v1c4 - 4

“…That's quite a story.”

Toru muttered under his breath but it reached Knight Gillette’s ears, and those of Vivi beside him.

Both wore puzzled expressions.

“plunge this hard-won era of peace back into the vortex of war? —Sounds great to me.”

Toru smirked, baring his teeth.

Knight Gillette’s eyes widened as he growled, and Vivi, the assassin, glared at Toru as if he were vile scum.

But he kept continuing, unfazed. As a saboteur, as an unemployed loafer, he was used to being cursed and despised.

“War’s fine by me. Let’s bring it back—the Warring States era.”

“You…!”

Knight Gillette’s face twisted, as if he were beholding a monster spewing incomprehensible curses.

“I’m a saboteur afterall. This peaceful world can fucking go to hell—I don’t need some tranquil era where I can’t do anything, leave anything behind, or change anything, just to die quietly!”

Memories of his childhood flashed through his mind.

Her—dying, clutching her dead child in offering.

He wanted to change the world.

He wanted to carve his existence into it.

Not just to be born and just die—but to live with a clear purpose, to understand why he was here. He wanted to pursue, with all his strength, why he was born and why he would die.

And that’s why…

“You desire war!?”

“Hell yeah! Hahahahaha!” Toru laughed ferociously.

But in truth… that wasn’t the whole reason. Not anymore.

(…If that’s her reason for living.)

Chaika. The daughter of the “Taboo Emperor.”

The lone princess, bearing a coffin, gathering her father’s remains.

All alone, In the center of a hopeless world where everything was her enemy.

Yet she moved forward, unwavering, toward her goal.

No matter how reckless or impossible it was—if that goal was unshakable to her, carrying a weight equal to the meaning of her existence.

That…

(…I want to help her achieve it.)

Toru thought from the depths of his heart.

Unlike him her will didn’t waver, even in a changed world, no, because the world had changed. It was blindingly radiant to him.

And so—

“—Chaika!!” Shouting, Toru sprang forward.

Charging with ferocious momentum, he—closed his eyes.

“—!?”

Knight Gillette and the assassin Vivi braced themselves as both were formidable opponents. A direct charge left Toru with no chance of victory.

However…

—Bam!!

A blinding flash erupted between Toru and Knight Gillette’s group.

It was a spell prearranged with Chaika.

<The Blinder>—an illusion-type spell with its luminescence pushed to the extreme. Naturally, anyone who looked at it unprotected would have their vision impaired for a few seconds. In contrast—stealth in the dark was a saboteur’s specialty. Toru possessed the skill to move through darkness, where sight was useless, by sensing faint air currents and echoing sounds, suppressing noise and presence.

So naturally, now he could attack his opponents even with his eyes closed.

“Ngh—!?”

Knight Gillette drew his sword, but his movements, dazzled by Chaika’s magical light, were greatly disrupted. The same went for Vivi. Though an assassin likely shared similar skills to Toru, she had no means to shield her eyes from an unexpected flash.

Even so, the fact that both attacked was impressive.

A sword arced, and needles flew.

But strikes delivered without clear vision were far from perfect. Toru’s raised his dual mechanical swords and knocked both attacks aside in an instant.

“—Kuh!?”

Knight Gillette groaned.

As Toru body-checked him—

“I’ll be taking that back.”

Toru forcibly snatched the “wrist” from Gillette’s grip.

“W-Wait!?”

The Knight Gillette shouted, pressing his left hand to his eyes as his vision was blinded. Vivi reflexively readied her throwing needles—but hesitated. She likely feared hitting an ally while blinded.

“Wait, you—”

The young knight continued to shout.

But—Toru didn’t even glance back, running onward with his back to them.

When it came down to it, there was hardly anything to pack.

Beloved weapons and tools. A few clothes. And the bare minimum of money.

Even stuffing everything into a bag and slinging it over his shoulder, it wasn’t as cumbersome as Chaika’s coffin.

“—Akari?”

“I’ve finished packing too.”

Akari’s load was much the same.

Nodding to his non-blood related sister—Toru spoke as if to confirm.

“Just to be clear, you don’t have to come along, you know?”

“A foolish question, Nii-sama.” Akari shook her head. “I’m following Nii-sama, wherever you going.”

“…Akari……”

“If Nii-sama—” Akari said quietly, her refined face composed. “—were to die somewhere I didn’t know, I couldn’t stuff you and preserve you.”

“I’ll make sure to go out in a spectacular explosion when I die,” Toru growled, letting out a single sigh before stepping out of the house.

It was dark early morning, not yet dawn—a lone girl stood in the cold, biting air, her coffin on her back.

“Well then, shall we go?”

“—Mhm.” When he called out, Chaika turned, a puzzled expression on her face. “Toru. Akari. Why?”

“Your face—the lord has saw it,” Toru said, shrugging. “We can’t stay in this town anymore anyway...so yeah.”

Not only had they infiltrated the lord’s mansion, but they’d clashed with the lord himself and, apparently, tangled with agents tasked by the great powers. There was no way they could remain in Del Solant since they would come back again for the hunt.

“Might as well help with your—your ‘job’ while we’re traveling. Quite the money, too.”

He had no particular destination in mind.

So following Chaika’s path was fine.

She seemed to have brought a decent amount of money—traveling with her would at least keep them from starving, a practical calculation.

And then—

“But. I…”

Chaika looked down.

Her true identity—she was clearly troubled by it.

“The <Taboo Emperor’s> dau…”

“I told you,” Toru said, cutting her off. “War’s fine by me.”

……

“If I stick with you—I might be able to change the world. Not this damn repetitive tranquility, but a chaotic, ever-changing world where I can find the meaning of my life. That’s what I actually want.”

Better than dying without accomplishing anything.

Even if he was cursed as a demon or mocked as scum.

To carve proof of his existence into this world—

“Chaika.”

Toru extended his hand toward the silver-haired girl.

“I’m going to follow you as far as you can go. What about you?”

……

Chaika looked at Toru.

Then at Akari.

“…Mhm.”

Akari nodded back.

And—

“—Yes!”

Her face lit up, and Chaika took Toru’s hand.

The daughter of the “Taboo Emperor”—Chaika Gaz.

The saboteur siblings—Toru Acura and Akari Acura.

That day, with the dawn, they left the town of Del Solant.

On a journey to plunge the world back into war.

*

End of Volume - 1