Wortenia Senki (LN) - Volume 9 - Chapter Ep

Epilogue 

The curtain of night descended over the town of Lentencia. Sitting in one room of a mansion located on the city outskirts, two men clinked their cups together. The time was just past midnight. In this Earth’s logic, it was long since the time most people have turned in for the night. But for these two, who were rekindling their old friendship, the night was still quite young. 

“I never imagined your return would result in all this...” Liu heaved a sigh after hearing all that happened to Koichiro since. 

In truth, being reunited with an old friend whom he had believed to be dead for years filled Liu Daijin’s heart with joy. But having heard what his friend had just said dampened his elation. 

“Your grandchild and your grandniece...” 

Koichiro nodded somberly at Liu’s words. 

“When it happened to my son and his wife, I still thought it might be a coincidence. But with so many of my relatives being called one after another, it’s hard to write it off as an accident,” Koichiro said morosely, before silently downing another cup. 

Yes... I can see why he’d feel that way, Liu thought to himself. 

The summonings that took place in this world were unlike the summoning magic one might be familiar with from a game; it could not be done often. Thaumaturgists skilled enough to use the summoning ritual were few and far between to begin with. The spell exacted a heavy burden on the caster, and the catalysts needed to perform it were precious and rare. 

It was also difficult for any one individual to gather all the conditions needed to perform an otherworld summoning. Only the most wealthy of merchants or nobles could manage it, and even then, it would take a great deal of effort and resources. One could safely assume this kind of endeavor was usually handled by entire countries. 

With that in mind, all the countries across the western, eastern, central, southern and northern continents could only summon a few hundred otherworlders every day. And the people it summoned were essentially selected in random. Several hundred, out of the seven billion human beings that live on Rearth. 

And despite those astronomical odds, people who were related to Koichiro Mikoshiba were summoned not once, not twice, but three times over. He had to begin suspecting there must have been some kind of causality at play. And if there was a cause, it must have been his return to Rearth. 

“That is truly... a curse.” 

When he first heard that Koichiro had made it back home, Liu was elated. There was a chance he might see the sights of the homeland he thought he would never encounter again. And even if he didn’t have that chance, that door was open to his comrades in the organization. They had hope. And with this, their hatred for this world might be curbed somewhat. 

But what if, upon returning, they would discover their families and loved ones would be the next to be called into this world as a result? No. They would have to abandon the idea of going back home that way, unless the circumstances were terribly pressing. The sorrow and despair of it all was beyond description. 

Liu Daijin’s description was accurate. It was, indeed, a curse. 

“That it is...” Koichiro muttered and took another swig. 

Talking about this weighed on Koichiro’s heart. So much so that he felt like he wouldn’t be able to discuss it without alcohol in his blood. The guilt of forcing not just his son and his wife, but also his grandson and grandniece into this hell weighed him down constantly. 

“And what do you intend to do now, my friend?” Liu asked him gently. 

“First, I have to take Asuka back...” Koichiro replied, to which Liu raised an eyebrow. 

“Oh... Not your son or grandson?” 

Koichiro shook his head silently. 

“My son and his wife are beyond help by now. I don’t have enough clues to search for them. And my grandson should be fine. I’ve taught him all that I can.” 

Those words could come across as quite cold, but those were his true feelings. His son and his wife had been summoned into this world nearly 20 years ago. He had taught his son the family traditions and trained him in martial arts, so he should have been able to put up some kind of a fight. But he had only learned those arts at a layperson’s level. 

Koichiro would mention his grandson, Ryoma, from time to time. But he had granted Ryoma knowledge and passed his techniques down to him. Even in this cutthroat world, he ought to be able to survive. Put conversely, those skills were utterly worthless in modern Japan, so long as one didn’t tangle with the likes of the yakuza. 

This was a world where one had to be ruthless, to be able to unflinchingly kill when needed. Even if his son did manage to survive, it meant he had lived through a hell so terrible that his nature would have been completely warped, just as Koichiro’s heart once was. 

Yes, Koichiro wanted nothing more than to save his son from this hell if he could. But he knew it was far too late for that now, and there was someone else who needed help much more. 

