Chapter Ten
"So this is your plan?" Saito replied, as the Zero fighter's engine began powering up. "Yes, it's my plan" Cog replied from behind, Louise on his lap "What if it doesn't work?" the girl meekly asked, maybe the stress was finally starting to change her, or the fear of failure. "It will work. I spoke with De Poitiers, he seemed understanding." "I see" Louise bit her lips as she held her wand tightly. "Are you sure I'm the user of the legendary void?" She asked Cog "pretty sure. The runes on Saito's hand are those of Gandalfr, the void familiar" "Your hand too has…" but she stopped, as Cog's hand had no sign of the familiar runes inscribed. "No, it was a ruse. The nanites of my armor created a resemblance with Saito's runes. You actually never completed the contract with me, you just thought you had" Louise said nothing.
The Zero fighter lifted off, thanks to the help of some air mages, who flung it into the air, granting him enough horse power to lift off on a short ramp. "We are going to be brought to Dartanes with a small company of Dragoon knights" Saito commented "Good kids, I spoke with them last night" he added then. "You're a kid too, Saito" Cog replied "No. I'm a soldier." "In my eyes, you remain a civilian" "Soldier." "Civilian" "I can kill people, I am a soldier" Saito replied snapping with anger. Louise kept silent, albeit it wasn't directed at her, she felt the fault was hers too; Saito had killed Wales to save her. "Also a kid can grab a knife and slit it's mothers throat" Cog pointed out "The kid isn't a soldier, but a civilian. A soldier is something else than just a tool for slaughter." "Speaks the Commander of Genocide? The one tasked with exterminating life forms from planets?" "Yes. If I say this, then you should understand there's more to it"
The voyage kept being eerily silent for a while, until Louise broke the silence, "What are those?" she said, pointing out to a big cloud of points growing closer. "Can't see clearly: they look like dragons though" Saito replied, "Yes, those are dragon knights, if I can see well, it looks like it's an entire division" Cog muttered. "Fly low; let the escorts do their job" "They are going to be wiped out" "That depends on how good they are. We have an order, they have theirs. They will protect us or die trying; we will reach Dartanes, or die trying" Saito gritted his teethes "But!" "A soldier says no "but!" you want to be considered a soldier? Start obeying" Cog spoke softly, Louise could see that his face wasn't actually happy about saying those words, but kept silent. "I drank with them last night, spoke of dreams and glory, I don't even know their names" Saito murmured "Dreams are not made to become true, and glory obtained through blood is a stale thing" with those words from Cog, Saito lowered the clutch of the Zero, down towards the tree tops.
The zero gained enough acceleration to leave behind the escort and the attacking division. They were left alone, in silence except for the hum of the Zero's engine, "It's uncomfortable" muttered Louise, after moving for a while on Cog's lap. "You could move on Saito's lap, but he's busy with the clutch" Cog replied "No, this silence is. Let's speak about something, please." "Like what?" "Family, for example, if you actually end up marrying my older sister, that would make you related with me!" "Yes, so this would mean what?" "That you could start treating me nicer" Louise replied "Please. I am treating you nice enough" "No, you aren't! You consider me a weapon!" "You are a weapon" Cog replied simply, Louise shook her head "No! I am not a weapon, I am a person! You are not a familiar, but a person too!" she added with emphasis.
Cog tapped lightly on her head twice with his open palm "Good girl" Louise slightly blushed at those tender words, "What? Why are you…?" "You pass." He simply stated. "I have to at least bring you back alive to Henrietta, so don't worry, I'll keep you safe" "St-stop… it! Y-You are…" the pink haired girl stuttered, embarrassed on what to say. "Now pleasant talks seem to end now: I'm seeing the city on the horizon" Saito said then, interrupting. "Up we go then" Cog said, holding Louise by the waist and opening the cockpit screen. "Just chant the words! I'll keep an eye out"
As the massive illusion was cast, Louise crumbled back asleep in Cog's lap, but when the urgent report came in, General Hawkin gave order to move from Rosais and back to Dartanes, they couldn't let a city be captured that easily! Miles away, a report from a scout came in too, "General De Poitiers, the enemy is abandoning the defensive positions, and moving towards Dartanes" The general bit his knuckles "I can't believe he was right" he muttered then "FINE! ALL FLEET ADVANCE! DOUBLE TURNS!"
