ACT 1
“Lord Yuuto! Lady Mitsuki! Congratulations and best wishes!”
“Congratulations!”
“Long live the Steel Clan!”
The citizens of Gimlé cheered, their voices a cacophony welling up from the city center.
This was the endcap of the wedding ceremony, a grand street parade.
Both sides of the main thoroughfare were full to bursting with people eager to catch a glimpse of Yuuto and his new wife.
Riding atop a horse-drawn carriage gorgeously decorated in dazzling gold and silver, Yuuto and Mitsuki acknowledged the cheers and waved back.
The atmosphere was one of total celebration and merriment, the faces of the people filled with joy...
“Dammit, this is turning into a real mess...”
...But the man of the hour was muttering bitterly to himself, even as he kept a happy smile plastered on his face.
Right now, Yuuto’s mind was completely occupied with concerns about the subjugation order issued by the þjóðann against the Steel Clan.
“Didn’t you say this was something you expected?” Mitsuki, his newly wedded wife, asked him softly, as she maintained her own smiles for the crowd.
“I was bluffing,” Yuuto replied. “A ruler’s anxiety spreads to those under him. I decided in the moment that I would act like it wasn’t a big deal.”
Continuing the ceremony and holding the parade on schedule as planned were the results of that decision.
Thanks to the use of messenger pigeons, his clan boasted an overwhelming advantage over other nations in the speed with which it could send and receive information. Because of that, he’d figured the situation wasn’t urgent enough to require immediate countermeasures on his part. That knowledge had played a part in letting him decide to go through on his bluff.
“Oh wow, I can’t believe you could stay calm and consider all that in that one moment,” Mitsuki said.
“I have to,” Yuuto replied. “Having unexpected things like that thrown at you is something that happens all the time on the battlefield.”
The commander of an army must be able to stay level-headed in any and all circumstances and maintain at least the appearance of undisturbed composure.
That was the principle that Yuuto was always holding himself to, and his efforts had paid off.
“Anyway, I can’t imagine that subjugation order is something Rífa did of her own free will,” Yuuto stated. “I mean, I also don’t want to imagine that,” he added, letting slip a hint of concern.
“Yeah...” Mitsuki’s smiling face clouded over with worry for just a second.
From late autumn last year until this past spring, Rífa had lodged with the Wolf Clan in Iárnviðr, but she hadn’t suffered any particular offenses to her honor or anything like that.
In fact, she’d quite enjoyed her time there.
And when Yuuto found himself forcibly transported back to modern Japan, she had lent her powers to help bring him back here. It would certainly be weird for her to go through all the trouble to summon him back here, just to call for a war against him.
Yuuto continued, “I’d say it’s a safe bet this is someone else’s work. Someone issuing the order falsely under Rífa’s name.”
And if that was the case, he already had a good idea as to just who it was.
With some investigation, Yuuto now knew that Rífa was currently no longer in control of the government of the Holy Ásgarðr Empire. It was running entirely at the beck and call of someone else, a certain old man.
He was the patriarch of one of the Ten Great Clans of the realm, the Spear Clan, which protected the southern half of the central Ásgarðr region. Not only that, he was also the Imperial High Priest, one of the most powerful positions in the government...
Yuuto whispered the name. “Hárbarth. The man they call Skilfingr, the Watcher From on High...”
As his other name suggested, the old man seemed to have a keen grasp on everything happening in the empire, whether it was the secret scandals and weaknesses of the court nobles in the capital Glaðsheimr, or full details of incidents that occurred in regions far away.
Knowing everything going on in Glaðsheimr was one thing, but knowing of faraway events was quite another. In the world of Yggdrasil, where information took much longer to travel than in the 21st century, such an ability was a clear threat.
By conquering and absorbing the Panther Clan, the Steel Clan had finally become large enough to rival the two most powerful clans in the empire. Yuuto could at least praise the man for taking such immediate steps to try to cut him back down.
First things first. I will conquer Yggdrasil.
That was the oath Yuuto had sworn with himself, but it seemed the path to his goal wasn’t going to be a smooth one at all.
“Kris!”
After the parade had ended and Yuuto arrived back at the palace, he immediately jumped down from the carriage and shouted the name of his subordinate. There was no longer a trace of happy newlywed in his demeanor.
“I am here, my lord.” The reply came from directly behind him.
Yuuto hadn’t sensed anyone’s presence, but he wasn’t startled. He turned around and faced the owner of the voice, a young girl who looked to be a child of only twelve or thirteen.
“Do you have any new info?” Yuuto asked.
“From the Glaðsheimr region, I am afraid not in this short span of time.”
“Mm, I suppose that makes sense.”
“There is another matter, though...” Kristina paused. “Would it be all right if you lent me your ear for a moment?”
“Hmǔ What is it?” Yuuto bent down and allowed Kristina to whisper directly into his ear.
“Patriarch Douglas of the Ash Clan had a meeting with his subordinate to discuss whether it would be best for him to remain in loyal service to the Steel Clan or not.”
“...You’ve got great hearing, as always,” Yuuto said, his lips curling into a smirk.
Kristina looked for all the world like an innocent, adorable little girl, but in actuality she was a bona fide master at concealing her presence and hiding in plain sight, and an expert intelligence agent.
Douglas was, at the very least, the quality of person who’d managed to struggle his way up to patriarch of his clan. He surely had taken care to avoid attention and eavesdroppers when he had his private conversation.
But that effort was useless. Kristina still easily listened in on him without his knowledge. That was what made her so useful and reliable as Yuuto’s sworn daughter.
“Well,” Yuuto muttered indifferently, “considering this situation, I guess it’s not odd for at least one of them to act like that.”
He was bound to the other patriarchs through the Oath of the Chalice, a bond that was supposed to be thicker than blood, a bond which normally was absolutely unforgivable to break. But the subjugation order from the þjóðann carried the weight of imperial justice, and provided a perfectly valid out.
Right now, any of his sworn children could go back on their vows to him, and none could condemn them for it. Indeed, it would be perfectly natural for some of them to consider the option of betrayal as a way to ensure the survival of his or her clan.
“Looks like I was right to be quick about making my own move. How is that looking, by the way?”
“It will go off without a hitch,” Kristina replied.
“Really, now?” Yuuto’s eyes widened slightly. “I’m a little surprised. Considering the guy we’re talking about, I figured he might push back a bit.”
“Heh heh, it seems like he is far more afraid of making an enemy out of you than of the empire, Father.”
“Huh. Well, if he’s going to do exactly what I want, then that works just fine for me. All right, contact the subsidiary patriarchs and inform them we’ll be meeting in the conference room at once.”
“Understood, Father.” As Kristina confirmed receipt of his command, she vanished completely from sight in an instant, as if she’d been erased.
Yuuto was no better than an amateur in the martial arts, but even so, making him lose sight of her like that was an incredible feat of stealth.
