{Chapter 4} What Was Left, and Those Left Behind
Around the Minra Defense operations headquarters set up in the courtyard of the Mathew estate, there was already a lively, victory-in-the-air atmosphere.
All the attacking yoma had been driven off, and so far no sign of enemy reinforcements or a renewed assault had been confirmed. The front lines had not yet relaxed their state of readiness, but smiles were already beginning to show on the faces of the soldiers gripping their weapons.
There was another reason for the bustle besides the celebratory mood. Beginning with reports from the commanders who held the major cities declaring their submission to General Mathew, declarations of support for Mathew from commanders of other bases kept pouring in.
“General Mathew, just now we received formal notification from the capital Nephy that they’re coming under your command! Also, the officer who temporarily commanded Nephy’s defense… he’s quite young, but he’s requested General Mathew’s triumphant return to Nephy!”
“Hmm… I see.”
At Teintan’s excited report, Mathew’s expression instead tightened. He coolly accepted the similar reports coming in from various quarters and dropped his eyes to the map of Miramar to analyze the situation.
“Teintan, what on earth is happening… can you tell?”
“No, honestly, I can’t say for sure. But in the reports from the commanders of the major cities that were attacked, one thing is common, each of them included thanks for the reinforcements we sent.”
“Hmm… True, I did order support to be sent to the nearest cities that were attacked regardless of faction… but we couldn’t have reached every city, and certainly not so quickly. Besides, there’s no way our units could have gone as far as Pasawn at the southern tip of Miramar.”
The regions under Mathew’s influence lay mainly on the northern side of Miramar. To reach the southernmost port city Pasawn would mean passing through areas under strong military-regime control; given the situation and the time involved, it would have been impossible to send reinforcements there.
“Yes… But I can say one thing for certain, General Temaren’s defection from the military regime after Pincin was defended was a major factor. General Temaren enjoys deep trust from both soldiers and the populace. And he has declared his support for General Mathew across all his territory.”
“Is this a dream… or a trap by Kaliguda?”
“I won’t deny the possibility, but considering the current situation, I think that possibility is extremely low.”
Teintan changed his tone.
Mathew turned to look at Teintan, wondering how his confidant could be so sure.
“General Mathew, just now we’ve received the same unbelievable report from multiple directions.”
“What is it?”
“It’s that Marshal Kaliguda and several of his senior generals were confirmed dead in the suburbs of Nephy.”
“What!? Is that true!?”
“We’re confirming now, but I think it’s safe to assume it’s true. Photos and video are scheduled to arrive later. Also, among the reporters of this information was the captain of the guard unit Kaliguda founded. That person sent a detailed communication about Kaliguda’s last moments. It seems the guard accompanied Kaliguda as he attempted to flee Nephy.”
Mathew could not hide his astonishment at Teintan’s near-unbelievable report.
“What… and the guard was supposed to be Kaliguda’s most loyal elite, wasn’t it? Why would people like that turn to me? For self-preservation? No, we weren’t that overwhelmingly dominant. Such a coincidence—no, circumstances so perfectly convenient for me…”
“No, General, it’s not a coincidence!”
Teintan’s voice sharpened, and Mathew found himself staring at him.
Teintan straightened as if startled.
“My apologies, General. I do think there were parties who lent great help without our knowledge. We’re rushing to confirm that. But that alone… it’s by no means coincidence or mere luck.”
Teintan closed his eyes, his face grave.
“At the end of the guard captain’s dispatch, one line was appended.”
Mathew frowned at the change in Teintan’s manner.
“…What did it say?”
“‘Under the command of Guaran Ses Yen, captain of the guard unit…’”
…!
Mathew’s eyes widened.
A silence, an unspoken span of time, passed between Teintan and Mathew.
Then Mathew let out a single word.
“Guaran…”
He said nothing more.
Now, before Mathew’s eyes, the image of his late friend rose.
Guaran had been on Nina Hill.
That Guaran seized Mathew’s shoulder.
“I will be! The great disease that eats this regime from the inside!”
