Hyakuren no Haou to Seiyaku no Valkyria - Volume 22 - Chapter 4

ACT 4

The crackling and popping of flames resounded through the dark of the night. A bonfire burned brightly atop bundles of kindling, and Yuuto watched absentmindedly as the wind carried away the rising smoke. They were burning the bodies of those who had fallen in the last battle, including Hveðrungr and the Maidens of the Waves. He hated that they couldn’t properly cremate the bodies of all those who’d perished, but Glaðsheimr was now Flame Clan territory, meaning they could no longer come and go as they pleased to retrieve every corpse. They’d barely managed to retrieve those of the officers.

“It’s all just so sudden,” Yuuto mumbled for what must’ve been the umpteenth time. The bodies being swallowed by the flames had been living, breathing people only yesterday. Yuuto had been acquainted with almost all of them, even conversed with most of them. He could clearly recall each and every one of their faces. Those very same people were no longer with him.

“Now I see what they mean when they say funeral rites are for the sake of the living, not the dead.” He wasn’t sure when, but he’d heard the phrase somewhere before. “Whoever had said it, they were absolutely right,” Yuuto thought. Holding a proper funeral was a way to provide closure to those who remained. It was a place where loved ones of the deceased could cry and grieve to their heart’s content. From there, they could begin to accept the person’s death and move forward once more.

“Hic...sob...”

“Mother Thír...”

“O Valkyries, watch over these heroic spirits and guide them...”

He heard mingled voices nearby, some thick with grieving sobs and some in prayer. Particularly audible among them were the voices of Fagrahvél and a number of other Sword Clan members.

“I’m so sorry. If I’d just been stronger...” Yuuto began to apologize, but Fagrahvél merely responded with a shake of her head.

“You couldn’t help it. You were up against a twin-runed Einherjar. It’s likely that no one could have stopped her. We were just unlucky.” Fagrahvél looked exhausted and sorrowful. In the last battle alone, Fagrahvél had lost over half of the elite Maidens of the Waves, including Thír, Uðr, Kólga, Dúfa, and Læva. The way Yuuto saw it, the bond between Fagrahvél and the Maidens hadn’t been limited to their Chalice; they had practically been family. Yuuto couldn’t even begin to imagine the grief that Fagrahvél must have been feeling right now.

“All I can do now is pray for their happiness in Valhalla,” Fagrahvél muttered, her eyes on the rising flames. Yuuto couldn’t find the words to respond.

“If I had been there, I might’ve been able to match the twin-rune’s speed with my own...”

“Yeah, if only we’d been there...” Erna and Hrönn bit their lips in frustration. Hrönn’s good right arm was in a bandaged sling, and Erna was using a cane to compensate for her bandaged left leg. While managing to win their battle against Hyuuga, one of the Flame Clan’s Five Blades, the two of them were severely injured, forcing them to retreat to the rear lines.

In truth, Homura’s power was so overwhelming that the addition of the two girls wouldn’t have done a thing to change the outcome. In fact, getting injured and not being able to participate in the battle may well have saved their lives, but the pair wouldn’t be willing to acknowledge that themselves. Coming up with conditionals and what-ifs after the fact was human nature, after all. It would likely take quite some time for the Sword Clan girls’ hearts to heal.

“...My brother’s really gone.”

The pyre had died down and the sending-off ceremony was approaching its end when Felicia, silent up until now, suddenly spoke up. Perhaps she had finally begun to process her brother’s death after not being able to accept it for so long.

“Well, considering his nefarious exploits up till now, perhaps he finally got what was coming to him,” she said indifferently. True, Hveðrungr hadn’t exactly been a saint. He’d killed his clan patriarch Fárbauti despite the two being bound by the Chalice, engaged in assault and looting during the invasion of the Hoof Clan, and razed his own clan’s houses and crop fields to the ground to prevent the Steel Clan from invading. Of course, Yuuto knew he had reasons for doing those things, but most people would objectively view Hveðrungr’s actions as treacherous.

“Really, I’m surprised it took this long for his misdeeds to catch up with him. I bet he was supposed to die a long time ago, but the gods gave him a pass so he could be a hero to the Yggdrasillians in the end,” she mused.

