Chapter 1: Roland’s Night
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It was late at night, the kind of dark where the light of the moon never quite reached the ground. That’s when the lion sprang out.
Sion looked across the darkness. When he did, he saw a beast attacking humans. A redheaded beast. Bloodlust strong enough to make him shiver with just one look was radiating from it.
Soon the beast had killed eight guards. Really, it only took a second. The soldiers had turned into bodies before they ever realized they were being attacked.
Now there was only one left. He was a nobleman so famous that even Sion knew his face, and he begged for mercy at the beast’s hands.
“W-wait, don’t kill me. I’ll pay you! I’ll pay whoever hired you. Just—”
The beast swung his arm. Just like that, he stole the noble’s life.
That noble had lived with immense pride, power, and was an existence that no one could touch, so everyone let him seek pleasure after pleasure on his own time. And yet.
“……”
The beast, bored, swung his right arm once more. When he did, it was dyed with blood spurting from his opponent.
A red arm, dyed the color of blood.
“……”
The redheaded beast turned around.
He turned to look at Sion, who had erased his presence and should have blended seamlessly into the night.
And then the beast glared. He had red hair and a tough body, trained like steel. His fiery red eyes were fixed on Sion.
Claugh Klom. Rahel Miller’s right-hand man.
He was a demon of the battlefield whose name was well-known even in the surrounding countries, and he was looking right at Sion.
“……”
He didn’t speak. Bloodlust emitted from him as he watched, and then he broke out in a run. He was unbelievably fast.
One step. Two. Three. That was all it took to make escape impossible.
Claugh raised the arm soaked with a noble’s blood up, then made to grab Sion’s neck with it.
But before he did—
“Listen to what I have to say before you kill me, Claugh Klom,” Sion Astal said.
But Claugh didn’t stop. He gripped Sion’s neck tightly. “I got no reason to,” he said. “I can just kill you now.”
“Then will you?”
“Yeah.”
“Then kill me.”
“I’m gonna,” Claugh said. His grip on Sion’s neck tightened. It felt like his neck would break, like his life would be snuffed out through it.
Sion had no way to escape.
He didn’t think any human within Roland now could.
Even so, Sion smiled.
He felt his own death and smiled.
He was being choked, suffocated, his neck crushed under an unspeakable pressure. And he smiled.
“What’s so funny?” Claugh asked, clearly suspicious.
Sion didn’t look at him. He didn’t look at his approaching death, either. He looked behind Claugh, to a second monster, who also had no presence.
Sion snapped his fingers. That was the monster’s signal. There was a faint sound like that of a breeze.
Ferris appeared behind Claugh in an instant. She held a longsword one would think too heavy for her small arms, and she moved it with practiced ease to lay against Claugh’s neck.
Claugh tried to turn to face her, but…
“Don’t move or I’ll kill you,” Ferris said with that cold, emotionless voice of hers. She was overflowing - no, exploding with killing intent. Her sword dug just so into Claugh’s neck.
“……”
Claugh couldn’t move. He looked a little nervous, and then happy, like he was enjoying this. “You bastard—”
But that was all he could manage.
“Ferris,” Sion said.
She dug her sword deeper into Claugh’s neck.
“…Be quiet,” Sion said. “It’s my turn to talk now.”
Claugh glared at him. “Don’t treat me like a brat. A guy of your caliber—”
“Ferris,” Sion ordered quickly.
She pressed her sword in deeper. Thick blood began to pour from his wound. He’d probably die if she pressed it deeper still. So Claugh didn’t move this time.
“Stay quiet, Claugh Klom,” Sion said.
Claugh just glared at him, his sharp red eyes full of malice. Full of murderous intent. His stare alone made one feel that death was fast approaching.
But Sion gripped the arm of the monster who tried to strangle him. “What are you making that face for? Frustrated because you lost?” Sion said, clearly provoking him.
Claugh smiled. “Who are you callin’ a loser? I just need to kill you and get rid of this bitch—”
“Ferris.”
Her sword dug even deeper.
The beast’s face scrunched up. “Shit. The fuck. I thought I’d stop this sword with my muscles, but I can’t. What is this?”
Sion shrugged. “You aren’t the only monster here.”
“I already know that,” Claugh said easily. “If I were, that smiley white haired idiot wouldn’t get under my skin so bad all the time.”
“……”
Sion’s eyes widened in surprise.
Because he’d researched Crimson-fingered Claugh Klom before coming here, and he hadn’t heard anything about others among Miller’s subordinates who Claugh would acknowledge.
There was Claugh’s underclassman, Calne Kaiwel. He was outstanding, sure, but his ability couldn’t hold a candle to Claugh’s. Shuss Shirazz, who followed Claugh, was the same.
There was also Lear Rinkal. Lach Velariore. Moe Velariore. Jereme Cryslar. There were also Es, Tulio, Genlu, Bannel - Miller had collected numerous excellent pawns. But each and every one of them was outstaged by Claugh Klom, who was currently the perfect picture of murderous intent. They all paled in comparison to the demon of red battlefields.
Claugh just said that guy had white hair, which was quite the distinctive trait. A white haired, smiley idiot - Sion already knew that he didn’t have any info that matched this guy from the few words Claugh had given him to work with.
“Who in the world are you talking about?” Sion asked.
“……”
Claugh obviously didn’t answer. His eyes lowered to Sion, then moved to the right towards the town steeped in darkness. Then he smiled.
“Oh, looks like my reinforcements are here. Looks like I’m on the winnin’ side now~”
Sion looked in the direction Claugh was looking. “Hm?”
Ferris did too, following Sion’s movements. “Mm?”
“Sike!”
Claugh took his hand off Sion’s neck and whipped around, aiming a punch for Ferris’ face.
“Kgh,” Ferris muttered as she dodged.
Claugh took a step back once Ferris was out of the way and rose his fingers to the air to draw a magic circle. “I wish for a rainbow of annihilation - Abstract Phosphorescence!”
A spear of light shot from the center of Claugh’s magic circle, aiming for Ferris.
“Ferris, get out of the way!” Sion yelled.
“…This is no problem for me,” Ferris said. She tensed her body, then slashed her sword at Claugh’s magic. It disappeared just like that.
“Hah. The fuck. You just wave your sword around and it goes away? How much of a monster even are you?” Claugh asked, exasperated.
Ferris didn’t stop there. She moved her unsheathed sword back over towards Claugh and raced towards him.
“Damn you’re fast,” Claugh muttered. Her sword advanced towards him so fast that Sion’s eyes couldn’t follow. Soon it was against Claugh’s neck again.
She’d behead him. He’d die. That’s what Sion really thought. He wanted to yell for her to wait, but he’d just be too slow.
And yet, Claugh stopped Ferris’ sword with his right arm.
Ferris tried to move the blade, then tried to move the hilt, but Claugh had complete control of the sword. She couldn’t move it at all. So Claugh’s arm remained wholly unharmed. He looked down at it, the sword stopped with his arm alone. “What’s up with this? You goin’ easy on me?”
“I don’t need to get serious about this,” Ferris said. “There’s no reason for you to die.”
“Hah? You don’t need to get serious? Don’t make me laugh. You can’t touch me with that sword even if you do get serious.”
“Ha, you’d still take it with your bare hands?”
Claugh laughed. “This is a prosthetic, dumbass. This is the end for you.”
Claugh opened the palm of the hand on the arm taking the brunt of Ferris’ attack. When he did, the red tattoos etched into that artificial arm glowed red.
Crimson-fingered Claugh Klom.
When that arm of his glowed red, it was said to be the blood of his enemies.
“Like I’d let you,” Ferris said. She pointed the blade of her sword towards Claugh.
“No. Pull back, Ferris,” Sion said.
“No need. I’ll knock him out—”
“Pull back. This is an order!” Sion yelled.
Ferris stopped. So did Claugh.
Ferris glared at Sion and stepped back, putting distance between her and Claugh and returning to Sion. She spoke, expressionless and monotone as always. “Who did you just yell at, exactly?” She asked, undeniably in a bad mood.
“Oh, um, I was just thinking out loud. Are you angry?”
“Obviously. I’m going home.”
“Oh, umm, uhh, what if I made it thirty dango sets?”
“I’m going home!”
“Thirty five?”
“I-I’m going…”
“Uwah, you’re really testing me here… forty dango sets!”
Ferris responded instantaneously, raising her sword. “I’ll fight anyone! Who is my opponent!?”
Sion breathed a sigh of relief. Ferris was finally taking the fight seriously. One had to against a monster like Claugh.
Ferris’ power was absolutely vital to Sion’s strategy here - with their combined power, they could make Claugh submit to what Sion wanted.
Well, realistically, it was pretty much all Ferris’ power…
“……”
Sion watched the two monsters face off, exasperated. He was called Number One at the Royal Special Academy, you know? But here…
Well, anyway.
“I’m serious this time,” Ferris said. “I’ll knock you right out.”
“Hah. Leave the trash talk out. I’m the one who’s gettin’ serious. If you don’t aim to kill, you’ll be the one who dies instead, Missy.
