The Princess of War

by Hyougetsu

  However, werewolves possessed advanced kinetic vision. Most humans’ movements seemed like they were happening in slow-motion to us. Regular people would never be able to hit us with that sword. That being said, the fact that the northern army had brought it to Zaria meant they’d been especially afraid of fighting werewolves. At the risk of sounding arrogant, it seemed the north was afraid of me. Even if they weren’t scared of me specifically, they were clearly scared of werewolves in general.

  What interested me even more than the words on the sword was the pattern surrounding them.

  “Hmm, this is really skilled work.”

  The circuit had been connected with impeccable detail, so the amount of mana needed to activate the spell was small. Making such an efficient spell was no mean feat. I couldn’t help but be impressed. To be honest, that was true whenever I saw a detailed piece of work, whether it was magic or craftsmanship. Entranced, I accidentally brushed the surface of the sword with my hands.

  “Wah!?”

  The moment I realized what I’d done I hurriedly pulled my hand back, worried the spell might hurt me. Fortunately, it didn’t. However, my contact with the sword caused a big change within it. The pattern around the spot I’d touched crumbled. With a section of the circuit missing, the anti-werewolf spell was no longer functional.

  “Uhh, this isn’t my fault...”

  Even though I was the only person in the room, I ended up muttering excuses for myself. Of course, it was obviously my fault. Still, what kind of spell shatters just from being touched? I know this is its maintenance state, but even then. If the spell itself was that fragile, it would be difficult to use the sword in combat without shattering it. Curious, I touched the blade again to confirm my touch alone was what caused it.

  “Whoa...”

  Once again, the pattern disappeared. Interesting... Wait, now’s not the time to be experimenting. Crap, I can’t believe I ruined a perfectly good enchanted sword. Well the sword itself was irrelevant, but there was a lot that could have been learned from that pattern.

  “I’ll just pretend nothing happened.”

  I stopped supplying mana to the maintenance spell, and the pattern faded out of view. I doubted this sword would be used against werewolves any time soon, so chances were good no one would find out the enchantment had been broken anyway. Still, I should have recorded the pattern before ruining it. What a waste.

  I’ll just avoid mentioning this incident to anyone. While I was lamenting my careless actions, I heard a knock on my door.

  “Vaito, do you got a minute?”

  “What do you need?”

  I resheathed the sword and opened the door. Firnir strode in with a troubled look.

  “A messenger from the Senate’s come to see Shatina. But Shatina’s...”

  “Say no more.”

  I needed to hurry.

  “How dare you! You... everyone from the Senate is my father’s enemy!”

  “P-Please wait! At least hear me out!”

  Shatina’s anger bounced off the walls of the audience chamber. Judging from her tone, she hadn’t drawn her sword yet, at least. I entered the room to see her hoisting the Senate’s messenger up by the collar of his black coat. I was honestly impressed she was able to lift up a man a good head and shoulders taller than her. She’s like a mad dog. I realized that not much time had passed since her father’s death, but this really wasn’t how a viceroy should act.

  “Shatina, leave it.”

  “But Master!”

  I understood her rage, but as a viceroy, it was her duty to suppress her feelings and negotiate calmly.

  “That messenger didn’t come to meet with the daughter of the man he killed. He came because he has business with the viceroy of Zaria. Don’t forget that.”

  “O-Okay...”

  I left consoling Shatina to Firnir, then turned to the messenger.

  “You’re the Senate’s messenger, correct?”

  The man hurriedly straightened his uniform and bowed to me.

  “My apologies for showing you such an unseemly sight. I am the Senate’s court magician, Kite. Excuse me, but would you be Shatina’s tutor?”

  It seemed this guy didn’t know me. I guess that made sense, it’s not like pictures existed in this world. I could name myself, but it seemed the Senate wasn’t very fond of werewolves. In retrospect, I had gotten in the way of every single one of the Senate’s plans. If he found out who I was it’d be harder to negotiate, so I decided to give him a fake identity.

  “That’s right, I’m Viceroy Shatina’s diplomacy instructor. As you can see she’s rather emotional at the moment, so I’ll hear you out in her stead.”

  After debating whether or not to negotiate with me, Kite finally said, “About the earlier battle to liberate Zaria...”

  Now that was something I couldn’t let slide. I knew it was impolite, but I interrupted Kite anyway.

  “A moment, please. You claim that battle was to liberate Zaria. Pray tell, who exactly were you trying to liberate Zaria from?”

  Kite stiffened, sensing the hostility behind my words.

  “N-Naturally, the Senate wished to liberate Zaria from the demon army...”

  Kite’s voice gradually grew smaller. Even he knew how bald-faced a lie that was. After watching him writhe for an appropriate amount of time I smiled ruefully and said, “Surely you realize that Zaria was not in actual need of liberation?”

  “I know. I understand this is just a pretense crafted by the Senate.”

  He’s surprisingly honest. Since he’d admitted his employer was at fault, I saw no need to press the issue further.

  “Regardless of the motivations behind the battle, it is an indisputable fact that the demon army clashed with the Senate. But what of it?”

