“Those salad-munchers are an old enemy of ours, so I’m happy to help. Though I pity them now that they’ve placed themselves under demonic rule.”
“That Chancellor Mickaël is such an imbecile.”
“Indeed. And trade with the elves is important to us, so I can’t sit idly by and watch them fall to demons.”
“Chief of the Dwarven Great Caves, I express my gratitude as the head of the Elven Forest Republic. Let us try to work something out on the diplomatic front after we’ve rid my lands of the demonic presence.”
“I suppose we should,” said the chief, a smile on his face.
I knew, however, that this was nothing but lip service. Long-running antagonism between races wouldn’t end so easily. Hopefully we humans could take the edge off their poor relations.
Although the Aryakan forces were still far away, we departed from the Dwarven Great Caves with our five thousand new troops in tow. I had thought the revolutionaries would be keeping watch at the border, but there was nobody on the lookout. It didn’t speak well of the order in their ranks.
Traveling in our coach in the morning sunlight, it felt as if we were on a trip for pleasure. And this was the same coach we had used in our escape and subsequently left at the Dwarven Great Caves. Since it could only fit four, it was me, Prince Richie, Adela, and the fairy king inside. I wasn’t happy about being stuck with this flirt without a good reason, but we had traveled like this as four when he was Barkus. I still wished he could go back to that form, longing for the fluffy sensation of petting him.
“The escape came with many inconveniences, but it was a most delightful trip nonetheless. I feel I have developed a close rapport with other people in the process, and it was all thanks to you.”
“We were really surprised when it turned out Barkus was actually you. Never could’ve imagined the adorable little Barkus was a flirt all along.”
“I never saw that curse coming, so I couldn’t quite lift it. Taking that beast-man form was the most I could do, and I’m glad it allowed me to help you and do sumo. It was an enjoyable experience.”
“What you did wasn’t sumo, but your physical ability and your spirit magic were certainly a feast for the eyes.”
“We elves are beloved by spirits. Come to think of it, I should pass on some of this spirit magic to Boorman,” said the fairy king with a wide grin on his face.
I didn’t like his current form, but we had traveled a great distance together while he was Barkus.
“Once I’ve regained my old position, I’d like to make sumo popular in the Elven Forest Republic too. Sumo is fascinating: it’s a ritual, a show, and a ceremony. All forms of life ought to discover the numerous aspects of sumo, be inspired by it, and come to love it. Even those savage demons and monsters do sumo properly, and they were able to engage with us through it. If there was ever a sport that could bring peace to the world, then I’m certain sumo is it.”
The fairy king had evidently grown rather fond of sumo. His words made me consider the extent to which sumo could bring mutual understanding between different species and races. Sumo lets you compare your strength with someone else’s using easy-to-understand rules. Belligerent races could make use of their strength, races valuing intelligence could study its rituals, and technologically inclined races could work on its techniques. All kinds of species and races could enjoy sumo in their own way, and that was what made sumo so great. It could bring world peace—a “Pax Sumonara,” if you will. If everyone did sumo, they would smile regardless of whether they won or lost. And as a champion of sumo, I was proud of that fact.
Suddenly, the coach came to a stop.
“Soldiers ahead!”
Looking out the window, I saw the Aryakan officer in the driver’s seat pointing to the front. About two thousand ill-bred but beautiful soldiers were blocking the highway. Now, how do we deal with these...? Since we had ourselves—Aryakan rikishi of the makuuchi division—and the dwarven troops, it would be pretty easy to rout them.
“Would you let me handle this?”
“What’s your plan, Ulupano?”
“You’re about to find out.”
With that, the flirt stripped naked in the blink of an eye. What kind of skill was that...?
“Aaaawoooo!!!”
As he howled at the skies, hair grew all over his body, and he assumed the form of an enormous wolf in an instant. Apparently there was no fixed method of beginning transformations in this world, seeing as he hadn’t performed a somersault this time. The underside of his chin was fluffy, but still too rough. Zero out of ten, Ulupano.
The sudden appearance of a huge fenrir seemed to shake the revolutionaries quite strongly, though I couldn’t understand why. I began walking along the highway together with Ulupano towards the elven troops. Even if they were to attack us, there were only two thousand of them. I could handle them without any help.
“I am Fairy King Ulupano, and I have returned! Prostrate yourselves before me!”
About half of the elves quickly obeyed his command. Apparently, the plan was to make them submit through the fairy king’s superior social status.
“Pardon my insolence, O mighty Fairy King! But I must ask why you are coming from the direction of the Dwarven Great Caves, and in the company of the fugitive criminal Crown Princess Candidate! Are you not the real—”
The apparent captain of the elves didn’t get to finish speaking; he was interrupted by the gigantic fenrir’s deafening howl.