They both looked absolutely ready to kill, to the point where Sion was paralyzed from the pressure.
Good. This was plenty. Ferris was finally doing enough for his plan to work. All she really had to do was stand at his side, sword at the ready. That was all she had to do for him.
Sion looked to Ferris. If looks could kill…
“…Enough of this charade,” Sion said. “Any more fighting is pointless. Let’s call it quits.”
”Ahn? Who put him in charge—”
“I’m not really in charge. If you kill me, she’ll kill you. That’s all there is to it. I’m sure you’ve understood this from the start, but we have no intention of hurting you. Would you really wave your fists around at an opponent who won’t fight?”
Claugh laughed through his nose. “Even if they’re not putting up a fight, you need to kill who you need to kill on the battlefield.”
“Then do you need to kill me here and now?”
“……”
Claugh didn’t answer.
Sion continued, unperturbed. “Did Rahel Miller tell you to kill me now, no matter what?”
“……”
“I’m sure that Miller told you it was okay to kill me now. But did he say that you definitely have to kill me as soon as possible?”
“…No,” Claugh said.
“Then listen to what I have to say. Listen, and if you don’t like it then you can kill me. How’s that?”
Claugh looked horribly annoyed. “Aaugh. You’re my absolute least favorite kind of guy. You’re powerless and prepared to die, but you still won’t give up. You’re the most annoying type of all.”
“I can get even more annoying, you know?”
“Dumbass, don’t get carried—”
“I can get carried away. I can take this country back if I do. I’ll kill the king, kill my siblings, make Rahel Miller obey me, and rule this country.”
Claugh looked at him like he was some rare breed of animal. “Haaah? You’ll make Miller obey you and take this country, all with that stupid face of yours? You’ve got no power, no brains, and your stupid face is plannin’ to—”
Sion looked at him coldly. “Actually, Ferris, it’s better if you knock some silence into this stupid redhead.”
“Mm,” Ferris said and flew at him.
“This again? Man you guys are dumb—”
“Shuss, back Ferris up.”
A young man emerged a dark city alley. He was about sixteen or seventeen - Sion’s age - and he had blond hair pulled up behind him and calm eyes that betrayed his youth.
Shuss Shirazz.
Much like Calne Kaiwel, he was one of Claugh’s closest confidants. He came out looking appologetic.
Claugh glared at him. “Aahh? You a traitor now?”
Sion answered before Shuss could in his place. “He didn’t betray you, Claugh Klom.”
Claugh turned his glare to Sion, who he stared at with open dislike. “When why’re you listenin’ to him instead of me? You’re mine.”
‘You’re mine’ - what a childish thing to say. Sion couldn’t help but smile. “Shuss has being saying that too. He said he’d throw out his orders for your sake, and I’m sure he thinks that even now.”
“Then why?” Claugh asked.
“He didn’t say he’d betray orders for Rahel Miller’s sake. He said he’d do it for yours. He isn’t someone who swore his loyalty to Miller, after all.”
“What, do you hate that I’m Miller’s subordinate or somethin’?” Claugh asked, a bit troubled.
Shuss shook his head. “No. I love Miller, too.”
“Then why…?”
“Because I’m the weak one.”
Claugh looked over to Sion suspiciously. “Because you’re weak?”
“Yeah.”
“Weak compared to Miller?”
“Yeah.”
“But… that’s obvious, isn’t it?”
Sion smiled at Claugh, who was just stating the obvious. “Yes. It’s obvious. But you aren’t understanding what’s obvious. Rahel Miller is a genius. His plan is perfect and completely free of holes. He’ll set the appropriate amount of traps, kill the appropriate amount of people, and at the end his revolution will be a success.”
Claugh nodded. “Right. He’s got everything all prepared. What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing,” Sion said easily.
Naturally, Claugh eyed him suspiciously. “Hah? What’re you tryin’ to say?”
“I’m trying to say that perfection is a problem in itself. Everything about Miller’s plan is flawless. I can only look at it with awe, and when I’m done looking I still haven’t found a single thing wrong with it. But what lies on a road like that?”
Claugh didn’t answer. So Sion continued.
“Miller’s perfect, ideal society, right? A perfect, ideal country where the weak shouldn’t even be born? Will people feel reassured if they leave everything to the genius Rahel Miller? Ha. Don’t make me laugh. ‘He’ll set the appropriate amount of traps and kill the appropriate amount of people,’ will he? But people’s lives aren’t something you can just spend like currency. I think the ideal amount of sacrifices is none at all. Let’s try to create a world where the fewest people possible cry. Do you think anyone would want to follow that path?”
“…You tellin’ me Shuss fell for this child-like sentimental garbage?”
“For what it’s worth, Calne Kaiwel fell for it too.”
“Wh—”
“So did Tulio Griz. Bannel Neldo, too. Twenty percent of Miller’s soldiers have decided to risk their lives for me. Do you still think it’s child-like and overly sentamental?”
Claugh stared, eyes sharper and stronger than before. “Hm. You’re more dangerous than I thought you’d be.”
“Wow, have you found it in yourself to praise me a little?”
“Yeah. Letting you live this free for this long was a mistake on Miller’s part. He should’ve killed you from the get-go.”
“Wow, my stock’s really rising. But… there’s no fixing that mistake now. I won’t die, and both you and Miller will come to obey me as I rise even further.”
“Don’t fuck with me.”
“I’m not. You’ll fall, and then you’ll become my ally.”
“Will not.”
“Will too. Even Calne did, after all. You’ll do the same.”
Sion took a step. It brought him somewhere that Ferris couldn’t protect him from. Ferris moved to follow, but Sion just kept taking steps away.
“I could kill you,” Sion said. “Join me if you don’t want to die.”
Claugh just stared dumbfounded for a minute before finally replying. “Hah? Haaaaaah? What’s with that. Like, uhh, I can see that you’re overflowing with confidence, but this is all ‘in theory,’ yeah? You can’t kill me. And yeah, that woman’s strong, but not strong enough to kill m—”
“That’s strong enough, isn’t it?” Sion interrupted. “Even if we can’t kill you, we can kill your friends.”
Claugh’s expression faltered.
“I can kill Calne. I can kill Shuss, too. I can probably catch Miller off guard and kill him, too. I’m sure you don’t want me to do that, so become my ally.”
“You bastard, don’t fucking—”
“I won’t let anyone cry once I’m king. I won’t kill people or calculate their worth like numbers. I’ll make a country where everyone can grow up smiling—”
“Shut up. You’re just dreamin’—”
“You’re the one who needs to shut up, Claugh. Kings who don’t dream can eat shit. ‘It can’t be helped if people die?’ ‘A country where everyone’s smiling is impossible?’ Save it. I know that all too well. Everyone knows that kind of world is far, far away. But does that mean that we should resign ourselves to suffering? Is a peaceful country made on sacrifice better than one that isn’t? If that’s what you think, then kill me. If you think Miller’s perfect world is better than mine, then c’mon, just kill me. If I can’t have you, then I can’t win against Miller anyway. So kill me. Kill me with your own hands.
“But… if you join my side, then I won’t let you regret it. A stupid, trashy, powerless guy like me might not be able to create a perfect world, but… even so, I won’t let you regret it. No matter what the decision may be, I’ll be the only one who has to worry about it, cry about it, and struggle with it. So please, make me king. I’ll change this rotten world!” Sion yelled.
He was completely serious.
He’d move forward. He’d always move forward.
Right now, he moved forward to the point that Claugh could reach his arm out and kill him if he so desired.
Claugh looked to Shuss, horribly concerned. “You really fell for this?” He asked, pointed at Sion.
“Um, well, when you put it like that it’s really embarrassing, but… I think his speech was really appealing. I really would lay my life down for this.”
“Idioot. This isn’t about if you’re willin’ to risk your life for someone or not.”
Shuss shook his head. “No, that’s not what I meant.”
“Then what’d you mean?”
“I meant that I’m willing to risk my life for you to become his ally,” Shuss said, then looked to Sion. “I think he’s a very capable person. It’s not just Captain Miller’s former allies. There are others who follow him, too, and I want his allies to continue to increase.”
“But there can’t be that many of them?”
Shuss nodded. “Not yet. But he’s someone the people trust. Captain Miller made him a hero of legend - an illegitimate prince born to a commoner mother. The people love it. I’m sure if he uses that adoration, he can make it the pebble that Captain Miller trips on.”
“But it’s still just a pebble.”
This time Sion nodded. “Yes. A pebble. And how many sacrifices are there in a fight with a pebble? I’ve already shown you, anyhow. That I have just enough power to rival Crimson-fingered Claugh Klom,” he said, looking at Ferris. She was looking up at the sky, bored.
Sion smiled bitterly, then quickly fixed his expression. He turned to Claugh once more. “I can fight you guys.”
Claugh grimaced. “Didn’t you say you didn’t wanna fight since you don’t want any pointless sacrifices? Or are you tellin’ me to just kill you so there’s only one path left?”
