Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 26 - Chapter 7

Beyond the Light

Saturday, January 8th

With Vandarion defeated, the coup d’etat army surrendered. It was in part because it would be difficult to continue their rebellion as things were, but the final nail in the coffin was what everyone had seen of Vandarion in his battle with the Blue Knight. By the end of it, the merged Type Two and space fortress looked like a monster even to Vandarion’s own men. Moreover, nothing Vandarion had said sounded anything like the leader they wanted. It was a rude awakening for those who still supported the coup d’etat, and they peacefully surrendered afterward. With that, the drawn out coup d’etat came to an end.

After the official surrender, Elfaria immediately began major reforms. The first order of business was to replace any government officials who’d had close ties to Vandarion. After that, there were discussions on how to prevent possible future coups and how to go about the disarmament of the Imperial Army. They were all things Elfaria had proposed in the past, but had been shut down by parliament. With Vandarion gone, however, that would no longer be an issue.

Elfaria’s reforms also addressed part of what Elexis had wanted for the country. His primary concern had been that political parties and the military might run amok under Elfaria’s rule, but Elfaria pushing legislation through made it clear she was in control and that things had normalized. Koutarou didn’t think Elexis would be unhappy with how things turned out.

As for Elexis, his and Maya’s whereabouts remained unknown. According to Darkness Rainbow, they couldn’t find them no matter how much they looked. There was always a chance that they were lying, but Koutarou chose not to pursue the matter. With Elfaria’s reforms, Elexis was probably satisfied, and really, Koutarou felt like he owed him one for saving him in their last battle. Even in the worst case scenario, considering how much of a stickler Elexis could be for formalities, he would probably give his regards before he started any trouble. But most of all, Koutarou couldn’t imagine that he and Maya would do anything that would put Darkness Rainbow in a bad position.

While pushing for reform, Elfaria announced the existence of Folsaria to the citizens of Forthorthe. She spoke of how the descendants of the people under Grevanas had survived and developed on their own. She explained that contact with them had been established during the coup d’etat, and that she had decided to form a friendly relationship with them.

The people of Folsaria were rather divided on the matter of returning to Forthorthe, so Forthorthe believed it was their responsibility as a friendly nation to respect both sides. In other words, they would honor Folsaria’s independence while opening the door for those who sought to immigrate. It was also decided that immigrants from Folsaria would be welcomed in Veltlion’s special territory for the time being.

The more or less diplomats that were serving as a point of contact with Folsaria were the girls of Darkness Rainbow. Since they were already in Forthorthe and had a good understanding of Forthorthe’s situation, they were perfect for the job. Serving as the point of contact on Folsaria’s side would be Rainbow Heart. As Rainbow Heart was the current government of Folsaria, it seemed like an obvious choice.

“So in the end, we managed to achieve our goal as Darkness Rainbow,” said Purple.

“I don’t like losing to Navy though,” sighed Green.

“Maki saved you, you know. You could be a little gracious,” laughed Crimson.

“I know! That’s why I’ve accepted even though I don’t like it!”

“Hey, Bluie, Yellie! Forthorthe has all kinds of cute fashion!” Orange practically cheered.

“You think so?” Blue asked. “Then maybe you should pick out a new outfit for me.”

“I’d love to! When do we go?!”

“I wonder if there’s someplace with nice scenery somewhere in Veltlion’s special territory...” Yellow wondered out loud.

Rainbow Heart and Darkness Rainbow would work together to fulfill their diplomatic duties. While it was an unexpected outcome considering the long, fraught history between them, everything was just as it should be. Overall, both sides had gotten what they wished for.

And so the girls of Darkness Rainbow would fulfill their new duties while waiting. Waiting for Elexis and Maya to return from their so very long voyage. Koutarou felt things were fine that way, and Theia and the other girls agreed. They knew that the current Darkness Rainbow was nothing like Vandarion.

Meanwhile, Koutarou’s reputation as the Blue Knight—the man who appeared to almost single-handedly put an end to the coup d’etat—was skyrocketing. The people praised him for everything he’d done, and they loved him more than ever. He’d become the legendary hero they were hoping for, and he’d saved the day just like he had two thousand years ago. Almost everywhere he went, just his presence caused a huge commotion.

“You’re awfully popular, Blue Knight.”

“This isn’t something to laugh about, Alunaya-dono.”

Koutarou was visiting Rushstock Cemetery to honor the heroes of both past and present that rested there. He felt indebted to all of them, so he wanted to properly pay his respects. Things had been so chaotic after the war, however, that he hadn’t had a chance to come until now. Today, one week after the surrender of the coup d’etat army, he’d finally managed to get some free time.

