Volume 10 - CH 4

Chapter 4: The opening of a tragedy

Lucerle, capital of Kledelland Kingdom.

A city where Art Nouveau buildings registered as World Heritage lined the streets.

A《Mage-Knight》training facility with a highly colored outward appearance similar to an opera house to fit into the scenery was located nearby.

And now, in that training facility, five Kledelland representatives were training for the war with Vermillion that was drawing near.

⦁    Wooooooooooo─────!!!!

⦁    Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!

A red-haired small man and a large man that looked like a barrel were forcing back the pistons of huge press machines placed in front of each of them.

This equipment was used to improve the quantity of instant magic power release of a Blazer.

The pistons of the pressured press machines were pushed back due to reinforcement of physical strength thanks to magic power release.

It was a simple training, but it was a training where expectations about having a positive effect were possible.

The pressure of the large press machines has already exceeded 2 tons for both of them.

They were still pushing back the pistons bit by bit, but with certainty.

The average for a Blazer was around 500 kg, meaning they were owners of an excellent physical strength.

It wasn’t surprising to say that they were selected as representatives

of the country.

Other members were doing a different training at the pool that was in the same training room divided by an acrylic fiber.

⦁    This is too hard, Mira-chaaan…!

⦁    I’m not giving up! We still have 10 laps to go…!

⦁    No waaayy…. This is way too Spartan…!

⦁    Since Ena isn’t good at using magic powers, you were told by the leader to repeat training until the war! Come on, if you run slowly, the necessary control will get difficult!

⦁    Eeeek!

The two women in their early twenties were running in the 50m training swimming pool that was fiercely flowing like the rising water of an overflowed river.

That’s correct, they weren’t swimming, but running straight through the violent water current on the bottom of the pool in a while sticking to the bottom using magic.

Thanks to this, they could train their magic control powers.

There were exercises for training of magic power control like keeping the water floating without making it spill as well as shaping clay without touching it with their hands, but the training of running on top of raging streams, the one that the two of them were doing, boasted to be the most difficult among them.

It was clear that the ability of these two women as Blazers was quite high even if they continued doing it somehow or another while expressing their dissatisfaction.

And, while the four of them were working hard, another person, a tall blond young man, came into the training area.

The young man entered the training area while clapping his hands a number of times, then called out to the four people.

⦁    Guys. I know you are in the middle of training, but please gather for a moment! The final order list of the five representatives from Vermilion arrived just now!

With that call, the four of them concluded the training as they had an impatient look saying「it was time, you know」and gathered where the young man with blond hair… where Kledelland Kingdom’s First

Prince Johan──who was also the leader of the delegation was.

⦁    Meanwhile, we were ready a month ago. Why did it take a lot of time to them?

⦁    Certainly, they were really slow, huh.

While the red-haired young man used abusive language and the large man agreed with him, each one of them received the order list of Vermillion from Johan.

The two women followed next and read the order list.

⦁    Let me see〜. Heehee. As expected, Her Highness Stella is participating〜.

⦁    Those two too, huh. The Diver and the Shooter.

⦁    That’s because there are just 3 C-Ranks in Vermillion. Just as expected, no?

⦁    Also, the fourth guy is the C-Ranked King of Vermillion. Well, this person was obvious, wasn’t he? A relatively solid lineup, but why did this order decision take so long? … Eh? What?

Then Mira, the woman that appeared to have a lively mood, inclined her head.

⦁    Who’s this fifth guy?

⦁    Ikki Kurogane? A Japanese? Why is a Japanese appearing as a representative of Vermillion?

⦁    Moreover, there are notes, Luke. F-Rank? Maybe Vermillion was completely worried about revealing something like this?

They knitted their brows.

However, the replies of the quiet-looking woman Enaris and the large man Reid were different from the two.

⦁    Hey, hold on. Have I seen the face of this man somewhere before?

⦁    Ah! T-this guy! I saw him on TV! He’s Stella-hime’s boyfriend!

⦁    Oh! You’re right! The match in Japan where Her Highness Stella lost

in the satellite broadcast the other day!