As they sat there, flying in circle around Dartanes, Saito broke the silence, "Professor Colbert gave me a letter to read. I never managed to, because I actually can't read. Would you mind?" he said as he slipped the letter on the back of the Zero to Cog who smiled "Thankfully I learned the language. You are going to learn it too eventually" "Read the letter please" Saito insisted, Cog shifted Louise on one of his legs, as she was sleeping she even looked cute, like a doll. "Hiraga Saito, Chevalier of the Queen. So young, and already faced with trials, please, listen to my words, I went through it. I fought, I committed crimes graver than anyone, but I hope you will not commit the same mistakes I did: do not get accustomed with death, with war, or something inside you will break, do not become like me, and don't think killing is a natural thing"
"It's too late for that" Saito murmured, "You crying boy?" Cog asked, hearing a small change in voice. "I just… don't know who I am now" he said "Am I still a Japanese student? Am I still normal? Do I want to return to my world? I had a dream, more like a nightmare; I couldn't even recall my mother's face. Is it normal? I killed people; with my hands and with the Zero. Am I a monster now? I don't feel guilty, I had to or I would be killed…I just…" Cog looked at the boy and sighed "You have a good heart. Really, you do. However you must understand my words: So what?" he stated, seriously, "I don't get it Cog! I don't get it!" Saito shook his head furiously holding the clutch of the plane hard "So what if you killed someone boy! So what if the earth has another body to hold! The flower will still bloom at spring, your mother will still be worried about you and the clouds will still linger forward! SO WHAT? Why do you care? Who gives a damn! Be sad you had to kill them, fine, it's fine, nobody is going to hate you for that, you'll be emotional, but it's fine, but don't let it get you. Everyone dies. More than that, Nobody and nothing cares" he replied, before adding again "The milky galaxy, the Andromeda, the Perseus, the Martifex system, billions of stars, even more infinite casual numbers of civilization composed of billions and more of people of different races, aspect and religion. You killed what? A thousand men fighting the Lexington? One with your sword? You think this stops the rest of the universe from going about its own damn business? You think somewhere; someone wakes up crying for Wardes death in the Andromeda galaxy? No: the answer is no." "Here someone could wake up crying though! What if he had family or friends or…" "So what? They'll cry, fine. They'll hate you, maybe. They'll try to kill you? Then kill them. Why do you think we Commander of Genocide are needed? There are no half-assed measures. You either never kill, and then you must be ready to be killed or you kill until nothing stands to oppose you, and even THIS can be interpreted in so many ways that even clash with each other, so what?"
"I just want…to go home and forget everything" Saito replied with a weak voice "That's the worst thing you can do, boy; the absolute worst. You must face it, face the facts, face the world, the universe, and yell at it if you want and realize that, no matter what, you did neither the right thing nor the wrong thing. You just did something. That's all there is. Morals are decided by the mass, and by the person. You decide who you want to try to kill and who not. You decide, thus you are your own judge, jury and executioner. You find yourself guilty? Then your punishment is what you decide. That is all however. Keep it inside of you because your crimes should never, ever, inflict harm on anyone else next to you." "What are you saying? Killing is a crime; by your words I should be punished." "For who, Hiraga Saito? When? Where? How? I killed more than you, exponentially more than you, and probably still will, yet, I am here. Talking with you, not because I'm a cold hearted bastard, but because it's useless to worry about it. I'll cry tonight, or tomorrow, or I'll drink till I'm dead or smoke till I'm suffocating, but no matter what, I am the one who decides my punishment, unless I get killed, that is."
Cog muttered then "It's difficult to speak with a wall, though I'll try until you get it: during one Elite class training, we were given permission to kill anything, and anyone in the surrounding area. Civilians, teachers, professors, drill sergeants, anyone. They could defend themselves obviously, but we would go unpunished for the toll of deaths. We were given shiny new weapons, and armors, and we were set free. Do you know how many people were killed that day, Saito?" "I don't know, why it should matter?" "Not one. Not a single one was killed that day. Do you know why? Of an entire class, none were killed? Because each of us knew it wasn't worth it. Sure, we could live on, but then what? Would someone be angry at us? What if we killed the headmaster's son? Or the infant daughter of our favorite teacher or of the guy dealing with the weaponry assigned during live fire tests? " He made a small pause. "It is not killing you must worry about, it is who you wish to become by killing" "So I should keep on killing?" "I did not say that. You want to stop? Stop. You are no soldier; nobody is going to ask you to kill again. However, know that eventually, you will kill again. You are a weapon, Saito, as I am. Weapons are used and are bloodied. No matter the face we may show our families, we are weapon."
