The Champion's Return

by Hyougetsu

  Volka gave my brother a piercing glare.

  “You’ll abandon us?”

  “You’re the ones who worship strength. If you’re this weak, then I have no use for you.”

  Volka was a capricious woman, and there was no guarantee she’d accept every request that people brought her. Occasionally she would even kill the one making the assassination request if she didn’t like them. You could never let your guard down around her. However, my brother seemed wholly unconcerned by her ferocious reputation.

  “Well, you did succeed in scouting out the enemy’s true strength at least—without losing a single man, too. I suppose I’ll rely on your services for a while longer.”

  “Fine,” Volka said, nodding reluctantly. “We still owe your family a debt for letting us borrow your backyard. But I’ll tell you this much. You’re hardly the man your predecessor was.”

  Even though Volka was speaking with one of the most influential nobles in Rolmund, she wasn’t intimidated in the slightest.

  My brother shrugged his shoulders and replied, “I won’t deny that I’m a coward. But when I tried to have Prince Ryuunie assassinated, I lost half of my very best spies. I’m not so foolish as to believe the remaining half can defeat the lord of Crimson Snow Keep.”

  Volka snorted derisively.

  “Indeed. Your entire army wouldn’t be enough to stop that man. If you want to kill Veight and his clan, you’re gonna need at least ten thousand troops.”

  If we drafted every able soldier in our lands, we’d be able to muster around 6,000 pikemen. No cavalry or bowmen, since the Bolshevik family didn’t train those. My brother stroked his chin and mused quietly to himself, “Ten thousand, you say... I’ll see if that can’t be arranged.”

  He turned to me.

  “Jovtzia. Has Korzhov said anything?”

  Korzhov was the name of my other brother.

  “Just that everything is going according to schedule.”

  “Good. I imagine he’s not happy with me, though.”

  Korzhov wasn’t on very good terms with Shallier. But then, neither was I. Volka put her hands on her hips and turned to me.

  “You should have let this kid inherit your position. He’s got your father’s eyes.”

  “Unfortunately, in the Rolmundian noble system it’s always the eldest son who becomes head of the family. Were I allowed to relinquish my position to my brothers, I long since would have.”

  The fact that Volka didn’t react meant my brother was telling the truth. Well, even I knew he’d hated the idea of becoming the family head. But once he inherited the position, he sprung into action. He forced our father to retire, then he started plotting all sorts of schemes that he told no one about. Korzhov and I were both exhausted helping with all his secret machinations, but I couldn’t deny that the Bolshevik family was still around thanks to him. Of course, it was because our family name was still in good standing that I had no choice but to obey Shallier, despite not knowing anything about his greater plans. My brother would even send me to negotiate on his behalf, but he still wouldn’t tell me what his objectives were.

  “Brother, what exactly are you trying to do here?”

  “There’s so many unknown factors that I’m unsure of the answer to that myself. I cannot decide if we should advance or retreat.”

  That’s not an answer! Volka sighed loudly. She didn’t seem pleased by my brother’s answer either.

  “Good grief. I get that you want to play at being a tactician, but if you don’t tell your pieces what you need, they can’t do their jobs.”

  Just then, one of Volka’s subordinates walked into the room and started whispering something into her ear. Volka grinned and turned to my brother.

  “Excuse me for a moment. The youngsters are calling for me.”

  My brother nodded silently, and Volka walked out of the room with the man.

  “It’d be easier if she were more motivated to do her job, but I guess dealing with Volka’s never easy. She wants something other than money and prestige, but what she’s looking for I can’t pay.”

  Volka and her clan chose their jobs. My brother had asked her to help with the Ryuunie assassination too, but she’d chewed him out by saying, “You’re asking me to kill a child!? How dare you!” Of course, at the time I hadn’t even been aware Ryuunie was the person he wanted assassinated. I’d warned Lord Veight that a potential attack might be coming just in case, but my brother had done a perfect job of keeping the target a secret from me. Had I known he was after Ryuunie ahead of time, I would have objected. Ryuunie was my cousin’s brother—he was family to us. It was one thing if he’d been trying to rescue Ryuunie and shelter him here, but I couldn’t fathom why my brother would go so far to kill his own kin, especially since he wasn’t even a threat. I gave my brother a frustrated glare, and he smiled sadly at me.