True to those words, Guaran had been working in the shadows.
Alone… in a military regime inhabited by all manner of fiends and monsters, he was intent on becoming exactly that disease, devouring it from within.
How Guaran had wormed his way into the royal guards who were supposed to be Kaliguda’s last line of defense—how he had won them over—he had no idea. But to accomplish that must have taken an incredible amount of caution and craft, and an even greater measure of nerve and mental strength.
Guaran had been fighting with every ounce of his being.
All of it… for the future of this Miramar.
Mathew took a pair of sunglasses from his breast pocket, put them on, and said to Teintan.
“Teintan! After we bring this Minra situation under control, I’m heading to the capital, Nephy. When you do, have General Temaren accompany me. There I will declare the establishment of a new government!”
“Sir! Understood! I will contact him at once!”
Teintan saluted and turned to leave.
At that moment he had not missed the tear that had slipped from the edge of Mathew’s sunglasses. But he did not turn his body solely to pretend he hadn’t seen his superior crying.
After leaving the commander’s office, Teintan… first wiped his own eyes.
◆
At the mouth of the cave halfway up Mount Gurwa, Gaston waited for Hiroto’s return with obvious boredom.
Gaston sat on the trunk of a fallen great tree and, unusually, let out a deep sigh.
“Master Hiroto. In the end, you used that power, didn’t you? And it was even stronger than when you used it against me.”
Gaston remembered the seals placed on Hiroto—knowledge he had gained directly from Hiroto’s memories.
“If I recall correctly, there are seven seals, both hands, both feet, the head, the abdomen, and the chest. When I was around, only the hand seals were undone, but this time you broke more than that.”
Gaston stroked his chin as if thinking.
“Honestly… I don’t know what those perverted old immortals were thinking, making it so the master can freely release such a dangerous seal whenever he likes.”
In fact, some time ago Gaston had met those perverted immortals, Matozu and Sun Wei.
Or rather, when he was walking to see Hiroto he’d been suddenly grabbed from behind by those two extremely drunk old men and forcibly taken to Hiroto’s family dojo.
The legendary immortal over 190 centimeters tall, Gaston, had been caught by these two grinning delinquent old men. He fought desperately, but the elders didn’t flinch at all, and there was nothing he could do.
In the end they forced him to sit on the dojo’s verandah, and Matozu and Sun Wei, both looking thoroughly plastered—grinned at Gaston, whose face had frozen with tension for the first time in fifteen hundred years, and laughed broad, stupid smiles.
“Wahaha! A vampire, found! What a fine one! Come, join us, join us! Take care of my grandson!”
“That’s right, that’s right, there’s a rare one here! Drink, drink! Are you my disciple’s contracted familiar? Then enjoy yourself! Hohoho—”
“Eh? Eh? Wait! W-wait, you two are Master’s… *ngh!*”
With high spirits they lined up bottles of sake, shochu, and aged liquor and poured one after another into Gaston’s mouth.
Gaston didn’t especially dislike alcohol, nor was he weak to it. In fact, he was strong—he could hardly remember ever getting drunk.
Still, without understanding why, he had been forced by the suddenly appearing old men into what felt like an endless drinking party. Of course, Matozu and Sun Wei drank just as much.
After that, Gaston drank until he lost his memory for the first time in his life. Drunk, he passed out—and when he woke it was morning on the dojo verandah, the three of them together, the two immortals and a vampire.
“Ugh…”
The fragmentary memory came back and made Gaston feel sick.
When the faces of those two old men—whom in his one and a half millennia of life he had placed first on the “never want to meet again” list—floated into his mind, he wiped them away immediately.
(I still don’t know whether that was a welcome or some kind of harassment. In any case, I never want to meet anyone called an immortal again…)
Shaking his head as if to dispel the nightmare, Gaston returned his thoughts to Hiroto’s seals.
“I’ve come to understand this power through my contract with you, Master. This is not a power that should be used much. From now on I need to be more careful. It almost tore away the precious contract with Master… Hm? Oh, Master!”