"I don't want to be a weapon" "The moment you ended up here, in Tristain, the moment the Gandalfr runes were carved on your hand, you became a weapon; and now you can no longer go back. You tasted the power of the runes, didn't you? Excellent speed, agility, knowledge of all weapons, the fact you know how to land on the Varsenda right about now is sign of this" They had spoken so much that the Varsenda was actually in sight. "Gandalfr is a tool for destruction. That's all. You however are not Gandalfr. You are Hiraga Saito, the choice is always yours. Though, I suppose, you already know what you want" Cog said gravely, silencing himself for the moment, Saito remained silent for a while, too, before slowly murmuring "I want to go back home" "Then I will bring you back" "Thank you, Cog" "Don't thank me yet: I'll train your ass off until you actually have a chance to get back home" "I look forward to it" the tension broke off like that, and a small laughter soon followed. Louise kept her eyes closed tightly. She was really, really worried.
The old city of Saxe-Gotha was taken soon after the port of Rosais, from there; the capital city of Londinium wasn't that far. Saito was watching Louise sleeping in the bed of the inn they had rented, lost in his thoughts. "Hey partner" The talking sword spoke "What is it Derflinger?" "You should know this: your power is proportional to the emotions you prove, Gandalfr works with emotions" "So?" "Anger, hate, sadness are some of those, but also happiness, love, and more happy ones" "you remembered it now?" "Yes, because I feel it's going to be important pretty soon" "I see. Thank you then" "It's a pleasure partner" Saito looked at the sleeping face of the girl. He was in this mess, fighting in a war, killing in a war, because of her. Yet she managed to sleep peacefully while he couldn't. He was about to growl slightly, when a thought struck him, "Why should I care?" he muttered to himself. "Why should I care?" he repeated, like dumbstruck. It was that easy? Was it really that easy? "There is no reason to care. I did my job, he would have done his. There was no reason at all to care! It happened, it's what I decide to be, if sad, or happy, but then it doesn't change what I am…now I get it. Now I get it!" excited, Saito smiled, throwing himself on the free bed, and falling asleep, content, finally.
Cog looked at the letter he had just received from the owl. "This is a joke right?" he said, to the owl who obviously couldn't answer him. "She actually…oh never mind. Innkeeper! A quill and some ink! And something strong to drink too!" Cog yelled, the innkeeper looked familiar; however he shrugged at his thoughts, and after paying for the stuff, began writing. "Isn't that…" a female voice shook him from his writing, and lifting his head, he managed to catch a glimpse of the school maid from the Academy "What brings you here, Siesta?" it had been a long while since he had last seen the maid "I am here with my relatives, sir. Since the city was taken, my uncle opened this tent to sell wine to the soldiers" "Yes. I see. How are things in Tarbes?" "Everything is fine now! You and…Chevalier Saito stopped an entire army from advancing; this war is clearly going to be won" "While I appreciate enthusiasm, nothing is certain until it's finished, Cardinal Mazarin isn't making this easier: Him and his idea of a truce." "It's the advent week! It's a holy festivity…" but Siesta stopped midway, because the eye stare of Cog made her bit her tongue.
"Anyway, is Saito perhaps…well…free, sir?" she asked "He should be, if he's not taking a nap. Want me to leave him a message for you?" "I, I wouldn't ask to such length a Chevalier of…" "Cog, call me Cog, and do the same for Saito would you? He actually needs some brain rest" "Oh well, then…could you just, tell him I'm here and I wanted to…thank him?" "Yes, I will certainly do that" "thank you sir!" "Cog" "I'm sorry s…Cog!" and then with a bow, she left him with his liquor, his quill, his ink and the parchment on which he had to write. The owl stirred a bit "Cold huh? Going to snow isn't it?" The owl didn't reply. "I like you. Silent yet effective" he finished scribbling, then rolled up tightly the parchment, folding it repeatedly once the ink had obviously dried. He then gave a piece of meat to the owl, and sent him on his way with the message.
