“Hey, you.”

“Eh? What?”

“You’re, witches, right?”

Nonoeru and Kay looked at each other’s faces.
A moment later, Kay, who had returned her gaze to him, responded,

“That’s right.”

“Is that so? Well, guess that was an obvious thing. Still…..”

“Why are you asking such a question?”

“….You look different from what I had imagined.”

“What kind of imagination was that?”

“I’ve heard stories about you being atrocious, heinous, wicked, and brutal existences, which made me think you’re indeed fearsome in appearance. Like the ones with a mouth splitting til their ears, narrowed eyes, and protruding fangs.”

The three of them bent backward without realizing.

“That’s cruel.”

“It’s cruel, right?”

“Indeed, that’s cruel!”

“When I look at you close up like this, you certainly have unusual hair color and clothing. Still, your look is no different from that of normal girls.”

“Not just our looks but our insides too are similar to normal girls, you know?”

Raibaha’s eyes stopped at Kay’s right hand.

“I guess, you can’t call that normal.”

“Ah, no, this is….”

She released her magic.
The metallic-like luster vanished and her skin color turned back to normal.

“What’s more, this is….”

Raibaha tried to put up both his hands.
String-shaped cords, which couldn’t be torn off no matter how much strength he applied, coiled around his wrists.

“Is this magic as well?”

“Yes, that’s… true.”

“As one would expect, witches aren’t common beings, I guess.”

But, not feeling any disgust or contempt toward his tone of speaking, the three of them looked again at each other’s faces.

“Then, what do you plan to do with me from now on? If I’m going to be killed either way, it would be nice if you could do it using painless and instant methods, so as to ease my death, but well…”

“We won’t kill you!”

Kay shouted.

“Had we simply planned to kill you, we wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of catching you.”

“Is that so?”

Raibaha breathed a big sigh.

“So I’ll be tormented to death? Indeed, a horrifying end.”

“We won’t be doing that either!”

“You mean it?”

“….No, there seems to be one person capable of that, but at least, we won’t do such things.”

“Then, what are you going do with me?”

“We thought about discussing that matter with Naga-san first, and so we wanted to bring you with us. Still…”

“Naga? Who’s that?”

“No, Naga-san is Naga-san. But the meaning behind his name appears to be ‘Dragon King’, you see?”

“Na….Naga?” [written as Dragon King]

Raibaha widely opened his eyes, as if not believing the words he had just heard.

“Naga-san is a human guy and a member of our household. No, to begin with, it’s not clear to us whether or not we should call him ‘human’.”

(Oi, oi, what’s the meaning of that? Naga-san [Dragon King]… What’s wrong with the overfamiliarity in that name?)

“Yes, it was thanks to Naga-san’s tactics that we were able to repel 2000 of your soldiers.”

“For real?”

“There’s no reason for us to lie at this point.”

Raibaha wasn’t directly involved with the battle, but he was still related to it since he led the supply troops. That’s why, he knew more than enough about his friendly troops suffering an utter defeat from the hands of ‘the witches who resorted to an unheard of style of fighting’.

(If there’s someone like the Dragon King, then certainly, it wouldn’t be strange for the witches to change their fighting style…. no, I still can’t believe it.)

“We are going to discuss your matter with Naga-san. It would be much appreciated if you could follow us obediently, but….”

“…….Will I become prey for the Dragon King? Am I going to be munched on by him starting from my head?”

“Ha? No no, what are you talking about? Naga-san won’t devour you. If they’re young girls, he would most likely do so, however….”

“Really? So the Dragon King prefers young human girls? Well, guess that’s understandable.”

Raibaha felt a small relief inside his heart.

Therefore – While being unaware that he wasn’t understanding their conversation, Kay replied.

“Follow us obediently. If you decide to pick a fight or run away, I’ll have to bring you by force.”

Kay, who peered at his eyes, continued to speak.

“It would be quite bothersome, and you also probably don’t want to suffer, right?”

Raibaha exhaled a sigh once again.

“Yeah, I’d hate that. Understood, I’ll follow along.”

“Uuuuu”

Looking down on Raibaha, who folded up his arms, Kay groaned lightly.

“What? Is something matter?”

“No, how should I say it, I think you’re also different from what I had imagined about humans.”

At Kay’s words, Nonoeru and Ikushina slightly nodded.

“While we're at it, what kind of human did you picture me as?”

“Look. Don’t humans detest the witches just like snakes and scorpions? In that case, they wouldn’t even bother to lend an ear to us. Despite that, I thought it was strange for you to talk with us that conventionally.”

“Even among humans, there are different people.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

For some reason, Kay watched Raibaha with a face showing curiosity.

“Ah, that’s right. What’s your name?”

“Me? I’m Raibaha.”

“I see. My name is Kay. It’s fine for you to call me Kay for now.”

“O….Oh, you mean it?”

“And then, here’s Nonoeru.”

Being pointed out, Nonoeru moved swiftly behind Kay’s back as if trying to conceal herself. With only her face peeking through, she said with a small voice,

“It’s……. Nonoeru.”

“This person here is Ikushina.”

“Uhmm, I’m Ikushina. Nice to meet you.”

“It’s Raibaha. Please treat me well.”

“Well then, let’s not waste any more time on chit-chat. Ikushina, gallop back first and inform Harri-nee and Naga-san.”

“Hm, that’s right. Got it. Then, I'll go ahead of you.”

Saying so, Ikushina returned to the place where the horse was tied up.

“Take care.”

Kay who saw Ikushina off with her hand, finally turned around.

“Then, shall we go ahead, Raibaha?”

(You’re going to address me without any honorifics? Well, it’s not like I’m in a position to complain since I’m your prisoner, but even if you’re witches, your girlish appearance and age give off a very bad feeling.)

“Can you stand up?”

“Hm? Yeah, more or less…”

Raibaha cast down his gaze to the water strings that bound his ankles.

“Oh, is that so? Nonoeru, you can remove them.”

“U, Understood.”

Uhee? – Removing the bonds on his ankles, Raibaha gave out a voice which could have equally been from astonishment or admiration.

Heave-ho – Raibaha stood up and stuck out his bound wrists.

“I’m going to be like this…. for the whole time, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I thought it would be nice if I wasn’t.”

“Then, you should give up and walk with us. If you try to escape, Nonoeru will bind your ankles once more. Speaking of which, perhaps it would be better to constrain your neck too?”

“Yeah, I won’t. To begin with, I don’t think it’s even possible for me to run away from you.”

Nonoeru, who heard their conversation, felt it was strange.
The fact that a human and witch could talk casually, judging from her common sense, was an unthinkable thing.

(No, well, it might be that Kay is just a bit eccentric among all of us. She would start talking even with Naga-san in an overfamiliar manner. However, I wouldn’t imagine for this human guy to talk this carefreely with us. I don’t think it’s due to Kay’s speaking style, but I’ve always believed all humans detest the witches.)

Raibaha’s speech and conduct was an unexpected and refreshing experience that made Nonoeru a little bit happy.

(Could it be it’s possible for both the witches and humans to understand each other……?)

Nonoeru considered Naga as someone exceptional. Also, the fact that he fell from another dimension without being bound by this world’s ties of obligation, customs, or common sense was the reason he could give them a fair evaluation. This is what she thought. Nevertheless, looking at this man called Raibaha, especially as somebody who wasn’t just an ordinary man, but an enemy soldier, Nonoeru actually felt that not all the humans are hostile against the witches, or that they shun them.

(Could it be that such a day might come?)

She carried that wish inside her.

(No, I wonder about that. If I was to say such lines around Ane-sama, she would most likely chuckle at me saying it’s an empty dream, whereas Yuuki would abuse me by saying ‘you traitor!’. Despite that…)

It may be that Naga’s evaluation wasn’t due to him coming from a different world, but instead due to his own viewpoint and way of thinking, just like this person, called Raibaha.

While walking behind Raibaha, who was led by Kay, Nonoeru felt that their small light of hope had, yet again, shone a bit brighter.

=== Part 9 ===

With Naga supposedly being in the 1st fort, Ikushina galloped while aiming for that place. Kay and Nonoeru, who were bringing Raibaha with them, walked toward the 1st fort as well. It wouldn’t take them long if they were to dash, but when it comes to taking along a prisoner, only walking was an option. With Ais being forwarded by Harrigan after the latter had received a report from Ikushina, the three of them linked up with Ais on their way and finally reached 1st fort just before sunset.

Witnessing a small fort dyed in the color of the sunset and enclosed by a wooden fence in front of his eyes, Raibaha had a strange feeling while reflecting on the few days he had spent here before.

(……So it’s here? Good grief. Somehow, it feels a bit nostalgic. I suffered a defeat by trying to attack this place, was demoted from being a company captain to a commander of the supply troops, and was then reinstated as a captain. Considering all of that, to think I’m here now as a prisoner of the witches. My life has changed drastically over the past few days, which makes me want to laugh.)

Once Ais and Kay talked with the witches on security, Naga and Harrigan appeared in front of them, having been brought by Ikushina.

“Oi, Kay, so you managed to catch a soldier from Cassandra’s army?!”

“Ah, umm, actually it was Nonoeru who did it, but…. Look, it’s this person I was talking about.”

Seeing Naga who came out of the fort, Raibaha became surprised.

(So there was a man among the witc– wha, speaking of which, is this guy the rumored Dragon King? Rather than the Dragon King… he looks no different from a normal human. His attire is certainly unusual, but…… Not to mention, he gives off a distinct feeling from us.)

“Oh! So this guy is the captive?”

Naga walked straight toward Raibaha.
Raibaha was a bit taller in comparison with Naga.

(Watching him like this from up close, as expected, his appearance is strange. His sword is inserted near his waist, and its shape itself is different too. Still, assuming he’s the Dragon King, he is indeed young.
Such was his first impression towards Naga. On the other hand, Naga thought.

(I see. Certainly. it’s as they say. Despite him being brought along to a fort of the witches, this sort of composure doesn’t appear to be the same as that of an ordinary soldier.)

Naga judged with a calm attitude.

“You…Your name…Wha…is called?”

Naga asked.

There were some difficult to catch words, but Raibaha understood.

(Is he talking with our language…? No, rather than talking, it feels as though his words are reverberating inside my head.)

“Umm, I’m Raibaha. Raibaha Lantier.”

“Is that so? My name is…… Naga.”

(Is he really the Dragon King? Or perhaps, he’s just referring to himself that way…?)

Naga who gave his name, talked to the witch next to him.

“I can’t ask him while standing, so how about we enter inside, Harrigan?”

The witch replied.

“I guess that’s the only option.”

(Huge, and by that I mean various things.)

Concealing his amazement inside his heart, Raibaha ran his sight indirectly over Harrigan.

“Ah, Harri-nee, Yuuki isn’t here, right?”

Once Kay asked.

“She isn’t.”

“Ah, that’s lucky. Were we to take this man in front of that girl, she would make a fuss while shouting ‘kill kill kill!’.”

Ahahaha – Harrigan laughed.

“If it’s her, she will most likely do so.”

“Oi oi, you, I don’t think it’s something to laugh about.”

Raibaha retorted without thinking ahead.

“Hahaha, certainly… it isn’t a laughing matter… I guess.”

“You too! I told you it’s not something to laugh about!”

He also retorted at Naga.
Because Naga and Harrigan directed their sights at him, Raibaha shrugged his shoulders in a hurry and turned his face away.

“Should we first let him rest inside a room? He must be tired from all the walking to this place.”

Raibaha became astonished at Harrigan’s words.

(To think that the witches would be considerate about my fatigue. I thought they would put me into a room for interrogation without any arguing, but…. Or maybe they’re going to drive me into a dungeon?)

True – At Harrigan’s words, Kay nodded.

“Raibaha, come this way.”

She showed him a building inside the fort.

“What’s that? That girl, Kay, has she already started to call him without honorifics? Certainly, she will try to be familiar with anyone when coming in contact. Well, guess that’s her main forte.”

As Naga muttered so, Ais nodded with a slightly glad expression.

“You’re right.”

“Well, shall we go too? I’m looking forward to what he has to offer.”

Naga, Ais, Nonoeru, and Ikushina reentered the fort.

=== Part 10 ===

Naga, Harrigan, Ais, Kay, Nonoel, and Ixine had gathered inside a single room of the residential building. Obviously, Raibach was also there.

Besides them, there were also other witches inside the fort, like the sisters Linna and Linne, Cu, and Harlequin, stationed at their posts.

Raibach was released from Nonoel’s water binding, however in turn, he had his wrists and waist tied up in ropes that were linked to Ais’ wrist.

By the time Nonoel released Raibach, Kay whispered silently into his ears.

“That Onee-san, you see-”

Kay pointed at Ais while speaking.

“Unlike her appearance, she’s incredibly scary, so you better not make her angry by any means. If she delivered a single hit to your body, you’d die from having all your bones smashed, or your internal organs ruptured. And if you’re hit in the head, it will blow up together with your neck, you know? I’m neither joking nor trying to threaten you, but giving you honest advice.”

Having an awfully loathsome face, Raibach nodded in agreement.

“Ugh… you mean it? Understood. I’ll pay attention to that, but…”

”What?”

“You’re surprisingly kind, aren’t you?”

“Hm? Is that so?”

Kay, who tilted her head in wonder, turned her face back with a cheerful smile.

“Well, isn’t it fine? If you’re aware that I’m kind to you, you better repay it properly.”

(This girl…. Somehow, it feels like talking with my daughter’s friends. It makes me want to believe she isn’t a witch.)

At any rate, Raibach didn’t feel like running. Even if he tried, he would most likely not manage to do so from the witches. Were he to be caught, they would certainly kill him this time. Rather, it was much better to remain a prisoner.
What’s more, it didn’t seem like he had to worry about being tortured for the time being. And more than anything, being able to talk with the witches was, surprisingly for Raibach, somehow a little bit fun.

(I wonder if I could have talked like this, were my daughter still alive.)

Is what he thought.

(Then, speaking of which, I wonder what kind of questions I will have to answer. It’s not like I know anything of great value.)

Raibach, who felt a bit tense, was made to sit on a folding stool placed near the wall, and surrounded in a half-circle by the rest of the people. Naga sat was in front of him, whereas Harrigan was on Naga’s left, with Ixine being on the furthest left. Similarly, on his right side, Ais and Nonoel sat.

Naga began to speak.

“Well then, I’m not fancy of tedio….talks, so how about we go stra…to the point? Yo…., kno…something about Fort Ein, right?”

As one would expect, some words were hard to catch, but Raibach could still understand what he meant.

“I do possess the knowledge, but….”

“Do you als… know wha.. inside the fort?”

“I do.”

“Then how about, yo….tell me something about it, like its territory?”

“…..Why are you asking me such things?”

“I’m thin….about capturing that fort.”

“Whaa?”

Raibach became at loss for words, and the interrogation stopped for a while

Naga looked at him with a bit of a curious expression.

“What’s the matte…? Why are you tha…surprised?”

Being thrown a question, Raibach finally gained back his senses.

“Ummm…. Dragon King, I wonder if it’s fine for me to ask you something."

“I don’t mi…d”

“Is that so? If that’s the case. I’ve heard that there’s about 20 witches on this side, but is that true?”

“That would be Harrigan’s clan, you see. Since, this time, we have received a support from anot…household, the number has increased a bit. It would probably be aroun… 40, 50 people.”

“N, No, saying probably around, and on top of that, 40 to 50 people. Right now, there are as many as 300 guards stationed inside Fort Ein. Just how on Earth do you plan to capture it?”

“I wanted to consider that after I have ques…you for some information on the fort’s interior.”

“What are you talking about…. In the first place, do you think I’d leak out such information?”

Naga’s expression turned into an unexpected one.

“So yo…are not going to tell us?”

Once he was told so, Raibach responded in a yelling manner.

“Don’t be silly. I may look like a single person with no family or relatives, but I’ve got friends in that fort. Knowing that they might be killed, there’s no way for me to spill the beans. Don’t try to torture me or do anything similar to that, or I’ll pass you false details.”

Listening to his words and observing his expression, Naga made a decision in the end.

“This guy, isn’t he quite a formidable man? He looks to be someone worthy of being trusted.”

“It’s just reasonable for you to be concerned. But, you don’t have to go that far.”

“W, What do you mean?”

“We are thinking about capturing the fort without making any casualty among your soldiers.”

“Wha? You can’t be serious! Do you think I’d believe such nonsense?!”

Because Raibach lifted himself unintentionally Ais put herself on guard, however, Naga held her back and leaned forward. He fixed his eyes on Raibach’s face in front of him as if looking into it.

“You too, do you think I’m talking nonsense?”

Being seized by Naga’s gushing spirit coming from his whole body, and scorched by a strong-willed light dwelling inside his eyes, Raibach became unable to move.

(W, what’s, this bizarre force coming from this guy?)

“During the previous battle, we had to do things like that, otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to repel the human army. After all, it was 20 against 2000 people. Still, I was reluctant about using that method since there was a chance for the witches to die. For the sake of our future, I’d rather prevent as many sacrifices as possible.”

Was it due to Naga’s words being filled with vigor? Or perhaps, him getting used to conversing with Naga? Raibach became able to grasp his words clearly.

“F…Future? What do you mean by future? And why do you want to take over Fort Ein?”

“It’s the first step toward establishing the country of the witches.”

“The country of the witches? What do you intend to do once you’re done with that? You mean to say, that the witches are trying to rule over humanity?”

“No, I don’t. In the end, we want to create a world where humans and the witches can both coexist. This is what I mean to say.”

(Is this guy, a fool? There’s no way for such a thing to happen. Is he serious about that?)

Not trying to hide his thoughts of being utterly amazed, Raibach opened his eyes widely and gazed at Naga. Perhaps, there was a hue of contempt displaying in Naga’s expression, however it didn’t look like he was making fun of Raibach or bragging about anything.
If it was true, then he was honest. Naga was honestly talking about creating a new world.
Raibach could sense the magnitude of Naga’s caliber, the difference which separated him and that person.

(The Dragon King, who commands the witches, and me, who can’t even fulfill my duty as a Captain. Is it natural for there to be such a difference between us? Despite that, saying he wants to create a world where both humans and the witches can live together….)

What they both looked at was far too divergent.
As well as Naga’s range of vision.
And even their aims were contrasting with each other.

(If I were to say, unlike me, who can only think within my own scope as a captain, this man possesses an overhead view, just like a bird flying at the highest altitude, and can grasp every position and movement of his enemies and allies. Is this how it feels?)

Raibach, who had devoted himself to military service, suddenly thought that way.

“……Hey, you, Dragon King. Do you honestly believe it’s possible for you to create such a world?”

“Ha? No, obviously, we should be able to do so. That’s because I’m going to live together with the witches too, and I’m not a witch myself, you see. There’s nothing that should be impossible.”

“No, you’re most likely the Dragon King, rather than a human.”

“I may be holding a grandiose name like that, but I’m actually a human, or at least an existence that’s closer to a human than that of a witch. Still, it’s not like I feel any sort of inconvenience from that, you see.”

“However…”

“You as well, haven’t you been walking together with them before reaching this place? Did you feel anything unpleasant? You were able to hold a conversation with them, right?”