Sion took another step closer to Claugh. “That’s right. There’s no meaning to this fight if you don’t join me. So aren’t you the one who’s most fit to decide which path we all follow? I’m sure you don’t want to lose anyone in further needless fighting. So you decide. Will you kill me and go with Miller, or will you let me live and choose my path? It’s your decision.”
With that, Sion closed his eyes, allowing his world to fall into darkness. He felt the darkness surround him.
“…You,” he heard from the other side of the darkness. “You’re an idiot.”
It was Claugh’s voice.
“Why’re you sayin’ all that so confidently?” Claugh asked. “Are you that certain that I won’t kill you? You have absolutely no guarantee that I won’t, you know.”
Sion didn’t answer.
He didn’t need a guarantee that he’d live. So many of his friends had already died, and they all died because of him. He didn’t feel that there was any reason for him to continue to live. It was a meaningless, purposeless life. So he’d rather just die.
But he could still bet his shitty life on something, so he would: he’d bet it on Claugh Klom.
He might be able to see a glimmer of a future if this demon of the battlefield fell into his hands.
So Sion waited. He raised his hands a bit, his eyes still closed. He stared into the dark nothingness of his eyelids intently.
“Uweeh, seriously, what’s with you… Like, really? You really feel touched by this creepy guy?”
“It’s not so much touched, it’s just… he’s saying that he’s as good as dead if you don’t join him, so he’s asking you to please become his ally.”
“Aahn? Then you’re not really on his side?”
“I’ve always been on your side, Claugh.”
“Haaaaa? So like, this joke’s end changes depending on what I do?”
“He already told you, didn’t he? Sion is betting his life on persuading you to join him. There are also sorts of choices he could have made, but he decided to bet his life on you. As your subordinate, there’s no way I wouldn’t cheer him on,” Shuss said happily.
“Ugh, you’re pissin’ me off!” Claugh yelled.
“Just like always,” Shuss said with a smile. “Really though, I’ve come to like Sion quite a lot. If you follow him… then you’ll change everything.”
“……”
“I’m not all that interested in Sion’s sickly sweet, idealistic world, but… Instead of ‘Captain Miller’s piece, Claugh Klom,’ I sure want to hear about ‘Claugh Klom, savior of the lowborn mutt of a prince once hated by all, Sion Astal.’ That’s the dumb reason that I’m here supporting Sion. It’s annoying, but Captain Miller would never bow to you, would he?”
“…Hey, you,” Claugh muttered.
“Sorry for being selfish,” Shuss said. “You’re the one who decides, after all. I’ll definitely go with whatever you decide. Rahel Miller as a person is whatever to me, but I’ll do whatever you decide in the end.”
“……”
Claugh was quiet for a long while. But Sion could tell that he’d calmed down a little. He could feel the pressure coming from him subsiding little by little.
“…Hey, Sion Astal.”
He didn’t call him a brat this time. He called him by his name.
Sion opened his eyes.
“What merit is there in me letting you live?” Claugh asked.
“It would stop Rahel Miller from acting recklessly. It would stop that genius who thinks that he controls everything in the palm of his hands from going on a rampage. Look at the country now - you can already see that giving all the decision-making power to one person is dangerous, right? So I need to stand by Miller and control his rampage.”
“Hm. Sounds simple enough, but are you really made for that?”
Sion shrugged. “If you don’t think so, then meld me into one. I’m sure you’ll like me soon enough.”
“Mmh? Stop getting so carried a—”
“Shut up. You can kill me now, can’t you? But you haven’t yet. Why? It’s because your heart’s wavering, isn’t it? You think the current situation where you just leave everything to Miller is dangerous too, don’t you?”
“……”
“That’s why you can’t kill me. You feel that I’m necessary. Am I wrong? If I am, then kill me. But if I’m right, then lend me your hand. Lend me your power for a future that isn’t made by Miller alone. It’ll be a future made by me, you, and everyone else, too.”
“……”
Claugh was silent for some time as he thought. Then he messed up his hair with his hands, looking completely fed up with all of this, and shot a look at Shuss to beg him to help. “Geeez, what’s with this guyyy. He keeps staring and his eyes are dead serious. Not cloudy or unsure in the slightest. Is he like, actually serious?”
“He looks reliable, doesn’t he?”
Claugh grimaced. “Shut it. I don’t not get what he’s sayin’, I just want him to shut up!”
“Oh, so you do get it,” Sion said happily.
Claugh scowled, a little embarrassed. “Oh, well, it’s not like I think Miller does everything right either, but… but that old man’s not as naive as you think. You think me bein’ on your side will change everything? I wouldn’t follow him if he was only a guy of that caliber—”
Claugh suddenly balled up his fist and sent it straight for Sion.
He thought he’d die. He really thought so as Claugh’s fist headed straight for his chest. But it stopped just away from it, and when it did Sion saw that he was gripping a single knife by the blade. Blood dripped from where it cut into his hand.
“…Did you just protect me?” Sion asked.
Claugh didn’t answer. He just turned back to stare at the dark roof of a building. “Has someone been watching you this whole time?”
“I haven’t noticed anyone,” Sion said. “I did think that it was likely, though. So I’ve been doing everything I can to slip out of sight as I gain numbers…”
“Well, they’ve got you all found out,” Claugh said with a smile. “Can tell from how nasty this knife is. Man, this is one of those things I don’t like about the old man. He never cuts corners, even with the small stuff like this.” Claugh looked back to Sion, staring into his gold eyes. “Those idiodic, straightforward eyes of yours are dangerous. That’s why Miller had him watching you.”
With that, killing intent enveloped Claugh’s body once more. He tensed himself more and watched his surroundings with far more caution than when he fought Ferris or when he killed that noble.
“Who are you talking about?” Sion asked.
Who could possibly be enough for the Claugh Klom to be so guarded against?
Claugh turned around to face a presence that Sion couldn’t quite grasp. So Sion turned, too. When he did he was met with an unbelievable sight.
Shuss was lying unconscious on the ground.
Ferris, as overwhelmingly, inhumanly strong as she was, was lying unconscious too.
A man stood there, too. He’d appeared there under the darkness of the night.
Sion looked at him, this man without a presence who could even knock Ferris out.
He was horrible.
He had a horribly stale smile pasted to his face. He was tall, but not quite as tall as Claugh. He was around five or six years older than Sion, putting him at around twenty one or twenty two, age wise? But his hair was white despite his youth, pure white, and it looked quite out of place in the dark night.
“…I see,” Sion said. “That must be the guy that irritates Crimson-fingered Claugh Klom to no end.”
“Yeah. He’s super irritating.”
“Hm. So who is he?”
“…He’s such a monster that you can’t even compare him to me,” said Claugh, known as a demon of the battlefield.
Sion gazed at the man with white hair. He was calm and relaxed, which didn’t make him look all that strong. But if he’d really knocked Ferris out, then Sion had no room to insult him.
“Claugh.”
“Mm? You’re not gonna throw a ‘sir’ in there?”
Sion ignored his complaints. “Is this guy stronger than you are?”
Claugh looked back to the man with white hair and shrugged. “Who knows. But he fights with tactics that are a thousand times more irritating than mine.”
“It’s upsetting to hear you call me irritating,” the man said.
“But you’ve always fought with tactics that piss me off, Luke,” Claugh said.
Luke. Apparently that was his name.
Luke. Luke. Sion turned that name over in his head over and over again, willing it to ring a bell somewhere. But none of his information spoke of a Luke.
Luke was not the name of any of Rahel Miller’s outstanding personnel. There was a Luke Delrose, an assassin in his thirties, but Sion had a description of his face and body. It didn’t fit what he was looking at now at all, and his personal achievements weren’t anything that could threaten Claugh. This was probably a different person altogether.
“……”
In summary, the Luke standing before him was someone who could pull off a surprise attack on, Ferris, scare Claugh, and did work for Miller while avoiding Sion’s extensive information network entirely.
Combining that with what Claugh said about him using irritating tactics…
“…I see. So that’s the kind of person he is,” Sion whispered.
He was cautious and sharp. Sharp enough for Claugh to call him a monster. Claugh didn’t even call Miller a monster, but he called Luke one and put himself on guard. That alone was information about him.
Claugh waved his right arm, sending the knife back at Luke with unbelievable speed.
There was no way he could stop that, Sion thought. But Luke did, and he did it with ease.
“…So what were you gonna do with that knife?” Claugh asked once it was back in Luke’s hands.
Luke shrugged. “What do you mean?”
“You’re the one who threw it over here, aren’t you?”
“Hmm, not sure…”
“Don’t play dumb. I’ll kill you.”
“Ooh, scary. I’m gonna be killed~!” Luke said, his smile never faltering. He tossed the knife from his right hand and caught it in his left hand, juggling it like it was a beanbag.
Claugh glared at Luke’s smiley expression. “You’re just as irritating as always.”
“Haha. Well, that can go both ways.”
“Hah? What part of me’s irritating?”
“Your face, maybe?”
