Akatsuki Translations

The dark-skinned old man who introduced himself as La Jin wore a tattered squire’s uniform over his thin frame. With a curt “Follow me,” he led the way.

The barracks, surrounded by walls of large, pointed logs driven into the ground, were a hideously unsanitary space.

Skinned birds and rabbits hung haphazardly, swarmed by masses of flies. On the ground littered with gnawed bones and leftover food, filthy men sat and guzzled alcohol from the early hours.

“Mr. Rajin,” the old man was called out to as he silently pressed onward, causing him to halt.

“It’s La Jin. Not Lajin. La is my tribe name, and Jin is the name given to me by my parents. Around here, they call me Old Man Jin.” With a gruff voice, Old Man Jin corrected him before continuing forward.

“Have you been here long?” Shuou asked.

“Who knows. When I started as a soldier here, I still had a head full of hair and teeth in my mouth. Now I have neither. That’s how long I’ve been around.”

As they slipped between the muddy tents, Shuou tried to glean whatever information he could. “What’s the headcount of the 55th Squad?” He referred to the unit he had been assigned to lead, as written on the paper he received.

“Four shit-stained mercenaries, plus myself makes five in total. And let me tell you, don’t expect to find any pretty lasses here. Each and every one of ’em has a face like a dried-up pig. The stench is just as bad!” Old Man Jin spat the words with utter revulsion. “By the way,” he continued, “what did a young’un like you do to become a sergeant?”

“Well, I…” Shuou began.

“If you don’t wanna say, no skin off my back. I reckon you’re just here as some kinda token anyway.”

Shuou was about to ask what he meant by “token” when Old Man Jin announced they had arrived at their destination.

The tent was horrifically filthy, crawling with countless long-legged spiders. It was so grimy with oil and muddy water that its original color was indiscernible.

Urged to enter, Shuou found four burly men sitting around a small table under the hazy sunlight filtering through the fabric. They all appeared to be Easterners with black hair and milky-white skin.

“Oi, you lot! Your new squad leader has arrived. Pay your respects,” Old Man Jin called out. The four men turned in unison to face Shuou. Immediately after, they let out a collective sigh of disappointment.

“Aw, damn it. Another dud, ain’t he?” said the tall one. The other three, seeming to lose interest, grumbled complaints under their breath as they turned their attention back to the cards laid out on the table.

“Uh—” Shuou tried to regain their attention, but Old Man Jin waved him off.

“Save it. You’ll just wear yourself out for nothin’. I’ll show you to your bunk, so hurry up and follow.”

“Not here?” Shuou asked, trailing after Old Man Jin as he exited the tent.

“If you wanna sleep in the pigpen, be my guest. But there’s quarters for squires that are a mite better than a stable, at least.”

“I see.” Shuou nodded, then asked about something else that piqued his curiosity. “What did they mean by ‘dud’?”

Old Man Jin stopped in his tracks and let out an irritated sigh.

“You sure ask a lotta questions… Look over there.” He pointed a wrinkled finger.

Shuou looked to see a plump young man, taking orders from a burly mercenary-looking fellow, bowing and scraping obsequiously.

“That’s what they consider a ‘hit.’ Offspring of merchants who, despite their common origins, have done well enough for themselves. They join the military to add some prestige, show their face in battle for a bit, then go back home. Most of ’em are good-for-nothin’ cowards, but they’ve got a bit of coin, so the mercenaries try to squeeze money outta the brats who come to be their squad leaders. Treat ’em to some good booze and grub, and they ain’t stupid—they’ll at least look out for the kids if a battle breaks out. That’s the gist of it.”

“So… I’m a dud then.” Shuou realized the members of his new unit must have pegged him as a pauper. It made sense—in the East, a one-eyed man with gray hair hardly looked like he came from a wealthy household. Their assessment was spot on.

“You lot just need to show your face as the squad leader, nothin’ more. Whether you survive the war or die, makes no difference to me. But let me give you a word of advice, take it as the ramblings of an old man. Don’t bother tryin’ to order around the men in our squad. The only things they believe in are money, booze, and greasy meat.”

Old Man Jin’s one-sided tirade shifted from admonishment to grumbling halfway through, but Shuou gleaned a good deal of useful information from his words, so it was a worthwhile exchange.

The wooden building housing the squires’ quarters was a far cry better than the tents where the mercenaries slept. It maintained a bare minimum level of dignity as a living space.

Certainly, as the old man said, if the tent outside could be called a pigpen, this place was on par with a stable or cheap inn.

Shuou was given a small private room. However, calling it a “room” was a stretch—there was scarcely space to stand with a single bed taking up most of the area. Comparing it to the room he had stayed in until recently at the Adulelia residence would have been utterly absurd.

Thanking Old Man Jin as he left, Shuou entered the room and lay down on the bed.

Now that he had abruptly been thrust into the position of sergeant, he felt no sense of reality regarding it.

