Editing Rakuin no Monshou:Volume6 Chapter4 (section)

=== Part 3 ===

When he heard the order, Nilgif wore an expression of complete incomprehension. 

“Where are we withdrawing to?”

“You will proceed to Eimen and await the alliance’s main army there,” the sorcerer stated baldly and as usual his expression didn’t seem quite human. It was as though he was telling some fable that had nothing to do with reality. 

“Ridiculous. If we do that, the troops that are advancing on us here will target us from behind.”

“Don’t worry about what you don’t need to worry about. We won’t just stand by and allow ourselves to lose manpower.”

“Wait. In the first place, wasn’t it ''your'' order to defend Kadyne to the death?”

As he spoke, Nilgif’s eyes went to the men standing behind the sorcerer. They had just been despatched from Zer Illias. They were every bit as eerie as the sorcerer. As they were all covered in black armour, they hardly had a single patch of exposed skin. Their faces were completely concealed by the black cloths that hung from their helmets. 

''I wouldn’t be particularly surprised even if there were skeletons rather than living faces behind those cloths''.

Since earlier, they hadn’t spoken a word nor stirred a muscle. They were so stiff it impossible to tell if they were even breathing. Those black-clad swordsmen numbered about a hundred and fifty in all. He didn’t know how powerful they were, but it was obvious that they wouldn’t be able to defend Kadyne by themselves once Nilgif and the almost eight hundred soldiers under his command were gone.

The sorcerer however was the same as ever.

“The preparations have been completed. You did well stalling for time. Now do as I say. The enemy is approaching.”

The sorcerer gave absolutely no answer to the questions of what those preparations were or what kind of plan they had to repel the enemy. Nilgif scratched his nose with a bitter expression.

''Shit, I lost so many comrades just like that. Thinking to annihilate the enemy here, I returned to Kadyne. And now?''

Given that their orders were constantly changing, he was struck with the thought that something might have happened to make Garda feel shaken.

''With this timing, could it be…''

“As I told you before,” at that moment, the sorcerer gave a faint smile, causing Nilgif to shudder. Not because he read a human emotion in it. A doll which had been brought to life and which was imitating humans would smile exactly like that. “It’s best not to think about what you don’t need to worry about. We will stay here and guard the people. If you seem about to disobey your orders and return to the city, or join with the alliance, we will decapitate every last one of them.”

“You,” his teeth barred, Nilgif looked like some carnivorous animal. “Wait. You’re staying here? What are you fuckers going to do when the enemy gets here?”

“Die, of course.”

At the sorcerer’s response, Nilgif once more looked dumbfounded. He had always thought them baffling, but he hadn’t realised that it was to that extent. The sorcerer and the hundred and fifty newly despatched swordsmen were apparently going to await the enemy in Kadyne with the express intention of dying. 

“Ah, but don’t think of waiting for that and then returning to Kadyne.”

“You’re going to bring up my family again, aren’t you? I get it!” Nilgif all but yelled before leaving, unable to bear that uncanny man any longer.

''But depending on how you think about it…''

It wasn’t a bad thing. Garda intended to relinquish Kadyne. The sorcerer and his group would remain here to prevent Nilgif and the others from seizing the opportunity to revolt. But setting their own situation aside, Kadyne would be freed. Even if the forces of the western alliance occupied it, they certainly wouldn’t massacre its population.

''And Garda will fall too''. He had a real sense that it was happening. That one by one, the layers were being peeled off from that terrifying, uncanny phantom not of this world, and that they were slowly drawing closer to the living human beneath.

“Then since your mind is made up, we’ll do as you say,” Nilgif said out loud. He believed that as long as the people of Kadyne were safely freed then the sacrifices made would not be in vain.

''And after that will be Zer Illias''.

The Kadynians there were not few in number. Among them was Nilgif’s family.

Would he live to see it again – his eyes blazed at the thought as gazed at his native land before turning to leave. There was no doubt that if the western alliance gained the upper hand, Garda would order him and his men to fight to the end. Even though they knew that nothing but ruin and death awaited them, they were unable to defy him and would only be able to obey.

''However,''

As they passed through the area of low-growing trees that characterized Kadyne, Nilgif urged the horses to go faster so as not to let his men grow mawkish – although he himself was the one most likely to indulge in sentimentalism. The soldiers knew their general’s temperament and didn’t say anything. They pretended not to see the large teardrops trickling like rain down his bearded face.

''However… Yes, however, we will not die in vain. In this war, there has not been a single pointless death. The future generations will surely think so. No, they will definitely think so.''