  “I realize that everyone considers me heartless and that my popularity is dropping. But if I let myself be shackled by what people think of me, I won’t be able to do what needs to be done.” My brother sighed. “If only we could do something to rouse the enthusiasm of the other Sternenfeuer members. Now that the Doneiks family is no more, it falls to us to protect our religion.”

  “Didn’t all of this happen because you betrayed Woroy?”

  Unable to remain silent any longer, I blurted out the accusation I’d been bottling up all this time. But my brother just smiled and replied, “Do you think our support alone would have been enough to stop the rising tide of Eleora’s army? Do you honestly believe we could have driven back Lord Veight and the princess who conquered Meraldia?”

  “I think we definitely had a chance.”

  Shallier shook his head and said, “A ‘chance’ is not a good enough reason to risk the lives of 6,000 Sternenfeuer followers. I would never commit them to a fight unless victory was all but guaranteed.”

  “I...guess you have a point.”

  I knew better than anyone how quickly a lost battle could devolve into a rout. The moment my brother realized there was a possibility that all of our soldiers could get slaughtered, he immediately betrayed the Doneiks family and surrendered to Eleora. Thinking about it, that certainly was the only surefire way to keep our people safe.

  “However, Brother...”

  Your methods are shameful and dishonorable. Before I could say that aloud, though, he changed the subject.

  “That aside, Lord Veight is quite an interesting fellow. Rolmund has been isolated from the rest of the world for so long, but he just waltzed in and blew the doors wide open. Thanks to his whirlwind entrance, I finally have the opportunity I’ve been waiting for.”

  “Opportunity? How is this an opportunity? Our generations-long peace was broken because of Lord Veight’s arrival!”

  “If we’re going to fight, we need to choose our opponent carefully,” my brother replied, smiling slightly at me. “Princess Eleora, Prince Ashley, and Lord Veight are the three main actors on the stage. All three of them are virtuous, selfless, and loyal to their stations. While that makes them difficult opponents to deal with, so long as we play our cards right, their actions will lead us to certain victory.”

  “Certain victory? You believe you can win, Brother?”

  “Of course.” My brother’s smile grew wider. “After meeting with Lord Veight I became convinced of that.”

  “Forgive me for being pessimistic, but I don’t think he’s someone you’re capable of beating.”

  “You’re right. You’re absolutely right.” My brother nodded in agreement.

  I don’t get it. He walked closer to the fire and looked wistfully out the window.

  “My idea of victory is a little different from what you’re thinking.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I can’t tell you. I know you’d object if I did.” My brother grabbed two empty glasses from a nearby shelf. “Spring may be near, but the nights are still cold. Shall we share a glass to warm ourselves up before bed?”


  “Sure...”

  I gave up on trying to pry answers from my brother and accepted the proffered glass. Fine, just do whatever you want then.

  * * * *

  Upon returning to our inn, I found Fahn and Parker in the midst of a heated argument.

  “I just don’t think it’s right to interfere with the princess’ wedding,” Fahn muttered glumly.

  Parker shook his head and replied, “When human nobles get married, there are political repercussions to consider. Sometimes those have to take precedence over the feelings of the couple.”

  “And I’m saying that’s not right!”

  Fahn wasn’t having any of it. It made sense, since she had yet to grasp the full importance of human social status. With werewolves, the pack leader could marry whoever they wanted, and none of the other werewolves would care. Furthermore, the pack leader’s spouse wouldn’t be given any special treatment, nor would their social status change. Unfortunately, human society was a lot more complicated than that. That being said, I had no real intention of interfering with the wedding either.

