Hori Record of Wortenia War: Volume 2

1. Auflage 2019
ISBN: 978-1-7183-4552-2
Verlag: J-Novel Club
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 1 Seiten

Reihe: Record of Wortenia War

The Empire of O'ltormea, a militaristic country, summoned Ryoma Mikoshiba, a high schooler from another world. Dealing a major blow to the empire, Ryoma escapes their clutches. With the twin sisters Laura and Sara at his side, Ryoma meets a mercenary group called the Crimson Lion.
In the middle of mercenary work, Ryoma accidentally becomes involved in the inner workings of the Kingdom of Rhoadseria. Now forced to employ his wit and cunning in this world, Ryoma makes a pledge.
'I'll take it back, no matter what - the fate that's been stolen from me!'
The Rhoadseria Civil War arc, which marks Ryoma's first progress towards supreme ruler, begins!

Autoren/Hrsg.

Hori, Ryota

Weitere Mitwirkende

Bob

Zackzeal

Leseproben

Prologue

A single man walked through the pleasure quarter in the northern districts of the imperial capital, clad in a hood and mantle and mingling with the darkness of the night, trying to avoid attention. The cries of the drunkards and the coquettish voices of the barmaids echoed distantly in his ears. He hurried to his destination, the unpleasant scent of alcohol mixed with smoke invading his nostrils.

He’d already given his report to his official superior— the Emperor— but right now he was about to report to his other, behind-the-scenes superior.

While Shardina was delivering the account of what happened to the Emperor, Saitou had simply kneeled with a grave expression, but this more shadowy superior would require him to make a more detailed explanation of what happened.

The Organization. Such a gathering of people existed on this Earth, and its members simply referred to it as such. A place which those plucked away from their home world and thrown into this one could congregate in. And, at the same time, where those burning with endless hatred and loathing resided.

“Heh... What a vexing matter.” Imagining the face of his superior made a leaden sigh escape Saitou’s lips.

Saitou’s behind-the-scenes superior, Akitake Sudou, was by no means the kind of man who didn’t take circumstances into consideration, nor did he have the kind of personality that made him hard to get along with. In fact, considering it was Sudou who granted Saitou a place in the Organization, the man was effectively the savior of his life. If one were to look past the fact that he was something of a cynic who took a bit of pleasure in teasing other people, Sudou was an ideal employer.

But the one thing he wasn’t was a soft person.

If one were to consider the recent incident from the perspective of Saitou’s position as the vice-captain of the Succubus Knights, this whole affair was far from a failure. True, the fact that Ryoma Mikoshiba had slipped through their fingers after he had briefly been in their grasp was a strike against him, but the chances of catching him in the first place were already slim, and Shardina had to assume all responsibility for the matter as captain.

In fact, after the audience, the Emperor personally gave Saitou a few words of encouragement. He’d more than just fulfilled his role as the vice-captain of the Succubus Knights which supported the empire, and as Shardina’s right hand man.

But from the perspective of whether he succeeded here as a member of the Organization, the outlook was a touch more dubious. Part of the mission appointed to Saitou was to advance Shardina’s political standing.

After receiving permission to come in, Saitou opened the door and was greeted with the sight of Sudou sitting on the room’s sofa, enjoying a meal and a bottle of wine sitting on the table.

“I hear things have been quite hectic for you. My, you’ve worked hard indeed, have you not?”

Having been greeted in a teasing, superficial fashion, Saitou’s expression stiffened. There was a lot he wanted to say, but no matter how much of a mean-spirited, twisted person the man sitting before him was, he was still his superior.

Saitou moved to sit down on the opposite sofa without asking for permission, aware of how impolite that was. Such was his silent form of protest. Watching Saitou’s expression with amusement, Sudou poured some wine into the glass in front of him.

“My, this is something of a surprise... From your expression, I assume Mr. Mikoshiba’s escape from Princess Shardina’s grasp wasn’t a result of your scheming. And here I was convinced you purposely gave him an opening...”

Sudou’s gaze suddenly took on a sharpness that could seemingly cut through everything, and Saitou felt a chill slithering down his spine.

“Are you implying I allowed my personal feelings to mingle with my responsibility?” Saitou nearly stood up, the words he feared hearing the most reaching his ears.

