Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles Volume 3

The year was 1000 of the Holy Era.

One day, several months after Rio had left the Yagumo region... Somewhere in the world, someone had been waiting for that moment, as though it had been predicted.

Looks like it’s about time.

The Strahl region was reflected in their eyes. In the next moment, six pillars of light shot out of multiple points in the region, aiming straight up at the skies. The light pillars instantly tore through the heavens, overwhelming onlookers with their blinding light for some time.

However, the person in question simply observed the light with a blank expression.

Nothing’s changed from a thousand years ago. Even so, the world’s history is about to move. No... The chance of it moving has been birthed. Whether it changes, repeats, or stagnates like this...

Any further ahead than that was unknown to this person — therefore, they simply observed the now, and the future hereafter.

Oh? Seems like there are many lost children this time. Hm? This is...

Suddenly, they narrowed their eyes. No sooner than they did, their eyes opened in focus. A single human was reflected in their eyes.

◇◇◇

Meanwhile, after the six pillars of light had lost their glow, in the southeast area of the Strahl region, two girls and a boy stood isolated in a grass-covered field.

One of them was a high school student in her uniform, one was a middle school student in her school uniform, and one was a primary school student in his casual clothes — no one wore clothing appropriate for traveling in a grassy area.

The three children looked around at their surroundings in a daze. Their frozen expressions were understandable; the modern townscape they were surrounded by moments ago had completely disappeared, after all.

A grass field spread around them, with the only other things in sight being rocks, hills, and mountains, with no sign of anything man-made.

“...Where, is this?”

“...Don’t ask me.”

“Sorry. I wasn’t asking you — I was asking Miharu.”

The middle school girl and primary school boy went back and forth, not having yet accepted their reality. Shortly after, the two simultaneously looked up at the high school girl named Miharu.

“E-Erm, for now... L-Let’s check where we are on the smartphone.”

Miharu put on a smile to reassure the two and hurriedly took out her phone from her school bag. Then, with trembling hands, she pressed the button and started up the screen. “Out of range” was fruitlessly displayed at the corner of the screen.

◇◇◇

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Strahl region at the exact same time...

Haruto.

...haru... ...-er...

...-ve ...them.

The oddly-familiar voice of a girl echoed inside Rio’s head

Again, Rio was unable to understand anything that Lucius was saying. All he knew was that he was afraid of the man. But it wasn’t just fear — faint buds of hatred were also trying to bloom within his chest. It caused Rio to glare at Lucius with an indescribable feeling.

“...Oh? So you can make a good expression, too.” Lucius’ eyes widened with interest as he chuckled with a grin. He kicked Rio’s prone form and rolled him face-up, before stepping on his stomach and pressing him into the floor.

“Guh...” A cry of pain left Rio’s mouth.

“Well, having you wailing and crying would just be a killjoy. Let’s silence you before Ayame gets home, shall we? Don’t worry, it won’t hurt. It’s just a little drug... One that paralyzes your body and makes your mind gradually grow hazy. If Ayame gets home early, you may even be awake to see her for the last act.”

Lucius grabbed Rio by the hair and lifted his face, then reached into his pocket and took out a small metal bottle that he thrust into Rio’s mouth. Unable to spit it out, Rio swallowed the unknown substance. Immediately after that, a burning heat seared within his stomach, and gnawed away at his body bit by bit. His breathing grew shallow, and he couldn’t find strength in his limbs.

That was when the door opened. It swung open a little faster than usual, most likely because of how it was unlocked.

It was Ayame.

“Welcome home, Ayame! You’re early,” Lucius called out to her casually, with Rio still underfoot. Rio was panting in pain, face flushed with a fever.

“W-What are you doing, Lucius?!” Ayame froze where she stood in a daze, managing to speak in a high-pitched voice once she processed the situation.

“Haha. Isn’t it obvious...?” Lucius smiled in delight as he spoke to Ayame.

At this point, Rio’s consciousness had already faded, and he couldn’t make out the words they exchanged. A fog had fallen over his vision, but he still had some vague sense of awareness left. He remained in that state for so long, it felt like it would never end. The only thing that was carved vividly into his memory was the hazy sight of Lucius abusing Ayame.