“I’ll fuckin’ kill—”
Claugh stopped there. Because Luke threw the knife. He’d been tossing it from right to left and left to right, but now he suddenly threw it over towards them. Towards Sion.
It wasn’t all that fast. Even Sion could stop it. But for some reason he couldn’t move to respond to it. He’d been caught too off-guard.
So Claugh caught it. This time he got it by the hilt instead of the blade.
“What irritates me about you is that you can’t follow procedure,” Luke said. “It’s obvious that we have to kill him, isn’t it? So why are you protecting him? Have you gotten tired of being our ally?”
Claugh smiled meanly. “Yeah, I got tired of it.”
“I thought you’d say that.”
“I got tired of being your ally, too.”
“I thought you’d say that, too.”
“See, I’ve been thinkin’ that it’s about time I punch that face of yours that’s always sayin’ you understand everything already. Man, how long’s it been since we last fought? Like, how long’s it been since I joined up with Miller?”
“Seven years.”
“Whoa, it’s been awhile.”
“Yes, it has.”
“Then you’re really overdue for a good punch,” Claugh said, whirling his fist around.
Luke watched his fist as it moved through the air. “You aren’t being very clear. I wonder what part of you exactly Shuss admires so much?” Luke said, turning his smirk to where Shuss lay unconscious. Then his eyes moved to Sion. “Really, you joining up with this animal will be an unnecessary obstacle.”
“Leave it out,” Claugh said.
“You’re leaving too much out. It’s been seven years, you know? You and I have been allies for seven years. Do you really intend to betray us?”
“What if I do?”
“Then I will kill you.”
“Hmm. Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Think you can manage it?”
“Right back at you - do you honestly think that I can’t?” Luke asked, his tone light. But for the first time since Sion met him his playful eyes went sharp. His presence and his intent to kill slowly, slowly weakened. It was like he planned on disappearing entirely into the night.
Claugh scowled. “You bastard. You’re serious?”
“You’ll kill me if I’m not. Because you’re serious about this for some reason, aren’t you? You’re serious about that hard-to-use son of a lowborn mutt prince.”
“…Ahh, now that he mentions it, why am I protecting you, anyway?” Claugh muttered after all this time.
“Perhaps it’s destiny?” Sion offered.
“Shut it, dumbass,” Claugh said. But he was smiling.
Even Luke got a smile out of that. “Aw, geez. I’m in trouble here. Claugh loves lame lines like that.”
“I do not!”
“Liar. Why else would you become his ally? Every single thing he’s said so far is idiotic, idealistic drivel, the kind kids say. But ideals alone don’t make the world move.”
Claugh lowered his body, assuming a protective posture for Sion. “Then do you want an overly perfect world without ideals? Personally, I think it’s a lot more interesting if we have an idiot like this who’s always yellin’ about his ideals as the organization’s top dog.”
“Haha. So you want an even bigger idiot than yourself as your boss?”
“…It sounds fun, right?”
“Are you really serious about this?” Luke asked.
“Yeah. I’ve never liked guys who are too smart, anyway. You, for example.”
“You’re horrible,” Luke said. “I can’t believe you’re saying that even though I love you so much.”
“Ah, augh, I’m seriously gonna kill you for that.”
“Hahaha. Then are you going to do it?”
“Yup. I’m killin’ you.”
“That should be my line… is what I want to say, but first, there’s something Miller told me to tell you, Claugh.”
“Huh? Somethin’ Miller wanted to say?”
“Yes. Do you want to hear it?”
“Nah.”
“I’m going to say it.”
“Asshole.”
“Umm, so Miller said, ‘Let Sion Astal swim free for awhile - he’s doing some interesting things. It might even be a good thing if he instigates the people. If by chance Sion Astal is skillful enough to win that idiot Claugh over, then—”
“Whoa whoa whoa wait. What’s all this. Are you sayin’ that Miller always—”
Luke continued, ignoring Claugh’s interruption. “If Claugh changes sides, quite a few people will go with him, and if that happens then we’ll start fighting pointless battles. It’s just foolish for people with the same goal to fight each other. I don’t really care who stands at the top, whether it’s me or Sion Astal… I have no intention of becoming king myself, so we can use him, as long as he’s strong enough for the part…”
Sion listened until there before speaking. “So he’ll let me swim in the palm of his hand and see what happens, will he?”
“It’s more like he’s giving you a test run,” Luke said. “I was the one tailing your brother Prince Shulio, too. I was testing if he could be used or not. That’s how we decided that it was fine to kill Prince Shulio as soon as the opportunity arose.”
“Then have I passed your and Miller’s test?”
Luke shrugged. “Who knows. I’ve found you to be a little clumsy, but… Miller judged that to be more of Claugh’s idiocy—”
“Hey, who’re you callin’ an idiot!”
Luke ignored him. “So what will you do? Sion said to leave how we deal with Sion Astal to you. Personally, I think you’re pointlessly kind so you can’t kill him… but if the only problem is that you can’t do it, then I will. However. If you think there really is something shining inside of him, then… I will also defer to your will. Because your intuition is strong like an animal’s. You survived that inescapable hell somehow, after all…”
“Man, I really do hate that ‘I can predict everything’ expression of yours.”
Luke shrugged. “Being smart just means there are more things I can’t see compared to the average person. Because logic and reason aren’t what make this world move. So I depend on you for everything else. Please, ascertain his worth. Is he unnecessary for the path the world is on, or is it better to let him live? I’m asking, but I already pretty much know your answer.”
Claugh looked at Sion with sharp, intimidating eyes. “I…”
Claugh sounded unsure of himself. Like he was still hesitating.
“……”
If Claugh didn’t find something special inside of Sion, then he’d surely be killed here and now.
Even if Claugh didn’t kill him, that Luke guy probably would.
This was a critical moment. His life depended on it.
“……”
Sion knew that his life was in danger. But suddenly that didn’t matter anymore.
Because Sion felt one of his siblings nearby. No, not a ‘sibling.’ A thing that had transcended humanity altogether. It had been unable to withstand the power of the Fallen Mad Hero, and became a literal monster as a result.
Claugh spoke. “I think you’re—”
“Be quiet,” Sion said.
“Nngh? Who’re you tellin’ to be quiet, ass—”
Sion tuned Claugh’s shouting out.
There was something more important he had to do now.
Sion looked into the darkness. Into a dark city alley.
When he did, he suddenly heard a voice in his head. “Hehe. It’s starting, Sion. This mad story is finally beginning,” Lucile said.
He felt his sibling approach. He felt the monster approach.
“Run,” Sion said. “Claugh, take Ferris and Shuss and run.”
Claugh looked confused. “Hah? What’re you sayin—”
Something suddenly glittered from the side, then swallowed him up and sent him flying.
Sion didn’t know what that light was, but it definitely wasn’t magic. There was no magic like that in Roland, and there was no mage capable of activating a spell to send Claugh flying without even a moment’s notice.
Luke made to react to the light that sent Claugh flying. “Clau—”
Another light shot towards Luke as he yelled.
“Uwawa,” Luke said, taking a big step back to dodge. Then he turned to the direction the light flew towards. “Uwaah, what is that? It can’t be magic. This is a little - just a little - bad. I don’t know who’s behind this, but they took Claugh in one hit… it looks like I’d lose, too. Let’s make a run for…” Luke said, then paused as he got a look at Sion’s face. “Wait, you look like you know who it is. An acquaintance of yours?”
Sion shook his head. “No, but I knew they were coming.”
“Hoh. Even though we didn’t realize it at all?”
Sion smiled. “It’s not something you guys can see.”
“Hmm. Well, either way this situation is dangerous. I’m actually pretty weak in fights I can’t predict the outcome of. It’s probably best that I retreat, isn’t it?”
Sion nodded. “Get out of here. You’d be helping me out if you took Ferris and Shuss with.”
“And what will you do?”
“I have a monster to chat with.”
“Haha. You and your jokes,” Luke said.
Sion turned to face him and smiled. “I was serious. If I make it out of here alive, why don’t we become allies?”
Luke smiled. “It goes without saying that Claugh’s decision is obvious if you make it out of here alive. But you’ll be unable to make it out of this situation and die, won’t you?”
“Who knows.”
“Well, whatever. Tell me about your adventures later, if you end up surviving,” Luke said. With that, he picked Ferris and Shuss off the ground and took off running.
Sion didn’t watch him go. He couldn’t take his eyes off the monster that’d made it to him.
“Sion,” Lucile said inside his head.
“What?”
“There’s a goddess approaching you head on.”
“I can feel it.”
“But that isn’t all…”
“Huh?”
“Someone else shot the magic that sent that redhead flying.”
“Hah?”
“They’re another enemy who’s approaching from behind,” Lucile said.
“Haaaaah!? Another enemy?”
“Yeah.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know,” Lucile said. “But they’re likely not human.”
“Haaaaaaaah!? Then what should I do?” Sion yelled.
And so the curtain rose on this mad story.
There was an undeniably inhuman monster in front of his very eyes.