Surūr Wyerim’s expression was even more impatient than usual.

“Hurry the horses. We will liberate Kadyne then immediately set off in pursuit.”

What he feared the most was that the enemy forces that had left Kadyne would carry out a surprise attack on the main army sent to capture Eimen. Because that would be seen as a failure on his part.

''There are too many things that just don’t make sense about the enemy’s timing in leaving Kadyne. Having drawn our troop there, Garda’s army will use our delay to attack the main force in Eimen… But if that was their real plan, they would have left a few soldiers in Kadyne. By making us lay siege, they could slow us down, even if only by half a day, even if only by an hour''.

Orba was seized with unease. Yet it wasn’t the same kind of unease that he had experienced when he was the prince’s body double. He left his unit and ran forward. On the way, he borrowed a horse from one of the mounted warriors and rode up to Surūr who was in the leading party.

“Commander.”

“What,” Surūr irritably looked over his shoulder. “Mephian gladiator, do you feel like taking another blow from my fist?”

“The enemy situation is strange. You should consider setting up camp here for now and take the time to keep watch on Kadyne.”

“Idiot. The main force will soon be taking Eimen. What happens if they get attacked from behind by Kadyne’s troops? They’re the ones who want us to think that something is up so that we halt our pursuit.”

“But…”

“Shut up. Now go back to your position.”

''Shit''. The unknown unease that he had felt was exactly because of this. When he had been prince, he himself could move everything according to his own judgement. Of course, because of that the mental burden had been considerable, but now that he was in a situation where the commander was someone else and where he didn’t trust that other person’s judgement, his unease outstripped his former sense of strain. 

''It’s just like I said to Shique. Actually no, isn’t it like Shique said?''

Orba bitterly regretted his childish revenge at the relay-station town. The man was uncongenial but if he had tried to get on with him, maybe he could have earned some credit which would have stood him in good stead in his current situation. 

In a similar fashion, Noue, Garbera’s resourceful commander, and Lasvius, Helio’s commander of the dragoons had eventually joined forces with Orba in order to achieve their goals despite harbouring antipathy and irritation towards him, and they were able to reach a mutual trust. He couldn’t help but think that he had been very lucky in both those cases.

''This is where I stand as just a mercenary, huh?''

Orba’s brows creased in irritation while in his belly was an accumulated rage that didn’t seem likely to ever disappear.

He went straight back to his unit without returning the horse. There, he found Stan in a strange state.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Stan, I’m asking you what’s wrong,” Talcott was calling out to him while repeatedly shaking him by the shoulders but Stan wasn’t responding. His face had gone pale and his eyes drifted vacantly. As he was also walking unsteadily, Gilliam was supporting him.

“What’s wrong? What’s going on?” As their walking pace inevitably slowed down, they were overtaken by other infantry units and mocking voices called out to them. “Is he scared to fight? The famous gladiators are pretty useless.” 

“Idiots,” Talcott yelled, completely enraged. “Stan isn’t a gladiator. And he’s survived far tougher wars than you have!”

Orba jumped off his horse and peered into Stan’s face which was glistening with sweat. 

“Come on, get a hold of yourself. Do you need to lie down for a bit?”

He wondered if maybe he had been injured in the previous fight. Stan didn’t answer and simply murmured something repeatedly. Because his voice was husky and low, Orba couldn’t make out what he was saying.

Their unit was marching more and more slowly. When they were almost at the end of the line, Orba came to a decision and, with Gilliam’s help, got Stan onto the horse. He then jumped up behind him and, with an “I’m going ahead,” he galloped off.

Less than an hour later, the open gates of Kadyne came into sight. Supporting Stan, who was shaking so much he almost fell from the horse, he passed through the gates. The town was filled with cheering and joyous voices. The people of Kadyne had all come to greet Surūr’s troops. Many of them were crying as they embraced each other. They had been hostages until just now, not permitted to live freely. 

''Did they really just abandon Kadyne?''

While thinking that this was completely at odds with his earlier hunch, for now, Orba had something that he needed to do. He caught hold of one of the townspeople and got the name and address of a doctor from them. Turning into one of the central streets, there was a building with a sign, just as he had been told, but the doctor was absent. He had probably gone out to the streets to celebrate along with the rest of the population.

Clicking his tongue, Orba barged in anyway and helped Stan onto the bed inside.

Stan started muttering something again so Orba brought his ear near the other’s mouth.

“What’s wrong? Do you need something?”

“It’s coming.”

“What?”

“It’s coming, it’s coming, it’s coming. Malice is wailing, the dead are screaming, the sky is burning.”