Gaston spotted Hiroto stepping out of the cave and raised his hand.
“Gaston! Ah… you… you remembered me,” Hiroto said.
“What are you talking about! You’re the second friend I’ve finally made, Master. I’m not going to stop being your friend that easily. Ah, we’ll talk later. Some weird guys came here, so let’s leave right away. They’ll probably be back soon, so now’s the time!”
“Y-yeah, got it.”
Hiroto and Gaston ran to the military jeep they had borrowed in Minra, jumped in, and Gaston started the engine and they drove off.
“Gaston, those weird folks?”
“Most likely, they were people from the Agency. They came to investigate this place. Or maybe just for reconnaissance. From what I saw, there were some fairly skilled ones. Highly likely a Sword of Surtur extermination squad. But with the way things went, they’d have been turned back, so I don’t think they were the main force. Well, I mixed in a bit and led them off the trail.”
“What!? You did that? Is that okay?”
“It’s fine. They couldn’t tell who I was. Besides, Master, are your wounds all right?”
“Ah, it’s nothing serious. But Agency extermination squad… so another replacement ability-user had already shown up, then.”
“Probably. I couldn’t tell exactly who they were, but I thought it’d be troublesome if they learned about you, so I did a few things. Of course, for you—Master.”
Hiroto gave a wry smile at Gaston’s words.
“Would you have preferred they found out you beat the Sword of Surtur?”
“No, that’s fine. This wasn’t an official mission, I acted on my own…”
“I thought you’d say that.”
“…Gaston.”
“Yes?”
“Thanks…”
Gaston smiled at Hiroto’s words of gratitude.
“Heh, now maybe you won’t nag me so much, Master~”
“Ugh! Fine, okay. Oh, Gaston, I have a suggestion.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve been thinking—would you come live at my place? You’re technically wanted, you know. I’m not forcing you, though.”
“What!? M-Master…”
“The reward this time was better than I expected, so I should be able to repair most of the house… then that stupidly huge place will be usable again. You’d do better with a proper home, right, Gaston?”
“M-Master… you were thinking of something like that for me…”
“Well? What do you think?”
Gaston trembled at Hiroto’s unexpected offer.
He raised one hand to his mouth and squeezed his slightly wet eyes shut.
“Gaston? Hmm? Oh—are you welling up? Watch where you’re looking—hey! Hey!? Open your eyes!”
“Master!! Waaah!”
“Whoah! Gaston! Hey, hey, I’m driving here! Don’t cling to me! Gaston—? Ahhh! Gaston, look ahead! Ahead—!”
Overcome with emotion, Gaston refused to let go of Hiroto. Panicking, Hiroto tried to pull him away, but an abrupt downhill hairpin turn in the mountain road came into view.
“Master!!”
The jeep carrying Gaston and Hiroto rammed into the woods at full speed, and the two of them were spectacularly hurled from the military vehicle.
“Whoaaa—! Bvvv! You idiot Gaston! You bloody vampire!!”
Several hours had passed into the deep night before Hiroto and Gaston finally arrived near Minra. Hiroto’s clothes were worse for wear than after the fight with Sword of Surtur, he hiked himself up to his knees with a hand and looked a little gaunt. He had no idea how many kilometers they’d run.
“Huff, huff… finally… we’re here. Man, I’m beat.”
“Yay, we made it~! We got here sooner than I expected, so you can rest now, Master!”
“What do you mean ‘sooner’! Because of you, Gaston I didn’t even sleep! And you wrecked the car—what are we going to do about that? And my whole body hurts from the scrapes when we hit the woods!”
“Oh, come on, it’s because you said that stuff while driving~. Besides, you could’ve at least rolled with it, Master.”
“Yeah, sure, if you hadn’t hugged me! You get your injuries healed up in no time, don’t you? Meanwhile I couldn’t even do a proper fall and rolled dozens of meters down a slope, so my good clothes are ruined!”
Hiroto fumed, but Gaston kept a composed expression. Then, for the first time in a while, Gaston’s face turned serious for a moment. He faced Hiroto and spoke.