Saito was pleasantly day-dreaming the date with Siesta, which he went to the day before, it was already the tenth day of the month of Yara. She had even been worried about him, giving him some sort of medical drug, sleeping pills, to use in case he had trouble sleeping. She had heard that from Cog, who was now sitting in front of him, at a table of the inn, Louise was sitting at their left, and was listening carefully to their conversations. "She's so nice and sweet, ah I think I'm in love" Saito muttered to Cog. "What good is there in a maid for a Chevalier?" Louise replied, a bit nervous. "She's got some qualities. Redeeming ones too" Saito replied, and just so casually the look went to the chest. The flat board, the plains of flatness, the dream of every spirit level. "She…she's not at your level!" the girl replied again sternly. "And who would be instead?" Saito asked. "I…I don't know, but the maid is no good, definitely no good" Louise kind of looked cute as she was sternly opposing the matter, like a puddle cub who barks at a Doberman: stupidly cute.
An explosion behind them soon followed another. In silence they stared at each other for a moment "REVOLT" yelled some people on the street, soon followed by more clashes "The zero fighter?" Cog asked calmly "On the Varsenda" Saito replied keeping his cool because Cog was doing the same. "Good. Grab your sword and let's move" Cog stood up as the rest of the inn got suddenly rushed for the exit "To the kitchen you two, and you also!" Cog exclaimed, marching grabbing someone by the neck, the guy seemed like a messenger, who had a scared face on him. In the kitchen, Cog made his way to the servant exit, which nobody else had cared to exploit, apart the servant themselves. He threw the messenger on the road "Go and get some orders from command!" and then stood in wait.
"Cog? Shouldn't we help?" Saito asked him "Revolt. As in: you don't know who your enemy is. Stay still and kill whoever comes over with a weapon" he replied as he quickly barricaded the servants door with garbage bins. "Now, pink shrimp, hold you wand out and look menacing" "I'm a noble. I should be helping!" yelled Louise in reply "Yeah, one wrong move and you end up killing the good ones" "Cog is right, Louise" "Killing, killing and killing! You two can't think about anything else! I'll do something without killing then!" Louise replied yelling even higher "Yeah, annoying the enemy to death is a sure win" Saito replied, but Cog shrug his shoulders. "Let's just wait." A few minutes later, a messenger came back, heavily panting "Retreat. The order is to, retreat" "Good, heard the orders? We retreat"
Murmurs on the retreat column were that someone had poisoned the water, turning lots of friends into enemies; others said that the revolt was due to the low quantity of food and treacherous thoughts. Other yet again spoke of ancient magic, in any case, the army forces retreated till Rosais, where they waited for permission to retreat. "Commander Wimpffen" a messenger started saying towards Louise, who descended from the carriage she had been on until moments ago. "Commander Wimpffen? Means the rest is eating with the worms" Cog muttered, Saito gave him a bad stare, but he shrugged. It was the truth. "Commander Wimpffen has orders for you" he spoke to Louise, and Louise went off towards the high command.
