Invaders of the Rokujouma!? Volume 45 E-Book

Takehaya

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: Invaders of the Rokujouma!?
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 210

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Koutarou has sunk into despair. He was given the agonizing choice of saving either Fasta or Ralgwin, with the other losing their life. As a result, Maxfern was resurrected, leaving Koutarou at a loss and full of fears. What will be the catalyst for his recovery?

The girls of room 106 struggle to reach out to him, but it’s an unexpected friend who pulls Koutarou back from the edge.

Once out of his slump, he resolves to take action against Maxfern. In order to find any leads on their enemy, Koutarou, along with Maki and Nana, infiltrates an enemy organization!

Leseprobe

Declaration of War and Childhood Friends

Monday, November 14th

To Koutarou, Ralgwin was supposed to be a hated enemy. He had supported Vandarion and then taken up the mantle after him. He’d also done unforgivable things, committed all kinds of crimes and terrorism, and many had fallen victim to them. Now he had a responsibility to face justice to make up for those crimes, which likely meant that he would receive the death penalty.

But when Ralgwin was taken away by Grevanas, Koutarou couldn’t accept it. He was furious. Although being sacrificed or put to death had the same outcome, Koutarou felt that there was a huge difference between them. Then there was how Ralgwin had treasured Fasta. Even in the end, he had stayed loyal to his allies. He had only taken up leadership of the faction after Vandarion because they were family and he was his student. Koutarou could at least sympathize with that.

It was because of this that Koutarou felt Ralgwin being sacrificed was wrong. Taking responsibility for his actions and receiving the death penalty was inevitable, in a way. It was hard for Koutarou to accept, but he could at least understand it to some degree. Ralgwin had done things that couldn’t be undone, but that didn’t mean using him to resurrect Maxfern was acceptable. How could he repent if Grevanas trampled his very soul? Grevanas had no right to do that. And yet, that didn’t mean that they should have sacrificed Fasta. Koutarou didn’t want her to die, and Ralgwin treasured her as well.

Koutarou was going around in circles, unable to find an answer, which was putting him in a bad mood.

Ralgwin being taken away and Fasta-san dying are both wrong. So what should I have done?

Even now, Koutarou was sitting on the sofa in the lounge thinking to himself.

“Satomi-kun is making that face again,” Harumi noted.

“Well, Satomi-kun can be surprisingly sensitive...and he thinks he could have made a better choice,” Shizuka pointed out.

“Oh, so he is remembering his mother...”

The two girls were watching over Koutarou from a little ways away. All of the girls had noticed his anguish and struggled to call out to him, but the problem he was up against was too complex. The first issue was that there didn’t seem to be much of a difference between the death penalty and being sacrificed. On top of that, it had been a choice between Ralgwin and Fasta.

The girls didn’t have an answer for what the right choice was either, so all they could do was watch.

“Can you hear me, Veltlion?!” Clan alone called out to Koutarou. Her voice was coming from the bracelet on his arm. Normally, Koutarou would have to answer a call before her voice would come through, but Clan had used an emergency channel to forcibly reach him.

“Clan?!” Koutarou shot up from his seat when he heard her voice. He couldn’t imagine her using the emergency channel for no reason, so he assumed something serious must have happened.

“If you can hear me, get to the meeting room right away! Something major just happened!” Clan shouted.

“Okay, I’ll be right there!”

With that, Koutarou ran out of the room. It was bad manners to run inside the palace, but given the presumed emergency, he paid no attention to that rule as he made his way to the meeting room.

On the meeting room’s large hologram was an image of Ralgwin Vester Vandarion. As Vandarion’s nephew, Ralgwin continued his uncle’s military activities in his place after the elder was gone. As the leader of the Old Vandarion faction, he was known as the man who kept the anti-government forces together.

“I am sure there are many this does not apply to, but allow me to say it anyway. Greetings, citizens of Forthorthe. I am Ralgwin Vester Vandarion. Like my late uncle, Lord Vandarion, I am one who laments the future.”

The moment Koutarou saw the image, he immediately knew something was wrong. And that feeling only grew as “Ralgwin” continued.

“My uncle stepped off the rightful path, but I wish to continue in pursuit of his original goal, and that is to overthrow the decrepit imperial ruling system that has lingered far too long.”