⦁    That’s right.

Johan affirmed before the reactions of the two.

⦁    《Seven Stars Sword King》Kurogane Ikki. He’s an F-Rank, but he’s a master of a superhuman-like sword technique that compensates for his low magic power value and in Japan, he has defeated

the《Crimson Princess》 twice. He’s an authentic powerful person.

Both Luke and Mira changed their complexion with those words of Johan.

The two, who hadn’t watched the broadcast of the match, just knew

the rumor that a low-ranked Knight of a foreign country defeated《Crimson Princess》.

⦁    Ah, don’t tell me that such rumor was a true story…?

⦁    I thought it was a lie….

⦁    It’s not a lie. … I also watched the match, but this guy was really

amazing.

⦁    B-but Johan. This guy isn’t a person of Vermillion, right? Is it fine

that he’s participating in the war?

Certainly, this should be prohibited by the League rules, and Johan nodded and returned an affirmation to Reid who said so.

⦁    Originally, he wasn’t. But this time, the King… my father approved it. To sum up, it seems that his participation had been decided due to a『Special Convocation』frame.

⦁    E―――h! Why did he expressly approve a thing that has become a

disadvantage for us?

⦁    It seems that Lunaize-san has been gallantly coming and going, negotiating many times about this over the last month. ――”They want to use this war and test whether Mr. Kurogane is suitable as Her Highness Stella’s husband or not”.

⦁    T-the hell? Is that a “becoming an adult ceremony” of a tribe or

something?

⦁    It’s because that doting King won’t let his daughter be his wife no matter what with such achievements he has, or so it’s what I heard. She also seems to be very troubled.

Johan shrugged his shoulders while not being able to hold back his laughter.

During that, both Mira and Enaris spouted out as if being unable to endure it.

⦁    Ahaha! That’s right. Such a scene is coming into my mind.

⦁    My dad was the same, but aren’t all the fathers of families like that,

Reid?

⦁    Hahaha…. Maybe.

Reid, who just got the permission of engagement from the parents of Enaris the other day and was invited to talk by Enaris, replied while putting a wry smile.

⦁    Prince-samaaa! Can’t you make a participation prohibition rule for

outsiders using your power?

Johan returned a「Don’t ask for the unreasonable」

⦁    I’ve got Lunaize to lend me all sorts of intelligence periodically. I

can’t increase what I’m borrowing more than this.

Because Johan and Lunaize were hanging out with each other since they were very young as the heirs of the next period of both countries, they were childhood friends, one of them being one year older than the other.

They also graduated from the same university, the Cambridge one, and at that time, they were busy with their private lessons and the ignorant-of-the-ways-of-the-world Johan was greatly helped by the clever Lunaize.

If she weren’t there, he would have ended up committing an irremediable mistake because of the invitation of a bad friend who ended up making a mistake at the university. Johan remembered it well together with the pain of an earnest slap that he had received from Lunaize back then.

The woman one year older than him who had been guiding him since he was a child.

That was what Lunaize meant for Johan, that image couldn’t be

eradicated even now.

That was why he couldn’t strongly stand against Lunaize at all.

⦁    Johan is weak to Lunaize-san as usual.

⦁    It’s inevitable. Our hierarchical relationship from childhood isn’t something that can be easily turned upside down. That’s why allow me to count on you. Besides, although two loses are important,

winning the rest of them all is something we can say. Tilmitt Gracie and Miriallia Lazy are strong when working together, but when it comes to fighting by themselves, they fall short as knights. King Sirius, also known as《Crimson Wild Lion》, is an old person whose gold age has ended. Those three are in a category where they can be managed somehow by the five of us that will confront them.

Besides──

Johan told them, softening his facial expression.

⦁    Well, I’m not saying this like there’ll be a big loss even if we lost terribly.

This was true.

The name of war was a war done for the ownership of the gas fields near the border, but in the agreement between the two countries signed several decades ago, it had been decided that the winner side would bear the infrastructure improvement costs of the loser side in the form of money.

In other words, there was almost no difference in this war between winning and losing.