“Yeah, if we were anywhere else, there would have been a huge scene. Looks like this was a good place to visit,” commented Shizuka with a giggle. She’d come along as Koutarou’s bodyguard.

Koutarou normally caused a commotion wherever he went, but today that hadn’t happened. People were certainly noticing, but they only observed him from a distance out of respect. They were in a cemetery after all.

“If you didn’t want to attract attention, you didn’t have to dress like that.”

“Of course I did. I could never come here without wearing this.”

For military affairs and formal occasions, Koutarou was expected to wear his signature blue armor. It especially stood out when he went out in public. As today was private business, however, there was nothing that said he had to wear it. He simply just couldn’t bring himself to visit his comrades-in-arms without looking the part as the Blue Knight. He felt it was the least amount of courtesy he could show them as the man who’d been their commander.

“Then you’ll just have to bear it.”

Unlike the troubled Koutarou, Shizuka was in high spirits. She was happy that the man she loved was so well liked by all. Shizuka celebrated his rise in fame as if it was her own.

“You don’t get to act like it doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

“But it doesn’t! Y’know why? Because even after all this time you still haven’t made me your giiirlfriiiend!”

“Come on now...”

“Hmm... The way I see it, Blue Knight, is that you simply look too heroic.”

Everyone had an ideal image of a hero, and Koutarou matched that all too well. People simply couldn’t help having such a strong reaction to him. That was the way Alunaya saw it.

“Things just happened to work out that way. It was like that in the past too. Really, I just got lucky. I’d have been a total disgrace otherwise.”

Koutarou didn’t see himself as anyone that impressive. He’d always had something to fall back on. Even two thousand years in the past, he was going off of Theia’s play scripts. And then when things seemed to happen all over again with the coup d’etat, he simply went off of his experience from the past. Koutarou could only play the part of the Blue Knight thanks to that.

“If your experience from before was a rehearsal, then you could call this fate. Besides, they say history repeats itself, don’t they?”

Alunaya laughed heartily. Koutarou wanted to express his dissatisfaction with Alunaya, but what he said distracted him from doing so.

Fate...? Rehearsal...? If this was all just practice for something, then...

There was no proof of what Alunaya was suggesting, but something about it struck a chord with Koutarou. If the play had been a rehearsal for the events of two thousand years ago, and the events of two thousand years ago had been a rehearsal for the present-day coup, then what had all this been a rehearsal for?

“What’s the matter, Blue Knight?”

But as a stuffed doll of Alunaya peered into his face with his big, round eyes, Koutarou put the thought out of his mind. At least for right now, it was much less important than what he’d come here for.

“If you want to know what it’s like, I don’t mind exposing that you’re here too, Alunaya-dono.”

“No, Blue Knight! Be more mature! Don’t get me involved!”

“Hmm...”

Koutarou and Alunaya broke out into a silly spat, but it was truly a refreshing sight. They only had the freedom and time to do something like this because Forthorthe was at peace once more. Realizing that much, Shizuka let the two of them be.

“I think you should suffer a little too, Alunaya-dono.”

“I’m sorry! I admit my fault!”

“Ah, how nice...”

At least for the moment. Shizuka’s intuition was telling her it wouldn’t last long. The people watching Koutarou from a distance were having a hard time containing themselves. It wouldn’t be long before they came running.

In Rushstock Cemetery, there was a special tomb dedicated to honoring late royalty. It was a monument of sorts, and citizens were allowed to visit freely. More privately, however, there were royal burial grounds where royalty was actually laid to rest. Each territory had one for their respective royal family. For example, the Mastir family burial grounds were here in the Mastir territory. And as these graveyards were near sacred territory, they weren’t open to the public. People weren’t permitted entry without a special reason, but the Blue Knight himself coming to visit certainly qualified as a special reason.

“Empress Alaia, Princess Charl...”

Koutarou’s quiet whisper wandered its way through the otherwise empty graveyard. He had come alone. The Mastir family burial grounds were rather large. They along with the wide sky stretching overhead were dyed orange by the sun setting behind Koutarou. Before him stood a large tombstone carved from natural rock. Bathed in the glow of the evening sun, the crests engraved on the tombstone almost lit up. The tombstone bore the royal family crest as well as the personal crests of the individuals buried there. Koutarou was particularly interested in two of them.

“Everything has finally settled down. Forthorthe will be safe now.”

Koutarou had come to give Alaia and Charl a report. Alaia as Koutarou knew her now was with Harumi, so he knew that she wouldn’t be here. But even so, even if just for sentimental reasons, he wanted to come tell her personally that everything was all right. Of course, he had come to tell Charl the same thing.

