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Chapter 1: Meeting in the Sky
“Look, Souma!” Naden called. “There’s only smoke coming from over there!”
“Hey, you’re right.”
When I looked ahead to see what Naden in her ryuu form was talking about, there was indeed smoke on the wasteland spreading out near the foot of a mountain.
It was likely dust kicked up by a battle. When countless people and monsters ran around, tearing up the ground, the sand danced into the air. Did that mean Wedan Castle was on that mountain?
According to the report from Kagetora, countless monsters... basically, a whole lot of them... were descending on Wedan. To explain, there were various monsters of large and small species attacking, so a precise count was impossible in the current situation.
In terms of the area they covered, as seen from the air, it was apparently around the same as an army of 60,000 soldiers. The 30,000 or so troops from the Union of Eastern Nations that Duke Chima had lured in using his six highly capable children as bait were holding them off for now.
Though the monsters had an overwhelming numerical advantage, the forces of the union were fighting in formation, focusing on defending, so while they couldn’t go on the offensive, they were still doing a good job of defending. The monsters only attacked with brute force, so that made defending easy.
As for the reinforcements we were bringing from the Kingdom of Friedonia, they numbered 50,000. If we could perform a pincer attack together with the forces of the union, Kagetora anticipated we could quickly exterminate the horde of monsters.
The important thing was the timing of that pincer attack. In order to obtain a quick victory, we needed to coordinate with forces on the union’s side.
That was why, in order to have a meeting about it, I was riding on Naden’s back, with a group of wyvern cavalry led by Hal and Ruby defending us as we headed to Wedan, the capital of the Duchy of Chima.
The word was that we had no fear of Wedan falling for the time being, so we didn’t need to perform an attack from the sky with the Dratroopers like we had in Lasta, so we could land at Wedan Castle as-is.
The arrangements to allow that (which included temporarily disabling the anti-air repeating bolt throwers) had been handled by the Black Cats, arriving ahead of us.
“CQ, CQ,” I said, speaking into the communication tube coming out of the gondola that Naden was carrying. “You there, Kaede?”
“Yes, yes, I’m here. What does ‘seek you’ mean?” Kaede answered immediately.
Naden was carrying a gondola under her belly, and inside were Aisha, Juna, Tomoe, her guardian Inugami, Kaede, and the pair from Turgis who had forced their way into coming with us, Kuu and Leporina.
“Oh... don’t worry about that,” I said. “So, anyway, Kaede, there’s a dust cloud ahead. Is it okay to assume that’s the battlefield in the Duchy of Chima?”
“Let’s see... It is, you know. I’ve just confirmed on the map. It looks like the Duchy of Chima’s castle is located halfway up the mountain you see ahead of us.”
“I see... Got it. Thanks.”
As I closed the communication tube, I was able to see a city spread out halfway up the small mountain to the west. The castle resembled Castor’s in Red Dragon City. It made effective use of the terrain, and even if a large force surrounded them, it was a stronghold that would not fall easily.
“Souma!” Naden suddenly shouted inside my head. “Watch out! Something’s coming at us fast!”
“Something, at this high altitude?”
In order to avoid being attacked, we were flying at a higher altitude than monsters could reach.
Hal brought the large red dragon Ruby up beside us. “Souma. It sounds like Ruby senses something.”
“I feel something intensely powerful down below,” Ruby explained telepathically.
“Yeah, Naden was saying that, too,” I nodded. “We should watch out, Hal.”
“Gotcha. Everyone, halllllt!”
Hearing Hal’s bellowed order, Naden and I, Hal and Ruby, and the wyvern knights stopped advancing and held position.
Unlike Naden, who floated with some power we didn’t understand, Ruby and the wyverns gained lift from their wings, so in order to hold position, they had to flap them loudly. It was exhausting, so they couldn’t hover in one place for long.
“It’s coming,” Ruby notified us.
Looking down, there was something coming our way, leaping up toward us.
In no time, the giant white tiger closed in.
“Wait, isn’t it kind of huge?!” I shouted.
It should have still been a long way off, but I could make out the shape of it clearly, so I initially doubted my eyes and sense of distance. However, as it approached, I realized it was far larger than what I would ever imagine a tiger to be. It might’ve been as massive as a numoth. (A mammoth-like creatures from Turgis.)
