Grimgal of Ashes and Illusion - Volume 6 - Chapter 6

6. Priorities in Life

Haruhiro’s favorite kanji was the one for “ground.” He didn’t like absolutely everything about it, but he liked most of the words and expressions it showed up in. “To have one’s feet firmly on the ground,” for instance.

He was more of a “ground” person than a “sky” person. He would rather be an insect crawling on the ground than a bird soaring through the sky. He didn’t particularly like insects—he hated them, actually—but for all that people said, “You’re gross,” or “You’re annoying,” or “Don’t come out,” or “I hope you go extinct,” or insulted them, insects kept on stubbornly surviving. He respected them for that. That was why you could say this job perfectly suited Haruhiro.

Beneath the many-colored sky of the Dusk Realm, Haruhiro held a shovel tightly. This goes without saying, but a shovel is a tool for digging holes and scooping dirt. He had been able to procure them at the Lonesome Field Outpost.

Haruhiro thought it suited him perfectly. He was a man who looked good with a shovel. That was cool. No, maybe it wasn’t. He didn’t need to be cool.

“Delm, hel, en—” Mimorin chanted as she used her staff to draw elemental sigils. “Balk, zel, arve.”

When she did, the ground was blasted away and dirt and sand scattered all over, leaving a hole about 1.5 meters in diameter.

The was the Arve Magic spell, Blast. Maybe because she had just learned it, it wasn’t as powerful as they had hoped. That had to do with the mage’s basic skill, as well as her mastery, which was different for each school of magic.

“Mimorin, one more shot, go! Yeah!” Anna-san hollered.

With Anna-san egging her on, Mimorin let out a strange grunt of “Mnngh,” then began casting her magic again. “Delm, hel, en, balk, zel, arve.”

Dungh.

“Delm, hel, en, balk, zel, arve.”

Zongh.

“Delm, hel, en, balk, zel, arve.”

Bokongh.

“Delm, hel, en, balk, zel, arve.”

Bugoom.

“Delm, hel, en...” Halfway through the incantation, Mimorin bent over and rested her weight against her staff which she thrust into the ground. “...Tired.”

“You worked hard!” Tokimune winked and flashed her a smile before lifting up a shovel. “Okay, let’s dig!”

The five holes Mimorin had opened in the ground with Blast were spaced ten meters apart in all directions. Haruhiro, his party, and all of the Tokkis except for Mimorin and Anna-san, so ten people in total, each took a shovel and began work on expanding the holes. They widened and connected the five holes, creating one much larger hole.

What were they doing, you ask? Don’t you get it?

“Zwoooooooooooreeeeeeeeee!” Ranta yelled.

“...Ranta,” said Haruhiro. “You’re too noisy. Can’t you just shut up and work?”

“No can do! If I shut up, my spirit will break down out of boredom!”

“Let it break...” Kuzaku muttered while swinging his shovel.

“What’d you say?! Kuzacky, why youuuu?!” Ranta screamed.

“You really are noisy,” Merry said coldly, brushing her hair back behind her ear.

“Oh, I’m being nooooisy. Soooorry, okay? It’s fiiiine. I’m used to being criticized like that. Me, I don’t care oooone bit what you say about me. Hyuk, hyuk, hyuk, hyuk.”

“You’re the worst,” Shihoru spat at him.

“Yayyyy! I’m the worst! I’m the worst kind of human ever! Bugabugaboo!”

“Stupid Ranta! How about you stop runnin’ your mouth and start movin’ your hands, huh?” Yume snapped.

“I am moving my hands. Look at them go! Lookie, lookie, lookie!”

In fact, the more Ranta talked, the faster his shovel moved. It was pretty—no, very—creepy. Ranta was harmful and his actions were toxic.

Should I tell him off? Haruhiro thought it over for about three seconds. Nah. Leave him.

This was (worthless) (stupid) Ranta (the piece of crap). He’d argue back no matter what Haruhiro said. It would have the opposite effect. Following the most important principle in handling Ranta, he ignored him.

I have enough trouble already just with the digging, Haruhiro told himself.

It was heavy labor, but little by little, the hole was steadily expanding. It grew on him as he did it. Personally, he didn’t mind work like this.

