Kingdom of Lies

by Yuri Kitayama

  Against that kind of political backdrop, would the other royalty and nobility desire to see failure from Duke Huguenot’s family? If Stewart’s foolish indignation was dragged out into the open, would they refrain from pointlessly stirring up a confrontation?

  Indeed, if everything could be solved by pushing all the blame onto a commoner, then it would be a cheap price to pay. Even Rio and Celia could understand that reasoning when they calmly thought about it.

  “I’m sorry. I really wish I could do something for you, but...” Celia bit her lip and apologized in frustration. Even if she wanted to prove Rio’s innocence, she clearly lacked the power to do so. There was no point in being idealistic or enraged without the power to change his reality. It was almost too frustrating to bear.

  “Please don’t apologize,” Rio said in a gentle voice. “It’s all thanks to you, Professor. I was only able to go on until now because you were here. I’m glad to have met you... I truly think that.”

  “Rio...” Celia’s face distorted with sadness. She had an idea of what he was going to say next.

  “That’s why I came to say goodbye, Professor. I am leaving this kingdom.”

  The brutally heartrending farewell was exactly what Celia expected.

  “...Do you know where you’re going?”

  “I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m thinking of visiting my parents’ hometown.”

  “Your parents’ hometown... Are you really going to the Yagumo region? Will you be all right?”

  “Well, I’m sure it’ll work out. Probably.” Rio answered as brightly as he could to ease Celia’s worries.

  “...Shall I go with you? Do you have money?” Celia asked after thinking hard for a moment.

  “It’d be a huge crisis if you disappeared, Professor. I’ll be fine. I still have a lot of money left from my reward. I know — I’ll send you a letter while I’m on the road. Under an alias, of course.”

  “...You absolutely have to, okay? I won’t forgive you if you forget.”

  “Yes ma’am.” Rio nodded with a smile.

  “What name will you send it as?

  “Right, let’s see... How about... Haruto.” Rio briefly hesitated before giving her his pen name. It was Rio’s name in his past life.

  “Haruto, got it.” Celia murmured the name to herself, as though carving it into her mind.

  “Then... I’ll be off now.”

  With those words to mark his departure, Rio gently pushed Celia’s body away from him.

  “Ah...” Celia let out a hoarse voice as Rio’s warmth left her. “I’ll see you again, right?”

  She put on the biggest smile she could manage as she asked with a trembling voice.

  “...Yes, we’ll definitely meet again.” Rio thought a moment before nodding, showing her his gentle smile.

  “Then take care of yourself, and come back safely. See you later.” Celia stifled the anxieties whirling in her chest and gave a sad smile.

  “Yes... see you later,” Rio replied, then slowly turned on his heel. He took one step, then two, away from Celia.

  She felt as though her heart would burst as she watched his retreating back. If she let her guard down, even a little, she would probably end up clinging to his back in tears.

  But she couldn’t. She couldn’t cry right now. She had to see Rio off with her head held high, so that she wouldn’t hold him back. Celia chewed at her lip.

  Without another word, Rio silently left the room. The door shut quietly behind him.

  The dam broke instantly as her tears spilled from her eyes.

  Looking back on it now, the one being saved by their time together was Celia, not Rio.

  From infancy, she had been pushed to move forward, much to the envy of her surroundings. She had no intimate friends close to her, so having someone to talk to without reservation was both new and precious to her. The time she spent with Rio every day was fun, and she had been overjoyed to hear that Rio considered her a friend.

  “I’m sorry, Rio... I couldn’t help you...”

  The sounds of Celia’s sniffles continued to echo from her room for a while longer.

  ◇◇◇

  “Excuse me.”

  Flora was paying a visit to her father’s suite. Once she was granted permission, she entered to find herself in the presence of not only Phillip III, but Garcia as well. She was surprised, but having the academy director here was actually more convenient for her. She hardened the resolve within her, clutching at the hem of her dress as she bowed in greeting.

  “What is the matter, my dearest Flora?” Phillip III asked brazenly, thought he had an idea.

  “I have come to speak with you with regards to the drill, Father. There is something I wish to say,” Flora declared rather stiffly with a determined expression.

  Phillip III’s eyes widened slightly at a glimpse of his daughter’s strong determination, something he had rarely seen, until now.

  “...Worry not. I have already heard the details of this case from Garcia.”

  “Then surely that person — Rio — will not be subjected to any blame... Is that correct?” Flora inquired directly, after the result she desired.

  “Unfortunately, that cannot be.”

  “...But why, Father?” Flora sent an admonishing gaze towards the king, who shook his head with a frown.