“Man, I’m so glad I made her my sworn daughter.”
At times, information was far more valuable than iron or glass.
In this instance, without prior knowledge of the fact that Douglas was wavering, the eventual betrayal might have surprised Yuuto and left him disoriented. By knowing beforehand, he could take countermeasures.
In The Art of War, one of Yuuto’s most prized resources, Sun Tzu also declared that spies were the cornerstone of an army.
Kristina was certainly that and more.
“All right, it looks like everyone’s here, so I’ll call this council into order,” Yuuto announced, his eyes passing over the other people seated at the round table.
Illuminated by the orange glow of the wall torches, the faces of the seven subsidiary clan patriarchs looked back at him.
Each of them had a sense of dignity and presence befitting someone who had risen to the position of holding together and controlling a clan.
Yuuto continued. “I’m sorry for bringing you together so late at night like this, but I’m sure you’re all aware of why I had to.”
They all nodded firmly. Yuuto confirmed that everyone understood before continuing.
“Indeed, it’s the imperial subjugation order against the Steel Clan, said to have been issued by the þjóðann. It’s unclear why Her Majesty would issue such a declaration against us. Currently, I’m having Kristina investigate that.”
“Pardon me,” one of the patriarchs spoke up. “During the ceremony earlier, did you not say that this event was within your expectations?” The man’s voice was suspicious.
He was Fundinn, patriarch of the Mountain Dog Clan. His clan was based in the steep slopes of the Himinbjörg Mountains, and Fundinn indeed looked every bit the part of a stereotypical “mountain man.” His lips and chin were hidden beneath a rough beard, his hairy arms and chest were visible from within the gaps in his clothes... and he had a stare as sharp as a hawk’s.
“If you anticipated this situation in advance, you must have had some basis for doing so. Would it be possible for you to tell us?” he asked. His suspicious eyes pressed at Yuuto.
There was enough pressure behind that glare to make a normal man shudder in fear, but Yuuto took it in stride.
“All right,” he replied. “To put it frankly, it’s the fact that we’ve grown too large and powerful in such a short time. Large enough for the imperial government to start fearing they might get replaced before too long.”
The logic made sense on its face, but it was actually just reasoning Yuuto had thrown together after the fact, during the parade. He’d figured that after publicly stating the situation was within his expectations, he’d get a question or two along these lines.
However, he also didn’t think the logic of the statement was too far off the mark, either.
The þjóðann Rífa was a different matter, but Hárbarth was the one actually in control of the empire at the moment, and his motivations for creating this situation were probably somewhere along those lines.
“The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. That’s the way it’s always been. There’s no merit in us debating the ‘why’ of that. Instead, I want to discuss the near-term problems this subjugation order is likely going to lead to.”
“...I understand, Father,” Fundinn said with a nod, though his face showed that he didn’t fully accept Yuuto’s explanation.
The fact that he was still willing to be silent and back down on the point showed just how much he agreed with everyone else that the other problems were more pressing.
“Because of the subjugation order, all of the other clans in Yggdrasil have a sanctioned reason to attack and invade the Steel Clan. That said, I highly doubt any of their patriarchs are going to do us a favor and lead their clan across our border all on their lonesome. They know just how much difference there is in military strength between us and any one of them.”
Right now the Steel Clan was bordered on the west by what remained of the Panther and Hoof Clans, to the south by the Lightning Clan, and to the east by the Fang and Cloud Clans.
Five clans, but none of them worthy of being called a formidable opponent right now.
However...
“Here’s what I’m most fearful of,” Yuuto explained. “It’s that this subjugation order gives all of our surrounding clans the perfect justification to come together and form an alliance. Individually, each one of them wouldn’t be much of a threat to the Steel Clan, but if a bunch of them all attacked at once, I have to admit we’d have a seriously hard time taking them on.”
There was also the fact that the influence of the imperial order might help make it easier for those surrounding clans to get even more assistance from clans that didn’t border the Steel Clan.
The Steel Clan didn’t have enough resources to take on everyone at once.
Everyone at this table was someone capable of running a clan, of ruling and holding together a nation. They understood just how serious this situation was. The air around the table was gloomy and oppressive.
“And,” Yuuto went on, “I imagine that alliance is exactly what’s going to happen. After all, the clans around us feel even more threatened than the empire does by our expansion. This situation is the perfect opportunity for them.”
Under normal circumstances, getting five different clans to all march in lockstep would be an exercise in futility.
Each clan had its own motives and goals, different things they stood to lose or gain in a war campaign. Trying to get them to take on risk and work with each other would be no simple task.
The imperial subjugation order created a scenario where they could do just that. Everyone would be marching to war together under the imperial banner.
Looking through history, one can see quite a few examples of when small armies or states banded together to take on a powerful force that would have overwhelmed them individually.
There was the case of the ascendance of the state of Qin at the end of China’s Spring and Autumn period, which led to the other six smaller states attempting to form an alliance against Qin to keep its expansion in check.
Then there was the Japanese Sengoku period, where the so-called “Nobunaga Encirclement” coalition was formed between multiple warlords wary of Oda Nobunaga and the Oda clan’s rise to power.
In particular, the Sengoku example had a lot in common with the situation happening now. The shogun of the time, Ashikaga Yoshiaki, issued an edict under the authority of the Emperor of Japan calling for all warlords to unite against Nobunaga. This served as a powerful uniting force which led to the anti-Nobunaga coalition.
“If I’m gonna be frank here, I think there’s a good chance an alliance against us has already been formed at this point. They always say, ‘The most successful schemes are those drawn up in secrecy,’ after all. If the subjugation order’s being made public, it means they’ve all finished making their preparations.”
The sound of nervous gulping could be heard throughout the chamber.
If Yuuto’s prediction was correct, that would mean that in the very near future, their enemies would be attacking in tandem with armies from all sides.
Their numbers would total in the tens of thousands...
“This is a desperate situation with everyone’s lives on the line. I know some of you may be reluctant to go to war with the empire.” Yuuto stopped and looked at each of the patriarchs in turn, one by one. “If you wish to return my Chalice, and exchange the wine you drank for water, then say so here and now. I will not consider it a crime. I’ll make sure you get safely back to your people.”
“...!!” The others all gasped at Yuuto’s sudden proposal, their eyes wide.
The phrase “exchange the wine for water” meant rejecting the sacred wine that had been drunk while exchanging the Oath of the Chalice, and thus meant breaking the bond between sworn parent and child.
As evidenced by all of their discussion thus far, right now Yuuto and the Steel Clan needed every ally they could get. Yet here he was saying he would not stop any of them from walking out on him. It was enough to make them question if he was in his right mind.
However, the next words out of Yuuto’s mouth made them all realize exactly how much of a mistake that was.