The feeling that something was wrong reached its peak when Ralgwin spoke of overthrowing the imperial government. Koutarou could see past his gleaming eyes and overwhelming words to the intense hate and vengefulness hiding under the surface.

“I will admit that it was a good system while our society was still maturing. However, it has remained for longer than necessary. As a result, the royal families and those affiliated to them have amassed too much influence and profit, which is distorting society.”

That was a view Ralgwin hadn’t had before. Although he had striven for the same ideal in the past, he hadn’t had any particular obsession with the royal families or imperial government. It wasn’t like he had no feelings about them at all, but his wish had been to fulfill his uncle’s goals. So if he’d had any obsession, it was with his uncle, and he’d had no reason to hate the royal families or government directly.

“Therefore, we have stood up to right this wrong.”

“That isn’t Ralgwin. It’s him,” Koutarou stated.

He was convinced. Although the man had Ralgwin’s appearance and voice, it was a completely different person. Koutarou had an idea of who despised the royal families and current system and wanted to rule everything in their place.

“Violbarum Maxfern...” Alaia’s nemesis and the man that Koutarou had banished beyond space-time. He recognized the hate and vengefulness in “Ralgwin’s” eyes—within him was no doubt the very same man.

“You think so too?” Clan asked with an anxious expression. As someone who had been there two thousand years ago, she had the same impression, which was why she had contacted Koutarou over the emergency channel.

“I stand before you today to show that we are not only asking for reform. In other words...”

Koutarou and Clan were of the same mind. This meant the start of something terrible...and Maxfern’s next words were precisely what they feared.

“We, the Patriotic Band of Knights, and the Forthorthe Liberation Army that we are affiliated with, declare war on the royal families and the Imperial Army.”

“You damn idiot! Not only do you sacrifice Ralgwin to resurrect yourself, you’re trying to start another war, Maxfern!!!” Koutarou shouted, slamming his fist into the table. He didn’t even feel the pain in his hand.

“Veltlion!” Clan exclaimed, her voice worried.

Koutarou didn’t even notice her words as anger welled up inside of him. In the past, Violbarum Maxfern hadn’t been satisfied with merely being the prime minister; he had set his sights on seizing everything. Alaia and the Blue Knight had stopped him, but now, two thousand years later, he had resurrected himself through Ralgwin and was trying to take over the country again.

“Those who share our aspirations, gather under our flag! Let us defeat the Imperial Army together and right this country’s failures!”

Prime Minister Violbarum Maxfern and Grand Wizard Grevanas stood before Koutarou and the royal families once more.

Turning the clock back a bit: after being captured by Grevanas, Ralgwin was held in captivity for a while. Since his room had neither a window nor a clock, he couldn’t tell how much time had passed, but based on the number of luxurious dinners, it had been two or three days. The room was neither cramped nor dirty. It was quite spacious, with antique furnishings. Ralgwin wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about such things, but even he could tell that the bed alone could pay for an expensive car. It was far too luxurious a room to confine someone who wasn’t cooperative.

“I suppose that’s just how serious he is,” Ralgwin muttered to himself with a wry smile.

It wouldn’t have been strange for him to be tied down with his mouth gagged so that he couldn’t kill himself. But Grevanas hadn’t done that. Instead, he had compelled him not to kill himself or attempt to escape using magic, and then locked him inside this room. As long as he remained there, Ralgwin was free to do what he wanted. He had a good idea why Grevanas had done this—he would not only be sacrificed, but his body would also be taken over by Maxfern during the resurrection. Meaning that although it was Ralgwin’s body now, it would eventually become the body of Grevanas’s precious lord. That was why the wizard had used a method of confinement that wouldn’t harm or put stress on Ralgwin.

A voice suddenly answered his muttering. “Of course. I expended a lot of effort for this.”

“Grevanas...”

It was the Grand Wizard himself. He had appeared by the door at some point and now leisurely approached Ralgwin. He had the wrinkled face of a mummy, but there was a sharp gleam in his eyes. To Ralgwin it looked like he was excited.

Seeing that, Ralgwin smiled wryly once more. “If you’re going to show your face, I guess it means the time has come.”

Seeing the normally calm Grevanas so excited, Ralgwin sensed his fate. Yet he remained cool—he had already resolved himself after making his deal with the wizard.

“Indeed, but...” Grevanas calmed down, doubtful about Ralgwin’s reaction.

“What’s the matter? Not happy?”