  “It is not that I am overlooking your testimony. The reality is, several students witnessed the eldest son of the House of Huguenot being pushed. As a result, you — a member of the royal family — were put in danger. That is more than enough reason to enact punishment.”

  “But he was the one who saved me! There’s no way he would do such a thing!”

  “Then why did the boy disappear afterwards? I am grateful to him for saving you on numerous occasions... But there is no doubt that his actions this time are suspicious.”

  “That’s... that’s because everyone treats him badly! Because we don’t believe in him, he...”

  “Ah, youth.” Garcia chuckled in amusement at Flora’s appeal.

  “What do you mean by that, Director Garcia?” Flora asked with a pout.

  “Ideals and reality may not always coincide. As one who lives among the privileged, it would do you well to learn that, Princess.”

  “...Please don’t change the topic. What kind of report did you give my father? I await your satisfactory answer,” Flora demanded, refusing to be fooled easily.

  “My dear, I simply collected the testimonies of the students.” Contrary to his biting tone, Garcia smiled like a good-natured old man.

  “Do try not tease my adorable daughter too much, Garcia.”

  “Ahem. Please accept my apologies,” Garcia offered at Phillip III’s warning, keeping his thoughts about overly-doting parents to himself.

  “Flora, my dear. As long as there is a reason for prosecution, any exceptions would cause great unrest within the nobility class. However, it is true that the boy saved you from danger. He will be charged with the crime, but I am thinking of granting him reprieve. Will that ease your woes?” the king asked.

  “How lenient,” Garcia muttered under his breath. The king silenced him with a glare.

  “Even with reprieve from the sentence, the crime will still be on his record...” Flora said with a pout. In other words, Rio would be treated as a criminal no matter what.

  With an official charge of guilt and a criminal record, any hopes for a bright future would be dashed. Even if Rio were to remain in Beltrum, his door to success was as good as closed and locked tight.

  “I understand. However...” Phillip trailed off. Garcia watched their conversation with a pleasant smile, as though it was none of his business. The king’s troubled gaze wandered, seeking Garcia for help.

  “Princess, please calm yourself,” Garcia interjected in exasperation. “We are far too busy to entertain the every whim of a child.”

  Flora closed her mouth grumpily. “I just cannot forgive wrongdoings.”

  “And th
at is why I am calling you a child. Detach your emotions from your actions. As royalty, you will have many experiences where your emotions and actions won’t meet in the middle.” Garcia didn’t even think the incident this time was worth becoming emotional over in the first place — but he didn’t say that out loud.

  Flora had been completely silenced. Tears welled in her eyes. She came to the painful realization that they would treat her like a spoiled child regardless of what she said.

  It was incredibly frustrating.

  Flora had always quietly obeyed her father and sister. There was no offense in their words, so she usually believed that it was the right thing to do...

  But this time, she couldn’t believe them.

  “Very well.”

  She mumbled the words she didn’t believe herself, as she understood now that her words had no power. She couldn’t do anything on her own — her heart felt like it was splitting from the pain.

  The only thing she could do was pray for Rio’s safety.

  Flora cursed her own helplessness.

  The year was 996 of the Holy Era — over five years had passed since Rio regained his memories of another world.

  Epilogue

  In the inner city of the capital of Beltrant...

  In a room in the Huguenot residence, the current head of the family, Gustav Huguenot, was looking down at a little girl, who was just under ten years old.

  Her pale orange hair reached down to her shoulders, and while her face was very cute, her eyes showed nearly no sign of life. She wore a baggy brown robe over clothes that seemed easy to move in, but it was quite cold to only be wearing one layer of the material.

  No — her greatest characteristic lay elsewhere.

  The girl had small fox ears and a twitching fox tail, which were physical features characteristic to werefoxes.

  Werebeasts — they were grouped together along with elves and dwarves by the human race as demi-humans.

  Because the demi-humans’ territory was located towards the center of the continent, there were barely any in the western region of Strahl where humans inhabited. They rarely showed themselves in human-occupied territories.

  However, there were still demi-beings that snuck into human territory out of curiosity; there were also those born into slavery under human owners. For those demi-humans, it was their fate to be treated as slaves.

  It was especially bad for werebeasts.

  As beings halfway between human and beast, many saw them as impure. Higher-class humans, with their refined hobbies, were known to keep them as slaves; they saw themselves as saviors, giving worth to impure existences by keeping them as pets.

