by Aneko Yusagi
“Look, sweet little Naofumi’s eyes have glazed over. Let’s see, that means it would allow little Raphtalia to use the same blessings that our enemy has been using. If things go well, then we’ll be able to use that power too,” Sadeena explained.
“Yeah, okay. I see it now.” The sakura stones of destiny emit a barrier, inside which the four holy powers were weakened and anyone who received blessings of the Heavenly Emperor is powered up. Then Astral Enchant could also be used to further boost the stats of those inside the barrier. That meant that we’d also be able to perform this skill.
“There’s a place in the old city to appoint a new Heavenly Emperor. If Raphtalia performs the rituals there, she should gain access to those powers.”
“Sounds like we march on the old city first, then.” The current Heavenly Emperor had moved to a new city in the east, after all. He must be a real imbecile to give up such an important location.
In either case, this looked like a good move. There was still so much we didn’t understand about the situation too. Best to sniff out a few more things first. This also sounded like the perfect time to try and get some information from the Water Dragon’s crystal ball that Gaelion had absorbed.
“To the plan, then. Affirming our current situation, our only current base of operations is this port.”
“I’m sure that, with word of our chasing off those in charge and our declaration of the opposition, it’s only a matter of time before liked-minded comrades start to appear from neighboring villages and towns,” Raluva said.
“Good.” That was definitely something. “We don’t have time to sit on our hands though. Let’s start planning for other strategies too.”
“Sure. We have to get our village back on its feet—and there’s the next wave of enemies to think about,” Raphtalia reminded me.
“I know. I’m certainly not planning on spending the rest of my life here.” On that note, I spread out some paper next to the map and illustrated my proposals.
“Our first option is, faced with the slog of capturing an entire nation, just charge right in, take down the Heavenly Emperor, and put an end to this.” Based on information from Sadeena, the emperor was never going to stop attempting to harm Raphtalia under any circumstances, other than the complete destruction of this nation.
That said, it wasn’t like we had the time to dig and lay siege, either. So this plan would involve quickly silencing the boss behind everything.
“The issues here would be the strength of our enemies and the disadvantages faced by our weapons.” I was referring to the unique technique possessed by this nation, a technique that weakened the four holy powers—including, of course, the power of my shield—and putting heroes such as me at a serious disadvantage.
This nasty technique not only nullified our own power-up methods, but also powered the enemies up, making it difficult to brute-force anything with just high levels and abilities. While we did have access to weapons that would alleviate their nullification of our power-up methods, that still left them with their own meaty power-ups. Attempting to strike deep into the heart of the enemy camp carried a serious risk of just getting our asses handed to us.
“That definitely sounds like one of your plans, little Naofumi,” Sadeena said.
“Just a bit lacking in practicality.” It would definitely be best to avoid taking a risk and getting wiped out. “I’m also thinking about having the old guy’s master make some weapons.” We’d already had some powerful weapons that he made in Q’ten Lo. He was a hardcore letch too, basically Motoyasu II. He also knew techniques unique to various nations though, so maybe he would be able to create something to pry an opening. He was currently holed up in the forge along with the old guy.
Still, while it was worth spitballing it out, there were just too many unknowns to risk the old blunt-instrument approach.
“You’ve got it all worked out, Mr. Naofumi. You are a god! You’ll show Raphtalia’s relatives who the real god is by delivering a divine smackdown!” I guess maybe that was true back in Siltvelt. I ignored Atla, anyway. I don’t have the time to deal with her right now.
“Next, option two. This is the one where we gather those sympathetic to our cause under the banner of Raphtalia and take the nation. We call in more traders from Siltvelt to load up on supplies and bolster our forces. If we can bring in others speaking out against the current Heavenly Emperor’s policies, we can probably win a lot more easily than the first option—it will just take more time.”
“This isn’t easy to decide, is it?” Fohl stood, arms crossed, deep in thought. I’d originally pegged him as a muscles-for-brains type, but maybe I was wrong?