“No, No……”

Kay smiled at Raibach as soon as she noticed his glimpse.
He turned his face away in a hurry.

“….There was no such thing, but…”

“Right? Be it humans or the witches, both sides can understand with each other in a proper way. If that’s the case, then creating a world where they both can coexist isn’t far from reality, and we may be able to live together. Unless you see it for yourself, you shouldn’t decide on your own.”

At Naga’s words, Raibach kept silent.

Certainly, Kay, Nonoel, and Ixine, whom he had met before, were far removed from the human’s concept of ‘vicious and inhuman witches’. Rather, they appeared to be more like girls no matter how you looked at them. Were he not to consider these three as peculiar and extraordinary witches, Raibach felt he could agree with Naga to a certain point. And looking at the other witches, such as Harrigan and Ais, it was all the more reason for him to believe they weren’t extraordinary.
In addition to him being taught a biased belief, and their appearance being far different from what he had imagined before, Raibach became confused and perplexed.

“Then, shall we return back to our topic?”

“Eh? W, What was that again?”

“That’s why, I’m telling you we want to capture Fort Ein. Of course, without making any sacrifices on either sides. Furthermore, we need some information about its interior. So the talk was regarding whether or not you would provide us with any information.”

“I’m not fully sure about that myself, but even if you gain the information, it’s impossible to seize that fort with just 40-50 people.”

“Have you forgotten we were able to defeat 2000 people from your army, even though we weren’t supposed to win?”

“No wa….t, that’s true. In other words, this time do you have a secret plan as well?”

“I wouldn’t go so far so far as to call it a secret plan, but I think it’s feasible to do so since we have magic here.”

“If you attack using magic, there’s no way for you to avoid casualties!”

“Honestly, there won’t be any. As long we follow my plan, neither humans nor the witches should suffer casualties.”

“T, Then, how?”

“I can’t tell you much regarding our magic, but how about we assume there’s one that can immobilize people? If you use it, there will be no need to fight. With that, we can boldly march into the fort from the entrance and tie up the crippled soldiers.”

“Hm… does magic like this really exist?”

“Indeed. However, for that to happen, we have to decide on the right place. And to do so, it’s necessary for us to know, in advance, how it looks inside and where the guards are deployed. Because of that, we are questioning you.”

Naga, who finished talking while brimming with self-confidence, pierced Raibach with his gaze.

“If you don’t pass us the information and force us to use violent methods, both sides will suffer losses. However, there might be more on the human side. I’d rather avoid that scene this time.”

Naga’s promise about not creating any sacrifices among the guards was a pretext for him to quickly get hold of the fort with no injuries. Nonetheless, he wasn’t bothered with that.

“W….Will you let me think for a while?”

“Fine. Still, we don’t have all the time in the world. Give me a clear reply within the next couple of days.”

“U, Understood.”

With that the interrogation concluded.
Rather than saying interrogation, if one was to say, the content of their talk was far closer to a conversation.
This experience provided Raibach with a huge impact.
Harrigan and Naga decided to confine him inside a small room.

“Is it okay to leave him without anyone watching? Even if he’s tied up, the walls in the room are just single-layered. Don’t you think he might be able to break through them? Shall I keep an eye on him?”

Once she expressed her concern, Naga uttered something unexpected.

“It’s okay. But, just to make sure, I’ll stay together with him in that room.”

“Eh? Are you sure?”

“In whichever case, there’s no way for me to sleep with you guys in the same room. Or perhaps, you’d prefer to sleep with me?”

“Ah no, as expected, that’s a bit—”

“That’s right. Were I to sleep in a separate room, we would be occupying 2 rooms. It will be much more efficient for me to sleep in the same one with that guy. I may be troubling you, but please prepare bedding for 2 people.”

“I don’t mind that, but, I wonder if he won’t start acting violently.”

“As long as his legs and arms are bound, there should be no problem. Even without it, that guy doesn’t seem to have any intention of running away.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. He doesn’t appear to have a strong grudge against the witches. Perhaps, him not having a family or relatives in Kasandora is also one of the main reasons for that. Well, if you still insist on helping, I won’t reject it, but…”

“Then, I shall assist you a bit. Is it fine, Harrigan-nee?”

“If you want to do so, then fine. However, don’t cause any commotion. Got it?”

“I’m not like Ais, who would do that when getting drunk.”

Ais cracked a smile.

“Well well. I wonder, what’s the meaning of that, Kay-chan?”

Ais’ face was smiling except for her eyes.

“Ah…. ummm, nothing in particular. Yes, not at all.”

Being aware of her sight, Kay’s forehead became covered in a cold sweat.
Still…- Ais, who was grinning, stared at Kay for a while; nevertheless, the latter soon shifted her gaze.
Ahead of her, there was Raibach sitting in the corner of the room.

“That’s a bit strange, isn’t it? I’ve always thought that every human would loath us and keep their distance. To think that such people still exist.”

That’s exactly what I think – As soon she uttered that with a small voice, Naga said so while nodding in agreement.

“Since there are guys like him among humans, perhaps our wish of creating a world for humans and the witches isn’t just a pipe dream?”

“True. I’ve got the feeling it’s fine to place our trust in what Naga-san says.”

“Oi, wait a moment. Ais, do you mean to say you haven’t been trusting in my words until now?”

”Eh? Honestly, I’ve been doing that all this time, you know?”

Naga made a pathetic expression.

“No, just now….”

Or, maybe not… – As he was about to say, he changed his mind.

“Whatever. I’ll be sleeping together with him in the same room, so fret not. I’ll let you know when he’s in the mood for speaking.”

“Yes, understood. But before that, let’s have dinner. I’ll make a portion for him as well. Kay, I’m going to call you once I’m done, so please bring it to him, okay?”

“Got it.”

=== Part 11 ===

Naga and Kay brought Raibach into a plain-looking room that resembled a storage shed. Having done everything he had to do, Naga removed his sword from his waist belt, pushed away a mess on the floor into the corner, and spread out a quilt in an open space. Then, he sat on it and leaned his back against the wall.
Next to him, Kay also sat down.

Owing to the fact that Raibach was tied up in ropes and fastened to a pillar, they didn’t have to fear an attack by him, even if they decided to nod off.

Not being mindful of Raibach’s presence, Kay spoke to Naga.

“Naga-san, shall we continue our talk from earlier today?”

“Ah? What talk?”

“That’s why, I’m telling you it’s the talk about the witches not knowing their fathers.”

“Ahh, that’s right, you’ve mentioned about it before. Oops, my bad.”

Naga took a short glimpse at Raibach, and shook his head in agreement.

“Let’s do it on some other occasion. This may be not something a human should hear, right?”

“I guess so…. Still, if that’s the case,”

“Is there something that troubles you?”

“Not really, but I thought it would be nice to chat since we have some free time.”

“Free time? Seriously, you are…”

Naga put a wry smile on his face without realizing.

“I’ve got an idea. Naga-san, how about we wrestle with our arms? I may be not as strong as Ais, but I’m quite proud of my strength. Look, I’m an athletic type of person, you know? Therefore—”

“Athletic type?”

Naga ran his eyes over Kay’s body without any reservation.

“You don’t really appear as such. Well, perhaps you do, but–”

“I was told something rude just now.”

“Then, Kay, my dear representative of athletes. Will you take me as your opponent?”

Naga lay on his belly and put his right elbow on the floor. Soon after that, Kay moved to his front and did the same thing.

They grasped each other’s right hand.

“Let’s go?”

“Come at me anytime.”

“Three, two, one, goooo!”

“Hm?”

It was a close-fought contest of strength, but
Naga’s hand was finally pushed down by Kay’s own.

“I lostttt!”

“It’s a hundred years too early for you to win against me.”

“One more!”

“Fine by me, but you see, it won’t change much.”

While smiling wryly, Naga kept competing numerous times.

Raibach watched them both with a dumbfounded expression.

(Those guys. Could it be they’ve been ignoring me from the beginning? Or perhaps, they are trusting me? Whichever it is, they sure have some guts. As for me, just the fact that I’m inside a fort of the witches doesn’t let me rest at ease.)

Watching, with a sidelong glance, how Kay and Naga were enthusiastically competing with each other, Raibach exhaled a sigh.

(Good grief, I wonder what fate is going to await me. It doesn’t look like I’ll be killed any time soon, but If I continue to insist about not wanting to talk, they too will eventually lose their temper. Had I known about this, I’d have long resigned from the army and become a guard of some merchant caravan. Anyway, I don’t have any family left, so travelling from one place to another while doing precarious trades would also be worth considering, I guess.)

The appearance of Raibach’s deceased wife and daughter resurfaced in his mind.

(Risa……Erina……)

He remembered his beautiful, gentle wife together with their good-natured and cute daughter.

About the time he first married his wife.

About Erina’s birth.

About the time she turned 2 years old.

About the time she turned 5 years old.

And then, 8 in age.

Back then, his wife was still healthy.

They lived a frugal life, but despite being fairly hungry and feeling little freedom, the three of them huddled together and lived happily.

Their joyful moments as a family floated one by one in his head, and then disappeared.
However, such a blissful scene wouldn’t last forever. Raibach knew that more than anyone as he tried not to recall his memories. But, once they started to overflow, it wasn’t easy to stop them.

It happened one day when his daughter was looking after his ill wife at home. Being overjoyed and full of spirit, Raibach returned back to his city after committing a meritorious deed. Nevertheless, by the time he arrived, the city had already become scorched earth.

Some savage tribe had decided to attack when the city’s garrison was short-handed.
Invading the city, they killed, burned, stole randomly, and then escaped.
It was over by the time Raibach’s assigned troop returned.
Raibach, who was at a loss for words, looked at the city that was no different from a burnt field.
He tried to search for his wife and daughter desperately, but could find no trace of them.
There were lots of scorched corpses, lying in burned houses and on the streets, all of which were hard to tell apart. For that reason, Raibach couldn’t manage to hold a mourning for his family in the end.
Provided they were taken away as a prize, it was possible they would still be alive, even as slaves. He wanted to think that way, however, with his wife being ill and his daughter still being a child, Raibach knew the chance of that was slim.
Even now, his body would tremble and his heart would throb whenever he thought back at his despair, hatred, and remorse from that day. His mind still haunted by his regret from that time.

Why didn’t the army increase the garrison stationed to defend against barbarians?

Why did it have to be his troop that left the city at that time?
Why did he aspire to join a mission troop?
To begin with, why did he enter into military service?
Why Why Why Why Why Why! Why! WHY!

Later, Raibach would contemplate on that repeatedly each day.
Having lost his hometown and his family, he wandered through borderlands, after which he was finally admitted into Kasandora’s army. Nevertheless, he later decided not to marry and remained a bachelor.

From his eyes that looked up at the bottom of the roof, a stream of tears spilled over.

(Good grief. If I can’t even protect my wife and my daughter, then becoming a soldier was meaningless.)

Rubbing his tears, Raibach released the strength from his body and lay down on his quilt.
Before anyone could notice, Naga and Kay, who had stopped arm wrestling, looked at him with a sidelong glance. However, in the end, they wouldn’t speak to him.

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==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 2

2017-02-16T09:42:15Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 8 */

==Chapter 2: An Unexpected Prisoner==

=== Part 1 ===

Puffing her cheeks and displaying her discontent, Kay called out to Naga with a loud voice and tried to draw his attention and have him turn his horse’s neck.

“Ah, wait a moment, Naga-san!”

“What? Is there something bothering you?”

“That’s not what I mean. We’ve gone through the trouble of coming here, so can’t we at least enjoy a little swimming?”

“We didn’t come here to play, but…”

“That’s why, I’m telling you it’s just for a change of mood before we start our duties.”

“Ah, isn’t it fine? Naga-san, let’s swim together.”

Ikushina expressed her consent.

“Umm, when it comes to swimming, there’s no witch better at it than I am.”

Nonoeru lifted her hand.

“No, I don’t get why you’re boasting about being the best swimmer among us, Nono.”

“Eh? So it was no good?”

“No no, it’s not about that. I think it’s good to have Nono teach Naga-san since you’re most proficient in that.”

“Good grief. It can’t be helped, I guess.”

While saying so, Naga dismounted his horse. Nevertheless, he didn’t dislike it so much that he would complain. Naga decided to see Nonoeru, Kay and Ikushina off half-way from the Schwein River where those 3 had been posted to keep watch. At the same time, he also decided to carry out some horse-riding practice. Rather than him practicing by himself, teaching Ikushina horse-riding was much more meaningful. Descending from the great cliff towards the plain, Naga galloped on his horse while aiming upstream.
Kay was saddled on the back of Naga’s horse, whereas Nonoeru sat behind Ikushina. Nonoeru, who was extremely frightened, clung to Ikushina’s lower back. On the other hand, Kay was, somewhat happily, glued to Naga’s back.
Running at full speed, Naga created some space between his and Ikushina’s horse. Continuing on like that, he called out to Kay, who was seated behind him.

“Oi, Kay.”

“Whaat, Naga-san?”

“You, weren’t you fine riding behind Ikushina the other day? Why did you decide to cling to me today? You’re not going to say that my riding skills are better than Ikushina’s, right?”

“Of course not. But that’s not the reason. Somehow, it feels nostalgic, you see.”

“Ha? What? Riding on a horse?”

“Wrong, wrong. It’s not that. A man’s back, is what I mean.”

Kay snapped and struck Naga’s back with her right hand.

“I don’t get it. Speaking of which, stop hitting me with all your strength. It hurts.”

Today, Naga didn’t put his armor on. Since he was wearing a kimono with tight sleeves, which he had received from Harrigan and the rest, it felt quite painful for him when he was hit forcefully on his back.

“Ahaha, sorry, sorry.”

Kay withdrew her hand while laughing.

“Saying that a man’s back feels nostalgic….. Could it be that you’re talking about your father?”

Naga tried to ask this.

“Umm, well I guess you could say so.”

“It’s been on my mind since before, but where and what are each of your fathers doing?”

“We don’t have a father.”

“W, What? It’s impossible for such an absurd thing to exist. Or could it be, that in case of the witches, children are born from just a mother?”

“Honestly, there’s no way for that.”

Ahaha – Kay laughed.

“That’s not it. Umm, perhaps it’s better to say we don’t have any fathers or brothers?”

“What’s the meaning…. of that?”

“Because explaining the story would take too long, I’ll tell you about it again on another occasion. You see, the witches basically know nothing about their fathers. They’re not informed about them. That’s why, it’s the same as saying they don’t exist.”

Naga didn’t understand the meaning behind Kay’s words, however, he understood her words were quite significant for the witches.

(Somehow, it’s become hard to ask them casually.)

Not being aware of Naga’s hesitant face, Kay continued her story.

“Therefore, nobody from the witches knows their fathers, and so they have no memories about them. But you see, I’ve got some memories about my father.”

“Would that be…. his back?”

“Yes. Despite them being faint memories, should you say I remember them? It seems like he used to carry me on his back and walk with me. I don't have the slightest idea about where or when he disappeared, but with just your large, warm back in front of my eyes, I can recall those times.”

“…..Hm.”

“Because of that, it suddenly felt nostalgic when I saw Naga-san’s back. Hehe.”

Wearing an embarrassed grin on her face, Kay once again put her strength into her arms around Naga’s waist and glued her face to his back.

“Honestly, I’m not at the age to have a big daughter like you.”

Kay, who loosed her face from Naga’s back, again hit it with her right hand.

“Even though I was able to immerse myself in some nostalgic feelings, don’t say things like that. Aren’t you a kill-joy?”

“That’s why, I’m telling you not to hit me. Listen to me!”

“Ah, this, somehow feels like whipping a horse. Yes, doesn’t it give a sound similar to fw-chi?”

Since Kay, was carried away and wouldn’t stop hitting him, Naga became annoyed.

“S, Seriously, this girl. Hey, stop it!”

While messing around with each other, they finally reached their destination and Naga halted the horse.

“Hey, we're here so get down.”

“Alreadyyy?”

Kay made a displeased face, however, she wouldn’t complain any further and lightly descended from the horse. Soon after, Ikushina and Nonoeru arrived on their horse.

=== Part 2 ===

Both banks of the river, where Naga and the rest had made a dam, turned into a rocky area. It was convenient for hiding one’s presence, and enemy soldiers would most likely not reach this far. Even if they were to do so, it would be easy to spot them as Nonoeru and Kay would camp there and watch over the river.

“Ikushina, hasn’t you horse-riding skill improved quite significantly?”

“I did it! I was praised by Naga-san!”

Sitting on her horse, Ikushina clenched her right hand in victory.
Ikushina, who was fired up, had on a leather-made and slender tube skirt similar to those found among equestrian tribes. On her feet, she wore a pair of shin high boots. Her outfit was unlike those commonly used by the witches, but nevertheless such an appearance was relatively fitting to Ikushina’s tall stature.

“Well then, I’ll be heading back. Take good care of yourself while standing guard. Especially you, Kay. Don’t make any rash decisions, got it?”

“Ehh, you’re saying some cruel things there. I’m not the type of person who would act recklessly, you know?”

“Yes, I know. I was just kidding.”

“Well, having some refreshment and taking a breather are important as well, right?”

“True, true. It’s important, important.”

Being in high spirits, Kay dashed down toward the dry river bank. After that, Ikushina and Nonoeru followed. Naga, too, sped his horse to a nearby rock using the reins and ran after the three witches. As soon as he got down to the river bed with rocks scattered around, the three of the were already doing warm-up exercises. Since Nonoeru wore thin clothes on the assumption that her garments would get soaked, there was no particular need for her to change or take them off. Unlike her, Ikushina wore the tube skirt for horse-riding, so she had to take her clothes off in order to be able to swim. Her top as well was covered by a coat, which also needed to be taken off. Once she took off her top and bottom, only a small breast wrap and a loincloth were left on her body. However, despite that risqué appearance of hers, Ikushina still moved her body with composure. Tattoo-like, complex patterns that appeared on her whole body caught Naga’s attention. And then, if one was to describe Kay,
[[File:Naga03 Illus-03.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
She was doing gymnastics while being totally naked, with no loincloth or breast cover.

“Oi, Kay!”

“What? Naga-san too, isn’t it better for you to properly warm-up before entering the water?”

Kay responded while bending her body left and right.

“That’s not what I mean. I’m asking: why are you naked?!”

“Hm?”

Ceasing to move, she looked down on her body.

“A….Ah…oops, I forgot that we are together with Naga-san.”

Saying ‘oops’ lightly, Kay scratched her head without feeling shy or embarrassed.

“You’re not supposed to forget that! Speaking of which, at least put on your loincloth.”

“Ah no, that’s because I’ve always been taking off my clothes when playing in water with my friends. Recently, I’ve been told by Ais to value myself more, but…”

Kay said so while turning around, picking up her loincloth, and putting it on while squirming.

(That’s an amazing view, indeed. Are you really fine with changing yourself there, Kay? Speaking of which, should I really be watching, but…. well, since I was neither told to go away nor avert my eyes, let’s consider this as OK.)

“Wai, Kay, you’re way too bold!”

Rather, it was Ikushina and Nonoeru who became red-faced.
Both of them moved in front of Kay and stood with their arms spread as if trying to hinder Naga’s gaze. Finally, understanding it was no good by their reaction, Naga shifted his gaze away. Kay finished putting on her loincloth and chest cover, turned around and asked them both.