It was a rather religious perspective on things, but it was clear she was just trying to convince herself. Perhaps that was her way of coming to terms with the tragedy—labeling her brother’s death as an inevitability—simply an occurrence set in stone by fate.

“Maybe so,” Yuuto replied, staring at the dwindling flames. By now he knew well that in times like these, people needed to come to terms with tragedy by attaching a purpose to it, no matter how much of a stretch it was. Not everyone was strong enough to accept death at face value.

“He was a criminal, and I can’t defend what he did, but he was my kind, gentle, one-and-only brother.”

“Yeah, I agree. He was kind.” Yuuto thought back to the days of the Wolf Clan—to the time when they all lived together. He had been a strong, gentle, reliable older brother worth being proud of. Perhaps if Yuuto hadn’t derailed it all, things would still be that way. When he thought that, Yuuto felt a pang of regret in his chest.

“I heard that his final shot turned out to be the trigger to finally end this long war.”

“Yeah, it did. If it weren’t for him, I’d probably be up there in Valhalla with him right about now.” Just thinking about that possibility made him shiver. Seeing Homura was being targeted, Nobunaga used his own body to shield her from the bullet. Yuuto’s last-ditch plan had been to snipe Nobunaga from afar instead, but even if Hveðrungr had followed orders back then, there was a good chance Nobunaga’s wealth of combat experience and divine luck would have allowed him to avoid it. In other words, Hveðrungr’s hatred for Homura had inadvertently been their saving grace. Or perhaps he had deliberately aimed for Homura knowing how Nobunaga would respond? When it came to Hveðrungr, either scenario was entirely possible. Sadly, they would never know the truth now that he was gone. Either way, the fact remained that if just one thing had been different, peace would not have been possible. The difference between failure and success really had been paper-thin, like threading a needle.

“You think so too?”

“Absolutely. I’ll never be able to repay Brother Rungr for how much he did for me.”

“Then if this child is a boy, would you allow me to name him Hveðrungr?” Felicia massaged her belly as she asked with upturned eyes. Considering their relationship with each other, Yuuto thought it was quite a stiff way of asking, but he did understand. She probably wanted to leave behind proof of her brother’s existence, something to symbolize the bond between the two siblings. “Naturally, I’ll raise him to make sure he doesn’t make the same mistakes my brother did.”

“Yeah, I think that’s a great idea. I’m sure he’ll grow up to be wise and strong, just like Brother Rungr.” Yuuto replied, nodding emphatically. Naming him Loptr would likely be frowned upon by Wolf Clan veterans. That grudge would likely transfer to their offspring, and Felicia’s child would most likely end up bullied. The name Hveðrungr, however, was shared with the hero of the Steel Clan—their savior—so there would be no problem. Yuuto didn’t want the brotherly bond between the two of them to vanish either. He thought that perhaps by naming his child after him, he could begin to compensate for what he had been unable to repay. To be honest though, that was merely an attempt to make himself feel better about everything that had happened.

“Linnea, what does our food supply look like?” Yuuto asked.

“Taking the citizens into account as well, we have enough to last us until we get to Silk Clan territory.”

“Over twenty thousand soldiers escaped to the east in the last battle. I’d like to retrieve them, but do we have enough provisions?”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“You’re honestly a lifesaver, Linnea. I wouldn’t have been able to manage all that.”

Soon after they awoke the next morning, Yuuto and his main generals set about preparing to retreat from the area. With peace successfully established between the Flame and Steel Clans and the dead properly sent off, there was no longer any reason to stay. Once preparations were complete, Yuuto turned around to take one last look at Glaðsheimr.

“Now that we’re about to leave, I’m getting all sentimental, huh?” Yuuto muttered. He had, after all, spent over a year in Glaðsheimr. This was also the resting place of two people he had treasured, Sigrdrífa and Skáviðr. When he thought about how he’d likely never return to this place again, sadness squeezed his heart like a vise.

“Indeed. Honestly, even now I find myself wanting to remain here to mourn Lady Rífa and the others.” Beside him, holding down her hair blowing in the wind, Fagrahvél gazed in Glaðsheimr’s direction along with Yuuto, a pained expression on her face. Sigrdrífa had been like a younger sister to Fagrahvél, and Fagrahvél had held a deep bond with the five deceased Maidens of the Waves as well, so Yuuto thought it only natural that she had doubts about leaving.