Then, there came a few gentle knocks on the door. 

“Who is it?” Liu asked. 

“It’s Zheng. I have a report.” 

Liu nodded softly. 

“The door is open. Come in.” 

“Excuse me, then,” Zheng entered the room clad in his perfect tailcoat and bowed. “I have the results of the investigation.” 

He was holding a few documents in his hand. 

“Are these the results?” Liu asked, to which Zheng nodded and handed the documents over. “Hm.” 

Liu took out a pair of glasses from his chest pocket and began reading through the report. One page, two, three... Upon having read the first sentence, he heaved a slight sigh. 

“You said your grandniece’s name is Asuka Kiryuu, yes?” 

“That’s right,” Koichiro answered, to which Liu nodded. 

“I see... Apparently, she was sighted in the holy city a few months ago. However...” Liu trailed off. 

Koichiro directed a sorrowful gaze at Liu, realizing something was wrong from his expression. 

“You can’t help her?” He asked. 

This was always an option in the back of Koichiro’s mind. Even if he had been a leader of the Organization, that was half a century ago. He’d clung to this old friendship for lack of another option, but he realized full well he could very well be rejected. 

But Liu shook his head slowly at Koichiro’s question. 

“Don’t be a fool, old friend. If it’s for a relative of yours, I would do anything within my power. And my will is the will of the Organization; I won’t let anyone interfere.” 

Liu punctuated those words by taking a vigored swig of his drink. Seeing this made Koichiro understand what Liu really meant. 

So I have the Organization’s assistance guaranteed to me. But even so, they can’t save Asuka... 

That was the only conclusion possible. 

“Are you saying even your power isn’t enough to take her back?” 

Liu nodded slowly. 

“I’m afraid so. Right now, it is quite difficult... She’s been taken under the wing of some troublesome people. And to make things worse, she resides in the first citadel of the holy city.” 

With that said, Liu handed one of the documents over to Koichiro. 

I see... If what’s written here is true, even the Organization would struggle to get Asuka out of that city. 

The Organization’s power was vast, to be sure. It had enough power to overcome any of the continent’s countries easily, even the O’ltormea Empire with its hegemonic ambitions. But alas, one other group existed on the western continent capable of matching it. 

The Church of Meneos had existed for many years, and it had become quite the powerful faction. But even so, in the past the Organization would have been powerful enough to extract a person or two from the holy city of Menestia. 

Because Koichiro knew of the Organization’s strength, he had previously run the risk of using an old Chawanjin cypher to attract its attention. However, Koichiro didn’t predict that the Church of Meneos’s influence was far greater than it had been 50 years ago. The Organization had grown in power as well, so the two were evenly matched. 

But what really made the situation difficult was that Asuka was under the protection of Rodney Mackenna, captain of one of the ten knights orders under the Church of Meneos’s command. 

“Rodney Mackenna and his step-sister, Menea Norberg, have bad blood with us. They’ve given the Organization some trouble.” 

“Are they skilled?” Koichiro asked. 

“They’re both Zheng’s equals, if not stronger,” Liu nodded. 

Koichiro found himself looking up. He’d already heard that Zheng served as Liu’s aide. And if those two stood head to head with a man strong enough to lead the Hunting Dogs, the Organization’s elite force, that was sufficient information to describe their power. Koichiro himself wouldn’t be able to go easy on Zheng. Any fight between them would have to be a battle to the death. 

And the two who took Asuka under their protection matched Zheng, if they weren’t even stronger than him. Worse yet, Asuka was in the highly guarded first citadel. Only the most skilled people would be able to sneak in there. Liu was right; taking her back would be difficult. 

“Of course, we could do it assuming we’d be willing to go on an all-out war with the Church, but...” Liu said. 

Koichiro cut him off, shaking his head. Even if it was in the name of rescuing his beloved grandniece, Koichiro couldn’t ask his friend to start a war. If the Organization and the Church of Meneos were to openly clash, the continent would truly burn. 

And if that were to happen, the holy city Menestia would be caught up in the hostilities. In fact, it was the enemy’s stronghold; assuming it wouldn’t be embroiled in the war would be foolish. And since Asuka lived there, it would place her life in jeopardy. 

