My mother was a gentle person.
She always prioritized others over herself, often to her own detriment.
—“Aki, be a kind person.”
That was her catchphrase.
Even as a child, I thought that wasn’t kindness; it was merely weakness.
—“Wait, what am I thinking right now?”
Why does my mother’s face come to mind?
Right now—.
“Goyou aratame de aru.”
“Ugh.”
Hyuun!!
A blade grazes my neck.
Long, curved, sharp—!
As a royal guard, I was trained in all forms of combat.
I know this sword.
“Ha ha, as expected of the Kingdom of Kasuya, even the swords are nonsense.”
A Japanese sword.
Our country never managed to produce one.
A madwork of craftsmanship, adding beauty and divinity to a weapon of death, created through an unimaginably long process.
“Is that a Japanese sword? Nice, it looks cool.”
“…”
What?
Did the monster stop moving?
Holding the sword by the belly, it raises it—.
“…Kashu Kiyomitsu.”
“…Could that be the name of the sword? Thanks for the information.”
“…Goyou aratame de aru.”
The monster repositions its sword.
It clearly has no intention of letting me go.
Well, at least it gave me some time.
Now that Snow’s teleportation is finished, I want to escape at a good moment, but…
“Hey, you, how about we stop here? I don’t really have a reason to fight anymore.”
“…Futeiroushi.”
The monster points the tip of its sword toward me.
Hmm, it doesn’t seem like it’s planning to let me escape.
…It’s hard to believe this fight is part of the training.
If I buy some time, I might get help from the teachers—.
“Seireijutsushi, yuusha, kubi o toru.”
“…Huh?”
Hyuun!
Again.
Before I know it, this monster is right in front of me!
I quickly lean back to dodge the sword—ah, crap! A kick is coming right at me!
Bam!!
I cross my arms and take the front kick.
Zzaaaaaa!
Incredible strength; if I hadn’t deployed the Black Knight Armor, my arms would have been blown off!
“Wow, you’re really strong, aren’t you?”
“Goyou aratame de aru.”
I should run.
No matter what I think, though.
“Seireijutsushi, you just said you’re a Seireijutsushi, so sorry, but this is where it ends for you.”
“…”
Calm down.
Regulate your breathing.
Remember your role.
“Ahhhh, uwaaaaah! Aki, nooooo, Dad is ahhhh, I can’t play anymore, no more gameeeee!”
“Ha ha, don’t cry, really.”
I will protect that crybaby.
The day I began serving the royal family, I made that promise.
“Goyou aratame de aru.”
If there’s even a 1 micron chance that this monster threatens my sister’s life—
“I will kill you. As a knight who protects the king, and more than anything—”
Run, Black Knight Charter.
To the limits—.
“!?”
“As her older brother, I will protect my sister!!”
—Surpass.
High-speed movement due to the Black Knight Charter.
Surpassing the limits of strength and speed, I reach behind the monster.
Solid armor, but the joints are weak.
The neck—.
“Hayawaza.”
“—Huh?”
Gyuuru.
Smooth.
With a motion like a fish changing direction in water, the monster matched my movements.
The Far East.
A country worthy of being called an island nation, yet that country has always made its name known amidst the world’s turmoil and strife.
In the past, a symbol of military might, even in modern times, it is used as a metaphor or nickname for various sports teams.
We, Western knights, are different from swordsmen.
“Bishop—Samurai, huh?”
“Nanban no senshi.”
The sword, a beautiful flash.
Ah, an enchanting movement; it’s a realm that cannot be reached without both talent and reason.
Ah, I can’t win.
This is bad; the difference in power is too great.
Like the smooth approach of a living ripple blade,
The world seemed to move oddly slowly.
Ah, I see.
Solid armor, yet the joints are weak.
That’s the same for me.
—“Aki! Look, it’s a Japanese castle! Amazing, just like what I saw in a period drama!”
—”W-what is it? That’s not fair, just a little break, right? A game for just one hour a day? N-no way, that’s impossible!”
—”…Aki, I want to go to Japan. Yes, it’s a country of friends. I want to spend time in the land where the person who taught me the importance of roles was born.”
—”I have a duty, a duty to safely return everyone home. That is the duty and role of a noble, no, of a king.”
Huh?
Why do I keep remembering Snow’s face?
Little Snow, always playing games and often scolded by the steward.
But before I knew it, she grew up, and even when the king disposed of all her games, she stopped crying.
—”There’s no way we can meet, but you know, Aki, I’m glad I played games. I made so many great friends. I want to do my best so that I won’t be ashamed in front of everyone.”