But why are we doing this anyway?

“Yeah, you know what...” Tada threw down his shovel and picked up his warhammer, which he had left sitting nearby. “Chipping away at this is gonna take forever. Let’s speed things up.”

“Whoa, man!” Kikkawa cried. “Tadacchi, you’re gonna go for it?!”

What, Kikkawa, are you trying to kiss up to him? Haruhiro thought. Well, he always seemed like the type.

“Heh...” Inui sat down. “I’m bored.”

“You no say you bored, yeah!” Anna-san smacked Inui upside the head.

Not that it matters, but Anna-san really doesn’t participate when there’s physical labor involved, does she? Haruhiro noted.

“Here goes!” Tada did a run up and then a somersault. “Somersault Bomb...!”

Boom... Tada’s warhammer exploded and left a huge dent in the ground.

“Looks like it’ll need more than that, huh,” Tokimune said teasingly.

“Tch...” Tada clicked his tongue and got ready for another Somersault Bomb. “I’ll give it as many as it takes! Somersault Bomb!”

Fine, just do whatever you want, Haruhiro thought. But what are we doing this for...?

Why?

He understood, of course. He wouldn’t be digging if he didn’t know the reason. Digging suited Haruhiro’s personality, but he didn’t like it enough to make a hobby of it.

Just after six o’clock on the day after they’d first met Akira-san, Gogh, Kayo, Miho, Branken, and Taro, Haruhiro and the others had met up with Soma at the Lonesome Field Outpost.

It had been a bit hectic then. Soma was something of a star, after all, and not only with the volunteer soldiers. When the back street merchants, and even the frontier army soldiers spotted Soma, Hey, that’s Soma, man, Soma. It really is Soma. Isn’t that Soma? It’s Soma! Whoa, Soma in the flesh... That’s kind of how things went.

Then there was Akira-san and his group on top of that, so it was a real mess. It was like a little—no, that’s a lie, a huge—festival was created on the spot.

It was decided they’d go for food and some drinks in the back streets, but Haruhiro and the party were all so tense, they couldn’t say much of anything. Even though it was so loud with all of the onlookers, even Ranta was as quiet as could be.

Meanwhile, Soma and Akira-san’s groups were both, with some exceptions, friendly and welcoming, so everyone got used to it eventually. Where’ve you been? What’ve you been up to? They got to the point where they would have been able to ask those questions.

Until the Tokkis barged in, that was.

“Hey, Soma.” Tokimune was easygoing.

“Yo.” Tada was brusque.

“Heh...” Inui made no sense.

“Here’s Anna-san, yeah!” Anna-san was her usual Anna-san self.

“Hey.” Mimorin waved one hand.

“H-Heya, heya, heeeeya!” Kikkawa was the only one whose voice cracked a little.

When the Tokkis came in making a racket, Akira-san looked amused. He said, “Oh, yeah, come to think of it—” and brought up that topic. “I hear there’s something interesting going on in the Dusk Realm that Haruhiro-kun, Tokimune-kun, and their group found a little while back.”

Soma chewed his meat for a while, then swallowed. “Something interesting?” he responded. “I’d like to hear what it is.”

“How about it?” Akira-san asked. “Why don’t we all go check it out together?”

“Let’s.”

“That was fast...” Haruhiro murmured under his breath without meaning to.

“Hm?” Soma’s eyes opened wide with surprise and he looked at Haruhiro. “What was fast?”

“Nothing,” Haruhiro said, flustered. “Uh, let’s see, how fast you decided, how instantly...”

“It’s a real problem,” Lilia said with a look of exasperation on her nonetheless all-too-beautiful face. “I know I always say this, but please, consider your current position and act with prudence, Soma. You are too impulsive at times.”

“Ooh, she’s mad.” Shima gave a sexy little laugh.

“Well, yeah.” Kemuri rubbed his cheek. He had been clean-shaven the last time they’d met, but now his beard had grown a fair bit. It matched his dreadlocks well. “Still, that does work in our favor sometimes.”

“It’s because he’s an idiot,” Pingo said, narrowing his eyes in a way that didn’t suit his childlike face. “Uheheh... Poor thought resembles rest, and so an idiot’s thoughts seem to be at rest... In the end, he’s an idiot, so it’s pointless for him to think. There’s no medicine to cure stupidity...”