Looking closely, the fluffy paws of its front and hind legs were also sparking with electricity. It was jumping off the air with those legs, so I just had to accept that this was the kind of creature it was.
“How can a tiger fly without wings?!” Naden cried.
“You’re the one who’s going to say that, Naden?!” Ruby shot back with exasperation.
Well, since Naden could fly without wings, it wasn’t so weird that a tiger could bound through the sky... I guess?
Then I realized someone was riding the white tiger.
That person was a well-built man who wore red leather clothing with shining silver armor over the top, along with a crystal-embedded bowl-shaped helm on his head.
He likely was not human. He had a small pair wings, white with black tips like a crane’s, sprouting out of his back. He had a weapon like the Green Dragon Crescent Blade from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms in his hands, and a gold-engraved greatbow hanging from his hip.
What’s this oppressive feeling...?
His burly physique, his command of his mount, and the weapon he used, they all spoke volumes about how unusual this man was.
Hal readied his weapon, saying, “Watch yourself, Souma. Something feels abnormal here.”
I nodded. “Got it.”
According to Owen, my instructor in the martial arts, I was “little better than a fresh recruit.” Yet even I felt something from that man that put me on edge, so Hal had to be even more tense.
“Huh?” Naden began.
“What is it, Nad—Whuh?!”
In the same moment as Naden let out a cry of surprise, something red suddenly blocked my field of vision.
I reeled with shock, but on closer inspection it was Aisha’s red loincloth. It seemed she had come out of the gondola below and climbed up here.
“Hey, that’s dangerous!” I hurriedly got up on my knees, hugging Aisha around the waist. “It’s beyond reckless, coming up here without a lifeline.”
“We can’t afford to be saying that, sire,” she shot back. “That man is dangerous.”
Aisha didn’t take her eyes off him.
Was he so good that even Aisha, by far the best warrior in our country, had to be wary of him?
Back when Aisha had met Jeanne, someone even Juna had admitted she was no match for, Aisha hadn’t been this wary.
Whatever the case, I fastened my belt to Aisha’s, using a robe with metal fittings. That would keep her safe if she slipped, at least.
With no time to feel relieved, the man on the white tiger charged forward, his weapon pointed our way, and shouted loudly. “I ask you! For what purpose do you come to this land?!”
It was a forceful voice, and more youthful than I’d expected. From the look of him, I had expected a battle hardened warrior, but it was the face of a young man in his mid-twenties that peered out from beneath the helm.
“My name is Fuuga Haan! King of Malmkhitan!” he declared.
Even in front of a ryuu, a dragon, and about a hundred wyvern cavalry, the man who gave his name as Fuuga asked me that without a hint of fear. I could tell he was truly bold, and had incredible grit. Little wonder Aisha was wary.
“We of Malmkhitan have come to Wedan to answer Duke Chima’s call for aid,” Fuuga bellowed. “Seeing as you have brought wyverns, a dragon, and another mount I am not familiar with, you cannot possibly be part of the Union of Eastern Nations. Again, I ask you! On what business have you come to this battlefield?!”
I turned to the communication tube and asked, “Kaede. Tell me about Malmkhitan.”
“It’s a medium-sized country in the Union of Eastern Nations. A nomadic state from the steppe, I hear.”
“Then that man is the king of a nation, right?”
“He calls himself a king, so I guess he must be...”
In that case, he and I were of equal status.
I raised my voice so Fuuga could hear me. “Sir Fuuga! We are from the Kingdom of Friedonia to the south! At the request of the Gran Chaos Empire, we have come to aid the Duchy of Chima, which we hear is suffering the effects of the demon wave!”
“Reinforcements? ...Aw, they’re friendlies.” For some reason, Fuuga slumped his shoulder in disappointment.
Reshouldering his crescent blade, he approached at a leisurely pace. When he came close enough we could make out each other’s faces, I saw that he was handsome, with sharp eyes.
“‘Aw, they’re friendlies?’” I repeated. “Why do you sound disappointed by that?”
Fuuga gave a wry laugh. “Lately, I’ve had nothing but small fry to fight, and it’s boring. Here I got my hopes up, thinking I’d finally found an enemy worth fighting... but you’re an ally, so we can’t go at it, right?”
Even as he said that, Fuuga was eyeing Aisha and Hal. They glared back at Fuuga, wariness dripping from their faces.