“I understand how you feel, I really do. But I don’t think that’s what Rífa would want.”

“Yes, I know. There’s something Lady Rífa entrusted to me as well, so I can’t remain here.”

“Oh?”

“Did you forget? I am to have a child with you and name it as Lady Rífa specified.”

“Wait, wha—ah!” For an instant, Yuuto was dumbfounded, but then remembered. On Rífa’s deathbed, the two of them had indeed had that conversation. Since Fagrahvél hadn’t alluded to it and Yuuto’s mind had been preoccupied with the war against the Flame Clan and Project Noah, it’d slipped his mind completely.

“Uh, I think that what she meant back then was that she wanted you to find a partner that you could be happy with, not necessarily me. She said it could be me, just as an example.”

Those words of Sigrdrífa’s were also meant to keep Fagrahvél from committing suicide. If she hadn’t said them, Fagrahvél would’ve almost certainly followed her in death.

“There’s no need to be so hung up on me in particular or anything,” Yuuto reminded Fagrahvél. “Rather than restricting yourself because of some misunderstanding, find someone you truly like, get married, and have a kid with them instead. That would probably make Rífa way happier.”

Rífa had truly loved her milk-sister, but at the same time, she had felt guilty about always placing the burden on her for her own sake. Yuuto wanted to respect the wishes of his late wife and ensure that Fagrahvél lived a life of happiness.

“Yes, I agree. That’s why I’d like it to be you, if possible.”

“I said, someone you truly like. As in, love.”

“That shouldn’t be an issue, as I am smitten with you, My Lord.”

“...Huh?” Yet another dumbfounded noise escaped Yuuto’s throat. He was certainly not expecting that response. In the first place—

“W-Wait, but, there’s been nothing in your behavior thus far that seems...”

“In such a critical moment for the Steel Clan, I could not allow my personal feelings to get in the way of your decisions. Also, if I had shown such a vulnerable side of myself, my subordinates would never have let me hear the end of it.”

“I...suppose that’s true...” He was still shaken on the inside, but he nodded. She spoke as if she were delivering a battle report or political update. That was par for the course for someone as matter-of-fact as her, but it contained no trace of the bashfulness or sex appeal one would expect from someone in love, making Yuuto wonder if she was really telling the truth.

“To be honest, I was at odds with myself on whether or not to tell you. I do not dress like a woman, nor do I have any feminine qualities to speak of. Not to mention, I am well into my twenties—past the typical age for marriage and well past my prime to receive affection from a þjóðann such as you.”

“Really? I don’t think that’s true. You’re plenty attractive and charming in my book.” Yuuto quickly cut her off. He wasn’t just trying to console her—Fagrahvél was indeed a beauty in her own right. Sure, she was a bit stoic and exceedingly blunt, but that straightforwardness was what Yuuto liked about her.

“Then whenever it strikes your fancy, I would be happy to receive your favor, My Lord.”

“Well, right now my mind’s preoccupied with Project Noah, so let’s talk about that after everything’s all settled.” Unable to give an immediate response, he answered evasively. It had been the wish of his late wife, so naturally he wanted to make it happen. That said, since he hadn’t seen himself as the target of Fagrahvél’s affection, his heart wasn’t quite ready. He needed a bit more time to get his thoughts in order.

“Of course, that is no problem. After all, the last thing I want to do is place unnecessary stress on you.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

That ability to separate personal matters and business at a moment’s notice was just like her. At least until the situation calmed down, it looked like he had bought some time to decide.

“Well, as sad as it is to leave, I guess we should get a move on.”

“Agreed.”

Nodding to each other, Yuuto and Fagrahvél turned around, when—

“Father, we have a situation.” Kristina came running to meet him, seemingly in a panic. She wasn’t typically the type to get flustered. “Lady Homura has come to us!”