At the very end, however, Rio had the vague feeling Ayame had hugged him. While he couldn’t be certain whether it was a dream or reality, Ayame had smiled at him gently with tears in her eyes.

It had most likely been real. That’s what he wanted to believe.

But, behind Ayame, Lucius was standing with his sword in hand. He made eye contact with Rio and curled his lips in a repulsive grin.

That was the last thing Rio remembered. When he awakened, Rio had been thrown into a back alleyway of the capital. His clothes were stained with someone’s blood splatter, but Rio refused to accept reality and wandered around the capital in a daze, searching for his house. He had no idea how long he walked for, but Rio eventually found the plain old house they had been renting. However, the door to the house had been locked shut.

Rio found a neighbor he recognized somewhat and asked them for his mother’s whereabouts, the neighbor was disgusted by him, and told him that she was dead. The house was a vacant house, now.

After that, Rio lived on the streets of the slums for the two years until he enrolled into the Royal Academy, all while carrying a hatred toward Lucius in his chest the entire time.

“...And that’s what happened,” Rio declared with a frown.

With that, he had revealed his entire dark past — one that he had never told anyone else before. Everyone in the room — Homura, Shizuku, Gouki, and Kayoko — was trembling. The budding emotions in their chests may have been anger, or sorrow, or perhaps something else. Rio stared back at Homura and the others with a little bit of regret, wondering if he really should have told them the truth.

“Rio, you must bear so much resentment toward us, for causing Ayame to suffer such a thing...” Homura murmured softly in a voice that suppressed his emotions.

“I do resent you—” Rio said bluntly, without a hint of hesitation.

“...” Homura and the others shook greatly. They had been prepared to be cursed, but Rio’s frank words stabbed them deep in their hearts.

“—is what someone else might say if they had been in the same situation as me. However, I do not feel any particular resentment toward you,” Rio added with a bitter smile.

Homura and the others stared at Rio with dumbfounded expressions.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you like that. But... everyone is greatly misunderstanding something, here. Please don’t feel any misplaced guilt, or think of yourselves as the wrong-doers.”

“...Why do you say that?” Homura asked in a hoarse voice.

“I was raised lovingly by my mother, and watched her from the closest perspective possible. That’s why I know: my mother did not hate you. If anything, I believe she felt grateful for being able to marry my father. That’s why it wouldn’t be right for me to hate you,” Rio said, his features breaking down at the memories he recalled of his mother.

“Is that, so...” Homura and the others trembled once more, hanging their heads low. They couldn’t bear the feelings of remorse and embarrassment.

Misplaced guilt, thinking of themselves as the wrong-doers... Rio’s words were right on the mark. What Rio had said just now stabbed them deeper in the heart than when he had said he resented them. They realized exactly how helpless they were.

“But, Rio. Allow me to ask one thing: what do you think of this Lucius, the man who killed Ayame? Can you forgive him?”

“No. I can’t forgive him, most likely, ever. Just recently, I realized there were things in this world that are absolutely unforgivable.” Rio shook his head as he suppressed his emotions.

“Then, do you seek revenge?”

“I’m not considering living only for the sake of revenge, since I don’t know where he is, or if he’s even alive. However, if I do meet that man someday, then with these hands I will...”

“...I see. I am a king, after all; I have seen countless repulsive humans up until this point. That is why I can understand the emotions that you carry, and will not deny them. But, if you are to pursue the road to vengeance, there is one thing I must tell you first,” Homura said, narrowing his eyes as though to see through Rio’s determination.

“What is it?” Rio took on Homura’s gaze head-on.

“Vengeance is not justice. The dead may not wish for revenge, and vengeance will only give birth to new vengeance. Consequently, the road to vengeance only leads to hell. Even if you want to turn back, you won’t be able to. You understand that, right?”

“Yes, I am aware.”

“You can still turn back right now. Will you still kill him, knowing that?”

“...Yes, that is what I have decided. I will no longer avert my eyes from reality. From people’s malice, from my own weaknesses. That is why I am willing to dirty these hands if necessary.” Rio asserted his own will plainly, with a determined expression.