And behind him…
“……”
Chapter 1: Roland’s Night
---
It was late at night, the kind of dark where the light of the moon never quite reached the ground. That’s when the lion sprang out.
Sion looked across the darkness. When he did, he saw a beast attacking humans. A redheaded beast. Bloodlust strong enough to make him shiver with just one look was radiating from it.
Soon the beast had killed eight guards. Really, it only took a second. The soldiers had turned into bodies before they ever realized they were being attacked.
Now there was only one left. He was a nobleman so famous that even Sion knew his face, and he begged for mercy at the beast’s hands.
“W-wait, don’t kill me. I’ll pay you! I’ll pay whoever hired you. Just—”
The beast swung his arm. Just like that, he stole the noble’s life.
That noble had lived with immense pride, power, and was an existence that no one could touch, so everyone let him seek pleasure after pleasure on his own time. And yet.
“……”
The beast, bored, swung his right arm once more. When he did, it was dyed with blood spurting from his opponent.
A red arm, dyed the color of blood.
“……”
The redheaded beast turned around.
He turned to look at Sion, who had erased his presence and should have blended seamlessly into the night.
And then the beast glared. He had red hair and a tough body, trained like steel. His fiery red eyes were fixed on Sion.
Claugh Klom. Rahel Miller’s right-hand man.
He was a demon of the battlefield whose name was well-known even in the surrounding countries, and he was looking right at Sion.
“……”
He didn’t speak. Bloodlust emitted from him as he watched, and then he broke out in a run. He was unbelievably fast.
One step. Two. Three. That was all it took to make escape impossible.
Claugh raised the arm soaked with a noble’s blood up, then made to grab Sion’s neck with it.
But before he did—
“Listen to what I have to say before you kill me, Claugh Klom,” Sion Astal said.
But Claugh didn’t stop. He gripped Sion’s neck tightly. “I got no reason to,” he said. “I can just kill you now.”
“Then will you?”
“Yeah.”
“Then kill me.”
“I’m gonna,” Claugh said. His grip on Sion’s neck tightened. It felt like his neck would break, like his life would be snuffed out through it.
Sion had no way to escape.
He didn’t think any human within Roland now could.
Even so, Sion smiled.
He felt his own death and smiled.
He was being choked, suffocated, his neck crushed under an unspeakable pressure. And he smiled.
“What’s so funny?” Claugh asked, clearly suspicious.
Sion didn’t look at him. He didn’t look at his approaching death, either. He looked behind Claugh, to a second monster, who also had no presence.
Sion snapped his fingers. That was the monster’s signal. There was a faint sound like that of a breeze.
Ferris appeared behind Claugh in an instant. She held a longsword one would think too heavy for her small arms, and she moved it with practiced ease to lay against Claugh’s neck.
Claugh tried to turn to face her, but…
“Don’t move or I’ll kill you,” Ferris said with that cold, emotionless voice of hers. She was overflowing - no, exploding with killing intent. Her sword dug just so into Claugh’s neck.
“……”
Claugh couldn’t move. He looked a little nervous, and then happy, like he was enjoying this. “You bastard—”
But that was all he could manage.
“Ferris,” Sion said.
She dug her sword deeper into Claugh’s neck.
“…Be quiet,” Sion said. “It’s my turn to talk now.”
Claugh glared at him. “Don’t treat me like a brat. A guy of your caliber—”
“Ferris,” Sion ordered quickly.
She pressed her sword in deeper. Thick blood began to pour from his wound. He’d probably die if she pressed it deeper still. So Claugh didn’t move this time.
“Stay quiet, Claugh Klom,” Sion said.
Claugh just glared at him, his sharp red eyes full of malice. Full of murderous intent. His stare alone made one feel that death was fast approaching.
But Sion gripped the arm of the monster who tried to strangle him. “What are you making that face for? Frustrated because you lost?” Sion said, clearly provoking him.
Claugh smiled. “Who are you callin’ a loser? I just need to kill you and get rid of this bitch—”
“Ferris.”
Her sword dug even deeper.
The beast’s face scrunched up. “Shit. The fuck. I thought I’d stop this sword with my muscles, but I can’t. What is this?”
Sion shrugged. “You aren’t the only monster here.”
“I already know that,” Claugh said easily. “If I were, that smiley white haired idiot wouldn’t get under my skin so bad all the time.”
“……”
Sion’s eyes widened in surprise.
Because he’d researched Crimson-fingered Claugh Klom before coming here, and he hadn’t heard anything about others among Miller’s subordinates who Claugh would acknowledge.
There was Claugh’s underclassman, Calne Kaiwel. He was outstanding, sure, but his ability couldn’t hold a candle to Claugh’s. Shuss Shirazz, who followed Claugh, was the same.
There was also Lear Rinkal. Lach Velariore. Moe Velariore. Jereme Cryslar. There were also Es, Tulio, Genlu, Bannel - Miller had collected numerous excellent pawns. But each and every one of them was outstaged by Claugh Klom, who was currently the perfect picture of murderous intent. They all paled in comparison to the demon of red battlefields.
Claugh just said that guy had white hair, which was quite the distinctive trait. A white haired, smiley idiot - Sion already knew that he didn’t have any info that matched this guy from the few words Claugh had given him to work with.
“Who in the world are you talking about?” Sion asked.
“……”
Claugh obviously didn’t answer. His eyes lowered to Sion, then moved to the right towards the town steeped in darkness. Then he smiled.
“Oh, looks like my reinforcements are here. Looks like I’m on the winnin’ side now~”
Sion looked in the direction Claugh was looking. “Hm?”
Ferris did too, following Sion’s movements. “Mm?”
“Sike!”
Claugh took his hand off Sion’s neck and whipped around, aiming a punch for Ferris’ face.
“Kgh,” Ferris muttered as she dodged.
Claugh took a step back once Ferris was out of the way and rose his fingers to the air to draw a magic circle. “I wish for a rainbow of annihilation - Abstract Phosphorescence!”
A spear of light shot from the center of Claugh’s magic circle, aiming for Ferris.
“Ferris, get out of the way!” Sion yelled.
“…This is no problem for me,” Ferris said. She tensed her body, then slashed her sword at Claugh’s magic. It disappeared just like that.
“Hah. The fuck. You just wave your sword around and it goes away? How much of a monster even are you?” Claugh asked, exasperated.
Ferris didn’t stop there. She moved her unsheathed sword back over towards Claugh and raced towards him.
“Damn you’re fast,” Claugh muttered. Her sword advanced towards him so fast that Sion’s eyes couldn’t follow. Soon it was against Claugh’s neck again.
She’d behead him. He’d die. That’s what Sion really thought. He wanted to yell for her to wait, but he’d just be too slow.
And yet, Claugh stopped Ferris’ sword with his right arm.
Ferris tried to move the blade, then tried to move the hilt, but Claugh had complete control of the sword. She couldn’t move it at all. So Claugh’s arm remained wholly unharmed. He looked down at it, the sword stopped with his arm alone. “What’s up with this? You goin’ easy on me?”
“I don’t need to get serious about this,” Ferris said. “There’s no reason for you to die.”
“Hah? You don’t need to get serious? Don’t make me laugh. You can’t touch me with that sword even if you do get serious.”
“Ha, you’d still take it with your bare hands?”
Claugh laughed. “This is a prosthetic, dumbass. This is the end for you.”
Claugh opened the palm of the hand on the arm taking the brunt of Ferris’ attack. When he did, the red tattoos etched into that artificial arm glowed red.
Crimson-fingered Claugh Klom.
When that arm of his glowed red, it was said to be the blood of his enemies.
“Like I’d let you,” Ferris said. She pointed the blade of her sword towards Claugh.
“No. Pull back, Ferris,” Sion said.
“No need. I’ll knock him out—”
“Pull back. This is an order!” Sion yelled.
Ferris stopped. So did Claugh.
Ferris glared at Sion and stepped back, putting distance between her and Claugh and returning to Sion. She spoke, expressionless and monotone as always. “Who did you just yell at, exactly?” She asked, undeniably in a bad mood.
“Oh, um, I was just thinking out loud. Are you angry?”
“Obviously. I’m going home.”
“Oh, umm, uhh, what if I made it thirty dango sets?”
“I’m going home!”
“Thirty five?”
“I-I’m going…”
“Uwah, you’re really testing me here… forty dango sets!”
Ferris responded instantaneously, raising her sword. “I’ll fight anyone! Who is my opponent!?”
Sion breathed a sigh of relief. Ferris was finally taking the fight seriously. One had to against a monster like Claugh.
Ferris’ power was absolutely vital to Sion’s strategy here - with their combined power, they could make Claugh submit to what Sion wanted.
Well, realistically, it was pretty much all Ferris’ power…
“……”
Sion watched the two monsters face off, exasperated. He was called Number One at the Royal Special Academy, you know? But here…
Well, anyway.
“I’m serious this time,” Ferris said. “I’ll knock you right out.”
“Hah. Leave the trash talk out. I’m the one who’s gettin’ serious. If you don’t aim to kill, you’ll be the one who dies instead, Missy.