“Wait, Homura’s here?” Yuuto blinked in light surprise. Typically, political marriages were commemorated with lavish ceremonies which required intense preparation. Homura’s was not supposed to be for another three months or so. “What, has she come to evaluate her future husband’s prospects? Ha ha ha.” He laughed dryly, his face slightly tense. Although a treaty had been established between him and her father, he wasn’t sure how Homura herself felt about the whole thing. Yuuto had heard from the now-deceased Hveðrungr that Homura was a selfish girl that always wanted her way, which was precisely the impression he’d gotten of her during their previous encounter. In other words, he had no idea what was about to happen. She was a child possessing peerless strength—practically a walking land mine. He had a bad feeling about this. She was someone who could seriously set his nerves on edge in a different way than Nobunaga had.

“Apologies for the late greeting, Lady Homura. I welcome you from the bottom of my heart.” Once preparations were made at a fever pitch, Yuuto rolled out the red carpet for Homura, inviting her into their camp. Not that there was much of a red carpet to roll out—they had been on the cusp of retreating, and most of the camp had already been broken down, after all. Still, it was important to keep up impressions. He wouldn’t be much of a reginarch if he couldn’t manage this much.

“So what brings you to our humble camp? As you can see, we’re currently occupied with getting ready to leave, so I can’t offer much of my time. I’d like you to keep it short.”

“Daddy is dead.”

“?!”

Yuuto’s eyes went wide. “Nobunaga, dead? Already?”

“...Are you...telling the truth?” He had to confirm, carefully. Yuuto was not expecting this development. Nobunaga had looked so full of life when they’d last met, so Yuuto had assumed he’d had a few more months left in him, at least.

“Why would I lie about something like that?! I’m here because Daddy told me I should go to you if something happened to him!” Homura yelled angrily, her eyes brimming with tears. It didn’t seem like an act, and above all, considering her age and what he already knew and had observed of her, she didn’t seem capable of such trickery.

“I see... So Nobunaga is dead. We crossed swords a number of times, but he was an incredible man I respected from the bottom of my heart. I offer my sincere condolences.” He put his hand on his heart in a gesture of sympathy. Meanwhile, the gears of his mind were rotating at full speed. While his sympathy was the real thing, this was no time for complacency. Now that the charismatic force of nature Nobunaga was gone, the Flame Clan was sure to be in major disarray. He had to think about how to proceed from the perspective of the Steel Clan’s supreme commander.

“Wow.” Homura’s eyes widened in surprise.

“What?”

“Nothin’. Just, daddy said the same thing about you.”

“Nobunaga did?”

“Yeah. He said that he was able to enjoy himself because of you. He said you were a great man despite being his enemy.”

“Ha ha, what an honor.” Yuuto’s lips naturally turned upwards. He couldn’t help but feel happy at being acknowledged and praised by someone else, especially when it wasn’t just flattery. “Though, I can’t say it was a fun experience for me at all. Your daddy was so crazy strong that I couldn’t enjoy myself in the least.”

“Of course. He’s my daddy, after all!” Homura nodded happily, now in high spirits. He could tell that she loved her father and how proud she was of him. “But I think you’re also pretty strong. You were able to survive against both me and Daddy.” Homura nodded emphatically. No doubt offended by Homura’s disparaging attitude toward Yuuto, the generals around him began to get restless. It was one thing if it was Nobunaga, but this was a little girl looking down on Yuuto—the fact that she was a twin-runed Einherjar didn’t matter in the slightest to them. They probably thought her behavior the height of insubordination.

“Yeah, he really did give me a hard time. As a father and daughter duo, you were a force to be reckoned with, for sure.” With a bitter smile, Yuuto raised his right hand toward his retainers in order to silence them before they said anything unbecoming. Yuuto had no love for ceremony and formality in the first place, and these were the words of a mere child. There was no need to get up in arms over every little thing she said.

“Hee hee, right? Right? Together, daddy and Homura are the strongest!” Homura threw out her diminutive chest in pride. Yuuto sensed he was beginning to get the hang of how to handle her. It was painfully clear that she was obsessed with her father.

“But wow, looks like you really do understand! I might be starting to like you just a little bit. I’ll never forgive you for hurting daddy, though!”

