by Hyougetsu
True, if I was our pursuers I would have thought we couldn’t have survived that blizzard either. As Lord Doneiks belted on his sword he added, “If we reach my army with our pursuers hot on our heels, they’ll know I have a force here and we’ll lose the element of surprise.”
“So what should we do then?”
Lord Doneiks smiled thinly.
“We take care of the fun part all by ourselves. You’re fit to fight, right?”
“As a warrior, I am always ready to fight no matter the situation.”
Barnack patted his prized sword and puffed his chest out. To his surprise, he found he was enjoying this almost as much as Lord Doneiks.
The trackers silently pursued their quarry in the predawn light. Though they’d lost two of their number, they still had ten men left. Each of those ten men were veteran assassins who’d survived hundreds of battles, too. They’d brought with them two hunting dogs. They moved forward in one long horizontal line, constantly signaling to each other as they scoured every inch of the mountain slope.
“The only way Lord Doneiks could have survived that massive blizzard last night was by finding a place to hole up.”
“Indeed. And there are few places on this mountain suitable to lay camp. If it were you, which spot would you choose?”
One of the trackers pointed to a boulder jutting out from a nearby cliff.
“There. There’s a deep snowdrift there which is perfect for making a snow hut out of. And unlike other boulders, this one’s sturdy enough that there’s no need to fear avalanches.”
“For once I agree with you on something. Alright, let’s check that spot out first.”
“Sure.”
The assassins split into two groups to pincer the boulder. They approached cautiously, using the surrounding forest for cover. But before they even reached the boulder one of the assassins shouted, “Beware, crossbow!”
Everyone dropped to the ground, and a moment later there was a loud thud as something embedded itself in one of the trees. A second later, the assassins spotted movement near the boulder.
“That’s a deer-felling crossbow. Look, it’s got way more power than normal.”
The assassin pointed to the thick arrow lodged deep inside the tree trunk. A crossbow needed enough power to nearly bore through a tree if it wanted to deal any significant damage to a giant deer.
“This is gonna be tough.”
“Yeah. The wind’s blowing down from the mountain, too. Our shortbows are a lot less powerful than theirs too.”
The assassins had chosen their bows for their portability, high rate of fire, and ease of use. Unfortunately, that backfired on them here.
“But there’s nowhere around that boulder for us to hide. What should we do?”
“There’s only one thing to do. Overwhelm them with our numbers.”
The assassin who spoke tossed his bow to the ground and drew his sword.
“There’s two of them, and ten of us. Not only that, but crossbows take time to reload. Even if the enemy hits every shot they take, half of us will still be able to reach the boulder.”
The assassin’s leader, an older man with white in his hair stroked his beard and replied, “I’ve heard the knight protecting Lord Doneiks, Barnack, is even more skilled than we are. However, Lord Doneiks himself is not a warrior. If we ignore Barnack and focus solely on Lord Doneiks, we should be able to complete our mission, even if it costs all of us our lives.”
The assassin’s comrades nodded in agreement. In order to relay his orders to the other group that was out of sight, the assassin took out a deer whistle. It blew notes similar to that of a female deer’s cry, and originally it was meant to be used to lure male deer in for the hunt. But the assassins also used the whistles to communicate. The assassin leader gave the order to charge.
“Go!”
The assassins shed their food packs and heavy coats as they ran, lightening their burdens. But just then, they heard a faint metallic scraping from the depths of the forest behind them. It was the sound of a sword hitting a sword. There was only one thing this could mean.
“Barnack’s circled around behind us! He must be fighting Granf’s squad!”
“There’s no point in helping him! Keep running!”
“In fact, this will make it even easier for us to take down Lord Doneiks!”
The assassins decided to let their comrades deal with Barnack while they continued sprinting up the slope.
“Wai—”
Someone tried to shout out a warning, but then thudded to the ground. The remaining assassins reflexively turned around and saw— “Barnack!”
“What!?”
Lord Doneiks’ sole guard, Barnack, was standing behind them. Except he should have been fighting with the assassin’s comrades in another part of the forest. Had he somehow managed to kill the four assassins in the other group and make it all the way here in so short a time?
“I-Impossible!”
Barnack dashed up the mountain slope, then leapt off the trunk of a nearby tree. He sailed through the dawn air with his sword drawn, and when he landed one of the assassins had lost their head. Blood spurted from their decapitated trunk, dyeing the snow crimson.
“Is this guy even human!?” the surprised leader of the assassins shouted.
“Hage and I will take care of him! The rest of you keep running!”
“Aye!”
Of the remaining four assassins, the older two turned to face Barnack while the younger two continued running up the slope. Though the older assassins had no hope of keeping up with the younger ones when it came to speed, their swords were much deadlier. For once, Barnack hesitated to charge. Instead he watched the two men warily, waiting for an opening.
“I see, so you’re the Sword Saint Ser Barnack. To think you would fare so well even against Lord Kinitoff’s elite assassins.”
