Yari no Yuusha no Yarinaoshi (LN) - Volume 2 - Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: Remnants 

We spent three days in a state of vigilance. We didn’t receive any word from the Melromarc army, and all we could do was wait for Siltvelt scouts to spot their troops. Taking a long glance up at the sky, Father muttered that, of course, if there ended up not being a war at all, that would be better. But still, everyone in Siltvelt was sitting on pins waiting. 
In the meantime, Siltvelt communicated to Faubrey that the Whip Hero had been cooperating with the fox beast that impersonated the Claw Hero and that Takt had tried to kill us as payback for defending ourselves against that monster. But that seemed to just put an even further strain on Siltvelt’s international relations. 
Around noon of that third day, a messenger burst into the throne room with a bang. 
“Shieldfreeden has officially declared war on Siltvelt!” the messenger shouted. 
“We can’t even figure out what’s happening with the Melromarc invasion,” Father exclaimed, “and now Shieldfreeden is invading?” 
“Yes, sir! The Shieldfreeden representative Nelshen gave us a statement that declares that even though the Whip Hero came to Siltvelt with the virtuous intentions of helping fight the wave of destruction, we ensnared him in a trap to kill him!” 
The reporting soldier showed us a crystal that projected a picture. 
The image of a pig, badly beaten up, let out a series of hideous squeals. Utterly unable to understand, I leaned over to Father, who interpreted for me. 
“‘The Shield and Spear Hero have betrayed our virtuous intentions. They trapped our sacred Whip Hero Takt, Hammer Hero, and dragon goddess and sent them to violent deaths. They killed their own nation’s Claw Hero and our Whip Hero Takt—we won’t let this stand! We will fight for justice! We won’t allow those perpetrators of evil to live in this world unpunished! We will exterminate the root of evil from Siltvelt! We will have our revenge!’ Wow, talk about angry!” 
Father had an ugly expression on his face. I, too, was enraged. Of course, I regretted killing as many people as I did that day. For that, I murmured a humble apology. 
“They were the ones who launched a preemptive strike!” Father said. “And they’re declaring war on us for the sake of so-called revenge? After they plotted to kill both the Claw Hero and the Whip Hero, now they’re accusing us of killing them!” 
“Shieldfreeden has notified all the countries of the world about this matter,” Werwer said. “We’ve submitted a response denying their claims, but I don’t think a militaristic country like Shieldfreeden will let go of a motive for war.” Werwer frowned. “Truly, this must be the workings of the Wisest King of Wisdom!” 
A grim atmosphere fell among the Siltvelt leaders in the throne room. 
“So it’s a combined invasion by Melromarc and Shieldfreeden,” Father said. “But Takt’s surprise attack already failed, right? There’s no way they could’ve thought a reckless attack like that would actually work.” 
“It is the Wisest King of Wisdom who tries to make the impossible a reality,” Werwer said. “So now we are being put to the test by his schemes. I would’ve never imagined that the Church of the Three Heroes would join hands with Shieldfreeden, of all countries.” 
“Exactly!” Father said. “I thought maybe I was overthinking it, but—” 
Another messenger flung open the doors and cried out, “Shieldfreeden has already launched its airships and is currently on the way to Siltvelt!” 
“They’re attacking by airship?” Father asked. “They must be planning to drop bombs, then.” 
The room collectively gasped and many of the Siltvelt leaders’ faces went sheet white. 
Eventually another messenger came and informed us that the airships weren’t coming to the Siltvelt castle but instead planned to drop bombs on the neighboring villages. 
“The remnants of the Whip Hero’s forces are launching acts of terrorism!” a leader cried. 
Father stood up, unable to contain his anger. “That could kill countless innocent people!” he shouted. “Whether this has anything to do with the heroes or not, we have to do something!” 
The Siltvelt leaders began to bow down and pray to Father. 
“Oh, mighty Shield Hero, please calm your anger! Let us use the might of our country to defeat our enemies!” 
“Lately I’ve been the one telling people to calm down, but this is horrific!” 
Up until now, Father had been trying to avoid war at all costs. But now he pledged to protect the people of Siltvelt. Father’s heart overflowed with loving kindness, I say. 
So Father wanted to help Siltvelt, but we had to come up with some sort of plan. 
“Father, I have a suggestion,” I informed him. 
“What is it?” 
“Takt’s remnants are after us. Since their objective is revenge against us, I suggest we launch an invasion led by the heroes.” 