"What do you think it's all about?" "I don't know" Cog replied shrugging. "You know for the past days, during the retreat, Louise looked more and more distressed" Saito said, with a sad tone of voice. This made the Commander of Genocide flinch an eyebrow "You alright?" "Yes, it's just that…" "that what?" "I mean, she just a girl, yet she was asked to become a tool for war…I just want to…" "Protect her?" "Yes, as I would protect anyone else" "What brought this change of heart about?" Cog questioned him curious "I don't know: it's just that I feel it would be the right thing to do to protect her smile" "Well, you've got worse than a tender heart: you've also got a soft brain" Cog sighed. "Let's see what's going on, then"
Louise was a bit pale, after hearing the orders; yet she bowed graciously and left the high command. She staggered as she made her way to get a horse, and was surprised to see Cog and Saito, her Familiars, no, something else. Friends? Maybe. She tried walking past them, in silence, but Saito asked her "Is something the matter?" with such a worried voice, at least, for her, that she couldn't hold it "No! Nothing is the matter" she said, her eyes going watery. "Nothing is the matter" she whispered again, before addressing Cog, "Treat Eleonore with care, got it? She's nice if you get to know her: I'm not going to forgive you if you play with her" "Something is amiss." Cog nodded before quickly grabbing Louise's hand and the orders written within. "Hold the line on a hill fifty leagues from the city. Neither surrender, nor retreat granted." Cog read in a clear tone of voice. "Seems suicide orders" he pointed out. "You don't have to follow them; you could run away" Saito said to the small girl "I won't, I have an honor as a noble" Louise replied, "Fine then, one last toast?" Cog asked as he got his hand on a wine bottle. "No, I don't feel like it" Louise muttered, "but there is…one thing" she said her face looking at the stone road "What is it?" Saito asked then "I…I want to marry you Saito" she said biting her lower lip. "Wait. What?" Cog and Saito's replies were the same. "It's because I don't want to die un married. Only that!" Louise meekly defended herself "Well…it's not like I can stop a priest…but if it will make her feel better" Saito said towards Cog, who sighed scratching his head "Youngsters this day, never knowing what they want…fine! I'm marrying the both of you"
At the empty temple, wine was poured in two cups, which were then given to the couple "It's in the ritual" Cog said, obliging Louise to actually have a toast. "Now, you both swear to love each other, help each other, live through each other hardships, until death does you apart?" it was a quick one, but Cog spoke in a clear, and official manner, one which would make people whimper in fear if used as an intimidating tone. Yet it also was incredibly soft. "I do" came as the reply from both sides. "Then drink from each other's cup and be together in the vinculum of marriage" as they did, Cog smiled warmly. "Now, let's …" but then he saw Louise fall down, swiftly caught by Saito. "Don't tell me you did that" Cog pointed out "I had to: I faked drinking, I slipped the sleeping pills in the bottle when you asked me to open it" "You want to go?" "Yes: please, take Louise on the ship and tell her…I don't know, something" "You are going to die, you know that? Away from home and all?" "Yes, but I don't care anymore. I realized your words: I chose who to kill and why. I will stop that army because I chose to protect her, they will kill me because they have to advance" "Then there's nothing I can do to stop you. Good luck, Hiraga Saito, Chevalier of Queen Henrietta" with those words, Cog brought his hand forward, and shook Saito's hand with a firm grasp.
"You know, Gandalfr is said to have gone up against thousands" Derflinger said from Saito's back, on top of the hill, as the army drew nearer "Really?" "well, as legends goes, and years passes by, the numbers have been inflated, maybe it was less than a thousand" "So, how many are we up against?" "Seventy-thousand" said a voice from Saito's back. He turned around, surprised to see Cog there, coming out from the bushes. More surprised yet was his armament. A two handed sword wielded like it were one handed, a tower shield, and five javelins on his back. "I would have come more equipped" he replied as to answer Saito's stare, "But this was all I managed to find in town" "Louise?" "Safe on the Redoubtable, a name a guarantee" Cog laughed it off "You aren't scared?" Saito asked him as he himself was shaking slightly.
"I grew accustomed to it. I still feel it, but I rationalize it. It's the adrenaline pumping in my vein, increasing my heart beat, telling me to run; but it's my brain and my heart that guide my feet, not the opposite" Cog said, with a smile "Enough talking however. Hope you remember that gist of a lesson: aim for them, forget the rest, kill or not you get to choose" "Yes. Won't this affect the judgment?" "Why would it? I'm volunteering for this type of death. I wasn't forced. I chose this. You chose this. So, no matter what, you have to live with it, no crying later" "Nice words!" Yelled Derflinger unsheathed and held firmly by Saito.
"I'll get the left flank you get the right one!" Cog commented as he began running, "Aim for the officials!" yelled Derflinger as Saito ran as fast, if even a little bit more, than Cog. The forward cavalry saw two figures, a two handed boy wielding a large sword, and a sort of armored metallic wall. The first one dashed through the cavalry, as fast as lightning, leaving the soldiers on their horsed dumbstruck. The second flung his Claymore sword as the side of a horse, the horse screamed as it fell on his back, but even more so when he was thrown by a kick of the guy towards the first infantry lines.