“Enough! How dare you talk so high and mighty, brat!” Fagrahvél roared. “Are you aware of how many of our troops you cut down?! Do not tell me you aren’t!” Of course, she was aware of the engagement to Homura. However, Homura had killed five girls who had been like daughters to her. It was wholly unsurprising that she was unable to stand by and let Homura say whatever she wanted.

“Hmph! Don’t lump daddy in with those small fries!”

“Small...! How dare you call them that?!”

“What’s wrong with calling it as I see it?”

Homura and Fagrahvél glared at each other as they exchanged verbal blows. Sparks seemed to fly between the two of them.

“Gimme a break.” Yuuto was compelled to hold his head in his hands. Looking at it objectively, Homura was definitely the one in the wrong. He didn’t doubt that for a second. Maybe if she was a normal child he could scold her and be done with it, but Homura was a twin-runed Einherjar and a loose cannon he didn’t want going off under any circumstances, as well as the princess of the Flame Clan he had just forged a peace treaty with. He couldn’t afford to upset her any further.

“Which means it’d be great if Fagrahvél would be the adult here...” But judging from how things looked right now, that was definitely not going to happen. Bára had grabbed her and was currently trying to restrain her, but she showed no signs of backing down. To begin with, she had always been stubborn. No matter her opponent, she would not stand for anyone insulting those five girls she adored.

“Daddy was everything to me! I won’t forgive anyone who hurt him, and that’s final!”

“You think you are the only one who feels that way?! The people you killed also had families, even lovers!”

“Who cares about them?! Daddy’s much more important!”

“Mggh! This conversation is over! This is why children are...”

“Excuse me?! Did you just call me a child?!”

“Oh, I sure did. What is wrong with calling a child just that?!”

In fact, the argument was only getting more and more heated as it went on. At this rate, there could even be bloodshed.

“Calm down, you two.” Sensing he had to do something, Yuuto stepped in to mediate. He felt like a mouse about to face a lion, bear, or any other predatory animal. In other words, he’d really rather not.

“Do not order the great Homura around! The only one who can order me around is daddy!”

“How dare you speak that way to Milord, the þjóðann! You may be Nobunaga’s daughter, but I will not stand for this any longer!”

“Oh yeah? And how are you gonna stop me? You wanna go? I’ll take you on whenever you like!” A mischievous grin appeared on Homura’s face. Neither of them had yet laid hands on a weapon, but she was clearly ready to do battle. The moment Fagrahvél drew her weapon, Homura would strike back with glee. Yuuto was certain of it.

“Give it a rest, you two. Simmer down!” Unable to stand it any longer, Yuuto raised his voice. He thought that would at least bring Fagrahvél back to her senses, but...

“Didn’t I just tell you to not order the great Homura around? I came here because this was daddy’s last wish, but get all high and mighty and I just might kill you, okay?” Speaking in a tone several degrees below zero, all emotion had disappeared from Homura’s face. The killing intent there was clear. Sigrún and Hildegard immediately moved forward to shield Yuuto.

“So that’s what he meant by having the qualifications to take care of Homura. That old bastard.”

As the conflict reached a fever pitch, Yuuto clucked his tongue inwardly. He now understood what Nobunaga truly meant by “leaving Homura to him.” There was no way Nobunaga wouldn’t have been aware of his daughter’s arrogance. He also probably knew that particular part of her had to be reformed. But Homura was a twin-runed Einherjar that possessed outlandish strength without peer. It would take a certain breed of courage to get her to listen to anyone. Anything short of that, and she’d simply cut him down where he stood.

“I’ve got a whole other host of problems to deal with, and now I’ve got to play babysitter.”

In other words, Nobunaga was basically asking him to tame a wild, bucking horse. He’d given Yuuto quite the impossible task as a parting gift. But Yuuto wasn’t the type to run away with his tail between his legs.

“Oh? Then come at us with all you have,” he said coldly with narrowed eyes. He immediately switched into battle mode. At this point, Yuuto wasn’t going to be frightened by a mere twin-runed Einherjar. He’d faced opponents much more formidable and crossed tightropes much more harrowing.

“Hmph! Don’t act all uppity like you can win against me!”

“Oh, I can definitely win against you. If you think I’m lying, try me.”

“Oh?” At Yuuto’s provocation, Homura crouched down, assuming a battle stance. “Then I’ll come at you with all I have!”