Father nodded. “Since their cause revolves around defeating me and Motoyasu, we’ll fight against both Shieldfreeden and Melromarc!” 
The Siltvelt leaders started praying again. “We praise the eternal mercy and compassion of the Shield Hero!” 
“I’ll do everything I can to protect Siltvelt!” 
So with that, Father and I went out to face Takt’s remnants. My spear was aching to kill a few more pigs. 
As was my heart. 

We set out with Yuki and the filolials for the Siltvelt towns under attack. Just as we were walking down to what looked like a peaceful street, a group of Takt’s remnants rushed out and surrounded us. 
That was surprisingly easy. So easy it was a bit of a letdown. 
“Motoyasu, do you really think you’re strong enough to beat everyone on your own?” Father asked. 
“Well, pigs are generally powerless,” I informed Father. 
“What? I thought maybe you’d say it was easier to take down enemies driven by revenge since they’re not as inclined to cooperate or something, but if that’s what it is, then go for it.” 
There were pigs firing their rifles at us from afar, pigs stabbing their swords at us from close range, and pigs casting magic spells at us too. I killed all of those would-be avengers, I say! 
“The messengers claim that in west Siltvelt, a Shieldfreeden leader is planning to give a formal address about the war,” Father said. 
“That means more pigs are probably on the way,” I said. 
“Yeah, probably,” Father agreed. “Takt really had quite the army.” 
“And they’re all pigs!” 
We were riding the filolials as we continued to discuss our next steps. 
“He basically had a harem. Women are scary.” Father sighed. “I suppose you’re glad we get to keep fighting, but I wish they had thought more about their crazy strategy.” 
“Their own foul plot backfired, so they’re dressing their deeds up with the name of revenge,” I declared. 
“I understand how they feel about Takt’s death,” Father said. “But it’s one thing to be upset and another thing to bomb another country. Motoyasu, you mentioned that in the future, Takt was the main ringleader who tried to kill all the heroes, right? But in this world, that’s like the cardinal sin. We can’t afford to stand by and let it happen.” 
Yes, he was right. It was the duty of the heroes to save the world from the waves of destruction. To try to kill those heroes—and then pretend like it never happened—was a betrayal to the entire world. It was an act of barbarity that sacrificed innocent lives! Only pigs would be stupid enough to blindly believe and tolerate such horrible crimes simply because they like the perpetrator. 
I barely managed to hold in my vomit. 
“So it looks like we were able to reduce the number of remnants, but they weren’t the brightest bunch,” Father said. 
“Next up, we need to take care of the scheming pigs and their twisted, underhanded affairs,” I proclaimed. 
Father glanced at me. “I guess so. But it seems like most of the other remnants fled back to Siltvelt, so it could be tricky. Maybe a diversion . . . We also know there are remnants prepared to commit acts of terrorism in Siltvelt. Did we have trouble taking care of Takt’s remnants in the previous timeline?” 
“I don’t think so,” I said. 
“Really? Even though he has so many soldiers?” 
Father had that ugly look on his face again. I tried to remember how Father had dealt with all of Takt’s soldiers. I, Motoyasu Kitamura, was utterly clueless when it came to Father’s grand tactics. 
But I did have a memory of one of Takt’s pigs getting executed. 
“In the last go-around,” I told Father, “you captured Takt alive, stripped him of the power to use the seven star weapons, and had him publicly executed, I say!” 
“Public execution?” Father gasped. His face was contorted into shock, like he couldn’t believe the kind of person he used to be. 
I could keep talking about the deeds of Father forever. Hmm, yes. What exactly did happen? 
“Yes,” I continued, “so you took all the remnants and publicly executed them before Takt’s very eyes!” 
“Execution right in front of him? Did . . . Did I kill them myself?” 
“I don’t know about that,” I said. “But I do remember that you looked pretty bored after the public execution was over.” 
“What do you mean?” Father asked. “Was it boring for me to watch all the executions? Or was I trying to show off how bored I was to make a point?” 
“I have no idea,” I said. 
Truly, I had no idea. I also got the sense that it had been hard work for him though. 
“The public execution of all those women before Takt’s very eyes . . .” Father closed his eyes. “What a cruel punishment.” 
Father let out another sigh of boredom, I say. 
Still, a leader can win over people’s hearts with that sort of cruelty. It’s a move that ensures that even your enemies won’t oppose you! 
