Episode 46
“It is regarding the whereabouts of the princess of the fallen Hanes Empire.”
“…Why ask me of that?”
“…Surely you were the one who smuggled out the princess, Sir Alex.”
Two of Yuma’s subordinates showed signs of surprise.
Nonchalantly, Alex shrugged.
“…What are you talking about?”
“Are you feigning ignorance?”
“It is something I know nothing of.”
What he had done was only one thing.
Fifty years ago, pretending not to see a single Dark Elf fleeing.
It was neither more nor less than that.
“What is your reason?”
“Had I committed such an act, there would have been reason enough.”
He had merely left her alone, wondering if there was need to kill even a child.
Because to him, the sight of the Holy Order massacring children had looked far more demonic.
Was it due to the guilt of that time?
That he had left the Holy Order, built a monastery, and taken in orphans….
“Hmm, is that so? Might there be anything you remember? Capturing that race is my mission, you see.”
“Why search for the princess?”
“The Holy Order’s influence has waned of late.”
In other words, for political reasons.
“I remember nothi—.”
In that moment, Alex’s words trailed off.
Dark Elf?
Alex’s eyes widened.
The male traveler who had visited not long ago, and a girl with ochre skin, silver hair, and crimson eyes came to mind.
Long ago, a young Dark Elf wailing alone inside a collapsed royal palace.
She had borne an uncanny resemblance to that girl.
“……!”
‘But that young lady was a human…!’
…Was she?
He suddenly realized something strange.
Whether indoors or outdoors, she had always worn her hood up. Moreover, she had even mixed herbs.
But that alone was hardly convincing.
However, the appearance of the child in the fragments of Alex’s hazy memory bore an uncanny resemblance to the girl from not long ago.
If that Dark Elf had grown up, she would look exactly like the traveler girl.
‘…Heavens… above!’
How could this be?! Could she truly be alive?!
So that was it. No wonder she had looked familiar!
He had thought she had died without a doubt!
‘Hehe! Is this too a fate forged by Constellation Azellan!’
Alex smiled.
Laughter welled up naturally, enveloping him in joy.
“…I remember nothing. I am but a mere monk living an ordinary life in this countryside.”
“…….”
Yuma brushed back his hair and spoke.
“You must tell the truth. Otherwise, we too will have no choice.”
“Are you saying I am telling lies?”
“Do you know what my divine ability is?”
“Of course I do. Is it not [Mind’s Eye]? I know it as the ability to discern whether the opponent’s words are false or true.”
“Do you believe that ability has ever been wrong?”
Alex shook his head.
“Of course, never.”
“…Speak. Do you know of the Dark Elf?”
“I said I do not.”
“That is a lie.”
“I suppose so.”
“…….”
Yuma glared at Alex.
“Do you truly intend to walk the path of a heretic?”
“…I have only ever served Constellation Azellan.”
Yuma approached the door.
“…You have been corrupted.”
“I have merely changed.”
“With this… our connection is at an end.”
Yuma spoke while looking at his subordinates.
“He is a heretic. Kill him. Then burn the nearby village, and kill all the residents there as well.”
Yuma’s subordinates drew their swords and approached Alex.
***
Roki looked in the direction of the monastery, far away and out of sight.
The sun had already set and the moon had risen. While camping, he opened the pouch Alex had given him. Inside were bell peppers shining with a green light.
They seemed raised with utmost care; their color was truly elegant.
Roki took a bite.
“…Bitter.”
It was bitter enough to furrow one’s brows. But… strangely delicious.
***
The Ronia Kingdom’s civil war.
Its central figure, the First Prince Ash Ronia, gazed blankly at the sky.
The morning sun rose between burning tents, yet the sky was overcast with dark clouds.
Flocks of crows flew about, busy feasting on corpses, and various weapons stood planted in the ground like tombstones.
‘What happened?’
That doubt lasted only briefly before he recalled what he had experienced.
‘…Total annihilation…?’
Three thousand soldiers.
He had been leading that army toward the ‘Roden Estate,’ which could be called the final defensive line.
Until then, there had been no problems. Supplies were tight but uninterrupted, and he had done nothing but constantly confer with the nobles who supported him, thinking only of stopping the Second Prince with their forces.
Then, a Wight raid had occurred.
‘There were only a few dozen.’
Such a meager horde of plague carriers annihilated his three thousand soldiers and began turning them into Wights entirely.
Ash sat blankly, recalling that sight.
‘Just… where did it all go wrong…?’
As Ash looked at the sky with trembling pupils, a Wight approached.
He could not even think of fleeing at the sight.
Both his legs were already torn off, and a fist-sized hole was bored into his stomach.
—Grrrrr!
The Wight stretched its head close to Ash and made a gurgling sound.
“…Are you trying to eat me? You damned monster.”
A voice barely escaped his trembling lips, but the creature could not possibly understand that language.
The Wight wearing blue armor, as if to indicate it had once been his soldier, looked at Ash and tilted its head. Then, as if smiling, it curled up the corners of its mouth and opened its maw wide.