In fact, it was like a public joint exercise where excellent knights of their own countries would contribute jointly to it.

The form of this war that shared profit between both parties was generally well received as it was a situation where even the citizens got to celebrate and compete seriously with the neighboring country, and nowadays the war has become an once every five years in-name-only informal social gathering between citizens of both countries.

The reason why the King of Kledelland allowed the participation of Ikki, a powerful person of a foreign country, was because of this sort of background.

This wasn’t a battle where both countries would go in desperation

for the victory.

That was why the delegation didn’t feel like denunciating him for real

with Johan or the King from the beginning.

Luke agreed to Johan’s word with「You’re right」,

⦁    Oh well, it’s a good chance since the techniques of the samurai have come all the way here from the distant Japan. I hope we get him to enjoy it.

He made manifest a scarlet knife, his own Device, played with it and threw it lightly with a tension that was looking forward to its trip.

⦁    So the princess is engaged to him? She fought at the past Sword Art Tournament, but somehow or another she was so stoic, or rather, she was so much serious she was unapproachable; I was surprised because I certainly thought she was going to devote her life being a brave maiden.

⦁    Oh, so you went even that far, to fall in love right away like that? Aren’t they making a kid for next year too? ――Ena, Reid, you can’t lose, alright?

⦁    〜〜〜〜

⦁    L-Luke! That’s none of your business!

The faces of the newlywed married couple reddened like apples with the common words of Luke.

That situation was charming, both Luke and Mira of the unmarried group, shook their shoulders and laughed.

Eventually, the newlywed married couple was enticed by the smiling faces of the two.

With the figures of these four people, Johan thought that the team he was leading from the bottom of his heart was a good team.

If it was with them, then they would be able to hold back the enemy well, get the remaining three victories and win against Vermillion.

He was convinced, he broke out into a laugh ――it was at that

moment.

Blended with everyone’s happy laughter,

A noise, was heard.

⦁    Aha aha aha.

⦁    Eh…?

A laugh like scoffing at everything of this world stirred up unpleasant feelings.

Everyone except Johan heard the same person? They looked at each

other’s face,

At that moment, they shifted their attention to the direction of the

loud laughter that didn’t belong to any of them.

And, they found out.

⦁    It’s not a rumor at all, but I heard that the war of League is a

terrible farce. A war where it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose

is no more than an insipid comedy.

A small figure with a black hoodie that covered his eyes was sitting on top of the catwalk fence of the training area.

The small figure narrowed his blue like a will-o’-wisp and red like blood eyes that shone inside the very dark hanging hood and laughed.

⦁    It’s way more interesting to look at an ants’ nest.

◆◇◆◇◆

⦁    This is such a waaaste. Even though I was born in this world as a powerful being at last, I can’t be tamed to be a good-for-nothing thing that will exhibit its power to satisfy things like『Society 』. Since I was granted the ability to speak, then I’d say that’s a loss of irreplaceable time of what is called life.

(What’s with this kid…?)

A creepy child appeared in front of them without any warning in advance.

Johan felt intimidated by his darkened gray hair like covered in ashes and his blue and red pupils that shined mysteriously behind it.

It wasn’t just a person.

The representative members of Kledelland except Johan felt it.

⦁    Who are you!? How the hell did you get in!?

⦁    This is a training camp that representative members have reserved for exclusive use. The entering of outsiders is prohibited. Leave from here immediately.

Luke and Reid not just scolded the child much younger than them.

They also prepared themselves and lowered their center of gravity so that they could immediately shift to battle.

Towards all present, and while the intruder moved their white bare feet, looking bored.

⦁    … well, isn’t it natural? Because you don’t know anything. The

pleasure of slaughter. The ecstasy of plunder.

When he told so with a tone of voice that hid even pity, the hood showed a smile that cut deeply into his cheeks as if a red crescent moon casted a shadow and said.

⦁    That’s why I’ll teach them to you. … Together with a

demonstration.

(――――!!)

Immediately after, the B-Rank Knight Johan, who was the most powerful Blazer there, noticed it.

Only he noticed it.