“I expected you to attack the moment I entered, seeing as it is your last chance.”

Grevanas couldn’t understand why Ralgwin wasn’t resisting and simply appeared to be accepting his fate. It felt different from the man he had known so far.

“I am ready.” Even now, Ralgwin was calm. Contrary to the suspicious Grevanas, he revealed his inner thoughts while keeping his cool. “Besides, I doubt you’re lax enough to have cast a spell that would allow me to resist.”

“You are correct.”

Ralgwin’s calm came from more than just his resolve. He was certain that Grevanas had taken all measures necessary to prevent his escape. If Grevanas could compel him not to attempt suicide, he could prevent him from launching a surprise attack. That was why Ralgwin did nothing. He knew it was meaningless.

“It would be foolish to try to haphazardly fight back for naught, only revealing my intentions,” he explained.

“That is certainly true...but you won’t get any more than a haphazard chance.”

“I am talking about possibilities and strategies. Rather than struggle in vain now, I would rather resist when some kind of distraction arises.”

“So you would rather attack me during chaos, would you? That indeed makes sense.”

Even if he tried, there was next to no chance of Ralgwin being able to escape right now. Grevanas was on the alert, with countermeasures in place. But what if some unexpected trouble occurred? In such a case, escape might be possible. That logic made sense to Grevanas too.

“Of course, it may be a very small chance,” Ralgwin pointed out.

“I shall take that as a compliment.”

“Vexingly so.”

Grevanas had been suspicious of Ralgwin’s behavior, but his doubts had now been cleared up. Resist for naught or hope for the one-in-a-million chance for something bigger... It is a bold decision, but Ralgwin would have no choice but to gamble on that. Now that he mentioned it, it is a strategic way of thinking...

Ralgwin was making sense, and the situation would only allow him to act in the way he had noted.

“Very well. Come with me, Ralgwin-dono.”

“Yes. At least let me walk at my own pace.”

Grevanas chuckled. “I am, oddly enough, in a hurry.”

“Because you’ll be able to meet your lord for the first time in two thousand years? It’s not like I don’t understand, but let me give you a warning.”

“And what is that?”

“Don’t get too involved with Maxfern. Those sorts of feelings are the reason I’m here. There are times when you should give up, even if it is your lord.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Walking on his own power, Ralgwin Vester Vandarion headed for the end of his path.

Preparations were complete. An intricate pattern was carved into the floor as a magic circle. It was already activated, flickering as if it had a pulse. When Ralgwin stood on top of it, the circle started shining brighter and pulsing faster.

“Please sit down on the seat in the middle of the circle,” Grevanas instructed him.

“Okay...”

Ralgwin headed for the throne situated at the center of the magic circle. As he did, Grevanas moved closer to the surrounding equipment and did...something. The equipment was all products of Forthorthe’s latest science and spiritual energy technologies. Magic alone wouldn’t be enough to resurrect Maxfern. It would have been enough to bring back someone who had just died by healing the body and returning the soul. But Maxfern had perished two thousand years ago, and gathering a fragment of his body, let alone the soul, would be a challenge. Instead, Grevanas would use Ralgwin’s body and soul as a base to revive his lord.

“It would appear I lost the gamble.” Ralgwin sighed.

“So it would.”

Grevanas turned his scrawny face toward the control room of the base they were currently at. Far, far past it was the planet of Forthorthe. But the control room was silent. There was no fleet bearing down on them. In the end, no distraction that Ralgwin had hoped for happened. So with a wry smile, he sat down on the throne.

“This is goodbye, Ralgwin-dono.”

“Does it hurt?”

“If it’s going to hurt anyone, it will be Maxfern-sama.”

Maxfern’s resurrection would take place in three stages. First, Ralgwin’s body and soul would be separated. Next, using the gathered technology, his soul would be overwritten using fragments of Maxfern’s soul in order to reconstruct it. And finally, the reconstructed soul would be reconnected to the body. Based on the experiments he’d performed, Grevanas knew that the reconnection stage was accompanied by intense pain. Since the body was responsible for sensations, Ralgwin shouldn’t feel any pain upon being separated from his body. And it wouldn’t be Ralgwin who was being reconnected afterward.

Still, I am sure you will feel intense fear and mental pain from having your existence overwritten... Grevanas chose not to say anything about the mental aspect aloud. It wasn’t wise to risk destabilizing the sacrifice before the ritual.