“Hm? What are you two doing?”

Ikushina and Nonoeru collapsed to their knees.

“Even though we were protecting you from Naga-san’s eyes.”

“Is that so? Thanks.”

“Kay, you’re too defenseless…”

At Nonoeru pointing that out, Naga too, couldn’t help but nod.

“Right. Shouldn’t you have some shame as well?”

“No you see, til now, there’s been nobody besides girls, so we have no custom of paying attention to that.”

“I wonder if I should consider you as being exceptional. Well, still if you insist that you want me to watch at all costs I won’t refuse to do so, but…”

“No no, as one would expect, I wouldn’t go that far.”

“In that case, you better pay more attention.”

“I’ll be careful from now on.”

“Indeed, you’re one easy-going fellow.”

Naga was astonished; Ikushina and Nonoeru started to laugh.

“Kay is that sort of girl.”

“Isn’t she? Despite Kay-chan not minding other people’s sight like this, she also has good qualities.”

“Eh? I don’t feel like I’m being praised.”

As Kay spoke up with a slightly hysterical voice, Ikushina waved her hands in denial.

“No, we weren’t particularly praising you.”

Naga was infected by the sound of their laughter and smiled broadly.

(Being so relaxed, overfamiliar, and positive toward other witches, indeed, Kay is an interesting fellow.)

Not being aware of Naga’s thoughts, Kay spoke up.

“Well then, let’s swim!”

After they enjoyed themselves in the water for a short time, the four of them came ashore and dressed themselves.

“Well, now that we have refreshed ourselves, shall we take up our posts? Even if I say so, it’s actually Nono who’s in charge of guarding.”

“I know, right?”

“We are relying on you, Nonoeru.”

“Yesss, I’ll do my best.”

“Kay and Ikushina too, do your best, okay?”

“Leave it to us.”

“You can count on me.”

“If anything happens, Ikushina will run back on her horse.”

“Understood.”

Like this, Nonoeru, Kay and Ikushina took up the duty of watching for movements from the Cassandra Kingdom’s army near the Schwein River.

=== Part 3 ===

The army in question would turn out to be Raibaha’s company.
His company, which set up camp on the left side of the riverbank, was divided into 4 groups in order to guard the river. Gathering 2 platoons and 5 more people from company headquarters, Raibaha formed groups consisting of 25 people each as units for tactical mobilization. Assuming the witches came to this side of the river, there was no telling if they would only cross where the path was. Consequently, Raibaha’s troops had to watch over a certain area. Still, there was also a limit to how well 100 soldiers could accomplish this task. With that, Raibaha divided his company into 4 units, each placed at a set distance from one another and spread out along the river. However, in all honesty, he really didn’t want to split his forces.

(Originally, it should’ve been 4-5 companies lined up along the river…. No, even with that amount it wouldn’t be enough. Still, to think that that youngster would only send my company for this dangerous post.)

Whenever Raibaha tried to recall the prim looking face of General Guiscard, he couldn’t help himself from getting angry. Even if they were told to temporarily observe the enemy, a unit that consisted of only 25 people could do very little. Providing they face a clan of the witches that had as many as 20 people, they would have practically the same numbers. 25 soldiers would stand no chance against 20 witches. Not to mention, they would probably be unable to even stall the witches until their allies arrived. As soon as they were attacked, they would just run away. However, were they to move together as a company, they would only be able to watch over a single place. If that was the case, the enemy could choose a location freely and cross the river at any time.

(That youngster. Saying things like ‘hinder them at all costs’. If so, send us more soldiers! Well, even without hindering the witches, we should at least be able to report once we see them coming, but….)

Regardless of that, Raibaha’s company, which was the only one appointed for guarding this wide area, was put in quite a dangerous situation.

(Indeed, recently I’ve been encountering nothing but bad omens since the time we attacked the witches’ fort. As I thought, nothing good comes from being involved with them. Rather, should I retire from the army? After all, I no longer have a family to support. I wonder if I could somehow…. afford living by myself. No, I still can’t be certain about that, I guess.)

Even if Raibaha, who has been serving devotedly in the army since his youth, was to try his luck in some other jobs, he possessed no special skills whatsoever. If there was something he could take pride in, it would be his swordsmanship. Other things he could boast about were his military commanding ability and his eye trained for tactics, which he gained through experience, still…

(Guess those skills won’t come in handy if I change my occupation. Were I to make the best use of my swordsmanship, wouldn’t I be only able to serve as a guard for a caravan of merchants? Nevertheless, considering my age right now, it would still probably be quite harsh.)

Contemplating on his own future, Raibaha could only let out a sigh.

“Captain. Captain Raibaha.”

At his subordinate’s voice, Raibaha came back to his senses.

“What? Did something happen?”

“No, it’s not that. I came here to inform you about the newly arrived army provisions.”

“Again? Just how many days has it been since we came here?”

The adjutant replied seriously as Raibaha spat out his question.

“We’ve been staying here for about 6-7 days, I think.”

(That bastard, Guiscard. In the end, he just wants us to stay here! Speaking of which, if you have time to send us that much food, at least provide us with reinforcements!)

“Have you already confirmed its contents?”

“Yes, it’s done. I’d like to ask for your signature.”

Taking the receipt and feather pen presented by the adjutant, Raibaha quickly signed.

“Here.”

“Thank you very much for your efforts.”

Once he handed over the receipt, Raibaha called out to the same man who was about to retreat.

“Oi, Sirius”

The adjutant stopped and turned around.

“Yes?”

“I’m going to take around 10 people with me and patrol the river(?).”

Since there was some distance between their units, it was decided that each of them would assign some people to walk along and patrol the riverbank. Raibaha was the one who suggested this.

“Captain, you plan to go personally?”

“Yeah, for a change of pace.”

“Will it be alright? If something were to happen to you…”

It wasn’t unreasonable for the adjutant to worry about his superior.
Unlike in modern times, an army in this world had no distinct class system. If something were to happen to a commanding officer, there was a distinct possibility that it would cease to function. And if someone like the general in command, or a royal family member, was to be killed, it was possible for the entire army to desert. One could say that the same applied for single units. In the case that this occurred, there was also a vice-commanding officer in charge of every unit, however, the death of one’s commanding officer would cause quite a shock to the soldiers. Still, Raibaha replied with a buoyant look.

“We have a good insight into the surroundings, so it should be fine. Generally, this task is dangerous in itself. No matter where we go, the danger will still be the same.”

“That….might be true, but…”

“Don’t fret. I’m just doing it on a whim.”

(Saying that he wants to carry a patrol because of a whim, isn’t it a bit reckless of him to do so as a commanding officer?)

As an adjutant, it was only natural for him to think so. Nonetheless, it didn’t appear to be a matter big enough for him to strongly object.

Despite it being a hazardous duty, right now, no signs indicated that the witches would appear.

(I guess, the general’s caution about the possibility of the witches striking was a needless worry.)

The adjutant thought so.
Because the witches have been isolating themselves inside the black forest for several dozens of years, it wasn’t irrational.

“Understood. Then, please bring the 1st platoon along with you.”

“I’ll leave the camp in your care.”

Like that, Raibaha led a single platoon and went for a patrol along the riverside.

=== Part 4 ===

Nonoeru travelled through the river while submerged.
With water magic being her main strength, she could breathe by gathering air inside the water. At the same time, it was possible for her to expand the gathered air and wrap it around her skin, allowing her to maintain a steady body temperature. Thanks to that, she could easily stay active for more than half an hour inside the water. And if it was just the submerging alone, even for a whole hour. Since Nonoeru was also able to refract the light from the water’s surface whenever she was diving, she could easily conceal her presence. Capitalizing on that ability, she searched for any sign of Cassandra’s army from beneath the river’s surface.

Nonoeru had already grasped that there were 4 units from Cassandra’s army dispatched along the river, with each of them having around 20 soldiers.
She was currently near the place where the path was intersected by the river, where there were footprints still visible. Nevertheless, the area didn’t appear to be heavily guarded.

(Guess it’s like this. It’s not like they have to walk near the path)

Despite there being some hills in the surroundings, the area was basically a plain with no wetlands or big forests. It would be different in the case of a big unit, however, if one was to consider just a few people walking around, they could go anywhere and not just guard a fixed area. Even so, there was a mountainous area ahead of the river. Since it was far more comfortable to walk on the path instead of covering the distance by crossing the mountains, Cassandra’s troops would usually walk this path and cross the river here.

After going downstream for a moment and confirming there was no particular change in the Cassandra Army’s troops, Nonoeru prepared to swim back upstream andreturn to where Kay and Ikushina were hiding. Being capable of controlling the water, she had no difficulty in swimming against the flow of the river. Nonoeru continued to move upstream while sometimes taking a peek above to observe her surroundings. In the middle of doing so, she discovered a troop of only 10 people, who were walking on the river bank.

(Is it the usual patrol group…..? No, it’s not them?)

Among the troops that walked on top of the embankment upstream, Nonoeru recognized one person wearing a different outfit from the rest.

(He’s wearing a more refined helmet and armor than the others. Could he be… a commanding officer?)

Back then, Nonoeru did a meritorious deed by taking down a battalion commander as a result of her noticing the difference in the soldiers’ outfits. Therefore, it was just a natural course of action for her to recall that time.

(Why did a commanding officer go through the trouble of patrolling?)

Nonoeru thought doubtfully.

(Is it a sign of them being about to launch some sort…. of new tactic? Or maybe, they are searching for a plausible location to cross so they can counterattack? The danger doesn’t seem to be imminent, but wouldn’t it be better if I made sure just in case?)

Thinking to check out the intentions of the newly discovered unit, she drew near the riverbank. As soon as she approached a point where she was barely able to hide herself, Nonoeru positioned her face right below the water surface while looking up at the shallows. It was a posture where you would question whether or not her nose would stick out from the water’s surface.
Under normal circumstances, it would be easy to tell if something was hiding inside the water, even from a more distant place. However, as long as Nonoeru was in control of light refraction, unless someone peered into the water right above her, there was no chance they would see her. On the other hand, she was able to observe the surroundings to a certain degree.
Ceasing her movements, Nonoeru began to spy on the troop.

=== Part 5 ===

“There’s been nothing unusual taking place, right?”

The 1st platoon leader addressed Raibaha.

“Well, I guess so. It would be nice if we can finish our duty just like this without any problems, but you see…”

“When do you think it will be over?”

A shade of concern appeared on the leader’s face.
Considering that it was possible for the witches to attack, his anxiety wasn’t unreasonable. Even Raibaha felt uneasy. But, there was no way for him to display that in front of his subordinates.

“Well, it’s hard for me to tell as it depends on General Guiscard’s mood.”

Raibaha answered in a casual manner.

“That’s because the witches might come, right?”

The platoon leader asked once more.

“That too, remains unclear to me. Til now, the witches have been staying inside the black forest. It’s difficult to imagine them leaving it today, tomorrow, or any time soon, but well….”

“Still” – Lowering his tone, the platoon leader said.

“Based on the fact that our troops suffered a big loss the other day, won’t the witches consider that….as an opportunity?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Raibaha began to walk.

“I still don’t understand the witches’ reasoning.”

“Captain, where are you going?”

“I’ll wash my face a bit so as to keep myself awake.”

“Ah….okay.”

The platoon leader was taken aback, however,

(Despite being assigned to such a dangerous task, our captain is indeed a daredevil. As one would expect, he hasn’t worked his way up to become a captain for nothing. His battle experience is rich, and he’s also dealt with the witches. I think we might be able to return alive as long we have this person by our side.)

Being filled with admiration, the man thought that Raibaha seemed reliable.

“Should I have someone accompany you?”

“I’ll be back quickly. More importantly, stay on guard and watch over the other side of the river properly. If you spot something, inform everyone with a loud voice and run back as fast as you can.”

“Got it.”

Putting a wry smile on his face, the platoon leader saluted.

=== Part 6 ===

(Is somebody approaching?)

Nonoeru lifted her face up close to the water's surface, which was hard to tell whether it was sticking it out or not. Certainly, there was someone drawing close. What’s more, that person was coming towards her direction.

(Could it be that he sensed my presence? No, I don’t think that’s possible, still…)

It would be better if that person were to go straight along the embankment of the river stream, but instead, he walked diagonally across a sand bar.
Nonoeru saw that and was a bit confused.

Despite thinking it shouldn’t be possible for her to be exposed, she had heard from Harrigan that there were rare instances in which experienced swordsmen would be able to grasp the witches’ hidden presence.

'Could it be that this man….?' – she thought.

Nevertheless, Nonoeru was overthinking.
Considering it calmly, there was a high chance that this event was just coincidental. But Nonoeru, who was still young and inexperienced in battle, panicked a bit, and as a result, assumed too much.

(If I move right now, it will place me in danger instead. Should I let this person pass?)

Even if the enemy was able to sense something doubtful for a moment, Nonoeru didn’t think he would be able to confirm her position. Because of that, rather than running away, she deemed it was better to hold her breath silently in that place. Despite that, the person continued to approach the shallows in which she’d hidden herself.

(T, That person is walking as if he knows I’m here.)

While thinking so, Nonoeru became a little restless.

(W, What should I do? Should I carry out a preemptive attack…? No, by doing so, I’ll reveal myself to other soldiers behind this person. If they learn about us spying on this place, it might affect our plan of capturing their fort. As expected, it’s better to let him pass…no, perhaps it’s better to flee?)

'What should I do?' – Nonoeru couldn’t make up her mind.

At the same time, the man descended down to the riverbank.

“Good grief, isn’t today quite peaceful? It would be nice if such days could always continue like this.”

The soldier, who approached, looked around and said so with an easy-going attitude. Once he did so, he crouched down on the spot and extended both his hands toward the water’s surface.

His intention was to wash his face by scooping some water, but Nonoeru felt confused and reacted reflexively.

(Was my location exposed?!)

Nonoeru, who tried to counter attack, unconsciously loosened her control of the light refraction. The sudden appearance of a person below the water surprised Raibaha. Not to mention, it was a girl who wore thin clothes with lots of skin exposure.

“No, it isn’t a human, but, a witch!?”
[[File:Naga03 Illus-04.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
Opening his eyes widely, Raibaha stood up as if being flicked.

(He saw meee!)
Nonoru’s body reacted before she could think.

*Splashhh*

The moment he thought that the river surface became choppy, the water rose up. And then, stretched out just like tentacles, the water coiled around Raibach’s arms, body, and feet.

“Whhhhhhhat is thisssssssssss!?”

(This is bad. I don’t know what it is, but it feels incredibly bad!)

Having a frantic expression, Raibaha tried to tear off the water tentacles, but unfortunately, he was unable to move. It was as though he was seized by steel, rather than water.

“What’s the matter, Captain?!”

Sensing something wrong, the platoon leader and his men tried to descend to the river bank. Raibaha noticed that, turned his head and shouted.

“Don’t come, it’s a witch!”

With the word ‘witch’, they immediately stopped moving.

“What are you doing?! Quickly, run awa…”

Raibaha’s body was suddenly pulled inside the water.

“Uwaaaaa?!”

The next instance.

*plop*

Leaving a small sound behind, Raibaha vanished.
Naturally, his body was inside the water. Since Nonoeru controlled light refraction with her magic, it looked as if Raibaha disappeared. Or so they thought.

(W, was Captain kidnapped by the witches?)

“Eeeek?!”

The other soldiers ran up the embankment without a second glance and escaped at full speed. Raibaha, who was pulled inside the water, was struggling desperately. However, it was as if his body was restrained by huge invisible hands. He couldn’t move.

*Blub blub bluuuu-*

Raibaha’s breath continued to turn into bubbles and float up.

(This is bad, I’m running out of air….. Damn, really, nothing good comes from being involved with…Gahaa)

With a part of his consciousness fading away, Raibaha awaited his death.

=== Part 7 ===

“What should we do, Kay-chan, Shi-chan?”

“No, I wonder about that too.”

Looking down at the unconscious enemy soldier dragged ashore, Ikushina and Kay bent their heads. The complex, tattoo-like patterns drawn on Ikushina looked as though they were squirming on her skin.
Finally, Kay lifted up her head and said swiftly.

“Since its bothersome, shouldn’t we just kill him?”

Nonoeru as well, nodded in agreement.

“Guess you’re right. 2-3 minutes should be enough for him to die if we leave him to soak. How about that?”

“Oioioioi!”

Smack – Kay faced toward Nonoeru and hit her in a chopping manner.

“I was joking, Nono. Don’t take it that seriously.”

“Ah, is that, so?”

Nonoeru tried to ask Ixine for an opinion by looking in her direction.

“Because we caught him, shall we take him back with us for the time being? In the first place, why did you capture this person? Nonoeru, was there some sort of a motive?”

“Ah, no, that’s….. you see, I did it on the spur the moment and had no time to think ahead.”

Beginning from that time, Nonoeru explained the whole story in general

“Really? So he isn’t just a soldier but a commanding officer of that troop? Now that you mention it, he’s certainly wearing high-class armor, unlike those regular soldiers.”

Saying that, Kay nodded.

“If that’s the case” – Ikushina raised her right hand.

“I wonder if he doesn’t know about that.”

“Yes? About what?”

“I’m talking about Fort Ein.”

“Ah!”

“Wouldn’t Naga-san want to know about that? He said that if there’s detailed information about the fort, capturing it would be much easier.”

“Right? Speaking of which, it means that we’ve caught a fine prisoner, right? Does it mean I’ve once again made a glorious achievement?”

“You’re really singing your own praises, aren’t you, Nono? Well, there’s no doubt that it’s a great achievement, but getting your head gently stroked by Naga-san is indeed nice.”

'Ehehe' – Nonoeru smiled timidly once Kay said so in a half joking manner.

“What? So you really want to be stroked by Naga-san? If that’s the case, you should have your chest stroked as well.”

“….That would be a bit troublesome. wouldn’t you say it’s still too early for…..”

“So the problem is age? Are you saying it’s fine when you become more mature?”

As Kay retorted, Ikushina continued to speak.

“Are you saying you won’t be satisfied with just being caressed? Could it be that you want to be groped as well?”

“Uhmm, how should we bring this person with us?”

“Don’t try to dodge my question!” x2

(Nono…. I wonder if you were surprisingly this bold. No, rather than that.)

Kay turned her attention to the problem in front of their eyes.

“It appears to be quite difficult to carry him on one’s back, so…. by the way, when it comes to things like this, perhaps I could be of help, so… no. On second thought, let’s make him walk.”

As soon as Kay said so, Nonoeru once again looked in Ikushina’s direction.

“Will it do if we place him on the horse?”

“No, you see, I’d rather not have a human guy ride behind me.”

“….Guess you’re right.”

“Well then Nono, let’s wake him up.”

“I think it will be fastest for Kay to hit him two or three times on the cheek.”

“Eh? Are you fine with that?”

“Since he has lost consciousness from drowning, giving him a shock should be the right thing to do.”

“Ah, that’s right. Well, fine.”

Kay said a small chant.

“Harden, harden. Become an unrivalled hardness. Oh Thee, become a body, become an embodiment of hardness.”