They both looked absolutely ready to kill, to the point where Sion was paralyzed from the pressure.
Good. This was plenty. Ferris was finally doing enough for his plan to work. All she really had to do was stand at his side, sword at the ready. That was all she had to do for him.
Sion looked to Ferris. If looks could kill…
“…Enough of this charade,” Sion said. “Any more fighting is pointless. Let’s call it quits.”
”Ahn? Who put him in charge—”
“I’m not really in charge. If you kill me, she’ll kill you. That’s all there is to it. I’m sure you’ve understood this from the start, but we have no intention of hurting you. Would you really wave your fists around at an opponent who won’t fight?”
Claugh laughed through his nose. “Even if they’re not putting up a fight, you need to kill who you need to kill on the battlefield.”
“Then do you need to kill me here and now?”
“……”
Claugh didn’t answer.
Sion continued, unperturbed. “Did Rahel Miller tell you to kill me now, no matter what?”
“……”
“I’m sure that Miller told you it was okay to kill me now. But did he say that you definitely have to kill me as soon as possible?”
“…No,” Claugh said.
“Then listen to what I have to say. Listen, and if you don’t like it then you can kill me. How’s that?”
Claugh looked horribly annoyed. “Aaugh. You’re my absolute least favorite kind of guy. You’re powerless and prepared to die, but you still won’t give up. You’re the most annoying type of all.”
“I can get even more annoying, you know?”
“Dumbass, don’t get carried—”
“I can get carried away. I can take this country back if I do. I’ll kill the king, kill my siblings, make Rahel Miller obey me, and rule this country.”
Claugh looked at him like he was some rare breed of animal. “Haaah? You’ll make Miller obey you and take this country, all with that stupid face of yours? You’ve got no power, no brains, and your stupid face is plannin’ to—”
Sion looked at him coldly. “Actually, Ferris, it’s better if you knock some silence into this stupid redhead.”
“Mm,” Ferris said and flew at him.
“This again? Man you guys are dumb—”
“Shuss, back Ferris up.”
A young man emerged a dark city alley. He was about sixteen or seventeen - Sion’s age - and he had blond hair pulled up behind him and calm eyes that betrayed his youth.
Shuss Shirazz.
Much like Calne Kaiwel, he was one of Claugh’s closest confidants. He came out looking appologetic.
Claugh glared at him. “Aahh? You a traitor now?”
Sion answered before Shuss could in his place. “He didn’t betray you, Claugh Klom.”
Claugh turned his glare to Sion, who he stared at with open dislike. “When why’re you listenin’ to him instead of me? You’re mine.”
‘You’re mine’ - what a childish thing to say. Sion couldn’t help but smile. “Shuss has being saying that too. He said he’d throw out his orders for your sake, and I’m sure he thinks that even now.”
“Then why?” Claugh asked.
“He didn’t say he’d betray orders for Rahel Miller’s sake. He said he’d do it for yours. He isn’t someone who swore his loyalty to Miller, after all.”
“What, do you hate that I’m Miller’s subordinate or somethin’?” Claugh asked, a bit troubled.
Shuss shook his head. “No. I love Miller, too.”
“Then why…?”
“Because I’m the weak one.”
Claugh looked over to Sion suspiciously. “Because you’re weak?”
“Yeah.”
“Weak compared to Miller?”
“Yeah.”
“But… that’s obvious, isn’t it?”
Sion smiled at Claugh, who was just stating the obvious. “Yes. It’s obvious. But you aren’t understanding what’s obvious. Rahel Miller is a genius. His plan is perfect and completely free of holes. He’ll set the appropriate amount of traps, kill the appropriate amount of people, and at the end his revolution will be a success.”
Claugh nodded. “Right. He’s got everything all prepared. What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing,” Sion said easily.
Naturally, Claugh eyed him suspiciously. “Hah? What’re you tryin’ to say?”
“I’m trying to say that perfection is a problem in itself. Everything about Miller’s plan is flawless. I can only look at it with awe, and when I’m done looking I still haven’t found a single thing wrong with it. But what lies on a road like that?”
Claugh didn’t answer. So Sion continued.
“Miller’s perfect, ideal society, right? A perfect, ideal country where the weak shouldn’t even be born? Will people feel reassured if they leave everything to the genius Rahel Miller? Ha. Don’t make me laugh. ‘He’ll set the appropriate amount of traps and kill the appropriate amount of people,’ will he? But people’s lives aren’t something you can just spend like currency. I think the ideal amount of sacrifices is none at all. Let’s try to create a world where the fewest people possible cry. Do you think anyone would want to follow that path?”
“…You tellin’ me Shuss fell for this child-like sentimental garbage?”
“For what it’s worth, Calne Kaiwel fell for it too.”
“Wh—”
“So did Tulio Griz. Bannel Neldo, too. Twenty percent of Miller’s soldiers have decided to risk their lives for me. Do you still think it’s child-like and overly sentamental?”
Claugh stared, eyes sharper and stronger than before. “Hm. You’re more dangerous than I thought you’d be.”
“Wow, have you found it in yourself to praise me a little?”
“Yeah. Letting you live this free for this long was a mistake on Miller’s part. He should’ve killed you from the get-go.”
“Wow, my stock’s really rising. But… there’s no fixing that mistake now. I won’t die, and both you and Miller will come to obey me as I rise even further.”
“Don’t fuck with me.”
“I’m not. You’ll fall, and then you’ll become my ally.”
“Will not.”
“Will too. Even Calne did, after all. You’ll do the same.”
Sion took a step. It brought him somewhere that Ferris couldn’t protect him from. Ferris moved to follow, but Sion just kept taking steps away.
“I could kill you,” Sion said. “Join me if you don’t want to die.”
Claugh just stared dumbfounded for a minute before finally replying. “Hah? Haaaaaah? What’s with that. Like, uhh, I can see that you’re overflowing with confidence, but this is all ‘in theory,’ yeah? You can’t kill me. And yeah, that woman’s strong, but not strong enough to kill m—”
“That’s strong enough, isn’t it?” Sion interrupted. “Even if we can’t kill you, we can kill your friends.”
Claugh’s expression faltered.
“I can kill Calne. I can kill Shuss, too. I can probably catch Miller off guard and kill him, too. I’m sure you don’t want me to do that, so become my ally.”
“You bastard, don’t fucking—”
“I won’t let anyone cry once I’m king. I won’t kill people or calculate their worth like numbers. I’ll make a country where everyone can grow up smiling—”
“Shut up. You’re just dreamin’—”
“You’re the one who needs to shut up, Claugh. Kings who don’t dream can eat shit. ‘It can’t be helped if people die?’ ‘A country where everyone’s smiling is impossible?’ Save it. I know that all too well. Everyone knows that kind of world is far, far away. But does that mean that we should resign ourselves to suffering? Is a peaceful country made on sacrifice better than one that isn’t? If that’s what you think, then kill me. If you think Miller’s perfect world is better than mine, then c’mon, just kill me. If I can’t have you, then I can’t win against Miller anyway. So kill me. Kill me with your own hands.
“But… if you join my side, then I won’t let you regret it. A stupid, trashy, powerless guy like me might not be able to create a perfect world, but… even so, I won’t let you regret it. No matter what the decision may be, I’ll be the only one who has to worry about it, cry about it, and struggle with it. So please, make me king. I’ll change this rotten world!” Sion yelled.
He was completely serious.
He’d move forward. He’d always move forward.
Right now, he moved forward to the point that Claugh could reach his arm out and kill him if he so desired.
Claugh looked to Shuss, horribly concerned. “You really fell for this?” He asked, pointed at Sion.
“Um, well, when you put it like that it’s really embarrassing, but… I think his speech was really appealing. I really would lay my life down for this.”
“Idioot. This isn’t about if you’re willin’ to risk your life for someone or not.”
Shuss shook his head. “No, that’s not what I meant.”
“Then what’d you mean?”
“I meant that I’m willing to risk my life for you to become his ally,” Shuss said, then looked to Sion. “I think he’s a very capable person. It’s not just Captain Miller’s former allies. There are others who follow him, too, and I want his allies to continue to increase.”
“But there can’t be that many of them?”
Shuss nodded. “Not yet. But he’s someone the people trust. Captain Miller made him a hero of legend - an illegitimate prince born to a commoner mother. The people love it. I’m sure if he uses that adoration, he can make it the pebble that Captain Miller trips on.”
“But it’s still just a pebble.”
This time Sion nodded. “Yes. A pebble. And how many sacrifices are there in a fight with a pebble? I’ve already shown you, anyhow. That I have just enough power to rival Crimson-fingered Claugh Klom,” he said, looking at Ferris. She was looking up at the sky, bored.
Sion smiled bitterly, then quickly fixed his expression. He turned to Claugh once more. “I can fight you guys.”
Claugh grimaced. “Didn’t you say you didn’t wanna fight since you don’t want any pointless sacrifices? Or are you tellin’ me to just kill you so there’s only one path left?”