*Terrified*, Evilness and maliciousness that completely covered the whole room were spewed out from the small body of the intruder as if the lid of the cauldron of hell was opened.

Simultaneously with that, Johan understood.

―We can’t win.

Because the being before their eyes wasn’t a being of a level where

they were good enough to face him. So,

⦁    Everyone! Run away right noooooooooooooooooooow!!!

He shouted.

A loud voice that he had never given since he was born. As if vomiting blood.

But――it was too late.

No, it wasn’t about being faster or slower.

Because the moment this being was in front of them, their destinies had already been decided.

⦁    … eh?

Fresh red blood scattered on Johan’s face and body.

The one who caused a shower of fresh blood was Reid, the young man of large build.

His heart was pierced.

It was done by the golden knight-spear manifested in the left hand of none other than Johan.

⦁    Huh…? What?

Reid’s understanding couldn’t catch up with the sudden crime of Johan.

Not even understand the pain.

Just surprised──

⦁    Jo…han… wh-why…?

The next moment, he collapsed to the front while being pulled by the spear that was extracted.

Reid spurted blood out from the cavity of his chest like a waterfall and extended his hand to his shocked wife who had lost her voice due to this tragedy, trying to beg for help.

But that hand didn’t reach her, and when it fell to the ground

together with his consciousness, he immediately stopped moving.

⦁    N-Nooooooooooooooooo―――!?!?

⦁    H-hey. Reid…. you’re joking, right…!?

⦁    L-leader!? W-why did you do that!?

Mira thrust her Device which was two pistols at Johan who committed the crime.

But――this wasn’t Johan’s intention of course. (This…!)

Johan noticed.

His body wasn’t moving under his own will anymore.

Johan didn’t know the reason for that.

But he could understand that he had fell into the control of the enemy.

He couldn’t do anything with his own strength.

So,

⦁    Everyone, don’t get close to meeeeeee! Run! Run away, quickly!

Johan cried desperately to his companions to throw them away from him in order to make them escape.

But, that desperation ended up being noticed by Luke. Is something strange happening to his body?

⦁    …! I see, this kid is doing something!

The culprit of the tragic event.

Luke, who understood that the opponent should be defeated right now, sprung at the enemy sitting on the catwalk at a speed which was also the origin of his alias《Swift Wind》having his knife-shaped Device ready with a reverse grip.

⦁    Wait! Right now――!?

⦁    Luke!?

However, the blade of Luke never reached the enemy. His body stopped in the middle of the empty air.

Like a butterfly caught in a spider’s web.

⦁    …hell, is, this…? My body… isn’t moving!*

And then, the body of Johan drew below the feet of Luke without following his will.

⦁    No way! Hey, what are you doing, leader!? Stoooooop!

⦁    C-cut it out…! Stoooop!

The scream of Johan was in vain, his body went through the body of Luke crucified in the air with the knight-spear directly from below.

⦁    Gu, bo──

The body of Luke that was pierced by the golden knight-spear convulsed violently several times and then relaxed.

He died shortly thereafter.

Just about everything that was stuffed in the abdomen of Luke rained incessantly on the whole body of Johan who pulled out the spear, staining his beautiful blond hair and heart.

The spirit of Johan that killed his companions, his friends one after another with his own hands, was already at its limit.

But, even so, he desperately took hold of his spirit that seemed to be burning off,

⦁    Let’s go!

⦁    Noooooooooooooooo! Reid! Reiiiid!

Mira pulled upright with all her strength the confused and disobedient Enaris and headed to the exit with undivided attention, running away from the place in accordance with Johan’s instruction.

At that moment.

⦁    Heh, can you use that technique? This is a rare chance, so let’s do

that to the two of them.

A high-spirited voice as if it had found a new toy was heard from

behind──immediately after,

A golden light surged in the entire training area.

⦁    Mi-Mira-chan!

(No way…)

Mira also turned around due to Enari’s surprised voice.

And then, they despaired.

Mira and Enaris, his teammates, recognized it. This shining was──

⦁    AvoOoOOoooooid iiiiiiiit!!!!