Wait, wait, wait, wait.
Why am I thinking so much about Snow?
What am I—?
“Drink in the moment.”
“—Huh?”
A sharp blade touched my arm, elbow.
It was the moment I felt cold.
Bam.
…Bsshahh!
My right arm was gone.
“One.”
“Ah—”
The blade swung, blood sprayed, staining the plants.
“Two.”
“Huh?”
Boom.
Again, my arm.
My left arm was gone from the shoulder down.
The beautifully cut edge made me sigh; it took a moment for the wound to register.
Cold, then gradually hot.
Ah, it hurts.
It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.
Ah. Ah.
“Ahh, ahhhh, ahhhhhh, ahhhhhh, ahhhhhh, ahhhhhh, ahhhhhh, ahhhhhh, ahhhhhh!!?? My arm!”
I was slashed.
“Three.”
And the blade swung again.
“Ah, ahhh!?”
It was an accident.
As I groaned in pain, my foot slipped on the ground.
Thanks to losing my balance, the blow aimed at my neck missed.
“Hah, ah, haah!!”
“…Impressive.”
I sat down hard and backed away.
The scorching sensation from the severed part continued to rise along with the pain that made my head go crazy.
“I am here to change your purpose.”
“Haha, what’s that…”
“Where is the spirit mage? Where is the king?”
“…Why are you targeting Snow?”
“…It is my duty to eliminate the unwelcome one, as commanded by Kondo.”
“Kondo…? This is ridiculous.”
“…Are you still moving? Good spirit.”
Not yet.
It’s not over yet.
I have no arms. I cover the wound with the Black Knight armor.
The bleeding won’t stop, but I can still move.
I still have legs; I can still advance.
“A warrior with life is a shame to cut down. If you tell me where the spirit mage is, I will let you go.”
“…If I tell you, you’ll let me go, huh? How kind.”
“In accordance with our warrior’s way, we will not speak lies… Hiji-kata is not here either.”
“Who the hell is that…”
“I cannot say. Where is the spirit mage?”
“…You’re a samurai, right? I know that, I studied it. You are the warriors who have protected that tiny island nation for so long.”
“…Samurai… I am…”
The armored warrior suddenly stopped moving for some reason.
“I studied a little about bushido; you protect your honor over your life, right? That’s a wonderful idea, a strict teaching, but we have that too.”
“…”
“The seventh commandment: You shall strictly fulfill your duty of obedience unless it contradicts God’s law… As long as it does not oppose God’s teachings, a knight should obey the king. Ah, but unfortunately, Nietzsche has killed God, so, God does not exist. Besides, this world is a different world, right? There’s probably no God or God’s children… So, I’m left with only my duty of obedience, which means, what I want to say is—”
“…Where is the spirit mage?”
“It’s the knight’s way, damn it. Who do you think you are, fool?”
“…The unwelcome one.”
Zan.
“Ugh!”
I was brutally kicked from shoulder to abdomen and was sent flying.
I rolled like trash and slammed against the wall, coming to a stop.
Ah, at the edge of the second layer.
A wall behind me, a monster in front of me.
I have no strength left to stand.
The broken Black Knight armor oozes like mucus, mixing with my blood.
—”Aki, be a gentle person, someone who can feel another’s pain, who can cherish someone, protect them. Be that kind and strong person, yes, a good knight.”
Again, my mother’s face comes to my mind.
Ah, I see.
This has been a revolving lantern from the start.
Sorry, Mother.
I was a terrible person from beginning to end.
I have no kindness at all.
Just self-satisfaction while thinking of my sister.
Just arrogance, trying to select suitable people around my sister.
“…I couldn’t become one.”
Not even a gentle knight, not even a knight.
“The Western samurai, no, knight, your words are impressive. Accept your belly and die with honor.”
What I was thrown was a short sword.
Seppuku, I know this.
The samurai’s twisted custom, considering death the highest honor, a habit to the end.
“…But I don’t have an arm, so I can’t do it.”
“…”
“And I’m sorry, but in knightly virtue, there’s no aesthetics of self-inflicted death.”
“At last, where is the spirit mage?”
“A knight is a bad character. Do your best to find him, samurai.”
“—I will decorate my flag with your head and parade it—”
The sword was raised high.
“Die.”
I’m sorry, Snow.
…Kasuya, I’m sorry for trying to test you.
Please take care of Snow.
The wall crumbled.
Above my head, the debris falls, and along with it, a figure falls—
“—There’s blood! Aki-kun!!”
“…You’ve got to be kidding me… haha.”
The wall collapsed.
Kasuya Takihito appeared.