Meanwhile, Naden the black ryuu and Ruby the red dragon were staring down the sky-jumping white tiger that Fuuga rode. They all roared lowly, baring their fangs to intimidate.
It was like a showdown between old enemies. There was always that image of dragons and tigers not getting along, too.
I said nothing.
The air was heavy. The man had named himself, but the tension hadn’t faded.
Then Fuuga, the only one who seemed unaffected by that atmosphere, looked to me. “So, am I right in assuming you there on the black thing are in charge of this here force?”
“I’m sorry for the late introduction,” I said. “I am the provisional king of the Kingdom of Friedonia, Souma Kazuya.”
Fuuga blinked. “You’re a king? Do I need to address you all formally, then?”
“If you’re a king, that makes us equals,” I said. “Why not do as you please?”
“Ha ha! That’s a relief. I’m not so good with formal stuff. You can speak normally, too. No need to address me with a title.”
“...Okay, Fuuga.”
The way he didn’t care about our positions, and we could talk frankly, was similar to Kuu. However, in Kuu’s case, that rudeness was made up for with his personal charm, while with this man, even if he had no charm, he had the power to make it seem natural that he should behave like this. He had what I might call a natural charisma that let him convince not just himself of that, but those he spoke with as well.
I realized Fuuga was staring intently at my face.
“...Is there something on my face?” I asked uncomfortably.
“Hm? Oh, no. I was just thinking, you look mild-mannered, but there’s more to you than that. I don’t know, but it’s like I don’t have a full grasp of you as a person.”
A full picture of me? I didn’t really get it, but I didn’t think I was all that impressive. At the very least, I wouldn’t have wanted to stand in front of the big man here on my own.
Fuuga stroked his chin and crossed his arms in thought. “I’ve never in my life thought someone was scary, but for some reason, my intuition is telling me I shouldn’t mess with you. I feel like you’ll drag me down into the mud if I do it carelessly.”
“You’re overrating me,” I said. “It may be weird to say it myself, but I’m weak.”
“You’re still the king of a great country to the south, aren’t you?”
“I’m just getting by because my companions help support me.”
“Those companions of yours, they gathered around the guy who’s calling himself weak, right? I feel like you come out of a different framework than me.”
Fuuga and I kept talking like that.
It should have been a conversation of no significance, but I felt a cold chill in my spine the whole time. It felt like we were each gauging the other’s striking distance.
Fuuga was trying to figure out if I was worth being wary of. Meanwhile, I was doing my best not to put him on guard. Had I ever felt this much pressure in diplomacy with another country before?
“Sou... Sire,” Hal called out, killing that mood. “Ruby and Naden are still fine, but the wyverns are close to their limit.”
It seemed the wyverns were getting exhausted. They had been flapping their wings to hold position all this time, after all. We’d been talking too long.
“Fuuga,” I said. “50,000 troops from the Kingdom of Friedonia are coming to support you. I want to discuss matters with Duke Chima, so could I ask you to escort us to him?”
He gave a jolly laugh. “Sure! If we’re getting that much support, we can eliminate the monsters in no time. Durga and I will lead the way, so follow me.”
Was Durga the white tiger’s name, perhaps?
Fuuga and Durga turned around, then took off through the sky, leading the way for us. We followed after them.
Maybe out of caution for Fuuga, Aisha did not return to the gondola, remaining on Naden’s back with me holding her around the waist.
I whispered to Aisha, “Just how strong is that guy?”
“Stronger than I am, most likely. To think there was a man like him in the Union of Eastern Nations...”
I almost doubted my ears. This was Aisha, who had amazed Hal, Kaede, and Carla when I was taken to the Star Dragon Mountain Range. This was Aisha, saying someone was stronger than her. It was a surprise to me that anyone like that existed.
While I was speechless, Aisha let out a sudden sigh. “If I’d had to fight that man now, we would have been in trouble. If it were just him, Sir Halbert and I might have managed to hold our own together, but the way he worked in concert with that tiger would have made things difficult. Sir Halbert has Madam Ruby, but without a contract between us, Naden and I couldn’t coordinate that well...”
“That tiger, too. I have a really bad feeling about it...” Naden added telepathically.
Hearing them both openly voice caution, I slapped my cheeks and refocused myself.
Then I engraved his name in my memory.
Fuuga Haan.
It seemed he was a man who warranted caution.