"General Hawkin sir! We are under attack!" yelled a messenger from the frontlines, before being torn apart by a javelin, thrown from far away. Quite close to the general actually. "What the hell is going on!" screamed a mage from Hawkin's guard, before a damn pike flung against him pierced his side. "It has to be elves!" was the murmur among the soldiers who couldn't see the front. The general however was sure it was something else. Two demons, two fighters of unstoppable strength were tearing apart his chain of command, and were aiming at him too. "Raise you wands and create air shields!" the general yelled, no sooner because another javelin stopped in midair, instead of ending his course against Hawkin's horse, and finished on the ground nearby.
Saito caught a blast of fire magic to his side, burning his left arm; he could hear Derflinger saying "Partner! I don't know how much magic I can still absorb" when he saw another mage ready to chant a spell against him. He slashed an infantryman who was moving closer to him on the chest, dodging to the side, and then piercing him through the weak spot under the shoulder joint of the armor, when a sword decapitated the mage. The two demons ended up back to back "You don't look well!" yelled Cog "You neither!" muttered Saito, Cog had far more grievous wounds; he had arrows stinging all over his side. "yeah, one of those guys risked friendly fire to take me down, something about his brother being killed" "No escape huh?" Cog muttered, only enemies all around them, "Stop staying still! If they surround us with pikes it's over!" then Cog charged forward again, striking down two pike men as he zig zagged for the next mage. Saito too ran towards the mage who had launched against him a fireball, and crashed against him with his shoulder, before piercing his throat with Derflinger.
"I'm not taking counts" Cog muttered, as his next enemy decided to come forth on his own: a troll. "The bigger they are" he gritted his teethes as he charged "The harder they get hurt falling!" he yelled as the Claymore chopped through the right foot of the troll, throwing it on the ground, but also breaking up the sword as it chipped the hard troll's bones. "Need a weapon, mind if I take yours?" he said, as an orc armed with an axe came closer, the human without weapon sounded easy to kill. Until his fist landed straight on the orcs' face, dislodging the mandible and sending his teethes flying. He fell on the ground, as his axe was taken by the human.
"We are 70000! How the hell are we kept at bay by two swordsmen!" Hawkin yelled as he saw the lines of soldiers break in front of him, but more poured in, eventually they would win, but he wondered how much the morale would drop. That's when he saw two figures dash forward, towards him and his mages. "Crap" was all he could say, before the two demons themselves reached his bodyguards. One of the two launched himself forward, he wasn't more than a boy, and yet he was flung out of his horse and onto the grass, as the boy's blade was mere inches away from his face, ready for a fatal blow, the boy stopped moving, and fell on the ground. Magical arrows were on his back, lots of them, blood seeping from every wound. The other one instead seemed to be still fighting his bodyguards. Maybe had he taken one at the time he could have managed something, instead he repeatedly got held at bay by fireballs conjured by the triangle fire mage and was at its strength end.
"Well, today's the day, isn't it?" he muttered to himself. "The nanites are sleeping, the sun is shining, and today I die" he added, speaking to himself yet again, as he rolled on the ground to avoid air blades slicing the air around him. "Had I known I would become an idiot, I'd have drank less liquor" he muttered, as an earth spike pierced his side, while he was rolling, but no cries of pain came forth. "Not giving you the honor of seeing me scream" he said, as he quickly got to his knees to dash forward –This time I'm taking the burns, but I'm taking the bastard down- he thought as the only weapon in his hand was the broken handle of the orcs' axe. Not an effective tool, but it would have worked.
Cog was soon engulfed by the flames, and Hawkin took a small sigh of relief. It was over. He sighed too soon: the demon emerged from the flames grievously wounded, but still moving, and pierced the cheek of the general with what remained of the wooden handle. The general was flung to the side by the blow. Then, the demon dropped on the ground, next to the boy. Hawkin coughed blood, as he could feel sharp pain taking over his face, but the blow hadn't been strong enough: he was still alive. "Sir…you alright?" as a water mage ran over and started healing his face, he looked at the two dead bodies he couldn't even speak; so much was the pain he felt. Yet he knew he had to say something "Bury…them…demons…honor" he tried painstakingly hard to say those words "Don't speak sir! You have a broken mandible"
That was when the boy stood up again, grabbing the other demon's corpse with him, and running even faster than before, dashing and jumping, into the forest nearby, and disappearing from sight. Nobody dared to follow. Nobody was that mad to follow one who could cheat death.