It was《Circus Maximus》──the Noble Arts done by Johan’s

Device《Chariot》.

By straddling a golden warhorse which was also the real form of his Device, it flattened and ran over all that existed before him to form a road, it was an incredibly strong charge attack.

Not just its destructive power, it was also the fastest and strongest blow in Kledelland, boasting an instant speed that left behind even the《Swift Wind》Luke.

It was something that Mira and Enaris couldn’t deal with at all,

「「…!」」

An instant.

The golden brilliance that pierced everything ran past from behind them.

The destruction done by it didn’t limit to the straight line where the

light ran past from behind.

The blasted atmosphere splashed in all directions, pulling out all the fixtures existing in the facility from their roots, striking the walls and destroying the lights.

When the legs of the warhorse stopped and the golden light

weakened, darkness fell in the facility──

⦁    Ah……, aah……

When he looked back the path that he had trampled down, Johan saw.

The corpses of the two women, whose bodies were twisted and crushed, rolled on the hideously burned ground in the dark.

On the other hand, the culprit of everything clapped his hands together, looking like he enjoyed watching the facial expression of Johan.

⦁    How was it, Prince-sama? Wasn’t this somewhat exciting? Didn’t you taste the throbbing as soon as aha aha you slaughtered your precious companions one-sidedly with your own hands?

⦁    … kill you…! I’ll kill you, I’ll kill youuu aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

The anger that surpassed the limit stimulated Johan in an instant.

While making sounds of muscle fibers snapping apart and scattering a blood mist from his torn off skin, Johan pulled the reins of the golden warhorse without caring if his body was destroyed,

⦁    《Circus Maximus》――――!!!!

With an overly burning rage, he launched a charge on the enemy sitting on the catwalk.

The ability of《Chariot》was《Road》.

《Road》was an ability beyond that of humans, it overcame every single bad road and obstacle and of course, it also made him float in the air.

Therefore, the hoofs of the warhorse went straight to the enemy while kicking the empty air,

The knight-spear that Johan pushed out thrust away at the face of

the enemy──at that instant,

Like it was natural, Johan was forced to stop all movement.

⦁    Hmm. I prefer not slaughtering you. It’s a pity that you couldn’t enjoy it and get drunk on blood because of how you are. Prince- sama.

The enemy remained immobile all this time ever since he appeared before Johan and the others.

Without even moving one finger.

And yet――they couldn’t do anything to such enemy. (The difference, is too much…)

How much was it? He couldn’t even grasp the difference in strength.

The riding warhorse and knight-spear of Johan became something like gold dust and disappeared.

The Device was the soul of a Blazer.

If the mind of its owner collapsed, then the Device would also collapse.

To such state of Johan,

⦁    Oh, that’s right. The effeminate Prince-sama liked the one over here. Though it would have been great if you had told her so from the beginning〜.

The wicked one that had created this tragedy had the most enjoyable-looking smile as of now.

– …!?

Johan put himself on guard with an expression that showed signs of fear.

He’s still planning things to do?

But it didn’t matter how prepared he was, his body was already at the mercy of the wicked――

When Johan’s body landed on the ground, he, to the dead body of

Enaris,

He tore up her coat with all his strength.

◆◇◆◇◆

⦁    Aha aha aha.

In the very dim light illuminated only by the moonlight that flowed in from the blown window.

The《Marionette King》made his body shiver in pleasure while listening to the sound that mechanically struck hard the flesh.

It was Johan begging forgiveness as much as his voice allowed him, but now he was nothing but sobbing and shedding tears.

He only moved his body while repeating words of apology as if talking in delirium and with eyes out of focus.

That was certainly transmitted to《Marionette King》through the steel-wired Device《Black Widow》.

The sounds of his heart cracking and collapsing.

――Were irresistible.

One life, just like his own life.

A loveable being that was loved by someone and loved someone. This sensation of destroying as he wished, like a cheap doll.

The sorrow and feeling of emptiness that struck the heart──the

ecstasy exceeded those greatly.

Once he was aware of it, there was no turning back anymore.

He couldn’t live without the stimulus of this destruction.