“Well, of course, that means that the next time we meet, it’ll be on the battlefield as enemies, and I’ll do everything in my power to crush you.”
Yuuto’s lips curled up into a sinister grin, and there was an intense light burning in his eyes. That light was evidence that, no matter how hopeless the situation seemed, he clearly had every intention and expectation of winning in the end.
And the record of Yuuto’s many accomplishments so far were clear evidence that he wasn’t bluffing.
The patriarchs were all stunned into silence by Yuuto’s intensity, unable to speak, until finally one of them suddenly burst out laughing.
“Heh, hah hah hah! Just as bold and spirited as you always have been! I’d expect no less from the man I’ve asked to marry my daughters. I know this might be a little forward, it being your wedding day and all, but I must ask you again. Would you not be willing to accept the two of themǔ I don’t mind if it’s as concubines instead of wives.”
This man was Botvid, patriarch of the Claw Clan.
He’d said his piece with a chuckle, as if he were only joking around, but the contents of his request were no laughing matter.
He was indirectly saying that he would be willing to offer up his two daughters to Yuuto as hostages, as a guarantee of his loyalty.
“O-Oh, well if that’s how it’s going to be, then please, I’d like you to take my daughter as well!” Fundinn hurriedly cut in. “She’s not as pretty and refined as those city girls, but she’s a healthy girl with lots of stamina. I’m sure she’ll give you strong children.”
“Oh, my, then I might as well join in and ask, would you be willing to take my daughter too?”
With a chuckle, the woman known as Lágastaf spoke up as well. She was the patriarch of the Wheat Clan.
Since Yuuto was from Japan, when he’d first heard the name Lágastaf, it had sounded more or less like a male name to him, but the owner of said name was a charming and beautiful woman in her late twenties.
Apparently her husband had been the previous clan patriarch, but had died young, and his child subordinates had advocated for her to succeed him.
At first she looked like a calm, mild-mannered woman, but though her nation was small, she was a clan patriarch. There was certainly more to her.
The Wheat Clan was a very small and militarily weak nation, and she’d managed to preserve its existence as the power balance shifted by changing its allegiances over the years, from the Rhinoceros Clan to the Hoof Clan, and at last to the Wolf Clan. She clearly possessed a good instinct for diplomacy.
If a woman like her announced she was staying on Yuuto’s side, that meant something.
“I-I want you to take me in as well!” The Horn Clan patriarch Linnea spoke up next, her voice raised almost as if in protest to Lágastaf.
“Unfortunately I have no daughter to offer, but when the time comes to go to battle, I hope that you might honor me by sending me to fight at the front line.”
“And I’d love to say ‘take my daughter too,’ but I think you’re already surrounded by more beautiful girls than you know what to do with, Father.”
Next to join in was the Panther Clan patriarch, Skáviðr, his face as stone-serious as always. He was followed swiftly by the Wolf Clan patriarch, Jörgen, who ended his line with a playful wink and chuckle.
These last three people had been Yuuto’s allies since his days as the Wolf Clan patriarch, and they were steadfastly devoted to him.
There was no reason he could have to doubt their loyalty.
There was only one person left now, the Ash Clan patriarch Douglas.
He gave a sigh that sounded almost impressed, and said, “I was thinking of bringing my wife and children to visit Gimlé and see the sights. I wonder if that might be all right with you?”
Douglas’ expression looked somehow brighter, as if a weight had been lifted from him.
He had been struggling with whether to side with Yuuto or with the empire, but it seemed like this council meeting had helped bring him to an answer.
“Well now, Father, I’m quite impressed by just how dramatic an actor you are. To be honest, when you first delivered your line, even I shuddered a little, and I’d heard about the plan beforehand. My voice was firmly trapped in my throat!”
The meeting had ended, and after parting ways with everyone and returning to his office, Yuuto was listening to Botvid pepper him with cheery flattery.
The Claw Clan patriarch was a heavyset man with a bit of a belly, a half-receded hairline, and a very friendly smile that seemed to mark him as a boring, middle-aged man. But in reality, both inside and outside of his clan, Botvid had a reputation as a cunning and able ruler.
Yuuto shrugged and let out a bitter laugh. “We’re desperate here, of course I’m gonna put everything I have into the act. If I sit back and let people pretend like they’re on my side, and then when the chips are down they end up turning on me, there’s nothing I can do then.”
It wasn’t just about Douglas. It was easy enough for Yuuto to imagine that several of the other patriarchs could also have been struggling with deciding whose side to take.
The powerful bond between sworn parent and child existed precisely to prevent that sort of thing, but the imperial subjugation order had flipped everything on its head, practically sending things back to where they were before Yuuto swore the Oath of the Chalice with them in the first place.
That’s why Yuuto had sent a contact to Botvid before the council meeting, and they’d agreed to put on this show. It was partially to deter the other patriarchs from considering defection, and partly to gauge where they stood.
“Too true. Still, I never expected to see things go so exactly as scripted. I see you are quite the schemer, Father.”
“Hey, it’s not like I came up with the idea on my own. I basically mimicked a historical event known as the Oyama Council. Well, either way, I appreciate you working with me, Botvid. It’s thanks to you that things went so smoothly.”
“The ‘Oyama Council,’ you say. It’s an unfamiliar name to me. Do you think you could tell me about it?”
“So in the country I came from, a long time ago, there was this huge battle between the Eastern and Western Armies at a place called Sekigahara. The leader of the Eastern Army was Tokugawa Ieyasu, but loyalties were complicated at the time, and lots of his prospective generals were still on the fence about whether they would commit to fighting on his side. He talks to a powerful general named Fukushima Masanori and wins him over. The clever thing is how he uses Fukushima strategically. He calls a war council at Oyama, and has Fukushima very publicly ‘decide’ then and there that he’s committing to Tokugawa’s side. As soon as that happens, almost all of the other generals start pledging to him too, like an avalanche.”
“Oho...” Botvid leaned in closer to Yuuto, listening closely with interest.
“There’s even more to it,” Yuuto continued. “To reach the battlefield at Sekigahara, Tokugawa Ieyasu has to march through a region of the country called Tokaido. One of the warlords guarding the local area, Yamauchi Kazutoyo, said, ‘Hey, you can rest in my castle.’ The story goes that afterwards, other local lords in the Tokaido area all followed suit.”
“I see, I see.” Botvid was nodding to himself in understanding.
He’d always been a man who specialized in trickery and finesse; it was how he rose to power as a patriarch. It seemed he’d gotten the gist of the principle at play just from hearing those two examples.
The human heart is weak. It’s scary to commit to a difficult decision alone, and tempting to wait for someone stronger or more accomplished to make a decision and then trust that they were correct.
It’s also difficult to be the only person in the room to voice opposition. Then there’s the strong sense of pressure when others begin to commit to a choice, the fear of being left out if one doesn’t hurry to join them.
