PROLOGUE I
Two years ago, Yuuto had only just become a clan patriarch.
Day and night, he’d spend his free moments studying in frantic desperation, using the resources gained through the use of his smartphone.
There was so much he needed to learn, but the device could only run for about thirty minutes per charge; there was never enough time.
However, looking back on that period in hindsight, perhaps that had actually been for the best.
He’d been so desperate, so focused on memorizing what he read, and maybe the strict limits on his time had been part of the reason why.
There were two written works Yuuto referred to more than any other: for political theory, Machiavelli’s The Prince, and for military strategy, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War.
And then there was a man whose very way of life Yuuto took as an example on how to conduct himself, a great hero from his own country’s history: Oda Nobunaga, the “Demon King” of the Sengoku period.
Nobunaga was a man who completely broke from the stagnant customs of his time and brought about a great many revolutionary changes, all founded on a logical basis.
Consolidation of a complex and piecemeal taxation system.
Policies pushing for freer, open markets to draw in new business and stimulate the economy.
Separating the military from the peasant farmers and treating them as a wholly different caste of career soldiers.
Longspears with hafts more than three times a man’s height, strategically deployed in tightly-knit formations.
Novel applications of the firearm, a new projectile weapon gaining traction in Japan at the time.
Those were just a few examples; there were far too many to list.
Yuuto, too, would need to bring about radical changes to a Wolf Clan that was small and weak in order to bolster it into something greater.
In that sense, he saw the course of Nobunaga’s life and accomplishments as the greatest example to follow.
What was surprising upon further research, however, was how the Nobunaga of history was so very different from the cruel, inhumane image propagated in popular culture.
It was certainly true that he had shown absolutely no mercy to those who defied him, the most prominent case of this being when he burned down the Buddhist temples and shrines at Mount Hiei.
On the other hand, there were also several instances where he’d forgiven those who’d betrayed him. There were accounts of his mingling with the common people in celebration during a festival, or of writing a letter to the wife of one of his subordinates consoling her after she’d had a difficult fight with her husband, or of showing compassion and pity toward a physically disabled elderly man. He had a kind, empathetic, very human side as well.
The more Yuuto learned about him, the more these different facets became apparent, making him all the more fascinating as a person.
“Man, I sure wish I could meet and talk with him, just once.”
Yuuto knew full well, of course, that such a thing was impossible.
He’d simply voiced the feeling aloud as it popped into his head.
At that moment, he could never have imagined that, years later, his wish would in fact be granted.
PROLOGUE II
“An order for our destruction...?” Dazed, Linnea could only repeat the messenger’s words back at him. She was having trouble understanding it.
She was a girl of around fifteen or sixteen, and though her expression was grim now, she still held an air of sweet, delicate beauty about her. With that said, she was also the exceptionally talented second-in-command of the Steel Clan, the powerful nation which controlled nearly all of the lands from Bifröst to Álfheimr.
Her ruling lord, Reginarch Suoh-Yuuto, had introduced inventions and ideas from far beyond the common sense of this era, and she was often the first to realize their true value, thanks to her intelligent and adaptable mind.
But even she needed a full few seconds to accept that what she’d heard was real.
That was just how impossible, nay, ridiculous, this scenario was to her.
“That’s absurd! Why would there be any cause for issuing such an order against us?!”
Linnea found herself up out of her seat, shouting at the messenger.
Her harsh tone of voice was unfitting behavior for her lord’s wedding ceremony, but she was well past the point of being able to pay any mind to those kinds of sensibilities.
The Holy Ásgarðr Empire was ruled by the þjóðann, whose title meant “Divine Emperor/Empress.” However, the þjóðann did not currently possess much real political power. The position held but a remnant of its former influence, retaining only its symbolic authority.
Even so, formally speaking, the þjóðann and imperial government were still recognized as holding sovereign rule over all the lands of Yggdrasil.
By designating the Steel Clan as an enemy of the empire, they had granted every other clan in Yggdrasil an official justification to wage war against it.
Likewise, as an enemy of the empire, the Steel Clan had been branded as “evil,” and by extension, had lost its status as a legitimate government.
Within the hierarchy of the empire, clan patriarchs were technically feudal lords governing as proxies of the þjóðann, and though the relationship was little more than a nominal one, it was how the clans derived the political authority to govern their lands.
Just thinking about it made Linnea’s head hurt.
“We have always provided the empire with ample tribute. There shouldn’t be any reason they would do this to us...” a man said, his already stern expression darkening even further.
This grimacing man was Jörgen, the current patriarch of the Wolf Clan, and he had a point.
As outlined above, making an enemy of the empire was extremely problematic, while having its political backing allowed one to make full use of its symbolic authority.
And so the Steel Clan, and the Wolf Clan before it, had never been reluctant to make good use of the profits it made through the sale of glasswares. A substantial volume of gold, silver, and other treasures had been donated to the empire in generous tribute payments.
Apparently, Jörgen had been just as confused as Linnea that this situation could occur despite that consistent loyalty.
“Enemies of the empire? What’s the meaning of this?”
“Lord Reginarch, what did you do?!”
“I can’t recall Her Majesty ever issuing such an order before, not even once!”
A moment after Linnea’s remark, several of the other guests realized the significance of the subjugation order and abruptly began to speak over one another.
This was a world where faith in gods and folk superstitions still held sway in many places. The þjóðann possessed a great supernatural power in the form of their twin runes, passed down from generation to generation, and there were few people in whom it did not inspire both reverence and fear.
“Don’t panic!” As the anxiety of the gathered crowd began to feed on itself, a single shout reverberated through the sanctuary hall like a clap of thunder.
Instantly, the crowd fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.
“This is one of the things I expected might happen. There’s no reason to panic. We’re continuing the ceremony.”
The young bridegroom addressed the room matter-of-factly, almost as if nothing had happened.
He was only seventeen, but this young man—known to them as Lord Suoh-Yuuto—had in a mere two years guided his tiny Wolf Clan into becoming what was now a member-state of the third most powerful nation in the realm of Yggdrasil. He was a heroic figure the likes of which were rarely seen.
And his commanding presence, the air of power that seemed to surround him, was likewise extraordinary.
“That’s Father for you,” Linnea said to herself, gazing at Yuuto with heartfelt respect.
The guests at this wedding ceremony were all clan patriarchs, seconds-in-command, or people of similar rank and importance from their respective clans.
They had all been stopped in their tracks and forced into silence by a single remark from Yuuto. The Steel Clan had its share of charismatic people, but he was likely the only person who could pull off such a feat.
And even in the face of this frightful development, he remained completely calm and unperturbed. It was as if the news hadn’t disturbed him in the least.
He was so reliable, someone she could truly depend on for anything.
“I knew it. There’s no way I could ever consider loving any other man than him.”
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