Barnack kept his sword raised and didn’t answer the assassin leader. His weapon was covered in blood and gristle, both of which were quickly starting to freeze in the dawn chill. There was no doubt that his sword’s edge had been dulled thanks to his previous fights. The other assassin slowly closed in on Barnack and said, “Even the famed lightning cuts of the Sashimael style can’t strike in two places at once, can they?”
He was trying to buy time by provoking Barnack into an unwise rush. Normally, warriors didn’t speak to their opponents. Barnack had already figured out the assassin’s intentions, and thus didn’t rise to the taunts. He steadied his breathing and gauged the distance between him and his enemies.
“You really are an impressive warrior. It’s a shame we have to kill you.”
“Yeah, it really is...”
The assassins’ grinned at Barnack, and he smiled faintly back at them. That served as the signal to start, and all three men swung their swords at once. The clang of metal against metal echoed through the dim forest, but the sounds didn’t last long. The two assassins had already lost. One had been slain instantly, while the leader had suffered a fatal cut to the chest. Barnack had dashed with all his might toward the weaker of the two assassins, and slain him in less than a second. From there he’d been able to force the leader into a one-on-one situation, whom he’d defeated with a well-placed thrust.
“I don’t believe it... You’re as strong as those werewolves they talk about in legends...”
As the assassin leader fell to his knees, he smiled fearlessly. Blood dripping from his lips, he muttered, “But despite your strength, were you able to save your master?”
As he slumped to the ground, the assassin watched Barnack wordlessly run up toward the boulder.
“Milord!”
Upon reaching the boulder, Barnack found Lord Doneiks standing silently in the snow. Two assassins lay on the ground, blood pooling underneath them.
“Did...you do this, Milord!?”
“That I did, Barnack.”
Lord Doneiks casually wiped the blood from his sword and offered a brief prayer for th
e two dead assassins.
“It’s a shame to lose young talent like these two. Had they been my subordinates, I would never have let them die like this.”
“More importantly, Milord, how were you able to defeat two assassins of this caliber on your own...”
“It wasn’t hard. I just lured them closer, then shot the faster one down with my crossbow.” Lord Doneiks’ white breath puffed out in front of him as he spoke in panting gasps. “Because they weren’t in sync, I was able to take them on one by one. The second one had needed to exert himself to keep up with the first, so he was out of breath by the time he reached me. That dulled his movements enough for me to beat him.”
Even if the assassin had been out of breath, only a first-rate warrior would have been able to defeat someone of his caliber. Noticing Barnack’s questioning gaze, Lord Doneiks sheathed his sword and quietly muttered, “It’s quite helpful to pretend as though I don’t know how to use a blade.”
“Really?”
“Really. I only stood a chance because my opponents underestimated me. And even then, I wouldn’t have survived if there had been a third.”
“I see.”
It certainly was true that the assassins had lost because they’d underestimated their foe. Barnack could tell just from the way they’d died. One had been cut diagonally down, while the other had a crossbow bolt in his back.
“I see you are not only an excellent swordsman, but also an excellent archer, Milord.”
Lord Doneiks fell silent for a moment, then smiled wanly at Barnack.
“Kinitoff taught me how to shoot when I was young. At this very hunting ground, in fact.”
“Is that so?” Realizing the atmosphere had grown awkward, Barnack quickly tried to change the subject. “Regardless, this plan was still far too dangerous. Had I run away, or died in battle, what would you have done?”
“I accurately judged your loyalty and martial skill, and you rewarded the trust placed in you. The two of us are still alive right now because of that. That’s all there is to it.”
“I can’t believe...”
Barnack was nonplussed. If you’re going to put that much faith in me, how could I possibly betray you? I wouldn’t be a knight if I did.
“Milord.”
“Yes?”
“The next time you plan to do something this reckless, make sure you take me with you. Am I understood?”
“But of course.”
Master and servant looked into each other’s eyes, then broke down laughing.
“Alright, now it’s time for our counterattack. I know my brother hates to see his relatives fight amongst each other, but I’m sure he’ll see why I have to do this now. It’s time we met up with my army and buried this accursed place under the snow.”
“Yes, sir.”
The next evening, Lord Kinitoff’s body was discovered on a mountain far from his hunting grounds. Imperial records claim that he got lost while hunting and was killed by a wild bear.
Dear Veight,
You left for Rolmund on an autumn breeze, and a frigid winter came to Ryunheit. But now, a gentle spring is finally on its way. I sincerely hope that now that your war has ended, the first rays of spring have blessed you as well.
I’m certain that a long winter campaign in such a northern empire has left you exhausted. In truth, I wish I could call you back and send someone else to complete your mission in your place. But I know no one except you is capable of completing such a difficult task. The other councilors and even the other generals of the demon army deeply lament their own powerlessness.