Tokugawa Ieyasu had made clever use of that psychology, indirectly compelling the generals to join his side.
“Still, I never expected that you would pick me, of all people, to assist you. The people of the Wolf Clan think of me as a venomous snake, after all.” Botvid chuckled wryly and slumped his shoulders.
Before Yuuto first arrived in Yggdrasil, Botvid had betrayed an alliance with the Wolf Clan. He’d taken advantage of the fact that, immediately after taking power from his predecessor, the previous Oath of the Chalice between the clans was invalid, and he’d attacked before there was a chance to react. He’d seized a great deal of territory from the Wolf Clan back then.
Ever since then, the people of the Wolf Clan viewed him with distrust and contempt.
“That was exactly why I picked you. No offense, but you’ve got a reputation as a sly bastard, so if someone like you is the first one to pledge yourself to my side, the others are going to start to see staying in the Steel Clan as the clever choice. Don’t you agree?”
“Hmm. That is true. However, you were also revealing a weakness in your position to me, and I could have turned around and used that against you. Did you not consider that?”
Asking Botvid to cooperate also meant admitting to him that the help was needed, showing him that the situation really was dire for the Steel Clan.
Played poorly, there was a good enough chance that a shrewd man like Botvid could take this as a sign and escape from his subordination to the Steel Clan.
In fact, Felicia had been very disapproving of the idea of using Botvid’s help.
However, Yuuto moved forward anyway, convinced this was the best way.
The reason for that conviction was...
“Face it, you actually think really highly of me, don’t you?”
Yuuto said this with a completely confident, broad smile, flashing his teeth.
For a brief moment, Botvid appeared dumbstruck, looking at Yuuto and blinking in a puzzled manner.
“You aren’t saying that’s the only reason you trusted me?” Botvid asked, a much more dubious expression on his face.
“I’m not allowed to make that my reason?” Yuuto responded.
“No, it’s not that... Still, that sort of evaluation can change according to the circumstances...”
“I said really highly, though. I was sure of it after what happened during the Battle of Körmt River.”
Back then, Yuuto had been forcibly sent back to modern Japan by Sigyn’s seiðr magic. The Wolf Clan was in an even more hopeless situation at that point than the Steel Clan was right now.
The Lightning Clan army had surrounded Gimlé, and the Panther Clan army had surrounded Fólkvangr. It had seemed like the Wolf Clan was on the verge of being snuffed out.
Even if Yuuto were to make it back to Yggdrasil, it was too late to change anything... That was the logical way of looking at it. And, in fact, the other clans subsidiary to the Wolf Clan at the time had held back from aiding them, remaining neutral until Yuuto finally crushed the Panther Clan army at the Battle of Körmt River.
However, as soon as Botvid heard that Yuuto had returned, he’d committed his troops as reinforcements without hesitation.
Such a cold, calculating man wouldn’t make such a risky bet if he saw no good chance of winning. In other words, he had his own conviction supporting his choice.
He’d believed that even in such a hopelessly disadvantageous situation, Yuuto would lead the Wolf Clan to victory.
“Thinking back on it now, you also sent your twins over to me at a pretty early stage, too. Normally, it’s crazy to think that you’d just give up having two people that talented at your side.”
Kristina was serving as Yuuto’s eyes and ears, and her usefulness went without saying. Albertina was also much more than the innocent fool of a child she appeared to be.
She was friendly, sociable and overall adorable, and the people of Iárnviðr and Gimlé loved her.
Botvid could have set up the popular and charming Albertina as a future patriarch, the clan’s public face, while having her cool, level-headed sister Kristina support her as second-in-command with her intelligence and decision-making.
Do that, and the future of the Claw Clan would be secured for sure.
There was no way Botvid hadn’t realized that his daughters had what it takes to be future leaders of the clan.
And yet he’d still sent them to Yuuto.
“As a patriarch, I’ve had the chance to observe a fair number of people,” Yuuto said. “And I think I’ve noticed something essential about them. People might lie with their words, but not with their actions.”
In other words, whether Botvid liked or disliked Yuuto, his actions had stated that he was willing to take on a sizable amount of personal risk in order to foster and improve his relationship with Yuuto.
Machiavelli, author of The Prince, also wrote, “It is former enemies who endeavor to serve the prince with the greatest loyalty. Princes have found that they extract more loyalty and use out of those men who they distrusted in the beginning than among those who were trusted friends since the beginning. They will be forced to serve the prince with loyalty because they know it is necessary for them to cancel by their deeds the bad impression the prince had formed of them.”
This was why Yuuto had guessed that Botvid would agree to his suggestion to work together, that he would see it as a good opportunity.
“Heh heh heh, I see now. Kris did tell me that about you, Father. She said you are not tied down by your emotions and can see things from a grander viewpoint. She truly was right; you are quite perceptive!”
Botvid slapped his knee with a hand and laughed aloud.
“Does that mean I was right?” Yuuto asked.
“It does. I’m sure you might have already heard as much from Kris, but from the bottom of my heart, you are the one person I don’t ever want to make my enemy. You frighten me more than the empire or the þjóðann ever would. Perhaps this incident has made those other patriarchs more acutely aware of how frightening you are.” Botvid snickered to himself, a laugh that was mean, but also full of real enjoyment.
Yuuto understood the meaning in what he was saying.
The Ash Clan patriarch Douglas, as well as any other person in the council meeting who had been questioning their loyalty, would have heard Yuuto’s words and felt afraid that he was speaking with them in mind, paranoid that he’d seen right through them.
That would in turn make them afraid to think of betraying him.
This, too, was another refrain found in Machiavelli’s words:
“It is safer to be feared than to be loved. People and men have less scruple in offending one who is beloved than one who is feared, for love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.”
It wasn’t exactly the best example of “a crisis bringing people closer together,” but the subjugation order against the Steel Clan had caused an internal disturbance that, in the end, had led to an even stronger bond of loyalty between Yuuto and his subordinates.
It was a short while after Yuuto’s confidential meeting with Botvid had concluded. Under the faint glow of a torch flame, Yuuto made his way alone up a set of dark and gloomy tower stairs.
He’d made Felicia wait for him outside.
This was Nari Tower. Tucked away in a far corner of Gimlé’s palace grounds, it was a prison tower reserved especially for those of high status.
The place was completely quiet, and Yuuto’s footsteps seemed almost unnaturally loud against the silence.
At present, there was only one prisoner being held here.
“Well, now. Here’s a face I haven’t seen in a while.”
As Yuuto arrived on the top floor, the man in the cell there greeted him in a cheerful voice.
A jet-black mask concealed the upper half of the man’s face, which lent a distinctive, dubious quality to his appearance.
His name was Hveðrungr, and he was the former patriarch of the Panther Clan. But to Yuuto, he was much more than that...
