The Girl Who Bore the Flame Ring

Chapter 13: Survivors

The capital of Bahar, Besta Castle.

Viceroy of Bahar, Amil Waldek was conducting a meeting with an envoy from Coimbra. Its purpose was clear; it was a cross-examination of the rebel incident. The envoy’s face was red with rage, and his voice had become extremely hoarse. Amil gazed at him in apparant scorn as he sat on his throne. In spite of having to hide his boredom, Amil conceded by listening to no less than half of his statement.

“…does that mean that the Bahar government will continue to the bitter end in insisting that you have had nothing to do with the recent rebellion!?”

“Have I not, from the very begining, told you countless times that your assertions are groundless? O envoy, I was deeply worried about my brother. You continue to claim that I was the ring leader of the rebellion. It is truly upsetting.”

The envoy’s face warped as he raised his voice in response to Amil’s false intonement.

“One of your retainers, the one spearheading and leading the rebellion, Ristih, has confessed! At the behest of the Baharan government, he stirred up a rebellion among the people!”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know of this Ristih. I have neither seen nor heard of him before.”

“Would it then be acceptable for him to be decapitated so that I can show you the head of Ristih, Commander of One Thousand!”

“Boil it or bake it, do as you will. Ha ha, trusting in the words of that sort of man, I begin to doubt my brother’s sanity.”

“D-do you intend to insult our lord!?”

Forcing down the envoy who had attempted to stand in aggitation was a red haired young man. The man with the intrepid face’s name was Falid, Amil’s childhood friend and right hand man. Having pledged to never disobey his lord, he was a senior commander of one thousand, and Amil had already promised him a position as the next great general.

“O envoy, that is far enough. My lord Amil has no relation at all with him. I believe we have informed you earlier. I will not overlook any further insolence.”

“Argh! The circumstances of the rebellion have already been sent to his Majesty Befnam and all of the other viceroys! I’m sure that strict judgement will be handed down on Ristih,the Commander of One Thousand, whom you have abandoned! Do not come to regret that time!!”

“I am the great emperor Befnam’s son, the viceroy of Bahar which boasts of its military strength. I will not run or hide. Go and tell my brother that. If he truly wishes to pin crimes on me, he should come at me in the traditional Waldek way. Then I think I’ll bring Bahar’s full might to bear.”

The traditional Waldek way was, in the end, to settle the dispute completely through the use of force. The one who conquored the continent, the Sun Emperor Bergis, had subjugated all with his overwhelming military might. He never prepared any cassus belli, negotiations ended at a single demand —unconditional surrender—, all to be followed by an incessant attack that proved to be as unstoppable as the crashing waves. Each king, fearing his brutality, did not take long to cease resistance and surrender his castle. Ultimatley, the sun emperor had magnificantly conquored the entire continent, and saw to the founding of a solid power base. In the Horsheido empire, might made right.

“A cause will come, and can be made as grandious as needed after the fact. No one will listen to the words of the defeated, so there is no need to prepare one in advance,” was something Bergis said after conquering the continent.

After the Coimbran envoy had left, Falid spoke to Amil who was smiling on his throne, “Was that what you wanted? It will only pour oil onto the fire of the Coimbra’s hatred.”

“That was my intention. My idiotic brother will likely dispatch soldiers to attack Bahar. Attack Bahar, a province of the same empire, ha ha, two brothers will fight as father intended.”

“It’s war then, eh?”

“Ha ha, if it looks like they’ll hesitate, we’ll use one of the other plans. Despite my brother’s disposition, it seems like he won’t want to move too quickly.”

“…”

Amil sent some of spies that managed the public sentiment in Bahar to Coimbra. If Grohl didn’t want to make a move, his family members would be assassinated. There were already arrangements for their accidental deaths; however, Grohl’s wife Sarah was already in such poor condition that the likelihood of her dying without the need for intervention was quite high.

“This wasn’t how things were initially planned to go, but that’s what makes it interesting. I wanted to give Ristih a medal, though. Ah, but how about I give it to that son he boasted about?”

“Sir, Ristih had not only disobeyed orders, but he was defeated in battle, and to top it off, he disgraced himself by revealing the plot. Even staff officer Mills thinks that his whole clan should be executed for such a betrayal.”

“We do not need to punish his family. Why nip a promising bud? Furthermore, if the son grows to adulthood, he’ll work all the harder to remove that stain on his family’s honour.”

“Yes sir, I understand.”

“Ha ha, at any rate, that has to have scared Wilm quite a bit.”