“When you prepared the public execution, you stated the charges, if I remember correctly,” I said. “You said something like, ‘It is a grievous sin to try to make the world your own. For deceiving the heroes, I appoint to you a fate worse than death!’” 
“I can kinda see what I did there,” Father said. “I probably did it to make sure that someone was punished for starting a war and to allow the people to vent their anger. I’ve heard that execution was often used to appease the public.” 
What a just reason! 
“Okay, so getting back on topic, do you remember how we rounded up Takt’s remaining soldiers?” 
“I had left the battle against Takt to you, so I didn’t see any of it,” I said. 
“Gotcha. Well, did you hear about it? Anything would be helpful.” 
I focused, trying to unravel my memories. 

Hmmmmm. 
“That’s it!” I proclaimed. “You rounded up the pigs that were with Takt, and then for those elsewhere, you used a fake message from Takt to gather them together!” 
“A fake message? Of course! In the last go-around, Takt was trying to take over the world, right? If we announced that he had won, all his supporters would come, and we could round them up that way. That sort of thing.” 
“I don’t know the details,” I told Father. I was just a helpful hand, assisting with the essential task of pig-hunting. I didn’t know the strategy. 
Father frowned. “I don’t think that’s an option for us anymore, since so many of the remnants have already fled all over the place. That means we have no choice but to defeat the remnants a few at a time and slowly convince them to abandon hope of revenge.” 
That sounded annoying. With remnant soldiers all over the place, now I understood how effective Father’s public executions had been at ending things quickly. 
But I got the sense that that wasn’t the least of it. Father had said something . . . something about Takt’s head exploding. Something vaguely floated in the back of my mind. What had happened? 
“So in the end, we have no choice but to win the war and prove our innocence,” Father said. “The world doesn’t know what Takt did to us.” 
“Father, if you command it, I, Motoyasu Kitamura, will chase Takt’s pigs to the ends of the earth if need be!” 
“I appreciate the offer, but we don’t want to cause too much of a fuss,” Father said. “Although the other heroes may end up having to join the war between Shieldfreeden and Siltvelt, I suppose.” 
Father fell into deep thought and looked up at me. 
“Motoyasu.” 
“What is it, Father?” 
“If the time loop were to end up happening again, please do everything you can to avoid this kind of situation. Remember everything.” 
“Remember I shall,” I declared. 
“Again, this is in a worst-case scenario when the time loop resets, but please use all your memories and knowledge to try to avoid war. Help the future me avoid war as much as you possibly can.” Father looked straight into my eyes and then lowered his head. 
I pledged to remember. 
I, Motoyasu Kitamura, would prevent war at all costs in the case of a time loop reset. I would fulfill Father’s wishes, I say! 
I couldn’t even imagine how Father managed to avoid war in the first go-around. I figured I’d just start thinking about it, at least. 
“I shall carve your words in my heart, Father,” I declared. 
“Please do,” Father said. 
As we talked, we continued on our journey to expose and destroy Takt’s remnants. A few pigs popped out while we were discussing Takt, and after we finished them off, we headed back to Siltvelt castle. 
We went inside and Father called out to the shusaku representative. 
“Hey, we’re back. What’s the status of the Shieldfreeden invasion?” 
“At present, the Shieldfreeden army is advancing from the south. They’re launching gunfire and bombs from their airplanes. The damage is accumulating fast.” 
“In this world, you can use guns depending on your level, right? So the soldiers firing at us from the airplanes must be pretty high level?” 
“We believe so.” 
“Just based on what Motoyasu told me, I’m not sure how we can stop those airships. It sounds like previously we could only stop them thanks to the ingenuity of the Melromarc king.” 
“It would be a simple matter for the Wisest King of Wisdom to stop the airships,” Werwer said. “But alas, the Wisest King of Wisdom is our enemy.” 
“That’s true, but maybe we can figure out how to do what he did,” Father suggested. “By the way, did you find the locations of the holy claw and whip weapons?” 
When I had defeated Takt, Brionac’s beam of light had apparently blown his weapons quite a ways away. According to those watching the airship from below, an orb of light fell out of the sky after the blast of my Brionac. 
I remembered that glorious blast of light! But I certainly had no idea where the weapons ended up falling. 
“We determined the location,” Werwer said. “The weapons have been enshrined in consecrated grounds.” 
“Consecrated grounds?” 
“A deep forest close to our castle. The seven star weapons are kept there.” 