“I can finally feel a weight lifted off my shoulders. It was my actions that brought all this on, after all...”

Koutarou continued talking to the tombstone as if he was speaking directly with Alaia and Charl. As he did, all kinds of things flashed through his mind. What had happened in Forthorthe in the past and everything that had come of it. While it might have been hard to believe, Koutarou was the cause for all of it. But that was now coming to a close. The underground empire, Folsaria, and Forthorthe... All of the troubles that had originated two thousand years ago had finally been resolved. All that was left was for Koutarou and the others to return home to Earth and everything would be back to normal.

“As I thought, I’m really not suited to being a hero. I think I’m much more cut out to be just your average high schooler.”

Koutarou let out an embarrassed laugh. The one thing he’d felt constantly all this time was that he was much more suited to living an average life in a normal world. But as he laughed, he heard someone laughing with him.

“I think there would be a flood of objections to that. Who other than you could truly call themselves a hero, Koutarou-sama?”

“Your Majesty?!”

Surprisingly enough, Alaia had appeared before Koutarou’s eyes. And it wasn’t Harumi. It was strange. Koutarou knew that Alaia should be with Harumi now, but Harumi was nowhere to be seen. This was definitely Alaia... Alaia as Koutarou had known her all those years ago.

“It’s been a while since I met you as just myself, hasn’t it?”

“Your Majesty... It really is you, isn’t it?”

“Yes. I’m relieved to see you well, Koutarou-sama.”

Alaia narrowed her eyes and smiled gently. Seeing her like that, Koutarou couldn’t help remarking how much she really did look like Harumi. It was almost hard to tell the difference between them, but something was definitely different here. There was something Koutarou couldn’t quite put his finger on. Harumi was Alaia reborn, but her soul was the same.

“But... why are you here today? And all alone at that...”

Koutarou began to grow concerned that Alaia was here without Harumi. Since that expended mana, it wasn’t something that could be done lightly. And considering that, she must have had a good reason for doing it. That was the part that bothered Koutarou.

“I guess I can’t hide anything from you, can I, Koutarou-sama? Heehee...”

“Your Majesty? Really, is something the matter?”

Koutarou had a bad feeling about what was to come. The tone in Alaia’s voice only made him more anxious. He gave Alaia a worried look.

“Actually... I’ve come to say farewell, Koutarou-sama.”

“Farewell?! Why would you do that?! It can’t be―”

What she said was most unexpected. Alaia still existed within Harumi even now, so if she’d come to say goodbye, that made it sound like Harumi was in danger.

“No, that’s not it. The life poured into that sword, into Nalfalaren, was only very slight. Really, it didn’t fit as much as I’d expected. There should be no adverse effects for any of the nine girls.”

“Good... Thank god...”

Koutarou’s shoulders slumped as the tension left his body. He had been worried all this time about what the girls had done to revive the swords, even though they all seemed to be fine so far. However, now that the person who understood magical swords better than anyone had said that they would be fine, Koutarou was put at ease. He’d been worried for nothing.

“But then, why...?”

And yet while he was relieved, that only confused him more. If Harumi was dying, he could understand why Alaia would come to say farewell. But if she was okay, then he wasn’t sure why Alaia had come to see him like this. Her eyebrows drew close together in a somewhat lonely expression as she began to explain things to him.

“The me here right now is part of me from two thousand years ago. This spirit represents the life and soul I used up undoing Signaltin’s seal.”

Two thousand years ago, Alaia’s soul had been split in two. One half went on to live life in Forthorthe and would be reincarnated into Harumi after her passing. The other half was inside of Signaltin. Or at least it was.

“But the other day, Signaltin’s contract was lifted.”

“Ah...”

“That’s why I was released from Signaltin. And because of that, I’m starting to lose my shape as Alaia.”

Koutarou now began to understand what was going on. Until the battle the other day, Signaltin had been a container for Alaia’s soul, but now the original sword was no more. Alaia had been freed and was gradually integrating with Harumi. In other words, the contract with Signaltin was what had kept the two different parts of her distinct. But there was no need for that now.

“Oh no! Isn’t there anything we can do?!”

“There’s most likely a way to allow me to stay. But... I have no intention of doing that.”

“But why?!”

“I have to return my life to Harumi. I have to avoid my existence causing Harumi harm.”

“Ugh...”