“I wish there was a cure.” Soma looked down, as if in thought, then his head snapped back up with a sudden realization. “I’m an idiot?”

“Did you think you weren’t?” Pingo asked. “Uheheheh...”

“Pingo.” Lilia gave him the side-eye. “You’re going too far. We elves have a saying: Be courteous even among close friends, and—”

“Well, I don’t see the harm, Lilia,” Soma said placatingly.

Lilia’s cheeks burned crimson with anger. “Who do you think I’m saying this for?!”

“Who?”

“Huh...? Th-That’s, um... B-Basically...”

The way Lilia fidgeted around was incredibly cute. It was a salve for sore eyes, but it didn’t comfort Haruhiro’s heart. That was because Tokimune’s scheme had succeeded. Just succeeded? No, it had found an unbelievably great success. Soma, Akira-san, and the Day Breakers were all going to invade the Dusk Realm, it seemed.

The rumors raced around the Lonesome Field Outpost, spreading at an incredible speed.

Me, too! Me, too! People hastened to join.

Incredibly, by the end of that night, messengers from “One-on-One” Max of Iron Knuckle, and “Red Devil” Ducky of the Berserkers arrived. On the next morning as they were preparing to depart, Shinohara of Orion came to meet with Soma directly.

Now that things had become such a big deal, Nah, I think we’re gonna sit this one out— was something Haruhiro didn’t have the guts to say. After all, Soma of the Day Breakers was saying he was going to do it. Haruhiro was part of the Day Breakers, the clan Soma had founded. Even if they were at the very bottom, they were comrades.

He couldn’t say it. Couldn’t say, No way. We can’t do it. It would be pathetic, embarrassing, and he would disappoint Soma and the others. He didn’t want them to look down on him.

Ignoring the Tokkis for the moment, if Soma’s party, Akira-san’s party, Iron Knuckle, the Berserkers, and Orion were all taking part, it might not be that dangerous for them, after all. It was hard to deny that this thought had begun to take root in Haruhiro’s mind.

Well, I’m curious, too. It would be a lie to say I’m not.

When not only the current and former strongest volunteer soldiers, but also a number of famous clans gathered, what would happen? How would they fight? What sort of scenes would unfold there? Just how much higher of a level were all of them on?

Yeah, I want to see that. If we could just watch, honestly, I’d give anything to see it. It’d be a waste not to.

However, Haruhiro and the others just so happened to be in the Day Breakers. They couldn’t get away with just watching. They’d need to do something. He couldn’t ask for them to be left out because they were pitifully weak, no matter how much he might have wanted to.

But what can we do?

At ten o’clock in the morning, a total of twenty-four people entered the Dusk Realm: eighteen members of the Day Breakers (Soma’s party, Akira-san’s party, and Haruhiro’s party), plus the Tokkis.

While standing on the initial hill and looking to the giant god and that mysterious, massive white creature, Haruhiro thought about the situation.

No, he had been thinking for a while now.

Before long, Iron Knuckle, the Berserkers, and Orion would catch up with them. When that happened, these guys might start the fight right away.

One of the hunting skills Yume had acquired had given him the hint he needed.

Pit Trap.

“U-Um.” Haruhiro worked up his courage, as if he were about to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu. Uh, what’s a kiyomizu again? he wondered, as he said, “H-How about we lay a trap? Would that be a good idea... maybe? I think it might be... Like, instead of just fighting them straight-up, we should use everything we can...”

The plan that Haruhiro had needed to work up enough courage to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu to be able to suggest brought on a debate.

Just a debate, though. Like, if they were going to set a trap, what kind should it be? Or, what was their estimate on the giant god’s size, and how large would it need to be to accommodate that?

Soma’s and Akira-san’s parties in particular—though Zenmai the golem was an exception to this—had a spirited exchange of opinions on the topic.

They’re so different from us, Haruhiro painfully realized.

No one acted like it didn’t concern them. Not one of them acted like it wasn’t their problem, or like they weren’t good at thinking and it was a hassle, so they’d leave it to the others to decide. Though some would make jokes, mock the others’ ideas, or criticize them harshly, the debate never got bogged down, and things proceeded at a brisk pace.

