Katahane no Riku Chapter 9

TEN YEARS LATER…

Ten years had pa.s.sed.

 

The port city Perikka as always was stinking of alcohol.

 

The foreign merchants would spend their money they got hold of by doing wicked things, and the pirates would throw out a feast for themselves using the gold and silver treasures they had stolen. And all those kind of vulgar guys would dive themselves into the pleasure quarters looking to please themselves.

 

Sometimes, a demon merchant would come asking for a place to sell goods in exchange for money, but the merchant´s a.s.sociation of Perikka would only turn a deaf ear to such requests.

 

There was no forgiveness for demons, that were lower than domestic animals, or poor people.

 

As long as you had the money, it was a city of elegance that was always wrapped in a mood of cheerfulness.

 

———–

 

Today too there was another wealthy merchant getting himself drunk.

 

Finishing his meal at a first-cla.s.s restaurant, he got on his personal carriage and went his way home.

 

This carriage was pulled by two elegant horses of fine quality and with a wide and comfortable s.p.a.ce inside. After the wealthy merchant and his butler, and also his escort got in, they departed. Happy, the merchant showed a complacent smile.

 

“Fufufufu, because of the stupid n.o.bles that didn´t know the market price, I got big profit. To think that a pot costing a hundred silver coins was sold for a thousand. Such a large profit.”

 

“Indeed, it is as you say, master.”

 

With a faint smile, the butler proudly poured the drink in his master´s golden wine cup.

 

The purely made of gold cup was a product of good quality he had received as payment from pirates he had connections to. If he were to sell this, he would get enough gold coins to build a small castle. In reality, it was a piece he wouldn´t be able to get by only working as a merchant.

 

“Good grief. It was good that stupid elder brother turned down the family heritance.”

 

The merchant faintly smiled.

 

His elder brother had talent for sword fighting. And so, for the sake of his dream to come true or something like that, he departed towards the royal capital. And since then, never came back home. Deep in his heart, he thanked G.o.d for his elder brother to be this stupid.

 

If his brother were to receive the heritance,  without doubt he wouldn´t be able to live in this much extravagance. He only wished that once his elder brother came back screwed up, he wouldn´t tell him to hand over the heritance.

 

“Truly, tonight is a good night.”

 

The merchant moved his cup back and forth.

 

The wine inside the cup was elegantly shaking according to his movement. It was a wine of many times more worth than the one he drank at the restaurant he had eaten. In the Perikka city, the merchants that could actually drink something like that were only very few people.

 

With all that, this merchant was taken by a happiness that had no comparison.

 

But…

 

“Hm?”

 

The carriage stopped.

 

It still wasn´t supposed to be time for him to arrive to his residence. He wondered if it was an drunk pirate or some vagabond that was sleeping in the middle of the road. For something like that, just avoiding and keep going would be enough, but there were no signs of the carriage starting to move again.

 

“Go see the situation.”

 

Even though the merchant was in a good mood before, it was completely dampened. While gulping down drink from the cup, he annoyingly commanded the butler. There was nothing his butler couldn´t deal with. And in the minimal chance of something wrong happening, he had a veteran soldier that went through war as his escorts, and then as usual, he could just settle everything with force.

 

Right now, the escort prepared himself so he would be able to draw his sword at any moment.

 

Answering to his master, the butler responded.

 

“Understood.”

 

Bowing his head, he rapidly got down from the carriage… And then, his head was cut off.

 

“Huh?”

 

Because of the sudden event, he got his mouth wide-opened.

 

The escort guarding the merchant, because of the surprise, in an instant readied himself.

 

Without noticing it, the merchant dropped his golden cup; that one which could buy one castle by itself.

 

The butler´s head, as it was spraying blood around, was rolling in the ground. The merchant could only keep blankly staring at the head.

 

“Ara, is there someone left?”

 

The girls voice entered into the merchant´s ear at that instant.

 

And in that instant, he came back to himself.

 

“Hi,hiii!”( ひ、ひぃぃ！)

 

The merchant went for the other carriage door, leaving the carriage almost fell down by himself.

 

He didn´t know what happened, but now his butler was dead. In front of his eyes, his head was cut off.

 

The merchant, now sobered up completely, once he stumbled out of the carriage, he lost his breath. On the ground around, it was a sea of blood. The horses that were pulling the carriage and the coachman were now sinking in the sea of blood. Sinking with their head and torso separated.

 

“W-what is that? What the h.e.l.l is that!!?”

 

“What it is, you say. Isn´t it obvious they are only dead bodies?”

 

Once again, the high-pitched voice sounded through the road.

 

As to protect the merchant, the escort went in front of him.

 

Hiding behind the shadows of the escort, he secretly tried to confirm the owner of the voice. And then his muscles froze.

 

It was a young girl walking through the sea of blood, splashing it with each step.

 

The girl was completely painted in red. Red hair that seemed to burn, a red armor that was shaped perfectly to her slim body and a face covered in blood. The girl´s eyes were black like a swamp with no bottom.

 

At the moment the blood covered halberd dimly shone, the merchant shouted.

 

“Q-quickly kill that thing!! If you do, I double you wage!!”

 

As if agreeing to those words, the escort drew his sword.

 

But the merchant didn´t notice. He didn´t notice that his proficient escorts which would fear nothing were dripping with sweat from their forehead.*1

 

He didn´t notice how the sword that was always held in only one hand, was now being held with two hands.

 

And because he didn´t notice such thing, just like usual, or rather, more than usual, he raised his voice to send an order.

