Side Story 2: The End of a Dream

“Then one of the knights shouted, ‘You never stood a chance against this man, for he is the Knight Captain of the Alcahl Knight Order, the one and only Gerard Fragarach!’”

“OOHHHH!!”

“OOHHHH!!”

“OOHHHH!!”

Several months after the demon’s defeat, this small tavern in Alcahl had already seen several performances by minstrels telling the tale of the honorable knight’s battle against the wicked creature. With each recounting of the event, cheers and applause would shake the roofs and rafters.

“Stop with the ‘OOHHHH’ing! That story is already in the past!”

Within the crowd was one older man who had reached the end of his patience with the storytelling. That man was, as it happens, the very knight whom the stories featured: Knight Captain Gerard.

As payback for the endless stories they had previously suffered through, everyone from the king to Gerard’s own subordinates had taken to bringing up his exploits on a regular basis.

At first, the old man enjoyed them the way he enjoyed telling other tales of his past. However, these accounts quickly spread throughout the country, growing increasingly exaggerated with each passing day, until they reached a point where the old man thought he would die of mortification.

Lately, even his daughter, Connie, had started asking for it as a bedtime story. As a result, Gerard himself knew how to tell the tale better than most minstrels, but that was something he would never admit to. If he mentioned such a thing to the wrong person, he would never hear the end of it.

“Oh, don’t let it bother you, Captain. But still, whenever I think back to that expedition, I still feel you would have done just fine on your own. Did we even need to be there? I mean, you literally bisected the beast with a single swing at the end there.”

“What are you saying? It was because all of you helped to weaken the demon that I had such an easy time of it. If it had just been me against it one-on-one, I certainly would not have gotten away unscathed. Are you guys listening? I didn’t defeat the demon, we did. So stop heaping all the credit onto me...I mean it.”

“Captain!” the knights cried.

The rest of the tavern wept with emotion as well. Even the innkeeper sniffed once, touched by the scene of his customers’ hearts coming together as one.

“That’s cheating, Captain. You can’t just whip out lines like that — the contrast with your usual demeanor makes it that much more effective!”

“What do you mean by my ‘usual demeanor?!’”

“Captain, you know what? I don’t think I even need a woman anymore. Please make me yours, Captain!”

“Hey, get off me and find yourself a wife already!”

It was just another day in peaceful Alcahl, with Gerard and his subordinates in their usual tavern, raising a ruckus and enjoying each other’s company. The cheerful commotion spilled out onto the road, causing passersby to stop briefly and listen in.

“The champion who defeated a lesser demon? Well, that was a waste of time...” one man in the crowd muttered to himself in a disinterested tone before walking off.

At first glance, one might have the impression of him being an extremely beautiful man. His pointed ears, however, betrayed the fact that he was no human but rather an elf. He disappeared quickly into the bustling crowd, already having forgotten the story of the champion who struck the demon down.

Naturally, there were both good and bad people in the world, with most falling somewhere in between. But there were also those who fell beyond the boundaries of good and evil. Beings who were infinitely closer to the gods, that is.

◇ ◇ ◇

The next day, the elf appeared before the king. Not a single one of the soldiers stationed throughout the castle had sensed him coming, and even Gerard, as the Knight Captain, hadn’t the faintest idea when and by what route the infiltrator had reached them. Yet there the stranger stood. And what came out of his mouth was an unthinkable demand.

“What did you just say...?”

The throne room was filled with a silence so tense that it seemed almost suffocating. The elf stood tall before the King of Alcahl, clad in a splendid costume and radiating an imperious aura. His features were so fine that one could imagine him as nothing less than nobility or even royalty.

“You would make me repeat myself? I did not expect this from the King of Alcahl, the man touted as a sage. Well, no matter. I shall say it once more. Become a vassal of our great Rizean Empire and cooperate in the obliteration of the Holy Empire of Deramis.”

“You scoundrel, are you making fun of us?!”

“Stand down, Gerard.”

“But, my king!”

“Stand down.”