Haruhiro’s party and the Tokkis were left on the sidelines. He didn’t know how the Tokkis and Ranta felt about that. But Haruhiro was, presumptuous as it was to be, frustrated.

He was also surprised to find himself frustrated. After all, Haruhiro was just an underling here. He knew he was the lowest of the low. It was only natural that they would be inferior to Soma and Akira-san’s parties, and it was a given that they’d be completely different.

He was frustrated? Huh? What was he getting so serious for? What a laugh. If he was an underling, he ought to sit in the corner like one, nodding along with whatever he was told, and at least stay out of the incredible people’s way. He really felt that way. Because they were different. They were made of different stuff. He could struggle all he wanted, but there was no way his party could ever be like Soma’s and Akira-san’s.

Right?

Yeah... That was right.

Could he not accept that? Did that mean he hadn’t given up yet, maybe? It wasn’t as if his own group didn’t have some potential. At the very least, they didn’t have absolutely zero. Was that what he was thinking? Was this the drive for advancement of someone who was the plainest of the plain? His sense of responsibility as their leader?

Whatever it was, he was definitely frustrated, and he didn’t want to stay that way. Haruhiro did everything he could to involve himself in the discussion. He didn’t manage to say much of anything, but they did decide to set traps.

It was decided that Haruhiro’s party and the Tokkis would dig one pit trap, and Iron Knuckle, the Berserkers, and Orion, who arrived at the initial hill one after another at around ten o’clock in the morning, would also each dig one. The locations were decided on by consensus.

In the time it took for the traps to be completed, Soma, Akira-san, and their parties would act as bait and lead the giant god and white creature on a chase while observing them.

From Iron Knuckle, a total of eighteen members under the command of “One-on-One” Max and Aidan would participate. The Berserkers had a total membership of over thirty, but seventeen of them came under the command of “Red Devil” Ducky and his second-in-command, Saga.

Orion also had over thirty members. Of them, four parties, for a total of twenty-four people including Shinohara, Kimura, and Hayashi gathered.

The Day Breakers had eighteen, including Soma’s, Akira-san’s, and Haruhiro’s parties.

The Tokkis had six.

On top of that, there were five parties with no clan affiliation, or whose clan was spread out, for a total twenty-five people. That included the duo of Lala and Nono.

Incredibly, Tokimune’s random idea had spawned a massive operation involving one hundred and eight people.

And so, Haruhiro was swinging his shovel and diligently digging.

Incidentally, Lala and Nono had shrewdly joined the diversion team, and the twenty-three volunteer soldiers who weren’t digging were on standby in the settlement, which had become pretty desolate with more than half of the merchants clearing out.

“But still...” Haruhiro wiped the sweat from his brow. He looked at the hole. “This isn’t as easy as I thought...”

Thanks to Mimorin’s Blast magic, they had managed to at least make a hole that was around ten meters across. However, the depth was a meter and a half at best. Even if a person fell in, all it was going to do was make them sprain an ankle or land on their rump. It wouldn’t do anything to the giant god.

“Who knew digging a hole could be this difficult?” Haruhiro muttered.

It looked like Ranta and the Tokkis were no longer in the mood to joke around. They were digging quietly.

No, not Ranta. He was rubbing his backside, crouching down, wandering around, and generally slacking off. Even Anna-san, the cheerleader, was doing the unfamiliar work of digging, but not that piece of trash.

“I’ll do it.” Mimorin, who had been kneeling and meditating with her eyes closed, stood up. So Haruhiro and the others got out of the hole for a moment.

“Mimorin, focus on one spot,” Haruhiro called.

Mimorin nodded and began to chant as she drew elemental sigils with her staff. “Delm, hel, en, balk, zel, arve.”

Boom. Mimorin slammed a Blast into the middle of the hole.

“Delm, hel, en, balk, zel, arve. Delm, hel, en, balk, zel, arve. Delm, hel, en, balk, zel, arve. Delm, hel, en, balk, zel, arve.”

Five shots, pretty much sequentially. Like Haruhiro had told her to, Mimorin was triggering all of her Blasts in practically the same spot. Thanks to that, that section caved in and got pretty deep.