If Sudou were to answer this question in the affirmative, it would spell a death sentence for Saitou. The Organization was fundamentally intolerant of failures, and if one’s actions were perceived as trying to deliberately hinder the mission, it would result in instant execution. That was an obvious form of self-defense for an illegal organization.

The Organization had ordered Saitou to aid Shardina, or to be more exact, to help her gain merit and increase her influence in the court; in that regard, this turn of events was a particularly painful blow for the organization.

True, the Emperor had covered for his beloved daughter Shardina and granted her a chance at conquering Xarooda, but there was no avoiding the fact that some nobles would likely go on to doubt her capabilities. Shardina’s influence had been reduced somewhat, and that was an irrefutable truth.

However, he had won Shardina’s deep trust in numerous ways; the fact that he was able to quickly set up the blockade by the border and lead Ryoma Mikoshiba into the forest as she had planned, the fact that he advised her to slay Ryoma upon his capture despite his understanding of the Emperor’s wishes, and most of all, throwing himself onto Shardina to protect her when the wind generated by the verbal thaumaturgy spell swept through the camp.

If the Organization were to kill Saitou now, they would have to send someone else to serve under Shardina, but that hypothetical replacement would take a considerable amount of time to build up the degree of trust Saitou had earned. Ergo, it wasn’t profitable for them to kill Saitou now.

But that all hinged on the Organization’s understanding that Saitou put his all into capturing Ryoma Mikoshiba. Saitou was both an operative and a spy for the Organization, and as such, allowing his personal emotions to influence his mission was unforgivable.

In the end, whether the Organization recognized that this chain of events was beyond Saitou’s control depended on Sudou’s opinion. It was only natural, then, that he would go pale upon hearing Sudou’s words.

But Saitou’s cautious expression merely made Sudou raise his voice in pleasant laughter, without a sliver of the sharp look he’d had before.

“Well, perhaps I’ve threatened you a bit too hard... Come now, no need to be so nervous. If I were seriously intent on disposing of you, you’d have bid this mortal coil farewell a long time ago.”

Their gazes remained locked together for a single, interminable moment.

“Yes... I suppose that’s true.” Saitou said, evidently convinced.

Heaving a heavy sigh, he sat back down on the sofa.

He realized Sudou’s words were said in jest, but that also meant his power and influence extended far and deep into the Empire. Yes, deep enough to know even the most minute details of one of the Emperor’s meetings.

Saitou’s throat was dry from the suspense, and he felt an innate need to quench his thirst. He took the glass sitting in front of him and downed it in one gulp; the sour flavor of red wine, matured and ripened by years of storage, filled his mouth. He would have liked to linger on its taste a bit longer, but right now it was nothing more than liquid to erase the dryness from his throat.

Seeing Saitou’s face contort as he gulped the wine down, Sudou’s smile deepened as he handed him a glass of water.

“Well, while it’s certain that Princess Shardina’s influence took a blow as a result of recent events, her trust in you has increased just the same. The murder of the court thaumaturgist, Gaius Valkland, was not something we planned for, but it has merely moved things slightly ahead of schedule... Unfortunate as it may be for those who wished to slay Gaius themselves.”

“Which is to say?”

“Well, I do not find much fault in your judgment during this incident, Saitou, and I intend to say as much in our planned meeting two weeks from now... Oh, yes, since I’ve gone to the trouble of having this meal prepared, feel free to help yourself.”

Relieved by those words, Saitou reached for the dishes set in front of him.

“But to think there’s a man who could take one such as you by surprise... That Mikoshiba fellow is quite impressive, given his youth.”

“Yes... Though I would not say he is strong, so much as I would say he is terrifying.”

“Terrifying?”

Feeling Sudou’s probing gaze on him, Saitou stopped moving the spoon in his hand.

“Yes. I find his ruthlessness and adaptability to be rather frightening, if I am to be honest.”

Were things to come down to simply arm strength and agility, Saitou would surely overwhelm Ryoma Mikoshiba. Having lived in this world for nearly eight years and fought through countless battles, Saitou had developed one of the skills unique to this world, martial thaumaturgy, allowing him to exhibit a strength exceeding what human muscles could normally produce. If Saitou and Ryoma were to clash, Saitou would, objectively speaking, no doubt be the stronger of the two.

What made Ryoma Mikoshiba so frightening was not his physical strength or his...