“The very idea of taking a nation makes my heart pound! We should deploy the full might of Siltvelt to take them down, as a display of your true authority!” Atla, for her part, seemed quite into the idea. If her thinking was a little barbaric, well, it wasn’t the first time for that either.
“So we want to end this quickly, but there are too many unknowns for us to infiltrate their capital safely,” Raphtalia stated.
“That’s the short of it,” I agreed with Raphtalia. Chopping the head off the snake would surely solve this problem, so it was tempting to try, but it would also be like walking into a fog of uncertainty.
“Rafu?” Our group was now joined by a yawning, tottering Raph-chan. This little cutie was a shikigami—a familiar—created from Raphtalia’s hair. A monster, I guess, that looked a bit like a raccoon-dog and a bit like a badger? More craziness, anyway. I admit I had a soft spot for her and was far more willing to spend a little more love on her than the two critters still staring each other down in the garden. She had all sorts of useful skills and could be really valuable when the excitement started.
That said, she hadn’t taken part in the battle of the previous day.
“I did think of taking the fight right to them, but with all the problems the people here are having, I think the stoic approach might be the best one,” Raphtalia said.
I was in agreement with Raphtalia. Thinking further ahead, having the people of this nation under my control would also bolster my forces when facing future waves.
“It just looks like it’s going to take a bit of time.” Just defeating the enemy wasn’t enough, after all. You had to completely break them. Otherwise, even if you did defeat their leader, you still couldn’t claim to rule the nation.
It reminded me of a revolution Itsuki once participated in, in a nation neighboring Melromarc. The revolutionary forces did manage to defeat the king and occupy that country, but the people were still starving, meaning in the end nothing changed.
It’s important to see through to the truth, in all things.
That said, if corrupt politicians were the cause, chopping the head off—literally their heads—may well appear to be a solution in this case. But would simply draining this particular swamp really make things better?
“This is only our second day here. It might be too soon to commit to any of this stuff.”
“Another good point.”
“That said, we also can’t leave it too long. Keep in it a corner of your minds, everyone.”
“Roger that.”
“Raluva, I’m going to need you to prepare our defenses. Taking into account that news of our occupation is going to spread, it’ll lead to a pretty big counterattack. Whether we wage an all-out war or try to end this quick, we should expect such an attack to come.” I probably didn’t need to spell this part out, to be honest. I certainly didn’t place myself ahead of specialists in the area of tactics.
“Of course, Hero!”
“Last but not least, let’s have Raphtalia take part in a parade today, dressed in her miko outfit. That should help boost morale a bit.” We also currently lacked both combat strength and an awareness of our cause, so this looked like a great chance to have the newer of the two Heavenly Emperors put on a bit of razzle-dazzle. It didn’t hurt that Raphtalia was a standout beauty too, perfect for fan
ning the flames of national pride.
For the sake of our future plans, it was time to present her to the people, loud and large—the new Heavenly Emperor, here to defeat the current monster and his policies of evil.
“So that’s what this all comes down to. Any particular reason you see the need to show me off in that outfit?” Raphtalia asked.
“Because it suits you.” That was hardly declaration enough. The facts were, Raphtalia simply looked too good in that miko outfit. It wasn’t just the cut of the clothing or those sleeves, but the emanation of an overall, highly mysterious appeal. Perhaps that was proof of her being the Heavenly Emperor?
“Rafu.” Raph-chan certainly agreed with me. I’d have to try making a miko outfit for her too, when I got a moment.
“Do I have to remind you that none of this would have happened, Mr. Naofumi, if you never dressed me in that miko outfit?” she reminded me.
“That’s neither here nor there. There were people just sitting by and watching you suffer. That fact alone is enough to warrant all of this.” I wasn’t seeking to shift responsibility. I just couldn’t forgive them for treating her like that.
“Very well . . .”
“Raphtalia. I’m so jealous of the clothing that Master loves so much, so envious!” Atla told her.
