RATH 30

TL: Eevee

4. The others stories (4)

#6 Their story: No.1000s story.

Unlike No.1 and No.17, No.1000 didnt have a place to return to.

Meaning, she had to go back to the life where she couldnt eat every day.

Once she realised that, No.1000 despaired.

Kukuung!

Theres no need to make sound effects with your mouth.

Its bad.

Re, really?

When No.1000 started thinking with a dead serious expression, No.17 was going to ask whether shed be interested in coming back to her house with her, but the one who stopped No.17 was Iris whose face was still sheet-white from shock.

Hey, you. The princess said shed be taking you. She refuses your refusals.

Huh?

The other kids might have their own families, but she told me to bring you back especially. Here.

She brought out a small box specifically ordered from the imperial palace, and when she opened the box there was a fresh, steaming steak inside.

Ca, can I eat it?

Of course.

No.1000 gulped, and the moment when she put a bite-sized steak into her mouth.

!!!!!!!!!!

In that instant, No.1000s face turned bright red, and her eyes opened widely.

Her hands were flailing around in their air as if she didnt know what to do with them.

If you come with us, then this quality of meals will be your everyday

Ill come! Ill come! Ill come!

And that was how No.1000 became the princesss right-hand woman.

#7 Their story: No.17s story.

You did it!

Welcome back.

At the warm gazes my family sent me, my heart felt it should feel warm. How should I put it.

Why does it feel like Im about to break out in goosebumps?

-Give up owner. Owners already, become accustomed to that place.

-No, no! It cant be!

-Owner. Dont deny it. Owner is already, one that this archdevil Surtr has acknowledged, a soul that is eviler and cruller than a devil.

-No! Im a pure

I suddenly shut up. That something, inside me is blocking it. No. it cant be.

But!

-Now, owner. Pure so. What?

-Im still pu krrrgghh it, it cant be. But, but!

What is this, the worlds will? Or is it the remnants of my conscience! Something is blocking from saying what I want to say.

-Urgh I am not pure.

I was dirtied.

I was dirtied!

Only before I went to Howling there was a time where I simply enjoyed learning magic!

This is all the evil organizations fault!

I believed in you. Because among all my daughters you had the most talent to adjust to Howling.

Unni believed in you too. If it was you who lived less like a noble girls life than a boor I mean free-spirited life youd act like a scumb I mean adjust and survive there.

-Owner. I think your family knew owners talents very well.

-No! Tha, thats just unni lying! Shes just jealous that Ive come back after completing a big job!

-Her eyes are way too pure for that.

-It, it cant be lies

But the more I heard my familys compliments the more I heard that they believed that Id adapt well to an evil organization.

Moreover, Mother, the only one who didnt say something along those lines.

Now all you need to do now is get married.

Went and said something like that!

What was the reason I went to Howling in the first place?! It was to get out of an arranged marriage!

But to be married off as soon as I got back!

Mother, I am still lacking in knowledge.

Its alright. Bridal lessons are something I can teach you quickly.

N, not that kind of knowledge, but I want to learn more magic.

Really?

I barely convinced Mother who was looking at me with a slightly regrettable face and faced Father, the family head and announced loudly.

I, will go to the academy for learning!

I was someone who survived while feeling true pain.

A bunch of brats who simply played around in the fields going hahahoho would be no match for me!

But I didnt know then.

That there would be existences whose academy lives were filled with even greater pain than mine.

#8 Their story: No.1s story.

After returning home, and a bit of praise from Father I thought Id be forgotten.

Well, of course.

Since mother passed away I have no backers, and Im not the oldest, and Im not famous either?

And so naturally like a rat in a hole, I thought Id have to live quietly, and since my brothers seemed to feel sorry for sending a kid that wasnt even much of a threat to Howling, plus they had other threats to take care of so they couldnt be bothered dealing with me, and so it seemed like they were going to leave me alone.

But

Ha, so youre saying you blocked my way for just this?

When a visiting noble tried to destroy a food stall because it was in the way of his carriage, my thread of reason snapping was the problem.

Pl, please stop!

Shut up! Just? Just this?

Ahh, I wasnt this kind of bastard. I wasnt someone whod step forward like this, I was someone who thought I could always fill my belly, but!

The clothes you wear, the food you eat! Just where do you think they come from? You motherfucking leech, you dare cause trouble in a dining hall?! Do you have any idea how much it hurts when youre starving!

That was all I could remember.

From what I heard I cursed the noble and his entire clan with all the insults and curses I knew, and I beat down all his knights that tried to stop me by force and lectured him for about an hour on the importance of food.

And because of that, I became the most famous out of my brothers in the territory!

His Excellences son Swin really thinks of us?

Yeah, apparently he understands our hunger well.

I heard he made huge achievements in the recent Howling incident as well, hes quite the person.

Whenever three or more people of our territory gather they start praising me.

The rumours became twisted and started to turn to something along the lines of me destroying the evil organization Howling that existed since the founding of the empire all by myself.

Because of this there were nobles that started to take note of me as well, and when it seemed that my brothers too, felt they couldnt afford to leave me alone anymore.

Lets gap it.

I decided to run away from home.

#9 Their story: the host turned prisoner(slave)s story.

The three kids were all taken away by their respective caretakers, and I was waiting on standby in Iriss tent. But

How, how, how

The always noble, beautiful.

The lady Iris who had always seemed like an unreachable flower on an unclimbable precipice was broken.

All the lady did was gnaw on her thumbnail, repeat the same words over and over again as she circled around me holding my leash.