  “Fahn. We’re not going to try and stop the wedding,” I said. “If the princess gives up on the idea herself that’ll be great for us, but as part of Eleora’s faction, the marriage of Ashley’s sister is irrelevant to us.”

  In fact, there might even be benefits to letting the marriage go through. If Lord Bolshevik was outed as a heretic after he married Ashley’s sister, his fall from grace would negatively impact Ashley, not us. His retainers and supporters were already losing faith in him, and another big scandal might be enough to push them into open revolt. Even so, I didn’t want things to get so bad that we had another rebellion on our hands. Eleora’d be able to suppress it easily enough, but I’d had enough of war, and there wasn’t much to be gained from provoking another one. Everyone in Rolmund already knew how good a general Eleora was thanks to recent events.

  We all packed up our stuff and started heading back to the capital. Once we reached the forest, I transformed into a werewolf. I was hoping to meet with Volka and have a proper talk with her before returning.

  “Awoooooo...”

  To Parker and Mao my howls probably just sounded like normal howls, but to other werewolves they had meaning. However, I had no idea whether or not Volka was within listening range. And even if she was, she might not want to meet with her target. Also, werewolf howls had a very limited vocabulary so it was hard to convey complex concepts.

  “Old hag! Get out here!”

  “I can hear you, boy! What is it!?”

  “Old hag! Get out here!”

  “Like I said, what the hell do you want!?”

  Sorry, with what us Meraldian werewolves have learned, this is the most I know how to say. Just get over here so we can talk normally. It was impossible to have an actual discussion via howls.

  After a few minutes, Volka walked out of the forest and sat down in front of me.

  “Don’t you know it’s rude to call out werewolves from other packs with howls?” She grumbled angrily.

  “I didn’t even know other clans existed, so no.”

  “Neither did I, honestly. But my great-grandmother was fond of telling me that. So whaddya want?”

  I explained to Volka that the Sonnenlicht Order would soon stop persecuting heretics and demons.

  “Nothing’s set in stone yet, but the leaders of the Sonnenlicht Order aren’t idiots, and they’re not devoted fanatics either. In fact, they’re quite practical. They were easier to talk to than I expected.”

  “Mmm, that’s good news. Always nice to know your enemies aren’t idiots.”

  Volka flashed me a confident grin, and I added, “You guys are working with Lord Bolshevik and the Sternenfeuer believers right? Why not swap sides to the Sonnenlicht Order?”

  Volka considered my proposal for a few seconds, then shook her head.

  “We can’t. Not yet, anyway. We owe a generations-long debt to the Sternenfeuer Cult. We can’t just abandon them. The previous head of the Bolshevik family did a lot for us, too.”

  I figured it wouldn’t be that easy. On the other hand, it was nice to know that Volka and her clan honored their debts. In fact, I was kind of happy she’d refused me.

  “Yeah, I figured. Guess we’re still enemies for now then.”

  “Sorry, kid. If you were from Rolmund, I might have said yes. But you’re gonna go back to Meraldia once this hubbub’s over, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah, that’s the plan.”

  I nodded, and Volka smiled peacefully at me.

  “Meaning I’ve gotta be the one to take care of Rolmund’s werewolves. And since I don’t have any connections with the Sonnenlicht Order, I can’t trust them.”

  “Gotcha. But since the Sonnenlicht Order is going to be more lenient from now on, why don’t you meet with their top brass to make connections of your own?”

  Volka thought harder about that proposal.

  “Now that might work. I can’t say I like the way things have been going over here. But before I make any promises, I’ve got a request.”

  “What is it?”

  “If things don’t go well and we get chased out of Rolmund, will you let us live in Meraldia?”

  Volka’s tone was sincere. Fortunately, that was an easy enough request for me to grant.

  “As the Demon Lord Gomoviroa’s Vice-Commander, I hereby grant your request. You and your kin are always welcome in Meraldia.”