Despite all of the lofty titles we give ourselves, in the end we always rely on you to complete the most difficult jobs. And yet, you never once complain. In fact, you always say things like, “Because I’m a werewolf I can do more reckless things than you humans,” or “Anyone could do this, I’m just the one who happened to be chosen for the job.” I’m too inexperienced to say for sure whether others really could achieve what you have, or if you’re just being overly humble, but the fact remains that we are always putting you in the most danger. I’m eternally grateful that a demon like yourself would be willing to risk your life over and over for the sake of us Meraldians. Truly, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
As I was writing this letter, I heard that you would be making a brief return visit to Meraldia. Knowing you, I’m certain you’ll return with the same smile on your face that you departed with. But I also know that you’re too much of a worrywart to take the time to come all the way to Ryunheit. You’ll want to return to your mission as soon as possible. I’ve decided to hold back my desire to meet you for now, and will entrust this letter to a courier. But please, at least for the brief time that you’re in Meraldia, forget about your mission and relax. I will be praying for your safety and success from Ryunheit.
*PS: On second thought, I think I will come north to meet you. I simply can’t sit still knowing you’re returning. I hope you won’t be too surprised.
Afterword
Hello everyone, it’s been a while. It’s me, Hyougetsu.
I imagine it’ll be summer when this book hits the shelves, but in the world of Der Werwolf, it’s midwinter. When I was writing the story on Narou, I tried my best to match the seasons in the story with the seasons we were having in real life, but that’s a lot harder to do for a print publication.
That aside, Nishi(E)da-sensei did an amazing job with the illustrations this time too. Thank you very much for all your hard work, Nishi(E)da-sensei. The front cover features Woroy, who’s Veight’s main rival this volume, and his nephew Ryuunie. Both of them are going to remain pretty relevant from here on out too.
Incidentally, I told Nishi(E)da-sensei at the end of last volume that this volume was gonna be mostly about a bunch of old dudes, so he really went all out on the old man depictions. I guess this volume turned into one hell of a sausage fest. But well, I’m an old fart myself so I’m quite fond of old farts. It’s nice that they got to be in the spotlight for once. Though it’s not like they’re my fetish or anything. At least not as far as I know. At any rate, it was probably inevitable that this was going to turn into a bunch of old men duking it out the moment I decided to have a civil war set inside a feudal empire. Like, that’s the most old man topic you can have. Especially since Rolmund’s an old empire with a ton of conservative traditions. It’s hard to give women active roles in a society like that.
Moving on, I’m sure you’ve all heard about the Der Werwolf manga that’s being drawn by Terada Isaza-sensei. But what you might not have heard is that the first volume of the origin arc has just gone on sale! This one’s being drawn by Kosumi Yuuichi-sensei. In fact, it went on sale the same month this volume came out! Man, what a coincidence! Or well, not a coincidence since I worked hard to match the months up. Anyway, the two manga have different feels to them. Terada Isaza-sensei’s art is a lot more serious, while Kosumi Yuuichi-sensei has a much gentler style. But since Der Werwolf’s about a gentle guy living in a serious world, I feel like both manga capture different sides of the series perfectly. There’s also going to be tiny short stories of mine attached to every one of the manga volumes as a bonus (It’s pretty tough to write them so I dunno how long I’ll be able to keep it up, but I’ll try to have them going for as long as possible.)
Oh, I might as well give you a preview of the next volume here too. Now that Veight’s mopped up the Doneiks family and brought the remnants of their faction into his fold, he’s finally going to have a showdown with Prince Ashley. Who will rule the empire in the end!? And will Meraldia ever know peace!? If you found that summary stimulating, the whole story’s on Narou so you can read ahead there if you want. In fact, I just finished the main Der Werwolf story on Narou the other day. Hopefully by the time this volume actually goes on sale I’ll have finished all the after stories too.
Lastly, it’s time for some acknowledgments. For starters, I’m thankful to my wonderful editor, Saitou-sama. He’s the one who�
��s always cheering me up when I’m down, and giving me the encouragement I need to finish these books. He’s like the guardian deity that makes sure Der Werwolf’s on schedule. I’m also grateful to my assistant editor Itagaki-sama for all the wonderful advice he’s given me. It’s all thanks to him that this book made it to publication. So really, thank you so much. An editor’s job is surprisingly tough, so I’m always grateful to the editing department for all they do for me. Also, thank you to all the readers who leave encouraging comments on my Narou page or tweet about the series. You have no idea how grateful I am to all of you guys. It’s all thanks to everyone’s support that I’m here right now, so I’ll do my best to repay your kindness by getting the next volume out as soon as I can. See you all again in volume seven.
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Copyright
Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight Volume 6
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 © 2017 Hyougetsu / Nishi(E)da
Illustrations by Nishi(E)da
All rights reserved.
Original Japanese edition published in 2017 by Earth Star Entertainment
This English edition is published by arrangement with Earth Star Entertainment, Tokyo
English translation © 2020 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.
