Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight Volume 6

by Hyougetsu

  “Everyone, protect Lord Veight!”

  “I don’t care if you’re out of mana, keep firing!”

  The platoon captains desperately shouted orders to their drained mages. A few bullets shot toward Prince Woroy, but the moment they hit him his armor and shield glowed, dispersing the light shots. His armor had clearly been enchanted with greater protection than his knights. In fact, the glow surrounding him spread outward, creating a shimmering barrier that continued to stop all bullets heading his way. He looked like a shooting star streaking across the earth.

  “VEIIIIIIIIGHT!” The prince shouted as he charged. What’s the point in throwing your life away to kill me? I’m just a measly vice-commander. Not some great general worth the life of a prince. Yet, it was clear Prince Woroy had sacrificed everything just for a chance to strike me down.

  “Blast! Protect Lord Veight with your own bodies if you have to!”

  “Lord Veight, please escape while you still have the chance!”

  My men pleaded with me to run. To be honest, I could easily escape this situation. As long as I transformed, I could outrun Prince Woroy’s warhorse. Hell, I wouldn’t even need to run. I could just take him out. However, I couldn’t afford to show my true form to these soldiers. More importantly though, a Rolmundian prince had bet everything just to obtain a chance to challenge me one-on-one. If I ran here, the people of Rolmund would lose faith in me, and by extension in the nobility of Meraldia.

  Fine, if you want a duel that badly, I’ll give you one. I won’t transform. I flung my cape back and leapt off the boulder. In a voice loud enough to be heard throughout the forest I shouted, “Cease your fire! I’ll face the prince myself! Nobody interfere!”

  Though I couldn’t see his expression, I was almost certain my proclamation caused Prince Woroy to grin. I didn’t know how I knew, I just did. I gripped my Blast Rifle like a sword, and held it up in front of my face. In Rolmund, this was the formal pose you took before engaging in a duel. Prince Woroy twirled his lance, which was the standard response to indicate the duel was accepted.

  His smiling face flashed through my mind. He wasn’t a bad guy, and I really didn’t want to fight him. But I had no choice. That being said, I wasn’t skilled enough at swordplay to deflect his spear, and I couldn’t use my Blast Rifle for its intended purpose since his armor was enchanted. The aura of mana Prince Woroy was wreathed in made him seem like the last boss of some RPG. There was no way a single hit would be enough to pierce through. Hell, a clean hit probably wouldn’t even cause him to flinch. To make matters worse, even his horse was protected by that magical aura.

  What do I do? How do I beat him? Wait...hang on a second. There’s one spot that isn’t protected. Realizing something I probably should have from the very start, I quickly sprung into action.

  I quickly made a few gestures with my left hand and cast a binding spell on my right arm. Normally, this spell was meant to be used on opponents to seal their movements, but I was casting it on myself. The spell caused everything from my shoulder to my wrist to stiffen up, turning my arm into a hardened rod of steel. Once that was done, I thrust my Blast Rifle forward. The rifle was so long that normally I wouldn’t be able to hold it steady like this, but I’d locked my arm in place using binding magic. Thanks to that, my aim wasn’t wavering in the slightest. Ideally I would have cast binding magic on both of my arms, but I needed one hand free to make the gestures necessary to activate spells.

  I planted my feet firmly on the ground and turned so that as little of my body was facing Prince Woroy as possible. The prince continued hurtling toward me, looking like a shining a comet. It was obvious he wasn’t planning on returning alive from this duel, even if he succeeded in beating me. His barrier of light protected him from any of my light shots. And his spear would reach me in another three seconds. In my human form, I wasn’t confident I’d be able to dodge it. To an observer, it looked as though Prince Woroy had every advantage.

  However, there was one weak point he hadn’t accounted for. That weak point was the very same thing he was trying to skewer me with. The tip of his lance. His lance was long enough that half of it was jutting out of his protective barrier.