In the next instant, she flew forward, reaching Yuuto’s side in an instant—or so she had expected...

“Hya?!” With a comedic yelp, Homura’s foot slipped and she fell to the ground. A carpet was spread out under Yuuto’s chair to welcome the guest. The part of the carpet in front of Yuuto had a metallic sheen—it had been covered in oil. That oil had caused Homura to slip. However, it wasn’t a trap laid for her specifically—it was a countermeasure against potential assassins. That wasn’t the only thing prepared, though.

“Gleipnir!” Felicia and Sigyn’s overlapping voices arose immediately afterward as they unleashed their seiðrs. A double layer of golden chains manifested, binding Homura to the ground. Gleipnir was the seiðr that had first brought Yuuto to Yggdrasil. It captured and bound abnormalities, and when used on an Einherjar, it could sap them of their superhuman strength. Furthermore, to err on the side of caution, the two had already performed the prerequisite strengthening rituals for the seiðr, so this was much stronger than the typical instant-cast Gleipnir.

Even so, Homura was a twin-runed Einherjar. A single Gleipnir might be able to subdue a normal Einherjar, but even bound with a double Gleipnir, Homura was able to force her way to Yuuto. Her speed, however, was much less monstrous than before—down to the level of a normal Einherjar.

“Too slow,” Sigrún said coldly, and made her move soon after. “My turn!”

Thanks to that, subduing her was as easy as taking candy from a baby. Sigrún grabbed Homura’s arm, twisted it, and expertly pinned her to the ground with the use of the Willow Technique, applying weight to her twisted arm. In perfect synchronicity, Hildegard added her own body weight to Homura’s back and arm, rendering Homura immobile in a matter of seconds.

“Gh...mgh...let...go!” Naturally, Homura struggled to break free, but even the twin-runed Einherjar was powerless to resist against the combination of double Gleipnirs and two Steel Clan Einherjar.

“Well, that was faster than I expected.” Yuuto coldly looked down at the helpless Homura. From Hveðrungr’s impressions as well as what he’d witnessed with his own eyes, he’d fully expected Homura to go berserk and had already prepared for that eventuality. He’d even had other tricks up his sleeves in case these measures hadn’t been enough, so he felt like this outcome was a bit anticlimactic.

“Th-That’s not fair!”

“There is no concept of fairness in war. At the very least, your father Nobunaga would not have fallen for such rudimentary tactics.”

“Guh!” Homura bit her lip in anguish. As Yuuto had expected, mentioning her father had hit a nerve.

“Did you forget that I am the man who managed to hold his own against your father for so long? A mere twin-runed Einherjar is nothing to me.” Yuuto snorted, unamused. Twin-runed monsters? He’d already been there, done that with Steinþórr. However terrifying her strength was, she wasn’t a challenge for Yuuto if that was all she had to offer. What frightened him, what really made him sweat, were visionaries like Nobunaga and Hveðrungr, who possessed both animalistic instincts and outstanding leadership skills.

“The only reason you ever gave me a hard time was because Nobunaga was right there, behind you in the shadows.” This was not Yuuto being a sore loser; these were his true feelings. Back during the war, he’d only been forced to disperse his army because he was up against an army led by Nobunaga. She had only been a threat because, at the time, most of his brain power was spent on trying to anticipate and preemptively counter Nobunaga’s next move. She had been maybe second or third on the priority list. If she alone had been his opponent back then, he could have come up with a host of ways to deal with her—just as he had now.

“Now then, what to do?” With his hand on his chin in thought, he intentionally spoke in an unaffected, emotionless tone. At times like these, the less emotion he showed, the scarier he would seem. He shot a lightning-quick glance over to Felicia, brief enough that Homura wouldn’t notice. Felicia nodded in response.

“I recommend you kill her and be done with it. Not only was she disgustingly rude to you, Big Brother, she even tried to assault you. The only place fit for her is the gallows.” Her words were as macabre as the sadistic smile that appeared on her face. As his ever-faithful adjutant, she had understood what Yuuto was trying to do without even exchanging a word—he had come to expect nothing less of her by now. But Homura was too naïve to realize that it was an act.