“And here I was thinking you’d long since forgotten all about me.”
“Yeah, long time no see, Big Brother. I’d planned to come visit once things settled down a bit, but that ended up taking quite a while.”
...He had also once been Yuuto’s sworn older brother, and the two of them had long been bound by a fateful connection.
When Yuuto first met him, his name had been Loptr, and he had been part of the Wolf Clan. In those days, Yuuto had only just arrived in Yggdrasil, unable to speak the language or support himself. While the other locals ridiculed Yuuto with the name “Sköll” — meaning “Devourer of Blessings” — Loptr had been different. Together with his biological younger sister Felicia, Loptr had taken care of Yuuto, believed in him, and encouraged him... However, when he lost the position of patriarch to Yuuto, Loptr lost his mind in a fit of jealous rage and tried to kill him, then fled the clan when that attempt failed.
“Speaking of settling down, I hear you’ve married that childhood friend of yours. I suppose I should say ‘Congratulations.’”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“And yet, I hear you’ve also taken Felicia into your bed as well?”
Hveðrungr’s voice was chilly, and he stared at Yuuto through narrowed eyes.
He must have heard about that directly from Felicia.
“That’s right,” Yuuto replied bluntly. “I’m sorry. I know you said you’d never forgive me having other relationships if I got together with her.”
“And didn’t I say that if you ever did that, I’d kill you?”
“That was if I ‘made her cry,’ remember? So far, I haven’t done that.”
Of course, Yuuto had made Felicia cry out quite a few times at this point, but he decided it was fine not to bring that up.
Hveðrungr seemed somewhat unsatisfied by Yuuto’s response. “Hmph. You’ve got a good memory. Well, she herself did seem happy with the arrangement, so I suppose I’ll let it go. Besides, even if I wanted to punish you, I’m in no position to.”
He tapped his hand against the thick wooden bars that partitioned the space between the two of them.
As an Einherjar, he was strong, but breaking the bars of this cell with one’s bare hands would still be next to impossible without the sort of monstrous strength possessed by Steinþórr of the Lightning Clan.
In this state, he wouldn’t be able to even get close to Yuuto, much less kill him.
“Let’s move on.” Hveðrungr said. “Tell me, what finally brought you here after all this time?”
Yuuto nodded. “I wanted to discuss a few things with you,” he began, and sat down on the floor.
“Come on, now, are you really doing that? A noble patriarch, sitting himself on the bare and dirty floor?” Hveðrungr asked in an exasperated tone.
“Hey, if we’re going to have a long talk, then I’m not going to wear myself out doing it standing up.” An impish grin appeared on Yuuto’s face as he replied.
Talking casually like this, taking jabs at each other, was something they had a habit of doing two years ago, too.
Yuuto felt a bit of nostalgic comfort in it. It also made his heart ache just a little.
“You want to ask me why I tried to kill you. Am I right?” Hveðrungr asked, attempting to get straight to the point.
However, Yuuto shook his head.
“No. I don’t need to, not anymore. You’d spent your whole life aiming to become patriarch, risked everything for it, only to have the little brother you’d been looking after come and snatch it right out from in front of you. Of course you’d want to kill me.” Yuuto let out a self-derisive chuckle and slumped his shoulders.
“Well now, you’ve certainly gotten more philosophical about that sort of thing, haven’t you?”
“I’ve been a patriarch for two years, and I’ve seen so many people driven to chase after power and authority, latching onto it like they’re possessed. I’ve had no choice but to learn to look at it less personally.”
“It’s a little insulting to be lumped in together with those people, but I suppose I can’t argue, can I?” Hveðrungr said, chuckling.
Authority, the promise of power over others, seemed to have a twisted effect on people at times, as if it summoned a demon into their hearts. Killing in order to gain that power, even among one’s own flesh-and-blood kin, wasn’t exactly a rare occurrence.
Yuuto wasn’t going to ask “why?” at this point. In that sense, he wasn’t a child anymore.
“That’s all in the past; it doesn’t matter. Actually, I’m a lot more pissed at you for burning down lands in your own Panther Clan territory.”
“Ah, yes, that.” Hveðrungr nodded, as if he were ready for that question too.
His voice betrayed no emotion at all, as though he were completely indifferent to the subject.
In other words, despite the fact that he’d burned the very lands he held rule over and inflicted incredible suffering over the subjects he was obligated to defend, he didn’t feel even a shred of guilt over what he’d done.
“You don’t regret doing that at all, do you?” Yuuto asked, looking for confirmation.
“Are you going to attack me for it like Felicia did? Call me ‘atrocious and inhumane’? Ask me, ‘Do you even have a human conscience?!’ perhaps?” Hveðrungr’s tone was melodramatic, and he shot Yuuto a meaningful look as he awaited an answer.
Yuuto got the sense that he was being tested here.
He shook his head once more.
“I don’t intend to condemn you for it, no. As a war strategy, it was extremely effective. The cleanup and aftermath were hell, and it was a serious blow to the Steel Clan in terms of both finances and food supplies.”
When Yuuto had formulated his initial war plans, he’d thought that after subjugating the Panther Clan in the west, he could swing back around and defeat the Lightning Clan too, taking care of both of the two greatest threats to his clan. He’d planned to be recovered and ready to start moving in on central Ásgarðr before the end of the summer.
Instead, the Panther Clan’s scorched-earth strategy had made it so that Yuuto couldn’t make any more military moves until at least after the autumn harvest, causing an unavoidable delay in his overall plans.
Yuuto could say that Hveðrungr’s move had been terribly effective, with painful, long-lasting repercussions.
“Heh heh heh, of course it was. Even thinking back on it now, at that moment, in the conditions I was under, there was no more effective method I could have chosen. If I regret anything, it’s that I didn’t persevere with it. I should have continued burning the land for even longer.”
Hveðrungr said this firmly and without hesitation.
It came through clear in both his words and his tone that he didn’t regret anything.
“I know I said the past doesn’t matter anymore, but I did remember there was one thing I wanted to ask about the past,” Yuuto said. “It’s about you killing Dad. Do you regret that?”
The “Dad” Yuuto was asking about was his sworn father Fárbauti, the old man who had been Wolf Clan patriarch before him. Fárbauti had died after throwing himself in front of Yuuto to protect him from Loptr’s sword attack.
Fárbauti had been Loptr’s sworn father as well, and Loptr had only killed him by accident. Any normal person would be tormented by their own guilty conscience over such a thing.
“Hmm, suppose you could say I do. Back then, I was so overwhelmed with anger that my mind went blank, and I acted impulsively. I should have bided my time and made the proper preparations before taking action. If I’d done that, Father wouldn’t have had to die either.”
As expected, there was something frighteningly off about Hveðrungr’s response.
Talking with him like this, he still had a mild-mannered air about him that was reminiscent of his days as Loptr, but behind that there was an emptiness that sent a chill down Yuuto’s spine.