Her right hand which turned silver in color, was hardened.

“Pay attention so as not to overdo it. If you hit him too seriously, you will probably crush his cheekbones.”

“Got it. I’ll hit him gently, like brushing him, so don’t fret.”

“What type of a hitting method is that?!”

Ikushina retorted.

“No, I get what you want to say, but…”

Kay’s strengthened body was solid to the extent of repelling sharp swords. If she hit him in that state, the man would most likely not avoid bone fractures.

"Ah, that’s right." – Kay said after lowering her raised hand.

“Nono, it will troublesome if this man wakes up and becomes violent.”

“Yes. I’ll restrain him.”

Once Nonoeru chanted in a grumbling manner, she inserted her right hand into the river and ladled out some water.

Soon after the scooped water covered the man, turning into fine strings and wrapping around his wrists and ankles.

“This will do.”

“Then, shall we start?”

Raising her right hand once more, Kay grabbed the enemy soldier by his collar and lifted his upper body.

“Okay, wake up, wake upppp.”

Slap slap slap – she delivered repeated slaps to his cheeks.

“Uu…..Uuuug…”

Nonoeru and Ikushina looked at the man.

“Seems like he’s regaining consciousness.”

“He doesn’t have any broken cheekbones, right?”

Using her strengthened right hand, Kay tried to caress his cheeks.

“Hm, should be fine.”

=== Part 8 ===

A strange sensation, which was somewhat hard but warm, passed through his cheeks. And then,

“Hm, should be fine.”

Such a voice reverberated inside his head.

(What…. I haven’t died yet?)

Right after he opened his eyes slightly, Raibaha coughed and choked repeatedly.

“Kuh-ack-kuh”

Despite him choking, Raibaha somehow managed to open his eyes. As he did so, the faces of unfamiliar witches unfolded before him.

“Uwaaaaaa?!”

“What the—?!”

At his shout, Kay, who became surprised, released him unintentionally from her grasp, making his head fall straight down on top of a stone.

“Awwwwww!”

Folding his knees and arching his back, Raibaha tried to hold the back of his head using his hands, but they wouldn’t move freely.

“Awawawawa, what the heck is this, awawaawawa, what’s happening, awawawaawa—”

Raibaha attempted to move his body by kicking and struggling, but his limbs still wouldn’t regain their freedom. It felt as though his ankles and wrists were tightly bound by rope-like things.

“Are you in pain or in amazement? Decide which.”

Hearing a voice pouring from above his head, he looked up with teary eyes.

“…….”

“……”

For a while, he and Kay stared at each other from close range.

“Witcheeeeeeeessss!?”

Raibaha screamed with a loud voice, making her lean backwards in astonishment.

“Uwaaa!?”

Raibaha tried to escape desperately, but it shouldn’t be possible with his limbs restrained. In the end, he would just tumble heavily onto the river bed.

“Awwawaw.”

With a stone from the river bed cutting into his body, he completely recovered his senses thanks to the pain.

Raibaha stopped moving around and looked around his surroundings, trying to confirm the situation. He was situated on a bank with the flowing stream most likely being the Schwein River. Since the area was rocky and the river was narrow, unlike his previous location, there was no doubt about this one being upstream. And then, the ones looking down on him were three witches.
Conducting a quick survey from that little information, Raibaha reached a conclusion.

(In other words, I was caught by the witches. Because of that, my body is tied up with their magic and thrown down on the river bed…… or so I think?)

As one would expect, Raibaha, who had plenty of battle experience, could still judge a situation with composure, despite finding himself in peril.
Releasing all the strength in his body, Raibaha fell on his back and observed the three witches, who looked down on him, once again.

(So these are…the witches? Looking closely, they seem to be different from what I’ve thought.)

The three girls in front his eyes appeared to be quite dissimilar from how they had been commonly portrayed as ‘vicious and inhuman’.

(Speaking of which, aren’t they just normal girls? Even if they can use magic, they look no different from normal girls.)

The figure of his long deceased daughter resurfaced in his mind.

(Were she to be alive, that girl too would probably be around this age and appearance.)

Being immersed in a sentiment that wasn’t appropriate to his situation, Raibaha ceased any thought of putting up resistance or attempts of escaping.

“Hey, you.”

“Eh? What?”

“You’re, witches, right?”

Nonoeru and Kay looked at each other’s faces.
A moment later, Kay, who had returned her gaze to him, responded,

“That’s right.”

“Is that so? Well, guess that was an obvious thing. Still…..”

“Why are you asking such a question?”

“….You look different from what I had imagined.”

“What kind of imagination was that?”

“I’ve heard stories about you being atrocious, heinous, wicked, and brutal existences, which made me think you’re indeed fearsome in appearance. Like the ones with a mouth splitting til their ears, narrowed eyes, and protruding fangs.”

The three of them bent backward without realizing.

“That’s cruel.”

“It’s cruel, right?”

“Indeed, that’s cruel!”

“When I look at you close up like this, you certainly have unusual hair color and clothing. Still, your look is no different from that of normal girls.”

“Not just our looks but our insides too are similar to normal girls, you know?”

Raibaha’s eyes stopped at Kay’s right hand.

“I guess, you can’t call that normal.”

“Ah, no, this is….”

She released her magic.
The metallic-like luster vanished and her skin color turned back to normal.

“What’s more, this is….”

Raibaha tried to put up both his hands.
String-shaped cords, which couldn’t be torn off no matter how much strength he applied, coiled around his wrists.

“Is this magic as well?”

“Yes, that’s… true.”

“As one would expect, witches aren’t common beings, I guess.”

But, not feeling any disgust or contempt toward his tone of speaking, the three of them looked again at each other’s faces.

“Then, what do you plan to do with me from now on? If I’m going to be killed either way, it would be nice if you could do it using painless and instant methods, so as to ease my death, but well…”

“We won’t kill you!”

Kay shouted.

“Had we simply planned to kill you, we wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of catching you.”

“Is that so?”

Raibaha breathed a big sigh.

“So I’ll be tormented to death? Indeed, a horrifying end.”

“We won’t be doing that either!”

“You mean it?”

“….No, there seems to be one person capable of that, but at least, we won’t do such things.”

“Then, what are you going do with me?”

“We thought about discussing that matter with Naga-san first, and so we wanted to bring you with us. Still…”

“Naga? Who’s that?”

“No, Naga-san is Naga-san. But the meaning behind his name appears to be ‘Dragon King’, you see?”

“Na….Naga?” [written as Dragon King]

Raibaha widely opened his eyes, as if not believing the words he had just heard.

“Naga-san is a human guy and a member of our household. No, to begin with, it’s not clear to us whether or not we should call him ‘human’.”

(Oi, oi, what’s the meaning of that? Naga-san [Dragon King]… What’s wrong with the overfamiliarity in that name?)

“Yes, it was thanks to Naga-san’s tactics that we were able to repel 2000 of your soldiers.”

“For real?”

“There’s no reason for us to lie at this point.”

Raibaha wasn’t directly involved with the battle, but he was still related to it since he led the supply troops. That’s why, he knew more than enough about his friendly troops suffering an utter defeat from the hands of ‘the witches who resorted to an unheard of style of fighting’.

(If there’s someone like the Dragon King, then certainly, it wouldn’t be strange for the witches to change their fighting style…. no, I still can’t believe it.)

“We are going to discuss your matter with Naga-san. It would be much appreciated if you could follow us obediently, but….”

“…….Will I become prey for the Dragon King? Am I going to be munched on by him starting from my head?”

“Ha? No no, what are you talking about? Naga-san won’t devour you. If they’re young girls, he would most likely do so, however….”

“Really? So the Dragon King prefers young human girls? Well, guess that’s understandable.”

Raibaha felt a small relief inside his heart.

Therefore – While being unaware that he wasn’t understanding their conversation, Kay replied.

“Follow us obediently. If you decide to pick a fight or run away, I’ll have to bring you by force.”

Kay, who peered at his eyes, continued to speak.

“It would be quite bothersome, and you also probably don’t want to suffer, right?”

Raibaha exhaled a sigh once again.

“Yeah, I’d hate that. Understood, I’ll follow along.”

“Uuuuu”

Looking down on Raibaha, who folded up his arms, Kay groaned lightly.

“What? Is something matter?”

“No, how should I say it, I think you’re also different from what I had imagined about humans.”

At Kay’s words, Nonoeru and Ikushina slightly nodded.

“While we're at it, what kind of human did you picture me as?”

“Look. Don’t humans detest the witches just like snakes and scorpions? In that case, they wouldn’t even bother to lend an ear to us. Despite that, I thought it was strange for you to talk with us that conventionally.”

“Even among humans, there are different people.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

For some reason, Kay watched Raibaha with a face showing curiosity.

“Ah, that’s right. What’s your name?”

“Me? I’m Raibaha.”

“I see. My name is Kay. It’s fine for you to call me Kay for now.”

“O….Oh, you mean it?”

“And then, here’s Nonoeru.”

Being pointed out, Nonoeru moved swiftly behind Kay’s back as if trying to conceal herself. With only her face peeking through, she said with a small voice,

“It’s……. Nonoeru.”

“This person here is Ikushina.”

“Uhmm, I’m Ikushina. Nice to meet you.”

“It’s Raibaha. Please treat me well.”

“Well then, let’s not waste any more time on chit-chat. Ikushina, gallop back first and inform Harri-nee and Naga-san.”

“Hm, that’s right. Got it. Then, I'll go ahead of you.”

Saying so, Ikushina returned to the place where the horse was tied up.

“Take care.”

Kay who saw Ikushina off with her hand, finally turned around.

“Then, shall we go ahead, Raibaha?”

(You’re going to address me without any honorifics? Well, it’s not like I’m in a position to complain since I’m your prisoner, but even if you’re witches, your girlish appearance and age give off a very bad feeling.)

“Can you stand up?”

“Hm? Yeah, more or less…”

Raibaha cast down his gaze to the water strings that bound his ankles.

“Oh, is that so? Nonoeru, you can remove them.”

“U, Understood.”

Uhee? – Removing the bonds on his ankles, Raibaha gave out a voice which could have equally been from astonishment or admiration.

Heave-ho – Raibaha stood up and stuck out his bound wrists.

“I’m going to be like this…. for the whole time, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I thought it would be nice if I wasn’t.”

“Then, you should give up and walk with us. If you try to escape, Nonoeru will bind your ankles once more. Speaking of which, perhaps it would be better to constrain your neck too?”

“Yeah, I won’t. To begin with, I don’t think it’s even possible for me to run away from you.”

Nonoeru, who heard their conversation, felt it was strange.
The fact that a human and witch could talk casually, judging from her common sense, was an unthinkable thing.

(No, well, it might be that Kay is just a bit eccentric among all of us. She would start talking even with Naga-san in an overfamiliar manner. However, I wouldn’t imagine for this human guy to talk this carefreely with us. I don’t think it’s due to Kay’s speaking style, but I’ve always believed all humans detest the witches.)

Raibaha’s speech and conduct was an unexpected and refreshing experience that made Nonoeru a little bit happy.

(Could it be it’s possible for both the witches and humans to understand each other……?)

Nonoeru considered Naga as someone exceptional. Also, the fact that he fell from another dimension without being bound by this world’s ties of obligation, customs, or common sense was the reason he could give them a fair evaluation. This is what she thought. Nevertheless, looking at this man called Raibaha, especially as somebody who wasn’t just an ordinary man, but an enemy soldier, Nonoeru actually felt that not all the humans are hostile against the witches, or that they shun them.

(Could it be that such a day might come?)

She carried that wish inside her.

(No, I wonder about that. If I was to say such lines around Ane-sama, she would most likely chuckle at me saying it’s an empty dream, whereas Yuuki would abuse me by saying ‘you traitor!’. Despite that…)

It may be that Naga’s evaluation wasn’t due to him coming from a different world, but instead due to his own viewpoint and way of thinking, just like this person, called Raibaha.

While walking behind Raibaha, who was led by Kay, Nonoeru felt that their small light of hope had, yet again, shone a bit brighter.

=== Part 9 ===

With Naga supposedly being in the 1st fort, Ixine galloped while aiming for that place.
Kay and Nonoel, who were bringing Raibach with them, walked toward the 1st fort as well.
It wouldn’t take them long if they were to dash, but when it comes to taking along a prisoner, only walking was an option.

With Ais being forwarded by Harrigan after the latter had received a report from Ixine, the three of them linked up with Ais on their way and finally reached 1st fort just before the sunset.

Witnessing a small fort dyed in the color of the sunset and enclosed by a wooden fence in front of his eyes, Raibach had a strange feeling while reflecting on the few days he had spent here before.

(……So it’s here? Good grief. Somehow, it feels a bit nostalgic. I suffered a defeat by trying to attack this place, was demoted from being a company captain to a commander of the supply troops, and was then reinstated as a captain. Considering all of that, to think I’m here now as a prisoner of the witches. My life has changed drastically over the past few days, which makes me want to laugh.)

Once Ais and Kay talked with the witches on security, Naga and Harrigan appeared in front of them, having been brought by Ixine.

“Oi, Kay, so you managed to catch a soldier from Kasandora’s army?!”

“Ah, umm, actually it was Nonoel who did it, but…. Look, it’s this person I was talking about.”

Seeing Naga who came out of the fort, Raibach became surprised.

(So there was a man among the witc– wha, speaking of which, is this guy the rumored Dragon King? Rather than the Dragon King… he looks no different from a normal human. His attire is certainly unusual, but…… Not to mention, he gives off a distinct feeling from us.)

“Oh! So this guy is the captive?”

Naga walked straight toward Raibach.
Raibach was a bit taller in comparison with Naga.

(Watching him like this from a close range, as expected, his appearance is strange. His sword is inserted near his waist, and its shape itself is different too. Still, assuming he’s the Dragon King, he is indeed young.

Such was his first impression towards Naga.

On the other hand, Naga thought.

(I see. Certainly. it’s as they say. Despite him being brought along to a fort of the witches, this sort of composure doesn’t appear to be same as that of an ordinary soldier.)

Naga judged with a calm attitude.

“You…Your name…Wha…is called?”

Naga asked.

There were some difficult to catch words, but Raibach understood.

(Is he talking with our language…? No, rather than talking, it feels as though his words are reverberating inside my head.)

“Umm, I’m Raibach. Raibach Lantier.”

“Is that so? My name is…… Naga.”

(Is he really the Dragon King? Or perhaps, he’s just referring to himself that way…?)

Naga who gave his name, talked to the witch next to him.

“I can’t ask him while standing, so how about we enter inside, Harrigan?”

The witch replied.

“I guess that’s the only option.”

(Huge, and by that I mean various things.)

Concealing his amazement inside his heart, Raibach ran his sight indirectly over Harrigan.

“Ah, Hari-nee, Yuuki isn’t here, right?”

Once Kay asked.

“She isn’t.”

“Ah, that’s lucky. Were we to take this man in front of that girl, she would make a fuss while shouting ‘kill kill kill!’.”

Ahahaha – Harrigan laughed.

“If it’s her, she will most likely do so.”

“Oi oi, you, I don’t think it’s something to laugh about.”

Raibach retorted without thinking ahead.

“Hahaha, certainly… it isn’t a laughing matter… I guess.”

“You too! I told you it’s not something to laugh about!”

He also retorted at Naga.

Because Naga and Harrigan directed their sights at him, Raibach shrugged his shoulders in a hurry and turned his face away.

“Should we first let him rest inside a room? He must be tired from all the walking to this place.”

Raibach became astonished at Harrigan’s words.

(To think that the witches would be considerate about my fatigue. I thought they would put me into a room for interrogation without any arguing, but…. Or maybe they’re going to drive me into a dungeon?)

True – At Harrigan’s words, Kay nodded.

“Raibach, come this way.”

She showed him a building inside the fort.

“What’s that? That girl, Kay, has she already started to call him without honorifics? Certainly, she will try to be familiar with anyone when coming in contact. Well, guess that’s her main forte.”

As Naga muttered so, Ais nodded with a slightly glad expression.

“You’re right.”

“Well, shall we go too? I’m looking forward to what he has to offer.”

Naga, Ais, Nonoel, and Ixine reentered the fort.

=== Part 10 ===

Naga, Harrigan, Ais, Kay, Nonoel, and Ixine had gathered inside a single room of the residential building. Obviously, Raibach was also there.

Besides them, there were also other witches inside the fort, like the sisters Linna and Linne, Cu, and Harlequin, stationed at their posts.

Raibach was released from Nonoel’s water binding, however in turn, he had his wrists and waist tied up in ropes that were linked to Ais’ wrist.

By the time Nonoel released Raibach, Kay whispered silently into his ears.

“That Onee-san, you see-”

Kay pointed at Ais while speaking.

“Unlike her appearance, she’s incredibly scary, so you better not make her angry by any means. If she delivered a single hit to your body, you’d die from having all your bones smashed, or your internal organs ruptured. And if you’re hit in the head, it will blow up together with your neck, you know? I’m neither joking nor trying to threaten you, but giving you honest advice.”

Having an awfully loathsome face, Raibach nodded in agreement.

“Ugh… you mean it? Understood. I’ll pay attention to that, but…”

”What?”

“You’re surprisingly kind, aren’t you?”

“Hm? Is that so?”

Kay, who tilted her head in wonder, turned her face back with a cheerful smile.

“Well, isn’t it fine? If you’re aware that I’m kind to you, you better repay it properly.”

(This girl…. Somehow, it feels like talking with my daughter’s friends. It makes me want to believe she isn’t a witch.)

At any rate, Raibach didn’t feel like running. Even if he tried, he would most likely not manage to do so from the witches. Were he to be caught, they would certainly kill him this time. Rather, it was much better to remain a prisoner.
What’s more, it didn’t seem like he had to worry about being tortured for the time being. And more than anything, being able to talk with the witches was, surprisingly for Raibach, somehow a little bit fun.

(I wonder if I could have talked like this, were my daughter still alive.)

Is what he thought.

(Then, speaking of which, I wonder what kind of questions I will have to answer. It’s not like I know anything of great value.)

Raibach, who felt a bit tense, was made to sit on a folding stool placed near the wall, and surrounded in a half-circle by the rest of the people. Naga sat was in front of him, whereas Harrigan was on Naga’s left, with Ixine being on the furthest left. Similarly, on his right side, Ais and Nonoel sat.

Naga began to speak.

“Well then, I’m not fancy of tedio….talks, so how about we go stra…to the point? Yo…., kno…something about Fort Ein, right?”

As one would expect, some words were hard to catch, but Raibach could still understand what he meant.

“I do possess the knowledge, but….”

“Do you als… know wha.. inside the fort?”

“I do.”

“Then how about, yo….tell me something about it, like its territory?”

“…..Why are you asking me such things?”

“I’m thin….about capturing that fort.”

“Whaa?”

Raibach became at loss for words, and the interrogation stopped for a while

Naga looked at him with a bit of a curious expression.

“What’s the matte…? Why are you tha…surprised?”

Being thrown a question, Raibach finally gained back his senses.

“Ummm…. Dragon King, I wonder if it’s fine for me to ask you something."

“I don’t mi…d”

“Is that so? If that’s the case. I’ve heard that there’s about 20 witches on this side, but is that true?”