Gerard, who was in attendance as the king’s bodyguard, raised his voice in indignance against the elf’s insolent behavior. However, the king stopped him with a raised hand.

“Apologies. However, it is a rather strange matter that you are raising, and not in a very diplomatic way. I know about your nation and the Holy Empire being locked together in the fires of war. I know also that the size of your country is much greater than our own, so much so that not even a comparison is needed. And lastly, I know that you are the chief of the Rizean Technological Development Bureau, Jildora-dono.”

“Well, that’s a surprise. I believe I only introduced myself as a messenger from Rizea. To think that someone — a king, to be sure, but even so — from such a small nation on the Eastern Continent would know of me is impressive.”

“You have it backwards. It is because we are a small country that we are all the more sensitive towards the movements of the behemoths around us.”

“That is a fair point.”

For the first time during his audience, a small smile crept onto Jildora’s face. It was almost as if he had found the first person worth his time since crossing the border into Alcahl.

Chief of a “technological development bureau”? Is that on the same level as a general? Is he planning on using some sort of bizarre new contraption?

Clearly, the elf was in possession of an unknown power. Gerard remained on high alert.

“So, your answer, king?”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but we cannot heed your request as it would force us to abandon the relationships and trust that we have built up with other countries over the years. Most of all, accepting this task would mean betraying my beloved citizens.”

“Even if declining means exposing your ‘beloved citizens’ to harm and possibly death? If you reject my offer, this country will not see tomorrow.”

It wasn’t clear whether he meant anything by the gesture, but Jildora slowly raised his hand towards the king. Despite having been ordered to stand down, Gerard couldn’t very well look on helplessly. He stepped between his king and the stranger, with his greatsword and shield at the ready.

“My answer remains unchanged,” replied the king. “You may take your leave.”

Even Gerard, the highest military authority in the country, could not help but break into a cold sweat at the dark aura being emitted by the elf. However, the king’s face held no shred of hesitation or fear.

“Is that so? It looks like you are a man with a spine, after all. That makes you much more interesting to me than this knight here, at least.”

“Well, I thank you for the compliment.”

Jildora’s form was beginning to grow dimmer. “Out of respect for you, sage king, I will take my leave for today. But do not forget, I am a person who means what I say. Tomorrow, the appropriate price will be extracted. If any of you wish to keep your lives, make sure that you run far, far away when night falls.”

“What exactly do you mean by that?”

“It’s a warning. A favor, as I am in a good mood today.”

Jildora’s figure faded away like a mist, his words left hanging in the air. Only the king and Gerard were left behind in the silent room. After a short while, the king said, “Knight Captain, raise our alert level to the highest level. Make all the necessary preparations in expectation of an enemy host approaching our borders. Additionally, open up the emergency escape route. If it comes to it, allow everyone to use it, regardless of status.”

“Yes, my king. Immediately!”

As he returned to his senses, the king began to issue more precise instructions. Every military and civil official of the country was summoned and, after a hurried conference, dispatched to carry out their respective duties.

However, this was a fatal mistake on Alcahl’s part. For the threat they were about to face was not an army from Rizea...

◇ ◇ ◇

What is hell? Is the scene spread before me not the very definition of it?

The question looped over and over inside Gerard’s mind as he pushed his beloved horse to go as fast as it could. With the capital of Alcahl at his back and his daughter riding tandem, he was on his way to find a helping hand from beyond the country’s borders.

Why did things turn out this way? Why?!

After making all possible preparations, the country of Alcahl greeted the dawn fully ready to stave off an invasion. However, the Rizean host never came. They found themselves faced with something far worse instead.

Pestilence.

This epidemic — dubbed the Plague of Death — swept through the country within a matter of days. The route of infection was a mystery. Anyone who began to show symptoms would waste away and die by day’s end. No one knew of a cure, and the bodies were piling up at a terrifying speed.

What made it even worse was that the king had fallen first. With the country having lost its greatest mind and symbol of hope in one fell swoop, everything fell into absolute chaos. Everyone did whatever they could, Gerard included, even if they lacked the relevant training. Having heard rumors of a panacea herb, the Knight Captain immediately rushed to retrieve some. He exhausted every possibility during his search. But it was too late. The pestilence moved too quickly.