“If you want to wear it”—Raphtalia looked wearily at Atla—“it’s all yours.”
“Playing it cool, aren’t you? Brother! Isn’t there a special outfit for hakuko to wear?”
What were they even fighting about? And dragging her brother into it too.
“Yes, there is! I’ll acquire one as soon as possible!” Ah, Fohl was holding back a smile. Maybe he was happy to be called on? It was rare to see Atla ask him for anything. It might have been the first time since she was sick.
“I’m going to send Master into fits. You’ll see,” she went on.
“Good luck with that.”
What a pain these two were. Seeing Raphtalia dressed in her miko getup sounded like just the remedy I needed.
“Nuh?” Gaelion suddenly stopped fighting with Filo and turned to look out of the garden.
“Hummm?” Filo displayed a similar reaction.
“Ra-rafu?”
“What’s going on?” I directed my question generally at the three critters, and then at almost the exact same time, there was a sound. Far away, but very big.
Something like an explosion.
Chapter One: The Sealed Orochi
“What was that? The townsfolk finally taking things too far?”
“An odd sound for that, I think.”
“I’m sensing a strange flow of life force.”
Expediently enough, Filo was already in her filolial form, so I climbed onto her back and looked in the direction of the noise. It looked like a cloud of dust was rising from the mountains just outside the town. We passed through there after arriving in Q’ten Lo, if I recalled correctly.
The place with a burial mound.
“W-what was that noise just now?”
“Sounds like someone’s having fun.” It was Rishia and Itsuki, back from their search and wondering what was going on.
“It can’t be. It simply—!” Raluva was at a loss for words, staring toward the burial mound.
“Hey, kid!” Now the old guy from the weapon shop and his master came running up.
“Man, our enemies aren’t holding back. Looks like they want to maintain their status here at any cost.” The old guy’s master shaded his eyes with his hand, also staring off, semi-exasperated, toward the mound.
“You know what’s going on?” I asked.
“Nothing I’m sharing! A bigshot who won’t even make a harem? Anything I know would be wasted on you!” Gah, this guy! Talk about a pain in the ass!
“Master, can you please give him a break?” The old guy grabbed Motoyasu II’s head with one hand.
“Owwww! Erhard, quit it!” I definitely wasn’t letting Raphtalia anywhere near this guy.
“Mr. Naofumi? Could you please stop stroking my head quite so hard? I’m not Raph-chan!” Raphtalia said.
“Rafu!”
As I clicked my tongue and showed him me stroking Raphtalia’s head—mainly out of spite, I admit—Sadeena realized what was going on and picked up the slack.
“Maybe, then, you big handsome blacksmith you, you’d like to tell me what you know?”
“Of course, most lovely lady. I’ll tell you everything!” Seriously! Motoyasu II indeed, he was a complete and thorough upgrade! “A monster that caused serious damage to our country long ago is now sealed in those ruins. Of course, sealed by the Heavenly Emperor of that time.”
“Yeah, when we passed by, Sadeena mentioned something like that. So the monster wasn’t defeated?”
“Maybe I remembered it wrong. I thought that was just a cenotaph?” Sadeena said.
“This place being what it is, only a few people know the truth,” he went on. Hmmm. So was it a monster that actually existed to protect the world? Like the Spirit Tortoise?
“The reason they sealed it, keeping it here in this place, was to enhance the barrier that separates Q’ten Lo from the outside world—one of the gods defending this land, if you want to think of it like that.”
“And that’s really what it is? A divine protector?”
“Those corrupt officials thought so, at least.” A case of passionate believers, was it? But Raphtalia’s family line apparently took the top spot, even over some divine protector. They really were willing to do anything, anyway—including breaking the seal on a monster. “That’s not the only problem mixed up in all this though.”
“Go on, then. Try me,” I said.
Rising to the challenge, Motoyasu II scratched hard at his head, pointed toward the ruins, and muttered.