“That would be Harrigan’s clan, you see. Since, this time, we have received a support from anot…household, the number has increased a bit. It would probably be aroun… 40, 50 people.”

“N, No, saying probably around, and on top of that, 40 to 50 people. Right now, there are as many as 300 guards stationed inside Fort Ein. Just how on Earth do you plan to capture it?”

“I wanted to consider that after I have ques…you for some information on the fort’s interior.”

“What are you talking about…. In the first place, do you think I’d leak out such information?”

Naga’s expression turned into an unexpected one.

“So yo…are not going to tell us?”

Once he was told so, Raibach responded in a yelling manner.

“Don’t be silly. I may look like a single person with no family or relatives, but I’ve got friends in that fort. Knowing that they might be killed, there’s no way for me to spill the beans. Don’t try to torture me or do anything similar to that, or I’ll pass you false details.”

Listening to his words and observing his expression, Naga made a decision in the end.

“This guy, isn’t he quite a formidable man? He looks to be someone worthy of being trusted.”

“It’s just reasonable for you to be concerned. But, you don’t have to go that far.”

“W, What do you mean?”

“We are thinking about capturing the fort without making any casualty among your soldiers.”

“Wha? You can’t be serious! Do you think I’d believe such nonsense?!”

Because Raibach lifted himself unintentionally Ais put herself on guard, however, Naga held her back and leaned forward. He fixed his eyes on Raibach’s face in front of him as if looking into it.

“You too, do you think I’m talking nonsense?”

Being seized by Naga’s gushing spirit coming from his whole body, and scorched by a strong-willed light dwelling inside his eyes, Raibach became unable to move.

(W, what’s, this bizarre force coming from this guy?)

“During the previous battle, we had to do things like that, otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to repel the human army. After all, it was 20 against 2000 people. Still, I was reluctant about using that method since there was a chance for the witches to die. For the sake of our future, I’d rather prevent as many sacrifices as possible.”

Was it due to Naga’s words being filled with vigor? Or perhaps, him getting used to conversing with Naga? Raibach became able to grasp his words clearly.

“F…Future? What do you mean by future? And why do you want to take over Fort Ein?”

“It’s the first step toward establishing the country of the witches.”

“The country of the witches? What do you intend to do once you’re done with that? You mean to say, that the witches are trying to rule over humanity?”

“No, I don’t. In the end, we want to create a world where humans and the witches can both coexist. This is what I mean to say.”

(Is this guy, a fool? There’s no way for such a thing to happen. Is he serious about that?)

Not trying to hide his thoughts of being utterly amazed, Raibach opened his eyes widely and gazed at Naga. Perhaps, there was a hue of contempt displaying in Naga’s expression, however it didn’t look like he was making fun of Raibach or bragging about anything.
If it was true, then he was honest. Naga was honestly talking about creating a new world.
Raibach could sense the magnitude of Naga’s caliber, the difference which separated him and that person.

(The Dragon King, who commands the witches, and me, who can’t even fulfill my duty as a Captain. Is it natural for there to be such a difference between us? Despite that, saying he wants to create a world where both humans and the witches can live together….)

What they both looked at was far too divergent.
As well as Naga’s range of vision.
And even their aims were contrasting with each other.

(If I were to say, unlike me, who can only think within my own scope as a captain, this man possesses an overhead view, just like a bird flying at the highest altitude, and can grasp every position and movement of his enemies and allies. Is this how it feels?)

Raibach, who had devoted himself to military service, suddenly thought that way.

“……Hey, you, Dragon King. Do you honestly believe it’s possible for you to create such a world?”

“Ha? No, obviously, we should be able to do so. That’s because I’m going to live together with the witches too, and I’m not a witch myself, you see. There’s nothing that should be impossible.”

“No, you’re most likely the Dragon King, rather than a human.”

“I may be holding a grandiose name like that, but I’m actually a human, or at least an existence that’s closer to a human than that of a witch. Still, it’s not like I feel any sort of inconvenience from that, you see.”

“However…”

“You as well, haven’t you been walking together with them before reaching this place? Did you feel anything unpleasant? You were able to hold a conversation with them, right?”

“No, No……”

Kay smiled at Raibach as soon as she noticed his glimpse.
He turned his face away in a hurry.

“….There was no such thing, but…”

“Right? Be it humans or the witches, both sides can understand with each other in a proper way. If that’s the case, then creating a world where they both can coexist isn’t far from reality, and we may be able to live together. Unless you see it for yourself, you shouldn’t decide on your own.”

At Naga’s words, Raibach kept silent.

Certainly, Kay, Nonoel, and Ixine, whom he had met before, were far removed from the human’s concept of ‘vicious and inhuman witches’. Rather, they appeared to be more like girls no matter how you looked at them. Were he not to consider these three as peculiar and extraordinary witches, Raibach felt he could agree with Naga to a certain point. And looking at the other witches, such as Harrigan and Ais, it was all the more reason for him to believe they weren’t extraordinary.
In addition to him being taught a biased belief, and their appearance being far different from what he had imagined before, Raibach became confused and perplexed.

“Then, shall we return back to our topic?”

“Eh? W, What was that again?”

“That’s why, I’m telling you we want to capture Fort Ein. Of course, without making any sacrifices on either sides. Furthermore, we need some information about its interior. So the talk was regarding whether or not you would provide us with any information.”

“I’m not fully sure about that myself, but even if you gain the information, it’s impossible to seize that fort with just 40-50 people.”

“Have you forgotten we were able to defeat 2000 people from your army, even though we weren’t supposed to win?”

“No wa….t, that’s true. In other words, this time do you have a secret plan as well?”

“I wouldn’t go so far so far as to call it a secret plan, but I think it’s feasible to do so since we have magic here.”

“If you attack using magic, there’s no way for you to avoid casualties!”

“Honestly, there won’t be any. As long we follow my plan, neither humans nor the witches should suffer casualties.”

“T, Then, how?”

“I can’t tell you much regarding our magic, but how about we assume there’s one that can immobilize people? If you use it, there will be no need to fight. With that, we can boldly march into the fort from the entrance and tie up the crippled soldiers.”

“Hm… does magic like this really exist?”

“Indeed. However, for that to happen, we have to decide on the right place. And to do so, it’s necessary for us to know, in advance, how it looks inside and where the guards are deployed. Because of that, we are questioning you.”

Naga, who finished talking while brimming with self-confidence, pierced Raibach with his gaze.

“If you don’t pass us the information and force us to use violent methods, both sides will suffer losses. However, there might be more on the human side. I’d rather avoid that scene this time.”

Naga’s promise about not creating any sacrifices among the guards was a pretext for him to quickly get hold of the fort with no injuries. Nonetheless, he wasn’t bothered with that.

“W….Will you let me think for a while?”

“Fine. Still, we don’t have all the time in the world. Give me a clear reply within the next couple of days.”

“U, Understood.”

With that the interrogation concluded.
Rather than saying interrogation, if one was to say, the content of their talk was far closer to a conversation.
This experience provided Raibach with a huge impact.
Harrigan and Naga decided to confine him inside a small room.

“Is it okay to leave him without anyone watching? Even if he’s tied up, the walls in the room are just single-layered. Don’t you think he might be able to break through them? Shall I keep an eye on him?”

Once she expressed her concern, Naga uttered something unexpected.

“It’s okay. But, just to make sure, I’ll stay together with him in that room.”

“Eh? Are you sure?”

“In whichever case, there’s no way for me to sleep with you guys in the same room. Or perhaps, you’d prefer to sleep with me?”

“Ah no, as expected, that’s a bit—”

“That’s right. Were I to sleep in a separate room, we would be occupying 2 rooms. It will be much more efficient for me to sleep in the same one with that guy. I may be troubling you, but please prepare bedding for 2 people.”

“I don’t mind that, but, I wonder if he won’t start acting violently.”

“As long as his legs and arms are bound, there should be no problem. Even without it, that guy doesn’t seem to have any intention of running away.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. He doesn’t appear to have a strong grudge against the witches. Perhaps, him not having a family or relatives in Kasandora is also one of the main reasons for that. Well, if you still insist on helping, I won’t reject it, but…”

“Then, I shall assist you a bit. Is it fine, Harrigan-nee?”

“If you want to do so, then fine. However, don’t cause any commotion. Got it?”

“I’m not like Ais, who would do that when getting drunk.”

Ais cracked a smile.

“Well well. I wonder, what’s the meaning of that, Kay-chan?”

Ais’ face was smiling except for her eyes.

“Ah…. ummm, nothing in particular. Yes, not at all.”

Being aware of her sight, Kay’s forehead became covered in a cold sweat.
Still…- Ais, who was grinning, stared at Kay for a while; nevertheless, the latter soon shifted her gaze.
Ahead of her, there was Raibach sitting in the corner of the room.

“That’s a bit strange, isn’t it? I’ve always thought that every human would loath us and keep their distance. To think that such people still exist.”

That’s exactly what I think – As soon she uttered that with a small voice, Naga said so while nodding in agreement.

“Since there are guys like him among humans, perhaps our wish of creating a world for humans and the witches isn’t just a pipe dream?”

“True. I’ve got the feeling it’s fine to place our trust in what Naga-san says.”

“Oi, wait a moment. Ais, do you mean to say you haven’t been trusting in my words until now?”

”Eh? Honestly, I’ve been doing that all this time, you know?”

Naga made a pathetic expression.

“No, just now….”

Or, maybe not… – As he was about to say, he changed his mind.

“Whatever. I’ll be sleeping together with him in the same room, so fret not. I’ll let you know when he’s in the mood for speaking.”

“Yes, understood. But before that, let’s have dinner. I’ll make a portion for him as well. Kay, I’m going to call you once I’m done, so please bring it to him, okay?”

“Got it.”

=== Part 11 ===

Naga and Kay brought Raibach into a plain-looking room that resembled a storage shed. Having done everything he had to do, Naga removed his sword from his waist belt, pushed away a mess on the floor into the corner, and spread out a quilt in an open space. Then, he sat on it and leaned his back against the wall.
Next to him, Kay also sat down.

Owing to the fact that Raibach was tied up in ropes and fastened to a pillar, they didn’t have to fear an attack by him, even if they decided to nod off.

Not being mindful of Raibach’s presence, Kay spoke to Naga.

“Naga-san, shall we continue our talk from earlier today?”

“Ah? What talk?”

“That’s why, I’m telling you it’s the talk about the witches not knowing their fathers.”

“Ahh, that’s right, you’ve mentioned about it before. Oops, my bad.”

Naga took a short glimpse at Raibach, and shook his head in agreement.

“Let’s do it on some other occasion. This may be not something a human should hear, right?”

“I guess so…. Still, if that’s the case,”

“Is there something that troubles you?”

“Not really, but I thought it would be nice to chat since we have some free time.”

“Free time? Seriously, you are…”

Naga put a wry smile on his face without realizing.

“I’ve got an idea. Naga-san, how about we wrestle with our arms? I may be not as strong as Ais, but I’m quite proud of my strength. Look, I’m an athletic type of person, you know? Therefore—”

“Athletic type?”

Naga ran his eyes over Kay’s body without any reservation.

“You don’t really appear as such. Well, perhaps you do, but–”

“I was told something rude just now.”

“Then, Kay, my dear representative of athletes. Will you take me as your opponent?”

Naga lay on his belly and put his right elbow on the floor. Soon after that, Kay moved to his front and did the same thing.

They grasped each other’s right hand.

“Let’s go?”

“Come at me anytime.”

“Three, two, one, goooo!”

“Hm?”

It was a close-fought contest of strength, but
Naga’s hand was finally pushed down by Kay’s own.

“I lostttt!”

“It’s a hundred years too early for you to win against me.”

“One more!”

“Fine by me, but you see, it won’t change much.”

While smiling wryly, Naga kept competing numerous times.

Raibach watched them both with a dumbfounded expression.

(Those guys. Could it be they’ve been ignoring me from the beginning? Or perhaps, they are trusting me? Whichever it is, they sure have some guts. As for me, just the fact that I’m inside a fort of the witches doesn’t let me rest at ease.)

Watching, with a sidelong glance, how Kay and Naga were enthusiastically competing with each other, Raibach exhaled a sigh.

(Good grief, I wonder what fate is going to await me. It doesn’t look like I’ll be killed any time soon, but If I continue to insist about not wanting to talk, they too will eventually lose their temper. Had I known about this, I’d have long resigned from the army and become a guard of some merchant caravan. Anyway, I don’t have any family left, so travelling from one place to another while doing precarious trades would also be worth considering, I guess.)

The appearance of Raibach’s deceased wife and daughter resurfaced in his mind.

(Risa……Erina……)

He remembered his beautiful, gentle wife together with their good-natured and cute daughter.

About the time he first married his wife.

About Erina’s birth.

About the time she turned 2 years old.

About the time she turned 5 years old.

And then, 8 in age.

Back then, his wife was still healthy.

They lived a frugal life, but despite being fairly hungry and feeling little freedom, the three of them huddled together and lived happily.

Their joyful moments as a family floated one by one in his head, and then disappeared.
However, such a blissful scene wouldn’t last forever. Raibach knew that more than anyone as he tried not to recall his memories. But, once they started to overflow, it wasn’t easy to stop them.

It happened one day when his daughter was looking after his ill wife at home. Being overjoyed and full of spirit, Raibach returned back to his city after committing a meritorious deed. Nevertheless, by the time he arrived, the city had already become scorched earth.

Some savage tribe had decided to attack when the city’s garrison was short-handed.
Invading the city, they killed, burned, stole randomly, and then escaped.
It was over by the time Raibach’s assigned troop returned.
Raibach, who was at a loss for words, looked at the city that was no different from a burnt field.
He tried to search for his wife and daughter desperately, but could find no trace of them.
There were lots of scorched corpses, lying in burned houses and on the streets, all of which were hard to tell apart. For that reason, Raibach couldn’t manage to hold a mourning for his family in the end.
Provided they were taken away as a prize, it was possible they would still be alive, even as slaves. He wanted to think that way, however, with his wife being ill and his daughter still being a child, Raibach knew the chance of that was slim.
Even now, his body would tremble and his heart would throb whenever he thought back at his despair, hatred, and remorse from that day. His mind still haunted by his regret from that time.

Why didn’t the army increase the garrison stationed to defend against barbarians?

Why did it have to be his troop that left the city at that time?
Why did he aspire to join a mission troop?
To begin with, why did he enter into military service?
Why Why Why Why Why Why! Why! WHY!

Later, Raibach would contemplate on that repeatedly each day.
Having lost his hometown and his family, he wandered through borderlands, after which he was finally admitted into Kasandora’s army. Nevertheless, he later decided not to marry and remained a bachelor.

From his eyes that looked up at the bottom of the roof, a stream of tears spilled over.

(Good grief. If I can’t even protect my wife and my daughter, then becoming a soldier was meaningless.)

Rubbing his tears, Raibach released the strength from his body and lay down on his quilt.
Before anyone could notice, Naga and Kay, who had stopped arm wrestling, looked at him with a sidelong glance. However, in the end, they wouldn’t speak to him.

<noinclude>
==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
| Return to [[Ochitekita_Ryuuou_to_Horobiyuku_Majo_no_Kuni|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
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</noinclude>

Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 3 Chapter 2

2017-02-16T09:22:26Z

76.115.0.117: /* Part 7 */

==Chapter 2: An Unexpected Prisoner==

=== Part 1 ===

Puffing her cheeks and displaying her discontent, Kay called out to Naga with a loud voice and tried to draw his attention and have him turn his horse’s neck.

“Ah, wait a moment, Naga-san!”

“What? Is there something bothering you?”

“That’s not what I mean. We’ve gone through the trouble of coming here, so can’t we at least enjoy a little swimming?”

“We didn’t come here to play, but…”

“That’s why, I’m telling you it’s just for a change of mood before we start our duties.”

“Ah, isn’t it fine? Naga-san, let’s swim together.”

Ikushina expressed her consent.

“Umm, when it comes to swimming, there’s no witch better at it than I am.”

Nonoeru lifted her hand.

“No, I don’t get why you’re boasting about being the best swimmer among us, Nono.”

“Eh? So it was no good?”

“No no, it’s not about that. I think it’s good to have Nono teach Naga-san since you’re most proficient in that.”

“Good grief. It can’t be helped, I guess.”

While saying so, Naga dismounted his horse. Nevertheless, he didn’t dislike it so much that he would complain. Naga decided to see Nonoeru, Kay and Ikushina off half-way from the Schwein River where those 3 had been posted to keep watch. At the same time, he also decided to carry out some horse-riding practice. Rather than him practicing by himself, teaching Ikushina horse-riding was much more meaningful. Descending from the great cliff towards the plain, Naga galloped on his horse while aiming upstream.
Kay was saddled on the back of Naga’s horse, whereas Nonoeru sat behind Ikushina. Nonoeru, who was extremely frightened, clung to Ikushina’s lower back. On the other hand, Kay was, somewhat happily, glued to Naga’s back.
Running at full speed, Naga created some space between his and Ikushina’s horse. Continuing on like that, he called out to Kay, who was seated behind him.

“Oi, Kay.”

“Whaat, Naga-san?”

“You, weren’t you fine riding behind Ikushina the other day? Why did you decide to cling to me today? You’re not going to say that my riding skills are better than Ikushina’s, right?”

“Of course not. But that’s not the reason. Somehow, it feels nostalgic, you see.”

“Ha? What? Riding on a horse?”

“Wrong, wrong. It’s not that. A man’s back, is what I mean.”

Kay snapped and struck Naga’s back with her right hand.

“I don’t get it. Speaking of which, stop hitting me with all your strength. It hurts.”

Today, Naga didn’t put his armor on. Since he was wearing a kimono with tight sleeves, which he had received from Harrigan and the rest, it felt quite painful for him when he was hit forcefully on his back.

“Ahaha, sorry, sorry.”

Kay withdrew her hand while laughing.

“Saying that a man’s back feels nostalgic….. Could it be that you’re talking about your father?”

Naga tried to ask this.

“Umm, well I guess you could say so.”

“It’s been on my mind since before, but where and what are each of your fathers doing?”

“We don’t have a father.”

“W, What? It’s impossible for such an absurd thing to exist. Or could it be, that in case of the witches, children are born from just a mother?”

“Honestly, there’s no way for that.”

Ahaha – Kay laughed.

“That’s not it. Umm, perhaps it’s better to say we don’t have any fathers or brothers?”

“What’s the meaning…. of that?”

“Because explaining the story would take too long, I’ll tell you about it again on another occasion. You see, the witches basically know nothing about their fathers. They’re not informed about them. That’s why, it’s the same as saying they don’t exist.”

Naga didn’t understand the meaning behind Kay’s words, however, he understood her words were quite significant for the witches.

(Somehow, it’s become hard to ask them casually.)

Not being aware of Naga’s hesitant face, Kay continued her story.

“Therefore, nobody from the witches knows their fathers, and so they have no memories about them. But you see, I’ve got some memories about my father.”

“Would that be…. his back?”

“Yes. Despite them being faint memories, should you say I remember them? It seems like he used to carry me on his back and walk with me. I don't have the slightest idea about where or when he disappeared, but with just your large, warm back in front of my eyes, I can recall those times.”