Sion took another step closer to Claugh. “That’s right. There’s no meaning to this fight if you don’t join me. So aren’t you the one who’s most fit to decide which path we all follow? I’m sure you don’t want to lose anyone in further needless fighting. So you decide. Will you kill me and go with Miller, or will you let me live and choose my path? It’s your decision.”
With that, Sion closed his eyes, allowing his world to fall into darkness. He felt the darkness surround him.
“…You,” he heard from the other side of the darkness. “You’re an idiot.”
It was Claugh’s voice.
“Why’re you sayin’ all that so confidently?” Claugh asked. “Are you that certain that I won’t kill you? You have absolutely no guarantee that I won’t, you know.”
Sion didn’t answer.
He didn’t need a guarantee that he’d live. So many of his friends had already died, and they all died because of him. He didn’t feel that there was any reason for him to continue to live. It was a meaningless, purposeless life. So he’d rather just die.
But he could still bet his shitty life on something, so he would: he’d bet it on Claugh Klom.
He might be able to see a glimmer of a future if this demon of the battlefield fell into his hands.
So Sion waited. He raised his hands a bit, his eyes still closed. He stared into the dark nothingness of his eyelids intently.
“Uweeh, seriously, what’s with you… Like, really? You really feel touched by this creepy guy?”
“It’s not so much touched, it’s just… he’s saying that he’s as good as dead if you don’t join him, so he’s asking you to please become his ally.”
“Aahn? Then you’re not really on his side?”
“I’ve always been on your side, Claugh.”
“Haaaaa? So like, this joke’s end changes depending on what I do?”
“He already told you, didn’t he? Sion is betting his life on persuading you to join him. There are also sorts of choices he could have made, but he decided to bet his life on you. As your subordinate, there’s no way I wouldn’t cheer him on,” Shuss said happily.
“Ugh, you’re pissin’ me off!” Claugh yelled.
“Just like always,” Shuss said with a smile. “Really though, I’ve come to like Sion quite a lot. If you follow him… then you’ll change everything.”
“……”
“I’m not all that interested in Sion’s sickly sweet, idealistic world, but… Instead of ‘Captain Miller’s piece, Claugh Klom,’ I sure want to hear about ‘Claugh Klom, savior of the lowborn mutt of a prince once hated by all, Sion Astal.’ That’s the dumb reason that I’m here supporting Sion. It’s annoying, but Captain Miller would never bow to you, would he?”
“…Hey, you,” Claugh muttered.
“Sorry for being selfish,” Shuss said. “You’re the one who decides, after all. I’ll definitely go with whatever you decide. Rahel Miller as a person is whatever to me, but I’ll do whatever you decide in the end.”
“……”
Claugh was quiet for a long while. But Sion could tell that he’d calmed down a little. He could feel the pressure coming from him subsiding little by little.
“…Hey, Sion Astal.”
He didn’t call him a brat this time. He called him by his name.
Sion opened his eyes.
“What merit is there in me letting you live?” Claugh asked.
“It would stop Rahel Miller from acting recklessly. It would stop that genius who thinks that he controls everything in the palm of his hands from going on a rampage. Look at the country now - you can already see that giving all the decision-making power to one person is dangerous, right? So I need to stand by Miller and control his rampage.”
“Hm. Sounds simple enough, but are you really made for that?”
Sion shrugged. “If you don’t think so, then meld me into one. I’m sure you’ll like me soon enough.”
“Mmh? Stop getting so carried a—”
“Shut up. You can kill me now, can’t you? But you haven’t yet. Why? It’s because your heart’s wavering, isn’t it? You think the current situation where you just leave everything to Miller is dangerous too, don’t you?”
“……”
“That’s why you can’t kill me. You feel that I’m necessary. Am I wrong? If I am, then kill me. But if I’m right, then lend me your hand. Lend me your power for a future that isn’t made by Miller alone. It’ll be a future made by me, you, and everyone else, too.”
“……”
Claugh was silent for some time as he thought. Then he messed up his hair with his hands, looking completely fed up with all of this, and shot a look at Shuss to beg him to help. “Geeez, what’s with this guyyy. He keeps staring and his eyes are dead serious. Not cloudy or unsure in the slightest. Is he like, actually serious?”
“He looks reliable, doesn’t he?”
Claugh grimaced. “Shut it. I don’t not get what he’s sayin’, I just want him to shut up!”
“Oh, so you do get it,” Sion said happily.
Claugh scowled, a little embarrassed. “Oh, well, it’s not like I think Miller does everything right either, but… but that old man’s not as naive as you think. You think me bein’ on your side will change everything? I wouldn’t follow him if he was only a guy of that caliber—”
Claugh suddenly balled up his fist and sent it straight for Sion.
He thought he’d die. He really thought so as Claugh’s fist headed straight for his chest. But it stopped just away from it, and when it did Sion saw that he was gripping a single knife by the blade. Blood dripped from where it cut into his hand.
“…Did you just protect me?” Sion asked.
Claugh didn’t answer. He just turned back to stare at the dark roof of a building. “Has someone been watching you this whole time?”
“I haven’t noticed anyone,” Sion said. “I did think that it was likely, though. So I’ve been doing everything I can to slip out of sight as I gain numbers…”
“Well, they’ve got you all found out,” Claugh said with a smile. “Can tell from how nasty this knife is. Man, this is one of those things I don’t like about the old man. He never cuts corners, even with the small stuff like this.” Claugh looked back to Sion, staring into his gold eyes. “Those idiodic, straightforward eyes of yours are dangerous. That’s why Miller had him watching you.”
With that, killing intent enveloped Claugh’s body once more. He tensed himself more and watched his surroundings with far more caution than when he fought Ferris or when he killed that noble.
“Who are you talking about?” Sion asked.
Who could possibly be enough for the Claugh Klom to be so guarded against?
Claugh turned around to face a presence that Sion couldn’t quite grasp. So Sion turned, too. When he did he was met with an unbelievable sight.
Shuss was lying unconscious on the ground.
Ferris, as overwhelmingly, inhumanly strong as she was, was lying unconscious too.
A man stood there, too. He’d appeared there under the darkness of the night.
Sion looked at him, this man without a presence who could even knock Ferris out.
He was horrible.
He had a horribly stale smile pasted to his face. He was tall, but not quite as tall as Claugh. He was around five or six years older than Sion, putting him at around twenty one or twenty two, age wise? But his hair was white despite his youth, pure white, and it looked quite out of place in the dark night.
“…I see,” Sion said. “That must be the guy that irritates Crimson-fingered Claugh Klom to no end.”
“Yeah. He’s super irritating.”
“Hm. So who is he?”
“…He’s such a monster that you can’t even compare him to me,” said Claugh, known as a demon of the battlefield.
Sion gazed at the man with white hair. He was calm and relaxed, which didn’t make him look all that strong. But if he’d really knocked Ferris out, then Sion had no room to insult him.
“Claugh.”
“Mm? You’re not gonna throw a ‘sir’ in there?”
Sion ignored his complaints. “Is this guy stronger than you are?”
Claugh looked back to the man with white hair and shrugged. “Who knows. But he fights with tactics that are a thousand times more irritating than mine.”
“It’s upsetting to hear you call me irritating,” the man said.
“But you’ve always fought with tactics that piss me off, Luke,” Claugh said.
Luke. Apparently that was his name.
Luke. Luke. Sion turned that name over in his head over and over again, willing it to ring a bell somewhere. But none of his information spoke of a Luke.
Luke was not the name of any of Rahel Miller’s outstanding personnel. There was a Luke Delrose, an assassin in his thirties, but Sion had a description of his face and body. It didn’t fit what he was looking at now at all, and his personal achievements weren’t anything that could threaten Claugh. This was probably a different person altogether.
“……”
In summary, the Luke standing before him was someone who could pull off a surprise attack on, Ferris, scare Claugh, and did work for Miller while avoiding Sion’s extensive information network entirely.
Combining that with what Claugh said about him using irritating tactics…
“…I see. So that’s the kind of person he is,” Sion whispered.
He was cautious and sharp. Sharp enough for Claugh to call him a monster. Claugh didn’t even call Miller a monster, but he called Luke one and put himself on guard. That alone was information about him.
Claugh waved his right arm, sending the knife back at Luke with unbelievable speed.
There was no way he could stop that, Sion thought. But Luke did, and he did it with ease.
“…So what were you gonna do with that knife?” Claugh asked once it was back in Luke’s hands.
Luke shrugged. “What do you mean?”
“You’re the one who threw it over here, aren’t you?”
“Hmm, not sure…”
“Don’t play dumb. I’ll kill you.”
“Ooh, scary. I’m gonna be killed~!” Luke said, his smile never faltering. He tossed the knife from his right hand and caught it in his left hand, juggling it like it was a beanbag.
Claugh glared at Luke’s smiley expression. “You’re just as irritating as always.”
“Haha. Well, that can go both ways.”
“Hah? What part of me’s irritating?”
“Your face, maybe?”