Homura looked into Rio’s eyes carefully; his caramel-colored eyes showed no signs of delusion or madness. They were the eyes of someone who knew that there was no such thing as absolute morals in this world, yet had chosen to stick by their own morals anyway. That was why he wasn’t about to resort to any means possible for his vengeance, and he wouldn’t incur anyone else’s enmity for his own selfish reason.

Homura sighed with resignation.

“...Is that so. In that case, I will not stop you from seeking vengeance.”

If Rio had lost sight of his way, Homura would have imparted words, as his grandfather, to lead him back to a less painful road. However, there was no point in doing that to Rio as he was right now. From his experience as a king that had lived a long life, Homura could understand that human emotions weren’t so fragile that they could be washed away with a few idealistic words.

“...However, as your grandfather, I wish to know whether you have the strength to carry out that will of yours. Would you consider facing off with Gouki?”

“...You wish for me to spar with Lord Gouki?” Rio’s eyes widened, and he tilted his head at Homura’s sudden proposal.

“Forgive me — I have bewildered you with my sudden insolence. It is simply the meddlesome actions of the elderly...”

“No, I just haven’t completely grasped the point of such an action...”

“It’s about Lucius. From what you told us just now, he sounds quite skilled. With a personality as repulsive as his, I wouldn’t doubt that Zen’s death could also be attributed to him. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“...Yes. I have considered it as a possibility.”

“That being said, I knew Zen very well. At the very least, he wasn’t the type you could easily gain the upper hand on in a fight. Isn’t that right, Gouki?” Homura said, looking at him.

Gouki nodded silently, before offering his own opinion on the matter. “Yes, most sneak attacks wouldn’t be able to phase a man like him. If that foul man truly took out Zen with his own hands, then reluctant as I am to admit it, I believe he must be quite powerful.”

“That’s how it is. You must be at least Zen’s strength or greater if you ever wish to confront Lucius. And, even if he didn’t kill Zen, strength is invaluable for a journey like yours, is it not?” Homura asked.

“Yes,” Rio said, nodding.

“In that regard, Gouki was once evenly matched with Zen, and now has many years of military experience under his belt. He is a veteran warrior unmatched not only in this kingdom, but the neighboring kingdoms as well. There is no one in this kingdom stronger than this man that could test your true abilities. How about it — would you like to spar with him?”

In other words, Homura wanted to train Rio.

On the battlefield, he held the nickname of the “Fierce God Gouki” — the number of strong opponents he had slayed was immeasurable. Under Gouki, his grandchild would be able to gain valuable experience, Homura thought. Behind his words was a glimpse into the utmost faith he had in Gouki.

“I wouldn’t dare to dream of such a thing. If he would be so kind as to teach me, then I gladly accept.” Rio nodded with a bold smile.

“Is that so? Then may I leave Rio to you, Gouki?” Homura asked of him.

“Of course. Accepting this duty would be my honor.” Gouki nodded with plenty of emotion behind the action.

“Then, I shall leave it to you. ...Now, Rio. Forgive me, but I have come here today using the time between my official duties. We will have to wrap things up for now. Please, make yourself at home under the care of Gouki’s residence. Don’t forget to spar with him.”

Considering Ayame’s past, Rio’s identity wasn’t to be revealed under any circumstances, so no one was to know of this secret meeting. If the meeting had continued for too long, the unused time in their schedules might be questioned by the retainers, so they had reached their time limit.

Thus, the meeting moved to wrap itself up for the day.

“Rio, could you come here for a moment?” Shizuku stood up and suddenly called out to him. “...Yes, of course.” Rio nodded, hesitantly approaching Shizuku. She gently hugged him.

“You grew up so wonderfully, all by yourself. Well done making it this far. Thank you so much.” Burying her face in Rio’s larger body, Shizuku was moved to tears.

Rio had stiffened faintly at suddenly being hugged out of the blue, but he soon melted under Shizuku’s warmth. It somehow reminded him of Ayame.

“No... I’m the one who is happy to be able to meet the two of you.” Rio timidly hugged Shizuku back.

“Yes...” With a fleeting smile, Shizuku looked up at Rio’s face from up close.