“…..Hm.”

“Because of that, it suddenly felt nostalgic when I saw Naga-san’s back. Hehe.”

Wearing an embarrassed grin on her face, Kay once again put her strength into her arms around Naga’s waist and glued her face to his back.

“Honestly, I’m not at the age to have a big daughter like you.”

Kay, who loosed her face from Naga’s back, again hit it with her right hand.

“Even though I was able to immerse myself in some nostalgic feelings, don’t say things like that. Aren’t you a kill-joy?”

“That’s why, I’m telling you not to hit me. Listen to me!”

“Ah, this, somehow feels like whipping a horse. Yes, doesn’t it give a sound similar to fw-chi?”

Since Kay, was carried away and wouldn’t stop hitting him, Naga became annoyed.

“S, Seriously, this girl. Hey, stop it!”

While messing around with each other, they finally reached their destination and Naga halted the horse.

“Hey, we're here so get down.”

“Alreadyyy?”

Kay made a displeased face, however, she wouldn’t complain any further and lightly descended from the horse. Soon after, Ikushina and Nonoeru arrived on their horse.

=== Part 2 ===

Both banks of the river, where Naga and the rest had made a dam, turned into a rocky area. It was convenient for hiding one’s presence, and enemy soldiers would most likely not reach this far. Even if they were to do so, it would be easy to spot them as Nonoeru and Kay would camp there and watch over the river.

“Ikushina, hasn’t you horse-riding skill improved quite significantly?”

“I did it! I was praised by Naga-san!”

Sitting on her horse, Ikushina clenched her right hand in victory.
Ikushina, who was fired up, had on a leather-made and slender tube skirt similar to those found among equestrian tribes. On her feet, she wore a pair of shin high boots. Her outfit was unlike those commonly used by the witches, but nevertheless such an appearance was relatively fitting to Ikushina’s tall stature.

“Well then, I’ll be heading back. Take good care of yourself while standing guard. Especially you, Kay. Don’t make any rash decisions, got it?”

“Ehh, you’re saying some cruel things there. I’m not the type of person who would act recklessly, you know?”

“Yes, I know. I was just kidding.”

“Well, having some refreshment and taking a breather are important as well, right?”

“True, true. It’s important, important.”

Being in high spirits, Kay dashed down toward the dry river bank. After that, Ikushina and Nonoeru followed. Naga, too, sped his horse to a nearby rock using the reins and ran after the three witches. As soon as he got down to the river bed with rocks scattered around, the three of the were already doing warm-up exercises. Since Nonoeru wore thin clothes on the assumption that her garments would get soaked, there was no particular need for her to change or take them off. Unlike her, Ikushina wore the tube skirt for horse-riding, so she had to take her clothes off in order to be able to swim. Her top as well was covered by a coat, which also needed to be taken off. Once she took off her top and bottom, only a small breast wrap and a loincloth were left on her body. However, despite that risqué appearance of hers, Ikushina still moved her body with composure. Tattoo-like, complex patterns that appeared on her whole body caught Naga’s attention. And then, if one was to describe Kay,
[[File:Naga03 Illus-03.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
She was doing gymnastics while being totally naked, with no loincloth or breast cover.

“Oi, Kay!”

“What? Naga-san too, isn’t it better for you to properly warm-up before entering the water?”

Kay responded while bending her body left and right.

“That’s not what I mean. I’m asking: why are you naked?!”

“Hm?”

Ceasing to move, she looked down on her body.

“A….Ah…oops, I forgot that we are together with Naga-san.”

Saying ‘oops’ lightly, Kay scratched her head without feeling shy or embarrassed.

“You’re not supposed to forget that! Speaking of which, at least put on your loincloth.”

“Ah no, that’s because I’ve always been taking off my clothes when playing in water with my friends. Recently, I’ve been told by Ais to value myself more, but…”

Kay said so while turning around, picking up her loincloth, and putting it on while squirming.

(That’s an amazing view, indeed. Are you really fine with changing yourself there, Kay? Speaking of which, should I really be watching, but…. well, since I was neither told to go away nor avert my eyes, let’s consider this as OK.)

“Wai, Kay, you’re way too bold!”

Rather, it was Ikushina and Nonoeru who became red-faced.
Both of them moved in front of Kay and stood with their arms spread as if trying to hinder Naga’s gaze. Finally, understanding it was no good by their reaction, Naga shifted his gaze away. Kay finished putting on her loincloth and chest cover, turned around and asked them both.

“Hm? What are you two doing?”

Ikushina and Nonoeru collapsed to their knees.

“Even though we were protecting you from Naga-san’s eyes.”

“Is that so? Thanks.”

“Kay, you’re too defenseless…”

At Nonoeru pointing that out, Naga too, couldn’t help but nod.

“Right. Shouldn’t you have some shame as well?”

“No you see, til now, there’s been nobody besides girls, so we have no custom of paying attention to that.”

“I wonder if I should consider you as being exceptional. Well, still if you insist that you want me to watch at all costs I won’t refuse to do so, but…”

“No no, as one would expect, I wouldn’t go that far.”

“In that case, you better pay more attention.”

“I’ll be careful from now on.”

“Indeed, you’re one easy-going fellow.”

Naga was astonished; Ikushina and Nonoeru started to laugh.

“Kay is that sort of girl.”

“Isn’t she? Despite Kay-chan not minding other people’s sight like this, she also has good qualities.”

“Eh? I don’t feel like I’m being praised.”

As Kay spoke up with a slightly hysterical voice, Ikushina waved her hands in denial.

“No, we weren’t particularly praising you.”

Naga was infected by the sound of their laughter and smiled broadly.

(Being so relaxed, overfamiliar, and positive toward other witches, indeed, Kay is an interesting fellow.)

Not being aware of Naga’s thoughts, Kay spoke up.

“Well then, let’s swim!”

After they enjoyed themselves in the water for a short time, the four of them came ashore and dressed themselves.

“Well, now that we have refreshed ourselves, shall we take up our posts? Even if I say so, it’s actually Nono who’s in charge of guarding.”

“I know, right?”

“We are relying on you, Nonoeru.”

“Yesss, I’ll do my best.”

“Kay and Ikushina too, do your best, okay?”

“Leave it to us.”

“You can count on me.”

“If anything happens, Ikushina will run back on her horse.”

“Understood.”

Like this, Nonoeru, Kay and Ikushina took up the duty of watching for movements from the Cassandra Kingdom’s army near the Schwein River.

=== Part 3 ===

The army in question would turn out to be Raibaha’s company.
His company, which set up camp on the left side of the riverbank, was divided into 4 groups in order to guard the river. Gathering 2 platoons and 5 more people from company headquarters, Raibaha formed groups consisting of 25 people each as units for tactical mobilization. Assuming the witches came to this side of the river, there was no telling if they would only cross where the path was. Consequently, Raibaha’s troops had to watch over a certain area. Still, there was also a limit to how well 100 soldiers could accomplish this task. With that, Raibaha divided his company into 4 units, each placed at a set distance from one another and spread out along the river. However, in all honesty, he really didn’t want to split his forces.

(Originally, it should’ve been 4-5 companies lined up along the river…. No, even with that amount it wouldn’t be enough. Still, to think that that youngster would only send my company for this dangerous post.)

Whenever Raibaha tried to recall the prim looking face of General Guiscard, he couldn’t help himself from getting angry. Even if they were told to temporarily observe the enemy, a unit that consisted of only 25 people could do very little. Providing they face a clan of the witches that had as many as 20 people, they would have practically the same numbers. 25 soldiers would stand no chance against 20 witches. Not to mention, they would probably be unable to even stall the witches until their allies arrived. As soon as they were attacked, they would just run away. However, were they to move together as a company, they would only be able to watch over a single place. If that was the case, the enemy could choose a location freely and cross the river at any time.

(That youngster. Saying things like ‘hinder them at all costs’. If so, send us more soldiers! Well, even without hindering the witches, we should at least be able to report once we see them coming, but….)

Regardless of that, Raibaha’s company, which was the only one appointed for guarding this wide area, was put in quite a dangerous situation.

(Indeed, recently I’ve been encountering nothing but bad omens since the time we attacked the witches’ fort. As I thought, nothing good comes from being involved with them. Rather, should I retire from the army? After all, I no longer have a family to support. I wonder if I could somehow…. afford living by myself. No, I still can’t be certain about that, I guess.)

Even if Raibaha, who has been serving devotedly in the army since his youth, was to try his luck in some other jobs, he possessed no special skills whatsoever. If there was something he could take pride in, it would be his swordsmanship. Other things he could boast about were his military commanding ability and his eye trained for tactics, which he gained through experience, still…

(Guess those skills won’t come in handy if I change my occupation. Were I to make the best use of my swordsmanship, wouldn’t I be only able to serve as a guard for a caravan of merchants? Nevertheless, considering my age right now, it would still probably be quite harsh.)

Contemplating on his own future, Raibaha could only let out a sigh.

“Captain. Captain Raibaha.”

At his subordinate’s voice, Raibaha came back to his senses.

“What? Did something happen?”

“No, it’s not that. I came here to inform you about the newly arrived army provisions.”

“Again? Just how many days has it been since we came here?”

The adjutant replied seriously as Raibaha spat out his question.

“We’ve been staying here for about 6-7 days, I think.”

(That bastard, Guiscard. In the end, he just wants us to stay here! Speaking of which, if you have time to send us that much food, at least provide us with reinforcements!)

“Have you already confirmed its contents?”

“Yes, it’s done. I’d like to ask for your signature.”

Taking the receipt and feather pen presented by the adjutant, Raibaha quickly signed.

“Here.”

“Thank you very much for your efforts.”

Once he handed over the receipt, Raibaha called out to the same man who was about to retreat.

“Oi, Sirius”

The adjutant stopped and turned around.

“Yes?”

“I’m going to take around 10 people with me and patrol the river(?).”

Since there was some distance between their units, it was decided that each of them would assign some people to walk along and patrol the riverbank. Raibaha was the one who suggested this.

“Captain, you plan to go personally?”

“Yeah, for a change of pace.”

“Will it be alright? If something were to happen to you…”

It wasn’t unreasonable for the adjutant to worry about his superior.
Unlike in modern times, an army in this world had no distinct class system. If something were to happen to a commanding officer, there was a distinct possibility that it would cease to function. And if someone like the general in command, or a royal family member, was to be killed, it was possible for the entire army to desert. One could say that the same applied for single units. In the case that this occurred, there was also a vice-commanding officer in charge of every unit, however, the death of one’s commanding officer would cause quite a shock to the soldiers. Still, Raibaha replied with a buoyant look.

“We have a good insight into the surroundings, so it should be fine. Generally, this task is dangerous in itself. No matter where we go, the danger will still be the same.”

“That….might be true, but…”

“Don’t fret. I’m just doing it on a whim.”

(Saying that he wants to carry a patrol because of a whim, isn’t it a bit reckless of him to do so as a commanding officer?)

As an adjutant, it was only natural for him to think so. Nonetheless, it didn’t appear to be a matter big enough for him to strongly object.

Despite it being a hazardous duty, right now, no signs indicated that the witches would appear.

(I guess, the general’s caution about the possibility of the witches striking was a needless worry.)

The adjutant thought so.
Because the witches have been isolating themselves inside the black forest for several dozens of years, it wasn’t irrational.

“Understood. Then, please bring the 1st platoon along with you.”

“I’ll leave the camp in your care.”

Like that, Raibaha led a single platoon and went for a patrol along the riverside.

=== Part 4 ===

Nonoeru travelled through the river while submerged.
With water magic being her main strength, she could breathe by gathering air inside the water. At the same time, it was possible for her to expand the gathered air and wrap it around her skin, allowing her to maintain a steady body temperature. Thanks to that, she could easily stay active for more than half an hour inside the water. And if it was just the submerging alone, even for a whole hour. Since Nonoeru was also able to refract the light from the water’s surface whenever she was diving, she could easily conceal her presence. Capitalizing on that ability, she searched for any sign of Cassandra’s army from beneath the river’s surface.

Nonoeru had already grasped that there were 4 units from Cassandra’s army dispatched along the river, with each of them having around 20 soldiers.
She was currently near the place where the path was intersected by the river, where there were footprints still visible. Nevertheless, the area didn’t appear to be heavily guarded.

(Guess it’s like this. It’s not like they have to walk near the path)

Despite there being some hills in the surroundings, the area was basically a plain with no wetlands or big forests. It would be different in the case of a big unit, however, if one was to consider just a few people walking around, they could go anywhere and not just guard a fixed area. Even so, there was a mountainous area ahead of the river. Since it was far more comfortable to walk on the path instead of covering the distance by crossing the mountains, Cassandra’s troops would usually walk this path and cross the river here.

After going downstream for a moment and confirming there was no particular change in the Cassandra Army’s troops, Nonoeru prepared to swim back upstream andreturn to where Kay and Ikushina were hiding. Being capable of controlling the water, she had no difficulty in swimming against the flow of the river. Nonoeru continued to move upstream while sometimes taking a peek above to observe her surroundings. In the middle of doing so, she discovered a troop of only 10 people, who were walking on the river bank.

(Is it the usual patrol group…..? No, it’s not them?)

Among the troops that walked on top of the embankment upstream, Nonoeru recognized one person wearing a different outfit from the rest.

(He’s wearing a more refined helmet and armor than the others. Could he be… a commanding officer?)

Back then, Nonoeru did a meritorious deed by taking down a battalion commander as a result of her noticing the difference in the soldiers’ outfits. Therefore, it was just a natural course of action for her to recall that time.

(Why did a commanding officer go through the trouble of patrolling?)

Nonoeru thought doubtfully.

(Is it a sign of them being about to launch some sort…. of new tactic? Or maybe, they are searching for a plausible location to cross so they can counterattack? The danger doesn’t seem to be imminent, but wouldn’t it be better if I made sure just in case?)

Thinking to check out the intentions of the newly discovered unit, she drew near the riverbank. As soon as she approached a point where she was barely able to hide herself, Nonoeru positioned her face right below the water surface while looking up at the shallows. It was a posture where you would question whether or not her nose would stick out from the water’s surface.
Under normal circumstances, it would be easy to tell if something was hiding inside the water, even from a more distant place. However, as long as Nonoeru was in control of light refraction, unless someone peered into the water right above her, there was no chance they would see her. On the other hand, she was able to observe the surroundings to a certain degree.
Ceasing her movements, Nonoeru began to spy on the troop.

=== Part 5 ===

“There’s been nothing unusual taking place, right?”

The 1st platoon leader addressed Raibaha.

“Well, I guess so. It would be nice if we can finish our duty just like this without any problems, but you see…”

“When do you think it will be over?”

A shade of concern appeared on the leader’s face.
Considering that it was possible for the witches to attack, his anxiety wasn’t unreasonable. Even Raibaha felt uneasy. But, there was no way for him to display that in front of his subordinates.

“Well, it’s hard for me to tell as it depends on General Guiscard’s mood.”

Raibaha answered in a casual manner.

“That’s because the witches might come, right?”

The platoon leader asked once more.

“That too, remains unclear to me. Til now, the witches have been staying inside the black forest. It’s difficult to imagine them leaving it today, tomorrow, or any time soon, but well….”

“Still” – Lowering his tone, the platoon leader said.

“Based on the fact that our troops suffered a big loss the other day, won’t the witches consider that….as an opportunity?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Raibaha began to walk.

“I still don’t understand the witches’ reasoning.”

“Captain, where are you going?”

“I’ll wash my face a bit so as to keep myself awake.”

“Ah….okay.”

The platoon leader was taken aback, however,

(Despite being assigned to such a dangerous task, our captain is indeed a daredevil. As one would expect, he hasn’t worked his way up to become a captain for nothing. His battle experience is rich, and he’s also dealt with the witches. I think we might be able to return alive as long we have this person by our side.)

Being filled with admiration, the man thought that Raibaha seemed reliable.

“Should I have someone accompany you?”

“I’ll be back quickly. More importantly, stay on guard and watch over the other side of the river properly. If you spot something, inform everyone with a loud voice and run back as fast as you can.”

“Got it.”

Putting a wry smile on his face, the platoon leader saluted.

=== Part 6 ===

(Is somebody approaching?)

Nonoeru lifted her face up close to the water's surface, which was hard to tell whether it was sticking it out or not. Certainly, there was someone drawing close. What’s more, that person was coming towards her direction.

(Could it be that he sensed my presence? No, I don’t think that’s possible, still…)

It would be better if that person were to go straight along the embankment of the river stream, but instead, he walked diagonally across a sand bar.
Nonoeru saw that and was a bit confused.

Despite thinking it shouldn’t be possible for her to be exposed, she had heard from Harrigan that there were rare instances in which experienced swordsmen would be able to grasp the witches’ hidden presence.

'Could it be that this man….?' – she thought.

Nevertheless, Nonoeru was overthinking.
Considering it calmly, there was a high chance that this event was just coincidental. But Nonoeru, who was still young and inexperienced in battle, panicked a bit, and as a result, assumed too much.

(If I move right now, it will place me in danger instead. Should I let this person pass?)

Even if the enemy was able to sense something doubtful for a moment, Nonoeru didn’t think he would be able to confirm her position. Because of that, rather than running away, she deemed it was better to hold her breath silently in that place. Despite that, the person continued to approach the shallows in which she’d hidden herself.

(T, That person is walking as if he knows I’m here.)

While thinking so, Nonoeru became a little restless.

(W, What should I do? Should I carry out a preemptive attack…? No, by doing so, I’ll reveal myself to other soldiers behind this person. If they learn about us spying on this place, it might affect our plan of capturing their fort. As expected, it’s better to let him pass…no, perhaps it’s better to flee?)

'What should I do?' – Nonoeru couldn’t make up her mind.

At the same time, the man descended down to the riverbank.

“Good grief, isn’t today quite peaceful? It would be nice if such days could always continue like this.”

The soldier, who approached, looked around and said so with an easy-going attitude. Once he did so, he crouched down on the spot and extended both his hands toward the water’s surface.

His intention was to wash his face by scooping some water, but Nonoeru felt confused and reacted reflexively.

(Was my location exposed?!)

Nonoeru, who tried to counter attack, unconsciously loosened her control of the light refraction. The sudden appearance of a person below the water surprised Raibaha. Not to mention, it was a girl who wore thin clothes with lots of skin exposure.

“No, it isn’t a human, but, a witch!?”
[[File:Naga03 Illus-04.jpg|200px|thumbnail|right]]
Opening his eyes widely, Raibaha stood up as if being flicked.

(He saw meee!)
Nonoru’s body reacted before she could think.

*Splashhh*

The moment he thought that the river surface became choppy, the water rose up. And then, stretched out just like tentacles, the water coiled around Raibach’s arms, body, and feet.

“Whhhhhhhat is thisssssssssss!?”

(This is bad. I don’t know what it is, but it feels incredibly bad!)

Having a frantic expression, Raibaha tried to tear off the water tentacles, but unfortunately, he was unable to move. It was as though he was seized by steel, rather than water.

“What’s the matter, Captain?!”

Sensing something wrong, the platoon leader and his men tried to descend to the river bank. Raibaha noticed that, turned his head and shouted.

