Esterra,
three hours before the events described earlier.
Second Lieutenant Tomoe Takahashi of the Japan Self-Defense Force came out of the headquarters building with a folder in her hands — inside was an order to get the necessary items from the warehouse and load them into a military Toyota Mega Cruiser to be taken to a local village located thirty kilometers north of the base on Alnus Hill — as part of the program to bring civilization to this medieval world.
Such trips were already commonplace for the Japanese army, including Tomoe, but this time she was quite anxious, though she tried not to show it.
Upon arriving at the warehouse, Tomoe gave the document to the officer in charge of the warehouse to read, sign, and issue the necessary items. Routine procedure, however, this time it didn't go the same way.
— Second Lieutenant, I have already filled out all the necessary paperwork, however, I must inform you that I have a directive stating that from now on it is necessary to send an escort of at least two soldiers along with the cargo…
— But… I delivered the goods myself, and no escort was required. Maybe we shouldn't change anything. Besides, who would attack us… — A convoy to the cargo wasn't part of their plan, and they might not like it very much.
— You see, Tomoe, the guerrilla sabotage activities of the local opposition have increased lately. We're fighting as best we can, but to avoid unnecessary losses, we now rely on at least minimal escorts. Or do you dislike your comrades-in-arms? — The major reached for his walkie-talkie.
— Oh, no… What are you… They don't displease me… I just…
— Private Kimura and sergeant Yoshida, report to warehouse number four.
A couple of minutes later, the named soldiers were standing in front of the major.
— Your job is to load this cargo onto a vehicle and then escort Second Lieutenant Takahashi to the village of Eltra and back. Is that clear?
— Yes, sir! — The pair of soldiers barked, causing the girl to rub her ear with a twist of her face.
It didn't take long for the soldiers to get ready, and they quickly threw a khaki wooden box into the car and sat down between them, talking about something. A couple of times they tried to engage the girl in conversation, but without any response, they soon gave up trying. In the meantime, the car drove off, after a few minutes passing the checkpoint of the base, and then, turning slightly away from the planned route, stopped at the settlement that had been formed near Alnus.
All the while, Tomoe slowly but surely began to worry more and more, a sticky fear settling in her soul, increasing by the minute, but she still had hope that if she did everything else as planned, they would forgive her.
As she approached the agreed upon crossroads in the settlement, Tomoe stopped the car and waited, glancing nervously at her watch.
— Um, Lieutenant, why are we stopped? — The sergeant broke the silence, which made the girl flinch.
— I, uh… — The girl paused, visibly shuddering, as if she didn't know what to say, but still found the strength to continue. — I've arranged to meet a child who lives here and take her for a ride…
— Oh… And this won't interfere with us? And we will not be punished for it? — The private inquired skeptically.
— N-not if no one finds out. You will tell, won't you? — She turned to them and put a smile on her face, which made the two soldiers nod their heads in agreement.
After a couple of minutes, a girl of about nine years of age, in a simple gray dress, jumped out of the corner. She seemed to be an ordinary girl, but she had two snow-white hare ears on her head…
Tomoe opened the door, letting the child into the car.
— Hi big sis! Where are we going today? — Little rabbit girl asked playfully.
— Today, Pythia, we're going to Eltra…
— Oh! I was there the fall before last when I rode by on the cart! There are big fields there and woods all around! — Tomoe was bombarded with childish babble and details.
The convoy soldiers were silent, not even surprised by the inhuman features of the unexpected passenger — during their stay here, for them half-humans had become commonplace.
After a couple of hours of travel, the rabbit girl dozed off, and the soldiers were discussing various topics in half a voice:
— No, you're wrong. We have enough problems, both internal and external, for example, with China. Relations with them are getting aggravated and aggravated… — Said the sergeant in a balanced manner.
— There's a little problem with China! — Exclaimed the heated private. — They have only far-fetched claims for our territory, and they won't get it, except for starting the war. And there's another problem with Russia: they've been illegally occupying the Kuril Islands for a long time, and it's high time we got them back! They're like barbarians now, and our politicians, by promising them our technology, can free our territory from them…
The car shuddered as it drove onto a wooden bridge. It was time…
— We… ahem. We crossed the bridge over the Oki River! — The girl said in a loud voice to the inside of the car as she braked. And that was the signal.
Under the shocked stares of the soldiers, the lid of the box creaked open, and a man in a black uniform appeared, holding a crossbow in his hands.
— Fuck you, not the Kurils! — The unidentified soldier's finger pressed the trigger, the bowstring snapped loudly, and the crossbow arrow slammed into the Japanese soldier's eye with a smacking noise.
The sergeant grabbed his machine gun, but it was too late: the unknown man was instantly beside him and hit the Japanese in the temple with all his might, making him lose consciousness at once, but the man did not stop: he gripped his hands tightly around the guy's neck and pressed until he stopped breathing. Then he got up and walked over to the front seats, where Tomoe was sitting with her eyes squeezed shut, tears streaming through them, and clutching tightly at the steering wheel, and the rabbit girl Pythia clutched at her side in horror.
— Well, the first part of the plan is accomplished. Well done, Toma. — The soldier in the black uniform and hiding face mask put his hand on the girl's head, which made her shudder and whisper:
— My name is Tomoe, not Toma… Murderer. — She added very quietly.
— Well, there was no other. — The man smirked, to Tomoe's horror when he heard her words. However, nothing followed, much to the relief of the frightened girl. — Turn the car around, take it to the middle of the bridge, and drive it across. You understand? Good girl. And calm your rabbit, or she'll die of fright before her time.
When the car was in the right position, the killer drove Tomoe and the girl out, and then threw a heavy stone on the gas pedal, which made the car with a loud roar of the engine rushed forward, with a crack broke the wooden railing and, having flipped, fell into the river from the bridge.
The man wiped his hands and turned to the girl:
— All right, now we can go to the necessary place, where you, Tomoe, will perform the ritual. You remember the terms of the treaty, don't you?
— Y-yes…— The girl replied languidly. — And I am Tomoe…
— Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Now let's go. — The warrior turned and walked along the right sand bank of the river to the northwest, once again ignoring the remark.
— S-sister… Sister, what was the terrible man talking about? — The weeping girl turned to Tomoe, whose hand she now gripped tightly.
Tomoe looked sadly at the child and could hardly get the words out:
— He will take us to a place where we will sit for a while, and he will let us go. — The girl led Pythia by the hand toward the man in black.
— Is he an outlaw? — The girl had calmed down a little, and now her curiosity had returned to her, though fear still restrained her impulses.
— No, Pythia, he… How shall I say… — The girl tried to think of anything to distract the girl from what had happened.
— Quiet, now! Stop that gibberish of yours. And hurry up, or we'll be late! — The man threatened, and quickened his pace.
But Tomoe whispered:
— He serves Evil...
Dear readers, I apologize very much for the poor quality of the text, for I am not a native English speaker and do not know it very well. If you find any blunders, errors, inaccuracies, or the like, please notify me.
Because of the difficulty of translation and lack of time, I was forced to break my original prologue into three parts, and this is only the second of them...