 

“You are supposed to be a veteran of a hundred battles, right!? Kill that thing that looks like a little girl already!! Cut her head off and tear her into pieces!!”

 

The escort vigorously kicked the ground and rushed forward.

 

Aiming at the girl that had only about half his stature, he swung his prided swords down.

 

And so the fragile girl would be soon enough split in half.

 

…But what was expected to happen didn´t.

 

Using the hook of the halberd, the girl took the sword away from his hands.

 

In contrast to the escort´s shocked face and full of sweat, her face was as calm as it could be. Even though the escort had put his body weight in his blow, the halberd was left unfazed, not even quivering the slightest.

 

And looking bored, the girl sighed.

 

“Yes, end of the battle.”

 

And then, the girl declared his execution.

 

The ma.s.sive halberd was with only one hand easily maneuvered.

 

The escort didn´t even have time to run away. Stumbling by the force of having his sword taken, the escort was now only a worthless existence. Like cutting a fruit, the halberd perfectly cut the escort in two halves.

 

“Su-such a thing, impossible…”

 

Seeing his escort sinking down in the sea of blood, the merchant stepped back.

 

The escort was supposed to have about two times more physical strength. If it was about age, he should have been about twice as much old as her. This soldier that had a long military service; such soldier was easily killed.*2

 

The merchant looked around his surroundings.

 

But around that alley, there was n.o.body.

 

No, even if there was anyone, the person wouldn´t have enough power to oppose the girl. The only way for a miracle to happen would be to somehow get to the main street ahead of here and ask for help.

 

But while looking at him the girl was closing in to the merchant.

 

No matter how, there was any openings for him to run away. Lightly rotating her halberd, she slowly approached the merchant.

 

“Next will be your turn… Hm? Your face… I have the feeling I have seen your face before. When was it?”

 

While being troubled by it, the girl was looking up at the sky.

 

A miracle had happened for the merchant.

 

The moment she left her eyes from him, he started running.

 

That girl was insane.

 

She was definitely insane, or so the merchant decided. He needed to quickly run away to somewhere. And then ask for help.

 

Besides, the girl´s weapon was a halberd. That heavy looking axe shaped blade stuck to a spear, for a skinny girl like her, it was definitely something impossible to be waving around. Only to raise it overhead it would take time. Even if she was to follow him, he should be able to escape.

 

In that city, for that skinny looking girl, there were a mountain of bold pirates to deal with her.

 

“Well, never mind.”

 

It seemed that the girl didn´t recognize the merchant.

 

Cutting through the wind, she swung her halberd.

 

The merchant´s head flew and it fell into the sea of blood. And just like that she had raised the death count by one. The girl grabbed the merchant´s head by his short hair.

 

“For now, let´s take it home. It´s only to be sure after all.”

 

The girl, covered in blood, was happily smiling.

 

Carrying the merchant´s head just like that, she pompously left the alley. Getting to the main street, even though the girl was covered in blood, n.o.body paid any heed to that. n.o.body started screaming or so. The street that was so beautiful it was only next to the one in the capital until a few hours ago was now sinking in a sea of blood. And there were no humans screaming anywhere.

 

The demons that the girl had brought with her were now stabbing any human that showed even little signs of breathing.

 

Among these demons, one turned his attention to the girl. While holding a human he had pierced through with his spear, he rudely spoke.

 

“Hey, brat! Don´t just be standing around and finish your mission already.”

 

“I know warrant officer Vrusto. By the way, was this guy in the list?”

 

The girl showed him the merchant´s head.

 

After giving one glance to the head, he threw the human away. With a splash, the human landed onto a pond of blood.

 

“Ah, that guy is in the list. It was someone on the lowest seat of the merchant union, and also is a blood relative of one of the capital´s generals.”

 

“I see…Thank you. Since it is on the list, then I need to take good care of it.”

 

The girl put the head inside a sack full of heads.

 

Inside the blood soaked sack, there were a great number of heads. The head of a hundred battles veteran pirate, and the face of a n.o.ble from a powerful family that had committed wicked acts over any limits too. And all of the heads had their eyes widely opened in fear. Looking inside the sack, Vrusto whistled at what he saw.*3

 

“So scary. Aren´t they of ojou-chan´s same race?”

 

“Same race?”

 

The girl leaned her head to the side.

 

“It feels like I´ve said this many times, but… While we are from the same species, those are enemies. Captain Leivain had said before. The merchant union refused our negotiations and killed fifteen of our messengers. We gave our final warning, telling them what would happen if they refused, but they ignored it. That´s why we must destroy the city and eliminate any opposition.”

 

“You are so scary, you that made all this become reality, ojou-chan. Well, I guess it´s Perikka´s merchant union´s fault for ignoring the last warning. Even though it wouldn´t end up with everything reeking of blood if they didn´t… By the way, use honorifics. One way or another, I´m ojou-chan´s instructor, right?”

 

“Right now we are still , so it doesn´t matter. Besides, I´m higher ranked than you, you know?”

 

“Yes, yes, I will be sure to take care… Ah, the chit-chat was supposed to have ended already. Don´t low your guard and end up dying, second lieutenant Riku.”

 

Vrusto lightly patted the girl´s shoulder.

 

And now, once again readying his spear, he ran after a place that humans seemed to be hiding.

 

In the blood soaked street, only the girl was remaining. While fixing the position of halberd that she was leaning on her shoulder, she closed her eyes.

 

“Even though I used to be from a spiritualist family, to think I would be commanding demon troops.”

 

She started to listen attentively to the sounds of the surroundings.

 

And she didn´t hear any human voice.

 

The only sound she had heard was the sound of the demons destroying the human city.