Along with the black blood in its mouth, Wormpest flowed out and fell onto Ash’s body.
As if enjoying a new home, the Wormpest spread rapidly.
Wriggling vigorously, it pierced his skin, sucked fresh blood, and devoured his organs.
Feeling as if his body were burning, Ash felt fear.
Soon, he too would become a monster like them.
He felt it.
The corrupted energy spreading through his body!
It was sucking away his life and trying to seize his flesh.
For a noble royal to become a filthy undead…? Truly absurd, was it not!
“Damn it…!”
It was then.
Thud….
Footsteps rang out, strangely loud.
The Wight jerked its head up and growled. Soon it ran toward something.
The Wight, dripping black blood with its maw wide open, had its limbs severed into pieces by dozens of flashes.
It turned to ash and vanished.
Ash’s eyes widened.
One who could cut a Wight into pieces in an instant was exceedingly rare.
Moreover, turning to ash immediately upon death?!
Ash moved his gaze with difficulty.
Within fading senses, he hazily saw that figure.
A growing presence with its back to the flock of crows feasting on corpses.
Soon that presence cast a great shadow. A crow man wearing a giant mask incomparable to any ordinary crow.
“…You’re alive.”
That word rang clearly in his ears.
‘A reaper…?’
Was it the god of death who had come for his soul? Was he dying after all?
Ash used all his remaining strength to reach out and grab the crow man’s leg.
“Save… me…”
He knew it was impossible.
Even if the man before him were an ordinary person, unless he possessed holy water, he could not save one infected by Wormpest.
Even so, Ash wanted to grasp at straws.
“…Why? I refuse troublesome matters.”
“I… beg… you. I will do… anything…!”
“Could someone like you find what I seek?”
The crow man mercilessly pulled his foot away.
Ash’s powerless hand slipped free.
“…Are you going to kill that human?”
A girl’s voice was heard.
A hooded girl, seemingly wary of the surrounding Wights, cowered and grabbed the crow man’s leg while glancing at Ash.
“A pity. I had wondered, but… he truly seems to have no connection to the Angel of Death after all.”
Ash opened his mouth with difficulty.
“An… Angel… of… Death…?”
“……?”
“Are you… looking… for that…?”
“You know of it?”
“Sa… save… me…”
Before he could finish those words, Ash lost consciousness.
The skin of his face paled, and Wormpest broke through and wriggled.
The crow man, Roki, looked down at him with a frown.
***
The sound of crickets chirping could be heard.
Having opened his eyes, Ash gazed blankly at the faintly visible sky.
In the dark-stained night sky, countless stars floated, and various moons of different colors illuminated the surroundings.
Cool wind swayed the grass blades, softly brushing past Ash’s skin. His entire body was warm and cozy.
At the peace he felt, Ash gave a bitter smile.
“In the end, am I dead?”
“Do you wish to die?”
Ash, who had been contemplating his own death, was startled by the suddenly heard low voice and raised his upper body.
The sleeping bag covering him slipped down. Only then did Ash realize the reason for the cozy sensation, but he had no time to care about such things.
The one who had spoken wore a crow mask pressed down deeply, and a cloak made of feathers over black leather clothes covered his entire body.
Looking at the owner of the voice, Ash spat out a word.
“…A reaper?”
A being that fit that image perfectly stood before his eyes.
The crow man scoffed at Ash.
“A reaper? Do I look that gloomy?”
“Is… that not the case?”
“Well.”
It was neither affirmation nor denial.
At the meaningful words, Ash was bewildered.
“Whether this place is heaven or hell, whether I am a reaper or not, what does it matter? Or do you wish for it to be so?”
‘Am I not dead…?’
Not long after that question arose, Ash realized it for real.
That he was alive!
In his body was not only warmth, but sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. Every sense was vividly felt.
With every breath of sweet air he took in and exhaled, Ash felt that he was alive.
‘I’m alive! My body even feels refreshed!’
He felt vitality on a completely different level than his former body.
While thinking that the being before his eyes must have saved him, Ash did not let down his guard.
Because he did not know what intention the other had in saving him.
‘…Why did he save me? Going so far as to use expensive holy water!’
Before dying, he had been infected by Wormpest, so the fact that he was alive now meant the crow man had used holy water to cure him.
Since he had used such precious holy water… there must surely be a reason.
“Who are you?”
At his naturally condescending demeanor, the crow man, Roki, tilted his head slightly and looked at Ash with interest.
“Shouldn’t an introduction come first? Condescending to someone you just met… You must be of quite high status.”
“Naturally. I am…!”
The first in the line of succession to the throne of the Ronia Kingdom, Ash Ronia!
He tried to say it, but it got stuck in his throat.
He had to hide his identity as much as possible. Especially since he had been falsely accused of causing the King of Ronia—his own father—to contract dementia and of spreading the plague.
Since even the Holy Order believed that false rumor and branded him a ‘heretic,’ he had to be all the more careful.
Ash raised his hand and brushed it down his face.
“I am… a noble.”