If Alaia remained as she was, Harumi would forever have a weak constitution. If she didn’t return this part of her soul to Harumi, she would always be in danger. If she asked Harumi, she would likely say she was fine with that. That’s why Alaia chose to vanish silently. That’s why she’d come to tell Koutarou farewell.

“Besides, I’m not disappearing. I am simply returning to Harumi, where I belong. This is not a true farewell.”

“But your memories...”

“It’s more unusual to keep your memories after dying and being reincarnated, really. Won’t you feel sorry for Charl if I’m the only one who gets special treatment?”

“But...!”

“Besides... my dream has finally come true. I’ll get to be a normal girl, have a first love, build a family... You too should know how wonderful of a thing that is, Koutarou-sama.”

“Your Majesty...”

Koutarou couldn’t say anything. He knew what Alaia’s dream was. But as long as Alaia remained as she was, that dream would never be fulfilled. That’s why she had to be freed from the small cage that was her current form. Koutarou knew he shouldn’t stop her. He knew what he needed to do for her was greet Harumi, who would finally become one with Alaia, with a smile.

“Please don’t be sad, Koutarou-sama. Just... please find the me that will forever live on within Harumi...”

“...I will...”

This was the start of Alaia’s dream. It really wasn’t a farewell. It was the start of something wonderful. It should be celebrated. But neither of them made an effort to hide their tears. Their was no filling the gap between what they felt and what they should be feeling. Humans are strange, awkward creatures that way, but part of their beauty lies in that awkwardness. That’s why Koutarou would never forget the sight of Alaia and her tears. She was so beautiful right now that he burned the image into his mind.

Some time passed as they cried together, but it was unclear to either of them whether it was minutes or hours. They only realized it as the sun started to dip below the horizon. In that liminal hour between day and night, voices called out to them.

“Sister! Blue Knight!”

“Your Excellency, are you making Her Majesty cry again?!”

They heard the distinct voices of two girls that were very important to both Koutarou and Alaia. But it wasn’t just those two voices. There were countless people calling out for Alaia, and that only meant one thing.

“...Koutarou-sama, it seems that the time has come.”

Alaia wiped away her tears and smiled. As sad as she was, it wasn’t a smile from the heart. If she relaxed for just a moment, her smile would melt away like snow. But even then, Alaia wanted to smile in the end.

“Your Majesty... It was an honor to see you again.”

Koutarou understood exactly how Alaia felt, and so he pretended not to see right through her real feelings. He smiled in return for her. He didn’t want to trouble her.

“Layous-sama... Do you mind if I ask you one last question? Something a normal girl would ask?”

Alaia was wrapped in a golden light much like the glow of the sun. It was the presence of the people gathering around her. They had come to get her. And as their light surrounded Alaia, her figure began to fade.

“Ask me anything you wish.”

“Was I...”

Alaia trailed off and then began to blush. Even here and now, what she was about to ask required a lot of courage.

“Um... Was I a woman that could help heal your wounded heart?”

“That’s―”

It was a very difficult question. In reality, Koutarou already had a clear answer, but the woman he was speaking to was a princess he held in high regard. An empress, even. It wasn’t something he could say so lightly just because he had the chance. But after thinking about it for a moment, he decided to answer her honestly. He didn’t want either of them to have regrets.

“I― Mmph!”

“Heehee...”

But as Koutarou was about to give her his answer, Alaia reached out and put a single finger over his lips. Koutarou was quite taken aback.

“Please give Harumi that answer someday. When you think the time is right.”

“Your Majesty...”

At the very end, Koutarou finally got to see a very girlish side to Alaia. If they had been a normal boy and girl in a normal time, he believed they would have talked like this often. And that was the kind of future Alaia hoped Koutarou and Harumi would have together.

“Koutarou-sama, I’m so glad that I met you. Forthorthe still exists after two thousand years, and its people are living with smiles on their faces. And now I get to live like a normal girl. It’s all thanks to you...”

It was time for Alaia to go. Her image grew fainter and fainter as she started to vanish into the light. But Alaia wouldn’t truly disappear. She was only going to join the people in the light. The rest of her would join with Harumi. Once he returned to the Imperial Palace, he would be able to see her again. That’s why Koutarou had only one thing to say.

“Then let us meet again. At dinner.”

“Koutarou-sama... Yes, at dinner...”

It was the most either of them could muster now. Even if they were never to see each other like this again, they still wanted to meet again. Within Harumi. Within their everyday lives. And so neither of them actually said goodbye. Instead, they exchanged a promise to meet again. And...

“I will always love you... May these feelings always be with you...”

A pure declaration of love.