  I aligned the barrel of my rifle with the tip of his lance. The way I saw it, Prince Woroy would have to constantly have it aimed at me, or he wouldn’t be able to hit me. And while the tip of a lance made for a small target, so long as it wasn’t moving, I’d be able to accurately aim at it with my bound right arm. Since it seemed Prince Woroy wasn’t thinking about anything beyond this one attack, all I needed to think about was making it past this one attack.

  An instant before his lance ran me through, I pulled my Blast Cane’s trigger.

  A bullet of light slammed into his lance at point-blank range. The resulting explosion of light momentarily blinded me, and I couldn’t accurately follow what happened next. All I knew was that Prince Woroy’s riderless warhorse dashed past me, causing my cape to billow in a gust of wind. Which meant I wasn’t dead.

  When my sight finally returned, I saw Prince Woroy lying face-up on the ground. The tip of his lance was gone, and the rest of it had been split all the way down to the hilt. Normally, knights couched their lances close to their chest to stabilize them, as well as make it easier for the rider to absorb the impact of striking an enemy. As a result, though, the force of my bullet had traveled through Prince Woroy’s lance and into his chest, knocking him out of his saddle.

  Looking at the massive dent in his breastplate, it was obvious the impact had been pretty potent. There was no doubt he’d broken a few ribs at least. I couldn’t tell if he was still alive or not, but I was certain he wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon if he was. Falling off a charging horse was dangerous enough to be potentially fatal. Even Prince Woroy’s armor wouldn’t have been enough to protect him completely from the impact if he hadn’t braced himself properly to cushion his fall. Still, it was possible some of his ribs had caved in and pierced his organs.

  Oi, you better not be dead. If possible, I wanted to save his life. I strode over to the fallen prince, my right arm still raised at an awkward angle. To be honest, I wanted to stop holding this chuuni pose, but moving my arm while my binding magic was still active was impossible. And since I’d used pretty much all of my mana in that clash with Prince Woroy, I wouldn’t be able to cast a counterspell until I rested for a bit. Though I wanted to heal him as soon as possible, it didn’t seem like I’d be able to for some time at least. As I reached Prince Woroy, the mage corps behind me got to their feet and started shouting to each other.

  “Lord Veight’s won!”

  “He beat Prince Woroy with one of Princess Eleora’s Blast Canes!”

  “Long live Lord Veight and Princess Eleora!”

  “Wooooooo! He actually beat a knight on foot!”

  Soldiers started spilling out of the nearby thickets, or from under snowbanks. They raised their ammoless Blast Canes high and cheered.

  “Lord Veight! Lord Veight!”

  “Long live the Astral Fencer!”

  “The magic-using Astral Fencer!”

  Their resounding cheering was loud enough to make the trees shake. To be honest, I wished everyone would leave me alone, since I was still stuck in this ridiculous pose with my arm outstretched. Fighting off my exhaustion, I wearily raised my left hand to quiet the cheering soldiers.

  “Gentlemen, our war is not yet won. However, we lack the strength to pursue the enemy. So for now, let us take Prince Woroy prisoner and return to our castle. All squads, gather up your wounded and retreat!”

  “Yes, sir!”

  As I sighed in relief, I realized something. If I’d just cast binding magic on my left arm instead, I probably could have held the Blast Rifle in both hands, since my right hand’s my dominant one. If I ever have to do this again, that’s what I’ll do.

  “Oi, wake up Lord Veight.”

  I felt someone shaking my shoulders, and groggily opened my eyes. What was I doing a
gain? Oh yeah. Healing Prince Woroy. Sitting up on the bed in front of me was Prince Woroy. He was half-naked wrapped in bandages, and had his arms folded across his chest.

  “What kind of fool falls asleep at the foot of his enemy’s bed? It’s like you’re asking to be killed.”

  “Oh, my apologies, Your Highness.”

  Crap, I let my guard down. Unfortunately, it was really easy to let your guard down around Prince Woroy. That was the scary thing about members of the Doneiks family. They were all so damn charming. Prince Woroy seemed unconcerned by my rudeness and instead said, “Spare me the honorifics. I lost to you, and now I’m your prisoner. As the enemy general, you shouldn’t be treating me with respect.”