“Wha—?! You were the one that provoked me!” Her voice was thick with panic. She probably didn’t think she deserved to be punished just for that. Not only had she possessed overwhelming strength since birth, but she’d also had the great Nobunaga as her father. Up until now, she’d been given free rein to do whatever she wanted without consequence.

Unfortunately for her, the real world wasn’t so forgiving. This was no longer the Flame Clan; this was the Steel Clan, who, up until yesterday, had been her enemy. If she tried to be selfish here, there was only one way things would end.

“Good idea, Felicia. I agree. Now that she’s been captured, we should kill her immediately. If we leave her be, who knows what kind of dangerous seeds she’ll spread.”

“No objections here. After all, she was the one to disturb the peace by picking a fight. We’re simply obliged to follow through.”

“Riiight. Nobunaga’s gooone, so if she goes tooo, the Flame Clan will be nothing but fifty thousand useless soldiers. It might be better for us to strike now so we don’t have problems laterrr.”

One after another, Sigrún, Fagrahvél, and Bára agreed upon Homura’s execution. Either realizing the severity of the situation or recognizing their minds would not be so easily changed, Homura immediately burst into tears.

“Now, now, settle down. I understand where you all are coming from, but she’s just a little girl. There’s no need to be so vicious toward her.” Understanding that it was about time to throw her a bone, Yuuto interjected. The three girls had probably been a little too cruel, honestly. She may have been a twin-runed Einherjar, but bullying little girls wasn’t exactly a pastime of his. Still, it was important to play bad cop before being the good cop. For the sake of future relations, he needed to show her how frightening the Steel Clan could be.

In Yuuto’s experience, types like Homura who were quick to lunge out and bite would only listen once they were confronted with someone stronger. He also knew that once they had acknowledged his strength, they would cooperate without harboring any particular grudge. Sigrún, Linnea and Steinþórr had all been great examples.

“Now do you understand which one of us was acting all high and mighty?”

“Mgggh!” When Yuuto bent down to meet her gaze, Homura glared daggers at him, bitter regret on her face. Beaten so soundly, she could not retaliate. It appeared that the dent to her rather large ego was really making her blood boil.

“You may be strong, but in the end, you’re still just a kid.”

“Don’t you say the same things my daddy did!”

“Oh? So Nobunaga also saw through you, huh?”

“Guh!” Homura gritted her teeth in frustration.

“But being young means you still have room to grow. With a proper education, you could probably catch up to my level in no time. Nobunaga entrusted you to me, after all. If you so desired, I could teach you everything I know.”

“Huh?!” All the Steel Clan generals let out a cry of surprise in unison.

“B-Big Brother, surely that’s too magnanimous...”

“I agree with Felicia. Bestowing the enemy with knowledge doesn’t seem too wise.”

Felicia and Fagrahvél admonished him with stern faces. Of course, their concern was valid. Homura held no loyalty toward Yuuto. She already boasted overwhelming power; giving her knowledge on top of that would make her truly unstoppable. They probably thought it was a crazy notion—he’d essentially be creating a monster.

But Yuuto had the strongest trump card of all. Motioning for the two girls to settle down, he spoke gently to Homura.

“And, I can tell you things you might not know about Nobunaga.”

At those words, the look in Homura’s eyes instantly changed. They were brimming with fury just a moment ago, but now they shone with curiosity.

“I know Nobunaga very well. Especially when it comes to the things he did in a little country called Japan before coming to Yggdrasil.”

“R-Really?!”

“Indeed. In my homeland, Oda Nobunaga was a very famous hero. Upon becoming a patriarch, his was the book I took the most pages from. I know all the legends.”

“T-Tell me!”

“I will, as long as you promise to be a good student and learn other things as well. Also, you don’t have to worry about me, but apologize to Fagrahvél over there.”

“I’ll study! I’ll apologize! So... Please tell me about daddy!”

Just as he’d expected, it was super effective. She took the bait immediately. There was no better lure for a daddy’s girl who’d just lost her father. He did feel guilty for exploiting her weakness, but if he hadn’t, as the Steel Clan’s reginarch he would’ve had to actually dispose of her. However, killing a child would’ve really left a bad taste in his mouth. Guilty or not, this choice had been the lesser of two evils.