  “The truth is, the Senate was hoping you would be willing to return their catapults to them.”

  Kite’s timid voice made it clear even he thought it was an unreasonable request. I replied kindly, “Do you really think the demon army will want to return them?”

  “I suppose not...”

  “If we were to return those catapults, they would undoubtedly be used against the Commonwealth. Besides, even if we did wish to return them, their return is not something Zaria can authorize on its own.”

  Kite’s expression clouded over.

  “Th-Then, could you at least at least return Sir Volsaav’s sword to the Senate? We would like to return his legacy to his family.”

  Not good. This is not good at all. After all, I’d just ruined that sword moments ago. I scrunched up my face to look as threatening and possible and said in a stern voice, “You don’t want it back to return it to his family. That sword’s sole purpose is to cut down werewolves. That’s the real reason you want it back, isn’t it?”

  Kite rose to his feet in surprise.

  “What!?”

  Going by the smell of his sweat, he wasn’t feigning it either. It seemed he really didn’t know that sword had been enchanted against werewolves. I can’t believe they sent some chump who doesn’t even know the whole story to negotiate.

  “Regardless of whether or not you were informed of the truth, the demon army’s investigated that sword and it is most definitely enchanted against werewolves.”

  Our investigation happened to accidentally destroy its enchantment, too. Though it wasn’t on purpose. Sorry, Volsaav’s family.

  Kite hung his head, desperately trying to find another argument to use. He must have known the demon army wouldn’t return those catapults. Meaning that request had just been an opener, and his real goal was to get that sword back. That was a classic negotiating trick. It was the same strategy that television ads had used to sell things to people. “Normally this knife set’s twenty thousand yen, but for a limited time you can buy it for ten thousand!” It was basically a way of saying “Oh, twenty thousand’s too much? Fine, how about ten thousand?” After having us refuse an outrageous request he was hoping we would be amenable to
granting his more reasonable one.

  Unfortunately, right now I was more likely to return eight catapults than I was that one sword. Considering how detailed the enchantment on the sword was, it was likely a cherished family heirloom. If word got out that I’d destroyed its magic, it could turn into a diplomatic incident.

  After thinking in silence for a few minutes, Kite finally looked up at me.

  “If your words are true, then I must return to the Senate before making any further demands. I shall shelve the issue for now.”

  So he’s going to regroup before trying to negotiate again? This guy’s pretty cautious.

  “Very well. Let us meet again at another time.”

  Once the messenger left, Firnir clopped over to me.

  “Vaito, dinner’s ready.”

  “That reminds me. What did you two decide on for dinner?”

  Firnir grinned happily.

  “Legume and potato stew! That way we both clear our assignment, right?”

  “Yeah, that’s right. I’m glad you two noticed.”

  “Ehehe, we realized when we were talking to each other that there was a way for both of us to win.”

  “And that is exactly what makes negotiating so much fun. Now then, let’s eat.”

  “Yeah!”

  There had been no need for them to pick just one or the other. This might have been a bit too simple and obvious a compromise, but I’m still glad they noticed. That aside, that Senate messenger was still on my mind. I decided to stay in Zaria a little longer so I could close out negotiations with him.

  A few days after I started staying in Zaria, the Senate’s messenger, Kite, returned.

  “My deepest apologies for my actions the other day.” He bowed deeply to me and explained, “As you said, Sir Volsaav’s sword is indeed enchanted against werewolves. Knowing this, I cannot in good faith ask for its return.”

  “Thank you for your understanding.”

  No really, thank you. However, Kite wasn’t done yet.

  “I have brought with me today an official letter from the Senate, addressed to Zaria.”

  If this was meant for Zaria specifically, then I needed to call Shatina over. This was her letter to read, not mine. But as I stood up to call her over, Kite hurriedly waved his hand to stop me and said, “E-Excuse me, but considering the nature of the letter, it might be best if...”

  Oh, so the letter’s going to make her mad. This poor guy sure has his work cut out for him. I smiled ruefully and accepted the letter.

  “Very well, as Viceroy Shatina’s tutor, I shall peruse it in her stead.”

  “Thank you. If possible, could you convince her to consider our proposal as well?”

  “I will try my best.”

  With that, I unsealed the letter and read it over. Sadly, the Senate’s request was beyond ridiculous. The gist of it was “Demons can’t be trusted, so return to Meraldia, which is ruled by humans.” It would be one thing if this was propaganda for the masses, but this was a letter addressed to a viceroy.

  The viceroys of the various cities within Meraldia put their citizens’ needs above everything else. This was perhaps a crude way to put it, but they didn’t give a damn what happened to Meraldia as a whole. You could talk about lofty ideals like humans versus demons or justice all you wanted, but viceroys were only interested in improving life for their people. Which was why they’d been willing to join forces with even demons, so long as it brought prosperity and stability to their cities.

  I folded up the letter and smiled sadly.

  “Mister Kite, are you aware of the contents of this letter?”

  “Yes. I am its messenger after all.”

  A nervous bead of sweat formed on his forehead. Poor guy. I said, as kindly as I could, “There are two fundamental problems with your request. First, you offer no possible benefits for Zaria to switch sides, and only emphasize obligation and duty.”