As he pondered how to deal with the squad members, including Old Man Jin, the first thing that came to mind as a reference was the back of Sergeant Hinokaji, who had led the squires at the Winter Fortress.

＊

“Why is this happeninggggggggggggggggggg?!” Hario, a tall and slender man, let out a scream that resembled a battle cry as he faced the disastrous scene before him.

“Hario, this isn’t a dream, right? Pinch me,” pleaded Saburi, a short and plump man. Hario forcefully pinched Saburi’s soft belly.

“Ouch! Not my belly, my cheek!” Saburi protested, but their words fell on deaf ears. Hario stood there, dazed and in a state of shock.

Saburi, feeling similarly, stared at the barracks teeming with filthy mercenaries.

Grimy tents were crammed together, and the stench wafting from every direction was enough to make one’s nose wrinkle.

Saburi reminisced about the past, thinking that House Adulelia’s mansion, where they had worked while grumbling and complaining, was equivalent to a high-class inn compared to this place. The work had been tough, but there were many good-looking young female squires working in that mansion.

In contrast, what did they have here? Only the presence of muscular, middle-aged men who looked like they hadn’t bathed in a year.

Fortunately, the two had learned that there were separate quarters for the squires, and they chattered away as they headed towards them.

“This is absolutely absurd. Of all places, we ended up where we least wanted to be,” Hario muttered with lifeless, hollow eyes.

“You repeatedly said you never wanted to go to the southern front,” Saburi remarked.

“It’s all his fault.”

“By ‘him,’ you mean Shuou, right?”

Hario nodded several times.

“What’s with this ‘keep us informed of his movements’ nonsense? That Ice Princess bitch keeps giving us commoners all the troublesome tasks.”

“Hey, if someone hears you calling them that…”

“Shut up, I don’t care! We’re human too, you know. We have things we don’t want to do, damn it. Who in their right mind would willingly come to the front lines of a bloodbath?”

In the end, it was their own doing. They had helped Shuou, who had connections to Duchess Adulelia, and as a reward, they were treated to a meal at the duchess’s villa, which was far above their station. Hario, getting carried away, suggested stealing some wine, and Saburi, easily swayed, went along with it. They were quickly caught and incurred the duchess’s wrath.

“Well, at least they’re willing to waive our alcohol expenses. It was an amount we couldn’t have paid off in a lifetime,” Saburi said calmly. Hario, finally accepting reality, let out a sigh and fell silent.

Upon arriving at the relatively decent barracks for the squires and shouting to join the assigned squad, thick, log-like arms suddenly wrapped around Saburi and Hario’s necks with a crack. At that moment, the stench of alcohol wafted through the air.

“Finally, some decent reinforcement squires have arrived,” the owner of the voice said. Twisting their necks to look up, they saw a fierce-looking man with an appearance rivaling the filthy mercenaries loitering outside.

“Uh, um, who are you?” Hario, who quickly cowered before those he perceived as stronger, asked in a timid voice.

“I’m Borge, the leader of the 70th Squad. From today, I’m your superior officer. Strip off those neat clothes and join the others for a good thrashing.”

As they were dragged by their necks, Saburi felt resigned to whatever fate awaited them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hario’s small eyes clouded like those of a dead fish.

*

A night had passed since Shuou’s arrival in Ode, and upon waking, he headed to meet the mercenaries who had become his subordinates.

As comrades who would go to the battlefield together, he wanted to have at least a minimal conversation with them. However, his enthusiasm wilted the moment he peeked into the empty tent of the 55th Squad.

When he asked the nearby individuals about their whereabouts, they fell into a sullen silence as soon as they saw his squire uniform and rank insignia.

Old Man Jin, the only person who seemed reliable in this situation, had apparently gone out somewhere early in the morning, and his whereabouts were also a mystery.

–This is bad

Thinking of Duchess Adulelia, her adjutant Solar Bright Kazahina, and the old sergeant at the Winter Fortress, Shuou felt pathetic for not even being able to keep track of a single subordinate’s location.

There was no one to listen to his complaints. He couldn’t find an answer to how he should handle the responsibility that had been thrust upon him halfway.

Inside the barracks, while there were some extremely lazy individuals, there were also squads diligently training with wooden swords. Upon observation, those squads always had a stern-faced, well-built leader supervising and shouting encouragement during the training.

Commanding others was not his forte. He had to take the lead, give instructions, and make others obey him. However, in his journey so far, he had done something similar. He had persuaded stubborn noble girls and even managed to convince the princess of this country, who had tried to take his life, to act as a decoy in the end.

The determination to succeed was not yet dead, but for now, he had no clues about the whereabouts of his subordinates. Feeling like he was wasting time, Shuou focused on familiarizing himself with the surrounding geography.