  “You have my deepest apologies, Prince Woroy.”

  “Didn’t I just say to drop the honorifics? No polite speech, either. Besides, I have no right to be called a prince anymore.”

  It’s kinda hard to change how I address you all of a sudden, you know. However Prince Woroy continued glaring pointedly at me, so I reluctantly changed the way I addressed him.

  “Very well—err, I mean, alright. Happy now, Woroy?”

  “Yeah, I am. That’s much better.”

  Woroy grinned at me. Even when he was covered in wounds he looked dashing. The prince flexed his fingers and stretched his arms, checking to see how much lasting damage had been done to him.

  “Honestly, I can’t believe I’m still alive.”

  “Indeed. Incidentally, your ribs were in much worse shape than your arms, Prince...I mean, Woroy.”

  The force of my Blast Rifle had been compounded by Woroy’s own charge, and the crux of that impact had been centered on the handle of his lance. The handle had been resting against his breastplate, so naturally that impact had been transferred to his chest. Had his armor not been of the highest quality, he would have died.

  “Oh, and while your warhorse suffered a few bruises, he’s mostly fine. I healed him as best as I could, so he should make a full recovery.”

  The fact that Woroy had managed to cushion his fall despite taking a blow that should have knocked him unconscious was proof that he was a master warrior. It would be a shame to lose such a talented man. Having seen his strength as a commander, as well as his individual prowess, I could see why he adored warfare so much.

  Woroy gave me a bitter smile and said, “I’m the younger brother of a traitor. What point was there in healing me? I’m just going to be executed anyway.”

  As if I’ll let that happen. Do you have any idea how popular you are with the citizenry? Most of Eleora’s soldiers had even asked me to spare Woroy’s life.

  “I won’t let you die. If I let a man of character like you be executed, I’d be besmirching Meraldia’s honor. I’ll make sure you stay alive, no matter what it takes.”

  “I’m not worth as much as you believe.”

  “And you underestimate your worth. There are few men as valiant and heroic as you.”

  I sighed, and Woroy sighed back at me.

  “Like you’re one to talk.”

  What’s that supposed to mean? Woroy glared at me and said, “If anyone’s underestimating their worth, it’s you. What were you thinking, naming yourself to my knights?”

  “Even if I die, there’s plenty of people capable of taking my place.”

  “Like hell there is! Are you daft!?”

  You’re one rude POW, you know that?

  “Besides, you have no right to judge me! You’re the one who went and charged my mage corps with just your honor guard!”

  “That’s because it was worth trading my life for yours if I could manage it! We might both be commanders of our respective armies, but you’re way more valuable than I am!”

  If we were to use a chess analogy, I’d be nothing more than a knight. Meanwhile, Woroy was definitely at least a rook. Actually, considering his contributions to Prince Ivan’s war, he was probably closer to a queen. Trading a queen for a knight wasn’t worth it in the slightest.

  “I respect your skills as a general Woroy, but you’re definitely overestimating my worth.”

  “No, you’re underestimating it. And the fact that you are probably gives your men headaches, so stop pretending like you’re less important than you are.”

  “I’m really not that important.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  The two of us were merely going in circles now. Just then, Fahn popped into the room. She placed a wet towel and a washbasin on the table beside Woroy’s bed, then looked over at me.

  “You are that important.”

  Traitor. How dare you betray your fellow werewolf! Woroy grinned smugly at me as Fahn backed him up.

  “See, even your men agree.”

  “Please lecture him some more, Your Highness. Veight needs to learn his lesson.”

  “Oh, I will.”

  I never expected Fahn of all people to team up with Woroy. Annoyed, I hurriedly shooed Fahn out of the room.

  “I’ll take care of Woroy, so you go join the squads searching for survivors. I want to rescue as many people as possible before sunset. If any of the surviving enemy soldiers are willing to surrender, rescue them too.”

  “You want to save them too? I mean, if you say so...”

  Fahn glanced back and forth between me and Woroy. Just go already. Once Fahn left the room I picked up Woroy’s dented armor and quickly changed the topic.