“I see. So it’s decided,” Ralgwin stated.

“Do you have any final words?” Grevanas asked.

“I’ve already taken care of that. Didn’t you do the same before you started your rebellion?”

“Ah, how nostalgic. You are right. Two thousand years ago, I made a vow to Maxfern-sama and had a long discussion with him before we raised our forces.”

“You should have another long discussion later.”

“I believe I will. Now then, Ralgwin-dono, it is lamentable...but this is the end.”

“Hmph...you don’t lament it in the slightest.”

“How harsh. Well, once again, goodbye. Or perhaps I should say, see you in a moment.”

“Sure.”

And with that, the two said nothing more. After working on the equipment, Grevanas stood at the edge of the magic circle and began his incantation.

“O spirits of mind in the depths of the heart! O spirits of the soul that sit on the throne of the soul! Heed my call!”

He used the same ancient magic language as Harumi and gestured with his hands at the same time to cast his spell. Grevanas would go on to use several spells. From high to low, from strong to weak. It was like a song, except his undead voice was horribly dry, twisted and stagnated. There wasn’t the slightest fragment of elegance one might find in a song.

Ralgwin found himself in darkness. Having been separated from his body, his senses were no longer working, and he couldn’t perceive anything. But he could still think. Despite being only a soul, he had maintained his ability to think.

It seems he wasn’t lying...

Like Grevanas had said, there wasn’t any pain. But he still felt fear. It was terrifying to think that he was being overwritten by someone else. He might have resolved himself to it, but the fear was inescapable. That and the mental strain were so bad that if he could have moved his body, he would have tried to run away in a disgraceful manner to escape it.

“So, you are Ralgwin,” a voice rang out nearby.

He focused on the sound and a figure appeared in the darkness. It was a large, old man wearing very old-fashioned clothes.

Uncle?! No, you’re not him...

For a second, Ralgwin had thought it was his uncle, Vandarion. But when he looked into those eyes, he realized it was someone else. They had the same dark gleam as Grevanas’s eyes.

Are you Maxfern? Ralgwin couldn’t speak, but he could think, and the old man nodded as if he’d read his mind.

“That’s right. I am Violbarum Maxfern, the man who was the Holy Forthorthian Empire’s prime minister. And henceforth I will stand at the top of Forthorthe.”

The old man didn’t answer out loud either, but they were able to hold a conversation. Their souls were communicating.

I thought you were a more intellectual man than that, Ralgwin replied.

He knew about Violbarum Maxfern, someone spoken of in history lessons, and he’d looked deeper into him after meeting Grevanas. Since Maxfern had been the prime minister, Ralgwin had assumed he was more intellectual. Yet now he saw that he was a man of ambition, with a strong will.

“Hahaha, history is so fragile. It twists so easily with a little bit of force. Illusions are also mixed in from other people’s desires. You can tell as much from Grevanas, no? He was more intellectual than that.”

Knowledge of Maxfern hadn’t reached Folsaria, so it was assumed that Grevanas had rebelled on his own. As a result, people’s recognition had twisted and influenced him, turning him into something closer to Maxfern. The fragility of history had changed Grevanas.

True, he did say that he was being eroded by your existence and history, Ralgwin commented.

“This situation is much the same. Like Grevanas, the information that makes me who I am has been eroded and changed. From here on, you will become me.”

Maxfern “spoke” in a harsher tone as he closed in on Ralgwin. It felt like he was telling him that he would crush any resistance.

Do whatever you want. My fate reached its end long ago. Ralgwin’s response was indifferent, as if to say that he had no interest in his destiny.

Maxfern found that frustrating. “Are you giving up? You are my descendant! Keep it together! Try to fight back!” The lack of resistance bothered him. He wanted Ralgwin to crawl desperately across the ground, even if he was at a disadvantage—to fight back. That was how Maxfern himself lived.

Don’t you want to take me over?

“They are two separate issues. I do not want to see my descendant fall so low. After all, my desire is eternal prosperity!”

Maxfern’s goal was to become the ruler of Forthorthe, which also meant that his family would thrive. That included distant relatives like Ralgwin. He was taking over his descendant’s body, but his mindset remained his own.

Do you think that’s possible? When you’re going up against the Blue Knight? Ralgwin wondered.