“He’s likely moving behind in secret to attempt to minimize any damages to himself. He’s a cunning man, so he’s probably good at sniffing out danger. Lord Mills will happily say that he is the same.”

“Cunning or not, if he can be used, it doesn’t matter. In this case, he will only aid until he thinks my brother will be removed. It isn’t unexpected, considering his position in the army.”

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Amil had a pleasant smile on his childlike face. His plan was proceeding favourably. It was likely that he had even predicted a scenario in which Ristih went on a rampage. That the rebel army that they had raised suffered a catastrophic defeat, and Ristih having been magnificently captured were both things that were not supposed to have happen, though. Despite that fact, Amil would revise his plan as he faced his goal, for he had prepared to be flexible. The objective was the fall of his political adversary Grohl, and he intended to make his position as the next emperor unquestionable. At the current rate, Amil would likely cross swords with his brother and so he looked on the present state of affairs with a great joy in the depths of his heart. He was an inheritor of the Sun Emperor Bergis’ blood, and in his mind, his behavior was proof above all else.

“The training of the recent conscripts is proceeding extremely well. Those selected for the cavalry are also progressing through training faster than anticipated. Can you exceed expectations on the battlefield as well?”

“As expected of Falid. These are choice soldiers, and I leave all of the ‘Black Sun Cavalry’ to you. It may be unsatisfactory that the first opponent our elite forces will face is Coimbra, but I’ll have to have you endure it.”

“I am unworthy of your kind words.”

“In the coming war, our names will gain a prominent place on the continent, and with it I will seize my place as the next emperor.”

“I will be sure to show you something that lives up to your expectations, Lord Amil. Please leave it to me.”

Falid gave a respectful salute. He had known Amil since his childhood, and so was familiar with his nature. He was rational, and lived by a meritocratic system without exception. He was generally indifferent yet he housed a dauntless spirit, but above all, he knew how people could be charmed. That was likely the reason that the ornery population of Bahar could abide by his rule. Regardless of status or origin, if he recognised ability he gave it a chance, and if the outcome was favourable, a desirable position could be granted. An exclusive and oppressive atmosphere had once blanketed Bahar, but Amil had created a new prosperity for the province, unparalleled in history.

Falid’s devotion to Amil had been drilled into him from a young age. Knowing that, Falid was not a puppet, for it was not the sole reason for his devotion.

That’s right, Lord Amil will further develop this continent, and bring it great wealth.

Falid believed in his heart that it was for the best if Amil became emperor. There was no doubt that Amil had the qualities of an emperor, and that as emperor he would secure the well being of the majority of the people. His implementation of that would secure the dream of the people from… that place, and Falid had to allow that dream to be realised. Such was the dream of Operation Daybreak’s sole survivor.

“If I win, I become the emperor, and if I lose, I become a traitor? Sweet father Befnam may be supporting me now, but if I fail, he’ll undoubtedly abandon me swiftly. He is that sort of man.”

“Lord Amil…” Falid began to raise his voice, but was stopped by a hand.

“That’s what makes it interesting. A bout could not be any other way. Glory and ruin are two sides of the same coin. Without danger, nothing great can be accomplished. Such is the way of the world.”

Amil twisted the corners of his mouth, turning his gaze to the large map adorning the wall.

“I… want to confirm just how far I can go. If I was to inherit something already perfect, I wouldn’t really feel anything… however, building atop this foundation is essential. Therefore, I cannot be defeated. My dream is also to fulfill my own ambitions, eh?”

“Exactly!”

“Come here, Falid. Don’t shake it off.”

Falid’s dream of bringing happiness to the majority of the population was very similar to Amil’s grand ambition of which Falid had been told countless times since the two had first met. It was not merely a desire for the throne, and he would never be satisfied to simply sit in any seat prepared for him by others. Amil’s true dream was to extend his reach to the distant western continent of Mundonovo. He would send an expeditionary force to expand colonially for there lay Amil’s ambition. The distant land’s technology and the rare goods that it produced as well as its unknown knowledge would almost certainly aid the development of the empire.

In the stories of the returning traders, after a religious revolution, there had been a flood of large and small feudal lords who, in the name of the same god, waged brutal wars over their varied dominions. There were many opportunities to take advantage of. As for Falid, he didn’t have much of an interest in a continent he knew little about, but he had to follow Amil’s words. For him, so long as his dream existed, everyone’s happiness was connected. Amil’s words were absolute.

“Taking what one wants by force is the Sun Emperor Bergis’ style. In that case, I must imitate it.”

Amil’s eyes were like the raging fire of his ambition.

“I raise my sword to you, Lord Amil. Till the end of my days, I will be your attendant.”

