✦ ✦ ✦
I crawled along the dark corridor, desperately chasing after the retreating vision. I wanted to see more of the man who called himself Richter and the boy who shared Prince Shumar’s name. Wasn’t Shumar the name of the hero who founded Kuwol? Legend claimed he’d defeated the Valkaan Jakan despite being an ordinary human.
There was one other thing nagging at me. In the vision, Richter had claimed that the word “richter” meant “just an ordinary person,” but in the ancient tongue, the phrase for that was Cormo marun or Noor marun. In Kuwolese, it was dashi messa. Even in Meraldian or Rolmundian, it wasn’t “richter.” The only language where richter means person is...
I chased after the vision with renewed determination, a tantalizing possibility coming to mind.
✦ ✦ ✦
Richter and Shumar’s journey was an eventful one.
“Richteeeeeer!”
“Shumar, don’t move!”
Richter swung his sword in a wide arc, cutting through a circle of people. The duo was beset not by Valkaan but by regular bandits. Valkaan weren’t the only dangers on the road.
“I am Richter the Valkaan! Will you still fight me knowing you face a god of war?!” Richter shouted.
“Liar! No Valkaan would ever protect a regular human! Die!!!”
One of the bandits charged at Richter, who cleaved the bandit in half with a single stroke of his sword. Half a dozen corpses lined the ground around them—he’d already slain half of the attacking group.
“D-Damn it!”
“Maybe he really is a Valkaan?!”
As the remaining bandits began to lose their nerve, Richter flicked the blood and gore off his sword and declared, “Only those prepared to be killed have the right to kill others.”
That was enough to shatter what remained of the bandits’ fighting spirit.
“Shit! We can’t beat this guy!”
“R-Run!” The bandits turned and fled, trampling over the corpses of their slain allies. Once they were out of sight, Richter sheathed his sword with a sigh.
“What’s the point of trying to save human society when humans are like this?”
Shumar ran up to him and tugged on his shirt. “You can’t just let them go, Richter! If we let them live, they’ll attack other travelers and kill even more people! Besides...”
“Besides, what?”
The boy looked up at Richter and said, “It hurts me to see you look so pained about killing these men! They’re bandits who deserve nothing less, so you don’t need to feel bad about it!”
“I guess that’s true.” Richter gave Shumar a faint smile and patted him on the shoulder. “I appreciate your unwavering support, my friend. So long as I have you by my side, I will never break.”
“You don’t have to thank me. You’ve already shown me so much kindness. I just wish you’d be kinder to yourself.”
“Fine, fine.”
✦ ✦ ✦
They look like they’re really enjoying themselves... I wanted to watch their journey to the end, so I mustered what little strength I had left and kept crawling.
Richter had fought many other Valkaan, and those battles always changed the landscape. Conflicts between Valkaan caused more damage than a herd of rampaging elephants. However, using a combination of courage and martial skill to dispose of his foes, Richter did his best to limit the destruction his battles caused. Shumar really served as a pillar of support for Richter. Because he had someone to protect, Richter fought twice as hard. Just as Barnack had become an unstoppable force when protecting Ryuunie, and I’d torn the slavers apart when coming to young Friede’s defense, Richter fought with the ferocity of a demon when Shumar was in danger.
Not all Valkaan proved to be Richter and Shumar’s enemies. Some shared Richter’s ideals, and a few were moved by his determination after crossing swords with him. These Valkaan became Richter and Shumar’s companions, and together they began recruiting regular humans to their cause. It wasn’t all that different from when Friedensrichter and Master Gomoviroa had started the Demon Army together.
By the time I joined them, they had already formed a sizable guerrilla army. I remember Friedensrichter telling me that when he started the Demon Army with Master, neither expected it to grow so large. That was, in fact, why I joined. There was no distinction between vice-commanders and vice-captains—they were simply called vice-commanders—and soldiers fell under the same leadership structure as military engineers and bureaucratic officials. Of course, part of the reason the organization’s structure had been kept simple was because demons weren’t suited to operating within complex social systems, so I couldn’t blame that on Friedensrichter.
Regardless, once Richter and Shumar had gathered enough comrades, they embarked on their ultimate quest to free the Mejire River from the clutches of the Valkaan.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Jakarn, you’ve lost! Surrender, and I’ll spare your life!” Shumar shouted, standing imposingly before the Valkaan Jakarn. Over the years, Shumar had grown into a rugged, well-built young man.
Though Jakarn was covered in blood and could barely stand, he scoffed at Shumar. “I refuse! I would rather die than bend the knee to a lowly human like you!”
Numerous Valkaan surrounded Jakarn, including Richter. They were all Shumar’s allies and had swords and spears pointed menacingly at Jakarn.
“Let’s grant his wish, Shumar! He clearly has no desire to repent—sparing him would be a mistake!” Richter shouted.
“But, Richter...” Shumar frowned. “We always thought the Valkaan were monsters beyond our comprehension, but look at how many turned out to be good people. Jakarn, it’s not too late to change your ways. Won’t you work with us to build a better future?”
Jakarn silently shook his head. He had nothing more to say.
Shumar’s frown deepened. “Alas... Jakarn, I respect the life you chose, but your path has destroyed countless others. If we let you live, it will destroy even more. I’m afraid you must die.”
Jakarn looked into Shumar’s eyes. At Shumar’s signal, Richter stepped forward and raised his blade. Though Jakarn was on the verge of death, he was still a Valkaan. A regular human’s strength wouldn’t be enough to finish him off. Only another Valkaan could deliver the final blow.
In a quiet voice, Richter said, “Unlike the violent Valkaan we’ve slain on this journey, you are a man who lived with honor. Our names may be forgotten, but I promise the name of Jakarn will live on in history as the last true Valkaan.”
Surprised, Jakarn turned to Richter. After a few seconds, he smiled slightly and closed his eyes.
“That would be nice...” he said softly.
“I’ll make this quick.” With a single stroke, Richter severed Jakarn’s head. He then grasped Jakarn’s back and slowly lowered the body to the ground. “May you find peace in the next life,” he whispered.
Shumar approached him. With a somber tone, he said, “It’s over, isn’t it?”
“It is. There are no hostile Valkaan left along the Mejire.”
The only remaining Valkaan were those who agreed with Shumar and Richter’s ideals. They didn’t want to fight or rule over others. Most of them just wanted to return to being human.
One of those Valkaan, a young man covered in wounds, smiled and said, “Now we just need to find empty artifacts to pour all our mana into, then we can go back to being human. We’re counting on you for that.” He turned to Richter, and the other Valkaan nodded in agreement.
“We used all the ones we found at the ruins to seal away our enemies’ mana, so I’ll have to search for more, but I promise I’ll find enough for everyone,” Richter said.
“I’ll finally be able to return to my old life...”
“I’m so tired of breaking walls when I accidentally bump into them. I can’t even fix what I break because just a touch of extra force causes even more damage.”
“We’re not all as clumsy as you!”
As the other Valkaan celebrated their victory, Richter and Shumar turned to each other.
“What will you do now that we’ve finally achieved peace, Shumar?”
“I haven’t decided yet, but since I brought all these people together, I think it’s my responsibility to look after them. Besides, we’ve finally all become friends; it would be a shame if everyone got split up,” Shumar said a little bashfully, and Richter nodded.
“In that case, how about I serve as your vice-commander? I can be the one you push all the odd jobs onto.”
“Shouldn’t I be the one doing odd jobs for you?!”
“I’ve always wanted to see what it was like serving under someone else. The good friend I told you about before really enjoyed it. It seems like it would be a fun life,” Richter said with a smile.