The expression Rio could see on Shizuku’s face from a distance wasn’t one of royalty, but a loving grandmother instead, though her outward appearance was slightly young for a grandmother. Homura gazed at the two of them with an expression filled with familial love.

“Now, let us go, Shizuku.”

“All right...” At Homura’s prompt, Shizuku reluctantly left the room.

“If you’d please, Sir Rio — Allow me to lead the way.” Once the king and queen had exited, Gouki spoke up quietly.

“Yes, please do.”

◇◇◇

After the meeting, Rio left the royal castle and moved to the Saga estate.

The Saga family residence was located in a military town close to the heart of the capital, where the streets were quiet and a serene atmosphere hung in the air. Every residence in the area was enclosed within walls, but there wasn’t much greenery for shelter, so the sturdy but wonderful mansions were neatly lined.

“It’s this way.

We’d like to know more, like the reason why they died, or how they lived.” Shizuku hesitated to say her words, so Homura voiced her question out loud resolutely. Their eyes were locked onto Rio’s with certainty.

“...My father passed away while I was too young to remember anything, so I’m afraid I only have memories of my time with my mother. If that is all right with you...”

“Is that so... Then, could you tell us about what about your life that you remember?”

“...I understand.”

Rio took a deep breath and nodded slowly. Then, he began to speak about his father’s death in the way that it had been conveyed to him by his mother, as well as his memories with Ayame. The details were mostly similar to what he had told Yuba before — that Zen was working as an adventurer who one day messed up on the job and died, leaving Rio and Ayame to live alone until Rio turned five years old.

“My mother was a kind person who was always smiling. That’s why I thought it was natural for it just to be the two of us when I was a child. She had never once shown me any sadness over my father’s death,” Rio said with regard to Ayame’s personality.

“We were, by no means, wealthy in the least. But while he was alive, my father had earned a lot of money for us, so we were able to get by without a need for my mother to work. Our neighbors would look at us with prejudice just for having different colored hair, but those days were filled with happiness. However, my life with my mother didn’t last for very long. When I was five years old, my mother... She passed away.” Unable to determine how far he should talk, Rio hesitated to continue.

“When you were five... How did you live from that point onward, then?” Shizuku asked fearfully.

Rio had braced himself in case they inquired after the reason of his mother’s death, so he relaxed in relief. Apparently the fact he had lost both his parents by the age of five had a much stronger impact.

“...I became an orphan in the poorer part of town.” Rio said casually, with a hint of a bitter smile mixed in.

“Oh...” Shizuku looked like she would start crying at any moment. Homura had his eyes closed as he clenched his fists tightly.

“But I was only an orphan until the age of seven.” Rio said with a small shrug.

“Is that so... How did you live after the age of seven?” Homura asked.

“I saved an important person of the kingdom by chance, and was granted enrollment into an education institute managed by the kingdom as a reward.”

“Oh? An educational institute... We have such institutions in this kingdom too, but only court nobles and certain military families are permitted entry. Was it different in that kingdom?”

“No, there was no difference. Everyone around me was what you would call a court noble or royalty in this kingdom.”

“...Then you must have suffered greatly.” Homura immediately guessed that Rio had been subjected to much discrimination based on his social status.

“No, it is true that the hostility toward me was high, but there was someone there who treated me kindly, too. Thanks to them, I can proudly say my days there were fun,” Rio said with a gentle smile. It was all thanks to Celia.

But that wasn’t enough to appease Homura and Shizuku’s emotions, as they continued to avoid eye contact with him. Gouki and Kayoko, who had been listening silently from the side, also had expressions of pain on their faces.

“From there, I attended the academy until I was twelve years old, before departing for this land.”

“I had heard there were kingdoms far to the west, but... you did well making it here unharmed. Thanks to that, we were able to meet you.” Homura lowered his head deeply in an excessive show of gratitude toward Rio. Knowing that the king wasn’t in a position where he should be easily lowering his head to others, Homura’s gratitude resounded greatly within Rio.

“When I was young, my mother would tell me a lot about you. And she promised me that she would someday take me to this land. She wasn’t able to fulfill that promise, but I have always wanted to travel here. At the very least, I wanted to make a grave for them in their home town.”