“Rún, Hildegard, let her go,” Yuuto ordered.

“As you wish.”

“As you command.”

The two girls had apparently also determined that Homura was no longer a threat, as they complied immediately and released her from her restraints. Homura dashed toward Yuuto immediately on all fours like an animal, so excited she didn’t even give herself time to stand up.

“Now! Tell me about Daddy right now!” Her eyes sparkled with excitement. She really was hopeless when it came to anything to do with Nobunaga, it seemed. That aspect of her was so childlike, it made Yuuto want to smile. But while he felt his mouth begin to slacken, she had been entrusted to him by Nobunaga directly. He couldn’t afford to spoil her as a guest. Using every ounce of effort to maintain a stern face, Yuuto spoke.

“Before that, apologize to Fagrahvél, the one that you argued with earlier.”

“Okay, okay! All I gotta do is apologize, right?!”

“Wait, wait!” Just before Homura was about to fly to Fagrahvél like a cannonball, Yuuto stopped her. “Do you even know what you’re apologizing for?”

“Huh? Nope! But I just have to say sorry, right?” Homura responded. She had no clue.

“I knew it.” Yuuto smiled bitterly in his heart. Glancing beside him, Fagrahvél looked unamused, with half-lidded eyes. A vein in her temple was bulging like it was about to burst.“Good god, this girl’s gonna be a handful.”

“You can’t just apologize and be done with it. You need to understand what it is you’re apologizing for.”

“But I can’t help it if I don’t know! How am I supposed to know or care what weaklings like her are thinking and feeling?!” she said with a pout. True, for someone as strong as her, she wouldn’t have needed to care about normal people’s feelings. Yuuto knew what it was like to give up on understanding others when in the throes of despair. He’d experienced something similar when confronted with the difference in values between this world and the modern one. He’d thought they were wholly different—that there was no way they could possibly understand each other. But Yuuto had also learned from experience it was wrong to be stuck in that state of mind.

“You don’t need to think that hard about it. You were super, super sad when you lost your father Nobunaga, weren’t you?”

“Yeah...”

“And that was because you loved him a lot, right?”

“Yeah! I loved him so much! And yet... And yet...”

“Yes, it is sad to lose a loved one. I was super sad when I lost my mom as well, you know.” Yuuto nodded, looking up at the sky and recalling that time. When he lost his mom, a presence in his life that always should’ve been there, that feeling of loss opened up a hole in his heart from which only a freezing wind blew. “Other people are the same as you, Homura. Fagrahvél also lost someone special in this battle.”

“Huh?!”

“She’s feeling the same sadness you’re experiencing right now.”

“The same...sadness?” Homura sputtered, clutching her chest with an expression that was unreadable.

“That’s right, it’s not just you. We’re all sad when we lose someone we love. On that point, everyone’s the same, whether you’re a twin-rune Einherjar or a normal human.”

“The same... You’re saying she feels like I do right now?”

“Yes. And while you’re having those painful feelings, what would you do if someone told you that Nobunaga was evil? That he was a small fry who didn’t matter?”

“...I’d want to kill them. No, I’d definitely kill them.”

“And now you know how she feels.”

After that, Homura acted swiftly. Without even being told to, she ran to Fagrahvél.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize you were in so much pain...” She bowed her head deeply. Her voice sounded earnest, as though her apology was from the heart and not just saying what she was instructed to.

“It seems you understand now, so we’ll leave it at that. I also should have considered the feelings of a young girl who just lost her father.” Fagrahvél accepted Homura’s apology and bowed her head as well. Of course, politeness aside, she probably hadn’t completely forgiven Homura with just an apology alone, but here she was showing her maturity as an adult and as the patriarch of the Sword Clan. She was also probably being lenient with Homura because she was a kid. Yuuto would have to thank her for that later.

That aside, Homura’s arrival and the typhoon of conflict she’d brought with her had abated for the time being. Yuuto breathed a sigh of relief.

“All right, now that that’s all settled, to Jötunheimr!” With discussions over, Yuuto clapped his hands to get everyone moving. He wanted to get back to Mitsuki and his children, as well as his comrades in the Silk Clan, as soon as he could.