“Don’t come, it’s a witch!”

With the word ‘witch’, they immediately stopped moving.

“What are you doing?! Quickly, run awa…”

Raibaha’s body was suddenly pulled inside the water.

“Uwaaaaa?!”

The next instance.

*plop*

Leaving a small sound behind, Raibaha vanished.
Naturally, his body was inside the water. Since Nonoeru controlled light refraction with her magic, it looked as if Raibaha disappeared. Or so they thought.

(W, was Captain kidnapped by the witches?)

“Eeeek?!”

The other soldiers ran up the embankment without a second glance and escaped at full speed. Raibaha, who was pulled inside the water, was struggling desperately. However, it was as if his body was restrained by huge invisible hands. He couldn’t move.

*Blub blub bluuuu-*

Raibaha’s breath continued to turn into bubbles and float up.

(This is bad, I’m running out of air….. Damn, really, nothing good comes from being involved with…Gahaa)

With a part of his consciousness fading away, Raibaha awaited his death.

=== Part 7 ===

“What should we do, Kay-chan, Shi-chan?”

“No, I wonder about that too.”

Looking down at the unconscious enemy soldier dragged ashore, Ikushina and Kay bent their heads. The complex, tattoo-like patterns drawn on Ikushina looked as though they were squirming on her skin.
Finally, Kay lifted up her head and said swiftly.

“Since its bothersome, shouldn’t we just kill him?”

Nonoeru as well, nodded in agreement.

“Guess you’re right. 2-3 minutes should be enough for him to die if we leave him to soak. How about that?”

“Oioioioi!”

Smack – Kay faced toward Nonoeru and hit her in a chopping manner.

“I was joking, Nono. Don’t take it that seriously.”

“Ah, is that, so?”

Nonoeru tried to ask Ixine for an opinion by looking in her direction.

“Because we caught him, shall we take him back with us for the time being? In the first place, why did you capture this person? Nonoeru, was there some sort of a motive?”

“Ah, no, that’s….. you see, I did it on the spur the moment and had no time to think ahead.”

Beginning from that time, Nonoeru explained the whole story in general

“Really? So he isn’t just a soldier but a commanding officer of that troop? Now that you mention it, he’s certainly wearing high-class armor, unlike those regular soldiers.”

Saying that, Kay nodded.

“If that’s the case” – Ikushina raised her right hand.

“I wonder if he doesn’t know about that.”

“Yes? About what?”

“I’m talking about Fort Ein.”

“Ah!”

“Wouldn’t Naga-san want to know about that? He said that if there’s detailed information about the fort, capturing it would be much easier.”

“Right? Speaking of which, it means that we’ve caught a fine prisoner, right? Does it mean I’ve once again made a glorious achievement?”

“You’re really singing your own praises, aren’t you, Nono? Well, there’s no doubt that it’s a great achievement, but getting your head gently stroked by Naga-san is indeed nice.”

'Ehehe' – Nonoeru smiled timidly once Kay said so in a half joking manner.

“What? So you really want to be stroked by Naga-san? If that’s the case, you should have your chest stroked as well.”

“….That would be a bit troublesome. wouldn’t you say it’s still too early for…..”

“So the problem is age? Are you saying it’s fine when you become more mature?”

As Kay retorted, Ikushina continued to speak.

“Are you saying you won’t be satisfied with just being caressed? Could it be that you want to be groped as well?”

“Uhmm, how should we bring this person with us?”

“Don’t try to dodge my question!” x2

(Nono…. I wonder if you were surprisingly this bold. No, rather than that.)

Kay turned her attention to the problem in front of their eyes.

“It appears to be quite difficult to carry him on one’s back, so…. by the way, when it comes to things like this, perhaps I could be of help, so… no. On second thought, let’s make him walk.”

As soon as Kay said so, Nonoeru once again looked in Ikushina’s direction.

“Will it do if we place him on the horse?”

“No, you see, I’d rather not have a human guy ride behind me.”

“….Guess you’re right.”

“Well then Nono, let’s wake him up.”

“I think it will be fastest for Kay to hit him two or three times on the cheek.”

“Eh? Are you fine with that?”

“Since he has lost consciousness from drowning, giving him a shock should be the right thing to do.”

“Ah, that’s right. Well, fine.”

Kay said a small chant.

“Harden, harden. Become an unrivalled hardness. Oh Thee, become a body, become an embodiment of hardness.”

Her right hand which turned silver in color, was hardened.

“Pay attention so as not to overdo it. If you hit him too seriously, you will probably crush his cheekbones.”

“Got it. I’ll hit him gently, like brushing him, so don’t fret.”

“What type of a hitting method is that?!”

Ikushina retorted.

“No, I get what you want to say, but…”

Kay’s strengthened body was solid to the extent of repelling sharp swords. If she hit him in that state, the man would most likely not avoid bone fractures.

"Ah, that’s right." – Kay said after lowering her raised hand.

“Nono, it will troublesome if this man wakes up and becomes violent.”

“Yes. I’ll restrain him.”

Once Nonoeru chanted in a grumbling manner, she inserted her right hand into the river and ladled out some water.

Soon after the scooped water covered the man, turning into fine strings and wrapping around his wrists and ankles.

“This will do.”

“Then, shall we start?”

Raising her right hand once more, Kay grabbed the enemy soldier by his collar and lifted his upper body.

“Okay, wake up, wake upppp.”

Slap slap slap – she delivered repeated slaps to his cheeks.

“Uu…..Uuuug…”

Nonoeru and Ikushina looked at the man.

“Seems like he’s regaining consciousness.”

“He doesn’t have any broken cheekbones, right?”

Using her strengthened right hand, Kay tried to caress his cheeks.

“Hm, should be fine.”

=== Part 8 ===

A strange sensation, which was somewhat hard but warm, passed through his cheeks. And then,

“Hm, should be fine.”

Such a voice reverberated inside his head.

(What…. I haven’t died yet?)

Right after he opened his eyes slightly, Raibach coughed and choked repeatedly.

“Kuh-ack-kuh”

Despite him choking, Raibach somehow managed to open his eyes. As he did so, the faces of unfamiliar witches unfolded before him.

“Uwaaaaaa?!”

“What the—?!”

At his shout, Kay, who became surprised, released him unintentionally from her grasp, making his head fall straight down on top of a stone.

“Awwwwww!”

Folding his knees and arching his back, Raibach tried to hold the back of his head using his hands, but they wouldn’t move freely.

“Awawawawa, what the heck is this, awawaawawa, what’s happening, awawawaawa—”

Raibach attempted to move his body by kicking and struggling, but his limbs still wouldn’t regain their freedom. It felt as though his ankles and wrists were tightly bound by rope-like things.

“Are you in pain or in amazement? Decide which.”

Hearing a voice pouring from above his head, he looked up with teary eyes.

“…….”

“……”

For a while, he and Kay stared at each other from close range.

“Witcheeeeeeeessss!?”

Raibach screamed with a loud voice, making her lean backwards in astonishment.

“Uwaaa!?”

Raibach tried to escape desperately, but it shouldn’t be possible with his limbs restrained. In the end, he would just tumble heavily onto the river bed.

“Awwawaw.”

With a stone from the river bed cutting into his body, he completely recovered his senses thanks to the pain.

Raibach stopped moving around and looked around his surrounding, trying to confirm the situation.
He was situated on a bank with the flowing stream most likely being the Schweiz River. Since the area was rocky and the river was narrow, unlike his previous location, there was no doubt about this one being upstream. And then, the ones looking down on him were three witches.

Conducting a quick survey from that little information, Raibach reached a conclusion.

(In other words, I was caught by the witches. Because of that, my body is tied up with their magic and thrown down on the river bed…… or so I think?)

As one would expect, Raibach, who had plenty of battle experience, could still judge a situation with composure, despite finding himself in peril.
Releasing all the strength in his body, Raibach fell on his back and observed the three witches, who looked down on him, once again.

(So these are…the witches? Looking closely, they seem to be different from what I’ve thought.)

The three girls in front his eyes appeared to be quite dissimilar from how they had been commonly portrayed as ‘vicious and inhuman’.

(Speaking of which, aren’t they just normal girls? Even if they can use magic, they look no different from normal girls.)

The figure of his long deceased daughter resurfaced in his mind.

(Were she to be alive, that girl too would probably be around this age and appearance.)

Being immersed in a sentiment that wasn’t appropriate to his situation, Raibach ceased any thought of putting up resistance or attempts of escaping.

“Hey, you.”

“Eh? What?”

“You’re, witches, right?”

Nonoel and Kay looked at each other’s face.

A moment later, Kay, who had returned her gaze to him, responded:

“That’s right.”

“Is that so? Well, guess that was an obvious thing. Still…..”

“Why are you asking such a question?”

“….You look different from what I had imagined.”

“What kind of imagination was that?”

“I’ve heard stories about you being atrocious, heinous, wicked, and brutal existences, which made me think you’re indeed fearsome in appearance. Like the ones with a mouth splitting til their ears, narrowed eyes, and protruding fangs.”

The three of them bent backward without realizing.

“That’s cruel.”

“It’s cruel, right?”

“Indeed, that’s cruel!”

“When I look at you from a close range like this, you certainly have unusual hair color and clothing. Still, your look is no different from that of normal girls.”

“Not just our looks but our insides too are similar to normal girls, you know?”

Raibach’s eyes stopped at Kay’s right hand.

“I guess, you can’t call that normal.”

“Ah, no, this is….”

She released her magic.
The metallic-like luster vanished and her skin color turned back to normal.

“What’s more, this is….”

Raibach tried to put up both his hands.

String-shaped cords, which couldn’t be torn off no matter how much strength he applied, coiled around his wrists.

“Is this magic as well?”

“Yes, that’s… true.”

“As one would expect, witches aren’t common beings, I guess.”

But, not feeling any disgust or contempt toward his tone of speaking, the three of them looked again at each other’s faces.

“Then, what do you plan to do with me from now on? If I’m going to be killed either way, it would be nice if you could do it using painless and instant methods, so as to ease my death, but well…”

“We won’t kill you!”

Kay shouted.

“Had we simply planned to kill you, we wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of catching you.”

“Is that so?”

Raibach breathed a big sigh.

“So I’ll be tormented to death? Indeed, a horrifying end.”

“We won’t be doing that either!”

“You mean it?”

“….No, there seems to be one person capable of that, but at least, we won’t do such things.”

“Then, what are you going do with me?”

“We thought about discussing that matter with Naga-san first, and so we wanted to bring you with us. Still…”

“Naga? Who’s that?”

“No, Naga-san is Naga-san. But the meaning behind his name appears to be ‘Dragon King’, you see?”

“Na….Naga?” [written as Dragon King]

Raibach widely opened his eyes, as if not believing the words he had just heard.

“Naga-san is a human guy and a member of our household. No, to begin with, it’s not clear to us whether or not we should call him ‘human’.”

(Oi, oi, what’s the meaning of that? Naga-san [Dragon King]… What’s wrong with the overfamiliarity in that name?)

“Yes, it was thanks to Naga-san’s tactics that we were able to repel 2000 of your soldiers.”

“For real?”

“There’s no reason for us to lie at this point.”

Raibach wasn’t directly involved with the battle, but he was still related to it since he led the supply troops. That’s why, he knew more than enough about his friendly troops suffering an utter defeat from the hands of ‘the witches who resorted to an unheard of style of fighting’.

(If there’s someone like the Dragon King, then certainly, it wouldn’t be strange for the witches to change their fighting style…. no, I still can’t believe it.)

“We are going to discuss your matter with Naga-san. It would be much appreciated if you could follow us obediently, but….”

“…….Will I become prey for the Dragon King? Am I going to be munched on by him starting from my head?”

“Ha? No no, what are you talking about? Naga-san won’t devour you. If they’re young girls, he would most likely do so, however….”

“Really? So the Dragon King prefers young human girls? Well, guess that’s understandable.”

Raibach felt a small relief inside his heart.

Therefore – While being unaware that he wasn’t understanding their conversation, Kay replied.

“Follow us obediently. If you decide to pick a fight or run away, I’ll have to bring you by force.”

Kay, who peered at his eyes, continued to speak.

“It would be quite bothersome, and you also probably don’t want to suffer, right?”

Raibach exhaled a sigh once again.

“Yeah, I’d hate that. Understood, I’ll follow along.”

“Uuuuu”

Looking down on Raibach, who folded up his arms, Kay groaned lightly.

“What? Is something matter?”

“No, how should I say, I think you’re also different from what I had imagined about humans.”

At Kay’s words, Nonoel and Ixine slightly nodded.

“While we are at it, what kind of human did you picture me as?”

“Look. Don’t humans detest the witches just like snakes and scorpions? In that case, they wouldn’t even bother to lend an ear to us. Despite that, I thought it was strange for you to talk with us that conventionally.”

“Even among humans, there are different people.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

For some reason, Kay watched Raibach with a face showing curiosity.

“Ah, that’s right. What’s your name?”

“Me? I’m Raibach.”

“I see. My name is Kay. It’s fine for you to call me Kay for now.”

“O….Oh, you mean it?”

“And then, here’s Nonoel.”

Being pointed out, Nonoel moved swiftly behind Kay’s back as if trying to conceal herself. With only her face peeking through, she said with a small voice:

“It’s……. Nonoel.”

“This person here is Ixine.”

“Uhmm, I’m Ixine. Nice to meet you.”

“It’s Raibach. Please treat me well.”

“Well then, let’s not waste any more time on chit-chat. Ixine, gallop back first and inform Hari-nee and Naga-san.”

“Hm, that’s right. Got it. Then, I will return back ahead of you.”

Saying so, Ixine returned to the place where the horse was tied up.

“Take care.”

Kay who saw Ixine off with her hand, finally turned around.

“Then, shall we go ahead, Raibach?”

(You’re going to address me without any honorifics? Well, it’s not like I’m in a position to complain since I’m your prisoner, but even if you’re witches, your girlish appearance and age give off a very bad feeling.)

“Can you stand up?”

“Hm? Yeah, more or less…”

Raibach cast down his gaze to the water strings that bound his ankles.

“Oh, is that so? Nonoel, you can remove them.”

“U, Understood.”

Uhee? – Removing the bonds on his ankles, Raibach gave out a voice which could have equally been from astonishment or admiration.

Heave-ho – Raibach stood up and stuck out his bound wrists.

“I’m going to be like this…. for the whole time, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I thought it would be nice if I wasn’t.”

“Then, you should give up and walk with us. If you try to escape, Nonoel will bind your ankles once more. Speaking of which, perhaps it would be better to constrain your neck too?”

“Yeah, I won’t. To begin with, I don’t think it’s even possible for me to run away from you.”

Nonoel, who heard their conversation, felt it was strange.
The fact that a human and witch could talk casually, judging from her common sense, was an unthinkable thing.

(No, well, it might be that Kay is just a bit eccentric among all of us. She would start talking even with Naga-san in an overfamiliar manner. However, I wouldn’t imagine for this human guy to talk this carefreely with us. I don’t think it’s due to Kay’s speaking style, but I’ve always believed all humans detest the witches.)

Raibach’s speech and conduct was an unexpected and refreshing experience that made Nonoel a little bit happy.

(Could it be it’s possible for both the witches and humans to understand each other……?)

Nonoel considered Naga as someone exceptional. Also, the fact that he fell from another dimension without being bound by this world’s ties of obligation, customs, or common sense was the reason he could give them a fair evaluation. This is what she thought. Nevertheless, looking at this man called Raibach, especially as somebody who wasn’t just an ordinary man, but an enemy soldier, Nonoel actually felt that not all the humans are hostile against the witches, or that they shun them.

(Could it be that such a day might come?)

She carried that wish inside her.

(No, I wonder about that. If I was to say such lines around Ane-sama, she would most likely chuckle at me saying it’s an empty dream, whereas Yuki would abuse me by saying ‘you traitor!’. Despite that…)

It may be that Naga’s evaluation wasn’t due to him coming from a different world, but instead due to his own viewpoint and way of thinking, just like this person, called Raibach.

While walking behind Raibach, who was led by Kay, Nonoel felt that their small light of hope had, yet again, shone a bit brighter.

=== Part 9 ===

With Naga supposedly being in the 1st fort, Ixine galloped while aiming for that place.
Kay and Nonoel, who were bringing Raibach with them, walked toward the 1st fort as well.
It wouldn’t take them long if they were to dash, but when it comes to taking along a prisoner, only walking was an option.

With Ais being forwarded by Harrigan after the latter had received a report from Ixine, the three of them linked up with Ais on their way and finally reached 1st fort just before the sunset.

Witnessing a small fort dyed in the color of the sunset and enclosed by a wooden fence in front of his eyes, Raibach had a strange feeling while reflecting on the few days he had spent here before.

(……So it’s here? Good grief. Somehow, it feels a bit nostalgic. I suffered a defeat by trying to attack this place, was demoted from being a company captain to a commander of the supply troops, and was then reinstated as a captain. Considering all of that, to think I’m here now as a prisoner of the witches. My life has changed drastically over the past few days, which makes me want to laugh.)

Once Ais and Kay talked with the witches on security, Naga and Harrigan appeared in front of them, having been brought by Ixine.

“Oi, Kay, so you managed to catch a soldier from Kasandora’s army?!”

“Ah, umm, actually it was Nonoel who did it, but…. Look, it’s this person I was talking about.”

Seeing Naga who came out of the fort, Raibach became surprised.

(So there was a man among the witc– wha, speaking of which, is this guy the rumored Dragon King? Rather than the Dragon King… he looks no different from a normal human. His attire is certainly unusual, but…… Not to mention, he gives off a distinct feeling from us.)

“Oh! So this guy is the captive?”

Naga walked straight toward Raibach.
Raibach was a bit taller in comparison with Naga.

(Watching him like this from a close range, as expected, his appearance is strange. His sword is inserted near his waist, and its shape itself is different too. Still, assuming he’s the Dragon King, he is indeed young.

Such was his first impression towards Naga.

On the other hand, Naga thought.

(I see. Certainly. it’s as they say. Despite him being brought along to a fort of the witches, this sort of composure doesn’t appear to be same as that of an ordinary soldier.)

Naga judged with a calm attitude.

“You…Your name…Wha…is called?”

Naga asked.

There were some difficult to catch words, but Raibach understood.

(Is he talking with our language…? No, rather than talking, it feels as though his words are reverberating inside my head.)

“Umm, I’m Raibach. Raibach Lantier.”

“Is that so? My name is…… Naga.”

(Is he really the Dragon King? Or perhaps, he’s just referring to himself that way…?)

Naga who gave his name, talked to the witch next to him.

“I can’t ask him while standing, so how about we enter inside, Harrigan?”

The witch replied.

“I guess that’s the only option.”

(Huge, and by that I mean various things.)

Concealing his amazement inside his heart, Raibach ran his sight indirectly over Harrigan.

“Ah, Hari-nee, Yuuki isn’t here, right?”

Once Kay asked.

“She isn’t.”

“Ah, that’s lucky. Were we to take this man in front of that girl, she would make a fuss while shouting ‘kill kill kill!’.”

Ahahaha – Harrigan laughed.

“If it’s her, she will most likely do so.”

“Oi oi, you, I don’t think it’s something to laugh about.”