  The girl’s mother was a captured slave who fell ill several years after giving birth and passed away. For the record, half breed children between humans and werebeasts would only inherit the characteristics of one parent, making the girl a pure werebeast. The girl was born, raised, and kept as a pet in Duke Huguenot’s residence. Thus, while she could hold a simple conversation, she had not received a proper education. There was only one skill that she was taught...

  “This is your next assassination target. Remember this scent.” Duke Huguenot threw a single piece of cloth at the fox-eared girl.

  Yes, she had been trained as an assassin.

  The physical abilities of werebeasts were remarkably higher than humans — their five senses were exceptional, and a werefox’s ability to detect scents was on par with a dog. They could be raised as excellent war puppets.

  “Yes.”

  With a nod, the girl brought the cloth to her nose to memorize the scent, then put it away in her pocket.

  “Your target is twelve years old. Sex is male. Name is Rio. He has black hair, so he should be instantly recognizable by appearance. Kill him by all means necessary — even if you have to sacrifice yourself as a result. That’s what you were raised for, after all. Remember: you cannot run as long as you have that collar. Go.”

  “Under... stood.” The fox-eared girl replied to Duke Huguenot’s order in her faltering way of speech with a nod. Instead of a glint of hope in her eyes, the metal collar around her throat had snatched it and glinted dully instead.

  After that, the girl put on her hood and left the room and the residence.

  Sniff, sniff.

  As she tried to locate the scent of the assassination target, she felt a strange nostalgic feeling.

  Warm...

  Somewhere deep within her long-frozen heart, something started to melt... But that strange sensation instantly disappeared.

  The girl left the mansion to find Rio, her assassination target.

  Afterword

  Dear readers of the novel version (this book), it’s nice to meet you. My name is Yuri Kitayama.

  Dear readers of the web version, thank you for continuing to support this series. This is Yuri Kitayama.

  No matter which reader you are, thank you for showing your interest in the first volume of Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles.

  Now, there may be people confused by my use of the terms ‘novel version’ and ‘web version,’ so allow me to explain that first:

  This Seirei Gensouki series first started as a novel I submitted to the website Let’s Become a Novelist, which I am still updating now. After receiving much love from the readers there, HJ Bunko graciously extended an offer to me that thus led to the publication of this novel version. And so, you can access the web version of Seirei Gensouki at any time you wish on the Let’s Become a Novelist website through your PC or phone.

  That being said, reading the web version won’t reduce the excitement nor fun of reading the novel version. Nor is reading the web version necessary to enjoy the novel version.

  In order to allow the story to be enjoyable no matter which version you choose to read, the novel version of Seirei Gensouki is a remake (or rewrite, really) of the contents of the web version (specifically speaking, the basic story line is borrowed from the web version with a few additional scenes, altered scenes, increased heroine time, change of setting, etc...).

  So if this makes both the novel and web versions enjoyable, I will consider myself a very lucky author.

  There is also something else I’d like to say before I run out of room... I’d like to express my deepest gratitude for all those involved with Seirei Gensouki, now and in the future.

  Firstly, to the readers of both the web and novel versions who continue to show my humble work love, thank you very much! There would be no Seirei Gensouki without you.

  To the proofreaders who check for minute typos and language expressions, store owners who advertise and promote this work, thank you all very much.

  Furthermore, to the editors at HJ Bunko and involved parties at Hobby Japan: thank you for your pains in publishing Seirei Gensouki!

  I am especially grateful to my editor, N, from the bottom of my heart! Thank you for gently guiding a completely lost newbie author like me through our first meeting together, and for working so hard behind-the-scenes to get this work out. I will be in your care from now on too!

  Finally, to my illustrator, Riv. Thank you so much for your numerous, beautifully colored illustrations of Seirei Gensouki. Even details that I hadn’t considered as the author (especially backgrounds and clothes) had so much detail put on them. The cute and colorful expressions of the heroines make me grin every day. From the bottom of my heart, thank you! I’d like to wrap things up here for now... I hope we can continue to meet now and far into the future. The publication of Volume 2 has already been decided, so hopefully I’ll see you again there!

  Yuri Kitayama

  August 2015

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  Copyright

  Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles Volume 1

  by Yuri Kitaya
ma

  Translated by Mana Z.

  Edited by Joi

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2015 Yuri Kitayama

  Illustrations Copyright © 2015 Riv

  Cover illustration by Riv

  All rights reserved.

  Original Japanese edition published in 2015 by Hobby Japan

  This English edition is published by arrangement with Hobby Japan, Tokyo

  English translation © 2018 J-Novel Club LLC

  All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.

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  The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  Ebook edition 1.0: August 2018