“Master… let me say just one thing. I don’t like to bring it up, but please try to avoid using that power as much as possible.”
“…Huh?”
“The bond between us—those who are not human—and you is extremely strong. The thread that binds us together doesn’t snap easily. Our connections with nonhumans are like miracles, a single encounter, a single contract carries enormous weight.”
Gaston continued with a solemn look.
“But… humans are different.”
“…”
“Humans, despite their far shorter lives compared to ours, strengthen their bonds through continued contact. By interacting, they come to recognize each other more deeply, and the ties grow stronger. Of course there are fated connections and souls drawn to each other. But usually, human ties become stronger by nurturing the connection. My first friend, Sophie, used to say that it is something precious to a person’s life—and it becomes a very powerful force.”
When Gaston said the name Sophie, Hiroto recalled the image of Sophia Sutherland he had seen in Gaston’s memories. She was… to Gaston a very important, special person—the woman who had first freed him from loneliness.
“That power of yours uses up the threads of a person’s bonds. Of course, thin threads that have only just been connected would be easily cut. Even if those threads might grow into something incredibly precious in the future. Meetings between people are a kind of power, you know—sometimes powerful enough to move history. Precisely because of that, the power that consumes those precious threads is so immense.”
Gaston watched the silent Hiroto with a look of concern.
“Well, I don’t want you to go through anything painful, Master. So, it’s better if you don’t use that power too much.”
“Yeah… you’re right, Gaston. Thank you… Gaston.”
Hiroto was genuinely grateful for Gaston’s concern. He felt almost frustrated that putting it into words made it sound so plain.
At that moment, though, Nina’s tearful face flashed through Hiroto’s mind.
He closed his eyes and smiled quietly.
“I understand what you’re saying, Gaston. I really do… but—”
Gaston saw Hiroto’s expression, gave a wry smile, and exhaled.
“Well, if you put it that way, it’s so like you, Master. And that ragged look you’re wearing now is very you, too.”
“Guh! What do you mean by that? My clothes are torn up mostly because of you, Gaston…!”
“Haha, well, this was an unfortunate incident. A truly unlucky accident. Ah! I’m off now—see you in Japan, boss. Oh, and I almost forgot, Kyoko and the others said they’d be going home first, earlier.”
“Unfortunate incident, my foot! Huh? Everyone? Really?”
“Yes, they said they’ve got various preparations to make. So they told me to tell you to come back to them soon, boss.”
“Preparations for what, I wonder? Also, how do you and your lot manage to be reachable no matter where you are? N-no, that’s not important right now! Gaston, you—”
“Yes! Well then, I’m off!”
“Hey, wait! There’s still more to say! Gnn… he ran off—”
Gaston vanished, leaving Hiroto stamping his foot alone in his tattered clothes.
He no longer had the energy to chase Gaston down and give him a lecture.
With a sigh, Hiroto entered Minra and headed for the Mathew household.
As he entered Minra, the morning sun began to rise, gradually illuminating the town.
The streets of Minra looked so normal it was hard to believe they’d been attacked by a swarm of fiends, it was clear Mizuho, Marion, and the others had prevented the fiends from entering Minra.
“Right, then.”
Hiroto walked north along the main avenue that ran through Minra’s center, and stopped when he saw the large gate of the Mathew estate.
Soldiers of the Mathew household guarded both sides of the gate day and night. Normally he could have just gone to the gate and asked to be let in, but Hiroto realized that in his current state that would be difficult.
He’d had experience with this sort of thing in the demon world too.
(What to do… Well, there’s no choice… Sorry, but maybe I’ll let myself in. For now, I’ll meet with Mizuho-san and Marion-san and then decide.)
For a moment he pulled himself out of his slump and decided to avoid the main entrance, move to the east side, and hop over the high wall surrounding the estate to get inside.
(What am I doing. This feels like I’m a thief, and I hate it…)
He hid near the eastern wall of the Mathew estate and waited for the patrolling guards to pass.
Then Hiroto realized something important.