What Hveðrungr regretted was only that he himself hadn’t been able to achieve his goals, and hadn’t gotten what he wanted. Pangs of guilt over what he’d done, or sorrow over losing his sworn father... none of that was present.
So this is what a so-called “psychopath” looks like, huh? Yuuto thought to himself.
Supposedly, what these sorts of people had in common was that they were smooth talkers, sociable, and could often appear charismatic and charming, but were frighteningly lacking in compassion or empathy towards other people.
Also, while they tended to be meticulous and careful planners, at times they could “snap” and lash out impulsively.
That description fit this man completely.
Two years ago, Yuuto had totally failed to see him for what he was.
Of course, unlike right now, back then Loptr had been making sure to act like a normal person. Even still, when Yuuto thought back on it, it felt like he could now see the signs, various hints in the man’s past words and actions.
Back then, that cold, rational, and calculating aspect of him had come across to Yuuto as something adult-like and mature. Yuuto had admired him for it.
Now, he saw it as something frightening. And now, even more than two years ago, he saw it as something incredibly promising.
“Do you still want to kill me now, assuming you could?” Yuuto asked, both out of curiosity and as a test.
“Hmǔ No. I don’t expect you to believe me, but I don’t have any desire to kill you at all.” Hveðrungr’s answer was straightforward and sounded natural.
Of course, Yuuto didn’t intend to take his words at face value, but he felt that he could put at least some level of trust in them.
There was no longer any trace of that intense loathing he’d felt when they’d crossed swords face-to-face at Náströnd.
Nor did he get the sense that Hveðrungr was merely suppressing his hatred in order to get onto Yuuto’s good side.
In a word, he seemed uninterested.
“For so long, I had thought to myself that all you had was borrowed power, no actual strength of your own, and that you’d stolen my spot as patriarch away by cheating.”
“‘If you didn’t have that smartphone or whatever it’s called, you wouldn’t be able to do anything.’ I remember. The fact is, at the time, that much was true about me.”
Two years earlier, just before making the attempt on Yuuto’s life, Hveðrungr—in his final moments as Loptr—had spit those hateful words at him, and they had been carved into his heart like some sort of curse. Even now, he could never forget them.
In those days, Yuuto had thought of the knowledge and information he obtained through his smartphone as if it were his own knowledge, his own power.
Of course, that wasn’t so. Yuuto would have lost all of it if he had lost the phone. Everything that had made him useful, earned him appreciation, had been separate from himself, connected to him by nothing more than that thin, fragile thread.
Yuuto shuddered at the thought of what might have happened if that misconception had continued to grow within him. In that sense, Loptr’s words had served Yuuto well, as an admonition and a check on his ego that had helped make him into the person he was now.
Hveðrungr let out a small, self-derisive chuckle and looked down at the palms of his hands.
“Heh, I have no right to say anything on the matter, though. All of the powers and techniques I use were taken from others, after all. Perhaps that’s why, deep in the recesses of my heart, I felt like none of them were ever truly my own.”
“...I’m surprised, I didn’t expect you had that sort of thing weighing on you. You always seemed like you were brimming with confidence.”
“It was because I had no confidence in myself. I was always putting on a false front.”
“I see, so that’s how it was. ...Or, maybe that’s how it is, for that kind of thing.”
Hveðrungr’s power was that of imitation.
He could steal any and all techniques from others, copying them for himself. That was true even for abilities and techniques that had taken months or years for the other person to develop and master.
However, people have no personal connection to things they obtain without any work. It is that effort put into something, that personal history, that translates into true confidence.
Yuuto had learned that through his experiences with learning to refine iron.
Hveðrungr, on the other hand, could simply perform any new skills immediately, and so he couldn’t believe in himself, and only emptiness had filled his heart.
“I understand the truth, now. Or, rather, during my last duel with Skáviðr, I was forced to understand. I had focused so much hatred towards you because of my own feelings of inferiority.”
“So you hated me because we were similar,” Yuuto said.
“Exactly. The person I really felt such bitter hatred for, the one whom I really wanted to kill, was none other than myself, the weak me who had nothing to call his own. Heh, it’s almost too funny, isn’t it?”
There is a particular situation in psychology where someone sees a quality they dislike in themselves represented in another person, and they come to dislike that other person intensely because of it.
In those situations, they might become obsessed with thoroughly denouncing and attacking the other for their faults, while completely disregarding the same in themselves.
Yuuto, in the interests of improving his skills as a patriarch, had studied a little bit of psychology and knew that the technical term for this phenomenon was “projection.” By projecting their own hated faults onto another person, one could avoid thinking about their own ugly side and maintain their sense of personal pride.
Basically, Loptr had been holding onto a serious inferiority complex about himself because he felt he had no strength of his own, only that which he borrowed from others. And watching Yuuto, someone else with nothing but borrowed strength, become patriarch instead of himself, his hatred of that weakness had ballooned beyond his ability to suppress, and exploded violently.
“It was all so simple once I realized it. What I really wanted wasn’t to become patriarch. I wanted to be recognized as better than everyone else, and in doing so, prove that I had strength of my own. After all, the person recognized as the best couldn’t possibly be a fake.”
Here in Yggdrasil, power was everything. Only the best, those with real strength, rose above others to become patriarch.
In that sense, the position of patriarch had been the ideal goal for him to strive for, as it was an easy-to-understand expression of genuine power.
“To find something within myself that’s truly mine, something that only I have. That is what I truly want. I no longer have any interest in you.”
“No interest, huh?” Yuuto muttered.
After all of the irrational hatred, the obsession this man had shown towards him, it had all been put aside so simply.
That was one other thing about this man that was hard for Yuuto to understand, and it only reinforced how abnormal he was.
“If that’s how it is, then I guess I’ll head out. I got the answers I wanted.”
Yuuto hoisted himself back up to his feet.
He turned his back to Hveðrungr and made for the room’s exit.
“I think you’ve already got talent of your own that’s plenty amazing, though.”
Yuuto muttered those final words and descended the stairs.
From Yuuto’s perspective as Hveðrungr’s enemy in war, the most terrifying thing about him wasn’t his ability to copy techniques. It was the underlying ability that made his imitation possible: his incredible powers of observation.
It was one of the most difficult abilities for army commanders to train, and also one of the most powerful weapons at their disposal.
If Hveðrungr hadn’t been so distracted by his reliance on skills from others, if he’d been able to realize this core strength of his and grow it even further, perhaps the victor in their last war would have been different.
But it would do him no good hearing that from someone else. He wouldn’t be able to accept the results unless he discovered it for himself.
As Yuuto exited the tower, Felicia ran over to him. “How did it go?” she asked, worry in her voice.
Yuuto looked up at the starry sky.