Mimorin stumbled, supporting herself with her staff to stop herself from falling. For Mimorin, who wasn’t good with magic despite being a mage, it seemed firing off five sequential blasts was hard on her.

“If I could use Blast, too...” Shihoru looked down and mumbled. “Instead of Ice Globe, I should have gone all the way and picked up Arve Magic...”

“Heh...” Inui blew her a kiss. “If you’d like, I wouldn’t mind being your Blast.”

“No thanks,” Shihoru replied immediately and firmly. “You being my Blast? That makes no sense. It’s creepy, too...”

“Meoooow!” Yume stretched. “Well, time to get back to diggin’.”

“Hold on, are we ever gonna finish this?” Ranta whined. Despite having done the least of anyone there, that piece of trash was losing heart.

“My back hurts...” Kuzaku sighed and put a hand on his lower back.

“You okay?” Merry glanced over to him.

“Oh. Uh, yeah. I’m fine.”

“Okay, then.”

Without intending to, Haruhiro composed a haiku in his head.

Oh, to be so close,

What an incredible thing

That must be.

- Haruhiro

Only he botched the syllable count.

No, this was no good. His heart felt like it was rotting away inside him. How could Haruhiro act like this when he was the one who’d suggested the idea?

“L-Let’s do our best, guys,” he said. It ended up being a weak, listless call to action.

“Yeahhhh...” Kikkawa’s response was just as unenthusiastic.

“I really not good at this stuff, yeah...” Anna-san said.

“Anna-san, you take a rest.” Tokimune flashed his white teeth and told her that with considerably less energy than usual.

“It’s weird.” Tada, on the other hand, seemed to be angry. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Why am I digging a hole?”

Yeah, that’s my fault. Haruhiro wanted to apologize, but what good would come from him bowing his head? It might help with the guilt, maybe? Then what? What came after that? They couldn’t very well stop digging the pit trap now. If they were going to do it, they had to go all the way.

Haruhiro resolved himself to continue, and stabbed his shovel into the earth. He went at it with all his energy, digging out a line.

The line eventually connected to itself, forming a circle with around a twenty-five-meter diameter. The current hole fit completely inside it.

“The enemy’s ridiculously huge, and clearly way too strong! I don’t think we can possibly prepare enough for this! L-Let’s dig!” Haruhiro called. “Dig that pit trap! I’m digging! I want you all to dig, too! It could come in handy... maybe, no, definitely, I think! S-So, um...”

“Dig.” Mimorin dropped her staff and picked up a shovel. “I’ll dig.”

“Yume’s gonna give it her all, too!” Yume breathed heavily through her nose as she tore into the earth.

Shihoru bit her lip. “Depending how I use them, Shadow Echo and Thunder Storm might help...”

Merry was silently swinging her shovel.

“Well, my body’s pretty tough, after all.” Kuzaku was steadily digging a hole.

“Bah! If I have to!” Ranta shouldered his shovel with an insolent attitude.

“Aww, yeah!” Kikkawa yelled. You could always count on Kikkawa at a time like this. “I’m on fire, fire, fire! I’m burn, burn, burning up!

“I’ll just have to be patient until it’s time to fight.” Tada adjusted his glasses with his left index finger. “Until then, I guess I’ll dig to help whet my appetite.”

“Heh...” Inui opened his one eye that wasn’t covered by an eyepatch wide. “Until the fated time comes for I, the one they call the Black Wings...!”

He made as little sense as ever.

“Let’s be patient and keep at it.” Tokimune gave them all a thumbs up. “Digging the hole is important, but if we exhaust ourselves doing it, it defeats the purpose.”

“Yeah. You’re right.” Haruhiro hung his head.

Balance. It’s important to keep a sense of balance, he thought.

When he thought about it, because he was the one who had proposed making a trap, he couldn’t deny he had been fixated on the thought that, no matter what, he had to make a great pit trap.

What was the most important thing here? He couldn’t lose sight of that. Right. What was the most important thing?

To defeat the giant god.

That was it.

Is it? he wondered.

Was that actually what was most important for Haruhiro and the others?

“Huh? You know, I’m having a hard time seeing it that way...” he murmured.