He investigated several routes from the barracks to the city, grasping where the complex and bizarre alleys led, and committed each one to memory. In the process, he found a narrow path leading to a small hill and climbed the simple stairs made of small logs to ascertain what lay ahead.

The slope was steep enough to be described as treacherous. The height of the stairs was uneven, and some parts were missing where the logs had rotted away.

At the top of the climb, there was a small shrine-like structure, and beyond that, a cliff-like outcropping that offered a panoramic view of the surroundings. There, Shuou spotted the back of a familiar figure.

–The brigadier general.

Al Baden, the highest-ranking officer in the area, was standing alone. As soon as he noticed Shuou’s presence, he approached with a broad smile.

“Your face says, ‘We meet again.’ I agree,” he said, his deep voice echoing around them.

“Indeed,” Shuou replied.

Al Baden beckoned Shuou and led him to the edge of the cliff, where a fence had been erected.

The view was magnificent.

Beyond the gently sloping yellow mountains, the Abyssal Forest could be seen, shrouded in a hazy mist. Large birds soared through the eternally blue world, and the gentle spring sunlight painted the entire landscape. Looking up, the massive Mount Vajra loomed over the world, its grandeur further accentuated by the clouds flowing along its ridgeline.

On the slopes of Ode, laborers were carving rock walls and arranging pottery, preparing for bonfires. Among them, some were desperately clasping their hands together and praying towards the great mountain.

“Most of the residents living in Ode are devoted followers of the ‘Kuou Faith.’ They worship the demonic god believed to reside at the summit of the great mountain and frequently pray like that,” Al Baden explained.

Shuou muttered vaguely, “The Kuou Faith…”

“Are you from the north?” Al Baden asked.

“No, I’m from the royal capital of Murakumo.”

Upon hearing his answer, Al Baden raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“I see. But if that’s the case, you probably don’t have a god you believe in either. To the people of the East, who lack a religion, the great mountain is just a big mountain. However, both the Kuou of the south and the ‘Rishia’ in the north claim that their respective gods reside at the summit of that mountain. They’ve repeatedly engaged in bloody wars, competing to see who can reach the summit first. But for us Murakumo people, it doesn’t matter whether the being at the top of the mountain is white or black, or if it even exists at all. The desire of humans to live is not focused on ascertaining the existence of gods, but rather on how to obtain their daily sustenance.”

As Al Baden gazed at the distant great mountain, there was a strange hint of melancholy in his profile. Shuou had thought of him as a rough and crude individual, but judging from his current expression, all such impressions had vanished.

“In addition to what lies beyond the great mountain, this world is teeming with countless mysteries. While there are those who concern themselves with the heavens, I’ve heard that a faction within Kuou has recently been growing, claiming that a world of demons exists at the bottom of a large hole called the ‘World Rift.’ Are you the type of person who is intrigued by such matters?”

Shuou, his gaze fixed on the towering great mountain in the distance, said, “To be honest, if I think about it, I am curious. But right now, I have my hands full with what I’ve been entrusted with.”

“I see. That’s a good attitude. Are you getting along well with the members of your squad?”

In response to Al Baden’s strong inquiry, Shuou smiled, furrowing his brow.

“Yes. I’ll make sure to handle it well.”

Al Baden looked at Shuou, who spoke with conviction, and nodded in satisfaction.

“Good, well said. Recently, there have been reports of movement at Uzumi Castle. It’s likely that the troops stationed here will soon be sent to the Abyssal Fortress as well. Be prepared to mobilize at any time.”

“I’ve heard that the frequency of battles here is unparalleled. The enemy must really want this place.”

“Ode doesn’t have much value as a territory. It’s poor in resources and doesn’t possess any special technologies. However, from a religious perspective, the story changes completely. The headquarters barracks I showed you yesterday used to be a Kuou temple. After the occupation, it was apparently seized as a facility for the Murakumo Kingdom’s army. Considering the sentiments of the indigenous people, they tried to make as few changes as possible inside and still allow Kuou monks to pray there… In any case, for Coral, this place holds significant meaning.”

“I think if we were to take the initiative and attack the enemy to silence them, it would reduce our troubles.”

Shuou voiced his thoughts. It was only natural to assume that the enemy would become overconfident if they were allowed to continue their attacks unopposed.

Al Baden glanced at him sideways with a dry smile.

“If we could do that, we would have done it long ago. If I could capture Uzumi, my name would rise, but more than anything, we lack the money, manpower, and everything else. Well, even if we had the money, we couldn’t disobey orders from above. Our job as those serving in Ode is to take root and not lose.”

Al Baden had a frustrated expression, as if the answer was dangling right in front of him, but he couldn’t reach out and grasp it.

“The military is frustrating, isn’t it?” Shuou remarked.

“Absolutely.”

Inhaling the scent of the bonfire drifting in the wind, Shuou stood shoulder to shoulder with the commander of the area, who was originally a distant figure, and together they gazed at the scenery for a while.