“I don’t feel good about talking about your brother this way to your face, but he’s a horrible person.”
First and foremost, Hveðrungr was completely self-centered.
He was only interested in himself, or things as they pertained to himself. And in order to satisfy his own selfish interests, he was willing to deceive others, or trample them underfoot, all without feeling the slightest pang of guilt whatsoever for those he hurt.
He was brutal and without remorse. “Heartless bastard” would certainly be a fitting moniker.
And that was precisely why—
“I need to have him working under me,” Yuuto declared.
“What?! After meeting with him, you are still saying things like that?! Why, if you release him, he might very well immediately turn his sword against you again!”
“I’m willing to take that risk. I need him.”
From this point forward, Yuuto was attempting to walk the path of military conquest. He couldn’t afford to always do the “right” thing.
This man, Hveðrungr, could use his powers of observation to discern an enemy’s vulnerability, come up with vicious and crafty plans Yuuto would never think of, and execute them without hesitation or remorse.
Considering what was coming, he was a resource that Yuuto absolutely needed on his side.
“I’m back!”
“Welcome back, Yuu-kun. Dinner’s ready!”
This day full of excitement, shock, and turmoil was finally at an end, and as Yuuto returned to his chambers, Mitsuki greeted him with a beaming smile.
Behind her, he could see white rice, salt-grilled salmon, miso soup, dashimaki-style rolled omelettes... all the staples of a pure traditional Japanese home-cooked meal, lined up on a table.
Yuuto felt a warmth rising in his chest.
“I come home after a long, hard day at work, and my wife’s here waiting for me with a smile and a delicious meal she made for me. I gotta say, I’m one lucky guy.”
“Hee hee, yeah, you are lucky, aren’t you!” Mitsuki’s reply was boastful, but she also sounded happy.
That was why it pained Yuuto a little to hear it, too.
“I’m sorry. A wonderful, hardworking wife like you didn’t deserve to be left alone on her wedding day.”
Yuuto was pretty ignorant when it came to the hearts of women, but even he understood that, to a woman, a wedding ceremony was an extremely important event.
On what was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives, it was completely inexcusable for the groom to spend the whole day aside from the ceremony occupied with work, leaving his bride all alone by herself.
“No, it’s okay, I understand. I mean, I don’t really know the details, but something really serious is going on right now, right?”
“Yeah. Honestly, it’s giving me a real headache,” Yuuto said with a sigh.
For now, his quick actions had prevented any further confusion and disorder domestically, but that didn’t change the fact that the Steel Clan was still in a really bad position.
And, it was easy to imagine that things would quickly worsen if the problem wasn’t dealt with soon.
Yuuto needed to do something, and it needed to happen fast.
“Against a vertical alliance, the most effective counter would be to break them with a horizontal alliance, at least according to theory...” Yuuto mumbled.
“Vertical? Horizontal?” Mitsuki tilted her head to the side, puzzled.
“Ah, sorry about that,” Yuuto said, chuckling to himself a bit. “That’s not really something to talk about on our wedding night either.”
Ordinarily, they should be spending tonight whispering sweet nothings into each others’ ears, but here he was bringing up violent topics.
“No, it’s okay. I’m sorry for not knowing more about this stuff.”
“No, you’re fine just how you are. In fact, it’s something I’m glad for.”
Yuuto’s time together with Mitsuki was the only time when he could be free from the overwhelming pressure of his role as Reginarch Suoh-Yuuto.
When he talked with her, he could forget about being a ruler of nations and go back to being just an ordinary young man from Japan. He could relax.
Yuuto was aware that recently he’d been pushing himself a little too hard. If he wasn’t able to spend this relaxing time with her anymore, it would probably be too much for his heart to handle. He’d end up crushed under the pressure.
“Yeah, I knew you’d say that.”
“You always do seem to know everything about me.”
“Well, I would; I’m your childhood friend. I’ve known you for as long as I can remember, Yuu-kun. ...And, I’ve always been paying attention to you and only you.”
“...Thank you.”
“That’s all?! Say it back, Yuu-kun! Tell me you’ve always been paying attention to me, too!”
“Y-You think I could say something that embarrassing?!”
“I said ‘say it,’ so say it! If you don’t, you’re not getting any dinner tonight!”
“What are you talking about, it’s sitting right there! You already made it for me!”
“I’ll just eat it all myself! I’ve been able to eat a whole lot lately!”
Mitsuki sounded sure of herself.
It was indeed true that, lately, Mitsuki’s morning sickness seemed to have abated, and she was eating a lot more than before, possibly even more than Yuuto.
“And today’s rice was sent here directly from Iárnviðr! It’s the first crop of rice from the autumn harvest, as fresh as you can get. Guaranteed to be super delicious.”
“What?! R-Really?”
Yuuto could feel the saliva pouring into his mouth.
With a loud gulp, he swallowed.
“I’ve always been paying attention to you and only you.”
“You’re looking at the rice while you say it!”
“Well, yeah, can you blame me?! We’re talking about new crop rice here!” Yuuto yelled back, unrepentant.
Back in Japan, the freshest new crop rice was only available for a limited time each year, and was more expensive. Yuuto hadn’t tasted new crop rice in over three years. It was so enticing that he couldn’t take his eyes off of it.
This sort of back-and-forth was just one more part of their relationship that was the same as always.
But, suddenly, Mitsuki stopped, and looked at Yuuto more seriously.
“...Hey, Yuu-kun. Are things really gonna be okay?”
As always, his childhood friend could tell when something was off.
Yuuto thought that since the imperial subjugation order had set everyone on edge, maybe she’d been picking up on the tension in the people around her.
That’s why he decided to be assertive and optimistic with her.
“Yeah, it’ll be fine. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
Mitsuki nodded. “...Okay. In that case, let’s eat!”
She once again broke out into a beautiful, innocent smile.
For some reason, that smile made a deep impression on Yuuto.
“And, so, I shall now commence this Oath of the Chalice Ceremony, a rite which shall bring these three clans, the Sword Clan, the Cloud Clan, and the Fang Clan, together in reconciliation, peace, harmony, and new friendship. I am Alexis, and I have been blessed with the high honor of serving as the mediator for this ceremony. I humbly beg that you might grant me your favor.”
The man’s clear, powerful voice resounded through the otherwise still and solemn air of the hörgr, the sanctuary hall used for religious ceremonies.
Alexis was an imperial priest, a direct representative of the Holy Ásgarðr Empire, and the role of mediator in a Chalice Ceremony between clans in this region most often fell to him.
The wavering flames of the nearby torches cast their reddish tinged light throughout the hall and onto the parties to the ceremony, who sat facing each other on either side of the altar, a partitioning screen dividing the space between them.
To the right of the altar sat the representatives from the Sword Clan; to the left, the Fang and Cloud Clans.