  “By the way, Woroy. I’m surprised you had anti-Blast Cane armor.”

  “Oh, that set was a prototype my dad had his mages make. The moment he saw the Blast Canes Eleora invented, he realized they’d soon become the main weapons used in war.”

  “So that’s why he had this set of armor made.”

  That old geezer really had a lot of foresight. I smiled ruefully at Woroy.

  “But you probably can’t mass-produce something like this, can you?”

  “Yeah. That single set of armor costs as much as a small castle. Even the Doneiks Family’s wealth wouldn’t be enough to buy more than a dozen sets. It’d be more efficient to pour our resources into something else.”

  Armor, even enchanted armor, was effectively a consumable product. On top of that, it cost a lot to maintain. Even if Rolmund’s magical equipment industry was more advanced than other nations, it still wasn’t easy to make something like this. I replaced the ruined armor onto the shelf I’d took it from and looked Woroy in the eyes.

  “Eleora just sent me a messenger saying her army’s surrounded Kinjarl Castle. This war is almost over.”

  Woroy met my gaze for a few seconds, then looked down.

  “I see... So we’ve lost.” Woroy sighed. “The moment the Bolshevik family betrayed us, our sphere of influence within North Rolmund was cut down by half. Meanwhile, you have all of East and West Rolmund on your side. We knew it’d be impossible to win if this war started dragging on.”

  At present, the Eleora-Ashley alliance had four times the land and four times the population that Prince Ivan did. He probably knew by now that there was no way he could win. Which was why I had an alternate suggestion.

  “Woroy, please ask your brother to surrender. The longer this war drags on, the more casualties there’ll be on both sides. Prince Ivan should know he can’t win.”

  Of course, even if Prince Ivan did surrender, it’d be difficult to convince Prince Ashley to spare his life. Still, there was no point in all this needless bloodshed when the outcome was already certain. Technically the weaker Rolmund got, the better it was for Meraldia from a diplomatic standpoint, but I wasn’t cruel enough to wish suffering on the empire’s people. It was time this war was brought to an end. However, Woroy shook his head.

  “I don’t mind telling him to surrender, but I know my brother won’t. His disease is eating away at him, and he doesn’t have long to live.”

  “Is his illness really that serious?”

  “Yeah. Even if he retired to focus on his health, he probably has no more than ten years left at most. As it
is, he’ll probably die in another few years. His body’s too weak to withstand magic or medicine, either.” Woroy added, “And knowing my brother, he probably intends to bear the full responsibility of inciting this rebellion. After he’s done everything in his power to steer Rolmund toward a better future, that is.”

  If he was that determined, then I had no choice but to let Eleora deal with Prince Ivan. However, there was one other thing I wanted to request of Woroy.

  “In that case, can you at least tell your soldiers in Creech Castle to surrender?”

  Woroy chuckled at that.

  “I see. So my men actually managed to make it safely back?”

  “Yeah, thanks to that stunt you pulled. If anything, this was a strategic victory for you. Though I guess your army can’t make any moves without you to lead them.”

  Right now, Woroy’s army only numbered a little over 10,000. It was even smaller than the army Eleora had taken north. His men lacked the numbers to return safely to Doneiks territory, let alone invade the capital. After weighing his options for a few seconds, Woroy nodded.

  “I guess it’s pointless to make them fight any longer. Alright, I’ll tell them to surrender. But only if you treat them fairly.”

  “Of course.”

  Since I was keeping Woroy alive, I imagined most of his men would be willing to surrender to me. I was relieved to learn I wouldn’t have to storm Creech Castle to take it anymore.

  “According to Eleora’s letter, the battle at Kinjarl Castle is becoming quite bloody. I’m glad we won’t have to do the same here.”

  “Yeah...” Woroy’s expression clouded over. I couldn’t blame him. His brother was currently besieged by the enemy. After a few seconds of silence, he finally opened his mouth, “Lord Veight, I have a request.”

  “What is it?”

  I had a feeling I knew what it was.

  “I don’t care what happens to me, but please spare my nephew’s—Ryuunie’s—life.”