落とし穴外伝：絶望の中で望みをかける (Part1)
Dungeon Pit Side Story: Casting Hope Amidst Despair
Side: Fuiara Ioa
My name is Fuiara.
It is a name given to me by my father and mother, with the wish that I might grow up vibrant and strong, like a roaring flame.
I have lived my life until this day with pride in that name, but...
"Is it truly the end, then?"
Those words slipped past my lips before I could stop them.
And for good reason.
"I bring a report. The enemy has begun to encircle the castle. We are organizing a defensive formation, but our allies are few, and the enemy is legion. My Prince... no, Your Majesty, you must prepare to flee."
This was the counsel offered by my general.
At this moment, our country—no, the entire world—is on the brink of annihilation.
A Demon Lord suddenly appeared at the sacred peak in the north and declared war upon the four nations of this world.
In the blink of an eye, three nations fell, leaving only ours behind.
And now, with most of our towns razed, all that remains is this castle and the castle town at its feet.
So, I tell the general this:
"What good would fleeing do? Where would we go? Can the citizens who are struggling so desperately to live right before our eyes also flee?"
I ask, knowing the answer.
There is no such place. There is no way for the people to escape.
Among them are many who are not of this land.
There are those who escaped with their lives from the nations that were already destroyed.
Our food supplies dwindle by the day, and we are in a dire situation where even we cannot eat our fill, yet they still cooperate and try to survive.
You ask me to abandon them?
It seems my intent reached him, for the general shook his head and replied...
"I understand your feelings, Your Majesty. But it is precisely because the banner of the sovereign exists that the possibility of a resurgence remains. Conversely, if you were to fall here, the people would lose all hope, and the world would be the Demon Lord’s to command."
"There is no king without a people. I will remain here until the end, to protect my people and fight to the last."
"But, sir!"
"Calm yourself. I will not flee, but I will send others away. We must leave behind hope for the future by saving the young. If they are but a small group without power, there is a chance the enemy might overlook their escape."
If I were to flee, it would inevitably require a large retinue.
That would slow our pace and increase the likelihood of being detected by the enemy.
That would be meaningless.
"Select the children of the dukes—the boys who have yet to reach adulthood, and the few girls as well. Make them the core, and have the other young children escape with them. As for their escort, assign my personal guards."
"But then, your own protection, Your Majesty..."
"Are you saying you cannot protect me without a few of my guards? Or do you believe we are destined to lose?"
"No! Understood. I shall begin the selection immediately!"
With those words, the general left the room.
I watched him go, then sank deeply into my chair in the office where only my butler remained.
"Haa..."
"Your Majesty. Are you quite alright?"
"Yes, old friend. I am fine. We have not even fought yet. Above all, when I think of the people who have been driven from their families, their homes, and their lands, only to flee here, this is nothing. My father, the late King, used to say that the people are the treasure and the very soul of the nation. I must not let myself whine over something like this."
As I finished speaking, the old man lowered his gaze...
"And yet, you have lost the late King and are in the same position..."
"I still have you, my family, my retainers, and my people, and I still have a home. It would be boorish to ask for more. Above all, the late King simply fulfilled his duty as a king. He could not have formed a greater coalition than he did."
Indeed, my father, the late King, perhaps sensing the power of this Demon Lord through intuition, rallied the four nations and challenged the Demon Lord to a grand, decisive battle.
But the result was a crushing defeat.
The late King and most of those who went to war never returned. The three nations that had been stingy with their military strength finally moved in earnest, but it was too late.
Still, it is a blessing that because they recognized the threat, the people were at least able to evacuate, even if the military suffered heavy losses.
My father used his own life to convey the crisis of the world.
However, even with preparations, it is difficult to secure enough supplies to sustain the people of four nations, including our own. We are trying to conserve, but the enemy is already before our eyes.
We cannot go out to farm or hunt, and the stockpiled supplies are beginning to run dry. We would be lucky to last another two months.
We must repel the enemy before then, but...
"Conscription and training... it is difficult, isn't it?"
First, we must secure our immediate safety, or there will be no future.
It is true, as the general said, that our soldiers are few, but it is not that we lack people.
However, as I said before...
"Your Majesty, I fear that a little training will only increase the number of meaningless deaths."
"I suppose so. Still, I wouldn't call it meaningless, but I hear there is growing dissatisfaction among the refugees and the citizens who are consuming supplies while only receiving support. By conscripting them, we might be able to offer them some small comfort."
"...That is true, but what are your thoughts on compensation should they fall in battle?"
"We have no room to maneuver. I can only promise them the safety of their families. In the first place, we are in a situation where they should be grateful just to be accepted."
"That is the nature of people, to not understand that. However, considering that, it might be a good thing to conscript the men, who could otherwise become a source of rebellion."
We talk as if there is still a future, but we both know that a future of despair is already visible.
As I mentioned earlier, the late King formed a coalition and was defeated.
I cannot imagine that our current personnel could surpass that.
We are simply waiting for our destruction...
"Ah, I find myself wishing that the heroes of old were here."
"Haha, they were the ones who came from beyond the sea, outside this world, in the distant past, were they not?"
"They were strong enough to adventure across the ends of the sea. I find myself wanting to believe in such fairy tales..."
As I was saying such foolish things with a bitter smile...
*That prayer has been heard.*
A voice resonated within my mind.
I looked around in surprise, but the owner of the voice was nowhere to be found. Moreover, the old man was looking around in the same way, shifting his position to shield me.
"Old friend, did you hear that?"
"Yes. It seems you heard it too, Your Majesty. What in the world..."
As we confirmed to each other that it was not an auditory hallucination...
*I shall grant you the power to summon a hero to defeat the Demon Lord. Defeat the Demon Lord. For the sake of the world. And learn the true vastness of the world. I have already made the arrangements with the hero's nation.*