(Still, even if I get in this way, what then? If Mizuho-san and Marion-san have forgotten me… especially thinking about Mizuho-san, this could become a big problem…)
Thinking that, Hiroto stood frozen.
And then he remembered Gaston’s words.
“That power uses up a person’s threads of bonds…”
But Hiroto quickly lifted his face.
It’s okay if they’ve forgotten him for now. He could have them remember him again.
(Even if they’ve forgotten, those two will remember me again. Maybe not right away… but someday, definitely. No, I’ll work so they’ll remember me again. After all, they remembered me once; there can be a second time, too.)
Hiroto nodded to himself, a little lonely but resolute.
“Right, I’ll let things take their course. Yeah, I’ll go in through the front!”
“Of course, Hiroto-san. What are you mumbling to yourself about?”
“Eh!?”
Startled by the sudden address, Hiroto turned around in surprise.
“Ma–Marion-san!”
There stood Marion, eyes closed with a slightly awkward expression, looking exasperated.
“Good grief… what on earth are you doing? I was worried and waiting at the gate. From a distance I saw someone in tatters and thought, ‘It can’t be…’—but of course it was Hiroto. And sneaking around like this… I almost had to hide my presence because I wondered if there was some reason.”
“Ah… no, well, you see, I—”
“We’ll hear the story inside! Come on, let’s go. Mizuho-san’s been up waiting, too.”
“Huh… Shitenji-san as well?”
When Marion said that with a somewhat annoyed tone, Hiroto nodded and, urged on, passed through the Matto residence’s main gate where the guards stood and went inside.
As he walked down the long path from the gate to the mansion, Hiroto stared dumbfounded at Marion’s back as she walked ahead of him.
Marion’s words and attitude toward him from earlier. They were unchanged from before they left Minra for Mount Gurwa. Yes, exactly unchanged. Hiroto knew what that meant.
He stared at Marion’s back again and clenched his fist.
Right now, for Hiroto, just this—this one thing—how happy it made him was beyond measure.
Because… she was still connected to him.
This fight against the Sword of Surtur had been nothing more than Hiroto stubbornly imposing his own will. Mizuho and Marion had borne with that selfishness of his and sent him off to Mount Gurwa.
In other words, Hiroto’s actions this time had only caused trouble for Mizuho and Marion.
And yet, these two remembered him.
Behind Marion, careful not to be noticed, Hiroto used the sleeve of his filthy, mud-streaked, tattered shirt to quietly wipe his tears.
And Marion walking ahead—whether she knew how Hiroto looked or not—kept her face turned forward, closed her eyes, and smiled.
◆
“So! Tell me why you used that power!”
How many times had they asked him the same question now?
“Well, I mean, the enemies were stronger than I thought… besides, everyone was being attacked, so I had to take them down quickly—”
“That’s not what I’m asking!”
“Y-yes!”
Now Hiroto was made to sit properly in seiza in front of the towering figures of Mizuho and Marion.
After arriving at the mansion, Marion had led him straight to Mizuho and Marion’s room.
When Marion opened the door, Mizuho was pacing restlessly right and left across the room.
When she realized Hiroto had returned, her eyes widened and for a moment she showed a look of joy and relief.
But seeing his ragged state she rushed over in surprise, checked him with the slightly hollowed eyes of someone who’d been worrying, and the instant she judged there was no serious harm…
Mizuho’s expression turned into that of a fierce guardian deity.
A sudden threat materialized before her and Hiroto’s body instinctively tried to recoil.
At the same time, a firm hand clamped onto his shoulder from behind.
Hiroto froze. Turning toward the owner of the hand that gripped him so strongly, he saw Marion—the one who had been fussing over his condition, asking incessantly about how he felt while guiding him to the room—smiling.
But behind that gentle smile was the image of a lion confronting its prey.
And so the situation had come to be as it was.
Arms folded, rigid as a statue, Mizuho glared down at Hiroto with raised eyebrows.
“Okay? So, if you use that power, there’s a possibility everyone will forget you, right, Hiroto?”