Just what kind of person is this princess to induce this kind of fear in this woman!

Mi, milady?

Iris!

But shes still not forgetting that part.

Miss Iris, it seems someone is here.

Huh?

Knock knock knock.

The temporary cloth entrance made of cloth, someone was knocking on a wooden plank to let us know they were there.

Im the mage captain Legas. Were going to be holding a meeting with Her Highness soon through communication tools, meet up in ten minutes. Bring that man Rein too.

I understand.

Although she said she was calm, the noble girls voice is still shaking.

But as if this problem wasnt this girls alone, the voice of the mage captain Legas also had the same fear embedded in it.

Just what kind of archdevil is the instructor being chased by?

If a knight orders vice-captain, and the strongest nations overwhelmingly strongest mage corps captain is dyed in that much fear, that means that so are their subordinates!

Just as I was seriously thinking that the instructor would have to be caught by the princess for the sake of world peace, the girl took a deep breath and shouted with a dignified expression.

Alright, the answer is suicide!

The method isnt at all dignified?!

Mi, milady? Suicide, why would you

Rein. Rein might not know, but there are times when a clean quiet death is preferable to life.

I know.

I know since I was hit a lot!

Every time I was hit by the metal bat I honestly wished that wed get casualties like other instructors trainees!

So, Rein you can come with me, right?

Eh? Where?

If, its together with Rein Im not scared

Muh, Milady? Scuse me, Milady? Calm down. Right now Milady is thinking something very radical and very dangerous!

Yep. Its radical. But I did all sorts of things while telling Her Highness Id catch him but I failed. I cant. Im done for.

Ah, shes out. Her eyes are spinning. Am, am I going to die here?

-Crackle.

It was then. That the large crystal ball in the corner of the room began to make noise.

-krrck, krrrckrr, rkrkcrrrrk. Ah, crkckkk, ah, ah ckrkcrrrk ah, ah. Hm. Is it working?

Y, Your Highness?!

In the crystal ball was a beautiful, brightly smiling, silver-haired, red eyed woman that reminded me of Sia.

-Ah, Iris. Vice-captain of my most trusted Third Knight Order.

Ye, yes!

Unlike the princess who was smiling as if she was very pleased, Lady Iris was stiff like shed been affected by a witchs petrification spell that you only heard of in folk tales.

-Yes, Iris. My most trusted Iris. And my trusted Iris went and cut my foot?

Hiiik!

The princess was smiling even more brightly, but that laugh was, yes, the savagery of that smile made me think that was the sort of smile that the king of hell, King Yumra(1) would make when he sentenced sinners to hell.

-Our Iris got the person named Rein that she wanted, but I didnt get my Ast that I waited ten years for? Well, it doesnt matter. Ive failed before when I tried to catch Ast previously.

The princess smiled even more brightly as she looked at the quivering noble lady like a lion staring down a rabbit. But unlike that smile the chill that spread throughout my body only increased.

-So, if its the Iris I know, I thought you would die together with that kid Rein for a peaceful death. Surely thats just my imagination, right?

Shake shake shake shake.

That moment my leash started shaking like it had a vibrating function added to it. Of course, that was the ladys shakes that were being transmitted through the leash in her hand!

N, n No

-Indeed. Thats right. Surely. To think youd die comfortably after losing him. Theres. No. Way. I. Would. Allow. That. Right?

Shakeshakeshakeshakeshakeshakeshakeshake.

My body started to shake along with my collar.

Ah, of course its also because the noble ladys shivers had reached fever pitch, but I started to shake myself! Seriously what, it feels like shed revive us with black magic even if we killed ourselves!

-You guys are mine. It is also my right to allow you to die. You do not have that choice.

Yeyeyeyeyeyes maam!

-Very good. Now since we need to start the meeting. Bring that boy Rein and get over here.

Un, understood!

The place where the noble lady hurriedly dragged me by the leash was a place where hundreds, no, thousands of people were waiting. Since all of their gazes are focused on me it feels uncomfortable as hell.

Im not going to get publicly executed, right?

Th, thats?!

It cant be!

And on the way to the ladys seat, everyones eyes turned to me. More accurately, the thing on my belt

That bat Did you get it from Ast, no Naruan!

Yes, to the bat.

Hm. But it seems like that bat is quite famous. To think even the empires army would know of it.

Indeed I did?

The moment I said that scores of people in my vicinity immediately took a knee, bowed their heads and shouted.

Greetings to the successor of the bat!

And

-Greetings to the successor of the bat!

Aside from the lady and a few others, everyone on the wide plain, thousands of people immediately took a knee and shouted.

Rein? Whats a bat?

To the lady who had a face that couldnt believe what she was seeing, I couldnt reply either.

I thought I knew it well but I now I dont know Instructor, just what the hell did you do with the bat in the empire?

#10 Their story: a certain academys story.

Is this person really coming into our academy?

But the conditions are just as shocking.

At one point, it used to compete for the number 1, 2 position among the empires Four Great Academies, but currently it was the lowest, no there were even calls to remove Yugrasia from the four academies altogether and call it the Three Great Academies instead, that was how low the summoners school Yugrasia had fallen.

And the old man that was that Yugrasias current principal looked over a sheet of paper and nodded.

Well take him in.

Understood.

But the dilemma didnt last long.

That was how bad Yugrasias current situation was, and this persons fame was significant enough to be able to chart a path through these troubled times.

The legendary summoner, Nicerwin. We will put our trust in him.

And thus was the beginning of a new age in Yugrasias history.