That having neither made you worthless.
The land, parched and withering as the mana dried up… And the Exinov, consuming Nurabehn to extend their lifespans by even a year as they neared the end of a centuries-long existence.
Har Bell had prayed for someone to set it all right. She had gone in search of something else, and found the Forbidden Land. If she had wanted to escape, she need only have stayed there and never returned to the New World. She could have loaded her family onto the back of her thaumatherium and brought them with her. But instead she had brought the people of the Forbidden Land to the New World, praying that they could change it, hoping they could bring her people the same freedoms they enjoyed at home. No doubt the land that had birthed her, raised her, would call that an invasion. But now she was ready to accept such infamy.
“Will you come to war with me?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Har Bell is gone?” asked Danna Ryl in disbelief when she received a report of the disturbance at the docks.
“It can’t be… I even sent one of her friends to speak with her. She wasn’t convinced?”
“Lana’s been shot in all four limbs. She’s in the hospital. And a lone Nurabehn brought down a gatekeeper singlehanded, in front of everyone…!”
More reports were coming in to Danna Ryl, one after another. She didn’t know what to call the emotion they caused in her, but she felt her heart might be crushed under its weight. Tears came streaming unbidden down her cheeks.
Why? she asked herself over and over. I showed her love. I embraced her as a friend. I promised to give her family special treatment. Even Utsuwa was fond of her.
Danna Ryl really did have a certain affection for Har Bell.
I cared for her, a mere Nurabehn-born Ignas, so why…? How could she do this…?
“It really is just as Zaza said…”
When Har Bell had torn up the blood contract before her eyes, Danna Ryl had felt such pain and sadness that she didn’t know what to do. She hadn’t been able to comprehend why Har Bell had suddenly become so angry.
“But, to actually commit treason…”
She remembered Zaza’s words: “To take such an attitude, she must have resolved herself to go further. I fear treason. We should begin by charging her family on suspicion of such. If she appears with them to speak in her own defense, we need only present her with the blood contract once more. Har Bell has earned that much through her deeds, and we can surely come to a mutual understanding once this has all been cleared up. But if she refuses to hand them over and instead boards ship to depart with them for the Forbidden Land, then it is treason and no mistake. Then we will know the Forbidden Land has no intention of maintaining trade with us, that they plan only on invading us even as we suffer in the throes of this mana shortage.”
“It’s too horrible… Too cruel to contemplate…”
Danna Ryl couldn’t bear the feeling any longer.
I can never forgive her─the one who made me feel this way.
“She won’t… Aah… She won’t get away with this…!”
I’ll never forgive your betrayal, Har Bell─!
✦ ✦ ✦
All of a sudden we’re at volume five. And this is only the first half of the story─meaning the second half is still to come. This is all thanks to you, dear readers.
Well then, how did you enjoy diving into a whole new chapter?
You know, I’ve really been excited to write this New World arc. The idea for the setting has been kicking around ever since I was working on the previous series, Grimoire of Zero, and I remember thinking back then, “Someday I really hope I get to take these characters to the New World!” I didn’t have the slightest clue how they would get there, but once I started writing Dawn of the Witch, I realized that Saybil changing the contours of the old world would ultimately open up a path to the new one.
I’m the kind of author who doesn’t really know how the story is going to pan out while I’m writing it, so I’m actually still super hazy on what’s going to happen in the second half. There are a bunch of scenes I know I want to do, but there’s also a veritable mountain of problems to solve. How are these scenes going to connect, and how can all these issues be resolved? I’m looking forward to finding out myself.
Incidentally, I would rather die than miss a deadline, but I ended up having to ask for a month’s extension on this volume, and I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to everyone involved for the inconvenience I caused them. Sadly, I’ll never again be able to say, “You know, I’ve never once missed a deadline.”
Oh, and the anime adaption of Dawn of the Witch is coming, but I think this book will be in print before the show starts broadcasting. I’m really looking forward to seeing it on TV just like everyone else. [The Dawn of the Witch anime is currently available to stream on Crunchyroll in the U.S. – Ed.]