“Ayame promised such a thing to you...” Homura bit down on his lip. He was filled with a mixture of happiness, regret, and shame.

The sound of Shizuku’s sobbing cries echoed through the room as Homura closed his eyes and fell silent. The silence continued for a while.

Then, after some time, Homura took a deep breath and inquired after the one thing that Rio wanted to be asked the least. “...Rio. Would you tell us how Ayame died?”

“...I must warn you, it may be difficult to hear. Do you still wish to know anyway?” Rio asked, questioning the amount of resolution behind Homura and the others. The story would most certainly be sickening to hear.

“We must know what happened... What happened in her last moments. And, if need be...”

We will blame ourselves — Homura’s face darkened with that implication.

“I’m sorry... I know it must be cruel to ask you to speak the truth, but we simply cannot bear remaining in the dark,” Shizuku agreed, not lifting her head.

The two of them spoke in a calm tone filled with their strong determination and will.

“Is that so...” Rio closed his eyes as though waffling over something, before he took a deep breath.

“My mother... was killed. Right before my eyes,” he said bluntly.

“...” While they expected it to some extent, Homura and the others were still visibly shocked.

“The person who killed my mother was a man named Lucius.”

Rio paid them no mind as he started to recall what had happened at the time. That was what they had wished for, after all.

For the five years after Zen’s death, Ayame rented a modest house in the capital of the kingdom of Beltrum and had raised Rio there. Fortunately, there was enough money saved to allow her to raise Rio alone as long as they didn’t spend extravagantly. However, the burden on her was greater than expected, and she couldn’t even afford to take her eyes away from Rio for just a moment to do a little shopping. During times like that, an adventurer named Lucius would help out Ayame. Ayame was acquaintances with Lucius back from when Zen was still alive.

Back then, Ayame had retired from adventuring when she became pregnant with Rio. Zen had continued in the adventuring industry alone for a while, but ever since one day in particular, he had started to complete missions together with Lucius.

Zen had the skills, but he was still a foreigner in a strange land. Lucius had called out to him while he was still getting used to the kingdom, and looked after him in various ways. Because of that, Zen brought Lucius home and introduced him to Ayame. That was how Ayame first came into contact with him.

Then, when Zen died shortly after Rio was born, Lucius supported Ayame in myriad ways as she devoted herself to raising her child. For instance, he went shopping on Ayame’s behalf, visited with gifts in tow, or played with the young Rio.

At the time, neither Ayame nor Rio doubted that Lucius was a friendly and kind person; since he was an adventurer, his eyes were sharp, and there was some form of intensity behind him. However, his facial features were refined, and his personality was considerate and sociable, like a gentleman’s.

It had all been an act.

One day, while Ayame had gone out on an errand in the neighborhood, she told Rio: “I’ll be back soon, so don’t leave the house if someone you don’t know comes.” Then, she had left her five-year-old son at home alone.

Immediately after Ayame left, Lucius visited the house. Rio had followed Ayame’s words at first and pretended like no one was home.

“Rio — you’re there, aren’t you? It’s me, Lucius. I met Ayame out there and she told me to come look after you. Could you open the door for me?” a voice said from the other side of the door. Once he realized it was Lucius, Rio immediately opened the door. Rio knew Lucius very well, so he trusted him fully.

However, Lucius had done a complete 180 into a cruel and cold-hearted person.

“Gah...” Lucius walked into the house and kicked Rio in the abdomen.

The sudden impact to his stomach sent Rio’s small body flying; he had seen a glimpse of Lucius’ foot making contact with his stomach, but he couldn’t understand why Lucius would do such a thing.

“Wh...y...?” Rio rolled on the floor, wheezing.

“Hahaha. Listen up, Rio. In this world, sometimes there are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They love to betray people’s trust and spread malice. Demons like me love that more than anything. They’d even pretend to be good people to do it. That’s why you shouldn’t trust people so easily, you know?”

Lucius grabbed Rio’s head and peered at his face. “Now you’ve grown one wiser,” he added, and curled his lips in a joyful grin. A glint of madness could be seen in his eyes.