“Y-yes…”
“Then tell us why you used it.”
The same question again.
Hiroto had answered this question many times, but they refused to be satisfied.
“Um, so—”
“Fufufu, Hiroto-san.”
“Eek!”
Marion’s smiling voice cut in.
She crouched her body infront of Mizuho and lowered herself so Hiroto, seated in seiza, met her eye level. Her face stayed smiling. It was a good smile… but there was no light in her eyes.
“Understood. I’ll put it another way for our foolish Hiroto-san… okay?”
Hiroto’s body began to tremble, sweat streaming from his forehead, and he nodded again and again.
“If you use that power you’ll be forgotten by the people you’ve been involved with up until now, right?”
“Y-yes, that’s right.”
“And among those people… are we included?”
As Hiroto moved to nod, Mizuho, unable to contain herself, blurted out.
“Yes! That’s what I wanted to say!”
“Huh?”
“Huh? Don’t ‘huh’ me!”
With his head clouded by fear and tension, Hiroto still didn’t fully grasp what the two of them were trying to say, and Mizuho’s anger surged to its limit.
Marion was smiling as always, but the light in her eyes had completely… gone.
“So… you’re saying that Hiroto-san decided it would be fine if we forgot him?”
“…Huh?”
Hiroto snapped his head up as if startled.
He looked from Mizuho, who was quietly glaring at him, to Marion, whose smile had vanished and whose face looked lonely.
Then Hiroto blurted out loudly without thinking.
“No! That’s not it at all!”
He insisted with a serious expression, desperate to avoid that misunderstanding.
“I don’t want you two to forget me! I wasn’t thinking anything like that back then. If anything, it was the opposite…”
At Hiroto’s words, the hardness left Mizuho and Marion’s faces.
“Back then… I just couldn’t forgive that Rokiarum. He only affirmed his own world and thought of everyone else like insects.”
Hiroto did his best to put into words what he’d been thinking.
“Admittedly, I lost my head a bit, but the enemy was stronger and more dangerous than we’d expected — that’s true. I couldn’t just leave things as they were. If I had run from that place, I couldn’t know what danger might have come not only to Miramar but to Mizuho-san and Marion-san as well.”
“That ‘dog’ you mean? When I fought it I definitely felt a power far beyond what I faced back then…”
“Yeah, that thing called it a Garm.”
“What did you say?! Is that for real!?”
“No way… a myth-level beast like that. Then the Garm I fought must not even have been using a tenth of its power.”
Mizuho and Marion learned that this enemy carried a far greater danger than they’d imagined. If a super-monster like a Garm had been summoned in its full form, it would be something the entire organization would have to mobilize against.
“But maybe I was relying too mych on Mizuho-san and Marion-san.”
“Huh? What do you mean, Hiroto?”
“Hiroto-san, what is that?”
For some reason both of them looked a little pleased at the word “relying.”
“Because you two remembered me once… I thought that if you forgot me again, I could make the effort and you’d remember me a second time. Thinking that gave me courage…”
Mizuho and Marion exchanged glances.
Then… they both smiled quietly.
There was something in it that felt like they’d given something up, somehow, but—
“Alright, Hiroto.”
“…Huh?”
Relieved that they’d finally understood, Hiroto turned his face to Mizuho and Marion. He looked as if he could finally breathe easy, a slight wry smile on his lips, and both of them were now smiling back.
“Get some rest. I need to prepare to return to Japan, so you won’t be able to rest for too long. We’ll pay respects to General Mathew this evening and depart.”
“Ah, understood.”
“Hiroto-san, before that please show me your wounds. I’ll treat them.”
When Hiroto stood, Marion produced fresh bandages and disinfectant.
Then, for some reason, Mizuho and Marion took turns fighting over the bandages and, together, tended to his wounds.
Hiroto, who had his back turned to them, somehow stopped himself from looking back.
Hiroto left Mizuho and the others’ room and headed for his own.
Even though it was early morning, the mansion was still loud, soldiers were running through it. It seemed they’d lifted the alert and moved the operational headquarters from the garden back into the mansion.