“Just a little while ago, our current Heavenly Emperor—that little shit with his ridiculous love of monsters—went around to every sealed site and placed sakura stones of destiny and blessings at each one. Making things easier for the gods protecting us, that was the official line.”
“Is he soft in the head?” I exclaimed. The guys we fought yesterday had been quite tough enough, thank you very much! And he’d placed the same blessings on monsters that once caused damage to this nation? What was this moron thinking? It didn’t take a genius to predict the disasters that might be caused if even just one of those monsters was revived.
Well then. Now I saw why the Water Dragon was opposed to the Heavenly Emperor and lent us aid on our approach to this country. There was no way having this crazy crackpot in power was good for the nation as a whole. This whole thing was starting to feel as unpleasant as the business with the Tyrant Dragon Rex. There was desperation in the air, like they didn’t care if everyone went down together so long as they were in charge when it happened.
They also clearly considerably underestimated the threat that we had posed. Then we actually showed up and quickly got them on the ropes. That was likely to make anyone a bit loopy.
That said, my abilities were diminished because of the curse, and we were also facing enemies with the power to weaken my shield, meaning I couldn’t fight at full capacity. I was starting to get a bit sick of the situation suddenly turning against us.
But hold on. Maybe we could use this. Use the fact they had freed a sealed monster against them. What if, for example, one of Raphtalia’s first deeds as the new Heavenly Emperor was to defeat a dangerous monster set loose by her political opponents? How would that look to the people? The gap between the current administration, with their contemptuous neglect of the people, and the revolutionary forces who fought for the sake of those same people would only be highlighted further.
One thing I could say about all this corruption: it gave us no shortage of material to use in our attack.
“Kwaa, kwaa, kwaa!” Gaelion grew large and I climbed onto his back. With his ability to fly, he seemed the fastest choice.
“Enough talk. Let’s get over there! Speed takes prio
rity, so you follow behind as fast as you can, Filo. If you can beat Gaelion then I’ll ride you next time!”
“Whaaaaaat! I’ll do my very best!”
“Ah, wait for us!”
“Let’s get moving.”
“Come on. I don’t know if you’ll be much help, but we’re going too, brother.”
“Count me in!” Raphtalia, Sadeena, Atla, and Fohl all followed along too. Of course, Raph-chan was right where she belonged, in my arms.
“Itsuki, you guys take Filo and come along too.”
“Of course.”
“Feeeehh! Very well! We can hardly claim to be justice if we give up now!” Rishia joined in.
“And we’ll be running away, then,” said Motoyasu II. “Dear ladies, if you do get in trouble, I recommend using the corpse of this idiot to shield your escape.”
I swore to make him pay for his comments. Later, though.
“Let’s move.” The lethargic Itsuki joined Rishia on Filo’s back.
“What? I have to carry the bow guy as well?”
“Kwaaaa!” Ignoring Filo’s dumbfounded cries, Gaelion gave a roar of victory and took to the skies.
“I’m not losing to a dragon!” That’s the way, Filo. She started out, running across the rooftops. This would be a good race! If things went her way, Filo might even win.
“Kwaaaaa!” Gaelion started flapping his wings in earnest, and the race was on. Oh yeah. Pitting the two of them against each other was definitely going to be faster.
“Here we go!”
The ground cracked, and the monster sealed inside revealed itself. Its red eyes started searching around for prey. Its mouths were full of sharp fangs, with tongues periodically flickering out like licks of flame. It also had an organ called a “pit,” which it used to detect temperature and locate its victims.
“It’s a hydra. Yes, this won’t be an easy battle.” This analysis from the father Gaelion. I guess that was one name for it, but personally—as a dragon with eight heads, no less—to me it looked more like the Yamata no Orochi from Japanese mythology. In either case, this was the creature that climbed free from the burial mound and turned its gaze toward us. On its back it had a carefully tied sacred festoon and something that shone with a soft pink light.