Stan’s mutters sounded like the delirium of a person gripped by fever and made absolutely no sense. Yet chills ran up Orba’s spine and his flesh started to crawl. Just as Stan was about to murmur something more, a shadow suddenly passed over the sun and the room was plunged into semi-darkness.

Startled, Orba was about to rush to the window but faster than he could do so, and even though he was still inside the building, he heard an ear-splitting scream.

“M-Monsters!”


The streets of Kadyne were still filled with wave after wave of cheers.

The soldier on guard in the watchtower was gazing down on them contentedly then looked up to the sky as though something had caught his attention.

''The clouds are moving fast''.

Although the skies had been a clear blue, from the corner of his eye, he could now see black clouds surging forward. At first nonchalantly watching them, the soldier’s eyes were suddenly nailed to them, as though unable to tear themselves away. They weren’t just moving fast. The clouds covered the sun in an instant and the entire sky turned black.

The people who had been dancing and singing all turned their heads to the sky. Then they too stared. The black clouds squirmed and throbbed like giant entrails then in an instant broke apart. 

Their fragments rained down, one of them piercing the soldier’s breast. Shaking violently, his body slumped forward and fell from the watchtower. 

It resembled a violent rain shower. But unlike simple raindrops, when the black shadows that were diving down fell upon the people, they tore their faces and limbs to shreds. 

The streets of Kadyne that had been filled with merrymaking were now awash with blood. 

“Monsters!”

That was the point at which Orba heard that strange cry.

There were winged creatures. They were about the size of a human child and their bodies were covered in black fur. They had fangs and their faces looked like those of monkeys. The strange, unknown creatures flapped their wings and relentlessly swooped down on the people below. 

Their claws effortlessly tore through human flesh and easily drilled holes through armour and helmets. Those claws sliced through the backs of the people who ran screaming, their fangs bit through the heads of women who cradled their children protectively to their chests, and they swarmed the soldiers who tried to fight them off with spears. What they left in their wake were shredded corpses, unrecognisable from their original form.

''What is this?'' Orba had rushed out into the streets and for a moment, seeing the entire town coloured in black and red, he could only stare in shock.

While his eyes were completely riveted to the sight, two demons leapt towards him. Orba instinctively reached for his sword’s grip. The next instant, he swung the sword twice. It unerringly mowed through the two bristly bodies – or it should have.

''What!''

The sword cleaved through empty air.  Conversely, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his hand and wrist, and staggered backwards.

There was no time to remain stunned. A roar from the sky overwhelmed his sense of hearing and just as he was trying to figure out what it was, a new black shadow made its appearance. Looking up, Orba finally doubted his own sanity.

A huge dragon had appeared in the skies over Kadyne. It must have been forty or fifty metres long. It flapped wings that were even larger than its gigantic body and calmly flew through the sky.

''Impossible''.

It wasn’t possible for that kind of dragon to exist. He had heard that there were flying dragons on a volcanic island in the south, but this creature with its huge body, its thick paws tightly covered in black scales, its two horns growing from their elongated head… this creature couldn’t be anything but a product of the imagination. A long time ago, Orba had seen something similar in a picture book that his brother Roan had brought home as a souvenir.

In front of Orba, who was starting up astounded, the huge black dragon opened its mouth. Just as he realised what was happening, light flashed from its maw. 

His instinct ordered him to duck. Even lying on his belly, he watched as far-off rooftops were blown away and debris flew as the beast breathed fire. A great many of the citizens had surely lost their lives. The dragon turned to prowl the skies once more as though searching for its next target.

Screams and wails resounded in Orba’s ears and seemed to fill them completely, showing no sign of stopping. He used his sword to help himself stand back up.

''This is… sorcery?'' That thought struck him. There was no doubt that the black demons and the dragon were the sorcerer’s doing. This was why Garda’s army had pulled out its troops. 

Faced with those supernatural phenomena, the hairs on Orba’s body stood on end and his mind seemed to go numb with fear. Despair flitted through his breast. If this was Garda’s power, what could a sword do against it? 

Another explosion erupted and Orba dived down again. When he lifted his head, a black demon was coming straight towards him. 

He quickly scrambled to his feet and jumped backwards. As he jumped, he seized his sword. The movement was a deeply ingrained habit hammered into his body. When he landed, his sword was at the ready. He had made in time. Like this, he should surely be able to defend against the demon’s claws.

But a sharp pain shot through the nape of his neck. The claws had effortlessly passed through his blade and their sharp tips brushed against him.



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