Three days after the nightmare began, Gerard had arrived home late at night to find Betty, his beloved wife, on the floor. Her face was shockingly pale, and a single glance was enough to determine that the illness was wreaking havoc on her body. Thankfully, she was still conscious. Gerard spent that day with his wife and would see no one else.

Betty, my king, my subordinates, my people...I have lost far too much. And — ugh — goddammit!

The pestilence had already dug its poisonous teeth into Gerard himself, as well as Connie, his beautiful daughter. The girl was now unconscious, and her life was a flickering candle. At this rate...

At this rate, even Connie will...

Gerard’s mind was filled with nothing but dark thoughts. His spirit was worn down, and he himself was only holding on by the skin of his teeth. The only reason he could still move was the knowledge that his daughter’s life was on the line. But the first to give out was not Gerard. His beloved horse had contracted the plague as well.

“Whoa!”

Just before collapsing, the stallion gave out one final cry so that its master would know what was coming and leap out of the way in time. Thanks to this, Gerard was able to avoid injury.

“Your loyalty has been exemplary, old friend. Sleep now...”

Having lost his sole method of travel, there was no longer any hope of reaching another country in time. In other words, this was where — but even so, Gerard did not fault his horse. It had carried the two of them this far even in its terrible state, which was a feat worthy of a legend. Although burying the poor creature was beyond Gerard’s capabilities, they had been long-time companions who had fought together, and he stopped to pay it a moment of silence.

“What can I possibly do now? I have long exceeded my own limits. Any ideas, Connie?”

Thrum.

A sound that Gerard had never heard before sounded from around the bend before them. It was not the cry of a living creature or the sound of something magical, but something much more inorganic. He didn’t have to wonder long, however, as the source of the sound came into view.

“A golem?!”

Golems were automatons that normally appeared inside dungeons. They were hardly rare, but the one before Gerard’s eyes was clearly different. It was armored not with dirt or stone but metal. The steam engine that powered it was an anachronism, but there was no way for Gerard to understand that. All the knight knew was that this was a golem with a bizarre appearance. And most importantly, he knew instinctively that the creature was far more powerful than a lesser demon.

Clunk, clunk, clunk!

“You are a puppet under that man’s control, are you not?! Well, I have a sick person here. I’m going to need you to get out of the way.”

◇ ◇ ◇

“......-san. ......rd-san.”

“Mm. U-Uh...?”

“Gerard-san, you were tossing and turning. Are you all right?”

“Efil?”

Gerard slowly woke up, finding himself lying on his side in the shade of a tree. Apparently, he had been asleep for quite some time.

“A dream...”

“Umm, did you have a nightmare? Do you want some herbal tea?”

Efil retrieved a teapot and cup from Clotho’s Storage.

“Yes, I’ll have some, thank you.”

“Here you go. I had Clo-chan store it at the perfect temperature, so it should still be warm.”

Gerard took a sip with his helmet still on.

“So delectable.”

“I’m glad you like it. Is it helping you to feel calmer?”

“For the most part, yes. It...was a very nostalgic dream. One that I haven’t had for a long time.”

“A nostalgic dream? All of my dreams are of Master.”

“I see you’ve already learned how to naturally slip boasts about your love life into conversations! I’m not quite sure how I feel about that...”

If Connie had grown up, would she have become a sweet girl like Efil? The thought crossed Gerard’s mind for just a moment before he chased it away to a corner. Obsessing over the past might interfere with what he had to do now.

“I told my king that I would fully acknowledge him once he fulfills his end of the contract, but...could it be that I was the one lacking in determination?”

“Um, what are you talking about?”

“Hm? Ahh...I was just thinking that I wanted a grandchild soon. Give me POWER! Give me GRANDCHILD POWER!”

“Whhaaaattt?!”

While watching Efil devolve into a red-faced fluster, Gerard shored up his resolve to look towards the future.