The Princess of War

by Hyougetsu

  Finally, the werewolves appeared. Warriors clad in jet-black fur pelts started defeating the members of the mage corps. Naturally, the fights were all staged, but they still looked impressive. One by one, Eleora lost her comrades until she was the last one standing.

  It was then that the Black Werewolf King reappeared. He was carrying a bloodstained Rolmund cape, which he threw down at her feet. Proof that he’d slain dozens of soldiers.

  “Surrender, Eleora. You have no hope of victory.”

  “I cannot.” Eleora drew her sword and pointed it at the Black Werewolf King. “The emperor’s orders are coiled about me like chains. Even if it means my death, I cannot defy his will.”

  Eleora charged at the Black Werewolf King, but he easily blocked her attack. He then closed the gap between them and said, “Surrender, Eleora. If you pursue further bloodshed, I will have no choice but to kill you.”

  “Then kill me, Black Werewolf King.”

  Eleora put her entire weight behind the next attack, but the Black Werewolf King stopped it with one hand.

  “Surrender, Eleora.”

  Three times the Black Werewolf King asked, and three times Eleora refused. She threw down her sword and clapped her hands together.

  “I will not leave this forest alive. But if I am to die here, then I shall take you with me!”

  Dancers bedecked in flowing red gowns started circling the two actors. They then unfurled spools of orange cloth, creating a wall that obstructed Eleora and the Black Werewolf King. That’s supposed to represent a fire tornado, I guess.

  “If I cannot conquer the demon capital, then I shall at least make sure to defeat the famous Black Werewolf King and leave my mark in history! In doing so, my subordinates shall be spared execution at the hands of Rolmund’s tribunal!”

  Eleora’s words rang through the theatre, but her figure was obstructed by the dancers. After a minute or so the dancers left, revealing an unhurt Black Werewolf King. He was carrying an unconscious Eleora. From the audience stands, it was impossible to tell if she was alive or dead.

  “Eleora, is there truly any meaning in leaving your mark in history? Is that what leaders such as ourselves should strive for?”

  No one answered him, but in the distance, people cheered the Southern Commonwealth’s victory. The play ended, and the curtains fell one last time.

  The moment the play ended, Firnir excitedly got to her feet.

  “Wow, that was amazing, Forne!”

  “Oh, you thought so, too?”

  Forne looked pretty pleased with himself. Since when did those two become friends? Airia, too, praised Forne’s play.

  “It was tragic, but also inspiring. You did a wonderful job in capturing the spirit of two souls fated to fight, though they wish only for peace.”

  “Oh, you thought so as well?”

  Forne’s smile grew wider. To be honest though, it was a really good play. Even if you took away the fact that it was being used for propaganda, it was really well made. In a world without TV or internet, it was probably the most entertaining thing you could go see. I turned to Eleora, who seemed to be lost in thought, and smiled.

  “Well, do you understand the difference between me and you now?”

  “Yes, yes I do.”

  Eleora nodded and looked up at me.

  “This play may be a mere fabrication, but those who see it will come to sympathize with the Southern Commonwealth. At the same time, it will drive people away from me. But there’s one thing I fail to comprehend.”

  “Oh?”

  Sounding genuinely confused, Eleora asked, “Why would you portray me in such a good light? I’m your enemy, aren’t I?” Expression serious, Eleora continued, “Shouldn’t you be vilifying your enemies so that their allies no longer wish to assist them? Vilifying them also helps reassure your own subjects that the enemy isn’t worth worrying about. So why didn’t you do that here?”

  “Ah, so that’s your question.”

  Grinning, I turned to Firnir.

  “How about you explain, Firnir.”

  “Ah, okay.”

  Firnir stopped pestering Forne to tell her what the next play would be on and puffed her tiny chest out proudly.

  “Kentauros always praise the enemies they defeat as much as they can!”

  “You do?”

  “Yep! Cause, I mean, where’s the honor in beating a weak enemy? You want to be able to tell everyone ‘Look, that guy I beat was soooo strong!’”

  Kentauros had a custom where they buried the dead of their enemies and sang dirges for them. It was a way of showing just how powerful their foe had been, and how they’d fallen. When Firnir had first told me that, I’d been so moved I’d decided to adopt part of her culture myself. Customs like those were ones I was fond of, even if adopting them didn’t bring me any tangible benefits. However, Eleora didn’t seem to understand what Firnir was getting at.

  “So in other words, by playing up how powerful I am, the play is showcasing just how amazing the Black Werewolf King is for defeating me?”

  “You could look at it that way. But the truth is, we really did have a hard time defeating you. All we want is for the people to understand how difficult our battle was.”

  Beating Eleora had been especially hard because I had to defeat her without killing her, or I would have had to deal with a bigger Rolmund army on my doorstep. I never want to face such a tricky opponent again. Oh yeah, I should probably explain that to her too.

  “Meraldia has no hope of invading Rolmund. Meaning we’ll have to get along as neighbors if we want to survive. That’s why I can’t afford to kill you, nor can I afford to ruin your image via plays or the like.”