The royal family and the Blue Knight would stand in Maxfern’s way when he tried to take over the country. The Blue Knight with the sword of kingship was particularly troublesome. Ralgwin recalled when he had cut down his uncle. It had been a powerful blow, as if to cut the planet in half. He could imagine that it wasn’t something the Blue Knight could use whenever he pleased, but he should be expected to bring out that move when true danger was upon him.

In other words, he was a singular enemy who could use a strategic weapon without warning. That was why Ralgwin had needed time to prepare and why Grevanas had ended up taking the initiative. Naturally, Maxfern was likely to face the same problem.

“I will show you! I will be the one to seize the heavens! Even if I face the Blue Knight or the Goddess of Dawn! I will trample all my enemies and seize everything!”

Maxfern was resolved. He was going to fight, well aware of the powers of the Blue Knight and the others. Making up for his failure two thousand years ago, he would bring the Blue Knight and the royal families to their knees. His eyes burned with the powerful ambition to seize it all.

Everything, huh? Ralgwin narrowed his eyes.

“Indeed, everything! I will turn Alaia, the Blue Knight, and everyone who failed to acknowledge me into ashes and create a new world from them!” Maxfern was excited and overlooked the change in Ralgwin.

You are similar to my uncle, Vandarion, but you really are different enough...

Maxfern and Vandarion were similar, from their appearances to their behavior. In fact, Ralgwin had confused them for one another when he first saw Maxfern. However, there was a difference between the two. True, Marswell Daora Vandarion had been a man of ambition, prepared to take Forthorthe no matter the cost—but there had been an exception. He had been kind to his friends and family, and had had a compassionate side when it came to them. That included his nephew Ralgwin and his old friend Grenado Valkyris.

In contrast, Maxfern was different. He would give everything he had, likely including his friend Grevanas. History proved that. Maxfern had even used his niece, Lidith, for the sake of his ambition, attempting to kill her in the end.

“Isn’t that obvious?! Do not compare me to a man who failed to seize the heavens!”

Vandarion attempting to lay claim to everything was fine. As Maxfern’s descendant, it made sense. But he had failed and fallen on the path. It was a detestable folly.

You were no different. Ralgwin knew Maxfern had been bested by the Blue Knight and banished beyond space-time. He had died with despair in his chest.

Those words enraged Maxfern. “I, Violbarum Maxfern, intend to correct that mistake!!! I am nothing like your uncle! I will be the one to seize everything!”

He was furious because it was a stain on him. He knew he was no different from Vandarion, which was why he had to prove that he was superior by resurrecting and taking over the country—that he was the true champion, not the Blue Knight.

Then I look forward to the moment you and the Blue Knight cross blades, Ralgwin said with a faint smile. He was convinced that Maxfern would have the tables turned on him.

Maxfern didn’t like that expression, and his tone grew harsher. “I look forward to it as well! Of course...as someone who is going to disappear, you will never live to see it!”

Ralgwin didn’t answer. He simply stared at Maxfern for a while with his faint smile. It was as if he was looking down on him.

Frustrated, Maxfern brought their discussion to an end. “Now, you will hand over that throne! It belongs to me! I will be taking your body!”

And then, in an instant, large amounts of information were written over Ralgwin’s soul. Or perhaps the information that made up Ralgwin was being erased. He felt an intense sense of loss and the fear of being turned into something else. Even so, his expression never changed. The situation was going as Maxfern and Grevanas wanted, but Maxfern was displeased that at the very end, he had been unable to erase Ralgwin’s smile.

When he first woke up, Maxfern didn’t know where he was. It was a place unfamiliar to him, and with his outdated knowledge, he didn’t even know what material the wall was made of. The only impression he had was that the room was unnaturally bright.

But before long, he was given the information he needed. It was a Vandarion faction headquarters on a certain planet. The wall was made of a resin created by processing petroleum, and the light was coming from the latest in lighting technology. No one had told him this, nor had he studied it. For some reason the information was simply flooding into his mind. It was like reading an encyclopedia.

“How infuriating...”

Those were his first words upon waking up. He was vaguely aware of the source of the information, which was why he was frustrated.

“Maxfern-sama?! You have awoken!”

Grevanas reacted to his voice and ran up. Maxfern was sitting on the throne in the middle of the magic circle.

“It has been a while. But...your face looks terrible, Grevanas.”