For the last twenty years, the Sword Clan had been involved in unending border disputes with the Fang and Cloud Clans, and so their relationship with each other was infamously terrible.
However, recently the divine empress had issued a subjugation order targeting the Steel Clan, and the patriarchs of the three clans had all come to the same decision: The Steel Clan’s rapid rise in size and power was now a threat, and they could no longer afford to fight amongst each other. And so, they had met to negotiate a cease-fire agreement.
“Now, in accordance with the ceremony, we shall remove the partition which divides our three honored parties. Proceed!”
At Alexis’ command, his subordinates grabbed the edges of the partitioning screen and lifted it, carrying it away.
The partition was a symbol, a physical metaphor for the friction and strife that had existed between the three clans. With that symbol removed, the patriarchs of the three clans were now face to face.
Instantly, everyone in that room was struck by the feeling that the air in the room had just grown much colder.
The Sword Clan patriarch, Fagrahvél.
The Cloud Clan patriarch, Gerhard.
The Fang Clan patriarch, Sígismund.
For many years now, the three of them had been at war with each other.
Each of them was the patriarch of a powerful nation in its own right, and they were lords who commanded dignity and exuded a fearful presence.
They stared each other down in silence, as if holding each other in check. The air in the sanctuary hall seemed electrified with the tension.
Even so, the ceremony continued on. A ceremonial Chalice was prepared for each patriarch, its contents checked for poison and then placed in front of its recipient.
“Now, if the three honorable lords will please take these Chalices into their hands.”
Alexis gestured, and the three patriarchs complied, taking the cups in hand and holding them up. He then confirmed that they each were ready.
“Know that the moment you drink from your Chalices, the many and various incidents of discord and strife between you in the past, the obstacles which divide you from each other, shall be at once removed, and you three shall be linked by a new bond: a bond of friendship and accord. Proceed!”
Simultaneously, the three patriarchs tilted back their cups and drank.
Alexis waited for them to finish drinking and return the empty cups to the small platform set in front of them. Then he raised his voice and addressed the whole room.
“I hereby announce to all who have gathered here in attendance: At this moment, the Oath of the Chalice of Reconciliation has been exchanged between these three parties, a vow which joins them in new friendship. In accordance with this, and in order that no new waves of discord would damage this new bond from this day forward, I shall humbly take possession of these sacred Chalices.”
With that, Alexis stood up and unfurled a large, pure-white cloth. He then approached each of the clan patriarchs and took their Chalice, gathering them up and placing them inside the cloth.
After collecting them all, he returned to his original position and slowly, reverently folded the cloth, wrapping the symbolic cups into a small bundle.
Once this was finished, Alexis took a deep breath, and addressed the room in his booming voice once more.
“With this, the Oath of the Chalice Ceremony is concluded. The Sword Clan, Cloud Clan, and Fang Clan are now joined by a bond of mutual friendship and accord. To all gathered here, I extend my congratulations!”
Everyone in the hörgr burst into loud applause.
At that moment, a new military alliance between the Sword, Cloud, and Fang Clans against the Steel Clan had been secured.
“Lord Fagrahvél, please wait!”
The ceremony had ended without incident, and Fagrahvél was making his way to the exit of the hörgr when someone called out to him from behind.
He recognized the voice, for it was a man he knew well.
“What do you need, Lord Alexis?” Fagrahvél asked, turning to face the priest.
He let neither his face nor his voice betray any emotion.
Alexis was, on the surface, an imperial representative who handled Chalice Ceremonies in the regions from Bifröst to Álfheimr. But in fact, he was one of the many “eyes” of Imperial High Priest Hárbarth.
In other words, he was a direct subordinate of the man Fagrahvél disliked most of all.
It was only natural that Fagrahvél would act coldly toward him.
“First, I wish to offer my congratulations and gratitude. I congratulate you on the success of today’s ceremony. And I wish to thank you for granting me the honor of serving as intermediary on such a momentous occasion, forging peace between three clans which had been in conflict for so long.”
“Hmph, you’re the one who convinced those two to agree to the cease-fire. It’s only right you’d perform the ceremony,” Fagrahvél replied curtly.
Indeed, the ceremony that had just taken place had only come into being because Alexis had personally visited the patriarch of each clan and negotiated in order to make it happen.
They’d been enemy nations since two generations of patriarch prior, and yet the priest had pulled off bringing both of them to the table in such a short time.
And it wasn’t just the two of them, either.
“You are quite impressive. After all, you didn’t just manage to get cooperation from the Cloud and Fang Clans, you were able to pull in the Hoof, Panther, and Lightning Clans as well.”
Fagrahvél didn’t take pleasure in complimenting someone working for his political enemy, Hárbarth, but in this matter at least, he had to give Alexis credit where it was due.
Now all of the clans that shared borders with the Steel Clan were working together. And the Sword Clan, one of the pillars of the alliance, was also one of the Ten Great Clans.
It didn’t matter how strong the Steel Clan was; they would be completely outnumbered.
“It is all entirely thanks to the holy guidance of Her Majesty the þjóðann. That, and perhaps thanks to the fact that everyone felt the threat posed by the Steel Clan’s rapid expansion.”
“Hmph. You know, an excess of humility is arrogance in its own right,” Fagrahvél replied.
It was true that the reason Alexis gave would have played a large part.
However, he’d still cajoled five different clans into this alliance in this short amount of time. That wasn’t something just anyone could do.
There was something mysterious about this man, just like there was with his superior, Hárbarth.
Alexis played off the remark with a chuckle. “Ha ha, you are quite harsh. Those are my honest feelings, I assure you.”
“I’ve no intention of playing mind games with you,” Fagrahvél shot back. “I’d like you to get to the real main subject. Surely you didn’t actually approach me just to give me congratulations and thanks?”
“Oh, that’s right. I have something to give to you, from Her Majesty.”
Alexis fished around in the leather sack tied to his waist, then pulled out a clay tablet.
“Ngh! You should have said that earlier!”
Fagrahvél grabbed the tablet and wrenched it roughly from Alexis’ hands, then quickly read it.
It was a short missive telling him to become the leader of the new multi-clan military alliance, and to lead all of the armies to battle against the Steel Clan with due haste.
It was unlike anything the Sigrdrífa that Fagrahvél knew would ever write.
However, it was sealed with the special imperial seal that only the þjóðann was permitted to use.
It was the secretaries who actually etched the symbols on the clay for messages, and they would be able to spot anything wrong.
It was safe to assume that this was a message she had sent out herself.
The truth was that, until now, Fagrahvél hadn’t been entirely convinced that it was truly a good idea to try attacking the Steel clan.
However, he couldn’t afford to think that way anymore.
This was a direct order from the divine empress herself.
Fagrahvél held up the clay tablet in both hands, and declared aloud:
“...As you command, Your Majesty. I will destroy the Steel Clan, without fail!”
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