  “I see. Still, it never occurred to me that praising your opponents was a valid strategy to solidify your own position. This was a good lesson.” Eleora looked off into the distance. “I see, so this is why I lost.”

  “No, this play was just one of many strategies.”

  “You’re wrong, Black Werewolf King. This was the main reason.” Smiling, Eleora shook her head. “I lost to your greatness. Seeing this play proved that to me.”

  “I’m not really all that great though.”

  I always end up resolving things through force, and then need everyone else to bail me out of the hot water I get myself into. However, Eleora smiled again and said, “I heard about this play from Natalia. I was actually thinking of going to see it once myself.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. I was curious how you would portray us. I wanted to know what version of us you wished to show to your people.” Eleora clapped politely for the actors who were bowing on stage, then muttered, “I was sure you’d portray us as a foolish, ugly lot... But I was wrong.”

  She got to her feet and looked me in the eyes.

  “You honor even those who did their utmost to kill you, and even go so far as to show our value to others. Even if it’s part of your strategy, only someone as great as you could conceive such a plan.”

  “You’re really overestimating me.”

  I just don’t want to slander people. Even enemies I had to defeat deserved a fair valuation. If I couldn’t do even that, I’d become a monster that was neither human nor werewolf. And that was something I was scared of. Eleora observed my face for a few seconds, then chuckled in resignation.

  “It seems I never will be able to match up to you.”

  “Hm?”

  “It’s nothing. More importantly, I’d like to give my compliments to the actress who played me. Sir Forne, can you introduce her to me?”

  “Of course.”

  Forne got to his feet and led Eleora down to the stage. I couldn’t tell if this outing had managed to raise her spirits or not. After watching her walk down the steps for a few seconds, I got to my feet as well. I should probably compliment the actor that played me too. After all, he was really cool...

  Afterword

  Hello everyone, Hyougetsu here. I’m so glad to see you all again. This
volume was the most stressful one by far. I had to move in the middle of its publication, so I was juggling two things at once. But it was well worth it, since now I have a place I can write comfortably in.

  The place I lived in before was so cramped that I had to put mail on my futon and couldn’t even store gifts from the editorial department anywhere. I knew I had to move this summer, or I’d go crazy. Thankfully, my new home is a lot more spacious, and I can actually sit down and write. This is all thanks to you readers. Thank you so much for supporting this humble author. I promise to keep writing as much as I can.

  Incidentally, it’s been about a year since I first started writing on Narou. Back then, if you’d told me I’d have four published volumes in a year, I would never have believed you. At the time, I just thought Narou would be a good place to practice my writing skills and get some experience under my belt. Which was why I didn’t even use twitter or publicize my work until volume one was published; I was just writing to get better. But before I knew it, this story of mine had grown into such a popular thing... Life sure is unpredictable.

  Now then, volume four is the volume that introduces Rolmund’s princess, Eleora. She’ll be fighting together with Veight for some time. From volume five onward she’s going to be going through a lot of growth, so please watch over her. In fact, you can think of the next volume as her story.

  Oh yeah, I’d like to thank Nishi(E)da-sensei for agreeing to draw illustrations for this book as well. They were truly wonderful. But if I can make a confession, I don’t actually get to see his final illustrations until after the book’s published. Right now, all I have to look at are his rough drafts. But knowing Nishi(E)da-sensei, they’ll surely be as gorgeous as always. Thank you so much for bringing my words to life.

  I’d also like to thank my editor, His Highness Fusanon. By which I mean Saitou-sama. Our meetings are always so much fun that I often forget we’re there to work. It’s thanks to you that I can enjoy writing as much as I do. You’re the best editor I could possibly hope for. And I know it could have ended up a lot worse. Thank you so much for everything.

  Oh, also, the manga version that Terada Isaza-sensei is drawing should be coming out this August. The manga’s going to be able to depict all the people in the novel who aren’t lucky enough to get an illustration, so I’m glad it exists. I’ve also tweaked events and characters a bit to better fit the manga format, so I highly recommend checking it out.

  Anyway, the Rolmund arc will probably continue for at least a few more volumes, so bear with me guys. May we meet again in the next volume.

  Sign up for our mailing list at J-Novel Club to hear about new releases!

  Newsletter

  And you can read the latest chapters (like Vol. 5 of this series!) by becoming a J-Novel Club Member:

  J-Novel Club Membership

  Copyright

  Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight Volume 4

  by Hyougetsu

  Translated by Ningen

  Edited by Meiru

  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 © 2016 Hyougetsu / Nishi(E)da

  Illustrations by Nishi(E)da

  All rights reserved.

  Original Japanese edition published in 2016 by Earth Star Entertainment

  This English edition is published by arrangement with Earth Star Entertainment, Tokyo

  English translation © 2019 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.

  J-Novel Club LLC

  j-novel.club

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

  Ebook edition 1.0: May 2019