The seventh princess of the Holy Forthorthe Galactic Empire, Theiamillis Gre Forthorthe, was trembling with rage. She had been betrayed by one of her vassals. The traitor in question had trampled all over her trust and the trust of the people. It was an act so wretched and despicable that Theia called a press conference to voice her dissatisfaction to the citizens and gain their support in the matter.

“As I am sure you have all heard, the commemoration ceremony for the end of the war and the following celebration scheduled for tomorrow have been canceled. I am very sorry to all of you who were looking forward to it.”

Theia spoke politely, but there was no hiding the intense fury behind her words. That much was conveyed to the citizens, even through the hologram.

“I was looking forward to it too. It was meant to be a day where all of Forthorthe could rejoice, after all. It was also supposed to be a chance for us to show our gratitude for our hero.”

Theia’s small fist on top of the podium was trembling. She had soared high on the wings of joy only to be cast into the depths of indignation.

“But would you look at that! Before we even had a chance to thank him, he ran home to his homeland!”

The journalists’ cameras all went off in a sea of flashes. This was the real reason the press conference had been called—to reveal why the commemoration ceremony and following celebration had been canceled.

“All this while throwing his land and property in our faces! If this is not a betrayal, then what is?!”

That was the part that had angered Theia so much. Their hero, Koutarou, had run away from his own party. Theia had so been looking forward to the moment she could walk out before the crowd, all dressed up and arm-in-arm with Koutarou.

“The only message he left was, ‘Make the best of it!’ What a joke!”

The part that provoked her ire the most, however, was that Koutarou had left for Earth without even consulting her. She had been left behind by Koutarou several times now, and each time she had endured it since there was no helping it. But this was different. He certainly could have at least talked with her first, yet he’d left without a single word. The short of it was that Theia was livid that the man she loved had left her behind.

“I’m not asking that he stay and run the country! And I can understand why he couldn’t leave Signaltin in Forthorthe after seeing all it can do! But he could at least stay for you all to greet and thank him properly for what he’s done!”

Yet despite her personal feelings, Theia was calmly and logically presenting her case to the citizens. This affected them too, after all. At least, that’s the pretense she was using.

“What kind of a legendary hero does that? If he keeps saving us, we’ll always be in his debt! He could at least put himself in our shoes!”

Surprisingly, Theia’s speech received high acclaim from the citizens. As they all loved the Blue Knight, they all more or less felt the same way she did.

“Show some humanity! Stay and listen to us praise you! Or stay because the company is just so good! Not to mention the food! A respectable hero would do all of that, but he’s simply taken off again, leaving us nothing but a legend!”

That’s why, despite all of the speech being criticism for the Blue Knight, Theia received little criticism herself. Almost all who saw her speech thought to themselves, “Well, said Princess Theiamillis.”

“So I believe that the only acceptable recourse is for Clan and myself to head to his homeland and convince him to return to Forthorthe with us. This is something only Clan and I can do. I don’t know how many years it will take, but fortunately my mother and Ceilēshu are here to continue to take care of all of you and the country!”

Because the citizens had been sympathizing with her, Theia’s idea gained a lot of support. In a public opinion poll recorded later, a whopping 79 percent of participants claimed that they supported her either directly or indirectly. There was no denying that the people wanted Theia and Clan to bring the Blue Knight back.

Public opinion was swayed even further in that direction thanks to Elfaria’s fake tears. After Theia’s speech, she showed the footage of Koutarou choosing to become emperor the first time he activated GoL, and then she cried for the camera.

“As you can see, Layous-sama secretly desires to become the emperor. It’s only a natural desire as a man. Everyone dreams of becoming a lord at least once in their life. However, Layous-sama silently left this country because he cares too deeply for it. And he didn’t so much as hesitate to give up his extremely vast property. How very noble...”

So between Theia’s rousing speech and Elfaria’s sympathetic plea, almost the entire country was cheering for Theia and Clan to go get the Blue Knight.

“Just you wait, stupid Blue Knight! Clan and I will make you our groom no matter what kind of dirty tricks we have to use! I won’t let you just waltz back home to Earth like you have nothing to do with us!”

“Ah, um... I’ll do my best too! Certainly! Well, probably...”

And so with the overwhelming support of the people, Theia and Clan’s mission to Earth was officially approved by parliament. Forthorthe was ready to establish diplomatic relationships and give technological support in order to conciliate with the Japanese government. They had only one goal: to bring back Forthorthe’s greatest treasure, the Blue Knight. They were even ready to be branded as invaders in order to accomplish that. But the Blue Knight himself remained unaware that the situation was about to hit critical mass. The invasion of the Holy Forthorthe Galactic Empire was only just beginning.