He walked down the mansion’s long corridor and saw a staircase up ahead.
His heart leaped.
At the stairs, busy with the soldiers, were Arokaune and… Nina. Nina was talking to Arokaune as if she were in a hurry.
Hiroto’s pace unconsciously slowed as he walked, his expression tightening with tension.
“Yes, Arokaune, please. Lead the citizens back to their homes.”
“Yes, milady. Understood.”
Nina hurriedly parted from Arokaune and came running in Hiroto’s direction.
Hiroto’s heartbeat quickened as he watched Nina approach.
At that moment their gazes met.
Nina’s expression flickered with puzzlement for just an instant when she noticed Hiroto.
He didn’t know what to do.
Nina finally reached right in front of him.
Hiroto summoned his courage and raised his hand to call out to her.
But… they exchanged no words.
Nina didn’t slow down, she ran past him without breaking her pace.
Hiroto looked at his right hand, still raised halfway.
Then he gave a sad smile… but with a face that somehow looked resigned, he clenched his hand.
Hiroto quickened his step and climbed the central staircase of the mansion.
Nina, hurrying along, suddenly stopped as if startled and turned to look back.
There was… nothing there but a few soldiers bustling about.
Nina stood like that for a while, but when she remembered what she had to do, she ran off again.
In the evening, Mizuho, Marion, and Hiroto packed their belongings and went to General Mathew’s private room.
Mathew still looked busy with the aftermath of the battle, and when they were shown into the room they passed a soldier who had come to give some report.
Mathew was talking with Teintan, but when he noticed Mizuho and the others he rose from his impressive chair and came all the way over to them.
“General Mathew, we’ve come to report the completion of our escort mission and to offer our farewell before returning to Japan.”
“Mm, I am truly grateful for everything this time. No—words cannot begin to express my thanks for the heroic efforts of you, Mizuho’s team. This victory is entirely because of you. On behalf of Miremar, I want to say thank you.”
With that Mathew bowed his head. Teintan, who had been standing behind Mathew, bowed as well.
Seeing those two senior military men bowing, Mizuho panicked.
“General, please raise your head. This was part of our work as well. This matter was something the Agency could not ignore. Personally, too, these enemies were unforgivable. But everything has been settled. This is something to be glad about for both sides.”
Mathew smiled, seemingly moved by Mizuho’s words.
“I have received more gratitude than I can ever return… No, apologies—hearing you say that does put a little weight off my shoulders.”
“I wanted to greet Nina-san as well, but she wasn’t here, so please give her my regards. Also, this is contact information for Marion and me. I promised Nina we’d exchange contacts, so I’m giving it to you. And please keep it confidential. It’s not strictly forbidden, but it’s not something the Agency recommends.”
Mizuho smiled and handed Mathew a slip of paper with an email address and a phone number.
“I see… my apologies. She’s probably still in town. She’s been working without sleep since yesterday, I told her to take a break but she wouldn’t listen. I understand she’s been doing her best, but to be absent when you were leaving… I see. I’ll be sure to tell her.”
After a bit of conversation, Mathew shook Mizuho’s hand.
Then he shook Marion’s hand, and then… he reached out to Hiroto.
Hiroto looked Mathew in the face and returned the handshake.
“General Mathew, I think you’ll have a difficult road ahead, so please take care of your health. From Japan, I will be supporting Miremar’s development.”
“Mm, much appreciated. Yes…”
Hiroto smiled, understanding why Mathew had faltered over his words.
“Ah—I’m Domori Hiroto. I did my small part and worked with all my strength on this mission.”
“Uh—mm, thank you, Doumori-kun.”
“Yes!”
Mizuho and Marion watched the exchange between Hiroto and Mathew with complicated expressions.
Hiroto had told them beforehand, “There’s no need to explain— it’ll only cause confusion.” That, too, was part of why they didn’t speak up. Still, a feeling of “this is too odd…” rose up in both Mizuho and Marion.