At Falid’s words, Amil nodded, satisfied.

Then, with a face that hardened with his determination, he muttered, “I bear no personal grudge against you, elder brother, but I need you to die. You will be a human sacrifice for this great empire and for my fame. You will be a stepping stone on the path to my ambition’s fulfillment.”

Falid, who had left in between audiences, turned his eyes to a bored looking female officer who was leaning against a wall. The woman was his aide: , Rebecca, Commander of One Hundred. Making ones thoughts into useful advice was an essential quality of an aide which she completely lacked, but she compensated for that was her physical ability. Valuing that, Falid left it to her. Though she had the body of a woman, she was quite muscular, and there were likely only a few soldiers who could match her in Bahar. Her natural ability was supplemented by an artificial… thing… to great effect.

“Rebecca, what are you doing here?”

“What… I thought I’d wait for you bro. I’m still your aide after all, right?

“If you know that, stop calling me bro. You’re upsetting the order here.”

“Bro, you’re a senior commander of one thousand, so you also need to change the way you refer to yourself too. Aren’t you not fancy enough?

“Maybe so. Well, normal is good, eh?”

Satisfied with that, Falid smiled wryly, and began to walk beside Rebecca.

“So… what’s up with Lord Amil? Oh yeah, did you meet with the envoy from Coimbra?”

“Yeah, it was a meeting about the incident. Negotiations broke down, of course.”

“Seriously? Pretty annoying, eh, those Coimbrans… How about I chase him down and kill him?”

“Please stop it with the bad ideas. Once they lose composure, they’ll likely take to the field pretty fast. It’s the time to show off the elite guys we’re training, those Black Sun Cavalry.”

“That’s great. Man, I’m itching to go! He he, it isn’t just me, the others are thirsting for blood too. Even though we’ve finally survived that ‘experiment,’ if all we do is the same training every single day, we’ll go insane. If it isn’t a live opponent there isn’t any blood or screaming, so it gets boring you know!”

Rebecca bared her teeth in a fierce grin. She was one of the few humans who had survived Operation Dawn. It had improved on what was formerly known as Operation Black Dawn, and was re-run under the new name. This most recent time, the survivors had numbered seven. As for the outcome, all of their bodies were imbued with physical strength greater than a human’s. The reparation was that they lost the most striking aspects of their human nature.

“What’s with those eyes? If you want to say something, just say it. You should know that I’m thinking about the young ones.”

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

That information might not have been necessary for the disposable soldiers to know. However, there was also the sense that they needed to know their reason for existing. Emperor Befnam, having taken control of the operation, deployed all of the survivors to Bahar. It had ostensibly been a gift to Amil, but his real intention was most likely to avoid waking any sleeping beasts near his own feet. The loyalty that was beaten into them aside, because they were beasts, simply striking at any opening presented to them was simply in their nature.

“If it comes to a battle, many people will suffer. In truth, it’s better if less unnecessary blood is spilled. We are all fellow countrymen on this continent after all.”

“Again with that… A war started, so why don’t you stop it with that stuff. You’ll wither away because of it!”

“What do you mean again? You make it sound like I’m always faultfinding.”

Falid peered at the details, and Rebecca’s body froze in an instant. Having the nature of a beast, why was Rebecca obediently listening to Falid’s words? The answer was simple: beasts would submit to whoever or whatever had overwhelming strength. At their first meeting, Falid had struck the assailing Rebecca without receiving any wounds himself, thoroughly teaching her ‘obedience.’ That was why Rebecca had no choice but to follow the rules. Insubordination was punished by beating the offender half to death. There was nothing needed after beating her down, for she had been thoroughly demolished. With the head of the pack defeated, the others had no choice but to obediently comply. The participants in Operation Dawn had now become Falid’s faithful subordinates. They were a violent and rough lot, but they would not oppose their orders. Incidentally, what Rebecca experienced was only on the tip of the iceberg. She was incapable of seriously fighting Falid, and the one match had been enough for that fact to sink deeply into her mind.

“Basically, weren’t you Operation Daybreak’s only survivor, bro? Everyone’s talking about how bro too was seriously messed up by surviving that joke of a plan.”

“…”

“Bro’s really alive. You drank ‘that’ undiluted, unlike the fake stuff we had to drink. So that’s why there was only one survivor, right? Beating ‘that’ left you messed up, but why do you always space out…”

As she spoke, Falid clasped Rebecca’s jaw in his right hand with enough force to ensure that she remembered it.

“Didn’t I tell you to never speak of that again, maggot? How many times do I have to say it before you understand? Did you already forget what happens to trash that doesn’t understand once told?”