“So neutral ground,” Father said. “Now that there are three of the seven star weapons there, be sure to announce that you don’t intend to keep them there forever.” 
“Yes, we have already done so,” Werwer said. “We have announced that we have enshrined three of the seven star weapons in our sacred precincts.” 
Siltvelt had done well. According to what Siltvelt told us, the four holy heroes were summoned before the claw hero and hammer hero went missing, so Takt must have killed them in the few days that passed since our arrival. 
“Faubrey has plans to also dispatch an official investigation of our country,” Werwer said. 
“It seems unlikely that we’d be able to trust their investigation,” Father said. 
“To say the least,” Werwer agreed. “We believe that Faubrey was also operating under Takt’s orders. Even if they claim to be impartial, we can’t ignore the fact that Takt’s remnants may be pulling the strings.” 
“So we’re pretty much cornered,” Father said. “We have no choice but to hope that someone in Faubrey’s group will be willing to listen to reason.” 
“Yes. Because of Takt’s attempts to control Faubrey, we believe that their country has also been enveloped in confusion.” 
“So either way, we have to settle this,” Father said. “Let’s do our best to prove Siltvelt’s innocence!” 
“Yes, Lord Shield Hero! I am terribly sorry that we could not fulfill your request to avoid getting you involved,” Werwer said. 
“Don’t worry about it. That’s water under the bridge.” 
“We are thankful for the Shield Hero’s mercy,” Werwer said. 
Father looked like he didn’t know how to respond as Werwer gave a deep bow. Since coming here, Father was often muttering to himself, I say. 
“This war might have only happened because I came here in the first place,” Father said. “Of course, Takt was evil, but if we don’t handle this carefully, the situation could get even worse.” 
I vowed to remember Father’s words. Certainly, Takt himself was evil, but all of this only happened because I killed him so easily. If the time loop were to reset again, I would have to think twice before killing him. 
“So what we really need to take care of are the Shieldfreeden airships,” Father said. He fell into deep thought as we went to the Siltvelt military’s headquarters and started to examine the map there. 
Looking at the map of the battlefield, Father explained his strategy. 
“It might be difficult, but our best option would be to use therianthropes that can fly to fight off the airships,” Father said. He glanced over at me. “Like a dragon.” 
No. 
On our journey so far, Father had let me, Yuki, and the filolials lead the way and become courageous members of our army. I was grateful to him for that. 
But upon hearing his plan, I couldn’t contain my anger. 
“Never!” I screamed. “I won’t do it!” 
The very notion of Father’s strategy caused hives to instantly erupt all over my body. 
“Motoyasu, please. This is the best choice we have.” 
“Never!” 
I stroked Yuki’s feathers to escape cruel reality. 
“Ah, Motoyasu, don’t stop!” Yuki chirped. 
“What about me?” Kou shouted. “Pet me too!” 
Yuki took a step forward. “I’ll get everyone together, and using our magic, we’ll take out those airplanes!” she declared. 
“I thought about that,” Father said, “but the airplanes are so high up that I don’t know if your magic will reach them or not. So we need a method that is guaranteed to work. Motoyasu, that’s why I need you to cooperate.” 
“But—” 
“I’m sorry, Yuki, Kou. I hope you can understand. If we can just minimize the damage one way or another . . . Motoyasu, you have no choice.” 
My head was pounding and my skin crawling. Father was even trying to convince Yuki to do it! I respected and loved Father with all my heart, and I always did my best to follow his every command . . . but just this time I had to make an exception. When I even thought about following his orders, I feared I would break out in hives for days on end. 
And yet we had no other option. I had to do it. 
“Fine . . .” I muttered. “Fine. Father’s orders . . . are absolute.” 
“We’ll be careful, Motoyasu. I promise!” Yuki said. 
“I’ll do it for Father,” I whispered in agony. “I, Motoyasu Kitamura, will succeed at all costs. For Father,” I groaned. 
“It’s not like it’s easy for me either,” Father said. “I would want to just do it myself, but unfortunately I can’t launch an attack by myself. You can hate me if you want.” 
I could feel Father’s anguish. Very well, I thought. I’d do it for Father. No matter how much I suffered, I would bear any burden. 
“Let’s start the mission,” Father said. 
“Yes, Father!” I cried. 
I bowed deeply to Father and we went to prepare. I could hear the distant roar of airplanes and the echo of explosions. Even from the castle you could see them circling nearby towns and dropping bombs. 
It was time to take out the planes.