  For nations, ideological causes were nothing more than pretenses to hide their true motivations. Furthermore, claims of justice alone could not sway armies or leaders. They needed more practical incentives to switch sides.

  “Second, the obligations you call upon in this letter do not exist.”

  The Commonwealth was fast becoming a nation where demons and humans coexisted peacefully. Every one of the southern cities had slowly begun accepting demon immigrants. The expansion restrictions the Senate had placed on them were gone, so they could afford to build new districts and house more people. As a result, the populations and economies of all the cities were growing at a steady rate. Plus, because most of the new immigrants were canines and dragonkin, they were getting along with humans just fine. Even without the demon army’s guiding hand, humans and demons had grown familiar enough with each other that prejudice was on its way out.

  “The Meraldian Commonwealth’s primary goal is coexistence between humans and demons. Demons are neither barbaric nor brutal, so we have no obligation to drive them out.”

  Kite argued back, “Yet when the demons occupied the cities of Bahen, Schverm, and Aryoug, they wreaked havoc upon the citizenry.”

  It was definitely true the second regiment had rampaged across the north. I felt bad about throwing them under the bus here, but I decided to pretend they had nothing to do with us. Sadly, I hadn’t had the strength to stop them when they’d gone on a slaughtering spree.

  “I’m afraid I have no idea what may have happened in the north, but the demons we interact with here have been perfectly civil.”

  It seemed Kite had expected that response though, and countered with, “However, the werewolves that appeared in Zaria are undoubtedly dangerous. You realize their leader killed four hundred men single-handedly, don’t you?”

  That’s me you’re talking about here. I was starting to feel like I should have revealed my identity when I had the chance. But whenever I told people who I was, they got unnecessarily scared of me, so I didn’t want to.

  “The butcher of four hundred, huh...”

  Even now I questioned whether there might not have been a more peaceful way to resolve that conflict. Kite misinterpreted my inner turmoil as shock, and decided to press his case.

  “That’s right. He’s a heartless, merciless monster. Not only did he slaughter the Hero and his party, he turned them into zombies to make an example of them. Such atrocities cannot go unpunished.”

  Actually, it was the current Demon Lord who did that, and she did that out of kindness. I was unsure how to respond for a few seconds, but then finally decided on my counterargument.

  “You speak as though you saw it all firsthand, Mister Kite.”

  Kite puffed his chest out proudly.

  “As a court mage, I am capable of summoning forth images of past events.”

  “Oho, so you’re an epoch mage?”

  Epoch magic allowed its user to infer and read into past events using various techniques. It was very similar to foresight magic, which predicted future events. Out of all magic, epoch magic was the branch humans were most versed in. It made sense, considering humans valued history more than all other races.

  This meant that Kite wasn’t a diplomat, but rather an investigator. Which explained why he was so bad at negotiating. I also now understood why the Senate had sent him of all people to be an ambassador to Zaria. Unaware that he’d leaked something vital, Kite continued explaining his job.

  “Under the Senate’s orders, I’ve been touring the lands, investigating the extent of the demon army’s savagery. I can guarantee you that demons cannot possibly coexist with humans.”

  Since Kite was from the north, I could see how he’d end up with a perspective like that. Neither I nor any other member of the demon army had done a single good thing up there. That being said, I didn’t want a negative image of us to spread too far, so I decided to argue back.

  “At least the demon army doesn’t assassinate people like the Senate. By that metric, wouldn’t you say they’re more trustworthy?”

&nbs
p; Kite furrowed his brows and frowned.

  “The Senate would never assassinate anyone. They’re the ones who appoint viceroys, why would they assassinate their own appointments?”

  His confusion was genuine. The Senate really hadn’t told him anything. He was just a clueless messenger. Guess it’s my job to enlighten you.

  “Even if the Senate had dismissed Zaria’s old viceroy from his post, they wouldn’t have been able to stop the city from declaring independence. So they’d had him assassinated instead. I even have proof.”

  “You do?”

  “The poison used for the assassination was one that could only be harvested from the northern mountains. Those who live in the south don’t even know how to use it.”

  I presented Kite the knife one of the assassins had used. I’d killed its owner during the initial scuffle in the viceroy’s office.

  “Since you’re versed in epoch magic, you are of course free to use your talents to confirm the details for yourself.”

  Kite looked down at the knife and nodded.

  “I shall take you up on that offer, then.”

  In order to discern the past, an epoch mage needed to know how to use magic that altered their own sense of time, magic that sharpened their senses, along with a few others. Furthermore, in order to draw any meaningful conclusions from the glimmers epoch magic showed mages, they needed to be extremely knowledgeable in a variety of subjects. For example, you needed extensive geographical knowledge to know where a scene was taking place. This was why only those who’d studied for years were capable of being epoch mages. It was also why I couldn’t be one.

  The whole time I was thinking, Kite kept his gaze firmly glued onto the knife. Epoch magic required a great deal of time and concentration to use.

  “I see the theopolis of Ioro Lange... a mercenary group known as Schude... purple osier poison... All of these signs certainly do point to the north.”