Under Falid’s glare, Rebecca hurriedly raised an apologetic voice, “S-so, so sorry. I, I remember!”

Her face became blue, and with her teeth chattering, she let out a cry, knees shaking. After dislocating her jaw, gently stroking her back, he leaned in, clearing his throat.

“Listen well, Rebecca. The next war will likely involve the entire continent in the fight. If we defeat our Coimbran foes on the continent, then Amil will become the empire’s next successor in name and truth. Do you know what that means?”

“S-successor… That means Lord Amil will be the next emperor?”

His poor reputation aside, Grohl was Amil’s rival in the continental succession. If Amil could win the race, his position as emperor would be secured. The incumbent emperor Befnam was in his later years, and his abdication was likely to be in the near future. From what he had heard from Amil, Befnam was devoting himself more to developing a method for attaining immortality than to politicking. Operation Dawn being a tentative success notwithstanding, the realisation of the emperor’s greatest wish had yet to occur.

“If Lord Amil is to become emperor, Libelika’s development and stability will be ensured.”

“It is the crucial moment.”

“He shares the blood of the sun with that victorious man. All of the strength in my body is at Lord Amil’s convenience. …After dawn, after daybreak, the son will rise to the heavens. You learned from that too, didn’t you? That is why we will use our hands to accompany Lord Amil to his rightful place,” Falid said with a smile, and Rebecca began to nod excitedly.

“I, I understand! I’ll do my best too! We’ll create prosperity in the empire, eh bro!”

“Yeah, that’s the spirit. Of course I intend to do my best.”

After dawn, after daybreak, in naught but a single minute, all darkness will have dissipated. The golden age of Horsheido, which had named itself the empire of the sun, was being prepared for the sake of Amil. To safely escort Amil until then was their mission. Once in control of the empire of the sun, Amil would likely shine his light upon a great many things. Prosperity would, without a shadow of a doubt, appear under the light of that sun.

That’s right, Lord Amil is fit to become the new sun. The ones to accompany him there are we “survivors.” That is why whoever opposes him must be eliminated.

Falid, making a fist, strengthened his determination.

Rebecca, having become engrossed in her own convictions, struck her hand as if suddenly remembering, “About that, bro: I just remembered. Have you heard about how Geb, Ned, and that old Ristih were slaughtered? Well, it’s not like that slimy bastard Ristih matters much…”

“… I have. We lost valuable men, despite the fact that they were all skilled soldiers… Geb said he’d run if it got dangerous, but it seems like he didn’t succeed. Ned even died during the search operation.”

In spite of the rebellion’s early success, Ristih had thought that it would not end peacefully for himself; however, Geb and Ned both being killed in action had been beyond all expectations. They could make impromptu decisions, being both highly experienced field commanders. It had seemed as though they could still continue to operate for some time.

“Well, I don’t quite understand it. Even though Geb seemed like the only one truly skilled at running away… Let alone being killed, that old man didn’t seem like the type to die at all.”

“From what I’ve heard, it was a surprise attack. Another story was that he died in a massacre after the Coimbrans won. Geb held the initiative, yet was killed at the point of a spear; Ristih had both knees broken and was tragically captured alive… it would appear that the weak soldiers of Coimbra were a front.”

The enemy soldiers flanking their commander’s tent saw through Ristih’s surprise attack. Furthermore, they had succeeded in fighting off the main force with the help of a traitor. Essentially, Coimbra was supposed to have committed all of its manpower to attack, thus leaving its commander’s tent virtually empty. Someone had likely decided on his own to conceal the soldiers in an ambush. Falid hadn’t paid much attention to Ristih, but he knew that he had not been incompetent. That was, the rumors that he had crushed the Coimbran army were untrue. Falid didn’t know how much of the plan had been read into, but there existed a person who could become troublesome for them in Coimbra: a person who was courageous on top of having seen through the enemy’s surprise attack; one with both the decisiveness, and the ability to redirect soldiers carrying out a total assault. If that person was to be given command over a large army, or some similar post, it would probably make things quite difficult.

“Well, it’s unfortunate, but it can’t be helped. Someday I’ll avenge them all, so… do you know who did them in? I can’t get them back without knowing.”

“This is just something I’ve heard, but I’m sure it was…”

In the stories from those who had successfully escaped, it seemed that they had been killed by a young female soldier. The details of the soldier came from a traitor.

“… a female officer named Noel. This is all from from a traitor, but it seems that she has been knighted after having achieved meritorious service for her contributions to the Coimbran victory. We don’t know how reliable that is, but she is reportedly quite valourous.”