  I could have negotiated some concessions out of her, but I decided to freely grant her request. Volka and her clan were in a very precarious position. Rather than worry them with pointless conditions I didn’t need anyway, it was better to grant them some peace of mind. Volka grinned and replied, “You’re shaping up to be quite the man. Whaddaya say, wanna marry my granddaughter?”

  “No, uhh...”

  Seeing my troubled expression, Volka hooted with laughter.

  “You even know how to blush sexily! I like you, kid! My granddaughter’s still only seven, so I’ll ask you again when she’s a bit older!”

  No really, I’m good. After she was done laughing, Volka lithely got to her feet. As she made to leave, I asked, “Does the Sternenfeuer Cult have any other demons working for them?”

  “Aside from us, there are a few vampires. They’re hiding out in human villages.”

  “That’s it?”

  Volka gave me a sad smile.

  “The demons who can’t hide by taking human form were all wiped out long before the republic turned into an empire.”

  Yeah, humans are terrifying alright... As she started walking away, Volka added, “That Bolshevik kid might be spending his time in the capital, but he’s plotting something involving his own territory too. His brother stayed back and is doing a lot of things in his name.”

  “Is he trying to raise an army?”

  “Dunno. It’s not my business. The whole place has become one big shelter for the Sternenfeuer followers, but I don’t wanna get wrapped up in whatever’s happening. Anyway, be careful out there.”

  Volka transformed and started leaping across the trees. In seconds, she’d vanished from sight. These new revelations about Lord Bolshevik’s movements were disturbing, but either way, I needed to report to Eleora and hear her opinion on things, so our destination remained unchanged.

  Upon returning to the capital, I made a beeline for Eleora’s manor and explained everything to her.

  “I never knew the Sonnenlicht Order was hiding such a huge secret...” As expected, Eleora was surprised to learn that all of the scriptures were fake. “I’ve heard that those who become emperor are told some of the empire’s most vital secrets. I wonder if that’s one of them...”

  “Disappointed?” I asked, half-jokingly. Eleora gave me a mischievous smile and shrugged her shoulders.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. If anything, this has sparked my curiosity. Let me meet with Cardinal Traja too. I want to help his cause.”

  I knew Eleora would say
that. The only people I’d told about the truth of the scriptures were Mao, Parker, and now Eleora. None of my werewolves knew, mostly because they didn’t need to. Eleora also agreed to keep it secret from her mage corps, which was probably for the best.

  Once I was done talking about the scriptures, I told Eleora about how Lord Bolshevik was trying to marry Dillier. When she heard that, Eleora heaved a big sigh.

  “Dillier is a hot-headed, ignorant woman. If Lord Bolshevik thinks he can tame her, I pity him.”

  “Is the princess that bad?”

  “At the very least, I always hated talking to her, though I haven’t met her in ages.”

  I guess she is that bad. Good luck, Lord Bolshevik.

  Finally, I told Eleora about Volka and her clan. By the time I finished that story, Eleora was smiling again.

  “So you met some enemy werewolves, and a day later you already won them over to our side? Fast as always, I see.”

  “They’re not our allies yet, but they’re willing to negotiate, at least.”

  Eleora looked at me like I was some kind of strange creature.

  “You’ve only been gone a few days and you’ve already negotiated new alliances, as well as gathered an absurd amount of intelligence on our rivals. I can’t imagine anyone else more fit to be the Demon Lord’s Vice-Commander.”

  That’s because ever since I reincarnated, being a vice-commander was my goal. I much prefer supporting people from the shadows rather than stealing the spotlight. Eleora brushed her bangs aside and gave me a troubled smile.

  “Everything is so much easier when you’re around, but I can’t keep relying on you, or I’ll be unable to do anything on my own. On second thought, you’re a bad choice for a vice-commander after all,” she said.

  Eleora was making it sound like she was taking it easy, but while I was gone she’d been busy pulling the former Doneiks faction nobles into her camp while also solidifying her base. Also, she was the de facto ruler of East and North Rolmund, which meant she had a boatload of administrative work to handle. There was no way I’d be able to do it all efficiently like her.