Chapter 3

When I reported to my brother at Nayvil Castle, he couldn’t contain his laughter. “Ha-ha-ha! To think you’d get such a bizarre job! And here you put so much effort into becoming a Spellsword… Such a shame, really!” He infuriated me, and I hated that I couldn’t just say Actually, Oda Nobunaga is a really awesome job or anything like that. “I received Fighter as my profession. I thought that was ho-hum, but at least it’s better than Oda Nobunaga. I should be thankful to the gods.” His lackeys were snickering. No need to act so high and mighty. The Nayvil domain, ruled by the Nayvil clan, was just a small power, after all. A domain was vaguely defined concept—it wasn’t the same as a prefecture or the counties within, or the towns and villages within that. For example, the Nayvil domain consisted of the land controlled by the Nayvil clan, centered around Nayvil County. Because the Nayvil clan’s land stretched beyond that of Nayvil County, Nayvil County and the Nayvil domain didn’t match up exactly. If we were to enter a full-fledged war with Mineria to the west, we’d be in danger of getting wiped off the map. More precisely, we had no room for error whatsoever. That was another reason why I’d never been happy to be part of the ruling class. Maybe this wasn’t as true for a powerful lord, but it wasn’t uncommon for weaker lords to be killed for even a single political misjudgment. Sometimes I thought I’d almost rather be a peasant, unconcerned with such fears. “Come to think of it, the first time you went out to battle as a Fighter, didn’t you suffer a devastating loss?” My brother’s face turned red. So predictable. He’d never been good at combat. In fact, despite the fact that he was a Fighter, I was sure he’d never actually taken down an enemy on his own. “M-mind your own business!” Speak for yourself. A few of his vassals who’d served during our father’s reign grimaced at my brother’s immaturity. They must have realized how incompetent he was. Professions provided better bonuses the stronger you got. For Fighter, it was said that both attack and defense saw an automatic 20 percent improvement. Such stories were believable enough. You often heard about people becoming unrecognizable after their profession-bestowal ceremonies because of how much stronger they became. So it was practically unheard of that a Fighter would lose one-on-one to someone without a combat profession—but that just went to show how much Geisel must have neglected his sword practice. “Regardless, Alsrod, you are now undoubtedly an adult. That itself is worth celebrating.” “Thank you very much, Brother.” Finally, a semblance of fraternalism. But then he once again laughed contemptuously. “So listen. Those Minerian bastards are attacking one of our castles, and I want to deploy you right away as general. It’s a small fort, but it’s an important point of defense for our domain. Defend it with your life.” “Is that Fort Nagraad?” That was the front line. One mistake would mean death. “Indeed. As their lord’s younger brother, your arrival would raise the troops’ morale. Drive out the Minerians. If you flee or allow the fort to get sacked, I will make you take responsibility as general. You are an adult with a job now; this is what it’s like.” In other words: Run away and you’re dead. Even if I stayed at the fort, I’d die in battle eventually. And if I fled, I’d be executed. There I was, knee-deep in the most hopeless of situations. “Answer me. You’re a mere vassal of mine—as the ruler’s younger brother, you have certain obligations. You must fight with your life to defend the domain our father left us.” Indeed, it was my duty to protect Nayvil. I had to protect our people and our land with my life. That was a ruling family’s job. Yeah, I’ll do it. And I’m gonna survive, too. “Understood. I will go to Nagraad at once.” When I returned to my manor, Laviala immediately lost her temper over my brother’s treatment of me. “This is just too cruel! ‘Go to Fort Nagraad’… Really?! It’s as if he’s trying to have you killed!” “I’ve got no choice. There’s no denying the fort needs defending, and it’s a fact that someone close to the ruler would raise morale.” “In that case, he should go himself! The only reason he doesn’t is because he’s afraid of battle! Besides, if the fort falls, then all of Nayvil will be in danger!” Well, she wasn’t wrong. I’d said too much to my stupid brother and turned his anger on me. He was being a real dumbass, so I couldn’t help giving it back to him. “Why don’t you just defect to Mineria?” I could tell from the look in her eyes that Laviala was serious. Still—that was a very risky thing to discuss. “Hey… What would we do if my brother had a spy in here?!” “A lord’s compassion is what earns him the love of his vassals. If he’s cruel and nasty, they have every right to turn their back on him. Besides, it’s the Hundred Years’ Rebellion—betrayal happens all the time!” Laviala was desperate to keep me alive. That was just how intense the fighting at Nagraad was. The fort was built upon a terrace right next to a river, making it tough to carry out an assault; however, with repeated onslaughts, it could fall at any time.