“Oh really? I bet she’s happy. She’s a female knight in the Coimbran army, and I’m the strongest from Operation Dawn. I’ll need to make it clear which of us is stronger! He he, I’ll smash her skull!”

After licking her lips like a wild animal, Rebecca got worked up by herself.

Falid reminded her after a sigh, “Getting fired up is fine, but you aren’t allowed to run off of your own accord. If someone threatens to disrupt the order here by violating the regulations, I will prevent that by inflicting punishment in advance.”

“I, I get it. I’d never go against you.”

“It’s good that you understand, although if you only used your head, I’d give you a squad to command.”

“Hehe, I’m just the violent type. More importantly, what should we do with the remnants of the Red Circle Army that managed to escape? I think we should use them as target practice, seeing as they’ve fulfilled their purpose already.”

“We can’t let the information leak, so they will be fuel for his Majesty’s plan. I feel sorry for them, but it is on Amil’s orders so it can’t be helped.”

As there were those of the dozen or so who had escaped who knew too much, they could not be allowed to talk. They were all to be captured immediately under Amil’s orders and to be transported to the imperial capital as sacrifices to Emperor Befnam’s newest plan.

“That’s too bad… Ah, that’s it! I’d better tell everyone what you said!! Well, they’re idiots so they probably won’t get it, though!”

Rebecca ran off as if she was trying to escape. Falid did not approve, and he probably half felt like he needed to let her know.

“You really don’t listen to what people say. You still run pointlessly through the castle even though I’ve told you countless times to stop.”

After seeing Rebecca off and entering his room, Falid shrugged his shoulders and let out a sigh. He had just dealt with an idiot, but the others all had about the same level of intelligence as Rebecca. Actually, he thought, she might have been the most mentally lacking of them all; not that he would ever tell her that.

“Whew…”

The chair on which he sat, Bahar’s crest, and the Horsheido Empire’s sun flag all formed a line in the room.

I must do my best for all those who lost their lives in Operation Daybreak, though I can’t search for happiness with them anymore. But still, I can do my best so that the greatest number of people can be happy. I’m sure that’s the reason I was the only one allowed to survive.

The ability for lovers, families, friends, and the like to be able to spend time laughing together every day was what he believed to be happiness; he believed that those unchanging days were the happy ones. Although he had never experienced anything of the like for himself, everyone from soldiers to plebes surely wished for it too. That was right; that was happiness. That was why Falid made it his mission to let as many people as possible experience that kind of life. It gave his life meaning, and so he fought. For that dream did he devote his body and soul in their entireties to Amil. Only then could happiness be brought to the maximum number of people.

“Isn’t that right, Number 13? Working so that the happiness of the greatest number of people is what I should do,” Falid muttered his brief comment while bathing in the light that streamed in through his window.

The black clothed cavalrymen were raising their spirits while they formed ranks and cantered around during their training. The fluttering banners ran their imperial crests through the sky.

There was a cavalry that had tormented the Sun Emperor to the bitter end. Their charge could crush anyone. Allegedly, the Sun Emperor had said, “They have become such that they are mistaken for the remainder of the dragon cavalry of legend,” when he was faced with the sight of them flying their dragon banners. Amil looked to recreate that with the cavalry produced by Operation Dawn. Dubbed “Black Sun Cavalry,” their command had been given to Falid, who had no intention of failing to meet expectations.

“Don’t worry. I can do it. I was the only one left to inherit everyone’s dream after all. That’s why I will absolutely make it happen.”

Author’s Note

Operation Daybreak and Operation Dawn both created enhanced soldiers.

Emperor Befnam’s plan for immortality, however, has yet to be fully realised.

That’s too bad Befnam, but don’t give up yet!

Translator’s Note

This chapter, I tried to make the dialogue much less stiff than it had been. Consequently, it isn’t as word-for-word with the Japanese as it could be, not that it matters unless the Japanese was stuffy and awkward too.

I used a new word processor, new translation methods, moved to a new country, started a new job. As a result of that, my English was super awkward in my rough draft of this, and I hope that I’ve solved that problem. One day, I’m sure that these recent chapters will get TLC’d, God knows I’ve given whoever it is that is supposed to do that enough time.

Editor’s Note

あのダボはほんまに何しとんけぇ?

Feast your eyes on my awful Japanese. If you don’t want to see it, maybe figure out how to get an editor out of hiding.

What’s that? There wasn’t an editor’s note last time? Well there wasn’t one for chapter 11 either! Is this going to turn into the segment of shame? I will update this if my editor does edit the chapter. Happy Valentine’s day.