“I’ll fuckin’ kill—”
Claugh stopped there. Because Luke threw the knife. He’d been tossing it from right to left and left to right, but now he suddenly threw it over towards them. Towards Sion.
It wasn’t all that fast. Even Sion could stop it. But for some reason he couldn’t move to respond to it. He’d been caught too off-guard.
So Claugh caught it. This time he got it by the hilt instead of the blade.
“What irritates me about you is that you can’t follow procedure,” Luke said. “It’s obvious that we have to kill him, isn’t it? So why are you protecting him? Have you gotten tired of being our ally?”
Claugh smiled meanly. “Yeah, I got tired of it.”
“I thought you’d say that.”
“I got tired of being your ally, too.”
“I thought you’d say that, too.”
“See, I’ve been thinkin’ that it’s about time I punch that face of yours that’s always sayin’ you understand everything already. Man, how long’s it been since we last fought? Like, how long’s it been since I joined up with Miller?”
“Seven years.”
“Whoa, it’s been awhile.”
“Yes, it has.”
“Then you’re really overdue for a good punch,” Claugh said, whirling his fist around.
Luke watched his fist as it moved through the air. “You aren’t being very clear. I wonder what part of you exactly Shuss admires so much?” Luke said, turning his smirk to where Shuss lay unconscious. Then his eyes moved to Sion. “Really, you joining up with this animal will be an unnecessary obstacle.”
“Leave it out,” Claugh said.
“You’re leaving too much out. It’s been seven years, you know? You and I have been allies for seven years. Do you really intend to betray us?”
“What if I do?”
“Then I will kill you.”
“Hmm. Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Think you can manage it?”
“Right back at you - do you honestly think that I can’t?” Luke asked, his tone light. But for the first time since Sion met him his playful eyes went sharp. His presence and his intent to kill slowly, slowly weakened. It was like he planned on disappearing entirely into the night.
Claugh scowled. “You bastard. You’re serious?”
“You’ll kill me if I’m not. Because you’re serious about this for some reason, aren’t you? You’re serious about that hard-to-use son of a lowborn mutt prince.”
“…Ahh, now that he mentions it, why am I protecting you, anyway?” Claugh muttered after all this time.
“Perhaps it’s destiny?” Sion offered.
“Shut it, dumbass,” Claugh said. But he was smiling.
Even Luke got a smile out of that. “Aw, geez. I’m in trouble here. Claugh loves lame lines like that.”
“I do not!”
“Liar. Why else would you become his ally? Every single thing he’s said so far is idiotic, idealistic drivel, the kind kids say. But ideals alone don’t make the world move.”
Claugh lowered his body, assuming a protective posture for Sion. “Then do you want an overly perfect world without ideals? Personally, I think it’s a lot more interesting if we have an idiot like this who’s always yellin’ about his ideals as the organization’s top dog.”
“Haha. So you want an even bigger idiot than yourself as your boss?”
“…It sounds fun, right?”
“Are you really serious about this?” Luke asked.
“Yeah. I’ve never liked guys who are too smart, anyway. You, for example.”
“You’re horrible,” Luke said. “I can’t believe you’re saying that even though I love you so much.”
“Ah, augh, I’m seriously gonna kill you for that.”
“Hahaha. Then are you going to do it?”
“Yup. I’m killin’ you.”
“That should be my line… is what I want to say, but first, there’s something Miller told me to tell you, Claugh.”
“Huh? Somethin’ Miller wanted to say?”
“Yes. Do you want to hear it?”
“Nah.”
“I’m going to say it.”
“Asshole.”
“Umm, so Miller said, ‘Let Sion Astal swim free for awhile - he’s doing some interesting things. It might even be a good thing if he instigates the people. If by chance Sion Astal is skillful enough to win that idiot Claugh over, then—”
“Whoa whoa whoa wait. What’s all this. Are you sayin’ that Miller always—”
Luke continued, ignoring Claugh’s interruption. “If Claugh changes sides, quite a few people will go with him, and if that happens then we’ll start fighting pointless battles. It’s just foolish for people with the same goal to fight each other. I don’t really care who stands at the top, whether it’s me or Sion Astal… I have no intention of becoming king myself, so we can use him, as long as he’s strong enough for the part…”
Sion listened until there before speaking. “So he’ll let me swim in the palm of his hand and see what happens, will he?”
“It’s more like he’s giving you a test run,” Luke said. “I was the one tailing your brother Prince Shulio, too. I was testing if he could be used or not. That’s how we decided that it was fine to kill Prince Shulio as soon as the opportunity arose.”
“Then have I passed your and Miller’s test?”
Luke shrugged. “Who knows. I’ve found you to be a little clumsy, but… Miller judged that to be more of Claugh’s idiocy—”
“Hey, who’re you callin’ an idiot!”
Luke ignored him. “So what will you do? Sion said to leave how we deal with Sion Astal to you. Personally, I think you’re pointlessly kind so you can’t kill him… but if the only problem is that you can’t do it, then I will. However. If you think there really is something shining inside of him, then… I will also defer to your will. Because your intuition is strong like an animal’s. You survived that inescapable hell somehow, after all…”
“Man, I really do hate that ‘I can predict everything’ expression of yours.”
Luke shrugged. “Being smart just means there are more things I can’t see compared to the average person. Because logic and reason aren’t what make this world move. So I depend on you for everything else. Please, ascertain his worth. Is he unnecessary for the path the world is on, or is it better to let him live? I’m asking, but I already pretty much know your answer.”
Claugh looked at Sion with sharp, intimidating eyes. “I…”
Claugh sounded unsure of himself. Like he was still hesitating.
“……”
If Claugh didn’t find something special inside of Sion, then he’d surely be killed here and now.
Even if Claugh didn’t kill him, that Luke guy probably would.
This was a critical moment. His life depended on it.
“……”
Sion knew that his life was in danger. But suddenly that didn’t matter anymore.
Because Sion felt one of his siblings nearby. No, not a ‘sibling.’ A thing that had transcended humanity altogether. It had been unable to withstand the power of the Fallen Mad Hero, and became a literal monster as a result.
Claugh spoke. “I think you’re—”
“Be quiet,” Sion said.
“Nngh? Who’re you tellin’ to be quiet, ass—”
Sion tuned Claugh’s shouting out.
There was something more important he had to do now.
Sion looked into the darkness. Into a dark city alley.
When he did, he suddenly heard a voice in his head. “Hehe. It’s starting, Sion. This mad story is finally beginning,” Lucile said.
He felt his sibling approach. He felt the monster approach.
“Run,” Sion said. “Claugh, take Ferris and Shuss and run.”
Claugh looked confused. “Hah? What’re you sayin—”
Something suddenly glittered from the side, then swallowed him up and sent him flying.
Sion didn’t know what that light was, but it definitely wasn’t magic. There was no magic like that in Roland, and there was no mage capable of activating a spell to send Claugh flying without even a moment’s notice.
Luke made to react to the light that sent Claugh flying. “Clau—”
Another light shot towards Luke as he yelled.
“Uwawa,” Luke said, taking a big step back to dodge. Then he turned to the direction the light flew towards. “Uwaah, what is that? It can’t be magic. This is a little - just a little - bad. I don’t know who’s behind this, but they took Claugh in one hit… it looks like I’d lose, too. Let’s make a run for…” Luke said, then paused as he got a look at Sion’s face. “Wait, you look like you know who it is. An acquaintance of yours?”
Sion shook his head. “No, but I knew they were coming.”
“Hoh. Even though we didn’t realize it at all?”
Sion smiled. “It’s not something you guys can see.”
“Hmm. Well, either way this situation is dangerous. I’m actually pretty weak in fights I can’t predict the outcome of. It’s probably best that I retreat, isn’t it?”
Sion nodded. “Get out of here. You’d be helping me out if you took Ferris and Shuss with.”
“And what will you do?”
“I have a monster to chat with.”
“Haha. You and your jokes,” Luke said.
Sion turned to face him and smiled. “I was serious. If I make it out of here alive, why don’t we become allies?”
Luke smiled. “It goes without saying that Claugh’s decision is obvious if you make it out of here alive. But you’ll be unable to make it out of this situation and die, won’t you?”
“Who knows.”
“Well, whatever. Tell me about your adventures later, if you end up surviving,” Luke said. With that, he picked Ferris and Shuss off the ground and took off running.
Sion didn’t watch him go. He couldn’t take his eyes off the monster that’d made it to him.
“Sion,” Lucile said inside his head.
“What?”
“There’s a goddess approaching you head on.”
“I can feel it.”
“But that isn’t all…”
“Huh?”
“Someone else shot the magic that sent that redhead flying.”
“Hah?”
“They’re another enemy who’s approaching from behind,” Lucile said.
“Haaaaah!? Another enemy?”
“Yeah.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know,” Lucile said. “But they’re likely not human.”
“Haaaaaaaah!? Then what should I do?” Sion yelled.
And so the curtain rose on this mad story.
There was an undeniably inhuman monster in front of his very eyes.
And behind him…
“……”