Raibach retorted without thinking ahead.

“Hahaha, certainly… it isn’t a laughing matter… I guess.”

“You too! I told you it’s not something to laugh about!”

He also retorted at Naga.

Because Naga and Harrigan directed their sights at him, Raibach shrugged his shoulders in a hurry and turned his face away.

“Should we first let him rest inside a room? He must be tired from all the walking to this place.”

Raibach became astonished at Harrigan’s words.

(To think that the witches would be considerate about my fatigue. I thought they would put me into a room for interrogation without any arguing, but…. Or maybe they’re going to drive me into a dungeon?)

True – At Harrigan’s words, Kay nodded.

“Raibach, come this way.”

She showed him a building inside the fort.

“What’s that? That girl, Kay, has she already started to call him without honorifics? Certainly, she will try to be familiar with anyone when coming in contact. Well, guess that’s her main forte.”

As Naga muttered so, Ais nodded with a slightly glad expression.

“You’re right.”

“Well, shall we go too? I’m looking forward to what he has to offer.”

Naga, Ais, Nonoel, and Ixine reentered the fort.

=== Part 10 ===

Naga, Harrigan, Ais, Kay, Nonoel, and Ixine had gathered inside a single room of the residential building. Obviously, Raibach was also there.

Besides them, there were also other witches inside the fort, like the sisters Linna and Linne, Cu, and Harlequin, stationed at their posts.

Raibach was released from Nonoel’s water binding, however in turn, he had his wrists and waist tied up in ropes that were linked to Ais’ wrist.

By the time Nonoel released Raibach, Kay whispered silently into his ears.

“That Onee-san, you see-”

Kay pointed at Ais while speaking.

“Unlike her appearance, she’s incredibly scary, so you better not make her angry by any means. If she delivered a single hit to your body, you’d die from having all your bones smashed, or your internal organs ruptured. And if you’re hit in the head, it will blow up together with your neck, you know? I’m neither joking nor trying to threaten you, but giving you honest advice.”

Having an awfully loathsome face, Raibach nodded in agreement.

“Ugh… you mean it? Understood. I’ll pay attention to that, but…”

”What?”

“You’re surprisingly kind, aren’t you?”

“Hm? Is that so?”

Kay, who tilted her head in wonder, turned her face back with a cheerful smile.

“Well, isn’t it fine? If you’re aware that I’m kind to you, you better repay it properly.”

(This girl…. Somehow, it feels like talking with my daughter’s friends. It makes me want to believe she isn’t a witch.)

At any rate, Raibach didn’t feel like running. Even if he tried, he would most likely not manage to do so from the witches. Were he to be caught, they would certainly kill him this time. Rather, it was much better to remain a prisoner.
What’s more, it didn’t seem like he had to worry about being tortured for the time being. And more than anything, being able to talk with the witches was, surprisingly for Raibach, somehow a little bit fun.

(I wonder if I could have talked like this, were my daughter still alive.)

Is what he thought.

(Then, speaking of which, I wonder what kind of questions I will have to answer. It’s not like I know anything of great value.)

Raibach, who felt a bit tense, was made to sit on a folding stool placed near the wall, and surrounded in a half-circle by the rest of the people. Naga sat was in front of him, whereas Harrigan was on Naga’s left, with Ixine being on the furthest left. Similarly, on his right side, Ais and Nonoel sat.

Naga began to speak.

“Well then, I’m not fancy of tedio….talks, so how about we go stra…to the point? Yo…., kno…something about Fort Ein, right?”

As one would expect, some words were hard to catch, but Raibach could still understand what he meant.

“I do possess the knowledge, but….”

“Do you als… know wha.. inside the fort?”

“I do.”

“Then how about, yo….tell me something about it, like its territory?”

“…..Why are you asking me such things?”

“I’m thin….about capturing that fort.”

“Whaa?”

Raibach became at loss for words, and the interrogation stopped for a while

Naga looked at him with a bit of a curious expression.

“What’s the matte…? Why are you tha…surprised?”

Being thrown a question, Raibach finally gained back his senses.

“Ummm…. Dragon King, I wonder if it’s fine for me to ask you something."

“I don’t mi…d”

“Is that so? If that’s the case. I’ve heard that there’s about 20 witches on this side, but is that true?”

“That would be Harrigan’s clan, you see. Since, this time, we have received a support from anot…household, the number has increased a bit. It would probably be aroun… 40, 50 people.”

“N, No, saying probably around, and on top of that, 40 to 50 people. Right now, there are as many as 300 guards stationed inside Fort Ein. Just how on Earth do you plan to capture it?”

“I wanted to consider that after I have ques…you for some information on the fort’s interior.”

“What are you talking about…. In the first place, do you think I’d leak out such information?”

Naga’s expression turned into an unexpected one.

“So yo…are not going to tell us?”

Once he was told so, Raibach responded in a yelling manner.

“Don’t be silly. I may look like a single person with no family or relatives, but I’ve got friends in that fort. Knowing that they might be killed, there’s no way for me to spill the beans. Don’t try to torture me or do anything similar to that, or I’ll pass you false details.”

Listening to his words and observing his expression, Naga made a decision in the end.

“This guy, isn’t he quite a formidable man? He looks to be someone worthy of being trusted.”

“It’s just reasonable for you to be concerned. But, you don’t have to go that far.”

“W, What do you mean?”

“We are thinking about capturing the fort without making any casualty among your soldiers.”

“Wha? You can’t be serious! Do you think I’d believe such nonsense?!”

Because Raibach lifted himself unintentionally Ais put herself on guard, however, Naga held her back and leaned forward. He fixed his eyes on Raibach’s face in front of him as if looking into it.

“You too, do you think I’m talking nonsense?”

Being seized by Naga’s gushing spirit coming from his whole body, and scorched by a strong-willed light dwelling inside his eyes, Raibach became unable to move.

(W, what’s, this bizarre force coming from this guy?)

“During the previous battle, we had to do things like that, otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to repel the human army. After all, it was 20 against 2000 people. Still, I was reluctant about using that method since there was a chance for the witches to die. For the sake of our future, I’d rather prevent as many sacrifices as possible.”

Was it due to Naga’s words being filled with vigor? Or perhaps, him getting used to conversing with Naga? Raibach became able to grasp his words clearly.

“F…Future? What do you mean by future? And why do you want to take over Fort Ein?”

“It’s the first step toward establishing the country of the witches.”

“The country of the witches? What do you intend to do once you’re done with that? You mean to say, that the witches are trying to rule over humanity?”

“No, I don’t. In the end, we want to create a world where humans and the witches can both coexist. This is what I mean to say.”

(Is this guy, a fool? There’s no way for such a thing to happen. Is he serious about that?)

Not trying to hide his thoughts of being utterly amazed, Raibach opened his eyes widely and gazed at Naga. Perhaps, there was a hue of contempt displaying in Naga’s expression, however it didn’t look like he was making fun of Raibach or bragging about anything.
If it was true, then he was honest. Naga was honestly talking about creating a new world.
Raibach could sense the magnitude of Naga’s caliber, the difference which separated him and that person.

(The Dragon King, who commands the witches, and me, who can’t even fulfill my duty as a Captain. Is it natural for there to be such a difference between us? Despite that, saying he wants to create a world where both humans and the witches can live together….)

What they both looked at was far too divergent.
As well as Naga’s range of vision.
And even their aims were contrasting with each other.

(If I were to say, unlike me, who can only think within my own scope as a captain, this man possesses an overhead view, just like a bird flying at the highest altitude, and can grasp every position and movement of his enemies and allies. Is this how it feels?)

Raibach, who had devoted himself to military service, suddenly thought that way.

“……Hey, you, Dragon King. Do you honestly believe it’s possible for you to create such a world?”

“Ha? No, obviously, we should be able to do so. That’s because I’m going to live together with the witches too, and I’m not a witch myself, you see. There’s nothing that should be impossible.”

“No, you’re most likely the Dragon King, rather than a human.”

“I may be holding a grandiose name like that, but I’m actually a human, or at least an existence that’s closer to a human than that of a witch. Still, it’s not like I feel any sort of inconvenience from that, you see.”

“However…”

“You as well, haven’t you been walking together with them before reaching this place? Did you feel anything unpleasant? You were able to hold a conversation with them, right?”

“No, No……”

Kay smiled at Raibach as soon as she noticed his glimpse.
He turned his face away in a hurry.

“….There was no such thing, but…”

“Right? Be it humans or the witches, both sides can understand with each other in a proper way. If that’s the case, then creating a world where they both can coexist isn’t far from reality, and we may be able to live together. Unless you see it for yourself, you shouldn’t decide on your own.”

At Naga’s words, Raibach kept silent.

Certainly, Kay, Nonoel, and Ixine, whom he had met before, were far removed from the human’s concept of ‘vicious and inhuman witches’. Rather, they appeared to be more like girls no matter how you looked at them. Were he not to consider these three as peculiar and extraordinary witches, Raibach felt he could agree with Naga to a certain point. And looking at the other witches, such as Harrigan and Ais, it was all the more reason for him to believe they weren’t extraordinary.
In addition to him being taught a biased belief, and their appearance being far different from what he had imagined before, Raibach became confused and perplexed.

“Then, shall we return back to our topic?”

“Eh? W, What was that again?”

“That’s why, I’m telling you we want to capture Fort Ein. Of course, without making any sacrifices on either sides. Furthermore, we need some information about its interior. So the talk was regarding whether or not you would provide us with any information.”

“I’m not fully sure about that myself, but even if you gain the information, it’s impossible to seize that fort with just 40-50 people.”

“Have you forgotten we were able to defeat 2000 people from your army, even though we weren’t supposed to win?”

“No wa….t, that’s true. In other words, this time do you have a secret plan as well?”

“I wouldn’t go so far so far as to call it a secret plan, but I think it’s feasible to do so since we have magic here.”

“If you attack using magic, there’s no way for you to avoid casualties!”

“Honestly, there won’t be any. As long we follow my plan, neither humans nor the witches should suffer casualties.”

“T, Then, how?”

“I can’t tell you much regarding our magic, but how about we assume there’s one that can immobilize people? If you use it, there will be no need to fight. With that, we can boldly march into the fort from the entrance and tie up the crippled soldiers.”

“Hm… does magic like this really exist?”

“Indeed. However, for that to happen, we have to decide on the right place. And to do so, it’s necessary for us to know, in advance, how it looks inside and where the guards are deployed. Because of that, we are questioning you.”

Naga, who finished talking while brimming with self-confidence, pierced Raibach with his gaze.

“If you don’t pass us the information and force us to use violent methods, both sides will suffer losses. However, there might be more on the human side. I’d rather avoid that scene this time.”

Naga’s promise about not creating any sacrifices among the guards was a pretext for him to quickly get hold of the fort with no injuries. Nonetheless, he wasn’t bothered with that.

“W….Will you let me think for a while?”

“Fine. Still, we don’t have all the time in the world. Give me a clear reply within the next couple of days.”

“U, Understood.”

With that the interrogation concluded.
Rather than saying interrogation, if one was to say, the content of their talk was far closer to a conversation.
This experience provided Raibach with a huge impact.
Harrigan and Naga decided to confine him inside a small room.

“Is it okay to leave him without anyone watching? Even if he’s tied up, the walls in the room are just single-layered. Don’t you think he might be able to break through them? Shall I keep an eye on him?”

Once she expressed her concern, Naga uttered something unexpected.

“It’s okay. But, just to make sure, I’ll stay together with him in that room.”

“Eh? Are you sure?”

“In whichever case, there’s no way for me to sleep with you guys in the same room. Or perhaps, you’d prefer to sleep with me?”

“Ah no, as expected, that’s a bit—”

“That’s right. Were I to sleep in a separate room, we would be occupying 2 rooms. It will be much more efficient for me to sleep in the same one with that guy. I may be troubling you, but please prepare bedding for 2 people.”

“I don’t mind that, but, I wonder if he won’t start acting violently.”

“As long as his legs and arms are bound, there should be no problem. Even without it, that guy doesn’t seem to have any intention of running away.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. He doesn’t appear to have a strong grudge against the witches. Perhaps, him not having a family or relatives in Kasandora is also one of the main reasons for that. Well, if you still insist on helping, I won’t reject it, but…”

“Then, I shall assist you a bit. Is it fine, Harrigan-nee?”

“If you want to do so, then fine. However, don’t cause any commotion. Got it?”

“I’m not like Ais, who would do that when getting drunk.”

Ais cracked a smile.

“Well well. I wonder, what’s the meaning of that, Kay-chan?”

Ais’ face was smiling except for her eyes.

“Ah…. ummm, nothing in particular. Yes, not at all.”

Being aware of her sight, Kay’s forehead became covered in a cold sweat.
Still…- Ais, who was grinning, stared at Kay for a while; nevertheless, the latter soon shifted her gaze.
Ahead of her, there was Raibach sitting in the corner of the room.

“That’s a bit strange, isn’t it? I’ve always thought that every human would loath us and keep their distance. To think that such people still exist.”

That’s exactly what I think – As soon she uttered that with a small voice, Naga said so while nodding in agreement.

“Since there are guys like him among humans, perhaps our wish of creating a world for humans and the witches isn’t just a pipe dream?”

“True. I’ve got the feeling it’s fine to place our trust in what Naga-san says.”

“Oi, wait a moment. Ais, do you mean to say you haven’t been trusting in my words until now?”

”Eh? Honestly, I’ve been doing that all this time, you know?”

Naga made a pathetic expression.

“No, just now….”

Or, maybe not… – As he was about to say, he changed his mind.

“Whatever. I’ll be sleeping together with him in the same room, so fret not. I’ll let you know when he’s in the mood for speaking.”

“Yes, understood. But before that, let’s have dinner. I’ll make a portion for him as well. Kay, I’m going to call you once I’m done, so please bring it to him, okay?”

“Got it.”

=== Part 11 ===

Naga and Kay brought Raibach into a plain-looking room that resembled a storage shed. Having done everything he had to do, Naga removed his sword from his waist belt, pushed away a mess on the floor into the corner, and spread out a quilt in an open space. Then, he sat on it and leaned his back against the wall.
Next to him, Kay also sat down.

Owing to the fact that Raibach was tied up in ropes and fastened to a pillar, they didn’t have to fear an attack by him, even if they decided to nod off.

Not being mindful of Raibach’s presence, Kay spoke to Naga.

“Naga-san, shall we continue our talk from earlier today?”

“Ah? What talk?”

“That’s why, I’m telling you it’s the talk about the witches not knowing their fathers.”

“Ahh, that’s right, you’ve mentioned about it before. Oops, my bad.”

Naga took a short glimpse at Raibach, and shook his head in agreement.

“Let’s do it on some other occasion. This may be not something a human should hear, right?”

“I guess so…. Still, if that’s the case,”

“Is there something that troubles you?”

“Not really, but I thought it would be nice to chat since we have some free time.”

“Free time? Seriously, you are…”

Naga put a wry smile on his face without realizing.

“I’ve got an idea. Naga-san, how about we wrestle with our arms? I may be not as strong as Ais, but I’m quite proud of my strength. Look, I’m an athletic type of person, you know? Therefore—”

“Athletic type?”

Naga ran his eyes over Kay’s body without any reservation.

“You don’t really appear as such. Well, perhaps you do, but–”

“I was told something rude just now.”

“Then, Kay, my dear representative of athletes. Will you take me as your opponent?”

Naga lay on his belly and put his right elbow on the floor. Soon after that, Kay moved to his front and did the same thing.

They grasped each other’s right hand.

“Let’s go?”

“Come at me anytime.”

“Three, two, one, goooo!”

“Hm?”

It was a close-fought contest of strength, but
Naga’s hand was finally pushed down by Kay’s own.

“I lostttt!”

“It’s a hundred years too early for you to win against me.”

“One more!”

“Fine by me, but you see, it won’t change much.”

While smiling wryly, Naga kept competing numerous times.

Raibach watched them both with a dumbfounded expression.

(Those guys. Could it be they’ve been ignoring me from the beginning? Or perhaps, they are trusting me? Whichever it is, they sure have some guts. As for me, just the fact that I’m inside a fort of the witches doesn’t let me rest at ease.)

Watching, with a sidelong glance, how Kay and Naga were enthusiastically competing with each other, Raibach exhaled a sigh.

(Good grief, I wonder what fate is going to await me. It doesn’t look like I’ll be killed any time soon, but If I continue to insist about not wanting to talk, they too will eventually lose their temper. Had I known about this, I’d have long resigned from the army and become a guard of some merchant caravan. Anyway, I don’t have any family left, so travelling from one place to another while doing precarious trades would also be worth considering, I guess.)

The appearance of Raibach’s deceased wife and daughter resurfaced in his mind.

(Risa……Erina……)

He remembered his beautiful, gentle wife together with their good-natured and cute daughter.

About the time he first married his wife.

About Erina’s birth.

About the time she turned 2 years old.

About the time she turned 5 years old.

And then, 8 in age.

Back then, his wife was still healthy.

They lived a frugal life, but despite being fairly hungry and feeling little freedom, the three of them huddled together and lived happily.

Their joyful moments as a family floated one by one in his head, and then disappeared.
However, such a blissful scene wouldn’t last forever. Raibach knew that more than anyone as he tried not to recall his memories. But, once they started to overflow, it wasn’t easy to stop them.

It happened one day when his daughter was looking after his ill wife at home. Being overjoyed and full of spirit, Raibach returned back to his city after committing a meritorious deed. Nevertheless, by the time he arrived, the city had already become scorched earth.

Some savage tribe had decided to attack when the city’s garrison was short-handed.
Invading the city, they killed, burned, stole randomly, and then escaped.
It was over by the time Raibach’s assigned troop returned.
Raibach, who was at a loss for words, looked at the city that was no different from a burnt field.
He tried to search for his wife and daughter desperately, but could find no trace of them.
There were lots of scorched corpses, lying in burned houses and on the streets, all of which were hard to tell apart. For that reason, Raibach couldn’t manage to hold a mourning for his family in the end.
Provided they were taken away as a prize, it was possible they would still be alive, even as slaves. He wanted to think that way, however, with his wife being ill and his daughter still being a child, Raibach knew the chance of that was slim.
Even now, his body would tremble and his heart would throb whenever he thought back at his despair, hatred, and remorse from that day. His mind still haunted by his regret from that time.

Why didn’t the army increase the garrison stationed to defend against barbarians?

Why did it have to be his troop that left the city at that time?
Why did he aspire to join a mission troop?
To begin with, why did he enter into military service?
Why Why Why Why Why Why! Why! WHY!

Later, Raibach would contemplate on that repeatedly each day.
Having lost his hometown and his family, he wandered through borderlands, after which he was finally admitted into Kasandora’s army. Nevertheless, he later decided not to marry and remained a bachelor.

From his eyes that looked up at the bottom of the roof, a stream of tears spilled over.

(Good grief. If I can’t even protect my wife and my daughter, then becoming a soldier was meaningless.)

Rubbing his tears, Raibach released the strength from his body and lay down on his quilt.
Before anyone could notice, Naga and Kay, who had stopped arm wrestling, looked at him with a sidelong glance. However, in the end, they wouldn’t speak to him.

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==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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