“How dare you speak to me like that, insolent lout! Know your place!!!”
The Fairy King’s howl had been amplified by magic, and the pressure of it made the elven captain fall on his backside.
“How could there be a fenrir who wasn’t real?! I was placed under house arrest by Chancellor Mickaël, escaped, was rescued by the Aryakan Crown Princess Floortje, and fled to Aryaka by Magic Train. Now I’m back to reclaim the Town of Yggdrasil with the assistance of Aryakan troops! This rebellion was organized by Chancellor Mickaël. Once I reach the capital, that traitor’s fate will be sealed. Those standing in my way can consider their lives forfeit!”
The elven captain shrieked in terror.
“Th-Then, what about the revolutionaries?!”
“Break up those insurgents immediately and restore the pre-rebellion hierarchy! Or resist, and be executed on the spot!”
Visibly shaken, the captain stepped back in fear of the obviously scary enormous wolf.
“Repent your sins, kneel before your legitimate king, and your punishment shall be lightened! Or leave... Leave and prepare for my arrival, if you think you stand a chance against a fenrir’s fangs!”
Despite acting like a shallow flirt most of the time, Ulupano was evidently a proper king when push came to shove. I had slightly revised my opinion of him.
Roughly one-third of the elven troops ran as fast as they could. The rest seemed to be joining Ulupano, thankfully.
“Welcome back, Your Majesty. Your swift return is a most joyful occasion.”
A handsome tall elf who came across as calm and collected knelt before the fairy king. Judging by his uniform, he appeared to be a common soldier of the lowest rank.
“Cabriel... How did you end up a regular grunt?”
“The chancellor demoted me from my rank of general. There was nothing I could do.”
“You’re definitely lying,” said the fairy king after a pause.
“Come now—why would I? Given how often Your Majesty disappears, I figured it was one of those times and used the opportunity to put myself in the shoes of a grunt. All sorts of issues come into view once you look through the eyes of someone at the bottom of the chain of command.”
This handsome general seemed to be the crafty type. I guessed he had disguised himself as a grunt to avoid the chancellor’s anger while the fairy king was missing.
“Well, I’m glad I ran into you right away. Gather my troops. I’m restoring you to your rank of general.”
However, the captain seemed unsatisfied with this proposition.
“What is it?” asked Ulupano.
“It seems like a good opportunity to promote me to marshal, Your Majesty. All the previous generals are gone thanks to the revolutionaries, and now there’s nobody blocking my way up.”
This elf was really bold with his requests.
“Very well. It is true that sometimes you need luck in life, and your time has come. I promote you to the rank of marshal.”
“Thank you kindly, Your Majesty.”
After bowing to Ulupano, Marshal Cabriel turned to the troops.
“You heard your king! All those blasted superiors and comrades standing in your way are no more! You can finally earn your way up! It doesn’t get any better for us elves, with our long life spans! Let us march upon those idiotic rebels while thanking them for the opportunities they’ve given us, and put an end to them!!!”
“Yes, sir!!!” came the resounding roar from the troops.
So this was why Cabriel had made such a bold request of the fairy king in front of all the soldiers—he had wanted to demonstrate the new opportunities for promotion firsthand. It was clear that the new marshal knew how to raise morale—the common grunts were looking on with their eyes gleaming.
We resumed our march, joined by the elven troops. It was rather leisurely, however, since we were all on foot. Ulupano, meanwhile, maintained the appearance of a fenrir.
“Why do you stay in that form, Ulupano?” I asked.
“The fenrir is a sacred beast, and ordinary elves are more impressed by this form. Besides, the daggers you and Adela stare at me aren’t as sharp this way.”
“Well, I suppose I can think of you as an overgrown Barkus, maybe.”
“I plan to stay like this till we reach the Town of Yggdrasil.” Ulupano wagged his tail.
As we continued to walk, a fog set upon us, thick enough to make it difficult to see Adela and Prince Richie nearby. With a metallic ringing, a gorgeous tall woman appeared out of the fog, in her hand a sounding staff—a khakkhara.
“Heed my words, Fairy King Ulupano. The Elder Council is displeased with how close Yggdrasil came to being consumed by fire.”
“Mother! I believe it has been two thousand years since I last saw you?”
This is Ulupano’s mother?! That meant she was a high elf too.
“The Elder Council wishes for the situation to be resolved posthaste. If you are incapable of handling it yourself, we may have to step in.”
“There is no need for the council to get involved, mother. I’m leading troops to slay that rebel Mickaël right now. After that, it won’t be long until the forest grows peaceful again.”
The woman raised her staff, its metal rings emitting a pleasant sound.
“Heed my words, my son Ulupano. The Elder Council wishes not for the death of an elf. Spare his life and banish him.”
Still in fenrir form, the fairy king frowned.