Hiroto, however, stopped them with his eyes, and the two girls fell silent.
After Mizuho and the others left, Mathew sat back in his desk chair and, with a thoughtful expression, spoke to the man beside him, Teintan.
“Teintan.”
“Yes?”
“The boy from earlier… Doumori-kun, was it? Did you know him?”
“No, I don’t know anything—”
“Hmm…”
“Is something the matter?”
“No, it’s nothing in particular. It’s just—when I watched him leave… I felt a strange sense, like saying farewell to an irreplaceable comrade.”
“…What!? The General felt that too…?”
“What? You did as well?”
“Yes. Ever since I saw that boy, there’s been this peculiar, prickling feeling deep in my chest, like guilt. How should I put it… it’s as if we’re abandoning the greatest of heroes.”
“His name is Domori…”
“Domori… he was called Hiroto. Ha—General, surely you don’t mean Hiroto—”
“What is it? Did something come to mind?”
“No, but… that can’t be. No, reports from cities defending against the monsters contained that strange name ‘Hiroto’ several times. Some said that a comrade named Hiroto sent reinforcements, and in other places the name Hiroto came up.”
Mathew felt a twinge at Teintan’s report.
“Could it be… that such a boy is related to that—”
Mathew and Teintan fell silent.
At that moment, someone knocked on the room’s door and a subordinate came in to report.
“Reporting in! We’ve just received word from General Temaren that he agrees to accompany us to the capital Nephy! General Temaren says he can go at any time.”
“I see! Teintan!”
“Yes! I’ll contact the commander in Nephy at once and propose preparations for a triumphant return. I’ll also have Lord Guaran’s aides hurriedly draft the wording to establish the new government!”
“Good. Do it!”
In the suddenly enlivened commander’s office, everyone set about their tasks busily.
◆
A little over ten minutes after Mizuho and the others left Minra, Nina returned from the city.
She had finally reached a lull in her work, and the moment she stepped into her room an overwhelming fatigue enveloped her whole body and a fierce drowsiness swept over her.
No wonder—Nina hadn’t slept a wink since yesterday, and by the time she came back to her room it was already evening. Freed from the tension of her first battle, she wanted nothing more than to take a shower and get some sleep.
As Nina reached into the closet for clothes to shower, she noticed something on her desk.
“What’s this…?”
She furrowed her brow and went closer.
There was… a piece of paper with a note and a pistol.
Nina picked up the pistol.
For some reason her chest tightened.
(What is this feeling…?)
The pistol had been given to her by Arokaune for self-defense, so there was nothing in particular that should have concerned her about it simply being on the desk.
Besides, Nina remembered taking that pistol out of the desk drawer. She assumed she had just left it on the desk.
(But… if that’s the case, then this note?)
She unfolded the four-folded note that had been placed beside the pistol.
On it, in handwriting that was far from neat, were a few clumsy lines written in English.
[Nina-san. I’m sorry—I am returning something I borrowed without asking. I pray that for the future of Miramar, and for you, Nina, this gun will never be needed.]
Nina looked at the pistol.
There were no bullets loaded in it.
She had the memory of loading bullets into this pistol yesterday, though…
Something hot ran from Nina’s right eye down her cheek and fell onto the note.
Only then did she realize she was crying, and she was surprised.
She stared blankly out the window, then as if jolted, turned on her heel and ran.
Nina didn’t even know what she was chasing.
She didn’t know, but she was searching for something.
It felt as if an emotion welled up from the depths of her heart, telling her that there was something she must not lose like this.
She ran down the corridor, opened the large front door—soldiers were still coming and going—and went out into the courtyard.
She looked around again and again, and kept searching.
By then Nina no longer even thought about what she was looking for.
Tears streamed from both her eyes; she simply, simply searched.
All she had now was the impulse rising from her heart.
Nina stayed like that in the courtyard at dusk for a long time, until Arokaune found her and took her in.
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There is only one chapter left for this volume and 2 more side story, if if if you want volume 5 translation, please donate some, I need to buy the LN first. It is around 20$ USD.