“If nothing else, there’s little we can do unless she leaves Menestia.” 

Koichiro hung his head powerlessly. But the words Liu uttered next made him look up vigorously. 

“However... That chance may present itself soon enough.” 

Seeing Koichiro react like that caused Liu to chuckle. 

“You’re like a father worrying over his daughter’s wellbeing,” he said. 

“Don’t tease me!” Koichiro snapped at him. 

Liu laughed out loud at Koichiro’s sulking expression, but after laughing for a moment, his expression darkened. 

“Allow me to ask you one thing, though. What is your grandson’s name, again?” 

It was a sudden change in topic, and seeing the seriousness in Liu’s eyes made Koichiro answer suspiciously. 

“It’s Ryoma... Ryoma Mikoshiba.” 

At that answer, Liu sank deeper into his seat and looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought. 

“Then... Sudou’s report was correct,” He whispered into the air. 

He took a sheet of paper and handed it over to Koichiro. 

“What’s this?” Koichiro asked as he looked down at the document. 

But after he’d read a few lines, his expression changed to shock. 

“This is a report delivered from one of our people working in the continent’s center,” Liu said, heaving another deep sigh. 

The report in Koichiro’s hands detailed the events of the O’ltormean invasion army’s withdrawal from Xarooda, and Ryoma Mikoshiba’s name was clearly written there, as one of the reinforcements dispatched by the Kingdom of Rhoadseria. Another page detailed all the information Akitake Sudou had dug up on Ryoma. 

As Koichiro’s eyes scanned over the page hungrily, Liu shook his head. Ryoma Mikoshiba had been nothing but a source of agony for the Organization he led. Ever since his murder of the former court thaumaturgist of the O’ltormea Empire, Gaius Valkland, Ryoma had impeded the Organization’s plans time and again. 

Thankfully, Sudou was in charge of the situation, and his quick-witted maneuvering allowed them to proceed without their plains requiring any major revisions. But in most cases, Ryoma’s constant interference would have branded him a target for assassination by now. 

And at the same time, his proclivity to get in their way was stark proof of his unusual capabilities. If nothing else, Liu had to respect Ryoma, both as a fellow child of their original world, and as a man. Because he had climbed up as far as he did, despite starting out with nothing at all. 

“This grandson of yours is... quite a monster, indeed.” 

Saying this, Liu reached for a box of tobacco sitting on the table. He would need this to calm his nerves, it seemed. Taking out his favored pipe from the box’s drawer, he stuffed tobacco leaves into the pipe bowl and ignited it using fire thaumaturgy. 

Some time passed, and Koichiro eventually looked up from reading the report. His expression was full of pride. His education was not in vain. He’d found the beloved grandson he’d raised with care and devotion, and this filled him with more joy than he’d ever felt before. 

But on the other hand, he’d given Ryoma all his knowledge and training, fashioning him into a modern warrior. In a sense, Ryoma achieving this much was to be expected. And while Ryoma had all the tools to cut open a path through whatever might come his way, the same couldn’t be said of Asuka. For better and for worse, she was just an average high school student. 

“So, what does this have to do with saving Asuka?” Koichiro asked, using every bit of willpower he had to suppress his desire to hurry over to his grandson’s side. 

Liu billowed smoke from his pipe, basking in its aftertaste. 

“Soon, the Church of Meneos will be dispatching a messenger to Rhoadseria.” 

Koichiro tilted his head quizzically. He didn’t immediately understand the meaning behind those words. 

“Put more simply, your grandson’s penchant for making a bloody mess of the O’ltormea Empire’s plans made him draw the attention of the Church’s top brass.” 

This was not entirely surprising. The Church of Meneos’s declared purpose was to ensure the stability of the western continent. With Ryoma building up a name for himself so quickly, it was only natural they’d become interested in him. 

“The one dispatched to meet him is set to be one of the Pope’s close aides, Cardinal Roland. And the escorts sent out to guard his person are...” 

As Liu finished his sentence, Koichiro’s lips curled up into a smirk. After hearing that much, the conclusion he’d come to was obvious.