And the stronger the stimulus, the better it was.

⦁    I’m looking forward to it.

The《Marionette King》yearned for it.

Citizens, family, a beloved girlfriend….

What face would Stella put when all of that has fallen apart?

⦁    I’m sure it’s going to be a very adorable one… Ecstasy ran in his whole body just by imagining so. The core of his body got hot and began to dissolve.

That stimulus seemed to be bringing even more excitement than the moment when he would have destroyed her.

――He couldn’t endure it anymore.

He wanted to play with her soon. He wanted to enjoy himself outside soon.

But, if he was finally going to play, then he better have lots of toys prepared.

The《Marionette King》moved his hands for the first time there.

He raised horizontally both hands that were covered by a loose-sized hoodie,

──And extended a fine thread that couldn’t be captured by the eye.

The thread went through the blown window, weaved its way through the many trees of the forest and went to the city──

To capture soldiers, to capture pregnant women, to capture children.

And then… to build up little by little, little by little. His own Kingdom――《Wonderland》.

Even the captured people weren’t aware of it now.

Without knowing it, everyone was becoming dolls of that person.

The thread eventually extended over the entirety of Kledelland, establishing a number of hubs. Those were practically『roots』.

Roots of a parasitic plant that would make the Kingdom of Kledelland a seed-plot.

And when this parasitic plant were to bear fruit… it would begin.

The war written as《Vermillion’s Military Campaign》in the history of the stars.

◆◇◆◇◆

The《International Mage-Knight League Headquarters》in the United Kingdom.

There were two figures in a room of the division where only the single-digit knights in the world ranking determined by the director of all the branches, otherwise, the League, could get in.

⦁    Oh, that’s right. The story where Mr. Alexis of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France collapsed. Did you hear it too? He collapsed like a thread that was cut during a dinner at the previous foreign trip. He quickly regained consciousness, maybe it was just stress and he should rest one day…, but since this happened to more than 500

important political and business people around the world almost

simultaneously, it’s a different story.

One of them was a young man who was speaking in front of an inserted-styled display that emitted a    sole light in the unlighted room.

The other one was a tall man who heard his voice from inside the stagnated darkness that surrounded the room.

The young man continued explaining to the tall man while operating the display.

⦁    The integration of media and police information has confirmed that nearly 1000 people apart from the political and business people have collapsed all around the world. Most of them were treated as heatstroke patients, but how such a coincidence happened like that? However, what became conclusive for us, the League, was the video recorded in Kledelland two days after the multiple heatstroke that happened simultaneously in the world.

The video shown on the display changed together with those words. A small figure with a hood pulled over his eyes.

Immediately after, the shadow of the tall figure standing in the darkness shook and the sound of metal rubbing against metal was produced.

Was he shaking?

The young man continued his words without being concerned about it.

⦁    We used connections that we had and investigated him behind the scenes, but it seems that a big confusion occurred in the side of Rebellion due to his actions. Well, the independent action itself of

the 《 Twelve Apostles 》 Numbers isn’t that much unusual, is it? Those guys of Rebellion aren’t the ones who were in control to begin with. The problem is… that he’s not the puppet, his real body hasn’t come out from the darkness. He also willingly let go of all the control of the dolls that were the eyes and ears of Rebellion. Is he planning something…? Or is it just a caprice…? We don’t know at the present time, but this isn’t a situation that can be ignored if it’s

about《Marionette King》Or=Gaule who moved. … If we talk about

detailed danger, a troubled Desperado is far more dangerous

than《Tyrant》, the leader of Rebellion. ――We, the League, need

to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.

And then, the young man turned his tough eyes to the black armor in the darkness.

⦁    You’ll have to go to Vermillion. 《Black Knight》Ascaride. You’re the only one qualified in the League for this mission. You also know the dreadfulness of《Marionette King》more than anyone else.

– ――――――

With this order,《Black Knight》waved his cape and turned back. Then, he left the room.

He didn’t return an affirmation or negation.

But, that fist was grasped strongly in anger.

――Blood dripped from the joints of the metal plate, stronger. And

stronger.